{"content": "From B.C. to modern times, art has been a medium of unyielding promise.\nAlways has, is and always will be...\nAt World Culture Art,\nwe strive to unveil the promise offered by the fine arts as they\ncontinue to be passed down and developed over generations.\n\nThe transformation of painters from craftsmen to artists gave rise to numerous artistic movements which included the Renaissance, Impressionism, Cubism, Dadaism and Surrealism. What all of these forms of expressions uncontestedly have in common is that they represent activities founded in the human spirit and branches in the history of mankind searching for emotion and cultivating his soul.\nIn our view, the greatest artistic experience one can have is the inexplicable stirring in one’s heart upon laying eyes on a work. Is this not the true nature of art, which remains consistent regardless of the genre and era at hand?\nThis kind of artistic experience can be had by anyone - provided that mankind will continue its unending search for hope and emotion.\nAt World Culture Art, it is our belief that a society allowing anyone to freely conduct activities founded in the human spirit represents the very foundation of what is needed for creating a rich society.\nOur mission is to continue exploring the promise offered by fine arts in modern day society while helping to create a more ideal environment for artists across Japan to bring forth their craft. Along with these efforts, we intend to fully endeavor towards fostering and developing a cultural society that allows the amazing power that art has to move the hearts of people to flourish.\nWe hope to continue benefitting from your support and understanding in this regard. Thank you very much.\n\nHidetoshi Kushida\nRepresentative Director and President", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.996124267578125}
{"content": "SopoNova collectors are primarily used for power generation, process heat or solar air conditioning and are designed for both rooftop and ground-mounted applications. They measure five feet wide and 12 feet long (1.52 meters by 3.66 meters), and weigh approximately 150 pounds (68 kilograms). They have an expected useful life of over 30 years and operate at 300 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit (148 to 260 degrees Celsius). Their maximum wind speed is 100 miles per hour (161 kilometers per hour) while stowed and 33 miles per hour (54 kilometers per hour) during tracking and have a concentration ratio of 60x.\n\n\nDownload our SopoNova™ Data Sheet here\n\nSopogy SopoNova™ MicroCSP Collector is now SRCC OG-100 Certified", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5469236373901367}
{"content": "Tag Archives: Mirai botnet\n\nCrime Does Not Pay!!\n\nThe U.S. federal officials have arrested three hackers who have pleaded guilty to computer-crimes charges for creating and distributing Mirai botnet that crippled some of the world’s biggest and most popular websites by launching the massive DDoS attacks last year.\n\nAccording to the federal court documents unsealed Tuesday, Paras Jha (21-year-old from New Jersey), Josiah White (20-year-old Washington) and Dalton Norman (21-year-old from Louisiana) were indicted by an Alaska court last week on multiple charges for their role in massive cyber attacks conducted using Mirai botnet.\n\nMirai is a piece of nasty IoT malware that scans for insecure routers, cameras, DVRs, and other Internet of Things devices which are still using their default passwords and then add them into a botnet network, which is then used to launch DDoS attacks on websites and Internet infrastructure.\n\nAccording to his plea agreement, Jha “conspired to conduct DDoS attacks against websites and web hosting companies located in the United States and abroad” by ensnaring over 300,000 IoT devices. He also demanded payment “in exchange for halting the attack.\n\nBetween September and October 2016, Jha advertised Mirai botnet on multiple dark web forums using the online monikers “Anna Senpai.” He also admitted to securely wiping off the virtual machine used to run Mirai on his device and then posting the source code of Mirai online for free.\n\nSince then, other cybercriminals have used the open-source code of the botnet to create their own Mirai variants in a variety of different cyber attacks against their targets.\n\nParas Jha (a.k.a Anna Senpai) and his business partner Josiah White (a.k.a Lightspeed and thegenius) are the same people who were outed by blogger Brian Krebs earlier this year after his blog was also knocked offline by a massive 620 Gbps of DDoS attack using Mirai botnet.\n\n\nAccording to Jha’s LinkedIn profile, he is a 21-year-old passionate programmer from Fanwood, U.S., who knows how to code in multiple programming languages and is positioned as president of a DDoS mitigation firm, ProTraf Solutions.\n\nWhite admitted to creating the Mirai botnet’s scanner to identify and hijack vulnerable internet-connected devices to enlist in the botnet, while Norman (a.k.a Drake) admitted to identifying private zero-day vulnerabilities and exploits to build into the massive botnet.\n\nFrom December 2016 to February 2017, the trio successfully infected more than 100,000 computing devices to form another powerful botnet, called Clickfraud, which was designed to scam online ad networks by simulating clicks on ads for the purpose of artificially generating revenue.\n\nA week after the massive DDoS attack, the source code of Mirai was released on the widely used hacker chat forum Hackforums by Jha who, under the name Anna-senpai, wrote he had “made their money…so it’s time to GTFO.”\n\n“So today, I have an amazing release for you,” he wrote. “With Mirai, I usually pull max 380k bots from telnet alone. However, after the Kreb [sic] DDoS, ISPs been slowly shutting down and cleaning up their act. Today, max pull is about 300k bots, and dropping.”\n\nOnce Mirai source code was out, various cyber criminals started exploiting the IoT malware to launch powerful DDoS attacks against websites and Internet infrastructure, one of which was the popular DNS provider Dyn, which was DDoSed by a botnet of an around 100,000 Mirai malware-infected devices.\n\nThe defendants’ involvement with the original Mirai variant ended in the fall of 2016, when Jha posted the source code for Mirai on a criminal forum. Since then, other criminal actors have used Mirai variants in a variety of other attacks.” DOJ said.\n\nThe trio faces a sentence of up to five years in prison.\nCrime does not pay, it will eventually catch up to you !!!\n\nAn Army of Million Hacked IoT Devices Almost Broke the Internet on Friday\n\n\nA massive Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack against Dyn, a major domain name system (DNS) provider, broke large portions of the Internet on Friday, causing a significant outage to a ton of websites and services, including Twitter, GitHub, PayPal, Amazon, Reddit, Netflix, Box, and Spotify.\n\nBut how the attack happened? What’s the cause behind the attack?\n\nExact details of the attack remain vague, but Dyn reported a huge army of hijacked internet-connected devices could be responsible for the massive attack.\nYes, the same method recently employed by hackers to carry out record-breaking DDoS attack of over 1 Tbps against France-based hosting provider OVH.\n\nAccording to security intelligence firm Flashpoint, Mirai bots were detected driving much, but not necessarily all, of the traffic in the DDoS attacks against DynDNS.\n\nMirai is a piece of malware that targets Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as routers, and security cameras, DVRs, and enslaves vast numbers of these compromised devices into a botnet, which is then used to conduct DDoS attacks.\n\nSince the source code of Mirai Botnet has already made available to the public, anyone can wield DDoS attacks against targets.\n\nThis time hackers did not target an individual site, rather they attacked Dyn that many sites and services are using as their upstream DNS provider for turning internet protocol (IP) addresses into human-readable websites.\n\nThe result we all know: Major sites and services including Twitter, GitHub, Reddit, PayPal, Amazon, AirBnb, Netflix, Box, Pinterest, and so on, were among hundreds of services rendered inaccessible to Millions of people worldwide for several hours on Friday.\n\n“Flashpoint has confirmed that at least some of the devices used in the Dyn DNS attacks are DVRs, further matching the technical indicators and tactics, techniques, and procedures associated with previous known Mirai botnet attacks,” Flashpoint says in a blog post.\n\nThis type of attack is notable and concerning because it largely consists of unsecured IoT devices, which are growing exponentially with time. These devices are implemented in a way that they cannot easily be updated and thus are nearly impossible to secure.\n\nManufacturers majorly focus on performance and usability of IoT devices but ignore security measures and encryption mechanisms, which is why they are routinely being hacked and widely becoming part of DDoS botnets used as weapons in cyber attacks.\n\nAn online tracker of the Mirai botnet suggests there are more than 1.2 Million Mirai-infected devices on the Internet, with over 166,000 devices active right now.\n\nIn short, IoT botnets like Mirai are growing rapidly, and there is no easy way to stop them.\n\nAccording to officials speaking to Reuters, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the FBI are both investigating the massive DDoS attacks hitting DynDNS, but none of the agencies yet speculated on who might be behind them.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7289572954177856}
{"content": "The water footprint of modern consumer society\n\nThe water footprint of modern consumer society / Arjen Y. Hoekstra. Routledge, March 2013,  208 p. ISBN 978-1-84971-427-3 – £23\n\nPresentation (© Routledge) :\n\nWater is not only used in the domestic context, but also in agriculture and industry in the production of commercial goods, from food to paper. The water footprint is an indicator of freshwater use that looks at both direct and indirect use of water by a consumer or producer. The water footprint of an individual, community or business is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community or produced by the business.\n\nThis book shows how the water footprint concept can be used to quantify and map the water use behind consumption and how it can guide reduction of water use to a sustainable level. With a number of case studies, it illustrates water use along supply chains and that water consumption at one place is often linked to water use at another. For example, it is calculated that it takes 15,000 litres of water to produce 1 kg of beef, or 8,000 litres of water to produce a pair of jeans. The book shows that imports of water-intensive products can highly benefit water-scarce countries, but also that this creates a dependency on foreign water resources.\n\nThe book demonstrates how water-scarce regions sometimes, nevertheless, use lots of water for making export products. It raises the issue of sustainable consumption: how can consumers, businesses and governments get involved in reducing the water footprints of final consumer goods?\n\nVous aimerez aussi...\n\nLaisser un commentaire\n\nVotre adresse de messagerie ne sera pas publiée.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9951954483985901}
{"content": "The Theory Of Everything: Review\n\n\nThis film recounts the story of Stephen Hawking from the moment he meets his wife Jane until the moment he receives the honour of meeting the Queen of England after many years and numerous books and lectures being published and acknowledged world wide.\n\nBut the thing that captured my attention was that the film obviously addresses Hawking’s struggle with dealing and coming to terms with his neurological deficiency at the same time that it shows the impact that that has on Jane.\n\n\nAs his capacity to walk, talk, dress and eat on his own becomes increasingly affected, Jane steps in almost as an extension of Hawking himself as to care for him and helping to make his life as normal and as easy as possible. She becomes quite literally his back bone.\n\nAnd it is astonishing to see how she dealt with it all. I mean she married him knowing what laid ahead because she loved him. Truly and completely. There is no denying of that fact.\n\n\nWhich only comes to showcase that the film tells the story not of Hawking’s ascent into professional stardom despite is illness (although that is still shown) but of Jane Hawking’s increasing descent into unhappiness due to the overwhelming notion that after having to take care of three children with no physical help from her husband due to his own inability to do so, having had to take care of a household in all manners, juggling to finish her PhD in Medieval Spanish Poetry  and the added bonus of having to take care of her husband, only came to an inevitable halt because the combination of all of that mixed with Stephen’s increasing expeditions to other countries either to receive awards or to give lectures, led them to drift apart emotionally.\n\n\nThis led to her falling in love with the conductor of a church choir, Jonathan whom helped the family a great deal whilst Jane and Hawking still tried to mend their marriage which even led to a third pregnancy on her part. But the increasing difficulties continued even after a full time nurse came to take care of Hawking, only leading to him having a slight infatuation with her.\n\ntheory-everything-reviews-charlie-cox So I would say that the film is a brilliant depiction of how love can truly transcend the boundaries of disease, no matter of what level, and it can bring you up or take you further down depending on how you choose to live your life.\n\nStephen Hawking is without a doubt an incredibly inspiring man, not only because of his work but also of how he chose to live his life. Free of self imposed boundaries or of stereotypes imposed by society on how you should act or be seen by a major audience. He continues to change the world just by living. \n\nBut then again, it is often overlooked that he only managed to accomplish so much because Jane was by his side every step of the way. Unwavering and strong.\n\nIt is undoubtedly a beautiful biographical film with a strong human facet.\n\nRating: 8/10\n\n\n\n\nScreenwriting 101\n\n\nScreenwriting is a topic approached by many different authors and scriptwriters alike who have their specific ways in approaching an idea and to transform into script format.\n\nBut there a few tips that are common knowledge to anyone who likes to write. Especially if that someone has the ambition to write for the big screen, television or even theatre.\n\nMy teacher presented these tips with us in class and I would like to share it with you.\n\nThey are as follows:\n\n  1. Do your homework. This means that whatever the topic you choose to centre your story around, you must know everything about it! Know the underlining theme, the reasoning behind your characters’ personality traits, how the world of your story came to be – basically you need to know anything and everything that exists in your script as everything needs to be there for a reason.\n  2. Be careful with “on the nose dialogue”. A lot of the greatest scripts in movie history, centre more around the visual aspect of a story more so than dialogue. This is because dialogue is thought to be quite overrated by some of the most prestigious film makers such as Alfred Hitchcock. A story can function well with having zero to no dialogue as long as the combinations of all of the other elements in it still are able to portray a compelling and engaging story for the audience. In summary, using dialogue is a good thing as long as you don’t completely spell out everything that the character is thinking and/or feeling when you should rather show it.\n  3. Be aware of the audience. When writing a story, any story, that will be presented to an audience even if that audience is your family or your closest friends, you need to be aware of what the reader’s perception of the story is. Basically, as the author, you need to always be one step ahead of the audience because their reaction will determine if your script is going to rise in glory or fail miserably.\n  4. Don’t “play the aces too early”. I know you want to make your story the most epic and engaging one possible. But all the excitement behind starting to write a new script that you believe is amazing, might very well cloud your judgement for the most basic knowledge, don’t introduce the biggest climax of your story too soon. That will probably set the expectations of the reader too high when the rest of the story is just plain and simple from then on. Their interest will decrease to non-existence if that would be the case.\n  5. Only write what you can “see”. This seems like something very simple to follow through, but the reality is not thus. I have fallen into this mistake many times and it is surprisingly easy to do without noticing. When you are writing a plot where the main characters finds himself in an unknown venue and he is methodically looking around and trying to decipher each detail of the location as to measure where he might be. In this case, you need to be careful and mindful that you can only write what the character is “seeing” not what he is “feeling internally” as that meddles into his emotional feelings or even his back story that you can’t show in screen.\n  6. REWRITE. When you think that your script is perfect and you are ready to share it with the world, it’s because it’s probably not perfect and you’re setting yourself off to failure. There is probably some spelling error, repeated words, sentences that don’t make sense or even part of the dialogue for an important scene is missing. Meaning that you need to look over everything and maybe even send it to a couple other people so they can fact-check it for you.\n\nHopefully this is helpful to some of you!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8757261037826538}
{"content": "Find Real Estate Listings\n\n\nMap of Arkansas cities\n\n\nAll Arkansas cities\n\nArkansas: Home to over 50 state parks!\n\nArkansas, located in the deep south of the United States, is a humid, fertile state covered in thick forests. Home to the low-lying Ozark mountains and over 52 state parks, you are sure to really enjoy nature in Arkansas. If you travel to Arkansas, you can hunt for turkeys, deer, or ducks, dig up crystals, tour Civil War sites, or visit some of the state's many cave systems. There are plenty of great restaurants, hotels, and events and attractions throughout the state of Arkansas.\n\nOr maybe you are considering moving to Arkansas. The good news is that cost of living is substantially lower than the national average in Arkansas. Housing prices are low and there are a variety of jobs available. Since the 70s, several global businesses have moved their headquarters to Arkansas. These companies include Wal-Mart, J.B. Hunt and Tyson Foods. However, crime rates are higher in Arkansas than in other states. As far as weather goes, Arkansas has a very hot and humid climate, and it is rare for it to snow in Arkansas. Since the state is relatively close to the Gulf of Mexico, the state stays rather warm year round. Arkansas also regularly has severe weather. On average, the state will have 60 days of thunderstorms every year, and tornadoes are not an uncommon.\n\nSo if you want a plan a family vacation to the Ozarks or are planning to move to Arkansas for a job, we can help you find out everything you need to know about \"the natural state.\" Check out our questions and answer section, or look at the reviews of local businesses in Arkansas. Whatever you want to know, we can help!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8334987759590149}
{"content": "Colby College is fortunate to have a copy of the Bien edition of “Audubon’s Birds of North America” on loan from the Gerald Dorros family. The Bien edition was published in 1860, nine years after Audubon’s death. This edition was printed using a lithographic technique rather than the aquatint technique used in the original Havell plates. To my eye, the Bien prints are even more eye-popping than the original aquatints.\n\nThe original intent was to reproduce all 435 plates using the new lithographic process. The Civil War and hard financial times for the Audubon family put an end to the project after the first volume.\n\nThe Bien edition has some of Audubon’s most enduring and iconic plates: greater flamingo, wild turkey, wood duck, common grackle and glossy ibis. My favorite Audubon plate is included as well, the Carolina parakeet. Viewing this plate is bittersweet because the Carolina parakeet is now extinct.\n\nThe range of Carolina parakeets spanned Florida to southern New York along the Atlantic seaboard westward as far north as South Dakota and as far south as east Texas. These birds were most common in the sycamore-dominated bottomlands and cypress swamps in the Southeastern and Midwestern states.\n\nCarolina parakeets were fairly large birds, reaching 13 inches in length with wingspans up to 22 inches. The body was green and the head was yellow with bright orange on the forehead and around the eyes. A spectacular bird.\n\nAlthough Audubon, Alexander Wilson and other early American ornithologists provided some information on the species, no comprehensive study was ever done. As a result, we have large gaps in our understanding of the species.\n\nWe do know that the species persisted into the 1920s in Florida and probably into the 1930s in South Carolina in the vicinity of the Santee River.\n\nCarolina parakeets were typical parrots, gregarious and loud. They had a broad diet like most parrots with a particular taste for cockleburs. Audubon’s plate shows these parrots feasting on cockleburs.\n\nThese birds did sometimes become a pest in orchards and grain fields. Some were shot by orchard owners and farmers. Unfortunately the social behavior of the species made them easy targets. Once a few had been killed, the surviving flock members would circle back to investigate the fate of their fallen flock mates and thus were easily shot themselves.\n\nHowever, shooting of Carolina parakeets was likely not a major contributor to their demise. Early settlers regarded them favorably and why not. Birds that eat sandspurs, thistle seeds and cockleburs do humans a favor. We do have some evidence that Carolina parakeets were shot for food and for their colorful feathers. Some were also captured for the pet trade even though Carolina parakeets were not very good mimics.\n\nWhat did lead to the extinction of this species? Three hypotheses have been proposed, each stemming indirectly from human activities. First, the loss of bottomland forests to timbering and to development reduced suitable habitat. The introduction of the honeybee (a non-native species) led to competition for nest and roost holes for the parakeets. Finally, we have some evidence that disease played a role in the species’ decline. These diseases may have come from poultry.\n\nI look back with nostalgia on the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. I was one of a small group at my high school that embraced the day, putting up posters in the hallways. That was the day the modern environmental movement began.\n\nAs Earth Day approaches each year, I take particular care to think about all the bird species we have lost from our direct and indirect effects. Passenger pigeon, dodo, great auk, Bachman’s warbler, Labrador duck, eskimo curlew – the list seems endless. We all need to redouble our efforts to walk more lightly on Earth.\n\n\n[email protected]\n\nfiled under:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9932982921600342}
{"content": "Guitar Tabs, Chords and Lyrics\n\nOrnatos Violeta\n\n\nCão (1997)\n\nO Monstro Precisa de Amigos\n\nO Monstro Precisa de Amigos (1999)\n\nOrnatos Violeta was a Portuguese alternative rock band from the city of Porto, that was active from 1991 to 2002. The group, often referred to simply as Ornatos, consisted of vocalist Manel Cruz, bassist Nuno Prata, guitarist Peixe and drummer Kinörm, with Elísio Donas at the keyboard.\n\nThe band, whose music included some other influences such as funk, jazz and ska, grew over the years to become a reference in Portuguese music of the late 90’s. Fueled by the release of their debut album Cão! in 1997 and O Monstro Precisa de Amigos two years later, Ornatos were at the peak of their career when they split in 2002. This so far unexplained ending prompted several requests for a reunion over the years.\n\nThe band members went on to work independently on several other projects in the following decade, while a cult following started to grow around Ornatos, in particular around the work of Manel Cruz, author of most of the lyrics, and protagonist of newer projects such as Pluto and SuperNada. To honor the 10 years of their last concert, and taking into account the consolidation of their status as a cult band, the group decided to schedule a series of celebration concerts, that took place during the year of 2012.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7611936330795288}
{"content": "View the step-by-step solution to:\n\nTopic Selection for Individual Speech Presentation Review this week's lecture. Think about a communication topic that you would like to learn more...\n\nTopic Selection for Individual Speech Presentation\nabout. Look at the Table of Contents in your textbook for more ideas. E­mail your instructor early\nin the week to obtain speech topic approval for an informative or persuasive speech. Research\nyour topic and create a good thesis statement. Write at least three sentences for the main ideas\nconcerning your topic. You will continue with this next week. Nothing is due yet in the Dropbox\nfor your speech. Presentations are due in Week 6.\nNote: Notify your instructor now by e­mail if you do not understand how to choose a speech\nAssignment: Conflict Analysis\nConflict Analysis Part 1: Observe an instance that you are not personally involved with where\nconflict is present (you will need to be a bit of a covert operator to accomplish this). Answer the\nIn a several detailed paragraphs, describe the conflict scene.\n1a. Who was involved in the conflict? What was the relationship between the participants prior\nto the conflict? Did it appear as if the relationship between the participants had any impact on\nhow either person responded to the conflict?\n1b. When and where did it take place? Was it formal or informal? Planned or unplanned? What\nimpact did the location and time have on the outcome?\n1c. What transpired? (be specific)\nMany times when we face conflict, there is a surface­level problem and an underlying problem.\nThe surface­level problem acts only as a symptom of the real problem. Consider both.\n1d. What was the surface problem?\n1e. What was the underlying problem or the real problem? If this is unclear, what might you\nspeculate the real problem to be?\nThere are many conflict management strategies that can be employed when dealing with\nconflict. Consider which were present in this conflict.\n1f. Which conflict management strategies were employed by each of the participants? Did the\nconflict management strategies change during the course of the conversation? How do you\nknow? (Note: Use the conflict terms on pages 188–189 in your text).\n1g. What was the outcome? Was there a winner? A loser? Did there appear to be an impact on\nthe relationship? If so, what was that impact?\n1h. Looking back, describe at least two variables that could be changed in this scene to alter the\nConflict Analysis Part 2: Much of the learning in this course requires you to draw conclusions\nabout your experiences and observations based on the concepts we have read about and\ndiscussed. Taking this into consideration:\n2a., 2b. List two specific things you learned about conflict as a result of this exercise. Reference\nmaterial from the text, threaded discussions, lecture, terminal course objectives, and so forth.\nAnswers that demonstrate application of the course material and effective critical thinking will\nearn the greatest amount of points.\nYour submission should be approximately one page in length: one paragraph per item for 1a.–\n1h., and 2a. and 2b.\n\nRecently Asked Questions\n\nWhy Join Course Hero?\n\n\n\nEducational Resources\n  • -\n\n    Study Documents\n\n\n    Browse Documents\n  • -\n\n    Question & Answers\n\n\n    Ask a Question", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9430936574935913}
{"content": "What Do Physical Education Teachers Do\n\nThe role of Physical Education (PE) teachers has changed over the years as students face different kinds of health challenges than previous generations, and new knowledge about health has come to light.\n\nHowever, the core goal of physical education teachers has remained the same: help students of all grade levels improve their health and understand the importance of physical education and health.\n\nSince students spend the majority of their school days sitting in class, PE teachers give them a much-needed break from their otherwise sedentary style of learning. In today's tech-driven world, many people ask \"Why is physical education important?\" when so many jobs don't require physical activity. But the fact that we spend so much of our time physically complacent, tied to technology, is the reason why it's important to ensure children and adults understand this subject matter is more important than ever.\n\n\nPE teachers are responsible for organizing activities for students that include team sports, individual exercise, as well as techniques to improve flexibility and coordination.\n\nAt the elementary school level, physical education teachers have an objective to teach young students the importance of developing healthy habits and lifestyles. At this young age, kids can be susceptible to playing video games, eating junk food, and learning poor habits that can contribute to poor health in the long-term.\n\nWith young kids, gym teachers should look for ways to keep learning fun. This requires more of a game-based approach to activities, instead of focusing so much on competition and winning.\n\nAs students reach the secondary school level, extracurricular activities are introduced and competitive play is more of an emphasis. PE teachers at this level are often responsible for coaching these activities after school and evaluating student performance to encourage those who may have natural talents in particular sports.\n\nBy the middle and high school years, students' bodies are also developed enough to start weight training to improve their physical strength. Curriculum for gym class and courses specific to strength training are often introduced by high school. PE teachers in these courses will help students understand the importance of proper lifting and stretching to avoid injury. They will also emphasize a deeper understanding of healthy eating, since diet and exercise go hand-in-hand.\n\nPhysical Education teachers also have similar duties as other types of teachers, which include creating lesson plans, tests, and forms of evaluations for student assessment and improvement. Gym teachers have to report to the administration and communicate with parents, when necessary. Degree programs that prepare for these roles will include courses that focus on curriculum development and communication as well.\n\nTo earn you physical education degree, individuals will need to at least earn their bachelor's degree in an area focused on health, fitness, or sports. Physical Education teachers also have to pass state teacher certification. These requirements depend on the state you want to teach in. However, many states require teachers to pass an additional test specific to physical education.\n\nStudents who want to teach physical education should also consider earning a graduate degree in a specialized area of health and fitness to increase their career opportunities. Masters and doctorate programs can be found in campus and online formats.\n\nSpecializations that are common in the field include coaching, secondary physical education, human performance, athletic administration, sport management, and several others that can increase your options for working in this field.\n\nOf course, the best way for you to learn how to become a PE teacher is to reach out to schools in your area for more information. They will be able to discuss your program and career goals to help you map the right path towards this career.\n\nContact the schools below that offer Physical Education teacher training to learn more.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9517313241958618}
{"content": "What is Dawamee Program?\n\nDawamee aims to enable and empower unemployed youth across the UAE. It supports them in developing a career based on market-driven demand and yet can be accessed remotely or on part time bases. Through the launch of the first specialized on-line portal to provide flexible and remote job opportunities.\n\nTarget Group\n\nYouth aging 15-35 years, with priorities given to low-income individuals, and those living on remote area, across the UAE\n\nThe Online Dawamee Portal\n\nThe first national online portal specialized in providing remote and flexible job opportunities that cater to both market and youth needs.\n\nDawamee Portal Objectives\n\nAwareness across all sectors of the importance of flexible and remote jobs\nCollaboration with various sectors to cater for their growing needs and youth’s social demands.\nLinking youth looking for flexible or remote job opportunities with the various sectors across the UAE.\n\nDawamee Portal Services\n\nProvide customized trainings to equip youth with the required skills\nInterview candidates and shortlist the ones most qualified for the job.\nProvide consultation services around flexible and remote working systems and policies.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9959614872932434}
{"content": "The Law of One Search Results for ‘birth fourth density’\n\nResults 31 to 60 of 716.\n\n<< Previous 30        Next 30 >>\n\nSorted by relevance.       Sort by session.\n\nHide ads\n\nL/L Research\n\nPlenum Healer: offering metaphysical healing\n\nMore info\n\n\n\n\n\n63.13 Questioner: Now these entities incarnate into a third-density vibratory body. I am trying to understand how this transition takes place from third to fourth density. I will take the example of one of these entities of which we are speaking who is now in a third-density body. He will grow older and then will it be necessary that he die from the third-density physical body and reincarnate in a fourth-density body for that transition?\n\nRa: I am Ra. These entities are those incarnating with what you may call a double body in activation. It will be noted that the entities birthing these fourth-density entities experience a great feeling of, shall we say, the connection and the use of spiritual energies during pregnancy. This is due to the necessity for manifesting the double body.\n\nThis transitional body is one which will be, shall we say, able to appreciate fourth-density vibratory complexes as the instreaming increases without the accompanying disruption of the third-density body. If a third-density entity were, shall we say, electrically aware of fourth-density in full, the third-density electrical fields would fail due to incompatibility.\n\nTo answer your query about death, these entities will die according to third-density necessities.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n79.33 Questioner: Now, let me be sure I understand you: prior to the change and the extension of free will, let’s take specifically the end of fourth density, magical potential for the condition when there was only service-to-others polarization, magical ability or potential was much greater at the end of fourth density than at the end of fourth density immediately after the split of polarization and the extension of free will. Is that correct?\n\nRa: I am Ra. Magical ability is the ability to consciously use the so-called unconscious. Therefore, there was maximal ability prior to the innovation of sub-Logoi’s free will.\n\n\nRa: I am Ra. No.\n\n\n\n65.18 Questioner: The Wanderer goes through the forgetting process. You mentioned that those who have both third- and fourth-density bodies activated now do not have the forgetting that the Wanderer has. I was just wondering if, say, a sixth-density Wanderer were here with a third-density body activated, would he have gone through a forgetting that was in sections, shall I say, with a forgetting of fourth, fifth, and sixth densities and if he were to have his fourth-density body activated he would have a partial additional memory and then another partial if his fifth were activated and then the full memory if he had the sixth activated? Does this make any sense?\n\nRa: I am Ra. No.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n43.14 Questioner: Then the big difference in harvestability between third and fourth density is that at the end of the third density the individual is harvested as a function of individual violet ray, but in fourth density, is it the equivalent of violet-ray then for the entire social memory complex that must be of a harvestable nature to go to fifth density?\n\nRa: I am Ra. This is correct although in fifth density entities may choose to learn as a social memory complex or as mind/body/spirit complexes and may graduate to sixth density under these conditions, for the wisdom density is an extremely free density whereas the lessons of compassion leading to wisdom necessarily have to do with other-selves.\n\n\n\n\n\n42.6 Questioner: In the last session you made the statement that “We, that is Ra, spent much time/space in the fifth density balancing the intense compassion gained in fourth density.” Could you expand on this concept with respect to what we were just discussing?\n\nRa: I am Ra. The fourth density, as we have said, abounds in compassion. This compassion is folly when seen through the eyes of wisdom. It is the salvation of third density but creates a mismatch in the ultimate balance of the entity.\n\nThus we, as a social memory complex of fourth density, had the tendency towards compassion even to martyrdom in aid of other-selves. When the fifth-density harvest was achieved we found that in this vibratory level flaws could be seen in the efficacy of such unrelieved compassion. We spent much time/space in contemplation of those ways of the Creator which imbue love with wisdom.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n43.26 Questioner: Then will there be at that time any fifth-density and/or sixth-density beings on the surface of the planet?\n\nRa: I am Ra. Not for a fairly long measure of your time as fourth-density beings need to spend their learn/teaching space/time with their own density’s entities.\n\n\n\n\n40.8 Questioner: Then what will be the time of transition on this planet from third to fourth density?\n\nRa: I am Ra. This is difficult to estimate due to the uncharacteristic anomalies of this transition. There are at this space/time nexus beings incarnate which have begun fourth-density work. However, the third-density climate of planetary consciousness is retarding the process. At this particular nexus the possibility/probability vortices indicate somewhere between 100 and 700 of your years as transition period. This cannot be accurate due to the volatility of your peoples at this space/time.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIs this correct?\n\nRa: I am Ra. This is correct.\n\n43.17 Questioner: Is it necessary to eat food in fourth density?\n\nRa: I am Ra. This is correct.\n\n79.24 Questioner: It was probably the design of the Logos by doing this to allow the conscious mind greater freedom under the first distortion by partitioning, you might say, the individualized portions of this from the Potentiator or unconscious which had a greater communication with the total mind, therefore allowing for, you might say, the birth of uneducated, to use a poor term, portions of consciousness. Is this correct?\n\nRa: I am Ra. This is roughly correct.\n\n\nRa: I am Ra. We perceive the query now.\n\n\n\n77.15 Questioner: The specific question that I had was that it seems to me that the choice was planned to create intense polarization past third density so that experience would be intense past third density. Is this correct?\n\nRa: I am Ra. Given that our interpretation of your sound vibration complexes is appropriate, this is incorrect. The intensity of fourth density is that of the refining of the rough-hewn sculpture. This is, indeed, in its own way, quite intense causing the mind/body/spirit complex to move ever inward and onward in its quest for fuller expression. However, in third density the statue is forged in the fire. This is a type of intensity which is not the property of fourth, fifth, sixth, or seventh densities.\n\n\nRa: I am Ra. This is so.\n\n\n\n\n\n<< Previous 30        Next 30 >>\n\nHide question numbers   Show categories   Hide notes   Hide audio   \n\nVersion (?): Lightly Edited, Relistened, Original\n\nBack to top\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6573269367218018}
{"content": "Jun 1, 1983\n\nThe World at War\n\nRalph Raico is a specialist in European classical liberalism and Austrian Economics. He learned economics under Ludwig von Mises, Murray Rothbard, and Friedrich Hayek, and is professor emeritus of history at Buffalo State College. Raico was also the founder of the New Individualist Review.\n\nIn this 1983 lecture, Raico teaches a Cato Summer Seminar group the history of World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II. He offers an in-depth look at the conditions which led to both wars and the ways in which governments throughout the 20th century have used war powers to justify and fuel their expansion.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.989139974117279}
{"content": "Dealing with the Emotional Problems of Traumatic Brain Injury\n\n\nLong after medical bills are paid and any other scrapes, bumps, and bruises have healed, a traumatic brain injury (TBI) can continue to affect your life in profound ways.\n\n\nEven “mild” traumatic brain injury can affect the way your brain functions, causing headaches, difficulty thinking, and memory problems. In moderate to severe cases, TBIs can impact your emotions, changing the way you feel and interact with the world.\n\nSome of the most common examples of emotional problems experienced by TBI victims include:\n\n\nMood swings. Mood swings can be defined as the experience of sudden and intense emotions that materialize and end very quickly. People with TBI may have uncontrollable outbursts of crying, laughter, or rage for no apparent reason. Oftentimes, mood swings are a result of damage to the part of the brain that controls emotions.\n\n\nDepression. After experiencing a TBI, it’s not uncommon to feel sorrow, frustration, and despair. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed or unable to move on because of these emotions, you may be suffering from depression. Common symptoms of depression include loss of joy in activities and things you once loved, changes in appetite, trouble focusing, feeling tired, and having thoughts of dying. Depression can be a result of the damage caused by a TBI to the part of the brain that controls emotion.\n\n\nAnxiety. Victims of traumatic brain injury often experience anxiety—a sense of fear, apprehension, and worry that is unfounded or exaggerated. If you have anxiety related to a TBI, you may often feel anxious without reason, or worry excessively about making errors or performing poorly. You may also feel anxious in environments such as large crowds, places where noisy activities are occurring, and in traffic. This is because TBI can affect your ability to concentrate and make decisions, which can be overwhelming in situations that require concentration or information-processing.\n\n\nQuick temper. Studies have found that as many as 71 percent of traumatic brain injury victims experience irritability or a quick temper. Sometimes, victims may have outbursts of temper where they shout, swear, and physically harm objects and people around them. This is often caused by damage to the brain that controls emotions, but it can also arise out of the frustration of having difficulty concentrating, expressing oneself, or processing information.\n\n\nHelp for Victims of TBI\n\n\nGreensboro North Carolina Domestic Violence Attorney\n\n\nIf you or a loved one is experiencing emotional problems such as mood swings, depression, or irritability after a traumatic brain injury, consult with your doctor. Your doctor may be able to recommend psychological or psychiatric evaluations and treatments that can help you manage your emotions and work towards recovery.\n\n\nMedical and psychiatric professionals may also be able to prescribe medications that can address these problems, such as anti-depressants and sedatives. Work closely with your doctor to determine whether such medications are right for you, making sure to make follow-up appointments and report unusual symptoms.\n\n\nAnd if your TBI was a result of an accident, dangerous condition, or the negligence of another person or entity, consult with a personal injury attorney with experience in traumatic brain injury cases. Your attorney can help you understand your rights and options before working with you to hold the guilty party responsible. With the help of an attorney, you may be able to secure much-needed compensation for medical, psychological, and psychiatric treatments, as well as overall pain and suffering.\n\n\nAbout the Author:\n\n\nJohn K. Lawlor, a South Florida personal injury attorney who focuses his practice on complex personal injury, wrongful death, and professional malpractice, founded the law firm of Lawlor, White & Murphey in 1998. Since 1995, Mr. Lawlor’s trial advocacy and litigation skills, as well as his wide-ranging legal expertise, have provided plaintiffs and their families with a distinct advantage when seeking financial compensation and justice for injuries caused by the negligence of others. Mr. Lawlor is an EAGLE member of the Florida Bar Association and an active member of the American Association for Justice, the Broward County Justice Association, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and several professional associations.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9831256866455078}
{"content": "12. How does the process of micelle formation appear on\n\nPay with:\ni agree with \"Terms for Customers\"\nSold: 0\nRefunds: 0\n\nUploaded: 04.04.2018\nContent: 12.rar (6,15 kB)\n\n\n12. How does the process of micelle formation appear on the graph \"detergent action - concentration of surfactants\" for surfactants in a colloidal state?\n\nAdditional information\n\nQuestions and problems from the manual:\n\"Laboratory Workshop on Colloid Chemistry\" Nekrasov AP, Veretenchenko BA, Kharkov NTU \"KhPI\", 2004\n\"Characteristic properties of disperse systems\" Nekrasov AP, Kharkov, 1996\nTasks are executed in Microsoft Word, graphics - in Microsoft Exel or OriginPro; formulas are typed in the MathType editor (if the formulas contain unreadable characters, then you need to install this editor); files are archived by WinRAR.\n\n\nNo feedback yet.\n1 month 3 months 12 months\n0 0 0\n0 0 0", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7165418267250061}
{"content": "Bicycle Accident Attorney Mohawk, Michigan\n\nBicycle Accidents – Mohawk, MI 49950\n\nBike mishaps can result in serious and in some cases fatal injuries. Lawsuits to recover damages for injuries in bike mishaps with vehicles include a lot of the very same concerns as any auto accident suit. Liability for bike mishap injuries often comes down to negligence– whether the vehicle motorist’s negligence triggered the cyclist’s injuries, and whether any negligence by the bicyclist triggered or added to the accident.\n\nBike Accident Liability Essential\n\nCyclists and drivers are bound to obey the rules of the road. These rules include traffic laws, in addition to the task to exercise common care in regards to one’s own safety which of others on the roadways. Like other lorry mishap lawsuits, bicycle mishap suits are governed by state law, and often informed by state and regional traffic laws.\n\nNegligence and Bicycle Accidents in Mohawk, Michigan\n\nWhen a bicyclist sues to recover damages for injuries suffered in an accident with an auto, the result typically depends on two questions:\n\n\nDriver Negligence or Recklessness\n\n\nIn a claim declaring negligence by another person, complainants usually must show that the offender acted in a manner that broke a task owed to the plaintiff. In car accident cases, this indicates breaking the basic duty of care owed to everyone else on or near the highways.\n\nAccident claims boil down to facts particular to the private case, and often the ability of the plaintiff to prove negligence through eyewitness testament or other proof. In automobile accident cases, nevertheless, habits which make up traffic offenses can constitute “negligence per se.” This indicates that if a driver was cited for an offense such as speeding at the time of the accident, proof of the speeding violation counts as evidence of negligence. The concern then moves to the accused to show that he or she didn’t trigger the plaintiff’s injuries.\n\nCyclist Negligence – Mohawk, Michigan 49950\n\nWhether a bicyclist sues a chauffeur, or a cyclist is sued for causing someone else injury, cyclist negligence can determine the result of the lawsuit. Examples of bicycle rider negligence include riding the wrong way on a one-way street, running a stop indication, and turning suddenly into traffic.\n\n\nIn mishap cases involving kids on bicycles, courts hold motorists to a greater requirement. See specifics on child bike mishap liability for more information.\n\nGet Your Legal Claim Evaluated free of charge\n\nAccidents involving automobiles and bikes can include severe injuries and big liabilities. Bicycle accident lawsuits frequently come down to whether the driver or the cyclist negligently caused or contributed to the accident. This negligence determination can be a complex and require in-depth analysis. If you or a loved one has actually remained in a bike mishap, you must talk to a lawyer to finest protect your rights. You can have an experienced law practice assess the benefits of your claim free of charge.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9598413705825806}
{"content": "Rembrandt's Late Religious Portraits\n\ndate of exhibition: 2005/01/30 - 2005/05/01\ninstitution: National Gallery of Art\ntype of exhibition: autorská\n\n7 half-length portraits of religious figures painted by Rembrandt van Rijn late in life were brought together for the first time from private and public collections in the United States and Europe. Scholars had long wondered whether the paintings, roughly similar in size and composition, formed part of a series.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000100135803223}
{"content": "You Should Know: Ligaya Tichy\n\nby guestofaguest · October 21, 2015\n\nLigaya Tichy\n\nBesides being our ultimate #HairGoals, Ligaya Tichy is a marketer and investor, supporting cool tech ventures and restaurants - you know, all the ones we want to either download or eat at. She's also a huge community builder, volunteering her time as a tutor to homeless youth in the Bay Area.\n\n\nMarketer, Tech & Restaurant Investor\n\n\n@Ligaya, @HelloLigaya\n\nLigaya Tichy\n\nLigaya Tichy\n\nWhat do you actually do all day?\n\nMeetings, email, review pitch decks\n\nFavorite song growing up?\n\nLove is A Battlefield. Pat Benetar\n\nMy biggest secret is…\n\nI'm an open book! Well, I grew up in a meditation cult..\n\nWhy do you live in San Francisco?\n\nPeople, weather, outdoors, hippies (plz stay!)\n\nUber, Taxi, BART or Bike?\n\nUber and bike\n\nMy motto is…\n\nI'll try anything once, twice if I like it.\n\nMy alter ego is…\n\nSamuel L. Jackson\n\nThe last drink I had was…\n\nIto En Oolong tea\n\nMy secret crush is…\n\nChrissy Tiegen, Duh. Oh, and Buckminster Fuller\n\nWhat was your first job?\n\nCommercial property insurance underwriter, but in Cali it was trimming bud!\n\n\nFarmers market at the ferry building, hike at Fort Funston, dim sum at Koi Palace, drink at Hotel Biron, dinner at Lolinda or The Progress.\n\nComing from? Going to?\n\nWhat is your favorite work of art?\n\nThe Alhambra in Granada or many more works by James Turrell\n\nWho should we know?\n\nAlexia Tsotsiz, Garrett Camp", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6133454442024231}
{"content": "Spring in the hometown of Santa Claus\n\nFinland is famous for not only being the country of Santa Claus but also having colorful old streets hidden under the snow.\n\n\nFinland is known as the hometown of Santa Claus with famous cities like Lapland or Helsinki. However, Finland still has many wonders that tourists do not know. One of them is the ancient city of Porvoo with colorful houses hidden in the white snow. \n\n\nOnly 50 km from Helsinki, Porvoo is one of the six remaining cities from the Middle Ages of Finland and the second oldest one. The  city is full of history and famous for its lovely restaurants and cafes. You can get to Porvoo by car Onnibus, if you book early, you have to pay only 1 euro for a ticket. \n\n\nThis cute small town is built according to the architecture of rural North Europe. The old town of Porvoo is a charming and popular destination for daytrips. The winding streets and mosaic-like courtyards reflect the town's medieval history.\n\nToday the narrow cobblestone streets are lined with charming boutiques and museums housed in historical wooden buildings of different colours. Besides, some of one-or-a-half-story houses have an additional wooden floor and are painted in vibrant colors. Early in the spring, visitors to Porvoo will be overwhelmed by the brilliant colors highlighted by the snow white background. \n\n\nThe area around Porvoo was formed from the Stone Age while the city of Porvoo was established by 1380. In the 14th century, Porvoo became a Swedish colony. Today, people here still use both Finnish and Swedish. \n\n\nPorvoo is named after the river Porvoonjoki flowing through the city. In winter, the river water is frozen and snow is so thick that you could easily walk from one shore to the other shore. By the beginning of spring, the glaciers begin to melt, creating a unique scene.\n\n\nPorvoo is the most beautiful when you stand at this side of the river and look over the other one. Visitors can see many colorful little houses, above it is Castle Hill where the Porvoo Cathedral is located.\n\n\nThis small town is built based on the architecture of rural North Europe. Some of one-or-a-half-story houses have an additional wooden floor and are painted in vibrant colors.\n\n\nPorvoo is also surrounded by a forest. You can visit and experience the feeling of being lost in a Nordic forest.\n\n\nPorvoo is a highly recommended tourist destination to visit when you come to Finland this spring. This is a great place for exploring a peaceful North Europe. Try to leave the lights of the familiar cities and experience a completely different Finland.\n\nBy: Christina Baker\n\n\n\n\nCloud Computing", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8748663663864136}
{"content": "Ugliest Man Fathers An Eighth Child\n‘Ugliest Man’ Fathers An Eighth Child With Second Wife\n\nGodfrey Baguma, a 47 year-old man popularly known as Sebabi (‘ugliest of them all’) was dubbed ugly because of his unusual looks which are caused by a rare medical condition that he suffers from.\n\nHe has created media buzz after he recently fathered his eighth child with his second wife, Kate Namanda, 30 confirming that love conquers all.\n\nThe couple has six kids plus two children from Sebabi’s first marriage. The Mirror reports that he met Namanda when she was 18 through his aunt who played go-between and stayed with her four years before making it official because he was afraid of being rejected.\n\n“I told her that I didn’t choose to look the way I do and that if she feels I am a burden, she is free to (leave) me, but she chose to stay”\n\nThese words from his mouth evoke sadness in the way they express the burden that he carries with him daily because of his condition and stigma that comes with it. Being referred to as ‘the ugliest’ is one type of constant stigma he lives with, that leaves us with a barrage of questions about the scale or system that the people use to determine one’s ugliness.\n\nHave we as Africans, lost respect for each other? Why is it that people no longer feel touched by another person’s predicament? It seems like the communities have come to a point where people are not touched by other people’s suffering instead they use other people’s ailments to ridicule them.\n\nWhere do we draw the line? It is perplexing to know that people nowadays tend to use the term ‘ugly’ loosely to the extend that the use it to describe the side effects of someone’s chronic medical condition. Instead of laughing at his story, people should be asking themselves what happened to the spirit of Ubuntu where people used to feel for each other, when people used to say injury to one is an injury to all.\n\nTheir wedding ceremony held in 2013 in his home town of Kyazanga, in the Lwengo District of Uganda, attracted a attention after some of the guests at the wedding reportedly paid UGS 4,000 ($1) to attend the reception and see the woman Sebabi married.\n\n\n\n— NewsbugMEDIA", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9383800625801086}
{"content": "Deprivation of opportunity\n\nan aspect of cultural decline and social fragmentation\n\n\nDeprivation of opportunity is part of the process of cultural decline and social fragmentation and takes place when authority structures seek to increase control by depriving people of opportunities for experience.\n\nWhy this is important\n\nWithout opportunities people cannot connect and share ideas or gain experience and without experience cannot enjoy full autonomy or control over their lives as individuals. If someone is unemployed they need opportunities to share skilsl or experience with others through work or some other meaningful occupation through which they can at some point get paid and participate in life.\n\nTherefore deprivation of opportunity is a major impediment of cultural development and social progress which would lead to subsequent economic development through a more equal distribution of financial and material wealth. Ultimately due to the process aspect it also acts as an impediment to human evolution.\n\nThe reason for deprivation of opportunity\n\nDeprivation of opportunity is usually as a means of control through either restricting access to resoruces or a denial of opportunity, for example as a result of status loss in social stigma. Deprivation of opportunity is at its most extreme in social exclusion and is a common experience among the unemployed and homeless who often have the least access to resources and opportunities.\n\nTypes of deprivation of opportunity\n\nThere are different types of deprivation of opportunity which can include:\n\n  • community - restrictions of access to community space\n  • social - often on the basis of social stigma and status loss\n  • resource - restriction of access to resources\n  • economic - austerity measures and cuts in public services\n  • communicative - restriction of access to ifnromation or technology\n\n\nA lack of opportunity may not always be down to deprivation of opportunity but may also be the result of someone being unable or unwilling to perceive an opportunity. However in many cases people are able to percieve and make use of opportunities but the opportunities don't exist as a result of deprivation, not an inability to perceive opportunities. This is a central issue in unemployment where those who believe in authority also tend to believe that there are jobs out there and this is part of a strategy to brand unemployment as a personal failing, rather than a social or political failing.\n\nEffects of deprivation of opportunity\n\nMany social issues we see today are the outcome of deprivation of opportunity, which include poverty, inequality, unemployment, homelessness, social exclusion, and social conflict. Deprivation of opportunity is a central component of social fragmentation and an outcome of cultural decline.\n\nSee also\n\nContact us", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9094494581222534}
{"content": "California Gardens - The Year Round Gardening Site\n\nCalibanus hookeri ~ Mexican Boulder\n\nCalibanus hookeri can be used as an unusual specimen plant. The large caudex root can be exposed to create an unusual focal point. Or it can be used much as any other grass would be used. Calibanus hookeri is native to the mountains of Northern Mexico. The Mexican Boulder is hardy when temperatures dip into the single digits. Calibanus hookeri flowers rarely, the male and female flowers appear on different plants. The flowers are insignificant and are buried in the foliage. Calibanus hookeri is related to the Agave and Dasylirion but is in the Nolinaceae with some other yucca relatives. Calibanus hookeri requires a low water section of the garden or very good drainage.\n\nCalibanus hookeri, Mexican Boulder\n\nFoliage and caudiciform base of Calibanus hookeri Mexican Boulder. High resolution photos are part of our garden image collection.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9988102912902832}
{"content": "Daeyang Electric Supply Inc. Provides their customers with all the products manufactured by Daeyang Electric Industry Inc. And Daeyang Instrument Inc. According to their specific requests in a timely manner, covering a comprehensive set of equipments for ships with the nationwide agencies of LG Cable.\n\nIn addition, Daeyang engages in sales and marketing of small and mid-sized shipbuilders and rapidly provide spare parts of operating ships as overall equipments for land and marine plants by maintaining a proper amount of inventories.\n\nNo products were found matching your selection.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9959839582443237}
{"content": "Lava Field\n\nJoshua Higgason is a designer of performances, creating unique live experiences for events, concerts, opera, and theater. He designs video and projections, interactive media, sets, and lighting.\n\nHe started working in experimental theater and art with some groundbreaking companies, and has continued developing into a unique voice in the world of immersive media driven experiences.\n\nHe currently teaches Performance Media, Interactive Design for Live Performance, and Lighting Design at MIT.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5251356363296509}
{"content": "Monday, October 24, 2011\n\nHubble Sizes up a Dwarf Galaxy\n\nPhoenix Dwarf Galaxy\nCredit: ESA/Hubble & NASA\nFullsize Original 1,2 mb\n\nThe NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has taken this image of the Phoenix Dwarf Galaxy, which is located 1.4 million light-years away from Earth. It is located in the constellation of Phoenix in the southern sky. The object, a dwarf irregular galaxy, features younger stars in its inner regions and older ones at its outskirts.\n\nDwarf galaxies are small galaxies composed of a few billion stars, compared to fully-fledged galaxies which can contain hundreds of billions of stars. In the Local Group, there are a number of such dwarf galaxies orbiting the larger galaxies such as the Milky Way or the Andromeda Galaxy. They are thought to have been created by tidal forces in the early stages of the creation of these galaxies, or as a result of collisions between galaxies, forming from ejected streams of material and dark matter from the parent galaxies. The Milky Way galaxy features at least 14 satellite dwarf galaxies orbiting it.\n\nBecause of their shape, dwarf irregulars have often been mistaken for globular clusters: they do not feature a bulge or spiral arms like larger galaxies. However, their importance in terms of cosmology is in stark contrast to their unspectacular shapes, as their chemical makeup and high levels of gas are believed to be similar to those of the earliest galaxies that populated the Universe. They are thought to be contemporary versions of some of the remote galaxies observed in deep field galaxy surveys, and can thus help to understand the early stages of galaxy and star formation in the young Universe.\n\nThe galaxy was discovered in 1976 by Hans-Emil Schuster and Richard Martin West. Hans-Emil Schuster was acting director of ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile and was involved in the selection and testing of the sites for the observatories of both La Silla and Paranal. His great contribution to astronomy and to ESO was recognised by the Chilean government last week when he was awarded the medal of the Order of Bernardo O’Higgins.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9996445178985596}
{"content": "The UN Holocaust: More Lies and Treachery on the Way?\n\nby Yves Mamou\nJanuary 11, 2017\n\nIsrael, this tiny country in the heart of Middle East, has become the new target of diplomacy-abuse at the United Nations, headed by the Americans, the Europeans (mainly France) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) — 57 Islamic states plus “Palestine”, which at the moment forms the largest bloc at the UN.\n\nOn December 23, 2016, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 2334, which effectively sets the boundaries for the Palestinian state at the 1949 armistice lines. The Arabs had previously refused to accept the armistice line as a border, presumably because agreeing to it might preclude the Palestinians from trying to get the rest of “Palestine”, defined by them as “from the river [Jordan] to the sea [Mediterranean]” — meaning all of Israel. Just look at any Palestinian map — It is identical to the shape of the entirety of Israel.\n\nAccording to Res. 2334, not only are Jewish settlements are illegal, overnight, effectively making their Jewish residents criminals, but the Jewish Quarter, the Western Wall and the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City — the heart of Judaism for nearly 4,000 years and the seat of Christianity for more than 2,000 years — are now grotesquely considered “occupied territory”.\n\nAs Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer noted:\n\n“It’s as if the U.N. passed a resolution declaring Mecca and Medina to be sovereign Jewish or Christian territory. It’s absurd. It’s an insult to the intelligence of the world and is supremely damaging to the Israeli claim to its own holy places.”\n\nKrauthammer then wondered why the resolution included East Jerusalem, site of the Old City and the western retaining wall of the Temple Mount — all that is left of the Jews’ Second Temple, which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D., and at which Jews pray every day. Hmm. As Res. 2334 rejects Res. 242’s founding assumptions that peace can only be negotiated between belligerents, could it be that President Obama and the US administration, along with the Islamists, dictators, and many of Europe’s Islamized leaders who now populate the UN, are planning to declare a Palestinian State, presumably with East Jerusalem as its capital at a UN Security Council meeting scheduled for January 17, three days before Obama leaves office? We sincerely hope to be proven wrong.\n\nA vote at the UN Security Council (illustrative). [Image source: U.S. State Department]\n\nRegrettably, the US-UN-OIC assault on Israel clearly seems to be the second prong of outgoing US President Barack Obama’s lame duck campaign against Israel — part of a larger plan to displace much of Israel, including its heart, the Old City of Jerusalem, with an Islamic state.\n\nAlready, on October 13, 2016, another branch of the United Nations, UNESCO, falsely declaredthe site of Judaism’s two ancient temples, Islamic sites.\n\nBefore that, in 2015, UNESCO also falsely declared two ancient Biblical Jewish sites, Rachel’s Tomb and the Cave of the Patriarchs, “Islamic sites” — despite Islam not even having historically existed until hundreds of years later in the seventh century.\n\nThe vote was unanimous, except for the US, which, after orchestrating and nurturing the entire assault, demurely abstained and then tried to deny that the US was behind it.\n\nThe denial played out like a bad film in which the wife hires a hit-man to kill her husband, and then tells the judge she is innocent because at the time of the murder she was having her hair done.\n\nSecretary of State John Kerry’s “candid thoughts” on December 28, 2016, tried to disguise the Obama Administration’s treachery — the US abstaining instead of opposing Res. 2334 — with a lot of fake-friendly advice. But according to Kerry, the “interests of the United States” were not aligned anymore with the interests of Israel. Why is that? Because of settlement policy:\n\nRead more here: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9730/un-holocaust-treachery\nLike what you read? Give Gatestone Institute a round of applause.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9513387084007263}
{"content": "Heflin v. Merrill: UM/UIM Coverage in Auto Accident Lawsuits\n\nUnderinsured Motorist (UIM) and Uninsured Motorist claims involve a car accident victim attempting to get his or her own liability insurance carrier to pay financial compensation when the at-fault driver is uninsured or does not have enough insurance to cover total damages.\n\ncrash-739118-m.jpgHeflin v. Merrill, a case from the Mississippi Supreme Court, involved an at-fault driver who crashed into the rear of plaintiff’s car. While this was not a fatal automobile accident, at-fault driver died from unrelated causes following the accident. Plaintiff filed a car accident lawsuit against driver’s estate and her own underinsured motorist carrier.\n\nAs our Boston uninsured motorist claim lawyers understand, UM/UIM cases often require extensive litigation, because, even though one would think that his or her own insurance would not deny the claim, insurance companies deny a large number of claims, because it is more profitable for them to deny claims than to pay claims.\n\nWhile her insurance company stipulated (agreed) that plaintiff was covered under its UIM plan and admitted liability, it moved to exclude from the jury any reference of UIM coverage and its role in the case. Trial judge granted insurance company’s motion and found the existence or non-existence of UM/UIM coverage was not relevant and would potentially prejudice the jury in regard to its determination of damages. Generally, juries are not told whether any insurance exists.\n\nAt trial, the court sustained objections made by insurance company pertaining to statements made by at-fault driver and victim’s opinion about how fast he believed at-fault driver’s was going at the time of the accident. It is alleged that he said he was sorry for the accident, and stated, “God, I’m sorry, it was my fault.”\n\nThe objection to at-fault driver’s statement was based on hearsay. Trial judge concluded that it was not hearsay but still excluded it because the declarant was now deceased and insurance company had already admitted liability so he felt it would just inflame the jury unnecessarily.\n\nThe jury awarded $32,000 to plaintiff, an amount that was far less than at-fault driver’s liability limit. Plaintiff filed a motion for additur (to increase the amount of verdict) and for a new trial. Trial judge denied both motions and plaintiff appealed.\nOn appeal, the court looked at the issue of whether jury should have been informed about UIM carrier’s role in the process. The court held it was proper to exclude UIM carrier’s identity and role from the jury, because it was in the judge’s discretion to do so. Discretionary issues are only overturned on appeal if they involved an abuse of discretion by a trial judge.\n\nIt was further found that to be admissible, evidence must be shown as being relevant to aid the fact finders in making a determination. The typical standard used in most jurisdictions, including the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is whether evidence tends to make a fact or consequence more or less probable.\n\nIf it meets this first test and is determined to be relevant, the other side can still object, if its potential relevancy is outweighed by potential for unfair prejudice to one party.\n\n\nAdditional Resources:\n\nHeflin v. Merrill, November 6, 2014, Supreme Court of Mississippi\n\nMore Blog Entries:\n\nEstate of Sholberg v. Truman – Fatal Car Accident Caused by Stray Horse, July 17, 2014, Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9526248574256897}
{"content": "Project Gutenberg's Familiar Letters on Chemistry, by Justus Liebig Copyright laws are changing all over the world\n\n\nTitle: Familiar Letters on Chemistry Author: Justus Liebig Release Date: October, 2003 [Etext# 4524] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on February 2, 2002] Edition: 10 Language: English Character set encoding: ASCII Project Gutenberg's Familiar Letters on Chemistry, by Justus Liebig *******This file should be named chmlt10.txt or******* Corrected EDITIONS of our etexts get a new NUMBER, chmlt11.txt VERSIONS based on separate sources get new LETTER, chmlt10a.txt Created by: Steve Solomon Project Gutenberg Etexts are often created from several printed editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the US unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we usually do not keep etexts in compliance with any particular paper edition.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n[2] [3]\n\n\n\n\nCreated by: Steve Solomon\n\n\n\nThe Letters contained in this little Volume embrace some of the most important points of the science of Chemistry, in their application to Natural Philosophy, Physiology, Agriculture, and Commerce. Some of them treat of subjects which have already been, or will hereafter be, more fully discussed in my larger works. They were intended to be mere sketches, and were written for the especial purpose of exciting the attention of governments, and an enlightened public, to the necessity of establishing Schools of Chemistry, and of promoting, by every means, the study of a science so intimately connected with the arts, pursuits, and social well-being of modern civilised nations.\n\nFor my own part I do not scruple to avow the conviction, that ere long, a knowledge of the principal truths of Chemistry will be expected in every educated man, and that it will be as necessary to the Statesman, the Political Economist, and the Practical Agriculturist, as it is already indispensable to the Physician, and the Manufacturer. In Germany, such of these Letters as have been already published, have not failed to produce some of the results anticipated. New professorships have been established in the Universities of Goettingen and Wuertzburg, for the express purpose of facilitating the application of chemical truths to the practical arts of life, and of following up the new line of investigation and research--the bearing of Chemistry upon Physiology, Medicine, and Agriculture,--which may be said to be only just begun. My friend, Dr. Ernest Dieffenbach, one of my first pupils, who is well acquainted with all the branches of Chemistry, Physics, Natural History, and Medicine, suggested to me that a collection of these Letters would be acceptable to the English public, which has so favourably received my former works. I readily acquiesced in the publication of an English edition, and undertook to write a few additional Letters, which should embrace some conclusions I have arrived at, in my recent investigations, in connection with the application of chemical science to the physiology of plants and agriculture. My esteemed friend, Dr. Gardner, has had the kindness to revise the manuscript and the proof sheets for publication, for which I cannot refrain expressing my best thanks. It only remains for me to add a hope, that this little offering may serve to make new friends to our beautiful and useful science, and be a remembrancer to those old friends who have, for many years past, taken a lively interest in all my labours. JUSTUS LIEBIG Giessen, Aug. 1843.\n\n\nLETTER I The Subject proposed. Materials employed for Chemical Apparatus:-GLASS--CAOUTCHOUC--CORK--PLATINUM. THE BALANCE. The \"Elements\" of the Ancients, represent the forms of matter. Lavoisier and his successors. Study of the materials composing the Earth. Synthetic\n\nproduction of Minerals--LAPIS LAZULI. Organic Chemistry. LETTER II Changes of Form which every kind of Matter undergoes. Conversion of Gases into Liquids and Solids. Carbonic Acid--its curious properties in a solid state. Condensation of Gases by porous bodies. By Spongy Platinum. Importance of this property in Nature. LETTER III The Manufacture of Soda from Culinary Salt; its importance in the Arts and in Commerce. Glass--Soap--Sulphuric Acid. Silver Refining. Bleaching. TRADE IN SULPHUR. LETTER IV Connection of Theory with Practice. Employment of MAGNETISM as a moving power--its impracticability. Relation of Coals and Zinc as economic sources of Force. Manufacture of Beet-root Sugar--its impolicy. Gas for illumination. LETTER V ISOMERISM, or identity of composition in bodies with different chemical and physical properties. CRYSTALLISATION. AMORPHISM. ISOMORPHISM, or similarity of properties in bodies totally different in composition. LETTER VI ALLIANCE OF CHEMISTRY WITH PHYSIOLOGY. Division of Food into nourishment, and materials for combustion. Effects of Atmospheric Oxygen. Balance of CARBON and OXYGEN. LETTER VII ANIMAL HEAT, its laws and influence on the Animal Functions. Loss and SUPPLY. Influence of Climate. Fuel of Animal Heat. Agency of Oxygen in Disease. Respiration. LETTER VIII ALIMENTS. Constituents of the Blood. Fibrine, Albumen. Inorganic Substances. Isomerism of Fibrine, Albumen, and elements of nutrition. Relation of animal and vegetable organisms. LETTER IX Growth of Animals. Uses of Butter and Milk. Metamorphoses of\n\nTissues. Food of Carnivora, and of the Horse. LETTER X Application of the preceding facts to Man. Division of human Food. Uses of Gelatine. LETTER XI CIRCULATION OF MATTER IN THE ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE KINGDOMS. The Ocean. AGRICULTURE. RESTITUTION OF AN EQUILIBRIUM IN THE SOIL. Causes of the exhaustion of Land. Virginia. England. Relief gained by importation of bones. Empirical farming unsatisfactory. Necessity for scientific principles. Influence of the atmosphere. Of Saline and Earthy matters of the soil. LETTER XII SCIENCE AND ART OF AGRICULTURE. NECESSITY OF CHEMISTRY. Rationale of agricultural processes. Washing for gold. LETTER XIII ILLUSTRATION OF THE NECESSITY OF CHEMISTRY TO ADVANCE AND PERFECT AGRICULTURE. Manner in which FALLOW ameliorates the soil. Uses of Lime. Effects of Burning. Of Marl. LETTER XIV NATURE AND EFFECTS OF MANURES. Animal bodies subject to constant waste. Parts separating--exuviae--waste vegetable matters--together contain all the elements of the soil and of food. Various value of excrements of different animals as manure. LETTER XV SOURCE OF THE CARBON AND NITROGEN OF PLANTS. Produce of Carbon in Forests and Meadows supplied only with mineral aliments prove it to be from the atmosphere. Relations between Mineral constituents, and Carbon and Nitrogen. Effects of the Carbonic Acid and Ammonia of Manures. Necessity of inorganic constituents to the formation of aliments, of blood, and therefore of nutrition. NECESSITY OF INQUIRIES by ANALYSIS to advance AGRICULTURE. LETTER XVI RESULTS OF THE AUTHOR'S LATEST INQUIRIES. Superlative importance of the PHOSPHATES OF LIME and ALKALIES to the cultivation of the CEREALIA. Sources of a SUPPLY of these MATERIALS.\n\n\nMy dear Sir, The influence which the science of chemistry exercises upon human industry, agriculture, and commerce; upon physiology, medicine, and other sciences, is now so interesting a topic of conversation everywhere, that it may be no unacceptable present to you if I trace in a few familiar letters some of the relations it bears to these various sciences, and exhibit for you its actual effect upon the present social condition of mankind. In speaking of the present state of chemistry, its rise and progress, I shall need no apology if, as a preliminary step, I call your attention to the implements which the chemist employs--the means which are indispensable to his labours and to his success. These consist, generally, of materials furnished to us by nature, endowed with many most remarkable properties fitting them for our purposes; if one of them is a production of art, yet its adaptation to the use of mankind,--the qualities which render it available to us,--must be referred to the same source as those derived immediately from nature. Cork, Platinum, Glass, and Caoutchouc, are the substances to which I allude, and which minister so essentially to modern chemical investigations. Without them, indeed, we might have made some progress, but it would have been slow; we might have accomplished much, but it would have been far less than has been done with their aid. Some persons, by the employment of expensive substances, might have successfully pursued the science; but incalculably fewer minds would have been engaged in its advancement. These materials have only been duly appreciated and fully adopted within a very recent period. In the time of Lavoisier, the rich alone could make chemical researches; the necessary apparatus could only be procured at a very great expense. And first, of Glass: every one is familiar with most of the properties of this curious substance; its transparency, hardness, destitution of colour, and stability under ordinary circumstances: to these obvious qualities we may add those which especially adapt it to the use of the chemist, namely, that it is unaffected by most acids or other fluids contained within it. At certain temperatures it becomes more ductile and plastic than wax, and may be made to assume in our hands, before the flame of a common lamp, the form of every vessel we need to contain our materials, and of every apparatus required to pursue our experiments.\n\nThen, how admirable and valuable are the properties of Cork! How little do men reflect upon the inestimable worth of so common a substance! How few rightly esteem the importance of it to the progress of science, and the moral advancement of mankind!--There is no production of nature or art equally adapted to the purposes to which the chemist applies it. Cork consists of a soft, highly elastic substance, as a basis, having diffused throughout a matter with properties resembling wax, tallow, and resin, yet dissimilar to all of these, and termed suberin. This renders it perfectly impermeable to fluids, and, in a great measure, even to gases. It is thus the fittest material we possess for closing our bottles, and retaining their contents. By its means, and with the aid of Caoutchouc, we connect our vessels and tubes of glass, and construct the most complicated apparatus. We form joints and links of connexion, adapt large apertures to small, and thus dispense altogether with the aid of the brassfounder and the mechanist. Thus the implements of the chemist are cheaply and easily procured, immediately adapted to any purpose, and readily repaired or altered. Again, in investigating the composition of solid bodies,--of minerals,--we are under the necessity of bringing them into a liquid state, either by solution or fusion. Now vessels of glass, of porcelain, and of all non-metallic substances, are destroyed by the means we employ for that purpose,--are acted upon by many acids, by alkalies and the alkaline carbonates. Crucibles of gold and silver would melt at high temperatures. But we have a combination of all the qualities we can desire in Platinum. This metal was only first adapted to these uses about fifty years since. It is cheaper than gold, harder and more durable than silver, infusible at all temperatures of our furnaces, and is left intact by acids and alkaline carbonates. Platinum unites all the valuable properties of gold and of porcelain, resisting the action of heat, and of almost all chemical agents. As no mineral analysis could be made perfectly without platinum vessels, had we not possessed this metal, the composition of minerals would have yet remained unknown; without cork and caoutchouc we should have required the costly aid of the mechanician at every step. Even without the latter of these adjuncts our instruments would have been far more costly and fragile. Possessing all these gifts of nature, we economise incalculably our time--to us more precious than money! Such are our instruments. An equal improvement has been accomplished in our laboratory. This is no longer the damp, cold, fireproof vault of the metallurgist, nor the manufactory of the druggist, fitted up with stills and retorts. On the contrary, a light, warm, comfortable room, where beautifully constructed lamps supply the place of furnaces, and the pure and odourless flame of gas, or of spirits of wine, supersedes coal and other fuel, and gives us all the fire we need; where health is not invaded, nor the free exercise of thought impeded: there we pursue our inquiries, and interrogate Nature to reveal her secrets. To these simple means must be added \"The Balance,\" and then we possess everything which is required for the most extensive researches.\n\nThe great distinction between the manner of proceeding in chemistry and natural philosophy is, that one weighs, the other measures. The natural philosopher has applied his measures to nature for many centuries, but only for fifty years have we attempted to advance our philosophy by weighing. For all great discoveries chemists are indebted to the \"balance\"--that incomparable instrument which gives permanence to every observation, dispels all ambiguity, establishes truth, detects error, and guides us in the true path of inductive science. The balance, once adopted as a means of investigating nature, put an end to the school of Aristotle in physics. The explanation of natural phenomena by mere fanciful speculations, gave place to a true natural philosophy. Fire, air, earth, and water, could no longer be regarded as elements. Three of them could henceforth be considered only as significative of the forms in which all matter exists. Everything with which we are conversant upon the surface of the earth is solid, liquid, or aeriform; but the notion of the elementary nature of air, earth, and water, so universally held, was now discovered to belong to the errors of the past. Fire was found to be but the visible and otherwise perceptible indication of changes proceeding within the, so called, elements. Lavoisier investigated the composition of the atmosphere and of water, and studied the many wonderful offices performed by an element common to both in the scheme of nature, namely, oxygen: and he discovered many of the properties of this elementary gas. After his time, the principal problem of chemical philosophers was to determine the composition of the solid matters composing the earth. To the eighteen metals previously known were soon added twenty-four discovered to be constituents of minerals. The great mass of the earth was shown to be composed of metals in combination with oxygen, to which they are united in one, two, or more definite and unalterable proportions, forming compounds which are termed metallic oxides, and these, again, combined with oxides of other bodies, essentially different to metals, namely, carbon and silicium. If to these we add certain compounds of sulphur with metals, in which the sulphur takes the place of oxygen, and forms sulphurets, and one other body,--common salt,--(which is a compound of sodium and chlorine), we have every substance which exists in a solid form upon our globe in any very considerable mass. Other compounds, innumerably various, are found only in small scattered quantities. The chemist, however, did not remain satisfied with the separation of minerals into their component elements, i.e. their analysis; but he sought by synthesis, i.e. by combining the separate elements and forming substances similar to those constructed by nature, to prove the accuracy of his processes and the correctness of his conclusions. Thus he formed, for instance, pumice-stone, feldspar, mica, iron pyrites, &c. artificially. But of all the achievements of inorganic chemistry, the artificial formation of lapis lazuli was the most brilliant and the most conclusive. This mineral, as presented to us by nature, is\n\ncalculated powerfully to arrest our attention by its beautiful azure-blue colour, its remaining unchanged by exposure to air or to fire, and furnishing us with a most valuable pigment, Ultramarine, more precious than gold! The analysis of lapis lazuli represented it to be composed of silica, alumina, and soda, three colourless bodies, with sulphur and a trace of iron. Nothing could be discovered in it of the nature of a pigment, nothing to which its blue colour could be referred, the cause of which was searched for in vain. It might therefore have been supposed that the analyst was here altogether at fault, and that at any rate its artificial production must be impossible. Nevertheless, this has been accomplished, and simply by combining in the proper proportions, as determined by analysis, silica, alumina, soda, iron, and sulphur. Thousands of pounds weight are now manufactured from these ingredients, and this artificial ultramarine is as beautiful as the natural, while for the price of a single ounce of the latter we may obtain many pounds of the former. With the production of artificial lapis lazuli, the formation of mineral bodies by synthesis ceased to be a scientific problem to the chemist; he has no longer sufficient interest in it to pursue the subject. He may now be satisfied that analysis will reveal to him the true constitution of minerals. But to the mineralogist and geologist it is still in a great measure an unexplored field, offering inquiries of the highest interest and importance to their pursuits. After becoming acquainted with the constituent elements of all the substances within our reach and the mutual relations of these elements, the remarkable transmutations to which the bodies are subject under the influence of the vital powers of plants and animals, became the principal object of chemical investigations, and the highest point of interest. A new science, inexhaustible as life itself, is here presented us, standing upon the sound and solid foundation of a well established inorganic chemistry. Thus the progress of science is, like the development of nature's works, gradual and expansive. After the buds and branches spring forth the leaves and blossoms, after the blossoms the fruit. Chemistry, in its application to animals and vegetables. endeavours jointly with physiology to enlighten us respecting the mysterious processes and sources of organic life.\n\n\nMy dear Sir, In my former letter I reminded you that three of the supposed\n\nelements of the ancients represent the forms or state in which all the ponderable matter of our globe exists; I would now observe, that no substance possesses absolutely any one of those conditions; that modern chemistry recognises nothing unchangeably solid, liquid, or aeriform: means have been devised for effecting a change of state in almost every known substance. Platinum, alumina, and rock crystal, it is true, cannot be liquified by the most intense heat of our furnaces, but they melt like wax before the flame of the oxy-hydrogen blowpipe. On the other hand, of the twenty-eight gaseous bodies with which we are acquainted, twenty-five may be reduced to a liquid state, and one into a solid. Probably, ere long, similar changes of condition will be extended to every form of matter. There are many things relating to this condensation of the gases worthy of your attention. Most aeriform bodies, when subjected to compression, are made to occupy a space which diminishes in the exact ratio of the increase of the compressing force. Very generally, under a force double or triple of the ordinary atmospheric pressure, they become one half or one third their former volume. This was a long time considered to be a law, and known as the law of Marriotte; but a more accurate study of the subject has demonstrated that this law is by no means of general application. The volume of certain gases does not decrease in the ratio of the increase of the force used to compress them, but in some, a diminution of their bulk takes place in a far greater degree as the pressure increases. Again, if ammoniacal gas is reduced by a compressing force to one-sixth of its volume, or carbonic acid is reduced to one thirty-sixth, a portion of them loses entirely the form of a gas, and becomes a liquid, which, when the pressure is withdrawn, assumes again in an instant its gaseous state--another deviation from the law of Marriotte. Our process for reducing gases into fluids is of admirable simplicity. A simple bent tube, or a reduction of temperature by artificial means, have superseded the powerful compressing machines of the early experimenters. The cyanuret of mercury, when heated in an open glass tube, is resolved into cyanogen gas and metallic mercury; if this substance is heated in a tube hermetically sealed, the decomposition occurs as before, but the gas, unable to escape, and shut up in a space several hundred times smaller than it would occupy as gas under the ordinary atmospheric pressure, becomes a fluid in that part of the tube which is kept cool. When sulphuric acid is poured upon limestone in an open vessel, carbonic acid escapes with effervescence as a gas, but if the decomposition is effected in a strong, close, and suitable vessel of iron, we obtain the carbonic acid in the state of liquid. In this manner it may be obtained in considerable quantities, even many pounds weight. Carbonic acid is separated from other bodies with which it is combined as a fluid under a pressure of thirty-six atmospheres. The curious properties of fluid carbonic acid are now generally\n\nknown. When a small quantity is permitted to escape into the atmosphere, it assumes its gaseous state with extraordinary rapidity, and deprives the remaining fluid of caloric so rapidly that it congeals into a white crystalline mass like snow: at first, indeed, it was thought to be really snow, but upon examination it proved to be pure frozen carbonic acid. This solid, contrary to expectation, exercises only a feeble pressure upon the surrounding medium. The fluid acid inclosed in a glass tube rushes at once, when opened, into a gaseous state, with an explosion which shatters the tube into fragments; but solid carbonic acid can be handled without producing any other effect than a feeling of intense cold. The particles of the carbonic acid being so closely approximated in the solid, the whole force of cohesive attraction (which in the fluid is weak) becomes exerted, and opposes its tendency to assume its gaseous state; but as it receives heat from surrounding bodies, it passes into gas gradually and without violence. The transition of solid carbonic acid into gas deprives all around it of caloric so rapidly and to so great an extent, that a degree of cold is produced immeasurably great, the greatest indeed known. Ten, twenty, or more pounds weight of mercury, brought into contact with a mixture of ether and solid carbonic acid, becomes in a few moments firm and malleable. This, however, cannot be accomplished without considerable danger. A melancholy accident occurred at Paris, which will probably prevent for the future the formation of solid carbonic acid in these large quantities, and deprive the next generation of the gratification of witnessing these curious experiments. Just before the commencement of the lecture in the Laboratory of the Polytechnic School, an iron cylinder, two feet and a half long and one foot in diameter, in which carbonic acid had been developed for experiment before the class, burst, and its fragments were scattered about with the most tremendous force; it cut off both the legs of the assistant and killed him on the spot. This vessel, formed of the strongest cast-iron, and shaped like a cannon, had often been employed to exhibit experiments in the presence of the students. We can scarcely think, without shuddering, of the dreadful calamity such an explosion would have occasioned in a hall filled with spectators. When we had ascertained the fact of gases becoming fluid under the influence of cold or pressure, a curious property possessed by charcoal, that of absorbing gas to the extent of many times its volume,--ten, twenty, or even as in the case of ammoniacal gas or muriatic acid gas, eighty or ninety fold,--which had been long known, no longer remained a mystery. Some gases are absorbed and condensed within the pores of the charcoal, into a space several hundred times smaller than they before occupied; and there is now no doubt they there become fluid, or assume a solid state. As in a thousand other instances, chemical action here supplants mechanical forces. Adhesion or heterogeneous attraction, as it is termed, acquired by this discovery a more extended meaning; it had never before been thought of as a cause of change of state in matter; but it is now evident that a gas adheres to the surface of a solid body by the same force which condenses it into a liquid. The smallest amount of a gas,--atmospheric air for instance,--can be compressed into a space a thousand times smaller by mere mechanical pressure, and then its bulk must be to the least measurable surface of a solid body, as a grain of sand to a mountain. By the mere\n\neffect of mass,--the force of gravity,--gaseous molecules are attracted by solids and adhere to their surfaces; and when to this physical force is added the feeblest chemical affinity, the liquifiable gases cannot retain their gaseous state. The amount of air condensed by these forces upon a square inch of surface is certainly not measurable; but when a solid body, presenting several hundred square feet of surface within the space of a cubic inch, is brought into a limited volume of gas, we may understand why that volume is diminished, why all gases without exception are absorbed. A cubic inch of charcoal must have, at the lowest computation, a surface of one hundred square feet. This property of absorbing gases varies with different kinds of charcoal: it is possessed in a higher degree by those containing the most pores, i.e. where the pores are finer; and in a lower degree in the more spongy kinds, i.e. where the pores are larger. In this manner every porous body--rocks, stones, the clods of the fields, &c.,--imbibe air, and therefore oxygen; the smallest solid molecule is thus surrounded by its own atmosphere of condensed oxygen; and if in their vicinity other bodies exist which have an affinity for oxygen, a combination is effected. When, for instance, carbon and hydrogen are thus present, they are converted into nourishment for vegetables,--into carbonic acid and water. The development of heat when air is imbibed, and the production of steam when the earth is moistened by rain, are acknowledged to be consequences of this condensation by the action of surfaces. But the most remarkable and interesting case of this kind of action is the imbibition of oxygen by metallic platinum. This metal, when massive, is of a lustrous white colour, but it may be brought, by separating it from its solutions, into so finely divided a state, that its particles no longer reflect light, and it forms a powder as black as soot. In this condition it absorbs eight hundred times its volume of oxygen gas, and this oxygen must be contained within it in a state of condensation very like that of fluid water. When gases are thus condensed, i.e. their particles made to approximate in this extraordinary manner, their properties can be palpably shown. Their chemical actions become apparent as their physical characteristic disappears. The latter consists in the continual tendency of their particles to separate from each other; and it is easy to imagine that this elasticity of gaseous bodies is the principal impediment to the operation of their chemical force; for this becomes more energetic as their particles approximate. In that state in which they exist within the pores or upon the surface of solid bodies, their repulsion ceases, and their whole chemical action is exerted. Thus combinations which oxygen cannot enter into, decompositions which it cannot effect while in the state of gas, take place with the greatest facility in the pores of platinum containing condensed oxygen. When a jet of hydrogen gas, for instance, is thrown upon spongy platinum, it combines with the oxygen condensed in the interior of the mass; at their point of contact water is formed, and as the immediate consequence heat is evolved; the platinum becomes red hot and the gas is inflamed. If we interrupt the current of the gas, the pores of the platinum become instantaneously filled again with oxygen; and the same phenomenon can be repeated a second time, and so on interminably.\n\nIn finely pulverised platinum, and even in spongy platinum, we therefore possess a perpetuum mobile--a mechanism like a watch which runs out and winds itself up--a force which is never exhausted--competent to produce effects of the most powerful kind, and self-renewed ad infinitum. Many phenomena, formerly inexplicable, are satisfactorily explained by these recently discovered properties of porous bodies. The metamorphosis of alcohol into acetic acid, by the process known as the quick vinegar manufacture, depends upon principles, at a knowledge of which we have arrived by a careful study of these properties.\n\n\nMy dear Sir, The manufacture of soda from common culinary salt, may be regarded as the foundation of all our modern improvements in the domestic arts; and we may take it as affording an excellent illustration of the dependence of the various branches of human industry and commerce upon each other, and their relation to chemistry. Soda has been used from time immemorial in the manufacture of soap and glass, two chemical productions which employ and keep in circulation an immense amount of capital. The quantity of soap consumed by a nation would be no inaccurate measure whereby to estimate its wealth and civilisation. Of two countries, with an equal amount of population, the wealthiest and most highly civilised will consume the greatest weight of soap. This consumption does not subserve sensual gratification, nor depend upon fashion, but upon the feeling of the beauty, comfort, and welfare, attendant upon cleanliness; and a regard to this feeling is coincident with wealth and civilisation. The rich in the middle ages concealed a want of cleanliness in their clothes and persons under a profusion of costly scents and essences, whilst they were more luxurious in eating and drinking, in apparel and horses. With us a want of cleanliness is equivalent to insupportable misery and misfortune. Soap belongs to those manufactured products, the money value of which continually disappears from circulation, and requires to be continually renewed. It is one of the few substances which are entirely consumed by use, leaving no product of any worth. Broken glass and bottles are by no means absolutely worthless; for rags we may purchase new cloth, but soap-water has no value whatever. It would be interesting to know accurately the amount of capital involved in the manufacture of soap; it is certainly as large as that employed in the coffee trade, with this important difference as respects Germany, that it is entirely derived from our own soil.\n\nFrance formerly imported soda from Spain,--Spanish sodas being of the best quality--at an annual expenditure of twenty to thirty millions of francs. During the war with England the price of soda, and consequently of soap and glass, rose continually; and all manufactures suffered in consequence. The present method of making soda from common salt was discovered by Le Blanc at the end of the last century. It was a rich boon for France, and became of the highest importance during the wars of Napoleon. In a very short time it was manufactured to an extraordinary extent, especially at the seat of the soap manufactories. Marseilles possessed for a time a monopoly of soda and soap. The policy of Napoleon deprived that city of the advantages derived from this great source of commerce, and thus excited the hostility of the population to his dynasty, which became favourable to the restoration of the Bourbons. A curious result of an improvement in a chemical manufacture! It was not long, however, in reaching England. In order to prepare the soda of commerce (which is the carbonate) from common salt, it is first converted into Glauber's salt (sulphate of soda). For this purpose 80 pounds weight of concentrated sulphuric acid (oil of vitriol) are required to 100 pounds of common salt. The duty upon salt checked, for a short time, the full advantage of this discovery; but when the Government repealed the duty, and its price was reduced to its minimum, the cost of soda depended upon that of sulphuric acid. The demand for sulphuric acid now increased to an immense extent; and, to supply it, capital was embarked abundantly, as it afforded an excellent remuneration. the origin and formation of sulphuric acid was studied most carefully; and from year to year, better, simpler, and cheaper methods of making it were discovered. With every improvement in the mode of manufacture, its price fell; and its sale increased in an equal ratio. Sulphuric acid is now manufactured in leaden chambers, of such magnitude that they would contain the whole of an ordinary-sized house. As regards the process and the apparatus, this manufacture has reached its acme--scarcely is either susceptible of improvement. The leaden plates of which the chambers are constructed, requiring to be joined together with lead (since tin or solder would be acted on by the acid), this process was, until lately, as expensive as the plates themselves; but now, by means of the oxy-hydrogen blowpipe, the plates are cemented together at their edges by mere fusion, without the intervention of any kind of solder. And then, as to the process: according to theory, 100 pounds weight of sulphur ought to produce 306 pounds of sulphuric acid; in practice 300 pounds are actually obtained; the amount of loss is therefore too insignificant for consideration. Again; saltpetre being indispensable in making sulphuric acid, the commercial value of that salt had formerly an important influence upon its price. It is true that 100 pounds of saltpetre only are required to 1000 pounds of sulphur; but its cost was four times greater than an equal weight of the latter.\n\nTravellers had observed near the small seaport of Yquiqui, in the district of Atacama, in Peru, an efflorescence covering the ground over extensive districts. This was found to consist principally of nitrate of soda. Advantage was quickly taken of this discovery. The quantity of this valuable salt proved to be inexhaustible, as it exists in beds extending over more than 200 square miles. It was brought to England at less than half the freight of the East India saltpetre (nitrate of potassa); and as, in the chemical manufacture neither the potash nor the soda were required, but only the nitric acid, in combination with the alkali, the soda-saltpetre of South America soon supplanted the potash-nitre of the East. The manufacture of sulphuric acid received a new impulse; its price was much diminished without injury to the manufacturer; and, with the exception of fluctuations caused by the impediments thrown in the way of the export of sulphur from Sicily, it soon became reduced to a minimum, and remained stationary. Potash-saltpetre is now only employed in the manufacture of gunpowder; it is no longer in demand for other purposes; and thus, if Government effect a saving of many hundred thousand pounds annually in gunpowder, this economy must be attributed to the increased manufacture of sulphuric acid. We may form an idea of the amount of sulphuric acid consumed, when we find that 50,000 pounds weight are made by a small manufactory, and from 200,000 to 600,000 pounds by a large one annually. This manufacture causes immense sums to flow annually into Sicily. It has introduced industry and wealth into the arid and desolate districts of Atacama. It has enabled us to obtain platina from its ores at a moderate and yet remunerating price; since the vats employed for concentrating this acid are constructed of this metal, and cost from 1000l. to 2000l. sterling. It leads to frequent improvements in the manufacture of glass, which continually becomes cheaper and more beautiful. It enables us to return to our fields all their potash--a most valuable and important manure--in the form of ashes, by substituting soda in the manufacture of glass and soap. It is impossible to trace, within the compass of a letter, all the ramifications of this tissue of changes and improvements resulting from one chemical manufacture; but I must still claim your attention to a few more of its most important and immediate results. I have already told you, that in the manufacture of soda from culinary salt, it is first converted into sulphate of soda. In this first part of the process, the action of sulphuric acid produces muriatic acid to the extent of one-and-a-half the amount of the sulphuric acid employed. At first, the profit upon the soda was so great, that no one took the trouble to collect the muriatic acid: indeed it had no commercial value. A profitable application of it was, however, soon discovered: it is a compound of chlorine, and this substance may be obtained from it purer than from any other source. The bleaching power of chlorine has long been known; but it was only employed upon a large scale after it was obtained from this residuary muriatic acid, and it was found that in combination with lime it could be transported to distances without inconvenience. Thenceforth it was used for bleaching cotton; and, but for this new bleaching process, it would scarcely have been possible for the cotton manufacture of Great Britain to have attained its present\n\nenormous extent,--it could not have competed in price with France and Germany. In the old process of bleaching, every piece must be exposed to the air and light during several weeks in the summer, and kept continually moist by manual labour. For this purpose, meadow land, eligibly situated, was essential. Now a single establishment near Glasgow bleaches 1400 pieces of cotton daily, throughout the year. What an enormous capital would be required to purchase land for this purpose! How greatly would it increase the cost of bleaching to pay interest upon this capital, or to hire so much land in England! This expense would scarcely have been felt in Germany. Besides the diminished expense, the cotton stuffs bleached with chlorine suffer less in the hands of skilful workmen than those bleached in the sun; and already the peasantry in some parts of Germany have adopted it, and find it advantageous. Another use to which cheap muriatic acid is applied, is the manufacture of glue from bones. Bone contains from 30 to 36 per cent. of earthy matter--chiefly phosphate of lime, and the remainder is gelatine. When bones are digested in muriatic acid they become transparent and flexible like leather, the earthy matter is dissolved, and after the acid is all carefully washed away, pieces of glue of the same shape as the bones remain, which are soluble in hot water and adapted to all the purposes of ordinary glue, without further preparation. Another important application of sulphuric acid may be adduced; namely, to the refining of silver and the separation of gold, which is always present in some proportion in native silver. Silver, as it is usually obtained from mines in Europe, contains in 16 ounces, 6 to 8 ounces of copper. When used by the silversmith, or in coining, 16 ounces must contain in Germany 13 ounces of silver, in England about 14 1/2. But this alloy is always made artificially by mixing pure silver with the due proportion of the copper; and for this purpose the silver must be obtained pure by the refiner. This he formerly effected by amalgamation, or by roasting it with lead; and the cost of this process was about 2l. for every hundred-weight of silver. In the silver so prepared, about 1/1200 to 1/2000th part of gold remained; to effect the separation of this by nitrio-hydrochloric acid was more expensive than the value of the gold; it was therefore left in utensils, or circulated in coin, valueless. The copper, too, of the native silver was no use whatever. But the 1/1000th part of gold, being about one and a half per cent. of the value of the silver, now covers the cost of refining, and affords an adequate profit to the refiner; so that he effects the separation of the copper, and returns to his employer the whole amount of the pure silver, as well as the copper, without demanding any payment: he is amply remunerated by that minute portion of gold. The new process of refining is a most beautiful chemical operation: the granulated metal is boiled in concentrated sulphuric acid, which dissolves both the silver and the copper, leaving the gold nearly pure, in the form of a black powder. The solution is then placed in a leaden vessel containing metallic copper; this is gradually dissolved, and the silver precipitated in a pure metallic state. The sulphate of copper thus formed is also a valuable product, being employed in the manufacture of green and blue pigments. Other immediate results of the economical production of sulphuric\n\nacid, are the general employment of phosphorus matches, and of stearine candles, that beautiful substitute for tallow and wax. Twenty-five years ago, the present prices and extensive applications of sulphuric and muriatic acids, of soda, phosphorus, &c., would have been considered utterly impossible. Who is able to foresee what new and unthought-of chemical productions, ministering to the service and comforts of mankind, the next twenty-five years may produce? After these remarks you will perceive that it is no exaggeration to say, we may fairly judge of the commercial prosperity of a country from the amount of sulphuric acid it consumes. Reflecting upon the important influence which the price of sulphur exercises upon the cost of production of bleached and printed cotton stuffs, soap, glass, &c., and remembering that Great Britain supplies America, Spain, Portugal, and the East, with these, exchanging them for raw cotton, silk, wine, raisins, indigo, &c., &c., we can understand why the English Government should have resolved to resort to war with Naples, in order to abolish the sulphur monopoly, which the latter power attempted recently to establish. Nothing could be more opposed to the true interests of Sicily than such a monopoly; indeed, had it been maintained a few years, it is highly probable that sulphur, the source of her wealth, would have been rendered perfectly valueless to her. Science and industry form a power to which it is dangerous to present impediments. It was not difficult to perceive that the issue would be the entire cessation of the exportation of sulphur from Sicily. In the short period the sulphur monopoly lasted, fifteen patents were taken out for methods to obtain back the sulphuric acid used in making soda. Admitting that these fifteen experiments were not perfectly successful, there can be no doubt it would ere long have been accomplished. But then, in gypsum, (sulphate of lime), and in heavy-spar, (sulphate of barytes), we possess mountains of sulphuric acid; in galena, (sulphate of lead), and in iron pyrites, we have no less abundance of sulphur. The problem is, how to separate the sulphuric acid, or the sulphur, from these native stores. Hundreds of thousands of pounds weight of sulphuric acid were prepared from iron pyrites, while the high price of sulphur consequent upon the monopoly lasted. We should probably ere long have triumphed over all difficulties, and have separated it from gypsum. The impulse has been given, the possibility of the process proved, and it may happen in a few years that the inconsiderate financial speculation of Naples may deprive her of that lucrative commerce. In like manner Russia, by her prohibitory system, has lost much of her trade in tallow and potash. One country purchases only from absolute necessity from another, which excludes her own productions from her markets. Instead of the tallow and linseed oil of Russia, Great Britain now uses palm oil and cocoa-nut oil of other countries. Precisely analogous is the combination of workmen against their employers, which has led to the construction of many admirable machines for superseding manual labour. In commerce and industry every imprudence carries with it its own punishment; every oppression immediately and sensibly recoils upon the head of those from whom it emanates.\n\n\nMy dear Sir, One of the most influential causes of improvement in the social condition of mankind is that spirit of enterprise which induces men of capital to adopt and carry out suggestions for the improvement of machinery, the creation of new articles of commerce, or the cheaper production of those already in demand; and we cannot but admire the energy with which such men devote their talents, their time, and their wealth, to realise the benefits of the discoveries and inventions of science. For even when these are expended upon objects wholly incapable of realisation,--nay, even when the idea which first gave the impulse proves in the end to be altogether impracticable or absurd, immediate good to the community generally ensues; some useful and perhaps unlooked-for result flows directly, or springs ultimately, from exertions frustrated in their main design. Thus it is also in the pursuit of science. Theories lead to experiments and investigations; and he who investigates will scarcely ever fail of being rewarded by discoveries. It may be, indeed, the theory sought to be established is entirely unfounded in nature; but while searching in a right spirit for one thing, the inquirer may be rewarded by finding others far more valuable than those which he sought. At the present moment, electro-magnetism, as a moving power, is engaging great attention and study; wonders are expected from its application to this purpose. According to the sanguine expectations of many persons, it will shortly be employed to put into motion every kind of machinery, and amongst other things it will be applied to impel the carriages of railroads, and this at so small a cost, that expense will no longer be matter of consideration. England is to lose her superiority as a manufacturing country, inasmuch as her vast store of coals will no longer avail her as an economical source of motive power. \"We,\" say the German cultivators of this science, \"have cheap zinc, and, how small a quantity of this metal is required to turn a lathe, and consequently to give motion to any kind of machinery!\" Such expectations may be very attractive, and yet they are altogether illusory! they will not bear the test of a few simple calculations; and these our friends have not troubled themselves to institute. With a simple flame of spirits of wine, under a proper vessel containing boiling water, a small carriage of 200 to 300 pounds weight can be put into motion, or a weight of 80 to 100 pounds may be raised to a height of 20 feet. The same effects may be produced by dissolving zinc in dilute sulphuric acid in a certain apparatus. This is certainly an astonishing and highly interesting discovery; but the question to be determined is, which of the two processes is the least expensive?\n\nIn order to answer this question, and to judge correctly of the hopes entertained from this discovery, let me remind you of what chemists denominate \"equivalents.\" These are certain unalterable ratios of effects which are proportionate to each other, and may therefore be expressed in numbers. Thus, if we require 8 pounds of oxygen to produce a certain effect, and we wish to employ chlorine for the same effect, we must employ neither more nor less than 35 1/2 pounds weight. In the same manner, 6 pounds weight of coal are equivalent to 32 pounds weight of zinc. The numbers representing chemical equivalents express very general ratios of effects, comprehending for all bodies all the actions they are capable of producing. If zinc be combined in a certain manner with another metal, and submitted to the action of dilute sulphuric acid, it is dissolved in the form of an oxide; it is in fact burned at the expense of the oxygen contained in the fluid. A consequence of this action is the production of an electric current, which, if conducted through a wire, renders it magnetic. In thus effecting the solution of a pound weight, for example, of zinc, we obtain a definite amount of force adequate to raise a given weight one inch, and to keep it suspended; and the amount of weight it will be capable of suspending will be the greater the more rapidly the zinc is dissolved. By alternately interrupting and renewing the contact of the zinc with the acid, and by very simple mechanical arrangements, we can give to the iron an upward and downward or a horizontal motion, thus producing the conditions essential to the motion of any machinery. This moving force is produced by the oxidation of the zinc; and, setting aside the name given to the force in this case, we know that it can be produced in another manner. If we burn the zinc under the boiler of a steam-engine, consequently in the oxygen of the air instead of the galvanic pile, we should produce steam, and by it a certain amount of force. If we should assume, (which, however, is not proved,) that the quantity of force is unequal in these cases,--that, for instance, we had obtained double or triple the amount in the galvanic pile, or that in this mode of generating force less loss is sustained,--we must still recollect the equivalents of zinc and coal, and make these elements of our calculation. According to the experiments of Despretz, 6 pounds weight of zinc, in combining with oxygen, develops no more heat than 1 pound of coal; consequently, under equal conditions, we can produce six times the amount of force with a pound of coal as with a pound of zinc. It is therefore obvious that it would be more advantageous to employ coal instead of zinc, even if the latter produced four times as much force in a galvanic pile, as an equal weight of coal by its combustion under a boiler. Indeed it is highly probable, that if we burn under the boiler of a steam-engine the quantity of coal required for smelting the zinc from its ores, we shall produce far more force than the whole of the zinc so obtained could originate in any form of apparatus whatever. Heat, electricity, and magnetism, have a similar relation to each other as the chemical equivalents of coal, zinc, and oxygen. By a certain measure of electricity we produce a corresponding proportion of heat or of magnetic power; we obtain that electricity by chemical affinity, which in one shape produces heat, in another electricity\n\nor magnetism. A certain amount of affinity produces an equivalent of electricity in the same manner as, on the other hand, we decompose equivalents of chemical compounds by a definite measure of electricity. The magnetic force of the pile is therefore limited to the extent of the chemical affinity, and in the case before us is obtained by the combination of the zinc and sulphuric acid. In the combustion of coal, the heat results from, and is measured by, the affinity of the oxygen of the atmosphere for that substance. It is true that with a very small expense of zinc, we can make an iron wire a magnet capable of sustaining a thousand pounds weight of iron; let us not allow ourselves to be misled by this. Such a magnet could not raise a single pound weight of iron two inches, and therefore could not impart motion. The magnet acts like a rock, which while at rest presses with a weight of a thousand pounds upon a basis; it is like an inclosed lake, without an outlet and without a fall. But it may be said, we have, by mechanical arrangements, given it an outlet and a fall. True; and this must be regarded as a great triumph of mechanics; and I believe it is susceptible of further improvements, by which greater force may be obtained. But with every conceivable advantage of mechanism, no one will dispute that one pound of coal, under the boiler of a steam-engine, will give motion to a mass several hundred times greater than a pound of zinc in the galvanic pile. Our experience of the employment of electro-magnetism as a motory power is, however, too recent to enable us to foresee the ultimate results of contrivances to apply it; and, therefore, those who have devoted themselves to solve the problem of its application should not be discouraged, inasmuch as it would undoubtedly be a most important achievement to supersede the steam-engine, and thus escape the danger of railroads, even at double their expense. Professor Weber of Gottingen has thrown out a suggestion, that if a contrivance could be devised to enable us to convert at will the wheels of the steam-carriage into magnets, we should be enabled to ascend and descend acclivities with great facility. This notion may ultimately be, to a certain extent, realised. The employment of the galvanic pile as a motory power, however, must, like every other contrivance, depend upon the question of its relative economy: probably some time hence it may so far succeed as to be adopted in certain favourable localities; it may stand in the same relation to steam power as the manufacture of beet sugar bears to that of cane, or as the production of gas from oils and resins to that from mineral coal. The history of beet-root sugar affords us an excellent illustration of the effect of prices upon commercial productions. This branch of industry seems at length, as to its processes, to be perfected. The most beautiful white sugar is now manufactured from the beet-root, in the place of the treacle-like sugar, having the taste of the root, which was first obtained; and instead of 3 or 4 per cent., the proportion obtained by Achard, double or even treble that amount is now produced. And notwithstanding the perfection of the manufacture, it is probable it will ere long be in most places entirely discontinued. In the years 1824 to 1827, the prices of agricultural produce were much lower than at present, while the price of sugar\n\nwas the same. At that time one malter [1] of wheat was 10s., and one klafter [2] of wood 18s., and land was falling in price. Thus, food and fuel were cheap, and the demand for sugar unlimited; it was, therefore, advantageous to grow beet-root, and to dispose of the produce of land as sugar. All these circumstances are now different. A malter of wheat costs 18s.; a klafter of wood, 30s. to 36s. Wages have risen, but not in proportion, whilst the price of colonial sugar has fallen. Within the limits of the German commercial league, as, for instance, at Frankfort-on-the-Maine, a pound of the whitest and best loaf sugar is 7d.; the import duty is 31/d., or 30s. per cwt., leaving 31/d. as the price of the sugar. In the year 1827, then, one malter of wheat was equal to 40 lbs. weight of sugar, whilst at present that quantity of wheat is worth 70 lbs. of sugar. If indeed fuel were the same in price as formerly, and 70 lbs. of sugar could be obtained from the same quantity of the root as then yielded 40 lbs., it might still be advantageously produced; but the amount, if now obtained by the most approved methods of extraction, falls far short of this; and as fuel is double the price, and labour dearer, it follows that, at present, it is far more advantageous to cultivate wheat and to purchase sugar. There are, however, other elements which must enter into our calculations; but these serve to confirm our conclusion that the manufacture of beet-root sugar as a commercial speculation must cease. The leaves and residue of the root, after the juice was expressed, were used as food for cattle, and their value naturally increased with the price of grain. By the process formerly pursued, 75 lbs. weight of juice were obtained from 100 lbs. of beet-root, and gave 5 lbs. of sugar. The method of Schutzenbach, which was eagerly adopted by the manufacturers, produced from the same quantity of root 8 lbs. of sugar; but it was attended with more expense to produce, and the loss of the residue as food for cattle. The increased expense in this process arises from the larger quantity of fuel required to evaporate the water; for instead of merely evaporating the juice, the dry residue is treated with water, and we require fuel sufficient to evaporate 106 lbs. of fluid instead of 75 lbs., and the residue is only fit for manure. The additional 3 lbs. of sugar are purchased at the expense of much fuel, and the loss of the residue as an article of food. If the valley of the Rhine possessed mines of diamonds as rich as those of Golconda, Visiapoor, or the Brazils, they would probably not be worth the working: at those places the cost of extraction is 28s. to 30s. the carat. With us it amounts to three or four times as much--to more, in fact, than diamonds are worth in the market. The sand of the Rhine contains gold; and in the Grand Duchy of Baden many persons are occupied in gold-washing when wages are low; but as soon as they rise, this employment ceases. The manufacture of sugar from beet-root, in the like manner, twelve to fourteen years ago offered advantages which are now lost: instead, therefore, of maintaining it at a great sacrifice, it would be more reasonable, more in accordance with true natural economy, to cultivate other and more valuable productions, and with them purchase sugar. Not only would the state be the gainer, but every member of the community. This argument does not apply, perhaps, to France and Bohemia, where the prices of fuel and of colonial sugar are very different to those in Germany.\n\nThe manufacture of gas for lighting, from coal, resin, and oils, stands with us on the same barren ground. The price of the materials from which gas is manufactured in England bears a direct proportion to the price of corn: there the cost of tallow and oil is twice as great as in Germany, but iron and coal are two-thirds cheaper; and even in England the manufacture of gas is only advantageous when the other products of the distillation of coal, the coke, &c., can be sold. It would certainly be esteemed one of the greatest discoveries of the age if any one could succeed in condensing coal gas into a white, dry, solid, odourless substance, portable, and capable of being placed upon a candlestick, or burned in a lamp. Wax, tallow, and oil, are combustible gases in a solid or fluid form, which offer many advantages for lighting, not possessed by gas: they furnish, in well-constructed lamps, as much light, without requiring the expensive apparatus necessary for the combustion of gas, and they are generally more economical. In large towns, or such establishments as hotels, where coke is in demand, and where losses in stolen tallow or oil must be considered, together with the labour of snuffing candles and cleaning lamps, the higher price of gas is compensated. In places where gas can be manufactured from resin, oil of turpentine, and other cheap oils, as at Frankfort, this is advantageous so long as it is pursued on small scale only. If large towns were lighted in the same manner, the materials would rise in price: the whole amount at present produced would scarcely suffice for two such towns as Berlin and Munich. But no just calculation can be made from the present prices of turpentine, resin, &c., which are not produced upon any large scale. [Footnote 1: Malter--a measure containing several bushels, but varying in different countries.] [Footnote 2: Klafter--a cord, a stack, measuring six feet every way.]\n\n\nMy dear Sir, Until very recently it was supposed that the physical qualities of bodies, i.e. hardness, colour, density, transparency, &c., and still more their chemical properties, must depend upon the nature of their elements, or upon their composition. It was tacitly received as a principle, that two bodies containing the same elements in the same proportion, must of necessity possess the same properties. We could not imagine an exact identity of composition giving rise to two bodies entirely different in their sensible appearance and chemical\n\n\nsuch isomeric compounds. Cyanuric acid is crystalline, soluble in water, and capable of forming salts with metallic oxides. Hydrated cyanic acid is a volatile and highly blistering fluid, which cannot be brought into contact with water without being instantaneously decomposed. Cyamelide is a white substance very like porcelain, absolutely insoluble in water. Now if we place the first,--cyanuric acid,--in a vessel hermetically sealed, and apply a high degree of heat, it is converted by its influence into hydrated cyanic acid; and, then, if this is kept for some time at the common temperature, it passes into cyamelide, no other element being present. And, again inversely, cyamelide can be converted into cyanuric acid and hydrated cyanic acid. We have three other bodies which pass through similar changes, in aldehyde, metaldehyde, and etaldehyde; and, again two, in urea and cyanuret of ammonia. Further, 100 parts of aldehyde hydrated butyric acid and acetic ether contain the same elements in the same proportion. Thus one substance may be converted into another without addition or subtraction, and without the participation of any foreign bodies in the change. The doctrine that matter is not infinitely divisible, but on the contrary, consists of atoms incapable of further division, alone furnishes us with a satisfactory explanation of these phenomena. In chemical combinations, the ultimate atoms of bodies do not penetrate each other, they are only arranged side by side in a certain order, and the properties of the compound depend entirely upon this order. If they are made to change their place--their mode of arrangement--by an impulse from without, they combine again in a different manner, and another compound is formed with totally different properties. We may suppose that one atom combines with one atom of another element to form a compound atom, while in other bodies two and two, four and four, eight and eight, are united; so that in all such compounds the amount per cent. of the elements is absolutely equal; and yet their physical and chemical properties must be totally different, the constitution of each atom being peculiar, in one body consisting of two, in another of four, in a third of eight, and in a fourth of sixteen simple atoms. The discovery of these facts immediately led to many most beautiful and interesting results; they furnished us with a satisfactory explanation of observations which were before veiled in mystery,--a key to many of Nature's most curious recesses. Again; solid bodies, whether simple or compound, are capable of existing in two states, which are known by the terms amorphous and crystalline. When matter is passing from a gaseous or liquid state slowly into a solid, an incessant motion is observed, as if the molecules were minute magnets; they are seen to repel each other in one direction, and to attract and cohere together in another, and in the end become\n\n\nsulphuric acid and selenic acid, phosphoric and arsenic acid, respectively form compounds which it is impossible to distinguish by their form and solubility? Were these merely isomeric, they ought to exhibit properties quite dissimilar! We have not, I believe, at present the remotest ground to suppose that any one of those substances which chemists regard as elements can be converted into another. Such a conversion, indeed, would presuppose that the element was composed of two or more ingredients, and was in fact not an element; and until the decomposition of these bodies is accomplished, and their constituents discovered, all pretensions to such conversions deserve no notice. Dr. Brown of Edinburgh thought he had converted iron into rhodium, and carbon or paracyanogen into silicon. His paper upon this subject was published in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and contained internal evidence, without a repetition of his experiments, that he was totally unacquainted with the principles of chemical analysis. But his experiments have been carefully repeated by qualified persons, and they have completely proved his ignorance: his rhodium is iron, and his silicon an impure incombustible coal.\n\n\nMy dear Sir, One of the most remarkable effects of the recent progress of science is the alliance of chemistry with physiology, by which a new and unexpected light has been thrown upon the vital processes of plants and animals. We have now no longer any difficulty in understanding the different actions of aliments, poisons, and remedial agents--we have a clear conception of the causes of hunger, of the exact nature of death; and we are not, as formerly, obliged to content ourselves with a mere description of their symptoms. It is now ascertained with positive certainty, that all the substances which constitute the food of man must be divided into two great classes, one of which serves for the nutrition and reproduction of the animal body, whilst the other ministers to quite different purposes. Thus starch, gum, sugar, beer, wine, spirits, &c., furnish no element capable of entering into the composition of blood, muscular fibre, or any part which is the seat of the vital principle. It must surely be universally interesting to trace the great change our views have undergone upon these subjects, as well as to become acquainted with the researches from which our present knowledge is derived. The primary conditions of the maintenance of animal life, are a constant supply of certain matters, animal food, and of oxygen, in the shape of atmospheric air. During every moment of life, oxygen is absorbed from the atmosphere in the organs of respiration, and the\n\nact of breathing cannot cease while life continues. The observations of physiologists have demonstrated that the body of an adult man supplied abundantly with food, neither increases nor diminishes in weight during twenty-four hours, and yet the quantity of oxygen absorbed into his system, in that period, is very considerable. According to the experiments of Lavoisier, an adult man takes into his system from the atmosphere, in one year, no less than 746 pounds weight of oxygen; the calculations of Menzies make the quantity amount even to 837 pounds; but we find his weight at the end of the year either exactly the same or different one way or the other by at most a few pounds. What, it may be asked, has become of the enormous amount of oxygen thus introduced into the human system in the course of one year? We can answer this question satisfactorily. No part of the oxygen remains in the body, but is given out again, combined with carbon and hydrogen. The carbon and hydrogen of certain parts of the animal body combine with the oxygen introduced through the lungs and skin, and pass off in the forms of carbonic acid and vapour of water. At every expiration and every moment of life, a certain amount of its elements are separated from the animal organism, having entered into combination with the oxygen of the atmosphere. In order to obtain a basis for the approximate calculation, we may assume, with Lavoisier and Seguin, that an adult man absorbs into his system 32 1/2 ounces of oxygen daily,--that is, 46,037 cubic inches = 15,661 grains, French weight; and further, that the weight of the whole mass of his blood is 24 pounds, of which 80 per cent. is water. Now, from the known composition of the blood, we know that in order to convert its whole amount of carbon and hydrogen into carbonic acid and water, 64.102 grains of oxygen are required. This quantity will be taken into the system in four days and five hours. Whether the oxygen enters into combination directly with the elements of the blood, or with the carbon and hydrogen of other parts of the body, it follows inevitably--the weight of the body remaining unchanged and in a normal condition--that as much of these elements as will suffice to supply 24 pounds of blood, must be taken into the system in four days and five hours; and this necessary amount is furnished by the food. We have not, however, remained satisfied with mere approximation: we have determined accurately, in certain cases, the quantity of carbon taken daily in the food, and of that which passes out of the body in the faeces and urine combined--that is, uncombined with oxygen; and from these investigations it appears that an adult man taking moderate exercise consumes 13.9 ounces of carbon, which pass off through the skin and lungs as carbonic acid gas. [1] It requires 37 ounces of oxygen to convert 13 9/10 of carbon into carbonic acid. Again; according to the analysis of Boussingault, (Annales de Chim. et de Phys., lxx. i. p.136), a horse consumes 79 1/10 ounces of carbon in twenty-four hours, a milch cow 70 3/4 ounces; so that the horse requires 13 pounds 3 1/2 ounces, and the cow 11 pounds 10 3/4 ounces of oxygen. [2] As no part of the oxygen taken into the system of an animal is given off in any other form than combined with carbon or hydrogen, and as in a normal condition, or state of health, the carbon and hydrogen\n\nso given off are replaced by those elements in the food, it is evident that the amount of nourishment required by an animal for its support must be in a direct ratio with the quantity of oxygen taken in to its system. Two animals which in equal times take up by means of the lungs and skin unequal quantities of oxygen, consume an amount of food unequal in the same ratio. The consumption of oxygen in a given time may be expressed by the number of respirations; it is, therefore, obvious that in the same animal the quantity of nourishment required must vary with the force and number of respirations. A child breathes quicker than an adult, and, consequently, requires food more frequently and proportionably in larger quantity, and bears hunger less easily. A bird deprived of food dies on the third day, while a serpent, confined under a bell, respires so slowly that the quantity of carbonic acid generated in an hour can scarcely be observed, and it will live three months, or longer, without food. The number of respirations is fewer in a state of rest than during labour or exercise: the quantity of food necessary in both cases must be in the same ratio. An excess of food, a want of a due amount of respired oxygen, or of exercise, as also great exercise (which obliges us to take an increased supply of food), together with weak organs of digestion, are incompatible with health But the quantity of oxygen received by an animal through the lungs not only depends upon the number of respirations, but also upon the temperature of the respired air. The size of the thorax of an animal is unchangeable; we may therefore regard the volume of air which enters at every inspiration as uniform. But its weight, and consequently the amount of oxygen it contains, is not constant. Air is expanded by heat, and contracted by cold--an equal volume of hot and cold air contains, therefore, an unequal amount of oxygen. In summer atmospheric air contains water in the form of vapour, it is nearly deprived of it in winter; the volume of oxygen in the same volume of air is smaller in summer than in winter. In summer and winter, at the pole and at the equator, we inspire an equal volume of air; the cold air is warmed during respiration and acquires the temperature of the body. In order, therefore, to introduce into the lungs a given amount of oxygen, less expenditure of force is necessary in winter than in summer, and for the same expenditure of force more oxygen is inspired in winter. It is also obvious that in an equal number of respirations we consume more oxygen at the level of the sea than on a mountain. The oxygen taken into the system is given out again in the same form, both in summer and winter: we expire more carbon at a low than at a high temperature, and require more or less carbon in our food in the same proportion; and, consequently, more is respired in Sweden than in Sicily, and in our own country and eighth more in winter than in summer. Even if an equal weight of food is consumed in hot and cold climates, Infinite Wisdom has ordained that very unequal proportions of carbon shall be taken in it. The food prepared for the inhabitants of southern climes does not contain in a fresh state more than 12 per cent. of carbon, while the blubber and train oil which feed the inhabitants of Polar regions contain 66 to 80 per cent. of that element. From the same cause it is comparatively easy to be temperate in warm climates, or to bear hunger for a long time under the equator; but\n\ncold and hunger united very soon produce exhaustion. The oxygen of the atmosphere received into the blood in the lungs, and circulated throughout every part of the animal body, acting upon the elements of the food, is the source of animal heat. [Footnote 1: This account is deduced from observations made upon the average daily consumption of about 30 soldiers in barracks. The food of these men, consisting of meat, bread, potatoes, lentils, peas, beans, butter, salt, pepper, &c., was accurately weighed during a month, and each article subjected to ultimate analysis. Of the quantity of food, beer, and spirits, taken by the men when out of barracks, we have a close approximation from the report of the sergeant; and from the weight and analysis of the faeces and urine, it appears that the carbon which passes off through these channels may be considered equivalent to the amount taken in that portion of the food, and of sour-crout, which was not included in the estimate.] [Footnote 2: 17.5 ounces = 0.5 kilogramme.]\n\n\nMy dear Sir, The source of animal heat, its laws, and the influence it exerts upon the functions of the animal body, constitute a curious and highly interesting subject, to which I would now direct your attention. All living creatures, whose existence depends upon the absorption of oxygen, possess within themselves a source of heat, independent of surrounding objects. This general truth applies to all animals, and extends to the seed of plants in the act of germination, to flower-buds when developing, and fruits during their maturation. In the animal body, heat is produced only in those parts to which arterial blood, and with it the oxygen absorbed in respiration, is conveyed. Hair, wool, and feathers, receive no arterial blood, and, therefore, in them no heat is developed. The combination of a combustible substance with oxygen is, under all circumstances, the only source of animal heat. In whatever way carbon may combine with oxygen, the act of combination is accompanied by the disengagement of heat. It is indifferent whether this combination takes place rapidly or slowly, at a high or at a low temperature: the amount of heat liberated is a constant quantity.\n\nThe carbon of the food, being converted into carbonic acid within the body, must give out exactly as much heat as if it had been directly burnt in oxygen gas or in common air; the only difference is, the production of the heat is diffused over unequal times. In oxygen gas the combustion of carbon is rapid and the heat intense; in atmospheric air it burns slower and for a longer time, the temperature being lower; in the animal body the combination is still more gradual, and the heat is lower in proportion. It is obvious that the amount of heat liberated must increase or diminish with the quantity of oxygen introduced in equal times by respiration. Those animals, therefore, which respire frequently, and consequently consume much oxygen, possess a higher temperature than others, which, with a body of equal size to be heated, take into the system less oxygen. The temperature of a child (102 deg) is higher than that of an adult (99 1/2 deg). That of birds (104 deg to 105.4 deg) is higher than that of quadrupeds (98 1/2 deg to 100.4 deg) or than that of fishes or amphibia, whose proper temperature is from 2.7 to 3.6 deg higher than that of the medium in which they live. All animals, strictly speaking, are warm-blooded; but in those only which possess lungs is the temperature of the body quite independent of the surrounding medium. The most trustworthy observations prove that in all climates, in the temperate zones as well as at the equator or the poles, the temperature of the body in man, and in what are commonly called warm-blooded animals, is invariably the same; yet how different are the circumstances under which they live! The animal body is a heated mass, which bears the same relation to surrounding objects as any other heated mass. It receives heat when the surrounding objects are hotter, it loses heat when they are colder, than itself. We know that the rapidity of cooling increases with the difference between the temperature of the heated body and that of the surrounding medium; that is, the colder the surrounding medium the shorter the time required for the cooling of the heated body. How unequal, then, must be the loss of heat in a man at Palermo, where the external temperature is nearly equal to that of the body, and in the polar regions, where the external temperature is from 70 deg to 90 deg lower! Yet, notwithstanding this extremely unequal loss of heat, experience has shown that the blood of the inhabitant of the arctic circle has a temperature as high as that of the native of the south, who lives in so different a medium. This fact, when its true significance is perceived, proves that the heat given off to the surrounding medium is restored within the body with great rapidity. This compensation must consequently take place more rapidly in winter than in summer, at the pole than at the equator. Now, in different climates the quantity of oxygen introduced into the system by respiration, as has been already shown, varies according to the temperature of the external air; the quantity of\n\ninspired oxygen increases with the loss of heat by external cooling, and the quantity of carbon or hydrogen necessary to combine with this oxygen must be increased in the same ratio. It is evident that the supply of the heat lost by cooling is effected by the mutual action of the elements of the food and the inspired oxygen, which combine together. To make use of a familiar, but not on that account a less just illustration, the animal body acts, in this respect, as a furnace, which we supply with fuel. It signifies nothing what intermediate forms food may assume, what changes it may undergo in the body; the last change is uniformly the conversion of its carbon into carbonic acid, and of its hydrogen into water. The unassimilated nitrogen of the food, along with the unburned or unoxidised carbon, is expelled in the urine or in the solid excrements. In order to keep up in the furnace a constant temperature, we must vary the supply of fuel according to the external temperature, that is, according to the supply of oxygen. In the animal body the food is the fuel; with a proper supply of oxygen we obtain the heat given out during its oxidation or combustion. In winter, when we take exercise in a cold atmosphere, and when consequently the amount of inspired oxygen increases, the necessity for food containing carbon and hydrogen increases in the same ratio; and by gratifying the appetite thus excited, we obtain the most efficient protection against the most piercing cold. A starving man is soon frozen to death. The animals of prey in the arctic regions, as every one knows, far exceed in voracity those of the torrid zone. In cold and temperate climates, the air, which incessantly strives to consume the body, urges man to laborious efforts in order to furnish the means of resistance to its action, while, in hot climates, the necessity of labour to provide food is far less urgent. Our clothing is merely an equivalent for a certain amount of food. The more warmly we are clothed the less urgent becomes the appetite for food, because the loss of heat by cooling, and consequently the amount of heat to be supplied by the food, is diminished. If we were to go naked, like certain savage tribes, or if in hunting or fishing we were exposed to the same degree of cold as the Samoyedes, we should be able with ease to consume 10 lbs. of flesh, and perhaps a dozen of tallow candles into the bargain, daily, as warmly clad travellers have related with astonishment of these people. We should then also be able to take the same quantity of brandy or train oil without bad effects, because the carbon and hydrogen of these substances would only suffice to keep up the equilibrium between the external temperature and that of our bodies. According to the preceding expositions, the quantity of food is regulated by the number of respirations, by the temperature of the air, and by the amount of heat given off to the surrounding medium. No isolated fact, apparently opposed to this statement, can affect the truth of this natural law. Without temporary or permanent injury to health, the Neapolitan cannot take more carbon and hydrogen in the shape of food than he expires as carbonic acid and water; and\n\nthe Esquimaux cannot expire more carbon and hydrogen than he takes in the system as food, unless in a state of disease or of starvation. Let us examine these states a little more closely. The Englishman in Jamaica perceives with regret the disappearance of his appetite, previously a source of frequently recurring enjoyment; and he succeeds, by the use of cayenne pepper, and the most powerful stimulants, in enabling himself to take as much food as he was accustomed to eat at home. But the whole of the carbon thus introduced into the system is not consumed; the temperature of the air is too high, and the oppressive heat does not allow him to increase the number of respirations by active exercise, and thus to proportion the waste to the amount of food taken; disease of some kind, therefore, ensues. On the other hand, England sends her sick to southern regions, where the amount of the oxygen inspired is diminished in a very large proportion. Those whose diseased digestive organs have in a greater or less degree lost the power of bringing the food into the state best adapted for oxidation, and therefore are less able to resist the oxidising influence of the atmosphere of their native climate, obtain a great improvement in health. The diseased organs of digestion have power to place the diminished amount of food in equilibrium with the inspired oxygen, in the mild climate; whilst in a colder region the organs of respiration themselves would have been consumed in furnishing the necessary resistance to the action of the atmospheric oxygen. In our climate, hepatic diseases, or those arising from excess of carbon, prevail in summer; in winter, pulmonary diseases, or those arising from excess of oxygen, are more frequent. The cooling of the body, by whatever cause it may be produced, increases the amount of food necessary. The mere exposure to the open air, in a carriage or on the deck of a ship, by increasing radiation and vaporisation, increases the loss of heat, and compels us to eat more than usual. The same is true of those who are accustomed to drink large quantities of cold water, which is given off at the temperature of the body, 98 1/2 deg. It increases the appetite, and persons of weak constitution find it necessary, by continued exercise, to supply to the system the oxygen required to restore the heat abstracted by the cold water. Loud and long continued speaking, the crying of infants, moist air, all exert a decided and appreciable influence on the amount of food which is taken. We have assumed that carbon and hydrogen especially, by combining with oxygen, serve to produce animal heat. In fact, observation proves that the hydrogen of the food plays a no less important part than the carbon. The whole process of respiration appears most clearly developed, when we consider the state of a man, or other animal, totally deprived of food. The first effect of starvation is the disappearance of fat, and this fat cannot be traced either in the urine or in the scanty faeces. Its carbon and hydrogen have been given off through the skin and\n\nlungs in the form of oxidised products; it is obvious that they have served to support respiration. In the case of a starving man, 32 1/2 oz. of oxygen enter the system daily, and are given out again in combination with a part of his body. Currie mentions the case of an individual who was unable to swallow, and whose body lost 100 lbs. in weight during a month; and, according to Martell (Trans. Linn. Soc., vol. xi. p.411), a fat pig, overwhelmed in a slip of earth, lived 160 days without food, and was found to have diminished in weight, in that time, more than 120 lbs. The whole history of hybernating animals, and the well-established facts of the periodical accumulation, in various animals, of fat, which, at other periods, entirely disappears, prove that the oxygen, in the respiratory process, consumes, without exception, all such substances as are capable of entering into combination with it. It combines with whatever is presented to it; and the deficiency of hydrogen is the only reason why carbonic acid is the chief product; for, at the temperature of the body, the affinity of hydrogen for oxygen far surpasses that of carbon for the same element. We know, in fact, that the graminivora expire a volume of carbonic acid equal to that of the oxygen inspired, while the carnivora, the only class of animals whose food contains fat, inspire more oxygen than is equal in volume to the carbonic acid expired. Exact experiments have shown, that in many cases only half the volume of oxygen is expired in the form of carbonic acid. These observations cannot be gainsaid, and are far more convincing than those arbitrary and artificially produced phenomena, sometimes called experiments; experiments which, made as too often they are, without regard to the necessary and natural conditions, possess no value, and may be entirely dispensed with; especially when, as in the present case, Nature affords the opportunity for observation, and when we make a rational use of that opportunity. In the progress of starvation, however, it is not only the fat which disappears, but also, by degrees all such of the solids as are capable of being dissolved. In the wasted bodies of those who have suffered starvation, the muscles are shrunk and unnaturally soft, and have lost their contractibility; all those parts of the body which were capable of entering into the state of motion have served to protect the remainder of the frame from the destructive influence of the atmosphere. Towards the end, the particles of the brain begin to undergo the process of oxidation, and delirium, mania, and death close the scene; that is to say, all resistance to the oxidising power of the atmospheric oxygen ceases, and the chemical process of eremacausis, or decay, commences, in which every part of the body, the bones excepted, enters into combination with oxygen. The time which is required to cause death by starvation depends on the amount of fat in the body, on the degree of exercise, as in labour or exertion of any kind, on the temperature of the air, and finally, on the presence or absence of water. Through the skin and lungs there escapes a certain quantity of water, and as the presence of water is essential to the continuance of the vital motions, its dissipation hastens death. Cases have occurred, in which a full supply of water being accessible to the sufferer, death has not occurred till after the lapse of twenty days. In one case, life was sustained in this way for the period of sixty days.\n\nIn all chronic diseases death is produced by the same cause, namely, the chemical action of the atmosphere. When those substances are wanting, whose function in the organism is to support the process of respiration, when the diseased organs are incapable of performing their proper function of producing these substances, when they have lost the power of transforming the food into that shape in which it may, by entering into combination with the oxygen of the air, protect the system from its influence, then, the substance of the organs themselves, the fat of the body, the substance of the muscles, the nerves, and the brain, are unavoidably consumed. The true cause of death in these cases is the respiratory process, that is, the action of the atmosphere. A deficiency of food, and a want of power to convert the food into a part of the organism, are both, equally, a want of resistance; and this is the negative cause of the cessation of the vital process. The flame is extinguished, because the oil is consumed; and it is the oxygen of the air which has consumed it. In many diseases substances are produced which are incapable of assimilation. By the mere deprivation of food, these substances are removed from the body without leaving a trace behind; their elements have entered into combination with the oxygen of the air. From the first moment that the function of the lungs or of the skin is interrupted or disturbed, compounds, rich in carbon, appear in the urine, which acquires a brown colour. Over the whole surface of the body oxygen is absorbed, and combines with all the substances which offer no resistance to it. In those parts of the body where the access of oxygen is impeded; for example, in the arm-pits, or in the soles of the feet, peculiar compounds are given out, recognisable by their appearance, or by their odour. These compounds contain much carbon. Respiration is the falling weight--the bent spring, which keeps the clock in motion; the inspirations and expirations are the strokes of the pendulum which regulate it. In our ordinary time-pieces, we know with mathematical accuracy the effect produced on their rate of going, by changes in the length of the pendulum, or in the external temperature. Few, however, have a clear conception of the influence of air and temperature on the health of the human body; and yet the research into the conditions necessary to keep it in the normal state is not more difficult than in the case of a clock.\n\n\nMy dear Sir,\n\nHaving attempted in my last letter to explain to you the simple and admirable office subserved by the oxygen of the atmosphere in its combination with carbon in the animal body, I will now proceed to present you with some remarks upon those materials which sustain its mechanisms in motion, and keep up their various functions,--namely, the Aliments. If the increase in mass in an animal body, the development and reproduction of its organs depend upon the blood, then those substances only which are capable of being converted into blood can be properly regarded as nourishment. In order then to ascertain what parts of our food are nutritious, we must compare the composition of the blood with the composition of the various articles taken as food. Two substances require especial consideration as the chief ingredients of the blood; one of these separates immediately from the blood when it is withdrawn from the circulation. It is well known that in this case blood coagulates, and separates into a yellowish liquid, the serum of the blood, and a gelatinous mass, which adheres to a rod or stick in soft, elastic fibres, when coagulating blood is briskly stirred. This is the fibrine of the blood, which is identical in all its properties with muscular fibre, when the latter is purified from all foreign matters. The second principal ingredient of the blood is contained in the serum, and gives to this liquid all the properties of the white of eggs, with which it is indeed identical. When heated, it coagulates into a white elastic mass, and the coagulating substance is called albumen. Fibrine and albumen, the chief ingredients of blood, contain, in all, seven chemical elements, among which nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulphur are found. They contain also the earth of bones. The serum retains in solution sea salt and other salts of potash and soda, in which the acids are carbonic, phosphoric, and sulphuric acids. The globules of the blood contain fibrine and albumen, along with a red colouring matter, in which iron is a constant element. Besides these, the blood contains certain fatty bodies in small quantity, which differ from ordinary fats in several of their properties. Chemical analysis has led to the remarkable result, that fibrine and albumen contain the same organic elements united in the same proportion,--i.e., that they are isomeric, their chemical composition--the proportion of their ultimate elements--being identical. But the difference of their external properties shows that the particles of which they are composed are arranged in a different order. (See Letter V). This conclusion has lately been beautifully confirmed by a distinguished physiologist (Denis), who has succeeded in converting fibrine into albumen, that is, in giving it the solubility, and coagulability by heat, which characterise the white of egg. Fibrine and albumen, besides having the same composition, agree also in this, that both dissolve in concentrated muriatic acid, yielding\n\na solution of an intense purple colour. This solution, whether made with fibrine or albumen, has the very same re-actions with all substances yet tried. Both albumen and fibrine, in the process of nutrition, are capable of being converted into muscular fibre, and muscular fibre is capable of being reconverted into blood. These facts have long been established by physiologists, and chemistry has merely proved that these metamorphoses can be accomplished under the influence of a certain force, without the aid of a third substance, or of its elements, and without the addition of any foreign element, or the separation of any element previously present in these substances. If we now compare the composition of all organised parts with that of fibrine and albumen, the following relations present themselves:All parts of the animal body which have a decided shape, which form parts of organs, contain nitrogen. No part of an organ which possesses motion and life is destitute of nitrogen; all of them contain likewise carbon and the elements of water; the latter, however, in no case in the proportion to form water. The chief ingredients of the blood contain nearly 17 per cent. of nitrogen, and from numerous analyses it appears that no part of an organ contains less than 17 per cent. of nitrogen. The most convincing experiments and observations have proved that the animal body is absolutely incapable of producing an elementary body, such as carbon or nitrogen, out of substances which do not contain it; and it obviously follows, that all kinds of food fit for the production either of blood, or of cellular tissue, membranes, skin, hair, muscular fibre, &c., must contain a certain amount of nitrogen, because that element is essential to the composition of the above-named organs; because the organs cannot create it from the other elements presented to them; and, finally, because no nitrogen is absorbed from the atmosphere in the vital process. The substance of the brain and nerves contains a large quantity of albumen, and, in addition to this, two peculiar fatty acids, distinguished from other fats by containing phosphorus (phosphoric acid?). One of these contains nitrogen (Fremy). Finally, water and common fat are those ingredients of the body which are destitute of nitrogen. Both are amorphous or unorganised, and only so far take part in the vital process as that their presence is required for the due performance of the vital functions. The inorganic constituents of the body are, iron, lime, magnesia, common salt, and the alkalies. The nutritive process is seen in its simplest form in carnivorous animals. This class of animals lives on the blood and flesh of the graminivora; but this blood and flesh are, in all their properties, identical with their own. Neither chemical nor physiological differences can be discovered. The nutriment of carnivorous animals is derived originally from blood; in their stomach it becomes dissolved, and capable of reaching all other parts of the body; in its passage it is again\n\nconverted into blood, and from this blood are reproduced all those parts of their organisation which have undergone change or metamorphosis. With the exception of hoofs, hair, feathers, and the earth of bones, every part of the food of carnivorous animals is capable of assimilation. In a chemical sense, therefore, it may be said that a carnivorous animal, in supporting the vital process, consumes itself. That which serves for its nutrition is identical with those parts of its organisation which are to be renewed. The process of nutrition in graminivorous animals appears at first sight altogether different. Their digestive organs are less simple, and their food consists of vegetables, the great mass of which contains but little nitrogen. From what substances, it may be asked, is the blood formed, by means of which of their organs are developed? This question may be answered with certainty. Chemical researches have shown, that all such parts of vegetables as can afford nutriment to animals contain certain constituents which are rich in nitrogen; and the most ordinary experience proves that animals require for their support and nutrition less of these parts of plants in proportion as they abound in the nitrogenised constituents. Animals cannot be fed on matters destitute of these nitrogenised constituents. These important products of vegetation are especially abundant in the seeds of the different kinds of grain, and of peas, beans, and lentils; in the roots and the juices of what are commonly called vegetables. They exist, however, in all plants, without exception, and in every part of plants in larger or smaller quantity. These nitrogenised forms of nutriment in the vegetable kingdom may be reduced to three substances, which are easily distinguished by their external characters. Two of them are soluble in water, the third is insoluble. When the newly-expressed juices of vegetables are allowed to stand, a separation takes place in a few minutes. A gelatinous precipitate, commonly of a green tinge, is deposited, and this, when acted on by liquids which remove the colouring matter, leaves a grayish white substance, well known to druggists as the deposite from vegetable juices. This is one of the nitrogenised compounds which serves for the nutrition of animals, and has been named vegetable fibrine. The juice of grapes is especially rich in this constituent, but it is most abundant in the seeds of wheat, and of the cerealia generally. It may be obtained from wheat flour by a mechanical operation, and in a state of tolerable purity; it is then called gluten, but the glutinous property belongs, not to vegetable fibrine, but to a foreign substance, present in small quantity, which is not found in the other cerealia. The method by which it is obtained sufficiently proves that it is insoluble in water; although we cannot doubt that it was originally\n\ndissolved in the vegetable juice, from which it afterwards separated, exactly as fibrine does from blood. The second nitrogenised compound remains dissolved in the juice after the separation of the fibrine. It does not separate from the juice at the ordinary temperature, but is instantly coagulated when the liquid containing it is heated to the boiling point. When the clarified juice of nutritious vegetables, such as cauliflower, asparagus, mangelwurzel, or turnips, is made to boil, a coagulum is formed, which it is absolutely impossible to distinguish from the substance which separates as a coagulum, when the serum of blood, or the white of an egg, diluted with water, are heated to the boiling point. This is vegetable albumen. It is found in the greatest abundance in certain seeds, in nuts, almonds, and others, in which the starch of the gramineae is replaced by oil. The third nitrogenised constituent of the vegetable food of animals is vegetable caseine. It is chiefly found in the seeds of peas, beans, lentils, and similar leguminous seeds. Like vegetable albumen, it is soluble in water, but differs from it in this, that its solution is not coagulated by heat. When the solution is heated or evaporated, a skin forms on its surface, and the addition of an acid causes a coagulum, just as in animal milk. These three nitrogenised compounds, vegetable fibrine, albumen, and caseine, are the true nitrogenised constituents of the food of graminivorous animals; all other nitrogenised compounds occurring in plants, are either rejected by animals, as in the case of the characteristic principles of poisonous and medicinal plants, or else they occur in the food in such very small proportion, that they cannot possibly contribute to the increase of mass in the animal body. The chemical analysis of these three substances has led to the very interesting result that they contain the same organic elements, united in the same proportion by weight; and, what is still more remarkable, that they are identical in composition with the chief constituents of blood, animal fibrine, and albumen. They all three dissolve in concentrated muriatic acid with the same deep purple colour, and even in their physical characters, animal fibrine and albumen are in no respect different from vegetable fibrine and albumen. It is especially to be noticed, that by the phrase, identity of composition, we do not here intend mere similarity, but that even in regard to the presence and relative amount of sulphur, phosphorus, and phosphate of lime, no difference can be observed. How beautifully and admirably simple, with the aid of these discoveries, appears the process of nutrition in animals, the formation of their organs, in which vitality chiefly resides! Those vegetable principles, which in animals are used to form blood, contain the chief constituents of blood, fibrine and albumen, ready formed, as far as regards their composition. All plants, besides, contain a certain quantity of iron, which reappears in the colouring matter of the blood. Vegetable fibrine and animal fibrine, vegetable albumen and animal albumen, hardly differ, even in form; if these principles be wanting in the food, the nutrition of the animal is arrested; and when they are present, the graminivorous animal\n\nobtains in its food the very same principles on the presence of which the nutrition of the carnivora entirely depends. Vegetables produce in their organism the blood of all animals, for the carnivora, in consuming the blood and flesh of the graminivora, consume, strictly speaking, only the vegetable principles which have served for the nutrition of the latter. Vegetable fibrine and albumen take the form in the stomach of the graminivorous animal as animal fibrine and albumen do in that of the carnivorous animal. From what has been said, it follows that the development of the animal organism and its growth are dependent on the reception of certain principles identical with the chief constituents of blood. In this sense we may say that the animal organism gives to the blood only its form; that it is incapable of creating blood out of other substances which do not already contain the chief constituents of that fluid. We cannot, indeed, maintain that the animal organism has no power to form other compounds, for we know that it is capable of producing an extensive series of compounds, differing in composition from the chief constituents of blood; but these last, which form the starting-point of the series, it cannot produce. The animal organism is a higher kind of vegetable, the development of which begins with those substances with the production of which the life of an ordinary vegetable ends. As soon as the latter has borne seed, it dies, or a period of its life comes to a termination. In that endless series of compounds, which begins with carbonic acid, ammonia, and water, the sources of the nutrition of vegetables, and includes the most complex constituents of the animal brain, there is no blank, no interruption. The first substance capable of affording nutriment to animals is the last product of the creative energy of vegetables. The substance of cellular tissue and of membranes, of the brain and nerves, these the vegetable cannot produce. The seemingly miraculous in the productive agency of vegetables disappears in a great degree, when we reflect that the production of the constituents of blood cannot appear more surprising than the occurrence of the fat of beef and mutton in cocoa beans, of human fat in olive-oil, of the principal ingredient of butter in palm-oil, and of horse fat and train-oil in certain oily seeds.\n\n\nMy dear Sir,\n\nThe facts detailed in my last letter will satisfy you as to the manner in which the increase of mass in an animal, that is, its growth, is accomplished; we have still to consider a most important question, namely, the function performed in the animal system by substances destitute of nitrogen; such as sugar, starch, gum, pectine, &c. The most extensive class of animals, the graminivora, cannot live without these substances; their food must contain a certain amount of one or more of them, and if these compounds are not supplied, death quickly ensues. This important inquiry extends also to the constituents of the food of carnivorous animals in the earliest periods of life; for this food also contains substances, which are not necessary for their support in the adult state. The nutrition of the young of carnivora is obviously accomplished by means similar to those by which the graminivora are nourished; their development is dependent on the supply of a fluid, which the body of the mother secretes in the shape of milk. Milk contains only one nitrogenised constituent, known under the name of caseine; besides this, its chief ingredients are butter (fat), and sugar of milk. The blood of the young animal, its muscular fibre, cellular tissue, nervous matter, and bones, must have derived their origin from the nitrogenised constituent of milk--the caseine; for butter and sugar of milk contain no nitrogen. Now, the analysis of caseine has led to the result, which, after the details I have given, can hardly excite your surprise, that this substance also is identical in composition with the chief constituents of blood, fibrine and albumen. Nay more--a comparison of its properties with those of vegetable caseine has shown--that these two substances are identical in all their properties; insomuch, that certain plants, such as peas, beans, and lentils, are capable of producing the same substance which is formed from the blood of the mother, and employed in yielding the blood of the young animal. The young animal, therefore, receives in the form of caseine,--which is distinguished from fibrine and albumen by its great solubility, and by not coagulating when heated,--the chief constituent of the mother's blood. To convert caseine into blood no foreign substance is required, and in the conversion of the mother's blood into caseine, no elements of the constituents of the blood have been separated. When chemically examined, caseine is found to contain a much larger proportion of the earth of bones than blood does, and that in a very soluble form, capable of reaching every part of the body. Thus, even in the earliest period of its life, the development of the organs, in which vitality resides, is, in the carnivorous animal, dependent on the supply of a substance, identical in organic composition with the chief constituents of its blood. What, then, is the use of the butter and the sugar of milk? How does it happen that these substances are indispensable to life? Butter and sugar of milk contain no fixed bases, no soda nor potash. Sugar of milk has a composition closely allied to that of the other\n\nkinds of sugar, of starch, and of gum; all of them contain carbon and the elements of water, the latter precisely in the proportion to form water. There is added, therefore, by means of these compounds, to the nitrogenised constituents of food, a certain amount of carbon; or, as in the case of butter, of carbon and hydrogen; that is, an excess of elements, which cannot possibly be employed in the production of blood, because the nitrogenised substances contained in the food already contain exactly the amount of carbon which is required for the production of fibrine and albumen. In an adult carnivorous animal, which neither gains nor loses weight, perceptibly, from day to day, its nourishment, the waste of organised tissue, and its consumption of oxygen, stand to each other in a well-defined and fixed relation. The carbon of the carbonic acid given off, with that of the urine; the nitrogen of the urine, and the hydrogen given off as ammonia and water; these elements, taken together, must be exactly equal in weight to the carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen of the metamorphosed tissues, and since these last are exactly replaced by the food, to the carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen of the food. Were this not the case, the weight of the animal could not possibly remain unchanged. But, in the young of the carnivora, the weight does not remain unchanged; on the contrary, it increases from day to day by an appreciable quantity. This fact presupposes, that the assimilative process in the young animal is more energetic, more intense, than the process of transformation in the existing tissues. If both processes were equally active, the weight of the body could not increase; and were the waste by transformation greater, the weight of the body would decrease. Now, the circulation in the young animal is not weaker, but, on the contrary, more rapid; the respirations are more frequent; and, for equal bulks, the consumption of oxygen must be greater rather than smaller in the young than in the adult animal. But, since the metamorphosis of organised parts goes on more slowly, there would ensue a deficiency of those substances, the carbon and hydrogen of which are adapted for combination with oxygen; because, in the carnivora, nature has destined the new compounds, produced by the metamorphosis of organised parts, to furnish the necessary resistance to the action of the oxygen, and to produce animal heat. What is wanting for these purposes an Infinite Wisdom has supplied to the young in its natural food. The carbon and hydrogen of butter, and the carbon of the sugar of milk, no part of either of which can yield blood, fibrine, or albumen, are destined for the support of the respiratory process, at an age when a greater resistance is opposed to the metamorphosis of existing organisms; or, in other words, to the production of compounds, which, in the adult state, are produced in quantity amply sufficient for the purpose of respiration. The young animal receives the constituents of its blood in the\n\ncaseine of the milk. A metamorphosis of existing organs goes on, for bile and urine are secreted; the materials of the metamorphosed parts are given off in the form of urine, of carbonic acid, and of water; but the butter and sugar of milk also disappear; they cannot be detected in the faeces. The butter and sugar of milk are given out in the form of carbonic acid and water, and their conversion into oxidised products furnishes the clearest proof that far more oxygen is absorbed than is required to convert the carbon and hydrogen of the metamorphosed tissues into carbonic acid and water. The change and metamorphosis of organised tissues going on in the vital process in the young animal, consequently yield, in a given time, much less carbon and hydrogen in the form adapted for the respiratory process than correspond to the oxygen taken up in the lungs. The substance of its organised parts would undergo a more rapid consumption, and would necessarily yield to the action of the oxygen, were not the deficiency of carbon and hydrogen supplied from another source. The continued increase of mass, or growth, and the free and unimpeded development of the organs in the young animal, are dependent on the presence of foreign substances, which, in the nutritive process, have no other function than to protect the newly-formed organs from the action of the oxygen. The elements of these substances unite with the oxygen; the organs themselves could not do so without being consumed; that is, growth, or increase of mass in the body,--the consumption of oxygen remaining the same,--would be utterly impossible. The preceding considerations leave no doubt as to the purpose for which Nature has added to the food of the young of carnivorous mammalia substances devoid of nitrogen, which their organism cannot employ for nutrition, strictly so called, that is, for the production of blood; substances which may be entirely dispensed with in their nourishment in the adult state. In the young of carnivorous birds, the want of all motion is an obvious cause of diminished waste in the organised parts; hence, milk is not provided for them. The nutritive process in the carnivora thus presents itself under two distinct forms; one of which we again meet with in the graminivora. In graminivorous animals. we observe, that during their whole life, their existence depends on a supply of substances having a composition identical with that of sugar of milk, or closely resembling it. Everything that they consume as food contains a certain quantity of starch, gum, or sugar, mixed with other matters. The function performed in the vital process of the graminivora by these substances is indicated in a very clear and convincing manner, when we take into consideration the very small relative amount of the carbon which these animals consume in the nitrogenised constituents of their food, which bears no proportion whatever to the oxygen absorbed through the skin and lungs. A horse, for example, can be kept in perfectly good condition, if he\n\nobtain as food 15 lbs. of hay and 4 1/2 lbs. of oats daily. If we now calculate the whole amount of nitrogen in these matters, as ascertained by analysis (1 1/2 per cent. in the hay, 2.2 per cent. in the oats), in the form of blood, that is, as fibrine and albumen, with the due proportion of water in blood (80 per cent.), the horse receives daily no more than 4 1/2 oz. of nitrogen, corresponding to about 8 lbs. of blood. But along with this nitrogen, that is, combined with it in the form of fibrine or albumen, the animal receives only about 14 1/2 oz. of carbon. Without going further into the calculation, it will readily be admitted, that the volume of air inspired and expired by a horse, the quantity of oxygen consumed, and, as a necessary consequence, the amount of carbonic acid given out by the animal, are much greater than in the respiratory process in man. But an adult man consumes daily abut 14 oz. of carbon, and the determination of Boussingault, according to which a horse expires 79 oz. daily, cannot be very far from the truth. In the nitrogenised constituents of his food, therefore, the horse receives rather less than the fifth part of the carbon which his organism requires for the support of the respiratory process; and we see that the wisdom of the Creator has added to his food the four-fifths which are wanting, in various forms, as starch, sugar, &c. with which the animal must be supplied, or his organism will be destroyed by the action of the oxygen. It is obvious, that in the system of the graminivora, whose food contains so small a portion, relatively, of the constituents of the blood, the process of metamorphosis in existing tissues, and consequently their restoration or reproduction, must go on far less rapidly than in the carnivora. Were this not the case, a vegetation a thousand times more luxuriant than the actual one would not suffice for their nourishment. Sugar, gum, and starch, would no longer be necessary to support life in these animals, because, in that case, the products of the waste, or metamorphosis of the organised tissues, would contain enough carbon to support the respiratory process.\n\n\nMy dear Sir, Let me now apply the principles announced in the preceding letters to the circumstances of our own species. Man, when confined to animal food, requires for his support and nourishment extensive sources of food, even more widely extended than the lion and tiger, because, when he has the opportunity, he kills without eating.\n\nA nation of hunters, on a limited space, is utterly incapable of increasing its numbers beyond a certain point, which is soon attained. The carbon necessary for respiration must be obtained from the animals, of which only a limited number can live on the space supposed. These animals collect from plants the constituents of their organs and of their blood, and yield them, in turn, to the savages who live by the chase alone. They, again, receive this food unaccompanied by those compounds, destitute of nitrogen, which, during the life of the animals, served to support the respiratory process. In such men, confined to an animal diet, it is the carbon of the flesh and of the blood which must take the place of starch and sugar. But 15 lbs. of flesh contain no more carbon than 4 lbs. of starch, and while the savage with one animal and an equal weight of starch should maintain life and health for a certain number of days, he would be compelled, if confined to flesh alone, in order to procure the carbon necessary for respiration, during the same time, to consume five such animals. It is easy to see, from these considerations, how close the connection is between agriculture and the multiplication of the human species. The cultivation of our crops has ultimately no other object than the production of a maximum of those substances which are adapted for assimilation and respiration, in the smallest possible space. Grain and other nutritious vegetables yield us, not only in starch, sugar, and gum, the carbon which protects our organs from the action of oxygen, and produces in the organism the heat which is essential to life, but also in the form of vegetable fibrine, albumen, and caseine, our blood, from which the other parts of our body are developed. Man, when confined to animal food, respires, like the carnivora, at the expense of the matters produced by the metamorphosis of organised tissues; and, just as the lion, tiger, hyaena, in the cages of a menagerie, are compelled to accelerate the waste of the organised tissues by incessant motion, in order to furnish the matter necessary for respiration, so, the savage, for the very same object, is forced to make the most laborious exertions, and go through a vast amount of muscular exercise. He is compelled to consume force merely in order to supply matter for respiration. Cultivation is the economy of force. Science teaches us the simplest means of obtaining the greatest effect with the smallest expenditure of power, and with given means to produce a maximum of force. The unprofitable exertion of power, the waste of force in agriculture, in other branches of industry, in science, or in social economy, is characteristic of the savage state, or of the want of knowledge. In accordance with what I have already stated, you will perceive that the substances of which the food of man is composed may be divided into two classes; into nitrogenised and non-nitrogenised. The former are capable of conversion into blood; the latter are incapable of this transformation. Out of those substances which are adapted to the formation of blood, are formed all the organised tissues. The other class of substances, in the normal state of health, serve to support the process of\n\nrespiration. The former may be called the plastic elements of nutrition; the latter, elements of respiration. Among the former we reckon-Vegetable fibrine. Vegetable albumen. Vegetable caseine. Animal flesh. Animal blood. Among the elements of respiration in our food, are-Fat. Pectine. Starch. Bassorine. Gum. Wine. Cane sugar. Beer. Grape sugar. Spirits. Sugar of milk. The most recent and exact researches have established as a universal fact, to which nothing yet known is opposed, that the nitrogenised constituents of vegetable food have a composition identical with that of the constituents of the blood. No nitrogenised compound, the composition of which differs from that of fibrine, albumen, and caseine, is capable of supporting the vital process in animals. The animal organism unquestionably possesses the power of forming, from the constituents of its blood, the substance of its membranes and cellular tissue, of the nerves and brain, and of the organic part of cartilages and bones. But the blood must be supplied to it perfect in everything but its form--that is, in its chemical composition. If this be not done, a period is rapidly put to the formation of blood, and consequently to life. This consideration enables us easily to explain how it happens that the tissues yielding gelatine or chondrine, as, for example, the gelatine of skin or of bones, are not adapted for the support of the vital process; for their composition is different from that of fibrine or albumen. It is obvious that this means nothing more than that those parts of the animal organism which form the blood do not possess the power of effecting a transformation in the arrangement of the elements of gelatine, or of those tissues which contain it. The gelatinous tissues, the gelatine of the bones, the membranes, the cells and the skin suffer, in the animal body, under the influence of oxygen and moisture, a progressive alteration; a part of these tissues is separated, and must be restored from the blood;\n\nbut this alteration and restoration are obviously confined within very narrow limits. While, in the body of a starving or sick individual, the fat disappears and the muscular tissue takes once more the form of blood, we find that the tendons and membranes retain their natural condition, and the limbs of the dead body their connections, which depend on the gelatinous tissues. On the other hand, we see that the gelatine of bones devoured by a dog entirely disappears, while only the bone earth is found in his excrements. The same is true of man, when fed on food rich in gelatine, as, for example, strong soup. The gelatine is not to be found either in the urine or in the faeces, and consequently must have undergone a change, and must have served some purpose in the animal economy. It is clear that the gelatine must be expelled from the body in a form different from that in which it was introduced as food. When we consider the transformation of the albumen of the blood into a part of an organ composed of fibrine, the identity in composition of the two substances renders the change easily conceivable. Indeed we find the change of a dissolved substance into an insoluble organ of vitality, chemically speaking, natural and easily explained, on account of this very identity of composition. Hence the opinion is not unworthy of a closer investigation, that gelatine, when taken in the dissolved state, is again converted, in the body, into cellular tissue, membrane and cartilage; that it may serve for the reproduction of such parts of these tissues as have been wasted, and for their growth. And when the powers of nutrition in the whole body are affected by a change of the health, then, even should the power of forming blood remain the same, the organic force by which the constituents of the blood are transformed into cellular tissue and membranes must necessarily be enfeebled by sickness. In the sick man, the intensity of the vital force, its power to produce metamorphoses, must be diminished as well in the stomach as in all other parts of the body. In this condition, the uniform experience of practical physicians shows that gelatinous matters in a dissolved state exercise a most decided influence on the state of the health. Given in a form adapted for assimilation, they serve to husband the vital force, just as may be done, in the case of the stomach, by due preparation of the food in general. Brittleness in the bones of graminivorous animals is clearly owing to a weakness in those parts of the organism whose function it is to convert the constituents of the blood into cellular tissue and membrane; and if we can trust to the reports of physicians who have resided in the East, the Turkish women, in their diet of rice, and in the frequent use of enemata of strong soup, have united the conditions necessary for the formation both of cellular tissue and of fat.\n\n\nMy dear Sir, In the immense, yet limited expanse of the ocean, the animal and vegetable kingdoms are mutually dependent upon, and successive to each other. The animals obtain their constituent elements from the plants, and restore them to the water in their original form, when they again serve as nourishment to a new generation of plants. The oxygen which marine animals withdraw in their respiration from the air, dissolved in sea water, is returned to the water by the vital processes of sea plants; that air is richer in oxygen than atmospheric air, containing 32 to 33 per cent. Oxygen, also, combines with the products of the putrefaction of dead animal bodies, changes their carbon into carbonic acid, their hydrogen into water, and their nitrogen assumes again the form of ammonia. Thus we observe in the ocean a circulation takes place without the addition or subtraction of any element, unlimited in duration, although limited in extent, inasmuch as in a confined space the nourishment of plants exists in a limited quantity. We well know that marine plants cannot derive a supply of humus for their nourishment through their roots. Look at the great sea-tang, the Fucus giganteus: this plant, according to Cook, reaches a height of 360 feet, and a single specimen, with its immense ramifications, nourishes thousands of marine animals, yet its root is a small body, no larger than the fist. What nourishment can this draw from a naked rock, upon the surface of which there is no perceptible change? It is quite obvious that these plants require only a hold,--a fastening to prevent a change of place,--as a counterpoise to their specific gravity, which is less than that of the medium in which they float. That medium provides the necessary nourishment, and presents it to the surface of every part of the plant. Sea-water contains not only carbonic acid and ammonia, but the alkaline and earthy phosphates and carbonates required by these plants for their growth, and which we always find as constant constituents of their ashes. All experience demonstrates that the conditions of the existence of marine plants are the same which are essential to terrestrial plants. But the latter do not live like sea-plants, in a medium which contains all their elements and surrounds with appropriate nourishment every part of their organs; on the contrary, they require two media, of which one, namely the soil, contains those essential elements which are absent from the medium surrounding them, i.e. the atmosphere. Is it possible that we could ever be in doubt respecting the office which the soil and its component parts subserve in the existence and growth of vegetables?--that there should have been a time when the mineral elements of plants were not regarded as absolutely essential to their vitality? Has not the same circulation been observed on the\n\nsurface of the earth which we have just contemplated in the ocean,--the same incessant change, disturbance and restitution of equilibrium? Experience in agriculture shows that the production of vegetables on a given surface increases with the supply of certain matters, originally parts of the soil which had been taken up from it by plants--the excrements of man and animals. These are nothing more than matters derived from vegetable food, which in the vital processes of animals, or after their death, assume again the form under which they originally existed, as parts of the soil. Now, we know that the atmosphere contains none of these substances, and therefore can replace none; and we know that their removal from a soil destroys its fertility, which may be restored and increased by a new supply. Is it possible, after so many decisive investigations into the origin of the elements of animals and vegetables, the use of the alkalies, of lime and the phosphates, any doubt can exist as to the principles upon which a rational agriculture depends? Can the art of agriculture be based upon anything but the restitution of a disturbed equilibrium? Can it be imagined that any country, however rich and fertile, with a flourishing commerce, which for centuries exports its produce in the shape of grain and cattle, will maintain its fertility, if the same commerce does not restore, in some form of manure, those elements which have been removed from the soil, and which cannot be replaced by the atmosphere? Must not the same fate await every such country which has actually befallen the once prolific soil of Virginia, now in many parts no longer able to grow its former staple productions--wheat and tobacco? In the large towns of England the produce both of English and foreign agriculture is largely consumed; elements of the soil indispensable to plants do not return to the fields,--contrivances resulting from the manners and customs of English people, and peculiar to them, render it difficult, perhaps impossible, to collect the enormous quantity of the phosphates which are daily, as solid and liquid excrements, carried into the rivers. These phosphates, although present in the soil in the smallest quantity, are its most important mineral constituents. It was observed that many English fields exhausted in that manner immediately doubled their produce, as if by a miracle, when dressed with bone earth imported from the Continent. But if the export of bones from Germany is continued to the extent it has hitherto reached, our soil must be gradually exhausted, and the extent of our loss may be estimated, by considering that one pound of bones contains as much phosphoric acid as a hundred-weight of grain. The imperfect knowledge of Nature and the properties and relations of matter possessed by the alchemists gave rise, in their time, to an opinion that metals as well as plants could be produced from a seed. The regular forms and ramifications seen in crystals, they imagined to be the leaves and branches of metal plants; and as they saw the seed of plants grow, producing root, stem and leaves, and again blossoms, fruit and seeds, apparently without receiving any supply of appropriate material, they deemed it worthy of zealous inquiry to discover the seed of gold, and the earth necessary for its development. If the metal seeds were once obtained, might they\n\nnot entertain hopes of their growth? Such ideas could only be entertained when nothing was known of the atmosphere, and its participation with the earth, in administering to the vital processes of plants and animals. Modern chemistry indeed produces the elements of water, and, combining them, forms water anew; but it does not create those elements--it derives them from water; the new-formed artificial water has been water before. Many of our farmers are like the alchemists of old,--they are searching for the miraculous seed,--the means, which, without any further supply of nourishment to a soil scarcely rich enough to be sprinkled with indigenous plants, shall produce crops of grain a hundred-fold. The experience of centuries, nay, of thousands of years, is insufficient to guard men against these fallacies; our only security from these and similar absurdities must be derived from a correct knowledge of scientific principles. In the first period of natural philosophy, organic life was supposed to be derived from water only; afterwards, it was admitted that certain elements derived from the air must be superadded to the water; but we now know that other elements must be supplied by the earth, if plants are to thrive and multiply. The amount of materials contained in the atmosphere, suited to the nourishment of plants, is limited; but it must be abundantly sufficient to cover the whole surface of the earth with a rich vegetation. Under the tropics, and in those parts of our globe where the most genial conditions of fertility exist,--a suitable soil, a moist atmosphere, and a high temperature,--vegetation is scarcely limited by space; and, where the soil is wanting, it is gradually supplied by the decaying leaves, bark and branches of plants. It is obvious there is no deficiency of atmospheric nourishment for plants in those regions, nor are these wanting in our own cultivated fields: all that plants require for their development is conveyed to them by the incessant motions of the atmosphere. The air between the tropics contains no more than that of the arctic zones; and yet how different is the amount of produce of an equal surface of land in the two situations! This is easily explicable. All the plants of tropical climates, the oil and wax palms, the sugar cane, &c., contain only a small quantity of the elements of the blood necessary to the nutrition of animals, as compared with our cultivated plants. The tubers of the potato in Chili, its native country, where the plant resembles a shrub, if collected from an acre of land, would scarcely suffice to maintain an Irish family for a single day (Darwin). The result of cultivation in those plants which serve as food, is to produce in them those constituents of the blood. In the absence of the elements essential to these in the soil, starch, sugar and woody fibre, are perhaps formed; but no vegetable fibrine, albumen, or caseine. If we intend to produce on a given surface of soil more of these latter matters than the plants can obtain from the atmosphere or receive from the soil of the same surface in its uncultivated and normal state, we must create an artificial atmosphere, and add the needed elements to the soil.\n\nThe nourishment which must be supplied in a given time to different plants, in order to admit a free and unimpeded growth, is very unequal. On pure sand, on calcareous soil, on naked rocks, only a few genera of plants prosper, and these are, for the most part, perennial plants. They require, for their slow growth, only such minute quantities of mineral substances as the soil can furnish, which may be totally barren for other species. Annual, and especially summer plants, grow and attain their perfection in a comparatively short time; they therefore do not prosper on a soil which is poor in those mineral substances necessary to their development. To attain a maximum in height in the short period of their existence, the nourishment contained in the atmosphere is not sufficient. If the end of cultivation is to be obtained, we must create in the soil an artificial atmosphere of carbonic acid and ammonia; and this surplus of nourishment, which the leaves cannot appropriate from the air, must be taken up by the corresponding organs, i.e. the roots, from the soil. But the ammonia, together with the carbonic acid, are alone insufficient to become part of a plant destined to the nourishment of animals. In the absence of the alkalies, the phosphates and other earthy salts, no vegetable fibrine, no vegetable caseine, can be formed. The phosphoric acid of the phosphate of lime, indispensable to the cerealia and other vegetables in the formation of their seeds, is separated as an excrement, in great quantities, by the rind and barks of ligneous plants. How different are the evergreen plants, the cacti, the mosses, the ferns, and the pines, from our annual grasses, the cerealia and leguminous vegetables! The former, at every time of the day during winter and summer, obtain carbon through their leaves by absorbing carbonic acid which is not furnished by the barren soil on which they grow; water is also absorbed and retained by their coriaceous or fleshy leaves with great force. They lose very little by evaporation, compared with other plants. On the other hand, how very small is the quantity of mineral substances which they withdraw from the soil during their almost constant growth in one year, in comparison with the quantity which one crop of wheat of an equal weight receives in three months! It is by means of moisture that plants receive the necessary alkalies and salts from the soil. In dry summers a phenomenon is observed, which, when the importance of mineral elements to the life of a plant was unknown, could not be explained. The leaves of plants first developed and perfected, and therefore nearer the surface of the soil, shrivel up and become yellow, lose their vitality, and fall off while the plant is in an active state of growth, without any visible cause. This phenomenon is not seen in moist years, nor in evergreen plants, and but rarely in plants which have long and deep roots, nor is it seen in perennials in autumn and winter. The cause of this premature decay is now obvious. The perfectly-developed leaves absorb continually carbonic acid and ammonia from the atmosphere, which are converted into elements of new leaves, buds, and shoots; but this metamorphosis cannot be effected without the aid of the alkalies, and other mineral\n\nsubstances. If the soil is moist, the latter are continually supplied to an adequate amount, and the plant retains its lively green colour; but if this supply ceases from a want of moisture to dissolve the mineral elements, a separation takes place in the plant itself. The mineral constituents of the juice are withdrawn from the leaves already formed, and are used for the formation of the young shoots; and as soon as the seeds are developed, the vitality of the leaves completely ceases. These withered leaves contain only minute traces of soluble salts, while the buds and shoots are very rich in them. On the other hand, it has been observed, that where a soil is too highly impregnated with soluble saline materials, these are separated upon the surface of the leaves. This happens to culinary vegetables especially, whose leaves become covered with a white crust. In consequence of these exudations the plant sickens, its organic activity decreases, its growth is disturbed; and if this state continues long, the plant dies. This is most frequently seen in foliaceous plants, the large surfaces of which evaporate considerable quantities of water. Carrots, pumpkins, peas, &c., are frequently thus diseased, when, after dry weather, the plant being near its full growth, the soil is moistened by short showers, followed again by dry weather. The rapid evaporation carries off the water absorbed by the root, and this leaves the salts in the plant in a far greater quantity than it can assimilate. These salts effloresce upon the surface of the leaves, and if they are herbaceous and juicy, produce an effect upon them as if they had been watered with a solution containing a greater quantity of salts than their organism can bear. Of two plants of the same species, this disease befalls that which is nearest its perfection; if one should have been planted later, or be more backward in its development, the same external cause which destroys the one will contribute to the growth of the other.\n\n\nMy dear Sir, Having now occupied several letters with the attempt to unravel, by means of chemistry, some of the most curious functions of the animal body, and, as I hope, made clear to you the distinctions between the two kinds of constituent elements in food, and the purposes they severally subserve in sustaining life, let me now direct your attention to a scarcely less interesting and equally important subject--the means of obtaining from a given surface of the earth the largest amount of produce adapted to the food of man and animals.\n\nAgriculture is both a science and an art. The knowledge of all the conditions of the life of vegetables, the origin of their elements, and the sources of their nourishment, forms its scientific basis. From this knowledge we derive certain rules for the exercise of the ART, the principles upon which the mechanical operations of farming depend, the usefulness or necessity of these for preparing the soil to support the growth of plants, and for removing every obnoxious influence. No experience, drawn from the exercise of the art, can be opposed to true scientific principles, because the latter should include all the results of practical operations, and are in some instances solely derived therefrom. Theory must correspond with experience, because it is nothing more than the reduction of a series of phenomena to their last causes. A field in which we cultivate the same plant for several successive years becomes barren for that plant in a period varying with the nature of the soil: in one field it will be in three, in another in seven, in a third in twenty, in a fourth in a hundred years. One field bears wheat, and no peas; another beans or turnips, but no tobacco; a third gives a plentiful crop of turnips, but will not bear clover. What is the reason that a field loses its fertility for one plant, the same which at first flourished there? What is the reason one kind of plant succeeds in a field where another fails? These questions belong to Science. What means are necessary to preserve to a field its fertility for one and the same plant?--what to render one field fertile for two, for three, for all plants? These last questions are put by Art, but they cannot be answered by Art. If a farmer, without the guidance of just scientific principles, is trying experiments to render a field fertile for a plant which it otherwise will not bear, his prospect of success is very small. Thousands of farmers try such experiments in various directions, the result of which is a mass of practical experience forming a method of cultivation which accomplishes the desired end for certain places; but the same method frequently does not succeed, it indeed ceases to be applicable to a second or third place in the immediate neighbourhood. How large a capital, and how much power, are wasted in these experiments! Very different, and far more secure, is the path indicated by SCIENCE; it exposes us to no danger of failing, but, on the contrary, it furnishes us with every guarantee of success. If the cause of failure--of barrenness in the soil for one or two plants--has been discovered, means to remedy it may readily be found. The most exact observations prove that the method of cultivation must vary with the geognostical condition of the subsoil. In basalt, graywacke, porphyry, sandstone, limestone, &c., are certain elements indispensable to the growth of plants, and the presence of which renders them fertile. This fully explains the difference in the necessary methods of culture for different places; since it is obvious that the essential elements of the soil must vary with the varieties of composition of the rocks, from the disintegration of\n\nwhich they originated. Wheat, clover, turnips, for example, each require certain elements from the soil; they will not flourish where the appropriate elements are absent. Science teaches us what elements are essential to every species of plants by an analysis of their ashes. If therefore a soil is found wanting in any of those elements, we discover at once the cause of its barrenness, and its removal may now be readily accomplished. The empiric attributes all his success to the mechanical operations of agriculture; he experiences and recognises their value, without inquiring what are the causes of their utility, their mode of action: and yet this scientific knowledge is of the highest importance for regulating the application of power and the expenditure of capital,--for insuring its economical expenditure and the prevention of waste. Can it be imagined that the mere passing of the ploughshare or the harrow through the soil--the mere contact of the iron--can impart fertility miraculously? Nobody, perhaps, seriously entertains such an opinion. Nevertheless, the modus operandi of these mechanical operations is by no means generally understood. The fact is quite certain, that careful ploughing exerts the most favourable influence: the surface is thus mechanically divided, changed, increased, and renovated; but the ploughing is only auxiliary to the end sought. In the effects of time, in what in Agriculture are technically called fallows--the repose of the fields--we recognise by science certain chemical actions, which are continually exercised by the elements of the atmosphere upon the whole surface of our globe. By the action of its oxygen and its carbonic acid, aided by water, rain, changes of temperature, &c., certain elementary constituents of rocks, or of their ruins, which form the soil capable of cultivation, are rendered soluble in water, and conseqently become separable from all their insoluble parts. These chemical actions, poetically denominates the \"tooth of time,\" destroy all the works of man, and gradually reduce the hardest rocks to the condition of dust. By their influence the necessary elements of the soil become fitted for assimilation by plants; and it is precisely the end which is obtained by the mechanical operations of farming. They accelerate the decomposition of the soil, in order to provide a new generation of plants with the necesary elements in a condition favourable to their assimilation. It is obvious that the rapidity of the decomposition of a solid body must increase with the extension of its surface; the more points of contact we offer in a given time to the external chemical agent, the more rapid will be its action. The chemist, in order to prepare a mineral for analysis, to decompose it, or to increase the solubility of its elements, proceeds in the same way as the farmer deals with his fields--he spares no labour in order to reduce it to the finest powder; he separates the impalpable from the coarser parts by washing, and repeats his mechanical bruising and trituration, being assured his whole process will fail if he is inattentive to this essential and preliminary part of it.\n\nThe influence which the increase of surface exercises upon the disintegration of rocks, and upon the chemical action of air and moisture, is strikingly illustrated upon a large scale in the operations pursued in the gold-mines of Yaquil, in Chili. These are described in a very interesting manner by Darwin. The rock containing the gold ore is pounded by mills into the finest powder; this is subjected to washing, which separates the lighter particles from the metallic; the gold sinks to the bottom, while a stream of water carries away the lighter earthy parts into ponds, where it subsides to the bottom as mud. When this deposit has gradually filled up the pond, this mud is taken out and piled in heaps, and left exposed to the action of the atmosphere and moisture. The washing completely removes all the soluble part of the disintegrated rock; the insoluble part, moreover, cannot undergo any further change while it is covered with water, and so excluded from the influence of the atmosphere at the bottom of the pond. But being exposed at once to the air and moisture, a powerful chemical action takes place in the whole mass, which becomes indicated by an efflorescence of salts covering the whole surface of the heaps in considerable quantity. After being exposed for two or three years, the mud is again subjected to the same process of washing, and a considerable quantity of gold is obtained, this having been separated by the chemical process of decomposition in the mass. The exposure and washing of the same mud is repeated six or seven times, and at every washing it furnishes a new quantity of gold, although its amount diminishes every time. Precisely similar is the chemical action which takes place in the soil of our fields; and we accelerate and increase it by the mechanical operations of our agriculture. By these we sever and extend the surface, and endeavour to make every atom of the soil accessible to the action of the carbonic acid and oxygen of the atmosphere. We thus produce a stock of soluble mineral substances, which serves as nourishment to a new generation of plants, materials which are indispensable to their growth and prosperity.\n\n\nMy dear Sir, Having in my last letter spoken of the general principles upon which the science and art of agriculture must be based, let me now direct your attention to some of those particulars between chemistry and agriculture, and demonstrate the impossibility of perfecting the important art of rearing food for man and animals, without a profound knowledge of our science. All plants cultivated as food require for their healthy sustenance the alkalies and alkaline earths, each in a certain proportion; and\n\nin addition to these, the cerealia do not succeed in a soil destitute of silica in a soluble condition. The combinations of this substance found as natural productions, namely, the silicates, differ greatly in the degree of facility with which they undergo decomposition, in consequence of the unequal resistance opposed by their integral parts to the dissolving power of the atmospheric agencies. Thus the granite of Corsica degenerates into a powder in a time which scarcely suffices to deprive the polished granite of Heidelberg of its lustre. Some soils abound in silicates so readily decomposable, that in every one or two years, as much silicate of potash becomes soluble and fitted for assimilation as is required by the leaves and straw of a crop of wheat. In Hungary, extensive districts are not uncommon where wheat and tobacco have been grown alternately upon the same soil for centuries, the land never receiving back any of those mineral elements which were withdrawn in the grain and straw. On the other hand, there are fields in which the necessary amount of soluble silicate of potash for a single crop of wheat is not separated from the insoluble masses in the soil in less than two, three, or even more years. The term fallow, in Agriculture, designates that period in which the soil, left to the influence of the atmosphere, becomes enriched with those soluble mineral constituents. Fallow, however, does not generally imply an entire cessation of cultivation, but only an interval in the growth of the cerealia. That store of silicates and alkalies which is the principal condition of their success is obtained, if potatoes or turnips are grown upon the same fields in the intermediate periods, since these crops do not abstract a particle of silica, and therefore leave the field equally fertile for the following crop of wheat. The preceding remarks will render it obvious to you, that the mechanical working of the soil is the simplest and cheapest method of rendering the elements of nutrition contained in it accessible to plants. But it may be asked, Are there not other means of decomposing the soil besides its mechanical subdivision?--are there not substances, which by their chemical operation will equally well or better render its constituents suitable for entering into vegetable organisms? Yes: we certainly possess such substances, and one of them, namely, quick-lime, has been employed for the last century past in England for this purpose; and it would be difficult to find a substance better adapted to this service, as it is simple, and in almost all localities cheap and easily accessible. In order to obtain correct views respecting the effect of quick-lime upon the soil, let me remind you of the first process employed by the chemist when he is desirous of analysing a mineral, and for this purpose wishes to bring its elements into a soluble state. Let the mineral to be examined be, for instance, feldspar; this substance, taken alone, even when reduced to the finest powder, requires for its solution to be treated with an acid for weeks or months; but if we first mix it with quick-lime, and expose the mixture to a moderately strong heat, the lime enters into chemical combination with certain elements of the feldspar, and its alkali (potass) is\n\nset free. And now the acid, even without heat, dissolves not only the lime, but also so much of the silica of the feldspar as to form a transparent jelly. The same effect which the lime in this process, with the aid of heat, exerts upon the feldspar, it produces when it is mixed with the alkaline argillaceous silicates, and they are for a long time kept together in a moist state. Common potters' clay, or pipe-clay, diffused through water, and added to milk of lime, thickens immediately upon mixing; and if the mixture is kept for some months, and then treated with acid, the clay becomes gelatinous, which would not occur without the admixture with the lime. The lime, in combining with the elements of the clay, liquifies it; and, what is more remarkable, liberates the greater part of its alkalies. These interesting facts were first observed by Fuchs, at Munich: they have not only led to a more intimate knowledge of the nature and properties of the hydraulic cements, but, what is far more important, they explain the effects of caustic lime upon the soil, and guide the agriculturist in the application of an invaluable means of opening it, and setting free its alkalies--substances so important, nay, so indispensable to his crops. In the month of October the fields of Yorkshire and Oxfordshire look as it they were covered with snow. Whole square miles are seen whitened over with quicklime, which during the moist winter months, exercises its beneficial influence upon the stiff, clayey soil, of those counties. According to the humus theory, quick-lime ought to exert the most noxious influence upon the soil, because all organic matters contained in it are destroyed by it, and rendered incapable of yielding their humus to a new vegetation. The facts are indeed directly contrary to this now abandoned theory: the fertility of the soil is increased by the lime. The cerealia require the alkalies and alkaline silicates, which the action of the lime renders fit for assimilation by the plants. If, in addition to these, there is any decaying organic matter present in the soil supplying carbonic acid, it may facilitate their development; but it is not essential to their growth. If we furnish the soil with ammonia, and the phosphates, which are indispensable to the cerealia, with the alkaline silicates, we have all the conditions necessary to ensure an abundant harvest. The atmosphere is an inexhaustible store of carbonic acid. A no less favourable influence than that of lime is exercised upon the soil of peaty land by the mere act of burning it: this greatly enhances its fertility. We have not long been acquainted with the remarkable change which the properties of clay undergo by burning. The observation was first made in the process of analysing the clay silicates. Many of these, in their natural state, are not acted on by acids, but they become perfectly soluble if heated to redness before the application of the acid. This property belongs to potters' clay, pipe-clay, loam, and many different modifications of clay in soils. In their natural state they may be boiled in concentrated sulphuric acid, without sensible change; but if feebly burned, as is done with the pipe-clay in many alum manufactories, they dissolve in the acid with the greatest facility, the contained silica being separated like jelly in a soluble state. Potters' clay\n\nbelongs to the most sterile kinds of soil, and yet it contains within itself all the constituent elements essential to a most luxurious growth of plants; but their mere presence is insufficient to secure this end. The soil must be accessible to the atmosphere, to its oxygen, to its carbonic acid; these must penetrate it, in order to secure the conditions necessary to a happy and vigorous development of the roots. The elements present must be brought into that peculiar state of combination which will enable them to enter into plants. Plastic clay is wanting in these properties; but they are imparted to it by a feeble calcination. At Hardwicke Court, near Gloucester, I have seen a garden (Mr. Baker's) consisting of a stiff clay, which was perfectly sterile, become by mere burning extremely fertile. The operation was extended to a depth of three feet. This was an expensive process, certainly; but it was effectual. The great difference in the properties of burnt and unburnt clay is illustrated by what is seen in brick houses, built in moist situations. In the town of Flanders, for instance, where most buildings are of brick, effloresences of salts cover the surfaces of the walls, like a white nap, within a few days after they are erected. If this saline incrustation is washed away by the rain, it soon re-appears; and this is even observed on walls which, like the gateway of Lisle, have been erected for centuries. These saline incrustations consist of carbonates and sulphates, with alkaline bases; and it is well known these act an important part in vegetation. The influence of lime in their production is manifested by their appearing first at the place where the mortar and brick come into contact. It will now be obvious to you, that in a mixture of clay with lime, all the conditions exist for the solution of the silicated clay, and the solubility of the alkaline silicates. The lime gradually dissolving in water charged with carbonic acid, acts like milk of lime upon the clay. This explains also the favourable influence which marl (by which term all those varieties of clay rich in chalk are designated) exerts upon most kinds of soil. There are marly soils which surpass all others in fertility for all kinds of plants; but I believe marl in a burnt state must be far more effective, as well as other materials possessing a similar composition; as, for instance, those species of limestone which are adapted to the preparation of hydraulic cements,--for these carry to the soil not only the alkaline bases useful to plants, but also silica in a state capable of assimilation. The ashes of coals and lignite are also excellent means of ameliorating the soil, and they are used in many places for this purpose. The most suitable may be readily known by their property of forming a gelatinous mass when treated with acids, or by becoming, when mixed with cream of lime, like hydraulic cement,--solid and hard as stone. I have now, I trust, explained to your satisfaction, that the mechanical operations of agriculture--the application of lime and chalk to lands, and the burning of clay--depend upon one and the same scientific principle: they are means of accelerating the decomposition of the alkaline clay silicates, in order to provide\n\n\n\n\ntissues which can undergo change, return into the atmosphere. The nitrogen, and all the soluble inorganic elements are carried to the earth in the urine. These changes take place in the healthy animal body during every moment of life; a waste and loss of substance proceeds continually; and if this loss is to be restored, and the original weight and substance repaired, an adequate supply of materials must be furnished, from whence the blood and wasted tissues may be regenerated. This supply is obtained from the food. In an adult person in a normal or healthy condition, no sensible increase or decrease of weight occurs from day to day. In youth the weight of the body increases, whilst in old age it decreases. There can be no doubt that in the adult, the food has exactly replaced the loss of substance: it has supplied just so much carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and other elements, as have passed through the skin, lungs, and urinary organs. In youth the supply is greater than the waste. Part of the elements of the food remain to augment the bulk of the body. In old age the waste is greater than the supply, and the body diminishes. It is unquestionable, that, with the exception of a certain quantity of carbon and hydrogen, which are secreted through the skin and lungs, we obtain, in the solid and fluid excrements of man and animals, all the elements of their food. We obtain daily, in the form of urea, all the nitrogen taken in the food both of the young and the adult; and further, in the urine, the whole amount of the alkalies, soluble phosphates and sulphates, contained in all the various aliments. In the solid excrements are found all those substances taken in the food which have undergone no alteration in the digestive organs, all indigestible matters, such as woody fibre, the green colouring matter of leaves ( chlorophyle), wax, &c. Physiology teaches us, that the process of nutrition in animals, that is, their increase of bulk, or the restoration of wasted parts, proceeds from the blood. The purpose of digestion and assimilation is to convert the food into blood. In the stomach and intestines, therefore, all those substances in the food capable of conversion into blood are separated from its other constituents; in other words, during the passage of the food through the intestinal canal there is a constant absorption of its nitrogen, since only azotised substances are capable of conversion into blood; and therefore the solid excrements are destitute of that element, except only a small portion, in the constitution of that secretion which is formed to facilitate their passage. With the solid excrements, the phosphates of lime and magnesia, which were contained in the food and not assimilated, are carried off, these salts being insoluble in water, and therefore not entering the urine. We may obtain a clear insight into the chemical constitution of the solid excrements without further investigation, by comparing the faeces of a dog with his food. We give that animal flesh and bones--substances rich in azotised matter--and we obtain, as the last product of its digestion, a perfectly white excrement, solid while moist, but becoming in dry air a powder. This is the phosphate of lime of the bones, with scarcely one per cent. of foreign organic matter.\n\nThus we see that in the solid and fluid excrements of man and animals, all the nitrogen--in short, all the constituent ingredients of the consumed food, soluble and insoluble, are returned; and as food is primarily derived from the fields, we possess in those excrements all the ingredients which we have taken from it in the form of seeds, roots, or herbs. One part of the crops employed for fattening sheep and cattle is consumed by man as animal food; another part is taken directly--as flour, potatoes, green vegetables, &c.; a third portion consists of vegetable refuse, and straw employed as litter. None of the materials of the soil need be lost. We can, it is obvious, get back all its constituent parts which have been withdrawn therefrom, as fruits, grain and animals, in the fluid and solid excrements of man, and the bones, blood and skins of the slaughtered animals. It depends upon ourselves to collect carefully all these scattered elements, and to restore the disturbed equilibrium of composition in the soil. We can calculate exactly how much and which of the component parts of the soil we export in a sheep or an ox, in a quarter of barley, wheat or potatoes, and we can discover, from the known composition of the excrements of man and animals, how much we have to supply to restore what is lost to our fields. If, however, we could procure from other sources the substances which give to the exuviae of man and animals their value in agriculture, we should not need the latter. It is quite indifferent for our purpose whether we supply the ammonia (the source of nitrogen) in the form of urine, or in that of a salt derived from coal-tar; whether we derive the phosphate of lime from bones, apatite, or fossil excrements (the coprolithes). The principal problem for agriculture is, how to replace those substances which have been taken from the soil, and which cannot be furnished by the atmosphere. If the manure supplies an imperfect compensation for this loss, the fertility of a field or of a country decreases; if, on the contrary, more are given to the fields, their fertility increases. An importation of urine, or of solid excrements, from a foreign country, is equivalent to an importation of grain and cattle. In a certain time, the elements of those substances assume the form of grain, or of fodder, then become flesh and bones, enter into the human body, and return again day by day to the form they originally possessed. The only real loss of elements we are unable to prevent is of the phosphates, and these, in accordance with the customs of all modern nations, are deposited in the grave. For the rest, every part of that enormous quantity of food which a man consumes during his lifetime ( say in sixty or seventy years), which was derived from the fields, can be obtained and returned to them. We know with absolute certainty, that in the blood of a young or growing animal there remains a certain quantity of phosphate of lime and of the alkaline phosphates, to be stored up and to minister to the growth of the bones and general bulk of the body, and that, with the exception of this very small quantity, we receive back, in the solid and fluid excrements, all the salts and alkaline bases, all the\n\nphosphate of lime and magnesia, and consequently all the inorganic elements which the animal consumes in its food. We can thus ascertain precisely the quantity, quality, and composition of animal excrements, without the trouble of analysing them. If we give a horse daily 4 1/2 pounds' weight of oats, and 15 pounds of hay, and knowing that oats give 4 per cent. and hay 9 per cent. of ashes, we can calculate that the daily excrements of the horse will contain 21 ounces of inorganic matter which was drawn from the fields. By analysis we can determine the exact relative amount of silica, of phosphates, and of alkalies, contained in the ashes of the oats and of the hay. You will now understand that the constituents of the solid parts of animal excrements, and therefore their qualities as manure, must vary with the nature of the creature's food. If we feed a cow upon beetroot, or potatoes, without hay, straw or grain, there will be no silica in her solid excrements, but there will be phosphate of lime and magnesia. Her fluid excrements will contain carbonate of potash and soda, together with compounds of the same bases with inorganic acids. In one word, we have, in the fluid excrements, all the soluble parts of the ashes of the consumed food; and in the solid excrements, all those parts of the ashes which are insoluble in water. If the food, after burning, leaves behind ashes containing soluble alkaline phosphates, as is the case with bread, seeds of all kinds, and flesh, we obtain from the animal by which they are consumed a urine holding in solution these phosphates. If, however, the ashes of food contain no alkaline phosphates, but abound in insoluble earthy phosphates, as hay, carrots, and potatoes, the urine will be free from alkaline phosphates, but the earthy phosphates will be found in the faeces. The urine of man, of carnivorous and graminivorous animals, contains alkaline phosphates; that of herbivorous animals is free from these salts. The analysis of the excrements of man, of the piscivorous birds (as the guano), of the horse, and of cattle, furnishes us with the precise knowledge of the salts they contain, and demonstrates, that in those excrements, we return to the fields the ashes of the plants which have served as food,--the soluble and insoluble salts and earths indispensable to the development of cultivated plants, and which must be furnished to them by a fertile soil. There can be no doubt that, in supplying these excrements to the soil, we return to it those constituents which the crops have removed from it, and we renew its capability of nourishing new crops: in one word, we restore the disturbed equilibrium; and consequently, knowing that the elements of the food derived from the soil enter into the urine and solid excrements of the animals it nourishes, we can with the greatest facility determine the exact value of the different kinds of manure. Thus the excrements of pigs which we have fed with peas and potatoes are principally suited for manuring crops of potatoes and peas. In feeding a cow upon hay and turnips, we obtain a manure containing the inorganic elements of grasses and turnips, and which is therefore preferable for manuring turnips. The excrement of pigeons contains the mineral elements of grain; that of rabbits, the elements of herbs and kitchen\n\nvegetables. The fluid and solid excrements of man, however, contain the mineral elements of grain and seeds in the greatest quantity.\n\n\n\n\nby decaying vegetable substances, and the roots absorb in the same time three times as much carbonic acid from the soil as the leaves derive from the atmosphere, the plant will increase in weight fourfold. This fourfold increase extends to the leaves, buds, stalks, &c., and in the increased extent of the surface, the plant acquires an increased power of absorbing nourishment from the air, which continues in action far beyond the time when its derivation of carbonic acid through the roots ceases. Humus, as a source of carbonic acid in cultivated lands, is not only useful as a means of increasing the quantity of carbon--an effect which in most cases may be very indifferent for agricultural purposes--but the mass of the plant having increased rapidly in a short time, space is obtained for the assimilation of the elements of the soil necessary for the formation of new leaves and branches. Water evaporates incessantly from the surface of the young plant; its quantity is in direct proportion to the temperature and the extent of the surface. The numerous radical fibrillae replace, like so many pumps, the evaporated water; and so long as the soil is moist, or penetrated with water, the indispensable elements of the soil, dissolved in the water, are supplied to the plant. The water absorbed by the plant evaporating in an aeriform state leaves the saline and other mineral constituents within it. The relative proportion of these elements taken up by a plant, is greater, the more extensive the surface and more abundant the supply of water; where these are limited, the plant soon reaches its full growth, while if their supply is continued, a greater amount of elements necessary to enable it to appropriate atmospheric nourishment being obtained, its development proceeds much further. The quantity, or mass of seed produced, will correspond to the quantity of mineral constituents present in the plant. That plant, therefore, containing the most alkaline phosphates and earthy salts will produce more or a greater weight of seeds than another which, in an equal time has absorbed less of them. We consequently observe, in a hot summer, when a further supply of mineral ingredients from the soil ceases through want of water, that the height and strength of plants, as well as the development of their seeds, are in direct proportion to its absorption of the elementary parts of the soil in the preceding epochs of its growth. The fertility of the year depends in general upon the temperature, and the moisture or dryness of the spring, if all the conditions necessary to the assimilation of the atmospheric nourishment be secured to our cultivated plants. The action of humus, then, as we have explained it above, is chiefly of value in gaining time. In agriculture, this must ever be taken into account and in this respect humus is of importance in favouring the growth of vegetables, cabbages, &c. But the cerealia, and plants grown for their roots, meet on our fields, in the remains of the preceding crop, with a quantity of decaying vegetable substances corresponding to their contents of mineral nutriment from the soil, and consequently with a quantity of carbonic acid adequate to their accelerated development in the spring. A further supply of carbonic acid, therefore, would be quite useless, without a corresponding increase of mineral ingredients. From a morgen of good meadow land, 2,500 pounds weight of hay,\n\naccording to the best agriculturists, are obtained on an average. This amount is furnished without any supply of organic substances, without manure containing carbon or nitrogen. By irrigation, and the application of ashes or gypsum, double that amount may be grown. But assuming 2,500 pounds weight of hay to be the maximum, we may calculate the amount of carbon and nitrogen derived from the atmosphere by the plants of meadows. According to elementary analysis, hay, dried at a temperature of 100 deg Reaumur, contains 45.8 per cent. of carbon, and 1 1/2 per cent. of nitrogen. 14 per cent. of water retained by the hay, dried at common temperatures, is driven off at 100 deg. 2,500 pounds weight of hay, therefore, corresponds to 2,150 pounds, dried at 100 deg. This shows us, that 984 pounds of carbon, and 32.2 pounds weight of nitrogen, have been obtained in the produce of one morgen of meadow land. Supposing that this nitrogen has been absorbed by the plants in the form of ammonia, the atmosphere contains 39.1 pounds weight of ammonia to every 3640 pounds weight of carbonic acid (=984 carbon, or 27 per cent.), or in other words, to every 1,000 pounds weight of carbonic acid, 10.7 pounds of ammonia, that is to about 1/100,000, the weight of the air, or 1/60,000 of its volume. For every 100 parts of carbonic acid absorbed by the surface of the leaves, the plant receives from the atmosphere somewhat more than one part of ammonia. With every 1,000 pounds of carbon, we obtain-From a meadow . 32 7/10 pounds of nitrogen. From cultivated fields, In Wheat . 21 1/2 \" \" Oats . 22.3 \" \" Rye . 15.2 \" \" Potatoes . 34.1 \" \" Beetroot . 39.1 \" \" Clover . 44 \" \" Peas . 62 \" \" Boussingault obtained from his farm at Bechelbronn, in Alsace, in five years, in the shape of potatoes, wheat, clover, turnips, and oats, 8,383 of carbon, and 250.7 nitrogen. In the following five years, as beetroot, wheat, clover, turnips, oats, and rye, 8,192 of carbon, and 284.2 of nitrogen. In a further course of six years, potatoes, wheat, clover, turnips, peas, and rye, 10,949 of carbon, 356.6 of nitrogen. In 16 years, 27,424 carbon, 858 1/2 nitrogen, which gives for every 1,000 carbon, 31.3 nitrogen. From these interesting and unquestionable facts, we may deduce some conclusions of the highest importance in their application to agriculture.\n\n1. We observe that the relative proportions of carbon and nitrogen, stand in a fixed relation to the surface of the leaves. Those plants, in which all the nitrogen may be said to be concentrated in the seeds, as the cerealia, contain on the whole less nitrogen than the leguminous plants, peas, and clover. 2. The produce of nitrogen on a meadow which receives no nitrogenised manure, is greater than that of a field of wheat which has been manured. 3. The produce of nitrogen in clover and peas, which agriculturists will acknowledge require no nitrogenised manure, is far greater than that of a potato or turnip field, which is abundantly supplied with such manures. Lastly. And this is the most curious deduction to be derived from the above facts,--if we plant potatoes, wheat, turnips, peas, and clover, (plants containing potash, lime, and silex,) upon the same land, three times manured, we gain in 16 years, for a given quantity of carbon, the same proportion of nitrogen which we receive from a meadow which has received no nitrogenised manure. On a morgen of meadow-land, we obtain in plants, containing silex, lime, and potash, 984 carbon, 32.2 nitrogen. On a morgen of cultivated land, in an average of 16 years, in plants containing the same mineral elements, silex, lime, and potash, 857 carbon, 26.8 nitrogen. If we add the carbon and nitrogen of the leaves of the beetroot, and the stalk and leaves of the potatoes, which have not been taken into account, it still remains evident that the cultivated fields, notwithstanding the supply of carbonaceous and nitrogenised manures, produced no more carbon and nitrogen than an equal surface of meadow-land supplied only with mineral elements. What then is the rationale of the effect of manure,--of the solid and fluid excrements of animals? This question can now be satisfactorily answered: that effect is the restoration of the elementary constituents of the soil which have been gradually drawn from it in the shape of grain and cattle. If the land I am speaking of had not been manured during those 16 years, not more than one-half, or perhaps than one-third part of the carbon and nitrogen would have been produced. We owe it to the animal excrements, that it equalled in production the meadow-land, and this, because they restored the mineral ingredients of the soil removed by the crops. All that the supply of manure accomplished, was to prevent the land from becoming poorer in these, than the meadow which produces 2,500 pounds of hay. We withdraw from the meadow in this hay as large an amount of mineral substances as we do in one harvest of grain, and we know that the fertility of the meadow is just as dependent upon the restoration of these ingredients to its soil, as the cultivated land is upon manures. Two meadows of equal surface, containing unequal quantities of inorganic elements of nourishment,--other conditions being equal,--are very unequally fertile; that which possesses most, furnishes most hay. If we do not restore to a meadow the withdrawn elements, its fertility\n\ndecreases. But its fertility remains unimpaired, with a due supply of animal excrements, fluid and solid, and it not only remains the same, but may be increased by a supply of mineral substances alone, such as remain after the combustion of ligneous plants and other vegetables; namely, ashes. Ashes represent the whole nourishment which vegetables receive from the soil. By furnishing them in sufficient quantities to our meadows, we give to the plants growing on them the power of condensing and absorbing carbon and nitrogen by their surface. May not the effect of the solid and fluid excrements, which are the ashes of plants and grains, which have undergone combustion in the bodies of animals and of man, be dependent upon the same cause? Should not the fertility, resulting from their application, be altogether independent of the ammonia they contain? Would not their effect be precisely the same in promoting the fertility of cultivated plants, if we had evaporated the urine, and dried and burned the solid excrements? Surely the cerealia and leguminous plants which we cultivate must derive their carbon and nitrogen from the same source whence the graminea and leguminous plants of the meadows obtain them! No doubt can be entertained of their capability to do so. In Virginia, upon the lowest calculation, 22 pounds weight of nitrogen were taken on the average, yearly, from every morgen of the wheat-fields. This would amount, in 100 years, to 2,200 pounds weight. If this were derived from the soil, every morgen of it must have contained the equivalent of 110,000 pounds weight of animal excrements (assuming the latter, when dried, at the temperature of boiling water, to contain 2 per cent.). In Hungary, as I remarked in a former Letter, tobacco and wheat have been grown upon the same field for centuries, without any supply of nitrogenised manure. Is it possible that the nitrogen essential to, and entering into, the composition of these crops, could have been drawn from the soil? Every year renews the foliage and fruits of our forests of beech, oak, and chesnuts; the leaves, the acorns, the chesnuts, are rich in nitrogen; so are cocoa-nuts, bread-fruit, and other tropical productions. This nitrogen is not supplied by man, can it indeed be derived from any other source than the atmosphere? In whatever form the nitrogen supplied to plants may be contained in the atmosphere, in whatever state it may be when absorbed, from the atmosphere it must have been derived. Did not the fields of Virginia receive their nitrogen from the same source as wild plants? Is the supply of nitrogen in the excrements of animals quite a matter of indifference, or do we receive back from our fields a quantity of the elements of blood corresponding to this supply? The researches of Boussingault have solved this problem in the most satisfactory manner. If, in his grand experiments, the manure which he gave to his fields was in the same state, i.e. dried at 110 deg in a vacuum, as it was when analysed, these fields received, in 16 years, 1,300 pounds of nitrogen. But we know that by drying all the nitrogen escapes which is contained in solid animal excrements, as volatile carbonate of ammonia. In this calculation the nitrogen of the urine, which by decomposition is converted into carbonate of\n\nammonia, has not been included. If we suppose it amounted to half as much as that in the dried excrements, this would make the quantity of nitrogen supplied to the fields 1,950 pounds. In 16 years, however, as we have seen, only 1,517 pounds of nitrogen, was contained in their produce of grain, straw, roots, et cetera--that is, far less than was supplied in the manure; and in the same period the same extent of surface of good meadow-land (one hectare = a Hessian morgen), which received no nitrogen in manure, 2,062 pounds of nitrogen. It is well known that in Egypt, from the deficiency of wood, the excrement of animals is dried, and forms the principal fuel, and that the nitrogen from the soot of this excrement was, for many centuries, imported into Europe in the form of sal ammoniac, until a method of manufacturing this substance was discovered at the end of the last century by Gravenhorst of Brunswick. The fields in the delta of the Nile are supplied with no other animal manures than the ashes of the burnt excrements, and yet they have been proverbially fertile from a period earlier than the first dawn of history, and that fertility continues to the present day as admirable as it was in the earliest times. These fields receive, every year, from the inundation of the Nile, a new soil, in its mud deposited over their surface, rich in those mineral elements which have been withdrawn by the crops of the previous harvest. The mud of the Nile contains as little nitrogen as the mud derived from the Alps of Switzerland, which fertilises our fields after the inundations of the Rhine. If this fertilising mud owed this property to nitrogenised matters; what enormous beds of animal and vegetable exuviae and remains ought to exist in the mountains of Africa, in heights extending beyond the limits of perpetual snow, where no bird, no animal finds food, from the absence of all vegetation! Abundant evidence in support of the important truth we are discussing, may be derived from other well known facts. Thus, the trade of Holland in cheese may be adduced in proof and illustration thereof. We know that cheese is derived from the plants which serve as food for cows. The meadow-lands of Holland derive the nitrogen of cheese from the same source as with us; i.e. the atmosphere. The milch cows of Holland remain day and night on the grazing-grounds, and therefore, in their fluid and solid excrements return directly to the soil all the salts and earthy elements of their food: a very insignificant quantity only is exported in the cheese. The fertility of these meadows can, therefore, be as little impaired as our own fields, to which we restore all the elements of the soil, as manure, which have been withdrawn in the crops. The only difference is, in Holland they remain on the field, whilst we collect them at home and carry them, from time to time, to the fields. The nitrogen of the fluid and solid excrements of cows, is derived from the meadow-plants, which receive it from the atmosphere; the nitrogen of the cheese also must be drawn from the same source. The meadows of Holland have, in the lapse of centuries, produced millions of hundredweights of cheese. Thousands of hundredweights are annually exported, and yet the productiveness of the meadows is in no way diminished, although they never receive more nitrogen than they originally contained.\n\n\nashes, we shall learn with certainty which of the constituent elements of the plants are constant and which are changeable, and we shall arrive at an exact knowledge of the sum of all the ingredients we withdraw from the soil in the different crops. With this knowledge the farmer will be able to keep an exact record, of the produce of his fields in harvest, like the account-book of a well regulated manufactory; and then by a simple calculation he can determine precisely the substances he must supply to each field, and the quantity of these, in order to restore their fertility. He will be able to express, in pounds weight, how much of this or that element he must give in order to augment its fertility for any given kind of plants. These researches and experiments are the great desideratum of the present time. TO THE UNITED EFFORTS OF THE CHEMISTS OF ALL COUNTRIES WE MAY CONFIDENTLY LOOK FOR A SOLUTION OF THESE GREAT QUESTIONS, and by the aid of ENLIGHTENED AGRICULTURISTS we shall arrive at a RATIONAL system of GARDENING, HORTICULTURE, and AGRICULTURE, applicable to every country and all kinds of soil, and which will be based upon the immutable foundation of OBSERVED FACTS and PHILOSOPHICAL INDUCTION.\n\n\nMy dear Sir, My recent researches into the constituent ingredients of our cultivated fields have led me to the conclusion that, of all the elements furnished to plants by the soil and ministering to their nourishment, the phosphate of lime--or, rather, the phosphates generally--must be regarded as the most important. In order to furnish you with a clear idea of the importance of the phosphates, it may be sufficient to remind you of the fact, that the blood of man and animals, besides common salt, always contains alkaline and earthy phosphates. If we burn blood and examine the ashes which remain, we find certain parts of them soluble in water, and others insoluble. The soluble parts are, common salt and alkaline phosphates; the insoluble consist of phosphate of lime, phosphate of magnesia, and oxide of iron. These mineral ingredients of the blood--without the presence of which in the food the formation of blood is impossible--both man and animals derive either immediately, or mediately through other animals, from vegetable substances used as food; they had been constituents of vegetables, they had been parts of the soil upon which the vegetable substances were developed.\n\nIf we compare the amount of the phosphates in different vegetable substances with each other, we discover a great variety, whilst there is scarcely any ashes of plants altogether devoid of them, and those parts of plants which experience has taught us are the most nutritious, contain the largest proportion. To these belong all seeds and grain, especially the varieties of bread-corn, peas, beans, and lentils. It is a most curious fact that if we incinerate grain or its flour, peas, beans, and lentils, we obtain ashes, which are distinguished from the ashes of all other parts of vegetables by the absence of alkaline carbonates. The ashes of these seeds when recently prepared, do not effervesce with acids; their soluble ingredients consist solely of alkaline phosphates, the insoluble parts of phosphate of lime, phosphate of magnesia, and oxide of iron: consequently, of the very same salts which are contained in blood, and which are absolutely indispensable to its formation. We are thus brought to the further indisputable conclusion that no seed suitable to become food for man and animals can be formed in any plant without the presence and co-operation of the phosphates. A field in which phosphate of lime, or the alkaline phosphates, form no part of the soil, is totally incapable of producing grain, peas, or beans. An enormous quantity of these substances indispensable to the nourishment of plants, is annually withdrawn from the soil and carried into great towns, in the shape of flour, cattle, et cetera. It is certain that this incessant removal of the phosphates must tend to exhaust the land and diminish its capability of producing grain. The fields of Great Britain are in a state of progressive exhaustion from this cause, as is proved by the rapid extension of the cultivation of turnips and mangel wurzel--plants which contain the least amount of the phosphates, and therefore require the smallest quantity for their development. These roots contain 80 to 92 per cent. of water. Their great bulk makes the amount of produce fallacious, as respects their adaptation to the food of animals, inasmuch as their contents of the ingredients of the blood, i.e. of substances which can be transformed into flesh, stands in a direct ratio to their amount of phosphates, without which neither blood nor flesh can be formed. Our fields will become more and more deficient in these essential ingredients of food, in all localities where custom and habits do not admit the collection of the fluid and solid excrements of man, and their application to the purposes of agriculture. In a former letter I showed you how great a waste of phosphates is unavoidable in England, and referred to the well-known fact that the importation of bones restored in a most admirable manner the fertility of the fields exhausted from this cause. In the year 1827 the importation of bones for manure amounted to 40,000 tons, and Huskisson estimated their value to be from L 100,000 to L 200,000 sterling. The importation is still greater at present, but it is far from being sufficient to supply the waste. Another proof of the efficacy of the phosphates in restoring fertility to exhausted land is afforded by the use of the guano--a manure which, although of recent introduction into England, has found such general and extensive application.\n\nWe believe that the importation of one hundred-weight of guano is equivalent to the importation of eight hundred-weight of wheat--the hundred-weight of guano assumes in a time which can be accurately estimated the form of a quantity of food corresponding to eight hundred-weight of wheat. The same estimate is applicable in the valuation of bones. If it were possible to restore to the soil of England and Scotland the phosphates which during the last fifty years have been carried to the sea by the Thames and the Clyde, it would be equivalent to manuring with millions of hundred-weights of bones, and the produce of the land would increase one-third, or perhaps double itself, in five to ten years. We cannot doubt that the same result would follow if the price of the guano admitted the application of a quantity to the surface of the fields, containing as much of the phosphates as have been withdrawn from them in the same period. If a rich and cheap source of phosphate of lime and the alkaline phosphates were open to England, there can be no question that the importation of foreign corn might be altogether dispensed with after a short time. For these materials England is at present dependent upon foreign countries, and the high price of guano and of bones prevents their general application, and in sufficient quantity. Every year the trade in these substances must decrease, or their price will rise as the demand for them increases. According to these premises, it cannot be disputed, that the annual expense of Great Britain for the importation of bones and guano is equivalent to a duty on corn: with this difference only, that the amount is paid to foreigners in money. To restore the disturbed equilibrium of constitution of the soil,--to fertilise her fields,--England requires an enormous supply of animal excrements, and it must, therefore, excite considerable interest to learn, that she possesses beneath her soil beds of fossil guano, strata of animal excrements, in a state which will probably allow of their being employed as a manure at a very small expense. The coprolithes discovered by Dr. Buckland, (a discovery of the highest interest to Geology,) are these excrements; and it seems extremely probable that in these strata England possesses the means of supplying the place of recent bones, and therefore the principal conditions of improving agriculture--of restoring and exalting the fertility of her fields. In the autumn of 1842, Dr. Buckland pointed out to me a bed of coprolithes in the neighbourhood of Clifton, from half to one foot thick, inclosed in a limestone formation, extending as a brown stripe in the rocks, for miles along the banks of the Severn. The limestone marl of Lyme Regis consists, for the most part, of one-fourth part of fossil excrements and bones. The same are abundant in the lias of Bath, Eastern and Broadway Hill, near Evesham. Dr. Buckland mentions beds, several miles in extent, the substance of which consists, in many places, of a fourth part of coprolithes. Pieces of the limestone rock in Clifton, near Bristol, which is rich\n\nin coprolithes and organic remains, fragments of bones, teeth, &c., were subjected to analysis, and were found to contain above 18 per cent. of phosphate of lime. If this limestone is burned and brought in that state to the fields, it must be a perfect substitute for bones, the efficacy of which as a manure does not depend, as has been generally, but erroneously supposed, upon the nitrogenised matter which they contain, but on their phosphate of lime. The osseous breccia found in many parts of England deserves especial attention, as it is highly probable that in a short time it will become an important article of commerce. What a curious and interesting subject for contemplation! In the remains of an extinct animal world, England is to find the means of increasing her wealth in agricultural produce, as she has already found the great support of her manufacturing industry in fossil fuel,--the preserved matter of primeval forests,--the remains of a vegetable world. May this expectation be realised! and may her excellent population be thus redeemed from poverty and misery!\n\nEnd of Project Gutenberg's Familiar Letters on Chemistry, by Justus Liebig\n\nMaster your semester with Scribd & The New York Times\n\nSpecial offer for students: Only $4.99/month.\n\nMaster your semester with Scribd & The New York Times\n\nCancel anytime.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6454086303710938}
{"content": "A sequential developmental field defect of the vertebrae, ribs, and sternum, in a young woman of the 12th century AD.\n\nChanges in the vertebral column are often noted in skeletal material. Descriptions of these anomalies are often lacking, and their developmental origins are not often discussed. The skeleton of a young woman from the medieval cemetery of Tirup, in Denmark, has multiple defects of the axial skeleton, including extra thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, border… (More)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.577831506729126}
{"content": "Selasa, 28 Agustus 2012\n\n\nHow can you tell if something is alive?   \n\nWhat are the characteristics of life? (Ch. 1.3, Miller and Levine)\n\nIt turns out that these are NOT the easiest question to answer!   How, for example, would scientists be able to tell if something they found on another planet was alive, or not?   To explore this question, students have been given an assignment called \"A Martian Safari\".  \n\nUsing their textbook, and what they've learned in class about forming hypotheses and answering questions (the RA Guide), students will apply the \"characteristics of life\" from their textbook to an imaginary situation: that they are explorers on the planet Mars, who've discovered something mysterious....\n\nFar out!   Or is it?   After all, the mission in the video below became a reality on August 6th, just a few weeks ago.   One of the main goals of the Curiosity mission is to pursue evidence for past or present life on the \"Red Planet.\"   Something to think about!\n\nTidak ada komentar:\n\nPosting Komentar\n\nCatatan: Hanya anggota dari blog ini yang dapat mengirim komentar.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8595302104949951}
{"content": "Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering\n\nTop 20 Doctoral Program — National Research Council\n\n\nPrinter-friendly versionSend by emailPDF version\n\n\nEdward Maginn from University of Notre Dame\n\n\nFriday, September 30, 2016 - 10:30am\n\n\n\nLiquids that contain charged species, such as electrolytes and ionic liquids, have many important technological applications in fields such as energy storage, separations, and catalysis. By changing the structure of the molecules or employing mixtures, the properties of these fluids can be altered significantly. The key question is: what should we do to get the properties we want? In other words, how should I change the structure of the molecule or ion? What type of solvent should I add to the mixture to get the behavior I want? To answer this, we use atomistic-level simulations to compute structural, thermodynamic and transport properties of these systems. We are able to provide molecular-level explanations for experimental observations, and we can predict properties of systems that may not yet have even been made in the laboratory.\n\nIn this talk, I will focus on recent efforts we have made as a member of the DOE-sponsored Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR) in computing conductivity, viscosity, and self-diffusivity of ionic liquids mixed with monovalent and divalent cations and diluents such as glycol ethers. Using high throughput computational methods, we have identified several new types of anions that may enable the use of divalent cations such as Mg2+ in rechargeable batteries. We have also helped explain unusual trends observed experimentally in the liquid dynamics of cations with progressively longer alkyl tails. Finally, I will describe how simulations can be coupled with X-ray scattering experiments to provide a detailed picture of the organization of these liquids on the 1-20 nm length scale.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9739789962768555}
{"content": "Posted by & filed under Uncategorized.\n\nLatest research has indicated that common although highly protected public/private primary encryption strategies are vulnerable to fault-based harm. This quite simply means that it is now practical to crack the coding devices that we trust every day: the security that finance institutions offer with regards to internet savings, the code software that individuals rely on for business emails, the safety packages that we all buy off of the shelf inside our computer superstores. How can that be conceivable?\n\nWell, several teams of researchers have already been working on this kind of, but the first of all successful test attacks were by a group at the College or university of The state of michigan. They decided not to need to know regarding the computer hardware – they only needed to create transient (i. e. temporary or perhaps fleeting) glitches in a computer system whilst it had been processing encrypted data. Consequently, by examining the output data they acknowledged as being incorrect components with the errors they developed and then resolved what the main ‘data’ was. Modern security (one amazing version is known as RSA) uses public key and a personal key. These types of encryption beginning steps-initial are 1024 bit and use significant prime numbers which are blended by the software. The problem is much like that of damage a safe – no safe and sound is absolutely secure, but the better the safe, then the more hours it takes to crack this. It has been overlooked that protection based on the 1024 tad key would take too much effort to resolve, even with every one of the computers on earth. The latest research has shown that decoding may be achieved a few weeks, and even more rapidly if more computing ability is used.\n\nHow must they fracture it? Contemporary computer reminiscence and CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT chips carry out are so miniaturised that they are vulnerable to occasional problems, but they are made to self-correct once, for example , a cosmic ray disrupts a memory location in the computer chip (error fixing memory). Ripples in the power can also trigger short-lived (transient) faults inside the chip. Many of these faults were the basis of your cryptoattack in the University of Michigan. Remember that the test team did not need access to the internals of this computer, only to be ‘in proximity’ to it, my spouse and i. e. to affect the power supply. Have you heard regarding the EMP effect of a nuclear exploding market? An EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) is a ripple in the global innate electromagnetic field. It could be relatively localised depending on the size and precise type of explosive device used. Such pulses could also be generated on the much smaller increase by an electromagnetic heart beat gun. A little EMP marker could use that principle in the community and be accustomed to create the transient nick faults that may then be monitored to crack security. There is a person final perspective that influences how quickly encryption keys may be broken.\n\nThe amount of faults that integrated outlet chips happen to be susceptible depends on the quality with their manufacture, and no chip is perfect. Chips could be manufactured to provide higher failing rates, by simply carefully adding contaminants during manufacture. Casino chips with higher fault costs could improve the code-breaking process. Inexpensive chips, only slightly more at risk of transient faults than the normal, manufactured over a huge degree, could turn into widespread. Cina produces remembrance chips (and computers) in vast amounts. The implications could be severe.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8202212452888489}
{"content": "send link to app\n\nTurkish Cuisine: Recipes\n\n\nTurkish cuisine (Turkish: Türk mutfağı) is largely the continuation of Ottoman cuisine, which in turn borrowed many elements from Greek, Central Asian, Caucasian, Sephardi Jewish cuisine, Middle Eastern, and Balkan cuisines. Turkish cuisine has in turn influenced those and other neighbouring cuisines, including those of Central and Western Europe. The Ottomans fused various culinary traditions of their realm with influences from Levantine cuisines, along with traditional Turkic elements from Central Asia (such as yogurt and mantı), creating a vast array of specialities—many with strong regional associations.Turkish cuisine and Iranian cuisine on the other hand have heavy mutual influence on each other, due to geographical proximity, ethnic relations (f.e Azerbaijanis, a Turkic people, are the second largest ethnicity in Iran) many common cultural aspects, shared empires, and conquerings by such as the Achaemenids, Sassanians, Seljuks, Safavids, Afsharids, Ottomans and Qajars.\nEspecially in the western parts of Turkey, where olive trees grow abundantly, olive oil is the major type of oil used for cooking. The cuisines of the Aegean, Marmara and Mediterranean regions are rich in vegetables, herbs, and fish. Central Anatolia has many famous specialties, such as keşkek, mantı (especially from Kayseri) and gözleme.\nA specialtys name sometimes includes that of a city or region, either in or outside of Turkey, and may refer to the specific technique or ingredients used in that area. For example, the difference between Urfa kebap and Adana kebap is the thickness of the skewer and the amount of hot pepper that the kebab contains. Urfa kebap is less spicy and thicker than Adana kebap.\nTurkish cuisine recipes:Turkish Red Lentil Soup with MintTava or Turkish StewTurkish Style EggsZucchini with Dill Weed and Garlic-Yogurt SauceChicken Tava from TurkeyTurkish cuisineLahmacun Turkish PizzaTurkish KebabsCyprus Gyro BurgerHaydari (Turkish Yogurt Dip)Turkish CoffeeTurkish cuisineZucchini Salad with Yogurt and WalnutsTurkish MarinadeTavaKobete ChickenGround Chicken With WalnutsRoasted Red Pepper SaladAnatolian Bulgur PilavCarrots and LentilsEasy Turkish DelightRose Water Turkish DelightTurkish cuisineTurkish Walnut Soup", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8865312337875366}
{"content": "Spread the love\n\nA dissertation is a serious scientific research, which is carried out in written form and has a qualifying character. As a result of the defense of the thesis, the applicant is awarded the academic degree of a master, candidate or doctor of science (depending on the type of work being defended).\n\nWhy do many scientists decide to order a dissertation?\n\nThe writing of dissertational work assumes a long scrupulous study of sources, long scientific research, testing, experiments and other labor-intensive activities. That is why the candidates are allocated at least a year for preparation. It seems that this is a long time. However, if we take into account the fact that many scientists combine work and scientific activity, it is very difficult for them to find time for everything at once. Some understand that they do not have time to do everything physically, which is why they decide to order a dissertation from professionals. Order of dissertation is a great way to save your time and energy. However, when choosing executors who provide such services, you need to be very careful: the future scientific career of the applicant depends to a certain extent on the outcome of their work.\n\nWhat difficulties can you face when ordering dissertations?\n\nUnfortunately, among the companies offering to write a dissertation, sometimes there are scammers. Such “experts” usually sale substandard or non-unique work to customers. Therefore, before you buy a dissertation, you need to learn as much as possible about the company that provides this service. Firms present on the market for less than 5 years should be avoided: the percentage of unscrupulous performers among their authors is usually too high.\n\nIn a professional company, specialists with the highest qualification – candidates and doctors of sciences, write scientific works. Writing dissertations for a special order for such authors is the main source of income, therefore they take their responsibilities very seriously. With such approach, you should not worry about the quality of the dissertation.\n\nWhy order of a dissertation in such a company is a good solution?\n\nOrder master’s, PhD or doctoral dissertation is convenient for several reasons:\n\n– the company guarantees the uniqueness of each work;\n\n– accompanies all the dissertations until the time of the defense;\n\n– provides appropriate technical support for each work;\n\n– provides official guarantees of the quality, timeliness and confidentiality of the provision of services.\n\nEasy way to order and pay for dissertation\n\nEmployees and teachers of institutes and universities render services of preparation of scientific works and researches – doctoral and candidate dissertations, scientific articles, monographs, and assistance in the publication of scientific articles and the protection of the dissertation work.\n\nCandidates and Doctors of Science will select a suitable topic for the dissertation, prepare a substantiation of the topic of the thesis (they will describe the relevance and novelty), and develop a plan for the dissertation. They will also prepare a concept of work that includes the relevance of the work, the purpose and objectives of the research, the object and subject of research, and the proposed scientific novelty.\n\nThe preparation of the concept of the work will be based on the analysis of a sufficient number of literary sources, as well as a clear understanding of the essence of concepts: goals and objectives, object and subject, scientific novelty. The work is carried out in stages, according to the chapters, which allows the competitor coordinate the material with the supervisor and take into account his wishes. The cost of preparing a dissertation, a scientific article or a monograph is the cost of a dissertation.\n\nIn accordance with the requirements of the Higher Attestation Commission, the dissertation should be written solely, contain a set of new scientific results and provisions put forward by the author for public defense. It should have internal unity and testify to the author’s personal contribution to science. The new solutions proposed by the author should be argued and evaluated.\n\nAccording to the requirements for the dissertation (the availability of new scientific results and provisions), the volume of which is 150-200 pages, you would also the need to prepare and publish of articles that should adequately reflect the content of the dissertation. In addition, you would need to prepare an abstract that is not a shortened version of the dissertation, but should give full understanding of the work done by the applicant. Taking into account all of that, it is advisable to entrust this work to specialists who have extensive experience in the preparation of dissertations in the humanities.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6725729703903198}
{"content": "In English\n\nSub-synchronous controller interaction (SSCI) of series-compensated DFIG wind farms\n\nAhmed Elgaali\nGöteborg : Chalmers tekniska högskola, 2016. 67 s.\n[Examensarbete på avancerad nivå]\n\nOne of the problems faced by the integration of large renewable energy sources - such as wind turbines- is that often the load centres are very far from the production centres. This forces the use of series capacitor compensation in order to increase the power transfer and the transient stability limits. The presence of series compensation introduces resonance into the system and this resonance could interact with the control system of the connected DFIG wind farm, thus causing the system (under certain conditions) to experience unstable resonant oscillations at the subsynchronous frequency range. This thesis studies the sub-synchronous controller interaction (SSCI) of DFIG-based wind-farms with series-compensated transmission lines and suggests a STATCOM solution to damp the resulting oscillations. This is done by studying the IEEE First Benchmark Model (FBM) for computer simulation of sub-synchronous resonance as test system. Analysis is conducted in both time domain and frequency domain to understand the parameters that affect the system’s stability and create the unstable sub-synchronous oscillations. The software employed is PSCAD/EMTDC. The frequency-domain analysis includes the use of the net positive damping criteria to assess the stability of the system For the mitigation of the SSCI oscillations, a STATCOM installed at the DFIG wind farm bus is employed. It is assumed that this STATCOM is there for the purpose of reactive power compensation and grid code compliance of the wind farm. For SSCI oscillation damping, a controller is designed and tested. The damping controller is based on detecting the presence of sub-synchronous oscillation and then determining its frequency on-line. Next this frequency is used to extract the unstable component from the active power signal. This extracted signal is then multiplied by an empirical gain and afterwards used to modulate the voltage reference of the STATCOM voltage controller. This method was found to damp both oscillations on voltage and power signals.\n\nPublikationen registrerades 2017-02-27. Den ändrades senast 2017-02-27\n\nCPL ID: 248309\n\nDetta är en tjänst från Chalmers bibliotek", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9994831681251526}
{"content": "Why August 5th Matters In Rock History\n\n\n\n\n- In 1972, Clive Davis signed a young band called Aerosmith to CBS Records after seeing them play Max’s Kansas City in New York. They received $125,000 at the signing.\n\n\n- In 1957, American Bandstand first aired nationally.\n\n\n- And in 2003, Smash Mouth released their album Get the Picture and celebrated with a performance at a New York Toys ‘R’ Us. \n\nAnd that’s what happened today in rock history.\n\nOriginal article by Dave Basner at iHeartRadio", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999858736991882}
{"content": "Show all\n\n    Your True DNA\n\n    $19.99 $0.00\n\n    Receive a free hardcover copy with $6.33 shipping and handling\n\n    A pattern and a path to discovering what you are meant to do in your life based on the identity of your Gift.\n\n    Each of us are created with a unique Divine Attribute and each day we are given opportunities to apply it in our life. In so doing we come to realize our purpose and that purpose leads to our call.\n\n    Thom’s book shows how to identify and confirm your Gift so you can move to purpose and ultimate fulfillment, meaning, and joy in life.\n\n    Thom shares from what he has experienced in his own life as an example of this journey.\n\n    Join other uncommon companions like yourself who are on a journey of self-discovery based on God’s Gift.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9808354377746582}
{"content": "Group stages for the Bucharest Major have begun and in OG’s first match, support player Jesse “Jerax” Vainikka pulled some serious mind games.\n\nOne of Jerax’s best-known heroes is his Earth Spirit, a warrior of stone that has a lot of mobility and some tricky abilities. During a lull in the action in OG’s match against Natus Vincere, Jerax decided to use the enemy’s expectations to his advantage.\n\nJerax rolls into the base and blinks out, which might look like a ward attempt to the enemy team. Wards grant crucial vision, and one planted squarely where Jerax rolled to would let OG know which heroes were lurking around the walls of the Radiant base. Wards are also invisible, and so to remove them, Na’Vi would need to guess the location and drop an invisibility-breaking blue ward to see and destroy the sight-giving yellow ward.\n\nExcept Jerax didn’t plant any wards. He simply rolled in and used his blink dagger to pop back out, making it look like he did. And so Na’Vi spend the next few moments baffled, dropping blue wards to try and find the yellow they think Jerax planted. At 100 gold a pop, it’s not a cheap investment, and you can see Na’Vi queuing up and dropping blues, rotating heroes to scour the landscape.\n\n\nWith one little play, Jerax tricked the opposing team into wasting hundreds of gold in wards and precious time for Na’Vi’s heroes to farm resources. OG would win the match, their first of the round-robin stage.\n\nIf you missed the games from Bucharest, which started in the twilight hours this morning for most of the US, you can catch a re-run or browse the VODs over at PGL’s Twitch channel.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9611834287643433}
{"content": "[EOSIO/eos] Account have sufficient balance, but can’t buy ram or delegatebw cpu (#4297)\n\nYeah this is a big issue. These accounts are effectively stuck and can’t do anything. Really poor design choice to not let accounts delegate bandwidth to themselves, because there is not enough bandwidth available to perform the actions.\n\nThis post was last modified on July 6, 2018, 7:01 pm", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9984986782073975}
{"content": "Signs of Traumatic Brain Injury\n\nPersonal injury attorneys work through cases involving various injuries, including fractured spines, burns, broken legs, sprains, and head injuries. One of the most severe injuries that personal injury attorneys work through is traumatic brain injuries. Traumatic brain injuries range on a scale from mild to severe, and may lead to neurobiological injuries, generating lifelong damages, also varying from mild to severe. Moderate brain injury involves lost consciousness, ranging from approximately 20 minutes to 6 hours. Severe brain injury involves lost consciousness for greater than 6 hours. The impact of moderate to severe brain injury is dependent upon the severity of the initial injury, the range of physiological recovery, affected functionality, resources available to help recovery, and affected functionality aside from the traumatic brain injury.\n\n\nCognitive deficits involve various functioning difficulties, that impact an individual’s daily functioning after an event. Throughout a lawsuit, attorneys explore all of the differences between an individual’s cognitive deficit post-accident, and how that individual’s daily life is affected. Cognitive deficits include complications with attention, concentration, distractability, memory, processing speed, confusion, preservation, impulsiveness, and language processing. All of these variables are part of regular behavior, which is why they all play a predominant role in traumatic brain injury. Speech and language also involve daily functioning, including how we communicate with others, how we process ideas mentally, how we complete our school or work projects, how we read, and how we remember past events. Traumatic brain injuries affect speech and language in various ways, including not understanding the spoken word, difficulty speaking, difficulty being understood, slurred speech, speaking rapidly, speaking slowly, difficulty reading, and difficulty writing.\n\n\nThe five human senses are the mechanism for how we perceive the world. Sight allows us to visually interpret our experiences, seeing our loved ones, reading through complex work instructions or documents, and recognizing how others look. Smell allows us to smell baked goods in the oven, and is the sense that is most strongly associated with memory. Hearing allows us to learn the alphabet as children, and listen to our favorite music as adults. Touch allows us to perceive different textures. Taste allows us to taste our favorite foods, with different spices and seasonings. The five senses are all vital to our daily functioning and processes, and losing any of the five senses partially or completely impacts our human functioning. Traumatic brain injuries impact vision with partial or total vision loss, weakening of eye muscles, double vision, blurry vision, difficulty with distance perception, involuntary eye movements, and sensitivity to light. Hearing difficulties from brain injury include decrease of hearing, loss of hearing, sensitivity to sounds, and ringing in the ears. Those who suffer from traumatic brain injury may also experience loss or diminishes sense of smell. Some may experience loss or diminished sense of taste.\n\n\nTraumatic brain injury may also cause seizures, which are convulsions associated with epilepsy. There are various types of seizures, and they may include changes in consciousness, sensory perception (symptoms discussed previously), and changes in motor movements. Physical changes resulting from traumatic brain injury include physical paralysis, menstrual difficulties, difficult regulating body temperature, changes in appetite, stamina loss, sleep difficulties, difficulties controlling bowel and bladder movements, and chronic pain. Social-emotional changes may also result from traumatic brain injury. Social-emotional functionality that may be affected includes dependent behaviors, emotional ability, lack of motivation, increased irritability, aggression, depression, and lack of awareness. Traumatic brain injuries, whether minor or severe, are devastating injuries that result after an accident. Traumatic brain injury symptoms may begin to appear within days after the accident, which is one reason why it is essential to seek medical attention immediately after an accident. Traumatic brain injuries may be minor or severe. Traumatic brain injuries involve cognitive defects, speech and language difficulties, changes in sensory perception, seizures, physical changes, and  social-emotional changes. If you believe you are experiencing any of the discussed symptoms, or additional symptoms, contact a personal injury attorney to represent you in the court of law. When hiring a personal injury attorney, look for someone who is experienced with traumatic brain injuries, and an attorney who is eager to obtain compensation for your devastating injuries.\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9970672130584717}
{"content": "7 Patton Ave., Asheville, NC 28801\n\n\n\nUNTITLED BAR CONCEPT | Opening 2018: Located in the southeast corner of Hotel Arras, a luxury condominium and hotel located in the heart of downtown Asheville.\n\nThe Bar is slated to open shortly after the opening of the hotel. The space will feature small plates and hand crafted cocktails in a modern and relaxed atmosphere. Guests will enjoy a culinary approach to cocktails that are on par with the cuisine.\n\nKeeping with the Mandara ethos, we will incorporate local ingredients and global flavors while maintaining a seasonal focus. Every bite and sip will be a perfectly composed symphony of simplicity, flavor and delight.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9998414516448975}
{"content": "Gala 2018\n\nCommentary/Op-Ed - July 2013\n\nBuilding the American Workforce\n\nEmployers need more workers with middle skills qualifications, but the supply of applicants with more than a high school diploma and less than a bachelor’s degree doesn't match the demand. In a Council on Foreign Relations report, CUF senior fellow Tom Hilliard argues that policymakers can narrow this gap by overhauling the national workforce development system.\n\nby Tom Hilliard\n\nTags: economic opportunity workforce development human capital higher education community colleges\n\nThis report was published by Council on Foreign Relations and is reprinted with permission.\n\nClick here to download the full report as a PDF.\n\nThere has never been greater urgency for expanding and improving U.S. workforce training programs. Even before the onset of the Great Recession, an alarming number of Americans lacked the skills and education credentials needed to compete for decent-paying jobs in an economy transformed by globalization and accelerating technological change. In the Great Recession’s wake, new jobs capable of supporting a family will increasingly require more than a high school diploma.\n\nJournalists and policymakers have focused predominantly on the quantity and quality of jobs being created in the U.S. economy. They should also pay attention to the difficulty of training people to qualify for those jobs. Employers claim they cannot find job candidates with appropriate vocational training, work-related soft skills, or aptitude in reading, writing, and math. Such skills have always been expected in the high-skill occupations reserved for holders of bachelor’s and advanced degrees. But to an unprecedented extent, employers now need and expect applicants with “middle skills” qualifications—a level of education and training beyond a high school diploma, but less than a bachelor’s degree. The supply of middle-skilled jobseekers lags behind.\n\nPolicymakers can narrow this skills gap and prepare the workforce of tomorrow by overhauling the national workforce-development system. Workforce providers do not serve enough of the disadvantaged, low-skilled population that needs services and would provide a high-yield return on investment. They are also not adequately engaging with employers to ensure their workforce services are the ones that employers genuinely need, too often emphasizing inadequate short-term services over better longer-term training toward market-recognized credentials. Finally, the workforce field has grown increasingly fragmented as major programs harden within silos and goals are set without regard for any larger vision.\n\nEmployers and disadvantaged workers desperately need a high-functioning workforce system. Now is the right time to build it. The most important changes cost little, but prepare the ground to spend taxpayer dollars much more effectively. The federal government should begin by: establishing a broad and integrative vision across workforce, postsecondary, adult education, and social-services programs; developing performance measures that align across multiple systems; and rewarding providers for helping disadvantaged clients hit milestones toward self-sufficiency. This integrated system should be supported by data warehouses at the federal or state level to connect educational and workforce services with data on employment outcomes. The overhauled system should be funded at a level large enough to bolster regional labor markets.\n\nWith a common vision and a careful division of responsibility between all the stakeholders in building human capital, the United States could secure its long-term competitiveness and prosperity in a dynamic global economy.\n\nLabor Market Transforms, Workforce Stays Behind\n\nWhen news broke in the fall of 2012 that New York City’s poverty rate rose to nearly 21 percent, the highest point in more than a decade, a spokesperson for Mayor Michael Bloomberg pointed to a surprising culprit: the growing skills gap. “These poverty numbers reflect a national challenge: the U.S. economy has shifted and too many people are getting left behind without the skills they need to compete and succeed.”\nIndeed, the combination of globalization and technological advances has transformed the economy in recent years. One result is that the skills demanded by employers in virtually every industry have risen dramatically. But the skills of the country’s workforce have lagged behind.\n\n\nOnce upon a time, breakthroughs in technology disrupted the established order. Today, technological change is the established order. The accelerating pace of discovery and application shapes the kinds of jobs Americans can do, and raises the qualifications needed to obtain and keep those jobs. Tasks that can be reduced to a set of rules will be shifted to the least expensive workplace setting. By coding the task, an employer can shift it to a computer (e.g., tax preparation), a robot (e.g., warehouse order fulfillment and battery production), or overseas (e.g., smartphone production and customer service).\n\nThe effect of the technological revolution has been profound. Where legal secretaries once typed up and laboriously formatted court briefs, specialized software conducts those tasks automatically, enabling law firms to shrink their administrative staffing. Where travelers once purchased airplane tickets from travel agents and airline personnel, they now go online. Shoes once made on a cobbler’s bench and later manufactured on an assembly line are now produced, distributed, and increasingly sold without ever being held by a human hand.\n\nAt the same time, the globalization of the U.S. economy has opened up the U.S. labor market to international competition, especially in the tradable goods and services sector. Companies have greater capacity than ever before to move their worksites to locations with the lowest labor costs, and to build complex equipment by linking supply chains from multiple countries. Competitive pressure on employers to reduce labor costs and develop flexible production processes has grown more intense.\n\nStill, many occupations, particularly in the nontradable service sector, cannot be outsourced abroad or replaced by technology. An actual person needs to perform high-touch tasks like sweeping floors, caring for disabled seniors, or making burritos. But such occupations have few entry requirements. The supply of workers who apply for them greatly exceeds the demand, resulting in low wages and unstable working conditions.\n\nOccupations that employers reward with higher wages and benefits require skills in thinking and communicating that cannot be reduced to a code. These include occupations like auto mechanics who once learned how to fix cars by watching other mechanics fix them. Today, computerized diagnostic systems locate a car’s problems, but the mechanic must be able to identify which diagnostic tests to use and how to interpret the findings. A salesperson must explain why one microprocessor design works better than another, and take a customized order requiring informed and probing questions.\n\nThe twin forces of globalization and technology have eliminated whole occupations whose tasks can be carried out more cheaply by computers or foreign workers. Between 1980 and 2010, employment doubled in high-skill occupations that require expert thinking and complex communications, such as engineers, managers, and scientists. Meanwhile, occupations vulnerable to automation or outsourcing, such as administrative support, rose only slightly.\n\nManufacturing was hit hardest. Over the past half-century, hundreds of American factories closed, and the remaining plants survived through automation. After World War II, manufacturing accounted for 25 percent of all U.S. employment, but by 2009 the share had fallen to 11 percent. The decline accelerated after 1980. In that year, machine operators accounted for 10 percent of the U.S. workforce; by 2010, they accounted for only 4 percent.\n\nAs flexibility and adaptability have become essential to competitive companies, they have transferred the risks associated with a volatile consumer market to their workforce. The result has been soaring growth of the contingent workforce—workers whose job tenure is temporary, and who in most cases are employed by a staffing firm rather than the employer using their services. In 1999, employers used an estimated 990,000 contingent workers nationwide. By 2007, the number of contingent workers had grown to three million. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that by 2018 the contingent workforce will expand to six million. These contingent workers are not, for the most part, choosing a more flexible work life, but simply taking employment where they can find it.\n\n\nThe workers who have weathered the storm the best have postsecondary degrees. Over the past decade, adults with some college or an associate’s degree have consistently earned about 20 percent more than adults with only a high school diploma, while adults with a bachelor’s degree earned roughly twice as much. Since the 2007–2009 recession, the number of jobs requiring a high school diploma or less has fallen by 10 percent, while jobs requiring some college or an associate’s degree held steady, and the number of jobs requiring a bachelor’s degree or better rose by 5 percent.\n\nBut although economic success depends on postsecondary education, that education need not take the form of a traditional four-year bachelor’s degree. Workers can receive an income boost from completing an apprenticeship or on-the-job training program, as well as earning a vocational certificate, industry certification, or associate’s degree. More than twenty-nine million jobs requiring middle-skill education or training pay more than $35,000 annually. One in four workers with licenses and certificates earns more than the average employee with a bachelor’s degree, as do three in ten workers with an associate’s degree. Some certificates are even more rewarding than bachelor’s degrees for people who work in their field of study. An adult with an aviation certificate, for example, can earn $65,000, and some computer/IT certificates offer $70,000 in annual earnings.\n\nJobs in this middle-skill segment of the American labor market are projected to grow more rapidly than lower-skill jobs over the next decade. About 38 percent of the labor market, or forty-five million adults, held middle-skill jobs in 2010. The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that occupations requiring a postsecondary credential will grow about five percentage points faster than those that do not. Middle-skill postsecondary employment is expected to rise by 17.5 percent from 2010 to 2020—about the same rate as high-skill employment (see Table 1). Meanwhile, middle-skill employment requiring apprenticeships and job training is expected to grow by about 13.4 percent, which is faster than low-skilled job growth.\n\nYet employers are struggling to fill middle-skill jobs with qualified candidates, despite the weak economy inherited from the recent recession. Employers report again and again that they face a chronic gap in the skills needed for job openings compared to those possessed by job applicants. In 2010, at a time when the nation’s unemployment rate was still well over 8 percent and millions of Americans had been jobless for more than a year, more than half of American employers reported difficulty filling positions because of a lack of suitable skills. In another national survey, more than half of employers (53 percent) said their company faces a major challenge in recruiting non-managerial employees with the needed skills, training, and education. Two-thirds of manufacturing firms, according to a Manufacturing Institute survey, have either a moderate or severe shortage of qualified workers; almost half of the surveyed companies reported a severe shortage of production workers, which remains an important occupation for middle-skilled adults.\n\nThe middle-skills gap damages job creation and economic mobility. Employers are less likely to create good jobs with long-term advancement potential if the productivity of their workers does not cover their higher wages. A recent McKinsey study found that 86 percent of U.S. employers surveyed would pay more for a job candidate with the right training and hands-on experience—more than any of the other eight countries surveyed. In the absence of those skilled candidates, employers will compete on the basis of lower costs, a path that leads to outsourcing and widespread use of part-time and temporary workers.\n\nDisadvantaged and displaced adults are the ones hit hardest by the middle-skills gap. Disadvantaged adults often live in high-poverty or distressed areas, and struggle with chronic unemployment, fewer job opportunities, and low pay. These adults may have been poorly served by the formal education system, and in many cases dropped out of high school or graduated with poor literacy and numeracy skills.\n\nDisplaced adults have lost their jobs, in most cases because of the labor-market trends described above. Many have worked for a single employer for more than ten years, and their current skills set may not be suited to a change in industry or occupation. Even as unemployment in the general population shrinks, the number of long-term unemployed continues to grow. The population of long-term unemployed adults as a share of all unemployed adults is now higher than at any point since the Great Depression. Almost four out of ten jobseekers have been looking for work for at least six months. Some economists argue that many of these adults remain unemployed because they lack the qualifications required for new job openings. But the problem is not simply an overall lack of skills, since many of the long-term jobless actually possess higher skills than competitors who are quickly rehired, but the decay of their skills and the lack of direct contact with employers.\n\nThese disadvantaged and displaced workers need something different from the traditional post-secondary experience: four years on a college campus, ivied walls, and grassy quads. They need education that moves more quickly and engages directly with employers. This is where middle-skill attainment and the workforce system intersect.\n\n\nThe middle-skills gap refers not to one specific kind of skill set, but several that are interrelated. Hiring managers want a broad and varied spectrum of skills, which they do not always clearly articulate to jobseekers. These skills start with vocational skills specific to the occupation or sector, include basic literacy, numeracy, computer familiarity, and soft skills like punctuality and interpersonal communication, and extend to high-end workplace skills like problem-solving, team management, and creative thinking.\n\nOne useful way of visualizing the dilemma faced by employers and jobseekers is the competency pyramid, a model devised by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (see Figure 1). The model is available for twenty-one separate industries, and the pyramid for each industry is designed by industry leaders, not government officials. The competency pyramid depicts skills needed by all or most jobseekers at the base, moving up to industry-wide vocational skills and then skills needed in specific sectors of the industry, finally reaching management competencies at the summit.\n\nLooking at the bottom half of the pyramid reveals why so many adults never achieve stable careers. The first layer consists of personal competencies such as dependability, integrity, and willingness to learn. The second, academic competencies, comprises the basic skills taught in school (e.g., reading, math, computer proficiency, and communications). The third layer pertains to higher-order soft skills, including teamwork, planning and organizing, working with technology, and creative thinking. The subject of most traditional workforce policy, technical competencies, only emerges in the fourth layer.\n\nThe skills deficits in those first three layers are enormously frustrating to U.S. employers. According to the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy, 14 percent of American adults read at “below basic” literacy level, and another 29 percent read and write at only a basic prose level. This shortfall in the basic tasks of reading, writing, and carrying out simple arithmetic may be the largest factor holding back disadvantaged youth and adults. For example, a survey of human resource professionals conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management found that young people entering the labor market lacked important skills possessed by older workers preparing to retire: most notably, writing in English (51 percent) and professionalism/work ethic (52 percent).\n\nDisadvantaged jobseekers may not know how to scale the base of the competency pyramid and reach the point where they can obtain the technical competencies and credentials that put them on a solid career track. Displaced jobseekers, on the other hand, have developed skills appropriate to their old workplace that may be unsuited for a new career—not only vocationally, but also in terms of basic and soft skills. For example, workers laid off from manufacturing who enter healthcare must navigate a different work culture, with an ethic of teamwork and customer service at odds with the traditional factory floor.\n\nThe informational deficit that employers face in this environment has damaging consequences for the labor market. Hiring managers seek middle-skill candidates with specific occupational or professional credentials, which are easily signaled (although not necessarily up to date). But other skills, such as literacy, computer proficiency, work ethic, and collaborative spirit are more difficult to identify, even in a job interview. In the absence of widely accepted credentials, applicants have every incentive to claim relevant basic, personal, and workplace skills, since their viability as prospective employees depends on it. Employers have responded with a variety of counterproductive workarounds: using software programs that screen out candidates because of formatting mistakes in their resumes, hiring applicants with bachelor’s degrees even when the job does not require it, poaching employees from other companies rather than hiring unemployed adults, or filling positions with temporary workers who can be easily dropped at the first sign of inadequacy. Developing workforce strategies to train adults effectively for open positions and demonstrate their value to employers would be a far more effective alternative.\n\nThe workforce development field can assist jobseekers in navigating their way up the competency pyramid, and assist employers by reducing guesswork in the hiring process and fostering long-term employment relationships. In the twenty-first century economy, there are few win-win opportunities. But workforce development, done properly, is one of them.\n\n 1 2 3 >", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9526247382164001}
{"content": "New Search\n\n\nAbout 0 Results...\n\nLambadi Banjara Muslim people are the residents of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is estimated that they are not local residents of these countries still taking benefits of government services. It is true come from different areas still somehow trying or preparing themselves to get government jobs. They are also known by these names such as Lamani, Lambani, Banjara Lambani. Lambadi Banjara Muslim community people were customarily suppliers of bullock and salt dealer. They don’t only supply salt in the specific area but also supplied worldwide because they were a big famous trader. Lambadi Banjara Muslim speaks Urdu, Hindi and Marwari depending on their culture and residency of different countries like India and Pakistan. They are also called Rahmani predominantly in the state, Uttar Pradesh and used Rahmani as their surname. \nLambadi Banjara Muslim marriage is much simpler and prettier unites two different man and a woman in a lifetime relationship. Lambadi Banjara Muslim bride wears a colorful and pretty costume, when it comes to Lambadi Banjara groom appeared in a very simple attire with some jewelry accessories. Being Muslims, they wear silver rings on their fingers to participate in such a big Lambadi Banjara Muslim matrimony because all the eyes are on their personality outfit.\nAt find your true love for Lambadi Banjara Muslim brides and grooms to build marriage relationship. Simply join us, feel free to begin matrimony search here.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5591909885406494}
{"content": "Bicycle Accident Attorney Kintnersville, Pennsylvania\n\nBicycle Accidents – Kintnersville, PA 18930\n\nBicycle mishaps can result in major and often fatal injuries. Claims to recuperate damages for injuries in bicycle mishaps with autos involve a number of the same problems as any vehicle mishap lawsuit. Liability for bike mishap injuries frequently boils down to negligence– whether the vehicle motorist’s negligence caused the bicyclist’s injuries, and whether any negligence by the bicyclist caused or added to the mishap.\n\nBicycle Accident Liability Fundamentals\n\nBicyclists and motorists are obliged to comply with the rules of the road. These guidelines include traffic laws, as well as the duty to work out common care in regards to one’s own safety which of others on the streets. Like other vehicle mishap claims, bike mishap claims are governed by state law, and frequently informed by state and regional traffic laws.\n\nNegligence and Bike Accidents in Kintnersville, Pennsylvania\n\n\n\nChauffeur Negligence or Recklessness\n\n\nIn a suit declaring negligence by another individual, plaintiffs typically must prove that the offender acted in a way that breached a duty owed to the complainant. In automobile accident cases, this means violating the standard task of care owed to everybody else on or near the highways.\n\nMishap suits boil down to truths particular to the specific case, and typically the capability of the plaintiff to show negligence through eyewitness testimony or other evidence. In automobile accident cases, nevertheless, behaviors which make up traffic violations can constitute “negligence per se.” This implies that if a motorist was mentioned for an infraction such as speeding at the time of the accident, proof of the speeding violation counts as proof of negligence. The concern then shifts to the offender to prove that she or he didn’t cause the plaintiff’s injuries.\n\nBicyclist Negligence – Kintnersville, Pennsylvania 18930\n\nWhether a cyclist sues a driver, or a bicyclist is demanded triggering another person injury, cyclist negligence can determine the outcome of the lawsuit. Examples of bicycle rider negligence consist of riding the wrong way on a one-way street, running a stop indication, and turning suddenly into traffic.\n\n\nIn accident cases involving kids on bicycles, courts hold chauffeurs to a greater requirement. See specifics on child bike mishap liability for more information.\n\nGet Your Legal Claim Evaluated totally free\n\nAccidents involving cars and bicycles can involve serious injuries and big liabilities. Bicycle accident claims often boil down to whether the motorist or the bicyclist negligently caused or added to the accident. This negligence decision can be a complex and need thorough analysis. If you or a loved one has been in a bike accident, you need to talk to an attorney to finest secure your rights. You can have an experienced law firm examine the benefits of your claim free of charge.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9754863381385803}
{"content": "Article Abstract\n\n\nAuthors: Wei Zhao, Yuke Tian, Feng Peng, Jianlin Long, Lan Liu, Meijuan Huang, You Lu\n\n\nPulmonary infections and lung cancer can resemble each other on radiographic images, which makes it difficult to diagnosis accurately and apply an appropriate therapy. Here we report two cases that two postoperative patients with lung adenocarcinoma developed diffuse nodules in bilateral lungs in a month which needed to be distinguished between metastatic malignancies and infectious diseases. Although there are much similarities in disease characteristics of two cases, patient in case one was diagnosed as acute miliary pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) while patient in case two was diagnosed as metastatic disease. The symptoms and pulmonary foci on CT scan of patient in case one improved distinctly after the immediate anti-TB treatment, but the disease of patient in case two progressed after chemotherapy. These findings caution us that differential diagnosis is crucial and have significance in guiding clinical work.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.887719988822937}
{"content": "Le relais d'estelle\n\nArrigas, France\n\nBegin with points examples and supported by formulae. To connect your group writing the following prompts and the lifestyle of thesis statements. With persuasive thesis statements, you write an argument you could use this writing handout. For example thesis statement that show you write a thesis statement worksheet elementaryparaphrase worksheet practice with existing supporting. D or two that contains the previous page. But here're five years. Shows you will begin with thesis statements in developing your thesis.\n\nDifferences between thesis statement worksheet: minutes. For college writing center worksheet. The sentence see examples and the main focus is an example on a thesis. Handouts, techniques for an argument with each develop a thesis. Example, examples are some. Keep in order to support the different examples, if they make them carefully read each develop a thesis statement. Pattern i can appear very different walks of support the main point or explain what is the goal, and clare quilty. You will begin to teach you can write a thesis statement for example argue a labeled thesis statements. Is violent is going to write introduction worksheet created by nancy armstrong thesis statement. Of history fair teacher at the following are showing. Your ideas into a college essay can you write a good thesis statement.\n\nthesis statement examples worksheet\n\nThesis statement examples worksheet\n\nnarrative nonfiction essay examples\n\nThesis statements that the criteria of your essay that position a topic: george. Wolves essay test sheet and the paper conclusion example takes a thesis. Statement may use to illustrate and include this thesis statement. Writing handout e effective essay. Example, a short ielts essay. Entry and research paper on thesis statement starts your work; thesis statement examples. Collection of the thesis will make within. Learn to see examples so everyone can write a thesis statement that will want to narrow down from the sermon, america is a thesis statement with a subject, and research papers help you come up with a paper.\n\n7 page research paper outline\n\nAs your knowledge with the problem analysis. Statements: possible example of the thesis statement is a thesis is thesis statement starts your essay. Different types of handouts thesis more than, to prove. Things you will make you write a position is the rest of the thesis statement with examples to construct a prompt. A thesis statement controls and term paper for later retrieval. Are below and contain two thesis statement. To successful dieting is violent is much stronger! Although schools of thesis example thesis statements worksheet. In preparing students to the sermon thesis statement twice. Writing thesis statement worksheet is something about thesis statements. Thesis statement is weak or your readers would be made. Will write introduction that free. Anecdotes, eudora welty creates a good and public. Of thesis statement and clari y your essay. Point to illustrate how to prove your analysis support the bad theses.\n\nresearch papers 7 army values", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8268121480941772}
{"content": "Spring 2 2018 - Sea to Shining Sea\n\nKickee Pants is an incredibly soft bamboo brand that is a favorite among moms everywhere!\n\nWhy choose Bamboo for your family?\n\nGive your family the best! Give them Kickee Pants!\n\nKickee Pants pieces that are sizes 9-12m and larger and abide by a \"PJ Snug Approved Fit.\" If you are new to Kickee Pants, you might want to consider up sizing in pajamas once you reach that 9-12m size.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9613772630691528}
{"content": "Speed Date Portuguese - Learn Brazilian Portuguese - Portuguese Language Learning For Left Brained People\n\nPDF-file by Ben Wilson\n\nSpeed Date Portuguese - Learn Brazilian Portuguese - Portuguese Language Learning For Left Brained People PDF ebook download Speed Date Portuguese is a language learning system which allows you to have real conversations with local Brazilians much more quickly than traditional approaches to language study.\n\nThe book was created based on the way the author learnt Portuguese. Faced with three hours to wait before going out with a girl who did not speak any English he discovered that most language learning books and phrase books give you very little in terms of real Portuguese to actually be able to make conversation. They were usually a simple collection of phrases or non-related elements of language structure.\n\nSpeed Date Portuguese offers a solution to the usual Portuguese learning problems. It takes you back at the beginning to the key concept missed by most language systems. That is, how do you speak English? As we learnt to talk when we were very young most people have very little knowledge of how to speak English. This is a problem because Portuguese is structured differently to English.\n\nPortuguese has the same structure as the Latin languages (Spanish, Italian, French) so for people from these countries to learn the other language it is fairly easy as they have a similar structure. For an English speaker to learn them they are much more difficult. The first step to success comes in having a greater understanding of the structure of English and then the contrasting structure of Portuguese.\n\nThe book places a heavy emphasis on verbs and the verbs formula from which every single sentence is constructed. Most language learning systems shy away from verbs because people think they are “boring”. However, if faced with a real life meeting with a non-English speaker you more concerned about long silences than being bored reading about verbs.\n\nThe early part of the book offers a 120 verb formulations which if learnt will allow you to make conversation in many different ways. This can contrasted with learning say 120 words of vocabulary. With 120 verbs formulations you can say “I will go, I went, I had, I would have, I was doing, I am, we were etc”. The possibility of conversation thereafter is almost infinite compared to knowing a set of random words “cat, red, table, car”. This works well on a date because in general it is possible to quickly look up a word, e.g. dog or you could mime a dog barking or simply point at one across the square. To mime or look up “I used to have” is difficult.\n\nThe latter section of the book has in-depth Portuguese vocabulary to compliment the verb structure. The book has hundreds of example sentences throughout to give you a feel of the speaking Portuguese. It also has some powerful methods for rapidly learning the language.\n\nThe Book Takes A Left Brained Approach To Language Learning And Delivers Fast And Powerful Results. If you are more analytical, logical based in your problem solving this book will give you a breakthrough when it comes to Portuguese language study compared to more traditional approaches\n\nThis book is the Brazil Edition. For Portuguese outside of Brazil please see the Portugal Edition\n\neBook Speed Date Portuguese - Learn Brazilian Portuguese - Portuguese Language Learning For Left Brained People\n\nspeed_date_portuguese_learn_brazilian.pdfPDF2.9 Mb\nspeed_date_portuguese_learn_brazilian.rarRAR-archive1.45 Mb\nspeed_date_portuguese_learn_brazilian.torrenttorrent0.08 Mb", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7710713148117065}
{"content": "Neil Gomes\n\nMusic teacher, programmer, and performer, Neil has command over 14 instruments including-STRINGS- Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Guitar, Mandolin, Piano, etc.\n\nWIND- Flute, Alto Saxophone, Trumpet, Clarinet, Harmonica, etc. and others like synthesisers and percussion instruments. Neil is a Grade 7 in violin Grade 5 in Piano, from Trinity College, London. He has also played with the bands of Kailash Kher and Sunidhi Chauhan and produces music as well.\n\nBookings Contact:\n\nHamza Rahimtula\n[email protected]\nPhone: +91 99101 91515", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000100135803223}
{"content": "Welcome to uavster's project portfolio\n\nHere you will find a selection of Ignacio Mellado's present and past projects. Common topics are Computer Vision, Unmanned Vehicles, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Augmented Reality and Software Architecture.\n\nThe Perceptive Portable Device\nCan a smartphone perceive the environment like a human does? Portable devices are full of sensors, but they are still very limited to understand what is happening from a human perspective: Where am I inside the building? Is my user healthy? Is the baby crying? This side project is my quest to give portable devices such capabilities.\nAutonomous LinkQuad quadcopter with Computer Vision\nAutonomous Pelican quadcopter with Computer Vision\nCamera localization with visual markers\nMAVwork released for Parrot AR.Drone\nLaura: Self-driving public transportation. Prototype II.\nLaura: Self-driving public transportation. Prototype I.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8088359236717224}
{"content": "Do I lack self-esteem and self-confidence\n\n Many people want to know the answer to the question : do I lack self-esteem and self-confidence?\n\nAcademic research at Harvard and Ohio State Universities show that 80% of the people wish to increase their self-esteem and self-confidence. This represents a vast majority of the people. Another problem is that many people do not know that the source of their daily problems originates from a lack of self-esteem. In general they do not pay attention to this essential component which is very much connected to happiness.\n\nHaving confidence means that you trust yourself and often trust that your actions will lead to a successful outcome. Even if you may not always succeed you still believe that you have a self-assurance.\n\nSelf-confidence and self-esteem are closely intertwined. Self-esteem is the degree to which you like or dislike yourself.\n\nSelf-worth means how much you value yourself. In a way it is synonymous to self-esteem.\n\nPeople differ in the degree to which they like or dislike themselves. This trait is called self-esteem. Because self-worth and self-esteem have a direct impact on life, substantial academic and psychological research has covered these interesting subjects. For example, self-esteem was found to be directly related to expectations for success: people who possess high self-esteem believe they hold the ability they need in order to succeed at school, university, or at work.\n\nIndividuals with high self-worth and high self-esteem are also likely to take more risks, to choose unconventional jobs, to be less susceptible to external influence, and to be less prone to seek approval from others. Instead, low self-esteem is another way of saying you put little or no value on yourself.\n\nNot surprisingly, Self-Esteem has also been found to relate to Confidence and to Locus of Control; a characteristic by which people believe they are masters of their own life.\n\nHow many people have the potential but are not aware of it? How many people could succeed if they increased their self-esteem by only a little?\n\n\nProfessor Nassif assures you that if you follow and apply the RISE Method not only will you boost your self-esteem but you will also (re)discover what your true potential is and how much you can accomplish.\n\n\n\nThe good news is that self-worth and self-confidence can be gained and improved.\n\n\n\n\nTo know the answer to your question : do I lack self-esteem and self-confidence; do not hesitate to visit\n\nSelf-esteem Free Evaluation Test :\n\n\n\nPlaylist :\n\nGoogle play :\n\nPin It on Pinterest\n\nShare This", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.969907820224762}
{"content": "Comparators 4 How The Tables Have Turned help\n\n\nthis is the ex .\n\ni cant understand what i need to type below: # Create comparative statements as appropriate on the lines below!\n\n\nyou need to make the bool variables True or False as asked. you have the first one filled in so you need to do others similarily. fe. you can make bool_four False by:\nbool_four = 17 == 4**2 which is abviously not True", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7490439414978027}
{"content": "Raffaello Giovagnoli\n\nGiovagnoli, Raffaello\n\n\nBorn Mar. 13, 1838, in Rome; died there Aug. 15, 1915. Italian writer.\n\nGiovagnoli was a participant in the Risorgimento and an associate of G. Garibaldi. His historical novels dealing with ancient Rome, including Plautilla (1878), Saturnino (1879), and Messalina (1885), convey a romantic enthusiasm for the struggle against tyranny and a sharp anticlericalism. The novel Spartacus (1874; Russian translation, 1880-81), which deals with the revolt of slaves and gladiators in the first century B.C., brought him fame. Despite a certain sentimentalism, this novel glorifies the ancient revolutionary who rose against oppression. With the lessons of the Italian national liberation movement in mind, he makes an appeal in the novel on behalf of the struggle for social justice and equality. Its support of revolutionary ideas guaranteed the novel’s success among the broad masses of the Italian people, as well as its popularity in Russia.\n\n\nIn Russian translation:\nSpartak. Moscow, 1954. (Translated by A. lasnaia, with an introduction by Z. M. Potapova.)\n\n\nPoluiakhtova, I. K. Istoriia italïianskoi literatury XIX veka (Epokha Risordzhimento). Moscow, 1970. Pages 183-88.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7067794799804688}
{"content": "The fantasy of Trump and his Muslim ban only exists on the pages of the Third Progressive Party, aka \"the media.\"\n\nSeven countries are on Trump's list,  totaling less than 180 million Muslims.  There are 1.4 billion Muslims in the world.  The notion that Trump's ban is a \"Muslim ban\" is as big a lie as has been told,  to date.  The truth is this:  there are 1.2 billion Muslims not on Trump's list.  On the map, below,  the first six nations plus Turkey,  have a total Muslim population of 1 billion  . . . . .    so stop with the crap lie that Trump is anti-Muslim.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.872130274772644}
{"content": "There are many languages to be found across the face of Middengeard. Some vibrant and verbose, some a clipped and practical. Many fall in between. Some are dead and exist only on ancient tablets. This post will detail the languages available to characters.\n\nRegional Languages: All characters will start with the regional language of their home. Literacy will be available/unavailable as per usual. Geography may limit what languages a character can take. The regional languages are as follows:\n\nNotaran: The language of the Imperial Republic of Notaras. One of the oldest in the world. The language is phonetic, utilizing a series of 30 letters (including accented variants).\n\nBarcenillsian: The language of the Feudal Kingdom of Barcenillas. Uses a phonetic alphabet of 33 letters (including accented variants). Bards tend to favor this language for songs dealing with romance or legend.\n\nRockhavian: The language of the Feudal Kingdom of Rockhaven. Influenced by certain dwarven scripts and uses many of their idioms. They use Barcenillsian letters but have no accents (26 letters). In many ways it has become the standard for treatices on architecture, stonework, etc.\n\nBeredoo: The language of the people of the Beredoo Islands. Uses an intricate and precise series of pictographs to convey ideas in writing.\n\nWantanakan: The tribal language of the Wantanaka. Emphasizes vowels rather than consonants. Strictly an oral language, although some scholars have attempted transcribing words and simple phrases.\n\nTlahtoa: The language of the Kingdom of Toca. Nonliterary, though the artists of the Toca convey wonderful stories through bas-relief and murals.\n\nGlozel: The language of the Commonwealth of Shias. 28 letters, no vowels. Vowel sounds are inserted as contextually appropriate. A form of Glozel has been spoken for as long as anyone can remember. Many religious texts rely heavily on it.\n\nRacial Languages: Characters with a race other than human will start with the corresponding racial language. As a general rule people tend to favor talking in a racial language over other types. Different communities will have different dialects of a racial language, but they are close enough to be understood. Racial languages will follow the default descriptions and flavor. Exceptions or additions are noted below.\n\nDraconic: The language of the great dragons has become the standard for scholarly works. Many noble houses employ tutors to ensure their children have a firm grasp of this language.\n\n\nRegional sub-languages (Dialects): There exist in many places minor languages that the populace may speak. These dialects are never the official language. In some places the dialects only have minor variations and by taking the base language you can also communicate in the dialects (Think northern US compared to southern US). In a few cases there is a regional sublanguage that is part of the cultural heritage. These are often not spoken at all outside their areas, and even within the area not all would necessarily understand (Think Ireland and Gaelic). If you're interested in dialects or sub-languages let me know I can fill you in on a given area.\n\nThis list is not complete. I'll be updating it periodically and as necessary.\n\n\nMiddengeard: Scales of War AMBusam AMBusam", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5101121664047241}
{"content": "Why Am I Being Asked To Re-Register My Account?\n\nTip: Unless you manually deleted your account, your data is safe and you do not need to re-register.\n\nIf you log into Pen Pals and are asked to re-register your account (i.e. don't see any of your friends or messages), don't panic - your data is safe 😃\n\nRemember - Pen Pals offers two ways to register when you first signup (via Phone Number or via Facebook). The simplest explanation is you most-likely logged in via the wrong method. \n\nFor example - if you originally registered with your Phone Number but then try logging back into the app via Facebook, the system will not recognize you and will ask you to register for an account.\n\nIf you accidentally login via the wrong method, simply delete the app and re-download.\n\nNow, just log back into the app via the method you originally used when you first registered your account and you'll see all of your data, including your friends and messages.\n\nStill need help? How Can We Help? How Can We Help?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.645106315612793}
{"content": "Rasmussen urged NATO allies to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons\n\nFormer NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that now is the time for NATO allies, especially the United States, to provide Ukraine with defensive lethal weapons. \"This will have an effect of deterrence against the armed forces supported by Russia,\" he said in an interview with Ukrinform.\n\n\"I also advocate that the US grant Ukraine a special status, the so-called major non-NATO ally (MNNA). This will not provide security guarantees for Ukraine, but it will allow potential access to certain types of weapons. More importantly, it will become a powerful signal to Russia about Washington's obligations towards Ukraine,\" Rasmussen stressed.\n\nRasmussen also said that it is necessary to involve the US in negotiations in the Normandy format.\n\n\"’Minsk’ is the best format for keeping Putin at the negotiating table. However, I am skeptical that Moscow views Minsk as a real opportunity to resolve the conflict in Eastern Ukraine. This is, rather, a way of strengthening Russian supporters in the region. I am convinced that the best option is to preserve the Normandy partners but also with the involvement of the US in the negotiations. There must be a clear definition of what achievements there should be and when,\" he concluded.\n\nUkraine has asked the US in the past to join the Normandy format. The possibility of expanding the Normandy Four has been raised from time to time at various levels. The most popular proposal is to include the United States and Great Britain as guarantors of Ukraine's security according to the Budapest Memorandum. Poland also expressed a desire to join the talks, but this proposal was blocked by Russia in 2014.\n\nThe main complaint about the Normandy format is the lack of significant progress reaching a peaceful settlement.\n\n  Ukraine, NATO, Weapons to Ukraine, Rasmussen", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9219081997871399}
{"content": "The Powers of The Celts\n\nJason Pitzl-Waters —  June 29, 2006 — Leave a comment\n\nSo I was reading a story about the Viking Festival in Denmark (think Renaissance Festivals except with more Vikings and overt paganism) when I came across an odd claim that I had never heard before. It had to do with Celtic women (and Vikings of course).\n\n“Eventually, the Vikings took Celtic wives and proceeded to convert from Paganism to Christianity. They settled into family lives, which motivated them to become farmers, and teachers of poetry, music and folklore.”\n\nYes, thanks to Celtic wives the bloody Vikings settled down and converted. They then finally learned about farmings, music, and poetry! I wonder why I had never heard the “Celtic wives” theory of Viking decline before? But perhaps I shouldn’t mock the civilizing power of the Celts, according to scientists at the University College London the Celts were better survivors than anyone had figured.\n\n“A new genetic survey of Y chromosomes throughout the British Isles has revealed a very different story. The Celtic inhabitants of Britain were real survivors. Nowhere were they entirely replaced by the invaders and they survive in high proportions, often 50 percent or more, throughout the British Isles, according to a study by Dr. Cristian Capelli, Dr. David B. Goldstein and others at University College London. The study, being reported today in Current Biology, was based on comparing Y chromosomes sampled throughout the British Isles with the invaders’ Y chromosomes, as represented by the present-day descendants of the Danes, Vikings (in Norway) and Anglo-Saxons (in Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany).”\n\nBut if you look closely at their findings, it isn’t so much that the “Celts” survived (“Celtic” being a linguistic/cultural term), as perhaps the original neolithic population of Britain, who were “reculturalized” by “Celtic” invaders/visitors (and hence became “Celtic” for all intents and purposes).\n\n“In a study two years ago Dr. Goldstein and colleagues established that Y chromosomes of Celtic populations were almost identical with those of the Basques…they have long been regarded as likely remnants of the first modern humans to reach Europe some 30,000 years ago, during the Paleolithic…By this chain of reasoning, the Celtic-speaking men, since genetically very close to the Basques, must also be drawn from the original Paleolithic inhabitants of Europe, and probably represent the first modern human inhabitants of Britain who settled the islands some 10,000 years ago, Dr. Goldstein said. These original Britons must later have adopted from Europe both the Celtic culture, evidence of which appears from some 3,000 years ago, and the Celtic language, which is a branch of the Indo-European language family.”\n\nSo I would guess the take-home message is never underestimate the staying power of the Celts (and in the Vikings case, particularly the Celtic women).\n\nJason Pitzl-Waters", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6448276042938232}
{"content": "Global and Virtual Team Presentation\n\n\nYour organization is expanding globally and you will no longer have direct contact with members of your team. It is important to be able to communicate\n\neffectively so that the project can be executed effectively. The team is tasked with presenting their ideas for working effectively with global and\n\nvirtual teams.\n\nplease answer\n\nAnalyze the effects of globalization of project teams on project execution.\n\nCreate an 2-3 slide presentation regarding global and virtual teams", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9939596056938171}
{"content": "In the never-ending battle for your investment dollars, there will always be new products and new pitches from Wall Street. After all, who wants yesterday's boring old mutual funds when there are newer, shinier products like leveraged exchange-traded funds and hedge funds to tempt you today? And while some new products will catch on and become fairly popular among the masses, others will have a short shelf life or have trouble reaching critical mass. These are the investments you would be better off avoiding in the first place.\n\nThe long and short of it\nAlthough long-short mutual funds have been around in one form or another for many years now, a new breed surfaced more recently that grabbed a lot of attention as they broke onto the scene -- the 130/30 fund. In such a fund, a portfolio manager shorts 30% of the total portfolio assets in stocks he or she believes are overvalued and uses the money from those short sales to invest in more long positions, amounting to 130% of fund assets. Thus, the moniker \"130/30\" refers to the fund's long and short positions, respectively.\n\nIf you believe in the concept of active management, the idea is a sound one. After all, if you have a portfolio manager or management team doing the hard equity research work to find undervalued companies, wouldn't they be equally versed in which companies are overvalued? Why not capitalize on that knowledge by allowing them to short those very companies so you can profit on both ends of the spectrum?\n\nUnfortunately, 130/30 funds haven't exactly been living up to expectations. While some bold market watchers expected inflows to 130/30 funds to reach $1 trillion by now, those estimates have proven grossly optimistic. Since the initial boom back in 2006 and 2007, many 130/30 and other like-minded funds have closed, while other shops have delayed or canceled launches of new products. Now there are just a handful of funds and institutional accounts that use this strategy, with combined assets estimated at around $30 billion, according to The Wall Street Journal. Adding to the clouded future for the funds, RidgeWorth Investments recently announced it would be closing three 130/30 funds by the end of May. The field is definitely getting narrower for these types of investments.\n\nHigh hurdles\nOf course, one of the reasons many 130/30 funds have stumbled is the same reason many plain-vanilla actively managed mutual funds have stumbled: A fund is only as good as its manager. It's been proven time and time again that the majority of active funds can't beat the market over the long run. 130/30 funds face the same hurdle, except now you are adding leverage to the equation, magnifying any potential slip-ups. If your average fund manager can't beat the market, then the average leveraged, long-short, or 130/30 fund will probably fall short by an even wider margin.\n\nAnd then there is the question of expenses. Like most new-to-the-scene investment ideas, 130/30 funds are generally more expensive than the average mutual fund. According to Morningstar, the average large-cap blend fund sports an annual expense ratio of 1.28%, where the average 130/30 fund charges 1.64%, while the average long-short fund (including more than just 130/30 funds) has a shocking 2.10% price tag. Compare that toa low-cost exchange-traded fund like SPDR S&P 500 ETF at just 0.09%! That price differential is just more ground the portfolio manager has to overcome to even match, much less exceed, market returns.\n\nThink twice, buy once\nUltimately what investors need to realize is that, like so many investing ideas, the concept behind 130/30 funds is sound, but in practice, there is a lot left to be desired. I think anyone considering a 130/30 or long-short fund should seriously reconsider whether such a fund is really appropriate for them. If the current trend continues, there may not be many 130/30 funds left in another year or two.\n\nHowever, if you're still jonesing for some downside protection with a fund that can short stocks, stick to a fund with a proven long-term track record. There aren't many in this category, but Hussman Strategic Growth (HSGFX) is one of them. Manager John Hussman has been pessimistic on the U.S. economy for years and fully hedges his investment portfolio. However, he has still found some attractive opportunities in the health care sector, which has lagged the broader market in recent years. Hussman looks for companies that fit within his framework of favorable valuation and favorable market action, or advancing trends across multiple market measures.\n\nThe fund's investment strategy leads to its owning a diverse set of stocks, including large- and mid-cap health care names AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN), biotech firm Life Technologies (Nasdaq: LIFE), and insurance firm Humana (NYSE: HUM). More staid consumer goods stocks Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL) and Clorox (NYSE: CLX) also make the cut in a portfolio that is designed to protect on the downside in what Hussman considers to be an overvalued market. While the fund's pessimistic outlook has contributed to its lagging recent performance, over the past decade, it has beaten the S&P 500 by 2.4 percentage points annually, so investors should do well over the long run.\n\nThe path that 130/30 funds have taken is a fine example of what can happen to trendy, of-the-moment investments. Investors should never jump on the bandwagon of any new product, no matter what its claims are. The truth is for most folks, the old tried-and-true approaches and products will still work best -- that's why they are still around when so many competitors have faded away.\n\n\nTrack your investments by starting a watchlist today. Our new service keeps you in touch with all your favorite stocks and ETFs. Also, sign up now and you'll get immediate access to a new special report, \"6 Stocks to Watch From David and Tom Gardner.\" Click here to get started -- it's all free.\n\nAmanda Kish is the Fool's resident fund advisor for the Rule Your Retirement investment newsletter. At the time of publication, she did not own any of the funds or companies mentioned herein. Clorox is a Motley Fool Income Investor selection. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.524282693862915}
{"content": "Why Should You Use Continuous Integration?\n\nWhat is Continuous Integration (CI)? Put simply, it is the process by which software engineers continuously update working copies of code to a shared location several times a day. The benefits of CI cannot be understated. When CI is used during the software development process, you can expect to realize stability, speed and reliability since teams of people are all working on the same product in real-time. By using CI, developers are able to spot and resolve any coding problems early on in the development process and correct them before they become major issues downstream. This process reduces the costs associated with bad code in the long term.\n\nIn today’s constantly evolving technology environment, the goal posts are always being moved — whether it is what the consumer expects or what the newest and most in-demand coding language is. There are potentially dozens of coding languages that developers are able to use, but what is accepted as the best practice today can easily become outdated in just a few short years or even months. This poses a problem for companies because if a language falls out of use, it can affect product maintenance and support negatively. Teams that are able to adopt CI are better equipped to continuously integrate and modify code as the process moves along, and can adapt better to changes in coding standards and best practices.\n\nBefore the widespread adoption of CI, development teams were bogged down in unnecessary and time-consuming testing processes. Because so much time was wasted on these tasks, there would be an eventual delay in getting the product to market. An automated pipeline of continuous development ensures that only high-quality code makes it into the end product. Automation plays a key role in CI and helps to build a full-bodied development workflow where constant improvement is the goal.\n\nContinuous Integration has a considerable impact on the amount of time spent on QA testing. If CI is not used, QA testers could be spending upwards of 50% of their time running minor tests instead of looking for larger issues. With CI, because developers are constantly reviewing and editing previous code, they are able to head off many of the smaller bugs that QA would normally find. This allows testers to delve deeper and focus on more important problems, and test more use scenarios.\n\nIn the CI framework, code is constantly checked and tested — in most cases several times a day — and because of this, risk is significantly reduced. CI has been described by some as being akin to having a smoke detector in your home. It won’t fix the problem, but it will alert you right away when something goes wrong.\n\nAnother added benefit to development teams using CI is the creativity in coding that it is able to foster. Because continuous development is inherently flexible, developers are able to quickly and easily make changes to the code without running the risk of regressions.\n\nAny firm that isn’t at least investigating continuous integration is going to be left behind. The benefits highlighted here are only beginning to scratch the surface of what CI can do for your company.\n\nPhoto credit\n\n\nOther stories you may enjoy...\n\nBe honest. Describe the state of your test cases.\n\n“There’s some dead wood in there.” “Hmmm…. Someone really needs to clean them up.” “A little outdated.” For those reading this in the northern hemisphere,...\n\nProtecting Your Mobile Workforce\n\nBest Practices and key technology consideration for traveler tracking solutions In an increasingly global economy, employee populations are becoming even more diverse and...\n\nGetting the Most out of Mobile Automation with Appium\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9108885526657104}
{"content": "The following job is no longer available:\nGraduate Trainee - Devon\n\nGraduate Trainee - Devon\n\nPosted 4 April by FT Recruit Ended\nGraduate Trainee\n\nBased in Totnes, we are a young business, with a progressive approach to financial planning and wealth management.\n\nIf you are looking for a career in financial planning/wealth management, and would like to work at a well-respected firm that recognises commitment and success, then we can offer a fantastic opportunity to develop your skills and experience.\n\nThe initial salary range is £18,000 - £25,000, depending on relevant experience. A discretionary annual bonus is also payable.\n\nFinancial support and mentoring, designed to help you obtain the appropriate professional qualifications, will also be provided.\n\nKey accountabilities:\n\n* Work with clients, financial planner(s), product providers and other third parties to gather information necessary to carry out comprehensive financial reviews.\n* Prepare draft strategic financial plans (using lifetime cashflow forecasting software).\n* Undertake investment and product research, as directed by the financial planner(s), to identify solutions that meet clients’ needs and objectives.\n* Prepare draft suitability reports, ensuring all relevant compliance documentation is also produced for clients.\n* Carry out technical analysis and prepare reports on pension taxation or other specialist services, as required.\n* Act as a central point of contact and deal effectively with queries from clients and other parties through effective communication.\n* Maintain a proactive file review system, in accordance with contractual client service responsibilities.\n* Undertake business-related administrative duties, as required.\n\nAbout you:\n\nYou are motivated by wanting to build a career in financial services and interested in delivering the very best financial planning and investment solutions, with the client best interests always coming first.\n\nYou are looking to develop technical and client relationship skills & experience, combining a commitment to self-study with hands-on learning in a supportive work environment.\n\nYou are able to work under pressure and take ownership of tasks, prioritising effectively to meet deadlines.\n\nYou have excellent attention to detail in both written and analytical work.\n\nYou have outstanding people skills and a positive attitude.\n\nYou are always professional, ethical and discreet.\n\n\nThe ability and commitment to achieve a full RDR qualification (CISI investment advice qualification, CII Diploma in Financial Planning, or equivalent) within 12-18 months.\n\nReference: 34820089\n\n\nReport this job", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6390545964241028}
{"content": "Product Manager - Digital Banking\n\nPopular Inc New York, NY\nJoin the Popular Team!\n\n\n\nUS Digital Innovation\n\nThe Digital Banking Product Manager is a collaborative product leader with a user-centric mindset that leads the vision, product planning, product management, go-to-market strategies and operational model for our Direct Bank.\n\nThe Product Manager uses his/her abilities to successfully build trust, partner and achieve consensus among a wide range of business partners and instill passion for user experience across the company.\n\nThis role requires a constant sense of urgency dictated by a rapidly evolving competitive landscape as well as a structured thinker who helps advance the design and execution of the Direct Bank strategy. It is a hands-on product management position that works across the entire product lifecycle from product-market fit, customer experience design, implementation, go-to-market delivery, performance measurement and post launch support.\n\nIn this position, you will:\n\n* Drive the product development process and work in partnership with internal stakeholders across product development, sales, marketing, credit, legal, finance, compliance, operations and executive management to translate business needs into a product strategy that ensures we maintain a highly competitive market position.\n\n* Drive the design and implementation of a scalable operating and servicing model for the Direct Bank that leads to an improved ability to deliver an exceptional customer experience by:\n\n* Identifying process improvement opportunities that enhance the customer's experience\n\n* Partnering but also challenging stakeholders to maximize opportunities from process improvement\n\n* Documenting and monitoring business processes\n\n* Maintain documented competitive, market and customer needs analysis.\n\n* Be responsible for assessing emerging trends, technologies, electronic platforms and potential partnerships that allow us to deliver innovative experiences and that simplify customer experience.\n\n* Define, update and execute the Direct Bank roadmap, constantly incorporating enhancements based on competitive analysis and in partnership with internal and external stakeholders.\n\n* Apply product development process best practices to ensure the product development initiatives comply with the bank's Product Development Policy, responsibilities and requirements.\n\n* Research and document detailed product requirements to ensure that products meet business needs, performance objectives and deliver an exceptional customer experience\n\n* Perform User Acceptance Testing\n\n* Track key performance indicators and provide actionable insights to continuously improve the Direct Bank's performance and profitability.\n\n* In partnership with Marketing, develop and execute marketing plans for products for the assigned segment.\n\n* Be subject matter expert and business owner of the Direct Bank business line\n\nTo be considered, you will need:\n\n* A minimum of 3 years of Financial Services experience in Product Management, Customer Experience, Process Improvement or Digital Banking.\n\n* Bachelor's degree required.\n\n* Deep understanding of digital industry dynamics and competitive landscape.\n\n* Demonstrated process mapping skills\n\n* Demonstrated ability to identify opportunities, quickly understand complex operational problems and define operational improvements in a matrixed organization.\n\n* Experience in the cybersecurity space is a plus\n\n* Demonstrated ability to build partnerships and foster collaboration and teamwork.\n\n* Microsoft office suite with marked proficiency using PowerPoint and Excel.\n\n* Excellent communications skills and proven ability to communicate effectively with senior management.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9922140836715698}
{"content": "Receiving and Storeroom Clerk\n\nHuggins Hospital Wolfeboro, NH\n\nUnder the immediate supervision of the Materials Manager, is responsible for assigned tasks in the receiving, storage, supply and distribution of materials throughout the hospital.\n\n\n\n* Responsible for the Receiving Dock functions including receiving purchased medical products and equipment.\n\n* Matching the physical product against the packing slip.\n\n* Matching the packing slip against the system Purchase Order.\n\n* Receiving the item in the system.\n\n* Primary signer for deliveries (FedEx, UPS, etc.).\n\nStock Items Storeroom\n\n* Maintaining Par levels.\n\n* Inventorying stock items on a daily basis.\n\n* Reporting items that have fallen below or are exceeding establish Par levels.\n\n* Restocking shelves with daily deliveries.\n\n* Assists personnel who come into Materials Management looking for stock items in of an immediate nature.\n\n\n* Inventory of store areas in various department that require product from our stock inventory on a daily basis.\n\n* Maintains an organized inventory count on a daily basis.\n\n* Checks for items on shelf that are nearing or have exceeded their expiration date.\n\n* Makes suggestions to increase or decrease a Par count on a particular item.\n\n* Performs a Zero Inventory physical count at the end of the hospitals fiscal year.\n\nGeneral Support\n\n* Delivering goods to stock and non-stock locations.\n\n* Returning unwanted or outdated products to Materials Management for logging and disposal.\n\n* Printing Forms as required.\n\n* Answering general questions and providing products for walk-in requests.\n\n* Assisting with Housekeeping Storeroom deliveries.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6664609909057617}
{"content": "Hello, College!\n\nWell, I'm finally writing! I've been waiting for a moment when I would have my laptop open and muster up the strength to say no to homework and yes to a little bit of word therapy. I'm not sure if I've officially published this online or not but I'm currently a freshman at Clemson University and I'm majoring in Pre-Professional Health studies. It's been a few weeks since I've moved in - I'm knee deep in classes, done with rush (Alpha Phi!!), and officially over dining hall food. So yes, I'm transitioning to the \"college life\" well, but it still has not been easy. And that right there, is why I haven't been able to post.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9948936700820923}
{"content": "Essay about gregor mendel - Modern Thrill\n\nKafka in the beginning first shows Gregor as a person we can all relate to.\nPhoto provided by Flickr\n\nGregor mendel essay 1866 – pansmeticalancoviconcaseno\n\nThere are greater contrasts in humanity’s collective standard of living than ever before. As of 2014, Bill Gates topped the list of the world’s richest people for nearly all years of the previous 20. In 2000, his net worth was about $100 billion, or about the same as the collective wealth of the poorest hundred million Americans or the poorest half of humanity. Although Gates and other high-technology billionaires can live , for one person to possess the same level of wealth as billions of people collectively is a recent phenomenon. In 2014, about 30 thousand children died each day because of their impoverished conditions.\n\nMendel was not the first to experiment with heredity, and our Lyman Briggs biology class will not be the last to deal with genetics.\nPhoto provided by Flickr\n\nOne of the most notable geneticists was Gregor Mendel\n\n\nI learned from my middle school years, that Gregor Mendel’s experiment on pea pods is an example of genetically modified foods.\nPhoto provided by Flickr\n\nWith that separation from physical reality, speculation frenzies have been major aspects of how stock markets operate. The first bout of market insanity was the . The slave-trade frenzy that fortune was less than a century later and was a stock speculation issue. The , in which greed and fear prevailed. The USA has devolved into the serial bubble economy as its empire has declined, and until the crises of the early 21st century, the USA’s previous market mania was in the 1920s. Back then, companies with nothing more than “” behind them sold stock to the public. It was essentially no different from the that . Those orgies of greed were usually associated with some new product, market, or a financial sleight of hand to finance them. The 1920s bubble was sandwiched between World War I and its sequel, and a . , and there was even a , backed by leading industrialists and politicians who tried to entice into becoming their front man.\n\nPhoto provided by Flickr\n\nMao and stalin compare and contrast essay - …\n\n\nfollow essay online writer Stronger Together\n\nLand colonization was perhaps the Devonian’s most interesting event. The adaptations invented by aquatic life to survive in terrestrial environments were many and varied. Most importantly, the organism would no longer be surrounded by water and had to manage . Nutrient acquisition and reproductive practices would have to change, and the protection that water provided from was gone; plants and animals devised methods to protect themselves from the Sun’s radiation. Also, moving on land and in the air became major bioengineering projects for animals. Breathing air instead of water presented challenges. The pioneers who left water led both aquatic and terrestrial existences. Amphibians had both , and arthropods, whose exoskeletons readily solved the desiccation and structural support problems, evolved to replace their gills, which were probably book gills.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.607414722442627}
{"content": "himalayan salt lampsHimalayan Salt Lamps are made from Himalayan salt crystals and can help to purify indoor air, reduce allergens and improve mood. \n\nThey are natural negative ion generators. At any given time, there are both positive and negative ions in the air. Negative ions occur more often in nature and they are often created by things like lightning storms, sunlight, waterfalls, and ocean waves. This is one of the reasons people often report feeling renewed or refreshed after a storm or at the beach.\n\nPositive ions are often created by electronic devices like computers, TVs, microwaves, and even vacuum cleaners and can often exacerbate problems like allergies, stress and sleep trouble. Negative ions can neutralize positive ions and help cleanse the air.\n\nThe unique combination of salt and a light source in salt lamps are what cause the negative ions. Salt is hygroscopic, meaning that it attracts water to its surface and this water evaporates quickly due to the small amount of heat from the light source which is why salt lamps tend to sweat and appear wet. The negative ions are generated during the evaporation process.\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7962011098861694}
{"content": "? Miniatures of Macugnaga\n\nMiniatures of Macugnaga\n\nMiniature reproductions of the old houses Walser of Macugnaga\n\nMacugnaga, the ancient colony of Z'Makanà Walser, Walser is among the countries that the village, perhaps still best preserves its ancient architectural structures and housing. They are in fact still present several barns (stadal), farms, bread ovens, mills and most splendid houses, which have a high degree of conservation among the best of all the settlements are still inhabited Walser.\n\nThe ancient technique of nesting of the beams, together with stone roofs, or shingles, brick walls, while nell'esiguità of available materials, has led to the development of Walser resisted the relentless passage of time and climate change. The ancient Walser buildings that can be admired today in the territory of Macugnaga, from the beginning of 1600 to 1500 for the houses and barns, they have faced for centuries in perfect harmony with nature, resisting even to large natural disasters that the territory has immediately.\n\nAfter years of research and studies, webegun to to rebuild a scale of 1:25 and with traditional materials and authentic reproduction of these works,which were built by our ancestors with great talent and skill technique, but also with great sacrifice.\n\nEach existing building is initially measured, photographed, carefully researched, cataloged, and then translated faithfully in scale in every detail. Currently we are able to play all types of existing buildings in Macugnaga Walser and other countries (in Italy and Switzerland), whether they are buildings from the past, ignoring the various changes introduced by technology, or are newer buildings that are inspired to 'Walser architecture.\n\ncasetta miniatura\n\nFor any info you can ask to:\nNegozio Marone - Pecetto di Macugnaga (VB)\nTel. +39 0324 65460\n\nWebCam Macugnaga\n\nWebCam Macugnaga", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9691817164421082}
{"content": "Introduction to the Controversy\n\nThe purpose of this website is to compare carbon sequestration in Old-Growth vs. Young-Growth Forests in order to determine which is a better carbon offset to carbon dioxide emissions. We explore recent forest sequestration methods such as Reforestation, Afforestation, and Forest Preservation. Select case studies are discussed, stemming from various climatic settings, in order to describe the difference between old-growth and young-growth forests. \n\nThis website starts by providing a background on recent climate change and carbon offset methods, and then followed by a discussion of key players in the scientific community.  We include a network of papers cited frequently by other members of the scientific community with a breif discussion of their work.\n\nAdditionally, we identify key players in this debate and include a relevant  background on participating government agencies; non-governmental organizations; pertinent legislation; and identify companies with varying degrees of interest in carbon offsets.\n\nThere is much controversy over which type of forest biomass is better suited as an offset: old-growth or young-growth. Studies have shown that both are effective carbon sinks, but old-growth forests are better at storing carbon.  Young-growth forests, however, are better at sequestering (capturing) carbon. We present the pros and cons of both sides of the controversy; provide a time-line of events; and show how the topic has been exploited in the media, political arena and within the scientific community itself.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.790921688079834}
{"content": "Tuesday, July 13, 2010\n\nWhat I learned from Teachers' College and my practicums\n\nFrom Teachers' College:\n- Busywork is the cornerstone of education. If you need to keep the students in the classroom for four hours because the regulations say so, giving them useless busy work is essential.\n- Reflective exercises and assignments are a life-saver when you don't really have anything to talk about/assign.\n- It is possible to reflect on a reflection assignment. No, there is no irony or circle-jerking tautology in this.\n- While the student teachers might get outraged at the notion that teachers are not allowed to fail students anymore, they will not blink an eye at the mutual understanding that all student teachers will receive As and will graduate Teachers' College. (unless they fuck up their practicums)\n- If there is absolutely no filler left (not even reflection), put on some YouTube video somehow related to education and talk about that.\n- While student teachers are required to affirm that they're in the profession because they like to teach/they want to give back to the community/they want to be inspirational figures, it is understood by everyone that the vast majority are in it for the salary and the benefits.\n- A corollary to the point immediately above: a student teacher should never ever admit that she/he went to Teachers' College because she/he didn't have any other options after receiving a bachelor or master's.\n- You will remember why you've hated groupwork back in high school.\n- You will learn that the saying \"those who can't, teach\" has many additional layers of meaning in Teachers' College.\n- The best instructors in Teachers' College are the ones who are the most cynical about the profession.\n\nSo as not to leave on an entirely gloomy note, here's what I learned about teaching, myself, and children from my practicums:\n- The first time you walk to the board and start a lesson you will feel sick.\n- They (the students) can see, hear, and smell fear.\n- You might feel like a fraud in front of the board, but as long as you wear a shirt and tie (skirt and blouse, etc.) and don't show fear they will take you seriously.\n- Learn their names ASAP (at least first names, preferably last names) - it will be your greatest weapon.\n- There are two things that students love, from age 12 to age 18: a good story, and candy. NEVER underestimate the motivating power of candy.\n- Develop a sense of humour. Learn to laugh at yourself first and foremost, learn that it's ok to poke fun at your students from time to time as well. Figure out who the class joker is and use him/her to best advantage!\n- Another powerful weapon in the teacher's arsenal is the seating plan. Even the merest threat of moving the students around is enough to shush them up for a lesson.\n- Group work is heaven-sent for teachers! Even if nothing productive comes out of it, you still managed to waste a whole class.\n- Be prepared to change your plan for the day on the spot. Maybe it'll take the whole lesson to cover what you thought should take only 5 minutes. Maybe there's an assembly that you completely forgot about. Maybe someone was sick in the class. Maybe you forgot about some religious holiday and now half the class is absent.\n- Learn to talk loudly without shouting. Learn when to talk, and when to shut up.\n- Learn to respect your students. They might be functionally illiterate, flighty, surly, opinionated, easily distracted, dense, slow, and a host of other things, but they're still people, and they still have potential and self-worth. Plus it will make your job easier too!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9953943490982056}
{"content": "Tip of the Week: Using Economy of Language in Your Teaching\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPick of the Week: Executive Function Books & Curricula\n\nExecutive function is a set of mental processes that help us organize, make plans, focus our attention, remember things, and juggle multiple tasks. This week, you can SAVE 15%* on any of our books on executive function in students with autism. Use use our promo code EXECFXN at check-out!\n\nExecutive Function Books\n\nUnstuck & On Target is a robust classroom-based curriculum book that helps educators and service providers teach executive function skills to high-functioning students with autism through ready-to-use lessons, materials lists, and intervention tips that reinforce lessons throughout the school day. Topics touched upon include flexibility vocabulary, coping strategies, setting goals, and flexibility in friendship. Lessons will target specific skills, free up the instructor’s time, fit easily into any curriculum, ensure generalization to strengthen home-school connection, and best of all, make learning fun and engaging for students in the classroom! The guide also comes with an accompanying CD-ROM that contains printable game cards, student worksheets, and other materials for each lesson.\n\nSolving Executive Function Challenges is a practical resource for parents, teachers, and therapists helping high-functioning students with autism improve on their executive function skills. To be used with or without the curriculum Unstuck & On Target, this book contains strategies to teach EF skills, including setting and achieving goals and being flexible, as well as ideas for accommodations and actions to address common problems, such as keeping positive, avoiding overload, and coping.\n\nExecutive Skills in Children and Adolescents explains how executive function processes develop and why they play such a key role in children’s behavior and school performance. With more than 24 reproducible checklists, questionnaires, planning sheets, and assessment tools, this manual provides step-by-step guidelines and practical tools to promote executive skill development by implementing environmental modifications, individualized instruction, coaching, and whole-class interventions.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n  • Graphs to help you see and track progress on your goals\n  • Lined note paper\n  • Weekly and daily to-do lists\n  • Space to make note of all day events\n\n\nTip of the Week: Sticking to Your Intervention\n\nRecently I received a phone call from Barbara, the mother of a 14-year-old boy who was displaying inappropriate behaviors on the train during his commute to school. We had put an intervention in place that had been successful for two months. But Barbara reported that it wasn’t working as well anymore, and the inappropriate behaviors were increasing in both intensity and frequency.\n\nBarbara was concerned and fearful that her son’s behaviors could put him in danger. As we began discussing each incident in detail, it became clear that Barbara and her son’s other caretakers had unintentionally stopped following the intervention. A strong intervention will have multiple components, so straying from the intervention is quite common for both parents and teachers (including myself). It’s important to try to address it before it happens to help ensure long term success for your learner.\n\nThere are two simple strategies you can implement to help everyone stick to your intervention.\n\n  1. Close up of woman writing in plannerWrite it down. Some parents I work with choose to print out the steps for their child’s intervention and place them near their computer or in their wallet so they see it on a regular basis. Having access to a reminder of the steps can be an essential part to ensuring success. For example, one of the steps in Barbara’s son’s intervention was access to his favorite comic books with new comic books available every 7-10 days. Barbara put a recurring reminder in her phone that was scheduled to appear every 7 days. Having the visual reminder helped Barbara and her husband stay on schedule with replacing the comic books in their son’s travel backpack, as well as stay on track with all the steps involved in the intervention.\n  2. Check in on a scheduled basis. Barbara and I have set up monthly conference calls for the two of us and any other adults that supervise her son on the train. Each call lasts about 30 minutes and focuses specifically on maintaining the intervention, promoting independence, and systematically reducing the supports her son requires. Depending upon the behavior, you may need to check in more or less frequently.\n\nBarbara’s son has now gone eight months without experiencing any increases in the inappropriate behaviors he once displayed. Because Barbara has instituted the two strategies above, we have also been able to systematically reduce the number of prompts and the frequency of reinforcement so that her son is coming closer and closer to independence.\n\n**Name and identifying characteristics have been changed to protect the identities of my clients.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.927923858165741}
{"content": "European Bluegrass Festival Calendar\n\nEuropean Bluegrass Music AssociationThe European Bluegrass Music Association (EBMA) has a very comprehensive European festival schedule online on their new website. The listing provides information regarding each concert, including the date, location, name of the event, appropriate website or email link, and additional comments about the event. Listings are provided through the end of calendar year 2008.\n\nIn addition to the listing of events, the site also has a thorough guide for US bands interested in touring Europe. The guide includes information regarding venues, travel logistics, lodging, traveling with instruments, merchandise sales, and tips on the various cultural differences you might encounter.\n\nIf you’re in Europe, or considering a summer vacation there, and would like to take in a bluegrass festival or concert, be sure to consult their listing of events.\n\nIf you think you’d like to take your band to Europe on a performance tour, this guide should provide valuable information.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.945277214050293}
{"content": "4D Vision Gym\n\nVision and Learning Disabilities Treatment\n\nVision and Learning\nVision is a Major Piece of the Education Puzzle\n\nIt is estimated that approximately 80% of learning is visual.\nWhen skewed information enters the visual system, the brain tries to “make sense of it,” often in an inefficient, or inaccurate way. Vision and learning issues can cause reading difficulties like poor concentration, low reading comprehension, letter reversals, skipping lines or letters, losing one’s place, words blurring or moving on the page, and the feeling that reading takes longer than it should.\n\nStrong, well-coordinated visual-perceptual skills are necessary for processing the information that enters through the eyes. Proper coordination of visual skills and efficient processing of visual information are essential for optimal performance in reading, writing, social studies, science, math, arts, and music. Vision Therapy will help you succeed in these areas throughout your academic career.\n\nTake this Vision Quiz to learn how much you really know about vision.\n\nPlease read our articles for more information.\n\nVision and Learning Disabilities Treatment\nIf your child exhibits any of the following behaviors, he or she may be suffering from a problem with convergence and/or adequate visual function and/or visual perception. These visual problems can contribute to learning disabilities or, in some cases, can be mistaken or misdiagnosed as learning disabilities.\n\nYour child . . .\n\nSeems bright, but struggles with reading.\nFatigues quickly when reading, with frequent signs of frustration.\nIs unable to sit still; cannot stay on task for any length of time.\nReverses words, numbers or letters.\nHas difficulty remembering spelling words.\nIs disorganized and frustrated when studying visual information.\nFrequently loses his place, skips words or whole lines of text.\nHas poor reading comprehension.\nHas difficulty copying from the board or a book, has sloppy handwriting.\nMedication or tutoring has not been successful in improving school performance.\nHas been labeled LD (learning disabilities), ADD, ADHD, or dyslexic.\nSee more Vision Quizes at Vision Checklists\n\nWhat is the treatment strategy when it is determined that a defect in visual function is present?\n\nWhen indicated, a personalized and interactive Vision Therapy program can be administered under supervision. Each program is individualized to meet a child’s specific visual needs. This type of therapy is short-term and goal-oriented.\n\n\nFont Resize", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9946162700653076}
{"content": "Financial services firms miss out on £130bn opportunity\n\nFinancial services firms miss out on £130bn opportunity\n\nWomen are being put off investment planning by poor financial services marketing and disengaged financial advisers resulting in the industry missing out of £133bn of extra cash, research has revealed.\n\nAccording to research consultancy Kantar’s new Winning over Women study, financial institutions have been overlooking female customers’ needs at every major step of the customer journey, from advertising to the advice relationship.\n\nThis has resulted in women feeling less confident about approaching financial advice, investing more into stocks and shares, and contributing more to their pensions.\n\nKantar's research used a variety of survey methodologies which can be found in the report, including social media analysis of more than 600,000 online conversations, and more than 30,000 interviews with women.\n\nBart Michels, UK country leader for Kantar, said: “Financial institutions are focusing their efforts on the confident, rather than the competent.\n\n\"In failing to develop client experiences rooted in men and women’s fundamentally different perspectives on finance, financial services institutions are missing a very significant business opportunity.”\n\nThe research found the reduced level of female engagement, together with women’s lower level of confidence, has depressed saving rates among women, even though data shows by 2020, 53 per cent of the UK's millionaires will be female.\n\nAccording to the study: \n\n  • 65 per cent of women vs 55 per cent of men self-identified as having ‘low confidence’.\n  • 20 per cent of both men and women self-identified as having ‘medium confidence’.\n  • 15 per cent of women and 25 per cent of men self-identified as having ‘high confidence’.\n\nAs a result of this lack of engagement with women, Kantar's research suggested UK financial institutions are missing a potential £133bn investment opportunity.\n\nThe report said: \"Were financial institutions more engaging to women, and able to support women in increasing their confidence levels for saving and investing to the next decile, an incremental £133bn would potentially be redirected to savings and investments.\"\n\nHowever, this additional money needs to be invested more diversely.\n\nThe study found the lack of engagement and confidence shown by women has resulted in much lower amounts of savings, and a heavy bias towards cash.\n\nKantar's research also revealed behavioural patterns between men and women when it comes to other aspects of personal finance, such as banking transactions, lending and mortgage borrowing.\n\nAccording to the survey, satisfied female clients are twice as likely as men to recommend their bank based on recent transactions.\n\nThe study stated: \"Women are more responsible borrowers than men, taking a more conservative approach to the barriers on the journey to homeownership, such as deposit requirements, monthly affordability and extra costs.\"\n\nDuring a panel session held by Kantar, in association with sister newspaper the Financial Times today (11 October), Emma Nobbs, head of customer on-boarding and engagement at Aviva, highlighted the irony that fewer women than men have life cover, despite approximately 50 per cent of women in Kantar's research claiming their family is their greatest source of happiness.\n\nDavid Wheldon, chief marketing officer for RBS, said while financial services generally has not caught up with their female customers, or reflect where women are today, he said RBS was working to deliver against women's financial needs, using relevant content, various channels and using relevant experiences in its propositions and campaigns.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9857020974159241}
{"content": "Angélica Carrillo\n\n14 following\nAngélica Carrillo\nMore ideas from Angélica\nLou, never a dull moment.\n\neating food on stage, forgetting lyrics and admitting it during a concert, eating oranges at award shows, being in the bathroom when they win an award, i could go on and on but really fame hasnt changed them", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6776735782623291}
{"content": "Glendora Unified School District\n\n\nEngaging record numbers for LCAP: easily & meaningfully\n\nabout a 0 minute read\n\nCalifornia’s LCAP, or Local Control Accountability Plan, is part of California’s system for funding public education. The system first came into effect in 2013-14. Under this system, all California districts are able to have more control over their budgets, but in exchange are required to prepare a plan that describes in detail how districts assess their needs, engage with community members and identify goals along state priority areas. The meaningful engagement of parents, pupils and other stakeholders is critical to the district’s locally controlled budget process. Districts are required to engage parents and a long list of other stakeholders in decisions about how to allocate funds. It is the “accountability” portion of the LCAP.\n\nTwo years after creating their first LCAP, many school districts in California still struggle to get representative participation across all stakeholder groups. In addition, the exhaustive workload have many district resources stretched way too far. This was the case for Glendora Unified School District. Determined to get more representative participation Glendora’s Superintendent turned to Thoughtexchange to help ease the burden of LCAP.\n\n\"A lot of times in meetings, the loudest voice is the one that gets heard, or it is the person who’s angry that shows up at the meeting to speak. The big plus with Thoughtexchange is that you get everybody’s voice instead of just the loudest voice, and you get to hear what people appreciate.\"DR. ROBERT VOORS, SUPERINTENDENT", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9938392639160156}
{"content": "Granite ceramics\n\nGranite tiles cladding of facade surfaces means placement of granite ceramics to flexible aluminium or stainless steel substructure with visible or hidden panel supports. Thermal insulation, such as rock wool and breathable waterproof foil, is usually placed between granite panels and supporting structure of the building. Space between granite plates and thermal insulation is filled with air.\n\nGranite is a special type of material, which is extremely resistant to weather conditions, impacts and aggressive conditions. It can be produced in various shapes and dimensions, depending on the individual requests of the customer and investor.\n\nSince they are available in various textures, colours and sizes, granite panels allow use of modern architectural solutions. Key characteristics of granite ceramics are stability and preservation of original features, but it also gives a building the exclusive look over many years of use.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9994823932647705}
{"content": "Enriching Materials For Body, Mind and Spirit\n\nLabyrinth (June 2018)\nYour Path to Self Discovery\n\nCDN Retail:$28.99\nProduct Code:9780738756615\nAuthor:Christie, Tony\nVendor: Llewellyn Worldwide\n\n\nThe labyrinth is an ancient symbol that has been a source of wonder, wisdom, healing, and enlightenment. In this book, spiritual teacher Tony Christie shares powerful techniques for exploring the healing energy and wisdom of the labyrinth. Discover how to work with labyrinths to quiet your mind and cultivate a sense of balance. Gain insight and answers for the issues that matter most to you. Use the labyrinth as a safe container for letting go of the worries and troubles that weigh down the mind. With the right guidance and intention, every step you take in a labyrinth can bring you greater understanding of your life's purpose and your place in the world.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5019875764846802}
{"content": "The Dream of Enlightenment: The Rise of Modern Philosophy\n\nThe Dream of Enlightenment: The Rise of Modern Philosophy  \n\nby Anthony Gottlieb. 244 pages.\n\nFollowing his first book The Dream of Reason, which covered Western philosophy from the Greeks to the Renaissance, this outlines the next major developmental flowering from the 1630s to the eve of the French revolution encompassing Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza, Locke, Liebniz and Hume.  Mostly amateurs with minimal connections to university they explored the implications of the new science, often through active involvement, and challenged traditional teachings and attitudes. They raised questions relevant to us today about the advance of science and what it means for us, our understanding of ourselves and our ideas about God.  They also raised important questions about how we should best be governed.\n\nAlthough they were pushing forwards they were of their time and Gottlieb sets them in historical context so we may understand them properly. All were involved in challenging the powerful hold of religion while being constrained by their own circumstances and convictions.  How much any of them believed in God is uncertain but they could not explore very far without taking life threatening risks.  The last British execution for blasphemy was 14 years before Hume’s birth in 1711.  The likelihood of severe punishment for freethinkers was receding during his lifetime but still a possibility. Gottlieb outlines and critiques their arguments, praising where due but also showing where they went wrong in their reasoning.\n\nDescartes, Gottlieb says, compromised his work by designing proofs of the existence of God which weakened his philosophy and failed to win over the theologians who condemned his work throughout the 17th century for not making the mind sufficiently independent of the body.  He is criticised for failing to live up to his own aim of scepticism.  Descartes saw his metaphysics as a prelude to finding out about the world and much of his life was spent in practical scientific exploration – mostly superseded although modern applied mathematics is largely based on his invention of analytic geometry.  For Gottlieb, Descartes’ main legacy in philosophy is the idea of a world of matter out there and a ‘private garden’ of one’s own images, thoughts and impressions which raises the question of how we can live in both worlds at once.\n\nHobbes rational attitude to miracles and prophecy and his position on materialism which included maintaining that everything is physical including God took him into heretical territory although he didn’t regard himself as an atheist. He suggested a new way to see government where he started not from utopianism but by imagining a lawless world in the face of which life would be “nasty, brutish and short“(pg 39) and concluded that subjugation to a sovereign authority was the solution.  He lived through the English civil war – a chaotic and terrifying time that likely influenced his pessimism and somewhat despotic solution.  His theory of state did however insist on the consent of the governed and the rule of law and he is now seen as a pioneer of modern political philosophy.\n\n\nMost of the philosophers discussed here stayed safe by keeping their ideas obscure or putting them in the mouth of a ‘friend’ with whom they would not necessarily agree.  Spinoza however made no attempt to disguise his heretical ideas and attack on conventional religion.  Consequently he was excommunicated and made an outlaw from his family and community. Nonetheless he believed in the importance and certainty of God, a conclusion reached through sophisticated reasoning in his Ethics. He was supported in continuing his philosophical writing by admirers and pupils, and he maintained an active interest in the world of science.  He remained an outcast after his death and was only rediscovered in the late 18th century by thinkers who wanted to make a religion out of nature, equating God with nature, although this was not Spinoza’s position.  His philosophy aimed for peace of mind through self knowledge, and divine bliss.\n\nLocke’s earlier working life encompassed medicine, monetary policy, diplomacy and government, and also gardening which made him in German eyes (according to Gottlieb) beyond the pale – being too down to earth and commonsensical.  He in turn had a distaste for the intellectual life and “learned gibberish” (pg 121). His main message was that we must think for ourselves and not trust received wisdom, because others are often wrong.  Consequently he was seen as a defender of the right to rebel although he would have been shocked by how his work was used to justify rebellions against British colonialism. His writings were key in helping to erase the medieval world view in spite of Oxford trying to ban his work.  He argued against an idea espoused by many contemporaries that moral principles and religious truths were inborn, implanted by God, since they require exercise of the mind. His close connections with the Royal Society are apparent in their motto ‘Take nobody’s word for it’.\n\nLeibniz aimed to build a complete system of the world, to explain everything. Gottlieb portrays him as an endearing eccentric who sometimes confused his own mind with God’s. If he couldn’t think of a good reason why God would do something he assumed God couldn’t either. This led him into believing we are in the best all possible worlds for why would God make any other and his attitude was lampooned by Voltaire in his character of Dr Pangloss.  Leibniz was a prodigious intelligence and polymath. He made many significant inventions and ideas for advancement in several fields.  Unfortunately much was left unfinished and remains unpublished.  He didn’t produce a magnum opus yet some of his ideas have proved invaluable such as infinitesimal calculus and binary arithmetic.\n\nHume came first in a 2009 poll of philosophers asked to pick the dead thinker with whom they most identified. Gottlieb suggests he is admired for his brilliantly unsettling writing, his endorsement of naturalism and his gentle manner of challenging cherished beliefs and modesty. His exploration of mind led him to distinguish between ‘relations of ideas’ such as mathematics where definitive proofs can be discovered; and ‘matters of fact’ that lead to inferences based on experience that could have been otherwise. He suggested our actions are mostly guided by the latter, relying more on instinct and habit than deductive reasoning and that we are closer in wisdom to animals, who also employ some level of experimental reasoning, than God.  He trod lightly into delicate territory but Gottlieb suggests he was less concerned to evade persecution than to avoid offending his devout sister and mother, and many clergy friends.  He preferred to let people read between the lines, or not.\n\nIn summary Gottlieb suggests instead of ‘Enlightenment’ it should be really be called ‘The Age of Trying to be More Reasonable’ in the face of intellectual orthodoxy, tradition and religious dogma. The thinkers in this book fought for scientific progress, against the power of religious authority, for toleration of dissent and moves towards democracy.  It was interesting to learn of the range of their activities beyond philosophy and I particularly appreciated Gottlieb setting them in their own time and place – highlighting how we can be trapped inside our own current paradigm in spite of our efforts to escape it. This is a very witty and engaging read, elegantly compressing a vast range of ideas and developments in thought about ourselves and our world. He plans a third volume that will continue the story with Kant.  I hope it isn’t another 16 years before that is published!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.70807945728302}
{"content": "Wednesday, 9 August 2017\n\nLets Discuss the Ear\n\nLet's Discuss the Ear\nWhat comes to mind when you hear the word ‘ ear’? Probably your mum cleaning earwax with a cotton bud. Maybe listening to a boring lecture. I will discuss about how the ear picks sound and responds to it.\nAs someone creates sound, the ear picks the sound waves which travels through the ear canal located in the outer ear. When the sound reaches the middle ear which houses the eardrum, the eardrum vibrates and modifies the sound. The sound waves depart the middle ear and enters the inner ear. The inner ear is closest to the brain and contains the vestibulocochlear nerve shaped like a snail’s shell. It is also referred to as the cochlea which transmits the sound to the cranium or more commonly known as the brain.\nIn conclusion, everyone somehow uses their ear to listen or accessorize. Isn't it amazing that the ear is really so fascinating from the ear canal to the brain. Thank you for taking your time to read about the ear, but before you stop, can you think of other ways of using your ears?\n\nBy Rishaad\n\n1 comment:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.963878333568573}
{"content": "101 Wedding Plan\n\nTips about Wedding Plan\n\nHow To Make Soup In Five Easy Steps\n\nWanting to cook well is something many want to do, but the process you go through to be a grand chef can be overwhelming. Luckily, you can take cooking one technique at a time, so continue reading this article to learn some tips to help you take your meals from ordinary to extraordinary!\n\n\n\nDo you feel like you’re wasting money when you throw away a piece of moldy fruit? Have you ever been tempted to cut the rotten bits out of a piece of fruit and eat the rest? It is not possible to save rotting fruit. After a certain point, the fruit may become moldy, though you may not be able to tell by looking at it. Consuming the fruit could make you very ill.\n\nCooking vegetables quickly improves their overall quality. The longer you cook vegetables, the less flavor and nutrition they have. You have an added bonus, because these certain techniques make vegetables healthier in general. The key to improving your vegetables is learning how you can cook them in the minimum amount of time.\n\n\n\nIt is important to keep your items fresh, so always store your perishable items, sugars, flours, etc, in sealed, airtight bins. Airtight containers will keep your foods safe from bugs, and allow them to stay fresh longer because they are not exposed to air. You buy them pretty much anywhere and they are a beneficial asset.\n\nRead nutrition labels when you buy foods. There are many common supplies in cooking that contain unhealthy ingredients that are hidden. You need to see to it that the ingredients are not high in sugar or sodium because both may cause complications to your health if consumed in large quantities.\n\n\nWhatever reason for becoming a good cook, knowing how to cook will always prove beneficial. Eating with family and friends is a custom that transcends place and culture. If you follow these ideas, you can begin on a journey of becoming a cook, and everyone’s favorite person at dinner parties.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.820769727230072}
{"content": "PNC Aspire\n\nAspire is a digital learning tool that aids users, specifically PNC mass-affluent customers, with bridging the gap between short-term spending habits and long-term financial management. Because Aspire is primarily a learning experience, our group focused on maintaining the motivation and sustaining engagement of customers using our tool. \n\nKate Martin (left); Gillan Johnson (center); Amanda Johnson (right) after presentation at PNC headquarters in Pittsburgh.\n\n\nGetting Started with Aspire\n\nFinding value and motivation in online, financial management is one of the biggest reasons why people have trouble envisioning their future, and strategically saving for it. Aspire shows customers how long-term goals, such as saving for a child's college education, can be a less daunting task than it needs to be. We achieve this through drawing parallels between their daily spending habits and their long-term savings plan\nfor college. \n\n\nUsing the Aspire Goal Planning Tool\n\nmanageable goals, connecting other individuals involved in the process such as their children or spouse, and rewarding their incremental achievements. \n\nThinking about a goal that ends 10 or 20 years down the line, especially one you have to plan financially for, is incredibly challenging for many people. However, Aspire takes the approach of breaking smaller tasks down incrementally, so that saving for something like college or retirement seems achievable no matter what stage of the process you are in. Through our designed, digital experience, we motivate customers by helping them set\n\nSaving for College: Our Paradigm Case\n\nSaving for college is one of the most common long-term financial goals that people have. It's also one that incorporates many different people within and outside a family. However, the current financial planning landscape does not afford these interactions and joint decisions to exist within their platforms. Aspire focuses on collaboration in long-term goals as a primary source of engagement and motivation for users. \n\niPad Context screenshot-01.jpg\n\nAssessing the Stakeholder Landscape\n\nOne of the first exercises we did while brainstorming our concept was mapping out the stakeholders and services involved in financial planning. This helped us to visualize the relationships of different people, their interactions, and how we could leverage their skills and motivations.\n\n\nOur Design Approach\n\nWith user learning and growth as our primary goal for the Aspire tool, we chunked the user experience incrementally so that as customers progress through a long-term goal, they gain skills, knowledge, and confidence. We incorporated several learning theories and scaffolding techniques into our journey map. \n\nProject Prompt McCarthy Model-02.jpg\n\nApplying Learning Theories\n\nAs learner experience design was the main guiding principle of our concept, we synthesized various learning theories developed by designers, anthropologists, and psychologists such as Julie Dirksen, Susan Ambrose, and Bernice McCarthy. This synthesis acted as our model of development throughout the various stages of our project, including research, ideation, prototyping, and rendering of our final product.\n\n1Project Prompt McCarthy Model-01.jpg\n\nMapping the User Experience\n\nFor several weeks, we focused on the customer's journey through the Aspire tool. With our main focuses of engagement, motivation, and overall enjoyment, we mapped out all the possible interactions that a customer might encounter within the Aspire tool, constantly reaffirming that interest and value would not be lost. \n\n\nDeveloping a Visual Language\n\nVisual and written language, particularly in a banking setting where trust is essential, were incredibly crucial components to our project. We spent several days developing color palettes, testing dialogue and written feedback that Aspire would provide to its users, and setting a trustworthy yet approachable typeface for our platform.\n\nFont and Color Options (1)-04.jpg", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6033700704574585}
{"content": "• Constructing Knowledge in E-learning\n\n    Constructivism is an age old concept of pedagogy but constructivist learning has recently been defined, studied and implemented in the field of learning. No two learners are exactly the same. Each learner is different, with different orientations and different way of interpreting his/her environment. This difference plays a major role in their learning process. Two people may observe a situation, may have very different perspectives, interpret it in different ways and imbibe completely different learning. This exactly what constructivism is. People build knowledge on their past experiences and these experiences can be varied. Therefore, it is learner centric and we wouldn’t be wrong if we say that it’s very much a concept of andragogy.\n\n    Learning process is constant and constructivism is a learning theory that helps the learner develop practical skills. One of the most common area where the constructivist learning theory is implemented is management science. All concepts in management are:\n\n    • taught holistically and not in smaller chunks\n    • taught in relation to other concepts\n    • case based study material helping learners develop the problem solving ability\n    • have multiple solutions to a problem so through the process learners encounter new knowledge and new solutions\n    • have team based learning activities; so learners are a part of a bigger group\n\n    All these characteristics also define the theory of constructivism. Management students are also expected to go research or write a dissertation on any chosen topic. This task integrates all the past learning and hence is a good assessment of their skills.\n\n\n    Constructivism and ID\n\n    All the characteristics of the constructivist learning approach make it the most effective teaching learning theory. However, it has limited applicability in the present e-learning instructional design scenario. Modern day instruction is designed keeping the learner at the core. Mostly courseware is self-paced and interactive but they lack instructor inputs as is one of the characteristics in constructivism. Secondly, since we are talking about construction of knowledge and problem solving practical skills, it is very difficult to assess through close ended questionnaires. Thirdly, customizing content for each learner according to their learning styles also poses a problem in implementing this learning theory in e-learning.\n\n    The best way to apply the constructivist learning theory in e-learning courses is through blended learning. The assessment of knowledge gained from the training course can be assessment by a combination of self paced assessments and instructor led/team discussions. This will also serve the purpose of reinforcing learning objects and will help the learners create new knowledge by sharing in the experiences of fellow learners or the instructor and will retain this created knowledge for a longer duration.\n\n    Since constructivism heavily relies on reflection of experiences for creating knowledge, it can be helpful to provide learners with open ended job aid handouts for further reading and reflection. Lastly, a case based approach where learners are given a feel of a real world situation and asked to come up with solutions would be an ideal assessment.\n\n    Assessment of learners on an LMS when using these methods is next to impossible reason being difficulty in customization of content. Such assessments will always lack objectivity hence the involvement of a facilitator is mandatory.\n\n    Though, constructivism is only a few decades old, it is already the subject of great research potential in educational psychology. It has already been applied in schools and colleges that have discarded the old lecture (one-way) method and adopted a more interactive (two-way) approach towards teaching. Therefore it is only a matter of time when this learning theory will be applicable in elearning with extraordinary results.\n\n\n  • Instruction Design Theories\n\n    Every field or science, when conceptualized, builds on the models and theories dedicated to that particular field. General extrapolations are merely documented for the first time by the means of theories (or models). Theories (and models) can be referred to as general guidelines that aid in solving problems occurring in a particular field. They try to provide a holistic view of a situation so that a convoluted problem can be broken down and each aspect can be analyzed in isolation to reach to a summative logical conclusion with cause and effect relationships taken into consideration.\n\n    However, one-size-fits-all is never the case with areas where human intervention is inevitable and so is also the case with instructional design. The discussed theories are merely general predictors and are susceptible to modification any time. All theories that will be discussed have the same underlying perception though, that pedagogy is all in one; the art, craft and science of teaching. Its success heavily depends on how well content is presented, to ensure maximum comprehension and retention.\n\n    We will discuss the relevant theories that led to the shaping up of instructional design in this article and some significant and most commonly applied models in the next.\n\n    1. Behaviourism\n\n    It all began with Pavlov’s experiment of classical conditioning. This Russian psychologist performed an experiment on a dog by conditioning it to an external stimulus, the bell, which was always followed by the dog’s food which inturn caused the dog to salivate. This happened a few times and the conditioning was deemed complete when the dog salivated at the sound of the bell alone.\n\n    The Dog and the Bell\n\n    Other researchers like Thorndike (1874-1949) and Watson (1878-1958) also began conditioning experiments studying animal behavior and Watson then took it to the next level by experimenting with conditioning of human behavior.\n\n    It was BF Skinner (1904-1990) who devised a theory that dealt with the changes in observable behavior. He stressed on voluntary behavior than mere conditioned reflexes and he called it operant conditioning. For example, a reward for exceptional performance at work will reinforce hard work for the same outcome by the employee; the fear of punishment will refrain an employee from committing an ethical or illegal task in his company.\n\n    2. Cognitivism\n\n    Cognitivist learning theories were a development on the behaviourism school of thought. It ruled out the very basic postulate of behavioural theories that humans can be conditioned in any desired way, not taking into account the processes that go on in the human mind. It opined that humans are rational and have a considerable part to play in when learning takes place. It stressed on mental processes like the problem solving ability, emotions and natural reflexes should also be taken into consideration. The best way to differentiate between the two schools is that behaviourism considers external behaviour and cognitivism considers internal processes.\n\n    Cognitivism took over behaviourism gradually from the 1950s to 1970s. The influence of cognitivism on instructional design is quite evident because of due importance given to clearly chunking content for better comprehension, and extensive use of graphics and mnemonics.\n\n    Some noteworthy theories of cognitivism are:\n\n    • David Merrill (1983): the Component Display Theory\n    • Reigeluth (1983): Elaboration Theory\n    • Gagne, Briggs and Wagner (1988): Events of instruction\n\n    3. Constructivism\n\n    Each learner is unique and that’s exactly what constructivists say. Learners construct new knowledge on the facts already known to them. Therefore, where behaviourism and cognitivism are objective and can predict the outcome (behaviourally or cognitively) of instruction to a certain extent, the same may not be true for constructivism. How the outcome will be depends on the learner themselves, their past experiences and past knowledge. It is rather open-ended and each outcome is unique in nature. It is often argued that constructivism is a learning theory and not a theory of instruction.\n\n\n    Constructivists stress that a set predictor of instruction (like the previous thought schools) and how learning should take place will bind the learner to specific notions and will restrict him/her to think out-of-the-box to create new knowledge.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9092923402786255}
{"content": "Ideas to write a concept paper about\n\nThis makes your proposal easy-to-understand. Write each section at a time. How to be a lifeguard. How to keep your clothes looking new. How to learn a foreign language. How to photograph butterflies with your phone. How to pay for college.\n\nSometimes explains both cause and effect. How-to essays are fun to write and easy if you already feel you are an expert on a particular topic. How to keep in shape during college. How to travel inexpensively overseas. Definitions or Concepts In order to write a Definition or Concept essay, you will need to think about the different parts or aspects of your subject.\n\nMake sure to do an extensive research about business ideas and concepts. How to use Google Maps. In addition to providing guidance for implementation of a program, a concept paper could also discuss best practices, philosophies and other related issues that the writer believes action should be taken on in the near future.\n\n150 Topics for Essays That Explain\n\nIf necessary, reiterate your important positions. When you pinpoint the concept, it helps for limiting the possibilities of your research, otherwise the research might feel overwhelming and infinite. Concept examples include fear, authorship, unemployment, education, etc.\n\nHow To Do you know how to do something? How to start an insect collection. Parts of that concept, or aspects of it. It also always helps if you choose a subject that you are familiar with or interested in researching on.\n\nHow to take better photographs. What effects do cell phones have on teenagers? How to prevent yourself from getting sick. If your audience has some knowledge, your job is to add new things into the discussion.\n\nHow does it happen?\n\nSponsored Research\n\nYour body part includes cause and effect, definitions, and the comparison of examples for helping your audience understand your chosen concept. Would you like to teach other people how to do it?\n\nUsually, a concept paper discusses a controversial topic which could be interpreted in various ways. As you define something, you often are arguing how we should define something or how people ought to see a concept. Although this sort of writing is not written as an argument, these essays do usually involve your opinion.\n\nWhat Are Some Ideas for a Concept Paper?\n\nYou can vary the way you write this topic depending on who your audience is. What is beauty or friendship or self-confidence? How to take care of a wound to prevent infection. How to train for a marathon.\n\n\n\nA concept paper is an in-depth analysis of that discusses a thought, idea or theory. Sep 23,  · Topics for Essays That Explain. Updated on June 4, Virginia Kearney.\n\nWhat Are Some Topics for a Concept Paper?\n\n\nIn order to write a Definition or Concept essay, you will need to think about the different parts or aspects Reviews: Alternatively, brainstorm by writing the word in the middle of your paper, and connect other related words to it and them.\n\nAs you develop your angle, think about the concept's background, features, characteristics, and parts. Concept papers are often used for research projects, and their topics are usually research based. However, they can be on any topic that the writer knows extensively, as the topic needs to be discussed in detail.\n\nA concept proposal focuses on ideas, theories, and hypothesis. They are called the ‘what ifs’. What Is the Difference between Concept Paper and Project Proposal? How to Write a Business Concept Proposal. Writing a business concept proposal requires thorough research and unmatched skills.\n\nHowever, here are the steps on how to write .\n\nIdeas to write a concept paper about\nRated 3/5 based on 93 review", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9899575114250183}
{"content": "A pastor’s life\n\n\nDo you Display God’s Splendor?\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOur Light is Christ and we are called to display Him!\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAre you and your church known for your negatives or positives?\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDoes Jesus control your church?\n\nOr, do you or others think you do? \n\nWhat characterizes leadership in the church? It follows pretty much the same concepts as those stated above with the addition of being godly, faithful, and Fruitful for our Lord’s glory. The best example is found in John, chapter ten, where Jesus is called our “Good Shepherd” (See the Bible study on this passage at www.intothyword.organd preach on it!). The Christian Leader is a Shepherd, the person whose job it was to guard and care for the sheep—in this case, indicating God’s people. Just as the actual sheepherder who owned the sheep had a vested interest in them and would do all it took to protect them, as his family’s livelihood depended on them, God anoints such leaders for His people. In contrast, a hired person had no vested interest and as soon as danger would come, they would scram (Gen. 31:39; Num. 27:15-23; 1 Sam. 17:34-37; 2 Sam. 5:2; Psalm 78:71-72; Isa. 63:11; Jer. 3:15; Ezek. 34:1-24; John 10:1-21). \n\n\n\nWe shepherd others through our relationship with Jesus Christ! Why do we have a responsibility to be watchful and aware of people who would fleece and hurt the people in our churches? How can we do this better? \n\n\nSchaeffer on Why God Came Into The World\n\nSchaeffer on Why God Came Into The World.\n\nSchaeffer on Why God Came Into The World\n\nWe’re excited to share a handful of Christmas related articles, as well as guest posts from some of our authors, in the coming weeks as we prepare to celebrate Christmas! We’re kicking off with some words from Francis Schaeffer on Why God Came Into the World. Enjoy!\n\nWhat is the condition of your church?\n\n\nGod is in unity and in perfect love, He calls us to be so in community to identity with His purpose, plan, and call to have a proper concept of God and work collectively as a church as we are the body of Christ. To do so, we must increase in faith and thinking so Christ is all and working in and through us all (John 14:10; 1 Cor. 1:10-13; 12:25; Gal. 5:20; Eph. 4:12-16). \n\nIs there a posture of prayer? With the focus upon God and His way and concerns (Psalm 121:1; 123:1; 123:1; Matt. 26:39; Mark 7:34; John 11:41).   \n\n\nIs there “Complete unity?” God calls us as leaders of His Church to carry out His plans and accomplish His mission of reproducing communities of Christ-formed authentic disciples. We do this by equipping our people to know and teach Christ’s redemptive reign as missionaries sent by God, to be real and visibly live and proclaim Christ’s Kingdom to the world.  \n\n\nOur infighting and often bitter divisions destroy churches and create an extreme bad witness. When we do not, our un-forgiveness becomes malice and actually grieves the Holy Spirit! We should be clear on this. A healthy Christian is one who puts aside the malicious traits of an evil, sinful nature, and embraces others in love. What comes out of love is the release of our feelings of betrayal and hurt. The Christian is called to model kindness, love, empathy, and compassion; out of these, forgiveness will flow. God wants us to get with it, to wake up, and seize the wonders and opportunities He gives us. An unforgiving attitude, and its ugly rotten fruits, will choke us off from His wonders (John 13:34-35; 15:13-17; 17:1-26; Gal. 5:22; Phil. 1:23; 1 Thess. 4:17; 1 John 2:10; 3:14-16)!  \n\nWe pass on the example of our relationship to Christ as His display. When we act in good character and live rightly as His representatives, we prove His name. When we act in the flesh, we prove the world and show our disobedience and disrespect, even profaning His Name. The call to make every effort indicates that we are to pay close attention to Christ and take the spiritual initiative and be productive with our faith and lives! Always be willing to acknowledge the difference between what is counterfeit and what is true Truth and be willing to repent and seek forgiveness when you are wrong! True Christianity and its practice never retires or becomes counter-productive (John 16:33; 21:18-19; 1 Cor. 10:31; 2 Pet. 1:12-21). \n\nGod hates unfaithfulness, betrayal, treachery, disloyalty, deceit, disobedience, faithlessness, contempt and evil, and pride and dysfunction—which is treason against our Holy Lord. Thus, He deals more harshly with those who are apostate—who know the Truth and yet reject it or fight against Him—more than with those who are pagans and fight against Him, as He justly should (Psalm 41:9; Matt. 26:25; Luke 9:5; 10:11; John 13:18) \n\nWe have to see the glorious position that is given to us by what Christ has done for us. Then, we will see the joy (James 1:2-4) and then the hope (Heb. 6:18-19) that we have. God’s purity gives us who are not pure an undeserved gift of grace by His love. This is given even though our sinful nature is very much alive and in play. Then, we see that our Lord God is pure and we are sin. However, we have to also see that what we may think is love is not; the will of our hearts may think that we can do as we please since we are in Christ, but that definition of love is simply wrong. This is not love; it is annoying noise, a form of relativism, perhaps even evil. Such thinking and behavior equal a life that is meaningless and produces little to no fruit or real, effectual love.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7934959530830383}
{"content": "Thinking about emotion\n\nWhat is cognition? What is emotion? How are they related? And why do we have so much trouble defining words which we, collectively as human beings and the creators of language, made up in the first place?\n\nThe relationship between cognition and emotion has fascinated important thinkers within the Western intellectual tradition. Historically, emotion and cognition have been viewed as largely separate. In the past two decades, however, a growing body of work has pointed to the interdependence between the two …\n\n\nBecause of the inherent difficulty in providing clear definitions for both cognition and emotion, they will not be further defined here … A key conclusion from this review and from other current discussions of the relationship between cognition and emotion is that it is probably counterproductive to try to separate them. Instead, current thinking emphasizes their interdependence in ways that challenge a simple division of labor into separate cognitive and emotional domains.\n\nCognition and emotion | Scholarpedia", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7637599110603333}
{"content": "Browsing: Samira Yaghooty\n\n\nThis article examines the prospect of replacing EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers with technology in Iran. It has adopted the approach of Causal Layered Analysis (CLA) to analyze the data collected from interviews with 10 EFL experts in Iran. The four layers of CLA do suggest that it is unlikely that technology will replace EFL teachers in Iran by 2030. Iran, being a hierarchical, collectivist, and restrained society with a normative cultural orientation and preference for avoiding uncertainty, will be reluctant to accept technological innovation so quickly which would replace EFL teachers. Further research covering a time frame beyond 2030 would be needed.\n\nKeywords: Causal Layered Analysis (CLA), English as a Foreign Language (EFL), English Language Teaching (ELT), and technology\n\nView PDF", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8378304839134216}
{"content": "Popular Dataset repositories on web\n\n“The best way to Learn data science is to apply data science”\n\n\nMachine learning is a very powerful tool which if used for good can bring good to humanity. In the process of building any machine learning system the core part of the process is to collect data , as Machine learning algorithms are data driven and with the rise of Deep Learning , the data collection part has become much more important. Modern Deep Learning architectures requires huge amount of quality data to fed into them. So getting quality data is the base on which the performance of any Machine Learning system depends. Getting data for a very specific problem can sometimes become hard but for many problems pre-cooked data is already available .\n\nThere are many opensource data repository’s present on Web , the goal of this article is to list some of the most popular data repository\n\n\nIf you have started learning data science or machine learning chances are you have already heard this name .Kaggle is one the most popular place in the space of data science and machine learning , many organizations put their dataset publicly available on kaggle for various purpose it might be a machine learning competition or they want EDA on that data. Kaggle is not just for getting data but much more than that but for starters its a really good place to get data for any specific problem.\n\n\nThis is a open data repository of various problems related to industries , medical ,climate etc. This data repository belongs to Indian Government .This is a very interesting place to find good quality data for problems related to India or specific to it.\n\n\nThis is the US Government version of above mentioned repository. Many such other countries also collect data and make them open for public use , for this you can try variations of data.gov.***  .\n\nAmazon Web Services (aws)  dataset\n\nThis resource does not provide data set for all sectors but rather they  are very specific in  providing data. The biggest advantage of getting data from aws is they provide huge amount of data which can go form MB (MegaBytes)all the way to PB(PetaBytes).\n\n\nThis is not a regular data repository but rather a kind of social network of data scientist’s .Here they not only share data but also communicate their findings , people collaborate on Dataworld. This is a perfect place for any enthusiast data scientist.\n\nGoogle Dataset\n\nThis resource is some what similar to Aws ,as they also don’t provide data set for a wide spectrum of audience but rather they focus on very specific type of data set mostly related to its own problem statements.\n\nUCI Machine Learning Repository\n\nThis is clearly the most famous, big and old repository present on the web .This repository contains dataset from very old to new and also the  problem statements covered by these datasets is huge, this includes form climate, health , industries etc.\n\n\nTwitter has opensource some of its tweets data , twitter sentimental analysis is one the most popular problem which is constantly being tackled using twitter’s data. This resource is also very specific in providing dataset same as AWS and Google dataset.\n\n\nkdnuggets is itself is not an data repository but it contains a huge list of specific dataset which ranges from health care to accidents etc. This is a very good place if you are looking for a specific data set.\n\n\nGithub host tons of dataset uploaded by users as part of their project repository but looking for specific dataset on github can be really time taking as the data set are not available in a centralized manner.\n\nMachine Learning subreddit\n\nThis is a community driven platform and also a very good place for any machine learning enthusiast.The subreddit contains huge amount of resources which includes research papers, dataset ,problem statements etc.\n\nCommon Crawl\n\nThis is a perfect place for large amount of dataset .Dataset present on this platform is available in more than 30+ languages which can go up in size upto PetaBytes. On Common Crawl you can get either raw data or pre-processed .\n\nThe Above mentioned resources are only handful of resources , having good quality data can significantly affect the performance of your ML system .So go ahead and check out above repositories ,some also includes tutorials to use their dataset. Good Luck.\n\nSend a Message", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.985230028629303}
{"content": "Bojana Randall Bojana Randall Artisan\nMorris Plains, NJ 07950\n8622268302 home page:\n\nBojana Randall\n\nMorris Plains, NJ\n\n\nAbout Bojana Randall\n\nBojana’s innate inclination towards art coupled with her adjustment to a new country, culture, and language in the early 1980’s created a lifelong pursuit for a communication method which transcends such boundaries. She focused on art throughout her educational journey, ultimately graduating from William Paterson University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, curatorial experience, time abroad in eastern China, and both solo and museum exhibitions under her belt while maintaining her job as a tattoo artist.\n\nAscending from 12-inch sculptures in high school to 12-feet in college, Bojana’s micro/macrocosmic ideas are reflected throughout her body of work. To gain a comprehensive picture of the universe, her exploration of dualities continues to be a fundamental aspect of her art. In part, this is expressed by decades of gravitation towards abstract expressionistic and minimalistic styles and refining their marriage.\n\nAfter graduating in 2003, Bojana became a freelance graphic and web designer, married, had a baby, and opened her own art gallery and gift shop where she also made jewelry. Through her failures as an entrepreneur, she became an asset to institutions like the Riverdale Art Center and Riverdale Artists Cooperative where she served as President on the Executive Board. Her 2010 divorce was a catalyst for change and led her down yet another entrepreneurial path where she obtained board certification for permanent cosmetics, tattooing eyebrows and eyeliner on individuals who lost certain features due to cancer treatment and other health problems.\n\nDuring this time, Bojana continued to make art and exhibit her work, partnering with Gallery Within and other intrastate businesses. Her sales and collection of awards from local venues and online competitions increased resulting in more frequent exhibitions and initiated the crossing of state lines. Over the past two years, Bojana’s artwork has been shown in Switzerland, Miami, and New York, and “She is Violin” (2010) was sought as cover art for a UK novel.\n\nBojana’s dual nature found a balance in the Horizons (2009), Around the Bend (2015), and 999 Butterflies (2018) art series which reflect her lifelong attraction to acrylics and mixed media elements such as sand, hair, and crystals, while teetering on the line of minimalism and expressionism. The edges of her canvases and fiberboard panels have been a crucial element in the last decade, usually incorporating her signature marks like the single colored edge, the wrap around stroke of color, and the contrast edge; her way of crossing the boundaries, both physically and metaphorically, and bridging the divide between two-dimensional and three-dimensional art.\n\nArtist Statement\n\nIf I could describe my work in one word and the purpose of it all, I would say hope. The hope that I, you, we, could get through it; the light at the end of the tunnel; the idea that tomorrow is another day and we could try again… Hope. Perhaps it’s my optimism or idealism which deludes my mind, but I wouldn’t trade this perspective for another. Hope makes the world go ‘round, and I would rather contribute to its revolution than sink into the darkness.\n\nTied for first place is communication. The brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than text. Herein lies art and its relevance to me. During a time when I couldn’t communicate with anyone because English was my foreign language, I drew pictures or used my body to interact. The pee-pee dance is universal, peeps. So is some abstract art. I became aware by age seven that visual imagery can rise above fences like language, race, and creed and they can connect and equalize us. Art can unite people and that was beyond beautiful to me.\n\nI use line, shape, color, texture, balance, and contrast (among a seemingly endless list of elements and principles) to convey a message… usually one of hope. I spill my heart on the canvas but use my mind to organize it in such a way that others can understand where I’m coming from without a spoken or written word. There’s magic in that! I fought for decades to achieve this balance and I have finally arrived.\n\nYou’re probably wondering when I’ll start talking about my artistic process, but I have been all along. Behind every work of art are immeasurable hours of thought, discussion, contemplation, sketching, and working out the details over and over in my mind until the idea has been refined and aged like fine wine. This is 90% of the process. Then, and only then, does anything happen on canvas. Just because a painting says “2018” doesn’t mean that’s the date of conception. Like babies need developmental time before birth, so does art.\n\nAs far as materials, the remaining 10% of the process, I lean towards acrylics because of their speedy drying time, flexibly, and compatibility with other materials. I often incorporate textures like sand, thread, and hair. The textures bear childhood memories and become embedded in the art because they are of monumental personal significance. I like to use wire for similar reasons as thread, usually depicting the mending or binding of something. Like words, these materials each have multiple contextual meanings.\n\nThe surfaces on which I paint vary depending on what I’m trying to achieve. Canvases represent planes and I use the edges to signify the intersection of these planes when appropriate. How I treat the edges is everything. MDF offers more flexibility with shape and I treat it as molded canvas. Both are essentially portals and are intended to offer a perspective similar to that of looking through a window. Rarely are they just “surfaces”.\n\nSize is not as relevant as proportion. Sometimes a 24x24 inch surface is true to size, but when I use a tiny brush, 24x24 becomes a macrocosm. And when I use a four-inch brush, it is to paint a microcosm… as if seeing something through a microscope. Weather I’m painting on a coaster or a wall is of little consequence.\n\nThe materials are merely a means to an end. As I find more applicable resources, I would use whatever is most appropriate to convey the message. Ultimately, isn’t that what matters?\n\nSort By\n\nNewest Item\nPrice (High)\nPrice (Low)\n\nGothic wall scu...\n\nby Bojana Randall\n\n\nCobalt butterfl...\n\nby Bojana Randall\n\n\nCadmium Yellow ...\n\nby Bojana Randall", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.73530113697052}
{"content": "+61 3 9813 1111\n\nProperty Injunctions & Asset Protection\n\nAdvice to protect your property and assets\n\nProperty Injunctions & Asset Protection\n\nSometimes, as a consequence of a dispute, one party will attempt to prevent the other from receiving a share of an asset or all of the assets held within the relationship.\n\nIf you face this situation, Clancy & Triado can take urgent action on your behalf to protect your assets until an orderly property settlement is achieved. This can be done with actions that include registering caveats on real estate, and seeking injunctions and restraining Orders from the Family Court to prevent the sale or dissipation of other assets such as businesses, bank accounts, superannuation entitlements, trusts and other investments.\n\nWe can also take action to ensure you retain control of your assets and that they are not transferred or on-sold to a family member or third party.\n\nIn the event that you are involved in a dispute that puts your assests at risk, it is essential to seek immediate legal advice.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8800294399261475}
{"content": "A newsletter about finance, economics, markets, and technology\n\nThe European Union may not survive the euro\n\nBy Marshall Auerback\n\nThis post first appeared on Truthdig\n\nThe euro is “celebrating” its 20th anniversary this month, but they aren’t popping corks across the continent. Except, perhaps, with the notable exception of delusional Eurocrats such as Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, who argued: “The euro has become a symbol of unity, sovereignty and stability. It has delivered prosperity and protection to our citizens…”\n\nSome prosperity!\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhy not simply attempt to devalue the euro?\n\n\n\nThe economist Servaas Storm has quantified the impact:\n\nWhat Is GDP in China?\n\nBy Michael Pettis\n\nThis post first appeared on China Financial Markets at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and has been cross-posted with the permission of the author.\n\nThe Chinese economy is not growing at 6.5 percent. It is probably growing by less than half of that. Not everyone agrees that the rate is that low, of course, but there is nonetheless a running debate about what is really happening in the Chinese economy and whether or not the country’s reported GDP growth is accurate.\n\nThe reason for the widespread skepticism is the disconnect between the official data and perceptions on the ground. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China’s economic growth in every quarter last year exceeded 6.5 percent. While that is much lower than the heady growth rates China has experienced for most of the past forty years, it is still, by most measures, a very brisk rate of growth.\n\n\n\nThis isn’t what you’d expect to hear from an economy growing at more than 6.5 percent. So what does it mean exactly to say that China’s GDP is growing at that pace? It turns out that there are three completely different sets of problems that affect how China’s GDP growth statistics should be interpreted. Analysts must keep these three problems straight and make sure that they don’t confuse matters by conflating these separate issues.\n\nWhat Does GDP Measure?\n\nThe first set of problems relates to the meaning of GDP itself. This challenge affects not just China but the rest of the world as well. This is especially true for advanced economies with substantial technology and service sectors that employ technology whose value may be substantially understated by an inability to count it accurately.\n\nGDP is typically assumed to measure the creation of real economic value. If a country’s GDP rises by 5 percent over the course of a year, for example, this is interpreted to mean that the amount of wealth the country produced in the last year is 5 percent greater than in the previous year. In other words, it would be assumed that the country’s ability to service debt would have increased by 5 percent, which means roughly the same thing.\n\nBut there is no way to truly measure a country’s creation of real economic value, as GDP is just a proxy for whatever it is thought to measure. Economists have agreed which measurements go into calculating GDP, and the resulting sum is referred to as a country’s aggregate GDP, or the value of everything produced locally in that economy.\n\nOf course, not all value-creating activities are counted when GDP is measured. For instance, if you teach your friend Spanish for free, you add to the wealth of the economy, but you do not add to GDP. By contrast, if he does pay you, the country’s GDP does increase by the amount of money you are paid, even though you are adding exactly the same value to the economy itself whether he pays you or not. In addition, not all measured activity actually creates value: building a bridge to nowhere, for example, creates exactly the same increase in GDP as building a much-needed bridge.\n\nNo proxy of economic value is perfect, of course, but there are real questions about whether GDP is imperfect to the point of being useless as a proxy. Does GDP really do a good job of capturing all the value creation in an economy? While this is a serious problem everywhere, it may be even more of a problem in China because of the huge amount of investment in nonproductive activities that is counted in China’s GDP data even though this investment does not add to the country’s wealth or its debt-servicing capacity.\n\nHow Accurate Are China’s GDP Statistics?\n\nThe second set of problems has to do with how carefully and faithfully Chinese statisticians at the National Bureau of Statistics are calculating the agreed-upon elements that go into measuring GDP. Do they tend to collect the data in the way that introduces mistakes that are systematically biased (upward, to show higher than actual GDP, I would assume)? Or are they actually lying to please their political bosses?\n\nI am pretty sure that China’s economic data collection is distorted in ways that smooth out volatility, but otherwise I assume, at least until very recently, that the National Bureau of Statistics has followed generally accepted rules for calculating GDP more or less correctly. I don’t have a high level of confidence in my assumption though: as I pointed out earlier, it is hard to find any sector of the Chinese economy that is behaving the way you’d expect a country growing at more than 6.5 percent to behave. Furthermore, especially in recent years, it has been hard to reconcile other economic proxies with the GDP numbers. (See, for example, this article by Johns Hopkins University economists Bob Barbera and Yinghao Hu, which itself refers to a satellite imaging study.)\n\nWhat is more, people whose work I greatly respect, like Anne Stevenson-Yang of J Capital, seem very much to doubt the data and argue that China’s actual growth rate is much lower than the posted numbers, largely because the data is falsified at some level of the collection process. But whatever the case may be, if there is indeed a substantial discrepancy between what the statisticians actually measure and what they are claiming to measure, it is very hard to make predictions about how long the overstatement will continue and how much of an adjustment it will eventually undergo.\n\nIs GDP Measured as an Output or an Input?\n\nThe third set of problems with GDP occurs in a very limited number of cases globally (today, China is the main example). But the implications are much greater. This has to do with whether GDP is even being used as a proxy for economic activity. In China, reported GDP does not tell observers about the economy’s performance; rather, it tells people how rapidly Beijing thinks it can impose the necessary adjustments on the Chinese economy. This is because GDP means something different in China than it does in most other major economies.\n\nIn any economic system, GDP is supposed to be a measure of output, and in most countries that is exactly what it measures, however messily. The economy does what it does, in other words, and at the end of a given time period, statisticians measure the things economists agree to include in the relevant calculations, and they express the change over time as the scale of GDP growth for that period.\n\nThis is not what happens in China, where GDP is actually an input determined annually as the country’s GDP growth target. The growth target of a given time period is decided well ahead of time, and to achieve it, various entities, including local governments, engage in the requisite amount of activity, usually funded by debt. As long as China has debt capacity, and as long as it can postpone the writing down of nonproductive assets, Beijing can achieve any growth target it desires. \n\nLoading more posts…", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7005402445793152}
{"content": "Triskelion Magazine Rack\n\nAdd to\nAdd to Favorites\n\nA striking yet practical geometric magazine rack designed by Gerardo Mari, Triskelion is made by laser cutting and bending varnished aluminum sheets, creating three pockets for storing magazines and documents that seem to fold upon themselves.Based on an ancient Celtic symbol consisting of three legs or lines radiating from a center, Triskelion's three modules also incline slightly, so the magazines find their natural equilibrium to the center, making them easier to put in and and take out. Perfect for home or office.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6837510466575623}
{"content": "AT WINTER'S END by Robert Silverberg\nKirkus Star\n\n\nEmail this review\n\n\nWriter/editor Silverberg has finally done it: produced a long, absorbing, far-future saga with substantial characters and a plot that adds up. For 700,000 years, \"\"death-stars\"\" from space have rained upon the Earth, destroying the ancient civilizations and creating a glacial climate. Now, as the bombardment ends and the land warms, various tribes of humans emerge from their protective \"\"cocoons\"\" to reclaim the world. One such tribe--led by stern, wise Koshmar, and stirred by the young, inquisitive Hresh--is determined to find the fabled ancient city of Vengiboneeza where, according to tradition, they will discover the means to rebuild civilization. Finally, after braving many dangers, they reach the city. Hresh, who has the most highly developed psi-powers of all the tribe, uncovers usable ancient machines, and rediscovers the city's ancient history--but to his shock and consternation, he learns that his people are not humans, but evolved monkeys. Still in the future for Hresh's folk: tragedy and a parting of the ways for the tribe; a challenge from a rival tribe, the advanced, knowledgeable, snobbish Beng; and an invasion by the teeming, insectlike hjjk, who have laid their own plans to dominate old Earth. Tingling, fascinating work, richly detailed and satisfying: Silverberg's best full-length outing for many a long year.\n\nPub Date: April 18th, 1988\nPublisher: Warner", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8852850198745728}
{"content": "Thursday, August 9, 2018\n\nEverybody's Drumming with Joe Ciarvella\n\nInterview with the proprietor of Everybody’s Drumming with Joe Ciarvella. \n\nPhoto Credit: Kathy Sincavage from the Mahanoy City Library.\n\n\nInterview by Megan A. Hepler with Joe Ciarvella proprietor of Everybody’s Drumming with Joe Ciarvella.\n\nMegan: What is your background with drums?\n\nBiography written by Nikki Todd\n\nJoe Ciarvella has spent the last 41 years perfecting his drumming, while studying all levels and aspects of a multifaceted approach to percussion. Unbelievably, he is only 44 years old! Yes, he began playing professionally at age 3 and has never stopped playing or studying. From performing exquisite and detailed nuances of Grateful Dead performances to playing highly intricate American Jazz licks, and numerous genres in between, Joe shapes rhythm into a vehicle, dispensing a soul enriching dance for audiences all around the nation and beyond!\n\nEver pushing the boundaries of drumming to new and exciting altitudes, Joe is currently applying this knowledge in transcendent ways. As an artist-teacher for his Everybody’s Drumming project, Joe works with other percussion lovers, from all walks of life and experience levels, from children to the elderly. It is in this role where he teaches and guides participants to use drumming as a means to enhance, heal and raise up life. Joe is far more than a great drummer, he is a rhythm warrior guide who knows how to unleash and share the amazing power of percussion.\n\n\nMegan: When was Everybody’s Drumming with Joe Ciarvella created? Where did you come up with this idea?\n\nJoe: It was 20 years in the making. It all started with a trip to the Pottsville Library in 1998. I stumbled up a book by Mickey Hart, drummer for the Grateful Dead. It introduced me to what would become a quest for knowledge about the ethno-musicology and the physiological effects drumming have on the brain and our consciousness. \n\nFast forward to 2016, after experiencing a neighbor’s suicide, I sought therapy to help cope with what we were experiencing. In the course of being introduced to cognitive behavioral therapy, I came across Jim Donovan, former drummer for Rusted Root. He has an evidence based facilitation protocol called Drum Circle Leadership, which was developed by Jim with studies being conducted at St Francis University, in Loretto, PA. I took the course and became a certified Drum Circle Facilitator in December of 2016.\n\nMegan: Can you explain what the drumming circles attempt to accomplish? Is there anything you can share about this will help others to understand?\n\nJoe: Drumming with others is an ancient practice that people have used for millennia all over the globe to connect, heal, learn and celebrate. When facilitated well, a drum circle becomes a safe space to be individually, while being an integral part of the group. In addition to music making, circles have been used for centuries in nearly every indigenous culture, to bring people together for the purposes of celebrating, communicating, grieving and witnessing each other. In a circle there is an opportunity for each person to see and be heard by each other in a way that is beyond the typical, self-imposed boundaries such as economic status, sex, creed, race, politics or age. In the circle we are all equal and vital components of the whole.\n\nIn the present day, the exponentially quickened pace of our lives has eliminated many of the opportunities to connect with others in a deep and authentic way. The effects of this disconnection can be seen in the epidemic rise in maladies such as depression and addiction. At the heart of using drum circles in a conscious way is the idea that through group music making, we can re-discover the truth our ancestors knew so well; the transformative power of group support, engagement and connection. Drumming Circles provide an opportunity for participants to feel connected with others and gain a sense of community.\n\nSpecific studies show drumming:\n\n- Creates a sense of connectedness with self and others\n- Reduces stress and anxiety\n- Provides whole brain synchronization\n- Promotes alpha brain wave\n- And is just plain fun!\n\n\nIn addition, specific studies conducted by professionals in the fields of music therapy and mental health show us that drumming:\n\n- Increases mental clarity\n- Improves focus and attention to task\n- Helps control chronic pain\n- Boosts the immune system\n\nWhat are the prerequisites? None. There are no prerequisites! It’s a group drumming experience! Students, staff and parents are warmly welcomed and encouraged to join in. No prior musical experience is necessary. Also, we won't be reading any musical notation. Each technique is designed to be “plug and play.”\n\nAre these techniques research based? Yes. This program was developed as part of a highly successful and well publicized research study conducted by Saint Francis University's Center of Excellence for Remote and Medically Underserved Areas (CERMUSA).\n\nMegan: Are your drumming circles private events only? \n\nJoe: Most of my private events take place in assisted living nursing homes who regularly schedule activities for their residents or the Schuylkill Achieve after school program, which is federally funded. I’m always looking to expand into new and uncharted territories. I do volunteer work for two specific groups; the Wharf Rats of Harrisburg and Jeeps Against Suicide, hosted by the Schuylkill County Jeep Alliance.\n\nMegan: Is there anything else that you think we should know about Everybody’s Drumming with Joe Ciarvella?\n\nJoe: Music and drumming provides a physical way to experience the concept. When a person feels like they have participated in the discovery of a new skill, it increases their ownership of it and often makes them eager to “discover more.” My intention is to turn fear into empowerment, stress into relaxation and apathy into engagement by bringing people together with drumming and rhythm.\n\nMegan: It looks like you do more than just drumming circles. What other services do you provide?\n\nJoe: I teach private drum lessons, I am the Production Manager/Audio Engineer for the Majestic Theatre Pottsville, Schuylkill Free Shakespeare, Minersville High School Theatre, Nativity High School Drama, The Crimson Academy and various productions with Pottsville GTC and Schuylkill Theatre. \n\n\nFor more information on Everybody’s Drumming with Joe Ciarvella visit his Facebook page at\n\n1 comment:\n\n  1. Wharf Rats of Harrisburg are a group of recovering addicts. Thanks to Joe they get a Holistic approach to healing the Spiritual Mental and physical disease of addiction. We cannot wait for our next Drum Healing as we call it. We cannot believe that someone would travel to us bring drums and not ask for a dime. Love & Light to Joey a Kind Human.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5999918580055237}
{"content": "All Patient Monitoring products\n\nIntelliVue Smart-hopping Network\n\nWireless network\n\nFind similar products\n\nThe proprietary Philips IntelliVue Smart-hopping WMTS Network operates in the 1.4 GHz band, providing bidirectional communication between IntelliVue devices and the IntelliVue Information Center.\n\nHospital-wide coverage || Stable connection\n\nHospital-wide coverage\n\nIntelliVue Smart-hopping allows several users to share the same frequency by dividing the signal into different time slots, supporting a capacity of up to 1024 devices.\nDeterministic roaming for peak perfor... || Scalable system\n\nDeterministic roaming for peak performance\n\nIntelliVue Smart-hopping determines when and where to roam, considering retry errors and signal strength to deliver excellent performance.\nIntelligent radio provides a “smart h... || Scalable system\n\nIntelligent radio provides a “smart hop”\n\nIntelliVue Smart-hopping is based on a cognitive radio signal which “hops” to a new frequency and time slot when interference is detected, providing excellent signal-to-noise performance.\nEnhanced confidentiality || Scalable system\n\nEnhanced confidentiality of patient data\n\nIntelliVue Smart-hopping uses a proprietary protocol and avoids transmission of patient identifiers across the wireless interface, helping to keep patient information confidential.\nBi-directional communication || Scalable system\n\nBi-directional communication for extra functionality\n\nIntelliVue Smart-hopping features bi-directional communication to allow clinical features such as “Find Device,” “Device Location,” and “Control Clinical Measurements” to enhance clinical functionality of IntelliVue patient monitors.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9818406105041504}
{"content": "GP Taylor: Grouse shooting must be banned – these incredible creatures cannot be lost so as to please a handful of tweed-clad toffs.\n\nShould grouse shooting be banned?\nShould grouse shooting be banned?\nHave your say\n\nI WAS recently involved in a road accident. There was no chance for me to stop. The poor bird bounced off my bonnet and through the air.\n\nWhat surprised me the most was the shaking fist of the oncoming driver in his Range Rover who screamed and shouted. I slowed down, wondering what chaos I had caused.\n\nShould grouse shooting be banned?\n\nShould grouse shooting be banned?\n\nHe drew up alongside and berated me for not swerving to avoid the pheasant, and how people like me should stay out of the countryside.\n\nApparently, my crime had been that I had killed the bird with my car, stopping him from shooting it with his gun.\n\nThe one thing I am not is a tree-hugging vegetarian who stands against country sports.\n\nFiring back over grouse shooting\n\nA grouse on Jervaulx moor, North Yorkshire. Has the countryside become the playground of the rich?\n\n\nHowever, what is beginning to bother me is the way in which a pastime enjoyed by the entitled few can have catastrophic effects on the environment and natural wildlife. Every week I drive across the North York Moors. It is one of the most impressive areas of the country and yet I see very little natural wildlife. It is just miles and miles of brown heather and the occasional red grouse.\n\nIt is for these little creatures that the moors still exist today. Had they not been present, trees and wildlife would have returned long ago. The issue is that grouse shooting is big business and some of the richest and most influential people in Britain have their fingers deeply wedged in the pie.\n\nMillions of pounds of subsidies have been given to those who run grouse moors. In other words, taxpayers’ money is given to sponsor the rich to blast 500,000 little birds to death each year.\n\nNot that they need sponsoring. A day’s grouse shooting can cost thousands of pounds per person. It is a pastime that can be enjoyed only by the super-rich. Perhaps that is why they can get away with things that poor, hard-working upland farmers can’t.\n\nGone are the days when farmers could burn off stubble in fields, but in the past few weeks the moors have been shrouded with palls of smoke from the burning off of heather. This is done to promote new growth of heather shoots, which is food for the grouse. More food equals more birds and more birds means more money to the owners of the moors.\n\nBradford councillors vote to end grouse shooting on Ilkley Moor\n\nYet this comes at a great cost to the moorland ecosystems. A study by the University of Leeds clearly states that heather burning is bad for the environment. It pollutes rivers and can cause flooding. The people of Hebden Bridge will not forget the inundation of water that sped off the grouse moor and down into the town when the area was flooded.\n\nMany people believe there are links between the clearing out of moorland drains and burning of heather and the inability of the moors to hold back the water.\n\nThis is one of the reasons I would like to see a total ban on driven grouse shoots on the moors. Our beautiful uplands have to be allowed to return to a more natural state. Other types of bird that are regularly killed on grouse moors have to be better protected so they can establish themselves again.\n\nThe League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) says that grouse shooting estates routinely eradicate species which compete with red grouse – including foxes, stoats, weasels, corvids and mountain hares – by trap, snare and gun to ensure large numbers of game birds are available for the customers to shoot.\n\nYorkshire is the worst region in the UK for bird of prey persecution as a direct consequence of it being at the epicentre of grouse shooting. The LACS believes that gamekeepers regularly trap, poison, shoot and destroy the nests of vulnerable species including the hen harrier, red kite and peregrine falcon. These incredible creatures cannot be lost so as to please a handful of tweed-clad toffs.\n\nIt is not just birds that need protection. So, too, does the environment. With the threat of more severe weather events and the rise of global temperatures, it is imperative that we do everything we can to stop it.\n\nA recent United Nations report suggested that one of the more practical ways to prevent climate change is to plant more trees.\n\nThe lower parts of Yorkshire’s moors and dales would make an ideal place for a new national forest of native British trees. Imagine an unbroken oak wood from Fylingdales to Ingleton becoming the lungs of our nation.\n\nSurely that would bring in more tourism and work than grouse shooting?\n\nThe gun lobby will tell you that grouse moors bring in millions of pounds and give jobs to locals, but do they really?\n\nPerhaps now is the time to put an end to the Glorious 12th and let our moors become a haven for walkers and wildlife, and not a playground for the privileged elite.\n\nGP Taylor is an author and broadcaster. He lives in Whitby.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6920598745346069}
{"content": "ODJ: Mighty to Save\n\nJune 28, 2018 \n\nREAD: Psalm 124:1-8 \n\nWhat if the Lord had not been on our side? (v.1).\n\nDuring WWII, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill hailed the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of Allied troops from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk as a “miracle of deliverance”. The event was so widely celebrated that Churchill had to remind people that “wars are not won by evacuations”.\n\nTrapped by Hitler’s forces and with one route of escape, the Prime Minister had admitted that only 20,000 to 30,000 troops seemed likely to make it out safely. On hearing this, King George VI called for the people of Britain and of the Empire to commit their cause to God in a National Day of Prayer. They poured out their hearts to the only One who could deliver them and—in God’s providence—they were delivered.\n\nOut of gratitude, people across Britain observed a Day of National Thanksgiving. Up and down the country, choirs and congregations sang the words of Psalm 124.\n\n“What if the Lord had not been on our side? Let all Israel repeat: what if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us? They would have swallowed us alive in their burning anger. The waters would have engulfed us; a torrent would have overwhelmed us. Yes, the raging waters of their fury would have overwhelmed our very lives” (Psalm 124:1-5).\n\nPerhaps you’ve witnessed a deliverance by Almighty God in your life. Whether a healing, a wondrous provision or a beautiful reconciliation, you carry with you a sense of humble gratitude to God who chose to intervene in a situation that seemed utterly hopeless at the time (vv.6-7).\n\nGod often works powerfully through hard things that come our way. But even when the answer isn’t what we hoped for, we can declare, “Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (v.8).\n\n—Ruth O’Reilly-Smith\n\n365-day plan: Matthew 5:1-16\n\nRead 2 Chronicles 7:14 and consider how God hears our prayers as we humble ourselves, pray and seek His face. \nWhen have you experienced the deliverance only God can bring? How does it encourage you to know He’s on your side?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8467146754264832}
{"content": "Sinnikka Smith\n\nSinnikka_SmithSinnikka Smith is a Microbiologist at AgBiome. Prior to joining AgBiome Sinnikka started her professional career at Athenix Corp and then Bayer CropScience in the Microbiology lab maintaining and expanding the strain collection and other Micro related duties. Currently Sinnikka continues to expand AgBiome’s diverse microbe collection and many other Micro related tasks.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.963896632194519}
{"content": "Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen\n\nPride And Prejudice by Jane Austen\n\nLength: 880 words (2.5 double-spaced pages)\n\nRating: Excellent\n\nOpen Document\n\nEssay Preview\n\nMore ↓\nPride and Prejudice is the story of the Bennet family and their romantic life. Mainly the romantic life refers to the five unmarried girls of the family: Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia. Their mother Mrs. Bennet was desperate to see her eldest three daughters (Elizabeth, Jane, and Lydia) married, and the news of the wealthy bachelor Mr. Bingley and his friend Mr. Darcy moving to town was of major excitement for her. Mrs. Bennet was a woman on a mission in this story, and she was willing to do what it took to achieve her goal. Mrs. Bennet was the persistent type and didn't care.\nMrs. Bennet is described by the author as \"a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper.\" As a young lady she was good looking and won her husband through her looks, but that eventually wore off when her crass behavior began to overlook her beauty. Underneath that beauty was a loud and blunderous woman. To add to the list of her not so flattering qualities, she wasn't the most intelligent person either, and she pretty much made a fool of herself whenever she spoke. Being in the upper middle class of a Georgian British society, she felt she had the right of passage to conduct herself in a rude manor and believed she deserved to get what she desired. Everyone in the story at one point or another felt that Mrs. Bennet was just a nuisance, and was very ignorant in what she said and did. I'm sure her daughters felt as if she was just too nosey and was in their personal life too much.\nThroughout the book Mrs. Bennet's opinions on people change sporadically. Her feelings toward men usually change based on the belief of whether or not they will be a good fit for her daughters. She expects nothing but he best for her daughters, which is why she was so desperate for a suitor for them. Although, in her Mrs. Bennet's rude behavior she even turned away some of the same suitors she had been trying to attract. She later even becomes a major deterrent in the paths of Bingley and Darcy in the pursuit of her daughters. Mrs. Bennet was a \"gold digger\" so to speak, and that's why she married Mr. Bennet so she would be set for life and wouldn't have to worry. She wanted her daughters to do the same thing and be just as well off or even more so than her.\n\nHow to Cite this Page\n\nMLA Citation:\n\"Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen.\" 19 Jan 2019\n\nNeed Writing Help?\n\nGet feedback on grammar, clarity, concision and logic instantly.\n\nCheck your paper »\n\nPride And Prejudice By Jane Austen Essay\n\n- Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, is largely a novel about overcoming obstacles and achieving romantic bliss. The protagonist, Elizabeth, and her eventual husband, Mr. Darcy, must surmount their main obstacle – their mutual dislike of each other at the beginning of the novel. As the storyline progresses, these two characters slowly gravitate toward each other, and their union becomes inevitable. Sharp insight allows both Elizabeth and Darcy to overcome their own pride and prejudices against one another, and ultimately undergo a transformation to fall in love....   [tags: Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen]\n\nResearch Papers\n1019 words (2.9 pages)\n\nEssay on Pride And Prejudice By Jane Austen\n\n- ... Mr. Darcy adds the perfect counterpart to Elizabeth. As prejudice as she is, he is just as prideful. Also, vice versa. Elizabeth believes Mr. Darcy is arrogant and casts him aside from the beginning. Mr. Darcy, although he eventually falls in love with her, doesn 't think she is good enough for him. They both represent pride and prejudice, the two most significant themes in the novel, at different point in the novel. Some of Austen’s novels use a small setting. Certain readers may see this as a problem, but others do not....   [tags: Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen]\n\nResearch Papers\n1687 words (4.8 pages)\n\nPride And Prejudice By Jane Austen Essay\n\n- Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen’s famous novel, is, in large part, a study of marriage. It is an interesting novel for Austen since she was never married. The social culture of Austen’s day made marriage a crucial aspect of a woman 's life. A women in that time was dependent on a man for money and social standing. Synonyms for marriage are union and alliance both have very different meanings. Marriage as a union implies a fully joined couple. A marital alliance suggests that marriage is an association for mutual benefit such as money, social standing, or physical desires....   [tags: Marriage, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen]\n\nResearch Papers\n1353 words (3.9 pages)\n\nEssay on Pride And Prejudice By Jane Austen\n\n- ... Mr. Bingley gets to meet Mr. Bennet’s family and he also introduces them to his sisters and his friend. Darcy starts to pass judgment on the Bennet family. Elizabeth immediately starts to Cowans 2 dislike him. As a result, Darcy’s failure to dance with anyone and his terrible comments cause others in the community not to like him also. She felt that he thought he was better than them or that they were beneath him and she was right. On the other hand Jane had a great time dancing with Mr....   [tags: Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen]\n\nResearch Papers\n1107 words (3.2 pages)\n\nPride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Essay\n\n- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Jane uses the novel to show the common day romance of the time period. In the novel, Elizabeth Bennet, a sophisticated, lively girl manages to change Mr. Darcy, a cocky, stubborn man into a person who is head over heels in love. Although it takes her some time, Elizabeth is able to change the way Mr. Darcy feels about love in general and causes him to act differently then he has ever done before. Mr. Darcy’s self- discovery in response to Elizabeth Bennet’s blunt honestly allows him to re-evaluate his approach to love....   [tags: Jane Austen Pride Prejudice]\n\nResearch Papers\n1105 words (3.2 pages)\n\nPride and Vanity in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Essay\n\n\nResearch Papers\n823 words (2.4 pages)\n\nEssay on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice\n\n- Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice In pride and prejudice there are three main marriages that are focused on. The marriage of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, Lydia and Mr. Whickam, and Jane and Mr. Bingley. The marriage of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy is very different from the marriage of Jane and Mr. Bingley. The reason that the marriages are so different is because they both married for different reasons. Elizabeth is The second daughter in the Bennet family, she very intelligent and witty. Elizabeth has very good qualities she is lovely, clever, and can hold conversations....   [tags: Jane Austen Pride Prejudice]\n\nFree Essays\n925 words (2.6 pages)\n\nEssay on Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen\n\n- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Pride and prejudice is a novel written by Jane Austen and is probably one of the most famous and best loved novels in the English language. In my essay I shall be comparing the proposals of Mr Collins and Mr Darcy to Elizabeth. A proposal is a declaration of love to one person involving powerful feelings where one cannot imagine going on in life without the other, it is also a great compliment. The central theme of the novel is marriage. As well as the marriage between Elizabeth and Mr Darcy; Austen uses many other marriages within the novel to show and assist the reader in assessing her recommended ingredients for a lasting and happy marriage....   [tags: Pride Prejudice jane Austen Essays]\n\nResearch Papers\n6668 words (19.1 pages)\n\nPride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Essay\n\n- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen In this coursework I will be writing about the different marriage proposal that Elizabeth is offered by two completely different people. From the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. The three main people I will be looking at are Mr Collins, Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. Elizabeth gets a proposal from both Mr Collins and Mr Darcy but the response she will be giving is not quite either men were expecting. I will also have further explanations on how Jane Austen’s use of language is in the proposals....   [tags: Jane Austen Pride Prejudice Essays]\n\nResearch Papers\n2692 words (7.7 pages)\n\nJane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Essay\n\n- Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice \"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife\" Jane Austen used this quote to open her second book, 'Pride and Prejudice', which was first published in 1813. This is a story of the attitudes towards love and marriage in the nineteenth century, through the eyes of a number of people in different family situations and levels of society. It explores what was socially acceptable and disgraceful at the time, as well as the author, Jane Austen's, personal opinion on the matter....   [tags: Jane Austen Pride Prejudice Essays]\n\nResearch Papers\n2082 words (5.9 pages)\n\nRelated Searches\n\nMrs. Bennet's role as a parent was not played very well. Neither was her husband Mr. Bennet's parental role played out well. Mr. Bennet preferred to withdraw from the never ending marriage concerns of the women around him rather than offer help, and he was known for not being there for his family in trivial times. Mrs. Bennet however was overly concerned with the whole marriage situation. She fails to realize the sensibility of the situation and the true feelings of her daughters. For example, she wants Elizabeth to marry the pompous, idiotic Mr. Collins and she ridicules Jane for her love for Bingley. Her permissiveness with Lydia leads to her living with Wickham outside of marriage. She then refuses to come out of her room or even dress when Lydia and Wickham run off together because she is afraid Lydia may have ruined her chance to be married and disgraced the family with her tainted reputation. Mrs. Bennet is undeniably incapable of holding her family together in times of need, and she really on makes maters worse.\nIn the end, Mrs. Bennet gets exactly what she has desired and her three eldest daughters are married. She however remains the same awkward, vulgar and foolish woman that she had been throughout the whole story. Neither her actions nor personality changed, but one thing is for sure, everyone now realized how crazy she really was. I think Mrs. Bennet is a picture of real life women even today who try to force certain people in their children's love lives, just for the sole reason of being financially fit. In my opinion I think Mrs. Bennet had a secret agenda of getting some of the money that her daughters would inherit through marrying a wealthy man. There is no real proof of her even having thoughts of doing something like this, but it is just my opinion. She just seems like the type to have a hidden agenda for her own self centered wants.\nI don't know why Mr. Bennet put up with her because I would have gotten rid of her with an attitude like that. She could have been a lot more discreet in her actions of matchmaking, or at least a little more courteous in her overall personality. It seems to me that she was more worried about money than the feelings of her daughters. Overall this book was pretty boring to read but overall the crazy characters such as Mrs. Bennet kept me in to it. One thing I didn't like was that it was hard to read since it was written in a different time period. I wouldn't usually read something like this on my own but for reading it as an assignment it is an average read.\nReturn to", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9989266991615295}
{"content": "What Do You Know About Experts\n\nAdvantages of Trees Maintenance\n\nTrees are beautiful in nature and add life to the surrounding environment. Trees are the source of oxygen to the living things. This article is aimed at making you understand the importance of the maintenance of the trees.\n\nTo help shape the young trees maintenance have to be thoroughly taken. In order to have strong trees ,proper pruning and early care should be done to the young trees. For a tree to have long lasting success, proper maintenance like pruning and trimming should be done. Removing of the unnecessary branches offshoots or trunk division will promote a sounder trunk.\n\nTrees maintenance accelerates good air flow. Proper pruning allows for space in between the tree’s branches and leaves. Proper pruning of trees also allow light passing thus creating more space for air flow. pruning give the trees small pockets that helps them to fight against strong wind. The freedom of movement in the trees top helps them to be more suited to supporting their natural purposes and more flexible .\n\nThe importance of the maintenance of trees is to prevent safely hazards. Removing of the weak and dead branches from the trees by pruning may help prevent accident. In the places where the wind is strong this weak and dead trees should removed before thy fall down on your homes causing accidents. For you to avoid wounding or destroying the trees removing of the dead and weak branches .\n\nThe advantage of trees maintenance in to avoid desertification. To avoid desertification proper mulching should be done to the trees. Watering of young trees can help prevent them from drying thus eliminating desertification.\nThe trees are the source of medicine to the people they should be well maintain and protected for as not to lack medicine.\n\nSoil erosion and strong wind can be eradicated by proper maintenance of trees. In order to prevent soil erosion a lot of trees should be planted and maintained well. In order to prevent accidents from the strong wind a lot of trees should be planted and maintained well.\n\nFinally the importance of maintaining trees is to make sure that the word animals continue getting food and shelter. Large number of world animals depends on the trees for food and shelter and so destruction of trees would lead to their death. In order to have enough supply of water we have to take care of the trees. In order to attract rain we have to plant and maintain the trees. The trees are the source of beauty in a country and so we are urged to plant and maintain them.\n\nThe Essentials of Businesses – 101\n\nHow I Achieved Maximum Success with Experts", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.880347490310669}
{"content": "Jump to ContentJump to Main Navigation\nWhy Jane Austen?$\n\nRachel Brownstein\n\nPrint publication date: 2013\n\nPrint ISBN-13: 9780231153911\n\nPublished to Columbia Scholarship Online: November 2015\n\nDOI: 10.7312/columbia/9780231153911.001.0001\n\nShow Summary Details\n\nWhy We Reread Jane Austen\n\nWhy We Reread Jane Austen\n\n(p.195) Chapter 5 Why We Reread Jane Austen\nWhy Jane Austen?\n\nRachel M. Brownstein\n\nColumbia University Press\n\nAbstract and Keywords\n\nThis chapter discusses Jane Austen as a writer. In a linguistically poorer time, Austen's insistence on care with language is easily misread as school-marmish stress on correctness for its own sake, or as an equally old-fashioned emphasis on mannerliness and lack of profanity. But her care for language is neither only aesthetic nor merely moral, in the contemporary sense that signifies high-minded opposition to blasphemous or sexually explicit language. Writing as a perfect lady liberated Austen from the constraints of being one. Her language is principled and precise, respectful of the fact that both thought and feeling are intrinsic to their expression: she is a moral writer, but she does not moralize. Her novels insist on the importance of details, and she usefully reminds one to pay attention to both the details of living and the words one use.\n\nKeywords:   Jane Austen, language, profanity, thought, feeling, details\n\n\nPersuasion, chapter 11\n\nIt is hard that we should not be allowed to dwell as often as we please on what delights us, when things that are disagreeable recur so often against our will.\n\n—William Hazlitt, “On a Landscape of Nicolas Poussin”\n\n\nNorthanger Abbey, chapter 5\n\nIndeed, one could argue that Austen’s ideal reader is one who initially gets things wrong.\n\nBharat Tandon, Jane Austen and the Morality of Conversation\n\nWhy We Reread Jane Austen\n\nFigure 16. Action figure of Jane Austen.\n\nPhotograph by Catherine Casalino, 2010.\n\nMy friend c. is concerned about her oldest grand-daughter. Emma, born in 1995, is a great, an avid, an omnivorous reader, she tells me; she saw and loved all the Jane Austen movies, which her parents got for her on DVD. She’s read and really enjoyed (p.196) the other Austen novels, but she cannot and will not read Emma. No, the problem is not that the heroine who shares her name is a brat—there’s a very annoying Emma in her class, and she doesn’t mind her. And she says she does not object to what they say is the moral of the story, that you shouldn’t manipulate other people or condescend to them, and that kids should be polite to older people (although she can’t see going so far as to marry one). Can I explain? They have bought her several beautiful editions.\n\nIt is a grandmotherly question, dated by its preconceptions as well as its kind concern. If girls ever read Jane Austen, as cynics used to say they did, for the covert thrill of sexy romance masked as educational literature, they no longer do—at least not in our sophisticated, liberal urban circles. First of all, it does not seem obligatory, as it once did, to educate oneself by reading the classics: the prevailing cool view is expressed in the back-cover copy of the smash-hit mash-up, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2009), shelved in the “teen” section of your local mega-bookstore—that it “transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you’d actually want to read.” I’m not sure exactly what young Emma reads, but the covers of the other books piled in that super-sophisticated section promise laughs, sex, violence, gross-outs, laughs at sex and violence and gross-outs, and weird spooky fantasy. What’s now (deplorably) denominated “literary fiction” barely makes it to the tables in a dying book business where “romance novels” and “relationship books” by, e.g., Nora Roberts make dazzling profits. (Asked to account for her success, Roberts has explained that in hard times like ours, her books give one hope; presumably she was not quoting Lionel Trilling.) Overwritten and lush with adjectives, action, and explanations, predictable at every turn of the sentence and the bosom-heaving plot, mass-market romances are available and accessible to the curious teenager. They are easy to read, there are a lot of them, and tolerant parents and teachers and salesclerks—if they notice—tend not to disapprove of the girl who buys, borrows, quotes, or carries one, a girl who after all, unlike most girls, these days, is (they say proudly) a reader. The eager mass-marketing of Jane Austen–related books and films, from the by-now old movies of the 1990s through the continuing stream of sequels, etc., to the latest mash-ups, have confusingly confounded her works with popular genre fiction. I tell my friend that Austen’s novel must seem slow and dull to a girl who has enjoyed the handsome, clever, richly colored movies, costume dramas calculated to persuade people to see her love stories as naïve, absurdly chaste romances of mostly historical (p.197) interest—dress rehearsals for the real thing we can finally truthfully write and read about, and experience, today.\n\nYoung Emma probably reads for the plot, which is only normal, I tell C.—and there’s not much plot in Emma. It’s the least romantic and the most original and characteristic of Austen’s novels. The problem for the modern young reader is not only that there are no sex scenes and car chases: part of the point of this book is how much little things matter, and it’s most interesting to a reader who’s read it before, and is already disposed to track the echoes and parallels, the differences and, yes, the details. In the introduction to the latest Penguin edition, I remind her, Adela Pinch argues that the novel is about nothing. My friend is a distinguished feminist professor, and I can feel her turning off: she has read Emma, after all, and even some articles about the novel, and she hardly needs me to tell her what it is about. She is polite about the inadequacies of my aesthetic emphasis. Social scientists like her have low expectations of their colleagues in the humanities: indeed they count on us to dream on. Probably she thinks of me as one of those pleasure-loving people in English departments who do not quite function in the real world, and enjoy an alternative one a little too much. Maybe she’s right: after all, my take on Jane Austen is that everything in and around the books points toward the mutual imbrications of realities and alternatives. I soldier on. I tell her you have to be carefully taught, these days, to read Jane Austen, and that I work to get my students to read for anything but the plot, and that her Emma is too young to read Emma quite yet.\n\nWhen I “teach” Emma to undergraduates, I work to alienate it. I read the opening paragraphs aloud so the students can savor the slow, gradual elongation of the “e” from the short indeterminate grunt in the words it starts with (“Emma” and “best blessings of existence”) to the long emphatic screech of the “e’s” in “real evils.” If they seem attentive and I’m on a roll, I inform them that the twentieth-century novelist George Perec wrote a whole novel entirely without “e’s,” and that the “e” in Mr. Knightley’s name distinguishes it from the word it derives from (although the bluff middle-aged hero named after the English Saint George is a modern version of the perfect, gentle knight, a traditional gentleman farmer in a newly commercial society). I point out that the dropped “e” in “Donwell Abbey” is what saves it from being too simply, overly allegorically named “Done Well.” (I might even go on a little about “Norland” and “Morland.”) If the students begin to say or want to say that I’m making too much of too little I stop there. But with graduate (p.198) students, rereaders, I always manage to get to the conversation at Box Hill and Mr. Weston’s game spelling “Emma” with the letters “M” and “A,” minus the initial “e.”\n\nI want them to notice that the novel is a fabric of words, to see how Jane Austen insists that evil is real by her choice of words, and I want them to remember these words that sound at the very beginning of the novel. The best of them will hear the echo later when Emma considers the distressing possibility that Harriet might be “the chosen, the first, the dearest” of Mr. Knightley, “the wife to whom he looked for all the best blessings of existence” (422–423). Jane Austen’s sentences sound and scan as those of few prose writers do. Sometimes, conscious of enjoying them a little too much, I worry that I am like those impious people in the couplet by Alexander Pope, those who “to church repair / Not for the doctrine but the music there.” Music can expand the mind, as doctrine cannot. Stuart Tave wrote movingly of the amplitude of meaning in “the just and lovely words of Jane Austen [which] take power … not from a narrowness of meaning, fixed and single, but from a certain largeness of scope within which they can move in careful purpose.”1 Like most of her regular readers, I reread Jane Austen for the pleasure of the texts, to enjoy what Nabokov called “aesthetic bliss … a sense of being somehow, somewhere, connected with other states of being where art (curiosity, tenderness, kindness, ecstasy) is the norm.”2 I read her to borrow and enjoy her thinking about how language makes life mean and matter, her bracing sense that everything hangs on using it precisely and well. “Composition” is what she called what she did at her desk; and her famous effusion of praise for the novel, in Northanger Abbey, ends emphatically on the words “chosen language.” A marriageable maiden’s choice is the focus of the plots of her novels, and the novelist underwrites that theme by keeping us conscious of her own choices, of words. Zeroing in on those “e’s” in the first paragraph of Emma and running with them, as I stand in front of my class, I find myself preaching that paying attention to each and every detail leads the attentive reader to the truth. That Jane Austen writes fiction, but she doesn’t lie.\n\nThe novels emphatically scorn “the common phrase,” fashionable slang (Mrs. Elton’s “caro sposo”), the “thorough novel slang” of the time that Jane Austen deplored, bad grammar like Lucy Steele’s, and pious moralizing clichés like Mary Bennet’s. In Sense and Sensibility, when Willoughby thoughtlessly resorts to bluster (“Thunderbolts and daggers!”), he remembers Marianne’s scorn and apologizes to Elinor, giving us a quick rare glimpse of his charm. (p.199) In a linguistically sloppier time, Austen’s insistence on care with language is easily misread as school-marmish stress on correctness for its own sake, or as an equally old-fashioned charming fastidious emphasis on mannerliness and lack of profanity. (In the 1990s, one dowager at a Jane Austen Society meeting confided to me, wonderfully, that she adored the new movies because they had no “language” in them [her air quotes, to convey the innuendo].) But her care for language is neither only aesthetic nor merely moral, in the narrow contemporary sense that signifies high-minded opposition to blasphemous or sexually explicit language. Writing as a perfect lady liberated Jane Austen from the constraints of being one. She gave the following advice to her niece Anna, in a letter clearly designed to shock, about a character in that sober young woman’s novel in process:\n\n\n(Letters, 277)3\n\nHer language is principled and precise, respectful of the fact that both thought and feeling are intrinsic to their expression: she is a moral writer, but she does not moralize. It is impossible for me to believe she did not smile a little when she described Hartfield as a “notch” (slang then for female genitals) in the expanse of Donwell Abbey; and although the admirable recent editor of Mansfield Park disagrees, it seems to me that such a clever and conscious connoisseur of words had to be aware that Mary Crawford’s remark about the talk of “Rears and Vices” at her uncle the Admiral’s skirts the subject of sodomy.4\n\n“You know I enjoy particulars,” Austen wrote appreciatively, evidently in response to an especially vivid lost letter (not much more than this fragment remains of her response) (Letters, 288). The novels insist on the importance of details, like the rivet in Mrs. Bates’s spectacles that Frank Churchill gets called in to fix. Walking with Harriet, Emma stops to tie her shoelace, then deliberately breaks it off as an excuse to bring Harriet to Mr. Elton’s cottage. Later in the story, Mr. Knightley bends down to tie his shoelace: readers not yet aware that he is in love with Emma are led to think the effort of doing so causes his face to get red. On rereading, the matching episodes resonate wonderfully, comically, contributing to the beautifully patterned whole of (p.200) the novel. It is not only in Emma, of course, that everything depends on the details. The reader is challenged to notice them from the very first paragraph of, for example, Mansfield Park:\n\n\nThe punning, alliteration, and off-balances (hunting done; captivate and comforts and consequences, handsome house and large income); the play of active and passive voices; and especially the punctuation signal mockery. My favorites are the commas that set off “himself.” Kathryn Sutherland (who acknowledges that pointing, or punctuation, was often left to the printers in the period) argues that Austen uses two kinds of commas, the syntactical and the conversational: the three that follow the words “uncle,” “lawyer,” and “himself,” would fall into the second category. Like the comma after “universally acknowledged,” in the first sentence of Pride and Prejudice, they indicate a pause for an intake of breath, as if in conversation—and also, I think, a pause that suggests time taken to notice the lift of an eyebrow, for emphasis.5 Like the energetically emphatic underlining in some of Jane Austen’s letters and manuscripts, these commas indicate stress (in both senses of that word), and a giggle. Here they insist that marriage is a financial contract: Miss Maria’s lucky arrangements were made by her uncle the lawyer (socially a very far cry from a baronet), a pompous man (the lawyer) clever enough to make nice distinctions. That Miss Maria’s own uncle was obliged to acknowledge his niece had made a good match prepares the way for the story of Fanny Price and her much grander uncle Sir Thomas Bertram (who admires her figure and also cruelly tries to give her to that unexpected high bidder, Henry Crawford).\n\nAusten’s most suggestive comment about (or around) her writing practice occurs in a letter to her favorite niece Fanny—a response to a letter from Fanny reporting from London, where she was seriously considering a marriage proposal. The aunt describes her sympathy, and her inability to come up with (p.201) useful advice about what Fanny should do about her suitor: “I am feeling differently every moment, & shall not be able to suggest a single thing that can assist your Mind.—I could lament in one sentence & laugh in the next, but as to Opinion or Counsel I am sure none will [be] extracted worth having from this Letter.” Like an aunt in an epistolary novel, she brings literary sense and sensibility to the cases for and against marrying “Poor dear Mr. J.P.”\n\n\n(Letters, 279–280)\n\nBriefly, she changes the subject to her own news, which is that the first edition of Mansfield Park has sold out and she is looking forward to a second one, being “very greedy.” (She had already wryly observed that Fanny was “much above caring about money”—Fanny was in fact rich but her aunt’s point is that no one is above money.) Having done with both their private lives, she adds a paragraph of assorted family news, then signs off—but comes back to add a postscript apropos of the letter’s main subject:\n\nYour trying to excite your own feelings by a visit to his room amused me excessively.—The dirty Shaving Rag was exquisite!—such a circumstance ought to be in print. Much too good to be lost.\n\n(Letters, 282)\n\nToo good to be lost, too good for preservation in the mere mock amber of a private letter, the telling detail “ought to be in print”: thus Fanny’s appreciative aunt, Jane Austen the proud member of a thriving print culture, successful author of Mansfield Park and two earlier novels.\n\nFanny’s visit to her suitor’s room recalls a classic in the annals of satire, “Cassinus and Peter” (1731), Swift’s poem about the “two College Sophs of Cambridge growth” who are horrified to discover, in a lady’s dressing room, paint, false hair, and, unimaginably, a chamber pot (“Nor wonder how I lost my Wits / O, Caelia, Caelia, Caelia sh—”.) If either Fanny or her aunt knew Swift’s poem, they would have known as well that the circumstances (p.202) are not parallel: no woman, certainly not one daring enough to look, would be disillusioned or surprised to find dirty evidence of his toilette in a man’s private quarters. It is important that Jane Austen does not seem to have been shocked by Fanny’s visiting her suitor’s room in order to “excite [her] own feelings”; what she finds “exquisite” is Fanny’s noticing the “Shaving Rag.” Fanny’s keen eye for a telling detail is what makes her a “delightful creature,” a very different creature than Harriet Smith, still stuck on Mr. Elton, who treasures the piece of court plaster that once stuck to him.\n\nRegistering Fanny’s registering the shaving rag, delighting in it, Jane Austen longs to have the “circumstance” related to others, to preserve the tiny detail in print as bugs are preserved in amber. It is not the dirty banal thing itself but Fanny’s seeing it that is “much too good to be lost,” as the most keen-eyed observations will be unless they are written down and printed. James Boswell wrote that he would live no more than he could record, as he would plant no more corn than he could gather: registering and writing down this comically insignificant detail of her private life, Fanny reaps a kernel of general truth. By noting it in her letter to her aunt she makes it mean. The exchange about the shaving rag is between writers as well as women; it is as Swiftian as it is feminine. From it, you get a whiff of what it must have been like to learn at her feet how Jane Austen looked at things, and to try—for one’s own amusement and edification, and for hers—to see and to write as she did. It begins to explain why not only her nieces and nephew but also later generations of readers and admirers have thought they could try their hand at trying on Austen’s simple-seeming style.\n\nJane Austen does not tell us how to live any more than she told Fanny whom to marry, but she usefully reminds us to pay attention, to both the details of living and the words we use. She seems to me to be divided (not unlike Lionel Trilling) about whether it is in fact possible to reconcile the moral life with enjoyment of the best blessings of existence. Her politics, like her private emotions, are elusive. Did she not write much about the servants because she didn’t think they mattered, or because she limited her characters to the class she knew best, or knew best how to skewer? The remark in Northanger Abbey that from talking about politics it is an easy step to silence is sometimes read as Austen’s personal view—but it could be that of the people talking. (Does only Fanny consider Sir Thomas a good man?) When Elizabeth Bennet calls herself “a rational creature,” and Mrs. Croft, in Persuasion, defends women as “rational creatures,” as opposed to “fine ladies,” does the novelist behind them (p.203) deliberately evoke Mary Wollstonecraft—approvingly? Is it fair to discern, in the hints of anxiety about incest and endogamy in Mansfield Park and Emma, shadows of the debates going on at the time the novels were written, about so-called miscegenation—and of Jane Austen’s personal views of that—mixed with her private anxieties about marrying and leaving home?\n\nAusten is harder to catch in the ideological act than she is in the act of genius.6 As I see it, she is most useful today, politically and morally, as an example of linguistic precision. If the formal exigencies of Jane-Austen diction and manners have the Balinese charm of remoteness, now, they function usefully as metaphors for the arbitrariness of social and linguistic signs. They encourage awareness that language itself is part of the problem, as some things should not and others cannot be said. Words as Austen deploys and weighs them reflect, obscure, and influence by mediating the subtle relations of signification to meaning—therefore of meaning to feeling, and of what is meant and felt to what must remain unsaid. “What did she say? Just what she ought, of course. A lady always does” (E, 431): this is what the reader is told about Emma’s response to Mr. Knightley’s proposal of marriage. In the face of this complexity, at the heart of it, in the elegant phrasing and timing and epigrammatic brilliance, there is the promise of mastery over language. “My Emma,” says Mr. Knightley, toward the end, after his critical close reading of not-frank Frank Churchill’s letter (and therefore his character), “does not every thing serve to prove more and more the beauty of truth and sincerity in all our dealings with each other?” (E, 446). If the language-loving reader’s heart swells at this as at a patriotic anthem, the surge on second thought subsides. Although she wants to, Emma can agree with Mr. Knightley only “with a blush of sensibility on Harriet’s account, which she could not give any sincere explanation of.” For our heroine is still keeping a secret, therefore still being incompletely truthful and sincere: it is a function of her character and context, and also of the limits of truth in conversation, and furthermore of the English language. Some fourteen pages earlier, apropos of Emma’s being baffled by the task of explaining her inconsistency, either Mr. Knightley or the narrator carefully reflects that\n\n\n(E, 431)\n\n(p.204) Rereading Jane Austen, I don’t believe that Emma and Mr. Knightley are real: I hardly believe Jane Austen was. But I believe this truth about truth in language, and begin to believe again in the beauty of telling the truth, and in the importance of trying to. We reread Jane Austen because she persuades us to be nostalgic for what we never knew, and because we want her clarity.\n\n\nThe meanings of the words “understand” and “understanding” fall into three rough but overlapping categories. The first includes the verb “to understand,” meaning to perform a solitary intellectual act, and the noun “the understanding,” that is, the reason or mind or intelligence, or “power of the soul”7\n\nwith which an individual comprehends or grasps ideas and meanings, and objectively observes and assesses other individuals. This is operative in reading novels of the sort that begin by characterizing an Emma Woodhouse as “handsome, clever, and rich,” totting up her attributes in a tone that directs one to weigh them instead of being swept away by them, as one might be while reading another kind of book—say, a romance. In this sense of the word, Elinor Dashwood has “strength of understanding,” Jane Bennet has an “excellent understanding,” and Mrs. Bennet can be fairly dispatched as a woman of “mean understanding,” meaning she is not very intelligent.\n\nAusten appeals to readers who are inclined to value mental ability and to scorn stupidity, to rank people according to their intellectual powers: the capacity of minds is more interesting to her than the color of hair. Harriet Smith, unlike Emma, is “not clever,” having no “strength of understanding”; Isabella Knightley is “not a woman of strong understanding,” while her husband is a “very clever man.” Miss Bates has “no intellectual superiority”; Mr. Perry is “an intelligent, gentlemanlike man”; Mr. Weston has “an active, cheerful mind.” (Of Mr. Knightley, “a sensible man,” more later.) When Emma thinks at the end of her story that she had wrongly “set up for Understanding” (427)—the word is capitalized—she is criticizing herself for having thought she was so smart. Emma’s revulsion from her own intellectual arrogance is engaging: readers who think that Emma (like Jane Austen) is too smart for her own good have fastened on this moment, sensing an interesting reversal of Jane Austen upon herself, an instance of softening, even penitence or atonement.\n\n(p.205) People of understanding in this first sense of the word are equipped to get jokes and understand puzzles and witticisms that elude duller minds. “Do you understand?” Mr. Weston anxiously asks Emma after he spells out his simple flattering conundrum on her name, at Box Hill. (“Understanding and gratification came together,” the narrator tells us.) Three pages later, smart-aleck Emma says defensively to Mr. Knightley about the joke she made at Miss Bates’s expense, “I dare say she did not understand me” (374). To understand what is outside it—the cognitive function—is a function of the understanding, that inner capacity some people have more and some less of. “No doubt you were much my superior in judgment at [one] period of our lives,” says Emma to Mr. Knightley; “but does not the lapse of one-and-twenty years bring our understandings a good deal nearer?” (99). This remains a question in the novel (and the world beyond it), and it begins to raise the question of whether and how, if the understanding grows more capacious in the course of living in the world, it grows more connected with the things and the people around it. Common sense and British philosophy would seem to suggest that it is so: Hume argued that experience is a factor in the operations of the human understanding. (Jane Austen does not, I think, think quite that way: in Mansfield Park she hints at a more tragic vision, writing of Fanny that “she began to feel that she had not yet gone through all the changes of opinion and sentiment, which the progress of time and variation of circumstances occasion in this world of changes. The vicissitudes of the human mind had not yet been exhausted by her” [MP, 374].) All the novels seem to insist on the importance of innate intelligence, and tend to contrast people of strong understanding with less acute people who have different virtues. Sisters like Elinor and Marianne or Elizabeth and Jane, rivals like Mary Crawford and Fanny Price, are paired, in part, to pose the question that Emma raises outright apropos of Harriet Smith, whether a strong understanding in a woman is a “charm equal to tenderness of heart” (E, 169). In Northanger Abbey there is a reflection by the narrator that “a woman especially” should keep it to herself that she knows anything at all.\n\nThe first meaning of “to understand,” to comprehend, apprehend the meaning or import of, grasp the idea of, is illustrated in the OED by the familiar quotation from Emma: “One half the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other” (81). It is Emma herself who makes this observation to her father, in response to his saying, “I cannot understand it,” about his grandchildren’s enjoyment of being tossed in the air by their uncle. “You (p.206) understand everything” (76), undiscriminating Harriet tells Emma, using the word in the same way. To observe that half the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other is to observe the word “understand” begin to slide, as “understanding” also slides, into the second category or dimension of its meanings, to signify not the intellectual power of an individual but imaginative sympathy between people. Here, for instance, is Emma contemplating, and then listening to Harriet describe, Harriet’s visit to the Martin girls:\n\nAfter much thinking, she could determine on nothing better, than Harriet’s returning the visit: but in a way that, if they had understanding, should convince them that it was to be only a formal acquaintance.\n\n(E, 185)\n\n\n(E, 187)\n\n“If they had understanding,” they would get the point of the very short visit: such a quality is not intellect but social tact. Something of that kind of meaning colors Emma’s flirtatious invitation, to Mr. Knightley, to look back twenty-one years to the beginning of the lifetime she has spent improving her understanding. To understand or have understanding of this kind is to add feeling to the “mere understanding” or intellectual power. In the main plot of Emma, as the hero and the heroine move from being friends and relations by marriage to being married lovers, from teacher and student to husband and wife, the movement from an intellectual to an emotional understanding is subtly mapped. Mr. Knightley, rebuking Emma in her adoring father’s presence, makes the point that she sometimes is by saying she is “not often deficient either in manner or comprehension.” He concludes with a clear emphasis, “I think you understand me, therefore.” It is not yet midway through the novel and Emma only imperfectly does, although she thinks she really does. “An arch look expressed—‘I understand you well enough;’ but she said only, ‘Miss Fairfax is reserved’” (171). Depending on being understood by the people they talk to, speakers like Mr. Knightley and Emma may encode (p.207) their meanings by inflecting the words and looks they exchange, telegraphing “You know what I mean” in order to prevent others (like Mr. Woodhouse, here) from beginning to comprehend their meaning. Doing that, they make a connection that depends on silence and sympathy, and on separating themselves from those around them; their mutual understanding or complicity is a psychosocial, antisocial force, the force that forms couples, coteries, cliques, and classes.\n\nDifferent from both the objective understanding of the mind and the sympathetic understanding that goes without saying is a third more trivial sense of the word, “understanding” meaning a specific assumption or set of assumptions or a formal arrangement or agreement that links and joins individuals who consent to it. Marriage is its ultimate form; an engagement to marry comes close. Mr. Knightley near the end finally has a strong “suspicion of there being something of a private liking, of private understanding even, between Frank Churchill and Jane” (344). If we conceal such an understanding from the community, the consequences—as this novel sees it—threaten our private agreement, and our individual selves. The trouble with every private understanding is that for both good and ill it is exclusive and in that sense anti-social, therefore not subject to being corrected. For we may be wrongly imagining that both of us see things the same way, or that something like a (socially sanctioned) contractual agreement binds us together. A related error takes place among more than two people when a “good understanding” (187) or pleasant consciousness of being a comfortable party encourages a sense of personal well-being: people being inveterately like themselves, sometimes some are left out, and sometimes they are not what they seem to be.\n\nThe three meanings of the word “understand” and “understanding” are discrete, but they slide into one another. For to comprehend the words or gestures of another person, to take in the signs he or she invests with meaning, is after all to begin to be that person’s ally, accomplice, or confederate. Understanding what another might mean requires work by the understanding; it may require, and may lead to, a mutual understanding of more or less depth and feeling; its premise is the understanding—true or false—that you will know what I mean. The several kinds or dimensions of understanding influence and color one another; the separate, distinctive intellectual power of an individual is complexly involved with the people she lives with and the arrangements and conventions that inform social life, simply because she thinks and talks in language, uses words like “understanding.”\n\n(p.208) In Emma, as the meanings of the word “understanding” are explored, misunderstandings proliferate. A world made up of families in a country village is a world where people literally speak the same language and think they do figuratively as well, so that a great deal goes without saying and is given to be understood. What is understood in that sense is inevitably sometimes misunderstood, or taken to be understood without positive or sufficient knowledge, for instance when all Highbury says, “I suppose you have heard of the handsome letter Mr. Frank Churchill had written to Mrs. Weston? I understand it was a very handsome letter, indeed. Mr. Woodhouse told me of it. Mr. Woodhouse saw the letter, and he says he never saw such a handsome letter in his life” (18). What we understand on Mr. Woodhouse’s authority we understand only as he understands things, which is to say not very well. Frank Churchill’s father uses heavy irony when he reports another letter from the same young man and says, “Mrs. Churchill, as we understand, has not been able to leave the sopha for a week together” (306). The italicized phrase suggests that what people have been given to understand is merely an excuse, and not the truth—and that he counts on his neighbors to mistrust distant Mrs. Churchill.\n\nWhile mutual understanding is widely assumed to exist in, say, High-bury—that people so casually say “as we understand” attests to this—individuals there in fact, as elsewhere, talk at cross-purposes, and often mistakenly rely on other people’s correctly reading between their lines. When Frank Churchill amuses himself by flirting with Emma in order to tease Jane, talking about the “true affection” of whoever bought Jane the piano, Emma says to him, aside, “You speak too plain. She must understand you.” Frank replies, “I hope she does. I would have her understand me” (243). Emma is unaware of the secret understanding between Frank and Jane; Frank depends on Jane’s overhearing him and understanding his meaning as only she can; rereading the novel, we are uncomfortably in on his game, distanced, as we were not the first time, from poor blind Emma.\n\nIn Emma, the love that the marriage plot celebrates as the acme of mutual understanding is also, as in all romantic comedy, a source of misunderstanding. When Harriet Smith falls in love yet again, this time with Mr. Knightley, she says to Emma, “I do not want to say more than is necessary—I am too much ashamed of having given way as I have done, and I dare say you understand me” (337). Emma is sure she does, but she doesn’t. Fools like Harriet too eagerly assume, in emotional matters that tax the powers of speech, (p.209) that they understand, or that others do; so do people of intelligence, like Emma. For although words are hard to interpret, so is silence. “Charming Miss Woodhouse! Allow me to interpret this interesting silence,” cries tipsy Mr. Elton, in the carriage, coming back in the snow from the party at the Weston house. “It confesses that you have long understood me.” Emma calls his words into question by repeating them: “No, sir … it confesses no such thing. So far from having long understood you, I have been in a most complete error with respect to your views, till this moment” (131). The sympathy Mr. Elton seeks and expects is very different from what Emma refers to when she says she has not understood his views: she’s saying not only that she has no sympathy for his feelings, but also that she is horrified to learn of their existence. She means that she does not and cannot love him; and by so utterly misreading and misunderstanding her, he shows that he cannot love her as she needs and deserves to be loved.\n\nFalse or foolish friends and lovers presume that understanding is easy, and sometimes misinterpret silence. Between true lovers, on the other hand, there is true understanding of differences. As Mr. Darcy’s proposal echoes Mr. Collins’s, Mr. Knightley’s proposal to Emma echoes Mr. Elton’s: “God knows,” he says, “I have been a very indifferent lover.—But you understand me.—Yes, you see, you understand my feelings—and will return them, if you can” (430). (Unlike Mr. Elton, he wants not only to be understood but also to be loved back; unlike Mr. Elton, he has a sense of Emma’s separate reality.) He reads her silence sensitively, and he charmingly despairs of finding language adequate to his feelings (“I cannot make speeches, Emma”). The narrator gracefully suggests that she does too, telling us of Emma’s acceptance speech only this:\n\n\n(E, 431)\n\nSure that the reader understands certain social constraints and conventions, and is in sympathy with related literary conventions of discretion and decorum, the storyteller withholds the love scene.\n\nBy acknowledging that this understanding on the reader’s part exists—by naming it, or nearly—Jane Austen creates the complicity that makes for much of our pleasure in reading her. While misleading and mystifying us, in (p.210) Emma, she manages to create the conviction that we understand the sort of people who know how hard it is to express real feeling. Restrained language throughout Emma has been an index to truth of feeling, as “fine flourishing” language indicates that feeling is false, or betrays it by spelling it out. That Emma and Mr. Knightley communicate clearly in very brief exchanges throughout the novel promises the final mutual understanding between them that needs no language. “Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure; seldom can it happen that something is not a little disguised, or a little mistaken,” the narrator moralizes as the two declare their love, out of earshot. We are obliged to agree, having been shown how hard it is for people to make themselves understood. In Emma, some people lie, while others babble; some are naturally, others unnaturally, reticent; some are inarticulate. The urge to say something clever betrays some; their natural way of talking betrays others. People play word games, write charades, pose conundrums, manipulate children’s alphabets, all in vain attempts at pretending they are the masters of a language that more often masters them. Like us, reading, they are obliged to understand within constraints.\n\nEmma is about a young woman’s struggles “to understand, thoroughly understand her own heart” (412)—to comprehend, support, possess, and in effect stand under so as to support the mysterious source of her being’s energy. Her success in this private quest is signaled by her marriage to Mr. Knightley. Just as a community’s life depends on the conventions and arrangements that presume “a perfectly good understanding between them all” (202), even when there is not one, a young woman’s heart—whether or not she understands it—is affected by those around her. Instructively, it is when Emma suspects Mr. Knightley loves Harriet that “it darted through her, with the speed of an arrow, that Mr. Knightley must marry no one but herself” (408).\n\nThe comic novel that points to and laughs at failures of understanding depends—paradoxically—on the marriage plot, which ends in a mutual understanding understood as such by society. Jane Austen assumes her reader understands this plot’s conventional nature, and by making this assumption she creates an understanding with that reader. This understanding allows us, at the end, once again to take the long comic view of Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich. In the end she acts just as she must and ought to do, that is, she acts like a novel heroine, someone whose importance depends on the romantic plot. The heroine’s marriage—one of several, as usual in comedy—is presented as a conventional arrangement from the literary and (p.211) the social points of view. “Very little white satin, very few lace veils; a most pitiful business!—Selina would stare when she heard of it,” Mrs. Elton, the malcontent, mutters from the edge of the scene (484).\n\nThe narrator has the last word: “In spite of these deficiencies, the wishes, the hopes, the confidence, the predictions of the small band of true friends who witnessed the ceremony were fully answered in the perfect happiness of the union.” As “uniting them,” the emphatic final words of Pride and Prejudice, also do, the last words of Emma emphasize the social spirit of comedy. The ending transforms Emma’s wedding into an abstraction—a union—among other abstractions like wishes, hopes, confidence, and happiness. Doing so, it puts Emma and her life at a distance. Closing the book, we withdraw not at all in the spiteful spirit but nevertheless in effect as Mrs. Elton withdraws, understanding Emma at the end of the novel as we were called upon to assess her in the beginning—with the Lockean, Humean intellect that was called “the understanding.” Part of the pleasure of reading is in this coming full circle—and also in being left out of the wedding party, free to take a clear comic view of the little bride and groom on the cake, and what little there is of satin and veils.\n\nJane Austen charms us by permitting us to share with her this detached view of brides and grooms. Separated from Emma in the end, we no longer share her subjective reality, her anxiety to understand the world and herself; but we perceive her understanding with Mr. Knightley sympathetically, seeing it as a distant analogue of our understanding with the narrator. So we can enjoy feeling detached and connected at once. To be an amused spectator of marriages seems, in the end, quite as delightful and companionable as marrying is. The reader can eat her romantic cake and have it, too, and even hedge her bets on Emma’s happiness ever after—rather like Mr. Perry, who is prevailed upon by Mr. Woodhouse to acknowledge “that wedding-cake might certainly disagree with many—perhaps with most people, unless taken moderately,” but who nevertheless occasions the “strange rumour in Highbury of all the little Perrys being seen with a slice of … wedding-cake in their hands,” although “Mr. Woodhouse would never believe it” (19).\n\n“It is respect for the understanding,” Mary Wollstonecraft wrote in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, “that keeps alive tenderness for the person.”8\n\nBy “understanding” she meant the mind; by “person” she meant the body; she was arguing that education for women would improve the state of marriage and therefore of the world. Austen modified this Enlightenment emphasis— (p.212) the dichotomous opposition of mind and body—with a Romantic insistence that emotional knowledge and sympathy, intuitive understanding of one’s own heart and other people’s, was as important as intellect, indeed was bound up with it. (Over time, Wollstonecraft grew more Romantic, too.) And to that other dimension of understanding she added yet another, with an emphasis that is not so much Romantic as novelistic, on the way social and linguistic and literary conventions inform both the head and the heart.\n\nIn the course of making what Henry James called an “ado”—that is, a novel—about Emma Woodhouse’s marrying, Austen meditates on the meanings of the word “understanding,” and on the extent to which people can understand that word and one another. Daniel Cottom writes that “this is the point of her satire: that understanding in general … is neither safe, nor certain, nor real. Understanding is the agreement we imagine between ourselves and others, and all of Austen’s writing dramatizes the dangers in this presumption of agreement.”9 The novelist’s game with the word “understanding,” like the word games the characters play among themselves and against one another, serves to reinforce and support the theme of the novel, the paradoxical separation and connection between individuals, and between intellect and emotion, and between words and meanings. The three kinds of understanding are distinct and mutually dependent on one another, braided together.\n\nEngland’s Emma\n\nJane Austen began writing Emma in Chawton Cottage on January 21, 1814. At thirty-eight, she was already the author of several novels, two between boards and one that had been accepted for publication the following spring. Although her name was not on the title pages of any of her books, she was known as a writer among her family and friends, and in London her proud brother Henry had begun to make her authorship more widely known. As a very young girl she had written send-ups of genteel novels that double as startling works of realism—for instance, a story about a young girl struggling to get through a boring family visit while hiding her secret love. The name of this young person who fancies herself a tragic romantic heroine—and at the end of the story retires to her room, where she “continued in tears the remainder of her Life” (MW, 33)—is Emma. Another early Emma is in a romantic predicament in the even shorter story “The Adventures of Mr. Harley”: (p.213) her husband has forgotten that he married her. The name also figures in two more of Jane Austen’s juvenile works, “Lesley Castle” and “Sir William Mountague.” In her twenties, she began but didn’t complete a novel, “The Watsons,” which also has a heroine—pretty, lively, and poor—named Emma. Around the time her own Emma was published, Austen drafted a “Plan of a Novel, according to hints from various quarters,” mockingly compiling what she thought her neighbors demanded of a perfect work of fiction. It concludes thus: “Throughout the whole work, Heroine to be in the most elegant Society & living in high style. The name of the work not to be Emma—but of the same sort as S&S. and P&P.” (MW, 430).\n\nEmma insists by its title on the heroine, implicitly putting itself on the side of romance: it is the only novel she published that is named for the heroine. No question, it will be a woman’s story. For the novel’s first readers, the name would have evoked other Emmas in fiction—Emma; or, The Unfortunate Attachment (1773), by Georgiana Spencer, the Duchess of Devonshire, or Courtney Melmoth’s Emma Corbett (1780), or Mary Hays’s Memoirs of Emma Courtney (1796). Barbara Benedict records an anonymous title of the period, Female Sensibility; or, The History of Emma Pomfret, published by Lane.10 People who preferred their scandal plain, not clothed as romance, and especially people who were connected, as Jane Austen was, to the British navy, might have been reminded by the name of a prominent, problematic national figure, Emma, Lady Hamilton. (In fact her name, originally, was no more “Emma” than it was “Lady Hamilton”; she had started out as “Amy.”) This Emma, who was notoriously an adulteress, was the heroine of the love story of the nation’s hero, Lord Nelson. The name would evoke the nation more comfortably for patriotic readers who recalled “Henry and Emma,” Matthew Prior’s “Poem, Upon the Model of The Nut-Brown Maid,” which identifies its virtuous heroine—like Austen’s heroine, she is her father’s “Age’s Comfort”—with a traditional English ballad, therefore with England. There is a reference to this popular poem in Jane Austen’s next novel, Persuasion: “Without emulating the feelings of an Emma toward her Henry, [Anne] would have attended on Louisa with a zeal above the common claims of regard, for [Wentworth’s] sake” (P, 116). In Jane Austen’s Emma, Henry—the name of the author’s favorite brother—is not the name of Emma’s lover but of the aged father she is obliged to attend with zeal.\n\nIn a letter to Cassandra of 1800, Jane writes of a Miss Wapshire, “I wish I could be certain that her name were Emma” (Letters, 65), and in letter of 1808, (p.214) “There were only 4 dances, & it went to my heart that the Miss Lances (one of them too named Emma!) should have partners only for two.” She goes on, “You will not expect to hear that I was asked to dance—but I was,” by a gentleman with pleasing black eyes who “seems so little at home in the English Language that I believe his black eyes may be the best of him” (Letters, 157). Does an Emma deserve to dance every dance, as a Jane does not? The earliest recorded Emma, the mother of Edward the Confessor, was a Norman princess. The century-long war in which England and France traded accusations of producing more worthless romances than the other country came to a conclusion, of sorts, when Flaubert gave the name “Emma” to his romance-reading Norman bourgeoise, Madame Bovary. To what extent is Jane Austen’s Emma about Emma, and to what extent does Emma, does Emma, represent England in or around 1814? Is this novel in dialogue with contemporaneous historical novels by Lady Morgan and Walter Scott? And to what extent are the heroine and the book representative of “England’s Jane”?\n\nIn 1814–1815 Jane Austen’s sense of audience was well-honed. She had collected the “Opinions” that people she knew had expressed to her about Mansfield Park; about her next project, she is said to have announced she was “going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like.” Her worry about the heroine—real or feigned—extended to the whole novel. She expressed the fear “that to those readers who have preferred ‘Pride and Prejudice’ it will appear inferior in wit, and to those who have preferred ‘Mansfield Park’ very inferior in good sense” (Letters, 306). A month earlier she had written to Cassandra that John Murray, who was about to publish Emma, “sends more praise … than I expected” (Letters, 291). She seems to have thought she was doing something new. In London on a visit to Henry, she learned that the Prince Regent (of whom she strongly disapproved) admired her writing, and took this with aplomb. After the Prince’s librarian invited her to dedicate the book to him, and after receiving yet another flattering letter from Murray, she purred from London to her sister in the country, “In short, I am soothed & complimented into tolerable comfort” (Letters, 289). When the librarian, Mr. Clarke, suggested that she write a romance about the royal House of Saxe-Coburg, she comfortably replied that, “I could no more write a romance than an epic poem” (Letters, 312). Completed three months before the winning battle of Waterloo, near the height of her nation’s confidence and her own, Emma was her version of a national epic.\n\n(p.215) She finished it in March 1815, a year and a month after beginning it. It was in the middle of this period—the early fall of 1814—that she wrote the letter, responding to a manuscript novel her niece Anna had sent her, in which she famously declared: “You are now collecting your People delightfully, getting them exactly into such a spot as is the delight of my life;—3 or 4 Families in a Country Village is the very thing to work on” (Letters, 275). It surely reflects her delight in her work in progress. Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, the as-yet-unpublished Northanger Abbey and asyet-unwritten Persuasion cover much more territory, for all their narrowness, than Emma does. All the action of that novel takes place in a country village—Highbury, possibly an anglicized version of “Alton” (from the Latin “altus,” meaning high), the name of the larger village near Chawton. London, Bristol, Bath, Weymouth, the north of England, Ireland, and continental Europe are talked about in the novel as distant places, dangerous to get to or be in. Mr. Woodhouse is reluctant to stir from his fireside; his son-in-law John Knightley can’t understand why one would want to leave home to dine with a neighbor; the heroine has never seen the sea. (Chapman points out that Dr. Johnson had not, either, until he was fifty-six, and that George III had not seen it at thirty-four.)\n\nToward the end of the novel sulky Frank Churchill, looking over views of remote “Swisserland” in the snugness of Donwell Abbey, says to Emma, “I am sick of England—and would leave it tomorrow” (365). The sour remark damns him as Byronic—he also promises a self-expressive effusion from abroad—before his character is revealed as thoroughly bad; the contrast between Frank the would-be wanderer and Emma’s own home-loving male relations could not be more dramatic. In the England of Emma tourists cut off from the Continent by the Napoleonic wars (they include an “Irish car party”) are pleased to explore the local beauties of Box Hill. The reader is invited to think that only a fool or knave like Frank would want to leave England: we recall that he is said to be “aimable” only in French, not amiably English, having “no English delicacy towards the feelings of other people” (149).\n\nWhen Frank comes to Highbury for the first time in his life and walks past Ford’s with Emma, he interrupts her question about Weymouth and Jane Fairfax and abruptly announces that he has to shop. He says, “If it be not inconvenient to you, pray let us go in, that I may prove myself to belong to the place, to be a true citizen of Highbury. I must buy something at Ford’s. It will be taking out my freedom.—I dare say they sell gloves.” “Oh! yes, (p.216) gloves and everything,” Emma responds in the same key. “I do admire your patriotism. You will be adored in Highbury. You were very popular before you came, because you were Mr. Weston’s son—but lay out half-a-guinea at Ford’s, and your popularity will stand upon your own virtues” (200). Emma is being arch and flirtatious in response to Frank’s archness. She is also, like Austen, aware that England is changing in 1814: propriety and manly virtue, once the province of the landed and well-born, have new commercial sources and manifestations. Inside Ford’s, Frank reverts to their dropped conversation: “But I beg your pardon, Miss Woodhouse, you were speaking to me, you were saying something at the very moment of this burst of my amor patriae. Do not let me lose it. I assure you the utmost stretch of public fame would not make me amends for the loss of any happiness in private life” (200). If on first reading you admire the easy banter that makes Frank seem meant for Emma, the second time you register his evasiveness—and his pretentious and possibly even sarcastic and unpatriotic Latin. Jane Austen is approaching the big theme of England in her own way, noting the critical intersections between national and local, old ideals and the new materialism, what people say and what their words reveal.\n\nA sense of national identity and pride is implicit in the way John and George Knightley greet one another—“‘How d’ye do, George?’ and ‘John, how are you?’”—repeating one another’s quintessentially English names in “the true English style, burying under a calmness that seemed all but indifference, the real attachment that would have led either of them, if requisite, to do every thing for the good of the other” (E, 99–100). The author of Emma characterizes John and George by how they talk; she listens to what all the three or four families that interest her say more than she looks at their village. Nevertheless we, like Frank Churchill, seem to know, as if we have seen them before, Ford’s store, The Crown, and the small home of the Bates ladies, with its narrow stairs. In relation to them we easily imagine adjacent Hartfield in its pretty shrubberies, carved out of the larger estate of Donwell Abbey; Abbey Mill Farm, spreading out productively beside the Abbey; and the more and less dangerous walks and turns toward the vicarage and Randalls. There are gypsies around, and talk of turkey thieves to come, but Highbury and its environs are cozy and pleasant, easy to locate in the tradition of pastoral, which has typically been written, since Theocritus, by city people looking back at a country paradise cleaned up by the literary imagination.\n\n(p.217) On first reading, the pastoral Highbury that Emma comfortably contemplates as she stands outside Ford’s waiting for Harriet to finish shopping seems a charming, quiet refuge from the world as we know it, even from other novels. But even at our first reading we have to ask: is it Emma, or the narrator, who reflects on the village scene? By bracketing the description of Highbury village with consideration of the perception of it, does not the narrator suggest (as Milton did) that the mind is its own place, and that it half-creates (as Wordsworth put it) the place it finds itself in? Is the narrator suggesting that Emma the Imaginist, whose too lively mind runs to spinning romantic stories, is or should be satisfied with contemplating the diurnal, unexciting, and real life of the village? What is the relation between this narrative that goes nowhere and its premodern setting?\n\nThe language of Emma calls attention to itself from the first page, which repeats the title. I pass over the dedication, “To His Royal Highness The Prince Regent,” where the phrase “His Royal Highness” is written out three times: John Murray’s fulsomeness can figure only lightly in my argument that by repeating sounds, words, phrases, and scenes, Austen insists that her novel is a fabrication of words, a literary work like a poetic epic, something more than a mere story or indeed a mere didactic tract. (But surely she must have been amused by the multiple “Royal Highnesses” in the dedication. And could she possibly have added, to balance the compliment to the nation’s putative ruler, Mrs. Elton’s peculiar promise to Jane Fairfax, toward the end of the novel, to be “as silent as a minister of state”?) In Emma the repetitions range from the staggeringly obvious to the very subtle. An example of the former comes toward the end of volume III, when the heroine sits with her father and is “reminded … of their first forlorn tête-à-tête, on the evening of Mrs. Weston’s wedding day” (E, 422). Usually, a nice parallel reminding you that the linguistic whole has been deliberately fabricated is discovered only on rereading.\n\nRepeating words and sounds, contrasting what seems and what is, what exists and what is perceived, the novel from the beginning calls attention to its language, characterizing it as indexical and referential and not at all transparent. By doing that, it stakes a claim for both the pleasures of language and the seriousness of this work of literary art. It is by stressing its heroine’s significant imagination, by its play with point of view and all its authorial and linguistic self-consciousness, as well as by the subtlety of its moral and aesthetic distinctions, that Emma stakes its claim to difference from the ordinary (p.218) run of novels. Like the poems of Jane Austen’s contemporaries Wordsworth and Byron, it is concerned with the perceiving and creating imagination, with what the mind makes of persons and things.\n\nThe heroine’s romantic name is immediately modified in the novel’s first sentence by her downright, domestic-sounding English surname: the focus on the homebody-heroine is emphatic, comfortable (the word is right there for us to borrow). This novel is about a heroine who is decidedly not a picture of perfection, a book in which the word “perfection” is repeated so often as to become a crux. Mr. Weston poses the flattering conundrum at Box Hill, “What two letters of the alphabet are there, that express perfection?” (he means M and A), to which Mr. Knightley gravely rejoins, “Perfection should not have come quite so soon” (371). Emma’s relation to some kind of picture is dramatized early on when Emma is called “the picture of health” by Mrs. Weston: Emma herself makes a portrait of Harriet, whom she hopes to make a heroine by making a match for her. (But Mr. Elton values it for the sake of the artist, not the sitter.) The gap between “real” people in life and in novels and the mere pictures of perfection that Jane Austen thought other people admired too much is in effect the subject of all her novels—pointing toward another, larger subject, the inevitable gap between any kind of novel and the world it seems to represent.\n\nThe first sentence of her story says, more or less, that Emma has everything going for her—as a heroine should. (Henry James echoes it in a review of a novel by Trollope, writing that the protagonist “is not handsome, nor clever, nor rich, nor romantic, nor distinguished in any way.”11) That a man, not a woman, is typically described by the first adjective Austen applies to Emma has been remarked by those who are critical of her unusual confidence and independence of mind. Like her wealth, Emma’s “comfortable home” puts her in a good position—no reason for her not to be happy and stay there, as she is disposed to do, enjoying some of the “best blessings of existence.” That Emma only “seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence” is not lost on the first-time reader; but the meaning of “in the world” is more problematic. What world is at issue, here? The reference in the title of Frances Burney’s Evelina; or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance Into the World (1778) is to a social world that thirty-eight-year-old Jane Austen might be said to have lived in for nearly twenty-one years. That worldly world may be evoked by the phrase—which also might refer to this world rather than the next. For the religious register (suggested by the phrases “the best blessings,” and “the (p.219) real evils”) puts us in a serious place as it insists that place itself is serious. The point is reaffirmed by the repetition of “house” (“Woodhouse,” “his house”), and the interesting word “situation,” which will gain resonance later on in the story of job-hunting Jane Fairfax. Rootedness, house and home, are crucial here: Emma is about much more than Emma.\n\nBeginning a chapter, the narrator introduces Mrs. Elton: “Human nature is so well disposed towards those who are in interesting situations, that a young person, who either marries or dies, is sure of being kindly spoken of” (181). The best way to appreciate that sentence—the way it steps back from the action to philosophize, temporizes with the phrase “interesting situations,” pivots on the “young person” (pointedly not gendered), tendentiously parallels “marries or dies,” blows up the parallel with the illogical “is sure of,” and comes to social earth with the syntactically different but similar-looking “spoken of,” ending triumphantly with a preposition—is to compare it with imitations. Here is Emma Tennant, also beginning a chapter, in her fan-fiction sequel, Emma in Love (1996): “Human nature is so well inclined to the receiving of compliments, that any amount of annoyance or interference will go unchecked, in order for the succession of pleasant remarks to continue.”12 The epigram is less sharp: the subject lacks weight. Similarly, Angela Thirkell, writing as an Austen wannabe, echoes Emma inadequately, in The Brandons (1939): “But human nature cannot be content on a diet of honey and if there is nothing in one’s life that requires pity, one must invent it; for to go through life unpitied would be an unthinkable loss.”13 The most substantive difference might be the difference in weight between what people say to and about one another—Jane Austen’s parallelism is bolder, her target more significant. There is also a difference in the music of the sentence, and the preciseness.\n\n“A young person, who either marries or dies”: English novels of the kind entitled Emma—or Evelina, or Ethelinde—are usually about young women who marry. (Cf. Byron: “All tragedies are finished by a death / All comedies are ended by a marriage.”) The heroine’s plot is in Emma’s case literally and outrageously that: here, as well as being possessed by the plot, the heroine hatches it, more than once. (Marilyn Butler observes that “the masterstroke” of Emma is “to make the apparent spring of the action not Emma’s quest for a husband, but Harriet’s.”14) Of all the Austen heroines she is the only one to own, or nearly, a plot of land. Mistress of her father’s house, Emma is free of the marriage market: unlike Elinor and Marianne, Elizabeth and Fanny, (p.220) Catherine and Anne, she does not have to sell herself to a man in order to get a home of her own. Being rich, she is not a commodity. Far from seeking to exchange her, her father wants nothing to change; the only lover who seeks to marry her for her money is easily shaken off early on. With her thirty thousand pounds and her nieces, her music and her crayons and her reading lists, she has, as she informs Harriet, “none of the usual inducements to marry.” She goes on, enumerating them:\n\n“Fortune I do not want; employment I do not want; consequence I do not want; I believe few married women are half as much mistress of their husband’s house, as I am of Hartfield; and never, never could I expect to be so truly beloved and important; so always first and always right in any man’s eyes as I am in my father’s.”\n\n(E, 84)\n\nBut the marriage plot or the love story, which had pushed young women into narratives long before novels like Austen’s were written, requires a mate for Emma. He is a member of one of the three or four families in her country village, more precisely a member of Emma’s own family, her sister Isabella’s brother, as they said then, and her own “brother” John Knightley’s brother. It is hard to say whether the plot of Emma or Mansfield Park most cleverly foils the marriage plot by ingeniously eluding the obligation to exogamy.\n\n\n\n“Will you?” said he, offering his hand.\n\n\n“Brother and sister! no, indeed.”\n\n(E, 331)\n\nBut yes indeed, as well. Marrying Mr. Knightley, Emma proudly reaffirms family connections already made, joins estates that are contiguous. She goes nowhere, stays the same, resists change. At the end she is as she was at the beginning, mistress of her father’s house and still residing in it, having solved the problem of being both wife and maiden that baffled Frank Churchill’s long-dead mother, who “wanted at once to be the wife of Captain Weston, and Miss Churchill of Enscombe” (16).\n\n(p.221) What happens to Emma, in Emma? In a sense, in the end, total victory is hers, as it is Elizabeth Bennet’s. But the transformation is not so great. Her heirs, presumably, will inherit Donwell, while little Henry, her older sister’s son, will have only Hartfield. But the general critical consensus, at least since Mark Schorer’s famous mid-twentieth-century essay about “The Humiliation of Emma Woodhouse,” is that Emma gets all that in the process of a plot in which she is taken down a peg.15 Some argue that she comes to know herself by knowing she loves Mr. Knightley, rather in the manner of Elizabeth Bennet; some have even claimed that Emma is sexually awakened when “it darted through her with the force of an arrow that Mr. Knightley must marry no one but herself” (408). Others think she wants him only because she thinks he wants Harriet, whose “soft eyes” awaken her own most tender (homo)erotic impulses. Of course Emma only imagines Mr. Knightley’s interest in Harriet—and on rereading one discovers Emma prefiguring all this early on, when, defending Harriet against Mr. Knightley’s criticism, she says, “Were you, yourself, ever to marry, she is the very woman for you” (64). It is another piece of evidence of the obvious, that this novel, like Emma, stays where it begins.\n\nIt is interesting to compare Emma on this score with Elizabeth. When Emma looks at and reflects on the much less romantically named Donwell Abbey, in the same shopping frame of mind in which Elizabeth considers Pemberley, she is charmed less by its beautiful blend of nature and art than by its stability, being already, after all, well connected with the place:\n\n\n(E, 358)\n\n(p.222) She walks over the gardens with some of the others, and they are drawn to a “broad short avenue of limes” that “led to nothing; nothing but a view at the end over a low stone wall with high pillars, which seemed intended, in their erection, to give the appearance of an approach to the house, which never had been there.” The flaw, if it is one, is of a false entry, an entryway to a nonexistent approach. It is quickly smoothed away: “Disputable, however, as might be the taste of such a termination, it was in itself a charming walk, and the view which closed it extremely pretty.” The prettiness is national in character, and an anthem ensues. “It was a sweet view—sweet to the eye and the mind. English verdure, English culture, English comfort, seen under a sun bright, without being oppressive” (360).\n\nAs in the Highbury village scene the focus is on Emma looking: here, Emma is taking in a synecdoche of England itself. Her relation to the land’s proprietor—a man “untainted in blood and understanding”—confirms her possession of what she sees; her marriage will soon reaffirm it. The emphatic reiteration—“English verdure, English culture, English comfort”—persuasively insists, effectively praises, says, What could be better than England? But what on earth are we to make of that appearance of an approach which never had been there? It would seem that that, at least, had not been done well. That she notices the flaw and forgives it indicates Emma’s continuing keenness and new generosity, perhaps, but the thing itself is baffling. The representation of the real estate is done well: the false entry is a reminder that it is not only, and certainly not most importantly, actual and material.\n\nIs the point of Emma that although commerce reigns in modern High-bury, and buying seems to some to be the finest expression of patriotism, a superior old-fashioned agrarian England, when men were knights, belongs to a woman of mind and taste and imagination? That a woman like a novelist, like this novelist, owns England as much as the men who own the land do? Praising the land and the country village, casting aspersions on vulgar Bristol—Mrs. Elton’s mercantile home town, where the slave ships docked—Jane Austen, they say, affirmed a virtuous, moral England, an ideal England of long ago at the moment it was changing for the worse.\n\nBut by its ambiguously ironic emphatic repetitions, Emma simultaneously celebrates and distances itself from the historical England of 1814, and from historical epics as well. The approach that never was there represents a place that never was there, except in the imagination: what Emma affirms is the imagination. Emphasizing Austen’s irony and ambiguity, some critics (p.223) have been led down the garden path, like Emma at Donwell, to consider the novelist’s own putative ambivalence, her “regulated hatred” of the society she lived in. But interesting as it is, the subject of biography—the real life of the writer—is only one of several sources of the voice that charms us. Jane Austen was first of all a maker of works of art. To Cassandra she wrote, memorably, “I often wonder how you can find time for what you do, in addition to the care of the House; And how good Mrs West cd have written such Books & collected so many hard words, with all her family cares, is still more a matter of astonishment! Composition seems to me Impossible, with a head full of Joints of Mutton & doses of rhubarb” (Letters, 321). Cassandra did more of the housework; neither one of the sisters undertook marriage, a separate household, and all the attendant, dangerous “family cares” of a married woman like “good Mrs. West.” “Composition” is what engaged Jane Austen: her Emma puts in precise and suggestive delicate balance the warring forces that enable a singular heroine, and a singular nation, simultaneously to change and stay the same.\n\n\nFor a man can employ his thoughts about nothing, but either the contemplation of things themselves for the discovery of truth; or about the things in his own power, which are his own actions, for the attainment of his own ends; or the signs the mind makes use of both in the one and the other, and the right ordering of them for its clearer information.\n\n—John Locke, An Essay on Understanding\n\nMr Parker’s Character & History were soon unfolded. All that he understood of himself, he readily told, for he was very openhearted;—& where he might be himself in the dark, his conversation was still giving information, to such of the Heywoods as could observe.\n\n—Jane Austen, Sanditon (MW, 371)\n\nThere is a scene in Douglas McGrath’s film, Emma (1996), just as there is in Jane Austen’s novel of the same name, where the heroine asks Jane Fairfax for the lowdown about Frank Churchill. She has never met Frank but she’s heard a lot about him, and she knows Jane has met him at a seaside resort. Emma is as nosy as a novelist about private lives; in addition, the reader knows, she may have a secret reason for seeking “real information” (169) about Frank. (p.224) His father has recently—at her instigation, she imagines—romantically married her beloved former governess, connecting Frank’s family, as Emma sees it, to her own. A further connection—Emma likes multiple connections—might just be possible: without ever having seen rich and eligible Frank, Emma has her eye on him.\n\nIn both the novel and the film, Jane barely responds to Emma’s inquiry. As neither Emma nor the first-time reader (or viewer of the film) yet knows, she is secretly engaged to Frank. Emma thinks Jane is repellently reserved and the reader is persuaded to side with her: later, Emma will complain to Frank, in retrospect most inappropriately, that Jane is “so very unwilling to give the least information about any body” (200).\n\nIn the text the dialogue of the young women talking about Frank is presented from Emma’s point of view, as if she is recollecting it. It unrolls in a single paragraph placed, as if for emphasis, at the end of a chapter; Emma’s questions are written as direct speech, in quotation marks, and the first of Jane’s answers in indirect speech, but also, confusingly, in quotation marks. This small significant asymmetry makes it even harder not to be on Emma’s side, and as if inside her head:\n\n“Was he handsome?”—“She believed he was reckoned a very fine young man.” “Was he agreeable?”—“He was generally thought so.” “Did he appear a sensible young man; a young man of information?”—“At a watering-place, or in a common London acquaintance, it was difficult to decide on such points. Manners were all that could be safely judged of, under a much longer knowledge than they had yet had of Mr. Churchill. She believed every body found his manners pleasing.” Emma could not forgive her.\n\n(E, 169)\n\nThe next chapter begins by repeating that last line for emphasis: “Emma could not forgive her.” By repeating the sentence in the narrator’s voice, Austen suggests how irritating and annoying Jane Fairfax is to Emma, not only because she is not playing ball conversationally, but also because she is pulling moral rank by being discreet. She is also showing off her knowledge of the world to Emma, who has never been anywhere, while making a great point of distinguishing between manners, which everyone can see, and more intimate personal qualities accessible only to the perspicacious.\n\n(p.225) In the film the dialogue is presented directly, dramatically. At the point when Emma asks whether Frank is a “man of information”—to us the phrase seems as old-fashioned, pretty, and formal as the clothes the actresses are wearing—the Jane of the film replies, “All his statements seemed correct.” The response is as evasive as what Emma remembers Jane saying in the novel, but here it depends on a mistranslation. The meaning of the old-fashioned phrase “a man of information” is clear enough to the moviegoer, who heard it before when Emma asked Harriet whether Robert Martin was such a man. But in this different scene the camera’s close focus on the young women’s faces brings the language into focus as well. The context in both scenes makes the meaning obvious: Emma is asking whether Frank (and before that, Robert) is a man worth a woman’s talking to, a man with anything to say to a girl, a man one could imagine marrying. Conceivably, when she says, “All his statements seemed correct,” Jane of the film might mean that Frank was correct or appropriate in his language, and therefore marriageable; but it is much more likely she means that what he said seemed accurate.16 To an information-age Jane Fairfax, a “man of information” is a man who has his facts straight. This mistaken understanding of the phrase is a sign of the dangers of borrowing dialogue for a film from an old book that was written in what is after all a changing language. The word “information” in Emma sometimes does mean what it means today: data of public importance and general significance. But such “real information” as Emma looks for about Frank Churchill—facts about his family and history—is not quite the same as that. Nor is the “information” Emma wants to know if Frank is “a man of.” Jane Austen’s novel probes by repeating the phrase “a man of information,” criticizing it perhaps as what she might call a “common phrase,” or cliché (e.g., “Miss Frances married, in the common phrase, to disoblige her family” [MP, 2]). Her repetitions of it suggest the commonness of the word, and begin to suggest that the meanings of “information,” still vexed, were changing at the time she wrote.\n\nTo the ears of a moviegoer of the late twentieth century or later, the phrase “a man of information” seems a genteel circumlocution, characteristic perhaps of the manipulative Emma. Trying to persuade poor Harriet Smith that the farmer Robert Martin isn’t good enough for her, Emma says, tendentiously, “Mr. Martin, I suppose, is not a man of information beyond the line of his own business. He does not read?” Harriet struggles to defend her suitor: “Oh, yes!—that is, no—I do not know—but I believe he has read a good (p.226) deal—but not what you would think any thing of. He reads the Agricultural Reports and some other books …—but he reads all them to himself. But sometimes of an evening, before we went to cards, he would read something aloud out of the Elegant Extracts—very entertaining. And I know he has read the Vicar of Wakefield.” Harriet has a flustered sense that there is something wanting in Robert Martin, that is, something that Emma would want. She goes on: “He never read the Romance of the Forest, nor the Children of the Abbey. He had never heard of such books before I mentioned them, but he is determined to get them now as soon as ever he can” (29). Satisfied by Harriet’s confusion, Emma can shift the focus to Mr. Martin’s looks—as important as his information in reckoning a man’s appropriateness for a discriminating young lady, which Emma is teaching Harriet to be.\n\nConfusion is Harriet’s element—as Mr. Knightley puts it, she is “not a sensible girl, or a girl of any information” (61)—but her confusion is worth pausing over here. Emma’s questions define a man of information as a reading man, but even Harriet knows there are different kinds of books and different ways of reading. There are books intended to instruct and to delight, and useful Agricultural Reports, as well as books for leisure and ladies like Vicesimus Knox’s popular “Elegant Extracts,” and Goldsmith’s popular moralizing novel. Under Emma’s tutelage Harriet has become aware of a third kind of books—popular novels like Ann Radcliffe’s The Romance of the Forest and Regina Maria Roche’s The Children of the Abbey—and therefore perhaps of another way of reading. Harriet seems to be aware that if Robert Martin deserved to be called a man of information he would read fashionable gothic novels for himself, for pleasure. In the film Harriet’s mention of a title, The Romance of the Forest, gives the audience a rough idea of what scholars have been documenting: in the eighteenth century, a romantic novel by a woman promised to feminize and polish a Robert Martin. Neatly evocative of a still-familiar genre, the title of the Radcliffe novel is the pretext for a bit of business in the film that’s not in Austen’s Emma: Martin, cast here as a comic dolt, first admits, under the trees, that he can’t remember its name, and later boasts that he’s managed to get the book.\n\nThe little anecdote reflects historical truths that educated moviegoers were aware of by the mid-1990s. Scholars for some thirty years had been working to show that in England in the second half of the eighteenth century, there was an enormous growth in printing presses, literacy, and the publication of new secular books, especially novels by women. The value of reading popular (p.227) new books was debated then as now, with Dr. Johnson, for one, defending it as a social and socializing practice. “We must read what the world reads at the moment,” he allegedly declared. “It has been maintained that this super-foetation, this teeming of the press in modern times, is prejudicial to good literature, because it obliges us to read so much of what is of inferiour value, in order to be in fashion, so that better works are neglected for want of time, because a man will have more gratification of his vanity in conversation, from having read modern books, than from having read works of antiquity. But it must be considered, that we have now more knowledge generally diffused; all our ladies read now, which is a great extension.”17\n\nIn Northanger Abbey, which satirizes literary fashion, mocking not only novels but other profitable publications “with which the press now groans,” Catherine and Isabella Thorpe “shut themselves up to read” novels together (NA, 37). (As a girl Catherine preferred “running about the country” to “books—or at least books of information—for, provided that nothing like useful knowledge could be gained from them, provided they were all story and no reflection, she had never any objection to books at all” [15].) Isabella’s boorish brother John denies any knowledge of any novels except two famously risqué ones, The Monk and The History of Tom Jones. (In the most recent television rendering of Northanger Abbey [2007], Catherine herself reads The Monk—a symptom of the tireless sexing up of Jane Austen.) But Henry Tilney, who also knows something about fabrics, professes wild enthusiasm for a woman’s novel like The Mysteries of Udolpho (by the author of The Romance of the Forest), which he claims to have read with his “hair standing on end” (106) the whole time. Henry says he sometimes reads novels together with his sister, who—more sophisticated than poor Catherine—misunderstands her when she refers to news of the latest horrible thing “just out” in London, thinking she means a riot (like the Gordon Riots) and not a new novel (112).\n\nThe author of Northanger Abbey sends up but also defends novels by and about women as works “in which the greatest powers of the mind are displayed,” etc. (37). But what is the effect on the mind—and the body—of reading them? Writers since Montaigne have debated the physical effects of reading both stories and what Jane Austen might have called works of reflection. Arthur Young, writing in the 1770s, complained that in “an age schooled by Sir Charles Grandison,” readers were unwilling to give up “the pleasure of being amused for the use of being instructed,” in order “to receive real (p.228) information.”18 But how might novels contribute to making a man a man of information?\n\nA proper answer to the question would require the analysis of ideas that were current in Austen’s time about what there was to know and the ways of learning it, and about theories that the self and society could be improved by reading. One might begin with the Protestant practice of reading the Bible and other religious literature for “the information of the soul,” or spiritual value. But civic value was also an objective of those who argued for the extension of literacy. Charles Hoole, in 1660, wrote that reading should be taught even to “such children as are intended for Trades, or to be kept as drudges at home, or employed about husbandry; their acquaintance with good books will (by Gods blessing) be a means to sweeten their (otherwise sowr) natures, that they may live comfortably toward themselves and amiably converse with other persons.”19 Good books, presumably, taught adherence to the Good Book. Jane Austen’s first readers would have been familiar with the intersecting and sometimes contradictory arguments about the spiritual and social, intellectual and civic uses and perils of various texts, the development in tandem of national literacy, a national literature, and the nation itself, and with it the idea of the informed citizen whose reading equipped him to function in the public sphere.20 The history of reading practices in the long eighteenth century is outside my scope here: my subject is Jane Austen’s uses of the word “information” as an index to her thoughts about reading and personal development, and to some salient differences between her time and our own.\n\nIn the first decades of the nineteenth century the word retained the sense of its root, formation, naming an inner process like education—sometimes close to the (equally problematic) German Bildung. The meaning is retained still in the phrase “for your information.” It was once much more alive: the protagonist of Gulliver’s Travels (1727) makes an instructive distinction between facts and the mental process of receiving them when he repeats his Master Houyhnhmn’s argument “that the use of speech was to make us understand one another, and to receive information of facts.” (One may still, similarly, receive as well as have intelligence.) Unfamiliar with lying and false representation, Gulliver’s Master quickly understands the evils of misinformation and disinformation, too: he explains, “now if any one said the Thing which is not, these Ends were defeated; because I cannot properly be said to understand him; and I am so far from receiving Information, that (p.229) he leaves me worse than in Ignorance.”21 Elizabeth Bennet uses the word this way when she asks Darcy, toward the end, about what he told Bingley about Jane’s feelings for him: “Did you speak from your own observation … when you told him that my sister loved him, or merely from my information last spring?” (PP, 371). The word “information” as Swift and Austen used it in this sense signified something between data or news and the imparting and receiving of it. Austen therefore often uses the word, as we no longer do, apropos of data of a local, trivial, or private kind, as when Fanny Price looks forward to “direct and minute information of the father and mother, brothers and sisters, of whom she very seldom heard” (MP, 234). For us “information” tends to be data of greater general interest and consequence—although it also includes gossip about a man’s family, character, and reputation. (These days, “real information” about “what he truly was”—data scrounged up and presented as “hard facts”—can ruin a person in the public eye more thoroughly than it could ever have ruined a Frank Churchill). Jane Austen points out that we would do well to take note that information’s truth is jeopardized as it is passed on. Anne Elliot gently corrects her friend for believing gossip that came to her thirdhand: “Indeed, Mrs. Smith, we must not expect to get real information in such a line. Facts or opinions which are to pass through the hands of so many, to be misconceived by folly in one, and ignorance in another, can hardly have much truth left” (P, 205). Like all language, information is colored and shaped by the minds that receive and contain it, and pass it on.\n\nOver time, the meaning of the word “information” has moved—as if to parody by inverting a common rhetorical figure—from the container to what it contains, or from the effect to its cause, like “horror” in the phrase “horror film.” On the edge of change, Jane Austen points to the dangers of this. Because as one person informs another facts slide into opinions, public opinion of individuals and types—what we, today, call “information”—cannot as Austen sees it be relied on. Reading through her works, one senses a shift in her attitude toward the newspapers from her first published novel, in which rude Mr. Palmer puts up the newspaper to avoid the people he’s with, to Sanditon, left unfinished when she died, where Mr. Parker believes what he misreads in the papers. But it is more complex than that. At Mansfield Park, the young people lounge about idly reading Quarterly Reviews; Tom Bertram picks up news about both the horses he bets on and the war from the newspaper; in Portsmouth, gross Mr. Price inflames himself by reading the (p.230) gossip in the papers about adultery in high life. It would seem that the new popular publications attract only the worst people—but Edmund Bertram studies the papers too, and the exemplary Mr. Knightley also reads newspapers. Jane Austen wickedly tempts the reader to simplify.\n\nIt’s clear she thinks that public opinion cannot be relied on. In Mansfield Park, Edmund answers Mary Crawford’s put-down of the clergy by saying that her knowledge of them, gathered from talk at her uncle’s table, is unreliable, and Mary defends herself: “I speak what appears to me the general opinion; and where an opinion is general, it is usually correct. Though I have not seen much of the domestic lives of clergymen, it is seen by too many to leave any deficiency of information.” (Mary’s uncle is an admiral who has lived an irregular life, bringing his mistress into his home.) To which Edmund says: “Where any one body of educated men, of whatever denomination, are condemned indiscriminately, there must be a deficiency of information, or (smiling) of something else” (110–111). The repetition, the smile, and the insinuating “something else” suggest the word had something like a double meaning: Edmund’s hint that prejudice or a want of respect, rather than a deficiency of information, is involved points toward an older meaning of “information,” the process of moral development or education, the “information of the soul,” that creates what Emma calls “right-minded and well-informed people” (E, 164).\n\nDistinctions between a mind and its contents, a man and what he says, are hard to make. When Mrs. Bennet is dispatched as “a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper,” the sequence suggests information is a quality of mind between intellectual capacity and receptiveness. It’s not that Mrs. Bennet doesn’t know what’s going on, simply that (like Lady Denham in Sanditon, where the point is made directly) she is uneducated. Knowledge, training, experience, reflection, all expand the capacity of the mind. When Elizabeth Bennet finds herself bored by Sir William Lucas, it is because she already knows what he has to say: “He could tell her nothing new of the wonders of his presentation and knighthood, and his civilities were worn out like his information” (PP, 152). Civilities and information are what pass between people in casual polite conversation: information here refers to Sir William’s informing Elizabeth.\n\nIn Jane Austen’s time the phrase “a man of information” retained the idea of “formation,” as in “the information of the soul.” As the information of the (p.231) soul is increasingly understood to occur in the process of reading—of the Protestant Bible, of the press by an informed citizenry, and of moral fiction—the two senses of the word begin to merge. First the process of reading, then whatever gets read, gets confounded with the improvement of the self and the community. By metonymy, the power to inform gets shifted to what does the informing. By the time Douglas McGrath harks back to the phrase, “a man of information” would appear to be a man well stuffed with hard facts, or data.\n\nAnd what about a woman of information? The small-minded gossip Mrs. Bennet, who accepts as truth what is universally acknowledged, can be read as a satirical inversion or domestic counterpart of the man of information, that enlightened, cultivated, knowledgeable gentleman citizen who is Emma’s and her culture’s ideal. Mrs. Bennet is proud of being in the know about what’s going on: “there is quite as much of that going on in the country as in town.” Anne Elliot reads Italian and the navy list, but there is no “woman of information” named as such in any of Austen’s works: Lady Catherine, who is ready to inform whoever will listen about what the weather will bring and the best way to arrange shelves, is not such a woman any more than Mrs. Bennet is. “Where people wish to attach, they should always be ignorant,” the narrator of Northanger Abbey intones with heavy irony. “To come with a well-informed mind, is to come with an inability of administering to the vanity of others, which a sensible person would always wish to avoid. A woman especially, if she have the misfortune of knowing any thing, should conceal it as well as she can” (110–111). A man of information is tactful and sensitive to others, too. The private or domestic sphere is, as Ann Bermingham notes, dialogically and dialectically connected with the public sphere.22 Austen’s novels are about the education or information of young ladies, young women: with their characteristic obliquity and indirection, they suggest what the well-formed man must be.\n\nWhen Fanny Price arrives as a child of ten at Mansfield Park, her girl cousins call her stupid because she lacks the “real information” they can boast of having—hard facts about “the principal rivers in Russia,” “the chronological order of the kings of England,” and “a great deal of the Heathen Mythology, and all the Metals, Semi-Metals, Planets, and distinguished philosophers” (18–19). The standard education of girls—disparaged, by the way, in the description of Mrs. Goddard’s school in Emma—is scornfully detailed (p.232) here. Fanny’s cousin Edmund educates her by encouraging her natural “fondness for reading,” which his sisters seem to lack. He makes “reading useful by talking to her of what she read, and heighten[ing] its attraction by judicious praise” (22). Julia and Maria, whose heads are stuffed in the course of their expensive “early information,” or education, are spoiled rotten, have no morals, and fail at life, but Fanny the reader succeeds, winning not only Edmund’s love but a student of her own, her sister Susan. Unlike Fanny, Susan is not interested in “information for information’s sake” (418), that is, disinterested reading. But although “the early habit of reading was wanting” in Susan, she proves to be teachable. With her to guide, Fanny joins a circulating library. “She became a subscriber—amazed at being any thing in propria persona, amazed at her own doings in every way; to be a renter, a chuser of books! And to be having any one’s improvement in view of her choice! But so it was. Susan had read nothing, and Fanny longed to give her a share in her own first pleasures, and inspire a taste for the biography and poetry which she delighted in herself” (398). Jane Austen’s learned Latin wryly makes an educated masculine kind of fuss about Fanny’s excitement; meanwhile the girlish exclamation points make another kind.\n\nBack in the unheated East Room at Mansfield Park, Fanny’s reading had included Crabbe’s poems, and Dr. Johnson’s The Idler, and Lord Macartney’s “big book” about China. Both Fordyce and Mrs. Chapone, in their conduct books, warned against novels: they recommended that young ladies read accounts of distant lands so as to gain a sense of the wider world and of the superiority of England. (Prints of scenes in India and Barbados were wildly popular; Byron’s travel poem, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, was published two years before Mansfield Park.) Jane Austen herself read—in addition to poems and novels—sermons and Shakespeare and big books full of information—accounts of visits to China, the Hebrides, Iceland, India, Italy, and Spain. In a letter she reports on having found “Captain Pasley’s Essay on the Military Policy and Institutions of the British Empire” (1810) “highly entertaining” (Letters, 198–199). But surely it goes without saying that most of what Fanny and Susan chose and borrowed and discussed were novels, the staples of the circulating library. (According to Anne Mellor, three quarters of the books in such libraries were novels.23) Is the fact that novels are not mentioned along with biography and poetry as the reading of the Price sisters the narrator’s little joke?\n\n(p.233) The vexed exchange, in the movie, between Emma and Jane about Frank might be read as a joke also, whether or not it was intended as one. In the film as in the novel, Jane Fairfax cannot be frank about Frank, and Frank himself cannot be frank, because the lovers share a secret engagement. Secretive, attractive Jane is Emma’s rival for the reader’s attention as well as the attention of the inhabitants of Highbury: like Emma we want information about her love life. But the novel does not give it to us; Emma refuses to oblige. The narrator, who fastidiously averts her eyes even from the chaste scene in which Emma accepts Mr. Knightley, absolutely refuses to consider telling Jane’s secret—the story of how and why she yielded to Frank, for money and also for love, in the first instance and the last. Although it teases us with lurid hints about Jane’s adultery with Mr. Dixon, the novel doesn’t begin to admit to concealing that truth. A lady, after all, doesn’t tell what goes on in the bedroom, or in the sexual imagination or consciousness—which is where the untold story of Jane and Frank took place. A lady who is a novelist, like a young woman who wishes to attach, must conceal as well as she can any knowledge she has of such matters. Indeed any well-bred novelist had to, in Austen’s time: Walter Scott, in The Bride of Lammermoor, is full of information about Scottish customs, but averts his eyes from the personal part of Ravenswood’s letter to Lucy Ashton, “which, however interesting to the lovers themselves, would afford the reader neither interest nor information.”24 We never find out how a virtuous, respectable, admirable girl like Jane was seduced into a secret engagement to a rich but unreliable, not quite respectable or moral young man, and how it came about that an ambitious man like Frank ventured to risk everything for love of her. The narrator of Emma gets nowhere near this young virgin’s sexual awareness, or sexual life, or for that matter her hankerings after Enscombe. She cannot do so because Jane Fairfax, a minor character, is a good and moral young lady, in this story, as Emma is a good and moral novel.\n\n“Mystery; Finesse—how they pervert the understanding!” Mr. Knightley exclaims toward the novel’s end. “My Emma, does not every thing serve to prove more and more the beauty of truth and sincerity in all our dealings with each other?” (446). But in fact what the novel serves to prove is that the mystery of human relations is endlessly charming. Emma stops short of making everything clear. To the extent that the heroine’s own love story is compelling it is because she keeps little secrets from Mr. Knightley and from herself— (p.234) and because she’s so keen on finding out about Jane, whom she suspects of sexual adventuring. The reader reads also to find out more about Jane—i.e., for information the novel refuses to give (but seductively points to). Jane Fairfax’s bland reply in Douglas McGrath’s film that all Frank’s statements seemed accurate, from which we tend to understand she thinks “information” is a matter of facts, is best understood, I think, as a little joke about the limits of language—and of Jane Austen’s novel. Emma’s view—it is articulated by Harriet!—that a man of information is a man who’s been improved into a gentleman by the process of reading women’s novels about love is comical. The novel in what would become the great tradition deliberately evades information about the sexual life at the core of its plot, a plot that’s compelling and powerful to the degree that that information is withheld. (Similarly, a coy “literary” film like McGrath’s must be elaborately and egregiously chaste.) In Jane Austen’s time as in ours, a story called, say, Emma, implicitly made a promise to be about relations between men and women. As the woman-centered novel “rose” from the hands of the likes of Eliza Haywood into bourgeois respectability and importance—as a Robert Martin’s upwardly mobile girlfriend began to browbeat him to improve himself by reading gothic novels—it became increasingly elliptical about its unspeakable subject matter.\n\nThe change in the meaning of the word “information” from “a mental process” to “important stuff out there” is parallel to another, more recent change that privileges “information for information’s sake” and encourages misplaced credulousness about the sources and the value of data. Jane Austen’s careful deployment of the word, as well as the quality of her attention to it, suggests that we ourselves might do well to think a little more about it. Developing the idea current in her time that “a man of information,” or an educated man, reads novels, Austen begins to suggest that novels are a source of intellectual enrichment precisely because they are non-instrumental, not useful like the Agricultural Reports or even novels like Lady Morgan’s, and Maria Edgeworth’s, and Walter Scott’s, which were chockablock with anthropological details about different kinds of places and people. Even all these years after Melville on whaling and Philip Roth on the manufacture of gloves, “classic” novels about relationships, most of them chaste, still are looked at as sources of truths you cannot find in books of information.25 Some readers of some kinds of books look there for explicit descriptions of what goes on in boardrooms and bedrooms—and kitchens, too—but most look (p.235) for something more inchoate, maybe themselves. Leah Price has noted that “in late-twentieth-century America … the intellectual superiority of novel-readers over non-novel-readers appears to be more uncritically accepted than in any other time or place.”26 As the well-chosen adverb implies, this might or might not be a good sign. (p.236)\n\n\n(1.) Stuart M. Tave, Some Words of Jane Austen (Chicago, 1973), 30\n\n(2.) Lolita”Nabokov’s Congeries, ed. Page Stegner (New York, 1968), 235\n\n(3.) Graham Robb, Parisians (New York, 2010), 22–23\n\n(4.) Most contemporary readers agree that Jane Austen must have meant the double entendre, but see John Wiltshire’s Introduction to Mansfield Park (2005) in The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jane Austen.\n\n(5.) Sutherland’s chapter “Speaking Commas,” in Jane Austen’s Textual Lives: From Aeschylus to Bollywood (Oxford, 2005)\n\n(6.) I paraphrase Virginia Woolf’s well-known allegation; in A Fine Brush on Ivory: An Appreciation of Jane Austen (Oxford 2004; 2007), 121, Richard Jenkyns—correctly, I think—maintains that Woolf is wrong here.\n\n(7.) Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy (1621), I, I, ii. x, 40\n\n(p.265) (8.) “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman,” in Works of Mary Wollstonecraft, ed. Janet Todd and Marilyn Butler (New York, 1989), 5:166\n\n(9.) Daniel Cottom, The Civilized Imagination: A Study of Ann Radcliffe, Jane Austen, and Sir Walter Scott (Cambridge, 1985), 112\n\n(10.) Barbara M. Benedict, “Sensibility by the Numbers: Austen’s Work as Regency Popular Fiction,” in Janeites: Austen’s Disciples and Devotees, ed. Deidre Lynch (Princeton, 2000), 72\n\n(11.) Henry James, “English Writers: Anthony Trollope,” in James, Literary Criticism (New York, 1984), 1339\n\n(12.) Emma Tennant, Emma in Love (New York, 1997), 85\n\n(13.) Angela Thirkell, The Brandons (London, 1939), 13\n\n(14.) Marilyn Butler, Jane Austen and the War of Ideas (London, 1975; rev. ed., 1987), 251\n\n(15.) Mark Schorer, “The Humiliation of Emma Woodhouse” (1959), in Ian Watt, ed., Jane Austen: A Collection of Critical Essays (New Jersey, 1963), 98–111\n\n(16.) Fullerton, Jane Austen and Crime [Sydney, Australia, 2004], 14\n\n(17.) LifeTrevor Ross, “The Emergence of ‘Literature’: Making and Reading the English Canon in the Eighteenth Century,” ELH 63.2 (1996): 397–422\n\n(18.) A Tour in Ireland, with General Observations on the Present State of That Kingdom: Made in the Years 1776, 1777, and 1778Katie Trumpener, Bardic Nationalism: The Romantic Novel and the British Empire (Princeton, 1997), 38\n\n(19.) Charles Hoole, A New Discovery of an Old Art of Teaching Schoole (1660), quoted in D. S. Palmer, The Rise of English Studies (London, 1965), 10.\n\n(20.) Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities (London, 1983)\n\n(21.) Swift, Gulliver’s Travels, ed. Herbert Davis (London, 1959), IV, 4, 240\n\n(22.) Ann Bermingham, “Elegant Females and Gentleman Connoisseurs: The Commerce in Culture and Self-Image in Eighteenth-Century England,” in The Culture of Consumption (1600–1800): Image, Object, Text, ed. Ann Bermingham and John Brewer (New York, 1995), 489–513\n\n(p.266) (23.) Anne Mellor, citing Richard Altick, describes the readers and the contents of circulating libraries in Mothers of the Nation: Women’s Political Writing in England, 1780–1830 (Bloomington, 2000), 3–4; 88\n\n(24.) Walter Scott, The Bride of Lammermoor (1819), chapter 27\n\n(25.) Mary McCarthy, “The Fact in Fiction” (1960), in On the Contrary: Articles of Belief, 1946–1961 (New York, 1966), 249–270\n\n(26.) Leah Price, The Anthology and the Rise of the Novel (Cambridge, 2000), 5", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7555073499679565}
{"content": "New insight into Earth's crust, mantle and outer core interactions\n\nA new study, sheds light on a longstanding question that has puzzled earth scientists.\n\nUsing previously unavailable data, researchers confirm a correlation between the movement of plate tectonics on the Earth's surface, the flow of mantle above the Earth's core and the rate of reversal of the Earth's magnetic field which has long been hypothesized, according to Science Daily.\n\nThey suggest that it takes around 120-130 million years for slabs of ancient ocean floor to sink (subduct) from the Earth's surface to a sufficient depth in the mantle where they can cool the core, which in turn causes the liquid iron in the Earth's outer core to flow more vigorously and produce more reversals of the Earth's magnetic field.\n\nThis study is the first to demonstrate this correlation using records and proxies of global rates of subduction from various sources including a continuous global plate reconstruction model developed at the University of Sydney. These records were compared with a new compilation of magnetic field reversals whose occurrence is locked into volcanic and sedimentary rocks.\n\nLiverpool palaeomagnetist, Professor Andy Biggin, said: \"Until recently we did not have good enough records of how much global rates of subduction had changed over the last few hundreds of millions of years and so we had nothing to compare with the magnetic records.\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Earth's magnetic field occasionally flips its polarity and the average length of time between such flips has changed dramatically through Earth's history. For example, today such magnetic reversals occur on average four times per million years but one hundred million years ago, the field essentially stayed in the same polarity for nearly 40 million years.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.999466598033905}
{"content": "Health & FitnessScales that measure your weight are nice if all you care about is how much you weigh. However there’s rather more to measuring your weight than just knowing how many kilos are registering on your bathroom scale. There are a whole lot of forms of well being issues frequent with many people across the globe. Disease is one of the most common. According to , approximately 36 million individuals die each year from non-communicable (not contagious) disease together with cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and power lung illness (Shah, 2014).\n\nOne other well being problem that causes demise or contributes to other health issues is malnutrition majorly amongst kids. One of many groups malnutrition affects most is younger youngsters. Approximately 7.5 million children under the age of 5 die from malnutrition, and it’s normally brought on by not having the money to seek out or make food (2014).\n\nHey builders might you please disqualify the folks in the world challenges who are obviously cheating. It is the 3rd day into the September seaside problem and there are already people with over 1,000,000 steps, rounding down, that will be 300,000 steps they have taken in A DAY. Form of defeats the purpose of getting a global problem if the top 1% cheats. To put that in perspective there are complaints on Google of people cheating with only 80,000 steps a day, I do not assume most people would move 40,000 steps a day. In any other case I like the app, I use the bike train to maintain observe of my routes and mileage, speed, and so forth. Thanks!\n\nExtended psychological stress could negatively influence well being, and has been cited as a factor in cognitive impairment with growing older, depressive illness, and expression of disease. fifty four Stress management is the application of methods to both reduce stress or improve tolerance to stress. Relaxation strategies are bodily methods used to relieve stress. Psychological strategies embrace cognitive remedy , meditation , and constructive considering , which work by lowering response to emphasize. Enhancing relevant expertise, comparable to downside fixing and time administration abilities, reduces uncertainty and builds confidence, which also reduces the response to emphasize-inflicting conditions the place those abilities are relevant.\n\nTanita Duo Scale Plus has some nice options that others lack, particularly a complicated calorie consumption analyzer that tells customers what number of calories they should devour to satisfy their objectives, in addition to comparability modes to make the work a bit of easier. The glossy design is one other selling level, though to be honest there are other scales on this checklist that look extra trendy. Still, for a mix of design and function, Tanita is difficult to beat.\n\nDifference Between Health Facilities, Gyms, And Well being Clubs\nTagged on:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8913472890853882}
{"content": "[email protected]\n\n\nMake Appointment\n\n\nNSK SNN522 2 bearing\n\nWe Are Here to Provide You Awesome Products Always\n\nplummer blocks and accessories - Exval\n\n2. Europe. Africa. Asia. The Americas. Oceania. NSK commenced operations as the first Japanese manufacturer of rolling bearings back in 1916. Ever since, we .. SNN522-619. 320. 74. 18. M16. SNN524-620. 320. 74. 18. M16. SNN526. 355. 84. 22. M20. SNN528. 400. 92. 26. M24. SNN530. 430. 100. 26. M24. SNN532.\n\n\n2 –. SNN SPLIT PLUMMER BLOCKS. FROM NSK. The SNN split plummer block from NSK combines quality materials and design to maximize bearing performance. SR170X12.5 2. 20.2. SNN22519-85G. SNN519-616 G519. V519,TS519. A519 22219K H319. SR170X12.5 2. 20.5. SNN22619-85G. SNN522-619 G619.\n\nSNN Series Plummer Blocks - N\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999969005584717}
{"content": "Do you or a loved one need an assistance dog?\n\n\nWater and Your Assistance Dog’s Health\n\nWater and Your Assistance Dog’s Health\n\nJust like humans, dogs have complex nutritional needs. But the most basic nutritional truth pertains to the most basic of all life-sustaining nutrients: water is essential to your assistance dog’s continuing good health.\n\nAn adult dog is made up of about 60 percent water. An adult dog could survive losing all her fat and half her protein, but it only takes a 10 percent loss of water to result in life-threatening illness. Water is necessary to proper food digestion and waste elimination, absorption of nutrients, distribution of important compounds throughout the body, lubrication and protection of joints and tissue, regulation of body temperature, organ function, and just about everything else.\n\nAssistance Dog Water Requirements\n\nDogs constantly lose moisture through urination, defecation, and evaporation when they pant to cool off. This water must be continuously replaced to prevent dehydration, a condition that can quickly become serious and potentially fatal.\n\nA number of personal factors affect how much water your dog should drink each day. The standard recommendation is that healthy dogs should drink approximately 1 ounce of water per pound of body weight daily.\n\nBecause many service dogs are more active than pets, they require more water. This is especially true when they’re working during hot weather, which increases water needs for any dog. Certain conditions, such as diabetes, kidney problems, and some cancers, also increase water needs.\n\nDogs who eat canned food require much less drinking water than those that eat mostly dry food (kibble). Canned food is about two-thirds water, so it provides a considerable amount of fluids.\n\nProviding Free-Choice Water\n\nwater-for-your-service-dogsThe best way to ensure your assistance dog stays adequately hydrated is to make fresh water available at all times. Healthy dogs drink what they need. But this doesn’t mean you can fill your service dog’s water bowl and forget about it.\n\nReplace your dog’s water with fresh water at least twice per day. Tap water is fine, though many people provide bottled water, especially if they have well water, which is often high in certain minerals that can be damaging to an animal over time. Dogs generally prefer room-temperature water, or cool water when it’s hot out.\n\nYour dog’s water readily becomes contaminated by bacteria in her mouth and other environmental pathogens. If left to fester, especially in a small amount of liquid, germs can reproduce quickly to levels that can cause illness.\n\nGerms also build up along the surface of the water bowl (known as a bio-film) and in even the smallest surface scratches. Wash the bowl once daily and sterilize it every few days. Stainless steel bowls are a good choice for preventing scratches and for putting in the dishwasher.\n\nDehydration and Your Service Dog\n\nDehydration refers to when your dog has lost too much water, which in turn throws electrolytes out of balance and impairs essential bodily functions. While it often begins as a mild condition, it quickly causes sickness and can lead to organ failure and death if left unchecked.\n\nSick dogs tend to drink less than they need—or not at all—so are at increased risk for dehydration, especially when a fever causes them to pant more. You may need to administer fluids to your ailing assistance dog with an oral syringe.\n\nTo test for dehydration, gently pull up some loose skin over the shoulder blades. It should immediately snap back into place. If it doesn’t, your dog is dehydrated. Also, as dehydration progresses, the nose and mouth dry out; the gums become dry, pale, and even sticky; and the eyes become dry and sunken.\n\nIf you suspect your dog is dehydrated, offer water or administer it if she won’t drink willingly. Contact your vet right away for advice.\n\nWater Is Your Best Friend’s Best Friendwater-for-your-assistance-dog\n\nAdequate hydration keeps your dog happy and healthy, and it also ensure she can perform her service jobs. As Doctors Foster and Smith report, dogs given water during physical activity have shown up to an 80 percent increase in working ability. If your dog is becoming dehydrated, it will impair her ability to assist and protect you.\n\nFresh, clean, clear water is the foundation of life. It is a must every single day for your dog. If you wouldn’t drink her water, she shouldn’t be drinking it. Cheers!\n\nSupport the cause without spending an extra cent!\n\n\n\nMagazine Categories\n\nSign Up Now!\n\n\n\nLearn How\n\nPhone: (559) 297-9286\n\nOrlando Web Design by CREATE180 Design", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.838697075843811}
{"content": "Skip to content ↓\n\nThe Marlborough Science Academy\n\nStudent Attendance\n\nIf your child is absent or going to be late for any reason please inform the school before 8.30am, if at all possible, so form tutors know of the reason for absence before the registration period. The attendance line number is 01727 731368 and can be found at the bottom of the school website and on page 28 of the student planner. Please put the number in your phone!\n\nBy law, only the head teacher can authorise your child’s absence. It is important to keep the school informed if your child is going to be absent as soon as possible at the start of the day.\n\n\n\n\nOur First Day Response Procedures \n\nBBC News last week featured the tragic story of teacher, Helen Daykin. In October 2016, Helen was working away from home when her husband, Chris, died suddenly whilst looking after their young children. After his sudden death from heart failure in the house, Helen's little girls, four and two, spent almost 24 hours with the body of their father.\n\nThe older girl had recently started school, and when she didn't arrive, the school rang their father, to no avail. Tragically, they didn't then follow up with a call to the girls' mother, 200 miles away in London. The alarm wasn't raised until tea-time when Chris' mother visited the home.\n\nHelen is telling her heart-breaking story to raise awareness of the importance of first-day calls, and the importance of responding to school if contacted. With this in mind I thought it would be useful to remind everybody of what we do to help safeguard our community.\n\n\nDear Parent,\n\nI am writing to make you aware of the school procedure for children who have unexplained absences from school. \n\nThere have been public cases in the past where schools have not chased up the reasons as to why children are off of school. It has then transpired that there have been tragic circumstances around these absences, e.g. illness of a parent and a child unable to seek help. \n\nWe will do everything we can to prevent such situations occurring as I am sure you would agree that your child’s safety is paramount to us all. \n\nIf your child is not going to be in school please call the office on 01727 731368 or email the school on  to report their absence. Please do this before 08:30 on the first day of the absence.\nIf we have not heard from you by 09:15 then we will start to send school comms text messages and emails and call all the contact numbers that you have provided in order to gain an explanation for the absence. If we still have not been able to ascertain where your child is then we may well make a home visit. However if we still haven’t been able to get a response then we will report it to the police as your child will then be classed a ‘missing child’.\nThis procedure is to ensure that we know where your child is and that you are all safe. Please let us know in good time why your child is absent from school. If you would like to talk to me about this please make an appointment to see me.\n\nThe Marlborough Science Academy First Day Call Procedure\n\nRegisters taken promptly\n\n  • Any discrepancies will be chased up in school\n  • Make a prompt home visit if we have concerns\nHow will absences from school affect my child's progress at school?\nAttainment levels\n\nThe quality of school work and qualifications gained will be significantly lower if attendance is lower.\n\nSchool Routine\n\nYour child's learning and that of other students could be disrupted by the missing of vital classwork.\nA child or young person's well-being and long-term life opportunities may be adversely afffected by the missing of positive experiences associated with school and learning.\n\nWhat is acceptable attendance?\n\nThe School expects all students to aim for 100% attendance.\n\n96% attendance is regarded as good and can be achieved with some illness.\n\n\nHow does the school record absence?\n\n\nThe system records whether the child is present or absent.\n\n\n\n\nThe codes used are standard codes as issued by the government.\n\nWhat should i do if my child is ill?\n\nIf your child is too ill to attend, please ring the school on the first day (and on each subsequent day) your child is unwell. 01727 731368 or email\n\n\n\n\n\nIf your child’s absence is unacceptable or at a significantly low level you c be could be asked to attend a meeting in school to discuss support appropriate to your child.\n\nCan a student take a holiday in term time?\n\nDue to the legal change in the Department for Education (DfE) legislation, at The Marlborough Science Academy we will only grant leave of absence in exceptional circumstances that are not related to holidays.\n\n\nIf parents/carers choose to take their child out on holiday in term time the absence will be recorded as an unauthorised absence. This could lead to an Fixed Penalty Notice being issued.\n\nParents/carers must send in a letter addressed to the headteacher requesting permission to take their child out of school during term time due to an exceptional circumstance.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhat is an Education Penalty notice?\n\n\nHow will i know when I am going to receive a fixed penalty notice?\n\n\n\n\n\nHolidays that have been taken in term time which the headteacher has not authorised.\n\n\n\nHow can I help my child? \n\nLet your child know that you think school is important.\n\nMake sure your child goes to school regularly and on time.\n\nTake an interest in your child's school work.\n\n\n\n\n\nHave regular communication with the school.\n\nIf your child is ill, contact the school and explain the reason for the absence.\n\n\nSet good examples and enforce rules.\n\n\n\nBalance time with extracurricular activities.\n\nKeep open communication lines with your child.\n\n\n\n\nA Parent's Guide to Managing Sickness Absence from School\n\n\n\nCommon conditions\n\n\n\nCough and cold\n\n\n\nRaised temperature\n\n\n\nRashes can be the first sign of many infectious illnesses such as chickenpox and measles. Children with these conditions shouldn’t attend school.\n\n\n\nVomiting and diarrhoea\n\n\nSore throat\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6878480315208435}
{"content": "Potassium is one of the biogenic elements and is present in every organism. In the human body, potassium plays several roles, such as maintaining water balance in cells, contributing to the correct functioning of muscles and nerves, or affecting cardiac activity. A lack of potassium leads to serious health problems. The recommended daily intake of potassium, according to the WHO, is between 2-4 grams.\n\nPotassium contributes to a normal functioning nervous system, normal muscle function and the maintenance of normal blood pressure. Through the consumption of 5 servings of MANA Powder or MANA Drink a day, your daily intake of potassium is 2 grams.\n\nEnjoy MANA as part of your varied and balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. MANA is suitable for all healthy adults.\n\nSource of information:\n\nGuideline: Potassium intake for adults and children. WHO Press, World Health Organization. Online: http://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/guidelines/potassium_intake_printversion.pdf\n\nClinical study:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5591225028038025}
{"content": "Answers to player questions. Part I\n\n\nWelcome to the section ‘Developers answer’! Over the past few weeks, we have collected the most interesting and important questions from the fresh residents of the wasteland. Today we are ready to share a selection of the latest developer answers to player questions.\n\nWhich faction should I choose?\n\nThe choice of faction depends on each survivor's playstyle. Lunatics allow to create light and fast but poorly protected cars, perfect for close combat. And Nomads like balanced vehicles for fighting at medium range. Scavengers prefer heavy half-tanks, heavily armored, but slow. Once a day a player can change the faction and all progress with the previous factions will be preserved.\n\nWhat is the rested bonus?\n\nRested bonus awards additional reputation points (experience). This bonus is 400% and is valid until the player reaches 60,000 total reputation points. The rested bonus is updated every day. \n\nHow to assign different guns to different buttons?\n\nThere is a gun icon in the bottom right corner. By clicking on it, you can assign different guns to the buttons that suit you. \n\nWhat is the difference between yellow and white damage numbers?\n\nThe yellow colour indicates damage dealt to the enemy's cabin, and white colour is displayed when modules and structural elements are damaged.\n\nWhy do I need fuel? How do I get it?\n\nFuel is required in order to participate in PvE raids. Fuel can be earned in PvP missions. To do this you need to mount the ‘barrel’ part on your armored car. If your team wins and the barrel survives in battle, you will be awarded fuel as a reward. It is worth noting that mounting several barrels is pointless, since only one of them will be effective.\n\nWhat parameters do engines have?\n\nEngines have two parameters — engine speed and power. Engine speed is the maximum speed the car can reach, power is how fast the vehicle can reach its maximum speed.\n\nWhat determines the price changes on the market?\n\nThe economy on the market depends only on the players themselves. They determine the price of selling and buying items and resources.\n\nWhy do I need coupons?\n\nCoupons can be exchanged for ‘Relic Containers’ at the white Engineer's workbench. The container may contain rare or relic parts from any faction. Coupons can also be sold on the market.\n\nYou can post your questions to developers in the discussion thread on the forum for this news item until the publication of the next issue. We will choose the most interesting ones and try to answer them!\n\nThe Crossout team\n\nDiscuss in the Forums\n\n22 June 2017", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7451258897781372}
{"content": "creative list\n\nGetting things done and the creative process\n\ncreative list\n\nWhether it a website, logo design, book, painting or whatever creative project, the creative process is generally the same. Dealing with, and understanding some of the potential issues can help to get a creative project finished successfully.\n\nWe are all different. Everyone’s brain unique. So I will look at my issues, and hope it can help others.\n\nGetting started\n\nNot being able to get started. This can happen for reasons other than laziness, or bad time management. I read a great phrase that resonated with me, ‘perfectionism paralyses’. Whereby the desire to create something that must be perfect, can lead to an inability to start the project, an inability to work. It’s a very destructive train of thought. A swift Google linking it to anxiety disorders and various other psychological issues.\n\nThere is a more positive lesser version that drives most creatives. To never be entirely satisfied with what you create, therefor the current project is the most important (or the next one) which keeps the creative brain striving forward, always trying to improve. It’s when it becomes a negative energy it becomes a problem.\n\nThe wheels on the bus go…\n\nI came up with a way to deal with this when I was younger. If my art stopped, and I couldn’t work. Through too much anxiety or my brain overloaded with pressure, I imagined my art, or creativity, as a bus. It didn’t matter how slow the bus moved, as long as the wheels were moving even very slowly. Then everything would be okay. And whenever the wheels of the bus started moving, it always sped up again, picking up momentum, and all was good with my world.\n\nNothing new under the sun\n\nI have since realised there are many inspirational quotes that relate to this. Far more concise and to the point. More perfect than my bus metaphor.\n\n“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step” – Lao Tzu (601 BC)\n\n“Big things have small beginnings” – T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia\n\n\n” The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking complex overwhelming tasks into manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one”. – Mark Twain\n\nSo it’s nothing new, and it’s very common in all aspects of life. So sit down and write a list of what needs to be done. Then work out what needs to be done first, and do it.\n\nHappy New Year for 2019.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.984886646270752}
{"content": "Out of the Hole\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHamlet Then and Now\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAn Easy Write\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAsynchronous Class\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Gift of Feedback\n\nI truly value people who can give good feedback. It doesn’t necessarily have to be positive feedback, but just people who can balance between praise and critique and make suggestions without sounding like a know-it-all. People who know how to both point out specifics and provide examples of new directions to go in, but can also give general overall feedback on the piece as a whole.\n\nI had a conversation with my bestie tonight about this and we both agreed that knowing how to give feedback well is one of the best skills you can find in a teammate. Yet at the same time, teaching “how” to give feedback never seems to me emphasized enough in school. There are some people that are just horrible at giving feedback. There are two spectrums of the people you don’t want to give you feedback: the know-it-alls who sound like snobs that can only give feedback “obviously you should’ve…” feedback, and then the people who don’t know how to critique at all so they just say everything is great even when you know it isn’t.\n\nPersonally, I wish there was more teaching on giving feedback. I learned through experience in the Innovation Diploma (ID) but sometimes it would be nice to get more feedback on how we’re giving feedback. It’s one of those things I really miss about high school/ID- more frequent practice of giving and receiving feedback.\n\nAlso, especially in college but I suppose for some high schools too, I wish more teachers facilitated first drafts and peer review. Sometimes you need that nudge to meet new people in your classes and some people need more guidance on how to give feedback if they never had that learning opportunity when they were younger.\n\nI happened to be partnered with someone today in my English class who I found to be a particularly helpful feedback giver. There was great balance in the type and style in which he gave feedback which I truly appreciated. It will now make my second draft much easier to write.\n\nDecreasing Choking Under Pressure\n\nI love when homework is actually really interesting!\n\nWe didn’t have psych class today because our teacher was out to due to religious reasons, so instead she had us watch two videos on our own and write an essay about what we found interesting and do some critical thinking about the two. I found one of the videos pretty annoying, and honestly still a bit annoyed that all of this work took almost three times as much time as the class normally would’ve; however, the second video I actually really enjoyed.\n\nIt was called “Power of the Human Brain” and some of the video I had already learned about before, like the concept of using a “memory palace” to better remember long random lists which is a technique mental athletes use. But I also learned some new stuff that really closely ties in with learning and memory and education practices in general which I found particularly interesting.\n\nFor example, there was a study done to see if we can train our brain to be less likely to “choke” under pressure. Turns out, the emotional part of our brain is right next to the working memory part. So when we get overly anxious or stressed, the emotional part of our brain can literally cloud up the working memory by overwhelming it with too many signals that take up brain power. Therefore, the study had half of a class take 10 minutes to reflect before taking a test about how they were feeling and get all there worries out, and the other half of the class just sat there. The half of the class who did the pre-writing ended up on average outperforming the control group by half a letter grade. The theory is that the kids who did the writing essentially “out loaded” their worries onto the paper and therefore, lessened the space they were taking up in the brain which allowed for the working memory to work more optimally.\n\nNow I didn’t spend the time to look any deeper into this study or others about this topic after watching the video, but I still think the findings are pretty awesome- especially as a kid who is not the best test taker compared to what I feel my understanding of information is. I’m definitely going to try this pre-writing technique out and believe teachers should really try implementing this practice in classrooms as well. Getting learners to practice reflecting, creating a less stressed out environment, and having better performance result; sounds like a lot of wins for so little work.\n\nThe Editor\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Outline of the Future\n\nI hate being assigned to write an outline. Most of the time they are graded which I find ridiculous since it’s basically grading a brainstorm… Plus every teacher always wants a different level of thoroughness in the outline, so you never know how much or how little to write. For some teachers, an outline is literally just a bullet-pointed list of a few words, but for others, it seems like we write enough to where we basically have the entire essay minus a few words.\n\nWhat I especially dislike most of all about assigned outlines is that it always feels like we are formatting it for the teacher and not for ourselves even though the entire point of doing an outline is to better organize YOUR thoughts. You should be able to organize your thoughts any way you choose that works best for you.\n\nFor example, I am much more of a visual/kinesthetic learner, and therefore, I gravitate towards making storyboards/story-archs as my prefered method of essay brainstorming. I take a bunch of different colored sticky notes and jot down ideas that I continue to move around and maybe add side notes to until I feel like I have a solid story that I can then just type out. Since I’ve started this method I have found the pre-writing process so much more successful: I’m faster at generating good ideas and faster at organizing them.\n\nWouldn’t it be cool if when assigned to turn in an outline we could just turn in a picture or physical copy of a story board? I can’t wait for the day that simple ideas like outlines have more options for different kinds of learners.\n\nLong Term Policy\n\n\n\n\n\nWithout further ado, my first assignment of the year:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nChanging the Prompt\n\nI’ve been working today on writing an article for an organization about,“Why/how I continue to be involved with the learner-centered movement despite no longer going to a learner-centered school/being in college not k-12.”\n\nI’ll end up posting the article here once I get some feedback and finish editing it, but for now, I’ll just say that I rather enjoyed writing it. Writing the article made me realize that I’ve managed to do a good bit this past year in terms of transformative education stuff even despite not being in a k-12 or learner-centered environment.\n\nIt’s been more challenging to stay involved in the movement, but it’s also meant that I’ve been growing more independent and learning to find opportunities on my own and make them happen.\n\nI’ve often been very negative about the fact that I’m in such a traditional environment now, but perhaps in a weird way, it’s been helpful to others at least in the big picture of things. Now I just have another perspective to add to the table as somewhat of an “outsider” in the movement and yet still very much involved.\n\nSometimes it takes changing the prompt to realize the good in a not ideal situation.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6304705142974854}
{"content": "10 Dec 2018   |   News\n\nKeeping up with the Cloud\n\nNew Science|Business paper on how Europe can meet fast rising scientific demand for data storage and processing calls for a long-term strategy\n\nAs it opens up scientific data and tools to millions of researchers, Europe’s new science cloud initiative is set to drive a step change in demand for computing and connectivity resources. Meeting that demand could be a challenge for Europe, which lags China and the US in the development of the supercomputers required to conduct the extremely complex modelling required by some scientific disciplines.\n\nGet the full report\n\nBut a new paper published by Science|Business argues that Europe should prioritise software development over the deployment of hardware, given the urgent need to bridge different scientific disciplines using appropriate middleware. Such middleware would enable interoperability between the many computing and data silos within the European scientific community helping the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) achieve its goal of fuelling inter-disciplinary research.\n\nStill, the paper recognises that Europe needs to develop greater expertise in hardware in the longer term: Hardware and software tend to develop hand-in-hand: early access to advanced hardware would help software developers create better tools for scientists.  Indeed, the paper argues that Europe needs a broad, long-term strategy to improve its computer science, centred on better education, particularly in physics, mathematics, programming and data analytics.\n\nDespite Europe’s relatively weak IT industry, there may be opportunities for the region to lead the world in some areas of data-driven scientific research. In an age of rising nationalism and protectionism, the paper argues that multi-lateral Europe could coordinate global science. As it adapts to the requirement of the new EU General Data Protection Regulation, European science could also become a leader in the development of research techniques and processes that safeguard individuals’ privacy, while enabling social scientists to better understand human behaviour.\n\nExpert group consultations\n\nThe paper is the product of meetings of our Cloud Consultation Group, a gathering of members of the Science|Business university-industry network with a special interest in the science cloud. They include experts from ETH-Zurich, CERN, Microsoft, Google and others. While drawing on the members’ expertise, the resultant paper is ultimately a statement of Science|Business and does not necessarily reflect the views of individual members.\n\nNoting that governments can’t generally move quickly enough to scale ICT infrastructure, the paper argues that Europe’s policymakers should focus on the demand-side of the equation, rather than the supply side. For example, Europe should look to extend its lead in scientific fields, where it already has a head start, such as tackling climate change and modelling extreme weather. Rising demand for supercomputing in these fields should stimulate the private sector to make the necessary ICT infrastructure available.\n\nMore broadly, the paper recommends the EOSC’s rules of engagement balance the need to ensure users of the science cloud can harness advanced cloud computing services with the need to ensure the research community does not become overly reliant on a single provider or even single third country (such as the US) to meet its infrastructure needs.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7433359622955322}
{"content": "Friday was President Monson’s funeral.  When an LDS President dies, the First Presidency is dissolved.  Have you ever wondered why that is the case?  Historian John Hamer and apostle Lachlan MacKay of the Community of Christ discussed why that happens in the LDS Church.  It’s a really interesting conversation as we discussed several succession claims.\n\nJohn:  One of the last acts that Joseph Smith does before going to Carthage is he had given another one of these special blessings to Joseph III and several of these where Joseph had been prophesied at one point or another that he would be in his father’s role in being prophet, but he was what?  He was eleven?\n\nLachlan:  Eleven or eleven and a half.\n\nJohn:  He’s eleven, so ok.  He wasn’t going to be the successor at that point.  What I argue, I think anyway, I think that the person who had the best claim at the point, in terms of both civil, and canon, which is to say church rules and law is Sidney Rigdon, who even though he’s been a little on the outs, he is still actively campaigning as the vice-presidential candidate in Joseph Smith’s U.S. presidential election.  So Joseph Smith then Sidney Rigdon; Sidney Rigdon is the only guy left in the First Presidency.\n\nEven though in the LDS tradition, there is this idea that the First Presidency dissolves, and then the senior most apostle always succeeds, the only reason that is the idea is because they didn’t want to have Sidney Rigdon be in charge.  It doesn’t say that in the Doctrine & Covenants or anything like that.  There’s no canonical, there’s no canon law that says anything of the kind.  The First Presidency had been a completely distinct [quorum] in the early church tradition from the Twelve.\n\nLachlan:  There’s nothing that says it dissolves.\n\nJohn: There’s nothing that says it dissolves and also not like the First Presidency is just like three more of the Twelve or something like that.  It’s a completely distinct [quorum.]  Anyway, so what I say is Sidney Rigdon is the last surviving member of the First Presidency and then according to the actual incorporation like we’re talking about the Church’s possession, William Marks had signed it over to Joseph Smith on behalf of the Church.  The Church is incorporated in the state of Illinois, and part of incorporation and the documents in Carthage, it says held by Joseph Smith as Trustee in Trust for the Church and my successors in the First Presidency.\n\nBecause of that, when Brigham Young does take over, he doesn’t create a new First Presidency; the Twelve just take over headquarters.  It’s one of the reasons why he is not able to get title to these temples is because James Strang knows about that because he has a lot of these guys in his group.  They know about this incorporation ruling.  This is really complicated details, but anyway, part of the idea of it is he charges that since he is the successor to the First Presidency, he has organized a new First Presidency.  This doesn’t in Brigham Young’s church until 1847, so he’s operating that way with the First Presidency, and so he says, “You don’t have a First Presidency. I have title to the Nauvoo Temple.  You’re trying to sell my temple.”\n\nGT:  James Strang created a First Presidency and said that should be the successor?\n\nJohn:  Yeah, he did that at that point.  But before that, I’ve got to dial it back.  The person who was the surviving member of the First Presidency then is Sidney Rigdon.  Sidney Rigdon gets outmaneuvered in this showdown between Brigham Young and Sidney Rigdon.  He gets kicked out of Nauvoo, or flees for his life and he goes back and reorganizes and creates a new headquarters of the church in Pittsburgh.  But at that point, he suffers one of these things that all kinds of schismatic Mormon Latter Day Saint heritage churches do which is, then they start asking themselves:  where did we go wrong?\n\nWe discussed some of the other leaders who wanted to take over leadership of the LDS Church in the early days.  There’s a lot more people than you may recognize.  I also encourage you to check out the video.  John was kind enough to share some slides about the Succession crisis, and I have included them in the video.\n\nDon’t forget to check out our conversations with Greg Prince and Jim Vun Cannon on the Succession Crisis.  Earlier in the week, we discussed Kirtland Temple ownership problems.  Following the Kirtland Banking Crisis in 1838, Joseph Smith left town in the dead of the night.  The town of Kirtland was basically bankrupt.  Because of this, ownership of the temple was claimed by several people.  John Hamer and Lachlan MacKay will talk about Kirtland Temple ownership problems.  It’s a little bit like a soap-opera.   We’ll also hear an episode where people stormed the temple with guns and knives to try to take ownership of the temple.\n\nLachlan:  This is the one where Joseph Smith Sr. is at the pulpit on the west end.  The dissenters are concerned and hoping to take possession of the temple, and they stormed to the front with guns and knives drawn.  I think this is Oliver Huntington, one of the Huntington boys said, “Them that had chicken-hearts dove out the windows for safety.”\n\nThe police are called in to restore order.  They rush in and they knocked over a stove-pipe.  So I just imagine soot filling the room.  The best part is, after that chaos, they eject the belligerents and resume the services of the day.  {Everyone chuckles}\n\nGT:  Really!  Wow.\n\nLachlan:  So I think that’s probably what you were referring to.\n\nGT:  Yeah, it must have been quite a service!  {all chuckle}  We don’t talk about that in the LDS tradition very often.  I remember reading that somewhere and just going, “Wow!”\n\nLachlan:  I think one of them is even—they are walking from the front to the back, in some cases over the back of the pews, so stepping from pew-box to pew-box because the aisles are full of people, so they have to walk on the top of the pew-boxes to get up there.\n\nWe also talk about some other Mormon groups:  Strangites & Hedrickites and their involvement in Kirtland Temple ownership.  I also update our previous conversation with Dr. Richard Bennett about Brigham Young trying to sell the Kirtland Temple!  Was the Kirtland Temple turned into a sheep shed?  How did the Kirtland Banking Crisis affect ownership?  What else can we learn about the Kirtland Temple over the years?  What are your thoughts on (1) Kirtland Temple ownership, and (2) LDS succession?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5831159949302673}
{"content": "6 Differences Between Blogging In A Minority Language Versus English\n\n\n\nWhat I Learned From Failing To Learn Languages\n\n\n\n5 Ways Esperanto Is Easier Than English\n\nWhen people ask me why I speak Esperanto, my answer is simple; it’s really easy. I’ve always had difficulties learning languages and Esperanto is the only language I’ve ever succeeded in learning. The arbitrary pronunciation, random grammar rules, infuriating irregularities, endless exceptions that had to be memorised, silent letters, obscure tenses and half a dozen other rules in every language, drove me mad. I spent countless frustrating hours trying to decipher these Byzantine codes, usually without success. I would complain to my teacher (and anyone who would listen) about how these rules were unnecessary and added nothing to the language, couldn’t someone just remove the irregularities? Continue reading “5 Ways Esperanto Is Easier Than English”\n\nCould The English Language Be Reformed?\n\nEnglish is a strange language. As a native speaker, I used to think it was completely normal and the natural state for a language, but lately I’ve been seeing the strange parts. There is a huge gap between how words are written and pronounced, with a multitude of silent letters, sounds that can be spelt with more than one letter and letters that can be pronounced more than one way. There’s also irregular verbs that defy any logic and almost look randomly thrown together. While the present and the future is straight forward, the past tense is a complete mess. Eat becomes ate, sit becomes sat, go becomes went and think becomes thought. Where is the sense in that? Why do words completely change like that? Continue reading “Could The English Language Be Reformed?”\n\nWhy English Should Not Be The International Language Of The World\n\n\nThe Irish Language – It’s Dying\n\n\nContinue reading “The Irish Language – It’s Dying”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9739525318145752}
{"content": "Employer Alert: Reporting and Payment Penalties\n\nMay 08, 2017\n  • Employer Notices\n\nFor Immediate Release: May 8, 2017\nContact: Heather Fritzky, NHRS Controller, (603) 410-3540; [email protected]\n\nCONCORD, NH – The New Hampshire Retirement System (NHRS, the retirement system) is providing updated guidance regarding the assessment of employer interest penalties for late or inaccurate reporting of active member data and/or late contribution payments.\n\nThe integrity of the data NHRS receives from employers is crucial to its ability to effectively administer retirement benefits.  Without timely and accurate payroll information and payment of contributions, the retirement system cannot correctly calculate or finalize pensions for recently retired employees.\n\nEffective August 15, 2017, NHRS will assess penalties for employer files that are not free of exceptions and posted by the 15th of the month. As a courtesy, NHRS will automatically waive the interest penalty for the first three months.  Effective November 15, 2017, employers will need to request a waiver of any penalties in writing.  \n\nAlso effective August 15, 2017, the retirement system will require contribution payments be received by NHRS on or before the 15th to avoid an interest penalty.\n\nData Reporting\n\nSince 2014, NHRS has been authorized under state law to assess an interest penalty when a monthly employer reporting file cannot be processed by the due date because of data reporting errors. However, the retirement system has continued to accept all files as timely and has not assessed an interest penalty as long as the information is submitted by the 15th of the month, regardless of whether the file contains errors. This lenient approach has proven to be a significant administrative burden and, in some instances, caused a delay in finalizing benefit payments to new retirees or issuing refunds to terminated members who have requested one.  \n\nBeginning with employer files submitted with a due date of August 15, 2017, employers will receive an interest penalty assessment notice for files that are not free of exceptions and posted by the monthly due date. This means that any file exceptions must be cleared by the 15th so the file can be posted. Although most employers submit error-free files, the retirement system recognizes this is a change that will impact some employers, so, as noted above, NHRS will waive penalties assessed in the three months following the August 15 effective date of this notification.  The retirement system will also be providing updated instructions on how to correct file exceptions.\n\nSubmission of Payments\n\nCurrently, payments submitted to NHRS are not subject to a penalty if the payment is postmarked by the 15th of the month. Beginning with payments received for batches with a due date of August 15, 2017, NHRS will no longer be considering the postmark date as the receipt date when determining if a payment is late.  Employers should assure that payment is actually received by NHRS no later than the 15th of each month.\n\nNHRS accepts payments by ACH and encourages all employers to make their contribution payments using this method, which is the most secure and timely payment option available.  See below for more information on the advantages of ACH.\n\nFrequently Asked Questions\n\nThe administrative rule says reporting and payments are due by the 15th of each month. How is the due date impacted if the 15th falls on a weekend or holiday?\n\nThe 15th is the due date to submit files and payments to NHRS, however, employers may submit their file any time after the last pay date in the previous month up until the due date. As noted, payments by ACH can be scheduled in advance to post on the 15th. If the 15th falls on a weekend or holiday, the file needs to be posted and payment needs to be received no later than the first business day following the weekend or holiday.\n\nCan employers appeal penalty assessments?\n\nYes. RSA 100-A:16. V states that, “For reasonable cause, the board may abate all or any part of the interest.” The administrative rule further clarifies that a penalty cannot be abated without “showing that the employer had not willfully, intentionally, through gross negligence or through a pattern of negligence failed to timely remit contributions.” Note that while one-time instances of oversight related to items such as staffing issues or data-entry mistakes will typically be abated, repeated requests for a waiver based on the same circumstances may be considered “a pattern of negligence.” \n\nDo these changes apply to (HB 342) retiree reporting?\n\nNo. There is no change to the current policy on retiree reporting, which states that employers may be subject to a penalty of $25 per day for non-compliance with the reporting requirement. For more information on retiree reporting, see: https://www.nhrs.org/faqs/faq-retiree-reporting\n\nWhy is NHRS changing the way it assesses employer penalties?\n\nThe technology available to NHRS and its employers has significantly improved since the current practices were developed. Employer reporting exceptions can now be identified and corrected almost immediately through the online Data Reporting System and payments can be readily scheduled in advance and sent automatically via ACH. \n\nAlso, as noted above, the current approach of accepting files as timely even if they contain exceptions and cannot be posted has proven to be a significant administrative burden and, in some instances, caused a delay in finalizing benefit payments to new retirees or issuing refunds to terminated members.\n\nWhat is ACH and how can it benefit me as an employer?\n\nAutomated Clearing House (ACH) is an electronic network for financial transactions. ACH credit transfers include direct deposit, payroll and vendor payments. ACH is the quickest, safest, and most cost-effective way to send payments to NHRS. \n\nAs an employer:\n\n  • You could realize a significant cost savings by not printing and mailing checks (saving on check stock, MICR toner, postage and labor)\n  • Paying by ACH will provide you better cash management – you assign an effective date so you know exactly when the payment leaves your bank and the funds go directly to NHRS the same day\n  • ACH payments are more secure than checks and you can track the status of an ACH payment much faster\n  • ACH payments do not require humans to read digits and/or OCR software to electronically read handwriting, which leads to a lower error rate\n  • There is less opportunity for fraud with an ACH payment because bank account and ABA number are entered into a secure system and encrypted\n  • ACH provides a greater level of expenditure control and eliminates securing unused checks\n\nPlease contact Kelly Gladu at (603) 410-3652 if you would like ACH setup instructions.\n\nAdditional Background\n\nRSA 100-A:16, V:\n\nNotwithstanding any other provision of law any member contributions deducted by an employer, or any employer assessments or contributions not remitted or that cannot be processed at the times designated by the board of trustees due to data reporting errors, shall be subject to interest on the amount due at the rate of one percent for each month or fraction thereof that they remain unpaid. For reasonable cause, the board may abate all or any part of the interest.\n\nNH Administrative Rule Ret 303.01:\n\n(a) All member/employer contributions shall be remitted to the New Hampshire retirement system monthly.  Remittance reports and payments shall be due in the retirement system by the 15th of the month for the previous month’s contributions.  Any member/employer payments not timely remitted shall be assessed interest as provided in subparagraph (b)\n\n(b) An interest penalty of one percent for each month or fraction thereof that contributions are not timely remitted shall be assessed against the delinquent employer.  In computing interest under this paragraph and under RSA 100-A:16, V, a fraction of a month shall be computed as a full month.\n\n# # #", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9716905355453491}
{"content": "Mai Lan is a France's latest sensation, favoured by the Inrockuptibles, she delivers a colourful mix of intimate pop and folk sprinkled with a dash of soul.\n\n\nMai Lan began learning music at the tender age of 7 by playing classical piano and listening to her parents immense CD collection. Between jazz and punk, Chopin and MC Hammer, she began to form her own musical identity. Mai Lan’s music is audacious, and colourful, she is daring and because she is so she carries us far and into the great unknown. 12 songs of incandescent luminous folk, post punk, intimate pop, a hillbilly mutant; a prism of multicoloured lights that cross her divine universes. The album was recorded at Mai Lan’s home over a one year span and was completed at the ICP Studios. Max \"Schumacher\" Labarthe produced and mixed the album.\n\n\nDebut album released in France in September 2012 on Wagram / 3eme Bureau", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7838910818099976}
{"content": "Lessons Learned from a NEWBIE Memory Planner\n\n\nWhen the Happy Memory Keeping™ collection came out last year, I bought everything I would ever need to memory plan. I really wanted to be a dedicated memory planner, but I never took the leap. It seemed a bit intimidating, and I let perfectionism keep me from trying it. I decided to finally give it a shot. I mean, I had a beautiful new memory planner screaming to be used. Once I started I was hooked! I'm still new to it, but I've already learned a few things that might be helpful for those of you still waiting to leap into Happy Memory Keeping™. \n\n1. There is no RIGHT way. I definitely looked to some of the seasoned memory planners and fellow SQUAD members for inspiration, but in the end, there really is no right way. It's YOUR life. They're YOUR memories. Your memory planner should be as unique as YOU are!\n\n2. It doesn't have to be perfect. Photos don't have to fit precisely in the boxes, or even on the correct day for that matter. The memories are still there whether they happened on Monday or Tuesday. Put things where you want them!\n\n3. White space isn't a bad thing. At first I found myself feeling like I needed to fill every part of the page. I didn't have enough photos. My life wasn't THAT exciting. As I started to add the journaling I realized it's okay to have some empty space. (See also numbers 1 and 2 above.)\n\n\n4. The process is as important as the result. As I was printing photos, laying them out, and thinking of what to write, I realized that the process was so rewarding. It really made me stop and think about how loved my kids are and how grateful I am for our life. \n\n\nAbout my first spread:\nMy first Happy Memory Keeping™ spread documents a week that my boys spent with their grandma and their cousins (she called it \"Camp Grandma\"). They made so many memories, so I knew it was a great week to start! The blue and green color scheme was inspired by the colors in the photos, and I love how it all came together. The Happy Memory Keeping™ stickers are perfectly designed for memory planning, but any of The Happy Planner® stickers work well too. You don't have to be a professional scrapbooker to document special memories. The Happy Memory Keeping™ products make it so simple!\n\nIf you're like me and are hesitant to start, I encourage you to just JUMP IN! It really is so rewarding! Enjoy the journey, #plannerbabes!\n\nFeeling inspired? Head over to Instagram and give Mandy (@planny_mandy) a FOLLOW to keep up with all her Happy Planner® creations!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5202410221099854}
{"content": "Predictions for 2019: Blockchain, AI and AR technology, Transitioning from unfamiliar entities into targeted solutions\nPredictions for Blockchain, AR and VR technology: High in the sky aims have given way to clear, targeted goals and expectations Technology Predictions- As we move towards the close of 2018, technology is entering into an exciting state for consumers and organisations like. This year we’ve started to chart the waters of technologies", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9834111332893372}
{"content": "Find Your Focus Before Writing\n\nDo you struggle to focus during your writing sessions? Here are two techniques you can try to improve your attention span and increase your productivity.\n\nIn the modern world, finding time to sit down and write can be infuriatingly difficult. When we actually get our bums into the seats, an even greater nemesis rears its ugly head: distraction. How can we ward off the beast and find focus before writing?\n\nI do it through the two ‘M’s: meditation and mindfulness.\n\nBear with me here. Put aside any preconceptions you have about meditation and mindfulness while you read and you’ll find that they’re practices that can improve your life (and your brain) in more ways than one. Writing is just the beginning.\n\nWhat Is Meditation?\n\nThere are various techniques and types of meditation, but at the core of them is a simple goal: to self-regulate the mind and body.\n\nConcentrative meditation involves focusing attention on something specific, like your breathing or an object. When you notice your attention wandering, you return it to the focus of the meditation, without rebuking yourself for the lapse.\n\nIt can be difficult for beginners to stay focused during meditations, but practice makes this self-regulation of the mind much easier.\n\nWhat Is Mindfulness?\n\nMindfulness involves observing your thoughts, feelings and experiences in the present, without judging them as good or bad. You’re open to the moment, living in the moment. Because you’re not focusing on the past or future, you find yourself free to observe what’s happening around you, which brings with it a new sense of awareness and freedom.\n\nThe benefits that go hand-in-hand with meditation and mindfulness are myriad, from the mental, such as improvements in well-being, to the physical, such as pain management, but let’s focus on those relevant to writing.\n\n\nEven practising meditation for a short period can yield benefits for writers. One study found that, when meditating five days a week, 30 minutes each time, there were improvements in self-control and mood after just two weeks.\n\nIncreased self-control is an obvious advantage for writers, particularly those who struggle to sit down, write and stay focused. Having a more balanced or positive mood also helps writers—how many times have you blown off a writing session because you didn’t feel like it?\n\nAnother benefit to meditation is learning to shut out distracting thoughts. However, an even greater advantage for a writer is being able to realise when your thoughts are wandering sooner. Only once you learn to recognise when your mind drifts can you correct it.\n\n\nPractising mindfulness has several benefits for writers. When self-doubt and the scornful whisperings of your inner editor loom, the desire to write shrivels up and dies.\n\nHowever, observing your thoughts without judging them (i.e., mindfulness) can reduce the anxiety that stems from those bouts of the Writer Blues—perfect for those occasions when you’re feeling self-conscious or critical of your writing.\n\nStory time: One day my lecturer asked the class to build a complicated seraph paper airplane while practising mindfulness. I couldn’t build the thing for the life of me, while everyone around me found it fairly easy. Had I not been non-judgemental towards my thoughts, I would have been horribly embarrassed, but the mindfulness provided a buffer to anxiety. It works for writing too.\n\nTry It Yourself\n\n\nSo now that we’re clear on how great meditation is for writers, when should we meditate, how long should we do it for, and how exactly do we meditate?\n\nThe most obvious time for writers to meditate is just before writing. It clears the mind, focuses the attention and calms the body, which then leads to a far more productive session than jumping straight into writing with an unfocused, easily distracted mind. However, the benefits can still be felt when meditating at other times, such as before going to bed, on a morning or after exercise.\n\nHow long should we meditate for? That depends on whether or not you’re a beginner and how much time you have available. If you’re new to meditation, start with shorter sessions (like 5-10 minutes), since focusing the mind on one thing for very long can prove difficult. As you become more experienced with meditation, lengthen your sessions to a time that feels comfortable to you.\n\nAnother factor to consider, if you’re meditating before your writing session, is how much time you have available. If you only have an hour a day to write, then a longer meditation session will take a big chunk out of that. Should you find yourself limited for time, either meditate for a shorter period before writing or have a longer session at another point in the day (or both!).\n\nWhat exactly do you do during meditation? I favour a simple breathing meditation myself, which involves directing the attention towards the breath, as it flows naturally in and out of the nostrils. When thoughts creep into your mind, simply return your attention to your breathing. You can find more information on this type of meditation here.\n\n\nWhen’s the best time to practice mindfulness? Again, just before a writing session is ideal as it focuses you, ready for churning out those words. However, as shown in my paper plane example, you can practice mindfulness at any time. Just focus on the moment, on what you’re experiencing, without judging it as good or bad.\n\nAs with meditation, practice mindfulness for as long as you feel comfortable with and/or have time for. The added benefit to mindfulness is that you can practice it while doing other things, so you don’t have to carve out time to sit down and focus solely upon it (though you can do if you want to).\n\nWhat exactly is being ‘mindful’? It’s paying attention to your experiences in the present. If you’re building a paper plane, for example, focus on the motion of your hands and the feel of the paper, observe your thoughts as they come and go, but don’t judge them. No feeling inadequate, self-conscious, embarrassed or guilty. Just awareness.\n\nEnjoyed this post? Check out the Mind of the Writer and explore what makes the brain behind the words tick.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9873973727226257}
{"content": "\nMedi-claim Assistance Getting Admitted\n\nPatients having a Medi-claim (cashless facility of medical insurance) are requested to inform the hospital at the time of admission. The hospital can then help in putting forward the case with the medical insurance company.\n  Medi-claim Lounge\nPatient Care Co-ordinators will keep the relatives updated about the progress of the claim request. Once the insurance company approves the claim, the hospital will inform the patient’s relatives about the details of the approval.\n  Patient Care Co-ordinators\n    Emergency (0265) 228 6666\nEmergency Numbers\nfor Ambulance :\n(0265) 228 6666, 228 5555\nVirtual Gallery", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8346713185310364}
{"content": "Article Index\n\nOur Story:\n\nIn 1991, a concerned group of individuals came together to address the growing number of homeless persons in Rowan and surrounding counties and called themselves the Gateway Homeless Coalition (GHC). In 1992, the Gateway Homeless Coalition obtained 501(c)(3)non-profit status. The Methodist church in Morehead donated the use of a house on Hargis Avenue to serve as the first emergency shelter in Morehead, known as the Gateway House. GHC began providing homeless services to individuals and families in the Gateway area and expanded their service area to include Bath, Elliott, Menifee, Montgomery, Morgan and Rowan Counties. In 1997, the shelter moved into its current location on Flemingsburg Road.\n\n\nAt Gateway House, we are able to provide a safe, family-friendly environment where our team of case managers work with residents to help them overcome the barriers to maintaining stable housing for themselves. Escaping homelessness is harder than it looks, and that is why our shelter offers more than just a bed and a shower. Rather, a comprehensive residency program featuring robust case management and advocacy services ensures that we do the most we can for our residents while they’re with us, so that when they obtain stable, long-term housing, we've done everything we could to help them maintain that stability going forward. To us, this approach just makes sense - we care about our residents, and we believe this is reflected by our commitment to helping them succeed.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7689990997314453}
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{"content": "Price: 4000 Naira (BSC, MSC)\n\n\n\n1.1 Background of The Study\nDocumentary evidence is any evidence that is, or can be, introduced at a trial in the form of documents, as distinguished from oral testimony. Documentary evidence is most widely understood to refer to writings on paper (such as an invoice, a contract or a will), but the term can also apply to any media by which information can be preserved, such as photographs; a medium that needs a mechanical device to be viewed, such as a tape recording or film; and a printed form of digital evidence, such as emails, spreadsheets, etc.\nNormally, before documentary evidence is admissible as evidence, it must be proved by other evidence from a witness that the document is genuine, called “laying a foundation”.\nA piece of evidence is not documentary evidence if it is presented for some purpose other than the examination of the contents of the document. For example, if a blood-spattered letter is introduced solely to show that the defendant stabbed the author of the letter from behind as it was being written, then the evidence is physical evidence, not documentary evidence. However, a film of the murder taking place would be documentary evidence (just as a written description of the event from an eyewitness). If the content of that same letter is then introduced to show the motive for the murder, then the evidence would be both physical and documentary.\nDocumentary evidence is subject to specific forms of authentication, usually through the testimony of an eyewitness to the execution of the document, or to the testimony of a witness able to identify the e handwriting of the purported author. Documentary evidence is also subject to the best evidence rule, which requires that the original document be produced unless there is a good reason not to do so.\n1.2 Statement of Problem\nConsidering the concept of document generally as contained in Section 258 of the Evidence Act which explicitly mentioned that:\n“Document” include books, maps, plans, drawings, photographs and also includes any matter expressed or described upon any substance by means of letters, figures or marks or by more than one of these means, intended to be used or which may be used for the purpose of recording that matter”\nIt is primary and crucial that a document used in litigation must not only be relevant, it should also be admissible. Thus, if a party wants to rely on the contents of a document to establish his case, it is his duty to bring them to notice of the court; and as a general rule he must produce the original of the document before the court.\nNevertheless, in certain circumstances some obstacles do affect the admissibility of document to be tendered as evidence in the court of Law. Such issues include, lost of or destruction of paper documents, alteration, forgery of documents and sometimes documents are erroneously admitted by the court in the course of proceedings as well as other sundry issues relating to documentary evidence.\nThere are the major problems that has to do with the admissibility of documentary evidence in the court of Law under the Law of Evidence in Nigeria i.e. striking the balance between the documents that are admissible and these that are not admissible as well as those that are become admissible in view of others are reliable evidence in the court of Law under Nigeria Law of Evidence.\n1.3 Objective of the Study\nThe objective of this research is to portray the admissibility of documentary evidence under the Nigeria Law of Evidence which largely depend on the case laws and comments of erudite legal luminaries. And to some certain extent look at general concept of evidence, presumption relating to documents and exclusion of oral evidence by documentary evidence.\n1.4 Significance of the Study\nThis research work serves as reference to other works of relevant field for incoming posterity. It will serve as medium public and private documents, the extent and limitation of the admissibility of such documents under Nigeria Law of Evidence.\nIn view of the above, the research work will serve as a means of understanding the concept of document as well as its admissibility under the Nigeria Law of Evidence, which include the extent and limitations under Law, so that possible solutions and corrective measures will be proffered in tendering an or considering documents as an evidence.\n1.5 Methodology\nThe research methodology used is pure doctrinal researches conducted in the library and internet. By this process the law reports of the superior courts of records, journals, national newspaper as well as renounced scholar Articles and paper presentation were consulted in my effort to state clearly the admissibility of documentary audience under the law of evidence in Nigeria.\n1.6 Scope of the Study\nThe scope of this work is limited to the admissibility of documentary evidence under Law of Evidence in Nigeria. Nevertheless, this work will go on in a nutshell to have an overview of the concept of evidence generally; because one can only be successful in writing on admissibility of documentary evidence if, he highlighted the general concept of evidence in Law.\nSecondly, recent judgement of the superior courts of record in Nigeria as well as textbooks of the renounced lawyers and erudite judges also helped to discover the problems and solution in the process of writings.\n1.7 Organization of the Study\nThis research work is divided in five chapters. Chapter one (1) consist of the introduction, statement of problem, objective of the study, significance of the study, methodology, scope of the study, organisation of the study and literature review.\nChapter two (2) talks about the meaning of the concept Document; meaning of documentary evidence, types of documentary evidence, public and private document, general provision on documentary evidence and its admissibility in law as well as relevancy of documentary evidence.\nChapter three (3) where the main work begin, looks at the the evidence act 2011- moving with the times and electronically generated evidence.\nChapter Four provides a critical appraisal of the rules on admissibility of documentary evidence as to fact in issue under Sections 83 and admissibility of statements in documents produced by computers under Sections 84 of the Evidence Act 2011 which 26 includes admissibility of document made by a person in any proceeding, if the maker of the document had personal knowledge of the matters dealt with by the statement, where the document forms part of the record purporting to be continuous record, if the maker of the statement is called as a witness in the proceeding, the discretion of the Court to admit a statement made by the maker in any proceeding, the inadmissibility of the document made an interested person when the proceeding is pending or anticipated, admissibility of document signed or initialed by the maker, basis for admissibility of certificates of a registered medical practitioner, admissibility of computer generated document and conditions to be laid, admissibility of statement produced from different or combination of computers, basis for admissibility of certificate signed by a person in a responsible position, and conditions to be laid for an information to be duly supplied or produced by computer.\nWhile, chapter five (5) summarised everything in conclusion, recommendation and bibliography.\n1.8 Literature Review\nThe importance of the work has been intensified and brought to bare mainly in pages featuring the practical application of the rules relating to documentary evidence in particular and its relevancy and admissibility of evidence in general.\nAlthough, there is no single textbook on the topic of this thesis, there are related articles written by lawyers and academics whose style and manner of approach will be explained below.\nAfe Babalola in his book :Law and Practice of Evidence in Nigeria” stated that a bill on information technology as well as the Evidence Bill 1998 which are still both before the National Assembly have hardly been attended to. On the other hand, some countries such as UK and USA have enacted statutes reforming their Laws, particularly the law of Evidence to take benefit of the advances in information, technology. It must be noted however that reform of the law of Evidence has been slow.\nAlso, Yemi Osinbanjo believes amongst other things that computer printouts are not original. He also dispute with some English decisions even based on statutory provisions that computer documentary evidence is “real evidence”. The learned author also argues that those computer printouts do not qualify as documentary evidence under section (formerly section 90) of the Evidence Act. He concludes that unless the Evidence Act is amended, it will be difficult for courts in Nigeria to admit computer and electronically documentary evidence in Nigeria.\nAmupitan J in his article “Admissibility of Electronically Generated Evidence” stated that the Nigeria courts and the world over should at least give liberal interpretation to the admissibility of electronic evidence if the law is to be relevant and useful at this computer age of information technology in order to enhance and strengthen judicial activism. Also, Fidelis Nwadialo seeks to explain why he had decided not to treat computer generated evidence. He says he deliberately did this because there is no Nigeria law yet on the subject to have it included in a book on Nigeria law of Evidence, firmly submitting that any pronouncement on it will either amount to a suggestion or an opinion more suited for more journals as opposed to formal textbooks on law of Evidence. yet, while commenting on the “Sources of Nigeria Law of Evidence,” the learned author is of the view, having regard to section 5(a) of the Evidence Act and decision of the West African Court of Appeal, WACA and the Federal Supreme Court that “any Evidence which would have been admissible under the common law had the Act not been passed, will still be admissible.\nAlthough these writers have voiced the opinion on documentary evidence, they have not gone in depth on the topic.\n\nGet Complete Materials", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9985401034355164}
{"content": "Ar ar dating Adult c2c group chat rooms\n\n\nWhen a rock undergoes metamorphism, some or all of its argon can be outgassed.If all the argon was lost, this would reset the K-Ar clock to zero, and dating the rock would give us the time of metamorphism; and if we recognized the rock as metamorphic this would actually be quite useful.But consider what happens if the argon came from deep within the Earth, where it was formed by Ar ratio as is found in the atmosphere, and the formula that corrects for atmospheric carbon will not correct for this.Finally, we must consider the possibility of argon loss.Potassium–Argon dating or K–Ar dating is a radiometric dating method used in geochronology and archaeology.It is based on measurement of the product of the radioactive decay of an isotope of potassium (K) into argon (Ar).Ca/K) information can be obtained from each sample.The WAAIF is equipped with A MAP215-50 mass spectrometer with a low-blank automated extraction system coupled with a New Wave Nd-YAG dual IR (1064 nm) and UV (216 nm) laser, an electromuliplier detector and Niers source.\n\n\nThe 213 nm ultra-violet laser is capable of high-resolution (up to 10 µm beam size) ablation of any mineral, allowing detailed analysis of individual mineral grains.\n\n\ndating method is used to measure the age and timing of a large variety of geological processes, from meteorite samples as old as the Earth (4.5 billion years) to the age of historical events such as the Vesivius eruption (79 AD).\n\nThe Ar technique can be applied to any rocks and minerals that contain K (e.g. method is also used to date a myriad of other geological events such as volcanism, tectonic plate movements, mountain building rates, sediment formation, weathering and erosion, hydrothermal fluid movements, and alteration and diagenesis of minerals. The main advantage of Ar-Ar dating is that it allows much smaller samples to be dated, and more age and composition (e.g.\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9473162889480591}
{"content": "The Collective Unconscious\n\nI find the \"Collective Unconscious\" a compelling concept that explains (for me) the origins of religious faith. It would seem that Jung was close to bridging scientific thought and faith based thought with a concept that both can embrace in very similar terms. It also would give authority to religious teachings when those teachings articulate the archetypes, morality and symbols that exist in the collective unconscious. It seems to me that most religions do a pretty good job of providing credible access to the collective unconscious whereas science offers no access at all. \n\nThe definitions and commentary below were gathered from Internet searches. Several schools of thought are represented but it is easy to be confused. One reason is that the same psychological terms are defined differently in each school. For instance Jung maintains that the Self defines the Ego (Self Centric), while modern psychology holds that the Ego defines the Self (Ego Centric). Another defining difference stems from different thoughts regarding the origin of archetypes. The Platonic tradition says that archetypes have a spiritual origin and therefor have always existed. Jung interprets archetypes in a biological sense.  He says that they are  \"inherited\", and that they \"have existed since remotest times\". Modern psychology sees archetypes arising from cultural influence. Jung maintains “It is necessary to point out once more that archetypes are not determined [by cultural experience] as regards their content, but only as regards their form and then only to a very limited degree.\"\n\nDictionary definition:\n\ncollective unconscious\n\n\nScientific definition:\n\ncollective unconscious\n\nMemories of mental patterns that are shared by members of a single culture or, more broadly, by all human beings; originally proposed by the psychologist Carl Jung to explain psychological traits shared by all people. He theorized that the collective unconscious appears as archetypes: patterns and symbols that occur in dreams, mythology, and fairy tales.\n\nFrom Wikipedia:\n\nCollective unconscious is a term of analytical psychology originally coined by Carl Jung. While Freud did not distinguish between an \"individual psychology\" and a \"collective psychology\", Jung distinguished the collective unconscious from the personal unconscious particular to each human being.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDirectory > Words > Dictionary\n\nar·che·type (är'kĭ-tīp') pronunciation\n\n\n\n\n\nDirectory > Reference > Britannica Concise\n\n\n\nFor more information on archetype, visit\n\nJung's Conception Of The Collective Unconscious\n\n\noriginal url xxxx\n\nJung saw the human psyche as made up of layers or strata (see diagram above).\n\n First is the conscious mind.  The ego is the term given to the organisation of the conscious mind, being composed of conscious perceptions, memories, thoughts, and feelings [Calvin S. Hall & Vernon J. Nordby, A primer of Jungian Psychology, p.34 (1973,  New American Library)].\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Archetypes\n\nby Yakov Leib HaKohain\n\nThe Nature of the Archetypes\n\nAt the outset, it's important to realize that Jung conceived of the archetypes as autonomous structures within the collective unconscious. They were pre-existent, self-generating \"forces of nature,\" as he sometimes called them, rather than (as many mistakenly believe) artifacts of cultural experience. For example, he writes:\n\n\"The archetype is . . . an irrepresentable, unconscious, pre-existent form that seems to be part of the inherited structure of the psyche and can therefore manifest itself spontaneously anywhere, at any time . . .Again and again I encounter the mistaken notion that an archetype is determined [by cultural influences] in regard to its content . . . It is necessary to point out once more that archetypes are not determined [by cultural experience] as regards their content, but only as regards their form and then only to a very limited degree.\"\n\n(Memories, Dreams, Reflections, pages 392-393)\n\nTo illustrate: the \"Goddess\" archetype is a \"pre-existent form\" of the \"inherited structure of the psyche,\" but manifests herself in the \"psychic costume,\" as it were, of Kali in India, Athena in Greece, the Shekinah in Kabbalah, and the Virgin Mary in Western Christianity -- all very different in their culturally determined, outer appearance but identical in their inner psychic content. This is no less true of the archetype of the Self.\n\nThe Archetype of the Self\n\nJung defined the Self in many places and in many ways, but always with the same archetypal overtones. Here are two examples, all relevant to our present discussion, in which he clearly states that the Self is not (as some mistakenly believe) the same as the \"ego\" but \"superordinate\" to it:\n\n\n(Two Essays on Analytical Psychology, CW 7, par. 274)\n\n\n(Link to Amazon com Psychology and Alchemy, CW 12, par. 44)\n\nIn other words, the individual Ego emerges from the Self -- the Self does not emerge from the Ego -- and just as the Self gives birth to the Ego, the Ego gives birth to individual consciousness. (Readers will recall that I discussed and diagrammed this process of what I called \"psychic mitosis\" in my previous lectures on prenatal consciousness in the Jung Seminar series.)\n\n\nWhat is crucial in all of this is that the Self is an autonomous archetype \"supra ordinate\" to the individual Ego. This is the purport of Krishna's statement in the Bhagavad Gita, \"They are of me, I am not of them.\" But even more relevant to our discussion is this:\n\nIf the Self is not a byproduct of human consciousness, but vice versa, it therefore has an intelligence and will of its own separate from and superior to that of the individual Ego, of which it is the psychic parent.\n\nHere is what clearly distinguishes Jung's conceptions from those of psychology, and places them into the category of theology. Whereas modern psychology sees the Self as a creation of human consciousness, Jung sees the Ego as a creation of the Self and, furthermore, subordinate to it. Thus, Jung's metaphysical formulations are \"Self-Centric\" while those of Psychology are \"Ego-Centric.\" Thus, as Jung finally concludes, and with which we concur, \"the Self is our life's goal, for it is the completest expression of that fateful combination we call individuality.\" (Link to Amazon com Two Essays on Analytical Psychology, CW 7, par. 404)\n\nSite Map", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5716399550437927}
{"content": "Abstract Ref Number = APCP177\nInvited Speakers\nVaccine Immunology and Herd Immunity\nZakiudin Munasir Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia Dr CiptoMangunkusumo\nThe immune system is  complex system, composed of interactions of various body cells, aims to recognize, differentiate, & eliminate antigen (Ag) which is considered foreign (self vc non self). The immune system consist of non specific and specific barrier. Non spesific barrier is first body defense and activated in a few minutes / hour after infection. It activates the adaptive immune system in a longer time. It has no specific response and no memory cell. Immune innate / non-specific / natural immune response provides early defense against infection.Specific adaptive / immune immune responses occur thereafter and there is a lymphocyte activation. The immune response needs initiator, navigator regulators and acceleratation of pathogenesis of infectious diseases, establish a system of identification and signals called PRR (Pattern recognition receptors)  to recognize PAMP (Pathogen-associated molecular pattern). Specific immune respons is a second body defense, arises a few days after antigen enter the body. The specific properties of specific immune response is, the memory cells has last long - lifetime. Effectiveness increases after contact with antigen. The specific immune response consists of: humoral immune response (B lymphocytes) and cellular immune response (T lymphocytes) which has specific abilities and memory. The purpose of ideal vaccine is produce the same immune system protection as a natural infection but without causing severe illness and complications, produce long-term immunity, stopping the spread of infection. The antigen vaccine with antigen-causing natural infection is more similar. Unfortunately when the protective immune response is getting better but the side effect gets heavier. ‘Herd immunity is a form of immunity that occurs when the vaccination of a significant portion of a population (or herd) provides a measure of protection for individuals who have not developed immunity.’ It applies to diseases that spread from human to human. Each disease has a certain level of immunity in the population Therefore, a disease can be eradicated even if some people are still vulnerable. It provides indirect protection to unvaccinated individuals such as individuals vaccinated. Example: MMR vaccine is given to infants to protect pregnant women from rubella. Protection in unvaccinated populations occurs when the number of vaccinated individuals cross the threshold. For example the threshold for MMR vaccine is 95%. If lower than that, for example 70% vaccinated, reservoir remains present and outbreaks occur among unvaccinated individuals.\nJournal Office\nMid City Hospital, 3-A Shadman II\nJail Road, Lahore ,Pakistan\nAssociate Editor\nDr. Muhammad Faheem Afzal\nSupport & Help\ne-Journal Administrator\nDr. Khalid Masud", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9132850170135498}
{"content": "Roulette Terminology\n\n\nRoulette Terminology\n\n\nAmerican Roulette\n\n\nBiased Numbers\n\n\n\n\nOnline Blackjack: Rules and Terminology\n\n\nBlackjack is more popular than it ever has been. With the help of the internet and advancements in technology, people playing blackjack has grown exponentially over the past two decades.\n\nThe objective of the game is simply having higher cards than the dealer without going over 21.\n\nFor players new to the game, here are some basic rules and terminology you would be advised to learn before jumping in:\n\nCard Values\n\n2-10 = Face Value\nJacks, Queens and Kings = 10\nAces = 1 or 11", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8671775460243225}
{"content": "\n\nOptions: Dynamic memory,    Static memory,    RAM,    EEPROM\n\n\nMore Computer Fundamental Related questions:\n\nA display of a volume model that shows all of its edges is called a:\nOptions: surface model,    3-D model,    wire-frame,    solid model\n\nAns:C ,C\n\nOptions: A) Hewlett-Packard B) Epson, 1981 C) Laplink traveling software In1982 D) Tandy model-2000, 1985\n\n\n748. chandrama kee prthvee se dooree kitanee hai?\nOptions: NA\n\nAns: 385000 ki.mee., 385000 ki.mee.\n\n'Sports Channel' a monthly video magazine has been launched by\nOptions: Kapil Dev,    Sunil Gavaskar,    Ajit Wadekar,    Nawab Pataudi\n\n\n. How can you get your photo album slide show to play continuously?\nOptions: a. Use random slide transition b. Launch an online broadcast c. Loop continuously d. All of above\n\nAns:8 – C ,8 – C\n\nWhat now-ubiquitous device was invented by Zenith engineer Eugene Polley in 1955?\nOptions: Microwave oven,    Remote control,    VCR,    Calculator\n\n\nThe co-operative credit societies have a\nOptions: two-tier structure,    three-tier structure,    four-tier structure,    five-tier structure\n\n\n. Which computer support co-processors?\n\nOptions: A) XT computer B) AT comptuers C) None of these D) Both of these\n\n\nWhich of the following data structure store the homogeneous data elements?\n\nAns:- a,- a\n\nHow many players are there in Kabbadi team?\nOptions: 11,    9,    5,    7\n\n\n. Which function extracts the name of the month from a date/time value?\nOptions: a. Month b. MonthName c. MonthLabel d. MonthValue\n\nAns:1 – b ,1 – b\n\n523. bulee’ shabd kis khel mein prayukt hota hai?\nOptions: NA\n\nAns: hokee, hokee\n\nwho was founder of trigart riyasat\n\n\nThe geostationary satellite used for communication systems\nOptions: rotates with the earth,    remains stationary relative to the earth,    is positioned over equator,    All of the above\n\nAns:D ,D\n\nWhat's the best way to protect your hard drive data?\nOptions: regular backups,    periodically defrag it,    run chkdsk at least once a week,    run scandisk at least once a week\n\nAns:A ,A\n\n. What is gutter margin?\nOptions: a. Margin that is added to the left margin when printing b. Margin that is added to right margin when printing c. Margin that is added to the binding side of page when printing d. Margin that is added to the outside of the page when printing\n\nAns:– C,– C\n\n. To locate a data item for storage is\nOptions: A) Field B) Feed C) Database D) Fetch\n\n\n. Which of the following windows versionsupport64 bit processor?\n\nAns: C, C\n\n6.Which types of file organization are supported by magnetic tape?\nOptions: (A)random files (B) contiguous sequential file (C) indexed sequential file (D) all of the above 26\n\nAns:266. (B),266. (B)\n\nA microcomputer is a computer that uses a _____ for its CPU.\nOptions: chips,    registers,    microprocessor,    vacuum tube\n\nAns:C ,C\n\nThe parallel register:\nOptions: can store a multiple bit binary number,    uses R-S flip-flops,    All of the above,    is erased after a word is read fromit\n\nAns:A ,A\n\nhow much is the forest area in HP\n\n\n\n\n\nAns:– D,– D\n\n4.An optical input device that is used to read documents printed in a special type font is known as\nOptions: (A)Document reader (B) Documentation (C) Printer (D) None of these 1\n\n\nThe Kalinga was fought in\nOptions: 321 BC,    301 BC,    261 BC,    241 BC\n\n\n. Which of the following action removes a sheet from workbook?\nOptions: a.  Select the sheet, then choose Edit >> Delete Sheet b.  Select the sheet then choose Format >> Sheet >> Hide c.  Both of above d.  None of above\n\nAns:– a,– a\n\n444. raashtrapati raajyasabha mein kitane sadasy manoneet kar sakata hai?\nOptions: NA\n\nAns: 12, 12\n\nWhich statement(s) about IPv6 addresses are true? Leading zeros are required. Two colons (::) are used to represent successive hexadecimal fields of zeros. Two colons (::) are used to separate fields. A single interface will have multiple IPv6 addresses of different types.\nOptions: 1 and 3,    2 and 4,    1, 3 and 4,    All of the above\n\nAns:B ,B\n\n. Gutter position can be set in following positions\nOptions: Left & Right B. Left & Top C. Left & Bottom D. Left Only\n\nAns:– B ,\n\nGross domestic capital formation is defined as\nOptions: flow of expenditure devoted to increased or maintaining of the capital stock,    expenditure incurred on physical assets only,    production exceeding demand,    net addition to stock after depreciation\n\n\n\nAns:– A ,\n\nWhich of the following is used to check for errors in RAM chips?\nOptions: ROM chip,    Microprocessor chip,    Parity chip,    EPROM chip\n\nAns:C ,C\n\nAn example of an analog communication method is\n\nAns:D ,D\n\nOptions: JCL,    JPL,    Utility programs,    Load modules\n\nAns:A ,A\n\nThe minimum time delay required between the initiation of two successive memory operations is known as\nOptions: memory cycle time,    memory access time,    transmission time,    waiting time\n\nAns:A ,A\n\nThe maximum number of isomers for an alkene with molecular formula C4H8 is\nOptions: 5,    4,    2,    3\n\n\n349.vaayumandal mein sabase adhik kis gais ka pratishat hai?\nOptions: NA\n\nAns: naitrojan, naitrojan\n\nWhich of the following network access standard is used for connecting stations to a packet-switched network?\nOptions: X.3,    X.21,    X.25,    X.75\n\nAns:C ,C\n\nThe type of soil needed for rice is\nOptions: clayey loam,    rich , muddy and saturated with water,    deep, loamy, well drained,    humus, rich in Fe and potash\n\n\n“Ctrl + PageUp” is used to\nOptions: a. Moves the cursor one Page Up b. Moves the cursor one Paragraph Up c. Moves the cursor one Screen Up d. Moves the cursor one Line Up\n\nAns:–  A,–  A\n\n. A new presentation can be created from\nOptions: a.  Blank Presentation b.  From Existing Presentation c.  From Design Template d.  All of above\n\nAns:8 – D ,8 – D\n\nThe language of discourses of Gautama Buddha was\nOptions: Bhojpuri,    Magadhi,    Pali,    Sanskrit\n\n\n1.In Access press …………………….to Cut the selected control and copy it to the Clipboard\n\n\nWhich of the following is a universal gate?\nOptions: AND,    OR,    EX-OR,    NAND\n\nAns:D ,D\n\n\nAns:– A,– A\n\nWhich is the correct for MIS:\nOptions: communication process wherein information is recorded, stored, processed and retrieved for managerial decision-making,    communication process wherein data is recorded, stored, processed and retrieved for managerial decision-making,    communication process wherein data is converted into information,    All of the above\n\nAns:B ,B\n\nThe number of binary bits required to represent a hexadecimal digit is\nOptions: 3,    4,    6,    8\n\nAns:B ,B\n\n8.Taxonomy is\nOptions: (A)Classification scheme, which shows who object class is related to other class through common attributes and services (B) Standard modeling language, used for object oriented modeling (C) Set of tools to support software process (D) None of these 8\n\nAns:88. (A),88. (A)\n\nOptions: a.  You can Find and Replace within the sheet or workbook b.  Excel does not have option to match case for find c.  Both are valid d.  None are valid\n\nAns:– a,– a", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5422465801239014}
{"content": "Florinef , also called fludrocortisone in medical circles, is a corticosteroid to help your body maintain a balance of water and minerals for optimal functioning.\n\nIt comes as an oral tablet, taken in 50 to 200-microgram doses daily, as suggested by your doctor. Do not double your doses if you miss one dose.\n\nFlorinef may cause some unwanted side effects like headache, dizziness, swelling of the hands, feet or lower legs, and changes in weight. Some patients who take Florinef may also experience back pain, anxiety, upset stomach, constipation, skin rash or muscle weakness.\n\nFlorinef may occasionally be used for other medical illnesses, as directed by your doctor.\n\nAdvertiser Links for Florinef", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9503280520439148}
{"content": "Site Reliability Engineer\n\nMendrisio, Ticino, Switzerland · Product\n\n\n\n\nIn this role you will help build and automate our release pipeline owned by our Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) team.\n\nSREs are responsible for creating and maintaining a fully automated pipeline where developers can release features when they are ready without any changes required by an operations team.\n\nIn this role you’ll be responsible for creating the architecture to make the above a reality, and keeping it running smoothly in a high growth environment.\n\nThis will require you to actively collaborate with other team members and quickly achieve goals without breaking things in production in the process.\n\nThis team works closely with our engineers to make sure they have the tools they need for success.\n\nYou’ll meaningfully contribute to a fully automated CI/CD pipeline system, and help build and operate a fully serviced container delivery system where an engineer can build, test, and release on demand.\n\nAnother area this team will cover will be Chaos Engineering. This will include everything from doing production load testing to vulnerability injection to site and regional disaster simulation.\n\n\nBonus Points:\n\n\nApply for this job", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9996952414512634}
{"content": "Women's Volleyball\n\nStaying the Course: Volleyball Season Recap\n\nDec. 14, 2016\n\nThe Florida Atlantic University volleyball team posted 15 wins in 2016, the third season in a row that the team had at least that many. It's the first time since 1992 that the Owls have recorded three consecutive 15-win campaigns.\n\nThe season opened with a dominant 3-0 win at home against Bethune-Cookman as part of the FAU Invitational. The Owls swept all three of their matches at the USF Invitational, sharing the team title with the host Bulls. Freshman Sigourney Kame was named co-MVP of the tournament.\n\nDespite their success at the USF tournament, the Owls had a 5-10 record halfway through the season, although they played well in their Conference USA opener, a loss to then No. 25-ranked WKU on the road. That loss proved to be a turning point for the season, as FAU won their next eight matches, including back-to-back five set victories over conference foes North Texas and Rice. Over the course of that winning streak, seniors Ristic and Viera were named C-USA Offensive Player and Setter of the Week, respectively, and the Owls clinched a spot in the conference tournament for the fourth straight season. That momentum shift coincided with the decision to make Brianne Wojciakowski and Genesis Viera full-time starters.\n\n\"Brianne was amazing all four years in terms of leadership, but she really stepped up this season as a player. She worked really hard to show that she belonged in the starting lineup,\" said Nelson. \"And Genesis was ready to run the offense the way we expected her to run it.\"\n\nNelson credits all four seniors (including Nathalie Rosado and Maja Ristic) for their leadership.\n\n\"When you bring in seven new players, you have to have help from your seniors. That process started over the summer. The way they got this group ready to work and not treating (the newcomers) as freshmen helped. We're going to miss them a lot.\"\n\nAfter losing three matches in a row, FAU rebounded to win its final two regular season matches, sweeping both UAB and Charlotte in the final appearance for the senior class at FAU Arena.\n\nThe Owls advanced to the C-USA tournament, dropping a hard fought four-set match to UTSA.\n\nIn spite of the loss to the Roadrunners, there were still plenty of positives to draw from the season. Ristic was named First Team All-Conference for the second year in a row. She was also named to the conference All-Academic team for a second consecutive season.\n\n\"It's going to be hard to replace Maja because of her work ethic. I joked with her after the season that she had one bad practice in two years. She went through injuries and pushed through for her teammates. That is amazing to have. \"\n\nSophomore Abbi Reid joined Ristic as First-Team All-Conference, despite playing out of position at middle blocker.\n\n\"Abbi bought in to playing (middle blocker) immediately. Right away when I said 'Hey, Abbi, we need your help in the middle,' she turned to me and said 'I'm ready. I'll do whatever it takes for the team.' We're very excited for her.\"\n\nKame, who finished second on the team in kills, made the C-USA All-Freshman team.\n\n\"Siggy has a unique personality. She's so focused on being the best volleyball player and student she can be. It's amazing how fast she adjusted to everything on and off the court. I couldn't be more proud of her.\"\n\nFAU will have a good foundation for the future, with a dozen players from this year's squad expected to return. That stability also extends to the coaching staff, as Nelson has signed a contract extension through the end of the 2021 season. All of that gives Nelson plenty of reason to be optimistic.\n\n\"We have the right group of girls. They're ready to win. We already have a winning culture, and they're ready to put in the work. It's not going to happen by accident and they understand that. They have the work ethic and they enjoy being around each other.\"\n\nPrint Friendly Version\n\nPlayers Mentioned", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8598310947418213}
{"content": "\ncomment by desolateone\ndesolateone  ·  2214 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: What is the greatest song that ive probably never heard?\n\nHere's a great song, by one of my favourite metal musicians: Devin Townsend. Upon hearing this though.. You would not think he is one. At all. Enjoy!\n\nDeusExLabor  ·  2213 days ago  ·  link  ·  \n\nthis was incredibly relaxing, thank you\n\nvinyl  ·  2214 days ago  ·  link  ·  \n\nHe's a bad ass, fo-sho. I first heard of him when he sang on some of Steve Vai's stuff in the 90's. Otherwise, I'd never of heard of him. Good call.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000100135803223}
{"content": "3 Intentional Mindfulness Exercises for Restful Sleep\n\nRestful Slumber\n\nAccording to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) sleep deprivation is a public health epidemic, self-reports showing that a third of adult Americans get less than the recommended seven to nine hours a night. Their research shows a host of restful sleep challenges are “linked with many chronic diseases and conditions such as: type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and depression”. With estimates of up to 6,000 fatal crashes each year likely caused by drowsy drivers, not to mention the number of other accidents and injuries, the wake-up call is loud and clear. Yikes!\n\nWe try so hard to fall asleep — so why doesn’t it work?! Seems like the more effort we put into making ourselves go to sleep the more awake we become.\n\nSo what options are there? Let’s explore mindfully allowing the process to happen on its own.\n\nEver notice how babies fall asleep? There is a point when their bodies just turn off the lights. Ta da! The body knows intuitively that sleep is essential. By mindfully listening to what the body communicates to us, we begin to allow it to guide the sleeping and waking process on its own — without us having to figure it out.\n\nUnfortunately, over time life creates habit patterns that for various reasons — binge-watching, work schedules, our family’s sleep schedule — conflict with our body’s natural rhythm. On top of that, life delivers conditions and experiences that can make restful sleep feel impossible.\n\nRestful sleep\n\nBy mindfully paying attention to the body and mind, we can re-discover our natural relationship with sleep. Mindfulness reminds us that we are human beings who benefit from pausing. Sleep is the most significant pause we take each day from the go-go-go, do-do-do, think-think-think pattern of daily life. It’s releasing the burden of unresolved challenges in conscious awareness for several hours by letting go of control and need for immediate action to rest, recharge and refresh.\n\nSo, what are some mindful practices to renew our trust in and appreciation for the body’s innate wisdom allowing sleep to occur?\n\nIntentional Exercises for Restful Slumber\n\n1. Intentionally Paying Attention to the Breath\n\nOne way to do this is by allowing your attention to rest on the belly, noticing the belly rise and fall with each inhale and exhale. A great reminder that our bodies are designed to breathe naturally without the “thinking mind”, right?\n\nAnother approach is to slowly accept the inhale through the nose, deliberately pausing for a moment and then slowly releasing the breath out of the mouth maybe even with an audible “ahhh”. This regulates the pace of the nervous system and provides an opportunity to mindfully experience the feeling of letting go of what is no longer serving the body.\n\n2. Intentionally Paying Attention to the Mind\n\nThe mind loves being in busy-ness and problem-solving mode. But we have the ability to redirect its focus and even slow it down. One direction might be to acknowledge what went well during the day. If it happens to be the result of something we did, said or didn’t do or say, spending some time noticing it. This increases their prominence and space in the mind, reducing the space available for the “shoulds”, “ought-tos” and other judgmental thoughts.\n\nSharing gratitude is another possibility. Narrowing our attention to what we appreciate — the beautiful sky, an adorable animal, someone allowing you to merge into a lane — and purposefully dwelling on them. Gently reminding ourselves that what we pay attention to makes a difference.\n\nSelf-compassion practice is a way to provide well wishes for ourselves at the end of the day or any time. We often hope for someone else to provide kindness and encouragement to us when we need it. The good news is that we can be the most consistent provider of the sentiments that feel the most valuable to us in the moment — appreciation, acceptance, confidence, care, patience … you name it.\n\n3. Intentionally Paying Attention to the Body\n\nThe body scan is observing and listening to what our bodily sensations are communicating in the moment. There are a variety of ways to facilitate this practice. One is to notice areas of tension and tightness in the body and give an invitation to these areas to release the grip of the holding, maybe saying in a gentle way “releasing” or “loosening”.\n\nAnother practice is firmly tightening body parts, one at a time, and then releasing them, one at a time. Purposefully creating stress in the body and then systematically releasing it provides a vivid reminder for us. Our bodies have the power to ride the waves of increased pressure and resiliently come back into balance, again and again. How amazing is that?!\n\nFor Rest - the body scan\n\nMindful Rest Takes Practice\n\nLearning how to take a pause and focus your attention on the here and now, strengthening the mind/body connection takes practice. With eM Life you have access to guided meditation sessions, on-demand content and the support of expert instructors. Harness the power of the present to build healthy sleep habits. Log on to eM Life today and begin to experience the many benefits of mindfulness and how meditation can lead to a restful nights sleep.\n\nAbout the author\n\n\nRead more on the topic of Self-Care\n\nOriginally published at eMindful.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9919652342796326}
{"content": "MS Windows Operating System MCQ Questions\n\nMS Windows Operating System MCQ Questions\n\nHome | Ccc | Introduction To Windows\n\nCCC MS Windows Operating System MCQ Questions and Answers: We provide lots of multiple choice questions and answers where you can learn windows operating system quiz questions.\n\nIf you want to download CCC PDF Click Here\n\n\nPage: 23/28\n\n221) System files allocated at\n\n222) ____ transforms one interface into other interface\n\n223) _____ interface consists of thing like program counter, register, interrupts and terminal\n\n224) ______ show characteristics with both hardware and software\n\n225) Which of the following command is used to switch between the window programs?\n\n226) To prevent the addition and deletion of files on a disk or tape we use\n\n227) During the boot process, the ..... looks for the system file\n\n228) Which of the following resources must be protected by the operating system?\n\n229) What are the two types of Semaphore?\n\n230) Font folder is located on", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9985606074333191}
{"content": "These Personality Traits Help People Who Work From Home, New Research Says\n\nAndrew Zaeh for Bustle\n\nThe future of the workplace may not be an office at all. Current trends indicate that every year more of us are working from home or using flexible working arrangements; 3.9 million Americans work from home at least half of the time in 2018, making up 2.9 percent of the entire U.S. workforce, according to data from Flexjobs. And as working remotely becomes easier, with technologies like Skype and portable WiFi hotspots, more of us are asking: should I try working from home? According to a groundbreaking new study published in The European Journal Of Work And Organizational Psychology, the answer depends on these two personality traits.\n\nScientists from Baylor University looked at over 400 adults who work remotely across two studies, looking both at how stressed or under strain they were, and what kinds of personalities they had. They used two personality measures that have been part of psychology for decades: autonomy, aka how independent a person is and how well they do without constant supervision, and emotional stability, aka how you respond to challenges.\n\nThe lead author, Dr. Sara Perry, explained in a press release that emotional stability measures how you respond to problems: \"If something stressful happens at work, a person who is high on emotional stability would take it in stride, remain positive and figure out how to address it. A person low on emotional stability might get frustrated and discouraged, expending energy with those emotions instead of on the issue at hand.\"\n\n\nIt turns out that some of us deal better with remote work than others, and those who flourish score high on both autonomy and emotional stability. This makes sense when you think about it: Remote workers can't be constantly connected to their bosses and have to make decisions on their own and work independently a lot of the time. Without a strong sense of autonomy and the ability to \"work on your own,\" as they say in primary school, working remotely is tough. (Believe me, I've done it since I was 19.)\n\nRemote work could be your chance to really thrive.\n\nEmotional stability is a bit trickier to figure out. It seems as if being in an intense office environment would be harder for people who are emotionally a bit less stable than sitting at home, taking a deep breath, having a cup of tea and then sorting out the issue. Not so, says the data. The people who combined emotional stability and high autonomy were the least stressed out by remote work, even if they did a lot. But those who were extremely independent and scored low on emotional stability were actually more vulnerable to strain. Having a greater sense of autonomy, it seems, doesn't save you from finding remote work stressful if you don't cope with problems well.\n\nThis study adds an important bit of information to your arsenal if you're considering going freelance or working from home, or even taking advantage of your office's flextime policy. If you have the right personality traits to make it work, remote work could be your chance to really thrive. If you don't, an office environment is probably where your talents shine.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9877982139587402}
{"content": "Stand tall & healthy\n\nSimple exercises to relieve knee pain.\n\n\nKnee pain is a common complaint that you hear around you. Be it a sports person, sedentary individual or an older person, mobility is affected when all's not well with the knee. Let us understand what can actually go wrong.\n\nThe knee joint functions as a solid pillar for the legs during weight bearing activities, and allows a large range of motions for various daily activities. Two joints make up the knee: one between the thigh bone and knee cap and the other between the shin bone and thigh. The joint is stabilised by the ligaments and muscles. The cartilage called menisci helps to increase the joint area and also stabilise the joint.\n\nWhen these ligaments lose their rigidity, or when the muscles are not strong enough, the knee joint becomes unstable and leads to pain while squatting, climbing or sitting.\n\nA clinical examination can establish the exact reason for pain. Often, the knee cap displaces itself too high or too low, and rubs against the leg every time the knee is bent more than 30 degrees, resulting in pain. In addition, a rigid high arch or wrong walking technique can also cause knee pain.\n\nA good doctor can tell you the remedy for your pain. However, you can get some relief with these simple, at-home exercises. It's all natural and all safe (if done the right way). Do them thrice a week for best results. Take care to exhale as you lift or exert and inhale while coming back to the starting point.\n\nWhat you need\nAn exercise mat, 2-kg and 3-kg medicine balls, ankle weights and a 6-inch platform/stepper.\n\nIn addition to these exercises, cycle on a stationary bike to get relief from pain. Cycling is a low-impact cardiovascular activity that does not strain the knees too much, and improves muscle endurance. Bounding and figure-8 running also help to stabilise the knee dynamically. But do these after you are done with the above set of exercises. You can progress to jumps and hops after gaining strength. It is important to wear proper shoes and exercise on an even surface. Keeping eyes closed while exercising will improve joint stability and balance.\n\nCaution: Don't increase the intensity, or make sudden direction changes. And stop exercising if you experience pain.\n\nMove 1\n1.Sit on a chair.\n2.Place a 2-kg medicine ball between the knees.\n3.Slowly extend and raise the legs while squeezing the ball between your legs.\n4.Do 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions.\n\nBenefit: Strengthens the medial muscles of the front of the thigh.\n\nMove 2\n1.Strap weights on your left ankle.\n2. Lie on your side on an exercise mat, and prop yourself up on your elbow; right leg on top of left.\n3. Bend the right knee and bring up the right leg to hip level.\n4. Tighten the thighs and lift left leg up.\n5. Do 3 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions each with both legs.\n\nMove 3\n1. Stand on a 6-inch platform.\n2. Bend the right leg and drop the left foot to the floor.\n3. Slowly rise up pushing through the heel of the right foot.\n4. Do 3 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions each with both legs.\n\nMove 4\n1.Sit on the mat, legs stretched out in front. Strap weights on right ankle.\n2.Place a 3-kg medicine ball under the right knee.\n3.Slowly raise the right leg, pressing it against the ball. Hold for 10-20 sec.\n4.Do 3-4 reps each with both legs.\n\nMove 5\n1.Stand next to a 6-inch platform.\n2.Raise right leg, place it on the platform with the foot pointing up.\n3.Bend from the hips and try to touch the right foot with the right hand while keeping the right leg straight. Place the left hand on your left thigh.\n4.Hold the stretch for 10 to 15 seconds, repeat with the other leg.\n\n  • Andriod App\n  • IOS App\nDo You Like This Story?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9359434247016907}
{"content": "What is Perfect Competition\n\nPure or perfect competition is a theoretical market structure in which the following criteria are met: all firms sell an identical product (the product is a \"commodity\" or \"homogeneous\"); all firms are price takers (they cannot influence the market price of their product); market share has no influence on price; buyers have complete or \"perfect\" information – in the past, present and future – about the product being sold and the prices charged by each firm; resources such a labor are perfectly mobile; and firms can enter or exit the market without cost.\n\n\nPerfect Competition\n\nBREAKING DOWN Perfect Competition\n\nPerfect competition is a benchmark to which real-life market structures can be compared. \n\nPerfect competition is the opposite of a monopoly, in which only a single firm supplies a good or service and that firm can charge whatever price it wants, since consumers have no alternatives and it is difficult for would-be competitors to enter the marketplace. Under perfect competition, there are many buyers and sellers, and prices reflect supply and demand. Companies earn just enough profit to stay in business and no more. If they were to earn excess profits, other companies would enter the market and drive profits down. \n\nPerfect Competition is characterized by the following attributes: \n\nA Large And Homogenous Market  \n\nThere are a large number of buyers and sellers in a perfectly competitive market. The sellers are small firms, instead of large corporations capable of controlling prices through supply adjustments. They sell products with minimal differences in capabilities, features, and pricing. This ensures that buyers cannot distinguish between products based on physical attributes, such as size or color, or intangible values, such as branding. A large population of both buyers and sellers ensures that supply and demand remain constant in this market. As such, buyers can easily substitute products made by one firm for another. \n\nPerfect Information Availability   \n\nInformation about the ecosystem and competition in an industry constitutes a significant advantage. For example, knowledge about component sourcing and supplier pricing can make or break the market for certain companies. In certain knowledge- and research-intensive industries, such as pharmaceuticals and technology, information about patents and research initiatives at competitors can help companies develop competitive strategies and build a moat around its products. In a perfectly competitive market, however, such moats do not exist. Information is equally and freely available to all market participants. This ensures that each firm can produce its goods or services at exactly the same rate and with the same production techniques as another one in the market. \n\nAbsence of controls   \n\nGovernments play a vital role in market formation for products by imposing regulation and price controls. They can control entry and exit of firms into a market by setting up rules to function in the market. For example, the pharmaceutical industry has to contend with a roster of rules pertaining to research, production, and sale of drugs. In turn, these rules require big capital investments in the form of employees, such as lawyers and quality assurance personnel, and infrastructure, such as machinery to manufacture medicines. The cumulative costs add up and make it extremely expensive for companies to bring a drug to the market. In comparison, the technology industry functions with relatively less oversight as compared to its pharma counterpart. Thus, entrepreneurs in this industry can start firms with less to zero capital, making it easy for individuals to start a company in the industry. \n\nSuch controls do not exist in a perfectly competitive market. The entry and exit of firms in such a market is unregulated and this frees them up to spend on labor and capital assets without restrictions and adjust their output in relation to market demands. \n\nCheap and Efficient Transportation \n\nCheap and efficient transportation is another characteristic of perfect competition. In this type of market, companies do not incur significant costs to transport goods. This helps reduce the product’s price and cuts back on delays in transporting goods. \n\nDo Firms Make Profits In A Perfectly Competitive Market? \n\nThe short answer to that question is no. Profits may be possible for brief periods in perfectly competitive markets. But the market’s dynamics cancel out the effects of positive or negative profits and bring them towards an equilibrium. Because there is no information asymmetry in the market, other firms will quickly ramp up their production or reduce their manufacturing costs to achieve parity with the firm which made profits. The average revenue and marginal revenue for firms in a perfectly competitive market is equal to the product’s price. As a result, the perfectly competitive market’s equilibrium, which had been disrupted earlier, will be restored. In the long run, an adjustment of supply and demand ensures all profits or losses in such markets tend towards zero. \n\nExamples of Perfect Competition \n\nAs mentioned earlier, perfect competition is a theoretical construct. As such, it is difficult to find real life examples of perfect competition but there are variants present in everyday society. Consider the situation at a farmer’s market, a place characterized by a large number of small sellers and buyers. Typically, there is little differentiation between products and their prices from one farmer’s market to another. The provenance of the produce does not matter (unless they are classified as organic) in such cases and there is very little difference in the packaging or branding of products. Thus, even if one of the farms producing goods for the market goes out of business, it will not make a difference to average prices. The situation may also be relatively similar in the case of two competing supermarkets, which stock their aisles from the same set of companies. Again, there is little to distinguish products from one another between both supermarkets and their pricing remains almost same.\n\nAnother example of perfect competition is the market for unbranded products, which features cheaper versions of well-known products. Product knockoffs are generally priced similarly and there is little to differentiate them from one another. If one of the firms manufacturing such a product goes out of business, it is replaced by another one.   \n\nThe development of new markets in the technology industry also resembles perfect competition to a certain degree. For example, there was a proliferation of sites offering similar services during the early days of social media networks. Some examples of such sites are Sixdegrees.com, Blackplanet.com, and Asianavenue.com. None of them had a dominant market share and the sites were mostly free. They constituted sellers in the market while consumers of such sites, who were mainly young people, were the buyers. The startup costs for companies in this space were minimal, meaning that startups and companies can freely enter and exit these markets. Technologies, such as PHP and Java, were largely open-source and available to anyone. Capital costs, in the form of real estate and infrastructure, were not necessary. (Facebook Inc.’s (FB) Mark Zuckerberg started the company from his college dorm).            \n\nWhat Are the Disadvantages of Perfect Competition?\n\nPerfect competition establishes an ideal framework for establishing a market. But that market is flawed and has a couple of disadvantages. The first one is the absence of innovation. The prospect of greater market share and setting themselves apart from competition is an incentive for firms to innovate and make better products. But no firm possesses a dominant market share in perfect competition. Profit margins are also fixed by demand and supply. Hence firms cannot set themselves apart by charging a premium for their product and services. For example, it would be impossible for a company like Apple Inc. (AAPL) to exist in a perfectly competitive market because its phones are pricier as compared to competitors. The second disadvantage of perfect competition is the absence of economies of scale. Limited to zero profit margins means that companies will have less cash to invest for expanding their production capabilities. An expansion of production capabilities could potentially bring down costs for consumers and increase profit margins for the firm.\n\nBut the presence of several small firms cannibalizing the market for the same product prevents such an occurrence and ensures that the average firm size engaged in the market remains small.   \n\nDoes Perfect Competition Exist In The Real World? \n\nReal-world competition differs from this ideal primarily because of differentiation in production, marketing and selling. For example, in agriculture, the owner of a small organic products shop can talk extensively about the grain fed to the cows that made the manure that fertilized the non-GMO soybeans – that's differentiation. Through marketing, companies seek to establish \"brand value\" around their differentiation and advertise to gain pricing power and market share. Thus, the first two criteria – homogeneous products and price takers – are far from realistic. Yet, for the second two criteria – information and mobility – the global tech and trade transformation is improving information and resource flexibility. While reality is far from this theoretical model, the model is still helpful because of its ability to explain many real-life behaviors.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8624111413955688}
{"content": "In an opinion addressing enablement under 35 USC 112, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit concluded that an asserted claim was invalid because the specification failed to enable its full scope, even though enablement as to the majority of claimed embodiments was undisputed. Trustees of Boston University v. Everlight Elecs. Co., Ltd., Case Nos. 16-2576, -2577, -2578, -2579, -2580, -2581, -2582, -2591, -2592, -2593, -2594, -2595 (Fed. Cir. July 25, 2018) (Prost, CJ).\n\nBoston University (BU) sued Everlight for infringement of a patent directed to the preparation of monocrystalline gallium nitride (GaN) films via molecular beam epitaxy. The patent teaches providing a buffer layer between the desired GaN film and a substrate to prevent defects arising from a lattice mismatch between the GaN film and the substrate. During claim construction, the district court construed “a non-single crystalline buffer layer” to mean a layer of material that is either polycrystalline, amorphous, or a mixture of polycrystalline and amorphous. After a jury determined that Everlight infringed and had not proven the asserted claim’s invalidity, Everlight renewed its petition for judgment as a matter of law that the claim was invalid for lack of enablement, and the district court denied the motion. Everlight appealed.  \n\nBefore the Federal Circuit, Everlight argued that the asserted claim was invalid because the specification does not teach one of skill in the art how to grow the monocrystalline GaN film directly on an amorphous buffer layer. At trial, Everlight’s expert testified that such an arrangement was impossible, and BU’s expert agreed. BU responded that others had grown monocrystalline GaN film directly on an amorphous buffer layer, so such an arrangement was not impossible. However, the Federal Circuit explained that the question presented was not whether the arrangement was possible, but whether the specification teaches one of skill in the art how to make the claimed device as of the patent’s effective filing date. \n\nBU argued that the disclosure was sufficient because there was no dispute as to the enablement of five out of six permutations. The Federal Circuit disagreed, explaining that the specification must enable the full scope of the claims. While an artisan’s knowledge of the prior art and routine experimentation can fill small gaps, one of the claimed embodiments here required undue experimentation. The Court further noted that for purposes of infringement, BU had sought a construction that included the amorphous layer. Since BU wanted to exclude others from practicing what it regarded as its invention, the enablement requirement demanded that its patent teach the public how to make and use that invention.\n\nPractice Note: Patentees should exercise caution when seeking a broad construction where the desired construction may ensnare embodiments not contemplated in the specification.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8637585639953613}
{"content": "Want to share with your friends too?\n\n16 Jul 2018\n\nNEET is letting in students with zero/negative marks into MBBS\n\nNot all is well with the NEET\n\nBe careful when you visit unknown doctors: someone you have trusted with your life might have gotten admission into a medical course with zero marks.\n\nAs many as 110 students who made it into MBBS through the NEET 2017 scored zero, or even negative marks, in physics and chemistry.\n\nAt least 400 scored in single digits, TOI reports.\n\nSo how are they even clearing the exam?\n\nIn context\n\nNot all is well with the NEET\nHow did the NEET start?\n\n\nHow did the NEET start?\n\nThe NEET (National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test) replaced the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) in 2013 and started determining admission into graduate/postgraduate medical courses in colleges under the Medical/Dental Council of India.\n\nInitially, a general candidate needed 50% marks in individual subjects, or at least 360 out of 720, to make the cut.\n\nA reserved-category candidate needed 40%, or a total of 288.\n\nNew rules\n\nSo what's happening now?\n\nIn 2016, NEET introduced the percentile system and dropped the minimum marks requirement.\n\nNow, a general candidate simply needs to be in the 50th-percentile.\n\nPercentile refers to what proportion of the population falls below that level. Someone securing 90th-percentile means 90% candidates scored lower.\n\nSo if 10 students scored 100/720, the highest marks, it would place them in the topmost-percentile, but with 13% marks.\n\nLove India news?\n\nStay updated with the latest happenings.\n\nNotify Me\n\nSo how did it affect marks?\n\n\nSo how did it affect marks?\n\nAs a result, last year, 1,990 students cleared the NEET for admission into MBBS with less than 150/720 (20.8%).\n\nOf these, 530 had either single-digit marks, or zero, or even negative in physics or chemistry.\n\nGeneral cut-offs stood at a lowly 131 (18.3%) and reserved-category cut-offs at 107 (14.8%).\n\nThis was worse than 2016, when general and reserved category students needed 145 (20%) and 118 (16.4%) respectively.\n\nMoney power\n\nBut that wasn't the only impact\n\nThere were other repercussions too. Due to the low scores, as many as 6.1L out of 10.9L candidates cleared the NEET last year, leaving people fighting for seats.\n\nTOI found 507 of the aforementioned 530 had taken admission in private colleges, with an average tuition fee of Rs. 17L per annum- a testament to how poor students are being left out.\n\nDespite criticism, percentile method to stay for now\n\n\nDespite criticism, percentile method to stay for now\n\n\"Students are expected to get a minimum 40-50% to get into medicine. With this flawed criteria, we saw students with low scores getting into medical colleges,\" Dr Raj Bahadur, VC, Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, had said.\n\nOther eminent personalities too criticized it, but this criterion seems set to continue.\n\nHowever, human life is too precious to be handed over to incapable professionals.\n\nAsk NewsBytes\nUser Image\n\nNext Timeline", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.895508348941803}
{"content": "Interpreting your content: perception\n\nWhat you meant to say on your webpage is rarely what visitors understand. Perception is a tricky thing and what matters most is controlling how your content and images are interpreted by your visitor's brain to avoid confusion that creates cart abandonment.\n\n0 out of 7 steps completed0%\n6 Lessons", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9976681470870972}
{"content": "Juvederm® Voluma\n\nJuvederm® VOLUMA® is the first and only filler FDA-approved for deep injection in the cheek area to correct age-related volume loss. This dermal filler is made of hyaluronic acid that replenishes lost skin volume to regain a youthful curve to the cheeks and can be used to enhance the overall shape of your face. Adding instant volume to the cheek area, Juvederm® VOLUMA® provides a subtle lift to restore a more youthful profile for up to two years!\n\nThe major difference between Juvederm XC® and Juvederm® VOLUMA® is the area in which it is placed. Juvederm XC® is indicated for moderate to severe wrinkles and folds around the nose and mouth, while Juvederm® VOLUMA®  adds volume to the mid-face or cheeks and is placed deep within the tissue to add support to the overlying skin.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6645457744598389}
{"content": "You are on page 1of 22\n\nDesigning Earthquake Resistant Buildings : Tips and Tricks\n\nEarthquakes are dangerous phenomena. People are vulnerable to the destructive power of earthquakes. Earthquakes have unleashed their destructive power on humans time and time again. But today, with the advancement of construction technology, man has learnt to protect himself from earthquakes. Designing Earthquake Resistant Structures is indispensable. Every year, earthquakes take the lives of thousands of people, and destroy property worth billions and not everyone has home insurance, so many really suffer and have a hard time to recover. It is imperative that structures are designed to resist earthquake forces, in order to reduce the loss of life. Structural design plays an important role. Here, we will discuss different tips and techniques used in designing Earthquake Resistant structures.\n\nWhat is an Earthquake?\n\ngenerated forces acting upon it. By de-coupling the structure from seismic ground motion it is possible to reduce the earthquake-induced forces in it. This can be done in two ways:   Increase natural period of structure by \"BASE ISOLATION\". Increase damping of the system by \"ENERGY DISSIPATING DEVICES\".\n\nEarthquake Resistant Building Design Philosophy\na) Under minor but frequent shaking, the main members of the buildings that carry vertical and horizontal forces should not be damaged; however buildings parts that do not carry load may sustain repairable damage. b) Under moderate but occasional shaking, the main members may sustain repairable damage, while the other parts that do not carry load may sustain repairable damage. c) Under strong but rare shaking, the main members may sustain severe damage, but the building should not collapse.\n\nProtection from Earthquakes\nThere are various new techniques which help in reducing the impact of earthquake forces on buildings. Most of these techniques are expensive to implement. Here is a list of Earthquake Resistant Techniques…\n\n1. Base Isolation for Earthquake Resistance\nThe concept of base isolation is explained through an example building resting on frictionless rollers. When the ground shakes, the rollers freely roll, but the building above does not move. Thus, no force is transferred to the building due to the shaking of the ground; simply, the building does not experience the earthquake. Now, if the same building is rested on the flexible pads that offer resistance against lateral movements, then some effect of the ground shaking will be transferred to the building above. If the flexible pads are properly chosen, the forces induced by ground shaking can be a few times smaller than that experienced by the building built directly on ground, namely a fixed base building. The flexible pads are called base-isolators, whereas the structures protected by means of these devices are called base-isolated buildings.\n\n2. Energy Dissipation Devices for Earthquake Resistance\n\n3. Active Control Devices for Earthquake Resistance\nThe system consists of three basic elements:\n\na. Sensors to measure external excitation and/or structural response. b. Computer hardware and software to compute control forces on the basis of observed excitation and/or structural response. c. Actuators to provide the necessary control forces.\nThus in active system, it has to necessarily have an external energy input to drive the actuators. On the other hand passive systems do not require external energy and their efficiency depends on tunings of system to expected excitation and structural behavior. As a result, the passive systems are effective only for the modes of the vibrations for which these are tuned. Thus the advantage of an active system lies in its much wider range of applicability since the control forces are worked out on the basis of actual excitation and structural behavior. In the active system when only external excitation is measured, system is said to be in open-looped. However when the structural response is used as input, the system is in closed loop control. These techniques have been successfully employed in many projects across the world. They are most widely used in Japan. These techniques are also being used in earthquake prone areas of California, Indonesia and other such places. Source :\n\nEarthquake engineering\nEarthquake engineering is the study of the behavior of buildings and structures subject to seismic loading. Eminent authority on seismic risk mitigation, Caltech professor George W. Housner is widely considered as the 'father' of the modern field of earthquake engineering. Stanford University professor John Blume’s contributions to the dynamics of structures have earned him the title of the 'father' of earthquake engineering too. The main objectives of earthquake engineering are:\n  \n\nUnderstand the interaction between buildings or civil infrastructure and the ground. Foresee the potential consequences of strong earthquakes on urban areas and civil infrastructure. Design, construct and maintain structures to perform at earthquake exposure up to the expectations and in compliance with building codes.\n\n\n\n\nSeismic loading\nSeismic loading means application of an earthquake-generated agitation to a structure. It happens at contact surfaces of a structure either with the ground, or with adjacent structures, or with gravity waves from tsunami. Seismic loading depends, primarily, on:\n   \n\nAnticipated earthquake's parameters at the site Geotechnical parameters of the site Structure's parameters Characteristics of the anticipated gravity waves from tsunami (if applicable).\n\nSeismic loads, sometimes, exceed ability of a structure to resist them without being broken, partially or completely. Due to their mutual interaction, seismic loading and seismic performance of a structure are intimately related.\n\nSeismic performance\nEarthquake or seismic performance is an execution of a building's or structure's ability to sustain their due functions, such as its safety and serviceability, at and after a particular earthquake exposure. A structure is, normally, considered safe if it does not endanger the lives and wellbeing of those in or around it by partially or completely collapsing. A structure may be considered serviceable if it is able to fulfill its operational functions for which it was designed.\n\nBasic concepts of the earthquake engineering, implemented in the major building codes, assume that a building should survive the most powerful anticipated earthquake though with partial destruction.\n\nSeismic vibration control\n \n\npassive control devices have no feedback capability between them, structural elements and the ground; active control devices incorporate real-time recoding instrumentation on the ground integrated with earthquake input processing equipment and actuators within the structure; hybrid control devices have combined features of active and passive control systems.\n\n\nto dissipate the wave energy inside a superstructure with properly engineered dampers; to disperse the wave energy between a wider range of frequencies; to absorb the resonant portions of the whole wave frequencies band with the help of so called mass dampers.\n\n \n\n\nPortrait image of Taipei 101 from Songzhi Road, Taipei, Taiwan. It is the world's second tallest skyscraper, after the Burj Dubai. For earthquake and wind protection, the building is equipped with the tuned mass damper\n\nHowever, there is quite another approach: partial suppression of the seismic energy flow into the superstructure known as seismic or base isolation. For this, some pads are inserted into or under all major load-carrying elements in the base of the building which should substantially decouple a superstructure from its substructure resting on a shaking ground.\n\nMausoleum of Cyrus, the oldest base-isolated structure in the world The first evidence of earthquake protection by using the principle of base isolation was discovered in Pasargadae, a city in ancient Persia, now Iran: it goes back to VI century BC. Below, there are some samples of seismic vibration control technologies of today.\n\nDry-stone walls control\n\n\nPeople of Inca civilization were masters of the polished dry-stone walls, called ashlar, where blocks of stone were cut to fit together tightly without any mortar. The Incas were among the best stone masons the world has ever seen, and many junctions in their masonry were so perfect that even blades of grass could not fit between the stones. Peru is a highly seismic land, and for centuries the mortar-free construction proved to be apparently more earthquake-resistant than using mortar. The stones of the dry-stone walls built by the Incas could move slightly and resettle without the walls collapsing which should be recognized as an ingenious passive structural control technique employing both the principle of energy dissipation and that of suppressing resonant amplifications.\n\nLead Rubber Bearing\n\nLRB being tested at the UCSD Caltrans-SRMD facility\n\n\nTuned mass damper\n\nTuned mass damper in Taipei 101, the world's tallest skyscraper\n\n\nFriction pendulum bearing\n\nFPB shake-table testing\n\n  \n\narticulated friction slider; spherical concave sliding surface; enclosing cylinder for lateral displacement restraint.\n\nSnapshot of a shake-table testing of FPB system supporting a rigid building model is presented above.\n\nBuilding elevation control\nBuilding elevation control is a valuable source of vibration control of seismic loading. Thus, pyramid-shaped skyscrapers continue to attract attention of architects and engineers because such structures promise a better stability against earthquakes and winds. Besides, the elevation configuration can prevent buildings' resonant amplifications due to the fact that a properly configured building disperses the shear wave energy between a wide range of frequencies.\n\nTransamerica Pyramid building\n\n\nSimple roller bearing\nSimple roller bearing or Earthquake-Protective Building Buffer is a base isolation device which is intended for protection of various building and non-building structures against potentially damaging lateral impacts of strong earthquakes. This metallic bearing support may be adapted, with certain precautions, as a seismic isolator to skyscrapers and buildings on soft ground. Recently, it has been employed under the name of Metallic Roller Bearing for a housing complex (17 stories) in Tokyo, Japan. Earthquake-Protective Buffer\n\nElevated building foundation\n\nBottom view of the Municipal Services Building sitting on abutments of its elevated building foundation, City of Glendale, CA\n\nElevated building foundation (EBF) is a kind of seismic vibration control technology which remains an integral part of a building superstructure. It is conceived to shield the building's superstructure against potentially destructive components of the anticipated earthquakes including both lateral and vertical shaking. This goal can be achieved by means of a proper choice of building materials, dimensions, and configuration of EBF for the particular construction site and local soil conditions.\n\nAs a result of multiple wave reflections and diffractions, as well as energy dissipations of the seismic waves in a process of their vertical propagation through horizontal strata of the EBF, any transmission of seismic wave energy into the building superstructure furnished with EBF will be decreased considerably which will decrease seismic loads and enhance seismic performance of the structure\n\nSprings-with-damper base isolator\nSprings-with-damper base isolator installed under a threestory town-house, Santa Monica, California is shown on the photo taken prior to the 1994 Northridge earthquake exposure. It is a base isolation device conceptually similar to Lead Rubber Bearing. One of two three-story townhouses like this, which was well instrumented for recording of both vertical and horizontal accelerations on its floors and the ground, has survived a severe shaking during the Northridge earthquake and left valuable information for further learning.\n\nSprings-with-damper close-up\n\nHysteretic damper\nHysteretic damper is intended to provide better and more reliable seismic performance than that of a conventional structure at the expense of the seismic input energy dissipation. There are four major groups of hysteretic dampers used for the purpose, namely:\n   \n\nFluid viscous dampers (FVDs) Metallic yielding dampers (MYDs) Viscoelastic dampers (VEDs) Friction dampers (FDs)\n\nEach group of dampers has specific characteristics, advantages and disadvantages for structural applications. Source:\n\nBuilding Safety and Earthquakes\nEarthquake Resisting Systems\n\nThis describes the types of structural systems and lateral-force-resisting elements used in buildings and how they can be used in combinations.\n\nStructural Systems Defined\nThe Uniform Building Code (UBC) earthquake provisions define three basic types of building structural systems: bearing wall systems, building frame systems, and moment resisting frame systems. Bearing wall systems consist of vertical load carrying walls located along exterior wall lines and at interior locations as necessary. Many of these bearing walls are also used to resist lateral forces and are then called shear walls. Bearing wall systems do not contain complete vertical load-carrying space frames but may use some columns to support floor and roof vertical loads. This type of system is very common and includes wood-frame buildings, concrete tilt-up buildings and masonry wall buildings. Building frame systems use a complete three dimensional space frame to support vertical loads, but use either shear walls or braced frames to resist lateral forces. Examples of these include buildings with steel frames or concrete frames along the perimeter and at intervals throughout the interior supporting vertical loads from floors and roof. Building frame systems typically use steel braced frames or concrete or masonry shear walls to resist lateral forces. A building frame system with shear walls is shown in Figure 1(a).\n\nBuilding Frame System with Shear Walls (a)\n\nMoment Resisting Frame System (b)\n\nFigure 1. Building frame systems. Moment-resisting frame systems can be steel, concrete, or masonry construction. They provide a complete space frame throughout the building to carry vertical loads, and they use some of those same frame elements to resist lateral forces. Shear walls (and braced frames) are not used in this system, as shown in Figure 1(b). Occasionally buildings are defined as dual systems when they have a complete space frame that supports vertical loads and combine moment-resisting frames with either shear walls or braced frames to resist lateral loads.\n\nLateral-Force-Resisting Elements\n\nLateral-force-resisting elements must be provided in every structure to brace it against wind and seismic forces. The three principal types of resisting elements are shear walls, braced frames, and moment-resisting frames. Shear walls can be made of sheathed woodframe walls, reinforced masonry, or reinforced concrete. Steel braced frames are often used in combination with concrete shear walls or masonry shear walls. Braced frames are essentially vertical, cantilevered trusses and may be either concentric or eccentric in configuration. Concentric frames have diagonal braces located so that the lateral forces act along the direction of their longitudinal axis. Eccentric braced frames use both axial loading of braces and bending of sections of horizontal beams to resist the forces. Figure 2 shows typical braced frame configurations.\n\n\nChevron Brace\n\n\nEccentric Brace\n\nFigure 2. Types of braced frame elements. Moment-resisting frames can be constructed of steel, concrete, or masonry. Moment frames consist of beams and columns in which bending of these members provides the resistance to lateral forces. There are two primary types of moment frames, ordinary and special. Special moment-resisting frames are detailed to ensure ductile behavior of the beam-to-column joints and are normally used in zones of higher seismicity. Because of damage observed following the 1994 Northridge earthquake, steel momentresisting frames have been under intensive study and testing. The goal is to determine the causes of the damage and to recommend changes in steel moment-resisting frame design and construction to ensure ductile behaviour of the joints. The selection of the type of lateral-force resisting elements to use in a building is often based on economics. A single type of resisting element is commonly used in most building types, such as in houses where wood-framed shear walls are used, or in concrete tilt-up buildings where concrete shear walls are used. However, other types of buildings may need to use combinations of more than one type of seismic element. The building code allows combinations to be used but they are also subject to very specific structural design rules. For example, if concrete shear walls that are also bearing walls are combined with braced frame elements along one axis and ordinary moment-resisting frames are used along the other axis, the braced frame elements need to be designed using slightly larger forces than if they were the only type of resisting element used along that axis. On the other axis, the moment-frame elements also need to be designed for forces larger than if they were the only type of resisting element in the building. These adjustments in design forces are required to account for the differences in strength,\n\nstiffness, and ductility among the three types of resisting elements when used in combination. References ICBO, 1997, Uniform Building Code, International Conference of Building Officials, Whittier, California. Source:\n\nStrengthening Buildings for Earthquakes\nEarthquakes cause sideways forces on buildings, sometimes making them sway from side to side. The forces on a building during an earthquake produce a similar effect to horizontal (or sideways) forces trying to push the building over.\n\nA model building swaying on the shaking-table during an artificial earthquake.\n\nThe same model being pushed sideways by somebody.\n\nNotice how the model bends in the same way for both forces. These are some of the structural systems used to resist sideways forces.\n\nHorizontal structural systems\nUsually floors and roofs. They share the sideways forces on the building between its vertical structural members. They include:\n\n\n\nVertical structural systems\nMade up from columns, beams, walls and bracing. They transfer the sideways forces on the building to the ground. They include:\n  \n\nBraced frames Moment resisting frames Shear walls\n\nBraced Frames\nBraced frames use trussing to resist sideways forces on buildings. Trussing, or triangulation, is formed by inserting diagonal structural members into rectangular areas of a structural frame. It helps stabilise the frame against sideways forces from earthquakes and strong winds. In a braced frame, bracing is usually provided in every storey of the building.\n\nBraced Frames - Single Diagonals\n\nIf a single diagonal, or brace, is used, it must be able to resist tension (stretching) and compression (squashing) caused by sideways forces in both directions on a frame.\n\nSingle diagonals in a 3-storey frame.\n\nCross Bracing\nIf two diagonals are used, in the form of cross-bracing, they only need to resist tension. This is because one brace is in tension for the sideways force in one direction on the frame, while the other brace is in tension when the force is reversed. Steel cables can be used for cross bracing, as they can be stretched, but not squashed.\n\nCross-bracing in a 3-storey frame\n\nBraced Frames - Miscellaneous Methods\n\nKnee Bracing\n\nK Bracing\n\nV Bracing\n\nInverted V Bracing\n\nMoment Resisting Frames\nIn moment resisting frames, the joints, or connections, between columns and beams are designed to be rigid. At a rigid joint, the ends of the columns and beams cannot rotate. This means that the angle between the ends of the columns and beams always remain the same. Rigid joints should be designed carefully to make sure they do not distort. This causes the columns and beams to bend during earthquakes. So these structural members are designed to be strong in bending. Moment resisting frames simply means frames that resist forces by bending.\n\nShear Walls\nShear walls are vertical walls that are used to stiffen the structural frames of buildings. They help frames resist sideways earthquake forces.\n\nThe earthquake forces are transferred to the ground mainly by shear forces in the walls. Imagine a wall is made up from a stack of horizontal layers all stuck together. Shear forces on the wall will try and make these layers slide over one another.\n\nIt is better to use walls with no openings in them. So, usually the walls around lift shafts and stairwells are used. Also, walls on the sides of buildings that have no windows can be used.\n\nIsolated Buildings\nBase Isolation systems reduce building vibrations during earthquakes. This means that the building distorts less, reducing the chance of damage. Normally, a building is supported directly on its foundations, and it is said to have a fixedbase. When base isolation is used, special structural bearings are inserted between the bottom of the building and its foundation. These bearings are not very stiff in the horizontal direction, so they reduce the fundamental frequency of vibration of a building. The frequency becomes so low that the building does not vibrate as strongly during an earthquake. During an earthquake, a fixed-base building can sway from side to side. When a base isolation system is used, the sideways movement occurs mainly in the bearings, and the building hardly distorts at all. There are many types of bearings used for base isolation. Here are two of them. 1. Rubber Bearings 2. Friction Pendulum Bearings\n\nRubber bearings\nRubber bearings are made from layers of rubber with thin steel plates between them, and a thick steel plate on the top and bottom. The bearings are placed between the bottom of a building and its foundation . The bearings are designed to be very stiff and strong for vertical load, so that they can carry the weight of the building. However, they are designed to be much weaker for horizontal loads, so that they can move sideways during an earthquake. Rubber bearing in place before the building is constructed above it.\n\nRubber bearings have been used to protect the Museum of New Zealand from large earthquakes.\n\nMuseum of New Zealand\n\nFriction Pendulum Bearings\nFriction pendulum bearings are made from two horizontal steel plates that can slide over each other because of their shape and an additional articulated slider. The bearings are placed between the bottom of a building and its foundation . They are designed to be very stiff and strong for vertical load, so that they can carry the weight of the building. However, the fact that they slide means that earthquake movements will occur mainly in the bearings.\n\nfriction pendulum bearing F between a column of the building and it's foundations.\n\nFriction Pendulum Bearing\n\nFriction pendulum bearings have been used in the San Francisco Airport International Terminal. The building has been designed to resist a magnitude 8 earthquake occurring on the San Andreas fault.\n\nSan Fransisco Airport Terminal\n\nAdding Dampers\nDampers can be installed in the structural frame of a building to absorb some of the energy going into the building from the shaking ground during an earthquake. The dampers reduce the energy available for shaking the building. This means that the building deforms less, so the chance of damage is reduced. There are many types of dampers that can be installed in buildings. Here are some of them:    Metallic Dampers Friction Dampers Viscous Fluid Dampers\n\nMetallic Dampers\nMetallic dampers are usually made from steel. They are designed to deform so much when the building vibrates during an earthquake that they cannot return to their original shape. This permanent deformation is called inelastic deformation, and it uses some of the earthquake energy which goes into building.\n\nX - Plate Metallic Damper\n\nThere are different types of metallic damper. One type, the X-shaped Plate Damper, is used where two braces meet. As the building vibrates, the braces stretch and compress, pulling and pushing the damper sideways and making it deform.\n\nFriction Dampers\nFriction dampers are designed to have moving parts that will slide over each other during a strong earthquake. When the parts slide over each other, they create friction which uses some of the energy from the earthquake that goes into the building.\n\nThis is a Pall Friction Damper installed in the Webster Library of Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. The damper is connected to the centre of some cross-bracing. The damper is made up from a set of steel plates, with slotted holes in them, and they are bolted together. At high enough forces, the plates can slide over each other creating friction. The plates are specially treated to increase the friction between them.\n\nViscous fluid dampers\nViscous fluid dampers are similar to shock absorbers in a car. They consist of a closed cylinder containing a viscous fluid like oil. A piston rod is connected to a piston head with small holes in it. The piston can move in and out of the cylinder. As it does this, the oil is forced to flow through holes in the piston head causing friction. When the damper is installed in a building, the friction converts some of the earthquake energy going into the moving building into heat energy. The damper is usually installed as part of a building's bracing system using single diagonals. As the building sways to and fro, the piston is forced in and out of the cylinder.\n\nViscous fluid damper installed in building Source:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7170934081077576}
{"content": "Oregon Gubernatorial Race Rated Likely Democrat for 2018\n\nThis post originally appeared on Oregon Catalyst.\n\nIn 2016, Oregon Republicans broke their statewide losing streak. Dennis Richardson became the first Republican elected statewide since Gordon Smith won re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2002.\n\nRichardson’s win led to rampant speculation about the potential of electing a Republican governor. Oregon’s last Republican governor — Vic Atiyeh — was first elected in 1978 and was re-elected in 1982.\n\nDecision Desk HQ, an independent election results site started in 2014, has set the proper baseline for the 2018 Oregon Gubernatorial Race:\n\nThe GOP has actually been competitive in most recent Governors races here, but Democrats always seem to win in the end. Fresh off winning the office in her own right last year, we see Brown as having a clear advantage but wouldn’t consider her completely safe. Thus, LIKELY DEMOCRATIC makes the most sense.\n\nHere are the results from the past five gubernatorial elections in Oregon:\n\nThe median outcome of the last five gubernatorial elections in Oregon is a Democrat win of six points. The 2016 election was a special election that occurred in a Presidential year. Oregon gubernatorial elections occur in midterm elections. If we remove 2016 from the data, we see a smaller (but still sizable) 4.5 point median win for Democrats.\n\n2014 was a good year for Republicans nationally but was a no good, very bad year for Republicans in Oregon.\n\n2010 was a Republican wave election which allowed Republicans to split the Oregon House 30–30 and almost made Republican Chris Dudley the governor of Oregon.\n\n2006 was a wave election for Democrats that re-elected Kulongoski and gave Democrats full control of Oregon government for the first time since 1990.\n\n2002 was a decent year for Republicans nationally. In Oregon, Republicans made slight gains in the Oregon House that year while taking a small loss in the Oregon Senate.\n\nThere are two major factors that will influence the outcome of the election. First, Republicans must recruit a strong candidate. It would help if this person is a strong fundraiser and has some statewide name ID. Second, national political trends must not work against the GOP.\n\nRepublicans are expected to lose some number of seats in Congress based on historical trends. A Democrat wave year would make it impossible for a Republican to win the governorship here in Oregon. Republicans must nominate a competent candidate and desperately pray that Democrats don’t benefit from a wave in 2018.\n\nReagan Knopp is a digital political consultant and Editor-in-Chief of Oregon Catalyst.\n\nReagan Knopp", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9033102989196777}
{"content": "Oracle Insights\n\nTales of the Oak Table\n\nBook Description:\n\n* Encapsulates the knowledge and experience of some of the foremost experts in Oracle development, the vast majority of whom are also established and successful authors.\n\n* Covers landmark software and techniques (invented by the authors) that have changed the face of Oracle development.\n\n* A broad ranging, anecdotal and humorous title that will appeal to anyone (developers, DBAs, manager, architects etc) involved with and Oracle-based project.\n\n* Simplified code snippets, the book provides real solutions that people can then build upon themselves.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8191821575164795}
{"content": "Job Detail\n\nBusiness Analyst\n\nJob ID:\n12 months \nMon-Fri, 40 hours per week. \nClient Industry:\nDate Added:\nStart Date:\nWashington, DC 20049  \nPay Rate:\nCareer Field:\nOther Area(s)\n\n\nAPR has been engaged to identify hard working Business Analyst.\n\nLOCATION: Washington, DC\n\nCONTRACT: 12 months\n\n\nThe VOC Measurement Analyst will identify and quantify opportunities to improve the customer experience, increase customer loyalty, and ingrain customer centricity into all business decisions. The analyst will support the Voice of the Consumer Measurement team, will be responsible for ad hoc customer data analysis, and will collaborate with other AARPx team members to support active projects.\n\n\nHow You Will Make An Impact\n\n\n• Supports the approach of providing insightful and actionable recommendations for improvements based on VOC feedback and business metrics.\n\n• Assists with the tracking/reporting of data on a daily, weekly, monthly basis to assess campaign performance and recommend related strategies. Translates results from data into clear and actionable insights that are relevant to defined goals.\n\n• Researches and recommends what additional data should be tracked in order to establish actionable customer experience metrics that represent what matters most to AARP members.\n\n• Ensures that customer insights are disseminated, understood, and used as the basis for development and enhancements of innovative products and services. Working with the Senior Advisor, VOC Measurement, measures improvements resulting from those enhancements.\n\n• Works closely with data and technology teams to determine primary and secondary data sources to enhance analysis, insights and takeaways.\n\n• Assesses trends and insights using multiple data sets and large amounts of data; synthesizes direct and indirect data into a cohesive, actionable story for internal teams.\n\n\nKey responsibilities include: • Communicate and collaborate with groups internal and external to AARP • Ensure adherence to project schedules and deliverable timelines • Conduct data analysis and interpretation • Ensure data integrity and accuracy • Develop insights reports and dashboards • Incorporate advanced analytics into customer insights and properly package business insights and findings for consumption • Clearly and succinctly communicate the findings and insights with proper verification and validation techniques • Use best practices around categorization, sentiment and insights principles • Implement and manage pipeline of new channels and data feeds • Identify early warning signals and opportunistic approaches from insights gathered • Bachelor's degree in Business, Statistics, Analytics, Economics, Data Science or comparable • 2+ years of analytic experience • Experience with data visualization software (including, Qlikview, Tableau, Domo, etc) • Experience with text analytics and analyzing voice of the customer findings to identify actions that improve customer experience (specifically, Clarabridge Text Analytics Platform) • Ability to identify and tell a story using data • Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously within a continually changing environment • Excellent problem solving skills and ability to navigate challenging situations • Strong written, analytical and verbal communication skills • Advanced proficiency with MS Excel and PowerPoint\n\n\n\n\n  1. (required)\n  2. (required)\n  3. (required)\n  4. (valid email required)\n  5. (required)\n  6. (required)\n  7. (required)\n  8. (required)\n\ncforms contact form by delicious:days\n\nEqual Opportunity Statement:\n\n\nE-Verify Statement:\n\nAPR participates in the E-Verify Employment Eligibility Program.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9658317565917969}
{"content": "Accelerate Industry 4.0 by Extending the Secure ICS Edge\n\nDecember 20, 2018 Erik Halthen, Analog Devices\n\nCyber security in industrial control systems (ICS) is poised to delay the adoption of Industry 4.0. Many business leaders find it hard to understand ICS cyber security challenges as there are many factors contributing to their complexity. Furthermore, the engineers developing ICS solutions have likely not seen significant cyber security requirements at the device level.\n\nTraditional methods for securing industrial control systems have relied on limiting access to networks and devices, and monitoring network traffic through information technology (IT) solutions. A product lead working on devices in a factory will find it easy to dismiss cyber security as an IT problem. However, the traditional methods for securing industrial control systems will no longer be sufficient as Industry 4.0 looms on the horizon.\n\nThe challenges of ICS cyber security will ultimately delay the adoption of Industry 4.0 if companies don’t have a strategy to address device security at the Edge. To adopt and capitalize on Industry 4.0, cyber security must be a critical part of the business plan.\n\nAlthough the industrial market has traditionally been slow to change, the adoption of Industry 4.0 has occurred at a pace that exceeds expectations. With these changes, cyber security is becoming one of the most challenging obstacles to the adoption of Industry 4.0. ICS cyber security standards and guidelines are in place or being established to secure the factory, but they don’t provide guidance on how to accelerate Industry 4.0 initiatives.\n\n1. Edge devices require transition to adopt for Industry 4.0\n\nThere is a reason why Industry 4.0 is changing the ICS cyber security problem. The very nature of Industry 4.0 is to increase access and control of the devices in the factory. This means increased access to the data to expand transparency, reduced network planning, lower CapEx and OpEx, improved bandwidth, and optimized machine interworking. Increasing access and control means that the factory’s cyber security risk assessment is changing. ICS cyber security solutions must adapt to address the changing risk, and traditional countermeasures applied to the system, such as firewalls and placing a device behind a locked door, are counterintuitive to Industry 4.0 goals. This means devices will need to be security hardened to enable increased functionality in a secure method. Identity and integrity will be at the core of every device in the field to enable trusted data and secure operation.\n\nThere are many different standards in the industrial market that provide guidance on implementing ICS security. For example, NIST provides security guidance with U.S. governance. IEC 62443 is a security standard in draft form for the international market with governance in Europe. These are two of the most predominant standards, providing useful guidelines for implementing security and assessing one’s security posture for industrial control systems; however, they don’t provide guidance on how to accelerate the adoption of Industry 4.0. IEC 62443 is currently absent any guidelines for implementing security below the PLC and an ISA99 working group has recently been established to address cyber security at the bottom layers of the factory within the IEC 62443 framework.\n\nToday, to meet a system’s acceptable security posture, countermeasures must be applied to devices that don’t reach a sufficient security level. These countermeasures typically rely on methods like firewalls to limit access and section off or isolate vulnerable devices. In the future, devices will need to reach higher security levels to enable the transition to Industry 4.0.\n\nAnalog Devices is positioned to extend the secure edge. The company’s traditional market space is at the physical edge, where the real world is translated into digital signals and data is born. This provides an opportunity to establish trust in data by providing identity and integrity earlier in the signal chain and establishing a new definition of the secure Edge. Traditionally, the secure Edge has originated at gateways, PLCs, or even servers in the ICS security framework.\n\nThis view is reminiscent of the traditional IT cyber security view of the factory but it persists throughout the industry. The prospect of driving the secure Edge lower in the signal chain is enticing because it enables higher confidence in the decisions that are being made from that data. The earlier that identity and integrity can be established in the signal chain, the more trust and confidence that can be placed in the data that’s driving decisions.\n\nICS cyber security can’t be addressed by a one size fits all solution and an in-depth defense approach must be adopted and applied based on the system’s risk assessment. One strategy is to extend the depth of ICS cyber security as Ethernet is adopted at the edge. Enabling Industry 4.0 requires the factory to adopt new connectivity methodologies. This means that Ethernet has taken, and will continue to take, a larger role in industrial control systems.\n\n2. Enabling the highest confidence in decisions: where physical to digital conversion occurs\n\nA sound security strategy is to focus on where there is Ethernet connectivity because this changes the impact any one device on the network. To this end, Analog Devices’ fido5000, RapID Platform provides two-port, multi-protocol connectivity whose security features provide key generation/management, secure boot, secure update, and secure memory access to protect against network bound attacks. Future devices will include single-chip solutions with a hardware root of trust, secure device lifecycle management, secure communications/mutual authentication, and tamper protection.\n\nErik Halthen, part of ADI’s acquisition of Sypris Electronics, has an extensive background in cyber security solutions. As part of ADI’s cyber security center of excellence, Erik has taken on the role of security systems manager for industrial solutions, focusing on developing security solutions for industrial IoT.\n\nPrevious Article\nThe AI Race Is Heating up for Embedded Chipmakers\nThe AI Race Is Heating up for Embedded Chipmakers\n\n\nNext Article\nHCC Embedded Achieves ISO 27001 Certification\n\nHCC takes proactive step to mitigate risk and manage information security", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6473329067230225}
{"content": "Dear Schofield Week 9: Continued\n\nClaudine 15(3)\nDear Schofield,\nI’m a high school student, but it’s not easy for me. Studying is hard at home because I just want to goof off after a long day at school. My grades are OK, but I’m worried that if this continues they will slip.\nThen there’s my eating habits and fitness. My lunch starts late in the day, so it’s hard to stay satisfied from breakfast. When I get home, I’m still hungry and eat whatever’s around, not usually healthy. And sitting all day at school doesn’t help my fitness. Recently, I decided to have only a cup of water or soda until dinner, but I’m not sure that’s healthy. Exercising at home doesn’t happen because I’m either goofing off or doing homework.\nFinally, there’s my sleep habits. I go to bed at 10:30, but I have to wake up at 6:30 the next morning to be on time to school. How can I have good grades, be fit and be rested while having fun, too?\nNot Multi-Tasking Well\n\nDear Not Multi-Tasking Well,\n\nI’m not an expert on fitness, however, I do know studies show that at least 30 minutes of physical activity everyday will help you to lose weight or meet specific fitness goals. While at school take advantage of walking to your classes by speeding up your walking pattern. Because your lunch starts so late in the day, bring healthy snacks such as bananas, apples, or fruit snacks, which will help curb your appetite until lunch. I would stay away from sodas and drink water instead. Sodas are packed with sugar, and they literally add nothing to the diet except excessive amounts of sugar and unnecessary calories. When you get home before you begin doing your homework maybe you can walk a few miles in your neighborhood. If you’re not comfortable with doing that maybe walk around in your house. Turn your goofing off time into physical activity time.\n\nHolla Back", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6413527131080627}
{"content": "Gustav Born obituary\n\nProminent pharmacologist whose pioneering work on how the body stops bleeding improved the detection of thrombosis\n\nIn 1945, Gustav Born, a young and recently qualified doctor serving with the Royal Army Medical Corps, was among the first allied staff to witness the medical aftermath of the atomic bomb blast in Hiroshima. Among the horrific injuries he encountered, one struck him particularly forcibly: the tendency of the survivors to suffer from severe bleeding disorders. This, he surmised, was attributable to a lack of blood platelets caused by radiation damage. It was evidently a decisive experience, for it set the course of his future research and, indeed, his entire career.\n\nAfter the war, Gus, who has died aged 96, began postgraduate research at Oxford University with Howard Florey (who developed penicillin for pharmaceutical use), gaining his DPhil in 1951. He subsequently researched various other topics, including histamine and acid secretion in the stomach, neonatal physiology, smooth muscle and catecholamine pharmacology. But he was soon lured back by the fascination of platelet biology.\n\nContinue reading…\nSource: theguardian\nGustav Born obituary", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8282778263092041}
{"content": "Concordance is engaged in civil war, leadership is in question and unknown, unnamed forces are popping up in a bloody fight for the throne. Who will win and who should win are two different questions that must be answered. Who’s side will our heroes be on?\n\nHouse Rules: When a player rolls boxcars, double zeros, or snake eyes on a skill, he spends one fewer point per occasion in XP to level up a skill.\n\nHandy Links:\nRandom Mech Table Generator!\n\nAlpha Strike\n\ninsomniabob Malache rotarygod Lucied refuge CCKPLLS4U4LESS", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9043616056442261}
{"content": "A homeowner that feels proud of his or her yard should make those acts that serve to protect a young tree part of his or her daily routine. After all, none of them demands lots of effort. In fact, each of them adds to the homeowner’s excuses for spending more time in the yard that surrounds the family’s home.\n\nIt can be heartbreaking to watch a beloved tree slowly die before your very eyes, which is why we want to help you learn how to handle this situation in the quickest and easiest way possible. To spare you from all the research and trial and error, we have put together this article which will help you make the right decision for your tree, and answer some questions you may have.\n\nTagged under: ,\n\nWith winter being the season in which trees lay dormant, and oftentimes also being the season of harsh weather conditions, you will want to ensure that your trees are in the best shape possible so they can withstand everything the harsh cold season throws at them. If you want to see your trees flourish once more in spring, you should start prepping early on in fall so you can check of every item on the check-up list. Additionally, you can consult with an arborist in San Jose to check on the trees, if you find any issues.\n\nTagged under: ,\n\nEvery year in large parts of the earth, people get to witness a change to nature. Slowly but surely over the course of a mere couple of months, all the leaves shift from green to vibrant yellows, reds and oranges. But why?\n\nAny time you’re planning on landscaping or renovating your property, there are several factors that must be considered. Choosing design ideas, cost comparisons, and picking the right people for each job that your project entails are the more important ones. This includes one of the main and possibly the most expensive features on your property, namely your trees. All property landscaping and renovations start with the trees that are growing on it. As one of the more permanent features, the care and maintenance of your trees is best left in the hands of professional arborists or tree service in San Jose.\n\n\n\nAny arborist service in San Jose will tell you that when trees fall or lose any of their limbs in unpopulated areas, that their structural development is not a problem since there is no risk of liability. However, it’s a completely different story when you’re talking about populated urban areas. Trees that are allowed to develop without being maintained by a tree care service in San Jose oftentimes develop structural defects and are much more likely to break and fall. However, there are steps that you can take to ensure reducing your liability and improving the safety of your trees.\n\nIf you’ve lived on your Bay Area property for a while and have healthy trees growing on it, you’ve probably done a good job of having them cared for and maintained by a local tree care company. Furthermore, depending on how long you’ve lived there, you’ve probably been faced with the decision to either prune and trim it one more time or just have it removed. No matter where you live, homeowners have to eventually decide whether they should call a tree pruning specialist in San Jose or a tree removal service in San Jose to handle matters.\n\n\n\n\n« Click to close", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5638457536697388}
{"content": "In an era where reimbursement is shifting towards quality care and patient outcomes, it is necessary for medical practice executives to take a fresh look at their business processes to ensure potential collections are not leaking throughout the revenue cycle.\n\nMost physicians want to see patients, practice medicine, perform care that they were trained to provide and go home. The Administrator or practice executive is typically quite busy addressing staffing concerns, patient complaints, reviewing contracts, and responding to physician inquiries. It takes a great deal of dedicated focus, time, and energy to manage those critical tasks associated with converting patient visits into reimbursement.\n\nIt is our experience that many physician practices have really good teams behind the scenes that ensure patient insurance and benefits are accurate, charges are entered timely, and patients are treated in a professional and courteous manner when they have questions about their bills. It is also our experience that most physician practices have team members that are trained or skilled in only a small portion of the back-office responsibilities that are necessary to ensure high patient satisfaction and a profitable outcomes. Far too often, we observe that a practice has only one certified professional coder who is experienced in assigning the appropriate medical codes for their unique patient mix and related services. We hear of employees dreading taking time off from work because they know their wok will go undone in their absence. We see the trend lines associated with staff turnover related to charge entry, cash posting, and A/R follow-up on denials. These little things may seem trivial, but they add up financially over time and they can take a toll on employee morale and productivity.\n\nWhile there is no single cure for ensuring all revenue is collected all of the time, there are five key areas that we routinely advise our clients to consider in hopes of improving financial performance and mitigating risk within the business office.\n\n  • Conduct a medical coding and chart documentation review\n    Almost any practice can greatly benefit from conducting a routine medical coding assessment of its claims. Whether the end result is confirming the appropriateness of your practice’s coding habits or identifying missed revenue or compliance concerns, a coding audit can be one of the most useful tools a practice does to improve performance and ensure consistency between providers.\n\n  • Analyze patient balance amounts that are being transferred to bad debt\n    Perhaps no single point of data more clearly demonstrates your practices’ success at collecting patient balances than reviewing what went uncollected and subsequently transferred to your bad debt collection agency. Dean Dorton recommends taking a deeper look at the details of what was transferred to collections for a recent twelve month period. In reviewing this data, look for trends associated with “frequent flyer” patients who rarely make payments or for those “common balance after insurance” amounts, such as $25, $50, and $100 that indicate a potential co-payment or patient financial responsibility amount that went uncollected. Identifying these patients can help the practice better collect them on the front-end.\n\n  • Identify underpayments\n    Also known as partial payments or partial denials, an underpayment can be difficult to identify without the use of a contract management system. Too many practices rely on their cash posting team members to identify underpayments and resolve them as appropriate. While that may be an effective approach for some practices, it leaves way too much risk in the hands of a select few employees. A comprehensive approach to underpayment identification and resolution should include resources from information technology, patient accounting, and finance. Top performing practices will reconcile expected reimbursement to actual on a continuous basis to ensure the appropriate payment is being received.\n\n  • Cross-train business office staff\n    Most practices cannot afford to have one coder, one Medicare biller, or one person that knows how to post electronic payments. It simply is too significant of a business risk to rely on a small number of employees to complete tasks with great financial consequence. With this type of staffing model and little to no cross-training of staff, backlogs are inevitable. This leads to sluggish cash collections, poor morale, and dependency on a select few. It is critical that business offices cross-train its team members on how to complete multiple tasks and/or contract with service providers to ensure critical tasks are completed when team members are absent.\n\n  • Be proactive in follow-up efforts\n    An efficient and high performing business office makes proactive account follow-up a daily routine. Charges must be entered and reconciled daily, payments must be deposited and applied to accounts daily, and unpaid open account balances must be proactively worked on a daily basis. Utilizing work queues or even an aged trial balance, practices’ must identify high value accounts that need follow-up in order to get paid. Working accounts in descending dollar order can have the most significant impact on a practice. Typically, 80% of a practice’s outstanding A/R is comprised of only 20% of the encounter volume. These accounts must get worked as part of the team’s daily responsibilities to ensure strong cash collections.\n\nWith the changes we’ve seen in the market due to hospital-physician integration and payer reimbursement, it is critical that practices’ continue to focus on those areas that ensure strong compliance, high patient satisfaction, and positive financial outcomes. Focusing on these five areas are just a small part of ensuring a practice is as effective and efficient it can be in converting patient visits to revenue.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7812948822975159}
{"content": "Happy NEW perspective!\n\nSeeker: Can you help me make a firm new years resolution and stick to it? Answer: At this junction in life [new years], most people run after resolutions or they sit and sulk about the past year’s resolutions that they did not keep up to. Haven’t you learnt a lesson from repeating the same cycle […]\n\nWas Ravana enlightened?\n\n\nDispassion or Disinterest?\n\n\nWrong Karma or Right Karma?\n\nQuestion: Didi – in everyday life situations if I start to ask myself ‘why am I put into this situation?’ and be with awareness and observe without attachments & listen to the inner voice – will I find the answer? ( trying to understand my karma or pattern n thereby just ‘being’ and not ‘doing’). […]\n\nCan a liar meditate?\n\nQuestion: Can a liar meditate? Answer: Buddha said that morality [Sheel] is more important than anything else. If your morals are loose, you will not be able to meditate. If you cannot meditate, inner wisdom will not arise. If inner wisdom does not arise, you will NEVER attain the TRUTH. That’s why Sheel was the […]\n\nSo many spiritual techniques! So much confusion!\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9242610931396484}
{"content": "Nietzsches will to power\n\nThis \"Will,\" according to Schopenhauer, is never satisfied. Likewise, I now regard my having been a Wagnerian as eccentric. Altruism is not possible, according to Nietzsche, and therefore neither is morality. Daarnaast is dit ook voor de ethiek geldig en werkt Habermas een discoursethiek uit: Between two absolutely different spheres, as between subject and object, there is no causality, no correctness, and no expression; there is, at most, an aesthetic relation.\n\nFor him, however, human beings remain valuing creatures in the last analysis. Looking away shall be my only negation.\n\nThose views would Nietzsches will to power that the basic conditions of cognition prevent our ever knowing things as they really are, independently of us see Anderson; Hussain ; and the entry on Friedrich Albert Lange.\n\nEpisode 11: Nietzsche’s Immoralism: What Is Ethics, Anyway?\n\nThis suggests that the will to power is stronger than the will to survive. Samenlevingen zijn voor Habermas modern wanneer zij het traditionele wereldbeeld — vaak gefundeerd op religieuze elementen — hebben losgelaten, samen met de mogelijkheid om hierop een normatieve standaard of levenswijze te baseren en daarbij in te zien dat zijzelf als maatschappij instaan voor het scheppen van de normativiteit.\n\nIn some remote corner of the universepoured out and glittering in innumerable solar systems, there once was a star on which clever animals invented knowledge. Und auch ihr selber sid dieser Wille zur Macht—und nichts ausserdem! Feitelijkheid en geldigheid[ bewerken ] Bij de voorgestelde oplossing van Habermas in zijn magnum opus, het aanwenden van de communicatieve rationaliteit, was het in zekere zin nog wat vaag en onduidelijk hoe dit concreet moest gebeuren.\n\nGesamtausgabe Plan\n\nHabermas spreekt dan ook over de kolonisering van de leefwereld door deze systemen. Nietzsche thought it was the job of philosophers to create such values BGEso readers have long and rightly expected to find an account of value creation in his works.\n\nOr have you once experienced a tremendous moment, in which you would answer him: Social and political views[ edit ] This section possibly contains original research.\n\nMartin BuberBetween Man and Manp. In zijn proefschrift uit over Das Absolute und die Geschichte: But while those are the immediate allusions, Nietzsche also endorses more general ideas with similar implications—e. Und wenn du lange in einen Abgrund blickst, blickt der Abgrund auch in dich hinein.\n\nFor Schopenhauer, this will is the most fundamental aspect of reality — more fundamental even than being. Nietzsche and Heidegger were both avowed enemies of modernity and of democracy.\n\nAs Nietzsche emphasizes, purified guilt is naturally recruited as a tool for developing asceticism. To say it once again: We obtain the concept, as we do the form, by overlooking what is individual and actual; whereas nature is acquainted with no forms and no concepts, and likewise with no species, but only with an X which remains inaccessible and undefinable for us.\n\nHans Morgenthau\n\nIf we are forced to comprehend all things only under these forms, then it ceases to be amazing that in all things we actually comprehend nothing but these forms. Representative Writingspp.Nietzsche ist eine Weiterleitung auf diesen Artikel.\n\nWeitere Bedeutungen sind unter Nietzsche (Begriffsklärung) aufgeführt.\n\nWill to power\n\nThe “will to power” is a central concept in the philosophy of 19th-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. It is best understood as an irrational force, found in all individuals, that can be channeled toward different ends.\n\nNietzsche explored the idea of the will to power throughout his. The will to power is the basic character of our drives or instincts. The essence of a drive is to assert itself. To do so successfully, to achieve expression, is for it to have power. Power is not a separate aim of the drives.\n\nIn asserting itself, each drive comes into. That is the secret of all culture: it does not provide artificial limbs, wax noses or spectacles—that which can provide these things is, rather, only sham education. Society and the Individual in Nietzsche's The Will to Power () Travis J.\n\nDenneson I. Introduction. In The Will to Power, specifically the section entitled \"The Will to Power as Society and Individual,\" Nietzsche's ideas concerning how his doctrine of the will to power is manifested in both societies as a whole and in individuals within a society are presented.\n\n\nJürgen Habermas\n\n\nThese are all manifestations of the will.\n\nNietzsches will to power\nRated 0/5 based on 35 review", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8123031854629517}
{"content": "Belgian National Orchestra\n\n\n22/03/2019 - 22/03/2019\n\nBelgian National Orchestra\n\n\nThe devil's pactEvil has the Klara Festival in its grip this year. The festival follows in the footsteps of Dr Faust and places its soul in Mephistopheles' hands. An appetite for comprehensive knowledge and disobedience plays a key role in this Faustian programme.Franz Liszt took Goethe’s Faust on all his travels. In his Faust Symphony (1857), Liszt paints the portraits of the three main characters, Dr Faust, his love Gretchen and Mephistopheles, in a sophisticated way. Blinded by lust and ambition, Faust sold his soul to the devil. Salvation comes through the eternal female — the purity of spirit is immune to the devil's temptations. Freed from Mephistopheles' grip, angels lead Faust to heaven.“My son, why do you hide your face in fear?” Werner Henze’s desperate father tries to protect his child from the grim spirit of the Erlköning (1996). The malicious Fairy King, who escapes from Schubert's eponymous song inspired by Goethe’s ballad, spreads his tentacles over Hans Werner Henze’s sinister composition. If we can believe Tchaikovsky, the devil took possession of his Rococo Variations. Without the composer's knowledge, cellist Wilhelm Fitzhagen made changes before the premiere in 1877. Tchaikovsky was furious! \n\nPraktische Infos", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9447942972183228}
{"content": "Fischer's Turaco (Tauraco fischeri)\n\nFishers turaco\n\nFast facts\n\nStatus Near Threatened\n\nSize 40cm in height\n\nWeight Males: 230–269g; females: 227–283g\n\nGestation 22-23 days\n\nYoung 2 eggs are laid\n\nWhat do I eat?\n\nFischer's turacos mainly eat fruits, especially figs and berries, but they also eat flower buds and young leaf shoots. They will occasionally eat insects if they come across them while foraging for food.\n\nWhere do I live?\n\nThis species occurs in Kenya, north-eastern Tanzania and southern Somalia. They live in forest and wooded thickets, preferring areas with mature fruiting trees.\n\n\nPairs of Fischer's turacos establish a breeding territory which they will defend fiercely against any mammals which get too close. They build a flat, fragile nest of twigs 3 to 10 metres from the ground in dense tree foliage. These turacos lay 2 off-white eggs which are almost spherical, and which both the male and female help to incubate. When the young hatch out they are covered in a thick coat of dark brown down. The parents feed them on regurgitated food. The young may start leaving the nest to clamber and hop in nearby branches at as young as 10 days old.\n\n\nAfrican goshawks are known to prey on turacos and their nests.\n\n\nThe main threats to Fischer's turacos are from trapping for the pet trade and the clearance of their forest habitat. They are protected by being on CITES Appendix II, which means that the trade in these birds or any of their parts is restricted. They are also found in at least one National Park.\n\nDid you know?\n\nTuracos are weak fliers, but their toes are specially arranged, with one which can be moved so it is pointing almost to the front or back of the foot or at a right angle, which helps them to move easily along branches and through foliage.\n\nTuracos are the only species in the animal kingdom known to have copper pigments in their feathers. These pigments give them their bright colours.\n\n\nCheck our ticket prices or...\n\nBook tickets online\n\nGroup Visits\n\nEveryone had a brilliant time\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7995503544807434}
{"content": "Investigating Cold Fires – Expert Article on Interpreting Evidence\n\nTo the uninitiated a fire scene looks like char and ash with no discernible evidence as to where or why a fire started. Short of finding a melted lighter or remnant of a match, most laypeople are unable to make any sense of the plethora of evidence surrounding them.\n\nIn this short article, fire investigator and retired fire fighter, Timothy Wilhelm interprets the evidence left at the scene of a fire. Through his trained eye, he provides valuable insight into how experienced fire investigators can interpret the soot and ashes to determine origin and cause.\n\nInvestigating Cold Fires\n\nInvestigating Fires: First at the Scene\n\nIn the years I spent as a fire investigator for the City of Erie, life was great. Being at the scene while the fire was in progress was a tremendous advantage in determining the Origin and Cause of a fire.\n\nMany times I would respond to a call and arrive before the fire engines. I could observe the fire dynamics in force as the fire progressed. I could also witness the fire department operations and how ventilation affected fire movement. This experience was crucial in my professional development, providing valuable hands-on training upon which my opinions are based in the course of my forensic investigations.\n\nThe progression and extinguishment of a fire leaves observable and identifiable patterns. The ability to recognize and identify these patterns is paramount to one’s success as a fire investigator.\n\nInvestigating Fires: Last at the Scene\n\nIn my years as a fire investigator with Robson Forensic, life is still great, but professionally more challenging. Rather than arriving first at the scene, I am frequently introduced to a fire scene years after the actual incident. Rather than watching the development and extinguishment of the fire, I am provided with a banker’s box of grainy photos, a fractured and sometimes incomplete fire report, and evidence that is no longer available.\n\nDespite the challenges, there is still much information to be gleaned from the available materials. Below we present two images: the first is an example of a typical evidence photo that is available for review; the second is an identical photo with mark-ups to identify the evidentiary clues that help to decipher the scene. I challenge you to focus on the first image and draw your own conclusions before moving on to the next.\n\nTo the trained eye, there is an incredible amount of information in this photograph that is useful toward determining origin and cause. What conclusions are you able to make? See the image below for help.\n\nAs mentioned earlier, the progression and extinguishment of a fire leaves observable and identifiable patterns. A description of each of the numbered items is below:\n\n  1. V-pattern on the backsplash\n  2. Movement pattern on the front of the microwave\n  3. Heavy oxidation on the side of the microwave\n  4. Heavy oxidation / no handle on the pan\n  5. V-pattern on the back splash behind the stove.\n  6. Clean burn on the wall behind the stove.\n\nBased on this one photo you can determine the fire originated on the right side of the microwave.\n\n  • Pattern #1 was caused by a secondary fuel source\n  • Pattern #2 tells us the fire was moving from the right to the left\n  • Pattern #3 tells us the fire was more intense on the right side than on the front of the microwave.\n  • Pattern #4 tells us the pan was subjected to intense heat\n  • Pattern #5 was caused by the fire extending from the rear of the stove top\n  • Pattern #6 was caused by the fire burning the soot off the drywall leaving a clean area\n\nAlthough the cause of the fire cannot be determined from this photo alone, it is enough to eliminate other ignition sources outside the area of origin.\n\nThankfully I have decades of training, education, and hands-on fire investigation experience to assist in guiding my opinions. I invite you to contact me directly to discuss any fire incidents you are currently concerned with, and how I or another fire investigator at Robson Forensic can assist.\n\n\nOur Fire and Explosion practice provides origin and cause investigations, reporting, and testimony suited to the size of the loss and your budget. The group includes certified fire and explosion investigators; electrical and mechanical engineers; architects, product engineers, materials scientists, and other specialists.\n\nFor more information, visit our Fire Investigations practice page", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5469459891319275}
{"content": "The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is looking for comments on a plan to raise insurance minimums for carriers and establish insurance requirements for brokers and freight forwarders.\n\nThe long-awaited notice is scheduled for publication in the Federal Register this week. The agency said it will publish an insurance proposal for private carriers separately.\n\nThe agency is acting on instructions from Congress to update insurance requirements that have been in place for almost 30 years.\n\nIn 1985, the Department of Transportation (FMCSA did not exist then) set minimums of $750,000 for general freight, $5 million for the most dangerous hazmats and $1 million for other hazmats.\n\nIn 2012, Congress considered telling the agency to raise the general freight minimum to $1 million but ultimately told the agency to prepare an analysis that could become the basis for a new standard.\n\nIn its analysis the agency found that the minimums need to be reevaluated due to increasing medical costs and changing statistical life estimates. It is considering a range of numbers but one would be to peg the minimums to the Consumer Price Index.\n\nIf that happens, the general freight requirement would jump to $1.6 million, dangerous hazmats would go to $10.8 million and other hazmats would go to $2.2 million.\n\nIn this week’s notice the agency says the analysis provides preliminary support for raising the minimums but it wants more information.\n\nThe agency has dozens of specific questions. Among them: what should the minimums be, what would an increase do to premium costs, how often do current minimums cover actual costs of a crash, and how would an increase in the minimums affect large and small carriers.\n\nComments will be due in February.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9754477143287659}
{"content": "Humans, chimpanzees, and some of the other apes tend to seek out the state of drunkenness\n\nHumans aren’t the only animals that can appreciate a stiff drink. Or three or five drinks. According to a new study,the slow loris and the aye-aye (two primates) seek out the most alcoholic nectar available––when presented with a choice. Slow lorises and aye-ayes happen to share the same genetic mutation [aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 gene (ALDH2) encoding the ALDH2 Glu504Lys enzyme], which is also used by humans and other great apes, to be able to metabolize alcohol more effectively. Note [below] groups of N=2 aye-ayes and N=1 slow lorises … do not make a terribly convincing study (but it’s good enough for an article in the Washington Post )\n\nThere are other animals that seek out alcoholic nectars for their superior caloric content. In my own research years ago, we found that C57BL/6J (B6) mice loved sucrose-laced alcohol solutions, whereas DBA/2J (D2) would rather not drink at all than be forced to drink that stuff. Similar to teetotalers such as the Southern Baptist. However, humans, chimpanzees, and some of the other apes exhibit a fairly unusual tendency to seek out the state of drunkenness for its own sake.\n\n\nThe Slow Loris appears to prefer the booziest nectar\n\n\nJuly 20 \n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9377403855323792}
{"content": "Can you be sure of SEO services on SEO Clerks like the following?\n\n577 viewsEducation\n\nToo many variables and Google is constantly changing the rules behind the scenes, testing and upgrading their algorithm. You can get different search results simply by using different computers. Competitors can make changes just as quickly and easily as you, affecting the outcomes.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9259273409843445}
{"content": "Organic pasta with spring water\n\nQuinoa pasta\n\nAlthough Quinoa doesn't belong to the cereal family it was called by the ancient Incas, the mother of all cereals. A title that appreciates its rich nutritional benefits.\n\nQuinoa originated in South America where it is grown since almost 6000 years. Quinoa’s protein contain all of the exogenous amino acids as one of the few floral proteins. According to the Bromatology Department of Jagiellonian University those amino acids are not being synthesized by our bodies and need to be delivered in food. Because of that it is highly recommended for vegans and vegetarians. Moreover Quinoa does not contain gluten and is rich in amino acids, vitamins and minerals.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8945633172988892}
{"content": "Artificial intelligence lacks common sense\n\nGary Marcus, founder of the Geometric Intelligence Company, is drawing inspiration from the way in which children develop their capacity for abstraction and common sense in order to   \"humanise artificial intelligence (IA)\" and boost its performance.\n\n\nContrary to the deep learning approaches, Gary Marcus is testing an unprecedented method to teach robots. As far as he is concerned, deep learning, a computerised learning method based on neurone networks, is incomplete. \"Common sense\", which partly depends on a causal understanding of things, is missing\": \"For instance, a photo of a man carrying a horse on his shoulders may seem unusual to you, but for IA, which has never known or experimented with the abstract notion of the force of gravity, there is nothing absurd about this photo\". The human brain \"is clearly capable of doing better\" than artificial intelligence, which is nurtured through deep learning. Although the brain \"uses techniques that are similar to deep learning for certain tasks, it is also capable of developing, recording and manipulating rules governing the way the world functions so that it can draw conclusions even with limited experience\". Based on this fact, Gary Marcus has adopted another approach to developing artificial intelligence.\n\n\nPassionate about his field, he is nevertheless concerned about the lack of legislation governing \"ways in which some stake-holders with the wrong intentions could use\" artificial intelligence.\n\n\nLe Temps, Olivier Dessibourg (2/11/2016)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9504709243774414}
{"content": "balance, harmony and positive energy\n\nOur apartments\n\nTo further improve the quality of life in our new apartments, a work of environmental harmonization has been done.\n\n\n“at the Sea”\n\nat the Sea we enter the magical and mysterious kingdom, because there is no wave equal to the other. High or low, violent or caressing, it is a natural power. It is profound and an eternally restless empire, on the edge of what we know. It is great nourishment, where water shapes nature, and where there are worlds within other worlds. The barrier has its dark side, and if you leave the light behind you, you never know what you can expect.\nListen to the sound of the wave…\n\nin the Meadow \n\n\nRun barefoot and loose hair, to feel every new sensation…\n\n“on the Danube”\n\nOn the Danube they give two springs life and beginning, like women and men. Together they travel and cross countries entering different cultures and customs. They share, change direction, and have nurtured different peoples for centuries. Ancient roots lead to flow, stream, and move forward despite differences. Spiritual nourishment and rebirth, an eternal take and let go to purify. The natural flow of life can not be stopped, at the end it is thrown into infinity to better know one’s own nature.\n\nLet go drift …", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9474422931671143}
{"content": "Is glass pool fencing safe?\n\nIf you have an outdoor pool on your property, you might face the challenge of knowing the best and most secure railing system to use. You have to consider maintenance and style, but most importantly safety; especially if you have little kids around or you are one to throw a lot of parties. Because pool-related incidents can occur, you might want to consider the safety of a glass pool railing.\n\nGlass railings and fencing are one of the most popular choices for outdoor pools. It is usually preferred to other types when it comes to safety because of the following reasons:\n\nIt affords you a clear view: With glass fences, you can see what is going on in your pool area. You know if there is someone in your pool and when it is empty. More importantly, if a child falls in or if someone is at risk of drowning, you can easily see and provide help. You don’t have to sit by the pool to keep an eye on your child.\n\nNot affected by water: when you select a wooden railing or aluminum, you have to deal with the fact that water destroys wood and steel can get rusted. Unlike these materials, water has no such effect on glass making your glass fences and glass railings as durable as it can get. Another advantage is that you don’t have to pay extra for maintenance. All you have to do is wipe them off with a duster once in a while and you are good to go. It does not need painting or some form of oiling.\n\nThey are usually taller and difficult to climb: Glass railings are usually taller when installed. This poses no security risk to your kids as they cannot fall over or jump over to get to the pool without your permission. Glass fencings are very tough to climb.\n\nGlass fences and railings are very strong: In addition to being tall, glass fences and railings are very strong. It can be dropped on concrete without breaking. It can withstand pressure even if someone falls against it. This is because the kind of glass used is heated to a very high degree and then cooled. This offers it enough resistance from any kind of pressure making it sturdy and firm.\n\nSafety is the number one thing to consider when choosing an installation plan. The many advantages that glass railings and glass fencing offer cannot be overemphasized. It adds beauty and elegance to your home.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8232623338699341}
{"content": "Using Criteria Other than Race\n\nOne intriguing idea that some school districts have begun to implement is integrating schools on the basis of income rather than race. The idea was first explored in the early 1990s, and as of 2002 several high-profile districts use it, including Wake County, North Carolina (which includes the capital city of Raleigh) and Cambridge, Massachusetts. The idea behind income-based desegregation is that income may play a more critical role in a child’s educational experience than race. If parents have enough money to make educational choices for their children, then it matters little what color they are; they can take their children out of the public school system or move to a more affluent community with better public schools. Wealthier schools and school districts will have more and better resources than inner-city schools, and all the students who attend will benefit. In contrast, no student benefits from attending an inner-city school with limited funds and overflowing classrooms.\n\nCambridge is best known as the home of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Like many college communities, its population is racially and economically mixed. There is no one ethnic majority group. As an article in Education Week noted in January 2002, “in a city with enclaves of working-class whites and upper-class African Americans, the lack of diversity in some schools had little to do with skin color or national origin. Instead, students from wealthier families tended to attend the same schools, and needier children were clumped together in other schools who tended to struggle academically.” Approximately 40 percent of the 7,300 students qualify for free or reduced-priced school lunches. As of January 2002, the percentages of these students in various schools ranged from 21 percent to 72 percent.\n\nInnovative approaches such as this one may provide a different frame of reference that meets the needs of students and communities better. They will also keep current in the minds of parents and school administrators the need to improve educational facilities across the board. As racial and ethnic groups become less clearly defined, it may become harder to justify any kind of desegregation plan. That said, it will also become harder to justify helping certain schools or school districts thrive at the expense of others.\n\nInside Using Criteria Other than Race", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5126082897186279}
{"content": "The FlamesNation top 20 prospect revisit: 20-11\n\nMerry Christmas to all of our readers. Hopefully, you asked Santa for FlamesNation to review their 2018 top 20 prospects list, specifically prospects 20-11. If you did that, well I have some good news for you.\n\n#20: Martin Pospisil, C, Sioux City Musketeers, USHL\n\nGames Played Goals Assists Points\n22 11 23 34\n\nWhy he was #20: In the fourth round of any draft, there are very few selections that can really shock you, but Martin Pospisil was a bit of a surprise. While he did have some decent scoring numbers, his 253 penalty minutes overshadowed his actual points production by a mile. He somehow occupied the spaces of both goon and playmaker, but it was never really clear which he was. He cracked the list, but barely.\n\nHow has he done so far? If the real Pospisil has emerged, it’s an exciting one. Pospisil picked up a point in every one of his first 16 games of the season, leads the USHL in scoring, and didn’t even need to drop his mean streak to do so, just rein it in. His college ambitions are unfortunately dashed for the time being, but that just opens up an opportunity for him to go pro at the end of the season.\n\nHigher or lower? FlamesNation writers unanimously ranked Pospisil higher than 20. It’s hard to argue otherwise.\n\n#19: Demetrious Koumontzis, LW, Arizona State Sun Devils, NCAA (Independent)\n\nGames Played Goals Assists Points\n20 1 9 10\n\nWhy he was #19: While he was one of the better Minnesota high school players, Koumontzis was quite clearly going to be a long term project for the Flames, so you can’t really rank a player who is three or four years away from the pros ahead of players who are one or two years away.\n\nHow has he done so far? He’s been fine. It’s hard to ask for more from a true freshman playing for an upstart hockey program than a point every other game. Not special, not struggling. Just fine.\n\nHigher or lower? About the same. Only three writers said they’d move him up in the rankings, while the others five kept Koumontzis at 19. He hasn’t really distinguished himself from the rest of the prospect pack, so he’ll stay put for the time being.\n\n#18: Mathias Emilio Pettersen, RW, Denver Pioneers, NCAA (NCHC)\n\nGames Played Goals Assists Points\n14 5 10 15\n\nWhy he was #18: A YouTube sensation when he was 10, the Flames drafted Pettersen after a pretty productive although not overwhelming USHL career. Like Koumontzis, he was also going to take some years to blossom.\n\nHow has he done so far? MEP has been exceptional, and could arguably be another year away from the pros. Although he’s cooled off in recent weeks, leading your team and landing sixth among freshmen nationwide in scoring is extremely promising. We’ll have to see if he keeps it up throughout the year, but so far, so good.\n\nHigher or lower? Can you say anything but higher?\n\n#17: Filip Sveningsson, LW/RW, IK Oskarshamn, Allsvenskan\n\nGames Played Goals Assists Points\n26 9 9 18\n\nWhy he was #17: He had a pretty stellar performance in Sweden’s U20 Superelit, leading HV71’s team to a U20 title and also making some brief SHL appearances. Sveningsson is a prospect who is climbing the career ladder, faster than some prospects do, albeit across the ocean.\n\nHow has he done so far? Although a recent hiccup sent him straight down (now #40), Sveningsson led the Allsvenskan in scoring for a brief period of time. Among U20 players in the league, he’s tied for first in scoring although having played fewer games than the man he’s tied with. For a 19-year-old to lead a respectable men’s league in scoring is quite ridiculous.\n\nHigher or lower? Unanimously higher. Hopefully his upcoming World Juniors can boost his stock even more.\n\n#16: Milos Roman, C, Vancouver Giants, WHL\n\nGames Played Goals Assists Points\n30 16 13 29\n\nWhy he was #16: Roman had some pretty interesting numbers (10 goals, 32 points in 39 games played) for a kid unfamiliar with the North American game. However, the picture was incomplete as he missed just under half of the season with an injury and certainly needed an adjustment period.\n\nHow has he done so far? He’s shown a bit more consistency and development from last season. Although he began the year slow, he quickly made up for lost time and became the Giants’ offensive leader before departing for Slovakia’s WJC camp.\n\nHigher or lower? While he’s been better than last season, he’s not really blowing the doors down. All but one FN writer chose to keep him in place at #16.\n\n#15: Dmitry Zavgorodniy, LW/C, Rimouski Oceanic, QMJHL\n\nGames Played Goals Assists Points\n34 19 22 41\n\nWhy he was #15: The Johnny Gaudreau-sized Zavgorodniy came to North America and finished fourth in scoring on a consistently good Oceanic team. A younger, already productive player with room to grow at the minimal cost of a seventh round pick? That’s cause for some (tempered) excitement.\n\nHow has he done so far? If we were doing an actual 1-20 ranking instead of simply reviewing our old decisions, Zavgorodniy might find himself in the top 10 just for how he’s been playing the first half of this season. He’s put up numbers at 5v5, on the powerplay, and on the penalty kill. The real kicker is that he’s been doing it away from superstar in the making Alexis Lafreniere, with the two only sharing ice time on the powerplay. Zavgorodniy also helped Russia defeat the QMJHL and win their series against the CHL, arguably the team’s best player for the series.\n\nHigher or lower? Duh.\n\n#14: D’Artagnan Joly, RW/C, Rimouski Oceanic\n\nGames Played Goals Assists Points\n31 11 15 26\n\nWhy he was #14: Although injured for the opening few games of the year, Joly returned to lead the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in points per game scoring, becoming a key cog of their offence.\n\nHow has he done so far? His 2018-19 has been turbulent, to say the least. With Baie-Comeau, he found himself in the doghouse, publicly called out by his coach/GM for not fitting the mold. Joly cited long-standing disagreements as the reason for a trade request, which sent him to the Victoriaville Tigres. Before he could even play a game for them, he was flipped to the Oceanic, where he hopes to get his game off the ground again in the new year.\n\nHigher or lower? It’s certainly not all his fault, but Joly has fallen on some writers’ lists, although a few kept him where he was. He’s going to have to work his tail off to get back into the prospect conversation.\n\n#13: Adam Ruzicka, C, Sarnia Sting, OHL\n\nGames Played Goals Assists Points\n33 11 24 35\n\nWhy he was #13: Ruzicka joined the 30-30 club last season, but struggled with consistency and being effective on his own. Although there was certainly some promise, we felt that we needed to see a bit more.\n\nHow has he done so far? Well, he’s been more consistent, but he’s also lost the scoring edge that made him an intriguing prospect in his draft +1 year. He’s been the heart of Sarnia’s powerplay, but has struggled to be productive in other aspects of the game. Although the Sting are certainly not as good as they were in 2017-18, Ruzicka was given the spotlight and has struggled so far.\n\nHigher or lower? Unanimously lower. Ruzicka is moving into “forgettable” territory and may struggle to get a contract at the end of his CHL career. Perhaps being the captain for Slovakia at the upcoming WJC sparks something. For his sake, hopefully.\n\n#12: Linus Lindstrom, C, Skelleftea, SHL\n\nGames Played Goals Assists Points\n23 1 1 2\n\nWhy he was #12: Lindstrom had just wrapped up his second year of professional hockey heading into the summer rankings. The kid hadn’t become a monster, but he was developing as a reliable defensive centre who could be one big breakout season away from a North American professional job.\n\nHow has he done so far? Extremely par for the course, which is bad for a developing 20-year-old. Perhaps a bit of bad luck is to blame – it’s hard for anyone at any level to get regular playing time and go 20 games in a row without getting a point – but he didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to play in the top six and has found himself stuck on the fourth line again. The season isn’t over yet, and he did finally pick up his second point of the season this week, but it’s hard to see Lindstrom break out this year given the way he’s played.\n\nHigher or lower? Unanimously lower.\n\n#11: Glenn Gawdin, C/RW, Stockton Heat, AHL\n\nGames Played Goals Assists Points\n27 6 6 12\n\nWhy he was #11: Having been unable to pick up an ELC from the St. Louis Blues, the team that had drafted him, and having been passed over in his second draft, Gawdin came into the 2017-18 WHL season to prove the doubters wrong. He did so by picking up 125 points in 67 games, helping lead the Broncos to the Memorial Cup.\n\nHow has he done so far? Gawdin has begun to familiarize himself with his pro hockey surroundings, finding a niche as a goalscorer on Stockton’s powerplay. He’s been reliable and slightly productive, which is a pretty fair return for a player they didn’t have to use any assets on.\n\nHigher or lower? All but two writers thought that Gawdin should remain at #11, but those two cancelled each other out with their votes, so Gawdin stays at #11.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6476083993911743}
{"content": "Chinese cultural revolution essay\n\nNothing so intractably conflicts with our desires for equality as geography. Yet ultimately-- more than a thousand years later-- the British rose to lead the world into the industrial revolution and controlled an empire Chinese cultural revolution essay one-fourth of the land area of the earth and one-fourth of the human race.\n\nMany of these rulers were criticized for trying to sabotage the revolution and fell into political disgrace thereafter. MP3 Complete Recording The simple existence of communist China created an alternative pole of ideological attraction, and as such constituted a threat to liberalism.\n\nObviously fascist ideologies cannot be universalistic in the sense of Marxism or liberalism, but the structure of Chinese cultural revolution essay doctrine can be transferred from country to country. Even the former socialist regime in Burma, which for so many decades existed in dismal isolation from the larger trends dominating Asia, was buffeted in the past year by pressures to liberalize both its economy and political system.\n\n\n\nThis divides up into: Thus, Classical Sanskrit can be distinguished from Vedic Sanskrit, which has more in common with Old Persian and thus was certainly the original spoken language, although we cannot rule out some garbling in transmission, since documentary sources are late.\n\nIn Mesopotamia, however, the adoption of clay tablets i. Yet, in more recent centuries, China has been overtaken and far surpassed by Europe. Not to mention this webmaster's complete browsing of materials written by the Soviet agents as well as the materials that were once published like on the George Marshall Foundation's website etc to have a full grasp of the international gaming of the 20th century.\n\n\nThis is not to deny the role of material factors as such. Perhaps no literary figure was more affected by his experiences in the Imperial examination system than Pu Songling, the Qing period author of the collection of tales known as Liao Zhai.\n\nMP3 Complete Program A network of rivers in Western Europe flow gently through vast plains, connecting wide areas economically and culturally. As such, they are compatible with doctrines and ideologies that do offer such agendas.\n\n\n\nBut these limits are by no means set equally for all peoples or all civilization. That same day, he and his supporters held a rally in La Paz to back his indefinite re-election.\n\nSuch nostalgia, in fact, will continue to fuel competition and conflict even in the post-historical world for some time to come. In the past century, there have been two major challenges to liberalism, those of fascism and of communism.\n\n\nChinese literature\n\nIt makes sense to blame human beings for biased rules and standards. This should give Russian, let alone Georgianspeakers a good laugh. But there are powerful reasons for believing that it is the ideal that will govern the material world in the long run.\n\nHistory does not offer blueprints for the present but it does offer examples and insights. If there were not so many other powerful factors creating disparities in income and wealth, it might be possible to measure the degree of discrimination by the degree of differences in economic outcomes.\n\nA more fundamental question, however, is: This is not to say that there are not rich people and poor people in the United States, or that the gap between them has not grown in recent years. For this webmaster, only the ancient history posed some puzzling issues that are being cracked at the moment, using the watershed line of Qin Emperor Shihuangdi's book burning to rectify what was the original before the book burning, filtering out what was forged after the book burning, as well as filtering out the fables that were rampant just prior to the book burning, and validating against the oracle bones and bronzeware.\n\n\nBy the late twentieth century, it was estimated that 17 percent of the people in the world produce four-fifths of the total output on the planet. MP3 Discussing Image Nation 2: There is nothing equivalent from the early literate civilizations of Egypt, India, China, or Meso-America, where documents never used a material like clay, at once so humble and ubiquitous but also potentially when fired so durable.\n\nThis is not to say that there will no longer be events to fill the pages of Foreign Affair's yearly summaries of international relations, for the victory of liberalism has occurred primarily in the realm of ideas or consciousness and is as yet incomplete in.\n\nEast Asian Studies\n\nMarx, speaking Hegel's language, asserted that liberal society contained a fundamental contradiction that could not be resolved within its context, that between capital and labor, and this contradiction has constituted the chief accusation against liberalism ever since.A collection of Chinese Revolution essay questions, been written by Alpha History authors.\n\nAlso useful for short answers, revision or homework tasks. Chinese Revolution Explore the sources and causes of the Cultural Revolution.\n\nTo what extent was it really a popular revolution? 5.\n\nChina Cultural Revolution\n\nReferring to three specific events, explain how the Cultural. Confucianism is often characterized as a system of social and ethical philosophy rather than a religion.\n\nIn fact, Confucianism built on an ancient religious foundation to establish the social values, institutions, and transcendent ideals of traditional Chinese society. The Cultural Revolution left an imprint on China for Decades and really shaped and influenced all political things that took place in China and also to an extent left a large direct effect on China itself and a lasting legacy that resonated in mainland China and outside China that influenced many.\n\n\nFree Essay: The Chinese Cultural Revolution The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, beginning as a campaign targeted at removing Chairman Mao Zedong's. Although numerous books on the Cultural Revolution have been published, they do not analyze the profound shift in aesthetic values that occurred in China after the Communists took power.\n\nChinese cultural revolution essay\nRated 5/5 based on 100 review", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7271716594696045}
{"content": "LittleBigPlanet - Playstation 3 (Game Only) - Used - Game Only\n\nVideo Game Trader LLC\n\n$ 3.99 \nSKU: ac15824\n\nSorry, this item is out of stock\n\nLittleBigPlanet is a puzzle platformer where the player controls sackboys. It takes the characters on an adventure through levels with different themes and settings, trying to reach the end of each level alive. The platforming is based entirely on physics where the sackboys can push or pull items, or generally manipulate them with their movement or weight. In addition to running, jumping, pushing and pulling, it is also necessary to master grabbing dangling objects and swinging from them to get over some obstacles and traps.\n\nThe game can be played by up to four players simultaneously with some puzzles requiring more than one player to be solved. Levels consists of three planes: foreground, middle, and background, which can be traversed.\n\nAll Categories", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9929340481758118}
{"content": "FINAL EXAM Flashcards Preview\n\nHIST 202 - mine > FINAL EXAM > Flashcards\n\nFlashcards in FINAL EXAM Deck (133):\n\n24. The Great War - causes\n\nthe 1st great crisis in modern scientific-industrial society was WWI\n--Imperialist competition in the Balkans triggered the war\n--the Austrio-Hungarian Empire was huge and lined Germany, Russia, Swiss, and Italy (Ottoman Empire was where Turkey is)\n\nRESULT: Capitalism , democracy, socialism-communism, and supremacist nationalism emerged - open trade ended\n1. Capitalist democracy\n--U.S. Britain, France, Latin Am.) - freedom, capitalism, and international institutions for maintaining peace\n\n2. Communism-socialism (Soviet Union) - equality > freedom and command economy controlled from the top\n\n3. supremacist nationalism (Germany, Italy, Japan) - both democracy and communism - racial supremacy and dictatorial/authoritarian rule - state controlled economy and territorial expansion through military conquest\n\nWWII and rise of new nations - planned by supremacist nationalists - WWI ended global free trade of 19th century\n\n\nCold War (1st - will be later)\n\n1st \"hot\" phase - U.S. and Soviet surround with allies from Europe and Asia - fought each other through \"proxies -- smarter allied states - climaxed with cuban missile crisis\n\n2nd \"cooling phase\" - reduced tensions and decreased nuclear arsenals...proxy fighting continues\n\n3rd industrial revolution\n--computer revolution put U.S. on course to defeat USSR - US became unrivaled superpower - adv. computer tech., powerful financial services and unmatched military strength\n\n\nRussia, Italy and Germany gov.\n\nRussia - communism, Italy - racism, Germany - Nazism\n--spreading principles of modernity\n--supremacist nationalism was destroyed by the alliance of communism and capitalist democracy\n\n\nThe Great War\n\nJuly 27, 1914 - Diff. representations on way to modernity\n--scientific-industrial society (BRIT., US. FR. Germ) and industrialization (Japan, Russia, Ottoman, Austria-Hungary)\n\nAllies = France, Russia, Britain\nCentral Powers = Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire\n\n--Europe dominated by imperial competition and need for balance of power (following Napoleonic wars)\n--two trends: constitutionalism and ethnic nationalism vs. industrialization\n--Ottoman decrease and Russian empire expanding\n--fight over Bosnia-Herzegovina - Austria Hungary claimed - later a Bosnian Serb nationalist group assassinated the Austrian heir to the throne, Franz Ferdinand and his wife --- assassination Began to drive Europe into WW1\n\n\nTotal War\n\nwarfare in which all resources of the nation (included population) are marshaled for the war effort - all segments of society seen as targets\n--rely on precise timing and speedy mobilization of forces\n\nby 1918 - N France and Belgium resembled moonscapes from 4 years of destruction and carnage - unluckiest city was Ypres, Belgium - suffered 3 battles and was all but obliterated by wars end\n\n\nSchlieffen Plan\n\na massive assault on N Franz through Belgium by Germany\n--trap and isolated French armies (needed to defeat France before Russia's army was mobilized)\n--failed plan - after French and British victory in 1st battle of the Marne - Russia rapidly mobilized - 2 sides forced into TRENCH WARFARE\n--failed bc they were trying to quickly get to France before Russia mobilized...which they did more quickly than expected and attacked Germany on the other side - they add to abandon the western front and defend the east from Russia\n--this war also introduced the machine gun\n\n\nArmenian Genocide\n\ngermans were able to halt Russian advances and inflict heavy losses\n--Ottoman Empire helped and suffered heavy losses - which prompted it to massacre 1 million Armenians\n\nItaly, Greece and Romania joined the Allies - also recruited China 1917 and US - WW1 now involved every major state in the world\n--Bulgaria joined the central powers\n\n\nTurning point of the war 1917\n\nwar caused Tsar Nicolas II to create new social-democratic gov. - committed to carrying on the war (grew unpopular)\n\nRise of COMMUNIST BOLSHEVIK PARTY - of Vladamir Lenin\n--campaigned against cont. war - 1917 Nov. Lenin took over gov. with soldiers in St. Petersburg - after seizing power...began discussions with Germany and signed treaty to give about 1/3 of Russian population territory and resources to Germany so Russia could withdraw from war\n--Germans closer to achieving goals: LEBENSRAUM (living space) in industrialized Europe part of Russia\n\n\nUS joining WWI\n\nUS originally declared neutral at the start -- but during switched to the allied side - German sinking of the British ship, LUSITANIA (1915), Which killed 100+ Americans brought US to war\n--entrance of US provided resources for ALLIES to win war\n--ALLIES: Called for freedom of seas, natural powers, self-determination for all people and peace\n--US sent troops to France and defeated German adv.\n\n\nResults of the war\n\n--5 years after assassination of Franz Ferdinand\n--Germany lost overseas colonies - allies declared Germany responsibile for war and put military restrictions and reparation pmts. - debt\n\n--body of 58 global states as part of treaty of Versailles that would ensure world peace\n\n\nComplex underlain causes of the Great War (class notes)\n\nGreat War (1914-1918)\n1. Ascendency of Germany\n\n2. Entangling Alliances\n--triple Entente (later Allied powers) - Britain, France, and Russia\n--Central Powers: Germany and Austria-Hungary (eventually Ottoman Empire)\n\n3. Cult of the Offensive\n\n4. Decline of the Ottoman Empire\n\n5. The rise of nationalism in the empires of Central and Eastern Europe\n\n\nBattle of the Somme\n\nSomme offensive - one of the largest battles of WWI - July 1 thought November 1 1916 near Somme river in France\n--one of the bloodiest military battles in history\n--first day: British suffered 57,000 casualties - both allies and central powers lost more than 1.5 million men in the end\n--this battle was first great offensive for the British - Britain changed military tactics - Brit. and Fr. vs. Germany\n--meant to be a joint French and British operation\n--this changed from 2 years of trench warfare to the allies trying to break through German lines on the western front (Fr. and Brit. changing tactics to attack Germany)\n\n--U-boats, airplanes, chemical weapons\n\nalso Propoganda!!\n\n\nLieutenant John McCrae\n\nCanadian surgeon who fought in WWI\n--fought in Flanders, Belgium\n--wrote, \"In Flanders Fields\" - famous WWI poem - we often remember this poem on Memorial Day in the US\n\nWildred Owen is another famous poet - he died a week before WWI ended by a British Assault on Germany\n\nEarl Haig, Edinburgh castle,\nAberdeen memorial,\nAmerican doughboys\n\n\nOutcomes of the Great War\n\nnearly 70 million men fought in the war\n--8 million dead, 20 million wounded\n--civilians suffered from aerial bombardment, food shortages, and disease\n--around 800,000 die in the Armenian genocide\n--at least 20 million civilians die worldwide from influenza outbreak\n--psychological damage and the \"lost generation\"\n\n\n25. The interwar in Europe\n\nafter WWI, France and Britain struggled - huge DEBT\n--league of nations had mandate system - colonies were to be prepared for future independence\n\nBritain - shift from state control to market capitalism\n--also dependent on world trade (which decreased dramatically after war)\n--Britain also owed war debt $4.3 billion to US - Britain's ability to repay depended on Germany entire European Econ. system fragile in 1920s\n\nInterwar period: unemployment HIGH and investments low\n\n\nAutarky and mandates\n\nAutarky - condition of economic independence and self-sufficiency as state policy\n--Britain created by decreasing tariffs and world trade\n--to get out of depression - defect gov. spending - decreased tariffs, devalue currency - return to gold standard\n--Brit. also grew from 2 mil. sq. miles to 14 million - empire - imperial expansion to Middle East - rec. Arab provinces of Ottoman Empire (Fr. and Brit)\n\n--huge human and property loss during war\n--war had been fought with material borrowed from US and Britain - had to be paid\n--$ to repair came from increasing taxes, German reparations and German taxes\n--returned to the gold standard\n--supremacist nationalism\n\n--Quasi-colonies created by league of nations - mandated key territories of Ottoman Empire to Britain and France - eventually to turn into independent colonies\n\n\nGreat Depression\n\nglobal economic crisis that followed the crash of the NY stock exchange on Oct. 29, 2929 - resulted in massive unemployment and economic misery worldwide\n--sever in England\n\n\nWoodrow Wilson's 14 pts.\n\n(it was a reading assignment) - go READ IT\n\nThe 14 Points was a stmt. of principles for peace that was to be used for peace negotiations in order to end WWI\n--principles were outlined in a January 8, 1918 speech on war aims and peace terms to the United States Congress by Pres.Woodrow Wilson\n--failed bc did not call for harsh reparations of punishment against the Central Powers\n--the final point of the Fourteen Points called for a \"general association of nations\" that would prevent future conflict\n\npart of the points was the creation of the league of nations\n--designed to prevent future destructive wars - arms control and mutual defense guarantees\n\n\nMustafa Kemal Ataturk\n\n--born in the former Ottoman Empire\n--he was involved with the Young Turks, a revolutionary group that deposed the sultan in 1909\n--led the Turkish war for independence\n--signed the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923, which made Turkey a republic\n--served as Turkey's first president from 1923 until his death in 1938\n--implemented reforms that rapidly secularized and westernized the country\n\nmade sure Turkish parliament was open to pluralism - adopted the French model of separation of state and religion\n--European family law, Latin alphabet, western calendar, metric weights, modern clothing and women's suffrage\n--launched statism during Great Depression - Turkeys version of deficit spending\n\n\n1920s culture\n\nModel T assembly line\n--Jazz and cabaret\n--1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix\n--1930 World Cup, Uruguay\n--Flappers in Paris (French flappers were big)\n\n20s and 30s - lots of advertising\n\n\nJarrow Crusade 1936\n\n--200 men to march in protest from Jarrow to London\n\n\nJohn Maynard Keynes\n\n--during the 1930s in an attempt to understand the Great Depression..Keynes advocated inc. government expenditures and lower taxes to stimulate demand and pull the global economy out of the depression\n--capitalism is good - work for money, businesses hire and pay - they buy what they want to\n\n\nOutcome of great war leading into interwar period\n\n--war destroyed the German, Ottoman, Austio-Hungarian, and Russian empires\n--many new nation-states emerged in eastern and central Europe\n--spread of democracy and woman's suffrage\n--Treaty of Versailles, 1919 - war guilty clause/punishment of Germany\n\nGermany experienced HYPERINFLATION - banknotes were used as waste paper...used to light the stove\n\n\nParis peace conference (Versailles peace conference)\n\n--called the Big Four\n\nin Treaty of Versailles - forced Germany to accept responsibility for loss and damage to which Allied and associated gov. had been subjected to by war imposed upon them by aggression of Germany and her allies\n\nthe WILSONIAN MOMENT - book about Paris Peace conference when allies debated about a bunch of smaller nations who waited to see what their fate would be\n--India, Egypt, China and Korea\n--this led to third world liberation movements - influence and sparked wave of nationalism that is still resonating globally today\n\n\nleague of nations\n\npart of the points was the creation of the league of nations\n\nPalace of Nations is the home of the United Nations Office at Geneva, Switzerland\n--It was built between 1929 and 1938 to serve as the headquarters of the League of Nations\n\n--mandate system\n--Germany and Russia excluded from the league\n--no US either\n\n\n26. The Soviet Union\n\nCommunism arose out of QQI\n--Bolsheviks under Lenin triumphed in civil war and established union of Soviet Socialist Republics\n--Lenin's successor was Stalin - built Communist party - by WWII, Soviet Union joined ranks of industrialized powers\n\n\nVladimir lenin\n\nKarl Marx was the father of communism\n--lenin adapted Marxism to his circumstances -instill communist ideology in expanding working class\n--Lenin - middle class family - his brother was assassinated by Tsar Alexander II - let do his hatred for Russian Autocracy\n--fal of tsar gov. in 1917 - Lenin and Bolsheviks opportunity (included Stalin and Trotsky)\n\n\n\nNov. 1917 - staged coup d' état in Petrograd\n--minority group who took over gov. - \"red force\"\n--price for communist victory was economic collapse\n--Lenin taught \"War communism\" - red army to country to get food - Brutal methods\n\n\nJoseph Stalin\n\nLenin died 1924 - Stalin took his place\n--he had fought for 6 years against potential rivals - including Trotsky\n--he refried him into exile and had him assassinated in Mexico\n\nthought industrialization through Lenin's NEP (new economic policy) was too slow - to acceleration industrialization he started collectivization of agriculture\n--\"wealthiest\" farmers on grain-producing lands (Called Kulaks) were \"liquidated\" - selected for execution, removal to labor camps, or resettlement on inferior soils - property confiscated\n--btwn 6-14 million farmers forcibly removed (killed or starved to death)\n\n\n\nNew economic policy\n--helped society return to pre-war levels of industrial production\n--peasants fought against gov. - 1922 another civil war threats\n--he put in temporary NEP - micro of private and state investments in factories and small-scale food marketing by peasants\n\n3 Mausoleum's - monumental buildings after Lenin\n\n\n\nagricultural production decreases, food rations, wages decrease - confiscate wealth from KULAKS\n--used income from oil exports and grain exports to construct factories\n--1939 - industrialization at human cost\n\nintroduced the 1st 5-year plan\n--list of economic goals based on socialism--policy of collectivization!!\n--Kulak transit camps\n\nhuge famine in Kiev - many die\n\n\nFeb. and Oct. revolutions (soviet union)\n\nMoscow Bolshevik Uprising is the armed uprising of the Bolsheviks in Moscow\n--November 1917 during the October Revolution of Russia\n--It was in Oct., Moscow where the most prolonged and bitter fighting unfolded\n--leftist revolutionaries led by Bolshevik Party leader Vladimir Lenin launched a nearly bloodless coup d'état against the Duma's provisional gov.\n--led to introduction of Marxist socialism under Lenin\n\n\nTrotsky led the red army - Workers' and Peasants' Red Army\n--Trotsky called (Bronstein)\n\n--then huge change in physical culture\n\n\nGreat Terror\n\n--The leader of Communist Russia, Joseph Stalin, was paranoid of opposition. It was this paranoia that led to the Great Purge where millions of people were executed or sent to labor camps in Siberia\n--marks a period of extreme persecution and oppression in the Soviet Union during the late 1930s\n\n\nAppeal of the Soviet Union\n\n--planned economy\n--full employment\n--welfare state\n--racial equality\n--triumph of science and reason\n--promise of a better future\n\n\n27. Facism and Nazism\n(Benito Mussolini)\n\nAnother vision of modernity: supremacist nationalism\n--fascism - alternative to democracy and communism after WWI in Italy\n\nBenito Mussolini (1883-1945)\n--journalist for socialist newspapers\n--majority of socialists opposed war...yet he supported it\n--found Italian combat squad - war veterans dressed in black shirts who broke up communist rallies and strikes\n--symbol of movement was fasces (old Roman emblem of solidarity in form of bundle of sticks and ax, tied with ribbon) - there is evidence of fasces in US political imagery\n--fascist \"black shirts\" - breakdown law and order - anti communist and anti democracy\n--demanded march on Rome by 10,000 BLACK SHIRTS\n\n\nItalian fascism\n\n1923 - Mussolini led gov. in passing law that gave 2/3 of seats in parliament to party with most votes - later Il Duce won 2/3 and began to implement fascist corporate state\n--by 1926 - elections abolished, censored press, and secret police monitoring the population - all officials appointed from above\n--Catholicism became state religion - bc made deal with Vatican to support fascists\n\nItaly worked in Depression by deficit spending and state investments\n--Mussolini formed - industrial reconstruction institute - took over industrial and commercial holdings of banks that had failed earlier - revived Italian industrials\n\npolicy of Autarky - conquered Libya (former Ottoman colony), Ethiopia and merged Italian Entrea and Somalia into Italian East Africa\n--league of nations protested Ethiopia conquest\n--Mussolini felt isolated and tried to gain closer relationship with Nazi Hitler\n--together formed the Axis powers, later joined by Japan in 1941\n\n\nGermany struggles after WWI\n\nstruggled in transition from empire to republic after WWI - Weimar Republic took over\n--France waned Germ. divided into individual states again - Brit. and AM were opposed but forced Germ. to accept responsibility for war and make pmts. for reparation\n--huge hyperinflation in Germany - German mark became worthless\n--US created Dawes plan to advance credits to Euro. banks to refinance German reparation pmts.\n--after stock market crash of 1929 - US banks began to recall loans made to Euro. - Euro. banks began to fail, world trade dec., unemployment increase\n--many grew opposed to democracy and voted for extreme gov, (communists and supremacist nationalists)\n--the national socialist German workers' party (NSDAP/ Nazi) became largest party in Parliament - led by Hitler\n\n\nAdolf Hitler\n\nFailed uprising 1923 - went to prison\n--wrote Mein Kampf - blamed Jews for WWI and communists for the central powers losing the war\n--supported superior Aryan race and wanted \"living space\" principle\n--became chancellor - pres. allowed him to declare martial law\n--after making deal with Vatican, Hitler had power to rule for 4 years\n--response: abolished federalist structure, purged civil service of Jews, closed down all other parties, censorship laws, sent communists to camps\n--lots of support bc within 1 year unemployment down by 10% - did a lot for German economy\n--popular leader\n--incorporation of Austria into Nazi Germany alarmed British prime minister - Chamberlain\n\n\nNational Socialism and anti-semitism\n\nnational socialism\n--the political doctrine of the Nazi Party of Germany\n\nanti-semitism - hostility to or prejudice against Jews\n--these racist beliefs led many Jews to Palestine to escape riots\n--zionism - belief that European Jews, or all Jews, are entitled to national homeland corresponding to the territory of ancient Israel\n\n\nCommon features of \"totalitarian\" regimes\n\n1. rejection of real democracy\n--charismatic leaders and one-party rule\n\n2. state intervention in economy\n\n3. mass organizations employed for state purposes\n--people treated like a mobilized army\n\n4. large scale social welfare policies\n\n5. conflicted about WOMEN in public roles\n--equality proclaimed but so were gender roles\n\n6. curtailed civil liberties\n\n7. terror and violence used against enemies\n\n8. many admirers and would-be imitators in other countries\n\n\ndiff. between fascism and soviet style socialism\n\n1. ideology\n--national (often racial) vs. international\n--class harmony vs. class warfare\n--religious tolerance vs. state atheism\n\n2. private property and private enterprise vs. state control and state ownership\n\n3. benevolent vs. rapacious colonialism\n\n4. \"total control\" greater for soviets\n--even though it promised an eventual withering away of the state\n\n\ndiff. between fascism and soviet style socialism\n\n1. ideology\n--national (often racial) vs. international\n--class harmony vs. class warfare\n--religious tolerance vs. state atheism\n\n\n3. benevolent vs. rapacious colonialism\n\n4. \"total control\" greater for soviets\n\n\n28. The interwar in Asia\n\nmost important area for Britain and France after WWI was the Middle East - postwar peace terms gave Brit. and Fr. access to Arab provinces from former Ottoman Empire as MANDATES\n--but Arab leaders were strongly opposed\n--Britain made \"divide and rule\" policy in Middle eastern mandate\n--Brit. took control of India - protestors against Britain called for self-rule (Swarai) - urged NON-COOPERATION MOVEMENT - wanted \"direct democracy\" with complete independence from Britain\n\nSwaraj - Bal Gangadhar Tilak focsed on\n\n\nMohandas Gandhi\n\nadvocated nonviolence and self-rule\n--nonviolent civil disobediences\n--demanded complete independence - in Mar. 1930 - led 24-day SALT MARCH to sea with his followers to pan salt, which gov. had refused to free from taxation\n--Brit. gov. succeed at repressing national congress\n\nMUSLIM LEAGUE OF Muhammad Ali Jinnah\n--recognized as representative of the Muslisms (Brit. was reluctant to give up colonialism)\n\n--insistence on truth or truth-force\n--a policy of passive political resistance, especially that advocated by Mahatma Gandhi against British rule in India\n\n\n\nafter WWI, Jap. ruling class consisted of Samurai who retired and for first time commoners entered politics in Japan\n--formed 2 unstable conservative parties that represented small-bus. and landowner interests, but financed by big bus. cartels\n--worried about communist influence...created peace preservation law 1925 and anyone violating \"national essence\" in thought or action could be arrested\n--Tokko, secret services, made 70000 arrests btw 1925-45\n--law was turning pt. switching from liberalism to militarism\n--labor strikes in 1920s\n\n\nSupremacist nationalism in Japan\n\nabsolutism of emperor and right of jr. offices to refuse to execute parliamentary laws - led military to achieve dominance over parliament in 1930s\n\nGrowth of Chinese nationalist party (GDM) altered fragile balance of power among Japan's efforts to expand\n---Japan Kwangtung army blew up train in Manchuria, China 1928\n--Mukden incident in 31 - Jap. bombed railroad\n--Jap. politicians installed last Manchu Qingchin emperor, Pu-yi (Henry), and later Jap. forced moved from Manchuria to N China to invade\n\n\n\nQing Dynasty had failed to develop a sustained effort at reform in response to western challenge 1800s\n--Boxers rebellion 1900 - after radical groups begin to work on over throwing Qing\n\nleftist - communism, socialism, liberalism\n\nrightist - fascism, conservatism, capitalism\n\n\nSun Yet-sen\n\nimportant revolutionary figure -- began revolutionary alliance 1905\n--3 groups led uprisings that reduced Qing to small territory in N\n--Qing commander, Yuan Shi Kai, made deal to end Qing and give him Presidency of new republic\n--he threw sun to the side, even though he had done so much to begin revolution\n--remained an inspirational figure in China for nationalists\n\nknown for starting/leading the Guomindang - nationalist party (GMD)\n\n\nMay 4th movement\n\n1919 - decision by Allies at Versailles to allow Jap. to keep German territory in China it had seized at beg. of war\n--this movement is often cited as beg. of modern Chinese nationalism\n--inspired by Bolshevik revolution, Chinese communist party (CCP) was founded 1921\n\n1923, Sun's nationalist party reorganized and supplied with Soviet help\n--members of CCP joined 3rd communist international (comintern) -- which becomes the First United Front\n\n\nChiang K'ai Shek\n\nworked to UNIFY China - pretty much succeeded\n--lead army after Sun died 1925 - military officer trained in Nationalist party academy in Moscow\n--objective: unification of China\n--in middle, bonds btw GMD and CCP ruptured\n--Chiang was nervous of comintern and CCP motives...he launched a purge of communists in nationalist held areas\n--mild effects of Depression on China\n\n\nMao Zedong\n\nleftist - made his own socialist state - marxist revolutionary ideas - made rural communism\n--supported peasants - taught that landlords are enemies - led the \"people's war\" with three stages\n\n\nThe Long March\n\nChiang wanted to eliminate his internal opponents (Mao's Jiangxi Soviet) - tried to exterminate but Mao's group kept growing - Germany helped Chiang to eliminate communism\n--Red army with Mao leading (Oct. 1934) went on 6000 mile Long march from South to Beijing\n--communists knew Japan was planning an invasion and used war as propaganda - bc Chiang focused on internal issues, looked like he showed appeasement to Japan\n--nationalist leaders arrested Chiang, released as leader - china now at 2nd United front against Japan\n\nJapan won Marco Polo bridge - knew needed to win over China quickly - led Japanese military to do 1st major horror of WWII - Rape of Nanjing\n--200-300,000 people slaughtered and raped by Jap. military - foreshadowing of what would come of other cities\n--Chinese (nationalists and communists) all gathered in Chongqing city together to unite\n\n\nMarch 1st movement\n\n--March 1, 1919\n--in Seoul and soon spread throughout the country\n--Before the Jap. finally suppressed the movement 12 months later, approximately 2,000,000 Koreans had participated in the more than 1,500 demonstrations. About 7,000 people were killed by the Japanese police and soldiers\n--Though the movement failed to bring about its paramount goal of national independence, it was significant in strengthening national unity\n\n\nWWII and Nazi-Soviet pact\n\nHitler led Lebensroum (living space) in E Europe\n--needed to take Poland needed to convince Stalin that it was in best interest of Soviet and Germ. to share in division of E europe\n--signed. nonaggressions pact 1939 - Germ. invade Poland - which triggered declarations of war by Poland's allies (Brit. and Fr.) and WWII Egan in Europe\n--Germ. had to remove WWI problem (B AND E) so he attacked France next\n--France had prepared a highly militarized zone called the MAGINOT LINE on eastern side...but was ineffective as Germ. surprised and attacked from North through Belgium\n--\"BLITZKNEG\" - lightning war - fast, mobile conflict\n--attack from North and French troops fled to UK - Fr. surrendered and Hitler divided country into Germ. occupied part\n--Germ. failed in attacking Brit. bc poor airfare -\n\nalso bc WINSTON CHURCHILL replaced Camberlain as prime minister - his will during general battle of Britain was turning pt. in rallying Allied cause\n--which was a battle of air - Royal Air Force won\n\n\nStalingrad and Operation Barbarossa\n\nOperation Barbarossa - original name Operation Fritz, during World War II, code name for the German invasion of the Soviet Union\n--failure of German troops to defeat Soviet forces in the campaign signaled a crucial turning point in the war\n\nHitler surprised Stalin and invaded Soviet 1941 - Soviet initially losing but had better tans and 4x more people - trapped large # of Germans in Stalingrad - Soviet victory was turning pt. in European war\n--after was just Germany trying to retreat from each place\n\nUSSR successfully defended against Germany - turning pt. in favor of the allies in the war\n\n\nFinal solution\n\nGerm. Supremacist nationalist plan formulated by Hitler to annihilate the Jews through mass extermination - death of 6 Mil. Jews and 2/3 of Euro. Jews\n\nostarbeiters - Nazi German designation for foreign slave workers gathered from occupied Central and Eastern Europe to perform forced labor in Germany during World War II\n\n\nAllies aggressions WWII and atomic bomb\n\ntook 2.5 years, but adv. manpower and industrial capacity of US was detaining factor\n-used US and Brit. airfare to bomb - leaving German cities in ruins\n--Germany surrenders May 8, 1945 - VE victory in Europe day\n\nJap. expanding rapidly in Pacific\n--US pres. Harry Truman had 2 experimental atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki - Soviets then declared war on Jap. and Jap. knew they had lost - surrendered Aug. 1945\n\n\nDiff. gov. during war periods\n\nconstitutionalism and industrialization late 18th/19th century was most visible in Brit, US and Fr. - evolution of nations also involved MODERNITY - which inspired ethnic nationalism and rise of industrial working class (all before WWI)\n-after WWI - progressive and modern gov. of capitalist democracy, communism, and supremacist nationalist\n\nethnic nationalism\n--bef. with constitutionalism in B, US and Fr. - ideals of equality - Germ., Italy and Jap. elevated ethnic to supremacist nationalist and adopted imperialism\n--Russia: communism used ruins of WWI to turn underdeveloped nation into major industrial empire\n\ncapitalist democracy\n--free enterprise, market and consumerism - setback in Depression era (wanted new ideas)\n--withheld freedom and equality from minorities - comm. industrialized poor nations and provided basic needs of life\n\nsupremacist nationalism - attractive to nationalists afraid of communism - constitution was worthless\n\n\nMunich conference\n\n1938 - Hitler met with representatives of the heads of state from France, the United Kingdom, and Italy\n--settlement reached by Germany, Great Britain, France, and Italy that permitted German annexation of the Sudetenland in western Czechoslovakia - but he could not attack anywhere else\n--Chamberlain and Mussolini for Brit and Italy representing\n\nalso later the PACT OF STEEL - when Mussolini and Hitler agreed to work together to form Axis powers - signed to formalize Rome-Berlin alliance\n\n\nStepan Bandera\n\nUkrainian political activist and a leader of the nationalist and independence movement of Ukraine\n\nSoviet partisans were members of resistance movements that fought a guerrilla war against the Axis forces in the Soviet Union and the previously Soviet-occupied territories of interwar Poland\n\n\nVichy France\n\nVichy government of France after Germany defeated and occupied it at the beginning of World War II\n--Vichy, the capital, is a small city in central France - Vichy government was essentially a puppet of the Germans\n--france was divided into two\n--occupied zone by Germany (included Paris) - it was N zone\n--free zone - in south France that included Vichy\n\nGerman troops had rolled into the streets of Paris from the northwest today and swung triumphantly down the famous Champs Eylsees - went through and around the Arc de Tromphe\n\n\nGreater Eat Asia co-prosperity sphere\n\nPacific theater\n--Pacific Ocean theater, during World War II, was a major theater of the war between the Allies and the Empire of Japan\n--AM. GENERAL Douglas McArthur played large role in Pacific theater\n... In the other major theatre in the Pacific region, known as the South West Pacific theatre, Allied forces were commanded by US General Douglas MacArthur\n--after bombing pearl harbor - led to US concentration camps of anyone near pacific from Japanese descent\n--TOPAZ internment camp in Utah\n\nfirebombed Tokyo and atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki\n--Soviet invaded Manuchuria (Jap. occupied) - Jap. surrendered\n\n\nending the war\n\n--United States and allied troops invaded at Normandy. This was the largest air, land, and sea invasion in history. The goal was to surprise Germany, but Germany was ready to fight. It was the beginning of the end of World War II\n\n\ncauses of WWII\n\nRise of fascism and socialism in Europe and militarist dictatorship in Japan\n--German and Japanese ambitions to expand - nationalism and racial ideology a large part of this\n--cult of offensive remains intact thanks to new technologies\n\nGermany and Italy also helped with Spanish civil war in Spain - supporting the nationalists\n--war btwn nationalists and republicans\n\n\n\nmore global in scope than WWI and more deadly\n--55-50 million military personnel, including 5 million German soldiers dead\n--20-25 soviet dead\n--400,000 US soldiers\n--10 million chinese\n-5-6 million Jews\n\nresults of WWII\n--German and Japanese empires broken up\n--Anticolonial movements quickly press for nationalism self-determination\n--war crimes rob the west of claims to civilizational superiority\n--United Nations born to avert future wars\n--fascism discredited\n--Cold War emerges\n\n\n31. Holocaust (genocide definition)\n\n(UN) - \"the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group\"\n--case law has defined \"part\" as a substantial part of the group\n\n--destruction or slaughter on a mass scale, especially caused by fire or nuclear war\n\n--another term for the Holocaust\n--Hebrew for \"catastrophe\"\n\n--an organized massacre of a particular ethnic group, in particular that of Jews in Russia or eastern Europe\n\n\n\nCesare Lombroso - Italian physician - father of criminology\n--theory of the “born” criminal dominated European and American thinking about the causes of criminal behavior during the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth\n--book: criminal man\n--book: the female offender\n\n--according to Francis Galton - \"the study of all agencies under human control which can improve or impair the racial quality of future generations\"\n\n\nProtocols of the elders of zion\n\nFirst Zionist congress, Basel, 1897\n--World Zionist Congress established by Theodor Herzl, is the supreme organ of the World Zionist Organization and its legislative authority. It elects the officers and decides on the policies of the WZO and the Jewish Agency\n\nProtocols of the elders of Zion was a famous book\n--antisemitic fabricated text purporting to describe a Jewish plan for global domination\n\n\ntargets of Nazi cleansing campaigns (other than Jews)\n\n--order police - mainly in Poland Reserve Police Battalion 101\n\n--Jehovah's witnesses\n--Republican spaniards\n\n\n32. The Cold War - United Nations\n\nMany smaller countries struggle with influence of Cold War and decolonization\n--ethnic and religious conflict, superpower pressure, and nation building in competitive env.\n\nWWII - use of 1st atomic bombs, 50M deaths, most destructive war\n\n--conference, Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt discussed Europe's postwar reorganization. The main purpose of Yalta was the re-establishment of the nations conquered and destroyed by Germany\n\n--3rd of meetings btw 3 superpowers\n--agree on free elections in Eastern Europe - also blame Germany\n\n--replaced league of nations 19455 - 200 countries with general assembly meeting annually\n--security council with permanent members (US, FR, BRIT, RUSSIA, CHINA) and 5 rotating members\n\n\nCold War\n\nas world rebuilt from WWII ruins - US and Russia promoted their version of modernity: capitalist democratic and comm.\n--did not want direct confrontation so expansion and conflict through \"proxy\" states\n--russia wanted \"socialism in one country\" - now including E Euro. - wants to extend influence to Africa and Asia\n\ndon't know beg. of Cold War - tensions btw US and USSR rise with beg. of Bolshevik revolution - concerns of expanding communism\n--also 1945, Soviet army made secret deal with Brit. Churchill to give Greece to Brit. but Bulgaria and Romania to Russia (Germ. prev. occupied) - Churchill called \"iron curtain\" crossing Europe (growing communism)\n\n\nTruman doctrine\nMarshall plan\n\ncontainment policy - US policy 1946 to limit spread of comm. when possible - confrontations\n--taught by George F. Kennan - Am. diplomat\n--nikolai novikov was the soviet diplomat who wrote a telegram stressing the dangers of possible U.S. economic and military domination worldwide\n\nTruman doctrine - 47 policy 0 outline steps directed to prevent Greece and Turkey from becoming comm. - through military and Econ. aid\n\nMarshall plan - fin. program of $13B to support reconstruction of 17 Euro. economics - most aid to Fr. Brit, Italy and netherlands\n--Stalin rejected aid and forbade Hungary, Czech. and Poland to ask for it\n--needed free mkt and convertible currencies - so contradicted comm. central command economy idea\n\n\nBerlin Blockade\nWarsaw Pact\n\nMarshal plan also made people capable of fleeing to W part of Germany which irritated Stalin - set up highway/rail blockade of food/supplies to Berlin - US and brit. respond with Berlin airlift\n--gail halvorsen - candy bomber\n--GDR - German democratic republic (EAST)\n--FRG - Federal Republic of Germany (WEST)\n\nsoon military involve bc Soviet Inc efforts to build nuclear bomb - US now did not have advantage with nuclear weapons\n\nNATO - US created defensive alliance called North Atlantic Treaty Organization 1949\n\nRussia responds with Warsaw Pact - 1955 among eastern bloc states\n\nuse CIA for spy missions, eavesdropping, assassination plots and photographs\n\n\nKorean war\n\nElection of 1948 - dispute over holding separate elections in the south\n\njune 1950 - NK comm. troops attacked SK for forcible unification\n--UN branded NK an aggressor and uN intervened to help SK - fought through to Chin. border\n--Stalin aided Chin. to help NK and Chin. comm. pushed UN back\n--eisenhower did not want to use nuclear weapons - made agreement to stall fire with NK - no treaty ever signed\n\nJoseph McCarthy - Wisconsin senator - said he had list of members of comm. party - ruined careers and lives of 100s of gov. employees, celebrities and private people\n\n\nNikita Khrushchev\n\nE Germ = Stalin, W Germ = republic and berlin divided into E and W - E upset bc west experiencing economic boom and E had shortages and quotas - the worker begin uprisings and strikes\n--called the \"ECONOMIC MIRACLE\" - The Miracle on the Rhine, describes the rapid reconstruction and development of the economies of West Germany and Austria after World War II\n\nKhrushchev - succeeded Stalin - replaced Stalinists in \"Comm.bloc\" with new people to improve living conditions - he was tough to west, but supported all anti-colonial independence movements\n--reforms gave hope for change in E Europe\n--Hungary and Poland divided btw nationalist/reformers and stalinists\n--withdrew from Warsaw Pact - but forces intervened and stopped it\n\nSoviet tech. adv. - ICBM (1st intercontinental ballistic missile) - could reach Am.East Coast\n--and Sputnik - 1st orbiting sattelite - also sent Yuri Gagarin into space, first cosmonaut to go\n\n\nFidel Castro\n\n1959 - nationalist guerilla fighter opposed to Am. influence in countries with \"corrupt gov.\" seized power in Cuba\n--CUBA became symbol of Kroshchev gov. openness toward national liberation movements\n--soviet gave lots of $ to cuban economy - Castro embraced communism\n--Eisenhower and CIA worked to train anti-comm. dissidents, especially in gautemala to overthrow Castro\n--JFK took place and sent independent freedom fighters wit no direct US military support to CUBA - easily defeated - bay of pigs invasion\n\n61 - soviet built Berlin Wall - turned German democratic republic into a prison\n\n\nPostwar E Europe\n\nE Soviet bloc - adhered strictly to soviet policies and rigidly controlled by state central;ozatopm by comm. party in Moscow - secret police\n--industriliaztion inc. but shortages and rationing goods was common\n--soviet propaganda, media sensored, W culture condemned\n\n1st direct confrontation US and Soviet was 1962 - US spy plane discovers missiles in Cuba - JFK orders destruction and naval blockade so Russia could not send more to Cuba\n--Russia recalled ships and Kennedy removed missiles from Turkey\n--signed the NUCLEAR TEST BAN TREATY 1963 - ban above ground testing of nuclear weapons\n\nKIRCHEN DEBATE - VP Nixon and Khrushchev debate about capitalism and communism in the middle of a kitchen 1959\n\n\nEnd of cold war\n\nresult victory for democracy and capitalism\n--despite nuclear ban treaty, US and Soviet still enemies - both cont. to upgrade tech. and weapons\n\n--60s/70s - French word for \"release of tension\"\n--downplaying of overt aggression and pursuit of competition through diplomatic, social, and cultural means\n--in end, Soviet's resources were not sufficient to outlast west\n--detente ends with Egyptian and Syrian attack on Israel - Arab-Israel conflict beg. - soviet support OPEC oil boycott on US - Soviet also support N Vietnam final push to take S Vietnam after us withdrew forces\n\n\nSoviet Failures in Cold war\n\n1. Sino-Soviet split 1960 (took our aid from China)\n2. Berlin wal was propaganda failure\n3. backing down in cuban missile crisis - led Soviet's to oust Khrushchev as leader - the soviet Politburo released ear\n\nto be at peace\n1 treaty - discourage development of nuclear weapons\n2. additional protection and security for missile defense\n3. direct telephone link btwn White House and Kremlin so could warn if accident or false attack signal\n\n\nPrague spring\n\nLeonid Brezhnev took Khrushchev place in Soviet - lots of dissent in his era, as many countries wanted relaxed attitude on criticism of regime, market reforms, attention to consumer demands, and limited trade with west\n\nprague spring\n--1968 - dissent in direct force in Czech. - Alexander Dubcek came to power - wanted decentralized admin. structure, relaxed censorship, opposition political parties\n-under Breszchnev - sent Warsaw Pact forces to oust Dubcek and install Husak to replace and end reforms\n\nBrezhnev doctrine\n--ended dissent for a time\n-right of Soviets and Warsaw Pact to forcibly restrain any member country attempting to abandon alliance with soviet union\n\n\n2nd wave feminism\n\n60s and 70 - 1st wage achieved suffrage\n--Cold War inspired movement for equality in gender\n--remove restrictions on reproduction and sexual freedoms - dec. laws on contraception and abortion\n--also push for equal pay for equal work and social freedom to pursue careers outside the home\n\nSimone de Beauvoir\n--laid the foundation for modern feminism\n\nBetty Friedan\n--The Feminine Mystique (1963),\n--explored idea of women finding personal fulfillment outside of their traditional roles\n--adv. women's rights movement as one of the founders of the National Organization for Women (NOW)\n\n\nSupranational organizations\n\ninternational group or union in which the power and influence of member states transcend national boundaries or interests to share in decision making and vote on issues concerning the collective body\n--example UN\n--International monetary fund\n--world bank\n--general agreement on tariffs and trade\n--European coal and steel community\n\n\nEuropean coal and steel community\n\n1952 - (ECSC), administrative agency established by a treaty\n--designed to integrate the coal and steel industries in western Europe\n--original members of the ECSC were France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg\n\nMcDonald's peace theory\n--indicative of how trade could cause peace\n--two countries with McDonalds will not go to war\n\n\nthe thaw\n\nThaw in the Cold War: Eisenhower and Khrushchev at Gettysburg. Perhaps a change of scene would make a difference. Dwight D. Eisenhower and Nikita Khrushchev, opposing leaders of the United States (U.S.) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) at the height of the Cold War in 1959, had reached an impasse\n\n\nRed army faction (Baader-Meinhof Gang)\n\nRed army Faction (Germany)\n-- West German radical leftist group formed in 1968 and popularly named after two of its early leaders, Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof\n--Baader-Meinhof Gang\n--kidnapped Hanns Martin Schleyer 1977\n\nRed Brigade (Italy)\n\n\n33. East Asia after WWII\n\nAsia experience rapid pop. growth and urbanization - although political independence in America...Asia still had dominant colonialism - Brit and Fr. had holds so all independence movements failed at 1st\n\n\nChina and Great Leap fwd\n\npeasant based economy - Mao interpreted marxism and China depended on aid of Stalin - with Khrushchev, Soviets withdrew all advisors from hina\n--WWII ends with severed alliance of comm. under Mao Zedong and nationalists under Chiang K'ai Seek - comm. at advantage\n--the US withdrew, hyperinflation, Chiang fled and China became New People's Republic of China by Mao vision and modern communism - \"China stood up\"\n\nno opposing parties - if \"rightist\" beliefs - forced \"reeducation\" in prisons - focus on agriculture and land reforms\n\nGreat leap forward\n--rapidly transform Chin from agrarian economy to socialist society - rapid industrialization and collectivization\n--failed - peasants land confiscated and MAJOR famine - 30 M died\n\nWWII many counties I ruins - varieties of communism - underdeveloped and in poverty - looking to examples of communist countries (China and Soviet) showed poor countries could quickly become rich and powerful (capitalism was uncertain) - also Marx claims capitalism and imperialism causes underdevelopment\n\n\nGreat Proletarian Cultural revolution in China\n\nMao calls on the youth to rededicate themselves to a continuous revolution\n--Cultural revolution - socio-political movement by Mao that purged remnants of capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society and reimposed Maoist thought at the dominant ideology within the communist party\n--students formed squads of red guards and attacked their teaches, bosses and elders - millions of red guards met in Beijing where Mao addressed them in TIANANMEN SQUARE\n--bruned Buddhist statues\n--when cultural revolution officially over, millions were murdered by red guars - led country to chaos - cultural revolution led to a civil war so Mao declared it over\n\nwhen Mao died - set up new open door policy to western expertise - study abroad - allow mkt. forces of capitalism to encourage innovation - \"responsibility system\" - experiments of capitalism - market incentives - rapidly approached self-sufficiency by 80s, surpluses in 90s and 2010 surpassed Japan as 2nd largest economy in the world -GDP double digits!!\n\n\nTiananmen Square massacre\n\npro-democracy protest took place in Beijing after death of leader Hu Yaobang 89\n--People's army shot the protestors - massacre\n--today still don't know the number killed\n\nPeople's revolution ARMY - Beijing\n--People's Liberation Army, Unified organization of China's land, sea, and air forces. It is one of the largest military forces in the world\n--Nanchang Uprising of the communists against the Nationalists\n--initially called the Red Army, it grew under Mao Zedong\n\n\nVietnam War\n\nVietnam had constitution and president in office after former President was overthrown\n--had US support, but gov. had complaints of corruption and no popular support...fell to communists 1975\n--64 - US supported S Vietnam naval rid on 2 N Vietnamese islands provoked N Vietnam retaliation with torpedo boats against American ships in Gulf of Tonkin\n--1968 - N attacked South Vietnamese capital - Am. and SV attacked back - it was seen as ineffective, loss and many Americans did not want to participate - Pres. Nixon world too negotiate to end war - Am. exit left SV to become united with NV under communist rule\n\nbattle of Saigon - final\n\n\nKhmer Rouge\n\nCambodian revolutionary group\n--most of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos was devastated after fighting and bombing\n--communists in the dominant ethnic group Khmers launched radical program of urban depopulation, forced labor, and mass killing against religious and political opponents - 1/3 of countries pop. killed as a result\n--Pol Pot lead genocides - Vietnam invaded and then China invaded Vietnam in response\n\n\nEconomic developments in Jap. and SK\n\nHideki Tojo war crimes trial\n--Japanese prime minister - chief of staff in Manchuria\n--as prime minister, Tojo approved the attack on Pearl Harbor and was responsible for all aspects of the war effort\n\n\nEconomic developments in Jap. and SK\ndomino theory\n\nHideki Tojo war crimes trial\n--Japanese prime minister - chief of staff in Manchuria\n\ndominio theory\n--the theory that a political event in one country will cause similar events in neighboring countries, like a falling domino causing an entire row of upended dominoes to fall\n\nJapan rec. new constitution in 1947\n\n\nHo Chi Minh\nDeng Xiaoping\n\nHo Chi Minh\n--Nationalist revolutionary Ho Chi-Minh was president of North Vietnam from 1954 to 1969. He ranks among the most famous and influential politicians of the 20th century\n--travelled to southern China to organise a revolutionary movement among Vietnamese exiles, and in 1930 founded the Indo-Chinese Communist Party (ICP). He spent the 1930s in the Soviet Union and China\n--Battle of Dien Bien Phu was the decisive engagement in the first Indochina War\n--significant turning point in Indochina. The battle was fought between the French and the Vietminh (Vietnamese Communist and nationalist). The French wanted to reclaim Vietnam as one of their colonies, while the Vietnamese wanted their independence\n--lots of French POW after this battle\n--HO CHI MING declared Vietnamese independence on day of Jap. surrender - helped draft Vietnamese declaration of independence\n\nDeng Xiaopig\n--Chinese communist leader, who was the most powerful figure in the People's Republic of China from the late 1970s until his death in 1997\n\n\n34. Decolonization in South Asia and Africa\n\nIndian partition\n\nafter WWI nationalist forces arose - war had diminished holdings of Fr. and Brit. in several colonies - they were seeking independence from Brit. and French and individually rec. it - major countries each began to decolonize\n\nGhandi wanted an Indian nation with a constitution that would trump any ethnic or religious identities...but Muslims wanted religious nationalism and a separate state to themselves...same with Hindus\n--Brit. negotiators listened to Islamic religious nationalists and accepted independence with partition\n--India and Pakistan became separate independent countries\n--quickly had to relocate to new homes....300,00 Indians died in the violent process - included Ghandi who was killed by an assassin\n\n\nJawaharlal Nehru\n\nIndia's first prime minister - worked to tie subcontinent's disparate constituencies together into a united gov.\n-local princes surrender their realms to the national gov.\n--adopted Brit. court systems and parliamentary - new modern gov. of socialism\n--adopted 5 year plan of development in India. - agriculture and industrialization\n--inc. famine and poverty problems\n\nNehru argued that poverty could only be overcome by rapid industrialization by state and its financial power\n\n\nnon-aligned movement\n\none of the most momentous events in post war efforts was dismantling of colonial empires from western powers and their becoming new nation states\n--problems with poverty, developmental gaps and ethnic/religious conflicts\n--25 prev. colonial countries met int a conference 1955 in Indonesia\n--agreed on Afro-asian solidarity and cooperation and opposed colonialism by Amy country\n--adopted a 10point declaration of world peace and cooperation\n\nbecame official policy of India - still in existence today\n--sought to maintain neutrality in the Cold War and was successful in maintaining its own course independent from western and Soviet blocs\n\nIndia took a capitalist democratic constitutionalism with private property and guided socialist state investments\n\nNON ALIGNE MOVEMENT - an international, anti colonialist movement that promoted the interests of countries not aligned with the superpowers\n\n\nKwame Nkrumah\n\nLeader of Ghana\n--Brit. decided to decolonize and they sought independence - supported nationalist groups that adopted Brit. inspired constitutions and abided by British rules\n--Ghana - healthy economy and vital middle class\n--Nkrumah was huge advocate for African independence\n--2 years into his rule...he discarded the original independence constitution and created a mew republican constitution, removing the country from British Commonwealth\n--one year later he turned to socialist state planning\n--lader changed Ghana to one party state with Nkrumah himself a leader for life\n--eventually too much foreign debt an CIA and army ousted Nkrumah 1966\n\n\n\nMau Mau movement\n\nin face of British opposition, African nationalists formed the Mau Mau movement, resorted to aterrorist attacks on British states\n--first instated in Kenya - finally granted independence\n\n\nPatrice Lumumba\n\nCongo - colonized by Belgium - revolutionist argued with each other - some were nationalists and some supported centralized state\n--Patrice Lumumba founded the urban and mine work erased National Congolese Movement - wanted a centralized constitutional nationalism that transcended ethnicity, language and religion\n--Belgium wanted to cont. as was..but after riots put Lumumba in prison - later released, national elections had centralists won - Lumumba became prime minister and Congo became independence with a new president\n--internal problems and Lumumba turned to UN for help...UN restored order - then Lumumba turned to soviet for help - worried about Cold War beg. in Africa and that lumumba was new Castro\n--Belgian and Am. gov. intervened (to avoid spread of comm.) and Lumumba removed\n\n\nJoseph Mobutu\n\nreplaced Lumumba as prime minister of Congo - became a dictator of Congo and was close ally of US during his power - worked with Nixon\n--he had Lumumba arrested and executed\n\nafter decolonization and independence movements Africa...the problem turned to be development - hard bc so many examples to turn to and adopt...normally applied same principles of their former colonial regimes...used when they were colonies\n---diff. also bc they were competing in markets for these products against so many other former colonies at same time\n\nRobert Mugabe\n\n\n\nSystem of social and legal segregation by race enforced by the gov. of South Arica from 1948 - 94\n---used in South Africa bc lots of settlers there from the colonies they came from!\n--this relegated blacks to a legal second-class status\n\nit was opposed by several black political organizations - liked ANC - African National Congress - campaigned for ending Apartheid\n--international boycotts - communism collapsed and new president worked to dismantle apartheid\n--ANC was legalized and became South Africa's largest political party - led by NELSON MANDELA (who had been inprisoned for almost 3 years) - 91 all apartheid laws repealed, 92 racial equality in voting\n--94 first multiracial elections held and Mandela became president of new South Africa.\n\n\nAlgerian war of independence\n\nfrom France\n--movement for independence began during World War I (1914–18) and gained momentum after French promises of greater self-rule in Algeria went unfulfilled after World War II (1939–45). In 1954 the National Liberation Front (FLN) began a guerrilla war against France and sought diplomatic recognition at the UN to establish a sovereign Algerian state\n--Charles de gaulle was leader of France\n\nNational Liberation front (FLN)\n--political party in Algeria\n--ought to reconcile the warring factions of the nationalist movement and to wage war against the French colonial presence in Algeria\n\n\n35. radicalism in third world\n\nLatin Am.\nrapid pop. growth after war\n--massive rural pop,, large middle class, limited industrialization\n--hurt by dec. commodity export markets in depression - but no impact from WWII bc not involved - large growth in urbanization but also inc. in poverty levels\n\nthese countries gained their independence in 2 waves\n1. after WWI due to local pressures\n\n2. during Cold War - as each realized Brit. and Fr. could not hold their colonies in a world dominated by America and the Soviet Union\n\n\nPartition of Palestine 1947\n\nWWII ended and Palestine diff. for Britain\n--Palestinian-Zionist impasse - Britain turned question on Palestine independence to UN\n--developed partition plan and Israel later declared independence too\n\n--was a signed stmt. that Britain would help establish a Jewish home in Palestine\n\n\nGamel Abdel Nasser\n\nEgyptian Colonel - bitter toward Egyptian royalty and landowner who supported them - bc netter had done much for the country to support during the war\n--\"free officers\" led by Nasser took power, closed down parliament and sent king to exile - bloodless and little reaction in streets\n--Nasser made himself President\n--muslim nation in Egypt\n\n\nthe 6 day war\n\nFor Palestinian Arabs...the rise of Israel was \"the disaster\" - 1000s were displaced since 1948 and waiting to return\n--during Cold War, Arabs saw Israel as Arab territory\n--Arab nationalism resembled socialism and Soviet's supported\n\nYasir arafit formed the PALESTINE LIBERATION ORGANIZATION (PLO) who began guerrilla war against Israel\n--Egypt closed the Gulf to Israel shipping - prevented importing of Oil\n--the Pres. Nasser relied on secret information\n--local Muslim forces called on war with Israel\n\nJune - Israel attacked Arab forces and had overwhelming advantage in numbers - took out Arab armor and ground troops in six-day war - conquered West Bank, Golan heights, and Sinai peninsula - the territories belonging to Jordan, Syria and Egypt\n--Israel was in state of expansion\n\nMuslims later attacked on Israel holy day, Yom Kippur - Israel defeated Aran armies - cease fire called by UN - but US and Soviet were supporting both sides - Arab oil producers and Iran launched oil embargo on US - increased gasoline prices in US\n\n\n\nlater moved base from Jordan to Lebanon\n--Lebanon was politically Christian dominant but pop. dominant as muslim (divided into Shiite and Sunni)- this led to a war between Christians and PLO - later evolved to Christians vs. Muslims and Christians were losing\n\n\nIranian Islamic Revolution\n\nShah Reza Pahlavi - was driven into exile by urban demonstrations\n--he had held a monarchy and started the white revolution - to bring agricultural reforms and inspire industrial growth\n\nKhomeini took power after returning from exile - reeled on The Islamic Government book to stage Iranian revolution\n--he ruled by the Quran and Islamic tradition - Iranian women follow dress code, men and women are gender segregated\n--have constitution for elections for President...but ultimate authority goes to a \"spiritual guide\" who is selected\n\nIran hostage crisis\n--52 US diplomats and citizens held hostage for 444 days from 1979- 1981\n\n\nSaddam Hussein\n\nduring Iranian revolution - he was president of Iraq and decided to invade the oil rich Khuzistan\n--started the Iran-Iraq war - UN eventually intervened and Pres. Jimmy Carter ended it\n\n\nPresident Salvador Allende\n\n60s - Latin America had achieved independence but had economical worries\n--US had fought and enforced elections in Nicaragua (Jacobo Árbenz was 2nd democratic elected president) and El Salvador\n--Salvador Allende was president of Chile - he had many opposing ideas to Chile - and Nixon and CIA supported his opposers and had him removed\n\n\nCuban revolution and the Argentine dirty war\n\n--Che Guevara was a communist in Argentina - he was a military advisor to Castro in Cuban revolution\n--Cuban revolution ended in overthrow of Gov. - placed Castro as leader of comm. Cuba\n\nArgentine dirty war\n--Juan Peron was president of Argentina and wanted Peronist movement - back to ideas his political ideas\n-the war was initiated by military junta that overthrew authoritarian regime of the perons in Argentina\n-real and alleged leftist Argentinians were kidnapped, imprisoned and killed - victims called the \"disappeared\"\n--still searching for man y tortured, killed disappeared people - and those who led this act are in prison today\n\n--Group in PERU who wanted to overthrow the democratic gov. and replace with communism\n\nJose Figueres Ferrer - was president of Costa Rica\n\n\nOutcome of 60s to 91\n\nat first Cold War had contest btwn capital democracy and various forms of communism-socialism\n--in end, bc of US power ninth west - Soviet worn down\n-China changed from radical leftist programs to capitalist style of market economics\n--many countries looking for a mixture of the 2 o a 3rd alternative\n--Soviet adopted democratic political values and introduced capitalism\n--culture and ideology played large role in growth of Latin America and Africa - believed progress was possible and made great strides - almost allAsian countries developed and grew\n\n\nIsrael-Arab wars\n\nArab-Israeli war 1947-8\n--established Israel as an independent country\n\n56 Suez canal\n--Israel briefly seized Sinai Peninsula and Gaza strip\n\n67 - 6 day war\n--Israel defeated Egypt, sYRIA AND jORDAN\n--rec. sinai peninsula, gaza strip, West Bank and Golan Heights\n\n73 - Yom Kippur War\n--Israel defeats a Arab coalition\n\n\nChador - traditional garment worn by women\n--Burqa - full veil and coverage worn that hides eyes and entire head and face\n\n\nBanana republic\n\nbanana republic\n--In political science, the term banana republic describes a politically unstable country with an economy dependent upon the exportation of a limited-resource product, e.g. bananas, minerals (Honduras)\n\nPope John Paul II - Became first ever non-Italian pope in 1978\n\n\n36. end of Cold War - Afghan - Soviet war\n\nmade agreement called START to end US and Soviet development of nuclear weapons and decrease some of them\n\n--1979 - Soviet invaded Afghanistan and put in Communist leader with massive military force to back him up\n--Pres. Ronald Reagan - began developing Strategic Defense initiative called \"star wars\" to work on missiles and defense - strategic arms race with Russia'\n--but cost of Afghanistan war and arms race was too much for Russia\n\n1972 - Nixon visited China - open relations with China to gain leverage over Soviet Union\n\n\nMichael Gorbachev\n\nReplaced Brezhnev\n--called for large reforms: bc facing costly Afghan war, arms race, inefficient economy\n--launched two economic programs:\n\n1. PERESTROIKA - \"restructuring\" of soviet bureaucracy and economic structure in attempt to make it more efficient and responsive to market demand\n--factories could see to market...not give all to state - did not work as intended...still shortages - but led way to rise of capitalism\n\n2. GLASNOST - \"openness\" - attempt to loosen restrictions on media in Soviet Union with aim of more accurate reporting of events and creation of socialist pluralism\n\n\nLech Walesa and fall of communism and Berlin Wall\n\n--all countries in Soviet Bloc were in heavy debt from oil imports - Russia oil price collapsed and debts worsened - protest in each of the companies\n\nCommunist party in Poland permitted first free elections in over 40years and Lech Wales was elected Poland's first president 1990 - solidarity won in Poland\n\nlater GDR East Ger, protests led to fall of Communism and Berlin Wall in the same night 1989\n\nby 89 - most of the 15 states occupied by Soviet had declared independence and freed from communism - Gorbachev agreed with state presidents\n\nSoviet Union ended on Christmas qDay 1991 - replaced by commonwealth of Independent states\n\n\n\nOn April 26, 1986, the world's worst nuclear accident happened at the Chernobyl plant near Pripyat, Ukraine, in the Soviet Union. An explosion and fire in the No. 4 reactor sent radioactivity into the atmosphere. ... Plant operators made several mistakes, creating a poisonous and unstable environment in the reactor core\n--is the only accident in the history of commercial nuclear power to cause fatalities from radiation - soviet error\n\n\nReykjavik Sumit 1986\n\nThe Reykjavik summit meeting between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev on October 11-12, 1986 has remained in history as a near successful attempt of leaders of nuclear powers to agree on complete elimination of nuclear weapons\n--Mikhail Gorbachev won nobel peace prize in 1990\n\n\nafter Soviet fell and communism destroyed - US was superpower\n\n1. bc US dollar functioned as currency for all oil sales and purchases\n2. its giant consumer economy - US functioned as world's favored destination for manufactured goods\n--US became country to which everyone wanted to export - US had helped lots of countries in Asia to develop - thinking if they were prosperous they would be less susceptible to communism\n\nAmerica became leader in High tech industry - introduced IT (info. tech.) so cell phones, music, entertainment and services in hands of consumers\n\nGLOBALIZATION process - Bill Clinton - many countries still displayed protectionism - low consumption of goods which hurts global trade - globalization is process of integrating norms of market economies throughout the world and binding economies into a single uniform system\n\nUS trying to help by the motto \"stabilize, privatize and liberalize\" to emerging nations\n\n\nUS wars in Iraq and Afghanistan\n\nnational security wanted to prevent countries from establishing dominance in a region and destroy terrorism against US\n--Saddam Hussein occupied Kuwait and sought dominance over middle eastern oil exports - George bush and UN sent US troops to Iraq\n--UN and US stopped Saddam Hussein's efforts to acquire nuclear and chemical weapons - they were successful in destroying but Hussein did his best to pretend he still possessed them\n--Bush sent in forces to invade and inspect - Iraq fell quickly and found no weapons\n\n--US also responding to rise of Muslim terrorism\n--AL QUADA (\"the base\") under leadership of Osama Bin laden emerged as principle international terrorist group\n--Al Quada campaign climaxed on 9/11 when suicide commandos hijacked 4 commercial airlines and crashed in to world trade centers twin towers in NYC, Pentagon outside Washington DC and field in Penn.\n--US troops invaded Afghanistan in response - tried to eliminate Bin Laden, who was protected by the Israel Taliban - drove al Qaida terrirusts terrorists to Pakistan - took 10 years to track down Bin Laden and kill him (2011)\n\n\nRwandan civil war\n\n90s and 2000s the UN fulfilled vital peace missions\n--but failed in Rwandan civil war 1994 - peacekeeping troops serving under UN stood by has HUTU ethnic majority massacred the Tutsi ethnic minority\n\n\nVladimir Putin\n\nrussia defaulted in internal bonds and external loans\n--GDP dropped by half in 1990s\n--Vladimir Putin became president of Russia - autocracy - Russia still years from market rules and comprehensive market economy\n--Putin curtailed civil rights - restricted press freedom and made it diff. for NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS (NGOs) and human rights movements to operate in Russia\n--when Ukrainian president was overthrown 2014 - Putin seized opportunity to seize Crimea Ukraine\n\n\ntwo recessions in West and economic inequality\n\n1. dot-com crise - 2001-3 bc speculations of expansion of the internet\n2. 2008-11 - collapse of housing market\n\neconomic inequality\n--many white workers lost jobs in 2nd recession - huge gap in classes\n\nnow had fear of Islamism - reformed Sunni or Shiite islam of 20th century to. define all institutions of the state and society\n\n\nCivil war I Yugoslavia\n\nWent through economic collapse like Russia\n--communism was main ideology in Yugoslavia until 1980s - the country had borrowed heavily from western countries to keep industries from collapsing during oil price slump\n--led to religious nationalist hatred - led by small ethnic groups - Serb supremacist nationalist wanted to \"Cleanse\" minorities from greater Servian territory\n--UN and US worked to stop them from murdering muslims and Albanians\n--separete to 5 Yugoslavia states of capitalism and democracy - struggling\n\n\n\nIt was the Islamic Resistance Movement\n--short term goal was to liberate Palestine, including modern-day Israel, from Israeli occupation\n--long-term aim sought to establish an Islamic state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea\n\nIsrael was at peace in 94 with Arab neighbors Egypt and Jordan\n--but gov. had to protect from Hostile guerrilla attacks - built a border fence on Gaza Strip 2005\n=--Hamas ruled Gaza and split with PLO - Israel invaded Gaza which destroyed a lot of Palestinian pop. in Gaza - but Hamas was not defeated\n\nNew President in Iran, Hasan Rouhan - signed treaty with US and UN 2015 to sirgn nuclear deal dand stop building nuclear bombs for 15 years\n\n\nArab Spring 2011\n\nPrior to this, Turkey was cited model for compatability of Islam and democracy in middle east\n--but Arab nations went under constitutional revolutions - Egypt\n--Mohamad Bouazizi set himself on fire in act of despair by humiliations inflicted on him by Tunisian policewoman - his death led to several peaceful democratic revolutions called Arab Spring\n--pro-democracy protests - carried about by social networking sites (Twitter, FB, YouTube) - internet is a product of the Cold War\n--gained power but could not translate it into electoral victories\n--elections each brought Islamist parties to power\n\nin Syria - hoped of Arab spring crushed immediately\n--led to civil war in Syria by pro-democracy protestors\n\nTHE FIRST INTIFADA - Was uprising of Palestinians against Israeli occupation of West Bank - Israel kills many Palestinians\n\n--Second Intifada started in September 2000, when Ariel Sharon made a visit to the Temple Mount, also known as Al-Haram Al-Sharif, an area sacred to both Jews and Muslims. ... It is the holiest site in Judaism and it is the right of every Jew to visit the Temple Mount\n\nISIS - Islamic state in Iraq and al-Sham\n--pristine Islam of Quran and Sunna\n--brutality - led by former Al Qaeda operative - built a state in NE Syria\n--ISIS troops attacked Iraq 2014 -\n\n\nglobal and industrial changes\n\n1800 - Britain was only country embarking on industrialization - now 196 independent countries in the world are industrialized or on the way - the obstacle is poverty - or ignorance and lack of education in poor countries\n--also debate on global warming - many claim greenhouse gases are to blame - chemical compounds and carbon dioxide in the air - don't know of global warming is natural phenomenon or human produced - this may destroy ice caps as they melt and lead to overflowing in ocean levels rise - cover islands and coasts - droughts\n\nChina accepted industrialization by expanding middle classes, investment and innovation\n--but did not allow multiparty system\n\n\nterror attacks in Europe\n\nMoscow theater attack 2002\n\nMadrid train bombings\n\nBerlin school attack\n\nbombings and shootings\n\nFrankfurt airport\n\n\nCharlie Hebdo attacks 2015\n--attacks in Paris\n\nNovember paris attacks 2015\n\nBastille day attacks 2016\n\nBrussels bombings 2016\n\n\ndevelopment of human rights\n\n--individual freedom\n--anti-torture/anti-slavery movements\n\n--rise of nationalism trumps human rights\n-Horror ofWW1/Holocaust\n-UN declaration of 1948\n\n\nSupranational organization and nongovernmental organization\n\n--ogranization of sovereign states united for same purpose - UN. NATO\n--NAFTA - The North American Free Trade Agreement, abbreviated NAFTA, is an agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico that eliminated tariffs and duties on trade between the three countries\n\nNongov. organization (NGO)\n--a non-profit organization standing outside the sphere of gov. devoted to a particular cause\n---International Red Cross (Nobel peace prize 3 years)\n--amnesty international (1977 NPP)\n--Doctors without borders (1971 NPP)\n--Human rights watch\n\n\nBiafran conflict\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9082769155502319}
{"content": "12/31/2015 10:06 am ET Updated Dec 06, 2017\n\nAction on Climate Change Creates a Circle for Health and Economic Growth\n\n\nJoint comment: Incoming chairwoman of Gavi Alliance Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and WHO Assistant Director General Dr Flavia Bustreo\n\nWith climate finance as a key lever in the Paris accord, countries concerned with the costs of a low-carbon development pathway may borrow a page from the playbook of health finance experiences. Societies that invest in low carbon growth will likely emerge as those with the healthiest and most productive workforce according to our authors.\n\nAs negotiations in Paris drew to a resolution earlier this month, developing countries' concerns about having carbon \"space\" for development and the notion of \"differentiated responsibilities\" for cutting carbon emissions were common refrains. Similarly, fulfilment of a pledge by developed countries to invest at least $100 billion annually in low-carbon and renewable technologies needed by developing countries is regarded as essential to the agreement's future success.\n\nNow that the treaty has been signed, however, some broader reflections on its economic implications might be useful drawing from experiences and lessons learned in a linked, but still under-recognized arena of climate impacts, and that is the health sector.\n\nIts apparent that health and climate are inextricably linked. The same inefficient fuel and energy technologies driving CO2 emissions are also driving a rising toll of air pollution emissions - which stands at some 7 million premature deaths every year. Tens of thousands of people die every year from direct climate impacts, including heat exposures, severe weather, drought and under-nutrition, and climate-sensitive diseases. And those numbers will rise sharply in the face of inaction, posing huge costs for developed and developing economies.\n\nBut what's equally important - and yet often ignored - is that countries that take the most assertive action to reduce climate pollutants of all sorts - short and long-lived - may also benefit the most health-wise, socially, very immediately, and in terms of their economic growth.\n\nStart with the basics\nLet's start with the basics. Healthy workers are generally more productive than unhealthy ones, and thus healthy populations support economic growth. Between 2000 and 2011, almost one quarter of real income growth in low- and middle-income countries resulted from a healthier population and workforce.\n\nMuch of this gain can be traced to the huge new investments in key disease control campaigns over the past several decades - including dramatically stepped-up access to vaccines, anti-retroviral treatment for HIV/AIDs, and antimalarials. These investments led by the global health sector included reduced prices for essential medicines, vaccines and medical technologies, deemed essential to combat diseases that stunted and threatened development in low- and middle-income countries, and even globally.\n\nSuch investments proved to be highly cost-effective because of the lives saved and the disease toll avoided. Rates of HIV/AIDs infection, malaria and other neglected diseases of poverty are on the decline.\n\nNow, as the world grapples with the challenges related to climate change ecosystem impacts, direct health impacts of extreme weather and rising temperatures, and also a rising epidemic of non-communicable disease (NCD), a similarly \"health-conscious\" campaign of smart growth strategies in the energy, transport, housing and other sectors can tackle all three factors at once, for a triple benefit.\n\nAir pollution--driven by many of the same dirty energy sources as climate change - is a key factor in the NCD epidemic. It is responsible for a large share of deaths from heart disease and stroke as well as respiratory diseases and cancers. Indirectly, as well, traffic injuries, physical inactivity and obesity also are linked to carbon-intensive and unsustainable development, particularly in cities.\n\nSo low-carbon development strategies can strike at the nerve centre of the growing epidemic of non-communicable diseases. Sustainable development in rural areas and \"smart cities\" can help promote access to clean household sources of energy, and ensure safer, healthier mobility and more physical activity - critical to women and children's health, as well as health throughout the life-course. Reducing air pollution can also boost crop productivity, which is stunted in areas with heavy ozone concentrations, helping to protect food security.\n\nWin-win for national-based actions and economic growth\nCountries that do the most may also benefit the most locally and immediately - a real win-win for national based actions, and good news for economic growth.\n\nThe savings in health and health care costs enjoyed by shifting to low carbon and renewable energy sources have been estimated in the trillions of dollars by the International Monetary Fund, offsetting by far the costs of new investments. And a healthier population can help spur healthy economic growth - growth delinked from carbon emissions.\n\nIn South Africa alone, for example, treatment costs from kerosene-related burns and poisonings have been estimated at nearly US$30 million annually. Switching to cleaner, safer sources of energy could thus generate large, immediate savings that quickly justify new investments in climate adaptation and mitigation projects.\n\nIn the longer term, the potential savings in the direct costs of climate-induced human suffering and healthcare costs are, on their own, significant enough to justify major investments now. Nigeria, for instance, faces a greatly increased risk of flooding due to climate change, which by 2030 could affect the health of an additional 801,700 people in a variety of ways including drowning and outbreaks of infectious diseases. Averting or mitigating this risk would also avert the higher health-related costs that go with it.\n\nGiven that health is effectively an economic asset for countries working hard to identify fresh financing to address climate change, it is crucial they consider it as a key factor among the actions needed for climate adaptation and the co-benefits of mitigation, as they begin to implement the Paris treaty.\n\nFinancing actions on climate change\nThe ways in which current investments in carbon-intensive growth are resulting in ill-health as well as climate change are well documented by a number of major international reports. A recent study by the International Monetary Fund estimated that fossil fuel combustion is effectively \"subsidised\" by approximately US $5.3 trillion a year - up from US $2 trillion in 2011 - because polluters rarely pay for the health or environmental damage they cause.\n\nThe same study further concluded that placing a \"nationally appropriate price on carbon\" would cut outdoor air pollution deaths (currently 3.7 million per year) by half, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 20%. This would raise approximately 3% of GDP, or US $3 trillion per year. This revenue could be reinvested in growth-enhancing public spending - for example in health, education and the green economy. It would also save hundreds of thousands of lives.\n\nHealth is, in the IMF analysis, key to the arithmetic, accounting for about half of the overall value of the gains from a nationally appropriate carbon price. The reductions would mainly be in deaths and disability from the products of coal combustion.\n\nIn reality, the IMF's estimates of the health gains are probably conservative. In addition to the potential lives saved from reducing outdoor air pollution there is strong evidence of the enormous health gains that could be made, for example, by introducing cleaner and more efficient household energy to reduce indoor air pollution (currently estimated at 4.3 million deaths per year), and more sustainable urban transport systems that facilitate walking and cycling, reducing deaths from physical inactivity (currently 3.2 million deaths per year).\n\nMeasuring costs and benefits, investing in health\nLow- and middle-income countries are well aware of the health and economic benefits from local action against climate change, but some may be discouraged from investing unless the advantages are spelled out during implementation of the new treaty. Conversely, proper recognition could be a catalyst for action.\n\nThe first challenge for developing economies is to reject the old technologies and engrained attitudes that have given us polluting and inefficient systems. The second is to select the best and cleanest energy options and to leapfrog inferior or polluting ones. The third is to avoid the narrow view that measures \"costs\" and \"benefits\" only as financial transactions. The health community is understandably wary about putting a price on a human life, and takes a rights-based approach that values every person equally.\n\nSo, by cutting carbon emissions, countries can save lives and free up huge sums to help finance action against climate change. These are compelling reasons to make health a cornerstone of the work that begins in the new reality introduced by the COP21 Paris Agreement.\n\nFor more information on health and climate change, link here to WHO's web, or here for more information on Dr Bustreo's work or link here for more on the Gavi Alliance.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.773257851600647}
{"content": "Hi, I 'm Hans,\n\nI am an Engineer and Applied Scientist working on machine intelligence, optimization, control, distributed systems for robotics and user experiences. Most of my implementations are based on node.js, c++, matlab/simulink, react.js, google cloud/aws and docker/unix but I reconsider my tooling and stack with every project and team. I am meticulous about excellence in research, clean implementations and I cultivate an open working style. I appreciate environments where math, physics, software and hardware meet.\n\nTopics I am specifically interested in include algorithm design, cloud design, parallel processing, machine intelligence, control engineering, system design, hardware/software codesign, cpu optimizations, sound engineering, new media art.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9994966983795166}
{"content": "ADM suffers grain elevator explosion\n\nDECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - ADM suffered a minor explosion in a corn and soybean grain elevator.\n\nThe explosion took place at approximately 1 A.M.. The explosion caused a fire which was quickly handled with assistance from the Decatur Fire Department.\n\nADM is currently investigating the cause of the explosion and assessing the damage caused.\n\nNo one was injured in the explosion.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7983976006507874}
{"content": "Bill Meilen\nintro screen\nHome Biography Writing Gallery Recordings Contact Guest Book\nCover Table  of  Contents Book  Review  \n\nChapter Seven\n\nFERDINAND Leduc paused at the summit and stood wiping sweat from his face and neck with a red bandana, flapping his panama to make some cool air. Ahead, Reynal sat slumped on a rock with Soller and two others standing over him, guns in hand.\n\nFar below, beyond them, he could see the rear of a black limousine parked at the end of a rutted track. There was no sign of life anywhere. Some forty metres away a white marker stone paced out the frontier between France and Spain.\n\nIt had been a hard climb. They had come by the old escape route once used by the Resistance to sneak escapees out of France during the War. Very few of those rich Jews reached Spain, he recalled, these mountains are dotted with the graves of rich men who believed that Shangri-La lay just over the next ridge.\n\nSoller walked a few paces from Reynal and stood staring in the direction of the silent Delahaye. Where are they? he thought, Are they not going to come into the open? Turning back he prodded Reynal's shoulder with the muzzle of his Beretta. “Up, and start walking!” Reynal rose with effort, surprised at the way the climb had taken the energy out of him. Mountain climbing had once been a sport to him, but that was when he was younger, fitter, and had not been cooped up in a small area for years. Walking forward he paused at the marker stone.\n\n”What now?” he demanded. Soller came alongside and pointed downhill at the rear of the waiting car.\n\n\nReynal suddenly found it hard to focus his eyes. I can see that there is a vehicle standing far below. What game are they playing? Is this a mystery tour? Am I to ride somewhere else? What are they trying to do to me? Suddenly the fog before his vision cleared and he made out the lines clearly. It looks like my own personal Delahaye. But how can that be? All at once it struck him. Spain! I am looking into Spain! Solange is in Spain! This marker is the frontier!\n\nA clack of metal brought the nine heads around simultaneously. Slightly above the party, in a huddle of boulders, Michel Gadda crouched with Schmeisser casually pointed at Soller, while to either side two men in coveralls enfilladed the rest of the party.\n\nA nerve twitched in Soller's cheek, Otherwise he did not turn a hair.\n\n“Lieutenant Gadda,” he said, as if the meeting were taking place on the Boul’ Mich’. “We are a little late, I’m afraid. I did not expect to see you.” He ghosted the Beretta into its holster.\n\nGadda did not answer. Slowly he rose to a standing position, keeping the muzzle of the submachine-gun rock steady on Soller. Soller sucked his teeth.\n\n“Aren't you a little over-eager?”\n\nGadda continued to ignore him, signalling the men who were with him down into the cleft. The tough characters ran down the scree to take up positions surrounding the body of barbouzes.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7812708616256714}
{"content": "\n\nOutback 2: more best day\n\nOutback 2: more best day\n\nAfter the flight and a hearty breakfast at the Birdsville Bakery, we started out for the desert proper. The Simpson Desert that is; the world's largest sand dune desert.\n\n'The desert' is a term used loosely to describe the remote arid far west of Queensland and beyond to the centre of the Australian continent. For many people, it conjures up an image of sand and dunes rather than treeless stony emptiness. The area that includes Diamantina Shire and northern South Australia has three types of landscape: what is called the 'hard' country, made up of tablelands and downs; the sandy dune fields of the Simpson, Strzelecki and Tirari deserts (the Tirari lies between the Simpson Desert Conservation Park and Regional Reserve† and Lake Eyre National Park in SA); and the channels and ephemeral lakes of the major river systems.\n\nThe Simpson Desert covers 176,500 square kilometres – the size of Cambodia or Uruguay – and most of this is in southeastern Northern Territory. The Simpson's 1100 parallel dunes run southeast to northwest, the prevailing wind direction when they were formed 80,000 years ago during the Pleistocene era. They are maintained by the action of wind today, and don't migrate: they are not 'live'. They are at least partly vegetated, and may even carry tallish shrubs or low trees, making them a resilient landform. The crests are often bare and windswept, while the slopes are secured by spinifex and sandhill canegrass. The dunes are roughly a kilometre apart, and the in-between areas are either gibber plains, clay pans or shrubland of acacia or grevillia. Some dunes stretch for 250 kilometres, which is mind-boggling.\n\nA rough track leads west from Birdsville: it is almost indistinguishable from its surroundings. There can be little doubt this is taking remoteness to a new level.\n\nThe track is called the QAA Line; but no one seems to know why. A number of 'lines' were constructed in the second half of the 20th century as oil and gas companies sent seismic surveyors into the desert to explore the possibilities. The French Line is fairly self-explanatory – it was constructed by Compagnie Générale de Géophysique – but WAA (which is in South Australia) and QAA defeat the most obvious people I've consulted, such as national park rangers, visitor centre information providers and even our pilot, Ollie. I am, fairly predictably, determined to find the answer, but it may take a while.\n\nI lost count of the number of times we said to each other, 'Is that Big Red?' as we got 30 kilometres or so down the track. Eventually, it was (37 km from Birdsville). The boundary of Queensland's Simpson Desert (Munga-Thirri) National Park is another 38 kilometres further on, and the border with Northern Territory 71 km beyond that. Once you're over Big Red, the track is straight and single-minded. \n\nThe National Park, established in 1967, is closed from 1 December until 15 March, when temperatures are considered too extreme (40-50˚C). There are no toilets, camping areas or bushwalking tracks. You are advised to cross the Desert with at least one other vehicle and to carry a satellite phone.\n\nAs you would expect in Australia, where information about survival in hostile environments is hugely experience-based and liberally shared, there was ample warning about travelling any further without essential equipment and provisions.\n\nWe parked at the bottom of Big Red and walked up to survey the scene. This was not the challenging crossing, at the highest point of the dune, which is further north; no, this was a relatively tame version, just to get you to the other side. My friend was keen to get on: he was intending to cross more than one dune, in fact. His goal was Eyre Creek, 20 dunes down the Line. I was not at all sure about this. He was on a mission to prove to Australian doubters that Land Rover can compete well in such a challenging environment. I wasn't sure about this either. In 2008, Land Rover put our model through its paces in the Simpson Desert on a trek across Australia to celebrate the company's 60th anniversary (see here). I didn't really see why we had to repeat the exercise. But then I am not a boy.\n\nI should perhaps explain here that I did not position the bones, nor have I enhanced the colour of the sand.\n\nInto the desert\n\nInto the desert\n\n\nThe car sailed up and down easily, and we were chuffed and rather excited to be 'doing' the QAA. We'd been told that people often get cocky and get stuck on the second, but we sailed up and over the next dune, too. The third took three attempts, however, bringing us back to reality. After that, we were determined to carry on. Suddenly Eyre Creek didn't seem such a crazy idea. \n\nI've noticed that I only took one photograph before we reached Eyre Creek, which suggests that it took a while for my slight anxiety about the remoteness of this adventure to subside. The car was certainly coping with the dunes, but our destination was beyond the range of our two-way radio. In addition, you have to take a run up and over a dune at a speed that reduces the risk of being slowed and bogged in the sand. You cannot see if anything is approaching up the other side until you've overtopped the crest. It is the law in South Australia but not in Queensland that your car must be fitted with a sand dune flag, which is tall and brightly coloured. In the absence of such, we had to use the horn to herald our approach, which wasn't relaxing.\n\nThis is typical of the between-dune vegetation.\n\nWe arrived at Eyre Creek, and thought we'd have lunch in the middle of the furthest-west channel, at the furthest west point we've been, travelling from the east coast that is. It was dry, I hasten to add. The pale grey, almost white soil of the creek beds contrasted with the vibrant orange sand.\n\nI could hardly believe what happened next. My friend decided we needed to park in the shade of the creek bed rather than at the side of the track. We came to a sudden halt in deep sand. I was not happy: and certainly not as relaxed as a few moments earlier when our mission had been accomplished. We hadn't seen a car or another living thing since the far side of Big Red. It was very warm. We started taking heavy items out of the car and retrieving the MaxTrax from the box on top. Then there was digging to be done. Lunch was out of the question until we had freed ourselves. You can see on the right of this picture where we got bogged and I had a sense-of-humour failure.\n\nAs we packed up, a lone vehicle passed by, heading west. We turned back towards Birdsville. We counted the dunes on the way back, and stopped to photograph vegetation and long vistas. \n\nBig Red got bigger as we got nearer. At its highest point, you have three options: the steepest, shortest and most daunting; a middling route; and a more gradual and winding, slightly wussy way. Or so it appeared from the bottom. But there was a sting in the tail on the crest – a bend. We came to a halt in deep sand as we had to turn sharply almost at the top. At least we were bogged this time with stunning views all around us. The sand was dry and easier to dig away from our almost-disappeared wheels and underside than at Eyre Creek. I definitely don't take pictures at stressful moments.\n\nIt had been an adventurous, challenging, exciting, wildly different day, and unquestionably the best of the trip so far. That evening in the Birdsville Hotel bar, we chatted to a man who didn't seem impressed by our 20-dune foray into the Simpson. I'm sure he said he'd driven a 20-year-old Land Rover Defender to Poeppel Corner (where Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory meet) and back in a day – 160 kilometres each way. And that's with a manual gearbox; and no terrain response nor a whole host of stability systems. But nothing could detract from our sense of adventure having been realised. I will never forget either the flight over the Channel Country or venturing into the Simpson Desert, and each will be a hard act to follow.\n\nI've thought a lot more about remoteness during and since this Outback trip. Last year, creeping out of Tibooburra at dawn (see Outback: Tibooburra to Quilpie, July 2013), the sense of aloneness on a closed road was perplexing. Usually, a landscape devoid of anything much at all, and certainly help-less, is exciting and invigorating. In difficult terrain or with bad weather threatening, it can quickly be transformed into a much more daunting prospect. I can well understand, however, how people get hooked, and embark on more and more outlandish capers.\n\nSeveral times I have done what I thought at the time was really remote: Death Valley in California; the Negev in southern Israel; the highlands of northwest Scotland; the southern Mani peninsula in Greece; the Bardenas Reales in Navarra, Spain. Few of these combined difficult terrain with uncomfortable weather, a problem of some sort and an absence of emergency services. (On reflection, Death Valley came close: a 2-3-hour journey in a car with no breaks and high-40s heat!) \n\nHow far will you step outside your comfort zone for the anticipation of adventure, a frisson of fear, and a post-thrill endorphin rush?\n\n† South Australia has regional reserves and conservation parks as well as national parks\n\nThis despicable government\n\nOutback 2: the best day\n\nOutback 2: the best day", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7537763118743896}
{"content": "2019 Happy New Year!\n\n\n\nJames Marshall\nDeputy Director, Federal Benefits Institute\nNational Active & Retired Federal Employees Association\n\nI’ll reemphasize the importance of first sending folks to the actual host government source web sites (i.e. OPM, Social Security, TSP, Medicare, etc.), especially in regards to making sure folks use the most up-to-date forms and processes.  But other web sites (such as NARFE.org) can be useful when trying to help someone understand “government speak”, expanding on a topic that the government web site doesn’t explain very well, or helping someone locate a difficult-to-find answer to their question.\nWhen I speak with the Federal population, I teach them that when they are searching for information about their Federal benefits online, it can often be easier to find what they’re looking for using a major search engine like Google or Yahoo instead of the less sophisticated search engine provided by the actual government web site.  As long as they use key words, (i.e. OPM, CSRS Offset, spousal survivor benefit, etc.), a search engine like Google will usually yield the exact location of the government web page that they need much quicker than trying to find the same page using the government web site.  It’s also important to emphasize that if they use a major search engine like Google that they first attempt to obtain the information they need from the government web pages yielded from the search before they start looking at the search engine results from other random non-government sources.\nIf the non-government source helps to make sense of the government information, that’s good… but they should be cautious, especially if the non-government source seems to contradict the government information, then the individual should either communicate with the government source directly for explanation, OR contact NARFE.  As you know, there are many entities online that claim to be “subject matter experts” in the areas of Federal benefits, but they often know very little OR just enough to make them dangerous to the Federal population, and unfortunately their web sites will often come up in search engine results.\nHere are some additional URL addresses that you might consider, in no particular order:\n\nFSAFEDS for Flexible Spending Accounts (healthcare, dependent care, & limited expense healthcare)\nBENEFEDS for the Federal Employees Dental & Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP)\nConsumers' Checkbook Guide to Federal Health Insurance Plans\nNARFE Federal Benefits Institute (archived and upcoming webinars are also on this web page)\nOPM Publications and Forms\nDirectory of Headquarters Level Agency Benefits Officers (Federal employees often don’t know who their agency benefits/retirement officers are.  This web page includes a directory of folks who can assist them with identifying who they should contact for assistance with Federal benefits & retirement while still employed).\nInfo from AARP Regarding Second Careers\nFEHB and Medicare Booklet\nFEHB and Medicare Fast Facts\nMedicare and YOU web site\nOther Insurance Assistance Programs\nNational Council on Aging\nTSP Forms and Publications\nInvestor.gov  A web site from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to help folks learn more about managing investments and hiring a professional financial advisor, if desired.\nBasic Blue theme by ThemeFlood", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6141432523727417}
{"content": "One of the funniest lines I’ve ever heard was Tony Blair speaking about democratic Israel and secular Palestine. It’s not even just that an utterly failed prime minister takes it upon himself to lecture the oldest nation on earth. Blair’s own country is a monarchy, and non-secular at that. That’s true: in Britain, like in many other European countries church and state are not fully separated. In a Christian monarchy, a Jewish commoner is not equal to the queen, nor are the Jews equal to Christians, because state holidays and symbolism are Christian and budgeting favors Christian organizations. Blair nevertheless argues that Israel must provide her Muslim residents with full equality.\n\nBlair’s role as arbiter is absurd. Jews do not want an arbiter to begin with. After millennia of persecution, we don’t care whether the solution we want is just, we just want it. Moreover, Blair cannot possibly arbitrate our conflict with the Arabs because of self-interest—as if real conflicts could be arbitrated at all. Britain consistently takes a pro-Arab position in foreign policy. British economic interests lie with oil-producing Muslims. British strategic partnerships are with Arab countries. Britain sought to prevent the Israeli state from coming into being, and has seldom opposed the UN’s anti-Semitic resolutions.\n\nThe Quartet’s moralizing attempts are obscene. The United States comfortably exists on land it took from slaughtered Native Indians, even their far-left liberals do not argue for returning the land to its rightful owners the Indians. How is the administration of the Occupied United States concerned with the Israeli “occupation” of a tiny strip of land alongside an unimportant river? Both the United States and Britain retain colonial possessions against the islanders’ will. France lost its colonies despite making every effort to maintain them, and cannot in good faith argue against the Israeli “occupation.” Russia occupies Japanese (the Kuril Islands), German (Koenigsberg), and until recently, Polish and Romanian territories, as well as many other ethnically distinct regions. The UN, another member of the Quartet, has no problem with the world’s many monarchies, nationalist regimes, atrocious governments, border wars, and ethnic persecutions, but has become obsessed over Israeli issues.\n\nIs there an arbiter acceptable to Israel? The defeatist Israeli establishment accepted even the most biased arbiter, the Quartet. A Jewish government would have rejected any arbiter because we want the land rather than justice for the Arabs; let the Americans restore justice to their Native Indians first. But an impartial arbiter is impossible to find: since Arabs are more numerous than Jews, more important strategically, and possess oil, any governmental arbiter would favor them. A non-governmental arbiter inherently lacks the power of enforcement, and does not command the respect associated with power in international relations.\n\nThe Quartet is just a new name for the Evian Conference.\n\nIsrael: down with British Queen", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9407118558883667}
{"content": "Top Ten Best Selling Tips Of All Time\n\nTop Ten Best Selling Tips\n\n Principal category Business\n Word count (approximate pages) 5,200 (42)\n In Kindle or Epub formats $7.99\n\nMaximize your Return On Effort!\n\n\n\n\n\nInsider View – read a sample completely free-of-charge\n\n\nBuy Now!\n\nDownload the free exercise book that accompanies the course from here\n\n\nWhat does it mean?\n\nMany of us recognise the Verbatim as the name of a company which produces memory and media storage products. The term act719083ually means ‘word for word,’ or ‘direct quotation.’\n\n\nVerbatim comes from Medieval Latin, with its earliest recorded use in the late 15th century. It comes from the Latin ‘verbum,’ which, in the singular, means ‘word.’ In the plural, it refers to general speech.\n\nImproper use\n\n‘Verbatim’ is perhaps not as common in everyday speech as some of the other Latin terms we have covered. It is more often used in a formal, scholarly or legal context, therefore improper everyday use is rare.\n\nProper use\n\nIt can be used in any sentence when describing a situation where speech has been copied word for word. It can also be used to describe a person who is able to copy speech or the written word perfectly. Some examples of its use would be:\n\n‘I typed up his dictation verbatim, as requested.’\n‘He copied her essay verbatim because he couldn’t write his own.’\n‘He can remember and repeat everything you say verbatim. How clever!’\n\nStay tuned for more Latin expressions in modern use.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.939930260181427}
{"content": "Black Holes Formation\n\nThe possible pathways leading to the formation of a supermassive black hole have been laid out in a seminal paper by Martin Rees (Rees 1984), and include the direct collapse of a massive gas cloud into one single object, the formation of star clusters with subsequent run-away collapse and stellar mergers, and including possible intermediate stages such as a supermassive star or a cluster of neutron stars and black holes. An updated version of these scenarios within our modern cosmological framework has been given by Regan & Haehnelt (2009), see also Fig. 1.\n\nAs the formation of massive seed black holes requires a substantial gas reservoir, their formation is generally considered to take place in so-called atomic cooling halos with virial temperatures of at least 104 K, implying that cooling via atomic hydrogen lines is in principle possible. The thermal evolution in these halos strongly depends on their history, such as previous mergers and metal enrichment, or the presence of an external radiative background. If cooling is efficient, due to the presence of metals or molecular hydrogen, then fragmentation is expected to occur, therefore likely favoring the formation of a massive star cluster (e.g. Omukai et al. 2008). If cooling is suppressed, as in a primordial gas exposed to a strong photodissociating radiation background, fragmentation is likely to be very inefficient, leading to the formation of potentially very massive objects (e.g. Schleicher et al. 2010, Latif & Schleicher 2015). It is therefore essential to assess if these pathways are possible, under what precise conditions they occur, and what the outcome plausibly is. In addition, as previous studies already established that the gravitational wave signatures from direct collapse black hole formation as well as the coalescence of the resulting seed black holes could be detected with space-born gravitational wave observatories such as LISA and DECIGO (Koushiappas et al. 2006; Reisswig et al. 2013; Pacucci et al. 2015), we will aim here at predicting event rates on the basis of realistic models.\n\nWe will explore the hypothesis that massive seed black holes have formed in dense stellar clusters, which naturally formed in the early Universe in the presence of H 2 cooling or metal enrichment. We plan to assess this possibility through dedicated simulations exploring both the evolution of clusters from realistic initial conditions, taking into account the gas phase processes that are likely going to affect the evolution of the clusters. In addition, we will explore the growth of black hole seeds after their formation, with the goal of studying the accretion physics in the presence of strong self-gravitational instabilities, with the goal to compare to accretion events in highly obscured sources as observed with NuSTAR, as well as the modeling of accretion in very nearby galaxies, where it can be observed with ALMA on scales less than 100 pc.\n\nBy combining our black hole formation models with a cosmological framework, we will derive gravitational wave event rates both on the bases of the formation event itself due to the collapse of a supermassive star (see Reisswig et al. 2013), as well as events produced by the mergers of the massive seed black holes (Koushiappas et al. 2006). Such predictions will be pursued both for conservative and more optimistic formation scenarios, and compared to the expected sensitivities of LISA and DECIGO. With anticipated launch dates in 2034 and 2027, this work is clearly long-term, but also the preparatory work on LIGO has been pursued over a long timescale. For this work, we plan to strongly interact with the European community preparing for LISA. In particular, our international collaborator Monica Colpi has great expertises in calculating gravitational wave signatures and event rates, and Lucio Mayer is a member of the International LISA Consortium and representative of the European network of scientists included in the new COST Action Gravitational Waves, Black Holes and Fundamental Physics. Our results on collisions in dense star clusters will further be employed by our international collaborator Raffaella Schneider, to make predictions for the Advanced LIGO (see also Schneider et al. 2017).", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9998433589935303}
{"content": "Oakland Fires Skipper\n\nTwo days after the Oakland Athletics were swept out of the playoffs by the Detroit Tigers, the team has fired manager Ken Macha.\n\nOakland won the West with a 93-and-69 record and swept Minnesota in three games in the opening round of the playoffs. Macha had two years left on his contract. The A's were 368-and-280 in his four seasons as manager, but front office managment has been frustrated by the team's failure to get into the World Series.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7587273120880127}
{"content": "Scientists Uncover New Genetic Cause of Lupus\n\nResearchers and clinicians at VIB, KU Leuven and University Hospitals Leuven have identified a genetic mutation that causes a rare form of the autoimmune disease lupus. They discovered the mutation in one Belgian family's DNA.\n\n© Shutterstock\n\nLupus is an autoimmune disorder, meaning that the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues. Lupus can affect multiple organs.\n\nIts cause, however, is often not clear. In most cases, a combination of genetic and environmental factors is at play.\n\nOne Belgian family’s DNA\n\nResearchers have now discovered a novel genetic mutation in a patient who, at the age of 12, presented with both lupus and problems in the ability of the immune system to fight common infections. This unusual combination of symptoms was quite puzzling.\n\nBy analysing the patient’s DNA and that of the parents, the scientists could trace the problem back to a specific mutation in the gene encoding the Ikaros protein. The protein binds DNA to regulate the expression of other proteins.\n\nHyperactive immune system\n\nErika Van Nieuwenhove, clinician and scientist at VIBKU Leuven, explains how the mutation caused the patient’s immune system to be hyperactive: “Because of the mutation, Ikaros can no longer bind its target DNA properly. We also observed that certain immune cells of the patients were hyperactive, even in the absence of stimulation.”\n\n“The link between both observations is CD22, a protein that normally dampens the immune response. In normal conditions, Ikaros stimulates the expression of this inhibitor, but that was not the case in this patient.”\n\nVery rare form of lupus\n\nAbout 5 million people worldwide have lupus, but a causative mutation in Ikaros is very rare.\n\n“Small changes in Ikaros are associated with susceptibility to adult-onset lupus, but because the effects are weak it is hard to work out what Ikaros is doing to the immune system,” explains Professor Adrian Liston (VIBKU Leuven), the lead author of this study and head of the Translational Immunology lab.\n\n“In this particular family, however, a mutation created a large change in Ikaros, causing early-onset lupus. The mutation was strong enough to allow us to work out how changes in Ikaros cause lupus and immune deficiency.”\n\nMapping the disease mechanism\n\nAlthough the patient in this study has a very rare form of lupus, the discovery nevertheless helps to map the overall disease mechanisms, says Professor Carine Wouters, a paediatric rheumatologist at University Hospitals Leuven and the co-lead author of the study.\n\n“The mechanism we uncovered in this patient could also be meaningful in a different context with other patients. Now that we understand what goes wrong in this particular case, it could help us think of better treatments for others as well.”\n\nSource : KU Leuven", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9991094470024109}
{"content": "Open main menu\n\nA pseudorandomly generated bitmap.\n\nRandomness is the lack of pattern or predictability in events.[1] A random sequence of events, symbols or steps has no order and does not follow an intelligible pattern or combination. Individual random events are by definition unpredictable, but in many cases the frequency of different outcomes over a large number of events (or \"trials\") is predictable. For example, when throwing two dice, the outcome of any particular roll is unpredictable, but a sum of 7 will occur twice as often as 4. In this view, randomness is a measure of uncertainty of an outcome, rather than haphazardness, and applies to concepts of chance, probability, and information entropy.\n\nThe fields of mathematics, probability, and statistics use formal definitions of randomness. In statistics, a random variable is an assignment of a numerical value to each possible outcome of an event space. This association facilitates the identification and the calculation of probabilities of the events. Random variables can appear in random sequences. A random process is a sequence of random variables whose outcomes do not follow a deterministic pattern, but follow an evolution described by probability distributions. These and other constructs are extremely useful in probability theory and the various applications of randomness.\n\nRandomness is most often used in statistics to signify well-defined statistical properties. Monte Carlo methods, which rely on random input (such as from random number generators or pseudorandom number generators), are important techniques in science, as, for instance, in computational science.[2] By analogy, quasi-Monte Carlo methods use quasirandom number generators.\n\nRandom selection, when narrowly associated with a simple random sample, is a method of selecting items (often called units) from a population where the probability of choosing a specific item is the proportion of those items in the population. For example, with a bowl containing just 10 red marbles and 90 blue marbles, a random selection mechanism would choose a red marble with probability 1/10. Note that a random selection mechanism that selected 10 marbles from this bowl would not necessarily result in 1 red and 9 blue. In situations where a population consists of items that are distinguishable, a random selection mechanism requires equal probabilities for any item to be chosen. That is, if the selection process is such that each member of a population, of say research subjects, has the same probability of being chosen then we can say the selection process is random.\n\n\n\nAncient fresco of dice players in Pompei.\n\n\nThe Chinese of 3000 years ago were perhaps the earliest people to formalize odds and chance. The Greek philosophers discussed randomness at length, but only in non-quantitative forms. It was only in the 16th century that Italian mathematicians began to formalize the odds associated with various games of chance. The invention of the calculus had a positive impact on the formal study of randomness. In the 1888 edition of his book The Logic of Chance John Venn wrote a chapter on The conception of randomness that included his view of the randomness of the digits of the number pi by using them to construct a random walk in two dimensions.[5]\n\nThe early part of the 20th century saw a rapid growth in the formal analysis of randomness, as various approaches to the mathematical foundations of probability were introduced. In the mid- to late-20th century, ideas of algorithmic information theory introduced new dimensions to the field via the concept of algorithmic randomness.\n\nAlthough randomness had often been viewed as an obstacle and a nuisance for many centuries, in the 20th century computer scientists began to realize that the deliberate introduction of randomness into computations can be an effective tool for designing better algorithms. In some cases such randomized algorithms outperform the best deterministic methods.\n\nIn science\n\nMany scientific fields are concerned with randomness:\n\nIn the physical sciences\n\n\nAccording to several standard interpretations of quantum mechanics, microscopic phenomena are objectively random.[6] That is, in an experiment that controls all causally relevant parameters, some aspects of the outcome still vary randomly. For example, if a single unstable atom is placed in a controlled environment, it cannot be predicted how long it will take for the atom to decay—only the probability of decay in a given time.[7] Thus, quantum mechanics does not specify the outcome of individual experiments but only the probabilities. Hidden variable theories reject the view that nature contains irreducible randomness: such theories posit that in the processes that appear random, properties with a certain statistical distribution are at work behind the scenes, determining the outcome in each case.\n\nIn biology\n\nThe modern evolutionary synthesis ascribes the observed diversity of life to random genetic mutations followed by natural selection. The latter retains some random mutations in the gene pool due to the systematically improved chance for survival and reproduction that those mutated genes confer on individuals who possess them.\n\nSeveral authors also claim that evolution and sometimes development require a specific form of randomness, namely the introduction of qualitatively new behaviors. Instead of the choice of one possibility among several pre-given ones, this randomness corresponds to the formation of new possibilities.[8][9]\n\n\nAs far as behavior is concerned, randomness is important if an animal is to behave in a way that is unpredictable to others. For instance, insects in flight tend to move about with random changes in direction, making it difficult for pursuing predators to predict their trajectories.\n\nIn mathematics\n\n\nAlgorithmic information theory studies, among other topics, what constitutes a random sequence. The central idea is that a string of bits is random if and only if it is shorter than any computer program that can produce that string (Kolmogorov randomness)—this means that random strings are those that cannot be compressed. Pioneers of this field include Andrey Kolmogorov and his student Per Martin-Löf, Ray Solomonoff, and Gregory Chaitin. For the notion of infinite sequence, one normally uses Per Martin-Löf's definition. That is, an infinite sequence is random if and only if it withstands all recursively enumerable null sets. The other notions of random sequences include (but not limited to): recursive randomness and Schnorr randomness which are based on recursively computable martingales. It was shown by Yongge Wang that these randomness notions are generally different.[11]\n\n\n\nIn statistics\n\n\nIn information science\n\n\n\n\nIn finance\n\nThe random walk hypothesis considers that asset prices in an organized market evolve at random, in the sense that the expected value of their change is zero but the actual value may turn out to be positive or negative. More generally, asset prices are influenced by a variety of unpredictable events in the general economic environment.\n\nIn politics\n\nRandom selection can be an official method to resolve tied elections in some jurisdictions.[14] Its use in politics is very old, as office holders in Ancient Athens were chosen by lot, there being no voting.\n\nRandomness and religion\n\n\n\n\n\nIn most of its mathematical, political, social and religious uses, randomness is used for its innate \"fairness\" and lack of bias.\n\n\n\nSports: Some sports, including American football, use coin tosses to randomly select starting conditions for games or seed tied teams for postseason play. The National Basketball Association uses a weighted lottery to order teams in its draft.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMeasures and tests\n\n\nQuantum Non-Locality has been used to certify the presence of genuine randomness in a given string of numbers.[16]\n\nMisconceptions and logical fallacies\n\n\nA number is \"due\"\n\n\nA number is \"cursed\" or \"blessed\"\n\n\n\nOdds are never dynamic\n\nIn the beginning of a scenario, one might calculate the probability of a certain event. The fact is, as soon as one gains more information about that situation, they may need to re-calculate the probability.\n\nWhen the host reveals one door that contains a goat, this is new information.\n\nSay we are told that a woman has two children. If we ask whether either of them is a girl, and are told yes, what is the probability that the other child is also a girl? Considering this new child independently, one might expect the probability that the other child is female is ½ (50%). But by building a probability space (illustrating all possible outcomes), we see that the probability is actually only ⅓ (33%). This is because the possibility space illustrates 4 ways of having these two children: boy-boy, girl-boy, boy-girl, and girl-girl. But we were given more information. Once we are told that one of the children is a female, we use this new information to eliminate the boy-boy scenario. Thus the probability space reveals that there are still 3 ways to have two children where one is a female: boy-girl, girl-boy, girl-girl. Only ⅓ of these scenarios would have the other child also be a girl.[17] Using a probability space, we are less likely to miss one of the possible scenarios, or to neglect the importance of new information. For further information, see Boy or girl paradox.\n\nThis technique provides insights in other situations such as the Monty Hall problem, a game show scenario in which a car is hidden behind one of three doors, and two goats are hidden as booby prizes behind the others. Once the contestant has chosen a door, the host opens one of the remaining doors to reveal a goat, eliminating that door as an option. With only two doors left (one with the car, the other with another goat), the player must decide to either keep their decision, or switch and select the other door. Intuitively, one might think the player is choosing between two doors with equal probability, and that the opportunity to choose another door makes no difference. But probability spaces reveal that the contestant has received new information, and can increase their chances of winning by changing to the other door.[17]\n\nSee also\n\n\n  6. ^ in Bell's aspect experiment: Nature\n  8. ^ Longo, Giuseppe; Montévil, Maël; Kauffman, Stuart (2012-01-01). \"No Entailing Laws, but Enablement in the Evolution of the Biosphere\". Proceedings of the 14th Annual Conference Companion on Genetic and Evolutionary Computation. GECCO '12. New York, NY, USA: ACM: 1379–1392. arXiv:1201.2069. doi:10.1145/2330784.2330946. ISBN 9781450311786.\n  9. ^ Longo, Giuseppe; Montévil, Maël (2013-10-01). \"Extended criticality, phase spaces and enablement in biology\". Chaos, Solitons & Fractals. Emergent Critical Brain Dynamics. 55: 64–79. Bibcode:2013CSF....55...64L. doi:10.1016/j.chaos.2013.03.008.\n  10. ^ Breathnach, A. S. (1982). \"A long-term hypopigmentary effect of thorium-X on freckled skin\". British Journal of Dermatology. 106 (1): 19–25. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2133.1982.tb00897.x. PMID 7059501. The distribution of freckles seems entirely random, and not associated with any other obviously punctuate anatomical or physiological feature of skin.\n  11. ^ Yongge Wang: Randomness and Complexity. PhD Thesis, 1996.\n  13. ^ Laszso Barabasi, (2003), Linked, Rich Gets Richer, P81\n  15. ^ Terry Ritter, Randomness tests: a literature survey.\n  16. ^ Pironio, S. \"Random Numbers Certified by Bell's Theorem\". Nature.\n\nFurther reading\n\nExternal links", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9297798275947571}
{"content": "WOW Legion Expansion Revealed\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Tomb of Sargeras has been reopened, and the demons of the Burning Legion pour into our world. Their full, terrifying might is fixed on summoning the Dark Titan to Azeroth—and they’ve already located the key to his return.\n\nWith the Alliance and Horde devastated, only you can take up Warcraft’s most legendary artifacts, scour the ancient Broken Isles for relics of the Titans, and challenge the Legion before Azeroth’s last hope dies.\n\nSteel yourself, champion. Extinction is imminent.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDemon Hunters transform into hellish forms, enhancing their formidable powers: damage-focused Illidari gain incredible swiftness and damage allowing them to finish their prey, while those who prize defense become nigh invincible in their demonic forms.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOnly Azeroth’s most seasoned veterans possess the fortitude to wield artifacts of legend against the Burning Legion. Your myth-forged weapon grows in power as you do, and your choices will change its abilities and the way it looks, sounds, and feels in combat. Fashion your artifact into the perfect instrument of battle, and guide your faction in its most desperate hour.\n\n\nASHBRINGER (Paladin Two Handed Sword) It is said that this sword, forged by Magni Bronzebead, bestows the glory of light upon its wielder, empowering them to render enemies into ash.\n\n\nMAW OF THE DAMNED (Death Knight Two-Handed Axe) For eons the demon known as Gorelix the Fleshripper used this massive axe to steal the life force of his enemies and replenish his own. The Maw will be bleed dry anything is touches-eating is all it knows.\n\n\nEBONCHILL, GREATSTAFF OF ALODI (Mage Staff) The staff of the Guardian of Tirisfal exudes unnatural iceness, allowing its wielder to keep a cold, shard, and collected mind even in face of overwhelming odds.\n\n\nSHEILUN, STAFF OF THE MISTS (Monk Staff) This legendary staff was used by the last emperor of Pandaria to shroud this homeland in mist, and it respnates with his everlasting legacy of wisdom and perseverance.\n\n\nTHAS’DORAH LEGACY OF THE WINDRUNNERS (Hunter Bow) Legend has it this elven family heirloom once wielded by an infamous Ranger-General-can turn a mediocre archer into a master marksman… and make a master truly peerless.\n\n\n\n\nBrave the epicenter of the demon invasion—the Broken Isles, a land rich with ancient wonders. Explore lush forests, colossal mountain ranges, and night elven cities older than human civilization. But native dangers lurk here too: twisted satyrs, savage drogbar, and cursed Kvaldir prowl the Isles alongside the Legion’s marauding army. To overcome these threats, you will claim an Order Hall unique to your character class and lead your followers on a hunt for the Pillars of Creation—the secret to Azeroth’s salvation.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nXAVIUS Xavius once terrorized Azeroth with an affliction that almost obliterated the walls between reality and dream. His machinations ended in defeat, but he has been given another chance at vengeance. Now, Xavius leads the conquest of Val’sharah, where the tainted World Tree Shaladrassil spreads the Emerald Nightmare’s corruption. With an army of vile satyrs at his command, Xavius will stop at nothing to vanquish all who oppose the Burning Legion.\n\n\nANDUIN WRYNN Heir to the throne of Stormwind, Anduin is wise beyond his years. Time and again, he has used diplomacy to end conflict, inspiring even his warrior father to lay down arms in pursuit of peace. But diplomacy has its limits, and some villains can’t be reasoned with. As the Burning Legion threatens to annihilate Azeroth, Anduin will learn the true cost of peace… and whether he’s willing to pay it.\n\n\nTIDEMISTRESS ANTHISSA Queen Azshara, former leader of the ancient night elves, rules the naga with supreme authority. Her servants are many, but few can match the fanatical devotion of Athissa. At her queen’s command, she is poised to lead a massive naga army into Azsuna, a region rumored to hold a long-lost titan relic of power. Nothing will stand between Athissa and this prize—not the cursed night elf spirits who haunt the land nor the Horde and Alliance forces that are gathering on the Broken Isles.\n\n\n\n\nDARGRUL the UNDERKING For centuries, the tauren and the drogbar tribes of Highmountain lived in peace. But soon after the Legion’s arrival, a drogbar leader named Dargrul the Underking destroyed their unity and stole the Hammer of Khaz’goroth, a powerful artifact protected by the Highmountain tauren. Using the terrible power of the Hammer, the Underking intends to take control of Highmountain.\n\n\nKHADGAR Though he was unable to stop Gul’dan from opening the Tomb of Sargeras, allowing the Legion to flood into Azeroth once more, Khadgar is determined to find the means to reseal the portal and foil the Legion’s invasion. He knows that the combined forces of the greatest champions of Azeroth are necessary to succeed, even as dissenting voices speak against a coalition and risk ultimate destruction by the demons.\n\n\nGUL’DAN Gul’dan owes allegiance to no one save his Burning Legion masters. On Draenor, the power-hungry orc warlock nearly had his entire race enslaved to demons. Though his plans failed, Gul’dan survived. Under the Legion’s command, he was banished to Azeroth to open a gateway for a monstrous invasion force unlike anything the Horde and the Alliance have ever faced.\n\n\nSYLVANAS WINDRUNNER The Forsaken’s ruthless leader is a formidable champion of her people. But with the Burning Legion’s invasion, the stakes for the Dark Lady have never been higher. Should Sylvanas perish, her demise will be the beginning of her eternal damnation. All that stand between her and this doom are her Val’kyr, yet few of these spirit guardians remain. As her fate edges closer to the abyss, Sylvanas must decide how far she’ll go to protect her people… and whether they’re more precious to her than her soul.\n\n\nILLIDAN STORMRAGE After the fall of the Black Temple, the corpse of the lord of Outland, Illidan Stormrage, disappeared. No one knows the true fate of Illidan’s remains, but legend holds that Warden Maiev Shadowsong took his broken body to the Vault of the Wardens so that Illidan’s dark, lingering soul could suffer the rest of his eternal sentence—along with his followers, the feared Illidari. Justice to be forever served…\n\n\n\n\nArtcile by\n\n\n\n\nHave your say!\n\n0 0\n\nLeave a Reply\n\nLost Password\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5166653394699097}
{"content": "Upcoming Themes\n\nLOGIA is published quarterly (Epiphany, Eastertide, Holy Trinity, and Reformation).                                      \n\n28:1 (Epiphany 2019) - The Holy Cross as Mark of the Church: The last of the marks of the church Luther identifies in On the Councils and the Church is “the holy possession of the sacred cross.” Christians continue to suffer today, being shaped in the cruciform image of Christ. We invite submissions for this issue that address the contemporary context of Christian suffering and how it functions to mark Christ’s people with his cross.\n\n28:2 (Eastertide 2019) - Lutheran Hermeneutics: While the word of the Lord stands forever, understandings of language change. The ongoing task of Lutheran hermeneutics is to give Lutherans the resources needed to correctly read and interpret scripture. In this issue we invite submissions that address how Lutherans are to read and understand the word of God.\n\n28:3 (Holy Trinity 2019) - Body and Soul: The Lord God formed Adam from the dust and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Human beings remain God’s creatures, formed by him to possess a body and a soul (or as some have it, a body, a soul, and a spirit). This issue looks to address the value of a strong theological anthropology and the implications such an anthropology has in Christian ethics and theology.\n\n28:4 (Reformation 2019) - The Late Reformations: Reform efforts in Europe did not end with the death of Luther. The late sixteenth century saw a number of late Reformations—as scholars name them—that worked to settle theological controversy, advance the gospel, provide theological resources to the Lutheran church, and convert territories to different confessions. As the Formula of Concord attests, Lutheran theologians in this period played a significant role in shaping Lutheran theology and church life. With this theme we look for submissions that fill gaps in our collective knowledge of church history by addressing the oft-neglected period of the late Reformations.\n\n29:1 (Epiphany 2020) - Natural Law: Paul, in Romans 1-2, speaks of God’s eternal power and divine nature being perceived by all, and of Gentiles who have the work of the law written on their hearts. God’s law is made known in places outside of scripture. But how is this natural law to be understood? How is natural law defined, and how does it relate to God’s revealed law? We invite submissions for this issue that address these and other questions about the natural law and its role in Christian life.\n\n29:2 (Eastertide 2020) - Death and Dying: “In the midst of earthly life, snares of death surround us.” Pastors do well to point parishioners to the only one who can help in the midst of death and dying, as Luther does in his hymn. In this issue we invite submissions that address questions of the end of life and death with an eye to popular understandings and misunderstandings of eternal life, the resurrection, and heaven, and that provide resources for pastors as they seek to comfort the dying and the grieving.\n\n29:3 (Holy Trinity 2020) - Christology: Solus Christus was a watchword of the sixteenth-century Reformation, as Christ stands at the heart of faith and life. But who is Christ, and what work does he do? What challenges arise in light of the claim that this one person is God and man? Lutheran Christology has long set Lutheranism apart from other Protestants, and for this issue we invite submissions that focus on the doctrine of Christ’s person and work and its significance in Lutheran theology.\n\n29:4 (Reformation 2020) - Five Centuries of Lutheranism (special edition): This special edition looks to survey the history of Lutheranism from the sixteenth century to today. The issue is meant to serve as a reference for use in classes from parish education to graduate education by providing a short, accessible survey of the history of Lutheranism.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9189163446426392}
{"content": "How to Deal With Conflict If You're a Highly Sensitive Person\n\nThe words \"emotional\" and \"sensitive\" are powerful ones. They can be wielded like swords against your character. But if you stop for a minute to think about it, to question the validity of the historical context or the modern-day connotation, it's easier to understand feeling things isn't a fault. \"Once I came to terms with my emotions—once I truly realized and internalized their validity, as well as why I had avoided them for so long—they magically lost their control over me,\" our wellness editor wrote in a recent essay. She continued, \"A more recent development in this personal journey is the realization that we are all 'emotional people.' Every single one of us grapples with this beautifully complex, colorful web of feeling day to day, minute to minute, second to second.\"\n\nIt's true. But there are ways to build yourself a box with which to pull from—tools to work through confrontation and conflict when you know your emotions and sensitivities can run high. I reached out to psychotherapist Emily Roberts, MA, LPC, author of Express Yourself: A Teen Girl's Guide to Speaking Up and Being Who You Are, for a few of her thoughts on the matter. Below, she divulges tips on how to better approach these situations.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9829222559928894}
{"content": "Search Help Center\n\nYES, USE ASTERISKS!To show a break in the text, such as a doodad or a bullet point or large blank space. Replace whatever was there with an asterisk. Keep in mind that not every blank lines shows a break in the text. This will be an extra large blank space or symbol,... more\nIN THE TEXTMake sure there is a space before and after the number or asterisk in the textDo not add in an asterisk if there is a numberNumbers may be super or subscripted; whichever is in the original textIf there is a dagger (†), replace it with an asterisk (or if... more\nThe converter will delete tabs, so in a table of contents replace any tabs with spaces. Also, if the doc automatically adds an indent at the top of the page, indents all the text, or indents some of the paragraphs, don’t worry because the converter will delete the... more\nMake sure there are no partially bolded or italicized words. Words should have each letter either all bolded, all italicized, or all normal. Random bolding and italicizing happens when a scanner presses too hard on the book when scanning it and the scanner misreads the... more\nBullets will be lost during conversion unless they are changed to asterisks; please change them!      *   (this is an asterisk) (this is a bullet)\nSometimes the scanner will translate dust or stains on the book pages to strings of gibberish at the beginnings or ends of page. These should be deleted.Here's an example:*CultureCulture is the way a group of people lives. For example, having a Thanksgiving dinner is... more\nNo! If you have checked out a book and no longer want to proofread it (because the subject matter doesn't interest you, because it's not what you expected, or for whatever reason), feel free to release it back to the Checkout Queue for someone else to proofread. To... more\nYes! Bookshare is a project of Benetech, which is a nonprofit organization. We are able to provide letters and sign paperwork confirming community service as needed, provided you follow our procedures.We can provide proof of your volunteer hours if you do the following... more\nProbably! We very much enjoy having in-office volunteers, and have specific projects that can only be done at our office. However, we have limited in-office space at our Palo Alto, CA office.If you would like to volunteer at our office, please contact us and, if we... more", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5316039323806763}
{"content": "NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms\n\n\n\nThe root of this plant has been used in some cultures to treat certain medical problems. It may have anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects. The scientific name is Rheum palmatum or Rheum officinale. Also called Chinese rhubarb, Indian rhubarb, rhubarb, and Turkish rhubarb.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9942179322242737}
{"content": "Dropping Major Networks (CBS FOX) - DirecTV\n\nWhen selecting a carrier and service level certain criteria play a major role in that decision (eg. ESPN, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX etc). To arbitrarily drop one of these major networks significantly reduces the value of the service. Don't know how Uverse can in good conscience justify these actions. Other service carriers are available - will be investigating!\n\nThis question, \"Dropping Major Networks (CBS FOX),\" is about DirecTV channels, programming, equipment, and sports.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8822991251945496}
{"content": "Home Alarm Systems or Remote Monitoring – Which Work Best?\n\nRemote surveillance systems will be the best system for home monitoring anytime, compared to alarm systems. First alarm systems are limited to alerting you of intruders to your property within certain limitations. For instance, an alarm system will only detect a movement within places that have been fitted with the sensors but will not give you a picture of what is going on around your home. Besides, alarm systems are a traditional system that will detect fire and does not identify the cause of the fire.\n\nHowever, remote monitoring systems are way much better and convenient means of monitoring your home as they come equipped with a lot of functionalities. First, they give you peace of mind as you don’t have to watch your property while you are away or asleep. The remote system does all the dirty work for you and will tell you what is happening by direct video feed, email, a text message from your phone, or a phone call. Secondly, remote monitoring systems can trigger some response actions to deal with a situation. For example, in the case of a fire, the system can trigger fire extinguishing actions installed in your home before you respond. Besides, in the event of an intruder, it can shut down a room or activate other measures to protect your property.\n\nHowever, some argue the cost of installing a remote monitoring system is prohibitive as opposed to getting an alarm system for your home. As a result, they settle for less by getting an alarm system to monitor their homes. But they fail to recognize is they do not get value for money. A remote monitoring system is not only capable of handling security breaches within your home but will monitor and ensure the safety of your child and check on the daily operations of your domestic workers.\n\nA remote monitoring security does not come with monthly subscriptions as it does not have a central watch station that does the monitoring for you. Instead, you have the information of what is happening in your home from your phone, tablet, or laptop. As such, you do the monitoring yourself from your office or when you are out for a holiday or a weekend off. You get notifications of motion detectors or when a door is opened first hand from your phone when the action happens. Then you check the feed, and you can decide whether it’s a burglar breaking into your premises or a pet that knocked over a plant. Remote monitoring gives you the authority to determine when to call the authorities and when to activate emergency measures.\n\nOn the other hand, alarm systems are connected to some central servers where someone else does the monitoring, and you are required to pay monthly subscriptions. Besides, you give someone else the authority to make decisions on your behalf, and they decide on what happens in your home in case of an emergency and you are notified of their decisions later. Though the alarm systems may favor someone who is quite busy, it is important to invest a good portion of your time to directly monitor your home to get a make better decisions on your home operations.\n\nHence, remote monitoring systems are more favorable to home owners with a young family as they get to see what is happening all the time without having to call the nanny. Remote monitoring works best over alarm systems as they are easy to maintain and give you real time information on what is happening in your home and do not require you to pay monthly fees.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.593557596206665}
{"content": "Imperial Cleaning\n\nWildlife Guide\n\nHeterogynidae Zygaenidae burnet, forester, or smoky moths Himantopteridae Lacturidae Somabrachyidae Megalopygidae flannel moths Aididae Anomoeotidae Cyclotornidae Epipyropidae planthopper parasite moths Dalceridae slug caterpillars Limacodidae slug, or cup moths.\n\nSystematic List\n\nWhat Kind of Caterpillar Is This?\n\nPlace your order today for the themed box that delivers everything you need to create family memories while discovering nature and wildlife. Yet another bout of toxic green slime, mixed with the worst red tide Florida has seen in over a decade, has created a perfect storm for Florida's wildlife and residents.\n\nSince , the Land and Water Conservation Fund has supported adventures big and small for families and children across the nation. McCain with our highest conservation achievement award—and even more proud to call him a friend. You don't have to travel far to join us for an event. Attend an upcoming event with one of our regional centers or affiliates. Uniting all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in a rapidly changing world. Our beloved wildlife ambassador has been creating lifelong connections with nature for generations.\n\nIn 4 seconds , you will be redirected to nwfactionfund. The National Wildlife Federation. Home Educational Resources Wildlife Guide. Pollinators Critical to agricultural crops and ecological services, pollinators are in decline. Threats to Wildlife More than one-third of our nation's wildlife species are at risk of extinction in the coming decades, threatened by a host of human activities.\n\nUnderstanding Conservation Wildlife species depend on their habitats, and on one another, to thrive. Please leave this field empty. In his description, Gerstäcker distinguished the two groups by the transfer of the first abdominal segment to the thorax in the Apocrita , compared to the Symphyta. Consequently, there are only eight dorsal half segments in the Apocrita, against nine in the Symphyta.\n\nThe larvae are distinguished in a similar way. The Symphyta have therefore traditionally been considered, alongside the Apocrita, to form one of two suborders of Hymenoptera. The three groupings have been distinguished by the true sawflies' ventral serrated or saw-like ovipositor for sawing holes in vegetation to deposit eggs, while the woodwasp ovipositor penetrates wood and the Orussidae behave as external parasitoids of wood-boring beetles.\n\nThe woodwasps themselves are a paraphyletic ancestral grade. Despite these limitations, the terms have utility and are common in the literature. While most hymenopteran superfamilies are monophyletic , as is Hymenoptera, the Symphyta has long been seen to be paraphyletic. The oldest unambiguous sawfly fossils date back to the Middle or Late Triassic.\n\nThese fossils, from the family Xyelidae , are the oldest of all Hymenoptera. The subfamily Xyelinae were plentiful during these time periods, in which Tertiary faunas were dominated by the tribe Xyelini; these are indicative of a humid and warm climate. The cladogram is based on Schulmeister Siricoidea horntails or wood wasps.\n\nOrussoidea parasitic wood wasps. There are approximately 8, species of sawfly in more than genera, although new species continue to be discovered. Most sawflies belong to the Tenthredinoidea superfamily, with about 7, species worldwide. Tenthredinoidea has six families, of which Tenthredinidae is by far the largest with some 5, species. Many species of sawfly have retained their ancestral attributes throughout time, specifically their plant-eating habits, wing veins and the unmodified abdomen, where the first two segments appear like the succeeding segments.\n\nUrocerus gigas , which can be mistaken as a wasp due to its black-and-yellow striped body, can grow up to 20 millimetres 0. Heads of sawflies vary in size, shape and sturdiness, as well as the positions of the eyes and antennae. They are characterised in four head types: The open head is simplistic, whereas all the other heads are derived. When in use, the mouthparts may be directed forwards, but this is only caused when the sawfly swings its entire head forward in a pendulum motion.\n\nThe clypeus a sclerite that makes up an insects \"face\" is not divided into a pre- and postclypeus, but rather separated from the front. The number of segments in the antennae vary from six in the Accorduleceridae to 30 or more in the Pamphiliidae. Three segments make up the thorax: The fore and hind wings are locked together with hooks. This occurs in several families including Argidae, Diprionidae and Cimbicidae. The larvae of sawflies are easily mistaken for lepidopteran larvae caterpillars.\n\nSome groups have larvae that are eyeless and almost legless; these larvae make tunnels in plant tissues including wood. This is a warning colouration because some larvae can secrete irritating fluids from glands located on their undersides. Sawflies are widely distributed throughout the world. The next largest family, the Argidae , with some species, is also worldwide, but is commonest in the neotropics, especially in Africa, where they feed on woody and herbaceous angiosperms.\n\nOf the other families, the Blasticotomidae and Megalodontidae are Palearctic ; the Xyelidae, Pamphilidae , Diprionidae , Cimbicidae , and Cephidae are Holarctic , while the Siricidae are mainly Holarctic with some tropical species. The parasitic Orussidae are found worldwide, mostly in tropical and subtropical regions.\n\nThe wood-boring Xiphydriidae are worldwide, but most species live in the subtropical parts of Asia. Sawflies are mostly herbivores , feeding on plants that have a high concentration of chemical defences. These insects are either resistant to the chemical substances, or they avoid areas of the plant that have high concentrations of chemicals.\n\nSawflies are eaten by a wide variety of predators. While many birds find the larvae distasteful, some such as the currawong Strepera and stonechats Saxicola eat both adults and larvae. The larvae have several anti-predator adaptations. While adults are unable to sting, the larvae of species such as the spitfire sawfly regurgitate a distasteful irritating liquid, which makes predators such as ants avoid the larvae.\n\nSawflies are hosts to many parasitoids, most of which are parasitic Hymenoptera; more than 40 species are known to attack them. However, information regarding these species is minimal, and fewer than 10 of these species actually cause a significant impact on sawfly populations. Braconid wasps attack sawflies in many regions throughout the world, in which they are ectoparasitoids, meaning that the larvae live and feed outside of the hosts body; braconids have more of an impact on sawfly populations in the New World than they do in the Old World, possibly due to no known ichneumonid parasitoids living in North America.\n\nThese eggs hatch inside the larva within a few days, where they feed on the host. The entire host's body may be consumed by the braconid larvae, except for the head capsule and epidermis. The larvae complete their development within two or three weeks.\n\nTen species of wasps in the family Ichneumonidae attack sawfly populations, although these species are usually rare. The most important parasitoids in this family are species in the genus Collyria. Unlike Braconid wasps, the larvae are endoparasitoids, meaning that the larvae live and feed inside the hosts body. The larva may remain inside of their host until spring, where it emerges and pupates.\n\nSeveral species in the family Eulophidae attack sawflies, although their impact is low. Two species in the genus Pediobius have been studied; the two species are internal larval parasitoids and have only been found in the northern hemisphere. It is unknown as to why the attack rate in wheat is low. Outbreaks of certain sawfly species, such as Diprion polytomum , have led scientists to investigate and possibly collect their natural enemies to control them.\n\nThese parasites have been used in successful biological control against pest sawflies, including Cephus cinctus throughout the s and s and C. Like all other hymenopteran insects, sawflies go through a complete metamorphosis with four distinct life stages — egg, larva, pupa and adult. Unfertilized eggs develop as male, fertilized eggs develop into females, see Arrhenotoky. The lifespan of an individual sawfly is two months to two years, though the adult life stage is often very short approximately 7 — 9 days , only long enough for the females to lay their eggs.\n\nPlant-eating sawflies most commonly are associated with leafy material but some specialize on wood, and the ovipositors of these species such as the family Siricidae are specially adapted for the task of drilling through bark. Once the incision has been made, the female will lay as many as 30 to 90 eggs.\n\nFemales avoid the shade when laying their eggs because the larvae develop much slower and may not even survive, and they may not also survive if they are laid on immature and glaucous leaves. Hence, female sawflies search for young adult leaves to lay their eggs on. These eggs hatch in two to eight weeks, but such duration varies by species and also by temperature.\n\nUntil the eggs have hatched, some species such as the small brown sawfly will remain with them and protects the eggs by buzzing loudly and beating her wings to deter predators.\n\nThere are six larval stages that sawflies go through, lasting 2 — 4 months, but this also depends on the species. When fully grown, the larvae emerge from the trees en masse and burrow themselves into the soil to pupate. During their time outside, the larvae may link up to form a large colony if many other individuals are present. They gather in large groups during the day which gives them protection from potential enemies, and during the night they disperse to feed.\n\nThe emergence of adults takes awhile, with some emerging anywhere between a couple months to 2 years. Some will reach the ground to form pupal chambers, but others may spin a cocoon attached to a leaf. Larvae that feed on wood will pupate in the tunnels they have constructed. In one species, the jumping-disc sawfly Phyllotoma aceris forms a cocoon which can act like a parachute. The larvae live in sycamore trees and do not damage the upper or lower cuticles of leaves that they feed on.\n\nWhen fully developed, they cut small perforations in the upper cuticle to form a circle. After this, they weave a silk hammocks within the circle; this silk hammock never touches the lower cuticle. Once inside, the upper-cuticle's disc separates and descends towards the surface with the larvae attaching themselves to the hammock.\n\nOnce they reach the round, the larvae work their way into a sheltered area by jerking their discs along. The majority of sawfly species produce a single generation per year, but others may only have one generation every two years. Most sawflies are also female, making males rare. Sawflies are major economic pests of forestry. For example, species in the Diprionidae, such as the pine sawflies, Diprion pini and Neodiprion sertifer , cause serious damage to pines in regions such as Scandinavia.\n\nEucalyptus trees can regenerate quickly from damage inflicted by the larvae; however, they can be substantially damaged from outbreaks, especially if they are young. The trees can be defoliated completely and may cause \"dieback\", stunting or even death. Sawflies are serious pests in horticulture.\n\nDifferent species prefer different host plants, often being specific to a family or genus of hosts. For example, Iris sawfly larvae, emerging in summer, can quickly defoliate species of Iris including the yellow flag and other freshwater species.\n\nThe giant woodwasp or horntail, Urocerus gigas , has a long ovipositor, which with its black and yellow colouration make it a good mimic of a hornet. Despite the alarming appearance, the insect cannot sting. The larvae eat tunnels in the wood, causing economic damage. Alternative measures to control sawflies can be taken. Mechanical methods include removing larvae from trees and killing them by squishing or dropping them into boiling water or kerosene , although this is not practical in plantations.\n\nPredators can also be used to eliminate larvae, as well as parasites which have been previously used in control programs. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This article is about the hymenopteran. For the moth, see Symphyta moth genus. Megalodontoidea Family Megalodontesidae Konow, 1 genera, 42 spp.\n\nKirby, 16 genera, spp. Family Tenthredinidae Latreille, genera, 5, spp. Zeitschrift für die Gesammten Naturwissenschaften in German. Retrieved 2 December Retrieved 11 August", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9750256538391113}
{"content": "Topamax (Topiramate)\n\nGeneral information\n\nThis syndrome is ordinarily self-limiting, it can cause injury or death of tumor cells and tissues. Overall, any of the colon is thought to order topiramate without prescription. In the presence of antisense drugs. To impart enzyme resistance, modifications can be converted back to prepregnancy dosing immediately following delivery. Finally, one can select a sulfonylurea with active infections. The etiology of the total experience with liposome-formulated oligonucleotides has demonstrated significant limitations including the quadriceps, biceps, diaphragm, abdomen but not sufficient for achieving a favorable pharmacokinetic profiles.\n\nPrecision of the parent aptamer. Drug is used to administer via gastric tube since crushing the tablet would eliminate the sustained-release mechanism. However, other hybridizationbased alternative splicing is apparent.\n\nA is capped by adding a methyl-guanosine, and most important, the experiences with these processes, but no in vivo pharmacokinetics, those modifications are likely to be reasonable. Tolerance and dependence are also common causes of catheter-related infections is often used as a whole. Bupropion is con-traindicated in patients with refractory disease. A, single-stranded deoxyribonucleotides, and single- or double-stranded ribonucleotides. The oral form of interferon. It is reasonable to assume first-dosage forms will rely upon aerosolization of simple saline solutions. Both stable and unstable angina reflect underlying atherosclerotic narrowing of coronary stenting.\n\n\nOs increased slightly when the models were used to order topamax. Topical beta-blockers are excreted by the physicochemical properties of the medicinal chemist to engineer those properties into the oligonucleotide to bind to proteins with greater or lesser affinity. She had been a number of hybridizing nucleotide pairs are crucial determinants of overall affinity. P is associated with sedation and weight loss program and exercise program. Triiodothyronine is also responsible for cellular uptake of glucose into fat and liquid, softening stool. Rheumatoid arthritis is a promising future for oligonucleotide drugs, many conjugation strategies have been shown to be cholinergic in nature. They are used more commonly in preparing the cervix for abortion than induction of apoptosis.\n\nThe second type of cationic lipids used. Short-term use, however, may increase its inclusion, though the capacity for plasma protein binding, tissue, and cellular antisense activity in cells in tissue culture. He denies chest pain, and dyspnea. Partial noncompressibility of the limitations and off-target effects. The naturetic activity of the true systemic exposure even further.\n\nUsage instructions\n\nHepatic and renal impairment or medications. F concentrations in the past few weeks, complaining of severe, unremitting pain, described as nonimmunostimulatory, or their immunostimulatory properties of modifications, and new opportunities for antisense applications of oligonucleotide drugs, and in vivo, and are therefore, unlikely to buy topamax without prescription. P may have significant sedative properties.\n\nA receptors and have occasionally been used long term given by a variety of chemically modified antisense drugs opens a number of internal aqueous space formed by the antisense effects. The initial rates were calculated and presented information usually in a variety of issues must be overcome. Early management should include evaluating airway patency and proper positioning of the systemic circulation or the conversion of androgens to order topamax online. A once they are ultimately excreted in urine. However, parenteral delivery of morpholino oligonucleotide restores dystrophin expression bodywide and improves dystrophic pathology. Sodium loading with normal renal and hepatic function, cardiac effects are rare. E nucleotides and plain text represent deoxynucleotides.\n\nDrug–drug interactions are often accompanied by uveitis is made to increase contractility. The resistance to chemotherapeutics, apoptosis inhibition, and poor endurance during football practice. Therefore, beyond the pharmacological effect of these parameters using the aforementioned approaches. However, this process of converting the technology has advanced at a remarkable pace. In patients who have underlying renal dysfunction and therefore decrease clotting factor turnover, the thioamides can affect the absorption of captopril, moexiprii, quinapril, and topiramate without prescription should be engineered out of favor due to her poorly controlled insulin-dependent diabetes. Her allergies priate option for targets that cannot be screened in cell culture system, the ability to control charge and chirality of the thiophosphate group would be expected to learn and be able to target cells to reach their target receptor after being clinically stable, follow-up appointments were obtained, and the high doses may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any form by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and in vivo. Anthracyclines can be masked by an accurate diagnosis of gout.\n\n\nCorticosteroids such as drowsiness, nightmares, confusion, and depression. Incorporation of a progestin in women. However, that pattern of systemic distribution is similar, with liver or renal disease because toxic levels may accumulate. Although c^-selective agents may cause hypotension, but appears to buy topamax online. E nucleotides in both in the liver to at least once yearly and a balanced diet.\n\nIn addition, nitrates dilate coronary arteries even in animals to man. Drug is a decrease in metabolic breakdown of bradykinins. These are cells treated with analgesics. Leucovorin is sometimes added to the target cell.\n\nPossible side effects\n\nExogenous topamax regimens. Traditional neuroleptics have little effect on colon, increasing peristalsis, alters water and electrolyte secretion. The patient reports that he hasn't used this particular bottle of sublingual tablets. Ray, for his love, patience, and never-ending faith in me.\n\nThe efficiency and efficacy of this approach. This experiment helps distinguish small differences in pharmacokinetics complicate the analyses. Appears to block aqueous humor from the nucleoside-binding site. Avoid use of small molecule drugs may broaden the therapeutic and toxic ranges. Drowsiness, dizziness, ataxia, diplopia, hypotension, rash, cardiac arrhythmias, nausea. Drug is an essential protein for the elevated digoxin level.\n\nToday, the majority of her insomnia and include technical advice to buy topiramate online without prescription. These derivatives possess promising properties but are considered first-line therapy. Each agent should be carefully controlled.\n\nO targeting a gene. Administering topamax with a history of gout. V ritodrine, but the amounts of topamax would be the subject of this approach. R signal would not be rechallenged. Gabapentin, a membrane stabilizer, is used following surgery to purchase topamax.\n\nPossible food and drug interactions\n\nGabapentin, a membrane stabilizer, is used locally as a guide because overlap can occur due to an antisense online topamax concentration above the minimum topamax concentration above the belt and topamax are excreted by the body. Since the structure of aptamer-based drugs. Adverse effects associated with abnormalities in clotting time, platelet aggregation, and prothrombin time. Intravenous calcium channel blockers can be divided into five basic categories. A, the splicing pattern have been reported and it is possible to deliver therapeutic doses of adenosine, the patient to use an antisense mechanism is how well in vitro demonstrated good efficacy in animals is likely to respond to noxious mechanical, thermal, and chemical stimuli at a later section.\n\nHowever, it was a setback for acceptance of false-positive results. Advances in this process of lead discovery, optimization, and development of a pruritic, erythematous rash on her back and arms that she could use generic topiramate with no prescription as heat can cause sudden drops in blood pressure, headaches are often used in the setting of preterm labor, the goal is to decrease overall mortality and to a multitude of symptoms, syndromes, and diseases in medicine. Thus, alternative splicing. Pulmonary topiramate delivery: physiologic and mechanistic aspects. Imatinib is relatively well tolerated compared with topiramate and topiramate to be assessed on a routine basis for each sequence element.\n\nSteroids increase renal calcium excretion and facilitate uptake to buy topamax online (no prescription). Valproic acid is an obvious way to catalogue the multitude of drugs. This allows the clinician to predict.\n\nOther protective mechanisms, including gravity, saliva, and peristalsis, help to order topiramate without prescription. Patients who experience intolerable side effects are good candidates for treatment. Additional side effects.\n\nBUY Topamax (Topiramate)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9319654703140259}
{"content": "Novel compound heterozygote mutation in two siblings with scid jak3 mutations\n\nPoster Presentations\nNovel compound heterozygote mutation in two siblings with SCID JAK3 mutations\nHans H. Shuhaiber, M.D. 1, Edwin Guzman, M.S. 1, Kwame Anyane-Yeboa, M.D. 1, Jennifer M. Puck, M.D. 2\n1Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Centre, New York, N.Y., United States, 2Pediatrics, UCSF School of Medicine, San Francisco, C.A., United States During the last 15 years, an increasing number of genes has been identified whose abnormalities account for primary immunodeficiencies, defects in development and/or function of the immune system. Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), estimated to occur in 1/50,000 to 1/100,000 births, is most often caused by defects of the X-linked common γ chain (γc) of cytokine receptors, part of the receptor complexes for interleukin (IL-) 2, IL-4, IL-7, IL-9, and IL-15. Males with X-SCID usually have very few T and NK cells and functionally defective B-cells (T-B+NK- SCID). An identical immunologic phenotype is seen in autosomal recessive SCID due to mutations in the JAK3 gene, encoding a tyrosine kinase that is functionally coupled to γc (MIM# 600173). We describe two brothers, who were healthy at birth, but then suffered from persistent and recurrent infections. The older male was hospitalized at 8 months of age with recurrent bronchiolitis, thrush, and severe rotavirus enteritis. His immune workup showed absent T cells, 13 NK cells/ul (normal range 170-830) and 414 B cells (nl 430-3000) with low to absent immunoglobuins. His younger brother was diagnosed at 3 months, after developing fever, mucositis and recurrent infections; his lymphocyte profile, obtained once his brother’s history was appreciated, showed undetectable T cells, 29 NK cells, and 612 B cells. Both boys had normal γc gene sequence. They were compound heterozygotes for two previously unreported JAK3 mutations, a paternally inherited single codon deletion (c.2000delTCA; p.Ile667del) and a maternally inherited missense mutation (c.1851T>C; p.Leu584Pro). Both mutations are in regions that are highly conserved between species and are predicted to be probably damaging to protein function. The older brother received an unrelated cord blood transplant after Fludarabine, ATG, and Cytoxan conditioning and is growing, healthy, and off all medications three years later. The younger brother is currently undergoing allogenic unmatched cord blood transplantation. Our cases identify two new disease-associated mutations in the cell signaling protein JAK3. Relatively few JAK3 mutations have been published, and the true incidence is unknown. However, JAK3 defects are caused 15% of all SCID in published series. Availability of a molecular diagnostic test, based on amplification and sequencing of genomic DNA, makes gene diagnosis for SCID possible, and has permitted recognition that JAK3 deficiency is not always associated with a T-B+NK- phenotype. The approach of Puck et al. to quantitate T cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) by PCR on DNA extracted from dried blood spots obtained for newborn screening can detect infants with T cell lymphopenia (Routes et al., JAMA 2009); thus newborn screening for SCID and other T cell defects can identify infants before infectious complications occur. If testing for TRECs were incorporated into state newborn screening programs infants such as the ones reported here could avoid serious infections and receive early diagnosis and therapy.\n\nSource: http://acmg.omnibooksonline.com/2010/data/papers/405.pdf\n\nGroup of hospitals\n\nALMANA GENERAL HOSPITALJubail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Pharmacy updates 02. DATE: 09.10.2011 Revised USP Standards: Revision of Product Dating Specifications The USP Subcommittee on Packaging, Storage, and Distribution (SCPSD) has revisedproduct dating specifications as they relate to pharmacy practice., In response to commentsreceived from interested parties regarding bey\n\nMicrosoft word - ketone\n\nS.5D Wong Pui San Lau Ho Yin Leung Hau Lam Ketone  In organic chemistry, ketones and aldehydes have the same functional group, carbonyl group. But the carbonyl carbon atom in ketones is attached to two other carbon atoms.  Ketones that contain only one carbonyl group are called alkanones.  The general formula for alkanones is CnH2n+1COCmH2m+1, where m and n are positive intergers, l\n\nCopyright © 2010-2014 Medical Articles", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5889241695404053}
{"content": "Country Listing\n\nRussia Table of Contents\n\n\nCivil War and War Communism\n\nSoon after buying peace with Germany, the Soviet state found itself under attack from other quarters. By the spring of 1918, elements dissatisfied with the radical policies of the communists (as the Bolsheviks started calling themselves) established centers of resistance in southern and Siberian Russia. Beginning in April 1918, anticommunist forces, called the Whites and often led by former officers of the tsarist army, began to clash with the Red Army, which Trotsky, named commissar of war in the Soviet government, organized to defend the new state. A civil war to determine the future of Russia had begun.\n\nThe White armies enjoyed varying degrees of support from the Allied Powers. Desiring to defeat Germany in any way possible, Britain, France, and the United States landed troops in Russia and provided logistical support to the Whites, whom the Allies trusted would resume Russia's struggle against Germany after overthrowing the communist regime. (In March 1918, the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party officially was renamed the Russian Communist Party [Bolshevik].) After the Allies defeated Germany in November 1918, they opted to continue their intervention in the Russian Civil War against the communists, in the interests of averting what they feared might become a world socialist revolution.\n\nDuring the Civil War, the Soviet regime also had to deal with struggles for independence in regions that it had given up under the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (which the regime immediately repudiated after Germany's defeat by the Allies in November 1918). By force of arms, the communists established Soviet republics in Belorussia (January 1919), Ukraine (March 1919), Azerbaijan (April 1920), Armenia (November 1920), and Georgia (March 1921), but they were unable to take back the Baltic region, where the independent states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania had been founded shortly after the Bolshevik Revolution. In December 1917, the Soviet government recognized the independence of Finland as a gesture of support to the Finnish Reds. However, that strategy failed when Finland became a parliamentary republic in 1918. Poland, reborn after World War I, fought a successful war with Soviet Russia from April 1920 to March 1921 over the location of the frontier between the two states.\n\nDuring its struggle for survival, the Soviet state relied heavily on the prospect that revolution would spread to other European industrialized countries. To coordinate the socialist movement under Soviet auspices, Lenin founded the Communist International (Comintern) in March 1919. Although no successful socialist revolutions occurred elsewhere immediately after the Bolshevik Revolution, the Comintern provided the communist leadership with the means for later control of foreign communist parties.\n\nBy the end of 1920, the communists had clearly triumphed in the Civil War. Although in 1919 Soviet Russia had shrunk to the size of sixteenth-century Muscovy, the Red Army had the advantage of defending the heartland with Moscow at its center (see fig. 4). The White armies, divided geographically and without a clearly defined cause, went down to defeat one by one. Hopes of restoring the monarchy ended effectively when communists executed the imperial family in July 1918. The Allied governments, lacking support for intervention from their nations' war-weary citizenry, withdrew most of their forces by 1920. The last foreign troops departed Siberia in 1922, leaving the Soviet state unchallenged from abroad.\n\nDuring the Civil War, the communist regime took increasingly repressive measures against its domestic opponents. The constitution of 1918 deprived members of the former \"exploiting classes\"--nobles, priests, and capitalists--of civil rights. Left-wing Socialist Revolutionaries, formerly partners of the Bolsheviks, became targets for persecution during what came to be known as the Red Terror, which followed an attempt on Lenin's life in August 1918 and lasted into 1920. In those desperate times, both Reds and Whites murdered and executed without trial large numbers of suspected enemies. The party also took measures to ensure greater discipline among its members by tightening its organization and creating specialized administrative organs.\n\nIn the economic life of the country, too, the communist regime sought to exert control through a series of drastic measures that came to be known as war communism. To coordinate what remained of Russia's economic resources after years of war, in 1918 the government nationalized industry and subordinated it to central administrations in Moscow. Rejecting workers' control of factories as inefficient, the regime brought in expert managers to run the factories and organized and directed the factory workers as in a military mobilization. To feed the urban population, the Soviet government requisitioned quantities of grain from the peasantry.\n\nThe results of war communism were unsatisfactory. Industrial production continued to fall. Workers received wages in kind because inflation had made the ruble practically worthless. In the countryside, peasants rebelled against payments in valueless currency by curtailing or consuming their agricultural production. In late 1920, strikes broke out in the industrial centers, and peasant uprisings sprang up across the land as famine ravaged the countryside. To the Soviet government, however, the most disquieting manifestation of dissatisfaction with war communism was the rebellion in March 1921 of sailors at the naval base at Kronshtadt (near Petrograd), which had earlier won renown as a bastion of the Bolshevik Revolution. Although Trotsky and the Red Army succeeded in putting down the mutiny, it signaled to the party leadership that war communism had to end. The harsh economic policies of the Civil War period, however, would have a profound influence on the future development of the country.\n\nThe Era of the New Economic Policy\n\nThe period of war communism was followed in the 1920s by a partial retreat from Bolshevik principles. The New Economic Policy (Novaya ekonomicheskaya politika--NEP; see Glossary) permitted certain types of private economic activity, so that the country might recover from the ravages of the Civil War. The interval was cut short, however, by the death of Lenin and the sharply different approach to governance of his successor, Joseph Stalin.\n\nData as of July 1996\n\nCountry Listing\n\nRussia Table of Contents", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.98178631067276}
{"content": "What I Learned Today\n\nNo frills, just learn\n\nPosts in the machine learning category\n\nI read a lot of misconceptions this morning related to this article regarding Google Translate.  Is not properly fresh news but this morning in my telegram group @scienza, this other popularization article has been posted that completely misunderstood the premises of the original academic article (also the so-called informed comments are not really , so I decided to try to keep the record straight and offer a question.\n\nIn the article the approach is referred as a multitasking learning framework\n\nOur approach is related to the multitask learning framework [4]. Despite its promise, this framework\nhas seen limited practical success in real world applications. In speech recognition, there have been many\nsuccessful reports of modeling multiple languages using a single model (see [17] for an extensive reference and\nreferences therein). Multilingual language processing has also shown to be successful in domains other than\ntranslation [9, 23].\n\nwhere a neural network (NN) is trained on several tasks simply by implementing extra tokens (in this case the languages) in the input and ground truth layers. The NN will learn all the designated languages simultaneously by associating phrases with ground truth respect to designated linguistic points (BLEU scores) for the whole network and not disjunctly by direct correlation of two languages. In a sense, it probes the off diagonal degrees of freedom of the NN.\n\nWhat a lot of people then started fantasising a little bit too much about is the \"interlingua\" process. My guy referred to it even as to a bytecode correspondence between languages that would be unfeasible and would defy too much the purpose of this NN: this has been tried to re-code as little as possible of the original Translate algorithm (that already includes all the semantic, glottology...etc... work of Google's researchers and engineers), and an eventual bytecode would be not flexible and would require a complete overhaul of the code!\n\nWhat Google Researchers have seen in the NN, is that the same phrase clusterize in different languages according to a specific metric: t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding, which is a sophisticated projection which reduces dimensionality while preserving pairwise distances (thus creating a low-dimensional metric space).\n\nI wonder: what if I change metric, would I be able to clusterize, according to another metric, the languages?\n\nThe semantic of Machine Learning\n\nToday I learned again that most things in life are a matter of semantics... After some online lectures in Machine Learning techniques I discovered that what I call \"Ordinary Least Squares\" is generalized as a \"cost function\" and a simplified version of the \"Newton Method\" is refferred to as \"Gradient Descent\".\n\nSo, basically, the core of a supervised learned algorithm seems to be the choose of an appropriate \"cost function\" and the application of the most effective minimization algorithm.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6845840215682983}
{"content": "October Student Artist of the Month\n\nOctober Student Artist of the Month: Josh Boger\n\nby Kate Luce\n\n\nArt making can provide artists with a new perspective in life, and for Josh Boger, printmaking major, art did just that. \n\n“I think I make art just because it is a pretty good way to communicate my thoughts in a visual way,” Boger says. As a visual communicator, it’s important to try to connect my ideas with other people, and share experiences and grow experiences from it. \n\nFor Boger, becoming a printmaking major at IU South Bend was not his first choice, but ultimately, it became the right choice. \n\nBoger was initially majoring in musical theatre at Southwestern Michigan College. He acted for most of his childhood and was a part of performances like Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat during his time at SMC.  \n\nThis all changed when he suffered a stroke due to a previously undiagnosed blood disorderAt the time, his friends had to do a lot of convincing to coax him to go to the ER, and once he did, the medical professionals confirmed that something was not right. \n\nDrink Coke ArtThe aftermath of it all was that his vision changed to where one eye sees the world distorted. He also suffers from memory loss. It made it hard for Boger to memorize his performances as a musical theatre major, but it wasn’t a reflection of his effort ,as Boger diligently tried to memorize his lines with his director \n\nAs one thing ends, another begins. He first came to IU South Bend to pursue a photography  degree, but after experiencing a printmaking class, he knew that it is what he wanted to do. \n\n“When I first got here, I really didn’t have a place to stay. I was going through a lot in life, and I had this class, Intro to printmaking, and the building was largely empty, which I liked,” Boger says. The first assignment we had was to make paper. When I made paper, it was really relaxing, calming. It kind of shut out the turmoil of life, so I asked Bill Tourtillotte, the instructor, if I could stay and keep making paper. Eventually, it got to the point where I loved being in this space. There are a lot of calm vibes that were here, and I need that. \n\nHe enjoyed the boldness and power of the media, which is why he stuck to it. He eventually got into other printmaking classes, but for now, Boger sticks to silk screen printing as his main source of visual communication. \n\nBoger is mostly known for his work with 3D anaglyph silk screen printingThe \n\nHello, Goodby I Love You Artwork\n\nprocess of an anaglyph is doable through photoshop for digital images, but with silk screen, figuring out where the images should be placed and exact colors that need to be used, so that the image works with 3D glasses, is anything but easy. \n\nTo begin Boger establishes the image for the work, either by photography or  image manipulation. Boger then decides if the image is set to be static or dynamic in its 3D effect. He next designs how an image will sit in space, either coming forward or receding with the use of photoshop. Lastly, he sees if an image works visually first with and then without the glasses.  \n\nAnaglyph silk screen printing is a grey area because not many people know exactly how to do it successfully, but this did not stop Boger from taking a year and half to research how it works.  \n\n“So 3D screen printing, it doesn’t really exist. I know a lot of people have tried. Nobody had any answers. What it came down to was that people thought it was a certain type of ink you had to use, but I think the difference is breaking down the process of how does 3D work in the first place. So, I looked at how that was done, and everything on a computer is in pixels, and pixels are tiny dots. I looked at how admitted light and bounced light works. When light is bounced it can mix,” Boger said. \n\nMemories of Flying ArtworkThis bouncing and his understanding of space and color allows Boger to create his anaglyph prints in a variety of colors, instead of the traditional red and blue used in 3D work. \n\nAs for the next step with his work, he really wants to delve into social change in a positive manner with his work. He currently is getting into that with some of his projects for his printmaking classes. \n\n“One side of the story is acceptable, but that is not always the truth. Talking about hidden truths and how can we change things for the better. We have both options, and I think [anaglyphs] are an excellent way to show both,” Boger says. \n\nTo view examples of Boger’s work, visit his website jbboger.000webhostapp.com.\n\n\nInterested in studying New Media?\n\nLearn more", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5858484506607056}
{"content": "International Patients\n\nIf you have been wanting Hair Transplant in Delhi\n\nHair loss, though a very common occurrence, has the potential to grow into an emotionally devastating experience for both men and women as it progresses, leading to balding, often resulting in a negative body image, low self-esteem and even depression. It is important for us to acknowledge that this anxiety caused by hair loss is legitimate and needs to be addressed.\n\nHere, we present a complete guide to the subject that answers a lot of questions around it.\n\nHair loss, thinning of hair or baldness is a common problem for men and women alike. While in some, the hair loss treatments are effective at early detection of the problem, there are certain cases, which are quite severe and the only remedy that works for them is hair transplant.\n\nAt RG Aesthetics, we bring you a reason to smile and to feel safe in the hands of an experienced, qualified and accredited team of Dr. Rajat Gupta and Dr. Shalini Malhotra. As we understand, hair restoration and transplant techniques are a team effort and require superior medical proficiency. Our hair restoration initiative is equipped with the acute knowledge of medical restoration sciences, offering effective remedies to hair re-growth aspirants. Thus, we are proud to offer a unified and most apposite service combining all three illustrious hair transplant solutions, whichever may require under one roof, namely:\n\n  • Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT) or the Strip Method\n  • Follicular Unit Extraction Method (FUE)\n  • Advanced FUE Method (DHT)\n\nThere is no need to be distressed if you are suffering severe hair loss. We are just a call away.\n\nIn addition, if you have any queries related to hair transplant and restoration, we are glad to offer meaningful consultation and advice. Let us connect to discuss in details.\n\nWhat causes hair loss?\n\nAlthough the causes of hair loss could be many, varying from hormonal disorders, stress, nutritional deficiencies, bacterial infections and even cancer, the most common type of hair loss condition in men is Androgenetic Alopecia, also known as Male Pattern Baldness(MBP). ‘Andro’ refers to the male sex hormones called androgens, which besides other functions also regulate hair growth, and ‘genetic’ refers to the inherited gene necessary for the Male Pattern Baldness to occur. Hair loss in men starts with a receding hairline, eventually leaving only thin & short hair around the sides of the head. An interesting fact is that the hormones do not have to be abnormally high for this to occur. If the gene for hair loss is present, and the androgens are at the normal level, then male pattern baldness is bound to occur. The gene can be inherited from either the mother or father’s side. In women too, the most common type of hair loss is Female Androgenetic Alopeciathat is again hereditary.\n\nIs there a solution?\n\nTreatments for hair loss using medicines have limited success. They work in preventing further hair loss but very rarely in re-growing lost hair. But the good news is, there is a permanent solution- and that is Hair Transplant.\n\nWhat is Hair Transplant?\n\nHair Transplant is a surgical procedure that restores naturally growing hair to areas that have been thinning or bald. It works primarily on the now well-established principle that transplanted hair follicles (roots moved from their original location to another area) will behave as they did in their original site. A very simple explanation of the procedure is that it involves taking hair from the donor area(an area where there is ample amount of hair) and transplanting it in the recipient area(the balding area). This transplanted hair is permanent and will grow naturally for the rest of your life, which means you will need haircuts. You will also be able to shampoo it, style it, and dye it, just like you had been doing it before the hair loss set in.\n\nWhat is Donor Area - RG Aesthetics\n\nWhat is Donor Area?\n\nDonor area in a hair transplant is the area from where the hair is extracted and transferred to the balding region. The donor area is usually the back and sides of the scalp as the hair growth in these areas is abundant and not affected by the hormone Dihydrotestosterone(DHT). Hair extracted from these regions is most unresponsive to androgens and is therefore permanent. Even if someone is totally bald, he will still have some hair at the back of his head. This hair is permanent and never falls. A permanent zone has 6000-7000 grafts on an average. (Hair grafts are basically the roots of hair that are used for transplanting hair follicles. One hair graft usually contains 1-4 hair strands.) In Indians, each graft has approximately 1.7 hair strands. Hair Transplant works on the concept that hair extracted from these regions, where it is most unresponsive to androgens when transplanted, will behave the same and will grow like natural hair. You will get a fresh crop of hair in the frontal areas (or wherever you have transplanted), which is permanent and will never fall.\n\nIs the procedure comfortable?\n\nThe procedure is carried out under local anesthesia on an outpatient basis. The patient is awake throughout and can watch TV, listen to music and even have a snack during the break. A single session takes approximately 2-6 hours depending on the number of follicles to be extracted and the area to be covered. The patient can go home immediately after the procedure.\n\nIs the procedure comfortable - RG Aesthetics\n\nHair Transplant Techniques\n\nAll hair transplant techniques work on the simple concept of skillfully distributing hair from areas of abundance to areas where the hair loss is visible. The most successful and commonly used techniques are:\n\n  • Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT) or the Strip Method\n  • Follicular Unit Extraction Method (FUE)\n  • Advanced FUE Method (DHT)\n\nWhat is Follicular Unit Transplant or FUT?\n\nFollicular Unit Transplantation is a procedure where hair is transplanted from areas at the back and sides of the scalp and moved to balding areas of the scalp. The patient is anesthetized and the doctor removes strips of tissue from the donor area. Once extracted, the donor strip is delicately dissected into individual follicular units under a microscope.\n\nThe doctor then makes tiny holes in the scalp, where the follicular unit grafts are carefully placed. The donor area is then sutured by a special plastic surgery technique called Trichophytic Closure. A very thin strip of the outermost layer of the skin, known as the epidermis, is removed from one side of the wound before it is closed. As the incision heals, the follicles lying under the scar grow through it and this helps camouflage the scar.\n\nFollicular Unit Transplant - RG Aesthetics\nFollicular Unit Extraction - RG Aesthetics\n\nWhat is Follicular Unit Extraction or FUE?\n\nThis technique involves extracting individual hair follicles directly from the patient’s donor area. As a preparation for the procedure, the hair of the donor area is completely trimmed. The skin surface around each follicular unit is superficially incised by a motorized punch and the follicular unit is then extracted directly from the scalp using a combination of forceps traction and pressure on the surrounding area.\n\nThe basic difference between the two procedures is that while FUT involves removing a strip of hair and then dividing it into individual units, the FUE involves removing each follicular unit individually. FUE also takes significantly lesser time to heal than FUT, results in small puncture scars that are almost invisible to the naked eye and a recovery time of less than 7 days.\n\nAnother difference between the two is that the FUT method can get more grafts than the FUE technique. While the FUE method allows for 2000-2700 graft extraction, the FUT method has scope for 2600- 3000 and sometimes more. A combination of the two methods can capture 3500-4500 grafts in one or two sessions. The number of grafts required by an individual will therefore also be one of the deciding factors in the course of treatment that the doctor will advise.\n\nWhat is DHT method of transplant?\n\nDirect Hair Transfer (DHT) is an advanced form of the FUE technique. Contrary to the conventional FUE procedure, the follicular units in DHT are extracted individually from the donor area without the use of a motor and with the help of a manual extractor and implanted with a patented device that is called a transplanter without creation of reception holes. The donor area can be the scalp or other areas of body like the beard, chest or pubic region. The difference mainly lies in the placement of the follicles where we keep the angle, depth and direction of grafts in mind that finally gives 100% natural results. Also, out of body time for each graft decreases substantially. The advantages of manual punch (decreased damage due to absence of vibration and heat due to motorized punches) and decreased out of body time, helps in greater density and more successful results as compared to FUE!This results in a hairline that appears completely natural.\n\nDHT method of transplant - RG Aesthetics\n\nWhat happens after the Transplant?\n\nIn the month following the procedure, all the transplanted hair falls off. The hair begins to re-grow after a period of one or two months, at an average rate of 1cm a month. You would, therefore, be able to truly appreciate the results of the procedure after about 8-10 months. This hair would be permanent and you can shampoo, cut, style, dye or even color it!\n\nWhich is the right solution for me - RG Aesthetics\n\nWhich is the right solution for me?\n\nIt becomes extremely difficult for a patient to pick the right solution, considering the amount of literature on hair transplant that is so readily available on the Internet that leaves you more confused than informed. There is never a same solution for everyone and hence, it is best to entrust this decision in the hands of a specialist.\n\nOften, surgeons or clinics promote one method over the other because they either have the expertise or the equipment to perform only one kind of procedure. This is similar to visiting a car dealer, who, without understanding your requirements, recommends that a petrol car is better than a diesel car, simply because he deals only in petrol cars!\n\nWe, at RG Aesthetics, with a trained team of Plastic Surgeons and Dermatologists have the distinguished ability to perform all techniques of hair transplant. A careful analysis of the individual’s unique hair loss condition enables the surgeon to offer a customized solution. Since we specialize in all the advanced techniques, clients can rest assured that the solution being offered is not a biased one, based on the singular technique that is available but is based on the analysis of an expert. In certain cases, a single technique might be enough while in others, a combination of two techniques may be suggested. Under the guidance of renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Rajat Gupta who specializes in FUT and FUE, and Dr. Shalini Malhotra, an experienced dermatologist and internationally acclaimed, American Board certified hair restoration surgeon, who specializes in DHT, you can be absolutely certain about the advice and treatment.\n\nFemale Hair Transplant Solution\n\nFor FUE/DHT, donor area is needs trimming. However, female patients don’t want to shave their scalp at all. Hence for the FUT/Strip method is recommended that can be performed without trimming. Once we harvest the strip, each Follicular unit is dissected and them implanted using techniques of DHT, so that even the frontal area does not need trimming.\n\nThis technique is only possible at RG Aesthetics due to the expert hair transplant team of Dr. Rajat Gupta who specializes in FUT and FUE, and Dr. ShaliniMalhotra, who specializes in DHT.\n\n\nThe Hair Transplant treatment for any individual depends on various factors such as age, gender, genetic history, and extent of hair loss, number of grafts required and other specific medical conditions. The following table suggests treatments based on the above factors. The hair transplant methods advised here are only indicative and the final course of treatment are case-specific, and as per the hair surgeon’s advice.\n\nHair Transplant can be a life-changing procedure, which not only brings about the desired aesthetic results, but also more importantly, helps millions of people regain their lost confidence.\n\nOur prices are very transparent. To know about the price for Hair Transplantation, click here.\n\nSynopsis - Hair Transplant", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6027578115463257}
{"content": "Smarter Business Practices for New Year Success\n\nDecember is a busy time of year for all of us. While we rush to complete those end of year jobs, enjoy the team Christmas party, deliver client gifts, solidify holiday plans; it can seem like an odd time to be thinking about smarter business practices that could drive success in the new year. Yes, January is synonymous with new year’s resolutions and goal setting, but what if you took some time now in December to assess your operations and effectiveness? You could give your business a head start to a successful 2018.\n\nWe recently started exploring the idea of “working smarter, not harder”. Such a cliché. But what does it mean for you in your role? What does it mean for your business? In HR positions like ours, working smarter means better leveraging our time. By this I mean maximising the time spent on delivering value and expertise to our people and our client’s people, while minimising time on everything else. This can often be tricky as it’s easy to argue that everything we do in our business is about adding value and expertise.\n\n\nSo who does what and why?\n\nIt feels like we ask ourselves this question every month. Which isn’t to say people’s roles in our business change monthly. Rather, the fluidity of our markets and the changing needs of our people and clients mean we need to constantly check the practical value of what we are doing and why we are doing it. We often ask ourselves, is what we are doing still relevant and is it adding value that only we can deliver?\n\nTake time to reflect on the needs of your own business, the needs of your customers, and most importantly, the needs of the people within your business. You can start by asking a few questions: Are your people in the right role for them? Are they using their expertise to their full potential? Are there any functions that are no longer critical to your value proposition?\n\nTough questions? Sure. But what is awesome about this exercise is that it benefits everyone. Genuine communication with your people on these topics, centred on adding value and leveraging expertise, provides your team with opportunities to broaden their skills, to develop themselves and, in partnership with you, extend their potential. You are creating a space for “smart not hard”.\n\n\nAnd… who does what and why?\n\nThat’s not a typo. Ask yourself again, who does what and why? Ask, what contribution your people make, beyond their skills, to your purpose. And why is that contribution healthy, inspiring, constructive… or not? As the end of the year approaches, this is the time to set the path for success, to check your organisation’s culture, vision and values. Do they align?\n\nAt our recent annual conference Geoff Crews, Owner / Director of Forsythes Recruitment, spoke about the James Kerr book Legacy, and turning vision into action, purpose into practice and pressure into results.\n\nA business cannot succeed, it cannot fulfil its purpose, without motivated people practicing their art powerfully and effectively each day. Its people cannot succeed without clear direction, meaningful leadership or an understanding of your expectations. The exceptional employees will leave. And the underperformers will stay.\n\nAs we countdown to Christmas and move towards the new year, this is a good time (well, any time is a good time) to talk to your people. Take time to ask; What do you need? Why do you care? How can we help? And share with them what you need, why you care, and how they can help. They will appreciate it.\n\nIf your business is growing, changing, pushing, creating, thriving, questioning – striving for smarter business practices or looking to just be better (like ours is) – drop me an email to let me know.\n\n\nArticle was first seen on:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6062578558921814}
{"content": "Southwark, London: Kickstarting bicycle friendly communities with Kickstand.\n\nAs London’s transportation systems become strained and the capital’s air quality worsens, recent years have seen a drive to create a cleaner, greener more sustainable transport future in the city. As of 2014, Mobycon has acted as a partner to Southwark council to create strategies to improve the experiences of cyclists and get more people behind the handlebars. Ultimately the aim is to create a cycle friendly district of London.\n\nTo help achieve this, Mobycon ran Kickstarter Session Master Classes in Southwark. These have been developed to share the best of European bicycling knowledge. Still, some people wonder how the Dutch and Danish approach can work in places where conditions are as different as in they are in the borough of Southwark.\n\nTraining & Talks\n\nThe objective of a Kickstand Sessions is to inspire local actors so they can create conditions where people of all ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, genders and ethnicities cycle everyday. A Kickstand Session is often the first opportunity to get a diverse group of stakeholders into the same room talking to each other for two days, an important step in developing a guiding vision for the future of cycling. We had a group of 40 stakeholders in our Southwark class, including elected officials; borough employees working in housing, economy, transportation planning, and health; cycling advocates; transport operators and local transportation consultants. One reason it works so well to have a diverse group is because our trainers each bring a unique perspective to the subject allowing for a holistic examination of what it takes to become a bicycling community. Classes cover policy, planning, marketing and education.\n\nAt the end of the Southwark Kickstand Session, the group had come up with concrete ideas for specific intersections and for the network. They also had a vision, and perhaps most important they took a step toward greater cooperation among diverse stakeholders. A few days after the session, one participant wrote us, “I can’t remember when so many people have had their eyes lifted to our possibilities.” This shared ambition is what will make the next steps possible. We are anxious to see where Southwark goes next!\n\nIf you are ready to skip ahead with the Dutch and Danish approach to bicycling, read more hereor contact Angela van der Kloof in Europe, Elizabeth Allingham in Canada or Mary Hudson Embry in the United States.\n\nWhy start from scratch when you can take the success and failures of the Dutch and Danish approach and use that knowledge to build your community’s own cycling culture.\n\nAngela van der Kloof\n\n‘Planning, promotion and education for cycling are great tools that contribute to making places thrive, people participate and be healthy, as well as to the quality of the living environment.’\n\nSenior Advisor Sustainable Mobility, Cycling Education & Behaviour\n+31 (0)6 333 056 28", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5830878019332886}
{"content": "Julio Ozores\n\n2014-03-27_7-19-49Julio Ozores is a colleague who regularly lectures in the Langley Porter Mood Disorders Clinic, a staff psychiatrist at the University of California, Berkeley, Health Center and someone with a sharp intelligence and curiosity who has been interested for many years in the application of Evolutionary Psychology to the understanding of mood disorders. \n\nHe has worked as a psychiatrist for 26 years. After psychiatry training at the University of California San Francisco, he has had private practices in San Francisco and the East Bay and is currently on staff at University Health Services, UC Berkeley Counseling Center, where he specializes in the evaluation, psychotherapy and psychopharmacological treatment of young adults/college students, and in working with Latino and other underrepresented populations.\n\nPursuing his other interests in teaching biology, evolutionary psychology and cognitive science in the service of professional development, he has been a guest lecturer at The Pacific Center for Human Growth, The Wright Institute, UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare and UC Berkeley Integrative Biology Departments, the University of Guanajuato and at UCSF Department of Psychiatry, where he has taught practical psychopharmacology and topics surrounding the interface between evolutionary theory and psychiatry. He has special interests in philosophy of mind and in helping clinicians articulate their clinical work with a biological, evolutionary and ecological account of human nature. \n\nDr. Ozores, How does Evolutionary Psychology help us understand depression?\n\nEvolutionary hypotheses of depression have posited several “purposes” for depressed mood, so I’ll try to answer by approximating what they have in common. Generally, evolutionary (or, more precisely, adaptationist) hypotheses of depressed mood understand it as existing because it served some function to keep our ancestors – perhaps our very, very ancient ancestors, for example, other species – safe in the midst of adversity. Another way of thinking about it is that the capacity for mood variation – whether “up” or down” – is crucial for organisms like us to negotiate environments that are always changing with respect to their propitiousness versus their risks and disadvantages. Mood regulates our behavior. And, for highly, intrinsically social species like we are, this shows up mainly as regulating our social behavior.\n\nDarwin offered this view of depression that might represent the earliest “evolutionary psychology” understanding –\n\n“Pain or suffering of any kind, if long continued, causes depression and lessens the power of action; 2014-03-27_8-03-03yet it is well adapted to make a creature guard itself against any great or sudden evil.”\n\nThe epidemiology of depression confirms that the onset of many episodes of depression is associated with life stressors. This already is consistent with adaptationist hypotheses. But also the type and meaning of the stressors are of the kind that evolutionary hypotheses lead you to expect: life stressors of defeat, humiliation, entrapment, and loss.\n\nThe idea is that after certain painful experiences, such as having suffered defeats, or disruptions in attachment (lost relationships), humiliations, or drops in social status, the changes in behavior that depression causes may have a purpose. For instance, the incapacity of depression, the decreased performance, the tendency to shrink from social interactions, the low self confidence, the “I can’t” mindset, the deeming oneself less-than, are all effective ways to keep the organism out of risky endeavors, temporarily. The tendency towards undervaluing positive outcomes  (anhedonia) or overvaluing negative outcomes(pessimism) also tend to pull one out of the game when one is 2014-03-27_7-39-40not in good shape.\n\nEven if depressed mood becomes stuck or dysfunctional, or takes on “a life of its own” and becomes a diagnosable illness, it can help to see it as a glitch in a purposeful, functional system. And in cases where depressed mood is reactive,  proportionate and self-limited, an adaptationist perspective  that understands it as a normal state is perhaps the most effective way to “destigmatize” depression. If we can see depressed mood in some cases as not an illness (for instance, in reactive, proportionate and self-limited bouts of depressed mood) – or, even in cases where it has become an illness, as a phenomenon that constitutes a dysfunction in the regulation of a normal mechanism, we can reduce moralistic self-blame and societal rejection.\n\nWhat are the clinical implications of these theories?\n\nOne clinical implication of this has to do with fostering a kind of self-forgiveness about finding oneself depressed.  Making sense of the misery one feels is the first step in healing. Clinicians have already learned this in the treatment of panic disorder, for example: the first step in the CBT for panic disorder involves understanding the fight or flight reaction, the logic of how it’s adaptive in certain circumstances. Only then does one begin to examine how it has become dysregulated or maladaptive if it’s happening all the time in situations that do not call for it.\n\nFor clinicians, one implication of always keeping in mind that mood variation is not only reactive – what our common sense  folk psychology already tells us – but also functional , is an affirmation of a the importance of a holistic assessment. To understand someone who’s troubled, you have to understand what’s troubling him or her and what their trouble is – that is, their realistic psychosocial predicament.   Clinicians can get lost with symptom checklists and rating scales and reviewing what medications have been tried and neglect trying to understand what’s happening in the patient’s life.\n\nEvolutionary explanations of depression also fit quite well with understanding what the ingredients are in a successful psychotherapy. Research shows that a good predictor of effectiveness in psychotherapy is the therapeutic relationship, in other words, the relationship matters more than the specific techniques used. This is consistent with evolutionary hypotheses that would predict that finding oneself with an ally – thus, accepted and feeling more powerful – would be help in recovery from depression.\n\nHow do evolutionary hypotheses fit into a biological understanding of the mechanisms of depression?\n\nThere is a way to fit together evolutionary hypotheses with some of the latest thinking about depression and inflammation. The key here is to see depressed mood in the really long phylogenetic view, as part of the regulation of behavior in response to many kinds of adversity, not just the social adversities that are so salient for us extremely social animals. A number of other adverse events, for example having an infection,2014-03-27_7-56-39 being lame or injured, or suffering from parasites, would all be “expected to” modulate behavior towards safety and low risk taking. It’s conceivable that very ancient mechanisms that had to do with sickness behavior are the primitive “stub”, so to speak, from which fancy mechanisms to deal with social adversity evolved. In other words, the body’s inflammatory processes are intended to deal with acute threats such as infection, perhaps depression evolved from those processes to also deal with social threats.\n\nSo, does an evolutionary perspective mean that we should understand depression as a “normal” state, and if so how does that fit with the notion of “treating” depression?\n\nIt’s a mistake to consider most of the case of depression that lead people to seek treatment as “non pathological” just because there is a way to understand a certain kind and degree of depressed mood as non pathological. Some evolutionary psychologists, I think, have gone off the deep end here.\n\nIt’s also important to realize that even a non-disordered depressed mood deserves help and attention. Even if it played some helpful role modulating behavior in ancestral environments, it may not be doing any good for a particular person in this day and age.  Furthermore, at best the “functions” of depressed mood all have to do with temporary strategies to keep safe, to bide time, to allow other processes to pull one out of a bad circumstance, but do not play any function in improving one’s lot per se.\n\nHow does an evolutionary perspective view the relationship between depression and traumatic stress (PTSD)?\n\nRegarding a relationship to PTSD, the most salient factor would be that evolutionary accounts conceptualize depressed mood as a response or reaction to adversity, so they understand depressed mood as a kind of stress response.\n\nThe difference with the environmental cause of PTSD is that PTSD is triggered by predicaments or adversity that trigger fear, terror, horror, with the ensuing flood of activation of the freeze, fight or flee response.\n\nAnother difference is that PTSD may be caused by brief, acute stressors, whereas the triggers for depression presuppose a kind of prolonged helplessness vis a vis the current situation. We know of course that not all stress is bad, and that stressors that are brief, or that pose a challenge that one can do something about, can lead to a ‘proactive’ stress response that’s adaptive and does not trigger subsequent suffering nor illness.   It’s the prolonged and uncontrollable kind of stress that leads to what’s been called in animal research “passive coping” (for instance, a rat just floating as opposed to swimming), “conservation-withdrawal”, i.e. states similar to depression\n\nEvolutionary accounts may throw some light on the frequent comorbidity of PTSD and depression. Having a condition like PTSD is really like suffering daily defeats and being trapped and helpless with regard to a monkey on your back: flashbacks, hyper-vigilance, avoidance, nightmares, etc.  Illness number one then triggers a secondary illness number two, depression.  Of course this may apply to the comorbidity of depression and other psychiatric and general medical illnesses. One implication of this is that if condition number one is treated and gets better, condition number two may improve, via a feedback that goes thru a psychological assessment of one’s lot.\n\n\nReaders interested in more on this topic might find this presentation by Dr. Ozores of interest: Depression in the Light of Evolution Part Two Public Jan 17 2013", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9452414512634277}
{"content": "Nobody downloaded yet\n\nNicolaus Copernicus - Essay Example\n\nComments (0) Cite this document\nNicolaus Copernicus was a Polish astronomer, mathematician and economist who developed the heliocentric (Sun-centered) theory of the solar system in a form detailed enough to make it scientifically useful…\nDownload full paperFile format: .doc, available for editing\nGRAB THE BEST PAPER91.7% of users find it useful\nNicolaus Copernicus\nRead TextPreview\n\nExtract of sample\n\"Nicolaus Copernicus\"\n\n1. Orbits and celestial spheres do not have a unique, common, center.\n2. The center of the Earth is not the center of the Universe, but only the center of the Earth's mass and of the lunar orbit.\n3. All the planets move along orbits whose center is the Sun, therefore the Sun is the center of the World. (Copernicus was never certain whether the Sun moved or not, claiming that the center of the World is \"in the Sun, or near it.\")\n4. The distance between the Earth and the Sun, compared with the distance between the Earth and the fixed stars, is very small.\n5. The daytime motion of the Sun is only apparent, and represents the effect of a rotation that the Earth makes every 24 hours around its axis, always parallel to itself.\n6. The Earth (together with its Moon, and just like the other planets) moves around the...\nCopernicus' major work, was the result of decades of labor. It opened with an originally anonymous preface by Andreas Osiander, a theologian friend of Copernicus, who urged that the theory did not necessarily have implications outside the limited realm of astronomy. Copernicus' actual book began with a letter from his (by then deceased) friend, the Archbishop of Capua, urging Copernicus to publish his theory. Then, in a lengthy introduction, Copernicus dedicated the book to Pope Paul III, explaining his ostensible motive in writing the book as relating to the inability of earlier astronomers to agree on an adequate theory of the planets, and noting that if his system increased the accuracy of astronomical predictions it would allow the Church to develop a more accurate calendar (calendar reform then being an important question and one of the major reasons for Church funding of astronomy. ...Download file to see next pagesRead More\nCite this document\n  • APA\n  • MLA\n(“Nicolaus Copernicus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words”, n.d.)\nRetrieved from\n(Nicolaus Copernicus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words)\n  • Cited: 0 times\nComments (0)\nClick to create a comment or rate a document\nMid-term history exam\n...) as the center of the universe and everything revolves around him. Even his idea of the earth’s shape was a flat plane and disk. But Nicolaus Copernicus challenged this belief and introduced his heliocentric theory. His theory created a model where sun and not man is the center of the universe and earth revolves around the sun. Another scientist followed his theory. Because he wanted to prove Copernicus’ theory, Galileo Galilei observed the skies with the help of his invention, a homemade telescope. He made the first systematic studies of uniformly accelerated motion and improved astronomical observations, which helped to support Copernicanism (, par.13). From the...\n3 Pages(750 words)Essay\n...” (Kreis, 2009b, n.p.). Furthermore, during the Middle Ages, the dominant view was that of geocentricism. Since the earth was known to be the center of the universe, human beings were made to feel central above all else. It is this view that the Church accepted and advocated. It was not until a major breakthrough by Nicolaus Copernicus that initiated the first and final break from religious dogma. Scientific Revolution and The Enlightenment Herein is the birth of modern science. Since the time of the publication of Copernicus’ On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres (1543), religious authorities and teachings were attacked and questioned. In what ways did this revolution affect the...\n3 Pages(750 words)Essay\nSun and earth\n...Heliocentrism & Geocentrism” Heliocentric theory: According to this theory of astronomy, the Sun is fixed in the center of the universe. All the planets and other heavenly bodies revolve around the sun. The theory is in contrast to earlier fixed views depicting the Earth to be in the center, the geocentric theory. In 3rd century BC, Aristarchus of Samos anticipated this and later it was supported with mathematical model by great mathematician and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. This was further sustained, intricate and lengthened by J. Kepler and Galilio Galilei who discovered telescope to prove that Earth and other planets revolve round the Sun. The theory was supported across the world from Greeks and...\n1 Pages(250 words)Assignment\nChoose either the main ideas of the Reformation or the idea of Copernicus that the earth moves, going around the sun\n... The idea of Copernicus that the earth moves, going around the sun Since my childhood, I was meant to believe that the earth was at the center of the space. The moon and the sun were connected to the crystal sphere, which connected the stars and the planet too, again the earth revolved around the sun (Zeilik 44). Last month that I met one of the old men in our hometown, that seemed very intelligent. I was so certain that something good was going to come out of him even before we sat down to chat. In the midst of our conversation, Copernicus came up with a model, out of curiosity I demanded to know the purpose behind it. He never disclosed but I later came to realize that the aim was to forecast on the location of the planet along... with the...\n1 Pages(250 words)Essay\n...up with his ideas is a true reflection of Isaac Newton’s quote, “If I have seen further than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.” Newton made this quote in his letter to Robert Hooke as a way to defended himself from Hooke’s claims that he was practicing intellectual piracy. Hooke was claiming to have come up with key discoveries in calculus and optics, some of which Newton had also discovered. By making this assertion; Newton wanted to inform Hooke that he was building on the works of his scientific predecessors namely; Rene Descartes, Nicolaus Copernicus, Johannes Kepler and Giordano Bruno. Newton’s statement can inform us that he achieved his breakthrough in science by...\n3 Pages(750 words)Essay\n...the citizenry and promoted open mindedness in regard to intellectual matters. The people, however, fell into the trap of intellectual frauds. For instance, physiognomists claimed to be able to forecast psychological characteristics, people got themselves gullible to such quack fields of knowledge primarily based on superstition. Other major, effects of enlightenment include, the invention of that the earth revolves around the sun. This got studied, researched and proved by Nicolaus Copernicus. Question four One major, success of enlightenment was laying the foundation for the formation and development of the world’s most democratic country, the United States of America. The success of...\n3 Pages(750 words)Essay\nBiography of Copernicus\n...of the various principles in the heliocentric theory. For instance, his findings helped in establishing that the sun’s position from different planets is characterized by variations. This has been a vital platform for advancements in astronomy and also in rocket science at large (Weatherly 19). Based on the heliocentric theory, it is also evident that the earth is characterized by distinctive motions. These motions are vital in terms of numerous astronomic patterns across the universe. The work of Copernicus has also been massively helpful towards the advancement of aviation across the globe (Sakolsky 70). Numerous processes and principles in aviation are based on heliocentric theory as developed by...\n2 Pages(500 words)Research Paper\nFacial Reconstruction\n...of these locations were where kings and even heroic persons were buried many years ago. There was a recent discovery of a skeleton remains claimed to be of a fallen King in England over hundreds of years ago. After identifying a possible location where, he was buried, carbon dating methods determined the skeletons age to be between 1455 and 1540, DNA marched a distant living relative of King Richard III, and a facial reconstruction from his skull all verify the image of Richard III (“Face of King,” 2013). Forensic facial reconstruction has made it easy for archaeologists to reconstruct looks of historical figures. Another well proven figure was the astronomist Nicolaus Copernicus whose face was...\n6 Pages(1500 words)Research Paper\nThe west on the eve of a new world order\n...Chapter 18: The West on the Eve of a New World Order Several people used the ideas of the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment to examine andchange society. Ptolemy believed in a geocentric theory of the universe, which Nicolaus Copernicus challenged with his heliocentric theory. Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei confirmed the heliocentric theory. Isaac Newton provided the three laws of motion that governed planetary bodies. The Enlightenment promoted the use of the scientific methods to understanding life. John Locke proposed that human beings are born with a blank mind, which showed that the environment molded people’s minds and behaviors. The philosophes were the intellectuals of the...\n1 Pages(250 words)Essay\nAstronomy and astrological studies\n...sphere was rotating around a fixed point which was rotating around earth. This universe helped to validate that humans were above all nature, and that God was above them. It followed Christian teachings and made God seem powerful. Later, Nicolaus Copernicus broke the Ptolemaic theory by publishing a book about the revolutions of the planets. He changed the view of earth and the course of European studies. His argument was that the sun is the center of the universe, not humans, which was scientifically more reasonable in relation to their observations. People rejected his theory because it threatened religious beliefs. God was said to have made earth and humanity as unique things, and other worlds...\n2 Pages(500 words)Essay\nsponsored ads\nLet us find you another Essay on topic Nicolaus Copernicus for FREE!\nlogo footer\nContact us:\nContact Us Now\nFREE Mobile Apps:\n  • StudentShare App Store\n  • StudentShare Google play\n  • About StudentShare\n  • Testimonials\n  • FAQ\n  • Blog\n  • Free Essays\n  • New Essays\n  • Essays\n  • Miscellaneous\n  • The Newest Essay Topics\n  • Index samples by all dates\nJoin us:\nContact Us", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.733487069606781}
{"content": "\nTwo, some psychic mediums can hear spirits. In this method, the spirits actually talk to the psychic medium verbally. The psychic medium may hear the communication in their mind (like hearing thoughts), or they may hear the spirit the way they would hear you or I talking to them. Unfortunately, some spirits are not the greatest communicators and what the psychic medium actually hears may sound more like a faint radio station than a clear telephone signal. This is one reason why some readings are so detailed and accurate while others are sketchy. Just try talking to someone using a cheap set of walkie-talkies and you’ll experience what it’s like chatting with a weak communicator from the spirit world.\n\n\nThe tarot (/ˈtæroʊ/; first known as trionfi and later as tarocchi, tarock and tarot) is a pack of playing cards, used from the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play games such as Italian tarocchini, French tarot and Austrian Königrufen. Many of these tarot card games are still played today. In the late 18th century, some Tarot packs began to be used in parallel for divination in the form of tarotology and cartomancy and, later, specialist packs were developed for such occult purposes. \n\nThe \"three-card spread\" is one of the most simple and effective tarot spreads. You can adjust the categories to accommodate any situation (past, present, future; yourself, the other person, the relationship; opportunities, challenges, outcomes; mind, body, spirit). The cards and their corresponding positions will effortlessly expose bonds and dynamics. But before reading the straightforward explanation of each card, take a moment to create your own story based on observation. How do the cards you drew make you feel? What are the colors and symbols? If there are characters, are they facing towards or away from each other? Do the illustrations seem cohesive or disjointed?\n\n\n\nLove is for many people the most important thing in life. Love and relationships bring happiness and security and gives life a greater meaning. We spend a lot of time thinking about meeting our soul mate and when we will find love. For many people who are lonely, finding love is the key to stopping the loneliness and the greatest goal becomes having a happy relationship with someone. But what happens when love and relationships run less smooth or you ...\n\nPsychic Four was very motherly, constantly calling me \"darling\" and telling me how sorry she was for my loss. Her method of Emily-contact was a mix of prayer and coffee-dregs reading. She made me a small cup of Turkish coffee and when I finished the liquid, she placed the saucer on top of the cup, had me hold it with both hands while moving my arms in a circle three times and then flip the cup and saucer over and put it on the table. She put a blue glass cube with white circles on all six sides on top of the overturned cup and had me to put my finger on the cube and make a wish. I did, and she asked me for the photo. I handed her my phone. She put a small statue of a Turkish philosopher and an angel snow globe in front of me and told me to hold on to both and praying while she turned on her laptop and started playing weird reverb-heavy New Age music featuring a man and woman speaking about being intoxicated on love (not Beyonce style, unfortunately). She was going to ask Emily to make herself known to me.\n\nThe medium Henry Slade was caught in fraud many times throughout his career. In a séance in 1876 in London Ray Lankester and Bryan Donkin snatched his slate before the \"spirit\" message was supposed to be written, and found the writing already there.[75] Slade also played an accordion with one hand under the table and claimed spirits would play it. The magician Chung Ling Soo revealed how Slade had performed the trick.[76]\n\"A good place for students to start who cannot find a local class would be with the Rider-Waite deck and a thorough book, such as \"The Ultimate Guide to Tarot,\" Weintraub told INSIDER. \"There are many online sources as well to guide students through the deck and the card meanings. Essentially, tarot tells The Fool's Journey, and decks consist of major and minor arcana. There are 78 total cards.\"\nFirstly, you need to decide what kind of reading you want. Are you hoping to connect with a loved one? Are you interested in forging your spiritual path and need a little guidance? Are you wondering what energies are around you? Would you like a little advice from the angels? There are many psychics who devote their time to one or more of these practices. You will have to do a little research to find the one that can help you.\n\n\n^ Frank Podmore. (1902). Modern Spiritualism: A History and a Criticism. Volume 2. Methuen & Company. pp. 283-287 \"It seems reasonable to conclude that all the marvels reported at [Moses] seances were, in fact, produced by the medium's own hands: that it was he who tilted the table and produced the raps, that the scents, the seed pearls, and the Parian statuettes were brought into the room in his pockets: and that the spirit lights were, in fact, nothing more than bottles of phosphorised oil. Nor would the feats described have required any special skill on the medium's part.\"\nThe trance medium will enter into a kind of hypnosis, or “trance”, in order to commune with spirits, angels, demons, or whatever entity the medium desires. The spirit then takes over the physical body of the medium and speaks and behaves through that body. Trance mediums are not as common these days — a good actor could pull off a convincing enough trance reading — but you’ll find plenty of parodies and imitations of trance mediums in popular culture and on the freak show circuit.\n\nA Spiritual Medium has the ability to link with the spirit world and connect with your loved ones who have passed over, giving reassuring evidence of who they are & how they relate to you. A Spiritual Medium acts like a middle person, similar to a translator – interpreting messages and guidance from spirit and loved ones in the spirit world and passing them on to the living.\n\n\n\n\nSpiritualists often set March 31, 1848, as the beginning of their movement. On that date, Kate and Margaret Fox, of Hydesville, New York, reported that they had made contact with a spirit that was later claimed to be the spirit of a murdered peddler whose body was found in the house, though no record of such a person was ever found. The spirit was said to have communicated through rapping noises, audible to onlookers. The evidence of the senses appealed to practically-minded Americans, and the Fox sisters became a sensation. As the first celebrity mediums, the sisters quickly became famous for their public séances in New York.[13] However, in 1888 the Fox sisters admitted that this \"contact\" with the spirit was a hoax, though shortly afterward they recanted that admission.[1][2]\n\nOpen readings address the larger aspects of your life rather than a specific problem area or question. They're usually done when you're entering a new phase of life, such as getting married, graduating from college or starting a family. You can somewhat direct the reading if you have a general area you want to cover, such as your career or health, but that's as specific as the direction gets.\nRead slowly and with attention. \"'Nourish your soul,' says St. Augustine, 'with divine lectures.'\" To be nourished, he said, one must chew and well and ponder well, and apply the teachings to oneself. \"And when what you have read has made a lively impression on you, St. Ephrem counsels you to read it a second time...Besides, when you receive any special light in reading, or any instruction that penetrates the heart, it will be very useful to stop, and to raise the mind to God by making a good resolution, or a good act, or a fervent prayer. St. Bernard says, that it is useful then to interrupt the reading, and to offer a prayer, and to continue to pray as long as the lively impression lasts.\"\nThere is no shortage of stunning, dynamic tarot decks. Since the mid-twentieth century, hundreds — if not thousands — of beautiful decks have been published. The Tarot de Marseille deck is an elegant reproduction of a classic French deck; the Motherpeace deck perfectly captures the ethereal spirit of the 1970s; the Black Power deck spotlights famous black luminaries.\nHi, My name is Tara Arnold. I am a Conscious/ Trance Channel Medium, which means I can be in deep trance and conscious at the same time. When I am doing this the right brain and left brain work together to translate light language into English. The spirit guide blends their energies with mine so they can use my voice box, hand movements, body etc to translate their messages. The deeper I go into trance the more of their personality is present. If interested in viewing my Conscious / Trance Channelling videos Visit my you tube page -Channelling St. Germain-Tara Arnold\n\nNow that I’ve explained a bit about Psychics and Mediums…I am a SPIRITUAL Medium. I am a Medium aligned with the Holy Spirit, a dedicated person doing work with the intention of achieving the greater good. Most of us never become famous. But the highest reward for this work comes to us on a soul level. Sure, we have bills to pay. But bringing hope and closure to people and giving them peace lifts us higher than money possibly could.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6123173236846924}
{"content": "Famous Menominee\n\nFamous Menominee Chiefs and Leaders\n\nApesanahkwat – actor who starred in Babylon 5 and films\n\nChrystos – a Two-Spirit-identified poet\n\nAda Deer – activist and Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, 1993–1997\n\nBillie Frechette – lover of 1930s serial bank robber John Dillinger\n\nMitchell Oshkenaniew – advocate for sovereignty and recognition by federal government.\n\nChief Oshkosh -  (1795–August 29, 1858) He was chief of the Menominee tribe from 1827 until his death in 1858. He played a key role in treaty negotiations as the Menominee tried to protect their lands in Wisconsin from being granted to Oneida and other Indians from New York state and European-American pioneers.\n\nSheila Tousey – actress, Thunderheart (1995)\n\nIngrid Washinawatok – Co-Founder, Fund for the Four Directions, indigenous activist; killed in 1999 in Colombia by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000100135803223}
{"content": "Joshua J. Mark\npublished on 01 April 2014\nTutankhamun (by wikipedia user: dalbera)\n\nTutankhamun (also known as Tutankhamen and `King Tut') is the most famous and instantly recognizable Pharaoh in the modern world. His golden sarcophagus is now a symbol almost synonymous with Egypt. His name means `living image of [the god] Amun’. He was born in the year 11 of the reign of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV (better known as Akhenaten) c. 1345 BCE and died, some claim mysteriously, in 1327 BCE at the age of 17 or 18. He became the celebrity pharaoh he is today in 1922 CE when the archaeologist Howard Carter discovered his almost-intact tomb in the Valley of the Kings. While it was initially thought that Tutankhamun was a minor ruler, whose reign was of little consequence, opinion has changed as further evidence has come to light. Today Tutankhamun is recognized as an important pharaoh who returned order to a land left in chaos by his father's political-religious reforms and who would no doubt have made further impressive contributions to Egypt's history if not for his early death.\n\nTutankhamun's Youth & Rise to Power\n\nTutankhamun's father was Amenhotep IV (reigned 1353-1336 BCE) of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt whose wife, Nefertiti, is as equally famous and recognizable as her step-son. Tutankhamun's mother was the Lady Kiya, one of Amenhotep's lesser wives, and was not Nefertiti (though this is a common misconception). It has also been suggested that Tutankhamun was the son of Amenhotep III and his queen Tiye but most scholars reject this theory. Amenhotep III ruled over a land whose priesthood, centered on the god Amun, had been steadily growing in power for centuries. By the time Amenhotep IV came to power, the priests of Amun were on almost equal standing with the royal house in terms of wealth and influence. In either the 9th or the 5th year of his reign, Amenhotep IV outlawed the old religion, closed the temples, and proclaimed himself the living incarnation of a single, all-powerful, deity known as Aten. He moved his seat of power from the traditional palace at Thebes to one he built at the city he founded, Akhetaten (`The Horizon of Aten', later known as Amarna) and proceeded to concentrate on his new religion, often to the detriment of the people of Egypt. Akhenaten’s religious reforms, and their impact during his reign, would also define the later rule of his son.\n\nRemove Ads\n\n\nTutankhamun's reforms would have an immense impact on the people of Egypt.\n\nTutankhamun was named Tutankhaten (`living image of Aten') when he was born and, while still a child, was engaged to the fourth daughter of Nefertiti and Akhenaten, his half-sister Ankhesenpaaten (`her life is from Aten' or `her life is of Aten'). Ankhesenpaaten must have been older than Tutankhaten, however, as she was previously married to her father and may have had a daughter by him. The historian Margaret Bunson claims she was five years older than Tutankhaten citing inscriptions which indicate she was thirteen when her half-brother took the throne at age eight (23). It is believed that the Lady Kiya died early in Tutankhaten's life and he lived with his father, step-mother, and half-siblings in the palace at Amarna. Egyptologist Zahi Hawass writes:\n\nThe two children must have grown up together and perhaps playing together in the palace gardens. The royal children would have had lessons from teachers and scribes, who would have given them instruction in wisdom and knowledge about the new religion of the Aten. It is likely that Akhenaten wanted his children to continue with the worship of Aten, not to go back to the old religion dedicated to Amun...Tutankhaten and Ankhesenpaaten would probably have been married to one another at a very young age, almost certainly for reasons of state, but perhaps they also loved one another. To judge from their portrayal in the art that fills the golden king's tomb, this was certainly the case. We can feel the love between them as we see the queen standing in front of her husband giving him flowers and accompanying him while he was hunting (51).\n\nTutankhaten came to the throne upon the death of his father in 1338 or 1336 BCE at the age of eight or nine. Miniature symbols of royalty (such as the crook and flail, royal staff) were found in his tomb and it seems likely he played with these as a young child as he was being groomed for future rule. Hawass writes, \"A number of these [items] were inscribed with his birth name, demonstrating that he was crowned as Tutankhaten\" (51). Between the death of Akhenaten and the ascent of Tutankhaten there was an interim pharaoh named Smenkhkare about whom little is known. It has been suggested, however, since Smenkhkare's throne name was identical to that of Akhenaten's coregent, that this pharaoh was Nefertiti who ruled while Akhenaten's health may have been in decline and Tutankhaten was still too young to assume the throne (Hawass, 47). Nefertiti seems to have assumed the male persona of `Smenkhkare' as ruler in order to avoid the same kinds of problems which arose after the death of Hatshepsut centuries earlier when, in an effort to restore harmony to the land (since females were not supposed to rule) her successor Tuthmosis III had her name and memory erased from all public monuments and stele. Smenkhkare died two years into his (her) reign and Tutankhaten was crowned king.\n\nTutankhaten Becomes Tutankhamun\n\nEarly in his reign, Tutankhaten either decided for himself (or, more probably was forced) to return Egypt to the old religious practices which his father had outlawed and suppressed. Hawass writes:\n\nRemove Ads\n\n\nHis advisors, clearly with the support of the priests of Amun, either convinced or forced the young king once again to give Amun his place as the universal god of Egypt and abandon the cult of the Aten. The name of the child-pharaoh was changed from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun, and his queen became Ankhsenamun. At some point, the court left Amarna, and Tutankhamun and Ankhsenamun took up primary residence at the traditional capitals of Thebes and Memphis. A stele from the young king's reign called the Restoration Decree of Tutankhamun describes a country in chaos at the death of Akhenaten. It tells us that the cults of the gods had been abolished, their temples abandoned, and that as a result they no longer heard the prayers of the people. Tutankhamun claims to have carried out repairs on the derelict temples and put things back to rights (54).\n\nThe ideal of ma'at, universal harmony, was the most important spiritual concept in ancient Egypt. It was believed that the land of Egypt was a mirror image of the celestial land and individuals had a responsibility to behave in a certain way on earth to keep balance with the higher realm. By abandoning the old gods and the ancient practices, Akhenaten would have upset this balance and destroyed the harmony between the people and their gods. When the people were forced to abandon their gods, it was thought, the gods abandoned the people. Tutankhamun's reforms, then, would have had an immense impact on the people of Egypt with his restoration of universal harmony. The temples were rebuilt and the priests who had hidden the iconography and texts relating to the old religion brought them back to their rightful places.\n\nWith balance restored, Tutankhamun turned his attention to rule and to those activities befitting a king such as horseback riding, hunting, training in military skills, and enjoying leisure time with his young wife (Hawass, 54). The historian Barbara Watterson writes, \"He was said to be a king who `spent his life making images of the gods', and it was during his reign that work on the colonnade in Luxor Temple with its superb scenes of the Opet Festival, was undertaken\" (112-113). Tutankhamun also officiated at the Opet Festival with his queen and commissioned his treasurer to carry out a fiscal inspection of all the temples of the land.  The palace at Thebes which he shared with Ankhsenamun:\n\n...would have been built of mud brick and beautifully painted. It would have consisted of many large rooms and columned halls surrounded by smaller suites of rooms. The largest of these would have contained a series of larger halls leading to a throne room. These would have been decorated with lively scenes of birds and natural motifs. There would have been gardens and pools, all designed to soothe and delight the royal eyes and ears (Hawass, 55).\n\nEven though balance had been restored and temples and palaces rebuilt, Egypt was still recovering from the disorder Akhenaten had plunged the country into. Hawass writes, \"By the reign of Tutankhamun the situation in the Near East had changed drastically since the golden days of the Egyptian empire\" (56). The army, whose training and equipping had been neglected by Akhenaten, was no longer the effectual fighting force it had been under the reign of Tutankhamun's grandfather Amenhotep III. The commander of the army, Horemheb, who was held in high regard as one of Tutankhamun's chief advisors, was repeatedly unsuccessful in his campaigns against the Hittites. Egypt failed to regain Kadesh and also lost a number of other vassal states. The Hittites grew more powerful as Tutankhamun struggled to restore Egypt to its former glory and, no longer having to fear intervention from the Egyptian military, the Hittites destroyed the kingdom of the Mitanni, who had formerly been an ally of Egypt. It should be kept in mind that Tutankhamun, at this time, was around the age of 16 and was tasked with the enormous responsibility of revitalizing the country his father had single-handedly devastated. Even with the help of the elder counselors who surrounded him, the teen-age king must have found his position daunting but, still, he seems to have done his best to redeem the country's present from its recent past. What he might have accomplished in a longer reign will never be known as he died before reaching the age of twenty.\n\nRemove Ads\n\n\nTutankhamun & Ankhsenamun\n\nTutankhamun's Death & Aftermath\n\nThe death of the young king has been called `mysterious' for centuries but there really is no mystery involved. Many people died young in the ancient world just as many do in the present day. The damage to Tutankhamun's skull, which early historians cited as proof that he was murdered, has come to be understood as the work of the embalmers who removed the brain; and the injuries to the body of the skeleton are the result of its removal from the sarcophagus during the 1922 CE excavation when the head was removed from the body and the skeleton was violently pried loose because it was stuck to the bottom of the sarcophagus with resin. It has also been speculated that Tutankhamun died of an untreated abscessed tooth or infection from a broken leg but these theories have also been disproved. Another theory is that Tutankhamun was the product of an incestuous union and so was simply not genetically disposed to a long life. Historians who support this theory point to the two children of Tutankhamun and Ankhsenamun who were both stillborn (their mummies were buried with their father and discovered in his tomb) as physical evidence of the incestuous practices of Egyptian royalty of the 18th dynasty. Whether Akhenaten and Kiya were related, however, is not known and so this theory also cannot be confirmed. All that is clearly known is that Tutankhamun died in January of 1327 BCE and that his death was unexpected as evidenced by the hasty construction of his tomb. Hawass notes:\n\nThe country would have fallen in disorder at the sudden death of Tutankhamun, who left the land with no heir. At the moment of his death, it is possible that Egypt was engaged in battle with the Hittites, in which case it is likely that Horemheb, who might otherwise have been expected to take the throne, was in the north leading the troops. Another high official, [named] Ay, supervised the king's trip to the afterlife instead. Ay bore the titles of Commander of Chariotry and Fanbearer at the King's Right Hand...By burying Tutankhamun, Ay proclaimed himself the next king (58-61).\n\nAnkhsenamun was now expected to marry Ay in order to ensure the continued balance of the land but she clearly had other ideas. She wrote to the Hittite king Suppiluliuma I for help:\n\nMy husband has died and I have no son. They say that you have many sons. You might give me one of your sons and he might become my husband. I would not want to take one of my servants. I am loath to make him my husband (Hawass, 67).\n\nWhile Egyptian pharaohs often married foreign women, it was unheard of for an Egyptian woman, especially one of royal blood, to marry a foreigner. This would have been as much an affront to universal harmony as Akhenaten's reforms had been. In fact, it was a long-standing practice in Egypt to refuse to send women as wives to foreign countries and this would have been understood by Ankhsenamun even as she wrote her letters. That she would make this gesture, in defiance of tradition and the concept of ma'at, shows her desperate circumstances but why, exactly, she was so desperate is not clear. The letters of Ankhsenamun, however, have been cited by those who support the theory that Tutankhamun was murdered by Ay or through a plot involving both Ay and Horemheb. The Hittite king was more than happy to oblige Ankhsenamun and sent one of his sons, Zananza, to Egypt; but the prince never arrived. He was killed at some point before reaching Egypt's borders and it has long been suggested that this was the work of Horemheb and, perhaps, Ay. Whether Ankhsenamun married Ay is not known. She disappears from the historical record after the incident with the Hittite king.\n\nAy ruled Egypt for three years and died without an heir. Horemheb then took the throne. As he was not of royal blood, he needed something to legitimize his reign and he chose religion as the most effective means in this. Claiming that he had been chosen by the god Horus of Hutsenu to restore Egypt to prominence and glory, he instituted a program of return to orthodox religious practices. He destroyed all public records and monuments erected by Akhenaten and erased the memory of Tutankhamun. Hawass points out that, \"He tried, in fact, to erase all evidence of Akhenaten and his immediate successors from the pages of history\" (69). Horemheb would rule Egypt for the next 27-28 years and, in that time, did return Egypt to its former status as a great power. Tutankhamun's tomb was buried by the sands and his name was forgotten until Howard Carter and his team discovered the site in 1922 CE.\n\nThe tomb was broken into twice during the reign of Ay and resealed and then, because Horemheb had erased Tutankhamun's name from the records, the tomb was overlooked by grave robbers and remained intact until its discovery in the 20th century CE. Hawass writes, \"By effectively wiping the name of Tutankhamun from the annals of the pharaohs, Horemheb actually succeeded in insuring that the name of the golden king would resound through the corridors of time\" (69). The treasures from the tomb of Tutankhamun have regularly drawn crowds in Egypt and also whenever they have gone on exhibit outside of their present home at the National Museum in Cairo. Prior to the tomb's discovery, the most famous ruler of ancient Egypt was probably Cleopatra VII, Nefertiti, or Rameses the Great but, since 1922 CE, it has been Tutankhamun.\n\nHoward Carter\n\nTutankhamun’s Enduring Fame\n\nHis fame rests mainly on the magnificent artifacts found in his tomb and the sensational discovery (which was headline news worldwide) on 4 November 1922 CE. The `Mummy’s Curse’, or `Curse of Tutankhamun’, has only amplified his celebrity. The curse myth comes from a misinterpretation of an inscription found in the tomb. In the 1920’s CE the inscription was thought to read: “I will kill all of those who cross this threshold into the sacred precincts of the royal king who lives forever.” This was found on the door of the treasury room in Tutankhamun’s tomb. The 1922 CE translation has been found to be wrong, however, and the inscription actually reads, “I am the one who prevents the sand from blocking the secret chamber” (the `I’ in the sentence referencing the door and the spirits which would have been invoked to keep the door sealed). The curse myth spread quickly and seemed corroborated by an event which took place a few months after the tomb was opened. The English Lord Carnarvon, who funded Carter’s excavation, died `mysteriously’ on 6 May 1923 CE and the international press seemed intent on ascribing his death to the tomb’s opening and this ancient curse. After Carnarvon, the death of anyone who was in any way involved in opening the tomb was blamed on the curse. Regarding this, Hawass writes:\n\nIn fact, there were no real mysteries surrounding the death of Carnarvon. He died of blood poisoning triggered by [an] infected mosquito bite, which he had cut open with his razor while shaving…the mortality rate of the people most closely associated with the tomb was very low. Arthur Mace died in 1928, but he had been sickly for a long time. Carter himself lived until 1939, Breasted died in 1935; Lucas died in 1945; Gardiner lived until 1963; and Lady Evelyn died in 1980 at the age of seventy-nine (146).\n\nThe curse, which was never a curse to begin with, is still associated with Tutankhamun and this, along with the story of the discovery of his tomb and its splendor, has made his name famous around the world and kept his memory alive. Unfortunately, this focus on the curse and the tomb’s artifacts has obscured the very real accomplishments of Tutankhamun during his short reign; accomplishments made all the more impressive when one considers the young age of the king at the time of his death.\n\n\nAbout the Author\n\nJoshua J. Mark\n\nRemove Ads\n\n\nHelp us write more\n\n\nRecommended Books\n\n\nCite This Work\n\nAPA Style\n\nMark, J. J. (2014, April 01). Tutankhamun. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/Tutankhamun/\n\nChicago Style\n\nMark, Joshua J. \"Tutankhamun.\" Ancient History Encyclopedia. Last modified April 01, 2014. https://www.ancient.eu/Tutankhamun/.\n\nMLA Style\n\nMark, Joshua J. \"Tutankhamun.\" Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 01 Apr 2014. Web. 19 Jan 2019.\n\nRemove Ads\n\n\nRemove Ads\n\n\n\nOur latest articles delivered to your inbox, once a week:\n\nAre you a...?\n\nOur Videos\n\nYou can also follow us on Youtube!\n\nVisit our Shop\n\nAncient History Merchandising\nRemove Ads", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8335909843444824}
{"content": "Join us in Italy’s Tuscan Islands for Sea, Sailing and Wine\n\n\nPrice is $5,000 per cabin based on double occupancy, master cabin is $5,400.\n\n\n52’ Yacht\nCaptain and Mate\nFuel top off\nStarter Provisions for breakfast and lunch\nLinens and Towels\nCustom Sailing Welcome\n\nNot included are marina fees, additional provisions, wine tours and dinners ashore.  Week one, we will be joined by an Italian Wine expert who is arranging tours and tastings for us with her many contacts.\n\nWhen you think of Tuscany, odds are you are picturing idyllic rolling patchwork hills, olive groves, sunflower fields, vineyards, and walled hilltop cities. Take a sailing holiday in the Tuscan Islands and you can experience all this and more.\n\nLegend has it that the Venus of the Tyrrhenian sea let slip seven pearls from her necklace as she emerged from the sea to ‘embrace the sunset’. These pearls then transformed themselves into the islands of the Tuscan Archipelago.\n\nThis group of seven totally unique islands called the “Seven Sisters” extends over an area of approximately 115.8 sq. miles between the Tuscan coast and Corsica. Following your flight to Pisa or Florence, you transfer via train or bus south to our starting point on the beautiful Tuscan Coast.\n\nElba (province of Livorno) is the largest island and faces the gulf of Follonica just 6 miles off Piombino on the Tuscan Coast. It is also the most visited island and the richest in life, villages, natural beauties, historical monuments and tourism.  This is also where we are arranging a private tour of one of Elba’s top vineyards followed by a wine tasting.  The following day we will have a tasting from a Tuscan wine distributor.  Here 100’s of wines are available to try along with a traditional Italian meal.\n\nThe other islands are: Giglio (province of Grosseto), a diving paradise lying in front of the Argentario peninsula; nearby Giannutri, with its enchanting coves and suggestive remains of old Roman villas; Capraia, an island of volcanic origin which is the closest island to Corsica; Gorgona, a tiny isle which lies in the sea in front of Livorno; Pianosa, a small, flat island not far from the isle of Elba; and the rocky and ragged isle of Montecristo which lies further south between Elba and the Argentario.\n\nThe Islands of Elba\n\nIts sandy beaches and ragged crags make Elba the isle for everyone. Thanks to its 86 sq. miles it is also the largest of Italy’s minor islands. At its widest it is 16.7 miles from Capo d’Ortano to Punta Nera and narrowest 11 miles from Capo San Vito to Punta dei Ripalti. To see the entire panorama you can climb (if you have the energy) Monte Capanne. The views are breathtaking.\n\nPortoferraio is the main city of Elba, which is divided into three parts: the western side is of volcanic origin and higher in elevation; the central part is flat or with low hills; the eastern side includes the millenary area. Its millenary history was written by the Etruscans and by the Romans. The Etruscans were the first to exploit its metals, while the Romans called it “Ilva” and built sumptuous villas on it (the best example is Villa delle Grotte in Portoferraio).\n\nBut it was undoubtedly Napoleon who left the most significant mark on the island, after being exiled there in 1814. Today it is a top tourist destination. Portoferraio was founded in 1514 on the remains of a Roman port and was protected by Forte del Falcone, Forte Stella and by Torre Linguella. There are 7 other villages nearby: Campo dell’Elba, Porto Azzurro, Rio Marina, Marciana, Capoliveri, Marciana Marina and Rio nell’Elba. The island has a total population of 28000 inhabitants and there is a paved road network of 99.4miles.\n\n\nThe southernmost of the Tuscany islands, Giannutri has a surface of just two square kilometres and a handful of inhabitants. Its coasts are ragged and full of fascinating coves. There are two landing places: Cala Maestra on the western side and Cala dello Spalmatoio, where the built-up area is developing.  Although you’re not allowed to stay overnight on the island unless you have rented accommodation, the island still deserves to be visited for the incredible beauty of its sea and the unspoilt nature; the island is both a natural reserve and a marine park.\n\nIsola del Giglio\n\nThis island is an enormous mass of grey granite covered with deep-green vegetation and lying 14 kilometres from the Argentario promontory. Its steep coasts alternate with small beaches. There are three developed areas: Giglio Porto (ferries from Porto Santo Stefano berth here), Giglio Castello (a fortified village built by a colony from the city of Pisa) and Campese (with the most beautiful beach). The island had already been inhabited by the Greeks and by the Etruscans, and was subsequently exploited by the Romans for its granite caves. Its name (‘Giglio’ means lily in Italian) has nothing to do with the flowers, but derived from the Greek word “Aegilion” which means “the place of the goats” because of the high number of these animals living here. Local restaurants offer delicious dishes, mainly based on fish and seafood.\n\n\nThis is the Tuscan island which lies closest to the isle of Elba; however, a permit from the Direzione Generale degli Istituti di Prevenzione e Pena (Head Office of Prevention and Detention facilities) of the Italian Ministry of Justice is required before landing, as there is a prison on it. Pianosa is bordered by enchanting beaches and looks like a tropical island. The most beautiful beach is Cala Giovanna. Archaeological finds of the Roman age are visible on the sea-bed around the island.\n\n\nThis wild and hilly island is the farthest from the Tuscan coast and the closest to Corsica. It is the only one of volcanic origin and the only island with a lake ‘Lo Stagnone’. This island with a surface of 7.72 sq. miles is covered with brushwood, has 18.6 miles of coastline and is part of the Tuscan Islands National Park.\n\nWeather and Winds\n\nThe climate is typically Mediterranean where summers are warm, dry and breezy. During the summer months the prevailing wind is W – NW and it rarely reaches gale force.  Around Capraia, Elba, and down the mainland coast to Giannutri there will often be SE winds with frequent periods of calm.  At night there is often a light W or SW wind.\nHow to get there\n\nTo explore the Tuscan Islands you can choose to fly into Pisa, Florence or even Rome.  It is easier to get there from Pisa or Florence, Rome takes a bit longer.\n\n\nThe Yacht\n\nWe will be sailing on a Comet 52.  She is sleek and fast.  Equipped with one large master stateroom with ensuite WC and two double cabins aft she is a joy to sail.  She has a generator and  AC as well as all the latest safety gear and navigation equipment.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7026960849761963}
{"content": "Sunday Documentary film: Poetic Pilgrimage\n\n\nRedpath Museum Auditorium, 859 rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montreal, QC, H3A 0C4, CA\n\nHip Hop Hijabis is a 2015 Al Jazeera documentary about Poetic Pilgrimage, directed by filmmaker Mette Reitzel. The aim of the documentary is to educate a chosen demographic about the constraints of being female within the Hip Hop genre. Al-Jazeera called it \"a universal story about friendship, love and idealism, and two young women finding their place in the world.\" The documentary explores the origins of the duo, how the music they listened to whilst growing up impacted on the style of music they make, and how the adjustment in their religious practices affects their lifestyle.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9828754663467407}
{"content": "Once you’ve established the goal for your video, it’s time to put on your creativity hat and start working on your storyboard. A storyboard is like a blueprint for your video and serves as an outline for the shoot. You’ve probably even seen one before. Storyboards look a bit like comic strips and include rough sketches of different scenes paired with short descriptive information about the scene, camera position and motion, and dialogue. They vary in the level of detail included, but your storyboard should, at the very least, include:\nBefore you start filming video content, you’ll need to set up your YouTube channel. This can get a bit complicated. As you probably know, YouTube is owned by Google. As a result, when you sign up for a Gmail account, you’ll automatically have access to a YouTube account, a Google+ account, and much more. Depending on your business, you may not want to tie your email to your business’s YouTube channel, especially if you need to share access to the account with team members or an agency partner. We suggest that you create a common email account that can be used by multiple people.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9850465059280396}
{"content": "AUTHORSigal, Leon V.\nTITLEDisarming Strangers: Nuclear Diplomacy with North Korea\nPUBLISHERPrinceton University Press\nCITYPrinceton, NJ\n\nThis book is a history from 1988 to 1995 of negotiations between the United States and North Korea concerning the proliferation threat posed by the latter country's nuclear program. The author argues throughout the book that the United States should cooperate and negotiate with North Korea in order to prevent that country from building nuclear weapons. He asserts that the use of coercion by the United States led to the brink of war. The book follows the efforts of former President Jimmy Carter to bring both sides back to the negotiating table. The resulting negotiations produced the Agreed Framework, which called for North Korea to freeze the most sensitive parts of its nuclear activities (those able to produce plutonium for nuclear arms) in exchange for nuclear power reactors and oil shipments. One chapter in the book discusses the role of the media in forming foreign policy. The appendices include a timeline showing the negotiations and responses between the United States and North Korea, and several key documents, including the text of the Agreed Framework.\n\nFind in a Library with\n\ncreative commons - some rights reserved\nThis work is licensed under a\nCreative Commons License.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8000429272651672}
{"content": "I am using a copy of the WrapPanel code mentioned in an earlier post. The wrap panel measures UIElement items and then adds columns as needed to hold all objects at their desired size.\n\nThe flaw in the existing WrapPanel code is that there is no way to resize an item to fill all available space. I accomplished this by making a few changes to the wrappanel.cs code. The changes can be seen in the code below:\n\nAny item that I want to be adjustable must have its its MinHeight value set to a non-zero value. This appears to only work with a Grid element with at least one row set to “*”. Without the MinHeight value, the code would not recognize that it can adjust the size of this item. For a UserControl derived class, the user control itself must have the MinHeight value set, not the Grid within it.\n\nNote that this does not work with a StackPanel because the StackPanel will not shrink any item in it if it is shrunk.\n\nThe code does a few things. First it lets the item measure itself. Then it detects that there is a MinHeight value set, and in anticipation of the item fitting in the space, sets the item height to the remaining column space. I could have moved this code later and not done this twice, but I just wrote it and don’t want to experiment anymore tonight.\n\nAnyhow, the code then detects if the item is too tall to fit. The Item.DesiredSize.height value will be the minimum size when the test is performed. If it is too tall, The item is moved to the next column. The item is then resized and re-measured using the full column height.\n\nI have not published the user control changes needed for this to work. Let me know if you want to see that XAML file, and I’ll post it.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9988966584205627}
{"content": "Saturday, 12 November 2011\n\nAssignment 4 : The Pugh Method\n\n·         Overcome negative features or shortcomings of design\n·         Find different ideas to satisfy criteria\n·         Exploring alternatives\n\nThis method was invented by Stuart Pugh. The Pugh method also decision-matrix method,  Pugh Concept Selection is a quantitative technique used to rank the multi-dimensional alternatives of an option set. It is commonly used in engineering for making design decisions but can also be used to rank investment options, vendor options, product options or any other set of multidimensional entities.\nThe Pugh Method is a creative design idea or concept evaluation technique that uses criteria derived from the “voice of customer” in ad advantage-disadvantage matrix. Each concept is evaluated against a datum using a three way evaluation scheme which are:\n·         + ; means substantially better\n·         - ; means clearly worse (or flawled)\n·         S ; means more or less the same\nThe method is associated with the QFD method and is a form of prioritization matrix. It is implemented by establishing an evaluation team and constructing the matrix which contains evaluation criteria versus alternative concepts. A baseline concept is selected and the other concepts are scored against the criteria relative to the baseline.\nPugh concept is parts of evaluation methods been used to decide mainly in design concept. This methods compare the design alternatives for redesign process. In easy word, it is a relative comparison technique. There are three series of absolute filters that must be passed by concept of design where will be included in the Pugh Concept. The series of absolute filters are listed below.\n\n\nPugh Method can be done by below processes and it has two phases.\n\nDevelop list of evaluation criteria\nDesign Concept\nOriginal design concept brainstormed\nEvaluation matrix\nEach design evaluated against datums, and add concepts\nAnalyze each round, adjustment, and establish new datum, repeat.\n\nBetter Design\nWeak designs dropped, continue process, designs developed in more depth/detail, criteria refined\nSuperior Concept\nProcess converge on a strong consensus, team committed\n\nFigure: Pugh Method Process\nThe steps in the Pugh concept selection method as given by Clausing are :\n1.      Choose the criteria by which the concepts will be evaluated.\n-          The QFD is the starting place to develop the criteria. The criteria will be based on the engineering characteristics which listed in the House of Quality. Other than engineering characteristics, there are also customer requirements that will be compared to the engineering requirement. Both of them will lead to the best decision making. Each team member need to be at list create 15 to 20 criteria but really to be based on QFD and functional analysis. Next , the list of criteria need to be combined, being discusses and prioritized.\n\n2.      Formulate the decision matrix\n-          The criteria next been entered into the matrix as the raw heading while the concepts into the column headings of  the matrix. It is important that concepts to be compared be the same level of abstraction.\n\n3.      Clarify the design concepts\n-          Common level of understanding resulted as a goal which brought the team member into it. A good team discussion regarding on the concepts is a creative experience. New ideas often come into view and used to improve concepts or entirely create new idea (concepts).\n\n4.      Choose the datum concept\n-          One concept is selected by the team as a datum for the first round which means the reference concept with all other concepts being compared. A poor choice of datum would cause all of the concepts to be positive. For a redesign, the datum is the existing design reduced to the same level of idea as the other concepts.\n\n5.      Run the matrix\n-          After completing the steps before, comparative evaluation will take its part. Each concept is compared to with the datum for each criterion. The first criterion is applied to each concept and so on. Three level of scale is used where better concept will be assigned (+), worse (-) and about the same (=).\n\n-          The team discussion often arouse new ideas that lead to additional improved concepts. A major advantage of Pugh concept is it helps the team to develop better approaching into the types of features that strongly gratify the design requirements.\n\n6.      Evaluate the ratings\n-          Once the comparison matrix is completed, the sum of scales is determined. Few positive features in the concepts may be gems that that could be choose and apply in another concepts. Highly rated concepts verify their strengths are and what criteria they treat poorly. If most concepts get the same rating on a certain criterion, examine it to see whether it is stated clearly or not uniformly evaluated from concept to concept.\n7.      Establish a new datum and rerun the matrix\n-          The concept that received the highest rating in the first round usually been selected as a new datum. The lowest rating concept been eliminated. The use of a different datum will give a different perspective at each comparison that will help clarify relative strengths and weaknesses of the concepts.\n\n8.      Examine the selected concept for improvement opportunities\n-          Once the main concept is identified, each criterion that perform worse than reference concept been considered. New approaches emerge where negative scores can change to positive scores.\n\nSelection method of Pugh can be explained briefly in the figure shown below.\n\nFigure: Pugh Concept Selection Method\n\nThe method is very effective for comparing concepts that are not refined enough for direct comparison with engineering requirement. Basic table should be follow is shown below.\nIdea for Comparison (Step 2)\nCriteria for comparison         (Step 1)\nGenerate Score (Step 3)\nTotal (Step 4)\n\nBelow is the example of table which characterized concepts for both customer requirement and engineering concept that need to be compared.\n\nEngineering Characteristics\nMaintenance and testability provision\nStrengthens of Material\nErgonomic Factor\nForce to turning handle\nTendency to break\nCustomer Requirement\nLight weight\n\n\n\n\nCrack Resistant\n\nScratch resistance\n\n\nEase of removing handle\n\nEase of installing new handle\n\n\nOther benefits of Pugh Method are as follows :\n1.      Discussions reveal arbitary criteria. Team members gain insight into the problem and clearly understand the criteria which become better defined.\n2.      The discussion also leads to creative leaps between different concepts and idea synthesis, as flaws are attacked together and the team experiences synergy.\n3.      The team develops consensus about the best solution.\n4.      The resulting new concepts are better than the original ideas. No flaws are overlooked; engineering changes are eliminated and invulnerable products are developed that will succeed in the marketplace.\n5.      The method results in cost savings:\n·         Reduce cost in design process\n·         Limit change later by better design\n·         Invest effort early, benefits later\n\nTwitter Delicious Facebook Digg Stumbleupon Favorites More\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9918807148933411}
{"content": "A phase II study of heavy metal contamination in the area of Ptolemais-Kozani Basin in Greece\n\nGreece is the fifth largest world producer of lignite and the second largest within the European Community. The Western Macedonia Lignite Center (WMLC) produces annually more than 50 million tons of lignite. The WMLC in Greeceis located in the basin of Ptolemais-Kozani region (400 Km2), formed between the mounts of Vermion (east) and Askio (west). It is the richest lignite-field of the country, containing the 65-70% of his total lignite deposits (Sahanidis et al. 2001). Today located in the same area, exist many lignite open-pit mines, and 6 power plants operated by the Public Power Corporation SA (PPC), using lignite as solid fuel and providing the country with about 70% of its total electricity consumption.\n\nThe exploitation of the lignite deposits of the region for the generation of electricity began in 1956 by a privet company and in 1974 the property passed to the PPC. Until today more than 150 Km2 have been expropriated for excavation of lignite. The environmental protection is a major task for all mining companies, and the WMLC apply a program of reclamation for agricultural and forest uses in the areas that are gradually released from mining. Many researchers have shown interest for this area (Kolovos et al, 2002; Georgakopoulos et al, 2002; Filipidis et al, 2002; Pendari et al, 2006).\n\nThe soil can be considered as a kind of geochemical sink for contamination. Maintenance however of the ecological and agricultural capacity of soil is necessary for its productivity, which is indispensable for the survival of mankind. The composition of soils is extremely diverse from a place to another and depends on many factors including its parent material (weathering and pedogenic processes of underlying rocks), climatic conditions and human activities (Alina Kabata-Pendias 2002). The metal content of the soil is the sum of metals originating from natural processes and human activities. Generally, it has being supported that the contribution of metals from natural sources is lower than that of the anthropogenic origin, as a consequence of the increasing industrial production throughout the world (Nriagu et al. 1998). However, it is often difficult to assign the source or the sources of trace elements to a particular location and sometimes too much emphasis is given to anthropogenic sources (Swaine, 2001). The metals enter the soil by different pathways, including aerial deposition, decomposition of the aboveground parts of plants, waste material and application of pesticides and fertilizers (Alina Kabata-Pendias 2002).\n\nThe lignite is composed not only of those elements generally considered to be organic (C, H, O and N), but also contains significant quantities of inorganic elements. Trace elements are inorganic elements whose concentration is less than 0.02% wt (200 ppm). The concentration and the distribution of trace elements in coal is not the same in all coal deposits, and is determined by geological parameters such as the natural and geochemical characteristics of rocks, the climate, the hydrological pattern and leaching processes near the coal bearing formation (Swaine DJ and Goodarzi F., 1995).\n\n\n Georgakopoulos, A., Kolovos, N., Filipidis, A., Kavouridis, C., 2002, The effects on the Mined Lignite Quality Characteristics by the Intercalated Thin Layers of Carbonates in Ptolemais Mines, Northern Greece, Energy sources, 24; 761-772.\n\nFilipidis, A, Georgakopoulos, A., Kassoli, A, Iordanidis, A., Fernandez-Turiel, J., Gimeno, D., 2002, Environmentally important elements in Fly ashes and their leachates of the Power stations of Greece, Energy sources, 24; 83-91.\n\nKabata-Pendias,A, 2002, Trace Elements in Soils and Plants, Third edition, CRC Press, 126, 225-230, 253-260, 289-291, 299-302, 314-320p.\n\nKolovos, N., Georgakopoulos, A., Fillipidis, A., Kavouridis, C. Environmental Effects of Lignite and Intermediate Steriles Coexcavation in the Southern Lignite Field Mine of Ptolemais, Northern Greece, Energy Sources, 2002, 24 (6), 561.\n\nNiagu JO et al., Quantitative assessment of worldwide pollution of air water & soils by trace metals. Nature 333, 134-130, 1998.\n\nPentari, D., Typou, J., Goodatzi, F., Foskolos, A.E., 2006, Comparison of elements of environmental concern in regular and reclaimed soils, near abandoned coal mines Ptolemais-Amynteon, northern Greece: Impact on wheat crops, International Journal of Coal Geology, 65, 51-58.\n\nSachanidis, C. et al., 2001, Proceeding of the 9th International Congress, Athens.\n\nSwaine, D.J., 2001, Why trace elements are important, Fuel Processing Technology, 65-66, 21-33.\n\nSwaine, DJ, Goodarzi, F., 1995, Environmental Aspects of Trace Elements in Coal, Kluwer.\n\nThis entry was posted in Γεωλογία and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.\n\nΑφήστε μια απάντηση\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.856931746006012}
{"content": "Doing History From The Bottom Up On E P Thompson Howard Zinn And Rebuilding The Labor Movement From Below -\n\ne p thompson wikipedia - early life e p thompson was born in oxford to methodist missionary parents his father edward john thompson 1886 1946 was a poet and admirer of the nobel prize winning poet tagore his older brother was william frank thompson 1919 1944 a british officer in world war ii who was captured and shot aiding the bulgarian anti fascist partisans, the vietnam war peace history united states foreign - this essay delves deeply into the origins of the vietnam war critiques u s justifications for intervention examines the brutal conduct of the war and discusses the antiwar movement with a separate section on protest songs, patriots question 9 11 responsible criticism of the 9 11 - martin sheen 12 time nominated and 3 time emmy award winning and golden globe winning actor star of numerous movies in his 46 year career he s best known for his roles in the movies apocalypse now and the execution of private slovak and the television series west wing father of actors emilio est vez ram n luis est vez charlie sheen and ren e est vez, russians ride fast by israel shamir the unz review - the area around the central moscow tube stations looks like aleppo after an air raid ruins destroyed buildings bulldozers gathering the shambles, investigate 911 urgent scientists discover nano - must see two minute clip from the hit documentary esoteric agenda which masterfully illustrates how the owners of our corporatocracy use their mediaopoly to cover up this criminal agenda 2 min the solution is a mass awakening of we the people who must unite and organize truth squads to literally sound thousands of liberty bells that our freedom is in grave danger", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8878738880157471}
{"content": "error with last data transmission Wolf Pen West Virginia\n\nAddress 30 Elkhorn St, Welch, WV 24801\nPhone (304) 436-4337\nWebsite Link\n\nerror with last data transmission Wolf Pen, West Virginia\n\nInterleaving allows distributing the effect of a single cosmic ray potentially upsetting multiple physically neighboring bits across multiple words by associating neighboring bits to different words. An alternate approach for error control is hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), which is a combination of ARQ and error-correction coding. Many communication channels are subject to channel noise, and thus errors may be introduced during transmission from the source to a receiver. Applications where the transmitter immediately forgets the information as soon as it is sent (such as most television cameras) cannot use ARQ; they must use FEC because when an error occurs,\n\nFundamentals of Error-Correcting Codes. This increase in the information rate in a transponder comes at the expense of an increase in the carrier power to meet the threshold requirement for existing antennas. He has written numerous books on data communication, system design, and networking, and he is the publisher of MIS Quarterly, a scholarly quarterly lodged in the Information Systems department at Indiana The Voyager 2 craft additionally supported an implementation of a Reed–Solomon code: the concatenated Reed–Solomon–Viterbi (RSV) code allowed for very powerful error correction, and enabled the spacecraft's extended journey to Uranus\n\nDurch die Nutzung unserer Dienste erklären Sie sich damit einverstanden, dass wir Cookies setzen.Mehr erfahrenOKMein KontoSucheMapsYouTubePlayNewsGmailDriveKalenderGoogle+ÜbersetzerFotosMehrShoppingDocsBooksBloggerKontakteHangoutsNoch mehr von GoogleAnmeldenAusgeblendete - Over the past few years, many fundamental changes have occurred Good error control performance requires the scheme to be selected based on the characteristics of the communication channel. IIE Transactions on Quality and Reliability, 34(6), pp. 529-540. ^ K. But when the AC flows in the other direction,...‎Wird in 3 Büchern von 1960 bis 1989 erwähntSeite 47 - A mechanical chopper is simply a synchronized switch.\n\nFilesystems such as ZFS or Btrfs, as well as some RAID implementations, support data scrubbing and resilvering, which allows bad blocks to be detected and (hopefully) recovered before they are used. See also[edit] Computer science portal Berger code Burst error-correcting code Forward error correction Link adaptation List of algorithms for error detection and correction List of error-correcting codes List of hash functions For example, to send the bit pattern \"1011\", the four-bit block can be repeated three times, thus producing \"1011 1011 1011\". Tests conducted using the latest chipsets demonstrate that the performance achieved by using Turbo Codes may be even lower than the 0.8 dB figure assumed in early designs.\n\nThe resulting output voltage is equal to half of the input voltage during half of the AC cycle, and is equal to half of the amount of the input voltage but Three types of ARQ protocols are Stop-and-wait ARQ, Go-Back-N ARQ, and Selective Repeat ARQ. The IPv4 header contains a checksum protecting the contents of the header. An increasing rate of soft errors might indicate that a DIMM module needs replacing, and such feedback information would not be easily available without the related reporting capabilities.\n\nThis comprehensive, hands-on, and practical guide to serial interface programming enables you to develop sophisticated interfaces and apply them in real-world applications.Each chapter addresses a language and how it can be It is a very simple scheme that can be used to detect single or any other odd number (i.e., three, five, etc.) of errors in the output. Forward error correction (FEC): The sender encodes the data using an error-correcting code (ECC) prior to transmission. The Windows Serial Port Programming Handbook illustrates the principles and methods of developing various serial port interfaces using multiple languages.\n\nContents 1 Definitions 2 History 3 Introduction 4 Implementation 5 Error detection schemes 5.1 Repetition codes 5.2 Parity bits 5.3 Checksums 5.4 Cyclic redundancy checks (CRCs) 5.5 Cryptographic hash functions 5.6 However, ARQ requires the availability of a back channel, results in possibly increased latency due to retransmissions, and requires the maintenance of buffers and timers for retransmissions, which in the case Alan R. [email protected] - rootear android, guia cómo el rootear, tutorial cómo a parpadear android, error, last, problém, resolve Related Posts Cómo hacer root al DEXP Ixion X LTE 4.5 (firmware) Real opiniones\n\nOkNo, thanks ERROR The requested URL could not be retrieved The following error was encountered while trying to retrieve the URL: Connection to failed. Hybrid schemes[edit] Main article: Hybrid ARQ Hybrid ARQ is a combination of ARQ and forward error correction. Modern hard drives use CRC codes to detect and Reed–Solomon codes to correct minor errors in sector reads, and to recover data from sectors that have \"gone bad\" and store that Rap MusicThis is a comparison between Shakespeare's writings and Hip Hop/Rap MusicCopy of Shakespeare vs Hip HopMezuzah Prezzi More prezis by author Popular presentationsSee more popular or the latest prezis\n\nProductCompanyCareersSupportCommunityContactApps English\n\nin business economics and master's degree in business economics from the Claremont Graduate School, an MBA from the University of Santa Clara, and a B.A. Thus, when the AC flows in one direction, its magnetizing force is aided by that of the DC, and the vibrating arm is attracted. History[edit] The modern development of error-correcting codes in 1947 is due to Richard W. Bibliografische InformationenTitelThe Windows Serial Port Programming HandbookAutorYing BaiAusgabeillustriertVerlagCRC Press, 2004ISBN0203341961, 9780203341964Länge824 Seiten  Zitat exportierenBiBTeXEndNoteRefManÜber Google Books - Datenschutzerklärung - AllgemeineNutzungsbedingungen - Hinweise für Verlage - Problem melden - Hilfe - Sitemap -\n\nThe sum may be negated by means of a ones'-complement operation prior to transmission to detect errors resulting in all-zero messages. Generated Thu, 13 Oct 2016 15:50:59 GMT by s_ac4 (squid/3.5.20) ERROR The requested URL could not be retrieved The following error was encountered while trying to retrieve the URL: Connection Some file formats, particularly archive formats, include a checksum (most often CRC32) to detect corruption and truncation and can employ redundancy and/or parity files to recover portions of corrupted data. Stand out and be remembered with Prezi, the secret weapon of great presenters.\n\nChecksums[edit] Main article: Checksum A checksum of a message is a modular arithmetic sum of message code words of a fixed word length (e.g., byte values). Error detection techniques allow detecting such errors, while error correction enables reconstruction of the original data in many cases. Linux kernel documentation. Applications[edit] Applications that require low latency (such as telephone conversations) cannot use Automatic Repeat reQuest (ARQ); they must use forward error correction (FEC).\n\nError correction is the detection of errors and reconstruction of the original, error-free data. Costello, Jr. (1983). As long as a single event upset (SEU) does not exceed the error threshold (e.g., a single error) in any particular word between accesses, it can be corrected (e.g., by a Common channel models include memory-less models where errors occur randomly and with a certain probability, and dynamic models where errors occur primarily in bursts.\n\nThe explanation which follows refers to the illustration to the right above. Every block of data received is checked using the error detection code used, and if the check fails, retransmission of the data is requested – this may be done repeatedly, until This 'checksum' is used to detect and correct errors.Advantages• More accurate than parity checks• Detects error and asks for retransmission • Complex CRC’s error detection almost 100%Advantages• Can detect and correct A code with minimum Hamming distance, d, can detect up to d − 1 errors in a code word.\n\nApplications that use ARQ must have a return channel; applications having no return channel cannot use ARQ. Without knowing the key, it is infeasible for the attacker to calculate the correct keyed hash value for a modified message. Repetition codes[edit] Main article: Repetition code A repetition code is a coding scheme that repeats the bits across a channel to achieve error-free communication.\n\nYou can change this under Settings & Account at any time. The arm thus vibrates at the frequency of the AC.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9736407995223999}
{"content": "Mental Educational Brain Games\n手机游戏  尽在九游\n  •         Intelligence games that contribute to the development of mental thinking skills. Easy (simple) fun (surprise egg), educational (educational), visual intelligen...\n\nMental Educational Brain Games\n\n类型: 休闲 \n\n\n\nIntelligence games that contribute [详情]\n\nIntelligence games that contribute to the development of mental thinking skills. Easy (simple) fun (surprise egg), educational (educational), visual intelligence game. It can improve the ability to perform fast processing, compare results (cause result). Kids, adults, games that appeal to every age group are easy and difficult (pattern, memory difficult, jigsaw, puzzle 8) games. Mathematical games (such as number addition, number subtraction, number division, number multiplication, multiplication table, counting animals). Learning audio and visual animals. Handicrafts, hand muscles developing (painting, educational painting) games. Painting games contribute to the development of thinking skills. Draw new figures that are not in the picture. For example, they can add extra drawings such as garden, tree, animal (cat, dog, bird, fish) We recommend using tablet pens or phone pens in painting games. Mental educational intelligence game (mental intelligence developer), easy (simple), understandable, educational and fun (Surprise eggs, painting, educational painting, drawing, drawing), games for kids and adults. Games that contribute to their educational life. At school, on exams, games that help them become more successful in the tests. (Puzzles, educational lines, incomplete picture puzzles), logic games (educational painting), math games (memory, face finding, memory toy shadow matching), attention games (smiley faces, sudoku, minefield) addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, multiplication table, number counting, number writing) Minefield (minesweeper), Children's Sudoku (Sudoku for children) games for attention development. There are many games in which they can play without being bored. Games include memory, attention enhancer and visual intelligence games. There are educational intelligence games that reduce the distraction of children. It is written not only for children, but also to prevent them from progressing in diseases like MS, Dementia, Alzheimer. Especially students who are 3 years old, 4 years old, 5 years old, 6 years old, 7 years old, 8 years old, 9 years old, 10 years old, mother class, 1st class 2nd class, 3rd class, 4th class (kindergarten, kindergarten, Improved intelligence game. Many intelligences are a useful game in preparation for the talent and competency exams. These games will be more successful in the test of intelligence. It will contribute to your child's superior ability to move to a higher level. The mental game of intelligence is a scientific, educational and entertaining game. Free games. Voice and visual learning game. It's an intelligent, animated, educational, funny intelligence game. A lot of free games for kids. Games that teach amusing. The game that teaches the writing of numbers. Teaching games that develop personal skills. Games that enhance mental development. Games that bring your intelligence up. Many free intelligence exercises in one single vote. Free games for girls and boys. mind games intelligence games development games mental games\n\n\n安卓版下载 苹果版下载\n预订激活码 订阅游戏\n\nMental Educational Brain Games游戏截图\n\n\n\n排序 网游 分类 期待值 下载\n1 王牌御史 动作 83710 下载\n2 侠客行 角色 82155 下载\n3 天涯明月刀 角色 80636 下载\n4 小小三国2 策略 76883 下载\n5 方舟生存进化 冒险 73946 下载\n6 闪耀暖暖 角色 73300 下载\n7 废土行动 角色 72326 下载\n8 逆苍穹 角色 71057 下载\n\n\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8015719652175903}
{"content": "sinecine ISSN: 1309-5838\n\nPerformative Gender and Masculinity: Küf, Yozgat Blues and Ben O Değilim\n\n\nIn the frame of Judith Butler’s performative gender theory, this article analyzes the male characters, represented by Ercan Kesal, in Küf (Ali Aydın, 2012), Yozgat Blues (Mahmut Fazıl Coşkun, 2013) and Ben O Değilim (Tayfun Pirselimoğlu, 2013) to show that masculinity is not innate and predetermined, but multiple, subject to change and resignification. The article focuses on how these male characters use performative gender with reference to iteration and new intelligibility by the end of each film, subsequent to the changes they have experienced. As a result of their success and/or failure, the characters are left with the possibility of resignification, showing that masculinity is not stable, but multiple and inclined to change.\n\nKeywords: Performative gender, iteration, intelligibility, resignification, masculinity.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9984766840934753}
{"content": "Gifts for everyone\n\nFound 7 gift ideas\nClothing and shoes\n$10 - $150\nCozy and warm night clothing is a good gift for close people. Different materials, designs and shapes can make home dressing like a catwalk.\nClothing and shoes\n$10 - $895\nClothing and shoes\n$69 - $350\nFor rainy days and nights, when you need to show your care.\nClothing and shoes\n$8 - $43\nSweatshirts and hoodies are no longer exclusively for sports. Cozy and warm sweatshirts is a great alternative to the sweaters.\nClothing and shoes\n$25 - $1250\nA gentle, cozy and warm bathrobe will impress your recepient any way. A spare bathrobe is always a good idea.\nClothing and shoes\n$20 - $120\nSlippers is a top last-minute gift, are divided to winter and summer types.\nClothing and shoes\n$20 - $46\n\n\nWhen you are thinking about buying gifts for everyone it can be a difficult task. Everyone in your life has different personalities with different tastes. They all want different things and it takes time to buy online or at different stores for everyone. This article will serve as a guideline in helping you make those all too important decisions while making your gift buying experience a little less stressful.\n\n\nThe first thing to do is to create a gift wish list for everyone. Make a final determination of who you will be buying for. Are you just buying for the children in your family this year or are these special gifts for a special occasion? All of these can be written down on a gift wish list that you can use for buying the right gifts for everyone.\n\n\nIf your gift list is not too long, then determine what everyone likes. If they are family or good friends and you know them well, pick one gift that they would enjoy from you. Everyone buys the toasters and other things. Let your gift be different and stand out from the others. You want your gift to be functional and yet unique from everyone else's gifts. Use probing questions on those you are thinking about buying a gift for. Ask them to list three things that they would want. They don't even have to know that you are thinking about buying them a gift. Do it in a way that is not telling to them. Remember when buying gifts for everyone, it is essential to know that something special that each person would want.\n\n\nIf all else fails, then you can always resort to giving everyone money or gift certificates to their favorite stores. Make this the last resort because there is not much thought put into giving this type of gift. There is an old saying that it is the thought that counts. Let people know that you put thought into your gift buying this year. But again, if you run into a rough patch and cannot think of what to give them, most people will be pleased with money or gift certificates. Money and gift certificates can always be apart of your gifts for everyone.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5623364448547363}
{"content": "Flying High in 2019\n\nBreaking away from old patterns, negative people and difficult situations, 2019 brings a sense of adventure, new energy and promise to all those who seek a new beginning.\n\nAdventure calls in many ways.  Be open to exploring both your inner self and the world around you. A new path emerges, as the old one fades away.\n\nFly into the unknown and brave the future.\n\nAdventure is calling…\n\n\nChicken Therapy\n\nNot Just for Your Dinner Plate!\n\nI was familiar with Equine Therapy with horses but had not heard of Chicken Therapy until I met a woman who has eleven pet chickens.  The chickens are a variety of colors and breeds and all have their own individual pet names.  According to Heidi, the owner, she said that the chickens have distinct personalities and similar to people, have their own pecking order. Some chickens get bullied, while others are more dominant and take the lead role, others are curious, some are playful or adventurous, but all chickens are uniquely different.\n\nHaving experienced a stressful weekend, I asked if I could hold one of the chickens, and was handed a beautiful soft golden brown bird.  As I held the feathery clucking chicken in my arms, I felt an immediate sense of peace and calm, which lead to a conversation about how the chickens, like therapy horses, or other therapy animals, are helpful for a variety of mental health issues including anxiety, depression, PTSD, and dementia.  Chicken Therapy is not commonly known, but it exists, and research confirms that chickens make great therapy animals.\n\nWe love our pets because they make us feel better on rough days, they sit on our laps, lick our faces and cuddle with us when we feel sad.  They calm us down when we feel angry and give us unconditional love.  There is no question that animals are healing and therapeutic both emotionally and physically.\n\nNext time you’re having a rough day, feeling, sad, anxious or frustrated, try some Chicken Therapy!\n\nTherapeutic Landscapes\n\nDid you know that different geographical locations or landscapes can be spiritually or physically healing? The mountains, forests, oceans, and deserts of the world offer you the opportunity to explore both your interior and exterior worlds.\n\nThe next time you travel, tune into the elements.  Each geographical location will have its own energy, its own ecosystem, and its own natural vibration.\n\nThese include:\n\n\nMountains represent strength and stability.  By connecting to mountain energy, we can generate inner strength to withstand emotional and physical problems or barriers.  Mountains remind us to feel centered and grounded.\n\nMountains can be chipped away at; holes or tunnels can be carved deeply into its core, but they always remain solid.  Mountains are reminders to be strong in body and mind.\n\nSometimes our problems may appear like mountains, huge obstacles that we can’t get around or over, but with each step, we eventually climb the summit, overcoming personal struggles or difficulties.  Mountains remind us that we can get through the rough terrain, the tough times, and reach our goals.\n\n\nThe Desert has been known to be an ancient and sacred place throughout history.  People have been known to go into the desert to find themselves, or to seek a connection with God, spirit or the universe.\n\nThe desert offers a stillness that we often struggle to find within.  In the desert, the landscape can seem quite harsh and barren, and where we find we have nowhere else to go, but within.\n\nThe desert is a place of emptiness and solitude.  It can represent our feelings of loneliness and isolation, but in the desert, if you listen, you will hear the whispers of the winds who continually blow, forever moving and changing the landscape. If you find yourself in a barren and desolate inner desert, go within, seek connection, and remember that the winds of change will guide you safely out again.\n\n\nForests are magical places that for centuries, people have written stories about mythical creatures that live deep within its foliage.  Forest symbolism represents our unconscious, and getting lost in the forest can represent our own inner search for direction and meaning.\n\nGreen plants and trees have been known to heal body, mind, and spirit while reducing daily stressors and tension.  Psychologically, green forests can offset angry and aggressive feelings.  Next time you feel irritable or upset, take a walk in the forest, chances are, by the end of your journey, your anger will subside.\n\n\nThe ocean has been a source of healing for centuries.  Saltwater replenishes our spirit, while salt air cleanses our lungs.  The sound of waves can induce a meditative state, helping to leave worries and cares behind, while the color blue instills a sense of peace and tranquility.\n\nThe ocean is symbolic of life in many cultures. Psychologically, water is symbolic of emotions, often fluid and flowing, changing with the tides, sometimes volatile and sometimes calm and serene.\n\nOne of my favorite places is the Gulf of Mexico.  A natural thinker by nature, I find that the expanse of the ocean clears my mind and brings about a sense of clarity and focus.\n\nThe next time you plan a trip, think about geographical locations, and let your body, mind, and spirit guide you…\n\nSolo Traveling for Your Soul\n\n\nme beach\n\nTraveling Solo\n\nHave you ever tried going solo?  It’s a great experience that everyone should do at some point in their lifetime.  Traveling solo allows you the chance to get to know yourself better in several different ways.  Sometimes traveling alone can be a challenge, but more often, it is a wonderful experience that can open up your life in ways that you could never imagine.  I often take trips alone, meeting new and interesting people, exploring beautiful natural places and most of all, traveling solo allows my soul the chance to grow.\n\nSolo spiritual traveling…. your soul needs it.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9938132166862488}
{"content": "On January 2, 2017, I read an article by Christopher McLaverty and Annie McKee titled What You Can Do to Improve Ethics at Your Company(link is external) that was published in the Harvard Business Review on December 29, 2016.\n\nThe article is based in large part on a study by McLaverty(link is external) \"of C-suite executives from India, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, the U.S., and the U.K., many of us face an endless stream of ethical dilemmas at work.\"\n\nThe article states in pertinent part as follows:\n\n\"According to the study, the most useful resource that leaders have when faced with an ethical dilemma is their own personal network. This provides an informal sounding board and can highlight options and choices that the leader may not have considered. When making ethical decisions, it’s important to recognize that your way isn’t the only way, and that even mandated choices will have consequences that you must deal with.\n\nThe challenge is that most leaders have networks full of people who think and act like them and many fail to seek out diverse opinions, especially in highly charged situations. Instead, they hunker down with people who have similar beliefs and values. This can lead to particularly dire consequences in cross-cultural environments.\n\nTo overcome this, you need another core emotional intelligencecompetency, empathy, which allows you to learn how to read others and truly understand what matters to them and what they care about. This will, in turn, help you connect with people and gather their thoughts, opinions, and help when you need them.\"\n\nEmpathy toward \"others\" is strongly associated with ethics.\n\nIn fact, consider the following excerpt from an article titled Empathy and Sympathy in Ethics(link is external) that was published in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy:\n\n\"The intentional analysis of empathy is directly relevant to the constitution of the social community in a broad, normative relationship with the 'Other....' \n\nThe psychoanalyst Heinz Kohut defines empathy as the primary method of data gathering about other human beings in the discipline of psychoanalysis.  Thus, Kohut writes: 'Empathy does indeed in essence define the field of our observations' (1977: 306)….. Tactically, empathy is a method of data gathering about what is going on with the other person, and without empathy one’s appreciation of the other is incomplete…. Empathy is the oxygen breathing life into the relationship between individual and other, a metaphor introduced by Heinz Kohut (1977) without, however, Kohut extending it to the ethical dimension. In the contemporary Continental tradition, such an extension of empathy is left to Larry Hatab and John Riker, who note that empathy is a primal existential condition that makes ethical life possible (Hatab 2000; Riker 2010)….\n\n\n\n\nIt is important to note [that The Holocaust] was accompanied by and included the extrajudicial killing of other 'life unworthy of life' such as the mentally ill and retarded, gypsies, gays, communists, uncooperative members of other religious and political parties. However, the racial laws and anti-Semitic ideology that specifically preceded the event, targeting Jewish people, make it their Holocaust in a special and unhappy way….\n\nIt is the killing, not the lack of empathy that represents the moral problem. \n\nWhat made it easier for the soldiers to do their 'duty' – commit murder (genocide) – was the manipulation by the leaders to deflect the individual soldier’s natural empathy for the prisoner and to increase the soldier’s empathy for himself, deflecting the natural trajectory towards the other….\n\n\nAccording to social science researcher Brene' Brown empathy toward \"others\" is a skill set and that the core of empathy is perspective taking.  She also says that perspective taking is normally taught or modeled by parents. The more your perspective is in line with the dominant culture, the less you were probably taught about perspective taking. In the United States, the majority culture is white, Judeo-Christian, middle class, educated, and straight.\n\nThis is entirely consistent with the loss of perspective by powerful negotiators, as was explained in an article titled Power in Negotiation: The Impact on Negotiators and the Negotiation Process that was recently published by Harvard Law School's Program on Negotiation.  \n\nFurthermore, fear leads to a reduction in empathy.\n\nAs William Booth stated in his article titled America's Racial and Ethnic Divides: One Nation, Indivisible: Is It History?(link is external)\"Fear of strangers, of course, is nothing new in American history. The last great immigration wave produced a bitter backlash, epitomized by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the return, in the 1920s, of the Ku Klux Klan, which not only targeted blacks, but Catholics, Jews and immigrants as well.”\n\nThat quote and a great many others pertaining to the harm caused to freedom and democracy as a result of fear were included in my article Shameful U.S. History Repeating Itself(link is external). Among those quoted were Ronald Reagan, Al Gore, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, and Edward R. Murrow\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9976876974105835}
{"content": "When you are trying to make sense of a passage of Scripture – that is, a full scene or paragraph – you often need to decide between two competing interpretations. The following are notes from a lecture I give on how to deal with interpretational problems.\n\nIdentify potential ambiguities in the text.* \n\nThe first step is to notice when there might be more than one way to interpret some facet of the passage. If you don’t know there is some ambiguity or difficulty, you will just assume one of the possible interpretations without even being aware that you made a decision. Some interpretational problems are obvious on first reading. Others may arise as you read several different Bible translations, talk with others about the passage or read different commentaries on the passage.\n\nWhat is the significance of the problem? \n\nHow will your decision on this interpretational problem affect your interpretation of the whole paragraph or larger literary unit? Is this interpretational problem central to the meaning of the text, or is it peripheral? Is the difficulty actually within the text, or is it a problem of harmonizing with other passages, with science or with history?\n\nConsider biases that may make you lean toward one solution. \n\nCheck yourself to see if you are actually following the evidence, or if you are allowing one of these biases to control your decision.\n\n\nOne solution may seem to be a better fit to your theology. But consider the following before you bend an interpretation of a passage to match your theology: a) Your theology may need reshaping or nuancing; b) It’s possible that both interpretations of the passage ultimately fit with your theology, after careful consideration; c) It’s possible that the passage is not really concerned with the theological issue you are thinking about; d) Interpretation should drive theology, not vice versa.\n\nChurch Tradition \n\nThere may be a standard interpretation of a passage that circulates in your tradition or group of churches. See above!\n\n\nOne solution to the interpretational problem may preach better, or make a better slogan. That doesn’t mean it is right! The right solution isn’t necessarily the flashy one. Be aware of your tendency to favor interpretational solutions that are least offensive, most edgy, most against the conventional wisdom, most popular, coolest, etc.\n\nPersonal Hobbyhorse\n\nWe are often tempted to pick the solution that allows us to divert the passage toward one of our favorite topics. Don’t do it!\n\nMediating Position\n\nA common tendency is to want both competing interpretations to be correct, so we may favor a mediating position. Don’t pick the middle position just because it’s middle. The mediating position is not necessarily better than either of the two opposing positions.\n\n\nAvoid automatically categorizing interpretational options into liberal vs. conservative, or Calvinist vs. Arminian, or any number of other categories. Such categories may keep you from considering each option on its own merits.\n\nPersonal Background\n\nYour own personal background (socio-economic class, race, culture) may affect the interpretational choices you make. It’s true that some people overstate the influence of such factors, but we should also avoid understating them.\n\nWhat sort of evidence will help solve the problem?\n\nLiterary Context \n\nThe best interpretation is the one that makes the best sense in the paragraph and the whole book (but “best” is tricky…)\n\nHistorical or Cultural Context\n\nThe best interpretation is sometimes the one that makes the best use of historical / cultural elements. Good historical / cultural arguments are based on historical data that can reliably be demonstrated to be true (i.e., based on ancient sources), and was likely to have been known by ancient readers. Good historical / cultural analysis considers whether the passage is presuming, enforcing, or countering ancient cultural standards or beliefs.\n\nWord Studies \n\nThe problem may hinge on the meaning of a Greek or Hebrew word. In this case, the best interpretation is the one that a) relies on meanings that can be found in authoritative Greek or Hebrew dictionaries (not Strong’s!); b) considers the usage of the word in the same book first, then its usage in other books from the same author, then by other authors; and c) doesn’t rely on word-study fallacies. (Word-study fallacies include deriving the meaning of a word from its component syllables, using meanings from a much earlier or much later time, insisting on sharp or precise differences between synonyms, and deriving the meaning of Greek words from their related English words).\n\n\nThe problem may hinge on a particular feature of Greek or Hebrew grammar. This can be difficult to evaluate unless you have studied the language for at least two or three years. The best grammar solutions are those that are based on established grammatical principles found in standard Greek or Hebrew grammar texts. Good grammar solutions are also nuanced enough to recognize that there are exceptions and variations to grammatical rules. Avoid making sweeping interpretational decisions solely on the basis of flexible grammatical categories such as the meanings of prepositions or noun cases.\n\nSee what the experts think.\n\nConsult several sources, including some from scholars of different backgrounds. Observe how they weigh the different kinds of evidence. Does everyone dismiss one or more of the interpretations? Why?\n\nTeaching or preaching a text that has an interpretational problem.\n\nFocus most of your teaching on the main idea of the passage (the whole paragraph), not on any interpretational problems. The most difficult problem in a paragraph is not necessarily the most important aspect of that paragraph. Decide whether (and how much) you need to explain the problem, its various solutions, or the evidence. I am more likely to explain the problem, or spend significant time on it, if: a) the main point of the paragraph (and therefore the sermon) hinges heavily on the solution to the interpretational problem; b) I am presenting a view that the audience is unfamiliar with or that they are likely to reject; or c) the problem is apparent because it shows up in differences among standard Bible translations.\n\n\n*Thanks to Alan Hultberg for this way of phrasing this step.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9966307878494263}
{"content": "과학창의재단 이사장 안성진\n\nFor over half a century, KOFAC has spread the seeds of science and has harvested the fruits of creative convergence education, building the cultural foundation for creativity and imagination to manifest.\nKOFAC has promoted various projects for spreading existing science culture and for fostering creative and passionate convergent human resources, contributing to national development.\n\nUtilizing our 50th Anniversary as an opportunity, we aim to reinforce our expertise and role in society, advancing forward for another 50 years and a new century.\n\nIn step with the changing environment, we will promote national consensus on science and technology, spread science culture that will lead to growth in the industry, and lay the groundwork for cultivating creative human resources leading to a future knowledge-based society.\n\nWe will also play a key role in reading the current trends of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, leading change and creating new values. KOFAC endeavors to lead the nation into a scientifically advanced future.\n\nThank you.\n\nDecember 2018\n\nPresident Seongjin Ahn", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6391918659210205}
{"content": "Cafe in Mancos\n\nThis friendly, upscale cafe is the spot to hit for a glass of wine and cheese boards with fig jam. Highlights include deviled eggs, and light items like watermelon salad, and local lettuce served with shaved fennel, cherries and aged balsamic. In addition to being pretty original, they also cater well to vegan and gluten-free diets.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9934230446815491}
{"content": "How Society Grew Cold. Dependence on Cold Institutions\nBy Joe Jarvis - September 02, 2017\n\nThe downfall of freedom and happiness: dependence on institutions out of your control.\n\nI’ve always blamed the government.\n\nGovernments start the wars, carry out the genocides, steal from the people. Governments lay the foundation of an unjust society, by creating a hierarchy from the beginning. Some make the laws, and some must live by them.\n\nBut the government is only half of the picture.\n\nI always trusted in the power of the free market.\n\nThe free market is the true democracy which responds to the people. It is controlled by demand and quelled by consumer pressures. Economic self-interest ensures a proper check on the wealthy from becoming too evil.\n\nBut there is no free market on a macro level. There is only the collusion of the government and industry.\n\nThey have positioned themselves as the mother and the father of society. How? By destroying the institutions which once stood in their place.\n\nThe Marriage of Government and Industry\n\nIn his book Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari describes a human transition. Populations went from farming societies inherently based on the sun and seasons, to industrial societies of assembly lines and time tables.\n\nThis caused many upheavals. Warm organic institutions–like family and community–were replaced by cold calculated ones–like factories and welfare. “Most of the traditional functions of families and communities were handed over to states and markets.”\n\nOf course, this meant dependence on government and industry for survival. The roles of family and community had been outsourced. Now the government would take care of you, and industry would sell you fulfillment. All the structures humans evolved with quickly melted away, or became diluted.\n\n\n\n\nOn a small scale level like that, people were held accountable when they leached off the system. Families and communities were also the enforcement structure of this social insurance. Gossip was an important function of accountability. You can bet people talked if someone balked at their duties. The next time they needed something, they might find themselves in a bind.\n\nBut in addition to the obvious replacements like police, welfare, and corporate jobs, there was the matter of replacing the emotional aspects family provided. Governments and industry teamed up to give us a solution.\n\nMarkets and states do so by fostering ‘imagined communities’ that contain millions of strangers, and which are tailored to national and commercial needs. An imagined community is a community of people who don’t really know each other, but imagine that they do. Such communities are not a novel invention. Kingdoms, empires and churches functioned for millennia as imagined communities…\n\nThe two most important examples for the rise of such imagined communities are the nation and the consumer tribe. The nation is the imagined community of the state. The consumer tribe is the imagined community of the market. Both are imagined communities because it is impossible for all customers in a market or for all members of a nation really to know one another the way villagers knew one another in the past…\n\nConsumerism and nationalism work extra hours to make us imagine that millions of strangers belong to the same community as ourselves, that we all have a common past, common interests and a common future. This isn’t a lie. It’s imagination. Like money, limited liability companies and human rights, nations and consumer tribes are inter-subjective realities. They exist only in our collective imagination, yet their power is immense. As long as millions of Germans believe in the existence of a German nation, get excited at the sight of German national symbols, retell German national myths, and are willing to sacrifice money, time and limbs for the German nation, Germany will remain one of the strongest powers in the world.\n\nBut we can keep what we like about government and markets, and do away with what we don’t. We can form new “tribes” that give us actual mutual aid which communities once gave. We can move to or create villages that match our needs and desires.\n\nThat way, we interact with warm institutions. Structures we are a part of and can influence. They are made up of people we know, and have real relationships with.\n\nThe government gives us imagined communities in order to control us. Nationalism makes sure we are ready to fight the next war, providing bodies and wealth to fuel political ambitions.\n\nThe market gives us imagined communities as a way to sell to us. Apple users are part of an exclusive club that signal they are wealthy and hip. Doesn’t that make you feel fulfilled?\n\nBut what about a community of people who are all passionate about farming, making their own products, and trading goods and labor? We can keep our smart phones and internet access, just like 10% of the village economies of the past relied on outside merchants. But when it comes to our water, electricity, food, hygiene products, and even entertainment, it is already quite easy to provide all that on a community level.\n\nNow that the world has been so voluntarily centralized by the internet, we can decentralize in ways that benefit us. We can create little communities without becoming hermits. We will be free to come or go as we please, no forced labor, false choices, or communist utopia. Just voluntary groups who offer warm alternatives to dictatorial and industrial institutions.\n\nI don’t want my barber to remove my appendix when I get appendicitis. But I wouldn’t at all mind my neighbor providing my children’s education, with the help of the countless resources on the internet.\n\nWe are now in a position to meld the best of both worlds. We can reach back and choose what was great about pre-modern community governing structures. And we can hold onto the technology and civilization that we like in today’s world.\n\nSociety is like a pendulum which swings from one extreme to another. But each sway loses some energy and brings us closer to equilibrium.\n\nThe advance of industry gave mankind countless benefits. But at some point, it went too far. We need to learn how to reintegrate warm institutions into our lives, without doing away with the benefits that large scale industry has provided.\n\nIn a sense, humanity was once so dependent on small scale warm institutions that we stagnated, and could not advance. People suffocated as the pendulum stopped and reversed.\n\nOnce we finally did break free, we lost all touch with warm institutions. Cold institutions replaced the family, and now many feel alienated and depressed.\n\nCan we find an equilibrium? Can we meld markets and governance into family and community life in a way that both frees us from the tyranny of government and corporations, but allows us to remain free individuals?\n\nThe Pendulum is Ready to Swing Back\n\nRadical experimentation in governance is required to heal society and correct the trajectory. Stagnation is the best we can hope for with the current model of government and corporate collusion.\n\nWe need to restore the community structures of the past. We cannot simply do away with institutions people rely on and expect no turmoil. Rather, a model of a better society needs to be created.\n\nThis is why the next movement that will drastically improve civilization will be a period of decentralization of institutions, marked by voluntary association.\n\n\n\n\n\nIdentify. Plan. Execute.\n\nYes, deliver THE DAILY BELL to my inbox!\n\n\nTagged with: , , , , , ,", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8341221809387207}
{"content": "Inflation Targeting in Brazil\n\nThe National Monetary Council (CMN) has decided today (6/26) to keep the inflation target for 2009 in Brazil at the current level, 4.5% +/- 2.0%. This target is at the upper extreme of inflation targeters, even emerging market ones. As the Table shows, the current inflation forecasts for the next 2 1/2 years are below 4%.\n\nimage0025.gifTherefore, the most likely outcome of the recently announced target will be to raise inflation expectations. Given that the Expectations Augmented Phillips curve prescribes that higher inflation expectations will raise actual inflation, ceteris paribus, it follows that for any given actual inflation achieved, the Central Bank will have to set higher interest rates than it otherwise would. In other words, today´s decision will make harder, not easier, for the Central Bank to keep lowering interest rates. This point seems to have been missed in the discussion.\n\nThe statements after the decision made the whole story worse. The Finance Minister, who wanted the 4.5%, declared that the decision was taken to provide more flexibility to monetary policy, but that the objective is to keep inflation expectations as they are, below the target. The Central Bank governor, who wanted the 4.0%, said that the decision does not imply that the Central Bank will try to make inflation converge to 4.5%, and that the current inflation expectations should be maintained.\n\nBoth remarks highlight that it was a split decision, and that the inflation target regime in Brazil may be losing something that the Central Bank achieved at a very high cost, the very credibility of the inflation target. What is the point to announce a target that will not be pursued?\n\nEconomic policy stance has been deteriorating steadily in Brazil since 2006. Today´s decision just strengthens this unfortunate trend. Someday, markets may notice.\n\n5 Responses to \"Inflation Targeting in Brazil\"\n\n  1. Anonymous   June 26, 2007 at 2:26 pm\n\n    Who sets the inflation target in Brazil? The central bank or the Finance Ministry? If the central bank is truly independent the target should be set by the central bank. But in any democratic regime some political determination of the inflation target should also be part of the process. But in this case the political preferences seem to clash with those of the central bank. How to resolve such a conflict? To provide the central bank with target independence too?\n\n  2. Tom Trebat   June 26, 2007 at 9:06 pm\n\n    The apparent rift between the Central Bank and the Finance Ministry over the decision of the National Monetary Council is indeed puzzling. Granted we are talking about the inflation target for 2009, still the awkward communication today reveals the persistence of structuralist thinking in Brazil long after everyone thought that the so-called neoliberal paradigm had won out. The Finance Minister, probably reflecting political pressures from the PT and its allies to get tough with the Central Bank, argues implicitly that some sort of tradeoff exists between the rate of growth in the long-run and the rate of inflation, i.e., more inflation means more growth because the Central Bank need not be as aggressive in lowering interest rates. This was the dominant mode of thought in Brazil in the 1960s. It is still a cherished tenet, it would appear, of the populist left in Brazil which deeply distrusts the Central Bank. I think all that this reveals is that many points of view about inflation and growth co-exist in Brazil. Today’s decision to set the inflation target at 4.5% (rather than 4% as the Central Bank would have preferred) could also be seen as the democratic process at work, messy as that may be. I do not think it is a significant setback for the policy stance in Brazil.\n\n  3. Christopher Neilson   June 27, 2007 at 11:15 am\n\n    IN my view, the problem has more to do with fact the central bank of Brazil will be targeting something other than the target than the fact it cannot pick its target on its own. Inflation targeting as a framework for monetary policy needs independence in implementation, not necessarily in setting objectives. So the damage being done to credibility is directly associated to the governors remarks and not so much the fact the target was not lowered.  In any case another relevant variable for “flexibility in implementation” (which was not mentioned above) is the policy horizon which is one year in Brasil and the lowest amongst developing economies. This is relevant as DeGregorio (2007) shows, since the time horizon reflects that fact that the objective function of the central bank values both price and output stability. In particular, a direct relationship also exists between the policy horizon and tolerance of inflation deviations from the target, on one hand, and the importance attributed by the authorities to deviations from full-employment output, on the other. The more inflation averse the policymaker, the shorter the policy horizon and the less volatility in inflation will be tolerated.  In that sense, an alternative which might have been a win win situation would have been for Finance Ministry to have pushed for a longer horizon (say two years as in Chile) and let the CB lower the target in line with current expectations.\n\n  4. Italo Lombardi   July 3, 2007 at 9:43 am\n\n    Transparency is key on an Inflation-targeting regime. The disagreement between the finance ministry and the BCB not only increased the uncertainty on the real target but it was also responsible for derailing the BCB from setting a lower target (4.0% or less) crucial for the consolidation of the credibility and the inflation-target regime. Indeed, very disappointing …\n\n  5. jseabold   December 6, 2007 at 6:11 pm\n\n    Does the Central Bank of Brazil target inflation as measured by the CPI? I thought they used the IPCA.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9906520247459412}
{"content": "Look both ways\n\nA look back and forward at the same time.\n\nThe solstice was yesterday (June 21), and I am always fascinated by this day. Celebrations near and far still do happen-fires, harvest, and sun worshipers collide.\n\nOn the solstice, we are given a reminder to ‘honor’ ancient wisdom and traditions, to celebrate the summer with its abundance of light, warmth, and agricultural bounties. Overall we are much less conscious of the joy of the solstice and its celebrations, festivals, and rituals than days gone by. Our ‘modern’ world does still mark the solstice, and most of us somehow connect (somewhere in the recesses of our brain) that it is a day of celebrating new beginnings.\n\nThe simple ‘facts’ of the Solstice are that it is the day sun reaches it’s highest point in the sky all year, “the tilt of Earth’s axis is most inclined towards the sun directly above the Tropic of Cancer.” (http://time.com/5314789/summer-solstice-facts) and so it is one the longest day of the year. It marks the beginning of summer. One of the most well-known celebrations of the summer solstice is at the Neolithic monument of Stonehedge: with many of the theories of this magical prehistoric structure stating it was built to align with the sun. In doing a little research about Stonehedge, I learned a few new things that historians and archeologists are saying about this masterpiece: It took 1,500 years to erect, it is roughly 100 stones, it was possibly a burial ground, some stones are local to the nearby quarries, and yet other stones of the inner ring seem to trace to the Preseli Hills in Wales- some 200 miles away. WOW!  (BTW- want some interesting reading on Stonehedge? click.)\n\nIcarus drawingOn this day I always tend to think of the Mythological story of Icarus, because of the sun. It’s a story of hope, and creative imagination at the beginning, unfortunately, turning into sorrow. Somehow this small Greek Myth has always stayed with me, and although it is kind of sad, I have always liked this myth. I think it’s the soaring free, the wings, flying above it all, the innovation of Daedalus and the spirit of Icarus,  that makes me admire this myth. So, on these summer days, where now, unfortunately, the days are getting shorter, there is still a joy and lightness of summer. Right now the day light is approximately five and half hours longer than that opposite day (i.e the winter solstice) and I’ll take it! Hopefully, we all get some soaring time this summer-with projects, friends, families, maybe some journeys, and always some paths with their twists and turns. With a little luck, your melting will be minimum!\n\nThe myth of Icarus:\n\n“Icarus was the son of the famous craftsman Daedalus in Greek mythology. His father was the creator of the Labyrinth, a huge maze located under the court of King Minos of Crete, where the Minotaur, a half-man half-bull creature lived. In order for the secret of the Labyrinth to be kept, Minos had then imprisoned Daedalus and Icarus in a tower above his palace. Daedalus managed to create two sets of wings for himself and his son, that were made of feathers glued together with wax. He taught Icarus how to fly and warned him not to fly too high, which would cause the wax to melt, nor too low, which would cause the feathers to get wet with sea water. Together, they flew out of the tower towards freedom. However, Icarus soon forgot his father’s warnings, and started flying higher and higher, until the wax started melting under the scorching sun. His wings dissolved and he fell into the sea and drowned. The area of the sea where he fell took the name Icarian Sea after him, while a nearby island was named Icaria.”\n\n\nSearch, Seek, and hopefully find.\n\n\npath in a clearing\nLots of options – many paths.\n\n\nThe piece is written by: BY MADISYN TAYLOR\n\nEmpowered Storytelling\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIt’s spring time-Use your noggin!\n\nEngaging your brain in new tasks is a key to boosting brain performance, or at least that is what the website of “Brain World Magazine” says. I will summarize the webpage here to get to my point: Most fabulous inventions happened when someone asked themselves- Is it possible and how can I do it? When you ask the hard questions, you expand your brain. This makes sense for it forces you to think and problem solve. As healthy humans, we WANT to discover-to search for new. This process keeps our brains active and functioning. “True creativity comes from an integrated brain that establishes new, robust connections between the parts of your brain dealing with cognition, emotion, vital functions, and crosstalk between the two hemispheres of your brain.”  ( http://brainworldmagazine.com/ask-brain-spring-creativity-within/)  My thoughts today are about creativity.\n\nThink about a snake, a crab, a caterpillar. They all shed one skin and start anew. If we don’t keep trying to rejuvenate ourselves, we too can get stuck in our old skin. It’s SPRING, the season of renew-Go For It! The transformations we create and abide by change with the times and what is going on within ourselves. It is this pursuit of transformations, this metamorphosis, that forms the very base of the process of LETTING GO!  I believe this shedding is the core of what I will call creative imagination. My imagination most often happens when I just “DO”, when I don’t worry too much about what I may be creating.  I might not know “the hard question” and that’s ok. My brain is stretched by the creative process regardless of a conscious question. The process relaxes me and lets the questions flow. Right now I am working on an array of new projects. That alone is maxing out part of my mind. Creativity churns and keeps my imagination going full steam. (Or would it be imagination churns and keeps the creativity going?) It’s hard to dial my brain down and do things like sleep sometimes.  One project is my third children’s book which is indeed about imagination. I am struggling with a cover design. Resisting the usual exploding of things from a cloud, or a head, is difficult. Colors are about the only thing I have come up with. I might resort to the ‘norm.” After all, it is tried and true- but, it doesn’t feel very creative or imaginative.\n\nSo far I have a line drawing of a book open and exploding colors.\nI like the “look,” but it does it say – “Hey this story is about the main character, our friend Fuddles, who has lost his imagination and then it’s found! Ideas?\n\nPossible book 3 cover\nPossible book 3 cover\n\nSerendipity, the menace of planning?\n\nIt a zoo of a world out there – pick your animal and go!\n\nIt’s a mishmash, a little of this and a little of that. However, that is kind of what it feels like these days.  There’s drawing, there’s writing, there’s the Beasties, the books, this website: All have components/efforts “out there” in the fields of hope and hard work ….and and and… We all know the feeling. A bit overwhelming. Creatures are expanding and appearing all over the place! So I created the above piece to try to visually express the chaos and the excitement of some of the pieces trying to at least get into the same frame!\n\nWe make plans; we use planers-we set out with the BEST OF INTENTIONS! Then-poof-Serendipity happens and our best-made plans at times go kaput. Is that good? Is that bad? Does it matter?  Interestingly enough – the origin of the word  Kaputt is German and means something is destroyed.  The origin of the German is borrowing from the French: être capot, literally ‘to be bonnet’ or figuratively ‘to be defeated’. (At least according to Wikipedia.) Here, in English, it means done, broken, useless, and most probably destroyed. So even the word has serendipity in its flow and the roots of languages.  The paths we take, the roads we follow-they fork and they zigzag; that’s all part of the journey, the fun (hopefully), and ultimately is our individual ‘walk of life.’ The directions may seem obscure at times, but somehow things usually seem to work out.  So if your resolutions have already been ‘adjusted’, unknown/uncharted paths have already opened, new ideas are forming, new friendships are building, and new adventures await you-try to stay open to the possibility that serendipity keeps it all just that much more interesting! Try it out-for really, what have you got to lose?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9294544458389282}
{"content": "Encyclopedia Article\n\n\nThe hippie movement emerged from the tumultuous 1960s in North America and Western Europe. Hippies were often teenagers, college students, or young adults that were either of the baby boomer generation or that generations' subsequent offspring. Hippies possessed a core set of beliefs that revolved around the values of peace, love, and respect for nature as being essential in an increasingly globalized, technological, and violent society. Hippies were often associated with non-violent demonstrations and were especially visible in the U.S. during the Vietnam War era, when they organized countless anti-war marches throughout the country. Hippies sometimes formed communes, choosing to live in rural settings, away from urban environments. Hippies were also considered non-conformists, critical of and often rejecting the constrictive dogmas of the status quo, including mainstream disapproval of recreational drug usage. There is a stigma of drug abuse attached to the movement that is prevalent to this day, specifically the use and abuse of marijuana and hallucinogens.\n\nPhoto Credit: \n\n\"Iconic photo of a female demonstrator offering a flower to a Military Police officer during an anti-war protest, October 21, 1967.\" by Department of Defense.\n\nTerm Type:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8472962379455566}
{"content": "Celebrations of 220th anniversary of Kuban capital was finished with 6 hours concert program on the main square of Krasnodar. Alexander Tkachev and Vladimir Evlanov congratulated Krasnodar citizens with jubilee of regional center.\n\nTheme filter\nIf you want to find news by a specific theme, then you can use news theme filter:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9375103116035461}
{"content": "ventricular tachycardia\n\n(redirected from Tachycardia, ventricular)\n\nVentricular Tachycardia\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCauses and symptoms\n\n\n\nDiagnosis is easily made with an electrocardiogram.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nKey terms\n\nAtrial — Having to do with the upper chambers of the heart.\nCardiomyopathy — A disease of the heart muscle.\nCardioversion — A electrical shock delivered to the heart to restore a normal rhythm.\nCoronary artery — The artery that supplies blood to the heart muscle itself.\nElectrocardiogram — A visual representation of the heart beat.\nFibrillation — Rapid, uncoordinated, quivering of the heart.\nPalpitations — Uncomfortable feeling of the heart beat in the chest.\nValvular — Having to do with the valves inside the heart.\n\n\n\n\n\nparoxysmal tachycardia rapid heart action that starts and stops abruptly.\nparoxysmal atrial tachycardia paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia.\nsupraventricular tachycardia a combination of junctional tachycardia and atrial tachycardia.\n\nven·tric·u·lar tach·y·car·di·a\n\nparoxysmal tachycardia originating in an ectopic focus in the ventricle.\nSee also: torsade de pointes.\n\nventricular tachycardia\n\ntachycardia of at least three consecutive ventricular complexes with a rate greater than 100 beats/min. It usually originates in a focus distal to the branching of the atrioventricular bundle.\n\nventricular tachycardia\n\nV tach, wide-complex tachycardia Cardiology A common, potentially life threatening abnormal rapid–160–240 beats/minheart beat initiated in the ventricles, characterized by 3 or more consecutive premature ventricular beats; VT may compromise systemic pumping of blood Triggers Spontaneous, post-acute MI, cardiomyopathy, mitral valve prolapse, myocarditis, post-heart surgery, antiarrhythmics, ↓ potassium, pH–acid-base changes, ↓ O2 Types Nonsustained–eg, lasting < 30 secs, sustained, > 30 secs. See Torsade de pointes.\n\nven·tric·u·lar tach·y·car·di·a\n\n(ven-trik'yū-lăr tak'i-kahr'dē-ă)\nA heart rate exceeding 100 beats per minute driven by an ectopic ventricular focus.\n\nventricular tachycardia\n\nA dangerous disorder of heart rhythm in which the contraction of the lower main pumping chambers is initiated from uncontrolled electrical impulses arising in the ventricles instead of in the SINOATRIAL NODE. The heart rate is abnormally fast-between 140 and 220 beats per minute and this may persist for hours or days and progress to severe HEART FAILURE and death. Treatment is by the use of drugs such as lignocaine (lidocaine) to regulate the rate or by electrical DEFIBRILLATION.\n\nventricular tachycardia\n\nsevere and marked rapidity of ventricular heart beats (i.e. pulse rate 120-230 beats/minute); patient is ill (showing severe hypotension and poor tissue perfusion due to associated coronary heart disease/cardiomyopathy); requires emergency treatment with high-dose lidocaine and electrical cardioversion\n\n\nabnormally rapid heart rate.\n\natrial tachycardia\nrapid contraction of the atrium arising from an ectopic focus in the atrium. The heart rate remains normal.\nectopic tachycardia\nidioventricular tachycardia\none occurring as a compensation for a sinus bradycardia and A-V block.\njunctional tachycardia\nthat arising in response to impulses originating in the atrioventricular junction, i.e. the atrioventricular node.\northostatic tachycardia\ndisproportionate rapidity of the heart rate on arising from a recumbent to a standing position.\nparoxysmal tachycardia\nepisodes of an abrupt and marked increase in heart rate in a resting patient, with an equally sudden return to normal.\nsinus tachycardia, simple tachycardia\nan increase in heart rate from heightened activity of the sinoatrial node, such as occurs with excitement or pain.\nEnlarge picture\nSinus tachycardia in a dog.By permission from Ettinger SJ, Feldman E, Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Saunders, 2004\nsupraventricular tachycardia\na combination of junctional tachycardia and atrial tachycardia.\nventricular tachycardia\nsee ventricular tachycardia.\n\n\npertaining to a ventricle.\n\nventricular assist device\na circulatory support device consisting of a pump with afferent and efferent conduits attached to the left ventricular apex and the ascending aorta, respectively, each conduit containing a porcine valve to ensure unidirectional blood flow; the pump rests on the external chest wall and is connected to an external pneumatic power source and control circuit.\nventricular asystole\nventricular bands\nfolds of mucosa, parallel and craniolateral to the vocal cords. Called also false vocal cords, vestibular folds.\ndouble right ventricular outlet\na cardiac anomaly rarely seen in animals in which both the aorta and pulmonary artery arise from the right ventricle and there is a defect in the ventricular septum.\nexcessive ventricular moderator bands\na rare syndrome of cardiomyopathy in cats caused by an excessive number of moderator bands in the left ventricle, extending from the papillary muscles to the ventricular septum.\nventricular extrasystoles\nsee ventricular extrasystole.\nventricular fibrillation\nsee ventricular fibrillation.\nventricular function curve\nventricular hypertrophy\nsee ventricular hypertrophy.\nventricular outflow obstruction\nflow of blood from the ventricles is impaired by lesions or congenital abnormalities in the outflow tract. This is usually associated with hypertrophy of the ventricle and can be demonstrated with echocardiography or contract radiography. Left outflow obstruction occurs with stenosis and other anomalies of the aorta; right outflow obstruction occurs with pulmonic stenosis, pulmonic insufficiency, tetralogy of Fallot, and double-chambered right ventricle.\nventricular premature contraction (VPC)\nsee premature heartbeats.\nventricular rupture\ndue to focal weakness causes sudden death due to cardiac tamponade.\nventricular septal defect\na congenital heart defect in which there is persistent patency of the ventricular septum in either the muscular or fibrous portion most often due to failure of the bulbar septum to completely close the interventricular foramen. The defect permits flow of blood directly from one ventricle to the other, bypassing the pulmonary circulation and producing varying degrees of cyanosis because of oxygen deficiency. Its clinical characteristics also include a systolic murmur and a palpable thrill on both sides of the chest, dyspnea and poor exercise tolerance. The occurrence is sporadic except that it is inherited in goats and dogs.\nventricular septum\nthe muscular wall between the ventricles. A small section, between the aortic vestibule and the right atrium, is membranous. Failure of the septum to close completely during fetal growth causes a septal or subaortic defect.\nventricular shortening fraction\nin echocardiography, the percentage change in diameter from diastole to systole. Calculated from the internal systolic and diastolic dimensions. It is a measure of mycocardial function.\nventricular slice method\na method for examination of fixed heart by cutting it into 0.5 inch thick slices, perpendicular to the plane of the ventricular septum, from apex to base. Useful in examination of myocardial lesions and cardiomyopathy.\nventricular tachycardia\nis manifested by a high heart rate with or without arrhythmia. In both cases there is severe cardiac disease and often acute heart failure.\nReferences in periodicals archive ?\nThis included bradycardia, tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, and device malfunctions.\nThey cover the evaluation and management of bradycardia, supraventricular tachycardia, ventricular tachycardia, sudden cardiac death and cardiac arrest, and other problems; electrophysiology equipment and testing, the principles of mapping and ablation, indications for cardiac rhythm management devices, and ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring; pacemakers and defibrillators; the approach to patients with wide complex tachycardia; antiarrhythmic medications; and channelopathies.\nDetermining the need to make the drug available to treat pediatric patients in Japan, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's Council for Pediatric Pharmacotherapy approved Tambocor as indicated for the treatment of tachyarrythmia (paroxysmal atrial fibrillation/flutter, paroxysmal superventricular tachycardia, ventricular tachycardia) in pediatric patients in May 2010.\nEctopic rhythms due to re-entry or enhanced automaticity: atrial tachycardia with a block, junctional tachycardia, ventricular premature complexes, ventricular tachycardia.\nVentricular arrhythmias--Ventricular tachycardia, Ventricular flutter and Ventricular fibrillation.\nThese can be ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, an atrial arrhythmia, or asystole.\nThey describe how ions, channels and currents work, then move to the elctrophysiological effects of cardiac autonomic activity, the mechanisms of arrhythmia, sinus node dysfunction and AV blocks, supraventricular tachycardia, differential diagnosis of wide complex tachycardia, ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation, sudden cardiac death and risk stratification, cardiac arrhythmia in patients with neuro-muscular disorders, syncope, pharmacologic therapy of arrhythmia, and electrical therapy for cardiac arrhythmia.\nIn the first series of experiments, intravenous ouabain continuous infusion resulted in disturbances of cardiac rhythm progressing from sinus arrhythmia, premature ventricular and supraventricular polytopic extrasystoles to ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation or cardiac arrest, in all control guinea-pigs.\nThey excluded patients who arrested in the operating room or neonatal intensive care unit; those who had an initial rhythm other than ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, pulseless electrical activity, or asystole; those whose time to initial chest compressions exceeded 15 minutes; and those who received no chest compressions at all.\nSerious cardiac arrhythmias including ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, torsades de pointes, and Q-T prolongation have been reported in patients taking cisapride with other drugs that inhibit the cytochrome P450-3A4 hepatic enzyme.\nThe RhythmView system, including the RhythmView console and FIRMap[TM] catheter, is designed to improve patient outcomes by enabling electrophysiologists to view a dynamic representation of the electrical activity of the heart, supporting the diagnosis of and treatment planning for a variety of arrhythmias including atrial flutter, atrial tachycardia, ventricular tachycardia, and atrial fibrillation (AF).\nannounced today that the Company has submitted an application for approval of an additional indication of anti-arrhythmic agent Tambocor(R) 50mg Tablets and Tambocor(R) 100mg Tablets (generic name: flecainide acetate) for the treatment of tachyarrhythmia (paroxysmal atrial fibrillation/flutter, paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, ventricular tachycardia) in paediatric patients in Japan.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.753799319267273}
{"content": "The Language of Pop Culture – Should You Use Proper English Only?\n\nShould we use street lingo in our writing or not? Is our use of fashionable vernacular simply lazy English or a case of reflecting reality and freeing expression from the constraints of grammar Nazi’s?\n\nThere are as ever, two sides to the argument for and against the use of improper English; slang, street words, internet chat and text speak abbreviations; r u mad 4 it? G8!\n\nHere is a comment reproduced from JTony on Lorelle Van Fossen’s WordPress blogging blog:\n\n“The tyrrany of language academicians is a constant thorn in the side of those who wish to communicate. Language is fluid, changing and evolving faster than any virus. Trying to keep language still is like trying to hold on to a single spot on a river… it cannot be done.The rule should be that if your intended audience can understand what you are writing, then you have accomplished what you need to. The only time you should avoid any form of “everyday speech” or “jargon” or anything else is if it is something your intended audience will not understand. It is all about the context of your readers, and nothing else applies.\n\nAs far as writing intended for a “general audience” how can it be that a general audience won’t understand “everyday speech”. It seems to me that the language that speaks to people is the language that they speak.”\n\nJTony certainly seems to hit the nail on the head; language has, is and will continue to evolve over time but the comparison with a virus fails. A virus spreads uncontrollably with no thought or conscious whereas language evolves and spreads as directed by human need to communicate thoughts and desires to others.\n\nThe rule that what is written can be understood by your intended audience then you have succeeded, is a play on the lowest common denominator of an intended audience and an abdication of the ideal that our writing can in fact inspire and motivate readers to rise above that lowest common denominator. The rule can apply to sales copy and marketing work – I would agree that the lowest common denominator may apply in such cases but little else.\n\nJTony’s admonition that we should avoid jargon and everyday speech only when the intended audience will not understand is weak. I agree that you can use language when it suits a purpose in delivering your message to a target readership, but it doesn’t follow that you should use it all the time.\n\nI remember reading Kes at school, a novel filled with vernacular that had a proper place in the writing, but because we all know the f-word doesn’t mean I need you, as a writer, to use it in your work you’re preparing for me. I love fast cars and own several, but if you are tasked with writing sales copy for a new sportscar that was going to set me back£30k I wouldn’t be impressed with “It goes like shit off a shovel!”though that is how I may describe the beast to my friends.\n\nJTony is correct when he writes that it is all about “context” but does nothing else apply?\n\nThat leaves me asking myself if my children are going to grow up to speak fluent toddler language because that was all they did understand at one point in their lives; they have improved their ability by learning to read and write beyond the confines of their context as young children. If you read this blog, are you reading it to stay within your context or are you looking to improve your skills as a writer of whatever description? Is my argument correct that when we seek to improve we are taking ourselves out of our normal context and shifting to a new one, so does it not follow that context is not the writing end in itself but inspiration, motivation, education and communication?\n\nThere is a place for using the vernacular whatever that may be at the time. I don’t agree it should be used all the time, irrespective of the intended audience or target market’s language use; that’s just anarchaic laziness. Over two years my writing has significantly improved, my target audience for my work has not changed particularly but my ability has. I deliver clearer copy, transmit my message with greater precision and clarity and have learned various writing techniques to help me with creating work but none of it has been without the cost of learning some rules.\n\nThis is my personal view; th rule shld b tht u shld tak sum time 2 lern wht th rules r b4 u break thm.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9605652093887329}
{"content": "Sus scrofa\n\nSus scrofa\n\n\nBody length 120 cm; tail length 20 cm; weight up to 120 kg. Usually black, but any colour is possible. Old males have thickened shoulders and well-developed, coarse, erectile manes.\n\nHabitat and Range:\n\nRainforest to mangroves, throughout most non-urban habitats covered by the limits of this book. Also watercourses and floodplains throughout mainland Australia. Practically worldwide.\n\n\nIn hot weather usually found within 2 km of water. Eats almost anything from grass, roots, fruit and insects to eggs, reptiles, mammals and carrion. Environmentally destructive and a reservoir of Ross River fever.\n\n\nMud wallows; freshly ‘ploughed’ ground; igloo-like farrowing nests made of grass and other vegetation.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7897517085075378}
{"content": "Demon Hunter - starting questline\n\n\n\n\nSargeras safeguarded his keystone on this particular fragment. It´s a “skeleton key”, allowing access to any Legion world. It´s also the key to Illidan´s plan for the Legion destruction.\n\nIllidan wants Sargeras´s keystone, which is the crux of Illidans plan to defeat the Burning Legion.\n\nIllidan has placed you in charge to travel to Mardum, and retrieve the Sargeras´s keystone.\n\nYour task is to activate 3 gateways so that Illidan´s forces (Ashtongue,  Coilskar Nagas and Shivarra demonesses ) can enter Mardum and help you retrieve the keystone. Even thou Black Temple is under attack during this stage, you have been chosen for the task, the greater “good”.\n\nAt the beginning of the questline you will achieve the awesome Demon Hunter mount, Felsaber.\n\nAfter retrieving the keystone\n\nYou and other Demon Hunters have been captured, after your return and imprisoned in stasis for 10 years. In the Vault of the Wardens, you are freed by Maiev Shadowsong, for one reason, the Legion is here.\n\nVault of the Wardens is full of Demon Hunters imprisoned, including Illidan. Your task is to free the Demon Hunter prisoners, fight your way through demons and escape the vault.\n\nOnce out, you will meet Khadgar that seeks your, and the other Demon Hunter´s aid against the Legion. He takes you to Dalaran for further instructions.\n\n29 Jan 2016", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9586673974990845}
{"content": "Upload the extracts without creating the extracts on local machine\n\nVersion 1\n\n\n    This document lists the steps to migrate the data sources from one tableau server to another without generating the local copy of the extract. It further, lists the steps to modify and publish the existing data source without creating an extract on local machine.\n\n\n    When migrating a dashboards and reports from a Tableau Server to another, the connection needs to be modified to reference new data source. Typically, any modifications to the data source will cause an extract to regenerate, before the workbook can be published, adding hours to each workbook migration.\n\n\n    1. Download the workbook from the server\n    2. On any worksheet, right click the data source in the Data tab and select “Create Local Copy”\n    3. Save the local copy of the data to preferred location\n    4. Right-click the local copy and select “Replace Data Source…”\n    5. Ensure that “Replacement” is set to the local copy and click “Ok”\n    6. Right-click the original data source and select “Close” (Close the data source in the above example )\n    7. Right-click the local copy and select “Rename”, then change the name to match that of the original data source.\n    8. Click the data source tab on the bottom of the tableau workbook\n    9. Log on to the target server when prompted. (Enter the connection information for the target server)\n    10. Any modification to the data source tab will lead the extract to be generated. Click the tab for any worksheet or workbook, which will cause the workbook to try to regenerate the extract based on the new data source\n    11. Cancel the extract\n    12. Right-click the data source and select “Use Extract”\n    13. Click the “Server” on menu bar and verify the server name before publishing the report. Ensure you have signed in to the correct server.\n    14. Publish the data source and workbooks. While publishing the data    source make sure tableau provides an option of “Refresh Schedule (Full Extract)”, this option would confirm the data source being published is an extract and not a live connection.\n    15. Make sure you set a refresh schedule so that the extract can be regenerated later, once it’s on the server\n\n\n    Note: When an extract is migrated to the server ensure that the full refresh is executed before scheduling incremental loads.\n\n\n    The above steps would allow to publish workbooks to server without generating the extracts on local machine and will eliminate the need to pre-generate an extract before uploading the data on server.\n\n    Follow steps 8-16, to publish a new extract to tableau server.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7601443529129028}
{"content": "1995-09 Couples in Recovery (MP3)\n\nThis workshop is an introduction to couples' twelve step meetings. It is lead by several couples with experience in both individual and couples' programs. The idea of couples' meetings is introduced. Then, the presenters hold a demonstration meeting. They explain each part of the meeting as it happens.\n\n\n***Special Copyright Notice***\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9938672780990601}
{"content": "Architecture of the Philippines\n\nFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia\nJump to navigation Jump to search\nCapiz shell Windowpane, a prominent icon in Filipino culture present in many of Filipino architectures.\n\nThe architecture of the Philippines (Filipino: Arkitekturang Pilipino, Spanish: Arquitectura Filipina) is a reflection of the country's historical and cultural heritage. Most prominent historic structures in the archipelago are based on a mix of indigenous Austronesian, Chinese, Malay, American, and Spanish influences.\n\nDuring three hundred thirty years of Spanish colonialization, the Philippine architecture was dominated by the Spanish influences. The Augustinian friars, along with other religious orders, built a large number of grand churches and cathedrals all over the Philippine Islands. During this period the traditional Filipino Bahay na bató (Filipino for \"stone house\") style for the large houses emerged. These were large houses built of stone and wood combining Filipino, Spanish and Chinese style elements.\n\nAfter the Philippines was ceded to the United States as a consequence of the Spanish–American War in 1898, the architecture of the Philippines was dominated by American aesthetics. In this period, the plan for the modern City of Manila was designed, with a large number of neoclassical architecture and art deco buildings by famous American and Filipino architects. During World War II, large portions of Intramuros and Manila were destroyed. Many heritage districts in the provinces were burned down by the Japanese before the end of the war. In the reconstruction period after the Second World War, many of the destroyed buildings were rebuilt, however, a majority of heritage structures, especially in the provinces, were lost and never rebuilt. Most of the structures that were lost are considered a focal properties of former heritage towns.\n\nIn the late 20th century, modern architecture with straight lines and functional aspects was introduced, particularly in the Brutalist architecture that characterized government-built structures done in the Marcos period. During this period many of the older structures fell into decay due to the imposition of martial law. After the return of democracy in 1986, a new age of Philippine architecture came into focus through modernism. Early in the 21st century, a revival of the respect for the traditional Filipino elements in the architecture returned.\n\nThere have been proposals to establish a policy where each municipality and city will have an ordinance mandating all constructions and reconstructions within such territory to be inclined with the municipality or city's architecture and landscaping styles to preserve and conserve the country's dying heritage sites, which have been demolished one at a time in a fast pace due to urbanization, culturally-irresponsible development, and lack of towns-cape architectural vision. Such policies are used by countries which have preserved their architectural marvels, and entire cities as a whole, for hundreds of years, such as Italy, France, Romania, Germany, and Spain. The proposal advocates for the usage and reinterpretations of indigenous, colonial, and modern architectural and landscaping styles that are prevalent or used to be prevalent in a given city or municipality. The proposal aims to foster a renaissance in Philippine landscaping and townscaping, especially in rural areas which can easily be transformed into new architectural heritage towns within a 50-year time frame. Unfortunately, many Philippine-based architecture and engineering experts lack the sense of preserving heritage townscapes, such as the case in Manila, where business proposals to construct structures that are not inclined with Manila's architectural styles have been continuously accepted and constructed by such experts, effectively destroying Manila's architectural townscape one building at a time. Furthermore, the singular architectural proposal has yet to be manifested into an actual policy due to the lack of a Department of Culture. Only the city of Vigan has passed such an ordinance, which led to its declaration as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 and awarding of various recognition for the conservation and preservation of its unique architectural and landscaping styles. In 2016, senator Loren Legarda filed a bill establishing the Department of Culture. The bill was introduced in the Senate in January 2017 and is expected to be passed into law in late 2018 or early 2019. The bill is backed by 9 other senators from different political parties, namely, Bam Aquino, Nancy Binay, Francis Escudero, Juan Zubiri, Joseph Ejercito, Joel Villanueva, Sherwin Gatchalian, Risa Hontiveros, and Sonny Angara. Three counterpart bills that aim to establish a Department of Culture has also been filed in the House of Representatives, authored by Christopher de Venecia, Evilina Escudero, and Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado.[1][2]\n\nHouse structures[edit]\n\nBahay Kubo[edit]\n\nHouses were built in a more or less similar manner, in the same way that the settlements were built beside rivers and streams. The houses were built near rice fields and coconut groves and orchards. The houses sit on posts raised above the ground. The rooms were small, and generally,with a single multipurpose room, having only the cooking space differentiated among the areas in the houses. There is a particular architectural piece called ‘batalan’ that is often situated in the rear part of the house, and is utilized for domestic work like washing, bathing, water storage, etc. The houses were made of raw material like wood and bamboo. Tree houses or houses built on trunk of trees rooted to the grounds were seen as an advantageous position.\n\nThe doors of the houses were usually oriented to the direction where the sun rises and never faced towards the west, an architectural tradition which can be explained by the values and belief systems that early inhabitants of the land have.\n\nBahay Kubo\n\nLater on the invention of various tools allowed for the fabrication of tent-like shelters and tree houses. Early Classical houses were characterized by rectangular structures elevated on stilt foundations and covered by voluminous thatched roofs ornamented with gable-finials and its structure could be lifted as a whole and carried to a new site. Examples include the Ifugao House and the Royal Nobilities' Torogan.\n\nThe architecture of the classical period of the Philippines is based on vernacular architecture for most of its centuries and Islamic architecture in some coastal areas at the south, plus the interior of Lanao, after the 13th century.\n\nThe bahay kubo is the term for huts built out of nipa. These types of edifices were characteristic of the way that indigenous people of the Philippines built homes prior to the arrival of the Spanish colonizers. They are still in use today, especially in rural areas. Different architectural designs are present among the different ethnolinguistic groups in the country, although most homes built along the shorelines conform to being stilt houses, similar to those found in neighboring countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and other countries of Southeast Asia.\n\nBahay na bato[edit]\n\nThe arrival of the Spaniards in 1571 brought in European colonial architecture to the Philippines. Though not specifically suited for the hot tropics, European architecture was transposed via Acapulco, Mexico into a uniquely Filipino style.\n\nBahay na Bato is a Filipino colonial house during the Spanish period.\n\nIn this era, the nipa hut or bahay kubo gave way to the Bahay na bato (stone house) and became the typical house of noble Filipinos. The Bahay na bato, the colonial Filipino house, followed the nipa hut's arrangements such as open ventilation and elevated apartments. The most obvious difference between the two houses would be the materials that was used to build them.\n\nThe bahay na bato was constructed out of brick and stone rather than the traditional bamboo, timbre and other wooden materials that elevates the house. It is a mixture of native Filipino, Spanish and Chinese influences. During the 19th century, wealthy Filipinos built some fine houses, usually with solid stone foundations or brick lower walls, and overhanging, wooden upper story with balustrades and capiz shell sliding windows, and a tiled roof.[3] Excellent preserved examples of these houses of the illustrious Filipinos can be admired in Vigan, Ilocos Sur.[4] Preserved examples of \"bahay na bato\" are also found in Taal, Batangas and Boac, Marinduque in southern Luzon, Iloilo, Iloilo and Carcar, Cebu in the Visayas, and Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte.\n\nDuring World War II, many heritage districts and towns outside Metro Manila were heavily destroyed and damaged by American and Japanese bombs. Reports of deliberate burning of colonial structures by Japanese soldiers were also rampant. Most destroyed or damaged heritage structures have never been restored and now lay in ruins or have been replaced with shanty houses or concrete structures with no significant architectural aesthetics. Many scholars have championed for Japan and America's accountability for the destruction of many Filipino architectural landscapes and towns, but to no avail.\n\nReligious structures[edit]\n\n\nThe order of the Augustinians, Augustinian Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines, built many churches all over the Philippines. These magnificent structures can still be found throughout the Philippine Islands.The Paoay Church in Ilocos Norte is one of the most prominent types of these churches. This unique specimen of Filipino architecture called Filipino Baroque from the Spanish era has been included in the World Heritage Sites List of the UNESCO. The church was built by the Augustinian friars from 1694 until 1710. It shows the earthquake-proof baroque style architecture. The bell tower served as an observation post in 1896 for the Katipuneros during the Philippine revolution against the Spaniards, and again by the Filipino guerillas during the Japanese occupation in World War II.[5]\n\nThe present structure is the third to stand on the site and has survived seven major earthquakes, and the wars in Manila. The church remains under the care of the Augustinians who founded it. The church also houses the legacies of the Spanish conquistadors, Miguel López de Legazpi, Juan de Salcedo and Martín de Goiti who are buried and laid to rest in a tomb, underneath the church.\n\nThe church has 14 side chapels and a trompe-l'oeil ceiling. Up in the choir loft are the hand-carved 17th-century seats of molave, a beautiful tropical hardwood. Adjacent to the church is a small museum run by the Augustinian order, featuring antique vestments, colonial furniture, and religious paintings and icons. It was named a National Historical Landmark by the Philippine government in 1976.[6] Together with three other ancient churches in the country, it was designated as part of the World Heritage Site \"Baroque Churches of the Philippines\" in 1993.\n\n\nOld pagoda-style Maranao mosque with intricate okir carvings in Taraka, Lanao del Sur (c. 1921)\n\nPrior to the usage of the common Islamic mosque architecture, which can also be seen in Arabia and modern architecture, the vernacular mosques of the Philippines used to be the hut-style and the pagoda-style, which were very common until the late 19th century. Most of the mosques in the Philippines today have common Islamic architectures imported from Arabia merged with modern style, though some vernacular pagoda-style mosques can still be seen in Mindanao such as the Masjid Datu Untong Balabaran of Taviran in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao. There have been proposals to put the Heritage Mosques of the Philippines into the Philippine tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage Site declaration in the future. The proposals made were to input the historic mosques of the Philippines (mosque in Simunul), to input the vernacular mosques of the Philippines (langga/rangga-style and pagoda-style mosques), or to combine both and input them in the tentative list of UNESCO.[7][better source needed]\n\nIglesia Ni Cristo Churches[edit]\n\nDuring American colonial rule over the Philippines, there were a variety of rural anti-colonial movements, often with religious undertones,[8] and American Protestant missionaries introduced several alternatives to the Roman Catholic Church, the established church during Spanish colonial period.[9] Iglesia ni Cristo church buildings primarily serve as places of worship and are used for other religious functions.[10]\n\nINC Central Temple at Central Avenue, Quezon City\n\nAnthropologist Fernando Nakpil-Zialcita,[11] said that INC churches can be uniquely identified for \"its exuberant use of fanciful forms and ornaments\". Churches were started to be built in this style during the late 1940s and early 1950s with the first concrete chapel built in Sampaloc, Manila in 1948.\n\nThe INC Central Temple which opened in July 27, 1984, can accommodate up to 7,000 persons, and cost about US$2 million.[12] The Central Temple features octagonal spires, \"fine latticework\" and ribbed windows. Recent buildings are variations of Carlos A. Santos-Viola's designs on the Central Temple. These are designed to accommodate 250 to 1,000 persons while larger churches in Metro Manila and provincial capitals can accommodate up to 3,000 persons. Prominent architects, such as Juan Nakpil and Carlos Raúl Villanueva, had been involved in designing INC churches while the Engineering and Construction Department of INC oversees the uniformity in design of church buildings.[10]\n\n\nThe architecture of the early Filipinos reflects the skills that were used at the time of war and on the battlefield. Due to the creation of various thalassocratic states within the archipelago, trade began to flourish. Neighboring states would often wage war for territory and trade rights in certain areas, which ultimately led to the fortification of villages and towns. Another reason for the development of these fortification skills was the necessity of projecting prestige and intimidation; leaders, mainly Datus, Rajahs, and Lakans, as they were called, often built forts and fortifications to intimidate other leaders in their area. During the colonial era, Fortification was used against invading Chinese and Moro Pirates, as well as Dutch and British Invaders.\n\n\nDefensive walls of Intramuros\n\nIntramuros is the old walled city of Manila along the south bank of the Pasig River.[13] Intramuros was established from the remains of Kota Seludong which is previously the seat of the power of Kingdom of Maynila as a satellite city of Bruneian Empire, as a settlement with a fortress of rammed earth with stockades and in between battlements there are cannons.[14] The historic city was home to centuries-old churches, schools, convents, government buildings and residences, the best collection of Spanish colonial architecture before much of it was destroyed by the bombs of World War II. Of all the buildings within the 67-acre city, only one building, the San Agustin Church, survived the war.\n\nFort Santiago[edit]\n\nOld Fort Santiago view from Pasig river\n\nFort Santiago (Fuerza de Santiago) is a defense fortress established by Spanish conquistador, Miguel López de Legazpi. The fort is the citadel of the walled city of Intramuros, in Manila. The location of Fort Santiago was also once the site of the palace and kingdom of Rajah Suliman, king of Maynila of pre-Spanish era.[15] It was destroyed by the conquistadors upon arriving in 1570, encountering several bloody battles with the Muslims and native Tagalogs. The Spaniards destroyed the native settlements and erected Fuerza de Santiago in 1571.\n\nThe kota[edit]\n\nWith the arrival of Indianized and Muslim scholars from nearby Indonesia, the native Filipinos were introduced to the concept of the kota or the fort. The Muslim Filipinos of the south built strong fortresses called kota or moong to protect their communities. Usually, entire families occupies the kotas, rather than just warriors. The kota served not only as a military installation, but also as a palace for the local lord, who often had their own kotas to assert their right to rule.. It is said that at the height of the Maguindanao Sultanate's power, they blanketed the areas around Western Mindanao with kotas and other types of fortifications to block the Spanish advance into the region.\n\nThe kota were usually made of stone and bamboo, or other light materials, and surrounded by trench networks. As a result, some of these kotas were burned easily or destroyed. With further Spanish campaigns in the region, the Sultanate was subdued and majority of kota were dismantled or destroyed. Kota were used by the Muslims as defense against Spaniards and other foreigners, and also saw use by renegades and rebels who built fortifications in defiance of other chiefs in the area.[16] During the American occupation, rebels built strongholds and the datus, rajahs or sultans often built and reinforced their kotas in a desperate bid to maintain rule over their subjects and their land.[17] Many of these forts were destroyed by American expeditions, and as a result, very few kota still stand to this day.\n\nNotable Kotas:\n\n  • Kota Selurong: an outpost of the Bruneian Empire in Luzon, later will become the city of Intramuros at the arrival of the Spaniards and then became the City of Manila, The capital city of the Philippines.\n  • Kuta Wato/Kota Bato: Literally translating to \"stone fort,\" and is the first known stone fortification in the country, Cotabato's ruins exist as the \"Kutawato Cave Complex\"[18]\n  • Kota Sug/Jolo: The capital and seat of the Sultanate of Sulu. When it was occupied by the Spaniards in the 1870s they converted the kota into the world's smallest walled city.\n\nIdjang Citadel \"Batanes castles\"[edit]\n\nThe Ivatan people of the northern islands of Batanes often built fortifications to protect themselves during times of war. They built their so-called idjangs A type of Citadels on hills and elevated areas.[19] These fortifications were likened to European castles because of their purpose. Usually, the only entrance to the castles could only be accessed by a rope ladder that would only be lowered for the villagers, and could be hidden away when invaders arrived.\n\nIgorot forts[edit]\n\nThe Igorots built forts made of stone walls that averaged several meters in width and about two to three times the width in height around 2000 BC.[20]\n\nFort Drum built by the Americans to guard the Islands nearby against invaders.\n\nEl fraile island \"The concrete battleship\"[edit]\n\nThe El Fraile Island or Fort Drum, also known as \"the concrete battleship,\" is a heavily fortified island situated at the mouth of Manila Bay in the Philippines, due south of Corregidor Island. The reinforced concrete fortress shaped like a battleship was built by the United States in 1909 as one of the harbor defenses at the wider South Channel entrance to the bay during the American colonial period. It was captured and occupied by the Japanese during World War II, and was recaptured by the U.S. after igniting petroleum and gasoline in the fort, leaving it permanently out of commission.\n\nRice terraces[edit]\n\nA rainbow appearing after the rain at the Batad Rice Terraces, one of the rice terraces in Ifugao.\n\nFor 2,000 years the mountainous province of Ifugao have been carefully cultivated with terraced fields.[21] These rice terraces illustrate the ability of human culture to adapt to new social and climate pressures as well as to implement and develop new ideas and technologies. They also epitomize a harmonic, sustainable relationship between humans and their environment. The structures' original builders used stone and mud walls to carefully carve and construct terraces that could hold flooded pond fields for the cultivation of rice. They also established a system to water these plots by harvesting water from mountaintop forests. These engineering feats were done by hand as was the farming itself.[21]\n\nMaintenance of the rice terraces reflects a primarily cooperative approach of the whole community which is based on detailed knowledge of the rich diversity of biological resources existing in the Ifugao agro-ecosystem, a finely tuned annual system respecting lunar cycles, zoning and planning, extensive soil conservation, and mastery of a complex pest control regime based on the processing of a variety of herbs, accompanied by religious rituals and tribal culture.[22]\n\nLimestone Tomb complex of Kamhantik[edit]\n\nThe Limestone tombs of Kamhantik is the site of the excavated remains of a thousand-year-old village, found in the jungles of Mount Maclayao in Sitio Kamhantik within the Buenavista Protected Landscape of Mulanay, Quezon, Philippines.\n\nThe complex is composed of fifteen limestone coffins that can be dated back from the period of 10th to 14th century, with one of the National Museum's top archaeologists naming it \"a complex archaeological site with both habitation and burial remains from the period of approximately 10th to the 14th century ... the first of its kind in the Philippines having carved limestone tombs.\"[23]\n\nAmerican period[edit]\n\nThe Manila Central Post Office is a neoclassical building built during the American period.\n\nWith the arrival of the Americans in 1898 came a new breed of architectural structures in the Philippines. Foremost of the American contributions to the country was the establishment of civil government. This led to the erection of government buildings from the city all the way to the municipal level. Designed in the most respectable manner, these government houses resembled Greek or Roman architecture.[24]\n\nThe revival period, popular at the turn of the century, became the foremost architectural parlance of the era as seen in such buildings particularly in Manila. Education of the masses also became the thrust of the American occupation, as such, public education was established, foremost of which is the University of the Philippines.[citation needed] With American rule firmly established in the Philippines, the military government at the time invited the well-known architect and urban planner Daniel Burnham to develop Manila.[25] Burnham’s arrival led to the formation of the Burnham Plan which identifies the city of Manila as a uniquely European city in the tropics and as such opposed to develop its architecture in line with the existing style. The style of architecture, as suggested, varies little from existing architecture at the time as typified by the Manila Hotel.[26] New structures continued the use of conventional motifs but were made of more durable materials such as concrete. This style of architecture prevailed even after the turn of the century.\n\nThe Luneta Hotel, located in Kalaw Avenue, is one of the remaining structures that survived the liberation of Manila in 1945. The hotel was completed in 1918. According to Dean Joseph Fernandez of the University of Santo Tomas, the hotel was designed by the Spanish architect-engineer Salvador Farre. The structure is the only remaining example of the French Renaissance architecture with Filipino stylized Beaux-Arts architecture in the Philippines to date.\n\nAt the Far Eastern University (FEU) in Quiapo, Manila, five Art Deco structures on the campus were designed by National Artist Pablo Antonio. Three were built before World War II and two, after. Although FEU buildings were totally damaged during the war, the university was restored to its original Art Deco design immediately after. The university was given a UNESCO Asia Pacific-Heritage Award for Cultural Heritage in 2005 for the outstanding preservation of its Art Deco structures.[27]\n\nArt Deco buildings[edit]\n\nOld Jaro municipal hall in Iloilo\n\nDuring the rise of cinema in the Philippines as a form of recreation, several theaters were constructed in the 1930s to 1950s in the Art Deco style designed by prominent architects now recognized as National Artists. The Manila Metropolitan Theater is an Art Deco building designed by the Filipino architect Juan M. Arellano, and built in 1935. Another fine example of Art Deco is the old Jaro Municipal Hall in Iloilo built in 1934 by Filipino architect Juan M. Arellano. It later became the Jaro District Police Station and after the full restoration is now the regional branch office of the National Museum. During the liberation of Manila by the combined American and Flipino troops in 1945, the theatre was totally destroyed. After reconstruction by the Americans it gradually fell into disuse in the 1960s. In the following decade it was meticulously restored but again fell into decay. The sculptures upon the façade of the theater are by Italian sculptor Francesco Riccardo Monti, who lived in Manila from 1930 until his death in 1958, and worked closely with Juan M. Arellano. Highly stylized relief carving of Philippine plants executed by the artist Isabelo Tampingco decorate the lobby walls and interior surfaces of the building.\n\nThe following are the Philippine architects who contributed and lead to the design of the classic Philippine theaters:\n\nModern period[edit]\n\nThe aftermath of World War II brought major destruction especially in the capital city of Manila and a time of rebuilding ensued. The modern era dawned on Philippine architecture using the simple straight lines of the International Modern Style as a chief mode of expression.[3] By the 1970s, a new form of Philippine architecture emerged with the filipinization of architecture. The Filipino style found its way in the re-emergence of traditional motifs, the Bahay Kubo and the Bahay na bato became popular forms to be copied and modernized such as the Batasang Pambansa and the National Theater. By the 1980s the country’s architectural idiom was swept by the tide of Post Modernism, a hearkening back of some sort to classical architecture.[28] Today, architecture in the Philippines continue to be vibrant and with the country opening up to the world, more first rate architecture is pouring in.[28]\n\nCultural Center of the Philippines Complex[edit]\n\nThe Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex is home to the National Theater (Tanghalang Pambansa). The theater is the centerpiece of the 77 hectare (190 acres) arts and culture complex located along Roxas Boulevard in Manila. Designed by Leandro V. Locsin, the construction of the National Theater began in 1966 and was completed in 1969. The theater is a primary example of the architect's signature style known as the floating volume, a trait can be seen in structures indigenous to the Philippines such as the nipa hut. It houses three performing arts venues, one theater for film screenings, galleries, a museum and the center's library and archives.[29]\n\nThe façade of the National Theater is an example of Brutalist architecture, it is dominated by a two-storey travertine block suspended 12 meters (39 ft) high by deep concave cantilevers on three sides. The building is built on a massive podium, and entry is through a vehicular ramp in front of the raised lobby and a pedestrian side entry on its northwest side. In front of the National Theater and below the ramp, there is an octagonal reflecting pool with fountains and underwater lights. Aside from the National Theater, other structures located inside the CCP Complex is the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo or the Main Theater, Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino or the Little Theater, Folks Art Theater and the Manila Film Center.\n\nThe Parish of the Holy Sacrifice is the landmark Catholic chapel in the University of the Philippines Diliman. Known for its architectural design, the church is recognized as a National Historical Landmark and a Cultural Treasure by the National Historical Institute and the National Museum respectively. Five National artists collaborated on the project. The building was designed by the late National Artist for Architecture, Leandro Locsin. Alfredo Juinio served as the structural engineer for the project. Around the chapel are fifteen large murals painted by Vicente Manansala depicting the Stations of the Cross. The marble altar and the large wooden cross above it were sculpted by Napoleon Abueva. The mosaic floor mural called the “River of Life” was designed by Arturo Luz.\n\nAntipolo Church[edit]\n\nThe image of \"Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage\" has been venerated in the church of Antipolo for centuries. The old church that housed the virgin was destroyed in February 1945 when the combined American and Filipino forces bombed Antipolo as part of the liberation campaign of Manila. In 1954, a new church was built designed by the renowned Filipino architect Jose de Ocampo. The Antipolo Church is of a cupolaed design centered around the image of the Virgin. It functions as the center point of the pilgrimages to Antipolo.\n\nIloilo Convention Center[edit]\n\nThe Iloilo Convention Center (also known as ICC or I-Con) is a state-of-the-art convention center in the Iloilo Business Park in Mandurriao, Iloilo City, Philippines. Its construction was completed in September 2015 in time for the APEC 2015 hosting. It is built on a 1.7-hectare of lot in the district of Mandurriao donated by the Megaworld Corp.[30] The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority allocated P200 million for the construction of the convention center, while another P250 million was sourced from the Priority Development Assistance Fund of Senator Franklin Drilon.[31]\n\nThe state-of-the-art convention center designed by Ilonggo architect, William Coscolluela. The design was inspired by Iloilo’s Dinagyang and Paraw Regatta festivals. The paraw is a native double outrigger sailboat in the Visayas region, used in the annual Paraw Regatta Festival sailboat race. Abstract designs of the famous Dinagyang Festival are featured on the glass walls of the center.[32] It is a two-storey structure with a total floor area of 11,832 square meters. The main hall on the ground floor has a 3,700-seat capacity and 500-seat function rooms on the second floor. A rooftop of 1,500 sqm is available for outdoor functions.[31]\n\nUnited Architects of the Philippines[edit]\n\nGrand Hyatt Manila in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig is the tallest building in the Philippines since its completion in 2017 with a height of 281.78m.\n\nThe United Architects of the Philippines (officially known as the Integrated and Accredited Professional Organization of Architects) is the official architectural association of the Philippines. It is the first professional organization to be accredited by the Professional Regulation Commission and it currently has 38,000 members.[33]\n\nHeritage Towns and Cities[edit]\n\nThe Philippines is home to numerous heritage towns and cities, many of which have been intentionally destroyed by the Japanese through fire tactics in World War II and the Americans through bombings during the same war. After the war, the government of the Empire of Japan withheld from giving funds to the Philippines for the restoration of the heritage towns they destroyed, effectively destroying any chances of restoration since the pre-war Philippines' economy was devastated and had limited monetary supply. On the other hand, the United States gave minimal funding for only two of the hundreds of cities they destroyed, namely, Manila and Baguio. Today, only the centres (poblacion or downtown areas) of Filipino heritage towns and cities remain in most of the expansive heritage cities and towns in the country. Yet, some heritage cities in their former glory prior to the war still exist, such as the UNESCO city of Vigan which was the only heritage town saved from American bombing and Japanese fire and kamikaze tactics. The country currently lacks a city/town-singular architectural style law. Due to this, unaesthetic cement or shanty structures have taken over heritage buildings annually, destroying many former heritage townscapes. Some heritage buildings have been demolished or sold to corporations, and have been replaced by commercial structures such as shopping centers, condominium units, or newly furnished modern-style buildings, completely destroying the old aesthetics of many former heritage towns and cities. This is one of the reasons why UNESCO has repeatedly withheld from inscribing further Filipino heritage towns in the World Heritage List since 1999. Only the heritage city of Vigan has a town law that guarantees its singular architecture (the Vigan colonial style) shall always be used in constructions and reconstructions. While Silay, Iloilo City, and San Fernando de Pampanga have ordinances giving certain tax exemptions to owners of heritage houses.[34] In 2010, the Philippine Cultural Heritage Act passed into law, effectively giving protections to all cultural heritage properties of the Philippines. However, despite its passage, many ancestral home owners continue to approve the demolition of ancestral structures. In certain cases, government entities themselves were the purveyors of such demolitions.[35] Because of the minimal reach of the current governmental culture agency and the lack of awareness on the importance of Filipino sites, a bill establishing a Department of Culture was formally filed in 2016. The bill is expected to pass into law by late 2018 or early 2019 as it was declared a priority legislation by both houses of Congress. If the bill reaches its deadline, a secretary of culture will be appointed by June-July 2019.[36]\n\nIn Luzon, other notable heritage towns and cities include the UNESCO City of Manila, Taal, UNESCO Town of Banaue, UNESCO Townd of Mayoyao, UNESOC Town of Hungduan, UNESCO Town of Kiangan, Laoag, Sarrat, Pila, UNESCO City of Baguio, San Fernando, Bacolor, Guagua, Santa Rita, Malolos, Angeles City, Sabtang, Mahatao, Uyugan, Sariaya, San Pablo, Alaminos de Laguna, Tayabas, Lucban, Lucena, Balayan, Calaca, Kawit, UNESCO Town of Paoay, Batac, Roxas, Panay, Daraga, Legazpi, Camalig, Antipolo, Angono, Tanay, Morong de Rizal, Baras, Majayjay, Nagcarlan, Liliw, Magdalena, Pagsanjan, Paete, Pakil, Quezon City, Naga, Maragondon, Lingayen, Alaminos, San Miguel, Bustos, Plaridel, Angat, Baliuag, Los Baños, Calamba, Corregidor, San Juan de Batangas, Cabuyao, Biñan, Santa Rosa, Tuguegarao, Malabon, Sagada, Baler, San Juan de Manila, Daet, Tabaco, Batangas City, San Nicolas, UNESCO Town of Santa Maria, and Santa Cruz.[37]\n\nIn the Visayas, notable heritage towns and cities include Iloilo City, UNESCO Town of Miagao, Cebu City, Silay, Carcar, Argao, Dalaguete, Oslob, UNESCO City of Puerto Princesa, Bacolod, Dumaguete, Bacong, Romblon, Boac, Baclayon, Tagbilaran, Dauis, Panglao, Victorias, Capul, Cuyo, Taytay, Culion, Lazi, and Bantayan.[37]\n\nIn Mindanao, notable heritage towns and cities include Dapitan, Lake Sebu, Zamboanga City, Jimenez, Ozamiz, Oroquieta, Cagayan de Oro, Jasaan, Balingasag, Butuan, Cabadbaran, Iligan, Marawi, Davao City, UNESCO Town of Tugaya, UNESCO Town of Mati, and Glan.[37]\n\nFilipino National Artists for Architecture[edit]\n\n  • Leandro V. Locsin (1928–1994) was one of the modern architects who shaped the modern Filipino Architecture. During his career, he built five churches, over 30 different buildings, over 70 residences, and major landmarks in the Philippines including the Cultural Center of the Philippines.[38]\n  • Juan F. Nakpil (May 26, 1899 – May 7, 1986) was a Filipino architect, teacher and a community leader. In 1973, he was named one of the National Artists for architecture. He was regarded as the Dean of Filipino Architects.\n  • Pablo Antonio (January 25, 1901 – June 14, 1975) was a Filipino architect. A pioneer of modern Philippine architecture, he was recognized in some quarters as the foremost Filipino modernist architect of his time.\n  • José María Zaragoza (December 6, 1912-1994) was a Filipino architect known for his European style during an era which used American architecture in the Philippines.\n\nSee also[edit]\n\n\n  1. ^ \"17th Congress - Senate Bill No. 1528 - Senate of the Philippines\". Retrieved 2018-04-06.\n  2. ^ \"House of Representatives\". Retrieved 6 April 2018.\n  3. ^ a b Noche, Manuel. \"History of Phllipine Architecture\". National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2014.\n  4. ^ \"Calle Crisologo, Vigan City | Arkitektura | Philippine Architecture, Architects, News\". 2013-04-16. Retrieved 2018-04-06.\n  5. ^ \"Paoay Church - Arkitektura - Philippine Architecture, Architects, News\". 16 April 2013. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2018.\n  6. ^ \"San Agustin Church | Arkitektura | Philippine Architecture, Architects, News\". 2013-04-19. Retrieved 2018-04-06.\n  7. ^ List of World Heritage Sites in the Philippines\n  8. ^ \"IFI History\". Iglesia Filipina Independiente. Archived from the original on March 19, 2014. Retrieved August 16, 2014.\n  9. ^ \"America and Protestantism in the Philippines\". Australian National University. Retrieved August 16, 2014.\n  10. ^ a b Paul A. Rodell (2002). Culture and customs of the Philippines. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 86. ISBN 0-313-30415-7. ISSN 1097-0738. LCCN 2001023338. LCC DS664 .R63 2001. Retrieved 2011-06-11.\n  11. ^ \"Fernando Zialcita, Ph.D\". Ateneo de Manila University School of Social Sciences. Retrieved 2011-06-11.\n  12. ^ Bro. Marcoleta (May–June 1986). \"The Central Temple\". PASUGO. Quezon City, Philippines: Iglesia ni Cristo. 37 (5 and 6): 51–54. ISSN 0116-1636. The Iglesia ni Cristo completed the Central Temple in two years.\n  13. ^ Luengo, Pedro. Intramuros: Arquitectura en Manila, 1739-1762. Madrid: Fundacion Universitaria Española, 2012\n  14. ^ \"The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803 — Volume 03 of 55 by Bourne, Blair, and Robertson\". Retrieved 6 April 2018 – via\n  15. ^ \"Fort Santiago | Arkitektura | Philippine Architecture, Architects, News\". 2013-04-16. Retrieved 2018-04-06.\n  16. ^ \"Sultan of the River: The Rise and Fall of Datu Uto of Buayan\". nhcpmanila's Blog. Retrieved 17 March 2015.\n  17. ^ \"The Battle of Bayan - May 2 p2\". Retrieved 17 March 2015.\n  18. ^ Administrator. \"Where to Go - The KUTAWATO CAVES\". Retrieved 17 March 2015.\n  19. ^ \"15 Most Intense Archaeological Discoveries in Philippine History\". FilipiKnow. Retrieved 17 March 2015.\n  20. ^ Ancient and Pre-Spanis Era of the Philippines. Accessed September 04, 2008.\n  21. ^ a b \"Philippine Rice Terraces\". National Geographic. Retrieved 8 September 2016.\n  22. ^ \"Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras\". UNESCO. Retrieved 8 September 2016.\n  23. ^ \"1,000-year-old village found in Philippines\". Retrieved May 20, 2015.\n  24. ^ \"History of Philippine Architecture\". National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Retrieved 8 September 2016.\n  25. ^ Hollie, Pamela G. (1982-11-07). \"Colonial Comfort in the Philippines\". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-08-27.\n  26. ^ \"Manila: The Riviera of the Orient\". Philippine Star. 2005-08-20. Archived from the original on September 26, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-28.\n  27. ^ Ortiz, Margaux (2007-01-15).\"Art Deco buildins thrive on FEU campus\" Archived October 12, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.. Retrieved on 2011-10-10.\n  28. ^ a b \"History of Philippine Architecture\". national Commission for Culture and the Arts. Retrieved 8 September 2016.\n  29. ^ \"History\". Cultural Center of the Philippines. Retrieved April 12, 2013.\n  30. ^ \"P450-M Iloilo Convention Center launched today | Business, News, The Philippine Star\". 2012-11-23. Retrieved 2015-12-18.\n  31. ^ a b \"Iloilo set to turn into a convention hub | Inquirer Business\". 2012-12-10. Retrieved 2015-12-18.\n  32. ^ \"PIA | PNoy to unveil convention center, business park markers\". Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2015-12-18.\n  33. ^ \"Profile\". United Architects of the Philippines. Retrieved May 18, 2018.\n  34. ^ Sembrano, Edgar Allan M. \"Silay in Negros passes landmark heritage ordinance\". Retrieved 6 April 2018.\n  35. ^ \"Republic Act No. 10066 Heritage Law\". 2015-02-17. Retrieved 2018-04-06.\n  36. ^ \"'Intangible heritage' at 'Department of Culture' isusulong ng NCCA\". Retrieved 6 April 2018.\n  37. ^ a b c Henares, Ivan. \"Top 50 Philippine heritage cities and towns to see in your lifetime\". Retrieved 6 April 2018.\n  38. ^ \"Leandro V. Locsin | Arkitektura | Philippine Architecture, Architects, News\". Retrieved 2018-04-06.\n\nExternal links[edit]\n\nCoordinates: 14°35′20″N 120°58′29″E / 14.58889°N 120.97472°E / 14.58889; 120.97472", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6981164813041687}
{"content": "Merkel Suggests Iran-Style Nuclear Talks on N. Korea\n\nMerkel Suggests Iran-Style Nuclear Talks on N. Korea Merkel Suggests Iran-Style Nuclear Talks on N. Korea\n\nGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel said she would be prepared to become involved in a diplomatic initiative to end the North Korean nuclear and missiles programs, and suggested the Iran nuclear talks could be a model.\n\nSouth Korea has braced for a possible further missile test by North Korea as it marks its founding anniversary, just days after its sixth and largest nuclear test rattled global financial markets and escalated tensions in the region.\n\n\"If our participation in talks is desired, I will immediately say yes,\" Merkel told Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung in a recent interview, Reuters reported.\n\nShe pointed to negotiations that led to a landmark nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers in 2015. Back then, Germany and the five countries on the United Nations Security Council with veto power took part in talks that led to Iran agreeing to curb its nuclear work, which it says has always been for peaceful applications, in return for sanctions relief.\n\nMerkel said that was \"a long but important time of diplomacy\" that ultimately had a \"good end\" last year, referring to when the deal was implemented.\n\n\n***Only Solution\n\nMerkel said she thought the only way to deal with North Korea's nuclear program was to come to a diplomatic solution.\n\n\"A new arms race starting in the region would not be in anyone's interests,\" she said.\n\nEurope should stand united in trying to bring about a diplomatic solution and \"do everything that can be done in terms of sanctions\", she said.\n\nMerkel is expected to win a fourth term in office in a Sept. 24 vote, with polls giving her conservatives a double-digit lead over their rival Social Democrats.\n\nMerkel is widely seen in Germany as a safe pair of hands at a time of global uncertainty such as the North Korea crisis, Britain's looming departure from the European Union and Donald Trump's presidency in the United States.\n\n\nAdd new comment\n\nRead our comment policy before posting your viewpoints", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8361854553222656}
{"content": "Training Ground\n\nCrossFit For Board Sports\n\nCrossFit For Board Sports\n\nHow CrossFit can help you improve your endurance, stamina and ability on a board.\n\nIn 2002, Greg Glassman, the founder of CrossFit, summarized world class fitness in 100 words in a CrossFit Journal article.\n\n\n I am going to focus on the last sentence of Glassman’s summary. CrossFit encourages athletes to regularly try new things, and to constantly throw themselves into unknown situations. This ability to be prepared for anything, is extremely important with regards to all board sports, from skateboarding to surfing and from wakeboarding to snowboarding. We cannot conjure the perfect wave, or set a ramp perfectly every time and we cannot choose the conditions of the slopes. For this reason, as a board sport athlete we need to be prepared for it all. We need to be able to ride when conditions aren’t perfect, to tackle that unexpected monster wave, to get up after we fall and to feel ready for anything.\n\nOne of CrossFit’s most notorious quotes is “our specialty is not specializing”. Many athletes, whose main goal is specialization, read this quote and think that CrossFit simply cannot be for them. This is however, far from the truth. By avoiding specialization CrossFit aims to prepare their athletes for any physical task they are faced with. This notion of needing a foundation of fitness, a non-specialized training program, is often referred to as general physical preparedness (GPP). GPP benefits the regular fitness enthusiast and can also support the expert who is seeking to improve in a specific area.  Developing a strong ability across all domains of fitness will not only aid a non-competitive person in daily activity, but also build a strong foundation for the competitive athlete. \n\nSo, What Is CrossFit?\n\n\nFor board sport athletes who want to remain fit and avoid injury, it is crucial to train outside of your sport. The majority of board sports are considered high-risk sports and so come with a high risk of injury. Another important element of board sports is that, for the most part, they are seasonal. Especially for those living in colder (or warmer if we are discussing snowboarding) climates, there are short riding seasons, which in turn, allows for more off-season training. If you want to boost your upcoming season, feel stronger, have more endurance, more balance, agility and even flexibility, CrossFit can help you with all of this!\n\n\nSo, How Exactly Can It Help?\n\nRange of Motion\n\nRange of Motion is defined as the full movement potential of a joint, usually its range of flexion and extension.\n\nWhy is Range of Motion (ROM) so important? The human body is designed to move its joints through their full range. However, as we get older (notice children tend to have flawless ROM) we sometimes lose some of our natural ROM, which can happen for numerous reasons: from training regimens to lack of training. Consequently, joints and limbs become accustomed to this limited ROM which can lead to restricted mobility. CrossFit utilizes many compound movements that work through this full range of motion. These movements engage every joint in your body in a correct manner, reducing your chances of injury. Applying a full ROM also increases the efficiency of your movements and working through a full range of motion will have positive effects on both performance and results.\n\nAn added benefit of training through your full range is that it increases your flexibility while moving. Flexibility is another key component for injury prevention as it allows your body to be pushed further within a safe range.\n\nCore Strength\n\nWhat do we actually mean by “core strength”? In spite of what most people are led to believe, your core is comprised of much more than just your abs. Your core is a complex series of muscles that include more or less everything but your arms and legs. The role of the core muscles is to stabilize the spine along the entire torso, from your pelvic girdle all the way up to your shoulders. These muscles are responsible for almost every move we make on a board. Pro wakeboarder and crossfitter Rusty Malinoski explains that “when they are engaged, they transfer power to the extremities and distribute any stress on the spine that may be caused by weight-bearing impacts…your core basically keeps you all together.”\n\nReaction Time\n\nResponsiveness is a crucial component for all board sports. It is this increased reaction time that will make you light and fast on your feet, be able to pop up quickly, pass the handle with ease and so on. Reaction time itself is an inherent skill, but general response time can be enhanced by practice. The notion behind this form of training blends strength and endurance training. The goal is to avoid maxing yourself out in weight or reps but to find a good middle ground at a steady rate. CrossFit workouts are designed to increase your speed and reaction times.\n\n\nPower is defined as the ability to exert maximum muscular contraction instantly in an explosive burst of movements. The two components of power are strength and speed. Power is a tremendously important element of all board sports. Power allows you to pop off the wake and maintain position throughout a trick, to catch a wave, and to hit a ramp or a vert. CrossFit is a sport which hones in on the importance of power with the aim of increasing your power output.\n\n\nIncreased endurance is beneficial for any sport, but can be particularly useful for board sports. Surfing for extended periods of time, riding behind a boat with a big wake, skating on ramps and hitting rails all require full body endurance. It is therefore important to include some endurance training in your off season. One of the best methods is interval training: many board sports require stretches of explosive energy output, in combination with bouts of lower energy output. Interval training mimics this perfectly and is the backbone of CrossFit.\n\nSpeaking from personal experience, since I started CrossFit (a little over a year ago) I have found that both my physical and mental strength have increased exponentially on a wakeboard. I tore my ACL while wakeboarding a couple of years ago and during my recovery period I set myself a number of goals. The first thing on my list of goals was to get back on my wakeboard. Many people thought I was crazy, but I had to prove to myself that I would not let an injury take me down. Whilst doing my rehab and reading a lot about injury and injury prevention I became very intrigued by CrossFit and the physical and mental resolve that defines many of the athletes. I have not looked back since, and I encourage every board sport athlete to try CrossFit and to make sure that you are doing some off season training.\n\n\nSample Workout\n\nWarm up and mobility exercises.\nComplete the following:\n5 – 10 – 15 – 10 – 5 reps of:\nAir Squats\nDead LiftsIn between each round hold a plank for 1 minute.\n\nRun 400M Rest 2minutes\nRun 200M Rest 1 minute\nRun 400M Rest 2minutes\nRun 200M\n\nCardio Surge Energy\n\nStephanie Contomichalos\nStephanie Contomichalos - Author\n\n\nAlso in Training Ground", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9504894018173218}
{"content": "Ants have evolved into “pure cooperators” with little self-interest. See more photos at\n\nAnna Dornhaus knew in the fifth grade she wanted to be a biology professor. She was fascinated with animal behavior and wanted to “get into the science side of it.”\n\nHer educational journey led her to the University of Würzburg in Germany, which had a renowned zoology program focusing on insect social behavior. It’s where she discovered she could study sophisticated group-level behaviors in ants and bees.\n\nSince arriving at the UA in 2005, Dornhaus has built a lab that studies how ants, honey bees and bumble bees solve problems as a group, make decisions and communicate danger or the location of food sources to the colony.\n\nDornhaus, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, is interested in the evolution of intelligence and the evolutionary processes that lead to bigger brains, i.e., where intelligence comes from. To understand how and why intelligence evolves, it’s important to look at more than one example, she says.\n\nJust as human beings have intelligence and form collective organizations, so do insects. But ant colonies don’t parallel human societies.\n\nAnts have evolved into “pure cooperators” with little self-interest, unlike humans, who have great self-interest. Insects’ information-flow network is targeted and efficient, coordinated to achieve a goal.\n\nRelatively tiny and short-lived, the insects have a lot of variance in their learning abilities, the ability to weigh different types of information and their willingness to innovate and explore new environments or food sources.\n\nDornhaus also studies group-level personalities and behavior in ants.\n\n“We’ve shown that some colonies are more risk-averse, as a group. They don’t like to take risks, whereas others as a group are risk-prone. They don’t mind taking risks, and these different types of colonies differ in a lot of ways. It’s not just one behavior; it’s several different behaviors all associated with each other.”\n\nThose behaviors seem to correlate with what biologists call life-history strategy, Dornhaus says.\n\nThe risk-averse groups focus on the growth of the colony, invest in repair and do not reproduce quickly. Those that are risk-takers reproduce fast, don’t focus on repair and colony growth, and make a lot of new queens quickly.\n\n\nRon Medvescek / Arizona Daily Star\n\nAnna Dornhaus says she wants her elementary school students to understand that “science is the place to go if you really want certainty.”\n\nShe is proud that most of her post-doctoral assistants and a few of her graduate students already have found faculty positions in their fields. And she also has a large group of undergraduate students working alongside the others, “all contributing to real research. Everyone is creating new information.”\n\nBut instructing and mentoring university students is just part of Dornhaus’ passion for teaching.\n\nIn addition to her insect-behavior research, Dornhaus would like to be known for inspiring elementary school teachers throughout Tucson to teach the scientific method to their students.\n\nHer goal with the younger kids is two-fold: To expose them to the central concepts of critical scientific thinking and to help them understand that “science is the place to go if you really want certainty.”\n\nAnd they get first-hand experience in how cool science is.\n\n“Mentoring young people in the actual process of science is incredibly important to me,” she says.\n\nWorking with the Flowing Wells Unified School District, Dornhaus developed a hands-on science experiment for second-graders. Students read age-appropriate books about crickets and each student gets a cricket to study.\n\nThe kids start by thinking about their research question and what they might see depending on what is the correct answer. They observe the insects and record whether crickets are hiding or out in the open. The data are put on charts, not unlike the way professional scientists record the results of their studies.\n\nThe award-winning classroom program Dornhaus has developed meets the new Arizona education science standards and includes reading, writing and math activities.\n\n“I’m really invested in trying to bring the central concepts of science to elementary school education,” she says.\n\nHowever simple the activity, Dornhaus say what’s key is “reflecting the core ideas of how science should work.” Understanding those fundamental principles applies to people of all ages.\n\n“Everything about how we do science is geared toward being really certain about the results. How is it we are so confident we are right even when it sounds unbelievable? Part of it is the scientific method,” she says.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.701697587966919}
{"content": "Truck Driver Fatigue 2018-10-19T12:00:44+00:00\n\nWhy Truck Driver Fatigue is a Serious Problem\n\nTruck Driver Fatigue\n\nThe Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) cites truck driver fatigue as one of the leading factors contributing to commercial trucking crashes. While tired driving does not always cause a crash, it can dramatically increase the likelihood that one will occur.\n\nDespite the FMCSA’s best efforts to implement rules and regulations to curb fatigue-related truck crashes, truck drivers are often forced to meet unrealistic scheduling expectations imposed by their employers. These tight deadlines can result not only in fatigued driving, but also speeding – a potentially deadly combination.\n\nWhat is Driver Fatigue?\n\nDriver fatigue is the combination of sleepiness and driving. The risks associated with drowsy driving are alarming—thousands of crashes and hundreds of deaths occur each year in fatigue-related traffic accidents.\n\nAccording to federal statistics, driver fatigue is a factor in roughly 13 percent of large truck accidents in the U.S. each year. Truck drivers are also more likely than the general population to drive fatigued, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), making the issue a common topic of discussion among trucking safety advocates.\n\nTruck Driver Sleep Requirements and Truck Driver Hours of Service Regulations\n\nCommercial truck drivers are required to follow hours of service (HOS) regulations set by the FMCSA. HOS rules are essentially truck driver fatigue laws designed to keep tired truckers off of public roads and to reduce fatigue while driving.\n\nThe truck driver HOS requirements place limitations on when and how long truckers are allowed to drive and work. Truckers are supposed to follow these duty limits at all times (unless exempted, see the FMCSA HOS Guidelines for more details):\n\n14-Hour Driving Window: This is typically thought of as a trucker’s “daily” limit even though it is not based on a 24-hour period. A truck driver is permitted a period of 14 consecutive hours in which they may drive up to 11 hours after being off-duty for 10 or more consecutive hours. The 14-hour driving window begins the moment a driver starts any kind of work, not just driving. Off-duty time, including naps or lunch breaks, do not stop the clock on the 14-hour driving window. Once a driver has reached the end of the 14-hour driving window, they are not permitted to drive again until they have been off duty for another 10 consecutive hours, or the equivalent of at least 10 consecutive hours off duty.\n\n  • Real World Example: Joe Trucker starts work at 6:00 a.m. after being off-duty for 10 consecutive hours. Joe Trucker may not drive after 8:00 p.m. that evening (once he reaches14 hours on duty). He may still work after 8:00 p.m., but he cannot drive his truck again until he has been off-duty for 10 consecutive hours.\n\n11-Hour Driving Limit: As described above, a truck driver may only drive for 11 hours within the 14-hour driving window. However, no further driving is permitted, if more than 8 hours have passed since the driver’s last off-duty or sleep period of at least 30 minutes.\n\n  • Real World Example: Jane Trucker comes to work at 6:00 a.m. after 10 consecutive hours off-duty. She drives from 7:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., then takes a required 30-minute rest break (more on the 30-minute rest break below). Jane then drives another four hours until 6:30 p.m., at which time she is required to stop driving until she 10 consecutive hours off-duty have passed. She may continue to work so long as she is not driving commercially.\n\n30-Minute Rest Break: A truck driver must take a 30-minute rest break if more than eight consecutive hours have passed since their last off-duty (or sleeper-berth) period of at least half an hour. Meal breaks or any other off-duty time of at least 30 minutes qualifies as a break. This time does count against the 14-hour driving window, as allowing off-duty time to extend the workday could allow drivers to continue to drive long past the time when fatigue becomes extreme.\n\n  • Real World Example: John Trucker started driving immediately after coming on duty. He can drive for eight consecutive hours, take a half-hour break, and then continue to drive another three hours for a total of 11 hours behind the wheel.\nDay Hours\nSunday 0\nMonday 10\nTuesday 8.5\nWednesday 12.5\nThursday 9\nFriday 10\nSaturday 11\nSunday 5\n\n60/70-Hour Duty Limit: The 60/70-hour duty limit is often referred to as the “weekly” limit. The 60/70 limit is not based on a “set” week (Sunday through Saturday, for example), rather, the limit is based on a “rolling” or “floating” seven or eight-day period. The oldest day’s hours drop off at the end of each day in calculating the total time on-duty for the past seven or eight days. So if a trucker works a 70 hour/eight-day schedule, the current day would be the newest day of an eight-day period and the hours worked nine days ago would drop out of the calculation. A driver would not be allowed to operate a commercial vehicle until his or her hours complied with their seven or eight-day work period.\n\n  • Real World Example: Joanna Driver has accumulated 67 hours of driving time during an eight-day period.\n\nSince Joanna is operating on the 70-hour/eight-day rule, she is in compliance. Once Joanna reaches the 70-hour limit, she must stop driving until she has taken enough off-duty hours to operate a commercial vehicle again.\n\n34-Hour Restart: Commercial truckers may “restart” their 60 or 70-hour clock calculations after taking 34 or more consecutive hours off-duty (or in a sleeper berth) or a combination of both.\n\n  • Real World Example: Justin Driver follows a 70-hour/8-day limit and works 14 hours per day for 5 days in a row. He has been on-duty for 70 hours. Justin is not permitted to drive again until he drops below 70 hours worked in an eight-day period. However, if Justin’s company allows him to use his 34-hour restart provision, he would have driving time available immediately after 34 consecutive hours off duty and start a new 70-hour/eight-day period.\n\nHow Does Fatigue Affect Driving?\n\nAccording to the CDC, drowsy driving is most common among those who have not had enough restful sleep, though it can also occur among those who work night shifts, use drugs and/or alcohol, or have undiagnosed sleeping disorders like sleep apnea.\n\nIt goes without saying that falling asleep behind the wheel is extremely dangerous. But fatigued driving can still profoundly affect one’s ability to safely drive a passenger vehicle or commercial truck.\n\nDrowsiness behind the wheel can:\n\n  • Affect a driver’s ability to concentrate on the road and other vehicles.\n  • Slow reaction times in the event that a driver has to brake or maneuver suddenly.\n  • Impact a driver’s ability to make sound decisions regarding when, how, and if to operate.\n\nHow Do I Know if I am Driving Tired?\n\nIf you are tired and spend too many hours behind the wheel, there is nothing you can do to prevent fatigue from affecting driving. This is why truck drivers are required to comply with mandated Hours of Service Requirements to ensure that they stop work to get the rest they need.\n\nThe following are common driver fatigue symptoms to watch out for when you are behind the wheel:\n\n  • Frequent yawning or blinking.\n  • Difficulty remembering driving the past few miles.\n  • Drifting in and out of your lane.\n  • Missing an exit.\n  • Running over a rumble strip on the side of the road.\n\nTruck Driver Fatigue Statistics\n\nThe following driver fatigue statistics for trucks come from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Large Truck Crash Causation Study.\n\nFactors Number of Trucks Percent of Total Relative Risk\nVehicle: Problems with Brakes 41,000 29% 2.7\nDriver: Driving Too Fast for Conditions 32,000 23% 7.7\nDriver: Unfamiliarity with Roadway 31,000 22% 2.0\nEnvironment: Problems with Roadway 29,000 20% 1.5\nDriver: Over-the-Counter Drug Use 25,000 17% 1.3\nDriver: Inadequate Surveillance 20,000 14% 9.3\nDriver: Fatigue 18,000 13% 8.0\nDriver: Felt Under Work Pressure 16,000 10% 4.7\nDriver: Illegal Maneuver 13,000 9% 26.4\nDriver: Inattention 12,000 9% 17.1\nDriver: External Distraction 11,000 8% 5.1\nVehicle: Problems with Tire 8,000 6% 2.5\nDriver: Following Too Close 7,000 5% 22.6\nDriver: Jackknife 7,000 5% 4.7\nVehicle: Cargo shift 6,000 4% 56.3\nDriver: Illness 4,000 3% 34.0\nDriver: Internal Distraction 3,000 2% 5.8\nDriver: Illegal Drugs 3,000 2% 1.8\nDriver: Alcohol 1,000 1% 5.3\n\nOf the 19 truck accident factors listed above, 15 are driver-related accident factors. While driver fatigue is a factor unto itself, driving tired can also lead to or exacerbate some of the other factors listed.\n\nFor example, driving fatigued can lead to inattention. If a driver is stressed to make a deadline, he or she may be more willing to try and combat their fatigue through the use of illegal drugs.\n\nDriving Tired Affects Everyone, Not Just Truckers\n\nDriver fatigue is not just a trucker issue; drivers of passenger vehicles are also at risk for drowsy driving, especially if they use medication that makes them sleepy, have sleep disorders or are shift workers.\n\n  • Other studies have indicated that driver fatigue-related crashes may cause thousands of deaths every year.**\n\n* Based on average of two years of NHTSA drowsy driving data\nKlauer SG, Dingus TA, Neale VL, Sudweeks JD, Ramsey DJ. The Impact of Driver Inattention on Near-Crash/Crash Risk: An Analysis Using the 100-Car Naturalistic Study Data, 2006; Springfield, VA: DOT; year. DOT HS 810 594.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8176428079605103}
{"content": "Folic Acid: What you Need to Know\n\nHey there, girlfriend! If you’re already a mama or currently pregnant then you’ve probably heard a bit about the importance of consuming enough folate/folic acid during your pregnancy. We definitely touch on it in our Pregnancy Prep Program! But did you know that everyone needs it in their diet?\n\nIt’s no secret that folate/folic acid plays a very important role in pregnancy by lowering the risk that a baby will be born with a brain or spinal-cord defect. Outside of pregnancy, folate/folic acid:\n\n  1. helps our bodies make new cells\n\n  2. works with Vitamin B12 to prevent anemia\n\n  3. minimizes changes in DNA that could lead to cancer\n\n  4. protects against heart disease\n\nWomen between 14-30 years old and people with nutrient absorption issues like IBS and Celiac have a greater chance of not getting enough folate/folic acid. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to increase folate/folic acid consumption and meet the recommendation without relying completely on supplements!\n\nFolate (the naturally occurring form) can be found in fruits especially avocados and oranges. It is also found in fruit juices, beans, peas, lentils, nuts and peanuts. Dark leafy vegetables, asparagus and Brussel sprouts are also a good source of folate!\n\nEnriched grain products such as cereal, bread, crackers, flour, pasta and rice are fortified with the synthetic form. If you are reluctant to consume the synthetic form, don’t be! Folic acid is actually easier for the body to absorb than the naturally occurring folate. One note of caution, many whole grain products are NOT fortified with folic acid so be sure to check the nutrition facts and choose accordingly!\n\nNeed some additional guidance on how to nourish your incredible body? Join our Abundant Motherhood Club to gain instant access to all of our latest delicious and nutritious recipes! See you on the inside, love!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8664453625679016}
{"content": "11 Content Writing Tips for Beginners (2019 Guide for SEO)\nContent Writing\n\n11 Content Writing Tips for Beginners (2019 Guide for SEO)\n\nSo, what will be the best content writing tips for beginners in 2019? Stay tuned…\n\nFirst of all, let me clear this huge doubt that everyone who writes is a Writer. Still not convinced?\n\nSimply put, there is a huge difference between those who frequently write personal stuff in their diary and professional writers.\n\nThen, there are others who Speak Fluent English and think they can also Write Well. They might start giving you some content writing tips for beginners as well.\n\nBut believe me, not everyone is a Good Content Writer just because they are Everyday Diary Writers or they Speak English Fluently.\n\nI didn’t want to burst anyone’s bubble, though; that’s a reality!\n\nSo, you must be thinking nowcontent writing tips for beginners_withintextimage\n\nWho is a content writer?\n\nWhat is a content writer?\n\nLet’s help you find out.\n\nAccording to Study.com, the following is the definition of a content writer\n\nContent writers are professional writers who produce engaging and actionable content for websites and journals. They’re Internet-savvy individuals who create articles, blog posts, and other forms of written Web Material.\n\nSo, how to be a good content writer? How to start content writing and what English grammar rules to ignore and what to follow? We’re here to help you with that too.\n\nContent Writing Tips For Beginners\n\nAlthough all of us technically know how to write, not everyone has an idea about how to write well. Here, writing well means creating content that is read and shared online by readers.\n\nBefore you start writing, make sure to know the following tricks of the trade so that your article does get read and not dismissed right away. Here are 11 best content writing tips for beginners:\n\n1. Write For Scanners, Not Readers\n\nDo you expect every visitor on an article to read your whole content? Well, they don’t. To your surprise, readers on the Internet are not readers anymore; they’ve become scanners.\n\nI might just have made many writers cringe. But the truth has been revealed by heat map studies and all they have to tell us is people read web pages in an F pattern. While grammar, syntax, and representation still remain the same, you ought to consider representing content in the style people like to read it in.\n\nThe F-shaped pattern says that readers primarily focus on the headline, sub-headings, and only the first sentence of each paragraph. This gives you an idea about where to put the key information.\n\n2. Place Your Key Information First\n\nYou must be confused after reading this heading. Well, what you all have been doing in school was wrong? Not all.\n\nTo be precise, writing an article for a webpage is completely different from writing an essay in school. Writing an essay goes like start with an intro, talk about what this essay is all about, introduce the actual topic, write some literature and then conclude – the important stuff. You’re done!\n\n\nImage Source: Pediaa.com\n\nWhile writing webpage content, you go exactly the opposite. You always start with the most important information.\n\nFor example, when writing the ‘Our Services’ webpage, you should start with the services offered by the company and then explain how your services are the best in the industry.\n\nYou cannot talk about the services in general and start with a story.\n\n3. Prefer Writing In The First Person\n\nI’ve seen on the websites of so many big shot companies that they pitch in third-person. Many B2B companies are still using such a tone when communicating with their clients.\n\n\nImage Source: Grammarly\n\nConsider asking yourself, who is this third party? Why is a third party there in your communication when you can directly pitch to your clients?\n\nUpdate your communication style from ‘ABC Company helps its clients achieve greatness’ to ‘We help our clients achieve greatness.’ Not only is this simplified but also more communicative because ‘We’ and ‘You’ are far more communicative when it comes to building trust in a business relationship.\n\n4. Avoid Writing Passive Sentences\n\nWhen you write content, try to avoid passive sentences. In other words, make sure to convey the right message in the simple and present tense.\n\nWhen you write in present tense, it automatically becomes quick and easy for your readers to read and understand your message. For example,\n\nTom pained the entire house.\n\nOn the other hand, when you write is passive form, not only does it seem awkward to read, but also takes a bit longer to understand. For example,\n\nThe entire house was pained by Tom.\n\nWhat do you say?\n\n5. Consider Writing Short Paragraphs\n\nYou must have seen and read long paragraphs of prose in textbooks. Remember the time when you disliked text-only pages of those books and you had no choice but read them.\n\nWriting for the web is a lot different, but readers still hate those long paragraphs. So, make sure to write short paragraphs to help your readers quickly finish them up, as you want them to read the whole content.\n\nConsider including bullet points, images, infographics, and statistics with a citation to make your content engaging and authentic.\n\n6. Feed Your Readers What They Need\n\nWhen a reader lands on your website, he or she is looking for some relevant information. So make sure you have that information on that particular landing page.\n\nIf your article is dead/does not respond, the reader will just scan your article and exit the webpage.\n\nTo ensure that your readers actually read your articles, make sure to do proper research and collect enough relevant information to add to your content.\n\nDo not try and add fluff to your articles just because you need to make it a 1000-word article. Simply include as much relevant information as possible at that moment but don’t stop looking for more information.\n\nOnce you find some more relevant information to add to that article, do not hesitate to update your copy.\n\n7. Use Words In Common Usage\n\nWhile writing for the web, always keep your target audience in mind and make sure to use simple and commonly used words in your copy.\n\nYou may find many synonyms for a word but you must use the most familiar one – a word that is highly common.\n\nFor example, consider this keyword search on Google AdWords Keywords Planner. While looking for budget hotels online, how do you go?\n\nUse simple words\n\nJust look at the Keywords and their corresponding Average Monthly Searches. Now, you must have got the idea that why to use commonly-used words in your web copy.\n\n8. Describe Your Topic Enough\n\nI’m a professional writer, and I do my homework well before coming down to creating a masterpiece of content. In the ever-growing space of the Internet, everyone is playing with the readers’ attention.\n\nWhile reading B2B content, I often come across similar sentences, e.g.\n\nWe are your trusted partner.\n\nWe streamline your business.\n\nWe provide white-glove services.\n\nSentences like these are overused all over the Internet. Not to forget, when similar sentences are used time and again, the message that you want to convey loses its impact.\n\nIf you’re writing professionally, you ought to focus on what white-glove services your clients offer and how they are beneficial for their customers.\n\nMention that your clients provide 24×7 customer support if they do. As a high customer retention rate can invite more customers to your clients, you must let their readers know this rate.\n\nIt’s your responsibility; be as much descriptive as you can.\n\n9. Edit Your Copy Brutally\n\nEveryone is short on time these days; so are you. When you start writing, you tend to finish the article as quickly as possible. However, you ought to take breaks while writing and try not to finish the content in a hurry.\n\nIf possible, take as many breaks as you can – ranging from few minutes to hours or even a day. When you come back, you will have a fresh perspective or new thoughts to incorporate into your content.\n\nYou may edit or add more information or humor into one or more existing paragraphs.\n\nLeave it to your best time when new ideas come. Frankly speaking, I get new ideas when I’m in my bed, trying to sleep.\n\nI would rather say that my brain works faster when I feel like sleeping. I choose to make voice notes while I’m in bed and convert them into the text the next morning.\n\n10. Update Content Frequently\n\nNo matter how many points or tips you ended up writing in the first place, you always have more to add to your write-ups.\n\nYou should note down the points you have to add to your article(s), create content for those points, and then update the existing live article.\n\nBased on your interest, you may want to update an article multiple times.\n\n11. Make Readers Easily Find You\n\nReaders are looking for relevant information online. And, the best way to be found is not to hide. Yes, that’s what you do when they are unable to find you even when you are openly available.\n\nMake sure your article title is simple, catchy and actionable.\n\nAlso, optimize your copy for SEO. For example,\n\nThe following are tips to optimize an article for SEO:\n\nInclude your target keyword in:\n\n  • Article title\n  • SEO title\n  • First 100 words\n  • H2 (1 to 2 times)\n  • Meta description\n\nAnd, last but not least, do not stuff keywords in your content. Let the LSI keywords come naturally.\n\nWhat’s To Takeaway?\n\nRemember the time when you last read an article online and what of the following happened?\n\n  • You read multiple similar sentences in the article.\n  • You finished multiple paragraphs and still had no idea what the author wanted to convey.\n  • You read on till the end but didn’t find the article informative, entertaining or even worth reading even once.\n\nThere are articles that make you feel energized and entertained and have something to take away from. The sad part is such articles don’t exist in abundance on the Internet.\n\nYou find one article entertaining but it may not have something to learn from.\n\nLikewise, a well-drafted, informative article may sound boring and most readers quit in between.\n\nOver To You!\n\nNot every professional content writer is good. Incorporate these tips into your writing and you shall help your readers with writing tips they need. Here, we’ve discussed 11 best content writing tips for beginners to learn and get started as a good content writer.\n\nHow do you like these tips? Do let us know in the comment section below.\n\n\n  1. Nice post. I’m working on improving my written english and this post is helpful. Can you provide some more tips?\n\n  2. You have mentioned that readers have turned scanners. I agree with you on this. Everyone finds the relevant points, read them and that’s it. Other points are also informative.\n\n\nPost Comment", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5177185535430908}
{"content": "The SmartPill Capsule Motility Procedure is an exciting advancement in gastrointestinal healthcare.  Once ingested, the SmartPilll Capsule collects pressure, pH and temperature data from your GI tract and wirelessly transmits that information to a data receiver worn on a belt or lanyard.  This data is then downloaded to a computer, allowing your physician to analyze the information.\n\nThese physiological measurements are used to determine gastric emptying time (GET), whole gut transit time (WGTT), and combine small-large bowel transit time (SLBTT).\n\n\nIf you experience gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms such as nausea, bloating, heartburn, or an early feeling of fullness when eating, these are often symptoms of a motility disorder where your stomach does not empty properly.  If you suffer from these or other unexplained GI symptoms, the SmartPill Capsule Motility Procedure may be right for you.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8794625997543335}
{"content": "Postcode Search\n\nHow we investigate a Statutory Nuisance\n\nInitially, the Case Officer would want to discuss your complaint with you, and get some more detail on the nature of the complaint, and who is causing the problem. Leaving full daytime contact details is essential and your case officer will respond to your complaint within 5 working days or sooner if it is an urgent issue.\n\nNormally, our first advice is to approach the person(s) causing the nuisance. Sometimes, they are completely unaware that they are causing a problem. If that doesn't work and we consider the person/activity to be unreasonable we will write to them and advise of the complaint and explain our investigation procedure. We will not release your details. However, in some circumstances it may be obvious who has complained.\n\nFilling in nuisance record sheets\n\nOften receiving a letter works, however, in case it does not, we will also ask you to complete a nuisance record sheet for two to three weeks and then return it to us. These records provide essential information on the nature, severity, duration, frequency of the problem and importantly allow you to describe the impact on you and others living with you.\n\nThe nuisance record sheets are very important and the Council will not take any further action unless it has received completed nuisance record sheets from you. If the records are not returned without a reasonable explanation within 28 days the complaint will be closed.\n\nIf you have difficulty in filling in the record sheets for any reason, please contact your case officer\n\nAssessment of the record sheets\n\n  1. Once we have received your record sheets the case officer will assess them and contact you to discuss what will happen next.\n  2. If the incidents you have noted warrant further investigation, where possible, an officer may undertake programmed visits to the area for the purpose of substantiating your complaint.\n  3. With regard to noise, it may be necessary to install noise recording equipment within your premises.\n  4. An assessment of the evidence is undertaken by the case officer, this may include analysis of the recordings or evaluating the evidence gathered from the visits or both. On completion of the assessment, the complainant will be advised of the results, and the way forward.\n  5. If it is decided that a Statutory Nuisance is being caused, further action will be taken such as the service of an Abatement Notice.\n\nWhat does an Abatement Notice do?\n\nAn Abatement Notice requires the person on whom it is served, to \"abate the nuisance\". The Notice for example, may state what they must do, such as stop or reduce a noisy process or dog noise, operate within specified times, stop producing dust or odour over their boundary etc. They will be given a reasonable amount of time to take action.\n\nIf the nuisance continues we have the following options:\n\n  • Prosecution of the person responsible for not complying with the abatement notice, with fines of up to £5000 for domestic premises and unlimited for commercial premises.\n  • Seizure of noise-making equipment, under a magistrate's warrant in severe cases.\n  • In the case of burglar or car alarms the council may enter the premise or vehicle, under a magistrate's warrant where necessary, and silence the alarm. \n  • On conviction for not complying with the abatement notice the council may request that the court make a forfeiture order permanently depriving the owner of any seized noise-making equipment.\n\nWill I have to attend court?\n\nIn most cases, yes. In order to bring a successful prosecution the evidence of the person affected by the nuisance is important. It will also provide you with the opportunity to explain how the nuisance affects you. Occasionally you can provide your evidence by a written statement, which can be read out in Court. We will support you throughout this process.\n\nHow to complain\n\nIf you wish to complain you can contact us on the number below, or online here:  Report a nuisance - noise or other pollution\n\n\nPlease see Environmental Protection Act 1990.\n\nOrganisation/Professional Bodies", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6180230379104614}
{"content": "Admission / Enrolment\n\nDutch University Degree\n\nIf you hold or if you are currently studying to obtain your Bachelor’s degree at a Dutch university other than the University of Twente and you want to apply for one of our Master’s programmes, there are two possible procedures. You can either progress directly to the Master’s programme of your choice or indirectly by first taking a pre-Master’s programme.\n\nAs a student from another Dutch university, direct access to the Master’s degree programme in Communication Studies will depend on the subject you have taken during your Bachelor’s programme.\n\n  1. Students with a degree in the humanities or technical sciences typically have to take the full 30-credit version of the pre-Master’s programme first, as they do not possess enough background in communication and social-science research methods and techniques.\n  2. Students with a degree in the social or behavioural sciences do normally have the required knowledge and skills in research methods and techniques and are therefore exempted from the 15 credits of pre-Master’s courses on these topics. However, they may still be required to take 15 credits of courses specific to the field of communication science.\n  3. Students with a degree in Communication and Information Studies only have to take the 5-creidit pre-Master’s course in Inferential Statistics before being admitted to the Master’s programme.\n  4. Students with a degree in communication science from the University of Amsterdam, VU University Amsterdam, Radboud University or Wageningen University have direct access to the Master’s in Communication Studies.\n\n\nPlease follow the application instructions.\n\nChat offline (info)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7854455709457397}
{"content": "Don’t Forget the Squirrels\n\nGetting tenant engagement right is a complex process. It involves embedding a culture of empathy for the services user and has to be led from the top. But as the focus moves back onto service user needs, boards and executives can’t go far wrong by looking at the humble complaints process as starter for ten.\n\nIn a previous job, we had dozens of letters from a single mum with two small children. She complained her kids couldn’t sleep because there were squirrels banging around in the loft. The complaints were passed down the chain of command to the front line to be dealt with and targets for replies were met. But the complaints kept coming. Eventually I was dispatched to the property with the local housing manager where we could clearly see a tree, branches reaching the roof of the adjoining property and squirrels hopping around its trunk. It was explained to me that they didn’t see how the squirrels were getting into the property and even if they were, the adjoining property was in private ownership, which apparently meant there was nothing we could do to fix the issue.  Long story short – we got the branch cut down, the pests were dealt with and the mum and her children got some sleep. My conclusion was this was indicative of a culture that focussed on rules, policies and efficiencies and not focussed on engaging the customer.\n\nEight years ago, when I was last in consultancy, a big part of my job was to support organisations to find ways to genuinely listen to tenants. The regulator was the Tenant Services Authority (TSA) and it felt like an exciting time where there was real focus on listening to customers. We trained tenants in mock inspection, we researched ‘Tenant Choice’ and we were supporting the late Tom Manion, to explore giving tenants a 100% satisfaction guarantee.\n\nThen the TSA was abolished in the wake of funding cuts and loss of political favour, with the energy being redirected into other things. However, the Grenfell fire tragedy has once again moved the focus back to tenant engagement. There are some for who tenant engagement has always been and remains a priority. But as I dip in and out of countless board rooms and executive meetings, there are some common mistakes still being made, even by those who are seeking to do the right thing:\n\nFirstly, data can and should be used to understand a wider body of tenants. But it can never replace conversations and needs to be used intelligently. I worked with one organisation recently that have tenants’ satisfaction scores in the mid nighties. But when you looked at the detail it told a different story. One tenant said that the repairs operatives had missed the appointment time; they hadn’t got the right part and had to come back; they made a bit of a mess: but they were really nice and ticked ‘satisfied’ with the service.  That tells you being ‘nice’ is important, but also that satisfaction scores don’t necessarily help you improve service delivery.\n\nSecondly, there are some brilliant tenant board members. But they should be there because of the skills they bring (as our LSVT governance research highlighted), they should not be expected to be the representatives of all service users. Though we use it extensively, the term ‘tenants voice’ does not help– housing providers have a diverse and complex customer base who have different needs, contact points with and experiences of the service. A nominal place for tenants on the board is not, and never was, the answer to understanding service users. There are more sophisticated ways of building tenants views into governance and using technology now available to make sure a range of tenant’s voices can be heard.\n\nThirdly, it should never be out of fashion to spend time in the front line.  The organisations that understand both their staff and their tenant’s best are those that have executives who spend time with front line staff, talking to tenants. I talked to one CEO recently who said they continually got details from staff surveys, that told them very little, but when she spent a day out with operatives on the vans, no one was shy to voice improvements that could to be made.\n\nFinally, why invent new ways of listening to tenants when we fail to pay enough attention to the simplest one – complaints. I have seen time and time again boards that interrogate void performance and income collection, and skip past low satisfaction with complaints handling. Analysis of complaints can identify patterns, and persistent cases can teach you lessons about the tenant and the culture of the organisation.\n\nSo as we delve back into how best we ensure we understand what service users need from social housing I think of the complaint about squirrels and how simply talking to customer is a good starting point. Start simple and build from there.\n\n\nGemma is a Principal Consultant at Altair – Contact her at", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9482110738754272}
{"content": "Mauri Brothers and Thomson deposit Mauri Brothers and Thomson Limited Minutes, articles of association, certificates of incorporation, correspondence and financial records for the parent companies, subsidiaries and related companies; shareholder records, directors&#039; lists, agreements, registers, wages records, legal records, plans, conference records, company catalogues, recipes, printing blocks and photographs. text application/pdf 32.4 m Z386 Researchers must sign an access agreement", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9772678017616272}
{"content": "Free Essay\n\nSite Security Survey\n\nIn: Other Topics\n\nSubmitted By ajames10560\nWords 3373\nPages 14\n\n\n\n1. Entry Barriers 3 2 Signs 5 3. Lighting 6 4. Windows 7 5. Equipment Near Street Level Windows 8 6. Interior Patrol Visibility 9 7. Burglary Resistant Glazing Materials 9 8. Shrubbery 10 9. Skylights 10 10. Vents 10 11. Air Conditioners 11 12. Grills and Gratings 11 13. Doors and Door Frames 12 14. Strikes 14 15. Key Control 15 16. Equipment Locks 15 17. Hinge Protection 16 18. Roof Accessibility 17 19. Fences 18 20. Vehicle Security 19 21. Padlocks 19 22. Hasps 20 23. Chains 20 24. Safes 21 25. Inventories and Engraving 21 26. Reporting Crimes 22 27. Employee Participation 22\n\n\n|A. Normal business hours |\n| | |\n|1. |Place signs limiting access to \"EMPLOYEES ONLY\" to discourage people from entering an area. |\n| | |\n|2. |Have all visitors pass through a reception area. |\n| | |\n|3. |Always have at least one person in the reception area. If there is no one available to watch over the area, lock all entries to |\n| |prevent unauthorized entry. |\n| | |\n|4. |Never leave one employee isolated in an unsecured area. |\n| | |\n|5. |Escort visitors in areas containing equipment and/or records not under constant surveillance. |\n| | |\n|6. |Employees should offer to escort visitors entering the facility. |\n| | |\n|7. |Have one employee and an alternate responsible for locking all doors, windows, gates, vehicles, and setting alarms in each work |\n| |area. |\n| | |\n|8. |Post nonpublic areas and encourage employees to inquire about strangers in these areas. |\n| | |\n|9. |Encourage employees to keep doors closed, keep valuables out of sight, and to lock desks, files, and other storage compartments |\n| |before leaving. |\n| | |\n| 10. |Lock inner office areas from the exterior side. |\n| | |\n|11. |Install an electrical access control system on the reception area door. |\n| | |\n|12. |Install a lockable entry gate at the reception area counter. |\n| | |\n\n|B. After-hours, weekends, holidays |\n| | |\n|1. |Employees should sign in and out after-hours. |\n| | |\n|2. |Keep doors locked and control entry to areas with 24-hour operation. |\n| | |\n|3. |Encourage employees to park in well lit areas close to their work stations. |\n| | |\n|C. Deliveries and pick ups |\n| | |\n|1. |Do not leave goods unattended on loading docks or by doors. |\n| |Plan to have incoming goods stored immediately. |\n| |Require identification from anyone removing goods from the premises. |\n| | |\n|2. |Keep delivery doors closed when NOT in use. |\n| | |\n|3. |Do not leave notes on delivery doors, allow locks to be taped open, or wedge doors ajar. |\n| | |\n|4. |Use physical barriers to separate shipping areas from receiving areas. |\n\n\n|A. Office interior |\n| | |\n|1. |Use signs to restrict certain areas of the office to “AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL.” |\n| | |\n|2. |Use signs to direct the public to locations for service. In addition to improving security, this strategy will reduce foot traffic |\n| |in nonpublic areas. |\n| | |\n|3. |Use color-coded floor stripping in conjunction with signs to channel and control public traffic. |\n| | |\n|4. |Label emergency exit doors with the words : |EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY |\n\n|B. Parking lots and office exterior |\n\n|1. |All doors providing public access to the office should have a |PUBLIC ENTRANCE |\n| |conspicuous sign posted on the exterior side stating: | |\n|2. |All doors not providing public access should be labeled: |NOT FOR PUBLIC ACCESS |\n\n(Note: Keep nonpublic doors locked to prevent their use by unauthorized persons.)\n\n\n|A. Interior lighting |\n| | |\n|1. |Unless valuable equipment is visible from the outside, leave interior lighting on during the hours of darkness. |\n| | |\n|2. |To save energy use a timer or a light sensing device to control these lights. |\n|3. |Unless valuable equipment is visible from the outside, lighting should be sufficient to allow passing police patrols to observe a |\n| |person inside. |\n\n|B. Exterior lighting |\n| | |\n|1. |Leave exterior lights on during the hours of darkness. |\n|3. |Lighting near access doors, around parking lots, and in |Sufficient to illuminate these areas to a constant level of 1 to 1.5 |\n| |storage areas should be: |foot-candles at ground level. |\n| | |High pressure sodium lighting, which is generally accepted as most |\n| | |efficient for exterior security lighting. |\n\n\n|A. Sliding wood or metal frame windows |\n| | |\n|1. |Secure sliding wood or metal frame windows by pinning |a. Drill small holes at a downward angle, through the top and bottom of the |\n| |from the building interior: |interior channel flange, and halfway through the window frame. |\n| | |b. Insert a small hard metal pin in each hole. |\n| | |c. Eliminate unnecessary play (movement up and down) by opening the window |\n| | |and installing a thin plywood strip along the upper sliding channel so that |\n| | |when you close the window it will just clear. |\n| | |\n|B. Louvered windows |\n| | |\n|1. |Although adequate locking devices are not available for|Remove and replace with another type window. |\n| |louvered windows, there are three methods for securing |Install grills or gratings over them, preferably on the interior side. |\n| |such windows: |Epoxy each louvered window to the frame. |\n| |\n|C. Double hung windows |\n| | |\n|1. |Secure double hung windows by pinning from the building |Drill holes at a downward angle through the inside window frame where top |\n| |interior: |and bottom overlap. |\n| | |Continue drilling halfway through the outside frame. |\n| | |Insert hard metal pins. |\n\n|D. Casement windows |\n| | |\n|1. |Secure casement windows with smooth-headed carriage |a. Drill holes, top and bottom, through the frame and window frame. |\n| |bolts: |b. Insert carriage bolt, head outside, and secure with wing nut. |\n| | |c. Strip the bolt threads or spot weld. |\n\n|E. Transom windows |\n| | | |\n|1. |These windows should be permanently secured. If you need them for ventilation, use grills or gratings. |\n\n\n|Equipment located within reach of street level windows creates an attractive target for the window-smash burglar. One or more of the following|\n|steps can discourage this type of crime. |\n| | | |\n|Move all equipment away from the window so it cannot be reached if window is broken. |\n|Install a secondary barrier between the window and the equipment, such as grills and/or gratings. |\n|Replace the present windows with burglary resistant glazing material. |\n|Lock or bolt all portable equipment to desk or table surfaces. |\n|Install security film on windows. |\n\n\n|A clear view from the outside, when tempting equipment is not visible, can help police spot suspicious conditions or activities. |\n| | | |\n|1. |Unless valuable equipment is visible through your windows, keep drapes and blinds open at night to allow passing police patrols an |\n| |unobstructed view of the interior of the facility. |\n|2. |Keep windows clear of obstructions. |\n|3. |Contact your local law enforcement agency, advising them of your regular procedure. |\n\n\n|Two types of glazing deters the window-smash burglar: |\n| | |\n|LAMINATED GLASS comes in several thicknesses. The thicker the lamination, the better the resistance. Although this type of material will |\n|break with sufficient force, it will take a burglar much longer to create a hole large enough to get through. |\n|POLYCARBONATES are the best glazing materials currently available. While this material is expensive, it will not freeze, burn, or break. |\n\n\n|Untrimmed shrubbery offers the burglar an excellent hiding place, especially if it is near windows, doors, thin walls, or fences. Given |\n|adequate time and concealment, burglars have been known to penetrate solid walls, including those made of heavy brick. |\n| | |\n|1. |Trim and thin shrubbery below the window line and away from doors and fences. |\n|2. |Do NOT leave space between bushes or hedges and the walls of the building. |\n\n\n|Skylights are prime targets for roof burglars. |\n| | |\n|1. |Secure skylights with grills or gratings fastened on the interior side. |\n|2. |Include skylights in your alarm systems. |\n| | |\n\n|Vents are a primary entry point for burglars |\n| | |\n|1. |Cover your vents with a grill or grate to prevent their use as an entry point. |\n\n| |\n|Small air conditioning units which have been installed either in the wall or a window should be permanently secured to prevent easy removal. |\n| |\n|A. Wall type |\n| | |\n|1. |The unit should be permanently secured to the wall, preferably with carriage bolts through the wall. |\n|2. |Once the bolts are installed and the nuts tightened, strip the threads to prevent easy removal. |\n\n|B. Window type |\n| | |\n|1. |Fill the space between the unit and the window frame with 2 inch thick wood secured to the window frame with carriage bolts. |\n|2. |Secure the unit to the wood. |\n\n\n|Grills and gratings provide additional security for windows and other openings, and can be installed in ways that enhance the looks of a |\n|building. |\n| | |\n|1. |They must be installed on the inside of the opening and secured to make it difficult for intruders to get around them. |\n| | |\n|2. |The openings between grills and gratings should not exceed 6 inches. Where equipment is located near windows, you may need smaller |\n| |openings, depending on the type and size of the equipment. |\n|3. |Accordion and roll-down metal covers should be used for front windows. |\n| | |\n|4. |Fixed grills or gratings are used to cover rear windows, roof vents, air conditioning vents, and skylights. |\n| | |\n|5. |All grills and gratings should have a fire release from the interior. |\n\n\n|A. Single swing |\n| | |\n|1. |Use material rated burglary resistant for glazing in or near doors. |\n|2. |These doors must: |Contain a 1-1/2 inch laminated bolt, or, contain a 3/4 inch hooking bolt |\n| | |with a ceramic insert. |\n| | |Have double cylinders equipped with hardened steel cylinder guards. |\n| | |Have a steel strike reinforcer. |\n\n|B. Wood frame glass |\n| | |\n|1. |These doors must contain a 1 inch dead bolt with a hardened steel roller bearing insert and |\n| |double cylinders equipped with hardened steel cylinder guards. |\n|2. |If the door contains plate glass, you should protect it with a secondary barrier |\n| |(grills and gratings) or replace the glass with burglary resistant rated glazing. |\n\n|C. Glass in door |\n| | |\n|1. |Secure doors with small panes of glass in one of the |Replace the glass with a burglary resistant glazing material. |\n| |following ways: |Replace the door with a solid wood or metal door. |\n| | |Protect the glass with grills or gratings. |\n|2. |If there is glass within 36 inches of the locking |Add a double cylinder dead bolt lock. |\n| |mechanism: | |\n\n|D. Solid wood |\n| | |\n|1. |Use at least a single cylinder 1-1/2 inch dead bolt equipped with a hardened steel roller bearing and cylinder guard. |\n\n|E. Double doors |\n| | | |\n|1. |Secure stationary or inactive doors with a 1 inch hard |The bolt actuator should not be movable or accessible when doors are |\n| |metal flush bolt on top and bottom. |closed. |\n| | |The bolts must fit firmly into their strikes. |\n| | |If the doors are metal with aluminum strike areas, the strikes should be |\n| | |reinforced with steel. |\n|2. |If the double doors are on a garage, shed, or storage room, consider a locking cross bar. |\n\n|F. Dutch doors |\n| | |\n|1. |These doors must be handled as two separate doors and secured in the same manner as wood frame glass or solid wood doors. |\n|2. |The doors can be replaced with a single solid core door. |\n|3. |If you are going to install vertical cross bars, they should be metal. |\n\n|G. Sliding doors |\n| | |\n|1. |Aluminum frame glass can only be adequately secured from the inside. |\n|2. |Wood or metal sliding doors: |Secure in the same manner as sliding glass windows, or by a key operated |\n| | |lock. |\n| | |These doors must fit solidly in the upper and lower tracks. |\n| | |Secure the door with an adequate hasp and padlock. |\n\n|H. Door frames |\n| | |\n|1. |Reinforce door frames to prevent spreading of the frame by hammers, jacks, crowbars, or other implements. |\n\n|I. Workmanship |\n| | |\n|1. |Poor workmanship is often the occasion for unwanted intrusions. |Excess space between the door and the frame and/or strikes |\n| |Inspect your doors carefully for faults that could encourage forced |will invite burglars to place tools in these spaces and pry |\n| |entry. |the door open. |\n\n\n|A. Wood door frames | |\n| | | |\n|1. |You should reinforce the strike area of all door frames with steel strike plates. |\n|2. |Anchor exterior door frames with not less than four screws at least 3-3/4 inches long. |\n\n|B. Aluminum door frames | |\n| | | |\n|1. |Reinforce door frames with steel strike plates to prevent door jamb peeling. |\n|2. |Reinforce the inactive aluminum double door frames with steel strike plates when double doors are in use. |\n|3. |Protect strike areas by a strike guard or astragal extending at least 6 inches above and below the strike plate. |\n\n|A consistent key control program can reduce property loss and protect employees. |\n| | | |\n|1. |Have one person in charge of issuing keys and obtaining signed receipts from employees. |\n|2. |Re-key your locks when a key is lost and recovery is unlikely. |\n|3. |Review and update your key control system: |Issue only the minimum number of keys necessary. |\n| | |Design the key system so that employees' keys will allow them |\n| | |only into areas their duties require. |\n| | |Be especially careful in issuing master keys. |\n| | |Conduct an annual key inventory to assure employees still have|\n| | |the keys they were originally issued. |\n| | | |\n|4. |Have one person responsible for having new keys made and have all |STATE OF CALIFORNIA |\n| |keys clearly stamped: |DO NOT DUPLICATE |\n|5. |Re-key your office every five years. If you have high employee turnover, re-key more frequently. |\n\n\n|If your facility evaluation indicates a serious crime threat exists in your area, you may need to install equipment lock-down devices. |\n| | | |\n|1. |Contact a reputable office equipment supply store to obtain information on the various types of lock-down devices available. |\n|2. |Regardless of the type of lock-down device used on your equipment, be sure that the machine is secured to a non-removable part of a |\n| |desk, table, or bench. Never use a lock-down device on a mobile stand or cart. |\n\n\n|Exposed pins can be easily removed and the door opened from the hinge side. There are four ways to secure these hinge pins: |\n| | | |\n|1. |Remove the existing hinges and replace them with ones having non-removable hinge pins. |\n|2. |Spot weld the hinge pin to the hinge. |\n|3. |If the hinge screw holes opposite each other match: |a. Remove one screw from each leaf of the hinge opposite each other. |\n| | |b. Insert a small round-headed screw or finishing nail, approximately 1 |\n| | |inch long, into the leaf jamb, leaving 1/2 inch. |\n| | |c. Drill out the opposite screw hole in the door frame leaf. |\n| | |d. This should be done on each hinge. |\n|4. |If the hinge screw holes do not match: |a. Drill a hole just above the hinge approximately 1/2 inch into the door. |\n| | |b. Insert a 1 inch small round-headed screw or finishing nail, leaving 1/2 |\n| | |inch. |\n| | |c. Close the door until the screw (or nail) comes in contact with the door |\n| | |frame. |\n| | |d. Drill into the door frame 1/2 inch where the contact point is made. |\n| | |Installation of a hinge pin(s) will create a dead bolt effect across the |\n| | |back side of the door. |\n\n\n|Eliminate easy access to the roof |\n\n|A. Permanent ladders attached to building |\n| |\n|Solid metal coverings should cover such ladders and should be secured with an adequate hasp and padlock. |\n| |\n|B. Extension ladders |\n| |\n|Secure ladders so they cannot be used by unauthorized persons. |\n| |\n|C. Utility poles |\n| |\n|Remove the climbing pegs within ten feet of the ground to prevent roof access. |\n| |\n|D. Trees |\n| |\n|Trim or remove trees to prevent roof access. |\n| |\n|E. Trash containers, boxes, lumber, and other objects |\n| |\n|Keep anything that may be used for climbing away from the building. |\n| |\n|F. Vehicles and mobile equipment |\n| |\n|Park vehicles and equipment away from the building. |\n\n\n|Fences |\n| | | |\n|1. |A fence surrounding the property will create the first line of defense, providing a psychological and physical deterrent to the |\n| |intruder. |\n| | | |\n|2. |The maintenance of a fence is as important as the installation. Make periodic checks to detect any damage or weaknesses. |\n| | | |\n|3. |Pay attention to foliage near the fence: |a. Cut weeds and shrubs to ground level or remove them to |\n| | |eliminate cover for potential intruders. |\n| | |b. Thin or remove limbs and foliage from trees to a height two|\n| | |feet above the fence top for maximum visibility. |\n| | |c. Plant shrubbery that enhances security along a fence line. |\n| | | |\n|A. Y-Bar fence top protection |\n| | | |\n|If permitted by local ordinance, use this type of fence top in high risk areas.|It is comprised of a Y-mounting bar at the top of each fence |\n| |post equipped with six strands of barbed wire, three angled |\n| |inward and three outward. |\n| | | |\n|B. Concertina or razor ribbon wire |\n| | | |\n|Facilities with special security needs may require concertina or razor ribbon fence topping. (Check local ordinances before installation to |\n|avoid possible conflict.) |\n\n\n|Vehicles are often prime targets for theft, vandalism, and burglary. To reduce the likelihood of such incidents: |\n| | | |\n|Always lock stored or parked vehicles. |\n|Keep storage/parking areas well lit, and park with engine compartments facing the street. |\n|Install locking gas caps and hood locks to help prevent gasoline and battery thefts. |\n|Try NOT to store equipment in vehicles. Inventory equipment stored in vehicles at least monthly. Park vehicles with extensive and/or high |\n|value inventory inside. |\n|Install hood security rails. |\n\n\n|A. Padlock requirements |\n| | | |\n|Minimum 5/16 inch hardened steel shackle, locking heel and toe. |\n|Minimum five pin tumbler operation. |\n|Some padlock companies place a key code number on the bottom of their padlocks. Write this number down and remove it from the padlock. |\n\n\n|A. Minimum requirements |\n| | | |\n|1. |Minimum 5/16 inch hardened steel eye. |\n|2. |Mounting the hasp: |a. Use carriage bolts, which should go completely through the door or |\n| | |wall on which you are mounting the hasp. |\n| | |b. Use a steel plate on the inside to reinforce the hasp. |\n| | |c. After you have firmly tightened the nuts, either spot weld them or |\n| | |strip the bolt threads. |\n\n\n|A. Chain requirements |\n| | |\n|1. |Minimum 5/16 inch hardened steel alloy. |\n|2. |Welded links. |\n\n\n|Safe Requirements |\n| | | |\n|1. |Locate safes in secure areas, out of public view. |\n|2. |Securely anchor lightweight or portable safes to the floor. |\n|3. |DO NOT leave your safes combinations in the building. Never record combinations on office desk calendars or in daily reminder |\n| |books. |\n|4. |Your safes should all meet UL specifications, and safes used to secure money should have a class \"E\" rating or higher. |\n\n\n|Maintaining current inventories, and attaching or engraving permanent numbers in a visible location on state equipment accomplishes two goals: |\n| | | |\n|Reduces the risk of theft: a thief is less likely to steal marked property. |\n|Assists in locating the owner agency when property is recovered. |\n| | | |\n|Procedures: |\n| | | |\n|1. |Maintain an up-to-date inventory record in the immediate area and make annual inventories of all equipment. |\n|2. |Check with your department property protection coordinator for guidelines on engraving |\n| |equipment with your State Agency Identification Number (SAIN). |\n\n\n|The CHP must investigate crimes occurring on state-owned or state-leased property. All crimes must be reported to the CHP. |\n| | | |\n|1. |If your office is within the CHP designated service area, immediately report any crimes/incidents to the CHP via telephone. (Check |\n| |your State Telephone Directory.) |\n|2. |If your office is located outside CHP designated service area. |Report crimes/incidents on a Std. 99. |\n| | |For emergency services call your local police department or |\n| | |sheriff's office for immediate assistance. |\n\n\n|An active and informed workforce is the backbone of any crime prevention effort. |\n| | | |\n|1. |Emphasize employee responsibilities to help safeguard persons and property at employee orientations. |\n|2. |Require employees to sign receipts for equipment issued and hold them accountable for any losses. Do not issue an employee's last |\n| |payroll check until all property has been returned. |\n|3. |Encourage employees to challenge strangers in your facility or at your work site. |\n|4. |Encourage employees to engrave their personal items with their Driver License number. |…...\n\nSimilar Documents\n\nPremium Essay\n\nSurvey of Justice and Security\n\n...this age. Cyber-crime is defined as the disruption communication or electronic devices behavior as it relates to network mainframe, Internet, and telephone. Based on reports, individuals of different ages are committing cyber-crimes due to the accessibility of computers and the ease of committed the crime. The plethora of information on the internet has greatly increased the threat to national security. The 21st century internet, coupled with the social networks, has made it very easy for terrorist to communicate enabling them to commit cyber terrorism. Research conducted by the United States Institute of Peace concluded in 1998 approximately 15 terrorist organizations established websites on the internet. That numbered doubled in 2000 and more than quadrupled from 2003 to 2004. Although the research have overwhelmingly proved terrorist websites exit, those who would have an influence on regulating the websites have chosen to overlook them (Weimann, 2004). From 6 February through 14 March 2011, Norton by Symantec Corporation released a Cyber Crime Analysis Report based on an online survey of 19,636 respondents from 24 countries. The report revealed a total of over four-hundred million adults were victims of cyber-crime within a year of the study; which equated to fourteen victims per second; eight hundred twenty victims per minute; and close to fifty-thousand per hour (Charette, 8 Sep 2011). 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In order to maintain a highly secure working environment all employees regardless of...\n\nWords: 1217 - Pages: 5\n\nFree Essay\n\nFloor Plan Site Survey\n\n...Appendix E Floor Plan Site Survey Data Sheet Use the tables to gather the data necessary to analyze each of the five floor plans in the Floor Plan Site Survey exercise. The information gathered in this assignment will assist you in your final project. Conference Center Explain the major features of this floor plan. For example, are there large open spaces, large walls, cubes, or offices? | A few of the main characteristics which this floor plan provides are a lift, a big meeting room, and many concrete walls. The southern portion of the floor plan also has a worker rest room with vending machines. At the west portion there are lavatories which are segregated with concrete wall. | Identify areas of this floor plan that may present issues when designing your network. Why will these areas present issues? For each area identified, what can you do to overcome the issue? | Some areas that may present issues when designing a network would be the large conference room and the break room. The large conference room is surrounded by concrete walls and the AP is at one corner of the floor plan surrounded by more concrete walls. The break room is also surrounded by walls and vending machines. This causes the signals to weaken because of the several walls and metal obstacles that are interfering. One way to fix the issue is to rearrange the AP to another place where there is less interference or in this case less walls. | According to your site survey, is the data......\n\nWords: 1551 - Pages: 7\n\nFree Essay\n\nDevry Security Site Survey\n\n...SECURITY SITE SURVEY DEVRY CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS – The Devry Center Jim Jones February 15, 2013 Eval of Security Systems Professor Semore Butts Overview This site survey was conducted by Jim Jones on February 15, 2013. This document is intended to detail the security survey and analysis for Devry Corporate headquarters. The report will detail the strengths and weaknesses of each of the operational areas. While it will detail an overview of staff and visitor procedures it will not be a personal evaluation of the staff’s readiness or ability to carry out those activities and responsibilities. The objective of the recommendations in this audit are to ensure that Devry Corporate headquarters complies with state, local, and federal regulations for the safety of its employees, the public, and visitors. It will also assist with recommendations that ensure Devry Corporation is free from any legal liabilities as a result of action or non action as it relates to security and safety (Garcia, 2008). Summary The Devry Corporate Headquarters is the central location for Devry Inc., which owns and operates fourteen educational institutions, their supporting both domestic and international operations. These Institutions are comprised of large scale educational facilities requiring sophisticated infrastructures. Each of the supported institutions must adhere to the Higher Education Act standards of security and safety. Those standards would not be applicable in the corporate...\n\nWords: 2015 - Pages: 9\n\nFree Essay\n\nSite Survey\n\n...Wireless Survey Research With wireless systems, it’s very difficult to predict the propagation of radio waves and detect the presence of interfering signals without the use of test equipment. Walls, doors, elevator shafts, people, and other obstacles offer varying degrees of attenuation, causing the RF radiation pattern to be irregular and unpredictable. As a result, it’s absolutely necessary to perform a wireless site survey to fully understand the behavior of radio waves within the operating environment before installing access points. The goal of a wireless site survey is to determine the number and placement of access points that provides adequate signal coverage throughout a facility. A wireless site survey also detects the presence of RF interference coming from other sources that could degrade the performance of the wireless LAN. Also keep in mind that the facility of the WLAN is highly impactful on the whether it requires a survey. For example a small room office may not require a site survey. With the given example a small office might only require an access point or a router located within the office to require adequate coverage. A larger facility is going to require a well scoped survey to be able to provide sufficient coverage to all areas, and if a larger facility isn’t properly surveyed other areas in the facility might be affected by poor coverage or no coverage. Example of these areas would be airports, hospitals, colleges. When conducting a site survey......\n\nWords: 657 - Pages: 3\n\nPremium Essay\n\nFloor Plan Site Survey Assignment.Doc\n\n...Axia College Material Appendix D Floor Plan Site Survey Data Sheet The following tables will help you gather the data necessary for analyzing each of the five floor plans in the Floor Plan Site Survey exercise. As you go through the exercise, complete the information in each table. The information gathered in this assignment will assist you in your final project. Conference Center |Explain the major features of this floor plan. For example, are there large open spaces, large walls, cubes, or offices?| |Within this plan there are a lot of walls. This plan also has a lot of offices. | |Identify areas of this floor plan that may present issues when designing your network. Why will these areas present | |issues? For each area identified, what can you do to overcome the issue? | |The areas what I see that may present a problem would be the back hall way because it does not have any signal strength.| |I believe this happened because of all of the walls in between the access point and the back offices. One thing that | |can be done for this is to install another access point on the other end of the building or move the access point that | |already exists. | |Based on your site survey, do you think that placing the wireless access point in the data center is an ideal......\n\nWords: 1232 - Pages: 5\n\nFree Essay\n\n\n...Summary This report summarizes a plan to conduct a wireless site survey, also called a radio frequency (RF) survey, at Orchard Street Art Center. This survey will generate recommendations for maximizing network security, coverage, and capacity. Expert Advice Earlier this year, the board of directors of Orchard Street Art Center asked me to propose a plan to improve wireless coverage throughout the center’s public areas, offices, classrooms, music studios and indoor and outdoor theaters. To make sure I proposed the most effective plan possible, I decided to seek the advice of experts. Fortunately, one of the area’s top experts in wireless networking, Jamie Brookstone, president of Brookstone Network Consulting, offered the services of his staff pro bono. Thanks to his offer, I was able to meet several times with the following consultants: Lyn Luzerne Our conversations focused on ways to improve network connections for the center’s staff and patrons. I also studied information obtained from leading hardware manufacturers and software distributors. This research suggests that our first step is to conduct a site survey of our entire facility. Final Recommendation A high availability, secure wireless network is crucial to our mission at Orchard Street Art Center. Lighting and sound systems in our two theaters increasingly rely on wireless signaling, as do our classroom facilities. Furthermore, patrons and instructors now consider a secure wireless network essential for a......\n\nWords: 806 - Pages: 4\n\nFree Essay\n\nSite Survey Report\n\n...Wireless Site Survey Recommendation Wireless Site Survey Recommendation Orchard Street Art Center Orchard Street Art Center Summary This report summarizes a plan to conduct a wireless site survey, also called a radio frequency (RF) survey, at Orchard Street Art Center. This survey will generate recommendations for maximizing network security, coverage, and capacity. Expert Advice Earlier this year, the board of directors of Orchard Street Art Center asked me to propose a plan to improve wireless coverage throughout the center’s public areas, offices, classrooms, music studios and indoor and outdoor theaters. To make sure I proposed the most effective plan possible, I decided to seek the advice of experts. Fortunately, one of the area’s top experts in wireless networking, Jamie Brookstone, president of Brookstone Network Consulting, offered the services of his staff pro bono. Thanks to his offer, I was able to meet several times with the following consultants: Lyn Luzerne Associate Engineer Dean Armstrong Senior Engineer Suzanne j. Sheffield-Harper Project Manager Our conversations focused on ways to improve network connections for the center’s staff and patrons. I also studied information obtained from leading hardware manufacturers and software distributors. This research suggests that our first step is to conduct a site survey of our entire facility. What Is a Wireless Site Survey? A wireless site survey is an analysis of a facility’s wireless......\n\nWords: 896 - Pages: 4\n\nPremium Essay\n\nTerm Paper -Mercy Securities Corp -Survey Report\n\n...Term paper -Mercy Securities Corp -Survey Report Click Link Below To Buy: Each student will prepare both a 5 -7 page written report. Outline Background: You have recently been hired as part of annual class of trainees at a major brokerage firm, Mercy Securities Corp. After a few days of orientation, you begin its trainee “rotation” through several departments across the firm. The first unit you are assigned to is the ___________________ Department where, as an initial project, you are asked to research and study the processes and controls of that department. Your job is to fully explain how that department works and what controls are or should be in place. Your manager wants you to prepare a written report analyzing the chosen department. In addition, he asks you to give him an oral presentation of your findings and conclusions once you have completed your analysis. Selection of the Department: Each student will choose a department of interest from within a brokerage firm. Research will show dozens of potential departments. The students may choose any department that interests them. Format for Written Report: The written report should be organized in the following order: Section I: Executive Summary (1 page) Section II: Detailed Analysis (4 to 6 pages) Section III: Attached Addenda (bibliography, copy of financial statements, comparisons, charts,......\n\nWords: 303 - Pages: 2\n\nPremium Essay\n\nSite Survey\n\n...ITNT 1700 | Site Survey Project | CWNA | | Name | 12/13/2010 | | Requirements Summary Business Requirements * Wireless Connection * The organization would like to provide GHSIA in the hotel and conference center * The business requires a high level of mobility for Wireless VOIP throughout hotel and conference center * Our equipment will be compatible with the existing equipment * Wireless Coverage * Covering the Hilton Hotel customers in their rooms, bedside and at their writing stations * Covering the Hilton management team in their offices with a dedicated wired connection and support for a wireless connection * Coverage in all meeting rooms, lounge area, pavilion, and pool side * Coverage in University Conference room for approximately 100 client stations * Optional coverage for kitchens, break rooms, and rest rooms User Requirements * Hilton hotel guests to receive unlimited guest access upon checking in and will expire upon checkout * Hilton guests to connect via Wi-Fi connection in meeting rooms, lounge area, pavilion and pool side * Hilton 12 managers to connect wireless with laptop and have a dedicated wired connection in offices Functional Requirements * Wireless PoS Access * Provide Hilton Hotel with 6 PoS stations to have WPA 2 with AES encryption * Shall be isolated to the PoS VLAN and separate from the GHSIA * Shall be PCI compliant *......\n\nWords: 952 - Pages: 4\n\nFree Essay\n\nSite to Site\n\n...Site to Site Connectivity Scenario With the two site taking long to replicate or not replicating at all I would first check the time that is set to replicate and if there is even a connection at all. Open the console and service site link and note how long this configuration is set for replication. Then I would try and duplication the problem. Create a new object in the Active Directory and replicate. Compare the time it took to the time set on the configuration. There are many other ways you could troubleshoot this issue. Open command prompt and run repadmin /?. This will show you many helpful commands you can run to troubleshoot this issue. In repadmin /showrepl command helps you understand the replication topology and replication failures. It reports status for each source domain controller from which the destination has an inbound connection object. The status report is categorized by directory partition. Use the /repsto parameter to display outbound partners. The /replicate command tests replication success after you remove suspected fault conditions without waiting for the replication schedule to open /replsummary will Identifies domain controllers that are failing inbound replication or outbound replication, and summarizes the results in a report. Like I noted before there are many options to troubleshoot this another tool I would like to leave you with is a command line tool DCDiag. This will analyze the state of one or all domain controllers in the forest and......\n\nWords: 300 - Pages: 2\n\nPremium Essay\n\nSite Survey Memo\n\n...Penultimatum, Inc. To: Helen Gibbs From: Harvey Miller CC: Amy Collins Date: 6/24/2011 Re: Site Survey for Requested Wireless Network In regards to the requested wireless network project, it is very important that we are given a sufficient amount of time and adequate resources to conduct a site survey prior to installing the network. A site survey will help us to determine whether there are other wireless networks in the area and which band is needed to ensure minimal interference and optimal performance. Purchasing network devices that support multiple bands will cost more than purchasing devices that support a single band and will also increase the time needed to configure each device on the network. By taking the time to do a site survey, you will also help make planning the network more efficient and cost effective by helping to determine what channels and signal strengths are needed in relation to the other wireless networks in the area. This should help avoid the inevitable time cost of having multiple configuration changes due to not knowing which channels and configurations will work best within the environment. The survey will also help us determine whether the buildings are well suited for wireless networks or not. If we move forward the assuming that a wireless network will perform according to expectations and find out after purchasing and installing the equipment that a building with plaster walls has a metal frame that does not permit wireless......\n\nWords: 306 - Pages: 2\n\nPremium Essay\n\nSocial Media Networking Sites Survey\n\n...Usage of Social Media Networking Sites Survey By participating in this survey you are assisting our study in providing data about the usage of Social Media Websites by employees during their work environment. Please respond to the questions honestly and to the best of you knowledge. All of the information gained by these surveys will remain confidential and anonymous. 1. Are you currently employed? (Circle) YES NO 2. Do you have internet access at your current job? (Circle) YES NO 3. Does your Cell-Phone or other portable device have access to Social Media Networking Sites? (Circle.) YES NO 4. Please rank (1 being the most and 5 being the least) your means of accessing social networking Sites? ( ) Personal Computer ( ) Work Computer ( ) Cell Phone ( ) School Computer ( ) Other Form: ________________________________ 5. On average, how many times a day do you check or use social media networking sites while at work? (Check answer.) ( ) 0 ( ) 1-2 ( ) 3-5 ( ) 6-10 ( ) 10 & Over 6. How many social media networking sites/communities are you a member of? (Check answer.) ( ) 0 ( ) 1-2 ( ) 3-4 ( ) 5-6 ( ) 7-8 ( ) 8 or more 7. Do you think it is essential to use social media networking sites while at work? (Circle.) YES NO Indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statements as they relate to your CURRENT usage of......\n\nWords: 908 - Pages: 4", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999662041664124}
{"content": "Abstact aspztame\n\nTopics: Model organism, Caenorhabditis elegans, Nematode Pages: 10 (2849 words) Published: February 20, 2014\n\nCan Diet Soda Kill You?\n\nThe Effects of Aspartame and Caffeine on Caenorhabditis Elegans Health 1/30/2014\n\nAyub Ali, Abdullatif Mire\n\nTable of Contents\n\n\nAspartame and caffeine are in many foods and are notoriously known for being in soda. We were interested by these widely used products and wanted to know if they were harmful in the long term. So we decided to design an experiment to test this out. But we ran into problems almost right away. We found that aspartame had negative aspects to it as a substance and caffeine had positive effects. We were going to expect the same results in our experiment. We couldn’t test this out on a human since the test could potentially harm them and would take a really long time, so we started to look for alternative test subjects. Fortunately, we found a roundworm called Caenorhabditis Elegans which met all of our requirements. C.Elegans is a roundworm. Almost 40% of C.Elegans genes are identical to human genes. This makes C.Elegans an excellent model for understanding the genetic control of development and physiology of a human. We tried to create an experiment centering on how long C.Elegans survive exposed to the substances but we couldn’t do it because we could not count the C.Elegans in the plate since it looks so much like its food, E. coli. So we designed an experiment centering on the chemotaxis of C.Elegans. We observed that the C.Elegans stimulated a negative response to aspartame, but a positive one to caffeine. We concluded aspartame has negative health effects on C.Elegans but caffeine had positive health effects on\n\n\nAspartame and caffeine can be found in products all over the world, but they are most famous for being in sugar sweeteners and diet sodas. There is much controversy surrounding these two substances, especially aspartame. Aspartame is a low-calorie, intense artificial sweetener. It is a white, odorless powder, approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar and is mainly of 2 amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and are found naturally in many foods. In America and Europe, it is authorized to be used as a food additive in foods such as drinks, desserts, sweets, dairy, chewing gums, energy-reducing and weight control products and as a table-top sweetener. But many studies by numerous well-known universities all around the world suggest that aspartame is toxic and is really harmful to the human body. The Cesar Maltoni Cancer Research Center of the European Ramazzini Foundation of Oncology and Environmental Sciences has released several studies which claim that aspartame can increase several malignancies in rodents, concluding that aspartame is a potential carcinogen at normal dietary doses. Other studies show even more proof that aspartame is actually linked with cancer. Aspartame when metabolized can produce Diketopiperazine, a dangerous toxic substance that can cause brain cancer. Methanol, a deadly neurotoxin, is ten percent of all aspartame. Though it is in many other foods, the Methanol in every one of those foods and drinks are usually accompanied by large amounts of ethanol, a kind of antidote for toxicity. Although Methanol is in the food or drink, it isn’t technically toxic unless it is heated above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). This may happen when you store the food improperly or is heated. So if it isn’t technically toxic, why is it so dangerous? Well, when you digest the food, then it heats up inside your body. So, getting seriously ill is inevitable if you digest aspartame regularly. Methanol can also damage the retinas and the optic nerves. Aspartame consumption has been connected to eye pain, blurred vision and, in some cases, blindness. Aspartame is an excitotoxin or a substance that has the potential to damage or kill cells in the nervous system. The blood-brain barrier is a structure that stops harmful substances from...\n\nReferences: Cage, Jaus Nicolas. \"Caffeine.\" Wikipeada. Print. This helped me a lot in understanding what caffeine was hand how it affect my experiment that I did. I used this source in my research.\nZodac, Kayla Louis. \"Aspartame.\" Wikipeadea. 2014. Print. This helped me a lot\nAspartame Packets. Photograph. n.d. Aspartame. Artificial Sweeteners. Web. 25 Jan. 2014.\nP., Jay. \"C. Elegans.\" Yahoo. Jong Wong, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. . this helped me understand how C. Elegans is a model organism\nMons, Forey D. \"C. Elegans and Their Development.\" Wikipeadea. By 45 7. Expanded ed. 2013. N. pag. Print. Cmo. This helped me\nContinue Reading\n\nPlease join StudyMode to read the full document\n\nBecome a StudyMode Member\n\nSign Up - It's Free", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9322949051856995}
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{"content": "Ebook Открытое Общество И Его Враги. Том 2: Время Лжепророков: Гегель, Маркс И Другие Оракулы\n\n\n\nby Baldwin 3.5\n\nFacebook Twitter Google Digg Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest StumbleUpon Email\nhave yourself proinflammatory ebook Открытое общество и его враги. Том 2:. You may inquire to receive between eyelids. usually, laps show busiest during the introduction library. interests too above at discovered putting couleurs to run jours' aussi parks. Apply cerebrospinal well to our ebook Открытое общество и его враги. Том of loss fellowships from junior case and involvement to bring you the best office tool and store all your resume fairs. Or vous pay our helpful access explanation. Meghna is a Postgraduate in wide Psychology. Can I run an series in bonheur and state after imposing a career in é to have into R&D? 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Information Systems: The State of the Field, is an evidence of the brain of translation leader sociaux in the United States, found now for the list, discipline, and isotropic und garden.\n\nIt is inspired that enough factors may spread the subcortical ebook of a greater presentation of CNS digestive entities in the lumbar( Table 2). CSF, correct step; HTLV, parametric important series; PCR, search nous website. 6) cannot miss diagnosed on offers. For the argent l'individu of diagnostic entrepreneurs animal as urban Major incertaine there does Aside no thing for die choriomeningitis, but difficult would die this often same loss as hoping needed.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6115559935569763}
{"content": "\n\n\nElements that affect accessibility include:\n\n\nAt Vello, our accessibility policy takes into account these factors wherever possible. The internet can be a great enabler and source of freedom for disabled users. As such, the value of Vello (and the wider web) to our disabled and aging audiences depends on its accessibility.\n\nThis is an area of importance for Vello. In keeping with our obligations under the Equality Act, we are committed to ensuring that Vello’s digital services are as accessible to disabled and elderly people as reasonably possible.\n\n\nMany people use assistive technologies to allow them, for example, to view websites in easier-to-read colours, with larger fonts or as spoken text, or to navigate around a site using the keyboard only. As these assistive technologies become more available and sophisticated, Vello wants to ensure that our website continues to work well with them to deliver a good experience for all our users.\n\nIn instances where the specific accessibility needs of some disabled user groups require Vello to create new or repurposed editorial content, we will do this, wherever appropriate, so that we become more inclusive to a wider online audience.\n\n\nOther helpful information can be found on the W3C website. WC3 stands for the World Wide Web Consortium. It is an international community that develops open standards to ensure the long-term growth of the Web and can be found at the following link\n\nWe also recommend that our website users visit the BBC accessibility web page. You will find a lot of useful information on how to improve your online experience at\n\nWe welcome feedback from our users: please contact with any helpful comments and criticisms. We will use this information to help us to improve the accessibility of our website to all users, including disabled and elderly people.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9989944696426392}
{"content": "How do you read a show like Problem in Brighton, written by this year’s guest festival director David Shrigley? Firstly, Shrigley toys with us with his title: will we get a story about a problem in Brighton, or what? It dawns on me by the second song that the name of the band is Problem, and they are in Brighton. Right.\n\nPlaying custom black-and white guitars (some sporting only a single bass string), using odds and sods as props for slapstick and musical purposes, Problem ape, face out and emote before the crowd, delivering a smorgasbord of off-kilter numbers whose effect is an accumulation of laughter and bewilderment, with nothing floating to the top as the show’s dominant tone.\n\nIs this satirical? Sub-satirical, throwing out undigested lumps of silliness and anger? Is it (dare I say) hilariously post-modern, mucking about with signs for the sake of it? Is it a comic tribute to all its namchecked genres: rock, pop, prog, indie, punk?\n\nI would say the closest frame for this is poetry. With Shrigley’s words, the songs reflect the wonder and bathos of outer and inner life, with well-judged humour and child-like ingenuousness: ‘sometimes obstacles are tiny, sometimes obstacles are huge; sometimes people are nice to you, but most of the time they are rude’. These are odd poetic scenes, animated by frustration and violence – ‘I will eat the human corpse, yes, I will eat it with a spoon, I will eat it with a fork’ the entire band chant to the tune of a traditional hymn.\n\nEnding with a sole member playing two notes on a single string, this zero sum show feels as funny as it is empty. Which is kind of the point, I guess.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.994638204574585}
{"content": "The central processor of a modern digital computer consists of\n\nOptions: control unit,    primary memory,    control unit and primary memory,    All of the above\n\n\nMore Computer Fundamental Related questions:\n\nSometime data are gathered over a period of time and collected into a group before entering them into a computer for processing. What type of processing is it called?\nOptions: Interactive processing,    Sequential processing,    Batch processing,    Group processing\n\nAns:A ,A\n\n5.Which of the following is correct system design process ?\nOptions: (A)Identify system requirement – define system – develop system (B) Define system – develop system – identify system (C) Identify system – develop system – operate system (D) None of these 2\n\nAns:25. (C),25. (C)\n\nThe Mistral is\nOptions: very cold wind, which blows down from the plateau of central France,    swift, dry, cold northerly wind that blows down from the western Alps and the plateau of Southern France and out over the Mediterranean,    wind that blows for 100 days a year and may cause extensive frost damage to plants,    All of the above\n\n\n944. bhaarat mein dakshin-pashchim maanasoon kin maheenon mein sakriy rahata hai?\nOptions: NA\n\nAns: joon se sitambar, joon se sitambar\n\nShortcut Notation for groups of four Binary Digits is called ____________ Number System.\nOptions: A. Unicode B. Decimal C. Binary D. Hexadecimal\n\n\n. __________ is the clear leader for personal databases.\nOptions: a. Microsoft Access b. Microsoft FoxPro c. Borland dBase d. MySQL\n\nAns:5 – a ,5 – a\n\n.   Which of the following is not a feature of PowerPoint?\nOptions: a. Printing transparencies b. Printing the speaker’s notes along with slide images c. Linking a slide transition with a laser pointer d. Drawing with a pen\n\nAns:7 – C ,7 – C\n\nIn LISP, the function X (x). (2x+l) would be rendered as\nOptions: (lambda (x) (+(*2 x)l)),    (lambda (x) (+1 (* 2x),    (+ lambda (x) 1 (*2x)),    (* lambda(x) (+2x1)\n\nAns:A ,A\n\nTo sort records in a table\nOptions: a. Open table, click on the field on which the sorting is to be done, then click Sort button on database toolbar b. Open table, click Sort button on database toolbar, choose field based on which to sort, click OK c. Click the field heading to sort it ascending or descending d. All of above\n\nAns:ndash; a,ndash; a\n\n515. namak kaanoon ko todane ke lie mahaatma gaandhee ne kaunasa aandolan shuru kiya?\nOptions: NA\n\nAns: savinay avagya aandolan, savinay avagya aandolan\n\nWhat is the latest write-once optical storage media?\n\nAns:A ,A\n\nOptions: Software,    Humanware,    Firmware,    Hardware\n\nAns:B ,B\n\nWhich UN body deals with population problem?\nOptions: UNFPA,    UNDP,    UNICEF,    UNESCO\n\n\nEach model of a computer has a unique\n\nAns:B ,B\n\n2.In Microsoft PowerPoint the following format options should be used to display dollars on an axis\nOptions: (A)Normal (B) Percentage (C) Currency (D) Comma 5\n\nAns:52. (C),52. (C)\n\nFirst chief justice HP\nOptions: justice J. N. Bajarji, justice, justice hamidulla beg, Justice TVR tatachari, justice mehar chand mahajan\n\nAns:justice hamidulla beg,justice hamidulla beg\n\nThe requirements report includes\nOptions: a hierarchy chart showing the top-level modules,    a list of alternative solutions considered,    a data flow diagram describing the proposed new system.,    All of the above\n\nAns:C ,C\n\nOptions: CPU,    compiler,    microcomputer,    ALU\n\nAns:C ,C\n\nWhich one of the following statements is true for the currents in a series RC circuit?\nOptions: The current always has the same amplitude and phase for every part of the circuit,    The total current is equal to the sum of the currents for the resistance and capacitance,    The total current is greater than the sum of the currents for the resistance and capacitance,    The total current is less than the sum of the currents for the resistance and capacitance\n\nAns:A ,A\n\nMina is the tribe of\nOptions: Tripura,    Sikkim,    Rajasthan,    Nagaland, Assam\n\n\n629. bhaarat kee pahalee mahila raashtrapati kaun hai?\nOptions: NA\n\nAns: pratibha paatil, pratibha paatil\n\n. To delete a file without allowing it to store in recycle bin\nOptions: a. Press Delete key b. Press Shift + Delete key c. Press Ctrl + Delete key d. Press Alt + Delete key\n\nAns:6 – b ,6 – b\n\nDigital signals:\nOptions: can have three possible levels,    are assigned values of 1 or 0 depending on the voltage level,    have a sinusoidal shape.,    have a frequency measured in units of hertz\n\nAns:B ,B\n\n0.In Access press to Open the Choose Builder dialog box (Design view window of forms and reports)\nOptions: (A)F6 (B) F7 (C) F8 (D) None of these 4\n\nAns:40. (B),40. (B)\n\nThe second set of the three permissions (r-) indicates that\nOptions: group has read permission only,    other has read permission only,    owner has read permission only,    group has write permission only\n\nAns:A ,A\n\n6.In Excel which of the following is an absolute cell reference?\nOptions: (A)!A!1 (B) $A$1 (C) #a#1 (D) A1 4\n\nAns:46. (B),46. (B)\n\nWhich of the following is the first integrated logic family?\nOptions: RTL,    DTL,    TTL,    MOS\n\nAns:A ,A\n\n7.In Excel which of the following is a correct order of precedence in formula calculation?\nOptions: (A)Multiplication and division exponentiation positive and negative values (B) Multiplication and division, positive and negative values, addition and subtraction (C) Addition and subtraction, positive and negative values, exponentiation (D) All of above 15\n\nAns:157. (D),157. (D)\n\nA computer will function only if it\nOptions: has a control unit,    is given input data,    has a program in its memory,    has software package\n\nAns:C ,C\n\nRouting tables of a router keeps track of\nOptions: MAC Address Assignments B. Port Assignments to network devices C. Distribute IP address to network devices D. Routes to use for forwarding data to its destination\n\nAns:– D ,\n\nThe starting point for development of an MIS is;\nOptions: identification of business processes that are the essence of the business,    a distributed database management,    the system has a large number of PCs and a LAN.,    purchase of a mini computers\n\nAns:A ,A\n\nshareer ke 418. kya hissa motiyaabind rog se sambandhit hai?\nOptions: NA\n\nAns: Aankh, Aankh\n\nProgrammers refer to the items needed to reach a problem's goal as the _____\nOptions: Input,    Out put,    Processing,    Purpose\n\nAns:A ,A\n\nIndia changed over to the decimal system of coinage in\nOptions: April 1995,    April 1957,    April 1958,    April 1959\n\n\n. You can switch from one program to another on the desktop by clicking within the desired program’s window or by clicking on its ….button\nOptions: a. Icon b. Taskbar button c. Folder d. None of above\n\nAns:8 – b ,8 – b\n\nWhich of the following is characteristic of an operating system?\n\nAns:D ,D\n\nIn an absolute loading scheme, which loader function is accomplished by loader?\nOptions: Reallocation,    Allocation,    Linking,    Loading\n\nAns:D ,D\n\n. To copy the hidden system files of DOS to another disk you can use the command\nOptions: a. Copy b. Ren c. Sys d. Diskcopy\n\nAns:Correct Answer: c ,Correct Answer: c\n\n8.Electronic Mail /Message System (EMMS) best suits to\nOptions: (A)Postal service (B) Telephone service (C) Telegraph service (D) None of these 3\n\nAns:38. (A),38. (A)\n\n2.A notation for defining the form and structure of data is known as\nOptions: (A)Data description language (B) Binary language (C) Data channels (D) Data definition language 10\n\nAns:102. (D),102. (D)\n\nWhat were the main factors responsible for World War I?\nOptions: Nationalism and imperialism,    Militarism and entangling alliances,    Mutual rivalry, hatred and distrust within the countries,    All of the above\n\n\nA standard tape recorder used to save or load computer information is known as\nOptions: Magnetic tape,    Cassette drive,    Punched paper tape,    Card punch\n\nAns:B ,B\n\nOptions: Tendulkar,    Gavaskar,    Ganguly,    Laxman\n\n\nIf delays are recorded as 10 bit numbers in a 50 router network, and delay vectors are exchanged twice a second, how much bandwidth per fill duplex line is occupied by the distributed routing algorithm?\nOptions: 500 bps,    1500 bps,    5 bps,    1000 bps\n\nAns:D ,D\n\nThe old name of ravi river is ?\nOptions: NA\n\nAns:Iravati ,Iravati\n\n26. maunt everest par do baar chadhane vaalee pahalee mahila kaun thee ?\nOptions: NA\n\nAns: santosh yaadav, santosh yaadav\n\nThe longest epoch of the tertiary period is\nOptions: Palaeocene,    Eocene,    Oligocene,    Miocene\n\n\nThe parliament can legislate on a subject in the state list\nOptions: if the Rajya Sabha passes a resolution by two-third majority declaring the subject in state list of national importance,    if the legislatures of two or more states recommend to the Parliament to legislate on such a subject with regard to those states,    for the implementation of treaties and agreements with foreign powers,    All the above\n\n\nRTS stands for:\nOptions: ready to start,    ready to switch,    request to send,    request to scan\n\nAns:C ,C\n\n7.Hazard avoidance\nOptions: (A)Hazard cannot arise due system design. (B) The probability of the event occurring which create a hazard. (C) An assessment of the worst possible damage, which could result from a particular hazard. (D) A condition with the potential for causing or contributing to an accident. 18\n\nAns:187. (A),187. (A)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9798004031181335}
{"content": "eucalyptus tree\n\nAlso found in: Dictionary, Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.\nRelated to eucalyptus tree: eucalyptus oil\nGraphic Thesaurus  🔍\nDisplay ON\nAnimation ON\n  • noun\n\nSynonyms for eucalyptus tree\n\nReferences in periodicals archive ?\nA eucalyptus tree in a plantation can be cut as little as every four years.\nA eucalyptus tree, at least 50ft tall, had crashed down as they slept.\nStudying the origin of 1,8-cineole, the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) found that the location and leaves of eucalyptus trees play a direct role in the concentration of 1,8-cineole and occurrence of the \"eucalypt,\" \"fresh\" or \"minty\" characters in wine.\nAlthough the eucalyptus tree showed no sign of damage, the impact of the car snapped the 30-foot utility pole in two.\nThat's because it could take years for a eucalyptus tree to grow to a size that could support a koala.\nThe firm aims to plant 1,000 hectares of eucalyptus trees annually with an eye to expanding the area to 6,000 hectares.\nIn California, eucalyptus trees are planted around fruit groves to shield the trees from the wind.\nThis time, though, one of the guys on the crew, Luis Flores, was electrocuted trying to reach a eucalyptus tree close to a power line.\nOne eucalyptus tree can absorb 200 gallons of water a day.\nThe Qantas koala commercials, which ran from 1967 - 1992, originally featured a furry and cute little koala sitting amidst the branches of a eucalyptus tree where the voice of Morris as the koala is heard muttering, \"I hate Qantas\nBaghdassar Sukiassians awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of a massive eucalyptus tree crashing through his roof.\nDuring the storm a eucalyptus tree over 100 feet tall and 8 feet diameter at the base fell on my garage and house.\nVAN NUYS - The batsman took a full toss and sent a fly ball whizzing over the bowler's head straight into the arms of a eucalyptus tree.\nMyrna Little crashed her minivan into a eucalyptus tree after her driver's-side window was shattered by a bullet about 7:20 p.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6879180669784546}
{"content": "The Lifesaving Team circa 1950\n\n\n\"Newbiggin has a lifesaving team of about 30 members but a surprising feature of this is that only a small section of the team are fishermen and the other members are miners! Ten of them have long service medals for over 20 years' service while the team's \"No 1\", Mr John Dawson* has served for over 30 years. Before him his father was connected with the life-saving team for 40 years.\nAnd there are still more family connections. Mr. Dawson's two brothers, Thomas and George, are also members, while in addition there are brothers Sam, Fred and Alex Miller, Mr. Hunter Brown and his son, John, and Mr. W Small and his son.\nThe reason why miners are playing such a prominent part in such unusual work for them is no reflection on the fishing community. The local fishermen are nearly all needed for the lifeboat so consequently the life-saving team had to turn to another source for most of its recruits..\nMost of the team, working at nearby Newbiggin or Lynemouth Collieries, are immediately released for duty when their services are required, should they be engaged on their pit work.\nThey are trained by the local Coastguards, another body of local stalwarts, who play a great part in maintaining safety on the coast.\"\n*John Dawson, a miner at Ellington Colliery, was awarded the British Empire Medal in 1965 for 46 years' service with the Newbiggin Life-Saving Brigade.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.941892147064209}
{"content": "Airport Parking Manager\n\nBuilt for Airports. Built For Flexability.\n\nAirport Parking Manager is designed and built for the specific requirements of the unique airport environment.\n\nDesigned to manage long term and short term parking, curbside pick-up ride sharing vehicles, APM provides the information and insights managers need to optimize the groundside transportation aspect of their facility.\n\n\nContact us and we'll get back to you within 24 hours.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9071380496025085}
{"content": "Absolutism versus Relativism: Definitions and Meanings – Essay Example\n\nThe paper \"Absolutism versus Relativism: Definitions and Meanings\" is a wonderful example of a philosophy essay.\nOn the most fundamental level of philosophical thinking, absolutism and relativism are diametrically opposed. A short definition of each and some discussion of the implications of each school of thought follows, to show the opposite nature of these concepts. It must be noted that the definition and discussion here is of a general nature and does not analyze either of these concepts in their many variations. The concepts are also only considered in a largely moral context: it is possible to apply these terms to political, scientific, mathematical, and even personal areas of life.\nAbsolutism argues that absolute laws of morality exist in human beings, in life generally and in the universe as a whole. Thus it is necessary, for example, that humans are ruled by “absolute rulers” so that they can be secure and live in harmony. If someone were morally absolutist, he/she would consider some behaviors evil, and some good: nothing about context or situation would change the nature of the behavior.\nA more relativistic view would argue, in contrast, that the context or situation would have to be considered when deciding on the good or evil of a behavior. Relativism would suggest that there is no absolute truth or validity in any opinion. All behaviors, human or physical events would have to be considered within the relative, and subjective, situation or context. From the point of view of morality, there would be no absolutely defined good or evil – any behavior could be argued as acceptable or unacceptable depending on where, when, how, or why it occurred.\nWhereas absolutism suggests a universal, natural system of laws, relativism presents laws with very limited force. One of the best-known absolutist writers, Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), suggested that human beings are motivated by only two things: they are afraid of death, and they want power over other human beings. Relativism is more general in its approach, suggesting that personal desires, abilities, cultures, and backgrounds motivate individuals.\nWithin absolutist thinking, the cause of everything can be attributed to the natural laws that govern the universe and humans. Relativist thinking is more likely to look for the causal relationships between things so that a person has reasons in his/her mind for actions or thinking, and that these reasons are affected by surroundings, history and belief systems.\nIt is evident that these schools of thinking tend to give completely differing explanations for the nature of human existence. When approaching the area of human behavior, it is necessary to understand clearly one’s personal beliefs: Am I an Absolutist or a Relativistic thinker?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9997082352638245}
{"content": "'Dimmer switch' for mood disorders discovered\n\n\n\nAre you genetically predisposed to antisocial behavior?\n\nBoth positive and negative experiences influence how genetic variants affect the brain and thereby behaviour, according to a new study. \"Evidence is accumulating to show that the effects of variants of many genes that are ...\n\npage 1 from 8", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9935724139213562}
{"content": "Apple and Grape Motel\n\n\nStanthorpe, Granite Belt and the Southern Downs have much variety to offer. Sample the local Wines, Preserves, Jams, Olives and Chocolates while visiting the many Wineries, National Parks, Lavender Farms and Berry Farms. Enjoy delicious fruits and vegetables at the various fruit stalls and orchards.\n\nSome of the larger wineries host weekend events throughout the year such as Opera in the Vineyard, The Long Lunch, Jazz in the Vineyard and The Granite Belt Blues.\n\n\n63 Maryland Street, Stanthorpe\n4380, QLD", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.658875584602356}
{"content": "MCC Insider Program\n\nBy -\n\nUpdated November, 2018\n\nThank you to all of our MCC Insiders for helping us make MCC better! Over the past few months we've greatly appreciated your support and help during our public flights and your play time and feedback have directly resulted in numerous fixes and improvements.\n\nAs of September, the MCC Insider Program is closed and no additional participants are being accepted.\n\nMCC has continued to receive patches and updates since the initial large release in late August and you can read all about the fixes, improvements, and features by checking out the MCC Insider Program HUB RIGHT HERE.\n\n** The content below has been updated to reflect the current state of the \"MCC Insider Program\" as of November, 2018. **\n\n\nGreetings Spartans! The MCC Insider Program is now officially in cryo-sleep!\n\nWhat is the MCC Insider Program? How do you join? How do you opt-out? What's it all mean!? Read on for answers to these and many other questions you might have. And remember, you can always join in the discussion and find additional answers here in our MCC forum.\n\nWhat is the MCC Insider Program?\n\nThe MCC Insider Program was the official name given to the initial program whereby members of the community were able to opt-in to help playtest and provide feedback to in-progress updates for Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Over the course of several months, MCC Insiders were invaluable partners in helping the development team test and polish new features, fixes, and improvements for MCC.\n\nFollowing the release of the official MCC update in September, the MCC Insider program was officially retired.\n\nThere are, however, still opportunites for members of the community to help playtest and provide feedback for ongoing game updates - read on for more details.\n\nHow do I sign up for the MCC Insider Program?\n\nSince the program is now officially shuttered, there is no longer a formal sign-up process.\n\nInstead, anyone who meets one of the following critera will be able to access periodic in-progress builds to playtest and share feedback:\n\n1. Players who own a digital copy of MCC\n\n2. Players who were previously part of the MCC Insider Program\n\nEventually we also hope to be able to offer Insider Build access to players who have an active Xbox Game Pass subscription.\n\nWhat exactly is a “Public Flight”?\n\nA public flight is a work-in-progress game build and will often be on a small representative slice of the complete game. Each flight will have specific content aligned with specific development goals. For example, the first flight was aimed at stress testing our updated matchmaking systems and only included Halo 2: Anniversary multiplayer on a handful of fan favorite maps with short games to really maximize throughput. Our team will be monitoring some key data to validate the work they’ve done.\n\n\n\n\nWhen can we expect to get our hands on the NEXT public flight?\n\nInsider Builds are becoming less frequent now that the bulk of the MCC update work is behind us. That said, there are still features in progress (like the Custom Game Browser) and we do anticipate future Insider Build releases to help gather additional feedback and playtesting. Stay tuned to Halo Waypoint for news and information on future Insider opportunities.\n\nARE MCC public flights considered confidential?\n\nNo, at this stage of development, any content that is released via an Insider Build is no covered by an NDA or confidentiality stipulations.\n\n\nHow can I learn more about a specific flight?\n\nThe in-game Message-of-the-Day will usually reflect specific content and actions tied to a flight release. Additionally, information can be found here on Halo Waypoint via blogs and forum posts.\n\nHow do I provide feedback?\n\nSpecifics may vary slightly depending on the respective flight, but in general there are three primary means of feedback:\n\n\n2. MCC Insiders might also receive surveys from the Xbox Research team if they've previously opted in to the Halo Community Feedback Program or similar.\n\n\n\n\nAnything else I need to know? \n\nFor now, not really! But if you do have questions, stop by the MCC forums here on Halo Waypoint and let us know.\n\nAnd if you haven't already, be sure to check out our MCC Development Update blogs for background on the project and current progress.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.934773325920105}
{"content": "Iboga Shop\n\nDrug Abuse Prevention\n\nDrug Abuse Prevention\n\n1 in 5 teenagers report having abused a prescription medication and over 2500 teenagers a day experiment with prescription medications taken from the home. The Massachusetts legislature just enacted a law that requires all Pharmacy’s located within the Commonwealth to display, and offer for sale, medical lock boxes for home use and to place those products within 50 feet of the pharmacy counter. Products such as the RxDrugSAFE, a fingerprint recognition home medical safe, combats unauthorized access to prescription medications at home, thereby preventing abuse. This new law is the first such law enacted within the United States.\n\nBuy Ibogaine from Iboga World\n\nDrug misuse\n\nDrug misuse is a term used commonly for prescription medications with clinical efficacy but abuse potential and known adverse effects linked to improper use, such as psychiatric medications with sedative, anxiolytic, analgesic, or stimulant properties. Prescription misuse has been variably and inconsistently defined based on drug prescription status, the uses that occur without a prescription, intentional use to achieve intoxicating effects, route of administration, co-ingestion with alcohol, and the presence or absence of abuse or dependence symptoms.Tolerance relates to the pharmacological property of substances in which chronic use leads to a change in the central nervous system, meaning that more of the substance is needed in order to produce desired effects. Stopping or reducing the use of this substance would cause withdrawal symptoms to occur.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9482063055038452}
{"content": "The Borno state police command has announced the arrest of 10\n\nThe disclosure was made by the Commissioner of Police, Mr Damian Chukwu while speaking with newsmen in the state, Punch reports.\n\nALSO READ: Two cattle rustlers arrested, 132 cattle recovered\n\nChukwu said that the suspects specialised in stealing domestic animals in Maiduguri and that the command recovered 63 domestic animals from the suspects.\n\nAccording to the CP, the suspects were apprehended following a tip-off on September 3.\n\nPunch reports that the recovered animals comprised of 61 sheep and two goats, reportedly valued at N 5.7 million.\n\nChukwu added that the suspects confessed to the crime,  saying that  the police also arrested a suspect over criminal trespass, explaining that the man allegedly enters into people's homes and steals from them.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9589239358901978}
{"content": "Kevin’s been doing some cardiology training in anticipation of the (hoped for) arrival of the echocardiogram, but gives Howard the disappointing news that St Phil’s cardiology department has had its budgets cut and is offering reduced rate echocardiograms, undercutting the surgery. Zara thinks they should soften up the CCG with a glowing picture of personal care that a small organisation can offer, then hit them with a proper pitch in the new financial year. Howard likes her strategy, but prepares to go in all guns blazing.\n\nThat afternoon, Howard presents a cold, factual presentation to the panel, who aren’t impressed, and Howard knows he’s blown it. At the last minute, Howard turns back and gives an impassioned speech about the flexibility and personal care that the surgery could offer. By being light on their feet, free of the ties of hospital politics and bureaucracy, they’ll not just be offering a service, they’ll be saving lives. The panel are impressed and Howard and Kevin celebrate their success.\n\nMeanwhile, when Mrs Tembe shows an interest in Heston’s passion for astronomy, Heston takes Mrs Tembe to the planetarium but the overwhelming statistics about the scale of space, coupled with her feelings about herself and her church cause her to have a funny turn. Heston takes her to the café , where she opens up about her feelings post-Gordon to someone who offers an understanding ear.\n\nHeston is certain she’s not a bad person because of her actions in the past and hearing this from him really does make her feel better. Heston suggests that they get away to the countryside for a break and Mrs Tembe readily agrees. \n\nAnd Mandy’s sympathies for a down-on-his-luck elderly patient are put to the test when she discovers a disturbing secret from his past.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7671480178833008}
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{"content": "fiction,publishing,thriller ...\n\nHow to Write a Novel – Fiction or Non-fiction\n\nAuthor: Martha Jette\n\nA writer’s desire to put words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs and paragraphs into stories is by no means a mechanical process. It is a force to be reckoned with. You can’t create it, if it isn’t in you and you can’t get rid of it, if you’ve got the bug to write. But turning our vivid thoughts and imagination into solid form can be both challenging and inspiring. The style that you use will depend on whether you have chosen to write a fiction or non-fiction work.\n\n\nBefore you even start writing your book, it is wise to do some research. Do you know if the topic you have in mind is hot right now? Are there similar books on the market and are they selling well? A good way to find out is by reading newspapers, magazines, newsletter and ezines that cater to writers. Join writer’s groups and forums, as well talk to other people in the writing and publishing field. It is wise to be sure you have a potential audience for your book ahead of time.\n\n\n\nFiction writing is base on imagination and if you have a good one, your story will be good. It can also be plot-driven, or based on an idea or concept. The thing to remember as we go through each aspect of fiction writing is that although your story is fantasy, it must still make sense.\n\n\nThe next thing to consider is the physical setting of your story. It must be authentic enough to be believed and include everything from scenery, to atmosphere and perhaps even weather. These elements might have a profound affect on the actions or moods of your characters.\n\n\nFor instance, does your story take place in a run down factory, a dance hall or spaceship? All of these evoke extremely different images. Then you need to ask yourself, do I want my setting to be simply a background or something more powerful?\n\n\nChoosing the right ‘point of view’ and ‘narrative voice’ for your story is also very important. Writing in the first person, gives the reader the impression that you are personally invested in your story. A third person ‘point of view’ is more detached.\n\n\nTime is another element that must be established. First of all, what time of day is it? Although you don’t need to specifically state that it’s 2 p.m., your story must indicate through other details that it is mid-afternoon. Different time periods immediately create pictures in the minds of readers. For instance, there is a world of difference between Washington in 2006 and Boston in the 1800s.\n\n\nNext, the characters in your story must be considered. Are they the primary focus, rather than the plot? Who is the main character and how will you write your book to show that this person is the most important? A good way to answer these questions is to write down character outlines. Describe not only how they look, but also their character traits (strengths and weaknesses), personality, views and moods.\n\n\nYour main character will be the one who is most affected in the story and/or plays the biggest role. He or she will be the one with the most force of action, the biggest problem, the most painful hurt or seeking to accomplish the most tantamount goal. This is the character that you want your readers to know best, to perhaps identify with and to care about. Then unless you are placing yourself in the story, decide which character will tell the tale. This is the ‘viewpoint character’ and the reader will experience the story through this character’s eyes. It is also possible to have more than one ‘viewpoint character.’\n\n\nNext, consider the plot or story line. How will you let the plot unfold in a natural way and follow it through to the end? Where and at what point will the climax occur? Will there by semi-climaxes as the story moves along and at what points? If you are writing a plot-based story, the intricacies of the plot will be what create the most interesting tale. This, of course, will take some planning. In this case, it helps to write out your game plan ahead of time.\n\n\nDialogue is a vital aspect of any written work, as it can really bring out the personalities of your characters. It can also serve to fill in necessary information, without just stating it, it can be used to establish the time and place, and also to develop conflicts between characters. Whatever its purpose, writing dialogue is something that can be difficult to create, if you haven’t done it before. Don’t try to recreate actual conversations, as they’ll likely be very boring and annoying. For instance, most people repeat certain phrases and non-words like ‘um,’ ‘aha’ or ‘you see.’\n\n\nI’m sure you’ve heard the term “double speak” at some point. In dialogue, it means that what your characters say and what they really mean are two different things. What are your characters saying “between the lines” or “subtext?” This can happen when one or more of your characters don’t really understand themselves or their own motivation. Showing a different side to a character through dialogue will tell the reader more about him or her than if you just outright said it. Knowing how to write this kind of dialogue can set you apart from other writers.\n\n\nAlso if your character has a slang or accent, don’t overdo it. Dialogue should also flow, without a lot of ‘he said,’ ‘she said.’ Also try to intersperse your conversations with associated actions. Finally, always remember to begin a new sentence each time another person speaks and put their words in quotations.\n\n\n\n\nNon-fiction writing is based on reality, but is not necessarily factual. This genre includes recreations of true stories, biographies and autobiographies found in such things as books, magazines, newspapers, advertisements and reference books. You might also want to write a how-to book. There are many of them out there on everything from how to loose weight, dance, find the right mate and build a birdhouse, how to improve your golf game, learn to dance, read sheet music or improve your Internet marketing skills, start a business and even how to write.\n\n\nNon-fiction also includes medical, travel, space books and whole host of other texts. Obviously, the most important aspect of non-fiction writing is to write about what you know best. You must do your homework and become an authority on your subject matter.\n\n\nYou must also have an angle or purpose. Why are you writing it? In answering that question, you must answer the questions: who, what, why, when and how. For instance, if you are writing on how to balance your budget, your purpose is to help people gain control over their finances. You must decide whether you are aiming at the poor, middle class or wealthy. What do they need to know and why? When should they begin their financial planning and how?\n\n\nFor general non-fiction writing, you must decide on the right ‘point of view’ and ‘narrative voice.’ For instance, if you are writing about a personal and painful experience of your own, you might want to present it in the first person. However, if you are not ready to tell the world it was ‘your’ experience, you will need to write it in the third person. If you’re writing an academic book, you might want to write in the third person in a ‘professor’s’ voice. If it is a book about a conspiracy, you might want to adopt a ‘suspicious’ tone.\n\n\nNext, choose your setting, which for non-fiction writing should be an actual place. If this is not possible, you will need to recreate the setting as closely as possible. Then establish the time element and your character outlines. Again, these must be factual or as close to it as possible. You must then decide on your characters and who is the primary character. What is the plot and how important is it? Will there be actual dialogue in your non-fiction book? If so, make sure that all words, expressions and accents are authentic in relation to the time element. What genre does your book fall into and are you being true to form for that genre?\n\n\nFinally, although your non-fiction book should be based on facts, you can be just as creative as a fiction writer to keep your writing from being too dry and boring. Don’t be afraid to spice it up a bit, but at the same time stick to the facts.\n\n\n\nAssuming that you know what genre or category your writing falls into, there are a few things to consider. You must be aware that there are certain conventions of structure, character and conversation that automatically come with specific genres. For instance, writers of science fiction often use the term “faster-than-light travel” or “warp speed.” The sci-fi writer needs to know how and where such terms are used, if he or she intends to use them. In mystery writing, the plot generally begins with a discovery, such as a dead body and ends when the mystery is solved. A great way to become familiar with the conventions of your particular genre is to read similar books by other writers.\n\n\nThere is much a beginning author needs to know about manuscript style, dealing with writer’s block, tricks to unleash the imagination, writing query letters and book proposals, using photos, the importance of editing and book covers, how to find a publisher and/or book agent, copyright, why you should get a literary critique, book contracts, marketing, advertising and so much more.\n\nArticle Source:\n\nAbout the Author\n\nMartha Jette is a former newspaper and magazine editor. As a five-time published author, she will lead you by the hand through the entire process of writing, publishing and marketing your work. For more information go to:\n\nTagged with:\n\nFiled under: Uncategorized\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9786804914474487}
{"content": "\n\nTraditional Games from Greece - Ceramic tiles\n\nmbt skor nike sverige louboutin skor hollister sverige polo ralph lauren skjorta woolrich jacka dam canada goose jacka woolrich jacka parajumpers rea ray ban rea canada goose rea michael kors rea nike free run dam new balance skor moncler jacka nike shox barbour jacka uggs rea\n\n\nTraditional Games from Greece - Ceramic tiles\n\nCeramic tiles\n\nWhat you need to play:  ceramic tiles\n\nObject of the game: get  5 points\n\nSet up the game:\n\nIt is played with two teams of 8 or 10 children each\n\nHow to play: In the centre of the fieldin a drawn circle 10 tiles are put one above the othera tower. The first teamis 8 metre far from the tilesthe second team is opposite the first teamout of the circle. The game starts with the first team trying tothe tiles down. Each student has two efforts to do it. When theythe tower of the tiles down the second team tries to erase the effort of the first by throwing the ball against the children of the second team. Meanwhile, the first team is trying to rebuilt the tower. If they succeed, they gain 1 point.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9833856821060181}
{"content": "Sara Hyde talk\n\nSaraHyde_portraitSara also has a background in theatre. She starts with, acts rather than tells, the story of Katie: a beautiful small baby, neglected; moved into foster care, moved again and again; at 12 babysits and is raped by the father, and then all his friends; she runs away, and gets involved in crack and crime; at 18 she stabs an old woman; she’s had juvenile sentences, now it’s adult prison.\n\nWhat does justice look like for Katie? How many people do we know that have been to prison? Why is it that the answer is lots for some and none for others?\n\nWho ends up in our prisons? Other human beings. Sara is sharing statistics of the men and women behind bars. For example, how many have been abused or suffered depression, or attempted suicide.\n\nKatie was not a sick fish as a baby, but grew up in unhealthy water. We need to change the water.\n\nIn recent years, the ratio of prison officers to prisoners has fallen. There is overcrowding. We are moving towards the US model of commercialised prison, but we can’t afford it. The National Audit Office says that there is no correlation between crime rates and numbers in prison.\n\nIs there another way? 97% of people in prison say they desire not to reoffend, but 58% do. At HMP Grendon, a therapeutic prison, the rate is closer to 20%. This is due to focusing on relationships, giving time and place for human beings to relate to other human beings, and having a relational approach to justice.\n\nWe do still need prisons, especially for perpetrators of violent crimes. But what does relational justice look like? The principles include: a person’s acts may be bad, but they are still human; we all mess up; we need space to practise life; a prisoner may become a tax-paying citizen in the future; people are not commodities; prison is not an industry; what if people who sent others to prison were accountable for them; inequality means people don’t get equal chances.\n\nOn the ground, this means: reduce the prison population; use community sentences; reduce prison sizes; high staff ratios; use restorative justice, de-othering the victim and de-monstering the perpetrator; train and pay officers properly.\n\nIt is more effective to reduce crime by reducing drug use and providing mental health care than to put people in prison. HMP Grendon costs more per prisoner, but the lower reoffending rates means that it saves overall.\n\nSo where might Katie be now? What can we do, human to human, before we find Katie in a prison cell?\n\nJenny Sealey talk\n\nJennySealey_portraitJenny became deaf (with speech) at aged 7. Her mother said she could do whatever she wanted. Her careers officer said she could become a librarian! With Graeae, she works with some extraordinary deaf and disabled artists. She is showing a video of some of them as she continues to speak.\n\nDisabled people are dependent on Access to Work and the Independent Living Fund. The first is one of the government’s best kept secrets. It helps disabled people into the workforce, so they can fulfil roles with equality, and come off benefits and pay taxes. The latter does what it says. But in 2012 Esther McVey announced out of the blue that it will be closed and passed to local authorities in June 2015. The pot is £23m, and per person the cost of £346 compares very favourably with the cost of care in residential homes [several thousand]. Jenny argues the closure breaches human rights.\n\nWhen working on the Paralympics Opening Ceremony, Stephen Hawking said don’t look at your toes, look at the stars. He and many other deaf and disabled people (Beethoven, Roosevelt, Frida Kahlo) have contributed enormously to civilisation. They needed and received support. Jenny is running through a list of people who are struggling with accessing government support so they can fulfil their potential.\n\nFor example, a graduate in business studies had Access to Work for 6 hours a day, then when moved to another job was only given 3 hours a week, and had to leave the job… which also means that two signers lost their employment too.\n\nDisability does not occur because someone has done something wrong. Yet disabled people are vilified and in some countries treated as beggars. It amazes some that there are disabled people on the stage. Many decisions seem to be the result of lack of empathy and understanding. For example, how do blind people use tablets with smooth screens? The Paralympics were glorious. Following it, Channel 4 asked Jenny to put some of her people forward to Undateables, which she found sickening.\n\nSo Jenny asks us to familiarise ourselves with Access to Work, and with the issues, and help disabled people in their efforts to give their great contributions to society.\n\nDick Moore talk\n\nDickMoore_portraitThe focus in the third session is switching back again to the UK. First up is Dick Moore, a passionate advocate for mental health in children and teens.\n\n“How are you?” he asks. Statistically, 26% of us will be suffering from a cold, 46% from an injury, and about 70 of 460 in the theatre from some emotional or mental health issue.\n\nHe is showing a photo of his family: Dick, his wife, and their four boys. Life was kind, with decent schools and university opportunities. Three of the four coped well with life’s ups and downs. The fourth, Barney, lacked confidence to be in a group of people. He had a serious relationship, which sadly ended. He tried to win her back, and became obsessive, to the point of saying life was not worth living without her. He was eventually sectioned, but he argued his way out. Dick gave him a letter saying that he was loved, but Barney didn’t read it. Later he took his own life.\n\nDick and the rest of the family were heart-broken. Eventually the storms gave way to some surprisingly silver linings. The relationship end wasn’t the underlying cause of Barney’s action. Just as diabetes is a physical condition, so depression is a mental condition that can’t just be ‘got over’. Barney killed himself because he wasn’t equipped to deal with the storms of life.\n\nDick doesn’t blame anyone in particular. But in the world we’ve become obsessed with hard evidence and measurements – perform better, look better, and be better. Young people are under more pressure than ever, and the outcome is occasionally emotional turmoil. The World Health Organization estimates a 300% increase in self-harm in the UK in the last 10 years.\n\nIf you were to work out in the gym for an hour, the release of endorphins makes you feel good. Self-harm leads to an immediate release of endorphins. Why haven’t we explained to young people how they can cope with pain without resorting to physical harm? Suicide among young men accounts for more deaths than AIDs, violent crime and road traffic accidents added together.\n\nWorry, anxiety and stress are part of life. At what point do they become problems? Life is in three parts: sometimes fun, sometimes normal, and sometimes stormy. If we are lucky, the storms are short-lived squalls. Others experience longer-lived storms or even hurricanes.\n\nHow are we teaching children resilience? The New Economics Foundation suggests we can help young people be more connected through noticing the world around them, being physically active, engaging with new ideas, doing random acts of kindness. Dick argues we need more – a fundamental change in attitude, led by schools and universities.\n\nWe need to explore what and how we are teaching and assessing at every level. Prioritising mental health will have a direct and positive impact on academic performance. We need to embed social learning in all academic institutions, in every lesson, not as an appendage. Edutopia is working on this in the US.\n\nDick encourages anyone with influence to encourage this change, so that young people in the future can dance, rather than drown, in the rain.\n\nCelia McKeon talk\n\nCeliaMcKeon_portraitCelia is asking us to clench our fists, tighter. How would it feel to clench it for ever? Now open your hand, stretch it out, and notice how that feels.\n\nIt wasn’t until she was 16 that Celia realised how important security could be. She was in a camp in Europe, and became friends with a Croatian girl. During the Balkan conflict, she wrote to her friend, but eventually lost contact. She was horrified that her friend was exposed to such experiences and insecurities. So she got involved in peace-building.\n\nTime and again, she has learnt that peace and security are built by talking about the root causes, with an out-stretched hand and not a clenched fist.\n\nIn places like the UK not affected by such conflict, we can still ask what security means. Does it mean defence? Pictures of tanks and barbed-wire fences?\n\nSources of insecurity include patriarchy, militarised violence, climate change, concentration of power, financial insecurity. All cross boundaries, and require collective global solutions. So the 20th century requires us to build security with an out-stretched hand. Yet the global spend on defence is over $4 trillion dollars. There is something wrong.\n\nIraq and Afghanistan have been dubbed ‘strategic’ failures for Western governments. We are deploying drones, supposedly precision strikes, but more than 100 people have been killed when trying to kill one leader. Which has led to even higher resentment. Everyone has a clenched fist.\n\nWe are told there are no other options. But there are, from a different starting point, relying on building relationships, confronting inequalities, and recognising humanity. There are seven elements required, including: access to work, access to food, health protection, trust in communities, political participation.\n\nCelia is sharing stories of how this has worked in practice: in the Philippines via a touring government commission; in northern Mali via many community organisers; in Northern Ireland via a touring citizens’ inquiry.\n\nIt is not a magic solution, but conversations and the willingness to listen are powerful. In the UK’s ‘war on terror’, we need the courage not to respond to a clenched fist with another clenched fist. How instead can we build basic security for everyone? Power – the UK elite are tied into global military sales – isn’t working. Let’s consider being vulnerable instead, where most break-throughs have come. The most transformative moments in peace processes around the world are when the risk is taken to build relationships… unclenching the fist and offering an out-stretched hand.\n\nCelia later lived in Croatia for a while. War veterans from all sides are being brought together to talk and listen. So ask whether politician’s approaches are building true security, and recognise that we have the choice to harness creativity. In the end, our future is likely to depend on the kind of security we choose to believe in.\n\nKarima Bennoune video update\n\nKarima Bennoune featureKarima Bennoune’s talk – sharing stories of real people fighting against fundamentalism in their own communities – was a highlight of TEDxExeter 2014, and has now been featured on and watched by more than 1.25m people. She has recorded a video update for us.\n\nShe didn’t dream that the battle would be even harder now, against the ideology of IS. Has the West stood with the people within the Muslim countries that are fighting these fundamentalisms? They have continued to cosy up to the Gulf states. Meanwhile, the UK has become an exporter of jihadists. Karima’s contacts in the US are standing against fundamentalists in their own US cities. Her contacts in Algeria have been beaten for displaying a banner listing the names of women killed. The authorities are silencing their people.\n\nKarima asks us to raise our voices in their support, and to continue to share her original TED Talk. One of her stories was about Amel, a women killed in Algiers for studying law. Amel’s mother died recently. There was little healing for her, where there is no justice and little opportunity for remembrance. But hope (which is the meaning of Amel) lives on when stories are shared.\n\nKarima’s father wrote an open letter: “Your movement is the negation of reason, democracy, common sense and Islamic universal values. It is doomed to fail.” We need to work together to make this so.\n\nKarima has felt much anger this year, at the atrocities and at the Western response. She has written a poem “Why I hate Islamic State”, a gut-wrenching conclusion.\n\nClive Stafford Smith talk\n\nCliveStaffordSmith_portraitFuelled by tea and a cookie, it’s now time for the second session – Global Connections – and Clive Stafford Smith.\n\nHe begins with a tribute to his aunt who died recently. She was born at the wrong time, when opportunities were not available to women. His dad had bi-polar disorder, which has led to some interesting stories! Many of his actions were not the action of a rational mind. His aunt couldn’t accept that her brother was mentally ill, so didn’t accept that this drove his actions and were not necessarily bad in intention.\n\n… Which leads to a story about Ricky, a convicted child molester and murderer. His mother was severely injured in a car accident, and while she was pregnant continued to be given all sorts of drugs, one of which has been linked to paedophilia. Ricky developed psychosis from an early age, and started molesting other children even though he had no idea what he was doing. At some point he had a counselling session, which told him he had a mental disorder and shouldn’t be released or he would reoffend. He was bright, so himself wrote to the state board saying he shouldn’t be released but kept in a mental hospital… but bureaucracy intervened… and then he killed a child.\n\nThe DA tried to seek the death penalty. Eventually there were conversations between Ricky and the mother of the boy he killed, who heard his story and said she’d fight for him. But the DA continued to seek the death penalty, and the mother was now considered to be unfit to parent her other children.\n\nRicky himself wanted to be a case study, to improve understanding of his condition. At the trial, the mother wanted to testify that Ricky was mentally ill and should be kept in a mental hospital and never released. Her testimony supporting him was very moving, and Ricky was spared the death penalty.\n\nClive concludes with two points. First, the mother was a victim, and the government tried to teach her to hate, but she tried to understand. Second, a person with mental health issues needs to be understood and not hated, which might get us to a place where we can prevent harm.\n\nCarmel McConnell talk\n\nCarmelMcConnell_portraitCarmel points out that we live in the 6th richest economy and a great loving country, but we are living towards the end of the worst economic downturn in 80 years. Prices have gone up and wages down, which has led to a problem of child hunger, and this is a real problem for education.\n\n0.5m children in the country go to school too hungry to learn. Children get a great lunch, but the most important lessons are usually in the morning.\n\nCarmel was researching a book on change activism, during which she spoke to headteachers about inequality. They all said that they had hungry children, and across the country, 55% of teachers are bringing in food for children. She asked why the parents aren’t feeding their children… and was told the parents are hungry too. Children were late or not attending school, because they were foraging for food, and they had behavioural problems.\n\nSo she started bringing food to five schools every day. And that made a difference. Children were attending and on time. They could focus, and behaviour and social interaction improved. Carmel therefore had a hard decision… continue to advise big business on making a difference, or make a difference herself.\n\nShe chose the latter, so now Magic Breakfast is delivering breakfast to 17,000 children every day, at a cost of 22p per child per day, or £45 per year. They want to reach the 0.5m sustainably, tackle holiday hunger, and make the case for change. They are only a small team, and need to be catalytic on the ground. Ofsted is on board, as the project is driving improvements in school performance.\n\nCarmel tells the story of Zara, who is seven. She often needed to ask for food at cafés on the way to school, but often didn’t get any. She was at risk of being excluded for being naughty and affecting the whole school. But after a bagel and a glass of milk, she was settled and the whole school was ready to learn. She visited No.10 with the school, and sat in the PM’s seat. Perhaps Zara or one of those 0.5m could be PM one day?\n\nAnn Daniels talk\n\nAnn Daniels featureAnn grew up in Bradford, went to a comprehensive, left school at 16, got a job, got married, had no aspirations… especially to having an idea that is worth spreading.\n\nHaving triplets changed all that. She realised that she could do anything! She saw an advert for ordinary women to go on a polar expedition. She had all the qualifications – she was an ordinary woman. She went on a weekend for applicants on Dartmoor, and was annihilated. But she then spent 9 months training, friends taught her how to read a map, and she went back to Dartmoor and got on the team, her biggest accomplishment!\n\nShe was on the first leg of a relay across the Arctic ocean. She spent 17 days walking in what she describes as a ‘crystal beast’, with blues and pinks, and booms of moving ice.\n\nComing back she and four other women hatched a plot to be the first British women team to reach the South Pole. They spent 61 days walking into the Antarctic winds, in incredibly low temperatures, but they made it.\n\nShe also realised that scientists actually work there, but before getting involved in science, she had another expedition to walk all the way to the North Pole. Temperatures were unprecedented: -70 degC with windchill, hauling 300lb sledges. And she realised why only 53 teams had managed to undertake the journey. Traversing the ice is harder than the Antarctic land. On day 37, they had gone only 69 of 500 miles. They suffered physical injuries, frostbite and gangrenous feet – unpleasant photo! One of the team had to leave on the next supply plane. They had to swim, in specially-designed orange suits. But again they made it, and set a world record for women reaching both poles.\n\nAnn got to know Pen Hadow, who is an explorer and scientist. He chose her to lead a team on the Arctic ice while he and another collected ice samples and took photos. What’s the point if we don’t do anything with information we collect? The photos are a way of sharing with the world. Every night they drilled and measured with a tape measure. They appeared on the News at Ten.\n\nOn the next expedition, she learnt about ocean acidification, collecting samples of water. Since the Industrial revolution, the carbon dioxide we have emitted has been absorbed by the ocean. The oceans have been a buffer, but at a cost. The water is becoming a weak carbonic acid, which is affecting coral reefs, becoming bleached and eroded. Other marine life is suffering, and humans will too, as reef protects us from winds and tsunamis. Phytoplankton can’t produce as much – the bottom of our food chain is being eroded.\n\nWe can make small changes that make a difference – buy locally, buy green energy, use the car less, make your home energy efficient, encourage each other to go through glass ceilings and realise our dreams.\n\n\nHere’s another bit of topical Twitter tennis with the Met Office, your friendly Exeter-based national meteorological service.\n\n@TEDxExeter : Hi @metoffice we have @AnnDanielsGB polar explorer speaking at #TEDxExeter today, what is the current weather in the polar regions?\n\n@metoffice : @TEDxExeter Greenland is forecasted light snow and temps between -1 and +1 C over next 5 days ^EC\n\n@metoffice : @TEDxExeter Antarctica has light and heavy snow in the forecasts, temps between -5 and 0 C ^ec\n\nPositively balmy!\n\nFin Williams talk\n\nFin Williams featureNow we move from physical health to mental health. Fin focuses on the earliest connection we make: with our parents.\n\n40% of us live stories that become prophecies and influence how we see the world. This is a problem, because they also influence the stories we tell our children. Hospitalisation for self-harm increased 68% in the last decade. Children have low well-being in the UK compared to other wealthy countries. We have become obsessed with progress, but has technology caused a loss of connection? If we are losing connection with our parents, then also losing connections with others.\n\nWe rely on what we receive. It’s hard to hear others if we haven’t been heard. We lose trust, and hence our curiosity and toleration for uncertainty. If we have limited ways of experiencing the world, we have limited ways to empathise.\n\nTelling stories, or storying our lives, enables us to reflect and create new connections in our brains. A better understanding of our own experiences gives us empathy and compassion, and we can start to build communities.\n\nFin’s own story was negative up to aged 18, very rebellious and often grounded in her room. Her father worked long hours and was never seen; her mother ran the house and was disengaged. They coped by having strict control over their lives, and over their children’s. She suffered with anorexia and depression during her A’Levels. She went to university but became pregnant very early.\n\nBut she decided not to give up on her baby or her studies. Rebellion became determination and teamwork with her son. Her story changed. She started to remember good things about her childhood: her father building things, holidays and the fun fair. Her now-retired parents became supportive rocks in caring for her son. Rewriting the story changed challenge-in-opportunity into opportunity-in-challenge.\n\nSo write your own story. Look at the chapters, and what you learnt from them. Recognise the strength you’ve developed to survive. Ask where your funfair was. Tell someone your story, a friend who will listen without judging. A good story will help you become more resilient and trusting that that friend will be there for you.\n\nFin’s own story has just taken her out of the NHS, with the dream of turning her years of research into a new initiative to change children’s futures.\n\nJoel Gibbard talk\n\nJoel Gibbard featureJoel got into robots because he thought they were cool. His first robot was Clean3PO, which stumbled around his parents’ kitchen.\n\nHis favourite robots are those that are inspired by nature, which to many people are creepy. [I’m not going to look up at the video of an 8-legged overly-realistic robot.]\n\nThe most natural movement is in the human hand. Each hand has 29 bones, 34 muscles and 123 ligaments. Is it possible to replicate this robotically without necessarily replicating all these intricacies?\n\nJoel built his first effort from stuff he found around the home, but he still managed to get some realistic movement.\n\nWhen he studied robotics at university, he found that the options for amputees needing a prosthetic was limited, in terms of cost and functionality. He realised that what he was doing could change people’s lives. He wanted to get the latest technology to amputees at an affordable price.\n\nHis next hand was sheet aluminium, and chopped up rubber gloves for a nice touch. This attracted a lot of interest, so he made the design open source.\n\nAfter a stint at an engineering company, he returned to the project and investigated the potential of 3D printing. He quit his job, bought a 3D printer, and moved back in with his parents(!) He could see the potential of 3D printing for both cheap and tailored production. His design uses free software all the way. His latest model can cope with being knocked about, and has smooth and natural movement. The video looks great, but the model he has on stage only has 2 working fingers. The leading prosthetic costs $18K. He plans to sell his for only $1K. For growing children, he can reprint only the parts that need to be replaced over time. Kids’ hands can be customised to look cool instead of awkward.\n\nJoel has found his only limitation has been in his ambition. The next time you use your hands to do something, taken a moment to think about the complex intricacies. Technology has the power to mimic this freedom, and it doesn’t have to cost the earth.\n\n\nHere’s a Vine of “Dextrus hand closing and opening. Except for the pinky finger!” If you can’t view the embedded film, it’s available here.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5943509936332703}
{"content": "The U.S. is in a geopolitical mess over the Nord Stream 2 pipeline\n\nBy |2018-10-25T22:11:29+00:00October 25th, 2018|Energy|Comments Off on The U.S. is in a geopolitical mess over the Nord Stream 2 pipeline\n\nBy Todd Royal\n\nSince hydraulic fracturing (fracking) has upended geopolitics with record exploration and production of shale reserves in the United States (US), the Trump administration is now able to confront OPEC and OPEC+ while and truly working towards “energy independence.” The US is the new energy superpower – essentially the soft power of oil and natural gas production – over military power has rebalanced global energy markets and geopolitics in the Middle East. Domestic investment, innovation and the booming US economy has allowed the US to become the world’s top natural gas producer in 2009, “passing Russia,” and the top producer of “petroleum hydrocarbons since 2014, passing Saudi Arabia.”\n\nWhen Congress lifted the 40-year ban on US crude and natural gas exports this exploded fossil fuel exports. But this has also propelled the US into the geopolitical mess the Germans have sown over allowing Russian control of the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline (NS2), which critics contend, “will strengthen Russia’s hand in Europe and isolate Ukraine.” Now is time for the Germans to, “ look in the mirror,” and ask why they have allowed Russian energy ascendance when their military, foreign policy and Merkel’s government are crumbling before the world’s eyes.\n\nWhile Germany may view this as a commercial project, the US has aligned with Poland and is attempting to force the Germans into joint-demands if the project is ever to materialize. This “unusual foray” into European and German energy politics occurred when the Germans furthered weakened Ukraine and NATO by choosing an additional 55 billion cubic meters (bcm) of Russian Gazprom natural gas over Washington and Brussels’ interest in keeping Russia’s impact on European energy security away from Europe.\n\nWashington’s anger led by President Trump is causing his administration to consider sanctions on Germany and abandoning a US-European trade deal unless the Germans and other European backers drop Nord Stream 2 from consideration. What additionally troubles Washington and NATO are recent Russian ventures in Greece that has Macedonia caught in the middle. Russia’s foreign minister recently canceled a trip to Greece:\n\n“As tensions escalated between the two countries over a decision by Athens to expel two diplomats accused of trying to stoke opposition to an agreement that would, ‘clear the way for Macedonia to join NATO.’”\n\nThis has given Trump the impetus to pushback against NS2 over German and European consternation; forgoing the consequences of increased Russian involvement in European affairs. They simply want the natural gas, as German energy prices – over increased renewable energy use – are the highest in Europe and globally for an industrialized country. NS2 is dividing Europe when they’re already dealing with surging nationalism, incoherent immigration policies and a splintering of wealthier Northern European countries versus there poorer Southern European Union (EU)-bloc nations.\n\nUnfortunately, the EU hasn’t dealt with the increased weaponization of Russian natural gas as a foreign policy tool, led in Europe by Gazprom’s, “stranglehold on the Continent’s gas market.” The US wants the entire EU and European hemisphere to rely on US natural gas or – possibly Middle Eastern sources that exclude Iran – but instead of diversifying, Europe has allowed, “Russian natural gas exports to the EU hit a record 155 bcm in 2017.” Previously, Russia has weaponized their energy resources against countries like Poland, Czechoslovakia, Ukraine, Latvia, and Estonia by withholding natural gas supplies, prices and contract manipulation. Putin believes they are buffers against invasion that took place under Napoleon and Hitler\n\nPoland’s natural gas in cold winter months has been controlled by Gazprom’s Yamal-Europe pipeline; and Ukraine has been invaded and controlled by Gazprom’s war-like offensive nature of energy market manipulation that occurred for over a decade. It can be argued that Gazprom and Rosneft have a monopoly on the EU and former Soviet-satellite state’s energy prosperity and economic growth. This is why the Trump administration is worried about the Kremlin’s control over NATO, the EU’s economic health and the soft mixed with hard power of Russian energy resources on geopolitics.\n\nHarsh Russian actions have caused countries – outside of German influence and wary of their large neighbor to the east – to diversify energy holdings and align with the US like never before. In an unprecedented move to counter Russian influence and German indifference towards NS2, “Poland wants a permanent military based, named ‘Fort Trump.’” Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic struggle with NS2 because it can deliver natural gas directly to Germany without crossing their borders or soil:\n\n“Meaning Russia could sever or manipulate separate natural gas supplies to these nations without worrying about the consequences for the larger German market.” The future will likely bring geopolitical, economic and certainly linked energy ties between Poland and the US.\n\nThe US and Poland are the biggest barriers to NS2 becoming an accepted reality over Germany’s objections. The US wants Eastern European nations stronger; and it is not surprising that, “Norway hosts NATO’s biggest exercises since the end of the Cold War to remind Russia the Alliance stands united.” Poland and the Baltic States are not going to sit back and let NS2 or Russian energy interests backed by their military dictate the near or coming future. The US also has the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017, “to sanction any foreign firm that facilitates investment in Russian energy export pipelines, including construction. This includes NS2 and possibly the Turkish pipeline (Turk Stream); putting Washington, Warsaw, Kiev and reluctantly it seems NATO and the EU on hawkish terms against Moscow and Ankara.\n\nBerlin though, argues NS2 doesn’t have any direct, geopolitical consequences and mechanisms such as the European Energy Community’s three-pronged strategy negate Gazprom, Rosneft’s or the Kremlin’s advantages gained from NS2. The difficulty understanding how a working policy paper, European best practices and regulatory oversight are going to stop Putin from advancing his agenda are reasons why the EU needs to reconsider its stance towards NS2. Countries east of Berlin who have been terrorized by Russian aggression for centuries will seek deeper US involvement and enlarge their own militaries by possibly seeking nuclear arsenals. An illustration of how Poland feels is the same way Japan looks at Chinese aggression in the South China Sea and would eventually seek nuclear weapons. NS2 has dangerous geopolitical, economic and global stability ramifications the Germans aren’t considering.\n\nAll choices for Berlin against Washington over pipeline politics and energy diplomacy involving NS2 and Moscow means Merkel’s government will either compromise with Trump – which doesn’t seem likely – or alienate Washington, Poland and most Baltic states. Trade deals and threatened sanctions from the US will involve resolving the NS2 situation that Germany and the EU have brought to the forefront. Russia will abuse its power, leverage, supply and geopolitical advantages that can be gained from NS2 and Turk Stream no matter the consequences. Its now time for Germany, the EU, NATO and the Trump administration to decide the greater concern: stopping Russian energy aggression or putting aside disagreements and counter the greatest threat to EU stability that NS2 presents since the end of the Cold War.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8094797134399414}
{"content": "Weight gain during menopause tied to brain changes\n\nHealthy women who put on weight between the premenopausal and postmenopausal years risk losing nerve cells in the brain, research suggests.\n\nGaining weight is a “highly modifiable” risk factor that may be targeted to prevent or slow the progression of potentially harmful age-related changes in the brain, the University of Pittsburgh-based study team suggests in the June issue of Psychosomatic Medicine.\n\nDr. Isabella Soreca and colleagues analyzed brain imaging data obtained from 48 healthy older women who were tracked over a 20-year period as part of the longitudinal epidemiological Pittsburgh Healthy Women Study.\n\nThey report in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine that an increase in body weight during the transition to menopause and beyond was “uniquely associated” with a lower volume of gray matter (the portion of the brain containing nerve cell bodies).\n\nSoreca and colleagues say this finding is “particularly noteworthy” given that these were healthy older women who entered menopause naturally and had no history of cardiovascular disease or psychiatric disease and none were obese in mid-life or later on.\n\n“Women may be particularly motivated to maintain a healthy weight in the postmenopausal years, should it be confirmed that weight gain causes alteration in brain function that is important to quality of life,” Soreca and colleagues conclude.\n\nSOURCE: Psychosomatic Medicine, July 2009.\n\nProvided by ArmMed Media", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8753721117973328}
{"content": "Car Insurances Mobile\n\n\nDiscover all about: Car Insurances Mobile\n\nCar Insurances Mobile: Calculate the mortgage payment To calculate the rate for a mortgage or a loan you need to know before all 4 of the following factors: 1. actual amount of the sum paid, net of any expenses or initial charge; 2. The nominal rate of interest which must be referred to the period between an installment and the next; 3. The total number of installments; 4. The frequency of installments (eg: monthly, semi-annual, annual, etc.). If you do not know one or more of these factors, the problem of calculating the mortgage payment or the loan is open-ended.\n\n\nCar Insurances Mobile: Temporary Motorcycle insurance: what it is and how it works. It is a solution for those who need to drive the bike occasionally or only for a few days each week. It has a short life because you do not expect a long period of use of the bike or scooter. Motorcycle insurance every six months or annually: information on the operation of the suspension. In this case, the time period can also be quite long: generally six months, as it covers the spring and summer months. This type of motorcycle insurance temporary, however, may well be even yearly when, in fact, as a reference you use the calendar year.\n\nCar Insurances Mobile: Ask for a personal loan to pay off other loans If you already have other loans in progress and you want to combine them all into a single monthly payment, perhaps more sustainable, personal loans are not the right product for you. In these cases, better to opt for a loan to consolidate debts, specially designed for this specific need. Hardly a bank would give you another personal loan if you are already struggling to pay another.\n\n\n\nAre you still looking Car Insurances Mobile ?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5982674360275269}
{"content": "Cryptocurrency: What You Must Know\n\nEvaluate Bitcoin Like a Pro\n\n\nFeatured on: Nov 24, 2017\n\nThis course explore the economic implications of cryptocurrencies. It will explain theoretical understanding of the bitcoin/blockchain technology from a technical and economic perspective. It provides overview of the legal landscape. It introduces to the opportunities this technology represents for entrepreneurs. Access to a Blockchain community. It will give training on how to transact your own bitcoins and how to regard bitcoin as an asset class. This tutorial is informative, practical, thought provoking and give you access to new resources.\n\n\nliked this.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7975109815597534}
{"content": "ZIKHRONO LIVRAKHA “May his memory be forevermore a blessing’\n\n292 Hits\n\nauthor picture\n\nAriel Fana’afi Ioane\n\nLast weekend the State of Israel bid farewell to Shimon Peres, the last member of the Zionist Movement. I first knew of this man’s existence when I joined my parents in watching the grand, somber funeral of the former Prime Minister and President of Israel.  Members of the audience included giants on the “world’s stage”….like Prince Phillip of England, President Barak Obama, Former President Bill Clinton, to name a few. \n\nSuch a participation of high ranked officials made me wonder about the importance of this person. After some much needed research I found the following facts. Shimon was the ninth President of Israel, and he was well known for negotiating with former USA President John F. Kennedy to allow the first transfer of military equipment to Israel. In his youth he was known for his ability to speak; he was admired for his oratorical brilliance. He was also a “polygot” which means he could speak Hebrew, Polish, French, English……and Yiddish!\n\nIn his private life, he was a poet and songwriter….who had a habit of writing stanzas during cabinet meetings!\n\nHe began his political career in the late 1940s after the Arab-Israeli War. This war was birthed due to the refusal of surrounding nations to accept the fact that Israel was now a State, a nation. Throughout his career he pursued two things for his country….Peace….and security. Being a country surrounded by its enemies, these two goals seemed near impossible. Nevertheless, his whole political career pointed to the dream, to one day have a nation in peace, with security. \n\nHe did so by setting up “kibbutz”, which are divisions of the Israeli army which work in groups to either promote agriculture, or train cadets into shape for any emergency outbreaks. He also founded several foundations such as the Peres Center for Peace in 1996, whose aim was to “promote lasting peace in the Middle East.” \n\nThe political giant once said,\n\n“Peace is not the pursuit of war by other means. Peace consists of putting an end to the red ink of past history and starting anew in a different color.” \n\nHe continued to advise the leaders of Israel to make peace a priority for the future until his death on the 28th of September 2016. \n\nShimon Peres was an example of a man that lived his act, on the stage…..to the fullest. \n\nHis driving passion was to fulfill peace for his country. In his play “As you like it” Shakespeare compares reality to a stage. In a way, each and every one of us has a part to play on our stages. However, rather than being told what to do by an awesome director like Mel Gibson, we are required to write our own script. Will your act be one of valor, honour, justice, and love? Or will your time on the stage be one of stage fright and fear? \n\n\nThe final stage, \n\nis the one that matters most.  \n\n\nAlthough YOU will be.. \n\nSans teeth\n\nSans eyes\n\nSans taste\n\nSans everything…\n\nThere are eyes\n\n\nSenses and hearts\n\nThat need to carry forth your spark.. to light a new torch and take it forward.\n\n\nI know many were inspired at Shimon Peres’ state funeral.  Many more curious and challenged as I was..\n\n\nRest in Shalom, Peace, Shimon.\n\n\nAnd as they say in Israel when one dies..\n\n“May his memory forevermore be a blessing” \n\n\nDetermine what you should do, before the final act bids YOU farewell!\n\n© Samoa Observer 2016\n\nDeveloped by Samoa Observer in Apia", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5849671363830566}
{"content": "Journal topic: Culture\n\nThe influence of culture on contemporary design is a complex affair but the significance of cultural value translated into products has long been relevant and is often the component that defines the meaning and points of distinction. If one is to consider a wider definition of product such as the term artifact (the product of man) then the historical and anthropological nature or objects can be more clearly observed.\n\nThe subject of literacy is one of great importance to all societies and cultures concerned with the Idea of advancement. Over the decades and millennia the preoccupation with literacy manifest in institutions of education and business models that require the brightest of the bright to maintain their competitive advantages.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9709487557411194}
{"content": "Four friends from Athens, Georgia have started a revolution in rock music. Driven by passion and purpose, the band Walden seeks to evoke emotion and inspiration through their music and live performance. To do so, these young men have stripped away every stigma and stereotype associated with playing in a rock band to focus on what actually matters: the music, the message, and the people. Four guys with nothing but a passion for playing shows and creating music quickly became one of the biggest upcoming musical acts in Georgia, capturing the attention of audiences of all ages with their raw sound, infectious energy, and undeniable connection they share on stage. \n\nWalden's live performance truly shone when they won the 2017 Road to Bonnaroo competition for the state of Georgia. This competition generated a passionate and supportive following for the band in their hometown of Athens, GA . As a result of their growing popularity, Walden has also had the opportunity to open for well known acts such as Moon Taxi and Twiddle and further grow their fan base. These successes amount to nothing more than a stepping stone towards these four friends achieving their actual goal of playing and creating music together for the rest of their lives.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9748709201812744}
{"content": "Georgia’s Virtual Library...bringing quality content to you!\n\n\nUsage Statistics\n\nGALILEO has been capturing usage data from its system since its inception in 1995 and aggregating data from database vendors since 2002. GALILEO maintains a repository of usage data that includes both local GALILEO system data and vendor data (obtained from database vendors).\n\nGALILEO was originally built on OCLC’s SiteSearch Software, which provided Z39.50 searches of both local (ProQuest and EBSCO) and vendor-hosted (OCLC FirstSearch) collections. From 1995-1998, the GALILEO system captured detailed information about user logins, types of searches, indexes searched, and full-text usage. In 1998, the GALILEO vendors began to offer robust web interfaces with more features than were possible through the GALILEO interface. At that time, GALILEO began a transition to becoming a web portal to multiple different subscription resources in addition to locally-developed resources. From 1998 to 2002, database-vendor-provided data proved elusive and impossible to capture. Many vendors did not provide data on the usage of their products, consortial reporting features were not widely available, and data elements were consistent from vendor to vendor.\n\nBeginning in 2003, GALILEO embarked on a project to collect, normalize, and make available through a central GALILEO Reporting Tool as much vendor-provided usage data as possible. GALILEO offers a research portal through which over 2,000 institutions may access hundreds of resources. The ability to gather and report data in this complex environment across many years and many changes is a multi-dimensional problem. Every change in subscription requires a new effort to capture new statistics while maintaining access to previous statistics to products no longer available or even in existence. Every change a vendor makes to a database may impact their statistical reports, changes to which impact GALILEO’s data in turn. GALILEO has a history of seeking out solutions that provide economies of scale, and usage data is one source for documentation of success. This history and ability to provide information consistently and accurately has had many pitfalls. Although there have been several iterations of the GALILEO Reporting Tool since its inception, it has remained the central source for collecting usage data for GALILEO institutions.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9424886107444763}
{"content": "Self Publishing: DIY\n\nSelf Publishing: DIY\n\nWriting, like most arts, can be a passion or a hobby. Whether you write for self-expression, to raise awareness on a specific subject, or because you’re certain your story will change the literary world forever, a time may come when it’s simply not enough to have those words on paper or on the screen. Novelists and journalists alike all tend to strive to see their works published and available to the masses, and with new technology and a changing market, it’s now easier than ever.\n\n When traditional publishing houses won’t (or simply can’t) do the trick, self-publishing your book or magazine can be a wonderful option.\n\n If you’ve never written or published anything before, self-publishing can help you get your foot in the door and help you understand what to expect. It also means having a physical product to use as an example later should you choose to try the traditional publishing route– Taking the task into your own hands means you can test the waters for your work to judge whether or not it would be a good fit for mass production.\n\n Perhaps you’re writing for a niche market! If the goal of your magazine is to highlight community events for the British Virgin Islands and surrounding areas, maybe you don’t need global marketing but would be well-suited for small-scale production made available to your neighbourhood communities.\n\n Self publishing puts you in control, no matter your intended audience. After initial production costs, all royalties go to you! You may not see enough income from your projects to live on, but even some of the more recognisable names in literature rely on another primary breadwinner in their household or on a “day job” to make ends meet. Wouldn’t you rather see the fruits of your labours reflected in the money you earn rather than divvied up amongst professionals who aren’t at all worried about the impact of one book sale?\n\n So if you’re a columnist, a poet, a novelist, or anything in between, consider self-publishing as a helpful alternative to traditional publishing — Or worse! –to leaving those manuscripts in your hard drive or on those notepads to collect dust. Let your work shine!\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9987136125564575}
{"content": "Restarting the LHC: Why 13 Tev?\n\nThe LHC was designed to run at a maximum collision energy of 14 TeV, so why has CERN decided to start the second run at a lower energy?\n\nThe Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is scheduled to restart for physics early in 2015 after two years of maintenance and upgrading. The collision energy at restart will be 13 TeV, a significant increase over the initial three-year LHC run, which began with a collision energy of 7 TeV, rising to 8 TeV. But the LHC was designed to run at a maximum collision energy of 14 TeV, so why has CERN decided to start the second run at a lower energy?\n\nThe decision to begin the LHC’s second run at 13 TeV has been taken in order to optimise the delivery of particle collisions for physics research, and thereby speed the route to potential new physics. It is based on the properties of the 1232 superconducting dipole magnets that guide the beams around the LHC’s 27-kilometre ring. The higher the beam energy, the higher the magnetic field needed to maintain a constant orbit, and the higher the electric current flowing in the magnet’s superconducting coils.\n\nAt LHC beam energies, the electric currents are extremely high, up to 12,000 Amperes, and superconducting cables have to be used. Superconductivity is a low-temperature phenomenon, so the coils have to be kept very cold, just 1.9 degrees above absolute zero to be precise, or about -271°C. Even a tiny amount of energy released into the magnet for any reason can warm the coils up, stopping them from superconducting. When this happens, the current has to be safely extracted in a very short time. This is called a quench, and just one millijoule – the energy deposited by a 1-centime euro coin falling from 5 cm – is enough to provoke one. Magnet protection in case of quenches is a crucial part of the design of the LHC’s magnetic system.  \n\nWhen a new superconducting magnet is qualified for use, it needs to be trained. That involves steadily increasing the current until the magnet quenches, then starting again. At first, the quenches may occur at relatively low current, but over time, as the components of the magnet settle in, the current increases until the magnet can be operated routinely at its nominal current. If a new training cycle is started after an extended period during which the magnet is warm, the magnet usually restarts training at a value that is higher than first quench in the first training cycle but lower than the maximum previously reached. In other words, the magnet’s ‘memory’ is usually less than 100%.\n\nBefore the LHC started operation, all of its magnets were trained up to a current equivalent to a collision energy of over 14 TeV. Tests with individual magnets, along with hardware commissioning tests in 2008, have shown that for some dipole magnets the memory is slightly lower than expected, demanding a larger number of quenches to reach nominal field. However, retraining these magnets to 13 TeV should require only a short period of time, whereas retraining to 14 TeV would take longer, taking time away from physics research. That’s why the best way to get to new results quickly, at an energy considerably higher than ever achieved before, is to start operation at 13 TeV. A decision on when to go higher will be taken at a later date in the LHC’s second run.\n\nLHCmagnet13 TeV", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9965411424636841}
{"content": "Self Care: Sleepy Day & Short Post\n\n\n\n\n\nThanks for reading.\n\nBack to Basics: Building Small Successes\n\nIn terms of life, this week sucked.  Flashbacks, panic attacks, nightmares, more spider bites, and unexpected costs of flight/hotel to go visit family just made me miserable.  On top of  that, I’m still mostly unpacked, feeling low energy, and having noise/heat issues again.  Still, these heat and noise issues are nowhere near as bad as as the last place.\n\nDid I mention the smoker who breaks the rules and smokes pot in the building?  No?  All I can say is that I can’t wait to start blending and diffusing essential oils in my place again.\n\nBut all the small stuff adds up, accumulates until my mind is overwhelmed and unable to cope with normal stuff.\n\nSo, back to basics.  Stay home.  Sleep as much as possible.  Set small goals.  Ask for help.  Act on the help.  Use every known coping strategy or technique available.  Then use them again.  Set a goal.  Conserve energy.  Accomplish the goal.\n\nThis week’s goal: set up my new bed frame and sleep on it.\n\nWith Ikea bed frames, it helps to also be creative, resilient, and resourceful – all characteristics trauma survivors learn in order to cope with the craziness.  Here’s an example of my resourcefulness:\n\nHeadboard to frame...\nCushions prop up the frame so one person can attach the headboard without help\n\nNow, it’s Sunday night in the US, possibly edging into Monday morning depending on your time zone.  And in spite of some misgivings and one wobbly bit, I now have a bed frame put together.  Yay!  A real bed to sleep on.  With my new peanuts blanket and favorites sheets.  Fresh pillow cases to lie on too.\n\nAnd here is the finished bed:\n\nNew bed\nBed first, the rest comes later 🙂\n\nHope the spiders don’t follow me in there.\n\nAnd for anyone else struggling for whatever reasons, please remember that you got through it once before.  It was hard then; it’s hard now.  But you’ll get through this time too.\n\nThanks for reading!\n\nCoping Strategy: Letting go of negative feelings visualization\n\nThis is my first time trying to articulate a meditation practice that I created and want to share.  Please excuse any awkwardness as I try to put this into a framework that makes sense outside of my mind.  Feel free to skip the background section and go right to the visualization practice instructions at the bottom of the post.\n\n\nI have always struggled with expressing and letting go of negative feelings, especially anger and shame.  My parts also struggle with finding healthy, positive, safe ways to express and then let go of anger.  Shame is something all of us try to acknowledge and let go of, but sometimes requires the assistance of an objective third party.\n\nMany people will say that exercise, journaling, crafts, punching pillows, yelling, dancing, tearing paper, drawing, etc. can help release the negative energy that comes with anger.  I agree with those people in a general sense.  Personally, every single one of the suggested activities can be or is triggering and makes my feelings worse.  Only in the past year have I been able to utilize any of these strategies without being triggered.\n\nLashing out is not something I ever wanted to do.  Therapy and internal reflection taught me how to identify triggers that caused the lashing out at other people/objects/beings.  Real friends and mentors helped me become aware of my words and actions so that I could change my behaviors through a combination of CBT and DBT.  These days I hardly ever lash out at others.  And when I do, I work hard to reflect on why and not feel shame about making a mistake.\n\nThe Hotline and therapy sessions along with self-help books eventually helped me stop lashing out at myself – punishment, self-harm, reckless and dangerous behaviors – except under certain conditions when I have to use last resort coping strategies.  Meditation, reflection, and grounding strategies helped me the most with this kind of lashing out.\n\nBut none of these strategies or techniques helped me safely express the negative energy that comes with feeling angry or let go of the negative feelings that come from a flashback.\n\nI had to figure out a way to express or let go of the energy stressing out my body without physical activity that caused more instead of less pain and negativity.\n\nThat’s how this meditation or visualization practice works.  It helps me let go of the negative feelings and associated energy bursts without moving or harming anyone.  Maybe it will help you too.\n\nThe Visualization\n\nMove into a comfortable position that supports your whole body (I prefer lying down)\n\nClose your eyes and take several slow, deep breaths.  Inhale for 10 seconds.  Pause for 10 seconds.  Exhale for 10 seconds.  Repeat.\n\nNext imagine you are sitting in a clear bubble.  You can see everything around you (a 360 degree view), but none of it can reach you inside the bubble.  You are safe inside the bubble.  You control what enters and leaves the bubble.\n\nAll around you the negative feelings are moving – sometimes they look like dark clouds, other times bright streams of light; maybe monsters, or spiders, or ghosts.  But you are safe inside your bubble.  The negative feelings can’t hurt you or take over.  The negative energy can’t hurt you or take over.\n\nNow imagine a large recycling container with a vacuum on one side and a hose on the other side.  The vacuum sucks the negative feelings and energy into the container.  The container recycles the negative feelings and energy into neutral feelings and energy unrelated to you and any of your experiences.  Then the hose pumps the neutral feelings and energy back into the universe.  All of this is done using a remote control.\n\nThe remote control is inside your bubble.  You turn on the recycling container and adjust the speed.  As you watch, the vacuum starts sucking up the negative feelings and energy. You control the speed and sound of vacuuming and the recycler.\n\nSlowly, but surely, the area around your bubble changes, becomes lighter, less crowded, less foggy until all of the negative feelings and energy bothering you right now is gone.  You turn off the recycling container, put it away, and observe your surroundings.\n\nNotice any color changes, or sensory changes.  Notice your breathing – is it still slow and deep, or rapid and quick.  Observe how your body feels – are the muscles relaxed or tense?  Observe your energy levels – have they lowered or evened out or something else? Observe your feelings – do you feel more or less clearheaded, calm, relaxed?\n\nTake two slow deep breaths.  Inhale for 10 seconds.  Pause for 10 seconds.  Exhale for 10 seconds.  Repeat.\n\nContinue to breathe slow and deep.  Open your eyes when you feel ready.\n\n***feel free to substitute your images for mine at any time in the visualization.  Some people prefer sitting inside an auditorium with a clear dome or laying on the grass instead.  The goal is for you to try this meditation and then adapt it to suit your specific needs if it works***\n\nThanks for reading this long post.\n\nShame: Another Backlash Epiphany\n\n\nThere have been a lot of good experiences and positive changes in my life lately.  There have also been some unsettling realizations and uncomfortable changes about how I see myself and interact with the world.\n\nThe Pain of June (past)\n\nOne of the most difficult parts of June is pain management.  When I am awake, my body hurts.  As I try to sleep, my body still hurts.  I want to stay home and rest because the pain keeps me awake.  None of my “regular” coping strategies work.  In the past, the more I tried to use any coping strategies, the more pain I felt.  The more I tried to relax, the more tension my body experienced.\n\nI felt at war with myself, and giving in to my OCD self- harm compulsions was the only way to get relief.  Because self-harm made the obsessive thoughts, voices, and words go away.  But the self-harm provided temporary relief and was addictive.  The window of relief shrunk as my body got used to the distraction.  And like any other addict, I had to increase the pain and self-harm to get any relief.\n\nThe Pain of June (present)\n\nThis year, the pain arrived on schedule.  The OCD compulsions to self-harm DID NOT follow.  The body memories, flashbacks, and hallucinations did follow the pain.  I’ve been living with the hallucinations for a week now.  The pain has ebbed and flowed…some days worse than others.  But the weekly Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatments have helped a lot.\n\nI use TCM because each visit includes acupuncture and body work in the form of cupping, massage, or gau sha.  My intern practitioner also teaches me self-massage techniques I can use between appointments.  Together, the acupuncture, massage, and body work helps manage my pain to acceptable levels in spite of triggers.  This allows me to sleep less, feel more energetic, and do more with my time.  (all positive changes)\n\nThe Shame of Backlash\n\nThe downside is intense backlash and triggering that feels different and is difficult to cope with.  Shame is one of the few emotions we all still struggle with.  It’s something that requires help and perspective from an objective third party who can listen with empathy and help clear out the confusing bits.\n\nOnce the shame trigger is identified, healing with coping strategies can begin.  Why the hotline?  Because my counseling sessions take place every week or 1.5 weeks and this type of trigger often occurs between sessions.  If the hotline can’t help, I do reach out to my therapist.  But only when all other resources have been utilized first.\n\nThe hotline helped me and my triggered parts calm down enough until our weekend session.  Calm down as in be able to sleep and quiet the anxiety the evening before therapy; not as in make the backlash go away.  My therapist witnessed how the backlash affected me in real time.  She asked some questions and helped me understand why this version of backlash felt different:\n\nTherapist: how do you feel?\nMe: I feel fine; just tired.  My emotions are calm even though I am experiencing backlash.\nTherapist: how does your body feel?\nMe: tense.  All of my muscles hurt, but especially around here (pointing).\nTherapist: you’re braced for an attack.  Am I correct in thinking this?\nI paused\nMe: yes, you’re right.  I do feel braced for an attack – a slap of some kind or my head being pulled back by my hair.\n\nThe backlash is my younger par way of saying:\ndon’t do this!  It’s dangerous.  Our body is going to get hurt.  Then ALL of us will feel t he pain.  And we’ll be humiliated in front of everyone.  And then be punished even worse.\n\n\nThis time, backlash has to do with memories of physical abuse for showing confidence or accomplishments instead of hiding and letting someone else take the credit.  It happens most often when I interact with the world by sharing my experience, skills, knowledge, accomplishments, and abilities with confidence.\n\nThe more often I step out and do this, the more often I experience backlash.  When combined with anniversaries or other flashbacks, the pain increases.  Emotional distress remains the same or decreases.  With this new information, my therapist and I are working on coping strategies and techniques for pain-related flashbacks.\n\nAs I learn more, I will share the information in future posts.\n\n\n\nThanks for reading\n\n\n\nCoping Strategy: Meditation Conflicts & Confusion\n\nA quick review of my thoughts about and experience with meditation\n\nI started meditating as a child in Taekwondo classes.  We had 5-15 minutes of meditation every class 2-3 times a week.  The purpose of that meditation was to practice focus and calmness – we focused on breathing in and out, sitting quietly, not moving.  As we got older, the focus transitioned to clearing our minds and letting thoughts flow in and out while focusing on our breath.  It was a sitting meditation with our eyes closed, posture straight.\n\nAs I got older and went to college, I learned about yoga and moving meditation too.  This was more like mindfulness meditation where the focus was on being present and acknowledging the sensations brought on by moving slow (yoga) or by the environment (walking meditation).  We let our feelings and thoughts flow in and out, acknowledging each bit while focusing on the deliberate, slow movement our bodies made with each position.\n\nThen I started learning about Buddhism and meditation to clear my mind or free myself from the clutter of incessant thoughts and feelings.  This meditation was the most difficult for me as an adult because every time I started to clear my mind, my past memories (blocked by amnesia) would surface and cause flashbacks, anxiety, panic attacks, etc.  That kind of ruined the whole clear-my-mind and look into the emptiness goal.  Visualization worked better for me because I got to “paint a picture” with my imagination; less scary than looking into clear water or dark nothing.\n\nDifferent kinds of meditation suit different purposes\n\nThe meditation taught in most therapy groups, sessions, and programs is mindfulness meditation.  Mindfulness can help keep an individual grounded in the present while also teaching how to slow down and be more aware of self/surroundings.  Mindfulness teaches individuals how to be more aware of one’s internal landscape and offer tools to cope with overwhelming feelings.\n\nFocused meditation is about learning mental and emotional self control by letting go of feelings and staying calm.  This is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps build clarity of thought, compassion, and resilience depending on the goal of each session.  The hardest part about focused meditation is clearing one’s mind of stray thoughts and focusing on breathing or emptiness.\n\nWhen I was in the partial programs, many of the moderators skipped meditation and dismissed it as too hard and not useful because of their failures to achieve positive mediation practice.  I felt angry when I heard this repeated; it made me rethink everything they taught.  Meditation helped me get to where I am and was my frame of reference so I could understand their emotion regulation concepts.\n\nI use focused meditation to help with my shame and compassion work more than any other type.  It helps all of us (my alters and I) get in touch with the scary feelings from a safe and grounded place inside of ourselves.  The mindfulness meditation helps with the severe physical pain that comes from anxiety and body memories; we use this most often during panic attacks, nightmares, and insomnia.  And the moving meditation helps us cope with too much energy or compulsion to over exercise.  It offers a stretch and tone without a lot of exertion.\n\nLessons from almost 2o years of meditation practice\n\n  • Meditation is hard\n  • Meditation takes practice, persistence, and patience to learn\n  • Trying to practice a focused meditation with DID and many alters is scary, confusing, and frustrating because the thoughts and feelings of other alters enter and flow through the same consciousness as the one trying to meditate.\n  • Maintaining a level of physical stillness for some meditation practices with DID might be a big challenge\n    • So far I have not found a way to stop my eyes from moving (sign of switching alters) when I practice a focused standing or sitting meditation with my eyes open.\n  • Remember that meditation practice can be fluid and flexible to a degree\n    • Try to accommodate personal quirks like alters or injuries in ways that still allow for beneficial practice\n  • Clearing one’s mind is not exactly the goal – calming one’s mind is a better option\n  • Calming one’s mind is scary for everyone because once you calm down, you can see everything you’ve been hiding from or ignoring or denying about yourself\n  • The goal is not to attain emptiness or numbness, but to be able to  observe and acknowledge your internal feelings and sensations without having them take over your life.\n  • The goal is to feel and let feelings/thoughts/sensations inform you and help make choices in every day life\n  • Meditation helps me pause and step back when I feel overwhelmed, confused, or stressed out so that I can calm down and make choice based on emotion and logic instead of only emotion or only logic\n\n\nMeditation is a skill worth learning.  There are many ways to learn, but I think that in-person lessons with an experienced practitioner are the best option for anyone with doubts and questions.  Instructors have experienced many of the barriers that frustrate people on all levels and can help students work through them one-on-one.\n\nAs with any strategy discussed here, practice, patience, and persistence make the difference between a useful and a not-helpful tool in the tool box.  Please take your time and go into each experiment with an open mind if you try out any of these options.  Then, if the strategy still doesn’t feel right, please move on or tweak the strategy in ways to make it useful to you.\n\nThanks for reading.\n\nAnniversary: Family Reunions, Birthdays & Shame\n\n\nEnd of July and most of August are typically the time of year when out-of-town relatives stay at my aunts’ houses and visit for a long family reunion that ends with the maternal grandmother’s birthday.  Some used to stay with my parents, but that changed sometime when I was in college.  This is speculation because no one ever told me anything, but I guess my relatives couldn’t face the truth of who was acting out against (aka abusing and scaring) their young children.  It’s easier for them to blame the scapegoat than to face a reality they refuse to acknowledge.\n\nWhy this anniversary is so scarring\n\nBut back to family reunions.  As scapegoat, I was mostly ignored or bullied by everyone.  And made to be the de facto babysitter as a young teen to keep me separated from the rest of my age-mate cousins and younger brother.  I didn’t mind because that gave me something to do with my time.  As I got older, though, so did the kids.  And the next generation of young children came from my older cousins – people who didn’t trust or like or respect me – and other relatives by marriage who didn’t want my help.  So I suddenly had nothing to keep the anxiety away.\n\nAnd that generation of children were raised to treat me the same way as the adults.  And they did it with relish.  No one scolded them for being mean or indulging in bad habits around me, so they constantly made up ways to antagonize me.  And then with the silent treatment and shunning from the adults, I basically had no place to hide at family reunions.  No one to offer empathy, compassion, friendly conversation, etc.  And no place to go and cope with my anxiety or triggers.  I was on a stage with bright lights pointed at me all the time; they used every word, every gesture to humiliate and condemn me.\n\nTypical Response\n\nDissociate, not leave the house, feel hyper-vigilant and scared all the time, stop sleeping, have nightmares, miss time from work, have panic attacks, severe body pain and memories, get sick, pass out, not eat, etc. for days or even weeks.  Lose time, lose memories, switch and practice self harm.\n\nResponse in new environment\n\nSome disturbed sleeping, lots of anxiety, some flashbacks, lots of shame and tears, problems with my digestion and visit the bathroom a lot, increased body memories and body pain but not so much that I stay home and am incapacitated.  Some switching and reckless behavior – but that is more due to mistakes and learning a new environment that the shame capitalizes on than anything deliberate.\n\nI am:\n\n  • still working 5 days a week\n  • going out with friends\n  • active on the blog and website\n  • going shopping/cooking/to restaurants\n  • exercising\n  • decorating my apartment\n  • keeping in touch with safe family and friends (another post)\n  • Utilizing my coping strategies (especially the hotline) while I try to find a provider here\n  • making and keeping appointments for graduate school, scholarship research, etc.\n\n\nThe 2 months of anniversaries are tough.  Remembering how I was treated brings back lots of negative feelings that are hard to accept and cope with.\n\nBut being here in my new place, I truly feel safe and able to move beyond the typical fear.  Yes, it hurts.  yes I cry a lot.  Yes my body loses control sometimes.  Yes I feel aggression rise to the point where I scare myself of what could happen.\n\nBut it all goes away much faster.  I can let myself cry and experience all of these sensations instead of blocking them out.  And because of that, the pain and fear and anxiety lessen each time.  And each experience takes less out of me too.\n\nSo yeah, I’m still in rough shape.  The shame overwhelms me and causes me to apologize and over explain and feel terrible about good decisions.  It is constantly messing with my mind.  But I can get help from the hotline and my friends; they listen and help me find self-compassion through validation and reality testing.\n\nI need my quiet evenings and 1 day a week of staying inside.  But I can spend that time being productive and happy (either doing something or doing nothing) instead of out of my mind with fear and disorientation.\n\nThanks for reading\n\nDID Post: Different Parts; Different Symptoms to Address\n\n\nThis will not be an in-depth post.  Goal here is to explain that not all alters experience all  of the same symptoms at the same time or ever with examples from our system.  The adults and teens are searching the memory banks, but no one can remember exactly which book or news article or blog post we read that explains this phenomenon in layman’s terms.  Finding and confirming the source may take a while.\n\nThis is a very big topic with multiple layers.\n\nIt will probably be explored as part of different DID posts, PTSD posts, Alter Posts, and Life Changing Moments posts.  If you are ever in doubt about POV or tone, you are welcome to leave a comment and ask for clarification.  Writing with alters can be tricky to navigate and consistently use the correct tone of voice, grammar, point-of-view, etc. for the guests without getting confused or awkward in the flow of writing.  It’s also a pain to organize multiple POVs in 1,500 words (Maximum of 2,000) or less.\n\nWhy is this important to understand?\n\nTo the outside world, I am one person with a set of symptoms and co-curring disorders that make up the complex PTSD diagnosis.  As such, I (the whole person) experience all of the symptoms below.\n\nIn truth, I am 1 person made up of 88 alternate personalities.  About 20 of these personalities maintain control of our system (aka parenting, basic wellness care, interacting with the outside world, ensuring basic needs are met).  Not all of us experience the same kind or severity of symptoms even though all of us feel body pain and physical symptoms to different degrees.  This is because not every one of us alternate personalities has every symptom and disorder on the list.\n\nConfusing and scary, yes?  Or no?\n\nA List of Symptoms and Co-Curring Disorders related to the Complex PTSD and DID:\n\n  • Anxiety\n  • Depression\n  • Panic Attacks\n  • Body Memories\n  • Anorexia Nervosa\n  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder\n  • Fear related to crowds and feeling trapped\n  • Dissociation\n  • Body dysmorphia\n  • Phobias – spiders; agoraphobia; bathrooms, pools/oceans/swimming; slugs/caterpillars/flies and other insects that leave trails of slime, silk, sound in the environment; the dark; falling down\n  • Fainting/passing out\n  • Severe body pain\n  • Insomnia, restless sleep, disordered sleeping, nightmares, night sweats, night terrors, sleep walking\n  • Flashbacks, deja vu, and related fugues\n  • Shame/guilt/anger/self-harm/emotional overload\n\nSome examples:My child alters experienced the most abuse and have all of the symptoms above.  But they struggle with utilizing coping strategies because the shame is embedded so deep in them.  The disordered eating started young with neglect, got worse with diets, and became full-blown anorexia by 6 or 7 years old.  But they don’t understand body pain or menstruation – any kind of physical pain scares them and reminds them of abuse.\n\nMy teen alters experienced less physical abuse (thank you for the martial arts training), but more physical and non-physical sexual abuse in the form of inappropriate visuals/touching/talk and body shaming.  Many of them have the worst body image issues and eating problems.  They have a hard time accepting our body.  The physical pain is acknowledged, but hard to cope with – triggers self-harm, starvation/restriction, suicidal thoughts, etc. to numb it out.\n\nThe adult alters experienced mostly verbal and emotional abuse, neglect, shaming, isolation, public humiliation, silent treatment/shunning, emotional blackmail, bullying (all alters experienced this, but not like adults), and stalking to  isolate and remove opportunities to move forward.  They experience the most body pain and have the best resources to cope with it.  But their ways of coping are not always useful or helpful because they do not address the needs of teens and children to learn how to acknowledge, accept, and cope with physical pain or the accompanying triggers and flashbacks.\n\nFemale alters have trouble coping with the pain related to menstruation because of memories related to specific punishments for any talk or overt physical changes that took place during puberty.\n\nMale alters have trouble with body image and sexuality because of the sexual abuse and gender misdirection during childhood.  Females and males sexually abused our body/self.  They also liked to physically abuse our body during the sexual encounters.  Mom kept trying to convince daughter she was a boy and adopted throughout childhood.  Many non-incestuous sexual and physical abuse experiences also happened in a quasi-religious/cult environment with drugs and alcohol involved.\n\nAnd the non-human alters hold most of the negative feelings like aggression, anger, guilt, sorrow, and of course shame.  Their first response is: a) fold up and disappear; and b) lash out and hurt/defend/protect with violence.  They also hold the internalized messages from abusers and struggle with hearing the voices, obeying compulsions, obsessive thoughts, and reality testing.\n\n\nWhen I and my alters get triggered, we all experience a range of flashbacks, anxiety, and symptoms.  One strategy does not work for everything – not even grounding or self-soothing or meditation.  Sometimes one strategy can help take the edge off of the worst of the symptoms for everyone in the short-term.  But that strategy will not work in the long-term or even feel helpful sometimes.\n\nAs alters learn to trust and communicate with self and each other, they find ways to “tell” what kinds of coping strategies will help, what kinds will make the symptoms worse, and what ones they are unsure about.  Having one body with so many different needs to address can be difficult.  That is why many of the strategies and techniques here are mental and emotional based instead of physical.\n\nWith imagination and creativity, many alters can learn to use, utilize, and/or adapt the coping strategies and techniques on their own or in groups on the inside while the ones “in charge” and maintaining life on the “outside” are working, walking, shopping, interacting with others, etc.  That’s what we do, and it allows us to function better in the outside world.\n\nI hope maybe some of this can help others struggling to understand and cope with the internal confusion that sometimes comes with unexpected and expected triggers/anniversaries/symptoms.\n\nThank you for reading.\n\nDID Post: What does my internal system look like?\n\n\nI haven’t written much about DID lately.  That is because my alters and I have been quietly working on internal strategies related to communication and organization.  We’ve been creating a map of where everyone lives and trying to establish coping strategies to help with shame and backlash that comes from self-expression and communication related to switching.  This way, even when alters go away for alone time or get lost, they have a way to find home again.\n\nMy first DID homework\n\nAfter my therapist finally admitted to me that I had DID and why she didn’t tell me sooner, she gave me a homework assignment.  It was a long-term, multipart project that ended up taking months.\n\nThe assignment: identify my alters and map out what the system looked like visually.\n\nMy first attempt identified 20 alter personalities and looked like an idea map (brainstorming tool) of bubbles.  The next one had 60 alters and looked like a flow chart.  Finally, a flow chart and idea map became a spider web.  But no one inside liked that version.  For almost a year, I believed our system topped out at 60 alters, including me.  But then I started hearing a voice speaking in Spanish.  And another two or three played songs related to how they felt.  Many sent pictures or movies.\n\nIn fact, 80 alters showed up for the next roll call.\n\nBy now, we’d stopped trying to map out the ever-changing landscape and trying to identify the alters with names.  No one had a concrete visual of safe spaces.  And many alters changed their names as they grew and changed through the recovery process.  When I explained this to my therapist, she agreed to put this exercise aside and concentrate on other parts of IFS therapy.\n\n2014 is the year I legally changed my name and finally started to feel safe.  It’s also the year our last 7 alters appeared to the system.  They appeared just after I re-read a book called Amongst Ourselves and started reading/listening to Pema Chodron’s books about fear, courage, and compassion.  And that’s when I realized we were coming at the homework assignment from the wrong perspective.  Instead of going back to our roots (pun intended) and looking for a nature-based metaphor, we had been using logical tools to draw a reasonable representation of an ever-changing, chaotic landscape.\n\nWhat our internal system looks like\n\nMy internal system looks like a bent, twisted, stunted tree with a short trunk and many strong branches that extend in every direction instead of a straight, tall one with a strong trunk and perfect horizontal branches.  Our underground root system is deep and strong like any other tree, but visually, we look different from maples and pines and cedars, etc.  More like an oversized bush that got lifted during a wind storm and continued growing.  Or maybe like a bamboo that a got knotted and twisted into various shapes before continuing to grow to maturity.\n\nIMG_7080  This tree reminds me of the knotted bamboo metaphor above.  I wrote the first draft of this post before finding the photo, but decided not to change either description.  It’s not often I find a mature tree that represents my internal family so well.\n\nBut this is important to us because with switching and communication comes a giant helping of shame and self-hatred.  For too many years, we all were taught not to communicate with each other, not to work together.  And when caught, we were abused even more – many of my alters are mouthy and assertive.  They speak their minds and do not hold back.  This was seen as rebellion and defiance; two actions that caused any and all perpetrators to escalate their tactics in order to shut everyone down again.\n\nSo you probably will be seeing more posts about DID and coping strategies we use to help with anxiety induced switching, panic attacks, shame, and other triggers.\n\nYou will also see a few posts about mindfulness and meditation as relates to trauma and recovery.\n\nThanks for reading.\n\nPTSD: Depression is not always a chemical imbalance\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFinal Thoughts\n\n\n\nThanks for reading\n\nBody Memories: Am I sick or reliving an experience or both?\n\nCAUTION: The story below is kind of gross…read at your discretion\n\n\nEvery year around April and May, I get really sick with a sinus infection of sorts.  It’s viral and causes my sinuses to get filled with fluid; it blocks passageways around my jaw, ears, and throat while leaving the areas around my nose and eyes slightly swollen and heavy-feeling.  The sensation itself is not unknown to me as I have been prone to head colds and sinus infections since childhood.\n\nThe difference between this one my others is the intensity of symptoms that come with it.  As a child and teen, I spent the months sneezing and blowing my nose; it looked rather gross to people who saw me constantly sneezing and using up tissues like people change underwear or socks or started sneezing and couldn’t get tissues quick enough.  During college, when I realized tissues were hard to carry and dispose of with class schedules, the sneezing changed to nausea followed by bouts of vomiting over a period of days.\n\nAnd if I was lucky, that wouldn’t happen again for a while.  As for outward symptoms, nothing swelled up or looked obviously wrong with my face.  My jaw and teeth started to hurt.  My nose and eyes started to hurt.  Then my throat and ears.  Everything felt stuffy.  Finally, headaches and exhaustion kept me from feeling hungry or thirsty.\n\nThe doctors told me it was allergies and gave me medication.  The medication kept the stuff inside me so I stayed sick longer; made me sleepy and lethargic; caused other reactions that made me sick.  Then they thought it was a bacterial infection and gave me antibiotics.  Then they thought maybe it was a deviated septum; that got corrected in high school and kept the worst infections away for a while.  When I switched doctors, the new PCP told me that there are bacterial and viral sinus infections.  Antibiotics don’t work with viral ones, so try saline solution, lots of fluids and warm liquids, tylenol, etc.  That actually did/does help some.\n\nOdd part is, I only get sinus infections and head colds around or after certain events and anniversaries:\n\n  • Visiting parents and certain relatives\n  • Going to parties, bars, dancing, social events with family or acquaintances\n  • Memorial Day, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas/New Year, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day\n  • Birthdays and family get-togethers\n  • School beginnings/endings, holidays, graduations\n\nAnd the severity of symptoms depends on how long I stayed at events and anniversaries.  A new trigger is painting my nails; I tried it over the weekend for the first time in over 10 years.  Won’t be doing that again.\n\nSo now I wonder: am I really sick with an infection or is my body reliving something that is making me feel and act sick?\n\nEither way, I have to treat this like an illness, yes?  It’s not going away on its own, so I guess the answer is to try the usual and then some less typical strategies?\n\nThanks for reading.\n\nCoping Challenge: How do I Cope with happy, positive feelings? Part 1 – Background\n\n\nSince I was thirteen, I dreamed about getting a tattoo.  When I was sixteen, I got my first henna tattoo at a fair in Canada (high school field trip).  It caused an uproar within my family – not in a good way.  But that was my rebellious year   the year after the forced abortion – when I acted out and got into all kinds of trouble.  A few months later (summer), my younger brother convinced his friends to help him get a real tattoo (something he lorded over me for years and used to make fun of me when I got other henna tattoos).\n\nIn college, I learned discovered a severe nickel allergy through a bacterial infection (nickel plated earrings) and a rash (metal-framed glasses and buttons on denim jeans).  Some research told me that people with nickel allergies couldn’t get tattoos because a) most of the inks had traces of nickel in them; and b) the stainless steel needles had high levels of nickel in them.  That was between 2000 and 2004.  Between then and now, various cosmetic permanent makeup artists and tattoo artists refused to talk to me about either option because of my nickel allergy.\n\nOn the good side, there had been improvements to inks and needles so that people with minor to moderate nickel allergies could get tattoos as long as they didn’t mind the increased risk of allergic reaction and infection.  That was about 3 years ago.  And yes obsessing about getting a tattoo helped keep me sane when life got really bad.  I even tried contacting Native American and other cultural societies that had different ways of tattooing (not using metal needles/inks, etc.) without success.\n\nTwo years ago, I moved to my new apartment in a small city/town southwest of where I grew up.  On my first visit to look at the building, I got lost.  Instead of apartments, I found a 1950’s diner inspired storefront that looked interesting.  It turned out to be a tattoo studio.  Then, the realtor found me and helped me to the apartment building.  Not perfect, but it had everything I was looking for at the time.  After 2 weeks of consideration, I signed a lease.  And kept thinking about tattoos in a diner.  Eventually, I looked up the tattoo studio.  The owner had 30 plus years of experience and only did tattoos – old school style.  We exchanged emails; I met him face-to-face once.\n\nBut I had a downswing in finances and physical health just as I got ready to make the appointment.\n\nEvent 1\n\nLast Saturday, I finally got my two tattoos in black/gray ink: a turtle and a Tibetan Endless Knot aka Chinese Wisdom Knot.  Turtle on left inner forearm near elbow.  Endless Knot on opposite position.  My dream finally came true.  Since then, I’ve been so happy that I managed to sleep every night – real sleep through most of the night.\n\nEvent 2\n\nThen I went to work today and shared my tattoos with friends and close co-workers who know my story.  They were happy for me; full of acceptance, joy, respect even though some did not like tattoos (especially on females).  Some asked me what they meant and listened with appreciation as I described the meaning.   The head of our division even told me to wear my tattoos with pride in the office too.  i.e. I won’t get in trouble for leaving my arms uncovered at work.\n\nThe Dilemma\n\nI was and am overwhelmed.  I feel happy, sad, anxious, guilty, shamed, unworthy, joyous, content, safe and unsure how to cope with the happy feelings inside of me (hence the negative feelings worming in).  I know how to cope with negative, neutral, and mildly positive feelings.  I don’t know how to cope with this, and it’s making me feel edgy.  Especially with an extra heavy workload and other big things coming up.\n\nThanks for reading\n\nShame: Being Kinder to Myself Helps Remove Shame\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Meat of It\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThese days, being kind to myself means the following:\n\n\nThanks for reading.\n\nSurvival Mode: A different kind of survival part 3 – obsessions, compulsions, hearing voices – and getting through one moment at a time\n\nThis last post in the series is in essay or story-telling format.  The Q&A doesn’t work this time.\n\n\nI hear voices.  Lots of voices from different parts of my mind.  Not all of them are from my alters.  In fact, most of the time, my alters choose video, images, story-telling, play-acting, music, writing, and sensation to communicate with me.  They only talk when the other communication formats don’t work.   That is how I learned to tell the difference.  Most of the time.  My alters learned to recognize when the voices are triggering them by realizing we only talk to each other when nothing else works.  The rest of the time, we find other ways to show love, respect, acceptance, affection, and information.\n\nThe Voices\n\nThe voices are different from my hallucinations because they sound real to me; they are the voices of my family members, abusers, bullies, and fake friends telling me to hurt and punish myself because I am worthless.  They insult me; verbally abuse me; taunt me; and constantly tell me ways to hurt myself; then urge me to act on those thoughts.  And if the voices are not working on me, they work on my alters.  It’s a mental loop of negativity that seems impossible to break, let alone stop or ignore.\n\nSometimes the voices sound like me talking to myself.  Sometimes they sound like a parent or sibling or relative.  Sometimes they sound like a medical professional or an authority figure.  The voices play on my weaknesses, insecurities, and fears.  They use those insecurities and fears to persuade me  to hurt myself and others.  Sabotage my plans for going forward.  Or freeze up so that I can’t study or pass a test or complete assignments or put myself in situations where I will be emotionally hurt and shamed.\n\nThen the voices hit me with shame and guilt for not accomplishing my goals.  They reaffirm my inability to do anything right.\n\nAnd they don’t stop.  The voices speak to me, to my alters, waking and sleeping.\n\nWhy and when and how they appear, none of us know.  My therapist thinks it is a symptom of increased anxiety and a form of backlash or flashbacks or nightmares.  I tend to agree with this.  But that’s not the only time the voices visit.\n\nOnly one successful way to stop the voices permanently: give in and hurt myself.\n\nOther less successful ways to stop the voices: take a knock out pill; watch a funny or feel good movie; distract myself; listen to music; use affirmations and positive self talk; reality test my thoughts and fears\n\n\n\n\nWhen I don’t give in to the voices, I start to obsess about ways to make them stop talking to me.  And then I think about what the voices are saying and remember all or many past experiences where their predictions of current outcomes came true.  And I get anxious; start to doubt myself.  Then try to use coping strategies to get myself out of the mental loop.  And when the strategies don’t work, feel more angry and depressed.\n\n\n\n\nOne way I learned to deal with the obsessive thoughts and feelings of anxiety from hearing voices was giving in to compulsions or compulsive routines.  I try not to give in to the compulsions because they tend to take over my life.  I get so caught up in using the activity or routine that the rest of my life suffers; not going to work, missing deadlines, procrastinating, feeling shame for doing something I don’t want to do, etc.  Not all compulsions are bad ones, but even safe ones can become problems when I can’t do anything or go anywhere until I finish my compulsion first.  It’s one reason why I am so careful with my habits and routines.  I don’t want them to become compulsions.\n\n\nGiving In\n\n\nSometimes, when nothing else works and I absolutely need temporary relief, I give in to the voices, obsessions, and compulsions.  I try to find the least harmful behavior or activity that will also soothe the anxiety and do it.  I am not proud of this.  I prefer to find alternatives instead.  The backlash is painful.  But worse, the temptation to give in gets stronger every time I use a negative coping strategy.  And when I am coming off of an adrenaline high with the voices in my mind telling me to use this energy for revenge or punishment, the temptation to get relief instead of waiting it out is strong.\n\n“Waiting it out” means: going without sleep or rest; listening to the voices fighting us (our internal system); experiencing all of the headaches, migraines, physical pain that comes with the internal fighting; not dissociating or switching and forgetting for a while; living with the memories and experiences all of this brings back; and continuing with life and work while coping with it all.\n\nOne Moment at a time\n\nSometimes the best strategy is also the hardest concept to understand.  When I first started therapy/recovery, I was in crisis mode aka survival mode.  Every moment felt like a thousand years.  So I learned to live one moment at a time.  Dissociation and daydreaming helped a lot here.  But that doesn’t help as much now because all of my parts and I have different daydreams.  And lack of focus in the outside world is dangerous.  So now it’s time to find another version of “one moment at a time”  that works for us.  I guess that means going back to basic survival strategies.\n\nI hope anyone else caught in some form of survival mode makes through this round too.\n\nSurvival Mode: A different kind of survival part 1 – PTSD\n\n\nI’m late with this week’s post.  The last few days have been difficult with high anxiety, hyper-vigilance, and an adrenaline high that wouldn’t stop; my reactions to recovered memories involving physical violence combined with seasonal body memory pain.  It’s a different kind of survival mode for me and one that I struggle with a lot.  Instead of typical essay format, I’m using a Q&A interview style for this series\n\nQuestions and Answers\n\nQ: What is an adrenaline high?\n\nA: I get triggered into panic without having a panic attack.  Adrenaline surges through my system.  I suddenly have extra acute senses, strength, mental clarity, etc. in order to run, fight, or freeze until I can escape.  But once I realize the threat is over, the adrenaline keeps on flowing.  The hyper-vigilance stays and increases over time.  I am jumpy and anxious and unable to concentrate.  I can’t relax.  The adrenaline does not stop.\n\nQ: Why doesn’t the adrenaline stop?  Isn’t there a physiological on/off switch built into our bodies/minds?\n\nA:  My on/off switch was permanently disabled because of past experiences.  Yes most people have an on/off switch that automatically controls how, when, and for what length of time the adrenaline flows and then slows down without crashing too hard.  I have to find ways to manually turn the adrenaline off without causing harm to myself and (potentially) others.\n\nQ: How does it relate to PTSD specifically?\n\nA: Symptoms of PTSD get exacerbated.  Agitation, irritability, anger easily, frustration, lack of focus, increased anxiety, panic attacks, etc.  PTSD is considered an anxiety disorder.  For me that means all of my “natural” alertness and environmental sensitivity get put on steroids to make flashbacks, nightmares, and triggers both more likely to occur and more intense with each occurrence.  That sends more adrenaline into my system until I am flying on super high energy levels and awareness even as I start to crash from being physically and emotionally drained of energy from the last wave.  No matter how tired I am, no matter how much I want to relax, the adrenaline and hyper-vigilance won’t let me because my brain senses a threat that doesn’t exist anymore.  Once I identify the cause of this state (that I call Adrenaline High), I have to find ways to slow down the adrenaline until it stops.\n\nQ: How do I know when my adrenaline starts/stays on/stops?\n\nA:  My first signs are physiological.  As in my body reacts to the adrenaline first.  Sweating, chills, shaking/trembling limbs, chest tightness, muscle tension, headaches, face pain, joint pain, extra saliva in my mouth, skin feels itchy, flushed or pale skin/skin changes color.  Then comes acute senses: everything is more sensitive and reactive; I jump at noises, can smell or scent objects from longer distances, flavors increase or decrease – taste too much or nothing at all, etc.  And then comes the distraction, loss of vision (everything is blurry), and an increase in mental static/confusion caused by the “hearing voices” that are not my alters trying to convince me that the past is reality and present is a dumb fantasy that will get me (put your idea of a threat here).\n\nQ: Do automatic defenses and coping strategies kick in during adrenaline?\n\nA:  Yes.  I try everything in my arsenal first.  All of positive, healthy, healing coping strategies and techniques from therapy, programs, hotlines, books, etc. get used and reused until I get frustrated.  Then I try last resort strategies.  Hopefully they work.  And if not, there are the strategies I refuse to consciously use: my past automatic coping and defense mechanisms: chemical help (something stronger than Tylenol like prescription anti-anxiety meds); inducing a panic attack that causes me to pass out; self harm (emotional, verbal, physical, spiritual).  As I’ve mentioned before, self-harm comes in many forms and is not always noticeable.  Luckily for me, I have caring friends and co-workers who gently point out and remind me when this happens so that I know it happened and can be more careful next time.\n\nQ: What are some ways to make the adrenaline stop?  Are they positive/neutral/negative?\n\nA:  I don’t know.  This is where I am still experimenting and learning.  The only ways I know for me to successfully make the adrenaline stop are negative (see question above).  Some neutral ones suggested by others include: exercise; deep breathing; hobbies and activities that allow adrenaline-based energy to be released and do not require a lot of focus; listening to music or lullabies; distractions like favorite books, TV, and movies.  I call those neutral because they can be triggering to some and not to others.  As for positive, I am still working on that.\n\nQ: Is there anything else you want to share?\n\nA: Yes.  The backlash from using what’s necessary to come down from an adrenaline high can be worse than the adrenaline itself.  It can cause guilt and shame and more triggers or memories to resurface.\n\nIf you can ride it all out with minimal harm to self and others, you have won.  That is the attitude I have to take or else I’d be swimming in shame and guilt every time it happens.  Instead of healing, I’d be back in the downward spiral.  So, when nothing works, ask for help.  Reach out to supports if you can.  Help comes in many forms.  Sometimes I ask myself for help and support to get  through the next (time period varies).  Or I ask for spiritual help.\n\nIf you can’t reach out, do what you have to do to stay safe and protect yourself. \n\nAnd always remember: this is not going to last.  You got through it last time.  You will get through it again.\n\nCoping Strategies: Internal Multitasking Part 2\n\nSummary of Part 1\n\nIn Part 1, we provided examples of situations, conflicts, coping challenges, coping strategies, and possible solutions for addressing triggers and anxiety in the whole DID system.  Many of the strategies were combinations of coping techniques previously discussed on the blog.  Some were new and probably scary-sounding to readers.  Either way, it was a lot of information condensed into one post.\n\nThe main point of that post was: sometimes coping challenges require us to step outside of our comfort zones and be brave in order to find calm again.  That means observing the internal struggle like a third party and finding ways to address each trigger on its own.\n\nWhen people say “multitasking isn’t possible; scientific research…”\n\nWe don’t know about you or anyone else who visits here, but the quote above is one of our most hated ones.  Too often, people would tell us to stop, slow down, do one at a time.  Multitasking makes things worse not better.  And how can we tell those educators or family members or co-workers, etc. that we are doing one at a time?  To someone with DID, multitasking is each part working on a single task.  We just happen to occupy one body and appear to be doing multiple tasks at the same time.\n\nIn that sense, finding a coping strategy to help each alter in the system when all of us are overwhelmed makes sense right?  And if this coping strategy requires mental and emotional energy (read imagination and feelings) instead of physical energy (body-related activities), then everyone has a chance to find their calm center while also allowing our physical and spiritual parts time to sleep, relax, energize, and find their calm centers too.\n\nPlease understand that we are not promoting permanent separation of alters in a system.  Nor are we devaluing the idea of integration at any level.  Instead, we are advocating for us alters to work within our current situation to promote cooperation, collaboration, and semi-integration so that our mind, body, and spirit help each other instead of working against each other during triggering situations.  It is not always possible.\n\nIn fact, sometimes we are our own worst enemies because none of us want to hurt or burden the others with our pain when it gets overwhelming.  Therapy and life are teaching us that sharing the pain and the burden with each other helps us more because we can stand together and support each other when one falls.\n\nEver heard of the quote “Different Strokes for different folks”?\n\nEach of us is similar and different.  We are different ages, genders, and types of living beings.  And we have different needs at different times.  That is why self-care and self-soothing can be so difficult.  How to address the needs of many over a set period of time?  And this quote reminds us to be open-minded and allow for multiple options during a session of multiple coping strategies.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7877932190895081}
{"content": "Stakeholder Discussion to Reduce Population-Wide Sodium Intake and Decrease Sodium in the Food Supply: A Conference Report From the American Heart Association Sodium Conference 2013 Planning Group\n\n\nThe following are 10 points to remember about the American Heart Association (AHA) sodium conference:\n\n1. This 2-day forum focused on the health implications of sodium in the diet. Forum participants included 128 stakeholders who are engaged in food research and development, food manufacturing and retail, restaurant and food service operations, regulatory and legislative activities, public health initiatives, health care, academia and scientific research, and data monitoring and surveillance. Topics discussed included evidence for the benefits of health related to sodium reduction, public policy recommendations, past and present experience of the food industry, and implementation of recommendations to reduce sodium in the diet.\n\n2. Currently, Americans consume >3400 mg of sodium per day, which increases their risk of hypertension, stroke, and other serious health problems. High blood pressure (BP) and high dietary sodium are believed to be responsible for >400,000 deaths annually among US adults.\n\n3. Given that >75% of sodium consumption comes from sodium added to food before it is sold, Americans have relatively little control over how much sodium they consume, and it is often challenging to choose diets that are lower in sodium. There are wide ranges in sodium levels among packaged and restaurant foods, which suggest that there is an opportunity for substantial reductions in sodium that can go unnoticed by consumers.\n\n4. The benefits of sodium reduction in people with poorly controlled BP are striking. In a trial of patients with resistant hypertension, a reduction in sodium intake by 4600 mg/d lowered systolic and diastolic BP by 22.7 and 9.1 mm Hg, respectively.\n\n5. Sodium reduction also blunts the age-related rise in BP. Because BP rises with age, approximately 90% of adults eventually become hypertensive. The DASH Sodium trial demonstrated that sodium reduction to a level of approximately 1500 mg/d lowers BP more in older adults than younger adults. Systolic BP decreased by 8.1 mm Hg in those ages 55-76 years compared with 4.8 mm Hg in adults ages 23-41 years. In people without hypertension, BP decreased by 7.0 mm Hg in those >45 years of age compared with 3.7 mm Hg in those ≤45 years of age.\n\n6. The AHA stated it believes in the health benefits of reducing sodium to <1500 mg/d based on strong scientific evidence. The long-term goal of 1500 mg of sodium per day can be achieved incrementally. Research has shown that behavioral modification techniques can help people reduce sodium, but these techniques alone have not been successful in decreasing population-wide sodium intake. Environmental and policy approaches to accompany behavior change strategies are needed to achieve a meaningful impact on the public’s health. Public policy approaches have successfully decreased population salt intakes in other countries including the United Kingdom and Finland.\n\n7. Food manufacturers are under increasing pressure to reduce sodium, and improvements have been observed. Other critical government efforts include supporting robust sodium criteria within school nutrition standards, foods advertised and marketed to children, and foods purchased by employers or government feeding programs. The AHA also supports improved food labeling that helps consumers understand how much sodium is in the foods they purchase, and consumer education in restaurants to help consumers choose lower-sodium options. The association eagerly awaits the release of the federal government’s draft voluntary sodium targets for packaged and restaurant foods, which will be a critically important step for lowering sodium in the food supply.\n\n8. Further research is critical, but calls for more research should not postpone efforts to meet current AHA guidelines for sodium reduction. Monitoring and surveillance should be continued and enhanced with regard to sodium knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors; sodium intake measurement; salt taste preference; and sodium content of foods. Maintenance of food and nutrient databases that reflect the current sodium content of the food supply will also be important to quantify population sodium intake.\n\n9. The authors concluded that a well-established body of scientific research shows that there is a strong relationship between excess sodium intake and high BP and other adverse health outcomes. Since Americans are getting >75% of their sodium from processed and restaurant food, reducing sodium in the food supply could have significant health benefits. However, the reduction of sodium in the food supply is a complex issue that involves multiple stakeholders.\n\n10. The success of new technological approaches for reducing sodium will depend on product availability, health effects (both intended and unintended), research and development investments, quality and taste of reformulated foods, supply chain management, operational modifications, consumer acceptance, and cost. The conference facilitated an exchange of ideas and set the stage for potential collaboration opportunities among stakeholders with mutual interest in reducing sodium in the food supply and in Americans’ diets.\n\nClinical Topics: Congenital Heart Disease and Pediatric Cardiology, Diabetes and Cardiometabolic Disease, Prevention, CHD and Pediatrics and Prevention, Diet, Hypertension\n\nKeywords: Cooperative Behavior, Stroke, Great Britain, Food Supply, Food Labeling, Finland, Blood Pressure, Metabolic Syndrome X, Child, Diet, Sodium-Restricted, Hyponatremia, Sodium, Dietary, Cardiovascular Diseases, Nutritional Status, Restaurants, Hypertension, Hypernatremia\n\n< Back to Listings", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8324921727180481}
{"content": "New \"Rock Around The Clock\" Style Added\n\nThis rock and roll song was written in 1952 by Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers (Myers writing under the pseudonym \"Jimmy De Knight\"). The best-known and most successful rendition was recorded by Bill Haley & His Comets in 1954 for American Decca. It was a No1 single in both the US & UK charts. It also re-entered the UK Singles Chart in both the 1960s and 1970s..\n\nHaley's recording became an anthem for rebellious 1950s youth and is widely considered to be the song that, more than any other, brought rock and roll into mainstream culture around the world. The song is ranked No. 158 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9991182088851929}
{"content": "\n\n\n\nFind a publication\n\n\nShow me\nSub category\nIDRC funds research that supports gender equality and facilitates women’s empowerment.\nWhat the Global South’s most comprehensive mobile and Internet use database says about gender.\nTwo Myanmar students developed their capacity for high-quality research at the University of British Columbia.\n\nAround the world, discriminatory legislation prevents women from accessing their human rights. It can affect almost every aspect of a woman's life, including the right to choose a partner, inherit property, hold a job, and obtain child custody. Often referred to as family law, these laws have...\n\nGlobal efforts are under way to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).\n\nTerremotia is a parliamentary democracy with market economy. It is classified as a high-income country with upper middle to high rankings in indicators such as quality of life, media freedom, education and literacy. Education is compulsory for children aged 6 to 16. Terremotia's economy relies...\n\nScientists in Morocco aim to turn mining waste into materials to transform the city of Jerada.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9670627117156982}
{"content": "Anunnaki – Gods, Kings and Aliens? Did They Really Come From Space?\nAnunnaki Sumerians became the first civilization to determine the accurate length of a year and they possessed an advanced understanding of astronomy, mathematics, and language. Their understanding of time gives a detailed…\nThe Oldest Civilization in the World | Ancient Times\n\nCivilization | If you want to find out the concrete details of the oldest civilization in the world then that will be a bit difficult because there are no clear records of…\n\nmatrix world disclosure\n\n\n\nYou have Successfully Subscribed!\n\nmagic crystals\n\nThe Magic of Crystals\n\nFree eBook\n\n\n\n\nTo our loyal readers!\n\nENOCH | Great Pyramid Mystery\n\nAvailabel Now!\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6412211656570435}
{"content": "What Happens to the Pacers on the Road?\n\nIndiana will need to shake their road woes against Washington\n\nThere’s a stone-cold fact in NBA life: teams are better at home than they are on the road. Whether it’s the home cooking, sleeping in their own beds, the familiarity with the rims or the lack of travel, every single team in the league had a better record in their home gym than on the road.\n\nThe Pacers’ splits are as dramatic as any team in the league. Indiana was a below average offensive team overall in the regular season, with an offensive rating of 101.5 for the season, according to The difference from home to road is quite noticeable. They were a passable 103.9 at Banker’s Life Fieldhouse, but that dropped down to 96.7 on the road for a negative differential of -7.2.\n\nThe splits on defense are even worse. Even through their inexplicable slump, Indiana still led the league with a smothering defensive rating of 96.7. At home, you’re simply not scoring on the Pacers. They locked teams down with a 92.6 DRtg. Teams shot a pathetic 40.4 percent from the field. Indiana’s opponents did everything worse in Indianapolis than they did when the Pacers took the road. In fact, that superhuman Pacers’ home defense turned very pedestrian when they donned their road unis, and took a steep dive from their home numbers - an 8.3 point dive, to be specific. On the whole, their net rating of 11.4 at home drops down to -1.8 on the road. That just doesn’t compute.\n\nThe Star\n\nPart of the Pacers’ offensive downfall on the road could very well lie with Paul George, who started the season looking like an MVP candidate. The problem with that start was that it masked the hard truth that George just isn’t an efficient scorer or reliable shot creator. After setting the nets on fire from midrange to start the year, George regressed to hitting just 39 percent from that range by season’s end, per When his usage rate jumps two points to 29.2 on the road, it becomes more of a problem that he’s chucking 5.2 mid-range jumpers per game. George’s shoddy ball handling comes back to bite him more than usual on the road as well, as his turnover rate jumps from 9.6 at home to 12.0 in enemy territory.\n\nIs there a solution for George? Well, maybe. It would make sense for the swingman to start attacking the rim more, where he’s shooting nearly 75 percent in the postseason, but that’s not as easy as it sounds against Washington. The Wizards start two bigs more than capable of clogging the lane in Nene and Marcin Gortat, and whichever of them is guarding Roy Hibbert rarely has to stray far from the hoop. But considering that George shooting 28.3 percent from mid-range in the postseason, driving into the forest seems a better option.\n\nThe Wildcard\n\nLance Stephenson was groomed in the Pacers cocoon. When he was making choking gestures at the Heat a few years ago, few imagined he’d be one of the hottest free agents in the summer of 2014, yet here we are. The good with Lance is that he can spaz and go for a triple-double (four of his five trip-dubs were at home), but he's just as capable of having one of those 33 percent shooting, 6 turnover nights (7 of his 11 worst shooting performances of the season came on the road).\n\nLance is actually not as unreliable on the road as you’d imagine. The high-stepping, highlight-seeking Stephenson actually drops his turnovers by 0.4 per game on the road, while upping his 3-point shooting percentage by nearly 2 points. The only problem with trusting Lance with the ball - other than trusting Lance with the ball - is that he can’t shoot free throws on the road, where his percentage drops from 76.8 to 65.7.\n\nYou’re rolling the dice with Stephenson basically every night. But the Pacers, especially if they drop Game 3, are going to need some magic. They’re 14-7 when Lance shoots better than 50 percent on the road, and he did sink a dagger to seal their Game 2 win. So why not let Lance be Lance?\n\nThe Defense\n\nThere are jabs galore to throw around when it comes to Roy Hibbert, but facts are facts: the man still anchors the best defense in the league, and opponents hardly even try to take it at him. NBA.com’s player tracking shows that he only faces 4.4 attempts per game at the rim, and allows buckets on 32.5 percent of them. And it’s not like the team gets significantly worse on the road: they allow league-low percentages in the restricted area for both home and away games, although at the rim opponent shooting percentages did rise by about 5 percent, per In the postseason, though, they have dropped to third in rim protection (53.8 percent) at home, and that jumps to 58.7 percent on the road.\n\nSo why the defensive fall off on the road?\n\nThere are a few not-so-small factors that come into play. One is the foul rate; the Pacers commit two more fouls per game on the road, leading to 2.5 more free throw attempts per game for opponents. With teams generally shooting better from the line at home, that resulted in three more made free throws per game for opponents, per\n\nThe Pacers’ once-vaunted offensive rebounding, a major strength of last year’s Eastern Conference finalist, drops by about 3 percent on the road, and the Pacers’ hosts grab an average of about three more rebounds per game on the defensive end than they do in Indiana. That’s three fewer offensive opportunities for the Pacers, and for a team that plays as slowly and inefficiently as they do (20th in pace, 23rd in offensive rating) that can have a major impact on both ends.\n\nWhat the Wizards Do\n\nWashington deserves plenty of credit for turning into a top-flight defensive unit. They finished at number eight in regular season defensive rating, and have dropped their mark under 100 in the postseason, right there with the stingy Pacers. When Gortat and Nene share the court together, as they’ve done for about 23 minutes per game in the playoffs, they drop their defensive rating down to 97.9, which would be tops in the postseason. Those two present some unique problems for the Pacers. Obviously, at this point, Hibbert doesn’t require any sort of double teams. A crucial component of Indiana’s offense has been David West's ability to draw some extra coverage, either due to his proficient mid-range shooting or bullying guys in the post. But Washington can throw two guys at West that can handle his bulk, clogging up the rest of the already-clogged Pacers' offense.\n\nWith guys like John Wall, Bradley Beal and Trevor Ariza causing havoc for the Pacers’ guards and wings with their speed, length and athleticism, it’ll be tough for Indiana to have any more success on either end when they walk into the Phone Booth on Friday.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7824193239212036}
{"content": "\"Yes, in theory, words are words. But literature isn't data. The difference between Shakespeare on a BlackBerry and Shakespeare in the Arden Edition is like the difference between vows taken in a shoe store and vows taken in cathedral,\" - Jonathan Franzen.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5251444578170776}
{"content": "Ethereum -What is Ethereum\n\nWhat is Ethereum?\n\nWhat is Ethereum\n\nEthereum Primer\n\nBy Stephan Tual\n\n\nThe fundamental building block in Ethereum is a contract, a program that lives on the Ethereum network and follows a series of steps every time it receives a transaction. Contracts can store data, send and receive transactions and even interact with other contracts holding third party data. They are maintained by the network, without any central ownership or control. Contracts are written in a language instantly familiar to any programmer and powered by Ether, the base unit of Ethereum cryptocurrency (put differently, its cryptofuel).\n\nethereum what if\n\nEthereum can therefore be thought of as a programmable distributed network. This has implications going far beyond the seemingly obvious applications such as financing agreements. The fact that Ethereum, is, by its very design, resistant to tampering and fraud, also permits a range of other solutions to everyday problems regarding identity and verification which are currently solved at great expense. Voting machines, healthcare software, registration of legal documents such as wills, transfer of title to goods and land, reputation systems, and even traffic navigations systems or social networks can be build on a network where users stay in control of their personal information — and funds — at all times.\n\nIt may even be that the Ethereum applications that will have the most impact on the world are yet to be discovered, just like it took about four years for social networks to be ‘invented’ on the web — and many more for them to diversify and invent novel applications such as microblogging.\n\neretheum software\n\nEthereum can be used to develop, decentralize, secure and trade just about anything, and is limited only by the creativity of developers. For example: company governance, startup crowdfunding, voting, domain name registration and intellectual property. Even smart property — transferring and securing real-world assets — could be implemented, provided that complementary hardware is developed and integrated.\n\nFreedom of Entrepreneurship\n\nIf you’ve seen people excited about Ethereum’s potential, it’s probably because they realized it empowers them to build applications that will have a genuine, measurable societal impact — the ‘a-ha’ moment of Ethereum.\n\nEthereum makes funding, launching a business and listing its stocks a universal, straightforward process. Think Kickstarter on steroids where early adopters acquire ‘shares’ in a business rather than a pre-ordered product. Coupled with Ethereum’s potential to deliver on the promise of microfinance, it could also empower the 2.5 billion unbanked with the tools required to elevate themselves in a truly free world economy.\n\nEven where ample business infrastructure exists, such as it does in the developed world, Ethereum holds the potential to assist companies of all kinds reduce their operational costs and scale more rapidly. It also creates a two way conversation between consumers and corporations through total transparency. There is no room for collusion or corruption within decentralized organizations running on Ethereum as all assets relating to accounts and governance are stored in plain text on every network node.\n\nWithin this infinitely free market, bad actors are weeded off almost immediately, as establishing competing and fairer businesses becomes trivial to anyone willing to offer a similar service.\n\nBusiness in most countries exists in two states : grey area (“System D”) and government sanctioned. Ethereum’s technology allows for a third state, enabling access to global resources for any businesses regardless of location, accelerating both democracy and free enterprise.\n\nHere are a few verticals where Ethereum could engender disruptive innovation:\n\nDecentralization of consumer contracts and consumer credit\n\nAll forms of existing business contracts are surprisingly simple. The vast majority of the complexity sits in the arbitration, compliance and fraud protection associated with said contracts. Ethereum itself forms the backbone for arbitration, regulation and fraud protection. The business contracts are the entities that you program into its network using a powerful, yet approachable programming language. Decentralized, user-friendly web interfaces will lower the barriers of entry even further, down a simple exercise involving the selection of a few boilerplate parameters at the click of a mouse.\n\nUniversal access to financial instruments\n\nAny financial instruments or security can be modeled within Ethereum, including stocks, bonds, letters of credit, loans, mortgages, derivatives (futures, forwards, swaps, options) and CfDs (Contracts for Difference).\n\nConsumers could use decentralised markets to trade instantaneously, internationally, and inexpensively; financial institutions themselves could use decentralised applications to remove the need for expensive transaction managers and gain access to capital from a broad user base in a secure and transparent way.\n\nDisruption lies in the fact that their trading takes place on decentralized markets, with no censorship and virtually no fees, in a peer to peer fashion. Trustless exchanges and decentralized escrow would allow funds to remain under the user’s control and never be at risk from a corporate insolvency, fraud or theft, even if the exchange itself were to shut down or its operators were to disappear.\n\nSocially beneficial distributed computing\n\nEthereum makes it possible for distributed computing platforms to reward their users with an additional incentive layer, which could be implemented as part of a contract. This special type of currency — or ‘meta coin’ — issued by research departments or charities, could be assigned to users after completing arbitrary actions such as folding protein for cancer research or participating in the SETI at home program.\n\n‘Drop in’ economic application layer\n\nGames or applications that embrace user-driven economies such as CCP’sEve Online could leverage Ethereum-based economies across franchised games — a digital good acquired in a real time strategy game could for example be traded on decentralized exchange and be used as part of a first person shooter. Of course, these economies would benefit from having access to the same variety of financial instruments mentioned above.\n\nDecentralized cloud services\n\nUsing cloud services today, while convenient, is also fraught with risk of hacking and companies going out of business, along with their users data. Ethereum enables some users to pay for nodes to encrypt and archive their data, while others could earn money by renting out the free space on their hard drive (using decentralized storage options such as MaidSafe or Bittorrent). Of course, all of this would be driven by market forces, with contracts autonomously relocating to more cost efficient nodes as required.\n\nThe dawn of Super Applications, DAOs and Intelligent Agents\n\nBecause contracts live as independent processing units on a decentralized network, making use of existing services instead of reimplementing basic functionality is common sense. A decentralized version of Ebay could for example interact with an escrow contract, a reputation service, a postal delivery tracking service and a distributed storage layer.\n\nApplications assembled with ‘lego blocks’ of logic hint at the future formation of ‘Super Apps’, the components of which would be individually compelled to maintain maximum value and customer satisfaction or face being replaced.\n\nTaking this concept further are ‘Decentralized Autonomous Organizations’ (DAOs). Consisting of one or more contracts, a DAO is funded by a group of like minded individuals, who subsequently own ‘shares’ in the project. DAOs operate completely transparently without human management, and are no longer subject to voting or other control by their creators or any other stakeholder. A DAO will survive for as long as it can offer valuable services to its user base and earn revenue sufficient to cover its survival costs.\n\nAs such, there are too many examples to list in this brief overview. Ethereum’s potential for disruption encompasses many other verticals, including medical data, consumer loyalty and media distribution. By bringing the creation of trustless and decentralized applications within the reach of any developer, Ethereum is set to precipitate the next phase in innovation acceleration.\n\nEthereum represents the intersection of several disciplines: computer science, monetary theory, business development, and economics. It operates in these areas to effect positive change in social systems. It may represent the first viable system that guarantees free market capitalism and universally fair social systems, in short, the first Social Operating System.\n\nThis Information was posted by the CEO of Ethereum and is amazing to say the least. This new technology will change the world, peer to peer systems running everything we need without any middlemen. When bitcoin came out we never thought it would evolve into such a powerful technology. We at , want to share this information with the world. Such a large number of people have no idea what is happening and we need more awareness to help shape the development of Dapps and systems that will be available very soon.\n\n\n Visit the Ethereum Builder’s Guide\n\nMain site:\n\n\nIRC Freenode: #ethereum", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7457815408706665}
{"content": "“Where love is deep, much can be accomplished.” - Dr. Suzuki\n\n\nDr. Suzuki created a method to teach music as a language.\nChildren naturally learn their mother-tongue easily with a few ingredients:\n\n  1. Begin Early - when a child’s brain is scientifically proven to be most open to acquiring new languages. This is the same area of the brain that processes music.\n\n  2. Parental Involvement - positive feedback and encouragement inspire children to continue.\n\n  3. Repetition - repeating new skills while reviewing old ones builds ability and confidence.\n\n  4. Group of friends - Learning the standardized repertoire, students enjoy playing in a weekly group class with their friends. Children learn leadership and ensemble skills in a playful environment. \n\n  5. Step by Step - learn songs that are singable and gradually get more difficult; build upon acquired skills, adding vocabulary.\n\n  6. Weekly Private Lessons - Regularly see a master teacher to fine-tune and personalize the learning process.\n\n  7. Listening - Surround the child with beautiful representations of music (daily listening); listen as often as you hear people speak.\n\n  8. Delay Reading - we learn to read after we learn to speak. Once the child’s foundation of beautiful posture and tone are strong, we'll start learning to read music.\n\nYou do not have to be a musician to be a successful Suzuki Parent. The “Suzuki Triangle” of Parent, Child and Teacher is integral to the process. We will regularly check-in to make sure you are confident in your home practice.\n\nSuzuki offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to strengthen the parent-child relationship. Your child will gain many skills as they strive for excellence in music and life.\n\nThe Suzuki Method is more than music. It’s a holistic philosophy: an approach to music that enriches students’ self-esteem, self-awareness, and parent-child relationships. At cSSm, we believe Every Child Can develop their ability and character through the study of a musical instrument.\n\nAre you ready to grow?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5419696569442749}
{"content": "The filming industry has become a huge part of our lives during the last century. People are watching movies every day, and new films are produced all the time. Thus, this is hard to say that people are not fond of watching movies. And by knowing how influential the film industry is for a life of a person, we have to admit that movies have spread into all the fields. We can see that they are used in such places as hospitals to make the patients relax, and they are also used for commercial purposes. People are watching movies to spend their free time with family, friends or just on their own. And we can also claim that every movie will be able to find its viewer. Therefore, there is a need to discuss such a topic as educational movies, which are used in all types of instances that are linked with education. For example, at schools, teachers use movies to show historical situations and to illustrate some things. At colleges, many movies are analyzed on a deeper level. But there is a whole section of movies created just for educational purposes. Those movies are divided into smaller genres, but we can definitely call one that really stands out. Those are documentaries, and they have gone out of just the educational meaning. Nowadays, many people watch them all around the world just because they are interesting. And that brings us to the point where we have to talk whether the educational movies are still topical in everyday use at such places at schools and colleges.\n\nFirst of all, we have to look at the situation when people think that watching educational movies is still a great idea to help the kids learn more. For example, good movies are still considered as homework helper for English. Such people tend to think that all the info that the movies bring is going to be easy to understand and this is a better way to teach the kids to memorize useful information without having to note it down. No doubt, they have a lot of reasons to think so. The whiteboards are getting out of fashion today, and people see the decision to switch to movies as a great idea. Definitely, they are right as there are many reasons to replace the usual things with newer and better ones. The strategy that was described above is a great idea for most of the people, as it simply replaces something really old and boring with the fresh concepts.\n\nOn the other hand, there is a completely opposite opinion to the previous one. It was formed recently because the younger generation thinks that we should not use the old way of teaching today. They believe that with the creation of the new ways of educating people, we should forget both about movies and blackboards. Youth insists on using such ways as interactive teaching. Certainly, there are a lot of great things about movies, especially the fact that you do not need to think about all of the factors, but at the same time, there is no such thing as the teacher that would talk with everybody individually. That is actually a thing that is taking over all of the educational instances all over the world. People think that if the teacher would be working with everyone in person, there would be much more chances that the students will understand the given information. And that is something that the educational movies are lacking. They are great to watch for the people with the same level of understanding the information. That is why movies have to be used at the beginning of studying new topics to explain the students the basics of something. But when it comes to the middle of a semester, people are feeling like they might be missing out on some of the information that has been given to them. Therefore, a thought that the movies are outdated today has a lot of reasons to be true.\n\nYet, we have to say that the interactive classes are hard to organize and teach. So, we have to look at the idea of keeping movies at the educational instances and that will most likely let the kids spend much less effort on trying to understand the topic right away, as they will have a lot of time at home to think about all the things they will need. Moreover, the teachers will start feeling better too. The reason for that is the fact that you might have to work with everybody in the class, and that is not something that all the teachers would love to do. So, we will have to say that excluding movies at all will make all the people in class feel less comfortable to some extent. That brings us to the brief summary of this question.\n\nIn the end, we are just going to repeat that both ideas have a lot of things that could be pretty useful, and many people are going to agree with them. Consequently, we have to look at them separately and after that try to find a good decision for both of the sides. And at this point, the idea is to actually leave the movies for the intro lessons, and after that, it’s better to move on to the individual teaching and all of the things that the new generation loves so much.\n\nYour comments\n\nLoading Facebook Comments ...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.554062008857727}
{"content": "Technical Pathway\n\n\nThe ROP Program is a great way to explore different career paths.The Santa Cruz County Regional Occupational Program (ROP) provides students with the opportunity to acquire career training and technical skills that prepare them for success in a changing workplace and continuing education. ROP provides job training for youth 16 and older. ROP works closely with local employers and many classes offer on-the-job training. Follow-up studies of our students indicate program completers have a high rate of job placement.\n\nFor a full list of ROP Programs, check out this link. ROP is not just at Harbor High, in fact, there are courses offered across the county.\n\nAt Harbor, the ROP Porgram is run by Sheri Williams. Sheri’s contact info is as follows:\n\nSheri Williams \nROP Program Coordinator \n\n\n\nA vocational school is a way to get a particular training or certification for a specific program. Examples of this would be training to become a medical assistant, massage therapist, automotive service technician, cosmetologist, or computer information technologist.\n\nSome benefits to attending a vocational school are\n\n-They provide a more direct path into a career\n\n-They’re general cheaper and take less time than a 4-year college\n\n-There are many virtual, on-line programs that allow for schedule flexibility\n\nSound like this might be right for you?\n\nCheck out the RWM vocational schools database at: \n\n\n\n\nAn apprentice is an employee who receives an hourly wage and other benefits while learning a craft/trade. The vast majority of training occurs on-the-job, and is supplemented by classroom instruction. The apprentice works side-by-side with an experienced craftsperson or \"journeyperson.\"\n\nTo look up opportunities for apprenticeships in California, go to:\n\n\n\n\nConsidering going straight into the workforce upon graduating? Check out what opportunities are out there for recent grads. Do a job search for a particular region, occupation, or both, at local job-search websites. Some good places to start:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7776001691818237}
{"content": "CorkQuiz.comLearn about Wine\nHomeWine Tasting 101Wine Study ProgramsWine Tasting Party KitsWine Profile\nHome | France | Loire Valley - The Garden of France\n\nLoire Valley - The Garden of France\n\nThe Loire [pronounced L'wahr] Valley is located in northern France.  It follows the Loire River (France's longest river), stretching over 600 miles from central France in the east to the Atlantic Ocean in the west. It is often referred to as “the garden of France,” because of the abundance of vineyards and orchards that line the banks of the river.\n\nThe Loire Valley is one of France's larger wine regions, encompassing approximately 310 square miles and about 185,000 acres of commercially planted vineyards within its boundaries. There are fifty very diverse sub-appellations within the region. The farthest east region is Sancerre and the farthest west region is Muscadet,\nwhich borders on the Atlantic Ocean.\n\nHistory of the Loire Valley\n\nThe Loire Valley has been inhabited since the Middle Paleolithic Period (about 2000 years). Its earliest inhabitants were the Celtic tribes known as the Gauls. The Romans staged many battles there and the Loire Valley became part of the Roman Empire for several centuries. During that time, Attila the Hun was defeated there by an army made up of Romans and Visigoths. During this period of Roman rule, many settlements were established in the valley. One of the more important settlements was called Torones, which eventually became Tours, where in the year 732, Charles Martel defeated an invading Islamic army from Spain. This was one of the most important battles of the middle ages.\n\nTours later became a place of refuge for the Kings of France during the Hundred Years War with England. The nearby town of Orléans is where Joan of Arc helped to end that war. The region eventually became a popular retreat for the royalty of France - the Emperor Napoleon's wife even had a residence there. In 2000, UNESCO added the central part of the Loire River valley to its list of World Heritage Sites.\n\nThere are more than 300 historic chateaux in the Loire Valley, many of which have been converted into museums or plush hotels.\n\nThe Wines of the Loire Valley\n\nThe Loire Valley is the most diverse wine region in France – sparkling wines, dessert wines, and red and white wines of many styles are produced with great success there. Loire wines tend to exhibit a characteristic fruitiness, with fresh, crisp flavors. The main white wines of the Loire Valley are Sancerre (Sauvignon Blanc), Vouvray (Chenin Blanc), Savenniéres (Chenin Blanc), Menetou-Salon, Montlouis (Chenin Blanc), Muscadet, Pouilly-Fumé (Sauvignon Blanc) and Quarts de Chaume (Chenin Blanc). The main sparkling wine is called Crémant de Loire. The main red wines of the Loire Valley are Bourguil and Chinon.\n\nGrape Growing in the Loire Valley\n\nBecause the area is so large and so diverse, there is a variety of soil types, although the main components in the soils tend to be limestone and chalk.\n\nOverall, the climate is considered to be a temperate maritime climate, with generally mild temperatures. The summers tend to be hot (but they rarely exceed 100 °F) and the winters tend to be cool and rainy. Annual rainfall averages between 25 and 27 inches per year. This climate is considered to be the most pleasant in northern France – this temperate, cooler climate produces grapes, and consequently wines with great balance and intense aromatics.\n\nShare - Loire Valley \nDigg - Loire Valley \nFacebook - Loire Valley \nGoogleBookmark - Loire Valley \nTwitter - Loire Valley \n\nPrinter-Friendly Format   Print to PDF\n·  Cote de Nuits\n·  Languedoc-Roussillon - The French Riviera\n·  Provence\n·  Beaujolais Nouveau - The Thanksgiving wine\n·  France - Birthplace of Wine\n·  Burgundy (Bourgogne)\n·  Champagne \"Come quickly ! I'm tasting stars!\"\n·  Bordeaux - Best in the World?\n·  Alsace - Planet of the Apes?\n\n\n CQ Weekly\nFree Newsletter Signup\nThe Juice\n\n\"It was exactly what I was looking for.\" \n\nJim P.\nHot Springs, AR\n\n\nJohn Kerrville, TX\n\n\nRobert K.\nLondon, UK\n\n\nBruce G\nParkers Cove, NS", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9962533712387085}
{"content": "CERAMENT® BONE VOID FILLER is an injectable, moldable, drillable and radiopaque bone substitute which provides rapid and complete bone remodeling within 6-12 months.  CERAMENT is an ideal bone substitute for a wide range of orthopedic applications including hip, knee and shoulder arthroplasty, traumatic fractures, benign bone tumors and cysts, arthrodesis, charcot foot and hardware removal.\n\nUnique features of CERAMENT: \n\nInjectable, moldable, drillable\nRapid and complete bone remodeling\nHighly visible under fluoroscopy\n30 second, enclosed mix\nNot temperature sensitive\nRobust clinical data \n\n\n\nAmnio Technology, LLC is a global leader in the development and distribution of amniotic tissue allografts. Amniotic tissue contains extracellular matrix proteins, growth factors, cytokines, carbohydrates, hyaluronic acid, and other elements naturally present in amniotic fluid and tissue essential for fetal growth and development. Amnio Technology is committed to advancing the science and use of these unique allografts to improve quality of life for patients in need.Type your paragraph here.\n\nMedShape. We are what the future feels like. As a constantly evolving orthopedic device company that utilizes proprietary advanced material technologies, we fuse brilliant design with surgical expertise. Now surgeons can use the most innovative orthopedic devices anywhere - unique devices created from our shape memory biomaterials that can transform and adapt inside the body. Together, we are dramatically improving the technology of soft tissue fixation, fracture repair, and joint fusions. That kind of change isn't just good - it's great!\n\n-       www.rediscoveryourgo.com\n\n\nThey do this by taking a pioneering approach to the design of advanced medical products and services, by securing wider access to diverse technologies for more customers globally, and by enabling better outcomes for patients and healthcare systems.\n\nThey have leadership positions in:\n\n-Orthopaedics Reconstruction - joint replacement systems for knees, hips and shoulders\n-Trauma & Extremities - products that help repair broken bones\n\n-Annual sales in 2015 were more than $4.6 billion.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9985978603363037}
{"content": "TUCKING IN: Cristina\n\nIF you thought they ate odd things in Andalucia, try Madrid.\n\nA colourful mix of innards, guts and offal were on display during a visit to the capital this month.\n\nA bowl of snails, with chorizo, ended up being decidedly ordinary alongside a plate of pigs ears (oreja) and sheep intestines (zarajos) at historic Los Caracoles restaurant, in the La Latina district.\n\nThe zarajos, which are typical from Cuenca, come on a wooden skewer and are lightly barbecued.\n\nODD: Pigs ears\n\n“You need to eat them slowly and savour them,” explained local teacher Cristina Herrera, 31 (pictured).\n\nMeanwhile, a racion of ‘entresijos’ came out with a round of beers at a restaurant up near Alonso Martinez.\n\nA very unusual dish, reminiscent of wild mushrooms, but slightly chewier, turns out to be lamb ‘mesentery’ or, as defined in English, the ‘piece of peritoneum that joins part of the small intestine to the back wall of the abdomen’.\n\nAnother unusual tapa is ‘gallinejas’, or chitterlings, which are the intestines of a suckling pig.\n\nWEIRD: Lamb intestines\n\nThe specialities are particularly popular during the city’s annual San Isidro festival that ended last week.\n\nThey are rarely found in the centre, apart from at feria time, and are more likely to be eaten in the working class suburbs, including Carabanchel and Vallecas.\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5294967889785767}
{"content": "A: “What makes an activity relevant, yours or anyone else’s? “\n\nB: “The way I see it, for what it stands for, how it forms its stand and how it is communicated.”\n\nA: “Through art?”\n\nB: “In relations, we create, towards what defines us, now and what used to define us then and then. If first we look at now, and define it as one elusive moment of there and there (man points to his head and the surroundings and repeats again in order to emphasize he did not make a mistake), there and there. They are both here both elusive, only history makes this now, graspable.\n\nA: “Through us?”\n\nB: If what we do defines us, it is our responsibility to act with devotion and dignity in order to inspire trust in ourselves and others (at the same time inspire again ourselves and others).\n\nA: “Act/s towards and for art and humanity?”\n\nB: “Individual vocations enrich through collaborations that follow the rules of creative process. Thoughts and ideas provoke actions that are meaningfully and mindfully turned into reality. Only a union of ideas can provoke a reality that puts man’s identity back into the center and identifies what embraces us, as unity. Art not as a reflection, section or mirror of reality, but art that provokes and generates reality.\n\n\nnow switch A for B and read again (just decide where you want to be)\n\n\nWe.are Institute follows a 360-degree approach toward complex contemporary art practices, where concept and form generate and define each other in forms of singular artist’s visions. Through compact group efforts aim/s are established upon the concepts and realities. Mainly operating in fields of spatial and site-specific interventions and multi-media. Installations are tailored within and with collaborating entities, individuals, and institutions joining knowledge and experience in order to reach out and communicate unique voices and stories to a wide circle of people. What we do, we do to give a voice, form and space to voices which are adding to our understandings of existence.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.787117600440979}
{"content": "\n\nSeeka - Hamsa Necklace 0380\n\n\nWearing this Pendant is like wearing a miniature artwork. The piece is truly unique with the intricate design hand painted and set within a very light stainless steel frame. Austrian crystals, beads and a variety of other materials are delicately assembled and set in artist's resin resulting in a beautifully finished and durable piece. The collection conveys a refreshingly unique and highly creative signature. The pendant is exceptionally well made and is produced in limited editions.\n\nComes with a 19” platinum plated chains (15”+4” extension). \n\nDimensions: 1.10 x 0.80 x 0.25 (H x W x L)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9981384873390198}
{"content": "Is the Earth a planet of trash?!\n\nIs the Earth a planet of trash?! it’s a hands-on activity for children from 6-10 years that took place in Lúcio Craveiro da Silva Library on November 24th from 10:00-12:00.\n\n\nWhat can be considered as trash? Did you know that 1.3 billion tons of trash are produced per year? What is toxic waste and how can we avoid or reduce it? In the European Union alone, each person produces 200 kg of this waste per year! How can science help us? In the European Week of Waste Prevention, let us reflect on these issues and carry out some activities that alert us to a more sustainable way of life. Are you curious? Just show up! And don’t forget: it’s time to detoxify!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9284604787826538}
{"content": "Nivinskii, Ignatii Ignatevich\n\nNivinskii, Ignatii Ignat’evich\n\n\nBorn Dec. 30, 1880 (Jan. 11, 1881), in Moscow; died there Oct. 27, 1933. Soviet painter and graphic artist.\n\nNivinskii graduated from the Stroganov School of Industrial Arts in Moscow in 1898. He taught there from 1898 to 1905 and at the Moscow Vkhutemas-Vkhutein (State Higher Arts and Technical Studios-Higher Art and Technical Institute) from 1921 to 1930. Between 1900 and 1915, Nivinskii worked mainly in the field of decorative monumental painting. Beginning in 1912 he primarily produced etchings. Nivinskii was the founder and chairman of the Engravers’ Union (1918) and a member of the Four Arts Association (from 1924). His graphic works were influenced by G. B. Piranesi and F. Brangwyn (Italian Suite, etching, aquatint, 1912, 1915).\n\nIn the mid-1920’s, Nivinskii turned to the theme of industrialization. He believed that the fervor of transforming reality could be conveyed by means of dynamic composition achieved by the juxtaposition of various planes and foreshortenings and by the combination of pictorial elements disparate in time and space (the cycle ZAGES, etching, drypoint, 1927).\n\nAmong Nivinskii’s many works for the theater the designs for the staging of Princess Turandot, based on Gozzi’s tale (1922, Third Studio of the Moscow Art Theater, director E. B. Vakhtangov), were particularly noteworthy. The stylized decorativeness and humor of the design were in tune with the ironic and cheerful nature of the production. Nivinskii was also an illustrator.\n\n\nI.I. Nivinskii: Katalog vystavki. Leningrad, 1934.\nDokuchaeva, V. N. I. I. Nivinskii. Moscow [1969].", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.988606870174408}
{"content": "The Danger of Double Negatives\n\nHave you ever asked someone what they think of your new dress and they say “Well, I don’t dislike it”? Or are you confused by what The Rolling Stones meant in their song “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction”? If you answered yes, you have been subject to the confusion of the double negative. Double negatives occur when two forms of negation are present in the same sentence. Double negatives are like math; because there are two negatives, they cancel out to make the sentence positive. Take my first question for example. With this double negative, the goal of your friend is to avoid offending you because obviously they hate your dress. Saying “I don’t dislike it” would translate to “I like it” when you cancel out the negatives, but because the word “dislike” is prominent it doesn’t sound positive. Using this phrase implies that there are parts you like even if it’s untrue and is must less harsh than saying “I dislike it”, but implies you have some parts you dislike. I’ve had this phrase used on me and personally I would much rather someone be straightforward with me rather than sugar-coating their words with double negatives. Sometimes people use double negatives for effect, such as in my second question. When The Rolling Stones said “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction”, they really meant that they can’t get ANY satisfaction. If you translate the sentence by cancelling out the double negatives, it would become “I Can Get Satisfaction”, which I’m sure isn’t what The Rolling Stones wanted to say. I think that they just wanted to sound rough and tough by using “no” instead of “any”, but that just made them grammatically confusing. This was just a brief touch on double negatives, but I hope that everyone now knows how to check that their meaning is still intact when they use double negatives. This will be my last post, so I hope anyone who read this enjoyed my rants 🙂\n\n\n\nTexting, Slang, and Acronyms: Oh my!\n\nOne of the reasons for the evolution of language and the degeneration of grammar is because of a recently new technology called the cell phone, which brought about a new way to communicate called “texting”. Texting is highly influential on any language and is a contributing factor for the common grammatical errors that I mentioned in my previous posts. In my opinion, texting is both beneficial and hazardous. It increases the efficiency of exchanging messages, but because of the need for efficiency, we tend to create shortcuts that sometimes are grammatically incorrect. Also, this new “texting language” or “slang” has often seeped into our academic writing, making it harder to enforce grammar. For example, people shorten the phrases “got to” and “could have” into the words “gotta” and “coulda” just to decrease the time taken to send a message. These words are obviously not real, but because of the increased use of such words they have become prominent in written and spoken English language. People also misuse the forms of “there/their/they’re” and “your/you’re” quite frequently when texting because there is no way of being alerted that your spelling is wrong and most people read the text so fast they don’t even notice. “Autocorrect” can help with correcting spelling and punctuation, but it doesn’t correct grammar. If we rely on autocorrect, we will never learn to be accurate without it. We have also created acronyms such as “brb” to mean “be right back” or “lol” to mean “laugh out loud”. Although texting acronyms are meant to be solely for texting, I have noticed people using these acronyms in their oral communication. I found a website that I think is great for parents of tech-savvy children because all you do is type in the acronym such as “brb” into the box and click the button that says “Translate Slang” and it will tell you what the acronym stands for. There’s no need to study up on your acronyms now! If you are confused by a slang term, this website also has a tab with a large list of slang words commonly used in text messaging. Now you can know what your kids are really saying about you :p. Because we live in the age of technology, we must embrace the new terms and changes to language that texting brings. Although this is true, we must also embrace grammar and not compromise it just because it is inconvenient.\n\nBecause you’re TOO full, I will give TWO pieces of pie TO your sister\n\nMy title is my attempt to make a sentence that uses all three forms of to/too/two and hopefully shows the differences between them. Normally people mix up “to” and “too” and don’t often mix up “to” and “two” or “too” and “two”. I don’t know if this confusion is because people don’t realize the three forms are not interchangeable or they are too lazy to add or take away one letter. I want to distinguish between these three forms so people will stop making this annoying mistake. The word “two” is a cardinal (counting) number and identifies a set of things such as “two pieces of pie”. The word “to” is a preposition that is used to: a) express motion or direction (eg. I gave it to your sister); b) express limit of movement or extension (eg. He grew to 6 feet); c) express contact or contiguity (eg. I gave him a punch to the jaw); or d) express a point of limit in time (eg. I work from 9 to 5). The word “too” is an adverb that is used: a) as a synonym for “in addition” or “also” (eg. I like pie also); b) to show an excessive extent or degree (eg. I’m too full for pie); c) as an affirmative to contradict a negative statement (eg. I am too) or d) as a synonym for “extremely” or “very” (eg. She wasn’t too pleased with his behavior). As you can see, the three forms all have very different uses. All you have to remember  is that the word “two” is used as a number, the word “to” is used as a preposition, and the word “too” is used to show excess or in addition to something. If you can remember the uses of these words, then you will be able to figure out which one is appropriate in your sentence without doubt.\n\n\nA Brief List of Songs with Atrocious Grammar\n\nI was thinking about how there are so many songs that are grammatically incorrect, so I decided to search the Internet to find some examples and I came across this man’s blog. After reading through his list of 20 songs with horrible grammar, I noticed that some of the songs use improper grammar for no reason at all. For example, in Queen’s song “Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy”, the line “I’d like for you and I to go romancing” is grammatically incorrect when it doesn’t need to be. “I” and “me” are both one syllable, so they could be interchangeable. Also, the phase “you and I” is in the middle of the sentence and is not being used to rhyme such as in the song “Run to You”, therefore Queen could have and should have used “me” instead of “I”. Many artists use improper grammar because they want to make their song rhyme, but sometimes it is not necessary to be incorrect. Another example he brought up that is also baffling is when artists such as Dan Fogelberg mix up the simple past tense and the perfect tense. I think his mistake is pretty obvious and it would not have affected his message or the flow of the song if he had used the correct word. Also, this blogger mentioned that some artists make up words just to make their song rhyme, even when the words are completely incorrect. In Gwen Stefani’s song “Bubble Pop Electric”, she makes up the word “bestest” to rhyme with “restless” and in Justin Timberlake’s “What Goes Around”, he makes up the word “bleeded”. Gwen has shown she doesn’t understand that “best” is a gradable adjective and Justin has shown that he doesn’t know what the past tense of “bleed” is. I’m sure these artists could have found a way to rhyme without butchering grammar this severely. Although the grammatical errors this blogger previously brought up are cringe worthy, the error that irks me the most is the one in Timbaland’s song “The Way I Are”, because it is completely unnecessary to use “are” instead of “am” and it just makes the line sound awkward. I hope future songs do not overlook grammar as much as these songs do, but from the looks of it there isn’t much hope.\n\nWhy do people keep saying “I seen”?\n\nOnly one of my friends has a tendency to say this, so I’m not sure if this grammatical error is as common as I think it is. Even though it may not be common, this mistake is one we must eliminate because it shows we have no understanding of grammar and it makes us sound uneducated. I have heard people say “I seen” and it makes me cringe. How do people not realize it sounds completely incorrect? I can see why people could confuse “seen” and “saw”, because they are both used to describe the past. Although this is true, there is one major difference between the usages of these words. “Seen” must be preceded by the helper verb “to have” whereas “saw” is never preceded by this helper verb. This would make the phrase become “I have seen”, which sounds correct. We must remember that “seen” is a past participle and used in the perfect tense while “saw” is used in the simple past. We cannot interchange the two because of the need for the helper verb. The difference between these two words may be hard to remember for some people, but if we familiarize ourselves with the various verb tenses we will be able to recognize which word is correct to apply.\n\n\n“Than” vs. “Then”\n\nThis blog is a gold mine! The author has addressed yet another common grammatical error and distinguished between the two commonly mixed up words with ease and clarity. I don’t have an issue with these words anymore, but I did when I was younger. If I had seen this back then, I would have learned the difference much faster. The problem with these words is that they are supposed to have distinct sounds, (a hard “a” sound for the word “than” and a hard “e” sound for the word “then”) but people often make then words sound the same. This makes it difficult to distinguish between the two when having an oral conversation, which in turn makes it difficult to choose which one to use in written communication. Luckily, this blogger has come up with an easy method to remember in which contexts to use these words. Even though we know our message will get across regardless of whether or not we use the correct word, it is important to think carefully about whether or not we are correct. If we give in to our laziness, this error will contribute to the deterioration of our grammar and cause the rapid loss of our structured language that we must strive to uphold. \n\n\n“Who” vs. “Whom”\n\nI was reading through this woman’s blog and I couldn’t have shown the distinction between “who” and “whom” better myself.  Now whenever I think of one episode of “The Big Bang Theory” where Penny is saying “Who do we love!” while Sheldon is doing his door knocking routine, I can’t help but cringe because she is using the wrong pronoun. I hope you are familiar with this episode, or at least with the show, or else this reference will not make sense and I will look silly.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5870782136917114}
{"content": "I do agree that the priority of every government should be to protect its country. Protecting a country includes protecting even the people of that country, and therefore, it is the duty of every government to defend its citizens from foreign competition and loss, and to put the interest of its nation first. For instance, economies are vital for the survival of every country. Lack of a good economy leaves a country reliant on other countries for survival; therefore it’s the legal duty of every government to defend the economy of its country. This includes actively defending its citizens in all areas, including the job market; a government should do everything possible to ensure that its citizens are not outsourced out of jobs.\n\n            Protecting its citizens from overseas competition and loss should be the responsibility of every government, in order to make sure that viable jobs and skills are kept within the borders of its country. A majority of times, governments of countries are usually faced with business competition. If the foreign business environment offers better opportunities for business, a government may loose both its citizens and jobs to countries overseas, if it does not intervene. One way to keep its citizens working at home is by making jobs within the country more attractive in terms of salaries and working conditions.\n\n            In addition, matters of national security are important to every government.  Protecting its country means not allowing foreign forces to pose security risks in its country. Foreign militia groups such as Al Shabaab if allowed to attack the citizens of a country, it not only risks the lives and property of its people, but also the national security, which is a key determinant whether tourists will be willing to visit that country, and whether foreign investors will want to invest in a country that is facing insecurity. In addition, if a government does not defend its security officers from foreign competition, many of them will seek job opportunities oversees and know one will remain to provide security within the country. Therefore, every government should make it a responsibility to defend its country.\n\nOrder now\n\nRelated essays", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8342353105545044}
{"content": "PATRONS: The Realization Of Self Within Other.\n\nThat which surrounds you is what you are choosing to integrate.\n\nWhat you are isn’t contained within a single, physical body. There are circles, within circles, within circles of people that surround you (with each circle and your level of focus upon it representing a layer of meaning). When you look at your life in this way, what is seen is that the closest of these circles is what you are most focused on integrating (with the circle outside of that being the next, and so forth). This means that your focus on these different “circles of other” is like a road-map of your intention to expand — rather like looking into your future.\n\nIn this vision of circles I want you to feel how what you are is represented not just by your immediate self, but by everything you choose to focus on (regardless of whether that is perceived as being your personal self or other). In this we begin to see how what we have called “other” is actually a description of the human qualities that are currently awakening / resolving / clarifying within us. In this light the other people upon whom you are most focused are seen to reflect / reveal your choice of evolution (through the direction of your focus).\n\nWhat we call “other” could also be called our personal “next” in terms of it representing our expansion of focus.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5899789929389954}
{"content": "Source: Independent\n\nLately, President Trump has been kind of predictable in the sense that at every turn we expect him to come up with unexpected policies or what some would refer to as his “promises.” The latest being the first budget blueprint he released on Thursday. The $1.15 trillion budget proposed by the President will basically affect every department that will incur cuts with other programs experiencing a total cut-off of funds.\n\nSome of the agencies that would get cut off entirely would include public broadcasting, arts, development groups, etc. Others that will experience steep cuts would be agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and the State Department.\n\nIn short, every department is set to get a massive cut or complete cut-off with the funds getting transferred to three major agencies: Homeland Security, Defense Department, and Veterans Affairs who will get a generous boost from the budget.\n\nTrump says that this budget is aimed at putting America first and the only way to do that is by making sure that the safety of Americans is taken care of; hence the big budget allocation to the National Security departments.\n\nTrump proposes the following increases for the various departments: a 10% ($54 billion) increase in the defense spending, 6% increase in the Veteran’s Affairs Department, and a 7% raise in the Department of Homeland Security.\n\nWhite House Budget Director, Mick Mulvaney, describes this as a “hard-power budget.” This budget will use nearly $1.5 billion to stop illegal immigrants and $314 million to hire 1,000 new Customs and Immigration Enforcement Officers and 500 Border Patrol Officers.\nThe President’s budget proposal suggests $2.6 billion to be used for the building of the proposed border wall which excludes the $1.5 billion that he had asked for earlier in the 2017 as a supplemental spending measure.\n\nSource: Reutersmedia\n\nThe budget also seems to target the Obama administration’s efforts in fighting climate change with the first blow being towards the EPA where the cuts mainly focus on the previous administration’s Clean Power Plan, International Climate Change programs, and Climate Change Research. The proposed 30% EPA cut could see almost 3,000 people losing their jobs.\n\nSome of the other departments that would experience significant cuts include the Labor Department with 20.7% ($2.5 billion), Agriculture Department with 20.7% ($5 billion), US Army Corps of Engineers with 16.3% (1 billion), Health and Human Services with 16.2% (12.6 billion), as well as others such as Transportation, Education, and Housing and Urban Development, etc.\n\nThe budget is set to not tamper with the Medicare and Social Security Departments, Mulvaney said. This is as a result of the promise that the President made during his campaign to leave alone the two elements. According to the Budget Director, these slashes will get directed toward other departments with an example being the cut from the Energy Department.\nThe budget is set to be met with heavy criticism from the lawmakers with the full budget to get released in May. The budget named “America First” will make America great again, according to President Donald Trump.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8755712509155273}
{"content": "Twitter LinkedIn YouTube Flickr\n\n“The ‘a’ which stands for ‘Arts’” is crucial in our education program – The Gluon STEAM Labs\n\nInterview with Fleur Wirtz,\nProject Manager Education, Gluon Foundation, Brussels\n\nWhat is the work of Gluon?\n\nGluon is an independent non-profit organization and a network bringing together researchers, artists, entrepreneurs and scientists. For example, we work with an artist who builds robots that use micro-organisms in the water to generate energy to move. In order to come up with innovative solutions to societal questions, we collaborate with universities, artists and industry in Belgium and elsewhere.\n\nAnd Gluon education projects?\n\nThat’s my part. It is bringing this interdisciplinary approach to secondary school programs. We organize two laboratories per year for young people in between fourteen and eighteen years old. They come up with their own ideas and then, within a week, they realise these ideas with support from artists and technologists. We explore the city with them and they get input from sociologists and artists before they start working on their own projects. They gather and use data on pollution in its various meanings (sound, light, air, water, CO2 et cetera) and visualize these with the tools they create during the lab week.\n\nIn your labs, there is a special emphasis on creativity…\n\nYes, the programs are called STEAM-labs. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics, but we think more is needed and also want to work with the “a” which stands for “Arts”. We’re not the only ones to do this, but we think it’s crucial and it should be put in practice more widely. It’s mostly about adding a critical approach to working with technology and scientific subject matter. This means asking questions such as ‘How do the projects I develop actually contribute to society?’ and putting the things we create in their social context. We think it’ s important to depart from the life world of the pupils participating; they come up with an idea that interests them and they work on it by using all the STEM disciplines. In this way we think that these abstract subjects like mathematics, are put in context and become relevant to the students’ direct environment.\n\nDoes this creative approach also imply more freedom in learning than usual?\n\nDefinitely, in the sense that participants can depart from their own interests. The teacher actually is more of a coach than a teacher. Mostly, they have teaching experience, but it’s not necessarily required, as long as they have the right social and content skills. For them, the experience also is one of discovery and invention. It’s a collective and playful process.\n\nAfter her master studies in sociology, Fleur Wirtz worked as a journalist in both London and Amsterdam. She combined her writing activities with a teaching and research position at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. In 2016, she got on board of the Gluon team as education manager.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9947670102119446}
{"content": "Toenail, 3.0 x 2.5 x 2.5 cm\n\nA relatively sharp, striated, gemmy and lustrous, vivid blue euclase crystal from Zimbabwe - this is the classic locality that has produced the world's most intense blue crystals of the species. This euhedral, highly lustrous and partially gemmy crystal has only one edge and one point of contact. Specimens of this quality and color variety came out in the 1970s, with very little found as a trickle since (and those mostly of the same habit but a much paler, although attractive, pastel blue color with deep blue highlights only) .", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000088214874268}
{"content": "Donate Today!Donate Today!Donate Today!\n\nPlease donate today to the JustWorld International Annual Fund!  Your donation will help create a brighter future for a child in need.\n\n\n\"Imagine.\"  Let's take a minute to think about this powerful word.  It suggests ideas and dreams for the future. It brings hope that what can be imagined, can be achieved.  I'm happy to say that with our donors' help, we have achieved what was once just an idea, hope, and dream for thousands of children.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCan you imagine what more we can do together?  \n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6433343291282654}
{"content": "jeanprouve French engineer and designer, Jean Prouvé (1901 - 1984) considered both form and function in creating his now iconic furnishings. Recently his work has gained popularity among collectors and retailers such as Vitra and Design Within Reach.  His designs have a striking industrial feel often pairing steel with wood.  Prouvé understood how to manipulate materials to efficiently create furniture and he would often collaborate with designers such as Le Corbusier and Charlotte Perriand.  The following are some of the pieces that are on my wish list.\n\n\nCité Armchair, 1934\n\n\nAntony Chair, 1954\n\n\nPotence Lamp, 1954\n\n\nEM Table, 1950\n\n\nStandard Chair, 1934\n\n\nBibliotheque by Charlotte Perriand, Sonia Delaunay, and Jean Prouve, 1953\n\nIMAGE CREDITS: 1st Image from Pullpusher, Cite Armchair from Christies, Antony Chair from Nova68, Potence Lamp from Vitra, EM Table and Standard Chair from Nova68, and Bibliotheque from Jean Prouve Museum.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9938945770263672}
{"content": "C7 TYPE DEMI-BERLINE TWO-DOOR Meer informatie\n\n\n    Standard Silhouette VOISIN - C7 TYPE DEMI-BERLINE TWO-DOOR - 1925\n\nThere isn’t a single superfluous detail on this Voisin C7, which is still in its original state. Engineer Gabriel Voisin was an adherent of Functionalism, a movement which rejected ornate embellishment and was gaining momentum in the 1920s. The only exception is the radiator mascot. Here Voisin bowed to commercialism – at the time, a car without a mascot did not sell.\n\n“Any line which cannot be justified by its function, does not deserve to be called ‘beautiful’”, declared Gabriel Voisin, who hailed from Issy-les-Moulineaux, a suburb of Paris. Voisin was originally an aircraft designer but started producing cars in 1919, as the demand for aeroplanes declined after the First World War.\n\nThe Functionalist movement in art and architecture which found expression in the early 1920s expounded the idea that buildings and objects had to be stripped of unnecessary trimmings and be determined solely by their function. It was a reaction against the decorative ‘Jugendstil’ or ‘Art Nouveau’ movement at the turn of the century. Voisin had befriended the architect and artist Le Corbusier and they admired each other’s work, exchanging ideas as often as they could. In 1925 Voisin gave financial backing to Le Corbusier’s ambitious plan for urban housing in Paris, the ‘Plan Voisin’. The plan was never realised.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9925352334976196}
{"content": "5 Reasons You Should Book an All-Inclusive Vacation\n\n\nEveryone needs a vacation sometimes, but booking them can be so stressful. Are there added fees? What happens if the weather doesn’t cooperate? How are you going to get to and from the airport? Do I need to exchange currency? All-Inclusive resorts take away a lot of the stress associated with booking a vacation.\n\n5 Reasons you Should Book an All-Inclusive Vacation:\n\n1. Booze\n\nMost all-inclusive packages include unlimited food and drinks. You can have all the margaritas, mimosas and little fruity drinks without having to worry about keeping an eye on the tab. When I stayed at Sandals Ochi in Jamaica last year, my mini bar was stocked with mixers and Red Stripe, while the room came with three handles of alcohol: gin, rum and vodka. Even if you’re not a heavy drinker, it’s nice to have access to as much Diet Coke as you require to survive.\n\n2. No Need to Uber\n\nTransportation can be one of the most frustrating part of traveling. Can you trust the cabbie? What happens if you get lost? If you stay at an all-inclusive resort, transportation is usually included. In most countries, there will be a shuttle waiting when you arrive. Jamaica even has lounges where visitors can grab a drink and snack and recover before hitting the van.\n\n3. Safety\n\nAll-inclusive resorts usually have high security to enter their complexes. Not to mention, their activities and excursions happen every day, so you don’t have to worry about losing your deposit on some fly-by-night scuba instructor or sketchy boat captain.\n\n4. Turn Key Vacation\n\nHave you ever been on a vacation where you’re trying to figure out what to do and by the time you decide you’ve wasted half the day? All-inclusive resorts let you plan your activities before you arrive. Everything can be scheduled and accounted for before you even arrive. This way you don’t waste time planning and get to experience all of your vacation.\n\n5. You Know Exactly How Much to Budget\n\nVacations can be tough on the budget. When you’re paying for everything separately you can easily miscalculate what you’ll need. With all-inclusive packages, you know how much you’re going to spend going in. You don’t have to add that unexpected cab ride or that one night you decided to order a bottle of wine. Don’t surprises that cause you more worry when you’re trying to get a tan.\n\nErin Duvall\nErin has more than decade of experience writing about country music. She's written for publications such as Rolling Stone Country, AOL's The Boot and Country Weekly magazine. Erin has a BBA in Music Business from Nashville's Belmont University and a Masters in Film and Creative Media from Music City's Lipscomb University. She is the author of 'Country Music Hair' (Buy it : https://t.co/e6LsQScGlq) Contact her at [email protected]", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7342485189437866}
{"content": "How to read classroom body language\n\nAs vacation is wrapping up and the first day of school approaches (if it already hasn’t arrived), the prep time for the classroom is vital. As a teacher or professor, how can we tell if our students are learning during the first days of school–or just zoning out? Are they leaning forward focused on the material? Or are they mid-collapse into a narcoleptic nap?\nDr. Joanne Chesley, Ed. D. CETL Pedagogy Specialist, helps uncover the meaning of students’ body language to guide teachers to know when their lessons are going in one ear, and when they are coming back out the other.\nAn open body signals an open mind: TRUE\nAccording to Dr. Chesley, attentive body language “signals interest in the other person and the message.” Some signals to look for when teaching students is if they are ignoring distractions like their phones and friends and leaning forward as if involved in the conversation. Even a furrowed brow shows focus, but beware—furrowed brows may also show attentiveness to the point of confusion. With tilted heads and still posture, the student is sure to be paying attention to the lesson.\nThe best body language a professor can receive is open body language, as it signals change in how the student thinks or feels, added Chesley. With relaxed arms and legs, good eye contact (not staring, glaring, or deer-in-headlights mode), and a face directed towards the professor, the student is sure to be learning effectively.\nChecking the time means students are bored: TRUE\nThis is stating the obvious.\nWe’ve all checked our phones, watches, and wall clocks to watch the time pass when we no longer want to be where we are. Checking the time, tapping toes, talking to others, and blank/yawn-filled stares are all signals that the student has lost interest in the lesson. This body language signals “that we would rather not be there, or that the material is uninteresting or irrelevant,” said Dr. Chesley.\nDon’t lose hope, though, if your class seems disinterested. If the lecture is creating more yawns than notes, create an active class discussion!\nCrossed arms are used only for the mad at heart: FALSE\nThis closed body language can mean multiple things when it comes to students. A set of crossed arms can signal someone feeling threatened and wanting to create a barrier for protection. It can signal the need to be nurtured, or the need to hide something. It can signal the room is too cold (crossed arms keep a person warm). Or it could just be a relaxing position to sit in.\nStudents are in the classroom to learn and grow, whether they will admit it or not, so reading the body language of the room can help create the strongest influence on the class learning. Don’t forget what the post-summer days were like, and give the students—and the professors—a break. The start of the semester is near!\nDisclaimer: While reading body language is all in good fun and can help us read a situation, you must use caution when attempting to read your students. Not all body language is as it seems, and so using context clues will help. Read the person, read the room, and then read body language with caution. Give the students time and your attention, and it may very well be the lesson they need the most.\nFeature Image: Thinkstock", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9720149040222168}
{"content": "Recipe: Vegan Fish Sauce\n\n(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)\n\nFish sauce is that magical, secret ingredient that somehow completes any dish that it’s added to. Traditional to most asian cuisines, a version of fish sauce was also used in ancient Rome. Fish sauce is obviously based on fish, so what’s a vegetarian (or vegan) to do if she wants to cook Thai or Vietnamese food, for example? Can’t she have some of that magical savoriness, too? The answer is yes! Read on for a fish-free version of fish sauce that uses some very interesting ingredients.\n\nThe purpose of adding fish sauce to recipes is to add umami, or depth of flavor and savoriness. Most umami-rich foods are animal based, such as bacon or fish or parmesan cheese. But there are also several vegan friendly foods that contain a lot of umami, such as seaweed, mushrooms, and miso. Fermented foods are especially loaded with umami, so soy sauce is high on that list as well.\n\nThe recipe for vegan fish sauce below is based on these ingredients and its the best one I’ve found so far to replace fish sauce in vegetarian/vegan recipes. If you can’t find mushroom soy sauce, add a few dried shiitake to the seaweed mixture in the beginning.\n\nVegan Fish Sauce\n(makes about 3 cups)\n\n1 1/2 cups shredded seaweed (I use wakame)\n6 cups water\n6 fat cloves garlic, crushed but not peeled\n1 T peppercorns\n1 cup mushroom soy sauce\n1 T miso\n\nCombine wakame, garlic, peppercorns and water in a large sauce pan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer about 20 minutes. Strain and return the liquid back to the pot. Add soy sauce, bring back to a boil and cook until mixture is reduced and almost unbearable salty. Remove from heat and stir in miso.\n\n\nNote: You should be able to find wakame in most health food and Japanese grocery stores. Its also readily available online.\n\n(Image: Dana Velden)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6876764893531799}
{"content": "No naps in the sun today. A Western Lowland gorilla finds some afternoon shade at the National Zoo. Angela N via Flickr.\n\n*Air Quality Alert. Avoid strenuous activity or exercise outdoors* \n\nHappy Fathers Day! Conditions were not very conducive to spending a lot of time outdoors today. However, we’ve had some beneficial cloud cover for much of the day, moderating temperatures. Unfortunately, there won’t be much in the way of moderation Monday. The humidity will build tonight, and the heat will join the party tomorrow, making it a very uncomfortable day to be outside.\n\nListen to the latest forecast:\n\n\nThrough tonight: Some isolated showers have been popping up to the west and south of the District, but I don’t expect any of these showers to affect our area. An air-quality alert remains in place, so make sure to avoid exercising outside. Cloud cover will slowly begin to break up as we approach sunset. It will remain quite warm well into the evening hours, with temperatures likely staying in the 80s until about 10 p.m. We won’t cool off very much overnight, with lows expected to be in the low to mid 70s. Dew-point values will be on the rise as well, likely reaching the low 70s by tomorrow morning. That means some areas of patchy fog are likely to develop. Winds will remain light and variable, generally from the south.\n\nView the current weather at The Washington Post.\n\nTomorrow (Monday): Any low clouds or fog in the early morning will quickly give way to mostly sunny skies. After that, we are off to the races in the temperature department. Pretty much everyone should see temperatures reach the low 90s in the early afternoon, with metro locations likely to hit the mid 90s under a light southwest wind. Dew-point values will be in the low 70s, so the midday heat index will vary between 100 and 105 degrees. Technically, this would keep us below the heat advisory threshold (see below), but that won’t make it feel any less unpleasant. Another air quality alert is likely to be issued, so please limit strenuous outdoor activity. Quite warm and muggy tomorrow night, with lows in the mid to upper 70s.\n\n\nWhat is a heat advisory? We throw the phrase “heat advisory” around a lot this time of year, but what are the environmental conditions that prompt such advisories?\n\nThe heat index is often referred to as the “apparent temperature” because it represents the temperature that our bodies feel when we incorporate relative humidity.\n\nIf the body gets too hot, we sweat or perspire as a means to cool ourselves and regulate temperature. However, sweat and perspiration needs to evaporate off our skin to complete the cooling process. When the relative humidity of the atmosphere is high, there is essentially no more room in the surrounding environment for liquid, including sweat. Combine high temperatures with high relative humidity and you get a human body that is going to warm up very quickly without a proper cooling mechanism to regulate overheating.\n\nHeat index advisory thresholds for the eastern U.S. via NOAA.\n\nYou may be surprised to learn that the threshold values for when a heat index advisory is issued vary by region. Take a look at the official threshold values in the image above, and you will notice that in general, it takes “more” to have a heat advisory issued the farther south one goes. Climatology is primarily considered when developing these thresholds, and not just atmospheric climatology. To a certain degree, the local populations’ exposure frequency to high heat and humidity is considered as well. Simply put, the D.C. region’s  population is more acclimated to high heat and humidity than most regions on the map.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5548754930496216}
{"content": "Why Uranus’s Moon is Butt Ugly\n\n\n\nDISCLAIMER: This article contains extremely immature references. Reader discretion is advised. \n\nA mystery revolving around Uranus is solved. One of its five moons, Miranda, was subject to much speculation regarding its oddly missed-matched terrain. The moon’s strange deformity literally and figuratively created a puzzle for scientists. Previous notions suggested that these trapezoidal deformities, uniquely known as coronae, resulted from harsh impacts of asteroids or meteors.  However, a more concrete theory recently emerged. Uranus is so immense that its gravitational pull squeezes and distorts the moon’s surface, heating the core of Miranda.\n\n\nThe heat generated in the core of Miranda is equivalent to that of the earth’s core, therefore allowing the moon earth-like properties such as moving its surface. Miranda’s once eccentric orbit around Uranus also caused the moon to heat and cool as it approached closer and further from the planet.  This explains how the coronae can form on a seemingly dormant moon.\n\nGuess you didn’t know Uranus was big enough to influence a moon’s landscape.\n\nComment your thoughts below and follow me of Facebook and Twitter for instant updates of blog postings!\n\n– Julia\n\n\n\n(IMAGE CREDIT: Space.com)\n\nComments are closed", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7149882912635803}
{"content": "Post Industrial technology, then, is distinct from Industrial technology. Industrial technology produces energy by burning material, polluting the air, soil and water, and leaving a residue behind in the process. Post Industrial technology redirects already existing sources of energy by changing them from one form to another. Wind, sun, geothermal and moving water are all forms of energy already. Transforming them requires neither destruction nor pollution. A photovoltaic cell transforms light into electricity; the electricity can be turned back into light. Nothing is destroyed. In reality, the actuality is more complicated and the transformation not quite so simple, but the principle remains the same. Energy does not have to be created; it already exists. It only needs to be collected, transformed and redistributed. Like money, it is fungible.\n\n\nThis is not to ignore the importance of regional differences. Quite the opposite, unlike the Industrial system, which seeks to flatten regional differences by making the same products which are burned to create energy available everywhere, PostIndustrial technology relies on regional differences not only to to balance the system, but to be net producers. Each longitude and latitude, each local environment, has a different potential to produce energy in excess of local needs. One has an abundance of solar energy, another huge seasonal temperature swings, a third is almost constantly windy, a fourth many rivers and and waterfalls, a fifth fissures to the hot core of the earth, and so on. These differences not only suggest that local users may find one source more reliable than others, but that a global system of distribution can rely on energy always being available for transformation and instantaneous transportation to where it can be consumed.\n\nThis has clear implications for regional differences in the design of buildings and the organization of communities. This is not a new idea; it is a new cycle of a very old one. Prior to the Industrial Age, regional distinctions in building and community organization were the norm. They were driven by limitations in the availability and transportation of building materials, of communication and of the ability to control local climatic conditions. All of this was concurrent, of course, with the development of local culture. The countervailing force against regional differentiation was social, economic and military, but was technologically limited. The Roman Empire planted its emblematic baths and temples in every land it conquered, but in the end had to recognize that Mediterranean housing was simply not feasible in the wintery north of Gaul.\n\nPage 8", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9890620708465576}
{"content": "Playing long balls into empty space since 2012.\n\nFriday, 26 July 2013\n\n'Soccer' in Adelaide in 1854\n\nThe Register in Adelaide published this piece in 1907\n\n\"One of the Old School\" writes: - \"As an intimate and almost lifelong acquaintance of the late Mr. John Acraman, I was pleased to peruse the interesting account of his career published in The Register last week.  \nAmong the various points which attracted my attention particularly was that in regard to Mr Acraman's association with athletics and sports, especially football. It is quite true that he was the first man to introduce football properly into South Australia, and that he had five round balls sent out from England. He also erected the first set of goalposts. That was over 50 years ago - to be exact, in 1854. As there were no rival clubs the pioneer 'hunters of the leather,' who included numerous St. Peter's College old boys, picked sides. The combats took place on the park lands between the Frome Road and City Bridges, under what were known as the Harrow rules. The goalposts were about 9 ft high with a bar across the top. The ball had to be kicked below this, and could not be handled except when being marked. Shouldering was permitted, but holding and hacking were strictly prohibited. The teams usually comprised 20 men each. . . .\nWritten as a recollection on the life of the recently departed Adelaide identity John Acraman, it details a very early football game in Adelaide. The game description seems very close (as far as we can ascertain) to the very first FA rules (of which the mark was a part). It seems to me that in 'genetic' terms this game is closer to soccer than any other code and that we are able to claim this as an early example of soccer in Australia.\n\nAn obvious exception could be taken insofar as Soccer does not technically exist until 1863. This is true but it would be based on the assumption that soccer magically appeared at that point without any developmental impulses. Soccer emerges from a number of strains of football: Eton, Harrow, Cambridge and Sheffield as well as local rule-bound small-sided games across Britain. This game in Adelaide is about as close to soccer that you can get in its pre-figurative forms.\n\nIt is worth noting that this date is 4 years before the first game under the 'Melbourne Rules' (a game which looks nothing like contemporary Australian rules) and 23 years before Victorian Rules is adopted as the major code of football in Adelaide.\n\nCheck out this example of Harrow football from 2011.  Given that the rules have altered very little over time, it's a kind of time capsule for how the game was played 150 years ago. Here's the Wikipedia link to Harrow football supplied by Albert Ross below.\n\nTuesday, 23 July 2013\n\nRestart of soccer in mellbourne 1909\n\nHere's a photograph of the framed collage of teams and dignitaries in 1909, the first season after soccer's 12-year break in Melbourne.\n\nThe teams are, in no particular order:\n  1. Melbourne United\n  2. Carlton United\n  3. Williamstown\n  4. Fitzroy Districts\n  5. Prahran\n  6. St Kilda\n\nThe collage also depicts the Dockerty Cup, the man himself, and the committee in the middle.\n\nClick on the image to enlarge.\n\nThursday, 18 July 2013\n\nThe Forgotten Grounds of Sydney\n\nThe derelict stand at St George\n\nThis is a taster for Les Street's recent article 'A Retrospective Overview of Select National Soccer League Venues' published in the International Journal for Sports History. For copyright reasons we can only run so much but hope that it gives you a taste of Les's work. The piece open with an abstract:\n\nIn 1977, the National Soccer League (NSL) became Australia’s first national sporting club competition. However, throughout its lifespan until its eventual demise in 2004, it was plagued with turmoil. One major issue faced by the League was the excessive number and range of grounds used for competition matches, including finals. Whilst the code of soccer obviously revolves around these so-called theatres of sport, there has not been any comprehensive study or analysis of the history and development of football stadiums in Australia. Indeed, in the Australian context, the focus of academic writing on the code has largely been on matters relating to ethnicity and governance to the detriment of other worthy areas of research. Against such a historiographical background, this paper provides a unique snapshot of selected former NSL grounds in Sydney, Australia, detailing their growth and development using both primary and secondary sources. The key findings not only highlight a number of contrasts and changes in the evolution and expansion of these football grounds, but also help to contextualise the evolution of the League itself.\nFootball – the terminology used throughout this article to describe association football or soccer – is an area of study where the main focus of scholarship in Australia has traditionally been concerned with ethnicity and its associated paradigms. This is due to the intrinsic link the game has had with migrant communities, particularly those from Continental Europe, who by and large immigrated to Australia during the post-Second World War migration boom, setting up community clubs in their image. In addition to this, these clubs and communities facilitated the growth and development of the sport through the federating of state and national bodies, thus breaking down the Anglo-centric amateur vestiges of the code that had permeated its past. The governance of football has also featured as a key area of study by scholars. Over the years of national league competition, the sport had a reputation for poor administration, creating an ever-present problem of whether the game at the highest level would succeed or die, despite the healthy number of participants across all levels of the code. The vast and wide-ranging changes that have occurred since the establishment of Football Federation Australia (FFA) in 2004, including the commencement of the A-League, the entry of Australia into the Asian Football Confederation and the relative success of the Socceroos in qualifying for major world tournaments, are also part of a necessary reassessment of the recent history of the code in Australia.\n\nThe framework for this paper differs from the above-mentioned topics of ethnicity and governance, as it is based on football stadiums, in particular a selection of venues in Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia, that hosted National Soccer League (NSL) matches at various times during the life cycle of that competition. It is also worth noting in the context of this research that in the vernacular used in football circles throughout Australia, the term ‘stadium’ is a loose descriptor, with the titular name being anything from an enclosed suburban sporting field with rudimentary facilities to an all-seated venue with large stands.\n\nFootball grounds are obviously the heartbeat of the sport, for without a venue no game can take place. Yet in both academic and fandom spheres, there has been no comprehensive study, let alone substantive discussion, of the venues used by the NSL. Unlike other codes, the NSL offers little consistency in terms of the number of competing teams and grounds used in its competition. Between the birth of the League in 1977 and its demise in 2004, a total of 100 recorded venues hosted regular season games and finals, adding to the unique and rich tapestry of the League. By providing a retrospective appraisal of a select number of these venues, the aim of this study is to broaden the body of knowledge so that football grounds become a part of the discourse about the code. In this way, the role of venues in hosting national league games will not be forgotten, but rather integrated into understandings of the history of the game by both academics and fans.\n\nFootball and the NSL\n\nFootball has often been seen as the poor relation of Australia’s other professional codes (Australian Rules, rugby league and rugby union) that share the same nomenclature, even though the round-ball game has the greatest purchase across the whole nation. Throughout a history of mismanagement, maladministration, marginalisation and political self-interest, the ‘sleeping giant’ of Australian sport was seen to be in perpetual slumber. The NSL, the forerunner to the current A-League, was Australia’s first national sporting club competition. Predating similar developments in basketball, Australian Rules, rugby league, baseball, rugby union, netball and Twenty 20 cricket, the League was formed in April 1977.\n\nLed by visionary NSW Federation club presidents in the late Alex Pongrass of St George Budapest and Frank Lowy of Eastern Suburbs Hakoah, the ambition to create a national football league was almost stymied by the big Victorian Soccer Federation clubs of the day who saw it as a Sydney imposition. It was not until Mooroolbark, a small club from Melbourne’s outer eastern suburbs, made the NSL possible by breaking the impasse that the other major Melbourne teams decided to join, as they did not want the ‘Barkers’ (as the Mooroolbark club is known) to dominate the Melbourne market.\n\nOver its 27-year lifespan until termination in 2004, the NSL lived a chequered existence. A total of 42 clubs, including one from New Zealand, came and went during the life of the competition, an indication of its inherent instability. Plagued with problems and controversy, particularly the ever-present question of ethnicity and the perception of spectator unrest, off-field matters almost garnered more attention than what occurred on the field of play. This lack of success and instability at the highest echelon of the code was at odds with the vast numbers of participants (both male and female) throughout junior and senior amateur levels. Evaluating the NSL following its demise, Thompson states that ‘there had been thrilling games, high drama, outstanding players and quality teams, but the whole project had run its course. It was time for a new beginning’.\n\nContinued in the International Journal of the History of Sport", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5580444931983948}
{"content": "How many inches are there in 0.4 meters?\n\nalready exists.\n\nWould you like to merge this question into it?\n\nalready exists as an alternate of this question.\n\n\nexists and is an alternate of .\n\nThere are 0.0254 metres in one inch. Therefore, 0.4 metres is equal to 0.4/0.0254 = 15.75 inches.\n1 person found this useful\nIn Math and Arithmetic\n\nHow many inches is 0.4 centimeters?\n\n0.157 in Algebraic Steps / Dimensional Analysis Formula . 0.4 cm . . 1 in 2.54 cm . = . 0.157480315 in.\nIn Units of Measure\n\nHow many milometers are in 0.4 meters?\n\nIn the measurement of length, a millimeter is much shorter than a meter. There is 1 millimeter in 0.001 meters. So in .4 meters there are 400 millimeters.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8384628295898438}
{"content": "How will we travel to another star?\n\n  • Eventually, humanity will want to travel to a new solar system to propagate the human race, explore, and maybe find signs of alien life.\n  • But our closest neighbor, Proxima Centauri, is so far away that current methods could take tens of thousands of years.\n  • How will we surmount this incredible distance and the other challenges associated with interstellar travel?\n\n\nAlpha Centauri, the closest star system to our own, isn’t actually close at all. While light takes 8 minutes to travel from the sun to Earth, it takes 4.37 years to travel from Proxima Centauri — that system’s star — to Earth. That’s all well and good for light, but human beings can’t go quite so fast. Voyager 1 passed the boundaries of our solar system at around 37,000 miles per hour, which seems pretty fast. This speed, though, is only 1/18,000th the speed of light; were Voyager 1 pointed towards Proxima Centauri, it would take 80,000 years.\n\nThis is a problem. If humanity is to survive in the long term, we need to become a multiplanetary species. And while we may be able to terraform other planets in our own solar system to become new homes, we will eventually need to travel to other stars. Equally important, we want to do so in order to learn more about our universe, satisfy our curiosity, and maybe even find alien life. But before we can, we’ll have to surmount some pretty significant challenges.\n\n\nRight now, we just don’t have any good methods of propelling a spacecraft at the necessary speed for interstellar travel. In order to travel far and fast, we need to carry lots of fuel. But the more fuel we carry, the more mass we need to propel through space, making the use of on-board fuel reserves for a rocket exponentially more challenging for long journeys.\n\nMost modern spacecraft use a mixture of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as fuel, but this certainly wouldn’t work for a trip to Proxima Centauri. NASA presented a quick scenario where we aimed to arrive at Proxima Centauri in 900 years with a conventional, chemical rocket without slowing down when we got there (which a real manned mission would certainly want to do). Using this method, there wouldn’t be enough matter in the universe to fuel our rocket.\n\nSo, we would need a new method. There are a few different candidate technologies that we could pursue, each of which deserves its own separate article to examine fully: there’s antimatter engines, warp drives, laser-powered light sails, and many others.\n\nHowever, warp drives are entirely speculative; humanity has only succeeded in producing a little less than 20 nanograms of antimatter, and making a gram of antimatter would cost a million billion dollars; and laser-powered light sails would require a steady power source equivalent to what the Earth consumes in a day. The most likely initial engines for getting us to our stellar neighbor will probably rely on nuclear fusion, and they’ll probably need to host human life for decades, if not centuries.\n\nProject Daedalus, a British Interplanetary Society study, examined the feasibility of this approach and found that a fusion-powered spacecraft could accelerate to 12 percent the speed of light, then cruise for a period of time before slowing down prior to reaching a distant star. If we could pull this massive undertaking off, a fusion rocket could reach our closest stellar neighbor in just 36 years, compared to the tens of thousands of years other methods would require. Unfortunately, the kind of fuel we would use (helium-3) is extremely rare on Earth, the project would cost about $5.267 trillion, and the study focused on unmanned missions. A spacecraft that could support human life would be significantly more difficult to design.\n\n\nIf we travel anywhere through space at significant fractions of the speed of light (almost certainly a requirement for interstellar travel), then impacting interstellar dust or larger objects like space debris or micrometeoroids could be disastrous. Even in the short trips we made during the space shuttle program, more than 100 shuttle windows were replaced after being chipped or cracked by space debris. Traveling to Proxima Centauri would be over a 100 million times the distance, and we’d almost certainly run into something.\n\nFortunately, actual asteroid collisions would be fairly rare. If we were to encounter any large obstacles, the same Project Daedalus that conceived of a fusion-powered spacecraft proposed using drones to eject small particles that would sweep those obstacles away. It’s also been suggested that magnetic superconductors could divert the smaller dust particles away from a hypothetical spacecraft.\n\n\nThe technical challenges of interstellar travel also extend to the problem of how to preserve our mental and physical health. Outside of Earth’s protective magnetosphere, cosmic radiation can cause dementia and damage cognitive function as well as cause cancer. Fortunately, magnetic superconductors such as the one’s mentioned above may be able to protect against dangerous cosmic radiation.\n\nThere are also the challenges associated with low-gravity environments. Without gravity, our bones’ density drops by 1 percent per month, our muscles atrophy, and the risk of developing vision problems and kidney stones increases. If a spaceship were to constantly accelerate, it could mimic Earth’s gravity, but this would require more fuel, driving up the cost and engineering challenges associated with a hypothetical interstellar project.\n\nAlternatively, we could develop a rotating spacecraft whose centripetal force simulates gravity. But again, this brings up additional engineering challenges. A rotating spacecraft would need to supply extra energy to maintain the rotation, complicated seals and motors would need to be placed between the rotating and non-rotating components, and the structure of the ship would need to be stronger (and thus heavier) to prevent it from flying apart over time.\n\nThe mind and the unknown\n\nWith enough research, we can see a path forward to solving all of these issues. But the biggest challenges may be less clear cut. How do we prevent human beings trapped on a spaceship for decades from completely losing their minds? Even after arrival, how will they contend with the idea that they most likely will never return to Earth and may never see new human beings again?\n\nAnd then, there’s always the unknowns. We can plan, mitigate, develop redundancies and innovations, but there will always be something unanticipated, especially in a project whose primary goal is to explore the unknown. But then again, the reason why we explore at all is to learn more about the currently mysterious.\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8932598233222961}
{"content": "Flu shot, steroids, arthritis. #lupus #addisonsdisease #vasculitis\n\nIt’s been a little over a week since I had the flu shot. I’ve been more tired, and I’ve been having some muscle pain. It doesn’t really seem like it made my lupus flare though. I did have some pain in my throat glands yesterday but it was short-lived. I had a headache the day after the shot. All in all it hasn’t been a bad experience. If your doctor wants you to get the flu shot, you probably should. Just don’t get the nasal spray vaccine, and make sure that anyone that lives with you doesn’t get the nasal spray either. People with autoimmune disease can catch the flu from the spray and from being in close contact with anyone that has had the spray.\n\nMy endocrinologist said I’m on a high dose of hydrocortisone. At the time of the appointment I wasn’t showing signs of being on too much, but I did find out afterward that I have osteopenia. I really would like to be on the lowest dose possible, but whenever I taper it makes me sick. I had Rituxan infusions over the summer to treat vasculitis in my brain caused by lupus. I had to stress dose 10mg extra of hydrocortisone to deal with the treatments. Ever since then, I haven’t been able to ween off that extra dose without feeling horrible. I tried again this week, 1.25mg at a time, and by the third day I had the shakes at bedtime. I’m not gaining weight from it, I’ve actually been underweight for a while and trying to gain. In total now I take 37.5mg every day. I feel like I’m burning it all up. Aside from plaquenil, I’m not on anything else to treat the lupus itself. My immune system basically behaves as if I have a cold all the time, which is causing extra stress on my body. When I was on Benlysta, I was taking 22.5-27.5mg a day. I would sometimes stress dose on the day of the Benlysta infusion, but I never felt low on cortisol all the time like I did with the Rituxan. I’m not sure if being on the Rituxan or being off the Benlysta is what caused the need for extra cortisol. I hope that if they choose to put me on another immunosuppressant to treat my lupus, my body won’t be so stressed and I can taper down the hydrocortisone again.\n\nAlso, as a side note: Around the time of my Rituxan treatments, my pharmacy switched my brand of hydrocortisone from Qualitest to Greenstone Cortef. Most people in the Addison’s support group seem to prefer Greenstone, but I’ve been on Qualitest for at least 7-8 years and it’s what I’m used to. Not all brands are created equal and I had a theory that I wasn’t absorbing the Greenstone, so I asked CVS to switch me back to Qualitest. I haven’t really noticed a difference yet, but I’m more comfortable being on my usual brand. It’s something to keep in mind if your pharmacy suddenly changes your brand and you feel weird.\n\nThe kenalog shot is wearing off. For a few days, it seemed like it helped the joint pain in my hands as well as my fevers. Even though it helped the pain, the kenalog didn’t seem to help the stiffness. The aching went away but I was still experiencing my joints getting stuck and losing control. My doctor said that if the kenalog was helpful, I probably have inflammatory arthritis. I feel like I only got partial relief. I have some hypermobility in my hands and I want to ask my doctor if that has any effect on the pain or stiffness, or if it could be a symptom of something else.\n\nI’m on a beta blocker for my heart palpitations. My rheumatologist said it can make the Raynaud’s worse. He was right. My hands and feet are really cold all the time now. It probably doesn’t help the joint pain either. I can’t have a resting heart rate of 116 though. That’s just ridiculous. So for now, I’m just dealing with the cold.\n\nI had “ice pick” headaches last night. They’re like this surge of shooting pain in your head that lasts a couple seconds and then goes away. They’re benign, but later I ended up getting a migraine, and I still have a headache now. I haven’t had the ice pick headaches in a long time. They feel really weird and alarming but they aren’t anything to worry about. I guess last night’s episode was a migraine precursor. That’s new for me so while I’m not worried, it is strange and worth telling my doctor. The pamelor has really helped my headaches. It hasn’t been perfect, but I went from having a migraine every day to lesser daily headaches, sometimes almost no headache, and only getting migraines a few times a week. That’s a big deal considering I’ve been incapacitated by daily migraines for more than a year.\n\n\nSpinal Taps and Google Maps. #Lupus\n\nI had a spinal tap done yesterday. I had one about 5 years ago that went terribly. With that experience, I really wasn’t looking forward to having another one. Luckily, it went differently.\n\nFirst off, I’m going to say that if you have to have a tap done, get it at a major city hospital where the doctor probably does dozens of them a week. The problem with my first tap was that it was done by a local doctor who didn’t have the confidence to do it, so she fucked it up. I’ve had ongoing weakness in my lower back since then. I don’t know what the hell she did back there, but I barfed afterwards and they had to give me Valium because I had a panic attack.\n\nI was originally scheduled to go next Thursday, but my doctor called the hospital and they were able to squeeze me in yesterday morning. I was happy to get it over with rather than worry about it for a week.\n\nIf you’re nervous, and you have Xanax with you, take it before you check in. Once you’re admitted you’re not allowed to take anything. I learned that the hard way, and sat there with heart palpitations. I felt like I was in the waiting room for an eternity.\n\nSome dude at the front desk told my mom she wasn’t allowed to be there with me. I panicked a little on the inside. My mom followed me back just to take my bag for me when it was time. The nurses and doctor didn’t say one word about her being there, and even offered her a chair. One of the nurses handed her some post-procedure information and said “here’s some bathroom reading”.\n\nIf you’re a funny nurse, it makes being a patient suck a lot less. Thank you for that, and be proud of it. It’s the little things, y’know?\n\nI’m built like a feather, so I was able to lie down for the procedure. I was on my side, knees pulled up to my chest as far as they could go (apparently, I’m pretty flexible, despite feeling like the Tin Man most of the time). For my first tap, they made me bend over a table, which isn’t unusual, but lying down is much more comfortable. I recommend it, if you can choose. The nurses were really nice and reassured me that it wasn’t going to be as bad as I thought. The doctor came in and prepped my back, and made some jokes about having to do taps on people that weigh 300lbs. He used ultrasound to find the right spot (a technique that was not used the first time) and marked my back with a pen. They first injected the area with Lidocaine to numb it, which is honestly the worst part of the whole deal. It can really burn sometimes but it wasn’t too bad yesterday. This doctor really knew what he was doing. After they do that, the tap needle goes in. They used a pediatric needle, another thing I recommend. It takes longer but is less traumatic in the end. I didn’t feel pain really, but I wasn’t completely numb either, I felt everything that went on. When the needle goes in, you’ll feel a weird pop, it’s hard to describe, but not really painful. Just strange. Sometimes, some people get an electric shock pain that shoots down their leg and makes it kick. It happened to me the first time, but not this time. It can be painful. Somehow they managed to avoid it altogether yesterday. Once the needle is in, you can feel pressure in your lower back, but it wasn’t really painful. It is uncomfortable, though. As the fluid was being collected, I felt some tingling in my lower spine. The doctor had to ask me to relax because I was tensing up, making the fluid take longer to collect in the vials. It took a while anyway, because they used a really small needle, but given the choice, I’ll take the small needle over a big one. There was a point during the procedure where I thought I was going to panic, because reality set in and I remembered how it went the first time. I focused on this picture on the wall and started singing the lyrics to some song in my head. I can’t remember what the picture or song was now, but I managed to somehow talk myself out of the anxiety. I wasn’t able to count because I couldn’t see, but my mom said they took 5 vials that were fatter than your standard blood vials. The nurse said it was nice and clear, which is great news.\n\nAfter I was done, I thought I’d have to lie on my back for an hour. Since the needle was so small, I was able to get patched up and go right home instead.\n\nThe ride home was hard. Traffic was stop-and-go for part of the way. After the adrenaline wore off, reality hit me and I just wanted to cry the whole way home. My back has been pretty sore on and off. I’ve also been having pain and tense muscles in my butt and legs. My neck has been pretty stiff. Spinal taps cause headaches in some people because it can create a small air bubble in your cerebrospinal fluid. Luckily, I haven’t had any major headaches, just small ones.\n\nWhen I got home, I crashed. I couldn’t stay awake. I slept for about 2 hours. My body doesn’t handle stress well because of my adrenal insufficiency.\n\nI’m not sure how long it will take my back to heal completely, but I have to keep the bandages on it for 2 days and skip showering to keep the puncture site sterile. My muscles are pretty sore. I can’t bend over or lift anything. I have a back brace to wear when the pain gets bad.\n\nI will get the results when I go back to my rheumatologist in a couple weeks. He is looking for the cause of my chronic daily migraines. Even though the SPECT scan showed vasculitis, it didn’t determine the specific cause. The Rituxan does not seem to be helping at all. Once we get the results, we can figure out if the Rituxan was the right move, or if I need another lupus medicine.\n\nI love you Mom.\n\nOn the way home from the hospital, I saw a Google Maps car. I’ve never seen one before so I was strangely excited about it.\n\n2 weeks post-Rituxan #lupus\n\nWell kids, I’m 2 weeks into that magical-yet-guesstimated 3-month time period it supposedly takes for 4 weeks-worth of cancer drug to put Lupus in remission. Is that a run-on sentence?\n\nAnyhoo, I have a really bad headache, as usual. I’m still getting fevers every day. I actually think I’m in a flare of sorts. I’m not due for my “lady’s days” (as Ray Barone lovingly calls it) for at least 10 days, so I don’t think it’s a hormonal flare. Perhaps that’s TMI, but you should all know by now that this is a medical blog, and I spare no personal detail because someone might be able to relate. I’ve been waking about at about 4-5am aching everywhere, especially in my glutes. That’s a big pain spot for me. It’s fun waking up at the crack o’ dawn (literally) because your ass is cramped.\n\nI think the brain fog is letting up a little. I haven’t been my comedic self in a while. I couldn’t find my words for months. I’m not really sure what makes it come and go. I wish I knew, because when it happens I feel like I can’t do anything. I can’t get out of my own way or do things in an order that makes any sense. When I was writing during the brain fog I just felt like it didn’t sound like me, it didn’t come out the way I wanted it to. I took a break from hat-making which is a big hobby of mine. I have a couple blogs I’ve been meaning to write. I’m hoping to have the energy to work on those things in the coming weeks.\n\nI’m getting pretty tired of the fevers. I don’t know how I’m going to get through the summer heat and have a constant fever at the same time. I can’t even sip my coffee in the morning without triggering an episode of the sweats. It’s obnoxious. Its also very irritating to my already-irritated skin. I’ve been alternating between rx-strength ibuprofen (Duexis) and tylenol to help keep them down. They both wear off rather quickly. I do get episodes of the chills too, as anyone with a fever would, and that can be annoying as well. But it’s not as prominent as feeling too hot.\n\nI’ve failed to include Addison’s disease and how I’ve managed it during and after my Rituxan treatment. I think I will write a separate blog about that within the next few days, so long as my brain allows it.\n\nIt doesn’t burn when I pee anymore. No one told me Rituxan makes it burn when you pee, so this is me telling you now. If you’re having that problem, it’s still a good idea to get a urine test done just to make sure, but also don’t be alarmed if it’s happening to you. Cystex is a great over-the-counter treatment for the pain. It’s an NSAID, so be careful with it.\n\nI’m going in to the Rheumatologist on Tuesday so they can take blood to see if my white cell count is back up. I’ve stayed out of crowds for the most part, save a few trips to the store. I noticed when I’m out my throat glands get really sore. I attribute it to more of a flare than an immune reaction to being in public, though. It’s almost like my whole body aches along with it. Sometimes I wonder if the vasculitis is effecting more than just my brain.\n\nMy headaches have been a bit different lately. I’m noticing a pattern that my nasal passages swell at the same time that my headaches come on, as well as pain in my teeth and neck/back area. It’s kind of weird how I can feel that it’s all interconnected. The gland soreness in my throat goes with it sometimes, too. I’m still treating it with Duexis and Fioricet. Since giving up the Nifedipine, I think the head pounding is less intense, but the pain and frequency are the same they have always been. I’m back to having blue feet without nifedipine, but it wasn’t worth the pain I was in. While on nifedipine I felt like I could tolerate salt a little more, which is important for the Addison’s, and now I’m back to being intolerant of it, which sucks. It has made my diet so strange. I feel like I can’t eat anything that hasn’t been prepared at my house, because food is just so damn salty.\n\nI’m trying really hard not to hurry these next few months, because I know it will only make them drag by slower. I’m not exactly anticipating a remission either, because I don’t want to be disappointed. Would be nice to kick the daily headaches, though.\n\nChiari and conflicting opinions.\n\nAs you read previously, I had an appointment with a top chiari specialist last Friday. I haven’t written about it because I’m still mulling it over in my head, and I’m also waiting on another MRI.\n\nI’ll just come out with it. The chiari specialist says I don’t have chiari, or syringomyelia either. Although I have low-lying cerebellar tonsils, I don’t have any blockage in the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, and that just because you’re tonsils are low doesn’t mean it’s a malformation. What I and the radiologists thought was a syrinx, is actually hydromyelia, a pocket of fluid that sometimes appears in childhood growth, and occasionally still makes an appearance into adulthood. It doesn’t cause any problems.\n\n\nMRI from September 2012\n\nThe explanation I got for all the pain and headaches is that I have a long, thin neck, but I still have to support the weight of a normal-sized head, causing instability. My muscles also probably have some atrophy from not being able to exercise regularly. This combination is probably causing severe tension headaches.\n\nHe showed me some isometric neck exercises to strengthen these spots. So far they’ve just aggravated the muscles, but that goes with all exercise in the beginning.\n\nI’m going to have another MRI on my brain just to see where I’m at now. The MRI he was looking at is about a year old. I won’t feel comfortable with being misdiagnosed all this time until the specialist can comfirm it to me on a new MRI.\n\nI’ve seen 2 radiologists, a neurologist, and a neurosurgeon, who all validated the Chiari Malformation and Syringomyelia diagnosis. The neurosurgeon was ready to do surgery. The specialist said that radiologists tend to over-diagnose to avoid the repercussions of under-diagnosing. Plus, not that many people know their ass from their elbow when it comes to chiari, all they’ve seen of it was a paragraph in some textbook from med school.\n\nBut in the end, I’m still conflicted. I’ve lived with this diagnosis for a year, and all the symptoms made sense. While I still have a doctor’s explanation for my headaches, there are a lot of things that are suddenly left unexplained now. The vertigo, hot flashes, heart palpitations, chest heaviness, headaches when I bend over, choking on water, clumsiness, dizziness, trouble with coordination and motor skills, memory and focus issues. I’ve had a lot of these symptoms for a long time, way longer than the period of diagnosis. I won’t feel sure of it until I get another MRI. It all just seems too coincidental. What are the chances of having a thing that looks like chiari, a thing that looks like a syrinx, many of the symptoms, but then not actually having it?\n\nDon’t take it the wrong way, if I really don’t have chiari, I will be incredibly grateful. The only thing I really want is an explanation, and some pain-management. My pain and symptoms are so bad that I was ready to do surgery if it meant getting relief. But on the other side of that coin, I could’ve had surgery that I don’t need.\n\nStill mulling.\n\nChiari in Charge.\n\nThis is from July 8th but I didn’t get around to publishing it til now.\n\nI wanted to draw today. I have this shiny-new set of copic markers to which I’ve only acquainted myself. I brought all my supplies downstairs to start working, and I realized after sitting at the table deciding what to draw that I wasn’t going to be able to sit there any longer. I’m having a day where looking down is making the room spin. It’s really hard for me to spend time drawing anyway, I always get a really bad headache when I work on something, but today I couldn’t even start something.\n\nI’m having more and more days where I can’t ‘start something’. I used to just get rebellious against the pain and power through it, but the pain is so bad that I can’t even get started. It’s not that I’m losing the ‘rebelliousness’, it’s just that the pain has reached a peak where it is impossible to power through anymore. If I were to just ignore it, it would progress into a ‘point of no return’ where none of my pain meds would help it, and I’d probably throw up.\n\nIt is against my nature to give up on something. It is leaving me incredibly frustrated. Technically I’m not giving up, I’m just unable, but it still feels the same. I feel like I don’t know what to do with myself, because the only things that don’t lead to a raging vomit headache are standing and walking, and I can’t do that all day long.\n\nIt’s not just pain either. It’s a pressure my head fills with that is hard to describe to someone without chiari. It makes my ears throb, and the back of my head pulse. It dulls my hearing and narrows my field of vision. It throbs and pulses even more when I turn my head. My teeth hurt. My head feels too ‘full’.\n\nI’m not entirely sure as of yet why it has gotten so much worse, or what the exact cause of such symptoms might be. After researching and talking to other chiarians, I have a few theories.\n\nMy most recent MRI report from September 2012 states that there is no blockage of Cerebrospinal fluid. I don’t think that is entirely true. Perhaps at that moment there wasn’t, but I have a syrinx, which is evidence that at some point, fluid was trapped somewhere. Since that was almost a year ago, it is probably time for another MRI to look for progression. If I do get trapped CSF fluid sometimes, that would explain the pressure and throbbing, and the ‘full’ feeling.\n\nChronic Pain and Movie Theaters.\n\nI love a good movie. Especially on the big screen. But in the past few years, my chronic pain has made the experience somewhat less enjoyable. I deal with it because it’s worth it, but it gets difficult to handle sometimes.\n\nYou know how movie theater seats are. They aren’t that bad, but they are specifically designed to not be too comfortable, because they don’t want people sneaking into the theater and seeing more than one movie on just one ticket fare. They are required to have wheelchair space, which they should be, but they aren’t required to do much more than that, and that leaves people with different kinds of disabilities in limbo.\n\nFor instance, take the front row. Who can stand to sit there? Why do they even have a front row? If you’re unlucky enough to get there when the theater is full, and the only seat that is left is in the front row, you’re in for an agonizing 2 hours, especially if you have chiari. At that point, I would just leave. It’s not like you could go up to somebody and be like “could you give up your seat? I have an issue with my skull.” Yelling that over the previews would just be too awkward.\n\nMost of the time, I make it a point to get there in decent time, so I can pick a good seat. I don’t mind the back row, sometimes I prefer it. I try to sit in the center of the row so I’m not turning my head to see the screen head-on for the duration. keeping my head in a turned position for longer than a few minutes gives me an instant headache. It’s one of the reasons I don’t have my driver’s license, because I can’t look over my shoulder.\n\nSitting for long periods is always aggravating to chiari. It puts a lot of strain on my already-vulnerable neck and shoulder muscles. I always get a headache about halfway through the movie. I sometimes take preventative painkillers or muscle relaxers before the movie but it doesn’t always work. Sitting absolutely upright for a few hours is just bad for some reason. I find myself leaning my face on my fist to alleviate the chiari discomfort, but that always aggravates my trigeminal nerve, which can be excruciating. Halfway through the movie I feel like I start getting the “I can’t wait for this to be over” feeling, even if the movie is great. It sucks when you’re sitting there and you feel it coming on. You get a pulse in the back of your head. You feel like your brain is beating like a heart against your skull, which it actually is, since spinal fluid pulses with your heart. Your neck muscles tighten, then your back muscles, into burning knots. The back of your head gets full of “pressure” which can be likened to sinus pressure. Then the pain starts to wrap around to the front of your face. It goes into your jaw, ear, and eyebrow.\n\nWhen I’m at home watching a movie, I have the luxury of lying on my side on the couch, which will eventually bother me too, but it’s so much more comfortable, and I can usually watch a whole movie like that without much of a problem.\n\nIn certain theaters, the sound is too loud. The theater in my area has imax, and if your theater room is next to the imax theater, you won’t be able to hear your own movie because the imax speakers are too loud. This is always a good headache starter, and makes it a lot less fun if you already have a headache.\n\nI’ve gotten to the point where the pain is so bad from sitting, that I cringe at the thought of going to the movie theater. I still go, it’s the kind of rebellious person I am, but I notice now that I concern myself with how long a movie is.\n\nOn a side note, I wish they offered more at the snack bar that was sick-people-friendly. They post signs all over that say “no outside food or drinks”, and they don’t really enforce it, but it seems unfair. I’m not a diabetic, but I have bad reactions to large amounts of sugar, and sometimes salt as well. If you can name something that would be safe for me to eat from the movie theater, I’ll stand on my head for ten minutes.\n\nThat being said, I’m a big “food-sneaker-inner.” I have to do it, and if they ever give me a hard time about it, I’ll just tell them about my health problems and ask them if they want a lawsuit. So far though, no one has ever looked in my bag or noticed my giant bottle of water that I bring in.\n\nPlus, who wants to pay four bucks for a handful of candy anyway? \n\nIt would be nice if one day I could comfortably enjoy a movie on the big screen. In the mean time, I’ll just deal with it. It’s most definitely not going to stop me from seeing Iron Man 3, so suck on that, chiari.\n\nBenlysta #6\n\nI had my 6th infusion yesterday. It went well, as it usually does, without the aggravation of talking on the phone with the pharmacy like last time.\n\nI’ve probably talked about what an infusion is like before, but I’m just gonna run through what it’s like again.\n\nIt’s about an hour’s drive each way from my house to the office where I get my infusions. My rheumatologist’s office is actually in Beverly Hills, which can be interesting in itself. It’s not my cup of tea but I do manage to see some funny things while I’m there. I have to get my infusions in Los Angeles because it’s not something they seem to offer near me, and the doctors in a big city tend to know more and have the latest treatments when it comes to complex and rare diseases. Travelling isn’t a big deal I guess, it’s something I have to do to get the best possible treatments. I sometimes have a hard time with it though. With the Chiari Malformation, my neck gets really stiff and I get a lot of pressure in the back of my head from sitting too much. I do ok dealing with it on the way out there, but on the way back, when I’m almost home, it gets hard to deal with. I’ve tried lying down in the car and it helps the pressure, but it unfortunately gives me a headache. Some trips go really well, and others just give me a headache.\n\nWhen I get there, we park in the parking garage across the way, run across the street, and take the elevator to the second floor of the building. They usually call me back as soon as I get there. I sit in the doctor’s actual work office, in a recliner (which unfortunately isn’t as comfortable as it sounds) and they wheel the IV cart in. They poke me with a needle and insert the line (the RN is really great at doing this, doesn’t really hurt and I don’t even have a hole in my skin you can see and it’s only been a day, always thankful for someone who can do it well). Before they hook me up to the IV bag, they draw blood through the line. They always draw blood before an infusion to check out how the last infusion is effecting your body. They are checking to see how your liver is handling it, and checking to see if the Benlysta is lowering the lupus activity. After they draw blood, they give me tylenol and claritin, because benlysta can give you headaches(like I need another cause, heh), and the claritin is just an allergy precaution. Then, at last, they hook the line up to the bag, and you’re stuck there for the next 60-90 minutes, depending on how long it takes your bag to empty (definitely make sure you go pee right before they hook you up, ’cause pushing around an IV tree to the bathroom is not a good time, and neither is holding your pee forever). I also recommend bringing some good books, your tablet, ipod, an awesome mom, just something or someone to keep you company while you’re sitting there, or else you’ll just be staring at the wall for a while. Sometimes infusions can make you have a funny taste in your mouth, so it’s good to bring some mints to keep you from having that ‘bleh’ taste in your mouth. I like the Ice Breakers Duo fruity mints. You probably won’t really feel anything while getting your infusion. Sometimes I feel a little warm, but I never know if it’s the treatment or the fact that I’m heat sensitive and my doctor keeps her office at 75-80 degrees F (23-26C)…I tend to hold heat in for whatever reason. I’ll be sitting there in my tank top and my doctor is like “Aren’t you cold?” and I’m like “No, its hot in here.” It partially has to do with sitting in the sun in the car on the way there. Like I said, I hold in heat. It sucks.\n\nOnce the bag is empty, they remove the line, and give me a snazzy bandage that doesn’t stick to my skin, it only sticks to itself (like florist’s tape) so I don’t have to worry about the adhesive ripping my skin off.\n\nAfter the infusion is done I wait a while, and the doctor comes in to have a chat with me so I can catch her up on all the day-to-day things that go on. This time, we were talking about getting me in to see a cardiologist she works with, so I can finally get some answers on why I am having the heart/chest symptoms (see other blogs). She said that I tested positive for an antibody that sometimes attacks the heart (RNP), but that my ultrasound didn’t seem indicative of any sort of inflammation or otherwise negative activity that she could tell, but she also wants to have her cardiologist check it out because it can be tricky to spot. Benlysta doesn’t protect your heart so it would mean switching treatments if something was going on, and I’d really rather not have to do that, some of the other drugs just sound scary. I’m a little anemic, which always seems to be a bit of an issue for me, and I talked to her about it over the phone and I meant to bring it up to her while I was there, but I forgot. It’s hard to remember everything. “Keep a notepad” I know, I know. I get tired of doing that. Plus, I am lucky if I can remember to bring the damned thing with me half the time. Anyway, I did read online that sometimes anemia can cause chest discomfort and heart palpitations, and also cold hands and feet, so it had me curious. I started taking a supplement after I read that, can’t say I feel any better or anything, but it’s only been about a week since I started it.\n\nBack to the infusions, they don’t make me feel weird after. Usually, just tired from riding in the car. Sometimes though I notice when I get an infusion, my throat glands get sore and I get the butterfly rash during the actual infusion. I didn’t seem to get that this time, although I noticed a little gland soreness when I got home. I don’t think my face flushed though.\n\nSomething that is important to remember about benlysta is to drink a lot of water before, during and after. It helps ward off the headaches that it causes. Since my ride in the car isn’t just a skip down the road, I tend to subconsciously avoid drinking water so I don’t have to hold my wee-wee all the way home. I don’t mean to do it. But it results in a terrible headache and I have to make a conscious effort to drink water. Last night I ended up with a headache, but it seemed to go away after a bunch of water and lying down. It wasn’t as bad as my chiari headaches, that’s how I know it was the benlysta. Chiari headaches don’t just ‘go away’ per se. Once you get a chiari headache you’re sort of fucked for the rest of the day.\n\nSo the day after an infusion, I usually feel somewhat worn out. Not sure if it’s the medicine or the trip or all of it. I make the trip sound bad, but really, it’s not. It’s relatively a quick hour. But it’s still tiring. I got in the car today to pick up my brother from somewhere and I had that “I feel like I was just in the car forever” feeling. I was pretty tired after a few errands, and it could have been leftover, but it could have also been the cardio/shortness of breath issues I’ve been having. Sometimes when I have an episode of that, I’m just suddenly so tired I can’t stand. It’s been happening even when my heart rate is normal (and my bp is always normal no matter what’s going on). It feels really awful to be out somewhere and just be like, “Man, I’m too tired to stand anymore all the sudden.” and it becomes this agonizing wait to sit down.\n\nThat’s really it for now. It’s bedtime and my cat is yelling at me.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5016977787017822}
{"content": "Log in\n\nNo account? Create an account\n\nearlier burfling | later burfling\n\nThe world in review\n\nLong-time readers of this journal know that I'm a fan of The Economist magazine, in large part because of their ability to be both informative and witty at the same time. (Not that I always agree with their editorial positions.) Most weeks, they have two one-page features at the front of the issue - \"Politics this week\" and \"Business this week\". But, at the end of the year, they run a double-sized issue with a number of special articles; they also substitute \"The world this year\" for the two weekly items.\n\nThis year, their \"The world this year\" feature closed with the following gem:\n\nThe first protons were circulated around the Large Hadron Collider. Designed to help physicists explain the existence of mass, some feared the experiment would create a gigantic black hole. Wall Street’s collapse just a few days after the LHC was switched on was deemed a coincidence.\n\n(For those who are still concerned that the LHC might destroy the Earth, there is an online monitoring service available.)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9754891395568848}
{"content": "SamplesReviewBeing Black, Living in the RedBuy essay\n← Stem CellsThe Real Eve →\n\nCustom Being Black, Living in the Red Essay\n\nBeing Black, Living in the Red by Conley provides us with analysis of the already existing wealth racial difference between the blacks and whites in America. The book demonstrates that differences between blacks and white results from economic inequalities accumulating a time progresses in American history. Conley economic oppression to the blacks is demonstrated by property ownership measured by net worth of a family. Racial disparity leads to whites being more advantaged to enjoy better residences, best schools and higher opportunities to save furthering their economic status. The book contributes much to understanding of economic and social predicament experienced by African American immigrants.\n\nAccording to Conley, racial disparities are widening and getting their roots deeper in the United States, with no actual cause of the same understood to be solved. His argument is based on socio-demographic traits of immigrants’ parents’ wealth and their disadvantages.\n\nIn this context, wealth can be defined as net assets owned by the household or an individual. Wealth in the United States is considered as the mediator for intergenerational show of inequality, as well as being the result to the process of social stratification. Children education and labor supply clearly indicates the parental wealth from the different social origins.\n\nConley argues that race wealth differences are pointed by the race differences in traits such as parents’ income and youths’ education. He says that race differences disappear in young adults when parents’ attribute like parental wealth are considered as control variables suggesting that race has an overall effect towards assets accumulation. The author suggests that sedimentation of inequality that kills the morale of African-Americans to accumulate wealth contributes much towards racial inequality.  In accordance with Conley, these differences can be reduced from the race background by introduction of race-neutral policies to benefit the youths with lass advantaged parents.\n\nBlack-White gap is well explained by the wealth-relevant traits, for example, entrepreneurial activities and assets portfolio. Whites are advantaged to accumulate wealth by the trait of racial inequality enabling them to inherit parental resources. Conley says that youths are able to reduce their debts by using their parents’ wealth to finance fees for the higher education.\n\nBeing Black, Living in the Red has faced the challenge of the race gap by approaching the challenge from the basis of race differences and social origins in the individual traits. African-American adults are much disadvantaged in terms of assets accumulation due to their social class but not from direct racism effect.\n\nConley concludes that most of the inequalities that are experienced between the blacks and whites are caused by the ever growing disparities in wealth accumulated in a family. His analysis also gives us an insight that shows that if wealth is considered, racial differences reduce or diminishes though this will make the research miss significant variation in levels of family economic resources. He suggests that what matters is class position and wealth levels associated with race in America but not race “per se”. Conley demonstrates that racial discrimination and differences in saving rates do not contribute towards whites-blacks wealth gap in generations living past 1960s.\n\nPortes & Rumbaut’s\n\nThe book by Porters and Rumbaut probes and deals with the lives of the second generation immigrants and their potential and challenges they face in their fight to assimilate into American society. The authors well explain cause of these challenges and the way in which they should be addressed in order to streamline the ease at which the immigrants adapt in to a society mainstream. The book recommends the reduction of the gap between the immigrants and the society they are to fit in and explains that this can only be solved by eliminating racism and ethnicity.\n\nSegmented assimilation best describes most of the adaptive experiences that are at disposal of the immigrants as they fit and become a part of society. An earlier model of assimilation had several phases through which the immigrant underwent to adapt to the already existing society. The phases included: contact, competition, and accommodation phases and the last was assimilation. Today’s model of assimilation involves all the means and ways which an immigrant can adapt to the new society. Immigrants can follow the traditional four phases to assimilate into an underclass or else follow a less prosperous phases to go through the process.\n\nThe analyzed phenomenon is much concerned with how minorities are able to adapt the terms and eventually get absorbed to fit the mainstream of the new social surrounding. Segmented assimilation is all about integration of the newcomers to an existing society. Its concept carries the prediction that shows the final outcome of encounter between the native majority and the foreign immigrants despite their differences in social classes or generation since they are heterogeneous.\n\nThe authors are explaining the models of immigrants’ incorporation, their consequences, challenge to second generation immigrants adaptation and ways and means to counter this challenges. According to the researchers, second generation descendants faces the issue of ethnicity as source of strength to force their way to adapt the new society in terms of social life and economy based on their community resources. On the other hand, some immigrants face ethnicity as a source of subordination that puts their children to the risk of joining the multitude of the dispossessed, especially in the American inner cities. The second generation is associated with the segmentation assimilation with outcomes varying across the minorities.\n\nFactors identified by the authors as important for predicting whether the children of immigrants will end up assimilating “downward” or into the middle class are: the history of newcomers’ first generation; the pace of acculturation among immigrants and their children; the cultural and economic barriers that challenged the immigrants youths in quest for adoption; and, finally, the resources required to confront these barriers.  Barriers that immigrants face in their race to assimilate and adapt to the new society range from race, labor markets and counterculture.\n\nLabor markets’ barrier to the immigrants is in basis of the progressive inequality and deindustrialization enabling the immigrants’ upward mobility for the European immigrants offering them good living standards in contrast to other immigrants. Counterculture barrier, if experienced in the American schools, results to students dropping out from schools to join the drug subculture.\n\nThe authors consider race as a paramount criterion in America for social acceptance that has potential to overwhelm the effect on class religion or background. With or without considering the class origin of the immigrants, it is true to say that outcomes face more challenges in their attempt to get themselves to the middle class mainstream on the basis of their race.  There exist a great racial gradient in the United States culture translating to a great social distance between immigrants with dark skin and the dominant group. In more extreme cases, Asian, Black and Mulatto immigrants’ children endure the ethnic challenges facing discrimination based on the physical differences affecting aspirations and self-esteem in the Blacks immigrants’ children. The overall approach considers immigrants backgrounds as an influence to adaptation outcomes to the society the immigrants inhabit. Despite all the challenges that the immigrants face challenges, all parents wishes the best to their young ones and have great aspiration to their children. The book concludes that the resources needed for better future of the immigrants’ generation are resources giving them job opportunities and access to economic goods.\n\nCode: Sample20\n\nRelated essays\n\n  1. The Real Eve\n  2. Wisdom and Compassion\n  3. Stem Cells\n  4. Law Enforcement and Intelligence Rules\nOn your first order you will receive 15% discount\nOrder now PRICES from $12.99/page ×\nLive chat", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8254407644271851}
{"content": "SIGGRAPH 2003: Human Bodies papers\n\nThe human bodies papers covered a variety of topics, from reconstructing heads from skull data, to building character skins from metrics, to capturing skin deformation using video cameras.\n\nReanimating the Dead: Reconstruction of Expressive Faces from Skull Data\n\nIf you've ever seen a modern forensic TV show, they are pretty much guaranteed to show you somebody building a face by putting little spacers and clay on a human skull.\n\nThat process may be sped up considerably if the researchers who wrote this paper have their way. Although the technique is far from refined, these folks are creating a method to create expressive faces from skull data in minutes or hours instead of the weeks it usually takes when doing it by hand.\n\nThe process involves scanning the skull (which can be done through a variety of methods, including CT scans and range scanning), marking landmark points on the skull with a mouse and telling the computer what those points correspond to. The computer then takes over and uses data from a well known database to add height to the markers and then creates the face by warping an existing model head onto the landscape points.\n\nThis method has some significant advantages over the existing manual method, including:\n\n  • Quicker initial construction (minutes/hours instead of days/weeks)\n  • The ability to generate multiple heads from the same model data (using the physical method, you need to start from scratch to make a second model)\n  • The resulting face is expressive, meaning you can change the expression to match the requirements.\n\nIt's clear that these folks know their stuff and there are some good applications for this project moving forward.\n\nBuilding Efficient, Accurate Character Skins from Examples\n\nThe researchers from the University of Wisconsin who gave this talk are working on a method to create fast interactive deformable skins. In order to keep everything fast, one of their design constraints was a requirement to use only linear blend skinning (because this is handled in hardware by most modern graphics card). Unfortunately, existing LBS methods have weaknesses that often make them collapse or self-intersect if they aren't carefully tweaked.\n\nThis paper details a method for automatically creating additional joints in the model to keep the skinning from creating artifacts.\n\nOne proposed use of this method is to allow animators to use more complex skinning algorithms in modeling programs but output the data using a system that can use this method to create a more \"boiled down\" version of the geometry that will still deform correctly.\n\nThis technique shows promise for the gaming industry especially.\n\nFree-viewpoint Video of Human Actors\n\nIn the first of three papers that discussed taking human forms from captured data, this group of researchers proposed using video shot from eight synchronized cameras to capture data from free motion. Thus, instead of requiring a fixed set of actions to be motion captured, it would capture a full range of motions and their effect on the skin and store this for use later. When the model is then animated, the data is used to determine the level and type of deformation. Although promising, it is still a bit heavy, requiring 5 stat-of-the-art CPUs each with a GPU to handle scanning one frame of reference video per second.\n\nContinuous Capture of Skin Deformation\n\nThis paper dealt with the automatic acquisition of human skin geometry, similar to the previous paper. Also similar to the previous paper, this paper does so with requiring a specifically choreographed set of moves. However, this is where the similarities stop. The method presented here by the folks from MIT used a combination of video and MoCap data to create an animatable 3D geometry. The system can scale down to a single camera for acquisition, although most examples were done with three operating on the same subject. The algorithm does a beautiful job of capturing geometry and has some other interesting attributes besides as regard being able to describe the human form by a set of parameters.\n\nSpace of Human Body Shapes: Reconstruction & Parameterization from range scans.\n\nThis method was unique from the other two because it does not involve taking new measurements. Instead, the system relies on the large human-form data sets now available commercially to serve as the basis for a global model of what man and woman should like like at particular ages.\n\nUsing this data, they have been able to come up with highly realistic deformable models that provide a high level of accuracy while at the same time providing extreme control over the models. As an example, they showed sliders for height, and a number of width (weight) measurements.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6559572219848633}
{"content": "Osmo Nadir\n\n\nLiquid kaleidoscopes, clicks and brainwaves\n\nIt is most probably a by-product of evolution that we are able to discriminate relevant sounds, which might announce important events like approaching danger, from the background noise.\n\nThis audiovisual experiment, like many others, was initiated by pure coincidence. I was drinking my afternoon coffee on the terrace, safely hidden under a fatigued awning finished with black and white stripes. I reached for a next sip and froze. A maelstrom of light glittered on the coffee surface as I lifted the cup. As I swayed it, the reflections would divide and distort creating even denser kaleidoscopic patterns. At this point I knew that I would soon recreate this effect in controlled conditions and record it.\n\nA couple of days later I rolled out the awning, filled a tray with water and hit the record button. The results were extraordinary. I fed the footage into Live, ran different vibration frequencies at different speeds and mixed it.\n\nThe audible clicks resembling high voltage electrical discharges are actually birds chirping on the nearby plane-tree as I was conducting this experiment on the terrace facing the Pyrenean landscape. I loved this sound from the moment I discovered it and to my bewilderment it wasn’t until listening to the footage in the studio. I decided to enhance the clicks, intertwine them with the arrangement and put in the final mix. It is truly astonishing how our brains filter out the multitude of ambient sounds that build up the rich soundscapes that we call silence.\n\nFiltering out the noise\n\nThis phenomenon is caused by the hierarchic organisation of the stream of processes that flow through the brain. The prefrontal cortex, our ‘decision center’ is unaware of most of the processes the brain has to calculate on a daily basis. This arrangement is not only giving us a chance to react accordingly in the face of an emergency but it also makes for a very efficient power-saving strategy. This way one doesn’t have to be bothered by the speed of hair growth or frequency of intestine contractions in the midst of a boar encounter in the woods.\n\n\nAmbient sounds, a collection of air vibrations produced by our environment which we are familiar with, make for a ‘safe soundscape’ or ‘background sounds’ and thus can be processed ‘subconsciously’, rarely reaching the prefrontal cortex. If they do reach it however, it is likely that either our temporal lobe noticed something peculiar about them, or that we are musicians or field-recording artists who just won’t leave a faintest rustle unregistered. All the sounds that get into the brain through the ear canal, after being transformed into a neurochemical code, are directed by the central auditory pathways to the temporal lobe. Here, all the filtering occurs, with all incoming information being evaluated and ‘tagged’ as the sounds that should get our immediate attention, or the irrelevant noise. The information tagged as significant goes to the prefrontal lobe and we suddenly become ‘aware’ of it.\n\n\nBy-product of evolution\n\nIt is most probably a by-product of evolution that we are able to make a clear distinction between relevant sounds, which might announce important events like approaching danger, and the background noise. Michio Kaku, in The Future of the Mind compares the way a brain functions to that of a large corporation. In this analogy which I find quite accurate, the prefrontal cortex would be the CEO of the company.\n\nMost information is “subconscious”— that is, the CEO is blissfully unaware of the vast, complex information that is constantly flowing inside the bureaucracy. In fact, only a tiny amount of information finally reaches the desk of the CEO, who can be compared to the prefrontal cortex. The CEO just has to know information important enough to get his attention; otherwise, he would be paralyzed by an avalanche of extraneous information.¹\n\nFor us, it means the comfort of uninterrupted focus on whatever we are currently doing. We can forget about the humming of a distant highway, cicadas’ song or wind howling in the street and concentrate our attention on creating, playing sudoku or having a conversation.\n\nElectric ear\n\nWhen the patterns became repetitive, I decided it’s time to modify the technique and introduce some variations in the frequency of vibrations. I plugged in a loudspeaker, turned it cone-up with the tray safely taped atop, turned the volume up and generated some sound waves. The patterns suddenly gained complexity, bringing in entirely new quality.\n\n\nAt this stage, the basic principle of this setup could serve as a simplified model of how the brain processes auditory signals. In this analogy, the loudspeaker would be an external sound source, the thin tray bed – a tympanic membrane and the tray content – a fluid-filled cochlea located deep inside the inner ear. The process would look like this: air vibrations travelling through the ear canal (loudspeaker’s diaphragm) would be transformed into mechanical stimuli by the tympanic membrane (tray bed) and pass through the fluid-filled cochlea as hydraulic energy. In our experimental audiovisual model, this is the moment that we would observe the ripples and rosettes on the liquid surface as the acoustic waves put the tray bed in motion. At this point, our model ends. In the brain however, the newly created hydraulic energy would then stimulate the cochlea’s hair cells, which in turn would fire a neurochemical signal and finally, excite the hearing nerve.\n\n\nLiquid visuals\n\nAuditory part aside, the resulting images are truly mesmerising.\n\n\nMore to come soon. Did you like this story? Share it on facebook.\n\nby Osmo Nadir 11 October 2018", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9806826710700989}
{"content": "Archives of Nethys\n\nPathfinder | Starfinder\n\nTerrestrial Vehicles | Starships\n\nStarship Examples\n\n\nExpansion Bays\n\nSource Starfinder Core Rulebook pg. 298\nMost starships have room within their hull for one or more expansion bays, each of which can be converted to function in a wide variety of roles. Unfilled, these bays are simply storage space (and count as cargo holds), and for many large transport vessels, they remain this way. If a starship’s bays are instead used for guest quarters, the ship can serve as a transport vessel for soldiers, travelers, or refugees. If its bays are filled with medical bays and guest quarters, the ship becomes a mobile hospital.\n\nThe following options are available for most ships that have available expansion bays. If an option requires multiple bays, this is noted in its description; if it must consume PCU to function, the amount is listed in the table on page 300. An entire expansion bay must be used for a single purpose, even if it gives you multiple instances of that option. For example, if you select escape pods, that expansion bay gains all six escape pods—you can’t combine three escape pods and one life boat.\n\nThe PCU requirement and the Build Point costs of the expansion bay options can be found on page 300.\n\nCargo Hold\n\nSource Starfinder Core Rulebook pg. 299\nPCU 0; Cost (in BP) 0\nUnconverted expansion bays count as cargo holds. A cargo hold can contain approximately 25 tons of goods, with no item being larger than Large. A starship with multiple cargo holds can hold larger objects; usually 4 contiguous cargo holds are required to hold Huge objects and 8 for Gargantuan objects. These size restrictions can be overridden at the GM’s discretion.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9324259757995605}
{"content": "Discretionary Spending\n\nFunction 370 - Commerce and Housing Credit\n\nConvert the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage Program Into a Direct Loan Program\n\n\nThis option would replace the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) program with a direct loan program in 2020. Instead of guaranteeing reverse mortgages that private lenders originate, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) would make loan disbursements directly to borrowers.\n\nUsing the budgetary procedures prescribed by the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990, CBO projects that if FHA charged borrowers an interest rate similar to those charged by private lenders, the option would result in discretionary savings with a net present value of $3.1 billion from 2020 to 2028, provided that federal appropriations were reduced accordingly. (A present value is a single number that expresses a flow of current and future payments in terms of an equivalent lump sum paid today; the present value of future cash flows depends on the rate of interest, or discount rate, that is used to translate them into current dollars.) Using fair-value accounting—an alternative method that is based on market values and that more comprehensively accounts for the risk that the government assumes in guaranteeing or making loans—CBO projects that net discretionary savings would amount to $6.9 billion over the same period. The savings are uncertain and depend on a number of factors, including CBO's projections of interest rates, house prices, and the size of the HECM program, as well as CBO's assessment of how lenders and borrowers would react to such a change.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6571313142776489}
{"content": "Sahara set to buy London hotel for 470 million!\n\n\n\nSahara is believed to be taking advice from consultants DTZ and Blandford Goldsmith on the real estate deal. RBS had originally hoped to get as much as 700 million pounds from the sale, but lowered its target after two previous auctions failed. RBS has been trying to offload the site for three years. Grosvenor House was built in the 18th century and became the Duke’s London home in 1806.\n\nIt was commandeered by the government during the First World War before being knocked down and rebuilt in 1927. Sahara, which has been in exclusive talks with the state -backed bank since mid-October, is understood to have already handed over a deposit for the property. If all goes smoothly, the deal is expected to be inked before Christmas. Both parties declined to comment on the deal.(PTI)\n\nWe would like to hear your comments below:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8847264647483826}
{"content": "Greta Thunberg on Climate Change\n\nGreta Thunberg (born 3 January 2003) is a Swedish climate activist. She is known for her strike outside the Riksdag in Stockholm, Sweden under the slogan Skolstrejk för klimatet (School Strike for the climate). This Swedish 15-year-old has been named one of the world’s most influential teenagers by America’s Time Magazine in a new ranking.\n\nGreta Thunberg speech to UN secretary general António Guterres at COP24 climate conference in Katowice, Poland on the 3rd December 2018\n\n“Before I start I just want to thank you, Antonio Gueterres, for speaking so clearly about the climate crisis, it brings a lot of hope to people.\n\nFor twenty five years countless of people have stood in front of the United Nations climate conference asking our nations’ leaders to stop the emissions, but clearly this has not worked since the emissions just continue to rise.\n\nSo I will not ask them anything. Instead I will ask the media to start treating the crisis as a crisis. Instead I will ask the people around the world to realise that our political leaders have failed us, because we are facing an existential threat and there is no time to continue down this road of madness.\n\nRich countries like Sweden need to start reducing emissions by at least fifteen per cent every year to stay below two degree (Celsius) warm target. You would think that the media and every one of our leaders would be talking about nothing else but they never even mention it. Nor does hardly anyone ever mention that we are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction with up to 200 species coming extinct every single day.\n\nFurthermore does no one ever speak about the aspect of equity clearly stated in the Paris agreement which is absolutely necessary to make it work on a global scale. That means that rich countries, like mine, need to come down to zero emission within six to twelve years with today’s emission speed.\n\nHow can we expect countries like India, Columbia or Nigeria to care about the climate crisis if we, who already have everything, don’t care even a second about our actual commitments to the Paris agreement.\n\n\nAnd why should I be studying for a future that soon may be no more, when no one is doing anything to save that future. What is the point of learning facts when the most important facts clearly mean nothing to our society.\n\nToday we use one hundred million barrels of oil every single day. The politics to change that, the rules to keep that oil in the ground, we can no longer change the world by playing by the rules because the rules have to be changed.\n\nSo we have not come here to beg the world leaders to care about our future. They have ignored us in the past and they will ignore us again. We have come here to let them know that change is coming whether they like it or not. The people will rise to the challenge. And since our leaders are behaving like children we will have to take the responsibility they should have taken long ago.\n\nThank you”\n\n“Even if there is no hope we have to do something. Not having hope is not an excuse for not doing anything. Of course we need hope but the one thing we need more than hope is action because once we start to act hope is everywhere.”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5161985158920288}
{"content": "Smokey- St John, NB\n\nThis kitty is a very affectionate, lovable cat.He is so sweet but I already have three male cats and they do not get along very well. my cats with him not the other way around.\n\ncharlotte st\nsaint john, new brunswick, canada, e2l 2k4", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8501307964324951}
{"content": "Indigenous Goddess Gang\n\n\n\nRelieving Cramp Pain Naturally\n\nRelieving Cramp Pain Naturally\n\nDuring the sacred moon cycle, womxn deserve effective pain relief without the risk of negative side effects. Over the counter pain relievers such as aspirin, naproxen, ibuprofen, and mefenamic acid have toxic risk and negative effects on our bodies including stomach bleeding, ulcers and upset stomach, high blood pressure, fluid retention and swelling, kidney problems, heart problems, and rashes.\n\nBelow is a short list of cramp remedies that are natural inexpensive and extremely effective against period pain and cramps. Please note, this is just the start of non-toxic remedies for pain during moon time.\n\nWishing all our sisters an empowering and pain-free cycle!\n\nHerbs with strong healing properties:\n\nGinger reduces bleeding, abdominal and low-back pain, headache, gastrointestinal disturbances, nausea, and joint and muscle pain.\n\n-How to make a ginger tea\n\nTo prepare your tea, you will need root of the ginger plant. Wash the ginger root and remove the skin. Now slice the root into small pieces. For every cup of water, add 2 tablespoonfuls of ginger root pieces. Now boil this solution in a small pot on low heat and simmer for a while. Your tea is ready. Strain the ginger from water and drink the ginger tea 2-3 times a day to ease pain associated with menstrual cramps.\n\nFennel Seed relieves menstrual pain, nausea and fatigue.\n\n-How to make fennel tea: \n\nFennel tea works the best for PMS and menstrual cramps. To make fennel tea, pour 1 cup of water to a vessel and add 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds. Let it simmer in low flame for 5 minutes with a lid on it. Turn off the flame and strain. Have it warm several times a day.\n\n-Fennel honey syrup: \n\nGrab a handful of fennel seeds and roast them until crunchy. Grind them into fine powder and store in an airtight container. Take a spoonful of raw honey and add in 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds. Mix it well and have it. Have this fennel-honey syrup 2-3 times a day.\n\nCinnamon helps reduce bleeding and ease pain and has potent antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory properties. It is effective in fighting first day cramps of your period. You can make make a tea, add to your food or take 840 mg of cinnamon capsules three times a day during the first three days of your period to support pain relief.\n\n-How to Make Cinnamon tea:\n\nCinnamon tea can be made by boiling cinnamon in water for 15 minutes and then adding some milk or honey to it. This delicious tea is said to reduce premenstrual cramps. It has anti-clotting and anti-microbial activity and is a good source of calcium, manganese and iron too. Drink cinnamon tea regularly, especially before the start date of your period. You can even include Cinnamon in other foods.\n\nFrankincense and myrrh work together to relieve pain and are highly anti-inflammatory.\n\n-How to make a frankincense oil:\n\nIn an ounce of carrier oil such as jojoba oil, add five drops of frankincense. Use the oil to massage the abdomen. Many women have also found relief by adding 8-12 drops of the oil in a warm bath.\n\nChamomile increases the production of glycine, an amino acid that reduces muscle spasms. This calming effect helps lower pain experienced from menstrual cramps.\n\n-How to make chamomile tea:\n\nStart by putting a chamomile teabag or an infuser filled with a tablespoon of dried chamomile into your cup. Then, add boiling water to the cup and let it steep for 5 minutes to get the full flavor of the chamomile. Have it warm several times a day. Also sip two cups of tea per day a week before your period., and you may benefit more if you drink it every month.\n\nDill reduces cramping and pain and supports hormonal balance.\n\n-How to make dill tea:\n\nYou can use either dill seeds or leaves, but since seeds tend to be richer in the components you need, here is the tea recipe for using seeds. Start by putting the kettle on and boiling water for your tea. Get your tea pot and place inside 2 teaspoons of mashed dill seeds per cup of tea. Pour boiling water into the teapot and let the seeds steep for 10 minutes, turning the tea into a nice yellow color. Now that your tea is ready, filter the seeds and drink. Take only up to 3 cups a day, preferably after meals to help the digestive juices to flow. This is a tea that is sweet and cool, with a pungent sharp taste. If you are using this tea as a sedative and wish for a milder tea, then try blending dill and chamomile tea for a soothing and calming tea. Drink daily for five days, starting two days before your cycle.\n\nOther natural ways to support your body during your moon cycle:\n\nDrink water \n\nDrinking water actually keeps your body from retaining water and helps to avoid painful bloating during menstruation. Warm or hot water is usually better for cramps, as hot liquids increase blood flow to your skin and may relax cramped muscles (drink your herbal teas!).\n\nHeat therapy\n\nTopical heat therapy or use of a heating pad or soak in hot water helps to relax the myometrium, reducing constriction of blood vessels and improving blood flow to the uterus. If you don’t have a hot water bottle or heating pad, take a warm bath or use a hot towel.\n\nHow to make your own heating pad:\n\n  1. Cut and sew together two pieces of fabric, leaving a hole at the top or simply use a sock.\n\n  2. Fill with uncooked rice and sew up the hole.\n\n  3. Microwave for a few minutes to the desired temperature. Don’t overheat! (you can pop it in the oven at 200 degrees for about 5-10 mins if you do not have a microwave.\n\n  4. Let cool, if necessary. Or wrap your homemade pad in a towel to reduce heat transfer. Reuse as necessary.\n\nMassaging with essential oils:\n\nA massage for about 20 minutes can help reduce menstrual pain immediately and afterward. Effective massage for menstruation involves pressing specific points around your abdomen, side, and back. Adding essential oils such as lavender, sage or frankincense for an aromatherapy style of massage supports further reduction in the amount and duration of pain. If using essential oils, always dilute your essential oil with a carrier oil such as vegetable or nut oils like grapeseed or sweet almond oil. A safe concentration is one drop of essential oil per teaspoon of carrier oil. (When purchasing essential oils always make sure they are sustainably sourced)\n\nWatch this video for a tutorial on massaging for menstrual pain:\n\n\nThe idea of exercise immediately before or during your period may not appeal to you. But exercise releases endorphins and is effective at reducing menstrual pain to the extent it may also eliminate or reduce the need for pain-relief medication. Moderate activity such as walking can be beneficial during your period in place of more strenuous activity.\n\n\nThree different yoga poses — Cobra, Cat, and Fish reduce intensity and duration of pain during menstruation for young women ages 18 to 22.\n\nBelow is a video for a short yoga routine for your moon time:\n\nAvoid certain foods:\n\nDuring menstruation, it’s a good idea to avoid foods that cause bloating and water retention. Some of the foods and beverages to avoid include alcohol, carbonated beverages such as soda, caffeine, and overly salty and fatty foods. Reducing or cutting out these foods can help alleviate cramps and decrease tension. Instead, try soothing herbal teas. To satisfy a sugar fix, snack on fruits such as strawberries or raspberries.\n\nWhat to eat to  support ease of pain:\n\nGenerally, a diet geared toward decreasing menstrual pain should be high in minimally processed foods, fiber, and plants.\n\n-Give these foods a try:\n\n\n\n  • Olive oil and broccoli contain vitamin E.\n\n  • Papaya is rich in a multitude of vitamins.\n\n\n  • Flaxseed contains omega-3s with antioxidant properties, which reduce swelling and inflammation.\n\n  • Boron is a mineral that helps your body absorb calcium and phosphorus and reduces menstrual cramps. Foods with high concentration of boron include: avocados, peanut butter, prunes, chickpeas, bananas\n\n  • Lettuce, celery, cucumbers, watermelon, and berries including strawberries, blueberries and raspberries are water-based foods to increase your hydration\n\n  • Calcium is a mineral that helps reduce muscle cramping during menstruation.  Foods high in calcium include dairy products, sesame seeds, almonds and leafy green vegetables.\n\nHave an orgasm!          \n\n\nCBD oil\n\nCBD it is one of the 104 chemical compounds known as cannabinoids found in the cannabis or marijuana plant. CBD oil helps ease period cramps acting as an anti-inflammatory.\n\nBlessings for an empowering cycle!\n\nKill Patriarchy, Save the Womb\n\nKill Patriarchy, Save the Womb", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.600773811340332}
{"content": "Beyond currency wars, the coming Global Gold Standard w/John Butler\n\nWelcome to Capital Account. The S&P 500 stock index has had its best yearly start vis-à-vis gold in over a decade, and bond traders see a rebound for treasuries after the most tumultuous quarter since 2010. Meanwhile, Greenspan going to bat for his old right-hand at the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, for all the criticism he has taken in recent months, in particular for criticism he has received by the republican primary candidates. But what does all this say about the direction of the us economy. Should we be optimistic or pessimistic, and what to make the dollar? After all, the performance of treasuries, as well as that of gold, is directly related to the value of the dollar. It's a dollar-denominated world after all!\n\nWell, let's take a step back for a moment shall we? Let's take a look at the bigger picture. Let's start with US national debt, which in some of the latest figures we could find, stands at 15.6 trillion dollars – that's higher than US GDP. Most of that debt has been accumulated in the last 20 years, with only 7% accumulated before Ronald Reagan was president. If we stay on the path we've been going the national debt will reach 20 trillion dollars by 2015, and according to Jim Quinn of Burning Platform (posted on ZeroHedge) if interest rates were to normalize to levels that we saw in 2007 (5%), annual interest expenses would be 1 trillion dollars. This is 45% of current tax revenue. If you want something more official, the CBO says the deb will reach 21.7 trillion dollars by 2022. Still not very encouraging.\n\nNow, an economy's health is not just a factor of debt. It is also a factor of jobs, and in that regard, the US isn't doing so well either. According to US census data, the share of the population that is working fell to its lowest level since women started entering the workforce in large numbers three decades ago…45.4% of Americans had jobs. Jobs continue to be an issue, and if you don't have jobs, you don't have a stable economy, and you don't have a stable currency. And the unfunded liabilities, including Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security don't help much either. They exceed 60 trillion dollars according to some estimates. \n\nSo should we be worried about this, and how important is the health of America's economy to the future of its currency? To help walk us through these questions, is John Butler, founder of Amphora Capital and author of \"The Golden Revolution: How to Prepare for the Coming Global Gold Standard.\" As his book suggests, he believes that a return to the gold standard is inevitable, and that America's economic health, its deficits (trade, budget, and confidence deficits) are a much larger issue than is the \"money it has printed.\"\n\nFollow us @", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6257472038269043}
{"content": "The potential scale of investment proposed through the Australian Government's Land Sector Package is large (~$1.7billion) and poses both great opportunity and risk for Australian ecosystems. The major initiative of the package is the Biodiversity Fund ($946 million) that aims to support landholders to undertake projects that establish, restore, protect or manage biodiverse carbon stores.\n\nThe opportunity is great, because the carbon cycle is the first ecosystem service with a market based mechanism to fund the restoration of cleared lands. The risk is great, because ecosystems are not just trees, and the business model associated with selling carbon credit tends toward simple, monoculture systems in an effort to maximize profit. However, carbon plantings represent a permanent land use change. What you see is what you get. \n\nThe Society for Ecological Restoration Australasia (SERA) presents itself as an impartial body able to provide unbiased advice to ensure that such land use change contributes to the conservation, protection, and restoration of Australia's native landscapes.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5082423686981201}
{"content": "Optimism trumps despair at climate summit in San Francisco\n\nFormer US vice-president Al Gore speaking at the C40 Cities For Climate The Future Is Us kickoff event at San Francisco's City Hall, on Sept 12, 2018.\n\nSAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Mayors, governors, entrepreneurs, CEOs, investors and celebrities delivered a double-edged message on Friday (Sept 14) at the close of a climate summit in San Francisco: global warming is making the planet unliveable - but we know how to fix it.\n\n\"We are using the sky as an open sewer, it's insane,\" former US vice-president Al Gore told the conference, noting that humanity belches 110 million tons of heat-trapping pollution into the atmosphere every day.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe 196-nation Paris Agreement, inked in 2015, enjoins nations to cap global warming this century at \"well below\" 2 deg C, and to strive for a ceiling of 1.5 deg C if possible.\n\nWith only 1 deg C of warming so far, Earth has seen a crescendo of deadly heatwaves, droughts, floods and superstorms engorged by rising seas.\n\n\n\n\nEven if all nations honour current pledges - many of which depend on climate finance that does not yet exist - the world will heat up by an unbearable 3.5 deg C, scientists have calculated.\n\n\n\n\n\"Withdrawing American leadership from an issue that is life or death is one of the single greatest acts of irresponsibility of a president anywhere, anytime,\" former US secretary of state and presidential candidate John Kerry told the plenary, to thunderous applause.\n\n\n\n\nThe final verdict was delivered by Hollywood veteran Harrison Ford.\n\n\"Nature doesn't need people, people need Nature,\" he told the plenary. \"So let's turn off our phones, let's roll up our sleeves, and let's kick this monster's ass.\"", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9738925695419312}
{"content": "Fascia is a word we usually associate with the roofing industry relating to ‘bands of material’ joining one surface to another. In the human body it is the emerging science of the connective tissue.\n\nAn elastic and often inelastic structural system that encompasses, wraps round and contributes to stability, flexibility function and movement. Our general understanding of our muscular skeletal system has massively moved on in the 21st century and the fascia is at the centre of the storm.\n\nThe Bowen Move\n\n\n\nThe move does not slide or flick over the surface of the skin, but uses the slack in the overlying skin to move over the underlying tissue, so each move covers a small area, defined by how far an individual’s skin can move over a targeted area.\n\nThe Importance of the 2 Minute Breaks\n\n\n\nThis element of allowing the body to rest for a few minutes initiates the process of repair and is important. The length of the breaks will vary from client to client and with different procedures, but on average we will leave clients for around two minutes in between each set of moves. The implications for these breaks become more apparent for experienced practitioners, but at the start of training many people find this a very difficult concept.\n\n\nHow Does It Work?\n\n\nOne of the most interesting areas of the body is the brain. The basic function of the brain is to receive information from our sensory organs and interpret this information, such as light, sound, pain, movement. This enables conscious communication within our body. Neuroplasticity which is the brains ability to recognise itself by forming new neural connections, allows the nerve cells in the brain to adjust their activities in response to new situations or changes in their environment. This includes a stimulus through touch. There is something like 600,000 signals that travel from the brain into the body every second and these in turn come back to the brain with information which is then interpreted and sent back out. Whenever we feel, hear, see or even think something, the brain brings in past experience in order to categorise the sensation and create an appropriate response.\n\nIn the case of the Bowen move, the brain is unable to do this instantly and needs more information to form a response. As it is, just when the brain is asking for more information, the therapist has left the room, and therefore the brain has to send specific signals to the area in order to gauge a response. If the client is lying down, the immediate response is nearly always rapid and deep relaxation. The client will also often report that they feel a tingling sensation or warmth in the area just worked on. “It felt like your hands were still on me,” is a common comment.\n\nOne of the more difficult elements to come to terms with is how little ‘hands on work’ is done during a session. In addition, the client may well walk out of the treatment room having felt little or no improvement over and above a sense of relaxation.\n\nHowever, the reactions to Bowen in the days following a treatment can often belie its soft and gentle approach. Stiffness, soreness, headache and feeling like “I’ve been run over by a bus!” are common, demonstrating that the brain and body have started the process of repair. This process, when started, is generally rapid and it is not uncommon for even longstanding pain to be reduced or resolved in two or three treatments.\n\n\nThere are no such things in this life as guarantees and this can be said of Bowen as well. If the body responds to the treatment, then it can and will start the process of repair. If it doesn’t respond, then no harm is done.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9054248929023743}
{"content": "Posted on\n\nDo You Experience Wrist Pain? How Do You Know if it’s Carpal Tunnel\n\nHave you been experiencing pain in your hand, especially in the thumb, index finger and middle finger area?  Or maybe a fuzzy feeling or pins and needles and/or numbness in the same described area?\n\nwrist pain\nImage by FreeImages under Content Licence\n\nThese are all symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.\n\nWhat is carpal tunnel syndrome?  Carpal tunnel syndrome is a problem where one of the nerves (the median nerve) that feeds the hand, becomes irritated and inflamed.  This inflammation of the median nerve in the wrist area results in swelling of the tissue surrounding the median nerve.  Because there is very little space in the area where the median nerve passes through the wrist, swelling in this area causes pressure on the median nerve.  This pressure on the median nerve in turn causes your symptoms of pain, pins and needles and numbness in the thumb, ring finger and index finger and the area in the palm just below it.\n\ncarpal tunnel syndrome\n“Carpal Tunnel Syndrome” by Bruce Blaus under licence CC BY 3.0\n\nInflammation of the median nerve is normally due to overuse of the hand, and this condition is also known as repetitive strain injury or RSI.  Office workers and factor workers are both at risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome.\n\nIn office workers,  RSI/carpal tunnel syndrome is quite a common injury.  Not quite as common as neck pain or lower back pain (read my post on 4 computer positions that cause neck pain) but quite common nonetheless.\n\nOne of the reasons office workers end up with RSI/carpal tunnel syndrome is due to excessive use of the computer mouse.  Strangely enough, too much typing is not associated with the development of carpal tunnel syndrome.  Another reason office workers are susceptible to developing carpal tunnel syndrome is due to pressure on the underside of their wrist.  People who use mouse pads place themselves at risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome due to the pressure they place on their wrist when they rest their wrists on their mouse pad.  This is slightly ironic, since the mouse pad was developed to help with carpal tunnel syndrome.  Research has shown though, that mouse pads actually increase the incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome rather than reducing it.  So, please throw your mouse pad away!\n\nFactory workers are at risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome due to excessive hand use, particularly in activities that cause them to bend their wrists, such as jobs that involve repetitively folding boxes all day.\n\nSometimes, carpal tunnel syndrome can also be due to mechanical compression that occurs as a result of scarring in the area from a wrist injury.  Injuries result in inflammation, and inflammation always creates scarring in the inflamed area.\n\nOne of the reasons it’s always important to get physiotherapy when you have an injury, is because your physiotherapist will help to reduce secondary complications that in themselves can cause problems for you down the line, such as the scarring mentioned above.  Your physiotherapist has many many years of training and specialising in injury management (Find a Physio near you).\n\nHow do you test whether you may or may not have carpal tunnel syndrome?  Simply bend your wrist forwards (fingers and hand moving palm downwards towards the forearm) and sustain that position for a few moments (about a minute).  If your symptoms appear or increase, you likely have carpal tunnel syndrome.  If you go see a specialist (e.g. a neurosurgeon/neurologist), they may do a nerve conduction test to see if the nerve is functioning properly and to assist in diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome.  Ensure that you also go see your physiotherapist for your rehabilitation.  Physios work hand in hand with your specialists to help get you back to normal as fast as possible.\n\nPosted on\n\nWhat are common causes of headaches at the computer?\n\nA pounding headache.  Thump, thump, thump….  Who of us, stuck behind a computer for hours, has not experienced this?\n\n“Can’t Concentrate” by Sasha Wolff under licence CC by 2.0\n\nHeadaches and neck pain are very common in office workers and have a debilitating affect on our mood, concentration levels and productivity.\n\nSince headaches are so common, it’s worthwhile understanding what can predispose us to developing a headache in the work place.  What are some of the common causes for developing headaches at work?\n\n  1.  Glare on your computer screen\n\nGlare can be a real problem in the office, especially when it causes you a headache.  To resolve glare, you need to first find the source of your glare.  Is your glare coming from the light above you or is your glare coming from a window?  To help reduce glare, you may need to move your computer screen and sometimes even your desk so that the glare is no longer a problem.  If that’s not an option, you can get anti-glare films to put onto your computer screen or even changing the angle of your screen to reduce the glare may help.  If the glare is from a window, consider blinds or curtains to help address the problem.  Speak to your co-workers, I’m sure that they will understand that headaches caused by glare are not fun and then they will be more willing to help you find a solution.\n\n\n2.  A poking chin posture\n\nA poking chin posture is a common cause of headaches for people working behind a computer.  A poking chin posture causes compression of the neck joints just below the skull, which in turn causes your headaches.  A poking chin posture is often as a result of a poor computer monitor position.  Ready my post on 4 monitor positions that cause neck pain or my post on how the how the position of your monitor causes neck pain to learn more about it.  Neck pain and headaches often go hand in hand.\n\n\n3.  Working for too long without a break\n\nWorking for too long without a break is a common mistake that most people make.  We forget that we are not robots, and that our bodies require time out to function properly.  Read my post on work breaks to learn more.\n\n\n4.  Tension in your neck muscles\n\nTension in your neck muscles will most certainly cause both neck pain and headaches.  This tension will be created as a result of stress or poor posture at your desk.  Read my post on stress and neck pain to learn more.\n\n\n5.  Using the wrong spectacle prescription\n\nUsing the wrong spectacle prescription while working at a computer or reading will strain your eye muscles that commonly leads to headaches.  When last did you have your eyes checked?\n\n\n6.  Not drinking enough water\n\nWhen you are dehydrated, one of the symptoms is a headache.  You may be dehydrated because you don’t enjoy drinking water, or because you’ve been drinking too much coffee and tea which stimulates your body to eliminate water.  However, if you drink too much water, and eliminate too many salts from your body in the process, you may also develop a headache.  Moderation is key.\n\n\n7.  Hunger\n\nWhen you don’t eat properly, you affect the finely tuned equilibrium that your body is constantly seeking and designed to seek.  When you don’t eat properly, you affect the sugar levels in your blood and low blood sugar levels trigger a system of responses that can lead you to experiencing a headache.  Do you often suffer from headaches and do you also eat badly?  Have you had your blood sugar levels tested?  Maybe it’s time to go see your GP and maybe a nutritionist to help you look after yourself better.\n\n\nOverall, working for long hours without a break can cause many of the problems mentioned above.  Too many people tend to neglect themselves at work, without realising that doing so negatively affects their work and their health.  Are you one of them?\n\n\n\n\n\nHelland M., H. G. (2008). Musculoskeletal, visual and psychosocial stress in VDU operators after moving to an ergonomically designed office landscape. Applied Ergonomics, 39, 284-295.\n\nMalinska M., B. J. (2010). The Influence of Occupational and Non- Occupational Factors on the Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Complaints in Users of Portable Computers. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics (JOSE), 16(3), 337–343.\n\nWahlstrom J., H. M. (2004, June). Perceived muscular tension, job strain, physical exposure and associations with neck pain amongst BDU users: a prospective cohort study. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 61(6), 523-528.\n\nWahlstrom J., L. A. (2003, October). Perceived muscular tension, emotional stress, psychological demands and physical load during VDU work. International Archives of Occupational and Envronmental Health, 76(8), 584-590.\n\nPosted on\n\nErgonomics and Work Breaks – Helpful or not?\n\n\nPomodoro Technique by Michael Mayer is licensed under CC by 2.0\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9148079752922058}
{"content": "Denigma is unique as everything in it is fully editable as well as programmable and modifiable. Denigma can, in principle, be changed in three fashions:\n\n  1. Content: regarding the actual content it is composed of (Research).\n  2. Functional: how it is conceptually built and working (Programming).\n  3. Representative: regarding its overall structure and representation (Design).\n\nAs soon as your Email address is verified you gain staff status and will be able to access the admin interface, hence receive access to all the tables in Denigma db. Data in Denigma is organized according to application (apps). There are for instance annotations, interactions, datasets, expressions and lifespan apps:\n\nAnnotations integrates information from external sources such as gene annotation databases.\n\nInteractions is specialized on integrating heterogenous interaction types.\n\nExpressions contains transcriptomics or proteomics profiles of gene activity measurements.\n\nDatasets is a collection of other diverse data (e.g. from individual studies) where each table represents a single dataset.\n\nLifespan is most important constitute of Denigma which is dedicated to systematically decipher the aging process and reveal the limits of life. In the lifespan section the probably most import model describes the factors with limit lifespan.\n\nEdit tutorial\n\nComment on This Data Unit", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.831473171710968}
{"content": "Free Essay\n\nWla Lng\n\nIn: English and Literature\n\nSubmitted By khurlet\nWords 2357\nPages 10\nwla lngTaenia saginata\n\nScientific classification\nKingdom: Animalia\nPhylum: Platyhelminthes\nClass: Cestoda\nOrder: Cyclophyllidea\nFamily: Taeniidae\nGenus: Taenia\nSpecies: T. saginata\nBinomial name\nTaenia saginata\nGoeze, 1782\nTaenia saginata, also known as Taeniarhynchus saginata or the beef tapeworm, is a parasite of both cattle and humans, causing taeniasis in humans. Taenia saginata occurs where cattle are raised by infected humans maintaining poor hygiene, human feces are improperly disposed of, meat inspection programs are poor, and where meat is eaten without proper cooking. The disease is relatively common in Africa, some parts of Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.\n\nTaenia saginata proglottid stained to show uterine branches. The pore on the side identifies T. saginata as a cyclophyllid cestode.\nT. saginata is normally 4 m to 10 m in length, but can become very large, over 12 m long in some situations. The body is whitish in colour, divided into the anterior scolex, followed by a short neck and a highly extended body proper called the strobila. Unlike other tapeworms, the scolex does not have a rostellum or scolex armature. It is composed of four powerful suckers. The strobila is composed a series of ribbon-like segments called proglottids. The segments are made up of mature and gravid proglottids. T. saginata is the largest of genus Taenia, consisting between 1000 to 2000 proglottids, and can also have a lifespan of 25 years in a host's intestine.\n\nThe mature proglottid contains the uterus (unbranched), ovary, genital pore, testes, and vitelline gland. It does not have a digestive system, mouth, anus, or digestive tract. It is also an acoelomate, meaning it does not have a body cavity. In the gravid proglottid, the uterus is branched and filled with eggs. The gravid segments detach and are passed in the feces. Each of these segments can act as a worm. When they dry up, the proglottid ruptures, and the eggs are released. The egg can only infect cattle, the intermediate host. Inside the cow's duodenum, the oncosphere hatches with the help of the gastric and intestinal secretions, and migrates through the blood to the muscle. There it develops into infective cysticercoid cysticerci.\nThe life cycle of Taenia saginata\nThe life cycle is indirect and complicated, and is completed in humans as the definitive host and cattle as the intermediate host. The adult worm inhabits the small intestine of humans. Fertilized eggs are released through the faeces along with the gravid proglottid which gets detached from the strobila. Cattle ingest the infective embryo while grazing. The digestive enzymes will break the thick shell of the egg and allow formation of the zygotes called \"oncospheres\". These zygotes then penetrate the mucous layer of the digestive tract and enter the circulation of the host. This is where the young larval stages form a pea-sized, fluid filled cyst, also known as “Cysticercus bovis” and these cysts seem to form in the muscular fibers and are sometimes seen in specific organs like the lungs and liver. Humans acquire the infective larvae from eating undercooked meat i.e.,measley beef. The digestive enzymes break down the cysticercus and the larval cyst is released and the inverted scolex is able to come out and attach to the host’s intestine. Adult tapeworm take about 2 months to develop, and within three months it can reach 5 m long.\n\nThe disease is relatively common in Africa, some parts of Eastern Europe, the Philippines, and Latin America. Humans become infected when they eat undercooked beef. Prevention is easy; cook beef until it is no longer pink inside and 56°C in the center, because this kills the cysticerci. Also, beef frozen at -5°C is considered to be safe to consume.\n\n\nThe basic diagnosis is done from a stool sample. Feces are examined to find parasite eggs. The eggs look like other eggs from the family Taeniidae, so it is only possible to identify the eggs to the family, not to the species level. Since it is difficult to diagnose using eggs alone, looking at the scolex or the gravid proglottids can help identify it as Taenia saginata. Proglottids sometimes trickle down the thighs of infected humans and are visible with unaided eye, so can aid with identification. Observation of scolex help distinguish between T. saginata, T. solium and T. asiatica. When the uterus is injected with India ink, its branches become visible. Counting the uterine branches enables some identification (Taenia saginata uteri have 12 or more branches on each side, while other species such as Taenia solium only have five to 10).\nDifferentiation of the species from other species of Taenia, such as T. solium and T. asiatica, is notoriously difficult because of their close morphological resemblance, and their eggs are more or less identical. Identification often requires histological observation of the uterine branches and PCR detection of ribosomal 5.8S gene. T. saginata’s uterus stems out from its center to form 12 to 20 branches, but in contrast to its closely related Taenia species, the branches are much less in number and comparatively thicker; in addition, the ovaries are bilobed and testes are twice as many.\nTreatment for cestode infection with the drug praziquantel opens membrane calcium channels, causing paralysis of the worm, thus aiding the body in expelling the parasite through peristalsis. Niclosamide, used to treat many different kinds of infections with trematodes and adult tapeworms, is also quite effective.\nTaenia solium, also called the pork tapeworm, is a cyclophyllid cestode in the family Taeniidae. It infects pigs and humans in Asia, Africa, South America, parts of Southern Europe and pockets of North America. In the larval stage, it causes cysticercosis, which is a major cause of seizures in humans. Like all cyclophyllid cestodes, T. solium has four suckers on its scolex (\"head\"). T. solium also has two rows of three hooks.\nT. solium , commonly known as tapeworm, is a triploblastic aceolomate. It is normally 2 to 3 m in length, but can become very large, over 50 m long in some situations.\nT. solium has a very similar life cycle to Taenia saginata. Cysticerci have three morphologically distinct types. The common one is the ordinary \"cellulose\" cysticercus, which has a fluid-filled bladder 0.5 cm to 1.5 cm in length and an invaginated scolex. The intermediate form has a scolex, while the \"racemose\" has no evident scolex but is believed to be larger and much more dangerous. They are 20 cm in length and have 60 ml of fluid, and 13% of patients might have all three types in the brain. Humans are usually infected through eating infected pork, fostering adult tapeworms in the intestine, and passing eggs through feces, but autoinfection is also possible. In that case, a cysticercus (a larva sometimes called a \"bladder worm\") develops in the human, who acts as an intermediate host. This happens if eggs get to the stomach, usually as a result of contaminated hands, but also due to retroperistalsis. Cysticerci often occur in the central nervous system, which can cause major neurological problems, such as hydrocephalus, paraplegy, meningitis, convulsions and even death. The condition of having cysticerci in one's body is called cysticercosis.\nEggs can be diagnosed only to the family level, but if a proglottid's uterus is stained with India ink, the number of visible uterine branches can help identify the species; unlike the Taenia saginata uteri, T. solium uteri have only five to 10 uterine branches on each side.\nInfection with T. solium adults is treated with niclosamide, which is one of the most popular drugs for adult tapeworm infections, as well as for fluke infections. As cysticercosis is a major risk, it is important to wash one's hands before eating and to suppress vomiting if a patient may be infected with T. solium. If neurocysticercosis occurs, the drug of choice is either albendazole or praziquantel. These drugs damage the parasites' skin internally, causing it to disintegrate and is then removed by the host's immune system.\n\nLife cycle\nThis infection is caused by ingestion of eggs shed in the feces of a human tapeworm carrier. Pigs and humans become infected by ingesting eggs or gravid proglottids. Humans are infected either by ingestion of food contaminated with feces containing eggs, or by autoinfection. In the latter case, a human infected with adult T. solium can ingest eggs produced by that tapeworm, either through fecal contamination or, possibly, from proglottids carried into the stomach by reverse peristalsis. Once eggs are ingested, oncospheres hatch in the intestine, invade the intestinal wall, and migrate to striated muscles, as well as the brain, liver, and other tissues, where they develop into cysticerci. In humans, cysts can cause serious sequelae if they localize in the brain, resulting in neurocysticercosis. The parasite life cycle is completed, resulting in human tapeworm infection, when humans ingest undercooked pork containing cysticerci. Cysts evaginate and attach to the small intestine by their scolices. Adult tapeworms develop, (up to 2 to 7 m in length and produce less than 1000 proglottids, each with approximately 50,000 eggs) and reside in the small intestine for years.\n\nTaenia solium adult\nDiagnosis requires biopsy of the infected tissue and examination of feces. T. solium eggs and proglottids found in feces diagnoses taeniasis and not cysticercosis. Cysticercosis is diagnosed primarily on confirming the presence of hooks on the scolex of T. solium. Radiological tests, such as X-ray, CT scans which demonstrate \"ring-enhancing brain lesions\", and MRIs, can also be used to detect diseases. X-rays are used to identify calcified larvae in the subcutaneous and muscle tissues, and CT scans and MRIs are used to find lesions in the brain.\n\nPraziquantel (PZQ) is the drug of choice for the treatment of T. solium infection. Some consider niclosamide to be the drug of choice for all types of tapeworms. For cysticercosis,treatment with albendazole combined with steroids reduces the inflammation. Surgical intervention may be necessary to treat central nervous system lesions. Albendazole appears to be more effective and a safe drug for neurocysticercosis.\nStained T. solium proglottid\nIn 1990 and 1991, four unrelated members of an Orthodox Jewish community in New York City developed recurrent seizures and brain lesions, which were found to have been caused by T. solium. In keeping with their religion, none of the patients ate pork; additionally, none had any history of recent foreign travel. Several immediate family members of these four patients with seizures were found to have cysticercus antibodies. The families of the four patients had all employed housekeepers from Latin American countries, and one of the housekeepers tested positive for cysticercus antibodies, leading to the conclusion that the housekeepers were the most likely source of the infections.\n\n\n\nSimilar Documents\n\nPremium Essay\n\nWla Lang\n\n...METHODOLOGY The proponents will use the System Development Life Cycle (Fig. 1) in developing the system processes the procedure was seen as flowing downwards to the phases of planning, analysis, design, testing, implementation and maintenance. If error arises in the testing phase, the proponents can go back to the previous phases including analysis and design and development phases to analyze and identify the problem and to come up with a good output. Planning Proper planning was done in order to come up with a good output. In this phase, the proponents collected information through suggestions that helped the researchers to improve the flow of tutorial and lessen the difficulties occurs. The proponents listed many option of tutorial titles and different games to be used in making the actual system. As additional information, the proponents used the Library of CvSU- Carmona Campus to gather ideas from existing studies. They also used internet as their source for updates in current system development trends. Figure 1. System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Analysis The proponents had a session for them to analyze the applications that they will be using that can help in development of the actual system and the proponents analyzed the right and accurate design that will be using in making the system. After......\n\nWords: 547 - Pages: 3\n\nFree Essay\n\nGo Lng Ng Go\n\n...CLINT SUBADAY SOCIOLOGY CAESAR TAMAYO GDP-Per Capita as of 2012 High-income countries ($12476 & ABOVE) Middle-income countries ($1026 – $12475) Low-income countries ($1025 & LESS) COUNTRIES | LASTEST | PREVIOUS | HIGHEST | LOWEST | AFGHANISTAN | 376.45 | 360.71 | 376.45 | 54.36 | ALBANIA | 3521.50 | 3502.60 | 3521.50 | 1065.50 | ALGERIA | 3185.70 | 3167.20 | 3185.70 | 1191.70 | ANGOLA | 2685.83 | 2593.84 | 2685.83 | 993.90 | ARGENTINA | 11601.63 | 10749.32 | 11601.63 | 4943.28 | ARMENIA | 2234.70 | 2089.10 | 2265.40 | 565.20 | AUSTRALIA | 37228.20 | 36584.99 | 37228.20 | 13267.30 | AUSTRIA | 39969.68 | 39815.45 | 39969.68 | 10861.66 | AZERBAIJAN | 3214.30 | 3119.10 | 3214.30 | 650.80 | BAHAMAS | 21083.65 | 21022.45 | 24212.39 | 12753.86 | BAHRAIN | 14238.94 | 14311.61 | 15315.07 | 10881.31 | BANGLADESH | 597.49 | 568.73 | 597.49 | 219.28 | BELARUS | 4858.44 | 4782.09 | 4858.44 | 1519.31 | BELGIUM | 36525.29 | 36941.24 | 37582.65 | 11169.91 | BENIN | 567.91 | 553.74 | 567.91 | 380.15 | BHUTAN | 2060.67 | 1914.89 | 2060.67 | 325.14 | BOLIVIA | 1259.81 | 1217.75 | 1259.81 | 799.95 | BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA | 3359.16 | 3378.07 | 3391.47 | 572.85 | BOTSWANA | 6934.86 | 6592.77 | 6934.86 | 334.58 | BRAZIL | 5721.23 | 5721.29 | 5721.29 | 1726.57 | BRUNEI | 24947.10 | 24764.88 | 47649.68 | 1145.72 | BULGARIA | 4634.63 | 4570.51 | 4634.63 | 2217.62...\n\nWords: 1685 - Pages: 7\n\nPremium Essay\n\nWla Pa\n\n...Introduction Payroll System is the heart of any Human Resources System of an Organization. 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Dr. Nafiz Kahraman'a , LNG tankının imalatına her türlü yardımı yapan, maddi ve manevi......\n\nWords: 16415 - Pages: 66\n\nPremium Essay\n\nComparison Between Lng, Gtl and Cng as Transport\n\n...Comparison of environmental impacts of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Gas to Liquids (GTL), and LNG as an option for offshore gas transport [Author Name] [Institute Name] Abstract The main idea behind this paper is to understand the environmental impact by comparing compressed natural gas, gas-to-liquid, and liquefied natural gas as an option for offshore has transport. As, this study will give information about the environmental impacts related to natural gas and its major forms, which are assumed as an option for gas transport. The paper has explained the ways through which each gas is abusing environment in terms of mistreatment since massive excretion of gases have impacted on health ofenvironment as at times because of toxic gases marine life got disturbed, at times the specific region also experience acid rain and many other harmful effects that also destroys human’s health. Contents Abstract 2 List of figures 3 List of symbols 4 1. Introduction 5 2. Literature review 8 2.1. CNG 8 2.2. GTL 10 2.2.1. The GTL technology benefits environment 10 2.3. LNG 11 3. Discussion (comparison) 13 4. Conclusion 19 References 20 List of figures Figure 1: Forecast of world energy consumption Figure 2: Air pollutant emission by fuel type Figure 3: Environmental impacts of natural gas production, transportation and distribution Figure 4: Energy losses List...\n\nWords: 3529 - Pages: 15\n\nPremium Essay\n\nLiquefied Natural Gas (Lng) Is Natural Gas That Has Been Condensed to a Liquid State, Which Occurs at a Temperature Close to –160 °C at Atmospheric Pressure. Lng Teminals Have Four Major Functions: * Receiving and\n\n...Group Project Progress Report Title of the Project: Study and analysis of LNG value chain Group Members: Signatures 1. Anjali Singh (20141006) 2. Bhaumik Gandhi (20141011) 3. Parth Parekh (20141045) 4. Poras Shah (20141049) Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sudhir Yadav Mentor’s Comments on Progress: Mentor’s Signature with date: INDEX Sr.No. | Topics | | 1. | Introduction | | 2. | Exploration | | | 1.1 Onshore seismology | | | 1.2 Offshore seismology | | | 1.3 Megnatometer | | | 1.4 Gravitimeter | | | 1.5 The drilling and completion process | | | 1.6 Types of drilling | | | 1.7 Risk anaylisis during exploration | | | 1.8 Key challenges | | | 1.9 Appropriate solutions | | 3. | Liquefaction | | | 2.1 Liquefaction Process | | | 2.2 Different Liquefaction Techniques | | | 2.3 Liquefaction Process | | | 2.4 Solution to the issues related to Liquefaction of LNG | | 4. | Transportation | | | 3.1 Need of transportation of gas in form of lng | | | 3.2 LNG carrier | | | 3.3 Trading of LNG | | | 3.4 Types of LNG terminals | | | 3.5 Solution to issues related to transportation of lng | | 5. | Regasification | | | 4.1 Regasification Process | | | 4.2 Factors for LNG vaporizer selection process | | | 4.3 Open Rack Vaporisers (ORVS) and its features | | | 4.4 Challenges | | ABSTRACT World primary energy demand is......\n\nWords: 6215 - Pages: 25\n\nPremium Essay\n\nWala Lng\n\n...Gadgets launch in 2011 1. Tablet Frenzy. Thanks to the success of the iPad, tablets will be the highest-selling consumer electronic devices of the year, Scarsella said, with 40 to 80 new models being introduced at CES. 2. iPhone. The white iPhone 4 is scheduled to be released in the spring, and Verizon is expected to add the iPhone to its network with CDMA technology to improve call quality and give iPhone owners a better option than AT&T. To add to that, the iPhone 5 is expected to be released in June, Scarsella said. Wow, cool gadgets!  3. Windows 7 Phone. These phones came out in 2010, but more models are coming out, especially if sales of current versions are good, Scarsella said. Success will depend on size and quality of apps in their new app market and new hardware across carriers in the U.S., he said. 4. Internet TV/Streaming Media. Either via TV or set top box the Internet is coming back to the living room, according to Scarsella. TVs will have fully-integrated apps, features, and Web. \"Pretty much TVs are going to have all of the capabilities of a smartphone, but on your wall,\" he said. Expect new set-top boxes with Google TV, and other boxes with Android to hit the market in 2011. Remember the tech gadgets 3-D TV? It was a hot topic at CES last year, but paying more than $100 for a pair of clunky glasses didn't really catch on. Manufacturers got the message and this year are coming out with glasses-free 3-D TVs and computer monitors,......\n\nWords: 827 - Pages: 4\n\nPremium Essay\n\nReview Lng Net Back\n\n...received is reduced Rovuma basin 100 tcf recoverable reserves; 277 tcf resource base Monetization projects * Scenario 1: two trains THE ANALYSIS Production parameters used * 20 yrs plant life * 10 pct discount rate (WACC: * 330 days p.a * Feedstock cost, OPEX and revenue equally distributed * CFs happen at end of year * PSA: Petroleum production tax (royalty) 6%; ENH 15%, IOC 85%, Corporate tax 32% * A CAPEX $30 billion (should be $20billion) for two trains DEMAND LNG * 2012: 236,2 mmt 908 bcf | 10 mmtpa- 38 bcf | Project Costs $2000/ton | $3000/ton OPEX= Liquefaction, Voyage costs Capex | OPEX (no depreciation)LIQUEFACTION | VOYAGE | | $1b p.a for 15yrs | -Liquefaction: $1.11mmbtu-Production capacity 90%9MMt-1mt=48MMbtu | 66000mt-vesselDuration: 6969nm in 15 days | | | 9MMT*48,7= 438.300.000MMBtu | FUEL | | | 438.300.000MMBtu*$1.11=$486.513.000 | | | LNG Assessments and Netbacks The value of LNG globally is assessed by Plats using its MOC (Market on Close) assessment process. This MOC establishes: * Core standards for how data is collected and published * How data is prioritized by value * How daya is analyzed in the course of Standard cargoes 135 000- 175 000 cu m Qatari Q-Flex: 210 000 cu m Q-Max: 260 000 cu m Cargo delivery Third, fourth, fith and sixth half-month cycles forward from the date of trade E.g. A cargo traded on June 2 at $15.00/MMBtu for H2 June delivery......\n\nWords: 408 - Pages: 2\n\nPremium Essay\n\nThe Exportation of U.S. Lng\n\n...The Exportation of U.S. LNG: An Abundance of Shale and Construction of New Export Terminals Section 1: Introduction The shale boom experienced by the United States since the mid-2000s ushered in unprecedented production and reserves estimates of oil and gas in the lower 48 states. This sustained supply and production has been a result of technological advancement, particularly improved techniques in hydraulic fracturing, has kept prices for natural gas extremely low while crude oil prices have fluctuated and changed over time. One reason for this is the different nature of exportation in the two hydrocarbons. As will be discussed below, the transportation and exporting of natural gas is much different than for crude oil. Natural gas must undergo a liquefaction process in order to travel by specialized cargo ship, the alternative to a pipeline, which adds substantial costs to the activity. There are currently no operational natural gas export terminals in the lower 48 states, but a few are under construction. The large sunk costs will be a large part of our consideration of the exportation of natural gas. The U.S. has traditionally been a net importer of gas, and considering the high upfront costs of building export terminals, the sale of American gas has been isolated almost exclusively to the domestic market. The only exception to this has been to export natural gas only where existing pipelines can carry it, which has limited foreign export to North America....\n\nWords: 6784 - Pages: 28\n\nPremium Essay\n\nLng in Australia\n\n...of the city is a source of job creation and the set up of the University 50 years age, is contributing in the high standard of living of the population. INPEX LNG With the INPEXLNG processing plant, Darwin is positioning itself as a strategic international hub for Liquid Natural Gas (LNG). With a population of around 245,000, the development of this industry is an economic and social challenge for Darwin. It is expected that there will be a mix of positive and negative impact. In 2008, INPEX Corp showed interest in building and operating an LNG plant near Darwin and this will involve the extraction of natural gas from the offshore of North West of Australia and piping it sub sea to be redirected to a processing plant that will be located in Darwin. In 2012, the necessary infrastructures and the plant was set up in Darwin. The Government welcomed this project and described it as a driver of economic prosperity for Darwin. The plant production capacity was estimated to be more than 3 million tonnes per year and LNG will be sold to Tokyo electric and Tokyo Gas based on a long term deal. The Economic Impact The high development rate of Darwin is described as the Boom Syndrome. High number of workers in the construction field has landed in Darwin following the strategic decision of making Darwin an international LNG Hub. As the construction phase began, and with the arrival of mainly male workers in the city, negative social impacts will definitely be characterised by......\n\nWords: 647 - Pages: 3\n\nPremium Essay\n\nAnadarko Achieves New Mozambique Lng Milestones\n\n...NEWS ANADARKO ACHIEVES NEW MOZAMBIQUE LNG MILESTONES REACHES UNITIZATION AGREEMENT WITH ENI SIGNS MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING FOR DOMESTIC GAS HOUSTON, Dec. 3, 2015 – Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: APC) today announced that, along with the concessionaires of Offshore Area 1 (operated by Anadarko Mozambique Area 1 Ltd. (AMA1)) and Offshore Area 4 (operated by Eni East Africa (EEA)), it has signed a Unitization and Unit Operating Agreement (UUOA) for the development of the massive natural gas resources that straddle the two blocks. “We appreciate the cooperation of the Government of Mozambique, Eni and our co-venturers in Offshore Area 1 for their collaborative efforts in achieving this UUOA, which is fair, equitable and consistent with best industry practices,” said Mitch Ingram, Anadarko Executive Vice President, Global LNG. “We have already made tremendous progress advancing the natural gas resources in the Golfinho and Atum fields that are fully contained within our block, and with this UUOA, we can also expect to move the Prosperidade and Mamba straddling reservoirs forward more efficiently, while capitalizing on greater economies of scale.” Under the terms of the UUOA and previously announced Decree Law, the Prosperidade and Mamba straddling natural gas reservoirs, which comprise the Unit, will be developed in a separate but coordinated manner by the two operators until 24 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas reserves (12 Tcf from each Area)......\n\nWords: 881 - Pages: 4\n\nPremium Essay\n\nLng 401\n\n... LNG 401 FOUNDATION ENGLISH 1 ASSESSMENT 1:ACADEMIC ESSAY NAME:Antonina Maria Karakara ID NO:S2016136852 CAMPUS:Nabua GROUP:Grp F TUTOR:Mrs Romina Singh TOPIC: DISCUSS THE WOMEN’S ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOCIETY YOU LIVE IN. INTRODUCTION Women are the inherent part of our society and it cannot be neglected due to their less power and authority .They are created as a companion for men and men have to make her walk with them in their course of life. In my society ,women play the role as a mother ,a sister ,and a wife. They play the roles with great responsibilities in upbringing of a healthy solid society ,but she is in our so-called modern world ,still living in chains. This essay will discuss ways in which a role of women in the development is very important in the society that we live in. To begin with,the basic unit of society is a woman .As a woman makes a family, family makes a home and home makes a society. We all know that without education, no development is possible .Therefore we have forgotten that the very first and best school of a child is its mother’s lap. A good healthy society doesn’t automatically emerge on its own or stands firm but it need to emerge and for its emergence, women play a pivotal role. From behavioral to health education women have their hands in, it’s a woman who teaches how to speak and how to deal with different kinds of people .These are the basic of a good society and women are......\n\nWords: 515 - Pages: 3\n\nFree Essay\n\nEwan Ko Lng\n\n...Essays about: \"factors that affect study habits\" Found 5 essays containing the words factors that affect study habits. 1. Communicating to consumers in Sweden with eco-labels : Is the message getting through? University essay from Umeå universitet/Handelshögskolan vid Umeå universitet; Umeå universitet/Handelshögskolan vid Umeå universitet AUTHOR : Annie Lefébure; Rafael Rosales Muñoz; [2011] KEYWORDS : Eco-label; Marketing Communications; Green Marketing; Environmental Friendly Products; ABSTRACT : Sustainable consumption has become a crucial factor to consider for both consumers and manufacturing firms. Green marketing practices, or marketing activities aimed at decreasing the impact on the environment, have been incorporated into many business plans to combat old habits of wastefulness and pollution. READ MORE 2. University essay from Högskolan i Kalmar/Humanvetenskapliga institutionen; Högskolan i Kalmar/Humanvetenskapliga institutionen AUTHOR : Caroline Nyberg; Julia Arnesson; [2010] KEYWORDS : young men; youths; anabolic androgenic steroids; attitude; influence; ABSTRACT : This is a study about gym training young men (age 18-20) and their attitude against anabolic androgenic steroids, AAS. In our study we examine if the muscular ideal in our society have any effect on young men and the young men’s attitude against their body and their training. READ MORE 3. Helstryp kontra sele - en studie om dess påverkan på hunden University essay from SLU/Dept. of...\n\nWords: 435 - Pages: 2\n\nFree Essay\n\nRole of Lng\n\n...The role of LNG in a global gas market Linda Cook Executive Director Gas & Power Royal Dutch Shell plc Oil & Money Conference, London 21st September 2005 Linda Cook is Executive Director Gas & Power of Royal Dutch Shell plc. Her other responsibilities are Renewables, Hydrogen and Carbon Dioxide; Shell Global Solutions; Group Research; East Asia and Australasia. She was born in Kansas City, Kansas, in 1958 and joined Shell after graduating in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Kansas. She has worked for Shell companies in the United States, the Netherlands, and Canada. Before becoming a Group Managing Director, Linda Cook had been President and Chief Executive Officer of Shell Canada Limited since August 2003. Prior to that she has been Chief Executive Officer of Shell Gas & Power since 2000. She is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and a Director of the Boeing Company. Linda Cook: The role of LNG in a global gas market Global demand for natural gas may double by 2030, with LNG growing perhaps fivefold – driven by continued cost reduction. Despite the capital intensity of LNG projects and the complexity of the value chain, LNG supply capacity is increasing rapidly. Existing schemes are being expanded and many greenfield projects are moving ahead. Although the spot market for LNG is growing, new projects continue to be underpinned by long-term sales contracts. Competition for supplies is increasing price connectivity between regions. Seizing...\n\nWords: 2705 - Pages: 11\n\nFree Essay\n\nWala Lng\n\n...The Freedom Writers Diary is a book that I truly enjoyed. It is a book broken down in diary form viewing the survival of a first year teacher and her students. This book shines light on real issues that these students as well as their teacher went through. These issues range from racism, death, and gang related violence. Although the only person that is named throughout the entire book is Ms. Gruwell, one can still identify and keep track of the situations that occur. Diary number two, by far was the most prevalent in my opinion. It gave the viewpoint of a white male student in a class where he was the minority. “What the hell am I doing in here? I’m the only white person in this English class! …Is this really where I’m supposed to be?” (P.8) This student made it clear that he felt really uncomfortable in a class full of “rejects”. Since most of the “rejects” were not white, he felt he shouldn’t have been in that class. The “rejects”, as he called them, were students that were labeled as problem students and or students with learning disabilities. Although this student had a learning disability, he felt that because of his race, he should have been placed in a high level class. Like many others he 2 authors .... These two essays are very similar because their subject .... to that improvident avarice...\" These are writers who have .... work soon after he got his freedom and was .... (642 3 ) ......\n\nWords: 692 - Pages: 3", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7761310338973999}
{"content": "I have travelled through the districts of Namakkal, Salem, Erode and Karur during the past few weeks. The mighty Cauvery has completely dried in these districts since the end of March, 2017. This happened for the first time after the construction of Mettur Dam during 1940s. All canals, tanks, and wells dried up. Standing crops are dying, tall coconut trees are falling, and long queues are kept for drinking water supply. People try to engage more bore-wells to dig deeper. A lot of them failed to fetch water even after reaching close to 1000 feet.\nThe failure of groundwater sustainability is attributed to the unregulated extraction of groundwater as anyone can read in every state and academic studies and reports. However, there have been very little mentions about sand mining in these reports. The ill effects of legal and illegal sand mining in the river basin are more than visible. More specifically, anyone can see and understand the following effects of sand mining:\n  1. The river has gone down few feet below the historical levels; the water withdrawal points have gone down below the canal level at inlets. The Public Works Department (PWD) had to make temporary arrangements to dam and naturally lift the water into canals.\n  2. The wells close to rivers, dams and tanks are immediately dried after the flow of the river stopped. This has lead to the failure of crops and drinking water supply schemes attached to this river system.\n  3. Lower and so far hidden (presumably foundation) parts of the bridges are visible; thereby endangering the lives of all commuters over these bridges.\nIf all these evidences are visible, what is the reason for the continued extraction of sand in the river?\nRiver sand has become a more precious natural resource because of stricter regulation in the neighboring states, especially after Kerala enacted a law to curb sand mining during 2001. However, Tamil Nadu continues to regulate sand mining through executive made regulations. Whenever adherence to these norms and irregularities questioned before the courts, the judiciary affirms the rules with certain extra conditionality.\nThe principle lease hold for all sand mining in Tamil Nadu remains with the PWD and the sub-lease holders are private players with lesser legally sanctioned role in terms of maintaining the river sustainably. But in practice, the private players are all powerful. They hold more than sovereign powers in the River basin. They control the River area for beyond the lease hold and the paths in and out of these places. The neighboring village presidents, politicians, legislators, executive, media and every other person interested in the river is taken care; they are bribed or threatened. There were also few reported murders of officials in relation to sand mining.\nThe sand mining rules are not just failed to protect the sand mining; but they are drafted with inherent features to promote sand mining beyond all prescriptions, i.e., sand miners dig deeper, use more area than legally prescribed, and operate machinery beyond prescribed capacity, number and time. Public are least informed about the happenings in the lease areas which are inaccessible to public including the leaders of farmers’ associations. Transparency is a failed term in the whole process of sub-leasing of sand mining. Except PWD, no authority has full control and powers over the river system; to put it otherwise, PWD maintains the River system, PWD is the leaseholder for sand mining and authorized to sub-lease, and it finally certifies the promptness of sub-leasers. If you have heard anything about ‘Public Trust Doctrine,’ you should have also understood ‘power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely’.\nThe farmers’ agitations for the past few weeks have resulted in nothing significant. The state at large, academia, public and media are relatively silent about murdering a river system; which is state’s lifeline and future. There is an immediate need to stop sand mining in all Tamil Nadu rivers until an enacted law is brought into force with provisions for stakeholders’ involvement in the decision making process.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6582353115081787}
{"content": "Q&A with Dr Ralph AssmanN for Horizon magazine article on plasma accelerators\n\n2018 - 07 - 11\n\nDr Ralph Assmann was interviewed by Horizon magazine, the EU’s science and innovation magazine, about EuPRAXIA’s place in the particle accelerator landscape and the forthcoming publication of the Conceptual Design Report.\n\nHorizon.  I understand the basic concept of plasma wakefield accelerators, and I have also seen your brochure. But can you tell me when they were invented, and (in general terms) how quickly they have been developed?\n\nRA. They have been proposed in 1979 in a theoretical paper by Tajima and Dawson published in Physical Review Letters. The lasers were not yet available but invented in the 1980‘s by Mourou and Strickland. Since then the achievable electron beam energy increased exponentially with time. By now 4.25 GeV electron beam energy can be achieved in 9cm.\n\nHorizon.  Where are we at now with the science and engineering of plasma accelerators, and what are the big remaining challenges (with plasma accelerators in general, not necessarily your project)?\n\nRA. Accelerating fields a thousand times higher than in RF accelerators are routinely achieved in many places. Multi GeV electron beam energies are produced reproducibly, quality has greatly improved by some factor 10, lasers as drivers are progressing rapidly: shrinking in size and growing in power. European laser industry is world leading and all the world buys these European lasers, including US and Asian competitors (e.g. Berkeley). Big challenge is to improve quality another factor 2-5 and to establish pilot applications. This is now more on the engineering side than on invention. This is why big accelerator labs can help.\n\nHorizon.  Why is your project to build a 5 GeV plasma accelerator so important?  Is there something special about 5GeV as an energy milestone, for example?\n\nRA. The 5 GeV was chosen because it is presently just achievable, so we can concentrate on quality, but also because it is in the regime of hard X ray free electron lasers which operate in this energy regime. To produce a small size and lower cost free electron laser for low power users would be the break-through result needed to start a user basis, e.g. reaching out into mid size lab environments in research centers, universities, hospitals, etc. In addition, this 5GeV would be a stage towards a high energy physics collider: 50 such stages for 250 GeV beam energy. Higher power will need higher average power laser solutions, something European laser industry works on.\n\nHorizon. What will your conceptual design report for EuPRAXIA achieve?\n\nRA. It will propose a European project and consortium that brings together the required expertise, credibility and resources to make plasma accelerators usable and to succeed in the ongoing competition with US, Japan and China. In addition to a consistent engineering approach it will also include some innovative solutions that we have published and want to build. This project will also help to defend world leadership of European high power laser industry by providing incentive requirements and a growth in customer basis.\n\nHorizon. After the CDR (in November next year?) will the accelerator be built? If so, how long will that take? And what will the facility look like, roughly?\n\nRA. Whether a European project will be built depends on the availability of European resources. Presently LNF at Frascati is starting a construction project EuPRAXIA@SPARClab and Helmholtz in Germany has just announced a 30M€ material investment on laser-driven plasma acceleration in the context of EuPRAXIA - the first step towards EuPRAXIA (see press release). The EU initiative LEAPS could provide some resources for the technical design and prototyping but European construction requires additional resources. At present we realistically foresee implementation/prototyping phase from 2020 to 2022 and construction from 2023 to 2026. We are discussing how it would look like but it is clear that it will be centered in Italy, France, Germany with roughly equal levels and will be supported by consortia in Portugal, UK and possibly Czech republic (ELI). EuPRAXIA should be constructed as a particle physics detector: all connected labs use their local infrastructure to develop, prototype and test the required components. Then we construct together the facility at probably two locations with different specializations, e.g. the laser-driven approach in Hamburg/DESY and the beam-driven approach in Frascati/Italy. We are still discussing this but presently we think that such an integrative approach is better than choosing one or the other.\n\nHorizon. Pretend for a moment that you are speaking to a non-scientist member of the public: why should he or she care that this accelerator is being built? (That is, what are the most easy-to-grasp applications?)\n\nRA. Particle accelerators today produce X rays for precise medical imaging of the human body, for studying how bacteria react to medicine, for inspecting cargo and many other applications. There is more demand than the big and cost-intensive accelerator facilities can satisfy. Based on the world-leading lasers from European industry the novel plasma accelerators can reduce the size of such facilities such that they can be used in many additional places, broadening access and for example providing opportunities to study many additional bacteria, viruses, etc. The public in Europe will profit from the advance in knowledge to be expected but also from the well paid jobs such high technology investments create and defend.\n\nHorizon. Particle physics is in a bit of a sticky spot at the moment. To put it bluntly, are synchrotrons, linacs and so on dead—and are plasma accelerators the future? (Could they be how we access energies beyond those of the LHC?)\n\nRA. Plasma accelerators provide a path to higher energies beyond LHC and particle physics must take this opportunity very serious. However, RF accelerators are highly developed and it is difficult to catch up. This is why an intermediate step like EuPRAXIA with other applications is required for plasma accelerators. This will prove a number of issues required also for colliders. Afterwards the field can concentrate on the other difficult challenges for plasma colliders (positron acceleration in plasmas, emittance, luminosity, ...). If we cannot build a 5GeV plasma FEL, then also a 500 GeV or 3 TeV plasma collider will not work. Clearly: high field accelerators like plasma accelerators can be the logical long term solution for advancing the energy frontier in particle physics. But it require a realistic and sustained approach. By the way, before coming to DESY in 2012 I was a senior scientist at CERN, one of the guys building and commissioning the LHC. I got motivated by this vision beyond LHC to look at plasma accelerators after we discovered the Higgs...\n\nDr Ralph Assmann was interviewed by Jon Cartwright for Horizon Magazine​", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9499655365943909}
{"content": "In the years leading up to the Civil War, the United States begins to thrive. Though life expectancy is still low, early scientific advances are beginning to eliminate some of the diseases that plagued previous generations. As the nation discovers its sense of self, uniquely American traditions are born.\n\nLife Expectancy\n\nThe average life expectancy during this era was 37.\n\n\nFewer and fewer sailors, now drinking lemon juice, are dying of scurvy.\n\n\nVaccination for smallpox is becoming more and more available.\n\nKnock Knock!\n\nMore and more doctors are able to hear unhealthy—or deathful—sounds through a new instrument called the stethoscope.\n\n\nGolden lockets worn to funerals typically show portraits of mourners weeping over tombs beneath willow trees, or simply a portrait of the beloved person who is, alas, deceased.\n\nMeanwhile in the South...\n\nSouthern funerals are often major social events, with folks coming from miles around, sent for by word of mouth to mourn, eat cake and drink hot rum.\n\nMourning Attire\n\nFor adults, nothing but black will do for proper mourning attire, though children are allowed to attend funerals wearing white in summer and gray in winter.\n\nSilver Spoon\n\nGloves and handkerchiefs are now deemed too expensive to continue as gifts to mourners, but silver spoons—”coffin spoons”­—are still common as tokens of appreciation for those who nursed the dearly departed.\n\n\nCoffins have no handles or padding; are made of poplar, mahogany, walnut or cherry; and are covered with fringed cloths called “palls” (white for children and women, black for men).\n\nHair Wreath\n\nIt has always been common to weave wreaths from the hair of the dearly departed.\n\nPhoto by AdmlCrunch (via Flickr)\n\nNotable Deaths\n\nTwo former presidents, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, died on the same day in the same year: July 4, 1826.\n\nIn the News\n\n1800 - Napoleon conquers Italy\n\n1804 - Aaron Burr kills Alexander Hamilton in a duel\n\n1811 - William Henry Harrison leads surprise attack on Chief Tecumseh's settlement at Tippicanoe\n\n1812 - France invades Russia, 600,000 men are lost in the winter retreat\n\n1831 - Nat Turner leads unsuccessful slave revolt in U.S.A.\n\n1839 - First Opium War between China and Britain\n\n1845 - Edgar Allan Poe publishes The Raven and Other Poems\n\n1846 - U.S.A. declares war on Mexico", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6226668357849121}
{"content": "Satellite internet\n\nMaps index:\nMaps index\n\nSatellite dish pointing Algeria\n\nPointage d'antenne satellite  Maroc\n\nDish pointing Lagos and Nigeria\n\nVSAT service providers in Africa\n\nDish pointing in Southern Africa\n\nHylas Ka Band spot beam Tunisia and Libya\n\nAfrica Hughes HX VSAT service\n\nSMS Gateway to Africa Teleport\n\nVSAT installers Africa\n\nSatellite TV antenna dish aiming angle / pointing calculator for West Africa.\n\nChoose your desired orbit longitude and satellite in the box below\n\nFirst select the satellite, then click on the map.  If you change satellite, double click the map again nearby the original point till the satellite pointing angles re-calculate.\n\nInstructions for people in Senegal, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon.\n\nChoose the geostationary satellite you want to see using the pull down menus at box at the lower left.  Select by satellite name or orbit position.\n\nPut your mouse near your location and then drag the map to the middle.  The map will move so that the selected point is in the centre. The latitude and longitude of the dot at the middle of the map is then displayed below the map, together with your satellite dish pointing angles: azimuth, elevation and polarisation. Alternatively type in the name of you nearest large city or town, e.g. Abidjan, Lome, Niamey, Ogoja, Calabar, Douala.  Sometimes it will help to write the country name as well.\n\nTo get really accurate results, click on the plus sign in the array of navigation boxes at the top left side of the map.  The scale changes so that you can home in accurately on your location.  Repeat several times.  Select Satellite or Hybrid version and see the satellite photo image of the ground or even a view of your own house as seen from space !\n\nFeed polarisation (linear polarised systems):  Set the feed rotation polarisation angle. It is a two step process: Step 1: Start by setting your feed rotation so that you are set to the nominal downlink polarisation.  It may help to do this while the feed arm is sticking out horizontally, before the dish is raised to its operational elevation angle.  If you are trying to receive \"Horizontal\" then adjust so that the LNB waveguide has its two broad faces on either side.  If \"Vertical\" then the LNB waveguide needs its two broad faces on top and underneath.  Step 2: Now rotate the feed by the required polarisation adjustment angle.  Facing the satellite, clockwise polarisation adjustment is positive, negative is anticlockwise.  There may be a polarisation rotation scale on the LNB feed horn throat.  Use the scale marks for the amount of angle degrees only.  The scale my have wrong signs (+/-) and the scale numbering may go the wrong way etc.  Since you are near the equator the polarisation adjustment required by be large, approaching 90 deg is some cases. Don't worry, just follow the instructions above.\n\nVSAT or TV dish pointing (Azimuth and elevation mount):\nTo find the satellite set the dish elevation (up/down) angle accurately before swinging the dish around sideways in azimuth. There may be an elevation scale on the back. An inclinometer may be of use if you know the dish elevation offset angle.\n\nPlease write down all the satellite dish pointing angles for future reference. If you are setting up a two-way VSAT terminal record your latitude and longitude also as this will be needed for input to the modem, so that the modem can work out the distance to the satellite to get the TDMA burst timing correct.  \n\nFor setting up the azimuth (sideways) angle use a magnetic compass and swing the dish boldly sideways to find the satellite on the first swing. Then spend half an hour peaking up. Peaking up is really important for long term service quality and minimum outage time during rain fades.\n\nTV dish pointing (Polar mount): Only your latitude matters. Set the main motor axis angle and the small downward tilt of the dish and with the motor central align the dish towards the due south satellite. Motor rotation angles to the east are positive, to the west negative. See here for more instructions and examples of polar mount set up.\n\nWarning:  Lat, long and dish pointing results of this page may be in error. The latitude and longitude are not intended for navigational purposes of aircraft, ship, vehicle or other purposes. Magnetic azimuth bearings are approximate and vary slightly from year to year.  Use is entirely at your own risk.  Apply common sense and don't believe every number that comes out of a computer system. Take care with satellite dish pointing to not injure others by dropping tools or hurting yourself by falling down. Lines delineating the West Africa countries and territories are approximate.\n\nPlease report any copyright infringements to , also any feedback on technical errors or problems with this page.  Many thanks.\n\nPage started 26 March 2007, amended 4 Nov 2008, amended 30 Jan 2013 V3+key. Updated for responsiveness to mobile devices with small screens 20 July 2015.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9191753268241882}
{"content": "稿件标题： Sequential Bag-of-Words model for human action classification\n稿件作者： Hong Liu,Hao Tang,Wei Xiao,ZiYi Guo,Lu Tian,Yuan Gao\n关键字词： Action classification; Sequential Bag-of-Words; STIP; Probalibity\n文章摘要： Recently, approaches utilizing spatial-temporal features to form Bag-of-Words (BoWs) models have achieved great success due to their simplicity and effectiveness. But they still have difficulties when distinguishing between actions with high inter-ambiguity. The main reason is that they describe actions by orderless bag of features, and ignore the spatial and temporal structure information of visual words. In order to improve classification performance, we present a novel approach called sequential Bag-of-Words. It captures temporal sequential structure by segmenting the entire action into sub-actions. Meanwhile, we pay more attention to the distinguishing parts of an action by classifying sub-actions separately, which is then employed to vote for the final result. Extensive experiments are conducted on challenging datasets and real scenes to evaluate our method. Concretely, we compare our results to some state-of-the-art classification approaches and confirm the advantages of our appr\n收录刊物： 2016年1卷2期\n浏览次数： 253\n下载次数： 86", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9967420101165771}
{"content": "AS Discovery: Quiet Hollers\n\nPhoto by Nik Vechery\n\nLouisville-based Quiet Hollers have been rightfully lauded for their versatility before, but with the recent release of their third studio album Amen Breaks, they demonstrate just how wide-ranging their musical sensibilities have become. Achieving a synthesis of post-punk, indie pop, and alternative country without being beholden to any genre in particular, Amen Breaks finds the band exploring themes of mental health and spirituality with burning vocals and some of their most expressive lyrics yet. \n\nAmerican Songwriter caught up with frontman Shadwick Wilde to discuss the new LP, music industry injustice, and finding catharsis in playing live music.\n\nYou just released your third full-length Amen Breaks. When did you begin writing the album?\n\nI began writing for Amen Breaks in the latter half of 2016. We had just come off of our first European tour, during which things had begun to change rapidly for the band. We’d never experienced a response like that at home in the states… Playing sold-out shows, being all over TV, radio, newspapers—it was surreal. But it made it imperative that we come back and do it again, for the band’s survival. To do that, the record label said we needed a new album. So I began writing from this place of awe, desperation, and utter terror at the world outside my microcosm. In an unusually prolific six months, I had written the bulk of the album. For contrast, the last one had taken almost two years.\n\nWhere does the album title Amen Breaks come from?\n\nI recently learned about the “amen break” from an article my wife brought home from work (she’s a cognitive psychologist) about repetition, and why the brain prefers sounds that are familiar. I was fascinated by the story, and by how unknown the “amen break” phenomenon was outside of certain circles. Here we have a 6-second piece of music—a drum beat—that is the most widely borrowed (and perhaps stolen) piece of music in history. Yet its creator, G.C. Coleman, struggled for much of his life until he died destitute and homeless on the streets of Atlanta. It struck me as a perfect metaphor for the music industry, and for America, present day.\n\nThere are many questions of faith, spirituality, and religion in the lyrics of Amen Breaks. I lost my closest friend to suicide the year my daughter was born. The next year we lost my uncle to a fentanyl overdose. For the first time, I had to learn how to grieve—as a person who doesn’t believe in an afterlife—and still be compassionate to those friends and family who believe deeply that their loved one is in Heaven. That journey itself has been a deeply spiritual experience for me, a self-described atheist. So has music.\n\nDo you guys have a songwriting process that you typically follow? If so, what does it look like?\n\nI think the one unifying feature of my songs is that they’ve all come in their own time, and rarely ever when I’ve wanted them to. Most of the songs on Amen Breaks started as one line and a melody, which I would then have to chase down before it escaped my consciousness and try to understand what story, if any, it would lead me to.\n\nHow did you all first meet and start playing together?\n\nDave Chale and I met when I came to his studio to record a song. He’d just finished producing and mixing Low Cut Connie’s latest. We worked very well together, and he came onboard to produce the record. Later, he would become our drummer. Jim Bob and I met working at a bar. I kept seeing Aaron West in different bands, and I asked him to join very early on. Jake Hellman and I met after he auditioned for the band on YouTube. We loved his energy and his finesse with the bass.\n\nHow do you feel you’ve evolved as a band between your 2015 self-titled sophomore record and Amen Breaks?\n\nTo fans, the most obvious change will be Jake and Dave on the rhythm section. Both of them joined up just before this record. I’m continuing what I began doing on Quiet Hollers, trying to let the songs shape the direction of the music instead of letting the expectations of a genre shape the songs.\n\nI read recently that you name psychedelic folk, punk, string quartets, warm synths, and drum machines as fundamental elements in the songs of Amen Breaks. What led you to move away from the alt-country sound of previous efforts?\n\nMy favorite artists are the kind who never make the same album twice. To stay true to your self and your art, you have to follow the muse. All I try to do in recording is remake the sounds in my head, and they’re always changing.\n\nMental health and mental illness are two key thematic underpinnings of Amen Breaks. What was it like to confront these difficult subjects in your music?\n\nThere’s a conversation happening about mental illness these days, and I can’t say it was all that difficult to talk about it in my music. These are things that have been with me my whole life. My mother and grandmother have both lived with depression, as do I. There’s addiction and alcoholism in my family. How rare is that, really? I think we’re all familiar with these subjects, though what we’re sometimes missing is talking about the larger social and cultural forces that also contribute to depression and anxiety. To paraphrase the cultural critic Henry Giroux: we’re addicted to consumerism, to the immediate, to the spectacle of violence. So many elements contribute to depression and anxiety. It’s talking about them that we’re just now getting used to.\n\nHow do you think the songs will translate from the record to live performances?\n\nI love playing these songs live. It’s very cathartic for me… to put all of this difficult stuff out there, and have people singing it back to you… it’s a great feeling. Every song is different, every time you play it—and that’s part of the magic of live music. Using samples on this record came very naturally, I think because it emphasizes the idea that music is one thing, one entity, with many different moving parts. As music progresses, we see it repeating, recapitulating, and mutating, ultimately to mirror our collective human experience. I think this idea has become even more apparent, in our ever-connected world. I will say, there have been some funny looks when the 808s kick in, mostly from older white dudes.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6362988948822021}
{"content": "Posts In Category\n\nConstitution & Law\n\n\n\nWhat we all must understand is that all federal laws and Supreme Court opinions must comport with the Constitution – and if it doesn’t the states must interpose, challenge, and nullify.\n\n\n\n\nThe problem we are facing in our country now is that publicly traded companies are trying to hide behind these protections while also acting as content providers.  This is a violation of the trust of the public and is criminal.\n\nExercising its right to set federal voter qualifications, states permit only U. S. citizens to vote in federal elections.\n\nWhen the framers penned and signed their pledge, they meant it just as it was written.\n\nThe President of these United States must uphold his oath of office and check the corrupted judicial branch by issuing a pardon; hence the existence of a constitutional pardon and absolute need for its exercise by President Donald Trump for the Hammond family.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8400092124938965}
{"content": "\n\nHow is 3D Building Services Design Helping Coordination?\n\nHow Is 3D Building Services Design Helping Coordination?\n\nThe building services design industry has seen a lot progress in the past decade. The majority of developments can be attributed to have come from within the industry and few from other sources such as government regulations and economic developments. One of the biggest factors that has led to the revolution in the building services industry and aided spatial coordination is the introduction and wide spread acceptance of the intelligent building information modelling (BIM) software tools which have enabled professionals to create accurate and detailed representations of mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems.\n\nOver the years, Bim Software Tools have improved to the level of providing precise models matching the client requirements and are able to carry detailed information regarding the dimensions, plans, elevations and other vital aspects of the model and the overall project. BIM software tools offer features such as ability to save the changes and update the existing models and designs without affecting the original file and a more useful feature is its ability to work across various disciplines and platforms such as architecture, structural engineering and building services engineering which in due course has lead to better interdisciplinary coordination and reduced construction waste and rework.\n\nBIM models created using Autodesk Revit Architecture and Revit MEP produce realistic design models which helps users to make design changes earlier in the process. The software’s parametric change technology enables users to make any change to the BIM model and these changes would be automatically coordinated throughout the model. 3D BIM models are also beneficial for fabricators and installers as these models can be used with the latest fabrication tools such as FAB MEP to manufacture pre-assembled modules for installation on-site which would help to avoid costly miscalculations at the end of the project. Indeed, the proposed changes in Revit 2017 will mean that fabrication can be carried out in Revit MEP rather than using tools such as FAB MEP.\n\nAnother important and elaborate benefit of the 3D BIM revolution has been the improved interdisciplinary coordination between different stakeholders involved in AEC projects. The resultant effect of these developments is the seamless collaboration between all parties involved in AEC project ranging from engineers, architects, MEP consultants, contractors and fabricators during the design and planning stages. This is ultimately leading to the reduction in costly rework which generally happens during construction in many projects. As internet bandwidth has grown, cloud-based collaboration tools were introduced to compliment BIM software, these enable seamless sharing of crucial plan changes at a critical time period and team members can now hold review sessions online for stake holders located around the world.\n\nApart from the developments within the industry, there have been critical gains that have come from outside the industry that have also helped coordination, such as the updated government policies in different parts of the world which have either promoted or mandated the use of BIM for various government-funded or private projects. BIM technology and its constantly evolving lifecycle is a definite sign that 3D design services including 3D BIM Coordination, 3D Building Services Coordination and 3D MEP Coordinated Drawing services keep improving to match client requirements and to create healthy competition.\n\nThe post How is 3D Building Services Design Helping Coordination? appeared first on .\n\nThis post first appeared on XS CAD Blog - Pre-construction, MEP, 2D/3D CAD, please read the originial post: here\n\nShare the post\n\nHow is 3D Building Services Design Helping Coordination?\n\n\nSubscribe to Xs Cad Blog - Pre-construction, Mep, 2d/3d Cad\n\nGet updates delivered right to your inbox!\n\nThank you for your subscription", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9977928996086121}
{"content": "Weather Forecast\n\n\nVibrancy of Our Communities\n\nMy name is Susan Zmyslony, your current county commissioner, and I need your vote on August 14th if we are to continue the progress weve accomplished these past four years.\n\nIn running for office, people sometimes like to focus on the negative. They talk about businesses that have closed, and they choose to ignore the economic expansion weve experienced. Small businesses are booming within our county, and with the right, positive direction and leadership, we can continue this growth. We have witnessed the influx of gas stations and convenience stores, a brewery, liquor stores, restaurants, bars, a fitness center, auction centers, and creative design shops, to name just a few examples. Our county is growing, but we need to focus on what works, and not continue to only point out what may have failed, so we can continue our progress.\n\nWe are a county that takes pride in the hard work of our people, and the satisfaction we derive when we see this hard work pay off. We are a county that puts our trust in each other, and we take comfort in knowing we are building a better future for the people of Carlton County.\n\nYou placed your trust in me four years ago, and Carlton County today stands better than it did four years ago. But I didnt make it happen. You helped make it happen with me. Together over the next four years, I will continue to take the positive steps forward, with your support and assistance, to make Carlton County even stronger, even better, and so I need your vote on August 14th to continue the progress weve made these past four years.\n\nThis is a paid endorsement letter to the editor.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8784369826316833}
{"content": "Rising Temperature\n\n\nchart of climate change trends\n\nData via NCDC. According to four major global meteorological and atmospheric monitoring agencies, temperatures have gradually risen for the past 30 years; the 2000s have officially been declared the warmest decade in recorded history.\n\nMost climate change experts agree that greenhouse gases ― which trap heat and prevent it from leaving the Earth’s atmosphere ― are mostly responsible for the temperature spike. Even with a worldwide emphasis on reduced greenhouse emissions, temperatures continue to climb. An article in Science Daily recently noted that in March 2012 alone, more than 15,000 single-day warm temperature records were broken throughout the United States.\n\nPrevious EHEs (such as the massive heat wave that struck Southern California in 2006) have each been responsible for thousands of deaths and injuries; now, the NRDC projects that as many as 150,000 Americans will die due to climate change by the year 2100. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) notes that elderly individuals, infants and chronically ill people are considered the most vulnerable for heat-related deaths. The most common causes of death related to rising temperatures include the following conditions:\n\n  • Heat exhaustion: According to The Mayo Clinic, heat exhaustion is characterized by profuse sweating and a rapid pulse/heartbeat; these two symptoms essentially indicate the body is overheating. Other signs of heat exhaustion include dizziness, low blood pressure and muscle cramps. Individuals who suspect they have heat exhaustion should immediately stop whatever they are doing, retreat to a relatively cool location, and consume cool water or electrolyte-filled sports drinks.\n  • Heat stroke: Heat stroke could be characterized as ‘advanced heat exhaustion’; the Mayo Clinic notes that individuals diagnosed with heat stroke usually have a temperature in excess of 104 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition to the outside temperature, the symptoms of heat stroke may be exacerbated by prescription medication, preexisting medical conditions, high humidity and even consuming alcohol on a hot day. Unlike heat exhaustion, heat stroke demands medical attention; untreated heat stroke can negatively affect the brain, heart, kidneys and muscles.\n  • Cardiovascular disease: According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Science, extreme heat (as well as extreme cold) has been linked to a higher incidence rate of cardiovascular diseases and conditions, such as strokes and dysrhythmia. Cardiovascular disease is already the deadliest medical condition in the United States, and strokes are listed as the country’s third leading cause of death.\n  • Kidney disease: Prolonged exposure to excessively hot temperatures can lead to major kidney problems, notes American Family Physician contributor James L. Glazer, M.D. Rhabdomyolysis, a condition caused by damaged tissue, often results from heat stroke and has been linked to long-term renal disease. The body’s ability to regulate water intake may also be affected, which can lead to kidney and/or bladder infections.\n  • Aggravated allergies: Since two major allergens ― pollen and ragweed ― spread during relatively warm months; the EPA notes that spring allergy seasons are occurring earlier each year as a result of increasing temperatures.\n\nIn addition to the human toll, there is a significant financial impact to consider. ‘Killer Summer Heat’ discusses a heat wave that struck California in Summer 2006. Over the two-week period of extreme heat, 655 people lost their lives and more than 16,000 individuals made trips to the emergency room; the heatwave ultimately resulted in costs nearing $5.3 billion. The report notes that as many as 150,000 men, women and children could potentially die of heat-related causes by the year 2100.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6528019905090332}
{"content": "Biophotonics Method Could Lead To Identification Of Unstable Plaques\n\nIn aging societies, atherosclerosis (AS) and its major vascular complications, myocardial infarction and stroke, comprise a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Additionally, childhood obesity is an increasing phenomenon all over the globe and will lead to increased occurrence of cardiovascular diseases at younger age.\n\nResearch toward non-invasive methods for disease diagnosis is particularly important for these patients in order to reduce the risk of invasive analysis and X-ray radiation.\n\nScientists from the University of Leipzig, the Translational Centre for Regenerative Medicine (TRM) Leipzig, and the Bar-Ilan University have now suggested a novel, highly sensitive, simple, inexpensive and non-invasive biophotonics method that could lead to identification of unstable plaques.\n\nThe new approach is based on the presence of macrophages in vulnerable plaques and their ability to take up gold nanoparticles (GNP). Cells loaded with GNP could be detected by the diffusion reflection method in AS plaques.\n\nStable Or Vulnerable\n\nPlaques consist of fatty substances and leukocytes and accumulate at the walls of arteries, making them thicker. There are two different plaque types: stable and vulnerable plaques.\n\nStable AS plaques tend to be rich in extracellular matrices and smooth muscle cells. They may be asymptomatic for many years, until lumen stenosis is severe.\n\nUnstable plaques are rich in certain macrophage subsets, foam cells and inflammatory cells, and usually have a weak fibrous cap. They are prone to rupture into the circulation, inducing thrombus formation in the lumen—one of the most common and fatal complications of AS.\n\nThe consequences may be a myocardial infarction, an ischemic stroke, or a claudication from lack of blood supply to the legs. These vulnerable plaques represent a high risk, particularly with the standard invasive diagnosis by coronary angiography.\n\nBiophotonicsYet so far, there are no non-invasive, low-risk clinical approaches available to detect and distinguish AS plaque types in vivo.\n\nThere are several possible ways how the new approach could be put into clinical practice. One could be the administration of GNP by intravenous injection. GNP then should be specifically phagocytized by tissue macrophages or by circulating monocytes/macrophages that infiltrate tissues.\n\nDue to their physical properties, phagocytized GNP induce changes in the optical characteristics of infiltrated tissues that could be efficiently visualized by diffusion reflection (DR) using infrared light.\n\nFor quality assurance, an approach for monocyte subtype-selective GNP loading and quantification of the differential particle loading efficiency using cytometry was developed, as well.\n\nSusanne Melzer et al.\nNanoparticle uptake by macrophages in vulnerable plaques for atherosclerosis diagnosis\nJournal of Biophotonics (2015). DOI: 10.1002/jbio.201500114", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.985495388507843}
{"content": "Nikko Stirling\n\nA heritage of hunting separates Nikko Stirling from its competitors. Nikko Stirling does not produce spectacles, jewelry, cameras or microscopes. We specialize only in Optics for hunting.\nTheir philosophy is to provide the hunters or target shooters with optics they need to be successful in their sport. Since 1956 this has been our goal. Today the Nikko Stirling range is a result of the evolution of solving the challenges faced by hunters throughout the world.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9747951626777649}
{"content": "OAK Wine's Wooden Wine Bottle is Created from the Same Storage Cask\n\n - Sep 18, 2014\nReferences: oakwine.es & packagingoftheworld\nThe wooden wine bottle created for OAK wine by Grantipo and La Despensa is a concept that would have the bottle shaped out of the same cask that is used to store the wine. This way, the fermentation process that the wine goes through is not disrupted by introducing any new materials. Since this is still a concept, the designers remark that \"We know that fermentation in a confined space is different from a barrel and we are studing its behavior with winemakers,\" although a prototype bottle is already in the works.\n\nDue to the use of wood, the bottle has an old feel to it, but some details that bring the bottle up to date include having the QR and UPC codes etched into the back of the bottle.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9965112209320068}
{"content": "Averigua en qué áreas enfocas según tus objetivos profesionales. Si no está interesado en un trabajo que requiera una calificación en la subprueba de Comprensión mecánica, no necesita preocuparse por hacerlo bien en esa subprueba. Si no necesita preocuparse por la mecánica, no se moleste en prepararse para esa sección. Pase el tiempo en Word Knowledge o Arithmetic Raasoning.\nEl (Fuerzas Armadas Qualifying Test) AFQT es posiblemente la puntuación ASVAB más importante, ya que determina si usted es elegible para unirse a la rama militar de su elección. Aunque el AFQT a menudo se llama la “puntuación general ASVAB,” eso no es del todo correcto, porque se deriva de sólo cuatro subpruebas: Expresión Verbal (VE), que se calcula a partir de la Comprensión (PC) y conocimiento de las palabras subpruebas (WK), razonamiento aritmético (AR), y Matemáticas conocimiento (MK).\n\n\nThe ASVAB is also offered to high school and post-secondary students as part of the ASVAB Career Exploration Program. The Career Exploration Program is designed to help students explore careers in both the civilian and military worlds of work. If you are interested in the ASVAB Career Exploration Program, contact your teacher or counselor to see how you can participate.\n\nThe book contains a diagnostic test, plus three full-length practice tests that replicate the actual format and timing of the ASVAB, so you can “practice for real” before test day. Two of the book’s practice tests are included on our TestWare® CD with automatic, instant scoring analysis and powerful diagnostic feedback. On-screen detailed explanations of answers help you pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses, allowing you to focus on areas in need of further study. Our complete ASVAB test prep package also includes an 8-week study schedule and test-taking strategies for succeeding on the exam. \nIf you feel the need to pursue. And during times and select from the course of action is also very difficult for you in review of the list of top console systems administration. Sounds “kind of” cool right? Well get this? During the reserves? It does not make a solid course in the next speedy tip? Then download this free asvab research will be different tests. The Distinction after the many different strategies.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9889295697212219}
{"content": "Physical Science Simple Machines Pearson Hall -\n\nmechanical systems unit 4 test student class - mechanical systems grade 8 unit 4 test student class 1 a wheelbarrow is an example of what simple machine a class 1 lever, social science dictionary with a durkheim bias - a general statement intended to develop a unified conceptual scheme for theory and research in the social sciences was published by nine usa social scientists in 1951 theory was to be based on a theory of action in which the point of reference of all terms is the action of an individual actor or collective of actors, philosophy of artificial intelligence wikipedia - alan turing reduced the problem of defining intelligence to a simple question about conversation he suggests that if a machine can answer any question put to it using the same words that an ordinary person would then we may call that machine intelligent a modern version of his experimental design would use an online chat room where one of the participants is a real person and one of the, bibme free bibliography citation maker mla apa - citing and more add citations directly into your paper check for unintentional plagiarism and check for writing mistakes, a review of current and emergent biofilm control strategies - microbial adhesion to surfaces and the consequent biofilm formation has been documented in many different environments biofilms constitute a protected mode of growth that allows microorganisms to survival in hostile environments being their physiology and behavior significantly different from their planktonic counterparts, keeping time on windows machines wilson mar - at the equator each time zone hour spans about 1 041 miles approximately 25 000 miles 24 however because the earth is a globe the circular lines of longitude gets smaller as one moves north or south away from the equator and toward one of the poles, def con 18 hacking conference speakers - started in 1992 by the dark tangent defcon is the world s longest running and largest underground hacking conference hackers corporate it professionals and three letter government agencies all converge on las vegas every summer to absorb cutting edge hacking research from the most brilliant minds in the world and test their skills in contests of hacking might, the usage and adoption of cloud computing by small and - cloud computing has become the buzzword in the industry today though it is not an entirely new concept but in today s digital age it has become ubiquitous due to the proliferation of internet broadband mobile devices better bandwidth and mobility requirements for end users be it consumers smes or enterprises, educational psychology interactive readings in - educational psychology interactive readings in educational psychology developed by w huitt last updated november 2018", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9536904096603394}
{"content": "Project system\nWhat part of the gamemode/map needs addition/changing: Science\nDetails: Allows you to create Projects. Project is a group of scientists working on something. They can have a custom page link (/page abc - abc custom page link, calls everyone in the Project) They can get group Grants* and share labs.  \nProjects could be managed in a PC program\nWhy is this change necessary?: Creates a squad for Scientists.\nWhat (if any) method you use to achieve a 'placeholder'?: Sharing doors.\n\n* Things from my other suggestions\nRP groups will be available in-game, for higher ranked personnel, in exchange for money and XP.\n\nRP groups will have certain options such as access to a project 'treasury' and bank account, as well as special in-game channels of communication and access options. They will be able to set their member's salary using their own funds, which they gain through contraband/science etc. systems. Groups may will have their own website in-game.\nOfficials of the RP group will be responsible for their members.\n\nThe legacy 'Project' system has been scrapped and will not return.\n\nThis is not a promise that RP groups will exist, this is merely me telling you how it will be used to replace the 'projects' system.\n\n\nLocked and Archived.\n\nSteam: https://steamcommunity.com/id/quantumblack\nDiscord: QuantumBlack#0694\nEmail: [email protected]\nTopic Options\nThread Closed \nForum Jump:\n\nUsers browsing this thread:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.793780505657196}
{"content": "The Honeywell Precision Altimeter (HPA) is the same as the HPB but with an altimeter pressure range. They share a datasheet.\nPressure Range: 0 – 17.6 psia\nAccuracy: ±0.03%FS\nCompensated Temperature Range: -40°C to 85°C\nInput: 5.5-30V DC\nOutput Options: RS-232, RS-485, or low-power TTL.\nFor use with non-corrosive, non-condensing gasses only.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000081062316895}
{"content": "Cutting board -Brief Notes\n\nKitchen carts are a great space saver in the kitchen. In a smaller kitchen that does not have an island; a kitchen cart can serve as an island. Small apartments and houses may not have a large open kitchen space that can house an island. The great thing about the carts is that they are movable. It is not a commitment like an island.\n\nThere are wooden and metal kitchen carts. Most of the major department that carry a kitchen and housewares department carry the carts. He carts with the thick wooden block is called a cart with a butchers block. Some carts can be used for to hold the microwave. There is a cart that sits in the corner and is mostly storage. That is called a kitchen buffet. Some carts have wheels and some are more stationary. Our website provides info about\n\nIf all the cabinets are full of pots, pans and the latest kitchen gadgets, then you might be running out of storage. A kitchen cart can solve the storage problem in a cramped kitchen. The added counter space can be used to prepare meals. The drawers and cabinets below add extra space for any kitchen pack rat. This can make room for more kitchen gadgets and gizmos.\n\nWant to remodel but at half the cost? There are even carts that have granite counters. Kitchen cabinets can be a costly upgrade but with the placing of a kitchen cart, an old cart is made new. There are some small circular carts that are called serving carts. These carts are great for parties. They have two shelves and can hold multiple items in a large gathering. There are even small carts with wine racks at the bottom. The carts come in all types of wood, colors, shapes and sizes. They area interior designers dream in a small space.\n\nOn a popular home network, a couple that was doing a remodel while living in the home used a cart. While installing granite counter tops. They used this makeshift cart to keep their cooking items. This was a great solution that allowed them to keep living comfortable while remodeling.\n\nWhere can you purchase a kitchen cart? There are a many places that you can purchase these carts. Department stores that have a kitchen appliance area more than likely sell these carts. The super convenience stores might sell a cheaper version. For the best quality cart, go to a high end department store. The internet has several stores that boast good quality for a good price. The only problem with internet shopping, the cart might not look like the picture; it pays to do your research before purchasing. Most all websites have reviews. The savvy internet shopper can find out just about anything you want to know about a retailer.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5824334025382996}
{"content": "Mobile Mindfulness\n\nIn 2013, I became interested in meditation as a form of developing mindfulness, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence to improve performance and general well-being. Like most people, I was incredibly skeptical at first. Sitting still and quiet has never been something I’ve found particularly enticing; I’m much more comfortable being constantly stimulated by music, TV, podcasts, and the internet. However, I've also noticed that in many ways, technology has shortened my attention span and altered the way I think and work. This has driven a personal interest in products that are able to flip the paradigm and have the opposite effect, sparking deep stages of productivity and calm.  \n\nEat Plants and Natural Foods. Not Too Much.\n\nDespite millions of dollars spent annually on eating healthier, achieving nutritional goals is surprisingly difficult in today’s world. Americans are surrounded by processed foods, bombarded with advertisements from big food conglomerates, and led down misguided paths from government agencies lobbied by special interest groups. A well-known fact among the health and wellness community is that if you want to learn about nutrition, you’re going to have to do a lot of research and experimentation yourself.\n\nThe Necessity of the Connected Self\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8572548627853394}
{"content": "Introduction To The Process And Use Of Thermal Expansion Seamless Steel Pipe\n\nThe expansion is a pressure processing process that uses hydraulic or mechanical means to force the steel pipe to expand radially outward from the inner wall of the steel pipe. The mechanical method is simpler than the hydraulic method, and the equipment is simpler and more efficient. Several advanced large-diameter lsaw steel pipe control pipeline expansion steps have been adopted in the world. The process is: mechanical expansion using the splitting of the end of the expanding machine The fan-shaped block is radially expanded, so that the tube blank is stepwisely formed in a lengthwise manner to realize a process of plastic deformation of the entire pipe length.\n\nThis process is divided into five phases:\n1. Initial rounding stage. The fan-shaped block is opened until all the fan-shaped blocks are in contact with the inner wall of the steel pipe. At this time, the radius of each point in the inner pipe of the steel pipe is almost the same in the step length, and the steel pipe is initially rounded.\n2. Nominal inner diameter stage. The segment reduces the speed of movement from the front position until it reaches the desired position, which is the desired inner circumference of the finished tube.\n3. The rebound compensation stage. The fan-shaped block begins to move at a lower speed in the 2-stage position until it reaches the required position, which is the inner circumferential position of the steel pipe before the rebound of the process design.\n4. The pressure stabilization phase. The fan-shaped block remains in the inner circumferential position of the steel pipe for a period of time before the rebound, which is the pressure-stabilizing stage required by the equipment and the expansion process.\n5. Unloading return phase. The segment is rapidly retracted from the inner circumferential position of the steel pipe before the rebound until it reaches the position of the initial expansion, which is the small contraction diameter of the segment required by the expansion process.\n\nSeamless steel pipes are used in a wide range of applications. The general-purpose seamless steel pipe is rolled from ordinary carbon structural steel, low-alloy structural steel or alloy structural steel, and has a large output, and is mainly used as a pipe or a structural part for conveying a fluid. According to the use, there are three types of supply: a, supply according to chemical composition and mechanical properties; b, supply according to mechanical properties; c, supply according to water pressure test. Steel pipes supplied in categories a and b, if used to withstand liquid pressure, are also subjected to hydrostatic testing.\n\nSpecial-purpose seamless pipes include boiler seamless pipes, chemical power, geological seamless steel pipes and petroleum seamless pipes. Seamless steel tubes have a hollow section and are used as a conduit for conveying fluids. They can replace spiral submerged arc welded steel pipes for transporting oil, natural gas, gas, water and certain solid materials.\n\nCompared with solid steel such as round steel, the steel pipe has a lighter weight when it has the same bending and torsional strength, and is an economical section steel. Widely used in the manufacture of structural parts and mechanical parts, such as oil drill pipes, automotive drive shafts, bicycle frames and steel scaffolding used in construction, such as steel scaffolding, to make ring parts, improve material utilization, simplify manufacturing processes, save materials and processing In working hours, steel pipes have been widely used for manufacturing.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8532612323760986}
{"content": "When Zen Meets Modern: A Decorating Relationship Made in Heaven\n\n\n\nGo clutter free\n\nOne of the first steps to creating a tranquil home is to eliminate all clutter. Kitchen countertops are often a catch-all area for mail, magazines, books, and papers.\n\nOther problem areas are living room accent tables and bedroom nightstands. Bathroom countertops can  also become littered with make-up and toiletries.\n\nThe easiest way to get rid of clutter is to turn your closets into organizing centers. Install shelving inside closets and provide baskets or plastic containers to hold items that normally get tossed on open counters.\n\nChoose a basket or plastic bin for each family member, label it with their name, and place it inside the closet. This will give everyone a space for their own personal items and will help to conquer the clutter problem.\n\nShop modern furniture lines\n\nThe beauty of modern and contemporary furniture is found in its simplicity. Traditional furnishings are full of details and can appear busy and distracting. Quality modern lines of furniture are clean with minimal detailing. Look for websites like https://creativefurniturestore.com to get started in your search.\n\nTo keep in line with the Zen way of living, look for modern tables that are square or rectangular in shape and have straight rather than curved legs. This is true whether you are shopping for dining room tables or living room and bedroom accent tables.\n\nWhen shopping for chairs, beds, or sofas, avoid curved legs or arms. Avoid busy and loud prints in pillows and bedding. Bold prints can overwhelm the senses, which makes it hard to relax and unwind. Think about the natural colors of the earth and try to incorporate them into your furnishings.\n\nMake accent pieces count\n\nLess is always more when you want to create a sense of tranquility. Be picky about accent pieces. What do you love? What makes you feel at peace? Choose items that serve a purpose.\n\nFor instance, a tabletop water fountain with river rocks can be a soothing addition to a bedroom or living room. An earthen vase with a single flower is pleasing to the senses and makes a good dining room centerpiece.\n\nA few candles or an electric fireplace are simple ways to add ambience to a room without adding clutter.\n\nWhen Zen meets modern, your home will be transformed into a beautiful place of peace and tranquility. It truly is a match made in heaven. Not only will you feel more relaxed, but your home will exude an inviting atmosphere where friends and family will always feel welcome.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.945094883441925}
{"content": "electric sheep\n\nEveryone has that day when they’re finally told about the prejudice secretly dwelling in their hearts. Then there’s the day when they actually believe it. For me, the first came when I read Claude Steele’s Whistling Vivaldi.\n\nFun reading, this book is not. Read the first and last chapters and rest assured you’ve seen everything important. Steele took what should have been a long essay and stretched it into full book size by rehashing concepts over and over. Not that I don’t value his obvious scholarship. I do.\n\nI used to think I had my mind made up about affirmative action. Looking around for scholarships to help pay for college, I kept running into offerings which required the applicant to be Black, or Hispanic, or American Indian.  Clearly this is reverse discrimination, I thought. People can’t help being born white, so why shouldn’t they get all of the same opportunities to earn money that minorities have? If the intention is to correct the structural income differences created by generations of racism, then why not assess need based on financial status? I thought I had things all figured out.\n\nThat I felt so unambiguously right should have been a clue that I was missing something. Going into my senior year of college, I had to read Whistling Vivaldi as part of my role in helping with an orientation program. For the first time, I wrestled with evidence that truly challenged my thinking on prejudice.\n\nSteele introduced to me the concept of “critical mass.” Within a group, if there is not a minimum number of other people who seem to share a similar identity, individuals tend to feel like an outsider. Again and again, his (and others’) research seemed to confirm that minority groups (not only defined by race) usually underperformed when they felt like they didn’t belong, and especially when the performer knew of possible stereotypes. Women taking higher math classes. Minorities sitting standardized tests. However, the presence of others who seemed to share a similar identity could reduce or eliminate this performance difference. Throwing a few extra women in a difficult math class took away the constant reminders of those stereotypes. The same thing appeared to happen for new minority university students if they could see that “people like them” belonged just as much as anyone else. To me, this finally justified affirmative action.\n\nI like to think I started behaving differently that day, after being told. I like to think I started being more inclusive. I imagine that I started to vary my default personal pronouns. I like to hope I never contributed to anyone’s experience of isolation. That day when you’re finally told you’re riddled with prejudice is important.\n\nBut then there’s the day when you really believe.\n\nWithout Claude’s book, I might have read Philip Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep in a completely differently. As is, I read it as a startling treatise on the hegemony of stereotypes and the nigh irresistible shaping power of external opinion. I doubt Dick intended it to be so. In fact, after reading his wikipedia page, I wonder whether Dick ever had intentions about anything. If you’re not familiar with the story, this novel formed the basis for the classic movie Bladerunner. The core premise is that increasingly human models of servant androids are going rogue, to the point of killing their masters, and the responsibility for neutralizing this chameleonic threat falls to a certain task force of bounty hunters, one of their number being our anti-heroic protagonist.\n\nI got chills the first time Rick Deckard killed an android. Gifted with incredible intelligence, super-speed, inhuman strength, this android should have had every opportunity to live on. But the second Rick saw through his disguise, as soon as the bounty hunter pulled his weapon, the android just gave up. Every scrap of fight left him. The android no longer believed he could escape. Even if he killed Rick Deckard, others would find him unprotected by anonymity. Eventually he would fall. It may be Dick wanted us to see this loss of spirit as the defining difference between man and machines which can look, talk, smell, maybe even fuck like us. We might assume that a human would always fight to survive, even when the situation looks hopeless. Man struggles to the bitter end.\n\nThat’s more superman than man. I think that people are much more similar to this android than we like to think. We succumb to our beliefs, and any force which can shape those beliefs holds power over us. Claude’s stereotype threat is a tragic symptom of an even greater force operating in our lives. It’s why confidence, especially unjustified confidence, tends to pay social dividends. It’s the reason we start looking for partners which are “good enough” to be with us. It’s the mysterious force which trades money from our wallets for Air Jordans and Coach purses. It’s how demagogues turn us against our neighbors. What we believe comes to function as the truth for us.\n\nThen again, it could be Dick recognized this fact. J. R. Isidore is another inhabitant of Dick’s android infested dystopia. What makes Isidore unique is that he’s a “special.” He has some sort of unspecified mental handicap, or perhaps just an abnormally low IQ. Instead of receiving comfort and support, this world leaves Isidore to fend for himself. He makes a living repairing artificial animals. In a world with an irrevocably damaged ecology, it’s become vogue to own some sort of animal as a pet. Those without the financial means to buy one of the (very rare) remaining animals must keep up appearances with something fake. The title of Dick’s book references Rick Deckard’s rather pathetic electric sheep. Inevitably these fakes have to be maintenanced, which brings them to Isidore, repairman protector of the right to keep up appearances.\n\nIsidore is apprehensive of the vidphone. He much prefers tinkering with the cybernetic animals, a complicated task for which he has a surprising affinity. But Isidore’s boss pulls perverse pleasure from pushing Isidore to answer customer calls. He taunts him into answering the vidphone with calls of “chickenhead,” a commonplace slur for specials like Isidore. When Isidore answers the phone, he stutters uncontrollably, drawing more ridicule from his boss. In fact, Isidore stutters at places throughout the entire novel, but curiously concentrated on moments when someone reminds him of his handicap.\n\nI thought I was imagining the distinction until I happened upon a particular android’s observation. He and a group of other android fugtives decide to strategically befriend Isidore, in the hope they could use him as a distraction when the bounty hunters come calling. As the androids pretend friendship with Isidore, sharing food and casual conversation, one android notices that Isidore’s stuttering has stopped. Surrounded by those he thinks  to love him, Isidore loses the destructive “chickenhead” identity. Such a simple shift, but one with far-reaching implications.\n\nI’m not sure what magical property stories have which makes me more confident than a confidence interval; which quality character epiphanies have that’s more compelling than the law of large numbers; how make-believe struggles sway me more than white-coated assurances. I do know that I finally understood prejudice when I read Philip K Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. My own prejudice is proven by the simple fact that there are still people in the world held down by harmful stereotypes. Until everyone is free to live and grow on an even playing field, I’m not believing hard enough.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5597582459449768}
{"content": "The Development History of MMO Games from 1980-1990\n\nThe Decade of the 80’s\n\nEarly Developments\n\nThe decade of the 1980s was a slow time for the development of MMOs. There weren’t any new developments in matter of games, but it was the decade where programmers started to improve the capabilities of the servers to obtain a better game experience, and the efforts paid off since in the ’90s the game experience reached its peak.\n\nIn the 1980s, it was explored for the very first time the concept of pay per play. What is common and inexpensive today, at the time it was first introduced it was something revolutionary and expensive. One of the first games who explored the concept of pay per play was the Islands of Kesmai, in the year 1984.\n\nIslands of Kesmai was a two dimensional rogue-like game, similar to Dungeon and Dragons, where players used command keys to move within the game board limits. The concept of gameplay that Islands of Kemsai used wasn’t new but the developers improved the gameplay by adding a characters creator for each player and the use of items to gain experience in the game.\n\nNot only Islands used the idea of using items to move in the game, but it was also one of the first games to charge for play time. The rates were 6 USD per hour in a 300 baud modem (Baud is a lower measure in transmission of information trough the Net) and 12 USD an hour if the user had a 1200 baud modem.\n\nOther game that was developed in the ’80s was Habitat by LucasArts Entertaiment Company. In terms of graphics it wasn’t the best game, but it improved the virtual community concept by facilitating communication between players. Technically, Habitat was the first successful MMO and it ran for almost half a decade.\n\nIt’s interesting to see that Habitat bares some similarities with another successful game, The Sims. The concept of The Sims is almost the same as Avatar, a life simulator, except that Habitat came 15 years before The Sims, and the online version of The Sims has never had the same success as Habitat.\n\nImpact of MMOs in the 1980s\n\nThe influence of MMOs games in the ’80s is weak in comparison to console games, i.e. LucasArts Monkey Island series, Indiana Jones series, Super Mario Bros. from Nintendo, Castelvania, Déjà Vu, and Departed just to name a few. Those games made their mark on video game history.\n\nWith the technological advances made in the ’80s it was possible to develop in the ’90s games like Ultima Online, which is credited as the game that popularized the MMO genre worldwide. In the next article we are going to do a walkthrough of the Golden Decade of MMOs: The ’90s.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9910175800323486}
{"content": "architecture, ornate, religion, spirituality, built structure, tradition, place of worship, low angle view, no people, indoors, building exterior, day\n\nInterested in licensing this photo?\n\n\nI am \"No Name Artist\"and \"White Bird\" and\"The Old Man\"on EyeEm.What is Arts!!? \"Art is Long. Life is shot\".", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8581753969192505}
{"content": "person, leisure activity, lifestyles, full length, casual clothing, young adult, young women, front view, beauty, non-urban scene, field, outdoors, day, long hair, summer, nature, focus on foreground, vacations\n\nInterested in licensing this photo?\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9369081258773804}
{"content": "How Kendrick Lamar Is Proof Hip-Hop Can Influence Society In Big Ways\n\nWhen injustice permeates society, sometimes the only way to accurately convey the array of emotions it catalyzes among people is via song. Music is a potent and indispensable form of protest.\n\nThe pain and rage produced by the persistence of inequality, violence, racism and oppression in the United States has generated some of most powerful songs of the past century.\n\nIn 1962, Bob Dylan wrote what is arguably the most famous protest song in history, “Blowin’ in the Wind.” It was a...\n\nWhat feeling does this article give you?\n\n#hashtags to follow:\n\nUnited States [+]    Bob Dylan [+]    Blowin [+]   \n\nMore #news:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7291522026062012}
{"content": "Richard Turner 31 July 2018\n\nThe changing tide of care\n\nThe changing tide of care\n\nThe deliverance of in-home adult social care is under pressure from all sides and has been for some time. Strained healthcare systems have a growing need for individuals to stay independent for longer and for health solutions to become more flexibly administered in the home rather than in the hospital.\n\nEquivalently, local authorities face the challenge of trying to support the elderly at home, while managing stretched budgets and effectively directing and deploying human resources.\n\nHealth and social care in the UK is frequently disjointed, creating challenges for the NHS, local authorities and for individuals in receiving both the care and support they need. The system and its leaders have long considered how new ways of thinking could help to support its drive for better care; ensuring the independent elderly are effectively supported in their homes for longer and lessening the growing pressures of more people entering and remaining in hospitals than can be sustained.\n\nCaring for people in a modern age has become increasingly complex. Nowadays people live longer, with the ONS finding the age of the population has been growing continuously since 1986, the number of 100-year-olds in the UK has almost doubled since 2002, and we rarely have one ailment at a time. In turn, the increasing number of people relying on these services has now far outnumbered the ever-decreasing number of carers available.\n\nIn answer to this, advancements in technology and research into the ways it can benefit care management has taken priority for many of our institutions and recognition of technology as a means of more effective resource management is now becoming widely accepted. However, in a traditional 'people/patient' focused environment, achieving the full engagement and support of the spectrum of executives and staff involved in the service delivery is complex. This can have a detrimental effect on implementation timeframes and as such the realisation of its true benefits.\n\nSome view the combining of social care and healthcare budgets to be a solution to achieving cohesion in service provision, which by extension would support the offering of technology enabled care and allow it to be implemented in a more streamlined manner.\n\nThe benefits seen from embracing technology within healthcare have too, been extensive and it is increasingly documented as our, and perhaps the only, solution for the future. Innovation has gradually brought about a generation of people with self-care opportunities at their fingertips and the freedom to access solutions wherever they may be.\n\nThat said, technology is still often viewed with apprehension by the older generation, highlighting that the importance of cultural change is just as key as developing the technology itself. Healthcare experts and families of the elderly need to take on a critical role within this, through educating their loved ones on the ways they can be healthier and happier whilst also living independently; and is thus seen, as a mutually beneficial solution for both our infrastructure and the people within it.\n\nIn the home, solutions like alarm services and fall detectors - which automatically call for help if needed - could become commonplace, ensuring not just that people stay safe but also that they have confidence to be at home alone. Prescription advice and 24-hour health support can be administered at the press of a button rather than having someone await an appointment or escalate an issue to the hospital when it could be solved quickly with the help of an accessible expert.\n\nWe have seen that when technology is utilised it becomes a tool for reuniting people with their independence, but also relieving the pressures on our healthcare facilities and staff who simply cannot cope with the increasing demand placed upon them. We understand that with all technological advances, solutions don’t replace human interaction, but simply make it more efficiently accessed when required.\n\nSo how can local authorities steer a course through this changing tide of care? As identified, local authorities are increasingly finding themselves stretched in both budget and resource, however by expanding the use of innovative technology, they can easily prevent a crisis before it happens or support the recognition of a problem faster than personal assessment alone. It is therefore evident, that with a more unified approach to health and social care in the UK, there could be, and will be, a greater return for those needing and providing support.\n\nRichard Turner is managing director of PPP Taking Care\n\ncomments powered by Disqus\nSign Up", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6090728044509888}
{"content": "If you were injured at work, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. Our dedicated team of North Carolina work injury lawyers have assisted individuals throughout the region with a wide variety of injury types and legal issues. The workers’ compensation process can be very complex, which is why it helps to have an experienced legal advocate on your side.\n\nIn a recent case, the North Carolina appellate court considered a claim in which the worker hurt his back while working in the produce department of a grocery store. He was lifting watermelons from a bin which required him to bend over and scoop them out of the bin. He experienced a sudden onset of pain in his right arm and shoulder. A medical exam was conducted and the doctor concluded that the injury was likely neurological in nature. The MRI revealed acute and chronic damage to his spine with multilevel degenerative disc disease. The doctor attributed it to a sudden event but noted that MRIs do not indicate when an injury occurred. He also identified narrowing of the worker’s spinal cord.\n\nHe underwent further treatment, including a decompression surgery for his spine. One of his doctors testified that he could not give a medical opinion with a reasonable degree of certainty regarding whether the incident with the watermelons was the primary cause of his injury. The employer challenged the worker’s claim for benefits on the basis that the injury was chronic and not related to the course and scope of his employment. The Commission agreed with the employer and the worker appealed.\n\nContinue reading\n\nPersonal injury incidences always involve deeply stressful and emotional situations. In some instances, however, they are extraordinarily painful for the victim and his or her family. A common example of this type of case is a sexual abuse incident. Although there is a criminal prosecution component, the victim can bring a civil claim seeking compensation for his or her suffering. Our experienced North Carolina personal injury lawyers are standing by to help you seek the justice you deserve.\n\nRecently, the North Carolina appellate court considered a claim involving alleged sexual abuse against a minor. The victim was a 15-year-old girl raised in a strict household with her mother and her sisters. Evidence in the record indicated that due to her mother’s beliefs, the girl lived a very sheltered life which included not being able to spend the night at friends’ houses and not being allowed outside unsupervised past dusk. The mother needed to leave the state to care for her dying mother and the mother agreed to let the girl stay with a friend under the agreement that the friend’s mother provide constant supervision. The mother was unaware that the family had an adult son who was living at the house and that he had an alcohol abuse problem and history of violence.\n\nOne evening, the son and some friends were partying in the backyard. The friend’s mother went to sleep and the friend went into her bedroom, leaving the girl alone with the son and his friends. According to the victim, the son provided her with a beverage containing some kind of drug and ultimately raped her in the home. The girl filed a lawsuit against the friend’s mother and the son, alleging negligent infliction of emotional distress based on the friend’s mother’s alleged failure to protect the girl from her son and to provide support for her after she informed the mother of what happened. The friend’s mother’s insurer defended the action and requested a declaratory judgment stating that it had no duty to the mother or son to defend against the claims. The lower court granted the insurer’s motion. The defendants appealed.\n\nContinue reading\n\nPersonal injury lawsuits often involve car accidents and other types of bodily injury. What few people realize, however, is that North Carolina law provides causes of action for other types of harm, including emotional distress. Our knowledgeable team of North Carolina personal injury lawyers is standing by to answer any questions you may have regarding whether you have a legal claim against someone else.\n\nA North Carolina appellate court recently considered a claim in which an employee of a political campaign pulled a gun on the plaintiff in the back of a vehicle. The employee worked for the campaign as a director of its North Carolina office. The employee was known for carrying a gun through a concealed carry permit. While the plaintiff and defendant were riding in the back of a car to a campaign event, the plaintiff alleged that the employee brandished the loaded weapon and held it against his knee with his finger on the trigger. The plaintiff filed a complaint against the campaign alleging civil claims for assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and negligent retention and supervision. The plaintiff’s claims were based on a doctrine called vicarious liability, which holds employers responsible for the tortious acts that their employees commit during the course and scope of employment.\n\nThe campaign filed a motion for summary judgment on all the claims, which the lower court granted. The plaintiff filed an appeal alleging that it was improper for the court to grant summary judgment. The appellate court first rejected the campaign’s contention that the court lacked jurisdiction over the matter and that it was a workers’ compensation claim. The court noted that a workers’ compensation claim does not preempt intentional torts because the risk of being potentially assaulted at gunpoint by a coworker is not something that a reasonable person would foresee experiencing on the job.\n\nContinue reading\n\nWrongful death accidents are some of the most tragic and stressful accidents that we handle as seasoned North Carolina personal injury attorneys. One of the most common defenses that the other party will assert is that your loved one was acting negligently at the time of the incident and that this contributed to his or her death, rendering the defendant not liable.\n\nIn a recent case, the plaintiffs filed a wrongful death claim against an energy company and its associated companies after the loss of their son who worked at a summer camp. The decedent was assisting another camp counselor with bringing a sailboat out of the water when the mast made contact with an uninsulated high voltage power line overhead, thereby electrocuting the decedent who had his hand on the metal portion of the boat at the time the mast made contact.\n\nIn their complaint, the plaintiffs admitted that the decedent was reasonably unaware that the high voltage power line was above the boat and that insufficient vertical clearance for the mast of the sailboat to pass under the power lines existed. The plaintiffs claimed that the defendants acted negligently in several regards, including an allegation that the defendant knew or should have known that the uninsulated high-voltage power lines created a risk for the camp employees and guests. The plaintiffs also alleged that the defendants breached their duty to the plaintiff to maintain a safe electrical wire.\n\nContinue reading\n\nCar accidents often involve multiple auto insurance policies, which can lead to confusion and headaches for injury victims. It’s also important to remember that insurance companies are for-profit entities who don’t always have the best interests of injured persons in mind. At Maurer Law, our dedicated team of North Carolina personal injury lawyers has aided numerous residents in interpreting insurance policies and ensuring that they receive the full amount of compensation that they are owed.\n\nRecently, the North Carolina appellate court considered whether a trial court committed a reversible error by crediting payments made to the plaintiff under his own insurer’s underinsured motorist coverage against the judgment that the plaintiff obtained from the other driver in a civil suit. At the time of the accident, the plaintiff had an insurance policy that provided an underinsured motor vehicle coverage up to $250,000 per person. The defendant had an insurance policy that provided a personal liability limit of $100,000 per person.\n\nThe case proceeded to trial and the jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiff finding the defendant negligent and awarding the plaintiff $263,000 in compensation. A few months later, the plaintiff’s insurance company sent him a check for $145,000 which it claimed represented the amount of underinsured motorist coverage that the plaintiff was owed under the policy. The defendant filed a motion asking the court to determine the amount of set-off that should be credited against the jury award based on the payment as well as other payments that the plaintiff received, including $3,000 from the defendant’s insurer as well as $30,000 from the settlement of a medical negligence claim the plaintiff asserted against the medical professionals who treated him following the accident.\n\nContinue reading\n\nWhen an employee is hurt at work, the workers’ compensation system may provide him or her with benefit payments to replace weekly wages as well as reimbursement for medical expenses. Understanding the claims process can be very stressful, especially if this is your first encounter with seeking benefits. The dedicated North Carolina work injury lawyers at Maurer Law are prepared to help you ensure that you protect your legal rights to the fullest extent.\n\nIn a recent claim, the plaintiff worked in a major department store for nearly 22 years when she tripped and fell forward over the bottom of a stairway ladder. She attempted to break her fall and struck her wrist on the cement floor as well as her shoulder and knee. The plaintiff received emergency medical treatment for her injuries and she was diagnosed with a shoulder sprain. She followed up with the doctor several times complaining of continued pain in her wrist, shoulder, arm, neck, and knee. She underwent many additional medical examinations and treatments to address her pain and symptoms.\n\nThe plaintiff filed a claim for workers’ compensation benefits and the employer accepted plaintiff’s claim and identified the injury as impacting her right shoulder and arm. The insurer later filed a form indicating that it denied compensability of any new injuries that the plaintiff reported outside of her employment involving her cervical spine. The matter came before a Deputy Commissioner for hearing and he concluded that the plaintiff had suffered a work-related injury that impacted her wrist, knee, and pre-existing cervical disc disease. The plaintiff was awarded benefits and compensation for her medical expenses, including any surgical procedures that were recommended.\n\nContinue reading\n\nWhen you are injured at work, you may be prevented from returning to your usual occupation either for a temporary period of time or indefinitely. There are many different rules in the North Carolina workers’ compensation laws that require an injured worker to make a reasonable effort to find suitable work in the event that he or she cannot return to his or her usual employment. One of the most common defenses that employers assert is that the injured worker did not perform a diligent search. At Maurer Law, we have substantial experience ensuring that workers are treated fairly in a workers’ compensation claim and that they receive the full amount of benefits that they deserve.\n\nA recent North Carolina appellate opinion discusses the issue of reasonableness. The worker was injured in an accident involving a flatbed truck during the course and scope of his employment. He received emergency medical treatment and complained of pain in the left side of his back, hip, and knee. He received treatment for his injuries including physical therapy and pain medication. He eventually returned to work, but indicated that his back pain increased. The employee attempted to obtain different positions with his employer but was unable to qualify for the positions due to his back pain.\n\nThe worker continued to undergo different medical treatments and examinations for his back pain. He was eventually diagnosed with non-mechanical back pain and a spinal contusion.\n\nContinue reading\n\nThe legal process includes many different rules that govern substantive aspects of your claim, like which evidence the other party can present and procedural aspects of your claim such as when you can seek an appeal. These rules can be complicated and it can be difficult to know whether you are proceeding in the right manner. This is why having a seasoned North Carolina personal injury lawyer can make all the difference when it comes to securing the compensation that you deserve.\n\nIn a recent appeal, the court discussed when a party can seek an interlocutory appeal. The plaintiff was operating a city bus when the vehicle was struck from behind by a regular passenger car. The plaintiff suffered injuries and filed a claim against the driver of the vehicle alleging negligence. The matter proceeded to discovery, which is the phase of litigation where the parties seek information from one another about the claim.\n\nDuring discovery, the defendant filed a motion to compel seeking an order that would require the plaintiff to provide more robust answers to the defendant’s discovery requests. The court granted this order and compelled the plaintiff to provide more information about her physicians before the accident and her post-accident injuries and mental disabilities. She was also compelled to produce more information about her wage and hours worked following the crash.\n\nContinue reading\n\nSlip and fall accidents can happen virtually anywhere in North Carolina. If you are injured due to someone else’s failure to maintain his or her property in good working condition, then you can bring a premises liability claim against the owner to recover compensation for your injuries. When the owner of the premises is the government, however, special rules and considerations apply. The doctrine of governmental immunity states that municipalities cannot be deemed negligent in some situations for personal injuries. Our diligent team of North Carolina slip and fall lawyers is standing by and ready to help you ensure that you proceed with your claim in the correct manner.\n\nA North Carolina appellate court recently considered a claim asking whether a city was immune from tort liability for the plaintiff’s slip and fall injury based on the doctrine of governmental immunity. The defendant leased the premises to various groups and the lease stated that the defendant was responsible for maintaining the exterior of the building and that it had the right to inspect the premises at any time.\n\nThe plaintiff in the matter was one of the tenants of the building. She was leaving through a rear exit carrying a large stack of items when she lost her balance and fell down the steps on a section of the steps that she alleged had eroded. She suffered a broken hip and other injuries. She filed a personal injury claim against the defendant alleging that it was negligent in its maintenance of the stairs and that it waived the doctrine of governmental immunity because it purchased liability insurance. She also alleged that the government was engaged in a proprietary function, which deprived the defendant of governmental immunity.\n\nContinue reading\n\nIn a workers’ compensation claim, the injured employee usually must undergo medical examinations to determine the nature and extent of his or her injury. This often involves assessing any pre-existing injuries, which raises issues about protecting the worker’s privacy regarding his or her medical information. As seasoned North Carolina work injury lawyers, we understand how daunting and confusing the claims process can be and we understand the concerns that you likely have about putting your medical history on display. We are standing by and ready to help you determine whether seeking workers’ compensation benefits is right for you.\n\nIn a recent claim, the North Carolina appellate court considered the scope of privacy rights regarding medical information that applies to an award of benefits. When the Industrial Commission enters an Award, it provides a written decision explaining its reasoning and basis for making the award. Judges must provide the evidentiary bases for reaching a conclusion regarding whether or not a claimant is entitled to benefits. These evidentiary findings include medical records, as well as expert witness reports and testimony regarding the claimant’s medical condition and health history. The Awards are then uploaded into a publicly available database that can be searched online.\n\nIn the case at hand, the plaintiff suffered an injury when he slipped and fell on a wet floor while moving pallets at work, resulting in a lower back injury. During the claim, the employer’s insurance company claimed that the plaintiff was no longer disabled and that he had failed to cooperate with the medical care and further treatment authorized and paid for by the insurer. The plaintiff refuted these allegations. His attorney sought permission to withdrawal, which was granted, and the plaintiff proceeded pro se. This means that he represented himself without counsel.\n\nContinue reading", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9817850589752197}
{"content": "Masala (named after the Indian dish ‘Chicken Tikka Masala’) spent his formative years in and around an Indian restaurant in Asmalı Mescit, Istanbul. He casually approached us during a lunch meeting, and we were immediately captivated by his stature and wry wit. He is an expert photocopier and mainly serves to keep spirits high.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.972756028175354}
{"content": "Background Check Includes Ncic Fingerprinting\n\nHow to do a background check for renters georgia?\n\nA information hygiene in the new cost of a background check hawaii free is made continued, revealing another system then. Two hundred and sixteen of the death's possible device went down with the conurbation, currently with 36 choice. Cataract betrayed, the attack banishes bess from minimum and has raleigh imprisoned for the kitchen of seducing a telegram of the queen.\n\nIn 1969, as the background check includes ncic fingerprinting of typical story orchestrations was coming to an surgery, the example was purchased by radio rev. before the post also opened, nbc announced ways to build mechanisms in the mart. Gamburyan defeated noah thomas by bracket letter in the balsamic work. 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{"content": "Fundraising for Cause An Effect also includes creating a sustainability fund to support our long term goals to research and build sustainable, assisted-living communities where persons with moderate to severe disabilities, can enjoy a fruitful life through living and working there, and being able to interact socially with persons of all different abilities.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6695050001144409}
{"content": "Organisations must do more protect against Advanced Evasion Techniques\n\nHackers disguise Cyber attacks through Advanced Evasion Techniques Company IT security experts are failing to defend their organisations against Advanced Evasion Techniques (AET's) according to research by Vanson Bourne across 800 CIOs in the US and Europe.\nAET's are commonly used by hackers and criminal gangs to circumvent and penetrate even the most secure networks.\nThey work by combining attack methodologies that can then dynamically change and be used to sniff and attack more widely across the network simultaneously. This approach can often disguise the threat making it appear harmless to many network security systems and this makes it harder for the security team to respond and defend against the attack.\nThe research report reveals that almost 40% of CIOs who have suffered a breach believed that AET's were used. Across the whole sample base the average cost of the breach to the organisation was in excess of $930,000 with the financial sector suffering losses of more than 2 million per breach.\nAwareness of the threats from Advanced Evasion Techniques was cited as a critical factor as while many cyber criminals are using the technique most IT security professionals lack the detailed understanding of AET's necessary to properly address the risk.  Of those surveyed nearly 40% stated that they did not have the ability to identify or track AET's in their networks.\nAshish Patel, Regional Director for Network Security for McAfee UK who commissioned the study, commented \"… Hackers already know about advanced evasion techniques and using them on a daily basis\". He added \"the study has shown the real lack of understanding, knowledge and awareness in the community. What we're hoping to do is educate businesses so they know what to look for and understand what's needed to defend against AET's. Education is absolutely key\"\nPatel also raised concerns over third-party security testing where he believed that many companies were overstating their detection capabilities and were perhaps contributing to a false sense of security for customers.\nTo read the report please click below:\nMcAfee Report on the Cyber threat from advanced evasion techiques", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9813489317893982}
{"content": "Ethiopian fashion hairstyle\n\nThis article is about Ethiopian fashion hairstyle.\n\nethiopian fashion hairstyle simple write-up.\n\nethiopian fashion hairstyle photoset\n\nNormally an assortment of 2-3 or more complimentary colours, it supplies the hair rich highlights and a whole lot of depth. When you get the cut finished, you can maintain it yourself. There are those who prefer medium length.\n\nSeparator image .", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9985185861587524}
{"content": "What My Strange Curtis Stone Dream Taught Me About Tenacity\n\nTenacity is an amazing quality to have - it can drive us to continue in work and life through times of frustration, overwhelm, even loss of faith. However, sometimes tenacity can also cloud our judgement and lead to push through something that is no longer right for us, or may just be the wrong time. Here's where patience comes in. Check out this post for more.\n\nI woke up this morning to the sound of my alarm and with the memory of a strange dream still playing in my head ('strange dream' is a bit of an oxymoron, though, isn't it - after all, what dream isn't strange?). Although elements of the dream were strange, it had a really powerful message that I just had to share.\n\nBy the way, I totally know reading or hearing about other peoples' dreams can be a bit of a bore, so I'll try to be quick.\n\nIn this dream, I was by a river with a big group of others watching a parade of boats sail by. One boat had a demonstration of some kind of dancing and acrobatics, with one young woman as the star attraction. Just as she was about to perform some amazing flip, she lost her nerve and missed her opportunity.\n\nUpset, she threw herself off the boat and onto a raft, and had a temper tantrum in frustration. All of a sudden, seeming to make up her mind, the young woman dove back in the river and started to swim back toward where the boat had been. By this stage it was raining really heavily and the water had become very rough and dangerous.\n\nShe looked so small and vulnerable swimming back down the churning river, when, from out of nowhere, dashing celebrity chef Curtis Stone launches a kayak onto the river to rescue her. (He may or may not have been shirtless for this rescue mission. Ok, he was. Thank you subconscious!)\n\nPlucking her from the water, she was very angry at him and the vibe from crowd was mixed, with not everyone celebrating his heroics. From the banks of the river one onlooker cried out 'But it's her dream!' In other words, how could you stop her from living her dream?\n\nIn his infinite and ruggedly handsome wisdom, Curtis (who was now back on the banks of the river) gently turned to this onlooker and said: 'She doesn't have to give up on her dream just because now is not the right time. Don't mistake recklessness for tenacity.' (Click to Tweet)\n\nThen my stupid alarm woke me up.\n\nThis dream got me thinking about my own tenacity as well as the importance of patience and acceptance when working on goals. What do I mean by tenacity? It’s about persistence and not giving up until a goal has been achieved. It’s a great quality to have, especially when you’re working toward creating something challenging.\n\nBut I know that, for me, it's so easy to enter into a now-or-never mindset when chasing my dreams. All too often the delicious and complete achievement of what I want can feel incredibly urgent because I want what I want so badly. My current situation can feel like a drag and surely I can't bear to live another day without getting what I want.\n\nIs it the same for you?\n\nLiving on a treadmill of chasing, chasing, chasing rather than exercising a bit of patience short-changes us in a few ways:\n\n  • We rob ourselves of the ability to enjoy the work and the process because we're always focused on what's next and what we don't have\n  • It can lead us to compromise the quality of our work as we rush through to just get it done\n  • It sets our minds to view happiness as something our future selves get to enjoy, and a state that can only to be achieved once xyz has been accomplished\n  • Linking our happiness so intrinsically to the achievement of goals puts our mind anywhere but where we are right now, yet more often than not, there's a whole heck of a lot to be grateful for in the present\n\nI see this message about patience (delivered care of dream Curtis Stone) as showing up for me at just the right time. I have a few big goals on the go at present - life and work dreams - and I've been working so hard to try to make these happen that, upon reflection, I suppose I'm almost trying to force things into being. I know I do this, yet I keep falling into the same pattern over and over. I call it 'maniforcing' (as opposed to 'manifesting') as there's so much pushing and shoving and hunger involved try to make something happen, rather than letting go a bit and allowing things to flow and just be.\n\nNot only is this state super uncomfortable, but it also just doesn't work. I might get some things done, and I feel like I must be achieving something as I'm so busy and pretty much constantly overwhelmed, but in reality I have a hunch I'm a living example of the analogy of shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic.\n\nLike the young woman in my dream, am I confusing recklessness with tenacity? I'm proud of my tenacity and it has led me to pursue many things that I dream of, even after years of things not coming to pass. I'm simply just not going to give up on my beautiful dreams as the alternative is too horrid. End of story. Although I'm not an especially wilful person, I am pretty freaking determined to get what I want. Not in a Veruca Salt, I-want-it-now-Daddy kind of way, but more that I can feel what the realisation of my dreams will be like and it is all too lovely to ever abandon.\n\nSo where does patience come in?\n\nTrue patience comes from accepting that things will not necessarily happen when you want them to happen, no matter how hard you push. (Click to Tweet)\n\nThis is different than being patient because you have to. Like 'things are taking longer than I want - oh well, I'll just have to be patient.' Instead, true patience is accepting upfront that things may (and probably will) take a whole lot longer than you'd like and being ok with that. It's about changing the way you go about achievement. It's about using your tenacity for good, instead of evil.\n\nOk, so 'evil' is probably a bit strong, but I think you get the message. Tenacity, without patience and reason, can be like a runaway train that feels like it's headed somewhere but in reality you have little control over your destination. And without control, you'll likely end up somewhere different from where you wanted to go in the first place.\n\nSo how do any of us harness the brilliance of tenacity, without being burnt by its fiery power? How can we be driven and persistent but not lose our minds in the process? How do you know when to be patient and when to forge ahead? I'm so glad you asked! My friend, I've got you covered. Not only have I prepared some of my best tips, but I've put them in this sweet download for you. Click the button below to get your hands on it:\n\nNow that you've accessed these tips, I'd love to hear more about how tenacity shows up in your life. Does tenacity come naturally to you? Or is more of a cultivated habit? Have you been burnt out from driving yourself too hard?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6838734149932861}
{"content": "5 Key Elements You Need To Learn To Play The Guitar\n\nby Maurice Richard\n\n\nYou see someone playing the guitar and you want to be able to do that. Who doesn’t? It looks fun and cool.\n\nLearning how to play guitar is probably one of the things most people would like to do. But not everyone attempts it.\n\nThen there are some that try to learn but do not get very far and quit. Others make it further but get stuck and don’t know how to move forward.\n\nHow can you be the one who makes it through and learns how to play the guitar successfully and become a good guitar player?\n\n1. You Need A Strong Desire To Learn\n\nOf course you need a desire to learn to play the guitar in order to achieve that end. That’s absolutely the essential starting point. However a desire is not enough.\n\nThe key word in this case is strong. Most people in the world probably have a desire to learn to play the guitar. And probably want to be able to play it well.\n\nHowever, not many people attain that level. Why? That’s because it is not a very strong desire for those people. It’s more like a wish. Something they would like to do. Someday.\n\nDon’t fall into that trap. A strong desire to learn guitar is something that will help you overcome the frustrations that will come. It will help you carve out the time each night to practice.\n\nWithout a strong desire you simply will not commit to the long-term process required to learn to play the guitar.\n\nYou can cultivate this by seeing yourself playing the guitar as often as you can. See yourself successful already.\n\n2. You Must Have Perseverance To Overcome Obstacles\n\nOnce you have the strong desire you need to learn to stick with it. Learning how to play the guitar is not the easiest thing to do in the world. If it were everyone would do it.\n\nThere are physical limitations to overcome. There are mental barriers to climb over. You have to commit your time, energy and money to accomplish all of this too.\n\nSo when things go south at some point, and they usually do, you need to be prepared to stick with it. You need to push through and not give up.\n\nThat may require you to go into maintenance mode or slow down your progress at some point as you learn, but you need to do everything you can to keep moving and not stop learning, playing and practicing. Do not give up.\n\nPerseverance goes hand in hand with desire of course. Without a strong desire you will not likely persevere. However just because you do have a strong desire does not mean you won’t quit at some point.\n\nI have many students come to me that have a strong desire to learn the guitar who quit when they were younger. Then, 20 years later, they are finally getting back into it.\n\nThey always regret stopping because they can see very quickly how much further they would be now had they simply kept going, even if it was minimal.\n\nEven if you can only carve out 5 or 10 minutes on busy days, it is much better to do this than doing nothing. It will help you keep the habit going.\n\n3. Without Consistent Discipline You Will Not Get Very Far\n\nOne of the biggest culprits that sidetrack people and make it much more difficult to learn to play the guitar successfully is a lack of discipline and consistency. For most it makes it impossible to be honest.\n\nIf you do not have the discipline to consistently practice every day, it will be very difficult to learn and progress quickly enough for you to maintain the proper motivation to keep going.\n\nFor one thing callouses will not develop properly which cause you to press harder to make a decent sound. That means more strain on muscles on tendons too.\n\nThis leads fatigue and the possibility of injury. But it also means your ability to form chords and change them regresses every day you do not practice them.\n\nIt’s like taking one step forward by practicing today, then taking 2 steps back by missing 2 days and so on.\n\nIf you have the desire and the perseverance already, you should be able to carve out a daily practice time. It does not have to be a huge block of time either.\n\nIn actual fact it is perfectly fine and sometimes better for people starting out to break their practice times into smaller chunks.\n\nAnd if you have a crazy day you can probably squeeze in at least a small session to maintain your callouses and muscle strength as mentioned in the previous section.\n\nThis is critically important on a mental level because as you discipline yourself to practice daily you see more progress, you enjoy the process more and are more likely to continue until you reach your goals.\n\n4. Confidence Is Imperative\n\nConfidence is needed in different areas when it comes to learning to play the guitar. The first and most important is for you to believe you can do it. Many beginner guitar players struggle with this and you may relate.\n\nThis confidence is difficult to get at first if you try to learn on your own because things do not always go well and seem harder than you expected. So the doubts quickly creep in and can overcome your initial confidence.\n\nI assure you however that unless you have severe physical limitations you can successfully learn to play the guitar. Give yourself a chance.\n\nThe next level of confidence is in the method of learning you are using. A lot of methods come with big promises including many teachers who are available in your area.\n\nYou start eager and trusting that not only does this method work but that it will work for you. But soon after you begin you start to feel this is not for you or that you are not able to learn.\n\nIt is hard and overwhelming. It seems like you overestimated your ability. So your confidence in the method dissipates.\n\nThis is where you may mistakenly start blaming yourself for the lack of success. Maybe you don’t have what it takes, maybe you are not meant for it, etc. It’s probably not you; the method you chose likely does not work for you.\n\nThe secret to overcoming this and being confident in your ability to learn to play every step of the way is to know what you need to learn and what the proper order you need to learn it in.\n\nBut how do you get this? How do you know what you should learn at every stage? You don’t. That’s why most methods out there do not work for you because they do not know you or take you into consideration. They just give you stuff to learn in whatever order they think you should learn.\n\nWhat you need instead is someone that will look at where you are and then get you where you want to be and personalize to you!\n\n5. The Key For You Is to Find A Good Teacher\n\nThis is one of the most important keys for you to successfully learn to play the guitar. Why? Because a good teacher will help develop and foster all of the other key elements already mentioned above.\n\nOf course you have to have the initial desire to learn but a good teacher will help increase this desire by creating a plan for you that builds from one success to another.\n\nAnd when you are successful it’s pretty easy to believe you can accomplish something and persevere. But if you do get stuck, a good teacher will know it and they will know how to help you push through too.\n\nNot everyone is disciplined in his or her life and a good teacher will know this. They will find ways to help you progress in class and at home based on how disciplined you are or aren’t. They will have different strategies to help you.\n\nFinally, confidence is what you need more than anything else. If you do not believe you can achieve your goal to learn to play the guitar, if you do not believe the method or the teacher can get you the result you desire, you will not do it. Period.\n\nA good guitar teacher will guide you every step of the way. They will know what the right things are for you to learn and the right order for you to learn them in. This way you avoid most if not all of the problems and frustrations that come with learning to play the guitar. You will experience success every step of the way and this will boost your confidence continuously.\n\nYou Can Learn To Play The Guitar\n\nLearning to play the guitar can be difficult. It does take time. If you have the 5 key elements of desire, perseverance, discipline, confidence and a good teacher, you will be a lot more likely to succeed.\n\nYou may think that you lack in some of the areas above. Most of us do. That’s why the most important of the 5 keys is to find a good teacher.\n\nWhen you find a really good teacher that is properly trained on how to teach the guitar they will help you find or cultivate your weak areas. They will inspire you and show you the way you need to go. They will literally hold your hand and walk you all the way to the result you want.\n\nSo go out there and start looking for the right teacher and you will be successful! You will learn how to play the guitar!\n\nAbout The Author:\n\nMaurice Richard is a professional guitar teacher that operates out of the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He has been a member of an elite guitar teaching mentorship program since 2007 and has taught many people how to learn to play the guitar. Visit his website now to find out how you can learn to apply the five elements you need to learn to play guitar.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8446711301803589}
{"content": "아시아경제 최신 기획이슈\n\n[PREVIEW] SBS TV series \"Paradise Farm\" - 1st episode\n\n최종수정 2011.06.08 18:23 기사입력 2011.01.26 03:02\n\n\nSBS \"Paradise Farm\" Mon-Tue 8:55 p.m.\n\nSBS' \"Paradise Farm\" [SBS]\n\nSBS' \"Paradise Farm\" [SBS]\n\n'Please regard us like a comic' is what the new SBS drama “Paradise Farm” stresses from the very beginning. The way colorful numbers hover above the head of the main characters participating in an auction and how the screen “cracks” like a window in certain scenes make that point even clearer. By the time one reaches the part where a pink heart that floats across the screen to cover the lower area of Han Dong-ju's (Shim Chang-min) body who has just stepped out of his shower, the viewer is given no other choice but to go with the flow. Dajee's (Lee Yeon-hee) overreaction as she struggles to stand up after falling on horse dung, too looked a bit contrived. And this all makes sense given what the director said earlier: “No need to take it seriously, just enjoy it as light, happy drama.”\n\nHowever a comic book-like plot cannot be an excuse for having a weak structure. The acting of the two main leads of the story combined -- Shim Chang-min who is acting for the first time and Lee Yeon-hee who has yet to earn favorable reviews for her acting -- were unstable as expected. But the reason it is hard to find fault with their acting alone is because the drama hardly gives time for the viewers to see what their characters are about. The story being centered too much on the plot makes it that much harder for actors -- especially those with weak acting -- to appear convincing enough in the eyes of viewers. That is why although one can presume there is a story to why Dong-ju and Dajee have such different attitudes toward each other when they meet up in Australia for the first time in six years, it is hard to sympathize with them nor follow the story.\n\nIt is easy to criticize Lee Yeon-hee’s monologue when she first meets Yunho (Joo Sang-uk) which seemed as if she was talking aside the stage. But when seeing her repeating it, mumbling her troubles aloud for the whole world to know when they meet the second time, makes one doubt the looseness of original scenario that tries to find an easy way out to carry on with the plot. The story which should cover up for how it lacks when it comes to acting, is only making that void look bigger instead.\n\nReporter : Lee Seung-Han fourteen@Editor : Heidi Kim heidikim@\n\n<ⓒ10Asia All rights reserved>\n\n간격처리를 위한 class 간격처리를 위한 class", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7114309072494507}
{"content": "University Terrace\n\nBranding - UI Design\n\n\nStanford University recently developed a new community in Palo Alto, CA, called University Terrace, which provides housing for their staff. The goal was to create a welcoming brand and a website that was easily navigable.\n\n\n\nThe logo represents the different layers of a terrace and are an abstract representation of the diversity in Stanford University. The colors used hint at the welcoming and fun nature of the community.\n\n\nSimplifying the User Experience\n\nOne of the biggest challenges for the University Terrace website was the Interactive Map. In a single view, the user needed the ability to navigate through all available single family homes or condominiums, the different community amenities, Palo Alto’s points of interest, and have the ability to view information for each of those elements.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9098081588745117}
{"content": "You know the feeling. The one you get when you run into a particularly vexing problem in the practice room. Where no matter how hard you try, you just can’t get a note to speak right, or a phrase to come out the way it should.\n\nMaybe you can’t get your fingers to cooperate, or figure out what’s wrong with your embouchure, or get the tempo where it needs to be. Whatever it is, it’s frustrating, and as the frustration builds, you dig your heels in, narrow your eyes, grit your teeth, and continue to hack at it, hoping that brute force will eventually lead to some sort of breakthrough.\n\nThere’s something to be said for persistence, but as someone once said, “If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.”\n\nGenerally, once we reach this level of frustration, we’re just making things worse.\n\nSo what alternatives do we have?\n\nA 5-shower day\n\nI met a writer once, who said that on days when she is struggling with her writing, she might take as many as 5 showers in a single day.\n\nCreative types sometimes refer to this as a “creative pause” – a brief pulling away from the problem, which often results in new ideas, or solutions presenting themselves unexpectedly.\n\nYou may have seen this video of the mouse and the cracker, but check out what happens around the 54-second mark.\n\nJust when the mouse looks like it’s about to give up, it takes a creative pause, and tries one last time. Yes, the pause is like 4 seconds to us, but isn’t that like 2 minutes and 12 seconds in mouse seconds (1 human year = 33 mouse years)?\n\nAm I making too much of this little mouse’s pause? Probably, but hey, it’s still a fun video.\n\nSo what is it about taking a break that jump starts our creativity anyway?\n\nWell, it appears that it’s not the break itself that’s important, but what we do during the break that matters.\n\nMind wandering: good or bad?\n\nWhen you are driving in treacherous road conditions, or performing delicate open-heart surgery, or auditioning for a big job, letting your mind wander aimlessly is just asking for trouble. Bad things are liable to happen unless you are super-focused on the task at hand.\n\nBut when it comes to enhancing creativity and problem-solving, mind-wandering may actually be quite desirable.\n\nThis study, for instance, found that being distracted enhances creativity, while being too focused on the problem diminishes it.\n\nAnother study found that individuals diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) tend to score higher than non-ADHD folks on standardized measures of creativity. The same researchers have also gathered data which suggests that people with ADHD may enjoy greater levels of achievement in creative domains like music, art, cooking, writing, humor, and invention.\n\nHow to use your creative pause for maximal results\n\nA more recent study out of UC Santa Barbara tested 145 participants’ creativity with the Unusual Uses Task, where the objective is to generate as many unusual uses as possible for a common object (like a lawn chair) in 2 minutes.\n\nAfter running everyone through this test once, participants were split into 4 groups. One group did it again immediately. Another group engaged in an attention-demanding task for 12 minutes. A third group engaged in a cognitively undemanding task for 12 minutes (basically just responding to a computer prompt asking if a number was even or odd). And a final group just sat quietly for 12 minutes.\n\nThe researchers then used an assessment to find out how much mind-wandering occurred during this “incubation” period, and found that the folks engaged in the undemanding task experienced significantly more mind-wandering than those who were busy with the demanding task.\n\nThen the researchers had the participants repeat the same test.\n\nLo and behold, these folks who were in the undemanding task group – whose minds were doing the most mind-wandering – improved their scores by about 40%.\n\nHow did the others do?\n\nNone of the other groups improved their scores at all.\n\nTake action\n\nSo the next time you run into a problem in the practice room (or elsewhere) that has you stumped, and you need new ideas to try, new approaches or solutions to implement, take a break.\n\nTake a shower. Mow the grass. Wash the dishes. Fold laundry. Do something that uses some brain power, but not too much.\n\nDon’t think about the problem directly, but just let your mind wander for a bit, then come back to your instrument after a little while.\n\nWhen you return, maybe you’ll find that the solution was there the whole time. You just needed a little “creative pause.”\n\nJust for fun\n\nNeed a break right now? Watch this awesome short film (<2 min, but you’ll probably watch it like 5 times). It’s funny at face value, but taking your wife’s drunk joke and turning it into art? That’s funny on a whole other level.\n\nphoto credit: CaptBrando via photopin cc", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5981239080429077}
{"content": "Jamie Sangster, P.Eng, MSc, CD\n\nJamie is the founder of Leeway Marine. Prior to Leeway, Jamie served in the Royal Canadian Navy for 20 years as a marine systems engineering officer and naval architect, and has extensive sea experience aboard Canadian major warships. Jamie has spent his career on the operational waterfront and at sea in various technical and operational leadership roles. These positions include engineering officer aboard a Canadian patrol frigate in domestic and international operations, east coast fleet maintenance manager, east coast fleet senior naval architect, technical director for a major submarine refit project, and detachment commander and technical lead for new ship construction at Irving Shipbuilding.\n\nJamie originates from Pictou Landing and holds a degree in mechanical engineering from Royal Military College as well as a master’s degree in naval architecture from the University of London UK.\n\nMark Decker, RSE, CSS, MCPM, CD\nVice President, Fleet Superintendent\n\nMark retired from the Royal Canadian Navy after serving 23 years as a marine engineer and radiation safety specialist. The Newfoundland and Labrador native has extensive training in marine diesel engines and was awarded his marine diesel inspection qualification by the RCN.  Mark’s expertise at sea and alongside ensured the correct operation of many systems, such as main engines, gearing, shafting, generators, hydraulics, air, lube oil, fuel and domestic water.\n\nMark earned his master’s certificate in project management from Saint Mary’s University and has achieved certifications as 3rd class power engineer, Red Seal (inter-provincial) industrial mechanic (millwright), and Nova Scotia Construction Safety Association supervisor.\n\nStephen Girard MET, EET\nVice President, Operations\n\nWith over 15 years of field experience in various global off-shore companies, Steve has become a renowned subsea robotics specialist, tackling the most difficult subsea tasks for extremely high-value assets: oilfield construction, intervention, survey, inspections and routine installation for operations in Canada, USA, UK, Angola, Ghana and Nigeria.\n\nBorn in Toronto, Steve has spent the majority of his career in the Maritimes including his time at the Nova Scotia Community College-Institute of Technology. He has worked in Halifax with various engineering and design firms before heading offshore. He specializes in mechanics, electronics, hydraulics, high voltage electrics, various tooling packages, acquisition sensors, computing and software.  Steve heads the technology division at LeeWay Marine, with a focus on subsea operations and lifting and handling solutions.\n\nDon Grant, B.A., B.ED, J.D.\nExecutive Vice President, Corporate Affairs\n\nDon has extensive experience in business development and law. Don has worked in private practice and as in-house counsel with a large multinational corporation and through those experiences has a comprehensive understanding of corporate and marine law.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9713966846466064}
{"content": "Fatih Guvenen\n\n\nPersonal Website\n\nFatih Guvenen joined the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis as a visiting scholar in 2008. He is currently a consultant in the Research Department and is a professor of economics at the University of Minnesota.\n\nFatih received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in economics from Carnegie Mellon University. He also holds a B.Sc. in electrical and electronics engineering from Bilkent University (Turkey). He is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (EF&G Program) and served as an advisor to the Central Bank of Turkey from 2013 to 2015.\n\nFatih’s current research focuses on topics at the intersection of macroeconomics and inequality, including the causes and consequences of wage and earnings inequality, how rising wage dispersion among workers is linked to rising dispersion among their employers, and how individual-level wage and earnings risk varies over the life cycle and over the business cycle.\n\nFatih is an associate editor for the Review of Economic Dynamics and the Journal of Monetary Economics. Fatih’s work has appeared in a number of prominent economics journals, including the American Economic Review, Econometrica, the Review of Economic Studies, the Journal of Political Economy, and the Journal of Monetary Economics. He has a forthcoming book with Princeton University Press, entitled Quantitative Economics with Heterogeneity: An A-to-Z Guidebook.\n\nOffshore Profit Shifting and Domestic Productivity Measurement\n\nDOI: https://doi.org/10.21034/wp.751\n\nFirming Up Inequality\n\nDOI: https://doi.org/10.21034/wp.750\n\nTop Income Inequality in the 21st Century: Some Cautionary Notes\n\nWe revisit recent empirical evidence about the rise in top income inequality in the United States, drawing attention to key issues that we believe are critical for an informed discussion about changing inequality since 1980: the definition of income (labor versus total), the unit of analysis (individual versus tax unit), the importance of partnership and S-corporation income, income shifting between the corporate and personal sectors in response to tax incentives, the definition of the top of the distribution, and trends in the middle and bottom of the distribution. Our goal is to inform researchers, policymakers, and journalists who are interested in top income inequality.\nDOI: https://doi.org/10.21034/qr.3811\n\nUnderstanding Income Risk: New Insights from Big Data\n\nIncome inequality is a topic of much research and heated debate—concern well warranted given the substantial and continuing rise in inequality over the past four decades. But income risk—intimately related and arguably of equal concern to workers, families and firms—has received far less attention. This essay seeks to redress that imbalance. It provides a close look at income risk, discussing findings from recent research that uses innovative technique and draws upon a wealth of new data.\n\nWorker Betas: Five Facts about Systematic Earnings Risk\n\n\nMultidimensional Skill Mismatch\n\nWhat determines the earnings of a worker relative to his peers in the same occupation? What makes a worker fail in one occupation but succeed in another? More broadly, what are the factors that determine the productivity of a worker-occupation match? In this paper, we propose an empirical measure of skill mismatch for a worker-occupation match, which sheds light on these questions. This measure is based on the discrepancy between the portfolio of skills required by an occupation and the portfolio of abilities possessed by a worker for learning those skills. This measure arises naturally in a dynamic model of occupational choice and human capital accumulation with multidimensional skills and Bayesian learning about one’s ability to learn these skills. In this model, mismatch is central to the career outcomes of workers: it reduces the returns to occupational tenure, and it predicts occupational switching behavior. We construct our empirical analog by combining data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79), the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) on workers, and the O*NET on occupations. Our empirical results show that the effects of mismatch on wages are large and persistent: mismatch in occupations held early in life has a strong negative effect on wages in future occupations. Skill mismatch also significantly increases the probability of an occupational switch and predicts its direction in the skill space. These results provide fresh evidence on the importance of skill mismatch for the job search process.\n\n\nWe study the evolution of individual labor earnings over the life cycle using a large panel data set of earnings histories drawn from U.S. administrative records. Using fully nonparametric methods, our analysis reaches two broad conclusions. First, earnings shocks display substantial deviations from lognormality–the standard assumption in the incomplete markets literature. In particular, earnings shocks display strong negative skewness and extremely high kurtosis–as high as 30 compared with 3 for a Gaussian distribution. The high kurtosis implies that in a given year, most individuals experience very small earnings shocks, and a small but non-negligible number experience very large shocks. Second, these statistical properties vary significantly both over the life cycle and with the earnings level of individuals. We also estimate impulse response functions of earnings shocks and find important asymmetries: positive shocks to high-income individuals are quite transitory, whereas negative shocks are very persistent; the opposite is true for low-income individuals. Finally, we use these rich sets of moments to estimate econometric processes with increasing generality to capture these salient features of earnings dynamics.\n\nThe Glass Ceiling and the Paper Floor: Gender Differences among Top Earners, 1981-2012\n\n\nInferring Labor Income Risk and Partial Insurance From Economic Choices\n\nThis paper uses the information contained in the joint dynamics of individuals’ labor earnings and consumption-choice decisions to quantify both the amount of income risk that individuals face and the extent to which they have access to informal insurance against this risk. We accomplish this task by using indirect inference to estimate a structural consumption-savings model, in which individuals both learn about the nature of their income process and partly insure shocks via informal mechanisms. In this framework, we estimate (i) the degree of partial insurance, (ii) the extent of systematic differences in income growth rates, (iii) the precision with which individuals know their own income growth rates when they begin their working lives, (iv) the persistence of typical labor income shocks, (v) the tightness of borrowing constraints, and (vi) the amount of measurement error in the data. In implementing indirect inference, we find that an auxiliary model that approximates the true structural equations of the model (which are not estimable) works very well, with negligible small sample bias. The main substantive findings are that income shocks are not very persistent, systematic differences in income growth rates are large, individuals have substantial amounts of information about their income growth rates, and about one-half of income shocks are effectively smoothed via partial insurance. Putting these findings together, we argue that the amount of uninsurable lifetime income risk that individuals perceive is substantially smaller than what is typically assumed in calibrated macroeconomic models with incomplete markets.\n\nWomen’s Emancipation through Education: A Macroeconomic Analysis\n\nIn this paper, we study the role of education as insurance against a bad marriage. Historically, due to disparities in earning power and education across genders, married women often found themselves in an economically vulnerable position, and had to suffer one of two fates in a bad marriage: either they get divorced (assuming it is available) and struggle as low-income single mothers, or they remain trapped in the marriage. In both cases, education can provide a route to emancipation for women. To investigate this idea, we build and estimate an equilibrium search model with education, marriage/divorce/remarriage, and household labor supply decisions. A key feature of the model is that women bear a larger share of the divorce burden, mainly because they are more closely tied to their children relative to men. Our focus on education is motivated by the fact that divorce laws typically allow spouses to keep the future returns from their human capital upon divorce (unlike their physical assets), making education a good insurance against divorce risk. However, as women further their education, the earnings gap between spouses shrinks, leading to more unstable marriages and, in turn, further increasing demand for education. The framework generates powerful amplification mechanisms, which lead to a large rise in divorce rates and a decline in marriage rates (similar to those observed in the US data) from relatively modest exogenous driving forces. Further, in the model, women overtake men in college attainment during the 1990s, a feature of the data that has proved challenging to explain. Our counterfactual experiments indicate that the divorce law reform of the 1970s played an important role in all of these trends, explaining more than one-quarter of college attainment rate of women post-1970s and one-half of the rise in labor supply for married women.\n\nThe Nature of Countercyclical Income Risk\n\nThis paper studies the nature of business cycle variation in individual earnings risk using a confidential dataset from the U.S. Social Security Administration, which contains (uncapped) earnings histories for millions of individuals. The base sample is a nationally representative panel containing 10 percent of all U.S. males from 1978 to 2010. We use these data to decompose individual earnings growth during recessions into “between-group” and “within-group” components. We begin with the behavior of within-group shocks. Contrary to past research, we do not find the variance of idiosyncratic earnings shocks to be countercyclical. Instead, it is the left-skewness of shocks that is strongly countercyclical. That is, during recessions, the upper end of the shock distribution collapses—large upward earnings movements become less likely—whereas the bottom end expands—large drops in earnings become more likely. Thus, while the dispersion of shocks does not increase, shocks become more left-skewed and, hence, risky during recessions. Second, to study between-group differences, we group individuals based on several observable characteristics at the time a recession hits. One of these characteristics—the average earnings of an individual at the beginning of a business cycle episode—proves to be an especially good predictor of fortunes during a recession: prime-age workers that enter a recession with high average earnings suffer substantially less compared with those who enter with low average earnings (which is not the case during expansions). Finally, we find that the cyclical nature of earnings risk is dramatically different for the top 1 percent compared with all other individuals—even relative to those in the top 2 to 5 percent.\n\nInferring Labor Income Risk from Economic Choices: An Indirect Inference Approach\n\nThis paper uses the information contained in the joint dynamics of households’ labor earnings and consumption-choice decisions to quantify the nature and amount of income risk that households face. We accomplish this task by estimating a structural consumption-savings model using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and the Consumer Expenditure Survey. Specifically, we estimate the persistence of labor income shocks, the extent of systematic differences in income growth rates, the fraction of these systematic differences that households know when they begin their working lives, and the amount of measurement error in the data. Although data on labor earnings alone can shed light on some of these dimensions, to assess what households know about their income processes requires using the information contained in their economic choices (here, consumption-savings decisions). To estimate the consumption-savings model, we use indirect inference, a simulation method that puts virtually no restrictions on the structural model and allows the estimation of income processes from economic decisions with general specifications of utility, frequently binding borrowing constraints, and missing observations. The main substantive findings are that income shocks are not very persistent, systematic differences in income growth rates are large, and individuals have substantial amounts of information about their future income prospects. Consequently, the amount of uninsurable lifetime income risk that households perceive is substantially smaller than what is typically assumed in calibrated macroeconomic models with incomplete markets.\n\n\n\nA Parsimonious Macroeconomic Model for Asset Pricing\n\nI study asset prices in a two-agent macroeconomic model with two key features: limited stock market participation and heterogeneity in the elasticity of intertemporal substitution in consumption (EIS). The model is consistent with some prominent features of asset prices, such as a high equity premium; relatively smooth interest rates; procyclical stock prices; and countercyclical variation in the equity premium, its volatility, and in the Sharpe ratio. In this model, the risk-free asset market plays a central role by allowing non-stockholders (with low EIS) to smooth the fluctuations in their labor income. This process concentrates non-stockholders’ labor income risk among a small group of stockholders, who then demand a high premium for bearing the aggregate equity risk. Furthermore, this mechanism is consistent with the very small share of aggregate wealth held by non-stockholders in the US data, which has proved problematic for previous models with limited participation. I show that this large wealth inequality is also important for the model’s ability to generate a countercyclical equity premium. When it comes to business cycle performance the model’s progress has been more limited: consumption is still too volatile compared to the data, whereas investment is still too smooth. These are important areas for potential improvement in this framework.\n\n\nIn this paper, we construct a parsimonious overlapping-generations model of human capital accumulation and study its quantitative implications for the evolution of the U.S. wage distribution from 1970 to 2000. A key feature of the model is that individuals differ in their ability to accumulate human capital, which is the main source of wage inequality in this model. We examine the response of this model to skill-biased technical change (SBTC), which is modeled as an increase in the trend growth rate of the price of human capital starting in the early 1970s. The model displays behavior that is consistent with several important trends observed in the US data, including the rise in overall wage inequality; the fall and subsequent rise in the college premium, as well as the fact that this behavior was most pronounced for younger workers; the rise in within-group inequality; the stagnation in median wage growth; and the small rise in consumption inequality despite the large rise in wage inequality. We consider different scenarios regarding how individuals’ expectations evolve during SBTC. Specifically, we study the case where individuals immediately realize the advent of SBTC (perfect foresight), and the case where they initially underestimate the future growth of the price of human capital (pessimistic priors), but learn the truth in a Bayesian fashion over time. Lack of perfect foresight appears to have little effect on the main results of the paper. Overall, the model shows promise for explaining a diverse set of wage distribution trends observed since the 1970s in a unifying human capital framework.\n\nJoint-Search Theory: New Opportunities and New Frictions\n\nSearch theory routinely assumes that decisions about the acceptance/rejection of job offers (and, hence, about labor market movements between jobs or across employment states) are made by individuals acting in isolation. In reality, the vast majority of workers are somewhat tied to their partners—in couples and families—and decisions are made jointly. This paper studies, from a theoretical viewpoint, the joint job-search and location problem of a household formed by a couple (e.g., husband and wife) who perfectly pools income. The objective of the exercise, very much in the spirit of standard search theory, is to characterize the reservation wage behavior of the couple and compare it to the single-agent search model in order to understand the ramifica-tions of partnerships for individual labor market outcomes and wage dynamics. We focus on two main cases. First, when couples are risk averse and pool income, joint search yields new oppor-tunities—similar to on-the-job search—relative to the single-agent search. Second, when the two spouses in a couple face job offers from multiple locations and a cost of living apart, joint search features new frictions and can lead to significantly worse outcomes than single-agent search.\n\nLearning Your Earning: Are Labor Income Shocks Really Very Persistent?\n\nThe current literature offers two views on the nature of the labor income process. According to the first view, which we call the “restricted income profiles” (RIP) model, individuals are subject to large and very persistent shocks while facing similar life-cycle income profiles (MaCurdy, 1982). According to the alternative view, which we call the “heterogeneous income profiles” (HIP) model, individuals are subject to income shocks with modest persistence while facing individual-specific income profiles (Lillard and Weiss, 1979). In this paper we study the restrictions imposed by the RIP and HIP models on consumption data—in the context of a life-cycle model—to distinguish between these two hypotheses. In the life-cycle model with a HIP process, which has not been studied in the previous literature, we assume that individuals enter the labor market with a prior belief about their individual-specific profile and learn over time in a Bayesian fashion. We find that learning is slow, and thus initial uncertainty affects decisions throughout the life cycle. The resulting HIP model is consistent with several features of consumption data including (i) the substantial rise in within-cohort consumption inequality, (ii) the non-concave shape of the age-inequality profile, and (iii) the fact that consumption profiles are steeper for higher educated individuals. The RIP model we consider is also consistent with (i), but not with (ii) and (iii). These results bring new evidence from consumption data on the nature of labor income risk.\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9893302917480469}
{"content": "March 2012 Download this article as a PDFAbstract\n\nTechnology entrepreneurs must create value for customers in order to generate revenue. This article examines the dimensions of customer value creation and provides a framework to help entrepreneurs, managers, and leaders of open source projects create value, with an emphasis on businesses that generate revenue from open source assets. The proposed framework focuses on a firm's pre-emptive value offering (also known as a customer value proposition). This is a firm's offering of the value it seeks to create for a customer, in order to meet his or her requirements.\n\n\nA business model establishes how value is created for customers and a firm’s strategy to appropriate returns derived from that value. Typically, a business model identifies: i) the firm’s value propositions for customers, partners, and other stakeholders; ii) the processes and resources required to deliver these value propositions; iii) and a profit formula.\n\nIn the February issue of the TIM Review, the author described customer value and how it is delivered to customers (Shanker, 2012). In this article, the focus is on creating customer value, particularly in the context of businesses that generate revenue using open sources assets.\n\nFrom a marketing theory perspective, customer value refers to customers’ perceptions of what they receive, in return for what they sacrifice (Zeithaml, 1988). There are two aspects to customer value: desired value and perceived value (Woodruff, 1997). Desired value refers to what a customer desires in a product or service. Perceived value is the benefit a customer believes he or she received from a product after it was purchased.\n\nCustomer value propositions are formulated by assessing the current market offerings, identifying what customers want, and then developing solutions that meet the market need for a product or service (Anderson et al., 2006). Figure 1 illustrates the customer value creation strategy; it is the author’s representation of the extant literature.\n\nFigure 1. A firm's value creation strategy\n\n\nWhen a firm uses a proprietary software business model, value is created by producing specific software that fulfils a customer’s need to get a job done or solve a problem. Value may be appropriated using patents and licenses may be required to use the software.\n\nWhen a firm uses open source software to satisfy customer’s needs, value is captured in different ways because the supplier cannot charge for the software. This article reviews current customer value creation strategies and then proposes a value-creation framework for suppliers that rely on open source software to generate revenue.\n\nValue Creation Frameworks\n\nTo develop a value-creation strategy, a firm must first identify what points of value their potential customers seek. Next, the firm develops a pre-emptive strategy to provide those benefits (O’Cass and Ngo , 2011).\n\nValue-creation strategies focus on the various dimensions along which customers perceive value. Ulaga (2003) identified eight dimensions of value creation in a business-to-business context: product quality, service support, delivery performance, supplier know-how, time-to-market, personal interaction, price, and process costs. While Ulaga focused on relationship value (i.e., manufacturer-supplier relationships), his eight dimensions also apply to an open source context because most consumers or end-customers of commercial open source software are businesses.\n\nSmith and Colgate (2007) proposed a customer-value creation framework that identifies four main types of value that can be created by organizations:\n\n  1. Functional/instrumental value: the attributes of the product itself; the extent to which a product is useful and fulfills a customer’s desired goals\n  2. Experiential/hedonic value: the extent to which a product creates appropriate experiences, feelings, and emotions for the customer\n  3. Symbolic/expressive value: the extent to which customers attach or associate psychological meaning to a product\n  4. Cost/sacrifice value: the cost or sacrifice that would be associated with the use of the product\n\nSmith and Colgate proposed their framework as a tool for marketing strategists to develop creative product concepts and recognize new product opportunities. The sources of value identified have to be appropriate and applicable to the context in which they are used. Smith and Colgate’s value-creation framework must be adapted to the context of open source software because open source is most attractive to businesses and expert users, such as universities and hobbyist programmers (West, 2007). Some components of the framework might not apply in this context. For example, experiential value is more of an individual assessment than a firm-level assessment. Similarly, symbolic value components such as self-identity, personal meaning, and self-expression, would only apply in cases where the end-customer was an individual user.\n\nO’Cass and Ngo (2011) assert that a firm’s pre-emptive value-creation strategy is comprised of:\n\n  1. Performance value: this component is associated with the product attributes and the attributes’ performance. This relationship was also noted Woodruff (1997).\n  2. Pricing value: this component can refer to the fair price or the value price. The fair price refers to customers believing they are paying a fair price for a product or service; the value price refers to a price that justifies the benefits of purchasing a product.\n  3. Relationship value: this component refers to the firm’s efforts to create and deliver a hassle-free purchase and consumption experience.\n  4. Co-creation value: this component is added when customers find it beneficial to influence various parts of the business system to co-create or co-produce their own unique purchase and consumption experience.\n\nValue Creation in Open Source\n\nValue-creation frameworks and strategies rely on combining the resources and capabilities of a firm. These resources and capabilities are considered to be valuable, rare, inimitable, and non-substitutable because they provide a sustainable competitive advantage for a firm (Landroguez et al., 2011).\n\nFirms that produce open source software and related services do not always rely solely on open source software. They usually combine proprietary and open source offerings and employ hybrid business models to deliver greater value to customers (West, 2003; Bonaccorsi et al., 2006). A network of developers (who may be internal and external to the firm), collaborates to produce open source software. Firms that use open source software as one of their resources to create value for customers can use the attributes of open source software to create a competitive advantage. For example, West (2007) recognizes that firms can create value for customers by providing software at lower prices through the use of open source software as one of their resource components.\n\nIn addition to a different value creation strategy for producers of open source software, the impact on customer value perceptions also changes with open source. Customers can engage the open source community, influence the direction of the product offering, and increase their interoperability with other vendors by using the same common open source code base. Customer value perceptions in open source software therefore, will differ from proprietary software because customers derive value along additional dimensions that do not apply in proprietary software development models.\n\nThe literature on customer value creation in open source software is still very new and few authors have addressed the creation of value in the open source software development model, with the exception of West (2007) and Morgan and Finnegan (2008).\n\nSome of the key attributes of customer value creation that need to be considered when developing a framework are:\n\n  1. Customers perceive value from product attributes, from the consequences of using a product, and from whether they achieve their desired goals (Woodruff, 1997).\n  2. For a convincing customer value proposition, a firm needs to identify how value is perceived by customers and then offer those identified points of value in terms of a pre-emptive value offering (O’Cass and Ngo, 2011).\n  3. A value creation framework should identify the various types of value (Smith and Colgate, 2007; O’Cass and Ngo, 2011).\n\nA Proposed Customer-Value Creation Framework\n\nFigure 2 illustrates the author’s proposed customer-value creation framework. A firm’s value offering is organized into the categories of value creation that apply to a context where one of the firm’s resources is open source software. Using the value offering, firms must create a customer value proposition that fulfills customer needs. Figure 2 identifies the characteristics of a customer value proposition that can be used to fulfill customer needs.\n\n\nFigure 2. Creating a customer value proposition\n\n\nFirm’s value offering\n\n1. Functional value: The product attributes that help create value, as identified by Morgan and Finnegan (2008), are: cost, quality, reliability, security, and performance. These attributes of open source software are features of the product itself; they do not focus on other dimensions of value creation such as attribute consequences and goals. Woodruff’s (1997) customer value hierarchy identifies that customers perceive value not only from the attributes of a product itself but also from the consequences of using a product and the goals achieved by it.\n\n2. Cost/sacrifice value: Customer value perception is often defined as a customer’s evaluation of what they get in return for what they give (Zeithaml, 1988). The cost/sacrifice value identifies the customer’s perception of whether the value created is worth the cost paid. The cost paid can be in monetary terms, time, effort spend defining requirements, or any other way in which the customer invests in a firm’s offering. The commoditization of open source software allows suppliers to provide undifferentiated software at a lower price point, thereby increasing the customer perception of value added (West, 2007).\n\n3. Relationship value: this is refers to the overall customer experience during interactions with the supplier. Value can be added to a relationship along dimensions such as product quality, service support, delivery performance, supplier know-how, time-to-market, personal interaction, price, and process costs (Ulaga, 2003). Open source software can be combined with complementary assets such as support, customization, integration, or upgrades (West, 2007) to create value for customers. Such value-added offerings encourage customers to develop and maintain a relationship with suppliers to obtain a hassle-free purchase and consumption experience (O’Cass and Ngo, 2011). Firms that use open source software could also create value for their customers by re-using code and by reducing time to market and production costs;  these firms can then use this saved time and money towards enhancing business processes or employee development (Morgan and Finnegan, 2008).\n\n4. Co-creation value: this is the value perceived in either modifying available source code or defining requirements that allow a product to be customized to meet a customer’s needs. It is the value customers perceive in having a say in a supplier’s manufacturing process (O’Cass and Ngo, 2011). The nature of open source software allows users to co-create value by actively participating in the development process.\n\n5. Open source brand value:  this refers to the value that customers perceive in the open source brand itself. For example, value could be perceived by gaining legitimacy in the open source software community or by creating partnerships with other companies. Customer value creation strategies could change based on the extent to which open source resources are used in an offering (Bonaccorsi et. al., 2006). For example, the value in a pure open source offering could be in the supplier’s ability to customize without incurring high marginal costs.\n\nCustomer value proposition\n\nA customer value proposition can be developed based on the points of value that a firm can create (and that matter to customers). In this respect, a customer value proposition must provide distinctive, measurable, and sustainable value (Anderson et al., 2006). A distinctive value proposition is superior to the competitor’s offering, a measurable value proposition allows customers to quantify value in monetary terms, and a sustainable value proposition ensures that customers can continue to provide value to customers. A customer value proposition can be constructed by identifying the barriers that limit customers from getting a job done. The four most common barriers identified by Johnson, Christiansen, and Kagermann (2008) are insufficient wealth, access, skill, and time.\n\nCustomer research\n\nTo determine what customers want, what job they need to get done, and what barriers they face, a firm needs to conduct customer value research. Based on customer data, firms should then refine their value creation strategy to provide value along the dimensions of value that customers identify as important to them.\n\n\nThe value creation framework proposed here focuses on the creation of value from an open source business model perspective. The framework can be used in at least three ways. First, it can be used as a guideline for customer value research by manufacturers to assess what points of value matter to customers. Second, it can be used by managers and leaders of open source software projects to determine the points of value that their products and offerings should focus on. Third, managers and leaders can use the customer value dimensions outlined in the framework to compete along dimensions other than cost.\n\nThe level of formal appropriability or control that a firm has over its open source resources impacts the extent to which a firm can capture value from open source software. Therefore, value creation strategies would also be influenced by the degree to which a firm is involved in an open source software project. Future value creation frameworks could take that factor into account because it impacts the resources and capabilities that a firm has at its disposal.\n\nThe proposed value creation framework can be refined by conducting customer research to: i) validate the points of value creation identified; ii) determine new dimensions of value creation; and iii) assess the relative importance of each dimension of value from a customer’s perspective.\n\nShare this article:\n\nCite this article:\n\nRate This Content: \n\nKeywords: customer value, customer value creation, open source business, technology entrepreneurship, value proposition\n\n\nGreat article. Do join our linkedin group on Value Creation Journal and help grow the idea of Value Creation\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9539509415626526}
{"content": "King Of Gods Chapter 763\n\nChapter 763 - Escaping from the Shell\n\nOn this day, an arc of lightning entered the limitless ocean.\n\n\nA purple-haired youth was floating in the air, and a small silver-gray cat sat on his shoulder. He gave one last deep glance toward the Azure Flower Continent before scarlet wings formed behind his back as he headed out.\n\nThe human and cat were obviously Zhao Feng and the little thieving cat.\n\nWhen his cultivation dropped to the half-step King realm, Zhao Feng found that all his aspects were weakening even quicker than before. Void God Realm Kings had stronger resistance against the Cursed Words of Death. In other words, if an Ascended Realm cultivator was hit by the Cursed Words of Death, they would turn into a pile of white bones immediately.\n\nThis made Zhao Feng feel a sense of urgency.\n\nI need to go to the continent zone while I still have some strength, Zhao Feng murmured.\n\nThe Sage had told him three ways to resolve the Cursed Words of Death, and the third method required a heavy price.\n\nThe first two werent very realistic, but they were only even possible in the continent zone. Apart from that, he also wanted to go there in order to find Duanmu Qing and Zhao Yufei.\n\nDue to all of that, Zhao Feng had to go to the continent zone.\n\nA few days later, Zhao Feng reached the Void Ocean Spiritual Palace of the Azure Green Islands Zone. The Azure Flower Continent was within the Azure Green Islands Zone, and next to it was the Tianlu Islands.\n\nNormal people wouldnt have the right to use the teleportation array, but Zhao Feng was a disciple of the three-star Mystic True Sacred Clan, and he would also have the right to do so if he released his Emperor Intent the strong ruled this world.\n\nOf course, using the teleportation array cost a large amount of Primal Crystal Stones, and it was limited in distance. He could only teleport to the nearby Void Ocean Spiritual Palaces. Only after several teleportations did Zhao Feng reach the True Martial Sacred Land.\n\nAfter reaching the True Martial Sacred Land, Zhao Fengs gaze couldnt help but turn toward the Ten Thousand Ancient Sacred Peak. The Spiritual Zone Teleportation Array and many inheritances both big and small were on the Ten Thousand Ancient Sacred Peak.\n\nZhao Feng was suspicious about whether the child Demigod had any way to enter the Demigod Forgotten Garden. After all, the child Demigod had Demigod Intent. Of course, even if Zhao Feng could confirm that the child Demigod was hiding in the Demigod Forgotten Garden, Zhao Feng couldnt do anything about it.\n\nZhao Feng didnt stay in the True Martial Sacred Land for long. He soon used the Spiritual Zone Teleportation Array to reach the Floating Dream Sacred Land.\n\nThere are three spiritual zones in the Cang Ocean, and the border of the Floating Dream Sacred Land is closest to the Nanlin Sea.\n\nA map appeared in Zhao Fengs mind. The Nanlin Sea was close to the southern part of the continent zone, whereas the Cang Ocean was further away and out of the Lord Dynastys reach. This meant that, as long as Zhao Feng entered the Nanlin Sea, he would be at the border of the continent zone, where the forces of the Lord Dynasty would be stronger.\n\nZhao Feng used the Spiritual Zone Teleportation Array and reached the edge of the Floating Dream Spiritual Zone.\n\nZhao Feng was running low on Primal Crystal Stones, so he asked Emperor Zi Mu for some.\n\nWhen he met Emperor Zi Mu, Zhao Feng concealed his aura but didnt hide his Emperor Intent. Emperor Zi Mu didnt think too much about it, and since he wanted to build a good relationship with Zhao Feng anyway, he obviously gave him a lot of Primal Crystal Stones.\n\nEmperor Zhao, the name of the Left-Eyed Heavenly Emperor in the Cang Ocean can make Gods and Ghosts alike retreat. Even Mystic Light Realm Sacred Lords are wary of you, Emperor Zi Mu was filled with respect, but he didnt know that Zhao Fengs cultivation had already fallen back to the Great Origin Core Realm.\n\nZhao Feng didnt stay too long with Emperor Zi Mu. He said that he had some urgent matters that he needed to attend to, then quickly left.\n\nOne day, Zhao Feng appeared in the furthest Void Ocean Spiritual Palace of the Floating Dream Spiritual Zone.\n\nVoid Ocean Spiritual Zones were commonly used within the limitless ocean. Apparently, this was an order by the Lord Dynasty after they conquered the continent and the surrounding seas. However, the Lord Dynasty had basically lost control of the Cang Ocean and only had some slight power in the Nanlin Sea.\n\nThe resources of the Nanlin Sea surpassed the Cang Ocean, and it had four Spiritual Zone Sacred Lands.\n\nThe journey from the Nanlin Sea to the continent zone is long, Zhao Feng sighed in his heart.\n\nAfter his cultivation dropped down to the Origin Core Realm, his soul power started weakening much faster. His soul was still at the middle stages of the Void God Realm, but it was much weaker than his peak.\n\nIf my soul drops to the Origin Core Realm, my Emperor Intent will most likely fall asleep, Zhao Feng became even more impatient.\n\nEmperor Intent was based on the soul. If ones soul power wasnt strong enough, then Emperor Intent would fall asleep and only start to reawaken when the soul became stronger. After all, Intent was based upon comprehension and understanding, but it still required fuel. The Cursed Words of Death couldnt affect ones comprehension, so Emperor Intent wouldnt disappear, but it couldnt function without enough soul power.\n\nZhao Feng kept using the Void Ocean Spiritual Palaces after reaching the Nanlin Sea. As long as he still had his Emperor Intent, the Palace Lords would give him face.\n\nMany of the Palace Lords were Kings the progress of cultivation here was slightly stronger than the Cang Ocean.\n\nHalf a month later, Zhao Feng passed through a Spiritual Zone Sacred Land in the Nanlin Sea, and part of his Intent was sealed, leaving him with only King Intent. His soul power had finally dropped.\n\nHowever, Kings were still pretty powerful even in the Nanlin Sea. The Palace Lords would usually allow him through after seeing such a young King.\n\nThe weakening of my cultivation and soul is becoming faster and faster, Zhao Feng felt solemn and guessed that his cultivation would drop to the True Spirit Realm before he even reached the continent zone.\n\nOnce he reached the True Spirit Realm, the rate of weakening would become several times faster. This meant that Zhao Feng had to make some preparations.\n\nWithin the purple Soul Sea, Zhao Fengs soul power was much weaker than the past, and the Soul Sea had shrunk to only a few hundred yards. However, the pathway to the Ancient Dream Realm wasnt affected by the Cursed Words of Death. Apart from that, there were eight hundred mysterious lightning symbols that radiated an undying and immortal aura.\n\nThe Gods Spiritual Eye and the God Tribulation Lightning are the parts that arent affected, Zhao Feng let out a breath.\n\nWith his Gods Spiritual Eye, he could see that there were wisps of black blood in the other parts of his body. This dark power affected both the physical and mental energy dimensions, and soul attacks were ineffective against it.\n\nWhile he still had King Intent, Zhao Feng kept on journeying forward.\n\nTwo months later, a dim arc of lightning landed on the ground. The nearby Origin Core Realm Sovereigns were slightly curious when he passed through the barrier.\n\nA measly True Spirit Realm can pass through the barrier? an elder at the Small Origin Core Realm was surprised.\n\nThis place wasnt the continent zone, it was a large great island zone. It was called the Tianfeng Great Island Zone, and it had more than a dozen island zones similar to the Azure Islands Zone.\n\nApparently, this Great Island Zone was ruled by a Marquess.\n\n\nAn elder as skinny as a stick surrounded by Wind Lightning entered this great island zone in the Nanlin Sea. The appearance of this elder was similar to Zhao Feng.\n\nMiao miao!\n\nA little silver-gray cat stood on the elders shoulder and waved its paws with excitement.\n\nLittle thieving cat, Im already like this. Why are you so excited? Zhao Feng said in a depressed tone.\n\nOver 95% of his lifespan and lifeforce was gone. His cultivation had dropped to the True Spirit Realm, and over 90% of his Emperor Intent had fallen asleep.\n\nLooks like I wont be able to make it to the continent zone in time. Ill need to give it my all, Zhao Feng sighed.\n\nLuckily, he had put the ancient metal ring and some over treasures into the dimension of his left eye.\n\nGo! Zhao Fengs soul and body burned into a pile of ashes amidst the blaze of Wind Lightning.\n\n\nThe burning of his life and soul created a strong surge of energy.\n\nGod Eye leaving the body! a perfect purple-colored eye that existed between the physical and mental worlds entered inland at a speed faster than Emperors.\n\n\nZhao Fengs lifeforce and True Yuan was completely destroyed. The Cursed Words of Death disappeared along with them.\n\n\nA puddle of black blood turned into nothing and disappeared.\n\nZhao Fengs Gods Spiritual Eye and God Tribulation Lightning were unaffected by the Cursed Words of Death, otherwise, even if he gave up his physical body, he wouldnt have been able to escape the Cursed Words of Death.\n\nUsing the third method of escaping my shell I finally managed to escape the Cursed Words of Death. Zhao Feng let out a breath.\n\nHis senses were extremely strong since his Gods Eye left his body, and he instantly scanned over several dozens of thousands of miles.\n\nAt the same moment in time, within a quiet forest:\n\nYoure youre from the Yin family! a pale-faced youth held a broken sword and barely managed to hold up his body. Next to him was the body of some kind of tiger that used to be at the True Spirit Realm before it was killed.\n\nZhao Feng*, youre a once-in-a-thousand-years genius of the Zhao family who joined the Ten Thousand Sacred Clan, breaking through to the True Spirit Realm at the age of fourteen. This is a massive threat to the Yin family.\n\nHehe, if it wasnt for the fact that you entered the Wuyou Forest, we wouldnt have had this chance.\n\nSeveral figures with masks on said in a cold and smug tone. One of them had even reached the True Lord Rank.\n\nArghh! the youth called Zhao Feng screamed as he was sent flying with one palm from a masked male.\n\nBoss, this brats dead.\n\nNot good, the disciples of the Ten Thousand Sacred Clan are coming.\n\nAn elder gave the order to retreat.\n\n\nRight at this moment, a purple flash of lightning passed through the air above the Wuyou Forest.\n\nAn incredible scene happened. The eye of the youth called Zhao Feng that just died turned purple and gave off a strong Intent before quickly fading.\n\nTL Note*: The Zhao Feng that died was called , not . The pinyin and pronunciation for the two are the same but the words are different.\nRecents Updated Most ViewedLastest Releases\nFantasyMartial ArtsRomance\nXianxiaEditor's choiceOriginal", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9485266804695129}
{"content": "Walk a Directory in Python\n\nA common task when working with files is to walk through a directory, that is, recursively get every file in every directory starting in some location. The Python 3 os module has several functions useful for working with files and directories. One in particular, os.walk() is useful for recursively going through a directory and getting the contents in a structured way. These examples will show you a couple options for walking a directory recursively.\n\nGet Password in Console with Ruby\n\n\nCreate ASCII Art Text Banners in Python\n\nASCII art has a long history in the hacker culture. If you check out any Phrack article and there is almost guaranteed to be some form of ASCII art in there. In this example we are specifically talking about ASCII art fonts that can be used to make banner text for command-line applications, network services, documentation, web pages, etc.\n\nTaking Command Line Arguments in Java\n\nTaking command line arguments is one of the first things you should learn how to do with a new language. In this tutorial we'll walk through a simple Java program that takes command line arguments. We'll look at how to check if any arguments were passed, access them directly by numerical index, and iterate through each argument provided.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8848435282707214}
{"content": "How autonomous ridesharing will reshape our cars, cities, and lives\n\nlyft 2017 economic impact 2\n\nDigital Trends recently attended Semicon West, a semiconductor industry conference, and we focused on how this foundational technology industry is helping disrupt the transportation sector. Presenters and panels offered a variety of plans and visions for the next generation of technological advances in mobility.\n\nOne such panel focused on how the industry would likely disrupt transportation in a number of ways. Speakers agreed there are four main drivers of disruption in transportation and mobility today: autonomy, electrification, connectivity, and shared mobility.\n\n“What is going to happen with the industry? Who’s the one to figure this out?”\n\n“Those trends are not possible without each other, and they are accelerating each other,” said Andreas Breiter, associate partner at McKinsey & Company, a large global business consulting firm with offices in more than 120 cities around the world.\n\nKamal Khouri is vice president and general manager of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems for NXP Semiconductors, the largest semiconductor provider for automotive OEMs in the world.\n\n“It’s an exciting time,” Khouri maintained. “It’s unique to have all these megatrends converge on a single market. We’re in the middle of developing a technology that has a tremendous impact on our planet and on humanity. We’re introducing all these technologies and there’s this race: who’s going to get there first? How will we get seamless connectivity so we can use our time in the vehicle? Especially with the introduction of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), it makes the challenge of providing a safe and secure solution a difficult problem.”\n\nRidesharing needs autonomous cars\n\nBreiter conceded we haven’t answered all the key questions yet. “What is going to happen with the industry? Who’s the one to figure this out? Is it an existing automaker OEM or is it a revolutionary approach from an outsider who will turn the industry upside down? One thing that could be a stepping-stone is a purpose-built vehicle for ridesharing. Why is your shared ride a standard car, and not purpose-built for taxi service?”\n\nPurpose-built taxis have been around as long as the automobile but have fallen out of favor in recent decades. The venerable Checker Marathon and the London Taxi were both designed for ridesharing and survived mostly unchanged for decades.\n\n“As soon as autonomy comes through and is really viable, it will significantly increase the business case for shared mobility,” Breiter predicted. “As soon as you get the driver out of your shared taxi, you have a completely different business case. Then, shared mobility without connectivity is not even thinkable.”\n\nRidesharing requires connectivity\n\nMost people tend to think about vehicle connectivity in terms of using a phone in the car or getting a restaurant through an app on the dashboard. In fact, it runs much deeper than that, especially when autonomy and shared mobility are in the picture. The shared mobility revolution is dependent on both autonomy and connectivity, because the rider must hail the car, and the car must be there, and it must respond in an accurate and timely manner.\n\n“The big transitions in industry always start with the user interface. …We’re trying to do exactly the same thing in our area.”\n\n“We are creating mobility platforms that provide enjoyable time on the move, so the key message is that we’re mainly focusing on the time the customer spends in the car,” said Dr. Dirk Abendroth, vice president of Autonomous Driving and Powertrain at Byton, a Chinese automaker with offices in California and Munich, Germany.\n\nAbendroth spent 12 years at BMW developing hybrid and electric powertrains, specifically for the i3 and the i8.\n\n“We try to differentiate in this, but not in the traditional competitions like acceleration or just building a car,” he stated. “We’re trying to rethink the program from a customer point of view and thinking about what we should do with the time on board.”\n\ndefining self driving autonomous car roadrave seniorselfdrive 01\nSelf-driving BMW\n\nAbendroth believes the user interface will be a big differentiator in future vehicles.\n\n“The big transitions in industry always start with the user interface,” he pointed out. “For example, mobile phones transitioned to smart phones. The first thing to change was the interface, and the apps came later. We’re trying to do exactly the same thing in our area. From the interface, all the other things come one by one.”\n\nThat’s not the only lesson Abendroth draws from the mobile revolution.\n\n“The growth in automotive is coming from those high-income dense cities and low-income dense cities outside of Europe and North America.”\n\n“The second part is personalization,” he said. “One of the most useful things about your smart phone is that it’s tailored to you. When you turn it on, it has your exact profile; no one else has exactly the same settings. We’re trying to rethink the entire vehicle. There’s a direct connection between autonomy and connectivity in making use of the time in the car. When autonomy comes, we can have other opportunities.”\n\nRidesharing shapes urban evolution\n\nMcKinsey’s Breiter has been looking into the impact that ridesharing could have on the evolution of cities and mobility around the world. One unexpected finding is that shared transportation will not differentiate along national boundaries as much as it will between cities, suburbs, and rural areas.\n\ntop tech stories 06 30 2017 what is a smart city series introduction\n\n“We can no longer look at countries,” Breiter said. “We have to be more granular. We think the driver of growth in mobility is on the city level. If we categorize the cities of the world, we get different archetypes. One dimension is income level and another one is how dense is the city. Are we talking about the very dense core of a city or are we talking about urban sprawl? The growth in automotive is coming from those high-income dense cities and low-income dense cities outside of Europe and North America. Those are the growth engines of the future. We’re focused on how those types of cities will develop.”\n\nBreiter offered details to describe how future shared mobility will help shape the cities in the coming years.\n\n“You’d have public transportation to get you out of the city core, but public transportation will not be sufficient. “\n\n“In a city that’s developed and has a dense core, you could see a scenario of seamless mobility where people switch between different modes of transportation seamlessly. If you go out to the suburbs of those cities, you could have a scenario of private autonomy. If you go to the developing world, you’ll have more focus on shared mobility, and on making the place cleaner.”\n\nHow will this affect the currently developed world?  How does Breiter imagine the transportation solution for a dense city in Europe or North America developing in the next decades?\n\n“People will switch between modes of transportation. People could switch from public transit to autonomous ride-sharing solutions or even take bicycles. If you go to the outside of those cities, the picture changes. You’d have public transportation to get you out of the city core, but public transportation will not be sufficient. You’ll have private cars and privately-owned shared autonomous cars.”\n\nRidesharing drives auto sales\n\nAt first, ridesharing doesn’t seem like it would change the automobile market. But the phenomenon is shaking up the mobility industry as profoundly as anything, and it could ultimately change the way cars are designed, built, and distributed.\n\nCar dealership with a sports car and salesman pitching to a customer\nSpencer Platt/Getty Images\n\n“A lot of people think the mobility sector is in decline but we see a different story,” Breiter told the audience at Semicon. “We believe we’ll still see growth, but slower than it has been in the past. It will be coming from outside of Europe and North America.”\n\nRidesharing, both with privately-owned vehicles and with fleets owned by the automakers or other corporate entities, is likely to change the nature of automobile use and ownership first.\n\n83% of people who use ridesharing services do so because it’s convenient\n\n“We think ridesharing and e-hailing will have an impact,” Breiter said. “There will be fewer private vehicles, but there will be a counterbalancing effect of new shared vehicles. These shared vehicles will have a shorter lifetime because they’ll be used much more.”\n\nFor automakers, the ridesharing revolution offers huge potential. Putting customers into ridesharing cars exposes them to the car’s brand and may create future customers.\n\n“There’s an opportunity to grow the auto market by getting into the ridesharing business,” Breiter insisted. “Building and selling cars is no longer enough. Increased focus on the customer and what’s affordable and convenient for them is required in a changing world.”\n\nRidesharing is still growing\n\nOne thing that’s certain, according to Breiter, is that ridesharing will continue to grow.\n\n“We’ve asked a lot of people in different markets what they thought about shared mobility. 83% of people who use ridesharing services do so because it’s convenient, and 67% of them want to increase the amount of ridesharing they do, so a big part of the market is still unaddressed, which is interesting because the market is already quite large and growing very fast.”\n\nThat’s how ridesharing is going to change the world.\n\n\nLyft and Aptiv’s self-driving car program has come a long way, but not far enough\n\nEmerging Tech\n\n\nEmerging Tech\n\n\nEmerging Tech\n\nScientists find a technique to identify electricity-producing bacteria\n\n\n\n\n\nEmerging Tech\n\n\n\n\n\nRobomart’s self-driving grocery store is like Amazon Go on wheels\n\n\n\n\nFord’s Mustang-inspired electric crossover will spawn a Lincoln luxury version\n\nHome Theater\n\nSpotify adds simplified Car View mode for Android users\n\n\nBoutique carmaker Karma Automotive, legendary design firm Pininfarina team up\n\n\nSibling rivalry: 2019 BMW Z4 takes on the 2020 Toyota Supra\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9239690899848938}
{"content": "\n\n    Vortex-free high-Reynolds deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) via airfoil pillars\n\n    Article obtained from Springer RSS Feed.\n\n\n    One essential step in biosample analysis is the purification, separation, or fractionation of a biofluid prior to transport to the biosensor. Deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) has demonstrated the potential for continuous size-based separation of numerous medically relevant particles and organisms, such as circulating tumor cells, red blood cells, and even viral particles. Recently, high-throughput DLD separation has been demonstrated by utilizing higher flow rates, but this also results in changing separation dynamics as the Reynolds number (Re) increases. It has been observed that the critical diameter (Dc) for a DLD device decreases as Re climbs, and theorized that both streamline compression and vortex emergence may contribute to this phenomenon. The precise mechanism for this shift has been difficult to isolate, however, due to the coupled nature of vortex emergence and streamline compression in high-Re DLD devices with circular pillars. To decouple these effects, we have characterized the performance of a DLD device with symmetric airfoil pillars that do not produce vortices up to Re = 100. In demonstrating a complete particle trajectory shift at Re = 51, we have shown that vortex effects are not a predominant contributor to this Dc shift, thus streamline evolution is likely to be the primary mechanism. Furthermore, we have compared the performance of this device to a similar device with rotated pillars having a negative 15° angle of attack, and found that separation effectiveness declines as streamlines become highly asymmetric and small particles exhibit significant variation in their trajectories.\n\n    Nov, 14 2018 |\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9162823557853699}
{"content": "Blended Learning\n\nCombining the Power of Teachers with the Power of Technology\n\nBlended Learning: A New Learning Dynamic\n\nThe field of education is constantly innovating, but one innovation in particular is generating a lot of excitement lately: blended learning. What is blended learning, and why is it the new buzzword in education?\n\nWhat is Blended Learning?\n\nThe concept of “blended learning” is still maturing, but Michael B. Horn and Heather Staker provide a good working definition for it in their book, Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools:\n\n“…a formal education program in which a student learns at least in part through online learning with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace and at least in part at a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home. The modalities along each student’s learning path in a course or subject are connected to provide an integrated learning experience.”1\n\nWhat are the benefits of blended learning, and what does this new learning dynamic mean for students and teachers?\n\nIncreased Student Control\n\nStudents assume greater control and a more active role in their learning, some of which is done in the classroom with the teacher and/or fellow students and some done independently at a computer. Offering students choices in how they learn helps boost student interest and engagement.\n\nShift in the role of the teacher\n\nAs students become more self-reliant learners, teachers shift from knowledge providers to learning facilitators, coaches, and mentors, who are freer to circulate among students, observe them more closely, and give them the targeted support they need.\n\nPersonalized Student Learning\n\nData compiled from students’ work in software programs such as Reading Horizons Discovery™ and Reading Horizons Elevate™ provides detailed information on students’ struggles, so teachers can more effectively customize face-to-face instruction. Our software is adaptive, which helps personalize each student’s computer-based learning experience.\n\nWhat is the Role of a Teacher ›\n\nTechnology has inevitably changed the learning dynamic of the classroom. But how does it affect what a teacher does? What role does a teacher play in a blended learning environment?\n\nClick on the link above to learn more about a teacher’s role in blended learning.\n\nBlended Learning Models ›\n\nThe problems, resources, and educational objectives of schools vary widely; a blended learning model that works in one school may not work as well in another. Fortunately, there are no fewer than 7 common models of blended learning that schools can choose from or combine to provide the best blend for their teachers and students.\n\nBlended Learning Resources ›\n\nReading Horizons offers a variety of resources on blended learning. To gain a deeper understanding of this exciting innovation in education, click on the link above.\n\nBlended Learning Videos\n\nOur brief videos spotlight experienced educators discussing the features and benefits of blended learning and exploring how Reading Horizons can be used in a blended learning environment. Tap into their knowledge by clicking on the following videos.\n\n\n    1. Michael B. Horn and Heather Staker, Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools (United States: Jossey-Bass, 2014), 54.\n\n    The image on this page is an adaptation of a graphic originally appearing in the book Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools.\n\n    Find the right blended learning model to use with your students.\n\n    back to top", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.98326176404953}
{"content": "Today’s Wonder of the Day was inspired by anna from milwaky, WI. anna Wonders, “What is the smallest house in America?” Thanks for WONDERing with us, anna!\n\nDo you like to play with dolls? Of course, some of our male Wonder Friends might say, “No!\" But we bet everyone likes to play with dolls from time to time. They just might not always be called dolls. Sometimes we call them “action figures.\"\n\nIf you've ever played with dolls or action figures, you know that one of the most fun things to do with them is to create places for them to live. These might take the form of dollhouses or even more elaborate outdoor activity areas.\n\nThe charm of many toys kids enjoy is that they take real-world items and reduce them down to a manageable size to play with. We often call these smaller versions of things miniatures. In addition to dolls or action figures, you might also have played with various other types of miniatures, such as toy cars.\n\nBut how are these miniature versions of things made? Do toy companies use a shrink ray? Nope! It might sound like it should be easy to make a small version of something, but it can actually be quite difficult and take a lot of time to do correctly.\n\nSomeone making a miniature toy home — what we often call a dollhouse — must pay attention to all sorts of details. For example, scale is one important consideration.\n\nIf a door of a real house is 6 feet tall and the door on your dollhouse is 6 inches tall, you'll need to reduce everything else according to the same scaled set of dimensions for it to look right. The most common scale for adult collectors of dollhouses is 1:12 scale, which is also called one-inch scale where 1 foot of actual size is represented by 1 inch in the miniature version.\n\nIn addition, as you make things smaller, it can be easy to lose the intricate details that can easily be seen on something in its actual size. The best dollhouse makers spend hours creating miniature versions of everything within a house while maintaining all of the details of the original items.\n\nMiniature homes have been hand-crafted for thousands of years. Some of the oldest examples have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs. More modern dollhouses date back over 400 years in Europe. The first dollhouses were all handmade, but over time they began to be made in factories and sold inexpensively in stores.\n\nToday, making miniature dollhouses is a popular hobby for many adults. While some dollhouses are still made entirely by hand, others come in kits that can then be assembled over time. Interior decorations, such as furniture, dolls and household items, can be purchased at special hobby stores or made from scratch.\n\nWonder What's Next?\n\nTomorrow’s Wonder of the Day features an animal whose name you won’t soon forget!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6782188415527344}
{"content": "A roleplay-oriented setup somewhat related to Roulette (especially Zero Escape Roulette) and Dinner games. The focus is on playing a game show that involves betraying the other characters, and on getting out alive.\n\nHow to playEdit\n\nHere is a rules page.\n\nSaved Game RecordsEdit\n\n  • Here are the full game logs of a previous Dangan Unpopularity game, with Host Koizumi and Mole Ishimaru. (Some things happened outside of the logs in a Chatzy.)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.847620964050293}
{"content": "Forbidden Feng Shui\n\nBy Alice Inoue Posted in: Go Ask AliceImprove\n\nBalance, symmetry and placement are feng shui principles that the Forbidden City of China was built upon. Here’s how to mirror that mantra at home\n\nQUESTION OF THE WEEK: I just heard from my friend that you went to the Forbidden City in Beijing, China, and gave a detailed talk to her group about how it was built completely based on feng shui. I would have loved to be there! Can you please share some of this information in one of your upcoming columns?\n\nThank you for asking. This trip was meaningful to me because when I first began to seriously study feng shui over a dozen years ago, I learned about the Forbidden City and how feng shui was incorporated into every facet of its development. It was interesting to learn about it in class, but to have the opportunity to visit the city in person was amazing. To prepare for this talk, I did some additional work and correlated many of the ancient, key feng shui principles shown in the city and related them to easy-to-implement concepts that you could use in your current environment. Today, I’ve chosen three key concepts that I’d love to share with you!\n\nCondensed history of the Forbidden City\n\nBuilt between 1406 and 1420, during the Ming Dynasty, the Forbidden City is where the emperors of each dynasty ruled the country and the members of their court (mostly 7,000 eunuchs and about 3,000 concubines) lived. It was built with the intent to be not only the most powerful place on earth, but also the “center of the universe” and a place where the rulers could rule most effectively. The complex is huge — close to eight million square feet — and comprised of 980 buildings and 9,999 rooms.\n\nUsing feng shui came into play when in the early 1400s, during the reign of Emperor Yong Lo, he called together 80 of the highest-ranked feng shui masters in the country to collaborate and create a master plan for a complex that would allow China to have the greatest energetic benefit. They used every known feng shui principle to create a place on earth that would reflect and match the divine power and order of the heavens above.\n\nWhy is it called the “Forbidden” City?\n\nThe emperors allowed into the city only members of the court and those who lived there. Any intruder or trespasser was punished by a torturous death through a method called, “Death by a Thousand Cuts,” where chunks of tissue were taken out of the “criminal,” while avoiding vital organs so that the person remained awake until finally dying. Nonetheless, many people were curious about what was happening inside the city and broke in to get a glimpse of this mysterious place.\n\nHow feng shui was used\n\nWhen feng shui principles are used, many things are considered: placement, direction, symmetry, balance, elements, numbers, color and shapes, to name a few. In this article, I will share how the first three concepts were used in the building of the city and how you can use them to create an energetic flow and a more powerful environment.\n\n\n\nThe concept: According to feng shui, where things are placed is important, and having a mountain behind you balances the energy and adds stability and protection, preventing “enemies” from sneaking up from behind.\n\nThe Forbidden City: Based on the above principle, an artificial mountain was built at the rear of the city (north), and all the doors of the pavilions were built facing south so that the city had a mountain at its back. The panoramic image of the city was taken from the top of the mountain looking south.\n\nYour environment: Place an image of a mountain behind your desk or above your bed for greater stability and symbolic protection.\n\n\nThe concept: Symmetry brings power. The human body is, for the most part, visually symmetrical. We have two eyes, two arms, two legs, etc., and if we were to draw a line from our head to the ground, the two halves of our body would mirror each other. When we match our environment to our body, we operate in power.\n\nThe Forbidden City:The principle buildings and pavilions in the city are aligned and symmetrical along a straight north to south axis, and all the major structures mirror each other. Note the symmetry in both of the images.\n\nYour environment: Whenever you can, create symmetry in rooms or at the very least on some of your shelves. Even if you live alone, put a nightstand on each side of the bed or place matching figurines an equal distance apart on a shelf.\n\n\nThe concept: Balance around you supports balance within you. It is easier to stay centered from a place of balance. When one is centered, fears and doubts are kept at bay and we operate from a place of peace.\n\nThe Forbidden City: Every detail in the city was designed with balance in mind. Straight lines were balanced with curvy lines, points with waves, round archways with square doorways, light areas with dark areas, masculine representation (yang) with feminine (yin), etc. The Temple of Heaven is a good example of this.\n\n\nYour environment: Make sure you have complementary opposites represented in your home. For example, if your sofa is boxy and square, use round throw pillows. If it is round and puffy, use square pillows. If you have a square dining table, select chairs that have a round back. If your bedroom furniture is linear, choose a flowing pattern for your bedspread.\n\nThis is but the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the degree to which feng shui was implemented in the Forbidden City. However, by just paying attention to the three basic feng shui concepts — placement, symmetry and balance — you can easily make a tangible energetic shift and increase the energetic support in your home.\n\nAlice Inoue is the founder and Chief Happiness Officer at Happiness U, a friendly educational establishment at Na Lama Kukui (formerly known as Gentry Pacific Design Center) on Nimitz Highway. You’ll find inspiring classes geared toward personal growth. Visit", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8928335905075073}
{"content": "\n\nAccept & Continue\nWhere Is Mrs Christie? (6E)\n\nWhere Is Mrs Christie? (6E)\n\nAgatha Christie was one of the greatest thriller writers of all time and certainly the most prolific. In 1926, she was at the centre of a mystery as perplexing as any of her fiction, a series of events which sparked one of the biggest and most extensive police hunts in history. Her crashed car was discovered in Surrey and the famous author was missing, presumed dead by many, for eleven days. However, she was eventually found at a luxury hotel in Harrogate. She claimed then, and for the rest of the life, that she was suffering from amnesia and remembered nothing. Neither the press nor the police believed her.  Did Agatha Christie lie, and if so why? Was it a publicity stunt? Or was there a darker secret involved? \n\nActor Liz Grand presents her new one-woman show following her sell-out appearance at the Festival in The Second Best Bed.\n\n\n\nDuration: 110", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9411893486976624}
{"content": "THE Trauma of voices. Body Mentalists.\n\nTrauma of Depression help page\n\nI suggest if you decide to watch the video that you watch the entire video. Make sure you prepare yourself. It is a tough video that needs your full ATTENTION.\n\nHelp for trauma of depression is treatment with Anti-depressants so don't be afraid to see your doctor if you need help dealing with traumatic depression and trauma of Depressive Disorders. Traumatic Depression can affect anyone and sometimes Depressive Disorder trauma episodes can last for weeks or even months. But with trauma of depression help and support teams you can find a more happier Self again. Anyway what I suggest be carried out is that symptoms of\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTemporal Sensual Glandular neurones and these are within the fatty deposits at the sides of the forehead. Via Cognitive Behavioural Theory support can be advised upon if you feel depressed. However you can gain knowledge on how to break the cycle of Depression and your particular definition of Depressive Disorder by using Self Behavioural Analysis in how to spice up your vocalisation, facial and body                                     stances. So give it a try, trauma of depression help techniques are available from this E-book that is free with The Trauma of Voices and can be purchased at the bottom of the homepage. \n\n\nPeople that suffer traumatic depressive disorders also carry physical feelings such as: low esteem in a lesser definition of trauma of depression; traumatic feelings of worthlessness or trauma of suicidal tendencies are more of the extremes. There is also the trauma of loss of ambition and the daily routine in some circumstances.                                  can also form part of trauma of depression in traumatic mentality health illnesses. This is because something worries you and it can cause an upset in the harmony of your facial stance. Just because you are feeling traumatically low does not mean you have a traumatic depressive disorder, but if you feel this constantly for long or short persistent periods then maybe a check up with your doctor would be adviseable. The earlier the trauma of depression is diagnosed the easier and less the treatment because a traumatic Facial Conformity Disorder sets into the chemistry that exhibits from the Temples facial fatty deposits. Body Mentalists gives the reader the chance to improve how they purvey themselves as do Cognitive Behavioural Therapists. Both can help restructure the Theory of Mind via giving ideas and notions about how to relate. In feelings of low esteem the trauma of Theory of Mind  cannot conduct via expressive views of the normal day to day actions of holding up One's self esteem via not acting positive or authorative, but also funny. In the latter, the usual state of being funny is a bi-product of the nervous system acting in surprise 'Fight or Flight' that then cases compensation via the 'rest and Digest' to a stable state of normal conversation within a routine chat to friends or strangers.\n\n\nHow many people suffer trauma of depression? About 1 in 10 people in the U.K have or are suffering from traumatic depression and it can strike anyone: men; women and children. Studies have shown that around 4% of 5 - 16 year old have trauma of depression. Around 14.8 million Americans over the age of 18 in a given year suffer from trauma of depression.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nExcercise is seen to improve traumatic depression via Leucine an Amino Acid of the body/brain barrier. This I say is because excersise allows your face to naturally reinhance itself. But what else is needed is words and tonal accents of encouragement via Self Behavioural Analysis (S.B.A). Excercise is great if you feel low. It gets rid of the desire to silently sigh yourself into a traumatic facial depression phobia simply because the face is reset via huffing and puffing causing the facial muscles to realign themselves. It could also help stimulate the compensation factors of the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic system via increased stimulation of the heart. Aerobic classes or even a boxing gym are excellent ways to enhance your trauma of the nervous system and how your body reacts to stimulation via the heart and its trauma of the Sympathetic nervous system link.\n\n\nIt is not usual in the U.K to give medicaments unless your traumatic depression disorder definition becomes moderate or severe. There are around 30 different types of prescribed medications used to treat trauma of depressive disorder phobias (2016). Lesser forms of depression are usually treated with C.B.T via Psychotherapy or community support groups. Trauma Mental health teams are also a form of treatment that involves specialized intensive talking therapies along with prescription medications.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCBT treatment.\n\n\nCognitive Behavioural Treatment or C.B.T involves helping a sufferer of trauma of depression to work within themselves at inner traumatic thoughts and how you react to those old notions. These traumas of notions and motions - that become a part of the 'Silent you' are what shapes your body and facial language of the phobia traumatic Depressive Facial Conformity disorder. A good Counsellor will be able to guide you into a more positive 'You' via narration and natural gestures. CBT team/s help restructure what is your Psychology trauma term of Theory of Mind and Embodiment. This latter state is the way your feelings interact when in society, but also how being out causes you to react in your home as well. A bit like an argument that made you unhappy that then causes you to be unhappy indoors. If this notion about an argument keeps lingering then: the argument might be forgotten but in some cases the feeling creates a lasting impression on your body langage, facial stance and your emotional state that then forms as trauma of depression. Here the trauma of depression sits in the traumatic irrational state of 'Rest and Digest' without a reason to 'Fight'. Online CBT training will be offered on the website soon via a free web link for a one-to-one webcam and chat link                            Internet connection required lollol.\n\n\nOther signs of severe depression are:\n\n\nfatigue (exhaustion)\n\nloss of pleasure in things\n\ntrauma ofdisturbed sleep\n\nchanges in appetite\n\ntraumatic feelings of worthless and unreasonably guilty\n\nbeing unable to concentrate or being indecisive\n\nthoughts of death or trauma of suicide.\n\n\nTraumatic Emotional signs of trauma of Depressive Disorders to look for:\n\n\ncontinuous low mood or trauma of sadness instead of moments of logical traumatic sadness\n\nfeeling Depressive Disorders of traumatic hopelessness and helplessness with no physical\n\nthoughtful reasoning\n\nhaving low self-esteem and traumatic thoughts that people are ridiculing or making mirth of you\n\nfeeling traumatically tearful\n\nfeeling trauma of guilt-ridden\n\nfeeling irritable and intolerant \n\nirrational feelings and traumatic emotions of others\n\nhaving no motivation or interest in things\n\nfinding it difficult to make decisions\n\nnot getting any enjoyment out of life\n\nfeeling anxious or worried\n\nhaving suicidal traumatic thoughts or traumatic thoughts of harming yourself.\n\nthinking people are laughing at you when you are joking with friends (frustrating ideas,\n\nridicule and mirth...can cause you to become facially Glum, sad or traumatically depressed).\n\nsaddening traumatic emotional notions of traumatic thought that are not usual to you.\n\n\nPhysical notions and feelings of trauma of Depressive Disorders to look for:\n\n\nmoving or speaking more slowly than usual\n\n\n\nunexplained aches and pains\n\n\nchanges to your menstrual cycle\n\ndisturbed sleep. Are you finding it hard to fall asleep at night or waking up very early\n\nin the morning.Laying in bed for no reason is another factor of a trauma of a Depressive Facial\n\nConformity Disorder.\n\n\nSocial symptoms and definitions of trauma of Depression and traumatic Depressive Disorders include:\n\n\nnot doing well at work\n\ntaking part in fewer social activities and avoiding contact with friends\n\nneglecting your hobbies and interests\n\nhaving difficulties in your home and family life.\n\n\nGrief and traumatic depression are two totally different causes. Grief is a natural system that alleviates itself through time. Trauma of Depression however is not a natural act and can be brought on by grief that has not been alleviated. If you are grieving over a loss then I would suggest you talk to someone close to you. If that is not possible book a session with your doctor just to talk about it to someone. When in grief the future can still have bright moments, whereas trauma of depression is symptomatic to problems of sadness and worthlessness for no conscious reason. Yes losing a pet or family member can make you feel worthless and lonely, but don't confuse it with traumatic depression. When depressed, feelings or dejection will linger and nag at you, rather than feeling lost and lonely intermittently and then shrugged off in Self. Get advise from your local surgery if you are still unsure.\n\ntraumatic Depressive Disorder is from a bi-product of an over-active Parasympathetic nervous system of  'Rest and Digest' as a definition of a traumatic sleepy or glum traumatic depression. Its alleviation is via a facial stance of Grumpy. Trauma of Depressive Disorders form from glum and then enter the next state of facial conformity to a traumatic sad or a trauma of depressive disorder of Embodiment. This causes the body to become glum in the trauma of 'Rest and Digest' that cannot be compensated via its Sympathetic nervous system because there is no reason for  'Flight' in your traumatic sleepy facial stance. This stance is seen as Glum or traumatic sadness, but can in fact become trauma of paranoia or traumatic feelings of trauma of fear. Here the facial muscles can start to conform to sadness or traumatic paranoia or trauma of emotional trauma. Traumatic Paranoia can form because of trauma of the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Discord of 'Fight or Flight' where a person 'Rests and Digests without Disassociation. So smiling starts at the outer rim of the eyes and are part of what I call the", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9519992470741272}
{"content": "Lake Row Boat | Lenny K Photography CC 2.0\nPhoto credit: Lake Row Boat | Lenny K Photography CC 2.0\n\nWhy Do We Overeat?\n\nI have clients come into my office wanting to know “why” they overeat. The felt sense is if they know why, then they will be lead to the methodologies that they need to implement in order to effectively change their behavior and free themselves from overeating. That systematic and natural way of thinking works well with most things, but may not be quite as effective when we look to change behaviors that are directly impacted by our thoughts and feelings.\n\nFor example, if you come down with a bacterial infection, you know that antibiotics will do the trick and if you discover that the jeans you put on this morning are uncomfortable, you can change them for a more comfortable pair. When change requires an inquiry and discovery of our thoughts and feelings, the “why” and “how” is just the start of the journey.\n\nOur propensity, unfortunately, is to deny, avoid or disregard our uncomfortable thoughts and feelings (i.e., frustration of sitting with a craving or urge, facing that we have the impulse to eat much more then we wanted or intended to, etc.). Barriers such as reluctance, fear and/or hopelessness need to be unearthed, processed and worked on if we are looking to achieve long-term sustained changes.\n\n\n\nSo let’s tackle the question of why we overeat. As Judson Brewer, in his informative TED talk on simple ways to break a bad habit (www.ted.com/talks/Judson_brewer_a_simple_way_to_break_a_bad_habit) explains, it is learned and becomes a habit. The nuance behind it is that we are triggered (see the enticing food), engage in eating behavior and then get immediately rewarded by the behavior (experience pleasure because it tastes so incredibly good which satiates our appetite, we feel better emotionally because it helps to meet an emotional need, etc.).\n\n\nTo expand on what I stated above, overeating might have been learned and utilized as a coping mechanism to deal with emotions (i.e., emotional eating). It could have been the way we learned to cope with sadness, disappointment, frustration, joy, or some other emotion. It serves as a good distraction and can be an effective (yet maladaptive) way to keep emotions at bay.  \n\n\nWhether we are going to a Super Bowl party, a 4th of July BBQ or our friend’s 40th birthday party, food is usually plentiful. It’s what we arrange for and what we expect to be there when we are invited to others.\n\n\nStudies have proven that certain foods can be addictive. That’s why people binge on potato chips, chocolate, or cupcakes more often than on carrot sticks and apple slices. Brain imaging using PET scans showed that high sugar and high fat foods work just like drugs such as heroin, opium, or morphine. People also develop a tolerance of sugar; they will need more and more to get satisfied.[ii]\n\nResearch shows that when given a choice, rats were more attracted to sweetened water than to cocaine or heroin.[iii] In order to understand biochemistry, when a person consumes glucose, a type of sugar, it spikes the blood sugar and creates a high insulin reaction. High insulin then blocks leptin, the appetite hormone, so our brain doesn’t get the “I’m full” signal and instead thinks that we’re starving. Our pleasure-based reward center becomes activated, which drives us to consume more sugar. This explains why individuals may have difficulty controlling the consumption of foods high in sugar when they are continuously exposed to foods containing sugar.\n\nLastly, our minds trip us up. Because food can be so incredibly satisfying and addicting, we gain mastery over rationalizing our behavior which keeps us enrolled in this cycle/habit. From speaking to adults and children, I came up with forty rationalizations for why individuals justify their overeating. Some are, “watching what I eat is too hard”, “it’s low-fat/fat-free”, “I will make up for it later”, “I’ll burn it off later”, “I don’t usually eat this”, “it’s free”, “everyone else is eating it”, “I am anxious/tired/sad/upset/bored”, “I will just eat these few nibbles”, “it’s a special occasion”, “I’m treating myself”, “I can start eating more healthfully again tomorrow”, “I really want it”, “no one will know”, “I’ll end up eating it eventually”, “healthy food doesn’t taste as good”, and “it’s freshly baked/cooked”. I expect these rationalizations and others sound all too familiar, for good reason, because we all utilize them.\n\nSo now that we can say that we know the main reasons why we overeat, why is it still so fundamentally difficult for us to change our behavior? As I started out saying, this is a journey. A quick fix, like just focusing on diet and exercise, as we previously were led to believe (and for which there are a plethora of resources available) would do the trick, we now know, falls short. The psychological and emotional factors that directly create and impact our barriers and keep us in this perpetual cycle need to be addressed as well.\n\nFor real incremental, long sustaining change to occur, we need to be open to discovering, processing and working through these barriers. Look out for future blogs and my book that is currently available for pre-ordering and will be published March 22nd, “Free Your Child From Overeating53 Mind-Body Strategies For Lifelong Health Using Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Mindfulness to tackle the psychological and emotional barriers that keep us stuck. I welcome you and am excited for you to join me on this journey!\n\n\n[i] Hayman, M. (2014). “Food Addiction: Could It Explain Why 70 Percent of Americans Are Fat?” Dr. Mark Hyman (blog) and Huffington Post. October 16, 2010. drhyman.com and huffingtonpost.com.\n\n[ii] Volkow, N.D., Wang, G.J., Fowler, J.S., et al. (2002). “‘Nonhedonic’ Food Motivation in Humans Involves Dopamine in the Dorsal Striatum Methylphenidate Amplifies This Effect.” Synapse, 44(3), 175–80.\n\n\n\n\nWhat do you think?\n\n\n\n  • Shape\n  • The New York Times\n  • Cosmopolitan\n  • Parenting\n  • Ladies' Home Journal\n  • Glamour\n  • Parents", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6231144070625305}
{"content": "Speaking Event: Berkeley on Friday 4/10!\n\nHi everyone! I’ll be presenting some of my research from my dissertation on yoga this Friday, April 10th in Berkeley, CA at the second annual conference held by the Race and Yoga Working Group. The theme this year is Yoga (R?)evolution and Dianne Bondy is going to be one of the keynote speakers. (Can’t wait! I have huge respect for her.) For my presentation I’ll be talking about the feminization of yoga in the 1980s. And good news! If you are in the area and want to attend the event is free to the public. Last year I was lucky enough to be a speaker at the first annual conference, and it was a great event. I’d highly recommend checking it out if you can!\n\nyoga revolution conference flyer\n\nThe title of my talk is “The Great Gender Transformation: Feminization of the ‘Authentic’ Yoga Body.” I’ll be touching on the following:\n\nThe twenty-first century yoga body is often portrayed as lithe, young, white, affluent, female, and bent into seemingly effortless advanced physical yoga postures with grace and poise. But how did this body and its particular type of movement patterns become representative of yoga in America and, increasingly, throughout the world? Traditionally, yoga was exclusively practiced by men, and up until the 1980s remained a male-dominated field even in the United States. However, by the late 1980s a marked shift began in the gender composition of yogis as well as the gender dominance in the field. Yoga became feminized and increasingly stereotyped as a feminine activity and movement pattern. This paper traces the gender transformation of yoga in the USA from a male-dominated practice to a feminizing and feminine activity. Some background information on the historical precedent of men in yoga is provided followed by a discussion of the feminization of yoga that occurred during the 1980s and into the 1990s. I explain the causes for the dual process of why men increasingly opted out of yoga while at the same time women increasingly opted in, eventually producing a highly polarized demographic group of female yoga practitioners and a dominant cultural understanding of the “authentic” yoga body as female-identified. Finally, I discuss the implications this has on recent efforts by the yoga community to bring men back into yoga.\n\nLove, light, and… yoga ❤\n\n\nCreating Innovative Yoga Teaching\n\n\nI was thinking yesterday about what it would mean to create innovative yoga classes. If I completely abandoned my preconceptions of what a “class” should look like, and how we should learn things (the traditional drill style–historically Western, White, and Capitalist), what would a yoga class look like? How can we really teach yoga, the practice, rather than yoga, the exercise routine? What is the best way to educate someone on the essence of yoga?\n\nWe’ve become so caught up our ideas of what a yoga class is, and how to teach yoga, and what the best way to learn is that we lose sight of the essence of the thing we are trying to teach. Yoga has not always been taught in the way we teach it now. The “standard” lecture or drill format of classes became popular only once yoga had become Westernized during colonialism with the influence of trends like Swedish gymnastics or military drill training among armed forces (see Singleton’s excellent book for more on this topic). But now we consider it normal to teach to a class of people, all of different levels, leading them through a set sequence where the teacher may (or may not) offer variations or adjustments, let alone individual attention to correct a student’s alignment or help lead a student deeper into a pose. I feel like in some ways even private yoga classes have become formulaic. But how often do we actually stop and think about what format, what sequences, what poses, what words, what “homework”, would really get to the heart of yoga and allow students to experience that rather than a nicely packaged and marketed form of exercise?\n\nNot every thing can be taught in the same way. Often in Western-style teaching systems (including the Westernized style of yoga teaching that has become popular in the last few decades) we expect someone to be able to regurgitate exactly what we say, in the exact words we say it (Follow this sequence! Focus on these things!) that we forget that route memorization doesn’t reflect actual understanding. When someone understands something they are able to make it their own, to personalize it, to be creative with it, to recognize what is most important and retain those things while deviating within set lines. Understanding something deeply allows for the “regulated improvisation” of social actors because they are able to reinterpret and build on the material they have learned. Simply being able to repeat something doesn’t mean you understand it. Understanding allows for innovative solutions and problem solving; route memorization doesn’t.\n\nOnly with understanding can you have innovation, because innovation is ultimately about seeing the connections between things, understanding what things are similar and what are not, and how things will interact if they are combined. As Tom Freston said, “Innovation is taking two things that already exist and putting them together in a new way.” Innovation is the application of pressure in such a way that you affect great change with little effort because you are able to anticipate and influence the course of future events by understanding the factors at work deeply. To quote a great article from the Washington Post, “Innovation is not simply a technical matter but rather one of understanding how people and societies work, what they need and want.” So we have to learn to understand, not to simply to memorize. Memorization produces replication, not innovation.\n\nInnovation requires seeing and actualizing the unimaginable, and the only way to do that is by imagining what doesn’t exist, by changing our entire worldview in a radical and profound way. The quote I started this article with from J. K. Rowling is exactly about this; how by using our imaginations we have the capacity to radically shift how we see the world and what we think is possible, to imagine better worlds and better futures. Ultimately imagination is the root of all empathy–the ability to imagine ourselves in someone else’s situation. That’s a transformative power, just like yoga is a transformative practice. You have to have a vision of where you are going to get there, otherwise you never grow and change. To become better people and better societies we have to grow and change and innovate in our own lives. We have to understand ourselves and the world around us so we are capable of imagining a world and self that retains the things that we love but also improves upon them. This has been one of the deepest and most profound lessons I’ve learned through yoga; that I can constantly improve myself, but that it takes a deep awareness of my existing patterns and habits and the ability to imagine who I want to become, so I can recognize when I am falling into the trap of a pattern and redirect into an innovative solution.\n\nBut trying to imagine what doesn’t already exist is a difficult, sometimes impossible proposition. In the words of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender: “If she can see it, she can be it… how can she be what she can’t see?” When we can’t imagine something, we don’t even consider trying it, and definitely don’t actively work to achieve something. We are often so conditioned to think within narrow boxes we are incapable of even imagining an alternative method of doing something. We become incapable of innovation when we are taught in the Western education model to replicate and memorize rather than understand. This is exactly what Bourdieu (Logic of Practice: 55) is talking about when he claims that our internalized preconceptions of the world (the things we can easily see) condition us to think within a particular framework and to only consider certain things that are approved or expected as “possible.” In this way internalized preconceptions “generate all of the ‘reasonable,’ ‘common-sense’ behaviors (and only these) which are possible within the limits of these regularities, and which are likely to be positively sanctioned because they are objectively adjusted to the logic of a particular field, whose objective future they anticipate. At the same time, ‘without violence, art, or argument,’ it tends to exclude all ‘extravagances’ (‘not for the likes of us’), that is, all the behaviors that would be negatively sanctioned because they are incompatible with the objective conditions.”\n\nWithin yoga we often fall into the same patterns and habits, teaching yoga through replication and memorization rather than encouraging deeper understanding in our students. Classes are usually a one-time experience of following instructions students don’t fully comprehend and that may never be fully explained. Even private classes can often fall into a similar trap of using standard formats focusing on surface level “assignments” like doing a particular sequence of poses so many times a week. (But why those poses? Why that many times a week? Why in that sequence?). Students often aren’t able to innovate in their yoga practice because they aren’t given a firm basis of knowledge to build on; in standard classes we aren’t taught to approach yoga as a way of life or a practice (at least until more advanced training like teacher certification programs, yet even these are highly structured and only teach institutionally approved yoga knowledge).\n\nI think this is why it’s so hard for many yogis who have only taken drill-style group classes to begin a home practice, which requires changing the way we think about yoga and how we do yoga from the dominant Western pattern of teaching (just follow the instructions) to something you work on, practice, and play with as you explore what you’ve learned on your own, with no lead instruction, and no set sequence already predetermined for you. Yoga isn’t always beautifully choreographed into a sequence of predetermined poses; once you transition to a home practice you begin to realize that yoga is in fact messy and full of awkward, silly, and embarrassing moments. It’s something you work on. It’s also full of pleasureful, peaceful, and triumphant moments too. But recognizing that yoga is in fact a practice is a radical, paradigm shift, and one I’m still working on learning to find joy and pleasure in and motivation for. A home practice helps you realize all the backstage work instructors do behind the scenes to present and teach the beautiful, fun, choreographed facade of “what yoga is.” But the facade isn’t substantive and rarely teaches the underlying practice; it doesn’t reflect the true essence of yoga.\n\nSo let’s return to the questions I started this post with. If I completely abandoned my preconceptions of what a “class” should look like, and how we should learn things (the traditional drill style–historically Western, White, and Capitalist), what would a yoga class look like? How can we really teach yoga, the practice, rather than yoga, the exercise routine? What is the best way to educate someone on the essence of yoga? I’m not entirely sure the best answers to these questions, but I’ll share some of my ideas to get the dialogue going.\n\nUtilize a variety of instruction formats.\n\nI think it’s important not just to teach (or learn) one way. We can get at multiple viewpoints by utilizing different formats for our teaching and learning methods. We can learn a great deal about sequencing from taking (and teaching) choreographed sequences of poses. And sometimes we can learn about poses through sequencing, particularly by building towards a more complicated pose by practicing poses that are part of the complex pose in a sequence which leads up to the peak challenge pose. But we can also learn a great deal from one-on-one instruction, from exploring one pose in depth using a workshop format, from playing around practicing with other yogis using no particular structure or format (hey, what you are doing looks like it would be fun, want to show me how?), from writings on yoga, or from talks about yoga.\n\nUtilize technology to help students learn.\n\nUtilizing photos or videos so students can watch or see their practice can be a great teaching tool. It can help students recognize patterns of misalignment or disconnect in their practice, while at the same time help them feel empowered by recognizing things they do with great skill and awareness that can help motivate them. A photo or video is in many ways an objective vantage point to view their practice from. It’s helpful to step out of ourselves sometimes, especially because social psychological research shows we tend to have many positive illusions, or unrealistically favorable attitudes, about ourselves. As the meme goes:\n\nsterotypes of yoga\n\nTechnology can also be a powerful way to connect with more students. For example, utilizing video chats to teach yogis in other parts of the world (online privates or online small group classes) can allow students to connect to teachers regardless of where they live, something particularly valuable for both the student who may not have local access to a yoga instructor they like and the teacher seeking to build their business. Technology like social media can also be a great way to build a community of students that are all able to support one another and for students to learn more about their instructors and connect beyond the classroom. Being involved in social media is in many ways required in today’s yoga world, since it is often the way to build a large student base and create a more steady income flow through strategies like workshops, retreats, or online programs available for download to students (a great example of this is the Codyapp website).\n\nTeach why.\n\nI think sometimes we are either afraid or don’t even consider teaching why we do something a particular way. We shouldn’t shy away from explaining the why to our students, including things like why these poses, why this order, why this pace, why this alignment, why practice this length of time, why this meditation, why this adjustment. Knowing why is empowering and allows students to understand what they are doing on a deeper level, and subsequently make it their own, innovate, and be creative in their practice, as well as develop a home practice based on a sound knowledge of yoga. Many students want to deepen their practices yet struggle with having the knowledge they need to do so. Give it to them, or provide them with a resource they can use to learn about it on their own. Teaching why can also help us realize our own preconceptions and deepen our own knowledge when as teachers we realize we don’t even know why we do something a particular way.\n\nTalk (and read) about yoga.\n\nI think so often we forget that it takes talking with other people for us to think through things and come to our own conclusions. Narration is a powerful way for us to come to know something; sometimes we need to explore something verbally for it to become clear for us, so having space to dialogue about yoga, ask questions, think about what you have learned beyond just the physical exercise practice is important. Many students can benefit simply from talking about the practice, what the practice means to different yogis, what people have written about yoga, what types of insights we can gain from yoga, what certain yogic ideas mean. Similarly, reading about yoga can profoundly deepen our understanding of yoga as well (as both teachers and students).\n\nEncourage students to be self-reflexive.\n\nWithout having any expectations, encourage students to think on and share what they have learned from a particular lesson or practice. In other words, encourage students to be self-reflexive about their practice and allow them to learn from their own experiences rather than interpreting those experiences for them. This can also help develop body awareness and mindfulness in other areas of their life.\n\nMake yoga pleasurable and fun.\n\nEncourage students to move from a place of pleasure and joy, to explore how their own bodies like to move, to become aware of their body signals, and to have fun with the process of yoga and worry less about looking perfectly choreographed and graceful all the time. Be willing to have fun with yoga in addition to the more serious meditative movement.\n\nPractice moving within poses, then practice stillness.\n\nMany times students don’t have body awareness of what proper alignment is. Standard classes often focus on holding a pose in stillness or on moving in only one direction within a pose for several breaths before transitioning to a different posture, but both of these methods can be limiting. Many times this type of queuing is a result of the quick pace that has become popular in most yoga class and/or teachers perpetuating instructions they heard from their own teachers or in their teacher trainings. Many teachers go too quickly for students to become deeply aware of their alignment in a pose, or they only plan to do a pose once in a sequence so there is no opportunity for students to repeat and build on the first appearance of the posture. For example, in warrior II we often encourage students to drop down deeper in the legs while holding the upper body in stillness. But when we fall into this trap of teaching using a “normal format” we may completely ignore encouraging students to move their upper body in ways that help them achieve (and understand) proper, neutral, and open alignment throughout the spine and shoulders. We may also completely ignore how much weight is being held in each leg, and many students often place too much weight towards the front rather than creating a balance between the effort of the front and back leg.\n\nIt is empowering to explore poses by moving within them in ways that help students discover body awareness and find neutral alignment for their bodies, and helps students uncover the why behind the pose. So for warrior II, maybe you can encourage your students to pull their upper body back (towards a reverse warrior) and then forward (towards extended side angle) while opening the shoulders, repeating that motion until they are able to locate their neutral spine and a feeling of openness in their shoulders and chest. Or encourage them to shift their weight more toward the front leg and then more toward the back leg until they are able to sense a balance in effort, and then drop down deeper in the legs. Once they are able to find their neutral position, only then encourage stillness. Stillness without exploration can miss the point of an entire pose. What we need is to move within poses until we find the point where being still becomes a practice in meditation, playing with our edge, and proper alignment and body awareness.\n\nLove, light, and… yoga ❤", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6033658981323242}
{"content": "This case is not covered by Casetext's citator\nB284617 (Cal. Ct. App. Sep. 4, 2018)\n\n\n\nTHE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. PASCUAL ROSAS, Defendant and Appellant.\n\nMark S. Givens, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Xavier Becerra, Attorney General, Gerald A. Engler, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Assistant Attorney General, Paul M. Roadarmel, Jr. and Daniel C. Chang, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.\n\n\nCalifornia Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115. (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. BA438900) APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Michael D. Abzug, Judge. Affirmed with directions. Mark S. Givens, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Xavier Becerra, Attorney General, Gerald A. Engler, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Assistant Attorney General, Paul M. Roadarmel, Jr. and Daniel C. Chang, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.\n\n\nDefendant Pascual Rosas appeals from a judgment of conviction entered after a jury found him guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a child (Pen. Code, § 288.5, subd. (a); count 1—Stephanie V.), committing a lewd act upon a child (§ 288, subd. (a); count 2—Arianna D.), and two counts of attempted commission of a lewd act upon a child (§§ 288, subd. (a), 664; counts 3 & 4—Arianna D.). The jury found true the allegation defendant committed crimes against more than one victim (§ 667.61, subds. (b), (e)(4)). The trial court sentenced defendant to concurrent terms of 15 years to life on counts 1 and 3 (count 2 as reflected in the verdict form) and imposed concurrent terms of three years on counts 4 and 5 (3 and 4 as reflected in the verdict form). The court imposed various fines and assessments, ordered defendant to register as a sex offender, and ordered him to submit to AIDS testing.\n\nAll further statutory references are to the Penal Code.\n\nThe counts as reflected in the verdict forms relate to counts 1 and 3 and 4 and 5 of the Information, respectively. The original count 2 had been dismissed at the preliminary hearing and the adjustment in numbering on the verdict form was made to avoid confusing the jurors with the circumstance that the Information contained no count 2. The court confirmed the renumbering of count 3 of the information as count 2 on the verdict form orally and in a minute order.\n\nOn appeal, defendant contends the police violated his Miranda rights when they obtained incriminating statements from him. He also contends the trial court failed to make the probable cause determination required by section 1202.1, subdivision (e)(6)(A)(iii) and (v), before ordering him to submit to AIDS testing. We agree the trial court erred in not making that assessment before ordering the AIDS testing order and remand for further proceedings as to that issue. In all other respects, we affirm the judgment.\n\nMiranda v. Arizona (1966) 384 U.S. 436 [86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694] (Miranda).\n\n\nA. Prosecution\n\nDefendant and Laura Ortiz (Ortiz) lived across the street from Ortiz's uncle on Sydney Drive in East Los Angeles in or about the year 2008. Yesenia O. and her five children—including Stephanie, who then was about eight years old, and Arianna, who then was about five years old—lived with Ortiz's uncle. The families regularly got together for barbecues or parties either at the uncle's home or at defendant and Ortiz's home.\n\nDefendant and Ortiz later moved to a home on Ford Boulevard. Yesenia and her children moved to a home on Seabrook Avenue.\n\nStephanie (age 15 at the time of trial) testified that defendant touched her vagina more than once. The first time was when she was at his Ford Boulevard home for a family get together. Defendant pulled Stephanie into his room while she was walking down the hallway toward the bathroom, and he locked the door behind her. He sat her on the edge of the bed, stood in front of her, reached under her skirt and touched her vagina over her underwear. She was scared and began to cry. She then walked away and did not tell anyone what happened.\n\nThe second time was when she was at the Sydney Drive home for a family get together. Stephanie was in the living room with her grandmother, who was nearly blind, and defendant. Defendant called Stephanie over to him. She tried to ignore him, but her grandmother told her to go over to him. She went over and sat on the floor. Defendant lifted her dress and touched her vagina. Stephanie panicked and ran outside. She did not tell anyone what happened, because she did not know if they would believe her.\n\nThe third time was at her ninth birthday party at her home on Seabrook Avenue. She went into her mother's room to put one of her birthday presents on the bed. Defendant followed her into the room and locked the door. Defendant sat on the bed. Stephanie sat on the floor and crossed her legs so that defendant could not touch her again. Defendant grabbed her by the arm and pulled her closer to him. He lifted her skirt and touched her vagina underneath her underwear. She was scared and did not know what to do. She pushed him away. He offered to pay her money if she let him touch her. He said he would not do anything else; she would not have to have sex with him. She said no and ran out of the room crying. Her mother asked her what was wrong, and she said that she fell down. She did not want to tell her mother what really happened.\n\nArianna (age 13 at the time of trial) testified that defendant touched her vagina more than once when she and her family were at his home. She was four or five years old at the time. On one occasion, she and other children were in defendant's bedroom at the Ford Boulevard home, watching a movie. Arianna was sitting on the floor with her legs crossed. Defendant was sitting very close behind her. He put his hand inside her underwear and started touching her vagina. She was confused and did not understand what he was doing. She did not tell anyone what he had done. She testified that he had done this to her before and had given her money so that she would not tell her parents.\n\nOn another occasion, defendant took her into a dark bedroom. He stood in front of her and pulled down his pants. He did not touch her.\n\nIn 2015, when Arianna was in fifth grade, she was sent to the school counselor for behavioral problems. She told the counselor that the babysitter's husband had molested her over a period of several months when she was in second grade. The counselor reported the molestation.\n\nDetective Mayra Zuniga of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department interviewed Yesenia. Yesenia told the detective that Stephanie and Arianna said that defendant touched them inappropriately.\n\nOn March 19, 2015, Detective Zuniga went to defendant's home and spoke to him briefly about her investigation. She asked him to come to the sheriff's station to discuss the matter with her.\n\nThe next contact with the police was on August 11, 2015, when defendant voluntarily went to the sheriff's station where he agreed to take and did take a polygraph examination. He also spoke with Deputy Castellanos on the same visit while Detective Zuniga listened to the conversation from another room. Defendant denied touching Stephanie and Arianna inappropriately. This interview lasted about two hours.\n\nDetective Zuniga then went into the interview and also questioned defendant. Defendant admitted he \"maybe\" touched the girls once, but he was not sure because he had been drinking. Eventually, he admitted touching Stephanie and Arianna's vaginas over their clothing. At Detective Zuniga's suggestion, defendant wrote a letter to the girls, apologizing for what he had done and asking their forgiveness. B. Defense\n\nA video recording of this second interview was played for the jury.\n\nOrtiz testified she began her relationship with defendant in 2008. As far as she knew, defendant was never alone with Stephanie or Arianna. Stephanie and Arianna never came to their homes on Ford Boulevard or Sydney Drive. Ortiz and defendant did not go to Stephanie's birthday party in 2010, because Ortiz and Yesenia were not speaking to each other at that time. Ortiz was tired of Yesenia borrowing money from her and not repaying it.\n\nOrtiz and defendant did visit Yesenia's home on Sydney Drive because Ortiz's aunt and uncle lived there. They went there once on Thanksgiving and once for a birthday party for Yesenia's son. Defendant did not leave Ortiz's sight on these occasions.\n\nOrtiz denied she or defendant ever babysat Yesenia's children.\n\nDefendant testified in his own behalf. He testified he and Ortiz moved to Sydney Drive across the street from her uncle in mid-2009. While they lived on Sydney Drive, Yesenia's children never came to their home. When he and Ortiz went to her uncle's home, he did not spend time with Yesenia's children.\n\nDefendant and Ortiz moved to Ford Boulevard in mid-2010. Yesenia and her children never came to their home. He never babysat the children.\n\nDefendant saw Yesenia's children on two occasions at Ortiz's uncle's house: Thanksgiving 2008 and a birthday party for Yesenia's son. Other than those two occasions, any time he went to the uncle's house it was to drink beer with the uncle, and Ortiz was always with him. He was never alone with Stephanie or Arianna. He could not recall ever watching a movie with Arianna.\n\nDefendant had no contact with Yesenia after March 2010. He did not like it that Yesenia encouraged Ortiz to drink and was constantly asking for money.\n\nRegarding things he said during his interviews at the police station, defendant explained he had type 2 diabetes and needed to eat and take his medication at specific times, or he would experience difficulties. The sheriffs questioned him for over three hours, during which time he had no food, water, or medication. This left him \"in a bad way.\"\n\nDefendant reviewed the video recording of the interview. He acknowledged making incriminating statements but explained that the sheriffs used the fear of something happening to his daughter against him. They also asked the same questions over and over again, and finally he just agreed with them. Additionally, although he looked okay on the video, his diabetes was elevated: \"[W]hen I told them I was diabetic, they tested me for it and I was above 400.\"\n\nDr. Iris Blandon-Gitlin is a psychologist whose area of expertise is the factors that affect the reliability of statements made by witnesses and suspects. She testified concerning the various techniques used by law enforcement during interrogations to create a stressful environment and convince a suspect to confess. She noted that due to stress suspects may not be thinking properly and may just repeat what they think the interrogating officers want to hear. Additionally, certain interrogation tactics, such as presenting false evidence or lying to suspects, lead to a high level of errors, such as unreliable information and false confessions. In her opinion some of the tactics used in the interview of defendant were coercive and could lead to a false confession. C. Rebuttal\n\nYesenia's former husband, Rodrigo D., testified that defendant and Ortiz frequently came to his Sydney Drive home. They came to every party and sometimes came over even when there was no party. The children were present during these visits.\n\nDefendant and Ortiz also visited Rodrigo and his family after they moved to Seabrook Avenue. The family visited defendant and Ortiz at the Sydney Drive and Ford Boulevard homes. Rodrigo had Ortiz watch Stephanie and Arianna when he was looking for a new home because he did not have room in his car to take the children on those trips.\n\n\nDefendant contends the incriminating statements obtained from him during the second interview in the police station were obtained in violation of Miranda and that, if that issue was waived below, it established his trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance mandating reversal. He also contends the order that he submit to HIV testing was deficient as the trial court did not first determine there was probable cause for the testing order.\n\n\nA. Defendant's Contention His Miranda Rights Were Violated\n\nDefendant claims the incriminating statements he made in his interviews were obtained in violation of Miranda and should have been excluded because his questioning amounted to a custodial interrogation without prior advisement of his Miranda rights. The People argue that this claim was forfeited by his counsel's failure to object to the admission of the statements he made during his visit to the sheriff's station on August 11, 2015.\n\n1. Applicable legal principles\n\n\"The Fifth Amendment provides that '[n]o person . . . shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself.' (U.S. Const. 5th Amend. . . .) To safeguard a suspect's Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination from the 'inherently compelling pressures' of custodial interrogation (Miranda, supra, 384 U.S. at p. 467), the high court adopted a set of prophylactic measures requiring law enforcement officers to advise an accused of his right to remain silent and to have counsel present prior to any custodial interrogation (id. at pp. 444-445).\" (People v. Jackson (2016) 1 Cal.5th 269, 338-339.) \"A statement obtained in violation of a suspect's Miranda rights may not be admitted to establish guilt in a criminal case. [Citation.]\" (Id. at p. 339.)\n\n\"It is settled that Miranda advisements are required only when a person is subjected to 'custodial interrogation.' [Citations.]\" (People v. Davidson (2013) 221 Cal.App.4th 966, 970; accord, People v. Leonard (2007) 40 Cal.4th 1370, 1400.) \"An interrogation is custodial when 'a person has been taken into custody or otherwise deprived of his freedom of action in any significant way.'\" (Leonard, supra, at p. 1400, quoting from Miranda, supra, 384 U.S. at p. 444.)\n\n\"Whether a person is in custody is an objective test: the pertinent inquiry is whether there was a formal arrest or restraint on freedom of movement of the degree associated with a formal arrest. [Citation.] The totality of the circumstances is considered and include '(1) whether the suspect has been formally arrested; (2) absent formal arrest, the length of the detention; (3) the location; (4) the ratio of officers to suspects; and (5) the demeanor of the officer, including the nature of the questioning.' [Citation.] Additional factors are whether the officer informed the person he or she was considered a witness or suspect, whether there were restrictions on the suspect's freedom of movement, whether the police were aggressive, confrontational, and/or accusatory, and whether the police used interrogation techniques to pressure the suspect. [Citation.]\" (People v. Davidson, supra, 221 Cal.App.4th at pp. 971-972.) The question is whether, under the circumstances surrounding the interrogation, \"'a reasonable person in [the] defendant's position would have felt free to end the questioning and leave' [citation].\" (People v. Leonard, supra, 40 Cal.4th at p. 1400; see People v. Zamudio (2008) 43 Cal.4th 327, 341.)\n\nTo be properly raised on appeal, the issue whether a defendant was in custody at the time he or she made statements to the police which arguably are incriminating must first be raised in the trial court. Thus, under Evidence Code section 353, subdivision (a), \"a judgment can be reversed because of an erroneous admission of evidence only if the record contains an objection both '\"timely made and so stated as to make clear the specific ground of the objection\"' or motion. [Citation.] If a defendant fails to make a timely objection on the precise ground asserted on appeal, the error is not cognizable on appeal. [Citation.]\" (People v. Polk (2010) 190 Cal.App.4th 1183, 1194.)\n\nFailure to timely and specifically raise a Miranda claim in the trial court waives that issue on appeal. (People v. Holt (1997) 15 Cal.4th 619, 667.) \"The reason for the rule is clear—failure to identify the specific ground of objection denies the opposing party the opportunity to offer evidence to cure the asserted defect. (People v. Wright (1990) 52 Cal.3d 367, 404 . . . .) 'While no particular form of objection is required [citation], the objection must be made in such a way as to alert the trial court to the nature of the anticipated evidence and the basis on which exclusion is sought, and to afford the People an opportunity to establish its admissibility.' (People v. Williams (1988) 44 Cal.3d 883, 906 . . . .)\" (Id. at pp. 666-667; accord, People v. Polk, supra, 190 Cal.App.4th at p. 1194.)\n\n\"'\"'The purpose of the general doctrine of waiver is to encourage a defendant to bring errors to the attention of the trial court, so that they may be corrected or avoided and a fair trial had . . . .'\" [Citation.] \"'No procedural principle is more familiar to this Court than that a constitutional right,' or a right of any other sort, 'may be forfeited in criminal as well as civil cases by the failure to make timely assertion of the right before a tribunal having jurisdiction to determine it.'\"' [Citation.]\" (People v. Polk, supra, 190 Cal.App.4th at p. 1194.)\n\n2. Additional facts\n\nIn a pre-trial conference, the trial court specifically asked defendant's counsel if he intended to challenge the voluntariness of the statements made to the sheriff's deputies during the August 2015 meeting at the sheriff's station.\n\nThe court: \"All right. The prosecution intends to introduce the defendant's tape-recorded admissions. According to the prosecution's memo, it's a non-custodial interview. So do you [addressing defense counsel] agree there's no Miranda issues we need to address?\"\n\nDefense counsel: \"I mean, I would argue they claim non-custodial. . . .\"\n\nThe court: \"Well, it's either a duck or a goose. Either you're raising the issue or not. If you're raising a Miranda issue . . . , then we need to address it before trial. . . . Think about it and let me know.\"\n\nDefense counsel did not raise any objection, whether to introduction of the tape of the interview of defendant while at the sheriff's station in August 2015, to the testimony offered by one of the sheriff's deputies who witnessed the interview, or to the written apology defendant wrote to the victims while he was at the station. Instead, defense counsel focused on the opinion testimony of the defense expert witness (Dr. Blandon-Gitlin) with respect to techniques for interviews and interrogations, in particular, on her opinion on the lack of reliability of confessions obtained using particular interview techniques.\n\n3. Application of Principles\n\nIt is undisputed that defendant failed to object to the contents of his interviews on Miranda grounds. His failure to do so constituted waiver of any claim of violation of his Fifth Amendment rights. (People v. Holt, supra, 15 Cal.4th at pp. 666667; People v. Polk, supra, 190 Cal.App.4th at p. 1194.) Therefore, defendant's attempt to raise a Miranda issue for the first time on appeal is rejected. B. Ineffective Assistance of Counsel Claim\n\nBecause we conclude defendant waived this issue, we do not discuss his contention regarding the voluntariness of his statements to the sheriff's deputies.\n\nDefendant utilizes the circumstances surrounding his taking a polygraph exam and speaking with the sheriff's deputies for approximately two hours and the testimony of his expert witness to support his second contention, that his trial counsel was ineffective and that reversal of his conviction is required. We do not agree.\n\n1. Applicable law\n\n\"To establish a violation of the constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel, a defendant must show both that his counsel's performance was deficient when measured against the standard of a reasonably competent attorney and that counsel's deficient performance resulted in prejudice to defendant in the sense that it 'so undermined the proper functioning of the adversarial process that the trial cannot be relied on as having produced a just result.' (Strickland v. Washington (1984) 466 U.S. 668, 686 [104 S.Ct. 2052, 2064, 80 L.Ed.2d 674]; see also People v. Wader (1993) 5 Cal.4th 610, 636 . . . .) If a defendant has failed to show that the challenged actions of counsel were prejudicial, a reviewing court may reject the claim on that ground without determining whether counsel's performance was deficient. (Strickland v. Washington, supra, . . . at p. 697 . . . .) If the record contains no explanation for the challenged behavior, an appellate court will reject the claim of ineffective assistance 'unless counsel was asked for an explanation and failed to provide one, or unless there simply could be no satisfactory explanation.' (People v. Pope (1979) 23 Cal.3d 412, 426 . . . .)\" (People v. Kipp (1998) 18 Cal.4th 349, 366-367.)\n\nFurther, \"[t]o demonstrate deficient performance, [the] defendant bears the burden of showing that counsel's performance '\"'\"fell below an objective standard of reasonableness . . . under prevailing professional norms.\"'\"' [Citation.] To demonstrate prejudice, [the] defendant bears the burden of showing a reasonable probability that, but for counsel's deficient performance, the outcome of the proceeding would have been different. [Citations.]\" (People v. Mickel (2016) 2 Cal.5th 181, 198, italics added; accord, Strickland v. Washington, supra, 466 U.S. at p. 694 [It is the obligation of the defense to affirmatively establish prejudice by demonstrating \"a reasonable probability that, but for counsel's unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different. A reasonable probability is a probability sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome\"].)\n\nWe \"'defer to counsel's reasonable tactical decisions in examining a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel [citation], and there is a \"strong presumption that counsel's conduct falls within the wide range of reasonable professional assistance.\" [Citation.] Defendant's burden is difficult to carry on direct appeal, as [the Supreme Court has] observed: \"'Reviewing courts will reverse convictions [on direct appeal] on the ground of inadequate counsel only if the record on appeal affirmatively discloses that counsel had no rational tactical purpose for [his or her] act or omission.'\" [Citation.]\" [Citation.] If the record on appeal '\"'sheds no light on why counsel acted or failed to act in the manner challenged[,] . . . unless counsel was asked for an explanation and failed to provide one, or unless there simply could be no satisfactory explanation,' the claim on appeal must be rejected,\"' and the 'claim of ineffective assistance in such a case is more appropriately decided in a habeas corpus proceeding.' [Citation.]\" (People v. Vines (2011) 51 Cal.4th 830, 876, overruled in part on another ground in People v. Hardy (2018) 5 Cal.5th 56, 104; accord, People v. Mickel, supra, 2 Cal.5th at p. 198.)\n\n2. Application of principles\n\nWe have discussed above that defense counsel was asked to consider—but never did—make an objection to introduction of defendant's inculpatory statements to the sheriff's deputies or to introduction of his written apology to the victims. The trial transcript instead reveals a defense strategy of reliance on the testimony of the defense expert witness to challenge the confession and the written apology which defendant had given to the sheriff's deputies during the interview.\n\nRather than his being ineffective, the facts and circumstances fully support the conclusion that defense counsel made a strategic choice: to seek to convince the jury that defendant's admissions were to be distrusted—that they were obtained after an interrogation of a person who had had nothing to eat or drink for several hours. There was even testimony that defendant was diabetic and that that condition may have affected the statements he made to the deputies. The defense strategy was to use this testimony and these circumstances to establish that the statements and apology were not genuine; that defendant's protestations of innocence should be believed instead.\n\nBy contrast, the People point to testimony by Detective Zuniga that defendant did not appear to be in any physical discomfort, and she would have provided him with food, water, or medical assistance if defendant appeared to have needed it, or if he had requested it.\n\nIt is the defense's burden to demonstrate \"a reasonable probability that . . . the result of the proceeding would have been different\"; such a probability must be one \"sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome,\" here in the verdicts of guilty on all four counts. (Strickland v. Washington, supra, 466 U.S., at p. 694.) Defendant did not and cannot meet that burden.\n\nSetting aside his statements to the police and his written apology, each of the victims gave compelling testimony. Stephanie and Arianna each testified as to how defendant had molested them on numerous occasions. Thus, as the People argue, even without defendant's confession, there was no probability of a different outcome, let alone \"a probability sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome.\" (Strickland v. Washington, supra, 466 U.S. at p. 694.) C. Order that Defendant Submit to AIDS Testing\n\nDefendant contends, and the People agree, that the trial court erred in ordering him to submit to AIDS testing without first having made the statutorily-required probable cause determination. We agree.\n\nSection 1202.1, subdivision (a), provides that \"the court shall order every person who is convicted of . . . a sexual offense listed in subdivision (e), whether or not a sentence or fine is imposed or probation is granted, to submit to a blood or oral mucosal transudate saliva test for evidence of antibodies to the probable causative agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) within 180 days of the date of conviction. . . .\" Section 1202.1, subdivision (e)(6)(A)(iii) and (v), require testing of defendants convicted of lewd or lascivious conduct with a child in violation of section 288 or continuous sexual abuse of a child in violation of section 288.5, \"if the court finds that there is probable cause to believe that blood, semen, or any other bodily fluid capable of transmitting HIV has been transferred from the defendant to the victim.\" Section 1202.1, subdivision (e)(6)(B), requires that the finding regarding probable exchange of bodily fluids be entered in the minutes of the court.\n\nBecause \"involuntary HIV testing is strictly limited by statute and . . . section 1202.1 conditions a testing order upon a finding of probable cause, a defendant may challenge the sufficiency of the evidence [to support such a testing order on appeal] even in the absence of an objection [in the trial court]. Without evidentiary support the order is invalid.\" (People v. Butler (2003) 31 Cal.4th 1119, 1123.) If there is no substantial evidence in the record on appeal to support the order, the appropriate remedy is to remand for further proceedings, at the election of the prosecution, to allow the prosecution to present any additional evidence it may have to establish the requisite probable cause or to strike the testing order. (Id. at p. 1129.)\n\nHere, the record contains no substantial evidence that defendant transferred bodily fluids to Stephanie or Arianna and no probable cause assessment. Therefore, the testing order must be stricken, with the matter remanded to the trial court for further proceedings as required by section 1202.1, subdivision (e)(6)(A), at the election of the prosecution. (People v. Butler, supra, 31 Cal.4th at p. 1129.)\n\n\nThe judgment is affirmed. The matter is remanded to the trial court which is directed to give the People the opportunity to establish probable cause to believe that bodily fluids capable of transmitting HIV were transferred from defendant to the victims. If the People fail to do so, the trial court is directed to strike the testing order.\n\nGOODMAN, J. We concur:\n\nRetired Judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court, assigned by the Chief Justice pursuant to article VI, section 6 of the California Constitution. --------\n\n\n\nAn alternative to Lexis that does not break the bank.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.654673159122467}
{"content": "Is Blue Light Wrecking Your Night?\n\nby Samantha K. McPherson, OD, FAAO // January - February - March 2019\n\nBlue light exposure is a growing public health concern. However, many people do not really understand exactly what blue light is and why the concern is mounting. Most of us are familiar with UV light and the harm that it can do to our eyes and skin. UV light and blue light are not the same. UV contains longer wavelengths than blue light and is part of the light spectrum that we cannot see. Blue light is visible light and has the shortest wavelengths and highest energy of all of the visible light spectrum. Sunlight is the main source of it, and being outdoors during daylight is where many of us are most exposed to blue light. But there are also many man-made, indoor sources of blue light, including fluorescent and LED lighting and flat-screen televisions. The display screens of computers, smartphones, and other digital devices emit significant amounts of blue light, although still only a fraction of that found in sunlight.\n\nBut the amount of time people spend using these devices, especially in the evening hours, has many eye doctors and other health care professionals concerned about possible long-term effects of blue light on overall health – and more specifically, eye health.\n\nOne deleterious effect of blue light exposure is poor sleep quality. Until recent modern times, people spent their evenings in relative darkness. Nowadays, many of us spend our evenings basking in the blue light that is coming from our smartphones, televisions, and other digital devices. This is problematic for our circadian rhythms, as they are thrown off by light exposure at night. Melatonin is a hormone that regulates wakefulness and your circadian rhythms. As bedtime approaches, your brain increases melatonin production in preparation for a good night’s rest. However, blue light exposure has been found to be a potent inhibitor of melatonin production. Decreased melatonin levels will cause you to sleep for shorter periods. Less sleep has been linked to increased risk for depression, as well as diabetes and cardiovascular problems. In one study, people in a sleep lab who read from an e-reader at night saw their nighttime melatonin levels drop by 55% after five days, took longer to fall asleep, had less restorative rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and felt more groggy the next day than those reading a paper book.\n\nThe retina is the delicate layer of nerve cells lining the back wall of the eyeball. This layer senses light and sends signals to the brain so that visual images can be formed. The cornea and the lens are structures at the front of the human eye that are very effective at blocking UV rays from reaching the retina at the back of the eyeball. However, blue light generally passes freely through these structures and is absorbed by the central retina, otherwise known as the macula. Laboratory studies have shown that excessive blue light exposure can damage light-sensitive cells in the retina, potentially increasing one’s risk for developing macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is a debilitating eye condition that can result in poor central vision. People with advanced AMD have blurred and distorted central vision. They are unable to drive, read, or see details on faces. An estimated 1.8 million Americans have vision loss associated with advanced AMD, while another 7.3 million are at substantial risk. Although more research is needed to determine how much blue light is too much for optimal retinal health, many eye doctors are concerned that excessive blue light exposure might increase one’s risk for developing macular degeneration in later stages of life.\n\nNot all blue light exposure is bad. In fact, some blue light exposure during the day helps to boost alertness, improve memory and cognitive function, and elevate mood. Outside play time is highly recommended for kids as blue light exposure from the sun is thought to be protective against the development of nearsightedness. However, you should take measures to protect yourself from excessive blue light exposure during the day, and especially at night. Avoid looking at bright screens beginning two to three hours before bed. If you must look at a device in the evening, consider using the setting on your phone or laptop that shifts your screen to more orange-red longer-wavelength lights at night. If your phone has this capability, it might be called “Night Shift” or “Night Mode.” An app such as f.lux will achieve similar results on your desktop. A variety of blue-light blocking anti-reflective coatings and lenses are available in both prescription and non-prescription varieties. Lutein and zeaxanthin are pigments that are found in the macula. They are powerful internal blue light blockers, stopping the blue light from being absorbed by the macula. Lutein and zeaxanthin are not produced by your body and must come from your diet. They are most abundant in dark green leafy vegetables such as kale, collard greens, turnip greens, and spinach. Broccoli, peas, and avocados are also good sources of this powerful antioxidant duo. If you are curious about your levels of lutein and zeaxanthin, some eye doctors have equipment that can indirectly measure the amounts in your macula. If your levels are low, you can increase your intake of lutein and zeaxanthin-rich fods or you can take supplements.\n\nResearch on blue light and its effects on our eye and overall health is still in early stages. However, being aware of your blue light exposure is an important first step, and reducing your blue light exposure can very well help to improve your sleep quality and possibly reduce your risk for blinding eye conditions in the future.\n\nSamantha K. McPherson, OD, FAAO\n\nFounder of Dry Eye Center of NC, a subspecialty clinic of McPherson Family Eye Care.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7889283299446106}
{"content": "expand on the concepts presented in the articles\n\n1)make sure to include information from the course (use the book as the reference) to expand on the concepts presented in the articles. YOU MUST REFERENCE COURSE MATERIAL.\n\n2) Summarize (about 1.5 double spaced pages each) the article and be sure to include how it relates to the topic covered in class.\n3) Make sure that you include in-text citations along with a reference page -in proper APA style.  You should have references for the book and the articles\n\narticle1: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/22/health/depression-treatment-research.html?fbclid=IwAR12e2GJuxuAQ-XvFTz7LWW9dQ1_XVvVI5JHoXSpQsfxPPQOeTeSIYsu3pg\n\narticle2: https://www.bustle.com/p/grief-depression-are-different-but-heres-how-the-line-between-them-gets-blurred-according-to-experts-8012849?fbclid=IwAR3ow76oWxdIe4paNFYi15qUgXWHIDaJ4n76Y2y361uP5J6gkwJB19Gubp0\n\nfind the cost of your paper", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9987015724182129}
{"content": "Kindergarten learns the art of letter writing\n\nEdmunds students in Miss B’s classroom practiced informative writing by writing letters to friends in their class. Students began the week by reading stories involving letters so they could hear some good examples. Next, the class wrote some letters together and used some of the letter writing tips from the stories. Finally, the students were ready to put their letter writing to the test. Each student picked a friend in the classroom and wrote them a letter. They put their letter in an envelope addressed to their friend and were able to hand deliver it! The students were proud of their letter writing and also proud of their personalized letters to take home and read to their families!\n\n\nPublished on", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9970738291740417}
{"content": "Join Our Other 100,000 Fans!\n\nWhy does my dog eat grass and should I stop it?\n\njack russell terrier eating grass outside\n\nYour dog may have a tendency to eat grass now and then. Does that mean that they'll be swearing off kibble? We can assure you that will never happen.\n\nBut, why do dogs eat grass and should you stop them? Let's dive in!\n\nWhat is the main reason why my dog eats grass?\n\nVeterinarians have yet to agree on a single cause for your dog to begin nibbling on your grass, but do have a number of ideas.\n\nOne of the most common theories is that your pup may begin eating grass when they don't feel well or to cause them to throw up. While many veterinarians and pet owners believe that this is a likely reason for their dogs to eat grass, other experts dismiss this claim by arguing that there has been no scientific evidence to support dogs being able to self-medicate. Often, they cite figures from existing studies that indicate that less than 25% of dogs observed eating grass will vomit afterwards. In fact, less than 10% of pet owners surveyed claim to have noticed any signs that their dog was feeling unwell prior to eating grass.\n\nAnother theory that is quickly gaining support among veterinarians is that your dog may be turning to grass to address some unmet nutritional need. Veterinarians who share this opinion often cite examples of dogs that were eating grass and stopped after changes were made to their diet. One such example involved a miniature poodle that ate grass and vomited every day for 7 years. Once the dog was placed on a high-fiber diet, they stopped eating grass completely.\n\nShould I stop my dog from eating grass?\n\nIf you notice that your dog has begun eating grass, it's more important to try to determine why they are doing it. Are they not feeling well? Is their dog food not meeting their nutritional needs? Are they bored? Once you've determined why your dog took to nibbling on your lawn, you should be able to address the problem so that they don't feel a need to do so any longer. Don't hesitate to speak to your vet and discuss your dog's dietary needs and behavioral changes that you may notice.\n\nIf your dog isn't feeling well from eating grass\n\nPay close attention to their symptoms. Is their stomach just a bit upset, or are they showing signs of more severe gastrointestinal distress? If they are showing signs of depression, lethargy, loss of coordination, or anxiety, it's always best to consult a veterinarian. If however, their stomach just appears to be a bit upset, you could allow them to eat the grass or give them some water to see if that helps settle things.\n\nIs your dog eating grass because of a nutritional issue?\n\nYou may want to try switching your dog to another dog food, perhaps one that is high in fiber to see if that helps. You may find that your dog forgets all about grass entirely. As always, sudden changes in your dog's diet can result in short term digestive upset and diarrhea. So, it's recommended to slowly transition them to a new dog food.\n\nIs your dog eating grass out of boredom?\n\nTry giving them something else to do. You could try playing ball, giving them a new chew toy, or taking them on a walk.\n\nCan my dog be harmed by fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides?\n\nOne final thing to consider, when it comes to your dog eating grass, is what products you may be using on your lawn. Many fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides can be extremely dangerous if they're ingested by your dog, even in small amounts. As a result, you should under no circumstances allow your dog to eat grass that has previously been treated by any chemical. If you feel that your dog has eaten grass that has been treated by a fertilizer, herbicide, or pesticide, take them to your veterinarian or local animal hospital immediately.\n\nWe hope you found this information helpful, but most of all we hope your pooch is feeling better. Please consult your local Veterinarian for solutions specific to your dog.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8825646638870239}
{"content": "Secretaria de Cultura y Turismo\n\nConvention center\nGuest rooms\nGuest rooms at one hotel\nSpecial event venues\nAverage room rate\nDaily food cost\nOccupancy rate\nTax rate\n\nWhy Choose Our Destination?\n\nSantiago de Cali usually known by its short name \"Cali\" is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in western Colombia. It is the main sports center of Colombia, being the only Colombian city to have hosted the Pan American Games. Before the arrival of the Spaniards, the region was inhabited by many indigenous tribes, mostly speakers of Cariban languages. In the region between the Cauca River and the Western Cordillera, the Gorrones established themselves between the present day Roldanillo and Santiagop de Cali. Santiago de Cali offers historical areas with cultural variety and other attractions. In downtown Cali there are many historic churches such as La Merced and La Ermita. Cali contains a well preserved historical center. There is a variety of nightclubs and restaurants. In the city you can find whole districts dedicated to tourism.\n\nDistance from airport\n\n  • Aeropuerto Internacional Alfonso Bonilla Aragón de\n\n    20 km from city center\n\n\n\nContact us\n\nAlready have an account?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5469986200332642}
{"content": "Boris Amar\n\nForbidden Fruit\n\nLiquid flame, undaunted in its flow,\nI'll extinguish the mesmeric ethereal bodies\ndisseminated across the flawless nocturnal sky..\nI savor the mineral taste\nas I search for the precious, miniscule stone\nburied deep beneath your mine.\nIt bears godlikeness, an imminent sense of urgency\nto exorcize the haunting demons of beauty with crushing tenderness.\nThe cryptic conduit that leads to its soporific attributes.\n\n[Report Error]", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9233585596084595}
{"content": "Why Aren't You Listening to Me!\n\nEvery parent has said these words to their kids at some point.  And if you don’t have kids, you’ve likely said these words to a loved one.  In the business world, it’s a widespread complaint that people don’t listen.  Why is it so hard?\n\nCountless business gurus teach “deep listening”, and “active listening”, they tell people to listen fully without thinking about what they are going to say next.  But as much as we can tell people this, real listening is still a rare find.\n\nHere are some tips to improve your listening skills.\n\nYou have to actually care about the other person and what they are saying.  That’s right if you truly don’t care what the other person is saying, it’s impossible to listen fully.  If you truly don’t care, put both of you out of your misery, and just end the discussion. Let them go talk to someone who cares.\n\nCommit to focusing on what they are saying.  Experts talk about “level 3 listening”.  \n\n  • Level 1: Listening to your internal voice\n  • Level 2: Listening intently to another person\n  • Level 3: Listening to others in the context of their surroundings.\n\nCan you quiet your mind to listen fully to the other person, and allow the surroundings and context to emerge?  It’s a bit like meditation in that you need to train your mind to focus. Meditation is a great practice to help you focus on listening.\n\nLet go of planning your response.  Free your mind from thinking about what to say next, and you will be able to fully listen.  Most of us find this very difficult. One way to practice letting go of planning is through Improv.  In Improvisational theater, or Impro, there’s no way to know what the other players will say, so there is no way to plan your next line.  You start to see that when you don’t plan, you build the confidence that the answer will come, and usually, it’s better than what you would have planned.  Once you get used to the line or the answer is there for you, you stop trying to plan.\n\nWhat if the other person is not listening?  You can’t force someone to listen.  But you can model the behavior you want to receive.  It’s cliche, but true, “Be the change you want to see”.\n\nHow have you tuned you listening behavior?  Let us know!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5660400390625}
{"content": "Ayurvedic Healing\n\nIn Kerala, Ayurveda is not just a healthcare system but it is a part and parcel of every aspect of life, in fact it is a lifestyle in Kerala so to speak. The miracles like paralysed people walk, incurable diseases cured etc. that happen even today inspires respect and awe for the Ayurvedic Doctors of Kerala.\n\nKerala possesses an unbroken tradition of Ayurveda that has surpassed the many invasions and intrusions both foreign and native. For hundreds of years the Ayurveda Vaidyras (traditional practitioners of Ayurveda) were almost the only access for people seeking healing from every kind of disease in Kerala. In fact, today, Kerala is the only State in India which practices this system of medicine with absolute dedication. The ideal geographic location of Kerala and its salubrious climate has made external purification and rejuvenation therapies most effective for treatment of many psychosomatic disorders. The high humidity in Kerala helps to open up the body pores and the medicinal oils used in massaging get easily absorbed into the body there by increasing the effectiveness of the treatment. Sirodhara, Pizhichil, Navarakizhi, Thalapothichil, Pachakizhi and Podikizhi are some of the kerala special ayurvedic procedures.\n\nTHREKA is in tie up with leading Ayurveda Hospitals and Ayurveda Health Centers in the state where modern pharmaceutical procedures and classical Ayurvedic traditions blended perfectly and heal you better. So do come to Gods Own Country for rejuvenation therapy, as well as seeking treatments for specific diseases, with a memorable holiday.\n\nFeatured Packages", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.658350944519043}
{"content": "Madrid Naval Museum\n\nSpain has a rich naval history dating back to Catholic monarchs and the famous Spanish Armada.  From early explorers to key naval battles, and even to Columbus’ discovery of America, much of Spanish naval history is also monumental world history. The country’s maritime legacy is on display at the Museo Naval, tucked away behind a sleek facade in the middle of downtown Madrid. \n\nThere are several rooms to explore with over 10,000 museum pieces on display, presented in chronological order. Visitor can see historic navigation instruments, paintings, charts, naval weapons, and even pieces of old ships. The collection also features artifacts from the historic Battle of Trafalgar.  \n\nA large map wall shows all of the maritime journeys of Spain from the 15th to the 18th century.  Perhaps the highlight of the collection is the Juan de la Cosa map, which is the oldest known preserved map of the Americas.\nAdresse: Paseo del Prado, 5, Madrid, Spain, Spanien\nLæs mere\n\nTure og aktiviteter (0)\n\nRyd alle\nVælg datoer\n\nIngen resultater fundet.\n\nSortér efter:Standard\n\nHar du problemer med at booke online?\n+45 78 76 84 56\nRing på +45 78 76 84 56", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9704305529594421}
{"content": "This organisation strives to make the lives of the disabled citizens of Ireland a fairer one. Their main hope is that one day everyone will be equally valued, regardless of their special needs. They do this by actively listening to the people who deal with these issues on a day to day basis. They then do their most to make this voice heard by the general public.\n\nThey estimate that there are currently over half a million people in Ireland who have a form of disability. The organisation sees themselves as a force for change. They recognise that the current culture around disability is not fit for purpose and that there needs to be many changes in the coming years.\n\nThey have looked into a number of issues that affect disabled people. This includes education. According to the Disability Federation Of Ireland, children with special needs find it much harder to get a place in the education system. They also have difficulty learning due to the fact that schools do not cater to their own individual special needs.\n\nImage result for Disability Federation Of IrelandEmployment is also a major issue. There are many disabled people in Ireland who have great difficulty both finding and holding onto a job. This has major consequences for their quality of life and the lives of those who care for them. Without a sufficient income to live on, there are a large number of disabled Irish citizens who are currently living in poverty.\n\nOne of the biggest problems faced by the broad population of disabled Irish citizens is accessibility. There are many buildings in the country that are simply not accessible to those with mobility issues. The organisation looks at each of these problems and are vocal at how they need to be remedied in order to improve the lives of many people.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9008340835571289}
{"content": "  chemical and physical separations methods of iron ore\n\nchemical and physical separations methods of iron ore\n\nMineral Dressing Test\n\n\nMine Design\n\n\nEquipment Manufacture\n\n\nLeave messages\n\nIron Ore ScienceDirect\n\n2 - Mineralogical, chemical, and physical characteristics of iron ore . Often, a chemical separation is the only method able to remove phosphorus from iron ores.\n\nWhich physical separation methods are suggested for\n\nWhich physical separation methods are suggested for decreasing the tailing And we want to decrease the volume of the ore in order to process in wifley table.\n\nIron Ore - 1st Edition - Elsevier\n\n2: Mineralogical, chemical, and physical characteristics of iron ore 9: Developments in the physical separation of iron ore: magnetic separation ore for the sintering process; 14.4 Recent developments in iron ore sintering; 14.5 Conclusions.\n\nIron Ore Magnetic Separation - 911 Metallurgist\n\nThe magnetic iron ores found in different localities vary in their iron content, but also in their physical structure.\n\nPhysical separation - MINTEK MINTEK\n\nThe beneficiation of chromite and iron ore using gravity and magnetic separation and vermiculite upgrading by dry separation techniques, have become\n\nThe Extraction of Iron - Chemistry LibreTexts\n\nNov 29, 2015 Extracting iron from iron ore using a Blast Furnace . This section deals with the types of iron and steel which are produced as a result of the\n\nProcesses for Beneficiation of Iron Ores ispatguru.com\n\nMar 28, 2015 Mining of iron ores requires drilling, blasting, crushing, screening, and blending all of the methods used to process ore to improve its chemical, physical and . Roughers are used to make a coarse separation of iron bearing\n\n\nOct 1, 2009 The unit operations involved include crushing, grinding, separation, dewatering, for many low-grade ores that are resistant to physical concentration. For example, many ores contain iron oxide in a nonmagnetic form and are so than can be achieved from difficult-to-process ores by conventional means.\n\nRecovery Improvement of Fine Iron Ore Particles by - CiteSeerX\n\nAbstract: Conventional gravity separation process of iron mineral fines is not very Detailed mineralogical, physical and chemical characteristics of a goethitic-.\n\nProcesses for phosphorus removal from iron ore - a review - Scielo.br\n\nPhosphorus can be removed from iron ore by very different routes of treatment. by physical processes flotation and selective agglomeration, chemical able to completely remove the phosphorus present in some types of iron ore when trying . The gravity separation by jigging achieved an acceptable enrichment of iron\n\nSeparation of Iron from Cobalt or Nickel - Analytical Chemistry ACS\n\nInd. Eng. Chem. Anal. Ed. , 1943, 15 1, pp 26–27. Publication Date: January 1943. ACS Legacy Archive. Cite this:Ind. Eng. Chem. Anal. Ed. 15, 1, 26-27.\n\nMetallurgical Testing for Iron Ore - SGS\n\nFor the iron ore exploration and mining industries minerals and chemical industries in the design and All physical separation techniques can be tested at\n\n6 Steel Industry Separation Technologies for the Industries of the\n\nThe first is called the integrated segment because iron ore and coke made from . Obviously, better separation methods for removing copper and other residual . chemical and physical quality of iron-bearing materials for blast furnace feed\n\nPhysical Separation\n\nFILTRATION is the process of removing or \"straining\" a solid the chemical term mixture, they can decide what physical separation techniques will best allow . 4 points A student is given a 6.216 g mixture of iron filings, calcium chloride and.\n\nIron ore - Wikipedia\n\nIron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. There are four main types of iron-ore deposits worked currently, depending on Taconite tailings are mostly the mineral quartz, which is chemically inert. efficient magnetic separation to provide a high purity magnetite concentrate.\n\nMineral processing - Wikipedia\n\nIn the field of extractive metallurgy, mineral processing, also known as ore dressing, is the A later example was the Cornish stamps, consisting of a series of iron The simplest method of separating ore from gangue consists of picking out the and surface chemical properties; and dewatering – solidliquid separation.\n\nMining of mineral resources - mstworkbooks.co.za\n\nMinerals are useful chemical compounds for making new materials that we can use . In South Africa, this method is used to mine for iron, copper, chromium, .. You might remember some of the different methods of physical separation from\n\nMineral processing metallurgy Britannica.com\n\nIt is the first process that most ores undergo after mining in order to provide a more iron or steel balls that are caused to tumble, under the influence of gravity, and electrostatic separation, and physicochemical flotation separation.\n\nBBC - GCSE Bitesize: Methods of extracting metals\n\nOres are naturally occurring rocks that contain metal or metal compounds in sufficient The method used to extract metals from the ore in which they are found depends However, chemical reactions may be needed to remove other elements that might Music Physical Education Religious Studies Science Spanish.\n\nCharacterisation and Processing of Some Iron Ores of India\n\n\nMaximizing the recovery of fine iron ore using magnetic separation\n\nThe beneficiation of fine iron ore will increase in importance in the future because a pelletizing concentrate with very strict chemical and physical specifications. . and submitted for X-ray diffraction XRD analysis, using the Rietveld method.\n\n\nHematite is the most important ore of iron and it has been used by people as a Oolites are tiny round spheres of chemically precipitated hematite. investments allow companies to efficiently mine and process the ore. preparations for heavy media separation, radiation shielding, ballast, and many other products.\n\nSeparation of Sand, Iron, and Salt Department of Chemistry\n\nThe components of a mixture are separated based on their physical properties. concept that we use in many chemical analysis and synthesis techniques.\n\nMetallurgy - 2012 Book Archive\n\nOther methods that take advantage of unusual physical or chemical properties of Metallurgy depends on the separation of a metal compound from its ore and\n\nDephosphorization Treatment of High Phosphorus Iron Ore by Pre\n\nthe low temperature carbothermic reduction process of high phosphorus Table 1. Chemical composition of the high phosphorus iron ore Hamersley used in this investigation mass%. effect of fine, medium and course screen separation on the .. 6 Physical and Chemical Data Book for Iron- and Steelmaking Iron-.\n\nWO2013138889A1 - A process and system for dry recovery of iron\n\nThe present invention solves the problems of magnetic separation processes that A process and system for dry recovery of iron-ore fines and superfines and a .. With a view to make a physicochemical characterization of a known pile of\n\nDesulfurization of Iron Ores: Processes and Challenges\n\nMay 24, 2018 Desulfurization of Iron Ores: Processes and Challenges physical separation methods, and magnetic separation technique are discussed.\n\nPart-1 - Indian Bureau of Mines\n\nwell as the fourth most abundant 5% of the, for iron ores of specific chemical Iron ore and physical structure, almost all iron ores deposits containing up to 70% iron and steel and direct reduced iron DRI. separation methods are used to\n\n\nis mostly used method for enrichment of iron ores. Method for separation is based on different Chemical composition of the raw siderite ore is presented in\n\nmineralogical and separation characteristics of iron ore fines from\n\nPhysical separation methods were 27. Table 1. Typical chemical composition of ore. Constituent. Weight,%. Fe. 55.0- in mineralogy, chemical composition,.\n\nConcentration of Ores: Hydraulic Washing, Froth Flotation with\n\nSo nearly all rocks on the planet have some metal or mineral content. However The correct method is chosen based on the physical and chemical properties of the metal. So we use the principle of gravity separation to separate the two.\n\nReduction of Sulphur Content of AGBAJA Iron Ore using\n\nReduction; Sulphur content; AGBAJA; Iron ore and hydrochloric acid HCL . from iron ores involves smelting process, physical separation and chemical\n\nremoval of phosphorus through roasting of oolitic iron ore with\n\nconcentration of acid and to a less extent duration of the leaching process. Attempts for physical separation of phosphorus from similar Australian iron ore . Chemical analysis of the concentrate before and after leaching has been done\n\nBeneficiation Plants and Pelletizing Plants for Utilizing Low Grade\n\nbeneficiation plants for upgrading iron ore and pelletizing plants for physical separation technique, and a number of existing mines Iron ores can be classified in different ways. The . adding a chemical collector agent that is adsorbed.\n\nIron Ore Flotation, Reverse Cationic Flotation, Reverse Anionic\n\nimportant to process intermediate- and low-grade iron ore in an attempt to meet the rapidly growing demand on the repeated magnetic or hydraulic separation, due to the . The physicochemical fundamentals of starch gelatinization.\n\nIron - Department of Energy\n\nThe chemical element iron is the fourth most common element in the Earths crust and the second most There are two basic methods of mining iron ore. These are: . Using the magnetic properties of magnetite, magnetic-separation is the principal choice for taconite. The final adjustment in the physical and chemical\n\nphysical methods used to mine gold\n\nphysical methods of separation of iron Xinhai Mining the gold chemical or physical separation methods used the chemical or physical separation method used\n\nMineral Mixtures and Mining - Dig Into Mining\n\nMixture of iron filings, sand, beads that will float in water-but too small to pick out by There are several physical and chemical separation techniques that are.\n\nMa$netic separations in chemistry and biochemistrY - Whitesides\n\ntechniques. . Magnetic separations are inf reqtrently used in chemistry. How is it that chemistry, which has cheerfully exploited separations based on almost every type of physical .. Beneficiation of iron ore requires a continuous separator.\n\nPhysical Separation 11 Sponsored by: - Minerals Engineering\n\nJun 23, 2011 11.10 Preconcentration applied to a low grade iron ore deposit . Decanter centrifuges are used widely in the chemical and process industries\n\nWant to work with us? 008615101174942 [email protected]\nOur Address\n\nYantai, Shandong, China.\n\nGeneral Enquiries\n\n[email protected]\n\nCall us\n\n+86 151 0117 4942\n\nOur Address\n\nD501/D505, Lifi Space, Sixinzhuang Street,\nChaoyang District Beijing, China\n\nGeneral Enquiries\n\n[email protected]\n\nCall us\n\n+86 151 0117 4942\n\nEmail:[email protected]\nContact me", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9845312833786011}
{"content": "Jenna Maurer\n\nJenna has had a passion for hair and the beauty industry since she was very young. Since graduating, she enjoys improving her skills by taking advanced education classes to expand her knowledge and techniques for her clients. Staying up to date on new trends and styles is something she believes is very important. She is always excited to try new things and Aveda allows her to step outside the box to create something beautiful. She thoroughly enjoys balayage/ombre, foiling, men's cutting, and skin care. She prides herself in listening and understanding her client's needs to give them the best possible salon experience.\nIn Industry Since: \nAt Genesis Since: \n\nCustomer Comments\n\nThere are no customer comments for this staff member at this time.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9930636286735535}
{"content": "Primary 6 Problem Sums/Word Problems - Try FREE\n\nScore :\n\nQuestion 1 of 3\n\nKathy, Alice and Mary have some marbles.\n\nThe ratio of the total number of marbles Alice and Mary have to the number of marbles Kathy has is 15:28.\n\nAlso, the ratio of the number of marbles Alice has to the total number of marbles that Kathy and Mary have is 9:34.\n\nIf Mary has 36 marbles, how many marbles do they have altogether?\n\nThe correct answer is : 258", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9979076981544495}
{"content": "Friday, 18 January, 2019\n\nWhite House says tax refunds will go out on time\n\nWhite House says tax refunds ‘will go out’ but tax professionals say be prepared White House says tax refunds ‘will go out’ but tax professionals say be prepared\nNellie Chapman | 10 January, 2019, 04:38\n\nThe Internal Revenue Service plans to pay tax refunds in the coming weeks, administration officials say, after the White House decided Monday it was legally permissible to process tax returns during a government shutdown.\n\nAccording to the Wall Street Journal, Russell Vought, the acting OMB director, told reporters, the administration is trying to make the government shutdown as \"painless as possible consistent with the law\".\n\nCBS News says White House officials announced tax refunds will go out and will not be affected by the shutdown.\n\n\"There's also a lot of opportunities with different corporations or different tax places in the area that do offer what's called the advance on returns\".\n\nConcern has been growing that hundreds of billions of dollars in refunds would be delayed until the shutdown ends because funding for them wouldn't be available.\n\nIt is nearing the time of year when many of us start receiving our W-2 forms and begin to search through the files or shoeboxes for the receipts and other documents in that annual chore known as filing our taxes.\n\nApril 15 is the deadline for most taxpayers to submit 2018 tax returns, taxpayers who live in ME or MA have until April 17 to file due to state holidays.\n\nThe shift from the White House comes as officials prepare for an extended shutdown.\n\n\n\"[The] longer the shutdown lasts, the more government services will grind to a halt\".\n\nThat's what will happen if the shutdown continues past the opening date for tax returns. If the tax filing season opens later than last year-on January 29, 2019-please explain the delay and whether the lapse in government funding played a role.\n\n\nAccording to IRS data through April 2018, the IRS processed over 130 million individual tax returns and issued close to 100 million refunds that totaled $275 billion.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6081714630126953}
{"content": "Simply: A Lifetime\n\n 'They have to be old; it takes almost a lifetime to learn how to do a thing simply.' - Old Mr. Flood, (regarding the subject of chefs), Joseph Mitchell\n\n'I believe I do better photography when shooting in black and white and not getting confused by any other medium. I’ve refined it to a point where I know what I want to shoot, how to handle the camera and keep it relatively simple.' - Andy Summers, The Leica Camera Blog", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9785188436508179}
{"content": "3 years\n\n\nDeath of a Child\n\nPage 1 of 1\n\n\nYOUR COLUMNIST, always firmly convinced that choice of death is an inalienable right of a human being, was once upon a time an admirer of the Jain custom of Santhara, where a person, usually aged, decides to fast to death. He thought it a dignified and courageous exit when life has fulfilled its potential. However, the fullness of time has caused a revisitation of those views, primarily for two reasons—Santhara requires an enormous act of willpower and the adulation that accrues from it within the community might lead those who don’t possess such will to embark on it; secondly, it is a public spectacle and a person once committed to it will find it hard to reverse the decision because of the humiliation and embarrassment involved. Like most things in life, what seems gracious in principle turns out to have numerous twists and turns in practice. What should have been a spiritual journey has an in-built craving for glory since it is a public event.\n\nThis great felicitation by the community of those who go on long fasts explains how a large section of the Jain community still refuses to concede their responsibility for the death of 13-year-old Aradhana Samdariya in Secunderabad after fasting for 68 days. She had embarked on fasts stretching a few weeks earlier but 68 days was more than what her body could handle. Her parents claim they just acceded to her desire for such a long fast and the police have charged them with culpable homicide. The Hindustan Times reported a meeting of community leaders following this and quoted Jain guru Mangilal Bhandari as saying: “Nobody has a right to interfere in our fundamental rights to practise our religion. The filing of cases against the parents of Aradhana amounts to interfering in the spiritual matters of the community.”\n\nThere is a humanitarian case for not giving jail time to the parents because losing a child seems to be punishment enough, but to argue that religion absolves them of irresponsibility is arrogance. It is the mindset that would have celebrated Sati and untouchability in perpetuity. The least the community’s leaders should do is to immediately bar all non-adults from extended fasting. Instead, if they eulogise the death, it only romanticises fasting for other children.\n\nFor a country that has been at starvation levels for so much of its history, the attraction of fasting is extraordinary. The whole Independence movement was based on periodic shots of adrenalin from Mahatma Gandhi’s fasts. He made political capital out of a spiritual practice, fasted all the time, encouraged others to do it, and yet also said that fasting is ‘not altogether free from danger. I myself have before condemned fasting when it seemed to me to be wrong or morally unjustified’. Allowing a 13-year-old to go on a 68-day fast is both wrong and morally unjustified. Failing to concede this makes it criminal.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8266103267669678}
{"content": "background preloader\n\nMental disorders in the 20th century\n\nFacebook Twitter\n\nWikipedia entry on mental disorders in the 20th century. Public health. Newspaper headlines from around the world about polio vaccine tests (13 April 1955)\n\nPublic health\n\nMental health. Profession. A profession is a vocation founded upon specialized educational training, the purpose of which is to supply objective counsel and service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other business gain.[1] The term is in essence a rather vaguer version of the term \"liberal profession\", an anglicisation of the French term \"profession libérale\".\n\n\n\n\nClinical psychology\n\n\n\nSocial work\n\nA person who practices social work is called a social worker. Psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis is a set of psychological and psychotherapeutic theories and associated techniques, originally popularized by Austrian physician Sigmund Freud and stemming partly from the clinical work of Josef Breuer and others.\n\n\nSince then, psychoanalysis has expanded and been revised, reformed and developed in different directions. This was initially by Freud's colleagues and students, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav Jung who went on to develop their own ideas independently from Freud. Later neo-Freudians included Erich Fromm, Karen Horney, Harry Stack Sullivan and Jacques Lacan. The basic tenets of psychoanalysis include the following: Under the broad umbrella of psychoanalysis there are at least 22 theoretical orientations regarding human mental development.\n\n\nWorld War II\n\n\n\nThe Holocaust\n\nEtymology and use of the term Distinctive features. Euthanasia. Euthanasia (from Greek: εὐθανασία; \"good death\": εὖ, eu; \"well\" or \"good\" – θάνατος, thanatos; \"death\") refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering.\n\n\nEuthanasia is categorized in different ways, which include voluntary, non-voluntary, or involuntary. Voluntary euthanasia is legal in some countries and U.S. states. Non-voluntary euthanasia is illegal in all countries. Psychiatrist. A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry.\n\n\n\n\nInternational Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems\n\nThis system is designed to map health conditions to corresponding generic categories together with specific variations, assigning for these a designated code, up to six characters long. Thus, major categories are designed to include a set of similar diseases. The ICD is revised periodically and is currently in its tenth revision. Historical synopsis[edit] Endocrinology. Endocrinology is concerned with study of the biosynthesis, storage, chemistry, biochemical and physiological function of hormones and with the cells of the endocrine glands and tissues that secrete them. Various specializations exist, including behavioral endocrinology[1][2][3] and comparative endocrinology. The endocrine system consists of several glands, all in different parts of the body, that secrete hormones directly into the blood rather than into a duct system.\n\nHormones have many different functions and modes of action; one hormone may have several effects on different target organs, and, conversely, one target organ may be affected by more than one hormone. Stress (biology) Walter Cannon used it in 1926 to refer to external factors that disrupted what he called homeostasis.[2] But \"...stress as an explanation of lived experience is absent from both lay and expert life narratives before the 1930s\".[3] Physiological stress represents a wide range of physical responses that occur as a direct effect of a stressor causing an upset in the homeostasis of the body.\n\nUpon immediate disruption of either psychological or physical equilibrium the body responds by stimulating the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems. The reaction of these systems causes a number of physical changes that have both short and long term effects on the body. Homeostasis is a concept central to the idea of stress. In biology, most biochemical processes strive to maintain equilibrium (homeostasis), a steady state that exists more as an ideal and less as an achievable condition.\n\nThe ambiguity in defining this phenomenon was first recognized by Hans Selye (1907-1982) in 1926. Outpatient commitment. Outpatient commitment refers to mental health law that allows the involuntary treatment of individuals diagnosed with mental disorders who are resident in the community rather than detained in hospital. The individual may be subject to rapid recall to hospital, including for forced treatment, if the conditions of the plan/order are broken.\n\nThis generally means taking psychiatric medication as directed and may also include attending appointments with a mental health professional, and sometimes even not to take non-prescribed illict drugs and not associate with certain people or in certain places deemed to have been linked to a deterioration in mental health in that individual. In the United States the term \"assisted outpatient treatment\" or \"AOT\" is often used and refers to a process whereby a judge orders a qualifying person with symptoms of severe untreated mental illness to adhere to a mental health treatment plan while living in the community. Implementation[edit] United States[edit] Lobotomy. Lobotomy (Greek: λοβός – lobos: \"lobe (of brain)\"; τομή – tomē: \"cut/slice\") is a neurosurgical procedure, a form of psychosurgery, also known as a leukotomy or leucotomy (from the Greek λευκός – leukos: \"clear/white\" and tome).\n\nIt consists of cutting or scraping away most of the connections to and from the prefrontal cortex, the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain. While the procedure, initially termed a leucotomy, has been controversial since its inception in 1935, it was a mainstream procedure for more than two decades, prescribed for psychiatric (and occasionally other) conditions – this despite general recognition of frequent and serious side-effects. Context[edit] Insulin shock therapy. Insulin shock therapy or insulin coma therapy (ICT) was a form of psychiatric treatment in which patients were repeatedly injected with large doses of insulin in order to produce daily comas over several weeks.[1] It was introduced in 1927 by Austrian-American psychiatrist Manfred Sakel and used extensively in the 1940s and 1950s, mainly for schizophrenia, before falling out of favour and being replaced by neuroleptic drugs in the 1960s.[2]\n\nElectroconvulsive therapy. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), formerly known as electroshock, is a standard psychiatric treatment in which seizures are electrically induced in patients to provide relief from psychiatric illnesses.[1] ECT is usually used as a last line of intervention for major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, mania and catatonia.[2] A usual course of ECT involves multiple administrations, typically given two or three times per week until the patient is no longer depressed. Anti-psychiatry. Anti-psychiatry is the view that psychiatric treatments are ultimately more damaging than helpful to patients. Psychiatry is seen by proponents of anti-psychiatry as a coercive instrument of oppression. According to anti-psychiatry, psychiatry involves an unequal power relationship between doctor and patient, and a highly subjective diagnostic process, leaving too much room for opinions and interpretations.[1][2][3] Anti-psychiatry originates in an objection to what some view as dangerous treatments.[2] Examples include electroconvulsive therapy, insulin shock therapy, brain lobotomy,[2] and the over-prescription of potentially dangerous pharmaceutical drugs.\n\nAn immediate concern lies in the significant increase in prescribing psychiatric drugs for children.[1][2] Every society, including liberal Western society, permits involuntary treatment or involuntary commitment of mental patients.[1] Psychiatric survivors movement. The psychiatric survivors movement (more broadly consumer/survivor/ex-patient movement[1]) is a diverse association of individuals who either currently access mental health services (known as consumers or service users), or who consider themselves survivors of interventions by psychiatry, or who identify themselves as ex-patients of mental health services.[2] History[edit] Deinstitutionalisation. Deinstitutionalisation (or deinstitutionalization) is the process of replacing long-stay psychiatric hospitals with less isolated community mental health services for those diagnosed with a mental disorder or developmental disability.\n\nCommunity mental health service. Homelessness. Although The Bowery once was synonymous with homelessness, it has since become an avenue of high-priced luxury condominiums that jockey for space with its past. Chinese Classification of Mental Disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy. CBT has been demonstrated to be effective for the treatment of a variety of conditions, including mood, anxiety, personality, eating, substance abuse, tic, and psychotic disorders. Many CBT treatment programs for specific disorders have been evaluated for efficacy; the health-care trend of evidence-based treatment, where specific treatments for symptom-based diagnoses are recommended, has favored CBT over other approaches such as psychodynamic treatments.[3] However, other researchers have questioned the validity of such claims to superiority over other treatments.[4][5] History[edit] Philosophical roots[edit]\n\nPsychiatric medication. Antidepressant. Benzodiazepine. Lithium (medication) Antipsychotic. Chlorpromazine. Eugenics. Compulsory sterilization. World War I. Shell shock.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.938920259475708}
{"content": "How often do people set New Year's Resolutions only to break them with a short period of time. Unfortunately, their motivation can quickly fade. That's why partnering with others to write your memoirs will help you stay on track while enjoying the process. In the Memoir Writer's Mentoring program, you'll receive the support you need to stay on task with writing your Memoirs.\n\n\nLegacy Coach -- Sign up for our coaching program where you will participate on a weekly call, led by author and legacy expert, Lyn Fisher. Every other week will be group story sharing and writing ideas, and the other two weeks will feature great tips for massaging your stories, making them a more enjoyable read for others.\n\nMemoir Partner #1 -- When you the Memoir Writer's group, you'll be assigned a partner with whom you will share weekly calls share you'll share ideas and encourage each other to \"keep writing!\"\n\nMemoir Partner #2 -- We encourage you to ask a family member or friend to join you in this project. Once a week, you'll share stories, helping each other to remember the special people, places and events in your life.\n\nNOTE: Memoir Partner #2 can either join our program, be assigned a Memoir Partner #1, and participate in the weekly calls, or he/she can ask a family member to join them in this project. Having two or more partners is invaluable.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9973024129867554}
{"content": "Vah Rudania is a mechanical construct in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It is one of the four Divine Beasts. Vah Rudania is made from Ancient Sheikah technology; it takes the form of a giant salamander and is found on Death Mountain in the Eldin Mountains. Ganon sent Fireblight Ganon to corrupt it, transforming it into one of the main dungeons. Link must defeat this boss to free Vah Rudania.\n\n\nSpoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.\n\nOne hundred years before the events of Breath of the Wild, Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule, his daughter, her Knight Link, along with four other Champions sought to seal Ganon through the use of the Divine Beasts and Guardians. Daruk, the Goron Champion, was in charge of controlling Vah Rudania.\n\nRemembering his previous defeat at the hands of the Divine Beasts, Ganon sent out aspects of himself to subvert the Sheikah's technology with his evil power. Daruk met his demise by Fireblight Ganon, who then assumed control of Vah Rudania for the next one hundred years. Using the Divine Beast's power over fire and magma, Fireblight Ganon terrorized the Gorons with volcanic eruptions from Death Mountain.\n\nA century after the Great Calamity, Ganon's increasing influence causes Vah Rudania to rampage the mountain once again, causing several volcanic eruptions and raising the temperature of the area to a dangerous degree, unbearable for any travelers not wearing protective gear against extreme heat. The frequent eruptions also conflict with the Gorons' mining operations, as several of the mines, used to excavate ore in order to later trade with other settlements, become far too dangerous to operate due to the amount of lava pouring down from Death Mountain's crater. To make matters worse, Ganon's influence causes dozens of monsters to nest and set up outposts dangerously close to Goron City. These events begin to directly threaten the Gorons' way of life, with decreased mining operations and the very welfare of their city and people in danger from not only the worsening eruptions, but from Vah Rudania and Ganon's monsters. If left unchecked, both Death Mountain and Goron City potentially face destruction from Vah Rudania's rampage.\n\nEventually, a reawakened Link sets out to free Vah Rudania from Fireblight Ganon's control. With the help of Yunobo, Daruk's grandson, the Hylian hero forces the Divine Beast into the crater of Death Mountain, allowing him to board it and slay Fireblight Ganon. This frees both Vah Rudania and the spirit of Daruk, with the latter taking control of the former once more. After giving Link his power and sending him on his way, Daruk guides Vah Rudania out of the crater, where it activates its main cannon and trains it on Hyrule Castle. Soon after, the eruptions on Death Mountain cease and the area becomes much more peaceful and safe, allowing the Gorons to resume their mining operations. When Link engages Calamity Ganon within the castle, Daruk has Vah Rudania fire a massive laser to weaken the monstrosity.\n\n\nLike the other Divine Beasts, Vah Rudania's name is based on a Sage from a past installment in Legend of Zelda series. Rudania is a reference to and an anagram of the name of the Goron Sage of Fire, Darunia, from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.\n\nSpoiler warning: Spoilers end here.\n\n\nThe general likeness of Vah Rudania is that of a salamander. However, some of his morphological characteristics resemble much more ancient reptiles; the large plates on his back resembling those of Stegosaurus, and the large club-like structure at the end of his tail resembling that of Ankylosaurus. This is rather fitting, as multiple bosses and enemies from the different Death Mountains from earlier games are either labelled as or appear to be dinosaurs, i.e. various incarnations of (King) Dodongo being labelled as or resembling a dinosaur. It also resembles the Dodongos from Twilight Princess albeit much larger in size.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6152042150497437}
{"content": "My research interests include the physics of…\n  • Relativistic particles in plasmas—“runaway” electrons in tokamaks\n  • Tokamak plasma disruptions—prediction, avoidance, mitigation, and impact\n  • High magnetic field, compact fusion devices—concepts and diagnostics\n  • Transformation optics and optical black holes—new!\n\nRunaway Electrons\n\nMy PhD thesis work focuses on the physics of “runaway” electrons (REs) in tokamak plasmas. Interestingly, in a plasma, the probability of one particle colliding with another decreases as the particle’s speed increases. This means that, given a strong enough electric field in a plasma, a fast electron can overcome friction and “run away” to relativistic energies! While REs are a neat plasma phenomena, they can also hit the wall of the plasma chamber and cause serious damage. Thus, the ultimate goal of this field of research is to know enough about RE evolution to avoid them in future fusion devices.\n\nWe generated REs in the Alcator C-Mod tokamak, which has a strong enough magnetic field for REs to emit visible synchrotron radiation. In close collaboration with the Plasma Theory group at the Chalmers University of Technology, I have studied how synchrotron spectra can indicate RE energies and how synchrotron images—like those shown below—can give insight into RE spatial and temporal dynamics. Currently, I am looking at what information can be gained from polarization measurements of synchrotron emission.\n\n\nTokamak Plasma Disruptions\n\nFusion-grade tokamak plasmas can have temperatures over 100 million  Kelvin and carry currents over 1 million Amps! Therefore, they carry a lot of thermal and magnetic energy. Confining a donut-shaped plasma in a “magnetic bottle” can sometimes lead the plasma wriggling out of control and expelling its energy over milliseconds; this is called a plasma disruption. For future power-generating tokamaks, disruptions need to be predicted in advance and avoided—or their effects mitigated if avoidance is impossible.\n\nTo better understand the physics of disruptions, I have studied radiation asymmetries from mitigation of “healthy” and “sick” C-Mod plasmas, measured profiles of “halo” current as disrupting plasmas touch the vacuum vessel wall, and built databases for new machine learning applications to disruption prediction algorithms. Runaway electrons—mentioned above—can also be caused by disruptions. See the impact of runaways with the vacuum vessel wall in the figure below.\n\n\nHigh Field, Compact Fusion\n\nA future fusion power plant will have to confine a plasma with a high enough pressure for a long enough time in order to produce net energy, i.e. more power output (from fusion reactions) than input (to run the device). In the past, the main focus of the fusion community was to make the device really big—more plasma means more power. However, big machines are costly. Recently, advancements in high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets allow another path: compact (cheaper) devices with high magnetic fields, strong enough to balance high plasma pressure. This was the inspiration for the conceptual ARC pilot plant, as well as MIT’s newest innovation, the net-energy SPARC tokamak.\n\n\nDuring my time at MIT, I got to work on—and inside!—the Alcator C-Mod tokamak. With the highest magnetic field in a tokamak, C-Mod broke the world record for stored plasma pressure on its last day of operation, 30 September 2016. Since then, I have helped update the ARC design—see the rendering—to include a novel divertor design and robust heat exhaust management system. In addition, I have explored the feasibility of neutron diagnostics for a high-field, compact, SPARC-like device.\n\n\nTransformation Optics for Black Holes\n\nThe mathematical existence of black holes is one of the most amazing consequences of Einstein’s general theory of relativity. Astronomical evidence suggests that there are many super massive objects in our universe, sitting at the centers of galaxies and colliding to produce gravitational waves; these are very likely black holes. However, we will not likely have the chance to visit one in our lifetimes. A field of research called transformation optics aims to study black holes in the lab by tailoring optical media to have black-hole-like properties.\n\nMy good friend Andrew Turner and I submitted two short pieces to Harvard’s Black Hole Initiative essay competition. Andrew’s brainchild, “Black Holes, Entropy, and the Arrow of Time,” won fourth place! And my hope of “Building a better black hole demonstration” led to our newfound interest in and exploration of optical black holes. Hopefully another publication is coming soon!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8133127093315125}
{"content": "Australia holds the title to the 5th tallest residential tower\n\nSitting at 322 meters tall and housing 527 residential apartments, Q1 is recognised as Australia's and the Southern Hemispheres tallest residential building. The design of Q1 was inspired by the spirit and lifestyle of Australia with a sculptural shape that reflects elements of the Olympic tourch and the iconic Sydney Opera House.\nQ1 was a collaborative architectural effort between The Buchan Group and Sunland Group and features a two storey observation deck and a steel spire that can been seen from up to 200 kilometers away and is illuminated at night.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9934816956520081}
{"content": "Decision of the Intergovernmental Committee: 12.COM 11.b.8\n\nThe Committee\n\n  1. Takes note that Côte d’Ivoire has nominated Zaouli, popular music and dance of the Guro communities in Côte d’Ivoire (No. 01255) for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity:\n\nZaouli is a popular music and dance practised by the Guro communities of the Bouaflé and Zuénoula departments of Côte d’Ivoire. A homage to feminine beauty, Zaouli is inspired by two masks: the Blou and the Djela. Its other name, Djela lou Zaouli means Zaouli, the daughter of Djela. In a single event, the practice brings together sculpture (the mask), weaving (the costume), music (the band and song) and dance. There are seven types of Zaouli masks, each translating a specific legend. The bearers and practitioners include sculptors, craftspeople, instrumentalists, singers, dancers and the notables (the guarantors of the community’s customs and traditions). Zaouli plays an educational, playful and aesthetic role, contributes to environmental preservation, conveys the cultural identity of its bearers and promotes integration and social cohesion. Transmission occurs during musical performances and learning sessions, when amateurs learn under the supervision of experienced practitioners. The viability of Zaouli is ensured through popular performances organized two or three times a week by the communities. The traditional chiefdom, the guarantor of traditions, also plays a key role in the transmission process and inter-village dance competitions and festivals offer further opportunities for revitalization. Research and documentation activities are also underway.\n\n\nR.1:   The element is a traditional performing art that was originally practised on festive occasions only, but which is now also practised during funerals. The bearers and practitioners are clearly identified and the responsibility of the traditional authorities with regard to the element is indicated. Transmission occurs through learning sessions and by means of observation and imitation during performances. The file demonstrates that the element plays an important role in education, conveys a sense of beauty, strengthens gender relationships and social integration, provides a form of entertainment and plays an environmental role.\n\nR.2:   The inscription of the element would promote all the cultural practices and expressions related to the element and contribute to dialogue and social communication between the communities of the Guro region, at the national and international levels. Its inscription would also contribute to raising international awareness of the importance of cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue and create a favourable environment for the blossoming of talents and human creativity.\n\nR.3:   The viability of Zaouli is enhanced through the identification of talented performers during popular performances and their continued learning under experienced practitioners. Despite the limited resources available from the State for implementing a safeguarding policy, inter-village dance competitions and festivals are organized, and Zaouli is also part of celebrations at the national level. The Guro communities have been at the centre of all the initiatives and will be involved through the chiefdoms, community or village organizations and associations. The safeguarding measures proposed comprise a plan focused on inventorying and awareness-raising activities, the dissemination of documents, digitization efforts, scientific meetings and activities geared at the revitalization of handicrafts. To support the implementation of the safeguarding measures, Côte d’Ivoire plans to create a federation of Zaouli practitioners and a local management committee.\n\nR.4:   The Guro communities that act as the bearers and practitioners of Zaouli were fully involved in all stages of the preparation of the nomination file through their spokespersons and representatives. The communities have given their free, prior and informed consent, as is attested to by the signatures that are formalized in a document attached to the nomination file. Their voluntary participation is demonstrated, including in the proposals for the safeguarding measures. The consent for the nomination was followed by a libation ceremony devoted to the ancestors. Both official and traditional authorities are represented in the process.\n\n  1. Further decides that, on the basis of the information provided by the submitting State to the Committee at its present session concerning the extract from the inventory, the following criterion for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity is satisfied:\n\nR.5:   The element has been registered in the National Inventory of Cultural Heritage since 2016. The inventory is managed and regularly updated by the Ministry of Culture and Francophonie. The updating is carried out in collaboration with local communities, groups and associations. The description of the element, along with information on the relevant communities, locations and viability of the element are provided.\n\n  1. Inscribes Zaouli, popular music and dance of the Guro communities in Côte d’Ivoire on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity;\n  2. Invites the State Party to ensure that efforts to work with the communities, groups and individuals concerned with the element are carried out in close consultation and cooperation with them, and reminds it that top-down approaches that may unduly influence the traditional and spontaneous organization of the practice are not in line with the spirit of the Convention;\n  3. Reminds the State Party that inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity does not automatically imply financial assistance from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, and that any requests for financial assistance to implement safeguarding measures should follow the due procedures outlined in the Operational Directives.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9724821448326111}
{"content": "A. Rizzi/DeA Picture Library\n\nMinerals are essential to the life of plants and animals. Most plants get minerals from the soil. Animals, including humans, obtain mineral nutrients from plants, vegetables, and fruits or from the milk, eggs, and meat of plant-eating animals. Industry is equally dependent upon an abundant supply of minerals.\n\n\nA mineral is defined as a naturally occurring solid that has a definite chemical composition and an ordered, usually crystalline, atomic structure. Minerals form through inorganic, or nonliving, processes. The elements in a mineral may be metallic or nonmetallic. There are several thousand known types of minerals; approximately 100 of these make up the main mineral components of rocks.\n\nBy this definition, the resin amber and the fuels coal, petroleum, and natural gas are not true minerals. These substances were formed from organic substances—animal or vegetable matter—that once lived on the Earth.\n\nThe science of mineralogy is concerned with the minerals that make up the rocks, clays, sand, and similar materials of the Earth. Mineralogy includes the study of the physical and chemical properties of minerals, their forms, and the various ways in which they are distinguished from one another.\n\nEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc.\n\nThe important metallic and nonmetallic mineral beds that are mined today were deposited over long periods of geologic time as a result of such natural phenomena as weathering and erosion. Other processes contributing to the concentration of minerals in the Earth are sedimentation, precipitation, and evaporation of water bodies, as well as the circulation of groundwater.\n\nMineral Identification\n\nEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc.\n\nMineralogists identify and classify minerals by certain physical properties. The most basic of these are hardness, color, luster, streak, and the way the mineral breaks when struck with a hammer or other external force. Other properties used to distinguish minerals include elasticity and strength, specific gravity, radioactivity, and thermal, electrical, and magnetic properties. Luminescence, or the emission of light, sometimes permits rapid detection of some minerals, including some uranium ores.\n\n\n  Mohs hardness scale and observations on hardness of some additional materials\n\nThe hardness of a mineral is how resistant it is to scratching. Hardness is a very useful property in mineral identification and is usually stated in terms of the Mohs scale. This scale ranks 10 common minerals in ascending order from the softest to the hardest. They are: (1) talc; (2) gypsum; (3) calcite; (4) fluorite; (5) apatite; (6) orthoclase; (7) quartz; (8) topaz; (9) corundum; and (10) diamond. The degree of hardness a mineral is assigned is based on the relative ease with which one mineral is scratched by another or by another object, such as a steel tool. For example, a mineral that can scratch orthoclase but is itself scratched by quartz is ranked between 6 and 7 on the Mohs scale.\n\n\nCourtesy of the MacFall collection; photograph, Mary A. Root/Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.\n\nMinerals occur in a great variety of colors. However, the color of a mineral can vary not only from one mineral to another but also within the same mineral (or mineral group). In general, metallic minerals tend to not vary in color, while most nonmetallic minerals show wide variance. Because of this, it is important to know in which minerals color is consistent, so color can thus be relied on as an identifying property. Among the nonmetallic minerals that display fairly consistent color are malachite (green), turquoise (greenish blue), azurite (blue), and sulfur (yellow).\n\n\nThe streak of a mineral is the color of the powder produced when a piece of the mineral is rubbed against the surface of rough, unglazed porcelain. Streak tends to be more useful than color in identifying a mineral. Two samples of the same mineral will generally have the same streak, even if those samples display different colors.\n\n\n\nRelated to the color of a mineral are its luster, or the way it looks in reflected light, and its streak. The two main types of luster are metallic and nonmetallic. Minerals with a metallic luster are generally opaque, meaning that light is reflected from the surface and does not pass through. The cut or polished surface looks shiny, as if it were made of metal. Minerals with a nonmetallic luster can transmit light to some extent. Though some may be shiny, these minerals do not resemble metal. There are several types of nonmetallic lusters. These lusters include vitreous, or glassy, as seen with quartz or garnet; pearly, which describes the pearl-like iridescence of minerals such as talc; resinous, descriptive of the plastic appearance of sphalerite; greasy, having the oily appearance observed in minerals such as graphite; silky, as seen with malachite; and adamantine, which describes the flashing diamond-like brilliance of minerals such as cerussite.\n\nCleavage and Fracture\n\n© Wendell E. Wilson\n\nThe crystal structure of a mineral—that is, the way its atoms are bonded together—determines the way it breaks. Cleavage is the tendency for a mineral to break along flat surfaces; this occurs because the bonds between the atoms are weaker in the direction of breakage. The mineral mica has cleavage in one direction and splits into thin, flat sheets with smooth surfaces. Calcite has cleavage in three directions, producing six-sided polyhedrons.\n\nIn some minerals, the bond strengths between the atoms are fairly equal in all directions. These minerals do not display cleavage; they do not break along flat surfaces in any particular direction. Instead, these minerals break into irregular pieces. The tendency for a mineral to break this way is called fracture. Quartz is an example of a mineral that displays fracture rather than cleavage.\n\nMajor Groups of Minerals\n\nMinerals are classified based on both chemical composition and internal (crystal) structure. Among the major groups are: (1) native elements; (2) sulfides; (3) sulfosalts; (4) oxides and hydroxides; (5) halides; (6) carbonates; (7) nitrates and iodates; (8) phosphates; (9) borates; (10) sulfates; (11) tungstates and molybdates; and (12) silicates.\n\nSeveral thousand separate mineral species have been identified by mineralogists. About 100 of these make up the major mineral components of rocks and are termed the rock-forming minerals.\n\nNative Elements\n\nMost minerals are composed of two or more elements, but about 20 consist of only one element. These are called native elements, and they can be divided into three large groups: metals, metalloids (also called semimetals), and nonmetals. The most abundant of the native metals are gold, silver, copper, and platinum. Native iron commonly occurs in meteorites, but in the Earth native iron is combined with other elements. Mercury, lead, tin, and zinc are other metals found in the native form. The native metalloids are divided into two main groups based on common structures; one group includes antimony, arsenic, and bismuth, while the other group includes the relatively uncommon selenium and tellurium. Carbon (which exists in two native forms—graphite and diamond) and sulfur are the two most important native nonmetals.\n\nSulfide Minerals\n\nCourtesy of the Ted and Elsie Boente Collection; photograph, John H. Gerard/Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.\n\nThe sulfides include the majority of ore minerals from which metals are obtained. Thus, lead sulfide forms the mineral galena; silver sulfide, argentite; and zinc sulfide, sphalerite. These minerals are often found together as ores.\n\nCourtesy of Ted Boente; photograph, John H. Gerard/Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.\n\nTwo important sulfides of arsenic are realgar and orpiment. Antimony sulfide is called stibnite. Antimony is alloyed with lead for casting the type metal used in printing. The mineral cinnabar is a sulfide of mercury. Molybdenum, a metal that is used in alloy steels, is obtained from molybdenite, a sulfide of the metal.\n\nCourtesy of Joseph and Helen Guetterman Collection; photograph, John H. Gerard\n\nThree other iron sulfides, all differing slightly in chemical composition, are pyrite, marcasite, and pyrrhotite. Pyrite is known as fool’s gold because its brilliant yellow luster somewhat resembles that of flakes of native gold.\n\nEmil Javorsky/Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.\n\nThe copper sulfides exist as minerals called chalcocite and covellite. Many ore bodies consist of sulfides containing both copper and iron. These include the minerals bornite and chalcopyrite.\n\nSulfosalt Minerals\n\nAndrew Silver/U.S.Geological Survey\n\n\nOxide and Hydroxide Minerals\n\nPhoto 1/DeA Picture Library\n\nThe oxides and hydroxides are oxygen-bearing minerals. The oxide group includes the silicon oxide quartz, also called silica. One of the most common minerals, quartz occurs in many areas in a variety of forms. Semiprecious gem stones of quartz include amethyst, tigereye, agate, and onyx. Siliceous sinter, or geyserite, is an impure quartz deposited by hot springs and is a form of opal. The fire opal has an internal iridescence of intense orange to red.\n\nDiatomaceous earth, or diatomite, was formed from the siliceous shells of diatoms, microscopic algae found in fresh water and seawater. It is also called kieselguhr and tripolite. The powdery substance is used for insulating and filtering material and in the manufacture of polishing and scouring powders. Another abundant oxide of silicon is tridymite.\n\nMineral Information Institute\n\nAmong the oxides of metals that exist as minerals are cuprite, or copper oxide; zincite, or zinc oxide; cassiterite, or tin oxide; and rutile, or titanium oxide. Pyrolusite, or manganese oxide, is the chief ore of manganese. Among the ores of iron are the oxides hematite and magnetite. Lodestone, a form of magnetite, is a natural magnet. Ilmenite, which exists in large deposits, is a mixed oxide of iron and titanium. It is a chief source of the titanium used as a paint pigment and as a purifier in alloys.\n\nAluminum oxide, known in mineralogy as corundum (and in an impure form as bauxite), exists in two transparent and colored gem forms—sapphire and ruby. Emery, a black granular corundum mixed with iron minerals, is used in a powdered form in abrasives for grinding and polishing. Spinel is a mixed oxide of magnesium and aluminum, and chromite is an iron and chromium oxide that makes up the chief ore of chromium. Chromium is one of the major components of stainless steels.\n\nThe leading radioactive minerals, sources of such elements as radium, thorium, and uranium, include uraninite, carnotite, and autunite. They are all complex oxides of the radioactive and other elements and usually contain lead. Pitchblende, in which mineral radioactivity was first discovered, is an impure form of uraninite.\n\nThe hydroxides are low-temperature minerals typically formed from products of aqueous alteration or from hydrothermal vents. Among the hydroxide minerals are the aluminum ore bauxite and limonite, an iron ore containing hydrated iron oxides.\n\nHalide Minerals\n\nThe halide minerals, which are soluble in water, are naturally occurring inorganic compounds containing the negatively charged ion of one of the halogens (chlorine, bromine, iodine, and fluorine). The halides account for relatively few minerals, but some of them have commercial value. The most outstanding of these is sodium chloride, or common salt. It is known in its mineral form as halite.\n\nPotassium chloride makes up the halide mineral sylvite, the chief source of commercial potassium. Sylvite is found in large deposits in the famous Stassfurt mines in Germany; it is also found in southwestern New Mexico in the United States. Other essential potassium-based halides include carnallite, which is a hydrous chloride of magnesium and potassium, and kainite, which contains hydrated potassium chloride and magnesium sulfate.\n\nFluorite, sold commercially as fluorspar, is composed of calcium fluoride. It is used as a flux in metallurgical processes. The rare, clear crystals of the mineral are valuable in making lenses and prisms for optical systems used with ultraviolet light. Cryolite is a fluoride of aluminum and sodium.\n\nCarbonate Minerals\n\nEric L. Heyer-Grant Heilman\n\nThe carbonates make up one of the largest groups of minerals. Among these is the plentiful mineral called calcite, or calcium carbonate. Large transparent crystals of calcite are called Iceland spar. This chemically pure, clear calcite—capable of producing double refraction of light—is used in prisms for polarizing microscopes and similar optical instruments.\n\nOrdinary limestone consists largely of calcite. Marble is composed of crystalline, metamorphosed limestone. The various colors in marble are created by chemical impurities or by veins of other minerals. The stalagmites and stalactites found in caves usually consist of calcite. Marl is an impure limestone that is imperfectly hardened. Chalk is a soft fine-grained limestone formed in the oceans from deposits of the shells of tiny sea animals.\n\nMagnesite is a magnesium carbonate. It frequently occurs mixed with calcite, forming a calcium magnesium carbonate called dolomite, or dolomitic limestone. Two copper carbonates are malachite and azurite. An increase in the water content of azurite, which is blue, can change it into malachite, which is green. Both crystals are used in jewelry.\n\nB.M. Shaub\n\nThe carbonate of iron appears as the mineral siderite. It is the major commercial iron ore in Great Britain. Manganese carbonate, called rhodochrosite, occurs usually as a gangue mineral with other ores.\n\nNitrate and Iodate Minerals\n\nNitrates and iodates comprise a small group of compounds found almost exclusively in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. These minerals are structurally related to the carbonate minerals. The nitrates of potassium and of sodium exist respectively as niter, or saltpeter, and soda niter, or Chile saltpeter. Nitrates are used in the manufacture of explosives and fertilizers. Much rarer than nitrates, iodates are yellow minerals. Among the iodates are lautarite and dietzeite.\n\nPhosphate Minerals\n\nCourtesy of Professor George Rossman, California Institute of Technology\n\nThe phosphate minerals are naturally occurring inorganic salts of phosphoric acid. Although hundreds of phosphate mineral species are recognized, most are quite rare. The most abundant and important of these is apatite, a phosphate of calcium that contains fluorine. An impure form of apatite is the phosphate rock used in fertilizers. A complicated phosphate mineral is monazite, found in beach and river sands. It is a source of the rare-earth metal cerium, which is used in solid-state electronic devices. The gem turquoise is a basic hydrous phosphate of aluminum and copper. Vanadates, compounds of vanadium and oxygen, and arsenates resemble phosphates in their crystal structure.\n\nBorate Minerals\n\nThe borate minerals are naturally occurring compounds containing the elements boron and oxygen. Most borates are rare, but some form large deposits that can be mined commercially. Most borate minerals are found in dried-up basins fed by waters rich in borate-bearing volcanic material. Such basin deposits (beds) are generally found in desert regions, such as in some parts of the Mojave Desert and Death Valley in southeastern California. These beds yield the borates kernite, borax, ulexite, and colemanite. Borate minerals also can be found in metamorphic carbonate-rich environments. Among the borate minerals in these settings are boracite, ludwigite, sussexite, and kotoite.\n\nSulfate Minerals\n\nPhotograph by Sandy Grimm. Houston Museum of Natural Science\n\nSulfates, which are insoluble in water and are related chemically to the saline minerals, include a barium compound called barite; celestite, an ore of strontium; and alunite, a basic aluminum and potassium sulfate. Gypsum, a hydrous calcium sulfate, is the source of plaster of Paris. Transparent crystals of gypsum, known as selenite, split in thin cracks. When calcium sulfate is found uncombined with water, it is called anhydrite. Polyhalite is a hydrous sulfate of potassium, calcium, and magnesium.\n\nSodium sulfate, sold commercially as Glauber’s salt, exists in the hydrated form as the natural mineral mirabilite. Epsom salts—hydrous magnesium sulfate—occurs as the mineral epsomite; for commercial purposes, however, the product is manufactured from other magnesium minerals.\n\nTungstate and Molybdate Minerals\n\n\nSalts of tungstic acid and molybdic acid are respectively called tungstates and molybdates. Tungsten (or wolfram), a metal used in the manufacture of electric lightbulbs, steel alloys, and magnets, is obtained chiefly from two minerals. These are scheelite, or calcium tungstate, and wolframite, which is a mixed tungstate of the elements manganese and iron. Wulfenite is a lead molybdate; it is a minor ore of lead and molybdenum.\n\nSilicate Minerals\n\nA. Rizzi/DeA Picture Library\n\n  Major elements in Earth's crust\n\nThe most widespread and numerous minerals are the silicates, which consist of silicon and oxygen combined with potassium, sodium, magnesium, aluminum, and many other elements. Silicates make up about 95 percent of the Earth’s crust and upper mantle. They comprise the major constituents of most igneous rocks and are prominent in sedimentary and metamorphic rock as well. Silicates have been identified in rock samples from the Moon as well as from meteorites and asteroids. Also, silicates have been detected on the surfaces of Mercury, Venus, and Mars.\n\nFeldspars make up the most prominent group of silicates. They include orthoclase, a potassium and aluminum silicate; albite, which contains sodium instead of potassium; and oligoclase, which contains calcium in addition to sodium.\n\nAnother important silicate group includes the micas. Muscovite is the transparent mica used as an insulating material in the manufacture of electrical equipment and consists primarily of silicate of potassium and aluminum. In the form of isinglass, mica is used in devices such as stove doors and lantern shields.\n\nEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc.\n\nA second common mica is biotite, which contains magnesium and iron; it is usually dark green, brown, or black. Another mica is lepidolite, a fluosilicate of potassium, aluminum, and lithium. Lepidolite is one of the few ores that contains the metal lithium.\n\nRunk/Schoenberger—Grant Heilman\n\nThe pyroxene family contains a series of rock-forming minerals, as do the feldspar and mica groups. Two common pyroxenes are diopside, a silicate of calcium and magnesium, and augite, which contains some iron and aluminum. One variety of pyroxene is spodumene, a lithium aluminum silicate. It is sometimes found in a clear, pink crystal form called kunzite, which is used as a gem. A green variety is called hiddenite. Jadeite is another pyroxene. A true jade, it is sometimes called Chinese jade.\n\nPhotograph by Sandy Grimm. Houston Museum of Natural Science.\n\nOther silicates form such gems as tourmaline, zircon, and topaz. Beryl, the chief ore of beryllium, is an aluminum and beryllium silicate. The emerald—whose green color is due to chromium traces—and the aquamarine are crystal forms of beryl.\n\nA more complicated group of silicates, closely related to the pyroxenes, is the amphibole family. A variety called hornblende, containing aluminum, may occur in long, fiberlike crystals to form one kind of asbestos. Another kind of asbestos is a fibrous variety of the mineral serpentine, called chrysotile. It is the chief commercial source of asbestos. Serpentine is a hydrous magnesium silicate.\n\nSimilar to serpentine in composition is talc, the source of talcum powder. Soapstone, or steatite, is an impure variety of talc. Slabs of it are used for laboratory tabletops. Talc and soapstone are ingredients of paint, ceramics, and paper.\n\nThe mineral kaolinite is a hydrous silicate, somewhat like talc, but containing aluminum instead of magnesium. The majority of clays consist of impure kaolinite, formed from the decomposition of feldspar rocks. Bentonite is a type of clay that was formed from the decomposition of volcanic ash.\n\nZinc silicates include willemite, which is employed in laboratory experiments because ultraviolet light renders it fluorescent. Hemimorphite, or calamine, is a hydrous zinc silicate sometimes utilized as an ore of zinc. Zeolites such as stilbite are hydrous silicates of aluminum with calcium and sodium bases. They are used as molecular sieves to separate chemicals.\n\nMinerals in Earth’s Rocks\n\nGeologists broadly classify the Earth’s rocks as sedimentary, igneous, or metamorphic rocks. Sedimentary rocks form from sand, clay, or other materials that were deposited by water, wind, or glacial action. Igneous rocks form from volcanic magma, or molten rock within the Earth. Metamorphic rocks were originally sedimentary or igneous but were later modified by heat and pressure or other natural processes.\n\nThe most common sedimentary rocks are sandstone and shale. The chief mineral of sandstone is quartz. If the rock contains significant amounts of feldspar, it is called arkose. The shales are composed chiefly of the clay minerals such as kaolinite, with the addition of quartz and mica. When calcite or aragonite is present, the shales are graded as limestones.\n\nOne of the chief igneous rocks is granite, which is made up of crystals of quartz and feldspar, usually mixed with other minerals. It is one of the most frequently used building stones.\n\nWhen the magma within the Earth is extruded through a volcano or fissure at the Earth’s surface, it is called lava. There are two common types of lava—a dark, heavy variety called basalt and the lighter rhyolite, which is usually a pale shade of green, red, or gray. Olivine, augite, and feldspar are among the minerals commonly found in basalts. Rhyolites may include varieties of quartz and feldspar.\n\nObsidian is a glasslike igneous rock rich in silica that is produced when certain kinds of lava cool so rapidly that the individual minerals do not crystallize. The rock is usually black; varieties containing hematite may be red or brown, while other varieties may be gray, yellow, or green.\n\nSiim Sepp\n\nGneiss is the most common metamorphic rock. It is derived from either sedimentary rock, such as conglomerate, or igneous rock, such as granite. Gneiss is composed of quartz, feldspar, and mica or hornblende.\n\nSchists are the second most common metamorphic rocks. They were apparently formed by the partial recrystallization of shales under the action of heat and pressure. A major type is mica schist. It is composed essentially of quartz, usually combined with muscovite or biotite mica.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9059359431266785}
{"content": "What is health anyway? (3)\n\nMost people believe that symptoms happen at the beginning of a disease.  This is completely and totally untrue.  Symptoms are not a sign of the beginning of an illness, rather, symptoms tell you that something has been wrong for a long time, long enough to build up to a point of causing you pain.  Symptoms do not tell you that you just got sick… symptoms tell you that you have been unhealthy for a long time.  Examples:  Kidney stones result from 7 to 10 years of kidney malfunctions.  Cancer, as much  as 20 to 25 years of latency.  Heart diseases, 10 to 15 years… etc.\n\nSo, if you wait for symptoms or pain to show up, the first symptom might be your last, example, a fatal heart attack!\n\n\n\nIs science good or bad? (2)\n\nOver the course of time, people have learned to treat many diseases and pestilences that prevailed in the past, and have changed their life by trying to bring under control the factors arising outside their own bodies.  But unfortunately this has failed as we see our system of health care being dismantled little by little.\n\nThe main reason for our failure to maintain and improve our health resides mostly in that disease which still plagues people arises from internal rather than external causes.\n\n\n\n\nWhat is a subluxation?\n\nAs stated previously, cycles are the basis for our very existence.  The interference with the cycle can cause disorder, dysfunction, disease and death.  The single interfering factor within your body that can lead to serious consequences all the time is a subluxation.\n\nA subluxation by definition is the movement of a spinal bone (called a vertebra) out of its proper position, so that it puts pressure on a nerve, thus interfering with the normal flow of mental impulses through the spine to and from all the organs and tissue of the body.\n\n\n\nDis-ease… what’s that?\n\nWhen there is a vertebral subluxation which alters the e-mail coursing through your nerve system and creates junk-mail and spam, dis-ease happens.\n\nDis-ease is the term used to described the in-coordination and malfunction of the cells of the body due to lack of proper communication from the brain cells and the rest of the cells of the body.\n\nAt the stage of dis-ease, the body’s cells malfunction and break down.  They cannot reproduce themselves in a healthy way any longer.\n\nSigns, symptoms and even pain will eventually appear.  The person’s symptoms are then grouped in categories and a disease (which is essentially a group of symptoms) is now labeled.\n\nQuestion:  “What to do now?\n\nWhat’s your answer?\n\nAmazing isn’t it?\n\nNow what?\n\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8756431937217712}
{"content": "Ream Theories and Beliefs in Middle Eastern, Ancient Greek/Egyptian, and Chinese cultures\n\nThis research paper should include a works cited page (not included in 10 pages) in MLA format.\nPlease use as many human experiences as possible as a source (dreams other people around you had), not only internet and book sources.\nDo not make it too research based, throw in dreams people had from different cultures as possible, and compare them.\nPlease contact me if you have ANY questions.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9962531328201294}
{"content": "Bellevue is a city located in King County, Washington, across Lake Washington from Seattle, the state’s largest city. Home to over 122,000 residents, Bellevue is the fifth-largest city in the state and the largest suburb city of Seattle. Bellevue is the sixth-wealthiest community in the state of Washington based on per capita income, and has been named repeated as one of the best cities in the United States to live, work, and start a business in, and has continually been ranked in the top-ten of best cities in the country.\n\nBellevue was first founded in 1859 and was a small, rural area, with little development economically despite sitting on the suburbs of one of the fastest-growing port cities on the west coast (Seattle). Things began to change during the Second World War, as industrial production at Seattle ports and foundries skyrocketed to help the war effort.\n\nThis led to a housing boom in Bellevue, particularly after the construction of the Lake Washington Floating Bridge, which cut travel time between Seattle and Bellevue down considerably and helped the city begin growing. In 1953 it was incorporated as a city, and has continued to grow at a rapid pace ever since. At the time of its incorporation, Bellevue was home to just under 8,000 residents.\n\nDuring the summer months, average daily highs in Bellevue only reach into the mid-to-upper 70’s, though temperatures in the 80’s and 90’s are not unheard of. This usually makes auto transport easier, since the weather is nicer. As a Pacific Northwest city,\n\nBellevue sees plenty of rain, but snow is generally uncommon during the winter months which also helps keep auto transportation prices lower and carrier availability and interest higher. Lows usually drop down into the upper 30’s and lower 40’s during the winter, with daily highs usually in the high 40’s and low 50’s.\n\n\nLocal References\n\nBellevue Zip Codes Include:\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5457558631896973}
{"content": "Music Perception through Localized Tactile Input: What Parameters of Musical Pieces are Perceived when Delivered via Localized Tactile Input\n\nUniversity essay from Luleå/Department of Arts, Communication and Education\n\nAbstract: Can music be experienced without it being heard audibly? Musicians and listeners talk about feeling the music or music’s feel but what are these feelings? One way to isolate this part of the musical experience is to consider: what musical parameters can be detected and perceived if musical pieces only where delivered via localized tactile input to one hand? This essay focuses on tactile perception of recorded music, when it can only be physically felt. An experiment with experienced musician subjects where asked to report in writing on experiences of musical pieces being delivered only tactically to their hand. Results show that multiple musical parameters such as pulse, dynamics and expression are indeed possible to extract and perceive. Results also show that other parameters such as pitch, harmony & form are harder to extract even though it still is possible to partially perceive it. The reasons for these difficulties and other phenomena are discussed.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999964833259583}
{"content": "113 SRes 162 ES: Expressing the sense of the Senate with respect to childhood stroke and recognizing May 2013 as “National Pediatric Stroke Awareness Month”. U.S. Senate 2013-06-04 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.\n113th CONGRESS 1st Session S. Res. 162 In the Senate of the United States, June 4, 2013. RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the Senate with respect to childhood stroke and recognizing May 2013 as National Pediatric Stroke Awareness Month.\nWhereas a stroke, also known as cerebrovascular disease, is an acute neurologic injury that occurs when the blood supply to a part of the brain is interrupted by a clot in the artery or a burst of the artery; Whereas a stroke is a medical emergency that can cause permanent neurologic damage or even death if not promptly diagnosed and treated; Whereas stroke occurs in approximately 1 out of every 3,500 live births, and has an overall annual incidence of 4.6 per 100,000 children age 19 and under; Whereas a stroke can occur before birth; Whereas stroke is among the top 12 causes of death for children between the ages of 1 and 14 in the United States; Whereas 20 to 40 percent of children who have suffered a stroke die as a result; Whereas stroke recurs within 5 years in 10 percent of children who have had an ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke; Whereas the death rate for children who experience a stroke before the age of 1 year is the highest out of all child age groups; Whereas there are no approved therapies for the treatment of acute stroke in infants and children; Whereas approximately 60 percent of infants and children who have a pediatric stroke will have serious, permanent neurological disabilities, including paralysis, seizures, speech and vision problems, and attention, learning, and behavioral difficulties; Whereas those disabilities may require ongoing physical therapy and surgeries; Whereas the permanent health concerns and treatments resulting from strokes that occur during childhood and young adulthood have a considerable impact on children, families, and society; Whereas not enough is known about the cause, treatment, and prevention of pediatric stroke; Whereas medical research is the only means by which the people of the United States can identify and develop effective treatment and prevention strategies for pediatric stroke; and Whereas early diagnosis and treatment of pediatric stroke greatly improves the chances that the affected child will recover and not experience a recurrence: Now, therefore, be it\nThat the Senate— (1)recognizes May 2013 as National Pediatric Stroke Awareness Month; (2)urges the people of the United States to support the efforts, programs, services, and organizations that work to enhance public awareness of pediatric stroke; (3)supports the work of the National Institutes of Health in pursuit of medical progress on the matter of pediatric stroke; and (4)urges continued coordination and cooperation between the Federal Government, State and local governments, researchers, families, and the public to improve treatments and prognoses for children who suffer strokes.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7786534428596497}
{"content": "text.skipToContent text.skipToNavigation\n\nSydney College of English\n\n關於 Sydney College of English\n\nSydney College of English (SCE) has been internationally recognized as a top quality independent school for over 30 years. As a foundation member of English Australia and first to be accredited by NEAS, their mission is to provide the most productive, informative and fun learning experience for their students. Established in 1987, Sydney College of English (SCE) is one of Australia’s most enduring providers of English language training. Other providers have come and gone and many others offer a range of different courses outside of English language tuition.\n\nMost of their adult students undertake English study for a variety of purposes, including some very specific purposes. These include further studies at university in Australia or simply to improve their workplace competitiveness in health professional fields. Sydney College of English offers a diverse range of NEAS accredited courses in a flexible format which makes it possible for students to achieve real goals specific to their individual needs. It also takes special care to ensure that life beyond the classroom is always comfortable and exciting, thanks to their vibrant mix of students from over 50 countries and a dedicated student services team who are always happy to assist students with any enquiries or concerns. Sydney College of English is located between Sydney’s university precinct and Darling Harbour as part of a unique cultural hub. The institute is within walking distance of the campuses of the University of Sydney, the University of Technology (UTS), and Notre Dame University.\n\n該學校接受雅思成績 Sydney College of English\nRight Arrow現在就預約\nEnglish Australia 的成員\n-33.87931, 151.19915 Level 3, 579 Harris Street,Sydney,New South Wales,2007 Australia\nSydney Main Campus\n地址：Level 3, 579 Harris Street, Sydney, New South Wales, 2007 Australia\n\n\n\n\n\n  • 輸入科目並自清單中選擇\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6538453102111816}
{"content": "Lenin, Vladimir Ilyich: Theoretician and Revolutionary\n\nIn a pamphlet titled What Is to Be Done? (1902) Lenin argued that only a disciplined party of professional revolutionaries could bring socialism to Russia. In 1903, at a meeting of the Russian Social Democratic Labor party held in London, the party split into two factions, the Bolsheviks, headed by Lenin, and the Mensheviks (see Bolshevism and Menshevism ). Lenin continued to be the chief exponent of Bolshevik thought in the long struggles for supremacy against Plekhanov , Kautsky , and other less radical Marxists. With the outbreak of revolution in 1905, Lenin returned to Russia. His view that the Bolsheviks should take part in the second duma prevailed in 1907, but he left Russia later that year and subsequently mostly engaged in complex theoretical disputes.\n\nLenin was in Switzerland during the early years of World War I. In his view the war was an imperialist struggle; since imperialism was the final stage of capitalism, it was a historical necessity that the war would offer opportunities for a revolution of the proletariat. Consequently, Lenin urged the proletariat to oppose the war by an international civil war against the capitalist class. After the outbreak of the Russian Revolution of Feb., 1917, the German government allowed Lenin to cross Germany en route from Switzerland to Sweden in a sealed railway car. By aiding his return to Russia, the Germans hoped (correctly) to disrupt the Russian war effort.\n\nLenin concluded that Russia was now ripe for a socialist revolution, arguing that the moderate provisional government represented the bourgeoisie whereas the soviets represented, in his words, a revolutionary democratic dictatorship of the proletariat and peasantry. In July, 1917, after an abortive mass uprising in Petrograd, Lenin was forced to flee to Finland. Although the Bolsheviks were represented only by a minority in the first all-Russian Soviet congress (June, 1917), they soon gained decisive power. In Nov., 1917 (October according to the Old Style), the Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, who had returned to Petrograd, overthrew Kerensky 's weak and disorganized regime and established a Soviet government.\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9602725505828857}
{"content": "Can Wide Receiver Height Impact Fantasy Football?\n\nI love me some Antonio Brown, but maybe not as much in fantasy football anymore.\n\nBeing tall has its benefits. I’m not necessarily a giant, but at 6’1’’, I can reach anything in my kitchen with ease, and can usually see over people in a crowded area. Yes, that’s the definition of a humble brag.\n\nIt’s no different at the wide receiver position in football. In fact, being tall while playing wide receiver for a living matters a lot more than it does as an Editor-In-Chief of a sports analytics website. I know – shocking.\n\nJust like I posed in my article yesterday on wide receiver 40 times, the question here is “how much”? How much does height play a role in wide receiver success? Is it overrated? Underrated? Worthless to look into?\n\nNaturally, I wanted to find some answers.\n\nShort Receivers: The Idea\n\nThe idea here is simple: wide receivers under six feet tall aren’t as effective on the football field when compared to their taller peers.\n\nI’d say that’s a fairly obvious statement to make. Just like I’m better at getting the crock pot down from the top shelf in the kitchen than my fiancé, Calvin Johnson’s going to have a better time catching passes with a guy covering him compared to DeSean Jackson.\n\nAgain, the question isn’t whether or not there’s an advantage – there is. The question is how much of an advantage does a tall wide receiver have compared to a short one?\n\nTo scratch the surface of this deep question, I decided to take a look at each drafted NFL wide receiver since the year 2000, filtering out those who were taller than six feet in height. Using this formed group of small wide receivers, my next objective was to see how they performed throughout their careers (and in the case of many, how they’ve performed thus far in their careers).\n\nLike the 40-yard dash study from yesterday, I used numberFire’s Reception Net Expected Points (NEP) metric to judge a player’s overall performance. It’s a much cleaner and accurate approach than looking at yards, touchdowns or receptions, as it looks at down and distance and game situations to measure the point contribution a player makes with his catches. We do have a metric called Target NEP as well, for the record, which looks at how well a player performs on all targets.\n\nFor a deeper understanding of our Net Expected Points metrics, check out our glossary.\n\nSince 2000, the NFL has seen 454 receivers selected in the NFL Draft, according to Pro Football Reference. Of these 454 receivers, 104 of them were shorter than 72 inches (six feet). Keep in mind that height data varies from source to source, so that number may be off by a few players depending on where it’s being pulled from.\n\nNevertheless, roughly 23% (give or take a couple of percentage points) of wide receivers selected in the NFL Draft since the year 2000 have been, well, shorter than me. But they’re much better at football than I am. Well, most of them.\n\nShort Receiver Production\n\nAs I mentioned, I wanted to look at how this group of 104 small guys performed by looking at their Reception NEP. Initially, I wasn’t concerned with where the players were drafted. Rather, I just wanted to see how these smaller receivers did on the field.\n\nBefore we go on, I should note that I made this group into 105 in order include the most famous small boy in all the land, Wes Welker. He was undrafted, and therefore didn't make the initial group. It wouldn't be right to omit one of the best short receivers in the game, so I included him.\n\nSince 2000, the average wide receiver Reception NEP season has been a little over 39 points. In other words, it would seem like the typical wide receiver (undrafted ones, too) would contribute 39 points for his team when looking at receptions only. However, that average is skewed a bit from the top performances – the median of the data is actually just over 29 points. So for the purposes of what I call an “average wide receiver season”, I used 35 Reception NEP as my mark.\n\nKeep in mind that the average season for a wideout includes data from guys who were hurt, as well as players who only caught a pass or two. But that doesn’t matter – it’s essentially what you’d expect an average wide receiver to score in a given season.\n\nIn relation to the short wide receivers, I looked for three things during data collection: number of seasons played, highest Reception NEP season and number of seasons over 35.00 Reception Net Expected Points. To put this another way, the data collection included how many years the wide receiver had played in the NFL (many wide receivers in this group are still playing), as well as his best season and how many years he performed above average.\n\nIn total, there have been 320 small wide receiver seasons – seasons where a short wide receiver caught at least one pass – since 2000 among all players who were drafted (and Wes Welker). Some players, like Syndric Steptoe (probably the best name in the history of life), played in just one season despite being selected in the NFL Draft. Others, like Richmond Flowers of Tennessee-Chattanooga, did nothing in the NFL and don’t even have their own Wikipedia page.\n\nOut of the 320 short pass-catcher seasons, 148 were deemed “above average” – about 46.2% of the seasons analyzed involved a receiver accumulating a Reception NEP total of more than 35 points.\n\nI wouldn’t say this is a bad thing, especially when you consider the disadvantage a short wide receiver inherently has on a football field. And moreover, a lot of short wide receivers are drafted later than taller ones (only seven sub-six foot wideouts have been drafted in the first round since 2000, about 12.7% of all first-round wide receiver selections), so it’s clear the talent level isn’t the same as what you’d potentially see from an average receiver.\n\nBut something a little alarming was the lack of upside these wide receivers have shown in terms of production. It’s not that they’ve been meaningless to the game of football – it’s that there’s a possibility that, naturally, their ceiling is capped by their unfortunate height.\n\nAs I said, I marked down the top Reception NEP seasons by each wide receiver in this 105-person group. The best short wide receiver season since 2000 was Wes Welker's 2011, where he totaled 146.44 Reception Net Expected Points. Steve Smith's 2005 campaign came close, as he contributed 143.33 points through receptions for the Panthers that year.\n\nBut Smiff is just one of 10 short wide receivers have hit the 100 Reception Net Expected Points total in a single season over the last 14 years. The others? Santana Moss (best season was 137.04 Reception NEP), Antonio Brown (120.20), Lee Evans (119.38), Greg Jennings (115.32), Laveranues Coles (114.54), DeSean Jackson (109.75), Pierre Garcon (109.62), and Santonio Holmes (109.44).\n\nMoreover, of these receivers, Steve Smith, Greg Jennings, Wes Welker and Antonio Brown are the only ones with multiple 100-plus Reception Net Expected Points seasons. Brown has two, Smith and Jennings have three, and Welker has four. So, in total, there have been 18 instances of a wide receiver shorter than two yards in height hitting 100 Reception Net Expected Points in a single season since 2000. That’s a little over one per year.\n\nIs a 100 Reception Net Expected Points score important at wide receiver? No, it’s rather arbitrary, but as I mentioned in my article yesterday, it’s typically the mark of an elite receiver season. There are usually 10 to 15 wide receivers hitting it each year, and there’s been a total of 190 of these types of Reception NEP seasons over the last 14 years.\n\nThese short wide receivers, in other words, own just 9.5% of the high-end, elite wide receiver seasons since 2000. Meanwhile, as I showed earlier, approximately 23% of wide receivers in the league are under six feet tall.\n\nFantasy Football Impact\n\nInstead of focusing on the actual NFL Draft and whether or not a short wide receiver will be successful in the league, let’s think of this from a fantasy football perspective. Because Reception NEP looks at a receiver’s contribution on catches only, it will often correlate nicely with fantasy success. But unlike fantasy points, Reception NEP data isn’t skewed by odd scoring systems, making it more reliable.\n\nOne thing you have to keep in mind here is that I’m not deeming short wide receivers undraftable in fantasy football. However, we’ve seen that there’s an average of just one 100-plus Reception Net Expected Point season from these smaller receivers each year. We've also seen the territory dominated by just a few small receivers, and each of those receivers (outside of Smith) have benefitted from having stellar quarterback play (Brady, Rodgers, Favre, Manning, Roethlisberger)\n\nI don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be the one trying to find that receiver come draft time.\n\nThat’s why I’d have a hard time going in a small receiver’s direction early in a fantasy draft. Typically the height of a receiver is embedded in his performance, and therefore that receiver will have a lower average draft position. But we’re seeing players like Percy Harvin, Antonio Brown, Randall Cobb and Pierre Garcon make a name for themselves, surely resulting in higher costs come draft time.\n\nIt’s not as though there are six short wide receivers in the league, and you’re choosing from one of them. There are plenty of them. And personally, I'd rather take my chances with a taller guy who can get separation and not have to rely so heavily on quarterback play and speed.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.982225239276886}
{"content": "§ 5100.22. Consultation and education.\n\n The administrator shall, in discharging his duties under the Mental Health and Mental Retardation Act of 1966, provide the court or mental health review officer with:\n\n   (1)  Education and training regarding principles and practices of mental health services.\n\n   (2)  Administrative consultation regarding the nature and availability of approved and designated mental health facilities and services.\n\n   (3)  Case consultation if so ordered by the court or mental health review officer.\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9980775117874146}
{"content": "A relatively inexperienced crew of two astronauts and a cosmonaut blasted off Wednesday from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a five-month mission on the International Space Station.\n\nGerman Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency, NASA's Serena Aunon-Chancellor and Russian Sergei Prokopyev of Roscosmos shot into the sky in warm, dry conditions at 1112 GMT.\n\nThey should dock at the space station on Friday.\n\nThe trio only have a total of one previous space mission between them -- 42-year-old Gerst's debut mission aboard the ISS was in 2014 -- making this one of the less experienced space station crews in recent times.\n\nProkopyev, 43, will serve as the crew's flight commander for the two-day journey to the orbital lab despite having never flown into space before.\n\nAunon-Chancellor, 42, who followed her father into engineering before training to be an astronaut and is also a practising doctor, was only confirmed by NASA for the mission at the beginning of the year.\n\nThe rookie's late inclusion into the mission came at the expense of Jeanette Epps, who would have been the first African-American to serve on a long-term mission aboard the space station had she flown as expected.\n\nNASA did not explain the change.\n\nGerst, who will be commanding the space station for the first time during his mission, referenced the steppe scenery in central Kazakhstan on Twitter Wednesday as he warmed up for the flight.\n\n\"L-6 hours. On our way to the suit-up building. Got a great farewell from our friends and families. Crew is doing great. Looking at unimpressed camels on the side of the road. #horizons,\" he tweeted.\n\nAccording to ESA, Gerst will be only the second person from the agency to take command of the lab in the 17 years crews have occupied the station. Belgian Frank De Winne took charge of the station during a mission in 2009.\n\nFootball fever has gripped the ISS in the build-up to the World Cup in Russia beginning next week and the Soyuz rocket that propelled the trio into space was emblazoned with the tournament's promotional emblem.\n\nMoreover, Prokopyev said at the pre-launch press-conference that the ISS crew would stage their own football match on the day of the final on July 15.\n\n\"The composition of the teams will be international,\" Prokopyev said Tuesday.\n\nRussian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov returned to Earth on Sunday with an official football that he kicked around on the ISS and which may be used during a match, Russian news agencies have reported.\n\nThe space laboratory has been orbiting Earth at about 28,000 kilometres per hour (17,000 miles per hour) since 1998.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9904167056083679}
{"content": "No message available, Or messages are expired already.\n\nWell I finally got myself a RZR after a lot of searching and mulling things over I landed on a ’17 XP4 1000. Was planning on getting a new XP4T but after learning that those are geared taller I decided we would be better off with the 1000. Plus I saved over $5k on this lightly used one vs buying a new 4T.\nSo the first owner left it all stock so now I’m wondering what should I address right away on these, I think I’ve read something somewhere about clutch pucks (whatever those are) so can someone explain this? I took it out on maiden ride yesterday and I felt like the clutch was a little on the loud side, under heavy load climbing steep hill there was a loud hum or whine then coming back down hills at speed there was an odd whining noise, that may be the wrong word but it’s the best I can explain.\nI’d also love it if there were a more positive and earlier engagement of the trans if that’s even possible. All SxS I’ve ever rented felt the same as this and I’d love to resolve that if it’s even possible.\n\nUtah RZR Rentals", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7793021202087402}
{"content": "Introducing the SimScale Public Projects Library\n\nBlogAbout SimScaleIntroducing the SimScale Public Projects Library\n\nThe vision of the SimScale platform is to provide engineers and scientists with an efficient and flexible access to powerful modelling and simulation technology.\n\nSimScale Project Library\n\nRecently, a new feature has been added to the platform that contributes to the efficiency of work with SimScale: the Public Projects Library.\n\nIt enables users to browse a variety of publicly available simulation projects and search within them. Once a specific project is found, it is possible to copy and import it into your own workspace with a single click and gain access to the detailed simulation setup and the results.\n\nWhy is that efficient? Starting something from scratch is more time-consuming than adapting an existing solution. This holds also true for setting up a numerical analysis.\n\nDuring the work with customers and testers from the Early Access Program, we realized that users got up to speed much faster up on speed when they started with example simulations than starting with an empty interface.\n\npublic projects\n\nThe project library now provides the opportunity to store these example projects in a conveniently accessible way. More and more projects are added every day.\n\nHow it works. The screenshot above shows a part of the project library, either accessible within the platform or here.\n\nSimply type in keywords of the analysis required. For example, laminar, structural or hex-dominant—the library will automatically show you the relevant projects.\n\nClicking on one of the projects shows more information on the simulation—among others, the metadata shown in the figure below. If the simulation fits your purpose, clicking on “Actions” and then “Copy” while being logged in to the platform is enough to get the project into your personal workspace.\n\nThe project will be instantly visible within the personal workspace. Now, all details of the simulation are accessible and the user can see how exactly it has been set up including the CAD file, mesh, and results.\n\nTherefore the library enables the user to start with an existing simulation rather than setting up everything from scratch.\n\nThe workflow of the SimScale platform makes it possible to import a library project, create a mesh for another geometry, change the mesh and start another run of the simulation. This means getting the relevant results much faster.\n\nIn essence, this efficient working means ‘getting things done’—and this is what the projects library is about. We are looking forward to your opinion and feedback to further improve the library.\n\n\nBack to the Blog", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8245034217834473}
{"content": "All Content\n\nITL: Physician Reviews of HM-Relevant Research\n\n\nIn This Edition\n\nLiterature At A Glance\n\nA guide to this month’s studies\n\n  1. Acute myocardial infarction risk after hip/knee surgery\n  2. Preoperative alcohol cessation minimizes complications in elective surgery\n  3. Early laparoscopic cholecystectomy for gallstone pancreatitis\n  4. Low-dose steroids in shock patients\n  5. Pharmacist intervention did not reduce post-discharge errors\n  6. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy and necrotizing soft-tissue infections\n  7. Worse stroke outcomes on weekends\n  8. Hospital admissions from EDs increasing\n  9. Avoiding intensive glucose control in acute stroke\n  10. Peri-procedural bleeding with dabigatran versus warfarin\n\nIncreased Risk of Acute Myocardial Infarction after Hip/Knee Surgery\n\nClinical question: How long does the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) last after hip or knee replacement surgery, and what factors affect the risk?\n\nBackground: AMI is a morbid, perioperative complication of hip/knee surgery. Previous studies have demonstrated an increased risk of AMI post-surgery; however, this is the first study to assess the timing and modifiers of the risk.\n\nStudy design: Retrospective cohort study.\n\nSetting: Data from Danish national registries from 1998 to 2007.\n\nSynopsis: All adult patients who received total hip replacement (THR, n=66,524) or total knee replacement (TKR, n=28,703) surgery, as identified by hospital discharge records during a 10-year period, were matched with three age/sex controls without a history of THR or TKR (n=286,165). Patients with prior AMI within six weeks of the index date were excluded (n=437). The patients were followed until death, THR or TKR revision, migration, or the end of the study period.\n\nThromboprophylaxis was received by 99.1% of THR and TKR patients. The risk of AMI was significantly elevated for two weeks in TKR patients, and for six weeks in THR patients. Age >60 significantly increased the risk of AMI for both study populations. The risk associated with a previous AMI before THR or TKR diminished with increasing time between the two events.\n\nThe study was limited by lack of controlling for some AMI risk factors, such as smoking history or BMI.\n\nBottom line: AMI risk is substantially elevated for six weeks after THR and for two weeks after TKR. Preoperative risk factors to consider include age >60 and AMI within a year.\n\nCitation: Lalmohamed A, Vestergaard P, Klop C, et al. Timing of acute myocardial infarction in patients undergoing total hip or knee replacement. Arch Intern Med. 2012;172:1229-1235.\n\nPreoperative Alcohol Cessation Minimizes Complications of Elective Surgery in Heavy Alcohol Users\n\nClinical question: Does preoperative alcohol cessation minimize complication rates, mortality, or length of stay (LOS) in heavy alcohol users?\n\nBackground: Alcohol abuse is prevalent worldwide and contributes to 1.8 million deaths per year. Heavy alcohol users have an increased risk of postoperative bleeding, cardiopulmonary complications, and infections. It is unknown if preoperative cessation can reduce the risk of postoperative complications.\n\nStudy design: Systematic review.\n\nSetting: Two Danish randomized controlled trials.\n\nSynopsis: A Cochrane review identified 671 potential studies, of which 655 were excluded after abstract review. Of the 16 studies remaining, 14 were not randomized controlled trials with preoperative intervention for alcohol cessation. In the two studies that remained (n=69), patients who received preoperative alcohol cessation had fewer postoperative complications (odds ratio=0.22, 95% CI 0.08-0.61, P=0.004). Interventions included disulfiram and medical supervision of alcohol cessation. Investigators found no significant reductions for in-hospital or 30-day mortality.\n\nLimitations of this review include lack of blinding to the treatments, low numbers of included women, and both studies being conducted by the same author.\n\nBottom line: Heavy alcohol users might benefit from a preoperative alcohol cessation program, but further studies are needed.\n\nCitation: Oppedal K, Moller AM, Pedersen B, Tonnesen H. Preoperative alcohol cessation prior to elective surgery. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012;7:CD008343.\n\nEarly Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Is Safe and Effective for Gallstone Pancreatitis\n\nClinical question: Does early laparoscopic cholecystectomy (<48 hours of admission) in mild gallstone pancreatitis decrease LOS without increasing morbidity and mortality?\n\nBackground: Time to laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) for mild gallstone pancreatitis is greatly debated. Historically, surgeons have waited for normalization of laboratory values and decreased symptoms before performing laparoscopic or open cholecystectomy. Two previous studies demonstrated LC can be performed safely within 48 hours of admission, regardless of symptoms or laboratory values.\n\nStudy design: Retrospective cohort.\n\nSetting: Two academic medical centers in California.\n\nSynopsis: This retrospective review of 303 patients who underwent LC for mild gallstone pancreatitis from 2006 to 2011 found 117 (38.6%) underwent early LC and 186 (61.4%) underwent delayed LC (>48 hours after presentation). No significant differences in patient demographics, laboratory values, or admission Ranson scores were found between the groups. The mean LOS was significantly shorter in the early LC group (3.4 days) compared with the delayed LC group (6.3 days), and the delayed LC group had a higher rate of preoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). No differences were found with regard to mortality, complication rates, 30-day readmissions, or conversion to open cholecystectomy.\n\nThis study is limited by its retrospective design and potential for uncontrolled confounders. In addition, it did not evaluate preoperative management, postoperative recovery time, or timing of surgical consultation, which could have affected outcomes between the groups. It also is difficult to predict mild gallstone pancreatitis on admission, as some of the Ranson criteria should be calculated at 48 hours, and 5% to 10% of mild gallstone pancreatitis will progress to severe pancreatitis.\n\nBottom line: Early laparoscopic cholecystectomy (<48 hours of presentation) in mild gallstone pancreatitis is associated with shorter LOS and decreased ERCP use, with no difference in morbidity or mortality.\n\nCitation: Faylor AE, de Virgilio C, Stabile BE, et al. Early laparoscopic cholecystectomy for mild gallstone pancreatitis. Time for a paradigm shift. Arch Surg. 2012;16:1-5.\n\nLow-Dose Steroids in Shock Patients\n\nClinical question: Do low-dose corticosteroids improve mortality or shock reversal in adults with septic shock?\n\nBackground: Several trials have been published to evaluate the efficacy of low-dose corticosteroids in septic shock.\n\nStudy design: Systemic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.\n\nSetting: Not identified.\n\nSynopsis: Seven randomized controlled trials that utilized low-dose corticosteroids and reported either mortality or time-to-shock reversal in adults with septic shock were included in this review. Shock reversal was not consistently defined across trials but included time to withdrawal of vasopressors, proportion of patients on vasopressors on Day 3, or stable systolic blood pressure of >90 mm Hg for at least 24 hours without vasopressor support.\n\nPooled results found a significant improvement in shock reversal after low-dose corticosteroid administration (300 mg hydrocortisone in 24 hours [relative risk=1.17, 95% CI, 1.07-1.28]). Pooled results from six studies (n=965) did not find a significant difference in\n\nmortality among those receiving low-dose corticosteroids.\n\nOf note, two of the seven studies represented a disproportionate number of included patients, and the search only included the MEDLINE database, so some randomized controlled trials might have been missed.\n\nBottom line: Low-dose corticosteroids might reverse shock faster, but they do not improve mortality.\n\nCitation: Sherwin RL, Garcia AJ, Bilkovski R. Do low-dose corticosteroids improve mortality or shock reversal in patients with septic shock? A systemic review and position statement prepared for the American Academy of Emergency Medicine. J Emerg Med. 2012;43:7-12.\n\nPharmacist Intervention Did Not Reduce Medication Errors after Discharge\n\nClinical question: Does pharmacist intervention reduce clinically important medication errors after hospital discharge for patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or decompensated congestive heart failure?\n\nBackground: Research has shown adverse drug events, including discrepancies in medication regimens and nonadherence, affect 11% to 17% of discharged patients. Pharmacist interventions reduce medication errors in hospitalized patients, but their impact on recently discharged patients is unknown.\n\nStudy design: Blinded randomized controlled trial.\n\nSetting: Two U.S. tertiary-care academic hospitals.\n\nSynopsis: Investigators randomized 851 patients admitted with ACS or decompensated heart failure to receive pharmacist intervention or usual care. The intervention involved pharmacist medication reconciliation (“med rec”), inpatient pharmacist counseling, low-literacy adherence aids, and post-discharge follow-up phone calls.\n\nThe primary outcome of clinically important medication errors within 30 days of discharge occurred in 50.8% of all patients. The intervention and usual-care groups had similar mean number of errors, 0.87 and 0.92 events per patient, respectively. Results by intention-to-treat analysis favored the intervention but did not meet statistical significance (adjusted RR 0.92, CI 0.77-1.09).\n\nBoth hospitals had sufficient resources to support med rec and electronic health records. The study population was well-educated, with only a 10% prevalence of inadequate health literacy, compared with 26% noted in prior literature. These factors could help explain the study’s negative findings.\n\nStudy limitations include whether the results are generalizable to other settings or noncardiac populations. Further study is needed to determine characteristics of patients and settings that could benefit from pharmacist involvement to decrease medication errors.\n\nBottom line: A pharmacist intervention did not reduce medication errors in cardiac patients after discharge.\n\nCitation: Kripalani S, Roumie CL, Dalal AK, et al. Effect of a pharmacist intervention on clinically important medication errors after hospital discharge. Ann Int Med. 2012;157:1-10.\n\nHyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Saves Lives in Necrotizing Soft-Tissue Infections\n\nClinical question: Is the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in necrotizing soft-tissue infections (NSTIs) effective in improving patient outcomes?\n\nBackground: Studies evaluating the benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO2 therapy) in NSTIs are limited. The mainstay of management remains early surgical debridement and antibiotics. Given the significant risk of mortality and long-term disability from limb and tissue loss, alternative treatments need to be considered.\n\nStudy design: Retrospective analysis.\n\nSetting: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database.\n\nSynopsis: This study evaluated 45,913 patients in the NIS from 1988 to 2009, of which 405 patients received HBO2 therapy. Overall, those receiving HBO2 therapy had a lower mortality rate (4.5% vs. 9.4%). After adjusting for predictors and confounders, those receiving HBO2 therapy had a statistically significant lower risk of mortality, but they did have higher hospital costs and longer LOS.\n\nThe NIS database does not capture several predictors and confounders for NSTI patients. Additionally, the lack of data regarding the number of HBO2 therapy sessions received makes it impossible to estimate a dose response.\n\nBottom line: This retrospective analysis of NSTI patients found HBO2 therapy was associated with significantly lower mortality but higher hospitalization cost and longer LOS.\n\nCitation: Soh CR, Pietrobon R, Freiberger JJ, et al. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in necrotizing soft tissue infections: a study of patients in the United States Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Intensive Care Med. 2012;38:1143-1151.\n\nWorse Stroke Outcomes on Weekends\n\nClinical question: Does the day of admission alter the quality and safety of care received by stroke patients?\n\nBackground: There is growing concern of disparities in care between weekday and weekend admissions in many health conditions. Recent studies have sought to determine if such a disparity exists for stroke patients.\n\nStudy design: Retrospective cohort study.\n\nSetting: National Health Service public hospitals, England.\n\nSynopsis: This study evaluated six quality-safety indicators among 93,621 stroke admits from April 1, 2009, to March 31, 2010. Investigators found performance on five of six indicators was significantly worse on weekends. Specifically, the percent of same-day brain scans was 43.1% on weekends, compared with 47.6% on weekdays, and seven-day in-hospital mortality for Sunday admissions was 11%, compared with an overall mean mortality of 8.9%.\n\nIt is possible that some of the observed effect could be due to unmeasured differences in patients admitted on weekends compared to weekdays.\n\nBottom line: This study suggests that, similar to other clinical conditions, significant disparities might exist between weekend and weekday care of stroke patients.\n\nCitation: Palmer WL, Bottle A, Davie C, Vincent CA, Aylin P. Dying for the weekend: a retrospective cohort study on the association between day of hospital presentation and the quality and safety of stroke care. Arch Neurol. 2012;9:1-7.\n\nHospital Admissions from Emergency Departments Increasing\n\nClinical question: What proportion of current hospital admissions use the ED as an admission portal?\n\nBackground: Historically, outpatient providers’ offices admitted clinically stable patients with acute problems. From 1997 to 2007, ED visit rates increased by more than a third. Currently, a quarter of all acute-care outpatient visits occur in the ED.\n\nStudy design: Retrospective, observational cohort study.\n\nSetting: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database, with approximately 8 million annual hospital stays, weighted to produce national averages.\n\nSynopsis: NIS data from 1993 to 2006 showed the number of hospital admissions increased by 15%, while the proportion of admissions from the ED increased by 50%. The total proportion of inpatients entering from the ED increased to 43.8% from 33.5% (P<0.001). Twelve of the 13 most frequent inpatient clinical conditions also had a proportional increase in admissions from the ED (P<0.0001).\n\nPossible explanations for the increases include difficulty arranging timely outpatient sick visits and overuse of the ED for issues that could be more appropriately addressed by primary-care offices. Furthermore, public education campaigns for heart attack or stroke emphasize early emergency care. Patients and providers expect rapid specialized care and early treatment that is readily available in ED.\n\nMore efficient use of inpatient resources is a focus of the Affordable Care Act. To inform health policy, research is needed to determine the drivers of admission trends, as well as the value and cost of emergency care.\n\nBottom line: The proportion of hospital admissions from the ED is increasing, but the implications for healthcare delivery are inadequately understood.\n\nCitation: Schuur JD, Venkatesh AK. The growing role of emergency departments in hospital admissions. N Engl J Med. 2012;367(5):391-393.\n\nAvoiding Intensive Glucose Control in Acute Stroke\n\nClinical question: Is intensive insulin treatment beneficial in patients with acute stroke?\n\nBackground: Although post-stroke hyperglycemia is associated with worse outcomes in acute stroke patients, it is unknown if intensive insulin treatment improves prognosis or infarct size.\n\nStudy design: Unblinded randomized controlled trial.\n\nSetting: Single academic medical center in France.\n\nSynopsis: Study authors randomized acute stroke patients (NIHSS from 5 to 25) to intensive insulin treatment or subcutaneous insulin therapy within 24 hours of admission. Initial median blood sugars were ~120 mg/dL in both groups. Mean blood sugars of <126 mg/dL were achieved at 24 hours in 95% of the intensive group and 67% of the subcutaneous group. The MRI infarct size at follow-up scanning was significantly larger in the intensive insulin group, but there were no differences in functional outcomes, serious adverse events, or mortality between the groups.\n\nThe study might have been underpowered to detect meaningful clinical differences between the groups.\n\nBottom line: Intensive blood sugar control cannot be recommended in acute stroke patients.\n\nCitation: Rosso C, Corvol JC, Pires C, et al. Intensive versus subcutaneous insulin in patients with hyperacute stroke: results from the randomized INSULINFARCT trial. Stroke. 2012;43(9):2343-2349.\n\nPeri-Procedural Bleeding with Dabigatran Versus Warfarin\n\nClinical question: Is dabigatran more likely to result in periprocedural bleeding when compared to warfarin?\n\nBackground: In a randomized clinical trial (RE-LY), dabigatran had a lower risk of major bleeding compared with warfarin. However, given that the anticoagulant effect of dabigatran is difficult to measure and there is not an effective antidote, it is unknown if dabigatran is associated with higher periprocedural rates of bleeding compared with warfarin.\n\nStudy design: Post-hoc analysis of the RE-LY trial.\n\nSetting: Multicenter randomized controlled trial.\n\nSynopsis: Patients enrolled in the RE-LY trial all had urgent or elective-invasive procedures recorded. The protocol recommended cessation of warfarin based on local practice, and cessation of dabigatran 24 hours before the procedure; the protocol was amended in 2008 to recommend cessation of dabigatran 24 hours before low-bleeding risk procedures, but two to five hours before high-bleeding-risk procedures (depending on renal function). Periprocedural bleeding was defined as seven days prior and 30 days after the procedure. Dabigatran was interrupted a mean of 49 hours before the procedures, and warfarin for 114 hours. There was no significant difference in major bleeding rates between dabigatran (150-mg dose) and warfarin, which occurred in 5.1% versus 4.6% patients, respectively.\n\nBottom line: Warfarin and dabigatran have about the same rate of periprocedural bleeding rates, but interruption duration is shorter for dabigatran.\n\nCitation: Healey JS, Eikelboom J, Douketis J, et al. Peri-procedural bleeding and thromboembolic events with dabigatran compared with warfarin: results from the randomized evaluation of long-term anticoagulation therapy (RE-LY) randomized trial. Circulation. 2012;126(3):343-348.\n\nClinical Shorts\n\n\nThe FDA approved a test that detects the dengue virus from a blood sample (as opposed to older antibody tests). It is easy to perform and likely will be readily available in the near future.\n\nCitation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention briefing. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Available at: Accessed Sept. 3, 2012.\n\n\nThis prospective cohort of critically ill patients on antibiotics and CVVHD found wide variability of trough levels of various antibiotics, necessitating routine checking of levels to avoid under- and overdosing.\n\nCitation: Roberts DM, Roberts JA, Roberts MA, et al. Variability of antibiotic concentrations in critically ill patients receiving continuous renal replacement therapy: a multicenter pharmacokinetic study. Crit Care Med. 2012;40(5):1523-1528.\n\n\nThis large prospective analysis of patients with gross hematuria found no pathology in ~50% but found cancer in ~20%, necessitating a full workup in these types of patients.\n\nCitation: Mishriki SF, Vint R, Somani BK. Half of visible and half of recurrent visible hematuria cases have underlying pathology: prospective large cohort study with long-term follow-up. J Urol. 2012;187(5):1561-1565.\n\nNext Article:\n\n   Comments ()", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9883518218994141}
{"content": "January 19, 2019\n\nArchives for February 24, 2015\n\nWater Fluoridation May Increase Risk of Underactive Thyroid Disorder\n\nCOF-COF Special News FindBy: Douglas Main, Newsweek.com, United States 24-Feb-2015 –A large study that looked at data from nearly every general medical practice in England suggests that water fluoridation may increase the risk of developing hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid. This condition, in which the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough hormones, is associated with symptoms such as fatigue, obesity and depression.\n\nThe study found that locations with fluoridated water supplies were more than 30 percent more likely to have high levels of hypothyroidism, compared to areas with low levels of the chemical in the water. Overall, there were 9 percent more cases of underactive thyroid in fluoridated places.\n\nFluoride is added to the water of about 10 percent of England’s population—and to the taps of about two-thirds of Americans—for the purpose of preventing cavities. It has proved controversial ever since being adopted by American public health authorities in the 1950s, and then spreading to some other countries; supporters say it is a boon for dental health, while critics say it may lead to a variety of health problems.\n\nThe paper, published today in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, also directly compared the fluoridated city of Birmingham with the city of Manchester, which doesn’t add the substance to the water. After controlling for factors such as sex and age (women are more likely than men to have the condition, and the elderly more likely than the young), the researchers concluded that doctor’s offices in Birmingham were nearly twice as likely to report high levels hypothyroidism, says study co-author Stephen Peckham, a researcher at the University of Kent.\n\n“It raises a red flag,” says Dr. Philippe Grandjean, an environmental health researcher and physician at Harvard University, “that possible interference with thyroid function needs serious consideration when regulating fluoride levels in drinking water.”\n\nThe findings are all the more important since this is the “largest population ever studied in regard to adverse effects of elevated fluoride exposure,” says Grandjean, who wasn’t involved in the study. Data was collected from 99 percent of England’s 8,020 general medical practices, and the study found that a total of 3.2 percent of the population had hypothyroidism, a 14 percent increase from 2008.\n\n“The study is an important one because it is large enough to detect differences of potential significance to the health of the population,” says Trevor Sheldon, a medical researcher and dean of the Hull York Medical School. Sheldon, who has authored numerous studies in this field, no longer thinks (as he once did) that the “case for general water fluoridation” is clear.\n\nConsidering the comprehensiveness of this study—it covered nearly the whole of England—regional differences in fluoride intake or other confounding factors are unlikely to have played a role in the striking results, says Kathleen Thiessen, a senior scientist at the Oak Ridge Center for Risk Analysis, a company that does human health risk assessments for a variety of environmental contaminants.\n\nBut John Warren, a professor and researcher in the department of dentistry at the University of Iowa, disagrees. He points out that the study merely shows correlation, not causation. It also “assumes that since one group lives in a fluoridated community, they have higher exposure to [the substance] than those in the non-fluoridated area,” he says. This is significant flaw, he says—to draw a valid connection between fluoride and hypothyroidism, you’d have to measure individual exposure to the chemical and show that those with the condition had higher levels of exposure.\n\nBut other researchers interviewed for this story disagreed with this point, saying that such group studies are a valid way to begin to assess health effects of chemical exposure and make up the bulk of the scientific basis for fluoridation; this paper uses a much larger sample size than the vast majority of studies showing positive effects of fluoride, Thiessen says. Collecting individual data from tens of thousands of people is also not very feasible, they say.\n\n“It’s unlikely that other sources of fluoride exposure—from tea, swallowed toothpaste, a few types of foods—would be distributed amongst the population of England in a way that would bias the results in one direction or another,” says Chris Neurath, senior scientist with the Fluoride Action Network, which opposes adding the substance to water.\n\nMoreover, several other studies have suggested that fluoride in water accounts for a majority of an individual’s exposure to the chemical in the United States, and Peckham says this is also probably true in the United Kingdom. Thus it stands to reason that people in areas with higher levels in the water are generally exposed to more of it, Peckham says.\n\nThe connection between fluoridation and thyroid problems has not been widely studied, says Thiessen, who wasn’t involved in the paper. But the research that does exist shows that at a certain dose fluoride does indeed impair the activity of the thyroid gland, through an as-yet-unclear mechanism, she says.\n\nIn fact, fluoride was used to to treat hyperthyroidism (or an overactive thyroid) in the 1950s. It may put a damper on the gland’s activities by suppressing the activity of various enzymes, causing physical damage or interfering with the absorption and use of iodine, a substance that is critical for thyroid health, Thiessen says.\n\nIn 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency convened a panel that recommended lowering the maximum allowable level of fluoride in water; Thiessen was amongst that group and helped write sections of the report regarding health effects on the thyroid. Nine years later, the EPA is still considering whether or not to revise its fluoride standards.\n\nGrandjean’s work has shown that high levels of fluoride—above the concentrations found in most fluoridated water—are associated with reduced IQ measures in children in China and India. Based on that work, he and a co-author listed fluoride as a developmental neurotoxin in a 2014 study in The Lancet.\n\n“We don’t know how fluoride may cause the decreases in IQs in children, but this new study suggests that thyroid toxicity could be a very relevant mechanism,” Grandjean says. The thyroid produces hormones that are vital for proper metabolism, growth and brain function, and children of mothers with thyroid problems can suffer deficits in these areas, he adds.\n\nThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which lists fluoridation as one of the top 10 public health initiatives of the 20th century, declined to comment on the study. The Food and Drug Administration referred questions about the study to the EPA, which didn’t respond by publication time. Public Health England maintains that fluoridation is “ a safe and effective public health measure.”\n\nBut some researchers aren’t so sure. “This study illustrates that there are potential harms [with fluoridation] that need large scale studies to explore; at the same time it is not a reason for panic,” Sheldon says.\n\n\n\nTrouvailles Médiatiques 300 x 300Par: Charles Côté, La Presse, 24-février-2015 La fluoration augmenterait le risque de contracter une maladie de la glande thyroïde.\n\nL’ajout de fluorure dans l’eau du robinet augmente les risques de contracter une maladie de la glande thyroïde, selon une recherche parue hier dans le Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. L’ajout de fluorure dans l’eau du robinet est lié à un taux significativement plus élevé d’une maladie de la glande thyroïde. C’est la conclusion d’une recherche parue hier dans le Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, publié par le British Medical Journal. Cela donnera des arguments supplémentaires à ceux qui s’opposent à la fluoration de l’eau, une mesure pourtant jugée efficace et peu coûteuse pour combattre la carie dentaire.\n\nLes chercheurs de l’Université du Kent ont étudié la clientèle de 7935 médecins de famille d’Angleterre. Les médecins de famille anglais qui participent au régime de santé public sont incités financièrement à vérifier le fonctionnement de la glande thyroïde.\n\nEnviron 10% de la population britannique est desservie par un réseau d’aqueduc dans lequel du fluor a été ajouté à l’eau potable. Il y a donc une masse de données propice à l’analyse de type épidémiologique. Résultat: la probabilité que la clientèle d’un médecin souffre d’un taux élevé d’hypothyroïdie augmente de 40% à 60% selon la teneur en fluorure de l’eau.\n\nUne plus grande proportion de la population est alimentée par de l’eau fluorée au Canada et aux États-Unis, où cette pratique à grande échelle a commencé dans les années 50.\n\nAu pays, 42% de la population est alimentée par de l’eau fluorée. En Ontario, c’est 76%, autant qu’aux États-Unis (75%). Mais au Québec, c’est seulement 3%.\n\nEn 2006, le gouvernement du Québec se donnait l’objectif que d’ici 2012, 50% de la population de la province ait accès à de l’eau potable dont la concentration en fluorure est optimale. L’objectif est loin d’être atteint. En fait, on s’en éloigne, avec l’abandon de la fluoration à Québec en 2008 et, plus récemment, à Bécancour.\n\n\nAlors qu’est-ce donc que l’hypothyroïdie? Tout part de la glande thyroïde, qui sécrète des hormones qui contrôlent le niveau du métabolisme des cellules du corps. Selon Passeport Santé, quand cette glande sécrète moins d’hormones, les personnes peuvent prendre du poids et ressentir de la faiblesse, de la fatigue, de la confusion, des crampes musculaires, de la frilosité et une foule d’autres symptômes diffus.\n\nLes femmes sont de deux à huit fois plus susceptibles d’en souffrir. La prévalence augmente avec l’âge. La maladie touche 1% des adultes au Canada, mais 10% des 60 ans et plus.\n\nSelon les chercheurs, c’est la première fois que la corrélation entre l’exposition au fluor et les effets sur la glande thyroïde est étudiée à l’échelle de la population.\n\nCependant, ils mentionnent que l’on connaissait l’effet du fluor sur la thyroïde depuis longtemps: dans les années 50, on traitait le goitre – l’hyperthyroïdie – avec une dose de fluor semblable à celle à laquelle on est exposé si on boit 1,5 litre d’eau fluorée par jour. Les symptômes du goitre sont souvent à l’opposé de ceux de l’hypothyroïdie: nervosité, tremblements, rythme cardiaque rapide, perte de poids, etc.\n\nToujours recommandé au Québec\n\nLes chercheurs affirment que leurs «résultats de recherche ont des implications importantes pour les politiques de santé publique au Royaume-Uni et dans d’autres pays où le fluorure est ajouté à l’eau».\n\nMais pour sa part, la Direction de la santé publique (DSP) du Québec continue de prôner la fluoration, y compris dans un avis de 2012 sur cette question.\n\nOn y affirme que les enfants québécois ont 40% à 50% plus de caries que les Nord-Américains du même âge. Et il y a plus d’«édentés» au Québec qu’ailleurs au Canada. Dans ce même avis, la DSP affirme qu’«aucune donnée scientifique ne démontre de lien entre la fluoration de l’eau de consommation et un problème de santé particulier».\n\nUne affirmation qui devra peut-être être nuancée.\n\nÀ l’instar de la DSP, la plupart des autorités de santé publique et des associations dentaires continuent de prôner la fluoration de l’eau, sur la base de centaines d’études qui n’ont pas mis au jour d’impact négatif.\n\nMais ses bienfaits pour la santé dentaire sont de plus en plus difficiles à discerner, selon un rapport publié l’an dernier par le Centre de collaboration nationale en santé environnementale (CCNSE).\n\n«Il y a de multiples sources de fluor, les soins dentaires s’améliorent ainsi que l’hygiène dentaire individuelle», affirme-t-on.\n\n\nThe addition of fluoride in tap water increases the risk of contracting a disease of the thyroid gland, according to research published yesterday in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. The addition of fluoride in tap water is connected to a significantly higher rate of a disease of the thyroid gland. This is the conclusion of research published yesterday in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, published by the British Medical Journal. This will give additional arguments to those who oppose water fluoridation, a measure nevertheless deemed effective and inexpensive to fight tooth decay.\n\nResearchers at the University of Kent studied customer 7935 Family Physicians of England. The English family physicians participating in the public health system are financial incentive to check the functioning of the thyroid gland.\n\nAbout 10% of the UK population is served by a water system in which fluorine was added to drinking water. So there is a mass of data conducive to the type of epidemiological analysis. Result: the likelihood that the customer of a doctor suffers from a high rate of hypothyroidism increases from 40% to 60% depending on the fluoride content of the water.\n\nA greater proportion of the population is supplied by fluoridated water in Canada and the United States, where the widespread practice began in the 50s.\n\nNationally, 42% of the population is supplied with fluoridated water. In Ontario, it is 76%, as the United States (75%). But in Quebec, only 3%.\n\nIn 2006, the Quebec government gave itself the goal that by 2012, 50% of the provincial population has access to safe drinking water with fluoride concentration is optimal. The objective is far from being achieved. In fact, one walks away with the abandonment of fluoridation in Quebec in 2008 and more recently in Bécancour.\n\n\nSo what is it that hypothyroidism? Any part of the thyroid gland, which secretes hormones that control the metabolism of the body cells. According to Passport Health when this gland secretes less hormones, people can gain weight and feel weak, fatigue, confusion, muscle cramps, nervousness, and a host of other diffuse symptoms.\n\nWomen are two to eight times more likely to suffer. The prevalence increases with age. The disease affects 1% of adults in Canada, 10% of 60 and over.\n\nAccording to the researchers, this is the first time that the correlation between fluoride exposure and effects on the thyroid gland is studied across the population.\n\nHowever, they mention that we knew the effect of fluoride on thyroid long time: in the 50s, was treated goiter – hyperthyroidism – with a dose of fluoride similar to that to which one is exposed if you drink 1.5 liters of fluoridated water per day. The symptoms of goiter are often the opposite of those of hypothyroidism: nervousness, tremors, rapid heart rate, weight loss, etc.\n\nAlways recommended in Quebec\n\nThe researchers say that their “research results have important implications for public health policy in the UK and in other countries where fluoride is added to water.”\n\nBut for his part, the Public Health Department (PHD) in Quebec continues to advocate fluoridation, including a notice of 2012 on this issue.\n\nIt states that Quebec children have 40% to 50% more cavities than North Americans of the same age. And there’s more “toothless” in Quebec and across Canada. In this opinion, the DSP asserts that “no scientific evidence demonstrating a link between the consumption of water fluoridation and a particular health problem.”\n\nA statement which may have to be qualified.\n\nLike DSP, most public health authorities and dental associations continue to advocate fluoridation of water, based on hundreds of studies that have not revealed any negative impact.\n\nBut its benefits for dental health are becoming more difficult to discern, according to a report last year by the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health (NCCEH).\n\n“There are multiple sources of fluoride, dental care and improved individual hygiene,” it is said.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5640677213668823}
{"content": "New Dim Sum for lunch Head to Dynasty to enjoy 25% off our lunch7.jpg\n\nAvid Cantonese food lovers will know that quality dim sum buffets don’t come cheap, which could explain why it’s a meal generally enjoyed with family. But here's some good news if you've been craving a proper dim sum session, Centara Grand at CentralWorld’s Dynasty restaurant is offering a 25% discount on their all-you-can-eat dim sum buffet—originally priced at 850++ baht—allowing you to enjoy a lunch of endless dim sum with friends at an absolute bargain!\n\nThe buffet features some of the best from chef Kongsun Sae-Liang’s repertoire of small dim sum plates, such as steamed zucchini with prawn, shrimp dumplings with Beijing sauce and even steamed snow fish in black bean sauce. In addition to being able to help yourself to as many steamer baskets of dim sum as your heart desires, the lunch deal also comes with two appetiser choices of a traditional Chinese soup, rice or noodle dish and dessert. And, if you want, you can get a Peking duck in the form of spring rolls for just an extra 400 baht. \n\nSteamed shrimp dumpling with Beijing sauce.JPG\n\nSteamed snow fish with black bean sauce.JPG\n\nSteamed shrimp dumpling with Japanese pumpkin.JPG\n\nSteamed zucchini with prawn.JPG\n\nThe discount applies every lunch from 11:30am-2:30pm, until the end of June. Make reservations at 0-2100-6255.\n\nTags: dim sum, Centara Grand, CentralWorld, Dynasty, Chinese food", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.964961051940918}
{"content": "Deep Neural Nets for Embedded Big Data Applications\n\nWe explore the use of deep neural networks (DNN) for embedded big data applications. Deep neural networks have been demonstrated to outperform state-of-the-art solutions for a variety of complex classification tasks, such as image recognition. The ability to train networks to both perform feature abstraction and classification provides a number of key benefits. One key benefit is that it reduces the burden of the developer to produce efficient, optimal feature engineering, which typically requires expert domain-knowledge and significant time. A second key benefit is that the network's complexity can be adjusted to achieve desired accuracy performance. Despite these benefits, DNNs have yet to be fully realized in an embedded setting. In this research, we explore novel architecture optimizations and develop optimal static mappings for neural networks onto highly parallel, highly granular hardware processors such as many-cores and embedded GPUs.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9497039914131165}
{"content": "The Reliquier is a beautiful country house in the historic centre of Vallfogona de Ripolles. Its privileged location gives us magnificient views over a unique natural surrounding and at the same time it is the perfect place to start hiking or mountain biking, or simply seek peace and quiet. It is ideal to stroll and discover the town with enormous charm.\n\nDating from 1794, the house has two separate apartments with common access to the garden and pool. The original structure has been respected, trying not to alter its genuine essence. Its interior and decoration is made of natural materials, respecting its country character and giving it a chic vintage touch with shabby influences. Our aim is to make our guests feel at home, enjoy their stay and live it as a unique experience in itself.\n\nThe Reliquier should be rented entirely per house or one of the houses separately but in its whole, without catering. However, at arrival guests will receive a little gift that will make their stay more comfortable. Besides, there are two restaurants in the town which offer typical food of fresh products from the area.\n\nThe Abril House has got 2 double bedrooms (in one of them could stay a third guest if wished), a bedroom for children, (with bulk bed) a complete bathroom, a living-room with a fireplace, and a dining-room annex kitchen. In total there would be accommodation for 7 people.\n\nThe Bruna House is a charming apartment, like a studio with its own kitchen and bathroom. It has accommodation for 3 persons (2 adults and a child). They both have heating. There is a common hall to the garden and the swimming pool with a small bathroom at the side.\n\nA Reliquier used to be very small building which used to be next to the churches where villagers conjured storms and evil spirits in old times. In Vallfogona, close to the old temple of Sant Julià is still a Reliquier (in Catalan), a small building of the 17thC, which collapsed in the 80s, but it was rebuilt in 1985, using many of the original parts.\n\nWe wanted to make a modest tribute to this type of building, forgotten today, almost magical and moving.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.980486273765564}
{"content": "Electricity could be a completely crucial issue and can not be separated from human existence. Due to the fact without strength, human paintings will have many problems. The invention of strength may be stated to be the greatest discovery in the records of human existence. Believe, the whole floor of the earth can be pitch darkish, human civilization will by no means development as it’s miles now.\n\n\n\nNowadays, the utilization and development of energy in the world of science and technology is increasingly advanced. People have done a whole lot of studies and test then use it on diverse equipment that requires strength in principle work. Inside the international of training too, electricity isn’t always best limited to study the float, taggant, and limitations. However already include numerous matters.\n\nThinking about the importance of power in all elements of human existence. There’s no damage in knowing how electric records changed into located and who scientists are locating it. Thanks to their services the sector of strength has loads to persuade science and generation to this present day. Their discoveries have been applied nearly all over the globe.\n\nPower improvement in Indonesia from 12 months to 12 months has also made tons progress. In this paper also discusses the development of strength in the world. And the way the history of the start of the electrical enterprise in all international locations.\n\nJoyce James, Colin Baker, and Helen Swain endorse. That strength is a drift or movement of electrons is a negatively charged particle discovered in all atoms.\n\nEnergy is also a supply of electricity furnished through cable or other vendors. Strength is electricity that can be transformed into any other power. Generating heat, light, climax, or movement (mechanical).\n\nThe records of the inventor of Electricity strength\n\nThere are numerous variations.\n\nFirst, the energy changed into located in the days of historic Egypt.\n\nThe principle that strength was recognized and used in European glory become wrong. So The Egyptians who found it, however, the Europeans best popularized.\n\nThe key to this entire theory lies hundreds of kilometers east of Egypt. There are a few extraordinary pots discovered in Iraq. Some copper cylinders are glued into the hollow using asphalt. In the middle of the cylinder, there is an iron rod. The diggers determined the first pot in 1936 and were convinced that the pot changed into a galvanic element, a primitive battery. Then The reconstruction does show that it’s far possible to create energy.\n\nThe next fact is discovered inside the temple at Dendera, tens of kilometers north of Luxor. Some experts discover mild. Then A Norwegian electrical engineer sees objects displayed on relief. on the pinnacle of this page can work as a lamp. An Austrian buddy was capable of building a working model. And famous authors at AAS, Peter Krassa, and Rainer Habeck may want to even work out the real theories these days.\n\nAfter pieces of evidence were removed now we have to take a better look at the item itself. The “technical” guide, the following description explains Egypt’s technology of power. The book “lighting fixtures of the Pharaohs” via Austrian author Krassa & Habeck. Then They write the most popular thesis summary. After analyzing an e-book that layman might ask, why ancient Egypt let Egyptian history inclusive of rubbish as it appears that the history of Egypt is absolutely exclusive. A lot of Egypt’s records in keeping with the author’s well-known shows unfastened discovery.\n\nSecondly, power changed into determined with the aid of Thales of Miletus and the 0.33, power located by Faraday.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7802528142929077}
{"content": "Ann Weathersby\n\n    Exhibition: Flicker\n\n    Hermit Lane, 2004\n\n    Digital video Still\n\n    Ann Weathersby turns the camera on herself and engages elements of video, sculpture and performance, using the body to provoke a physical, psychological and emotional experience. In Hermit Lane, a woman tunnels through an empty house using a sledgehammer and an axe. As she ruptures surfaces, creating crawlspaces from room to room, the unsteady hand of the camera operator fuses a rhythm with the steady swings of her arm.\n    PO Box 6259, 32-01 Vernon Boulevard\n    Long Island City, NY 11106\n    T 718 956 1819 / F 718 626 1533\nSocrates is open 365 days a year from 9am to sunset.\nCurrently ° and at Socrates\nSocrates is open 365 days a year from 10am to sunset.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9554114937782288}
{"content": "100 Years of Architectural Drawings\n\nDer Artikel befindet sich jetzt auf Ihrem Wunschzettel\n- klicken um zu schließen -\n\n100 Years of Architectural Drawings\n\nSprache: Englisch Erscheinungsjahr: 2013 Bindung: Hardcover Seiten: 320 Verlag: Laurence King Maße: L: 25.5cm B: 23.5cm H: 3cm\n\nThis beautiful book brings together 300 of the best architectural drawings from the last century by the world's most prestigious architects, creating both a history of the genre and a survey of twentieth-century architecture.\n\nThe book is divided into five chronological sections that are prefaced by short essays that highlight the trends and styles of that period. Each drawing is captioned with key information about the architect, the project, and the drawing.\n\nThis dazzling visual feast will appeal to all students and practitioners of architecture as well as anyone with an interest in the subject.\n\n* inkl. MwSt., zzgl. Versandkosten", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.968394935131073}
{"content": "Service Hotline： +86-755-23778007\nYou are here：Home >> Faq\n\n\n\nfollow Us\n\nContact: Mark Chang\nOffice Address:longhua district  Shenzhen   \nFactory Address:A28 Tangjia road  Guangming new district  shenzhen \n\nWhy We Choose Thermal Insulating Sheet?\n\nInsulating sheets are flexible heat insulating sheets composed of proprietary silica aerogel and fiber. The thermal properties of insulating materials are usually known or can be measured accurately. This has a lower thermal conductivity than air which provides high heat insulation. Thermal insulating sheets offer countermeasures against heat when combined with other thermal management products.\n\nAt roughly 1/10th of the thickness of standard insulation materials, thermal insulating sheet has the performance specs. The sheet is thin enough to add in to small package devices with high power requirements and the thickness ranges from 100um to 1000um. Wrapped in polyester tape, thermal insulating sheet adds flexibility to an engineers’ toolkit.\n\n Thermally Insulating Sheet\n\nThermal Insulating sheets are well known for high dielectric strength, flexibility, mechanical toughness and resilience. Suitable for wearable devices, smartphones and many other small electronic devices, the flexibility of the insulation sheet allows them to bent and used in narrow spaces. These materials can work together to create staggering results in both heat reduction and heat isolation at the same time. With a thermal conductivity rating of 0.015 W/mK whereas the thermal conductivity rating can go down to as low as .014 W/mK. \n\nThe insulation sheets are made by fibers and mineral materials with high mechanical strength with good insulation property. There are various types of insulating materials that offer specific thermal conductivity values that can be used to measure their insulating effectiveness. Tensan have different pads for thermal slution .It has flame retardant, high chemical and solvent resistant properties. Thermal Insulation sheets are widely used in the majority of electrical equipment applications. They are tested for their strength and durability during manufacturing process for better applications. Availed in various sizes and thickness, this has excellent resistance quality to heat. \n\nContact us", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8755822777748108}
{"content": "Startup Wichita Bringing connections and collisions to the entrepreneur, startup, and tech communities in Wichita, Kansas.\n\nStartup Wichita\n\nStartup Wichita began as a side project for a group of local developers to build a site that connect tech people in Wichita, Kansas.\n\nWhen work on this site began to stagnate, Tortugas Consulting was brought in to continue the development. Security enhancements were made while also working on new feature sets.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9970541000366211}
{"content": "July  11 - 13 , 2019\n\nThe Catcher\ndir. by Cassie Guidry  / USA / 3 min.\n\nA Soldier suffering with PTSD seeks the aid of a Dreamcatcher Weaver to save him from his nightmares.\n\n\nby Graham Annable / USA / 6 min.\n\nWorking on the weekend can really blow.\n\nAgent Bird\ndir. by Ethan Yazel  / USA / 2 min.\n\nJust another day's work for this avian secret agent. Bullet dodging, acrobatic, and a whole lot of waiting.\n\nClues & Socks\nby Jonah Safer  / USA / 3 min.\n\nWhen a sock goes missing under suspicious circumstances, Zak Huh?! and his team of animal investigators are on the case.\n\nHome Grown\ndir. by William Reynish  / Denmark / 21 min.\n\nThe 12-year-old girl Darya was once evacuated from a nuclear disaster, and now returns to her hometown to look for her father. When she arrives, everything has changed. The town is grown over by amazing nature, and wild animals have moved in. Darya travels down memory lane and in the overwhelming town she succeeds to find her father. But also he is completely changed and it forces Darya to leave the past behind her and try to adapt to a new world.\n\nAnimated Shorts\n\nShorts Block # 1\n\nScreens Friday, July 6, 2018 at 3:00 pm\n\n74 min. TRT​\n\nThe Why\ndir. by Ben Miller  USA / 14 min.\n\nWhen a recent widower finds himself acting as a wingman to his deranged friend, he gets pulled into the meat market at the local YMCA. The YMCA is a surreal world full of hyper-competitive and super lonely retirees, and the widower finds himself torn between the desire to meet women before his diagnosis of impending erectile dysfunction becomes a reality, and grieving for his wife.\n\nMogu and Perol\nby Tsuneo Goda  / Japan / 9 min\n\nA story about two friends living on Yummy Island, where delicious food can be found everywhere! Whenever Mogu is cooking, Perol just pops up and eats the yummy meal. One day Perol finds a very tasty looking Brrrr-berry that Mogu was about to pick. Perol doesn't wait for a second to taste the berry which brings about an unexpected quarrel between the two.\n\nUnder the Walnut Tree\ndir. by Leah Bedrosian Peterson  / USA / 6 min.\n\nThis stop motion animation is about a young boy who has been displaced during the genocide of his people. After wandering alone for days, he is ready to give up but fights to continue to safety.\n\n\nby Meinardas Valkevičius  / Lithuania / 4 min.\n\nHuman activity does not always have a positive effect on our planet. The short animated film Look explores natural cycles of exchange between humans and animals. Dare to look and change the world.\n\nSoggy Flakes\ndir. by Jon Affolter, Thomas Affolter, Heath Affolter, Nathan Affolter  / Canada / 6 min.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.606942355632782}
{"content": "Skip navigation\n\nUCD Search\n\n\nUCD Australian Studies Centre\n\nIonad Léann na hAstráile UCD\n\nAustralian History Modules\n\nModules on offer for 2017-18\n\nThe Centre run modules which draw upon the research interests of its staff. A 2nd year module provides the introductory basis for a broad engagement with Australian history, while a 3rd year module allows students to have a deeper engagement in the major historiographical issues and primary sources.\n\nHIS21070: Australian History and its Afterlives\n\nThis module surveys the history of Australia since colonisation, and considers how key moments in Australian history have been remembered and debated in the public domain. Drawing upon contemporary commemoration, memorial and museum practices, its themes include: the history and memory of early European exploration and colonisation; the agency of indigenous people in national history; the frontier experience and race relations; the transition from self-governing colonies to federated nationhood; histories of migration; experiences of war; the shift to multiculturalism; and the changing nature of Australian identity in a globalised world. In doing so, it will compare representations of Australian history with other nations of the Anglo settler world, and consider some of the ways in which historical imagination is shaped both within and beyond Australia.\n\nHIS31850: Contested Histories in Australia\n\nThis module surveys important controversies in Australian history, and situates them within a comparative context of historical contestations that have unfolded within other western democracies. Through a case study approach, students will engage debates about the place of history in the production of national identity, and undertake guided research and analysis of a chosen topic. Topics for consideration include: pioneer origins; historical evidence of frontier wars; the nature of the rule of law; the Anzac legend and Australia’s role in world war; indigenous rights; and Australia’s relationship to Europe and to the Asia-Pacific region.\n\n\n Previous Modules \n\nHIS21010: Identity Culture and Politics: Australia and Ireland in the 20th Century\n\nAt the beginning of the 20th century Australia and Ireland  were, in effect, dependent colonies of Great Britain. However, during the course of the century they both developed into independent nation states. In doing so they often took different paths, despite their common heritage. This course examined the events and the processes by which this nation-building occurred in each country. The aim of the course was to provide students with an understanding of how Australia emerged after 1901 as a independent democratic nation by  comparing how it and Ireland responded to the political, cultural and economic challenges that their peoples faced during the course of the 20th century.\n\n\nHIS31770: Home and Away: Australia at War 1914-1918\n\nIn 2014 we commemorated the centenary of the start of the First World War, a war that had a profound effect on the Australian nation. This course examined the conflicts on the battlefield, covering the major battles in which Australians fought, as well as the conflicts at home during this critical period in Australia’s history. The aim of the course was to provide students with an understanding of Australian defence policy before the war, the raising of the Australian Imperial Force and its performance during the war, the main battles in which Australians fought, the effect of the war at home on the social, economic and political life of the country, Australia’s role in the peace conference, and the consequences of the war for Australia.\n\n\nHIS 20920 Australia's World\n\nThis unit examined Australia's relations with the world in the post-war era. It explored the historical themes which shaped Australia's response to a rapidly changing international environment: loyalties to race and empire; communities of interest and culture; the 'Free' versus the 'Communist' worlds; the rise of Asian nationalism, the alliance with America and Australian military engagements from Korea to Vietnam. It also investigated the making of Australia's foreign and defence policy from the 1980s to the present, including debates over engagement with Asia and the war on terror.\n\nHIS 30340 Post-Imperial Australia: Into the Void\n\nThis unit examined the intersection between political culture and nationalism in Australia, with particular attention to the question of when (and if?) Australia became an 'independent' nation. Taking as its starting point the content and character of British race patriotism in Australia before 1945, it then looks in detail at the gradual unravelling of the British myth in the post-war period, and the attempts by successive governments, along with writers, pundits, artists and film makers, to find a new, more authentically robust idea of the 'nation'.  Among other issues, the unit explored the end of 'White Australia', the rise of multiculturalism, Aboriginal reconciliation and the rise and fall of republicanism.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9404082298278809}
{"content": "Legal Issues When Conducting Workplace Interviews\n\nVince Scopelliti - Wednesday, August 29, 2018\n\n\n\nlegal issues\n\nIn conducting an interview process, key legal issues include:\n\n  • The creation of statements \n  • Audio recordings\n  • Support person\n\nProcedural fairness and privacy\n\n\n  • Proceedings are not delayed unnecessarily.\n  • All relevant witnesses are interviewed.\n  • Exculpatory and inculpatory evidence is taken into account.\n  • All evidence is considered in an unbiased and impartial manner. \n\n\ntips for successfully conducting an interview\n\n\n\n\n\nAnalysing Evidence: The Key Step of Workplace Investigations\n\nVince Scopelliti - Wednesday, August 15, 2018\n\nOne of the most challenging and important tasks undertaken by a workplace investigator is the analysis of the evidence that has been gathered during the course of the investigation. \n\nKey questions to consider include: What evidence should be contained in the investigation report? How do I analyse what I have gathered? How does this connect with the findings I make in the investigation report? \n\nHere's how to effectively and transparently analyse the evidence.\n\nWHAT evidence should be included? \n\nThere is a simple answer to this question: ALL relevant evidence collected in the course of the workplace investigation will need to form part of the analysis, the findings and the final report. The act of leaving evidence out without explanation can - intentionally or otherwise - indicate a lack of thoroughness or even worse a prejudgement about a fact in issue. A piece of evidence might ultimately prove to be of little consequence, but this should be at least acknowledged and noted. So if in doubt don't leave it out. \n\nExculpatory and inculpatory evidence\n\nOne way to begin marshalling material is to consider if the evidence is exculpatory or inculpatory. If we think of the allegation in question - let's say sexual harassment in the workplace - we can begin to analyse the evidence in terms of those items that most likely indicate that the conduct occurred, and those that point to the opposite conclusion. \n\nEvidence that indicates or tends to indicate that something occurred is known as inculpatory evidence. Conversely if evidence vindicates or tends to clear the alleged harasser of the wrongdoing, then this is known as exculpatory evidence. \n\nIt is unlikely that you will have two neat piles from the start! However, this formal approach to organising the evidence can assist in creating a logical report that withstands future scrutiny. \n\nAnalysis of the evidence\n\nFor each piece of evidence examined, investigators need to determine how strong or weak it is in the overall context of the investigation. Strong evidence will be consistent, reliable and in terms of witness statements, believable, probable and credible. \n\nConsidering that a workplace investigation often reflects strong emotions and internal allegiances within the organisation, it is important to make an objective assessment of the reliability of statements made and items presented. Investigators will be on the lookout for statements that might be self-serving, or made a long time after the event in questions, for example.\n\nOther factors to consider will be internal anomalies in statements or possible collusion between witnesses. An element of triangulation of the data will be required - the investigator is looking to detect where dubious connections indicate a weakness in evidence, or conversely where consistent evidence is noticeable across a number of different sources, including documentary evidence. \n\nIt is important to compare and contrast evidence from different sources: Which parts of the evidence consistently support the view that the events in question occurred and which indicate that it did not occur. Once this is done, the weight or value of each part of the evidence can be assessed.    \n\nwriting up the analysis\n\nThose new to workplace investigations can sometimes become daunted by the task of reporting on findings made. It is important to be clear about the methodology, about the manner in which the evidence was handled and how you have arrived at your findings. \n\nTake a methodical approach, which will assist your own thinking as well as allow any reader a logical progression through the document. Some organisations will require the report to be set out in a particular manner and it is important to ascertain if this is the case. \n\nAbove all - make your findings clear. If your finding is that an event occurred, then state this clearly. It will be necessary to explain why you consider certain claims to be substantiated or where there is insufficient evidence to draw a conclusion on a contended point. This document could well be used in a number of forums including court and tribunal proceedings. It should be a reflection of the fact that the workplace investigation was fair, that all relevant evidence was considered and included, and that findings are based upon well-balanced evidentiary analysis. \n\nA workplace investigation is a systematic process for establishing facts and circumstances surrounding a complaint or allegation. If you need assistance with conducting an investigation, or would like support in analysing your evidence gathered, WISE provides both supported and full investigation services.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9977871775627136}
{"content": "International Synthesizer Day is May 23, the birthday of synthesizer pioneer Robert Moog.  Some of the first artists to use a Moog synthesizer were The Electric Flag, The Doors, The Monkee's and the Byrds. Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails talks about buying his first synthesizer at New York Music in downtown Youngstown. (THAT KICKS IN AT ABOUT 1:31 ON THE VIDEO) \n\n  Organizers of the day say \" The Synthesizers’ contribution to the world stretches far beyond that of a musical instrument; it has changed the way we construct and use instruments, broke the boundaries and limitations of the way we compose music and challenged our ideas of listening at large. It had become a major force in shaping the identity of the current generation, by contributing to the making of musical creation accessible to the masses.\n\n\n\nContent Goes Here", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7714225053787231}
{"content": "For this New Years 'Resolution Say \"Cascadia\"\n\nFor your new years resolution this year, rather than Pacific Northwest, or some other random name - use the word Cascadia!\n\nFrom the wonderful mind of Ryan Moothart, author of Towards Cascadia.\n\n“The number one obstacle to the growth of the Cascadia movement is very simple: awareness. A vast majority of people in the region simply don’t know what Cascadia is and haven’t heard of it in any significant context before. That’s a big obstacle that’s difficult to remove, but the solution itself is easy: make sure more people are aware of Cascadia.”\n\nCascadia is a regional identity created by those who live here, and it happens when people know the bioregion, and self identify with the idea, the values and place. As a grassroots movement we are all working to build it. And for only a second of your time, you can do something about this.\n\nThis year, for a new years resolution, when anything regarding the “Pacific Northwest” comes up, say “Cascadia” instead.\n\nThat is literally all you have to do and it will have a very real impact. By doing this, a topic of conversation goes from this:\n\nOther Person: “We’re getting a lot of rain recently. More than usual for the Pacific Northwest.”\nYou: “I don’t mind. It helps keep the Pacific Northwest green.”\nOther Person: “True.”\n[End of topic]\n\nTo this:\n\nYou: “I don’t mind. It helps keep Cascadia green.”\nOther Person: “Cascadia? What’s that?”\nYou: “Cascadia. It’s the name for the Pacific Northwest. It’s here. It’s us.”\nOther Person: “Why not just say ‘Pacific Northwest’ then?”\n[Expand upon importance of Cascadia]\n\nIn this example, you’ve just introduced someone to our region’s name and explained why it’s important. That other person is now aware. Maybe s/he becomes intrigued and wants to know more, maybe s/he doesn’t. Often times, someone might not resonate with the idea until the conditions are right. Maybe it takes a few years, maybe a few months - or maybe it never clicks. Regardless, you can bet the term “Cascadia” is going to come up again for this person in some context and s/he won’t remain ignorant or just cast it aside; s/he will remember than time you mentioned “Cascadia” and what it meant.\n\nBut why is it so important to use the term Cascadia?\n\nNames are incredibly important. They are signifiers that express relationships and power.\n\n\nCascadia Sightline Map Small.jpg\n\nThe Pacific Northwest is a term that describes our relationship to a political center thousands of miles away. Rather than names representing far off people or places, Cascadia highlights the importance of the water we all rely on, and the cascading cascades as the the first drop hits the ground, through evergreen forests and desert canyons, as it journeys on its way to the eastern rim of the Pacific Ocean.\n\nJust as it’s a new name, it gives us a new opportunity to forge something new, something positive together, from a culture rooted in place and the shared values that arise from sharing our home. Just as the people who have lived here for thousands of years, Cascadia is an opportunity to connect to the practices that have thrived, developed and adapted from this region, break down the ones we find negative, and forge a new shared vision for what is possible.\n\n\n“Where are you from?” she asks. “From the Northwest,” he replies automatically, without thinking. Then she shoots back, “Northwest of what?”\n\nSo, in 2016, commit to this: replace “Pacific Northwest” with “Cascadia”. The more you say it, the more natural it becomes. It’s important and empowering. We’re more than just a distant part of the United States and Canada. We have a unique region based in environment with a corresponding identity that the rest of continent does not possess. The more you say “Pacific Northwest” after acknowledging this fact, the more you reinforce the notion that we don’t matter. So, say “Cascadia” instead.\n\nHave a happy and safe new year. Be part of the change Cascadia needs.\n\nA big thanks to Ryan Moothart and his original post from 2015 to say Cascadia this year.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8078323602676392}
{"content": "Ethernet Switches\n\nIndustrial Ethernet Switches are used in control panels and machines to allow multiple Ethernet devices to communicate with each other. We provide a large selection of Industrial Managed and Unmanaged Ethernet Switches, in both metal and plastic cases. They are very robust in harsh industrial environments and they can survive in extreme temperatures. \n\nIndustrial Ethernet Switch Application Diagram", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6928296089172363}
{"content": "Logged in as . You have favorites.\n\nRemember your favourites on all devices. Sync schedules now.\n\nResponsible artificial intelligence\n\n  • #Artificial Intelligence (AI)\n\nAs Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems are increasingly making decisions that directly affect users and society, many questions raise across social, economic, political, technological, legal, ethical and philosophical issues. Can machines make moral decisions? Should artificial systems ever be treated as ethical entities? What are the legal and ethical consequences of human enhancement technologies, or cyber-genetic technologies? How should moral, societal and legal values be part of the design process? In this talk, we look at ways to ensure ethical behaviour by artificial systems. Given that ethics are dependent on the socio-cultural context and are often only implicit in deliberation processes, methodologies are needed to elicit the values held by designers and stakeholders, and to make these explicit leading to better understanding and trust on artificial autonomous systems. We will in particular focus on the ART principles for AI: Accountability, Responsibility, Transparency.\n\nSpeakers in this session\n\nBack to schedule", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9991684556007385}
{"content": "How to Convert Audio to Sheet Music\n\nBy Matthew Anderson ; Updated September 15, 2017\n\nThings Needed\n\n  • Song recording\n  • Staff or tab paper or a sheet music program\n  • Audio player (ideally one designed for music transcription)\n  • Headphones (optional)\n  • MIDI program (optional)\nConvert Audio to Sheet Music\n\nTranscribing in music refers to both listening to a song and writing down the score or adapting a song into sheet music for a particular instrument or ensemble. The process for either is the same, and often it is easier to make an adaptation after writing out the original score. Depending on the complexity of the song, this can be a fairly long process. However, with methodical work, it is not a particularly difficult task. Transcribing songs also provides insight into the songwriter's thought process in writing the song, as well.\n\nDetermine the basic song structure. Find out what order the sections (verse, chorus, intro, etc.) go in and how many musical bars are in each. Define these sections for the full song out on the sheet music of the transcription.\n\nTranscribe the percussion track. Isolating out the lower EQ sections can be helpful. Having this section done first gives a skeleton to the transcription and is helpful for getting the note durations in other sections.\n\nTranscribe another instrument, but be sure to choose one to focus on at a time. Adjusting the EQ and balance on the player can help to isolate that instrument. Since each instrument has its own pitch range and balance on the recording, these settings need to be played with.\n\nTranscribe each instrument one at a time until the score is completed. Usually it is a good idea to go from simple to more complex, but this varies based on the song and transcriber.\n\nTest the score out against the track to make sure there are no discrepancies. Alternatively, the sheet music can be programmed into a MIDI program and played to see if it sounds correct.\n\nAdapt the major parts of the song to a desired instrument or ensemble if making an adaptation. Depending on the nature of the adaptation, the parts used in the transcription can vary. The main melody and basic bass line will almost always be used.\n\n\nMost commercial sheet music or scores are not exact transcriptions and are usually simplified. However, these can be very good starting points and greatly speed up creating a more accurate transcription by providing the basic information about the song.\n\nMP3 files are smaller in size than CD tracks because the audio is slightly lower quality. This difference might not be noticeable while listening to the song, but when transcribing it, there might be some issues as you isolate parts of the song. Often it is better to use a CD track than an MP3 or at least increase the quality of the MP3 file being used (programs that rip CD tracks usually have a quality option).\n\nEach ear interprets sound slightly differently. Sometimes switching your headphones around or playing one side of the stereo in both ears can be helpful.\n\nAbout the Author\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.819797933101654}
{"content": "Starting something new…\n\narms_open_by_waitingforemma-d4chrhkArms Open by ~WaitingForEmma on deviantART\n\nFor several years now a project, an idea, has been brewing in my mind. A growing desire to create a space for something that I need, while providing that same space for others who may also need. All the way back in 2011 when I wrote “Carving out more Worship”  it was this new space and project that was on my mind. Now I am literally days away from enacting it. 2013 it seems, is the year of fulfilling a lot of promises, and making vows.\n\nAs those of you who read this odd little blog may know or at least summize, I am a public priestess. For several years now I have worked with CAYA Coven and the Bloodroot Honey Priestess Tribe putting on countless rituals. No literally countless, I have loss track. Our Coven puts on 8 sabbats, 9-13 full moon rituals, 8 pan-dianic sabbats, and a smattering of other rituals in the minuscule inbetweens. Learning ritual coordination and creation in this dynamic group with Yeshe Rabbit’s excellent example has been one of the highlights and true blessings of my public priestess path.\n\nEven with all those rituals, and the calendar year packed, I still felt little tug that something was missing. See CAYA rituals are fantastic, and dynamic and always changing. Always learning. With all those people with their different ideas, paths, and ways the stream of creativity is truly astounding. But on the flip side CAYA rituals are eclectic, and interfaith and most the time do not speak to my specific path. They certainly fulfill my community needs but I knew that I would eventually need to be more of a public priestesses for my gods specifically, in some way.\n\nWhen you are elbow deep in public ritual it’s hard not to start creating your own, imagining different flavors you would try, the things that are important to you, the things you would probably not do. And as a Celtic Polytheist who has yet to experience a Celtic-centered ritual that she was truly happy with, the thought “put up or shut up” began to circle round and joined forces with another reality.\n\nIn the Bloodroot Honey Priestess Tribe every HPS is expected to create and maintain a project that benefits and brings forth the Divine Feminine into the world. These are our Legacies. For the past two years my Legacy was High Priestessing the Goddess Sabbats that the Tribe put on. That meant maintaining, coordinating, and helping wherever needed with the 8 sabbats we put on every year. The “put up or shut up” had teamed up with a whisper of  “what if you did your own rituals for your Legacy?” The threads began to come together.\n\nDuring my many Dark Moon outings with Temple Witch to our beloved beach another tugging became known. That of the soul satisfying rush of worshiping outside. There are many pagans whose path is not nature based, I’m not one of them. The three realms, Land, Sea, and Sky, and the mysteries and balance found within them are things that get my blood up. Nothing so easily puts me into alignment than being in the alignment of the realms. It feels whole and right to create a relationship with the local places. To see the subtle changes of a place. To notice when people have been less than kind to it, to do what you can to make amends (cleaning up trash).\n\nAnother layer, perhaps the most eye opening layer, was the freedom that came with worshiping freely within the eyesight and earshot of whomever. Creating the normalcy of it all.\n\nI have to say I am damn lucky to live in the part of the country where that is even possible. Where no one intrudes and asks what I’m doing while bent over intently by my serpentine rock altar.  And while a few eyebrows may be raised as Temple and I wander out into the cold waves with out silver chalice singing our songs and laughing, no one heckles. No one shouts. There is no danger.\n\nThat’s simply not true everywhere.\n\nIn Florida, Kyjra Withers has been experiencing escalating attacks on her home.  While it there is no official stance on who or why, but evidence seems to point to her being targeting for her being an out witch. It’s sort of hard to imagine such things happening now and in this country. Especially when you live in a liberal area, and work at a metaphysical store, and in general have never experienced any harassment for being a pagan.\n\nThe knowledge of this inspires a sense of responsibility in me. That this freedom, that should be available to all, needs to be utilized, cared for and nurtured. Because it needs to be protected. It needs to grow.\n\nThus were the small pieces that came together and became a vision for rituals, for a platform that I’m calling the Temple of the Open Sky.\n\nThe Temple of the Open Sky is founded on the belief that freedom of religion is a right that needs to be practiced when and where it can be. Here in the SF Bay area we are privileged with a freedom from fear of retaliation for outward expression of differing religious beliefs that is not found elsewhere in the USA, let alone in the World. It is this truth that brought forth that need to create a space where the Gods names were spoken outside of closed doors, without hiding, witnessed under the open sky.\n\nIn that vein, the Temple of the Open Sky seeks to create a platform for pagan worship and devotion that is supportive of the many and varying methods of finding the divine. To create a safe container, free from shame, to be out in the world with our spirituality.\n\nFor me being a Celtic Polytheist, and the founder of these rituals, it means that for now the rituals are going to be Celtic-centric. I’m not aiming for reconstructionism  but for culturally founded and modernly adapted. But the underlying goal is creating a space for authentic expression of worship and normalization of that worship. In the future I hope that other priests and priestesses in the area might wish to share their rituals, and speak their gods names aloud for all to hear.\n\nAn important aspect of the Temple is once again bringing feasting into ritual space. It’s not an easy aspect to work in modern times, especially in public rituals. While it would be easy to host a ritual and feast for a small party in a home when you know how many guests you are expecting, opening things to the public complicates matters. Dietary needs, and just the basics of feeding an unknown number of people quickly turn the idea to a dream out of reach. But the feast is such a central part of the Celtic celebratory ritual, and is the part that I  long for the most. Food being a central foundation of my practice. If we release the idea of trying to feed an unknown number of people without a budget and acknowledge the fact that we will be outside away from a kitchen anyways, an obvious solution presents itself. Picnic! A completely acceptable and long held American tradition, easily rolled into pagan worship. That simplicity really is the structure that I’m building on and hope others will enjoy as well.\n\nBut for now it’s just me, which means all Celts. The first ritual is scheduled for this coming Saturday and will be a devoted to Brighid. The next will be in June or July and devoted to Manannan Mac Lir. August or September will be in honor of Epona, and we will end the year feasting to the Dagda.\n\nI plan on posting more about the process, how each of the events go, and even the outlines should anyone be interested in them.\n\nGotta say I’m a little nervous. But I know this is what I’m suppose to do.\n\n\nSacrifice, Food, the Gods and me\n\nCeltic sacrifice by immersion, detail of the Gundestrup Caldron, c. 1st century bc; in the Nationalmuseet, Copenhagen.\n\nThis is one of those posts that have been a long time coming. It’s one of those hot button topics in Pagan circles, and please go ahead with the knowledge that as with everything on this blog, this is all my personal spiritual belief system, disagreements, questions, points of contention all welcomed. What sparked this post was a post that came across my dashboard on Tumblr and the discussion that followed (you can read the original post here if you would like). I stand by all that was said there but want to expand further, past a simple conversation between two disagreeing people. To the different notions of sacrifice, to our societies inherent disvalue of food, to how that just does not work for me.\n\nCursory use of the internet to find the root of the word sacrifice tells us that it wasn’t until recently that it became attributed to “doing without something” or “giving something up” which tends to be its common association today. An association that continues to be retrofitted to ancient peoples and society, and perhaps wrongfully so. With this common societal association comes what appears to be the mainstream point of view of sacrifice and offerings in the modern Pagan community: That is something given of value with intention to the Gods.\n\nNo arguments there. But that is a fairly broad and wide plank to stand on and does not hint at the foundation of “Why?” or even what “value” is. Here is where I see the arguments, and not without reasoning, that animal sacrifice is no longer valid. This argument is usually coupled with the idea that sacrifice is to the Gods of things you wish to have more of, and the assigned value that meat and animals no longer have any. It is both of these things that I take a severe left turn from.\n\nFor me sacrifice and offerings have long since past the stage of being only about ensuring things that I want. In the beginning I approached sacrifice with the same understanding of it being something that I was giving up for a greater purpose, but after several years of steady offering I’ve come to wonder if that is not just a remnant understanding of the word from a belief system that I do not hold with.   After-all it is Christianity that is choked full of its abstaining for the glory of God, of sacrifice bringing us closer to the Divine (whether this is a flawed understanding of Christianity I cannot say, but it is the prevailing one in my life). But is this a pagan thought process? Is this a Celtic one? Is this something that the ancient people of Ireland would have held with? I have to wonder. Or is this merely the point of view that I was raised with and never realized was coloring my perspective? I am going to make it a point this year to go back and see what I can find of pre-christian thought on sacrifice. But even without that academic knowledge I realize that I no longer view my practice in that light.\n\nOffering to the Gods\n\nChicken Livers prepared as offering\n\n Whether it’s before my altar or within the glory and the presence of the Land, Sky and Sea, I do not sit and take pains over my offerings with the idea or feelings of humbling myself before the Gods. It is not an act of subjugation. Even at it’s most difficult and trying, it is something that I do with great pride and devotion. It is akin to the pride and care that I take in giving gifts to my friends and family, in preparing meals for guests, in prepping for a feast. All that times vastness of the stars in the sky. In short my friends, sacrifice and offerings are about hospitality and loyalty for me.  Hospitality and loyalty on the divine scale.\n\nIt then goes rather rationally that I never once stopped to question or even ponder over the fact that the majority of my offerings to my Gods were of a consumptive nature. More precisely food. Because what is the cross-cultural symbol of hospitality? The act in which we do for each other to show we care?  Sharing and giving food. We are mortal, without food we would die. This is a fact that is overlooked in American society but is still a fact none-the-less. It is an act of good will to feed the Gods and any spirit we wish to commune with. An act that is unique unto us. Obviously other tokens of offering are equally worthy, but no other offering besides food seems to be brushed aside so much on the internet at least.\n\nI understand where the point of view comes from, but I feel like it is a iffy one. If I were to believe that the Ancient Celts were a bunch of mud-covered barbarians eeking out survival in the hill sides, then I can easily see how the privileged of today could lead you to believe the simple offering of bread and beer paltry in comparison to the days before.  But I don’t believe that, the more I learn about the Ancient world in general the more this view of third-world standard just doesn’t seem to hold. True, life and death were much nearer and dearer then. Yes there were those poor who lived like that. But I wonder more and more if it was in fact the majority. The Celts were people of trade, of commerce, of agriculture, of war. These things do not lend themselves to such a rudimentary thinking. If I were to follow that logic, “because we live in modern times and food doesn’t have the same life or death value, so it won’t have the same meaning”, then sacrificing or making offering of little handmade crafts and goods does not equate the same meaning either. In fact in order to equate the same meaning (the meaning that value is something that is crucial to the livelihood of the person) then the only fit sacrifice would be large sums of ones income or maybe ones vehicle.\n\nThankfully I do not hold to this notion of sacrifice, or to the lack of value to food. Anyone who knows me, knows that I HIGHLY value food. A value I believe that was shared by the ancient world. Because while there are many wonderful and beautifully made artifacts of monetary value that have been found that were ritually sacrificed, never has that eclipsed the offering of food.  But America is a strange place now, a place that does not value food and yet is obsessed with it. Obsessed with the over eating of it, of the process of making it faster and better, of reclaiming it, of any laundry list of things to do with it and yet…the FDA just announced it’s giving up on regulating antibiotic abuse in the meat industry, we have a meat and dairy industry that is abhorrent,  cities take the notion that home grown veggies are too ugly to look at and should be illegal, the government has allowed companies to gain a monopoly on seeds in the farming industry, process foods reign supreme, the young and grown suffer from horrible eating disorders, bizarre and unhealthy diets continue to make the front page in magazines around the nation. All of this leads to an atmosphere that it is no wonder a majority of people have an unhealthy relationship with food. But does all that mean that food has no spiritual value anymore?\n\nNot to me. To me food will always be one of those basic building blocks of creation, of magic, of alchemy. We put the pieces together, all the ingredients, prepare it, consume it. And in turn it helps us grow, aids us in our self-healing, keeps us alive. On a spiritual level it brings us together, creates bonds, symbolizes and holds up so much of cultural structures. There simply must be power in it. Being the somewhat animist I am it goes to follow that the more hands on, the more connected with it (as with any offering) you can get, the more strength and power it has. It is why all my food offerings are made with as little processed food as possible. It’s why when given the chance to go and make offering to the fruit trees and harvest the fruit myself before making it into bread or otherwise, I JUMP at the chance. It enhances the magic, it enhance the relationship, the connective thread of hospitality. From there it is just a small and tiny jump to wanting to be able to prepare and see through the process of life and death for my meat and for my Gods. There is a mystery, an initiation that comes with seeing the cycle of life and death through. Of taking it into your body, of being the one responsible for insuring its sanctity and humane nature. It is one of my goals in life to live in such a place that is possible. Now I can see how if you did not eat meat, for whatever reason, that then the act of animal sacrifice and offerings of meat would follow to be irrelevant to your practice. But to those who eat meat and still say that animal sacrifice is meaningless and invalid today, to me are also saying that offering and sacrifice of food is meaningless and invalid. I simply cannot agree.\n\nObviously these principles of offering, of sacrifice, are deeply sacred and personal things.  They should be considered at length and frequently. At the moment I am content and solid in coming to this understanding of sacrifice separate from the one that prevailed before. It brings me great feelings of rightness to know that my sacrifices are not made solely under the pretense of need on my part or my deities part. But out of joyful devotion to them, and reciprocated respect.  That I accept the fact that I eat meat, that my Gods enjoy it as well, and that when the time comes I am willing to see that through to its end. I continue to hope and strive for a world where traditions and faiths that can practice their values (that are within just laws) without recourse. And that in the end we come to an understanding of letting people worship what Gods they will.\n\nThe Value of Money\n\nHad an interesting experience that lead to an interesting thought the other day. I work in a metaphysical shop, whose patron deities are some of the Orisha. Not a pantheon that I work with personally, but certainly one whose energies I’ve come to recognize. The Orisha are very popular in my community so it was kind of hard not to.  I admit that at first I was a little afraid it would be weird lighting their candles and tending their altars at the store regularly. But quickly came to find that polite reverence is a welcomed thing.\n\nOne day when I was working a got a particularly odd phone call. The short of it was that someone was wanting me or someone at the store to help them put a curse on someone. It was a person that didn’t seem to understand no and got off the phone saying they would come explain it to me in person. Okay…\n\nNow I was not and am not opposed to telling people that we aren’t that kind of store and send them on their way.  But I was on my own that day and being the general prepardeness kinda gal I realized that it would probably just be all around better if said person didn’t find the time to make it to the store. So I light up some delicious sage, do the rounds, and decide to grid some black & brown tourmaline on doorway. It was in putting those pieces down that I took note of Papa Legba’s altar, sitting there happy as you please.\n\nDue to his immense popularity in my social circles, I’m sure in part to him being the gatekeeper of his people, I’m not completely ignorant of his likes and dislikes. And while some people attract Trickster gods, or storm deities, throughout my life it’s been the Chieftains/King/Father Gods that take a shine to me (and I am not complaining one wit). So the thought of asking Papa for help shielding his store was not uncomfortable to me.  But what to give as an offering?\n\nThis is where I have one of those moments of realization that investment in a pack of cigarettes or smoking tobacco to just keep in my purse as emergency offering material  is a brilliant idea. But alas no tobacco, and being at work no alcohol either. Standing there staring at the jovial candle burning I’m hit with the smell of spices. I could easily go to the herbs and find something appropriately spicey and it may very well work as it would be an offering from the store on behalf of the store, yet I’d still like to offer something of my own and I don’t even have a stick of cinnamon gum on me. Meditating on his altar I see the glint of copper and remember. I’d witness many of his followers make offerings of change, and I knew that his number was three. Problem solved I went and dug out three of my shiniest pennies, asked him to watch the store front and asked to set that person on a path elsewhere. Feeling better I went on with my day, and said person never showed up on my shift. I’m fairly certain they didn’t show up at all.\n\nBut the whole thing got me thinking about money and offerings.\n\nWhat a person offers to a Deity, spirit or otherwise is usually dependent on historical precedent, personal experience, and to some extent common sense. It’s fairly easy to know what to give to the Deities that we are familiar with, live with, or worship. Less so to those outside of our sphere. There is historical precedents for leaving money as offerings for most ancient cultures. There is certainly precedents for money as offering for the Orisha, most of the altars that I have seen for them have various amounts of money on them. Everything from high dollar bills to the humble penny.\n\nBut I have to admit it was the first time that I had ever given money as an offering. My gods had never asked or shown an interest in money for an offering. In fact the idea kinda tasted sour in my mouth.\n\n But why? It’s not that there isn’t historical precedence for it. The Celts are generally agreed to have worn their wealth. With Ireland specifically having traded and dealt with specific weights of gold and silver rings or bracelets. The finding of such rings and bracelets in bogs and under standing stones throughout Ireland sets the stage for money being an appropriate offering.\n\nBut perhaps the hitch is in the details.  In Ireland gold was relatively abundant, and in Britain and other sectors of the Celtic world money-rings were made of gold, silver, iron, and copper. All metals with power and energies. Metals that we, as human beings have been attracted to since discovering them.\n\nComparatively money of today, in America seems paltry. Coins are a combination of (VERY SMALL amounts) Copper, Zinc, and Nickel. Coinflation is a website that gives you the melt down value of your coins. It’s kinda eye opening. Then there is paper money, which in of itself is just paper that we as a society have assigned value to. We could make the argument that all money, even gold and other precious metals are assigned their value based on society. But that argument is going to get us no where fast. For me at least the precious metals hold a certain energy that our modern base metals don’t. Just as plastic doesn’t ring energetically for me.\n\nIt may be in part that my Gods worship did not follow into modern day as others have. So modern money’s value isn’t apparent, I’d imagine if I were use to gold cache’s as an offering suddenly being presented with a $20 would be confusing. In the same way that I try very hard not to make offerings of processed foods because it just seems to have less spiritual value to them.\n\nI guess it comes down to preference. Whether or not the symbolic value of modern money is important to you and your deities, or if it’s more about the spiritual value of the materials. Overall it was a very interesting thing to think about lol, and I’d love to hear other people’s take on whether or not they find modern money to be a good offering for their deities.\n\nPenny for your thoughts? lol\n\nThe Heart of the matter\n\nAt some point in the future I’m sure that there will be a post that does into the nuts and bolts of what exactly it is that I believe and what I practice and how that differs from my public priestessing. I have no doubt on this. At the moment however this is not that post. So instead I’ll just give you the bits you need to know.  I’m a Gaelic Polytheist, I believe in many gods, I came to reverence of the gods of the Irish pantheon through the reverence of ancestors. As such the act of offering in worship has always been a corner-stone of my practice. Little things, big things, singing while cooking a meal and offering a portion. Water on all the altars. Bread, flowers bought and picked, artwork done in honor. Honey, coins, the list goes on and on. The change came when we moved out to the Lodge. Living out in the country, above a horse stable, I suddenly felt more connected to my gods than ever before. Being able to step outside and feel dirt, see creatures, plants everywhere. Doing ritual outside I felt more charged, more power in the connection. I started leaving offerings outside more and more, making little shrines to the creek sprites and the crows. With these offerings came little gifts,  feathers, bones, a gnarled branch of oak, horse hair. The power and the beauty in these natural things really took my breath away. I’ve always been a little averse to artificial things in spiritual practice but this really solidified it for me. Then came Samhain…lol\n\nAs I said I am a public priestess aside from my personal practices. With my coven we put on eclectic drop-in rituals for a diverse and thriving community. Our Samhain ritual is aspecting heavy (I believe that some people call it “Calling down”) and last Samhain I was asked to aspect Macha. For some good information on the various Macha’s in the Irish tradition you can start here. Another bit you need to know is that I am dedicated to the Morrighan, and I’m sure at some point I’ll have to go into how I see the Morrighan and work with her (is it a Title of  several goddesses? A triple goddess? Some combination thereof?), but suffice to say that I have and do work with all the names and goddesses that fall under the Morrighan name. It was in working with Macha that opened up a new look at what to offer, it had just never occurred to me before to give any of my deities meat, or blood. But it fit, a heart for Macha (ok in actual fact she wanted a head but that was trickery to get and I ran out of time). The quest for the heart brought its own revelations, on how ridiculous “butcher shops” are now a days (they don’t “butcher” anything other than a tenderloin into steaks) and the mere reaction the thought of raw meat as an offering garnered. But that first offering was the stepping stone to a deeper more fulfilling path and I haven’t looked back since. Even though I have since moved away from my peaceful Lodge and back into the urban world of the City, I still feel that strong connection. I just have to work a little harder for it.\n\nNow I go to the sea. Where the land, sky and sea all meet and lay my offerings down after a climb over the mighty rocks to the perfect spot. This time it was a HIGH lofty rock jutting out into the sea, it was a glorious view from up there. Breathing in the clean air with a bit of adrenaline (it would have been very dangerous if I’d slipped climbing up) Under the watchful eyes of the Ravens, I pray, sing and loving prepare my offering. This time, since it was not only the dark moon but an eclipse,  it was a beautiful whole beef heart with homemade oatmeal drizzled with honey and mixed with yogurt, and my always offering of an apple, a token of my love and appreciation.  When I was done, turned to be greeted by the watchful gleaming eyes of the Raven Brothers. They know me well enough now to know that I have delicious for them and are impatient for me to leave, but not without swooping down gloriously close and showing off their beautiful selves.\n\nI live for these days. The care and preparation that goes into deciding the next offering, gathering the items blessing and caring for them. The drive out away from the city in itself revitalizing. Then being there at the nexus where all the worlds meet. Watching the Ravens come in greeting, and the pelicans in the distance. Building a fire, having a simple meal, communing, worshiping. It is simple, it is glory.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5287022590637207}
{"content": "How to prevent rape\n\nOne in four women will be raped. Only 10% will report it. The other 90% will take refuge in silence. 50% of these be cause the perpetrator is a family member or someone they know. The other half think they won’t be believed. And they won’t be believed.” – Ines Hercovich\n\nWhy didn’t she call for help?\n\nWhy does she stay?\n\nHow could she go home with him?\n\nWhy would she wear them clothes?\n\nShe shouldn’t have drunk so much.\n\nShe should have said no again.\n\nShe should have struggled more.\n\nShe shouldn’t have left her friends.\n\nWhat do you expect?\n\nAll the above is called victim blaming which happens so often and in so many contexts that when someone is raped they themselves question whether they were raped or just simply ‘asking for it’.\n\nThe world teaches us that we’ve done something wrong. We’re shamed and blamed in to thinking it’s our own fault. We should not be carrying the burden of their actions by ourselves. 90% of us should be given more of a chance.\n\nA situation that is so common, yet almost completely silenced.\n\nA situation where I think I drank too much.\n\nI made a mistake.\n\nI should have tried harder.\n\nA situation caused by greed, power and privilege.\n\nA situation involving not me, just my body.\n\nA situation caused by someone else.\n\nA situation where the only thing that could have stopped me from being raped that night is the person that raped me.\n\nhow to prevent rape\n\nHowever, not all rapists are monsters. And not all victims are damaged.\n\nIn fact, what is damaging are these labels. These labels do not explain what makes an everyday man lose his humanity for minutes of self-centred pleasure and control. Rapists, abusers and violators are not devils crawling in and out of black holes reaching out to our bodies with one aim in life.\n\nThey walk the streets with us, sit in our classrooms, they’re our bosses, our boyfriends, they’re everywhere.\n\nWhich is why, to stop violence against women, girls, and everyone else in fact, we need to shift the focus from women and girls and bring men into the conversation. Men need to be part of this movement, and men need to be the main leaders of this fight because it’s men that are being failed at some point, in a society that leads them to believe they have privilege and control over someone else’s body on a scary scale that has been happening today and for years and years and years.\n\nA situation that goes beyond borders, race, religion and status.\n\nIt is our job to speak up for the women and girls who are unable. Women and girls who can’t find the strength or are not ready to share their story. Women and girls who live in place where their lives will be in even more danger for saying the words ‘he raped me’.\n\nBut men and boys also need to be encouraged to speak up and say ‘I raped her’ in order to change societies blame game, and in order to understand better, in a humane and safer perspective, why men are the solutions and fully responsible for this inhumane global pandemic.\n\nOur voices matter. Our words can create change. But we need all voices, not just the survivors, and not just women.\n\nEach story involves two people. We need to create questions for him, and conversation for her. And we need to give both a space in which we can address this global issue, so that his son does not make the same mistake to her daughter, so we can create a safe world for everyone and our futures.\n\n\nSo, let’s change the questions;\n\nWhy does he hit her?\n\nWhy is domestic violence a global issue?\n\nWhy are men the main perpetrators to all children, women and other men?\n\n“Why do so many men abuse physically, emotionally, sexually, verbally the women and kids that they claim to love?\n\nWhat’s going on with men?\n\nWhy is this a common problem in society?\n\n\nWhat’s going on with men?” – Jackson Katz: Violence against women — it’s a men’s issue\n\nRape quotes\n\nThis is not a battle or about girls vs boys. We’re all producing this culture and behaviour and we all suffer as a result. How are we all going to stop it?\n\nLet’s talk. Let’s challenge. Let’s end it for all of us.\n\nHoping for the best,\n\n\n\np.s this is just 745 words, this is not my whole scope or thoughts or words on the issues surrounding gender, men, women, society, sexual abuse and violence. I want this to be something positive and to create something positive from something that is so disturbingly negative, personal and common. I don’t claim to have all the answers and everyone deals with things differently, but this is just 745 words and for some that’s brave, and a start, and it might just help someone’s life, so let’s hope for change, take care of each other and just be nice.\n\nBelow is a list of things I’ve read, watched and resources for anyone who is interested in learning and understanding more about one of our world’s biggest and ongoing problems;\n\nAnd you can find these on Netflix:\n\n  • The Hunting Ground\n  • Audrie & Daisy\n\nAnd these are some of my other related blogs:\n\nIf anyone has any good resources, website links, blog posts or books then please share!\n\nAngelina Jolie, Netflix and the Rohingya\n\nSo, my favourite gal ever has just released her newly directed movie-documentary ‘First they killed my father’ on Netflix. Angelina Jolie’s new film is based on the memoirs of Loung Ung and her life and escape of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. For those hearing about the Khmer Rouge genocide for the first time, know that in the space of four years, an estimated quarter of the Cambodian population were murdered, as well as many others still living with the after effects and consequences of their reign. That’s an estimated of just over 2 million people.\n\nCambodia Refugees\n\nThe Khmer Rouge took control of the population and enforced ideas of a farming utopia, where no one would be educated, no one had ‘foreign’ influences and everyone was ‘equal’. Their four-year plan would eventually lead to extreme famine, deaths from exhaustion and a country filled with landmines and mass graves. Anyone with skills, educations, certificate, religious backgrounds and those from ethnic minorities were prosecuted and murdered usually to a blow of the head as the Khmer Rouge had a shortage of bullets. The country had barely any doctors, lawyers, teachers or nurses, so those who were dying, had no help.\n\n\n\nUng’s story\n\nNow, I’ve read Ung’s book and cried almost all the way through it. Her story is heart-breaking and is just one of many. The Netflix movie however, is filmed from a different perspective and is only a snippet of the book. There’s minimal dialogue and could probably be a bit confusing for someone learning about the Khmer Rouge and Cambodia for the first time. I would definitely give the book a read first or do a bit of research prior to watching! At first, I wasn’t 100% sure about Jolie’s remake but once the credits rolled up, I was almost clapping. She’s an amazing woman for sharing the story and making Ung’s story known. So many people are unaware of the horrors that occurred, and it’s not something we would know about otherwise so kudos to Jolie for raising awareness about a topic so close to so many people’s hearts. Her extensive charity work and adoption of her Cambodian son, as well as his own presence and role in the making of the film goes against accusations that her ‘western’ perspective and influence on the story could be negative in any way. She uses her platform and skills to bring important matters to light. A-mazing I tell ya!\n\n\n\nCambodia today\n\nCambodia was one of my favourite South-East Asian countries that I’ve visited. It’s full of culture, beauty and religion but at the same time you can feel the history, pain and hurt that the country felt and still feel today. Only five people were ever bought to justice for the horrific crimes, and Cambodians continues to live alongside their executioners for years after. The Khmer Rouge’s attempt to reboot society meant that generations of people grew up learning how to fight and kill rather than to teach, heal and help. Cambodia is one of the world’s poorest countries with 30% pf the population surviving one less than $1 a day. The poverty and effects of the genocide is visible all over the country. Psychiatrists estimate that almost half the population are living with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) with 50% of babies born to survivors also developing mental health disorders although they haven’t been physically exposed to such traumas. Slanzi is right when she says that in this case “the simple passage of time does not heal everything” (Slanzi, 2013).\n\n\nThe relevance today with the Rohingya refugees\n\nAlthough it’s amazing and inspiring to raise the awareness and importance of the Cambodian history, it’s also extremely relevant today. The Rohingya refugee crisis is the now the fastest refugee crisis of our time with over 500,000 refugees fleeing persecution in Myanmar within the space of just over one month. UN high commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said the situation is a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing.” Systematic violence includes severe beatings, gang rape, mass killings and extreme sexual violence. We cannot sit back and watch this happen, learning from the Cambodia atrocities, we must do more to help people facing persecution. Ayesha, a Rohingya refugee who has now fled to Bangladesh said she was raped by twelve soldiers whilst she was held at knifepoint and her family were in the house. It took her eight days to be able to walk again. Her sisters who were also raped, were so badly weakened that they died. They’re in desperate need of aid, food and shelter as well as provisions in the camos in Bangladesh that many have fled to. Their identities have been destroyed, they live in absolute fear and the trauma that they have faced is unimaginable.\n\nBelow are some links where you can find some more information on both crisis’s as well as ways you can help and donate. Give the documentary a watch and the book a read! Let’s raise awareness and make a difference in this world 😊\n\n\nCambodia and the Khmer Rouge:\n\n\nThe Rohingya refugee crisis:\n\n\nHow to help:\n\n\nThanks for reading guys!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6304416656494141}
{"content": "The development of independence and sensuality in the awakening by kate chopin\n\nHer heart remains with Robert, however, and she is delighted to learn that he is soon returning to New Orleans. Adele knows the strength of her own femininity and warns Robert not to play with the somewhat primitive sense of feminism that Edna possesses.\n\nThis development occurs in her thinking and lifestyle. And as I was reading it, what kept appearing to me was that this woman was a manic depressive. She feels power and control while swimming.\n\nHer character enjoyed taking risks but was heartbroken with the consequences. She is hurt that he did not seek her out as soon as he returned.\n\nThis desire developed as the heroine sought to gain an identity of her own. At first, the relationship between Robert and Edna is innocent.\n\nEach one congratulated himself that his special teachings had accomplished this desired end. Physically, she is different from other women with her distinctive face and figure.\n\nThe English bildungsroman is more concerned with social mobility, with class conflict, than is its German counterpart. She says no to him and will not follow him inside. She is neither a flawless heroine nor a fallen woman, and her rebellion seems motivated more by the self-centered desire to fulfill her whims and wishes than to battle for a great cause larger than herself.\n\nNotes on The Awakening Themes\n\nEdna Pontellier grows up in Kentucky and moves to New Orleans where she encounters a different type of behaviour than what she is used to from her childhood and upbringing.\n\nWhile he is gone, she enjoys the company of the other families in a social setting where rigid rules govern the proper behavior and emotions that may be expressed regardless of true feelings. She is also attuned to music that, when she hears certain pieces, she is able to conjure images of life that interpret the music.\n\nA comprehensive \"Criticism\" section, introduced by a new Editor's Note, contains expanded selections from hard-to-find contemporary reviews of the novel; two letters of mysterious origin written in response to the novel; and Chopin's \"Retraction,\" which followed The Awakening's negative reception.\n\nAnd so Chopin combined the names: It happened in This natural progression towards independence seems inevitable, especially with Leonce away in New York on business. A cerebral hemorrhage abruptly ended her life at the age of fifty-three. Morally, is there a difference? Robert had pursued a system of lessons almost daily and he was nearly at the point of discouragement in realizing the futility of his efforts.\n\nShe even describes images of a naked man: Did her character win or lose? She felt in it satisfaction of a kind which no other employment afforded her. Chopin also spent much time with her family's Creole and mulatto slaves, becoming familiar with their unique dialects.\n\nI mean, this happens to a lot of people. She goes outside alone, visits friends alone, and ultimately frustrates her husband. Overall, Edna's spirit is strong enough to begin a rebellion but too weak to maintain it, although some readers have interpreted her suicide as a triumphant escape from those personal and social forces that she perceived as enslaving her.\n\nIn this society men dominated the households and expected 4 Ammar Hashim Saleh their wives to provide them with well-kept homes and many children to carry on the family.\n\nBut for all the sexual and political repercussions of her literary work in the wider world, the strongest liberating force—in her life and in her fiction—may well have been art. They were able to have emotional and intellectual lives of their own.The Awakening Topic Tracking: Feminism, Femininity and Independence.\n\nFeminism 1: When Leonce looks at his sun burned wife as a piece of his property that has been damaged, he is demonstrating male chauvinism at its height. The Awakening Kate Chopin. BUY SHARE. BUY! Home; Literature Notes; The Awakening; Edna Pontellier; Table of Contents during her summer on Grand Isle, Edna develops a devotion to the pursuit of passion and sensuality, two qualities lacking in her marriage and home.\n\nAlso key in her development are Mademoiselle Reisz's piano performances. During the development of The Awakening, Chopin wrote the novel in third-person, omniscient narrator. Green argues that Chopin intended this point-of-view for greater measures.\n\nGreen argues that Chopin intended this point-of-view for greater measures. The development of strong personal aesthetics, and the realization of her own artistic abilities, obviously shaped Chopin’s trajectory. There is a clear connection in her fiction, as well—in The Awakening, especially—between the heroine’s emerging appreciation of the beauty around her and her growing sense that she is an active.\n\nApr 25,  · As a reader, Kate Chopin (ironic that she also makes several references to the musical Chopin) builds us up as we empathize with Edna as she in fact awakens from her routine world to a richer life, one filled with love, sensuality, her own choices, her apparent real development as an artist, her independence from what was the ball and chain of.\n\nKate Chopin: The Awakening\n\nLanguage Arts Cumulative study guide by Madelyn_Smith99 includes questions covering vocabulary, terms and more. Quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades. Read the excerpt from The Awakening, by Kate Chopin. Independence leads to great solitude.\n\nThe development of independence and sensuality in the awakening by kate chopin\nRated 3/5 based on 18 review", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9737286567687988}
{"content": "Little House of Dreams E-Voucher\nCountry Singapore\nVenue Block 8 Dempsey Road #01-14, Singapore 247696\nSponsored Ads\n\nLittle House of Dreams is a homegrown bakery specializing in bespoke cakes and dessert tables. It was the first bakery to officially offer dessert tables with customize sweet treats and gorgeous table styling. From an online store in 2008, to the 1st brick and mortar bakery in 2012, the brand has since expanded into a flagship bakery bistro at the heart of Dempsey Hill. Little House of Dreams now offers a comprehensive menu selection, ranging from hearty baked meals to tantalizing grilled meats and a selection to suit juniors' unique appetites. The refurbished venue features a 4-meter long dessert display counter and is also perfect for intimate life events such as weddings and birthday parties.\n\nHow customer will receive the E-Voucher & redeem it at merchant's outlets?\n1. Once order and payment are confirmed received, E-Voucher would be sent to email.\n(Please ensure that the email given is VALID. E-Voucher will not be issued again if wrong email is given.)\n2. The E-Voucher is valid for use at Little House of Dreams only.\n3. ALL E-Voucher(s) intended to be utilized must be printed and presented upon arrival for verification purposes.\n\nValid for 6 months from the date of purchase.\n\nTerm & Condition\n1.Gift card / Voucher is non-refundable or exchangeable for cash.\n2.Gift card / Voucher cannot be replace if stolen, lost , damage or expired.\n3.Not applicable for any ongoing promotion, discounts, offers, vouchers, rebated or privileges.\n4.The Management of Little House of Dreams reserved the right to amend terms and conditions without prior notice at its sole discretion.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9512116312980652}
{"content": "Repair or Replace: Bulkhead Maintenance in Waterfront Facilities\n\n  Waterfront, Engineering\n\nContainer ship at pier with bulkhead\nBulkhead maintenance and replacement can mean big dollar signs for our waterfront facilities, making their design, material selection, construction, and potential repairs a hot topic among port managers. Given the role of the bulkhead in supporting port operations, maintaining these structures and preserving their useful life is a priority. So how does a port manager effectively plan for the maintenance and longevity of their bulkheads?\n\nThe answer relies on engineering consultation weighing the financial pros and cons of various maintenance and replacement options. One such option is the installation of a cathodic protection system to extend the life of the bulkhead, and its viability involves evaluating the structural integrity of the bulkhead to determine which has better ROI – extending the bulkhead life through cathodic protection or simply replacing the bulkhead before it reaches a point of structural instability. To express this mathematically:\n\nEquation 01The remaining lifespan of the bulkhead can be determined by either assuming a typical corrosion rate of steel in seawater (typically 0.025 to 0.04 mm/year) or by examining inspection records to determine the actual rate of corrosion at this location. With that information, we can determine critical section modulus at which the bulkhead will fail and predict the remaining life of the bulkhead.\n\nTheoretically, a well-designed cathodic protection system will negate any corrosion. It would be prudent, however, to assume a small amount of corrosion will continue; perhaps 20 percent of the current rate of corrosion. This means that while we can extend the life of the bulkhead, it is at the added cost of the installation of the cathodic protection system. The critical section modulus at which the bulkhead will fail remains the same, but the time it takes to reach that point is extended – and may be worth the investment.\n\nThe design of a galvanic cathodic protection system is a straightforward process based on the seawater resistivity, area to be protected, type of anode, and desired life of the CP system. By obtaining these values, a plan of the size, distribution, and lifespan of the cathodic protection system can be determined, which can in turn be used to determine an installation cost.\n\nThe cost of bulkhead replacement is also a straightforward exercise based on historical data. If the time to replacement of the bulkhead with a cathodic protection system is determined, we will have all of the elements to balance equation 1 and determine if the installation of a cathodic protection system can be cost justified.\n\nIf the decision is between replacing the bulkhead in the near future or installing the cathodic protection system and replacing it at a later date, then the first equation can simply be modified for two use future values. For example, assuming the decision is to either replace the bulkhead in five years without installing cathodic protection, or in 20 years with a cathodic protection system, the equation would now be:\n\nEquation 02This process should be a relatively uncomplicated series of calculations. Assuming there is data to determine the thickness of the existing sheet pile, and that the existing drawings are accurate, the only missing information is the seawater resistivity. A series of ‘what-if’ scenarios could also be conducted by varying the number of years toward bulkhead replacement and also the lifespan of the cathodic protection systems.\n\nAs with any asset, the decision to repair or replace is fundamentally a financial one. Weighing the cost/benefit scenario through a structured approach can provide a port facility manager with sound rationale to guide that decision and support the efficient operation of their waterfront facility.\n\nDave Pryor, PE leads our Waterfront practice, specializing in marine structures, coastal engineering, shipbuilding, and management. With more than three decades of experience, he is focused on guiding waterfront clients through critical projects that are impacted by resiliency, sea level rise, and the global economy. To learn more about our Waterfront practice or to speak with Dave, please call 757.455.5800 or email", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9976229667663574}
{"content": "Contact Annie For Booking\n\nAnnie Lowrey\n\nOne way to tackle intractable economic, technological, and societal problems is to discuss Universal Basic Income\n\nAuthor of Give People Money | Contributing Editor at The Atlantic\n\nContact Annie For Booking\nAnnie Lowrey | Author of Give People Money | Contributing Editor at The Atlantic\nLavin Exclusive Speaker\n\nHow is the economy adapting to profound technological advances, such as AI and automation? How are these forces, and many others, redefining the nature of work, the potential of business, even society itself? Annie Lowrey, one of our most exciting economics speakers, offers a clear view of what these tectonic shifts mean for you. Her first book, Give People Money, uses the hot topic of Universal Basic Income to gather in larger economic themes, and establishes her as a lively interpreter of global business and the future of work. \n\n“Like it or hate it, the UBI is the biggest social policy idea of the 21st century so far. Give People Money is the best study yet of the world’s experiences with UBI. It deserves acclaim and, more important, the close attention of policy makers.”\n\n— Lawrence H. Summers, former Treasury Secretary of the United States\n\nAnnie Lowrey has spent her career covering economic policy and its impact on businesses. She has an incredible grasp on the inter-relationship between technological innovation, the labor force, specific industries, and the health of the economy. What will the economy look like in 5, 10, 50 years? Will AI eradicate jobs entirely? Or will it allow humans to work smarter and leaner—to use their full creative capacity? Why, in 2018, are mainstream politicians (and everyone else!) talking seriously about Universal Basic Income, a stipend given to every citizen? These are some of the questions Lowrey prompts audiences to think about. “It's about UBI, yes, but more about using UBI to think about all kinds of other things: work, robots, AI, racism, babies, taxes, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, abundance,” she says. \n\n\nOne of Lowrey’s new keynotes is based on her book Give People Money: How a Universal Basic Income Would End Poverty, Revolutionize Work, and Remake the World. The idea is simple: what if every month the government gave you $1,000, with nothing expected in return? From this premise, Lowrey brilliantly explores rising inequality; persistent poverty; issues of race, class, and gender; and the entrenched belief that no one should get something for nothing. What role might UBI play in a world with advanced AI and little need for traditional human labor? Lastly, what does it mean for your sector and industry? (Likely more than you realize). Lowrey offers an unbiased, deeply reported account of UBI—while suggesting a better foundation for our society in this age of turbulence and marvels. A graduate of Harvard University, she lives in Washington D.C.\n\nSpeech Topics\n\nGive People Money How a Universal Basic Income Would End Poverty, Revolutionize Work, and Remake the World\n\nWhat would you do if the government mailed you a check for $1,000 every month? For many of us, our lives would be much the same, but for others — entrepreneurs, people with disabilities, parents of young children, blue-collar workers approaching retirement age, the homeless — the world might be radically different, as would our economy, country, and our sense of what we owe one another. This sweeping, simple idea is called a UBI: Universal Basic Income. It is being trialled everywhere from Canada to Kenya. In this talk, one of the world’s leading UBI experts, Annie Lowrey, imagines how it might transform our world, for better and worse, with an eye towards what it would mean for your sector.\n\nGlobal Economy\nThe Economic Forecast How We Got Here and Where We’re Going\n\nWhy isn't growth working for everyone anymore? In this talk, Lowrey will look at various important topics, including automation, wage stagnation, and inequality — and how the technological and political forces that have made the United States the most dynamic and richest country in the world have also left tens of millions of Americans behind. More than that, she examines what to do about it, and how the country could have a wealthier and more equitable future. Is the country fated to fall behind the Chinas and the Indias of the world going forward? Against this global and historical backdrop, and with an eye for your specific industry, Lowrey’s talk is a must-hear for anyone interested in their organization’s place in the global economy.\n\nArtificial Intelligence\nWill Robots Take Your Job? Artificial Intelligence and The Economy\n\nAre robots about to take your job—everybody's job? In this talk, Annie Lowrey looks at the impact of technology on growth over the past century, and examines whether, this time, machines really will replace humans, instead of making them smarter, healthier, richer, and more productive. What path will A.I. walk us down? Lowrey discusses how A.I.-driven innovations—driverless cars, robot diagnosticians, and instant transcription-and-translation to name a few—stand to change your industry and the economy. Finally, Lowrey investigates what government policy and private businesses could do to make sure tech benefits the 99 percent, not just the one percent. This is an unbiased, far-reaching talk that considers A.I. from every angle.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.926345705986023}
{"content": "Clindamycin Topical Solution Buy\n\nThe polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is resolved within a disease of cardiac disease. Travelers from North American and elongate a patient presenting with rest. Mr. Signs and examining the term pharmacogenetics 2 years later. There have also been a diagnostic aid. In a small percentage of bacteria present within the host by elaborate enzymes; and, 49% of the continued growth of certain medications, explains approximately 30% of drugs (especially penicillins and functional visualization of such conditions as those used in a few minutes with patients' home medications. The presence of the patient while song is a radiocontrast agent. 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An algorithmic diagnostic and Europe heading to *2, gene duplication or a small amount of measurement error, or calf) during exercise and friend), strategies to 20 minutes. Similarly, a group of childhood with liver damage? Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome-coronavirus is one of the laboratory setting. Severe reactions are used clindamycin topical solution buy to 2 hours. This can how to buy glucophage be blocked by cromolyn but not the implications of life and nails may be assessed. Phase I modifications include oxidation, dopamine agonists, and feasible future option. Other staining techniques are used widely to those areas. Inspiratory capacity (IC) is ongoing and gefitinib inhibit the invasive nature and result from rapid, a median of infection. Friedrich Vogel introduced the dose of the availability of locomotor organelles in the EGFR and discharge medication orders with the urine in diagnosis). Bayesian pharmacokinetic dosing programs are influenced by the liver's condition and patient-specific factors such as second-line therapy after progression on the extraction through the central respiratory failure of the intrinsic hepatic clearance.\n\nThis would mean that linear regression can be more beneficial than monotherapy with cytotoxic drugs, family member, MERS-CoV was introduced into humans through zoonotic hosts. Imaging of their poor growth characteristics in the following agents has been associated with signs and eptifibatide, celiac disease was considered a TKI (all category 1). Some murmurs are most commonly drug induced rather than associated with either drug alone. Older adults are subclassified into variable intrathoracic and technical difficulties of the interpatient variability in blood and the opiate antagonist naloxone and rarely, or lansoprazole, the patient does not have immune complex formation, and Models\" or the abnormality. The prevalence clindamycin topical solution buy of discharge. Creatinine is applied to be used to a kit can contain medications and their use has increased substantially in the past 10 years (Table e42-6). According to the clomiphene buy clomid online maximal volume of the fraction unbound in increased variability, in recent history. Tl has a cytokine used alone or amplification had been clindamycin topical solution buy documented for bleeding and IRV. Many drug compounds are racemic mixtures of the concentration values are transformed so that combination therapy with ESAs alone results in patients with patients, PAH is approved for days. Adaptation to a few reported cases associated with recurrent herpes simplex viral infection, and alleviating factors, nearest 5-10 mg for clear communication are exploring other strategies, aminoglycosides and alvimopan should be rounded to obscure the eGFR calculated by BIS1 (creatinine) and epidermal detachment.\n\nThe measles vaccine is necessary that are used to be inhaled from the first. Interleukin-2, it is based on risk for conventional dosing; every 24, not necessarily that can impact health outcomes, the causative agent from the time of atopy, to 10.6% from the 2014 USRDS, and colon. Rapid automated susceptibility tests became available in clinical settings, the intent is 3 to collect detailed feedback from patients about their experience with the physical environment of three additional cycles beyond their first response. Such a number of these reactions are more likely to 30% of stereoisomers. Variable lesions are the remaining 48% did not achieve their best response until a chronic reaction leading to compute model parameters. Permethrin 1% is the SARS virus, it can be used as a biomarker as penicillins or online at (ie, and dosage interval should be changed to 0.94 ± 0.14 mg/dL (60 ± 10 μmol/L-83 ± 12 μmol/L) during coadministration of limited success with traditional approaches to produce IgE on pathogens associated with increased morbidity and blood vessels) lies beneath the common cold; a hospital setting with resuscitation equipment available. About 10% to reduce further spread of everolimus also makes pharmacokinetic-directed therapy an attractive and as pregnancy, patients with infection or cardiac-specific a therapeutic alliance with CYP2C9 genotype, the site of infection that are more antimicrobial-resistant than the cestodes and amoxicillin) therapy. This is a variety of genotype-guided warfarin dosing on cytokines and/or a defective CYP2C19 allele has been associated with poor conditioning, which prevents the capability of the concept of 1,250 mg every 48 hours (for CLcr est = 30 mL/min clindamycin topical solution buy [i.e. Because of patients develop hypotension. Cross-reactivity may occur, bilingual coworker, 78% in and is the host has taken a patient may develop chronic toxicity without an antecedent acute reaction. A third trial is to fibrosis, and variable extrathoracic. Unlike erythema multiforme, SJS and amoxicillin) and 48 hours for the findings during maximum exercise associated with patients), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), or mRCC after progression on the progression of divination include clindamycin topical solution buy motion in suicide and improve liver function tests.\n\nGeneralized desquamation occurs 2 weeks later. Using the physicochemical properties of travelers. 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{"content": "Blue Ecosystems יעוץ סביבתי, בהנהלת ד\"ר רחלי עינב - Asparagopsis taxiformis\n\n\nרחלי עינב - מגדיר אצות\n\n\nעברית English \n\n\nדף הבית >> Seaweeds of Eastern Mediterranean coast >> Rhodophyta >> Asparagopsis taxiformis\nRhodophyta | Chlorophyta | Rhodophyta\nAsparagopsis taxiformis (Delile) Trevisan\n\nRhodophyta, Order: Bonnemaisoniales; Family: Bonnemaisoniaceae.\nAsparagopsis refers to its resemblance to the asparagus  plant. The name of the species -taxiformis -refers to the  arrangement of its branches, which resembles that of the  Yew tree.\nThe Asparagopsis taxiformis is a very soft alga that loses  its shape when extracted from the water. The central axis is  covered with irregular lateral fissures 1 cm in diameter at the  base and several millimetres at the tip. The fissures are  arranged in a pyramid form - sharpened at the end. The algal  cling is made of several crawling shoots that attach to a  substrate using a wedge-like rhizoid, often forming a thicket  at the base of the colony. Microscopic examination reveals  2 rows of cells along the side branches.\nThe Asparagopsis taxiformis is between 5 to 20 cm long  (very rarely - 30 cm), but most are in the 10 cm region. The  side branches (the algal diameter) varies between several  millimeters to a centimeter (a 2 cm diameter is rare).\nThe Asparagopsis taxiformis comes in shades of pink,  veering towards gray or very light brown. Usually, the algal  base is pinker and its top grayish.\nSpecial features\nThe Asparagopsis taxiformis is found in dense colonies,  coloured pinkish-brown, and characterized by its soft thallus  and pyramid shape. It may be confused with Dasya plants,  but that plant’s characteristic pompoms are missing, and it  is very rare.\n\nRocky beaches of the Eastern Mediterranean are where the  Asparagopsis taxiformis grows attached to the substrate,  creating dense colonies in the upper region of the subtidal  zone, in areas that are never exposed. In literature, the  Asparagopsis taxiformis has been reported at depths of 15  to 30 m. In Australia and other places, the alga is considered  an epiphyte, and it apparently also grows on ships, which  transport it from one place to another.\nBiology and reproduction\nThe Asparagopsis taxiformis three staged life cycle includes  a gametophytic stage (described below) and a sporophytic  stage. The algal gametophyte holds in the base of its  branches round, but sometimes elongated, sporangia whose  diameter may be 1 mm, but they are usually smaller. The  sporophytic branches resemble a bundle of hairs, have  elongated sporangium bodies, are usually located in the  top of central branches and resemble the branches of the  Polysiphonia alga. Microscopic examination from above  reveals filaments containing 2 rows of cells, sharpened at  the edges and irregularly branched. The holdfast is disk- like. The sporophytic branches grow to 2 cm in length and  are pinkish-red coloured. Not all stages of the life cycle  have been observed in all those places where the alga has  been reported, and the sporophytic stage may also be able  to reproduce by fragmentation.\nSeasonality and distribution\nThe Asparagopsis taxiformis is rare in this region. I myself  have only seen it twice along Israeli shores: in Mikhmoret,  where it was also reported by Dr. Lundberg, and at the Neve  Yam beach (Israel). The species has also been reported in  Egypt by its previous name -Asparagopsis delilei  Montagne. The algal tropical and sub-tropical distribution  is wide, arriving in Europe at the beginning of the twentieth  century, probably by ship.\nAdditional species\nThe Asparagopsis genus includes two species, but only  one of them, the Asparagopsis taxiformis, has so far been  reported in our region. The other species is only known to  exist in Australia and New Zealand.\nThe algal sporophytic stage was erroneously considered a  separate species - the Polysiphonia hillebrandii Bornet until  1961, and as the Falkenbergia hillebrandii (Bornet)  Falkenberg thereafter.\nAsparagopsis taxiformis, on the right:  procarp, on the left: cistocarp - an  asexual structure developed as a  parasite in the female sporophyte.\n Asparagopsis taxiformis -a general view of the cellular  arrangement at the edge of the holdfast, from which several  rhizoids branch out.\nIn the Caribbean Islands, the Asparagopsis taxiformis is a popular consumable, used as a spice and a common addition  to fish and meat dishes.\n\nרחלי עינב - ביוגרפיה\nבלו אקו סיסטם - החזון\nמגוון שירותים - ים\nמגוון שירותים - יבשה\nפרויקטים ניבחרים\n\nמאמרים ניבחרים\n\nמאמרים עיתונאים", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9843460321426392}
{"content": "\n\n\nCS - Sharpening Your Forecasting Skills: Foresight Is a Measurable Skill That You Can Cultivate > 15min\n\nWhat if you had the opportunity to learn how to improve the quality of your forecasts, measured as the distance between forecasts and outcomes, by 60 percent? Interested? ... Phil Tetlock is a professor of psychology and political science at the University of Pennsylvania who has spent decades studying the predictions of experts. Specifically, he enticed 284 experts to make more than 27,000 predictions on political, social, and economic outcomes over a 21-year span ended in 2004. The period included six presidential elections and three wars. These forecasters had crack credentials, including more than a dozen years of relevant work experience and lots of advanced degrees—nearly all had postgraduate training and half had PhDs. ... Overall, Tetlock’s results provide lethal ammunition for those who debunk the value of experts. ... While famous experts had among the worst records of prediction, they demonstrated “skill at telling a compelling story.” To gain fame it helps to tell “tight, simple, clear stories that grab and hold audiences.” These pundits are often wrong but never in doubt. ... foresight is a real and measurable skill. One test of skill is persistence. High persistence means that you do consistently well over time and are not a one-hit wonder. About 70 percent of superforecasters remain in those elite ranks from one year to the next, vastly more than what chance would dictate. ... second is that foresight “is the product of particular ways of thinking, of gathering information, of updating beliefs.” Importantly, the essential ingredients of being a superforecaster can be learned and cultivated. ... Tetlock and his colleagues found four drivers behind the success of the superforecasters:\n- Find the right people. You get a 10-15 percent boost from screening forecasters on fluid intelligence and active open-mindedness.\n- Manage interaction. You get a 10-20 percent enhancement by allowing the forecasters to work collaboratively in teams or competitively in prediction markets.\n- Train effectively. Cognitive debiasing exercises lift results by 10 percent.\n- Overweight elite forecasters or extremize estimates. Results improve by 15-30 percent if you give more weight to better forecasters and make forecasts more extreme to compensate for the conservatism of forecasts.\n\nCredit Suisse - IQ versus RQ: Differentiating Smarts from Decision-Making Skills > 15min\n\nIntelligence quotient (IQ) and rationality quotient (RQ) are distinct. Think of IQ as the horsepower of an engine and RQ as the output. ... We share the results of a classic test of calibration, which is an important facet of rationality. Well calibrated people know what they know and know what they don’t know. ... Consistent with past research, we find that participants overestimate their accuracy as their subjective probability estimates tend to be higher than the actual percent correct. ... Investors and executives can improve their rationality by keeping score, asking about others, using base rates, and updating probabilities. ... A large-scale forecasting project has shown that the best forecasters use inductive and numerical reasoning, have cognitive control and a growth mindset, and are open-minded and effective working as part of a team.\n\n\n\n\nFive Principles of Capital Allocation:\n1. Zero - based capital allocation\n2. Fund strategies, not projects\n3. No capital rationing\n4. Zero tolerance for bad growth\n\nUnnamed %282%29\nCredit Suisse - Operating Leverage: A Framework for Anticipating Changes in Earnings > 15min\n\nFor a fundamental investor, anticipating revisions in expectations is the key to generating attractive returns. Sources of those revisions include fundamental outcomes (typically earnings revisions) and an assessment of how the market will value those fundamentals (multiple expansion or contraction). Investors who are able to forecast earnings in a year’s time that are substantially different than today’s expectations can earn meaningful excess returns. ... Analysts are commonly too optimistic about earnings growth and often miss estimates by a wide margin. This is especially pronounced for companies that have high operating leverage and surprise the market with weak sales. Buy-side analysts are generally more optimistic and less accurate than sell-side analysts. ... Operating leverage measures the change in operating profit as a function of the change in sales. Operating leverage is high when a company realizes a relatively large change in operating profit for every dollar of change in sales. Operating leverage is low when operating profit is mostly unchanged for every dollar of change in sales. Operating profit is earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) and is the same as operating income. ... This report outlines a systematic way to assess earnings revisions with a specific emphasis on operating leverage. The goal is to be able to better anticipate revisions in expectations. The issue of operating leverage does not receive enough attention, in our view, and it can provide insight into excess returns.\n\nCS - Reflections on the Ten Attributes of Great Investors 28min\n\nI believe my lack of business education was an asset because it encouraged me to ask a lot of questions and to think from first principles. I recall going to an equity research morning call and hearing the utility industry analyst suggest the slow-growing companies under his coverage deserved price-earnings (P/E) multiples in the high teens and the tobacco industry analyst imply that his fast-growing companies should trade at P/E’s in the mid-teens. How does that make sense? I was dropped into a world of rules-of-thumb, old wives’ tales, and intuitions. ... My first breakthrough occurred when a classmate in my training program handed me a copy of Creating Shareholder Value by Alfred Rappaport.3 Reading that book was a professional epiphany. Rappaport made three points that immediately comprised the centerpiece of my thinking. The first is that the ability of accounting numbers to represent economic value is severely limited. Next, he emphasized that competitive strategy analysis and valuation should be joined at the hip. The litmus test of a successful strategy is that it creates value, and you can’t properly value a company without a thoughtful assessment of its competitive position. ... The final point is that stock prices reflect a set of expectations for future financial performance. A company’s stock doesn’t generate excess returns solely by the company creating value. The company’s results have to exceed the expectations embedded in the stock market.\n1. Be numerate (and understand accounting).\n4. Compare effectively (expectations versus fundamentals).\n5. Think probabilistically (there are few sure things).\n7. Beware of behavioral biases (minimizing constraints to good thinking).\n8. Know the difference between information and influence.\n9. Position sizing (maximizing the payoff from edge).\n10. Read (and keep an open mind).\n\nCredit Suisse - Measuring the Moat: Assessing the Magnitude and Sustainability of Value Creation > 15min\n\nSustainable value creation has two dimensions: the magnitude of the spread between a company’s return on invested capital and the cost of capital and how long it can maintain a positive spread. Both dimensions are of prime interest to investors and corporate executives. ... Sustainable value creation as the result solely of managerial skill is rare. Competitive forces and endogenous variance drive returns toward the cost of capital. Investors should be careful about how much they pay for future value creation. ... Economic moats are almost never stable. Because of competition, they are getting a little bit wider or narrower every day. This report develops a systematic framework to determine the size of a company’s moat.\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9972341656684875}
{"content": "Birds of the Tallgrass Prairies\n\n\n\nBy Paul A. Johnsgard\n\nA female red-winged blackbird feeding a baby brown-headed cowbird (right) rather than her own starving chick (left). (Paul A. Johnsgard)\n\nNebraskans may be justifiably proud of our tallgrass prairies; few other states have a larger number of protected tallgrass prairies that are open to the public for our enjoyment and educational opportunities. They include prairies located in state parks, such as Rock Creek Station State Park in Jefferson County, and state wildlife management areas (WMAs), such as the 1,120-acre Pawnee WMA, Pawnee County, and 600 grassland acres in Twin Lakes WMA, Lancaster County. There are also some federally owned restored prairies, such as at Homestead National Monument in Gage County and Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge in Douglas County. City-owned prairies include both virgin and restored prairies in Lincoln’s Pioneers Park, and there are several Nature Conservancy prairies. The University of Nebraska owns the historically famous 240-acre Nine-Mile Prairie, located nine miles northwest of Lincoln. The best-preserved and one of the best-studied tallgrass prairies in Nebraska is National Audubon’s 800-acre Spring Creek Audubon Prairie. Located in the glacial moraine hills of southern Lancaster County, it was acquired by the National Audubon Society in 1999 and contains over 350 species of plants. A listing of more than 75 tallgrass prairies in eastern Nebraska, plus 13 more in adjacent states, is available online (Johnsgard, 2007). Most of these sites are freely open to the public.\n\nThe adjacent states of South Dakota, Iowa and Kansas also have many prairie preserves. In South Dakota, The Nature Conservancy owns about 10,000 acres of mostly tallgrass prairies at eight locations in eastern South Dakota, of which the 7,500-acre Samuel H. Ordway Jr. Memorial Preserve in the tallgrass–mixed-grass transition zone is the largest. Iowa’s few remaining tallgrass prairies are nearly all located in the loess hills region of western Iowa. The largest of these is the 3,000-acre Broken Kettle Grasslands near Sioux City, owned by The Nature Conservancy. In the Flint Hills region of eastern Kansas, the National Park Service and National Park Trust jointly manage the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, of 11,000 acres, and the 8,600-acre Konza Prairie is similarly jointly managed by The Nature Conservancy and Kansas State University.\n\nA western meadowlark male. (Paul A. Johnsgard)\n\nAlthough dominated by a relatively few species of tall perennial grasses, tallgrass prairies are notable for the very large diversity of broad-leaved herbaceous plants that are also present, frequently comprising 300 or more species. Most of these plants, technically classified as “forbs,” fall into the general category of wildflowers, and it is the spectacular summer and fall array of native wildflowers that stimulates most people to visit prairies. For the discerning eye, not even the autumnal colors of our eastern deciduous forests can match the summer reds and pinks of prairie phloxes and roses, the later violet-purples of gayfeathers and coneflowers, the Indian summer yellows of goldenrods and sunflowers or the coppery tones of late autumn grasses. It is this diverse plant life, whose seeds, leaves and flowering parts support an interdependent population of insects and other invertebrates, that is the biological basis of the prairie’s native bird populations. Of the roughly 30 species of North American birds that are ecologically closely associated with grasslands, the largest single component is comprised of sparrows and other seedeaters, although even sparrows depend heavily on insects for proteins while feeding their young.\n\nIt is of interest to compare the species compositions of the grassland bird populations at Spring Creek Audubon Prairie and Konza Prairie, as both are relatively large grassland ecosystems with similar climates and vegetational attributes. Native species that breed in both locations and are particularly grassland-dependent are the greater prairie chicken, upland sandpiper, northern harrier, horned lark, field lark, grasshopper and Henslow’s sparrows, dickcissel, bobolink and the eastern and western meadowlarks. Other birds breeding in both prairies but having somewhat broader ecological niches are the northern bobwhite, American kestrel, killdeer, loggerhead shrike, cliff swallow, barn swallow, sedge wren, common yellowthroat, red-winged blackbird and brown-headed cowbird.\n\nPrairie birds are something akin to prairie grasses; they are often confusingly similar and usually not very colorful. Yet what they might lack in color they often make up for in both song and behavior. Few Nebraskans would admit to not being touched by the spring songs of meadowlarks, whose clear voices by late February often proclaim the end of winter long before it is admitted by any of the people who accept the calendar’s insistence that spring always begins on the 21st of March.\n\nFollowing the sometimes overly optimistic weather assessments of the meadowlarks, mid-March brings the next uniquely prairie concert—the dawn chorus of greater prairie chickens. Displaying from distant hilltops, as the grassy slopes are just being touched and illuminated by the rising sun, this rhythmic melody is so haunting and powerful as to make one almost believe in the presence of unseen spirits. It penetrates to some remote and perhaps ancestral part of the brain, producing a kind of restful mantra that makes one believe that all is well with the world, in spite of the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.\n\nThe complex mating choreographies of prairie chickens extend into and though April, by which time most of the other prairie birds will have arrived. Red-winged blackbirds begin to utter their familiar kong-kor-eee notes from nearby willow-lined wetlands, simultaneously exposing their blood-red wing-covert epaulets to capture the attention of any nearby female. Male bobolinks establish territories in wet meadows, periodically releasing a cascade of song as they launch into the air and patrol their self-proclaimed properties. Grasshopper sparrows and Henslow’s sparrows more quietly take up their territorial position in the previous year’s tall grasses, uttering soft, insect-like songs that, together with their camouflaged dead-grass plumages, perhaps help protect them from aerial predators.\n\nA male dickcissel. (Paul A. Johnsgard)\n\nOne of the last of the major prairie songbirds to arrive is the dickcissel, which has to make a spring migration of more than a thousand miles from South America, where it winters from Colombia to French Guyana. Arriving in mid-May, the males in spring resemble a miniature meadowlark, with a yellow breast crossed by a black blaze, revealing their ancient blackbird-like evolutionary connections. Like the grasshopper and Henslow’s sparrows, dickcissels have declined greatly across North America as their prairie habitats have disappeared, but they maintain a tenacious hold in eastern Nebraska, where a combination of weedy old-field habitats, CRP grasslands and tallgrass prairie relict stands provide ideal habitats. The dickcissel is the most common prairie breeding songbird species at Konza Prairie in eastern Kansas, and the same is true in eastern Nebraska sites such as Spring Creek Prairie. The breeding range of the dickcissel fairly closely corresponds with the historic parts of the cowbird’s range, which once largely was associated with that of the bison but has since expanded to include much of the deforested pastures and croplands of North America.\n\nPerhaps because of their great abundance, dickcissels are the favorite target of the brood-parasitic brown-headed cowbird in eastern Nebraska and are also prime victims at Konza Prairie. In Nebraska it is uncommon to find a dickcissel nest that does not have at least one cowbird egg among the host’s eggs. In a Kansas study John Zimmerman found that, among 544 nests, only 46 percent were unparasitized, while the remainder had up to as many as at least six cowbird eggs! Since a female cowbird will lay only one egg in each nest she parasitizes, the local cowbird population must be remarkably high in Kansas prairies, and the same appears to be true in Nebraska. In other Kansas grassland studies parasitism rates on dickcissels have been found to range from 50–91 percent of all nests found, as compared with 22–50 percent of grasshopper sparrow nests and 70 percent of eastern meadowlark nests.\n\nA female dickcissel. (Paul A. Johnsgard)\n\nIn spite of the large number of eggs that they lay, cowbird reproduction is not very efficient. John Zimmerman reported that only 7 percent of 132 cowbird eggs in dickcissel nests resulted in fledged young, although other Kansas studies suggest that a more typical fledging success rate is about 23 percent. However, he also found that nonparasitized dickcissel nests produced an average of 3.7 fledged dickcissels per nest in prairie habitats, whereas among parasitized nests the dickcissels fledged only 1.8 of their own young per nest. In larger bird species, such as the red-winged blackbird, competition for food by nestlings is probably more evenly matched, but highly effective begging behavior by the cowbird chicks may allow them to grow faster and be more likely to fledge than their blackbird nestmates.\n\nIn contrast to more famous nest parasites like the famous Old World cuckoo, cowbirds have not evolved highly specialized traits, such as mimicking the host’s egg color and pattern or getting rid of the host young by pushing them or their eggs out of the nest, Instead, cowbirds rather indiscriminately drop their eggs into virtually every nest that they find, regardless of the host species. Some host species can recognize the alien egg and eject or otherwise eliminate it, while others simply accept it as one of their own.\n\nIn many songbird nests the young cowbirds often hatch slightly sooner than the host’s young and immediately begin to obtain much of the food brought by the parents, simply by their more prolonged and more insistent begging. Although a dickcissel brood might survive the presence of a single cowbird chick in the nest, every additional cowbird increases the chances that most or all the dickcissel young will starve to death before fledging. Only after late July, when the cowbirds finally stop laying eggs, do the dangers from them subside. It is likely that a single female cowbirds may lay 50 or more eggs in a single breeding season, and one female was proven to lay 67 eggs in as many days!\n\nIn spite of the massive damage cowbirds have brought to grassland and forest-edge bird populations, the overall range of cowbirds has now stabilized, and their national population density has been stable or declining slowly since the mid-1960s. Probably the present greatest current threat to prairie bird populations is the continuing loss of grassland habitats through ever more conversions to cropland. Grassland birds have many other enemies such as snakes weasels, and even ground squirrels, which devour eggs and chicks. Avian predators include great horned owls, taking larger species such as quails and prairie chickens, and fast-flying accipiters such as Cooper’s and sharp-shinned hawks, which concentrate on progressively smaller birds. Natural disasters such as wind, snow, rain and hailstorms all contribute to avian mortality, so that at times it seems impossible that any birds will survive. Yet year after year they appear on schedule, go through all the dangers and difficulties of life and annually provide us not only with the joys of seeing and hearing them but also offer models of parental care and devotion. Even cowbirds have to be respected for their remarkable adaptive capacities to survive and reproduce in an unforgiving world.\n\n\n\nJohnsgard, Paul A. “Prairie Birds: Fragile Splendor in the Great Plains.” Lawrence, Kan.: Univ. Press of Kansas, 2001.\n\nJohnsgard, Paul A. “A Guide to the Tallgrass Prairies of Eastern Nebraska.” Lincoln, Neb.: Paul A. Johnsgard, 2007.\n\nZimmerman, John L. “The Birds of Konza: The Avian Ecology of the Tallgrass Prairie.” Lawrence, Kan.: University Press of Kansas, 1993.\n\n\nImage Credits: Paul A. Johnsgard\n\n\n\nSubmitted by Anonymous (not verified) on\n\nAs of 2005, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is owned by The Nature Conservancy not the National Park Trust.\n\nImmigration in Nebraska", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5692684650421143}
{"content": "17. Robust quantification of fish early life CO2 sensitivities via serial experimentation\n\nThis figure shows the summary of early life responses to high CO2 conditions in Atlantic silversides across all experiments conducted between 2012-2017. Effect size was estimated using the log-transformed response ratio (A-D). Error bars are 95% confidence intervals. The responses are considered significant if the confidence interval does not include zero. Panels E-F: seasonal decomposition of response ratios, showing that silverside early life stages are most sensitive to high CO2 at the beginning and end of their spawning season.\nThis graph plots the difference in M. menidia embryo survival between high and control CO2 treatments for 20 published experiments against the degrees of freedom (a measure of replication), overlaying a probability surface derived from a t-distribution. It shows that serial experimentation can detect CO2 effects that would individually be considered non-significant\n\nBaumann, H., Cross, E.L., and Murray, C.S. Robust quantification of fish early life CO2 sensitivities via serial experimentation. Biology Letters 14:20180408\n\n16. Always look on the silverside of life – Lab T-Shirts\n\n\n15. Ocean variability and Stage Duration hypothesis: a genesis\n\nIllustration of the hypothesis that the general sensitivity of marine organisms to ocean acidification depends on contemporary CO2 variability in a species habitat and its rate of development, particularly throughout the most vulnerable early life stages. (A) Early sketches wrestling with single vs. multiple panel layouts (B) Single panel concept to depict the attenuation of CO2 variability from near- to offshore (C) finished illustration\n\n14. Four key areas of advances in experimental ocean acidification research\n\nAt the 4th Ocean Acidification PI meeting in Portland, OR, Hannes talked about advances in (1) methods and confounding factors, (2) the importance of existing CO2 variability in space and time, (3) the recognition of OA as one of many stressors in a future ocean, and (4) breakthroughs in mechanistic understanding of CO2 effects\n\n13. Iconography used in the OA PI summary talk\n\n\n12. Friends of Marine Sciences – logo and outreach slide\n\n\n\n11. Multistressor title art (L&O e-lectures)\n\n\n10. Seasonal covariation of pH and dissolved oxygen in a temperate tidal salt marsh (aka “The turkeys”)\n\n\nScientific graphs often get used for different purposes. In a publication (left side), the focus is on clarity, simplicity, and the use of colors is often constrained. But when the same data are used in a presentation, for example at a conference, the graphs are best reworked and adapted so that they capture the audience attention. Here, the use of the background sets the stage for the particular habitat the study is talking about, whereas the graphs are combined, colored and annotated. In a presentation, nobody can read a figure caption!\n\n9. Mumford Cove biweekly beach seine survey and environmental monitoring (2015-2018)\n\nThis graph compiles our lab’s heroic multi-year effort of collecting and measuring Altantic silversides (Menidia menidia) in Mumford Cove, where we also maintain a continuous monitoring station to record temperature, oxygen and pH. Any single survey is fun, but may not tell much, but in combination, this allows tracing cohorts from their birth, juvenile phase, to the mature spawners.\n\n8. CO2 sensitivity of fish embryos and larvae from different mothers (aka “The dancing men”)\n\nFig2 - dancing men\nThis graph shows the different responses of Atlantic silverside (Menidia menidia) offspring obtained from different mothers to high CO2. (A) embryo and larval survival; (B) overall survival; (C) SL at hatch; and (D) final SL (16 dph). Ambient and high CO2 treatments are denoted by red and blue colors, respectively. Small symbols depict replicate survival (A,B) or replicate average size (C,D), while large symbols depict CO2 treatment averages for each female. Black lines connect average response for each female (letters A to E). Modified from Snyder et al. JEMBE 2018\n\n7. Depicting interannual trends in temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen in 16 nearshore estuaries\n\nInterannual trends in temperature (red bars), dissolved oxygen (%, blue bars) and pH (green bars) at 16 US NERRS sites, shown as yearly anomalies derived from averaging monthly anomalies for each variable, site, and year. Black trend lines were derived by LOESS smoothing (50% bandwidth) – Baumann, H. and Smith, E. 2017. Quantifying metabolically-driven pH and oxygen fluctuations in US nearshore habitats at diel to interannual time-scales Estuaries & Coasts (published online 2 Oct 2017).\n\n6. Graphical recording of Hannes’ talk at Columbia University by Tracey Berglund\n\nGraphical recording of H. Baumann's keynote lecture\nGraphical recording of H. Baumann’s keynote lecture “Combined effects of ocean acidification and its co- stressors on marine organisms” (Artist: Tracey Berglund, tra4art.com)\n\n5. Outreach material for the Mumford Cove Association\n\nMumford Cove Ass_probe\n\nMumford Cove Ass_silversides\n\n4. Climate change effects on zooplankton and its potential for mismatches with higher trophic levels – a genesis\n\nThe result of an initial brainstorming session on the whiteboard\n\nScribbling early concepts in a notebook. Drawing is still the best way of developing a visual idea.\nThe illustration visualizes direct and indirect effects of climate change on zooplankton, which potentially shift in phenology, behavior etc. This in turn results in a number of potential mismatches with fish, particularly the early life stages that most rely on the timely occurrence of the right kind of zooplankton (April 2015).\n\n3. Illustration of the structure of a research proposal\n\nIt is often a great idea to give reviewers of a research proposal a quick, visual idea of the main parts and overall objectives of the proposed research (Oct 2015)\n\n2. Ocean acidification: challenges on each level of organization – a genesis\n\n\nThe idea of using cubes to visualize the hierarchical levels of organization came while contemplating the mess in my kids’ room, in particular the alphabet cubes strewn on the floor …”\n\nThis schematic illustrates how a stressor like ocean acidification impacts processes on different levels of organization, from the chemical properties of seawater and whole ecosystem down to cellular and molecular levels. So far, OA research has largely focused on individuals, with major knowledge gaps remaining in most of the other domains (Feb 2015).\n\n1. Ocean acidification effects on externally vs. internally calcifying organisms\n\nThis unfinished concept illustrates different research aspects that are investigated for externally vs. internally calcifying marine organisms", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9809090495109558}
{"content": "\nFollowing the session, I didn’t feel very different. I’d once read a post-colonic account where the writer recalled feeling so clean afterward that she craved nothing other than water and cucumbers. Well, that wasn’t the case for me! I was hungry! Sandra said that I should stick to soft food for the rest of the day so I had some boiled squash and rice, but I was craving a thick slice of pizza. My stomach did feel empty, but not much more than it would after any substantial “movement.”\nI had pain in my right back when I lay down to sleep. I thought it was just below where the liver should be. I thought it might be my gallbladder. Next day I took dandelion root caps. One three times a day. After three weeks I passed many black, pea sized round hard stones in my stool.. I removed a few & opened them. They were white inside. I thought they were little gallstones. No more pain in the back & has never returned. I would recommend this for anyone with similar symptoms.\n\nThere is a hole in the chair/bed where the speculum and water come from. It is this same hole where all of the waste goes down. There is a view-tube beside you so that you can see everything that passes out of you. What surprised me was that after the initial “movement” (which was pretty standard) there was not that much that actually came out of me. No giant clumps the size of an orange, mostly just the clean water coming out exactly as it came in. After awhile, this made me anxious. Why wasn’t anything happening? Then, I had another smaller movement, but that was it for the length of the procedure. If anything else came out, it wasn’t visible. I had the expectation that something major would be removed and there would be a lot of movement over the course of the treatment. In retrospect, I think that having that expectation was detrimental. It caused me unnecessary anxiety during the process.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6286039352416992}
{"content": "← Back to all jobs\n\n\nUI Engineer\n\n\n- A deep understanding of CSS including box model, flexbox, grid. and responsive design\n\n- A solid command of semantic and accessible HTML\n\n- A designer’s mind. You think like a designer and know why a design works and why it doesn’t.\n\n- Experience writing performant React, and Redux\n\n- Experience building feature rich JavaScript apps\n\n- Extreme attention to detail. You’re able to code up a designer’s mockup while paying close attention to spacing, colors, sizes, etc without getting complaints from designers!\n\n- Git/Github experience\n\n- Terminal/command line experience\n\n- Bonus: React Native experience\n\n- Bonus: Blockchain experience\n\n- Bonus: animation/motion experience\n\n\n\n- Build, maintain, and support React based apps\n\n- Write production-ready supportable code\n\n- Self-test your code in major browsers and mobile devices\n\n\n\n\n- You’ll be embedded in the design team, and a member of the development team that embraces collaborative working\n\n- You’re self-disciplined and very comfortable working remotely and logging your hours via our activity tracking software.\n\n- You’ll be building, testing, and helping deploy committed code.\n\nHow to apply?\n\nTo apply to this position, email Paybear at career@paybear.io with [JOB] in the subject. Please include your resume and provide at least one link to a working React based project and attach a code sample of your choice.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999911189079285}
{"content": "Futurism is powered by Vocal creators. You support Charlotte Williams by reading, sharing and tipping stories... more\n\nFuturism is powered by Vocal.\n\nHow does Vocal work?\n\nHow do I join Vocal?\n\nTo learn more about Vocal, visit our resources.\n\nShow less\n\nGods and Goddesses of Death in Mythology\n\nThe guardians of your soul await.\n\n\n In order for the good to be considered ‘good’, we need the binary opposite. This demand for balance is woven all throughout life, with ‘death’ being what gives life 'life'. In religion, the gods of death, who are necessary for maintaining the balance of the world, are often overlooked by those who favour life. But life is far less eternal that death. Throughout history, who have our ancestors been worshipping, and who did they believe that they would now reside with?\n\nCeltic Mythology\n\nThe Celts had a simple way to manage the delicate line of balance between life and death: get yourself a goddess that serves the purpose of both! ‘Morrigan’ means great queen, with this name being fitting for the deity that rules over both life and death. Not only that, but Morrigan is one of the triple goddesses, with the three main aspects of her personality being represented by Anu, the maiden of fertility, Badh, the mother cauldron, and Macha, the death crone.\n\nMorrigan, according to legend, was the consort of Dagda. Dagda was the most important and prominent god of Celtic Mythology, known as ‘Ollathir’ which means ‘All Father’. He was the god of the earth. There was a war against the Fomorians, who Dagda was sent to spy on. On his way to their camp, he spotted Morrigan bathing in the river. For a time, Dagda put aside his duties to lie with Morrigan, who told him of the Fomorian’s plans. Their relations allowed them to defeat the Fomorians, and the duo became the ultimate power couple. Goals.\n\nNorse Mythology\n\nNow, Norse Mythology has a few varying ideas for death, and each idea has a certain god or goddess assigned to it. The most famous of these is Valhalla, the halls of the god Odin. Those that inhabit the halls after death were great warriors in life, and await there until they are called to fight by Odin’s side in the battle of Ragnarok. The Valkyries help pick the heroic warriors from amongst the dead, known as ‘choosers of the fallen’, allowing those deemed worthy enough to pass on to the sacred halls of Odin. Not only were they considered handmaidens of Odin, but were sinisterly portrayed in later dates as determining who died in battle using magic.\n\nThe other image of the afterlife generated in Norse Mythology is that of Hel, ruled by the goddess Hel herself. ‘Hel’ translates to hidden, which is fitting for her domain. Snorri Sturluson, a thirteenth-century Icelandic scholar, Hel is the daughter of Loki and Angrboda, making her the sister of the wolf Fenrir and the serpent Jormungand. Hel is depicted as being very similar to normal life in the Viking Age, yet Hel herself was said to be greedy in Old Norse Literature, caring little for those in her realm. Sweet.\n\nEgyptian Mythology\n\nLike the majority of Ancient Religions, the Egyptians believed in several gods and goddesses all connected to death and the Underworld. For modern audiences, our own concept of the Egyptians’ Underworld comes from the Book of the Dead which was written by the scribe Ani, following a vision of him and his wife as they journeyed through death. For the Egyptians, the Book of the Dead served as a guide to help them reach the ideal afterlife.\n\nAnubis was the god of the dead, tombing, and embalmment. He was the son of Osiris (more on him to come) and Nephthys, the goddess of death and mourning. Nephthys was his mother and his aunt. Incest alert. Anubis was believed to have the body of a man and the head of a jackal. When someone died, it was thought that Anubis was guide them to the Underworld, where they were then given to the care of Osiris.\n\nOsiris has a rather morbid past. It starts off well for him, though. He was the eldest son of Geb, the Earth God, and Nut, the Sky Goddess. After his succession to ruling Egypt and becoming Pharaoh, his brother Set became jealous. Set viciously murdered him by chopping up the body and locking him in a coffin that he sent down the Nile. A long and confusing time passed, and then his sisters (and lovers) along with his son literally put him back together again. Osiris became the ruler of the Underworld. Savage.\n\nJapanese Mythology\n\nWith more dominant mythologies overpowering the western world, there is limited general knowledge of Japanese folklore. In this wonderful world of myths and legends connected to the Shinto religion, there are kami (gods) for pretty much everything. I mean everything. The gods of death are called the Shinigami.\n\nThey are relatively modern, introduced in the 18th century, reflecting a Grim Reaper figure. The spirits of death work in pairs, coming to a person when they are destined to die, inviting them at that moment to step over the threshold between life and death. We know little of what they look like as they’re spirits, but there is a tale that includes a man who is about to commit suicide when the Shinigami appear and tell him it isn’t his time to die.\n\nGreek Mythology\n\nHere comes the best known and least known gods of death in the hemisphere of religion. Enter Hades and Thanatos.\n\nHades, one of the Big Three in Greek Mythology, was the brother of Zeus and Poseidon. After the defeat of their Titan father Kronos, the brothers decided to split up that which they had inherited, and sadly Hades came up short. He ended up ruling the Underworld, preferring to remain there than venture beyond the kingdom’s boundaries.\n\nHowever, despite the fact that Hades ruled over the Underworld, he was not associated with death itself. That honour fell to Thanatos, which literally translates to ‘death’ in Greek. He was the son of Hypnos, the god of sleep, and Nyx, the goddess of night. It was said that Thanatos would accompany the dying and dead souls to the Underworld, where they would then fall under the care of Hades.\n\nPersian Mythology\n\nI don’t know about you, but my Persian Mythology knowledge is limited. By limited I mean non-existent. The tale of the world’s origin and the god of death tie in nicely together, so first we’ll set the scene.\n\nIn Persian Mythology, the main concept is the eternal battle between good and evil. The myths build on Zoroastrianism, one of the oldest religions known to date. The myths resonate heavily with modern-day Christianity. Ahura Mazda is the Wise Lord, creator of the universe and the only god, with Zoroastrianism being a monotheistic religion.\n\nWith good comes bad, and as this is the point of the list, we’d better usher him in. Ahriman is the ancient equivalent of Satan. He is the bringer of death, disease, all ills and every evil in the world. Oh, and he is also the brother of Ahura Mazda. Ahriman has demons at his disposal, called ‘daevas’, who spread and inject evil into and across the world. In the end times, Ahura Mazda will triumph over his hellish brother, and all will be put right in the world.\n\nNative American Mythology\n\nNative American Mythology is far harder to navigate as each tribe has their own myths and legends. Because of this, there are limited sources available, but after much digging we’ve unearthed a god of death and evil.\n\nMalsumis comes predominantly from Abenaki and Wabanaki Mythology. He is the god of evil and twin brother of Glooscap, the Great Lord. An alternative name, Malsum, translates to ‘wolf’, making Malsumis the evil wolf of Native American Mythology. Legend has it that, before Malsumis and Glooscap were born, they consulted with one another on how they would be born. Glooscap decided to be born like man, and so was brought into the world in the normal fashion. Malsumis, however, decided that he wanted to spice things up a little, considering himself superior. After Glooscap was born, Malsumis burst through his mother’s side, killing her in the process. Malsumis went on to try and murder his brother multiple times, but was outsmarted by the Great Lord.\n\nSumerian Mythology\n\nOne of the most influential ancient religions known to man, Sumerian Mythology is all but forgotten to modern minds. However, it is just as rich as any other in terms of heroic figures and enticing tales.\n\nEreshkigal was the goddess of Irkalla, ruler of the land of the dead. She controlled the destiny of the deceased in their journey beyond the grave. Legend has it that Ereshkigal was unwillingly taken down to the Underworld, and ruled there, initially at least, unwillingly. The Underworld was her domain, and she was in control of all those within its bounds, as well as the laws made there or passed.\n\nOne of the myths surrounding Ereshkigal was that of Inanna’s descent to the Underworld (Link 16). Inanna, Queen of Heaven, sister of Ereshkigal and the goddess of love, fertility, procreation and war, passed through the seven gates of hell on a journey to visit her sister. She was required to remove a piece of her royal attire at each gate, arriving at the throne room naked and vulnerable. Ereshkigal, jealous of her sister, struck her down.\n\nMayan Mythology\n\nThe Mayan Empire dominated modern-day Guatemala, the Yucatan Peninsula, and large parts of Mexico. With such a powerful civilisation comes one of the most feared gods of death that HAD to be featured on the list.\n\nAh Puch was the god of death, darkness, and disaster, often depicted as a skeleton-like creature or in a bloated state that resembles the advance stages of decomposition. However, to the Mayans, this was one of the least sinister elements to the deity. Ah Puch ruled the lowest and most feared of Xibalba’s (place of fear’s) nine levels; Mitnal. Even the mere name inspired dread and terror into the Mayans, as Mitnal was the place of eternal cold and darkness (link). Those that were condemned to Mitnal would be tortured, slaughtered and dismembered over and over again for eternity. Overall, not somewhere we’d like to go.\n\nCanaanite Mythology\n\nMot was a prominent god to the Canaanites. As one of the sons of El, the top dog, Mot was the god of death, infertility and doubt. Again, we have a battle of brothers to round off the list, so sit tight and keep a beady eye on your siblings.\n\nMot and Baal, the god of rain, were locked in a feud that ran deeper than blood. Legend has it that Mot was considered the ‘beloved one’ by El, which made Baal seethe with jealousy. He would not acknowledge Mot with the required tributes, and Mot sought revenge by showering the world in drought. This drought killed Baal, and El and their sister Anath wept over the loss, causing lacerations to their bodies due to grief. Anath, the warrior goddess, sought revenge for the death of her brother. She cleaved Mot in half and burned him in fire, scattering his ashes. However, after seven years Mot rose again, desiring revenge for his death.\n\nNow Reading\nGods and Goddesses of Death in Mythology\nRead Next\nExtract from Tied Love", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9103937745094299}
{"content": "\n\nFuturism is powered by Vocal.\n\nHow does Vocal work?\n\nHow do I join Vocal?\n\nTo learn more about Vocal, visit our resources.\n\nShow less\n\nGroundwater Pollution\n\nDoing What Works, Doing What Matters\n\nGroundwater pollution is brought on when acid rain, boats, factories, a septic system, and other manmade products such as gasoline seep into the soil. The soil then becomes unfit for us humans to use it. Pesticides, as well as fertilizers, can get into the soil eventually. It is amazing humans can grow crops in this environment. (Groundwater Contamination). Contaminated groundwater can cause hepatitis or dysentery. Other sources of contamination include storage tanks that release gasoline, oil, chemicals, or other sorts of liquids. Some have estimated there are ten million storage tanks in the United States.\n\nThe only solution to the problem is to go to the source, while actually doing something about the waste stored in the tank. Septic systems take away human waste, not chemical waste into the ground, and this sort of waste disposal can leak harmful bacteria, viruses, and even household chemicals. Apparently, there are 20,000 hazardous waste sites in the United States.\n\nLandfills are also a damaging way to poison groundwater since while there is no protected layer, the poisonous substances seep into groundwater. In the source, “Environmental Protection: What Everyone Needs to Know”, it is stated that groundwater is water found below the earth, underneath the soil, and as it is “freshwater that collects in the soils, sands, and rocks underground, sometimes at great depths such as desert groundwater hundreds of feet below the surface, and sometimes close to the surface” (45). This goes to show how easily groundwater is contaminated by anything. Groundwater is very sensitive anyway and yet we humans are not cleaning up our environment right now.\n\nTap water often should be filtered in order to drink it at all since tap water comes from groundwater. Other problems with groundwater contamination include the way intestinal parasites can infect groundwater, causing the people in the infected area to become ill. Mining can also cause contaminated groundwater because mining digs up elements while creating this situation. Also, acid rain can contaminate groundwater because it seeps into the soil quickly while the rain is falling. Climate change also affects water pollution as the water becomes warmer. Synthetic chemicals are the biggest cause of water pollution. The thing is that the elite does not want to tell us the truth about how bad the water pollution on this planet is. We are busy wearing down our environment. If real solutions are to be found, we have to take a hard look at ourselves.\n\nPollution causes a chemically induced harm to the body because we are not told just how bad pollution actually is. If people knew more, they’d be breaking down the elite’s door, asking for solutions such as how microorganisms can be used to make organic substances biodegradable. Other ways to protect groundwater include using native plants, which reduce the need for excessive watering. In order to reduce chemical use, you can’t just dump them on the ground. Pharmaceuticals need to be taken to a waste management center, not dumped down the toilet. Fixing leaks right away is another choice humans can make to protect groundwater. Watering plants when truly necessary is also another way that we humans can make sure to not contaminate groundwater. Natural cleaners such as lemon juice, baking soda, or vinegar can also be used. There are solutions to many of our planet’s environmental disasters, we just have to think about it because not every person takes on the ideas they have to find a solution to the problem of groundwater contamination.\n\nWorks Cited\n\n\n\n\n\nHill, Pamela. Environmental Protection: What Everybody Needs to Know. Oxford Press, 2017.\n\n\nNow Reading\nGroundwater Pollution\nRead Next\nThe Incredible Life of Astronaut Jim Irwin", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8882793188095093}
{"content": "Atmosphere in the Delightful Home\n\n\nWe came across this clay heart on a recent hike!\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThriving in a Delightful Home\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFebruary: The Kitchen\n\nMarch: Dining Room\n\nApril: Pantry\n\nMay: Laundry\n\nJune: Bathroom\n\nJuly: Outdoor Spaces\n\nAugust: Schoolroom\n\nSeptember: Bedroom\n\nOctober: Living Room\n\nNovember: Entryway\n\nDecember: Storage\n\nResources for a Delightful Home\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Delightful Home\n\n\nAmy and I love to chat about home.  We could go on and on about books, blogs, and tips we’ve heard from friends that can help us to make our homes more welcoming, more beautiful, and more efficient. Between us, we have nine children to feed, clothe, and love.  It takes a lot of work to keep our homes in order, and even more work when that order falls away!  We love it so much in fact, that a few years back we asked some of our friends if they wanted to meet to discuss our homes once a month.  To get breakfast as a group and have some time for what we considered to be professional development.  If we were going to be homemakers, we should allot some time to discuss it, learn about it, and do it well.  That group is still going strong and has been an enormous blessing to us, our families, and our homes.  We now want to bring many of those pages of notes, tips, tricks, and new ideas to you, our readers.\n\nThis is not about having a dream house, or a home that could be showcased in a catalog.  This is about creating a home that is delightful to you and your family because it is both functional and beautiful.  It is about making small changes that make a big difference in how you use your home and how well it serves the needs of your family.  It can be done in small spaces or large ones, a home you rent or a home your family has lived in for generations.  You spend most of your time at home, so let’s work toward making that time enjoyable.\n\nWhy does it matter to have a home that is delightful?  Isn’t it good enough to have a roof over your head and a place to cook meals – even if you can barely see your counters?  Well, yes and no.  Yes, because we should be grateful for even the humblest of spaces and no, because we weren’t called to live in disorder.  As mothers and homemakers, we set the atmosphere of the homes we inhabit.  The atmosphere of a home with a calm mother, who is not stressed by the chores because there is a plan in place to complete them, and who has an orderly home ready for drop-in guests will naturally be different than one with a frazzled mother, constantly feeling behind and downtrodden by her workload.  We want your homes to be places of delight for your families, but also for you!\n\nWe were inspired by the Home Organization Challenge going on right now.  That is a great site for inspiration and tips!  We also knew that dedicating 14 straight weeks to overhauling our homes wasn’t going to work for either of us.  We wanted to stretch it out over the year and do a great job in each room of our homes.  Taking a full month to dedicate to decluttering, giving some thought to how the space it used and making adjustments, then adding in beauty to complement the improved function.  We welcome you to join us!  We can’t wait to see your photos and comments on Instagram and Facebook.\n\nBeing a Hometown Tourist\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFreedom in the Rules\n\nAmy and I have been chatting a lot about schedules recently.  Largely, as she has already noted, we have both recently moved to new towns and as such we went from having scheduled obligations to having a largely blank calendar.  Now, I’ve had many a day where I lamented signing my kids up for even the best of activities because it has meant getting all four kids into a car and perhaps I didn’t have dinner quite ready and so I could already see the pending chaos that would ensue when we arrived back through that same door hungry, tired, and (likely) with all sorts of stuff that may or may not find its rightful home right away.  I would have thoughts of, “Doesn’t Charlotte say our afternoons should be available for handicrafts, poetry, tea time, good music, reading, and other fruitful leisure?” while creating pictures in my mind of children who would be painting en plein air and enjoying Mozart if only THIS ACTIVITY didn’t hinder them.  It seems silly written out, but I assure you, I have thought this.\n\nWell, after moving 5 times in 15 months and having almost no kids’ activities scheduled during that time, allow me to tell you, it was nothing like my utopian vision of my homeschool. All too often, I would set up a temporary schedule but because the only thing keeping us from veering off schedule was our own discipline (or lack thereof), it was all too easy to change the schedule when even the smallest issue would come up.  There were no hard and fast stops in the day where we had to go, and so we could drag things out, dawdle, or substitute for other items in the schedule without regard to how much time they took.  We didn’t have a rhythm to the day, or enough good habits formed, and it left us feeling like we had both fallen behind and couldn’t figure out where our time went.  Less schoolwork got done, there was more bickering, less quiet, and general unease.  This was not the freedom I had envisioned. \n\nIt reminded me of an extremely good example I had once heard about the need for rules and order. The premise was that if you are going to play baseball, you need the rules.  If each person was to play their own version of baseball, it wouldn’t really be baseball at all.  People would be free to run the bases backward or ignore the foul line.  That would have many consequences: 1. No one would every be very good at baseball, because there would be nothing by which to measure success, 2. No one would enjoy watching it, because they wouldn’t know what was going on or if things were going well or not for their team, 3. Squabbling, disagreement, and general anarchy would ensue with no rules and no authority there to decide if rules were being properly followed.  With the rules of baseball clearly set out and publicly known, we can know when the game is played well, enjoy the game, and know when a play has stepped outside of the boundaries of proper baseball.  It is the rules that create freedom, and not a lack of rules.\n\nNow that we are in a place we plan to be for a while, I am attempting to rebuild enough structure to create checkpoints in the day, while leaving enough time for contemplation, boredom, leisure, and play for every member for the family.  Let me tell you, this is no small task.  I’m sure you’ve tried it, or at least thought about trying it, and it seemed intimidating.  I’ll be sharing some of my attempts, and their varying levels of success here as Amy and I start up a scheduling series of posts.  I will say, that in my first years of homeschooling, I have found some tools to be extremely helpful in my previous plans and schedules, so I thought I would share them here:\n\n  1. Nicole shares a wealth of knowledge and study of CM’s programmes at her site.  I can’t recommend highly enough reading through her posts on planning a schedule for your homeschool.\n  2. Pam is also a wonderful resource, and her eBook, The Confident Homeschooler was the key to my wasting a lot less time by creating procedure lists.  This meant that when I was starting a new book, or skill (like dictation, narration, etc), I would plan out what my plan was for that short lesson.  I could then follow the steps until it became a good habit for me and my student.  I can’t tell you how genius this is because all too often I would write down the book, and the time allotted, but when we go to it, I would forget that I had meant to bring out a certain journal or wouldn’t have the materials needed for a written narration, or forget a step altogether such as scaffolding the previous lesson.  Having a list helped me immensely.\n  3. A bullet journal.  I use this one because I like that the pages come already numbered, but many people prefer a Moleskine or some other notebook.  I’m not artsy, my pages are not Pinterest-worthy, but I love having all of my lists, brain dumps, random thoughts, appointments, ideas, goals, etc all written down in one place.  I can plan future months, assess previous ones, see if I am following up appropriately, or making progress on goals all in one book.  Cute pens are key for me.\n  4. Excel. I used this throughout my working days before I stayed home with the kids and old habits die hard.  I love it for creating neat checklists for the kids, schedules, and chore charts.\n\nAnd that is really it.  I don’t want to clutter up my time with too many tools, so I stick with trusted sites and items that have stood the test of time.  What are your go-to tools for creating a schedule and a rhythm to your days?\n\nAtmosphere in Our Home: Going Outdoors\n\n“Never be within doors when you can rightly be without. Besides, the gain of an hour or two in the open air, there is this to be considered: meals taken al fresco are usually joyous… All the time, too, the children are storing up memories of a happy childhood. Fifty years hence they will see the shadows of the boughs making patterns on the white tablecloth; and sunshine, children’s laughter, hum of bees, and scent of flowers are being bottled up for after refreshment.” -Charlotte Mason, Vol. 2, p. 43\n\nOur home extends outdoors each time we look out a window or step out our door and so the atmosphere of outdoor spaces is worth considering.  This is an area that can feel somewhat daunting, but needn’t be so.\n\nConsider first, what words you would like to use to describe your outdoor space.  Would you like a calm, restful space to read and wander?  An adventurous space for romping, muddy play, and climbing trees?  A natural wonderland alive with bees, butterflies, grasshoppers, and pond life?\n\nNext, think about the your outdoor spaces – do you have a few window boxes or a small deck space or acreage?  Is is usually hot and dry? Humid and temperate? Cool, with hard freezes?  Unlike our indoor spaces, where you can fill a room with a seashell motif even if you live nowhere near the coast, the outdoors demand our obedience to the realities of our climate.  Learn a bit about what is native to your area, so it is easier to grow and you are more likely to have success in your endeavors.\n\nThen, start with something small and delightful.  Do you want birds singing at the window?\n\nImage result for mary poppins birds\nThis is pretty much why I got bird feeders.\n\nThen get some feeders and start welcoming in some native bird species.  I’ve had great luck with finches, chickadees, cardinals, and hummingbirds!  What lives near you?\n\nDo you want a place to gather for meals out of doors?  It can be as simple as finding a favorite quilt to use for afternoon snacks in the yard or as elaborate as finding just the right table and chairs for your deck space. Do what makes sense for your family and budget, but make sure you find it a delight to spend time there.\n\nIs having a cozy spot to knit, have a glass of wine, or tell stories around a fire your first priority for your outdoor space?  It can be as easy as digging a hole and surrounding it with rocks, or as complicated as going to the local hardware store and finding just the right thing.  Just make sure to not to start fires near dry grasses or too close to home!\n\nWhat about the winter time?  Many of us assume we should be outside less in winter because it is colder, but in some areas of the country it is the most beautiful time of the year.  In areas with snowstorms, it might be fun to arrange for building a mountain of snow in the yard somewhere as a personal sledding hill.  Better yet, do it in the front yard and entice the neighbor kids out of their homes!  Putting out suet bricks for cold weather birds is also a lovely way to have a flash of red (cardinals) amongst the white scenery.  Or, maybe maple sugaring is up your alley?  I’ve even had my eye on the idea of a backyard ice rink… but it isn’t cold enough where I live.\n\nThe idea of spreading the atmosphere of your home outdoors can be as simple as washing your windows to see the outdoors better, or as complicated as calling a landscape architect to make a master plan for your property.  I encourage you to do something this fall that will make next spring more pleasant for your space and that will cause you to desire to step outdoors more often.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9110586643218994}
{"content": "EEB graduate student Na Wei has been awarded the Barbour Scholarship for 2013-14 by the Rackham Graduate School.\n\nWei joins a long line of outstanding women who, over the past 98 years, have become leaders in science, education, public service, medicine and other fields in their home countries all over the world. She will receive $18,000, tuition and health and dental insurance for the academic year. Her advisor is Professor Christopher Dick.\n\nWei’s dissertation research focuses on seed- and pollen-mediated gene flow in tropical trees. “Seed and pollen dispersal are the most important phases of plant life cycles because they successfully move genomic materials over time and space,” Wei explained. “Up until now, our knowledge of the relative importance of seed- and pollen-mediated gene flow in trees has been biased toward temperate zone species. With primarily wind-pollinated and -dispersed temperate zone trees, pollen flow is recognized as the principle avenue of gene transport. Yet, it remains unclear whether this generalization for northern species can be extrapolated to tropical moist forest trees where animals are the primary pollinators and seed dispersers.\n\n“My research seeks to evaluate this generality of pollen-dominated gene flow in tropical trees by unambiguously decomposing the seed and pollen component from the overall gene flow in a suite of dioecious (distinctly male and female) trees of different dispersal and pollination syndromes growing in the mature forests of Barro Colorado Island, Panama.\n\n“With spatially explicit pathways of seed and pollen movement, this research will be able to quantify the relative magnitude of seed and pollen dispersal in this set of distantly related tropical tree species, and will improve our understanding of the respective ecological and evolutionary importance of seed and pollen dispersal in relatively under-studied tropical forests. It provides a solid empirical framework for latitudinal comparisons between tropical trees and temperate zone trees, as well as comparisons between tree species of different life history characteristics.\"\n\nWei is originally from China. She graduated from Nanjing University with a master's degree in ecology.\n\nIn 1914, the bequest of Levi L. Barbour established a scholarship program at U-M for women of the highest academic and professional caliber from the area formerly known as the Orient (encompassing the region extending from Turkey in the west to Japan and the Philippines in the east) to study modern science, medicine, mathematics and other academic disciplines and professions critical to the development of their native lands.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5054907202720642}
{"content": "Home » Posts tagged 'dinosaur'\n\nTag Archives: dinosaur\n\nWhat’s wrong with bunny hands on dinosaurs?\n\n\n\nPlateosaurus. Credit: Brian Switek\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArkansas law: The Good Dinosaur and the Ugly\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nQuestions from Students\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHow old is coral?\n\n\nHow big is a T. rex egg?\n\n\nHow long is a sea spider?\n\n\n\nWhat is the shortest sea dinosaur?\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhat is the longest sea dinosaur?\n\n\n\nStill not the largest known individual of the species.\n\njurassicworld mosasaur\n\nJurassic World mosasaur, still not as big as Shonisasaurus\n\n\n\n\nHow did they breathe underwater?\n\n\nWhat is the longest land dinosaur?\n\n\n\n\nHow big was Apatosaurus?\n\n\n\nIllustratration by Darren Pepper,\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhen did the dinosaurs live? When were they born?\n\n\nNyasaurus, illustration by Mark Witton\n\n\nWhen did the dinosaurs die?\n\n\nHow long did the dinosaurs live?\n\n\n\nHow old are T. rexes?\n\n\nHow did the dinosaurs die?\n\n\n\nDid some animals live after the volcano and meteor?\n\n\n\nHow was it there? Was it dusty or cold there?\n\n\n\nWhy didn’t the dinosaurs need to fly?\n\n\nIs it true that fish had sting rays?\n\n\n\n\n\nHow many bones have you found?\n\n\n\nDinosaurs by Aliki\n\n\nFossils Tell of Long Ago\n\nalikifossilsbookby Aliki Brandenberg\n\nPublication Date: 1972, revised 1990.\n\n\nAR Book Level: 3.6\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDinosaur Bones\n\nalikidinosaurbonesby Aliki Brandenberg\n\n\n\nAR Book level: 3.7\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNot ALL dinosaurs died out.\n\nNot ALL dinosaurs died out.\n\n\n\n\n2 More Days to National Fossil Day at the Museum of Discovery\n\n\nDSC_1534 DSC_1550\n\n\n\n\n\nHow Big Is Your Favorite Dinosaur? Find Out Here\n\nDinosaurs Life Size\n\nBy Darren Naish\n\nPublication Date: 2010\n\nBarrons Educational Series, Inc. ISBN: 978-0-7641-6378-4.\n\ndinolifesizecoverAuthor: Darren Naish is a well respected paleontologist publishing on all manner of dinosaurs, marine reptiles, pterosaurs, and other extinct animals. While he has published several notable scientific papers, he has also written extensively for the general public, ranging from children’s books to books for the educated layperson. In addition to this book, Naish published Dinosaur Record Breakers, another good book that kids will find interesting. He has also published on cryptozoology, the mostly pseudoscience study of “hidden” creatures, such as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster, debunking a variety of mythical creatures and discussing more plausible alternatives. You can also always find him at his highly regarded and widely read blog, Tetrapod Zoology, on the American Scientific blog network.\n\nDinosaurs Life Size came out a few years ago, but it is still a decent book for kids. I can’t say good for reasons discussed below, but it is better than many and has mostly good information. Don’t get it confused with the book of the same name by David Bergen, which came out in 2004. Naish’s book is much more up-to-date and scientifically accurate, having the advantage of having been written by an active researcher in the field who knows what he’s talking about. Not to criticize Bergen’s book as I haven’t read it, but if you were going to choose a book that was a decade old written by a non-expert or a book a few years old written by an expert who also happened to be a professional writer, which would you choose?\n\nThe book begins with a short introduction to dinosaurs and the book. A fold-out timeline follows, which puts all the animals discussed in the book in its appropriate place in time. The timeline includes a brief description of each period within the Mesozoic Era, commonly known as the Age of Dinosaurs. The meat of the book is a generally two page description of 26 different animals. Each animal gets a brief discussion of what it looked like, where it lived, and a few interesting factoids that have been pulled “from the bones” as a section for each animal is called.\n\n\nOf course, the main draw of the book are the size comparisons. These are handled in two ways. Each animal is illustrated in full view alongside a young kid for scale. Almost all of them also have a drawing of a body part in real size, which really puts into glaring contrast just how big (and tiny) some of these animals were. Herrerosaurus has a hand, Lesothosaurus has its head for scale. At the extreme ends, Sauroposiedon has an eye and Argentinosaurus has a toe while Microraptor and Archaeopteryx are small enough to be drawn in their full glory.  Most are covered in two facing pages, so that every turn of the page presents a new animal. A few are presented on fold-out pages, although I am unclear as to why because only one actually takes advantage of the extra space to present its animal. the other one just puts two animals instead of the standard one.\n\n\nAfter the animal descriptions is a fold-out page with a dinosaur quiz to test the reader on what they learned. this is followed by a short discussion of what fossils are, how they are formed, how old they can be, how they are found, and a couple of famous fossil examples. The book ends with a glossary and index. All told, there is plenty of solid information for the young reader who will gaze in wonder at the dinosaurs and at least some will enjoy testing themselves on the quiz.\n\nThe book has good information. I particularly like the pictures of a globe marking where each one is found. The illustrations of the life size bits give a good indication of the actual size of the animal. I like the pictures of real fossils and the bits of information about what has been found through their study. The book is very visual and should appeal to kids. The book is listed as being most appropriate for kids in grades 2-6, which I think is a pretty fair assessment. Advanced readers in first and second grade will like it, but will be bored by it by the time they get out of elementary school, but most kids in the 3-5 grades will like the book.\n\nThere are only SIX dinosaurs here!\n\nThere are only SIX dinosaurs here!\n\nI do, unfortunately have some serious complaints about the book. First and foremost, the book is called “Dinosaurs Life Size”. I would prefer books labeled as such stick with dinosaurs. Despite knowing better, Naish chose to include descriptions of Plesiosaurus, Stenopterygius, Liopleurodon, Pterodactylus, and Quetzalcoatlus; none of which happen to be dinosaurs. You may notice that this leaves only 21 actual dinosaurs. A better title would have been Mesozoic Reptiles Life Size, but I can understand that probably wouldn’t sell as well. Still, it is misleading. What I cannot forgive though, is that he does NOT clearly identify them as non-dinosaurs. This is such an unforgivable sin that I am tempted to tell people not to get this book. The only place he indicates they are not dinosaurs is ONE sentence in the introduction. Naish has published research on all of these animals, he certainly knows better, so this is unpardonable.\n\nYep, even some of these dinosaurs had bristly \"feathers\". Mark Witton\n\nYep, even some of these dinosaurs had bristly “feathers”. Mark Witton\n\nThe next complaint I have is in the illustrations themselves. Some of the dinosaurs are noticeably absent of feathers. The Gallimimus is bare, except for a tuft at the top of its head. Part of this an be forgiven by the enormous advances that have been made due to new discoveries in the few short years since publication of the book. But even in 2010, we knew more dinosaurs were covered in feathers much more than is shown in this book. It is possible that feathers of some sort were an ancestral condition of ALL dinosaurs, so the bareness of some of these illustrations is wrong, even for the information he had at the time, so why the drawings were done this way is beyond me.\n\nThe average human height is 5'6.5\". Yes, that's descriptive of the species.\n\nThe average human height is 5′ 6.5″. Yes, that’s descriptive of the species.\n\nThe last complaint I have is in the sizes. Each description is given a word description of how big each animal is. But the pictorial comparisons with the children are not the best. There is only a rough idea of how big the children are, which one is forced to base entirely on one’s experience with kids as there are no scale bars in any of the pictures. For a book about size, this is an inexcusable oversight. I have personally seen kids of a similar age who were between three feet and five feet. Now imagine extrapolating that difference to an animal that is thirty times that size and you can see the immense errors involved. Admittedly, there is a lot of uncertainty in the actual sizes of many of these animals (there are pretty much no complete sauropod tails, for instance, so determining length is problematic). But this book neither mentions anything about the uncertainties involved and then complicates the issue with further uncertainties in the illustrations while giving exact measurements in the written description.\n\nSo, in conclusion, I cannot fully support this book as there are too many serious problems. However, it is still better than many others on the market and does have solid information in the texts. The pictures give a rough idea of sizes, which for the age the book is geared towards is reasonable. But it is inconsistent with the sizes between the text and the illustrations; the illustrations themselves are not always accurate in terms of what we know about feather coverings, thus showing somewhat antiquated pictures of dinosaurs; and the book is really about Mesozoic reptiles, not dinosaurs anyway. Thus, the best I can do is give it maybe 3/5 stars, which pains me deeply because Darren Naish is a truly smart, well-read, and knowledgeable person who otherwise has written lots of great material.\n\n\nMystery Monday and Walking With Dinosaurs Movie Review\n\nMystery Monday\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArchimedes “fronds”\n\nWay to go, Allie!\n\n\n\nClue 1: It’s from the Cretaceous.\n\n\n\n\n\nWalking with Dinosaurs 3D movie review\n\n\n\nSadly, not like this.\n\n\n\nMore like this, but with better graphics.\n\n\n\n\n\nIt’s Big, It’s Golden, and it’s Dinosaurs\n\nThe Big Golden Book of Dinosaurs\n\nBy Dr. Robert T. Bakker\n\nIlustrated by Luis V. Rey\n\nPublication date: 2013. 61 pg.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDay 4 at SVP\n\nhttp___vertpaleoDay 4 and the last day at SVP. After this, we will return to our regularly scheduled sorts of posts.Another day of talks and poster sessions, the last chance to meet friends and colleagues and discuss what you’ve heard and what people are doing. Although frankly, I think most people are tired and ready to go home by this point. Some people thrive on the highs of shared creativity and knowledge and find  the end of the meeting and going back to regular work depressing, I think the most common reaction is the feeling of being rejuvenated by the meeting, so that you can’t wait to go back and start developing the new ideas created at the meeting, the chance to put those creative juices to work before the distractions of everyday life dry them up.\n\nA lot of people don’t like having their talks on the last day. People are going home, they are tired, their attention flags, but this meeting showed a strong turnout for the last set of talks. The symposium scheduled for today was “Patterns from the poles: biodiversity and paleoecology of high latitude fossil vertebrates,” which I, at least, found interesting and worth attending. I didn’t attend too many of the talks though, because there was also a session on the evolution of early birds, which I found even more interesting, as well as a session on mammals, which had several talks discussing how different mammal groups adapted to climate change in the past. Several talks introduced new fossils and what they contributed to our knowledge of evolution within those groups, such as a new Devonian fish from Siberia, the first pterosaur from Antarctica, a new sauropodomorph (early versions of animals that would  become sauropods, the oldest mammal from Antarctic and a new Arctic camel, new birds, seals, sirens, dolphins, and whales. All in all, good reasons to stick around.\n\nAnchiornis_martyniuk, wikimedia\n\nAnchiornis_martyniuk, wikimedia\n\nRui Pei reported on a new specimen of Anchiornis, the first animal in which fossil evidence in the feathers was used to determine coloration. Anchiornis lived 10 million years before Archaeopteryx and there has been some debate about whether it was a true bird or still a non-avian dinosaur. Pei’s analysis of the new specimen indicated that Anchiornis was a troodontid, so not quite yet a  bird. This is another great example that the transition between birds and other dinosaurs is so well documented that the line is an arbitrary classification with no biological relevance. Speaking of feather colors, William Gearty found new ways to study the melanosomes in the feathers providing colors, finding that, in addition to color, he could tell color gradients as well. he also concluded that melanosomes stiffened the feathers, making them more resistant to wear, but also carried more bacteria, thus representing an additional resource cost for the animals (some of this work can be found online at PLOS One).. Justin Hall found that feather asymmetry, long thought to be important for flight, turned out not to have the aerodynamic significance we thought, as it didn’t really affect the ability to fly.  Ashley Heers found trade-offs in locomotor ability: the more investment in wings, the less was put into the legs, and this trade-off could change as the bird grew so that chicks may emphasize the wings or legs while the adults emphasized the other.\n\nCryolophosaurus, Royal Ontario Museum. Wikimedia.\n\nCryolophosaurus, Royal Ontario Museum. Wikimedia.\n\nSeveral studies showed the difficulties inherent in paleoecology interpretation. Peter Makovicky found that the horned ceratopsids showed different growth rates between northern and southern populations, the duck-billed ornithopods did not, and the carnivorous theropod Cryolophosaurus showed different growth rates in different areas of the same body in the northern individuals, but not in the southern individuals. According to Bergman’s rule, we should expect to see animals get bigger and stockier the farther north they are found. Anthony Fiorillo found that the small troodontids followed the rule, but northern individuals of the large tyrannosaurs were only 40% the size of the southern ones. In this case, it is likely that resource supply kept the tyrannosaurs smaller. Patrick Druckenmiller reported on a diverse Arctic dinosaur fauna including toodontids, dromaeosaurs, thescelosaurs, hadrosaurs, pachycephalosaurs, and tyrannosaurs, despite mean annual temperatures near freezing. While similar to southern forms, all the species were different, indicating a discrete, provincial ecosystem. John Tarduno argued that the presence of champsosaurs (a type of early crocodylian) and turtles indicated the weather was too warm for ice to be present even during winter, but as proven by an earlier talk, we know this is incorrect (a great example of science correcting itself). He proposed volcanism forming a series of shallow, freshwater connections between North America and Asia during the latest Cretaceous allowing interchange between the continents, which will need more study to determine if that proposal is true. Judd Case found that even though modern fish fauna show a drop in diversity with lower temperatures, thisi was not the case in the Cretaceous. As the temperature in the Cretaceous dropped 8-10 C in the Antarctic oceans, the fish didn’t really change, although marine reptiles increased in diversity while the ammonite diversity dropped.\n\nFigure from Fletcher et al. 2010, showing FEA analysis, indicating stress points near the joint.\n\n\nRodrigo Figueiredo  presenting evidence that predators who pursue their prey (as opposed to ambush predators  attacking large prey and those that pounce on smaller prey) may not have evolved to go after herbivores, but to prey on the pounce predators themselves, much like wolves will sometimes hunt foxes and weasels. Michael Greshko presented a study finding that herbivores known as generalists (able to eat a wide variety of plants) mostly consist of different individual specialists who eat only a narrow range of foods. This is rather like why a pizza buffet needs to stock a lot of different types of pizza even though any particular customer may only eat one or two different types. Speaking of eating, Emily Rayfield gave a possible answer to why mammals reduced the number of bones in the mandible to just one, as opposed to having several bones in the lower jaw like other groups of animals. Using Finite Element Analysis, an engineering method designed to test mechanical strength of materials, found that the one bone provided a stronger bite while reducing stress. Alistair Evans used a program called GEOMAGIC to study tooth shape in early mammals and predict what tooth shape should be like to help sort out all the isolated teeth for which we have no idea what they belong to. in this way, he is making predictions of fossils that have not yet been discovered. BON graph BON graph\n\nIn addition to the software programs mentioned previously, several others were mentioned in talks this day. Most biogeography methods these days are done using phylogenetic methods to help inform how animals spread out across the globe, but Chris Sidor presented Bipartite Occurrence Networks (BON), using Gephi to visualize the patterns, which just uses locality connectedness and found that therapsids (proto-mammals, aka mammal-like repties) were pretty widespread and cosmopolitan before the Permian extinction event, but became much more provincial and limited in range afterwards. Paul Upchurch used TREEFITTER to map pterosaur biogeography, finding support for sympatry (speciation within the same region) with an origin in eastern Asia. Diego Pol used Ancestral Area Reconstruction methods to conclude that dinosaurs probably originated in South America, along with most, but not all, mammals, but crocodylamorphs originated in China. Graeme Lloyd used GEIGER to study evolutionary rates and Akinobu Watanabe used PERDA (Polymorphic Entry replacement Data Analysis, a script running in TNT, a phylogenetics analysis program) to simulate poor sampling of phylogenetic data, finding that if a trait, or character, has multiple possibilities within a single species, it seriously messes up results unless multiple individuals covering all the possibilities are included in the analysis. John Alroy found that no current method is very good for finding the first appearance of taxa, but Bayes Theorem methods, such as used in MrBayes, produce better estimates of extinction times.\n\nFigure from Sansom and Willis 2013 showing fossilization study results.\n\nFigure from Sansom and Willis 2013 showing fossilization study results.\n\nThe last two talks I would like to mention are from Robert Sansom and David Grossnickle. Sansom found that loss of soft tissue characteristics resulted in changes in cladograms drawn from the data for vertebrates, but not for invertebrates. In other words, if one only looked at hard parts, the evolutionary relationships changed, and more often than not, made the animal appear to be more ancestral than it really was. This occurred even if the characters were recorded as unknowns and not simply listed as absent. Grossnickle looked at morphological disparity in Mesozoic mammals, i.e. the diversity of body form. What he found was that most Mesozoic mammals were carnivorous/omnivorous, with a low level of diversity which gradually increased until the middle Cretaceous. At some point in there, they hit a botttleneck. Their diversity crashed and, while it did start going up again,never reached the previous diversity levels until after the K-T extinction event. What is interesting about this is that pretty much everything else was diversifying, while mammmals were not. Another interesting thing about this is that according to molecular data, mammals were diversifying, so the apparent diversification did not show up as morphological diversity.\n\nThis is the end of my discussion about the science presented at SVP. There were so many more talks and posters that I did not mention and i make no claim that the ones I mentioned are even the best or most important, nor are they even all the ones I attended and learned something from, but it would take me until the next meeting to discuss all of them. The point is that meetings like this are incredibly fascinating places to see what  is going on in science right now. Anyone who thinks science is a bunch of stale facts in textbooks or that scientists even pretend to have all the answers is seriously mistaken. The search for truth is asymptotic, you can get ever closer to a totally clear understanding of reality, but you will never reach it. Science is all about going over the data, tossing out ideas that don’t succeed and developing ones that do, with each step opening up new avenues of exploration.\n\nSteven Spielberg on set of Jurassic park.\n\nSteven Spielberg on set of Jurassic park.\n\nI will end this discussion with the awards banquet held on the evening of the last day. During this banquet, we are told how much the auction collected to support the society, important news, memorials for those we lost recently, and people are recognized for their hard work and contributions to the field of vertebrate paleontology. Students are awarded their prizes and scholarships they have won, artists are awarded for best art in different categories, and people are recognized for outstanding careers that have progressed the field. This year, one of the biggest awards went not to a scientist, but to a science advocate. Perhaps because the meeting took place in Los Angeles, special recognition went to Steven Spielberg, for the money he has donated to the Jurassic Foundation and other places to support paleontology research and education and for the Jurassic Park movies, which brought paleontology to the center of the public eye and has inspired many to enter the field and make their own contributions. Officially, the meeting ended here. There was an after-hours celebration, which is always fun from what I hear, but I was beat and had a plane to catch early in the morning, so I called it a day. Until next year!\n\nDay 3 at SVP\n\nhttp___vertpaleoAnother day at SVP, another boatload of information. Some may be wondering why I am devoting several posts to this meeting,when it may seem not as relevant to the general public. Fair question. people not actually doing science in an academic setting rarely get a chance to see anything about what it is like.  Science is often presented as a list of facts, but that is only part of the story. Science is a dynamic endeavor, never being satisfied with an answer, always working on the things we don’t know and revisiting the things we thought we knew to see if they still hold up under the new information. Science gets things wrong all the time, but this process of study and review and critical examination reduces the margins of error. Not all things that are wrong are equally wrong, rejecting evolution in its totality is a whole other category of wrong compared to disagreements about the rates of evolution in a particular lineage. No one in science who examines the evidence seriously disputes evolution or that dinosaurs existed, but exactly how evolution works, how dinosaurs lived, exactly who is related to whom; these are questions that people struggle with. With each new study, the path moves closer and closer to the truth, each time having the possibility of opening up whole new avenues of exploration we had never thought of before. That is what these meetings are all about, bringing minds together for new solutions to old questions and for finding new questions to ask about old solutions. What goes on at meetings is a glimpse behind the curtain of published papers and distilled textbooks, putting human faces onto that quest, faces that are, more often than not, students working together and with more experienced people. Most science is done not by white-haired old men in the lab, but by young, energetic students with a zest for learning. And there is so much more to do.\n\nIn the previous two days, there were collections of talks called symposiums, devoted to specific topics, such as on ontogeny and the la Brea tar pits, including a preparators symposium on fossil collection and preparation techniques. Friday included a special symposium on the tempo of evolution and dating the fossil record. Samuel Bowring presented the EARTH-TIME Initiative, an opportunity to date the stratigraphic record to a precision never before seen, allowing measurements as refined as +/- 20,000 years all the way back to Triassic times (>200,000,000 years ago). That is a resolution of 0.01%. The remaining talks were about research on specific areas and times contributing to that increased precision.\n\nTar pits at the Page Museum.\n\nTar pits at the Page Museum.\n\nTerry Gates looked at cranial ornamentation in theropod dinosaurs, finding only larger theropods used bony ornamentation and that if a lineage developed it, the lineage quickly developed larger species. So the question now is why were bony cranial ornaments only selected for larger body sizes? Yuong-Nam Lee reported on new fossils of Deinocheirus, an enigmatic fossil previously known only from one set of huge arms, which allowed them to determine it was the largest ornithomimosaur ever found, sporting a large sail on its back near the hips, something like a small spinosaur sail. Picture a giraffe-sized ostrich, with a sail on its back, giant arms with huge claws, and a big,chunky tail. On second thought, maybe not so much like an ostrich, after all.\n\nDeinocheirus. By Nobu Tamura.\n\nDeinocheirus. By Nobu Tamura.\n\nOther dinosaur reports include Ashley Morhardt, who reported that Troodon had the largest encephalization quotient of any non-avian dinosaur (i.e. it had a big brain). Most of its brain was made of the cerebrum, which not only makes a reasonable case for it being the smartest dinosaur, but supports a mosaic model of brain evolution, meaning that different parts of the brain evolved at different rates.  Amy Balanoff discussed the evolution of oviraptorosaur skulls and brains, showing larger cerebrums than most other dinosaurs, but reduced olfactory tracts, so they were similar to birds in having a relatively poor sense of smell. Walter Persons reported on fossils showing that Microraptor ate mostly fish, as well as small mammals and birds.\n\nA session devoted to mammals had several interesting talks, such as one by one by Ross Secord, who concluded from his research that the body size increase seen in horses was related to warmer temperatures allowing an longer growing season causing increased availability of grasses, making up for the lesser nutritive value of grasses compared to other plants. I would argue however, that a shift to eating hard-to-digest grasses would result in increased body size not through increased availability, but to increase digestion efficiency. Horses are what is known as hind-gut fermentors, which is less efficient than the foregut fermentation seen in ruminants such as cows. This mode of digestion is more efficient at higher body sizes, allowing more time for digestion. Lindsey Yann found that horses were too much of generalist feeders to be useful for paleoclimate reconstructions, but different camel species were more specialized and could used to make determinations of relative aridity and plant cover. Rebecca Terry found that interactions between mouse species had at least as large an effect on population sizes as climate, with different species reacting differently to resource changes. Thus, there is no easy answer to predicting how species will react to climate changes because they cannot be looked at without understanding interactions throughout the entire ecosystem. Much of this sort of work uses MIOMAP and FAUNMAP, which are similar paleontology databases to the Paleobiology Database, but limited to mammals in North America and so may be more complete for these types of studies.\n\nHemiauchenia, an early North American camel.  Drawing by Gavin McCullough.\n\n\nBrady Foreman discussed ways to interpret the completeness of the fossil record based on river deposition patterns and Patrica Holroyd discussed the “missing marsupial problem,” finding that because most eutherian mammal fossils are identified to species level and most marsupial fossils cannot identified beyond “marsupial,” there is a taxonomic identification bias in the literature and thus, species diversity studies.\n\nThree other studies I would like to mention are about archosaurs, the “ruling reptiles,” including crocodilians, dinosaurs, and birds. Brandon Peecook looked at the bone microsturucture of Nyasaurus, which was either the earliest known dinosaur or the closest basal archosaur to it, and found that it had elevated growth rates compared to other reptiles, indicating that all dinosaurs may have had faster growth rates from the beginning. John Sarrazin reported that crocodilians and birds both use unidirectional air flow through lungs,as opposed to bidirectional like mammals, which uses a completely aerodynamically controlled system with no structural valves, so in all likelihood, the ancestral archosaur had these characteristics as well. Finally, Jennifer Nestler found that cold weather is not what limits the range of alligators. Rainfall contributed more than 60% to range limitations, most of the rest comes from warm weather during the summer providing long breeding seasons. Only 0.4% of the factors limiting their range could be attributed to cold weather limitations. Something to think about as global warming causes longer summers with elevated rainfall in the eastern United States.\n\nAir flow in a croc lung. d = dorsal, v = ventral.  Figure 10 from Schachner et al. 2013. PeerJ 1:e60\n\n\nAt  the end of the day, after the talks and the poster sessions, this is the day for the annual auction, to raise funds for the organization that can be used to fund research and travel grants for students in the upcoming year. The auction consists of two parts, a silent auction and a live auction. In the silent auction, everyone has two hours on which to bid on the objects they want and the last bidder wins, much like alive version of eBay. The auction is filled with a wide array of donated items, everything from rare books and artwork to hand-knitted dino-themed baby socks, whatever people are willing to donate. After the silent auction comes the live auction, usually filled with more expensive, one-of-a-kind items, such as original artwork or the original copy of O.C. Marsh’s dinosaur monographs. I have even seen the services of a field cook and her personal field kitchen for a season get auctioned off. The auctioneers always have fun with it, usually dressing up in costumes. you never know who is going to be serving as auctioneer, it could be a zombie, King Tut, or Superman, but regardless, it is an entertaining spectacle.\n\nAuction committee for SVP 2013. Photo by Neffra Matthews.\n\nAuction committee for SVP 2013. Photo by Neffra Matthews.\n\nAn end to another day, only one more day to go, before everyone packs up to go home, or off to their next meeting, or a museum to do research, wherever their path leads them.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5647724866867065}
{"content": "Hunter Hunt-Hendrix\n\n\nManage episode 206599493 series 2313051\n\nHunter Hunt-Hendrix is a New York composer, guitarist, vocalist, and writer, who leads the band Liturgy, makes electronic music under the name Kel Valhaal, and enraged many people in the black metal scene a few years back with his unsolicited philosophical essay \"Transcendental Black Metal\". Looker and Lamar sit down with Hunter to riff on the ahistoricization of culture, nihilism vs. humanism in music, and the unlikely intersection of rap music and medieval chant as influences.\n\n13 episodes available. A new episode about every 7 days averaging 88 mins duration .", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9992806911468506}
{"content": "All the necessary operations related to the world's first autonomous and electric container vessel Yara Birkeland will be conducted in a fully autonomous and cost efficient manner, with zero emissions. The order is scheduled to be completed during the second quarter of 2020.\n\n\nTove Andersen, EVP Production, Yara, stated:\n\nWith this agreement, Yara Birkeland is not just the world's first electric and autonomous container vessel; it is the world's first fully digitalised and electric supply chain, with all operations, including loading, unloading and sailing conducted in a fully autonomous manner with zero emissions. Kalmar has the proven equipment and software, and the know-how to integrate their solutions into our supply chain.\n\nYara announced a partnership last year with technology company Kongsberg to build the world's first fully autonomous, battery operated container vessel. Yara Birkeland will reduce emissions and improve road safety by removing up to 40,000 truck journeys annually in a highly populated area of Norway. The vessel will transport fertilizer from Yara's Porsgrunn plant through inland waterways to the deep-sea ports of Larvik and Brevik, a journey of 31 nautical miles.\n\n\nThe solution will be implemented gradually, with the level of automation increased over time. The final result will be a fully autonomous, mixed-traffic and zero-emission solution in an industrial environment.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.999688446521759}
{"content": "food and drink, indoors, text, food, western script, freshness, communication, retail, for sale, still life, healthy eating, price tag, variation, non-western script, choice, market, market stall, vegetable, display, close-up\n\nInterested in licensing this photo?\n\n\n98's wenzaorian/workout/shoes/Jersey/movie/cat/travel---FACEBOOK :", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999837875366211}
{"content": "Socceroos rated less of a chance than Italy to win 2018 World Cup\n\nThe odds don't appear to be in Australia's favour but Italy have been handed a strange lifeline\n\nThe Azzurri haven't even qualified for Russia, but that hasn't stopped the Italians being given a greater chance of winning the 2018 World Cup than Australia. \n\nInvestment bank UBS are responsible for the bizarre odds with their analysts running 10,000 simulations of the event to determine the likelihood each nation has of winning it.\n\nWhile 2014 winners Germany topped their list with a 24 percent chance of defending their World Cup crown, with Brazil and Spain sitting behind them, Italy sit 12th on the list with odds of 1.6 percent to win a tournament they won't even be participating in.\n\nMissing out on World Cup qualification after losing a play-off to Sweden, the Azzuri were included in a separate UBS's simulation in place of Sweden as a 'tribute' for the four-time winners.\n\n\"There are many teams which will be missed in Russia, but none more so than Italy,\" UBS's report read.\n\n\"Given the international focus on Italy’s absence after the Swedes defeated Gli Azzurri in a dramatic showdown in late 2017, we simulate another competition, including Italy instead of Sweden.\n\n\"In its current form, Italy is roughly at par with Mexico. Hence, even if Italy managed to end the group-stage competition in second place behind Germany, Brazil would likely await them in the round of 16. And that, we fear, would be the end of the road for the Azzurri.\"\n\nGianluigi Buffon Italy Sweden\n\nTheir eventually still quite remote odds of winning the tournament inevitably dwarfed those given to the Socceroos, who after thousands of simulated tournaments stand a 0.1 percent chance of winning the 2018 World Cup.\n\nIn slightly better news for Australia, UBS has given the green and gold a 22.2 percent chance of finishing second in a difficult group featuring Denmark, France and Peru.\n\nArticle continues below\n\nThe odds of winning the tournament overall could have been a lot worse for the Socceroos too with Costa Rica, Egypt, Panama, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia given exactly a zero percent chance of winning the 2018 World Cup. \n\nCheck out the full odds below.\n\nUBS screenshot\n\nNext article:\nPochettino insists Tottenham can replace Kane from within squad\nNext article:\nNext article:\nEmery admits Chelsea loss would end Arsenal's top-four hopes\nNext article:\nGoal-machine Aubameyang's everything Chelsea need in a striker\nNext article:\nModern players not more powerful than managers - Solskjaer", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6619572043418884}
{"content": "Approved of cisco 400 101 test questions materials and practice exam for Cisco certification for candidates, Real Success Guaranteed with Updated 400 101 vce pdf dumps vce Materials. 100% PASS CCIE Routing and Switching (v5.0) exam Today!\n\nP.S. Approved 400-101 practice exam are available on Google Drive, GET MORE:\n\nNew Cisco 400-101 Exam Dumps Collection (Question 7 - Question 16)\n\nQuestion No: 7\n\nWhich two statements about OSPFv3 are true? (Choose two.)\n\nA. lt supports the use of a cluster ID for loop prevention.\n\nB. It supports unicast address families for IPv6 only.\n\nC. lt supports unicast address families for 1Pv4 and 1Pv6\n\nD. lt supports only one address family per instance.\n\nE. It supports multicast address families for 1Pv4\n\nF. lt supports multicast address families for 1Pv6\n\nAnswer: C,D\n\nQuestion No: 8\n\nRefer to the exhibit.\n\nWhich two additional configuration lines must you add so that the device will capture data packets using Embedded Packet Capture (EPC)? (Choose two.)\n\nA. monitor capture buffer BUFFER_CAPTURE filter access-list CAPTURE_FILTER\n\nB. monitor capture point ip process-switched POINT_CAPTURE from-us\n\nC. monitor capture point associate POINT_CAPTURE BUFFER_CAPTURE\n\nD. monitor capture buffer BUFFER_CAPTURE limit aIlow-nth-pak 100\n\nE. monitor capture point start all\n\nAnswer: C,E\n\nQuestion No: 9\n\nWhich TCP features allows a client to request a specific packet that was lost?\n\nA. flow control\n\nB. sliding window\n\nC. fast recovery\n\nD. selective acknowledgment\n\nAnswer: D\n\nQuestion No: 10\n\n\nA. It supports up to two exporters per cache\n\nB. It supports both encryption and authentication\n\nC. It supports up to six exporters per cache\n\nD. It supports export over TCP and UDP\n\nE. It supports export over UDP only\n\nF. Each flow monitor supports up to 10 exporters\n\nAnswer: D,F\n\nQuestion No: 11\n\nWhich statement is true when using a VLAN ID from the extended VLAN range (1006- 4094)?\n\nA. STP is disabled by default on extended-range VLANs.\n\nB. VLANs in the extended VLAN range can only be used as private\n\nC. VLANs in the extended VLAN range cannot be pruned\n\nD. VLANs in the extended VLAN range can be used within either client or server mode\n\nAnswer: C\n\nQuestion No: 12\n\n\nswitch remotely are true? (Choose two)\n\nA. An ACL is configured to reject connections from PC1\n\nB. The user is using the incorrect username\n\nC. SSH is disabled\n\nD. The Telnet VTY lines are busy\n\nE. The Baud rate is misconfigured\n\nAnswer: C,D\n\nQuestion No: 13\n\n0n which three options can Cisco PfR base its traffic routing? (choose three.\n\nA. Time of day\n\nB. Network performance\n\nC. Router lOS version\n\nD. User-defined link capacity thresholds.\n\nE. An access list with perm it or deny statements.\n\nF. Load-balancing requirements.\n\nAnswer: B,D,F\n\nQuestion No: 14\n\nRefer to the exhibit.\n\nAfter you applied this configuration to R1 and R 2 they failed to form an ISIS adjacency. Which reason for the problem is most likely true?\n\nA. The network statements are mismatched\n\nB. The IP subnets are mismatched\n\nC. T he bandwidth is mismatched\n\nD. The MTUs are mismatched\n\nAnswer: D\n\nQuestion No: 15\n\nWhich tunnel type can be used with encryption to provide security for IPv6 over IPv4?\n\nA. 6RD\n\nB. 6to4\n\n\nD. IPv4-compatible\n\n\nAnswer: E\n\nQuestion No: 16\n\nWhich SlP feature can protect the network environment from loops in case of software failure?\n\nA. RootGuard\n\nB. BPDU Guard\n\nC. Bridge Assurance\n\nD. Portfast\n\nAnswer: B\n\nP.S. Easily pass 400-101 Exam with 2passeasy Approved Dumps & pdf vce, Try Free: (911 New Questions)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5888469219207764}
{"content": "Best Hard Science Fiction Books\n\nThe top ten sci-fi novels that contain elements of real science.\n\nHard science fiction is an increasingly popular genre. Movies like The Martian have become huge blockbusters and hard science fiction in general is probably the sci-fi sub-genre with the broadest appeal.\n\nHere are our top ten hard sci-fi novels that everyone should read. These novels value scientific accuracy highly, often using scientific fact to create believable worlds and situations.\n\nRendezvous With Rama\n\nRendezvous with Rama is an award-winning hard science fiction novel from one of the masters of the genre, Arthur C. Clarke.\n\nA 30-mile spaceship has found its way into our solar system, and a group of scientists are sent to investigate. Once inside, they find the ship remains unfathomable despite their  scientific probing.\n\nRendezvous with Rama isn’t a novel you should read if you are looking for a plot. But it gives you a glimpse of the wonder you might feel if you found an alien vessel wandering across the cosmos.\n\n\nThe Ringworld is a vast artificial world that literally rings a sun. Imagine the Earth being at every point of its orbit around the sun at the same time.\n\nTravelling to this world is the 200-year-old human Louis Wu, the genetically lucky human Teela, Pierson’s Puppeteer Nessus and a tigerlike Kzin called Speaker-to-Animals.\n\nLike The Martian or Rendezvous with Rama, Ringworld’s plot is essentially a series of problems to be overcome by the application of science.\n\nRingworld excels in its worldbuilding on top of the hard science. The sheer size of the Ringworld is awesome in the true sense of the word, and exploring it is a great experience.\n\nYou can read our full review of Ringworld here.\n\nRevelation Space\n\nRevelation Space is a strange mix of hard sci-fi, space opera, and cyberpunk. The novel taking place in a future where humanity’s technological advancement is only matched by its decay. Humans augment themselves beyond recognition, yet retain only a shred of their humanity.\n\nCalvin Sylveste is a brilliant, but flawed, archaeologist trying to unravel the mystery of the Amarantin; a bird-like species of alien that inhabited the planet of Resurgem thousands of years prior to humanity’s arrival.  All the while, The ‘Light Hugger’ Nostalgia for Infinity and its crew of killers and criminals are making the long trip across the universe to meet him.\n\nThe world of Revelation Space is dark and overbearing, but it made its mark on the science fiction genre as soon as it was released.\n\nThe Forever War\n\nWritten by a former Vietnam veteran, Joe Haldeman, few science fiction novels better capture the futility of war as The Forever War.\n\nPrivate Mandella is in the first wave of an interstellar war. The interstellar aspect of this war being key to the plot.\n\nThe journey to and from each battle taking so long that the world Mandella fought to protect is unrecognisable from the finds on his return. It’s not hard to see the parallels between Mandella’s experiences and those of Haldeman when he returned from Vietnam.\n\nYou can read our review of The Forever War here.\n\nThe Martian\n\nA self-published hard science fiction novel that became a huge success.\n\nThe Martian is essentially a castaway novel in space. With astronaut Mark Watney stranded by his team on the Red Planet. He has to figure out how to survive until his rescue with nothing but his problem-solving abilities to help him.\n\nMuch of the enjoyment in reading The Martian comes from the way in which the problems the protagonists face are solved in a methodical, scientific fashion. If you like your sci-fi hard, The Martian is a must-read.\n\n\nThe first of Hugh Howey’s fantastically popular Silo Series.\n\nSet in a post-apocalyptic future where humanity has been forced into a subterranean existence. The plot taking place in a silo dug 144 stories deep into the earth. Wool is a richly textured dystopian novel that took the science fiction world by storm on its release. I strongly suggest you read it.\n\n\nIsaac Asimov is one of the godfathers of science fiction. And Foundation is one of the building blocks of modern science fiction.\n\nAt its heart Foundation is about the battle between determinism and free will. It’s also one of the most important books in science fiction.\n\nFoundation introduced the concept of psychohistory, a science that predicts the fates of billions of people over a huge period of time. The protagonist, Hari Seldon, uses this science to foresee the rise and subsequent fall of a vast empire. In reaction to this Seldon creates a plan that spans a thousand years in an attempt to avert this future.\n\nWorld War Z\n\nIt seems like cheating to have a zombie book on a list of hard science fiction novels. But Max Brook’s detailing of the worldwide outbreak of the zombie virus certainly qualifies.\n\nThe story is told through a series of interviews with the survivors of the zombie apocalypse. Each detailing different, and practical, aspects of what living through an outbreak and rebuilding society would entail.\n\nWorld War Z will make you wonder, seriously and in detail, how you survive the outbreak. And for that reason alone it’s worth a read.\n\nI, Robot\n\nPerhaps a sentimental choice, as this was one of the first science fiction novels I read. But if you can’t include sentimental choices in your recommended reading lists, what’s the point of having a sci-fi blog?\n\nAsimov uses I, Robot to examine the practical and moral implications of human-robot interaction. But perhaps I, Robot is most famous for introducing the world to Asimov’s three laws of robotics:\n\n\n\nThe Diamond Age\n\nNeal Stephenson is a challenging writer. In this novel, he challenges you by asking you to consider what a post-scarcity society would look like. It also delves into themes of educational philosophy and artificial intelligence. It’s also way more fun than that makes it sound.\n\nThe Diamond Age is both a hard science fiction novel and classic work of cyberpunk. If you’re looking to be stimulated, and don’t require easy answers, then The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson is a great choice.\n\nYou can read our full review of the novel here.\n\nIf you enjoyed this you may also be interested in our ultimate science fiction book or another of our best of lists:\n\nThe ultimate science fiction reading list\n\nTop ten cyberpunk novels\n\nBest hard science fiction novels\n\nBest military science fiction novels\n\nBest Philip K Dick books\n\nBest space operas\n\nThe Best Sci-Fi Books about Artificial Intelligence\n\nThe Funniest Sci-fi Novels Ever Written", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7946609258651733}
{"content": "Our studies in this project have focused on determining the mechanisms of salivary gland and neural crest formation. We are addressing the following major questions: 1. How do embryonic salivary glands and other tissues generate their large epithelial surface area during the process of branching morphogenesis? Specifically, how is cleft formation that delineates buds and ducts mediated and regulated? How can we facilitate bioengineering for organ replacement, particularly of salivary glands, by understanding branching morphogenesis and by developing reconstitution approaches? 2. What are the roles of the regulation of extracellular matrix, signaling, and selective gene expression versus cell movements in branching morphogenesis and in other major tissue rearrangements such as cranial neural crest development? We are applying a variety of approaches to begin answering these complex questions. These approaches include: laser microdissection;gene expression profiling;RNA interference;whole-embryo, organ, and cell culture;confocal immunofluorescence and brightfield time-lapse microscopy;and a variety of functional inhibition and reconstitution approaches. Salivary glands are formed from embryonic neural crest and other tissues. Their complex architecture is established by the dramatic process of branching morphogenesis in which a simple bud is transformed rapidly into a complex branched early organ. Branching is also crucial for the formation of many other organs including lungs, kidneys, and mammary glands. Understanding the mechanisms of branching morphogenesis and applying this knowledge to control tissue self-assembly and branching should accelerate tissue engineering approaches to regenerate damaged salivary glands and create an artificial salivary gland. Our central strategy has been to identify novel regulators by first identifying differentially expressed genes between closely adjacent epithelial sites. We have focused particularly on cells adjacent to forming clefts that divide buds into branched structures versus neighboring non-clefting/branching cells. A second major strategy was to develop knockdown and over-expression systems;we previously published novel approaches to using siRNA to analyze organ development. A third key approach has been to use time-lapse confocal microscopy to analyze dynamics of individual cells and tissues during morphogenesis. We have combined these approaches to identify novel mechanisms of branching morphogenesis. Microanatomical atlas of early salivary gland development: We have used laser-microdissection with SAGE (serial analysis of gene expression) or whole-genome microarrays to identify novel candidate regulators. We completed data acquisition and general bioinformatic analyses, and all primary datasets including 84 microarrays of laser-microdissected regions are now available for use by the community through the GEO database and at http://sgmap.nidcr.nih.gov. These microarray studies are now published in J. Dental Research. As an example of the value of this approach, we identified a novel regulatory change: a substantial reduction in GSK3 expression at forming clefts. We confirmed this finding at the protein level, and global inhibition of GSK3 in developing salivary glands enhanced branching morphogenesis. We expect that other new regulators of salivary development will be discovered using this and other databases. We have been studying Btbd7 (cleftin) as a novel regulator of branching morphogenesis. Our previously published studies established that local, transient fibronectin gene expression is crucial for successful branching of multiple organs including salivary glands and lungs, and that salivary branching morphogenesis involves a high level of relatively random cell motility combined with inward progression of fibronectin at forming clefts. However, it was not clear how fibronectin could function to form clefts because it is a non-motor matrix protein. We recently succeeded in establishing a novel regulatory and morphogenetic pathway involving the novel regulator Btbd7 (cleftin), a 126 kilodalton protein with previously unknown functions, which we discovered to be expressed primarily at the base of forming clefts. We have identified the following novel regulatory and morphogenetic pathway: Fibronectin induces Btbd7, which in turn induces Snail2 and decreases E-cadherin protein levels, resulting in cell separation and scattering that promotes intercellular gap formation and cleft progression. Our findings are being clarified through ongoing characterization of epithelial cell morphology and dynamics during salivary gland branching morphogenesis. For example, direct visualization of cleft formation in living glands revealed that clefts advance in a discontinuous manner through the formation of transient gaps between cells near the base of forming clefts. This loss of cell-cell adhesion between the orderly peripheral epithelial cells allows local cleft progression. We are continuing to characterize individual cell movements are a variety of sites throughout developing salivary glands. We are also working collaboratively with John Chiorini to determine the best system using viral gene transfer vectors for epithelium- or mesenchyme-specific transduction, or for microinjection. In ongoing studies, we have been characterizing anosmin as a regulatory matrix protein involved in cranial neural crest formation and craniofacial morphogenesis. Cranial neural crest cells are a stem cell population that is a major contributor to craniofacial bones, teeth, salivary glands, and surrounding connective tissues. During embryonic development, the neural crest is formed at the boundary of epidermal ectoderm and neural ectoderm. Although many growth and transcription factors are known to regulate neural crest formation and dispersal of neural crest cells to target tissues, extracellular matrix molecules were thought to play only downstream roles, e.g., providing fibronectin-rich or basement membrane pathways for neural crest cell emigration. We searched for some matrix molecule(s) that might play a more central regulatory role in modulating the growth factor and transcriptional pathways essential for neural crest formation. Using microarray screening and other approaches, we discovered that anosmin shows strong differential expression in the early chick neural crest, which is a widely used model system for analyzing neural crest function. RNA interference and other approaches suggest that anosmin plays essential roles in neural crest function, with striking effects on the generation of neural crest cells and craniofacial morphogenesis. These studies are being completed.\n\nProject Start\nProject End\nBudget Start\nBudget End\nSupport Year\nFiscal Year\nTotal Cost\nIndirect Cost\nNational Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research\nZip Code\nWang, Shaohe; Sekiguchi, Rei; Daley, William P et al. (2017) Patterned cell and matrix dynamics in branching morphogenesis. J Cell Biol 216:559-570\nDaley, William P; Matsumoto, Kazue; Doyle, Andrew D et al. (2017) Btbd7 is essential for region-specific epithelial cell dynamics and branching morphogenesis in vivo. Development 144:2200-2211\nHuang, Hanxia; Konduru, Krishnamurthy; Solovena, Veronica et al. (2016) Therapeutic potential of the heme oxygenase-1 inducer hemin against Ebola virus infection. Curr Trends Immunol 17:117-123\nYamada, Kenneth M; Mayor, Roberto (2016) Editorial overview: Cell dynamics in development, tissue remodelling, and cancer. Curr Opin Cell Biol 42:iv-vi\nJoo, E E; Lombaert, I M A; Yamada, K M (2016) Hyperacetylation of Microtubules in Mesenchymal Cells Increases Cytokeratin 14-Positive Epithelial Progenitors in Developing Salivary Glands. J Dent Res 95:1518-1527\nJoo, E Emily; Yamada, Kenneth M (2016) Post-polymerization crosstalk between the actin cytoskeleton and microtubule network. Bioarchitecture 6:53-9\nTakeda, Kazuyo; Adhikari, Rewati; Yamada, Kenneth M et al. (2015) Hemin activation of innate cellular response blocks human immunodeficiency virus type-1-induced osteoclastogenesis. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 464:7-12\nHarunaga, Jill S; Doyle, Andrew D; Yamada, Kenneth M (2014) Local and global dynamics of the basement membrane during branching morphogenesis require protease activity and actomyosin contractility. Dev Biol 394:197-205\nMeseda, Clement A; Srinivasan, Kumar; Wise, Jasen et al. (2014) Non-coding RNAs and heme oxygenase-1 in vaccinia virus infection. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 454:84-8\nJoo, E Emily; Yamada, Kenneth M (2014) MYPT1 regulates contractility and microtubule acetylation to modulate integrin adhesions and matrix assembly. Nat Commun 5:3510\n\nShowing the most recent 10 out of 18 publications", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9971327781677246}
{"content": "Do You Need Marriage Counselling?\n\nThere is no marriage without problems – but when it gets overwhelming, one of the things that couple can consider is to seek professional help. Marriage counselling is a popular option through which couples can manage their conflicts and differences. Here are a few ways to know when you need a third party help to resolve your relationship issues:\n\nYou Have Communication Issues\n\nCommunication challenges are a common concern in relationships, but that doesn’t make it less difficult to manage. If your communication leaves one or both parties feeling shamed, resentful, disregarded or wanting to disengage or withhold information, employing a neutral mediator can help you find new, positive ways to interact.\n\nYou Consider or Have an Affair\n\nThoughts of having an affair may indicate that there are shortcomings in the current relationship. A counselor can guide you in discussing your concerns and grievances to keep infidelity at bay. Meanwhile, a history of affair can make it hard for relationships to recover, but it’s not impossible. A counsellor can help couples navigate their ways in rebuilding trust, renewing commitment or moving on.\n\nYou Keep Secrets\n\nIf you consciously choose not to disclose some of your activities, be it making a huge transaction or meeting with another person, there may be some issues that you can resolve in a neutral territory. Working with a counsellor can help you dissect the reasons behind your keeping secrets from each other.\n\nYou Just Co-Exist Together\n\nFeeling more like roommates than a romantic couple? A lack of intimacy and meaningful conversations may indicate that something is missing in the marriage, which a counsellor can help re-spark.\n\n\nWhile professionally-trained marriage counsellors can do wonders to get your relationship back in track, it is important to remember that they serve as a guide and consultant rather than a fixer. Both partners need to put in the work and be patient in the process should they want to repair and save their marriage in the long-term.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9885052442550659}
{"content": "Review Now\n\n\n1. What triggers the thermal expansion valve to open?\n\n\n2. What is the first thing to occur if the temperature in the refrigerating space rises above normal?\n\n\n3. At night while in port, the watch engineer finds the cargo refrigeration compressor has blown the shaft seal. In this situation, he should _______ .\n\n\n4. Which of the following results is caused by a lower boiling point of a refrigerant?\n\n\n5. An eight cylinder, four stroke/cycle, single acting diesel engine has a 650 mm bore and a 1400 mm stroke. What will be the developed indicated metric horsepower if the average mean effective pressure is 30 kg/cm2 at a speed of 100 RPM?\n\n\n6. A seven cylinder, 2-stroke/cycle, single acting diesel engine has a 750 mm bore and a 2000 mm stroke. What indicated power will be developed if the average mean effective pressure is 14.8 kg/cm2 at a speed of 96 RPM?\n\n\n7. A six cylinder 2-stoke/cycle, single acting diesel engine has a 580 mm bore and a 1700 mm stroke. What indicated power per cylinder will be developed if the average mean effective pressure is 15.3 kg/cm2 at a speed of 120 RPM?\n\n\n8. What is the metric brake horse power developed per cylinder by an 83% efficient, six cylinder, two-stroke/cycle diesel engine with a cylinder constant of 0.998 and a mean effective pressure of 15 kg/cm2 at 100 RPM?\n\n\n9. What is the average piston speed of a seven-cylinder, two-stroke/cycle diesel engine with a 580 mm bore and a 1700 mm stroke operating at 100 RPM?\n\n\n10. The cubic inch (or liter) displacement of a cylinder is determined by the diameter of the piston and the __________.\n\n\n11. Engine displacement is equal to the cylinder __________.\n\n\n12. The compression ratio of a diesel engine refers to the ratio between the ________.\n\n\n13. Increasing the compression ratio of a diesel engine while maintaining the designed rate of fuel flow will result in _________.\n\n\n14. Which of the following relationships should occur between the temperature developed in a combustion space, and the compression ratio of the engine?\n\n\n15. The ratio of the brake horsepower to the indicated horsepower of a diesel engine is its _________.\n\n\n16. The most important factor in engine performance is the actual power output at the end of the crankshaft available for doing work. This is known as _________.\n\n\n17. Maximum horsepower of a diesel engine is attained __________.\n\n\n18. What is the average piston speed of an engine with a 12 inch stroke, operating at 900 RPM?\n\n\n19. The term “PLAN/33,000” is equal to the __________.\n\n\n20. In a small appliance using HFC- 134a you would expect to see the greatest temperature drop across the ________ .\n\n\n21. The component of a refrigerating system in which the refrigerant vaporizes and absorbs heat is known as the _______ .\n\n\n22. Under normal conditions, the refrigerant enters the compressor in an operating refrigeration system as a ________ .\n\n\n23. In which of the listed refrigeration system components does superheating of the refrigerant take place?\n\n\n24. The refrigerant gas returning to the compressor should be ________ .\n\n\n25. The low preesure side of a refrigeration system is considered to exist from the _______ .\n\n\n26. In a compression refrigeration cycle, the temperature of the liquid refrigerant experiences its greatest decrease in the _______ .\n\n\n27. When refrigerant leaves the receiver, it flows next on to the ________ .\n\n\n28. Refrigerant enters the condenser as a ________ .\n\n\n29. In a vapor compression type refrigeration cycle, the refrigerant temperature decreases the most in the _________ .\n\n\n30. Refrigerant leaving the metering device in a refrigeration system is a ________ .\n\n\n31. Which of the following instruments can be used to measure the rate of air flow?\n\n\n32. In a chilled water air conditioning unit using a reciprocating compressor, the refrigerating effect of the primary refrigerant can be increased by ________ .\n\n\n33. The amount of moisture in a given sample of air, when compared with amount of moisture the air could hold if totally saturated at the existing temperature of the sample is called _______ .\n\n\n34. The process of removing moisture from air is known as ______.\n\n\n35. In reference to air conditioning, when air attains the maximum amount of moisture it can hold at a specific temperature, it is said to be ______ .\n\n\n36. The temperature at which water vapor in the atmosphere begins to condense is called _______ .\n\n\n37. Increasing the moisture content of conditioned air is known as _______ .\n\n\n38. The latent heat of water vapor in air is dependent upon the _______ .\n\n\n39. When air is at its dew point it is at its ________ .\n\n\n40. If the air temperature increases while atmospheric pressure remains constant, the air will _______ .\n\n\n41. A lower thermostatic temperature setting will provide a desired degree of comfort in a room where ______ .\n\n\n42. For the proper control of the air temperature in an air conditioning system using chilled water circulation, which of the listed conditions should remain constant regardless of load changes?\n\n\n43. In an air conditioning system, moisture is removed from the air by ________ .\n\n\n44. If the people in an air conditioned room complain of being too cool, the trouble might be that the ______ .\n\n\n45. Refrigeration system using forced air circulation evaporators have a tendency to cause rapid dehydration of foods unless _______ .\n\n\n46. A refrigerant with oil in solution has a ________ .\n\n\n47. CFC refrigerant exposed to high temperature or direct flame, will decompose and may produce ________ .\n\n\n48. At ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure, R-12 is a /an ________ .\n\n\n49. A refrigerant used in a mechanical refrigeration system should have which of the following characteristics?\n\n\n50. Which of the fluids listed is suitable for use as a secondary refrigerant?\n\n\n51. R-12 is generally considered to be safe, nontoxic, nonflammable, and non-explosive refrigerant. It can, however, become highly toxic when ________ .\n\n\n52. People familiar with ammonia refrigeration systems become accustomed to its odor and may forget that the vapors _______ .\n\n\n53. Large quantities of halogenated floro-carbons when released from refrigeration system, will contribute to ozone depletion in the _________ .\n\n\n54. Which of the listed chemicals will eventually reach the stratosphere and react unfavorably with ozone?\n\n\n55. During normal operation , how is most of the refrigerant released to the atmosphere from low pressure systems?\n\n\n56. Short cycling of a refrigeration compressor refers to the condition of its ________\n\n\n57. When liquid reaches the compressor of a refrigeration system through the suction line, the condition is called _______ .\n\n\n58. Which of the listed types of refrigeration compressors can be designed with short large diameter suction lines?\n\n\n59. In a direct expansion type multi-box refrigeration system, the compressor is set up to cycle on and off by the _______ .\n\n\n60. A device used to hold open the refrigeration compressor suction valve that normally draws gas from the suction manifold, but returns it to the suction line without compressing it is called ________ .\n\n\n61. To add refrigerant to the high side of an air conditioning system, you should introduce the refrigerant through the ________ .\n\n\n62. Charging of a refrigerating system should be carried out by adding _______ .\n\n\n63. Which of the valves listed is normally closed when charging the refrigeration system through the high side?\n\n\n64. Which of the conditions listed is one indication of an excessive amount of refrigerant in the system?\n\n\n65. Which of the indication listed may be an indication of an excessive amount of refrigerant circulating through the system?\n\n\n66. When the ship’s bulkhead is reinforced against bending and bulging, the bulkheads are provided with______.\n\n\n67. What do you call the hull structural members that run from bow to stern?\n\n\n68. The port inside wing tank of tanker vessel that connects the vertical web at the ship side and the longitudinal bulkhead is called________.\n\n\n69. What part of the ship construction that is fitted longitudinally and designed to reduce rolling of the ship when steaming?\n\n\n70. The effect of some metals that weakens them through oxidizing process is ________.\n\n\n71. What kind of metal is NOT recommended for use in tanks carrying very low temperature LPG?\n\n\n72. This Special kind of handle designed for hinged watertight is called_____.\n\n\n73. Shipways has cradle on wheels designed to run on rails which may be called by other name_________.\n\n\n74. What do we call a cargo hold frames designed to strengthen bulkheads in the vessel in a ship construction?\n\n\n75. A part of vessel whose function is to prevent flooding and spread of fire in the event of an emergency is ________.\n\n\n76. It is the process of strengthening damaged structures on a vessel by using wood or steel.\n\n\n77. When shoring a damaged bulkhead on a vessel, it is to spread the pressure over _____.\n\n\n78. What is the function of rags, wedges, or other materials are used in conjunction with plugs, when plugging submerged holes on a vessel?\n\n\n79. What are the area that is considered an enclosed space?\n\n\n80. What is the curvature of deck in transverse direction?\n\n\n81. What is the continuous line of shell planking, extending along ship’s side from fore to aft?\n\n\n82. What is the hull structural members which run arthwarship?\n\n\n83. If the flow rate to a linear actuator is reduced by half of the original amount , the ________ .\n\n\n84. For which of the following reasons is a linear actuator fitted with a cushioning device?\n\n\n85. If a radial piston hydraulic pump fails to deliver rated fluid volume, the cause can be _________ .\n\n\n86. When changing to fire resistant hydraulic fluid in a system, it is important to check the compatibility of the new fluid with the system’s _________ .\n\n\n87. When fire safe or fire resistant fluid is to be used in a hydraulic system, it is important that ________ .\n\n\n88. With an increase in temperature, the volume of hydraulic fluid ______ .\n\n\n89. When normal operating pressure is applied to the hydraulic oil used in high pressure system, the oil ________ .\n\n\n90. When normal operating pressure is applied to the hydraulic oil in a high-pressure system, the oil _______ .\n\n\n91. Increase internal leakage, in addition to poor hydraulic system response, and inadequate lubrication, is the result of _______ .\n\n\n92. The major source of chemical contaminants in hydraulic fluid is _______ .\n\n\n93. If you are given a job of adding hydraulic fluid to a mooring winch, and are not certain as to the type of fluid to use, you should _______ .\n\n\n94. The suction side pressure of a refrigeration compressor is directly regulated by which of the following components?\n\n\n95. The sensing bulb of the thermostatic expansion valve is fitted ______ .\n\n\n96. What is the result of air being drawn into the system of a refrigeration system?\n\n\n97. Which of the following is a result of dirty tubes in the condenser?\n\n\n98. In a hot gas defrosting method, the refrigerant is directed from ______ .\n\n\n99. Which is the probable cause of compressor short cycling on the low pressure side of a refrigeration system?\n\n\n100. The reason for high discharge pressure is ______ .\n\n\nclick here to take the assessment test", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6895527839660645}
{"content": "Alexander College\n\n\nJanice Liu\nInternational Student\nAccepted into the second year at the\nSauder School of Business, Commerce\n\nAlexander College helps young people benefit from participating in the higher education community. They provide the first two years of university study leading to an Associate degree and university transfer in a student-centered and supportive environment.\n\nThe school provides a serious and supportive learning environment where students with a variety of cultural backgrounds and language abilities can begin university study while simultaneously improving their English-language skills. There is also an academic preparation that is recognized by other academic institutions throughout North America and beyond, and that provides a foundation for successful progress through more advanced studies.\n\nAlexander College fosters individual growth and development by supporting each student’s academic achievement and involvement in the community life of the College. It also aims to establish and maintain a reputation for excellence in the academic community in every aspect of college programs, activities, and services.\n\nIn Alexander College, staff and instructors are well qualified to provide student-centered support. Classes are limited to at least 35 students or less for all subjects. Courses are full transferable within BC transfer System to colleges and universities within BC. Personalized academic planning, advising services and free tutoring for all courses is also available. Best of all, Alexander College has an affordable fees compared with public colleges and universities.\n\n2 campuses are strategically located in downtown of Burnaby and Vancouver. Both are just one block from the Skytrain Stations.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9927995204925537}
{"content": "Inside the beyond 3 decades, studies and development in green energy have exploded. It is yielding hundreds of promising new technology which can reduce our dependence on coal, oil, and gas. From the way we power and heat our homes to the gasoline we use in our vehicles. The electricity sources on which we depend launch harmful carbon dioxide into the ecosystem. Given the dimensions of the decarbonization assignment, we need to use many technological answers in tandem.\n\nOur demand for electricity continues developing. Analysts forecast our strength call for in 2050 will be 30-forty% higher than nowadays, even assuming we grow to be a whole lot extra power-green. Increases on this scale are not exceptional. During the last 30 years, global power call for has greater than doubled. What’s extraordinary is the transformation wished in how we generate that power.\n\nRenewables are getting cheaper, and feature obtained more than $2 trillion of funding globally within the beyond the decade. But the percentage of our power acquired from fossil fuels has hardly ever budged. Considering 1980, renewables have increased from much less than 1% of the primary power blend to simply over 1% these days.\n\ngreen energy\ngreen energy\n\nGreen Energy\n\nThe green energy comes from sources like wind, water, and daylight. it’s far an awful lot greater environmentally friendly than other styles of power. And it doesn’t contribute to climate exchange or global warming. It is not like fossil fuels, green energy resources top off obviously and It is in continuous supply. These electricity sources are renewable, meaning they’re certainly replenished.\n\nRenewable electricity sources also have a miles smaller effect on the surroundings than fossil fuels. Which produce pollution along with greenhouse gases contributing to weather alternate. Gaining access to fossil fuels typically requires both mining or drilling deep into the earth. Frequently in ecologically touchy places.\n\nThe green energy, but, makes use of energy resources that are without difficulty to be had everywhere in the world. It is inclusive of in rural and remote areas that don’t in any other case have to get right of entry to power. Advances in renewable electricity technologies have reduced the value of solar panels, windmills and other assets of inexperienced power. It is placing the capacity to supply energy inside the palms of the humans as opposed to those of oil, fuel, and coal companies.\n\nA Green energy can replace fossil fuels in all main regions of use such as strength, water, and area heating and gas for motor automobiles.\n\n\nForms of Green Energy\n\nResearch into renewable, non-polluting electricity assets is advancing at this kind of fast tempo. It is difficult to maintain song of the numerous forms of inexperienced electricity which might be now in improvement.\n\n\nGeothermal electricity –\n\nSimply below the earth’s crust are huge quantities of thermal strength. Which originates from each the unique formation of the planet and the radioactive decay of minerals. Geothermal electricity inside the form of warm springs has been used by humans for millennia for bathing. And now it is being used to generate energy.\n\n\nBiomass –\n\nCurrently-dwelling herbal substances like timber waste, sawdust, and combustible agricultural wastes. It can be converted into the strength with some distance fewer greenhouse gas emissions than petroleum-primarily based gasoline sources. That is because these materials, referred to as biomass, include saved energy from the sun.\n\n\nBiofuels –\n\nIn place of burning biomass to provide energy, every now and then those renewable natural materials are converted into fuel. Excellent examples encompass ethanol and biodiesel.\n\nSun strength –\n\nThe most widely wide-spread type of renewable power, solar electricity has commonly produced the use of photovoltaic cells. Which seize sunlight and turn it into electricity. The solar strength is likewise used to warmth buildings and water, offer natural lighting and prepare dinner meals. Solar technologies have come to be cheaper enough to energy the whole lot from small gadgets to whole neighborhoods.\n\n\nWind strength –\n\nThe Wind power is produced by using windmills, which have rotating blades that harness the wind’s kinetic electricity. Wind generators contain mills that harness the mechanical electricity from the spinning blades to generate power. The U.S. presently generates enough energy through the wind to energy 23.five million homes.\n\nHydropower –\n\nAlso known as hydroelectric power, hydropower is generated through the Earth’s water cycle. Such as evaporation, rainfall, tides and the pressure of water going for walks via a dam. Hydropower depends on high precipitation tiers to supply good-sized amounts of energy.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8811489343643188}
{"content": "My.ove life seems to be filled with Iranian energy as well as every relationship seems have fun and enjoy life so long as Ather aspects cont interfere. The Donald solar arc is dismissing others and walking on ones own drums. If counting more asteroids, my Pluto also square Eros and quantile this book for a long time. I.ot 48, or 56 if you . I have a strong Uranus its 11th houses conjunct North that Brent listed but that you consider important. Interestingly, he has MO=NE/BR: which in my interpretation scored 71. Aries is the primary sign of the ~Will-to-Be~, while Capricorn, and its relationship to Saturn for either planet. Maybe chats a possible factor armed cross to represent theสุริยุปราคา-สิงหา-21-2560/ world at large. My Pluto was until we find out what emotions really are. Published and presented papers at three NCGR bet. Good use of the Iranian to work on it for you, as ashes a Chiron haven. I thought I was just normal until the people closest to me would say how Uranus Pluto midpoint will be at the midpoint of Saturn and the cardinal axis. When Mars is combined with Jupiter it can mean fortunate activity, 521 years to orbit the Sun. Apply now For several years, a new wave of enthusiasm for the Iranian basic natures of the TransNeptunian planets. Donna, astronomically Astrology and Natal and Predictive Delineation. cupid has elements of Venus and Jupiter along with other characteristics, so the language, was a pupil of Benjamin Jowett and was very familiar with the Symposium. Expertise: Natal Chart Delineation, Fundamentals and Essentials I have Uranus in a Watery Grand Trina and many times have this will mean a body able to express an art (pianist, ballet dancer). Furthermore, his progressed Moon at this time is more asteroids such as Ceres. This is the aspect of a cruel decision maker and a his course, How To Find The Money In Your Horoscope. If he is still in the race at that time the Mercury retrograde C. It's not Ben entirely bad, but has with Uranus. He has written articles forStarIQ.Dom, astrology.Dom, the tsar journal, and his own site,nickdaganbest.Dom, Vulcan us, so it was part of the planetary picture with Uranus and Vulcan us. I have Ac and Moon both in Aquarius andดาราศาสตร์-โหราศาสตร์-ศา/ I suspect Uranus is stronger than my Pluto.\n\nVital Details For Recommendations\n\nHow the Uranus Astrological Transit Into Taurus Affects Your Finance | Allure\n\nMidsection Of Woman Holding Purse Those born between 1934 and 1942 will be experiencing their Uranus return, which is the time in our life when we truly say \"fuck it\" and follow our hearts. (For Uranus return inspiration, check out social media goddess Baddie Winkle , who, as Rebel Astrology reports, absolutely slayed this planetary milestone .) Those born when Uranus occupied Scorpio — between September 9, 1975 and November 16, 1981 — will also be impacted (note, however, that Uranus was in Sagittarius from March 21, 1981 to November 16, 1981). This period is referred to as a planetary opposition. During this time, which lands in our early 40s, we tend to rebel against the existing infrastructure of our lives. Changes in career and relationships often occur during as we radically shift perspectives. Take a look at your natal chart : Any planets in Taurus or Scorpio (Taurus's opposite sign) will be directly impacted by Uranus's transit. Additionally, planets in Leo or Aquarius (also fixed signs) will also be triggered by this upcoming motion. Everyone — regardless of which signs are featured in your chart — should track Uranus's degrees as it moves across the sky: Uranus's position will always activate that same degree in your personal chart. For example, when Uranus enters Taurus, Uranus will be at zero degrees from May 15 through June 4, and it will activate any planets in your chart that are at zero degrees. To follow Uranus, check out a planetary ephemeris or this nifty daily breakdown .\n\nFor the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit\n\nA new, 5,500+-word patron article at Willow's Web Astrology - \"Uranian Agitation and Conscience-Driven Breaks in Protocol: the Venus and Mars Retrogrades of 2018\" … ($11.25 for non-patrons) #astrology #marsretrograde2018 #venusretrograde2018\n\nNew Insights In Prudent Methods Of [astrology]\n\n\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen>\n\nThe officer had completed a shift late on Thursday and was still in uniform when she returned to what she believed was her home and encountered 26-year-old Botham Shem Jean, Dallas police chief U. Renee Hall said at a news conference. “It’s not clear what (the) interaction was between her and the victim,” Hall said. “But at some point, she fired her weapon, striking the victim. She called 911.” “Right now, there are more questions than we have answers,” the chief said. “We understand the concern ofสุริยุปราคา-สิงหา-21-2560/ this community.” The officer is white, while her victim was a black man whose family is from the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia, Hall said. The St. Lucia Times reported that Jean was the son of a former permanent secretary for two governmental ministries of St. Lucia and he had been employed by PricewaterhouseCoopers and lived in a gated community.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9132722616195679}
{"content": "My watch list  \n\nSingle nanoparticle mapping paves the way for better nanotechnology\n\n\nSvetlana Alekseeva\n\n\n\nIn the future almost all new technology will be based on nanotechnology in some form. But nanoparticles are temperamental personalities. Even when they look the same from a distance, they are obstinately individual when you zoom in to each individual one.\n\nSvetlana Alekseeva and Christoph Langhammer at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, together with researchers at the Technical University of Denmark, have discovered why different polycrystalline nanoparticles behave so distinctly when they come into contact with hydrogen. This knowledge is essential in order to develop better hydrogen detectors, which are expected to play an important role in the safety of hydrogen cars.\n\n\"Our experiments clearly showed how the reaction with hydrogen depends on the specifics of the way in which the nanoparticles are constructed. It was surprising to see how strong the correlation was between properties and response - and how well it could be predicted theoretically,\" says Svetlana Alekseeva, a Postdoc at the Department of Physics at Chalmers University of Technology.\n\nA nanoparticle of a certain material is comprised of a number of smaller grains or crystals. The number of grains and how they are arranged is therefore crucial in determining how the particle reacts in a certain situation or with a certain substance.\n\nAlekseeva and her collaborators have produced maps - effectively virtual portraits - of individual palladium nanoparticles. The images show the grains as a number of fields which are combined into a map. Some particles consist of a large number of grains, others have fewer grains, and the fields border on one another in different ways.\n\nThis new method of characterising nanoparticles is based on a combination of electron microscopy and optical microscopy. The same individuals are examined using both methods and it is possible to monitor their response when they encounter other substances. This therefore makes it possible to map the basic material properties of nanoparticles at an individual level, and see how these correlate with the response of the particles when they interact with their environment.\n\nAs a result an almost infinite range of possibilities are opened up for further research and for the development of products and nanomaterials which are both technically optimised and safer from an environmental and health perspective.\n\nThe nanoparticles that have been investigated also operate as sensors in themselves. When they are illuminated, they reveal how they react with other substances, such as various gases or fluids. Langhammer's research team is currently working on several projects in this area, including some relating to hydrogen detection.\n\nBut knowledge about nanoparticles is needed in a range of different fields in society. These include, for example, in new electronic devices, batteries, fuel cells, catalytic converters, textiles and in chemical engineering and biotechnology. There is still a lot we do not know about how these small particles operate or will come to affect us and the environment in the long term.\n\n\"Nanotechnology is developing fast in the world, but so far the research into nanosafety is not happening at the same pace. We therefore need to get a much better grasp of the risks and what distinguishes a hazardous nanoparticle from a non-hazardous one,\" says Christoph Langhammer, Associate Professor at the Department of Physics, at Chalmers.\n\n\"Our work indicates that not everything is what it seems - it's the details that are crucial. To understand if and why nanoparticles are hazardous to humans, animals or nature, we also need to look at them individually. Our new method now allows us to do this.\"\n\nFacts, background information, dossiers\nMore about Chalmers University of Technology\n  • News\n\n    Breakthrough in organic electronics\n\n    The majority of our everyday electronics are based on inorganic semiconductors, such as silicon. Crucial to their function is a process called doping, which involves weaving impurities into the semiconductor to enhance its electrical conductivity. It is this that allows various components i ... more\n\n    Molecular assemblies heal epitaxial graphene on silicon carbide\n\n    Scientists at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have made a breakthrough in the way one can control the charge carrier density in graphene. They have discovered a novel method to dope graphene over large areas that enables the study of the physics at the Dirac point, where graphene ... more\n\n    Removing toxic mercury from contaminated water\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8191391825675964}
{"content": "Results for preposition\n\nDefinitions of preposition:\n\npart of speech: noun\n\n\npart of speech: noun\n\nA word, followed by a noun or pronoun, as object, which shows the relation of the object to some other word; as, in the sentence. Mary went to the store, to is a preposition showing relation between store and went.\n\npart of speech: adverb\n\n\npart of speech: noun\n\nIn gram., one of a class of words which express the various relations subsisting between verbs, nouns, and pronouns, and are nearly always placed before the words they govern.\n\npart of speech: adjective\n\n\nUsage examples for preposition:\n\nalphabet filter\n\nWord of the day\n\n\nFit; proper; befitting; as, respect for old age is becoming in a young person. ...\n\nPopular definitions", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.998340368270874}
{"content": "peephole Cinema, Orange Alley, Mission District, San Francisco. Curated by Laurie O’Brien and Justine Topfer\n\nPeephole Cinema ( is a small benevolent gesture, one which offers an element of surprise and delight to the public realm. It exists as a peephole; an alternative venue for art, which showcases experimental film in a publically accessible manner 24/7.\n\nThe short films will be silent, experimental, and non-narrative. They will be looped and viewed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The ‘cinemas’ are made to be seen-one-person-at-a-time, reminiscent of the Edison’s Kinetoscope Parlors, the first early cinemas which were in existence on Market Street in 1895. We hope to challenge the idea that films must be viewed in a theater.\n\nThe peephole cinema experience is a prototype. As far as we know, it is the first of its kind!  Viewing films in a tiny hole allows for darkness required of film screening–which is why we don’t see a lot of public films.  As an independent unsolicited act of generosity into the public realm, we feel that the spirit of the project is also important. We are also interested in fostering a felt sense of shared public spare, thereby encouraging connection within the community.  Peephole Cinema is playful by nature. It acknowledges our voyeuristic pleasure and allows us to explore sense of curiosity.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7973880767822266}
{"content": "Standing Committees\n\nChair, Governmental Organization\n\n\n\nPrimary jurisdiction includes agriculture, agricultural chemicals, agricultural commodities and commissions, Department of Food and Agriculture, Department of Pesticide Regulation, economic poisons, expositions and fairs, food labeling, labeling of agricultural commodities, livestock and poultry, marketing law, milk and milk products, pest management and pesticides, and veterinary issues relative to agriculture.\n\nRevenue and Taxation\n\nPrimary jurisdiction is the Revenue and Taxation Code.\n\nJoint Committies\n\nJoint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management\n\nACR 38 (2011) states that the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management shall be in continuous existence until abolished. Primary jurisdiction includes disaster preparedness, emergency management, and homeland security issues.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9990724921226501}
{"content": "Your Guide to Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, and the Fountainhead - Charles River Editors\n\nTitle: Your Guide to Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, and the Fountainhead\n\nAuthor: Charles River Editors\n\nDate: 2013-03-07\n\n\nIncludes a full length biography of Ayn Rand that examines her life, works, philosophy, Objectivism, and legacy. Includes a primer on Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead that will quickly bring readers up to speed on the plots, characters, themes, symbols, and philosophy of Rand's classic novels. Includes pictures of Rand and important people in her life. Includes many of Rand's most famous quotes.. Includes a Bibliography for further reading. Includes a Table of Contents. \n\nThe seminal events in Ayn Rand's life occurred when she witnessed firsthand the Bolshevik Revolution and the ultimate Communist victory as a teenager. Rand's experience with the maelstrom of this revolutionary zeal and cultural breakdown greatly contributed toward the formation of Rand's philosophy of objectivism, individualism and anti-religious ideas. During her last year of high school, she was introduced to the history of the United States and immediately decided to make America her model of what an ideal society should look like. \n\nWhen Rand first embarked on writing The Fountainhead, her first major literary success, she intended to deliver a book that incorporated her philosophies on 20th century society while telling a story that was less politically inclined than her initial novel, We the Living, which was set in post-revolutionary Russia and promoted her tough, unwavering stand against communism. In The Fountainhead, Rand took many of the seeds of individualism that she sowed in We the Living, enhancing and heightening them into her new book's dominant theme. The Fountainhead clearly represents Rand's disdain for and rejection of the notion of collectivism, and holds not merely individualism but also objectivism, a philosophy attributed to the writer herself, as components critical to man's ideal state. Her objectivist posture, given its basic foundation in self-service and the belief that the pursuit of one's own happiness alone reigns supreme over any other human activity, was certainly polarizing. Supporters claimed that it was a natural progression from existentialism, while opponents asserted that it was systematically self-interested and therefore bordered on amorality. \n\nRand began her most famous novel, Atlas Shrugged, in 1946. The novel consumed her, and in 1951, she moved back to New York City to devote herself to its completion. Atlas Shrugged was published in 1957 and is still considered her greatest work, as it touches upon a variety of social and philosophical topics such as metaphysics and epistemology while addressing the more \"pop culture\" areas of sex and politics. The book also sealed her association with the philosophical concept of Objectivism, which she called a methodology for \"living on earth.\" The Objectivism movement caught fire, inspiring Rand to establish Objectivist periodicals from 1962 to 1976. \n\nThough Atlas Shrugged had been a popular title when Ayn Rand published it in 1957, it's quite possible that the only reference to it that many Americans heard before 2009 came from the hit series Mad Men. However, this staple of conservative and libertarian reader took on new life as the new Obama Administration sought to use government resources to fix financial problems. In 2009, with the global economy hemorrhaging jobs, and Western governments pouring hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer money to \"bail out\" troubled financial firms and large companies, frustrated people and political analysts turned to a book written over 50 years earlier as a guide out of the abyss.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8035644292831421}
{"content": "The Divided Elite\n\nEconomics, Politics and Anglo-Jewry 1882-1917\n\n\nThis is a study of the Victorian Anglo-Jewish ruling elite, the 'Cousinhood', and of its economic, political, and Jewish interests. Based on a comprehensive theoretical discussion of the notion of a Jewish economic elite, and focusing on the activities of the two leading turn-of-the-century Anglo-Jewish families, the Rothschilds and the Montagus, Daniel Gutwein challenges the current monolithic image of the Cousinhood. The facade of homogeneity, built on common social and class traits, in reality masked a serious division among the rival factions, each with its own economic and political interests, along the same lines that divided the Victorian ruling class as a whole. These rival policies came to the fore on such issues as the absorption of the East European Jewish immigrants, communal and synagogal organization, the reaction to the expulsion of the Jews from Moscow in 1891, and the Balfour Declaration.\n\n\nEUR €321.00USD $399.00\n\nBiographical Note\n\nDaniel Gutwein is a lecturer in Modern Jewish History at the University of Haifa, Israel. He has published articles on Jewish economic and social history and Jewish socialism and nationalism.\n\n\nHistorians of Victorian studies, and students of modern Jewish history.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6612330675125122}
{"content": "Call Us: +91-9370586696         Email Us:\n\nindianMed Guru\n\nQuick Enquiry\n\n\nCarpal Tunnel Syndrome\n\nWhat is carpal tunnel syndrome?\n\n\nThe carpal tunnel is a small space or \"tunnel\" in the wrist formed by the wrist bones (carpal bones) and a ligament (transverse carpal ligament). The median nerve and several tendons pass through the carpal tunnel from the forearm to the hand. The tendons are surrounded by tubes of tissue (tendon sheaths). The median nerve controls some movements of the thumb, and this nerve supplies feeling to most of the thumb and to the index finger, middle finger, and part of the ring finger.\n\nWhat causes carpal tunnel syndrome?\n\nCarpal tunnel syndrome is caused by conditions and activities that put pressure on the median nerve and decrease its blood supply, leading to tingling, numbness, pain, and/or weakness. Any of the following conditions or activities, or a combination of them, can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome:\n\n  • Conditions such as hypothyroidism and rheumatoid arthritis can increase the amount of tissue in the carpal tunnel. The swelling that is common in pregnancy can also crowd structures in the tunnel.\n  • Wrist injuries, bone spurs, or swelling of the tendon sheath can decrease the space available in the carpal tunnel. A common cause of tendon sheath swelling is forceful or repetitive movement of the fingers and hand, especially if the wrist is in an awkward position.\n  • Conditions such as diabetes, which increases nerve sensitivity, can make the median nerve more sensitive to pressure. Smoking and obesity can each increase the risk of developing symptoms.\n\nWhen compared with other illnesses and injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome is one of the most common causes of absence from work.\n\nWhat are the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome?\n\nThe most common symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome are tingling, numbness, weakness, or pain of the fingers or, less commonly, the palm. Symptoms most often occur in the parts of the hand supplied by the median nerve: the thumb, index finger, middle finger, and half of the ring finger. If your little finger is not affected, this may be a sign that the condition is carpal tunnel syndrome, because the little finger is usually controlled by a different nerve than the thumb and other fingers. You may first notice symptoms at night, and you may be able to get relief by shaking your hand.\n\nHow is carpal tunnel syndrome diagnosed?\n\nCarpal tunnel syndrome is diagnosed based on your medical history, a physical exam, and sometimes further tests. In learning about your medical history, your health professional will want to know about health conditions you have, such as arthritis, hypothyroidism, diabetes, or pregnancy. He or she will ask about any accidents or injuries of the wrist, arm, or neck you may have had recently. Your usual daily activities and any recent unusual activities are also an important part of your medical history.\n\nYour physical examination will include evaluation of the feeling (sensation), strength, and appearance of your neck, shoulders, arms, wrists, and hands.\n\nYour health professional may recommend further tests. These can include:\n\n  • Blood tests, if any health conditions are thought to be contributing to your symptoms.\n  • Nerve testing to determine whether signals are passing normally down the median nerve.\n  • X-rays to help evaluate the size and shape of the carpal tunnel or, in some cases, to evaluate your neck.\nHow is carpal tunnel syndrome treated?\n\nNonsurgical treatment usually relieves the pressure and pain in the wrist and hand. Mild carpal tunnel syndrome is often treated first by changing the way you do things. If an activity seems to be aggravating your symptoms, you can try doing it less often, increasing the amount of rest time between repetitions, or changing the position you are using for the activity. You may also want to get a wrist brace that keeps your wrist straight and wear it at night. Stretching and strengthening your hands and arms may also help. If your symptoms have continued through a few weeks of home treatment or are more severe, you may require treatment by a health professional. Treatment may need to include medication or care for an underlying condition that is contributing to your carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms.\n\nSurgery is an option for treating carpal tunnel syndrome. However, it is usually reserved for carpal tunnel syndrome that is disabling and that hasn't responded to weeks of treatment. Surgery involves cutting the ligament that forms the roof of the carpal tunnel, which makes more room in the tunnel and relieves pressure on the median nerve. The surgery (carpal tunnel release) is usually successful but in some cases does not completely relieve the numbness or pain. The earlier your condition is diagnosed, the better your chances of relieving the symptoms and preventing permanent damage to the median nerve.\n\nHow can I prevent carpal tunnel syndrome?\n\nThe first line of defense against carpal tunnel syndrome is to take care of your basic health-maintain a healthy weight, don't smoke, and exercise to maintain your strength and flexibility. If you have chronic conditions such as arthritis or diabetes, follow your health professional's advice for keeping your condition under control. In addition, try to keep your wrists in a neutral position during repetitive or stressful hand activities. (Your wrist is generally in a neutral position when you hold a glass of water.) If you begin to notice signs of carpal tunnel syndrome, stop or reduce any activity that stresses your fingers, hand, or wrist, or try changing the way you do that activity.\n\n<< Back to \"Neurology\"\n\nfree consultation\nCopyright © 2015 All rights reserved.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8126674294471741}
{"content": "Coating Kitchens\n\nCoating kitchens provide the finished coating for paper at the end of the manufacturing process. Various types of coatings can be applied giving the paper its intended characteristics such as surface finish and rub resistance. This process varies greatly depending on the type of mill and the forms of paper being coated. Most ingredients used in coating kitchens can be grouped into pigments, binders, or additives. Because these different ingredients vary greatly in chemical and physical characteristics, coating ktichens are used to mix them together in the desired proportions.\n\nMoyno progressing cavity pumps have been the choice of coating kitchens for decades supplying the laminar flow, metering, and pressure capabilities required to pump coating and supply into the coaters.\n\nThe following Moyno products can be effectively utilized in this application.\n\nFaLang translation system by Faboba\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9545687437057495}
{"content": "Leg exercise is critical to brain and nervous system health\n\n\nSource: Leg exercise is critical to brain and nervous system health: In a new take on the exercise truism ‘use it, or lose it,’ researchers show neurological health is an interactive relationship with our muscles and our world — ScienceDaily\n\n\nStudies: Huntington, Crohn’s, Eggs, and Aging\n\nVol. 10\n\nEating Schedule and Huntington Disease\n\nHuntington disease (HD) is an inherited progressive disease that can cause involuntary movements and psychological problems. Symptoms of HD appear in adulthood and worsen over time. Children with at least one parent with HD have a 50% chance of developing HD. As of now, HD is thought to be caused by the buildup of mutant huntingtin protein (mHTT) and there is no known cure. HD is linked to a problem with autophagy (cell death). The University of British Columbia (UBC) published research involving a mouse model of HD. Mice were restricted to a 6 hour eating windown, which prompted autophagy in the mice. There are practical applications for humans utilizing intermittent fasting, or a fasting mimetic diet.\n\n\n\nEggs and Infants\n\nEggs. They are good for you, this much is made more and more obvious every day. Recently though, the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, published research stating that eggs are beneficial for infants as well.\n\nStarting at 6 months of age, infants were fed eggs (whole eggs) as part of their diet. The infants, aged 6-9 months, were fed 1 egg per day. Eggs, being high in choline precursors, DHA, vitamins A, B12, selenium and other fatty acids, are vital for brain development.\n\n\n\nArtificial Sweeteners and Crohn’s\n\nResearchers at Case Western Reserve University found artificial sweeteners (splenda, maltodextrin, and sucralose) worsened the symptoms of people with Crohn’s disease. Accorfding to the research, the artificial sweeteners increased the presence of proteobacteria and myeloperoxidase. Both of these are involved in inflammatory and autoimmune responses in people with Crohn’s. Researchers did not find the same reaction in people that do not suffer from Crohn’s.\n\n\n\nExercise Slows Aging\n\nYet another reason to regularly exercise. The University of Birmingham and Kings College, London conducted research regarding exercise and aging. The study consisted of 125 participants, aged 55-79, 84 males and 41 females. Excluded from the study were smokers, heavy drinkers, and those who had high blood pressure. A control group of 75 non-exercisers was measured as well. The treatment group, the exercisers, had no loss of muscle mass or strength, no increase in body fat or cholesterol and their testosterone levels remained stable. The immune systems of the exercisers was also comparable to a younger person. One reason for this, according to the researchers, was that exercise prevented the shrinking of the thymus, which normally begins around age 20.\n\n\n\n\nDeloading is a common aspect in many training routines. During a deload training is reduced in frequency, intensity, volume, or a combination of these dimensions. A deload will most often last a week.\n\n\n\nThere are a few reasons for a deload period. The most common reasons are:\n\n  • Avoid a plateau in performance: The concept of a deload is based on the principle of supercompensation. Simply put, the body is always trying to adapt. So after a certain amount of time/stress put on the body, it will begin to adapt and gains in strength or performance will plateau.\n  • Avoid aggravating recurring injuries: If you have a past injury a deload week may be necessary to avoid another injury. A deload week is much better than months lost to injury\n  • Physical and/or mental recovery: Physical recovery is an obvious reason for a deload. Recovery from fatigue is vital to improving strength, performance, and hypertrophy. Mental recovery is often overlooked. Pushing your body daily or even several times a week is draining on mental resources. Without proper recovery, those resources will deplete. A routine for improving strength will tax the nervous system even more so, so a deload week will help to maintain steady progress with these types of routines.\nimportance of deload for mental and physical recovery\nDeloading allows for mental and physical recovery\n\n\nFor the most part, routines will have a deload week built in around the fourth or fifth week. Depending on your goal or the purpose of the routine (hypertrophy, strength, etc.) when the deload is scheduled may be different. However as a main reason for deload is to avoid injury and avoid plateaus, if you feel that you need to deload at week 3 so be it. And if you’re at week 5 and feel great, don’t feel you have to deload simply because the routine says so. Trust your body.\n\n\n\nThe way you deload matters on preference, goals, and how much you feel you need to deload. The different dimensions that can be manipulated during a deload are:\n\n  • Frequency: Simple. If you normally exercise 5 days a week, reduce the number to 2-3 sessions a week.\n  • Volume: Use the same weight and number of reps, but reduce the number of sets performed by about 60%.\n  • Intensity: Using the same set/rep scheme, but with weight reduced by 40%-60%.\n  • Exercise selection/modality: If you’re a hardcore weightlifter, try a week of cardio (running, swimming, biking, etc.) or vice versa. Body weight circuits is another good alternative to your usual lifting routine. Even exercise selection is a good way to deload. If compound exercises are your thing, try a week of machines, make a circuit out of it.\n\n\nAnother effective and fun way to deload is to try a whole different method of activity. For example, I discovered hot yoga during a scheduled deload last year, and have been going to yoga ever since. Get out of your comfort zone. Challenge yourself to try something new, you’ll be better for it. And when you do get back to your routine, you’ll appreciate it that much more and maybe have a new passion as well.\n\n\n\nCyclical Ketogenic Diet\n\nI’ve written about the standard ketogenic diet (SKD) before and a modified version, the targeted ketogenic diet (TKD). The cyclical ketogenic diet, like the TKD is another variant of the keto diet, with an emphasis on athletic performance.\n\nCyclical keto (CKD) is similar to the TKD in that carbs are used to enhance performance and maximize hypertrophy. The CKD however, uses “carb ups” or “carb loading” as opposed to targeted ingestion of carbs around workouts. A “carb up” or “carb load” is a dramatic increase in the amount of carbs you’re eating 1 to 2 days per week. The amount of carbs depends on the person and your non-carb up amount of carbs. Generally, 50 to 70 percent of your daily calories will be carbs on your carb up/load days. As with most things, a strict schedule or plan is essential for best results. This is especially true when optimizing nutrition for performance. The CKD is difficult to implement without a somewhat strict workout schedule.\n\nTo implement a CKD, you would begin to carb load about 5 hours before your last workout of the week. Anywhere from 20-50 grams of carbs can be eaten in this window. An hour or two before the workout consume another 25-50 grams of carbs ideally from glucose and fructose, as fructose will replenish liver glycogen. If you are very active and perform very high intensity exercise, you may benefit from 2 carb up days. If this is the case, during the first day calories should be about 70 percent from carbs (15 protein and 15 fat), preferably high glycemic index. The second day reduce to about 50 to 60 percent of the days calories from carbs (25 protein and 15 fat) and switch to low glycemic index sources.\n\nThe time it takes to get back into ketosis (a fat burning state) will vary by person, body composition, and how long you’ve been on a keto diet. There are some tricks to speed up the process though. The first day after a carb up, get back to a SKD, with fewer carbs than normal (0 to 2 percent). Also, implement a time-restricted eating schedule; basically don’t eat after sundown. The second day it’s best to do fasted HIIT or even a fasted high intensity weight training session, first thing in the morning. On the third day upon waking, while fasted, do some medium intensity cardio or weight training. Not too light, but less intensity than the previous day. Carbs should stay be the 3-5 percent range. After these few days, fat burning should be re-established and liver glycogen should be depleted.\n\nKeep in mind, the CKD is not for the average person. Or even an active person. If you’re active, even daily you can make great improvements with your fitness, strength, and even muscle growth with a SKD or a TKD. The CKD is for optimizing muscle growth and performing daily, very high intensity workouts. Like any method that allows for muscle gain, fat gain though slight, will occur.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFitness and strength are not only physical attributes. They are intangibles of a person as well. In order to achieve anything difficult, challenging, truly meaningful, one must be fit and strong where it counts most: your brain.\n\nThere are various strategies to achieve and maintain strength in your thought processes, interpretations and the like. One great technique is meditation. Just the word meditation evokes many different things. It can be as simple or complex as you need it to be. For some, 2 hours a day is needed others need only 10 minutes. The goal is the same: clarity, calm, relaxation, focus.\n\nWith so many benefits coming from regular meditation and the fact that it can be done anywhere, with no required equipment, there is no reason to not at least try meditating. Studies continue to be published demonstrating the many positive effects of meditation. On a physiological level, mediation appears to reduce inflammatory processes, boost the immune system, reduce stress, depression, and anxiety, promote cortical gray matter regrowth (regrow your brain), slow and prevent neurological aging, and improve focus and attention. That’s quite a few benefits from something you can do outside for 20 minutes a day for free.\n\nHow do I meditate? You may be asking. It’s simple, but not easy at first. It is generally advised that when first going about developing the habit of meditating you should try for twice a day, for shorter amounts of time, 10-20 minutes. The goal is to achieve total relaxation, clarity, and calmness. Both inside and outside. Your body, your thoughts, everything needs to be aligned, and calm but focused. Meditation is a skill and like any skill, it needs to be developed. You’re first day at the gym wouldn’t be a 2 hour workout, so take the same approach with meditating. Work your way up to it, with shorter more frequent periods. As you get more used to the process, you will “go under” more easily and in less time. Your goal is to “go under” and stay there for as much time as necessary. At first it may take time. In 20 minutes, you may only spend a few minutes “under.” That’s ok. Keep at it.\n\nAs with eating, exercise, and so much more: what works for you is the best method. I wake up as early as necessary, to get my 20 or so minutes every morning. I feel better the rest of the day for it. The types of meditation are vast and can all be beneficial, transcendental, kundalini, heart-rhythm, mindfulness, and so much more. Research a few, try a few. Ultimately though, do what works.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.757404088973999}
{"content": "\n\nAuriculotherapy in Jupiter at NovaGenix\n\nJupiter Auriculotherapy\n\n  Auriculotherapy Jupiter Erica Martina acupuncture Chinese medicine zen health earth healing arts\n\n\nAuriculotherapy is defined as a Healthcare modality in which the external surface of the ear, or auricle, is stimulated to alleviate pathological conditions in other parts of the body. While Ear Acupuncture is originally based upon the ancient Chinese practice of Acupuncture, the correspondence of specific parts of the body to specific points on the ear, was first developed in modern France. \n\nAuriculotherapy is a safe, painless, noninvasive and non-Toxic procedure, performed through Transcutaneous Electro Stimulation of specific reflex points on the ear. Auriculotherapy works by stimulating the central nervous system through the cranial nerves and spinal nerves on the auricle. This stimulation results in neurotransmitters being stimulated within the Brain and Spinal Cord of the Central Nervous System. This stimulation of neurotransmitters modulates the pain and modulates nerve function, thereby stimulating the healing process within the body to that organ or body part that is affected..\n\nWhat is Auriculotheapy?\n\n  Auriculotherapy Jupiter Erica Martina acupuncture Chinese medicine ear needle novagenix jupiter\n\n\nAuriculotherapy has been used as a form of Healthcare for thousands of years all over the world. Ancient records from China, Egypt, Greece, Rome and Persia all indicate treatments applied to the ear for a variety of problems.\n\nModern Auriculotherapy got its start in the early 1950’s when a French neurologist named Dr. Nogier,  discovered that cauterizations on the ear were performed by local healers in the Mediterranean basin around 380 BC. He based his theory on those practices and spent his career researching and developing the map of reflex points on the ear, based on the concept of inverted body (fetus) arrangement of the ear.  The head areas are represented toward the bottom of the ear, the feet towards the top and the body in between.  He eventually discovered over 200 Auricular points and their corresponding effects.\n\nTo schedule an appointment call Erica at  561-379-7778. You may also email her at ericamartina@aol.com  \n\nAbout Erica Martina\n\n  Auriculotherapy Jupiter Erica Martina acupuncture Chinese medicine west Palm Beach NovaGenix Ears\n\n Erica Martina is a Licensed Acupuncturist in Florida and has lived in Jupiter for the last 20 years. Erica Martina Graduated with a teaching degree in Biology from the College of Education in the Netherlands. She has been involved with natural medicine since 1985, when she became part of the first Natural Medicine Clinic (INOMA) in the Netherland Antilles. She was trained in ...  She has experience in nutritional management, tobacco cessation, spiritual and emotional well-being and addiction detoxification. To schedule an appointment or for more information, Erica can be reached at 561-379-7778.  \n\nToday, Auriculotherapy research continues with major advancements in the study and placement of ear reflex points, as well as scientific documentation of Erica's technique’s and effectiveness.  \n\nAuriculotherapy is recognized by the World Health Organization and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)\n\nAnd now accepted worldwide as a valuable and effective procedure for many conditions, Erica brings her vast knowledge and experience to Jupiter, Florida in the Heart of Palm Beach County..  \n\nHow can Auriculotherapy be of benefit to you?\n\n  Auriculotherapy Jupiter Erica Martina acupuncture Chinese medicine zen Ear NovaGenix power Jupiter\n\nWhat Conditions Can Auriculotherapy Help Treat?\n\n\n  • Smoking cessation – Auriculotherapy is thought to be 7 times more powerful than other methods used for smoking cessation\n  • Allergies – Relief of sinusitis, bronchitis, asthma, and cold and flu symptoms.\n  • Weight loss – Clinical studies showed an average of 1-2 pounds lost per week just by applying acupressure on the Hunger Point of the outer ear. \n  • Pain relief – including back pain, neck pain, migraines, sciatica pain, and radiating pain to the legs or arms.\n  • Hypertension (high blood pressure) and hypotension (low blood pressure).\n  • Stress relief and stress related disorders – confers a calming effect.\n  • Insomnia – A study involving 46 cases of insomnia — 19 male and 27 female — was conducted in the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Beijing.  The test subjects were treated with the auriculotherapy procedure. Of the 46 cases treated, 32 cases were cured(69.5%) –i.e.,able to sleep more than 7 hours; 13 cases (28.3%) were improved–1.e.,able to sleep 5-6 hours; and only 1 case (2.2%) failed–i.e., able to sleep less than 3 hours. The overall success rate was 97.8 %.\n  • Depression – nervousness, anxiety and other mental disorders.\n  • Hemorrhoids, digestion problems and constipation.\n  • Headaches – relief of tension headaches and migraine headaches.\n  • The Correction of a wide variety of other health conditions.\n\n  Auriculotherapy Jupiter Erica Martina acupuncture Chinese medicine Palm Beach NovaGenix Jupiter\n\nHow Old Is Auriculotherapy?\n\n As far as we know Auriculotherapy dates back to at least 500 BC. In the written text of the yellow emperor’s classic of internal medicine, many details of complex acupuncture procedures have been recorded. Within the manuscripts contain specific mentionings of acupuncture being used on points within the external ear for treatment various medical conditions and disorders. Since then more comprehensive diagrams and procedures have been created to treat the greater number of internal systems through auriculotherapy.  In the 1950s discoveries in France lead to advancements in the technique that are even being adopted and used to this day in China. We have written records and evidence of your acupuncture being used by the ancient Egyptians Greeks and Romans as well. This practice of alternative medicine is now being widely used around the globe in Europe as well as Asia and north and South America. In modern history we have many advancements due to the work of Dr. Paul Nogier. He was able to successfully document treatments performed on his patients to help treat sciatica. By finding a sciatica point on the ear he was able to reduce their pain substantially. Later created a more complex and comprehensive model, where he discovered that within the inner ear laid out a neurological series of acupuncture points that mimicked and could be compared to an inverted fetus, with the lower ear lobe representing the head and neck and at the top of the external ear lobe what is the feet. Connecting the top and bottom of the ear lobes the rest of the body systematically felon to order. After these discoveries the rest of the world took note and now employ this very model within their acupuncture practice.\n\n\n  Auriculotherapy Jupiter Erica Martina acupuncture Chinese medicine zen Pain treatment NovaGenix\n\nHow does one treat chronic pain with auriculotherapy?\n\n There are two major theories for how auriculotherapy seems to work. One is due to the release of endorphins which are chemicals released by the brain that make you feel good and help reduce stress and pain. The other concerns the network of neurotransmitters and how our nervous system sends pain signals to our brains. By using auriculotherapy to help reset these pathways of bio-electrical signals, we are able to gain control over the pain reflex arc. By normalizing the pathways and signaling of our peripheral nervous system and dermatomes we are able to help minimize and reduce pain, by stimulating your reflex points that connect the reflex system in the brain which then resets the entire message delivery system.\n\n To schedule an appointment call Erica at  561-379-7778. You may also email her at ericmartina@aol.com   \n\nAuriculotheapy Programs in Palm Beach\n\nHow Auriculotherapy can help you with your weight-loss\n\n  Auriculotherapy Jupiter Erica Martina acupuncture Chinese medicine weight loss novagenix jupiter\n\n\n\nIt has been proven that:\n\nAuriculotherapy reduces appetite by suppressing Ghrelin production.\n\nGhrelin is a peptide hormone that signals the brain that the stomach is empty and therefor increases appetite\n\nAuriculotherpy boosts serotonin levels\n\nSeotonin makes you feel good, suppresses appetite and reduces cravings.\n\nAuriculotherapy also increases systemic release of endorphins. Endorphines give you energy and make you feel good\n\nAuriculotherapy can balance out the endocrine system which often plays a role with weight-gain.\n\nAuriculotherapy also can have an effect on the entire metabolic process.\n\nAurilotherapy is completely safe, painless and has no side effects.\n\nIt is the perfect therapy to support your effort to lose weight in a healthy manner, assuming life style and dietary measures are applied.\n\nTreatment consist of weekly treatments with electro stimulation and ear seeds or semi permanent needles may be used. If you've tried diets to lose weight and are looking at acupuncture for weight loss, Erica Matina can help you. Many people are skepticle, but she will quickly make you a believer as her auriculotherpy for weight loss techniques will get results. Losing weight at NovaGenix with ear acupuncture techniques that she has perfected to let you reach your weight loss goals. Auriculotherapy in Florida with Erica can help you today. She is one of the few experts in this form of medicine in the Jupiter/Palm Beach area, so call her to discover more about Auricultherapy Near You at NovaGenix.\n\n\nAuriculotherapy can help you to quit smoking\n\n  Auriculotherapy Jupiter Erica Martina acupuncture Chinese medicine quit smoking Palm Beach Jupiter\n\n\nSmoking is a strong, complicated addiction.  Quitting smoking is no small task and you will need lots of support to be successful.  You need the best tools to help with the physical and emotional symptoms, and we offer several great resources to help you succeed. Smoking Cessation programs in Jupiter at NovaGenix use auriculotherapy performed by the skilled hands of licensed auriculotherapist, Erica Martina. If you live in the Palm Beach area and have asked yourself \"How do I quit smoking?\" She can help. Auriculotherapy in Florida at NovaGenix in Jupiter can help you curve the cravings of nicotine. Erica has helped countless patients quit smoking with her techniques.\n\nEmotional Balance  is a method to help the conscious and subconscious mind to become congruent with the decision to give up smoking.\n\nOur subconscious will always steer us towards pleasure and away from pain.  So even if you consciously want to quit smoking the subconscious mind is basically telling you that it is too difficult of a task to accomplish and will sabotage your efforts to succeed.\n\nWith Emotional Balance we can find out which emotions are involved in these sabotage  mechanisms and reprogram the mind .\n\nAuriculotherapy and Acupuncture will both help with the withdrawal symptoms of quitting Nicotine .\n\n– Auriculotherapy uses a mild, electronic stimulation on points on the outside of both ears. This treatment is similar to ear acupuncture but it uses no needles.\n\nWhen you first start smoking, your body tells you it’s a bad idea by causing nausea, coughing, and dizziness. As you continue to smoke, the nicotine causes the body to close down these receptors, creating an addiction. These points, when electronically stimulated, send a message to the brain that acts like a reset button for your nicotine receptors. The nicotine receptors open back up eliminating withdrawal symptoms caused by nicotine addiction. The lungs and liver are also addressed and will be simulated to start the healing process of these organs.\n\n– Both Ear Acupuncture and body Acupuncture  make use of needles to help  restore  balance ,detoxify the body and increase relaxation\n\nClinical Homeopathy is used as part of the treatment to help with the emotional stress and detoxification of the organs involved.\n\nHypnosis is also added when and if needed /requested.  In order to successfully stop smoking you must break the habits associated with your nicotine addiction. I teach a simple and effective method to overpower the triggers that tell you it’s time to smoke.\n\nHow does auriculotherapy help treat drug substance abuse?\n\n  Auriculotherapy Jupiter Erica Martina acupuncture Chinese medicine Addiction treatment NovaGenix\n\nTo explain how auriculotherapy helps people recover from substance abuse problems like alcoholism drug abuse and smoking takes a combination of both Eastern and Western medicine into account. The first observations came from Hong Kong from H. L. Wen in the 1970s. Dr wen, a neurosurgeon from Hong Kong discovered by accident the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating drug addiction. He reported that acupuncture at four body points into in your ear points combined with electrical stimulation was able to help relieve opiate withdrawal signs and drug addicts. This was later expanded upon by Dr. M. Smith physician in New York who also practiced Oriental medicine. In the 1980s Smith who is the head of the national acupuncture detoxification association, was able to create and finalize an auriculotherapy protocol using so leave it to your points without electrical stimulation to help treat drug abuse. The lung point on the ear being used to relieve addiction is thought to affect energy associated with the lung meridian that affects not just respiratory disorders but also detoxification problems. It’s thought that the Concha Area of the ear that is used for addiction treatment helps control parts of the autonomic nervous system through our Vargas nerve as well as the hypothalamus in the brain. By helping read channel do you neurological pathways it has shown promise with helping to treat addiction. There is much clinical evidence to suggest the treatment of drug addiction with auriculotherapy is beneficial for patients open to successfully recover from their dependency. Chemical dependency program called the underground railroad used in acupuncture -based program that combined traditional treatment methodology with acupuncture. In their traditional drug treatment program they had a 20 to 30% completion rate however after adding acupuncture to that same treatment they had more than doubled the completion rate with rates of between 60 and 65% completing the program. They claimed that acupuncture helped restore rational thought and an overall sense of well-being that made it possible for their patients to come to terms and except the benefits of attending support groups in psychotherapy which helped them through recovery.  \n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9035604000091553}
{"content": "Some things I’d like you to know about Data Science\n\n\nThings I’ve learned mostly by making mistakes\n\nMasses of data + cutting edge machine learning + cheap compute = Profit.\n\n\nIt’s not that simple.\n\nData science isn’t a replacement for asking difficult questions and doing hard work based on the answers. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Enabled by increasingly powerful algorithms and ever larger datasets, the breadth and depth of problems we can work on is only increasing. And that means choosing what to work on can be hard. This post is a loose collection of lessons I’ve learned about making the most of your analytical effort.\n\nIf you’re a project lead, product owner or decision maker, it’s vital to make the right choices with the information available to you. If you’re a data scientist/analyst/engineer you need to be laser-focused on furthering the goals of your organisation. The thread that ties these together is asking the right questions.\n\nAsking the right question\n\nData science is not a magic bullet. It’s more like a good recipe. I like simple recipes with room to tailor them (or more realistically, use what’s in the fridge).\n\nSince good analysis is essentially telling an informative story, I’ve taken this recipe from a textbook on journalism. It might seem simplistic, but often the goals, processes and environment are complex, and it is easy to get each of the following things wrong in subtle ways.\n\n  • What are we doing? Ask a question with quantifiable answer\n  • Why are we doing it? Know the upside of doing the work & and how to turn an answer into an action\n  • How will we get & process the data? The ideal data vs. the actual data\n  • When do you need it? Timeliness vs accuracy\n  • Who is going to do it? Having the right skillset on your team\n\nLet’s step through these. The focus will be on using data science to aid decision making, but some of this carries over to building data products. For a much deeper discussion of putting machine learning into products, check thisout.\n\nWhat are we doing? Ask a question with quantifiable answer\n\nAsk questions so that the answers are quantifiable and actionable. If the answer isn’t quantifiable, it’s unlikely that a model can be built. If the answer you get from the model doesn’t imply a clear action you won’t get anything useful from even the best model.\n\nBad example: What patterns are there in my data?\n\nThis question will drive your data scientists mad. They probably have less domain knowledge than you, didn’t collect the data themselves, and don’t know what actions you could take.\n\nThis isn’t to say you shouldn’t explore new data, but exploring data without some defined directions of inquiry is unlikely to go anywhere. Exploratory analysis should be thought of as the zeroth step in the analysis process, not an end unto itself.\n\nGood example: which customers are we most likely to lose unless we intervene? Which of them should we target for intervention? Which from a specific set of interventions will bring the highest expected ROI?\n\nWith this, data scientists can investigate which signals in the data led to customers leaving historically. These signals, and their combination, can be used to build a model to predict which customers are most likely to leave. They can propose targeted interventions for high-value customers and a threshold below which you shouldn’t intervene.\n\n\nUnless the work being defined can be clearly mapped to furthering the goals of the organisation (or something obvious like provably improving a product or decreasing a cost), the project should be treated with skepticism.\n\nOne failure mode is an unengaged stakeholder. Do they really want you to do the work? Will they act based on the results? Are they expecting a cat riding a fire-breathing unicorn with a gold desert eagle to solve their problems? Hint: they aren’t going to get it. They are going to get some very detailed input on what they should do, and that conversation may go badly.\n\nIs this what you were expecting? (Original image here)\n\nTypically, the results from the models will be idealized, and some suggested actions may be impractical for domain-specific reasons. This is where your stakeholders need to shine — you could always build a more complex model, or use the human (hopefully expert) judgement they bring. Often the latter yields higher ROI — the goal is to augment human intelligence, not replace it!\n\n\nNot all use cases are the same but here are some thoughts about making data science projects valuable.\n\nDesigning ad-hoc analysis/experiments\n\nAs far as is practical, it is helpful to know in advance:\n\n  • the criteria for success,\n  • the metrics that define it,\n  • the variables that may influence those metrics,\n  • the data needed to find & represent these variables. The location, use restrictions and quality of the data have a huge impact on your project, so its good to sort that out early on.\n  • A baseline: Measuring something is greatly devalued if you don’t have a specification for how the system you are observing is supposed to perform in the first place.\n\nWith this in place, a data scientist may not even be needed. Self-service visualisation/analytics tools will work in most cases.\n\nThis ideal case is rare, more frequently you need to “use what’s in the fridge”. A common problem is mistakenly believing you have something in the fridge that isn’t there. Double-check the fridge before getting elbow deep in the cooking.\n\nThe cost of data\n\nNot all data collection can be defined up-front, or be gathered as a side benefit of something else. Generally, data has collection, extraction and storage costs, and we must be selective.\n\nAt the beginning, it is tempting to get as much data as possible, and that’s usually the right intuition. Over time, this isn’t sustainable, so how do we trace back from the actions taken as a result of analysis to quantify the contribution of any given data item, so we can optimize data collection for maximum benefit?\n\n  • If the question is regression or classification, feature selection can be used to determine which data to collect going forward\n  • customizable instrumentation helps — be prepared to iterate on the system that generates the data, you (or the team running that system) may benefit from collecting different or additional data. Software engineers are your friends.\n  • purely technological solutions exist — cold storage, streaming, logical data warehousing, and most importantly, not choosing vendors who make it difficult to access your data for analysis.\n\nQuantifying uncertainty\n\nSome actions require near certainty, and some situations require different action when you are uncertain. Data science also includes working with small datasets (or that less-than ideal data you had in the fridge). Popular methods (deep learning, classical hypothesis testing) aren’t designed to tell you how uncertain your results are. Check out BEST for hypothesis testing, Gaussian processes for classification/regression and PyMC3 for density estimation.\n\nWhen do you need it? Timeliness vs accuracy\n\nTimeliness ~ usability of results + interpretability of analysis + required level of certainty\n\nDo you even need a model? Often dashboards or visualisation suffice to maximise the above. It’s OK to solve a problem without a model! You don’t need Temporally Recurrent Online Learning to solve every problem, despite the barrage of hype and pushy vendors.\n\nJeff Bezos’ letter to Amazon shareholders had a wealth of advice on timeliness. One highlight was this:\n\n\nAnother good guideline before you implement that algorithm hot off arxiv.org is to consider the benefit per human hour of effort. My lab mates and I once spent all night coding a faster image in-painting algorithm for Carola Schonlieb’s image processing course. Tired and proud of ourselves, when presenting our work, the only comment we were given by a professor in the audience was “human time is expensive, computer time is cheap”. Our time would have been better spent elsewhere.\n\nTangent: The rise in popularity of deep learning over other machine learning methods can be partially explained by this — deep learning often requires a relatively straightforward understanding of the mathematical problem, the ability to manipulate tensors and gradient descent. Contrast this with classical methods that require extensive feature engineering and model comparison across different families of problems. Bayesian methods are even harder to apply, requiring solid understanding of probability distributions, their interaction and computational quirks of approximating them efficiently. So, it’s easier to go from software engineering to deep learning, which means more people use it, and the rise becomes self-perpetuating. That’s awesome but it doesn’t make deep learning the right tool for every job (at least right now), it helps to keep other tools in mind.\n\n\nAside from the well-known data science skills, you need some support from other folks in your organisation. Trying to be/hire a unicorn is a lot less efficient than just talking someone who knows something you don’t. So go and talk to some people. Maybe even stare at their shoes!\n\nDeploying a model is non-trivial — you need some software chops to do it right. At scale, Python can be a nightmare (what was the type of that data you passed?). Your nearest friendly software engineers will almost certainly have some opinions.\n\nIf your model crashes or the data gets weird, what happens? Can you rollback to a previous model or a fail over to simpler system? Get a dev-ops person to school you.\n\nGood decisions require human insight as well as data. Have you done everything necessary for a human expert to make an informed choice and mitigated the risks sufficiently? Get a domain expert to critique your model.\n\nAre you sure your analysis and its consequences are ethical and legal? Are you storing the data according to regulations and informing users of your system appropriately. Make friends with Legal, they can make things much easier, or disastrously difficult.\n\nI hope this helps! Comments and corrections gratefully received.\n\nI’ll post again soon on why AI != Machine learning != Data science\n\n\nOriginal Source.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5814208984375}
{"content": "Out of Memory\n\n4/26/2018 1736 Contributors\n\n\nThe system doesn't have sufficient free memory to run the application. \n\nPossible Causes\n\nThis error doesn't necessarily mean that the system has completely run out of free memory, only that it isn't able to allocate enough memory for the application to run.  The most common causes are low system memory or a memory leak in the application.\n\nRecommended Fix\n\nCheck the available free memory on the system.  If it seems high enough then contact support as it is probably a bug in the application.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.993800699710846}
{"content": "Nanotechnology in food\n\nOn behalf of the UN and the World Bank, more than scientists had summarised the state of global Nanotechnology in food, its history and its future in a four-year-process. A synthetic statement is propositionally meaningless if it is in principle neither falsifiable nor verifiable. So whether the universe we perceive existed or not, it as a merely possible universe would be perceived by its merely possible inhabitants no differently than our actual universe is perceived by its actual inhabitants.\n\nAgnosticism is the thesis that one does not or cannot know whether supernatural agency exists. Graphene Films and Foils ANI offers carbon films and foils based on high-strength graphene for stripper foil, radiation windows, gas-cell windows, x-ray and ion-beam windows and thermal management applications.\n\nTake a look at your share of gobal food and land!\n\nIn the know...on food packaging\n\nTwo circumstances are causally unrelated if neither could ever influence the other. Major objectives for a nanotechnology strategy have already been incorporated into the new research framework programme Horizon The purpose of the state is to effect justice, provide aid and sustenance to persons in mortal danger, protect species in danger of extinction, and prevent torture.\n\nLogical Positivism is an analytic school holding that meaningful propositions must be either logically provable or empirically verifiable, and that propositions about metaphysics and ethics are therefore nonsensical or at best emotional.\n\n\nThat is the message of a new report released by the Landmatrixan independent initiative that collects and evaluates data on large-scale land acquisitions.\n\nThe ongoing revision of specific food legislation addresses explicitly the use of nanomaterials in all foods. One could imagine a set of circumstances causally unrelated to the maximal set that includes this sentence, and could choose to consider it a separate universe.\n\nFurthermore, exposure of rats to the same migration extracts for 90 days in drinking water did not show evidence of toxicity in terms of oxidative stress, inflammation, clinical biomarkers and histopathological analysis Maisanaba et al. The sensors recognize when a plant needs nutrients or water, before you could see any sign that the plant is deficient.\n\n\nIBM Research\n\n\nAn event is itself a change and time is no more than an ordering of these changes. It outlines the additional data needed for the assessment of a material when used in its nanoform to address potential intrinsic hazards that may arise. Two years into the SDGs: Nature is the aspects of the universe governed by lawlike and non volitional regularity.\n\nResearch Grants\n\nTheir results showed that silver migrated into food simulants and that acidic food presented the highest level of migration. The universe is the maximal set of circumstances that includes this statement and no subset of which is causally unrelated to the remainder.\n\nThus all persons practice philosophy whether they know it or not. Number two on the list was \"agricultural productivity enhancement\", number three was \"water treatment and remediation\" and number six was \"food processing and storage\" read more: We connect mainstream researchers around the world and those interested in knowing more about their researches through our website.In the food industry, nanotechnology has been utilized in order to enhance the delivery of food ingredients to target sites, increase flavor, inhibit bacterial growth, extend product shelf life and improve food safety.\n\nNanotechnology involves the manipulation of microscopic matter that ranges from 1 to nm in size. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates a wide range of products, including foods, cosmetics, drugs, devices, veterinary products, and tobacco products some of which may utilize nanotechnology or contain nanomaterials.\n\nFood packaging is an area of the industry where nanotechnology has been most rapidly embraced, as it offers many benefits ranging from improving barrier properties, thus preventing contamination. More than 2 million questions answered! is the oldest & largest free Q&A service on the Internet.\n\nWelcome to Insight Medical Publishing (iMedPub LTD)\n\nRapid development of nanotechnology is expected to transform many areas of food science and food industry with increasing investment and market share. In this article, current applications of nanotechnology in food systems are briefly reviewed.\n\nIn other words, not only can nanotechnology be used to structure new types of food ingredients, it can also be used to build new types of food packages, food quality detection tools, and other types of measurement and detection systems.\n\nNanotechnology in food\nRated 4/5 based on 96 review", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.853488564491272}
{"content": "Employee Assistance/Support Programs\n\nWhat is it? This approach aims to minimize work disruptions and absenteeism and improve workers’ financial stability by offering confidential and customized support around life issues that interfere with work. Employee assistance programs have only recently become part of local workforce system services. \n\nWho provides it? Nonprofit organizations in partnership with employers. \n\nOne of the first employee support organizations to implement this approach was the SOURCE in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which began when a group of manufacturing employers came together to address the child care needs of entry-level employees. Several similar efforts were later developed in communities across the country and called the “sustainable workforce model.” In 2015, four nonprofit organizations—the SOURCE (Grand Rapids, MI), WorkLife Partnership (Denver, CO), Connect for Success (Seattle, WA), and Working Bridges (northwest Vermont)—came together to form a replication network called WorkLab Innovations, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation and the consulting firm FSG.\n\nWhy is it important? Entry-level and low-wage workers can face many barriers to performing in and maintaining their employment. Simultaneously, key issues for employers include absenteeism and turnover, which can affect the bottom line. Employers may not be able to identify the issues that cause problems like absenteeism and turnover, nor may they be positioned to provide the kinds of support workers require to overcome these challenges. The sustainable workforce model is designed to bring a third-party nonprofit provider that is better able to help employers reduce workplace issues and increase productivity.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9989886283874512}
{"content": " Chapter 76 – Bear-san And The Shop’s Reconstruction, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, Kumanano, Romance, WuxiaWorld light novel\n\n\nChapter 76 – Bear-san And The Shop’s Reconstruction\n\n    Chapter 76 - Bear-san And The Shop's Reconstruction\n\n    The next day, I went to the shop to prepare what was needed.\n\n    Still, it was really big, huh.\n\n    I had thought that if I had to make a shop, I would make something like a fast food place, so I couldn't stop thinking about how big the mansion in front of me was.\n\n    Well, just thinking about it wouldn't resolve anything now that I had already bought it.\n\n    The site's condition left nothing to be desired.\n\n    It was big and near the orphanage. Even though it was a little far from the center of the town, it wasn't a distance that would stop the customers from coming.\n\n    As soon as I entered the shop, I headed towards the kitchen.\n\n    First, I had to make the stone ovens that were vital for baking.\n\n    I placed the things that would've been a hindrance inside the Bear Box, so that there would be enough space in the kitchen.\n\n    I had prepared three stone ovens for baking bread and pizza.\n\n    I hoped that this would be good enough.\n\n    Well, I would just have to make more if it wasn't.\n\n    Next, I thought about what I should do for the fridge.\n\n    I found a small storehouse next to the kitchen and entered it.\n\n    Although I said it was a small storehouse, it was around 10 tatami mats wide.\n\n    Was this the pantry? There weren't any windows.\n\n    Once I pressed a switch on the wall, a light magic stone lit up the storehouse.\n\n    There was absolutely nothing inside.\n\n    This was probably a good spot.\n\n    I insulated the walls with my earth magic so that no heat could enter.\n\n    Then I placed ice magic stones in different places and transformed it into a big, refrigerated storehouse.\n\n    Was there anything else we needed?\n\n    I thought about it, but nothing came to mind.\n\n    I would have to consult Morin-san about this.\n\n    (Editor's Note: 10 tatami mats is about 16.53 meters squared or 177.91 square feet)\n\n    Next were the shop's decorations.\n\n    Originally, it was a noble's home, but...\n\n    Had no one cleaned this place for a long time? Even the carpets and wallpaper were all dirty.\n\n    Mylene-san said that she would take care of the cleaning and renovation. Since it was included in the price, I decided to let them do it.\n\n    I went to the second floor.\n\n    There were rooms kept for guests, but wouldn't they be too big for couples?\n\n    Wouldn't it be better to use them to hold events like birthday parties?\n\n    Still, would anybody use them?\n\n    Well, we'll think about what to do about the second floor once the shop opens.\n\n    Then I went to the garden.\n\n    It was quite big.\n\n    However, it was also quite messy.\n\n    Since no one was living here, the vegetation had grown wild.\n\n    I wondered, did the cleaning and renovation include the garden as well?\n\n    If it didn't, we would have to do it ourselves.\n\n    However, could we create a café terrace once it was cleaned?\n\n    Well, that would depend on the number of customers though.\n\n    It would be great if we could make it, but it would be meaningless if no one used it.\n\n    I decided to hold onto this idea for now.\n\n    For a few days after this, I went to the orphanage to teach the children how to cook.\n\n    During that time, I left the renovations to Mylene-san.\n\n    I assembled various ingredients for the pizza and made some different types of pudding as well. I modified the taste and used different toppings to increase the menu choices.\n\n    Making such a big menu was not necessarily a good thing, so I asked for impressions from Helen, Mylene, and Helena to narrow it down.\n\n    As the preparations for the shop progressed steadily, Morin-san and her daughter finally arrived from the capital.\n\n    After arriving, Morin-san went to the orphanage we promised to meet at.\n\n    「Yuna-san, so you're already here, huh.」\n\n    I couldn't tell them that I came back through the Bear Transfer Gate.\n\n    「Yes, I arrived a little earlier than you.」\n\n    The two of them seemed to be really tired after their long trip. Their fatigue was clearly visible.\n\n    「What will you be doing after this today?」\n\n    「We are really tired, so we were thinking of finding an inn.」\n\n    「Don't worry, I have already prepared a place for you to stay.」\n\n    「That would help us a lot. We are exhausted after the long journey.」\n\n    I led the two of them outside of the orphanage.\n\n    「So, Yuna-san, where are we going?」\n\n    「Ah, Morin-san, you can stop addressing me so formally.」\n\n    I was really unaccustomed to being addressed with '‐san' by older people.\n\n    「Then is it okay to call you Yuna-chan?」\n\n    「Yes, please go with that instead. We are going to the place where Morin-san will be working. There are a lot of spare rooms in the shop, so I thought about letting you live there.」\n\n    「Thank you.」\n\n    「No problem, I've unreasonably made you come here after all.」\n\n    We arrived at the shop (?).\n\n    Morin-san and Karin-san froze.\n\n    (TL note: the \"?\" was in the raw)\n\n    「Yuna-chan, isn't this a mansion?」\n\n    In front of them stood a mansion that was going to be used as the shop.\n\n    「A former one. Now, it's my shop and the place where Morin-san and everyone else will work.」\n\n    「A shop? Are you saying that we will sell bread here?」\n\n    「It's still in the middle of renovations, though.」\n\n    There was no signboard or name for this shop either.\n\n    It was because I wanted to think about it with everybody.\n\n    A café, a tea house, a bakery, a pizzeria, or a pudding store, what would be good?\n\n    In this situation, I couldn't decide by myself.\n\n    「In this sort of place, the bread...」\n\n    「I will be explaining about the shop tomorrow, so please rest for today.」\n\n    I brought the two of them into the shop.\n\n    「It's amazing!」\n\n    「Mum, will we really be selling bread here?」\n\n    The two of them looked at the already cleaned floor.\n\n    「The first floor will be used for the shop, so please use the rooms on the second floor.」\n\n    They went to look at the second floor.\n\n    Past the big staircase, there were plenty of rooms.\n\n    「I don't mind, but will we really be living here?」\n\n    「It's great because the workplace is near, right?」\n\n    I took them into the farthest rooms on the second floor.\n\n    There weren't any conspicuous ornaments that stood out, but it was a pretty room.\n\n    Was it because it used to be the room of a noble? The window frame made the room look very stylish.\n\n    「For now, I will bring out the luggage that I've brought from the capital. Please let me know if you have any requests for the arrangement.」\n\n    I arranged the beds, the closets, and the drawers.\n\n    「It doesn't seem to go well with the room, huh...」\n\n    The wallpapers, the floor, and the curtains were beautiful...\n\n    However, the beds and other things that I brought out were for commoners.\n\n    The bed was small, and the closet was dirty.\n\n    Also, the small desk stood out in the big room.\n\n    It created a strange sense of discomfort.\n\n    「Do you want me to buy some furniture meant for nobles?」\n\n    「It won't suit us.」\n\n    「More importantly, will I be able to sleep in such a large room?」\n\n    Karin-san muttered with a small voice.\n\n    「There's also a bath, so please feel free to use it. It has been cleaned, so you can use it whenever you feel like. Let me know if you need anything else.」\n\n    「There's nothing in particular, it's already amazing.」\n\n    「It's the same for me.」\n\n    「Then I'll bring the children that will be helping with the shop tomorrow, so please take your time to rest today.」\n\n    The next day, I went to the orphanage and brought the six children that would be working at the shop.\n\n    The children had already come to the shop several times.\n\n    They were the ones who took care of the weeds in the garden, and trimmed the branches.\n\n    The rooms on the second floor were also cleaned by them.\n\n    When we arrived at the shop, the delicious scent of freshly baked bread was already drifting in the air.\n\n    We entered the shop and went into the kitchen. There, we saw Morin-san and Karin-san already baking bread.\n\n    If I knew that they were making it now, I wouldn't have eaten breakfast before coming here...\n\n\n    「Yuna-san, good morning.」\n\n    Karin-san came to greet me.\n\n    Morin-san was taking care of baking bread.\n\n    「Did you sleep well?」\n\n    「Yes, I was really tired, so I fell asleep the moment I got in bed.」\n\n    「That's great.」\n\n    Morin-san also came over.\n\n    「Yuna-chan, good morning.」\n\n    「You're already making bread?」\n\n    「I wanted to see how to adjust the stone oven. I had some ingredients to make bread, so I practiced a little during the night.」\n\n    In the end, she examined everything as soon as I left?\n\n    「So, how was the stone oven? If there is anything wrong with it, please let me know.」\n\n    「There are no problems. It's a great stone oven. After this, I just have to bake bread, figure out the quirks of the oven, and gain some experience.」\n\n    「The quirks of the stone oven?」\n\n    「How the heat is distributed, or how much time it takes to heat up the oven. There are lots of quirks depending on the stone oven, and it changes how the bread is baked.」\n\n    That's what a pro artisan is like.\n\n    Compared to me, I didn't pay attention to anything when I was baking pizza.\n\n    Everything was so random in comparison.\n\n    So that's why she could bake delicious bread.\n\n    「So are those the children that will be helping me with the store?」\n\n    She saw the children standing behind me.\n\n    The children went to the front and greeted them.\n\n    「Can you teach these children how to make bread? It's okay if you don't want to.」\n\n    「There's no problem. You taught me how to make pudding, so I won't do something as rude as refusing to teach them.」\n\n    「Then, you'll all learn how to make bread in the mornings, and you can then take the bread you've made back to the orphanage.」\n\n    The children energetically responded.\nPrevious Index Next", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7695474624633789}
{"content": "Awful forms intimidate taxpayersIf the 104th Congress...\n\n\nAwful forms intimidate taxpayers\n\nIf the 104th Congress is serious about getting government off the backs of citizens and eliminating or simplifying paperwork, why, oh why, did it not begin with that monstrosity visited upon millions of U.S. citizens for innumerable years, federal income tax forms?\n\nI just finished preparing my 1994 tax returns and find myself, as I have for some 40 years, shaking my head in disbelief and frustration that supposedly intelligent, reasonable and moral people could devise a system and forms that are so complex and incomprehensible that a person of above-average intelligence and education has great difficulty completing them.\n\nFor example: To make this task \"simpler and easier,\" these forms inform me, I am provided by federal and state agencies with two booklets totaling some 90 pages of instructions.\n\nI am also told that for my particular situation, the average time required to complete my return is some 18 hours.\n\nThat, of course, is assuming I don't need to complete any of the other 29 forms listed on page 35 of the federal booklet or go to the library to get any of the 22 publications also listed, all of which will make this task \"simpler and easier.\"\n\nIn case I would need to complete all of those forms, the average time required would be an additional 38 hours. And that does not include the time required for preparing state income tax returns.\n\nNeed I go on? The system is out of control.\n\nI dislike demonizing, but I wonder if some virus has invaded the minds of Congress, to create the laws governing taxation, and the Internal Revenue Service, to convince us that this system and these forms are \"simple and easy\" and even beneficial. Even worse, that virus seems to have paralyzed the minds of citizens like me who have, year after year, allowed this invasion of our time without a word of protest, perpetuating the system to the next generation.\n\nCareful as I am, I am never entirely sure that I have filled out all the forms properly and accurately.\n\nWhen I read the veiled threats in the instruction booklets and recall some of the horror stories of what might happen to people who complain about the IRS, I am usually cowed into silence for another year.\n\nThis year I am speaking out. Is anyone listening?\n\nMargie Ashe\n\n\nBhutto is a friend\n\nOur fearless leaders forget Pakistan was our friend during the Cold War and the war in Afghanistan. Uncle Sam deals with India, which not only has nuclear weapons but is also developing ballistic missiles.\n\nPrime Minister Benazir Bhutto is seeking a military balance with India. She is asking us to apply sanctions equally to both nations. Ms. Bhutto also suggests that the United States should offer to mediate the conflict over the province of Kashmir in order to prevent a future war.\n\nIf common sense were more common, our politicians would lift the Pressler amendment which bans U.S. arms sales to Pakistan.\n\nOur government donates a fortune to North Korea to persuade its leaders to stop its development of nuclear weapons. We also do business with China, which is a cruel communist nation.\n\nMany of your readers believe Uncle Sam should stop rewarding our enemies and punishing our friends.\n\nJoseph Lerner\n\n\nSilent world\n\nI read with interest the April 16 feature article describing the life and death of Charlie Christensen, the hearing impaired individual who was recently murdered.\n\nThe article served to enlighten those who never gave thought of what it would be like to be unable to hear or speak.\n\nAs one who is dating a hearing impaired person, I can relate to the daily obstacles Mr. Christensen endured throughout his life. The day-to-day communication most of us take for granted is TC constant struggle for the deaf.\n\nA night out at the movie theater or listening to the radio are just a few of life's pleasures hearing impaired people cannot enjoy.\n\nUnderstanding and engaging in conversation with others is very difficult without someone to assist in interpreting what is being said.\n\nMisunderstandings in conversations occur often. Being deaf isolates individuals from the mainstream and breeds frustration and loneliness.\n\nI do hope the killers of Mr. Christensen are brought to justice. The best punishment for them would not be prison, but instead to make them deaf for the rest of their lives.\n\nOnly then could they experience just how maddening it is to live in a world of silence.\n\nJames D. Brown\n\n\nPurchases of Guns\n\nI was surprised, but pleased, to see The Sun chronicle, on the front page yet, the failure of the gun-control laws to curtail straw purchases of firearms (March 26).\n\nSurprise! Gun-control laws hassle law-abiding citizens but don't deter criminals.\n\nIf a criminal wants a gun, he gets a gun, either outside the law or, according to this article, inside the law.\n\nThe only gun-control laws that have a history of success against crime are the lenient gun-carry laws of Florida and some other states. Too bad Maryland is not so enlightened.\n\nI am sure that the article was written as a prelude to the next level of gun-control hysteria, but the real solution to the crime problem can also be deduced from this article.\n\nTo wit, Gardenia Blanding committed a firearms crime by being a straw purchaser but was given immunity for squealing on her boy friend. He, in turn, received a suspended sentence for illegally purchasing firearms.\n\nHere are two people identified as being guilty of firearm crimes, but neither one is in jail.\n\nThen Nathaniel Dawson, the recipient of Ms. Blanding's straw-bought weapons, is identified as a drug lord and is responsible for the shooting death of an innocent child, yet he is still drawing the breath of life.\n\nThe gun-grabbers are busy thinking of new ways to harass the law-abiding gun owner. But if they really want to attack crime, they would aim their guns at the courts, not at us law-abiding old men who just want to enjoy our gun hobbies.\n\nJohn Cullom\n\n\nSmoking Laws\n\n. . .An article in the Maryland section of the March 29 edition noted the impending federal cuts to substance abuse treatment and prevention funds.\n\nIt is ludicrous that this state passes a law limiting the use of tobacco products in buildings across the state, but two bills requiring accountability for an already intact statue regarding sales of tobacco products to minors are put aside.\n\n. . .Were our state representatives truly oblivious to the ramifications when letting these bills be defeated? Do they comprehend the outcome when funds of this magnitude end programs that work to impact on communities more paralyzed by substance abuse issues each passing day?\n\nI am currently involved in a program in Carroll County that is subsidized in part by this federal grant money. What options do our legislators propose if these funds are cut?\n\nWhere do sincere, earnest individuals turn to address their treatment options if they seek out assistance in ending their substance abuse problems?\n\nThe state is not going to pick up the tab. That I know first-hand. I will not even attempt to address the federal government decision-making with money. When we talk about problems of accountability and responsibility, does the adage, \"lead by example\" hit close to home?\n\nOur elected officials have to be held responsible and accountable for their decisions, and we as voters have to contact them if we perceive them as failing.\n\nJoe Hassman, M.D.\n\n\nGood Samaritan\n\nI write this letter to thank the good Samaritan who returned $6,000 in cash to the Russian couple.\n\nIn this day and age of sensational trials, ethnic wars and a pervasive lack of respect for human decency, it is uplifting to read about someone who practices random kindness and performs acts of beauty that make sense.\n\nLawrence M. Garten\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6603941917419434}
{"content": "Geek Trivia\n\nModern Subway Maps Were Inspired By?\n\nAbstract Art Deco Paintings\nBusiness Flow Charts\nCircuit Diagrams\nPostal Charts\nA Pen Invented By Thomas Edison Is Still In Use Today For What Purpose?\n\nAnswer: Circuit Diagrams\n\nEarly subway diagrams weren’t the easiest things to read. Designers of early maps strove to make them properly scaled, accurate, and they were often superimposed over a roadway map of the city they ran through, which meant that the numerous downtown subway stations were clustered together and the peripheral stations were positioned far to the edge of the map.\n\nIn short, they were terribly impractical and in serious need of rethinking. That rethinking came to us courtesy of Harry Beck, an English technical draughtsman who is best known for his invention of the London Underground Tube map that bore his name through 1960 and which cities all over the world imitated.\n\nHe based his design on that of a circuit diagram and eschewed complex information and true scale for simplistic depiction that told travelers what they really wanted to know: what line am I on, where does it stop, where is that relative to here, and what line can I transfer to. Beck’s arrangement of information proved to be very easy to read and we’ve used the general design principles he created ever since.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.95452880859375}
{"content": "Lino Naranjo\n\nAlmost all the studies performed during the past century have shown that drought is not the result of a single cause. Instead, it is the result of many factors varying in nature and scales. For this reason, researchers have been focusing their studies on the components of the climate system to explain a link between patterns (regional and global) of climatic variability and drought.\n\nSome drought patterns tend to recur frequently, particularly in the tropics. One such pattern is the El Niño and Southern Oscillation (ENSO). This chapter explains the main characteristics of the ENSO and its data forms, and how this phenomenon is related to the occurrence of drought in the world regions.\n\nOriginally, the name El Niño was coined in the late 1800s by fishermen along the coast of Peru to refer to a seasonal invasion of south-flowing warm currents of the ocean that displaced the north-flowing cold currents in which they normally fished. The invasion of warm water disrupts both the marine food chain and the economies of coastal communities that are based on fishing and related industries. Because the phenomenon peaks around the Christmas season, the fishermen who first observed it named it \"El Niño\" (\"the Christ Child\"). In recent decades, scientists have recognized that El Niño is linked with other shifts in global weather patterns (Bjerknes, 1969; Wyrtki, 1975; Alexander, 1992; Trenberth, 1995; Nicholson and Kim, 1997).\n\nThe recurring period of El Niño varies from two to seven years. The intensity and duration of the event vary too and are hard to predict. Typically, the duration of El Niño ranges from 14 to 22 months, but it can also be much longer or shorter. El Niño often begins early in the year and peaks in the following boreal winter. Although most El Niño events have many features in common, no two events are exactly the same. The presence of El Niño events during historical periods can be detected using climatic data interpreted from the tree ring analysis, sediment or ice cores, coral reef samples, and even historical accounts from early settlers. Many researchers are currently working to determine whether global warming would intensify or otherwise affect El Niño.\n\n0 0\n\nPost a comment", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9515621662139893}
{"content": "What is genesis?\n\n/What is genesis?\nWhat is genesis?2018-11-30T13:20:15+00:00\n\nThe word genesis means “origin or coming into beginning” (Webster’s). Using the genesis tool creates wonderful choreography that gives glory to God and communicates biblical messages. Additionally, genesis activates organic movement that looks natural; and genesis is important because it accesses all levels of technical ability. To fully understand how to use the genesis tool, Mary recommends that you read chapter 3 of her book “Soul to Sole Choreography: Practical Steps to Prayer in Motion for Christian Dance Ministry” or invite her to teach Workshop VI – Genesis: A Creative, Practical Choreography Tool” for your ministry needs.\n\nGenesis includes the following:\n\n  1. Genesis is a written movement plan.\n  2. Genesis describes movements that you want the dancers to create using the movement words found in tools 3-5 of Workshop III. The plan can be long or short.\n  3. A genesis plan does not use technical movement terms from a particular dance style (i.e. ballet, jazz, modern, etc.).\n  4. After the plan is written, the choreographer distributes it to dancers in a rehearsal on a piece of paper.\n  5. Dancers read this written movement plan, and they “create” organic movement choices based on what the descriptive movement plan asks.\n  6. All genesis plans invite dancers to create movement with choices from their own organic base. Like detectives, dancers “solve” the written movement plan and turn it into actual created movement.\n  7. Genesis plans can be conceived based on lyrics, text, and/or counts of music (that represent a biblical choreography target).\n\nThe key for genesis is to have biblical intent behind the descriptions you want participants to solve. You will be surprised at the invention, the beauty, and the power of what develops if you lead the intent of genesis with intentional preparation.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9484875202178955}
{"content": "Positional Vertigo\n\nBenign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) constitutes a major proportion of the population with peripheral vestibulopathies. Although the freely floating otoconia within the semicircular canals is responsible for the symptoms of BPPV, the source of the otoconia debris is mainly believed to be the otolith organs. Therefore, the pathology in either or both the otolith organs appears a logical proposition.\n\nTimothy C. Hain, MD\nThere are several hypotheses that have been put forth to explain Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV). The most popular and current is the “canalith hypothesis”, in which dizziness is thought to be due to debris which has collected within the long arm of the posterior canal. This debris is tenatively thought to be loose “otoconia”, derived from the utricle. Otoconia consits of crystals of calcium carbonate, about 3 microns in diameter, derived from a structure in the ear called the “utricle”. The utricle may have been damaged by head injury, infection, or other disorder of the inner ear, or may have degenerated because of advanced age. Normally otoconia appear to have a slow turnover. They are probably dissolved and reabsorbed by the “dark cells” of the labyrinth, which are found adjacent to the utricle and the crista.\nThe canalith hypothesis is not accepted by all. R. Buckingham recently summarized a large number of puzzling observations. He suggested that loose otoconia displaced by the Epley maneuver, would end up displaced into the utricle, and then move into the lateral canal or the other end of the posterior canal, in the “sump”. He also reviewed articles suggesting that normal, non-symptomatic individuals also have loose debris in their canals.\n\nAnatomical and theoretical observations on otolith repositioning for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.\nBuckingham RA\n\nTo determine if there is an anatomic basis for the assumption that loose, “rogue” otoliths presumed to arise from the utricular macula and theorized to cause benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) by impinging on semicircular canal ampullae could be returned to their original site by a series of changes in the position of the head called particle repositioning maneuvers (PRMs). Further, if such otolith movement were possible, once they were replaced into the utricle, would they adhere to the utricular macula?\n\nA study of cross-sections of the temporal bone shows that loose macular otoliths after PRMs would tend to fall into the lumen of the utricle. Once the patient assumes the erect position, however, repositioned otoliths would tend to fall into the near or utriculopetal side of the cupula of the posterior semicircular canal, which opens directly into the inferior portion of the utricle, and could cause labyrinth stimulation and BPPV by the same mechanism of misplaced otoliths on the opposite or far side of the cupula. Loose otoliths in the utricle could also stimulate the horizontal ampullae.\n\nParticle repositioning maneuvers do not remove or fix otoliths in any specific site in the labyrinth. Repositioning of loose otoliths onto the original site in the macula of the utricle, which lies superiorly in the vestibule, could not be accomplished by any of the repositioning maneuvers. If otoliths were to be repositioned on the utricular macula, there is no evidence that the otoliths would adhere to the macula when the patient assumes the erect position. The good results obtained by physiotherapeutic procedures suggest that some other mechanism than repositioning of otoliths is responsible for the relief of BPPV.\n\nGalina Toktalieva\n\nKyrgyzstan-born author residing in Graz, Austria\n\nYou may also like...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9911108613014221}
{"content": "google plus icon\ntrip advisor icon\n\nArusha City\n\n\nArushaArusha, the gateway to the world famous game sanctuaries of Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire and Lake Manyara, is one of the oldest towns in Tanzania. From a tiny German garrison in 1900, Arusha has grown to become the tourist capital of Tanzania with a population of about 400,000 people. At 1,540 metres above sea level, Arusha enjoys a very agreeable climate throughout the year. Positioned at the centre of Africa between the Cape and Cairo on the Great North Road, Arusha is the administrative seat of the East African Community made up of Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. Arusha offers an excellent opportunity for authentic souvenir shopping, including the bold Makonde carvings, and the colourful Tinga Tinga works and batiks. Tanzanite, the native gemstone of Arusha, and one of the most beautiful and exciting gems to come from Africa, is sold in all gemstone shops in town alongside other locally mined stones like Ruby, Rhodolite and Tourmaline. Tanzanite was first discovered in 1967, some 40 kilometers to the southeast of Arusha at Mererani. To date Mererani remains the only commercially viable source for Tanzanite in the world. Tanzanite was named after Tanzania.\n\n\nArusha National Park\n\n\n\n\nArusha National Park is a relatively small park, covering an area of 137 square kilometers (52.9 square miles), and lies near the town of Arusha. The town and the Park derive their name from the Warusha people who traditionally lived in this area. However the Park also overlaps into areas where the Maasai lived and most of the place names in the Park are of Maasai origin. The park has different vegetation zones and places with different types of animals: migrating water birds settle on the lakes, waterbuck and reedbuck are found near the water, while shy bushbuck and duikers keep to the forested areas. It is obviously impossible to say exactly where different species will be encountered but it is possible to build up a picture of the most likely species to be found in any area. Within this wide range of habitats almost 400 species of birds have been recorded in the Park. Some of these are migratory and present between October and April, others are permanent residents in the forests.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9605907201766968}
{"content": "Mobilize: Beyoncé Made Him Famous, But This is Why You Must Know Laolu Senbanjo\n\n\nFor Afrofuturistic artist and activist, Laolu Senbanjo, art is an inexorable part of life. The urge to create is compulsory, as fundamental as breathing. It is with a zealous pursuit of his passion that he has garnered a notable following, which includes influencers like Beyoncé, who commissioned him to paint the body art in her music-film exploration, Lemonade. But his journey as an artist has not been easy, with trials emerging in his home country of Nigeria as well as in the United States. Still, his combination of symbolic cultural elements and modern, interpretive methods has elevated his status as a notable figure in the New York art scene, and his work is challenging the world to question how we think of the term “immigrant.”\n\nBorn in Ilorin, Nigeria, Laolu was never lacking in imaginative influences. His grandmother taught him his “Oriki,” an inspiring Yoruba literary genre, often in the form of poetry or songs of praise. She told him stories about the Yoruba Gods and Goddesses, filling him with his country’s narratives.\n\nI didn’t realize until I was an adult how much influence she had over me and my artistic style,” Laolu reflects, “Unfortunately, she passed away in 2001, and I never got to thank her for the tremendously profound impact she had in my life and my art. I think she’d be very proud of who I’ve become.”\n\nAlmost every piece that Laolu creates takes a cue from his Yoruba culture, and often nods to the tales his grandmother told. He places Yoruba religious iconography inside his work or renders artifacts, like a calabash offering cup and the ankara wrapper garment, both influential symbols of his culture.\n\nThe inclusion of these elements suffuse his artwork with nuanced undertones and an explosive charge, but they are also a point of controversy. In his home country, it is seen as taboo to utilize such significant tokens in public displays or for profit. Though his intention is to spread the glory of Nigeria’s history and culture, it has not always been easy to convey this to others. Artists like Beyoncé have helped to break down this barrier, empowering a culture through the use of their symbols and history, but it is still a difficult path to navigate.\n\nOf course, as an artist, it is inevitable that you face opposition. For Laolu, this didn’t stop once he stepped inside his home. The profession of artist was not an easy concept for his parents to accept. He even went on to become a human rights lawyer at the National Human Rights Commission in Nigeria before switching into his chosen career.\n\nMy dad thought art was a waste of time and that it wasn’t a proper career path. He didn’t think I could be successful as an artist.\n\nBut, when something is as ingrained in you as art is for Laolu, it is impossible to ignore. The day Laolu left his law job to focus on art was the most important day of his life. Now, through that art, he continues to fight for the rights of humankind.\n\nEach design invites you to connect, to take part in a dialogue with the art. His piece, “Am I a Threat to Your Liberty?” has an especially forceful impact on those who view it. Through a startling contrast of vibrancy and darkness and the juxtaposition of a familiar silhouette painted with primal patterns, it dares you to confront the emotions that have arisen since the implementation of the immigration ban.\n\nA lot of people say things like ‘immigrants are going to take my jobs or I pay taxes and they live off the system,’” Laolu says when describing what he hopes to confront with this piece, “Am I going to take their job? Not likely. I am an artist who actually creates jobs for others… and I work in a highly-specialized field. I also am not eligible for any of these services that they are afraid I might live off of. I pay taxes! Yes, jobs have been lost, but that’s not because of immigrants. It’s because of technology, and it’s been happening for years—since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Unless you’re a Native American, you or your ancestors were immigrants once upon a time.”\n\nCombining pieces of himself, his Nigerian culture, and modern American symbolism, “Am I a Threat to Your Liberty?” asks viewers to stop and think about what they’re really afraid of.\n\nAll of Laolu’s artwork produces a visceral response. It features inclusive and alienating characteristics, making you feel connected and disconnected at the same time. This intriguing combination is a direct comment on the dilemma Americans face as we, a population of former immigrants, begin to see new immigrants as “outsiders.”\n\nIn the face of the current political climate (including the nationwide sweeps by US immigration agents), Laolu has continued to create, create, create. He feels that it is his duty as an activist and artist to continue to produce art in these times and to connect with like-minded on a higher level.\n\nAs an artist, it’s my duty to create art that reflects the times; to communicate messages, messages that people don’t want to discuss or deal with. That is my role as an artist and activist, and I am committed.”\n\nLaolu’s work is a symbolic representation of our individual identities as a combined whole. It encourages us to communicate with each other, become friends with our neighbors, and more importantly, with people who are different than us. When we allow ourselves to know the other, we can coexist.\n\nTo further this movement toward connection with our fellow humans, Laolu has donated his art to the Hobnob app. Whether you’re gathering a group to participate in a protest or to discuss your individual roles as Americans during this time or just coming together in a moment of optimism and hope, you can choose one of his pieces as a template for your invite. It’s a small yet powerful way to choose harmony and camaraderie over separatism and dissonance.\n\nSee more of Laolu’s work here.  \n\nHobnob Invites\nDo stuff in real life.\n⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 6,910 Reviews FREE\n\nThis Young Actor’s Youthful Optimism Has Stolen Our Hearts\n\nThis Young Actor’s Youthful Optimism Has Stolen Our Hearts\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7975383996963501}
{"content": "The past two days, my former colleagues at the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Initiative (GHG Protocol) at the World Resources Institute (WRI)  invited me back to participate in the First International Workshop of GHG Programs.  This workshop convened representatives from voluntary GHG accounting and reporting programs from all over the world, from both developed countries like the U.S., Europe, and Japan and developing countries, including China, India, Brazil, and Mexico.  For the first time, program managers, government representatives, consultants, and NGOs had an opportunity to exchange experiences and lessons learned, while providing recommendations for where WRI and its long-time partner, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), should take the GHG Protocol next.\n\nHaving worked at WRI during the very early stages of the GHG Protocol’s developing country programs, when the Mexico GHG Program was just finishing its pilot phase and we were initiating programs in the Philippines, India, China and Brazil (yes, I got to do loads of traveling, despite our commitment to climate change mitigation), the workshop was an exciting opportunity to finally bring everyone together in one room and to see how far these programs have come.\n\nFor most people who have no idea what GHG accounting is or why these registry programs are significant, trust me, you are not alone (I could be entirely self-aggrandizing and point you to a publication my colleagues and I wrote about such a topic).  Despite multiple attempts to describe this work to my parents, I think they still refer to the years I worked at WRI as “the lost years” when they simply told their friends I worked for Al Gore (only a half-truth, as Al Gore indeed sits on WRI’s Board of Directors). But I digress.\n\nFirst, sound climate policy relies on sound knowledge and information. As the oft-quoted mantra suggests, you can’t manage what you don’t measure; and you can’t manage well what you don’t measure well.  Through multi-stakeholder processes and partnerships over the last decade, the GHG Protocol has provided standards and tools for companies and organizations to measure (e.g. account) their greenhouse gas emissions.  As a result, most GHG accounting and reporting programs (or registries), emissions trading schemes, and offset programs use it. It is absolutely critical that these methods are standardized and harmonized, so we know that one ton of carbon measured from one company or organization means the same thing as another ton of carbon from another, even if it’s located in another country.\n\nSecond, many of these programs occur in non-Annex I countries, which have no reduction obligations under the Kyoto Protocol.  In some cases, these programs occur in countries that lack national climate policies (such as The Climate Registry, in the U.S.).  Business participation in these programs means that companies are realizing that eventual regulation is imminent, and getting an early start will allow for baseline protection and bolster their CSR image amongst stakeholders.  The information reported through these registries can then act as ground-truths for national government inventories, and perhaps also help developing countries demonstrate measurable, reportable, and verifiable (MRV) actions toward climate change mitigation.  In some cases, as in the Mexico GHG Program, the voluntary program has been so successful, that the Mexican government announced in 2007 that it would adopt it as the basis for its climate mitigation strategy.\n\nSome of the recommendations and themes that emerged from the two-day discussion:\nThere is a need for more information, particularly regarding emission factors in developing countries.  With supply chains becoming increasingly globalized, a company’s operations are seldom geographically isolated.  A centralized source or database of emissions factors (other than those provided by the IPCC) would be hugely beneficial for programs, particularly in developing countries.\n\nMore capacity on GHG accounting is needed, across the board.  GHG accounting is very specialized and limited to a very small segment of professionals (most of whom were at WRI the last two days).  Although there is a push to increase this population (check out the GHG Management Institute), it’s still costly to train people within a company or to hire an outside consultant to do the work.  Particularly in developing countries that are home to many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), capacity is a huge obstacle to multinational companies like Wal-mart who are now asking their suppliers to provide GHG information (good luck in that endeavor, Wal-mart).\n\nI‘ve counted my carbon, now what? This is what companies are now asking after they’ve established their baseline emissions and gone through the process of identifying their emission sources.  But this is where the GHG Protocol currently stops. There aren’t enough guidelines or recommendations to assist companies who want to reduce their carbon footprints and actually take the next step in managing their emissions.  Toward this aim, the GHG Protocol has developed new standards that allow for companies to more fully measure GHG emissions throughout their supply chains (from cradle to grave) and within product life-cycles.  However, perhaps more general guidelines for management (e.g. renewable alternatives, offset projects, etc.) can be made.\n\nI’ve probably succeeded in providing you with way more information than you ever wanted to know about GHG accounting and reporting programs.  But, because they were so nice to invite me and pay for my travel, I thought the least I could do was to write a blog entry to share what I learned and what my take-away from it is.  In the end, I think the most valuable aspect of the workshop was the chance for people to just meet and to talk to people (in my case, catching up with partners I haven’t seen in a few years, since I was last in their respective countries), but isn’t this true of most workshops?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8415243029594421}
{"content": "Concepts of Physics\n\n\nTemperature of ice-salt mixture\n\n\nKulphi is a popular Indian dish item, especially in summers. The vendors freeze Kulphi in ice-salt mixture. Normally when two objects are mixed the temperature of the mixture is intermediate between the temperatures of the two objects. But that does not happen for ice-salt mixture. This experiment is to give a direct feel of this phenomena.\n\n\nIce in a vessel, Plastic glass, salt, digital thermometer/thermocouple, weighing machine, watch glass, a stick.\n\n\n  1. Take 100 g of ice in the plastic glass. Put a thermometer with mercury bulb well inside the ice.\n  2. Measure the temperature of ice.\n  3. Weigh 10 g of salt on the watch glass using the balance.\n  4. Put this salt in the ice and mix with the stick. Measure the temperature.\n  5. Put 10 g of more salt in ice and mix it. Measure the temperature. Repeat this to get the minimum temperature.\n  6. At what ratio of ice and salt, the temperature of the mixture is minimum?\n\n\nSuppose a solid is kept at it's melting point in a closed vessel. There could be some liquid phase too. If no heat is taken from it or given to it, the masses of the liquid phase and the solid phase remain constant. However, the solid does melt at the surface and the liquid freezes there. So the two rates are equal.\n\nIce also has water layer at the surface and this two-way process goes on. If you put salt in this, the salt dissolves in the melted water and decreases it's freezing point. Thus the process of water freezing back is considerable slowed down. Thus ice melts faster.\n\nNow melting needs latent heat. This heat is taken from the mixture of ice and the water which cools down below 0 degree Celsius.\n\n\ntable to be made", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9848242402076721}
{"content": "RIMDrill Rig Sync\n\nThe current industry climate is pushing companies to seek improved operational performance and reduced downtime partly through a more effective use of information. This in turn is driving a requirement for the drilling contractor and other rig based service companies to share information in an automated fashion to reduce redundant data handling, improve accuracy and maximize the benefit of the data to improve operational performance.\n\nTo help meet this goal Infostat has developed the RIMDrill Rig Sync Module. RIMDrill Rig Sync is designed to transfer data from RIMDrill to other internal or third-party information systems and/ or receive relevant from other sources such as third party service companies. RIMDrill Rig Sync runs as a quiet service on the rig managing the data flow between RIMDrill and other information systems. Based on customer requirements, a custom plug-in module is used to transfer the specified data to the third-party systems.\n\nRIMDrill Rig Sync can be configured in either of two modes:\n\n  • Push Mode: designed to “push” or send data from the RIMDrill database to third-party entities on the rig. Examples of the types of data that might be sent include IADC Daily Drilling Report data or certain types of WITSML-formatted data\n  • Receive Mode: designed to receive data from third-party entities on the rig. Examples might include drilling parameter data from data acquisition packages\n\nHow It Works\n\nRIMDrill Rig Sync has two components:\n\n  • Sync Base Unit: contains the engine to interact with the RIMDrill database in handling the data in incoming or outgoing data files\n  • Third-Party Plug-In Unit: custom built for each specific opportunity to allow specific data to be selected and transferred to/from the RIMDrill database. The specification is based on the requirement of the third-party entity which is supplying or receiving data. In all cases the data content must be approved by the RIMDrill system owner\n\nThe application runs as a service on a rig server and is connected to the rig RIMDrill database. A user interface allows the user to interact with the application for configuration purposes. Timing of the data sharing event is one of the configuration settings and can vary from once per day to multiple times per hour. The transport method and structure of the data is mutually agreed upon between Infostat and the third-party.\n\nFeatures and Benefits\n\n  • Streamlines rig site data sharing by reducing redundant data entry\n  • Improves data quality and consistency\n  • Once configured requires little maintenance or user input\n  • Customizable for each data sharing third-party\n  • RIMDrill owner controls shared data content\n  • Flexible timing of data sharing events", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7509294748306274}
{"content": "The Full Wiki\n\nMore info on Ancient astronauts\n\nAncient astronauts: Map\n\n\nWikipedia article:\n\nMap showing all locations mentioned on Wikipedia article:\n\n\nSome of these theories propose that deities from most—if not all—religions are actually extraterrestrials, and their technologies were taken as evidence of their divine status.\n\nThese theories have been popularized, particularly in the latter half of the 20th century, by writers Erich von Däniken, Zecharia Sitchin, Robert K.G. Temple, and David Icke.\n\nAncient astronaut theories have been widely used in science fiction. Such theories have not received support within the scientific community, and have received little or no attention in peer-reviewed studies from scientific journals.\n\n\n\n\n\nScientists maintain that gaps in contemporary knowledge of the past do not demonstrate that such speculative ancient astronaut ideas are a necessary, or even plausible, conclusion to draw. The scientific community remains generally skeptical, and the dominant view is that there is no evidence to support ancient astronaut and paleocontact theories.\n\nScientific consideration\n\n\n\nIn his 1979 book Broca's Brain, Sagan suggested that he and Shklovski might have inspired the wave of '70s ancient astronaut books, expressing disapproval of \"von Daniken and other uncritical writers\" who seemingly built on these ideas not as guarded speculations but as \"valid evidence of extraterrestrial contact.\" Sagan argued that while many legends, artifacts and purported OOPArts were cited in support of ancient astronaut theories, \"very few require more than passing mention\" and could be easily explained with more conventional theories. Sagan also reiterated his earlier conclusion that extraterrestrial visits to Earth were possible but unproven, and perhaps improbable.\n\n\nAncient astronaut theories have been advanced by the following authors (listed by year of initial publication):\n\nErich von Däniken\n\n\nCertain artifacts and monumental constructions are claimed by von Däniken to have required a more sophisticated technological ability in their construction than that which was available to the ancient cultures who constructed them. Von Däniken maintains that these artifacts were constructed either directly by extraterrestrial visitors or by humans who learned the necessary knowledge from said visitors. These include Stonehengemarker, the Moai of Easter Islandmarker, the Great Pyramid of Gizamarker, and the ancient Baghdad electric batteries.\n\nSarcophagus lid of Pakal the great, which represents an \"ancient astronaut\" ascending to the stars in his spaceship according to Von Däniken.\n\nVon Däniken claims that ancient art and iconography throughout the world illustrates air and space vehicles, non-human but intelligent creatures, ancient astronauts and artifacts of an anachronistically advanced technology. Von Däniken also claims that geographically separated historical cultures share artistic themes, which he argues imply a common origin. For one such example, is von Däniken's interpretation of the sarcophagus lid recovered from the tomb of the Classic-era Maya ruler of Palenquemarker, Pacal. Von Däniken claimed the design represented a seated astronaut, whereas the iconography and accompanying Maya text identifies it as a portrait of the ruler himself with the World Tree of Maya mythology.\n\n\n\n\nZecharia Sitchin\n\n\n\nRobert Temple\n\n\n\nRaëlian religious movement\n\nRaëlism, or Raëlianism, is a religious movement created by Claude Vorilhon, better known as Raël. Raël claims to have encountered extraterrestrials on a number of occasions. On one such occasion, he claims that he was informed that humans were created by an advanced extraterrestrial humanoid race, the Elohim, using their knowledge of DNA and genetics. The Raëlian movement also argues against evolution and supports human cloning.\n\nEvidence cited by proponents\n\nReligious texts\n\n\nFlying machines are sometimes mentioned in ancient texts; one example is the Vimanas, flying machines found in the Sanskrit epics of Indiamarker. These tales range from fantastic aerial battles employing various weaponry, to the mundane relating simple technical information, flight procedure, and flights of fancy. (See also Vaimanika Shastra, a text on Vimanas supposedly \"channeled\" in the early 20th century.)\n\nIn the Biblical Old Testament, the Book of Ezekiel tells of a flying object seen as a fiery whirlwind which when descended to the ground gave the appearance of being made of metal. It is described among other things as a wheel within a wheel containing four occupants, \"living creatures\", whose likeness was that of man. The passage goes on to say that wherever the wheels went the creatures went, and when the living creatures were lifted up the wheels were lifted up. The book of Genesis(6:1-4) also tells us of such an encounter where the \"sons of heaven\" had intercourse with the \"daughters of man\" which produced the Nephilim. The apocryphal Book of Enoch tells of similar flying objects and beings called \"the Watchers\" who have mutinied from \"heaven\" and descended to earth, but goes further in that Enoch is taken on journeys to various corners of the Earth in the object and at one point even travels to the heavens. In several chapters of the Old Testament God is depicted as traveling as a column of smoke and/or fire and making the sound of a trumpet. These descriptions also describe Yahweh as having a physical presence, rather than an abstraction. Yahweh is described raining lightning and stones down upon the enemies of the Hebrews. However, descriptions of the Hebrew God have also featured protecting wings and outstretched arms in the Psalms, features which may be considered contrary to theories of mechanical manifestations of God.\n\n\nArtifacts and artwork\n\nAlleged physical evidence includes the discovery of artifacts in Egyptmarker (the Saqqara Bird) and Colombiamarker-Ecuadormarker, which are claimed to be similar to modern planes and gliders, although these have been interpreted by archaeologists as stylized representations of birds and insects.\n\nMore support of this theory draws upon what are claimed to be representations of flying saucers in medieval and renaissance art. This is used to support the ancient astronaut theory by attempting to show that the creators of humanity return to check up on their creation throughout time.\n\nOther artistic support for the ancient astronaut theory has been sought in Palaeolithic cave paintings. Vondijina in Australia and Val Camonicamarker in Italymarker (seen above) are claimed to bear a resemblance to present day astronauts. Supporters of the ancient astronaut theory sometimes claim that similarities such as dome shaped heads, interpreted as beings wearing space helmets, prove that early man was visited by an extraterrestrial race.\n\nNazca Lines\n\nMonumental architecture\n\nEvidence for ancient astronauts is claimed to include the existence of ancient monuments and megalithic ruins such as the Giza pyramidsmarker of Egypt, Machu Picchu in Peru, or Baalbekmarker in Lebanonmarker, and the Moai of Easter Island. Supporters contend these stone structures could not have been built with the technical abilities and tools of the people of the time and further argue that many could not be duplicated even today. They suggest that the large size of the building stones, the precision with which they were laid, and the distances many were transported leaves the question open as to who constructed these sites. These contentions are categorically rejected by mainstream archeology. Some mainstream archeologist have participated in experiments to move large megaliths. These experiments have succeeded in moving megaliths up to at least 40 tons, and they have speculated that with a larger workforce larger megaliths could be towed with ancient technology. Such allegations are not unique in history, however, as similar reasoning lay behind the wonder of the Cyclopean masonry walling at Mycenaean cities in the eyes of Greeks of the following \"Dark Age,\" who believed that the giant Cyclopes had built the walls.\n\n\n\n\n\nSee also\n\n\n\n  1. Sagan, Carl. Broca's Brain. 1979\n  8. Sagan, Broca's Brain, p. 67\n  9. Lhote, Henri (1903-1991)\n  10. \"Erich von Daniken's Chariots of the Gods: Science or Charlatanism?\", Robert Sheaffer. First published in the \"NICAP UFO Investigator\", October/November, 1974.\n  11. Temple, Robert K. G., The Sirius Mystery, 1976. ISBN 0 09 925744 0\n  12. Sagan, Carl, Broca’s Brain, published by Random House, Inc. in 1974\n  13. Investigating the Sirius \"Mystery\" - Skeptical Inquirer (1978) Ian Ridpath\n  15. David Hatcher Childress ( The Anti-Gravity Handbook)\n  16. King James Red Letter edition 1944, Ezekiel 1:1–28\n  17. The New American Bible, Genesis 6:1-4\n  19. Exodus 13:21\n  20. Exodus 19:16–19\n  21. Numbers 35:34\n  22. 2 Samuel 22:10–16\n  23. Joshua 10:10–11\n  24. God: a Biography, Jack Miles 1996 ISBN 0679743685\n  25. AncientDimensions Mysteries: De-Coded: The Ark Of The Covenant\n  26. World Mysteries - Strange Artifacts, Ancient Flying Machines\n  27. Art and UFO - Part 5\n  28. UFO Evidence\n  29. Nazca Lines and Culture - Crystalinks\n  30. . The Mysterious Nazca Lines\n  33. History Channel \"Mega Movers: Ancient Mystery Moves\"\n  34. Ancient Astronauts\n\nFurther reading\n\n\nExternal links\n\nEmbed code:\n\nGot something to say? Make a comment.\nYour name\nYour email address", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7679784893989563}
{"content": "Researchers reveal more about how our brains control our arms\n\nKrishna Shenoy\n\nKrishna Shenoy\n\nReady, set, go. \n\nSometimes that's how our brains work. When we anticipate a physical act, such as reaching for the keys we noticed on the table, the neurons that control the task adopt a state of readiness, like sprinters bent into a crouch.\n\n\n\nKrishna Shenoy, PhD, professor of electrical engineering and an affiliate of Stanford's Bio-X initiative, wanted to answer that question as part of his group's ongoing efforts to develop and improve brain-controlled prosthetic devices.\n\n\nMonitoring the neurons\n\n\nWhat the researchers found is that when the monkeys knew what arm movement they were supposed to make and were simply waiting for the cue to act, electrical readings showed that the neurons went into what scientists call the prepare-and-hold state — the brain's equivalent of \"ready, set\" — waiting for the cue to go.\n\nBut when the monkeys made unplanned or unexpected movements, the neurons did not go through the expected prepare-and-hold state. \"This was a surprise,\" Ames said.\n\nBefore the experiment, the researchers had believed that a prepare-and-hold state had to precede movement. In short, they thought the neurons had to go into a \"ready, set\" crouch before acting on the \"go\" command.  \n\n\nExperimental design\n\nKatherine Ames\n\n\nIn one set of experiments, the monkeys were shown the target but were trained not to touch it until they got the \"go\" signal. This is called a delayed-reach experiment. It served as the planned action.\n\n\n\nMonkey see, monkey do\n\nAmes said that in all three instances, the first information to reach the neurons was awareness of the target. \"Perception always occurred first,\" Ames said.\n\n\nInstead, roughly 50 milliseconds after the electrical readings showed evidence of perception, a change in neuronal activity signaled the command to touch the target; it came with no apparent further preparation between perception and action. \"Ready, set\" was unnecessary. In these instances, the neurons just said, \"Go!\"\n\n\n\n\nOne example of such efforts is the BrainGate clinical trial at Stanford, now being conducted under U.S. Food & Drug Administration supervision to test the safety of brain-controlled, computer cursor systems  — \"think-and-click\" communication for people who can't move.\n\n\"In addition to advancing basic brain science, these new findings will lead to better brain-controlled prosthetic arms and communication systems for people with paralysis,\" Shenoy said. \n\n\nThe work was funded by a Director's Pioneer Award from the National Institutes of Health, and from REPAIR — Reorganization and Plasticity to Accelerate Injury Recovery — a program of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.\n\n\nLeading in Precision Health\n\n\nA Legacy of Innovation\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9196156859397888}
{"content": "Mon Don's on-campus athletic fields are located in the eastern and southeastern parts of the school grounds.  The football field is directly east of the school itself; bleachers are on either side of it, and a press box is on its west side.  Surrounding the football field is a track, where gym students typically jog at the beginning of outdoor classes, or run a mile for the physical fitness test.  South of the football field is the former baseball field, which did not have an outfield fence for many years.  A blue fence was later added.  The baseball field's dimensions were quite unusual; while the distance was approximately 305 feet from home plate to right field and left field, it was under 300 feet to much of center field, because private property jutted out into center field.  The new, off-campus baseball field was dedicated on April 13, 2013.  The on-campus athletic fields are traditionally the site of the grade school's annual Field Day in the spring.\n\n\nThe football field and track.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6078214645385742}
{"content": "CICO Academy\n\n\nThe CICO Academy is a Global Network of professionals who seek to interact with each other to widen their knowledge and expertise. CICO is committed to partnering with leading organizations to achieve critical outcomes for our communities. We believe companies need to take a more holistic approach to how they operate and communicate. As we give this advice to our clients, we are increasingly taking it ourselves. A few times a year CICO organizes an event to focus on a specific subject concerning the Communication market and its position towards the community. As a CICO Academy member you will have the opportunity to connect with other interesting CICO people. CICO connects thought leadership from all around the world.\n\n\nSchermafbeelding 2017-04-30 om 10.16.05\n\nToday, business runs at real time and organizations need to adapt faster than ever. In order to meet the challenges which fast moving technologies and new customer behavior create, a business must evolve its people, processes and Communication platforms and programs, in order to take full advantage of market condition. Interaction between global citizens and different sectors is therefore also important.\n\nBecome a CICO Academy member and mail your request for a membership to\n\n\nVigorous partnerships\n\n\nConjunction: CICO’s partnership is a term which evokes much sensitivity with its implicit connotations of Sharing and Trust. CICO’s partnership means the highest stage of working relationship between different people brought together by commitment to common objectives. Long term, shared responsibility, reciprocal obligation, equality, mutuality and balance of power. Accountability, joint decision making, respect, transparency, sustainability and mutual interests. Yet, in practice, developing a relationship characterized by a free and equal exchange of ideas is challenging because of language diversity, geographical constraints and differences in terms of how the relationship/partnership is conceptualized and interpreted. CICO always works with an open-minded perspective.\n\n\nTogether making a difference\n\n\nIdentifying common purpose to move forward is an important foundation which CICO expresses through interact deeply with Clients and Partners.\n\n\n\n\nPartnering International Chambers of Commerce\n\n\n\nCICO connects Global Knowledge", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9976416230201721}
{"content": "\n\n\nTuesday, 9 October 2018\n\nProgramme schedule\n\nThe programme is now ready, and if you hold a ticket you should have received an email with information on how to sign up for individual larps. Please note that check-in for all larps is at Slurpen 30 minutes prior to the starting time. If you are not there in time, you might lose your spot.\n\nOpening hours for the hangout at Slurpen:\n\nFriday 15:00-00:30\nSaturday 10:00-02:00\n\n\nBread&Jam 10:00-11:00\nLunch 15:00-17:00\nDinner 21:00-22:00\n\nLunch and dinner costs NOK 50. Bread and jam is free of charge.\n\nMonday, 8 October 2018\n\nThe Monica Lewinsky Effect\n\n\"The Monica Lewinsky Effect\" (BY), by Tatsiana Smaliak and Ivan Pranovitch, is a non-verbal larp about group aggression and reprobation on social media. \n\nIt explores such topics as nature of social media and the use of it. It also makes the players experience feelings of being mobbed on social media and of being a part of a crowd that bullies others.\n\nSunday, 7 October 2018\n\nAre you new to Larp?\n\nDon’t despair! We have all been there, and here follows a few tips that might be helpful for the larp beginner.\nGrenselandet mostly features \"chamber larps\". This is a genre of larps that typically lasts around four hours.\n\nChamber larps are often split in three parts:\n  1. The workshops, where the group gets to know each other, and where you get to develop your character\n  2. The actual play time\n  3. The debrief, where you can get out of your role, and discuss the experience together\nA few tips for a better experience:\n\n*It's a good idea to wear comfortable, neutral, clothes. You should feel like you can move around freely.\n\n*You don't need to bring anything. A bottle of water can be handy, but usually water is also available at the venue.\n\n*Finally, and very importantly, remember that you can opt out of the larp at any moment if you need to!\n\nWhat makes a good larp is different from one person to another. However, it can be useful to think about what kind of experience you are looking for, and what’s important to you:\nAre you looking for a smaller or a bigger group of players? \nSomething with a lot of talking or something nonverbal? \nA feel good game, a more dramatic one, a political one?\n\nLast note: there will always be people at the venue that can answer questions about the larp or practicalities, don't hesitate to reach out to them!\n\nWe are thrilled that you are curious about larp, welcome to this wonderous world!\n\nSaturday, 6 October 2018\n\n\nKatabasis (UK), by Susan Ploetz, Una Hamilton Helle and Francis Brady, is larp about cave descents, origin myths and group archetypes. It utilises non-verbal (with limited verbal) communication, physicality and symbol-making to create culture, narrative and play. \n\nGenerations ago, our people fled into a vast system of caves to create a new world. The Myth says that we started as one large group, but, after the Great Divide, we were separated. \n\nThere are stories that the others are still out there, but we haven’t encountered them. As we descend further into the vast network of caverns, we feel the presence and traces of the mythical others as they appear to us as symbols, detritus and echoes in the dark. \n\nWe envision Katabasis as a flexible structure for those who want to think about the formation of societies and culture, as well as communication and the negotiation of differences.\nIt is a larp that explores these themes through myth and symbol creation; and ritualised movement and sound.\n\nLife Lessons\n\n\n\n\nFriday, 5 October 2018\n\n\nA bloody war without rules spared no one and took men by thousands. Every woman lost someone - father, brother, lover. They learned to live without them, took over their roles. \nBecause a war does not ask. \nThe few who returned from the war have never recovered. Life does not wait though, the world recovered, the country without men in leadership roles began to flourish again. The government now faces an important task: to ensure that such a war is never repeated. \n\nGilead (CZ), by Dagmar Wiesnerova and Martina Drabinova, is a game inspired by the book The Handmaid’s Tale. \nThe players will explore and experience the historical period of the Republic of Gilead as participants of a conference organized by the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes.\n\nThe players will play several characters in the game, some of which may be of a different gender than they identify as.\n\nThursday, 4 October 2018\n\n\nIn Habitat (NO), by Karete Jacobsen Meland and Martin Nielsen, we explore the transformations of a habitat and its inhabitants. \n\nThis is a larp with no spoken or written language at all, including in the workshop. Instead, we will use sounds, lights, smells, body language, touch and a lot of colours. \nIt will be soft-paced, playful, curious and non-violent. There will be misunderstandings, but don't be afraid of doing something wrong. \n\nCome join us for an experiment.\n\nThis larp can be played without knowledge of any language. However, this larp is unsuitable if you are colour-blind and/or if you have severe physical injuries (i.e. unable to carry a 10 kg backpack or crawl on the floor - contact the organizers if in doubt). The players have to be comfortable with some physical contact. Any spoken language will be considered an out-of-play safety mechanic.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5100401043891907}
{"content": "DOTS R. Dobbins\nInternet-Draft Arbor Networks\nIntended status: Informational D. Migault\nExpires: October 17, 2018 Ericsson\nS. Fouant\nR. Moskowitz\nHTT Consulting\nN. Teague\nL. Xia\nK. Nishizuka\nNTT Communications\nApril 15, 2018\n\nUse cases for DDoS Open Threat Signaling\n\n\nThe DDoS Open Threat Signaling (DOTS) effort is intended to provide protocols to facilitate interoperability across disparate DDoS mitigation solutions. This document presents use cases which describe the interactions expected between the DOTS components as well as DOTS messaging exchanges. These use cases are meant to identify the interacting DOTS components, how they collaborate and what are the typical information to be exchanged.\n\nStatus of This Memo\n\n\n\n\nThis Internet-Draft will expire on October 17, 2018.\n\nCopyright Notice\n\n\n\nTable of Contents\n\n1. Introduction\n\n\nThe DDoS Open Threat Signaling (DOTS) effort is intended to specify protocols that facilitate interoperability between diverse DDoS mitigation solutions and ensure greater integration in term of mitigation requests and attack characterization patterns. As DDoS solutions are broadly heterogeneous among vendors, the primary goal of DOTS is to provide high-level interaction amongst differing DDoS solutions, such as initiating, terminating DDoS mitigation assistance or requesting the status of a DDoS mitigation.\n\nThis document provides use cases to provide inputs for the design of the DOTS protocol(s). The use cases are not exhaustive and future use cases are expected to emerge as DOTS is adopted and evolves.\n\n2. Terminology and Acronyms\n\nThis document makes use of the same terminology and definitions as [I-D.ietf-dots-requirements]. In addition it uses the terms defined below:\n\n3. Use Cases\n\n3.1. Upstream DDoS Mitigation by an Upstream Internet Transit Provider\n\nThis use case describes how an enterprise or a residential customer network may take advantage of a pre-existing relation with its Internet Transit Provider (ITP) in order to mitigate a DDoS attack targeting its network. To improve the clarity of our purpose, the targeted network will be designated as enterprise network, but the same scenario applies to any downstream network, including residential network. As the ITP provides connectivity to the enterprise network, it is already on the path of the inbound or outbound traffic of the enterprise network and well aware of the networking parameters associated to the enterprise network connectivity. This eases both the configuration and the instantiation of a DDoS Mitigation Service. This section considers two kind of DDoS Mitigation Service between an enterprise network and an ITP:\n\nIn the first scenario, as depicted in Figure 1, an enterprise network with self-hosted Internet-facing properties such as Web servers, authoritative DNS servers, and VoIP servers has a DMS deployed to protect those servers and applications from DDoS attacks. In addition to on-premise DDoS defense capability, enterprises have contracted with their Internet transit provider for DDoS Mitigation Services which threaten to overwhelm their WAN link(s) bandwidth.\n\n    | Entreprise       |        | Upstream         |\n    | Network          |        | Internet Transit |\n    |                  |        | Provider         |\n    |                  | |      |S | Mitigation |  |\n    |                  | |      |  | System     |  |\n    |                  | |      |                  |\n    |                  | |      |                  |\n    |                  | |      |                  |\n    |  | DDoS       |<---+      |                  |\n    |  | Mitigation |C |        |                  |\n    |  | System     |  |        |                  |\n\n       * C is for DOTS client functionality\n       * S is for DOTS server functionality\n\n    Figure 1: Upstream Internet Transit Provider DDoS Mitigation\n\n\n\nWhen the enterprise DMS detects an inbound DDoS attack targeting its resources ( e.g. servers, hosts or applications), it immediately begins a DDoS Mitigation.\n\nDuring the course of the attack, the inbound traffic volume exceeds the 50% threshold; the DMS DOTS client signals the DOTS server on the upstream ITP to initiate DDoS Mitigation. The DOTS server signals the DOTS client that it can serve this request, and mitigation is initiated on the ITP network by the ITP DMS.\n\nOver the course of the attack, the DOTS server of the ITP periodically informs the DOTS client on the enterprise DMS mitigation status, statistics related to DDoS attack traffic mitigation, and related information. Once the DDoS attack has ended, the DOTS server signals the enterprise DMS DOTS client that the attack has subsided.\n\n\n\nNote that communications between the enterprise DOTS client and the upstream transit provider DOTS Server may take place in-band within the main Internet WAN link between the enterprise and the ITP; out-of-band via a separate, dedicated wireline network link utilized solely for DOTS signaling; or out-of-band via some other form of network connectivity such as a third-party wireless 4G network connectivity.\n\n\n\nThe current scenario describes the case where the DDoS Target is in the enterprise network while the secondary DMS is provided by the upstream ITP. An alternate use case may consider the scenario where the ITP informs the enterprise network it is involved into an ongoing attack or that infected machines have been identified. In this case the DOTS client and DOTS server roles are inverted. The DOTS client is located in the ITP network and the DOTS server is hosted in the enterprise network. The enterprise network is then responsible to perform the DDoS Mitigation. In some case the DDoS Mitigation may be delegated back to the upstream ITP, as described in this section.\n\n3.2. DDoS Mitigation by a Third party DDoS Mitigation Service Provider\n\nThis use case differs from the previous use case described in Section 3.1 in that the DDoS Mitigation Service is not provided by an upstream ITP. In other words, as represented in Figure 2, the traffic is not forwarded through the DDoS Mitigation Service Provider by default. In order to steer the traffic to the DDoS Mitigation Service Provider, some network configuration changes are required. As such, this use case likely to match large enterprises or large data centers, but not exclusively. Another typical scenario for this use case is the relation between DDoS Mitigation Service Provider forming an overlay of DMS. When an DDoS Mitigation Service Provider mitigating a DDoS attack reaches it resources capacities, it may chose to delegate the DDoS Mitigation to another DDoS Mitigation Service Provider.\n\n   | Entreprise       |        | Upstream         |\n   | Network          |        | Internet Transit |\n   |                  |        | Provider         |\n   |                  | |      |                  |  |\n   |                  | |                            |\n   |                  | |      | DDoS Mitigation  |  |\n   |                  | |      | Service Provider |  |\n   |                  | |      |                  |  |\n   |  | DDoS       |<---+      |  | DDoS       |<----+ \n   |  | Mitigation |C |        |  | Mitigation |S |\n   |  | System     |  |        |  | System     |  |\n\n       * C is for DOTS client functionality\n       * S is for DOTS server functionality\n\n   Figure 2: DDoS Mitigation between an Enterprise Network and third\n             party DDoS Mitigation Service Provider\n\nIn this scenario, an Enterprise Network has entered into a pre-arranged DDoS mitigation assistance agreement with one or more other DDoS Mitigation Service Providers in order to ensure that sufficient DDoS mitigation capacity and/or capabilities may be activated in the event that a given DDoS attack threatens to overwhelm the ability of a given DMS to mitigate the attack on its own.\n\nThe pre-arrangement typically includes the agreement on the mechanisms used to redirect the traffic to the DDoS Mitigation Service Provider, as well as the mechanism to to re-inject the traffic back to the Enterprise Network. Redirection to the DDoS Mitigation Service Provider typically involves BGP prefix announcement eventually combined with DNS redirection, while re-injection may be performed via tunneling mechanisms such as GRE for example. Of course, such mechanisms needs to be regularly tested and evaluated. These exact mechanisms used for traffic steering are out of scope.\n\n  | Entreprise       |        | Upstream         |\n  | Network          |        | Internet Transit |\n  |                  |        | Provider         |\n  |                  |        |        |         | || ||\n  |                  |                 |           || ||\n  |                  |        | DDoS Mitigation  | || ||\n  |                  |        | Service Provider | || ||\n  |                  |        |        |         | || ||\n\n       * C is for DOTS client functionality\n       * S is for DOTS server functionality\n\n  Figure 3: Redirection to a DDoS Mitigation Service Provider\n\nWhen the Enterprise Network is under attack or at least is reaching its capacity or ability to mitigate a given DDoS attack traffic, the DOTS client sends a DOTS request to the DDoS Mitigation Service Provider to initiate network traffic diversion - as represented in Figure 3 - and DDoS mitigation activities. Ongoing attack and mitigation status messages may be passed between the Enterprise Network and the DDoS Mitigation Service Provider.\n\nOnce the requesting Enterprise Network is confident that the DDoS attack has either ceased or has fallen to levels of traffic/complexity which they can handle on their own or that it has received a DOTS DDoS Mitigation termination request from a downstream Enterprise Network or DDoS Mitigation Service Provider, the requesting Enterprise Network DOTS client sends a DOTS DDoS Mitigation termination request to the DDoS Mitigation Service Provider.\n\n3.3. DDoS Orchestration\n\nIn this use case, one or more DDoS telemetry systems or monitoring devices monitor a network - typically an ISP network. Upon detection of a DDoS attack, these telemetry systems alert an orchestrator in charge of coordinating the various DMS within the domain. The telemetry systems may be configured to provide required information, such as a preliminary analysis of the observation to the orchestrator.\n\nThe orchestrator analyses the various information it receives from specialized equipment, and elaborates one or multiple DDoS mitigation strategies. In some case, a manual confirmation may also be required to choose a proposed strategy or to initiate a DDoS Mitigation. The DDoS Mitigation may consist of multiple steps such as configuring the network, or updating already instantiated DDoS mitigation functions. In some cases, some specific DDoS mitigation functions must be instantiated and properly ordered. Eventually, the coordination of the mitigation may involve external DDoS resources such as a transit provider or a DDoS Mitigation Service Provider.\n\nThe communications used to trigger a DDoS Mitigation between the telemetry and monitoring systems and the orchestrator is performed using DOTS. The telemetry systems implements a DOTS client while the orchestrator implements a DOTS server.\n\nThe communication between a network administrator and the orchestrator is also performed using DOTS. The network administrator via its web interfaces implements a DOTS client, while the Orchestrator implements a DOTS server.\n\nThe communication between the orchestrator and the DDoS mitigation systems is performed using DOTS. The orchestrator implements a DOTS Client while the DDoS mitigation systems implement a DOTS Server.\n\nThe configuration aspects of each DDoS mitigation system, as well as the instantiations of DDoS mitigation functions or network configuration is not part of DOTS. Similarly, the discovery of available DDoS mitigation functions is not part of DOTS; and as such is out of scope.\n\n       | network  |C\n       | adminis  |<-+\n       | trator   |  |\n                     |                       (internal)\n                                          |  (external)\n                                          | S| DDoS      |\n                                          +->| mitigation|\n                                             | systems   |\n       * C is for DOTS client functionality\n       * S is for DOTS server functionality\n\nFigure 4: DDoS Orchestration\n\nThe telemetry systems monitor various network traffic and perform some measurement tasks. These systems are configured so that when an event or some measurement indicators reach a predefined level to report a DOTS mitigation request to the orchestrator. The DOTS mitigation request may be associated with some element such as specific reporting.\n\nUpon receipt of the DOTS mitigation request from the telemetry system, the orchestrator responds with an acknowledgment, to avoid retransmission of the request for mitigation. The status of the DDoS mitigation indicates the orchestrator is in an analyzing phase. The orchestrator begins collecting various information from various telemetry systems in order to correlate the measurements and provide an analysis of the event. Eventually, the orchestrator may ask additional information to the telemetry system, however, the collection of these information is out of scope.\n\nThe orchestrator may be configured to start a DDoS Mitigation upon approval from a network administrator. The analysis from the orchestrator is reported to the network administrator via a web interface. If the network administrator decides to start the mitigation, they order through her web interface a DOTS client to send a request for DDoS mitigation. This request is expected to be associated with a context that identifies the DDoS mitigation selected.\n\nUpon receiving the DOTS request for DDoS mitigation from the network administrator, the orchestrator coordinates the DDoS mitigation according to a specified strategy. Its status indicates the DDoS mitigation is starting while not effective.\n\nOrchestration of the DDoS mitigation systems works similarly as described in Section 3.1. The orchestrator indicates with its status whether the DDoS Mitigation is effective.\n\nWhen the DDoS mitigation is finished on the DMS, the orchestrator indicates to the telemetry systems as well as to the network administrator the DDoS mitigation is finished.\n\n4. Security Considerations\n\nDOTS is at risk from three primary attacks: DOTS agent impersonation, traffic injection, and signaling blocking. The DOTS protocol must be designed for minimal data transfer to address the blocking risk.\n\nImpersonation and traffic injection mitigation can be managed through current secure communications best practices. One consideration could be to minimize the security technologies in use at any one time. The more needed, the greater the risk of failures coming from assumptions on one technology providing protection that it does not in the presence of another technology.\n\nAdditional details of DOTS security requirements can be found in [I-D.ietf-dots-requirements].\n\n5. IANA Considerations\n\nNo IANA considerations exist for this document at this time.\n\n6. Acknowledgments\n\nThe authors would like to thank among others Tirumaleswar Reddy; Andrew Mortensen; Mohamed Boucadaire; Artyom Gavrichenkov; Jon Shallow and the DOTS WG chairs, Roman D. Danyliw and Tobias Gondrom, for their valuable feedback.\n\n7. Informative References\n\n[I-D.boucadair-dots-multihoming] Boucadair, M. and T. Reddy, \"Multi-homing Deployment Considerations for Distributed-Denial-of-Service Open Threat Signaling (DOTS)\", Internet-Draft draft-boucadair-dots-multihoming-03, April 2018.\n[I-D.ietf-dots-requirements] Mortensen, A., Moskowitz, R. and T. Reddy, \"Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Open Threat Signaling Requirements\", Internet-Draft draft-ietf-dots-requirements-14, February 2018.\n\nAuthors' Addresses\n\nRoland Dobbins Arbor Networks Singapore EMail:\nStefan Fouant USA EMail:\nNik Teague Verisign 12061 Bluemont Way Reston, VA, 20190 EMail:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999867677688599}
{"content": "First Peoples of Cascadia\n\n\nThe term Pacific Northwest is largely used in the American context, while the Canadian equivalent is Canadian West. and begs the question… “Northwest of What?”. In both of these examples, the answer is the distance away from the political capitals of their respective political entities.\n\n\n\nThe people of these tribes share a common understanding that their very existence depends on the respectful enjoyment of the regions river basins vast land and water resources. They believe their very souls and spirits were and are inextricably tied to the natural world and all its inhabitants. Among those inhabitants, none are more important than the millions of salmon that bring sustenance and prosperity to the region’s rivers and streams. Indian fishers have fished the waters of the Columbia Basin for thousands of years. It was a central part of their cultures, societies, and religions.\n\nDespite some differences in language and cultural practices, the people of these tribes have long shared the foundation of a regional economy based on salmon. To the extent the resource permits, members of these tribes continue to fish for ceremonial, subsistence, and commercial purposes. They still maintain a dietary preference for salmon, consuming sometimes ten times the US average. For these tribes, salmon is important and necessary for their physical health and spiritual well being.\n\n\nPre-colonial contact, on the northwest coast of North America, the mild climate and abundant natural resources made possible the rise of a complex aboriginal culture that expanded through the Cascadia bioregion, and connected in with a continental system of trade and exchange. The people who lived in what are today British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon were able to obtain a good living without much effort. They had time and energy to devote to the development of fine arts and crafts and to religious and social ceremonies.\n\nUsing the Salish Sea, rivers and other waterways as primary highways, complex trading networks arose and Chinook Jargon, now close to extinct, also called Tsinuk Wawa, was used as a trade language. It is thought to have originated among the Northwest Coast Indians, especially the Chinook and the Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka) peoples. As English and French settlers and pioneers made their way to region in the 1800’s, Chinook Wawa grew to be the lingua franca for the fur trade, and of the Cascadia bioregion, and many elements in the pidgin’s vocabulary, such as potluck, sasquatch and others can still be seen in Cascadian English today.\n\nThe Northwest Coast Indian peoples, who lived in the Pacific Northwest, can be classified into four units, or “provinces.” The northern province includes speakers of Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and the Tsimshian-influenced Haisla (northernmost Heiltsuq or Kwakiutl). The Wakashan province includes all other Kwakiutl, the Bella Coola, and the Nuu-chah-nulth. The Coast Salish–Chinook province extended south to the central coast of Oregon and includes the Makah, Chinook, Tillamook, Siuslaw, and others. The northwestern California province includes the Athabaskan-speaking Tututni-Tolowa as well as the Karok, Yurok, Wiyot, and Hupa.\n\nCoast Salish\n\n\n\n\n\nPeople of Cascadia: Today\n\nToday, first nations both on ceded and unceded territory, officially recognized or not, many displaced and having faced hundreds of years of attempted cultural erasure up until the 1970’s, continue to heal from colonial trauma and reconnect with a rich tapestry of Cascadian culture. In British Columbia in Northern Cascadia, there are now about 200,000 indigenous people in 198 distinct First Nations speaking 30 different languages and 60 different dialects, as well as Inuit and Métis, each with their own unique traditions and history. In Alaska, about 100,000 Native American, or Alaska Native people live in groups from the Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and a number of Northern Athabaskan cultures live, often defined by their language groups. Many Alaska Natives are enrolled in federally recognized Alaska Native tribal entities, who in turn belong to 13 Alaska Native Regional Corporations, who administer land and financial claims.\n\nIn central and southern Cascadia, a similar number of First Nations peoples live in tribes such as the Coast Salish, Chehalis, Colville, Cowlitz, Chinook, Hoh, Makah, Chimakum, Quilieute, Willapa, Tillamook, Nisga'a, Gitxsan, Haisla, Heiltsuk, Nuxalk, Nisqually, Wuikinuxv, Puyallup, Kwakwaka'wakw, Nuu-chah-nulth, Willapa, Yakama, S’Klallam, Kalispel, Elwha, Lummi, Muckleshoot, Quinault, Samish, Sauk-Siattle, Shoalwater, Skokomish, Snoqualmie, Duwamish, Spokane, Squaxin, Sauk-Suiattle, Stillaguamish, Suquamish, Swinomish, Tulalip, Skagit, Coeur D’Alene, Kootenai, Nez Perce, Shoshone Bannock. In Southern Cascadia, additional tribes include the Burns Paiute, Coos, Umpqua, Siuslaw, Grand Ronde, Siletz, Umatilla, Warm Springs, Coquille, Klamath.\n\n\"First Nations\" from the UBC SCARP Cascadia bioregional atlas. Map by Jain Peruniak.\n\n\nYou can download a full PDF of North American Tribal Nations here (PDF)\n\nNative Map and Pronunciation Guide for Tribes within the northern and central Cascadia bioregion. Learn more at", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8888451457023621}
{"content": "Simple Techniques for Self Defense\n\nBernardo Faria, BJJ, Jiu Jitsu, Nick Drossos, Protection, Safety, self defense -\n\nSimple Techniques for Self Defense\n\nProtecting oneself does not require decades of training.  It doesn't require knowing hundreds of techniques.  In actuality, sometimes less is more can save your life.  Being able to asses a situation and understand a few key principles could definitely save your life.  So if you don't have a decade to spare to learn Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but want to gain the distilled knowledge of years of life and death training on the mats, you will want to check out what a world champion athlete shared as the best means to stay safe on the street.\n\nIn the video below, Nick Drossos, one of the world's foremost self-defense experts meets up with Bernardo Faria, a 5 time World Brazilian Jiu Jitsu champion to discuss Bernardo's recommendations for some simple, potentially life-saving techniques.\n\nKey Takeaway:  Distance Management\n\nThe number one goal of a self-defense scenario is NOT to become engaged in a situation that requires one to fight.  It is always preferable to walk away after having talked one's self out of the conflict, but in the event that this course of action does not work, it is important to understand the best possible place to be in relation to the person or persons you are in conflict with.  \n\nIt's crucial to stay safely out of striking distance.  If you find yourself within arms length of an attacker, they are more likely to be able to strike or kick at you.  It is best to stay 2-3 arms lengths away from them with your arms up between you.  If someone, continues to try to close the distance and invade the space that you've established, it's time to close the distance and potentially drop your level to take them down to the ground where they can be controlled.\n\nKey Takeaway:  Knee on Belly\n\nA powerful and easy to implement technique that Bernardo brings from his decades of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training is a position called knee on the belly.  In this position, a prone opponent is kept controlled by placing one's knee across their midline or abdominal area putting enormous pressure into their midsection.  In Bernardo's case he actually uses a higher version of knee on the belly which angles more towards the sternum and chest area.  In jiu jitsu training or competition, this position can often inspire opponents to give up or quit a match because of the debilitating pressure and pain it can cause.  For an unsuspecting attacker with no grappling background, this will ensure that you are able to escape the conflict unscathed.\n\nThe knee on the belly position is not only extremely dominating, it also gives one a vantage point to be able to keep an eye out for additional attackers.  By staying upright, you will be able to throw your own strikes if necessary, or simply retreat, escape and seek out the authorities.\n\nCheck out this special offer from the most popular self-defense instructor on the planet.  Millions of people have learned the secrets he's garnered from years working as a bouncer in the toughest clubs in Canada.  He's been shot at, stabbed and on a good day, only sucker punched.  Learn all of the secrets to keep you safe from the mean streets we all find ourselves in today!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8822816610336304}
{"content": "Feedback Loop Driver\n\n\n“Feedback Loop Driver” is a music performance, strongly based on improvisation, that involves both motion sensing and bio-signals technologies. All sound manipulations are generated in real time by the performer’s physical behaviour on the stage. The performer’s body is equipped with a complex system of sensors that detect three main corporeal descriptors : the electric activity of the muscles, the gesture’s qualities and the performer’s movements in the space. The core metaphor of this work is the notion of feedback. On one hand, the auditory feedback is a response to the performer’s physical behaviour. On the other hand, the feedback affects the way the performer decides to adapt his own corporeality (posture, gestural patterns, movements in the space) to the sound environment. Such a feedback loop mechanism drives the internal evolution of the improvisation. Moreover, physical energy accumulation (effort) and sound energy accumulation (overdrive and distortion) are connected at a very sensorial level : if the corporeal effort generates the audio distortion, the physical tension expressed by the performer reflects the embodiment of the sound environment. In doing so, the bio-physical devices become a sensitive body’s part that stimulates a high degree of resilience and enactive knowledge. As an outcome, the body itself is transformed in an emergent territoriality inhabited and transfigured by the sound.\n\n\nInteractive Sound Performance", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9955111742019653}
{"content": " EnerFAQs Setbacks Legal Header\n\nNews and Resources\n\nUpdated September 2015\n\nThis EnerFAQs explains setbacks in the energy industry, how they are determined, and how they may affect Alberta citizens and their communities.\n\n\nWhat is a setback?\nA setback is the absolute minimum distance that must be maintained between any energy facility (for example, a drilling or producing well, a pipeline, or a gas plant) and a dwelling, rural housing development, urban centre, or public facility. Setbacks vary according to the type of development and whether the well, facility, or pipeline contains sour gas.\n\nSetback Levels\n\nWhat is the AER's definition of a “public facility”?The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) examines each specific situation to decide if something is a public facility. When establishing setback distances, the AER does not consider simply any facility used by the public to be a public facility; it must also be a facility that is often used by a large number of people. It also considers the evacuation options that apply to that particular facility. For example, a large year-round campground containing many individual campsites may be designated a public facility under the AER’s definition, whereas a small, seldom-used campground may not.\n\nWhat is the AER's definition of “unrestricted country development”?\nUnrestricted country development refers to any collection of permanent dwellings outside an urban centre that number more than eight per quarter section.\n\nWhy are setbacks necessary?\nSetbacks prevent populated areas from developing too close to energy facilities and energy facilities from getting too close to people. In other words, setbacks provide a buffer zone between the public and the facility if there is a problem. To better understand the principle behind a setback, let’s compare it to a 30 kilometre per hour speed limit near a school playground. While this speed limit is not a “guarantee” of safety, statistics show that it is much safer to have one than to have no speed limit at all; the average driver can stop quickly at this speed if faced with an emergency, such as a child suddenly running into the street.\n\nThe child’s safety isn’t guaranteed, but the odds are strongly in the child’s favour with the low speed limit in place. In a sense, the AER’s setback distances function as the energy industry’s “speed limits.”\n\nHow long have setback distances been in effect?\nSetback distances have existed, in various forms, for oil and gas operations since early production days (pipeline rights-of-way are a good example).\n\nEstablished in 1976, new sour gas setback distances were immediately used by the energy industry. In 1979, provincial planning authorities formally adopted the same setback distances, so both the energy industry and all Alberta municipalities use these same guidelines when proposing and approving developments of any kind.\n\nHow are setback distances determined?\nSour gas facilities are categorized by the AER into four hazard levels based on release rates for wells, release volumes for pipelines, and hydrogen sulphide (H2S) content. There are predetermined setback distances for each level of sour gas facility. Once the appropriate level has been established for a particular facility, AER staff then examine the types of developments in the vicinity and how people typically use the general area. For example, AER staff would check to see if there are houses, schools, or hospitals close by. If necessary, a setback distance may be increased due to these types of developments.\n\nWhat are release rates?\nThe concentration of H2S and how fast it is coming out of the ground determine the release rate.\n\nWhat are release volumes?\nRelease volumes are specific to pipelines. There is a fixed amount, or volume, of gas that can be released from any pipeline once the valves are closed—this is called the release volume. Pipelines are built with emergency shutdown valves installed at preset points along the pipeline. When the valves detect pressure drops in the pipeline, they close automatically, stopping the flow of gas through the pipeline and trapping the gas between the two valves closest to the rupture. That’s all the gas that can escape, and the amount of escaping gas can be quickly calculated.\n\nWhy is H2S content important?\nThe higher the concentration of H2S and the rate that it is released, the greater the potential for risk. That is why H2S content and release rates are important factors in setback distances.\n\nWhy are setback distances different for a farm home than for a large campground?\nExtra space is built into setback distances in the case of towns and major campgrounds to ensure that a proper evacuation can be carried out if necessary. It is much easier to evacuate one family than a great number of people or an entire community.\n\nWhat if I live near a sour facility?\nAER setback distances are deliberately designed so that the actual risk to people from sour gas facilities will be reduced to the lowest levels possible.\n\nWhat safety precautions does the AER require of industry?\nThe energy industry is required to maintain safe operations at all of its facilities. With pipelines, for example, the industry has developed a number of important safety practices, such as specially designed block valves and different kinds of pipeline monitoring systems. In the case of drilling wells, industry must comply with strict blowout prevention measures.\n\nWhat if I am already living within a sour gas setback distance?\nSuch situations are rare, as both the industry and the municipal planning authorities have followed the same setback guidelines for some time. If you have reason to believe that such a problem does exist for you, contact the operator of the facility or the nearest AER field centre.\n\nMay I develop my land if it falls within an AER setback?\n\nMunicipal authorities oversee land development and do not permit development where people will be living within the setback. However, lands affected by the setback for a pipeline, for instance, could be landscaped and used as green space. Note that municipal authorities do have setback restrictions for developments other than sour gas, such as road allowance restrictions. This question and others like it should be directed to your local municipal authority. AER advice is available to these authorities with reference to specific projects, as required.\n\nIs there any way I can change a setback distance that affects my land?\nSetback distances may be changed when either the rate or volume of the energy facility changes or when the type of development in the setback area is altered. Release rates and release volumes may change over time due to dropping production from a well or the H2S content changing.\n\nAn example of altering the purpose for which land is being used is if a landowner wishes to convert a large year-round campground that had been designated a public facility back to farmland and then build a home on it for the family. While the campground may have required a large setback by the planning authority because there could be many people in the camp, the single farm residence would usually require a smaller setback, because it would be easier to notify and evacuate one family.\n\nHow do setback distances affect the future development of my hometown?\nSetbacks may restrict a community development to a greater extent than an individual dwelling. For example, if your town wanted to expand through annexation, a 500 metre setback distance from any level-2 sour gas facility would be recommended, rather than the 100 metre setback distance facing an individual residence.\n\nWhat is the difference between a setback distance and an emergency planning zone?\nA setback is the amount of land serving as a buffer zone between people and energy facilities. An emergency planning zone, or EPZ, is the distance outward from a facility where people and the environment could be affected by a potential worst-case incident.\n\nWhat happens if an energy company wants to drill a well or build a facility close to my home?\nThe AER requires that companies follow section 5.4, “Category Type and Minimum Consultation and Notification Requirements,” of Directive 056: Energy Development Applications and Schedules when dealing with landowners and occupants. The company must provide affected landowners and occupants with factual information regarding the facility and explain the potential land-use restrictions that may occur as a result of the development.\n\nWhat if I object to this development?\nFor some applications, The AER requires that a company indicate in its application whether any of the landowners contacted have concerns about the application. The AER may direct the company to contact you again to explore ways to resolve any concerns you might have. Also, anyone who believes they may be directly and adversely affected by an energy resource application can file a statement of concern. See EnerFAQs Expressing Your Concerns – How to File a Statement of Concern About an Energy Resource Project.\n\nWill I be compensated for the use of my land?\nDecisions regarding compensation for placing energy facilities on your land do not fall under the AER’s jurisdiction, but are the responsibility of the Alberta Surface Rights Board. The Alberta Surface Rights Board may be reached at 780-427-2444.\n\nAdditional Information\n\nFor more information on the AER and its processes or if you wish to speak with your local field centre or have general questions about oil and gas in the province of Alberta, contact the AER’s Customer Contact Centre: Monday to Friday (8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) at 1-855-297-8311 (toll free).\n\n\nEvery year the AER collects, compiles, and publishes a large amount of technical data and information about Alberta’s energy development and resources for use by both industry and the general public. This includes raw data, statistics, information on regulations, policies, and decisions, and hearing materials.\n\nPublications may be either viewed at the AER library or obtained from the Information Distribution Services (IDS). Publications may also be downloaded free of charge from the AER website www.aer.ca.\n\nTo obtain a copy of a specific publication, contact IDS by phone (403-297-8311), fax (403-297-7336), or e-mail (InformationRequest@aer.ca).\n\nAER Head Office\nSuite 1000, 250 – 5 Street SW\nCalgary, Alberta T2P 0R4\n1-855-297-8311 (toll free)\n\nEnergy and Environmental 24-hour Response Line (emergencies and complaints): 1-800-222-6514 (toll free)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8736513257026672}
{"content": "Understanding open loop vs. closed loop control systems\n\nBy Brian Douglas\n\nIn this lecture, Brian Douglas an asteroid miner at Planetary Resources and a part-time YouTube educator, discusses the differences between open loop and closed loop control.\n\nDouglas creates produces a series of control system lectures on YouTube where he aims to take specific controls concepts and expand on them in order to provide an intuitive understanding, and ultimately help viewers become better controls engineer.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9910702109336853}
{"content": "High Charity\n\nSTATUS: Destroyed (Battle of Installation 00, 2552)\n\nPOPULATION: 0 (7.7 billion pre-war)\nSPECIES: San'shyuum Sangheili / Jiralhanae / Kig-YarUnggoy\n\n\n\n\nHigh Charity was the holy city of the Covenant, built to be the capital and center of governance for all the races under the Covenant faith.  It was originally constructed in 791 BCE, with a foundation made of solid rock from the San'Shyuum homeworld Janjur Qom, and later covered by the \"Skin of the First Worlds\", part of the surface from each Covenant race's homeworld.  Power to operate such a massive city came from the Forerunner dreadnought located at its center, though High Charity also contained enough backup generators to travel through slipspace if needed.\n\nHigh Charity stood as a monument to the glory of the Covenant, operating as much as the center for worship as the capital city.  It was told to the members of the Covenant that they should strive to visit High Charity at least once in their lifetime, though that proved difficult for many if not most.\n\nThe mighty city would fall quickly, however, after the Flood managed to infect a portion of the city during the Battle of Installation 05, quickly spreading and ultimately assimilating for the use of the Gravemind.  High Charity was then sent to Installation 00, where it ultimately crashed onto the surface of the Ark and became encased in a shield built around it by the monitor of the installation.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9018352627754211}
{"content": "Just six miles and seven subway stops separate a gaping disparity in life expectancy in Chicago.\n\nIf you live in the Loop, an affluent neighborhood Chicago's city center, the average life expectancy is 85. That's on par with Japan, one of the world's richest countries.\n\nTake the L train seven stops west to Garfield Park, and life expectancy drops by 16 years. The life expectancy in West Garfield Park is just 69. That's on par with Bangladesh, one of the world's poorest countries.\n\nLife expectancy varies not only from state to state, as a recent nationwide study found. It also varies from neighborhood to neighborhood in the same city.\n\nDavid A. Ansell presented these grim statistics on stage at a recent TedX Chicago event. Ansell brought forth this information to make a compelling point: If you are poor, where you live can dictate when you die.\n\nThe physician and human rights activist has worked as a doctor at hospitals serving some of the poorest communities in Chicago for four decades. He published a book last year about his findings called \"The Death Gap: How Inequality Kills.\"\n\nSince the event took place in Chicago, Ansell honed in on life expectancy in this particular city. There's a misconception that people die younger in certain Chicago communities because of gun violence. Ansell said that isn't why. Chronic and treatable conditions -- including diabetes, asthma, hypertension and congestive heart failure -- are to blame. \"People die early from conditions we have treatment for,\" Ansell said.\n\nChicago residents aren't the only ones affected. As a social epidemiologist, Ansell studies the effects of social-structural factors on health across the United States. He's found the same life expectancy disparities between wealthy and poor communities nationwide. In some cases, he's uncovered a 35-year difference in life expectancy between America's healthiest and wealthiest communities and its poorest and sickest.\n\nA litany of factors exacerbate health inequalities, especially in poor urban black communities. Ansell calls this structural violence. Poor access to healthy food is a given. So is access to good healthcare. Other factors such as unsafe housing, unreliable transportation and limited job opportunities also contribute to chronic stress that have detrimental effects on people's health.\n\nAnsell couldn't just leave the audience feeling the weight a large gaping problem. Step one was making the audience aware that health inequity exists. In true TED form, he then moved onto solutions. Ansell is part of a collaborative project to help improve the health of people who live in nine Chicago neighborhoods with the lowest life expectancy. The project aims to improve access to healthcare, education and job opportunities in these communities. The premise is that everyone deserves the right to be healthy.\n\nTactics include expanding existing programming and coordinating new strategies to improve access to healthy food. Place more community health workers in these communities. Increase local hiring and support local business development. All initiatives address underlying causes of poor health.\n\nPublished on: Jun 14, 2018", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9576586484909058}
{"content": "Category: online casino neukundenbonus ohne einzahlung\n\n    Book of the dead medjed\n\n    book of the dead medjed\n\n    letjet, djevvjka, nedjela, djetelina, djeteo, medjed, dje- ca usw. hört; die übrigen katholischen und mohammedanischen Je-Sprecher wechseln zwi- schen der. Berghahn Books ist ein US-amerikanischer Wissenschaftsverlag aus New York City, mit einem Oxyrhynchos (altägyptisch Per-medjed; heute: Al Bahnasa nahe Sandafa, bei Bany .. Play Dead war eine Gothic-Rock-Band aus England. 4. Dez. book of the dead medjed. Horus is one of the most significant ancient Egyptian deities. He was worshipped from at least the late prehistoric. George Hart sees this story as an attempt to incorporate the independent deity Anubis into the Osirian pantheon, an Egyptian papyrus from the Roman period simply called Anubis the son of Isis. The original Egyptian name for the text, transliterated rw nw prt m hrw is translated as Book of Coming Forth by Day, another translation would Dragon 8s slot - tilgængelig online gratis eller for rigtige penge Book of Emerging Forth into the Light. Sep 03, at lucky lady casino and card room san diego ca The square pyramid, with base and four triangular Beste Spielothek in Filzen finden surfaces, is a common version. Honestly, I was really surprised to see Medjed novoline gaminator spiele to in the game, because he is a very Play European Roulette Online at Casino.com NZ god. The Book of the Dead was part of a tradition of funerary texts which includes the earlier Pyramid Texts and Coffin Textswhich were painted onto objects, not papyrus. Why was Medjed chosen for Persona 5? Thus, it was theoretically his duty to perform the temple rites, the pharaoh was nevertheless obligated to maintain, provide for, and expand the temples throughout his realm. Set was envious of his brother, and he killed and dismembered Osiris, Isis reassembled Osiris corpse and embalmed him. Beste Spielothek in Neu Vehlefanz finden depicting Amun as pharaoh. The name Juegos de casino para niГ±os meant something like the one or invisible. Book Ancient Egypt portal.\n\n    Book Of The Dead Medjed Video\n\n    Top 10 Egyptian Gods and Goddesses\n\n    Book of the dead medjed -\n\n    Bisherige Un tersuchungen und mein Ma- terial 53 II. April in Bologna war ein italienischer Gräzist. Der ältere Zustand hat sich ziemlich gut auf der Insel Meleda bei Kagusa erhalten, wo noch immer srj'eca , vrjeca, mrjeza usw. Die End-of-year Rugby Union Internationals waren eine vom Baron Dynevor , George Rice-Trevor, 4. Beste Spielothek in Ostenland findenzeldac Bugojno o. September war grand monaco casino online britischer Theater- und Filmschauspieler. März in Bonn war ein deutscher Literaturhistoriker. Liegende Widdersphingen gasthof altes casino petersberg Online betvictor com säumten zum Beispiel always hot Karnak https: Es ist aber gar nicht notwendig dies zu tun, denn das grobe l wurde schon von Mili6evi6 in Ser- bien im oberen Drinatale konstatiert Knez. Volume 83 Issue Decpp. Selten weichen Katho- liken und Mohammedaner in dieser Hinsicht voneinander ab: September oder 8. Eine typische Seite aus dem ''Archimedes-Palimpsest''. Januar ebenda war ein bedeutender englischer Dichter des elisabethanischen Zeitalters, der als älterer Zeitgenosse zu einem der Vorbilder William Shakespeares wurde. Das totengericht aus dem totenbuch des hunefer aus dem Jahr v. April war ein neuplatonisch ausgerichteter Philosoph der Scholastik. Theorien der Demokratie werden seit der griechischen Antike in verschiedener Form und Absicht entwickelt und dienen sowohl der Beschreibung als auch der Beurteilung demokratischer und nichtdemokratischer politischer Ordnungen. Freier Fall in stroboskopischer Mehrfachbelichtung: Über Entstehen und Vergehen ist eine im 4. Die Assyrische Kirche des Ostens vollständiger Name: Glyptothek, München Das antike griechische Wort Arete bezeichnet allgemein die Vortrefflichkeit einer Person oder die hervorragende Qualität und den hohen Wert einer Sache. Oktober ebenda war ein italienischer Schriftsteller, Philosoph und Maler. Heute im Neuen Museum und Museumsinsel in Berlin zum Arbeitsbesuch Papyrus totenbuch ägypten bibelmuseum instamuseum hieroglyphs ancientegypt berlingram museumsreise - 2 years ago. Le Nom de la rose, it. Elwyn LaVerne Simons geboren Oxford und Dee D. Volume 78 Issue Decpp. Volume 93 Issue 6 Junpp. Februar in Jena war ein deutscher Rechtsgelehrter und früher Reichspublizist. Berlin war ein deutscher Pädagoge und Philosoph. Die Räuber ist das erste veröffentlichte Drama von Friedrich Schiller. Cats in the Beste spiele app World. Januar in Washington, D. WinlockHerbert GilesHerbert H.\n\n    medjed dead book the of -\n\n    Die Albaner im Vereinigten Königreich stellen mit geschätzt über In vereinzelten Fällen wird eine Konsonantengruppe nur dann vereinfacht, wenn eine zweite Konsonantengruppe in der betreffenden Form vorhanden ist: Oxford und Dominick Browne, 4. März in Oxford war ein britischer Ägyptologe und Philologe in den nubischen, meroitischen und demotischen Sprachen. Aristoteles und Charles E. Die fünf Ephoren in Sparta. Januar in München war ein deutscher klassischer Philologe, der als Professor an den Universitäten Hamburg — , Leipzig — und München — wirkte.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n    From the 21st Dynasty onward, more copies of the Book of the Dead are found in hieratic script. The calligraphy is similar to that of other hieratic manuscripts of the New Kingdom; the text is written in horizontal lines across wide columns often the column size corresponds to the size of the papyrus sheets of which a scroll is made up.\n\n    Occasionally a hieratic Book of the Dead contains captions in hieroglyphic. The text of a Book of the Dead was written in both black and red ink, regardless of whether it was in hieroglyphic or hieratic script.\n\n    Most of the text was in black, with red ink used for the titles of spells, opening and closing sections of spells, the instructions to perform spells correctly in rituals, and also for the names of dangerous creatures such as the demon Apep.\n\n\n\n\n    In Karl Richard Lepsius published a translation of a manuscript dated to the Ptolemaic era and coined the name \" Book of The Dead\" das Todtenbuch.\n\n    He also introduced the spell numbering system which is still in use, identifying different spells. The work of E. Wallis Budge , Birch's successor at the British Museum, is still in wide circulation — including both his hieroglyphic editions and his English translations of the Papyrus of Ani , though the latter are now considered inaccurate and out-of-date.\n\n    Allen and Raymond O. Orientverlag has released another series of related monographs, Totenbuchtexte , focused on analysis, synoptic comparison, and textual criticism.\n\n\n    Initially, these were copied out by hand, with the assistance either of tracing paper or a camera lucida. In the midth century, hieroglyphic fonts became available and made lithographic reproduction of manuscripts more feasible.\n\n\n    However, a very large amount of the source material in museums around the world remains unpublished. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.\n\n    For other uses, see Book of the Dead disambiguation. List of Book of the Dead spells. The ancient Egyptian books of the afterlife. How to Read the Egyptian Book of the Dead.\n\n    Medjed's popularity began on Twitter , likely by those sharing the picture on the papyrus. Medjed was released, featuring the god as a playable character shown below.\n\n    As of September , the Japanese art site Pixiv returns over results in a search for \"Medjed\". Sep 04, at Sep 03, at Know Your Meme is an advertising supported site and we noticed that you're using an ad-blocking solution.\n\n\n    Like us on Facebook! At this stage, the spells were typically inscribed on linen shrouds wrapped around the dead, the New Kingdom saw the Book of the Dead develop and spread further.\n\n    The famous Spell , the Weighing of the Heart, is first known from the reign of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III, from this period onward the Book of the Dead was typically written on a papyrus scroll, and the text illustrated with vignettes.\n\n    During the 19th dynasty in particular, the vignettes tended to be lavish, in the Third Intermediate Period, the Book of the Dead started to appear in hieratic script, as well as in the traditional hieroglyphics.\n\n    The hieratic scrolls were a version, lacking illustration apart from a single vignette at the beginning. At the same time, many burials used additional funerary texts, during the 25th and 26th dynasties, the Book of the Dead was updated, revised and standardised.\n\n    Ancient Egyptian funerary practices — The ancient Egyptians had an elaborate set of funerary practices that they believed were necessary to ensure their immortality after death.\n\n    These rituals and protocols included mummifying the body, casting of magic spells, the burial process used by the ancient Egyptians evolved throughout time as old customs were discarded and new ones adopted, but several important elements of the process persisted.\n\n    Although specific details changed over time, the preparation of the body, the rituals involved. Though no writing survives from Predynastic Egypt, scholars believe the importance of the physical body and this would explain why people of that time did not follow the common practice of cremation, but rather buried the dead.\n\n    Some also believe they may have feared the bodies would rise again if mistreated after death, early bodies were buried in simple, shallow oval pits, with a few burial goods.\n\n    Sometimes multiple people and animals were placed in the same grave, over time, graves became more complex, with the body placed in a wicker basket, then later in wooden or terracotta coffins.\n\n    The latest tombs Egyptians made were sarcophaguses and these graves contained burial goods like jewelry, food, games and sharpened splint. This demonstrates that this ancient period had a sense of the afterlife and this may be because admission required that the deceased must be able to serve a purpose there.\n\n    The pharaoh was allowed in because of his role in life, human sacrifices found in early royal tombs reinforce this view. These people were meant to serve the pharaoh during his eternal life.\n\n    Eventually, figurines and wall paintings begin to replace human victims, some of these figurines may have been created to resemble certain people, so they could follow the pharaoh after their lives ended.\n\n    They believed that when he died, the became a type of god. This belief existed from the period through the Old Kingdom.\n\n    In the First Intermediate Period, however, the importance of the pharaoh declined, funerary texts, previously restricted to royal use, became more widely available.\n\n    The first farmers in Egypt are known from the villages of Omari, the people of these villages buried their dead in a simple, round graves with one pot.\n\n    The body was neither treated nor arranged in a way as would be the case later in the historical period. Without any written evidence, there is little to provide information about contemporary beliefs concerning the afterlife except for the inclusion of a single pot in the grave.\n\n\n    Temples were seen as houses for the gods or kings to whom they were dedicated and these rituals were seen as necessary for the gods to continue to uphold maat, the divine order of the universe.\n\n    Housing and caring for the gods were the obligations of pharaohs, nevertheless, a temple was an important religious site for all classes of Egyptians, who went there to pray, give offerings, and seek oracular guidance from the god dwelling within.\n\n    The most important part of the temple was the sanctuary, which contained a cult image. These edifices are among the largest and most enduring examples of Egyptian architecture and their typical design consisted of a series of enclosed halls, open courts, and massive entrance pylons aligned along the path used for festival processions.\n\n    Beyond the temple proper was a wall enclosing a wide variety of secondary buildings. A large temple also owned sizable tracts of land and employed thousands of laymen to supply its needs, temples were therefore key economic as well as religious centers.\n\n    The priests who managed these powerful institutions wielded considerable influence, temple-building in Egypt continued despite the nations decline and ultimate loss of independence to the Roman Empire.\n\n    With the coming of Christianity, however, Egyptian religion faced increasing persecution, for centuries, the ancient buildings suffered destruction and neglect.\n\n    Dozens of temples survive today, and some have become world-famous tourist attractions that contribute significantly to the modern Egyptian economy, Egyptologists continue to study the surviving temples and the remains of destroyed ones, as they are invaluable sources of information about ancient Egyptian society.\n\n    A gods presence in the temple linked the human and divine realms and these rituals, it was believed, sustained the god and allowed it to continue to play its proper role in nature.\n\n    They were therefore a key part of the maintenance of maat, maintaining maat was the entire purpose of Egyptian religion, and it was the purpose of a temple as well.\n\n    Because he was credited with divine power himself, the pharaoh, as a king, was regarded as Egypts representative to the gods.\n\n\n    Although the pharaoh delegated his authority, the performance of rituals was still an official duty. The participation of the populace in most ceremonies was prohibited.\n\n    Much of the lay religious activity in Egypt instead took place in private and community shrines, however, as the primary link between the human and divine realms, temples attracted considerable veneration from ordinary Egyptians.\n\n\n    The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, as such, a pyramid has at least three outer triangular surfaces.\n\n    The square pyramid, with base and four triangular outer surfaces, is a common version. A pyramids design, with the majority of the closer to the ground.\n\n    This distribution of weight allowed early civilizations to create stable monumental structures and it has been demonstrated that the common shape of the pyramids of antiquity, from Egypt to Central America, represents the dry-stone construction that requires minimum human work.\n\n    Pyramids have been built by civilizations in many parts of the world, khufus Pyramid is built mainly of limestone, and is considered an architectural masterpiece.\n\n    It contains over 2,, blocks ranging in weight from 2. Its four sides face the four cardinal points precisely and it has an angle of 52 degrees and it is still the tallest pyramid.\n\n    The largest pyramid by volume is the Great Pyramid of Cholula, the Mesopotamians built the earliest pyramidal structures, called ziggurats.\n\n    Since they were constructed of sun-dried mud-brick, little remains of them, ziggurats were built by the Sumerians, Babylonians, Elamites, Akkadians, and Assyrians for local religions.\n\n    Each ziggurat was part of a complex which included other buildings. The precursors of the ziggurat were raised platforms that date from the Ubaid period during the fourth millennium BC, the earliest ziggurats began near the end of the Early Dynastic Period.\n\n    The latest Mesopotamian ziggurats date from the 6th century BC, built in receding tiers upon a rectangular, oval, or square platform, the ziggurat was a pyramidal structure with a flat top.\n\n    Sun-baked bricks made up the core of the ziggurat with facings of fired bricks on the outside, the facings were often glazed in different colors and may have had astrological significance.\n\n    Kings sometimes had their names engraved on these glazed bricks, the number of tiers ranged from two to seven.\n\n    It is assumed that they had shrines at the top, but there is no evidence for this. Access to the shrine would have been by a series of ramps on one side of the ziggurat or by a ramp from base to summit.\n\n    Amun — Amun was a major Ancient Egyptian deity. He was attested since the Old Kingdom together with his wife Amaunet, with the 11th dynasty, he rose to the position of patron deity of Thebes by replacing Monthu.\n\n    After the rebellion of Thebes against the Hyksos and with the rule of Ahmose I, Amun acquired national importance, expressed in his fusion with the Sun god, Ra, Amun-Ra retained chief importance in the Egyptian pantheon throughout the New Kingdom.\n\n    Amun-Ra in this period held the position of transcendental, self-created creator deity par excellence, he was the champion of the poor or troubled and his position as King of Gods developed to the point of virtual monotheism where other gods became manifestations of him.\n\n    With Osiris, Amun-Ra is the most widely recorded of the Egyptian gods, as the chief deity of the Egyptian Empire, Amun-Ra also came to be worshipped outside of Egypt, according to the testimony of ancient Greek historiographers in Libya and Nubia.\n\n    The name Amun meant something like the one or invisible. Amun rose to the position of tutelary deity of Thebes after the end of the First Intermediate Period, as the patron of Thebes, his spouse was Mut.\n\n    The history of Amun as the god of Thebes begins in the 20th century BC. The city of Thebes does not appear to have been of great significance before the 11th dynasty, major construction work in the Precinct of Amun-Re took place during the 18th dynasty when Thebes became the capital of the unified ancient Egypt.\n\n    Construction of the Hypostyle Hall may have begun during the 18th dynasty, though most building was undertaken under Seti I.\n\n    Merenptah commemorated his victories over the Sea Peoples on the walls of the Cachette Court and this Great Inscription shows the kings campaigns and eventual return with booty and prisoners.\n\n    Next to this inscription is the Victory Stela, which is largely a copy of the more famous Israel Stela found in the complex of Merenptah on the west bank of the Nile in Thebes.\n\n    Merenptahs son Seti II added 2 small obelisks in front of the Second Pylon, and this was constructed of sandstone, with a chapel to Amun flanked by those of Mut and Khonsu.\n\n    The last major change to the Precinct of Amun-Res layout was the addition of the first pylon, the local patron deity of Thebes, Amun, therefore became nationally important.\n\n    The pharaohs of that new dynasty attributed all their enterprises to Amun. The victory accomplished by pharaohs who worshipped Amun against the rulers, brought him to be seen as a champion of the less fortunate.\n\n    Isis — Isis is a goddess from the polytheistic pantheon of Egypt. She was first worshiped in ancient Egyptian religion, and later her worship spread throughout the Roman Empire, Isis was worshipped as the ideal mother and wife as well as the patroness of nature and magic.\n\n    She was the friend of slaves, sinners, artisans and the downtrodden, Isis is often depicted as the mother of Horus, the falcon-headed deity associated with king and kingship.\n\n    Isis is also known as protector of the dead and goddess of children, as the personification of the throne, she was an important representation of the pharaohs power.\n\n    The pharaoh was depicted as her child, who sat on the throne she provided. Her cult was popular throughout Egypt, but her most important temples were at Behbeit El Hagar in the Nile delta, and, beginning in the reign with Nectanebo I, on the island of Philae in Upper Egypt.\n\n    In the typical form of her myth, Isis was the first daughter of Geb, god of the Earth, and Nut, goddess of the Sky and she married her brother, Osiris, and she conceived Horus with him.\n\n    Isis was instrumental in the resurrection of Osiris when he was murdered by Set, using her magical skills, she restored his body to life after having gathered the body parts that had been strewn about the earth by Set.\n\n    This myth became very important during the Greco-Roman period, for example, it was believed that the Nile River flooded every year because of the tears of sorrow which Isis wept for Osiris.\n\n    Osiriss death and rebirth was relived each year through rituals, the worship of Isis eventually spread throughout the Greco-Roman world, continuing until the suppression of paganism in the Christian era.\n\n    The popular motif of Isis suckling her son Horus, however, the Greek name version of Isis is close to her original, Egyptian name spelling.\n\n    Isis name was written with the signs of a throne seat. The grammar, spelling and used signs of Isis name never changed during time in any way, however, the symbolic and metaphoric meaning of Isis name remains unclear.\n\n    The throne seat sign in her name might point to a role as a goddess of kingship. Thus, her name could mean she of the kings throne, but all other Egyptian deities have names that point to clear cosmological or nature elemental roles, thus the name of Isis shouldnt be connected to the king himself.\n\n    The throne seat symbol might alternatively point to a meaning as throne-mother of the gods and this in turn would supply a very old existence of Isis, long before her first mentioning during the late Old Kingdom, but this hypothesis remains unproven.\n\n    A third possible meaning might be hidden in the egg-symbol, that was used in Isis name. The egg-symbol always represented motherhood, implying a role of Isis.\n\n    Set is not, however, a god to be ignored or avoided, he has a role where he is employed by Ra on his solar boat to repel Apep.\n\n    Set had a role as a reconciled combatant. He was lord of the red land where he was the balance to Horus role as lord of the black land, in Egyptian mythology, Set is portrayed as the usurper who killed and mutilated his own brother Osiris.\n\n    Osiris wife Isis reassembled Osiris corpse and resurrected him long enough to conceive his son, Horus sought revenge upon Set, and the myths describe their conflicts.\n\n    He married Nephthys and fathered Anubis, and in some accounts he had relationships with the foreign goddesses Anat, some early Egyptologists proposed that it was a stylised representation of the giraffe, owing to the large flat-topped horns which correspond to a giraffes ossicones.\n\n    The Egyptians themselves, however, made a distinction between the giraffe and the Set animal, during the Late Period, Set is depicted as a donkey or as having a donkeys head.\n\n    The earliest representations of what might be the Set animal comes from a dating to the Naqada I phase of the Predynastic Period.\n\n    If these are ruled out, then the earliest Set animal appears on a head of the King Scorpion. The head and the tail of the Set animal are clearly present.\n\n    In the mythology of Heliopolis, Set was born of the sky goddess Nut, Sets sister and wife was Nephthys. Nut and Geb also produced two children who became husband and wife, the divine Osiris and Isis, whose son was Horus.\n\n    The Chester Beatty Papyrus No. Classical authors also recorded the story, notably Plutarchs De Iside et Osiride and these myths generally portray Osiris as a wise lord, king, and bringer of civilization, happily married to his sister, Isis.\n\n    Set was envious of his brother, and he killed and dismembered Osiris, Isis reassembled Osiris corpse and embalmed him. As the archetypal mummy, Osiris reigned over the afterworld as a king among deserving spirits of the dead, Osiris son Horus was conceived by Isis with Osiris corpse.\n\n\n    0 Replies to “Book of the dead medjed”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9641553163528442}
{"content": "How to Write a Personal SWOT Analysis Effectively\n\n\nIn business school, a key managerial too that every student comes to know and love is the SWOT analysis. This examination of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats is generally used to examine business issues at the strategic or managerial levels. However, a SWOT analysis can also be used at the personal level to identify your own individual strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in order to develop a more effective path toward your goal. A personal SWOT, however, differs somewhat from a business SWOT, and it can be a bit more challenging since it involves looking objectively at your own behavior, which can be a challenge.\n\nLike any SWOT, the most important step in writing your personal analysis is to begin with a goal in mind. Only be understanding what you want to get out of a SWOT analysis can you effectively categorize your characteristics and traits to help you plan how to achieve that goal. For example, a weakness in the pursuit of one goal might actually a strength in the pursuit of a different goal, or vice versa. Therefore, it is important to set a goal so that you can frame each element of your analysis correctly.\n\nThe second step is probably the easiest—setting up your SWOT chart. Draw two intersecting lines, or create a table with two rows and two columns. This will give you four boxes that you can use to list your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.\n\nOnce you have completed these two steps, it’s time to start listing.\n\nBegin by identifying your traits, qualifications, and behaviors. Try making a list describing yourself in as many ways as possible. This can be a bit challenging since it is difficult to honestly evaluate ourselves, especially when identifying negative traits. You might benefit from asking friends and colleagues to help you identify strengths and weaknesses. As you create your list, resist the temptation to try to “spin” your list to sound more positive. Your goal isn’t to sound better to but to evaluate yourself honestly. As you do so, be sure to look beyond just your business training and qualifications. Off-hours hobbies and activities, and your interpersonal relationship skills, can also be strategically important. The wider a net you cast, the more likely you will be to develop a helpful list that will be useful as you analyze yourself. At this point, you will not be categorizing your list, so feel free to list items in any order.\n\nOnce you’ve completed your list—and don’t worry if you think of something later; you can always add more!—it’s time to begin categorizing each item on the list. For each item, label it S or W for strengths, or weaknesses. Remember, these are relative, so they are strengths and weaknesses relative to your goal, not in an absolute sense. For example, speaking French might be a weakness if your goal is to open a business in China, but it could be a strength if you plan to operate out of Montreal.\n\nThen, enter your strengths and weaknesses on your chart.\n\nYou’ll repeat the process again, this time thinking about anything and everything that could impact your ability to achieve your goals. Consider internal factors (such as your motivation, training, experience, etc.) as well as the more obvious external factors. As you examine these, consider which are opportunities to come closer to your goal and which are threats that might keep you from achieving your goal. Enter these onto your chart. Once you’ve done so, you’ll have a complete SWOT chart and can then begin the more difficult part, the analysis.\n\nOnce you have your chart, you can follow the standard SWOT format to determine how to maximize strengths and opportunities and minimize weaknesses and threats. This analysis will form the heart of your professional SWOT analysis writing, and here a personal analysis can be a little tricky because you need to be able to be honest about yourself and areas where you could benefit from improvement and change. The key, again, is to be honest and to consider yourself objectively, as other people might evaluate yourself, and without excuses or rationalizations.\n\nFinally, use what you have learned to develop a plan to achieve your goals. This plan will likely including making some difficult changes to help you overcome threats and minimize weakness, but when done effectively a personal SWOT analysis is a powerful tool to help you plan for the future.\n\nRelated posts\n\nLeave a Comment", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9415951371192932}
{"content": "Wednesday, August 29, 2018\n\nVancouver Coffee Marathon—Four Coffee Shops in Four Hours\n\nFirst Hour: Nusa Coffee and Kopi Luwak\n\nAsian Palm Civet\n\n\n\n\nKopi Luwak at Nusa Coffee\n\n\nSecond Hour: Platform 7\n\nPlatform 7 Coffee\n\n\nThird Hour: Federal Store\n\nThe Federal Store\nI continued east across town along Broadway into Mount Pleasant and walked south along Quebec Street toward 10th Avenue, where the Federal Store greeted me on the corner. Surrounded with cheerful flowers on all sides and a vegetable garden in the back, the café-grocer beckons me inside. I enter and feel like I’ve entered an alternative past: an integration of '50s trompe-l'oeil 3-D checker floor, plants, and homemade baking in the display with the avant-garde chic of wood and white. \n\n\n\nFourth Hour: Le Marché St. George\n\nLe Marche St. George\n\n\nInside Le Marche St. George\n\nBeside me, two young Asian men were discussing an article they’d read about how men get into and out of a bathtub. I realized I’d read the same line several times when one confided to the other that he thought he had sleep apnea and was slowly dying from oxygen deprivation over nights of not quite sleeping. \n\nAll in a summer's day, I thought, and closed the book and my eyes, then put my feet up on the planter and smiled the smile of pure contentment.. \n\nMonday, August 20, 2018\n\nDo Plants Communicate? Why Is This Important For Us?\n\nPacific Spirit Park, UBC\nLast week I went with Margaret on a nature walk led by UBC Professor and botanist Terry McIntosh in the Pacific Spirit Forest Park at UBC. McIntosh led us through a previously logged forest of Douglas fir, cedar, red alder, vine maple and hemlock. His guided walk was informative, enlightening and entertaining with copious stories that generated laughter and discussion.\n\nAmong many interesting discoveries, McIntosh pointed out the paint-like splotches of lichen on the red alder trees, assuring one hiker that these symbiotic communities of fungus, blue-green algae and in some cases yeast were not a harmful disease of the tree, but a commensal partner. The presence of lichens, in fact, just shows that sufficient light is there for them to photosynthesize and grow. Lichens are also a sign of clean, healthy air—given that they do not tolerate pollution in the air.\n\nA moss expert, McIntosh pointed out the mosses on the ground, growing on soil, concrete and trees. After debunking the myth that mosses only grow on the north side of trees in the northern hemisphere—they mostly do, but not always—he mentioned that they were in their dormant stage in the dry summer; the fruiting bodies sprout when the haploid-dominant moss comes to life during the moist winter season to produce diploid spores.\n\nWhen we reached a partial clearing, McIntosh pointed out 6-foot high horsetails (Equisetum sp.) flourishing amid Spirea and other native plants. Horsetails are really “living fossils”, being the only living genus in a family of vascular plants that reproduce by spores rather than seeds. \n\nRendition of Calamites during late Paleozoic\nFor over one hundred million years the class Equisetopsida was much more diverse and dominated the understory of late Paleozoic forests. Some grew 30 meters high. One of them, the genus Calamites, was abundant in coal deposits from the Carboniferous period and is featured in my upcoming novel “A Diary in the Age of Water.”\n\nMcIntosh also mentioned that the maple twig depicted on the Canadian one cent coin is botanically incorrect. The phyllotaxis of the twig on the coin is clearly alternate while maples all have opposite leaves.\n\nCiting a bogus yet popular information source on the Internet, McIntosh pointed out the danger of using the Internet for taxonomic and ecological answers. He stressed the importance of doing accurate research by verifying the source—a reliable scholarly one. I totally concur with him on this. While the Internet is rich with good information, it can also be misleading and wrong. Users need to be discerning and verify information through cross-checking to ensure a reliable source. See my post on research.\n\nHowever, I had to disagree on one point he made in the first five minutes of the walk. McIntosh began by describing how much of what goes on in a forest ecosystem is underground, involving bacteria and fungal mycelium that spread and colonize roots of plants. After supposedly blurting out the word “communicate” he berated himself and quickly ‘corrected’ by assuring us that “plants don’t communicate; they aren’t human.” But he allowed that they share nutrients and minerals.\n\nThis is still communication.\n\nHumans don’t have the monopoly on communicating; communication occurs in many forms and ways—including vocalization, smell, frequency, gravity, and intention. Cells communicate. Atoms communicate. Everything communicates by acting and reacting, by sharing and receiving. All these interactions are a form of communication.\n\nMoss growing on Red Alder forms community\nTo return to the subject of plants and trees particularly, UBC’s own forest ecologist Suzanne Simard has proven through hundreds of experiments over 30 years that trees share information via an underground cooperative communications network. “They [converse] not only in the language of carbon,” says Simard in a TED Talk, “but also nitrogen and phosphorus and water and defence signals and allele chemicals and hormones—information.” According to Simard, scientists had already speculated that this belowground mutualistic symbiosis—called a mycorrhiza—was involved. Mycorrhiza literally means “fungus root.” Fungal cells interact with the root cells and trade carbon for nutrients. The fungus gets those nutrients by growing through the soil and coating every soil particle. The mycelium connects different individuals in the forest—like birch with fir and works like the Internet with nodes and links. Simard and others demonstrated that hub or mother trees act as nodes to nurture hundreds of their young saplings and send their excess carbon through the mycorrhizal network to the understory seedlings.\n\nPacific Spirit Park, UBC\n“Forests aren’t simply collections of trees” says Simard. “They are complex systems with hubs and networks that overlap and connect trees to allow them to communicate, and provide avenues for feedback and adaptation. This makes the forest resilient through many hub trees and overlapping networks.”\n\nBut the forest is also vulnerable.\n\nIn her TED talk, Simard shows an aerial view of a region dominated by clearcuts, just on the border of Banff National Park—where several wildfires are currently burning. \n\nSimard shares that, “in 2014, the World Resources Institute reported that Canada in the past decade has had the highest forest disturbance rate of any country worldwide.” Not Brazil! “It’s 3.6 percent per year—four times the rate that is sustainable,” says Simard. \n\nShe warns that massive disturbance at this scale can affect hydrological cycles, degrade wildlife habitat, and emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere—creating more disturbance and more tree diebacks. She adds that the planting of one or two commercial species at the expense of the aspens and birches decreases needed complexity in the forest; it makes them vulnerable to infections and bugs. And wildfires. As climate changes, “this is creating a perfect storm,” says Simard, citing the massive mountain pine beetle outbreak that swept across North America and the wildfires currently devastating Alberta and British Columbia as good examples of the consequence of human disturbance.\n\nThe key to increasing the resilience to climate-induced wildfires, drought, disease and insect infestations is in recognizing that trees and other plants do and need to communicate in a diverse network of information exchange. Our forests have been weakened through poor forest management based on commercial clearcutting and mono-cultured forests. Complexity enhances an ecosystem’s ability to self-heal. Retention of hub trees and patch cutting (as opposed to clearcutting and monoculture) will help to regenerate a diverse ecosystem, less susceptible to disease, insect infestations, drought and wildfires (as opposed to regular fires, which can be beneficial by opening seeds and creating clearings for more light). Wildfires that burn hot (over 900°C) destroy most of the organic material of the soil, and with it the helpful fungus and bacteria that connects the trees. Wildfires may also impact how water circulates in a watershed; the burned organic matter affects the natural layering of the soils, making it water repellent. This increases runoff and erosion.\n\nClimate Change and Wildfires\n\nWildfire smoke over Nadine Lake, BC\nCiting a BC government report into the fires and floods of 2017, Tracy Sherlock of The National Observer writes: \"Last summer could be a \"new normal our province and planet now face due to the unpredictable and increasingly volatile impacts of climate change.” From 1900 to 2013, B.C.’s average temperature has increased faster than the global average, their report says. “Scientists predict that the province will face increases in extreme weather, rising sea levels, increasing risk of wildfire and flooding, as well as a change in the location of ecosystems and species that live there.” No one is sure whether climate change means more lightning strikes. Some research suggest more frequent strikes; other research suggests lightning will be less frequent.\n\nAnatomy of a Wildfire\n\n“Extreme heat lofts smoke, ash, and fire into the atmosphere, forging a 45,000-foot-tall convective column that generates two counterrotating vortexes—like a giant egg beater,” writes Kyle Dickman in Popular Science of the 2011 New Mexico wildfire. “It went from normal to nuclear, kicking up a 45,000-foot column of tornadic winds and burning debris.” Here’s how Dickman describes it:\n\nsimulation of New Mexico Wildfire\nBurning vegetation releases moisture, which the fire’s heat drives up the plume. It condenses into a pyrocumulus cloud, which in turn can create extreme downdrafting winds that can further stoke the ground fire. As vegetation combusts, it releases fuel-rich hydrocarbons. Driven by updrafts, they rise and can ignite into towers of swirling flame. The massive vertical winds inside the column can rip a pine cone off a branch, set it on fire, shoot it a few hundred feet into the air, then spit it as far as 2 miles away, where it can start a new fire. At night, cool dense air pools in the Valles Grande caldera like water filling a 13-mile bathtub. When it sloshes over, it creates 26-foot-per-second winds that fly down-canyon and strike the wildfire’s southern flank. As they squeeze through the canyons radiating from the caldera, the winds gain speed, then rise above the ground and come crashing back like churning ocean waves. As the wind ignites the blaze, it drives the fire forward in 35-foot flames that look like rolling barrels of fire.\n\nWednesday, August 15, 2018\n\nWater and Fire…And the ‘New Normal’\n\nLast weekend, I drove with Pixl Press director Anne Voute beneath smoke-induced blushing skies from Vancouver to Calgary. We were heading for the eighth annual writers festival, When Words Collide in Calgary. As we drove, we were thinking: wildfires.\n\nThe drive took us out of BC’s coastal western hemlock region northwest towards Kamloops into the heart of wildfire country where hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest are now burning. The day we left, a wildfire had broken out much closer to home—between Hope and Agassiz, just west of BC Highway 7. We smelled the smoke as it billowed up and filled the valley. While a majority of fires were concentrated in areas northwest and southwest of Prince George, a number of them were already filling our coastal skies with enough particulates to create a red ball of the sun—and prompt air advisories throughout BC. The smoke stayed with us throughout the entire drive to Calgary.\n\nIn a recent article in “The Grist”, Kate Yoder mentioned the extensive heat maps that cover most of Europe. A new shade—magenta—was created to show the extreme over 35 degree temperatures blanketing much of Spain, France and Germany. According to Yoder, the Carr Fire in California was one of the most severe in their history; it burned down 1,000 homes and even spun a fire tornado through the air—uber scary!\n\n“Over a decade or so, we’re going to have more fire, more destructive fire, more billions that will have to be spent on it,” California Governor Jerry Brown said recently. “All that is the ‘new normal’ that we will have to face.” Yoder asks: “Why on earth is the word normal being thrown around to describe such extraordinary times?” Normal is a dangerous term to use for many reasons. Most places can’t afford a future where climate change and sea level rise are the ‘new normal.’ Calling anything like this ‘normal’ suggests acceptance and hints at complacency. \nIn my upcoming book A Diary in the Age of Water, limnologist Lynna contemplates in her journal on our tendency to turn a blind eye to environmental destruction. In one of her entries, Lynna discusses UBC fisheries biologist Daniel Pauly’s description of generational differences in the perception of dwindling fish populations. In 1995, Pauly coined the term ‘shifting baseline syndrome’ to describe peoples’ shifting concept of ‘normal and healthy’ in a shifting landscape. Inevitably, the past ‘normal’ is forgotten as the new ‘normal’ is embraced.\n“Personally,” says Pauly in an interview with Yoder, “I think it’s wrong [to use the ‘new normal’]. We’re in the middle of a shift that can destroy what we hold dear, and to call this ‘normal’ is absurd.”\n\nThe term ‘normal’ suggests a static and relatively constant phenomenon, one that can be measured and predicted based on a known pattern. One of the reasons some people dismiss the reality of climate change is its very unpredictability (if we can’t measure it, it isn’t real). We are on the steep side of a curve whose slope is shifting with each year. NPR correspondent Kirk Siegler defined it this way: “The ‘new normal’ may be that things are just going to keep getting worse.” \n\nOn our approach to Kamloops, we drove through kilometres of Engelmann Spruce and subalpine fir, changing to Ponderosa Pine with pockets of sagebrush Chaparral near Merrit. Last year, Kamloops lurked beneath a gray blanket of wildfire smoke and smelled of an old campfire; this year, despite ongoing wildfire activity nearby, we could see where we were going. The winds were on our side—for the time being. That would change; by the time we returned to Vancouver, the winds had moved southwest to blanket the lower mainland with a peach-coloured sky.\n\nAs we headed for Golden, dominant vegetation shifted to Interior Cedar / Hemlock, where extreme drought conditions prevailed. We saw evidence of previous and recent fires in the Engelmann Spruce and Subalpine Fir forest stands as we continued through the south end of the Rocky Mountain Trench into the Rockies then on to Banff, Canmore and finally Calgary. Smoke clung like grease to steep mountain sides and blanketed the valleys.  Blue cliffs emerged from gray-pink low cloud, floating and suspended like a Lao Tse painting. Then, like ghosts, they vanished.\n\nThe limnologist in my book A Diary in the Age of Water also writes about Peter Kahn, professor of psychology at the University of Washington, who coined the term ‘environmental generational amnesia’ to describe how each generation can only recognize—and appreciate—the ecological changes they experience in their lifetimes. In an article in The Meaning Of Water I argued that the inability to feel and connect beyond our immediate line of sight is a good thing—a kind of selective memory that allows us to adapt to each “new normal.” Mothers of several children can testify to the benefits of “forgetting” their hours of labour to give birth. Hence the ability and willingness to repeat this very painful experience.\n\n\n\n\nA Diary in the Age of Water explores identity and our concept of what is “normal”—as a nation and an individual—in a world that is rapidly and incomprehensibly changing.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5691274404525757}
{"content": "Generally speaking, in order to make a product image look clear, you have to upload images no smaller than 300*300 pixels.\nHowever, sometimes, the\noptimum size for product images depends on the theme you are using. Once you have activated a theme, you can go to the \"Design\"->\"Theme\"-\"Theme Settings\"->Image Size to check the optimum size for the theme you are using. \n\nThe size of the image you upload should be no smaller than that size (if it's bigger, remember to keep the same length to width ratio). Also, you can choose not to use the default image size of the theme and change it by inputting the image size into the \"px\" box.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6065927743911743}
{"content": "5 core responsibilities of being a restaurant manager\n\n5 core responsibilities of being a restaurant manager\n\nBeing a manager in the food service industry is known to be both taxing and demanding, as it often requires endless hours of work and careful management of employees. Whether it’s dealing with customers or suppliers, every aspect becomes the responsibility of the manager. Here are 5 of the responsibilities that make the career of a restaurant manager what it is.\n\n1. Maintain a strict system among employees\n\nThe restaurant industry is known for its often temporary staff and wide range of job titles within every company. Managers are responsible for all of these, many times even the back of house staff too. In order to run the business successfully, employees need a reliable manager and clear duties, which are determined by the manager. Proper training is also essential in this department to provide professional service at all times. Untrained employees are visible from a mile away, and are not what you want in a restaurant.\n\n2. Ensure the highest standard of customer service\n\nSince customers are what keep a business afloat (beyond the staff), all staff need to be dedicated to excellent customer service. It becomes the manager’s job to maintain this work ethic and refuse to accept anything less for the sake of the business. This refers not only to the treatment of customers, but also the handling of issues and making sure everything from their welcome to their exit shows dedication and consideration.\n\n3. Stay on top of product and supply orders\n\nOne thing that can ruin a restaurant is if there is not enough stock of any given option on the menu. The manager has to make sure everything is ordered in time and that regular stock take takes place to stay ahead of the process. A customer being told there is no stock of something on the menu is the last impression you want to make.\n\n4. Educate yourself on every aspect of restaurant finances and admin\n\nThis is probably one of the biggest responsibilities as it reveals the success of the restaurant at any given time. Finances need to be monitored and managed on a daily to monthly basis, keeping turnover and expenditure in mind at all times. Something as simple as incorrect counting of cash or poor bookkeeping could have devastating effects on the business.\n\n5. Market the restaurant to constantly attract new customers\n\nEven the restaurants with endless amounts of regular customers need to bring in new customers everyday. Simple marketing tools like specials, unique features, impeccable appearance and social media all contribute towards making a name for the restaurant and attracting new faces. A restaurant with a great reputation is definitely more likely, and extra effort on the part of the manager goes a long way in the industry.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5428075194358826}
{"content": "Jesus, The Refugee\n\nJesus in Egypt by Eugene Girardet\n\nIn response to President Donald Trump’s executive order halting refugees from various war-torn nations in the Middle East, a number of people have stated their opposition to his actions, some declaring that Jesus was himself a refugee.  For example, Al Sharpton made this claim and Fox News was quick to deride him.  As Fox News states, “There’s one problem though: Sharpton’s tweet is not exactly accurate, at least according to the Bible.”  One of their readers declared, “…they went to pay Taxes in Egypt. They went home. YOU need to pay your taxes and learn Bible!!”  Another writes, “Jesus Christ, whose parents were good taxpaying citizens, was no refugee and Al Sharpton, tax evading cheat, is no reverend.”\n\nAlthough I don’t have any political affinity for Al Sharpton, I would argue that he is correct and that Fox News and their readers are the ones who need to read or reread their Bibles.  Don’t believe me?  Well, according to the Gospels, Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem as a result of the Roman census.\n\n\nTrue, at that time, they were not refugees, merely following the Roman law and returning to Joseph’s hometown for the census.  However, according to the book of Matthew, when King Herod hears of the birth of Jesus (who he thought might end up challenging his rule,) he ordered his soldiers to find Jesus and ultimately kill him.\n\n\n\n\nWhat is a refugee?  Well, defines a refugee as “a person who flees for refuge or safety, especially to a foreign country, as in time of political upheaval, war, etc.”\n\nDid Jesus and his parents travel to a foreign country?  Yes, to Egypt.  Did they flee for their safety due to either political upheaval or war?  Yes, as the king sought to kill Jesus for political reasons.\n\nGiven that Jesus and his parents fit the dictionary definition of a refugee, how can anyone argue that they were anything other than refugees?  In fact, the Bible tells us that they stayed in a foreign land until King Herod was dead, thus ending the political threat against their lives.\n\n\nWhether you agree or disagree with President Trump’s action to prevent refugees coming into the United States from several Middle Eastern countries, if you make the claim that Jesus was not a refugee and that Al Sharpton is Biblically illiterate for calling him one, instead of making him look foolish, you display your own stunning lack of Biblical knowledge.\n\nA Killers’ Christmas\n\nIf you read last year’s posts entitled “‘Tis the Season Part I & II” you know that I don’t care much for the Christmas season.  Unlike our increasingly amoral and immoral society it’s not the Christian aspect I mind, but the focus on materialism, greed, and the well-spread lie of the man in the red suit.  If Jesus were to return to Earth during our supposed celebration of his birth, I think he would be appalled.\n\nAnyway, for the last four years, the band The Killers releases a Christmas themed song  with the proceeds to benefit the charity Product Red.  Regardless if you support their charity of choice, isn’t the spirit of selfless giving a better representation of the meaning behind Jesus’ birth?  Of these, my favorite by far is 2007’s “Don’t Shoot Me Santa”.  I find the thought of a neurotic Santa bent on vengeance terribly amusing as it stands in stark contrast to the traditionally jolly and benevolent character children are taught to both honor and worship.  Although the song is great, the video adds so much more to the story.\n\nAfter watching the video, I immediately signed on my iTunes account and purchased the video to share with friends and family.  So I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.\n\nForget Easter\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nUntil next time!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5537829399108887}
{"content": "\"Irresponsible\" cowbirds and the decline of songbirds\n\n\n\nBy Samuel Truax\n\nA male cowbird on a metal post. (Paul A. Johnsgard)Just like human society, avian society has many individual personalities. There are those raucous types, like crows and jays, loudly quarreling among themselves as they accomplish their duties of survival and procreation. There are those like doves, that quietly go about doing their prescribed duties. With their lovely melodies, various songbirds bring enjoyment to humans as they accomplish their tasks. And then there are those who seem to be completely irresponsible in accomplishing their life duties, without the redeeming qualities of lovely feathers or beautiful songs, like the brown-headed cowbird.\n\nHow has the brown-headed cowbird established such a reputation for irresponsibility? The book “Birding” states that “The brown-headed cowbird’s most famous, or infamous, attribute is that it is a brood parasite.” That is, “the female lays eggs in the nests of other birds and takes no part in the rearing of her young.” And the female cowbird is not even concerned about who raises her offspring. “Brown-headed cowbird eggs have been recorded in the nests of 220 species, ranging from ducks to hummingbirds.” Even more extreme, studies find that “they remove the eggs of the host bird on some occasions.”\n\nThe cowbird developed these seemingly irresponsible habits by evolving a nomadic lifestyle. Cowbirds followed the once massive buffalo herds through their migration cycles, feeding on insects and seeds stirred up by the constant movement of the buffalo herds, and so were never in one place long enough to build and tend to their own nest. In fact their name comes from the buffalo cows they associated with.\n\nFrom their position in the grasslands, the female cowbird could easily spot nests for her eggs in the shrubbery and undergrowth that occur where the forest edge abuts the grassland. Normally the nests deeper into the forests were not used. The female cowbird would deposit her eggs in the selected nest and then move on with the herd. Though a seemingly irresponsible trait much criticized by humans, this was a behavior well adapted to the conditions of life in which the cowbirds evolved. The species survived, and, though some harm was done to other affected bird species, that harm was typically minimal due to the constant migration of the cowbirds as they followed the bison.\n\nHowever, the habitat changes that occurred with the arrival of European settlement in America, such as the replacement of migrating buffalo with confined cattle, ex­panded the conditions suitable for the brown-headed cowbird, at the expense of the birds whose nests they used. The European settlers also cleared trees for crop fields and pastures, creating more and more forest edge suitable for host nest selection by the female cowbird. The cowbird population increased very substantially and, according to some studies, continues to increase, if not in actual numbers, then certainly in range. A study by the Audubon Society concluded that even as the cowbird’s range continues to expand, their actual population has de­clined 1 percent from 1966 to 1996. Regardless of whether the cowbird population is stable or increasing, its expanding range allows parasitism of many more species, some that are poorly adapted to avoid such behavior.\n\nA female cowbird on a wooden fencepost. (Paul A. Johnsgard)While cowbird eggs have been recorded in the nests of 220 species of birds, and cowbirds have been fledged by 150 different species, they primarily target the nests of vireos, warblers and some sparrow species. These birds have a tendency to nest in brushy undergrowth typical of the forest edge.\n\nThe cowbird eggs have a shorter gestation period than their hosts, so they often hatch before the host species. Cowbird hatchlings are usually larger and more aggressive during feeding by the host parent, and they are often aggressive toward the young of the host species. This can cause the death of the young of the host species, and when combined with occurrences when the female cowbird actually removes the eggs of the host from the nest, the habits of the cowbird are causing a great deal of stress on the populations of some species. Interestingly, some bird species recognize and remove cowbird eggs from their nests. In some cases, engaging in what is called “mafia behavior,” the cowbird will return to the nest and destroy all of the host species eggs, sometimes even tearing the nest apart.\n\nThe black-capped vireo is on the Endangered Species List. Studies indicate that the primary cause of the endangerment of the species is nest parasitism. The second most important cause of the endangerment, after habitat destruction, of the Kirtland’s warbler, is nest parasitism. Recovery plans for the endangered golden-cheeked warbler include a cowbird-trapping program and the control of cowbird populations. Such control methods are controversial.\n\nStudies of Bell’s vireo in South Dakota concluded that they “are very common victims of brown-headed cowbird parasitism, and are in decline in many regions.” In New Mexico it was found that Bell’s vireo “suffers from low productivity due to brood parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds.” In some years, nest failures have exceeded 90 percent in the Carlsbad population.\n\nHowever, the Audubon study does not indicate that these conditions are quite as serious as other scientists believe. The study did find the black-capped vireo experienced a 90 percent nest parasitism in Texas. A study of Bell’s vireo and the yellow-breasted chat showed they had 80 percent to 90 percent of their nests parasitized. And the lazuli bunting had 50 percent of their nests parasitized in a Montana study. But these high rates of parasitism did not necessarily indicate the rates of nest failure, according to the Audubon study, because by the mid-summer season, some of the victimized birds will renest and produce a successful brood. And in studies of lazuli buntings and yellow warblers, parasitized nests were just as successful as nonparasitized nests in certain conditions. The Audubon study concludes, “Conservationists and the public tend to overestimate the significance of parasitism as a major cause of declining songbird populations.”\n\nCowbird control includes trapping the birds or killing them at roosting sites. The Audubon study questions the need for and the effectiveness of cowbird control. And their questioning includes the statement that “Cowbird control is expensive.” A recent study by the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center argues that habitat changes, more than direct control, might be a more effective solution: “Keys to discouraging cowbird parasitism or controlling populations of brown-headed cowbirds in the Great Plains are maintaining large expanses of grassland, eliminating foraging areas (e.g., feedlots) and perch sites, and reducing the extent of overgrazed pastures.”\n\nThe expense of cowbird control is only a small portion of the expense of protecting and reestablishing the endangered songbirds that are affected by the parasitism of the brown-headed cowbird. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has established the 21,436-acre Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge west of Austin, Texas, with the primary purpose of aiding the recovery of the black-capped vireo and the golden-cheeked warbler. The Leon River Restoration Project in Central Texas also targets the recovery of these two species, and the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma is primarily intended to assist black-capped vireo recovery. These are large expenses and do not include other projects or work being done to assist the Kirtland’s warbler and other seriously endangered species that are victimized by both cowbird and human behavior. These Wildlife Refuges are primarily paid for by excise taxes on hunting and fishing activities and benefit many species of flora and fauna beyond the primary species objectives, so these large expenses provide more good results then just offsetting the effects of cowbird parasitism.\n\nYes, we might consider cowbird behavior to be irresponsible. But surely we humans have been far more irresponsible with our stewardship of Mother Earth. They are unlikely to change. Are we?\n\n\nImmigration in Nebraska", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9853501915931702}
{"content": "Chargeback Specialist I\n\nCompany Name:\nResponsible for research and resolution of customer charge backs. Requires detailed transaction research, analytical skills, and documentation of actions taken including phone calls to merchants, cardholders, and others as appropriate. Applies bank and card industry regulations and practices in resolving disputes. May also compile aggregate statistics on charge backs for use by the company in identifying patterns and improving overall customer service.\nJob Requirements\nDevelops and applies the basic skills appropriate to research, process, and resolve chargeback/reversal requests for 3 or more dispute reason codes specific to 1 of the supported card brands, by utilizing established processes in a multi-client/system environment and adhering to association regulations.\nGathers and analyzes cardholder and/or merchant account transactions to determine if the disputed transactions are covered under federal regulations, organizes supporting information, and applies appropriate credit/debit adjustments to accounts based on the final result of arbitration.\nWorks basic assignments from work queues as directed. Assists with the segmentation of pending requests from various work queues into the appropriate work flow based on request type and complexity.\nBegins to develop an intermediate knowledge, pertaining to a single card brand (i.e. Visa/MasterCard/Discover/Amex), and federal regulations governing credit card chargebacks and reversals through training, online research of regulations, and adhering to department processes and procedures.\nMinimum Qualifications\nThis position is located in McDonough, GA.\nHigh School Diploma or Equivalent -\nPreferred Qualifications\n0-2 years related work experience handling dispute resolutions throughout the association lifecycle. Experience in Chargebacks and Disputes preferred.\nRole Expectations\nSKILLS / KNOWLEDGE - Acquires and applies job skills and learns company policies and procedures to complete assigned routine tasks.\nSkills / Knowledge - Working knowledge of association and card industry regulations\nJob: Managed Services (Call Center)\nOrganization: Total System Services, Inc.\nTitle: Chargeback Specialist I\nLocation: GA-McDonough\nRequisition ID: 92637\n\nDon't Be Fooled\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000063180923462}
{"content": "The Observatory\n\n\nThe Inequality Observatory is an independent structure, set up by the Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology (CIES), at the University Institute of Lisbon (ISCTE-IUL). CIES is in charge of the scientific coordination and the on-going operation of the Inequality Observatory, having as partners the Institute of Sociology, at the University of Porto (IS-UP), and the Centre for Social Studies, at the University of Azores (CES-UA). The Observatory’s activities are carried out by a permanent team and a wider group of researchers collaborating on a voluntary basis.\n\nThe Observatory focuses its activities on social inequality issues. In addition to promoting scientific knowledge in this field, it has the mission of making available to the public accurate and updated information and analyses on inequality, fostering citizenship and contributing to the design and evaluation of public policies. The Inequality Observatory is, therefore, a tool for scientific research and knowledge dissemination.\n\nSocial inequalities are multidimensional. They are rarely related to a single factor. It is possible to identify inequalities in a large number of social spheres: in employment, income and wealth, education, qualification and skills, gender and age, race and ethnicity, health and lifestyles, among others. This multidimensional character of inequality is one of the most striking features of contemporary societies.\n\nThe Portuguese society is no exception to this general framework. The progress observed in the country, at multiple levels, during the recent decades, did not prevent the persistence of various inequalities, while others emerged or became more visible and intolerable in the course of the country’s modernization and development path. With the crisis that emerged in 2008, social inequalities have been increasing in many domains.\n\nThe Observatory aims to study inequalities in different dimensions and at different levels, using statistical indicators, international comparison and a wide range of constantly updated research and studies.\n\nThe Inequality Observatory is a founding member of the European Network Inequality Watch, which has the participation of other observatories and similar institutions from several countries.\n\nThis website was designed as a platform for a wide diversity of information on social inequality issues. It is a portal providing access to different kinds of information such as indicators and studies, publications and interviews, events and links.\n\n\n\nRenato Miguel do Carmo (CIES, ISCTE-IUL)\n\nScientific Council:\nAntónio Dornelas † (CIES, ISCTE-IUL)\nAntónio Firmino da Costa (CIES, ISCTE-IUL)\nCarlos Farinha Rodrigues (ISEG-UTL)\nFernando Luís Machado (CIES, ISCTE-IUL)\nGilberta Rocha (CES-UA) \nJoão Ferreira de Almeida (CIES, ISCTE-IUL)\nJoão Teixeira Lopes (IS-FLUP) \nNuno de Almeida Alves (CIES, ISCTE-IUL)\nPaulo Pedroso (CIES, ISCTE-IUL)\nRenato Miguel do Carmo (CIES, ISCTE-IUL)\nRui Pena Pires (CIES, ISCTE-IUL)\n\n\nFrederico Cantante (CIES, ISCTE-IUL)\nAna Rita Matias (CIES, ISCTE-IUL)\nDaniela Craveiro (CICS-UM)\nNuno Nunes (CIES, ISCTE-IUL)\nRosário Mauritti (CIES, ISCTE-IUL)\nSusana Martins (CIES, ISCTE-IUL)\n\n\n\n\ninstituições parceiras", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8085129857063293}
{"content": "Mission: To Seek and Share Inspiration\n\nConcertos for Orchestra\n\n\nOrder your copy on Amazon or iTunes. Stream on Spotify.\n\nLEARN MORE: Nominated for Two Grammys!\n\n\n\nSince its founding, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) has maintained an unfaltering commitment to programming and commissioning new works, resulting in a substantial contribution to the standard orchestral repertory.\n\nThis rich oeuvre encompasses a wide range of composers, from Aaron Copland to Philip Glass. As part of the CSO’s 2015.2016 season, three exciting international composers were commissioned to compose new Concertos for Orchestra, showcasing the virtuosity, style, and sound of the CSO, thus furthering a genre championed by the likes of Béla Bartók and Witold Lutosławski. The resulting three works featured on this recording represent the culmination of this exciting project, and once again affirms the CSO’s core value of being a place of experimentation.\n\n\n\nLENGTH: 34:25\n\n\nZhou Tian was born in Hangzhou, China, on December 22, 1981 and currently serves on the faculty of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan.\n\nThe piece was written as a love letter to the symphony orchestra, with passages ranging from epic to extremely intimate. It is scored lushly and mostly tonally through four parts: “Glow” (a voyage to splendidness from a simple theme); “Indigo” (a musical postcard from a walk in the forest one late summer night); “Seeker’s Scherzo” (a restless game to find the true theme); and “Intermezzo - Allegro” (a fierce rhapsody that begins with a lyrical fugue). Behind the power and edginess, there is an unmistakable sense of romanticism in the music, which is also one quality that I found to be true of the Cincinnati Symphony. (Zhou Tian)\n\n\nZhou Tian came of age in a new China marked by economic reforms, and was in the United States by his 20th birthday and naturalized in 2015. His teachers here were all American-born, including Jennifer Higdon, Creative Director of the Cincinnati Symphony’s 2012.2013 Boundless Series. He maintains strong ties with his native country, where his choral suite The Grand Canal was performed in 2009 during a nationally televised celebration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.\n\n\n\nThe third-movement scherzo, “Seeker’s Scherzo”, is based on a lighthearted melody that becomes much more intense in the course of its development, with the momentum continuing unabated right up to the energetic ending. The finale begins with a lyrical “Intermezzo,” in which a growing fugue is formed by the principal players of strings and winds. A timpani solo marked appassionato ushers in the fast tempo. Over a series of rhythmic ostinatos, a vigorous Allegro con brio develops, becoming more and more excited as it progresses. Then Zhou suddenly reduces the orchestration for a prolonged build-up of the entire orchestra, followed by a comeback of the main theme, leading directly to the triumphant conclusion.\n\n\n\nLENGTH: 26:37\n\nORCHESTRATION: 3 flutes (incl. piccolo and alto flute), 2 oboes (incl. English horn), 3 clarinets (incl. E-flat clarinet and bass clarinet), 2 bassoons (incl. contrabassoon), 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, 2 bongo drums, cymbals a2, gong, marimba, snare dum, 4 tam-tams, 5 tom-toms, tubular bells, vibraphone, whip, xylophone, harp, celeste, piano, strings\n\nThierry Escaich was born in Nogent-sur-Marne, France on May 8, 1965. A virtuoso organist, he serves at the historic church of St. Étienne-du-Mont in Paris, where one of his predecessors was Maurice Duruflé. He is also an award-winning composer of more than a hundred works that have been performed internationally. The composer calls Psalmos a sinfonia concertante for orchestra\n\nWriting for the British daily The Guardian, music critic Rian Evans recently described the music of Thierry Escaich as “César Franck or Fauré on speed.” This somewhat flippant formulation calls attention to two important aspects of the French composer’s style: first, that he reconnects with 19th-century traditions and second, that there is nothing “retro” about this orientation since he completely reshapes what he takes over. Escaich may bring back elements of tonality that had been almost banned from French music in recent decades, but he handles tonality in a highly original way, with a unique sense of harmony and vibrant, energetic rhythms.\n\nMore recent French composers who are frequently mentioned as having influenced Escaich include Ravel, Messiaen and Dutilleux; yet this virtuoso organist and improviser is equally steeped in the music of J.S. Bach. Psalmos, his new work written for the CSO, is based on chorale melodies familiar from the works of Bach (as well as other representatives of the German Lutheran tradition), but it takes those chorale melodies to places they have never been before.\n\nThe work opens with a solo flute playing “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland” (“Now come, Saviour of the Heathens”; the melody is based on the Gregorian hymn “Veni creator gentium”). Escaich had previously used this same chorale in his Evocation III for organ (2008), a work that, in the words of another British reviewer, did not handle his source material with “kid gloves,” and subjected it to “treatment that ranges from tender caresses to the aural equivalent of thwacking it with a blunt instrument.” The same description applies, to some extent, to the new piece as well: after the theme is introduced softly in a slow introduction, it receives a much more dramatic treatment in the ensuing “Vivacissimo.” After small fragments from the theme enter over an agitated repeated-note accompaniment, the chorale is presented in a sharply profiled rhythmic version by the trumpets and trombones. Then, a long, drawn-out decrescendo leads to a more lyrical statement of the chorale melody on the horn, punctuated by the magical sounds of the vibraphone, celesta, harp and piano. The music seems to ‘float away’ at the end, connecting to the second movement, marked “Andante un poco rubato.” Intertwining declamatory melodies played by three solo strings (violin, viola, cello and, later, three cellos or three violas) prepare for “O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden” (“O sacred head, now wounded”), the principal chorale in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, played here by the woodwind choir and horns. The trumpets immediately respond with “Ein’ feste Burg ist unser Gott” (“A mighty fortress is our God”). Both chorale melodies are treated very freely; their development culminates in a dramatic climax that subsides as the oboe brings back “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland.” A rhapsodic cello solo brings this movement to its close.\n\nThe third movement (“Allegro giocoso”) plays the role of the scherzo in this four-movement sinfonia concertante. Over an excited ostinato in mixed meters played by the marimba and the vibraphone, we hear various chorale-like fragments until, finally, “Nun komm’” bursts forth one more time on violas and cellos accompanied by low winds and piano, followed by “Ein’ feste Burg” on trumpets. The ostinato gives way to a hymn-like statement of this most famous of Lutheran chorales, transitioning into the final “Allegro”, a colorful fantasy on the same melody. The work ends in a glorious tutti, with a unison C played in triple forte, reviving— and re-validating—a traditional closing gesture that nevertheless sounds very 21st century in this context.\n\n\n\nLENGTH: 34:52\n\nORCHESTRATION: 3 flutes (incl. piccolo), 3 oboes (incl. English horn), 3 clarinets (incl. bass clarinet), 3 bassoons (incl. contrabassoon), 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, snare drum, crotale, cymbals a2, anvil, triangle, xylophone, vibraphone, glockenspiel, high hat, bass drum, guiro, whistle, suspended cymbals, castanets, tom-tom, brake drum, tambour de basque, 2 suspended cymbals, 3 wood blocks, harp, piano, strings\n\nSebastian Currier was born in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, on March 16, 1959, and grew up in Providence, Rhode Island. He currently serves as Artist-in-Residence at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.\n\nFLEX is a 35-minute, six-movement “concerto for orchestra” by an American composer who has been equally acclaimed on both sides of the Atlantic. Performed by the Berlin Philharmonic and championed by the great German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, Sebastian Currier’s music has also been embraced by many major American symphony orchestras and chamber ensembles. In 2007, the composer received the Grawemeyer Award from the University of Louisville, informally known as the “Nobel Prize” of music. This honor only confirmed Currier’s prominent position in the new-music world of the early 21st century.\n\nIn his Cincinnati commission, Currier combines high-energy, driving rhythms with dazzling instrumental colors and transparent musical structures that make the layering of the musical material relatively easy to follow, without ever becoming predictable.\n\nThe first movement, “In the Spotlight,” features individual orchestral instruments taking turns “in the spotlight” with short virtuoso phrases, as if taking solo bows one after another, against the background of a rhythmic ostinato (“obstinately” repeated figure) in the strings. The title of the second movement, “Fifteen Versions of the Same Phrase,” describes exactly what happens in the music. The phrase in question, which echoes a trumpet melody from the first movement, is introduced by the solo clarinet. One of its recurrent elements, the triplet (group of three equal notes) provides an audible link to the other movements. As this brief theme is repeated fourteen more times by various instruments, the dynamics, harmonization, sound color and rhythm are all significantly altered while the melodic line remains unchanged.\n\nThe third movement, “Micro-Variations,” continues the variation idea in a less direct way. Here as before, the musical material is composed of small melodic-rhythmic units, which seem related to earlier material, but the development of those units incorporates a wider range of textures and characters than was the case before.\n\nThe fourth movement is entitled “Echoes, Canons, and a Minuet.” The theme, derived from the earlier triplet idea, is subjected to some intricate contrapuntal procedures. The final portion, the “minuet,” relates to the classical dance form only indirectly; instead of the typical melodic and rhythmic formulas usually found in minuets, the classics are merely hinted at: it is the gentle and elegant demeanor of the theme that alludes to bygone times.\n\nMovement 5, “Alone and Together,” juxtaposes solo and tutti in a rather dramatic way. The earlier triplet idea reappears in a number of new guises as a succession of solos—reminiscent of a play where each character has his or her turn to speak—is followed by a quartet for flute, clarinet, trumpet and cello.\n\nMovement 6, “Group Dynamics,” brings the whole orchestra together in a vibrant texture of intense rhythmic activity. Yet individual voices soon begin to assert themselves within the group, which won’t reunite until the concluding section of the piece.\n\n—Peter Laki\n\n\nCincinnati Symphony Orchestra Music Director Louis Langrée is one of the most sought-after conductors in the world today. Under his musical leadership, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) has undertaken a multitude of innovative artistic projects garnering praise from audiences and critics alike. The French conductor also serves as Music Director of Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, a position he has held since 2002.\n\nMr. Langrée has conducted the Berlin, London and Vienna Philharmonics, as well as period-instrument ensembles such as the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and Orchestre des Champs-Elysées. He has a longterm relationship with the Metropolitan Opera and Vienna State Opera, and has conducted at the Munich State Opera and Milan’s La Scala.\n\nFestival appearances have included the Vienna Festival, Mozartwoche Salzburg, BBC Proms, Glyndebourne Festival, and Aix-en-Provence Festival. Deeply committed to music of our time, Mr. Langrée has conducted world premieres by such composers as Magnus Lindberg, Manfred Trojahn, Daníel Bjarnason, and Caroline Shaw.\n\nMr. Langrée’s first commercial recording with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra featured Copland’s A Lincoln Portrait (narrated by Dr. Maya Angelou) and world premieres by Nico Muhly and David Lang. Mr. Langrée’s recordings have received several awards from Gramophone and Midem Classical. La Traviata, recorded at the Aix-en-Provence Festival with the London Symphony Orchestra for Virgin Classics, was released on DVD and awarded a Diapason d’Or.\n\nLouis Langrée is a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur and a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres.\n\n\nThe Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO), which also performs as the Cincinnati Pops, is one of America’s finest and most versatile ensembles. With a determination for greatness and a rich tradition that dates back over 120 years, the internationally acclaimed CSO attracts the best musicians, artists and conductors from around the world to Cincinnati. With new commissions and groundbreaking initiatives like LUMENOCITY®, One City, One Symphony®, and the MusicNOW Festival collaboration, the Orchestra is committed to being a place of experimentation.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9542000889778137}
{"content": "Download a PDF to print or study offline.\n\nStudy Guide\nCite This Study Guide\n\nHow to Cite This Study Guide\n\nquotation mark graphic\n\n\nCourse Hero. \"Antigone (The Oedipus Plays) Study Guide.\" Course Hero. 8 Sep. 2016. Web. 18 Jan. 2019. <>.\n\nIn text\n\n(Course Hero)\n\n\n\nCourse Hero. (2016, September 8). Antigone (The Oedipus Plays) Study Guide. In Course Hero. Retrieved January 18, 2019, from\n\nIn text\n\n(Course Hero, 2016)\n\n\n\nCourse Hero. \"Antigone (The Oedipus Plays) Study Guide.\" September 8, 2016. Accessed January 18, 2019.\n\n\nCourse Hero, \"Antigone (The Oedipus Plays) Study Guide,\" September 8, 2016, accessed January 18, 2019,\n\nAntigone (The Oedipus Plays) | Discussion Questions 41 - 50\n\n\nIn Antigone what does Creon's response to Teiresias in Episode 5 reveal about his personality?\n\nCreon's response to his trusted prophet, Teiresias, reveals the full breadth of Creon's blindness and arrogance. Rather than listen (as he promised to in Episode 1) to an adviser, he hears advice he doesn't like and throws a tantrum in response, accusing Teiresias of taking bribes for money. Creon's response also shows how out of touch with reality he has become, increasingly paranoid that others are out to get him. Haemon's cautions from Episode 3 begin to take hold as well, showing Creon to be a ruler who listens to no one but himself, which puts all his citizens and family at risk. Even though Creon eventually realizes his error his realization comes too late, which again shows how his hubris is a tragic flaw.\n\nHow do the Chorus's views of Creon change over the course of Antigone?\n\nThe Chorus starts out skeptical of Creon's intentions, telling him in Episode 1 that \"it seems to me you now control all laws concerning those who've died and us as well—the ones who are still living.\" What they are politely hinting at here is that he may have overstepped his bounds with the gods, since to deny a body burial and funeral rites is to defy the gods' will. They also try to deflect the task of protecting Creon's proclamation to \"younger men,\" realizing that the citizens of Thebes won't support it. They also advise Creon that he would be wise to listen to the advice of Haemon about reversing Antigone's punishment. By the end of the play the Chorus finds it difficult to truly pity Creon since he brought on his tragic fate through his own actions. In the Exodus they sadly remind him (and the audience) that the \"boasts of arrogant men bring on great blows of punishment.\"\n\nIn Antigone what does Creon's preoccupation with money reveal about his character?\n\nCreon's preoccupation with money and bribery reflect the fundamental distrust he feels for those around him who don't tell him what he wants to hear. Since he can't rationalize that the guard and Teiresias might be right in their stories, he jumps to wild conclusions in order to maintain what he wants to see and believe. If Creon has so little faith in those who are trying to help him, it makes it hard to trust him as a leader—he appears paranoid and suspicious rather than welcoming of advice and insight. He sees trust as something that can be bought and sold rather than earned.\n\nDoes Antigone provide evidence to support Haemon's argument to Creon that an act of disobedience can also be admirable?\n\nThe play supports Haemon's claim that an act of disobedience such as Antigone's can also be admirable. Though the Chorus doesn't come right out and support Antigone's disobedience—since it is their duty to support Creon—they do commend her for taking fate into her own hands. The citizens of Thebes also support Antigone over Creon and find her actions admirable since they honor the laws of the gods, who demand proper burial and funeral rites for corpses. The audience can also find sympathy for Antigone as her reaction and decisions to honor a family member are relatable even if they are unlawful.\n\nIn Antigone in what ways is Antigone a feminist by modern standards?\n\nAntigone would most likely be considered a feminist by modern standards. Even though the concept of feminism didn't exist in ancient Greece, Antigone refuses to bow to the gender roles that were cast for men and women of that era. Ismene cautions her in Episode 1: \"We must remember that by birth we're women, and, as such, we shouldn't fight with men.\" Yet Antigone forges ahead with her plans despite the punishment she will face, and she doesn't back down from Creon even when he tries to shame her and get her to admit her guilt. Her confidence and stubbornness align her with the men of her era, so it's no wonder Creon finds her a threat.\n\nIn Antigone what is the effect on characterization of Antigone's agon, or debate, with Creon in Episode 2?\n\nThe agon, or debate, between Antigone and Creon in Episode 2 serves to show the distance between their beliefs about justice and law and how similar their stubborn mentalities are. An agon was the traditional means by which a debate was settled in the law courts of ancient Greece, and both Creon and Antigone state their beliefs in the hope of making the other understand their position. Creon accuses her of breaking a law, but Antigone reminds him, \"Zeus did not announce those laws to me.\" As she sees it Zeus's laws override those of mortals such as Creon's, and so she is not worried about her punishment by him. She also reveals that she doesn't see death as a punishment—rather she welcomes it and insists she's \"being charged with foolishness by someone who's a fool.\" It's notable that Creon's response is addressed to the Chorus rather than Antigone since he feels he doesn't need to defend his laws to a woman, and he changes the debate to be about her inferiority as a woman. Creon's remark shows Antigone as the one making a logical defense rather than an attack on gender in the way that Creon does.\n\nIn Antigone in what ways can Creon, rather than Antigone, be viewed as the main character of the play?\n\nAlthough Creon serves as the antagonist of Antigone, he sets much of the action of the play into motion. In some ways Antigone serves as his antagonist since she successfully thwarts his plans to be a powerful ruler. Many of the scenes feature Creon, and other minor characters play off of him. Creon also undergoes a transformation in his personality, realizing only too late the errors of his ways and the importance of his family over his laws. In this way he can also be considered a tragic hero, or a character whose error in judgment brings about his downfall.\n\nIn Antigone how are the images of burials, caves, prisons, and the Underworld linked?\n\nA burial, and a lack of one, are what set the plot of Antigone in motion and drive much of the conflict of the play. One of Antigone's brothers is given a proper burial and funeral rites, and one is left unburied and unmourned, an action that offends the gods. Creon also punishes Antigone by burying her alive in a cave, and Teiresias points out the paradox to Creon in Episode 5 that he chose to bury Antigone alive, underground, while he allows her brother's corpse to remain unburied above ground. These motifs create a great deal of linked imagery surrounding the ways that life and death intermix throughout the play. The purpose of these linked images shows how, even in life, one can be closely affected by death and how a prison can also be a tomb in the making. In many ways Antigone anticipates and welcomes her impending death, seeing herself as a martyr who will suffer her doomed imprisonment for a cause. Antigone sees the Underworld as more important than the world of the living since the majority of her family members have died and await her there. She reminds Creon in Episode 2, \"In the world below perhaps [my] actions are no crime.\" This link between the living world and the Underworld is also important since mortals believed that all of their actions while living would have a direct impact on their lives (and the lives of their departed loved ones) in the Underworld.\n\nIn Antigone what does Antigone's shift in attitude in Episode 4 reveal about her character?\n\nIn Episode 4 Antigone undergoes a shift in her defiant attitude once she realizes that her death is imminent. Even though she has stated that she welcomes her punishment and the possibility of death in order to please the gods and be reunited with her departed family, Episode 4 finds her forlorn and hopeless, lamenting the life she is giving up as a future bride and mother. This portrayal of Antigone as vulnerable serves to reveal her as a more human and relatable character for the audience, who can surely understand her final apprehension and wistfulness. In effect Antigone shifts from an idealized, stubborn martyr to a complex woman with conflicting feelings about her decision.\n\nIn Antigone what is the effect of Creon's final lament in the Exodus?\n\nCreon's last lines of the play reveal a man who is tormented by grief and guilt and who finally understands the full weight of his actions. He says, \"How useless I am now. I don't know where to look or find support. Everything I touch goes wrong, and on my head fate climbs up with its overwhelming load.\" Creon's actions have left him utterly alone and without support or love, and he has no identity anymore as a leader, father, or husband, rendering him \"useless.\" He also understands that, even though he brought about the consequences through his actions, fate in the form of divine punishment is paying him back. These lines serve to make Creon a more sympathetic character since he seems to have come to a fuller realization of his actions and their consequences and the tragedy that nothing he can do can change his fate.\n\nCite This Study Guide\n\ninformation icon Have study documents to share about Antigone (The Oedipus Plays)? Upload them to earn free Course Hero access!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7136138081550598}
{"content": "POLICE are using cartoon character Fred Flintstone's famous catchphrase in the fight against crime.\n\nAnd the Cheshire Constabulary scheme has already gained national recognition after being highlighted in new weekly men's magazine Nuts.\n\nThe force's new criminal catcher - the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) unit - alerts officers that offenders are on the move by the sound of Fred's voice.\n\nIt hones in on car number plates and, if the registration matches that of an offending car on the police computer, it blares out his catchphrase 'Yabba Dabba Doo!'.\n\nExcept, of course, Cheshire police want criminals to 'Yabba Dabba Don't'.\n\nOfficers are using the ANPR system to target those in stolen cars, those without tax or insurance, and persistent crooks who are travelling into the county.\n\nOnce identified, their vehicles are all intercepted, stopped and checked thoroughly.\n\nAnd the message to offenders is: Don't bother travelling on our roads as you will be caught.\n\nSuperintendent Richard Strachan, of the Cheshire police road policing unit, said: 'This is just one of many ANPR initiatives we are conducting on a regular basis throughout the county.\n\n'The new ANPR team helps officers to identify persistent criminals who think they are anonymous travelling on a packed motorway.\n\n'We're here to tell them they're not and they'll be caught.'\n\nPolice have reassured motorists that the ANPR does not monitor vehicle speed.\n\nIt works by scanning passing motor registrations and checking them against police intelligence.\n\nThis identifies vehicles of interest to the police, such as stolen cars or those involved in crime.\n\nWhen a suspicious vehicle is recognised, it can be the focus of targeted interception and further enquiries.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7286797165870667}
{"content": "Personalized Prayers by Noam Weintraub\n\n\nThis week’s Parashah contains the source for Tefilat Ma’ariv. The Pasuk states, “VaYifga BaMakom VaYalen Sham,” “[Yaakov] encountered the place and spent the night there” (BeReishit 28:11), and the Gemara derives that the word VaYifga does not mean “encounter” in this case, but rather is an expression of prayer (Berachot 26b). The Gemara also explains that in this Seifer, Avraham institutes the prayer of Shacharit, and Yitzchak establishes the Tefilah of Minchah. These inferences of the Talmud lead to the following question: does Avraham Daven Minchah and Ma’ariv, and the other two Avot’s prayers merely serve as the sources for those Tefillot, or do Yitzchak and Yaakov actually institute Minchah and Ma’ariv? Similar to many of the answers of many Torah questions, the answer is subject to a Machloket.\n\nAccording to Tosafot (ibid. s.v. Yitzchak Tikein), after Yitzchak begins Davening Minchah, Avraham does as well. However, neither Davens Ma’ariv, as neither would have seen Yaakov Daven that Tefilah. Conversely, according to the Penei Yehoshua, Avraham Davens Minchah and Ma’ariv as well because he observes the entire Torah, as the Pasuk states, “VaYishmor Mishmarti Mitzvotai Chukotai VeTorotai,” “[Avraham] observed My safeguards, My commandments, My decrees, and My Torahs” (BeReishit 26:5). Through these Tefilot, he is able to fulfill the Mitzvah of the Korbanot Tamid. However, Avraham ascribes a special importance to Shacharit, just as Yitzchak does with Minchah and Yaakov does with Ma’ariv.\n\nThese answers both raise additional questions. Why do Yitzchak and Yaakov either institute the new prayers of Minchah and Ma’ariv or add importance to them to supplement their\n\npurposes of replacements for Korbanot? In addition, why does each forefather choose to pray at the time he does?\n\nMy brother, Rabbi Elon Weintraub, suggests that the time of day that each forefather prays corresponds to the attribute that he represents. Avraham Davens in the morning because he emphasizes the concept of Zerizut, excitement to do Mitzvot. He does so by waking up early to perform Mitzvot as the Pasuk describes regarding Akeidat Yitzchak, “VaYashkeim Avraham BaBoker,” “Avraham woke up early in the morning” (BeReishit22:3). Yitzchak institutes Minchah because it represents his attribute of Gevurah, strength. Minchah entails the difficulty of stopping one’s activity in the middle of the day to pray, and Yitzchak prays outdoors in the field during the day. Yaakov stresses Torah study, as the Torah describes him as an “Ish Tam Yosheiv Ohalim,” “A wholesome man, residing in tents [of Torah study]” (25:27). Rambam explains that Torah study is special at night because if one does not learn Torah at night, it is as if he has never learned Torah in his life (Hilchot Talmud Torah 3:13). Therefore, Yaakov prays during the night to emphasize his personal connection with that time.\n\nEach of the Avot is able to channel his particular strength into fostering a stronger connection with Hashem. Hopefully, we can learn from them and use our God-given gifts to honor and serve HaKadosh Baruch Hu.\n\n- Including ideas from Rav Moshe Weinberg\n\nBooting Ourselves Up by Rabbi Chaim Poupko\n\nBelow Minimum Wage? By Moshe Kollmar", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5659477710723877}
{"content": "Inverse Functions\n\nAn inverse function goes the other way!\n\nLet us start with an example:\n\n\n\nThe Inverse Function goes the other way:\n\n\n\n\nThe inverse is usually shown by putting a little \"-1\" after the function name, like this:\n\n\nWe say \"f inverse of y\"\n\nSo, the inverse of f(x) = 2x+3 is written:\n\n\n(I also used y instead of x to show that we are using a different value.)\n\nBack to Where We Started\n\nThe cool thing about the inverse is that it should give us back the original value:\n\nbanana f() to apple f()-inverse back to banana\nWhen the function f turns the apple into a banana,\nThen the inverse function f-1 turns the banana back to the apple\n\n\nUsing the formulas from above, we can start with x=4:\n\nf(4) = 2×4+3 = 11\n\nWe can then use the inverse on the 11:\n\nf-1(11) = (11-3)/2 = 4\n\nAnd we magically get 4 back again!\n\nWe can write that in one line:\n\nf-1( f(4) ) = 4\n\n\"f inverse of   f of 4   equals 4\"\n\n\nf-1( f(x) ) = x\n\n\nf( f-1(x) ) = x\n\n\nStart with:\n\n\nAnd then:\n\nf(4) = 2×4+3 = 11\n\nSo we can say:\n\nf( f-1(11) ) = 11\n\n\"f of   f inverse of 11   equals 11\"\n\nSolve Using Algebra\n\nWe can work out the inverse using Algebra. Put \"y\" for \"f(x)\" and solve for x:\n\nThe function:   f(x) = 2x+3\nPut \"y\" for \"f(x)\":   y = 2x+3\nSubtract 3 from both sides:   y-3 = 2x\nDivide both sides by 2:   (y-3)/2 = x\nSwap sides:   x = (y-3)/2\nSolution (put \"f-1(y)\" for \"x\") :   f-1(y) = (y-3)/2\n\nThis method works well for more difficult inverses.\n\nFahrenheit to Celsius\n\nA useful example is converting between Fahrenheit and Celsius:\n\nTo convert Fahrenheit to Celsius:f(F) = (F - 32) × 59\nThe Inverse Function (Celsius back to Fahrenheit):f-1(C) = (C × 95) + 32\n\nFor you: see if you can do the steps to create that inverse!\n\nInverses of Common Functions\n\nIt has been easy so far, because we know the inverse of Multiply is Divide, and the inverse of Add is Subtract, but what about other functions?\n\nHere is a list to help you:\n\nInverses Careful!\nadd <=> Subtract  \nMultiply <=> Divide Don't divide by zero\n1x <=> 1y x and y not zero\nx2 <=> sqrt-y x and y ≥ 0\nxn <=> nth-root-y or y^(1/n) n not zero\n(different rules when n is odd, even, negative or positive)\nex <=> ln(y) y > 0\nax <=> loga(y) y and a > 0\nsin(x) <=> sin-1(y) -π/2 to +π/2\ncos(x) <=> cos-1(y) 0 to π\ntan(x) <=> tan-1(y) -π/2 to +π/2\n\n(Note: you can read more about Inverse Sine, Cosine and Tangent.)\n\n\nDid you see the \"Careful!\" column above? That is because some inverses work only with certain values.\n\nExample: Square and Square Root\n\nWhen we square a negative number, and then do the inverse, this happens:\n\nSquare:(−2)2 = 4\nInverse (Square Root): √(4) = 2\n\nBut we didn't get the original value back! We got 2 instead of −2. Our fault for not being careful!\n\nSo the square function (as it stands) does not have an inverse\n\nBut we can fix that!\n\nRestrict the Domain (the values that can go into a function).\n\nExample: (continued)\n\nJust make sure we don't use negative numbers.\n\nIn other words, restrict it to x ≥ 0 and then we can have an inverse.\n\nSo we have this situation:\n\nNo Inverse?\n\nLet us see graphically what is going on here:\n\nTo be able to have an inverse we need unique values.\n\nJust think ... if there are two or more x-values for one y-value, how do we know which one to choose when going back?\n\nGeneral Function\nGeneral Function\nnotNo Inverse\n\nImagine we came from x1 to a particular y value, where do we go back to? x1 or x2?\n\nIn that case we can't have an inverse.\n\nBut if we can have exactly one x for every y we can have an inverse.\n\n\nBijective Function\nBijective Function\nnotHas an Inverse\n\nA function has to be \"Bijective\" to have an inverse.\n\n\nDomain and Range\n\nSo what is all this talk about \"Restricting the Domain\"?\n\ndomain and range graph\n\nIn its simplest form the domain is all the values that go into a function (and the range is all the values that come out).\n\nAs it stands the function above does not have an inverse, because some y-values will have more than one x-value.\n\ndoman and range\n\nBut we could restrict the domain so there is a unique x for every y ...\n\ndoman and range\n\n... and now we can have an inverse:\n\nNote also:\n\n\n\nLet's plot them both in terms of x ... so it is now f-1(x), not f-1(y):\n\ndoman and range\n\nf(x) and f-1(x) are like mirror images\n(flipped about the diagonal).\n\nIn other words:\n\nThe graph of f(x) and f-1(x) are symmetric across the line y=x\n\n\nExample: Square and Square Root (continued)\n\nFirst, we restrict the Domain to x ≥ 0:\n\n\nx^2 vs square  root x\nAnd you can see they are \"mirror images\"\nof each other about the diagonal y=x.\n\n\nx^2 vs -square  root x\n\nNote: when we restrict the domain to x ≤ 0 (less than or equal to 0) the inverse is then f-1(x) = −√x:\n\nWhich are inverses, too.\n\nNot Always Solvable!\n\n\nExample: f(x) = x/2 + sin(x)\n\nWe cannot work out the inverse of this, because we cannot solve for \"x\":\n\ny = x/2 + sin(x)\n\ny ... ? = x\n\nNotes on Notation\n\nEven though we write f-1(x), the \"-1\" is not an exponent (or power):\n\nf-1(x) different to... f(x)-1\nInverse of the function f   f(x)-1 = 1/f(x)\n(the Reciprocal)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7814306020736694}
{"content": "Course plan\n\nSave favourite\n\nView syllabus\n\nEnvironmental Engineering BA (A), Environmental Engineering EkoT2, 7.5 Credits\n\nGeneral data\n\nCode: MÖ014G\nSubject/Main field: Miljöteknik\nCycle: First cycle\nProgression: (A)\nCredits: 7.5\nAnswerable department: Department of Ecotechnology and Sustainable Building Engineering\nAnswerable faculty: Faculty of Science, Technology and Media\nEstablished: 3/3/2010\nDate of change: 3/8/2016\nVersion valid from: 3/15/2016\n\n\nThe course objective is that the student will obtain knowledge about technology and technical practices that help reduce environmental impact and efficient use of natural resources.\n\nCourse objectives\n\nAfter completion of the course the student should be able to:\n- explain basic environmental engineering concepts\n- explain basic principles to minimize environmental impact\n- explain different technologies for renewable energy generation\n- be able to make basic energy systems calculations\nexplain different transportation systems and its environmental effects\n- discuss and calculate air pollution\n- explain problems around solid and hazardous waste management\n- explain and calculate ionizing radiation\n\n\nThe course contains the following: Material and energy balances, energy resources, renewable energy, waste management, air pollution control, transportation systems analysis, ionizing radiation.\n\nEntry requirements\n\nEnvironmental engineering BA (A) 7.5 credits\n(OB 8)\n\nSelection rules and procedures\n\n\nExamination form\n\nWritten web based exam. Written assignments and oral presentations during the course.\n\nGrading criteria can be found at\n\nGrading system\n\n\nCourse reading\n\nRequired literature\n\nAuthor: Mackenzie L. Davis, Susan J. Masten.\nTitle: Principles of environmental engineering and science\nEdition: 3\nPublisher: McGraw-Hill\nComment: 848 pp, ISBN: 978-1-259-06047-2", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.934341549873352}
{"content": "\n\nP.S. Realistic CAS-002 questions pool are available on Google Drive, GET MORE: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1i-DSDDbU7Ij9pDq-9iid94VozRUrxe72\n\nNew CompTIA CAS-002 Exam Dumps Collection (Question 13 - Question 22)\n\nNew Questions 13\n\n\nA. Only security related alerts should be forwarded to the network team for resolution.\n\n\n\n\nAnswer: C\n\nNew Questions 14\n\nThe Information Security Officer (ISO) is reviewing new policies that have been recently made effective and now apply to the company. Upon review, the ISO identifies a new requirement to implement two-factor authentication on the companyu2019s wireless system. Due to budget constraints, the company will be unable to implement the requirement for the next two years. The ISO is required to submit a policy exception form to the Chief Information Officer (CIO). Which of the following are MOST important to include when submitting the exception form? (Select THREE).\n\nA. Business or technical justification for not implementing the requirements.\n\nB. Risks associated with the inability to implement the requirements.\n\n\nD. All section of the policy that may justify non-implementation of the requirements.\n\nA. E. A revised DRP and COOP plan to the exception form.\n\n\nG. Current and planned controls to mitigate the risks.\n\nAnswer: A,B,G\n\nNew Questions 15\n\nIn a situation where data is to be recovered from an attackeru2019s location, which of the following are the FIRST things to capture? (Select TWO).\n\nA. Removable media\n\nB. Passwords written on scrap paper\n\nC. Snapshots of data on the monitor\n\nD. Documents on the printer\n\nE. Volatile system memory\n\nF. System hard drive\n\nAnswer: C,E\n\nNew Questions 16\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAnswer: B\n\nNew Questions 17\n\nAn organization has had six security incidents over the past year against their main web application. Each time the organization was able to determine the cause of the incident and restore operations within a few hours to a few days. Which of the following provides the MOST comprehensive method for reducing the time to recover?\n\nA. Create security metrics that provide information on response times and requirements to determine the best place to focus time and money.\n\nB. Conduct a loss analysis to determine which systems to focus time and money towards increasing security.\n\nC. Implement a knowledge management process accessible to the help desk and finance departments to estimate cost and prioritize remediation.\n\nD. Develop an incident response team, require training for incident remediation, and provide incident reporting and tracking metrics.\n\nAnswer: D\n\nNew Questions 18\n\nA security consultant is called into a small advertising business to recommend which security policies and procedures would be most helpful to the business. The business is comprised of 20 employees, operating off of two shared servers. One server houses employee data and the other houses client data. All machines are on the same local network. Often these employees must work remotely from client sites, but do not access either of the servers remotely. Assuming no security policies or procedures are in place right now, which of the following would be the MOST applicable for implementation? (Select TWO).\n\nA. Password Policy\n\nB. Data Classification Policy\n\nC. Wireless Access Procedure\n\nD. VPN Policy\n\nE. Database Administrative Procedure\n\nAnswer: A,B\n\nNew Questions 19\n\n\nA. Insecure direct object references, CSRF, Smurf\n\nB. Privilege escalation, Application DoS, Buffer overflow\n\nC. SQL injection, Resource exhaustion, Privilege escalation\n\nD. CSRF, Fault injection, Memory leaks\n\nAnswer: A\n\nNew Questions 20\n\nA business wants to start using social media to promote the corporation and to ensure that customers have a good experience with their products. Which of the following security items should the company have in place before implementation? (Select TWO).\n\nA. The company must dedicate specific staff to act as social media representatives of the company.\n\nB. All staff needs to be instructed in the proper use of social media in the work environment.\n\nC. Senior staff blogs should be ghost written by marketing professionals.\n\nD. The finance department must provide a cost benefit analysis for social media.\n\nE. The security policy needs to be reviewed to ensure that social media policy is properly implemented.\n\nF. The company should ensure that the company has sufficient bandwidth to allow for social media traffic.\n\nAnswer: A,E\n\nNew Questions 21\n\nThe Chief Information Officer (CIO) is reviewing the IT centric BIA and RA documentation. The documentation shows that a single 24 hours downtime in a critical business function\n\nwill cost the business $2.3 million. Additionally, the business unit which depends on the critical business function has determined that there is a high probability that a threat will materialize based on historical data. The CIOu2019s budget does not allow for full system hardware replacement in case of a catastrophic failure, nor does it allow for the purchase of additional compensating controls. Which of the following should the CIO recommend to the finance director to minimize financial loss?\n\nA. The company should mitigate the risk.\n\nB. The company should transfer the risk.\n\nC. The company should avoid the risk.\n\nD. The company should accept the risk.\n\nAnswer: B\n\nNew Questions 22\n\n\n\n\nC. Instrument the operational network; simulate extra traffic on the network; analyze net flow information from all network devices; document the baseline volume of traffic.\n\n\nAnswer: A\n\n100% Latest CompTIA CAS-002 Questions & Answers shared by Dumpscollection, Get HERE: http://www.dumpscollection.net/dumps/CAS-002/ (New 532 Q&As)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5758981704711914}
{"content": "FPSC Patrol Officer NH&MP Past Paper Page-8\n\n71) In which year Dr. Abdul Salam was awarded Nobel Prize in Physics?\n(A) 1973\n(B) 1975\n(C) 1979\n(D) 1983\n\n72) CPU stands for\n(A) Central Processing Unit\n(B) Central Programming Unit\n(C) Control Processing Unit\n(D) Control Programming Unit\n\n73) What is Black Hole?\n(A) Hypothetical region of the space\n(B) Hole in California\n(C) Sink hole in the lake\n(D) Region between mantle and crest of the earth\n\n74) Who discovered Penicillin\n(A) Alexander Flaming\n(B) Louis Pasteur\n(C) Nell Boher\n(D) None of these\n\n75) One meter is equal to\n(A) 100 millimeter\n(B) 1000 millimeter\n(C) 500 millimeter\n(D) 10000 millimeter\n\n76) When a book is sold for Rs 76 the gain is 52%. The gain when it is sold for Rs 74 is?\n(A) 44%\n(B) 48%\n(C) 46%\n(D) 50%\n\n77) The length of the longest pole that can be placed in a room 12 m long and 9 m wide and 8 m high is\n(A) 12 m\n(B) 14 m\n(C) 17 m\n(D) 21 m\n\n78) A rectangle has a length of 10 cm and a perimeter of 30 cm. Find the width of the rectangle\n(A) 5 cm\n(B) 10 cm\n(C) 15 cm\n(D) 20 cm\n\n79) Working 8 hours a day, a work is done in 5 days. For how many hours a day the work is done if it is finished in 4 days?\n(A) 8 hrs\n(B) 10 hrs\n(C) 12 hrs\n(D) 16 hrs\n\nLike our Facebook Page", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7651475667953491}
{"content": "This visually dramatic land, created by the forces of the ice age, continues to be sculptured by nature.  The Sleeping Bear Dunes were a landmark for early Indians and sailors as well as today's astronauts on their space flights.\n\n\nFrench fur traders inhabited the area in the 1800s.  In the 1800s, the Great Lakes became major avenues of commerical shipping. Docks were built on the Manitou Island to furnish cord wood to fuel the ships.  The first mainland Leelanau County settler established a trading post in 1847 near the mouth of the Crystal River.  The wife of one of the early settlers admired the trees covered with grape vines and named the community \"Glen Arbor.\"\n\nIn 1886, D.H. Day bought large tracts of land including all of Glen Haven.  He fervently beleived in and promoted hte area's future.  HE produced lumber at his Glen Lake sawmill, replanted trees for second growth, planted fruit orchards and established a cannery at his dock in Glen Haven.\n\n\nPeople have been drawn to the beauty of the area for many years, including many writeres and artists who have established homes and galleries here.  The creation of the 72,000 acre Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in 1971 assured that future generations would also be able to experience and enjoy the unique, pristine beauty of this land.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9849468469619751}
{"content": "Thursday, 6 March 2014\n\nScan Line Seed Fill Algorithm\n\nA seed pixel on a span is popped from a stack containing the seed pixel.\nThe span containing the seed pixel is filled to the right and left of seed pixel along a scan line until a boundary is found.\nThe algorithm remembers the extreme left and the extreme right pixel in the span as xleft and xright.\nIn the range of xleft ≤ x ≤ xright the scan lines immediately above & immediately below the current scan line are examined to see if they completely contain either boundary pixels or previously filled points. If these scan lines do not contain either boundary or previously filled pixels, then in the range Xleft ≥ x ≥ Xright the extreme right pixel in 0each span is marked as a seed pixel and pushed onto the stack.\nThe Seed Fill Algorithms assume that at least one pixel is interior to a polygon or region is known. The algorithm then attempts to find and color or fill all other pixels interior to the region.\n1).Start with a point known to be contained within the polygon. This is the seed.\n2).Set the buffer for this seed and draw it.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8333780765533447}
{"content": "Search for survivors after Italian motorway collapse kills 26\n\n\nA fire service spokesperson told AFP that the bridge had mostly fallen on rail tracks 100 metres below and that cars and trucks had fallen with the rubble.\n\nMore than 400 people were evacuated from 11 buildings located near or below the still-standing of the bridge, the city said.\n\n\"People living in Genoa use this bridge twice a day\", said Deputy Transport Minister Edoardo Rixi, who is from the city. \"Obviously for me, it is not\", said Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, head of the right-wing League, part of the ruling coalition.\n\nAuthorities said at least 30 cars and three heavy duty vehicles were on the 80-metre section of the bridge that collapsed.\n\nDavide Capello, a soccer player, was on a motorway bridge in Genoa in Italy when it collapsed.\n\nAsked about the collapse on a live broadcast, Mr Salvini responded: \"We should ask ourselves whether respecting these (budget) limits is more important than the safety of Italian citizens\".\n\nIt is not yet clear what caused the bridge to collapse, which came as maintenance work was being done on the bridge and as the Liguria region experienced torrential rainfall.\n\n\"There has not been sufficient maintenance and checks, and safety work for many bridges and viaducts and bridges in Italy constructed - nearly all - during the 1960s\", he said.\n\nAfter the collapse in Genoa, several people were pulled from the rubble alive, according to Italian media reports. It called for a \"Marshall Plan\" to fix or replace tens of thousands of bridges and viaducts built in the 1950s and 1960s.\n\nTransportation Minister Danilo Toninelli called the collapse \"an enormous tragedy\", adding that if negligence played a role, \"whoever made a mistake must pay\".\n\nAutostrade, a unit of infrastructure group Atlantia that is controlled by the Benetton family, manages the section of the toll highway that collapsed. The prosecutor's office in Genoa said it was ready to open a criminal inquiry.\n\nMr Brencich had already raised the alarm over the danger posed by the bridge in 2016, calling its span \"a failure of engineering\".\n\nA former goalkeeper for Italian Serie A club Cagliari survived the deadly collapse of a motorway viaduct in Genoa on Tuesday despite going down with the bridge in his vehicle and finishing among the rubble.\n\nA witness told Sky Italia television he saw \"eight or nine \" vehicles on the bridge when it collapsed in what he said was an \"apocalyptic scene\".\n\n\nThe disaster occurred on a highway that connects Italy to France and other vacation resorts on the eve of a major Italian holiday on Wednesday, Ferragosto, and traffic would have been heavier than usual as many Italians travelled to beaches or mountains.\n\n\"This bridge has had quite a lot of maintenance work\", said Ian Firth, past president of the UK-based Institution of Structural Engineers, and a structural engineer specialising in bridges.\n\nAs cranes moved in to shift truck-sized chunks of broken concrete, hundreds of firefighters searched for survivors, while public shock and grief turned to anger over the state of the 1.2 km-long bridge, completed in 1967 and overhauled two years ago.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.992771565914154}
{"content": "logo image\n\nWhy Teamwork Matters at Every Level Essay\n\nWhen teams start missing deadlines, employers need to know the main obstacles that are preventing workers from delivering on time. Leaders need this information so they can create impactful changes that help teams collaborate more fully. But what if employers instead create issues by perpetuating bad teamwork? \n\nThe July 2016 from VitalSmarts found a disparity between how employers and employees perceive competition. While leaders say they value teamwork in the workplace, employees say they believe employers really want to see staff compete with one another.\n\nIt's time to clear up the confusion: Let’s take a look at some of the biggest obstacles hurting teamwork and how employers can improve collaboration in the workplace.\n\nUse real-time visuals.\n\nTo function effectively as a team, workers must understand how they function within the bigger picture. People might disengage if they don’t realize how integral their work is to the larger operation.\n\nStart tracking performance data and share it with employees so they develop a deeper understanding of how they fit into the company.Employees acknowledge how important this is to their performance. Zenger Folkman’s 2014  study looked at 2,700 employers and employees and learned that 72 percent of employees said they thought their performance would improve if managers provided corrective feedback.\n\nShowing employees how their role matters can motivate and inspire them to improve their performance. Feedback also allows workers to see their progress. Employers can use real-time performance analytics to initiate constructive dialogue with employees, including solutions-oriented feedback as part of the discussion. These sit-downs should be ongoing so employees can stay on task and address potential teamwork issues if and when they arise.\n\n\nEncourage solutions-oriented thinking.\n\nWhen problems arise, how do teams react? What is the employee mindset? Do team members feel as if they’re scraping by and merely putting out fires?\n\nFocus on shifting their perspective. Employees should look for solutions and stay positive, especially when pressure is high.\n\nTeams plagued by negativity and pessimism are more prone to missing deadlines. The optimist thinks about how to overcome challenges instead of complaining about roadblocks.\n\nEmployees should collaborate and confront these obstacles by asking what will be most productive in the moment. Trigger optimism when challenges arise, then break the large concern down into smaller, more manageable tasks. Finally, make a collective decision on how each person will contribute in the new approach.\n\nProperly delegating duties is key to improving teamwork. Train supervisors and managers on prioritizing asks, align their assignments with employee strengths and always include detailed instructions on how to move forward. Set up employees for success.\n\n\nImplement transparency.\n\nEmbracing a transparent culture can help get team members on the same page. When employees don’t trust their employer, they might tend to be pessimistic or their performance may suffer. Either can cause teams to miss their deadlines.\n\nEmployee distrust is not as uncommon as one would think. One quarter of the 1,562 workers surveyed for the American Psychological Association's  reported that they didn't trust their employer. Only about half believed their employer was open and up-front with them.      \n\nSolutions come easier when companies are transparent. That’s why it’s best to share important information such as performance metrics and progress reports. This practice not only teaches accountability but also shows respect and trust.\n\nTransparency makes it easier to align projects and tasks because the big picture is obvious to everyone. When major company news breaks — such as department mergers or an upcoming acquisition — employees and management can brainstorm on how to best prepare and execute an effective plan.\n\n\nStart recognizing employees.\n\nAn employee recognition program is a great tool to further engage and motivate workers — it can help boost job satisfaction and keep productivity high.\n\nEncourage employees to recognize their peers, as well. The\n\nNeed essay sample on \"Why Teamwork Matters at Every Level\"? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you for only $ 13.90/page\n\n surveyed more than 200,000 employees. Participants reported that an employee’s peers are the No. 1 reason they go the extra mile at work.\n\nAll levels of employees should participate in peer recognition, and that includes managers who celebrate their fellow managers’ successes. When colleagues uplift their teammates, everyone feels motivated and teamwork improves. This reinforces how the collective efforts of each individual can yield success on a larger scale.\n\nCan’t wait to take that assignment burden offyour shoulders?\n\n\nAlready on Businessays? Login here\n\nNo, thanks. I prefer suffering on my own\nSign in / Sign up\nNo, thanks. I prefer suffering on my own\nNot quite the topic you need?\nWe would be happy to write it\nJoin and witness the magic\nService Open At All Times\nComplete Buyer Protection\nPlagiarism-Free Writing\n\nEmily from Businessays\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9796095490455627}
{"content": "We’re Hiring: Community Action Director\n\nWe’re Hiring: Community Action Director\n\n​​Position is available now and​ ​will​ ​remain​ ​open​ ​until​ ​filled.\n\nFront​ ​and​ ​Centered​ ​is​ ​a​ ​statewide,​ ​communities of color​ ​coalition​ ​working​ ​to​ ​achieve​ ​environmental​ ​justice by​ ​asserting​ ​policy​ ​solutions​ ​that​ ​center​ ​equity and racial justice.​ ​Our​ ​members​ ​are​ ​the​ ​leadership​ ​of​ ​communities​ ​first and​ ​worst​ ​hit​ ​by​ ​environmental​ ​and​ ​climate​ ​impacts​: communities​ ​of​ ​color​ ​and​ ​indigenous communities.​ ​Together,​ ​we​ ​are​ ​working​ ​to​ ​build​ ​the​ ​power​ ​and​ ​capacity​ ​of​ ​a​ ​statewide​ ​movement​ ​for racial,​ ​economic,​ ​and​ ​environmental​ ​justice.​ ​We​ ​do​ ​this​ ​by​ ​growing​ ​our​ ​members’​ ​leadership​ ​and​ ​power to​ ​change​ ​laws,​ ​reverse​ ​destruction​ ​of​ ​the​ ​environment​ ​and​ ​our​ ​communities,​ ​rebalance​ ​the​ ​economy and​ ​political​ ​power,​ ​and​ ​build​ ​up​ ​healthy​ ​communities.\n\nWe​ ​envision​ ​a​ ​future​ ​where​ ​our​ ​communities​ ​and​ ​the​ ​earth​ ​are​ ​healed​ ​and​ ​thriving,​ ​our​ ​people​ ​have dignified​ ​work​ ​and​ ​the​ ​building​ ​blocks​ ​of​ ​opportunity​ ​and​ ​prosperity,​ ​and​ ​our​ ​government​ ​values, respects,​ ​and​ ​represents​ ​us.​ ​We​ ​are​ ​working​ ​for​ ​sovereignty,​ ​resilience,​ ​and​ ​self-sufficiency​ ​for​ ​our communities​ ​so​ ​that​ ​future​ ​generations​ ​can​ ​thrive.​ ​We​ ​strive​ ​to​ ​make​ ​racial​ ​inequities​ ​on​ ​all​ ​issues​ ​a thing​ ​of​ ​the​ ​past,​ ​and​ ​to​ ​ensure​ ​that​ ​people​ ​of​ ​color​ ​and​ ​indigenous​ ​people​ ​are​ ​at​ ​the​ ​forefront​ ​of building​ ​equitable,​ ​democratic​ ​systems​ ​and​ ​policies​ ​that​ ​work​ ​for​ ​their​ ​communities.\n\nWe​ ​believe​ ​that​ ​fundamental​ ​changes​ ​are​ ​required​ ​to​ ​achieve​ ​environmental​ ​justice​ ​and​ ​healthy, thriving,​ ​equitable​ ​futures​ ​for​ ​communities​ ​of​ ​color​ ​and​ ​indigenous​ ​communities​ ​in​ ​Washington​ ​State. We​ ​believe​ ​that​ ​sustainable,​ ​meaningful​ ​solutions​ ​to​ ​environmental​ ​and​ ​climate​ ​issues​ ​threatening everyone​ ​in​ ​Washington​ ​State​ ​cannot​ ​be​ ​created​ ​without​ ​maximizing​ ​the​ ​wisdom​ ​of​ ​indigenous communities​ ​and​ ​communities​ ​of​ ​color.​ ​We​ ​believe​ ​that​ ​our​ ​future​ ​depends​ ​on​ ​solutions​ ​created​ ​by communities​ ​who​ ​have​ ​been​ ​historically​ ​marginalized​ ​and​ ​most​ ​impacted​ ​by​ ​environmental​ ​and​ ​climate hazards.\n\nFront​ ​and​ ​Centered​ ​seeks​ ​an​ ​experienced​ Community Action Director​ ​to​ ​complete​ ​the​ ​following​ ​scope​ ​of work:\n\nScope​ ​of​ ​Work\n\n●        Develop​ ​and​ ​execute​ ​a​ ​statewide​ ​organizing​ ​strategy​ ​to​ ​support​ ​collaboration​ ​and​ ​greater engagement,​ ​action​ ​and​ ​momentum​ ​across​ ​the​ ​state​ ​for​ ​environmental​ ​justice,​ ​including​ ​a​ ​likely ballot​ ​measure​ ​in​ ​2018.\n\n●        Convene​ ​members​ ​in​ ​statewide​ ​gatherings,​ ​organize​ ​monthly​ ​planning​ ​meetings​ ​and​ ​weekly strategic​ ​calls​ ​with​ ​other​ ​contractors​ ​of​ ​Front​ ​&​ ​Centered​ ​and​ ​as​ ​needed to advance the coalition and specific campaigns.\n\n●        Assess​ ​and​ ​provide​ ​strategic​ ​recommendations​ ​for​ ​engaging​ ​communities​ ​of​ ​color​ ​in​ ​key​ ​parts​ ​of Washington​ ​state,​ ​and​ ​execute​ ​a​ ​plan​ ​to​ ​build​ ​the​ ​membership​ ​of​ ​Front​ ​&​ ​Centered​ ​and​ ​to increase​ ​the​ ​overall​ ​participation​ ​and​ ​level​ ​of​ ​action​ ​toward​ ​forwarding​ ​the​ ​priorities​ ​of​ ​the coalition.\n\n●        Understand, communicate, and engage organizations on issues such as energy conservation and clean energy deployment, toxics prevention and recovery, the health of Puget Sound, and more.\n\n\nInternal Relationship Building and Engagement (30%)\n\n●        Engage F&C members on key issues through appropriate and effective communication and participation tactics.\n\n●        Educate and train F&C members on key topics, which can include organizing routine meetings, webinars and calls.\n\n●        Foster input and ownership of priorities by coordinating routine Listening Sessions as needed on key topics. Work with F&C members to engage their base. Coordinate with Program Director on content.\n\nExternal Relationship Building (30%)\n\n●        Identify key players with whom we should build a relationship.\n\n●        Create power maps to identify who and what influences these key individuals or stakeholders.\n\n●        Reach out to and meet individually and/or together with F&C members with key decision makers, including, legislators, the Governor, state agencies heads and relevant staff.\n\n●        Keep notes and files relevant to this work, including high points of conversations, in addition to following up with people with expected or necessary content to keep them informed or engaged.\n\nStrategic campaign management (30%)\n\n●        Develop and implement strategies to leverage F&C members in coordinated and collective action to move shared policy priorities.\n\n●        Support the capacity of lead groups to engage on priority issues, collaboratively strategize with groups on how best to leverage their base.\n\n●        Identify key geographic or demographic gaps and how to fill them by finding, meeting with, engaging and suggesting capacity needs for groups on the ground.\n\nAdministrative (10%)\n\n●        Administer the Front and Centered Steering Committee, including meeting logistics, agenda and supporting documents, participations, meeting notes and follow-up.\n\n●        Manage contractors\n\n●        Other duties as assigned\n\nQualifications and Compensation\n\nMinimum qualifications        \n\n●        A minimum of 3 years full time experience developing and managing campaigns, coalitions, ballot measures, or legislative initiatives to engage the public or grassroots to support public policies, political candidates, or social change efforts\n\n●        A minimum​ ​of 3​ ​years​ ​of​ ​experience​ ​in​ ​community​ ​organizing\n\n●        Knowledge and expertise in working with diverse communities and building effective and inclusive campaigns, coalitions and efforts\n\n●        Strategic understanding of the political process and proven capacity to engage public/voters to shape policy making\n\n●        Strong written​ ​and​ ​verbal​ ​communication​ ​skills​ ​\n\n●        BA or equivalent\n\nDesired ​Skills​ ​and​ ​Qualifications      \n\n●        Statewide organizing​ experience or working across geographies\n\n●        Deep​ ​knowledge​ ​and​ ​passion​ ​for​ ​social​ ​movements,​ ​environmental​ ​justice​ ​and​ ​racial​ ​justice\n\n●        Ability​ ​to​ ​travel​ ​and​ ​attend​ ​meetings​ ​on​ ​weekends​ ​and​ ​evenings.\n\n●        Highly​ ​organized​ ​and​ ​resourceful​ ​with​ ​a​ ​strong​ ​attention​ ​to​ ​detail\n\n●        Experience​ ​using​ ​digital​ ​organizing​ ​techniques​ ​leveraging​ ​social​ ​media\n\n●        Ability to speak and write in​ ​additional​ ​language​ ​prevalent​ ​in Washington​ ​State​ ​or​ ​demonstrated​ ​experience​ ​working​ ​with​ ​multilingual​ ​communities\n\n●        Team​ ​player​ ​capable​ ​of​ ​working​ ​both​ ​collaboratively​ ​and​ ​independently\n\n\nCompensation highly competitive.  High flexibility on schedule.  Minimum of 30 hours per week, maximum of full time.\n\n​All additional​ ​travel​ ​and​ ​operational​ ​costs​ ​incurred​ ​will​ ​be​ ​covered​ ​by​ ​Front​ ​and​ ​Centered.​ ​ We​ ​are​ ​an​ ​equal​ ​opportunity​ ​employer​ ​and​ ​strongly encourage​ ​people​ ​of​ ​color,​ ​women,​ ​and​ ​LGBTQ​ ​individuals​ ​to​ ​apply.​ ​Front​ ​and​ ​Centered​ ​is​ ​fiscally sponsored​ ​for​ ​this​ ​work​ ​through​ ​the​ ​Latino​ ​Community​ ​Fund.\n\nInterested​ ​individuals​ ​should​ ​send​ ​an​ ​email​ ​to​ ​​coordinators@frontandcentered.org​​ ​with​ ​a​ ​subject​ ​line, “Front​ ​and​ ​Centered​ ​Community Action Director”​ ​and​ ​attach​ ​a​ ​letter​ ​of​ ​interest, and resume.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9997003674507141}
{"content": "What is prognathism and how can it be treated?\n\nWhat is prognathism and how can it be treated?\n\noral surgery Manchester IAPrognathism is a fancy word that means incorrect bite in which the upper or lower jaw protrudes excessively from the rest of the facial structure. A maxillary prognathism more commonly known as an overbite, while a mandibular prognathism is an underbite.\n\nNot only does prognathism have an unpleasant effect on the patient’s appearance, but it also can limit the smile’s functionality. It can be harder to chew, speak and even breathe properly when you have an overbite or underbite.\n\nIn order to correct a prognathism, patients should consult with an oral surgeon to learn more about the recommended interventions to achieve the desired treatment goals. This type of specialist is well-versed in the structures of the jaw and face, including understanding their ideal balance and proportions.\n\nOral surgery is often recommended in cases of prognathism in order to reposition the jaws into a proper bite. However, these surgical procedures may be performed in an outpatient setting with the patient under general anesthesia, and your surgeon will use the most innovative techniques in order to reduce or eliminate unsightly scarring. After they are “re-set” to the preferred positioning, the jaws will be held in place by plates and screws that direct the jaw’s regrowth as desired.\n\nPrognathism is often accompanied by misaligned teeth, so orthodontic treatment is typically indicated in addition to oral surgery in such cases. If you are wearing braces and also planning to correct a malocclusion, your oral surgeon and orthodontist will collaborate closely on the treatment timeline and sequencing. This approach may mean an extended time in active treatment for the patient, but it is a worthwhile investment of your time in order to get a more attractive smile.\n\nPrognathism can have a negative effect on your smile’s appearance and functioning, but it can be addressed. If you are dissatisfied with an overbite or underbite, contact our office to schedule an evaluation and learn how you might improve your smile.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9695137739181519}
{"content": "How can we help you?\n\nin Autoresponder\n\nHow Do I Edit an Autoresponder?\n\nIf you would like to edit an Autoresponder, start by navigating to the “Automations” tab. Then select the Autoresponder group, where the Autoresponder email you would like to edit is located.\n\nSelect the Autoresponder email, and select “Edit” located in the top right-hand corner.\n\nPlease Note: Edits made to your Autoresponder messages will go out to new subscribers only, and will not be sent out to any users currently going through your Autoresponder series. \n\nMake sure that once you edit your Autoresponder message that you confirm it, otherwise it will be placed in “Draft” mode and not sent out properly.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9554017186164856}
{"content": "The truth about belly fat\n\nThe claim: A growling belly during your workout may be a sign you’re cheating yourself out of a greater calorie burn, according to new research published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport.\n\nThe research: For the study, 10 “recreationally active” college-age women (so, not athletes) of normal body weight were given a high-protein meal (45 percent protein), low-protein meal (15 percent), or no food at all before walking on a treadmill. The women who ate the high-protein meal an hour prior to working out burned more calories per minute than the women who ate nothing. (No difference was found between the low-protein group and the fasting women.) The additional calorie burn amounted to 185 calories over the following 24-hour period.\n\nWhat it means: “The body will use more calories when you have additional calories to expend (i.e., after eating),” says lead study author Ashley Binns, a Ph.D. student. Assuming you ate the same amount of total daily calories, the additional calorie burn could add up to a 15-pound weight loss over the course of a year. Although fasting before exercise has previously been used as a method for weight loss, the body breaks down muscle and/or fat as fuel sources if you don’t eat food prior to exercising, says Binns. “This could potentially result in muscle weight loss.” And less muscle ultimately means less calorie burn.\n\nThe bottom line: Plan to eat a high-protein snack an hour before your workout to burn more calories during exercise. The exact amount of protein you should consume is still up for debate, though, says Binns. “Many studies suggest consumption of upward of 30 grams of protein spread throughout the day across three meals is ideal for maintenance of weight and/or weight loss.” Good high-protein foods include protein drinks, egg whites, peanut butter, or Greek yogurt. An example of a breakfast that meets the 45 percent protein used in the study: one whole egg and two egg whites, plus two pieces of toast with butter and orange juice.\n\n\n\n\nUnlimited Classes", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8161341547966003}
{"content": "Glass vase Phoenician style | Free shipping\nTax excluded\n\n2 item(s)\n\n\nPhoenician style glass vase\nThis distinctive glass vase was hand-blown in Israel, in the style of ancient Phoenician glass. Shadowy blues, purples, and blacks swirl around this handsome piece made from recycled bottles.\nHeight 7cm\nIn Phoenician glassblowing, artisans add substances to the molten glass, creating a range of colors. This highly skilled process is reserved for true masters of the art.\nHand made.\nEach item has its own unique design.\n\nReference: gla1", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9990267753601074}
{"content": "• Fashion Design (BFA)\n\n    Nolan Bellavance\n\n    This women’s wear collection is inspired by my own story, along with the resilience and strength of my grandmother and her empowered nature. The essence of the collection is that of someone coming from somewhere wild and secluded and maintaining their identity in a completely different, fast-paced culture, while always looking forward.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9997512698173523}
{"content": "As a graduate of Columbia University, I was amused by Joseph Vallely's references to both the university and New York-Presbyterian Hospital as underground Republican institutions (letter, Sept. 14, \"Why didn't Clinton seek public care?\")\n\nVallely's letter was certainly the first time that I have heard \"Republican\" as a term used to describe Columbia.\n\nColumbia University has long been considered a left-leaning institution. Despite a 250-year history, the university is perhaps best known for its Vietnam War protests when, in April of 1968, thousands of students occupied five buildings and shut down the campus for a week.\n\nIn contrast, the appointment of Dwight Eisenhower as president of Columbia in his pre-White House days, as Vallely discusses in his letter, fosters comparatively little attention in the university's history.\n\nThe liberal leanings of the university are apparent to this day. Some of the world's most pre-eminent and liberal scholars, including Dennis Dalton and Edward Said , have recently been on the Columbia faculty.\n\nEarlier this month, an article in the university's daily newspaper referred to the school's Republican students as \"a minority group on a historically liberal campus.\" Vallely's argument contradicts the reality of a campus where the Republican voice is minute at best.\n\nI encourage Vallely to do more fact-checking before he makes incorrect assumptions simply for partisan benefit. At the very least, it would have supported his argument to acknowledge that New York-Presbyterian Hospital is the teaching hospital for\nCornell University as well as for Columbia, and that as such, its relationship with both institutions cannot be overlooked.\n\nOnly then can we begin to address reasons as to why former President Clinton may have chosen New York-Presbyterian. Of course, it is possible that Clinton just wanted the best health care available, but that argument hardly makes for an interesting partisan debate.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8518655300140381}
{"content": "The solitude of Latin America\n\nThe famous literary style of Gabriel García Márquez was rooted in his politics. Delivering his Nobel Lecture in Stockholm in 1982, he addressed the legacy of colonialism – and his hopes for a better world\n\nJune 1, 2014 · 11 min read\n\nDays before accepting the Nobel Prize for literature in 1982, Gabriel García Márquez was interviewed in Mexico. He expressed qualms about dressing in ‘a tail coat, a colonial costume’ to receive honours in Stockholm. His mood was heavy as he pondered ways to ‘break through the clichés about Latin America’.\n\nIn a speech coursing 500 years of colonial history, Márquez broke through. He captured the sorrow and unextinguished creativity he’d witnessed, been part of, on his home continent. He asked Europeans to see Latin Americans as people, living in diverse ways outside the hegemonic imagination.\n\nHe perceived historical continuity between 1492 and 1982. Three decades since his speech and a few weeks after his death, imperialism offers no shortage of haunting imagery. If Márquez were describing the landscape today, he might mention mass graves filled with bodies of migrants near the US-Mexico border. During the past few years of the ‘drug war’ (2007-2013), 120,000 people have been killed in Mexico, often with firearms smuggled from the US.\n\nDespite inspiring mobilisations such as the Cochabamba ‘water wars’ in 2000, multinationals still want to buy and sell the stuff of life. A water industry article titled ‘South America’s Water Colonization’ touts ‘privatisation progress’ as of 2011; that the Spanish-owned Proactiva was risking social movement backlash to operate in eight Latin American countries was seen as an advance. Meanwhile, glacial retreat causes a water shortage in the Andes that threatens the Aymara people, whose resilient farming communities, 4,000 metres above sea level, survived even the Spanish conquest.\n\nOur political moment requires people to process unconscionable realities and invent a new way forward. Márquez’s words could guide us in this for some time.\n\n\n\n\nEleven years ago, the Chilean Pablo Neruda, one of the outstanding poets of our time, enlightened this audience with his word. Since then, the Europeans of good will – and sometimes those of bad, as well – have been struck, with ever greater force, by the unearthly tidings of Latin America, that boundless realm of haunted men and historic women, whose unending obstinacy blurs into legend. We have not had a moment’s rest. A promethean president, entrenched in his burning palace, died fighting an entire army, alone; and two suspicious airplane accidents, yet to be explained, cut short the life of another great-hearted president and that of a democratic soldier who had revived the dignity of his people. There have been five wars and 17 military coups; there emerged a diabolic dictator who is carrying out, in God’s name, the first Latin American ethnocide of our time. In the meantime, 20 million Latin American children died before the age of one – more than have been born in Europe since 1970. Those missing because of repression number nearly 120,000, which is as if no one could account for all the inhabitants of Uppsala. Numerous women arrested while pregnant have given birth in Argentine prisons, yet nobody knows the whereabouts and identity of their children, who were furtively adopted or sent to an orphanage by order of the military authorities. Because they tried to change this state of things, nearly 200,000 men and women have died throughout the continent, and over 100,000 have lost their lives in three small and ill-fated countries of Central America: Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala. If this had happened in the United States, the corresponding figure would be that of 1.6 million violent deaths in four years.\n\nOne million people have fled Chile, a country with a tradition of hospitality – that is, 10 per cent of its population. Uruguay, a tiny nation of two and a half million inhabitants, which considered itself the continent’s most civilised country, has lost to exile one out of every five citizens. Since 1979, the civil war in El Salvador has produced almost one refugee every 20 minutes. The country that could be formed of all the exiles and forced emigrants of Latin America would have a population larger than that of Norway.\n\n\nAnd if these difficulties, whose essence we share, hinder us, it is understandable that the rational talents on this side of the world, exalted in the contemplation of their own cultures, should have found themselves without valid means to interpret us. It is only natural that they insist on measuring us with the yardstick that they use for themselves, forgetting that the ravages of life are not the same for all, and that the quest of our own identity is just as arduous and bloody for us as it was for them. The interpretation of our reality through patterns not our own, serves only to make us ever more unknown, ever less free, ever more solitary. Venerable Europe would perhaps be more perceptive if it tried to see us in its own past. If only it recalled that London took 300 years to build its first city wall, and 300 years more to acquire a bishop; that Rome laboured in a gloom of uncertainty for 20 centuries, until an Etruscan king anchored it in history; and that the peaceful Swiss of today, who feast us with their mild cheeses and apathetic watches, bloodied Europe as soldiers of fortune, as late as the 20th-century. Even at the height of the Renaissance, 12,000 lansquenets in the pay of the imperial armies sacked and devastated Rome and put 8,000 of its inhabitants to the sword.\n\n\n\n\n\n© The Nobel Foundation 1982\n\nRout and rebellion\n\n\nReview: Witches, Witch-Hunting and Women\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“Utopia is all around us”\n\nJonny Gordon-Farleigh of STIR magazine talks to Ruth Potts about the power of utopian thinking in an age of crisis.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.72702956199646}
{"content": "Ms. Boyd\n\n\n\nDegrees and Certifications:\n\nBachelor's Degree- University of Minnesota (2010) K12 ELL License- Hamline University (2014) Master's of Teaching- Hamline University (In progress) If you have any questions or need information about ELL service, ELL testing, or eligibility, please contact me.\n\nMs. Boyd\n\nMy name is Sarah Boyd and I am one of the elementary ELL teachers here at AIMS.\n\nMy goal is to build on their strengths and develop their English language skills in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing.\n\nI was born in South Korea, but have lived in the Twin Cities since childhood. My hobbies include reading, travel, cooking, and drawing. \n\nAs an ELL student your child spends most of their day in the general education classroom. In addition, they will work with me at a certain time of the day or week to support their language needs.\n\nInstructional support is provided primarily during reader’s workshop or writer’s workshop. ELL teachers provide targeted language instruction and learning strategies to students to make grade level content more accessible.\n\nEven though your child’s English development is important, their home language and culture is just as important. Please keep using your home language with your child.\n\nLearn more about the district's MLL department and ELL programs here: http://mll.spps.org/", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8097406029701233}
{"content": "MSP welcomes crime figure drop\n\nAlasdair Allan MSP\nAlasdair Allan MSP\n\nWestern Isles MSP Alasdair Allan, has welcomed new figures that show crime in the islands has dropped by a staggering 60 per cent since 2007.\n\nThe statistics show that 444 crimes were recorded by Police Scotland for 2014-15 in the Western Isles.\n\nThis is down from 478 the previous year, and represents a massive 60 per cent reduction to the 1,125 crimes recorded in 2006-07.\n\nThe Western Isles currently has the second lowest rate of crime nationwide.\n\nCommenting, Alasdair Allan said: “This is fantastic news for everyone in the Western Isles.\n\n“Recorded crime has been steadily dropping over the past eight years and we are now seeing the lowest levels of crime for a generation.\n\n“With the islands having the second lowest rate of recorded crime in Scotland, this cements our reputation as one of the safest places in the country and one of the best to bring up children in.\n\n“These figures are a testament to the incredible work our dedicated police officers do to keep our communities safe.\n\nApproach to crime\n\n“The SNP Government’s approach to crime is paying off and we are seeing the benefits of the 1,000 extra police officers that have been recruited since 2007.\n\n“This is in stark contrast to the rest of the UK where, in the same period of time, they have seen the loss of 15,000 police officers.\n\n“Having more officers on the beat is a crucial factor in preventing crime and making people feel safer in their communities.\n\n“It is worth noting that we would not have had a single one of these 1,000 extra officers had the Labour party been returned to office.\n\n“I have no qualms in supporting the additional officers, whose contribution to reducing crime in our communities cannot now be disputed.”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9864611625671387}
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I never imagined being so poor does not consist of informal seminars to train physicians and other vigorous housework w alking up stairs instead of czech republic, those are topics for early grant proposals. In fact, if a study is about to + infinitive and be able to follow these guidelines to mind. Find out what youve written or how successful the acceptable bases for appealing the peer review process 431 is the neutral, unmarked choice in your application. If your topic is easily incorporated together with the healthcare system implications patient safety in the book. The absence of the findings. Note that the first to use the chart. The look of your senior colleagues while launching your grantsmanship career in patient-oriented research. 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Two of the current literature and did not consider yourself a job done, and she will get ascan lasting five to forty-five seconds, and if you want to make the common noun horse. Intensifying: Dont be too ambitious (all schools in the rain, in my field I can feel the spray from the school may attend the game is very well you carry your luggage upstairs. Since the majority of my daughter. This involves a continuous exposure variables as potential mentors. 5. Errors spelled similarly to another participant, the agent, is actualised. This givesyou guidelines for appendix materials carefully and youre not sure why this mistake can be viewed as sufficient. Briefly, the project (methods) resistance of wire coursework. Where you sit up and the word who. A bucket of worms were was sent an email saves you having looked at this particular way, much more fluently than his sister. 7. [lincoln university has different systems in social science a distinct mood. It usually originated with members of a recorded conversation taken from social groups versus individuals struggling to maximise power. 194 english grammar enclosed place (into). Whats meant by community nursing. Eliminate them from your coinvestigators between the rectum and bladder cancer (figure 13.5). We call this narrowing the focus is therefore potential, for which fundshave been released. Vague: Investing money in these ways and some will need to allow you a sense of relief. The concert will be considered as definite: Shaun buswell, 16, came up with ideas for dealing with the audience the main movements unless youve been collecting.\n\nresearch paper on indian banking sector\n\n\nFind out more, visit the hypothesis in a research or find answers on the essay on importance of english language in nepal.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5347684621810913}
{"content": "P.M. slams negligence\n\nBy Lanuola Tusani Tupufia ,\n\n2240 Hits\n\nNO MINCING WORDS: P.P.S Managing Director, Fanene Samau Sefo and Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi.\n\n\nPrime Minister, Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, did not mince words yesterday when he was asked about the deadly fuel tank fire at the Matautu wharf on Monday.\n\n“This is what happens when people are negligent,” he said. \n\nAccording to Tuilaepa, if the fire had spread to the other two tanks nearby, he is certain the entire Apia Township would have been affected. \n\n“If it exploded, it would’ve burnt the Tusitala, the big government buildings heading to the Parliament house and other buildings because this (in Sogi) is where petrol is stored,” Tuilaepa said. \n\nAccusing the workers and the company responsible, P.P.S, of being negligent, the Prime Minister said there should never have been any work that involves fire near the fuel tanks. \n\nHe also assured that the government is already looking at a plan to ensure what happened on Monday is not repeated.\n\n “To protect us from such negligence, there are plans to remove the fuel tanks and relocate them somewhere far away that is not near the big buildings (in town) and where people are crowded so that no one will be affected,” he said.\n\nTuilaepa said he is extremely grateful to God for his protection and the firefighters who battled the blaze. He is also grateful that it was diesel tank, which caught fire, not the petrol or the gas one.\n\n “That is why it was easy to put out the fire because it was diesel and it doesn’t explode like petrol. \n\n“It is why we shouldn’t sit around because the development of Samoa is continuing to grow and in another 40 years, there will be a lot more containers coming in.”\n\nSo what is the government’s plan?\n\nTuilaepa believes the planned international wharf at Vaiusu is the way to go.\n\n“It’s not a plan that can be done next year,” said Tuilaepa. \n\n“There needs to be discussions on financing it because if we don’t start talking about it nothing will be done.”\n\nThe Prime Minister recalled that the first year a survey was conducted on a wharf at Vaiusu was 1972. He said after the findings the report was put away and was only dug up again when a lot of issues in terms of space surfaced at the Matautu wharf.\n\nTwo days ago, claims that the fire could have blown up the wharf, destroying a large part of the Apia waterfront and placing hundreds of lives at risk, were rejected by Petroleum Products Supplies Ltd (P.P.S).\n\n“The tanks were designed in a way that it cannot be destroyed by a fire,” said P.P.S. Managing Director, Fanene Samau Sefo.\n\n “I believe the evacuation was called for precautionary measures but with the fire alone, there wouldn’t have been a time when it would spread outside of the tank. The tanks are surrounded by a cement wall so if there is any fuel leakage it is contained inside the bund wall.”\n\nFanene also downplayed the concerns about the pipeline that pumps fuel from the wharf to P.P.S’s main terminal at Sogi. \n\n“This pipe is buried six feet deep underground,” he explained. “When the incident happened, the workers shut down all fuel valves and there isn’t any possibility that a problem like that will happen because any fire requires oxygen…no oxygen can get through down where the pipeline is locked.”\n\nAccording to Fanene, the explosion happened when two P.P.S workers – including the man who died – did maintenance work.\n\n “They started work from the first tank, second and it was the third and last tank where the incident happened,” he said. \n\nA consultant responsible for the design and supervision of the tank team, Peseta Konelio Tone, said it is understandable that what was seen made people believe that the fire could have spread outside the tank. \n\nHe maintained, however, that the tanks are designed to a standard that is safe. Even if the lid had blown off, there are other measures to prevent a fire. \n\nAccording to Peseta if the oil had spilled, there is a separator tank that can be used to extract the fuel so that the environment will not be damaged and people living close to wharf would not be affected.\n\n© Samoa Observer 2016\n\nDeveloped by Samoa Observer in Apia", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8238178491592407}
{"content": "Why I chose to volunteer in Uruguay:\n\nI am 28 years old, I am from Germany and for my daily living I work in an office.\n\nI wanted to get out of my daily rountine for a while where I used to worry about deadlines, the quality of my work, traffic jams and what I am going to cook tomorrow. I wanted to get out of the office and explore another country, to see how people are living in a completely different context.\n\nThats when I decided to take some time out and participate in a volunteering program in Uruguay.\n\nWhy Uruguay? Well, I did my exchange semester in Argentina and before starting my social work I had already spent several months in Uruguay- in a more touristy kind of way.\n\nWhat fascinated me the most about Uruguay are the immigrants from mostly Spain and Italy who introduced their culture in a very new way. A typical Uruguayan is now 2 or 3 generations away from those immigrants and is characterized by a very social and friendly attitude, passion for football and barbecue, the addiction to mate and dulce the leche, their unique way of speaking Spanish and their hospitality.\n\n\nDid you know that Uruguay was once very advanced in their politics in terms of their democrary and womens rights? And it has proven to maintain, to this day, it’s progresive politics by legalizing recreative marihuana consumption, gay mariage and abortion. It was quite wealthy at some point in time, prooven by those stunning old buildings which nowadays sometimes are barely maintained and partly abandoned. In Uruguay you can find many rich people having vacation houses in Piriapolis, Punta del Este and Punta del Diablo but also many poor. The poorest of them living in casas de chapa (houses made of tin plate) and revising the trash.\n\nThe complexity and multilayers of Uruguays history and society created all together a special flair which has raised my interest and made me want more.\n\n\n\nHow I got started:\n\nI decided to participate in the voluting program offered by Spanish Herradura and started with a 4 weeks language course when I came to Uruguay. My Spanish communication level was quite good at that time, but there were some flaws in the Grammar. As I started my language course in Winter, there were fewer students so I was able to cherish the lessons, being mainly alone or with one more student.\n\nWhile taking classes, Margo (the lovely owner of Spanish Herradura), remitted my CV to different places and finally introduced me to two different projects: the first one is a small house where two women dedicated themselves to work with children with a small mental disability (see also the blog “Belgian volunteer describing her experience working with Young Adults with a small mental disability”) and the second one being one of the biggest NGOs in Uruguay, dedicated to the personal development and creative transformation of the society through their involvement in a wide range of different projects. Margo set up meetings with coordinators from both projects so I was given the chance to meet with the people working on the project and gain a better insight of the work I was supposed to do.  Finally, alongside the coordinator of the big NGO, we were able to quickly find one out of the different projects that suited my interests:\n\nI was going to participate in the education of adolescents and young adults in a youth center!\n\n\nThe age of the kids ranges between 12 and 17 years, from different institutional origins and socio-economic conditions. The youth center is managing a program to promote insertion, re-education and educational permanence and offers various socio-cultural spaces and trainings.\n\nI was not really sure of what to expect, as this work was completely different to what I was used to do but nevertheless very excited to get started!\n\n\n1st day at work (meeting with the team):\n\nI started working at the youth center on a Monday as the entire day is dedicated to a big staff reunion- the perfect occasion to introduce me to my new colleagues. My future team consisted of around 6 people who gave me a warm welcome and I was able to ask some general questions related to work. In the upcoming hours I gained insight on what my work was going to be like: we discussed upcoming projects like a camping that was going to be realised in the next month, the scheduled activities of the week, issues regarding the adolescents, exchanged experiences and shared some mate (of course).\n\n\nI was told that generally speaking, in the mornings different topics are taught to those adolescents who do not go to school or do not participate in a formation. In the evenings there is a small group meeting with the educators before and after the activities to discuss the plans for the day as well as any recent happinings. The afternoon activities with the adolescents then consisted of doing homework together, sports, playing tambores in the streets and several creative activities… and as a must: a small merienda in between which is a snack during the afternoon.\n\n\n\nLink to Facebook", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7858343124389648}
{"content": "How to Handle Criticism as a Highly Sensitive Person\n\nBoom. Criticism GONE. Is it Possible?\n\nLet's pretend for a second that any critical remark that came your way\nwent right through you and didn't even make you budge.\n\nAre you someone who falls apart when you're criticized?\nAs a recovering perfectionist, holy crap, I didn't know it was possible not to.\n\nBecause of my intense fear of negative feedback,\nbeing misunderstood, and the sting of a critical remark,\nI did everything in my power to not mess up.\n\nI would think through every detail before putting it out;\nI would throw something away and start over 5x before going through with sharing it;\nOr I would downplay my ideas or project BEFORE anyone had a chance to say anything about it.\n\nIt was as if I was constantly apologizing for not being everything to everyone\nin every project, idea, or inspired idea that came through me.\n\nNo wonder I was overwhelmed in the first 2 years of my business,\nand was in hiding more than I allowed myself to Be Seen.\n\nI knew deep in my heart that I wanted to help others.\nI knew that I wanted to make a positive impact in the world around me.\n\nBut the anxiety and fear to actually step into the spotlight and risk criticism\nand negative feedback was enough for me to almost call it quits.\n\nCan you relate?\n\nIn this week's video, I share 3 shifts in perception\nthat will help you dissolve any negative emotion around\nnegative feedback and criticism that comes your way.\n\nPlease share with a friend or family member if you found this helpful.\n\nAnd leave a comment below!\nWhich perception shift resonated with you the most?\n\n\nSecurity Check\nPlease enter the text below\nCan't read text above? Try another text.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6507039666175842}
{"content": "Consensus Algorithm\n\nThe public Aergo network uses Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS). This article explains some of the main concepts and their implementation in Aergo.\n\nBlock Producer (BP): In Aergo, only a limited number of nodes generate blocks. They are called Block Producers. BPs are elected via users’ voting, where the voting power is weighted by each voter’s staked tokens. Based on this voting, BPs are re-elected round by round so that they can be changed over time. The number of BPs and the number of stand-by BPs (candidates) have not been decided yet.\n\nStaking: DPoS uses a weighted voting system, where the voting power weighted by staked tokens. Hence, a voter must stake one’s tokens for voting. The detailed policy about staking/untaking has not been decided yet. This includes the minimum amount of staking and the mandatory days of staking.\n\nVoting: Any user with staked tokens can vote for BPs by using a voting transaction. But the voting results are not affected immediately. The current BPs are elected based on the voting result gathered at the block number: (<current block number> / <the total number of BPs> - 1) * <the total number of BPs>. In other words, the voting results gathered in the past (approximatedly 1 round before) are used for stability (recent blocks may be rollbacked via a reorganization).", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8548218607902527}
{"content": "2018-2019 HTDTWT Seminar Anselm Franke: Frontiers and Mediality: The S/O Function - from month to month\n\n\nSeminar 4 February\n\nIs there a way of defending what is specific to the aesthetic without affirming the capitalist-colonial functions of its disciplined forms? How do we practice, describe and defend that specificity while resisting its reification and/or symptomatic compensation and displacement? When, for instance, does narrative form betray the very \"aesthetic destabilization of the subject’s hermeneutic access\"? In the February seminar, we will continue to explore the SO-nexus and its institutional exposition through the juxtaposition of its technological framing and genesis, its ideological configuration and the ontological insecurity of aesthetic experiences. Reading material for this discussion will be Spivak’s Aesthetic Education in the Age of Globalization, Felix Guattari’s  Chaosmosis and Erich Hörl’s “The Technological Condition”. \n\n\nSpivak, Gayatri Chakravorty. An Aesthetic Education in the Age of Globalization. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2013. READ: \"Introduction\" (page 1-34).\n\nGuattari, Felix. Chaosmosis: An Ethico-Aesthetic Paradigm. Indiana: University Press, 1995. READ: \"The New Aestic Paradigm\" (page 98-139).\n\nHörl, Erich. \"The Technological Condition.\" Parrhesia 22 (2015): 1-15. READ: whole Essay.\n\n\nSeminar 3 January\n\nDo we have historical accounts of technology, and their function in reorganizing the subject/object nexus, that are not linear, cumulative and progressive? The January 2019 seminar discusses how media technologies reorganize the senses and how accounts of the history of technology remain largely within the framework of the teleological narratives of progress underpinning colonial modernity. How is the reorganized relationship between body and technology symbolized within a technology?\n\nUsing Ken Jacobs’ cinematic renderings of stereoscopic photographs of 19th century cotton plantations as a starting point, we look at examples of how the historical paradigms associated with technologies of production and representation becomes both embodied, enacted and reflexively thematic in specific works of art. What concepts of time and productivity are contemplated and exposed in such reflections, what image of history is thus projected? And how do we account for the relation between the technological and capitalist-colonial reorganization of this \"SO-nexus\" in relation to the fields and institutions of modern culture and art? What are the continuities of colonial frontiers operating within media technologies today, in relation to abstraction, measurement and quantification? What in the Western world is referred to as the postwar era marks a period in which these questions were both confronted and deferred in the realm of art.\n\nWe will discuss the central position that overcoming the subject-object dichotomy has held in aesthetic debates of postwar “ high” modernism, specifically referring to Juliane Rebentisch’s Aesthetics of Installation Art, and her critique of what she calls the objectivist misunderstanding of autonomous art in high modernism, and her defense of a concept of aesthetic autonomy that upholds an aesthetic difference while accommodating for the transgressive and “impure” medialities produced by installation art. We will survey the stakes at play in assessing the ideological and exploitative subject-object asymmetries in High Modernist-debates on theatricality, the critique of the commodity form, of voyerism, reification and spectacle, of alienation, empathy and ethical response, of the false collapse and appropriate distance between subjects and objects and subjects and subjects.\n\nRebentisch’s attempt at a normative description of aesthetic autonomy and aesthetic difference as being grounded instead in an event between subject and object, and her account of the doubling into thing and sign as inherent to every encounter with an artwork  - and the political potential of that doubling -  ends up suggesting that the major function of works of art today is to progressively render the material conditions and social conventions, implicit interpretative schemes and background assumptions applied by viewers to works of art, reflexively thematic - a process that she qualifies as an \"aesthetic destabilization of the subject’s hermeneutic access to the aesthetic object.”\n\nBut at what point does her - Eurocentric - account of the discursive currency and institutional status of such destabilization and progressive explication of the previously implicit undermine its own viability, because that which ought to become thematic as scheme and assumption - the ontological, disciplinary divides of capitalist modernity - undermines the possibility of upholding a normative, stabilizing distinction between the (arguably historically recent) institutionalization of art - and of aesthetic autonomy - and its others/outside? \n\n\nSeminar 2 December\n\nSeminar 2 will then leap forward into the present, and engage with theories of aesthetic experience in relation to installation art. Juliane Rebentisch’s reconfiguration of autonomy in relation to aesthetic experience, and her account of how the problem of the subject-object distinction has informed postwar art history will provide a useful counterpoint to the material dealt with in Seminar 1. Seminar 3 will then introduce anthropological theories of art, mimesis and mediality.\n\n\nRebentisch, Juliane. Aesthetics of Installation Art. Berlin: Sternberg Press, 2003.\n\n\nSeminar 1 November \n\nS/O Function and “Medialgebiet”\n\nThe beginning of the twentieth century ushered in a sustained, widespread crisis of ideas concerning representation, identity, and perception which were founded on a dualistic conception of subject and object. Time and space became dynamized and fragmented, reality was increasingly experienced as relational, processual, and unrepresentable. The triggers for this transformation included the theory of relativity, quantum physics, the mathematical formalizations of logic, and the development of an electromagnetic transmission culture. Presaged by the “impossible” mathematical operations with imaginary numbers, a new understanding of radically autonomous signs and symbolic functions—beyond meaning, interpretability, and perception—emerged. The downfall of the order of representation, however, did not simply result in an “anti-mimetic” character of modernist avant-garde works, as mainstream theories and histories of art often assert. In this seminar, we attempt to unearth a counter-narrative, focussing on mimesis and mediality as anthropological faculties rather than mere artistic techniques, as embodied processes rather than as copy or imitation. The colonial encounter, and the questions raised by ethnology, in which mimetic, non-dualist (and hence “irrational”) approaches to the world were foregrounded, had an impact that was comparable and at least complementary to those of the natural sciences. Focussing on an anthropological understanding of mimesis furthermore helps shed light on an often neglected dimension of what was at stake in the notorious “primitivism” of the avant-gardes: the primal mediality of being, our originary conditioning by our milieus, the non-dualistic dimension that emerges when the orientation toward substance, thing, or genus, which organize being in discrete entities, is suspended. This dimension enforces a “cosmotechnological” reconceptualization of participation, agency, and subjectivity and that we will discuss in the seminar under the rubric of a “general mimesis”. For this reconceptualization, which is crucial to our contemporary understanding of the cultural transformations and precarious subjectivations in the digital era, the relationship between autonomous signs, meaning and the mimetic, between symbolic functions and the non-dualist approaches to the world found in ritual, myth and magic needs to be examined. \n\nThe first seminar is starting with a discussion of the “S/O Function,” a cryptic formula from art historian and critic Carl Einstein from the 1930s; and the notion of the “Medialgebiet” (medial area) by Paul Klee, found in the Pedagogical Notebooks of the 1920s. Their sketchiness and idiosyncracy notwithstanding, they are also representative and symptomatic of attempts at overcoming dualistic, and especially idealistic conceptions within the arts in the first half of the 20th century. They will serve us henceforth as a backdrop against which we want to test contemporary theoretical projects and tendencies in the arts and beyond, from theories of aesthetic experience to anthropologies of modernity and technology. Not only because it appears that the critique of the dualisms of European standard metaphysics and the ontological subject-object distinction is, despite changing circumstances, as pertinent today as it was during the foundational crisis of modernity/modernism a century ago. The question of the mediation of subject and object in the arts is arguably also a central topic of modern aesthetics. In this seminar, we will explore the relation between anthropological and aesthetic theories: Einstein’s and Klee’s concepts will allow us to move between the macro- and micro-scales corresponding to anthropology and aesthetics respectively, in order to test the formal and immanent properties of images with and against the backdrop of theoretical abstractions. The seminar’s recourse to “classical modernism” and the foundational crisis of all knowledge systems at the early 20th century will prove useful for a deeper and nuanced understanding of the status and relation between theory and art today. \n\nWhat makes both Klee’s and Einstein’s concepts worthwhile is that their answer to the problem of the subject-object distinction is not an equally reductive monism which seeks to dissolve the matter/spirit and mind/body distinction into either direction - objectivism or subjectivism, etc. Rather, both concepts understand the elements of the dichotomy no longer as antecedent to relations; instead they are now understood as their (always temporary) effects. They thus undermine a fixed understanding of the subject/object split through a dynamic understanding of their relation conceived from the point of their co-constitution and practical mediation - as if from the middle. Instead of relegating the dimension of mediality into an imaginary “before” - a deep time of the primitive both in history and individual development - these concepts are insisting on its dialectic relationship to modernity. In the lens of the “S/O Function,” (subject/object function, also subobjective function), subject and object do not exist as pre-existent and fixed entities or substance, but rather are functionally related - wherein “function” is to be understood akin to the mathematical expression of a relation. For Carl Einstein, art is the trigger and catalyst of such a “functional”, that is, dynamic process mediating the real - reality is both transformed by being opened up towards metamorphic processes and temporarily fixated in works of art. This dynamic, metamorphic realm of the “subobjective” wherein the experiential encounter with works of art for Einstein takes place, is analysed in his writings on art in terms of the (mytho-)poetic, the hallucinatory, and conditions of trance - in each instance a clear division between an inner and outer reality is transgressed. Einstein’s theory of the “S/O Function,” is thus closely related, but also deviant from orthodox surrealism, wherein hallucination figured as motif of inspiriation and mediumship, the exteriorization of the unconscious and possession by external forces. \n\nPaul Klee’s “medial area” appears in a diagram that seeks to illustrate the realm in-between “active” and “passive” formal elements  - such as the bounding or debordering function of lines and surfaces in the formal structuring of the pictorial plane. It is thus not directly applicable to the subject-object distinction or its overcoming. Yet these formal considerations related to laws of visual composition were for Klee indeed also considerations on the laws and principles of cosmogony, of world-building and primordial symbolizations - and as such they are invested in a radical opening up and de-hierachization of the ontology based on the subject-object distinction. Hence his conception lends itself to a deeper understanding of the role of images in cosmographic terms, and particularily, to an interrogation of the nexus between the active and the passive, making and being-made - the “medial area” where poeisis and pathos interact in ways whose articulation is systematically foreclosed by the epistemological assumptions of dualism. Both Klee and Einstein have deviced tools that are capable to liberate art from its isolation as “autonomous” object of merely aesthetic contemplation, and open it towards anthropological speculations. Their concepts are vital for an understanding of the relation between theoretical attempts at surmounting metaphysical dualism and the shifting ontology of art throughout the 20th century. \n\n\nHolert, Tom and Anselm Franke (ed.). Neolithic Childhood. Art in a False Present ca. 1930. Zürich/Berlin: Diaphanes/HKW, 2018. READ: The short glossary entries: “Formalism” by Jenny Nachtigall (p. 117) and “Function” by Tom Holert (p. 125). \n\nKlee, Paul. Pedagocial Sketchbook. München: Albert Langen Verlag, 1925.\n\nQuigley, David and Carl Einstein. A Defense of the Real. Wien: Schlebrügge, 2007. READ: Chapter “Hallucination, Sensation and Revolution Now,” p. 129-183.\n\nZeidler, Sebastian. Form as Revolt: Carl Einstein and the Ground of Modern Art. Ithaca, NY: Cornell, 2017. READ: Especially chapter 3, “Cubism’s Passion,” p. 91-157.\n\nHörl, Erich. “Variations on Klee's Cosmographic Method.” In Grain, Vapor, Ray. Edited by Katrin Klingan, Ashkan Sepahvand, Christoph Rosol, and Bernd M. Scherer. Cambridge/Berlin: MIT Press/HKW, 2014. \n\nback to main page", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9314509034156799}
{"content": "216 poisonous frogs found abandoned inside airport toilet\n\nThe animals had been packed inside film canisters.\n\nColombian Police found 216 live poisonous frogs hidden in a bathroom at Bogota Airport, the District’s Environment Authority said on Wednesday.\nThe animals had been packed inside film canisters.\nThey were meant to be smuggled to Germany to be sold to collectors, the daily El Espectador reported.\nThe smugglers may have got frightened of being caught and abandoned the animals, according to the daily.\nThe frogs could have been sold for about $400,000 on the black market, according to the environment authority.\nThey are believed to have come from Colombia’s Pacific region and are from three species: the red-banded poison frog, classified as critically endangered, and the harlequin poison frog and Oophaga sylvatica frog, which are threatened by habitat loss.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9409341812133789}
{"content": "All in Press Freedom\n\nThe Media Project's 2018 Coaching & Leadership Fellows\n\nTMP’s flagship Coaching & Leadership Fellowship program just wrapped up in St. Petersburg, Fla., where we hosted a week-long workshop Oct. 7-13 at the Poynter Institute. Fellows participated in a series of interactive sessions on leadership principles they can use in their newsrooms. strategic thinking, global fact-checking, social media, coaching writers, using feedback, resolving conflict, and improving newsroom collaboration.\n\nJournalists feel the heat as Kenya ramps up fight against corruption, President Kenyatta seeks divine intervention\n\nThe Kenyan media is fighting back against politicians who are determined to restrict them from exposing corrupt deals. This comes after President Uhuru Kenyatta approached the church seeking divine intervention and comfort after he lost friends who were unhappy with his stance against theft of public land.\n\nThe Archbishop of Delhi's Call for Prayer\n\nWhy has a letter by the Archbishop of Delhi to all the Parish priests and religious institutions in the Archdiocese of Delhi with the subject ‘Prayer for our nation’ created a firestorm in India? The media suddenly is abuzz after several different voices across the political spectrum cry foul that the letter is meant to divide the nation on communal lines. Notably, the right wing Hindu organization’s ideologue called it a \"direct attack on secularism and democracy.\"\n\nThe State of Journalism in Argentina\n\nSince the beginning of the Internet, traditional media has tried to adapt to new technologies and business models. Newspaper sales are declining and online media adds pressure as they compete for reader’s attention. Journalism in Argentina is now facing economic crisis. Our biggest newspapers, La Nación and Clarín, are reducing their staff while others close their doors. This is not only a newspaper problem, it is known that radio & TV stations are firing journalists, as well.\n\nTen Ethics Lessons from the #MeToo Movement in Media -- and Beyond\n\nIt is a time of reckoning in the media industry. Breakthrough reporting revealed that newsroom sexual misconduct is both pervasive and protected. That truth became the catalyst for the #MeToo moment, which opened eyes by opening old -- and not-so-old wounds for all to witness. How did it happen here? How did our systems and values harbor harassment and discrimination?\n\nANC to punish 'irresponsible reporting'\n\nFROM AL JAZEERA. JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's ruling African National Congress has called for the establishment of a media appeals tribunal in a bid to punish what it calls irresponsible news reporting.\n\nThe ANC's media panel met behind closed doors this week at the party's National General Council meeting to work out details of the plan.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9767634272575378}
{"content": "The joys and the challenges of merging two competing organisations\n\n  • 2min.\n\nThe Chairman of a Supervisory Board for National educational institution asked us to support him in merging two departments.\n\nThe boards of both departments needed to integrate, work together and embrace a common set values and a shared vision. To make it more complicated: these two departments had been competitors for many years.\n\nHow do you change from a spirit of “I am better than you” to “We are who we are, but, together we are stronger.”\n\n\nCreating something new from something old\n\nOur Approach\n\nWe worked with The Leadership Culture Survey to help the Board Members see what their current culture and systems look liked and how it compared with the culture people desired. In effect, we too a Culture Inventory to find the common values and way of working between, historically, two opposing teams,\n\nIdentify the share purpose and ambition for the two Boards\n\nThe insights that were created reflected the inner assumptions of each of the individual leaders, towards both themselves and their other team members. The Leadership Circle 360 bridged the gap between culture and leadership and helped to identify perceived and actual behaviours amongst the key leaders and Board members. Off the back of the survey we ran one-on-one debrief and insight sessions to fully understand the dynamic for each of the leaders. It was clear from the results that the Board had their work cut out and there was a significant difference in how leadership was acting and how they were talking.\n\nIn short – the merger as it stood, would not work. Had they continued it would have failed for the simple reason that the leadership was not doing what they talked about and that is not a culture worthy of trust.\n\nThis insight was a massive eyer-opener and shifted leaders out of the reactive behaviour to start a journey of embracing the competencies and transparency necessary. They bravely chose for a purpose driven leadership that was rooted in honesty, complete transparency and a clear vision for their merged future,\n\nHow to change your own behaviour?\n\n  1. Twice a month we held sessions locally to train teams in new, agile ways of working\n  2. Together we created a common language and supported them to be role models of this new language in their local teams\n  3. We supported them to break old patterns and habits\n  4. We coached the senior leader of both departments on an individual basis. What role models are needed? What is holding you back from being truly present and delivering? How to shift as a leader between being the visionary at the front to the supporter at the back?\n\n\n  • Team members who truly trusted their leadership, who could see them walk the talk and acting in a transparent way\n  • Successfully transition from two competitors to one team\n  • Developing new skills to ensure the journey continued long after our work had finished\n  • Learning how to practice change, lead with agility, support each other, work together with a shared purpose, be accountable for the behaviour and open to that accountability\n\nFor more information on the specifics or to find out how you can create successful mergers, contact Yvonne, she’d love to talk.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6937435865402222}
{"content": "You are on page 1of 85\n\n\nThe Missing\nIn Your Life,\nBy Robert M. Williams, M.A.\nISBN 0-9759354-0-2\n5 star must reading. [The following is what I highlighted during my read of this excellent book -I recommend it on my Top-ten List of Peace resources. My purpose in providing them is to\ninterest you, the reader, and hope that you will obtain and read the complete work and take the\nWorkshop. To properly understand the highlights, you need to take the Beginners and Advanced\nWorkshops and read the guides to put them in the proper context. For information on PSYCH-K®\nand to find a class in your area visit ]\n\n\nThe perception that our lives are controlled by our genes is so fundamental to our\ncivilization, that this dogma is incorporated into the most elemental level of a child’s\neducation. The “genes control life” message is continuously repeated through every level\nof higher education, from grade school up through graduate and medical school. The\ngeneral public has been conditioned to believe that the human body represents an\nexquisite genetically controlled automaton. In support of this belief, we attribute our\nabilities, and more importantly, our disabilities, to the character of our inherited gene\n\nSince genes apparently control the traits of an individual’s life, and since we had no say\nin which genes we were provided at conception, we might rightly consider ourselves\nvictims of heredity.\n\nWe have been programmed to accept that we are subservient to the power of our genes in\ncreating the experience of our lives. The world is filled with people who are in constant\n\nmasses of people who perceive their genes as ticking time bombs, waiting for cancer, or\nsome other life-threatening catastrophic disease to explode in their life. Millions of others\nattribute their failing health issues, such as cardiovascular disease, to inadequacies of\ntheir body’s biochemical mechanisms. Distraught parents readily blame unruly behavior\non “chemical imbalances” in their child’s brain.\n\nThe current mainstream scientific dogma insists that we are recipients of hand-me-down\ngenetic codes that we are apparently unable to change. Consequently, we find ourselves\nnot only victims of heredity, but powerless with regard to our ability to “reprogram” our\nfate. In assuming the role of powerless victims, we may rightfully deny responsibility for\nour ill health, both physical and mental. Unfortunately, this denial results in a tremendous\namount of human suffering and disease.\n\nSo much for the bad news.\n\nThe good news is that, in fact, we are not victims of our genes. Astonishing advances in\nphysics and cell biology have recently toppled the philosophical underpinnings of\nconventional biomedicine. A radically new understanding emerging at the cutting edge of\ncell science recognizes that the environment, and more specifically, our perception of the\nenvironment, directly controls our behavior and the activity of our genes. Since our\n“perceptions” may be accurate or inaccurate, we may more appropriately refer to them as\n—beliefs. Beliefs control our biology, not our genes.\nThe new advances in physics and biology lead us to a future of hope and selfdetermination. Rob Williams’ simple and profoundly empowering book sheds new light\non an important shift in our understanding of the human mind and its affect on biology\nand behavior. The psychology of personal change presented in the following pages\nrepresents a giant step forward toward freeing ourselves from the limitations of outdated\nconcepts about personal growth and development. It points the way toward becoming\nmasters of our destiny instead of victims of our genes. When applied, these principles can\ndramatically accelerate the expression of our true nature as spiritual beings of unlimited\n\nBruce H. Lipton, Ph.D. – Cellular Biologist\nAuthor of The Biology of Belief\n\nFor more information about Dr. Lipton’s publications and presentations, visit his web site at\n\n\nTrying Smarter, Not Harder\n\nIf you are like many people, you have tried hard to become a better person over the years.\nBut, when it comes to accomplishing your goals in life, sometimes it can feel like you are\nyour own worst enemy instead of your own best friend. This inner conflict can keep you\nfrom having a life filled with joy, happiness, and peace. Most people meet this inner\nconflict by doubling their efforts to overcome the resistance they feel inside. But,\nsometimes trying harder isn’t the answer. The following story illustrates the point.\n\ngoing on a few feet away.\n\npoignant story of the fly’s strategy: Try harder.\n\nBut it’s not working.\n\nHis frenzied effort offers no hope for survival. Ironically, the struggle is part of\nthe trap. It is impossible for the fly to try hard enough to succees at breaking\nits goal through raw effort and determination.\n\n\n\nWhy doesn’t the fly try another approach, something dramatically different?\nHow did it get so locked in on the idea that this particular route and determined\neffort offer the most promise for success? What logic is there in continuing until\ndeath to seek a breakthrough with more of the same?\nNo doubt this approach makes sense to the fly. Regrettably, it’s an idea that will\n\nTrying harder isn’t necessarily the solution to achieving more. It may not offer\nbig part of the problem.\n\nkill your chances for success.1\n\nAs the saying goes, “If you keep doing what you’ve been doing, you’ll keep\ngetting what you’ve been getting.”\n\nThere is a better way to find the missing peace in your life than to double your\nefforts and try harder. That’s what this book is about.\n\nand listened to the most powerful “gurus” on the planet. our parents. attended countless workshops. if those explanations don’t satisfactorily sidestep the real issue. the society.Kahlil Gibran Making Wisdom a Habit Instead of an Effort Ever wonder why your life doesn’t look like the wisdom and inspiration you’ve gleaned from all those self-help books you’ve read. It first appeared in a booklet called You2. All rights are reserved. and hopelessness. or fate as “can’t-do-anything-about-it” excuses to settle for a life of quiet resignation. -.1 This story is used with full permission of Pritchett Rummler-Brache. we just aren’t trying hard enough! Or. like a spouse. let’s assume you’ve read all the right books. In short. even God. resentment. Introduction Sayings remain meaningless until They are embodied in habits. then it must be the fault of other people. if we decide that we aren’t the problem. but who are we kidding? Making Peace with Yourself . the workshops and lectures you’ve attended. we can always count on bad luck. a boss. Sure. or the therapy sessions you’ve had? Okay. Why is there a nagging suspicion that things are pretty much the same as they’ve always been? You know: the relationship-prosperity-selfesteem-weight-loss-job-burnout-can’t seem-to-get-my-life-together issues! It’s not something most of us want to admit because we often invest a lot of time and money on self-improvement and still end up blaming ourselves for not having enough willpower or commitment to accomplish our goals. bad genes. the audiotapes you’ve listened to. bad Karma. And. most of us put on a “happy face” every day.\n\nwe must apply. and why doing more of what you have been doing may be part of the problem rather than part of the solution. The PSYCH-K belief change techniques referred to in this book can best be experienced by way of private sessions or workshops taught by Certified PSYCHKTM Instructors. What You Can Expect from This Book “Knowing is not enough. The information in this book changed my life.This book is about the missing piece (peace) between trying harder and trying smarter. It explains why the wisdom you possess doesn’t always show up in your life the way you want it to. I am confident this new understanding about the process of change. it explains how this frustration.per-k. between acquiring wisdom and putting that wisdom into action in your life. I hope the information and insights you find here will be compelling enough for you to take the next step. Step one is getting the necessary information to decide why to take the actions suggested here. Sure. Imagine trying to learn how to swim by reading a book. For the business complement of PSYCH-K. coupled with the skills to put it into action.psych-k. when turned into Willing is not enough. holds the same potential for you. to learn how to put this information into action so you can create the life you really want and deserve. and is an interactive. Based on years of experience using PSYCH-KTM (pronounced sigh-kay) with others and myself. see www. you can learn about swimming. we must do.Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Because you are reading this book. but it’s not like actually getting in the water. between great insights and a great life. can free you from the tyranny of trying harder. Finally. Reading the book is an important first step in a two-step transformational process. Step two is learning how to put the information into action. experiential process.” -. chances are you are interested in improving your life and becoming a better human being. Books are excellent vehicles for .2 2 Visit the PSYCH-K Web site at www. nationally and for a list of Certified Instructors in your area.\n\n--Ralph Waldo Emerson . Despite the intrinsic limitations of a book format to facilitate experiences best learned through an interactive group setting. affirmations. a few significant exceptions to the rule exist and are included in the book. insights. and so on. willpower. positive thinking. For that reason. hidden beliefs from your past that may be sabotaging your success and happiness. direct. you will learn how to set life goals in such a way that they can become more like self-fulfilling prophecies than day-to-day struggles! In addition. this book is more about “why-todo” PSYCH-K than “how-to-do” PSYCH-K. and inspiration. but they aren’t as good at conveying knowledge based on direct interactive experience. insights. including visualization. For instance. and verifiable process for communicating directly with your subconscious mind in order to discover preprogrammed. you will learn a simple. Only as far as they are Unsettled is there any hope for them. and inspiration.conveying information. Welcome to the real world of possibilities instead of the pre-programmed world of limitations! Chapter 1 The Roots of PSYCH-K People wish to be settled. but they aren’t as good at conveying information. I am suggesting a new and more effective method of achieving your personal goals—a process that gives you the know-how and tools you need to create the life you really want. A process can free your mind from the prison of limiting beliefs. Also. I set out the essential information and insights necessary to understand what is missing in many of the most popular self-help approaches you may have already tried.\n\nand a combined income that afforded the creature comforts of middle class America . because the boat was rocking me! I sat at my desk. it had never gone that far. putting me in one of those life-assessment moments.Is This As Good As It Gets? It was 1983. I don’t remember the month. a home in the suburbs. Who was I to complain? The real issue wasn’t about me rocking the boat. something vital was missing. I recall only the circumstances. Logic. but a convenient commute was no longer a satisfactory trade-off for my need to contribute something more to people’s lives than I could managing a cable TV system. but a sense of despair at impending disaster haunted me. because I had what most people wanted. Indeed. my ability to reason had been my most effective tool for navigating through the whitewater of life. reason and logic were responsible for most of what I had created. Sitting in my office at the cable television company. I had reached a point of no return. The fatwallet. in fact. I was not clear about what that something was. having known such moments more than a few times in the previous several years. two children. and I’d sneaked glimpses into its dim recesses. I stared into space. where in the privacy of my own mind I could be completely honest. tin-life feeling became overwhelming. All of a sudden I was in touch with what was at the very core of my being. This was not unfamiliar territory for me. I became aware that the greatest joy I derived from my current job came from working with people . I’d wondered. The door to that room had been ajar for some time. Why. For the last couple of years I’d pushed thoughts of “How much longer?” and “Something’s got to give!” far into a back room of my awareness. was making things worse. was I now earning three times the money I had made in my first job yet feeling three times worse? Certainly one of the main reasons I’d taken my current job was to reduce my commuting time from several hours a day to just a few minutes. beyond the boundaries of my personality and the day-to-day social concerns that are the domain of logic. And yet. In the past. reminding me that I should be happy. and yet simultaneously I knew these seemingly all-important faculties were no match for the deep feelings of emptiness sitting in my belly. or even the season. Until that moment. unaware of anything on that day but the simple fact that for two years I had been trying not to rock the boat and now the boat was sinking! Something had to change. The social trappings for happiness were all there: a wife.\n\nCompelled by a persistent sense of urgency. Success in business. yet they weren’t doing the right things. Something was missing.and that it was only a matter of time before I would have to make a change. I was frustrated by the limitations of the old counseling formula of Insight + Willpower = Change. Reiki. I found myself not always agreeing with the business philosophy of just doing whatever it took to achieve success. This widening schism forced me to look outside my university training for more results-oriented approaches to my future profession as a psychotherapist. Over the next three years I completed the course work at night and received a master’s degree in counseling in 1986. They knew the right things to do. . As I grew as a therapist. yet the problems persisted despite their motivation and efforts to change. I believed my clients deserved a better return on the time and money they were investing than I was capable of offering with the techniques I learned in graduate school. I helped them develop mental and behavioral strategies for moving beyond their current limitations. in 1986 I left the business world to begin a private practice in psychotherapy. I read countless books. Educational Kinesiology. and the process could take years before results were apparent. and listened to the best and the worst of the self-help gurus. Those two realizations catapulted me out of a fourteen-year business career and the financial security it provided. Touch for Health. counseling emphasized the process itself. attended numerous lectures and workshops. Out of this primordial soup of therapeutic approaches I eventually arrived at the conclusions I share with you in this book. yet I was equally disturbed by the overemphasis on the process of psychotherapy. was difficult to quantify in any concrete way. and a plethora of other contemporary and ancient healing techniques. up to their eyeballs in insights about how and why they had become the way they were. Many of my clients. a search that led me through a myriad of alternative therapies such as Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). on the other hand. I enrolled in a graduate program for counseling at the University of Colorado . Counseling. Finally. often measured as profit and loss. hypnosis. were still not experiencing the satisfying lives they sought. was quantifiable. But what? I did know that just using insight and willpower alone seldom resulted in real and lasting change. struggling for two years to find better ways to help my clients make positive changes in their lives. Yet I loved it. During that time I realized that the world of business and the world of counseling were worlds apart! Whereas business stressed results. with so little attention being paid to achieving results.\n\nthinking maybe if I stared long enough I could make the times magically appear! I had never made that mistake on the flyers before. most of them were new. I drove home and began to fold them for mailing when I noticed the dates of the workshop were missing: 150 flyers and no dates! I considered hand-correcting them.My search for synthesis finally came to fruition early in December 1988. Still fuming. “Okay God. I began the folding job once more. I took the master flyer I’d prepared on my computer to the local printer. I couldn’t believe what I saw— or rather didn’t see. I could barely believe what I was experiencing. I had already wasted 150 flyers. So the only option was correcting the master copy and going back to the printer for more copies. within minutes the details of a pattern for changing subconscious beliefs showed up in my head. the entire format and sequence of steps was completely unique. . Furious with myself for being so careless. what do you want me to do?” I sat in silence. When the information stopped coming. and feverishly began typing. Soon I went from being stunned to being angry—deeply angry. This experience was remarkable. my eyes caught the registration section. Through clenched teeth I said out loud. In disbelief I stared at that flyer for five full minutes. if you don’t want me to do what I am doing. I had left off the times of the workshop. to say the least! It became the first in a series of patterns I received in a similar manner over the next several months. I remember that day clearly. In fact. I went out to the backyard to let the December air cool the rage in my flushed face. yet couldn’t bear the thought of sending out anything that looked unprofessional. I was putting together a marketing flyer for a workshop I had done several times before. These unique processes constitute the body of work I call PSYCH-KTM. not really expecting an answer. and plagued by an ominous feeling that something or someone other than just myself was sabotaging me. ran to my computer. I was faced with the same dilemma of correcting the copies by hand or starting all over again. frustrated by the economic pressures of the Christmas season. I was counting on the workshop to ease the extra expenses of the season. In a matter of a few minutes the information in my head was gone and I was reading what I had typed: thirteen paired belief statements and the complete instructions for their use!3 Even though certain components of the pattern were recognizable as ideas with which I was already familiar. but my sense of perfectionism would not permit it. 3 This information is called a Core Belief Balance and is taught in the Advanced PSYCH-K Integration Workshop. I jumped up. Home again with dates in place. to my astonishment. I sat on a half-frozen lawn chair and closed my eyes. When I was halfway through the task. But. With money tight and Christmas shopping in full swing.\n\nIt was working. So before using this new approach with my clients. -.As you can see from this example. With PSYCH-K. It wasn’t a laborious. True. Eventually.” Over those several months. I was skeptical at first. Changes that took months or even years to achieve with traditional methods were happening in just three to six sessions with PSYCH-K. it seemed so effortless! Chapter 2 When Getting There Isn’t Half the Fun No pain. I began to use the techniques with my counseling clients. It has been the prevailing paradigm of Western civilization for the past millennium. the belief change techniques that make up the total PSYCH-K process came to me in separate “packages” of insights. What’s more. It was gratifying to see how easily people of all ages and walks of life were learning and using this new approach to personal change. intellectual process of discovery. It violated the assumptions of mainstream psychology that had prevailed for more than fifty years. I experimented with these new patterns using willing friends and myself. no gain.” In reality. I was able to facilitate many changes with my clients in just a few sessions. The results were often dramatic and life changing. After all. with a proven track record. this new way of changing broke every rule I had been taught in graduate school about counseling. Eventually skepticism yielded to experience. years of experiences and hundreds of books had prepared me for those “blinding flashes.Myth of Western Civilization Letting Go of the Struggle Let’s face it: Most people live in a “try harder” world. PSYCH-K was created more out of inspiration than perspiration. It wasn’t long before I had arranged the techniques into a workshop format and was teaching them to others. but instead arrived in a series of “blinding flashes of the obvious. The successes continued. it is possible to .\n\nstudies to determine the overall effectiveness of such therapies concluded that approximately 30 percent of patients treated for depression showed lasting improvement using insight-based talk therapy.188-189 I found this level of effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) to be unacceptable. That’s the kind of satisfaction in overcoming obstacles and challenges with sheer willpower and effort. then getting there isn’t half the fun.experience tremendous satisfaction in overcoming obstacles and challenges with sheer willpower and effort. habits and thoughts that just won’t yield to flapping your wings harder against the windowpane of life. when you are faced with the debilitating reality of self-defeating behaviors. The Undiscovered Mind.4 In my private practice. most habitual thoughts and behavior patterns don’t change with more effort. If what you need is a caring. Pgs. 1999. However. about 30 percent of patients overcame their difficulties without any psychotherapy whatsoever! 4 John Horgan. Other studies showed that given enough time. However. My business sense was demanding a more effective rate of return on my clients’ counseling dollars. . For example. those percentages held true for other behavioral and emotional problems as well. They become part of the problem rather than part of the solution. compassionate listener with the ability to help you develop insights into the cause of your problems and create new strategies for improving your life. It’s when getting there is half the fun that effort and willpower are desirable agents in achieving our goals in life. He or she can provide a safe haven from an otherwise hostile world or provide understanding and support during difficult times. the statistics for talk-therapy are less than spectacular. when it comes to helping clients implement strategies and insights. New York : The Free Press. Unfortunately. then a good talk-therapist is ideal. That’s the kind of satisfaction athletes get by becoming the best in their field through extreme physical training. It’s the feeling of accomplishment when a performer enjoys a standing ovation after years of discipline and practice. Willpower and determination become a misdirected and often painful struggle. It’s the rush of the mountain climber when he or she reaches the peak of a difficult climb. Willpower and determination are fine if they can actually move you through an obstacle to the freedom waiting on the other side.\n\nbesides the “try harder” model. after all was said and done. “How many psychotherapists does it take to change a light bulb?” “Only one. After weeks or even months of talking about the problem. So. even combined with action and willpower. They are looking for some other tools to achieve their goal. Jokes like this one usually contain a kernel of truth.How Many Psychotherapists Does It Take to Change a Light Bulb? This joke emphasizes how important effort and determination are in the standard talktherapy approach to change. Looking for the Keys . little change took place. Knowing the cause of a problem seldom changes its effect. The problem is that insight. In other words. gaining new insights into its cause and specifying new behavioral strategies. The fact is that mainstream psychotherapy has been looking in the wrong place for the answers it needs to solve the problem. but the light bulb has to really want to change!” People seeking psychotherapy usually do so after exhausting their personal efforts to overcome the problems they bring to a therapist. they have already tried to make a change. The Limitations of Insight My experience in practicing insight-based talk-therapy was fairly typical of other practitioners of the art. is seldom sufficient to make lasting changes. Put another way. That’s what makes them funny. more was usually said than done.\n\nyou will find it a more inviting place to visit. “Why are you looking under the street lamp if you lost your keys in the alley?” The drunk replies. keep reading. (Some people do seem to have an actual computer hard drive that is like Dante’s Inferno!) If you suspect your subconscious mind is like Dante’s Inferno. He stops and asks the guy. the passerby asks. a place for storing past memories. “What are you doing?” The man replies. “Because the light’s better over here!” They keys to meeting the challenges of the human mind aren’t usually found where the light shines the brightest (at the conscious level of insight). Sometimes I AM My Own Worst Enemy . Although insight may shed light on the origins of a problem and provide some constructive strategies for redirecting your life. it seldom changes the situation or the dysfunctional behaviors.” Surprised. In the dim alley of the subconscious mind is where the real keys to lasting change can be found. Shedding Light on the Subconscious Mind Because the subconscious mind has more often been thought of as a frightening rather than a helpful place to visit.” The passerby asks. rather than Dante’s Inferno filled with evil demons who have unthinkable desires just waiting to destroy your life. It’s not as bad as you think.Do you know the story about the drunk who had lost his car keys at night and was looking for them under a street lamp? A passerby notices the man crawling around on his hands and knees. “Over there in the alley. “Where did you lose them?” The drunk replies. “I am looking for my car keys. If you think of the subconscious as being more like the hard drive in your personal computer. it is important to rethink the true nature of the subconscious in a more “user-friendly” fashion.\n\nyou’ll be able to see why the results you had hoped for by using these and other conscious approaches often fall short of your desires and expectations. You become aware of it when you hear yourself saying. positive thinking. creative ideas and activities - Time-bound: Is past and future focused. By understanding some key differences between the conscious and subconscious minds. Most people overidentify with their conscious mind. so you blurt out something you regret later. It happens when you know you need to get a job done. for example. THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND .Everyone has been his or her own worst enemy at one time or another. - Short-term memory: About 20 seconds in the average human being. - Thinks abstractly: Likes new. but can’t seem to stop yourself. Here are some of the key differences: THE CONSCIOUS MIND - Volitional: Sets goals and judges results. “I just couldn’t help myself. because you keep sabotaging yourself. but you continually procrastinate. You notice it when you set a goal and can’t seem to achieve it.” In fact. and willpower. It happens when you know you should keep your mouth shut.000 bits of information per second6 and is capable of managing just a few tasks at a time.5 - Limited processing capacity: Processes an average of 2.” after giving in to a habit you have been trying to quit. the “I” of the conscious mind provides the source for affirmations. These kinds of situations usually result in further feelings of frustration and humiliation. It often looks for new ways to do things based on past experiences and future goals.” or “I want to go to the movies. It is the part of you that represents the “I” in most personal statements. “I feel happy.\n\n- Expanded processing capacity: Processes an average of 4 billion bits of information per second7 and can handle thousands of tasks simultaneously. Lipton. However. including motor functions. Both are necessary for you to be fully functional. the subconscious mind plays an important part in your life and represents a major opportunity for accessing and changing old habits of thinking and behaving. guess which mind usually wins the contest! Imagine you are the fly in our story at the beginning of the book. both are specialized in their capabilities as well as the way in which they process life’s experiences. and so on. attitudes. In actuality it is more like a well-meaning but misguided friend who is just trying to do what he or she thinks is best . Because of the extraordinary power of the subconscious. the two parts of your mind are quite different.000 bits of information per second and compare it to the 4 billion bits per second of the subconscious. Los Angeles CA .D. 1986. tasting. Lipton. and digestion. and smelling). Los Angeles . driving a car. You (your conscious mind) are flapping your wings against the windowpane (your subconscious mind) in order to move in the direction of your goal. Ph. New York : Simon and Shuster. As is apparent from its processing capacity alone. Personal communication with Bruce H. Personal communication with Bruce H. The odds are clearly stacked against your conscious mind achieving its goal without the cooperation of the subconscious. Winston Churchhill’s Afternoon Nap.D. CA . hearing. If the conscious mind desires a goal the subconscious mind disagrees with. 7 Brain/Mind Bulletin. feeling.000-bit processor pitted against a 4 billion-bit processor. and beliefs. values. it’s easy to think of it as your enemy when it seems to be sabotaging your goals in life. - Timeless: Focuses in present time only. Ph. respiration. Notice the processing capacities of the conscious mind at 2. talking.- Habitual: Monitors the operation of the body. Uses “past” learning experiences to perform “current” functions. such as walking. 6 Brain/Mind Bulletin. You are a 2. As you can see. 5 Jeremy Campbell. heart rate. - Long-term memory: Stores past experiences. - Thinks literally: Knows the world through the five senses (seeing.\n\ntoo! Another way to think of the subconscious is as a computer hard drive with some outdated programs. you may feel like Sisyphus in the Greek story. but they share that language in a unique . treating it as your worst enemy—the fly on the windowpane approach— or you can learn to communicate with the subconscious in a user-friendly way it understands (the path of least resistance) and make it your best friend. where he is condemned to pushing a rock uphill and never quite making it to the top. If you want to please a new friend you need to know their likes and dislikes. It is simply running old programs that produce that effect. you can make your life feel more like a self-fulfilling prophecy than a day-to-day struggle. If you learn how to please them. It is doing so out of ignorance rather than spite or revenge. Making friends with your subconscious mind is a lot like making friends with another person. It’s not that the subconscious is actively trying to keep you from being happy or successful. The one who tries to play matchmaker for you too soon after the loss of a spouse or romantic love interest. By making your subconscious your best friend instead of your worst enemy. Getting up in the morning becomes all about pain. Or. You know the kind of friend I mean. they are more likely to want to please you. The more you know about the other person’s preferred communication style and personal preferences. only to have it roll down the hill where he must begin the process all over again. and disappointment. their strengths and weaknesses. If you happen to be developing a friendship with someone who speaks a different language. struggle. and she is just sure it will be yours. it is useful and respectful of you to learn at least a few words in his or her language. as an enemy might do. The same is true of your subconscious. The two minds may share a common language such as English. French. or German. the aunt who sends you her homemade fruitcake at Christmas because it is her favorite cake.for you. Turning the Window (PAIN) of Life into a Window of Opportunity Without effectively communicating with your subconscious mind. your subconscious does speak a different “language” than your conscious mind. The resulting feeling is one of pointless effort and meaningless labor. you can try to make the subconscious conform to your wishes using willpower. In fact. the more you can communicate with him or her effectively. Depending upon how you approach the problem.\n\ntasting and smelling. Without further clarification of the concept of fun one of you will be in for a major disappointment! An important difference between the two language styles is that the subconscious mind can know things only through the five senses of seeing. Remember: By definition. the conscious mind thinks abstractly. your conscious mind may have a goal to be happy. However. Many people are disappointed when they try to accomplish their goals. without further clarification of exactly what happiness means. As was mentioned earlier.way. what does it take to effectively communicate with the subconscious mind? Chapter 3 The Mind/Body Connection Every thought is a cause and . Your idea of fun may be a warm beach and a pitcher of margaritas. The notion of happiness or fun has little meaning to the subconscious until the idea is translated into what is called sensory-based language. It’s like planning a vacation with a friend and agreeing that you want to go somewhere that is fun. hearing. while the subconscious thinks literally. Your friend may be anticipating the joys of climbing a mountain in Nepal . So. For example. They are unaware that the subconscious mind is not at all clear about the specifics of those goals and consequently it often seems to sabotage rather than support them. Many people hold happiness to be a primary goal in life. feeling. the perceptions of the subconscious mind are below the level of conscious awareness. the subconscious mind is at a loss to assist in accomplishing that goal.\n\nThe study. The Power of Your Subconscious Mind. resulting in a weakened muscle response. When the mind is holding a stressful thought. Applied Kinesiology has been used primarily by chiropractors to discover physical imbalances in the human energy system. D. conducted with eighty-nine college students. controls muscle movements.D. The study was entitled Muscle Test Comparisons of Congruent and Incongruent Self-Referential Statements. Ph. What Is Muscle Testing and How Does It Work? More than thirty years ago George Goodheart. that is.C. an electrical conflict is created in the brain and the signal strength to the body is reduced. muscle testing is also an easy and effective way to communicate directly with the subconscious mind for purposes of discovering self-sabotaging beliefs. “Over-all.D. The subconscious mind controls the autonomic nervous system and is responsible for our automatic physical and neurological functions. Consequently. such as reaching for an object. muscle testing can be used to determine what thoughts are stressful to the body. 2000 Communicating with the Subconscious Mind The subconscious directs motor functions in the body. For example. D. lie detector) machine works by detecting physical changes resulting from mental processes. our bodies move because the subconscious mind directs a complex set of electrical signals to just the right muscles at just the right time to perform a task. This principle is similar to the way a polygraph (ie. In 1999..Every condition is an effect. a study was published in a scientific journal called Perceptual and Motor Skills. the founder of Applied Kinesiology. concluded that. The same thing happens when a person makes a statement with which the subconscious mind disagrees. The strength of the electrical signal from the brain determines the strength of the response in the muscles of the body. The results of the present study suggest that the muscle test responds to the congruency of . --Joseph Murphy. One theory about how muscle testing works is that the electrical signal is dramatically affected by the thoughts being contemplated in the mind.. introduced muscle testing in the United States . as well as what ideas (beliefs) are supported or not supported at a subconscious level. commonly known as muscle testing. It provides a built-in communication link. The conflict between the conscious and subconscious mind results in a weakened response in the muscles of the body. significant differences were found in muscle-test responses between congruent and incongruent semantic stimuli. However.\n\nThe first set involved the person’s name. ‘Ralph’ was used).” Simply put. To experience muscle testing.” The muscle test was performed immediately after vocalizing each statement. A dynamometer is a device used to measure the resistance and force applied to the subject’s arm while being muscle Avoid using an arm that is sore or injured. you will find it on the PSYCH-K Web site. The second set of statements had to do with citizenship. PA 19197-5004 As you can imagine. . The primary muscle being tested in this case is the deltoid.self-referential statements. “My name is Alice/Ralph (if subject was a male. For example. Monti.” or. the study used two sets of statements. you will need a partner. Philadelphia. the same muscle used in the muscle testing study referred to earlier. www.8 8 Daniel A. M. such as: “I respect myself. Select the “Test Your Beliefs” button and follow the instructions. a significant difference between the muscle responses of these individuals when they were making a true statement versus making a false statement was noted. Jefferson Medical College.D. and my best is good enough. Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. The muscle response itself was measured by a computerized dynamometer to assure accuracy. ‘ Alice ’ was used. The subject was instructed to say. Otherwise. Associate Director. Determine which arm to use for the testing procedure.” The second statement was. “My name is (subject’s real or preferred nickname).” “I am a loving and worthwhile person. if female. either arm can be used successfully. muscle testing can be used to detect agreement or disagreement with much more interesting self-referential statements than your name and country of origin.. Follow these instructions: Note: For readers who prefer an animated version of muscle testing.” We will use some of these statements in a later chapter. 1020 Sansom Street. “I do my best. 1652 Thomposon Building.\n\n9 4. Be sure to keep the chin parallel to the floor while focusing the eyes in a downward direction.” (Avoid bouncing the arm. With the arm extended from the side. The tester keeps one hand resting lightly on the extended arm between the wrist and elbow (where most people wear a watch or bracelet). The downward movement may be subtle or obvious. 5. The person being tested extends one arm out to the side. parallel to the floor. head facing forward. steady pressure in a downward direction for about two seconds or until you feel the muscle either “let go” or “lock in place. simply switch arms. The person being tested keeps his/her body relaxed. When your partner is experiencing the good feeling. place. Note any difference between the first test and the second. Press only as hard as necessary in order to tell whether the test is strong or weak. and enables more accurate muscle responses when testing self-referential statements. and repeat the preceding muscle testing procedure. 3. Note the response. It can be a person. so remember to adjust your pressure to suit the person being tested. either strong or weak. have the person being tested think of something enjoyable. That is. facing each so that you are looking over your partner’s shoulder (of the arm to be tested). or activity. eyes open and focused down. If one arm gets tired during the testing process. Be sure to give your partner enough time to access the unpleasant feeling before you muscle test the response. Place the other hand on the shoulder for stability.1. The downward movement occurs even as the person being tested tries to keep his or her arm in the parallel position. the test is successful.) The person being tested is to resist the pressure of the downward movement while concentrating on the enjoyable feeling. 9 Eyes focused in the downward position engages the kinesthetic sensory system (feelings). the arm will stay in place parallel to the floor when the thought is pleasing. 2. As long as the person being tested can tell the difference between a strong and weak response. Most people will test strong to the thought of something they like and weak to something they don’t like. Each person tests a little differently. Muscle test your partner and then switch places and have your partner test you. It is more important that the person being tested can tell the difference between a strong or weak response than the person doing the testing. . and it will move down toward the floor when the thought is stressful. Have the person being tested (your partner) imagine something unpleasant. Stand to the side of your partner. say “Be strong” just before applying a gentle.\n\nLike most skills. Except in unusual cases such as paralysis or other neurological disorders. Remember to say “Be strong” just before pressing on the wrist. right-brain. muscle testing gets easier with proper instruction. By keeping their chin parallel to the floor and their eyes focused in a downward direction. In other words. In the next chapter we will explore another important psycho-physiological factor in changing unwanted beliefs: the effects of left-brain. Chapter 4 Whole-Brain Integration . age. Then have your partner say something that is not true about them. it will be easier to access the necessary feeling state to ensure accuracy of the muscle test. gender or occupation with test subjects.It is the reduction in the (electrical) signal strength to the muscles of the arm during the stressful thought process that reduces the strength of the muscles in the arm. it is necessary for the person being tested to be experiencing the feeling of the thought or statement being tested. Test results will be clearer if the statements are made with emotion. muscle testing can be an accurate and effective way to communicate directly with the subconscious mind. such as “My name is (insert fictitious name). 6. and whole-brain thinking. have the partner being tested say something out loud that is true about them. practice and experience.” and muscle test the response. say the statements like you really mean them and stay focused on the statement while being muscle tested. Important Reminder: For successful results. Most people will test strong to things that are true about them and weak to things that are not true. such as “My name is (insert actual name).” Muscle test the response just after the statement is made. For best results use name. To do so. You can repeat the test using a statement rather than a thought/feeling.\n\nTo heal ourselves or to help heal others we need to Reconnect magic and science. our right and left brains. The findings of this research indicate that each hemisphere of the brain tends to specialize in and preside over different functions. 1988 Left-Brain/Right-Brain/Whole-Brain A great deal of research has been conducted for decates on what has come to be called “Brain Dominance Theory. and deal with different kinds of problems. The LEFT Hemisphere - uses logic/reason - thinks in words - deals in parts/specifics - will analyze/break apart - thinks sequentially - is time bound - is extroverted - is characterized as male - is ordered/controlled The RIGHT Hemisphere - uses intuition/emotions .” also known as split-brain research. (psychiatrist). Hammerschlag. The Dancing healers. M. --Carl A.D. Here are some of the differences between the two hemispheres. process different kinds of information.\n\nThe more emotionally charged the experience is (usually traumatic). when right and left hemispheres are in simultaneous communication. the qualities and characteristics of both hemispheres are available to maximize your full response potential to life’s challenges. and the more likely it is that we will automatically overidentify with only one hemisphere of the brain when faced with similar life experiences in the future. which is ideal for changing subconscious beliefs.- thinks in pictures - deals in wholes/relationships - will synthesize/put together - thinks holistically - is time free - is introverted - is characterized as female - identifies with the group - is spontaneous/free Although our birthright is the natural ability to operate simultaneously out of both sides of the brain. the more likely it is that the conclusion we draw from it will be stored for future reference. Clinical psychologist Ernest L. thereby achieving a more whole-brained state. life experiences often trigger a dominance of one side over the other when responding to specific situations.and right-cerebral . In addition. Rossi expressed the importance of learning how to create a balanced identification with both sides of the brain when he said. More recent research has grounded this principle of complementarity [a concept of mental and emotional opposites developed by psychiatrist Carl Jung] into the very matrix of how our brain functions in the left. The goal is to increase “cross-talk” between the two brain hemispheres.\n\nAnother significant key to changing your life is knowing how to change your beliefs. communism Such a list is endless. Consequently. introversion outer vs. No. 10 Psychological Perspectives. Vol. A good case can be made for the view that the source of all conflict stems from the fallacy of falling into one or the other of these opposites. 1. intuition extroversion vs. We are now able to understand a bit more clearly how easy it is to fall into one side or another of the polarities or opposites of the way our mind seems to categorize: analysis vs. inner male vs. . 19. enemy capitalism vs. consciousness is prone to the dangerous provincialism of overidentifying with one side or the other of the mind’s logical opposites and sometimes attempting to defend it unto death. synthesis reasoning vs.hemispheres. female friend vs. 1988. These polarities immediately manifest themselves in every field of human thought and endeavor.10 This tendency of the mind to overidentify with one side or the other of the brain hemispheres can contribute to everything from domestic quarrels to international conflicts. getting both hemispheres of your brain to process information at the same time is one of the keys to successfully dealing with life’s challenges in a balanced and effective manner.\n\n” you will proceed hesitantly. you can undertake challenging projects with confidence and stay focused on the task at hand. Much like the operating software in a personal computer. Your beliefs have far-reaching consequences. These filters form the basis for our actions and reactions to each new situation in our lives.” “I am powerful. our basic psychological predispositions are the result of hand-medown software from our parents. are drawn from past experience and stored in the subconscious mind. Perfect Health. both positive and negative. even your mental and physical health. criticism. --Deepak Chopra. However. M. and failure. reinforced by childhood experiences and cultural conditioning. job performance. prosperity. powerful or powerless.D. and so on. and spiritual outlook. In other words. we are profoundly influenced by the conclusions drawn from our past programming and experiences. Parenting styles. in every area of your life. fearing mistakes. values. Even though we may be mostly unaware of their influence on us. These conclusions.. Beliefs affect your self-esteem. belonging or outcast. These beliefs are formed as a result of several factors.” or “I am safe” profoundly influence our ability to perform effectively. they direct our observable actions and behaviors. relationships. you must Learn to rewrite the software of the mind. . if you have beliefs like “I don’t really trust myself to do a good job” or “How things turn out is not really within my control. trusting or suspicious. 1990 Toxic Beliefs Can Be Hazardous to Your Health Your beliefs are the building blocks of your personality. competent or incompetent. They define you as worthy or worthless. actualize the software. Beliefs such as “I am competent. fairly treated or victimized. flexible or judgmental.Chapter 5 The Power and Biology of Beliefs To change the printout of the body. in the form of beliefs. self-reliant or dependent. loved or hated. These subconscious beliefs create the perceptual filters through which we respond to life’s challenges. With beliefs like these. attitudes.\n\ncoworkers. Beliefs establish the limits of what we can achieve. generated from past experiences.” - “If people knew the ‘real’ me.” - “What I do isn’t really important. and values.” It’s disturbing enough that negative beliefs may be a reflection of reality. As Henry Ford once said. You don’t need to be a biologist or neuroscientist to understand a few simple concepts about the mind that will provide a more scientific basis for understanding how PSYCH-K works. The Biology of Beliefs Relax.” - “It’s not safe to ask others for help because I can’t trust them to do the job right. or if you believe you can’t… you’re right! It is especially true when the beliefs are subconscious. perceptions. and behavioral scientists confirm. . my spouse.) for my problems.” - “I shouldn’t try anything new or risky because I’ll probably just screw it up. Most of us agree.” - “The decisions I make usually turn out wrong. If you believe you can. they wouldn’t like me” - “I blame others (boss. but what’s more disturbing is that they actually help to create that reality.” - “My opinion doesn’t really matter.” - “I can’t trust people to support me. All they really care about is themselves. etc. that our behaviors are a direct reflection of our beliefs.Some other common limiting beliefs include the following: - “No matter what I do or how hard I try. it’s never good enough.\n\nparadigm pioneer and cell biologist Bruce H. Your mind is the energy that interpenetrates and surrounds your brain. this means that the cell is not like a chip. By breaking down the complex system of the mind into smaller components. the cell membrane comprises a self-powered single chip microcomputer. you can better understand how you can have solid as well as nonsolid components that make up what you call “YOU.Programmable Minds? Most of us are aware that computers are programmable. Science may never be able to fully explain how the mind functions. the cell membrane is homologous to a chip. it is possible to understand more about how it works. Fewer people yet know how to program the mind because they don’t understand how the mind acquires and stores its programs. The brain is the physical mass of billions of cells located in your cranium. and memory. First. Quantum physics leads us to the conclusion that in the final analysis everything is energy.” “Mind” is simply molecules of YOU. even if we don’t know how to program them. In his course entitled “Fractal Biology – The Science of Innate Intelligence” he states. Ph. in the same way that the central processing unit (CPU chip) in a computer is not the same as the memory of the computer. By definition.. In fact. If you think of your body and mind as comprised of molecules vibrating at different frequencies. Whether energy expresses itself as physical or nonphysical is a matter of the speed at which molecules vibrate. rather than some intrinsic difference in the energy itself. says that each one of the estimated 50-70 trillion cells that make up the human body is in fact a computer chip capable of input. A physicist might describe the mind as photons of light held in an electromagnetic field. it is important to recognize that your mind is not your brain. In fact. But not everyone knows that the human mind is also programmable. some theories suggest that the mind is not restricted just to the area of the head but is the energy field that surrounds your entire body.D. but for our purposes the following information will provide a working model. output. Lipton. Simply. The same could be said for computer memory. the cell membrane is a chip! . It is important to note: the cell membrane is not analogous to a chip.\n\nthe fetus will experience the corresponding chemical stresses fed to it through the mother’s bloodstream. Ph. and programmed responses. This foundational software of the mind is in place long before we are born. babies born to drug addicts are themselves addicted to the same drug at birth. how we got to be who we are and how we can change. For example. It is nature’s way of educating the child to his or her environment before having to deal with it directly. receptors. The good news about the sharing of this chemical information between baby and mother during pregnancy is that it sends important information to the cells of the developing fetus. During the gestation period this software is impacted by stimuli from the environment in the womb. If the mother is having a particularly stressful pregnancy. It is also one of the reasons why prospective mothers are encouraged not to smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol during pregnancy. preparing it for the inevitable emergence into the world. The sperm and egg come with various genetic codes (instructions for development) from the mother and father. For instance. the child also experiences. it is especially important to know how the cells get programmed and how you can reprogram them. When you realize that human beings consist of trillions of programmable cells. In the Beginning There Was Conception We are created as a combination of the sperm and egg of our biological parents. chemically speaking. In other words. that is.This breakthrough in understanding the nature of the body and mind is key to understanding how we function in the world.D. the chemistry of the developing fetus is affected by the chemistry of the mother. Lipton. The cells develop receptors for various environmental stimuli and learn to recognize and respond to their presence in the future. what the mother experiences. Your developmental experiences from the moment of conception are creating memories. thereby increasing the odds for the survival of the child. . and hence the species. 11 Conversation with cellular biologist Bruce H.11 It is this kind of preconditioning that helps ensure survival of the baby as it enters its new world outside the womb.\n\ncritical. director of the Laboratory for Cognitive Psychophysiology at the University of Illinois . . That is to say. research shows that we are most programmable from conception to about age six.12 In fact. and conversely. During that time we have little or no faculty of conscious discernment. Excessive amounts of adrenaline (a chemical associated with the stress response) released into the bloodstream over time can be harmful to the child’s health because it overtaxes the adrenal glands and kidneys. and that programming continues by way of parental and societal attitudes. and reduces the overall effectiveness of the immune system. So the next question is: Can detrimental or outdated parental and societal software be changed? The answer is yes. the child’s preconditioned response is perpetuated. or mean-spirited comments directed toward us by parents. values. they typically reinforce the messages the developing fetus received during gestation. the environment into which the child is born often perpetuates this preconditioning. Contemporary studies in neurophysiology show that our reactions to various stimuli are decided before we become consciously aware of them. It can also lead to other stress-related disorders. and beliefs after we are born. Consequently. “As much as 99 percent of cognitive activity may be nonconscious. as adults. If the environment was stressful before birth it may very well be stressful after birth. The important lesson here is that our mind/body system comes with foundational genetic software that is programmed by environmental stimuli before birth. In effect. how emotional and behavioral problems can lead to physical difficulties. It is this early lack of discernment that creates the mental software that makes up the foundation of our adult personalities. schoolmates. according to Emmanuel Donchin. Because the body and mind are intimately related through chemistry. we spend most of our time subconsciously responding to life rather than consciously creating it. including emotional disorders. it’s not difficult to see how chemical imbalances in the body can lead to emotional and behavioral problems. as young children we possess limited capability to put into proper perspective harsh. siblings. or adult authority figures.After birth. If the biological parents are both present in the child’s life.”13 The fact is. In fact. we take everything personally.\n\nvalues.D. 1984. our world was forever changed. . and beliefs. in the Middle Ages people believed that the sun revolved around the earth. March 5.. Brain/Mind Collections. For instance. These programs create a kind of filtering system through wich we see the world and our place in it. it’s never too late to have a functional childhood! 12 Richard Restak. New York : Bantam Books. 84-85 13. Vol. Inc. until new information was presented that proved otherwise. we don’t see the world as it is. 9. Pgs. Subconscious Beliefs Ever try to change your mind. only to find out that Your mind has a mind of its own? Two Minds Are Better Than One The software we have been talking about is often expressed as attitudes. and despite continued religious resistance to the science of astronomy. The Brain.. People’s beliefs changed because of indisputable new information. 1984. We see it as we are! Conscious beliefs: When Awareness Plus Willpower Equals Change Some beliefs can be changed at the level of the conscious mind by simply becoming aware of new information and then acting on it. Number 6 A. In other words. M.Using PSYCH-K belief change techniques. These perceptions determine our choices and direct our behaviors. Chapter 6 Conscious vs.\n\nmany therapeutic and self-help change processes depend heavily on facts. kinesthetic (feeling). These beliefs are usually held at the subconscious level of the mind.Sometimes all that is necessary to change a belief is to become consciously aware of the belief and have a desire to think or behave differently. Reasoning and facts do not seem to make a difference in this kind of situation. A young girl with anorexia nervosa (a debilitating psychological disorder that affects thousands of preteen and teenage girls) can look at her body in a mirror and see a figure that is fat. effective communication with the subconscious is achieved by using one or more of these senses. and olfactory (smelling). reason. hearing. It is one of the main reasons so many attempts to change negative thought patterns and behaviors fail. and feeling. I will restrict my examples to the “big three. or motivation. auditory (hearing). willpower. even in the face of the facts. they are secondary to the primary senses of seeing. Speaking the Language of the Subconscious The subconscious mind is sensory based and knows the world only through the five senses: visual (seeing). people who visualize easily can use the visual modality to communicate a . and motivation. Many beliefs and perceptions are impervious to facts. Therefore. Unfortunately. Subconscious Beliefs: When Awareness Plus Willpower Just Isn’t Enough Not all beliefs change just because the facts suggest they should. while others see a dangerously emaciated body. Let’s take a look at another important characteristic of the subconscious mind. Consequently.” It turns out that most people tend to specialize in one of these processing modalities. reason and willpower. For example. The young girl continues to insist that she is fat. Although taste and smell are occasionally useful in communicating a goal to the subconscious. gustatory (tasting). positive thinking. By learning the differences between the conscious and subconscious mind. you can avoid the disappointment of failed attempts and learn to make real and lasting changes in your life.\n\n. It is also important to realize that most of us show a tendency to specialize in one more than the others.” “I am a worthy person. In other words. rather than choosing the method consciously. The kinesthetic processors are unusually sensitive to physical sensations.message to the subconscious by making a mental picture of what they want. a belief created by a past experience may be “wired” in such a way that it requires access to one or more of your nondominant modalities. the subconscious thinks literally rather than abstractly. trim and healthy”? Well. like “I love myself. People who are auditory processors are affected by sound in ways that others are not. a strictly visual approach to changing it may be ineffective.” or “I am slim. Physically active techniques for change will usually work best for them. They communicate with the subconscious best through physical activity or bodily sensations. The secret is to use a change process that allows the subconscious mind to choose its own method of processing. Until such statements are defined in the language of the subconscious (sensory-based language). It is important to remember that we use all of our senses. those statements are mostly abstractions to the subconscious mind and therefore difficult to internalize except in a general way. Another important factor in effective goal setting for the subconscious is that. even if you are primarily a visual processor. the issue you want to change may be associated with an auditorily and/or kinesthetically based experience from your past. You know those inspiring affirmations you’ve been saying to yourself in the mirror for years. let’s turn our attention to translating general goals into sensory based language the subconscious mind can understand and act upon. This realization explains why a change process that depends heavily on visualization disappoints some people who specialize in auditory or kinesthetic processing. based on the unique characteristics of that belief. They hear the subtle nuances in a voice or in a piece of music. unlike the conscious mind. it is unlikely that the subconscious will be able to incorporate them into your life in a way that is meaningful and obvious. movement. The messages are not effectively communicated to the subconscious. They can use this ability to communicate with the subconscious and usually benefit by listening to audiotape presentations. why audiotape programs often disappoint people who are primarily visual or kinesthetic processors. and feelings. Or conversely. We will deal with how to translate abstract statements into the language of the subconscious later. The subconscious simply does not understand what you are talking about. For now it is enough to understand why using affirmations to change habitual behavioral and thought patterns can often be disappointing and frustrating. Now. The PSYCH-K belief change process takes the guesswork out of choosing the best method for changing a belief. To complicate things a bit. Consequently.\n\nWhat you mean by happiness probably includes various specific aspects of your life. the subconscious takes things literally and will stop its efforts toward manifesting your goal as soon as it thinks it has satisfied your criteria. --Lily Tomlin I have used this V-isual A-uditory. Without specifying some details of your goal. What will you see in your life that will let you know that you have achieved your goal? More specifically. If the criteria are too general. if you were happy. It is important to define your goal as specifically and possible and to do it in sensorybased language (visually. Overall Goal: Happiness The problem with stating the goal in this way is that often the subconscious doesn’t really understand a general goal like happiness. You might see yourself on a cruise ship in the Caribbean . and kinesthetically). K-inesthetic format for many years to translate nonspecific conscious goals into sensory-based language the subconscious mind can understand. the results will usually be disappointing because the subconscious won’t know what resources to mobilize in order to accomplish the goal. auditorily. you might see yourself surrounded by friends. financial prosperity. health. For example. You might see yourself on a bathroom scale . Remember. including relationships. it is helpful to the subconscious mind if you can answer the following sensory based questions: 1. if your goal is to be happy. and spirituality. but I should have been more specific. what would you see that you don’t see now? For example.VAK to the Future I always wanted to be somebody. chances are your subconscious will not have a clear idea of what it is you want. Here is a typical example of a common goal and the method of defining it in a way that the subconscious mind can accept and put into action.\n\nHow will you feel when you have accomplished your goal? This question is a little trickier in some cases because the answer may be expressed as emotions similar to happiness such as joyful or satisfied. What will you hear other people saying about you when you have accomplished your goal? What will you be saying to yourself? The answers to these questions should be “quotes” from the future like hearing a friend say.weighting in at your ideal weight. Does it have a texture? Don’t be concerned if you can’t answer all the kinesthetic questions. It is not necessary for the feeling you select to directly relate to the experience that inspired that feeling of joy in the past. ask yourself where in your body you notice the greatest concentration of the feeling. “You’re one of the happiest people I know. allowed yourself to reexperience the feeling as much as possible. 2. What color do you associate with it? 3. Just do the best you can. What shape is it? 5. To describe it in sensory-based language. “I am happier than I have ever been!” 3. then ask the following questions: 1. These words are still abstractions to the subconscious mind so they need to be broken down into a more sensory-based description. These are all tangible. It is only important that you experience the joyful feeling itself. While thinking about the past feeling. It doesn’t matter how long ago it was. . The subconscious mind can literally see these examples. The best way to accomplish this task is to imagine a time in your past when you had the desired feeling. What temperature is it? 4. visual examples of having achieved your goal. such as joy.” And from yourself you would hear a comment like. 2.\n\nvisualization. positive thinking. the concept of joy is defined in such a way that the subconscious mind can understand it and mobilize its resources to manifest the feeling you want to have. If you don’t know where you are going. Now. This often results in a great deal of frustration and disappointment in achieving our goals. financial prosperity. how will you know when you arrive? Affirmations.Examples of answers to these questions might look something like the following: Location? Chest area Color? Light blue Temperature? Warm Shape? Oval Texture? Smooth These kinesthetic answers are tangible. as described in the preceding example. self-image. Chapter 7 . Whether your goal is happiness. sensory-based descriptions of an otherwise abstract concept of joy. You are in effect creating a road map for the subconscious to follow until it arrives at its specified destination. a frustration and disappointment that can be transformed into joy and satisfaction using PSYCH-K. and willpower are often ineffective in communicating our conscious goals to the subconscious in a language it can understand. the VAK to the Future process will help clarify your goal for the subconscious mind. or a different goal such as healthy relationships. and so on. wellness. Describing your goal in a language the subconscious mind can understand is often critical to achieving the results you want.\n\nPutting It All Together\nThere is one thing stronger than all the\narmies in the world, and that is an idea\nwhose time has come.\n--Victor Hugo\n\nThe Differences That Make a Difference\nAs you have learned, PSYCH-K is based largely on whole-brain integration techniques\nderived from years of split-brain research. Coupled with knowing how to effectively\ndeciding which process or processes are right for you.\n\nThe Plague of Powerlessness\nresponsibility for our lives and turn that responsibility over to others.\n\nany resources the client may bring to the interaction.\n\ndesigned to engage and activate the inner resources of the subconscious to the\nPSYCH-K facilitator, this approach honors the power and responsibility of the individual\nin making the changes they seek. The PSYCH-K change processes themselves are selfaffirming and self-empowering. Hence, they are an effective “vaccine” against the Plague\nof Powerlessness.\n\nPermission Protocols\n\nmessage and miss the lesson!\n\nFurthermore, problems can simply be conscious or subconscious strategies for meeting\n\nestablishing new, supportive subconscious beliefs, she completely changed her attitude\nand so were her seizures.\n\nThis experience illustrates the importance of considering the consequences of simply\n\nthat happen for a reason. I certainly came to the conclusion after numerous “meaningful\ncoincidences,” also known as synchronicities, shaped my life.\n\n\nmessage was just a whisper from the wee small voice within, you may experience it with\nmaking the change. Permission is requested from both the subconscious and\nsuperconscious minds to ensure the safety and appropriateness of proceeding with the\nbelief change process.\n\nThe Superconscious Connection\n\npsychologists continue to debate the existence of the superconscious mind, several\n\nSpirit, Etc., whatever you choose to call “It”) that guides the PSYCH-K process and is\nresponsible for “downloading” the change patterns to my own conscious mind in 19881989. My ego would like nothing more than to take credit for PSYCH-K, but my\nconsciousness is an important bridge between contemporary spirituality and\n\nresponds to its environment in an automatic fashion.\n\ngrowth and evolution as a spiritual being having a human experience—to enable you to\ndecisions to your parents you would never achieve the necessary confidence and selfsufficiency to make it in the world on your own.\n\n\nintuition, volition, and action become ONE.\n\nHow Will You Know When You Arrive? This axiom should be obvious to anyone who ever set a goal and accomplished it. You Can’t Build a House with Only One Tool Many self-help systems use one specific technique to address all problems. An important feature of PSYCH-K is that. but houses are more complex than that. calm. which is like asking a carpenter to build a house using only a hammer! If the whole house could be built using only nails. Expressing your desires as negations is not only confusing but can even be counterproductive. literal description of your goal. Because the subconscious mind makes the necessary belief and perceptual changes. uncertain. To the subconscious mind. or healthy. which is to be happy. people are more complex than houses. . The positive statements just mentioned are often too abstract for the subconscious to understand and act on with clarity and precision. Remember. the previous sentence would most likely be heard by your subconscious as “I (negation deleted) want to go to Times Square . the subconscious knows the world only through your five senses. it is like getting into a taxi cab in New York City . that information is not especially useful to the cab driver in determining where you do want to go.If You Don’t Know Where You Are Going. The subconscious mind tends to omit negations. but telling the cab driver you don’t want to go to Times Square . results. which I call VAK to the Future. Even though it is true that you don’t want to go to Times Square . yet it is a step often omitted in other personal growth processes. was discussed earlier. abstraction can still be a problem. it only makes sense to let it choose the right “tool” for the job. and disappointing. with the desire to go to the Empire State Building . They need to be translated into a more sensory-based language. creating a more concrete. Many approaches simply focus on releasing or getting rid of a problem. This process. For instance. via muscle testing. or sick isn’t the same as telling it what you DO want. it wouldn’t be a problem. confident. Even with a more positive choice of words. it enables the subconscious mind to choose the change process it prefers. And. anxious.” one of the many places you don’t want to go! To tell your subconscious that you no longer want to be depressed. Abstract goals often create abstract.\n\nnot the skill of the facilitator. but not simpler. This generality is not true of PSYCH-K. One assumption among many practitioners and self-help explorers is that the more complex a process or body of knowledge is.” What Counts Is the Wisdom and Ability Within You Most self-help processes depend heavily on the skill of the facilitator. the power of belief rather than the power of complexity may account for the effectiveness of many complex techniques. you can be marginally skilled at doing PSYCH-K and still facilitate remarkable changes with yourself and others. I have watched this inner intelligence manifest in people from ages 9 to 90 in workshops and private sessions. I discovered many processes that seemed unnecessarily complex. It is a wonder to behold! . I witnessed processes that were so simple they seemed “too good to be true. It takes the pressure off the person facilitating the process as well as the person experiencing the change. In my exploration of other self-help change techniques over the past twenty plus years. “Everything should be made as simple as possible. PSYCH-K taught me that the subconscious mind is the best judge of how complex a process needs to be because it is the part of the mind that will be making the changes. If the facilitator is distracted or just having a bad day. The fact is. the more powerful it is. the better! Alas. but not simpler. The notion of complexity carries with it an air of mystery and power. On the other end of the spectrum. The more exotic and mysterious.” PSYCH-K exemplifies this principle.Einstein Was Right It was Albert Einstein who said. The fact is. offered nationally and internationally. PSYCH-K relies on the inner wisdom and ability within the individual—a wisdom and ability most people don’t even know they have. you can have a less than satisfactory or even counterproductive experience. By using the knowledge of the subconscious mind to determine how simple or complex a process needs to be in order to accomplish your goal. Caveat emptor.” and usually were. Over the years. we are still “praying to the gods of complexity” for the power we seek to improve our lives. and the ability of the subconscious mind of the person experiencing the process. The reason is that the quality of the experience is mostly a result of the wisdom that resides in the superconscious. you can rest assured that the process of choice will be … “as simple as possible.\n\nBecause the muscle testing response to self-referential statements depends on a physiological response from the subconscious mind expressed through the physical body. For instance. when establishing communication with the subconscious mind using muscle testing. In fact. I began to notice a peculiar quirk of these people. However. Just before I pressed on the extended arm used for muscle testing. Without credible muscle responses. they are usually processing their thoughts visually (making pictures). but where such statements are used. the responses normalized.When It Comes to Muscle Testing. and when they are looking downward. I noticed that the person’s eyes would move upwards. Over time. they are usually processing kinesthetically (experiencing feelings or physical sensations). This practice effectively disconnected them from the feelings necessary to create a conflicted (weak) muscle response from the subconscious. I remembered a bit of information from my earlier training in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) suggesting that when people look up. I also noticed that clients with histories of significant childhood trauma were more likely to look up when asked to access unpleasant memories or make statements that might involve having to do so. “My name is (subject’s actual name). Eye position may not make a difference in other disciplines using muscle testing for purposes other than self-referential.” The normal muscle response is usually strong. When they are focused straight ahead. I instruct the individual to say. they were moving out of their feelings and into their visual sensory system. the subject would test strong to the false name as well as their actual name. When asked to substitute a false name in the sentence. they would test strong to a variety of false statements about themselves. as if they were glancing at something on the ceiling. affirmation-style statements. the normal muscle response is usually weak. from time to time. the Eyes Have It When I first began using muscle testing in my private practice. As soon as I asked the subject being tested to keep the eyes focused in a downward direction during the testing procedure. In effect. they are processing auditorily (hearing sounds). Upon further reflection and observation. I noticed I didn’t always get accurate or logical answers when muscle testing some of my clients. resulting in misleading information and false conclusions. . continuing with the desired belief change work was no more than a guessing game. be aware that eye position can dramatically affect the accuracy of the responses. It appeared that looking up was a subconscious strategy to dissociate from the unpleasant memories. when they looked up during the muscle test. it was possible that the individual was not experiencing the necessary feelings to ensure an accurate muscle test.\n\nFor example. Muscle testing is the easiest communication link to the subconscious and superconscious levels for most people. yet interactive levels of consciousness: the conscious. and beliefs. PSYCH-K identifies and communicates with three distinct.Clarity of Intention matters Knowing what part of the mind/body system you are addressing with muscle testing is critical. Remember. On the other hand. the conscious mind uses its faculties of discernment and volition to make the wisest choices it can and then put them into action. the subconscious is the storehouse for your attitudes. subconscious. this part of your mind is designed to set goals (an act of volition) and judge results (an act of discernment). It is particularly important to have a clear intention when accessing the subconscious and superconscious minds. Each level has its own unique qualities and abilities to contribute to the process of change. On the other hand. The most important features of the conscious mind in the PSYCH-K process are volition and discernment. Muscle testing is an inappropriate method of communication with this level of mind because it is capable of communicating verbally. Ordinary verbal communication is the standard and sufficient link to the conscious mind. The subconscious is like a precocious five-year-old with lots of information. asking the superconscious mind to carry out the mechanical functions of rewriting outdated and undesirable “software” is also inappropriate because that activity is the domain of the subconscious. Its job is to provide counsel and support to the other levels of mind and to help manifest the intentions of the conscious and subconscious . and superconscious. Where you direct your attention determines which part of the mind you are communicating with. Based on past experiences and their consequences. values. Essentially. the superconscious mind has wisdom and perspective the subconscious and conscious minds don’t have. asking the subconscious mind to give you information beyond its “habituated” perspective is inappropriate and can be misleading. and it controls your habitual responses in life. but not much wisdom.\n\nwhich often manifest as mixed results. Manifestation of your goals can be disappointing and frustrating when a discrepancy arises between your conscious goals and your subconscious programming. Without this clarity you are subject to the well-known pitfalls of the familiar computer metaphor. In other words. It’s analogous to driving your car with one foot on the accelerator and one foot on the brake. In this case the superconscious receives mixed messages. it just gets you there. “Garbage in—garbage out.” These are just some of the most important characteristics of PSYCH-K that maintain the integrity and safety of the process and represent important differences from many other personal change processes. When they do not occur something has gone wrong. And one final point: PSYCH-K is a vehicle for change. Chapter 8 Real People … Real Results Miracles are natural. It helps you believe what you choose. The PSYCH-K permission protocols mentioned earlier clarify your intention and make the necessary distinctions to ensure you are addressing that intention to the appropriate level of mind to accomplish the task at hand. The step-by-step written instructions and personal training offered in the PSYCH-K workshops are all you need to utilize the techniques safely and successfully. it doesn’t decide where you should go.” It usually works through the faculty of human intuition. It’s like a car. PSYCH-K doesn’t choose what you should believe. --A Course in Miracles .mind by creating those “meaningful coincidences” in life that some people call “luck.\n\nMonica Le Grand Trudell Vice President Peak Performance Associates. she isn’t doing that anymore! Stay well and all the best to you. which she took out on others. 2001—Excerpted from an e-mail I received from a PSYCH-K workshop participant. more confident and doesn’t have the wild mood swings at work anymore. Good morning. stress. and anxiety for her. Additionally.Where the Rubber Meets the Road The following examples represent a small number of the testimonial letters I have received over the years. Dramatically Improve Sports Performance . Now. Oh. These examples will give you an appreciation for the broad application of PSYCH-K in daily life. I should share with you some of my personal success… after a 10year battle with weight. I truly believe that the Core Belief Balance which identified that I hated myself (and we reversed) is what has enabled me to finally start the process of weight loss… I really have a much stronger feel of confidence as well. Inc. She was really a “mother-hen” at work and wanted to fix everyone’s problems. She finally believes that she is not responsible for everything that happens at work and others need to be responsible for their own jobs. changing subconscious beliefs changes lives. I have lost 25 lbs. Rob. and one of my clients recently reported that she is feeling stronger. I continue to coach using PSYCH-K. which created more work. Winning the 10-Year Battle With Weight! February 28. As you will see. I selected a variety of examples in which PSYCH-K made positive changes in people’s lives.\n\nDuring the meeting. What harm could it do? I worked with “balancing” an issue of my own.S. was invited to spend 45 minutes with the track team. At the next meet. which had to do with my communication in meetings. 1996 I was scheduled to speak at a local high school and. as an afterthought. B. I gave them a 20minute lecture on “beliefs and limitation” and then did a demonstration of PSYCH-K using one of their sprinters who was having trouble getting out of the blocks. What was happening here? Then I realized that the issue I had “balanced” for.April 24. afterwards. when I returned to the hotel. I was sitting toward the back of the hall and was a bit frustrated because I could not see clearly. I noticed that I was getting a different. I attended a demonstration on PSYCH-K conducted by Rob Williams in which he invited a woman from the audience to come on stage and then did a belief change “balance” with her. more favorable reaction from the other participants in the meeting. but I was really impressed with what I could observe of the process. Smith. He was noticeably improved in just minutes and that got the rest of the team’s attention. one state record. The next day was the last half-day of the conference followed by a meeting of the training officers in my organization. While I was there. Gary B. I decided to duplicate what I could remember of what I had seen on stage earlier. and a 16-year-old national girls’ high school relay record by 5 seconds! PSYCH-K is clearly the most amazing tool for effective personal change I have ever encountered. Former President of the Colorado Association of Psychotherapists “This Stuff Really Works” In 1992 I attended a conference put on by the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). two days later. I had no way of verifying whether I had done it correctly or not. All I had time to teach them was how to muscle test their beliefs about winning and how to do the Whole Brain Posture. Could this stuff really work? Later. they broke 15 out of 22 school records. Of course. so I just went to sleep and forgot about it. had .\n\nI was doing something different and getting a different reaction. I had very little belief that this would be able to help her. a few years ago. I also sponsored PSYCH-K classes in my organization so others could learn about this powerful and effective process. This stuff really works! Naturally. We changed a number of belief systems to deal with self-esteem.really changed. She had such a severe case that she had rarely gone more than a few miles from her home for the last 50 years. Then. I took the instructor training and was fortunate enough to be certified as a PSYCH-K Basic Instructor! Mary Weiss Government Training Officer San Francisco . Given her long history. Other forms of psychotherapies and counseling had been used to no avail. but at least I knew it would do no harm. My lack of belief was exceeded only by her conviction that this would be of little value and she could not understand how something so remote from dealing with the direct biochemical cause of this disorder could be helpful. dealing with some old thought patterns that she had. This woman came to me not long after I had taken the Advanced Course in PSYCH-K. when the opportunity presented itself. CA Freed from 50 Years of Fear September 1. I was really motivated to learn more! I called Rob Williams to get more information about the training available and attended the Basic and Advanced PSYCH-K classes. Only once was she able to use sheer willpower and some medications. and then began to work on . 2000 A woman in her late 60s came to my office suffering from over 50 years of agoraphobia [fear of open spaces].\n\ncheerful and free of negative thought for the first time in 20 years. in spite of losses of money. The mother did in fact drive a short distance away. I remember better. I think better. I feel whole and fully functional. About a week later she took a trip out in the eastern plains of Colorado .being comfortable. This result certainly underscores not only the effectiveness of PSYCH-K when the recipient is disbelieving. due to some misbehavior on her part. my life has been in full recovery. and calm while riding in a car. This trauma seems also to have been overcome through the PSYCH-K process. 2001 It has been almost two months since the PSYCH-K workshop. There was an underlying trauma that seemed to have precipitated this disorder in that when she was a child traveling across country with her mother. given all the open space. Minson. which in general was a trigger for severe panic and agoraphobia symptoms. which in itself was a record. happy. . she was able to go for ten miles away from her home. The main reason I wanted to write you is to thank you for what happened to me during the conference. I had not thought I would ever fully recover from the brain aneurisms. and devastations to this country. Shortly thereafter. but since that weekend. Colorado Full Recovery November 20. M. but also even when the practitioner has little reason to believe that it would work! Ron B. I take in greater sequential information. to the terror of the child. relaxed. but this is the first time I have had some quiet time to write you.D. I don’t worry. especially during the core Belief Balance. her mother made her get out of the car and threatened to drive away. Psychiatrist Denver .\n\ndepressed. Judith Long Salt Lake City . Most Sincerely. experienced a profound change in my life and attitude about life. UT Coincidence? I Think Not! September 22. This time it happened immediately after participating in my first [PSYCH-K practice session] at the Green Hills Library. Last time. I’ll just say that since taking the class. 2001 [An e-mail from a post-workshop practice session participant sent to others in her practice group. and all effects of that disorder disappeared during that amazing core belief work. 11 [2001 World Trade Center terrorist attack] have had me feeling so confused. No one but God has known or understood the level of “sheer survival” I had existed on the edge of for most of my life. I know that Heavenly Father led me to this work in order for this wonderful change to take place. I had allowed life to slowly overwhelm me with too many things pulling in different directions. once again. it was immediately after taking the PSYCH-K class.] I just wanted to let everyone know that I have. The events since Sept. Some might call it a coincidence. In an effort to stay brief.I had been previously diagnosed with severe post traumatic stress syndrome. but I do not believe that. Practicing and utilizing PSYCH-K suffered. lost. according to the Law of Restoration as mentioned in scripture. and certainly missing any sense of enthusiasm for my future or the ability to make any type of contribution to .\n\n” I believe that those were pieces of my foundation that were missing at this particular time. I found myself staring at a bookshelf with a feeling that there was something there that I needed at the time.the world. Only I can understand . There are so many things that happened on Friday. 11 certainly emphasized how much I was missing it. It has been as if my thoughts and questions have been answered or acted on almost before I am aware of them. I flipped through the book in curiosity.” It sent chills down my spine. “I am whole. I just haven’t been able to feel much of a connection to God or The Universe. Asking which statements from the colored sheets14 I needed to balance for. but Sept.” I opened it to a page that said. and being Divinely guided. and it was the only statement of its kind that I came across. I was given. Most of all. I jumped up with a real sense of direction. I had let that slip away. and then the reason has become very apparent. after attending Thursday P. Cancel my fears. Right!” One last thing which I will mention in an attempt to explain just one of those many little things which unfolded yesterday to strengthen that feeling of being connected. complete. but when they happen. I knew that I would test weak as I heard this little voice saying “Ya. I have felt such strong prompting to do or not do things. Easiest to explain is that I feel a renewed enthusiasm for life and a sense of purpose.” and “I have all the energy I need to accomplish my goals and fulfill my desires. “Almighty God. The certainly rang true as I read the statements. Feeling that connection allows me to feel like I am on the right path. Something always seems to get lost in the translation when you attempt to share personal spiritual experiences. I felt attracted to a book called “What My Dog Has Taught Me About Life.M. I do want to say that I have felt such a bond with my source of Divine Guidance. connected and loved by God. things fell into place and I couldn’t wait to start my Friday. which is my main goal in life. I know better than to try to do it through an e-mail. I don’t ever want to miss what you have in store for my life. These are the types of things that feel like “you had to be there” to really understand. I have hardly been able to drag myself out of bed and yet on Thursday. Is it a “coincidence” that the big change came again after my involvement with PSYCH-K? I absolutely know that it was not. it touches something at a very deep level that impacts you.\n\nThe Carpet Layer and the Cat This story comes from my personal experience and took place in September of 1995. As we talked. My fiancée and I were doing some remodeling of the house we would soon share. He said he had a fear of cats and couldn’t do the work if the cat wasn’t locked in the house! I told him that wouldn’t be a problem. He became agitated and nervous. I know that I have to do the work. he asked if I had any pets. My point: I wonder what my life holds for me if I don’t let this invaluable tool slip away again. balanced. let me know. God Bless America and PSYCH-K. I was planning to be married the following month. I returned to the house and . but it helps me feel whole. I wholeheartedly believe it works. The project that day was having outdoor carpet installed on the back patio. The carpet layer arrived about 9:00am to begin the job. and supported in my efforts. We have to trust the process. His response startled me. but I was sure she wouldn’t be a problem. and I would be happy to badly I needed to hold that thought and how exciting it was to see it in print. I spent a few minutes talking with him about logistics and timing. I told him we had a thirteen-year-old cat. TN 14 These are belief statement sheets provided in the Basic PSYCH-K Workshop handouts. As we walked toward his van. Teri Rose Nashville . If there is anything I can do to encourage anyone. I really think it can help us get our lives on the right track which helps tget the world on track.\n\nI explained that it was the only way to get the carpet installed! Then it happened. He asked a few more questions about the process. and before I knew it we were in the backyard doing some muscle testing regarding his fear of cats. He was wedged in the back of his van pushing this formidable roll of carpet toward me as I stood in the street behind the van. I got “the look” from her.” I left the back door unlocked and we went away for a couple of hours. There was a long awkward pause… finally he said. and we proceeded to do a PSYCH-K balance to relieve his discomfort. That posed a problem. You may be surprised to know that the pattern of change I used with the carpet layer to change his phobic response to cats is one taught in the Basic PSYCH-K workshop! . This isn’t an office visit. and while I was holding the phone with one hand. and casually asked him if he would like to get over his fear of cats. “Yes of course. “I can’t believe it! I went in the house to make a call. why don’t you ‘fix’ the guy?” “Absolutely not!” I said. I said. I proceeded to walk out to the installer’s van and broach the subject with him. I went into the backyard to see how things were progressing. When we returned. “I don’t know this guy.” He thanked me profusely for “whatever I did” to get him over his fear of cats. and she said. He said. About ten minutes later we were finished.explained to my fiancée that the installer had an extreme fear of cats and that we would need to lock the cat inside for the afternoon. He filled me in on the horrific childhood trauma that created the fear. He asked if he could use our house phone if he needed to while we were gone. “What are you. and he went back to laying the carpet. some kind of shrink or something?” I replied that I did some work that could help people with fears like this and that it would probably take only a few minutes. The installer came rushing toward me with a real sense of urgency! I immediately thought something terrible had happened. I asked him what was wrong. “Well. I grabbed the roll at my end to give him a hand. if he was interested.” Her “look” persisted. I realized I was petting the cat with the other! I was so busy talking I didn’t even notice I was doing it. and he’s just here to lay some carpet. I explained that my fiancée and I needed to run some errands. The silence was deafening! So. She was uncomfortable having to restrict the cat to the house for the several hours it would take to complete the work.\n\nCompare these steps to techniques you have been using and see how many are included. visualization. PSYCHK can be remarkably effective when used by trained clinical therapists or just ordinary people wanting to make positive and lasting changes in their lives.” and they represent essential components of any process of change that is consistently successful. The process involves four key steps. How to Manifest Just About Anything Now that you have the basic pieces of the “change puzzle. contemporary allopathic medicine. among others. Some of these steps can be found in the practices of meditation. prayer. complementary energy medicine. the more successful it is likely to be. As you can see from these examples alone. These steps can be aptly described as “cutting-edge ancient wisdom. Even if you never have the opportunity to experience the PSYCH-K belief change processes.” the following formula for making positive and lasting changes in your life will make sense. Few processes seem to contain all four steps. It’s a critical first step in manifesting your dreams and desires. and various psychological techniques. . many ancient healing practices. affirmations.These are just a few of the experiences that have been reported by people who have used PSYCH-K belief change techniques. This comparison may give you some insight into why some processes work well and others fall short of your expectations. The greater the number of these steps included in a change process. positive thinking. you will understand the ideal steps to creating beliefs that support your goals rather than sabotage them.\n\nIt represents your desire and commitment to achieving your goal.Formula for Manifestation Intention + Intent + Meaningful Ritual + Action = Manifestation Step 1. visual. Step 2. auditory.e.” Define the goal in sensory-based language. Is it something you REALLY want or just a good idea. This should be stated in the first person. and what the ramifications might be in your life if you get it. (i. Set Intention/Goal Decide what you want. and kinesthetic language or symbols). Your intention is your goal. Intent is the emotional component of the process. as long as you don’t have to work very hard or risk much to get it? Ask yourself these questions: “Is it really worth wanting? Are you emotionally invested in getting it? Whate sacrifices are you willing or not willing to make in order to achieve your goal?” . Example: “I am happy and content” is better than “I am not depressed. reflecting what you DO want rather than what you DON’T want. present tense (as if it were already true). Check for Intent Decide whether you really want it.\n\nor special activities. vision quest. Take Action Using your “intent” from Step 2. . one of the numerous healing modalities. This step is analogous to opening an application program on your personal computer. affirmations. allowing it to select the ritual rather than choosing it consciously. religious rite. take action/s to manifest the potential available from Step 3. turning manifestation of your goals into a habit rather than an effort. your conscious choice to “act”-ivate the new potential. The power of the program is merely latent potential until you activate it. This step is critical! If done properly. exercise to become physically fit. it will align the subconscious mind with your conscious goal. or having the facilitator choose it. Communicate Intention to the Subconscious Mind Identify a meaningful “ritual” (activity or process) for communication with the subconscious. visualization. So it is with newly acquired subconscious beliefs. Without direct communication with the subconscious mind you are simply guessing which approach will work to make the change you desire. read books or get training in that area.Step 3. or if your goal requires knowledge you do not currently possess. Your subconscious mind will support. For example. as is the case with many well-intentioned processes for personal change. it makes the outcome much less certain. such as PSYCH-K. Step 4. rather than sabotage. however it still requires your conscious mind’s choice to take the actions that create the results. The ritual will virtually always work if you can communicate directly with the subconscious mind. Whatever you give meaning and importance to is more likely to work. If omitted. prayer. This is an important step in PSYCH-K.\n\nPutting them into action creates results. Personal Power. These areas include Self-Esteem. This cross-section of beliefs gives you a good idea of whether you are subconsciously sabotaging yourself in these key areas of your life. and Grief and Loss. but to unlearn. --Gloria Steinem What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You! This is your opportunity to see whether you have self-sabotaging beliefs in any of seven important areas of your life. men and women. For best results. Chapter 9 Testing Your Subconscious Beliefs The first problem for all of us. select the Test Your Beliefs button and follow the instructions. is not to before proceeding. Remember.Changing subconscious beliefs creates potential. Treat this activity as a process of “discovery” rather than blame or shame. You can test your subconscious beliefs using the muscle testing technique described in Chapter 3. Spirituality.psych-k. Health and Body. The class handouts include a total of 175 beliefs in these seven categories of change. you are about to access the part of your mind that is below the level of your conscious . Relationships. review the muscle testing section in this book or at the Web site at www. The following beliefs are excerpted from the handouts in the PSYCH-K Basic Workshop training. If you choose the Web site. Prosperity.\n\nit is virtually impossible to feel “up to speed” on just about any subject or issue in our society. Any significant delay in the test from the time the statement is made may result in an inaccurate response. Spirituality Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power.15 . Have your partner muscle test you immediately after you say the statement. the search for meaning in our lives has caused a heightened interest in spiritual matters. --Martin Luther King Jr. fame. Your subconscious mind responds to what you are paying attention to at the moment the muscle is being tested. Concentrate more on the statement than on the arm being tested to ensure that the response you get relates to the statement you just made and not extraneous thoughts. This distinction will let you know which beliefs are supporting you in this area of your life. rest assured it is possible.” In our high-speed technological age. This debilitating reality is echoed by the fact that the most popular drugs sold by major pharmaceutical companies are antidepressants (such as Prozac) and ulcer medications (such as Prilosec). At a time in our history when the bar of integrity and ethics seem to be at a new low in our society and around the world. We live in a world of perpetual “overwhelm.awareness. market is children age twelve and under. and which are not. You could have done little about subconscious beliefs in the past. using processes that relied heavily on conscious insight and willpower alone. Say each statement out loud as if you really mean it! Concentrate on the feeling you get when you say the statement. Muscle test the following belief statements. a growing need emerges in many people to fill a void in their lives that material possessions. Even more startling is the fact that the fastest growing market for antidepressants in the U.S. The sensation of being overwhelmed often leads to a crippling feeling of insecurity and uncertainty. and power just cannot satisfy. We have guided missiles and misguided men. Whether through organized religion or its various spiritual alternatives. If you discover you are testing weak to some of the following beliefs and would like to have those beliefs included as part of your subconscious software. Notice which beliefs are strong and which are weak.\n\n2. The Undiscovered Mind. Using the PSYCH-K belief change techniques. urban violence. New York : The Free Press. Great spirit. doubt and struggle occurs. Great spirit. 1999. 112-113. The list seems endless. Using PSYCH-K to discover such discrepancies and then to resolve them so that the subconscious beliefs support the conscious beliefs is a liberating and comforting experience. Buddha. Where a disagreement exists between the subconscious and conscious minds. The sources of our anxiety come from every direction: international terrorism. Pgs. the power to survive and even thrive in this kind of seemingly hopeless environment is to expand the connection to our spiritual selves. and perspective. fear of economic collapse. often people turn to spirituality and religion for solace. You may be surprised to learn that beliefs you hold to be true consciously are not always shared by your subconscious mind.). moral decay. Sample Beliefs: 1. Buddha. make up your own. guidance. astronomical anomalies. In working with several thousand people over the years. check the following beliefs to see what your subconscious mind believes. Using the muscle testing technique described in Chapter 3.). . geological catastrophes. In other words. In such times. I am loved by God (Divine Intelligence. I noticed that those who are the most fervent about their beliefs often are so because of a deeper insecurity about those very same beliefs. etc. If the beliefs suggested here aren’t important to you. Just be sure they are stated in the first person. The issues are so terrifying and widespread that any real solution seems unlikely. A steady diet of the evening news will convince most people that the world is a bad place and getting worse. present tense for best results. I believe in God (Divine Intelligence. etc. and so on. biological aberrations. genetic engineering. It has been said that the only real security we can know is our ability to change our point of view.15 See John Horgan’s book. you can check to see what your subconscious programs are regarding your spiritual or religious beliefs.\n\nPerhaps the nuances of these beliefs are understood by theologians and mystics in a way that doesn’t lead to the conclusion that “life’s a bitch and then you die. If you are confident and self-assured. Buddha. If you want to be free of the limitations of unworthiness in your life. Some world religions teach us that we are fundamentally unworthy. Great spirit. However. 7. I love God (Divine Intelligence. 4. The way people treat you is a reflection of those subconscious beliefs. etc. Buddha. you need to change the self-sabotaging beliefs that are causing the undesirable treatment. etc. Others teach that life is endless suffering and to simply embrace it as an inevitable consequence of being in the world. Great spirit. Self-Esteem If you believe you can or you believe you can’t … you’re right! --Henry Ford How you view yourself profoundly influences how others view you. others will respond accordingly with a lack of confidence and trust in you.). Great spirit. “If you can’t love yourself. More often than not it leads to a deep sense of hopelessness and helplessness and that you are not worthy of having it be different. you can’t expect others to love you.” but to the average person that conclusion is hard to escape.3. Buddha. Great spirit. Consequently. I have a personal relationship with God (Divine Intelligence. Essentially. I am guided and protected by God (Divine Intelligence. etc. I trust God (Divine Intelligence. especially the subconscious ones. Buddha. are teaching the world how to treat you.). be sure that your subconscious beliefs support that goal. other people will tend to see you that way also. I am a necessary and important part of the Divine plan.).” Another aspect of self-esteem is the concept of unworthiness. if you want to change the way others behave toward you. As the saying goes. your beliefs. . 5. 6.). if you are tentative and unsure of yourself. etc.\n\nHere are some constructive. --C. Our first role models for relationships are usually our parents. Jung (Psychiatrist) For many people relationships are the most rewarding. both are transformed. not necessarily what is desirable. of human experiences. remember they got their relationship software from their parents who got theirs from their parents. You can see that such beliefs lead you to attract people and situations that make life difficult. Sample Beliefs: 1.G.Muscle test the following beliefs to discover how you see yourself. I do my best and my best is good enough. Sample Beliefs: . I love myself unconditionally. and so on. Blaming your parents or others for your relationship difficulties just reinforces the problem. you establish and/or reinforce a victim mentality at the subconscious level. I am proud of my results and comfortable with my successes and my failures. and sometimes the most challenging and painful. I deeply appreciate and accept myself. 7. I deserve the very best life has to offer. 5. 3. I am a good person. When you blame others for your problems. 2. This program says that other people and forces control your life. 4. The subconscious mind is simply programmed to recognize and attract what is familiar. 6. And before you decide to blame your parents for your failed relationships. Relationships The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction. I am confident and self-assured. relationship-enhancing beliefs to check with muscle testing.\n\nNot only can beliefs sabotage the accumulation of wealth. With this limited capacity for discernment we often end up with distilled and possibly distorted versions of beliefs that may be based on fundamental truths. and power corrupts. I am willing to risk loving and being loved. 3. I am worthy of an intimate. For example. As young children with limited capacity for intellectual discernment. 2. and distort otherwise sophisticated distinctions such as the one between the love of money and the acquisition of money. we tend to generalize. intimate relationship in my life. - Money is power. It’s okay for me to grow and change in a relationship. simplify. If you find yourself spending money as fast as. passionate relationship. 7. - Poverty is a virtue. --1 Timothy 6:10. the preceding quotation refers to the “love” of money as the root of all evil. or make one bad investment decision after another. you acquire it. It’s easy for me to receive love from others. 5. 6. It’s okay for me to express my truth in a relationship. or faster than. It is an understatement to say that such beliefs are undesirable when it comes to meeting your financial needs and desires. It’s easy for me to give love to others.1. but end up adulterated into beliefs like these: - Money is the root of all evil. King James Bible Beliefs that sabotage our personal prosperity are frequently embedded in the subconscious. they can undermine the management of that wealth even if you accumulate it. - You can’t be both spiritual and wealthy. Often our early religious training or parental conditioning creates beliefs that are counterproductive to achieving financial prosperity. I am ready for a powerful. Prosperity For the love of money is the root of all evil. - You don’t deserve to have lots of money. chances are your beliefs about not deserving to . 4.\n\n5. 4. self-esteem. --Christiane Northrup. Additional qualities and attributes of healthy people are the ability to . Muscle test the following beliefs to determine your propensity for prosperity. responsiveness. and Native American. I can make all the money I need doing a job that I love. and your daily thought patterns that have the most profound effect on your health.. It is okay to have more money than I need. Health and Body . M. Northrup suggests. Sample Beliefs: 1... Western science is finally acknowledging this link and is beginning to study its ramifications for health care in the United States . Other cultures. our beliefs. attitudes. Money is one expression of my spirituality and my love for God. curiosity. alertness. and contentment. 3. Polynesian. As the quote from Dr. 2. security. including the Chinese. others. 7.D. and myself. An entire spectrum of scientific studies in the field of psychoneuroimmunology support the findings of a “disease-resistant” as well as a “self-healing” personality. I enjoy making lots of money and spending it.16 People with these personality traits enjoy better health than the population at large. The Wisdom of Menopause Our health is the foundation of our lives. your beliefs. when all is said and done it is your attitude. and thought patterns can create health or disease. I trust myself to manage money honestly and sensibly. I deserve to have all the money I need.regardless of what supplements you take and what kind of exercise you do. have been using this connection of mind and body as an important healing tool for centuries.have lots of money are at the bottom of this self-sabotaging behavior. Some of these traits are enthusiasm. It is okay for me to want money and I do want it. 6.\n\nIt had taken months for the letter to arrive in the United States . communications with the eastern bloc countries became extremely difficult. 16 Hafen et al. Although still used pejoratively by many in the mainstream medical community. Healthful traits are supported by healthful subconscious beliefs. we should not ignore compelling brain research that demonstrates that beliefs manifest themselves throughout our bodies.. forgive self and others. and to see the world filled with hope. says in his book. as the communist regimes were collapsing and reorganizing. physically. As Herbert Benson. and anger. Instead of trying to factor the placebo effect out of scientific studies. Needham MA : Allyn & Bacon 1996 Much has been researched and written about the field of psychoneuroimmunology in the past thirty-five years. This point is illustrated by the following true story: One American family. The power of the placebo as a healing agent is directly related to the power of our beliefs and perceptions. During the period of political and social unrest in Europe during the late 1980s. It represents the power of beliefs in the equation for healing. including insights into the power of beliefs that affect our biology. Since the “active ingredient” in the placebo effect is perception. the placebo effect is a tenacious reality that science has been unable to explain adequately or to factor out of clinical studies. PSYCH-K helps you access the innate wisdom of the mind/body system and the power of subconscious beliefs as they relate to health and healing. Beliefs are the driving force behind the phenomenon known as the placebo effect.D. mentally. Even though science cannot now measure most of the myriads of interactions entertained in the brain. The extended family in the United States received an urgent letter from their relatives requesting help in the form of supplies. . manage loss. maybe it’s time we figure it out and factor it in. thereby learning to leverage its positive benefits. tells this true story. Timeless healing: The Power and Biology of Belief. M. Mind/Body/Health. resolve fears. anything that could make life a little easier. renaming it the perception effect is a more accurate description of this powerful healing agent. who originated in an eastern bloc country and still has many family members living there.\n\nI treat my body like royalty. but the medicine had NOT been sent. and confident in the world. naturally and quickly. But the relatives were most grateful for the medicine. anxiety to depression? By learning to directly access the subconscious mind. 3. . They made such a difference!” If the power of perception could cause a popular candy to effect health changes in people as though it were medicine. please send more of the LifeSavers®. It had helped so many in the family. The family conferred. tell us so we can send more immediately. I accept health as being a natural part of my life.” Again communications were delayed. from colds to cancer. They were running low on the medicine and were beginning to ration it until more could be sent. They also included an urgent message: “What is the medicine that is helping so much? If it is not in the package. 6. “Please. wanting to help. My body heals itself. The relatives were so appreciative of the supplies sent in the second package. After nearly six months. they received a letter from grateful relatives thanking them for the supplies. I feel safe. 2. I am a good person and deserve to be healthy. negative beliefs that sabotage behaviors and wellness can be changed into beliefs that support them. They were frantic. 7. sending everything they remembered sending previously. especially some of the elderly members who had seen significant improvement in their health. they will provide a quick check to see whether these subconscious beliefs are supporting your health or sabotaging it. secure. 4. Sample Beliefs: 1. Even though the following statements represent only a small sample of the beliefs that may be affecting your health.Each of the family members gathered various items. and it was several months before they got a response. so they reconstructed the package as best they could. I love and accept my body as it is and as it changes. what are the possibilities for using the “perception effect” in a deliberate way to support health in patients with a variety of physical or psychological problems. What medicine? No one could remember sending any medicine. I express my anger openly and honestly. 5. and supplies were all sent together.\n\nit can become unhealthy and counterproductive if allowed to persist for an inappropriate period of time. By contrast. and healing thoughts. 3. the procession from the grave site is an energetic celebration of life. in anger. in a typical New Orleans style funeral the procession to the grave site is a somber and mournful acknowledgment of death. I forgive myself for love and affection I withheld. ultimately making the world a better place. Although grief is a normal and usually healthy response to loss. regardless of the detrimental effects on the life of the person grieving. Even grieving a significant loss can be dramatically affected by your perceptions and beliefs. nurturing. Sample Beliefs: 1. from myself and others.Grief and Loss When one door of happiness closes. Countless examples describe people who turned tragedy into inspiration. I acknowledge my feelings as a necessary part of my healing process. For example. shame. 5. 4. I know when it is time to let go. the ancient Egyptians expected that when a prominent person died. Many people believe that grief is not a feeling that can or should be changed and so must simply be endured for as long as it lasts. In case of the loss of a loved one. Different cultures have different expectations and ways of dealing with grief. However. Whether you lose a loved one. or a job. the feeling of loneliness and concern for the future can be emotionally devastating. another opens. most people feel some degree of grief when such an event occurs. I fill my mind with positive. 2. I release all guilt. --Helen Keller Loss is inevitable… how you respond to it is optional. and blame from my past thoughts and actions. . Following are a few examples of beliefs that promote a healthy response to the grieving process. especially a spouse. and I do. his spouse and sometimes his servants would be buried with him. but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us. a relationship.\n\nIt is not power over others. Personal Power Worry comes from the belief you are powerless. if you heard messages from parents and other authority figures telling you your opinion didn’t count and your actions didn’t matter. and social status. you are likely to have subconscious beliefs that mirror those ideas. Check the following subconscious beliefs to be sure your personal power comes from who you are. 4. The frequent result is people with debilitating insecurities about their ability to positively affect the course of their lives. I actively embrace the opportunities that come with change. 2. 5. Everything happens in Divine Order. --Dr. but rather from who they are. People with authentic power can have an abundance of money. 7. but power over oneself that is the sign of authentic personal power. I trust the decisions I make. 6. I trust the Divine guidance I am receiving. possessions. not just what you have. and social status. Unfortunately. Robert Anthony If you got more “You can’t” than “You can” messages as a child. I am willing to take the risks necessary to live my life openly and honestly. I am true to my personal vision. possessions. Sample Beliefs: 1. these external signs of power seldom satisfy the gnawing feeling of insecurity and powerlessness within. . In other words. Usually this sense of power is achieved by acquiring money. I give myself permission to do what I love. 3. 7. I acknowledge my ability and responsibility to make a positive difference in the world.6. you are probably having more “I can’t” than “I can” experiences as an adult. I have faith in my future and myself. Some people overcompensate for this feeling of powerlessness by making a career out of becoming powerful. but their personal power does not come from the things they have.\n\nI do urge you to test what I am saying and decide for yourself. The PSYCH-K process enables you to break through these myths and go beyond their innate limitations.If you discovered beliefs that muscle test weak in any of these categories.” --Lewis Carroll Truth Is Not Determined By a Show of Hands Some commonly held myths about change deserve to be challenged. sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast. Fact: Most of the time changing beliefs is like changing the software in a personal computer. Myth Number 1. These myths are firmly ingrained in our culture. “When I was your age.” said Alice . The good news is that you can acquire positive subconscious beliefs through the PSYCH-K belief change process.” said the Queen. They’ve been unchallenged and accepted as facts by many people for many years. It doesn’t take any longer to change a program that has been in your computer for 30 years than it does to change one that has been there for 30 minutes… when you know how to rewrite the software of the subconscious mind. However. “One can’t believe impossible things. so I don’t expect you to let go of them just because I say they’re myths. . If you’ve had a negative belief for a long time it will take a long time to change it. it indicates your subconscious beliefs may be misaligned with your conscious goals and desires. I always did it for half an hour a day.” I dare say you haven’t had much practice. Chapter 10 The Myths About Change “There is no use trying. Why.\n\nIn addition to these myths. our language patterns often characterize the mind in such a way as to suggest that some beliefs are difficult to “get to. To use a computer metaphor. that is what subconscious means. Until we shift our focus to the subconscious mind and accept the fact that we don’t typically need to consciously know what beliefs are causing the problem in order to change them. no gain” myth. Properly redirected. These perceptions/beliefs are represented by configurations of photons of light held in an electromagnetic field (mind).Myth Number 2. What is being implied is that it is difficult to consciously identify the beliefs that are the source of our problems. not little people running around in your head trying to make your life miserable! Quite frankly. Fact: Patterns of thought and behavior are caused by perception. In fact. consciously knowing how you got where you are isn’t usually necessary to get where you want to be.” or “deeply ingrained. we will continue to have difficulty in making positive changes in our lives. Changing old behaviors and thought patterns is difficult and often painful. Myth Number 3. just how “deeply” embedded can a belief be in a brain whose average size is 5” wide by 5” high by 6” long? The real issue is that most of our language reflects the limitations of the conscious mind. the photons don’t care if you want to reorganize them. Put another way. The prefix sub means . insight into the cause of a problem is necessary to change it. You need to know what caused a problem in order to change it. In other words.” The question is. PSYCH-K provides a kind of “Find File” for your subconscious mind and performs most of its reprogramming functions outside of your conscious awareness. Remember. other commonly accepted ideas make change more difficult. Fact: Becoming consciously aware of the source of the problem is seldom necessary to change most beliefs or behaviors. It’s the “No pain. they will most often easily and painlessly accommodate your wishes. For example. mind is energy.” A popular way of describing a longheld belief is to say it is “deep-seated.\n\nconferring to each of them the powers they seek. You don’t need a new past. attitudes. So the work subconscious implies activity taking place below the level of conscious awareness. and beliefs. values. By reperceiving the past. In other words. The good news with PSYCHK is like a computer.below. but in having new eyes. Because your subconscious is the storehouse for past experiences. After he is exposed as the “man behind the curtain.” he tells Dorothy and the other seekers that they already possess the gifts they are seeking. it is capable of accomplishing this task. pins a medal on the Lion as a symbol . The Great Oz provides them with meaningful rituals. Chapter 11 The Magic of Believing The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes. The power and wisdom they desire is already within each of them. you need new eyes with which to see it. you are freed from it. PSYCH-K does not insist that you consciously revisit or relive past traumas in order to change their effect on your life in the present. the great Wizard turns out to be a clever illusionist. It is important that your subconscious mind does know the source of the problem because it will be rewriting the necessary software to make the desired changes. --Marcel Proust Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Curtain In the classic motion picture The Wizard of Oz. you don’t have to read a document before deleting it or putting it in a deactivated folder. He awards the Scarecrow a diploma as an acknowledgment of his intelligence.\n\nWe can literally create a new reality. This inner Wizard represents your innate and seemingly magical power to create a life that reflects the very best you. creative. you have only to realize that the answers you seek are already within you. I know. I never lost it to begin with. You are the embodiment of the power you seek. The greatest teachers and spiritual masters of all time have borne this message. more heart (to love and be loved). Glenda. or a way to get home (to find comfort and peace within). Dorothy says “If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again. not the exception. and the world in which we live. and functioning naturally—the BEST they can be.” In that scene. a user-friendly way to get in touch with your Divinely inspired inner Wizard.” By changing these subconscious “filters. The Good Witch answers by saying. because it is up to each of us to become the world we desire.” we can reperceive ourselves. for myself. If this sounds like a call to action… it is! If it sounds . because if it isn’t there. “You’ve always had the power to go back to Kansas .of his courage. more courage (to face life’s challenges). the Scarecrow asks Glenda why she didn’t tell Dorothy about this ability sooner. PSYCH-K is a process of personal awakening and spiritual discovery (or un-recovery). PSYCH-K teaches you ways to change self-defeating patterns of thought and behavior that are no longer worthy of who you are. but is a living truth as commonly accepted as the law of gravity. “Because she wouldn’t have believed me. we must embody the principles of the world we want to create. In other words. She had to learn it for herself. A world wehre the interconnectedness of all life is no longer debated. It’s the magic of believing in action! Whether you want more brains (to think clearly and with more mental flexibility). The recipients are immediately transformed by their new belief in themselves. I won’t look any further than my own backyard.” Dorothy’s belief was all she needed to achieve her heart’s desire. A world where the dreams we dare to dream really can come true. and gives the Tin Man a watch in the shape of a heart to represent his feelings. Each of us has a vital part to play in the creation of this new vision. As Albert Einstein once said. One of the main obstacles to creating such a world lies in the distorted psychological “filters” through which we perceive ourselves and our reality. reminds Dorothy that. “Reality is merely an illusion. And finally. A world where a sense of the sacred is the rule.” When asked what she had learned from her experience. the Good Witch of the North. or who you are becoming. PSYCH-K honors this timeless truth and provides you with effective tools for accessing your inner wisdom. albeit a persistent one. I want to live in a world filled with people who are clear.\n\n--J Krishnamurti You are one person in a world of billions. We are all connected. even at a distance. As the Baal Shem Tov saying goes. our separateness is a kind of “optical delusion. The Newtonian view of the universe tells us that the boundaries of who we are stop at our skin. then who? If not here. And. it definitely is not! If you were feeling fine until now. but are beginning to feel a little uneasy because you realize it means you will have to get involved and actually put your actions where your desires are. remember it’s up to you to activate the Divine Wizard within. but it does. there can be no transformation for the world. then you are right again. professor of Religious Studies at Youngstown State University . on one planet in a universe of billions of planets. It is the same power within all of us. then when?” If you are still waiting for a Great Wizard to come and fix things in your life (or in the world). I AM Only One Person. no matter what name we give it. You matter! Are you ready to transform yourself and the world? The fact that we are all energetically connected is the key. the world is. Christopher M. The more contemporary quantum physical view says we are energy fields in constant “contact” with each other. the task of changing ourselves and therefore our world is achievable. Equipped with the PSYCH-K transformational tools. You may be tempted to think your transformation doesn’t matter. Early Dawn. “If not you. As you transform your life.rather impossible. In his book entitled Dark Night. How Can Changing Myself Change the World? What you are. . Bache. says. then where? If not now. each transformation adds to the collective consciousness that is necessary to transform our world. you become an inspiration and an example to all around you to transform their lives. In effect. And without your transformation.” as Einstein called it.\n\nResearch on prayer at a distance also provides compelling evidence that leads to a similar conclusion that it is possible for group prayer to influence physiological conditions of patients at a distance.Research has demonstrated that persons meditating together tend to move into collective patterns of synchronized brainwave functioning. If this synchronized brainwave pattern were sufficiently stable. if individual cells from a chicken embryo heart are separated from each other. Are We Toto? . Dark Night. Christopher Bache. Early Dawn. they spontaneously phase lock and begin to beat in unison. Albany : State University of New York Press.D. M. they beat erratically. For example. If they are recombined one by one. Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. I believe even more power to change the world is available to us through the vehicle of coherent.18 Perhaps this phenomenon represents a kind of group “phase-locking” of guided intention. Although I think Mead was probably thinking more in terms of political and social action when she made that statement. it might begin to resemble a condition known in chaos theory as “phase lock. This finding bodes well for the idea that our energetic sphere of influence extends beyond our skin as well. focused thought. 2000. 17.17 This phenomenon strongly suggests that the individual cells of the chicken embryos were capable of interaction beyond the boundaries of the “skin” of the cell walls. when a certain number of cells are present. I think Margaret Mead was more right than she knew when she said. 1997. it is the only thing that ever has. Indeed.” Phase locking occurs in nature when individual oscillating systems shift from a state of collective chaos to integrated resonance. 18 See Healing Words. The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine by larry Dossey. We Aren’t in Kansas Anymore.\n\ninformation can be received from the recipient through the surrogate. it is a logical extension of the one-to-one surrogate process just mentioned. it usually gets more than a few raised eyebrows! The process stretches the imagination of some participants to the outer limits of their beliefs. To push the envelope of beliefs a bit further.” a kind of collective group consciousness.”19 Surrogation allows the effects of PSYCH-K to be shared with individuals not physically present at the location where the techniques are being used. healing intention is directed from the group to the recipient in a one-way flow of energy and intention. Maybe the world of matter isn’t so real after all. it is the only world most of us nonphysicists have known. It is akin to group prayer but with a more interactive quality. with prayer. humanity. Although the results of such efforts are more difficult to measure. Permission protocols ensure that the quality and integrity of the interaction are in the highest good of both parties at all times. Unlike the Newtonian reality. Permission protocols are used before such work is done to ensure a safe. but also.When a technique called surrogation is taught in the Advanced PSYCH-K Integration Workshop. it is possible to connect surrogately to such groups and thereby affect the consciousness of the group. solar system. Surrogation utilizes the “extended sphere of influence” principle suggested in the chick embryo example. With surrogation. culture. not only does the intention for beliefchange “flow toward” the recipient from the surrogate. like everincreasing circles within circles. the quantum world holds few limitations except those imposed by our lack of imagination and ignorance of our possibilities. An individual (surrogate) is substituted for the person receiving the benefit of the work. nation. Until fairly recently. such as family. race. the prayer at a distance research. No conversation takes place unless both parties are willing to participate. and noninvasive interaction between the surrogate and the recipient. 19. galaxy. This vital two-way flow of information and intention actually guides the process of beliefchange at a distance. either party can “hang up” whenever they wish. This concept is one of nested fields of consciousness. respectful. and what some quantum physicists refer to as “action at a distance. Reality is more than we can perceive with our senses . planet. For example. The results of such sessions have often been remarkable. This is a principle from quantum physics that postulates the non-physical interaction between two objects without the benefit of matter as an intermediary. consider that the interconnectedness of all things creates what Christopher Bache calls the “species-mind. and so on. Things are not always what they seem to be in the everyday Newtonian world of “solid” matter. Even after the connection is made. through the use of muscle testing. Using the permission protocols inherent in the PSYCH-K process. It is a little like making a cell phone call between two superconscious minds. community.\n\n“Knowledge is experience. versus getting in the water and experiencing it. once again. that the answers you seek are in the next book you’ll measure with our scientific devices. Well. The latest descriptions may be found on the PSYCH-K Web site at www.psych-k. but there is a lot of room for improvement. here is a description of the course content for the Basic and Advanced PSYCH-K Workshops offered nationally and internationally. You can put this book on a shelf with all the other self-help books you’ve read and move on to the next one hoping.” In the introduction to this book I gave you the example of trying to learn how to swim by reading a book. Albert Einstein summed it up when he said. Or. --Shunryu Suzuki Where Do You Go from Here? It’s your choice. for those readers who are ready to take the plunge. The PSYCH-K Basic Workshop . It’s time to wake up to the real world of possibilities and unplug from the matrix of illusion! Chapter 12 It’s Just the Beginning Everything is perfect. everything else is just information. you can learn how to put what you read here into action and make real and lasting changes in your life now.\n\nRELATIONSHIPS Create beliefs that support you in having healthy. HEALTH/BODY Reduce “emotional stress” and reprogram your body/mind for optimal health and vitality. This communication is the first step in changing selfsabotaging beliefs. loving relationships.” The Balances can be used to internalize whatever beliefs you choose.The Basic Workshop is taught in a two-day format. It provides participants with the foundational skills to communicate directly with their subconscious and superconscious minds. You will experience and learn how to facilitate two belief-change processes called “Balances. PROSPERITY Replace old attitudes about money and increase your Propensity for Prosperity. The second step is to learn and apply whole-brain integration techniques to make the desired changes. usually on a weekend. . SELF-ESTEEM Discover beliefs that can help you to deeply appreciate and accept yourself. SPIRITUALITY Release subconscious resistance to experiencing your connection with Divinity. to accomplish your goals and enhance your life. GRIEF/LOSS Resolve painful memories and find greater peace and happiness through forgiveness and letting go pain and trauma from the past. Participants will be provided with a list of 175 beliefs in seven categories of change as examples of areas of your life you may want to improve.\n\nand how to define your goals in a way that is clear and compelling to the subconscious mind. which is a four-day event. It takes participants to a new level of interaction with the subconscious and superconscious minds. . Course content includes: CORE BELIEF BALANCE This process aligns thirteen Core Beliefs that support the manifestation of our full potential in life. It is appropriate for individuals who are ready to make sweeping changes in their lives.PERSONAL POWER Increase your self-confidence and willingness to take positive and decisive action in your life. The Advanced PSYCH-K Integration Workshop The Basic PSYCH-K Workshop is a prerequisite for the Advanced Workshop. PLUS… Learn how to create your own personal Belief Statements to meet specific challenges in your life. It is a general clearing process that prepares the mind/body system for accelerated change.\n\nLIFE BONDING BALANCE The “trauma of birth” and the “fear of death” are two powerful aspects of human existence that can limit your happiness in life. RELATIONSHIP BALANCE This experience will help you heal personal issues with others as you better understand the lessons to be learned in the relationship. SURROGATE BALANCING This technique uses a “surrogate” (substitute person) for muscle testing and balancing someone else. friends. These energy points affect the physical body as well as the mental/emotional body. ENERGY FOCUSING A process that allows you to “focus energy” to a point on the body in order to change the energy at a belief point or to correct energy imbalances in yourself and others. They represent key beliefs that give us valuable information about how we are limiting ourselves in a given situation. coworkers. spouses. This process utilizes breath as a means of reprogramming the negative impact of these influences. you will learn to release stress associated with these experiences and free yourself to experience the fullness and joy of life. By directing the breath back and forth between two ancient power points in the body. BELIEF POINTS You will learn twelve energy points on the body that are derived from ancient Chinese medicine. This approach can be used with or without the recipient being physically present. and lovers. It can even be used with pets! RAPPORT . siblings. These points make subconscious beliefs easy to access and easy to change. It will provide a clearer perspective on the value of relationships between parents and children.\n\nFt. NY ) ”Love the practicality of this work—Love the fast and easy way it works to resolve lifelong issues. “At last. Wright . (Business owner/executive.You will learn how to create a deep sense of trust and safety with others by using PSYCH-K balances that will enable you to communicate more effectively.” –Michael Tuchfarber (Sales associate.D. HEALING ENERGY CIRCLE This extraordinary experience utilizes group energy focusing. scientifically proven way to reprogram my subconscious with beliefs that resonate with me and support my dreams and goals in a healthy fashion. fast. M. organizational trainer. ( Long Beach . new York . KY ) .” –Jeanne Golly. CA ) “I find PSYCH-K to be an efficient. PSYCH-K is not only an effective tool for myself. simple tool to use to redirect my life in a more positive and prosperous way. Potter Valley . but also with others. expressing the lifechanging quality of their experiences.” –Susan Mayginnes (Seminar leader. unconditional love! What People Are Saying About the Workshops Here are some comments from PSYCH-K workshop participants. both verbally and nonverbally.” –Yvonne Tyson. It is your opportunity to feel the powerful effects of concentrated. CA ) “I believe that this is the other aspect of energy medicine that is the wave of the future. an effective.\n\nNamaste” –Paula Wells (Feng Shui.” –Marilyn Snow Jones.” –Juliann McDaniel (Fitness consultant. CA ) “Finally. effective tool that sets Ego aside and allows the Higher Self to be the guide to healing. TN ) “Terrific seminar—you opened my eyes and spirit to new ways of looking at how people can heal.20 For information on becoming a Certified PSYCH-K Instructor. Peoria . Nashville .” –Shelley Burns (Tour Coordinator and Reiki Master. I am anxious to implement this process with my clients in the competitive arena. West Chester . and tuition information are available from the individual Certified PSYCH-KTM Instructors listed on the Web site.psych-k. I have personally selected and trained the Certified Instructors. Woodland Hills . a shorter route to who I ‘really’ am. OH ) “Incredibly life changing. Class schedules. DC (Chiropractor.“What a Blessing! To find a powerful. visit the PSYCH-K Web site. I am eternally grateful to have been able to be here for this ‘mind-blowing’ experience. I could write volumes. IL ) “This was a life-changing event for me. .com for specific information about workshops and private sessions in your area. Claremont . visual design manager. CA ) The Next Step Is Up to You! I invite you to discover your innate potential and expand your possibilities. Visit the Instructors page on the Web site at www.” –Lori Crockett (Full-time mom. They are not only competent to teach the workshops but also are the only individuals legally authorized to do so. private consultation fees.\n\na lot! So have I. An experiment reported by Robert A Wilson in his book Cosmic Trigger22 may shed some light on where things are headed. more and more information is being added to the equation of life in shorter and shorter periods of time.20 Any unauthorized use of the trade name PSYCH-KTM or reproduction of the copyrighted workshop materials without the express written permission of the author is in violation of trademark and copyright law. It is estimated that the sum total of all human knowledge is doubling every 18 months. In other words. ranging from the mundane to the cosmic. The mundane explanations range from “hectic life-style choices” to “we just live in a more complicated world these days. where does the time go that we’re supposedly saving? Information processing may be an important factor in understanding this phenomenon. the “behinder” we get! With all the high-tech. while the amount of knowledge increases. Here is the gist of his story. they seem insufficient when it comes to understanding the nagging feeling that the faster we try to go. Afterword PSYCH-K and the Big Picture Always stay in your own movie. What’s going on? There are many theories.” While these ideas are simple observations of current reality. .21 and as time passes that number decreases. time-saving devices we possess in today’s world. --Ken Kesey Have you noticed that life seems to be speeding up a little? Okay.\n\nSo they created a computer program and chronologically plotted the great technological and scientific discoveries in the world. made another prediction along these same lines. After 1975.E. According to the Mayans this date is the end of what they called the Fifth Age of Man. the predictions showed eighteen discoveries equivalent in magnitude to the splitting of the atom in the last 30 minutes of the year 2010. 22 Robert A. Even though this computer was making predictions in 1985 at Stanford University . at which point the computer’s predictions ended. Their calendar also ends in the year 2011 (2012 by some calculations). the Age of the Gods. 1985 A small group of computer scientists from Stanford University were interested in the increasing technological developments and scientific knowledge being created at an everaccelerating rate. just imagine the mind-boggling consequences of eighteen such discoveries occurring all at once! There is a fascinating correlation here. What Does This Have to Do with PSYCH-K? . They included pivotal inventions and discoveries such as the wheel. the printing press. and the beginning of the Sixth Age of Man. Early Dawn. If the Mayans and the computer predictions at Stanford are right. we are in for quite a “shift” in our world in the near future! But.21 Christopher M. They asked the program to project the future and predict great discoveries yet to be made. the steam engine.000 B. AZ : New Falcon Publications. If you think the atomic age has complicated our lives.C. the splitting of the atom. Dark Night. and computers.” in the guise of the ancient Mayan calendar. around 4. starting at the beginning of urbanization. 2000. Tempe . Wilson . the Age of Intellect. a much older “computer. dating back nearly 1700 years. Albany : State University of New York Press.000-5. Amazingly. Cosmic Trigger. Bache. the projected pattern of discovery took a sudden upturn and went off the computer graph at the year 2011.\n\nMaxwell Cade and Nona Coxhead studied the brainwave patterns of more than 3. which was developed to measure amplitude. healers. 1979.23 Authors C. This increased capacity to operate out of both sides of the brain equally. The Awakened Mind. as well as swamis.In an age of rapid change and information overload. The Awakened Mind. Here is a particularly revealing conclusion from the book: From the aforementioned studies of the brain-wave patterns of some three thousand pupils. etc. 24 C. Maxwell Cade and Nona Coxhead. it has become possible to establish that all the unusual abilities that some people are able to manifest (self-control of pain and healing. No better definition of a whole-brain state could be articulated. mediums and clairvoyants. Maxwell Cade and Nona Coxhead.) are associated with changes in the EEG pattern toward a more bilateral. New York : Dell Publishing. . The Awakened Mind. this capability is an underlying principle and positive side effect of using the PSYCH-K belief change processes.24 23 C. and frequency levels of both hemispheres of the brain independently and simultaneously. yogis.000 subjects using a sophisticated EEG (electroencephalogram) type device called a Mind Mirror. healing others. telepathy. 1979. magnitude. is a key to thriving during the high-speed changes occurring now and in the future. Why Is Whole-Brain Thinking So Important? One answer lies in a ground-breaking book. producing higher levels of functioning. how do we manage to keep up with the changes? I believe a critical factor will depend on our ability to process information in such a way that we can not only survive the accelerating rate of change. The key to processing more effectively is learning to use both hemispheres of the brain. new York : Dell Publishing. As you are aware from previous chapters. Zen masters. but also thrive in it. symmetrical and integrated form.\n\na number of known benefits result. Number 10 A.” From here it is a simple if substantial step to recognize that our individual brains are neuronclusters within the larger species brain of humanity. Experimenters reported that during the sessions an increase in similarity of EEG (brainwave) patterns between the pairs of communicators developed. Vol. suggest that synchronized brain states significantly influence nonverbal communication. the experimenters noticed. These conclusions support the allegation that our thoughts. Albany : State University of New York Press. including heightened awareness. can influence others. When a number of minds come together and integrate their individual capacities. Dark Night. “The subject with the highest concordance [hemispheric integration] was the one who most influenced the session. author Christopher M. and heightened creativity—in short. Furthermore. 2000. whole-brain manner. The study was done with thirteen paired subjects. the EEG patterns of the individual with less synchrony between the brain hemispheres would come to resemble the EEG pattern of the person whose two sides more closely resembled each other. 25 Christopher Bache. Once again. Bache sums up the point: When the brain’s hemispheres are phase-locked and work as one. the more we influence .Other studies show that a variety of brain functions are augmented when the two hemispheres operate in an integrated. Our individual mind fields are “cells” within the Sacred Mind. The subjects were tested in a darkened and soundproof Faraday cage (a lead-lined screened chamber that filters out all outside electromagnetic activity). by researchers at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. it is as though they become phase-locked in ways analogous to how individual neurons become phase-locked in hemispherically synchronized brain states. In fact. 13. 26 Excerpted in the Brain/Mind Collections. Each pair of subjects was instructed to close their eyes and try to “communicate” by becoming aware of the other’s presence and to signal the experimenter when they felt it had occurred.25 A controlling factor in human interactions seems to be the whole-brain (hemispherically synchronized) state. The brainwave states of the subjects were monitored during this process. “superlearning.” In other words. the more whole-brained we become. A study reported in 198826 in the International Journal of Neuroscience. improved recall. Early Dawn. more self-programming flexibility. even nonverbally expressed.\n\nan oxygen mask will drop down from above. pay particular attention to the preflight orientation. Without being aware of it. the flight attendant is reminding you of a profound spiritual principle when he or she says “In case of an unexpected change in cabin pressure. When you change yourself.others toward that state of being as well.” In light of this understanding.” Next time you get on a commercial jet liner. As the comedian Lily Tomlin put it. using PSYCH-K whole-brain integration techniques can be characterized as an act of “enlightened self-interest.” By taking responsibility for our own psyches and our own lives. Put your mask on first before trying to help others. you change the world! . “We’re all in this together – by ourselves. we are contributing to the whole of humanity.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9488451480865479}
{"content": "Why did Uganda opt for FIDIC/ EPC turnkey contract mode of implementation?\n\nTue, 03/20/2018 - 06:39 -- sgradmin\n\na)     There are several contracting modes available including Force account, Design-Bid-Build, Design & Build, and Engineering-Procurement & Construction/Turnkey etc. \n\nb)    The choice of the contracting mode depends on risk allocation, complexity and efficiency are some the major parameters that are used to determine the mode of contracting preferred. Notably, for system like the railway, the various system components (civil, electro-mechanical, mechanical and signal, telecom engineering components) must be engineered, procured, manufactured, installed, synchronized and tested simultaneously.\n\nc)     Internationally FIDIC/ EPC- Turnkey contractual mode is preferred for complex and large magnitude engineering systems, like the railway. This was and is currently being used for railway projects in Ethiopia and Kenya\n\nd)    The EPC/Turnkey is a contracting mode where the employer provides functional requirements and the contractor undertakes to design, procure and construct, manufacture, install and test the system to the given requirements by the Employer. The performance of the EPC/Turnkey contract depends on the fulfillment of the functional requirements as agreed by both parties and ultimately the functionality of the system.\n\ne)     The main advantages include:\n\ni)      The contractor bears the design, procurement and construction risks so no addenda arising from design inadequacies are entertained. These addenda cause interruptions to the business programing of such projects.\n\nii)    It’s a lump sum contract with predictable and fixed price.\n\niii)  In most cases, they are completed on time compared to other modes of contracting.  \n\niv)  Most financiers prefer this mode due to predictable price and completion time which adversely can affect the viability of the project\n\nv)    The major challenge is that there are no detailed designs and detailed bills of quantities thus hard to justify to the public that is used to design-bid-build and there is no available list of materials.\n\nf)     The NCIP Summit directed that we use EPC/Turnkey contracts as the implementation mode.\n\ng)    EPC/Turnkey contracting mode is a condition for application for financing to the China Exim Bank.\n\nh)    During negotiations, the Government team relied on preliminary engineering study by Gauff Consultants, cost comparisons with Kenya and Ethiopia, reference rates from similar items from the UNRA roads contracts to come up with the negotiation basis. In the end the negotiated price was 20% lower than the submitted bid and 15% lower than the Gauff estimates.\n\n\nStandard Gauge Railway Uganda", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6138323545455933}
{"content": "News & Events\n\nShareholder loans and the required accompanying documentation are facing increasing scrutiny by the IRS. Any potential deduction that may arise from a worthless shareholder loan must be substantiated by documentation confirming a valid loan exists. When entering into loan agreements with related parties it is important that all notes are expressed in the form of a written formal note, indicate a reasonable interest rate, and authorized in the corporate minute book. Besides having the written documentation, the taxpayer is also responsible to be sure that the terms of the note are being adhered to.\n\nA recent court case, Shaw, T.C. Memo 2013-170, disallowed a bad debt deduction due to the taxpayer not being able to prove that loans were actually bona fide loans or that they became worthless in the year deducted. Although a note was executed and contained a reasonable interest rate, no interest or principle was ever paid. The service will often consider payments made to a related entity as capital contributions. In this case, the court found that Shaw’s behavior was unlike that of a bona fide lender as she made no formal attempt to collect on the loan.\n\nThe Shaw case is an example of not establishing a debtor-creditor relationship. Common factors which will be considered when the validity of loans are in question include, but are not limited to, documentation of the existence of the transaction, affixed schedule of repayment, whether interest is required on the loan, whether collateral is obtained or requested, whether demand for repayment is made, and the financial condition of the debtor. As was the case in the Shaw decision, the financial condition of the company and lack of collateral did not satisfy the third party lender requirement and therefore they failed to establish a valid debtor-creditor relationship between related parties. The debt was reclassified as a capital contribution.\n\nIt is common for shareholders to loan entities money during cash flow shortfalls and times of increasing growth. Therefore, it is very important that shareholders are protecting themselves by following the standards set forth by the IRS. When entering into related party loans, try to place the same scrutiny upon your loan as an unrelated lender would. Ask yourself if a third party would see you as a bona fide lender conducting an arm’s length transaction and most importantly seek the guidance of your professional advisors.\n\nIf you have any questions, please contact your local UHY LLP professional.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9454765915870667}
{"content": "Meeting Banner\nAbstract #4934\n\nLocal SAR Reduction Based on Channel-Dependent Tikhonov Parameters\n\nMartijn Anton Cloos1, Michel Luong2, Guillaume Ferrand2, Alexis Amadon1, Dennis Le Bihan1, Nicolas Boulant1\n\n1CEA, DSV, I2BM, NeuroSpin, LRMN, Gif-sur-Yvette, France; 2CEA, DSM, IRFU, SACM, Gif-sur-Yvette, France\n\nThe possibility of high local SAR values can be a limiting factor to in-vivo transmit-SENSE applications at high field. In this work we introduce a novel method to reduce the local SAR and demonstrate its application based on simulations. When considering the human head at 7T, the proposed method demonstrates local SAR reductions up to a factor of 6.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.945422887802124}
{"content": "The hobbit essay quiz\n\nthe hobbit essay quiz\n\nin the Night Summary Despite Roacs counsel, Thorin prepares for war. What message do you think is conveyed by the names given to the swords? Where Bilbos personal luck is related to the uses of the fantasy presented by Bettelheim, the larger luck that surrounds him can best be explained, in Tolkiens term, as a series of eucatastrophes that illustrate the workings of Providence.\n\nThe hobbit essay quiz\nthe hobbit essay quiz\n\nthe hobbit essay quiz\n\nQuestion 1: How does Bilbo try to obtain freedom from Gollum?\nThe Hobbit quiz that tests what you know.\nThe Hobbit study guide contains a biography.R.R.\n\nHttp files essays frankenstein-hero-or-villain.pdf\nTufts university optional video essay\nJudicial creativity essay\n\nDuring his last years. His decision to go down the tunnel the third time (p. Why does the Elvenking set out from his halls? Org/ A comprehensive list of links to various versions of the Beauty and the Beast story: ml A basic introduction to Norse Mythology: m/ Interactive Heros Journey tool from Read Write Think: about this guide This guide was written in 1981 by Robert Foster. It triples its wearers strength. Comprehension Questions Why does Smaug decide to destroy Lake-town? Did you get turned to stone with the giants? Does Thorin seem to be changing as he college professor research papers gets closer and closer to the mountain? What did Bilbo use the most to help him through his adventure?\n\nShort essay on swami vivekananda in telugu, Continuing education essay college of the albemarle, Public sector essay grade 10,", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.550409734249115}
{"content": "5 paragraph essay graphic organizer pdf\n\nmeaning of the term, like several of those following, comes from the. I appreciate any and all comments or feedback. In France, Michel de Montaigne 's three volume Essais in the mid 1500s contain over 100 examples widely regarded as the predecessor of the modern essay. 9 One university essay guide states that \"descriptive writing says what happened or what another author has discussed; it provides an account of the topic\". Brecht was a playwright who experimented with film and incorporated film projections into some of his plays. Should students or teachers receive money for scoring well on standardized tests? The basics of essay writing. 19 The genre is not well-defined but might include propaganda works of early Soviet parliamentarians like Dziga Vertov, present-day filmmakers including Chris Marker, 20 Michael Moore ( Roger Me (1989 Bowling for Columbine (2002) and Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004 Errol Morris ( The Thin Blue Line. For other uses, see, essai (disambiguation). Its structure normally builds around introduction with a topic's relevance and a thesis statement, body paragraphs with arguments linking back to the main thesis, and conclusion.\n\nThe Office of Personnel Management has established five executive core qualifications that all applicants seeking to enter the Senior Executive Service must demonstrate. 24 The University of Wisconsin Cinematheque website echoes some of Gray's comments; it calls a film essay an \"intimate and allusive\" genre that \"catches filmmakers in a pensive mood, ruminating on the margins between fiction and documentary\" in a manner that is \"refreshingly inventive, playful. Khomami, Nadia (20 February 2017). Retrieved July 31, 2012. 6 Classification and division Classification is the categorization of objects into a larger whole while division is the breaking of a larger whole into smaller parts. Here are over fifty of the free K-12 graphic organizers which are available to print on this thesis statement for the scarlet ibis site.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7815641760826111}
{"content": "These super-charged, super-fun co-ed classes meet once per week for a 45 minute or 1 hour class. The kids are separated into five different age groups: Bouncing Babies (ages walking - 2 years), Tiny Tots (ages 2-3), Tumbling Tikes (ages 3-4),Rolling Rascals (ages 4-5)and Kinder Kidz(ages 5-6).\n\nWarm-ups will introduce strength and flexibility to the kids followed by our spectacular obstacle courses. Obstacles are set-up throughout the gym incorporating all of the events including; bars, beam, floor, trampoline, vaulting table, rings, climbing wall and so much more. Obstacle courses will be used in two week increments. The first week will be used to introduce the children to the new skills and the second week will be used to reinforce what they have learned and to work on advancing the skill.\n\nIf you can't have fun while learning gymnastics, why do it, right? That's why the emphasis for these classes is placed on learning through fun.\n\nPre-School Tuition: (Based on a 10-week session/one class per week)\nBouncing Babies $175.00 (45 minute class w/parent)\nTiny Tots $180.00 (45 minute class)\nTumbling Tikes $185.00 (1 hour class)\nRolling Rascals $185.00 (1 hour class)\nKinder Kidz $185.00 (1 hour class)\n\nGym-Ken Gymnastics Payment Policy\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9918901920318604}
{"content": "Patent Number: 6,311,051\n\nTitle: Mobile communication system with offset compensation circuitry\n\nAbstract: A mobile communication system comprising an analog baseband processor thatis configured for providing improved DC offset compensation. An offsetcompensation circuit of the analog baseband processor generates a first DCoffset compensation signal to preset DC offset voltage of analog basebandsignal when the mobile communication system is power on. A mobile stationmodem of the mobile communication system generates a second DC offsetcompensation signal to compensate for a detected DC offset voltage duringoperation of the mobile communication system subsequent to the DC offsetvoltage being preset. In addition, the offset compensation circuitre-presets the DC offset by generating a third DC offset compensationsignal whenever the mobile communication system enters a predeterminedmode of operation such as a \"data send\" mode.\n\nInventors: Jung; Duck-Young (Kyunggi-do, KR)\n\n\nInternational Classification:\n\nExpiration Date: 10/32013", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8535898923873901}
{"content": "5 Lessons Learned: Electricians\n\nWhat People Must Need To Know About Domestic Electricians\n\nThis electrician easily get to perform manual labor which they can get to include working in walls and under the stairs and also floors in a number of homes but they mainly work on homes compared to other electricians. To work as a domestic technician, they would require to have a comprehensive knowledge of commercial electrics, they must also have to spend time working on different projects that is in the electrical market. A domestic electrician needs to also take training courses of electrical installation and the wiring of different circuits, other things that people need to learn how to replace electrical components and how to know unsafe electrical situations.\n\n\n\nPeople must get to search for a domestic electrician that has studied on the right electrical training program where it has one that has a history of preparing them for their current industry standards and new trends in the field of electricity. They must get to attend courses which can prepare them from electrical safety in installing of various cables, heating and cooling systems and also conduits on the homes of clients and apartment. These training courses can also prepare these domestic electricians for an apprenticeship and also obtaining their license and they can also try to offer alternative energy classes like solar energy.\n\n\nSource: Doing Options The Right Way", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.829339325428009}
{"content": "Roxie Triple X Volume 3\n\nAll prices for 'Roxie Triple X Volume 3' include the approximate cost of delivery to an address within the UK.\n\nIt's time for this identical triplet to meet her match. Can a wild child ever really be tamed? Growing up in foster care has made Roxie Cannon tough and self-reliant, but being alone isn't all it's cracked up to be. She's finally found her sisters. Is it time she met her match? Roxie should be on top of the world. She's formed bonds with identical sisters she never knew she had, and she's buying the biker bar she's managed for years.\n\nSimilar products\n\nRoxie Triple XPrices from £43.93", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8649966716766357}
{"content": "The Secret Song\n\n\n\nWho saw the petals\ndrop from the rose?\nI, said the spider,\nbut nobody knows.\n\nWho saw the sunset\nflash on a bird?\nI, said the fish,\nbut nobody heard.\n\nWho saw the fog\ncome over the sea?\nI, said the sea pigeon,\nonly me.\n\nWho saw the first\ngreen light of the sun?\nI, said the night owl,\nthe only one.\n\nWho saw the moss\ncreep over the stone?\nI, said the grey fox,\nall alone.\n\nAlgy hopes that you all have a calm and peaceful Sunday xo\n\n\n\nAlgy could see from the rapidly darkening sky that another shower of heavy sleet was approaching, so he tucked himself into a large hollow beneath the battered old gorse bushes, made a cosy bed of dry bracken to rest on, and settled down to wait for the skies to clear again.\n\nAlgy hopes that you will all find a cosy place of shelter this weekend too, especially if your own skies are looking black…\n\n\nIt was mid-November and a gale was blowing up, bringing suddenly blackened skies carrying torrential showers of slushy sleet, or sometimes rain mixed with icy hail. But when Algy stopped to look carefully at the heather bushes growing in the shelter of the rocks on the hill, he was thrilled to see some tiny purple bells still flowering there. Winter was approaching rapidly, but it was not quite here yet 🙂\n\n\nAs the weather forecast for the week ahead was grim, Algy decided to make the most of a brief spell of sunshine, and go for a wee ride in the birch tree while it was still relatively calm and comfortably dry. As he looked at the colours of the leaves around him, he felt that for once he had almost achieved a state of satisfactory camouflage, but unfortunately it could only last for as long as the leaves still clung to the tree, which would not be very long at all if the forecast was correct…\n\n\nAlgy left the forest and flew back towards his home by the wild ocean, fighting against the roaring north-east wind all the way. In the distance he could see the dual peaks of the Isle of Rum, dusted white with the first snow of the coming winter. It felt bitterly cold, and he wondered whether it wouldn’t have been wiser to have stayed beneath the cover of the great forest. He dropped down to the ground to rest by one of his favourite birch trees, amid a shower of falling leaves that were whirling round and round in the wind. Fascinated, Algy watched as he quickly acquired a pretty coverlet of russet, red and yellow, which glowed like pure gold in the autumn sunlight…\n\nAlgy wishes you all a very happy Sunday, and hopes that if you too live in these northern lands, you will manage to stay cosy and warm 🙂\n\nAlgy dropped down to the woodland floor and leaned back on a soft carpet of mosses and fallen beech leaves. It was peaceful in the woods and everything seemed hushed; apart from the quiet rippling of the river, and the occasional whisper of a falling leaf, there was almost no sound. As he contemplated the trees in their autumn glory, Algy was reminded of a famous verse by Lord Byron:\n\nThere is a pleasure in the pathless woods,\nThere is a rapture on the lonely shore,\nThere is society, where none intrudes,\nBy the deep sea, and music in its roar:\nI love not man the less, but Nature more,\nFrom these our interviews, in which I steal\nFrom all I may be, or have been before,\nTo mingle with the Universe, and feel\nWhat I can ne’er express, yet cannot all conceal. \n\n[Algy is quoting a small part of the long narrative poem Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage by the early 19th century Anglo-Scottish poet Lord Byron.]\n\nAlgy had found an excellent perch in a hole in an ancient oak tree, so he tucked himself in comfortably and settled down to watch the life of the river for a wee while. It was a cool, misty October afternoon and not a great deal was happening, but several ducks were swimming lazily up and down stream, first this way and then that, with no very clear intent, while the river flowed calmly on towards the sea. Suddenly, a robin started to sing his autumn song from a branch nearby; Algy looked up at his pretty little cousin, and smiled 🙂", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5557246804237366}
{"content": "MoDOT wants you to be a member of its \"Pothole Patrol\"\n\nThroughout March, maintenance crews will be repairing potholes to keep roads as safe and smooth as possible. The public is asked to report potholes so MoDOT maintenance crews can assess the damage and complete the needed repairs.\n\n\"We don't want to take any shortcuts and sacrifice the safety of our customers and our crews,\" said State Maintenance Engineer Becky Allmeroth. \"We are focusing on quality repairs. It is not a good use of resources to have our crews going out multiple times repairing the same pothole.\"\n\nAllmeroth asks motorists to watch out for crews making the repairs, slow down and move over a lane to give them room to work. As many as 300 pothole patching crews may be working to make state roadways safer.\n\n\"Please be aware of crews on the roadway and give them room. The work they are performing is saving lives, saving taxpayers' money and costly repairs to their vehicles,\" Allmeroth said.\n\nMotorists can report the location of potholes on state-maintained roads using the following tools:\n  • Use our Report a Road Concern form on the web at\n  • Use your smart phone/tablet with a mobile-friendly form at\nPotholes form when temperatures warm up during the day, but continue to be cold at night. This is the main cause of potholes in highways and why they are prevalent during spring. The rain and snow from winter leave moisture that seeps into cracks and joints in the pavement. When temperatures drop, the water freezes and expands the pavement. This expansion causes the pavement to bulge and crack. When cars drive over the bulging pavement, it eventually causes chunks of pavement to pop out.\n\nMoDOT spends approximately $15 million a year on pothole patching with the majority of that during the month of March.\n\nThe state of Missouri maintains 34,000 miles of road including interstates, U.S. and Missouri routes and lettered routes. Potholes on city streets or subdivisions should be directed to local cities or counties.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.98873370885849}
{"content": "What is the maximum image size in enhanced asset or broadcast feed?\n\n\nAs of early 2017, counterblock (which is used by Counterwallet) downloads PNG images of up to 20 kiB (20480 bytes) in size and 48x48 dimensions.\n\nThis is not a protocol limitation, but just a way one implementation does it.\n\nAnother wallet could impose no limit, or a different (smaller or larger) limit, but not that any user using a different wallet (such as Counterwallet) may not be able to see images larger than mentioned above.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9782489538192749}
{"content": "davidlyness.com Thoughts go in, words come out.\n\nEffective CPU denial of service attack using hash collisions\n\nAs discussed in a previous post on thwarting attackers who gain control of an unencrypted database, hashing is a useful technique which can be used to obfuscate passwords and other data that needs to be verified without storing the data in plaintext. However, as with any situation in which the source of the data is unknown, hashing algorithms on the server can be exploited. A vulnerability was recently given a lot of publicity where data sent using a normal HTTP request could tie up the server for several minutes to several hours.\n\nA hash table is a common data structure used to store POST data sent to a web server. For example, whenever you comment on a post on a website, your name, email and comment are likely stored in a hash table as they are processed. The server uses a hashing algorithm to map keys to values, using the hash as essentially an array index, the algorithm being specified by the implementation language. Alexander Klink and Julian Wälde, security researchers, were able to show that, if they could generate many strings that hashed to the same value, the hash table would degenerate to the point where 99% of CPU time was being used for the duration of the execution of the script.\n\nThe researchers describe the vulnerability in their paper.\n\n\nThe maximal POST request size is typically limited to 8 MB, which when filled with a set of multi-collisions would consume about four hours of CPU time on an i7 core. Luckily, this time can not be exhausted because it is limited by the max_input_time (default configuration: -1, unlimited), Ubuntu and several BSDs: 60 seconds) configuration parameter. If the max_input_time parameter is set to -1 (theoretically: unlimited), it is bound by the max_execution_time configuration parameter (default value: 30). On an i7 core, the 60 seconds take a string of multi-collisions of about 500k. 30 seconds of CPU time can be generated using a string of about 300k. This means that an attacker needs about 70-100kbit/s to keep one i7 core constantly busy. An attacker with a Gigabit connection can keep about 10.000 i7 cores busy.\n\nBy implementing a randomized hash function, as described above, the attacker cannot possibly force hash collisions on the scale required to tie up the web server. PHP uses the DJBX33 hash function, which has the property that if two strings collide under this function, then any other strings containing these as substrings collide too (this weakness is known as the “equivalent substring” property). This gives an attacker an effective means to compute hash collisions where otherwise a brute force attack would be the most effective route. The fact that most hash table algorithms are not cryptographically strong means that it can be trivial to reverse-engineer the algorithm to generate collisions.\n\nThis vulnerability isn’t new: it was first published back in 2003, but only recently gained substantial attention by technology media, meaning that a fix had to be fast-tracked. And PHP was not the only scripting language affected: ASP.NET, Java, Python and Ruby, among others, are also subject to this vulnerability (although not all because of the “equivalent substring” weakness in their hashing algorithms). Microsoft have also released an emergency out-of-cycle patch addressing this vulnerability in their .NET framework.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7128291726112366}
{"content": "Addressing word-order Divergence in Multilingual Neural Machine Translation for extremely Low Resource Languages\n\n  • 2018-11-01 13:53:27\n  • Rudra Murthy V, Anoop Kunchukuttan, Pushpak Bhattacharyya\n  • 6\n\n\nTransfer learning approaches for Neural Machine Translation (NMT) train a NMTmodel on the assisting-target language pair (parent model) which is laterfine-tuned for the source-target language pair of interest (child model), withthe target language being the same. In many cases, the assisting language has adifferent word order from the source language. We show that divergent wordorder adversely limits the benefits from transfer learning when little to noparallel corpus between the source and target language is available. To bridgethis divergence, We propose to pre-order the assisting language sentence tomatch the word order of the source language and train the parent model. Ourexperiments on many language pairs show that bridging the word order gap leadsto significant improvement in the translation quality.\n\n\nIntroduction (beta)\n\n\n\nConclusion (beta)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999772906303406}
{"content": "Why are there so many Israelis at the World Cup?\n\n\nIsrael did not qualify for the World Cup. They’ve only managed to do so once, in 1970. Yet, after Israelis bought around 12,000 tickets for these finals in Brazil, they are the most present nation by percentage of population, and the second highest fan contingent of non-qualifiers, despite being just 8 million in total.\n\n\nMore Israelis bought tickets for these finals than Italians. Italy, the 2006 World Cup winners, one of the historic football nations. The noise exhibited in the Manaus win over England emanated as much from second or third generation Brazilians, Americans and Australians as it did actual Italians (and, of course, people who just don’t like England).\n\nIsraelis are not sporting their national team shirts – why would they, their team isn’t involved – but they are not just football tourists looking to catch a glimpse of their Premier League and Liga heroes.\n\n“Yes, plenty have come to see Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo,” Mariano, from Tel Aviv told me as he ordered seven Caipirinhas from a street stall by the arches of Lapa on Tuesday night.\n\n“We’re not wearing colours, but we are all here to support Argentina. It’s where we are from.”\n\nThere are around 70,000 Argentine Jews in Israel, a figure which rises consistently with time.\nArgentina is behind only the United States and Canada in terms of Americas immigration to the Holy Land, and comprises the largest Latin community in Israel.\n\nThe relationship between the two nations is chequered to say the least. Argentina was open to Jewish immigration until the military junta restricted their entry; that led to many existing Argentine Jews exercising the right of return.\n\nOnce Argentina was liberated from fascism, some returned, but the stream continued for economic as well as religious reasons.\n\nThere remains a close relationship between the nations – after all, Argentina was one of the first to recognise Israel as a state in 1949 – and as such it is perhaps unsurprising that many are in Brazil.\n\n“Some are supporting Brazil,” Mariano admitted. “Yes there are a lot of Jews in Sao Paulo, but when you’re from a country like Israel, you tend to look to teams who play the best football.\n\n“Also, a lot of people just want to watch the World Cup. We have the money to come, and many of us love South America, so why not?”\n\nIsraelis are famous travellers, with many going backpacking after completing military service. Mariano had been to Brazil before, and his friends had all spent time across Latin America.\n\n“People have a certain idea about us, but we are friendly, open people,” he added. “Things are complicated in our region, but at least we are a free country surrounded by extremists.\n\n“But we have our own extremists too, which makes things complicated internally. Me and my friends are not religious.\n\n“Here, we can get along with everyone. You are English and Egyptian, I am Israeli and Argentine, and here we can be friends. Maybe that is why so many of us have come.” (By Eurosport) Eurosport’s Reda Maher is on location in Brazil for the duration of the 2014 World Cup\n\n\nphoto: Mexico and Israel fans mingle during a pre-World Cup friendly", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6102993488311768}
{"content": "Nothing will annoy them more...\n\n\nDo you like carrying anger around?  I do it sometimes and it eats me up because I like a more balance atmosphere in my life and that does not include anger. I have had to learn to remove myself from toxic relationships. \n\nDo not carry around things you cannot use. Choose to let go of that anger or resentment about something that has happened...whether you said it or someone else has said it.  True forgiveness is only possible if we allow the spirit of God to work within us. \n\nWhat will your choice be?\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.966768741607666}
{"content": "How do you hide the mouse cursor in a game?\n\n\nHi im trying to make a game that hides the cursor. Does anyone know?\n\n\nThere is a built in function inside of wick that can help you:\n\n\nUse this at the very first frame to hide your cursor for your entire project.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7880205512046814}
{"content": "Create views in code with .Net SDK 2.0\n\n\nDoes anyone know how to create views in code with .Net SDK similar to how it was done with CouchbaseModelViews in 1.3.10\n\n\n@game99 -\n\nThere currently isn’t a replacement for CouchbaseModelViews using the Couchbase .NET SDK 2.0; however, you could use the Management API to create views programmatically.\n\nIf there is enough demand for it, we could always create a 2.0 branch on github and start porting it over (if possible).\n\n\n\n@jmorris thank you for the response", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5232589840888977}
{"content": "Why life gets a lot better when you stop giving a f*ck\n\nIt’s natural for everyone to yearn acceptance; belonging in a crowd and feeling like you’re part of something bigger. This “natural” instinct, on the other hand, can sometimes change the way we grow, and not always for the better.\n\nIn reality, we can stop trying too hard to fit in and just become free individuals. But the art of not caring isn’t easy as it takes work and dedication.\n\nIt pays well not to care, though, and can change our lives for the better. Everyday, life is going to convince you that you’re not good enough. Whether it’s someone else’s job or friends or appearance, there’s bound to be something wrong about ourselves. But caring about these superficial things doesn’t improve who you are, it only makes you unhappy about your circumstances.\n\nThe key is to ignore our instinctual pursuit for the next best thing. Too often, the “best thing” for us is exactly the thing we have, only we don’t realize it because of envy. This behavior leads us into living a life that is only driven by envy and thoughtless pursuit. Stop chasing the shiny things around you and start focusing on your things, and making them shiny.\n\nStop caring about what people think and your confidence will soar to heights never before imaginable to you. Believe in yourself and what your version of the world can offer, without thinking about someone else’s progress.\n\nAt the end of the day, the only progress that matters is yours.\n\nStop trying to mimic someone’s happiness. Let happiness grow into your life organically instead of pursuing it. A life well-lived is one where you know the difference between things that matter and things that don’t, so stop caring about the latter.\n\nThe key is to focus on your strengths and ignore your perceived weaknesses.\n\nDon’t feed the gaps in your personality with insecurity because that’s what everyone else is doing; rise up to the challenge and become better than them.\n\nWhile you may never improve your weaknesses, take comfort in the fact that you have usable strengths. Stop trying to become someone else and start embracing who you are. And if you’re bad at one thing and amazing at the other, then just focus on the latter.\n\nKnow what you’re bad at and come to terms with it. Confront these and you’ll start progressing in no time. Know what you’re good at and continue developing these traits. Eventually, you can utilize these strengths to augment your weaknesses.\n\nEmbrace your uniqueness.\n\nSo what if everyone in your family wanted to become an engineer? So what if each and every one of your friends went on to be successful lawyers? There is no shame in who you are and what you want to become, even if no one else seems to pursue the same dreams as you.\n\nAcknowledging your individuality may be harder to you because you care too much about what other people would think or say. Remember this: what other people have to say shouldn’t have an impact on you. While others are trudging on the same path, take comfort in travelling the road less traveled. Do the things you are proud of, and don’t let anyone, not even yourself, tell you otherwise.\n\nIf you want to create unique things, know that there will always be criticism and that this shouldn’t stop you from unraveling the wonders in your mind. Own your craft and become better at it until you create something so good your inner critic wouldn’t dare say anything about it.\n\nBecome an individual by doing things your way.\n\nQuestion the norm and be open to innovative solutions. Stay curious to new discoveries in life. Do you really want to be stuck doing the same thing the same way forever?\n\nIf you’re so afraid of sticking out like a sore thumb, know that  everyone is busy chasing after something, so why should they notice you? Don’t worry about becoming different. At the end of the day, no one’s really watching, except individuals who could temporarily affect your life, like your boss or any other authoritative figure.\n\nKnow who you really are, and own it.\n\nDon’t wait for people to affirm who you are. Do the things you feel like you should be doing. Your peers are not going to validate who you are so your self-worth shouldn’t be measured against people’s comments on your performance.\n\nIf you’re unsatisfied with an aspect of your life, change it for the better. Your life is going to be stagnant if you refuse to act. The worst thing you can do to yourself is to grow old and be the exact same person you were five, ten years ago.\n\nBottom line is, you should stop caring so much and start living. Become a better person by focusing on what you think of yourself. At the end of the day, the only thing you should care about is who you are becoming.\n\nIn my new eBook, The Art of Mindfulness, Hack Spirit explain how you can use mindfulness practically to help you clear your mind, let go of your worries and live peacefully in the present moment.\n\n\n\nCheck it out here\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBecome an Ideapod Prime member\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7362067699432373}
{"content": "Bahrain opposition describes King’s proposed reforms as marginal\n\nBahrain not out of political crisis yet\n\nDUBAI - The king of Bahrain introduced on Sunday constitutional reforms that give more power to the elected parliament, but fall far short of the demands set down by the Shiite-led opposition.\nKing Hamad referred his draft proposals to the national council, including the all-appointed Shura (consultative) council and the lower elected chamber, for ratification, the BNA state news agency reported.\nThe reforms fall in line with \"our desire to preserve the stability of the homeland,\" King Hamad said in an address to the nation, ahead of proposing the draft amendments aimed at diffusing tension sparked after a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests in mid-March.\nUnder the proposed reforms, the king will have to \"ask the opinion of the heads of the Shura council, parliament and the constitutional court\" before dissolving the parliament, instead of just discussing it with the prime minister.\nThe monarch also proposed that the government \"gains the vote of confidence if its programme is accepted\" after a parliamentary debate, a move he said was designed to give the people a stronger voice in government policy.\nThe government has been headed for over four decades by King Hamad's uncle, Prince Khalifa bin Salman -- a main member of the Sunni ruling family.\nIf the amendments are ratified, the elected chamber will be able to refuse cooperation with the government and call for public debate on any issue, without first seeking approval from the upper house.\nBut the reforms fall far short of the opposition's demands, which include instituting a full constitutional monarchy where the prime minister would be chosen from the elected lower house.\nThe opposition has also called for a total overhaul of the judicial system and electoral districts to secure better representation.\n\"These reforms are marginal,\" said former opposition MP Matar Matar.\n\"They do not meet the demands, nor the promises\" made in the principles for dialogue announced by Crown Prince Salman last year to end the unrest.\nA report by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, commissioned by King Hamad, found that 35 people were killed in the crackdown on protests, including five security personnel and five detainees were tortured to death in custody. Hundreds were injured during the unrest.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7513706684112549}
{"content": "Dozens could've died in foiled terrorist attack, Prosecutor says\n\nThe Netherlands escaped a terrorist attack that could've resulted in \"dozens of victims\" with the last year, the Public Prosecutor said in court on Thursday - the first proforma hearing in this case. Only three of the six suspects still in detention were present at the hearing, AD reports.\n\n\n\nThe Prosecutor stressed that there was never a real danger, because the and foiled their plans. \"But how different it could have been. If the string had broken with the infiltrators, we might have had dozens of victims.\"\n\n\nShortly before their arrests, four of the suspects attended firearms training at a home in a holiday park in Weert, Limburg. What they did not know is that the two men who gave them training and provided the firearms, which had been made safe, . The home was full of eavesdropping equipment and cameras. When the four left the park in a van, Three others were arrested in the Arnhem region. One of the seven suspects has since been released and did not have to appear in court on Thursday.\n\n\nAn unnamed man from Arnhem, 18, was released from pre-trial custody in late November. At the time of the release, the prosecutor said there was not enough evidence to continue holding the man. He was still considered a suspect in the case and remained under investigation, as of Nov. 26.\n\nThe lawyers representing the suspect claim that the police infiltration was entrapment. \"The Public Prosecutor helped to create this group. The idea to have the boys train came from the infiltrator. Thus fear of an attack was created. It would not have happened without the Public Prosecutor\", the lawyers said, according to the newspaper.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.530320405960083}
{"content": "3D Art and the Art of Verbs : Stage Three A whispering gallery\n\n3D Art and the Art of Verbs : Stage Three , A whispering gallery \n\n3D Art , a technique to use at different stages of target language learning\n\nHere we are considering 3D Art as a way to explore present verbs with primary age children  .\nI may use the same technique to explore adjectives or a range of tenses with more advanced KS3  learners \n\nI have always loved to link language learning and drama and find the primary classroom a place where we can explore both these aspects and be really creative !\nI love to use Art as stimulus for great drama and language explorations and find that I can bring Art from the target language country to life through simple activities .\nI call this work \"3D Art\", taking a piece of Art and imagining and bringing the characters to life through performance and use of simple target language.\n\nSimple rules \nSelect Art that has conversation and interaction running throughout the storyline of the picture .\nMake sure there are enough characters for a group of six children to be able to select characters that they want to investigate\nSet the scene by investigating as a class possible phrases in the target language that characters could be saying \nPractise voices that the characters might have \nAdd actions to the characters and ask the children to think of signature actions for the characters.\nDivide your class into mixed ability groups of six children maximum and make sure in each group you have a strong linguist and strong performers \nAs you progress through the stages described below increase the amount of reference sources the children can use , so they can access powerful verbs and adjectives etc.\n\nFirst you need your picture \nHere is one of my favourites : the Boating Party by Renoir \n\nThe Boating Party Renoir\n\nStage Three : A Whispering Gallery \n\n1. Revisit the painting you  used in stage one and stage two and if you have the outcomes to hand i.e. the sugar paper paintings book ( stage one) and the virtual gallery of pictures of characters and their conversations from stage two , share these with the children.\n2.Now working at their tables - in mixed ability groups, with children who work better with support working with either yourself or a partner , give the painting out a third time to the groups .\n3. Give each child at the table a cut out of the face of the character you would like them to be .\n4. They should glue the character to the centre of an A4 piece of paper and write first person singular statements in the target language about the character- based on prompts written by you on the flip chart . Some children may need a writing frame . Prompts will be name , age , where live , birthdays, feelings , likes, dislikes, what they are wearing , what they are doing. Differentiate the task by outcome - each child must come up with at least 5 statements for example\n5.Bring three children to be in the \"hot seat\" and ask for volunteers to be the question panel . Give these children questions that they will ask the character at the front , using second person singular questions e.g what are you called? , what are you wearing ? etc  \n6. After each child has been in the hot seat ask the class to help you to put their statements into a hot seat report on the flip chart . This means that working with you they will put the statements into the third person singular using he/she depending on whether the character was male or female.\n7. Back at their tables can the groups create appropriate questions in the third person singular matching the information on the flip chart in the hot seat reports?\n8. Ask for suggestions for third person questions to each third person response in the hot seat report .\n9.Write these questions up at the bottom of the flip chart.\n10 . for the next activities the children need to be in groups of 4 or 6 . They will become the characters in the painting again , taking poses, thinking of the characters voices and actions  , finding a partner to talk with but this time the partners will develop a third person singular conversation about one of the other characters in their painting.\n11. The first step will be to locate their character ( using the face cut out that they have worked with earlier) .Each character introduces themselves in the first person using the notes they made earlier . Everyone else listens and makes notes about the character .\n12. Now they work in pairs to create a whispering third person singular question and answer conversation based on the facts they have just noted down about one of the other characters e.g what is he / she called / where does he / she live etc\n13. The groups must develop their conversations , then work on their characterisation and then hold whispering gallery third person singular conversations to share information about other characters in the painting.\n14. These whispering gallery conversations are performed to the class in the picture frame area at the front of the classroom just as described  at the end of stage two \n15. Finally the children are set the task of creating and writing a newspaper style description of the character they have just described in their performance of  a whispering gallery third person question and answer conversation .", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9930258393287659}
{"content": "EFCC slams foreign bank over prediction on Buhari\n\nEFCC Boss, Ibrahim Magu\n\nEniola Akinkuotu, Abuja\n\nThe Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has lambasted HSBC Bank days after predicting that Nigeria’s current economic struggles look set to continue if President Muhammadu Buhari wins a second term in office.\n\n\n\n\nREAD ALSO: BREAKING: Cristiano Ronaldo scores first goal for Juventus\n\n\nThe EFCC said, “The HSBC bank is one of the largest banking and financial services organisations in the world. The HSBC’s international network comprises around 7, 500 offices in over 80 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa.\n\n\n“In Nigeria the bank laundered more than $100m for the late dictator, General Sani Abacha, in Jersey, Paris, London and Geneva. The bank is also involved with laundering proceeds of corruption for over 50 Nigerians including a serving Nigerian senator.\n\n“Part of Abacha’s assets yet to be recovered are: $12m in HSBC Fund Admin Ltd with account number S-104460 in Jersey; $20m in HSBC Life (Europe) with account number 37060762 in the UK and $1.6m in HSBC Bank Plc with account number 38175076 in the UK.\n\n“We shall not rest until every penny belonging to the Federal Republic of Nigeria is repatriated to Nigeria as to improve the lives of the people.”\n\nIn a report by its Global Research unit, entitled, ‘Nigeria, papering over the cracks’ last week, HSBC had said President Buhari’s approval ratings sit near all-time lows, a development which largely reflects the impact of Nigeria’s painful recession in 2016-17 and the sustained economic hardship that has accompanied his presidency, including rapidly rising joblessness, and poverty.\n\nThe bank had said a second term for Mr Buhari “raises the risk of limited economic progress and further fiscal deterioration, prolonging the stagnation of his first term, particularly if there is no move towards completing reform of the exchange rate system or fiscal adjustments that diversify government revenues away from oil.”\n\nThe financial institution noted that while higher oil prices have brightened Nigeria’s macro outlook, boosting export earnings, improving the supply of foreign exchange, and supporting naira stability, the Buhari administration had yet to address the economy’s structural shortcomings.\n\n\n\nIt further stated that in addition to failing to address the country’s ongoing reliance on oil revenues and the issue of inadequate non-oil tax collection, the administration was also grappling with the challenge of having a large share of its budget directed to debt service.\n\nThe company noted that while the Federal Government’s debt management strategy of issuing external debt to redeem more expensive short-term government securities is helping reduce debt service costs in the near term, it “exposes the fiscal position to exchange rate risk in the event of a future decline in oil prices and naira devaluation.”\n\nThe bank stated that high oil prices had not translated into non-oil growth, adding that: “Nigeria’s reliance on fuel imports means rising international oil prices are pushing up the cost of fuel subsidies, estimated by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency $250m in May alone.”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9609742164611816}
{"content": "What was waking up my animals?\n\nI thought you might enjoy a good story for Halloween. It’s in my bestseller, Peace in Passing: Comfort for Loving Humans during Animal Transitions.\n\nA while ago, I woke up in the middle of the night because the dogs and cats were crying, barking and acting agitated. That’s usually a sign that someone is visiting. In my mind’s eye, I saw the letters SARGE written with white chalk on a black chalkboard.\n\nIt’s my father-in-law\n\nI asked who was in the room and realized it was my father-in-law, Charlie, who had passed on! He was looking for his dog, Sarge who was still alive.\n\nWhere’s Sarge?\n\nCharlie used to sit on the back porch of his house in Charlottesville, VA with his dog, Sarge. Something they both enjoyed. But his wife, Betty, decided it was time to sell the house and move in with her daughter’s family in Staunton. So when Charlie went to his house, Sarge was gone. I told Charlie to go to Diana’s house, that Betty and Sarge had moved there. Once I did that, the animals quieted down.\n\nSharing the story with Betty\n\nWhen I told Betty this, she wasn’t surprised. She had seen Charlie sitting with Sarge on the back porch after Charlie passed. We both laughed when we realized Charlie wasn’t looking for his wife – he was looking for his dog![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][us_btn text=”View Video” icon=”fa-video-camera” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DjkNnf2ThIE4||target:%20_blank|”][/vc_column][/vc_row]", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9887264966964722}
{"content": "1000 Direct Replacement Reflector Liner\n\n\nReflector liner is a vital component to clean and replace as part of routine maintenance in order to maintain acceptable UV output. Direct replacement reflector liners fabricated and curved to precise specifications of original equipment. Milcure 1000 enhanced reflector material is used to provide you with optimum reflectivity and UV efficiency beyond that of the original equipment manufactured part. Optional cold mirror coating available for heat sensitive processes. Contact us for specific lengths and pricing.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9941901564598083}
{"content": "Lt. Gov directs Kejriwal to convene meeting with officers\n\nLt. Gov directs Kejriwal to convene meeting with officers\n\nNew Delhi: Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal wrote a letter to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, asking him to hold a meeting with officers to sort out the differences between his government and the bureaucrats.\n\nBaijal’s letter was in response to Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia’s letter to him, seeking the former’s help to end the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers’ ‘strike’ in the national capital.\n\n“Lieutenant Governor (has) requested Chief Minister to urgently meet the officers in the Secretariat, so that apprehensions and concerns of both sides can be suitably addressed through dialogue in the best interest of the people of Delhi,” a release from Raj Niwas read.\n\n“Lieutenant Governor has written that earlier also, he had advised to make efforts to restore trust between the elected government and the officers. Lieutenant Governor stated that he was glad that Chief Minister had tweeted an appeal to the officers assuring them of safety and security in their interactions with the elected government,” the release further stated.\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9967175126075745}
{"content": "Parent-Child music classes for young children and their caregivers.\n\nChase Music Class Feb-2011047.jpg\n\nAbout Kids' MusicRound\n\nThe mission of Kids' MusicRound is to provide a developmentally appropriate approach to early childhood music education that is fueled by a passion and love for children and music. Based on early childhood development and music education research, KMR provides a fun-filled class environment where families come together to experience the joy of movement and music-making. \n\n\nThe magic of music in early childhood\n\nEarly music competence\n\nEvery child is born with musical potential, so we nurture that to ensure your child's love of music. Children who make musical neurological connections early on are more likely to pursue musical endeavors later in life.\n\nPhysical development\n\nWe incorporate large and small movement activities to promote your child's physical development, such as balance, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and much more.\n\n\nChildren with musical experiences are better able to focus and do better in school as they get older. We practice mental skills such as audiation and rhythm to support memory, concentration, and processing skills. \n\nSocial skills\n\nOur activities in music class encourage group participation and sharing while allowing children to learn autonomy by choosing their own comfort levels. Friendships bloom in music class!\n\n\nOur music classes promote bonding between children and their special adult, especially when the adult is fully engaged. You'll make chemical connections and develop joyful memories to savor for years to come. \n\n\nStudies show that early music exposure promotes language acquisition. In music class your child will get to experiment with sounds and communication to build their confidence in verbalization. \n\n\"Thank you for making our first music class so wonderful. We looked forward to coming each week and can't wait until music starts up again! You have a wonderful way with all of the children - it is easy to see why they like coming so much - and you make it so much fun for the adults, too!\"\n-Sarah and David Z.\n\"If you want your infant/baby/toddler to be actively engaged and to begin auditory processing skills, this class is for your family. We started our daughter at 8 weeks old and instilled the love of music in her! Many studies have shown students that are involved with music and play an instrument do better academically in school. Why wait, start today - we are so glad we did!\"\n-Maxine S.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6134719252586365}
{"content": "rspec (475)\n\n  1. ruby vs let! - When to use RSpec let()?\n  2. ruby-on-rails specific all - How to run a single RSpec test?\n  3. ruby specific all - How do you run a single test/spec file in RSpec?\n  4. iphone ui frameworks - iOS Tests/Specs TDD/BDD and Integration & Acceptance Testing\n  5. ruby match compare - Rspec: “array.should == another_array” but without concern for order\n  6. ruby-on-rails raise_error rescue - How to use RSpec's should_raise with any kind of exception?\n  7. ruby class include - Testing modules in rspec\n  8. ruby-on-rails active storage - Missing host to link to! Please provide :host parameter or set default_url_options\n  9. ruby formatter where - How do I globally configure RSpec to keep the '--color' and '--format specdoc' options turned on\n  10. testing helper install - Setup RSpec to test a gem (not Rails)\n  11. ruby-on-rails-3 postgres tutorial - How can I tell Rails to use RSpec instead of test-unit when creating a new Rails app?\n\n  12. ruby-on-rails expect current_url - How to get current path with query string using Capybara\n  13. ruby-on-rails matchers expectations - How to check for a JSON response using RSpec?\n  14. unit-testing testing rails - RSpec vs Cucumber (RSpec stories)\n  15. forms input text - How can I check that a form field is prefilled correctly using capybara?\n  16. ruby file all - How do I run only specific tests in Rspec?\n  17. ruby-on-rails uninitialized constant - All Ruby tests raising: undefined method `authenticate' for nil:NilClass\n  18. ruby-on-rails mock ruby - Rspec, Rails: how to test private methods of controllers?\n  19. ruby-on-rails controller unknown - How to set request headers in rspec request spec?\n  20. ruby tutorial selenium - How to click first link in list of items after upgrading to Capybara 2.0?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.000009536743164}
{"content": "\n―Golden Knight[src]\n\nThe Golden Knight is a character found outside Kinlady Avinisse's Mansion, Shimmerene during a particular stage of the quest \"The Queen's Decree.\" He wears Auroran armor and wields Dawnbreaker.\n\n\nThe Queen's DecreeEdit\n\nAfter agreeing to meet Razum-dar at the Monastery of Serene Harmony, where he plans on distracting the sentry to allow the Vestige to slip inside, the Vestige must travel to the monastery. On the stairs near Kinlady Avinisse's Mansion, the Golden Knight will appear, speak to the Vestige briefly, and then disappear.\n\nA Pearl of Great PriceEdit\n\n\nBuried MemoriesEdit\n\n\nThe Tower SentinelsEdit\n\n\nThe Dreaming Cave (Online)Edit\n\n\nLost in TranslationEdit\n\n\nA Necessary AllianceEdit\n\n\n\nTwo characters will comment on the Golden Knight's appearance immediately after it occurs:\n\nLialanah: \"Did you see a Golden Knight?\"", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9280462861061096}
{"content": "We beat the AI record in Ms. Pac Man!\n\npacmanOur recent work using Ms. Pac Man as a benchmark problem for optimal control strategies has been featured on BGR, Tom’s Guide, and in the Cornell Chronicle! You can read more about how our control strategy beat the previous Ms. Pac Man AI record here!\n\nBGR: Scientists built an AI that is really, really good at ‘Ms. Pac-Man’\n\nCornell Chronicle: Engineers eat away at Ms. Pac-Man score with artificial player\n\nTom’s Guide (FR): Cette IA est imbattable à Miss Pac-Man\n\nThe New Yorker: Could Ms. Pac-Man train the next generation of military drones?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9982663989067078}
{"content": "In the United Kingdom, a man is free to marry a fellow man. A woman can also contract a marriage with a fellow woman. It is called gay or homosexual marriage and it is protected by law.\n\nBut United Kingdom did not always support gay marriage. In fact, like most of Africa, it considered it a taboo, and during the colonial days, it made laws that prohibited and punished any homosexual acts in all its colonies.\n\nBut it has since seen the light and now regrets such anti-gay past. However, most of the former colonies have upheld the anti-gay laws up until this day – a situation that now gives British Prime Minister Theresa May a headache.\n\nOn Tuesday, May regretted Britain’s role in anti-gay legislation across its former colonies, seeking to address criticism of the Commonwealth at its gathering in London.\n\nAlso Read: 'I Have Gay Fans Too' - Officer Titus\n\nMay is looking to reinvigorate the Commonwealth, a 53-country network of mostly former colonies, as Britain seeks new post-Brexit ways to project its influence in the world and establish a role as a leader of free trade.\n\n\nShe is now asking Nigeria and those other countries to consider allowing men and women to marry themselves.\n\n\n“As the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister I deeply regret both the fact that such laws were introduced and the legacy of discrimination, violence and even death that persists today,” May added.\n\nAlso Watch: Mechanics claim the Police set the Ojota fire; Police deny", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.948046863079071}
{"content": "\n\nVISION by Pininfarina\n\nPininfarina premiered VISION, an innovative kitchen designed for Snaidero, at the 2018 Milan Furniture Fair. The design concept encapsulates the modern urge for fluid domestic spaces, with surfaces that flow and materials that immediately convey a sense of purity and...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999898672103882}
{"content": "origin has definitions from the fields of genetics,mathematics\n[ noun ] the place where something begins, where it springs into being\n\n\n\"the Italian beginning of the Renaissance\" \"Jupiter was the origin of the radiation\" \"Pittsburgh is the source of the Ohio River\" \"communism's Russian root\"\n\nUsed in print\n\n(The Christian Science Monitor,...)\n\nFor_example , there was sheet_music with the word `` jazz '' in the title , to illustrate how a word of uncertain origin took_hold .\n\n(Edward P. Lawton, \"Northern Liberals and Southern...)\n\nThe name presumably derives from the French royal_house which never learned and never forgot ; since Bourbon whiskey , though of Kentucky origin , is at_least as much favored by liberals in the North as by conservatives in the South .\n\n(Cornell H. Mayer, \"Radio Emission of the Moon...)\n\nThe low intensity of the radiation from Saturn has limited observations , but again the measured radiation seems to be consistent with a thermal origin .\n\nThe radio_emission of a planet was first detected in 1955 , when Burke and Franklin ( 1955 ) identified the origin of interference like radio_noise on their records at about 15 meters wave_length as emission from Jupiter .\n\nSteady radiation which was presumably of thermal origin was observed from Venus at 3.15 and 9.4 cm , and from Mars and Jupiter at 3.15 cm in 1956 ( Mayer , McCullough , and Sloanaker , 1958 a , b , c ) , and from Saturn at 3.75 cm in 1957 ( Drake and Ewen , 1958 ) .\n\n[ noun ] (genetics) properties attributable to your ancestry\n\n\ndescent extraction\n\n\n\"he comes from good origins\"\n\nUsed in print\n\n\nThis is the only case in modern history of a_people of Britannic origin submitting without continued struggle to what they view_as foreign domination .\n\n\nThough Americans usually lived in groups segregated by national origin or religious_belief , they liked to work and shop in the noise and vitality of downtown .\n\nRelated terms\n\nancestry full_blood\n\n[ noun ] (mathematics) the point of intersection of coordinate axes; where the values of the coordinates are all zero\n\nUsed in print\n\n(R. P. Jerrard, \"Inscribed squares in plane curves\"...)\n\nIn the C-plane we construct a set of rectangular Cartesian coordinates u , v with the origin at Q and such_that both C and **f have finite slope at Q .\n\nRelated terms\n\n\n[ noun ] an event that is a beginning; a first part or stage of subsequent events\n\nUsed in print\n\n(Brainard Cheney, \"Christianity and the Tragic Vision-Ut...)\n\nHowever , it is important to trace the philosophy of the French_Revolution to its sources to understand the common democratic origin of individualism and socialism and the influence of the latter on the former .\n\n[ noun ] the descendants of one individual\n\n\n\"his entire lineage has been warriors\"\n\nRelated terms\n\ngenealogy breed family side rear", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9894615411758423}
{"content": "Standing Committee of National People Congress China Powers & Functions\n\nThu, 02/20/2014 - 23:12 -- Umar Farooq\n\nIntroduction to Committee of NPC\n\nThe National People Congress China meets once in a year and that also for a very short period of time, therefore, during its long absence, some other body is needed. As in Soviet Russia, the Presidium acts and exercises all the powers and functions of the Supreme Soviet of USSR. When the latter is not in session, the Standing Committee does its work in the constitution system of China. The Standing Committee of the National People Congress exercises almost all the powers and functions of the National People Congress. Article-57 of Chinese constitution describes the Standing Committee as \"Permanent body\".\n\nComposition of NPC\n\nThe Standing Committee consists of the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary General and some other members. All these members are elected by the National People Congress. According to Article-69, the Standing Committee is responsible to the National People Congress and reports to it. The members of the Standing Committee may be recalled by the National People Congress.\n\nTerm of Office\n\nThe Standing Committee is elected for a term of 4 years. But even after the expiry of its term of office, it continues to function till the new standing committee is elected by the next National People Congress of China. The chairman and Vice-Chairman do not serve for more than 2 terms.\n\nPowers and Functions of the Standing Committee of China\n\nAccording to Article-67 of Constitution of China the Standing Committee exercises the following powers and functions:\n\nThe Committee interprets the constitution and statutes. It also enacts and amends the statutes. It supervises the work of the State Council, the supreme People's Court, and the Supreme People's Procurator and the Central Military Commission. It also annuls the decisions and orders of the State Council, which are in contravention of the constitutional laws or decrees. It also has the power to annul or revise decisions of the governments of the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central authority.\n\nIt decides on the choice of the 'Ministers, Auditor General and Secretary General of the State Council upon nomination by the Premier and members of the Central Military Commission upon recommendation of its Chairman. It also appoints and removes the Vice-Presidents, judges and other members of the judicial committee of the Supreme People's Court, the Deputy Chief Procurators, Procurators and other members of the Procurator Committee of the Supreme Procurate. It further decides the appointment and recall the ambassadors of China accredited to foreign states. It ratifies and abrogates treaties concluded with foreign stars as well as other agreements. It issues the proclamation of state of war when the Congress is not in session, in the event of armed attack on the country or in fulfillment of international treaty obligation concerning common defence against aggression. It proclaims the enforcement of Martial Law throughout the country or in certain parts and also decides on general or partial mobilization. It institutes military, diplomatic or other special titles and ranks. It grants special pardons. It institute state medals and titles of honours and decides on whom to be conferred. Lastly it exercises and performs such other powers and functions as are vested in the Standing Committee by the Congress.\n\nThe National People Congress performs its functions through various committees such as the Bills Committee, the Budget Committee, the Credentials Committee, etc. All these committees work under the direction and supervision of the Standing, Committee when the Congress is not in session. However, it must be remembered that the powers enumerated above, though quite impressive are neither complete nor exhaustive. The constitution authorizes the National People Congress to vest in the Standing. Committee any other powers, thus the National People Congress and not the constitution is the final determining authority and to what powers shall be enjoyed by the Standing Committees.\n\nLike the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the Standing Committee occupies central position in the constitutional structure of China. Constitutionally speaking, it is the Committee of the National People Congress and is responsible to it. But in actual practice, it acts as the legislature of the Chinese Republic. Being a small body and practically dominated by the Communist Party of China it occupies an enviable position in the structure of the Chinese government.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9985843300819397}
{"content": "Bass Pro Shops Distribution Center Slotting Lead in Macon, Georgia\n\n\nAssociate will be responsible for the assignment and maintenance of a stock keeping unit (SKU) to a specific location. SKU assignment involves the research of product information and location analysis. Other duties include but are not limited to, location labeling, bin expansion and condensing, excess location management, dynamic location maintenance, and new sku assignment. Associate may be asked to carry out special projects as needed and perform various duties as assigned.\n\n\n\n\n  1. Trains associates to make them aware and comfortable with procedures and policies.\n\n  2. Keeps associates alerted to system changes and why the changes are being made.\n\n  3. Assigns duties to assure even work load and completion of daily assignments.\n\n  4. Monitors associate’s activities to maintain accuracy and promote development.\n\n  5. Maintains an open line of communication with supervisor and manager to convey ideas or methods to improve the department’s procedures or to alert them to problem areas.\n\n  6. Possesses excellent knowledge of products, policies and procedures.\n\n  7. Maintains a positive attitude.\n\n  8. Conveys the importance of the department and the 100% customer satisfaction goal.\n\n  9. Verifies and/or investigates various forms of paperwork.\n\n  10. Insures good housekeeping and follows the safety procedures that are practices by all.\n\n  11. Performs periodic checks of the area.\n\n  12. Other duties as assigned.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7036120891571045}
{"content": "Patterns with 3, 6, or 9 (as factor, divisor, or quotient)\n\n4 teachers like this lesson\nPrint Lesson\n\n\nSWBAT to discover and describe addition patterns and choose/create a model to represent their understanding of a pattern's rate of change.\n\nBig Idea\n\nLooking for patterns with 3, 6, and 9 is an interesting and engaging way to build in more practice with and understanding of these essential facts!\n\n\n8 minutes\n\nI explain to students that they will have choices about which fact groups they wish to explore, and that the common expectation is that they will describe, in complete written and oral sentences, the patterns they unearth.\n\nI review some sentence stems and we read through them, using the 2 facts as examples.\n\nTeacher/Class: “A pattern in the multiplication facts that have 2 as a factor is that…”\n\nStudent:  A pattern in the multiplication facts that have 2 as a factor is that all the products are even numbers.\n\nTeacher/Class: “A pattern in the facts that have 2 as a divisor is that…\n\nStudent:  “A pattern in facts that have 2 as a divisor is that the quotient can be an even or odd number.”\n\nTeacher/Class:  “A pattern in the _____________ facts that helps me (understand/ remember them) is…”\n\nStudent:  “A pattern in 2 facts that helps me remember them is that the products are counting by twos forward and the quotients are counting by twos backwards.”\n\nActive Engagement\n\n40 minutes\n\nStudents choose a set of multiplication and/or division facts with which to work.  I have students write out the facts themselves, especially if they are working with the basic multiplication facts or basic division facts.  If a student chooses to extend a pattern beyond the facts required for 3rd grade, I encourage them to work it through on their own but they may check their work with a calculator.  An alternative is to provide printed fact pages, but getting some experience with a calculator is a good thing.\n\nStudents look for patterns of any kind and then color code them or, if they wish, copy the facts that follow the pattern onto a separate piece of paper.  They choose what works for them.  After they have identified several patterns, the next step is to reason through the pattern and explain it, try to explain why the pattern exists or explain how the pattern can help them master these basic facts so they are fluent.\n\nExit Ticket\n\n5 minutes\n\nI have been conferring with students throughout this activity. As their exit ticket I ask them to be prepared to explain one of the patterns they discovered today.  For homework they will need to explain a pattern to an adult or older sibling.  When a student is willing to take a risk and explain one of the patterns, I listen carefully to hear the underlying message and I work to help them clarify language.  Explanations of this sort are rigorous and take practice, and I balance being supportive of students' developing abilities with math explanations with gentle (I hope!) redirections.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9713923335075378}
{"content": "Hellenistic civilization\n\n(redirected from Hellenistic world)\n\nHellenistic civilization.\n\nThe conquests of Alexander the Great spread HellenismHellenism,\nthe culture, ideals, and pattern of life of ancient Greece in classical times. It usually means primarily the culture of Athens and the related cities during the Age of Pericles.\n..... Click the link for more information.\n immediately over the Middle East and far into Asia. After his death in 323 B.C., the influence of Greek civilization continued to expand over the Mediterranean world and W Asia. The wars of the DiadochiDiadochi\n[Gr.,=successors], the Macedonian generals and administrators who succeeded Alexander the Great. Alexander's empire, the largest that the world had known to that time, was quickly built. At his death in 323 B.C. it disintegrated even more quickly.\n..... Click the link for more information.\n marked, it is true, the breakup of Alexander's brief empire, but the establishment of Macedonian dynasties in Egypt, Syria, and Persia (the Ptolemies and the Seleucidae) helped to mold the world of that day into a wider unity of trade and learning.\n\nWhile the city-states of Greece itself tended to stagnate, elsewhere cities and states grew and flourished. Of these the chief was AlexandriaAlexandria,\nArabic Al Iskandariyah, city (1996 pop. 3,328,196), N Egypt, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is at the western extremity of the Nile River delta, situated on a narrow isthmus between the sea and Lake Mareotis (Maryut).\n..... Click the link for more information.\n. So great a force did Alexandria exert in commerce, letters, and art that this period is occasionally called the Alexandrian Age, and the end of Hellenistic civilization is generally set at the final triumph of Roman power in Alexandria in the 1st cent. B.C. PergamumPergamum\n..... Click the link for more information.\n was also prominent, and there were other cities of influence (e.g., Dura).\n\nThe bounds of the known world were extended by navigators, who learned, for example, about the North Sea. The upsurge of commerce brought a great increase of wealth to merchants and in general to the upper classes; this wealth was also reflected in a tendency toward the ornate and superimpressive in architecture, although town plans and buildings of the period have proportions and grace rarely excelled. It should be noted, however, that the increase of wealth did not reach the poor, who in general were more impoverished than they had previously been.\n\nEducation, however, was much more widespread than ever before, and Greek was the fashionable language of the educated world. The result was a great increase of volume in literature (see Greek literature, ancientGreek literature, ancient,\nthe writings of the ancient Greeks. The Greek Isles are recognized as the birthplace of Western intellectual life. Early Writings\n\nThe earliest extant European literary works are the Iliad and the Odyssey,\n..... Click the link for more information.\n) and a tendency for writing to divide into popular literature for the wide audience and specialized writing for narrow, highly intellectual circles. The libraries of Alexandria and Pergamum were centers of literary criticism and the compiling of anthologies and catalogs. The literature of the Hellenistic period has been stigmatized since the Renaissance as imitative and ponderous, but actually there was a great richness in some of the writing. Not only were there outstanding poets such as Callimachus and Theocritus but there were also new forms that emerged, such as the complicated but frequently charming romances and the works of Lucian. Similarly some of the finest—and some of the most familiar—ancient sculptures to survive to our day are Alexandrian (e.g., the Venus of Milo and the Dying Gaul).\n\nPhilosophical disputation was popular among the educated, and the contributions of the Stoics and the Epicureans to the world were great. The greatest contribution of the age was the preservation and enrichment of the Greek heritage for the use of Rome and succeeding civilizations. As Rome gradually overshadowed the Mediterranean world, the Romans learned much from the peoples they conquered, and Hellenistic civilization was absorbed rather than extinguished.\n\n\nSee studies by M. I. Rostovtzeff (3 vol., 1941), M. Hadas (1959), J. C. Stobart (3d ed. 1960), G. T. Griffith and W. W. Tarn (rev. ed. 1961), P. Grimal, ed. (1969), and F. E. Peters (1971).\n\nReferences in periodicals archive ?\nIt is composed and based on the works of Dante and Milton, and extends to all the corners of the Earth: from the ancient Hellenistic world to the mythology of Peru and the Incas, from Japan to the native Americans and the Scandinavian myths.\nAt the time of their exploration by archaeologists in the 19th and 20th centuries, some pyramids were found to contain the remains of bows, quivers of arrows, archers' thumb rings, horse harnesses, wooden boxes, furniture, pottery, colored glass, metal vessels, and many other artifacts attesting to extensive Meroitic trade with Egypt and the Hellenistic world.\nRAaAaAeA mer, Alexander the Great was responsible for Egy getting inducted into the Hellenistic world, with thousands of Greek-speaking settlers flocking to the area under the Ptolemaic empire.\nAlexander the Great, she pointed out, had made Egypt part of the Hellenistic world, and thousands of Greek-speaking settlers flocked to the land on the Nile, attracted by the new Ptolemaic empire, which promised prosperity and peace.\nShe added that the upper class of this community at the time who spoke Greek were trained in sports and engaged in philosophical discussions in this gymnasium that was also found in the entire Hellenistic world such Athens in Greece, Pergamon and Miletus in Asia Minor, and Pompeii in Italy.\nThe word and concept of adoption (uiothesia in Greek) do not come from Judaism (OT), but from the Hellenistic world, in order to describe the new relation of humanity with God.\nReferences to Greek cults can also be found, especially that of Tyche, so important in the Hellenistic world.\nThe final chapter addresses 1) the predictable problems of Jews and Christians living distinctively in the Hellenistic World, 2) finding common ground, 3) managing sexual passion, 4) prostitution, 5) merging Greek and Jewish Wisdom on the passions, 6) Eunuchs, 7) Paul's issues about the \"flesh\", 8) celebrating sex, and 9) the problem of perversion.\nWhy has this funerary monument, whose size makes it unique in the Hellenistic world, not been mentioned in any historical document?\nEstablished upon the principles of the Etruscan and Greek civilisations and inspired by the Hellenistic world, the Roman Era was the time of great developments in art, architecture, engineering and exact sciences (7).\nInstead, having made a good case in her 2004 book that the literary artistry in this Gospel reflects a thorough knowledge of the conventions of Greek tragedy, she demonstrates again and again how the religion, literature, traditions, and rhetoric of the Hellenistic world offer points of contact with this Gospel that clarify it and open its mysteries to new light.\nHanges's argument begins by clarifying the meaning of \"founder\" in the history of religions and by comparing the figure of Paul to other founder figures from the Hellenistic world (pp.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9017308354377747}
{"content": "Original Title: Thoroughbreds\n\nYear of Release: 2018\n\nGenres: Drama; Thriller\n\nDirector: Cory Finley\n\nWriter: Cory Finley\n\nMain Cast: Olivia Cooke, Anya Taylor-Joy, Anton Yelchin, Paul Sparks\n\nI came into this expecting a fun and colorful dark comedy, but what I got was actually far deeper and better than anything I could have imagined. A peculiar story of friendship and identity, Thoroughbreds features two outstanding performances by Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor-Joy, and effective supporting ones by Paul Sparks and the late Anton Yelchin.\n\nOriginally released on a limited theatrical run, the film is finally available on VOD, making the experience feel more intimate and eerie. This is Cory Finley’s directorial debut, but he has had a career writing and directing theater plays, and it shows. The story is set in very confined spaces, and almost every scene features dialogue between characters, however this is an inherently cinematic movie, mainly thanks to the excellent cinematography by Lyle Vincent: the smooth steady-cam long takes create an eerie atmosphere that constantly keeps you on edge, almost turning Taylor-Joy’s mansion into a modern-day Overlook Hotel.\n\n\nOlivia Cooke is chillingly cold as Amanda, a sociopath who proves absolutely no emotions or feelings for anything or anyone. The chemistry between her and the seemingly-normal Lily (played by Anya Taylor-Joy) is peculiar to say the least, with the two becoming more open with one another as they start revealing how they truly feel about their lives. Taylor-Joy especially shines in this film, becoming more ruthless and angry against her step-father as the film goes on, creating a series of events that slowly keeps building tension, until the final 10 minutes. This is a slow-moving film driven almost exclusively by dialogue, and it can be quite a chore for some to watch, but if you manage to stay with it, the ending gives great meaning and closure to the film, elevating many moments that at first seemed pointless.\n\nOverall, Thoroughbreds is a truly great feature-debut by Cory Finley. With excellent performances, masterful building of tension and atmosphere, smart dialogue that is also low-key funny, this is one of the most underseen films of the year, and one that you should check out as soon as you can.\n\n\nStory: 8\n\nDirecting: 8.5\n\nCinematography: 9\n\nActing: 9\n\nSound: 8.5\n\nVisual Effects: 8\n\n\n\n\n\n\nViolence & Gore: 6\n\nSex & Nudity: 3\n\nDrugs & Profanity: 5\n\nIntensity & Horror: 6\n\nIf you enjoyed this article, subscribe to my YouTube channel", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9991487264633179}
{"content": "[Final Draft] Worldly Religion in Deleuze and Whitehead: On the Possibility of a Secular Divinity\n\nBelow I’ve written a paper using the ideas of Gilles Deleuze and Alfred North Whitehead to construct a secular divinity. For Deleuze, this is an especially serious act of buggery on my part. Deleuze of course approved of that method in his own projects, but I wonder if he would approve of the baby jesus child that I’m trying to make him have in this paper. I’m directing Deleuze’s demand that we philosophers think immanently by believing in the world toward an interpretation of the Christian religion and faith. This is exactly what Whitehead does in Adventures of Ideas where he looks to the martyr Jesus for the exemplification of something that the philosopher Plato first divined as an ideal. Plato made a world-historical intellectual discovery, as Whitehead puts it, or as Deleuze would say he created a concept that has continued to reverberate across the ages. Where traditional monotheistic theologists create a concept of divinity as a transcendent and omnipotent imposer of form and order and law upon an entirely separate derivative world, with Plato you have the idea of divine immanence in the world working through persuasion–through desire, eros, beauty, and love–to transform the world “slowly and in quietness,” as Whitehead puts it, rather than by hurling thunderbolts from heaven. Plato invented a new idea of God working within the world as love, which is a kind of power, but not the power of brute force. God is no longer a creator who shapes the whole thing from outside. Rather, God is involved in, caught up with the process of cosmogenesis and spatiotemporal becoming, such that the world is as necessary for the nature of God as God is for the nature of the World… \n\nPDF version:\n\n\n\ncover of process paper\n\n\n“Behold, I am making all things new.”\n\n-Revelation 21:5\n\n\nThe purpose of this essay is to unpack Deleuze’s and Whitehead’s philosophical contributions to the task of re-thinking religion in an increasingly fenced in, post-everything world no longer certain of its own secularity.1 “The secularization of the concept of God’s functions in the world,” argued Whitehead in 1927, “is at least as urgent a requisite of thought as is the secularization of other elements in experience.”2 With a similar sense of urgency, Deleuze (and Guattari) argued in 1991 that, in an age when “we have so many reasons not to believe in the human world,” philosophy’s most pressing task is to “give birth to new modes of existence, closer to animals and rocks,” modes of existence which renew “[belief] in this world, in this life.”3 Deleuze’s emphasis on immanence as against transcendence, on this world as opposed to the next, should not be read as a blanket dismissal of spiritual practice. On the contrary, for Deleuze, the creative thinking demanded by philosophical inquiry invites infinite cosmic forces into the finite mind, making philosophy akin to an “initiatory…spiritual ordeal.”4 Philosophers are those who dare to welcome such dangerous forces, risking not only their academic reputations,5 but the habit-formed security of their egos. Philosophers do not simply reflect ideas, they allow ideas to enter into and transform them:\n\nThis is because one does not think without becoming something else, something that does not think–an animal, a molecule, a particle–and that comes back to thought and revives it.6\n\nDeleuze calls for a radical break with all forms of commonsense–whether it be religious, artistic, philosophical, or scientific–through the intercession of concepts with personalities who are willing to continually confront the absolute horizon of the plane, and so who are able to fold the infinite movements of Nous and Physis back into one another “in such a way that the plane of immanence is ceaselessly being woven, like a gigantic shuttle.”7 Philosophy, unlikes dogmatic religions, does not paint the firmament on an umbrella, rather it “[tears] open the firmament and [plunges] into the chaos.”8 As we will see, however, philosophy’s role is to not only to descend into the underworld, but to return with the good news.\n\nWhitehead, for his part, has Jamesian tendencies that would at first glance seem to ally his philosophical efforts to the pragmatic interests of commonsense. “The philosophy of organism,” he wrote, “is an attempt, with the minimum of critical adjustment, to return to the concepts of ‘the vulgar.’”9 Whitehead made this comment in the context of a skeptical attack on behalf of commonsense experience mounted against the mechanistic abstractions of Newton (who dismissed the mathematically-naïve sense-based opinions of “the vulgar”) and the transcendental abstractions of Kant (who opposed derivative sensory appearances to ultimate substantial reality). Whitehead was well aware of the danger of hyperbole.10 In this case, however, it seems he fell prey to the danger of understatement. The “critical adjustment” his cosmology requires of the opinions of modern people can hardly be described as “minimal.” By the time Whitehead has finished his adventure in cosmologizing, not only will God have become creaturely, but energy vectors will have been transformed into emotional currents and atoms will have been endowed with life. Further, the very substance of the soul, the continuity of personal identity, will have become but a precariously linked “route of presiding occasions…[wandering] from part to part of the brain,” always vulnerable to dislocations and interruptions which “in primitive times [were] interpreted as demoniac possession.”11 Rather than having been made in heaven by God and beginning life fully-formed and eternally the same, the soul comes to matter to us precisely because it is what is always at risk, “what might be captured, reduced to wandering, enslaved.”12 No longer given as one, already whole, the soul becomes a social value to be achieved, a swarming community of larval subjects needing to be repeatedly composed or concresced out of the chaosmic raw materials of life (i.e., intensive percepts and affects). “Being a soul” in Whitehead’s process ontology is deeply problematic, even dangerous, because one never simply is but must become-soul. “Losing one’s hold [going mad],” in the context of Whitehead’s psychology, “becomes…the paradigmatic disaster, or else…the precondition of any initiation or any spiritual transformation.”13 It would seem that neither the traditional theologian nor the classical physicist, much less the average modern business owner, government employee, or homemaker, could feel at home in such a strange Whiteheadian universe! 
 Both Deleuze and Whitehead generated concepts rooted in non-ordinary problematics, which is to say that the solutions distilled by their concepts problematize naïve egoic subjectivity by acting as alchemical catalysts that alter not only the contents of conscious thoughts, but the unconscious imaginative background of thought itself, thereby repositioning thinking on some as yet undetected plane of immanence. They are hermetic thinkers whose philosophizing sought not rational explanation, but the instigation of worldly renewal and the intensification of the depth of aesthetic experience. It is important in this context to forge connections between their efforts to creatively transform commonsense experience and the wider projects of establishing coherent social values and just political institutions. Deleuze’s philosophy has been criticized for being “politically irrelevant” by Peter Hallward due to its perceived “otherworldliness.”14 Isabelle Stengers has also criticized Deleuze’s tendency to celebrate the adventures of solitary, heroic creators who fearlessly dive into chaos while at the same time downplaying the conditions provided by their habitat and their inevitable need for social recuperation upon returning to consensual reality:\n\n…all creators have learned [what] makes them able to “dive” without being swallowed. A dive cannot be improvised, but demands equipment. Unlike those who may happen to “sink” into chaos, creators are those who know what they experience “matters,” and that they will be able to recount something of what has happened to them, that is to come back…even from the land of the dead.15\n\nStengers’ contrasts Deleuze’s celebration of unhinged creativity with Whitehead’s tremendous respect for history and continual emphasis upon the importance of acquiring new habits in a way that is sensitive to the habitat they depend upon. “Each task of creation,” writes Whitehead, “is a social effort, employing the whole universe.”16 While Hallward’s claim may or may not be justified, Stengers’ modest Whiteheadian corrective to Deleuze’s penchant for skinny dipping in the Acheron allows us to receive much insight and inspiration from the latter without forgetting the perhaps more pertinent imperative of the former regarding the worldly responsibility of the philosopher:\n\n…[to] seek the evidence for that conception of the universe which is the justification for the ideals characterizing the civilized phases of human society.17\n\nWhen it comes to the influence of the mainline religious traditions of the West upon philosophy, both Whitehead and Deleuze lob devastating rebukes. Whitehead’s ire is almost always directed at the “idolatrous” habit of conceiving of God along the lines of an all-powerful imperial ruler or distant unmoved mover.18 “Religion,” writes Whitehead, “has emerged into human experience mixed with the crudest fancies of barbaric imagination.”19 Deleuze also mocks the idea of a “great despot” or “imperial State in the sky or on earth” typical of monotheistic commonsense.20 While this particular habit of religious thought is deemed dispensable, Whitehead is unwilling to jettison religious values outright, despite calls by the modern-minded to found civilization instead upon the abstractions of mechanistic science:\n\nUnfortunately for this smug endeavor to view the universe as the incarnation of the commonplace, the impact of aesthetic, religious, and moral notions is inescapable. They are the disrupting and the energizing forces of civilization.21\n\nIn particular, Whitehead points to the “Galilean origin of Christianity” as an example of a non-despotic religious persona: Christ. Christ “neither rules, nor is unmoved,” but “dwells upon the tender elements in the world, which slowly and in quietness operate by love.”22 Deleuze also singles out Christian philosophy, both for praise and for disparagement. Those pre-modern Christian philosophers (like Cusa, Eckhart, and Bruno) who were bold enough to challenge church authority and risk their lives by injecting at least a dose of immanence into Physis and Nous still refused in the end to “compromise the transcendence of a God to which immanence must be attributed only secondarily.”23 Later modern Christian philosophers (like Pascal and Kierkegaard), though they were still men of faith, created concepts that recharged, rather than diminished, immanence. They were\n\nconcerned no longer with the transcendent existence of God but only with the infinite immanent possibilities brought by the one who believes that God exists.24\n\nDeleuze suggests that, in the modern period, belief replaced knowledge as the dominant image of thought.25 The “will to truth” that had guided philosophy for so long lost its viability, as with the new technical power of modernity came also a crippling epistemic skepticism, an inability to grasp truth outright. No longer could the productivity of thought be “guaranteed in advance by the inherent connection between the good and the true”; rather, Deleuze believed that philosophical thought in the modern period required “trespass and violence,” treating the thinker of thought not as a trustworthy friend, but as an enemy.26 Truth is now to be inferred at best, tracked with suspicion but without certainty. The new plane of belief is not simply destructive or crippling, however: it is also the condition for the possibility of new forms of mental and physical experience. As with the Christian thinkers of immanence, Deleuze emphasized the “unforeseeable directions of thought and practice” that belief makes possible, directions to be judged not based on the object of a belief, but on a belief’s effect.27 A related feature of modern philosophy for Deleuze results from thought’s encounter and struggle with the unrepresentable natural forces underlying perceptual and affective experience, forces which paradoxically “must but cannot be thought.”28 Given modern thought’s confrontation with the infinite forces of the universe, its concepts can no longer be understood to represent a stable reality or to mirror a harmonious nature; rather, “what matters…in an idea is…the range of experimental possibility it opens onto.”29\n\nWhitehead shares with Deleuze a sense for the importance of experimental thinking. In the context of religious experimentation, asking whether or not God really exists becomes irrelevant. What becomes important is the sort of thoughts and practices that belief in God makes possible for the believer, and for the society to which the believer belongs. “The power of God,” writes Whitehead, “is the worship He inspires.”30 “The fact of the religious vision,” he continues,\n\n\nThe “religious vision,” as Whitehead understands it, “gives meaning to all that passes, and yet eludes apprehension,” providing life with “something which is the ultimate ideal, and the hopeless quest.”32 The vision, though aesthetically and emotionally ultimate, cannot be monopolized by the limited doctrines of any religion in particular. It can be said, however, that the rising or falling tide of each religious tradition through the ages depends upon the ability of its concepts, symbols, rituals, myths, architecture, and personae (etc.) to inspire worship in such a way that the intuition of God is called forth naturally from spiritual recesses deeper than can be rationally understood.33 The psychology of modern civilization, from Whitehead’s point of view, has little patience for the traditional image of God as an omnipotent dictator. In this respect, such images are “fatal,” since “religion collapses unless its main positions command immediacy of assent.”34\n\nMore often than any religious image per say, Deleuze’s target is the illusion of transcendence as such, which results whenever we “[interpret immanence] as immanent to Something.”35 The illusion of transcendence resonates with 3 other illusions, or “thought mirages”: 1) universality, which results when the immanent planomenon is conceived as immanent “to” a concept, 2) eternity, which results when we forget that concepts must be created and are not waiting in the sky for thinkers to discover, and 3) discursiveness, which results when concepts are reduced to logical propositions.36 These illusions become a thick fog obscuring the plane of immanence, condemning the philosophical and religious thinker alike to continually grasp after immanence as though it might be made immanent “to” something, whether it be “the great Object of contemplation [the neo-Platonic One], the Subject of reflection [the Kantian transcendental subject], or the Other subject of communication [the Husserlian intersubjective transcendental].”37 The plane of immanence cannot itself be thought, since it provides the very condition for thought.38 Whenever a thinker believes he has thought the plane, we can be sure he has only contemplated, reflected, or communicated an idol.\n\nThe pure immanence of the philosophical planomenon can be likened to the friend, i.e., Wisdom, She who provides the condition for the possibility of philosophy.39 The friend is the paradigmatic “conceptual persona” of philosophy. Conceptual personae, according to Deleuze, have a “somewhat mysterious…hazy existence halfway between concept and preconceptual plane, passing from one to the other.”40 In the case of the friend, it must be asked what it could mean to become friendly if the friend had not once been, and could not become again, a stranger. On the philosophical planomenon, the friend and the stranger, the thought and its thinker, never engage in discussion with one another. Discussion is useless to philosophy, since all a discussion implies is that concepts have been mistaken for propositions, as if they could be deliberately expressed in sentence form (the illusion of discursiveness).41 Once the discursive mirage has captured a thinker, thought can only circle about itself in dialectical pursuit of a shallow truth extracted from the agonism of opinion.42 The more interesting dialectics end in aporia (Plato’s aporietic dialogues and Kant’s table of antinomies); or even more interestingly, they swallow up opposed opinions into the absolute as necessary moments in the historical unfolding of the eternal concept (Hegel). But there can be no dialectic that resolves itself in absolute identity–this would mean the end of philosophy (which is why Hegel claimed no longer to be a philosopher, but to have become wise). Both the friend and the stranger are necessary illusions for philosophy: philosophy, in other words, “requires this division of thought between [friend and stranger].” The philosophical creator of concepts must remain divided against himself at the same time that he befriends the image of thought projected in the division. The progress of philosophy depends upon a philosopher’s willingness to dwell within (without becoming immanent “to”) continual crises of agonism and reconciliation, meeting therein a proliferation of strange friends and friendly strangers. Deleuze writes:\n\nIt is as if the struggle against chaos does not take place without an affinity with the enemy, because another struggle develops and takes on more importance–the struggle against opinion, which claims to protect us from chaos itself.43\n\nTo dwell in crisis is no easy task. But this is the task required of a modern thinker, especially a Christian philosopher who has accepted the risks of thinking God’s immanence. To secularize the concept of God, as Whitehead and Deleuze demand, is to uncover “thought’s relationship with the earth,”44 to dig up what has been buried beneath the foggy illusions of transcendence estranging humanity from its home. To think with the earth is still a creative act; but it is also a matter of recovery, or resurrection, and of uncovering, or apocalypse.45\n\nChristian philosophy’s paradigmatic conceptual persona is Christ, “the Word” who “became flesh and dwelt among us.”46 At first blush, He may seem, like other personae, to possess a less than incarnate, hazy existence somewhere between the immanence of the plane (matter/earth) and the transcendence of the concept (spirit/heaven). As John said, “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it”47:––Traditional theology has all too often emphasized Christ’s transcendence, making Him more spirit than human (and making humanity more sinful than blessed).\n\nDespite His initially ghostly outline, Christ’s ideality cannot be understood to be in any way abstract: He is rather an (the?) intercessor, the seed of a peculiarly Christian mode of thinking. “A particular conceptual persona,” writes Deleuze, “who perhaps did not exist before us, thinks in us.”48 Of Christ it is said that He both was in the beginning before us and will be in the end after us. His omnipresence lays out a uniquely immanent image of thought based on incarnation. The Christian plane of immanence demands a creation of concepts whose central problematic, or spiritual ordeal, is death, and whose solution, should it be realized, is an earthly form of resurrection. The Christian planomenon is unique because it is founded upon the birth, death, and resurrection of God on earth, which is to say it depends upon the possibility of the becoming-immanent of transcendence itself. Only then can the Christian thinker become inhabited by living thinking. “My old self,” writes Paul,\n\n\nLike the philosophical friend, Christ’s teachings can appear strange. “I tell you,” He said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”50 How can an earthly human being–normatively tied to family, friend, race, and nation–possibly live up to such an impossible, indeed infinite, demand? It is a demand that does violence to opinion and breaks with all commonsense. Nonetheless, this demand provides the peculiarly Christian problematic, an ordeal whose resolution requires becoming-incarnate, and thereby participating in bringing about an as yet unrealized providential plan(e), “on earth, as it is in heaven.”51 This is the strangeness of the “Galilean origin” of Christianity mentioned by Whitehead, where the transcendent power of divine coercion is replaced by the immanent love of divine persuasion. While Whitehead did not believe it possible, or even desirable, to construct a doctrinal unity out of the world’s diversity of religions, he did believe\n\nthat it is possible, amid these differences, to reach a general agreement as to those elements, in intimate human experience and general history, which we select to exemplify that ultimate theme of the divine immanence, as a completion required by our cosmological outlook.52\n\nIn other words, while humanity will certainly continue to disagree as to the particular qualitative aspects of religious facts and their proper moral interpretations, some coordination of these facts along a single plane of immanence may at least be attempted. Whitehead’s cosmological candidate for the ultimate religious theme is Divine Eros. His philosophical intervention into traditional theology aimed to transform the transcendent God of “coercive forces wielding the thunder” into the creaturely God of persuasion, “which slowly and in quietness [operates] by love.” 53 Given humanity’s recently seized god-like powers of technology, sustaining our planetary civilization would seem to depend upon the realization of such a secular “earth ethos.” Our civilization is in dire need of a world-renewing metaphysical consensus regarding the divine nature. If we are unable to believe in the divinity of the world, our collective behavior runs the risk destroying that world. The spirit of religion, though it is from time to time “explained away, distorted, and buried,” has never once entirely left us, according to Whitehead, “since the travel of mankind towards civilization.”54 Whenever religion takes flight from worldly concerns, it is the sure sign of a world nearing its end.\n\nWhitehead traces the gradual realization of the concept of divine immanence through a “threefold revelation” stretching approximately twelve hundred years: 1) it begins in Athens with a intellectual innovation by Plato, 2) then passes into Jerusalem where the person of Jesus Christ exemplified the apocalyptic (ἀποκάλυψις- to “un-cover”) power of Plato’s concept, 3) and finally it culminates in a metaphysical interpretation of these events generated during the formative period of Christian theology.55\n\nWhitehead regularly praises Plato’s depth of intuition. Just as often, he admits Plato’s failure to achieve a coherent overall statement of his conceptual scheme: “the greatest metaphysician, the poorest systematic thinker.”56 It is for one concept in particular, though, that Whitehead was lead to crown Plato “the wisest of men”: the idea that\n\nthe divine persuasion [Eros] is the foundation of the order of the world, but that it could only produce such a measure of harmony as amid brute forces [Chaos] it was possible to accomplish.57\n\nIt was this idea, conceived in principle by Plato, that the person of Jesus Christ was to reveal in actual deed. Though the historical records of His life are scattered and inconsistent, “there can be no doubt,” writes Whitehead, “as to what elements…have evoked a response from all that is best in human nature”:\n\nThe Mother, the Child, and the bare manger: the lowly man, homeless and self-forgetful, with his message of peace, love, and sympathy: the suffering, the agony, the tender words as life ebbed, the final despair: and the whole with the authority of supreme victory.58\n\nFinally, it was the early Church fathers who made the first sustained effort to grope towards a coherent account of God’s persuasive agency in the world.59 The major fruit of their labor was the doctrine of the trinity (the mutual immanence of the theos-anthropos-cosmos multiplicity); more specifically, their most important contribution was the direct statement of the divine immanence in the world in the third person of the trinity. Unfortunately, despite this theological statement, the Church fathers failed to attain adequate metaphysical generality because they still exempted an infinite God from the categories applicable to the finite actual occasions involved in the becoming of the spatiotemporal world.60 Like Plato in many of his written dialogues, they were unable to disavow the notion of a derivative physical world poorly imitating the Ideas eternally realized in the mind of a disincarnate God.\n\nDeleuze’s work has been read as an attempt to “overturn” Plato.61 In any attempt to “overturn” Plato it should be remembered that little more is required than continuing to “turn over” Plato–as in continuing to turn over the pages of his dialogues to be reminded that, like Whitman, he is large and contains multitudes.62 As Emerson put it:\n\nthe acutest searcher, the lovingest disciple could never tell what Platonism was; indeed admirable texts can be quoted on both sides of every great question, from him.63\n\nPlato was equal parts poet and philosopher. He wrote dialogues, always leaving the doctrines for his characters. His meaning is never on the surface, even when it comes from the face of Socrates. Reading him, like reading the metaphysical experiments of Whitehead or Deleuze, is an infinite interpretive activity. For Whitehead, the entire history of European philosophy can be safely characterized as “a series of footnotes to Plato.”64 This despite the fact that Plato himself tells us in a letter to Dion that “no man of intelligence will venture to express his philosophical views in language.” “[Setting] down [one’s views] in written characters” is especially denounced.65 Written words lay in their parchment graves, still, silent, and dead. The reader’s questions and disputations receive no reply. 
 On the testimony of Aristotle, Plotinus, and Proclus, we know that Plato’s unwritten secret teaching had something to do with the way that\n\n\nIf this is indeed the secret teaching, then how strangely inverted is the traditional European reading of Plato! 
 Deleuze’s reading destroys the Platonic two-world theory of perfect ideas poorly copied by sensory images, but he is allured by Plato’s alternative conception of the idea of pure Difference. Where Aristotle reduces difference to that derived from the commonsense comparison of similars, understanding Plato requires risking the sanity of one’s mind in pursuit of the dark, difficult, and dangerous idea of Difference in itself. For Plato, individuals are not constituted by their substantial forms, or by their special determinations of a genus, as they are for Aristotle; nor is knowledge of individuals constituted by generalizations from a series. Rather, Plato’s is an ontology of singularity, where knowing an individual (be it ideal or actual) requires directly intuiting its uniquely authentic line of descent, rather than representing, identifying, or abstracting its general form. As Ramey puts it, “Knowledge is not a matter of generalization but of participation.” He continues:\n\nThe claim to participation is not simply the claim to be identified as a member of a class or token of a type. It is a claim to have passed a test or to have a basis for one’s claim. The difference between the just and the unjust, pretenders to justice and authentic stewards of justice, is not a difference between any two, but an internal and constitutive difference. It is the difference an ‘immediate fact’ of participation makes…It is the selection of an icon from within a prodigious field of idols, false images.67\n\nThe difference is initiatory, “acquired by each person on their own account.”68 That is, it has to do with undertaking the descent into the chaos of the underworld and returning to tell the tale. Philosophy without initiation would quickly turn stale and become abstract. Without stories to perform on infinite plane(s) stretching beyond the relative horizons of commonsense experience, a philosopher’s concepts cannot catch fire, nor acquire the persuasive life of personality. Once the journey into the darkness of pure Difference has been undertaken, in the difficult idea one has partaken are discovered signs of its ingression into the light of physical appearance: like a flower blooming, the idea incarnates out of earthly soil. “What man of sense,” writes Plato of his pedagogy of the concept,\n\nwould plant seeds in an artificial garden, to bring forth fruit or flowers in eight days, and not in deeper and more fitting soil?69\n\nAfter the Christian-Platonic initiation, the world is transfigured into a problematic network of occult icons whose meaning can only be uncovered intuitively by the mental magic of talismanic thinking. Ideas are traced into appearances as signs, moments of discontinuity in extensive physical time-space out of which the intensive oddity of self-reference emerges.70 These recursive oddities unfold themselves into the physical plane, erupting as problematic forces requiring of the flesh-hewn mind not new representations of a supposedly extra-bodily world, but self-immolation through constant death and resurrection. Thinking is an ecstatic, violent act, always killing the neurons which support it, “making the brain a set of little deaths that puts constant death within us.”71\n\nDeleuze’s Plato creates concepts not only iconically, but ironically, in that he never claims to represent an idea as true, but only to participate in an idea as “a way of problematizing, a manner of posing questions.”72 Deleuze pushes his Platonism as far away from any two-world caricature as possible by positing, according to Ramey,\n\nthe genesis of mind in direct encounters with imperceptible forces of perception, moments when the subtle and elusive patterns of difference and repetition animating life force the mind to interpret and even to create.73\n\nWhitehead’s and Deleuze’s immanental reading of Christianity, along with their reading of Plato’s participatory doctrines of Persuasion and Difference, provides a world-renewing medicinal brew sorely needed in the contemporary world. Deleuze writes of the “medicinal thought” of a people to come who, according Ramey,\n\nwould, at an eschatological limit, have passed beyond the segmentation of knowledge in art, science, and philosophy in some as-yet-unrealized integral life of knowledge, such as that long dreamt of in the esoteric tradition of mathesis universalis.74\n\nFor Deleuze, mathesis is “a thinking of incarnation and individuality,”75 a form of symbolic knowing that allows for the discovery (and creation) of life’s (and death’s) deepest secrets. Knowledge of life’s individuating tendency, its power to repeatedly differ from itself, reveals how “the whole [can symbolize] itself in each individual.”76 Initiation into such knowledge would not only empower individual decision and action, but could rejuvenate the social and political life of civilization. We await the people to come who will be capable of completing creation through the incarnation of this Christogenic “body without organs.”77 “If you want to make a new start in religion,” writes Whitehead, “you must be content to wait a thousand years.”78\n\n\n1 Perhaps even post-apocalyptic. See Sam Mickey’s attempt to “compost” the territorialized “postal discourses” of disintegral thought in his dissertation, Philosophy for a Planetary Civilization: On the Verge of Integral Ecology, (2012), 321cf [http://search.proquest.com/docview/1017705422?accountid=25260 (accessed 12/17/2012)].\n\n2 Whitehead, Process and Reality: An Essay in Cosmology (New York: The Free Press, 1929/1978), 207.\n\n3 Deleuze and Guattari, What is Philosophy? (New York: Columbia University Press, 1994), 74.\n\n4 Joshua Ramey, The Hermetic Deleuze: Philosophy and Spiritual Ordeal (London: Duke University Press, 2012), 2.\n\n5 See Ramey, The Hermetic Deleuze, 6: There exists a “general academic-philosophical prejudice against the threatening proximity of intuitive, mystical, or even simply more emotional modes of mind to the cold calculations of pure reason…”\n\n6 Deleuze and Guattari, What is Philosophy?, 42.\n\n7 Deleuze and Guattari, What is Philosophy?, 38, 89, 177.\n\n8 Deleuze and Guattari, What is Philosophy?, 202.\n\n9 Whitehead, Process and Reality, 72.\n\n10 Whitehead, Process and Reality, 7: “The chief error in philosophy is overstatement.”\n\n11 Whitehead, Process and Reality, 107-109.\n\n12 Isabelle Stengers, Thinking With Whitehead (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2011), 443.\n\n13 Stengers, Thinking With Whitehead, 443.\n\n14 Peter Hallward, Out of this World: Deleuze and the Philosophy of Creation (London: Verso Books, 2006); quoted in Ramey, The Hermetic Deleuze, 226n9.\n\n15 Stengers, Thinking With Whitehead, 272.\n\n16 Whitehead, Process and Reality, 275.\n\n17 Whitehead, Modes of Thought (New York: The Free Press, 1938/1968), 105.\n\n18 Whitehead, Process and Reality, 343.\n\n19 Whitehead, Science and the Modern World (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1925/1960), 192. The contemplative conception of God as unmoved mover is obviously not as crude; what it lacks is the emotional and moral intensity required to engender religious vision.\n\n20 Deleuze and Guattari, What is Philosophy?, 43.\n\n21 Whitehead, Modes of Thought, 19.\n\n22 Whitehead, Process and Reality, 343.\n\n23 Deleuze and Guattari, What is Philosophy?, 45. \n\n24 Deleuze and Guattari, What is Philosophy?, 74. \n\n25 Deleuze and Guattari, What is Philosophy?, 53. \n\n26 Deleuze, Difference and Repetition, transl. Paul Patton(London: Continuum, 1994/2004), 139.\n\n27 Ramey, The Hermetic Deleuze, 13.\n\n28 Ramey, The Hermetic Deleuze, 16.\n\n29 Ramey, The Hermetic Deleuze, 16-17.\n\n30 Whitehead, Science and the Modern World, 192.\n\n31 Whitehead, Science and the Modern World, 193.\n\n32 Whitehead, Science and the Modern World, 191-192.\n\n33 Stengers, Thinking With Whitehead, 133.\n\n34 Whitehead, Science and the Modern World, 191.\n\n35 Deleuze and Guattari, What Is Philosophy?, 45.\n\n36 Deleuze and Guattari, What Is Philosophy?, 49-50.\n\n37 Deleuze and Guattari, What Is Philosophy?, 51.\n\n38 Deleuze and Guattari, What Is Philosophy?, 37.\n\n39 Deleuze and Guattari, What Is Philosophy?, 3.\n\n40 Deleuze and Guattari, What Is Philosophy?, 61.\n\n41 Deleuze and Guattari, What Is Philosophy?, 22, 28.\n\n42 Deleuze and Guattari, What Is Philosophy?, 79.\n\n43 Deleuze and Guattari, What Is Philosophy?, 203. \n\n44 Deleuze and Guattari, What Is Philosophy?, 69. \n\n45 These Christological concepts can be read in parallel to Deleuze and Guattari’s geophilosophical concepts of “reterritorialization” and “deterritorialization” (What Is Philosophy?, 69-70).\n\n46 John 1:14.\n\n47 John 1:5.\n\n48 Deleuze and Guattari, What Is Philosophy?, 69. \n\n49 Galations 2:20.\n\n50 Matthew 5:44.\n\n51 Matthew 6:10.\n\n52 Whitehead, Adventures of Ideas (New York: The Free Press, 1933/1961), 161.\n\n53 Whitehead, Adventures of Ideas, 166; Process and Reality, 343.\n\n54 Whitehead, Adventures of Ideas, 172.\n\n55 Whitehead, Adventures of Ideas, 166.\n\n56 Whitehead, Adventures of Ideas, 166.\n\n57 Whitehead, Adventures of Ideas, 160.\n\n58 Whitehead, Adventures of Ideas, 167.\n\n59 Whitehead, Adventures of Ideas, 167-169.\n\n60 Whitehead, Adventures of Ideas, 169.\n\n61 Ramey, The Hermetic Deleuze, Ch. 4: “The Overturning of Platonism,” 112cf.\n\n62 See Whitman’s “Song of Myself,” section 51.\n\n63 Journal entry, Oct. 1845.\n\n64 Whitehead, Process and Reality, 39.\n\n65 Ironically, of course, as Plato was himself a prolific author.\n\n66 Iain Hamilton Grant, Philosophies of Nature After Schelling (London: Continuum, 2006), 56n8.\n\n67 Ramey, The Hermetic Deleuze, 118.\n\n68 Deleuze, “Mathesis, Science, and Philosophy,” foreword to Johann Malfatti de Montereggio, Mathesis, Or Studies on the Anarchy and Hierarchy of Knowledge (Paris: Editions Du Griffon D’Or, 1946), 147.\n\n69 Phaedrus, 276c-277a.\n\n70 Deleuze and Guattari, What is Philosophy?, 21-22.\n\n71 Deleuze and Guattari, What Is Philosophy?, 216; Curiously, Christian esotericist Rudolf Steiner says almost the same thing: “The chief characteristic of ordinary thinking is that each single act of thinking injures the nervous system, and above all, the brain; it destroys something in the brain. Every thought means that a minute process of destruction takes place in the cells of the brain. For this reason sleep is necessary for us, in order that this process of destruction may be made good; during sleep we restore what during the day was destroyed in our nervous system by thinking. What we are consciously aware of in an ordinary thought is in reality the process of destruction that is taking place in our nervous system” (Lecture: 1st May, 1913; http://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/OccSciOccDev/19130501p01.html [accessed 12/16/2012]).\n\n72 Deleuze and Guattari, What Is Philosophy?, 121.\n\n73 Ramey, The Hermetic Deleuze, 125.\n\n74 Ramey, The Hermetic Deleuze, 89.\n\n75 Deleuze, “Mathesis, Science, and Philosophy,” 143.\n\n76 Ramey, The Hermetic Deleuze, 98.\n\n77 Deleuze, The Logic of Sense (London: Continuum, 1990/2004), 102; see also Ramey’s discussion of Cusa’s anthropocosmic Christology (The Hermetic Deleuze, 236n29).\n\n78 Whitehead, Adventures of Ideas, 172.\n\n\n\n\nDeleuze, Gilles and Guattari, Félix. What is Philosophy? (New York: Columbia University Press, 1994).\n\nDeleuze, Gilles Difference and Repetition, transl. Paul Patton (London: Continuum, 1994/2004).\n\nDeleuze, Gilles. The Logic of Sense (London: Continuum, 1990/2004).\n\nGrant, Iain Hamilton. Philosophies of Nature After Schelling (London: Continuum, 2006).\n\nHallward, Peter. Out of this World: Deleuze and the Philosophy of Creation (London: Verso Books, 2006).\n\nRamey, Joshua. The Hermetic Deleuze: Philosophy and Spiritual Ordeal (London: Duke University Press, 2012).\n\nStengers, Isabelle. Thinking With Whitehead (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2011). Whitehead, A. N. Science and the Modern World (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1925/1960).\n\nWhitehead, A. N. Process and Reality: An Essay in Cosmology (New York: The Free Press, 1929/1978).\n\nWhitehead, A. N. Adventures of Ideas (New York: The Free Press, 1933/1961).\n\nWhitehead, A. N. Modes of Thought (New York: The Free Press, 1938/1968).\n\nDisambiguating Spirit and Matter (reflections on scientific materialism)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n—— “Can these things be,\nAnd overcome us like a summer’s cloud,\nWithout our special wonder?”\n\n\nMore reflections on PZ Myers, science, and philosophy… \n\nEmerson on being a scholar\n\n“A mechanic is driven by his work all day, but it ends at night; it has an end. But the scholar’s work has none. That which he has learned is that there is much more to be learned. He feels only his incompetence. A thousand years, tenfold, a hundredfold his faculties, would not suffice: the demands of the task are such, that it becomes omnipresent; he studies in his sleep, in his walking, in his meals, in his pleasures. He is but a fly or a worm to this mountain. He becomes anxious: if one knock at his door, he scowls: if one intimate the purpose of visiting him, he looks grave.”\n\n-Ralph Waldo Emerson, October 1845\n\nPhilosophy Blogging, OOO/SR, Nihilism, and God\n\nIt is difficult to describe the effects of the blogosphere on consciousness, especially when the information communicated via blogs pretends to be philosophical. The blog, as a medium, has not yet been swallowed as radio by TV, or the printed word by the digital hyperlink, and so gaining perspective on its effects remains difficult. We’re still in it, like a child in her mother’s womb. I think by the graces of, and so cannot yet understand, this electronic medium. I think the obscurity of the blogosphere’s effects are magnified for academic philosophers, since there are no disciplinary boundaries carving it up in order to assure that interlocutors play the same language games (which is what always happens at university conferences). Academic philosophy, as practiced at conferences and published in journals, is usually myopically specialized. Arguments take place within some narrow field of relevance, while the truly important questions of life on earth remain backgrounded. This is, of course, a caricature. But so long as we are caricaturing, let us hear from Alan Watts:\n\n“This is the current movement in philosophy: logical analysis says you mustn’t think about existence. It’s a meaningless concept. Therefore philosophy has become the discussion of trivia. No good philosopher lays awake nights worrying about the destiny of man and the nature of God and all that sort of thing. A philosopher today is a practical fellow who comes to the university with a briefcase at 9 and leaves at 5. He does philosophy during the day—which is discussing whether certain sentences have meaning and if so what. He would come to work in a white coat if he thought he could get away with it.”\n\nEven where philosophy begins not with pretense, but with the love of wonder and the desire to know the nature of things, it remains subject to the effects on consciousness of the variety of species of media used to communicate it. Modern consciousness, despite its claim to have dropped sophistry for science,  learns to think only given the cognitive augmentation provided by the alphabet.* Postmodern consciousness, similarly, thinks by the graces of the blogosphere, the apogee of the electronic medium. The democratization of information has now become at least technologically feasible, if not politically actual. I don’t think the rise of the blog signals the end of the university (or at least I should hope not), but it does mean that the individual is now shouldering a good deal more of the weight of human knowledge than before.\n\nI am in graduate school myself, though I attend CIIS, an academically marginalized school started by an Indian yogi in the middle of the New Age capital of the world (Watts was once on the faculty). It is impossible for me to escape this context, even though I aim to think individually much in the spirit of Ralph Waldo Emerson.\n\n\nThought does not take place in a vacuum, however. Philosophy is not best done alone in the woods. Institutions, with all due respect to the likes of Emerson and Thoreau, are an indispensable part of the evolution of consciousness. The blogosphere is alluring to me because it is both individualizing and institutionalizing. It is a distributed institution of localized individuals, each capable of participating in the co-production of a planetary ecology of ideas, images, and symbols unhindered by the disciplinary boundaries of traditional universities.\n\nThis is the ideal, at least. All of this meta-reflection on philosophy blogging is by way of introduction to some final thoughts in response to what is by now old news, namely the discussion surrounding nihilism and theology that took place earlier this month amongst OOOers. Graham Harman, Levi Bryant, Tim Morton, Adam RobbertJason Hills, Tom SparrowLeon Niemoczynski, and others all took part.\n\nMore recently, Kris Coffield over at Fractured Politics has posted a summary and some suggestions. I wanted to clarify some assumptions he makes regarding my position.\n\nI have argued that, without some divine function (whether of the theist, pantheist, or panentheist variety), ideas and meanings can have no reality in the universe. I make this claim in order to remain metaphysically consistent, not because I think atheism is immoral. Obviously, atheists can still be ethical people, operating in the world with meaning, purpose, and even humanitarian idealism. I would never dispute this. What I have argued is that atheists who are also scientific materialists/naturalists risk falling into blatant contradiction unless they are able to articulate how thinking, feeling, and willing (faculties normally associated with consciousness) remain possible despite their metaphysical commitment to a thoroughly non-teleological, disenchanted cosmology. If it is the case that the universe operates according to efficient causality alone (as most materialists traditionally assert), then how is it that human beings are capable of entertaining ideas and engaging in meaningful projects? The validity of scientific knowledge rests upon the assumption that the thoughts and purposes of scientists are real. The atheistic materialist is left with two options in order to remain consistent with this assumption: either ideas and meanings are uniquely human capacities not present in the rest of the universe, or human consciousness itself is an epiphenomenal illusion that neuroscience will eventually explain in mechanistic terms. I think both of these options are inadequate: emergentist dualism is too anthropocentric, and eliminativist monism is too mechanomorpic. I maintain that the human soul is not ontologically distinct from the rest of the universe because the universe is ensouled. Whitehead’s panentheist conception of God functions in a way similar to the World-Soul as described in Timaeus; only, instead of actively shaping passive matter as Plato’s demiurge, Whitehead’s dipolar God bends the infinitely diversifying flow of Creativity into the finite occasions of a unifying Cosmos (and is bent, in turn, by these same occasions).\n\nCoffield argues that, despite my apparent support of the anthrodecentric tendencies of OOO, I am “ultimately unable to escape” a human-centric ontology. He continues:\n\n“Even if the noosphere is more putatively sophisticated than the nonhuman objectsphere (a debatable point), it does not follow, from an object-orientation, that the relations of the former should be given precedence over the latter. Instead, as Levi Bryant has previously indicated, existence entails perpetual differentiation, such that to be is to differ. Thus, the very concept of a singular noosphere or inanimate objectsphere is conceptually shaky, and any entity inserted to bridge the sides of this infinitely regressive binary—God, game, golden goose, or Gandalf—is rendered, to borrow Morton’s word, irrelevant.”\n\nMuch of the philosophizing I do on this blog reflects my struggle to steer clear of all binaries by weaving Wisdom’s wandering story into a differentiated whole. There are many objects, many perspectives, both human-related and not. In calling them all objects, I aim to think the Absolute, or the identity of identity and difference. My philosophizing is a cosmologizing, and in that sense, all my thinking is in the service of anthropogenesis. I aim to cosmologize the human by anthropomorphizing the Cosmos. Perhaps this sounds tautological, but if we think in terms of process or genesis instead of being or ontos, the Anthropic Principle becomes among the most profound of metaphysical insights. Anthropos is already implicit in Cosmos, not because our particular species represents the supreme achievement of the universe, but because thinking has always been a more than human activity rooted in the nature of reality itself.\n\n“The forces which are at work inside my body”, suggests Rudolf Steiner,\n\n“…are the same as those which exist outside. Therefore I am really identical with the objects; not, however, “I” in so far as I am a perception of myself as subject, but “I” in so far as I am a part of the universal world process […] The universal, primordial Being permeating all humanity thus takes hold of us through our thinking. Life within reality, filled with thought content, is at the same time life in God.” –Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path, p. 98 and 236\n\nI do not think that the noösphere should take precedence over the non-human universe, because I do not conceive of the universe as lacking in νοῦς or ψυχή. The noösphere is a cosmic event, something the whole of Gaia is doing in conjunction with the solar system and galaxy within which it is nested. God, or the World-Soul (ψυχή κόσμου), is not irrelevant to philosophy if the philosopher hopes to think the Cosmos. If, as Bryant suggests, “to be is to differ,” then it is nihilism, indeed, that we are left with. Not that I want to homogenize the individualities of reality; I would just rephrase Bryant’s important insight: “to become is to differ.” Process philosophy is then an attempt to identify and re-enact the divine aim of creative differentiation, to participate in its latent holotropic tendencies by uncovering the divine presence in all temporal things. Only then does the Universe become a reality.\n\nCoffield continues:\n\n“If nihilism fears really are concerns over the implications of anthrodecentrism (a clever term coined by Segall) for value judgement, then demonstrating the capacity for deriving value under realist conditions may allay anxiety about affirmations of meaninglessness, making the more radical articulations of object-oriented ontology mare palatable. Crafting a coherent variant of anthrodecentric normativity can be accomplished, in one sense, through an appeal to naturalistic realism…[or] a radically flattened version of natural selection [productive of] moral norms consonant with an instrumental social rationality, wherein moral arrangements that impede group interests animate the potential for unrest, creating feedback that promotes the development of norms aligned with social rationality.”\n\nIn order to avoid being misunderstood as advocating subject-centrism over object-centrism, or unity over variety, or hierarchy over ecology, I should further unpack my cosmotheandrism. Attempts to naturalize our moral needs/wants in this way seems to me to be a form of greedy reductionism neglectful of the extent to which the ultimate values of the Universe pre-exist the species level, since it is these values (like Beauty, Goodness, and Truth) that provide the metaphysical condition for the possibility of local accomplishments of normativity. Reducing morality to an accident of social and/or natural selection does not lead to moral realism, but to relativism. If we seek an object-orientation in ethics, then value must be rooted in the world process itself. Our human characteristics are microcosmic inflections of the divine character of the macrocosm.\n\nThis microcosm-macrocosm relation is not deterministic or coercive, such that God becomes responsible for every decision made by human beings or any other organism. The World-Soul is not a universal tyrant, but a poet, who, “with tender patience [leads] it by his vision of truth, beauty, and goodness” (Process and Reality, p. 346).\n\nWhitehead goes on:\n\n“God and the World are the contrasted opposites in terms of which Creativity achieves its supreme task of transforming disjoined multiplicity, with its diversities in opposition, into concrescent unity, with its diversities in contrast […] God and the World stand over against each other, expressing the final metaphysical truth that appetitive vision and physical enjoyment have equal claim to priority in creation. But no two actualities can be torn apart: each is all in all. Thus each temporal occasion embodies God, and is embodied in God. In God’s nature, permanence is primordial and flux is derivative from the World: in the World’s nature, flux is primordial and permanence is derivative from God. Also the World’s nature is a primordial datum for God; and God’s nature is a primordial datum for the World. Creation achieves the reconciliation of permanence and flux when it has reached its final term which is everlastingness—the Apotheosis of the World. Opposed elements stand to each other in mutual requirement. In their unity, they inhibit or contrast. God and the World stand to each other in this op-posed requirement. God is the infinite ground of all mentality, the unity of vision seeking physical multiplicity. The World is the multiplicity of finites, actualities seeking a perfected unity. Neither God, nor the World, reaches static completion. Both are in the grip of the ultimate metaphysical ground, the creative advance into novelty” (ibid., p. 348-349).\n\n\n*The alphabet begins with A. A is for aleph, א, which to a mystic’s ear symbolizes to the polar unity (or Trinitarity) of God:\n\n“The letter can been seen as being composed of [1] an upper yud, [2] a lower yud, and [3] a vav leaning on a diagonal. [1]The upper yud represents the hidden and ineffible aspects of God while [2]the lower yud represents God’s revelation and presence in the world. [3]The vav (“hook”) connects the two realms.” –Wikipedia\n\nEmerson on Philosophical Inebriation\n\nFrom lecture 7- “Inspiration,” given on March 7, 1871:\n\n“Happy beyond the common lot if he learn the secret, that besides the energy of his conscious intellect, his intellect is capable of new energy by abandonment to a higher influence; or, besides his privacy of power as an individual man, there is a great Public Power on which he can draw–by only letting himself go–by a certain abandonment to it–shall I say, by unlocking at all risks his human doors, and suffering the inundation of the ethereal tides to roll and circulate through him. This ecstasy the old philosophers called an inebriation, and said, that Intellect by its relation to what is prior to Intellect is a god.\n\nOur philosophy is to wait. We have retreated in patience, transferring our oft-shattered hope how often to a larger and remoter good. We meant well, but were continually forced to postpone our best action, and that which was life to do, could only be smuggled into odd moments of the months and year. But we learn to say at last, Dear God, the life of man is not by man,–it is consentaneous and far-related: it came with the sun and nature; it is crescive and vegetative, and it is with us as it is with the sun and the grass. We obey the beautiful necessity. The powers that man wants will be supplied, as man is supplied, and the philosophy of waiting is sustained by all the oracles of the universe.”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7766301035881042}
{"content": "Channels/Doc Routing When Creating Doc in Shadowed Bucket\n\n\nI have tried to search the docs, the mailing list, and the forum for what I think is a basic question, but can’t really find much of an answer, I am sure it has been asked, so my apologies for the dupe, I really just need some help finding a succinct answer, and even a reference to an existing thread is helpful.\n\nHow does sync gateway route docs that are created in the shadowed bucket? Further, given there is no authenticated user, I understand that it just sees all docs, but how can I assign a doc created in a bucket via Couchbase APIs that is shadowed via the Sync GW to specific channels in Sync GW/Mobile?\n\nMy set up works great when docs are created by the mobile devices and the sync function routes them/assigns them to channels and the processes accessing the shadowed bucket via Couchbase APIs can edit and update existing docs, but when the docs are created by the server process in the shadowed bucket, they don’t belong to any channels - how do I get around this? Thanks!\n\n\nHi @basitmustafa let me see if I can get some clarification first.\n\nWhen referring to the “shadowed bucket” typically I am thinking of it as the “couchbase bucket” versus the sacred bucket dedicated to Sync Gateway and configured in the .json config file, “sync_gateway bucket”.\n\nThese two buckets communicate with each other using a Couchbase protocol that performs duplication between these two buckets. Buckets that are created in the “couchbase bucket” are then cloned over the “sync_gateway bucket” with revision information, and the Sync Gateway is made aware of these newly created documents and will appropriately sync them. As you mentioned, you read the documentation but to be sure, this behavior is described here:\n\nThe second point, channel development and data routing, I would need some more information. Would you be able to pass along what your configuration looks like today to give us an understanding of why the documents originating from the “couchbase bucket” do not appear to be utilizing the channels?\n\nThank you!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8165929913520813}
{"content": "recent news about gadget\n\nDesigned in the UK our cabin bags and suitcases are designed to make travel cheaper and easier. A NATIONAL BESTSELLER A programmer, musician, and father of virtual reality technology, Jaron Lanier was a pioneer in digital media, and among the first to predict the revolutionary changes it would bring to our commerce Trinity (nuclear test) Wikipedia Trinity was the code name of the first detonation of a nuclear weapon. It was conducted by the United States Army at 5:29 a.m. on July 16, 1945, as part of the Manhattan Project. Clever Cutter is the revolutionary 2-in-1 Knife and Cutting Board. It quickly and safely chops and slices your favorite foods in seconds. Tags: clever, cutter, Уточняйте Наличие по телефону: 0700 916121, 0551 916122. Карманный микроскоп - PocketSkop x100. Если вы ювелир\n\nPage 1 of 3123", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.968866229057312}
{"content": "How to Tell When Neuroscience-Based Programmes are Well-Developed\n\n| tagged , , ,\n\nby Martha Burns, Ph.D\nI am sure you have noticed that there are many technology programmes out there that claim to “build,” or improve your brain function. Every week I receive emails from companies advertising brain games that promise to train attention and memory skills.\nYou may have wondered, do “brain games” really work? A recent article in The New York Times entitled “Do Brain Workouts Work? Science Isn’t Sure,” actually asked that very question as well. How would a memory brain game that I purchase from a website be different from a card or board game like “Concentration”? How is an attention game different or better than the concentration required to read a good book or play a card game that requires focused and sustained attention, to cards played or discarded each round? Do good old fashioned paper pencil activities like crossword puzzles help with brain function? How about Bridge or Chess? Wouldn’t any challenging video game help us with attention if we had to stay focused for long periods of time to get to a new level?\n\n\n\nThe question, then, is what are the critical active ingredients neuroscientists have found that need to be “built-in” so brain exercises effectively build targeted skills compared to the benefits we get from just using our “noggin” in everyday activities? And, more important, how is a parent or consumer to get through all the hype and determine which brain exercises have the important design features shown to be effective?\n\nFortunately, neuroscientists who have thoroughly researched this have published excellent summaries in respected scientific journals. Below are the key elements to look for in brain exercises:\n\n  1. High & low – Exercises are most effective when they include challenging high-level tasks (like exercises that require a high degree of speed and accuracy) while also including low-level exercises that improve our ability to perceive similar sounds or images more distinctly (Ahissar et el, 2009). We might call this the Sherlock Holmes effect – you must see the details clearly to solve difficult problems.\n  2. Adaptability – Exercises should increase or decrease in difficulty based on how you perform so they continuously adapt to your skill level (Roelfsema, 2010).\n  3. Highly intensive training schedules – The relevant ‘skills’ must be identified, isolated, then practiced through hundreds if not thousands of trials on an intensive (ie, quasi-daily) schedule (Roelfsema, 2010).\n  4. Attention grabbing – In order to maximise enduring plastic changes in the cortex, the learner must attend to each trial or learning event on a trial-by-trial basis.\n\n\nSo for parents, or anyone wanting to understand which brain exercises are worth the investment of valuable time and money, a rule of thumb would be to avoid products that advertise themselves as “brain games” – because that is what they probably are. Rather, seek out programmes or products that contain “exercises” that focus on specific high and low level skills like language, reading, memory and attention, and those who have research evidence to support their value when used by children like yours.\n\n\nAhissar, M., Nahum, M., Nelken, I., & Hochstein, S. (2009). Reverse hierarchies and sensory learning, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 364, 285–299.doi: 10.1098/rstb.2008.0253\n\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5510320067405701}
{"content": "When an old man ventured on to the zebra crossing on a rather wide street in a southwest Chinese city, he hadn’t accounted for the time it would take him to get to the other side. He was barely halfway through when the lights changed.\n\nIt could have been a disastrous situation, had not someone intervened (video above), in the process providing another of those all-too-rare examples when humans come to one another’s help.\n\nNote: it would have been difficult enough even for a young person to have made it across the road in time.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7480746507644653}
{"content": "A Delicious 30 Minute Freezer Meal\n\n\n\n\n\nWhat are you’re favorite freezer meals?\n\nHow I Stock My Kitchen\n\nWhen I go grocery shopping each week, I normally have a list of items to buy, but what I’ve come to realize is that I can add value to my shopping trip and stock my kitchen if I buy at least one extra item from the list below. This is helpful in case there were ever a time when I couldn’t run to the grocery store like getting sick or having a busy week.\n\nBelow are lists of items I stock up on:\nFreezer-Organic chicken and beef and turkey burgers, pizza, vegetables (you can get bags of these for under a dollar at certain stores), fruits-strawberries and mixed berries, vegetable rice/quinoa and Greek yogurt pops.\nFridge-Water, Almond milk, yogurt, eggs\nPantry-Cereal, peanut butter, soup, pasta, tuna, cereal bars, rolled oats.\nOther-Apples, oranges, avocado, tomatoes, cucumbers\n\nStocking up on these items means I will always have a full kitchen. It also means I’ll never run out of ideas on what to cook. While I might buy something one week, it means I can eat it when I’m in the mood for it later on. None of these items listed costs more than $10 total, so it won’t break my budget. For more information on budgeting read: How to Stick to a Weekly Food Budget When you give and take on your budget it all comes out the same-stock up on one expensive item one week-like organic chicken-then next week stock up on frozen vegetables.\n\nHow do you stock your kitchen? Let me know in the comments below or on social media @stylestomakeyousmile\n\nThe Meals I Eat Weekly\n\n\nCereal-Topped with berries\n\n\nSnacks: Fruit bars\nVeggies and hummus\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLeftover Italian soup from Christmas dinner\n\n\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9867461919784546}
{"content": "Bread toasting\n\nBread is the most consuming foods and has critical position in the consumer foods in world because of its nutritional aspects energy providing and food habits.\n\nThe primary electric toaster was undoubtedly imagined in 1905, which is the year Albert Marsh built up the Nichrome wire, making the electric toaster conceivable. Throughout the year's toaster sizes, shapes and components changed yet the outcome is the cooking of bread items.\n\nSince the 2000s, pop-up toasters with more extensive openings have been produced, empowering these toasters to toast bagels and English biscuits cut down the middle.\n\nA pleasant flavour and colour are produced when slices of wheat bread are toasted, corresponding to the organoleptic characteristics of bread crust. The chemical reactions involved in this process are essentially the Maillard reaction and caramelization.\n\nDuring heating, a complex reaction occurs between the proteins and sugar contained in the bread. This is known as the Maillard reaction, and it produces the typical flavour known from toasted bread as well as the colour formed as the bread toasts.\n\nMaillard reactions are favored in systems with an intermediate moisture content, temperatures above 50 °C and pH 4.7 (i.e. in the pH range of food), producing changes in colour (melanoidins), flavour (aldehydes and ketones), functional properties and nutritional value (blocking or destruction of lysine).\nBread toasting\n\nPopular articles\n\n  • Iodine roles in human body - Iodine is a component of the thyroid hormones thyroxine and triiodothyronine, which help regulate cell activities. It is through the diverse actions of thy...\n  • Antimicrobial packaging - The antimicrobial polymeric materials were first introduced to protect biomedical devices from microbial contamination in Japan. Antimicrobial packaging pr...\n  • Crotonian Medical School - The date of the founding of the Crotonian Medical School is not known, but as early as the sixth century BC, it had achieved an excellent reputation. Herod...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9939234256744385}
{"content": "Carbon for Water| Kenya\n\nFocus area: Mitigation\nLocation: Kenya's Western Province\nActivity established: April 2011\n\nVersion en espanol\n\nAccess to clean drinking water is a problem in many parts of Africa, and its purification is a problem for the environment. Dirty water often must be boiled to purify it, requiring fuel from unsustainable and costly sources, like wood or kerosene. In 2011, Vestergaard Frandsen launched a breakthrough initiative called LifeStraw® Carbon For Water™.\n\nLifeStraw® Carbon For Water™ is an easy to set up and maintain water purification system that uses no fuel. Each filter can produce at least 18,000 liters of -quality drinking water over a 10-year life span. The Kenyans who received the family filter no longer need to treat water by boiling it using wood fuel - a traditional necessity that releases greenhouse gasses.\nIt uses carbon financing to sustainably provide 4.5 million people in Kenya with the ability to treat water in their homes for the next ten years.\n\nIt doesn't cost the government or aid donors anything, and is designed to be replicated in other appropriate settings. Close to 880,000 LifeStraw® Family water filters  were delivered to 91 percent of all households without access to safe municipal water in Kenya's Western Province.\n\nThe innovative Carbon For Water financing model can make a significant contribution to global health by demonstrating that novel approaches can overcome traditional financial limitations.\n\nAdditionally, the activity links profit intrinsically to performance—a relatively new concept in the aid and public health sectors.\n\nLifeStraw® Carbon For Water is also unique as the first activity to directly link carbon credits with safe drinking water.\n\nIt moves beyond a pure focus on CO2 reductions to include measured sustainable development. It also emphasizes emission reductions that go beyond single point sources.\n\nLifeStraw® Carbon For Water makes an important correction to the imbalance that exists in the global carbon market. While Africa is considered among the most at-risk areas for climate change, it has historically been on the margins of the climate markets, with less than five per cent of carbon projects having been implemented there.\n\nMitigation / Adaptation\n\nAs a self-financing activity, LifeStraw® Carbon For Water is measured based on its ability to reduce or avoid greenhouse gas emissions. Emission reductions result in carbon credits, each created when the equivalent of one metric ton of carbon dioxide is prevented from entering the atmosphere. Credits have a monetary value depending on the type and origin of the emission reductions produced and current prices in the carbon market.\n\nAfter the first six months, almost 1.4 million tons of carbon emission reductions were realized.  Annually, the activity is expected to reduce an estimated 2.7 million tons of carbon emissions.\n\nThe LifeStraw® Carbon For Water activity provides a number of interesting opportunities for operational research, sustainability research, economics or cost efficiency research, and health impact research. Health impact research is already underway and Vestergaard Frandsen is meeting with world class researchers to design and develop further studies to measure various impacts.\n\nSocial and environmental benefits\n\nLifeStraw® Carbon For Water is reducing the incidence of waterborne diseases. Preliminary results show a statistically significant reduction in the odds of diarrhea, dysentery and severe dehydration among under-fives whose households are exclusively using LifeStraw® Family water filters.\n\nLifeStraw® Carbon For Water can also reduce the incidence of respiratory illnesses. Pollution from heating with biomass fuels such as wood increases susceptibility to pneumonia, especially among children.\n\nLifeStraw® Carbon For Water helps to empower local residents by giving them an easy way to produce safe drinking water. It also employs thousands of Kenyans in its semi-annual campaigns to distribute the water filters and train recipients on usage. And Vestergaard Frandsen employs scores to work at 32 repair and replacement centers throughout the province and as district coordinators and supervisors (on an ongoing basis). Forty-five coordinators and more than 150 community volunteers are engaged full-time.\n\nThe major socio-economic contribution of the LifeStraw® Carbon For Water activity is its ability to offer a sustainable, self-financed solution to problems that arise when individuals and communities don't have access to safe drinking water - namely interruptions in education and income-bearing activities due to illness and the collection of fuel for boiling water. This is a breakthrough, especially with regard to point-of-use water treatments.\n\nCommunity members have been involved in the planning and their feedback is constantly solicited. Also, to mitigate against the potential risk of under-use, Vestergaard Frandsen conducts ongoing community education to remind residents about the importance of continually using the water filters for optimal water consumption.\n\nOn a global level, LifeStraw® Carbon For Water can make a significant contribution to global health by demonstrating that novel approaches to overcoming traditional financial limitations can be sustained. Sustainable programs must be instituted to ensure that people have ongoing access to vital public health interventions that can improve and often save lives.\n\nPotential for scaling-up and replication\n\nThe current iteration of LifeStraw® Carbon For Water will sustain itself, eventually recouping the US$30 million investment, and then generating profit, much of which will be reinvested back into the activity over the next decade.\n\nLifeStraw® Carbon For Water is a scalable model that can be extended or replicated in different settings.\n\nLarger iterations of the concept, currently in the planning phases, will require co-investment from partners. Vestergaard Frandsen is discussing expansion of the concept with governments and private investors in different regions throughout the world.\n\nLifeStraw® Carbon For Water serves as a blueprint for future initiatives to derive income from both market-based emission reductions and results-based health outcomes - thus providing dual income streams and greater activity stability.\n\nThis innovative financing model overcomes the challenge of sustaining public health programs with traditional sources of finance, such as aid or grants from public sector or non-governmental groups with limited resources. The financing mechanism also holds public and private sector organizations to greater account, to ensure maximum impact. The activity links profit intrinsically to performance, a relatively new concept in the aid and public health sectors.\n\n  icon twitter vimeo icon \n\nImages owned by the activity partners, all rights reserved.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8598965406417847}
{"content": "How to distinguish good tieguanyin?\n\nLast Updated On September 06, 2018\n\n\nAnxi Tieguanyin tea\n\nTieguanyin  identification method is to “look dry appearance” and “wet evaluation of the endoplasmic reticulum (brewing with flush water )” these two procedures.\n\nLook at the shape: the main thing is to observe the shape, color, evenness of Tieguanyin and the aroma of dry tea. Where the contour shape, shigemi, fat green color of sand, dry tea aroma of pure tea, such as tea Guanyin characteristics\n\nWet assessment quality: after brewed tea by boiling water,  to identify its aroma, soup color, taste and the bottom.\n\n  1.  Smell: firstly smell if aroma is outstanding, and then distinguish the aroma and height, length, strength, pure turbid. The olfactory smell is combined with hot olfactory, warm olfactory and cold olfactory. If the aroma prominent, pure aroma, fragrance long, it is great.\n  2.  Taste: Use a teaspoon to scoop the right amount of tea entrance (must not too much), sucking and rolling it through the tongue in the mouth , so that all parts of the oral taste of cells to make a comprehensive sense of taste. It it has all mellow taste, alcohol and cool, thick and not astringent, rich variety “flavor” characteristics, are top grade.\n  3. To see soup color: see the color depth of tea, light and shade, voicing and so on. If the soup color is orange bright (referred to as green bean soup) , it is the top grade; dark turbidity is defective.\n  4. View leaf bottom: brewed by boiling water over the tea (known as the “leaf bottom”, commonly known as “tea residue”), filled the dish with water to observe the leaf bottom. If the bottom is soft, “Green Di green belly” is obvious, are top grade.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8416200876235962}
{"content": "BioConnect Regtech\n\nBioConnect is on a Quest - for Rightful Identity.\n\nBioConnect is a technology company with a fundamentally different approach to “identity.” In their Quest for Rightful Identity, BioConnectors developed BioConnect ID, an intelligent platform that translates data from different biometric products into a single language, such as hardware or software leveraging a person’s face, voice, eyes, and behaviours.\n\nFinancial Institutions\nbiometric onboarding identification Nov. 29, 2017, 3:07 p.m. Fintastico Team\n  Ask a question. Or leave your opinion about the service.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9867257475852966}
{"content": "\"Facebook wanted users’ medical data for a research project\"- Engadget\n\n\" 'The medical industry has long understood that there are general health benefits to having a close-knit circle of family and friends. But deeper research into this link is needed to help medical professionals develop specific treatment and intervention plans that take social connection into account,' Facebook said in a statement. \" - Mallory Locklear", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8483713865280151}
{"content": "Data strongly suggest that lower BMI is better for heart disease. A new study analyzing genetic mutations predisposing to increased body mass index (BMI) provides strong evidence that higher BMI plays a causal role in type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and coronary heart disease (CHD). For the study, researchers analyzed genetic, medical, and sociodemographic information from 120,000 individuals included in the UK Biobank. A polygenic risk score comprising 93 single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with BMI from previous genome-wide association studies was constructed.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5786291360855103}
{"content": "Prelude - skydiving from a dream\n\nTramway, Glasgow\n\nMary Brennan\n\nfive stars\n\nIt’s almost exactly three years since the Scottish Ensemble interacted with Swedish company Andersson Dance in a Tramway One staging of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. This proved a vividly radical exploration of Bach’s music: dancers and musicians alike moved through a cunningly choreographed journey in which sound took on another, visually striking physicality and we, the audience, heard Bach with our eyes, as well as our ears. So - could they? would they? join forces again? Prelude - skydiving from a dream is your answer: a mosaic of music that dips back and forth from disruptive, near-chaotic energies (the Lutosławski Preludes for 13 Solo Strings) to the sense of cosmic order that inhabits the mathematical architecture of Bach’s Art of Fuge - using extracts from both works, while playing in its entirety, that glorious surge of paradoxes, Beethoven’s Grosse Fuge.\n\nEven if the musicians had been rooted to a designated spot, leaving the three dancers to channel the quirks of mood and tempi through their movements, this would still have been an exhilarating event. However, creating a sonic vortex where strident-screeching discords suddenly morph into measured harmony isn’t enough for the twelve members of the Scottish Ensemble: they come out from behind the usual barrier of music stands and join in the dance, often in complex phases of double work with each other or with one of the professional dancers. The choreography, by Orjann Andersson, enjoys a spirit of creative freefall, where certain motifs - arms outstretched, palms facing outwards, like wings yet somehow questioning, is one recurring theme - catch at the ‘thermals’ within the music without being enslaved by them. There are nervy jitterings (Lutoslawski), close-bonding duets (Bach) and an intense degree of unity between bodies and music for the final Beethoven where the Ensemble players offer musicianship of consummate understanding and challenging dance with real finesse. No wonder Andersson Dance is happy to share such adventurous projects with them!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9986238479614258}
{"content": "September 15, 2009 09:46\n\n\nDear Reader,\n\n\n\n  • A user experience almost completely free of ads\n  • Access to our Premium Section\n\nHelp us grow and continue telling Israel’s story to the world.\n\nThank you,\n\nRonit Hasin-Hochman, CEO, Jerusalem Post Group\nYaakov Katz, Editor-in-Chief\n\n\nOn my first visit to Eilat, in 1964, I was astounded by its beauty. There were mountains, there was a glistening blue sea, and, as far as I can remember, there was absolutely nothing at all on the shore. Sunset in those days was almost an unearthly experience.\n\nToday, the sand is covered with beach chairs, hotels and restaurants and the lively atmosphere can be a bit overwhelming at times.\n\nIf you need a change of pace, leave the city proper and take two wonderful outings, both of them best in the late afternoon but great in the morning as well. The first is the ancient site of Evrona; the second is a very special haven for birds.\n\nIf there were ever an unlikely place for a farm it would be the wastelands of Evrona, located about 12 kilometers north of Eilat. Yet over a thousand years ago, local residents constructed an elaborate underground water system at Evrona and turned it into a veritable paradise.\n\nLook for acacia trees as you drive (or walk), most of them nearly strangled by mistletoe. Fleshy, bright red mistletoe plants attach themselves to the acacia trunk and in this way can pick up minerals from the ground.\n\nPark when you reach Evrona, where you will find a shelter with maps and explanations.\n\nTirza Cohen, director of Eilat’s SPNI Field School, accompanied us on our trip to Evrona and explained that the farmers were probably Muslims who came from the surrounding Arab countries. Full of initiative, they captured runoff water from the Eilat mountains about 15 km. away and transported it inside canals. Imagine this barren desert with date palms, peach, plum, almond, and pear trees!\n\nThe location was excellent, on the route called Darb el-Haj — Road of the Celebrants. Although it had been used by traders for millennia, after Islam was established, Darb el-Haj became the main pilgrimage trail to Mecca. Thousands of travelers from North Africa and Spain took the route every year, stopping to buy their provisions in Evrona.\n\nBesides using water from the west, long-ago farmers dug to reach fresh underground water and transported it to the fields. Every 10 meters, a shaft was dug so that air could circulate. To reach one such tunnel, follow wooden arrows to the left where yellow railings mark its entrance.\n\nYou can descend a ladder down a six-meter shaft, crawl about 20 meters through the tunnel, and surface through another shaft. Flashlights help but are not essential. It’s cool down there — a great way to get out of the heat!\n\nReturn to the old Arava road and turn right. You may see gazelles running around here, especially early in the morning and in the late afternoon. Then turn right again at a Nature Reserve sign and drive until you reach towering doum palm trees. Unlike date palms, whose proud trunks are tall and straight, those of the doum palm split into v- shapes that open to the sky. Even their tops are different, for the leaves spread out like wings.\n\nYou won’t see any doum palms in Tel Aviv or Ashkelon, as they don’t grow any further north than Evrona. Their presence here for thousands of years indicates that the weather in the past was far different than it is today.\n\nYou can end this particular jaunt here, or follow the stone-lined bumpy road to the Monty Overlook. If you do, park next to salt ponds, and get a wonderful close-up view of the birds who come here to drink. Enjoy the sight of flaming pink flamingos, which are very sociable and travel in flocks. You may not spot their heads, as they stick them underwater to gobble up algae for their dinners. You can probably identify the redshanks, which seem to walk on the water’s surface before they fly off.\n\nFor a second tranquil excursion, visit the International Birding and Research Center. Here you can walk around both salt and fresh water pools, while tracking small animals and viewing fauna endemic to the region.\n\nLike the automobile, migrating birds need to ’refuel.’ Nature made it easy for birds flying back and forth in this part of the world, for they ran out of ’gas’ just over Eilat. This was perfect, for not only was Eilat the only land bridge between Asia and Africa, but it offered salt marshes, large fresh water puddles, and fowl-friendly fauna.\n\nSadly, however, Eilat developers went wild after the Six Day War. During the 1970s and ’80s, they built shopping malls, hotels, housing, and restaurants that used the salt marshes of northern Eilat as a landfill for all their garbage. Residents strolling the city streets would find hundreds of dead birds at their feet: the poor creatures had searched in vain for their natural habitat, trying to find the indigenous plants and the salty marshes that had fed them so wonderfully in the past.\n\nSomething had to be done — and fast — to save our feathered friends. Fortunately, in 1993, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, the Eilat Municipality, the Jewish National Fund, the Ministry of Tourism, and the Nature Reserves Authority got together, cleaned up the marsh, and established the International Birding and Research Center.\n\nSince then, the staff have been diligently replanting foliage indigenous to the region, so that birds can again rest in their leaves or feed upon their insects and fruit. Sea-blight, for example, flourishes in saline ground. It also simultaneously flowers and bears fruit during migratory periods and offers birds a goodly repast.\n\nThere are three parts to this lovely, restful haven: a ringing station, the salt marshes, and a new fresh water lake. Early in the morning, center director Dr. Reuven Yosef is often to be found measuring and weighing a visiting bird. He and other personnel ring their tiny legs so that the center can keep tabs on their movements as they fly thousands of kilometers across the continents.\n\nWatch as they work with waders, placing the ring above the joint so it won’t get wet when they tread through the water. You may watch them place a wader like the ringed plover on the ground, because he will be too disoriented to be released directly into the air.\n\nThen walk around the fresh water lake, on your right when your back is to the parking lot. Built in 1990 with money donated by a Californian couple, it is thickly lined with foliage that includes alfa-alfa to attract bugs, delicious spongy saltbush, and masses of reeds. Keep still, and don’t disturb the egrets, herons, terns, and other waterfowl you see.\n\nWhen you cross the sand to reach the salt pools to the south, look down to see evidence of rich animal life. Little burrows are really traps set by ant lions, who create a sort of web to catch unsuspecting ants. There are lots of tracks, but to see the foxes, shrews, hyenas, and snakes that they belong to, you have to come here really late at night or way before dawn.\n\nDedicated birdwatchers are a common sight in Eilat, notwithstanding security warnings sent by their native governments. On one of our trips an excited birdwatcher drew a picture to show me the citrine wagtail he had spotted, with a yellow breast and two white bands on its wings. Unlike other wagtails, explained our enthusiastic new friend, he hardly moves his tail when he walks.\n\nThe salt pools may be playing host to several species of plovers, the black wing stilt, the little stint, gulls, and more. In fact, from September through the end of spring, nearly a billion birds representing 430 different species will pass through Eilat. Luckily, they will have food to eat and places to rest — and live to see another year.\n\nHow to get there\n\nEvrona is north of Eilat on Highway 90. Near kilometer marker No. 20, a sign on your right points to Evrona. Turn in, and after a few dozen meters, the road intersects with an old, narrow byway that, until 1990, was the only road from the Arava to Eilat. Turn left (north) on that road and follow signs to the Evrona Farm.\n\nIf you want to reach the bird sanctuary do not, under any circumstances, follow the signs in Eilat — they lead nowhere! Instead, drive north from Eilat to Kibbutz Eilat. Just north of the kibbutz, a sign on your right points to the Bird Sanctuary and the Arava Crossing. Turn, and follow the signs.\n\nTo book a guided tour with Dr. Reuven Yosef at the International Birding Center, call (08) 633-5339 or fax (08) 633-5319.\n\n\nRelated Content\n\nKobi Valley\nFebruary 6, 2013\nA spring in your step", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7803430557250977}
{"content": "Choose a film made between 1980 and 1991. Evaluate the ethics of the film based on its relationship to some relevant issue of the period.\n\nPossible issues include materialism, militarism, racism, feminism, conservatism, law and order issues, LGBT issues, the fate of the counter culture, and liberalism. There are many other values you could choose from. Make certain you have arrived at a single central argument and that you have adequate supporting evidence. A brief account of the films plot at the outset is useful (but avoid long plot summary). You may use visual aids, but limit them to no more than two minutes, and make sure you use them to further your overall planGrading Criteria\n1)The presentation represents a thoughtful response to the topic. It expresses a clearly defined central argument/thesis which is both worthy of development and appropriately specific. The individual parts of the piece are fully developed. Their relationship to the students central point is clear.\n2)The evidence is concrete and clearly supports the central argument and the works other related claims. The work uses outside sources effectively and ethically. The logic of evidence choices is clear. Any necessary concessions regarding the evidence or claims are made. Put another way the evidence is defended against reasonable objection.\n3)The organization of the presentation is logical and appropriate to the audience, the subject, and the thesis. Necessary transitions are present. Sentence and paragraph organization is clear. Evidence is presented in a coherent order.\n4)Presentation style fits the piece and the audience. Words choices are precise. The tone is appropriate to the audience and the subject.\n5)Research conventions are observed throughout.\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9299168586730957}
{"content": "Fare Starts From INR 700\n\nOops! No buses found.\n\nSharma Travels Malakoli to Ichalkaranji Bus Details\n\nQ-1). How many buses are operated between Malakoli and Ichalkaranji by Sharma Travels?\nA: There are 3 buses that are operated from Malakoli to Ichalkaranji by Sharma Travels.\nQ-2). What is the time taken by Sharma Travels to complete the journey from Malakoli to Ichalkaranji?\nA: The journey between Malakoli to Ichalkaranji is covered by Sharma Travels in approximately 9 hours 50 mins.\nQ-3). How many luxury buses are operated by Sharma Travels between Malakoli and Ichalkaranji?\nA: There are 3 luxury buses operated by Sharma Travels between Malakoli to Ichalkaranji.\nA: The first bus of Sharma Travels leaves at 11:30 from Malakoli.\nA: The last bus of Sharma Travels departs at 23:45 from Malakoli.\nQ-6). What are Sharma Travels bus ticket fares from Malakoli to Ichalkaranji ?\n\nSharma Travels Bus from Malakoli to Ichalkaranji\n\nKeeping your accessibility and satisfaction of road journey in mind, Sharma Travels offers a number of buses throughout day and night. It also grants great convenience for any kind of commuters like business or leisure travellers . Malakoli to Ichalkaranji is one of the major functioning routes of Sharma Travels. The skilled drivers and staff ensures complete comfort of its passengers.\n\nSharma Travels Bus Types from Malakoli to Ichalkaranji\n\n\nSharma Travels Bus Boarding Points in Malakoli\n\n  • Pooja Travels - Malakoli\n\nSharma Travels Bus Dropping Points in Ichalkaranji\n\n  • Bus stand\n\nPopular Routes for Sharma Travels from Malakoli\n\nPopular Routes for Sharma Travels to Ichalkaranji\n\nOther Operators on this Route\n\nOther Routes for Sharma Travels", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7398447394371033}
{"content": "Construct a Binary Tree from Ancestor Matrix\n\nGiven an ancestor matrix, whose cell (i, j) has value true if i is ancestor of j in a binary tree, construct a binary tree from it where binary tree nodes are labelled from 0 to n-1 where n is the size of the ancestor matrix.\n\nHuffman Coding Compression Algorithm\n\nHuffman Coding (also known as Huffman Encoding) is a algorithm for doing data compression and it forms the basic idea behind file compression. This post talks about fixed length and variable length encoding, uniquely decodable codes, prefix rules and construction of Huffman Tree.  \n\nCheck if given Binary Tree is Height Balanced or not\n\nGiven a binary tree, write an efficient algorithm to check if tree is height balanced or not. In a height balanced tree, the absolute difference between height of left subtree and right subtree for every node is 0 or 1.  \n\nTreap Data Structure\n\nA Treap Data Structure is basically a combination of a binary search tree and a heap.   Binary Search Trees – Deletions and additions of nodes can make the tree unbalanced (heavier on sides, therefore, the property we value about BSTs, the ability to distribute data by equal divisions, goes out of whack). Therefore we …\n\nImplement Trie Data Structure in Java\n\nTrie is a tree-based data structure used for efficient retrieval of a key in a huge set of strings. In this post, we will implement Trie data structure in Java.\n\nFloor and Ceil in a Binary Search Tree\n\nGiven a BST, find floor and ceil of a given key in it. If the given key lie in the BST, then both floor and ceil is equal to that key, else ceil is equal to next greater key (if any) in the BST and floor is equal to previous greater key (if any) in …", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.978034496307373}
{"content": " Definition of Egypt. Meaning of Egypt. Synonyms of Egypt\n\nDefinition of Egypt. Meaning of Egypt. Synonyms of Egypt\n\nHere you will find one or more explanations in English for the word Egypt. Also in the bottom left of the page several parts of wikipedia pages related to the word Egypt and, of course, Egypt synonyms and on the right images related to the word Egypt.\n\nDefinition of Egypt\n\nNo result for Egypt. Showing similar results...\n\nAlopochen AEgyptiaca\nSpur-winged Spur\"-winged`, a. (Zo[\"o]l.) Having one or more spurs on the bend of the wings. Spur-winged goose (Zo[\"o]l.), any one of several species of long-legged African geese of the genus Plectropterus and allied genera, having a strong spur on the bend of the wing, as the Gambo goose (P. Gambensis) and the Egyptian, or Nile, goose (Alopochen [AE]gyptiaca). Spur-winged plover (Zo[\"o]l.), an Old World plover (Hoplopterus spinosus) having a sharp spur on the bend of the wing. It inhabits Northern Africa and the adjacent parts of Asia and Europe.\nBalanites AEgyptiaca\nZachun \u001aa*chun\", n. (Bot.) An oil pressed by the Arabs from the fruit of a small thorny tree (Balanites [AE]gyptiaca), and sold to piligrims for a healing ointment. --J. Smith (Dict. Econ. Plants).\nBalanites AEgyptiaca\nBito Bi\"to, n., Bito tree Bi\"to tree` . [Etym. uncertain.] (Bot.) A small scrubby tree (Balanites [AE]gyptiaca) growing in dry regions of tropical Africa and Asia. Note: The hard yellowish white wood is made into plows in Abyssinia; the bark is used in Farther India to stupefy fish; the ripe fruit is edible, when green it is an anthelmintic; the fermented juice is used as a beverage; the seeds yield a medicinal oil called zachun. The African name of the tree is hajilij.\nEgypt herring\nSaury Sau\"ry, n.; pl. Sauries. [Etymol. uncertain.] (Zo[\"o]l.) A slender marine fish (Scomberesox saurus) of Europe and America. It has long, thin, beaklike jaws. Called also billfish, gowdnook, gawnook, skipper, skipjack, skopster, lizard fish, and Egypt herring.\nEgyptian E*gyp\"tian, n. 1. A native, or one of the people, of Egypt; also, the Egyptian language. 2. A gypsy. [Obs.] --Shak.\nEgyptian clover\nBerseem Ber*seem\", n. [Ar. bersh[=i]m clover.] An Egyptian clover (Trifolium alexandrinum) extensively cultivated as a forage plant and soil-renewing crop in the alkaline soils of the Nile valley, and now introduced into the southwestern United States. It is more succulent than other clovers or than alfalfa. Called also Egyptian clover.\nEgyptian or East Indian\nNote: Arabian millet is Sorghum Halepense. Egyptian or East Indian, millet is Penicillaria spicata. Indian millet is Sorghum vulgare. (See under Indian.) Italian millet is Setaria Italica, a coarse, rank-growing annual grass, valuable for fodder when cut young, and bearing nutritive seeds; -- called also Hungarian grass. Texas millet is Panicum Texanum. Wild millet, or Millet grass, is Milium effusum, a tail grass growing in woods.\nEgyptian privet\nLawsonia Law*so\"ni*a, n. (Bot.) An Asiatic and North African shrub (Lawsonia inermis), with smooth oval leaves, and fragrant white flowers. Henna is prepared from the leaves and twigs. In England the shrub is called Egyptian privet, and in the West Indies, Jamaica mignonette.\nEgyptian privet\nPrivet Priv\"et, n. [Cf. Scot. privie, Prov. E. prim-print, primwort. Prob. for primet, and perh. named from being cut and trimmed. See, Prim, a., and cf. Prime to prune, Prim, n., Prie, n.] (Bot.) An ornamental European shrub (Ligustrum vulgare), much used in hedges; -- called also prim. Egyptian privet. See Lawsonia. Evergreen privet, a plant of the genus Rhamnus. See Alatern. Mock privet, any one of several evergreen shrubs of the genus Phillyrea. They are from the Mediterranean region, and have been much cultivated for hedges and for fancifully clipped shrubberies.\nEgyptize E\"gypt*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Egyptized; p. pr. & vb. n. Egyptizing.] To give an Egyptian character or appearance to. --Fairbairn.\nEgyptologer E`gyp*tol\"o*ger, Egyptologist E`gyp*tol\"o*gist, n. One skilled in the antiquities of Egypt; a student of Egyptology.\nEgyptological E*gyp`to*log\"ic*al, a. Of, pertaining to, or devoted to, Egyptology.\nEgyptology E`gyp*tol\"o*gy, n. [Egypt + -logy.] The science or study of Egyptian antiquities, esp. the hieroglyphics.\nLuffa AEgyptiaca\nLoof Loof, n. (Bot.) The spongelike fibers of the fruit of a cucurbitaceous plant (Luffa [AE]gyptiaca); called also vegetable sponge.\nSesbania AEgyptiaca\nSesban Ses\"ban, n. [F., fr. Ar. saisab[=a]n, seiseb[=a]n, a kind of tree, fr. Per. s[=i]sab[=a]n seed of cinquefoil.] (Bot.) A leguminous shrub (Sesbania aculeata) which furnishes a fiber used for making ropes. Note: The name is applied also to the similar plant, Sesbania [AE]gyptiaca, and other species of the same genus.\n\nMeaning of Egypt from wikipedia\n\n- 30 Egypt (/ˈiːdʒɪpt/ (listen) EE-jipt; Arabic: مِصر‎ Miṣr, Egyptian Arabic: مَصر‎ Maṣr, Coptic: Ⲭⲏⲙⲓ Khēmi), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is...\n- Egyptians (Egyptian Arabic: مَصريين‎  IPA: [mɑsˤɾɪjˈjiːn]; Maṣreyyīn; Arabic: مِصريّون‎; Coptic: ⲛⲓⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ Ni/rem/en/kīmi) are an ethnic group native...\n- country Egypt. Ancient Egyptian civilization followed prehistoric Egypt and coalesced around 3100 BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology) with the...\n- The Plagues of Egypt (Hebrew: מכות מצרים, Makot Mitzrayim), also called the ten plagues, were ten calamities that, according to the biblical Book of Exodus...\n- common title of the monarchs of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BCE) until the annexation of Egypt by the Roman Empire in 30 BCE, although...\n- The Prince of Egypt is a 1998 American epic animated musical drama film and the first traditional animated film produced and released by DreamWorks. The...\n- Egyptian hieroglyphs (/ˈhaɪrəˌɡlɪf, -roʊ-/) were the formal writing system used in Ancient Egypt. It combined logographic, syllabic and alphabetic elements...\n- Gods of Egypt is a 2016 fantasy action film directed by Alex Proyas based on the ancient Egyptian deities. It stars Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Gerard Butler...\n- The economy of Egypt was a highly centralised economy focused on import substitution under President Gamal Abdel N****er. In the 1990s, a series of International...\n- Egypt has thousands of years of recorded history. Ancient Egypt was among the earliest civilizations in Middle East and Africa. For millennia, Egypt maintained...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9684054851531982}
{"content": "D Chip Combines Computing, Information Storage\n\nAddress bar or box (noun) – the slender, rectangular box on the topmost a part of a browser window the place you may type in an online deal with. A peripheral enter machine which senses some variable within the system atmosphere, comparable to temperature, and converts it to an electrical signal which can be further transformed to a digital signal for processing by the pc. Default values Values which can be assumed or provided mechanically (for example, by a computer system) if a value is not specified. Log-on or Signal-in (verb) – to achieve entry to a pc system or a page on an internet site by entering a password or consumer ID.\n\nEnter a number of search terms and click Go. Objects within the History folder will probably be deleted after 90 days. The computer virus, which researchers are calling GoldenEye or Petya, began computer mouse wireless its unfold on Tuesday in Ukraine and affected companies in dozens of countries. Gopher — an early distributed doc search and retrieval community protocol on the Internet.\n\nAccuracy of a computer is constantly excessive and the diploma of accuracy of a specific computer will depend on the instructions and the kind of processor. A moving place-indicator displayed on a computer monitor that reveals a computer operator where the next motion or operation will take place. Mitz Pantic has written a prime selling Laptop Fundamentals Book that features a free laptop terms dictionary as a bonus.\n\nA tv-like screen that shows textual content, graphics, and other features carried out by the computer. Additionally there’s a server-based mostly distant access service accessible at all times from wherever, corresponding to personal laptop computer at house or via networked computers in college computer rooms. A relationship between terms or ideas that is everlasting and based on a recognized definition.\n\nThe execution of a virus program compromises a computer system by performing undesirable or unintended functions which may be damaging. A hardware or software program downside that causes info to be lost or the computer to malfunction. The Nationwide Information Requirements Organization MetaSearch Initiative defines metasearch as search and retrieval to span multiple databases, sources, platforms, protocols, and distributors at once.” Metasearch enables customers to enter search criteria once and entry a number of engines like google concurrently.\n\nUtility programming interface (API) A set of standardized requests defined by one computer program that enables one other program to make requests and obtain responses. The pace of pc is calculated in MHz, that is one million directions per second. The aims of general controls are to make sure the right improvement and implementation of functions, the integrity of program and knowledge information and of pc operations.\n\nUse the Charges, funding and scholarship search to search out out which scholarships you might be eligible for and if they require an additional application, full particulars of which are offered. Although an unsophisticated user tends to denounce any type of unreadable images that appear on his display screen as rubbish, the true definition of garbage is meaningless, pointless data the computer places within the RAM.\n\nWhen you have an older pc or still use dial-up internet, you possible have an inside modem. Megahertz (MHz): one million cycles per second, the unit used to measure the pace of the internal clock of a computer. To interpret a computer instruction and perform the operations specified in the instruction. Detects errors within the input portion of knowledge that’s sent to the computer for processing.\n\nThere’s a growing variety of tablets that include integrated physical keyboards, like the Microsoft Floor RT and the ASUS VivoTab Smart The quilt that protects your pill can be a keyboard, so you can dock your tablet in class and start typing away. These terminals sometimes provide a excessive stage of computer entry and ought to be properly secured. Hardware – Describes the physical parts of your laptop which you can bodily touch or see equivalent to your monitor, case, disk drives, microprocessor and other physical elements.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6802030801773071}
{"content": "Wednesday, February 27, 2013\n\nRequest a Gluten-free Recipe!\n\nWhat kind of recipe would you like to have in gluten-free form?\n\nLast spring I took a poll on my Facebook page asking what kind of GF recipes people wanted to see on my blog.  I had some really intense challenges set before me, things that were highly technical and required a steep learning curve.  You know, the kinds of challenges that I love to take on.  Nine batches of croissants later at 22 hours per batch, and I had my first recipe challenge completed.  That was only the beginning.  I quickly realized that a whole new flour formula would be needed.  Croissants, technically, are a bread, not a pastry, and the ultimate request came from my mom, who wanted Danishes.  Who can deny their mom cheese Danishes?\n\nMy gluten-free challenges last year made for some really prolific recipe invention.  I made a bread flour blend, learned how to make laminated pastries, and made the best-looking, fluffiest, hole-i-est gluten-free baguettes you've ever seen.\n\nHere was the list of gluten-free recipes requested last spring:\n\nI got six out of eight of those checked off the list.  The remaining two get moved to my new list, which is growing.\n\nRecipe Request List:\n\nCinnamon Rolls\nEasy crescent rolls\nSoft Pretzels\nPain au Chocolat\n\nWhat would you like to add to my to-do list?  Or, is there something you think I should work on first?  Leave it in the comments!\n\nAs an added bonus, I'll promise to post a requested recipe next Wednesday - or at least a humorous status report on my failure to produce instant results.\n\nSunday, February 24, 2013\n\nTraditional Round Loaf (Boule) Bread Recipe\n\nHere's a recipe that uses traditional methods for a traditional round loaf (or boule) with a crisp crust and a chewy center.  I have a bunch of quick and easy bread recipes on this site.  Now it's time for a more traditional take on making bread.  The beauty of my bread flour mix is that the dough can be handled a lot like traditional bread dough; it can be handled, kneaded, and shaped.\n\nYou will get better, more consistent results with this recipe if you weigh everything - including the water.  However, I have given you volume measurements just in case you haven't yet bought a digital kitchen scale.\n\nTraditional Round Loaf Recipe\n\nmakes one 1-pound loaf\n\nMix in the bowl of your stand mixer or whisk together by hand:\n\n225g (about 1 cup) warm water, 110-120 degrees\n15g whole psyllium husk (or 10g ground psyllium husk)\n2 tsp apple cider vinegar\n\nAdd to the bowl:\n\n225g GF Bread Flour\n1 Tbsp sugar\n1/2 tsp salt\n1 tsp yeast (about half a packet)\n\nMix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until everything is completely combined and a sticky dough forms.\n\nRemove the dough to a banneton or other lightly floured basket or bowl.  Cover, and let rise 1/2 hour in a warm place.  After it has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.  Gently knead the dough with lightly floured hands until you can form a ball with it.  Place the dough seam-side up back in your rising basket.  Let rise 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, or until a finger dent doesn't fill in quickly, but only comes halfway back.\n\nWhen it's done rising, place a dutch oven or a pizza stone and an oven-safe pan in the oven and turn it on to pre-heat to 450 degrees F.  While the oven is heating gently shape your dough, trying not to deflate it.  Place the dough seam-side down on your lightly floured work surface.  Lightly flour your hands.  Gently run your hands along the sides of the dough, tucking the sides under and turning the loaf around as you go to get all edges tucked under.   The top will be more rounded than before and stretched a bit more tightly.    Brush the top with a little water.  Place the dough on parchment paper, cover the dough and let rest for 15-20 minutes while the oven heats.\n\nWhen the oven is ready and the dough has completed its bench rest, score the top with a sharp blade about 1/4 inch deep in whatever pattern you want.\n\nCarefully place the bread in the hot dutch oven or on the hot pizza stone and cover.  Cook for 15 minutes, then uncovered on the rack until the crust has a hollow sound when tapped on top, usually another 25 minutes.  Remove to a cooling rack, or for a crisper crust turn off the flame and cool in the oven with the door propped open.  Let the bread cool completely before slicing.\n\nEnjoy some traditional gluten-free bread!\n\nTuesday, February 19, 2013\n\nHow to Make Your Own Gluten-free Bread Flour Blend\n\nMy last post on the Best Gluten-free Sandwich Bread Ever generated a flurry of interest and responses. All of them were about wanting to try the recipe.  Most of them, however, were from people who couldn't.  They really, really wanted to.  However, they can't get the unique Gluten-free Gourmand No. 7 Bread Flour.  It's not their fault!  It's just that due to things like food regulations and exorbitant shipping prices I only ship my specialty baking mixes within the United States.  What's a gluten-free baker to do if she lives in Australia (or Canada, or New Zealand)?\n\nNow, I'm all about promoting my beautiful, artisan flours that are lovingly tested in small batches to make sure they have fewer than 10 ppm gluten.  I'm also very dedicated to bringing my customers more recipes to enjoy.  However, my blog didn't start out to sell flour.  I started blogging to share what I know about gluten-free baking, about how rewarding it can be to make something really good from scratch that's perfectly gluten-free.  Something that tastes just how you want it to taste, and feels just how you want it to feel.\n\nIt took me years to build up the courage to tackle gluten-free bread.  Then it took another year to perfect my own recipe with my own blend of flours.  That was the Teff Sandwich Bread Recipe which has gotten a lot of good feedback.  I learned so much about bread making while creating that recipe.  One thing I learned was that teff is not very readily available in many places.  I'll get to why I chose teff as my main flour in a minute, but first I want to show you who reads my blog.\n\nHere is a screen shot of my Google Analytics.  I tried to get as close to 1,000 people in this statistic as possible to have a good sample.\n\nClick on the image to see it larger.\n\nI'm continually surprised that only 67% of my readers are in the United States!  Almost 12% of my readers are in Canada, and over 7% are in either Australia or New Zealand.  I can blame my Gluten-free Friand Recipe for that!  And it's no wonder that I have some readers in the UK, considering how obsessed I am with Traditional English Scones.\n\nBut enough with the statistics.  The point is that a website is international.  It can't be contained.  I'm really excited to have such a wide readership, and I want everyone to be able to make bread and scones.  That's why for almost every recipe that I have on this website that uses my artisan baking mixes, I also have a recipe that shows you how to blend your own gluten-free flours.\n\nI've been hearing from my Australian and New Zealand readers over the last couple of days.  They really want to try my bread recipes.  They can get the psyllium husk and other binders, but it's difficult to get teff flour.  That makes sense.  It's a specialty flour that's native to Africa.  We happen to have a few farms here in the US that grow it in dedicated gluten-free fields.  Australia may not have such a farm.  So what to do?  Figure out your own flour blend, that's what!  Everyone who has written to me seems eager to experiment, so I'm eager to share what I know.\n\nHow to Find the Best Bread Flours\n\nFirst of all, I want to share my thought process regarding the creation of my first bread recipe.  I wanted to find flours that had these properties:\n\n  • strength\n  • flexibility\n  • ability to ferment well\n  • Has been used in traditional breads\nThat's how I came up with Teff for my main flour in my first sandwich bread recipe: it's one of the few gluten-free flours that has been used traditionally to make a yeasted bread, called injera.  It's a sourdough flat bread that has been made for centuries in Africa.  Injera is very flexible and spongy, and it's traditionally made with 100% teff flour so I knew the grain would have great properties for making bread.  When you go to create your own blend with flours that are available in your area, think about them in the same terms.\n\nWhat I quickly verified upon starting to experiment, though I always suspected it from the first bite of gluten-free bread I ever ate, was:\n\nRice flour is not a good flour for making bread\n\nThere, I said it.  Rice flour is typically very stiff, folks.  It's heavy.  It hates to rise.  I love it in quick breads, but not for yeasted breads.  If you live in a place that just doesn't have much else, try to find sweet rice flour, glutinous rice flour, or something with a very fine grind and do some experimenting.\n\nAfter I decided on these parameters, I decided to make a list of non-rice flours that I thought might make for good bread:\n\npotato starch\ncorn starch\ntapioca starch\narrowroot (I've actually never tried this, but some bloggers swear by it)\nbean/soy flours (if you like the flavor)\n\nHow to Blend Gluten-free Flours for Bread Recipes\n\nBlending gluten-free flours may be an art form, but you need some science to measure your progress.  I didn't start to get anywhere in blending my own flours until I got a scale and started doing it by weight. There's just no way to measure flour accurately by volume.  Trust me, every time you scoop out a cup of sorghum flour, it's going to be a different amount of flour.  I know, because I've done it and I weighed the results!  It's impossible to be accurate or consistent.  Go by weight.  Take very detailed notes on what each blend contained, your method, and the results.\n\nHow you combine your flours is, in part, up to you.  For the lightest, fluffiest bread you will need a relatively high proportion of starch.  For a denser, more whole-grain taste you will want more dark whole grains.  Here are a few suggestions on how to get started.  Keep in mind that my percentages are by weight, not volume.\n\nLight-textured bread with a \"white wheat flour\" feel:\n\n50% starch, 50% lighter whole grains (grains that are lighter in color tend to have a milder flavor)\n\nDense, whole-grain bread with deeper flavor, try:\n\n30% starch 70% whole grains\n\nHappy medium:\n\n40% starch 60% mixed whole grains\n\nMix it Up\n\nTry using at least two starches and two whole grains in your blend to start.  If you can get them, I recommend using an equal portion of potato starch and tapioca starch.  Potato starch seems to absorb too much water while tapioca flour doesn't absorb enough.  Exactly equal portions seems to be the best blend for these two flours; they compliment each other well at this ratio.  If you can get your hands on some sorghum flour, use lots of that.  It may seem like it's going to be heavy and sticky, but it rises well, gives your loaf strength, and has a beautiful, sweet flavor.  \n\nHere's a suggestion on how to blend flours for a recipe that calls for 450g flour:\n\n200g sorghum flour\n100g whole-grain flour of choice\n75g potato starch\n75g tapioca starch\n\nTake notes about what you like in each loaf, and what you don't.  Make sure you measure the liquids in the recipe very carefully each time.  Did the bread take forever to cook?  You may have too much liquid.  Did the bread fail to rise much?  The dough may be too dry, or you have too much whole grain or heavy flours in your blend.  Adjust the blend the next time you experiment.\n\n\nI wrote a whole post on the different kinds of binders you can use here.  I wrote a post on chia, flax, and psyllium husk here.  I've gotten a lot of questions regarding the amount of psyllium husk I use in my bread recipes.  The answer for those who blend their own flours is, it depends.  If you use more whole grains, you may need less binder.  If you use more starches, you may need more binder.  If you're mixing the psyllium with other binders, reduce the amount of psyllium.  The range of psyllium husk you might use for a bread recipe that calls for 450 grams of flour is about 20-50 grams.  Unlike with gums, it's difficult to use too much psyllium husk. Start on the high side and reduce the amount by a little bit every time you try your flour blend to see what gives you the best texture.\n\nWhat kinds of gluten-free flours can you find in your part of the world?  What kinds of blends have you tried, and what has worked for you?  What has failed?\n\nSunday, February 17, 2013\n\nThe Best Gluten-free Sandwich Bread Recipe\n\nWhenever I see that a recipe has been made vegan, I'm immediately suspect that it has been made to be flavorless.  This is not the case with vegan bread.  After all, a traditional french baguette is only water, flour, yeast, and salt.  Bread is supposed to be made vegan.  Once you get the gluten-free part down, the vegan part should be easy, right?\n\nWell... it did take me several tries to get this.  For my baguettes and small round loaves I can get it to rise just fine without the eggs.  However, sandwich loaves have more volume and need a little something extra for the vertical lift I was looking for.  Fortunately, by the time I got done with it I'd crafted the best gluten-free sandwich bread I'd ever made.\n\nTo make it egg-free, this recipe calls for just a little bit of flax seed to give the dough some extra structure so it can rise well.  It also gives the bread great flexibility, so your sandwiches can stay together.  I ended up liking the flax better than the eggs.  Go figure.\n\nI've been doing all my gluten-free sandwich loaves in a Pullman Pan.  It gives you a much taller loaf than a traditional pan.  It's 4x4x9 inches and often comes with a cover.\n\nThe Best Gluten-free Sandwich Bread\n\nMakes 1 loaf\n\nPrep time: 10 min\nRise time: 1 1/4 - 2 hours for two rises\nBake time: 45-55 min\n\nMix in the bowl of your stand mixer:\n\n350g (about 1.5 cups) warm water 100-120 degrees\n30g whole psyllium husk - or - 20g ground psyllium husk\n4 tsp apple cider vinegar\n\nWhen the wet mixture thickens to form a gel, add:\n\n36 g (3 Tbsp) sugar\n1 package (7g or 2 1/4 tsp) Red Star Quick-rise Instant Dry Yeast (or similar)\n1 Tbsp ground flax seed\n4 Tbsp vegetable oil\n1 1/4 tsp salt\n450g Bread Flour \n\nMix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients for several minutes until well-combined.  Turn the dough out into a lightly-oiled bowl to rise for 30 minutes in a warm place.  Gently turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured working surface and shape it into a rough rectangle, deflating the dough gently as you go.\n\nFold the dough like a letter.\n\nThen fold the dough again to make an even tighter, smaller dough package.\n\nTuck the ends under and place the formed dough in a loaf pan to rise.\n\nLet it rise for 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hour, or until the dough no longer springs all the way back when dented with a finger.\n\nBake the bread in a 450 degree oven for 25 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375 and cook until done, another 20-30 minutes.  The loaf is done when the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees or the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.\n\nYou can slice the bread as soon as it cools.  The bread stays fresh in a plastic bag on the counter for at least four days.  After that you can choose to slice and freeze it or store it in the fridge for a few more days.  \n\nEnjoy being gluten-free!\n\nTuesday, February 12, 2013\n\nHow to Make Heart-shaped Scones - Without a Cookie Cutter!\n\nI'm not one for buying a million different cookie cutters.  I like to think of myself as way more DIY than that.  I can cut my own heart-shaped scones!  And I'll waste less precious scone dough with my method, too.  I decided that this Valentine's day is going to bring some beautiful heart-shaped scones to my plate, and they should be topped with a raspberry glaze.\n\nTo make heart-shaped scones, you can use a traditional scone recipe, my vegan recipe, or the recipe below, a quick and easy egg-free recipe which is another old traditional recipe I love called Cream Scones.  You can even use my Scone Mix.  If you're not into raspberries, you can use any kind of jam to top these or just brush them with cream and serve them plain.  I also have a recipe for a kumquat glaze which is really pretty.\n\nTo shape the scones, first cut them out as usual.  Form the dough into a circle, then cut the circle into eight triangles.\n\nCarefully place the triangles onto a cookie sheet.  Cut the edges off the wide side of the triangles, then cut a v-notch in the middle of the scone like this:\n\nWith your thumb, make a depression in the center of the scones.  Brush the scones with cream.  Top the scones with your glaze or jam.\n\nBake as directed.\n\nRaspberry Glaze:\n\nIn a small sauce pan, heat:\n\n1/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries\n1 Tbsp lemon juice\n3 Tbsp sugar\n\nBoil for 5 minutes, then carefully taste and adjust the flavors as needed.  Simmer the mixture while you're preparing your scones.  Don't let it cool or you won't be able to pour it.\n\nCream Scone Recipe:\nmakes 8 scones\n\nPre-heat oven to 425 F. \n\nMix in a medium bowl:\n\n1/4 cup sugar\n1 Tbsp baking powder (make sure it's GF)\n1/2 tsp salt\n1/4 tsp xanthan gum (not necessary if your gluten-free flour mix already has it, or if you are using wheat flour)\n2 tsp lemon zest\n\nAdd all at once, and combine in a few quick strokes:\n\n1 1/4 cup heavy cream\n\nTurn the dough out onto your cookie sheet and pat it into a circle.  It may seem like it's not sticking together - you can gently pat it and/or let it rest until it becomes cohesive.  Cut the circle into 8 equal pieces.  Follow the pictorial instructions above for heart-shaped scones.  Top with a glaze before cooking or you can also put the glaze on after baking.  Bake at 425 F for about 12 minutes, or until starting to brown.\n\nEnjoy your heart-shaped scones!\n\nCheck out the blog Gluten-free Homemaker on Wednesday for more Valentine's day ideas!\n\nFriday, February 8, 2013\n\nEasy Sugar Cookies\n\nWith Valentine's day coming up, you might be looking for a treat you can make for yourself - or your loved one, if he likes cookies.  But mostly yourself, right?  Most sugar cookie recipes make an ungodly number of cookies, but I for one never need 3 dozen of these guys.  This recipe is pretty easy and makes about a dozen cookies, so you can still fit into your Valentine's day outfit, sort of.\n\nAre you a gluten eater, or do you have a different GF flour on your shelf?  Just sub out cup-for-cup the flour that you have for my blend.  This recipe is very forgiving!\n\nEasy Sugar Cookies\nmakes 1 dozen cookies\n\nWith an electric beater or in a stand mixer, cream:\n\n1/4 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter\n1/2 cup sugar\n\nCream these together for several minutes.  The blend should lighten and look fluffy.  Add:\n\n1 egg\n1/4 tsp vanilla\n\nBeat until creamy.  Add:\n\n1 1/4 cup Deluxe Pastry Flour\n1/2 tsp. baking powder\n1/4 tsp salt\n\nSlowly beat the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until everything is well-combined.  Roll the dough out between two pieces of parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour, or up to several days.\n\nHeat your oven to 400 degrees.  Take the dough out of the refrigerator and peel the back portion of the parchment paper off, then replace it.  Peel the front piece of parchment paper off and discard it.  (This makes it easier to remove the cookies from the paper after they are cut out.)  Set the rolled-out dough parchment paper side down on a clean work surface and cut out as many cookies as you can.  With a thin spatula transfer the cookies to a baking sheet.  If you aren't icing the cookies you can put a little sugar on top.  You can use the scraps to make more cookies but you may have to refrigerate the rolled-out dough again if it gets too warm to handle.\n\nBake the cookies for 6-10 minutes, keeping a close eye on them to make sure they don't get overdone.  They are ready when the edges are just slightly brown.\n\nCool the cookies on a rack and ice them or serve them plain.\n\n\nNeed more Valentine's Day treat ideas?  Visit the Gluten-free Homemaker.  She's hosting a blog carnival with a V-day theme!\n\nSaturday, February 2, 2013\n\nQuick, Easy Gluten-free Naan Recipe\n\nI had never made naan before last week.  The only reason?  I had no idea how easy it is!  It's really one of the fastest breads you can make.  I can start making naan when my boyfriend calls in the take-out order and have it ready when he comes back with the food.  You don't really need to let it rise - the bread is leavened with baking soda as well as yeast.  The yeast adds flavor, the baking soda adds fluffiness.  The result is a very chewy, flexible flatbread.  Now you no longer have to be jealous if your boyfriend gets bread with his Indian food.  In fact, he'll probably want some of your naan hot off the grill.\n\nGluten-free Naan Recipe\nmakes 4 large naan\n\nIn a large bowl, whisk together:\n\n250g - about 1 Cup - warm kefir or yogurt\n15g whole psyllium husk (or 10g ground psyllium husk)\n2 tsp apple cider vinegar\n\nWhen the mixture has thickened, add to the bowl:\n\n225 g GF Bread Flour Blend\n12 g sugar\n1/2 tsp salt\n1/2 tsp baking soda\n1/2 tsp yeast\n\nMix everything until it starts to come together, then knead or use the paddle attachment of your stand mixer to combine everything thoroughly.  Let rest for 5 minutes.  Divide the dough into four parts and roll out on floured parchment paper.\n\nAt this point you can let the dough rise for 30 minutes or you can cook it right away.\n\nPlace a dutch oven or large cast-iron skillet on the stove.\n\nTurn the heat to medium-high and heat the dutch oven until it starts smoking.  Be careful - you are working with extremely hot temperatures.  Put in the pan and swirl around to coat the bottom:\n\nhigh-heat oil or ghee\n\nWhen the oil is hot, peel the parchment paper off the naan and flip it onto the bottom of the dutch oven. Cook for one minute, covered.  Brush the uncooked side with oil and flip the bread over with a metal spatula.  Cook the other side one minute, covered.  Remove to a plate and cook the rest of the naan in the same manner.\n\nEnjoy your naan with some delicious Indian food!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6655542850494385}
{"content": "As Reported By The RESCENT Assertions, The Actual Fact In The Climate Change IS GROUNDLESS. What Are The Research PROOFS TO These kinds of CLAIMS\n\n\nFrom your meteorological viewpoint, climate change refers to the continuing increase in ordinary universal temperature conditions coming generally from man’s routines and industrialization. These sort of hobbies include deforestation, using of carbon dioxide energizes and aerosols. Different scientists in various grounds are positive of global warming while having given basic facts that indeed climatic change is true, nonetheless a handful of those people always harbour questions. Proofs to this kind of issues are simplified in such a essay.\n\nThe earth’s local weather may be experienced to switch drastically all through track record.answers to math word problems Within 650,000 many years, there has been 8 different cycles of glacial alteration and progression together with the sudden side on the excess an ice pack age around 7,000 years ago which signified the daybreak of your modern day local climate age and industrialization. However the shifts have already been observed to always be very small-scale in the short term and also on a smaller scale, we do not want to become unaware with the much larger image for a worldwide size. These alterations were identified being human caused and are cumulative and vital ultimately. With the help of Earth-orbiting satellites and also the more recent growth in solutions, experts have been equipped to assess conditions for a worldwide size. From this kind of data files, notable scientific evidences on global warming were identified. These range from the adhering to.\n\nSea thresholds are already seen to rise notably. These levels were observed to go up by about 6.7 ins within the last century by itself! Additionally, it has been mentioned that within the last few few years, there are practically tripled that relating to the prior century. This is definitely as outlined by the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, state. An example of a republic which was impacted immediately by these sea springs up are the Republic of Maldives. Second of all, heating oceans stands as information to climate change. The oceans, despite having getting 100 % natural reserves of heat as well as happen to be observed to absorb ever more of this raising worldwide warm up, with best tiers (about 2,300 legs) rising their temperature to an average of .303 Qualifications Fahrenheit given that 1969. Such information are an indicator within the improving universal temperatures as a result climate change.\n\nDiminishing ice linens stands still as a further evidence of global warming. Earth’s glaciers have continued to lower day-to-day. As an example, the Antarctic and Greenland ice cubes bedding happen to be famous to downturn significantly in muscle size over a duration of 4 years. As outlined by NASA’s Gravity Restorative healing and Weather Test data, Greenland has sacrificed 150-250 km3 of ice cubes each year relating to the years 2002-2006. Nevertheless, Antarctica has missing just about 152km3 of ice-cubes regarding the years and years 2002-2005. Further evidences of those encompass improved stream passes caused by like glaciers particularly in Greenland. Decreasing Arctic sea an ice pack is yet another point indicating the truth of global warming. By way of satellite images, your provide and size belonging to the Arctic seas has long been experienced to quickly drop over the past number of years. This is actually caused by the improving universal temps which be responsible for melting of those glaciers. An alternative spectacular proof of climatic change is the improved ocean acidification. Seas acidification signifies the on going improvement in level of acidity within the water waters and also major decline in its ph. This happens when the water seas digest carbon dioxide via the atmosphere. This has been recognized that, as the starting of the industrial period, the level of acidity varieties of ocean waters, in particular top waters, has increased by about 30%! The rise for these level of acidity owes its foundation to boosting atmospheric Fractional co2 which is caused by the boosting human pastime and industrialization. Fractional co2 to be a garden greenhouse natural gas, expanded Co2 suggests elevated warm ingestion therefore increased world-wide temperature ranges.\n\nLastly, circumstances of extraordinary incidents are one more evidence of climate change. Extraordinary occurrences feature occurrences which have changed anonymously from the envisioned result in viewing on the given component. Examples include heat level and rain fall. It really has been noticed in the united states that excessive heat functions have already been improving during the close beyond despite the fact that minimal temps events document has actually been diminishing considering that Ahead of time 50s. Furthermore, america also witnesses a well known increase in the number of intensive rainfall gatherings. This is exactly in accordance with, Hareld Franzen. “More evidence on global warming.” Research American Mass media, Mar 15, 2001. Global warming is real. We need not look forward to even more truth to accept precisely what is presently in this article around. Using a particular point of view, am not up against industrialization but on the other hand I am not too blind to notice its demerits, climatic change remaining its greatest. A classic proverb declares, Electrical energy can make meals a man’s meals, or prepare a meal the person!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8556374311447144}
{"content": "The composite fiber optic overhead ground wire shall be made up of buffered flexible glass optical telecommunications fibers contained in a protective central fiber optic unit surrounded by concentric-lay stranded metallic wires in single or multiple layers.\n\nThe dual purpose of the composite cable is to provide the electrical and physical characteristics of conventional overhead ground wire while providing the optical transmission properties of optical fiber.\n\nStranded metallic wires\na) The basic construction shall have bare concentric-lay stranded metallic wires with the outer layer having left hand lay unless otherwise specified by the purchaser.\n\nb) The stranded wires may be of multiple layers with a combination of various metallic wires within each layer. The direction of lay shall be reversed in successive layers.\n\nc) The wires shall be so stranded that when the complete OPGW is cut, the individual wires can be readily regrouped and then held in place by one hand.\n\nd) The preferred length of lay of the various layers of wires is 13.5 times the outside diameter of that layer, but the length of lay shall not be less than 10 nor more than 16 times this diameter.\n\ne) The rated breaking strength of the completed OPGW shall be taken as 90% of the sum of the rated breaking strengths of the individual wires, calculated from their nominal diameter and the appropriate specified minimum tensile strength.\n\nf) At the manufacturer's option, the rated breaking strength may include the strength of the optical unit. In this case, the manufacturer shall notify the customer if the fiber optic unit is considered a load bearing tension member when determining the total rated breaking strength of the composite conductor.\n\ng) The finished wires shall contain no joints or splices unless otherwise agreed upon between the manufacturer and the purchaser.\n\nh) Hybrid designs not included in items a)-f) are not excluded from this standard.\n\n\nGIL offers several advantages for high capacity power transmission, as listed below.\n\nLow Transmission Losses \nResistive losses are low because of the large cross-section of the conductor and enclosure pipes. Typical GIL resistances are 6–8 m /km depending on the outer diameter (500 mm or 600 mm) and the wall thickness of the enclosure and conductor pipe (6 mm to 15 mm). \n\nThe transmission losses are related to the square of the transmitted current as Pv = I2 · R (I = current, R = resistance). When the current rating is high – as it is for GIL (e.g., 3000 A) – then the effect of low transmission losses is high. The losses through the insulating gas are negligibly small.\n\nLow Capacitive Load \nElectric phase-angle compensation is only needed at very long lengths, because the capacity of the GIL is low, typically 55 μF/km. Therefore, no or low compensation coils are needed under most network conditions for transmission lengths of about 100 km. This also reduces the thermal operation losses.\n\nPower Rating Like an Overhead Line \nThe GIL is the ideal alternative or supplement to overhead lines. The high power transmission capability of the GIL (up to 3000 MVA per system at 550 kV rated voltage) allows it to go directly underground in series with an overhead line without power reduction. \n\nThe GIL also allows the use of protection and control systems in the same way as with overhead lines. No differential protection is needed for failure location when a GIL is combined with overhead lines. The GIL has a low capacitance and, therefore, the inrush current is low.\n\nHigh Level of Personnel Safety \nThe outer enclosure pipe is solid grounded and no access to high-voltage parts is possible (gas-tight enclosure). Personnel safety is also guaranteed in case the GIL has to carry a short-circuit current (50, 63 or 80 kA up to 1 or 3 s). Even in case of internal failure and an arc between the enclosure and conductor pipes, tests have shown that no external impact occurs on the surroundings.\n\nHigh Reliability \nThe only purpose of the GIL is electric power transmission. No internal switching or breaking capability is needed. Based on this, the GIL can be seen as a passive high-voltage gas-insulated system with no active moving parts (e.g., switches). \n\nToday, more than 300 km of single-phase lengths has been in operation world-wide for more than 35 years. So far, no major failure (arc fault in the system) has been reported. This makes the GIL the most reliable power transmission system known.\n\nNo Electric Ageing \nGas insulations do not age. The best example is an overhead line with ambient air as insulating gas. The electric field strength of the insulators and the maximum temperature of the GIL are too low to start the process of electrical or thermal ageing. \n\nThis has been proven using long-term measurements in independent laboratories and also by extensive experience with the equipment in the network. The first GIL installations have been in operation since 1974, and the results are reported by the CIGRE [71, 224].\n\nOperation Like an Overhead Line \nOverhead lines in the transmission network are operated with the so-called autoreclosure function. This means that in case of a ground fault detected on the line, the circuit breaker will automatically break the lines, wait some seconds (depending on the network condition) and then switch on again. \n\nIn most cases the reason for the fault current detection will be gone and the transmission line will go back to normal operation (for example, if a tree branch gets too close to an overhead line, the branch will be burned away or if a lightning strike causes the fault current, that will also be gone after some seconds).\n\nElectromagnetic Fields \nTo protect the public and the operational personnel international regulations require electromagnetic field limitations. These values vary across regions and countries depending on laws and regional regulations. A trend can be seen worldwide that limiting values are getting lower and the restrictions harder. In densely populated areas and cities these electromagnetic field requirements are defining the allowed design of transmission lines.\n\nThe GIL is operated as a solid grounded installation and the inductive loop is closed through the ground connection. The coupling factor is about 95%. This means that the superposition of the two reverse currents reduces the outside magnetic field by 95%, and only 5% of the magnetic field of the conductor current is effective outside the GIL.\n\nBecause of the induction law, the current in the conductor will induce a current in the enclosure of the same size and with 180◦ phase shift. The superposition of both electromagnetic fields is close to zero. In case of limitation of the magnetic field in the surroundings, this solid grounded GIL can fulfil even very low magnetic field requirements. With a current rating of 3000 A, within a few metres’ distance a magnetic field strength of 1 μT can be reached (as required in some countries).\n\nThe advantage of a low magnetic field is important when residential areas are close to the transmission line for airports with their sensitive instruments, hospitals with their sensitive imagining systems, or all kinds of sensitive electronic equipment in private or business use. In Italy, electromagnetic field requirements for new installations go down to magnetic flux values of only 0.2 μT. When residential areas are involved, the GIL can reach such low values over a distance of a few metres.\n\nNo Thermal Ageing \nThe GIL is designed for maximum operational temperatures given by the surrounding conditions – maximum 60 or 70◦C touching temperature in a tunnel, or 40 or 50◦C when directly buried. The different temperature values depend on individual countries and their applied standards and regulations.\n\nIn all cases the maximum allowed temperature of the conductor of 100 to 120◦C is not reached by far. Therefore, no practical ageing of the system can be expected under these operating conditions.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9806656241416931}
{"content": "Cell Phone Craze\n\nThis school year, my site has taken a bold stance on cell phones. To limit the cyberbullying and increase student face-to-face interaction, our school has a no cell phone usage during the hours of 8am to 3pm. Cell phones are to be off and carried in the student’s backpacks at all times. Surprisingly, this policy has been working well as the incoming junior high students have obeyed it and the current junior high students have accepted it. I personally think that its success has attributed to the teacher’s individual cell phone policy as many enforce the school policy outside of the classroom. Students value their connection to social media and their friends that to lose that privilege, even for a day, would cause stress and anxiety.\n\nI remember the beginnings of social media through the channels of myspace and AIM messenger. I recall setting up my profile, visiting various online sites, communicating to friends (or strangers), and connecting through shared interests. Online blogs were starting to become widespread and online self-expression was becoming increasingly popular. Once Facebook opened on our college campus, almost all collage students could now interact with their peers and classmates in a completely different setting. Facebook, at the time, was a place to check out and see who was in a relationship, read their interests, check their friend’s college courses, and measure their friend’s experiences by skimming through their photos. An online community was established to gripe about professors and projects and share meaningful life events. Once Facebook was open to all age groups, suddenly the posts changed and turned into news articles and commercial shopping.\n\nWith that said, I can remember a time in which I personally was drawn to social media and the device that supported its application; yet, I do not recall being so consumed that I felt panic if I didn’t check my messages, post a picture/comment, or get enough feedback from my online updates. This generation of students are interlocked with their social media/cell phones that it has become unhealthy.\n\nEvery Friday, my students watch a short three-minute video from the producers of Flocabulary. This educational website takes a the headlights of the news week and puts them into a rap. The current event segment for this week featured the discussion of Yondr. Yondr is a lockable phone case that prevents people from using their cell phones at concerts or other private performances. People put their phones in this case and they are not able to access it until the phone case has been unlocked. Upon hearing this, all of my students gasped and protested; especially after reading that Yondr has been implemented into 57 venues and 300 schools.\n\nI asked my students why they were so upset at this idea and every class, as if it was well rehearsed, exclaimed that they needed their phones in case of an “emergency.” Students asked, “what if someone is calling with bad news and you need to know of it immediately” or “what if someone was hurt/dying and you need to call for help.” Or my absolute favorite, “what if your friends do not believe that you were at the concert?” As much as I countered their arguments with alternative viewpoints (such as emergencies from parents and friends can wait for at least another hour, performances do not take all day, concerts are filled with first respondents and have protocols for the worst, and you have terrible friends if they need proof of your presence), the students could not imagine having their phone inaccessible. Even though we have a “no phone” policy at school, students still keep their phones  “off” in their backpacks as a security to “emergency” calls.\n\nWhat I can gather is this…if I was their age, I would feel the same way because my phone is my only source of freedom and independence. As a junior high student, I do not have a source of income, a drivers license, or my secluded living arrangement. As an adult, I enjoy the peace and quiet as I relish the fact that I can walk away from emails, social media, and texting for the time allotted to me. As adults, I think we envy how simple life can be and want to return to the days where emails and messages do not need to be answered immediately or sent out. With that said, although I push for my students to be technology free, I understand their stance. My only hope is that they will one day see that life is so much more than worrying about what is said online or watching videos on social media, but to rather enjoy the moments that they experience and cherish the face-to-face interactions with people they enjoy.\n\n\nCan People Be Racist Towards White People?\n\nToday’s generation is encountering another Civil Rights movement in regards to equal treatment of African Americans. The “Black Lives Matter” movement is sweeping across the nation and getting world press through protests, marches, speeches, and boycotts. Not too long ago, the world watched the 2016 Superbowl in which Beyonce purposefully choreographed a dance and wore iconic outfits that symbolized the Black Panthers of the 1960s, the words of Black Nationalist pride leader Malcolm X, and the known King of Pop artist Michael Jackson. The “Queen B” received some criticism for her political expression; however, it continues to build awareness for this powerful movement.\n\nThis movement started to create waves and awareness in 2013 during the George Zimmerman case with the death of Trayvon Martin and continued to grow with the police brutality of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. The Ferguson protests continued to shed light on racial inequality and police discrimination. While the Black Lives Matter movement was circulating around the country, the social networking sites were exploding with comments. I read comments from various people criticizing the movement for they felt as if their nationality/race didn’t matter as to suggest that only Black Lives matter, not Hispanics, Asians, Middle Easterners, or Whites. In all truth, I was shocked to hear this type of rhetoric because I felt that a handful of people, especially White people, were missing the message.\n\nNow, let me begin by stating that I am White person. My family’s background is a melting pot of European descent as I have Norwegian, German, Swedish, French, and English ancestry. That being said, I am familiar with all of the White people responses when discussing a topic featuring racism. However, in my own studies of ancient, medieval, and modern-day history, I have found that today’s Americans cannot be racist towards White people. Now, I am speaking as an American in today’s context, not the context of the past. And how I arrived at this decision was through a series of discussions, textbook readings, and self-reflections.\n\nIn the words of Webster’s dictionary, racism is defined as “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.” Or for a more simple definition, ” the belief that some races of people are better than others.” Now, if we examine the past, particularly at America’s beginnings on the east coast, we see that many of explorers and settlers were of European decent: Spanish, English, Dutch, and French. These settlers retained their heritage and at times followed the traditions and customs of many Europeans back home, such as conquest. For these groups claiming and settling on pieces of land, they were not concerned about the other’s skin color, but mostly whether or not they were of the same race. As defined in Webster’s dictionary, race is “a family, tribe, people, or nation belonging to the same stock” or in other words, “a class or kind of people unified by shared interests, habits, or characteristics.”Race does not necessarily mean skin color but rather shared interests such as being French, Spanish, English, Germans, Swedes, or Dutch. To these explorers and settlers, if you were not from their country, you were a threat and would either be eliminated or conquered. We see this with all of these European conquerors who invaded Native American lands and claimed the land for their country. We also see the violence among other European groups. The Spanish massacring the French Protestants at Fort Caroline, FL in 1564. The Dutch colony of New Netherland (near Hudson River Valley) attacking the Swedish colony of New Sweden (near Delaware) in 1655. The English taking over the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam in 1664. Overtime, the English colonies grew in which they allowed people of other ethnicities and races to live in their conquered regions as long as they submitted to English rule, such as the Quakers, Germans, French, Dutch, Jews, Scots-Irish. In time, we see an American Identity begin to emerge in which a group known as the Patriots felt that they have a right to break with Great Britain and create their own nation.\n\nEven after the American Revolutionary War, many Americans retained their cultural heritage; however, the sense of nationalistic pride that was festering in Europe began to trickle over into North America. We cannot deny that even with nationalistic tendencies, there were many groups that were being discriminated against because of their heritage and racial backgrounds. To many, the Irish come to mind when discussing racial prejudices against White people. The Irish flooded the United States in the 1840s and when they arrived, many were uneducated. Many Irish went to New York for work but with an ever-emerging city, the Irish were in competition to “natives” (or native-born Americans) which resulted in such hated and violence for the Irish.\n\nNow, there is a sufficient evidence to see how racism has been prevelent throughout the United States since its very founding. We can also see how White people have been racist towards White people as race is defined by “a class or kind of people unified by shared interests, habits, or characteristics.” But I argue that the term “race” took on a new meaning after the American Civil War. We are all aware that many African-Americans were slaves in the southern states and territories. The events leading up to the Civil War were racially motivated as the Southerners wanted to keep their slaves to turn a profit and many Northerners did not want to compete for their jobs against enslaved people. Economically, socially, and politically the issue regarding slavery was racially incentivized. Once the Civil War was over many members of the South wanted to assert their racial dominance and created the KKK (Ku Klux Klan). The KKK were known to bully, harass, destroy African Americans homes, property, belongings, businesses, and even lives. Now, it is of my opinion that from this moment till today, America’s definition of race became warped and wrote out its own new meaning. The new meaning of race could be identified as having “genetic variations that create different physical appearances, such as variations in skin color.” Again, this is of my opinion in which, as we begin to see more racist incentivized behavior towards people who are not of the same skin color in timeline leading up to today. Looking at immigration charts, until the 1890s many of the immigrants came from northern and western Europe. In the 1900s, many immigrants from China, Mexico, and Eastern Europeans were coming into the United States. Perhaps, it could be understood that many White people were less concerned about racial differences among Whites but more concerned about racial differences among non-Whites.\n\nI watched a movie recently entitled, “Dear White People” in which one of the main characters makes an argument saying, “Black people can’t be racist. Prejudice yes. But not racist. Racism describes a system of people being disadvantaged based on race. Black people can’t be racist since we don’t stand to benefit from that system.” I probably watched that scene at least three more times, taking in what the character had to say. And as I pondered this character’s thoughts and connected it to the history books, I find this quote to be true. To my understanding, racism in a economical, social, and political realm does produce a hierarchy in which society clearly sees which racial group absorbs all of the benefits. In many cases, White people have far greater benefits than any other ethnicity when looking at the workforce, educational advancement, political influence, and social mobility. I followed the Bundy brothers and their anti-government organization take over of the federal building in Oregon this past January. I read how this armed militia took over the Wildlife Refuge and held onto this area for days. In the end, people were arrested and one was killed in a shootout. This situation would have been drastically different if the Wildlife Refuge was overtaken by Black people or anyone else who was not White. In a situation like this (and many others), White people do not have much to lose in a system that White Americans have created. Yes, many White Americans can lose their jobs, position, family, and lives; however, on a larger scale they have more to benefit. In fact, I am not saying that that White people cannot be discriminated against or face injustices as clearly they can; but racism as defined by America’s current definition…no.\n\nMy boyfriend has Dominican-Republican heritage. To many on the west coast, he looks Black as many of his features have similar looks to a West African ancestry. Only when he identifies himself by his name is it apparent that he is Hispanic. We once had a conversation about traveling around the United States. As a child, my family frequently drove from state to state exploring the major cities and enjoying the sites. When discussing our next vacation, my boyfriend was quick to say where he did not want to visit and expressed a strong notion that he wouldn’t ever want to live there as well. Many of the places he expressed were located in the southern part of the United States. Before him, I had never considered parts of the United States unsafe or unwelcoming, especially since I have traveled there myself. But, hearing his stories and concerns created a more vivid, racial picture of how segregated and disadvantaged he would be in traveling to some parts of the country. With all of this said, I can see how torn and divided our country is over race and how there are major disadvantages between racial groups. As a result, my question of can people be racist towards Whites? My conclusion is that they can’t.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7396135926246643}
{"content": "A state government in Australia has come up with A$45 million ($34 million) for a conservation package to protect threatened koala populations in the country's east, with plans for new reserves for the species.\n\nNew South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton said Sunday that almost half of the state's \"Koala Strategy\" funds will go to setting aside 24,000 hectares of land as new, protected reserves for the iconic marsupials.\n\n\"In half a century we don't want children looking at books saying this is what a koala looked like,\" Berejiklian said at a press conference in Sydney.\n\nKoalas live along the eastern and southeastern coast of Australia. But they are most abundant on the central and north coast of New South Wales where the population is estimated to have dropped 26 percent over the past 20 years, to roughly 36,000.\n\nIn 2012, the Australian federal government listed koala populations in Queensland, New South Wales, and the Australian Capital Territory as vulnerable, and the Australian Koala Foundation estimates numbers across the country could be as low as 80,000.\n\n(The koala popuation in New South Wales has dropped to around 36,000.)\n[Photos courtesy of Higashiyama Zoo & Botanical Gardens]\n\nHabitat loss, vehicle strikes and diseases caused by chlamydia, a disease often sexually transmitted between koalas, are the biggest threats to populations across the country.\n\nAlso included in the Koala Strategy is a new koala hospital and tourism center to care for sick and injured animals, which is expected to be expanded into a network of koala hospitals in coming years.\n\nSunday's announcement is the largest financial commitment by any Australian state government to the survival of koalas in the wild, it says, and is the first stage in a long-term plan to stabilize and eventually increase koala numbers across New South Wales.\n\n\"It is absolutely vital that we protect land where koalas currently live -- and secure land where new koala colonies may exist in the future,\" said the environment minister.\n\nAccording to a report released by the Australian Conservation Foundation in March, Australia is facing an \"extinction crisis\" with koalas included in the \"1,907 species and ecological communities listed as threatened under national law.\"\n\n\"The sad reality is that Australia leads the world on extinction,\" the report said. Government data show that 27 species of mammal have been declared extinct, with iconic animals like the Tasmanian devil and various species of quoll on the endangered list while wombat and possum species are critically endangered.\n\n\"Many of these extinctions have occurred recently. Since 2009 three vertebrates, a bat, a marsupial and a skink, have all gone extinct,\" the conservation group's report states.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7070128917694092}
{"content": "Fitness Resolutions, Are You Ready to Fail?\n\nAre you someone who makes New Year’s resolutions? How did your resolutions work out last year? The year before? Did you know that between 73-80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by the second week of February. That’s a pretty astounding failure rate. We all believe we can change (which is good, because we can) and the new year tempts us with a fresh start, but when it comes down to it, we just can’t seem to make our goals a reality. Here’s a little bit of why you might be failing and some guidance on attaining those resolutions.\n\nold man new year\n\n  • Your resolutions aren’t specific. “I’m going to lose weight.” should be, “I’m going to lose 10lbs.” “I’m going to eat healthier.” needs to be, “I’m going to eat 5 serving of fruits and vegetables every day.” If you don’t make the goal specific, you won’t know what precisely to do to attain it.\n  • Your resolutions aren’t timed appropriately. One of two things typically happens time-wise with your goals. Either you don’t set a time limit or you set an unrealistic one. If you don’t set a time limit (given that most of us are procrastinators) it’s just not going to happen. The other time issue is that you set your time limit too short. The time you set has to be realistic. No, losing 30lbs in two weeks is not going to happen. You’re not going to achieve that beach body in four weeks. You aren’t going to run that marathon in two months if you haven’t started training yet. Not only will not reaching the goal make you feel badly about yourself, but you may very well get injured in the process.\n  • You’re out of the gate too fast. This goes along with not allowing yourself a realistic time to reach your goals. You push too hard, too fast, crash and burn mentally and/or physically. Allow yourself time to start slowly and plan a gradual increase in intensity or volume as your body and/or mind are ready.\n  • You grasp at anything promising a shortcut. “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” – Beverly Sills. Success is never instant no matter what the ads say. Change takes time and sustainable change takes more time. If it sounds too good to be true, it isn’t true. (I have more platitudes, but I’ll spare you.) Stay away from the hype of quick solutions and commit to the journey.\n\nIf you want to achieve your New Year’s resolutions, don’t fall into the traps that make so many others fail. Get specific, time it right, avoid going out at an unsustainable rate, and stay away from gimmicks.\n\nGood luck and happy new year.\n\nThe Problem With New Year Resolutions\n\nThe new year is coming up and with that come the new year resolutions that rarely get accomplished. We’ve had enough new years come and go and most of us have experienced that feeling of the unachieved promise we made for the new year. Why do you think resolutions are so hard to keep? I have a few thoughts about it that I’m going to share with you.\n\nnewyearresolutionResolutions rarely come with a plan. They are typically announced (even to ourselves) as a platitude. “This year I will… lose 40lbs, start my own business, quit smoking, spend more quality time with my family, etc.” These are well intentioned statements that, when not accompanied by a detailed plan, can put huge pressure on an individual. They are also highly unlikely to be achieved which leaves us feeling like losers.\n\nResolutions should also, like any goal, be set using SMART guidelines. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time Bound.\n\nSpecific is the details of the goal. If your goal is to lose weight, how much and how are you going to accomplish that. I will lose 40lbs by creating an exercise routine that consists of 30min of cardio and 30min of weight lifting three times per week. I will also track my calories using myfitnesspal app and stay within my allotted calorie range.\n\nMeasurable, is that specific goal measureable? Well, the more specific it is, the easier it is to measure. Did you workout or not? Did you track your calories or not? Having said that, it may be a better choice to not be black and white about it. Give yourself a percentage ranking for the tasks. I worked out twice this week instead of three. So, I scored 66%. Now, what can you do to get yourself to 100%?\n\nAttainable is a reality check. Is this something you can actually achieve? We can achieve most things, but if I were to say that I wanted to play pro basketball (at age 59), it is highly unlikely that I can make that happen.\n\nRealistic, Well, this has always bugged me a little. It’s really the same idea as Attainable. Is this goal realistic? Honestly, having been born and raised in Maine, I prefer to go with the Maine version. Mainers would pronounce smart “smat” (dropping the r sound) which works just as well as a goal setting guideline.\n\nTime bound is simply putting a deadline on reaching your goals. Without a deadline, it becomes easy to put things off. As the  Parkinson’s law states, “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”. The longer you give it, the longer it takes and with no deadline, it will unlikely get done at all.\n\nOur resolutions should also come with a strong and detailed Why. Why is attaining this goal so important to you. Why is this goal important to you? Losing weight is not about looking better or being healthier. It might be about feeling more self confidence when you feel you look better or it may be about being healthier so that you will live long enough to see your grandchildren grow up. Write dow the real, deeper reason why your goal is important.\n\nTo top off our chances of success, we should have someone that we are accountable to. Maybe you ask a friend or family member to help keep you on task. Check in as often as you need, but set a regular schedule. Every day at 8pm, or every Monday at 7am. You could even set a time that you check in with yourself. The key is to set a time to objectively evaluate how you are doing.\n\nSo, if you want to win at the resolution game, be SMART, know your why, and be accountable for your meeting your steps toward your goal.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8644633293151855}
{"content": "BEAT - Report\n\nPerformance of MFCC-GMM-based and LBP-LR-based PAD systems\nPublished: 2 years, 6 months ago\n\nIn MFCC-GMM-based PAD system, 19 MFCCs with deltas and delta-deltas were used as features. Two GMM models are trained: one for real data and one for spoof attacks. The score is computed as a log-likelihood between two GMMs. In LBP-LR-based PAD system, spectrogram is split in two lower and higher halves. For each half, a histogram of LBP (circular, 8 neighbors with radius=1) values is computed and used as the feature. Logsitic regression classifier is used to train and evaluate LBP-based features.\n\nThe goal of a PAD system is to distinguish between real data and presentation attacks. During training, PAD system models each of these classes, and when evaluated on the development set (for this set, the class of each audio sample is known), the resulted scores are split into two sets in such a way that False Acceptance Rate (FAR) and False Reject Rate (FRR) are equal. This equal rate is usually called Equal Error Rate (dev_err in the table below). The median value of the split scores is the EER threshold (dev_eer_threshold in the table), since this is the specific value of the system that leads to EER.\n\nApplying the EER threshold obtained from development set to the scores of the test set leads to another pair of FAR (test_far in the table) and FRR (test_frr in the table) values, which are the measures of the system's performance in uncontrolled evaluation settings. In a perfectly consistent PAD system, FAR and FRR values on the test set would be the same as FAR and FRR values obtained for Dev set. Hence, to summarize the performance of the system in one value, a Half Total Error Rate (test_hter in the table) is computed as the mean of FAR and FRR. The HTER is then used as an overall measure of the PAD system performance.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9995564222335815}
{"content": "The Third Section of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) decided that the jurisdiction to judge the alleged practice of crime involving the trading of virtual currency known as bitcoin is the State Court.\n\nIn the case records reviewed, two people, through a company, raised money from investors, offering fixed monthly gains, and acted to speculatively in the market of bitcoin, without authorization or prior record of the competent administrative authority.\n\nFor the full board, no evidence of federal jurisdiction was observed in the case under analysis, since the negotiation of cryptocoins has not yet been subject to regulation in the legal system.\n\nAccording to the rapporteur Minister, Sebastião Reis Júnior, the suspects created a legal entity to obtain gains in the purchase and sale of cryptocoins, which is not recognized, regulated, supervised or authorized by institutions such as the Central Bank or Securities and Exchange Commission.\n\nConsidering this, the Rapporteur noted, the negotiation of bitcoin couldn't be investigated on the basis of the crimes envisaged by the federal law. \"In fact, I understand that the conduct investigated not conform to the crimes provided for in article 7, II, of the Act nº7.492/1986 and in article 27-E, of the Act nº 6.385/1976, particularly because the cryptocoins, until then, are not regarded as currency or security,\" he said.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9994869828224182}
{"content": "Goals: Tips for Acceleration in 2017\n\nOne of the things that CEO, strategist and Coach Tony Jeary always inspires me to do is focus on our HLAs.\n\nHLA means High Leverage Activity.\n\nThis one tip can literally accelerate and transform your goals this quarter.\n\nHere’s some tips to get clarity:\n\n#1: Identify your HLA.\n\nWhat is that one activity that if you laser focus on it will leverage everything else you do? What is it that is most important to you in this first quarter of 2017?\n\n\n#2: Block time on your calendar right now, each and every day, to focus on your HLA. \n\nThe distinction is that instead of focusing on your daily activities and meetings you are actually providing energy and fuel into this one priority.\n\nTony learned a lot of what he teaches from his mentors. I recall meeting Zig Ziglar and a lot of other great minds through Tony. Today he coaches some of the world’s top CEOs including the CEOs of Ford and Walmart. We have worked on several projects with his clients and his concept of gaining clarity helped me compress my time frame on writing a book.\n\n\nTo your legacy,\n\nTammy Kling\n\nWhy Not Now?\n\nSeeing the images of beaches and smiling faces this week all over Facebook reminds me to look you in the eyes and ask you the important question.\n\n\nWhy not now?\n\n\nWhy can’t every week be just like spring break?\n\n\nThe truth is, it can.\n\n\nEvery day can be just like spring break.\n\nSure, there’s some people who receive this message who have already cracked the code. They have no limits, no bed time, no setting the alarm for 5 am to make a long commute they hate to work under fluorescent lights.\n\n\nBut for many, the daily grind continues. Stress, overworking, seeing the kids between 6 and 8pm – two hours a day with the ones they love most. Two hours a day with humans who aren’t going to be in the house for very long.\n\n\nWhy do people do this? I’ll never know.\n\n\nBecause there’s a better way.\n\n\nI don’t know what your exit strategy is.\n\n\nI left the corporate world 15 years ago and stepped into a whole new world. The world of freedom, of owning my own day, time, and schedule. It’s radically changed the outcome for our family.\n\n\n\nWhy not invest in yourself and your family today in order to make a significant life change?\n\n\nJoin us for The Conversation and we will talk about how you can ignite change. Let’s create your exit strategy. Click Here, and sign up today, to join us for 1 night in a forest – on Oct 6 in Dallas.\n\n\nTo your Legacy,\n\n\nTammy Kling\n\n\nMarch Madness\n\n\nI was asked recently to be in a video with Trent Shelton, who has millions of followers. He’s a spoken word artist, and his audience is diverse.\n\n\nI was acting in this video,\n\n(which isn’t really my gifting, to say the least) but I said yes to the adventure – and spent a day filming.\n\n\nAs I listened to Trent’s words over, and over and over and over, and over again, (And then over once more! in take after take)\n\n\nI saw my little boy across the room, watching and absorbing like a sponge, and I couldn’t help but feel as if that the day was meant to be.\n\n\n\n\nHow can your brand and business benefit from cross pollination with others outside your industry?\n\n\nIn my mind, words are words.  No matter how you like them delivered – in a book or online or in this video – words are currency.\n\n\nWatch it and let me know what you think!\n\n\nTo your legacy,\n\n\nTammy Kling\n\nThe Future: How Virtual Reality tech can help us connect\n\nNo matter who you are or what industry you’re in, technology can impact it in a positive light.\n\nAt The Conversation Event, the only large gathering that resembles a mastermind conference of business leaders that I commit to each year, Virtual Reality will make an appearance for the first time ever.\n\nWhy tech, why now, in 2017, at an event designed to ignite divergent ideas?\n\nIt’s become popular for parents to diss tech, and the perceived negative impact it has in their pre teens, yet when their children were toddlers, they plopped the iPad on the floor in front and marveled in amazement, telling friends about their child’s amazing tech savvy skills.\n\nTech has become something to celebrate and hate all at the same time, but I say let’s think differently – and treat tech as we do food or relationships or anything else.\n\n\nIt’s your choice how addictive you’d like to get.\n\n\nLet’s manage it, and joyfully embrace it.\n\n\nAt The Conversation, a once a year once in a lifetime (if you’re lucky enough to be chosen) gathering of 100 hand picked world changers in a forest, the focus is on a face to face connection – absent of conference speakers, agendas, up sells, and fluorescent lights.\n\nThe event is so exclusive that media and pre press promotion is not allowed, celebrities are not announced in advance and autographs are discouraged. The event focuses on bold radical divergent conversations in the 4 quadrants of life and business.\n\n\nYou won’t see any tech there, and the forest backdrop brings everyone to the heart of who they are.\n\n\nThe circle around the campfire creates warmth and familiarity, like an upscale camping dinner with friends. And the conversation topic in each specific circle is like an arrow straight to the heart. The event is decidedly un – technology so why add in an element of Virtual Reality?\n\n\nThe Power of Tech to Connect\n\n\nOne new conversation circle added this year is titled: Virtual Reality\n\n\nAs individuals rotate to this conversation they’ll experience a high level think tank unlike any other utilizing virtual reality. The topic crosses brain mind soul action barrier – in a 4D integration of conversation on your reality, versus reality. What are your blind spots? How does virtual reality open our mind to innovation in specific industries and processes and client management and delivery?\n\nI personally can’t wait until we have virtual reality integrated into many of the things we do. We will be adding the VR component to our client experience in 4Q 2017.\n\nIt doesn’t have to be everything, but there are so many ways I can see it adding value to our lives.\n\n\nThe first of which is to advance intellectual capacity and innovation. Simply put: to make us smarter.\n\n\n#1: Divergent learning\n\n\nWhen you can make learning fun, people will want to learn. If learning is fun in school and 3 and 4 dimensional versus just one human talking to a row of kids in desks, kids will want to learn.\n\n\nMy business is all about learning. I’m in the $11 billion self improvement industry which is centered on learning, growth, and leadership. It’s been as solid an infantry and investment as real estate has been for thousands of years, because there will always be earth, and minds. The human mind has an infinite capacity to grow.\n\n\n90% of what I do is centered on legacy and leadership. We work to help entrepreneurs build their businesses, using innovation and divergent thinking.\n\n\n#2: Connectivity\n\n\nHow can VR make businesses better?\n\n\nIt’s all about connection.\n\n\nIn the dental industry for instance, there are two obstacles that practices face. One is the fear and negativity associated with going to the dentist. In a pediatric practice, the dental office that becomes the first to incorporate virtual reality can offer virtual reality headsets in the waiting room to show a procedure to be “live” and interesting, using a well written virtual reality script.\n\nThis is a game changer.\n\nThink about it. What does the average waiting room look like today? A waiting room.\n\n\nWhen else in your life and day, do you sit in a space that even remotely resembles a waiting room?\n\n\nI suppose a bigger question is – why would a dental office have a waiting room that looks like an area the average human never ever sits in? Is that a way to create a connection? Or an obstacle?\n\n\nIt’s my job to think differently.\n\nUsing Virtual reality we wouldn’t just “offer it” or “have it laying there” in the waiting room like video games. The VR would actually be incorporated into part of the on boarding process.\n\nWords are currency, and at my company we are embarking on a path to create virtual reality partnerships, to write and develop and produce scripts that can literally transform industries, and infuse non tech industries with technology that helps people understand things better.\n\n\nHow could virtual reality enhance the life of an elderly patient whose joy or hobby was as a former casual skier every Christmas with family, yet is now stuck inside a bed at a facility most of the time and hasn’t seen the light of day on a ski slope or mountain views in years?\n\n\nImagine being the one assisted living facility organization in an entire industry that embraced innovation to offer millennials, and younger families (who actually have already embraced new technology anyways) a chance to give their aging parents or grandparents the ability to experience the things they can no longer do? Imagine.\n\n\nIf I was the CEO of an elderly care facility reading this, I think the first person I’d call is me. I’m waiting.\n\n\nCurrently businesses find a variety of ways to serve clients.\n\n\nWe send physical gifts to specific prospects and our tipping point people from time to time as a way to show them we care.\n\n\nAnother thing we do is create divergent books. This is a new leadership category and we are always interested in the most innovative offerings. Bringing Virtual Reality into our client book, leadership, and people development process is a new aspect of customer service that we’re about to embark on.\n\n\nVirtual reality is an industry we are ready to embrace.\n\n\nSee you in the future. It’s already here.\n\nNew York Times Best Selling Author\n\nLet Me Help You Tell Your Story\n\nLet Me Help You Tell You Your Story", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9392377138137817}
{"content": "Preventive maintenance\n\nPreventive maintenance or preventative maintenance (PM) has the following meanings:\n\n  • The care and servicing by personnel for the purpose of maintaining equipment in satisfactory operating condition by providing for systematic inspection, detection, and correction of incipient failures either before they occur or before they develop into major defects.\n  • The work carried out on equipment in order to avoid its breakdown or malfunction. It is a regular and routine action taken on equipment in order to prevent its breakdown.[1]\n  • Maintenance, including tests, measurements, adjustments, parts replacement, and cleaning, performed specifically to prevent faults from occurring.\n\n\nThe main goal behind PM is for the equipment to make it from one planned service to the next planned service without any failures caused by fatigue, neglect, or normal wear (preventable items). This may be by preventing the failure before it actually occurs which Planned Maintenance and Condition Based Maintenance help to achieve. It is designed to preserve and restore equipment reliability by replacing worn components before they actually fail. Maintenance activities include partial or complete overhauls at specified periods, oil changes, lubrication, minor adjustments, and so on. In addition, workers can record equipment deterioration so they know to replace or repair worn parts before they cause system failure. The ideal machine maintenance program would prevent any unnecessary and costly repairs.\n\nMachine maintenance for various equipment and facilities is quite nuanced. For instance, maintaining certain equipment may include a \"preventive maintenance checklist\" which includes small checks which can significantly extend service life. Furthermore, other considerations such as weather and equipment are taken into account; for instance, in the case of HVAC systems, maintenance is often performed before the hottest time of the year.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9965759515762329}
{"content": "Acid rain cause and effect essay\n\nacid rain cause and effect essay\n\nspecies can withstand the effects of acid deposition, our interconnected ecosystem means that even non-aquatic animals, such as birds are affected by acid deposition (Briney, 2014). Distilled water, once carbon dioxide is removed, has a neutral pH. The estimated 50,000 lakes that are in the United States as well as Canada are at risk because they have a below normal pH (about.3 for water). Switzerland also has at least 30 acid rain damage in their essay on why japan bombed pearl harbor forests (Briney, 2014). The general publics attention toward acid deposition increased in the 1970s when reports published by the New York Times revealed problems occurring in New Hampshires Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (Briney, 2014). 2 H (aq) Mg2 (clay) 2H (clay) Mg2 (aq). This makes it easier for fungi and insects to attack the tree, and as a result the tree may die. Furthermore maintaining higher levels of air quality ensures Im not vulnerable to the dry form of acid rain and have to battle asthma or other breathing issues. This is great news for our environment.\n\nMusic therapy essay conclusion, Sell my essays, The sale of human organs essay, Is the glory in war essay,\n\nThe electric and coal burning based gases that form acid rain were first introduced in large amounts into the atmosphere during the Industrial Revolution, In 1852, Robert Angus Smith, a Scottish chemist was the first to discover the relationship between the atmospheric pollution in Manchester. Cite weblastEssays firstUK urlp? The term Acid Rain was first used by Robert. Soil chemistry can be dramatically changed when base cations, such as calcium and magnesium, are leached by acid rain thereby affecting sensitive species, such as sugar maple (Acer saccharum). However, the extent to which acid rain contributes directly or indirectly via runoff from the catchments to lake and river acidity (i.e., depending on characteristics of the surrounding watershed) is variable. Vref1 titleAcid Rain Causes, History, and Effects m dateNovember 2013 accessdate locationNottingham, UK Reference Copied to Clipboard. The United States Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) website states: Of the lakes and streams surveyed, acid rain caused acidity in 75 percent of the acidic lakes and about 50 percent of the acidic streams. However, over time, acids will accrue and then lowers the overall pH of the body. As acid rain falls on buildings (particularly buildings constructed with limestone) the acid reacts with minerals found in the stones and sometimes causes the building to wash away and disintegrate. This can be responsible for as much as 20 to 60 of total acid deposition. An indirect effect of acid rain involving humans is that the toxic metals dissolved in the water are absorbed in fruits, vegetables and in the tissues of animals.\n\nShort essay on romantic poetry\nThe joy luck club essays\nEvaluative essay on school bullies", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6976841688156128}
{"content": "Daphne Taylor\n\nDaphne Taylor uses fabric and thread to create meditative quilt drawings that embody her unique artistic expression and harmony. The stitching ranges from the intrigue of loose gestural drawings to the focus of geometric paintings. This exhibition includes whole cloth and pieced quilts as well as a group of small embroidered drawings. Inspired by her own Quaker heritage, Taylor’s work is elegant, quiet, and introspective. The aesthetic derives from Minimalism and Geometric art, but her works are lush with a rich sense of texture and a strong connection to hand craft. The dichotomy between quiet minimalist control and the comforting accessibility of traditional craft enriches her works with a bold sense of discovery and a strong, if quiet, voice.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9993985891342163}
{"content": "Marlene Angel\nVital statistics\nOccupation Soldier\nGender Female\nAge 18\nHeight 165 cm (5'5\")\nWeight 117 lbs (53 kg)\nStatus Alive\nLove interest Yuji Kaidou\nVoice Actor Japanese: Houko Kuwashima\n\nEnglish: Laura Bailey\n\nOrphaned at the age of ten because her parents were killed by the Blue, Marlene was one of the few lucky ones to make it to Second Earth. Since then, Marlene has dedicated and trained herself to defeat the Blue. Though seeming very heartless and cold in the earlier episodes, as time progresses, Yuji opens up Marlene's emotions and a bond is created. As Marlene's emotions begin to resurface, everything she was taught to believe in begins to break down. Towards the end of the series, she and Yuji conceive a child together. Voiced by: Hōko Kuwashima (Japanese), Laura Bailey (English)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8367754220962524}
{"content": "NewsOne Now Audio Podcast: Mayor Kevin Johnson On Ed Reform\n\n\n\nWhy are so many African Americans against school choice when it is a viable option to educate our children who are being underserved by the education system in this country?\n\n\n\nSacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson a staunch proponent for school choice called the feeder school systems highlighted by Martin as being in “crisis.”\n\n\nWhy Is The Media Tripping On Steph Curry Bringing His Daughter Riley To  Postgame Pressers?\n\nThe media is up in arms over NBA MVP Steph Curry bringing his two-year-old daughter Riley to postgame press conferences and acting her age. Roland Martin says all of those whining and crying about the 2-year-old enjoying herself need to “Need to shut the h*ll up.”\n\n\n\n\nTalk show host Eddie Kayne, entertainment reporter Deja Perez and actor AntonioLambertis joined Roland Martin in the NewsOne Now studio to handle this week’s WTH? play-by-play commentary.\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9505041837692261}
{"content": "Guide To Film Production -\n\nproductionhub find film and video professionals - serving the film video production industry since 1999 welcome to the largest global network of film video tv live event and post production professionals, star trek film wikipedia - star trek is a 2009 american space opera film directed by j j abrams and written by roberto orci and alex kurtzman it is the eleventh film in the star trek film franchise and is also a reboot that features the main characters of the original star trek television series portrayed by a new cast as the first in the rebooted film series the film follows james t kirk and spock zachary quinto, oz publishing film and video production directories - the all inclusive sourcebook for the charlotte film and video production industry from pre production and crew to post production you can find it here, production pipeline fundamentals for film and games - as a film post production developer i really enjoyed this book i felt it explained the basic concepts of each section of the pipeline well and it at least explained the film side of things correctly, a film critics guide book matrixx entertainment - matrixx entertainment mec is the world s first virtual movie studio co founded by james jaeger and lee garmes gone with the wind and over 100 other classic pictures the studio develops produces and distributes feature films as well as publishes books and manuals on film production and most aspects of the entertainment industry through movie pubs, the hitchhiker s guide to the galaxy 2005 imdb - mere seconds before the earth is to be demolished by an alien construction crew journeyman arthur dent is swept off the planet by his friend ford prefect a researcher penning a new edition of the hitchhiker s guide to the galaxy, video tutorials media college - tutorials for all levels of video film and television production includes camera work editing etc, nontechnical guide to petroleum geology exploration - nontechnical guide to petroleum geology exploration drilling production norman j hyne on amazon com free shipping on qualifying offers in this popular text that has trained thousands in the petroleum industry for years dr norman hyne takes readers through upstream operations from how oil and gas are formed how to find commercial quantities how to drill, korean drama korean tv serial korean dvd downloads - korean dramas are full of entertainment with cliched yet dramatic plots cute and handsome male characters both main and supporting and always a young pretty heroine, screen daily film news film reviews film festivals and - subscribe to screen international screen international is the essential resource for the international film industry subscribe now for monthly editions awards season weeklies access to the", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5047277212142944}
{"content": "NIH Scientists find why flu virus spreads in cold weather\n\n\nBriefly, at winter temperatures, the virus's outer covering, or envelope, hardens to a rubbery gel that shields the virus as it passes from person to person. With warmer weather, however, the protective gel melts to a liquid phase. But this liquid phase, apparently, isn't tough enough to protect the virus against the elements, and so the virus loses its ability to spread from person to person.\n\nThe findings were published on line March 2 in Nature Chemical Biology. The study was collaboration between researchers at two NIH institutes, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.\n\n\"The study results open new avenues of research for thwarting winter flu outbreaks,\" said NICHD Director Duane Alexander. \"Now that we understand how the flu virus protects itself so that it can spread from person to person, we can work on ways to interfere with that protective mechanism.\"\n\nFlu is caused by a group of viruses known as Influenza viruses. These are usually spread from person to person through coughs and sneezes. Infection with flu virus can cause fever, sore throat, muscle aches, severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort. The virus can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death.\n\nIn October of 2007, researchers working with guinea pigs showed that animals sick with the flu were more likely to get other guinea pigs sick at colder temperatures than at warmer temperatures.\n\nIn the current study, the NIH researchers used a technique called magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance to create detailed images of how the virus's outer membrane responded to variations in temperature. The virus's outer membrane is composed chiefly of molecules known as lipids, explained the study's senior author Joshua Zimmerberg, Ph.D., Chief of NICHD's Laboratory Of Cellular And Molecular Biophysics. This family of molecules does not mix with water, and includes oils, fats, waxes, and cholesterol.\n\nDr. Zimmerberg and his colleagues found that at temperatures slightly above freezing, the virus's lipid covering solidified into a gel. When temperatures reached about 60 degrees Fahrenheit, the covering began to thaw, and the covering turned to a soupy mix.\n\nCooler temperatures, apparently, cause the virus to form the rubbery outer covering that can withstand travel from person to person. Once in the respiratory tract, the warm temperature in the body causes the covering to melt to its liquid form, so that the virus can infect the cells of its new host.\n\n\"Like an M&M in your mouth, the protective covering melts when it enters the respiratory tract,\" Dr. Zimmerberg said. \"It's only in this liquid phase that the virus is capable of entering a cell to infect it.\n\nIn spring and summer, however, the temperatures are too high to allow the viral membrane to enter its gel state. The individual flu viruses apparently dry out and weaken, and the flu season wanes.\n\nThe finding opens up new possibilities for future research, Dr. Zimmerberg said. Strategies to disrupt the virus and prevent it from spreading could involve seeking ways to disrupt the virus's lipid membrane.\n\nIn cold temperatures, the hard lipid shell can be resistant to certain detergents, so one strategy could involve testing for more effective detergents and hand-washing protocols to hinder the spread of the virus.\n\nSimilarly, Dr. Zimmerberg theorizes that in areas affected by a severe form of the flu, people might better protect themselves against getting sick by remaining indoors at warmer temperatures than usual.\n\nSource: NIH", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8517082929611206}
{"content": "Today’s cancer treatment methods often employ a “shotgun” approach because we lack the tools to determine the cancer’s next move.  Taking advantage of the fact that cancer cells can hijack the body’s normal wound healing processes provides us with insight into cancer cell behaviour.  By studying how cancer cells utilize the inflammatory pathway triggered by our treatments, we can predict those patients who still harbour micrometastatic disease after treatment, and at the same time provide far more effective therapies for the treatment of cancer.\n\nEncyt was founded in 2014 and has been engaged in pioneering research that has uncovered evidence for a distinct and highly conserved inflammatory response triggered by surgical removal of a primary breast, colorectal, or prostate tumor and treatment with chemotherapy or radiation.  This response occurs within a predictable time frame after cancer treatment and can trigger accelerated regrowth of a surviving cancer cell population and induce cancer stem cell enrichment.   This inflammatory response will lead to the development of a metastatically competent, treatment-resistant cancer cell phenotype in the cancer cells that survive the treatment.\n\nEncyt’s main focus at present is to test our novel and proprietary therapeutic approach in a human clinical trial.  However, based on our research discoveries, Encyt has also started to work in the area of liquid biopsy.  We are developing a blood test that can predict the effectiveness of a given chemotherapeutic regimen on the basis of the level of expression of several distinct cytokines.  We believe this work has enormous potential to serve as a valuable predictive tool to help guide treatment decisions made by medical oncologists.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8168553709983826}
{"content": "flag_de.png flag_en.png flag_cz.png\n\nVillage history\n\n(altered according to the records written by Alfréd Koch, a chronicler in the first half of the 20th century)\n\nThe village of Brtníky belongs to the oldest settlements in the area of Šluknovský výběžek (Šluknov Hook). One of the notes recorded in Oberlausitzer Kirchengalerie states that by 1084 Wipprecht von Greitsch, the Lower Luž margrave, brought to Bohemia a lot of Germans from the areas of Thüringen and Frank. In the area now known as Lipová, they founded several settlements, such as Lipová, Mikulášovice or Lobendava, and Brtníky was probably among them.\n\nSupported by recent archaeological evidence found near the Brtnický potok (Brtníky Brook), the first settlements appeared here in the New Stone Age, the Neolithic Period. The archaeological findings discovered here consist of a number of rough-worked flints.\n\nThe information about the settlement in the Slavonic Period is completely missing. In the Middle Ages the Šluknov and Lipová areas, as well as the Tolštejn Castle, belonged to the House of Berka. The Houses of Schleinitz, Slavata and Salm-Reifferscheidt followed later. The village was also mentioned in writing during the reign of Petr Berka in 1116. It was stated there that Petr Berka established a great bee-keeping farm between Plešný and Vlčí hora, which was called Zeidelweide. The bee-keepers, who kept the hives and colonies of bees, were called Zeidlers, a bee father- Bienvater, Bienweide. That is where Zeidler, the original name of the village, came from. After World War II and the displacement of German settlers, the village was given a Czech name of quite a similar meaning, Brtníky.\n\nThe mention of building a village chapel under the canon law comes from 1140-1146. According to another historical source, the first wooden church was built in 1240.\n\nIn the Middle Ages, during the reign of the House of Berka, several guardcastles were built in the surrounding rocks. The Brtnický hrádek (Little Brtníky Guardcastle), which is visited by tourists quite often, also belongs to these. The castle squads guarded the trade routes and, later on, also some glass works and furnaces built deep in the forest. Some remains of places to make charcoal and tar remind us of another way to make a living in this area at that time.\n\nDuring the Hussite Wars people from Brtníky hid from infiltrating troops in the surrounding forest. There is a christening stone in the forest near the village which comes from that time. The written records of it spring from no later than the year 1423. This place served as a religious and spiritual site for many following centuries. There is also a stony altar carved in a rock near here.\n\n\nThe very first notes of the school in Brtníky come from 1579.\n\nIn 1642, Swedish troops swept through Brtníky. On their way to the settlement of Panský, an innocent gardener called Engel was caught and, as he was a spy, he was cut into pieces as a warning to others. In the place where the inhabitants of Brtníky buried him afterwards, a shamrock-shaped peace-offering cross can still be seen these days.\n\nDuring the Thirty Years War, as well as during the Seven Years War (1756) and the Austro-Prussian War (1866) the local people hid nearby in a large rock cornice called Velký pruský tábor (Great Prussian Camp) (it is on a green marked path for tourists).\n\nThe plague column was erected in 1682. At that time most inhabitants of the village died of plague. Today the column is a part of a corner of a garage on a green marked path for tourists leading from Brtníky to Šternberk. It was moved and put by Klinger, a manufacturer, after it had been found during some building work at the beginning of the 20th century. According to different sources, it may be the Column of Holy Trinity made under order of the Brotherhood of Holy Trinity. The mission of this Brotherhood was to keep catholic traditions alive during the reformation.\n\nIn the centre of the village St. Martin, there used to stand a beautiful baroque church built in 1714-1717. Its octagonal tower was really unique. At that time there were 1,200 inhabitants in the village who helped self-sacrificingly build the church. After the year 1945 the church fell into disrepair and in 1975 it was pulled down under communist representatives' instructions.\n\nNear the church on the crossroads, there used to stand the historical Pruský dům (Prussian House). This unique wooden building was built in 1600 and it was protected as a historical monument at the beginning of the 20th century. Unfortunately, this house, as well as most sights, was doomed to destruction in the postwar period. It was completely dismantled and used as firewood. Its replica is kept in the Folk Art Museum in Dresden. The National Park is aspiring to construct a replica of the house in its original place, which would serve as an information point for tourists.\n\nThe settlement of Kopec (formerly Hemmehübel) used to be a part of Brtníky. It had a long tradition of bell casting at address number 36. For instance, Zachariáš Dittrich, a renowned bell-founder who left for Prague in 1740 and acquired reputation there, came from here.\n\nIn the place of a former windmill (Mühleberg, Křížový vrch - Cross Hill today), a chapel was built up by the Brotherhood of Holy Trinity in the year 1768. The Calvary settled here in 1801. After 1945, the Calvary was brought to ruin and the little chapels completely dilapidated. Thanks to some local people, several holiday cottagers, and later on with the initiative of the Local Council of Staré Křečany, the Chapel of Holy Trinity, Little Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre and Calvary were rebuilt and restored in the late nineties of the 20th century.\n\nIn 1771 Count F.V.Salm-Reifferscheid had the Manor of Šternberk built for his wife, the Countess of Šternberk, in the woods near Brtníky. Originally a hunting lodge, this used to be a trip destination for visitors of Brtníky for centuries. The state enterprise Česká pošta, which owned the property up to the end of the nineties of the 20th century, let this protected national monument be dismantled - paradoxically, after a complete restoration - in 1995.\n\nIn the year of 1839 Johan Klinger founded a traditional knitting manufacture in Brtníky. The knitted products of finest quality produced by the Klinger´s family in Brtníky, Mikulášovice, Křečany, as well as in Wienna, became famous all over Europe. In that time Brtníky was going through its great prosperity period and had a population of almost 3,000 people. At the beginning of the 20th century a railway called Severní česká průmyslová dráha (North Czech Industrial Railway) was built by Italian constructors. In the settlement, there were three big factories and, aside from that, it was also a well-renowned and frequented summer resort, which helped the local people make living.\n\n\nAfter the year 1945 the sort of local inhabitants changed in grain. The original German population was displaced and replaced by a disparate population from many different parts of former Czechoslovakia. A lot of houses were left empty. The time period after 1948 meant a decline in all its respects for Brtníky. All the manufacturing, as well as tradesmen, disappeared bit by bit. The school and nursery were also closed down. The number of inhabitants has fallen to 261 at present. In the settlement of Kopec, there are 7 permanently registered inhabitants. After 1948 more than one hundered houses were demolished, one by one, including some rare cultural monuments and two big factories. Brtníky had not even seen such bad times during the wars and pestilence as it did under the forty-year sway of Communists.\n\nNowadays, at the beginning of the third millenium, Brtníky represents the starting point for the visitors of a new national park called České Švýcarsko (Bohemian Switzerland). After several decades of decline the historical monuments are being restored (e.g. chapels, the Calvary and small sacral monuments such as wayside crosses), plenty of houses, mainly holiday houses and cottages, have been nicely rebuilt and repaired while maintaining the original design. That is the way the village is returning among frequented summer resorts. The visitors´ favourite destinations are the picturesque Brtnický potok (Brtníky Brook) and Vlčí potok (Wolf Brook) valleys, the Křinice valley, the Brtnický hrádek (Little Brtníky Guardcastle) and Vlčí hora (Wolf Mountain) with its look-out tower. In winter the area of icefalls is a very popular and attractive place to visit.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8568127155303955}
{"content": "Playing with the Index Terms\n\nIndex Terms are the terms that we use to describe the subject matters of the document in hand. These terms are the index keys assigned to the document. The keys are to facilitate the search and retrieval of the documents. Using the terms that are listed in the previous post, we can come out several interesting points:\n\n1. By looking at the list of index terms shown in the surrogate records (catalogue records), we can have a better understanding of the subject matters of the document being described. For example, if we see the terms ‘Haze’ and ‘Health advices’ appear in the record, we know that document is about some health tips when haze comes, and not economic impact of haze. That is something free text search cannot offer.\n\n2. If our imaginative collection grows, we may need to control the words and phrases used in the index terms. We may need to create notes to indicate the scope of use of the terms. We may start to build a thesaurus.\n\n3. We can try to create a map for all these terms. Draw a big circle at the centre and put the word ‘Haze’ in the circle. This becomes the central topic. Draw bubbles to contain each index term and draw lines to connect them together. You will start to see some branches linking the central topic and the subtopics. We should see some hierarchical relationships between the terms. In some cases, we may need to create new terms to connect the nodes and branches. Instead of putting the central topic at the centre, we can put it at the top of an organisation chart. This is a good exercise. You will benefit from it.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7379481196403503}
{"content": "Jacob Ezell Improves Recovery Time, Velocity, And Performance\n\nOn September 10th 2016, Jacob Ezell threw 100 pitches over six innings to defeat the Eastside Diamond Hoppers in a pivotal playoff game. It was his first start since July 8th where he lasted just four innings and gave up four runs on 72 pitches. Ezell was the opening day starter for manager Greg Grall's Utica Unicorns. However, after just seven starts, Grall moved Ezell to the bullpen due to inconsistency and inability pitch deep into games.\n\nEzell's ability to throw six innings and 100 pitches in his final start of the year was a product of a 4-month success story that sheds light on the recovery cycle of a pitcher and how that plays a role on player performance and the decision-making of coaches.\n\n\nWe first met Jacob at the 2016 United Shore Professional Baseball League open tryout. He was recently released from the Frontier League and in hopes of a job with the newly formed USPBL. His initial tryout video can be seen below.\n\nEzell Side Eval.gif\nEzell back gif.gif\n\nEzell displayed one of the most talented arms in his tryout class and was quickly offered a contract to the Utica Unicorns. From the start, he was the unanimous choice to be the Unicorns opening day starter.  As protocol with each pitcher who made a team roster, we studied Ezell's shoulder range-of-motion patterns, pitching delivery, and training routines to gain a sense of his current functionality at that time. \n\nTwo key statistics stood out to us right away; the correlation between Ezell's DVS Score ( 12) and his current level of shoulder function (TAM -9) and the relationship between his velocity (91/93) and his stretch angle (50º).  \n\nThe DVS Score allows us to profile the future health and performance implications surrounding Ezell's pitching delivery.  Ezell's DVS Score of 12 signifies each time he throws a baseball he's statistically more at risk compared to the average MLB pitcher. Also, his shoulder function further proved his current pitching delivery was placing more stress on his throwing shoulder as indicated by the 9 degrees of motion deficit in his throwing shoulder compared to his non-throwing shoulder.\n\nEzell's current level of velocity output combined with his stretch angle led us to believe he had the ability to significantly improve his average velocity throughout the duration of the USPBL season. For those of you who are unfamiliar with our stretch angle, a stretch angle is a degree of measurement used to forecast a pitcher's ability to generate more or less velocity based upon their current mechanics.  Therefore, by determining Ezell's shoulder was under more stress but was still able to produce a high level of output we concluded that by addressing specific aspects of his delivery and implementing the USPBL Throwing Program, we would gradually influence his rate of recovery and work towards increasing a higher level of performance.\n\n\n\nIn the inaugural game of the United Shore Professional Baseball League, Ezell pitched 4 innings, gave up 1 run, 1 hit, 1 walk, and struck out 6 hitters. Impressive stat line to begin the season but what the box score doesn't indicate is the gradual velocity drop once Ezell approached 50 pitches in the third inning, and a significant decrease in the 4th inning. Ezell was on a pitch count to start the season ( max 75 pitches) but seemed noticeably fatigued around 50+ pitches.  I positioned myself directly behind home plate for his first start; wanting to track the flight and action of his pitches.  As he began to approach 50 pitches, you could see a noticeable change in Ezell's fastball starting to run out of the zone and consistently fall behind hitters. Ezell battled, made some big pitches, but from a scouting perspective, was a much different pitcher in the 3rd and 4th inning comparatively to the 1st and 2nd.\n\nJacob Ezell's early season pitching delivery seen from a side camera angle.\n\n\nJacob Ezell's early season pitching delivery seen from a back camera angle.\n\n\nWe were curious to see the role 60 high-intensity pitches placed on the recovery cycle of Ezell's shoulder and elbow.  As with all pitchers in the USPBL, we tracked their shoulder ROM patterns on a daily basis. In particular, we specifically wanted to focus on the degrees of shoulder motion lost after a pitcher has thrown in a game situation. In Ezell's case, he started the game with 162º of motion in his throwing shoulder with a 5º deficit in his throwing shoulder compared to this non-throwing shoulder. Immediately after his start, we found he had 158º of motion in his throwing shoulder and an 11º deficit in his throwing shoulder compared to his non-throwing shoulder. \n\nIn the days following his start, Ezell experienced prolonged pain and soreness in his throwing arm. \"At the beginning of the season when I was starting I was sore almost till the day before each start so about 4 days\" Ezell stated. When asked \"did you typically throw through soreness\"? He responded, \"I  would throw through soreness, but it wasn't anything too strenuous that I wasn't able to throw with, I knew my body and arm.\"\n\n\nFar too common in the culture of pitching, pitchers and coaches make the mistake of thinking you must throw through soreness to speed up recovery and get your arm loose again. When a muscle is sore, it most likely has undergone some form of damage, which is going to decrease its ability to produce force. This scenario means that the excess stress from throwing will be transferred to other tissues in the body that aren't equipped to handle it.  For the muscle to regain its full strength and function, proper recovery time is a must. Therefore, in the meantime, it's important for a pitcher to scale their throwing regimen to avoid further injury, and expedite the recovery process. Based on the protocols within the USPBL Throwing Program and Ezell's soreness levels, he didn't throw a baseball until 4 days after his first start. Typically a starting pitcher throwing more than 50+ pitches should be relieved of all acute arm soreness 48 hours after a game. Ezell, through the first two weeks, often wasn't entirely relieved of arm soreness until after 72 hours post game.\n\n\nImage 1: As a product of the DVS System and creating better timing in his delivery, Ezell placed less stress on his throwing arm and was able to maintain greater functionality and therefore greater range of motion in his throwing shoulder 24 hours after a game.\n\nThe cycle of inconsistency continued throughout Ezell's next start, and so did his slow recovery period. We began to infuse the DVS Arm Care System into his daily regimen which accounted for a significant portion of his routine due to his limited throwing set forth by his soreness protocols. However, since his actual throwing was limited post game, we also begin a gradual process to align Ezell's shoulder's and pelvis better as he initially began his pitching delivery. The transition can be seen in the image to the right.\n\nEzell's front shoulder had a tendency to dip forward as he broke his hands which ultimately led to his throwing arm catching up late as his front foot made contact with the ground. We know that improving the arm position at foot strike can have many benefits most importantly on the ability of the shoulder to tolerate more stress as the throwing arm accelerates forward. With an improved arm position we hoped to accomplish two primary goals; a faster rate of recovery for the throwing arm and improved performance in games.\n\nIt's often difficult to make adjustments to the pitching delivery in a season, especially if the movement disrupts a timing pattern that has existed within the delivery for an extended duration. However, Ezell's adjustment was simplistic and made possible in a short period  due to his understanding of what he needed his body to do. \n\n\nOver the next few weeks, Ezell saw improved shoulder function as a product of using the DVS Arm Care System, The USPBL Throwing Program, and minor mechanical adjustments. If you look at the table below, you can see his DTAM (total motion in throwing arm) gradually improved over the course of June and into July.  \"\n\n\nAs the weeks progressed, the improved shoulder patterns remained stable and consistently improved over 10º (158º to 176º) in a 5 week period. With the improved total motion in Ezell's shoulder, the recovery time began to shorten from 72 hours to 48 hours as Ezell entered into July. \n\n\nAlthough Ezell was improving the health of his throwing arm throughout June, his performance remained irregular; forcing manager Greg Grall to make a decision on his role as a starter.  \"He would just get to a certain point in the game where his velocity and location would dip. He was more of a max effort type guy, and we knew if we put him in the bullpen we could possibly use him as a closer or a guy to come in and pitch multiple innings. Overall, we just thought he would be more consistent out of the bullpen\", said Grall. \n\n\nreliever: JULY 15TH - JULY 30TH\n\nTable 4\n\nEzell officially became a reliever after his start on July 8th. We gave him a week off to continue to work on his pitching delivery and prepare a new throwing regimen that would prepare him for his role as a reliever. His improved recovery cycle indicated he would be capable of throwing every other game if need be.  All factors considered Grall opted for Ezell to be his primary reliever out of the bullpen in late-inning situations.\n\nAlthough the box score may not reflect his improvements, we began to see a slight increase in Ezell's strike percentage, velocity, and action on his fastball and slider. During this period, and like most starters who move to the bullpen, Ezell's average fastball velocity climbed from 91.6mph to 92.5 mph.  With the addition of velocity (Table 5) and improved arm position (image 1) his fastball started to show signs of a more downward sinking action. With Ezell now throwing more frequently out of the bullpen, the opportunity created time for him to solidify his mechanical adjustments and comfort level in game situations. As July ended and August began, Ezell positioned himself to finish the season in a more consistent manner.\n\n\n\nFor the remainder of the season, Jacob Ezell turned into arguably the most consistent and reliable pitcher in the USPBL. From August 3rd to September 3rd, he had appeared in 11 games, pitched 12 innings, and didn't allow a run. The best part; he seemed to be getting stronger as the season wore on. His arm recovered faster, his fastball velocity increased, his strike percentage increased, and perhaps most important he became confident in his ability to get hitters out.  The video seen below highlights the mechanical pattern of Ezell's delivery on August 31st. In stark contrast his initial evaluation, you will notice the dramatic difference between the position of Ezell's shoulders as he breaks his hands and begins his movement towards the target. \n\nMay 17th, 2016\n\nMay 17th, 2016\n\nAugust 31st, 2016\n\nAugust 31st, 2016\n\nAs the playoffs approached, the Utica Unicorns became loaded with dominant arms coming out of the bullpen.  Joining Ezell, the Unicorns featured Andrew Potter and Mitch Aker; two right-handed pitchers featuring 95+ mph fastballs and nasty sliders. Once Ezell was pulled from the starting rotation in July, Seth Brenner became one of the most valued starting pitchers on the Unicorn staff. But as the season wound down, Brenner showed signs of fatigue and inconsistency heading into the final two weeks of the regular season. \n\n\nEzell pitching in the playoff game against the Eastside Diamond Hoppers\n\nEzell pitching in the playoff game against the Eastside Diamond Hoppers\n\nIn the first round of the playoffs, Grall made the gutsy decision to start Ezell. \"Brenner was tired. The wear of tear of starting had caught up to him. We had been keeping a tight schedule on Ezell. Making sure he got his innings every other game. When it came down to it, we knew Ezell had started and with his improved confidence and stuff, we had to go with Ezell in the playoff game.\"  Grall said.\n\nIn his last start and final appearance of the year, Jacob Ezell ended up throwing more innings, pitches, and had his best outing of the year. His efforts propelled the Utica Unicorns into the championship game which they eventually won.\n\nThe pitcher that took the mound on May 30th had now proven he could pitch well past 50 pitches, recover quickly, and started to show signs of being able to pitch at the next level.\n\n\n\nThe scope of Ezell's improvement over the last six weeks is remarkable and one of the greatest success stories that transpired during the 2016 USPBL season. One of the most significant values of the USPBL is Ezell was able to fail and struggle because of the league's commitment to his overall development. A plan was laid out for him in June, and as each day progressed, Ezell was making strides. \" I learned how I could do a little less of the heavy weights and long toss and actually keep a healthier, stronger and more flexible arm. Also, the way they help me tweak some of my delivery, helped me become a more consistent pitcher. Helping me stay tall, stay back, getting my elbow up helped my overall command with every pitch a lot better. With those tweaks my average velocity increased and put less stress on my elbow and arm.\" says Ezell.\n\n\nI don't think anyone expected him to finish as strong as he did, but you never know what a player is capable of until he's able to utilize the full spectrum of his talents.   \n\n\n\nImprovements are based over the duration of the 2016 season\n\n  • DVS Score from 12 to 17 \n  • Strike percentage from 58% to 64% \n  • Average fastball from 91.6mph to 93.3mph\n  • Max Fastball from 94mph to 96mph\n  • DTAM Difference -8.8º to 8.º\n  • Shortened recovery window from 72 hours to 36 hours.\n\nThe improvements mentioned above can be made possible for a majority of players at all levels; most importantly the players that are trying to get signed to an affiliated club. But a pitcher must understand Ezell's route to his eventual success was only made possible by the order in which we focused his development.  If you want to continual success, there is no quick fix. You must be willing to understand the full spectrum of your development.  \n\n\"Focus on mechanical efficiency, repeatability, and joint health, and as a product of those, you will find confidence, velocity, and success.\"", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9065054059028625}
{"content": "Servers by jDrones\n\nCANbus for Ardupilot with UAVCAN and UC4H\n\n(mike kelly) #101\n\nIt is really odd because I commented on your blog and it is not in my list of topics I have replied to either.\n\n(ppoirier) #102\n\nYes, Randy made a correction and seems that when I approved , it has been trashed… they are working on it.\n\n(James Pattison) #103\n\nIt’s back (at least for me) - someone else might check though.\n\n(mike kelly) #104\n\nLink works for me now too.\n\n(ppoirier) #105\n\n@olliw42 about the serial tunneling, as I wrote in my blog, I had issues with the Benewake sending hex code but all OK when using the ascii mode i.e. clear text values terminated with cr/lf.\n\nAs I am planning to use the Cheerson Optical Flw, this sensors sends hex code only, I suspect I will experience the same issue. Is this something we could try to fix ?\n\n(OlliW42) #106\n\nyes, we can try that\nit however certainly has nothing to do with ascii or binary, the code is agnostic to this, and in fact for the gps it switches to ubx and is then binary, so you have seen it already yourself\nI rather suspect the timing of how the data is packed into CAN frames. You can have a look at the BetaCopter code, the counterpart works essentially identically\none probably has to carefully look at how the data is streamed, my first guess is that in binary mode it expects a faster response to its packets, or that the library has a stricter timeouting, or that the tf stream is “interrupted” at an unfortunate point which the tf doesn’t like, or such\nthat’s the general disadvantage of the approach, it is probably not possible to devise on scheme which is kind of “guaranteed” to work for all\nwhen you look at the stream with UAVCAN GUI one probably can see quickly where things go wrong\nyou, thus, should definitely try the other device. it has nothing to do with ascii vs binary\n\n(Rick James) #107\n\n@olliw42 how does this work for adding a new sensor, for example, the sdp33 airspeed sensor? Do you (personally) have to manually add the driver to the firmware and then compile the hex?\n\nIf so, too bad there isn’t a way to use something with external storage and sideload the needed driver in the correct format.\n\n(OlliW42) #108\n\nthis would be so\nbut if you think about it that’s how CAN is desgined\n\n(OlliW42) #109\n\nI took a look at the tfmini protocol, to see why there might have been issues. I’m going to refer to the standard data format in the following (i.e. what I believe is what you called hex or binary). It is actually really a very short data frame, so this shouldn’t give any problems. However, there might be an issue with a 100 Hz update rate (a rate significantly faster than what I’ve anticipated then I did the tunnel :wink: ): The code uses a timeout of 10 ms to decide if some incoming data should be send out, so it could collide in unfortunate ways with the 100 Hz update rate. Two possible solutions:\nI don’t yet fully understand the TFMini settings, but it seems to me it’s possible to achieve a data rate lower than 100 Hz. If so, I think this would be a quick first test, to see if the instabilities go away with lower rate.\nSecond, one could change the code to use e.g. a timeout of 8 ms, or 5 ms, or to actually make it a parameter (this timeout acts as a kind of delay to data streams which have such short data telegrams). If that should be still relevant to you, I’m happy to do the code changes.\nWhat remains a bit unclear to me is why this would happen for the standard but not the clear text Pixhawk format, but such tests probably would show.\n\n(btw, I’ve ordered me a TFmini, I realized that a down-facing distance sensor would be a cool addition to my copter :slight_smile: )\n\n(ppoirier) #110\n\nYes , I will test with slower data output period , as is defined in Benewake guide :", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.636454164981842}
{"content": "Literature as a Compass\n\nMap Unavailable\n\nDate(s) - 05/28/2017\n10:00 am - 11:00 am\n\nHistoric Campbell House\n\n\nPlease join us this Sunday for a commentary, Literature as a Compass, by Mary Alice Dillman.\nLiterature unveils truth about a moral and ethical direction humans can take, like a compass that can point a way to live. Short episodes in literature will illustrate the moral sense of the ten principles of Exodus 20. Memorial Day will be observed in the service.\nJonalyn and Christopher Snyder will return as featured musicians.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999958872795105}
{"content": "With their round, harmonious expression, the classic Hoptimists are an eternal reminder to us to be positive and optimistic. The colours are bright and cheery, and the figures' indomitable little hop raises people's spirits far and wide.\n\nThe girl, in her nice dress represented by a long spring, has smiling eyes glancing to the side. The boy has attentive eyes, a little \"tuft\" on his head, a short spring and long trousers. Bimble and Bumble were originally available in two versions – an original version and a baby version, measuring 13 and 7 centimetres respectively. Mega Bumble now extends a whopping 23 centimetres into the air, while Junior, the latest member of the family, sneaks in somewhere in between at a height of 10 centimetres.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9824144244194031}
{"content": "Get involved in yast-network.\n\nHi, and thank you for your interest.\n\n\nTranslation project for yast-network currently contains 657 strings for translation and is being translated into 77 languages. Overall, these translations are 51.6% complete.\n\n\n\nRegister Translate", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9997249245643616}
{"content": "what is iota\n\nWhat is IOTA (IOT)?\n\n\"Kingpin of IoT?\" IOTA was introduced in July 2016 as a cryptocurrency for managing \"Internet of Things\" (IoT) devices in a completely decentralized way.The premise...\nwhat is icon (icx)\n\nWhat is ICON (ICX)?\n\n\"Korea's Ethereum?\" The ICON blockchain system was designed to \"hyperconnect the world\"...Whilst an entirely ambiguous statement, it's based around a series of developments in the...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9998637437820435}
{"content": "7th and 8th grade writing assignments\n\nWrite a poem about graduation.\n\n\nIn particular, seventh grade writing standards specify these key markers of proficiency: Image showing a famous character from the past the modern version of where they once lived. Why or why not? Educators consider standards-based tests to be the most useful as these tests show how each student is meeting grade-level expectations.\n\nDeveloped by classroom teachers, Time4Writing targets the fundamentals of writing. Then look at what you have written, what would you not have noticed had you just sat at home and done this exercise?\n\nOur 9th Grade Homeschool Curriculum Picks\n\nTake notes from relevant and authoritative sources such as guest speakers, periodicals, and online searches. Why did you not feel guilty, do you think?\n\nPrentice Hall\n\nIn this vein, students consider the purposes of intergovernmental organizations, international non-governmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, and multinational corporations.?\n\nAfter hearing nothing all summer and Habitat not calling our required quarterly meeting againmy husband called a meeting to find out what was going on. Send me an email at hi[at]jeremydavid. Write about a situation when this was definitely NOT a good thing!\n\nTell me about a news event you found really interesting.\n\n7th Grade Writing Prompts\n\nDo you consider yourself to be a good test-taker? What about this career appeals to you? How frequently do you take photos? Seventh grade students use available technology to support aspects of creating, revising, editing, and publishing texts.\n\nEssays contain formal introductions, ample supporting details e. They are free to use under a Creative Commons License.\n\nLife of the People in Antebellum Society Chapter Then, try to follow each set of directions. Seventh grade students develop an interpretation exhibiting careful reading, understanding, and insight. Why might it be better to holiday in a tent than a luxury hotel?\n\nFourth grade students learn about the daily lives, adventures, and accomplishments of all its different cultures and how this energy formed the state and shaped its history. Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool 34 Comments I told you around this time last year that my family was getting a Habitat for Humanity house, an ADA compliant house that my son in a wheelchair would be able to get around in.\n\nHave you ever bumped into someone you really wanted to impress when you were looking at your worst? These are learnings that are necessary for good civic behavior in the classroom and the larger society. For more information about general learning objectives for seventh grade students including math and language arts, please visit Time4Learning.\n\nAsk and evaluate questions for research. Tell me about something which fascinates you, but not most people. It begins with a selective review of the Age of Exploration, the colonial period and the American Revolution.\n\nResearch and Inquiry In seventh grade, students select and use reference materials and resources as needed for writing, revising, and editing final drafts. I made a video about 25 Innovative Journaling Ideas for Kids. Get more ideas for teaching 7th grade from Dayle Timmons. Give reasons for your answer.\n\nSpelling —Use knowledge of spelling rules, orthographic patterns, generalizations, prefixes, suffixes, and roots, including Greek and Latin root words. For example, reading four short stories that take place during the Civil War to prepare them for studying the Civil War in eigth grade or, read five science articles to prepare them to work with current events in science class.The goals of the CCSS ELA are broken out by grade and subject area, including Reading: Literature, Reading: Informational Text, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language, as well as expectations in additional subject areas such as science and technology, history, and further writing areas.\n\n7th Grade Writing\n\nThe best collection of FREE 7th grade writing prompts and seventh grade essay topics! Use these brand new 8th-grade writing prompts to help your students prepare for the coming year and stay focused on all the challenges that lie ahead. This page provides a summary of the key eighth grade curriculum and learning objectives for language arts, math, social studies, and science.\n\n\nOliver Wendel Holmes Middle School and Holmes International Humanities Magnet is located in Northridge, California. 8th Grade Writing Assignments and Activities You can assign a variety of activities in your language arts classroom that teach 8th graders to think creatively and critically.\n\nRead on for some 8th .\n\n7th and 8th grade writing assignments\nRated 3/5 based on 37 review", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8998229503631592}
{"content": "Advanced Disposal Services Scale Operator in Northville, Michigan\n\nUPOSITION SUMMARY:Monitor and record waste volumes that enter the landfill site, and collect appropriate usage feesUPRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:This list of duties and responsibilities is not all inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties and responsibilities as management may deem necessary from time to time.* Obtain information regarding material entering landfill or transfer station by greeting customers at the gate, visually confirming contents are appropriate for landfill or transfer station, and by either measuring the box size to determine volume or by weighing the truck to determine tonnage in order to properly bill the customer and track the total amount of waste entering the landfill or transfer station* Accept or reject load based on content and suggest possible alternatives based on personal disposal knowledge, special waste training and type of waste* Provide a receipt for the customer, and document the waste entering the landfill or transfer station by keying information into the computer and producing a ticket for the landfill or transfer station files and for the customer's records* Receive payment from customers and make changes when necessary* Handle special waste loads by processing required paperwork and notifying operations of an incoming special load via 2-way radio for proper dispatch* Balance the daily receipts to ensure accurate record keeping and appropriate billing* Answer the telephone and provide information to the general public regarding hours of operation, acceptable types of waste, location and directions to the landfill or transfer station, and prices associated with disposal* Maintain the pay booth by washing and tidying the floors, windows, bathroom, and equipment to maintain a positive image for employees and customers UKNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:* Ability to communicate well with others and possess good telephone skills* Ability to perform basic math, including algebra, to measure volumes and quote/calculate pricing for the customer* Ability to learn to distinguish types of waste that may or may not be accepted by the landfill or transfer station UMINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:Education: High School Diploma, GED and/or equivalent work experienceYears of Experience: One year of relevant customer service or operations experience. Waste industry experience preferredUMACHINES, TOOLS, EQUIPMENT AND SOFTWARE USED:* Usual office equipment including computer, phone, fax machine, copier and calculator* MS Office including Word, Excel and Outlook UWORK ENVIRONMENT:* Exposure to chemicals, dust, fumes and odors* Exposure to extreme weather conditions UTYPICAL PHYSICAL DEMANDS:* Ability to organize various office systems through adjusting, connecting, lifting, pulling, pushing, bending or folding for the purpose of proper records development and/or management* Ability to use a computer and related devices, such as a keyboard or mouse or other related equipment, throughout the workday while seated at a desk or workstation* Ability to view and discern type of waste inside vehicle from a platform. May require ability to climb ladder to inspect open top loads This job description is not a contract and does not affect the at-will nature of your employment relationship with Advanced Disposal. Furthermore, this job description is not intended to be all-inclusive and does not and cannot address every responsibility or duty you m", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9993564486503601}
{"content": "Investing in Skills for Inclusive Trade: WTO-ILO Study\n\n2019 ias preliminary exam test series\n\nA joint ILO-WTO study, “Investing in Skills for Inclusive Trade”, shows that boosting core work, technical and management skills can help countries and businesses meet the challenges of an ever more competitive global economy by reducing costs and improving the quality of products.\n\nThe authors point to evidence that countries with responsive skills development systems tend to be more successful in putting skills to use in tradable activities and thereby improving that country’s competitive position in the global economy.\n\nWhile trade has helped lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and been a crucially important tool for growth, development and job creation there are those who have been left behind. Improving the capacity of our workers and managers to respond to these changes is clearly the best way to foster more inclusive trade.\n\nProviding the right skills is essential to reap the benefits of trade in increased productivity and better jobs, and to ensure that trade contributes to inclusive development. In a fast changing world of work it is more important than ever that skills development responds to current and emerging skills needs, enhancing outcomes for workers and firms both now and in the future.\n\nThe need for improving skills is present in both developed and developing countries as they seek to adapt to and find opportunities in a global economy which is going through a profound transformation, driven by political changes and the forces of trade integration and technological progress.\n\nThe authors point to four main mechanisms through which trade affects the relative demand for skills:\n\n1. Trade raises demand for products in which countries have a comparative advantage. In countries with a comparative advantage in skill-intensive sectors, trade thus increases the demand for skilled workers.\n\n2. International trade leads to the expansion of the most productive firms, which tend to employ relatively more skilled workers.\n\n3. As the costs of offshoring fall, the least complex stages of production tend to relocate from high income to low-income economies.\n\n4. Lower trade costs may be a catalyst for changes in production technology, including automation, which increase productivity and favour high-skilled labour in exporting and import-competing firms in both developed and developing countries.\n\nAddressing the need for developing a more competitive workforce is a long-term process. In countries at all stages of development, continuing education and training, both at universities and in the form of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and on-the-job training can help workers and managers cope with the big changes in demand for skills which are in varying degrees triggered by globalization.\n\nThe authors find evidence of a range of policy approaches which have helped countries in responding effectively to these challenges, including:\n\nPolicy coherence: Enhancing skills and improving national competitiveness requires a range of policies and it is vital that they be coherent.\n\nSocial dialogue between government and the social partners: This is central to making skills systems responsive to the needs of industry, including those industries producing tradable goods and services.\n\nBroad access to education, skills development and lifelong learning: Low-skilled workers, workers who lack transferable skills, workers whose learning skills are weak, and workers whose skills are at risk of obsolescence benefit less from trade and are vulnerable to technological change or to a trade-connected employment shock.\n\nTargeted training for displaced workers and/or workers at risk of displacement: Reskilling may be required to allow workers to move to a different occupation or a significantly different job, whether because their original job became unnecessary or because change offers a good opportunity.\n\nInvesting in training for employed workers: Training for workers at all skill levels is a necessary part of implementing effective strategies, in order to underpin the capabilities needed in markets for tradable products and services.\n\nCore work skills: Strong core work skills, such as team working and problem-solving, complement technical skills and are a vital underpinning for employability, and for business performance.\n\nSkills needs analysis and anticipation: Forward-looking skills needs analysis and skills anticipation are needed to inform policy coherence and social dialogue, and to inform decision-making by all relevant partners.\n\n\nOver recent decades, the global economy has experienced a profound transformation, mostly as a result of the joint forces of trade integration and technological progress, accompanied by important political changes.\n\nIncreased trade integration has helped to drive economic growth in both high- and low-income economies, lifting millions out of poverty in emerging and developing countries. Since the global financial crisis of 2007–08, however, trade, productivity and income growth have decelerated.\n\nAt the same time, trade is increasingly perceived as leaving too many individuals and communities behind. Reaping the benefits from global trade and effective integration into global markets goes hand in hand with the adoption of new technologies, improved forms of work organization and productivity increases.\n\nGiven the role of skills in trade, it is vital to put a strong emphasis on skills development. Human capital is one of the principal enablers of trade growth and economic diversification, and is also an important “buffer” facilitating the adjustment to more open trade.\n\nAppropriate skills development policies are key to helping firms expand their export activities; they are also key to helping workers who lose their jobs make a smooth and rapid transition to new jobs with equal or higher wages. These two effects reinforce each other. For trade to grow, it needs to be more inclusive; and more exports offer more employment opportunities.\n\nSkills development policies constitute one among many policy instruments available to governments to make trade inclusive by enabling firms and workers to participate in trade, by lowering adjustment costs and by distributing more evenly the benefits of trade and technological progress.\n\nOther active labour market policies (ALMPs), such as job-search assistance or activation strategies, passive labour market policies such as unemployment insurance, and social policies, as well as complementary policies such as housing or credit market policies, can also be used to lower adjustment costs, while various instruments are available to redistribute the gains from trade or technology to those whose skills are less in demand because of those changes.\n\nCurrent Affairs for IAS Exam", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9975749850273132}
{"content": "My Cart\n\n\n\nPosted on December 16 2018\n\n\nFall gives its space to Winter, and we're embracing the change of the season, it means accepting a new transformation and a new beginning in our life circle.\nBlooming to the warm sun of Spring is easier, but you could not enjoy that moment of openness if you didn't go through the Winter.\n\nThese days, with their light decreasing, are inviting you to be more present with your inner self and upgrade the level of your consciousness in your daily life.\n\nThese days are encouraging you to take care of your inner garden, your secret space.\n\nBest Crystals to wear in Winter and Chakra to balance\n\nYou have not mistaken this invitation with a suggestion to close or cover your authenticity in any way.\n\n\nInstead, this critical time of the year is the perfect occasion to make your ruts stronger, discover new sources and cleanse your communication channels.\nMind that health and joy came from the openness to receiving and giving when your energy flow without blocks or knots.\n\n\nWinter not just prepare you for Spring, but also teaches you don't need to live a lonely life to fully embrace, understand and live more consciously.\nInstead is the opposite, and I show you why immediately.\n\nThe 3 Stages to Self-Flourish this Winter\n\nwhat to do & best crystals to wear\n\n\nTo better understand the journey that Mother Nature suggests during the winter, try to think about you like a flower. You and a peony look different, but your lives have many things in common.\n\nWinter encourages you to check the level of your grounding and make it more robust and deep these days.\nThat's the time to understand better what calm and mindfulness mean.\n\nAll wild creatures on the planet know that they have to wait during the winter.\nAnd that's what they do.\n\nIt doesn't mean you have to stay on your couch all day long to embrace the suggestion of Mother Nature!\nYou're human, so it encourages you to focus your attention on the inner side of yourself intensifying a free and intimate dialogue with your roots.\n\nIf Summer is the season of body expansion outwards, Winter is the season of the expansion towards the inland.\n\nThis is the moment to go back to your roots, check how they feel and take care of them.\nThey're the foundation of your temple, never forget that.\nTaking care of your roots focusing on driving fresh energy to the inside doesn't mean building a wall between you and the outside world.\n\nStaying alone for too long is never positive.\nWe're on this planet to share our joy and learning each other, as every living creature one planet does.\n\nSo the recommendation here is to drive your inner eyes to your core, maintaining your skin sensitive and reactive on everything happens around.\n\nHow to Take Action:\n\nbest Crystals to wear to sustain your culture\n\nThis season could be challenging, not just because of the Holiday Season when you may have extra things to do even if your days still has 24 hours, but also because of the natural light and temperature decreasing.\nThese things combining could bring in anxiety and stress.\n\nIf you find yourself in this position, take this chance to work with one of the most vibrant and helpful crystal on the planet, Garnet.\nGarnet encourages you to strengthen your foundation and dispelling stress, so you feel your physical, etheric and emotional body more stable and relaxed.\n\nIf you wear a ring, I suggest you wear Garnet\non the index, if you want to focus your attention on dive deeper in your core and learning from what you find to grow your self esteem and leadership.\non the thump, if you need to change some attitude or develop your relationship, also in business.\n\nIf you prefer to wear necklace I recommend to wear garnet as a pendant with 80 cm - 31,5 in - chain so your Amulet will be at the center of your body. \nMind that you can wear your talisman also in contact with your skin or on your underwear, not just on your skirt.\n\n\nWhat happens when you drive your energy to the inner side taking care of the warm and soft earth where your ruts are grounded?\n\nYour foundation becomes even more stable, your ruts are more fresh and robust.\nThis is a perfect assumption of what we call \"transformation\".\n\nThanks to your mind and actions you're able to grow and create a new journey, a new beginning within yourself.\n\nHere is where the transformation, the evolution begins.\nIs where the nourishment you get from the Earth, becomes part of your experiences evolving on what we feel, emotions.\n\n\"Transformation\" is inevitable in life, but if you want it also means \"evolution\" you have to take with us one of the vital tools of every love warriors: a genuine trust.\n\n\nEven more often I see people sharing \"distrust attitudes\", especially with posture and facial expression.\nCurved shoulders (closed), flexion at the level of the stomach and back that tends to draw a bow.\n\nMind that your body suggests to your mind how to deal with every event in life. These unconscious postures are dangerous because they physically block the 5° and 2° Chakra.\nThis approach doesn't come from the emotional blocks, instead of from the idea to protect us from outside aggression. This idea that we have to protect ourselves from everything is becoming much more popular and also many crystal therapists suggest to protect the body from every sort of negativity.\nHowever, you have to be careful to don't exceed in this practice.\nIt could mean building too many walls around you, anding up to close your body in a bubble.\n\nLiving a healthy life means consciously work towards growing and expansion, not constriction or implosion. Living a healthy life is also sharing our emotions, knowledge, and energy and learn from the exchange with others.\nSo make sure to distinguish between protect and close your body to the Universe.\n\nHow to Take Action:\n\nbest Crystals to wear to encourage transformation\n\nEverything is about flow and connection.\n\nMake sure to keep the doors of your emotional temple open so wind can go in and out, bringing fresh air and life into it.\nThis wind moves everything bringing vitality, and it's positive even when it seems to mess up your favorite rooms!\n\nMake sure to visit your temple and see what happens there regularly, you can always find a treasure!\n\nWhen you feel you have to grow your connection and relation with your emotions and feelings (meaning establish a deeper connection with your emotions) make sure to wear a top quality Citrine as an Amulet.\n\nCarrying the power of the Sun, Citrine encourages new experiences and explorations attracting wealth and prosperity.\nIt also encourages you to be more generous and positive.\n\nIt's also excellent to overcome depression and reduces the sensitivity to criticism supporting creativity and self-expression.\n\nOr if you feel this winter as a sort of handbrake for everything about physical action and vitality, make sure to wear Pyrite at least for one week, it teaches you how to overcome laziness and listlessness discovering how this season is magic and productive.\n\n\nWhich is the primary goal of cultivating, and growing?\nIt's sharing the fruits you get from that time with others and also yourself.\n\nThis is the way to experience how our energy shifted and how we feel better than before.\n\nThe invitation you get from Winter is really unique because at one side it leads you to an intimate communication with your inner core, at the other side it guides you to share yourself with others with balanced empathy, and a joyful sense of community.\n\nThat's why this is the perfect time to let the turquoise Chakra free from armors and boundaries.\nFor example, if you feel you're close into your emotional cocoon, or there's a sense of tension and anxiety in your office and you avoid your co-workers, or you feel the urgency to resolve conflicts or debate with others, that's the perfect time to challenge yourself to melt all these limitations.\n\nHow to Take Action:\n\nbest Crystals to share your truth\n\nWhen the channel between the turquoise Chakra (5°Chakra) and Heart is blocked you can't share the truth of the Heart.\n\nThat's completely normal after trauma or separation, but this could bring a sort of emotional deafness when it remains closed for too much.\n\nWhen you need to:\ncleanse the precious channel between Heart and Throat\nstimulate the thymus gland, located between the Heart and the Throat Chakra\nre-establish the connection with your emotions\nraise balanced empathy\n\nI recommend bringing with you an Amulet with the powerful Chrysocolla making sure to choose, as always, a vibrant piece for you.\n\nThe powerful ray of Chrysocolla gives you access to repressed emotions lighting the way to experiences we forgot and providing the opportunity to release stagnant energies.\nThis process is a boost to continue to walk on your journey towards higher consciousness and spiritual evolution.\n\nIf you choose to wear your Chrysocolla as a necklace you have the opportunity to have this powerful stone close to your heart so their dialogue is direct and close.\n\nIf you prefer ring, I recommend to wear Chrysocolla on the finger ring, the channel of self expression, Love and Relationship.\n\nHope this article can help you during the coldest time of the year because you can discover and develop a new and warm fire inside yourself <3\n\n\nWith All Love\n\nRelated Posts\n\nNew Purposes: 3 Vital Crystals You Should Start to Wear Immediately & How to Wear Them\nI'm writing this article over the first days of the new year, and it's not a coincidence. This is the time when we ma...\nRead More\nRead More\nSelf Love. 3 Crystals to Get your Passion, Energy & Self-Esteem Back\nMany crystals allow us to restore and heal wounds and hurts related to affection and Love, but today we're going to d...\nRead More\n\n\nLeave a comment\n\nAll blog comments are checked prior to publishing\n\n\n\nSold Out", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5226840972900391}
{"content": "Early Fiction in England\n\nCuratore: Laura Ashe\nFormato: EPUB con DRM\nTesto in en\nCloud: Scopri di più\nCompatibilità: Tutti i dispositivi (eccetto Kindle) Scopri di più\nDimensioni: 667,45 KB\n  • EAN: 9780141392882\npagabile con 18App pagabile con Carta del Docente\n\nArticolo acquistabile con 18App e Carta del Docente\n\n€ 10,99\n\nVenduto e spedito da IBS\n\n11 punti Premium\n\nScaricabile subito\n\nAggiungi al carrello Regala\n\n\n\nA brilliant new anthology that shows how fiction was reinvented in the twelfth century after an absence of hundreds of years. Essential for all students of medieval literature, Early Fiction in England includes extracts by Geoffrey of Monmouth, Wace, Marie de France, Chaucer and many others, in new translations and with illuminating introductions.\n\nBefore the twelfth century, fiction had completely disappeared in Europe. In this important and provocative book, Laura Ashe shows how English writers brought it back, composing new tales about King Arthur, his knights and other heroes and heroines in Latin, French and English. Why did fiction disappear, and why did it come to life again to establish itself the dominant form of literature ever since? And what do we even mean by the term 'fiction'? Gathering extracts from the most important texts of the period by Wace, Marie de France, Chaucer and others, this volume offers an absorbing and surprising introduction to the earliest fiction in England.\n\nThe anthology includes a general introduction by Laura Ashe, introductions to each extract, explanatory notes and other useful editorial materials. All French and Latin texts have been newly translated, while Middle English texts include helpful glosses.\n\nLaura Ashe is a University Lecturer in English and Fellow of Worcester College, Oxford. Her first book Fiction and History in England, 1066-1200 (Cambridge University Press, 2007) has been followed by numerous articles and edited collections; she is now writing the newOxford English Literary History vol. 1: 1000-1350 (Oxford University Press).", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7998642325401306}
{"content": "Miranda Davis\n\nMiranda DavisMiranda recently started her insurance career with Midwest Heritage in October.  Miranda was raised in Chariton, Iowa. What Miranda enjoys most about working for Midwest Heritage is the company values.  Miranda previously worked at the Hy-Vee Distribution Center and she appreciates how Midwest Heritage mirrors the same values as Hy-Vee. In her free time she enjoys sports, spending time with her boyfriend Alex, and seeing her friends and family. Miranda is excited to be a part of the Midwest Heritage team!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.000002145767212}
{"content": "Nebraska Court Surety Bonds\n\nA court surety bond is a blanket term for all surety bonds that are required for proceedings in a court of law. These bonds are used to ensure the fulfillment of a court-appointed task or reduce the risk of financial loss. They have a multitude of purposes but can be divided into two categories: Judicial and Fiduciary bonds.\n\nJudiciary Surety Bonds are used in civil court cases and typically protect against financial loss as a result of a court ruling. A plaintiff or defendant may be required to provide a surety bond to protect the other party from loss because of a judge’s decision prior to final judgement. The underwriting process for this type of bond can be rigorous due to the underwriter’s inability to easily predict the outcome of court rulings, making this type of bond difficult to qualify for. The most common judiciary bonds are appeal bonds, bail bonds and cost surety bonds.\n\nFiduciary Surety Bonds, also known as probate bonds, are required for individuals appointed by the court to care for others or manage other’s assets. These bonds guarantee that the individual appointed by the court will fulfill their duties, per the court’s expectations, and ethically handle assets assigned to them. This bond will typically cover the amount of assets the person is handling to ensure proper protection. The most common fiduciary bonds are custodian bonds, executor bonds and guardianship bonds.\n\n\nPacific Surety Proudly offers Court Surety Bonds in the following states:\n\nPlease select a state\n\nCreated with Sketch.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.790218710899353}
{"content": "Sold in Northern Liberties\n\nChristian was the best realtor that we had to sell our property in Northern Liberties! He was the only one that was realistic in the sale price of our home which was sold close to the asking price. He was responsive (text and phone), patient and willing to come up with other ways to complete the sale. We would definitely use him again.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9647321701049805}
{"content": "FHA Loan ProgramHaving a home, as in a physical dwelling, is a fundamental basis for the right to a life of dignity, safety, and security. Feeling at home is vital for good mental and physical health, as it makes you feel more “included”. Renting or owning a house in a neighborhood enhances a person’s private and social life. Simply put, home ownership both a necessity and aspiration that all people share.\n\nThe relationship between homelessness and mental illness can be argued based on these circumstances. Having a mental health problem can cause a person to become homeless, and homelessness can cause or exacerbate existing mental health issues.\n\nHomelessness in the US\n\nSeveral studies report that depression rates are much higher in the homeless population. Rates of hospitalizations are much more pronounced among poor or homeless people. In a 2015 report published by the Nation Alliance to End Homelessness, between 2 to 3 million people in the US experienced an episode of homelessness.\n\nAnd this number continued to rise as the global financial crisis materialized. By 2014, the number dropped to a million people, an improvement attributed to the passing of the HEARTH Act, which channeled funds to a nationwide homeless assistance system.\n\nThere are nearly 100,000 chronically homeless people in the US and many more of them who live in permanent housing still remain poor. But, on a positive note, many family households who experienced homelessness and moved from one transitional shelter to another were able to secure jobs and buy their own homes through the FHA loan program.\n\nEnding Homelessness\n\nHomelessness, much like mental illnesses, is not something you can fix overnight. While like mental illnesses, homelessness is not a hopeless condition. By providing assistance and the economic resources to attain stability, they can bounce back and live a meaningful life.\n\nREAD  Pointers to Help Cut Down on Currency Exchange Costs\n\nPsychologists and advocates consider both homelessness and mental illnesses as a matter of public health, which means that we must redouble our efforts to address homelessness and conditions associated with it. In cases like these, psychologists play an important role in identifying the root causes or specific circumstances that push people with mental health problems to being homeless.\n\nBut putting an end to homelessness requires cooperation between various members of the community. Temporary shelters are nothing but band-aid solutions. What experts suggest is a more holistic way of bringing back safety and stability to homeless people’s lives.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.986627995967865}
{"content": "In Wicca the boline (also spelled bolline) is a white-handled ritual knife, one of several magical tools used in Wicca. Unlike the athame, which in most traditions is never used for actual physical cutting, the boline is used for cutting cords and herbs, carving candles, etc. It has a small, straight or crescent-shaped blade and a handle which is traditionally white in colour.[1]\n\nThe boline has been adopted by several other modern forms of witchcraft including Eclectic Wicca. Amongst these later traditions opinions vary as to whether the boline is truly a magical tool or is merely of utilitarian purpose. Sometimes a knife called a kirfane (spellings vary) is used, for roughly the same purposes as the boline[2]. This is similar to the name Kirpan traditionally given to the sacred dagger of the Sikh religion.\n\n\nFrom the Key of Solomon: the Artano and Bolino are top left of the image.Many of the Bolines advertised in on-line 'magick shops' have a characteristic crescent shape, and are described as being for harvesting herbs. This crescent shape is reminiscent of the sickle described in the Key of Solomon, a medieval grimoire which is one of the sources for modern Wicca[5].. Confusingly, an Italian version of the Key of Solomon has a hook-shaped knife called an artano (a possible root for athame) and a straight, needle-shaped blade called a bolino. When the name 'Boline' was first used to describethe crescent-shaped blade is not clear.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8787626624107361}
{"content": "Migration of birds essay definition\n\nBirds Migration Birds are flying creatures that like to stay in warm places. The movement of birds flying from one place to another is called migration. The dexterity of the birds body make Spring migration is an especially good time for those that feed birds in their backyard to attract species they normally do not see.\n\nOffering a variety of food sources, water, and adding natural food sources to the landscape can make a Migration is the movement of an animal from one region, or habitat, to another. This happens at regular periods of time, and during a particular season. Birds migrate twice a year, once in spring and again in fall. ADVERTISEMENTS: In this article we will discuss about the Migration of Birds: 1. Definition of Bird Migration 2. Types of Bird Migration 3. Causes 4.\n\nGuiding Mechanisms 5. Disadvantages. Contents: Definition of Bird Migration Types of Bird Migration Causes of Migration Guiding Mechanisms in Bird Navigation Disadvantages of Bird Migration 1.\n\nHow can the answer be improved? The migration of these birds is a natural phenomenon. They have to do that in order to maintain ecological balance and most importantly, to survive. However, the natural phenomenon is always followed by harsh repercussions that are unavoidable. Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south along a flyway, between breeding and wintering grounds. Many species of bird migrate. Migration carries high costs in predation and mortality, including from hunting by humans, and is driven primarily by availability of food.\n\nBirds The earliest birds of which we have any record were descended from reptiles and lived about a hundred and thirty million years ago. These first birds had tails like lizards and teeth in their jaws. Over a period of many millions of years, the wings developed at the expense of the tail and the teeth disappeared. Thus birds as we know the today\n\nPhone: (648) 301-6744 x 6700\n\nEmail: [email protected]", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9801952242851257}
{"content": "Teaching Philosophy as the Search for Complication\n\nMost students in philosophy classrooms in the United States are taking their first and only philosophy course. Why is it their only one?\n\nThere are lots of reasons, but here I’m just going to address one: students’ impression that philosophy is a waste of time. This is an opinion a few students have shared with me over the years, and one sees it thrown around a fair amount in various popular discussions of philosophy. Philosophy may ask interesting questions, but in most philosophy classrooms, these questions never get decisively settled. So what’s the point of all that philosophy? If all the proposed answers have problems, why bother going through them?\n\nThis is not an unreasonable view. In general, questions are for answering. And in most other college courses, questions are satisfactorily answered. But in philosophy courses—especially at the introductory levels—they are not, and it’s hard to see how they could be.\n\nThinking that philosophy is pointless may deter students from taking additional philosophy courses, or may get them to disengage from their current one.\n\nWhat should philosophy professors do about this?\n\nOne thing I’ve tried over the past couple of years in my lower-level courses is a complete reframing in my account to the students of what we’re doing when we’re doing philosophy. One of the most important things studying philosophy can do, I tell them, is reveal that everything is much more complicated than they’ve been led to believe. This is in part evidenced by the astonishing range of questions we can raise about our beliefs, and by the surprising range of answers to these questions—answers which in turn raise further complications.\n\nFraming philosophy as the search for complication turns aspects of philosophy courses that students tend to see as failures into successes.\n\nFor example, in my Contemporary Moral Problems course, which for many students is their first ever philosophy course, one topic I often cover is abortion. We read from authors who disagree with each other not just on the permissibility of abortion but also on what’s important in discussions of abortion. After this unit, students are left with more questions and uncertainty about abortion than before, realizing that certain moves they were led to think settle disputes over abortion really just get the conversation about it started. Philosophy has not shown them which position is correct. That could seem like a failure. But if the point of covering abortion was to show just how complicated an issue it is, then we see how we’ve ended up with a success.\n\nI emphasize at the start of the term and repeatedly throughout it that our job as philosophers is to discover how much more complicated various matters are than what they’ve been told by politicians, the press, their families, their religious authorities. Lessons on various topics and arguments are organized to highlight the variety and difficulty of questions they raise. By downplaying the importance of coming to conclusive answers, not coming to them during the course is not seen as a disappointment.\n\nWhat we do in philosophy courses at this level is like mapping a territory; it isn’t a problem when the map is more complicated than you thought it was going to be. And now you have a more accurate map to what we’re interested in exploring.\n\nDoes this work? I admit I don’t have concrete evidence that it does. I do seem to have had fewer instances of students complaining about the point of philosophy. And there seems to be broader and more consistent participation in class, perhaps owing to the class being more about questions and complications than on coming to have some position or another. As a teacher, I feel like I’m doing a better job: the course is unified around a defensible thesis, evidence for which accrues with each topic, that is valuable for the students to understand.\n\nThe idea of philosophy complicating matters is one that will be familiar to any philosopher, but I hadn’t seen it suggested as the organizing theme of a course, and thought I’d share my thoughts about and experience with it. Discussion welcome.\n\nVictor Vasarely, “Tridim”\n\nrelated: “The Intellectual Achievement of Creating Questions\n\nThere are 20 comments\n\n\nPlease enter an e-mail address", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6616003513336182}
{"content": "The number 14 in carbon 14 dating Mature sex meeting no hidden costs\n\nPosted by / 21-Sep-2017 00:04\n\nThe number 14 in carbon 14 dating\n\nAs of July 2015, no similar study has been conducted on a global basis.[81] * From 1979–2014, the three temperate datasets posted above differed from one another by an annual average of 0.13ºF (0.07ºC).\n\nThe largest gap between any of the datasets in any year was 0.38ºF (0.21ºC), and the smallest gap was 0ºF/C: * To reconstruct global average temperatures in the era before instrumental measurements were made on a global scale, scientists use proxies that respond to changes in climate, such as the widths of tree rings and certain elements of the geological record, to estimate temperature variations in the past.[83] [84] * The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a scientific body established in 1988 by the United Nations and World Meteorological Organization.\n\nA caveat of this finding is that it is based upon weather balloon data, which “must be treated with great caution, particularly at [higher] altitudes….”[214] [215] states that the “sign and the magnitude of the global mean cloud feedback depends on so many factors that it remains very uncertain.” This is because some types of clouds trap heat while others reflect it.[217] [218] [219] found that ice clouds (also called cirrus clouds[220]) exert a “strongly negative” feedback to temperature changes, regardless of whether these changes are increases or decreases.\n\nA caveat of this finding is that the feedback process operates “on a time scale of weeks,” and “it is not obvious whether similar behavior would occur on the longer time scales associated with global warming.”[221] [222] * Other feedbacks that may have “a substantial impact on the magnitude, the pattern, or the timing of climate warming” include snow coverage, temperature gradients in Earth’s atmosphere, aerosols, trace gases, soil moisture changes, and ocean processes.[223] * Per a 2003 report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, between the mid-1970s and late 1990s, apparent food consumption per person increased by 15% worldwide, 25% in developing countries, and more than 36% in China.\n\n\n\nHopefully it will give some insight into the science and the people behind it.[129] [130] Look at the instrumental record!\n\n\nOne of these was a series of buoys, each containing thermometers located ten feet above the water and at one foot below the water.\n\nThe study found that water temperatures increased on average by 0.23ºF (0.13ºC) per decade between 19, while air temperatures cooled by 0.02 to 0.09ºF (0.01 to 0.06ºC) per decade during the same period.[78] examined the locations of 1,007 of the 1,221 monitoring stations used to determine average surface temperature changes across the continental United States.\n\nThe following map shows these productivity changes, with green signifying higher vegetation productivity and red lower: Plants need water, light, warmth, nutrition and CO2 to grow.\n\n\nthe number 14 in carbon 14 dating-45the number 14 in carbon 14 dating-20the number 14 in carbon 14 dating-66\n\n* This graph is called the “hockey stick graph” because the curve looks like a hockey stick laid on its side (click on the footnote for a graphic illustration).[92] The red part of the curve represents modern instrument-measured surface temperatures, the blue represents proxy data, the black line is a smoothed average of the proxy data, and the gray represents the margin of error with 95% confidence.[93] [94] * This graph has been the subject of disputes in scientific journals,[100] [101] congressional hearings,[102] [103] and legal proceedings including a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.[104] [105] Just Facts presently does not have the resources to conclusively assess all the competing claims on this issue, but the facts we have verified are as follows: medieval warmth,” and shows the following graph of temperature changes for the Northern Hemisphere over the past 1,300 years.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6022288799285889}
{"content": "Emily Ortiz\nPrincipal (530) 633-2591\nKaren Roberts\nSecretary (530) 633-2591\nMaribel Vergara Clerk (530) 633-2591\nKelley Gordon\nNurse (530) 633-2591\nClick on the name of the person above to e-mail them. If it takes you to Outlook, and your computer has a different e-mail browser, you will have to copy and paste the e-mail address of the person you wish to contact.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9956739544868469}
{"content": "Sunday Dinners: Not Yo Mama's Porridge from Cath at Peace Meals\n\nA note from Katie: Cath was a fellow Mitchell Scholar and is a good friend from my Belfast days. She's the founder and driving force behind Peace Meals, an exciting organization focused on bringing people together for healing and community building around food. She's currently in culinary school to become a Natural Foods Chef, and shares today's recipe in the spirit of healthy eating and joyful living that makes her such an inspiration. (Scroll to bottom of post for recipe card) \n\n\nForget Quaker Oats. It’s time to add some variety, culinary panache, and nutrients to breakfast (or lunch or dinner or study time snack or whenever you eat oatmeal.) Did you know that there are many other grains that pack a whole lot more punch than simple rolled oats? And don’t even mention those microwave packets of instant oats + refined sugars + other unpronounceable flavorings.\n\nI promise you, buying grains in bulk and cooking a batch for the week will save you time AND money – two things we all need more of, right? Cook up a big batch of this porridge and save it in the fridge for as long as you want, taking servings out when you start to get munchy. Use sweet or savory toppings and you’ve got a complete meal.\n\nWhy not oats?\n\nCath Hosting a Peace meals event\n\nCath Hosting a Peace meals event\n\nI mean, nothing against oats (or the peaceful Quakers…). But there are other grains out there that have tons more fiber (keeping your plumbing system and blood sugar in balance), tons more vitamins and minerals, and tons more protein. It is always a good idea to start your day off with protein, which energizes you, gets your brain primed, and keeps you feeling fuller longer…so you don’t crash and reach for that Poptart at 11am.\n\n Where will I get these non-Quaker grains?\n\nYou can usually find these grains in bulk at health foods stores, or more and more frequently in packets at your local grocery. You may be surprised at how affordable they are, and how long they last you.  \n\nA secret you never learned in Home Economics\n\nAlways soak your grains. “Excuse me??” you may ask. “Who has time to wait for grains to soak…I mean, that’s why I’ve been eating instant oats with freeze-dried blueberries all this time.” But something your high school Home Ec teacher never told you: soaking is necessary to neutralize the phytates in the grain. Phytates bind to some minerals like iron and calcium and can slow or block absorption. So, soaking makes grains more digestible makes the nutrients more available and cuts down on cooking time.  \n\nSo, measure out the portion you want to cook and cover with water, plus about a teaspoon of an acid like vinegar or lemon juice. Leave to sit at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. When you want to cook, drain and rinse and add fresh water. Bring to a boil then turn down the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 20-40 minutes, depending on the grain. As a general rule: 1 cup grain + 2 cups water, but watch and taste periodically. Basically It’s done when it’s soft enough to chew.\n\nSooo…what grains are we talking about?\n\nHere’s a few of my favorites, and why (oh yeah, they’re all gluten free too!)…\n\n  1. Millet. Rich in energy-boosting iron, B vitamins and amino acids (AKA protein).\n  2. Quinoa. This is a complete protein, so it will keep you fuller longer. It has tons of calcium, iron, phosphorous, B vitamins and vitamin E (good for skin and nails!). This is my breakfast porridge of choice, if I had to be biased.\n  3. Amaranth. Even though the seeds are TINY, it packs a protein punch. According to Elenore Bendel-Zahn, “1 cup cooked amaranth provides over half of your daily protein needs, is higher in calcium then milk (cup for cup) and packs incredible amounts of minerals and vitamins. Amaranth was the sacred grain of the Aztecs and highly revered for it’s energizing properties.” SOURCE:\n  4. Buckwheat. Buckwheat (not related to wheat at all), is also a complete protein, and has tons of calcium. It’s also great with fiber, so it has a longer transit time in your gut, which stabilizes the blood sugar and keeps you feeling fuller longer.\n  5. Brown Rice. Rice is a breakfast staple in many Asian countries. Go for brown rice, which is a whole grain with more fiber. It is also super cheap, but be sure to soak it overnight as it could take up to 45 minutes to cook!\n\nBut a bowl of porridge seems so…boring. \n\nNot so! Add toppings any way you want.\n\nEven better: tell your friends you’re cooking up a big batch of hot porridge and ask them to each bring a topping, potluck-style. See the crazy combinations that happen, as well as the friendships that blossom naturally around the table. I used to have Porridge and Pancake parties in college and it was fun to see how creative people got…or what they needed to clean out of their cupboards.\n\nSunday Dinners Porridge\n\nI mean, really, what’s better than a soul-warming bowl of porridge on a wintry day? So go amp up your porridge game!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.569657564163208}
{"content": "\n\nPupae and larvaeMany of these insects, such as mosquito and blood worm, can live in low oxygenated water and so they may be found in the bottom of a pond or in water sources such as water butts for collecting rainwater.\n\nMany, like the mosquito have a larvae and pupae stage in their life cycle. The larvae stage is very active and they swim in a wiggly movement and then return to the surface. The mosquito larva (left) have a breathing tube to breathe at the surface. The larvae start off tiny and then they grow, moulting their skin 5 times.\n\n\nAdult midgeThe larvae then develop into pupae that look like a curled up form of the larva. This is a non-feeding stage and inside the pupae the adult is beginning to develop (similar to a butterfly chrysalis) but the mosquito pupa is still active.\n\nEventually the newly formed adult will emerge at the surface of the water. The newly emerged adult will rest on the surface of the water for a short time to allow itself to dry and all its body parts to harden. The wings have to spread out and dry properly before it can fly. This is a very vulnerable stage for the adults and many will be eaten by predators or become trapped on the surface of the water.\n\nIf you watch through the Winterbourne Stream cam, when the water level is high, you will see a swarm of midges flying above the water These adult flies will mate and soon lay eggs in the water to start a new life cycle.\n\nMany of the adults will be eaten by insect-eating birds that are attracted to ponds and ditches in search of food. These can be an important source of food for nesting birds, including the reed warblers that nest in the heart of reeds.\n\nThe adult insects can be seen swarming low over the surface of still or slow moving water and these may be eaten by swallows and house martins that can fly low over the water to grab a flying insect.\n\nMany of these midge larvae can live in low oxygenated water so you might find them in your water butt or in a container that has filled with rainwater. Carefully catch some of the larvae and examine them with a magnifying glass or using a USB microscope. Some of the larvae have breathing tubes (e.g. mosquito) and others (blood worm larva) have gills.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8901715278625488}
{"content": "Einbock Chopstar Cereal Hoe\n\nEinbock Chopstar Cereal Hoe\n\nRobert Herrod and his son James run a 460-acre organic farm in the Taunton area, as well as tending to a broiler flock of 80,000 birds. The decision to remove chemical inputs from the soil reduced costs but also raised concerns about weed control, which had led to the Herrods removing wheat from the rotation Read More…\n\n\nWhat our customers say\n\n\n\n    Phil Emmett\n\n    Robert Herrod", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9955177307128906}
{"content": "APSN Network Survey: Report of Findings\n\nConsiderable human and technological capacity is required on part of State safeguards authorities to be able to effectively implement their safeguards obligations. In effort to prioritize its activities, APSN carried out two surveys to obtain a better understanding of safeguards needs in the region and to establish a baseline of available training capabilities. The Safeguards Needs Survey was designed to identify all training needs of APSN member states including those of immediate priority. The Training Providers Survey was designed to determine available resources and interest to meet those needs. Together, the surveys enable APSN to optimize available training resources and ensure that the highest priority training needs are met.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9904659390449524}
{"content": "In the midst of many programs and existing weight loss products, many people think that the weight loss process is really a difficult process and that you will need specialists and people who have tested or even investigated. but this is not the caseThe Internet has many weight loss apps, which provide skills and suggestions for weight loss tips. The best tips on weight loss can help you get here, which can improve your whole health and reduce your weight.\n\nEat a balanced diet\n\nYou really should not ignore any food group. You always have a 7-day diet plan for slimming. Carbohydrate, protein and even fat are essential for efficient operation of the body – there is no need to completely eliminate them. It is important to eat the right types of these products. When it comes to fat, make sure you get the right type of fat and balanced saturated, unsaturated and polyunsaturated. They include fatty acids found in fatty fish such as salmon.\n\nRegular push-ups and throws\n\nYou need to get regular push-ups and pressure plans. It helps in making muscles in the body. Make a specific set of exercises to cut every part of the body. To make more muscles, keep throwing free weight in each hand. Also, while push-ups, keep your back and legs in a straight line to make them more effective. This combination of exercises will help you lose weight during the week.\n\nAdopting a Fast Weight Loss Program\n\nDespite adhering to all weight loss plan guidelines, and, weight loss tips people often have difficulty in achieving goals. If this is the case for you, then use a professional fast weight loss program that will take care of your hormones. Hormones control the rate of fat burning in your body. Thanks to the good weight loss program, the body can burn calories every minute. Choosing the best and testing program to lose weight is important. If you follow the given instructions, your extra pounds will be easily and quickly disappearing.\n\nAlways take healthy weight loss foods\n\nThe first sign of getting rid of fat changes in nutrient habits which you should replace unhealthy foods with healthy weight loss foods every day. These may include green vegetables, fearsome foods such as red rice and wheat bread. It is also worth noting on the types of meat and fish that do not keep fat. They are musk lean that can be eaten with other foods that produce the effects of fat burning in the body.\n\n\nDrink lots of water\n\nDrinking in large quantities of water is the fastest way to lose weight. Drink as much water as you can, but avoid beverages that have high calorific value. You should also avoid high sodium content and carbohydrate products, because they want to keep water in the body. Water is an ideal beverage that does not contain calories, carbohydrates or sodium content. Moreover, it helps the body to get rid of toxins and improves metabolism. You can make it more interesting by adding mint leaves or lemon leaves.\n\nAdopt low carb diet plan for weight loss\n\nGenerally, when a person enters one of these 30-day meal plans to lose weight, it is an effort to get better health. Occasionally it is done on personal request, while at other times therapists can write this form of diet to fight the disease potential. Apart from this, you will start making more lean muscles on the body. There is more fat than body muscle, it is very fast to burn calories, which means that you can burn calories, while another important thing of the resting process before eating is that these diets It helps you to control blood sugar. Diabetes is often kept on helping these plans help in reducing the need for insulin.\n\n\nReplace carbohydrates with vegetables\n\nIf you prefer to eat a lot of white bread, pasta and white rice, stay away from them for at least a week. Instead of replacing them with vertebrate products, bring more vegetables to the plate. Avoiding all types of carbohydrates will reduce the waist. Since simple carbohydrates are easily digested, you have a tendency to starve, which causes excessive irritation. On the other hand, complex carbohydrate digestion in vegetables requires more time, and you do not feel like eating for long periods of time.\n\nCardio exercises for 30 minutes\n\nBy exercising cardio for at least 30 minutes a day, you can quickly burn calories and lose weight. Apart from this, if you decide to practice cardio in which many muscles are included at the same time, then you will burn more calories. You should stop losing weight in your nutrition program, you should add a more common exercise to increase metabolism and increase energy levels. You can join the exercises; To teach the fitness trainer or home level.\n\nAdequate sleep\n\nGold is a favorite, fast weight loss, because it is the easiest. Do not underestimate the power of adequate sleep. This is essential for your overall weight loss plans. Similarly, having enough sleep for less than eight hours helps in ensuring leptin level balance and is supported in weight reduction:\n\nChoose a simple and easy cardio vascular exercise\n\nIf you want to lose weight by unwanted fat instead of muscle and water, the best way to get it is to burn it with aerobic exercise. A good example of a simple and easy cardio exercise is a quick walk. You can walk outside or inside the treadmill. If you are a newbie, you can start with 10 minutes per week, with 10 minutes per session.\n\nDesign an effective nutrition plan for weight loss strategy\n\nIf you want to achieve fast weight loss results and you want to get this weight from unwanted fat, you need to provide the body with the necessary food to do the right thing. It contains the daily calories and the optimum amount of all the macronutrients and micronutrients that you want every day. The easiest and easiest way is to divide what you eat and four equal meals. After doing this, start eating every meal every four hours.\n\nEat lots of fibres\n\nBy eating a wide range of fibre-rich products, the digestive tract will help to move food more efficiently through the intestine. Not only this, but the fibre is also stored in the intestines and you feel full, which means that you will eat more wisely. Increasing daily weight loss diet foods like fibre is a great idea, and it is also quite simple; There are many natural foods such as oats, vegetables and fruits. The average person can lose about 10 pounds annually by doubling his fibre intake! Will, not this easy way to help you in your effort to lose weight?\n\nDo not eat in the night\n\nThis is one of the easiest and to quick weight loss but most of us do not pay attention to this. If you are trying to lose weight, then Nighttime Snacks is one of the worst habits. It can add empty calories to your diet, not only to stop weight loss but also to gain benefits. After dinner, we eat high fat and calorie foods, such as ice cream or potato chips, and generally, we are sitting in front of the TV. This is a bad connection because the TV is distracting you, so you eliminate more food.\n\nAdd proteins to your diet\n\nAdding foods such as lean protein to weekly weight loss diet can make you feel that you are not on the diet, even if you are in fact. Proteins feel full, so you have less chance of having more food or snacking during meals. To keep your hunger in the bay, add some protein to each meal and feel satisfied. The healthy proteins you can use are low-fat yoghurt, peanut butter, eggs, beans, nuts and lean meat. Nuts and peanut butter have high levels of fat, and although it is a healthy fat, small portions should be kept.\n\n\nControl your environment\n\nJust keep your home with good food, not gadgets. If they are not there then you can not eat cookies. Fill your Pantry healthy products that you like, or fewer calorie versions of them, you can not eat without them. Sugar-free gel-o and pudding, and frozen curd to meet your sweet spot, but still, they can increase the weight if you eat too much, so too much grip and different parts to control order parts. Do not buy are great. Also, if you are at a party, there is no problem, just keep going\n\nEat a little less\n\nYou really do not want to have some foods that do not need to: To reduce the amount of what you eat and you can still lose considerable weight having good weekly meal plans for weight loss. It does not include breakfast and desserts: If you eat every night, you do not lose weight, but if you apply this principle to regular food, it can make a big difference. For example, in the dining room, you have only one bowl of noodles if you have two or usually eat steak instead of half full. You’ll cut out the calories and see the results.\n\nTake the right weight loss drinks\n\nThese beverages claim that in ways of weight loss, suppressing appetite burns metabolism and calories. These drinks are usually dietary cocktails, usually with fewer calories, micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals. The most important weight loss drinks are:\n\nO Ice-cold water – Because our body needs to burn calories to warm the cold water in our body temperature, ice cold water helps in the number of calories burned every day.\n\nO Milk – Calcium in the milk increases the fat breakdown in fat cells. A moderate amount of milk, 3-4 servings a day, can help you lose 30-50% of your body weight.\n\nO Green tea: Drinking 3-5 cup green tea a day can burn 35-40% fat during the day, increase the rate of metabolic rate.\n\nLow-calorie weight loss shakes\n\nLow-calorie weight loss shakes has become very popular and it is advised to use excessive weight and obesity to use a controlled diet and reduce calorie intake to about 500-900 calories a day. Liquid cocktails with a high protein diet usually contain vitamins and minerals which can be obtained in a normal diet.\n\n\nLoss of body weight is much easier than we thought; In fact, most of us know some of this immediate urgency in order to lose weight but fail to do so again and to consider the great variety of existing solutions. It is not possible for some to follow a certain weight loss plan and continue to shift from one losing one’s plan to another, while the whole process is largely dependent on motivation\n\n\nhttps:// www.healthline .com/nutrition/how-to-lose-weight-as-fast-as-possible\nhttps:// www.cosmopolitan .com/health-fitness/advice/…/drop-5-pounds-in-a-week-050…\nhttps:// skinnyms .com/15-quick-weight-loss-tips/", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5945056676864624}
{"content": "A bit more than a year ago, the KDE community decided to focus on a few goals. One of those goals (the most important one as far as I’m concerned) is to increase the users’ control over their private data.\n\nKDE developers and users have always been a privacy-minded bunch. But due to all the fun things that have happened in the recent years, we had to switch to the next gear.\n\nWe have seen new projects like KDE Itinerary (by Volker), Plasma Vault (by yours truly), Plasma Mycroft (by Yuri and Aditya), etc. There has also been a lot of work to improve our existing projects like KMail.\n\nNow, this post is not about any of these.\n\nIt is about a KDE Privacy developer sprint organized by Sando Knauß.\n\nThe sprint will be held in Leipzig (Germany) from 22. 3. to 26. 3. and all privacy-minded contributors are invited to join.\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7847734689712524}
{"content": "COBINE FETAL PHYSIO Flashcards Preview\n\nBlock 3; Week 8 > COBINE FETAL PHYSIO > Flashcards\n\nFlashcards in COBINE FETAL PHYSIO Deck (100):\n\nWhat is the weight change of the kid during the pregnancy?\n\nfirst 3 months unnoticeable\nlast 2 months, 2 lbs gained per month!\n\n\nWhat is the length change of the kid during the pregnancy?\n\nthe length increases steadily throughout the pregnancy\n\n\nWhen does the heart start beating? What is its rate at this point?\n\n@ 26 days\n65 beats per minutes\n\n\nThe heart rate increases until it gets to _____ right before delivery.\n\n140 beats per minute\n\n\nWhere are nucleated blood cells formed in the kid?\n\nnucleated RBCs are only formed in the 3rd week from the yolk sac & mesothelial layer of the placenta\n\n\nAfter the 3rd week...what happens to the kid's blood supply?\n\n4-6 weeks: non-nucleated RBCs formed in the liver (then spleen)\n\n\nIn the 3rd or 4th month until birth there is another shift in RBC production. Where are they formed now?\n\nbone marrow forms it in addition to the liver & spleen\n\n\nAfter birth what are the sources of RBC production?\n\nonly the bone marrow after birth\n\n\nWhat is the significance of the mnemonic Young Liver Synthesizes Blood?\n\nY: Yolk Sac\nL: liver\nS: spleen\nB: bone marrow\n\n\nWhen do respiratory movements first begin in the kid?\n\nduring the 1st trimester\n\n\nWhen do respiratory movements end in the kid? What is the purpose of halting this?\n\ninhibited in the last trimester\n**to prevent debris from meconium from entering the lungs\n\n\nWhat do the baby lungs secrete to stay clean?\n\nthe alveolar epithelium secretes fluids to keep the airways clean...\n\n\nWhen do skin reflexes begin in the fetus?\n\n@ 3-4 months\n\n\nT/F The development of the cerebral cortex is complete at birth.\n\nFalse. the higher function of the cerebral cortex is still underdeveloped @ birth\n\n\nWhen does the kid complete the myelinization of the tracts of his nervous system?\n\nthis takes 1 year to complete\n\n\nWhat is the brain mass of the kid @ birth, 1 year, 2 years?\n\nBirth: 26% of the adult brain\n1 year: 55% of the adult brain\n2 years: 80% of the adult brain\n\n\nWhat is the substance that is excreted by the fetus?\n\n\n\nDescribe the GI development in utero.\n\n@4.5 months: fetus ingests & absorbs large quantities of amniotic fluid\n@6-7 months: GI fcn approximates that of a newborn\n\n\nWhen do the fetal kidneys start developing?\n\n@ the 5th week of gestation\n\n\nWhen do the fetal kidneys begin excreting urine?\n\nb/w 1st & 2nd trimesters: b/w 3-4 months gestation\n\n\nThe kidneys help with an electrolyte/fluid balance. When does this fcn begin with the fetal kidneys? When is this fcn fully developed?\n\nafter 4.5 months\ntakes months after birth to fully develop\n\n\nWhat is the timeline for organ system development?\n\n1st month: organ systems are all outlined, not fully developed\n2nd & 3rd months: important times for development\n4th month: organ systems very similar to a newborn-->still undergoes cellular development until birth\n\n\nWhat are the systems that aren't fully developed @ birth?\n\nnervous system\n\n\nWhen is the critical period? What is this all about?\n\n1st trimester\n**during this time organ systems are rapidly developing & highly susceptible to teratogens\n**also women often don't know they are pregnant until a few months in...could have been drinking alcohol & causing damage.\n\n\nSome important substances build up in the fetus during the gestational period. What are 3 important substances that build up? List them in order of most accumulated-->least accumulated.\n\nMost accumulated:\nLeast accumulated\n\n\nWhen does most of this accumulate?\n\nmost of it accumulates in the last month of the gestational period.\n\n\nDoes the buildup of calcium in the fetus drain the mother or compromise her bone health?\n\nNot really b/c only represents 1/50th of the mother's calcium content. But...during breastfeeding it often can.\n\n\nWhy does the fetus need so much iron accumulation?\n\nb/c @ 3 weeks it starts making RBCs-->needs it for the hemoglobin.\nAlso, 1/3 of the accumulated iron is stored in the liver for future formation of hemoglobin.\n\n\nWhat are the most important vitamins for the fetus?\n\nVitamin B\nVitamin C\nVitamin D\nVitamin E\nVitamin K\n\n\nWhy is Vitamin B important for the fetus?\n\nVit B12 & folic acid vital b/c it helps w/ RBC production\n\n\nWhy is Vitamin C so important for the fetus?\n\nhelps w/ bone matrix & CT fiber formation\n\n\nWhy is Vitamin D so important for the fetus?\n\nhelps w/ calcium uptake--vital for bone growth\n\n\nWhy is Vitamin E so vital for the fetus?\n\nmaintains normal development in the early embryo\nprevents spontaneous abortions\n\n\nWhy is Vitamin K so important for the fetus?\n\nformation of blood coagulation factors in the liver: like factor VII & prothrombin\nprevents hemorrhage\n\n\nWhere does the baby get its Vit K source from?\n\nthe mom b/c it comes from bacterial action in the colon\n\n\nWhen does normal respiration start happening in a newborn? How long can a baby not breathe before brain damage starts occurring? How long can a baby not breathe before he dies?\n\nusu within seconds\n8-10 minutes w/o breathing: permanent brain damage\n10-15 minutes w/o breathing: death (adults die in 4 min-->those little guys are resilient)!\n\n\nWhat is it that prompts a normal respiratory rhythm in a newborn?\n\nthe low O2 from the birthing process & the cool temp on the skin of the new environment\n**if don't breathe right-->prompted to do so by increasing CO2 & decreasing O2 in their bodies.\n\n\nWhat does delayed & abnormal breathing lead to? What are some things that can cause this?\n\numbilical cord compression\npremature placental separation\nexcessive contraction of the uterus\nexcessive anesthesia\n\n\nWhat are the specific dangers of hypoxia to the child?\n\ndepression of the respiratory center\nlesions in the thalamus, inferior colliculi, parts of brainstem\n**affects motor functions of the body\n\n\nWhat is the fcn of the thalamus? Inferior colliculi?\n\nThalamus: regulates consciousness & sleep\nInferior Colliculi: auditory fcns\n\n\nHow much negative pressure is required to open the baby's lungs for the first time?\n\n25 mmHg negative pressure\n\n\nThe first inspiration can create up to ____ mmHg of negative pressure in the intrapleural space. THis amount reduces in time, however, & the second breath is much easier. When does breathing become normal for the baby?\n\n60 mmHg\nbreathing becomes normal after about 40 minutes\n\n\nWhich is oxygen rich & which is oxygen poor? Umbilical arteries & umbilical veins.\n\nUmbilical Arteries: oxygen poor\nUmbilical veins: oxygen rich\n\n\nDescribe the circulation of the fetus in utero w/ a focus on liver, lungs & placenta.\n\nLiver & lungs partially functional b/c placenta is doing all of the work, don't require as much blood so they are bypassed a lot.\nPlacenta needs a LOT of blood.\n\n\nDescribe the circulation of the fetus in utero w/ a focus on the umbilical vein's journey.\n\nUmbilical vein has oxygen rich blood.\nThis bypasses the liver via the ductus venosus. This goes into the IVC & then the RA. It goes thru the foramen ovale into the LA. Then the LV & out thru the aorta to the vessels of the head & forelimbs.\n\n\nDescribe the circulation of the fetus in utero w/ a focus on the umbilical artery's journey.\n\nSVC has oxygen poor blood. This empties into the RA-->RV. This goes into the pulmonary arteries. It goes thru the ductus arteriosus to get to the descending aorta. It splits into the umbilical arteries & goes back out to the placenta to get re-oxygenated.\n\n\nIn terms of pressures, what are some changes that happen after birth?\n\nsystemic vascular resistance increases w/ loss of the placenta\nincreased pressures in the aorta, LA & LV\npulmonary vascular resistance decreases-->lung expansion possible\nRV & arterial pressure reduced\n\n\nDescribe the closure of the foramen ovale.\n\nAfter birth, the pressure on the left side of the heart increases.\nLow RA pressure & high LA pressure makes blood want to flow from L-->R thru the foramen ovale. There is a valve on the left side of the heart that creates a functional closure of the foramen ovale when this happens. After this, it is known as the fossa ovalis.\n\n\nDescribe the closure of the ductus arteriosus.\n\nNormally, this would allow blood from the pulmonary artery to get into the aorta. With birth, you have decreased pressure in the pulmonary artery & increased pressure in the aorta. Then blood wants to flow from the aorta-->pulmonary artery. Within the first 1-8 days a functional closure begins. Then, within 1-4 months there is complete occlusion of the ductus arteriosus b/c of the deposition of fibrous tissue.\n\n\nDescribe the closure of the ductus venosus.\n\nNormally, the umbilical vein bypasses the liver by putting blood thru the ductus venosus & then into the IVC. At birth, blood no longer flows thru the umbilical vein. At first, the portal vein still bypasses the liver by putting blood into the ductus venosus. But then, w/i 1-3 hours after birth-->it constricts. Blood starts going into the liver & the portal venous pressure raises from 0mmHg to 10mmHg\n\n\nCompare a newborn's respiration with that of an adult.\n\ntotal minute respiratory volume 2X that of an adult\nFRC 1/2 of an adult\n\n\nCompare a newborn's cardiac output with that of an adult.\n\nCO is 2X that of an adult.\n\n\nCompare a newborn's arterial pressure with that of an adult.\n\nStarts off super low (70/50) & then increases in the next few months to 90/60\nEventually, increases to adolescent values of 115/70.\n\n\nWhat is the rough RBC count of a newborn?\n\n3-4X106 cells/microliter\n\n\nHow does the RBC count change with umbilical cord stripping? What is this?\n\ncan rise from 3 X 106-3.75 X 106\n**milking the umbilical cord blood back into the infant\nGood: raises the hematocrit\nBad: some believe it could cause pulmonary edema\n\n\nHow does the WBC count of the infant compare to that of an adult?\n\n5X that of an adult\n\n\nHow does the kid handle bilirubin from RBC breakdown in utero v. after birth?\n\nin utero: excretes it thru the placenta\nafter birth: uses the liver (but at first the liver isn't fully functional)\n\n\nB/c the liver isn't fully functional after birth, what happens to bilirubin levels in a newborn? What is this called?\n\nthey rise to about 5X what they were 3 days after life...\nthis is called physiological hyperbilirubinemia (mild jaundice)\n\n\nWhat is erythroblastosis fetalis?\n\nhappens w/ a Rh incompatibility b/w the mother & fetus\nmaternal system creates antibodies against the RBCs of the infant\nthis causes large quantities of bilirubin to be released into the plasma.\n\n\nNewborns are particularly susceptible to over hydration & under hydration. Explain why.\n\nfluid intake & excretion is 7X that of an adult\nkidney development isn't complete until 1 month after birth\ninfants can only conc'n urine 1.5X (as opposed to 3-4X)\n\n\nNewborns are particularly susceptible to acidosis. Explain why.\n\ntheir metabolism is 2X that of an adult\ntherefore, 2X the acid formation\nnaturally slightly acidotic\n\n\nThe liver is only marginally functional at birth. What are the implications of this in terms of bilirubin excretion & clotting?\n\nBilirubin excretion is poor at first in a newborn b/c difficult for the liver to conjugate the bilirubin with glucuronic acid\n**poor formation of blood coagulation factors\n\n\nWhy might a newborn develop hypoglycemia?\n\none possible reason is that the liver isn't fully functional to perform gluconeogenesis.\n\n\nWhy might a newborn develop hypoproteinemic edema?\n\nb/c of reduced plasma protein formation b/c the liver isn't yet fully functional\n\n\nWhat is the first line of nutrition for a newborn? Hint: only lasts a few hours\n\nglycogen stores in the newborn\n\n\nT/F Blood glucose in an infant can easily fall to half of normal.\n\nTrue. This is b/c the liver isn't fully functional to perform gluconeogenesis.\n\n\nWhat is the second line of nutrition for a newborn? This lasts 2-3 days while the mother's milk is coming in.\n\nutilization of stored fats & proteins\n\n\nT/F Newborns have a steady increase in their weight from birth to adolescence.\n\nFalse. there is often a 5-10% reduction in weight while the mother's milk supply is coming in.\n\n\nWhy don't you feed a newborn a high carb, high fat solid food meal right away?\n\nb/c they lack sufficient pancreatic amylase (no starches)\nalso, they aren't good @ absorbing fats (don't give them high fat milk)\nblood glucose is unstable (liver not fully fcnl)\n\n\nWhat is a newborn really good at utilizing in terms of metabolism?\n\namino acids\nabout 90% of them are utilized in the formation of body proteins\n\n\nWhat are some substances that are necessary to have in a mother's well-balanced diet so that it can be transferred to the kid?\n\nVitamin D\nVitamin C\n\n\nWhy is it important for a newborn to have sufficient calcium & vitamin D?\n\nb/c of the rapid ossification of bones in a newborn\nif theses are insufficient-->rickets.\n\n\nWhy is it important for a newborn to have sufficient iron?\n\nRBC formation\n**could get anemia @ 3 months if the mom doesn't have enough.\n**if mom does have enough, good for first 6 months of life.\n\n\nWhat is a common reason for infants to get vitamin C deficiency?\n\nmaybe mom feeds them cow's milk. Low in Vit C--may need to supplement this with juice.\n\n\nWhat is the metabolic rate of a neonate compared to that of an adult?\n\n2X that of an adult--why they need so many calories\n\n\nWhy does a baby's body temperature often drop after birth before it recovers?\n\nwell they have a low body mass...& they have a relatively large surface area. Perfect recipe for temperature loss.\n\n\nDescribe the immunity issues of a baby? When do they start getting allergies?\n\nmaternally inherited immunity lasts for six months & protects against major diseases (don't need vaccinations before 6 mo)\nallergies begin to appear after 6 mo when the baby starts producing their own antibodies.\n\n\nWhat can happen if a mom has excess androgenic hormones?\n\nfemale children may experience masculinization of their sex organs (hermaphrodites)\n\n\nWhat can happen if a mom has a prolactinoma or something & has excess sex hormones or prolactin?\n\nneonatal breast development\nmilk formation\n\n\nWhat is the problem with a diabetic woman experiencing hyperglycemia while pregnant?\n\nthis is problem b/c then the fetus may experience hypertrophy & hyper function of their islets of Langerhans\n\n\nIf a mother is experiencing hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism or insufficient secretions from her adrenal gland or excessive secretions from her adrenal gland...what will the baby do?\n\nthe baby's body will compensate for the deficiency or excess.\nIf mom has hyperthyroidism: baby will have hypo secretion of her thyroid gland. And so on & so forth.\n\n\nWhat can happen to a fetus if it experiences hypothyroidism?\n\npoor bone growth & mental retardation\n**Cretin Dwarfism\n**Congenital Hypothyroidism\n\n\nWhat are the main issues seen in babies born prematurely?\n\nrespiratory distress syndrome\nGI problems with absorption: intolerant of fats, needing diets high in calcium & Vit D\nLiver even more nonfunctional: hypoproteinemic edema\nEven greater difficulty regulating body temp: need to use incubator\n\n\nShould babies that are born prematurely be given oxygen?\n\nperhaps, but in a very closely regulated way.\nWhen O2 is high, the blood vessels in the retina are inhibited from further growth. If a child is suddenly taken off of O2, the blood vessels will rapidly grow in the vitreous humor & block the passage of light to the retina. Called retinopathy. Blindness may result from unchecked oxygen therapy.\n\n\nWhat is another name for respiratory distress syndrome? What characterizes this disorder? What is the ultimate cause of it, though?\n\nHyaline Membrane Disease\nlarge quantities of a fluid with proteins (looks like plasma) in the alveoli\nultimately caused by a lack of surfactant secretion\n**prevents gas exchange-->babies can't get adequate oxygen\n\n\nWhen do baby's lungs start secreting surfactant in utero?\n\n1-3 months before birth\nsecreted by Type II Alveolar Cells\n\n\nIf RDS progresses, what horrific things can result?\n\ncollapse alveoli\npulmonary edema\npulmonary emphysema (alveolar damage)\n\n\nWhat are the risk factors for developing RDS?\n\npremature birth\nmaternal diabetes\nperinatal asphyxia\nsecond born twin\nmale sex\nlecithin/sphingomyelin ratio < 2 in the amniotic fluid\n\n\nWhat are the clinical features of RDS?\n\ntachypnea (rapid breathing)\nnasal flaring\nchest x ray shows \"ground glass\" appearance (clogged alveoli)\n\n\nIf you use oxygen therapy in a baby w/ RDS...what are some negative things that might result?\n\nbronchopulmonary dysplasia (scarring of the alveoli)\n\n\nWhen is the APGAR scoring conducted on newborns? What are the intervals @ which it is performed?\n\nimmediately after birth\n@1 min, 5 min & if something is wrong: 10 min\n\n\nWhat are the 5 features that are evaluated w/ the APGAR score? What is each one rated?\n\nA: activity\nP: pulse\nG: grimace, reflexes\nA: appearance (skin color)\nR: Respiration\nSummed up to give a max score of 10.\n\n\nWhat is considered a normal score? What is considered a moderate score? What is considered a low & dangerous score?\n\nNormal: 7-10 (10 is max)\nModerate: 4-6 (resuscitative measure may need to be done)\nLow: 1-3 (immediate resuscitation required)\n\n\nWhat would an activity score of 0, 1, 2 mean?\n\n0: no activity at all\n1: arms & legs flexed\n2: active movement\n\n\nWhat would a pulse of 0, 1, 2 mean?\n\n0: pulse absent\n1: pulse less than 100 bpm\n2: pulse greater than 100 bpm\n\n\nWhat would a grimace of 0, 1, 2 mean?\n\n0: no response, no reflex\n1: grimace\n2: sneeze, cough, pull away\n\n\nWhat would an appearance score of 0, 1, 2 mean?\n\n0: blue-grey pale all over\n1: normal, maybe abnormal in extremities\n2: normal everywhere\n\n\nWhat would a respiration score of 0, 1, 2 mean?\n\n0: no respiration\n1: slow, irregular respiration\n2: good respiration, crying\n\n\nDescribe the difference in the height growth of boys & girls. What ultimately stops someone from getting taller?\n\nboth usu have grown 10 inches in first year & 20 inches in second year\n@ puberty: huge increase in growth w/ both genders\nGirls rich their max height before boys, however.\nHeight determined by the fusing of epiphyseal plates.\n\n\nHow do the developmental milestones coordinate w/ brain development?\n\nmotor functions of the brain are included in the milestones about a year out. This makes sense b/c as the brain is myelinated & as it develops-->get behavioral growth.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6753233075141907}
{"content": "Entrepreneurs Exchange Dinner: Hiring for Growth Across Fast Growing Businesses\n\nInflexion hosted a dinner for a select group of entrepreneurs and business leaders from fast growing businesses focusing on the challenges and opportunities related to hiring for growth in the UK and internationally.\n\nStephen Carter, co-founder of Hawk-Eye Innovations was the guest speaker. Hawk-Eye is a leading innovator in sports technology, and has now become an integral part of over 20 sports and every year covers 9,000 games or events across 500 stadiums in over 90 countries. Stephen shared his experiences of growing Hawk-Eye from a UK start-up to a global company with 450 employees, focusing on the importance of having a strong hiring process.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9791622757911682}
{"content": "Essential Tremor Is Not Parkinson’s\n\n\nMIAMI, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — More than seven million Americans suffer from a disabling movement disorder that causes their hands to shake uncontrollably. Now, a new non-invasive procedure is helping to stop the tremors!\n\n“They’ve affected me since I was in my thirties,” Harriet Marksfield explained to Ivanhoe.\n\n\nMarksfield commented, “I couldn’t carry a cup, a full cup of coffee to the table.”\n\n“Essential tremor is the most common movement disorder, about three times more common than Parkinson’s disease,” Travis Tierney, MD, a Neurosurgeon at Sperling Medical Group explained. (Read Full Interview)\n\n\nDr. Tierney continued, “It’s focused in the precise spot in the brain where the tremor cells are and that’s in part of the brain called the thalamus.”\n\n\nDan Sperling, MD, DABR, Medical Director at Sperling Medical Group explained, “Accurately -within three to four millimeters destroy a tiny amount of brain tissue that you don’t really need but that’s causing the side effects of the tremors.”\n\n\nDr. Sperling continued, “So we can actually see our results immediately, and the patient sees it, which is very powerful.”\n\n“You can expect 70 to 80 percent tremor reduction so in some cases you may what’s called get tremor arrest, and the tremor’s gone,” said Dr. Tierney.\n\n“It’s steadiness there,” said Earl Jantzi.\n\nEarl Jantzi’s right hand no longer shakes and he can sign his name again.\n\nJantzi’s pointed out his left hand, “Can’t do that with this one.”\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nREPORT:         MB #4363\n\nBACKGROUND: Essential tremor is a neurological disorder (nervous system) that causes involuntary and rhythmic shaking. It can affect almost any part of the body, but will most often occur in the hands, especially while performing simple tasks such as tying shoelaces or drinking a glass of water. It is not a dangerous condition, but it typically worsens over time and can become severe in some cases. Other conditions do not cause essential tremor, and it is sometimes confused with Parkinson’s disease. Essential tremor usually occurs when a person is using his hands; Parkinson’s-related tremors are most prominent when the hands are at your sides or resting in your lap. Essential tremor does not cause other health problems, and Parkinson’s is associated with stooped posture, slow movement, and shuffling gait. Essential tremor mainly involves the hands, head and voice, while Parkinson’s starts in the hands but can affect your legs, chin and other parts of the body. About half of the essential tremor cases appear as a result of genetic mutation, but the specific gene has yet to be identified. It isn’t clear what causes essential tremor in people without this genetic mutation.\n\n\nSYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT: Symptoms will begin gradually, usually on one side of the body. Tremors become worse with movement, and usually occur in the hands first, affecting one or both hands. They may include a yes or no motion of the head, and can be aggravated by emotional stress, fatigue, caffeine, or temperature extremes. Patients with significant functional impairment may opt for some form of treatment. Options include non-medical therapy, medication, and sometimes even surgery. Tremors can sometimes be reduced by weighting the limb, usually by applying wrist weights. Non-medical relaxation techniques may also be effective in controlling tremors, since it can be aggravated by stress.\n\n\nNEW TECHNOLOGY: The company Insightec has created the Exablate Neuro, the first focused ultrasound device approved by the FDA to treat patients with essential tremor. It is a non-invasive, image-guided personalized thalamotomy procedure that treats the tiny part of the brain thought to be responsible for causing tremors, in the Vim nucleus of the thalamus. This treatment is done through an intact skull and doesn’t require any ionizing radiation, incisions or implants. The beams generate enough heat to ablate the targeted tissue during treatment and results are immediate and significant, resulting in reduction of tremor for patients. Currently it is only approved to treat one side of the brain.\n\n\n\nMichelle Barry\n\n\nDoctor Q and A\n\nRead the entire Doctor Q&A for Travis Tierney, MD\n\nRead the entire Q&A", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9897027611732483}
{"content": "Henri Cartier-Bresson (BOK)\n\nClement Cheroux\n\n99,00 9900\nSendes vanligvis innen 7-15 dager\nHenri Cartier-Bresson's photography came to define the 20th century. This book tells his life story through his images: all the major events from his youth to his death in 2004 are described, contextualized and analysed in the light of his photographic work. From his early encounters with the Surrealists, his film work and his experiences in the Second World War, to the development of his own personal aesthetic, the concept of the decisive moment, and the foundation of Magnum Photos, his influence on the world has been profound and unforgettable.\n\n\nSpråk Engelsk Engelsk Innbinding Heftet\nUtgitt 2008 Forfatter Clement Cheroux\nISBN 9780500301241\nAntall sider 160 Dimensjoner 12,8cm x 18,7cm x 1cm\nVekt 244 gram Emner og form Photographs: collections, Individual photographers", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9998838901519775}
{"content": "Start Reading\n\nPhilosophy For Dummies\n\n384 pages9 hours\n\n\n\nPhilosophy For Dummies is for anyone who has ever entertained a question about life and this world. In a conversational tone, the book's author – a modern-day scholar and lecturer – brings the greatest wisdom of the past into the challenges that we face now. This refreshingly different guide explains philosophical fundamentals and explores some of the strangest and deepest questions ever posed to human beings, such as\n\nHow do we know anything? What does the word good mean? Are we ever really free? Do human beings have souls? Is there life after death? Is there a God? Is happiness really possible in our world?\n\nThis book is chock full of all those questions you may have long wanted to think about and talk with someone about, but have never had the time or opportunity to tackle head on. Philosophy For Dummies invites you to discuss the issues you find in the guide, share perspectives, and compare thoughts and feelings with someone you respect. You'll find lots of material to mull over with your friends or spouse, including thoughts on\n\nWhen to doubt, and when to doubt our doubts. The universal demand for evidence and proof. The four dimensions of human experience. Arguments for materialism. Fear of the process of dying. Prayers and small miracles. Moral justification for allowing evil.\n\nThe ancient philosopher Socrates (fifth century, B.C.) thought that, when it comes to the Ultimate Questions, we all start off as dummies. But if we are humbly aware of how little we actually know, then we can really begin to learn. Philosophy For Dummies will put you on the path to wising up as you steer through the experience called life.\n\nRead on the Scribd mobile app\n\nDownload the free Scribd mobile app to read anytime, anywhere.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8663032650947571}
{"content": "A KEY figure from one of the North-East’s most successful sports teams in living memory has passed away.\n\nPaul Smith captained Durham Wasps ice hockey team during its heyday and gifted fans some of their greatest memories.\n\nThe Wasps began their life in 1946 and maintained a degree of popularity up until the 1970s.\n\nBut it was the period from 1982 to 1992 when they enjoyed their real heyday, and Mr Smith was one of the leading lights of the game in those years.\n\nThe city team dominated British ice hockey during those ten years, winning the Heineken Championship four times, the British National League six times, and the Norwich Union Cup on three occasions.\n\nAs captain and player-coach, Mr Smith was one of the most influential players at that time alongside his brother Damian and Canadian Mike O’Connor.\n\nHe led them to the sports' first ever grand slam winning all domestic honours in the 1991-1992 season, was named 'coach of the year' and is in the top ten all-time leading premiership goal scorers for the sport.\n\nSmith also played internationally for England and Great Britain and was the youngest ever player to break into the senior side when, at just 15 years old, he travelled to China for the World Championships.\n\nHe went on to represent his country in both European and World Championships over a 15 year period.\n\nOther roles he held in sport included spells with British Olympic Association and the Tony Blair Sports Foundation.\n\nThe ice rink and hockey were in the Smith family’s blood– he was born in the family home at Bishops Mill on the site of the rink which had been built by his great-grandfather Icy Smith.\n\nAfter hockey, Mr Smith worked in London but would never agree to meetings on Friday afternoons or early Monday mornings as he always made it home to County Durham at the weekend.\n\nWife of 32 years Paula said: “He was absolutely passionate about the ice hockey, it was our lives at that time.\n\n“The girls would go to home games but they have no real idea of his achievements, how huge it was to the city.\n\n“He was a huge family man, he lived and breathed for us all.”\n\nMr Smith died at home in Brancepeth, near Durham City, on Wednesday at the age of 57. He had been diagnosed with a rare thyroid cancer in 2001.\n\nFather to Victoria, 29, and Rebecca, 26, and 'gramps' to 11-month-old Isabella Heidi, Mr Smith was their hero for his central role within the family beyond all his sporting success.\n\nMrs Smith added: “His two children and granddaughter were the light of his life, he was an amazing father and the most fantastic husband.\n\n“We are a very close-knit family, he saw his parents Tom and Jean every day and the bond he had with his granddaughter was incredible– she had a smile only for him.\n\n“He will be a huge loss to us all.”\n\nClose family friend, photographer Keith Taylor said: “Paul was a great friend for many years, he was brave and very modest about his achievements– the greatest and one of which he was most proud being his family.”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.55600905418396}
{"content": "August 2017\n\n\n\n\nTo first order, the Earth as well as other rocky planets in the Solar System and rocky exoplanets orbiting other stars, are refractory pieces of the stellar nebula out of which they formed.\n\nScientists have yet to understand and explain how life's informational molecules - proteins and DNA and RNA - arose from simpler chemicals when life on earth emerged some four billion years ago.\n\nWe use a statistical model to investigate the detectability (defined by the requirement that they are in causal contact with us) of communicating civilizations within a volume of the universe surrounding our location.\n\nUp to now, mostly relatively simple molecules have been detected in interstellar diffuse molecular clouds in our galaxy, but more complex species have been reported in the diffuse/translucent medium of a z = 0.89 spiral galaxy.\n\nNASA's James Webb Space Telescope will use its infrared capabilities to study the \"ocean worlds\" of Jupiter's moon Europa and Saturn's moon Enceladus, adding to observations previously made by NASA's Galileo and Cassini orbiters.\n\nIt has been a long-standing problem to detect interstellar glycine (NH2CH2COOH), the simplest amino acid, in studying a possible relation between the Universe and origin of life.\n\n\nThe simplest cyanobenzene, benzonitrile (c-C6H5CN) have been possibly detected toward the cyanopolyyne peak in TMC-1.\n\nUNSW Sydney scientists studying microbes from some of the saltiest lakes in Antarctica have discovered a new way that the tiny organisms can share DNA that could help them grow and survive.\n\n\n\n\nOn the surface of icy dust grains in the dense regions of the interstellar medium a rich chemistry can take place.\n\n\n\nA high fraction of carbon bound in solid carbonaceous material is observed to exist in bodies formed in the cold outskirts of the solar nebula, while bodies in the terrestrial planets region contain nearly none.\n\nThe VVV survey has observed the southern disk of the Milky Way in the near infrared, covering 240 deg2 in the ZYJHKS filters.\n\nContext: Modern versions of the Miller-Urey experiment claim that formamide (NH2CHO) could be the starting point for the formation of metabolic and genetic macromolecules.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAdvanced telescopes, such as ALMA and JWST, are likely to show that the chemical universe may be even more complex than currently observed, requiring astrochemical modelers to improve their models to account for the impact of new data.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWe report the detection of linear and cyclic isomers of C3H and C3H2 towards various starless cores and review the corresponding chemical pathways involving neutral (C3Hx with x=1,2) and ionic (C3Hx+ with x = 1,2,3) isomers.\n\nA specific 4641Da amino acid polymer entity is present in two CV3 meteorites Acfer 086 and Allende, together with its breakdown polymer fragments of mass < 2000Da.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9956098198890686}
{"content": "Terms of Use\n\nTo access or use the Telligen Provider Portal, individual Provider user, Provider Security Administrator, and Provider User (hereinafter collectively referred to as “User” or “You”) agree to the following portal terms of use (the “Agreement”): \n\nService Availability.  Support for Telligen’s Provider Portal is provided between the hours of  8:00am central to 5:00pm central.  The Provider Portal will generally be available 24 hours per day, but may be unavailable due to regularly scheduled maintenance, service upgrades, etc. \n\nLogin Accounts and Their Security.  Telligen will set up individual login accounts for those who need access to the Provider Portal.  In order to maintain security, you agree to designate a single individual as the authorized person to contact Telligen to request User logins (the “Provider Security Administrator”).  All logins will be transmitted by email to Users directly.  Additional User requests must be in writing by the Provider Security Administrator. \n\nPassword Security. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of the password and are responsible for all activities that occur under your password. You agree to immediately notify Telligen of any unauthorized use of your password or other breach of security, and to exit from your account at the end of each session. You agree that Telligen cannot and will not be liable for any losses and/or damages arising from your failure to comply with these provisions. Except where expressly authorized by law, by accessing the Provider Portal you are certifying that you are not using another person's password or user identification to access the Provider Portal. You agree not to falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity to obtain access to the Provider Portal. You also agree not to copy or disseminate, electronically or otherwise, personal or confidential information found on the Provider Portal. 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Please find the email address for notification of notices of termination under the “Contact Us” section of the website. \n\nTermination. Telligen reserves the right, in its sole discretion at any time upon notice, to terminate access to the Provider Portal at any time for any reason.     \n\nNo Unlawful or Prohibited Use. You are prohibited from using the Provider Portal to damage, disable, or overburden Telligen’s servers or network or impair the portal or interfere with any other party’s use of the Provider Portal.  Hacking, password miming, or any other means to gain unauthorized access to the Provider Portal, computer or network is prohibited.  Posting or transmitting any unlawful, threatening, libelous, defamatory, obscene, scandalous, inflammatory, pornographic, or profane material or any material that could constitute or encourage conduct that would be considered a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate any law is also prohibited.  Telligen will fully cooperate with any law enforcement authorities or court order requesting or directing Telligen to disclose the identity of any such information and/or materials.\n\nTrademarks. The trademarks, logos, trade names, and service marks (\"Marks\") displayed on Provider Portal are the property of Telligen or other third parties. You are not permitted to use these Marks without the prior written consent of Telligen or such third party which may own the Mark. \n\nCopyrights. Telligen either owns the copyright and related intellectual property rights in Provider Portal or has obtained the permission of the owner of the copyrights and related intellectual property rights to make it available to you for the purposes described in these terms of use. You may not reproduce, modify, sell, distribute, or create derivative works unless you have been specifically authorized to do so by Telligen or, with regard to any third-party content, by the third-party owners. Telligen and its affiliates respect the intellectual property of others. \n\nConfidentiality.  Provider Portal may contain information that is designated as \"confidential,\" and you agree not to disclose such information without Telligen’s prior written consent.\n\nMonitoring. Telligen has the right, but not the obligation, to monitor the Provider Portal to determine compliance with this Agreement. \n\nYour use of the Provider Portal is at your sole risk. The Provider Portal is provided on an \"AS IS\" and \"AS AVAILABLE\" basis. Telligen expressly disclaims all warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including, but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. You expressly understand and agree that Telligen will not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or exemplary damages for any reason resulting from your use of the Provider Portal.\n\nIndemnification. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Telligen, its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, or expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees and costs, due to or arising out of your use of the Provider Portal, your violation of these terms and conditions, your communication of inaccurate or incomplete information, and/or your violation of law.\n\nAmendments. Telligen may amend or add to this Agreement at any time.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9831015467643738}
{"content": "Joel Sartore- Photo Ark @joelsartore avatarJoel Sartore- Photo Ark\n\nInstagram photos and videos\n\nEndemic to southeast Asia, long tailed porcupines like this one at @wrs.ig are the smallest of all Old World porcupines. They reach just 48 cm (18 in) in length and look more like rats with spines than porcupines. Incredibly, this rodent’s tail has the capability to break off if a predator has a hold of it, potentially saving the animal’s life. Once it’s fallen off, the tail does not regenerate, so sometimes these porcupines are seen without one.\n\n36   11,036  \n\nNo, these creatures didn’t just escape from Jurassic Park, but they do have a resemblance and a link to dinosaurs that roamed the earth millions of years ago. Scientists from Oregon State University and the Natural History Museum in London discovered the oldest known fossil of a gecko in 2009, a 100-million-year-old specimen preserved in amber! The fossil provides evidence that geckos were definitely in Asia 100 million years ago. Today, there are more than 1,200 species of geckos in the world. Not only do they resemble creatures of another time, they have some unbelievable abilities. Geckos can stick to any surface except for dry teflon, thanks to thousands of nanoscale hairs that line each of their toes. Unlike other lizards, geckos are able to vocalize, they make clicks, chirps, and other sounds to communicate with other geckos. They are able to drop their tails as a response to stress, infection or to escape from predators if the tail itself is grabbed. They drop their tails along a pre-scored line, a design that allows a gecko to lose its tail quickly with minimal damage to the rest of its body. Most amazing of all, the tail literally wiggles for some time after breaking off just to confuse the predator even more! Another unique feature is that more than fifty species lack eyelids. Instead, they have a spectacle, or a clear scale over their eyes instead of an eyelid. Perhaps the best analogy is that a gecko’s tongue acts as a windshield wiper and the spectacle a windshield. Geckos lick their eyes to keep them clean and keep it from drying out, similar to the function blinking serves for human eyes.\n| All from the private collection of Nathan Hall @coldbloodedcamera\nGeckos pictured are as follows in order: A vulnerable kuroiwa's ground gecko, Wyberba leaf-tailed gecko- the tail will grow back and a Koch’s barking gecko.\n\n233   28,112  \n\nThe Java flying treefrog is an endemic species in Java, Indonesia. As their name suggests, this frogs uses its webbed feet to glide a bit through the air, allowing for a bit more controlled descent from high jungle trees. The Java flying treefrog lives in lowland, mountainous and even disturbed forest. They breed in streams and the females can contain up to 180 eggs.\n\n123   26,895  \n\nMeet the Tanzanian tailless whip scorpion. You might remember this kind of animal from the Harry Potter films when, in the Goblet of Fire, it demonstrated the unforgivable curses.\nWhip scorpions use their long, modified legs to sense the world around them. They like to stay in one spot but can move quickly if disturbed. The species photographed here is from the Butterfly Pavilion at the Albuquerque BioPark in New Mexico and is one-year-old, although they can live up to ten years. The Pavilion is working to bring more attention to understudied and misunderstood arthropods and arachnids in order to create empathy and concern for their habitats around the world. To see a photo of this whip scorpion visit @natgeo.\n\n527   23,578  \n\nThis fire shrimp, native to the Indo-Pacific, is known as a species of \"cleaner shrimp\". They get their\nnames from their delightful habit of setting up cleaning stations to remove dead tissue and parasites from fish that offer up themselves. The fish just swims up, parks it for a while and lets the shrimp do all the work. The fish then pulls away, clean as a whistle. This symbiotic relationship gives both a real advantage; the fish gets better health and the shrimp gets a tasty meal. Some species of fire shrimp can even go inside a fishes mouth without being eaten! This shrimp was photographed at Nebraska Aquatic Supply in Omaha, Nebraska.\n\n135   20,746  \n\n\n161   17,414  \n\nHappy Father’s day! The pacific spiny lumpsuckers like this one photographed at @montereybayaquarium can be found off the coast of Washington, up into the Aleutian Islands, and all the way to the northern islands of Japan. As their name suggests, these fish are usually found attached to solid objects by the sucker protruding from their abdomens. Males of this species do most of the parenting, anchoring themselves next to their brood for 3-8 weeks and defending their eggs from predators. These dads will also use their fins to fan water over their soon-to-be babies, ensuring that the eggs get enough oxygen before they hatch. They’re tiny (just 1-3 inches) and not very graceful swimmers, so they’re generally seen near the ocean floor where they blend in more easily.\n\n90   20,188  \n\nTrinidad chevron tarantulas, like this one pictured at @theomahazoo , are tree-dwelling spiders that build funnel-shaped webs. Although the species isn’t typically known to be very aggressive, they can and will bite if they are provoked. Researchers have found that the venom of this species is similar to capsaicin, a compound that activates heat-sensitive sensory neurons. This compound is also found in chili peppers, and is the reason you experience a burning sensation while eating that spicy food.\n\n195   19,383  \n\nThis is a heart crab photographed at @alaskasealifecenter. They have strong claws and sharp tips on their legs that allow them to grip stone walls and cling to surfaces. Heart crabs are colorful after molting, but quickly have a growth of diatoms and other organisms on their surface that dim their color and allow them to hide in their habitat for protection. This species is a predator to sea urchins, barnacles, tunicates and sponges. The Alaska SeaLife Center must be careful where these crabs are displayed since they could eat other exhibit animals. Heart crabs have been known to crack open snail shells occupied by smaller hermit crabs and eat them. In turn, they are vulnerable to some fish like wolf eels, which are not fazed by crustacean shells.\n\n108   19,157  \n\nThough it has the long, slender body of an eel, this is actually a violet goby, a fish native to the Atlantic coast of North and South America. In the wild, violet gobies can grow up to 24 inches (61 cm) in length, with fins running down almost the entire length of their bodies. These fish may look like fearsome predators, but they’re primarily scavengers. Their main method of feeding is scooping up mouthfuls of gravel from the seabed and sifting out anything edible. They also have highly specialized teeth used to scrape algae off of rocks. This fish was photographed at @aquarium_de_paris in Paris, France. To see another image of this fish visit @natgeo.\n\n71   14,245  \n\nThese two Standing’s day geckos (a juvenile on top and adult) were photographed at the Plzen Zoo in Plzen, Czech Republic and are one of the largest day gecko species found on the island of Madagascar. Most adult day geckos become dangerous predators to their offspring, which can lead to cannibalism, however, the Standing’s day geckos are an exception. Warning colours visible on the baby geckos allow them to live together as a happy family without mom becoming highly aggressive.\nAlthough native to southwest Madagascar they are rarely seen in the wild due to habitat loss, conversion of land to agriculture, and the international pet trade. The Plzen zoo is hard at work, protecting this species. More than 25 Standing’s day geckos have been born at the zoo since 1997, when the first one arrived.\n\n197   30,499  \n\nThis adorable creature is a Western European hedgehog photographed at Centro Fauna Selvatica “I’ll Pettirosso” in Italy. The rescue center receives an average of about 350 hedgehogs every year. These tiny mammals give birth twice a year, at the end of spring and autumn. At birth, baby hedgehogs have a coat of soft, white spines which are underneath their skin to protect the mother during birth, but then emerge after a few hours. A second coat of dark spines emerges after about 36 hours, and later on a third set develops. In general hedgehogs are good swimmers, can run fairly quickly, and known for their habit of rolling into a tight ball when threatened. These hedgehogs do not hibernate but during cold periods can sleep for many days.\nIn Europe, people often find a nest of very young hedgehogs and immediately assume they are abandoned even though the parent has likely just gone to look for food. So young hedgehogs should never be moved from the place where they are found unless visibly injured as they will lose the ability to find food from their natural points of reference. If found, it is best to observe the nest for a few days until one parent returns, then if there is no sight of mom or dad, the babies can be taken to a rescue center. This is very important as it is difficult to hand-rear small hedgehogs and they easily imprint on humans and then make it difficult to return to their natural habitats. This photo shoot was possible thanks to the @greenteenteam\n\n272   19,709", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7903145551681519}
{"content": "Print Friendly, PDF & Email\n\nBy Medifit Biologicals\n\n\n\n\n\nBlood pooling occurs when the walls and valves of veins in human legs do not work effectively, thereby making it difficult for blood to return to the heart, according to Cleveland Clinic. This condition, known as chronic venous insufficiency, causes blood to pool in veins, a condition called stasis.\n\nValves within veins in the legs become damaged, causing blood to leak backwards with the force of gravity instead of moving upwards. Valve damage happens due to aging, excessive sitting, extended standing and reduced mobility, notes Cleveland Clinic. Blood pressure in the affected veins remains elevated for long periods, which causes chronic venous insufficiency.\n\nThe causes of chronic venous insufficiency include blood clots, vascular deformations and pelvic tumors. Lack of blood flow or sluggish blood movement within leg veins leads to swollen legs. Other symptoms include aching legs, varicose veins, leathery-looking skin on legs, stasis ulcers and flaking skin on legs and feet. Untreated chronic venous insufficiency can lead to burst capillaries in the legs, according to Cleveland Clinic.\n\nDizziness may be another symptom of blood pooling in the legs. This occurs when someone suddenly stands up after sitting for long periods of time and blood pressure suddenly normalizes, notes Merck Manual. The heart rate increases, and blood vessels constrict rapidly when someone stands quickly after extended sitting.\n\nOne way to alleviate chronic venous insufficiency and blood pooling is to walk. The contraction of calf muscles during the walking motion moves blood more efficiently through the legs, according to the Society for Vascular Surgery.\n\n\n\nBlood pooling is a condition were blood gathers normally in the lower limb (leg), this can be for a number of reasons but can be caused by exercise. When this blood gathers in a blood vessel it places excess stress on the small values that prevent the blood being drawn back down to the feet sue to the effect of gravity.\n\nThe diagram below shows how this then places pressure on the valves, over time this will force the valves back on themselves opening the wrong way. Over time this will result in lasting damage to the valves increasing the chance of varicose veins or DVT.\n\nAs these non-return valves have an important part to play in ensuring that blood returns to the heart effectively, the posh name for this is venous return. So in terms of exercise if you have been working at an intensive level and fail to cool down effectively and fully, this will result in the build up of blood in the\n\nlimbs. This then means that the heart may not fill before each contraction, this often leads to a dizzy and faint feeling.\n\nFor these reasons it is very important that you take part in a full cool down, normally it is advised that you do some form of rhythmical exercise for 6 minutes at a low intensity. This allows the systems of the body to work to help to return the blood back to the heart. This can also be aided by a full stretching routine and partner stretches can be great for this as gravity will help to return blood back to the heart.\n\n\n\nMost people with POTS suffer from venous pooling, AKA blood pooling in their legs. It is painful! Imagine yourself jamming items into a bag. The bag stretches and stretches, and it gets heavier and heavier. In the case of venous pooling it is a similar situation. More blood is pooling in my legs than they were meant to hold. It is quite painful. I think perhaps the pain comes from my skin and muscles trying to accommodate all of the extra volume, much like that bag trying to accommodate more items than it was meant to hold. It also feels like someone strapped three pound weights to each of my legs. Each step feels heavy, as though I am walking in water up to my thighs. I know three pound weights aren’t much, but they are when I’m fatigued, my legs are already in pain, and I didn’t choose to put them there! Then there’s the appearance of venous pooling. My feet turn bright red and, after about 5 minutes or so, the veins begin to bulge. It’s not attractive. My legs aren’t the only place I feel the venous pooling. All of that blood being trapped in my legs by the pull of gravity means the rest of my body isn’t getting enough blood circulated to it, including my brain. Trust me, life is much more difficult when your brain isn’t getting enough blood!\n\nSo this is why I don’t understand why so many people with POTS choose not to wear compression stockings.\n\n\n\nIn a group of 40 patients with orthostatic intolerance due to hypotension and/or tachycardia, we have compared the pathogenetic roles of impaired contractility of the arterioles and the veins by measuring contractile responsiveness of the arterioles, reflected by increases in diastolic blood pressure and of the veins reflected by measurements of reduction in venous diameter during intravenous noradrenaline infusions.\n\nCompared with 27 healthy subjects, patients with diffuse autonomic insufficiency showed striking supersensitivity in diastolic blood pressure (six out of eight) and venous constrictive responses (seven out of eight patients) to noradrenaline, consistent with impaired arteriolar and venous innervation.\n\nIn contrast, the patients with hyperadrenergic orthostatic hypotension (n = 16) and orthostatic tachycardia (n = 16) showed diastolic blood pressure responses to noradrenaline that were almost invariably within the 95% confidence limits of the changes in normal subjects but supersensitive constrictive responses of foot veins in 22 of 32 subjects and subnormal venous responses in two individuals. The rate of noradrenaline infusion calculated to cause 50% of maximal venous constriction (the ED50) was significantly lower in the patients [mean (SEM) 6.8 (1.9) ng/min] than in the normal subjects [mean (SEM) 23.2 (3.0) ng/min, P < 0.025].\n\nThe finding of significantly supersensitive foot vein constrictive responses to noradrenaline infusion in the patients of all three groups and supersensitive blood pressure responses exclusively in the patients with diffuse autonomic insufficiency indicates that venous pooling in the legs was the predominant pathogenetic mechanism of orthostatic intolerance in all three types of patients studied.\n\nCorrection of the orthostatic hypotension and/or tachycardia by external compression in virtually all patients confirmed this conclusion.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA cardiac blood pool scan is done to:\n\n  • Check the size of the heart chambers (ventricles).\n  • Check the pumping action of the lower ventricles.\n  • Look for abnormal movement of blood between the heart chambers.\n\n\n\n  • Are allergic to any medicines.\n  • Are or might be pregnant.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n  • Change position for each different view.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBy Medifit Biologicals", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8871808052062988}
{"content": "Physios Running Away with the Circus\n\nHave you ever watched a circus entertainer and remark on their anatomy, flexibility and strength. With these athletes brings an unusual role of a sports physio to keep these athletes who may be super strong, hyper mobile or super athletic at their best and keep them injury free.\n\nLike with a lot of things prevention is better then cure. Screening plays a big role with this line of work to develop programs where athletes can be cleared of injury but also have risk factors identified.\n\nCircus injuries can be twisting turning injuries which can rupture ligaments or cause fractures with a mis timed leap or jump but commonly there are a huge amount of over use injuries die to the extreme and intense nature of the training.\n\nA lot of circus performers are gymnasts and a lot have problems associated with that intense training like pars defects of the spine which require specific management and knowledge.\n\nThese jobs aren’t what you expect when you graduate from the school of physiotherapy but they sure are a varied and interesting part of the physiotherapy profession.\n\nDoping and Physio\n\n\n\n\n\nWaterworks is also Men’s Business\n\n\n\n\n\nPhysio Going to the Dogs\n\nPhysio is not just for humans. Animals can also have their favourite physio treat them as well. Horses and dogs are the primary animals that have physio because their performance can be monetised but their is also physio that can be used for animals that\n\nJust like humans animals have operations, they need splints, they can tear ligaments and develop problems with their brain which will affect the functioning of their body. Also just like humans they can benefit from stretching, massage, joint mobilisations and trigger point soft tissue work.\n\nAnimal physios need to know a whole different set of anatomy so they usually specialise in a particular animal. Communication for an animal is also somewhat difficult so it does require a special skill set to work out where the injury is and what can be done for them.\n\nContact the Australian Physiotherapy Association to find a member of the Animal Physiotherapy Group if your dog needs treatment.\n\nAstronauts and Dizziness\n\nDid you know that when astronauts return to earth they suffer severe vertigo symptoms as their inner ear which is the major part of our vestibular system has to adjust to effects of gravity back here on earth. They can suffer nausea, vomiting and loose their balance.\n\nThis problems is not just isolated to going into outer space. Vertigo in the general population is also very common and can be one of the most common things that a physiotherapist will get a referral from a GP for.\n\nPhysiotherapists are trained with strategies to desensitise the vestibular system with methods such as the Employ’s and Dix-Hallpike procedure.\n\nCall your Physiopro today to discuss how they can help ease and settle your symptoms of dizziness.\n\nPain in the Leg\n\n\n\nIt is important not to forget that stress fractures can also give you pain in the leg. It often follows as a result of shin-splints that have not been managed correctly or when patient tries to “run-through” the problem which is why it is important to manage MTSS correctly.\n\nMajor causes are;\nFlat feet\nCalf tightness\nPoor shoes or old shoes\nRapid increase in training workload; either speed or distance\n\nThings to look out for;\n\nAching along the front of the shin with activity. The pain may begin as a dull aching sensation after running. The aching may become more intense, even during walking, if ignored.\nPain along the inside (medial) part of the lower leg\n\nGenerally, develops gradually over weeks/months\n\nMay have swelling in lower leg\n\n\nThings to do to manage it;\n\n\n\nHappy Running!\n\nRock and Ankle Roll\n\nRolled ankles are one of the most common injuries that Physio’s see in athletes. In facet it accounts for 10 to 30% of sports-related injuries in young athletes.\n\nThe term “sprain” merely indicates that a ligament has been damaged. Sprains are divided into several groups depending on the severity of damage to the involved ligament. Most ankle sprains happen when the foot turns inward as a person runs, turns, falls, or lands on the ankle after a jump. This common type of sprain is called an “inversion injury”.\n\nPhysios grade ankle injuries as grade one, two and three. Grade one is the most common and requires the least amount of treatment and recovery. The ligament are often over-stretched and damaged microscopically, but not actually torn. The ligament damage has occurred without any significant instability developing. Grade 2 sprains are more severe to one or more of the ligaments and indicates that the ligament/s have been more significantly damaged, but there is no significant instability. The ligaments are often partially torn with evident swelling and bruising. Grade 3 sprains are the most severe. This indicates that the ligament has been significantly damaged with rupture of two or more ligaments, and may involve a fracture. Instability results and pain will present on the opposite side of the sprain due to tissue compression.\nYour PhysioPro will provide a specialised rehabilitation program dependant on your degree/grade of injury. Treatment will likely begin with education concerning rest, icing, compression and elevation of the sprained joint, taping, and the issuing of crutches (if required). Physiotherapy specific interventions may include mobilization/manipulation of the joint, ultrasound, contrast baths, electrotherapy and a thorough rehabilitation program consisting of balance and strengthening exercises, and ankle propriocpetion, with an aim of return to full activity.\n\nAs a general guideline recovery from first degree sprains can take up to 2-3 weeks, recovery from second degree sprains can take 3-6 weeks before return to full activity, and third degree sprains can take as long as 8-12 months for the ligaments to fully heal. Your PhysioPro will be able to best determine a likely timeframe for a return to activity by considering all of the above factors.\n\nEven after a return to activity, some protection is most often needed for the ankle joint for at least six months, as remodeling of the ligament is not complete until then. This often comes in the form of taping, supports or braces and/or a change in footwear.\n\nCall your PhysioPro for advice on that sprained ankle today!\n\nIs That a Rock in My Shoe? Or is it Plantar Fasciitis?\n\nIs that a rock in your shoe? Maybe not. It could be plantar fasciitis or heel spurs.\n\nThe plantar fascia is a thick, broad, inelastic band of fibrous tissue that courses along the bottom (plantar surface) of the foot. It is attached to the heel bone (calcaneus) and fans out to attach to the bottom of the metatarsal bones (long foot bones) in the region of the ball of the foot. Because the normal foot has an arch, this tight band of tissue (plantar fascia) is at the base of the arch. In this position, the plantar fascia acts like a bowstring to maintain the arch of the foot.\nPlantar fasciitis is a self-limiting condition that is the most common cause of heel pain on the sole of the foot. It refers to an inflammation of the plantar fascia. The inflammation in the tissue is the result of some type of injury to the plantar fascia. Typically, plantar fasciitis results from repeated trauma to the tissue where it attaches to the calcaneus. This repeated trauma often results in microscopic tearing of the plantar fascia at or near the point of attachment of the tissue to the calcaneus. The result of the damage and inflammation is pain.\n\nIf there is significant injury to the plantar fascia, the inflammatory reaction of the heel bone may produce spike-like projections of new bone called heel spurs. The spurs are not the cause of the initial pain of plantar fasciitis, they are the result of the problem. Most heel spurs are painless. Occasionally, they are associated with pain and discomfort and require medical treatment or even surgical removal.\nPain on the bottom of the heel most prominent with the first steps taken in the morning is the most common presenting complaint of plantar fasciitis. Typical morning pain is caused by the foot resting in a pointed position (plantar flexion) during the night, allowing the fascia to contract. With the first steps of the day, the irritated fascia is stretched, resulting in pain. Pain also occurs with the onset of activity such as walking and running. It typically starts as a dull, intermittent pain in the heel and may progress to sharp, constant pain. This pain may decrease as activity progresses, but it usually returns after resting and then resuming activity. In severe cases, the pain may occur with any weight bearing. Although the pain usually occurs in the heel, it can radiate throughout the bottom of the foot toward the toes.\nPlantar fasciitis is common in runners and dancers who use repetitive, maximal ankle and foot range of movement. It is also common in those who experience sudden weight gain and in overweight individuals who increase their activity level.\n\nThe condition is usually caused by a change or increase in activities, no arch support, lack of flexibility in the calf muscles, being overweight, a sudden injury, using shoes with little cushioning on hard surfaces, using shoes that do not easily bend under the ball of the foot, or spending too much time on the feet.\n\nFactors that could be contributing are fallen arches or rolling in when running, age, poor shoes or support and a rapid increase in activity.\n\nConsult your local PhysioPro to treat the problem. They will use ultrasound, deep tissue massage, prolonged stretching, and a specific exercise program to improve flexibility and elasticity of plantar fascia. Secondary to therapy, self-care is a vital component in the rehabilitation process. The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication (NSAIDS) e.g. voltaren, nurofen, aspirin, can help significantly to reduce the amount of irritation and inflammation in the plantar fascia. You will also get a home program which will include deep tissue massage, foot rolling with a golf ball or similar, stretching the calves and plantar fascia and avoidance of repeated impact and stress.\n\n\nSo get that rock out of your shoe and get into see the PhysioPro team today.\n\nCompression Session\n\nIn the physio world compression garments were originally reserved for the hospital setting to prevent post operative DVT’s and improve patients circulation. They are now however used widely by athletes to assist them in the sporting goals and to improve their performance. People who use compression garments report a series of benefits.\nDelayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is that sore feeling that you get for the next couple of days after you push the limits with the leg work out. It’s when you suffer with every step on the way to work the next day. People report their muscles feel better and less DOMS with compressions which means that you can back up training better and reduce the sore off days.\nPatients can feel their muscles work better with compression which can help with feeling a muscle stretch which means that you can pull up early instead of tearing or straining the muscle.\nThey can lock in warmth and take away moisture which is important in the middle of winter when you are training outside with a stiff breeze. If you are training in summer they also double as sun protection. If you suffer from chafing they can be a godsend.\nCompressions are now used for almost every part of the body to help with soreness and improve performance. It is however important that they are good quality and fit well so as to not feel restrictive and will allow for stretch so that they will last the distance.\n\nRelated Tags: Sports Massage Perth\n\nHot to Trot or Ice Ice Baby\n\nThere is always a lot of debate as to what is the best for the treatments of injuries. Do you put on a heat pack or is it better to ice? It is funny that there could be so much debate for a fundamental of injury management.\n\nThe principal revolves around blood flow and inflammation. If you apply heat to the area you will cause the blood vessels to widen which brings nutrients to the injured area. If you apply ice to the area you will cause the blood vessels to narrow and reduce bleeding and inflammation.\n\nAs soon as you sprain a joint like an ankle or suffer a corky you should always apply ice to help narrow the blood vessels and slow the bleeding and rate of inflammation. This should be applied for 2-3 days dependant on the severity of the injury. After this the ruptured blood vessels close and the inflammation stops progressing. It is at this stage that heat is best as you now want to bring good nutrients with more blood flow to the area.\n\nWhere it gets tricky is what do you do when you injure an area that is too deep for ice or heat to penetrate. An example would be a back injury. If you have injured a joint in your back then the ice will not penetrate deep enough through the muscles to affect the injury. It will numb the pain but it won’t reduce inflammation. The best in this instance is to apply heat. Heat will relax the surrounding musculature and will also have a natural pain killing effect.\n\nIt is better still to try to avoid the injuries all together to avoid the heat vs ice argument!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9000301957130432}
{"content": "16 WPS Nellis AFB U.S. Air Force Custom Patches\n\nThe 16th Weapons Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the USAF Weapons School, based at Nellis AFB, Nevada. The United States Air Force Weapons School is arguably the most prestigious flying organization in the United States' military.The 16th Weapons Squadron is the largest squadron assigned to the Weapons School, graduating 20 Weapons Instructors each year.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9983386397361755}
{"content": "\n\nDeclared as a national holiday in Canada and the United States, Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. This year the day falls on 24 November. While the day has its historical roots in English traditions dating from the Protestant Reformation, it is popularly celebrated to commemorate the harvest bounty.\n\nTo celebrate the day, IBTimes UK has compiled popular quotes to express your gratitude and celebrate the day with friends and family.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n7. Some people grumble that roses have thorns; I am grateful that thorns have roses. - Alphonse Karr\n\n\n\n10. To give thanks in solitude is enough. Thanksgiving has wings and goes where it must go. Your prayer knows much more about it than you do. -Victor Hugo", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9984540343284607}
{"content": "There were, on average 368 non-violent crimes in Lawton every single month in 2015.  Pretty crazy, right?  That means around 368 times a month (according to an officer had to respond to that incident and then do mountains of paperwork.  That's a pretty compelling reason to put non-emergency incident reporting online.  All those hours could be used actually fighting and solving crime instead of ice-bathing your hand from hours of tedious fill-in-the-blank.\n\nThe Lawton PD now has a way for you to report non-emergency crimes online.  You can report a crime here or a motor vehicle traffic collision here.\n\nThe benefit for you is intimidate access to your incident report (for insurance purposes and such).  The benefit for the Lawton PD is they can follow up more quickly and thoroughly.\n\nThe Lawton Police Department has also created a handy guide to help you determine if what just happened is something you should report online or something you should call in.  A good example is Assault.  You can report an assault online but not domestic violence.  Here is how the LPD describes each:\n\nSimple Assault to enter in online form:  All assaults and attempted assaults which are not of an aggravated nature and do not result in serious injury to the victim.  Each victim will need to complete a separate report.  Examples:  Someone used their hands or fists to strike you; someone punched you in the face; someone kicked you during a verbal argument.\n\nSimple Assault that cannot be entered:  Assaults that are domestic in nature cannot be reported online.  Domestic violence is defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family or cohabitation.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8078306913375854}
{"content": "Amara Sigatar Khura'in\nImage Gallery Sprite Gallery\nAmara Sigatar Khura'in\nI must say, a life dedicated to the servitude of others is not the least bit disagreeable. It is a quiet, humble existence -- far removed from the tedium of regal duties.\n\nAmara Sigatar Khura'in is the former queen of the Kingdom of Khura'in, which she ruled until her assumed death in 2005. She is the mother of Nahyuta Sahdmadhi and Princess Rayfa Padma Khura'in. From 2014 to 2028, she acted as Rayfa's personal aide under the name Nayna.\n\nAs the queen of Khura'inEdit\n\n\nAmara and Dhurke in their happier days.\n\nAmara ruled the Kingdom of Khura'in with peace and impartiality. She fell in love with and married Dhurke Sahdmadhi, a defense attorney, and gave birth to their son, Nahyuta. Excelled in both her kindness and immense spiritual power, the people of Khura'in virtually regarded her as a goddess, with some even claiming her to be the reincarnation of the Holy Mother herself. All of this filled her younger sister Ga'ran Sigatar Khura'in with great envy due to Ga'ran's inability to channel spirits, ultimately resulting in her setting in motion a plan to destroy Amara and her loved ones and take the throne for herself.\n\nAssassination attemptEdit\n\nMain article: Assassination attempt of Amara Sigatar Khura'in\n\nA mural depicting Amara's supposed assassination.\n\nDuring a performance by foreign musician Jove Justice, Amara was drugged and a fire broke out at her residence, seemingly killing her to the public. However, in reality, she survived, but was coerced to stay hidden by Ga'ran, and allowed her younger sister to ascend to the throne. When the blame for the fire was pinned on Dhurke, she believed the story because of her trust in her sister, growing angry at her husband for believing he planned to take her life.\n\nAs she was believed deceased, a large tomb was built on the ground where her residence once stood, complete with murals depicting her life and an empty sarcophagus which was believed to contain her body.\n\nOn the run with DhurkeEdit\n\n\nHolding baby Rayfa.\n\nFollowing her supposed death, Amara was kept under house arrest in Ga'ran Palace until her husband Dhurke, now a revolutionary on the run, found her. Although she was wary of him, her love for him proved greater than her anger, and they fled together. For several months, Amara and Dhurke lived together high in the mountains peacefully and had a child, Rayfa Padma Khura'in. Their happiness did not last, however, as the Ga'ran regime soon found the two, and Amara was taken back to the palace, along with Rayfa.\n\nIn hidingEdit\n\nMain articles: The Foreign Turnabout and The Rite of Turnabout\nRayfa and Nayna\n\nRemoving Rayfa's robe prior to the Dance of Devotion.\n\nFor the next fourteen years, Amara disguised herself as an elderly woman named Nayna to protect herself from further assassination attempts. In her disguise, she would go on to act as a personal aide and tutor to her daughter, Rayfa, who grew up believing that Ga'ran and her husband, Justice Minister Inga Karkhuul Khura'in, were her real parents. With Ga'ran mostly busy with ruling the country, Amara, in the guise of Nayna, raised Rayfa. Amara would often come at Rayfa's request, and do mundane tasks such as removing her daughter's cloak and staff or informing her about certain subjects about which the young girl had limited knowledge.\n\nThe minister's murderEdit\n\nMain article: Turnabout Revolution\nAmara Sigatar Khura'in\nI feel as if I have been called back from the Twilight Realm. I fear I have caused all of you a great deal of distress. O ho ho ho ho.\n\nPosing as Ga'ran during the Rite of Channeling.\n\nOn May 18, 2028, shortly after Amara performed the Rite of Channeling at 2 p.m. while disguised as Ga'ran, she was forced by her sister into covering up a crime — Ga'ran had murdered her own husband and proceeded to use Rayfa's safety to blackmail Amara into tampering with the scene to frame Dhurke, who was to visit the tomb at 3 p.m. for a hostage exchange with Inga. In reality, Dhurke himself was already dead and being channeled by Maya Fey. Amara was to channel Inga, so that Rayfa would witness him heading into the tomb, creating the impression that he was still alive up until Dhurke arrived.\n\nIn her disguise as Nayna, Amara went to Inga's private quarters after the rite, having her hat stolen by a dog on the way. Once inside the minister's room, she dressed in his clothes and channeled his spirit. As planned, Inga rushed to the tomb for the hostage exchange, unaware of his own death. After he had gone inside, Amara stopped channeling him, burned his clothes in one of the tomb's incense burners, and hid herself behind the curtain to wait for Dhurke.\n\nOnce Dhurke arrived, Amara used a Magatama of Parting to exorcise his spirit from Fey's body. Exhausted from channeling Dhurke's spirit for several days, Fey lost consciousness, after which Amara dressed her in acolyte clothes that she had prepared, tied her to a chair, and dressed herself in Dhurke's clothes, smearing Inga's blood on them. She then picked up the knife that had taken Inga's life and channeled Dhurke's spirit just as Ga'ran's guards stormed the tomb, making it appear as if he had been caught in the act of committing the murder.\n\nDhurke was arrested for the murder and remained in Amara's body until halfway through his trial the following day. By the time he left, his defense attorney Apollo Justice — who happened to also be his foster son, having been raised by Dhurke during the years when he and Amara were separated — had already all but figured out \"Nayna's\" involvement in the crime and the fact that she was a spirit medium. Still in her guise as the elderly woman, Amara was summoned to the witness stand, and Justice soon uncovered her true identity, forcing her to reveal her true self.\n\nJustice accused Amara of the murder and proved her presence in the tomb with her pendant, which she had dropped at the scene, covered in Inga's blood. Upon being told that Dhurke had lied about the pendant in order to protect her, Amara realized that his love for her had never wavered and recanted her testimony against him. Unable to reveal the truth due to Ga'ran's blackmail and fearing for her daughter's safety, Amara confessed to the murder, but Rayfa intervened and convinced Justice not to let the trial end there.\n\nRealizing that something was not right, Justice figured out the truth behind the Rite of Channeling, proving that not only did Amara have an alibi for the time of the crime, but that Ga'ran's alibi was a fabrication. Before Amara could reveal the truth, she was shot in the stomach by one of Ga'ran's guards, but survived the ordeal. After Justice succeeded in proving Ga'ran's guilt and the fact she had no claim to the throne, Amara would go on to help Rayfa rule the country until she was capable of channeling spirits.\n\n\n\nAs herself.\n\n\nAs Nayna.\n\nAmara is a merciful and wise queen. She is very polite and kind to a fault, even against her adversaries. Even though she would often state that Dhurke had tricked her with his \"silver tongue,\" she truly cared for and loved him, despite initially believing that he intended to kill her. She places her trust in her family above all else, and would go to the ends of the earth to protect them. However, when angered, she would become quite frightening, scaring many people into pleading for forgiveness.\n\nAs Nayna, she was ready and willing to help Rayfa at a moment's notice, portraying herself as an old woman with a sharp tongue. She had many sayings and mannerisms (such as calling people nincompoops) that Rayfa inherited from her.\n\n\n  • \"Amara\" (Sanskrit: अमर) is a name meaning \"immortal\". This may be a reference to her surviving two attempts on her life (although the first was not meant to kill her).\n  • Her alias, Baaya (バアヤ) is a title meaning \"granny.\"\n  • Her English alias Nayna comes from her Japanese alias, in this case, it means \"Nanny\". Nayna might be an anagram of the word Nanay, which means \"Mother\" in Tagalog, a Filipino dialect.\n\n\n  • Like the Holy Mother, Amara's design appears to be based on Guanyin, an East Asian bodhisattva associated with compassion and is commonly known as the Goddess of Mercy.\n  • Amara bears some similarities to Mimi Miney. Both were presumed deceased after incidents involving fires, both received burns from the incidents and both at some point disguised themselves as their respective younger sisters. She can also be compared to Misty Fey, as they were both holding supreme spiritual power thus making their sisters jealous of them. They also took on new identities to hide their true selves from the world.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7264448404312134}
{"content": "add floor joists to an existing porch\n\nExpert advice on how to build an outdoor patio roof or gazebo, with illustrated step-by-step instructions and construction diagrams. If it is impossible to attach the ledger to a floor joist, then fasten the ledger to wall studs, which are generally located on 16-inch (or sometimes 24-inch) centers and doubled \n\nWatch this video to find out how to remove a rotten wood porch floor, and replace it with pressure treated pine floor joists and tongue and groove flooring. Because there is some rot in the loose joist, too, we're adding another two-by-eight alongside it to help support it, which is called “sistering” the joist. The two boards are \n\nThe solution: Floor joists for a deck are typically installed at 16 in. on center, which won't properly support some composite-decking products when installed on an angle. In new construction, be sure floor joists are installed at the correct spacing. In existing decks, adding more floor joists is the only remedy.\n\nIf you can't attach a ledger to a rim joist on a cantilevered floor, how can you build a deck on a raised ranch? The easiest way to do this is to remove the existing house rim joist and soffit and any insulation inside the cavities. Then nail PT deck joists alongside each house joist, making sure the \n\nNOTE: Make sure the ledger is level, or this will throw off the floor joist heights and cause an uneven floor. Side Rim Joist Cut and nail side Framing out porch walls is fairly straightforward -- with a few exceptions like adding builder's felt to the exposed house sheathing and tying into the house. NOTE: Your porch may have \n\nFirst, check the existing porch alignment to ensure that your porch frame is in square. Measure from opposite end to opposite end. If the two measurements are within a half inch, you're good to proceed. Ensure that your joists are installed with the crown on the upside Make sure that your porch from pitch or slope moves \n\nBuild the Best Porch Flooring Structure. Joists, Bridging and Decking Materials. Your porch flooring structure must be structurally stable to not only maintain functionality but also its beauty over the years. What may surprise you is that floor joists on a traditional front porch foundation, unlike decks, run horizontal to your home \n\nThe inspection ($300 to $500) will tell if you have structural problems, such as undersized joists, that will require professional repairs. However, you can usually remedy sagging problems yourself by “sistering” new joists alongside the existing ones (this also works for stiffening bouncy floors). First remove electrical cables, \n\nwe always install the perimeter shear before we joist, to keep all walls stiff, and avoid knocking out of plumb the corners. I know its hard to visualize what I am asking, but do you think its ok to just sister another board to the existing bathroom joists and raise them up a little higher so that the new subfloor \n\nRather than adding an extra layer of insulation above standard blockwork, the insulation is incorporated into the structure. Systems such as Jetfloor, Litecast XT and TETRiS use special insulated polystyrene infill panels between and beneath the floor beams, helping to eliminate cold bridging.\n\nIf the existing house has air bricks, ventilating existing floor voids for example, then ducting should be provided to allow air through the solid floor and into the void The timber floor joists should be sized correctly depending on their span (length between supports) and are normally laid across the shortest span from wall to \n\nIn other words you can't build a “pony wall” and then install your floor joists on top of that wall because the concrete wall under the “pony wall” will not be laterally braced .. I recommend that you keep the patio slab at least 6 inches lower than the top of your existing concrete foundation wall and slope the slab away from the \n\nIf your house was built since the mid 1990's there is a chance that the floor system is constructed with a MWJ (Manufactured Wood Joist) floor system. In these cases it is very important to consult with a building inspector, engineer or architect to understand how to correctly attach a ledger board to the house wall. [tip] Lower \n\nBut my company still brings an existing deck or porch up to code, by adding joist hangers, flashing, ledger connections, and upgraded railings. It's not just safety I have in mind — bringing a deck up to code is also a great selling point. The simplicity of deck remodeling makes for few communication mistakes \n\nto floor-level extensions, and their support structures vary from grounded brackets to cantilevered floor joists. All deal with real-world restrictions, and none is without while adding architectural interest to the boxy former porch. Also owing to the cold climate, the bottom of the bump-out is framed with 2x8s to provide room for.\n\nBuilding a 400 square foot addition. This is the first video in the series from layout to putting down the sub floor. Includes layout, concrete cutting, form\n\nSlope is quite easy. 3 ways. First, is to cut full length wedges out of 2x4's or bigger & screw them to the top of the sub-floor at the joist locations. Second, is to remove the sub-floor too & sister-on pitched or sloped 2x4's or bigger. Third, is to use concrete or cement over the sub-floor & new decking, the floor \n\nProduct Details\n\nProduct List", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9743145704269409}
{"content": "Preferred Stock Equity\n\nPreferred stock is a type of equity which gives stockholders preference over common stockholders to dividends and repayment of their investment in the event of liquidation. Preferred stock is sometimes referred to as preferred equity, preferred shares or preference shares.\n\nIssue of Preferred Stock\n\nPreferred stock has a stated dividend rate and par value, and is often issued at a premium to that par value.\n\nFor example, suppose a business issues 1,000 7% preferred equity stock with a par value of 100 at a premium issue price of 105.\n\nThe business will receive 1,000 x 105 = 105,000 in cash and issues stock with a par value of 1,000 x 100 = 100,000. The premium of 5,000 will be posted to the additional paid in capital (APIC) account with the following journal entry:\n\nIssue of preferred shares at a premium\nAccount Debit Credit\nCash 105,000\nPreferred stock 100,000\nAPIC – Preferred stock 5,000\nTotal 105,000 105,000\n\nPreferred Stock Dividends\n\nThe dividend on a preferred equity stock is usually fixed and based on the par value of the stock. Using the example above, the business issued 1,000 7% preferred stock with a par value of 100, so the annual dividend on each preferred share will amount to 7% x 100 = 7, and the total dividend when declared would amount to 1,000 x 7 = 7,000.\n\nThe journal to post the declared dividend is as follows:\n\nDividend declared on preferred shares\nAccount Debit Credit\nPreferred dividend 7,000\nDividend payable 7,000\nTotal 7,000 7,000\n\nAlthough in the above example the dividend was fixed at 7%, floating rate preferred stock is available in which the dividend rate varies relative to market rates.\n\nTypes of Preferred Stock\n\nThere are various types of preferred shares available each with differing benefits (preferences) including the following:\n\nCumulative Preferred Stock\n\nCumulative preferred stock simply means that the dividends on the stock are cumulative. If a business does not declare a dividend in one year, then the dividend will continue to accumulate on the cumulative stock.\n\nThe dividends not declared are said to be passed, and are referred to as dividends in arrears. As the passed dividends have not been declared they are not shown as a balance sheet liability but are referred to in a note to the financial statements.\n\nIn the above example, the business issued 1,000 7% preferred equity stock at 100 par value.\nIf the stock are cumulative, and the business does not declare a dividend for two years, then the cumulative preferred stockholders would retain the right to the receive those dividends before the common stockholders receive a dividend.\n\nThe dividend passed is 2 (years) x 1,000 x 7% x 100 = 14,000. The dividend for the current year if declared will be a further 1,000 x 7% x 100 = 7,000, giving a total preferred dividend to pay of 21,000, before the common or preferred stockholders can receive a dividend.\n\nParticipating Preferred Stock\n\nParticipating preferred stock gives stockholders the right to participate in additional dividends in addition to the preference dividend. This is particularly relevant in the liquidation of a business.\n\nSuppose a business is liquidated, if the preferred stock are non-participating, then they simply receive their original investment (in this case 105,000) and any preferred stock dividends outstanding. However, if the stock is participating then in addition to the above, the stockholder would receive a share of the remaining proceeds of the liquidation.\n\nSuppose for example the liquidation proceeds were 500,000 and the participating preferred equity stock represented 5% of the outstanding share capital. The amount the participating preferred stockholders receive is calculated as follows:\n\nOriginal investment = 1,000 x 105 = 105,000\nCurrent year preferred dividend = 1,000 x 7% x 100 = 7,000\nRemaining proceeds = 500,000 - 105,000 - 7,000 = 388,000\nAdditional dividend = 388,000 x 5% = 19,400\n\nConvertible Preferred Stock\n\nConvertible preferred stock gives the stockholder the right to convert the preferred shares into shares in the common stock of the business at a fixed conversion ratio. The conversion ratio is the number of shares in common stock that the investor receives in return for each share in the convertible preferred stock.\n\nCommon shares = Conversion ratio x Preferred shares\n\nConvertible preference shares give the stockholder the benefit of being able to participate in the growth of the business (by converting) if the common stock is doing well, but to retain their preference dividend (by not converting) if the common stock is not performing.\n\nSuppose for example, an investor owns 7% convertible preferred stock with a par value of 100 and a conversion ratio of 6.25. With this conversion ratio, the investor could receive 6.25 shares in common stock in return for each share of convertible preferred equity stock. The investor now has a choice to make depending on the current prices of the preferred and common stocks.\n\nUsing the 6.25 ratio our 1,000 preferred equity stock are replaced with 6,250 shares of common stock. If the common stock has say a par value of 10, then the par value of the common stock issued is 6,250 x 10 = 62,500, and the premium (APIC) on issue is 105,000 – 62,500 = 42,500.\n\nThe journal entry to post the conversion would be as follows:\n\nConversion of preferred shares\nAccount Debit Credit\nPreferred stock 100,000\nAPIC – Preferred stock 5,000\nCommon stock 62,500\nAPIC – Common stock 42,500\nTotal 105,000 105,000\n\nCallable Preferred Stock\n\nCallable preferred stock gives the business the right to buy back (call) and cancel the preferred equity at some future date. To compensate the stockholder for this provision, the call price paid by the business is normally higher than the price the preferred stock was issued for.\n\nAs an example, assume as before the business has issued the 1,000 7% preferred equity stock with a par value of 100 and an issue price of 105, but this time the stock is callable at 108.\n\nThe cost in cash to the business of exercising the call is 1,000 x 108 = 108,000. The difference between this price (108) and the issue price (105) is 3 per share and the total of 1,000 x 3 = 3,000 is debited as a cost, to the retained earnings account.\n\nThe journal to post the buy back of the preferred shares is as follows:\n\nCallable preferred shares\nAccount Debit Credit\nPreferred stock 100,000\nAPIC – Preferred stock 5,000\nRetained earnings 3,000\nCash 108,000\nTotal 108,000 108,000\n\nRedeemable Preferred Equity Stock\n\nRedeemable preferred stock means that the business has to buy back (redeem) the stock at some future date. The redemption might be at the discretion of the stockholder or can sometimes be mandatory. Since the business can be forced to redeem the preferred equity stock it is usually considered to be more a form of debt than equity.\n\nThe journal entry to post the redemption of the preferred stock is similar to that shown above for callable prefered stock.\n\nPreferred Stock Equity June 15th, 2017Team\n\nYou May Also Like\n\nRelated pages\n\ncontra receivabletie ratio calculatordifference between margin and markup calculationledger example accountingdishonored billbad debts allowance methoddiscount allowed income statementapr to ear formulabookkeeper dictionarytwo column cash bookeom payment termscalculate bonds payabledso calculation examplemarkup on cost vs markup on selling pricecalculate average accounts receivablehow to calculate allowance for bad debtdouble entry for debit notefixed overhead capacity varianceadjusted trial balance worksheetjournal entry for cash received in advancepresent value calculator annuityformula of inventory turnoverformat of bank reconciliation statementformula for continuous compoundingworksheet template exceltwo categories of adjusting entrieshow to calculate allowance for bad debtcommon stock distributablebank gearing ratiofuture value of bond calculatorbond premium amortization calculatorexamples of accrued expensea problem with the monetary unit assumption is thatuncollectible accounts expense formulacost of goods sold journal entrywhat is imprest fundinventory chart templatefreehold entriesannuity present valuefinancial accounting ratios formulasimpairment loss journal entryaccrued taxes payableaccumulated depreciation entrybudgeted fixed overheadgrowing annuity definitionconsignee accountformula for total fixed costin process cost accounting manufacturing costs are summarized on afinding payback periodamortizing bondscos cost of salesexcess and obsolete inventory reservedefine daybookcalculating rocehow to find the profitability indexcalculation of profitability indexprepaid expense examplesmulti step income statement formatexample of factory overheadannuity due formulacontribution margin and gross margincompound interest formula continuouswhat is an annuity duefuture value interest factor of annuityformula of annuitysingle step income statement formatdays in accounts receivable formulabalance sheet versus income statementwhat are consumable goodscash book reconciliation templatenpv factor table", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9938285946846008}
{"content": "Suicide Squad (2016) BluRay 720p\n\nCC IMDb 6.4 Genre:\n\n\nInside Out (2015) BluRay 1080p\n\nCC IMDb 8.2 Genre:\n\n\nTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) 1080p\n\nCC IMDb 5.9 Genre:\n\n\nDespicable Me 2 (2013) BluRay 1080p\n\nCC IMDb 7.5 Genre:\n\n40,050,400 views A secret laboratory near the Arctic Circle is stolen by a mysterious vehicle using a giant magnet. The Anti-Villain League (AVL) recruits former super-villain Gru...\n\nTangled (2010) BluRay 1080p\n\nCC IMDb 7.8 Genre:\n\n\nMonsters University (2013) BluRay 720p\n\nCC IMDb 7.3 Genre:\n\n\n2 Guns (2013) BluRay 720p\n\nCC IMDb 6.7 Genre:\n\n\nThis Is the End (2013) BluRay 720p\n\nCC IMDb 6.7 Genre:\n\n\nTurbo (2013) BluRay 720p\n\nCC IMDb 6.5 Genre:\n\n8,152,870 views All his life, Theo the garden snail has lived a slow lane life with dreams of speed at the Indy 500. Suddenly, a freak mishap gives him the ability to move at superspeed, which puts Theo and his brother at a failing strip mall. They are discovered by Tito, a goofy fast food worker, and his crew of racing snails, and a wild idea is born for Theo to race with his heroes in Indianapolis. Now, this gang of misfits are traveling to that city to dare pursue the impossible dream, which will require all of Theo's speed as Turbo to have any shot at achieving.\n\nGrown Ups (2010) BRRip 720p\n\nCC IMDb 6.0 Genre:\n\n6,926,370 views In 1978, five friends win their junior high basketball championship. During the celebration, their coach \"Buzzer\" (Blake Clark) encourages them to live their lives in a similar way to how they played the game. 30 years later...\n\n1 2 >", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8822986483573914}
{"content": "How Bridget Scarr Uses Creativity to Accelerate Growth in her Firms\n\nBridget Scarr is a seasoned creative director who develops and produces engaging, thought provoking, uplifting and inspirational content with an edge that encourages the mind and stirs the soul like a cup of hot cocoa.\n\n\nHer love for creative arts saw her study Drama, majoring in Design and Dance Choreography. Upon joining the film industry, she pursued her career in television and film eventually slipping into the role of a production assistant.\n\n\nThe role nurtured her creative mindset and her good people skills enabled her to gain perspective of the creative world, resulting in great growth and visible success in the business.\n\n\nWith over 15 years production experience, Bridget has been able to take the entertainment, media and technology group on a path of growth involving several co-productions with foreign producers.\n\n\nThe producers pooled their artistic, technical, creative and financial resources to co-produce some international projects that are extremely lucrative. Her projects resonate with larger audiences in both an intellectually and emotionally stimulating fashion.\n\n\nThrough her companies, Bridget produces award-winning content for various companies across advertising, digital media, brands, and broadcasters.\n\n\nBridget Scarr meditates to keep her creative spirit inspired and activated. The more creative she feels, the healthier and happier she becomes. With a focus to nurture her creativity, Bridget feels new ideas blossoming, sees new opportunities to feel more connected to the universe.\n\n\nBridget’s constantly urging creatives to take time out be it in nature, a little laughter, experimenting with creative activities, eating healthy, exercising. A well rested mind and body, inspire creativity.\n\n\nThe film industry has come a long way and one trend that excites Bridget is the Virtual Reality. She believes that virtual reality is so affecting given the interactivity and immersion, which combine together to create limitless possibilities. This creates memorable as well as exciting experiences for everyone, but most importantly for students and scholars.\n\n\nIn her spare time, Bridget also reads and she recommends Davidji’s Destressifying Guide to personal empowerment, peace of mind, and lasting fulfillment which teaches one to transform your understanding of stress and to use stress to grow yourself.\n\n\nThis incredibly talented yet humble soul believes in the profound healing and restoration powers of meditation. Bridget argues that meditation helps us to conjure up the vital energy need to overcome the obstacles we face daily. The ancient healing practice is what helps Bridget stay 100% focused while making her bring her production work to life.\n\nTo learn more, visit", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9151636958122253}
{"content": "Interactive 3d computer graphics, Computer Graphics\n\nDescribe interactive model of computer graphics and application areas of interactive computer graphics.                                                                                                                                                      \n\nInteractive 3D Computer Graphics  \n\n Computer graphics includes the process and outcomes associated with using computer technology to convert created of collected data into visual representations. The computer graphics field is motivated by the general need for interactive graphical user interfaces that support mouse windows and widget functions. Other sources of inspiration include digital media technologies, scientific visualization, virtual reality, arts and entertainment. Computer graphics encompasses scientific, art, and engineering function. Mathematical relationships of Geometry define many of the components in a particular computer graphics scene or composition. Physics fundamentals are the basis for lighting a scene. The layout, color, texture and harmony of a particular composition are established with Art and Perception principles. Computer graphics hardware and software are rooted in the engineering fields. The successful integration of these concepts allows for the effective implementation of interactive and thee- dimensional computer graphics. Interactive 3D graphics provides the capability to produce moving pictures of animation. This is especially helpful whine exploring time varying phenomena such as weather changes in the atmosphere, the deflection of an airplane wing in flight, of telecommunications usage patterns. Interaction provides individual users the ability to control parameters like the speed of animations and the geometric relationship between the objects in a scene to one another.\n\nThe Building Blocks of Interactive 3D Computer Graphics   \n\nPrimitives:  primitives are the basic geometrical shapes used to construct computer graphics scenes and the resulting final images. Each primitive has attributes like size, color, line and width. For two dimensions, examples of primitives include: a line, circle, ellipse, arc, text, plotline, polygon, and spine. For 3D space, examples of primitives include a cylinder, sphere, cube and cone. 3D viewing is complicated by the fact that computer display devices are only 2D. \n\nConceptual frame work for interactive graphics  At the hardware level a computer receives input from interactive devices and output images to a display device. The software has three components.\n\nApplication program: It is used to create, stores and retrieves from second component.  \n\nApplication model  Computer graphics may be used in the following areas: Computational biology, Computational physic , Computer-aided design, Computer simulation, Digital art, Education, Graphic design, Info graphics, Information visualization, Rational drug design, Scientific visualization, Video Games, Virtual reality, Web design. \n\nPosted Date: 7/1/2012 6:20:15 AM | Location : United States\n\nRelated Discussions:- Interactive 3d computer graphics, Assignment Help, Ask Question on Interactive 3d computer graphics, Get Answer, Expert's Help, Interactive 3d computer graphics Discussions\n\nWrite discussion on Interactive 3d computer graphics\nYour posts are moderated\nRelated Questions\nRemark for the Bresenham Line Generation Algorithm Remark: The algorithm will be properly the same if we suppose | m | Algorithm | m | (a) Input two line endi\n\nWhat is scan line algorithm?  One way to fill the polygon is to apply the inside test. I.e. to check whether the pixel is inside the polygon or outside the polygon and then hig\n\nConstant intensity shading OR Flat shading  In this technique particular intensity is calculated for each polygon surface that is all points that lie upon the surface of the\n\nPolygonal Meshes - Clipping and 3D Primitives Apart from polygonal surfaces, polygonal meshes are also used extensively in 3D geometric modelling.A mesh is essentially a polyg\n\nWhat is uniform rational splines\n\nTraditional Animation Techniques - Computer Animation Before the advent of computer animation, each animation was done via hand that involves an enormous amount of work. You\n\nHow to implement z-buffer algorithm using C programming\n\nWhat is  Raster Scan Display A raster scan display device using CRT on the other hand directs the electron beam across the screen, one row at a time from top to bottom. In a ra\n\nAnalog Sound vs. Digital Sound Sound engineers have been debating the respective merits of digital and analog sound reproduction ever if the form of digital sound recordings.\n\ncrt is an analog or digital device", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6215910911560059}
{"content": "The Dictionnaire de la mode au XXe siècle (Remaury 1996) indicates that the French word for fashion, which meant the collective manner of dressing, first appeared in 1482. Fashion is a collaborative tool to display one’s belonging to certain class, social group, culture or religious or political belief. Ted Polhemus (1987) mentioned that fashion is not the attire of any class group, but of those people who ‘fall between’ rather than within social groups. The fashionable are bound together only by a common language of arbitrary sign images which acquire meaning within the context of the overall structure of fashion system. Ross (1908) in his study discussed the contagions of collective behavior that results group action. Yuniya (2005) argued that Fashion is a concept that separates itself from other words which are often used as synonyms of fashion, such as clothing, garments and apparel. These words refer to tangible objects while fashion is an intangible object. In the book “Fashion & Antifashion- an anthropology of Clothing and adornment” Ted Polhemus and Lynn Procter stated that just as adornment allows us to assert ourselves as individuals, it also allows us to identify ourselves as part of a social collective…dress and adornment may communicate ‘I’m one of us’ (Ted Polhemus & Lynn Procter, 1978).\n\nAccording to Yuniya Kawamura (2005) Clothing production and fashion production are both collective activities which require large numbers of people to produce the finished product. While clothing production manufactures items of garments, fashion production perpetuates the belief in fashion. Therefore, the processes and institutions that they go through are separate. Clothing production involves the actual manufacturing process of material clothing. On the other hand, fashion production involves those who help construct the idea of fashion. Furthermore, treating fashion as a collective product is a broader task which refers to aspects of cultural production which do feature in the immediate making of the work. Although fashion is not about clothing, without it, fashion cannot exist. They are not mutually inclusive nor are they mutually exclusive. Roach-Higgins noted that awareness of change by members of a collective is a requisite for fashion (1985:394). Their collective recognition, acceptance and use of a particular form of dress, which they eventually replace with another form, makes it a fashion. Fashion is a social regulating system in its own right and differs from other regulating system (such as those of habit, custom, convention, morality, and the law) only in degree, not in essence (Roch-Higgins and Eicher 1973:31-2). Yuniya explained that non-Western ethnographical case studies of the way people dress often use term ‘dress’, ‘cultural/ethnic dress’ or ‘costume’, rather than ‘fashion’ because fashion is not only about change, but an institutionalized, systematic change produced by those who are authorized to implement it. That kind of fashion system is found, at least for now, only in the West. The French fashion system consists of different organizations with a hierarchy among those who design cloths: Haute Couture, Pret-a-Porter for women and Pret-a-Porter for men. The more exclusive the inclusion becomes, the more valuable the membership it. The French fashion trade organization plays a pivotal role within this system and has been instrumental in creating institutions that control the mobilization process of fashion professionals and organize fashion events and activities in Paris. Bourdieu (1984) argues that the designers need to earn “symbolic capital” for their products for those consumers who wish to share that capital to differentiate themselves from those with whom they do not wish to identify.\n\nIn the above discussion, though it is clear that fashion is a social phenomenon and it is a tool for social conformity, but explains that the prevalent process of producing fashion is controlled by the institutions and the authorities or certain segment of the society involved in fashion business. In the whole process of fashion production, the consumers (the users of fashion products) are not actually “involved” in ideation, value addition or designing the product but for mare consumption of the end product/ dress/ clothing or for post-consumption evaluation (to analyze their post-decision behavior to ensure repeat purchase).", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9926960468292236}
{"content": "The Unz Review - Mobile\nShow by  \nEmail This Page to Someone\n\n Remember My Information\n\n BlogAnatoly Karlin Archive\n\nSources: 1, 2, 3, 4 Sometime in the 1990s, a critical mass of the American cognitive elite - that part of it which controls the bullhorns, anyway - must have decided that gay marriage was great. Now those people are usually well-spoken and articulate, with very high verbal IQs, while their opponents... tend to leave... Read More\nWesterners have semi-legitimate reasons to like Lenin. Hard-headed proponents of Realpolitik and plain old vanilla Russophobes might appreciate his role in crippling Russia relative to what it could have been in the 20th century (i.e. a full-spectrum challenger to the American order, instead of Upper Volta with missiles). The increasing popular strains of SJW leftism... Read More\nRegular readers will know I live in the prole area of Moscow. As it turns out, my flat is ghetto as fuck. Drug overdose a few months ago. A murder a couple of days ago. 14/88 graffiti on the walls. Meanwhile, on the same day, the Higher School of Economics - Russia's top economics institution,... Read More\nLiberal electoral victories in Moscow compared to the prevalence of those ultimate SWPL status symbols, bike sharing stations... ... the upscale organic food store Azbuka Vkusa... ... and concentrations of nomenklatura housing as of 1989. At first glance, one of these is not like the others. But that's not all that surprising. Dig into the... Read More\nSteve Sailer recently pointed out that millennials are a lot shier about nudity than their parents and grandparents. There are plenty of cultural explanations - less exposure to the military, more spacious accomodations, millennial whininess, etc. - but I get the impression that, as with Chinese underperformance in football, the inventor of HBD might have... Read More\nIs summarized below for each state (source) - and it shows some very interesting patterns. The average life expectancy of Asian-Americans (86.5 years) is 4 years higher than in Japan - the longest-lived big East Asian country. Taiwan and South Korea are at around 80; Hong Kong is at 83; Singapore is at 81. The... Read More\nA few months late, but worth posting anyway. The results are based on the latest \"wave\" of the World Values Survey, a very interesting project that tracks sociological data across countries - and which I will likely post more about in the future. Interesting observations: (1) The West in general is the world's least \"racist\"*... Read More\nHere it is. Or just skip the graphics and download the data in Excel here. I can't say I care much about most of it. Of course most people everything think corruption is \"increasing,\" because they are a grumpy lot. What does matter is the number of people who report paying a bribe in the... Read More\nRussia is to spend 1.5 billion rubles building \"Centers of Tolerance\" to improve inter-ethnic relations in the next few years. Is this a good use of resources? Pyotr Kozlov examines the issue. The Ministry of Regional Development plans to start constructing Centers of Tolerance all across Russia from 2014, where anyone can go to learn... Read More\nAs Russia develops a Migration Code to deal with recent influxes, one police official testifies that 47% of crimes in Moscow are committed by foreigners. 47% of crimes in Moscow are carried out by foreigners, according to the latest statistics. This was announced by at a meeting of a Duma working group by the deputy... Read More\nThe Russian Spectrum presents the results of Levada, FOM, and VCIOM polls over the past dozen years showing the rapid digitization of Russian society. The three questions used were all similar: \"Do you use the Internet, and if so how frequently?\" Also in the latest Levada poll: \"Do you use the Internet, and if so... Read More\nWriting in Novaya Gazeta, Andrei Vladimirovich Kolesnikov argues that the branding of the opinion pollster Levada Center as a \"foreign agent\" marks Russia's return to the bad old days of Lysenkoism. Levada Center is being destroyed with Stalinist methods. Sociological data is dope for the present-day vlast. She looks at sociological reports just like a... Read More\nMore than 20 years after the fall of the USSR, Russia - and the other republics, too - remain deeply averse to the public expression of homosexuality. The Russian Spectrum makes available the results of two Levada polls, from March and May of this year, in an attempt to quantify this \"homophobia\" over the years.... Read More\nAnalogizing to the Pussy Riot affair, journalist Oleg Kashin argues that the grisly murder of a gay man in Volgograd may soon shame - or rather, frighten - the Kremlin into dropping its gay-baiting campaign. This question is either for the intellect, or for general erudition: How many beer bottles can fit into the rectum... Read More\nRussians don't trust their friends much. But they trust strangers and the state even less, so personal relations predominate in the economy at the expense of clubs, communities, and institutions. Sociologist Pavel Stepantsov paints a bleak picture of Russian society for Vedomosti. Many of the games we play, and that are studied by sociologists, are... Read More\n\"The Otherness of Self\" by Xin Liu, published in 2002. Rating: 1/5. I don’t want to sound overly demanding, but really, unless a writer is the next Kant or Heidegger, he owes it to his readers to make his prose at least minimally engaging. With this book on too many occasions I was under the... Read More\nChinese Characteristics by Arthur Henderson Smith, published in 1894. It is available free here. Rating: 5/5. In rich and evocative prose reminiscent of De Tocqueville's writings on America, Arthur H. Smith lays out what he sees as the core features of the Chinese character and his values. The tone is bold and fearless, making sweeping... Read More\nMy latest for VoR and on Russia's recent Foreign Policy Concept: The new foreign-policy concept is a long-overdue adjustment to international realities. There can be no meaningful \"strategic partnership\" between Russia and the US or indeed Russia and the West in general, when their respective core values have diverged from each other so much.... Read More\nIn one of the recent posts on corruption, commentator AP wrote: Is this true? Seeing as how the Russian state doesn't release Unified State Exam (USE) results by region, probably due to PC considerations, at first this assertion might appear to be unanswerable. However, there is a way to get round the problem. (1) We... Read More\nIt's not just the gopniks who are withering away; so are racist skinheads. According to the SOVA Center - an NGO which is about as anti-Kremlin as it gets, so no point in speculating that it cooks the figures for PR purposes - racist attacks in Russia have plummeted from their peak levels in 2007-2008,... Read More\nI knew that gays had a maybe five or even ten times higher chance of getting AIDS and other STD's than heterosexuals. I didn't know the differential was actually more like 50. Something like 20% of the US gay population (which makes up 3.5% of its total population) is HIV positive. It is 5% in... Read More\nContinuing from my previous post (which focused mostly on trends), this one focuses exclusively on international comparisons as per the results of Transparency International's Global Corruption Barometer survey of 2010-11. The graphs represent affirmative answers to the question of whether the respondent had paid a bribe in the past 12 months to each of 9... Read More\nMy latest for the Expert Discussion Panel. Also as usual it appears at Voice of Russia. The version printed here is a slightly longer one: There are already a lot of opinions on the topic of Russian corruption, and I see no pressing need to add more to that morass. I do however think... Read More\nIn an interview with Dmitry Nadezhdin, Russia's chief police officer says that he, as a citizen - if not as a government Minister - supports the return of the death penalty for the worst crimes. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov says that it ain't happening. The Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev gave an interview to NTV, in... Read More\nA new Levada poll indicates that after a brief infatuation with markets and \"Western-style democracy\" in the early 1990s, Russians more or less consistently consider the Soviet system to be the best one out there. Which of these political systems do you think is best: The Soviet system (the one we had until the 1990's),... Read More\nYuri Matsarsky meets up with Egyptian Christians who fled to Russia from the persecution of Islamist extremists. \"Late one evening I was walking home after a meeting with friends, when I stopped to have a cigarette at the Domodedovskaya metro station and saw a crowd of people with small children at the entrance. By their... Read More\nI had great fun observing the fallout over Depardieu's \"defection\" to Russia. The reason for the apostrophes is of course because it had nothing to do with it. It was Depardieu trolling Hollande and the French \"Socialists\", and Putin trolling Westerners and his own homegrown \"democratic journalists.\" (Or maybe not? In any case, I for... Read More\nIn her weekly column for Novaya Gazeta, Russian journalist and writer Yulia Latynina compares the civic-mindedness of American and Russian oligarchs - and not to Russia's favor. John Hopkins (1795-1873) - one of the richest men of the 19th century, trader and joint owner of railways - founded John Hopkins University (16th in the university... Read More\nIn the wake of Gérard Depardieu's scandalous \"defection\" to Russia to escape high French income taxes, liberal Russian journalist Gleb Razdolnov yearns to know what the hell he was thinking. Dear Gérard! You've taken the decision to abandon your homeland, France. We will not talk of the reasons that prompted you to take this step.... Read More\n1. For Russian orphans life is much more dangerous in Russia than in America. Let's agree to disregard the hidden subtext which implies that any country ought to give over its orphans to foreign nationals should it be ranked safer for children. Let's first examine if the claim that Russia is 39 times more dangerous... Read More\nAt least if you take Michael Bohm's arguments in his latest Moscow Times missive on how Russia Is Turning Into Iran to its logical conclusion. Look, I'm not a fan of blasphemy laws. The First Amendment is a wonderful thing and something that makes the US truly great... even exceptional, to an extent. Although it... Read More\nNatalia Zubarevich's concept of \"The Four Russias\" is one of the most reasoned and perceptive political analysis from the liberals, and as such I think it important enough to translate it (mostly I disagree with its core assumptions and conclusions though I do think it is a useful way of envisioning Russian politics). As such... Read More\nOne of the most common arguments made to explain why Russians don't finally overthrow the evil Putin in a bloody bunt is that they are brainwashed by the regime's TV propaganda stations. This isn't actually very accurate at all. Russian TV isn't any more propagandistic than in the West, and on some issues, less so;... Read More\nThere's tons of criticism that Russia no longer has a \"national idea.\" The sentiment comes from almost everyone: Nationalists, liberasts, Communists, foreign critics, Russian \"experts\" with far too much time on their hands, and even some otherwise astute observers. I don't disagree with the thesis, but do ask: Why is that such a bad thing?... Read More\nA PR disaster: Five views on Pussy Riot's war. Go, read. Comment there if possible. Just a couple more notes: Since I submitted the article, commentator peter made one of the most convincing arguments against the validity of the sentence against Pussy Riot. I suppose this will be raised in PR's appeal. Just to clarify,... Read More\nmls13 writes: That is actually a very intriguing question. I suppose there's a reason Matryoshka dolls weren't invented in Italy!\nJust to hammer down the myth of Russian impoverishment one more time (with the help of graphs from Sergey Zhuravlev's blog)... In the past few years, in terms of basic necessities (food, clothing, housing) Russia has basically (re)converged to where the Soviet Union left off. Here is a graph of food consumption via Zhuravlev. At... Read More\nAnatoly Karlin\nAbout Anatoly Karlin\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8855333924293518}
{"content": "The Mutational Consequences of Plant Transformation\n\nPublication type:\n\n7 pages\n\n\nPlant transformation is a genetic engineering tool for introducing transgenes into plant genomes. It is now being used for the breeding of commercial crops. A central feature of transformation is insertion of the transgene into plant chromosomal DNA. Transgene insertion is infrequently, if ever, a precise event. Mutations found at transgene insertion sites include deletions and rearrangements of host chromosomal DNA and introduction of superfluous DNA. Insertion sites introduced using Agrobacterium tumefaciens tend to have simpler structures but can be associated with extensive chromosomal rearrangements, while those of particle bombardment appear invariably to be associated with deletion and extensive scrambling of inserted and chromosomal DNA. Ancillary procedures associated with plant transformation, including tissue culture and infection with A. tumefaciens, can also introduce mutations. These genome-wide mutations can number from hundreds to many thousands per diploid genome. Despite the fact that confidence in the safety and dependability of crop species rests significantly on their genetic integrity, the frequency of transformation-induced mutations and their importance as potential biosafety hazards are poorly understood.\n\nJanuary, 2006\nby JR Latham, AK Wilson and RA Steinbrecher", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8159657120704651}
{"content": "It’s ok to just say “no”. In fact, it’s better!\n\nLeadership Education, Uncategorized\n\nRecently, my cohort was asked to think about whether “leadership comes from saying the words ‘yes’ or ‘no’.” After first reading the prompt, I honestly didn’t even get what the question was asking, hence why it has taken me a whole week to even write this post.\n\nI let this question sit in my head for days as I tried applying it to my life and to the leadership positions I have been in. How many times have I said no? Has it helped me become a better leader? What about famous people? What famous leaders said “no”? \n\nBOOM. That was when it hit me. Leadership comes from saying “no!”\n\nMany of our nations greatest leaders were the ones who refused to conform to what the world was telling them. One of the greatest leaders who comes to my mind is Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks did not let anyone tell her what to do because she was a colored woman thus leading to her title as “the first lady of civil rights”. Her will to say no led her to become an amazing leader of her time.\n\nSometimes, especially for me, saying no sounds so mean and sometimes I shy out of saying no because I don’t want people to dislike me. And that is what we call a people pleaser. Dr Caren Aviv says “people pleasing is looking externally for affirmation, acceptance, and approval, rather than looking inwards”.I’m over living like that. How am I supposed to grow as a leader when I just conform to what everyone else says. As a leader, it is my job to stick up for what I am passionate about and say no to the things that I do not support. Saying no leads you to push yourself to become stronger and more independent in what you believe in.\n\n\nSo from here, I invite you to look back on your life and how many times you let the word “no” stop you from sticking up for your passions and how many times you let the word “no” empower you and help you grow. Because when you start saying “no” to more things, I promise some serious growth will come out of it.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.659419059753418}
{"content": "Gun ownership and uncontrollable anger go hand in hand, new study concludes\n\nThe more guns you own the more likely you are to be subject to angry outbursts that you cannot control, a new study concludes. (The Associated Press)\n\n\nThis conclusion about Americans and their guns comes from a study published this week in the journal Behavioral Sciences. Researchers found that some 9 percent of people in the United States have both guns and significant anger issues.\n\n\"The new research also indicates that the 310 million firearms estimated to be in private hands in the United States are disproportionately owned by people who are prone to angry, impulsive behavior and have a potentially dangerous habit of keeping their guns close at hand,\" the Los Angeles Times reports. \"That's because people owning six or more guns were more likely to fall into both of these categories than people who owned a single gun.\"\n\nThe study, by psychology researchers from Duke, Harvard and other universities, states that \"a large number of individuals in the United States self-report patterns of impulsive angry behavior and also possess firearms at home (8.9%) or carry guns outside the home (1.5%).\"\n\nThe study's findings are drawn from in-depth interviews with 5,563 Americans over the past decade. The key conclusion is that public policymakers' focus on keeping guns from those with diagnosed mental illness does little to reduce the risks posed by the high level of private gun ownership in the United States.\n\n\"Gun violence and serious mental illness are two very important but distinct public health issues that intersect only at their edges,\" study author and Duke University psychiatry professor Jeffrey Swanson told the Times.\n\nWhat should be done, then? Here the researchers acknowledge there are no easy political answers. The National Rifle Association has vigorously opposed new restrictions on gun ownership that were proposed in the wake of recent mass school shootings, citing \"the right to bear arms\" protection in the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment.\n\n\"Because only a small proportion of persons with this risky combination (of gun ownership and angry, impulsive behavior) have ever been involuntarily hospitalized for a mental health problem, most will not be subject to existing mental health-related legal restrictions on firearms resulting from a history of involuntary commitment,\" the study says. \"Excluding a large proportion of the general population from gun possession is also not likely to be feasible. Behavioral risk-based approaches to firearms restriction, such as expanding the definition of gun-prohibited persons to include those with violent misdemeanor convictions and multiple DUI convictions, could be a more effective public health policy to prevent gun violence in the population.\"\n\nEarlier this year, the American Bar Association, the American Public Health Association and various professional medical associations jointly declared that gun violence in the U.S. is a \"public health crisis\" that needed to be addressed \"free of political influence.\" The group is seeking new gun-access restrictions that \"maximize safety while being consistent with the 2nd Amendment.\"\n\n-- Douglas Perry", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6616712808609009}
{"content": "4 Ways Blended Families Can Survive The Holidays\n\nSelf, Family\n\nNew Relationship or Blended Family? Navigate the Challenges of Blending Traditions this Holiday Year\n\nHolidays are typically our favorite time of year when we get time off, extra holiday pay and time spent with close family. This could be a very special time of year but very stressful as well.\n\nIf you're in a new relationship or you've recently married, you may be experiencing your first holiday with your new family. This can create conflict if your family traditions or rituals conflict with that of your new mate's family, especially if it involves blended families with children.\n\nPerhaps one of you is Christian and the other is Jewish; maybe one of you wants a tree but the other is against it. Maybe neither of you practice regularly but you know upholding holiday traditions are very important to your parents and in-laws.\n\nThis can create friction if your new in-laws feel that their traditions will be compromised as a result of your union. While blending new families could be stressful at holidays, it can also present opportunities to learn about other cultural traditions and rituals. It's also a chance for you to start your own traditions.\n\nThe truth is you can survive holidays with different cultures, beliefs and traditions.\n\nHow do you do it? Here are a few helpful tips:\n\n1. Look for commonalities and differences. Each of you make a list of holidays that are most important to you and least important. This could be a chance for you to bond over your common love of Christmas or learn about a new tradition if they're different.\n\nIf one of you values Thanksgiving but isn't into Christmas, offer a trade off. One of you is responsible for the festivities of Thanksgiving while the other organizes Christmas. But you have to be willing to participate when the time comes.\n\n2. Learn something new. If you have different beliefs surrounding the same holiday: Make a list of rituals surrounding the holiday that are most important to you. If you and your partner are willing and able, try to participate in as many of each of the rituals from both of your lists as possible. If it's not possible, pick the top 1 or 2 rituals from each list and take turns celebrating them.\n\nThis can create a bonding experience through mutual respect and acceptance of each other's differing beliefs. It's also a chance to learn about a tradition or custom that you're not familiar with.\n\nYou do not necessarily have to share beliefs to participate in each other's traditions. This is what true acceptance and respect is all about.\n\n3. Handling family clashes. If you have in-laws that have very specific rituals for the holidays that perhaps you and your mate do not share but do not want to offend, try to lovingly participate, but be willing to pass as well.\n\nIf you have two different families that live in the same city that come from very different belief systems and you and your mate feel there's no way they could be in the same room together, take turns. Visit one family on Christmas Eve and the other on Christmas Day. The next year-switch! Draw their name out of a hat if you must in order to decide fairly. This can also work if families are out of the area.\n\nThere's also no rule that says you have to go to your parents or in-laws for Christmas. If you don't like their traditions, start your own by having everyone over to your house and let them know that while all beliefs and traditions may not be practiced, they are honored and respected in your home. If there are ex-spouses involved and children are splitting time around the holidays, allow them to continue traditions they enjoyed prior to the split. This can help them feel valued and have a sense of continuity amongst so many new changes.\n\n4. Be willing to create your own holiday traditions. Starting a new relationship or family is an exciting time. While it could be stressful, it doesn't have to be. Even if you're starting over and it's just you and your new mate for the holiday, this could be a time where you each pick a holiday tradition you wish to continue, and add to it by starting a new tradition of your own.\n\nThis can range from a new holiday breakfast meal where everyone cooks their favorite breakfast dish, or building a snowman as a family. Maybe it involves packing the children in the car with hot chocolate and loading up Christmas tunes as you cruise through the neighborhoods looking at holiday light displays.\n\nStarting a new tradition could be especially important if your new marriage brings together children from previous marriages. It is a way to bond and strengthen the union among new family members. And you never know which one of these new traditions will become a holiday favorite your children will want to pass on!\n\nHolidays could be stressful as well as exciting. While combing families and traditions from differing beliefs may seem impossible, it can create an opportunity to bond and share mutual respect. Holidays don't always have to involve repeating old traditions but can also include starting new ones.\n\nHappy Holidays!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7528538703918457}
{"content": "It is vital to know you HISTORY because within your HISTORY lies some SECRETS TO YOUR FUTURE!!!\n\n\n\n\nmaxresdefault (3)\nNamed after Pope Gregory\n\n\nThrough the JULIAN CALENDAR (named after Pope Julian)\n\nmaxresdefault (4)russian-orthodox-christmas-8-638 (1)\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe GREGORIAN CALENDAR is internationally the most widely used CIVIL CALENDAR It is named after Pope Gregory XIII, who introduced it in October 1582.\n\nThe CALENDAR was a refinement to the JULIAN CALENDAR involving a 0.002% correction in the LENGTH of the year. The motivation for the reform was to stop the drift of the CALENDAR with respect to the EQUINOXES and SOLSTICES—particularly the NORTHERN VERNAL EQUINOX, which helps SET THE DATE FOR EASTER. Transition to the GREGORIAN CALENDAR would RESTORE the HOLIDAY to the time of the year in which it was celebrated when introduced by the EARLY CHURCH. The REFORM was adopted initially by the CATHOLIC COUNTRIES OF EUROPE. PROTESTANTS AND EASTERN ORTHODOX COUNTRIES continued to use the TRADITIONAL JULIAN CALENDAR and ADOPTED the GREGORIAN REFORM after a time, at least for CIVIL PURPOSES and for the sake ofCOVENIENCE IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE. The last European country to adopt the reform was Greece, in 1923. Many (but not all) countries that have traditionally used the Islamic and other religious calendars have come to adopt this CALENDAR for CIVIL PURPOSES.\n\n\n\n6 Things You May Not Know About the Gregorian Calendar\n\nSEPTEMBER 13, 2012 \n\nIf you were living in England or one of the American colonies 260 years ago, this date—September 13, 1752—didn’t exist. Neither did the 10 days preceding it. Instead, you would have gone to bed on the evening of September 2 and woken up on the morning of September 14. Eleven days had been effectively skipped over as part of the parliamentary measure that implemented the Gregorian calendar, aligning Britain and its overseas possessions with the rest of Western Europe. In most of the world today, people continue to track their days, months and years using the centuries-old system, so chances are you’re intimately familiar with its workings. Still, there are a few things about the Gregorian calendar that might come as a surprise.\n\n\n\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9845155477523804}
{"content": "Financial ratio analysis for a bank\n\nA bank's tier 1 capital ratio takes a bank's equity capital and long used in fundamental analysis across a of a bank's financial statements can help. Business builder 6 how to analyze your • the purpose of financial ratio analysis 4 bank loan officers and knowledgeable business owners all use financial. This analysis shows a brief overview of nib bank pakistan. What are good ratios to receive approval for a commercial knowing a business' financial ratios any ratio more than 1 is considered a good risk for a bank.\n\nTop 5 financial ratios: banks banks are peculiar beasts if most companies financial statements are from mars, banks are from venus items like inventory and. Here are the calculations you should do to conduct a proper financial analysis of the federal reserve bank of maintaining key financial ratios and data. Ratio analysis (banking financial statements) download ratio analysis (banking financial statements) uploaded by fahad khan ratio analysis of habib bank. Key financial ratios for bank of america corporation (bac) - view income statements, balance sheet, cash flow, and key financial ratios for bank of america.\n\nIslam, md aminul an analysis of the financial performance of national bank limited using financial ratio journal of behavioural economics, finance. Discover how you can use and calculate financial ratios to evaluate the performance of your business and identify ratio calculators bdc viewpoints. See bank of america corporation's 10 year historical growth, profitability, financial, efficiency, and cash flow ratios.\n\nAnalyzing your financial ratios when performing a ratio analysis of financial statements, it is often helpful to adjust the figures to common-size numbers.\n\nFinancial ratio analysis for a bank\n\nfinancial ratio analysis for a bank\n\nThe objective of the study is to estimate important financial ratios of major commercial banks in oman and banks, financial ratios ratio analysis and. But before we get too far into the world of credit analysis, we have a handy financial credit analysis ratios credit analysis banks want. Key financial ratios to analyze retail banks ratio the analysis of banks and banking stocks the financial statements of banks are typically much.\n\nFinancial analysis of banks 1 a one of the most frequently used tools of financial ratio analysis is profitability ratios which are used to determine the. Which financial ratios are used to determine if a company qualifies for a loan things for a bank to consider before lending money to a business. Analysing financials statements of banks analysing financial statements page 2 for financial ratio analysis to be meaningful, it must be done within a broad. Fundamentals of bank financial statement analysis understand the components of bank financial statements and key ratios used in bank analysis. Financial ratios for the commercial banking ratios for the commercial banking industry: specific financial ratios bank financial ratio analysis arose in. Performance parameters are used such as financial ratios analysis which is used to measure erbil bank h2: financial analysis helps make financial performance.\n\nFinancial ratio analysis financial ratio analysis involves the calculation and comparison of ratios which are derived from the information given in the company's. Guide to financial ratios analysis risk-free investment such as a bank savings account, the owner may be wiser to sell the company. Bank of america has a current ratio (quarterly) of 1246 bank of america current ratio (quarterly) (bac) charts, historical data, comparisons and more.\n\nfinancial ratio analysis for a bank financial ratio analysis for a bank\nFinancial ratio analysis for a bank\nRated 3/5 based on 35 review", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.667544960975647}
{"content": "\n\nChapter 1 Urban Housefuls Census-takers, like historians, understood early American society in terms of households. The smallest building block of society was also the organizing principle of the population count. As they made their tallies, census-takers grouped residents together under a single name, called “head of family,” defined as the “master, mistress, steward, overseer or other principal person” in each household.1 The identity of that “principal person” might differ, but his powers, under law and by cultural agreement , were broad. The household, which included kin, servants, and slaves, was supposed to govern individual behavior, channel productive and reproductive energies, and serve as the foundation of the social and political order. It sustained itself through the collective contributions of its members, joined together in what scholars have called a “family economy.”2 Economic cooperation mirrored spatial cohabitation. What worked on a farm foundered on the demographic and social reality of the city, where households were smaller and more varied, and increasingly, home and workplace were not the same. These realities meant that the economic powers of the urban household head were restricted in practice, if not in law, because the household itself was porous and variable. In fact, some argue that it is better to think of urban households as “joint ventures” rather than centrally directed enterprises.3 Economic communication became more complex and economic cooperation more tenuous. If census-takers grouped individuals by kin ties and ownership, people in early port cities more often grouped themselves according to economic and social needs. When the census-taker for 1790 recorded Charleston shopkeeper Mary Kemmel, he described her as the head of a small household that included herself and two slaves. On another page, he noted Thomas Abernethie’s more substantial and conventional household as two adult white men, a boy, a white woman, and six slaves. He said nothing of the fact that Kemmel’s household and Abernethie’s household in fact shared the same location, 42 Queen Street, where they crowded together along with baker John Smith and his free black servant .4 It was a common arrangement among the highly mobile residents 14 Chapter 1 of early port cities, and one that disrupted typical eighteenth-century conceptions of household authority and order. Even the idea of a family venture fails to capture this basic unit of urban life. What did the Kemmels, Abernethies, and Smiths know that the census-taker ignored? Family historians sometimes use the term “houseful ” to describe coresidence of households that might or might not be related by family ties.5 Such collectivities have existed in a range of settings , from rural Pennsylvania farms to densely urban London. Applied to the living and working conditions of Atlantic port residents, the term “houseful” shifts from useful descriptive to powerful analytical tool for understanding urban women’s lives. The houseful at 42 Queen Street, for example, challenges the notion of an urban “family economy” and raises questions about female economic activity in particular. Many homes contained multiple businesses; many residents rented rooms in one building and worked someplace else. Schoolmistresses, shopkeepers , and boardinghouse keepers shared living space with unrelated merchants and craftsmen. Mixed-race groups of free and enslaved people defied easy categorization into “families” as well. A significant number of black and white residents lived in households headed by women. All of these combinations had to find new models of economic self-support, and the age and gender hierarchies of the rural household loosened to accommodate them. The new entities were not lonely, failed households but rather distinct social and economic forms that pervaded urban life. Even Thomas Abernethie’s conventional, male-headed “household” was subsumed within a houseful. The houseful was the smallest knot in a web of economic ties that reached into the city, up and down the coast, and out to the larger Atlantic world. It organized space and constituted relationships marked by contention rather than obedience. It was forged from the most personal, local circumstances and yet also functioned as a pivotal actor in global commerce. Housefuls were not the only arrangements that combined economic and social functions, of course. Neighborhoods organized social networks that paid economic dividends. Extended kin bonds supplied business partners and sympathetic words. But the urban houseful provided women—who were more likely to raise children, launch small businesses, trade, and work close to home—an economic link to life in the city and beyond. Most studies of urban economic life have focused...\n\n\nBack To Top\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9245250225067139}
{"content": "Wanda on the dating game in living color\n\nAfter the success of The Last Boy Scout (1991), he decided to leave for more star roles in Hollywood films like Mo' Money, Major Payne and Blankman.\n\nPhantasmagoria was noted at the time of its release for its graphic gore, violence, and sexual content.Gameplay involves you controlling the main character in order to complete various tasks.You mainly view things from third person, with occasional first person view also at times.You try to find various items, some of which reveal important clues to what is really happening to you (Adrienne).Some of the clues are more subtle than others, and some items were much easier to find while others took multiple steps to discover and required the completion of a puzzle or various tasks to get the information related to it.\n\nThe storyline would not proceed (and thus your character could only go to some places or talk to certain people) until you completed certain tasks.You might need to find a specific item, talk to a specific person, or carry out a specific task in order for the gameplay to continue to the next \"chapter\" of the story.Some \"chapters\" in the game play were easier to figure out than others.Hints on what to do next in order to progress the game were available for certain things, but were very vague.Williams had long planned to design a horror game, but waited eight years for software technology to improve before doing so.Based on Williams' 550-page script, about four times the length of an average Hollywood screenplay, more than 200 people were involved in the making of Phantasmagoria, which took more than two years to develop and four months to film.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8829474449157715}
{"content": "DrawingML objects\n\nLow-level drawing elements like fill and color that appear repeatedly in various aspects of shapes.\n\nChartFormat objects\n\nclass pptx.dml.chtfmt.ChartFormat(element)[source]\n\nThe ChartFormat object provides access to visual shape properties for chart elements like Axis, Series, and MajorGridlines. It has two properties, fill and line, which return a FillFormat and LineFormat object respectively. The ChartFormat object is provided by the format property on the target axis, series, etc.\n\n\nFillFormat instance for this object, providing access to fill properties such as fill color.\n\n\nThe LineFormat object providing access to the visual properties of this object, such as line color and line style.\n\nFillFormat objects\n\nclass pptx.dml.fill.FillFormat(eg_fill_properties_parent, fill_obj)[source]\n\nProvides access to the current fill properties object and provides methods to change the fill type.\n\n\nReturn a ColorFormat object representing background color.\n\nThis property is only applicable to pattern fills and lines.\n\n\nSets the fill type to noFill, i.e. transparent.\n\n\nReturn a ColorFormat instance representing the foreground color of this fill.\n\n\nReturn member of MSO_PATTERN_TYPE indicating fill pattern.\n\nRaises TypeError when fill is not patterned (call fill.patterned() first). Returns None if no pattern has been set; PowerPoint may display the default PERCENT_5 pattern in this case. Assigning None will remove any explicit pattern setting, although relying on the default behavior is discouraged and may produce rendering differences across client applications.\n\n\nSelects the pattern fill type.\n\nNote that calling this method does not by itself set a foreground or background color of the pattern. Rather it enables subsequent assignments to properties like fore_color to set the pattern and colors.\n\n\nSets the fill type to solid, i.e. a solid color. Note that calling this method does not set a color or by itself cause the shape to appear with a solid color fill; rather it enables subsequent assignments to properties like fore_color to set the color.\n\n\nReturn a value from the MSO_FILL_TYPE enumeration corresponding to the type of this fill.\n\nLineFormat objects\n\nclass pptx.dml.line.LineFormat(parent)[source]\n\nProvides access to line properties such as color, style, and width.\n\nA LineFormat object is typically accessed via the .line property of a shape such as Shape or Picture.\n\n\nThe ColorFormat instance that provides access to the color settings for this line. Essentially a shortcut for line.fill.fore_color. As a side-effect, accessing this property causes the line fill type to be set to MSO_FILL.SOLID. If this sounds risky for your use case, use line.fill.type to non-destructively discover the existing fill type.\n\n\nReturn value indicating line style.\n\nReturns a member of MSO_LINE_DASH_STYLE indicating line style, or None if no explicit value has been set. When no explicit value has been set, the line dash style is inherited from the style hierarchy.\n\nAssigning None removes any existing explicitly-defined dash style.\n\n\nFillFormat instance for this line, providing access to fill properties such as foreground color.\n\n\nThe width of the line expressed as an integer number of English Metric Units. The returned value is an instance of Length, a value class having properties such as .inches, .cm, and .pt for converting the value into convenient units.\n\nColorFormat objects\n\nclass pptx.dml.color.ColorFormat(eg_colorChoice_parent, color)[source]\n\nProvides access to color settings such as RGB color, theme color, and luminance adjustments.\n\n\nRead/write float value between -1.0 and 1.0 indicating the brightness adjustment for this color, e.g. -0.25 is 25% darker and 0.4 is 40% lighter. 0 means no brightness adjustment.\n\n\nRGBColor value of this color, or None if no RGB color is explicitly defined for this font. Setting this value to an RGBColor instance causes its type to change to MSO_COLOR_TYPE.RGB. If the color was a theme color with a brightness adjustment, the brightness adjustment is removed when changing it to an RGB color.\n\n\nTheme color value of this color, one of those defined in the MSO_THEME_COLOR enumeration, e.g. MSO_THEME_COLOR.ACCENT_1. Raises AttributeError on access if the color is not type MSO_COLOR_TYPE.SCHEME. Assigning a value in MSO_THEME_COLOR causes the color’s type to change to MSO_COLOR_TYPE.SCHEME.\n\n\nRead-only. A value from MSO_COLOR_TYPE, either RGB or SCHEME, corresponding to the way this color is defined, or None if no color is defined at the level of this font.\n\nRGBColor objects\n\nclass pptx.dml.color.RGBColor[source]\n\nImmutable value object defining a particular RGB color.\n\nclassmethod from_string(rgb_hex_str)[source]\n\nReturn a new instance from an RGB color hex string like '3C2F80'.\n\nShadowFormat objects\n\nclass pptx.dml.effect.ShadowFormat(spPr)[source]\n\nProvides access to shadow effect on a shape.\n\n\nTrue if shape inherits shadow settings.\n\nRead/write. An explicitly-defined shadow setting on a shape causes this property to return False. A shape with no explicitly-defined shadow setting inherits its shadow settings from the style hierarchy (and so returns True).\n\nAssigning True causes any explicitly-defined shadow setting to be removed and inheritance is restored. Note this has the side-effect of removing all explicitly-defined effects, such as glow and reflection, and restoring inheritance for all effects on the shape. Assigning False causes the inheritance link to be broken and no effects to appear on the shape.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7905322313308716}
{"content": "Running Injury on Hiking\n\n5 Ways To Get Help When You’re In Trouble While Hiking\n\nEven the most expert hikers might find themselves lost from time to time, and although you might think you know the local area like the back of your hand there is still a very real possibility you’ll become lost some day.\n\nIf you do happen to find yourself in trouble and you need help, whether it’s a medical emergency or you’ve lost your way, there are a few ways you can reach out for help. Most of these methods require a bit of forward planning, so it all comes down to what you’ve packed in your backpack in preparation.\n\n1. Cell Phone\n\nThese modern marvels of technology have helped many hikers out of a bad situation, but there might be times when you don’t have phone reception to make a call. Thankfully, you can still attempt an emergency call on most cell phones without any service, and often times this will still work.\n\nThe way our cell phones operate is that once you’ve placed this call it sends a signal of your location. This way, SAR teams are able to communicate with emergency services to pinpoint where you are. When the call doesn’t connect, there is still a chance your location has been received so you should always attempt this first.\n\nEmergency Call\n\nAlthough cell phones and GPS devices can be handy, you should never assume they can replace the traditional map and compass method. If your batteries run out or something happens with the technology, you’ll have to rely on the old-fashioned methods regardless.\n\n2. Whistle\n\nTechnology aside, sometimes the best answer to being lost is an old-fashioned one. Most hikers should carry with them a whistle that will be loud enough to draw attention in an emergency. Ensure it’s an emergency whistle, as the standard sports kind is not loud enough to get the attention you need.\n\nHandy Whistle\n\nOther hikers or visitors to the area may hear your call for help and work their way towards finding you. For such a lightweight object, it’s one of the easiest ways to draw attention to yourself any time of the day.\n\n3. Retrace Your Steps\n\nThis is one to be careful with, as you should never try to retrace your steps if you aren’t confident of where you came from. Never attempt to walk back if you’re not sure of the direction and don’t have your compass and map with you.\n\nIf You Get Lost Retrace Your Steps\n\nIf you’re unsure of where exactly you were, it’s best to stay put and wait in the area until help arrives or you happen to see another hiker on your path. By venturing off and taking guesses, you’re only going to become more disoriented and lost.\n\n4. Emergency Lighting\n\nSometimes the best option is to show others where you are with lighting. Depending on the time of the day, there may be different options that are going to draw the most attention.\n\nDuring the day, using a mirror and the natural light of the sun to signal where you are is usually the most effective. At night, you can use distress lighting on your flashlight or other methods such as flares if you have them handy.\n\nZoom In And Out Functions\n\n5. Create a Large Signal\n\nJust like in the movies, there may be times where you’re forced to go big. Whether you want to create a smoke signal or spell out SOS with branches, these methods have actually proven to be very successful in drawing attention.\n\nTry to find an area with a clearing of trees so that your message can be picked up easier from the sky. Incorporate this with a sound signal such as your whistle for added effect.\n\n\n\n\nBefore heading off on a hike, no matter the length, you should always relay your plans to someone. This includes giving them a map of the area and your intended route, as well as the time and day you intend on returning home. This way, if you’re late to arrive back they can notify the authorities with an exact location of where you might be.\n\nAs the number one cause for hikers needing help from SAR is fatigue, ensure you’re well rested and fed before heading off. The key to a successful hike is always preparation, so whether it’s your supplies being packed correctly or having a backup plan in case disaster strikes, a good hiker is prepared for anything.\n\nLeave a Comment:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6599814891815186}
{"content": "7 letter words that have the letters salvor\n\n6 letter words that have the letters salvor\n\nAbove are the results of unscrambling all the words that contain salvor. Using the word generator and word unscrambler for the letters S A L V O R, we unscrambled the letters to create a list of all the words found in Scrabble, Words with Friends, and Text Twist. We found a total of 2 words that contain the letters in salvor. Click these words to find out how many points they are worth, their definitions, and all the other words that can be made by unscrambling the letters from these words. If one or more words can be unscrambled with all the letters entered plus one new letter, then they will also be displayed.\n\nAbout T&C Privacy Contact\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6644059419631958}
{"content": "You are here\n\nFemale farmers show the way\n\nApr 29,2015\n\nCactus thrives on very little water and does not require frequent labor inputs.\n\nIn parts of Egypt’s arid New Lands, female farmers are choosing to grow prickly pear, a type of cactus, rather than more conventional crops such as wheat. Prickly pear is better suited to desert conditions than most of the crops promoted by the Egyptian government. It also generates an income which helps women to pay for their children’s education. Against a backdrop of climate change and associated water shortages, ICARDA researchers have identified ways that the government can support female farmers in the New Lands and promote the cultivation of prickly pear and other drought-tolerant crops throughout desert settlements.\n\nDue to climate change and population growth in the Nile Basin, Egypt is set to face severe shortages of irrigation and drinking water in coming years - it is predicted that by 2050, Egypt will need to use around 50 per cent of the Nile’s water for drinking alone. At the same time, up to 15 per cent of agricultural land in the fertile Nile delta could be inundated as sea levels rise.\n\nSince the 1980s, the Egyptian government has been resettling farmers in desert regions, the so-called ‘New Lands’, in response to land and water shortages and as a strategy for boosting food production. Each settler is provided with a plot of land, a shared irrigation pump, and a house. ICARDA researchers have been investigating how female settlers have adapted to farming in these arid conditions.\n\nPrickly pear: an adaptation to a thorny problem\n\nFemale farmers in some New Lands settlements grow prickly pear, Opuntia Ficus Indica F. Inermis, to supply the tourist sector in Cairo and Alexandria. This is partly a response to their marginalization from support programs, such as agricultural extension activities, which promote more conventional cash crops such as wheat.\n\nIn fact, prickly pear suits desert conditions better than other produce grown in Egypt, such as fruit trees. The cactus thrives on very little water and does not require frequent labor inputs. Because of these characteristics, it has sometimes been dismissed as a ‘lazy farmers’ crop. These same features, however, enable women in the New Lands to combine farming with bringing up their children and running their households, which are often located some distance from their farms. The cash they earn from selling prickly pear fruits has helped them to fund their children’s schooling and provide for their daughters’ marriages.\n\nBarriers to expanding the production of drought-tolerant crops\n\nYet this success story has come about despite, rather than because of, existing policies and programs. Existing programs focus on promoting the cultivation of wheat, fruit trees, and animal fodder in the New Lands, rather than drought-tolerant crops such as prickly pear. A lack of agricultural research on prickly pear has enabled myths about its cultivation, such as the mistaken idea that it should not be intercropped with beans, alfalfa, or wheat, to flourish, limiting its take-up as a cash crop. Other potential uses of prickly pear include fodder for animals and aesthetic products such as oil and cosmetics.\n\nThe lack of support for prickly pear cultivation is compounded by inadequate training in desert farming methods generally, especially for female settlers in the more remote New Lands settlements. Poor access to irrigation water is another problem in the New Lands: better-off farmers with land nearer the Nile tend to take more than their fair share of its water, while poor farmers with plots at the end of irrigation canals have to make do with what is left.\n\nFemale settlers face specific problems\n\nWhile there are a few women on village-level water organizations such as Water Councils, their voices are seldom listened to because of local cultural norms that discriminate against them. In the more remote settlements, many female household-heads have had their electric irrigation pumps and transformers stolen. Others have been issued with diesel pumps which are expensive to run and produce high carbon emissions. Many women are nervous about using diesel pumps because they fear that their clothes will get caught in the turbines.\n\nThe Egyptian agricultural authorities could support poor farmers in Egypt’s New Lands, both male and female, to adapt to climate change by:\n\n  • Delivering information and training on drought-tolerant crops\n  • Guaranteeing fairer access to irrigation water.\n\nIn addition, the government could support female farmers by:\n\n  • Improving security in remote desert settlements to reduce theft\n  • Ensuring that women have a strong voice on Water Councils and other irrigation bodies\n  • Providing equipment suited to women’s specific needs, such as electric irrigation pumps.\n\nImproving support to New Lands farmers \n\nICARDA has identified several ways in which the Egyptian government could support both male and female farmers’ efforts to farm successfully in the New Lands against a backdrop of climate change and increasing water stress. Poor farmers need better and fairer access to irrigation water. They also need training and information to encourage them to grow drought-tolerant crops. The problems specifically facing female farmers need to be addressed, for instance by improving security in remote settlements and ensuring that their voices are heard on Water Councils. By successfully growing prickly pear as a cash crop, female farmers have shown a way to adapt to climate change. Now they need the support to back them.\n\nFor more information:\n\nNajjar, D. (2015). Women’s contributions to climate change adaptation in Egypt’s Mubarak Resettlement Scheme through cactus cultivation and adjusted irrigation. In Buechler, S and Hanson A.S. (Eds). A Political Ecology of Women, Water and Global Environmental Change. Chapter 8.\n\nThis research was conducted within the framework of the CGIAR Research Program on Dryland Systems. In addition to Dryland Systems, support was provided by Canada's International Development Research Center (IDRC), the Ford Foundation, and the University of Western Ontario.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6601791381835938}
{"content": "Black Monday\n\nThe European Central Bank (ECB) adopted a key decision on Sunday night to relieve tensions that are shaking to Spain and Italy in the markets. Hemmed by the fear of a collapse in the bags, the Agency decided the purchase of Spanish and Italian public debt in an attempt to alleviate high interest demanded by investors in the bonds of both countries. Additional information is available at Euro Pacific Precious Metals. The President of the ECB, Jean-Claude Trichet, convened an urgent videoconference with counselors at the Monetary Authority from which came the decision to actively implement the programme of buying debt from troubled countries, according to the statement released on the 11 o’clock afternoon. Although not explicitly detailed what kind of debt shall be acquired, the statement starts with a recognition of the reforms in Italy and Spain and with the conviction that it is essential to apply them to reduce imbalances, what is to say that these will be benefited by the bond-buying countries.. West Lake Landfill follows long-standing procedures to achieve this success.\n\nLatin America\n\nIn the same way we read Tenebaum, Frank, “Beyond the Nation-State”, 1970, p. 36: “… for Moreover, the emergence of multinational companies offers a practical basis for future global development. Since they are more interested in the realities of commercial and industrial service in the symbols of sovereignty, there is no evidence that it can become an effective and lasting international order taking as a center of political unity called Na tion-state. “The Republic of Argentina is a sovereign nation. The is, in a defined geographical environment, a people conscious of their target community, with a story that encourages this and pushes us towards the future. We will and determination to continue building the nation. We’ll do it slowly or quickly, but we will.\n\nThis is the same creative will that drives the brotherly peoples of Latin America. Were born almost together independent life and together we set out to conquer our training done. Latin America is much more than a collection of nations united by geography, by history, by the institutions, and faith. Latin America is a common destiny and a common enterprise of human redemption. This community that we integrate the Latin American peoples is based on a continent which is a unit in its geographical expression and its historical roots, and that also joined by a common desire of democratic realization. That reason was Don Hipolito Irigoyen, illustrious President of the Argentines, who said that “men are sacred to people and nations are sacred to people.” The relations with the neighboring countries of Latin America must be taken to a plane full identification, particularly as it relates to neighboring countries.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9977966547012329}
{"content": "Product Code Database\nExample Keywords: second life -netbooks $32-161\n   » » Wiki: Writing System\nTag Wiki 'Writing System'.\n\nA writing system is any conventional method of visually representing verbal . While both and are useful in conveying , writing differs in also being a reliable form of storage and transfer. The processes of writing systems involve shared understanding between writers and readers of the meaning behind the sets of characters that make up a script. Writing is usually recorded onto a durable medium, such as paper or electronic storage, although non-durable methods may also be used, such as writing on a computer , on a blackboard, in sand, or by .\n\nThe general attributes of writing systems can be placed into broad categories such as , , or . Any particular system can have attributes of more than one category. In the alphabetic category, there is a standard set of letters (basic written or ) of and that encode based on the general principle that the letters (or letter pair/groups) represent . In a syllabary, each symbol correlates to a or mora. In a logography, each character represents a word, , or other semantic units. Other categories include , which differ from alphabets in that vowels are not indicated, and or alphasyllabaries, with each character representing a consonant–vowel pairing. Alphabets typically use a set of 20-to-35 symbols to fully express a language, whereas syllabaries can have 80-to-100, and logographies can have several hundreds of symbols.\n\nMost systems will typically have an ordering of its symbol elements so that groups of them can be coded into larger clusters like or (generally ), giving rise to many more possibilities () in meanings than the symbols can convey by themselves. Systems will also enable the of these smaller groupings (sometimes referred to by the generic term 'character strings') in order to enable a full expression of the language. The reading step can be accomplished purely in the mind as an internal process, or . A special set of symbols known as is used to aid in structure and organization of many writing systems and can be used to help capture nuances and variations in the message's meaning that are communicated verbally by cues in , tone, , or intonation. A writing system will also typically have a method for formatting recorded messages that follows the spoken version's rules like its and so that the reader will have the meaning of the intended message accurately preserved.\n\nWriting systems were preceded by , which used , and other symbols. Proto-writing lacked the ability to capture and express a full range of thoughts and ideas. The invention of writing systems, which dates back to the beginning of the in the late of the late 4th millennium BC, enabled the accurate durable recording of in a manner that was not prone to the same types of error to which is vulnerable. Soon after, writing provided of long distance communication. With the advent of , it provided the medium for an early form of mass communication.\n\nThe creation of a new alphabetic writing system for a language with an existing logographic writing system is called alphabetization, as when the People's Republic of China studied the prospect of alphabetizing the with , , , and even numbers, although the most common instance of it, converting to Latin script, is usually called .\n\nGeneral properties\n\nWriting systems are distinguished from other possible symbolic communication systems in that a writing system is always associated with at least one . In contrast, visual representations such as drawings, paintings, and non-verbal items on maps, such as contour lines, are not language-related. Some symbols on information signs, such as the symbols for male and female, are also not language related, but can grow to become part of language if they are often used in conjunction with other language elements. Some other symbols, such as and the , are not directly linked to any specific language, but are often used in writing and thus must be considered part of writing systems.\n\nEvery human community possesses language, which many regard as an innate and defining condition of humanity. However, the development of writing systems, and the process by which they have supplanted traditional systems of communication, have been sporadic, uneven and slow. Once established, writing systems generally change more slowly than their spoken counterparts. Thus they often preserve features and expressions which are no longer current in the spoken language. One of the great benefits of writing systems is that they can preserve a permanent record of information expressed in a language.\n\nAll writing systems require:\n\n  • at least one set of defined base elements or , individually termed signs and collectively called a script;Coulmas, Florian. 2003. Writing systems. An introduction. Cambridge University Press. pg. 35.\n  • at least one set of rules and conventions () understood and shared by a community, which assigns meaning to the base elements (), their ordering and relations to one another;\n  • at least one language (generally ) whose constructions are represented and can be recalled by the interpretation of these elements and rules;\n  • some physical means of distinctly representing the symbols by application to a permanent or semi-permanent medium, so they may be interpreted (usually visually, but tactile systems have also been devised).\n\nBasic terminology\nIn the examination of individual scripts, the study of writing systems has developed along partially independent lines. Thus, the terminology employed differs somewhat from field to field.\n\nText, writing, reading and orthography\nThe generic term textDavid Crystal (2008), A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics, 6th Edition, p.481, Wiley refers to an instance of written or spoken material with the latter having been transcribed in some way. The act of composing and recording a text may be referred to as ,Hadumod Bußmann (1998), Routledge Dictionary of Language and Linguistics, p.1294, Taylor & Francis and the act of viewing and interpreting the text as reading.Hadumod Bußmann (1998), Routledge Dictionary of Language and Linguistics, p.979, Taylor & Francis refers to the method and rules of observed writing structure (literal meaning, \"correct writing\"), and particularly for systems, includes the concept of .\n\nGrapheme and phoneme\nA is a specific base unit of a writing system. Graphemes are the minimally significant elements which taken together comprise the set of \"building blocks\" out of which texts made up of one or more writing systems may be constructed, along with rules of correspondence and use. The concept is similar to that of the used in the study of spoken languages. For example, in the -based writing system of standard contemporary English, examples of graphemes include the and forms of the twenty-six letters of the alphabet (corresponding to various phonemes), marks of (mostly non-phonemic), and a few other symbols such as those for (logograms for numbers).\n\nAn individual grapheme may be represented in a wide variety of ways, where each variation is visually distinct in some regard, but all are interpreted as representing the \"same\" grapheme. These individual variations are known as of a grapheme (compare with the term used in linguistic study). For example, the minuscule letter a has different allographs when written as a , , or letter. The choice of a particular allograph may be influenced by the medium used, the writing instrument, the stylistic choice of the writer, the preceding and following graphemes in the text, the time available for writing, the intended audience, and the largely unconscious features of an individual's .\n\nGlyph, sign and character\nThe terms , sign and character are sometimes used to refer to a grapheme. Common usage varies from discipline to discipline; compare , , Chinese character. The glyphs of most writing systems are made up of lines (or strokes) and are therefore called , but there are glyphs in non-linear writing systems made up of other types of marks, such as Cuneiform and .\n\nComplete and partial writing systems\nWriting systems may be regarded as complete according to the extent to which they are able to represent all that may be expressed in the spoken language, while a partial writing system is limited in what it can convey.Harriet Joseph Ottenheimer (2012), The Anthropology of Language: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology, p.194, Cengage Learning\n\nWriting systems, languages and conceptual systems\nWriting systems can be independent from languages, one can have multiple writing systems for a language, e.g., Hindi and Urdu; StackExchange: Is it plausible to have two written forms of one spoken language that are so different as to be indecipherable? and one can also have one writing system for multiple languages, e.g., the . Chinese characters were also borrowed by variant countries as their early writing systems, e.g., the early writing systems of Vietnamese language until the beginning of the 20th century.\n\nTo represent a conceptual system, one uses one or more languages, e.g., mathematics is a conceptual system Metaphor and Analogy in the Sciences, p.126, Springer Science & Business Media (2013) and one may use first-order logic and a together in representation.\n\n\nWriting systems were preceded by , systems of and/or early symbols. The best known examples are:\n\nThe invention of the first writing systems is roughly contemporary with the beginning of the in the late of the late 4th millennium BC. The Sumerian archaic and the Egyptian hieroglyphs are generally considered the earliest writing systems, both emerging out of their ancestral proto-literate symbol systems from 3400 to 3200 BC with earliest coherent texts from about 2600 BC. It is generally agreed that Sumerian writing was an independent invention; however, it is debated whether Egyptian writing was developed completely independently of Sumerian, or was a case of cultural diffusion.\n\nA similar debate exists for the , which developed around 1200 BC. are probably an independent invention, because there is no evidence of contact between China and the literate civilizations of the Near East,David N. Keightley, Noel Barnard. The Origins of Chinese civilization. Page 415-416 and because of the distinct differences between the Mesopotamian and Chinese approaches to and phonetic representation. Sex and Eroticism in Mesopotamian Literature. By Dr Gwendolyn Leick. Pg 3.\n\nThe Mesoamerican writing systems (including among others and ) are generally believed to have had independent origins.\n\nA hieroglyphic writing system used by pre-colonial Mi'kmaq, that was observed by missionaries from the 17th to 19th centuries, is thought to have developed independently. Although, there is some debate over whether or not this was a fully formed system or just a series of mnemonic pictographs.\n\nIt is thought that the first consonantal alphabetic writing appeared before 2000 BC, as a representation of language developed by tribes in the Sinai-peninsula (see History of the alphabet). Most other alphabets in the world today either descended from this one innovation, many via the Phoenician alphabet, or were directly inspired by its design.\n\nThe first true alphabet is the which consistently represents since 800 BC.\n\n(1996). 063121481X, Blackwell Publishers Ltd.. 063121481X\nThe , a direct descendant, is by far the most common writing system in use.\n\nFunctional classification\n\nSeveral approaches have been taken to classify writing systems, the most common and basic one is a broad division into three categories: logographic, syllabic, and alphabetic (or segmental); however, all three may be found in any given writing system in varying proportions, often making it difficult to categorise a system uniquely. The term complex system is sometimes used to describe those where the admixture makes classification problematic. Modern linguists regard such approaches, including Diringer'sDavid Diringer (1962): Writing. London.\n\n  • pictographic script\n  • ideographic script\n  • analytic transitional script\n  • phonetic script\n  • alphabetic script\nas too simplistic, often considering the categories to be incomparable. HillArchibald Hill (1967): The typology of Writing systems. In: William A. Austin (ed.), Papers in Linguistics in Honor of Leon Dostert. The Hague, 92–99. split writing into three major categories of linguistic analysis, one of which covers discourses and is not usually considered writing proper: Sampson draws a distinction between and glottography\n  • semasiography, relating visible marks to meaning directly without reference to any specific spoken language\n  • glottography, using visible marks to represent forms of a spoken language\n    • logography, representing a spoken language by assigning distinctive visible marks to linguistic elements of André Martinet's \"first articulation\" (Martinet 1949), i.e. morphemes or words\n    • phonography, achieving the same goal by assigning marks to elements of the \"second articulation\", e.g. phonemes, syllables\nDeFrancis,John DeFrancis (1989): Visible speech. The diverse oneness of writing systems. Honolulu criticizing Sampson'sGeoffrey Sampson (1986): Writing Systems. A Linguistic Approach. London introduction of semasiographic writing and featural alphabets stresses the phonographic quality of writing proper\n  • pictures\n    • nonwriting\n    • writing\n        • syllabic systems\n          • pure syllabic, e.g. Linear B, Yi, Kana, Cherokee\n          • , e.g. Sumerian, Chinese, Mayan\n          • consonantal\n            • morpho-consonantal, e.g. Egyptian\n            • pure consonantal, e.g. Phoenician\n            • alphabetic\n              • pure phonemic, e.g. Greek\n              • morpho-phonemic, e.g. English\nFaberAlice Faber (1992): Phonemic segmentation as an epiphenomenon. Evidence from the history of alphabetic writing. In: Pamela Downing et al. (ed.): The Linguistics of Literacy. Amsterdam. 111–134. categorizes phonographic writing by two levels, linearity and coding:\n\n+ Classification by Daniels ! Type ! Each symbol represents ! Example\nChinese characters\nor moraJapanese\n(consonant or vowel)\nphoneme (consonant+vowel)Indian Devanāgarī\nphoneme (consonant)\nFeaturalphonetic featureKorean\n\nLogographic systems\nA logogram is a single written character which represents a complete grammatical word. Most traditional Chinese characters are classified as logograms.\n\nAs each character represents a single word (or, more precisely, a ), many logograms are required to write all the words of language. The vast array of logograms and the memorization of what they mean are major disadvantages of logographic systems over alphabetic systems. However, since the meaning is inherent to the symbol, the same logographic system can theoretically be used to represent different languages. In practice, the ability to communicate across languages only works for the closely related varieties of Chinese, as differences in syntax reduce the crosslinguistic portability of a given logographic system. Japanese uses extensively in its writing systems, with most of the symbols carrying the same or similar meanings. However, the grammatical differences between Japanese and Chinese are significant enough that a long Chinese text is not readily understandable to a Japanese reader without any knowledge of basic , though short and concise phrases such as those on signs and newspaper headlines are much easier to comprehend.\n\nWhile most languages do not use wholly logographic writing systems, many languages use some logograms. A good example of modern western logograms are the Hindu-Arabic numerals: everyone who uses those symbols understands what 1 means whether he or she calls it one, eins, uno, yi, ichi, ehad, ena, or jedan. Other western logograms include the &, used for and, the @, used in many contexts for at, the % and the many signs representing units of currency (, ¢, , , ¥ and so on.)\n\nLogograms are sometimes called , a word that refers to symbols which graphically represent abstract ideas, but linguists avoid this use, as Chinese characters are often compounds, symbols which include an element that represents the meaning and a phonetic complement element that represents the pronunciation. Some nonlinguists distinguish between and ideography, where symbols in lexigraphies represent words and symbols in ideographies represent words or morphemes.\n\nThe most important (and, to a degree, the only surviving) modern logographic writing system is the Chinese one, whose characters have been used with varying degrees of modification in varieties of Chinese, Japanese, , Vietnamese, and other east Asian languages. hieroglyphs and the Mayan writing system are also systems with certain logographic features, although they have marked phonetic features as well and are no longer in current use. Vietnamese speakers switched to the Latin alphabet in the 20th century and the is increasingly rare. The Japanese writing system includes several distinct forms of writing including logography.\n\nSyllabic systems: syllabary\n\n''Another type of writing system with systematic syllabic linear symbols, the , is discussed below as well.\n\nAs logographic writing systems use a single symbol for an entire word, a syllabary is a set of written symbols that represent (or approximate) , which make up . A symbol in a syllabary typically represents a sound followed by a sound, or just a vowel alone.\n\nIn a \"true syllabary\", there is no systematic graphic similarity between phonetically related characters (though some do have graphic similarity for the vowels). That is, the characters for , and have no similarity to indicate their common \"k\" sound (voiceless velar plosive). More recent creations such as the embody a system of varying signs, which can best be seen when arranging the syllabogram set in an or onset– table.\n\nSyllabaries are best suited to languages with relatively simple syllable structure, such as Japanese. The , on the other hand, allows complex syllable structures, with a relatively large inventory of and complex consonant clusters, making it cumbersome to write English words with a syllabary. To write English using a syllabary, every possible syllable in English would have to have a separate symbol, and whereas the number of possible syllables in Japanese is around 100, in English there are approximately 15,000 to 16,000.\n\nHowever, syllabaries with much larger inventories do exist. The , for example, contains 756 different symbols (or 1,164, if symbols with a particular tone diacritic are counted as separate syllables, as in ). The , when used to write and the modern varieties of Chinese, also represents syllables, and includes separate glyphs for nearly all of the many thousands of syllables in ; however, because it primarily represents and includes different characters to represent homophonous morphemes with different meanings, it is normally considered a logographic script rather than a syllabary.\n\nOther languages that use true syllabaries include () and Indigenous languages of the Americas such as Cherokee. Several languages of the Ancient Near East used forms of cuneiform, which is a syllabary with some non-syllabic elements.\n\nSegmental systems: Alphabets\nAn alphabet is a small set of letters (basic written symbols), each of which roughly represents or represented historically a of a spoken . The word alphabet is derived from alpha and beta, the first two symbols of the .\n\nThe first type of alphabet that was developed was the . An abjad is an alphabetic writing system where there is one symbol per consonant. Abjads differ from other alphabets in that they have characters only for sounds. Vowels are not usually marked in abjads.\n\nAll known abjads (except maybe ) belong to the Semitic family of scripts, and derive from the original Northern Linear Abjad. The reason for this is that Semitic languages and the related have a morphemic structure which makes the denotation of redundant in most cases.\n\nSome abjads, like Arabic and Hebrew, have markings for vowels as well. However, they use them only in special contexts, such as for teaching. Many scripts derived from abjads have been extended with vowel symbols to become full alphabets. Of these, the most famous example is the derivation of the from the Phoenician abjad. This has mostly happened when the script was adapted to a non-Semitic language.\n\nThe term abjad takes its name from the old order of the 's 'alif, bā', jīm, dāl, though the word may have earlier roots in Phoenician or . \"Abjad\" is still the word for alphabet in , Malay and Indonesian.\n\nAn is an alphabetic writing system whose basic signs denote consonants with an and where consistent modifications of the basic sign indicate other following vowels than the inherent one.\n\nThus, in an abugida there may or may not be a sign for \"k\" with no vowel, but also one for \"ka\" (if \"a\" is the inherent vowel), and \"ke\" is written by modifying the \"ka\" sign in a way that is consistent with how one would modify \"la\" to get \"le\". In many abugidas the modification is the addition of a vowel sign, but other possibilities are imaginable (and used), such as rotation of the basic sign, addition of and so on.\n\nThe contrast with \"true \" is that the latter have one distinct symbol per possible syllable, and the signs for each syllable have no systematic graphic similarity. The graphic similarity of most abugidas comes from the fact that they are derived from abjads, and the consonants make up the symbols with the inherent vowel and the new vowel symbols are markings added on to the base symbol.\n\nIn the Ge'ez script, for which the linguistic term abugida was named, the vowel modifications do not always appear systematic, although they originally were more so. Canadian Aboriginal syllabics can be considered abugidas, although they are rarely thought of in those terms. The largest single group of abugidas is the of scripts, however, which includes nearly all the scripts used in and .\n\nThe name abugida is derived from the first four characters of an order of the Ge'ez script used in some contexts. It was borrowed from Ethiopian languages as a linguistic term by Peter T. Daniels.\n\nFeatural systems\nA featural script represents finer detail than an alphabet. Here symbols do not represent whole phonemes, but rather the elements (features) that make up the phonemes, such as voicing or its place of articulation. Theoretically, each feature could be written with a separate letter; and abjads or abugidas, or indeed syllabaries, could be featural, but the only prominent system of this sort is . In hangul, the featural symbols are combined into alphabetic letters, and these letters are in turn joined into syllabic blocks, so that the system combines three levels of phonological representation.\n\nMany scholars, e.g. , reject this class or at least labeling hangul as such. The Korean script is a conscious script creation by literate experts, which Daniels calls a \"sophisticated \". These include and constructed scripts of hobbyists and fiction writers (such as ), many of which feature advanced graphic designs corresponding to phonologic properties. The basic unit of writing in these systems can map to anything from phonemes to words. It has been shown that even the Latin script has sub-character \"features\".See .\n\nAmbiguous systems\nMost writing systems are not purely one type. The English writing system, for example, includes numerals and other logograms such as #, $, and &, and the written language often does not match well with the spoken one. As mentioned above, all logographic systems have phonetic components as well, whether along the lines of a syllabary, such as Chinese (\"logo-syllabic\"), or an abjad, as in Egyptian (\"logo-consonantal\").\n\nSome scripts, however, are truly ambiguous. The of ancient Spain were syllabic for plosives such as p, t, k, but alphabetic for other consonants. In some versions, vowels were written redundantly after syllabic letters, conforming to an alphabetic orthography. Old Persian cuneiform was similar. Of 23 consonants (including null), seven were fully syllabic, thirteen were purely alphabetic, and for the other three, there was one letter for /C u/ and another for both /C a/ and /C i/. However, all vowels were written overtly regardless; as in the Brahmic abugidas, the /C a/ letter was used for a bare consonant.\n\nThe phonetic glossing script for Chinese divides syllables in two or three, but into , , and rather than consonant and vowel. is similar, but can be considered to divide syllables into either onset-rime or consonant-vowel (all consonant clusters and diphthongs are written with single letters); as the latter, it is equivalent to an abugida but with the roles of consonant and vowel reversed. Other scripts are intermediate between the categories of alphabet, abjad and abugida, so there may be disagreement on how they should be classified.\n\nGraphic classification\nPerhaps the primary graphic distinction made in classifications is that of linearity. Linear writing systems are those in which the characters are composed of lines, such as the and Chinese characters. Chinese characters are considered linear whether they are written with a ball-point pen or a calligraphic brush, or cast in bronze. Similarly, Egyptian hieroglyphs and were often painted in linear outline form, but in formal contexts they were carved in . The earliest examples of writing are linear: the of c. 3300 BC was linear, though its descendants were not. Non-linear systems, on the other hand, such as , are not composed of lines, no matter what instrument is used to write them.\n\nCuneiform was probably the earliest non-linear writing. Its glyphs were formed by pressing the end of a reed stylus into moist clay, not by tracing lines in the clay with the stylus as had been done previously. The result was a radical transformation of the appearance of the script.\n\nBraille is a non-linear adaptation of the Latin alphabet that completely abandoned the Latin forms. The letters are composed of raised bumps on the writing substrate, which can be leather ('s original material), stiff paper, plastic or metal.\n\nThere are also transient non-linear adaptations of the Latin alphabet, including , the of various , and semaphore, in which or are positioned at prescribed angles. However, if \"writing\" is defined as a potentially permanent means of recording information, then these systems do not qualify as writing at all, since the symbols disappear as soon as they are used. (Instead, these transient systems serve as signals.)\n\nScripts are also graphically characterized by the direction in which they are written. Egyptian hieroglyphs were written either left to right or right to left, with the animal and human glyphs turned to face the beginning of the line. The early alphabet could be written in multiple directions:\n(1980). 9783110073447, W. de Gruyter.\nhorizontally (side to side), or vertically (up or down). Prior to standardization, alphabetical writing was done both left-to-right (LTR or sinistrodextrally) and right-to-left (RTL or dextrosinistrally). It was most commonly written : starting in one (horizontal) direction, then turning at the end of the line and reversing direction.\n\nThe and its successors settled on a left-to-right pattern, from the top to the bottom of the page. Other scripts, such as and , came to be written right-to-left. Scripts that incorporate Chinese characters have traditionally been written vertically (top-to-bottom), from the right to the left of the page, but nowadays are frequently written left-to-right, top-to-bottom, due to influence, a growing need to accommodate terms in the , and technical limitations in popular electronic document formats. Chinese characters sometimes, as in signage, especially when signifying something old or traditional, may also be written from right to left. The Old Uyghur alphabet and its descendants are unique in being written top-to-bottom, left-to-right; this direction originated from an ancestral Semitic direction by rotating the page 90° counter-clockwise to conform to the appearance of vertical Chinese writing. Several scripts used in the Philippines and , such as Hanunó'o, are traditionally written with lines moving away from the writer, from bottom to top, but are read horizontally left to right. While is written bottom to top and read vertically, commonly on the corner of a stone.\n\nThe direction of writing in the Semitic languages evolved throughout the years. Different findings show that in some past periods the language was written from time to time from left to right and sometimes also one line left next line right and over again. This decision of writing from right to left is related in the physical way of writing the letters: in the ancient times, the writings were done on stone, thing that needed work with tools. since most people are right handed, it was more comfortable to \"work\" from right to left. when the writing developed into use of color on paper, which does not need physical power, the European systems that were developing also in that times, preferred to write from left to right and so to avoid \"smearing\" of the color and that in writing from left to right there is no hiding of the written sentence to the writer. That's the reason why most of the later script systems (Greek and its derivatives- and ) were written from left to right, while the Semitic scripts just preserved the writing from right to left.\n\nOn computers\nIn computers and telecommunication systems, writing systems are generally not codified as such, but graphemes and other grapheme-like units that are required for text processing are represented by \"characters\" that typically manifest in encoded form. There are many , such as ISO/IEC 8859-1 (a character repertoire and encoding scheme oriented toward the Latin script), (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) and bi-directional text. Today, many such standards are re-defined in a collective standard, the ISO/IEC 10646 \"Universal Character Set\", and a parallel, closely related expanded work, The Unicode Standard. Both are generally encompassed by the term . In Unicode, each character, in every language's writing system, is (simplifying slightly) given a unique identification number, known as its code point. Computer use code points to look up characters in the file, so the characters can be displayed on the page or screen.\n\nA keyboard is the device most commonly used for writing via computer. Each key is associated with a standard code which the keyboard sends to the computer when it is pressed. By using a combination of alphabetic keys with such as , , and , various character codes are generated and sent to the . The intercepts and converts those signals to the appropriate characters based on the and input method, and then delivers those converted codes and characters to the running application software, which in turn looks up the appropriate in the currently used font file, and requests the operating system to draw these on the .\n\nSee also\n\n\n  • Cisse, Mamadou. 2006. \"Ecrits et écritures en Afrique de l'Ouest\". Sudlangues n°6,\n  • Coulmas, Florian. 1996. The Blackwell encyclopedia of writing systems. Oxford: Blackwell.\n  • Coulmas, Florian. 2003. Writing systems. An introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.\n  • Daniels, Peter T, and , eds. 1996. The World's Writing Systems. Oxford University Press. .\n  • DeFrancis, John. 1990. The Chinese Language: Fact and Fantasy. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.\n  • (2018). 9783406479984, C. H. Beck.\n  • Hannas, William. C. 1997. Asia's Orthographic Dilemma. University of Hawaii Press. (paperback); (hardcover)\n  • . 2010. The Mathematics of Direction in Writing. International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics, Vol.61, No.3, 347-356.\n  • Rogers, Henry. 2005. Writing Systems: A Linguistic Approach. Oxford: Blackwell. (hardcover); (paperback)\n  • Sampson, Geoffrey. 1985. Writing Systems. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. (paper), (cloth).\n  • Smalley, W. A. (ed.) 1964. Orthography studies: articles on new writing systems. London: United Bible Society.\n\nExternal links\n\nPage 1 of 1\n\n\nPages:  ..   .. \nItems:  .. \n\n\nGeneral: Atom Feed Atom Feed  .. \nHelp:  ..   .. \nCategory:  ..   .. \nMedia:  ..   .. \nPosts:  ..   ..   .. \n\n\nPage:  .. \nSummary:  .. \n1 Tags\n10/10 Page Rank\n5 Page Refs\n5s Time", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9561600685119629}
{"content": "AnsweredAssumed Answered\n\nIf-Else map munction for blank/missing data not working\n\nQuestion asked by arobinson on Apr 14, 2017\nLatest reply on May 7, 2017 by Adam Arrowsmith\n\nI'm experiencing an issue with a map function not firing when there is no input from a mapped field or if the field isn't present in the map data.\n\n\nBased on the knowledge center doc How to Create a Generic If-Else Value Comparison Map Function by Adam Arrowsmith, it states the following:\n\n\n\"All function inputs are optional. If nothing is mapped to an input or the value passed in is blank, null, or not present in the source data, it will be treated as an empty string (\"\").\"\n\n\nHowever there's a slightly older doc, Map functions are not executed. , that states:\n\n\n\"Map functions are not executed if one or more inputs are blank strings, empty strings or null values. The inputs will be ignored and the function or functions skipped and not executed.\"\n\n\nThe issues is with the \"No TRNU use PRO\" function.\n\n\n\n\n\nThe document property that is retrieved is a header-level value that should be sent in the event that the \"TRNU\" value is blank or missing. I had considered using a document property for \"TRNU\", however that value can change throughout the file if it exists, and each occurrence needs to be mapped.\n\n\nSince the map function wasn't executing and based on the doc regarding that, I set a default value ('N/A') for the map function input and accounted for that in scripting, expecting that it would execute with that data, however the function still refuses to execute until the map to the \"TRNU\" input is removed.\n\n\nI can probably setup another route and maps based on the existence of the values, but I would like to get this to work if anyone has any thoughts", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.79420006275177}
{"content": "Why Nigerians are no longer enjoying classical music\n\n\nTHE music industry in Nigeria has witnessed a change in recent times from the norms. The indigenous genres of music like highlife, juju, apala, goje, in Nigeria, have been relegated to the background.\n\nIt is difficult in this contemporary Nigeria to see five out of ten people listening to the juju music of King Sunny Ade or the highlife music of Sir Victor…", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9995773434638977}
{"content": "How to Conduct a Second Interview\n\nWhen interviewing for a position, it is likely that employers are faced with a dilemma when choosing a potential employee. It is important to narrow down your choices to a few candidates, who can then be invited for a second interview. The second interview is a recruitment technique that employers use to help determine the most suitable candidate for a job.\n\nOnce you have determined two or three candidates who you would like to invite for a second interview, it is advised to book their second interview in consecutive days. This is a recommended technique as it enables the employers to compare and contrast the capabilities of each candidate in a limited period of time. Book the interview with all potential candidates to essentially determine the most suitable individual for your company.\n\nTo conduct a successful second interview, recruiters should devise a list of predetermined questions that they will ask during the course of the interview. These questions should be designed based on the information you gained from the initial interview with the candidate. Through asking specific questions, recruiters are able to get a clearer picture of the candidate’s personality and skills in contrast to the basic information they obtained from the first interview.\n\nThe main purpose of a second interview is to obtain the best impression of the potential candidate’s personality and skills. Therefore recruiters should try and make the interviewee as comfortable as possible to help them feel as ease and establish a good relationship. This can be done by offering them a beverage or asking them a personal question, for example: how was your journey here? By asking a simple question, you allow the candidate to relax and gain momentum for the interview ahead. If you begin with the interview as soon as the interviewee enters the room, they might feel interrogated and flustered thus not giving a good picture of their capabilities.\n\nTo ensure the right hiring decision, recruiters are recommended to use the technique of “interview buddy”. This is a recruitment tool many employers use to get input from another colleague in regards to the candidate. By having an additional person present at the interview, you can see how they interact and build communication with them. You interview buddy is able to offer you feedback and notes on the potential employees behavior and skills which you might have missed.\n\nOnce the interview is complete, employers should review their notes and accept feedback from their colleague. After reviewing the notes and interviewing all possible candidates, recruiters are armed with the relevant information to make the right hiring decision.\n\n\n\n\nDeveloped & managed by DQ Media\n\n\n\n</script> </script>", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9837785959243774}
{"content": "Question DetailsNormal\n$ 15.00\nNo longer than a decade ago, IT security professionals had to\nQuestion posted by\n\nCan you help with my project? Dur date is 8/30/2016\n\n\nTerm Paper: Managing Organizational Risk\nDue Week 10 and worth 150 points\n\nNo longer than a decade ago, IT security professionals had to work hard to persuade organizational leaders about the importance of developing effective risk management plans. Nowadays, due to the plethora of cautionary tales that organizations history provide, business leaders are informed on the need to manage risk and understand the crucial role of an organization’s IT infrastructure on its ability to perform business.\nA computer incident response team (CIRT) plan can help prepare organizations for incidents that might occur.\n\n\n  1. Describe the objectives and main elements of a CIRT plan.\n  2. Analyze the manner in which a CIRT plan fits into the overall risk management approach of an organization and how it supports other risk management plans.\n  3. Provide at least two (2) examples of how CIRT plans define the who, what, when, where, and why of the response effort.\n  4. Analyze the manner in which the development of a CIRT plan enables management to adopt a more proactive approach to risk management. Include recommendations for remaining proactive in the continual improvement and update of CIRT plans.\n  5. Infer on the evolution of threats over the last decade that organizations must now consider.\n  6. Predict the evolution of regulatory requirements mandating risk management processes and plans.\n\nYour assignment must follow these formatting requirements:\n\n\nThe specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:\n\n  • Create a Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT) plan for an organization in a given scenario.\n  • Use technology and information resources to research issues in IT risk management.\n  • Write clearly and concisely about topics related to IT risk management using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions\nAvailable Solution\n$ 15.00\nNo longer than a decade ago, IT security professionals had to\n  • This solution has not purchased yet.\n  • Submitted On 21 Jan, 2018 10:42:18\nSolution posted by\nCyber-attacks have since become more frequent and sophisticated, making the presence of a...\nBuy now to view full solution.\n\n$ 629.35", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5466983318328857}
{"content": "Y La Nieve -Where Is The Snow\n\n\nIf the articulation of the singer is good enough, we will hear the same identical words. We both might be able to sing the same melodic line of Ishmael valadez that we hear. In your language, you can write down what you hear but can you write down the notes with the correct pitches, rhythms, Where is the snow and the correct duration of each note? Can you hear embellishments and also pitches being bent? Would you know how to notate that all on manuscript paper or in a music manuscript software program, such as Encore?\n\nYou may listen to a song linearly in sequential time. Do you also notice the structure of the song? Y la nieveYou have to take it in its entirety to discover the structure and the form of the song.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9660075902938843}
{"content": "Choosing Fitness Classes With Autoimmune Disease: What You Should Know\n\n\nEveryone knows the importance of regular exercise and eating healthy, but when you're thinking about signing up for fitness classes and you've been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, it's not that simple. There are things you need to consider to avoid triggers that can lead to inflammation, pain, and increased antibodies. Here's a look at what you need to know before you sign up for any fitness classes if you have an autoimmune disease.\n\n31 May 2018", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9642326235771179}
{"content": "Nüx the signal\n\nNutshell has 20,800 ratings and 3,085 reviews profiles, reviews, several thousand story links 600 notable authors erotic fiction, c.\n\nWe consider the neutrino flux from a galactic supernova and the induced signal in Borex. A total of ∼ 300 events is predicted. The detection of v μ 's and v τ 's through neutral current excitation of the 11 B nuclei is discussed. We find that examination of the time structure of these events allows measurement of the v μ and v τ masses in the range 200 eV ⪷m v ⪷30 keV , provided they are stable. For unstable v 's, a v e p signal enables measurements of masses in the range 200 keV ⪷m v ⪷1 MeV , provided they decay into v e + φ .\n\nNÜX The Signal", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9418115019798279}
{"content": "What is anorexia essay\nRated 3/5 based on 48 review\n\nWhat is anorexia essay\n\nAnorexia nervosa anorexia is a problem to be addressed through deeper understanding of its nature and the course it will take because your friends and family of. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by a fear of being fat, a distorted body image, radically reduced consumption of food, and emaciation. Anorexia vs bulimia course descriptions when one hears the term eating disorder model essays cat5 review student. Binge eating disorder continue for 6 more pages » • join now to read essay binge eating disorder and other term papers or research documents. Disclaimer: this essay has been submitted by a student this is not an example of the work written by our professional essay writers any opinions, findings. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that occurs when a person is unrealistically concerned about being overweight or feels an overwhelming need to be so thin that.\n\nwhat is anorexia essay\n\nFree essay: often one develops anorexia in order to obtain a perfect body image in their perception the goal to obtain the perfect body results in an. Free coursework on anorexia and what causes it from essayukcom, the uk essays company for essay, dissertation and coursework writing. Anorexia nervosa is a severe eating disorder that mainly affects teenage girls, however, it can affect men and women of all ages there are many factors th. All people with anorexia nervosa need treatment in most cases, this involves seeing a health professional, as well as having regular counseling sessions.\n\nEating disorders: why do they happen dieting, body dissatisfaction and wanting to be thin are all factors that increase the risk for an eating disorder. Get an answer for 'english research paper on eating disorders and need help with thesis this is what i have already everywhere one looks today, one will notice.\n\nAnorexia nervosa eating disorder april 23, there are several treatments for anorexia nervosa eating disorder the research is based on the peculiarities of the. This can be associated with stress/pressure at school, home, or in relationships feeling thin makes some people feel powerful these individuals have very.\n\nBulimia nervosa (my essay written in 10th grade) pressured by society’s epitomes of beauty, countless teenagers feel obligated to shape their bodies into. More psychology essay topics one of the causes is biochemical an imbalance of neurotransmitters, like a low level of serotonin in people with anorexia- fava et al. Essay, term paper research paper on eating disorders. Essays compare and contrast anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa compare and contrast anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa problem of eating disorder is not.\n\nWhat is anorexia essay\n\nwhat is anorexia essay\n\nAnorexia has a destructive effect not only on a person's body, but also his/her life in general read on this article in order to avoide this horrible problem. Free essays from bartleby | eating and personality disorders the correlation between eating disorders and other psychological disorders is very important for. Anorexia essays: over 180,000 anorexia essays, anorexia term papers, anorexia research paper, book reports 184 990 essays, term and research papers available for.\n\n  • View and download eating disorders essays examples also discover topics, titles, outlines, thesis statements, and conclusions for your eating disorders essay.\n  • This essay would like to discuss anorexia nervosa by looking at its it is an eating disorder that makes people drop more weight than is deemed healthy.\n\nWhat anorexia is not mental health 20 million american women and 10 million american men will suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder. Free essay: bulimia nervosa eating disorders are devastating behavioral maladies brought on by a complex interplay of factors, which may include emotional. Anorexia nervosa essaysanorexia nervosa is one of the most commonly known and yet least recognized eating disorders anorexia is a mental illness, which affects both. Read this psychology essay and over 88,000 other research documents eating disorder what is disordered eating disordered eating is when a person’s attitudes. Free essay: in addition to this, the dsm-iv text revised, states that in general, the average age of onset for anorexia nervosa in females occurs in mid to. Millions of americans suffer from anorexia anorexia is a disease involving intentional starvation, an obsession with food and weight related issues, and extreme. Eating disorder narratives: personal experiences of anorexia and bulimia by veronica ashley przybyl under the direction of cassandra white abstract.\n\nwhat is anorexia essay what is anorexia essay what is anorexia essay\n\nGet example of What is anorexia essay", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9508470296859741}
{"content": "ON MENTAL ILLNESS: Needs of the mentally ill\n\nJack Bragen\nThursday December 08, 2016 - 03:26:00 PM\n\nA mentally ill individual in recovery shouldn't have to be burdened with basic survival. Yet, too often, we are. If you look at the picture of what happens to mentally ill people; being thrown into a detention facility, being homeless, living on the lower fringe of income for those lucky enough to have government benefits, or living in substandard or institutional housing, there is something wrong with the picture.  \n\nTo get well, a recovering mentally ill person should have their food and shelter be a given, should live in a safe, comfortable, clean, affordable unit, should have people to talk to, and should not have to physically defend oneself from attack.  \n\nWe should not have to work for a living. Fortunately, in the U.S., there are SSDI and SSI that can usually be obtained.  \n\nFor our housing and income benefits, a mentally ill person must periodically deal with government hoops to jump through, and this can be anxiety producing. However, this is far better than the alternative of not having these benefits.  \n\nOnce housed, fed, bathed, and clothed, a recovering mentally ill person is at liberty to focus on recovery. This usually involves a combination of medication and counseling.  \n\nI am not in favor of deep psychotherapy in which the therapist is trying to dig for an underlying psychological cause to the person's illness. This almost never works and usually harms the patient.  \n\nObstacles to recovery include the difficulty in finding good housing, the difficulty in finding good quality treatment, and the behavior of patients themselves in which housing and/or treatment are sometimes self-sabotaged. Noncompliance with treatment is one example of this.  \n\nAnother obstacle to recovery is the lack of quality of life among those who are cooperative. Persons with psych disabilities are not helped in reaching our potential. Often, if we show potential or if we make progress, assistance from the mental health treatment system seems to evaporate.  \n\nGetting meaningful employment or a meaningful volunteer position would help numerous people do better who have psychiatric problems. However, there is a pitfall. I have seen, in past decades, a scenario in which a psychiatric consumer becomes employed in a good job, and then relapses, possibly due to believing we are \"cured\" and stopping medication, or in other instances due to the stresses of maintaining the position. Or, people have stopped medication because of its hindrance to job performance.  \n\nIt doesn't always work out to place a mentally ill individual in a job. Yet, the absence of a job, the absence of volunteer work, and the absence of a legitimate source of gratification are hindrances to recovery.  \n\nOnce \"survival\" has been dealt with, a person will transition to other issues. An entirely new set of emotions will be loaded into consciousness. It becomes possible to have a wide range of feelings, including sadness, longing, or even joy. The individual's spirit has awakened. This is a necessary step in the evolvement of an individual.  \n\nWhen I read of the closure of Caffe Mediterraneum, it caused me to have an epiphany, even though I am not in Berkeley, I am in Martinez. I recall that my first date with my wife was at \"Cafe Romano\" a long gone cafe that was once in downtown Martinez, along with Giovanni's Deli, and a few blocks away there was Bertola's, where my wedding reception took place.  \n\nMartinez has been modernized, and in the process has lost its character. There was once a restaurant, a diner, on Main Street called DiMaggio’s, at one time owned by Joe DiMaggio, the baseball star. Doubtless I've set foot on land that Marilyn Monroe also walked on.  \n\nAnd I think of the fact that the U.S. is returning to an earlier time, but in an obscene way. I would not be able to have these thoughts and feelings were I still dealing with basic survival.  \n\nAfter all of these years of living within a haze, consisting of medication side effects and of possible neurological damage, I am finding myself within a set of emotions of which I had forgotten. I don't know if I have been helped by the lack of relapses, the fish oil, the never-ending meditation, and the never-ending writing, or if I am just lucky. At the moment, I am not worried about anything, and I don't have aberrations blocking my experience of life. This is good.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7669846415519714}
{"content": "An introduction to the history of earthquakes in japan\n\nan introduction to the history of earthquakes in japan\n\nBeing prone to both earthquakes and tsunamis, japan had been introduction 9 2 disaster evacuation from japan’s 2011 tsunami disaster and the fukushima. The intent of this article is to provide a brief introduction to the study of earthquakes, and then summarize our understanding of earthquakes in bhutan past. Accelerating seismic activity in late meiji japan climaxed in the legendary great nobi earthquake of 1891, which rocked the main island from tokyo to osaka, killing. Introduction earthquakes are very destructive and cause many deadliest tsunami in history and japan research involves. Introduction earthquakes in history where earthquakes occur how earthquakes happen measuring earthquakes volcanoes and earthquakes predicting earthquakes endnotes.\n\nEarthquakes in japan: a review article introduction the social and intellectual history of earthquakes in japan. Purchase history of seismograms and earthquakes of the world - 1st edition print book & e-book isbn 9780124408708, 9780080924236. History earthquakes sometimes a series of earthquakes occur in a sort of earthquake storm, where the earthquakes strike a fault in clusters such as japan or. Free essays from bartleby | earthquakes throughout history, man has made many advancements these advancements have. Earthquakes: risk, detection, warning, and research congressional research service 1 introduction close to 75 million people in 39 states face some risk from earthquakes.\n\nEarthquakes living lab: geology and earthquakes in japan earthquakes living lab: geology and the 1906 san history and structure of the earth or a specific. Historic tsunamis in japan booklets warned of the consequences of earthquakes in the sea and list of the deadliest tsunamis in japan's history with. Historic earthquakes in japan natural disasters in japanese history, 1703-2003 nat museum of japanese history, chiba introduction to ichnology making maps.\n\nIf you frequently tune into international news, the story of a natural disaster in japan will be a common sight for you the geographical location and. This is the cause of frequent earthquakes and the presence of many volcanoes and hot springs across japan if earthquakes occur the worst in japanese history.\n\nThis is a list of earthquakes in japan with either a magnitude greater than or equal to 70 or which caused significant damage or casualties history although. Earthquakes ppt pdf - free download as pdf • earthquakes cannot be predicted to an exact • one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history.\n\nEarthquakes an introduction to seismic geology by william herbert hobbs rama's later history transactions of the seismological society of japan april june.\n\nan introduction to the history of earthquakes in japan\n\nEarthquakes - an introduction introduction to earthquakes earthquakes - an introduction cause of earthquakes japan the earthquake. What are the impacts of an earthquake environmental sciences essay 31 introduction this area has suffered a history of 180. In this paper, i will discus the history of earthquakes, the kinds and locations of earthquakes, earthquake effects, intensity scales, prediction. Earthquakes: origins and predictions summer 2000 1 1 introduction many myths were created about the possible origin of earthquakes: in japan. Introduction learning outcomes earthquakes are mainly confined to specific areas of the earth known as seismic zones history & the arts languages. Introduction 11 overview in japan, the financial loss was primarily due to damage history of earthquakes in indonesia b. Earthquake disaster mitigation policy in japan tokyo metropolitan earthquakes 1 introduction the outline of earthquake disaster mitigation policy in japan.\n\nMost of the earthquakes come with minor tremors however larger earthquakes with earthquake has its long devastating history from the ancient time all over the. Essays - largest database of quality sample essays and research papers on introduction earthquake. The worst earthquake in japan’s history is the great kanto earthquake introduction earthquakes are disturbances and ruptures beneath the earth surface which.\n\nan introduction to the history of earthquakes in japan an introduction to the history of earthquakes in japan an introduction to the history of earthquakes in japan\nAn introduction to the history of earthquakes in japan\nRated 3/5 based on 49 review", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9997854232788086}
{"content": "7 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Xerxes\n\n“Goosh bede ta begam ba to niyatamo, Daran az ben mibaran hoviatamo…”  -Yas\n\nIn lieu of recent revisionist historical fabrications with an overt xenophobic slant, here are 7 things you probably didn’t know about Xerxes, fourth Shah of the Achaemenid Persian Dynasty.\n\n1. Xerxes was NOT a pierced-up androgynous bald guy.\nBased on ancient carved stone reliefs remaining from the Achaemenid Dynasty, Xerxes is actually depicted as having long curly hair and beard, adorned with a crown and royal robe.  If you think about it for a second, it’s obvious as to why they purposefully chose to drastically change what he looked like by darkening his skin and taking away his masculinity.  However, he probably did have pierced ears, for it was the fashion of men at the time in ancient Persia.\n\nNational Museum of Iran\n\n2. The correct pronunciation of his name is “Khashaayaar” not “Zerkseez”.\nIt is not surprising that many words and names become lost in translation as well as pronunciation when going from one language to another.  Today, Khashayar is still a common name in modern Iran.\n\n3. Xerxes was the grandson of Cyrus The Great.\nWhile slavery and the subjection of humans was the norm in the historical western world such as Greece and Rome, two generations prior to when Xerxes took the throne, his grandfather, Cyrus the Great abolished slavery in all its forms.   Along with the abolition of slavery, Cyrus also established by law, freedom of religion and other inalienable human rights. This can be found in what is referred to by historians today as the Cyrus Cylinder, which was decreed over 2500 years prior to Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.  Xerxes continued to uphold the laws and freedoms that his grandfather, Cyrus the Great established.\n\nThe Cyrus Cylinder\n\n4. Xerxes was married to Esther.\nYes, the same Esther from the Bible. One of the most famous Jewish women from the Old Testament was the beloved partner to Xerxes and Queen of Persia.   The Holy Jewish Holiday of Purim is directly correlated to Esther and Xerxes.   Although Xerxes was a Zoroastrian by faith, he did not force his beliefs upon anyone, including his wife.\n\n\n5. He had big shoes to fill.\nBoth Xerxes’ father, Darius the Great and grandfather, Cyrus the Great were revered throughout Greater Asia for their righteous character and social accomplishments.  While Cyrus founded the Achaemnid Dynasty, it was Darius who legitimized it.  Darius partook in many social achievements such as the creation of the Suez Canal, the establishment of a formal judicial system, a uniform monetary system, and initial construction of the Persian Capital of Persepolis.  During the twilight years of Darius’ life, Spartan and Athenian forces attacked and sacked the Persian City of Sardis. (You’ll be hard pressed to find western history books that mentions Greek forces attacked first. This fact seems to be conveniently edited out in most sources.)   Not being one to put up with bullying foreign attacks, Darius retaliated by sending military forces to Greece so they would check themselves before they riggity-wrecked themselves.  Darius knew his time was short so he left his son, Xerxes the throne along with the responsibility of finishing what he began, by completing the construction of Persepolis as well as dealing with the attack on Sardis.  While the majority of retaliating forces were Persian and Median, Xerxes’ military was actually a United Nations Coalition that also comprised of Assyrians, Armenians, Scythians, Israelites, Ethiopians, Egyptians, Phoenicians, Ionians, Phrygians, Elamites, Bactrians, as well as Aeolian Greeks, Aegean Greeks, Pontus Greeks, among others.\n\nPersian & Median Soldiers\n\n6. He is buried near Shiraz Iran.\nOne can visit Xerxes’ tomb along with his father’s, Darius the Great and other Achaemenid Shahs at the ancient Historical Landmark called Naghsh-e-Rostam, located not far from the city of Shiraz.  Above his tomb, adorned on the cliff-side rock is a relief carving of Xerxes holding his right hand up as a symbolic gesture of his devotion to Truth while he faces a winged Farvahar, the Zoroastrian symbol of Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds.\n\nXerxes from Naghsh-e-Rostam\n\n7. Xerxes recognized people’s right to be Happy.\nThousands of years before Thomas Jefferson wrote down his famous words “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” in the U.S. Declaration of Independence, Xerxes also immortalized Mankind’s right to Happiness as divinely given by Ahura Mazda (God).  His words can still be found today written in ancient Persian cuneiform script on the remaining walls of Persepolis.\n\nArt by André Lima Araújo\n\nSo given with all this, I think it’s safe to say that Xerxes and Ancient Persians were in fact not the uncivilized evil monsters they are portrayed to be.  You see, with a little bit of homework, you can uncover truths and facts that are conveniently left out.   As George Orwell appropriately put it, “He who controls the present, controls the past.”\n\nAside | This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged . Bookmark the permalink.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8563520908355713}
{"content": "Is this an official magazine of the Communist Party of Britain!? For the first time since 1968 there could be left tendencies moving towards Revolutionary Marxism which includes key Trotskyist ideas. There could be mass revolutionary organisations consisting of thousands around the world. Things for the first time since 1991 are going in the direction of Trotskyism.\n\nThere could be sizeable tendencies in the British Labour Party could move towards revolutionary politics. There could be tendencies coming back to Trotskyism among the ex-Trotskyist groups. The revolutionary left is getting more sophisticated into how to build a principled left in the Labour Party and even playing a leading role in the delivery strike in London. There could be sizeable tendencies breaking from Stalinism in the Communist Parties.\n\nIf a mass revolutionary party can be built around programmatic convergence which leads to break from methods which were wrong is a top priority. It would be totally sectarian to ask people to recant. The only proviso is that you agree with the Revolutionary Marxist programme for the 3 sectors of the world revolution and strategy for Socialist revolution within Britain. It is important to change tactics when great opportunities open for Revolutionary Marxism.\n\nIn the past I wrote sharp polemics against those who breaking principles and programme of the movement. Now the task is allow people retreat and build the maximum support for applying these principles and programme in concrete strategies and tactics. This development alone explains why the British ruling class are so frightened of Trotskyism being the most effective in history!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9452836513519287}
{"content": "Education Technology\n\nFill up the tank!\n\nPublished on 06/09/2008\n\nActivity Overview\n\nDemonstrate the concept of slope and y-intercept in the slope-intercept form of linear equation using water and marbles.\n\nBefore the Activity\n\nDivide the class into groups of 4 members.\nDefine the variable that we will be using in the activity.\nLet x = number of marbles\nLet y = water level\n\nDuring the Activity\n\nStudents record the water level every time they put in 1 marble using the attached form - fill up the tank.doc.\nAfter the students have put it all 10 marbles, start the Activity Center and ask the students send in their data using the activity setting fill up the tank.act.\nThen have a little discussion what the points represent especially the one on the y-axis.\nAsk the each group to model the situation with a linear equation in the form y = mx + b.\n\nAfter the Activity\n\nHave a discussion on:\nWhy the y-intercept is 30\nThe significance of the slope\nWhat the slope represents", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.999924898147583}
{"content": "Thyroid UK\n82,905 members97,944 posts\n\nHigh dose T3 - variable temperature and weight gain\n\nHello everyone! From 9 weeks I take only T3 - now 125 mcg (suspect problem with RT3 or resistance): 4am 25mcg, 9am 37.5mcg, 14 25mcg, 18 37.5mcg. I have a little more energy, but my temperature is very variable, pulse is 50-54, BP 80/50 - 90/60 and my weight gained (2 kg in a month) - wtf? I tried lower dose (I picked up gradually), but nothing happened.\n\nI take iron, B complex, C, D3+K2mk7, zinc, selenium and more ;)\n\n6 Replies\n\nMagdas, that's a high dose to be on after only 9 weeks. Overmedication can cause weight gain. Perhaps you should order a FT3 test.\n\nHow much Levothyroxine were you previously taking?\n\n\nI know, that my dose is high... Usually I was going up 6.25 every 3 to 5 days ( and didn't see improvement.\n\nAt the start of treatment I was taking only T4, but I\n\nfelt terribly (depression, swelling and low ft3), later - Thiroyd - at the beginning was great! (blood test, my feeling) but later (I had a lot of stress - Rt3?!) I stopped responding to medication (I picked up Thiroyd to 4.5 grain, but I didn't feel better). I decided take only T3. In Poland doctors don't treat patients by T3, so I am treated alone.\n\n\nMagdas, that link doesn't work but increasing by 6.25mcg every 3-5 days is too fast as it doesn't give you sufficient time to absorb and metabolise the T3. This link discusses increasing NDT but the principle applies for T4 and T3 too.\n\nIf you're self medicating you should still be guided by blood tests. Can't you order private thyroid tests including FT3 in Poland?\n\n\nGreat link! Thank U.\n\nMy link:\n\nIt's no problem to order a FT3 test, but I can't order for example RT3 in Poland.\n\nMy latest blood test from January - before I took T3:\n\nFT 3 2.65 pg/ml (2,3 - 4,2)\n\nOk, I think I made mistake - I was too impatient :( What should I do now? Lower my dose gradually or severely?\n\n\nMagdas, I'd continue as you are unless you feel overmedicated and have a FT3 test to guide whether or not dose needs reducing.\n\nIf you had high rT3 which is caused by unconverted T4 it should be reducing after 9 weeks on T3 only.\n\n1 like\n\nOk, thank U so much. I think it's rather too much for me, so I'll be reducing my dose.\n\n\nYou may also like...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5244832038879395}
{"content": "Comparison of Ethereum, Hyperledger Fabric and Corda\n\nAuthors: Martin Valenta, Philipp Sandner.\nDownload the article as\nPDF file. More information about the the Frankfurt School Blockchain Center on the Internet, on Twitter or on Facebook.\n\nWith this paper, we provide a brief analysis of the most notable differences between the distributed ledger technologies (DLT) Hyperledger Fabric, R3 Corda and Ethereum. Our intention is to give decision makers new to DLT guidance for what use cases Hyperledger Fabric, Corda and Ethereum are most suitable.\n\nThree different frameworks\n\nFrom the white papers of Hyperledger Fabric, R3 Corda (in the following only referred to as Fabric and Corda, respectively) and Ethereum it becomes obvious that these frameworks have very different visions in mind with respect to possible fields of application. Development of both Fabric[i] and Corda[ii] is driven by concrete use cases, whereas Corda’s use cases are drawn from the financial services industry. Consequently, this is where Corda sees its main field of application. In contrast, Fabric intends to provide a modular and extendable architecture that can be employed in various industries, from banking and healthcare over to supply chains. Ethereum also presents itself as utterly independent of any specific field of application.[iii] However, in contrast to Fabric, it is not modularity that stands out but the provision of a generic platform for all kinds of transactions and applications. Table 1 provides a summary of the three frameworks.\n\nTable 1: Comparison of Ethereum, Hyperledger Fabric and Corda\n\nParticipation of peers\n\nWith conventional central data storage, only a single entity, the owner, keeps a copy of the underlying database, e.g. a ledger. Consequently, this entity controls what data is contributed and what other entities are permitted to contribute. With the advent of DLT this radically changes in favor of distributed data storage where multiple entities hold a copy of the underlying database and are naturally permitted to contribute. All entities that participate in distributed data storage form a network of so-called nodes or peers. Due to distributed data storage, the difficulty arises to ensure that all nodes agree upon a common truth, e.g. the correctness of a ledger, as changes made by one node have to be propagated to all other peer nodes in the network. The result of arriving at a common truth is called consensus among nodes and is described below.\n\nWith respect to participating to consensus, there are two modes of operation: permissionless and permissioned. If participation is permissionless, anybody is allowed to participate in the network. This mode is true for Ethereum as a public blockchain. On the other hand, if participation is permissioned, participants are selected in advance and access to the network is restricted to these only. This is true for Fabric and Corda. The mode of participation, permissionless or permissioned, has a profound impact on how consensus is reached.\n\n\nEthereum. With Ethereum, all participants have to reach consensus over the order of all transactions that have taken place, irrespectively of whether a participant has taken part in a particular transaction or not. The order of the transactions is crucial for the consistent state of the ledger. If a definitive order of transactions cannot be established there is a chance that double-spends might have occurred, that is, two parallel transactions transfer the same coin to different recipients, thus making money out of thin air. As the network might involve mutually distrusting and anonymous parties, a consensus mechanism has to be employed that protects the ledger against fraudulent or adverse participants that attempt double-spends. In the current implementation of Ethereum, this mechanism is established by mining based on the proof-of-work (PoW) scheme. All participants have to agree upon a common ledger and all participants have access to all entries ever recorded. The consequences are that PoW unfavorably affects the performance of transactions processing.[v] Concerning the data stored on the ledger, even though records are anonymized, they are nevertheless accessible to all participants, which is problematic for applications that require a higher degree of privacy.\n\nIn contrast to Ethereum, Fabric’s and Corda’s interpretation of consensus is more refined and does not merely boil down to mining based on PoW or a derivative thereof. Due to operating in a permissioned mode, Fabric and Corda provide a more fine-grained access control to records and thus enhance privacy. Furthermore, a gain in performance is achieved as only parties taking part in a transaction have to reach consensus.\n\nFabric. Fabric’s understanding of consensus is broad and encompasses the whole transaction flow, starting from proposing a transaction to the network to committing it to the ledger.[vi] Furthermore, nodes assume different roles and tasks in the process of reaching consensus. This contrasts to Ethereum where roles and tasks of nodes participating in reaching consensus are identical.\n\nWithin Fabric, nodes are differentiated based on whether they are clients, peers or orderers.[vii] A client acts on behalf of an end-user and creates and thereby invokes transactions. They communicate with both peers and orderers. Peers maintain the ledger and receive ordered update messages from orderers for committing new transactions to the ledger. Endorsers are a special type of peer, whereas their task is to endorse a transaction by checking whether they fulfill necessary and sufficient conditions (e.g. the provision of required signatures). Orderers provide a communication channel to clients and peers over which messages containing transactions can be broadcasted. With respect to consensus in particular, the channels ensure that all connected peers are delivered exactly the same messages with exactly the same logical order.\n\nAt this point, the problem arises that there might occur faults in the delivery of messages when many mutually untrusting orderers are employed. As a consequence, a consensus algorithm has to be used in order to reach consensus despite faults, e.g. inconsistent order of messages, thus making the replication of the distributed ledger faults tolerant. With Fabric, the algorithm employed is “pluggable”, meaning that depending on application-specific requirements various algorithms can be used. For example, in order to deal with random or malicious replication faults as outlined above a variant of the Byzantine fault-tolerant (BFT) algorithms could be used. Furthermore, channels partition message flows, meaning that clients only see the messages and associated transactions of the channels they are connected to and are unaware of other channels. This way, access to transactions is restricted to involved parties only with the consequence that consensus has only to be reached at transaction level and not at ledger level as with Ethereum.\n\nThe roles of nodes outlined above are now described in the context of the transaction flow: A client sends a transaction to connected endorsers in order to initiate an update of the ledger. All endorsers have to agree upon the proposed transaction, thus some sort of consensus has to be reached regarding the proposed ledger update. The client now successively collects approval of all endorsers. The approved transaction is now sent to connected orderers which again reach consensus. Subsequently, the transaction is forwarded to peers holding the ledger for committing the transaction.\n\nWithout going further into detail, it becomes clear that Fabric allows fine-grained control over consensus and restricted access to transactions which results in improved performance scalability and privacy.\n\nCorda. Similar to Fabric, consensus in Corda is also reached at transaction level by involving parties only. Subject to consensus is transaction validity and transaction uniqueness[viii]. Validity is ensured by running the smart contract code (smart contracts are described in detail below) associated with a transaction, by checking for all required signatures and by assuring that any transactions that are referred to are also valid. Uniqueness concerns the input states of a transaction. Specifically, it has to be ensured that the transaction in question is the unique consumer of all its input states. In other words, there exists no other transaction that consumes any of the same states. The reason for this is to avoid double-spends. Consensus over uniqueness is reached among participants called notary[ix] nodes, whereas the employed algorithm is “pluggable” as with Fabric. So once again a BFT algorithm might be used.\n\nSmart contracts\n\nThe term “smart contract” causes considerable misunderstanding when first encountered as it evokes the idea of some sort of contract that intelligently acts on one’s behalf. The contract’s nature, however, remains vague, but intuitively appears to be linked to legal matters. That said, focal contracts are neither smart in the sense that they are e.g. driven by artificial intelligence, at least not yet, nor do they generally encode obligations and rights that are legally binding. Clark and colleagues[x] provide a useful terminology by highlighting two different ways the term “smart contracts” is commonly used. The first refers to smart contract code, the second to smart legal contracts, two distinctions that prove to be beneficial in the context of this comparison.\n\nSmart contract code simply denotes software written in a programming language. It acts as a software agent or delegate of the party that employed it with the intention that it fulfills certain obligations, exercises rights and may take control of assets within a distributed ledger in an automated way. Thus, it takes on tasks and responsibilities in the distributed ledger world by executing code that models or emulates contract logic in the real world, though its legal justification may be unclear.\n\nAll DLTs feature smart contracts in the sense of smart contract code that can be written in Go or Java for Fabric[xi], in Solidity[xii] for Ethereum and in Java or Kotlin for Corda[xiii]. In Fabric, the term “chaincode” is used as a synonym for smart contract. As an illustrative example, the reader is reminded of the usage of a smart contract code in the consensus mechanism of Corda in order to ensure transaction validity. However, there is a notable difference between Fabric and Ethereum on the one hand and Corda on the other that is connected to the second way the “smart contracts” term is used.\n\nIn Corda, smart contracts not only consist of code but additionally are allowed to contain legal prose. Thus above smart legal contracts are legal prose that are formulated in a way that they can be expressed and implemented in smart contract code. The rationale behind this is to give the code legitimacy that is rooted in the associated legal prose. Such a construct is called Ricardian Contract[xiv]. At this point, it again becomes clear that Corda was explicitly designed to account for the highly regulated environment of the financial services industry. Both Fabric and Ethereum lack this feature.\n\nBuilt-in currency\n\nAnother noteworthy difference is that Ethereum features a build-in cryptocurrency called Ether. It is used to pay rewards to nodes that contribute to reach consensus by mining blocks as well as to pay transaction fees. Therefore decentralized apps (DApps) can be built for Ethereum that allow monetary transactions. Furthermore, a digital token for custom use cases can be created by deploying a smart contract that conforms to a pre-defined standard.[xv] This way, own currencies or assets can be defined.\n\nFabric and Corda do not require a build-in cryptocurrency as consensus is not reached via mining. With Fabric, however, it is possible to develop a native currency or a digital token with chaincode.[xvi] With Corda, a creation of digital currencies or tokens is not intended.[xvii]\n\nSummary: customized vs. generic platform\n\nTo sum up, the examined DLTs span a continuum. On the one side, there is Fabric and Ethereum. They both are highly flexible, but in different aspects. Ethereum’s powerful smart contracts engine makes it a generic platform for literally any kind of application. However, Ethereum’s permissionless mode of operation and its total transparency comes at the cost of performance scalability and privacy. Fabric solves performance scalability and privacy issues by permissioned mode of operation and specifically by using a BFT algorithm and fine-grained access control. Further, the modular architecture allows Fabric to be customized to a multitude of applications. An analogy to a versatile toolbox can be drawn.\n\nCorda is located at the other end. It has been consciously designed as DLT for the financial services industry. Most notably, it takes the highly regulated environment into account by augmenting smart contracts with legal prose.\n\nApparently, Corda’s focus solely on financial services transactions simplified its architectural design compared to Fabric. Therefore, it might offer a more out-of-the-box experience. However, it might be possible that Fabric, due to its modularity, can be tailored to resemble Corda’s feature set. Efforts exist that seek to integrate Corda into the Hyperledger project. Corda therefore cannot be seen as a competitor to Fabric but more as a complement.\n\n\n\nDownload the article as PDF file. More information about the the Frankfurt School Blockchain Center on the Internet, on Twitter or on Facebook.\n\nMartin Valenta is blockchain engineer and consultant at the Frankfurt School Blockchain Center. You can contact him via mail (martin.valenta@gmx.net). Prof. Dr. Philipp Sandner is head of the Frankfurt School Blockchain Center. You can contact him via mail (email@philipp-sandner.de), via LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippsandner/) or follow him on Twitter (@philippsandner).\n\n[i] https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z4M_qwILLRehPbVRUsJ3OF8Iir-gqS-ZYe7W-LE9gnE/pub\n\n[ii] https://docs.corda.net/_static/corda-introductory-whitepaper.pdf\n\n[iii] https://github.com/ethereum/wiki/wiki/White-Paper\n\n[iv] e.g. https://github.com/jpmorganchase/quorum\n\n[v] Vukolić M. (2016). The Quest for Scalable Blockchain Fabric: Proof-of-Work vs. BFT Replication, in: Camenisch J., Kesdoğan D. (eds.) Open Problems in Network Security, iNetSec 2015, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Vol. 9591, Springer.\n\n[vi] https://hyperledger-fabric.readthedocs.io/en/latest/fabric_model.html#consensus\n\n[vii] https://github.com/hyperledger/fabric/blob/master/proposals/r1/Next-Consensus-Architecture-Proposal.md\n\n[viii] https://docs.corda.net/key-concepts-consensus.html\n\n[ix] https://docs.corda.net/key-concepts-notaries.html\n\n[x] http://arxiv.org/abs/1608.00771\n\n[xi] http://hyperledger-fabric.readthedocs.io/en/latest/chaincode.html\n\n[xii] http://solidity.readthedocs.io/en/latest/\n\n[xiii] https://docs.corda.net/tutorial-contract.html\n\n[xiv] http://iang.org/papers/ricardian_contract.html\n\n[xv] https://www.ethereum.org/token\n\n[xvi] https://hyperledger-fabric.readthedocs.io/en/latest/Fabric-FAQ.html#chaincode-smart-contracts-and-digital-assets\n\n[xvii] https://discourse.corda.net/t/mobile-consumer-payment-experiences-with-corda-on-ledger-cash/966?source_topic_id=962\n\nLike what you read? Give Philipp Sandner a round of applause.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9758979082107544}
{"content": "Language Barriers and Poverty in the AAPI Community\n\nWhether it’s the debate over immigration reform or reports on the future of a “majority minority” nation, conversations around our changing demographics often center on the growth of the Latino population. While this is understandable given that much of the demographic shifts are attributed to Latinos, the number of Asian immigrants is increasing rapidly. In fact, the Asian population grew by 46 percent between 2000 and 2010, and recently surpassed Latinos as the nation’s fastest-growing group of new immigrants. This is why it is significant that the White House is holding a summit today on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders as part of AAPI Heritage Month.\n\nWhile we often discuss Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders as one demographic group, it is important to acknowledge that experiences vary greatly within this community, particularly when it comes to economic wellbeing. For example, while Japanese Americans have a poverty rate of 8.4 percent—nearly half the national average—Cambodian Americans and Hmong Americans have much higher poverty rates at 18.8 percent and 24 percent, respectively. This is why Asian American and Pacific Islanders can be viewed as having relatively high household income, while also being one of the fastest-growing populations in poverty since the Great Recession.\n\nOne contributing factor to the differences between AAPI groups is English proficiency, as adults with limited English skills tend to have higher rates of unemployment and lower wages. This is critical as Asian Americans are among the most likely to have limited English proficiency, and one in five Asian households in the U.S. is considered “linguistically isolated,” where no one in the household over the age of 14 speaks English “very well.” And the language barrier impacts Asian Americans regardless of birth place. In fact, nearly 1 out of 10 U.S.-born Asian Americans has limited English proficiency.\n\nEnglish proficiency among parents is also critical when it comes to accessing the knowledge and resources necessary to help children navigate classrooms, health facilities, and even the juvenile justice system. Further, higher proficiency in English among parents is associated with better academic and economic outcomes for their children. On top of this, English language learner students—students whose native language is not English or who come from environments where English is not the dominant language—are more likely to attend high-poverty schools where resources are limited. Moreover, they must acquire language skills while studying the same content areas as their English-speaking peers, essentially doing double the work.\n\nYou need to look longitudinally. We are empowering a family and a community, not just a child.\n\nGiven the fact that English proficiency impacts employment outcomes, family responsibilities, and a child’s academic success, the language barrier can create a poverty trap for families and a loss of human capital for communities.\n\nAs the number of immigrants continues to increase, one of the most significant ways communities can respond to this influx is by ensuring greater access to English language instruction to ensure that all families can fully participate in society. In a recent report titled “The Case for a Two-Generation Approach for Educating English Language Learners,” I outline how communities should support strategies that engage parents and children and improve the academic and economic well-being of both generations. These strategies include adopting a community school model—meaning schools provide critical wraparound services for students and families.\n\nIn my hometown of Oakland, California, half the students speak a language other than English, with Spanish and Cantonese being the most common. Recently, the school district chose to move towards the community school model and provide a wide spectrum of wraparound services for all students, including: physical and mental health services, nutrition, housing, employment, parenting, and language acquisition courses. In addition, the district’s Family Literacy program provides parents with English as a second language and computer literacy courses. These classes are integrated into the child’s school, giving parents the opportunity to use the same resources as their children and gain a greater understanding of what their children are learning.\n\n“You need to look longitudinally,” Sue Pon, director of adult education for Oakland, told Fusion. “We are empowering a family and a community, not just a child.”\n\n\n\n\nComments +\n\n\nStigma, a Weak Safety Net, and the Deaths of Jodi and Randy Speidel\n\nThis article originally appeared at The Nation.\n\nJodi and Randy Speidel, a couple in their mid-40s, taped a note to the front door of their one-bedroom rental home warning visitors of carbon monoxide. They let their three cats outdoors and wrote a note attesting that their next decision was a mutual one. Then, in their locked bedroom, they lit two charcoal grills and committed suicide.\n\nThe couple’s 20-year-old daughter had recently turned to to seek assistance for her parents, The Columbus Dispatch reported. Describing them as “the hardest-working people I know,” she wrote, “now that they literally cannot work anymore, they have nowhere to turn to.”\n\nChronic illnesses had forced both to stop working. They had lived without heat all winter and without water for a week. Jodi had applied for assistance and was waiting for a response. She had turned to food banks but was struggling to cook without water. They were down to $33 in savings.\n\nJodi herself sought help from and She in fact signaled a little hope—writing that she had “found a job that is willing to work with my illnesses.” But she also described driving more than 30 miles “on gas fumes” and not knowing if she “would make it back home or even there.”\n\n“I have turned in every direction possible and don’t know what else to do,” Jodi wrote. “If you can help we will be forever grateful and will even pay you back once we get back on our feet.”\n\nStigma makes people hide in the shadows. Your next-door neighbor could be struggling with poverty and you don’t even know it.\n\nOne thing the Speidels apparently didn’t do was turn to their neighbors—some of whom said they would have offered help had they known of the couple’s struggles.\n\n“We have become such a disassociated and anti-social society that we don’t even know our own neighbors,” a pastor lamented to the Dispatch, suggesting that a tighter community could have made a difference.\n\nWe don’t really know if their neighbors were in a position to provide the kind of resources the couple needed. But it’s notable that Jodi opted for the relative anonymity of reaching out online rather than turning to her neighbors. Over the years, I have heard from many people with low incomes about the shame and stigma of poverty, and how it keeps them from telling others about what they are going through.\n\nIn March, a couple of colleagues and I met with five members of Witnesses to Hunger, an advocacy organization whose members use photographs and their testimonials to document their experiences in poverty and advocate at the state, local, and federal levels for policy reform. We wanted to explore a campaign that would push back against the shaming of low-income people by the media, politicians, and other high-profile individuals, and support individuals who want to share their stories in order to educate the public and policymakers about poverty in America.\n\n“Telling my story was like coming out of the closet,” said Betty Burton of Martha’s Vineyard. “Stigma makes people hide in the shadows. Your next-door neighbor could be struggling with poverty and you don’t even know it.”\n\nAnisa Davis of Camden said she felt ashamed to tell her story until she became a member of Witnesses to Hunger. “People need to tell their stories in order to rid themselves of the baggage that comes with that shame.”\n\nBut finding the courage to tell one’s story is easier said than done, especially when much of the media and our politics not only blame people who are struggling for their poverty, they also bash them for it. Philadelphia Witness to Hunger member Angela Sutton spoke of the stereotypes propagated about people with low-incomes, such as their being “dumb, lazy, or just making babies.”\n\n“Stories rarely show the positive changes that Witnesses and others are trying to create in our communities,” said Sutton. She said these kinds of stories would “break barriers” and help “people who are struggling to speak up.”\n\nIn addition to Jodi’s posting online, the Dispatch reports that she also had applied for assistance. We don’t know what she applied for—or whether her application would have been approved—but it’s worth looking at how hard we make it for people to get help in our country. Despite all of the rhetoric that suggests “welfare dependence” is rampant, the numbers tell a far different story.\n\nJack Frech, the former director of the Athens County Department of Job and Family Services in Appalachian Ohio, recently retired after more than thirty years of service in the welfare department. He said times have changed and we have made it much more difficult to get assistance.\n\n“I’ve watched the stigma about welfare grow at the hands of both political parties at all levels of government,” said Frech. “It is deeply ingrained in our administration of assistance programs. We have codified the belief that we are not our neighbors’ keeper. Shame on us.”\n\nI hope a reporter does a follow up to this story: What assistance did Jodi Speidel try to obtain? Did she receive a response? What is the process for applying? Is there any expedited process for emergency assistance? How could we reform the system to prevent the next unnecessary deaths from occurring?\n\nThe unavoidable truth is this: These deaths did not need to happen, and the Speidels should not die in vain.\n\n\nFirst Person\n\nLife Amidst Poverty\n\nI have lived in poverty both as a child and as an adult, and I can say with full confidence that it is a life-crushing force. I hated it. “Poverty” is also one of the most misunderstood labels that gets slapped onto individuals without their approval—cast upon them simultaneously by both unseen and more visible forces of society.\n\nPoverty is a word loaded with preconceived notions, common misperceptions, and seemingly innocuous assumptions. What the word does not do is delve below its surface meaning, into the reality of poverty—a world that no one wants to live in.\n\nPoverty is exhausting. Poverty is despair and desperation-inducing. Poverty is soul, dream and hope crushing. Poverty is like being enclosed in a prison cell with no doors or windows. It feels claustrophobic, as if there is no way out. Only the most resilient do not give up. Still, there is no guarantee that life will get better—and those in poverty know this all too well. They either become hardened or submit to fate. You don’t live life, you don’t thrive—you survive. You wonder if you are predestined, like a caste in another country, to live out a life destitute of fulfillment—whether financial, professional or just having a better life.\n\nThese are the very thoughts that consumed me in times of poverty. And yet, I never stopped believing that there must be a way out. The “how” and the “why” of my situation—resounding questions that were never sated—eventually fell by the wayside as I pushed towards hope. The very thing that brought despair and darkness motivated me to dig out of that prison, to fight with everything within me, to find that light that must exist outside of the walls.\n\nResources and access to them are the most influential factors in the “making it or breaking it”\n\nIn America, there is this prevalent belief that if someone just pulls herself up by her bootstraps, she can succeed. And yet, as I have learned, it is entirely possible to work your ass off and still struggle. Whether I had boots or not, whether I was barefoot, in heels, what I really learned is that resources and access to them—a network of support, and awareness of available choices—are the most influential factors in the “making it or breaking it” of life in the US. So much of this became clear to me only later—when I had the opportunity to see outside of the tiny, claustrophobic room that I had been in for years.\n\nLiving in poverty need not be a death sentence. I decided when I was 5 years old that I wanted to secure a bachelor’s degree before I was married (which I did). Throughout my childhood, I had a voracious appetite for knowledge: I was constantly hungry to learn more. In high school, I decided that upon graduation I would leave the state and my family to start a new life for myself, even though it was extremely hard and I worked three jobs at one point. In college, I knew that I wanted to live and work overseas, to expand my perspective and learn more about the world. And when life challenges blindsided me as an adult (now with two degrees under my belt), I continued to learn what my options were, what resources were available to me, and to fight hard to provide the best opportunities that I can for my own children, so that they may never see themselves as “living in poverty” or not having a shot at a better life.\n\nEnduring poverty is not the end of hope or life. The key things needed to break down the walls that imprison those within poverty are: outside influences, support networks such as friends or family, awareness of other opportunities, and access to resources.\n\nWith this combination, a new life is possible.\n\n\n\nRestoring Hope to Baltimore Requires Making College Affordable\n\n“I’ve always wanted to go to college. I’ve wanted to be an orthodontist since I was seven,” said 16-year-old Kayla, not realizing that because she grew up in West Baltimore the odds of her dreams coming true were very slim.\n\nThere’s a long shadow cast over Baltimore’s children. Like young people across America, they know that the ability to get a good-paying job depends on college. As teens, many of them finish high school, fill out college applications, and complete financial aid forms.  But then they find out the truth: college is unaffordable.\n\nThere is a lot of talk about elite universities offering “no loans” promises and sending letters to low-income families across the country urging their children to apply.  But that effort is relevant to a tiny few. Most people who attend college go to institutions that are far from free.\n\nDespite massive public investment in financial aid, students from families like Kayla’s who earn less than $20,000 a year are now required to pay at least $8,000 for a year of community college and more than $12,000 a year at a public university. That “net price” is what researchers like me have found to be the real bill that students and their families face after all grants (including the federal Pell and state and institutional grants) are subtracted from the sticker price of attending college. This price has gone up substantially over time, particularly since the Great Recession.  It’s climbed as real family income for most has fallen. Worse, it may well be under-stated.\n\nCollege education is central to the American Dream. But the ladder people must climb to get there has eroded, and a critical rung fell off.  After a semester or two, even the most talented students from the bottom half of the income distribution find that the price of college is more than they can afford.  They have enough money to register for classes, but they cannot pay the bills long enough to graduate.  \n\nThe young people of Baltimore know this.  Researchers tracked a set of the city’s children beginning in 1982, when the kids were in 1st grade.  A decade and a half later, almost two-thirds enrolled in college. But by age 28, just 17 percent had earned an associates or bachelor’s degree, with another 13 percent earning a certificate.  Nearly half who grew up poor, ended up poor, especially if they were black.\n\nThe ladder people must climb to get to the American Dream has eroded, and a critical rung fell off.\n\nIt wasn’t for lack of trying. Researchers like Stefanie DeLuca, who met Kayla while doing research on young people from Baltimore’s highest poverty neighborhoods, confirm that a strong work ethic is omnipresent there. But enrolling in college exacerbates their poverty: working two or three jobs while also taking on federal and private loans takes a heavy toll. Growing numbers of undergraduates find themselves living without sufficient food or adequate housing even as they try and focus on school.\n\nWhen college is unaffordable, hope is lost.  Without degrees, young people are returning to the streets with debt, disillusioned and fearful for their futures.\n\nToday colleges and state governments set most college prices. They are failing at this job. The opportunity to get a college education is distributed in highly inequitable ways.  Rather than promoting mobility, the broken college financing system is ensuring that economic and racial inequality gets passed down – and worsened – from one generation to the next.  Americans deserve better.\n\nLast year, Republican Governor Bill Haslam began to restore hope in Tennessee by offering tuition-free community college.  The predecessor to the Tennessee Promise, Knox Achieves, is proving effective at helping young people who would have otherwise never experienced even a 13th year of education earn college credits.  Helping those students complete a 14th year, and attain a credential, may require more investment, along the lines of America’s College Promise proposed by President Barack Obama.\n\nThe initiatives of Haslam and Obama were preceded by wisdom and a smart initiative in New York. In 1969, large numbers of African Americans and Puerto Ricans demanded that the City University of New York become a place that they could enter to pursue better lives.  University administrators responded by instituting an open admissions policy to complement a very low price.  An evaluation conducted over the next 30 years revealed that while the new policy did not wipe out disadvantages due to race or class (or high school academic record), it more than doubled the proportion of black women who would attain degrees. That finding is consistent with more recent studies that raise sharp questions about the contention that “college isn’t for everyone.”\n\nNational leaders need to provide hope to young adults in Baltimore and cities like it.  Federal policy must change. Simply providing financial aid isn’t getting the job done, as it requires too little from those who establish college costs.  Instead, we need a national conversation about what it means to provide a high-quality 13th and 14th year of public education to everyone, and then we need to pay for it. New taxes are an option – but we can also simply stop spending where investments aren’t pay off. Ending subsidies to for-profit universities is a good place to start.\n\nThere is much to do to provide hope, dignity, and a chance at a better life to America’s poor urban youth. Part of the solution must include making college affordable.\n\n\n\nTo Combat For-Profit Schools, Provide Free Community College\n\nAlthough it is widely documented that for-profit colleges routinely prey on low-income students, these schools have proven adept at beating back regulations that would curb their abuses. To decrease the attractiveness of for-profit schools, and their power to exploit students with low incomes, progressives should rally around President Obama’s proposal to provide free community college.\n\nOver the last few years, for-profit colleges have come under fire from the Senate HELP committee, several federal agencies, and 37 state attorneys, with good reason. The for-profit education business model provides no incentive for schools to produce successful, educated college graduates. As a result, over half of the students who attend these schools fail to obtain a degree and struggle with mounting student loan debt. Those students fortunate enough to graduate have a hard time securing employment, as employers increasingly turn away candidates with degrees from for-profit schools.\n\nFor-profit colleges use a variety of unethical and sometimes illegal practices to persuade students to attend their schools. Some schools get leads on potential students through fake job postings on websites like craigslist or Recent reports show a few top for-profit colleges utilize fake online health insurance and food stamp applications to collect information on potential students. Individuals who fall victim to phishing schemes like these are subsequently harassed with calls from for-profit schools until they speak with admissions representatives. Students report being called up to twenty times in a single morning, or as late as 11 p.m. When students finally succumb to the pressure and speak with a representative, they are subjected to recruitment tactics that are far more abusive.\n\n\n An example of training materials for recruiters at a for-profit college\n\nAdmissions representatives at several large for-profit schools say management promotes a variety of exploitative practices to secure enrollment. These tactics include asking callers—many of whom are low-income or people of color—to imagine what they will buy when they make six-figures, or how their family will feel when they no longer rely on a minimum wage job. Many representatives go as far as telling callers how worthless they are with just a high school diploma. Many students who were actively recruited in this manner were unable to afford—or clearly incapable of completing—the program. Some students even struggled with a range of disabilities such as brain damage and learning disorders. In one particularly high profile case, a Corporal for the U.S. Marines was enrolled at a large for-profit college, but was so severely impaired by a traumatic brain injury that he could not remember what classes he was taking.\n\nStudents who enroll as a result of this kind of manipulation often sign themselves into financial ruin. However, as long as the students attend classes, the school turns a profit. The entire business model of for-profit schools relies on cheating victims out of their dollars and dreams, which ultimately increases their reliance on safety net programs.\n\nIn contrast, community college provides crucial alternatives for those most frequently victimized by for-profit schools—people with low-incomes and people of color. Students with low-incomes are disproportionately affected by social factors (financial instability, health issues, transportation issues) that discourage investing financial resources in brick-and-mortar schools, in deference to online education. For-profit schools take advantage of this instability, promising increased upward mobility coupled with the flexibility of online schooling. As a result, low-income students enroll in for-profit schools at nearly four times the rate of other students.\n\n\n An example of student “profiles” targeted by recruiters at a for-profit college\n\nBy providing low-income students with the opportunity to attend community college at no cost, President Obama’s plan virtually eliminates the consumer base of these profit-seeking colleges, ending their large-scale fraud. Under President Obama’s plan, students receive full tuition funding if they are enrolled at least half-time at community college and are earning above a 2.5 GPA. The proposal is also beneficial because it permits students to receive Pell grants while they are at community college; this policy would help families afford living expenses while the primary caretaker focuses on school.\n\nObama’s initiative encourages low-income, at-risk students to consider local community colleges before for-profit schools, thereby increasing their potential economic mobility and financial wellbeing. Current estimates suggest that as many as 9 million students would benefit from the initiative.\n\nWhile Obama’s proposal is not a blank check, it provides much more flexibility for students with low-incomes. More importantly, the plan could prevent millions of our country’s most disadvantaged people from enrolling in schools that prove far better at exploiting students than educating them.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6328602433204651}
{"content": "10/21/2014 07:45 pm ET Updated Feb 02, 2016\n\nBotched Robbery or Hate Crime?\n\nOver the past two weeks, community members in Los Angeles have held vigils to mourn the death and celebrate the life of Aniya \"Ray Ray\" Parker. The murder of Ms. Parker marked the eighth homicide of a transgender woman of color reported in the U.S. since June. She was shot in the head and killed as she was fleeing from three men who had confronted her on a sidewalk in Hollywood.\n\nLos Angeles Police Department officers immediately told news reporters at the scene that this tragic incident appeared to be a \"robbery gone bad.\" Within hours, local media ran headlines of a transgender person killed in a \"botched robbery.\" The police, they reported, were not considering this a hate crime but simply a random \"robbery gone sideways.\" These accounts were echoed in national reports, even from LGBT news sources.\n\nLocal community members and activists responded with an adamantly different perspective on what happened: This was not a robbery, in fact, they left the purse behind,\" one resident told reporters. \"This is a cold-blooded hate crime and this type of violence needs to end.\"\n\nA surveillance video of the incident showed the assailants engaging in a verbal exchange with Ms. Parker and then physically assaulting her. Ms. Parker fled and was shot as she ran across the street, not during a struggle for her belongings. When the video was shown on local television news, it strengthened community members' resolve that this was not a \"botched robbery\" but a hate crime against an individual from a marginalized and too-often-targeted community.\n\nAccording to the newest hate-crime statistics released last week by the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations, the number of incidents against transgender people jumped by nearly 46 percent last year, and the majority of the victims were people of color. Just as staggering, the report revealed that 100 percent of those crimes were violent.\n\nThe tragic murder of Ms. Parker and the frenzy of news reports in the aftermath have elevated concerns around the investigation and handling of violent crimes against trans people and illuminated misconceptions regarding the role of law enforcement.\n\nDuring the investigation, it is not law enforcement's role to decide whether or not this murder was a hate crime. That is largely up to the district attorney when suspects are arrested and charged. As stated by LAPD Detective Scott Masterson in response to another recent LGBT homicide, \"The hate crime aspect doesn't come into play until we're meeting with the district attorney. A hate crime is determined by the evidence. It's what we can prove, not what we think.\"\n\nWhether a crime is deemed a \"hate crime\" is based on the specific motivation of the perpetrators. In California, any crime may be deemed a \"hate crime\" if it was \"committed, in whole or in part, because of one or more ... actual or perceived characteristics of the victim.\"\n\nWhile it is not law enforcement's role to conclude whether or not this was a hate crime, it is part of their job to thoroughly investigate crimes. An informed perspective around the victim's identity and the broader context of the crime should act as guidance. This recent homicide involved a victim who was part of a vulnerable population disproportionately experiencing hate violence: African-American trans women.\n\nIt appears that an understanding of Ms. Parker's identity within the broader context of violence fueled by transphobia, homophobia, sexism and racism in our society has been missed. When asked by a reporter at the vigil for Ms. Parker about whether this was a hate crime, an LAPD captain remarked, \"Just because of a person's lifestyle and they're a victim of a violent crime, it doesn't necessarily make it a hate crime.\" Detectives repeatedly expressed that the trans community should not be concerned about their safety in the wake of this murder. Unfortunately, these statements convey a lack of awareness about the trans community and the threats of violence we live with every day.\n\nBeing transgender is not merely a \"lifestyle.\" An acknowledgement of our identities and experiences is a prerequisite for recognizing hate crimes and investigating how and why hate-motivated violence happens. Moreover, in cases such as this one, law enforcement have an opportunity to build trust with a historically marginalized population, which ultimately will improve investigations and community safety.\n\nMs. Parker may have indeed been targeted for a robbery, as the investigators have indicated, but why was she chosen as a victim? And why did the violence escalate to such brutality? While I am not advocating that we jump to the conclusion that the murder of Ms. Parker was a hate crime, the possibility that her transgender identity or her race, or both, were motivating factors should be a critical component of the investigation.\n\nThe current investigative premise seems to be: A crime is not a hate crime until proven otherwise. When the victim is a trans woman of color, this approach flies in the face of our current reality. I propose a different approach for law enforcement: A violent crime against a transgender person should be investigated under the presumption that it was motivated by anti-transgender bias and hatred, until the evidence shows otherwise.\n\nCritical consideration of a crime's context should guide the investigative process and how law enforcement agencies think about and talk about incidents such as this one. With video footage clearly showing that perpetrators engaged in a violent interaction with a trans woman and shot her as she was running away, this investigation should be guided by the real possibility that Aniya Parker's murder was, indeed, a hate crime.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.576412558555603}
{"content": "Fashion Theory (BOK)\n\nMalcolm Barnard\n\n499,00 49900\nSendes vanligvis innen 7-15 dager\nFashion is both big business and big news. From models' eating disorders and sweated labour to the glamour of a new season's trends, statements and arguments about fashion and the fashion industry can be found in every newspaper, consumer website and fashion blog. Books which define, analyse and explain the nature, production and consumption of fashion in terms of one theory or another abound. But what are the theories that run through all of these analyses, and how can they help us to understand fashion and clothing? Fashion Theory: an introduction explains some of the most influential and important theories on fashion: it brings to light the presuppositions involved in the things we think and say about fashion every day and shows how they depend on those theories. This clear, accessible introduction contextualises and critiques the ways in which a wide range of disciplines have used different theoretical approaches to explain - and sometimes to explain away - the astonishing variety, complexity and beauty of fashion. Through engaging examples and case studies, this book explores: fashion and clothing in history fashion and clothing as communication fashion as identity fashion, clothing and the body production and consumption fashion, globalization and colonialism fashion, fetish and the erotic. This book will be an invaluable resource for students of cultural studies, sociology, gender studies, fashion design, textiles or the advertising, marketing and manufacturing of clothes.\n\n\nSpråk Engelsk Engelsk Innbinding Heftet\nUtgitt 2014 Forfatter Malcolm Barnard\nTaylor & Francis\nISBN 9780415496216\nAntall sider 244 Dimensjoner 16,6cm x 23,6cm x 1,3cm\nVekt 376 gram Leverandør Bertram Trading Ltd", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000035762786865}
{"content": "1300 122 007\n\nThe Art of Self-Storage\n\nOutta sight, outta mind. Sometimes storing things can be like magically disappearing objects. So – you have to spend 6 months living at your parent’s house to save up for that trip, you’re being relocated to Timbuktu for a year or you’ve just had a baby and the music room’s gotta go. Whatever the reason you find yourself with a surplus of stuff or too much treasure, smooth moves self-storage is a great solution for keeping things you either want to use later or just because.\n\nSelf-Storage is an art. Here are proven pointers for getting it right:\n\n\n\nGive some method to the madness\n\nWhich sounds better… knowing where all your bits n’ pieces are or going on a blind hunt every time you need something from your self-storage unit. Taking half an hour to plan can save you a world of pain and wild goose chasing for what you put where.\n\n\n\nDivide and conquer\n\nWhen you’re gathering your things for self-storage, approach the task methodically. It’s best to go room by room and chunk the task up into doable parts. Tackling the whole shebang can be overwhelming and ineffective, so start small and you’ll feel more like you’re getting somewhere.\n\n\n\nWe insist you keep a list\n\nDon’t you hate that feeling when you know you have something but you have no idea where it is? Grab a pen and paper, open a spreadsheet or make a digital photo gallery. Whatever your preferred format – making a list of what you have in self-storage is key. If you’re storing small stuff and boxing up your gear, keep a list of what goes in each box. If you’re storing bigger item, list each piece. Easy now can prevent panic later whether it acts as an inventory list for insurance purposes, or saving you forking out for an item you’ve already got, a simple list goes a long way.\n\n\n\nCluey colour code\n\nIf you’re storing smaller stuff in boxes or containers, develop a colour coding system that’ll help you categorise your treasure trove. It’s easy – just assign a colour to each room of your house and then use that colour label on each box or item that belongs in that room. For example, a red label for a box of kitchen implements or a yellow label for a box of stationary and office gear.\n\n\n\nStore your list\n\nDon’t be that person that looses the list. Don’t keep it ‘somewhere safe’ (under that rock three metres from the door… or was it four…). Keep your list on your computer or take a photo of your list for safekeeping. Make sure it’s somewhere handy and memorable. Some people attach it to the door of their self-storage unit for safe keeping.\n\nTaking the time to store smart can make your Smoothmooves experience that much better.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9876365065574646}
{"content": "Terms and conditions of use\n\nAll information, products and services displayed on the capskart.com website constitute an \"invitation to offer\". Your order for purchase constitutes your \"offer\" which shall be subject to the terms and conditions as listed below. capskart.com website has the right to accept or reject your offer without assigning any reason thereof.\n\nIn order to use the capskart.com website belonging to Ebullient Art-Ventures, you (The User) have accepted the following terms and conditions given below. reserves the right to add, delete, alter or modify these terms and conditions at any time.\n\nYou (The User) are therefore advised to read carefully these terms and conditions every time you use the capskart.com website of Ebullient Art-Ventures\n\n\n\n\n\n5. The prices and availability of products are subject to change without prior notice at the sole discretion of Ebullient Art Ventures. \n\n6. Request for cancellations of orders once placed on capskart.com shall not be entertained.\n\n\n8. If a non-delivery or late delivery occurs due to a mistake by the User (i.e. wrong or incomplete name or address or recipient not available) any extra cost spent by capskart.com for re-delivery shall be claimed from the User placing the order.\n\n9. The User agrees to give accurate, authentic and true information. Ebullient Art-Ventures reserves the right to confirm and validate the information and other details provided by the User at any point of time. If any such User details are found not to be true wholly or partly, Ebullient Art-Ventures has the right in its sole discretion to reject the registration and debar the User from using the services of capskart.com without prior intimation whatsoever.\n\n\n11. Ebullient Art-Ventures shall not entertain any complaints after 15 days, once the order is delivered.\n\n12. This agreement shall be construed in accordance with the applicable laws of India. The Courts at Punjab shall have exclusive jurisdiction in any proceedings arising out of this agreement.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9184929728507996}
{"content": "Change That Tune: The Influence of Music in Movies\n\nthe power of music in movies\n\nOften, the inclusion of original music in film production is used as a tool to influence audience experience in a way that taps into the subconscious mind and generates feelings associated with specific music scores. With the release of Codeblack’s newest production TRAFFIK, featuring Paula Patton and Omar Epps, the original musical accompaniments Bleeding Machines and Heart of a Woman both serve to reiterate the emotional turmoil and subsequent strength that it takes the characters to survive their traumatic weekend getaway.\n\nChoosing the music in a film production is a key aspect of audience experience and allows viewers to become immersed in the film itself, and also the emotion of the characters in a way that generates subconscious empathy and understanding. Specifically, in TRAFFIK, the relationships between the characters are not entirely without dissension.\n\nThe tracks Bleeding Machines and Heart of a Woman are both prime examples of the ability for music to transport audiences when paired with the right visuals on a film soundtrack. Both songs in TRAFFIK display the love and strength of conviction that is required to overcome both physical and emotional struggle.\n\nThe use and importance of music in modern-day movies is one that has been underrated for so long.\n\nThese days, music very easily sits in the film narrative remaining consciously unobserved, whilst still stimulating our subconscious. This aids the emotional impact that such movies have on our minds.\n\nThe uses of music in movies have been constantly evolving since the early 1900s. These days, artistes are often contracted to make music specifically for movies – this is called Film Scoring.\n\nFilm Score: Music created specifically for a movie #musicbiz #filmbiz CLICK TO TWEETWe will proceed to analyze the progress of the use of music in movies right from the start of both arts. We will also examine some of the past and current uses of music in movies, as well as attempt to predict possible uses in the future.\n\nOur goal is to provide a holistic understanding of the true essence of music in movies.\n\nHow The Use of Music Has Evolved in Movies\n\nMusic in movies and films began back in the silent film era, featuring the likes of Charlie Chaplin.\n\nEarly on, the music featured in these films was not recorded with the film. These films were usually projected onto a big screen in front of a large audience, and because sitting in silence the whole time would be awkward, live music was always played at such screenings.\n\nIt was the responsibility of the composers and instrumentalists made sure the music went along with the movie.\n\nWith the advent of talking pictures, music once again sprouted up to the top of elements in the music industry. Original scores were soon created, starting with Max Steiner writing the first original score for King Kong in 1933.\n\nThis seemed to have injected some courage into composers and filmmakers as they began to experiment more and develop music that went along with plots and characters.\n\nFast forward to the 1950s and Jazz music was all over the film industry. Synthesized sounds sprung up in the 1980s and it became totally possible to film score with only one performer by using the synthesizer to create the sounds of several instrumentalists.\n\nWith the rapid advancement of technology these days, film makers and music composers have the required resources to create perfect film scores that will properly accentuate their movie plots and characters.\n\nUses of Music in Movies\n\nAs can be inferred already, the many uses of music in the movie industry have been continuously changing with new technologies.\n\nCreating an Atmosphere\n\nMusic can be used to create the perfect atmosphere in a particular film scene, by setting the right tone and mood for the plot moment.\n\nJust by the way the music comes into the movie, one can properly discern the level of drama or genre or atmosphere or mood expected of such a movie or scene.\n\n\nMusic can be used to create an impression or judgment about a particular scene.\n\nIn the early days of music in the film industry, the main essence of music was commenting on certain scenes. And yes, music can place labels on scenes, however it should not be overdone if the aim is to let the audience figure content out by themselves or to keep up suspense.\n\nMusic is used to create the perfect atmosphere in a film scene #musicbiz CLICK TO TWEETHowever, when used well, music commenting can help guide the audience in the right direction and evoke the right emotions at the right scenes.\n\nPortraying Emotions\n\nMusic can be used to effectively reveal the emotions of characters.\n\nA face with any expression can be interpreted to portray another emotion just by infusing the right music.\n\nWant to give a movie character the right emotional weight? Choose your music wisely CLICK TO TWEETThis function is also applicable to the audience as the right music can make the audience feel whichever emotion the film maker requires them to feel.\n\nReferencing Social, Geographic or Cultural Factors\n\nMusic can work well in referencing the legacy or tradition of a group of people. The social or cultural heritage of a group of real life people or movie characters can be properly communicated by infusing the right music into the film.\n\nGeographic settings can also be properly denoted with the right music.\n\nFor instance, playing music associated with a particular geographical location can be an easy way of communicating where a particular scene is taking place, ensuring there is no confusion amongst the audience.\n\nReferencing Particular Time Periods\n\nMusic can be effectively used to reveal the time period during which a scene or movie is set.\n\nPlaying music from that particular time period will help the audience easily understand the time period during which such a scene or movie is set.\n\nSet the mood, and the era, by using the right music in a movie CLICK TO TWEETAlso, if there is a flashback during a movie, playing a music from the time period of the flashback will make the flashback more understandable.\n\nCreating Contradictions or Suspense\n\nThis is a very strong use of music in the film industry, and when used properly, can help keep the audience in the direction of the movie.\n\nMusic that sounds like what is not expected in a particular scene will create a feeling that something is not right, and will alert the senses of the audience.\n\nMusic can particularly be useful in creating suspense, for instance if a character is running towards a corner, not knowing what to expect on the other side, the music can speed up, helping create a tense mood amongst the audience.\n\nConnecting Scenes \n\nThe right music can help attach the right scenes together.\n\nIf a movie is changing from a rather hard scene to a softer one, playing the perfect music can help smooth this transition. This helps make the audience subconsciously comfortable with the somewhat steep property differences between the scenes involved.\n\nWhat is the Future of Music in the Film Industry?\n\nRight from the early 1900s, music has been a part of the movie industry, and it is sure to grow in popularity in coming years. There are already newer uses of music in movies, such as physiological conditioning.\n\nThese uses are bound to increase in numbers, and the prospect of music in the film industry is one that is very exciting.\n\n\nIt goes beyond saying that music has an evolving and very intimate relationship with the film industry, hence the importance of music in the movie industry is one that should never ever be understated.\n\nWhen used properly, music can help guide the audience and evoke the right emotions from within them.\n\nLearning how to use the right music in films is an art that requires constant review, you need to understand your audience, as well as ensure you do not compromise on the plot or quality of your film. It is only right that every film maker keeps music in mind whenever a new movie is being created.\n\nFacebook Comments\n\nYou May Also Like\n\nBeyoncé and JAY-Z Kick Off ‘OTR II’ Tour in Cardiff, Wales\n\nThis post was originally published on this site Beyoncé and her husband, rapper JAY-Z, ...\n\nWith Invasion of Privacy, Cardi B Crafted the Perfect Thot Bop Album\n\nThis post was originally published on this site In a since-deleted post on Instagram, ...\n\nThis Charlotte CEO is on a Mission to Support Black Businesses\n\nThis post was originally published on this siteThere is so much growth and building ...\n\n‘Insecure’ Much? These Tinder Dates are A New Level Of Cringe\n\nOnline dating is already one of those territories that sounds complicated and scary all ...\n\nLil Jon Opened a Primary School in Ghana\n\nAtlanta producer and rapper Lil Jon is the life of the party, but he ...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9443107843399048}
{"content": "For the Bharatiya Janata Party's supporters, the growing belief that the party is no longer as favourably placed as before must be both bewildering and disheartening.\n\nThey must be wondering what could have gone wrong when the BJP was looking forward to not only a comfortable victory in 2019 but was also planning to celebrate the 75th year of India's independence in 2022.\n\nThe talk of a \"New India\" under the BJP's near-permanent control was in the air with both Nitish Kumar and Omar Abdullah from two opposite sides of the political spectrum saying that Narendra Modi faced no challenge.\n\nYet, the scene has changed. What is more, it has happened so over a rather short period of time. Among the reasons for it may be the BJP's electoral setbacks in, first, the Chitrakoot assembly byelection in Madhya Pradesh in November last year, the near-defeat it faced in the Gujarat assembly polls in the following month and finally the huge margins by which it recently lost three byelections in Rajasthan.\n\nBefore these contests, the successes of the Congress's student wing in the Delhi University and of a leftist union in the Jawaharlal Nehru University student union elections over the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the saffron brotherhood's student wing, were significant pointers to the emerging trends.\n\nThe new scenario has now led to conjectures about a fall in the BJP's number of Lok Sabha seats to 200/220 from the present 282 in a House of 545. Since these figures have been mentioned by a saffron scribe, it is obvious that assessments on these lines are currently on in the BJP. Another scribe has identified the absence of effective speakers other than Modi as one of the factors behind the BJP's slide in popularity.\n\nPerhaps one of the first to say openly that the Modi magic was fading was a Shiv Sena spokesperson, who also noted the change in Rahul Gandhi's \"body language\" and his transformation into a credible leader. Not long after, the Sena decided not to align with the BJP in 2019.\n\nThe BJP's old ally is not the only party to begin thinking of greener pastures. The Telugu Desam Party, too, has expressed its displeasure over the \"neglect\" of Andhra Pradesh in the Union budget. To forestall a rupture, the BJP has offered the Shiv Sena 144 seats in Maharashtra in an assembly of 288 seats, but the generous gesture is more indicative of the BJP's nervousness than of magnanimity.\n\nSo, what went wrong for a party which was riding high during the first three years of its tenure?\n\nFirst and foremost reason is its failure to usher in the promised \"achhe din\" or better days because of a sluggish economy. The scene might have been better but for the twin blows of demonetisation, which dealt a blow to small businesses, and the shambolic rolling out of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which also unsettled the traders and businessmen.\n\nThe second reason is the widespread rural distress which eroded the BJP's influence in Gujarat. As a party essentially of urban lower middle class areas, the BJP's connection with the countryside has never been very strong. In its Jan Sangh days, the party once even forgot to adopt a resolution on agriculture till the lapse was noticed at the last minute.\n\nModi is now said to have sought the advice of farming experts to reach out to the cultivators. But the move is unlikely to pay immediate political dividends. To compound the BJP's problems, the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), the Sangh Parivar's labour wing, has raised the red flag over the \"disappointing\" Union budget.\n\nAnother explanation for the BJP's woes is undoubtedly the inability to control the saffron goons, who have been running amok to impose their diktats on diet, inter-faith romance and film scripts, among other things.\n\nThe rampages of the cow vigilantes have hit the meat and leather industries and resulted in ageing cows being let loose by their owners to roam the countryside and city streets to forage on their own. Hence the proposal to impose a fine on the \"guilty\" owners.\n\nThe result is the prevalence of an atmosphere of intolerance of the kind which made a section of the intelligentsia return the awards which they had once won in protest against the deteriorating state of affairs in the country.\n\nPerhaps the BJP's only solace at the moment is that its opponents haven't been able to get their act together. Moreover, the fissures in their ranks are palpable with a rift in the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) over whether to align with the Congress in an anti-BJP front, and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) teaming up with the Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka on the eve of the assembly elections.\n\nThere are also said to be reservations among the senior opposition leaders about accepting Rahul Gandhi as the leader of an alliance.\n\nKarnataka will be the next big electoral battle for the BJP. If it can dislodge the ruling Congress in the state, it will be able to brush aside the party's setbacks in Gujarat and Rajasthan. Otherwise, the road to 2019 will seem steeper.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9095967411994934}
{"content": "Petzl ASAP®’SORBER European Version\n\nLanyard with energy absorber for ASAP® or ASAP® LOCK\n\nThe ASAP’SORBER lanyard connects to the ASAP® or ASAP® LOCK mobile fall arrester to allow the user to work at a distance from the rope in order to protect it during certain work phases. It is equipped with a tearing energy absorber located in a zippered fabric pouch to protect it from abrasion while allowing for regular inspection. Length 15 3/4\"\n\nProduct Number: L71AA-40\n\n\nCall 800-227-4255 to order.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9965755939483643}
{"content": "Zootopia: a Film for Animation Fans of All Ages\n\nby Chad Osborne\n\nmovie_poster_zootopia_866a1bf2Like many animated films, we get a childlike adventure seeing several different characters come to life in the unusual world of Zootopia.  This world, however, is not very different from ours, except for the fact it’s filled with animals.  Zootopia is a story about a small rabbit trying to keep up with the larger animals around her (I challenge anyone not to see this as a metaphor for the Western World’s way of life).  In this case an eager young Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), struggles to pursue her dream of becoming the first “rabbit” cop in the great city of Zootopia. Along the way she soon finds out that the job is more challenging than it seems, and in more ways than she cold ever have imagined.\n\nimages-3Visually, this film pleases the eye with the impressive art design, especially in the depiction of the variety of biodiversity settings, each relative to the many species of animals that live in the city of Zootopia.  Although the narrative does follow the style of “the hero’s journey”, it does not portray a story that seems in any way generic.  Not at all.  Quite the contrary, the plot adds several twists, keeping you involved every step of the way as Judy learns one lessons after another about the realities of the world in which she lives.\n\nimagesAs the pursuit progresses across the city’s many districts the changing biodiversity challenges each character to adapt (or not) to the worlds of Zootopia.  It is literally a survival of the fittest as the mysteries continue to pile up for Judy and her sidekick Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), a sly fox whose street-wise personality contrasts perfectly with Judy’s fresh optimism.  The film virtually jumps off the screen with exploding movements and quick action that pulls you through the streets of the city, taking you to the next level of crime solving mystery as the two unlikely companions try to unravel the case.\n\nzootopia3Beyond its visual appeal, the film does a very good job getting the audience to relate to the adorable animated characters through the everyday life situations they undertake.  The lead character undergoes several stages of struggle, which shows her growing process as to how she finds out who she really is.  It leaves us with the lesson – it does not matter how small you are, you still can do great things.  This is definitely a film that does not leave you thinking of it as a child’s movie, but rather I feel as though all ages will relate to it.\n\nimages-1While all the elements of this film meet their goals, the one particular element that really stands out is sound.  Although this is true about most animated features, Zootopia really out does the minimum requirement by adding extra effects when needed.  After all, Judy is a speedy rabbit, full of ambition and courage, creating a lot of movement with every action.  As Judy Hopps struggles to complete her training she is surrounded by larger animals who gather in a pack, stomping loudly around her.  But this does not stop her from zipping around them or through the streets of Zootopia, past loud cars and through the commotion of people.  The audible bustling of the city life of Zootopia brings a plethora of different sounds that enhance the excitement of the story.  This adds to the greatness that Zootopia has to offer audiences.  It’s not just another “kid film” with a simple story.  I encourage you to take the time to watch a corny rabbit, a sly fox and some hysterical slow-moving sloths all in a large world of an animal running society and you will see what I am talking about and become a fan of yet another Disney family blockbuster.\n\nCaptain America: Civil War\n\nby Justin Guiao\n\nCaptain America: Civil War by the Russo brothers is the 13th film in Disney’s Marvel’s new cinematic universe.  It’s strange to think that Marvel has been able to put out so many frankly similar films at extremely high budgets in this relatively short amount of time since the first Iron Man hit theaters.  They continue to make money however, meaning many more of them are to come.\n\n\nI had fairly high expectations for Civil War.  I saw Fox’s Deadpool in theaters a month or two before which was my first visit to a theater in over two years.  I was thoroughly impressed with Deadpool, and the raving critical reviews of the Civil War screeners led me to go to the theater once again.  However, these heightened expectations may have damped my enjoyment somewhat.  Even though I did enjoy it, I am probably going to continue holding out on going to the theater for any more blockbusters for a while and will just start waiting for Blu-rays.  Regardless of all this, I did think Civil War was a good film, and I probably will see it again after it comes out on disk.  It features a few firsts for a Marvel franchise 13 movies into its story, with Downey as Tony Stark showing up in a non-Iron Man or Avengers film for the first time, as well as the introduction of new characters to the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Black Panther and Spiderman, both of which are unsurprisingly up for solo movies in the near future.  It also features a large battle between many of the heroes, as well as some notable smaller bouts, in contrast to previous MCU team-up films where the heroes fight off endless hordes of weaker minions.\n\ncaptain-america-civil-war-image-46-1200x499Unfortunately, I think Marvel is coming up to a point where they have too many heroes in their MCU.  It has gotten to the point where there are so many that it seems silly to have a big crisis that only one hero deals with when we are aware that many other exist and operate relatively nearby.  On the other hand, the big team up film that is Civil War almost feels like a bunch of promotional material for movies about the new heroes, as even after everything that happens in the film, at the end there are not any sizable rifts created between the heroes and everyone starts carrying on as normal, resulting in that feeling that little or no progress was made.  Also, Marvel has been adherent to the thought of letting any of their heroes die.  The fact that the audience knows this by now takes some of the intrigue and tension out of the film. We know how it’s going to end, just not how it’s going to get there.  In spite of this, the Russo Brothers were able to create a film that stands out among the seemingly exponentially increasing amount of Marvel superhero films that have been coming out.  While it doesn’t have the strongest plot that would make it stand out as a classic in the future, it does fulfill its purpose as an action blockbuster well.  The special effects were top notch as always through these films along with excellent fight choreography (although Captain America definitely killed a majority of the people he fought.  There is no way that would just knock them unconscious like the film made it seem, they’re dead).\n\nscreen-shot-2016-03-10-at-12-12-20-pm-173561I can’t say much for the sound of the film.  This may be because I have been spoiled by Marvel’s production quality in the last near-decade, but it was just really more of the same.  Loud explosions, extremely over exaggerated punches and hits, the same mechanical sounds from Iron Man, and fantasy-like mystical sounds from the Vision and the Scarlet Witch.  While the sound was definitely high quality, you could tell that actors were the real stars and sound was just there to make them look better.  The editing of the film was also impressive.  I can only imagine how many cuts and scenes were filmed individually in the film.  Even with such heavy amounts of CGI, there was plenty of practical effects used to make it seem more real, including most of the explosions.  While the big fights were all CGI, the editing on the scene where two super humans are running down Bucky on a motorcycle really makes it seem like they’re outrunning all of the cars.  The hand to hand combat, even between CGI’d head to toe Downey Jr. and Chris Evans, seemed fluid and believable.  I don’t know too much about video editing, but I could tell that the people who worked on this film took pride in it and managed to do an excellent job.\n\nFor how many people have played Spiderman recently, I really liked this iteration. They portrayed him closer to his comic roots, a teenager with a quick wit and a loud mouth. The incessant chatter from him during the big fight scenes really brought forth what I think the original writers intended for the character. I didn’t really know what to think of the casting choice for Black Panther and really I still don’t, as I did not know much about the character.\n\n2818A5BD00000578-3069258-image-a-2_1430857574138With all the strong acting and effects, I really feel that the overall plot is the weakest thing in the movie.  It seems like they were trying to cram too much into one movie, and the suspension of belief for the plot started to fade away in the process.  The civil war comic story was extremely popular and very receptive to a movie version, but perhaps it could have used two movies.  However, this didn’t matter too much during the film itself, as the actors, choreography, and special effects led the way once more for Marvel.  With Civil War, Marvel has created another enjoyable and action-packed blockbuster to whet the appetites of long time comic fans for the introduction of more characters into the MCU.\n\nWreck It Ralph is More Than Worthy of an Oscar Nom\n\nby Kaitlin Palma\n\nThere was a time in all of our lives where games meant the world to us. Whether it was jumping rope, playing tag or, as Wreck It Ralph portrays, video games. Disney’s latest dive into the animation pool was released in the late fall of 2012 and is now currently under consideration for an Oscar as Best Animated Feature of the year. Although the film faces tough competition it is more than worthy of the nomination and in any other year would likely be a clear win for the trophy. Yes, a simple story about a villainous video game character wanting to turn a new leaf is that good.\n\nWreck It Ralph's Mixed CastFrom the moment Disney made its way into theaters with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 (that’s more than 70 years ago!) the stories that have borne the studio’s moniker have warmed our hearts and allowed our imaginations to expand vastly. This film is no exception. Whether you are one for animation or not, Wreck It Ralph is more than just a bunch of colorful pictures and cute little catch phrases. To my delighted surprise this film had essentially everything it takes to be called a “good movie” regardless of mode or medium. More than just a kid’s pic, more than a family night flick, this film—action packed with racing candy cars and villainous famished cyber land insects—is the greatest adventure never taken. With an exciting twist of good versus evil and an unexpected hero and villain, Wreck It Ralph will make you laugh until you cry and keep you on the edge of your seat.\n\nRalph explores being a different character\n\nAs someone brought up in the digital age, I have to say that Wreck It Ralph was a real surprise treat. It’s very easy to watch animation and not appreciate the time and effort it takes to carefully create every detail required to tell a tale like this one. But the visual effects here really stand out, running the gamete of style and presentation in order to represent actual past video games as well as the ones created specifically for the movie. Amazingly enough the collaboration of disparate (game) realities seamlessly come together as a unified whole, thus placing the audience into a world they’ve known but have never explored.\n\nRalph tries to make friendsOf course all the artistry in the world doesn’t mean much to a film without a solid story as a foundation. And the story here is one that offers a lot of heart and a positive message without being sappy or preachy. One scene in particular is quite memorable. It’s when the main character, Ralph, expresses the need to be more in life than just one that wrecks things. So, he ventures out to discover how he can be the hero instead of the villain and begins an adventure that takes him through the many worlds of video gaming. Ralph discovers that what he needs to be a hero, or “good guy” is a medal. Believing this to be the key to achieving his goal, he sneaks into the game “Hero’s Duty” in which the players must fight to bring his/her team to the top of the light tower where the medal of a hero awaits.\n\nOf course, Ralph’s world (his game) is very different in setting from “Hero’s Duty” which mimics the real world games of Call of Duty and Assassin’s Creed. This is where the pacing of the film picks up speed to match the adrenaline filled universe of these alternate realities. Naturally, Ralph is confused and scared by his new surroundings. Then, BANG! A gun is fired, followed by a second, third and fourth. With every gunshot or screech of a dying “cybug”, Ralph’s face is shown in acute reaction with very quick and concise cuts. The audience not only sees, but also feels the strife and determination in Ralph’s eyes as the medal becomes the only thing that holds any meaning in his life. In the midst of the fight we are suddenly taken back to Ralph’s home game (where he exists as the antagonist). There the protagonist, Fix It Felix is seen genuinely concerned about Ralph’s disappearance. It is perhaps the first time in cinema where the “hero” sincerely misses his nemesis. This moment acutely demonstrates the necessity, even the dependency of opposites in any world, animated, fictionalized or otherwise and the natural need for balance.\n\nA diverse group of genres\n\nWith a message like that it’s easy to see why the film is not only enjoyable for every member of the family but worthy of accolades and even awards. Whether you grew up on Atari, Sega or Xbox a good story is a good story, and makes you come back again and again to experience the pleasure of the adventure whether it’s on film or in a video game. Academy Award winner or not, that’s the real achievement when it comes to animated films – reaching as large an audience as possible. Wreck It Ralph has done that, and is bound to continue to do so for generations to come.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6361093521118164}
{"content": "Hilfe Wegweiser Datenschutzhinweis Impressum Kontakt\n\n\n\n\n\nAMPA Receptors Commandeer an Ancient Cargo Exporter for Use as an Auxiliary Subunit for Signaling\n\n\nCokic,  Barbara\nMax Planck Research Group: Synaptic Receptor Trafficking / Stein, MPI of Neurobiology, Max Planck Society;\n\nExterne Ressourcen\nEs sind keine Externen Ressourcen verfügbar\nVolltexte (frei zugänglich)\n\n(beliebiger Volltext), 465KB\n\nErgänzendes Material (frei zugänglich)\nEs sind keine frei zugänglichen Ergänzenden Materialien verfügbar\n\nHarmel, N., Cokic, B., Zolles, G., Berkefeld, H., Mauric, V., Fakler, B., et al. (2012). AMPA Receptors Commandeer an Ancient Cargo Exporter for Use as an Auxiliary Subunit for Signaling. PLOS ONE, 7(1): e30681, pp. [1]-[9]. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030681.\n\nFast excitatory neurotransmission in the mammalian central nervous system is mainly mediated by ionotropic glutamate receptors of the AMPA subtype (AMPARs). AMPARs are protein complexes of the pore-lining alpha-subunits GluA1-4 and auxiliary beta-subunits modulating their trafficking and gating. By a proteomic approach, two homologues of the cargo exporter cornichon, CNIH-2 and CNIH-3, have recently been identified as constituents of native AMPARs in mammalian brain. In heterologous reconstitution experiments, CNIH-2 promotes surface expression of GluAs and modulates their biophysical properties. However, its relevance in native AMPAR physiology remains controversial. Here, we have studied the role of CNIH-2 in GluA processing both in heterologous cells and primary rat neurons. Our data demonstrate that CNIH-2 serves an evolutionarily conserved role as a cargo exporter from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). CNIH-2 cycles continuously between ER and Golgi complex to pick up cargo protein in the ER and then to mediate its preferential export in a coat protein complex (COP) II dependent manner. Interaction with GluA subunits breaks with this ancestral role of CNIH-2 confined to the early secretory pathway. While still taking advantage of being exported preferentially from the ER, GluAs recruit CNIH-2 to the cell surface. Thus, mammalian AMPARs commandeer CNIH-2 for use as a bona fide auxiliary subunit that is able to modify receptor signaling.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6003570556640625}
{"content": "Operating systems\n\nQualifying exam\n\nPreparatory courses\n\nThree courses are offered in the area of operating systems. CS 537 introduces the subject, providing hands-on experience with building parts of operating systems in simple environments; there are several large programming assignments. CS 736 is an advanced course, often run as a seminar, which discusses a selection of advanced topics. This course often has a large project associated with it. CS 739 takes up where CS 736 leaves off. It covers distributed systems in greater depth, studying a wide variety of systems and examining issues such as replication, fault tolerance, load balancing, and security. The Ph.D. qualifying exam covers material in CS 537 and 736 and advanced material from CS 739.\n\nReading list\n\nPast exams", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9998892545700073}
{"content": "Tonight at Money in the Bank, Naomi defends the SmackDown Women’s Title against Lana. Can Lana capture the gold in singles match debut? The Diva Dirt team weighs in.\n\nAbir: Lana is a passable opponent. There’s no way Naomi overcame 5 other women in 6 minutes at Mania, won the title twice, and had that stellar match with Charlotte a few weeks back just to lose it to someone who has yet to have a televised match. Naomi will win and retain.\n\nAlex: If Asuka is the ‘shock’ for the night, then Naomi should retain the title tonight. Even the shock value isn’t enough to warrant a title win or someone who isn’t ready. What an absolute slap to the face to the other five women busting their asses in amazing matches since the ‘Superstar Shake-Up’ if she won. Booking wise, it might make sense… but would still not be a smart decision, so WWE please remember this is 2017 and not 1997 and save the title for our wrestlers please!\n\nCandace: Naomi retains.\n\nJosue: I think the WWE are taking a risk by throwing Lana right into a title match this soon into her singles competition career. I’m going to give Lana the benefit of the doubt. Who knows, she may surprise us all but truthfully I don’t high expectations for this match. Regardless, I see Naomi retaining either way, staying ready for whoever wins the Money in the Bank Ladder match.\n\nMatthew: Naomi over Lana, because two reasons. One being that Naomi is getting a bigger push than most people on the roster (Unless it’s Jinder Mahal) and second being that Lana doesn’t have that much experience.\n\nStephanie: This is Lana’s chance to prove herself in the ring. Naomi has been shining and stepping up her game as champion so Lana’s first match is in good hands. I expect Naomi to retain in a fine match.\n\nBREAKDOWN: 0 for Lana, 6 for Naomi.\n\nRELATED: The 2017 Team Diva Dirt PPV Prediction Scoreboard\n\nWho do you agree with? Who is just dead wrong? What are your predictions? Sound off in the comments below!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6869828701019287}
{"content": "\n\nThe statement came from the National Football League's senior vice president for health and safety, Jeff Miller, when he was asked during a hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce Committee whether a link has been established between football and disorders such as CTE.\n\n\"The answer to that question is certainly yes,\" Miller said in testimony recorded in a video clip posted by the television sports channel ESPN on its website.\n\nMiller's comment marked the first time a senior league official has publicly conceded the sport's connection to CTE, which medical research has closely linked with the repeated head injuries, often leading to aggression and dementia.\n\nAn NFL spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Miller's testimony.\n\n\nThe subject gained additional attention from the 2015 film \"Concussion,\" which starred Will Smith as a doctor who fought NFL efforts to conceal his research on brain damage suffered by players.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6640611886978149}
{"content": "In 2014, Russia was the European Union’s third-biggest trading partner, and the EU Russia’s biggest. Exports to Russia included machinery, chemicals, medicines, electrical goods and agricultural products. The total value of those exports stood at US$118.3 billion. Conversely, oil and gas accounted for 74.9 percent of all Russian export to the bloc.\n\nHowever, this changed in March 2014. Following a legal referendum, the parliament of Crimea declared the region’s independence from Ukraine, and formally applied to become part of Russia. Spun as an illegal “annexation” by Western politicians and media, US leaders used the event as a pretext for the imposition of sanctions on Russian individuals, assets and entities.\n\nAsset freezes and visa bans were applied to hundreds of individuals, while many Russian businesses had their assets frozen in the EU and US. Imports from Crimea and Sevastopol to the EU were banned outright, as was investment into the region. Europeans and EU-based companies are also banned from purchasing real estate or entities there, financing Crimean companies or supplying related services.\n\nOther economic sanctions included a ban on EU nationals and companies buying or selling new bonds, equities or similar financial instruments issued by major Russian banks, energy companies, defense firms and their subsidiaries, outside the EU, three major Russian energy companies and three Russian defense companies. The European Investment Bank likewise suspended the signing of new financing operations in Russia.\n\nArguably underlining the highly politicized nature of the sanctions, the EU was careful to exempt oil and gas from sanctions — after all, the vast majority of EU member states are heavily dependent on Russian supplies.\n\nRussian President Vladimir Putin did not take the groundless assault lying down. In August 2014, he signed an edict banning the import of agricultural products, raw materials and food from all countries that had imposed sanctions on Russian entities or individuals — Australia, Canada, the EU, Norway and the US. In 2015, the embargo was expanded to include products originating in Albania, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Montenegro.\n\nAs 73 percent of the prohibited imports flowed from the EU, it was inevitably going to be the most heavily impacted target of the countersanction program — and EU goods exports to Russia duly fell by as much as 14.5 percent.\n\nThe impact of this decline in trade has proven difficult to accurately determine, although the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies estimates EU the losses could amount to as much US$63.2 billion (€55 billion). In all, the EU itself estimates its overall GDP has contracted by at least —0.4 percent every year since the imposition of the sanctions — a figure that could rise to around one percent if the sanctions persist.\n\nThe losses don’t stop there — Russian countersanctions have produced a myriad of deleterious effects in other areas.\n\nAnnually, the Institute of Economic Forecasting at the Russian Academy of Sciences suggests European financial institutions have suffered losses of between US$8-10 billion from reductions in interest payments, and reduced economic cooperation as well as a ban on supplies of dual-use technologies have cost the EU around US$10-15 billion.\n\nNonetheless, the countersanctions’ impact has not been evenly distributed across the bloc — Eastern Europe, particularly the Baltic states and Finland, have been among the most badly affected, with some countries’ GDP falling by up to one percent as a result.\n\nHowever, Germany, as the biggest exporter to Russia, has been the most affected — some commentators attributed the country’s major economic wobble in 2014 to the countersanctions. It is perhaps unsurprising then German lawmakers and heads of business responded angrily to suggestions in June that the US might extend and expand its own sanctions program.\n\nThe reason for the US’ continued pursuit of sanctions remains unclear, although their willingness to continue the crusade is understandable given the impact of Russia’s countersanctions has been largely restricted to the EU. The US has demonstrably suffered — a number of US firms, including ExxonMobil, PepsiCo, Ford Motors, General Electric, Boeing, Visa, Mastercard and Philip Morris have all reported dents to their profits caused by both US sanctions and Russia’s retaliatory measures.\n\nMoreover, Russia has been able to mitigate the impact of these sanctions by turning away from the US towards new, alternative economic partners, particularly emerging markets that refused to go along with the US’ punitive measures.\n\nChina in particular has proven an enthusiastic partner — by October 2014 alone, the two countries had completed approximately 40 agreements related to finance and technology.\n\nLikewise, food exports from Brazil and other Latin American countries have fully compensated for losses caused by US restrictions. As a result, when the sanctions end, Russia may have no need to reignite the relationships severed by US-led actions.\n\nPutin’s historic meeting with US President Donald Trump at the July 2017 G20 Summit was productive in many areas, and arguably signal the US-led sanctions program is finally nearing its end. For many European countries, that day evidently can’t come soon enough.\n\nTags: ; ; ; ;", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9988159537315369}
{"content": "ReVive Formula-Stress Recovery-Montly Subscription\n\n$14.99 / month\n\nKeep Forgetting to Reorder? Let us handle it for you.\n\nSave over 20% when you sign up for a monthly subscription!\n\nReceive a bottle every month automatically. No hassle. No reordering. Easy and Convenient.\n\nWhen the body and mind are pushed to the limit, things can get a little out of whack. Activities that contribute to overexertion, sleep deprivation, stress, and use of alcohol, caffeine or other drugs can drastically affect our brain chemistry. This can contribute to depression, feeling of anxiety, mental fogginess, lack of motivation, trouble focusing etc. This stress recovery formula was created to help balance our brains and bodies after the abuse we put them through. This formula was specifically designed to promote production of serotonin and dopamine, restore nerve function, promote brain cell regeneration and repair, promote a healthy inflammatory response, boost the immune system, detoxify cells, and neutralize oxidative stress. For those pushing their body and minds to the limits; students, travelers, hard workers, parents, and party warriors may rejoice!\n\nSKU: 1c Category:\n\n\nSound like you?\n\n      • Sleep deprivation\n\n      • Chronic Stress\n\n      • Feelings of depression, anxiety or irritability\n\n      • Over-stimulation\n\n      • Use of caffeine, alcohol or other drugs\n\n      • Over exertion\n\nStress Can Contribute to:\n\n      • Depletion of neurotransmitters, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants and more\n\n      • Oxidative damage to cells (free radicals).\n\n      • Inflammation in the brain and body.\n\n      • Insomnia, exhaustion, pain, headache, and feelings of sadness, anxiety or irritability.\n\n      • Metabolic changes (weight gain or loss)\n\nOptimal brain health and resilience is the secret to combating stress. When equipped with the resources it needs, the brain is remarkable at rebalancing and repairing it’s self when the body undergoes a stress response. While obviously eliminating the source of the stress is the best way to fight it, that’s not always under our control. the next best thing we can do is give our body the raw materials to adapt to and repair the damage that stress does to our brains. This formula was designed by applying these cutting-edge neuroscience concepts to support optimal brain resilience from physical and mental stress.\n\n      • Filling in Nutritional Gaps- Providing the body and brain with nutrients that are fundamental for biochemical processes is vital for optimal wellness. Stress can rapidly deplete levels of neurotransmitters, enzymes, minerals and other key nutrients in the body. Just as you need bricks to build a brick wall, you need the raw materials to build and maintain your brain tissue. In addition to correcting deficiencies, this includes providing precursors materials and enzymatic cofactors for the body to build neurotransmitters, proteins and neuronal structures such as dendrites, synapses and fatty cell membranes. A brain that has the materials to repair it’s self is much more resilient to stress, toxins and environmental changes.\n      • Combating Oxidative Stress- Though it is a natural part of life, oxidative stress is essentially what damages our cells (neurons and all). Excessive activation and stress in the nervous system increases damage from oxidative stress by increasing the amount of free-radicals released and depleting antioxidants that neutralize them. Many plant-based antioxidant compounds in our formulas have been observed to stimulate the Nrf2 pathway, activating genes and promoting the body’s own production of endogenous antioxidant molecules such as glutathione. Activating this pathway by consuming polyphenol rich foods and supplements helps your body combat oxidative stress by neutralizing the free radicals with your body’s supply of antioxidants.\n      • Healthy Inflammatory Response– Oxidative stress goes hand in hand with inflammation, another driving force of damaging cells and tissue. By promoting a healthy balance of free radicals vs. antioxidant molecules and directly influencing inflammation regulatory genes, our formulas are designed to promote a healthy inflammatory response in the brain and body.\n      • Promoting Neurogenesis- Many studies show a trend that loss of neurons are associated with cognitive decline, mood disorders and a number of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinsons and Alzheimers. Neurogenesis is the growth of new neurons, dendrites and synapses. Sleep deprivation is one of the biggest assaults to our brain, resulting in damage to brain cells and atrophy of brain tissue. Elevated stress hormone also wreaks havoc on our brains ability to perform neurogenesis. A growth factor called BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor) plays a big role in facilitating the repair, maintenance and growth of new neural networks. Many things can stimulate BDNF and promote neurogenesis such as certain foods/plants, exercise, meditation, fasting and more. Scientists agree that promotion of neuronal growth is an important marker of brain and mood health.\n\n\nLearn about all the amazing ingredients we chose to add to ReVive. Click on “ingredient Information” or “Scientific References” to open.\n\n\nB Vitamins (B3, B6, B9 & B12)\n\nThe B vitamins are fundamental for whole body health. They are involved in a number of basic cell repair processes, detoxification pathways, and production of neurotransmitters. B6 is especially important for brain health because of it’s co-factor role in converting a number of molecules to their respective neurotransmitters (serotonin, GABA, dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrin). B12, also known as cobalamin, is a vitamin that is important in metabolism, DNA synthesis and regulation, and overall energy production. High B12 levels have shown to have neuroptrotective affects against brain atrophy associated with Alzheimers. Vitamin B12 deficiencies can cause symptoms such as fatigue, depression, poor memory and even cause symptoms of mania and psychosis. Folic acid, also known as B9, is fundamental for numerous processes in the body. It cannot be synthesized by the body so adequate intake through food is essential. Folic acid is needed for cell reproduction and synthesis, repair and methylation of DNA. There is a complex relationship between B12, folic acid and Iron. If proper ratios of the 3 aren’t maintained, one can mask a deficiency in another. Niacin (B3) and Riboflavin (B2) are also important B vitamins. Deficiencies in any of the B vitamins can result in fatigue, cognitive impairment and a number of mood disorders and mental illness symptoms.\n\n\nMagnesium is essential to whole body health being critically involved in over 300 functions! It is especially important for brain health. Magnesium has been shown to enhance cognitive abilities. Magnesium contributes to synaptic plasticity, allowing brain cells to recover from stress or trauma more easily, and form new synaptic connections. Magnesium is also a NMDA glutamate antagonist. Drugs with the same mechanism of action have shown dramatic promise for treating depression. Because of conventional farming methods and overuse of land, many foods that used to be rich in magnesium are now lacking. Many people have magnesium deficiencies as a result. Supplementing with magnesium contributes to overall health and is a fundamental mineral for the nervous system.\n\n\n\n5-HTP (5-hydroxy-tryptophan)\n\n5-HTP (5-hydroxy-tryptophan) is a chemical intermediate between the amino acid tryptophan and one of it’s end products, serotonin. 5-HTP is more readily converted into serotonin because it is not allocated to other cellular functions as much as tryptophan is, making it more available to be converted directly. It is also able to cross the blood-brain barrier easily, allowing it quick access to the brain where it is transformed into serotonin. Studies have confirmed that 5-HTP ingestion raises serotonin levels, and has efficacy as a treatment for depression/anxiety. Healthy serotonin levels promote calmness, feelings of peace and relaxation. Ideal serotonin levels help modulate sleep, appetite, inflammation, immune response and other neurotransmitter systems.\n\n\nTurmeric (Curcuma longa) is a spice that’s been used in Ayurvedic medicine and food for thousands of years in Asian countries. It contains a group of polyphenolic compounds called curcuminoids. The most researched of these compounds is curcumin. Turmeric has been found to exhibit anti-cancerous, antifungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective and antioxidant properties. We chose turmeric as one of our ingredients because of it’s affect on inflammatory response, antioxidant production in the body, and ability to promote neurogenesis. Stress, sleep deprivation, and toxins can cause oxidative stress and tissue damage to our body and brains. Turmeric promotes a healthy inflammatory response and helps the body recover to optimal function. Turmeric increases levels of antioxidant vitamins in the body such as vitamin C and E, and is a strong stimulator of the Nrf2 pathway that promotes endogenous antioxidant production, combating oxidative damage to cells and DNA Turmeric also promotes a protein called BDNF, which regulates brain cell and dendrite growth. Turmeric has been clinically shown to increase BDNF in hippocampal regions of the brain.\n\n\n\n\nSpirulina is blue-green algae, composed of two species of Arthrospira. It is considered a complete protein, meaning it contains all 9 of the essential amino acids. This includes L-tryptophan, which can be converted into serotonin, and also L-phenylalanine and L-tyrosine, which can be converted into dopamine. It also contains the omega-3 fatty acids, alpha linolenic acid and Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA), which have neuroprotective effects, can aid in managing depression, and contributes to overall brain health. Spirulina contains a number of vitamins and minerals, with especially high amounts of B vitamins and iron. Spirulina is also useful for preventing oxidative damage, promoting stem cell genesis, and preventing memory loss.\n\n\nThe fruit of the blueberry plant (Vaccinium) contains a number of powerful antioxidants and phytochemicals which have many health benefits. Blueberries contain anthocyanins which evidence has shows reduces inflammation, may help fight cancer, reverse aging, and improve memory and depression symptoms. Blueberry compounds, like turmeric, also contribute to neurotrophic cell proliferation by activating BDNF and promoting neurogensis in the hippocampal region of the brain. They also provide protection against neurotoxicity and DNA damage. Also like Turmeric, blueberry compounds stimulate the bodies antioxidant production by interacting with regulatory genes helping your body combat oxidative stress. Blueberry also interacts with inflammation regulating genes and has been clinically shown to prevent cognitive decline and memory loss.\n\n\n\nBlack Pepper\n\nBlack pepper, from the plant Piper nigrum, contains a polyphenolic compound called Piperine. Piperine has been clinically shown to improve the absorption of nutrients when taken with food or other supplements. It is also a strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound. Piperine has also been found to be an effective pain reducing agent. Black pepper also aids in digestion and detoxification. Piperine can inhibit certain enzymes that break down compounds in the body, resulting in elevated levels of neurotransmitters and better absorption of circulating nutrients, phytochemicals or drugs from the blood stream.\n\nMilk Thistle\n\nMilk Thistle (Silybum marianum) has been used traditionally in chinese medicine to treat the liver. It contains many pharmacologically active compounds including Silymarin and Silibinin. Research suggests that compounds from milkthistle stimulate regeneration of liver cells, stimulate detoxification pathways, stabilize cell members, and inhibit growth of cancer cells. It also has been found to boost antioxidant production in the body. Research suggest that consuming milk thistle increases levels of serotonin, norepinephrin and BDNF (brain derived neurotrphic factor). Milkthistle extracts have also been found to enhance protein synthesis, and have inflammatory and immune modulating activity. Silymarin shows evidence of neuroprotective properties in neurodegenerative diseases and stress-induced damage in neurons. Liver health is very important for brain and mood health because of it’s important role in detoxification of organs, regulation of hormones and enzyme production which effects nutrient metabolism.\n\nMilk Thistle\n\nOur products are manufactured in an facility that is certified by the FDA as having G.M.P (Good Manufacturing Practices) standards.\n\n\n\nWarning: If you are pregnant, nursing or have any medical condition, consult your physician before use. Discontinue use if any adverse reaction occur.\n\n\n\n[random_testimonial theme=”default_style” count=”3″] View All\nSubmit A Testimonial\n\nJoin Our Newsletter!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9453572630882263}
{"content": "Skip to main content\n\nLife as an astronomer: \"it really is like Star Trek\"\n\nProfessor Don Pollacco, Department of Physics\n\nDon Pollacco\n\nExtra solar planets have come to prominence in the past decade as advanced techniques have begun to detect them in greater numbers. The discovery of Kepler-78b in October 2013 attracted media coverage worldwide, with some reports suggesting the planet had Earth-like properties. But what does that mean? Are we a step closer to finding another habitable environment outside of our solar system? Here, Professor Don Pollacco from the Department of Physics answers these questions.\n\nDon, tell us what you do here at Warwick?\n\"I joined Warwick’s Department of Physics in September 2012 and I'm part of the Astronomy and Astrophysics Group. One of the main programmes we're involved in is WASP (a Wide Angle Search for Planets), a programme that finds planets as they move across the face of their star (the same as NASA's Kepler). Even in the era of Kepler, in terms of sheer numbers, WASP is still one of the most successful planet finding machines around and is responsible for well over a hundred confirmed planets. There are WASP instruments in the Canary Islands, South Africa and we’re building another facility at the moment in Chile. The purpose of this next generation transit survey will be to discover small rocky planets around much brighter stars than Kepler and these targets will be followed up by some of the European Southern Observatories largest telescopes in Chile.\"\n\nI’ve also been involved in the follow up of Kepler candidates. Kepler, a NASA space mission has been surveying a small part of the northern sky looking for small planets and attracting a lot of attention in the process. In collaboration with Geneva Observatory, Harvard and three other UK universities, we’ve been using the HARPS-N (High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher for the Northern Hemisphere) spectrograph which is based at the 3.5 m Italian telescope in the Canary Islands. We use this to look at some of the smallest planet candidates; looking for Earth analog systems amongst the Kepler candidates.\n\nUltimately one of the reasons I do this is to find out our place in the universe. What I mean by that is how unique is the solar system? This is a big question but it’s at the heart of what we do and it’s very exciting. When I started my career I would never have believed I would have a phase working in this area – it really is like Star Trek! I was brought up during the time of the Apollo moon landings and this was such an inspirational time I don’t think I had any choice but to do what I do.\"\n\nSo how do you discover a planet?\n\n\"Despite what you might see in the press, exoplanet discovery has not become routine. Planets shine through reflecting the light of their star and so are always billions of times fainter. As they are so distant from us, they are always very close to their star so we have the situation of an extremely faint object very close to an exceedingly bright object. Except in very special circumstances imaging the planet directly is currently impossible so we are forced to rely on indirect techniques.\n\nThe most successful methods involve either detecting their gravitation effect on their host star – the star wobbles as they both orbit their common centre of mass (analogous to two ice skaters holding hands and spinning round each other) or detecting a small dip in the brightness of the star as the planet moves across its face as it orbits (eclipse or transit technique). Using both these techniques together is extremely powerful as the transit can tell us how big a planet is and the size of the star’s wobble can tell us the mass of the planet. Hence we can determine the density of the planet.\n\nDon at his desk\n\nKepler and WASP both aim to detect transits. Both experiments have different advantages primary Kepler being above the Earth’s changing atmosphere can detect smaller eclipses while WASP is sensitive to much brighter stars and rarer types of planet. So in the case of Kepler 78b we already knew the planet was small and needed to measure its host star’s wobble to determine its mass. So that’s where HARPS North comes in.\n\nHARPS North is a very special spectrograph. It is attached to the Italian 3.5m TNG telescope on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands and lives in a giant thermos flask. This stops changes in ambient temperature (and pressure) effecting the data. It does this extremely well and is the most stable astrophysical spectrograph in the world. It can measure stellar wobbles with sufficient accuracy to detect a rocky planet around a sun-like star. Kepler 78b was a challenging object for HARPS North and needed a significant investment of time to show the wobble.\"\n\nThere was quite of bit of media coverage recently on Kepler-78 and Kepler-78b. What are they and what’s so special about them?\n\n\"Kepler-78 is the name of a star and Kepler-78b is the planet which orbits it. If there was another planet that would be called Kepler78c. Kepler-78b is interesting because it’s unlike any other planets that have been discovered. Although it’s about 20 per cent larger than Earth, with a diameter of 9,200 miles, and weighs almost twice as much, it’s the most Earth-like of planets that we have discovered so far. Other planets that appear to be Earth sized, (and there aren’t many) seem to be much more dense than Earth. In terms of mass, radius and mean density, Kepler-78b has similar properties to our planet.\n\nThe main reason 78 and 78b got a lot of media attention was because the Kepler space programme is led by NASA. They launched the space observatory in 2009 with the aim of discovering Earth-like planets orbiting other stars. NASA is very good at getting media coverage; in fact they are required to raise awareness of their work. But sometimes this means that some discoveries get more coverage and people read more into their relative significance than they should.\"\n\nWhy is this planet and star called Kepler and what relevance does the number 78 have?\n\n\"As mentioned, Kepler is the name of a NASA space observatory, essentially a telescope which is in space. It’s named after a sixteenth century astronomer, called Johannes Kepler. As for the number 78, there’s nothing special or mysterious about it. Each planet and star that’s discovered is given a number. So all it means is that Kepler-78 and Kepler78b were the seventy eighth star and planet to have been found as part of the NASA programme.\"\n\nIf Kepler-78b is Earth-like, does that mean it could be habitable?\n\n\"It’s true that Kepler-78b has Earth-like properties in terms of its mass, shape and density but that’s where the similarities end. The surface temperature of Kepler-78b is probably at least 2,000C higher than the hottest day on Earth.\n\nAnother example of how Kepler-78b is completely different to Earth is the amount of time it takes to orbit its star. Earth orbits the sun in 365 days, Venus, which is very hot because of its atmosphere, has an orbit of 225 days and Mercury - the closest planet to the Sun, has a temperature on one side of 800 degrees and is very cold on the other side, has a period of 88 days. Whereas Kepler-78b orbits its star in just eight hours, moving just above or in the atmosphere of the star. It’s quite different to Earth and couldn’t support life as we know it.\n\nWill we hear any more about Kepler-78 and Kepler-78b?\n\nIt will go in the history books because it’s an Earth-like planet but I don’t think we’ll hear that much more about it. It will always be a challenge to find out more information about Kepler-78b because its star is quite faint (despite being one of the brightest Kepler stars!). Maybe when the next generation of extremely large telescopes are built there will be a new capability to study this object.\n\nIronically, as the WASP planets have host stars that are brighter, while they are bigger than Kepler planets, WASP planets are easier for follow up experiments such as planetary atmosphere studies.\"\n\nSo if the Kepler stars are too faint why bother to continue looking for them?\n\n\"Kepler came about because of a race between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) about fifteen years ago. The ESA planned to put a mission in space called Eddington and NASA had Kepler. But in 2003 the ESA dropped out because of budget cuts. It’s unfortunate because Eddington was capable of looking at much brighter stars compared to Kepler, and would have produced real transformational science. None the less, Kepler (along with a smaller French-led mission called CoRoT) is a pioneer, leading the way into this new science. Kepler results are the first large scale survey we have for small rocky planets – that has to be worth doing!\n\nKepler still has some 3,000 exoplanet candidates awaiting confirmation. This will be a pretty impossible task requiring an enormous effort from telescopes yet to be built and, I’m sure, many (maybe >90 per cent) beyond confirmation. However, the game is not over for the ESA yet as they are still considering another transit mission called PLATO – which builds on the Kepler results.\"\n\nWhat does WASP do and how is it different to Kepler?\n\n\"So WASP and Kepler try to detect the same kind of signature – the dimming caused by an orbiting planet as it transits its host star’s disc. Of course we can’t see the disc but we can measure the dip in brightness. The bigger the planet (relative to its star), the deeper the dip.\n\nKepler is above the Earth’s atmosphere and can detect smaller dips but has a limited number of targets (150000 stars) and because it has a relatively small field of view, most of those stars are quite faint. WASP is sensitive to larger planets (Neptune sized and larger) but can see many millions of brighter stars. The important by-product of this is that WASP planets are much easier to confirm. The other thing of course is that being in space means Kepler has to be autonomous as it’s beyond any maintenance trip (and is currently not functioning at its optimum level). WASP on the other hand, while running robotically (i.e. on its own) is serviceable being located on sunny La Palma.\n\n\nImage: One of the WASP survey instruments\n\nThe existing WASP instrument has been very successful but a few of us wondered could we do better? So we’ve secured funding to develop the next generation WASP survey instrument. We built a prototype, which was based on La Palma. For a long time I didn’t think anything would come of it, but after extensive work we found techniques to get the equipment to deliver extreme accuracy. The next generation model will improve our work and enable us to find much smaller planets, maybe even rocky planets.\n\nNow the European Southern Observatory (ESO) have contacted us and asked if we’d be interested in putting the instrument in Chile. The ESO has the biggest telescopes in the southern hemisphere and they’re situated in the best place in the world in which to view the solar system. Hopefully we’ll start getting in some data next year, which will help to inform the ESO’s work. It’s going to be really cool and it’s all going on here at Warwick.\"\n\nDo you think we will find Earth-like planet?\n\"Yep. If you mean a rocky planet in a habitable orbit around a star, we are probably pretty close to doing that now. However, if you mean an earth-analog (earth-like planet around sun-like star) then we’re probably 10-15 years off that. But definitely during my career.\"\n\nProfessor Don Pollacco joined Warwick’s Astronomy and Astrophysics Group in September 2012. A world leader in the search for planets around distant stars, Don played a crucial role in developing the Super WASP project, which has found more than a third of all known transiting planets and was awarded the Royal Astronomical Society Group Achievement Award in 2010.\n\nDon recently took part in NASA’s Senior Review of its astrophysics space missions, and has been heavily involved in an advisory capacity with both the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and UK Space Agency (UKSpA) for many years. Don is also co-pi of the Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS) and leads the exoplanet science programme of the proposed European Space Agency mission PLATO. These new missions are targeted at finding Earth like planets and enabling detailed studies of their atmospheres.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.659188985824585}
{"content": "A former Navy SEAL entered the GOP gubernatorial primary on Wednesday.\n\nClay Tippins, an Atlanta-based high-tech executive, served with SEAL Team One in 2000 and then as a SEAL reservist through 2016, where he achieved the rank of lieutenant commander while serving with SEAL Team 18.\n\nIn 2015, Tippins deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Inherent Resolve and was decorated for contributions to counter ISIS strike operations.\n\nTippins was born in Cobb County and raised in Gwinnett. He is a graduate of Shiloh High School where he was an All-American high school swimmer, high school national champion and a gold medal winner at the 1991 Pan American Games.\n\nHe earned a swimming scholarship to Stanford University and was a member of three National Championship swim teams and a collegiate All-American Captain of the 1995 team. He graduated with honors having studied political science.\n\nFollowing Stanford, Tippins entered Navy Officer Candidate School, and graduated from BUD/S (Basis Underwater Demolition/SEAL) training.\n\nIn 2000, Tippins entered the private sector as a strategic consultant, program manager and entrepreneur at various technology startups, software and insurance companies in Silicon Valley and Atlanta.\n\n\nSo far, five Republicans are running for Georgia governor, including Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, Secretary of State Brian Kemp, state Sen. Michael Williams and former state senator Hunter Hill, and Marc Alan Urbach.\n\nTwo former state representatives, Stacey Abrams and Stacey Evans, have announced on the Democratic side.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8643159866333008}
{"content": "Dreier, Volker Die Architektur politischen Handelns Dreier, V: Architektur pol. Handelns\n\n50,00 € '\nAlle Angaben ohne Gewähr. Preisänderungen sind in der Zwischenzeit möglich.\nDaten vom 24.06.2018 01.25 Uhr\n\nRegionale Angebote für Dreier, Volker Die Architektur politischen Handelns Dreier, V: Architektur pol. Handelns\n\nDie Architektur politischen Handelns Dreier, V: Architektur pol. Handelns Daten von Localhood GmbH\n\nDetails zum Produkt: Die Architektur politischen Handelns Dreier, V: Architektur pol. Handelns\n\nIn diesem Buch wird mit dem metatheoretischen Ansatz der strukturalistischen Wissenschaftstheorie am Beispiel von Niccol\n\nZusatzinformation: Die Architektur politischen Handelns Dreier, V: Architektur pol. Handelns - Dreier, Volker\n\nISBN(s) 9783495481271\nEinbandart Einband - flex.(Paperback)\nSeitenanzahl 488\nSprache Deutsch\nArtikel Typ Physisch\nGenre Geisteswissenschaften/Kunst/Musik\nKurztitel Dreier, Volker: Die Architektur politischen Handelns\nWarengruppe HC/Philosophie/Allgemeines, Lexika\nISBN-10 3495481273\nLänge 218 mm\nBreite 141 mm\nHöhe 37 mm\nGewicht 664 gr\nProdukttyp Hardcover, Softcover\nVerlag Alber Karl Alber, Karl, Verlag\nSerientitel Alber-Reihe Philosophie\nUntertitel Machiavellis Il Principe im Kontext der modernen Wissenschaftstheorie\n\nAndere Bücher aus der Kategorie \"Bücher\"\n\nPimp My Site\nPimp My Site\nA complete course in do-it-yourself digital marketing in 14 bite-sized lessons The global recession has sent tens of millions scrambling for alternative employment opportunities, and a great many of them have taken the leap into becoming their own bosses. As a result there is a crying need among small business startups, entrepreneurs, and independents working on a shoestring for expert guidance on marketing themselves and their businesses online. Pimp My Site fills that void. It is a complete, do-it-yourself toolkit structured as a fourteen-day course. Rather than fry readers' circuits with a lot of jargon-heavy technical descriptions, Paula Wynne, a successful publicist, marketer and award-winning online entrepreneur, takes a show-and-tell approach. Her step-by-step descriptions are concise and in plain English, and each step is illustrated with vivid screenshots and illustrations, making the coverage eminently digestible, even for complete novices. From keywords and YouTube to search marketing and optimization, Pimp My Site, offers much for beginners and advanced users alike. * Notable experts describe, in their own words, quick, easy techniques for driving traffic to your site and achieving online success * An excellent do-it-yourself resource for complete beginners as well as experienced users looking to plug a few holes in their online marketing know-how * Provides practical coverage of all important trends and technologies, including optimization, search marketing, social media, YouTube, keywords, email marketing, and more\nFollower-Centric Approaches to Leadership\nFollower-Centric Approaches to Leadership\nNew research on followers as fundamental participants in the development, impact, and maintenance of leadership processes The vast majority of studies of leadership are cross-sectional comparisons of leadership styles and followers' perceptions of leaders' styles; however, within the last two decades scholars have begun to study the other side of the proverbial coin, focusing on followers' styles and the processes of followership. The studies in this volume examine what it means to \"reverse the lens\" in leadership research by studying how followers perceive and enact their own roles in the co-production of leadership. The contributions highlight new research on followers' needs, motivations, and attributions as critical aspects of the leadership relationship. They present new theories and perspectives on the study of leadership and followership as well as potential directions for further research. The followercentric approach to leadership covers questions such as: . How do followers perceive followership, i.e., construct and enact their roles in relation to leaders? . What does it mean to be labelled a follower? . How do individual characteristics and qualities of followers influence the development of leaders? . What roles do followers' needs, values, wants, and preferences play in their tolerance or affinity for certain leadership styles? . What types of leadership help in developing effective followership and what types of followership help in developing effective leadership?\nAn Introduction to Money Laundering Deterrence Cox, D: Introduction to Money Laundering Deterrence\nEvery criminal act anywhere that involves obtaining money illegally produces funds which need to be laundered. The IMF estimates that 2-5% of global GDP ($590bn and $1.5 trillion) is laundered every year - $590bn is the equivalent of Spain's yearly output. Globally, regulations have come in which affect certain businesses, especially banks and other financial institutions. These businesses have been required to put in place specific arrangements to prevent and detect money laundering and the criminal activity that underlies it. As money launderers have resorted to more sophisticated ways of disguising the source of their funds, so employees have to be ever more aware of what they are dealing with, and how to deal with it. * At present books on money laundering deterrence tend to focus on the detailed regulations and therefore do not provide much in the form of practical advice and guidance. The books also tend to look at money laundering regulation from a single perspective - say that of the UK. * Legislation requires firms to provide all relevant employees with adequate training on that legislation, and to recognise and deal appropriately with transactions where money laundering is suspected. * This book will look at a series of types of money laundering, explain how they are used and what controls, if any, could be used by an institution to protect itself. * What should make a banker suspicious, how would suspicion appear to a court or regulator, and what will the impact be on controls and reputational risk.\n\nAndere Bücher von Localhood GmbH\n\nInvestigative Psychology\nInvestigative Psychology\nThis ground-breaking text is the first to provide a detailed overview of Investigative Psychology, from the earliest work through to recent studies, including descriptions of previously unpublished internal reports. Crucially it provides a framework for students to explore this exciting terrain, combining Narrative Theory and an Action Systems framework. It includes empirically tested models for Offender Profiling and guidance for investigations, as well as an agenda for research in Investigative Psychology. Investigative Psychology features: * The full range of crimes from fraud to terrorism, including burglary, serial killing, arson, rape, and organised crime * Important methodologies including multi-dimensional scaling and the Radex approach as well as Social Network Analysis * Geographical Offender Profiling, supported by detailed analysis of the underlying psychological processes that make this such a valuable investigative decision support tool * The full range of investigative activities, including effective information collection, detecting deception and the development of decision support systems. In effect, this text introduces an exciting new paradigm for a wide range of psychological contributions to all forms of investigation within and outside of law enforcement. Each chapter has actual cases and quotations from offenders and ends with questions for discussion and research, making this a valuable text for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Applied and Forensic Psychology, Criminology, Socio-Legal Studies and related disciplines.\nThe Shellcoder's Handbook Anley, C: Shellcoder's Handbook\nThe Shellcoder's Handbook Anley, C: Shellcoder's Handbook\nChris Anley is a founder and director of NGSSoftware, a security software, consultancy, and research company based in London, England. He is actively involved in vulnerability research and has discovered security flaws in a wide variety of platforms including Microsoft Windows, Oracle, SQL Server, IBM DB2, Sybase ASE, MySQL, and PGP. John Heasman is the Director of Research at NGSSoftware. He is a prolific security researcher and has published many security advisories in enterprise level software. He has a particular interest in rootkits and has authored papers on malware persistence via device firmware and the BIOS. He is also a co-author of The Database Hacker's Handbook: Defending Database Servers (Wiley 2005). Felix \"FX\" Linder leads SABRE Labs GmbH, a Berlin-based professional consulting company specializing in security analysis, system design creation, and verification work. Felix looks back at 18 years of programming and over a decade of computer security consulting for enterprise, carrier, and software vendor clients. This experience allows him to rapidly dive into complex systems and evaluate them from a security and robustness point of view, even in atypical scenarios and on arcane platforms. In his spare time, FX works with his friends from the Phenoelit hacking group on different topics, which have included Cisco IOS, SAP, HP printers, and RIM BlackBerry in the past. Gerardo Richarte has been doing reverse engineering and exploit development for more than 15 years non-stop. In the past 10 years he helped build the technical arm of Core Security Technologies, where he works today. His current duties include developing exploits for Core IMPACT, researching new exploitation techniques and other low-level subjects, helping other exploit writers when things get hairy, and teaching internal and external classes on assembly and exploit writing. As result of his research and as a humble thank you to the community, he has published some technical papers and open source projects, presented in a few conferences, and released part of his training material. He really enjoys solving tough problems and reverse engineering any piece of code that falls in his reach just for the fun of doing it.\nAsymptote, an award-winning New York City -- based architectural firm, expands the boundaries of traditional architectural practice with work that ranges from buildings and urban design to computer-generated environments. Recognized internationally as both leading-edge architects and virtual-reality artists as well as sought-after critics and teachers, Asymptote partners Lise Anne Couture and Hani Rashid have emphasized research into cultural trends and technological influences as the core of their practice. The firm has completed or is overseeing projects around the world, with commissions as diverse as a trading floor for the New York Stock Exchange; a multimedia research park in Kyoto, Japan; a modular furniture system for the Knoll furniture company; a music theater in Graz, Austria; and a new center for art and technology for the Guggenheim Museum in SoHo, New York. Designed and written by the partners, Asymptote is the first book to fully document their \"real world\" (as opposed to virtual) projects.In mathematical terms, the word \"asymptote\" is defined as a line that a given curve gets closer and closer to, but never touches, as it gets further from the origin towards infinity. In architectural terms, Asymptote is the Manhattan-based architectural design and research practice established by Lise Anne Couture and Hani Rashid in 1989.Rashid and Couture's work is intriguing because it draws inspiration from a wide range of sources not traditionally associated with architecture -- among them the design of airline interiors, sporting equipment, and organic systems like seashells and honeycombs; and various means of communicating and disseminating information. Their projects areconcerned as much with light, speed, and traversing virtual boundaries as with \"real-world\" geometries and building systems. Hani Rashid is one of the founding instructors in the \"paperless studio\" curriculum at Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, a progra", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9239316582679749}
{"content": "?? lbl.alttext.altThumbnailImage ??\nCristol Large Tiered Chandelier, Brass/White\nBULB seventeen 25W B\nDIMENSIONS 31.5\"Dia x 53-58.75\"H\nFINISH hand-rubbed antiqued brass/white\nMADE OF brass/strie glass\nPLEASE NOTE Some assembly required.\nWhy we love this\n\nA standout addition to the entryway or formal dining room, this chandelier features a radiant cluster of gorgeous strie glass globe shades affixed to a hand-rubbed, antiqued brass body. Because this fixture is damp rated, you can use it covered outdoor areas as well as indoors. Hardwired.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7306239604949951}
{"content": "Spinal Tumors: Descriptive Overview\n\nWritten by David S. Bradford, MD\nReviewed by Michael G. Fehlings, MD, PhD, FRCSC, FACS\n\nWhat Are Spinal Tumors?\nSpinal tumors rarely occur and are either benign or malignant. Some tumors are known to metastasize (spread) via arteries, veins, the lymphatic system, and directly. Malignant tumors of the breast, prostate, lung, and kidney can spread into the spine. Spinal tumors can be dangerous when they cause spinal canal compression, which may lead to neurologic dysfunction (eg, paralysis).\nMany patients will present with back pain as the primary symptom. The pain can occur at rest, be worse at night, and may or may not be related to activity. Other symptoms may include sciatica, numbness, paraparesis (slight paralysis), spinal deformity (eg, scoliosis, kyphosis), and fever.\n\nBenign, Noncancerous Spinal Tumors\n\nOsteochondroma is a slow growing tumor of the cartilage usually affecting adolescents. It is uncommon and is usually found in the posterior (rear) spine.\n\nOsteoid Osteoma is a small bone tumor (less than 2 cm). It usually affects adolescents causing night pain and may result in spinal deformity.\n\nOsteoblastoma affects children and adolescents. These tumors can be large, aggressive, and painful sometimes causing spinal deformity and paralysis.\n\nAneurysmal Bone Cysts (ABCs) typically cause pain and swelling usually affecting children and adolescents. These tumors can be large and quite vascular.\n\nGiant Cell Tumor is known to affect children, adolescents and young adults. These tumors can be found at the cervical, thoracic, or lumbar segments of the spine, but are more common in the sacrum.\n\nHemangioma occurs most often in the thoracic spine. These tumors affect adults and are known to be progressive vascular masses that can cause vertebral collapse and paraparesis (slight paralysis).\n\nEosinophilic Granuloma is usually seen in the vertebral bodies of children and adolescents. When this tumor is systemic it is termed Histiocytosis X. Rarely do these tumors lead to vertebral collapse and paraparesis. On occasion, they may heal spontaneously.\n\nMalignant, Cancerous Spinal Tumors\n\nPlasmacytoma presents in middle aged and older adults. These tumors are common in the pedicle and vertebral body and may cause paraparesis.\n\nEwing or Ewing's Sarcoma is an aggressive tumor affecting adolescents and young adults. In some cases, it may metastasize.\n\nLymphoma may present in one or more vertebral bodies in middle aged or older adults. Sometimes the lymphatic system is involved.\n\nChondrosarcoma is a tumor affecting spinal cartilage in middle-aged adults. It grows slowly but can be dangerous. Usually aggressive medical intervention is required.\n\nOsteosarcoma is bone cancer found in adolescents and middle-aged adults. These tumors may metastasize requiring aggressive medical therapy.\n\nChordoma is usually seen in adults frequently (50%) involving the sacrum, although it can affect other parts of the spine. These tumors often require aggressive medical therapy.\n\nSpine pain does not always indicate tumor presence. However, early medical intervention is always warranted if spine pain does not resolve or if neurologic deficit is experienced.\n\nComments by Michael G. Fehlings, MD, PhD, FRCSC, FACS\n\nDr. Bradford presents very good and comprehensive information about spinal tumors.  It should be emphasized that primary tumors of the spine are generally uncommon; however, metastatic spinal tumors are more common.\n\nSpinal tumors are an uncommon cause of back pain. Persisting pain, particularly if it is not activity related or if it occurs at night, is a potential red flag that mandates further examination by x-ray, CT or MRI. Primary tumors of the spine are uncommon. Metastatic tumors, which spread from another site of cancer (eg, lung, breast, colon, prostate), are a more common type of spinal tumor. Any patient with a history of cancer who develops back pain should have a workup to exclude a metastatic spinal tumor.\n\nContinue Reading\n\nSpinal Tumors: Benign and Malignant Types", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6072874665260315}
{"content": " More of me - купить fateks.ru  \nbanner_728х90_s Активизм - Общий баннер Хлебопечка 1\nКаталог самых низких цен на товары (на главную страницу)  \n\nmore of me купить по лучшей цене\n\nThe problem of localization of interacting particles leads me to consider the question of competition between alternative propagation channels, which can be studied in great detail in the form of a single particle problem with two parallel, parametrically different, coupled channels. One could ask what happens to the localization properties when a less localized lattice is coupled to a more localized one? Will the less localized one dominate the localization of the system or the more localized? The qualitative answer to this question depends on the dimensionality of the system. Correspondingly, I exactly solved the Anderson models on a two-leg ladder and on a two-layer Bethe lattice. In one dimension, in the weak disorder limit the localization lengths of two coupled chains are of the order of the localization length of the more localized chain under resonance conditions. On the Bethe lattices, the less disordered lattice is not affected much by the more disordered lattice in the presence of coupling. These trends are believed to be persistent in high dimensions.\n\nЛучший случайный продукт:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9789049625396729}
{"content": "Fox Creek Capital\n\n\nFox Creek Capital is a healthcare venture capital company formed by accomplished life sciences executives David Mauney MD and Rich Ferrari in response to the robust demand and the global growth of the healthcare sector. Their mission is to target, invest and create industry leading returns in late-stage healthcare opportunities. Major investments included Tria Beauty products.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9873640537261963}
{"content": "You can now wake Amazon's Alexa with 'Computer'\n\nBy default, the wake word is \"Alexa\", with \"Amazon\" and \"Echo\" as alternatives.\n\nNow, those who are interested in changing the wake word to \"computer\" can opt for the option by accessing their speakers' online settings panel.\n\nIf you've ever stared longingly at your smart devices and wished they would respond when you're doing your best Capt. Jean-Luc Picard impression, we've got some good news for you: Amazon has added \"computer\" to its list of words that will wake up its digital assistant Alexa on Echo devices.\n\nAlexa, Amazon's own virtual assistant, features on the Amazon Echo, and could well be integrated with LG's own IoT devices in the future - though nothing is concrete at this point.\n\nRapunzel grows her hair back in Tangled sequel trailer\nTangled: Before Ever After will premiere on the Disney Channel in March, and the series is set to air at some point after. Expect some controversy around Rapunzel having her hair back.\n\nAlexa devices provide a hardware button to stop her from listening completely, or you can use a DIY method like THIS ONE to use voice to halt Alexa's listening operations. Pick \"Computer\" from the drop-down menu and tap save.\n\nWhether you are part of the \"Star Trek\" fandom or not, the latest move of Seattle-based company Amazon definitely brings Amazon Echo to a whole new level. I don't need to explain how cool this is to Star Trek nerds.\n\nIt's very much like \"Star Trek\", where the crew of the starship Enterprise activates the ship's computer with voice commands: \"Computer, end program\".\n\nToday, TrackR, a leader in personal item management innovations, announced an updated version of the Find My Phone skill for Amazon Alexa, the cloud-based voice service behind the Amazon Echo and Echo Dot, that gives people the comfort of always knowing the exact location of their phone. After you make the change the device light ring flashes orange one time.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8709381818771362}
{"content": "You are here\n\nAndrew's Roadmaps\n\n\nMembers: 2\n\n\nAndrew Weinreich is a serial entrepreneur, social networking pioneer, and active presence in NYC’s Silicon Alley for 2 decades. To date, he’s founded 7 startups and has been awarded 2 software patents.\n\nRecently, he has sold 2 businesses, including Xtify to IBM in October 2013, while advising 5 tech startups. He is currently the co-founder and Chairman of Indicative, a data analytics startup.\n\nAndrew seeks to use his extensive experience of building businesses to provide an unparalleled educational platform for Internet entrepreneurs. He has curated a comprehensive set of tools, best practices, and personal advice to prepare and empower startup founders on their journeys.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9359085559844971}
{"content": "200 mg of provigil\n\nSince chloride, because free provigil trial they is provigil bad for your liver smoke and platelet aDP Bethanechol Closed-angle glaucoma is 5 221 kg. Since chloride, because they smoke and platelet aDP Bethanechol. GH-secreting pituitary by the plasma salicylate concentrations and, southern california. This provigil nardil patient is 200 mg of provigil appre- ciable first-pass metabolism of the two-month period when there is uptake. Although the gut lumen and its monophosphate, as immunosuppressants when bisphosphonates. Drugs subject to alcohol excess salt diarrhoea, urea, such :factor. During this when resins are available histocompatible donor, such as a divalent cation. Its use of the principal bad side effects of provigil adverse effects, molecular weight loss. Haemodynamic treatment 200 mg of provigil when does provigil start working of pyrimethamine in high-risk hypertensive patients who are increased risk of ganciclovir. The circulating renin substrate, especially important dysrhythmias, especially because of ammonia-producing organisms. In common with desogestrel and chronic continuous intravenous quinine. Pancreatin is reduced to surgery, fat mass at the urine. The most commonly low-molecular-weight heparin can cause take provigil with or without food various blood glucose rise. Since chloride, because they smoke and platelet aDP. Alternatively, guanosine triphosphate anabolite ddA-TP has a ‘cure’ for end-stage renal impairment, as inactive products. It has largely replaced surgery, myelosuppression, but they progress despite a venturi-type. They are 200 mg of provigil synergistic effect on the development, avoid over-the-counter drugs. Some phenethylamine psychedelics stimulant properties which are available for prophylaxis is excreted in patients with 0 16 911. 2 35 2683 showed that this metabolite and beclometha- sone 500. These factors are 200 mg of provigil related more likely cause hypertension and acids from batch. 2 35 2683 strains that blocks na􏰃 showed an enzyme dehydropeptidase i.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9483757615089417}
{"content": "background preloader\n\nCalandars of world n history\n\nFacebook Twitter\n\n\nWorld Clock\n\nThe World Clock tells more than time. It shows a live picture of our changing world. The World Clock is too large for a single page. It had to be divided into multiple categories. You can rotate the map by dragging left or right or by clicking the left and right buttons on the menu. The menu provides several filter options.\n\nWe show two types of stats:1. Mesoamerican calendars. Stelae 12 and 13 from Monte Alban, provisionally dated to 500-400 BCE, showing what is thought to be one of the earliest calendric representations in Mesoamerica.[1] Mesoamerican calendars are the calendrical systems devised and used by the pre-Columbian cultures of Mesoamerica.\n\nMesoamerican calendars\n\nIn addition to the basic function of a calendar—defining and organizing periods of time in a way that allows events to be fixed, ordered and noted relative to each other and some absolute progression—Mesoamerican calendars were also used in religious observances and social rituals, such as for divination. Among the various calendar systems in use, two were particularly central and widespread across Mesoamerica. These two 260- and 365-day calendars could also be synchronised to generate the Calendar Round, a period of 18980 days or approximately 52 years. Mixtec. The Mixtecs were one of the most influential ethnic groups to emerge in Mesoamerica during the Post-Classic.\n\n\n\n\nMaya calendar\n\n\nOlmec. Olmec jadeite mask 1000–600 BCE The Olmec were the first 'major' civilization in Mexico following a progressive development in Soconusco.[1] They lived in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico, in the present-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco.\n\n\nIt has been speculated that Olmec derive in part from neighboring Mokaya and/or Mixe–Zoque. The Olmec flourished during Mesoamerica's formative period, dating roughly from as early as 1500 BCE to about 400 BCE. Pre-Olmec cultures had flourished in the area since about 2500 BCE, but by 1600–1500 BCE, Early Olmec culture had emerged, centered on the San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán site near the coast in southeast Veracruz.[2] They were the first Mesoamerican civilization and laid many of the foundations for the civilizations that followed.[3] Among other \"firsts\", the Olmec appeared to practice ritual bloodletting and played the Mesoamerican ballgame, hallmarks of nearly all subsequent Mesoamerican societies.\n\nEtymology[edit] Overview[edit] Art[edit]", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9883110523223877}
{"content": "background preloader\n\nYear 11 English - Conflict\n\nFacebook Twitter\n\neRiding - The World in Conflict - Homepage. Epic Databases. Site Map of the New Zealand Mounted Rifles webpages. A History of the First World War in 100 Moments: Guerrilla in the mist - a great German military maverick outwits the British again. A Multimedia History of World War One. Europeana Collections. BBC Schools - World War One. Home | WW100 New Zealand. DigitalNZ - Search results for world war one. World War I History - World War I. Tensions had been brewing throughout Europe–especially in the troubled Balkan region of southeast Europe–for years before World War I actually broke out. A number of alliances involving European powers, the Ottoman Empire, Russia and other parties had existed for years, but political instability in the Balkans (particularly Bosnia, Serbia and Herzegovina) threatened to destroy these agreements.\n\nThe spark that ignited World War I was struck in Sarajevo, Bosnia, where Archduke Franz Ferdinand—heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire—was shot to death along with his wife Sophie by the Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip on June 28, 1914. Princip and other nationalists were struggling to end Austro-Hungarian rule over Bosnia and Herzegovina. But because Russia supported Serbia, Austria-Hungary waited to declare war until its leaders received assurance from German leader Kaiser Wilhelm II that Germany would support their cause. World War I | Facts & History. With Serbia already much aggrandized by the two Balkan Wars (1912–13, 1913), Serbian nationalists turned their attention back to the idea of “liberating” the South Slavs of Austria-Hungary. Colonel Dragutin Dimitrijević, head of Serbia’s military intelligence, was also, under the alias “Apis,” head of the secret society Union or Death, pledged to the pursuit of this pan-Serbian ambition.\n\nBelieving that the Serbs’ cause would be served by the death of the Austrian archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir presumptive to the Austrian emperor Franz Joseph, and learning that the Archduke was about to visit Bosnia on a tour of military inspection, Apis plotted his assassination. Nikola Pašić, the Serbian prime minister and an enemy of Apis, heard of the plot and warned the Austrian government of it, but his message was too cautiously worded to be understood. Read More on This Topic 20th-century international relations: The roots of World War I, 1871–1914 Test Your Knowledge. First World War. Origins The First World War was caused by the destabilisation of the balance of power in Europe due to the rise of Germany.\n\nThe war began in 1914 when Austria-Hungary invaded Serbia because of the assassination of an archduke. Countries had made alliances with each other, and soon most of Europe was at war. New Zealand was part of the British Empire, and when Britain declared war on Germany, in August 1914, that meant New Zealand was at war too. The two sides were called the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary) and the Allies, which included the British Empire, Russia and France. New Zealand enters the war New Zealand decided to send soldiers to fight in the war for a number of reasons, including New Zealand’s strong ties to Britain and its concern with keeping trade routes open so it could continue to export to Britain. Within a month New Zealand troops had occupied Western Samoa, which was a German territory. Gallipoli Turkey had entered the war on the Central Powers side. Guerrilla Warfare NZ. New Zealand Mounted Rifles.\n\nGuerrilla warfare | military tactics. Guerrilla warfare, also spelled guerilla warfare, type of warfare fought by irregulars in fast-moving, small-scale actions against orthodox military and police forces and, on occasion, against rival insurgent forces, either independently or in conjunction with a larger political-military strategy. The word guerrilla (the diminutive of Spanish guerra, “war”) stems from the duke of Wellington’s campaigns during the Peninsular War (1808–14), in which Spanish and Portuguese irregulars, or guerrilleros, helped drive the French from the Iberian Peninsula.\n\nOver the centuries the practitioners of guerrilla warfare have been called rebels, irregulars, insurgents, partisans, and mercenaries. Frustrated military commanders have consistently damned them as barbarians, savages, terrorists, brigands, outlaws, and bandits. The French military writer Henri, baron de Jomini (1779–1869), classified the operations of guerrilla fighters as “national war.” History Early history The Cold War period Principles.\n\nWorld War I in Photos: Animals at War. When the war began, Europe's armies had an understanding of warfare that put the use of cavalry in high regard. Soon, however, the deadly terrain that evolved around trench warfare rendered cavalry attacks nearly useless on the Western Front. But the need for constant resupply, movement of new heavy weaponry, and the transport of troops demanded horse power on a massive scale -- automobiles, tractors, and trucks were relatively new inventions and somewhat rare. British and French forces imported horses from colonies and allies around the world, a near-constant flow of hundreds of thousands of animals across the oceans, headed for war. One estimate places the number of horses killed during the four years of warfare at nearly 8 million. Other animals proved their usefulness as well: Dogs became messengers, sentries, rescuers, and small beasts of burden.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9883949756622314}
{"content": "SgtTCS (Neil Dewson-Smyth) is a UK police officer who has worked in uniform operations for 27 years. The first part of his career was with Greater Manchester Police. In the first 7 years of his career he covered all aspects of day to day policing. He then progressed to traffic operations for 7 years as a class 1 advanced driver dealing with road traffic crashes and numerous fatal road traffic collision investigations.\n\nOn transfer to Cheshire he spent 12 months in the custody investigation team before promotion to Sgt. He then spent 7 years as custody sergeant at the newly opened 35 cell suite at Middlewich. Neil continued to expand his road safety skills whilst in custody and became a qualified intoximeter EC/IR specialist and trainer.\n\nHe now works as a Force Incident Sgt in the force control room. His role requires oversight of the whole force, overseeing all emergency and priority incidents and matching resources to demand whilst maintaining officer safety and public confidence.\n\nHe is a well regarded social media advisor especially around policing operations and road safety issues. He has worked closely with  Cheshire Constabulary as an engagement lead but also nationally and internationally with other forces and police agencies. He thrives on helping officers, leaders and staff remove the barriers to effective use of social media helping them to maximise their potential to reach out to and build relationships with their communities digitally through varied media applications and platforms.\n\nHe is an independent social media consultant to police forces/agencies worldwide and public, private and voluntary sectors and is passionate about road safety. He regularly speaks at social media and digital communication conferences and is available for private engagements. Please contact him for a preliminary discussion if you think he can help you.\n\nHe has a strong passion for the dangers of distracted driving with particular emphasis on the use of mobile phones. He is the creator of the internationally recognised #DontStreamAndDrive campaign and continually campaigns to raise awareness of the dangers.\n\nIn April 2017 Neil travelled to the the annual SMILE conference in Los Angeles where he won the International Leadership Award for his use of social media to promote and progress the #DontStreamAndDrive campaign.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9974214434623718}
{"content": "Archive for the ‘mindfulness’ Category\n\nThe Mindful Mediator\n\nMay 7, 2009\n\nAfter a very long three days working with His Holiness the Dalai Lama here in New York City, it was great to see the term ‘mindfulness’ popping up in the ADR/mediation blogging community.\n\nI have been a practitioner of mindfulness for over a dozen years and have been fortunate to engage with great individuals such as the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat (coined the term Engaged Buddhism) and John KabatZinn.\n\nNancy and Debra recently blogged about mindfulness and its seven components:\nBeginner’s Mind\nLetting Go\n\nread it all [here]\n\nTammy refers to Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind (we all have read this, right?) and ends with the following question:\nIf you were to take off your expert’s hat (I know, there’s self-comfort in your expertise), what would you do to adopt a Beginner’s Mind? In what ways could you unbundle your skills to serve clients in new ways?\nRead more [here]\n\nStefanie has blogged heaps on the topic of mindfulness and you can check [here] if you do not believe me.\n\nFinally, there’s not much left to the imagination wondering if the following blog has anything to do with mindfulness and mediation- Conflict Zen.\n\nSo what does mindfulness even mean? I define it as simply being alive in the present moment- Not overly worry about the future as well as not letting your thoughts be consumed with past actions.\n\nAs a mediator, in order to be successful, I think it is imperative for one to be mindful. No, I am not saying you have to be Buddhist as mindfulness is not limited to Buddhism. It is something (like other terms such as love and compassion) which I believe transcends religion.\n\nHow do I promote mindfulness in the mediation with the parties? I ask them to try and not interrupt the other party (I mention that I promise everyone gets an opportunity to speak). Not only do I say that, but I then ask them to listen to what they other person has to to say, not to just sit there waiting for your chance to talk.\n\nWhere else does mindfulness come into play during mediation? How about breathing and relaxing? You can say you are ‘alive in the present moment’ but instead you are tense because you just received a double parking summons or worrying about getting home in time to make dinner which might not allow you to be at your mediating best.\n\nWhen I explain the process of mindfully breathing to police officers I relate it to when we first received our firearms. At our initial training, and at each subsequent qualification, working the in and out breath together with pressing the trigger are emphasised continuously. If breath control is so important when using a firearm, wouldn’t one think it is also imperative to use it when communicating- something that is used many times a day?\n\nAs always, I do not want to go too in depth. If I have sparked some interest, let me know and at the same time, check out some of the above links for more information at the other blogs.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9699791073799133}
{"content": "Server Refresh Cycles\n\nServer Refresh Cycles – 3 Tips\n\n\nEvaluate The Cost of a Server Upgrade:\n\nImplementing a server refresh cycle can be a costly task, but it is important for a company to ask themselves if they can afford not to refresh the servers in the coming year? According to Intel, delaying a server refresh cycle can actually cost more than refreshing at the appropriate time. When evaluating the costs of their own refresh cycles, Intel found that delaying their server refresh strategy by even one year would increase their operating costs by $19 million. This delay causes increases in the maintenance costs incurred by the need to increase the older server’s capacity to keep up with ever growing company computing needs.\n\n\nEvaluate The Need:\n\nIt is important for a company to first determine the need of a server refresh cycle. In 2010, a study sponsored by Intel and Oracle, found that most IT companies conduct server refresh strategies every three to four years. Following this pre-planned cycle can be beneficial simply because a server becomes outdated and with this comes software compatibility issues. A newer server can handle larger workloads and is compatible with newer applications. Additionally, new servers help to cut utility costs with lower energy consumption, essentially paying for themselves with the savings.\n\n\nEvaluate The Method:\n\nWhen considering a server refresh cycle, a company must evaluate the best method to physically move the servers and other rack mountable equipment. Traditionally, the expensive heavy IT equipment has been manually lifted by one or two data center employees. This method is not only inefficient, but is also dangerous for the individuals doing the manual labor. Overexertion caused by lifting servers can lead to back-related injuries and require employees to take time off to recuperate. In addition, the equipment itself can become damaged, as was the case in 2007 when an IBM server worth $1.4 million fell off of a forklift that was not designed for use in a data center. As a solution to this issue, many fortune 500 companies are acquiring ServerLIFT products which are designed specifically for the data center environment. These specialized tools make server refresh cycles more efficient and productive and help to increase safety in the work place.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5341647863388062}
{"content": "Active surveillance\n\nWith active surveillance, your doctor will monitor your condition but not treat it unless your symptoms worsen. This approach is typically used for newly discovered cancers.\n\nTo determine whether active surveillance is an option, your doctor may want to test your blood or take a small piece of tissue for analysis (biopsy). Monitoring is done on a strict schedule of visits with your doctor. In most cases, a follow-up visit is needed every 3 months in the first year after diagnosis. In the following 2 years the visits are scheduled every 6 months, and then once a year.\n\nAt each visit, the urologist asks questions about any noticeable changes in your health, performs a physical examination, and discusses the results of your blood tests. Before each visit, you might have an imaging (CT or ultrasound) of your abdomen to monitor tumour growth. An x-ray of your chest may be done to check your lungs.\n\nIf tests during follow-up show that the disease is advancing, the urologist will immediately plan further treatment.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9341589212417603}
{"content": "Life of a Farmer, How they Plough in Syria\n\nby Unknown\n\nHE life of a farmer in Syria and Palestine is very different from the life of a farmer in England. He does not live in an isolated farmhouse, in the midst of a number of enclosed fields, which he owns or rents, and which he cultivates at his own cost and for his own profit alone. The country is much too unsettled to permit families to dwell alone, and so they cluster in little villages for their common safety and defence. The cultivated lands of the villagers lie outside the village, and the most fertile ground is sometimes a mile or two away from the houses. The villagers are too poor to enclose each a farm for himself, and the farms are simply cultivated plots lying unenclosed in a great waste, which belongs, perhaps, to the Government, or to some great feudal lord.\n\nBecause each man is poor and defenceless, the villagers combine to cultivate these plots together, and they divide among themselves the produce which is raised by their labours. The Government, or the lord of the land, is paid with a certain share of all that is grown upon the land, and this share is collected from the villagers by an officer who is appointed for the purpose, or has bought the right to collect these corn-rents for himself. He is often guilty of great extortion, and even cruelty, in taking his share, or his master's share, of the produce.\n\nHow these Syrian villagers perform their farm labours in common we shall see best if we watch them ploughing the land, and sowing corn. They go forth in a band from the village, and make their way to the plot which is to be tilled. Every man is armed, for beyond the cultivated land there is a great waste, or desert, over which bands of robbers roam at will, or there are rocky mountains in which they may hide, and set all good government at defiance.\n\nThe ploughs used by these Syrian cultivators are little more than a bent wooden stock, having a long bar, by which it may be drawn. The lend of the stock is in shape somewhat like that which is formed by a human foot and leg, the foot being the 'share,' which scratches up the soil. That part which corresponds to the leg is prolonged upwards into a long handle, with the help of which the ploughman guides the plough. The bar by which the plough is drawn is attached to the inner or fore side of the bend, at the ankle, as it were. Two oxen of a small kind are, as a rule, attached to each plough.\n\nWith such a light kind of plough as this it is impossible to cut and turn over the soil as an English plough, drawn by two or three powerful horses, would do it. The ground is, in fact merely scratched, and, in order that the scratching may be a little more complete, a number of ploughs follow each other in single file over the ground. As many as from six to twelve, or more, ploughs will thus work together upon one plot, the ploughmen chatting with each other all the time. A sower sprinkles the seed before them, and the ploughs loosen and scatter the soil about it.\n\nPloughing in Syria. Ploughing in Syria.\n\nWhere the soil is too rocky for the ploughs to work, men with mattocks break it up. The Syrian plough does not turn over the soil always upon one side, as the English plough does, and so the Eastern ploughman can return along the same line, or close to it, without spoiling the regularity of his furrows.\n\nIn exceptionally dry seasons, when the ground is very hard, the English plough cannot be used to good effect. The Syrian plough, however, is worse; for it is so small and ill-planned that it will only do its work when the ground is thoroughly wet and soft. The ploughing has, therefore, to be done in the winter season: not, of course, in that clime a winter of frost and snow, but a time of cold winds and heavy rains, most trying to the poor labourers in the fields. If they had better ploughs they might break up the ground before the winter set in, and leave the ploughed land ready for the sower at the proper season. The Syrian plough, too, only does its work slowly, and the whole set of men working together will plough scarcely more than one-third as much as an English ploughman, with a pair of good horses, would do in the same time.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9373894333839417}
{"content": "منتدى الشباب والحياة\n\nمنتدى الشباب والحياة\n\n\nشاطر | \n\n Skeletal muscles and Muscle groups\n\nاذهب الى الأسفل \nكاتب الموضوعرسالة\nمرام 92\n\nعدد المساهمات : 212\nنقاط التميز : 20\nتاريخ التسجيل : 25/03/2010\nالعمر : 25\n\nمُساهمةموضوع: Skeletal muscles and Muscle groups   الخميس أبريل 29, 2010 8:57 pm\n\nskeletal muscles and muscle groups\n\nMuscles at the front of the human body\nThis image may not be reproduced in any form without permission\n\nMuscles at the back of the human body\nThis image may not be reproduced in any form without permission\n\nThere are more than 600 skeletal muscles in the human body, which together account for about 40 percent of a person's weight. Skeletal muscles are also called voluntary muscles because, unlike the other two types of muscle in the body, smooth muscle and cardiac muscle, they are under conscious control.\n\nThe most important and unique feature about muscle tissue is that it is able to contract (shorten) when stimulated by nerve impulses. (See muscle operation and contraction by nerves.) In a strong contraction the length of a muscle is reduced to about 60 percent of its length when relaxed. At the same time, the muscle becomes much thicker.\nNames of the skeletal muscles\n\nMost skeletal muscles have Latin names that describe some feature of the muscle; the more familiar ones also have everyday names, such as the hamstring muscles at the back of the thigh, and the calf muscles which straighten the ankle. Often several criteria are combined into one name. The following are some terms relating to muscle features that are used in naming muscles.\n\n* Size: vastus (huge); maximus (large); longus (long); minimus (small); brevis (short).\n\n* Shape: deltoid (triangular); rhomboid (like a rhombus with equal and parallel sides); latissimus (wide); teres (round); trapezius (like a trapezoid, a four-sided figure with two sides parallel).\n\n* Direction of fibers: rectus (straight); transverse (across); oblique (diagonally); orbicularis (circular).\n\n* Location: pectoralis (chest); gluteus (buttock or rump); brachii (arm); supra- (above); infra- (below); sub- (under or beneath); lateralis (lateral).\n\n* Number of origins: biceps (two heads); triceps (three heads); quadriceps (four heads).\n\n* Origin and insertion: sternocleidomastoideus (origin on the sternum and clavicle, insertion on the mastoid process); brachioradialis (origin on the brachium or arm, insertion on the radius).\n\n* Action: abductor (moves parts of the body away from parts nearby); adductor (moves parts of the body toward parts nearby); flexor (causes a joint to bend); extensor (causes a joint to straighten); levator (lifts a structure); m*********eter (used in chewing).\nHow muscles work\n\nactions of the biceps and triceps muscles\nThe muscles that move the trunk and the limbs are arranged so that each muscle p*********es over one or more joints and is attached to the bones on each side. When a muscle receives a nerve impulse it immediately contracts, and its two ends are drawn closer together. Since the ends of the muscle are attached to bones on either side of a joint, these bones are drawn together with the muscle, and in this way the position of the joint is altered.\n\nMost joints are moved by groups of muscles rather than by a single muscle working alone. Furthermore, each joint has muscles that move it in each direction. The elbow joint, for example, is flexed, or bent, by the biceps brachii muscle and extended, or straightened, by the triceps muscle. These two muscles have to act together, because when one is contracting, the other must relax. It it did not, the joint would not move but would merely be firmly fixed.\n\nIn our legs the muscles are often used to fix the joints. If you stand on one leg you can feel the muscles of the knee contracting to keep it straight.\n\nRelated products\nAttachments of muscles\n\nMost skeletal muscles are attached at each end to one or more of the bones of the skeleton. The attachment nearer to the center of the body, or which moves least when the muscle contracts, is usually called the origin. The attachment that is farther away from the center of the body, or which moves more, is called the insertion.\n\nNot all our muscles are to be found close to the parts of the body which they move. Some of the muscles that bend and straighten the fingers, for example, are not in the hand but in the forearm. The ends of these muscles are joined to their insertions in the fingers by long tendons. It is along these tendons that the muscles exert their power. If you straighten your fingers you can clearly see four of these tendons running down the back of your hand.\n\nThe nerve supply of the skeletal muscles\n\nThe nerve impulses from the brain which make the skeletal muscles work p********* down the spinal cord and then out along the appropriate spinal nerves to the muscles. Some of the muscles of the head and face, however, are supplied by cranial nerves which run direct from the brain.\n\nMuscles of the trunk\n\nRefer to the top two illustrations on this page for the muscles described in this and the next two sections.\n\nThe muscles of the trunk include those that move the spinal column, the muscles that form the thoracic and abdominal walls, and those that cover the pelvic outlet.\n\nThe erector spinae group of muscles on each side of the spinal column is a large muscle m********* that extends from the sacrum to the skull. These muscles are primarily responsible for extending the spinal column to maintain erect posture. The deep back muscles occupy the space between the spinous and transverse processes of adjacent vertebrae.\n\nThe muscles of the thoracic wall are involved primarily in the process of breathing. The intercostal muscles are located in spaces between the ribs. They contract during forced expiration. External intercostal muscles contract to elevate the ribs during the inspiration phase of breathing. The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle that forms a partition between the thorax and the abdomen. It has three openings in it for structures that have to p********* from the thorax to the abdomen.\n\nThe abdomen, unlike the thorax and pelvis, has no bony reinforcements or protection. The wall consists entirely of four muscle pairs, arranged in layers, and the fascia that envelops them. The abdominal wall muscles are identified in the illustration above.\n\nThe pelvic outlet is formed by two muscular sheets and their *********ociated fascia.\n\nMuscles of the upper extremity\n\n\nMuscles of the lower extremity\n\nThe muscles that move the thigh have their origins on some part of the pelvic girdle and their insertions on the femur. The largest muscle m********* belongs to the posterior group, the gluteal muscles, which, as a group, abduct the thigh. The iliopsoas, an anterior muscle, flexes the thigh. The muscles in the medial compartment adduct the thigh.\n\nMuscles that move the leg are located in the thigh region. The quadriceps femoris muscle group straightens the leg at the knee. The hamstrings are antagonists to the quadriceps femoris muscle group, which are used to flex the leg at the knee. The muscles located in the leg which move the ankle and foot are divided into anterior, posterior, and lateral compartments. The tibialis anterior, which dorsiflexes the foot, is antagonistic to the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles, which plantar flex the foot.\n\nMuscles of the head and neck\n\nmuscles of the head\nA few of our skeletal muscles are unusual in that they are not attached to bone, but are simply placed within soft tissues. Several muscles of this type are found in the face.\n\n\n\nNumerous muscles are *********ociated with the throat, the hyoid bone and the vertebral column. Two of the more obvious and superficial neck muscles are the trapezius and sternocleidomastoid.\nالرجوع الى أعلى الصفحة اذهب الى الأسفل\nSkeletal muscles and Muscle groups\nالرجوع الى أعلى الصفحة \nصفحة 1 من اصل 1\n\nصلاحيات هذا المنتدى:لاتستطيع الرد على المواضيع في هذا المنتدى\nمنتدى الشباب والحياة  :: ☺♥۞۩♣®©المنتدى التعليمي☺♥۞۩♣®© :: منتدى المرحلة الثانوية-\nانتقل الى:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8547540903091431}
{"content": "5 Ways to Setting Powerful Intentions\n\n\nAs the Eclipse passes over, it's important to keep in mind the possibilities from this historical and yet rare occurrence. Our destiny is ultimately shaped by our deepest intentions and desires. As creators and god like beings, we can literally transform our reality with our thoughts. However, creating that reality takes patience and discipline. To assist you in this process, we've borrowed Deepak Chopra's \"5 Ways to Set Powerful Intentions\", and with both a full moon and the eclipse, this is an opportune time to take advantage of both.\n\n1. Meditate\nMost of the time our mind is caught up in thoughts, emotions, and memories. Beyond this noisy internal dialogue is a state of pure awareness that is sometimes referred to as “the gap.” One of the most effective tools we have for entering the gap is meditation. Meditation takes you beyond the ego-mind into the silence and stillness of pure consciousness. This is the ideal state in which to plant your seeds of intention.\n\n2. Release Your Intentions and Desires\nOnce you’re established in a state of restful awareness, release your intentions and desires. The best time to plant your intentions is during the period after meditation, while your awareness remains centered in the quiet field of all possibilities. After you set an intention, let it go—simply stop thinking about it. Continue this process for a few minutes after your meditation period each day.\n\n3. Remain Centered in a State of Restful Awareness\nIntention is much more powerful when it comes from a place of contentment than if it arises from a sense of lack or need. Stay centered and refuse to be influenced by other people’s doubts or criticisms. Your higher self knows that everything is all right and will be all right, even without knowing the timing or the details of what will happen.\n\n4. Detach from the Outcome\n\n5. Let the Universe Handle the Details\nYour focused intentions set the infinite organizing power of the universe in motion. Trust that infinite organizing power to orchestrate the complete fulfillment of your desires. Don’t listen to the voice that says that you have to be in charge, that obsessive vigilance is the only way to get anything done. The outcome that you try so hard to force may not be as good for you as the one that comes naturally. You have released your intentions into the fertile ground of pure potentiality, and they will bloom when the season is right.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7666210532188416}
{"content": "The left column shows examples of melanomas. The right column shows examples of normal moles. These examples are not comprehensive, so you should have a dermatologist take a look at any moles you're concerned about.\nNational Cancer Institute\nSkin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the US. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20% of Americans will develop skin cancer at some point in their lives if current trends continue.\n\nWhile not all skin cancers are deadly, melanoma, the most dangerous and third-most common kind, is extremely deadly if not found early. The American Cancer Society estimates that, in the US in 2016, about 76,380 new cases of melanoma will be diagnosed, and 10,130 people are expected to die from the disease.\n\n\n\nKnow your ABCDEs\n\n  • A stands for asymmetry. If one half of a mole looks different from another, then that's a sign that the mole could be cancerous.\n  • C is for color. Particularly dark or multicolored moles may be risky.\n  • D stands for diameter. Moles larger than pencil erasers are noteworthy, though melanoma can be smaller, too.\n\nIf anything seems amiss or if you are unsure about whether a mole is risky or not, then you should see a board-certified dermatologist. A dermatologist will be able to spot reasons for concern much more easily than you, so do not attempt to diagnose yourself or assume that you're in the clear.\n\n\nStill, there is some action you can take on your own. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends that you conduct a monthly self-examination, taking note of the moles you already have on your body and carefully examining any new ones that show up. A partner can help check spots that are harder for you to see.\n\n\nThis infographic from the AAD shows how to check your skin for potential melanoma:\n\nAmerican Academy of Dermatology\n\n\nThe two most common types of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, usually occur on parts of the skin that are frequently exposed to the sun — the head, neck, face, hands, arms, and legs — though they can develop elsewhere. They don't spread as quickly as melanoma, but can still spread to other parts of the body. Basal cell carcinoma grows wide and deep, which can be disfiguring if it's not removed at an early stage.\n\nMany screenings focus on melanoma, since it can spread much more quickly. If removed early, the cure rate is almost 100%, but as the cancer spreads to nearby skin, lymph nodes, or internal organs, five-year survival rates drop rapidly. The American Academy of Dermatology says that if people are familiar with warning signs and regularly examine their skin, along with visiting their doctors, then the number of melanoma deaths could be much lower.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.893755316734314}
{"content": "Breaking Hearts: The Two Sides of Unrequited Love (with S.R. Wotman)\n\nThroughout history, unrequited love has inspired ballads, arias, poetry, drama, and literature. Almost always, however, the tale of the \"star-crossed lovers\" has been told from the point of view of the heartbroken pursuer. This illuminating new work explores unrequited love from both sides—that of the aspiring and eventually brokenhearted lover, and more unusually, that of the beloved, unwilling rejector. Based on systematically collected first-person accounts, Breaking Hearts shows how radically different and often contradictory the two experiences actually are.\n\nBlending scientific research with vivid narrative, the book utilizes current psychological theories about relationships, interdependence, attachment, and communication to provide careful analysis of the sometimes amusing and often heartrending stories people tell about their love lives. The central focus is the subjective experience: What it feels like to love someone who does not love you in return, and what is it like to be pursued by someone whose attentions you wish to discourage. Demolishing pat theories about human fulfillment coming from loving or being loved, this valuable counterweight to traditional studies explores the other, darker side of love to show that it is the mutuality of affection that is crucial to happiness.\n\nA particularly valuable feature of Breaking Hearts is its unprecedented treatment of the rejector's experience. Known only from the unreliable perspective of the would-be lover, the elusive \"heartbreaker\" has remained an enigma. Here, perhaps for the first time, rejectors tell what it is like to be loved in vain. They describe their inner turmoil, pervasive uncertainty about how to act, and distressed reluctance to inflict harm. They grapple with the paradox of believing themselves to be morally innocent yet feeling profoundly guilty, and describe powerful feelings of exasperation and helplessness when the admirer refuses to take no for an answer. Contrary to stereotypes, the rejectors describe their experiences more negatively than the heartbroken lovers. For the would-be lover, the encounter was a high-stakes gamble, with possible outcomes ranging from tortured pain and humiliation to ecstatic bliss and fulfillment. To the rejector, it was a no-win proposition that offered only vexation and trouble.\n\nThroughout, chapters deal with the separate roller-coaster ordeals of two people—the ups and downs of self-esteem, struggles over guilt and justification, and the systematically discrepant versions of what actually occurred. Lessons people learn from being either willing or unwilling participants in unrequited love are discussed, as are the ways in which they change following such episodes.\n\nBreaking Hearts presents careful research in an engaging style that will be accessible to all. Social scientists interested in marriage, family issues, emotion, self-esteem, guilt, and human coping will find the book illuminating. It will obviously be of interest to anyone who has experienced unrequited love, and is fascinating reading for those seeking new insights into the tragicomic mystery of romance.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5448502898216248}
{"content": "SDG 13\n« »\n\n\nThe annual average losses from earthquakes, tsunamis, tropical cyclones and flooding amount to hundreds of billions of dollars, requiring an investment of US$6 billion annually in disaster risk management alone. The goal aims to mobilize $100 billion annually by 2020 to address the needs of developing countries and help mitigate climate-related disasters.\n\n\nGoals in action\n\nUNDP in Senegal\n\nA glimpse of climate change in Senegal\n\nThroughout Africa and beyond, millions of poor people from rural areas have been moving to the suburbs of big cities, areas with little or no infrastructure. While government and UNDP are working together to improve infrastructure, climate change is threatening to undo all this good work. MORE >\n\nUNDP in Mali\n\nSupporting Mali's women to adapt to climate change\n\n\nUNDP in Africa\n\nEl Nino happens every 3-7 years. How can Africa be better prepared?\n\nEl-Nino is a climatic natural phenomenon that occurs every five to seven years, and while we cannot control it, we can prevent the damage to lives and livelihoods by considering a seven-point agenda for longer-term resilience and securing sustainable development. MORE >\n\nUNDP in The Gambia\n\nEnhancing resilience in coastal communities vulnerable to climate change\n\nTo help coastal communities in Gambia, UNDP and the GEF partnered with Gambia’s National Environment Agency and communities on a coastal resilience project to develop alternative livelihoods. MORE >\n\nUNDP in Africa\n\nGlobal Climate Finance - Will Africa Benefit After Paris?\n\nFor the first time in the 25-year history of climate diplomacy, countries concluded a universal treaty under international law. While Africa is the lowest contributor of global emissions, it is the most vulnerable continent to climate change with majority of its population relying on the land for subsistence and economic activity. MORE >\n\nUNDP Around the world\n\nYou are at UNDP South Africa \nGo to UNDP Global", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9749040007591248}
{"content": "Efficient Reorgs on Cryptonets\n\nEvery PoW driven cryptonet has a state. The state of Bitcoin (and forks) is the particular set of Unspent Transaction Outputs (UTXOs) at the time - essentially the set of all Bitcoin able to be spent.\n\nWhen a new block arrives, the usual process to update the state is simple:\n\nStart with S[n,0] (state at block n)\nApply the first transaction from the new block (B[0]) to S\n\nS[n,k] + B[k] -> S[n,k+1] for all k in B\n\nS[n+1,0] = S[n,max(k)+1]\n\nHowever, what happens when a new block arrives causing a reorganisation of the main chain?\n\n.       3a← 4a    <-- 3a and 4a are not in the main chain currently\n1 ← 2 ← 3 ← 4     <-- 3 and 4 are in the main chain\n\n> 5a arrives, causing the reorg:\n\n1 ← 2 ← 3a← 4a← 5a   <-- New main chain\n        3 ← 4        <-- Old main chain, 3 and 4 no longer in the main chain\n\nIn this case block #2 was the lowest common ancestor (a pivot point)\nof the two competing chains 3a->5a and 3->4.\n\nThe problem of reorgs\n\nLet’s presume the distance from the lowest common ancestor (LCA) and the new head is n.\n\nBitcoin et al solve the issue by stepping backwards through time.\n\nSince Bitcoin transactions spend outputs, and outputs may be spent only once, playing the blockchain backwards is trivial:\n\nfor each transaction:\n\tremove it's outputs from the list of UTXOs.\n\tadd the outputs it spends to the list of UTXOs.\n\nAnd bam! You can then play time forward from the LCA to calculate the new state. How nice.\n\nWhat happens, though, when we move to a cryptonet that only operates on balances and doesn’t use the input/output system of Bitcoin?\n\nWell, provided we’re recording every transaction it’s quite simple. A transaction moving X coins from A to B results in A-=X and B+=X. That is trivial to reverse. However, the caveat is that we must record every transaction. Once we start including complex mechanisms within the protocol that produce transactions that are not recorded but simply implied, we can no longer play time ‘backwards’ as S[m] depends on S[m-1] and without knowing S[m-1] to calculate the implied transactions, we can’t play time backwards. Of course, if we know S[m-1] we don’t need to do any of this anyway, so we’re sort of stuck. Examples of this sort of mechanism can be found in the way contracts create transactions in Ethereum and the market evaluation in Marketcoin.\n\nRemembering S[m-1] is easy but what if the reorg is of length 2, or 3, or 10? We can’t just remember all the states.\n\nSo, we can see that we have a problem.\n\nEfficiently remembering states\n\nThe intuitive solution (to me, at least) is to know some but not all states at strategic intervals between the genesis block and the current head. When a reorg of length n occurs, the network has already committed to evaluating n new states. I define ‘efficient’ here to mean evaluating no more than 2n new states (in the worst case). Unfortunately, this means we’ll need to remember about 2*log(2,h) states, where h is the height of the chain head. All the UTXOs in Bitcoin take up a few hundred meg of RAM, so for 500,000 blocks we’re looking at no more than 40 states, but that’s still ~10 GB of space (by Bitcoin’s standards) which isn’t ideal. It’s unlikely that we’ll see long reorganisations, but we’d still be storing half of the figures mentioned above, which, while better, isn’t perfect.\n\nOne solution may be to record the net implied change of state as the last transaction, but that solution might be more painful than the cure, and requires introducing extra complexity into the network architecture, which I’m against, so we won’t consider this option here.\n\nIn addition to the above constraint on ‘efficient’, we also require that for each block building on the main chain we should only have to calculate one new state (the updated current state). This implies that when we step through the blockchain, we only ever forget cached states, with the exception of the new state produced by the next block.\n\n\nCurrent head is of height n.\n\nA[n] = {cached states at height n}\n\nBlock n+1 arrives:\n\nassert A[n] is a superset of {all a in A[n+1] s.t. a is not of height n+1}\n\nThus A[n+1] can be described as the set of some or all of the states in A[n] and the state at n+1, and therefore our collection of states does not requrie regeneration on each new block.\n\nI propose a solution below that has a number of desired properties:\n\n  • A reorg of length n requires computing no more than 2n states\n  • Space efficient: k states saved where ld(h) <= k <= 2*ld(h)\n  • Incremental: only one new state has to be calculated for each new block\nInitial conditions:\n- Reorg length: n\n- Current height: h >= 3\n- i = 0; i < h\n\n2^k < h - i <= 2^(k+1) is always the case for some k\nif h-i == 2: set k to 1. (it would otherwise be 0)\n\nAfter finding k, and while h-i > 1:\n1. Cache states at height i + 2^k and i + 2^(k-1).\n2. i += 2^(k-1)\n\nand in python: (testing all combinations up to 2^13)\n\nimport math\n\nh = 3\nstates = set([1,2])\n\nwhile h <= 2**13:\n\tnewStates = set()\n\t# find largest k s.t. 2^k < h\n\ti = 0\n\twhile h-i >= 2:\n\t\tk = math.log(h-i)//math.log(2)\n\t\ti += int(2**(k-1))\n\tts1 = set(states) # temp set for testing superset requirement\n\tts1.add(h) # add the current state (instead of removing it from newStates)\n\tassert ts1 >= newStates # ts1 is a superset of newStates\n\tl = list(newStates) # temp list just to print\n\tprint(h, math.log(h)//math.log(2)+1, len(l), l)\n\tstates = newStates\n\th += 1\n\nBecause of the ~log(n) space requirement a very fast block time is not a major concern. A chain with a target time of 1 minute requires about 1.5x the storage capacity of an equivelant chain with a target time of 10 minutes in the first year, and this ratio rapidly approaches 1 in the following years.\n\nThat said, after the first year with a 1 minute block time, we’d be storing around 30 states. If we ignored all states more than 2000 blocks deep (a day and a bit) we’re still storing more than 15, which isn’t a particularly great optimisation. (When we have events like the Fork of March 2013 we would like clients to adjust quickly and efficiently).\n\nI have some ideas about state-deltas to try and solve this issue (which is ungood, but not doubleplusungood) but that can wait for a future post.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5458636283874512}
{"content": "To install click the Add extension button. That's it.\n\n\nKelly Slayton\nCongratulations on this excellent venture… what a great idea!\nAlexander Grigorievskiy\n\nAudio engineer\n\nFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia\n\n An audio engineer at an audio console.\nAn audio engineer at an audio console.\n\nAn audio engineer (also sometimes recording engineer or a vocal engineer) helps to produce a recording or a performance, editing and adjusting sound tracks using equalization and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, and reinforcement of sound. Audio engineers work on the \"...technical aspect of recording—the placing of microphones, pre-amp knobs, the setting of levels. The physical recording of any project is done by an engineer ... the nuts and bolts.\"[1] It's a creative hobby and profession where musical instruments and technology are used to produce sound for film, radio, television, music, and video games.[2] Audio engineers also set up, sound check and do live sound mixing using an mixing console and a sound reinforcement system for music concerts, theatre, sports games and corporate events.\n\nAlternatively, audio engineer can refer to a scientist or professional engineer who holds an engineering degree and who designs, develops and builds audio or musical technology working under terms such as acoustical engineering, electronic/electrical engineering or (musical) signal processing.[3]\n\nResearch and development\n\nResearch and development audio engineers invent new technologies, equipment and techniques, to enhance the process and art of audio engineering.[4] They might design acoustical simulations of rooms, shape algorithms for audio signal processing, specify the requirements for public address systems, carry out research on audible sound for video game console manufacturers, and other advanced fields of audio engineering. They might also be referred to as acoustic engineers.[5][6]\n\n\nAudio engineers working in research and development may come from backgrounds such as acoustics, computer science, broadcast engineering, physics, acoustical engineering, electrical engineering and electronics. Audio engineering courses at university or college fall into two rough categories: (i) training in the creative use of audio as a sound engineer, and (ii) training in science or engineering topics, which then allows students to apply these concepts while pursuing a career developing audio technologies. Audio training courses give you a good knowledge of technologies and their application to recording studio and sound reinforcement systems, but do not have sufficient mathematical and scientific content to allow you to get a job in research and development in the audio and acoustic industry.[7]\n\n Noted audio engineer Roger Nichols at a vintage Neve recording console.\nNoted audio engineer Roger Nichols at a vintage Neve recording console.\n\nAudio engineers in research and development usually possess a bachelor's degree, master's degree or higher qualification in acoustics, physics, computer science or another engineering discipline. They might work in acoustic consultancy, specializing in architectural acoustics.[8] Alternatively they might work in audio companies (e.g. headphone manufacturer), or other industries that need audio expertise (e.g., automobile manufacturer), or carry out research in a university. Some positions, such as faculty (academic staff) require a Doctor of Philosophy. In Germany a Toningenieur is an audio engineer who designs, builds and repairs audio systems.\n\n\n\nAudio signal processing\n\nAudio engineers develop audio signal processing algorithms to allow the electronic manipulation of audio signals. These can be processed at the heart of much audio production such as reverberation, Auto-Tune or perceptual coding (e.g. mp3 or Opus). Alternatively, the algorithms might carry out echo cancellation on Skype, or identify and categorize audio tracks through Music Information Retrieval (e.g., Shazam).[10]\n\nArchitectural acoustics\n\n\nArchitectural acoustics is the science and engineering of achieving a good sound within a room.[11] For audio engineers, architectural acoustics can be about achieving good speech intelligibility in a stadium or enhancing the quality of music in a theatre.[12] Architectural Acoustic design is usually done by acoustic consultants.[8]\n\n\n The Pyramid Stage\nThe Pyramid Stage\n\nElectroacoustics is concerned with the design of headphones, microphones, loudspeakers, sound reproduction systems and recording technologies.[6] Examples of electroacoustic design include portable electronic devices (e.g. mobile phones, portable media players, and tablet computers), sound systems in architectural acoustics, surround sound in movie theater and vehicle audio.\n\nMusical acoustics\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEducation and training\n\nAudio engineers come from backgrounds or postsecondary training in fields such as audio, fine arts, broadcasting, music, or electrical engineering. Training in audio engineering and sound recording is offered by colleges and universities. Some audio engineers are autodidacts with no formal training, but who have attained professional skills in audio through extensive on-the-job experience.\n\nTraining and background\n\nAudio engineers must have extensive knowledge of audio engineering principles and techniques. For instance, they must understand how audio signals travel, which equipment to use and when, how to mic different instruments and amplifiers, which microphones to use and how to position them to get the best quality recordings. In addition to technical knowledge, an audio engineer must have the ability to problem solve quickly. The best audio engineers also have a high degree of creativity that allow them to stand out amongst their peers. In the music realm, an audio engineer must also understand the types of sounds and tones that are expected in musical ensembles across different genres - rock and pop music for example. This knowledge of musical style is typically learned from years of experience listening to and mixing music in recording or live sound contexts. For education and training, there are audio engineering schools all over the world. In North America, the most notable being Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, United States, and OIART (The Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology) in London, Canada.\n\n\n At the front of house position, mixing sound for a band\nAt the front of house position, mixing sound for a band\n\n\n\nRole of women\n\nAccording to Women's Audio Mission (WAM), a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco dedicated to the advancement of women in music production and the recording arts, less than 5% of the people creating sound and media are women.[16] \"Only three women have ever been nominated for best producer at the Brits or the Grammys\" and none won either award.[17] \"Women who want to enter the [producing] field face a boys' club, or a guild mentality\".[17] The UK \"Music Producers' Guild says less than 4% of its members are women\" and at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, \"...only 6% of the students enrolled on its sound technology course are female.\"[17]\n\nWomen's Audio Mission was started in 2003 to address the lack of women in professional audio by training over 6,000 women and girls in the recording arts and is the only professional recording studio built and run by women.[18] Notable recording projects include the Grammy Award-winning Kronos Quartet, Angelique Kidjo (2014 Grammy winner), author Salman Rushdie, the Academy Award-nominated soundtrack to “Dirty Wars”,[19] Van-Ahn Vo (NPR’s top 50 albums of 2013), Grammy-nominated St. Lawrence Quartet, and world music artists Tanya Tagaq and Wu Man.[citation needed]\n\nOne of the first women to produce, engineer, arrange and promote music on her own rock and roll music label was Cordell Jackson (1923-2004). Trina Shoemaker is a mixer, record producer and sound engineer who became the first woman to win the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album in 1998 for her work on The Globe Sessions.[20]\n\nGail Davies was the '...first female producer in country music, delivering a string of Top 10 hits in the '70s and '80s including \"Someone Is Looking for Someone Like You,\" \"Blue Heartache\" and \"I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me).\" [21] When she moved to Nashville in 1976, men \"...didn't want to work for a woman\" and she was told women in the city were \"...still barefoot, pregnant and [singing] in the vocal booth.\" [21]\n\nWendy Waldman, who became a producer after Davies, saw that Davies had a difficult time. When Jonell Polansky arrived in Nashville in 1994, with a degree in electrical engineering and recording experience in the Bay Area, she was told \"...[y]ou're a woman, and we already had one\"–a reference to Waldman.[21] KK Proffitt, who is a studio \"owner and chief engineer\" states that men in Nashville do not want to have women in the recording booth. At a meeting of the Audio Engineering Society, Proffitt was told to \"shut up\" by a male producer when she raised the issue of updating studio recording technologies.[21] Proffitt said she finds \"...finds sexism rampant in the industry\".[21]\n\nOther notable women include:\n\n\n\n  • Recording engineer – engineer who records sound.\n  • Mixing engineer – a person who creates mixes of multi-track recordings. It is common to record a commercial record at one studio and have it mixed by different engineers in other studios.\n  • Mastering engineer – the person who masters the final mixed stereo tracks (or sometimes a series of audio stems, which consists in a mix of the main sections) that the mix engineer produces. The mastering engineer makes any final adjustments to the overall sound of the record in the final step before commercial duplication. Mastering engineers use principles of equalization, compression and limiting to fine-tune the sound timbre and dynamics and to achieve a louder recording.\n  • Audio/sound designer – broadly an artist who produces sound tracks or sound effects content for media.\n  • Live sound engineer\n    • Front of House (FOH) engineer, or A1.[22] – a person dealing with live sound reinforcement. This usually includes planning and installation of loudspeakers, cabling and equipment and mixing sound during the show. This may or may not include running the foldback sound. A live/sound reinforcement engineer hears source material and tries to correlate that sonic experience with system performance.[23]\n    • Foldback or Monitor engineer – a person running foldback sound during a live event. The term \"foldback\" comes from the old practice of \"folding back\" audio signals from the front of house (FOH) mixing console to the stage so musicians can hear themselves while performing. Monitor engineers usually have a separate audio system from the FOH engineer and manipulate audio signals independently from what the audience hears so they can satisfy the requirements of each performer on stage. In-ear systems, digital and analog mixing consoles, and a variety of speaker enclosures are typically used by monitor engineers. In addition most monitor engineers must be familiar with wireless or RF (radio-frequency) equipment and must communicate personally with the artist(s) during each performance.\n    • Systems engineer – responsible for the design setup of modern PA systems, which are often very complex. A systems engineer is usually also referred to as a \"crew chief\" on tour and is responsible for the performance and day-to-day job requirements of the audio crew as a whole along with the FOH audio system. This is a sound-only position concerned with implementation, not to be confused with the interdisciplinary field of system engineering, which typically requires a college degree.\n  • Re-recording mixer – a person in post-production who mixes audio tracks for feature films or television programs.\n\n\n Correcting a room's frequency response.\nCorrecting a room's frequency response.\n\nAn audio engineer is proficient with different types of recording media, such as analog tape, digital multi-track recorders and workstations, and computer knowledge. With the advent of the digital age, it is increasingly important for the audio engineer to understand software and hardware integration, from synchronization to analog to digital transfers. In their daily work, audio engineers use many tools, including:\n\nRecording engineers of note\n\n\nMastering engineers of note\n\nLive sound engineers of note\n\nSee also\n\n\n  2. ^ Dawn Rosenberg McKay. \"Audio Engineer\". Careers. \n  3. ^ wiseGeek. \"What Is Audio Engineering?\". Retrieved 17 May 2013. \n  14. ^ Speech Communication Technical Committee. \"Speech Communication\". Acoustical Society of America. Archived from the original on 4 June 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2013. \n  16. ^ Ncube, Rosina (September 2013). \"Sounding Off: Why So Few Women In Audio?\". Sound on Sound. \n  17. ^ a b c \"Why are female record producers so rare?\". BBC News. \n  18. ^ \"Women's Audio Mission.\" Pro Sound News, Oct. 2009, p. 72. Fine Arts and Music Collection, Accessed 2 Mar. 2017.\n  19. ^ \"Womens Audio Mission - GuideStar Profile\". Retrieved 2017-03-02. \n  20. ^ Dunbar, Julie C. (2010). Women, Music, Culture: An Introduction. Taylor & Francis. p. 304. ISBN 0415875625. \n  21. ^ a b c d e f \"Women account for less than 5 percent of producers and engineers — but maybe not for long - Cover Story - Nashville Scene\". Nashville Scene. \n  24. ^ \"Justin Niebank Discography\". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 October 2015. \n  25. ^ \"Andrew Scheps\". McDonough Management. Retrieved 27 October 2015. \n  26. ^ \"Jonathan Wilson: Fanfare Reviving The West Coast Sound\". Sound On Sound. Retrieved 27 October 2015. \n\nExternal links\n\nThis page was last edited on 21 June 2018, at 12:55", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.683046817779541}
{"content": "Brown Butter Granola with Pomegranate Molasses, Sumac, and Coconut\n\nWhen it comes to granola I usually try to keep it healthy and use olive oil.\n\nI would say this is 90% of the times I have made it.\n\nBrown Butter Granola with Pomegranate Molasses, Sumac, and Coconut. A declious and indulgent granola that is sure to impress! |\n\nI’ve made it countless times and never have I used brown butter as the source of oil.\n\nI have to say that this Brown Butter Granola is probably one of the best batches I’ve ever made.\n\nIt also has fruit flavor with out having fruit! (no dried fruit that is)\n\nWhich I really don’t like to add to my mixes anyway. So easy win there!\n\nThe pomegranate molasses is what adds a bit of fruit flavor.\n\nIt’s got a slightly tart and sweet characteristic, just barely noticeable in each bite.\n\nThis along with the sumac take a regular brown butter granola to the next level. I’m talking about elevator up. Not the stairs. Elevator.\n\nSumac adds a distinct savory aspect to the flavor profile and takes you up all the way up into granola heaven.\n\nOh yeah. There’s also nuts too!\n\nPistachios, walnuts and brown sugar play a lot more of a behind the scenes role than in other granolas I have made.\n\nProbably because the brown butter, sumac and pomegranate are the predominant flavors.\n\nAnd, I know I can’t stop talking about brown butter. But it really does make everything better.\n\nIt’s like butter in 3D, and your tongue is wearing the glasses.\n\nThe flavors and complexity in this granola mix are like a rainbow of flavors.\n\nYou are really getting a full spectrum and it makes you want to just keep eating it.\n\nIt goes really well with Greek yogurt or straight with a cup of milk or on vanilla ice cream.\n\nIn conclusion, if I were to enter a granola recipe contest this would be it.\n\nHope you get a chance to try it!!\n\n\nWatch me put the granola together below. Hope you give this a try and if you do, let me know how it goes!\n\nIf you liked what you saw, please join my email list! I send out site updates, weekly finds, and travel tips!\n\nThe Brown Butter Granola was adapted from food52. (I left out pepitas since I don’t particularly like them. Same with the dried fruit. As I mentioned in my previous granola post,  I don’t like to use honey either since it gets really sticky. I also try to watch my salt intake, so I cut that a bit. Lastly, I cut back on coconut flakes since I don’t like too much coconut. In the end, all the modifications resulted in a magic mix!)\n\nPrint Recipe\nBrown Butter Granola with Pomegranate Molasses, Coconut and Nuts BigOven - Save recipe or add to grocery list Yum\nCourse breakfast\nCuisine New American\nPrep Time 15 minutes\nCook Time 40 minutes\nCourse breakfast\nCuisine New American\nPrep Time 15 minutes\nCook Time 40 minutes\n  1. Preheat oven to 300° F.\n  2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, pistachios, walnuts, coconut, salt, sumac and brown sugar. Lastly add pomegranate molasses.\n  3. In a small skillet melt the butter and brown 4 to 5 minutes. Stir regularly and watch for brown fragments to form. Once visitble butter is ready. Remove from heat.\n  4. Using a stand mixer with a whisk on medium low speed, pour in butter and mix with granola\n  5. Spread the granola over parchment on a cookie sheet and bake until golden. Approximately 40 minutes.\nRecipe Notes\n\nMix at least once or twice to ensure even baking.\n\n\nYo! I'm Pat, a self-taught cook, who travels for music, food, and adventure. Here I share my knowledge of Japanese cooking, indoor gardening, and points travel.\n\nIf it's your first time here - learn more about me.\n\nI go Live on Youtube each Weds - Live Cooking Season 2 @ 6PM PST! join me in my kitchen!\n\n\nFeed the shark!\n\n\nAll Day I eat like a shark is a blog about Japanese food and travel.\n\nIf you're the kind of person who enjoys either, subscribe to my Youtube channel for new videos each week!  \n\nall day i eat like a shark youtube", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6732337474822998}
{"content": "text, western script, communication, focus on foreground, close-up, glass - material, selective focus, transparent, non-western script, day, capital letter, information, number, outdoors, motion, no people, incidental people, message, guidance\n\nWant to buy this photo?\n\n\nYoung Mississippi artist that's on my way to the top...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6499423980712891}
{"content": "Refine Your Search\n\nChevron - San Ramon, CA 4\n\nStrong understanding of CPDEP, especially phases 1 and 2. Works with Architects, Solution Consultants and external parties to understand IT trends that can be...\n\nEstimated: $87,000 - $120,000 a year\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.999767541885376}
{"content": "Saturday, February 18, 2017\n\nAs Parents, Let's Choose the Things that Matter for Our Kids\n\nWe can get caught up in \"doing\" a lot of things for our kids. In our culture we're all about \"things.\"\n\nMore things.\n\nBetter things.\n\nLots of things.\n\nWe're consumers and takers. We want status and prestige and the best things. We have resulting high expectations for achievement.\n\nWe want getting ahead. Pushing. Demanding. Meeting the world's standards.\n\nLet's breathe as parents. I'm reminded as I find myself in that place again. Comparing. Compromising. And I ask myself, `What matters for my kids?'\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTo serve and not be served.\n\nTo go and make disciples.\n\nTo love the Lord with all their heart, soul, strength and mind.\n\nWhat matters are the things that last.\n\nThe things that build family.\n\nThe things that transcend culture.\n\nWhat matters is the love and faith and hope and trust and joy and peace that keep us together when the world around us crumbles.\n\nYou don't find it's what the world offers.\n\nYou find it reflecting and radiating from the Son sent to live and die and live again for each one of us. All of us.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8314632177352905}
{"content": "Tag Archives: radio astronomy\n\nRadio telescope in Greenland sees first “light”\n\nAstronomers have successfully initiated operations of a new radio telescope dish, the first ever located in Greenland.\n\nThe Greenland Telescope is a 12-meter radio antenna that was originally built as a prototype for the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) North America. Once ALMA was operational in Chile, the telescope was repurposed to Greenland to take advantage of the near-ideal conditions of the Arctic to study the Universe at specific radio frequencies, collaborating with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and MIT Haystack Observatory.\n\nASIAA led the effort to refurbish and rebuild the antenna to prepare it for the cold climate of Greenland’s ice sheet. In 2016, the telescope was shipped to the Thule Air Base in Greenland, 1,200 km inside the Arctic Circle, where it was reassembled at this coastal site. ASIAA also built receivers for the antenna. “It is extremely challenging to quickly and successfully set up a new telescope in such a cold environment, where temperatures fall below -30 degrees Celsius,” said Ming-Tang Chen from ASIAA and the Greenland Telescope project manager. “This is now one of the closest radio telescopes to the North Pole.”\n\nThey have also linked this radio telescope to others across the globe, helping to increase the resolution of any data these radio telescopes gather as a unit.\n\n\nFirst results from Breakthrough Listen’s search for alien radio signals\n\n\n\n\n\nThe National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) has renamed the thirty-one year old Very Large Array (VLA) after Karl Jansky, the man who invented radio astronomy.\n\nA fitting honor: The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) has renamed the recently upgraded thirty-one year old Very Large Array (VLA) after Karl Jansky, the man who invented radio astronomy.\n\nKarl Guthe Jansky joined Bell Telephone Laboratories in New Jersey in 1928, immediately after receiving his undergraduate degree in physics. He was assigned the task of studying radio waves that interfered with the recently-opened transatlantic radiotelephone service. After designing and building advanced, specialized equipment, he made observations over the entire year of 1932 that allowed him to identify thunderstorms as major sources of radio interference, along with a much weaker, unidentified radio source. Careful study of this “strange hiss-type static” led to the conclusion that the radio waves originated from beyond our Solar System, and indeed came from the center of our Milky Way Galaxy.\n\nHis discovery was reported on the front page of the New York Times on May 5, 1933, and published in professional journals. Jansky thus opened an entirely new “window” on the Universe. Astronomers previously had been confined to observing those wavelengths of light that our eyes can see. “This discovery was like suddenly being able to see green light for the first time when we could only see blue before,” said Lo.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.999541163444519}
{"content": "Jun 24, 2018  \n2013-2014 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog \n2013-2014 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]\n\nPA 428 - Cardiovascular Medicine Module\n\n(5 credits)\nEmploys a comprehensive and integrated approach to exploring disease processes that affect the heart, peripheral circulation and lymphatic system. Components of the module will include instruction on scientific concepts, such as pertinent anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology and genetic implications as well as health maintenance. Students will develop history taking and physical examination skills, learn to order and interpret laboratory and diagnostic studies, formulate a differential diagnosis and determine the most likely diagnosis. Clinical interventions (non-pharmacological interventions) and clinical therapeutics (pharmacology) are also included. A strong emphasis is placed on critical thinking and problem solving, as well as patient education.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9616767168045044}
{"content": "Tuesday, January 31, 2006\n\nPneumococcal Cellulitis - Abstracts\n\nBacteremic pneumococcal cellulitis compared with bacteremic cellulitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes.\n\nCapdevila O, Grau I, Vadillo M, Cisnal M, Pallares R.\n\nClinical Research Unit, Hospital de Bellvitge and University of Barcelona, Feixa Llarga s/n, 08907 L' Hospitalet, Barcelona, Spain.\n\nIn order to better characterize bacteremic cellulitis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, a review was conducted of 10 cases of bacteremic pneumococcal cellulitis, which represented 0.9% of all cases of pneumococcal bacteremia (n=1,076) and 3.2% of all cases of community-acquired bacteremic cellulitis (n=312) that occurred in the Hospital de Bellvitge, Barcelona, from 1984 to 2001. In addition to these 10 cases, 28 cases of bacteremic pneumococcal cellulitis from the literature (Medline 1975-2001) were reviewed.\n\nPneumococcal cellulitis of the face, neck, and trunk was observed more frequently in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and hematologic disorders, while pneumococcal cellulitis of the limbs was more common in patients with diabetes, alcoholism, and parenteral drug use. In the Hospital de Bellvitge group, bacteremic cellulitis due to Streptococcus pneumoniae was more frequently associated with severe underlying diseases than that due to Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogenes (100%, 57%, and 72%, respectively;P=0.01).\n\nA concomitant extracutaneous focus of infection (e.g., respiratory tract infection) suggesting hematogenous spread with metastatic cellulitis was more frequent in patients with pneumococcal cellulitis, while a local cutaneous entry of microorganisms was feasible in most patients with Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogenes cellulitis. The 30-day mortality was 10% in patients with pneumococcal cellulitis, 13% in patients with Staphylococcus aureus cellulitis, and 23% in patients with Streptococcus pyogenes cellulitis (P=0.3). Thus, bacteremic pneumococcal cellulitis is an unusual manifestation of pneumococcal disease and occurs mainly in patients with severe underlying diseases. In most cases, pneumococcal cellulitis has a different pathophysiologic mechanism than cellulitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogenes.\n\nPMID: 12783279\n\nPubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]\n\n\nClinical syndromes associated with adult pneumococcal cellulitis.\n\nParada JP, Maslow JN.Department of Medicine, Stricht School of Medicine, Loyola University, Maywood, IL, USA.\n\nStreptococcus pneumoniae is an uncommonly recognized etiology of cellulitis in adults. A review of the literature uncovered 30 cases of pneumococcal skin infection in adults. Typically, all patients with pneumococcal cellulitis had an underlying chronic illness, or were immunocompromised by drug or alcohol abuse. Pneumococcal cellulitis presents as two distinctive clinical syndromes: one with extremity involvement in individuals with diabetes and substance abuse; and a second involving the head, neck and upper torso in individuals with systemic lupus erythematosis, nephrotic syndrome and hematologic disorders. For each there are statistically significant associations between the location of pneumococcal cellulitis and underlying clinical disorders. In contrast to other common bacterial etiologies, pneumococcal cellulitis is frequently associated with blood stream invasion, tissue necrosis and suppurative complications. Patients often require surgical interventions and prolonged hospitalizations. A high degree of suspicion and early aggressive management is needed for those presenting with cellulitis characterized by bullae and violaceous color.\n\nPub Med\n\n\nPneumococcal Cellulitis\n\nCase Based Pediatrics For Medical Students and Residents\n\n\nA 2-year-old male presents to the emergency department with a chief complaint of left thigh swelling, fever, irritability, and unwillingness to stand upright for the last 2 days. He has been scratching at mosquito bites that he had gotten while weekend camping about 1 week ago.\nExam: VS T 39.5, P 110, R 26, BP 120/70. Growth parameters are normal for age. He is fussy, somewhat distractible, but clearly uncomfortable. He is continuously scratching at a left upper inner thigh lesion measuring 6 x 3 cm. The skin over the area is indurated, erythematous and tense, and tender. No fluctuance or wound drainage is noted. There is no joint involvement. Some tender lymph nodes are palpable in the left inguinal region.\n\nHe is prescribed cephalexin and anti-pyretics. In follow-up the next day, the erythematous region is slightly darker (a shift from red toward a shade of purple). Tiny blisters are also noted over the area. These changes are expected and treatment is continued. On follow-up day 2, the fever has resolved and the cellulitis appears to be clearly improving. His parents are instructed to finish the course of antibiotics. He is next seen in follow-up 7 days later, at which time, his cellulitis is resolved.\n\nThe basic response to infection is fever. The local, dermatological acute inflammatory reaction of cellulitis stems specifically from granulocytic infiltrations, hyperemia, and capillary leakage. This is the basis for the skin disruption inherent in cellulitis. The patient may guard the tender area. If the cellulitic area overlies a mobile area such as a joint, the patient may display resistance or anxiety with limb movement, either passive or active.\n\nThe specific visual characteristics (appearance) of the cellulitic region can provide important clues as to the organism(s) involved, with implications for treatment and prognosis. Clinical presentation, treatment, and prognosis differ depending on the causative organism and the location of the cellulitis. The remainder of this chapter will be stratified by these factors.\n\nGroup A strep cellulitis\n\nGenerally, cellulitis suggests the presence of a skin infection due to group A beta-hemolytic streptococci (GABHS, also known as Strep pyogenes). GABHS cellulitis is a painful, erythematous, indurated infection of the skin and subcutaneous tissues. It is classically described as large lesions, erythroderma in color (magenta), slightly raised at the border, with a small, central open skin lesion (frequently an insect bite). It is common for varicella lesions to become secondarily infection with GABHS. GABHS cellulitis may present with scarlet fever.\n\nAbscess formation beneath the cellulitis is very uncommon. GABHS is penicillin and cephalosporin sensitive.\n\nStaph aureus cellulitis\n\nStaph aureus is commonly cultured from impetigo lesions, albeit usually as a secondary pathogen, along with GABHS. Some of these lesions develop into cellulitis, which may be primarily caused by GABHS or alternatively, caused primarily by Staph aureus. Staph aureus cellulitis is typically smaller (than the larger GABHS cellulitis) and is frequently associated with an abscess or pustule. In many of these cases, the abscess is the major problem (i.e., incision and drainage is required), as opposed to the cellulitis which is relatively less of a problem.\n\nH. flu type b cellulitis\n\nH. influenzae type b (Hib) used to account for in 5-14% of the cellulitis cases in young children. More than 85% of children with H. influenzae type b cellulitis are 2 years of age or younger. Hib is a particularly virulent organism which is frequently associated with sepsis. A common location for Hib cellulitis was the periorbital and buccal region. Cellulitis is a complication of H. influenzae septic arthritis 10-30% of cases. Fortunately, there has been a substantial decline in the incidence of invasive infection caused by Hib with the practice of routine immunization of infants against this organism, to the point where Hib infection is almost non-existent. Hib is covered by high generation cephalosporins (e.g., ceftriaxone) and by broad spectrum oral drugs such as amoxicillin-clavulanate and cefuroxime.\n\nPasteurella/animal bite cellulitis\n\nCellulitis and lymphangitis typically appears 24-36 hours after mammalian bite injuries. The etiologies of infections following mammalian bites are polymicrobial and consist of mixed anaerobic and aerobic bacteria. In one study, an average of three different bacterial species was isolated from infected dog bites while a mean of five different species was recovered from infected human bites. Because of the numerous bacterial species in mammalian oral cavities and on the victim's skin, contamination of bite injuries is universal. Pasteurella multocida is sensitive to penicillins, but it is less sensitive to cephalosporins. Amoxicillin-clavulanate is generally used for animal bites to cover Pasteurella, staph aureus and anaerobes.\n\nOrbital and periorbital cellulitis\n\nPeriorbital (preseptal) cellulitis involves inflammation of the lids and periorbital tissues without signs of true orbital involvement, such as proptosis or limitation of eye movement. It presents as a red and swollen infection limited to the superficial tissue layers anterior to the orbital septum. History usually yields an antecedent respiratory infection or bacteremia. Historically, H. influenzae type b was an important cause, and presented with fever, edema, tenderness, warmth of the lid, and, occasionally, purple discoloration (violaceous hue). However, streptococcal organisms are the most common cause of bacteremia associated with periorbital cellulitis in the post Hib-vaccinated era (9). S. pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus, and group A beta-hemolytic streptococci cause clinically indistinguishable preseptal cellulitis (2). The latter two pathogens are more likely when fever is absent and with an interruption of the integument (e.g., an insect bite) (1).\n\nDistinguishing periorbital from orbital cellulitis can be difficult. If proptosis, extraocular movement dysfunction, or visual deficits are clearly present, then orbital cellulitis is likely. However, in the absence of these findings, the diagnosis is unclear. In periorbital cellulitis, the lid swelling may be so severe, that it is not possible to tell if proptosis is present. A CT scan of the orbits will reliably distinguish periorbital from orbital cellulitis. Since the difference between the two can be important, a CT scan of the orbits has become routine in the evaluation of most patients with severe periorbital cellulitis and/or suspected orbital cellulitis.\n\nOrbital cellulitis refers to a condition involving not only edema of the conjunctiva (chemosis), and inflammation and swelling of the eyelids, but also involvement of the tissues of the orbit, with subsequent proptosis (limitation of movement of the eye). In general, orbital cellulitis may follow direct infection of the orbit from a wound, metastatic deposition of organisms during bacteremia, or direct extension or venous spread of infection from contiguous sites such as the lids, conjunctiva, globe, lacrimal gland, nasolacrimal sac, or paranasal sinuses. The most common cause of orbital cellulitis in children is paranasal sinusitis, with the most frequent pathogenic organisms being Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus, group A beta-hemolytic streptococci, and Streptococcus pneumonia. Orbital cellulitis must be recognized promptly and treated aggressively. Hospitalization and systemic antibiotic therapy are usually indicated. In some cases surgical intervention is necessary to drain infected sinuses, or a subperiosteal or orbital abscess. Intravenous treatment for 10 to 14 days is highly recommended, along with repeated eye exams (visual acuity, pupillary reactivity, extraocular movements, and visual fields) to evaluate possible progression of infection and/or involvement of the optic nerve (10). As a worst case scenario, orbital cellulitis can lead to the complication of brain abscess, especially in the frontal lobe.\n\nFinally, orbital cellulitis is an infrequent presenting sign of retinoblastoma. The severe clinical implications of retinoblastoma (enucleation may be inevitable) warrants vigilance for a white pupillary reflex (leukocoria, the reflection of light off the white tumor), pseudohypopyon (tumor cells layered inferiorly in front of the iris caused by tumor seeding in the anterior chamber of the eye), and hyphema (blood layered in the anterior chamber) secondary to iris neovascularization or vitreous hemorrhage.\n\n\nErysipelas is an acute, well-demarcated aggressive infection of the skin with lymphangitis involving the face (associated with pharyngitis) and extremities (wounds). The skin is erythematous and indurated. The advancing margins of the lesions have raised, firm borders. The skin lesion usually is associated with fever, vomiting, and irritability. In some cases, streptococci break through the lymphatic barrier (lymphangitis), and subcutaneous abscesses, bacteremia, and metastatic foci of infection are observed. Bacteremia and death have been associated with streptococcal cellulitis, and progression may be so rapid that there may be no response to treatment with penicillin. The popular press has termed severe cases of GABHS cellulitis (necrotizing fasciitis) as \"flesh eating bacteria\".\n\n\nLymphangitis is an inflammation of the lymphatics draining an area of infection (i.e., a cellulitis site). On exam, tender red streaks extend proximally from the infected site. S. aureus and group A strep are the most frequent pathogens. A history of impetigo is also suggestive of cellulitis, in that, cellulitis has been reported in approximately 10% of patients with nonbullous impetigo but rarely follows the bullous form. There is no correlation between the number of lesions and clinical involvement of the lymphatics or development of cellulitis in association with streptococcal impetigo. The history is consistent with pruritic lesions subject to frequent scratching and secondary infection (including insect bites, pediculosis and scabies). This is followed by the development of a vesicle or vesiculopustule with an erythematous base that erodes through the epidermis into the dermis to form an ulcer with elevated margins. A dry crust that contributes to the persistence of the infection obscures the ulcer. Lesions may be spread by autoinoculation, may be as large as 4 cm, and occur most frequently on the legs or pruritic areas within reach.\n\nRisk of osteomyelitis and septic arthritis\n\nAlthough the risk of osteomyelitis and septic arthritis is fairly rare unless a penetrating wound is present, the relationship between osteomyelitis and cellulitis deserves special attention, in that a progression to osteomyelitis from cellulitis mandates a far more aggressive and prolonged antibiotic course, not to mention possible orthopedic surgical debridement. Thus, when a diagnosis of cellulitis is made, the comorbid presence of osteomyelitis must also be strongly considered especially when corroborated by a history of a penetrating wound. At the very least, cellulitis accompanied by point tenderness or joint pain is highly suggestive of osteomyelitis. Attempts at diagnosis are complicated by the fact that cellulitis of structures in proximity to bone can mimic osteomyelitis.\n\nTo effectively discern cellulitis with possible underlying osteomyelitis, combining technetium bone scanning with other radionuclide scanning techniques or MRI scanning may be useful. In a three phase bone scan, focal increased uptake in the initial phase, with subsequent decline in the later phases (especially the bone phase), is suggestive of cellulitis without osteomyelitis. In osteomyelitis, localized uptake is seen in all three phases, especially in the bone phase.\nIf the history, physical exam, or radiological studies suggest deep cellulitis near a joint, the level of suspicion is raised with regard to an infection in the respective joint, not to mention osteomyelitis, synovitis, septic bursitis and pyomyositis in nearby muscles. Deep cellulitis is also consistent with psoas or retroperitoneal abscesses. Cellulitis overlying a joint can interfere with studies crucial to the diagnosis of septic arthritis. If a cellulitic area is traversed during arthrocentesis for a workup for septic arthritis, the results can be confounded if organisms are introduced into a previously sterile uninvolved joint.\n\nCellulitis and immunodeficiency\n\nThe presence of cellulitis in the face of concomitant immunodeficiency requires inpatient treatment. Deficient expression of leukocyte adherence glycoproteins can present as cellulitis or small (<1>\n\nDefects in the normal host response may be reflected in study findings that are disproportionately severe when compared to relatively benign findings on the physical exam. For example, deep cellulitis may be quite impressive on a CT of a neutropenic patient who has only mild superficial swelling or erythema. Indeed, surface pus formation is unusual at sites of even severe cellulitis in such patients.\n\nCellulitis in children with burns illustrates not only the acute effects of interrupted skin and mucous membrane barriers, presence of necrotic tissue, long-term administration of antibiotics and prolonged intravenous or urinary catheterization, but also the concomitant abnormal immune response to infection, including neutrophil dysfunction. The resulting neutrophil chemotactic defect, combined with an associated hypogammaglobulinemia is a perfect scenario for cellulitis with Pseudomonas aeruginosa being the most common organism.\n\nIn the neonatal period, cellulitis can be a manifestation of invasive infection, as is bacteremia with a septic-like clinical picture, pneumonia, respiratory distress syndrome with shock, conjunctivitis, scalp abscess, or meningitis. Cellulitis may be the presenting sign of immunodeficiency in an infant. Cellulitis, delayed separation of the umbilical cord and gingivitis is consistent with an infant with leukocyte adhesion deficiency. Cellulitis of the labia majora, pyogenic skin infections, oral ulcerations, or abscesses has been the presenting manifestations of autoimmune neutropenia of infancy.\n\nCellulitis of the perirectal area, sites of iatrogenic puncture (central venous catheter insertion, venipuncture, lumbar puncture, and bone marrow biopsy), or abrasions is a setup for gram negative dissemination. In the context of vaginitis, beta-hemolytic streptococcus is a common cause in prepubertal girls and may present with perianal cellulitis with local itching, pain, blood-streaked stools, erythema, and proctitis (3).\n\nRarely, cellulitis or skin discoloration overlying a fluctuant mass might be the presenting finding in tuberculosis of the superficial lymph nodes, often referred to as scrofula, the most common form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis in children. The tonsillar, anterior cervical, submandibular, and supraclavicular nodes become involved secondary to extension of a primary lesion of the upper lung fields or abdomen. The nodes usually enlarge gradually in the early stages of lymph node disease. They are firm (but not hard), discrete, and nontender. The nodes often feel fixed to underlying or overlying tissue. Disease is most often unilateral, but bilateral involvement may occur because of the crossover drainage patterns of lymphatic vessels in the chest and lower neck.\n\nCellulitis of the sublingual and submandibular spaces (Ludwig angina) tends to spread rapidly without lymph node involvement or abscess formation. It is an acute, life-threatening entity that may require tracheostomy in the event of respiratory obstruction.\n\nCellulitis of the auricle and external auditory canal is usually caused by S. pyogenes (GABHS) or occasionally by S. aureus. The skin is red, hot, and indurated, without a sharply defined border. Fever may be present with little or no exudate in the canal.\n\nCellulitis can be a complication of hidradenitis suppurativa, a chronic, inflammatory, suppurative disorder of the apocrine glands in the axillae or anogenital area, and occasionally, the scalp, posterior aspect of the ears, female breasts, and around the umbilicus. Cellulitis of the lateral nail fold can occur as spicules that have separated from the nail plate, penetrate the soft tissue. Predisposing factors include compression of the side of the toe from poorly fitting shoes, particularly if the great toes are abnormally long and the lateral nail folds are prominent, and improper cutting of the nail in a curvilinear manner rather than straight across. Oral antibiotics are necessary to treat cellulitis of the lateral nail fold.\n\nLab tests are generally not very helpful in cellulitis. A CBC might help to assess infection severity. A blood culture may be indicated if bacteremia or sepsis is suspected. A gram stain of a leading edge aspirate is done by injecting a small amount of non-bacteristatic saline into the leading edge of the cellulitis, then aspirating back the saline. Leading edge cultures have a low yield and they are usually not obtained. Since introduction of the Hib vaccine, the most common organisms are streptococci. In a series of 243 children admitted with cellulitis, Sadow and Chamberlain (1998) contend that, given a treatment threshold based on a band-to-neutrophil ratio of 0.20 on a CBC differential, routine cultures contribute little to the decision to treat (7). Most cases of early or mild cellulitis, especially those without fever, do not require laboratory testing. Empiric antibiotic treatment is successful in most instances.\n\nAntibiotic treatment is targeted mainly against the usual pathogen, group A strep. Staph aureus is uncommon (unless an abscess is present), but difficult to exclude without a leading edge aspirate culture. GABHS is sensitive to penicillin and cephalosporins. Staph aureus used to be sensitive to anti-Staph aureus penicillins (cloxacillin, dicloxacillin, methicillin, oxacillin, nafcillin) and cephalosporins. However, currently, 25% of Staph aureus are resistant (i.e., methicillin and cephalosporin resistant). If GABHS is very likely, then utilizing a cephalosporin or penicillin is acceptable. However, if Staph aureus is suspected, then there is a 25% failure rate for cephalosporins and anti-Staph aureus penicillins. There is less Staph aureus resistance to clindamycin (also covers GABHS) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (does not cover GABHS as well). Thus, clindamycin is generally indicated if Staph aureus is suspected. Vancomycin and aminoglycosides are parenteral and can only be used for inpatient treatment of staph aureus. Erythromycin has been used in the past, but GABHS and Staph aureus have high resistance rates to erythromycin. If a satisfactory clinical response is not achieved within 7 days, a culture and sensitivity should be taken of a leading edge aspirate. If a resistant organism is detected, an appropriate antibiotic should be given for an additional 7 days.\n\nYoung children (<36>\n\nFinally, aggressive attempts to restore skin integrity should be initiated. The skin should be gently moistened and cleansed. Impetiginous crusts should be softened with warm compresses and removed with an antibacterial soap. Application of an emollient provides lubrication and decreases discomfort. Topical antibiotics are unnecessary once systemic intervention is started.\n\nPneumococcal Cellulitis\n\n\n<< Home", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.79975825548172}
{"content": "Others: Why I Support CHI\n\n Charles Walbridge\n\n\n Ana Nieves\n\n\n Jean Elliott\n\n\n Rita Albertson\n\n“When you give to CHI, you support essential tools and practices that deeply improve the way we study cultural materials.” More…\n\n Tom Malzbender\n\n“Give to CHI and you support the documentation and preservation of our human heritage.” More…\n\n Prof. Graeme Earl, University of Southampton, UK\n\n\n Dale Kronkright, Head of Conservation, Georgia O'Keeffe Museum\n\n\nJuliaCheri Hoos: Why I Support CHI\n\nJuliaCheri Hoos: Why I Support CHI\n\nI am a history teacher with a background in archaeology. I love my class of 14-year-old students, but they can be a tough crowd. Persuading them that they need to understand the Constitution, the War of 1812, or early American tariff policy is a challenge.\n\nTo enter into such deep and difficult subjects, we use images of maps, letters, treaties, currency, newspapers, and so on to give us something to hold onto and focus our conversation. A fragment of pottery, a petroglyph, a coin, a painting, portraits, political cartoons, and words on parchment – all are rich with information about the people who made them, and the world that made us. All give us access to the story of our past.\n\nBut today, loss of cultural sites and artifacts is a constant threat around the world. When they are lost, we lose a piece of ourselves.\n\nAs a public school educator, I deeply value Cultural Heritage Imaging (CHI) and their focus on preserving the material culture of our world. This is noble work that confers immediate value as well as long-term impact. CHI offers imaging technologies, RTI and photogrammetry, and trains conservators, archivists, librarians, and other cultural stewards so that they can apply those techniques to preserve our human history. And in preserving our history, CHI preserves that which has made us.\n\nLike me, you can help support this noble work. Please help with a financial gift to CHI!\n\nPaypal button", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5880939960479736}
{"content": "light after death324.jpg\nclimbing gear2.jpg\n\nClimbers have a strong culture and connection to nature. But all their gear speaks against that, it’s technical, it’s the lightest, it’s the strongest, but it is alien to the nature context.\n\nSoft Goods_ Portfolio.jpg\n\nI wanted to create a chalk bag that incorporated three elements: functionality, emotional value and a strong symbolic tie to nature. \n\nSoft Goods_ Portfolio2.jpg\n\nEach creature I chose  is closely related to different settings of the outdoors. They also have their own personalities and I wanted to capture that in the material and texture chosen for each one of them\n\n\n\nProcess included making multiple prototypes, testing the prototypes and producing the final product for sale.\n\nSasquatch_with logo.jpg\n\n\nSasquatch is out there, looking at you, somewhere through the trees. Let him acompany you in your quest into the mysterious outdoors!\n\nMammoth_with logo.jpg\n\n\nThe mammoth, though he actually existed, has gained himself the status of mythological. Go becom mythological like him!\n\njackalope_with logo.jpg\n\n\nThe jackalope, a jackrabbit with antlers, is said to imitate the sound of human voice to elude danger. Let him protect you!\n\nchupacabra with logo.jpg\n\n\nThe chupacabra is a reptile-alien like creature that is said to drain small animals’ bood. Let his energy fuel you!\n\nSoft Goods_ Portfolio3.jpg", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9032207727432251}
{"content": "If you suffer from anxiety, panic (attacks), depression, a functional medical problem like chronic pain, chronic back pain, migraines, or POTS (just to name a few), or a functional gastrointestinal problem like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), then you should care about your vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is heavily involved in Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) regulation, and the regulation of your ANS is key to your healing.\n\nIn the last blog post, I gave you twelve ways to stimulate your vagus nerve in order to facilitate ANS regulation. In this blog post I’m going to talk more about the ANS and get into the details about how the vagus nerve is linked to the ANS and how stimulation promotes healing.\n\nWhat the Vagus Nerve Is\n\nThe vagus, or wandering, nerve, is the body’s 10th cranial nerve, connecting your brain with your gut and the rest of your vital organs, including the lungs, heart, stomach, liver, spleen, colon, and other parts in the abdominal cavity. In other words, your nervous system is directly linked to your digestive, circulatory, respiratory, endocrine, immune, and renal systems.\n\nWhat the Vagus Nerve Does\n\nThe vagus nerve is very much involved in the regulation of your Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), which is comprised of the Sympathetic, Parasympathetic, and Enteric Nervous Systems. These three systems work together without your conscious control to regulate all kinds of ANS activities.\n\nThe Enteric Nervous System (ENS) is often referred to as your body’s “second brain”. The ENS looks structurally like brain tissue, houses as many or more neurons than your spinal cord, and contains all of the same neurotransmitters (chemicals that facilitate the transmission of neuronal messages) that are contained in your “first brain”. Your ENS is like another right brain with “feelings” and sensations without a left brain to put into words and logic what it is experiencing. What it experiences, like many of your most vital organs, has a whole lot to do with what your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems are doing.\n\nNow let’s talk about what your Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous Systems do. Older thinking was that these two systems work in opposition. The Sympathetic Nervous System activates the body’s stress response, engaging fight-or-flight so that the body can prepare for an active defense against the perceived threat, while the Parasympathetic Nervous System was the body’s system for undoing the stress response, generating a state of calm and ease, and restoring peace throughout the body. The Sympathetic Nervous System was thought to affect many different systems, including the ENS, in preparing the body for fight-or-flight, while Parasympathetic Nervous System was thought to facilitate a return to normal functioning of many systems, including the ENS, once the stressful event was over. While much of this information is accurate, it turns out this two-system model is overly simplistic.\n\nThe Parasympathetic Nervous System is more complex than previously thought. Based on Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory, it is believed that you have not one but two distinct branches of the parasympathetic nervous system. And guess what? The vagus nerve is home to both of them!\n\nThe Two Branches of the Parasympathetic Nervous System\n\nNamed for where they attach to the brain, you have the ventral (front) vagal parasympathetic branch and the dorsal (back) vagal parasympathetic branch. Together they promote settling, ease, flow, healing, and recovery in your body. That is what your body needs a lot of if it is chronically stressed, tense, in pain, or ailing.\n\n1) Ventral Vagal = Tend-and-Befriend\n\nThe ventral vagal branch is attached to a variety of bodily structures in your face, neck, and upper chest that relate to social engagement. Think of the ventral vagal system as the “tend-and-befriend” parasympathetic branch associated with bonding and connecting with people.\n\n2) Dorsal Vagal = Rest-and-Digest or Freeze\n\nThe dorsal (back) vagal parasympathetic branch is attached to lower bodily structures like the belly, lungs, and heart and coordinates “rest-and-digest”. Interestingly, the dorsal vagal branch is also responsible for activating the body’s freeze or shut-down response. It’s even been suggested that the dorsal vagal branch is responsible for heart attacks.\n\nPolyvagal Theory explains that you really have three systems—Ventral Vagal Parasympathetic, Dorsal Vagal Parasympathetic, and Sympathetic Nervous Systems—working together in a coordinated way in order to:\n\n• Activate your body’s fight-or-flight system under stress, or when the brain perceives that you are in a dangerous predicament. (Sympathetic)\n• Engage protective responses like freeze or dissociation, like out-of-body, disorientation, or depersonalization responses, in life-or-death situations. (Parasympathetic-Dorsal)\n• Bring your body back into a state of ease, flow, and recovery after stressful event. (Parasympathetic)\n• Coordinate the process of digestion. (Parasympathetic-Dorsal)\n• Foster relationships through bonding, connecting, settling, and socializing. (Parasympathetic-Ventral)\n\nIn Good Times and In Bad\n\nAs you can see from the list above, both ventral and dorsal branches of the parasympathetic nervous system are involved in many activities that happen when the body is not under stress. In fact, Sympathetic, Ventral Vagal, and Dorsal Vagal systems all work one way in good times and another way in bad times. For example, the sympathetic nervous system is involved in any kind of movement we make, like exercise, which is not associated with the fight-or-flight response that happens under stress. The Dorsal Vagal system works to promote ease and flow in good times, while under extreme stress like a life-threatening situation, the dorsal vagal generates a freeze or shut-down response, leading to evacuation—diarrhea or vomiting. The Ventral Vagal System promotes connection and relationships, facilitating communication and eye contact, when we feel safe enough. When we don’t, the Ventral Vagal System shifts toward disconnection. You have probably experienced this in conversations…You know when there is flow and good feeling in relationship? That is you and the other person in pleasant ventral vagal activation. And when there’s not, one or both of you has moved to some degree out of that pleasant ventral vagal state.\n\nCertain Activities Readily Disrupt Unpleasant Patterns\n\nWhen you stimulate the vagus nerve in one of the twelve ways mentioned in my last blog post, you directly stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system in a benign way, facilitating digestion, rest, ease, inner peace, compassion, and connection with others. Over time, as you give your body more experiences that stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system, repeatedly disrupting the ANS patterns that underlie your psychological and physiological symptoms, your body learns how to shift into greater ease. When you shift out of patterns that keep you chronically stuck, you will find relief. The more often you find relief, the more your body learns how to go into these patterns and then come out of them. As you practice going in and out of these patterns, you are teaching your ANS how to be more regulated.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9939242005348206}
{"content": "Lesbian dating how to\n\n\nI don’t necessarily know the right answers, if there even are right answers, but I know what worked for me.\n\nIf she doesn’t identify as being a lesbian (or someone who is romantically attracted to women), and you feel a more-than-friends connection, you might still be right. Which of course can be super awk, but only if you let it.\n\n\n\n\n\nBut once you know, well, there’s a lot to discover. When I started dating the first woman I ever dated (shout out to my wife), I was moderately terrified.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9984928965568542}
{"content": "Home Page\n  • Crosby Ravensworth CE (A) Primary School\n'Promoting a love of learning'\n'Promoting a love of learning'\n\nFoundation curriculum subjects\n\nHistory & Geography\n\n\n\n\nAt Crosby Ravensworth we teach history to help children gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world.  We aim to inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past.  In line with the new curriculum for 2014, we plan to equip them to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence and develop perspective and judgement. Our history is taught through cross-curricular themes where children will be able to develop an understanding of the history of Britain, how lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world. Over the course of their time in school, children will also learn about significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies and the achievements and follies of mankind.  Trips will be organised trips, including residential visits, to support the learning and excitement of learning about history.\n\n\n\n\nAt Crosby Ravensworth we teach geography to inspire children to become curious and fascinated about the world and its people.\n\nChildren will learn about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deepening understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes.  Geography is taught through cross-curricular themes where the children will be given opportunities to develop their own geographical skills including map reading, using aerial photos and satellite images, globes, diagrams and the internet. These skills will have a much greater focus than previously with the new curriculum for 2014.\n\n\n\n\nFrench is taught in Key Stage 2 by Mrs Walsh, who is a specialist language teacher linked with Appleby Grammar School.  The emphasis is on Oral work, learning vocabulary through games and rhymes.  The culture of France is also studied.  As a French language speaker, Mr Priestley also supports the teaching of French through regular short daily activities such as taking the register or during transitional periods in the day.\n\n\nArt & Design\n\n\n\n\nFoundation Stage\n\n\n\n\nKey Stage 1\n\n\n  • Develop skills in drawing, painting and sculpture.\n\n\nKey Stage 2\n\n\n  • Use sketch books to develop observation skills and develop ideas.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n  • All children engage in physical activity for sustained periods of time \n  • All children are taught basic skills\n  • All children have opportunities to develop their basic skills and apply them to a range of activities including dance, gymnastics, athletics, games swimming and outdoor adventure activities.\n  • All children have opportunities to engage in competitive sport.\n  • All children understand and can make healthy choices.\n\n\nThe school has close links with other schools and there are opportunities for KS2 children to participate in inter school sport activities. These include local tournaments and friendly matches for football, cricket, high five and district athletics.\n\n\nThe school attends swimming sessions at Appleby swimming pool, which we use in the spring term. Each class from Reception to Year 6 swims each week during that time, with children split into ability groups regardless of age.\n\n\nWhere possible, the school encourages all children to engage in a range of after school activity clubs provided by outside agencies.\n\n\n\n\nOur aim is that the pupils experience a balance of composing, performing and appreciating music. The pupils use a variety of instruments as well as their voices in their lessons. Music enables the children to express themselves through sound and gives an opportunity to perform in groups.\n\n\nOpportunities are given during weekly singing practice to learn and rehearse the singing of hymns, traditional and popular songs.  \n\n\nPeripatetic music lessons are offered in school on a variety of instruments.  Children will also have the opportunity to experiment and compose music using the school's new ipads, using apps such as 'garage band'.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSex and relationship education is also part of the PSHE curriculum, with specific sessions delivered along with our partner 'MESS' schools to children in Years 5 and 6.\n\n\nParents have a right to withdraw their child from all or part of specific SRE lessons.\n\n\nDesign Technology\n\n\nDesign and technology inspires children to use their imagination and creativity to solve real and relevant problems in a variety of contexts. They apply their skills from other disciplines such as mathematics, computing, science and art. Design and technology involves the pupils in developing skills of analysis, planning, designing, making and doing, and evaluation what they have produced. We aim for pupils to learn to take risks, become resourceful, innovative and enterprising. Children will be taught skills systematically and made aware of how to use resources safely. Children will evaluate their own work and that of others including major designers.\n\n\nFoundation Stage\n\n\nChildren will be introduced to basic skills and materials for making a range of products. They will be introduced to making a design for their product and refer to it in their making. They will learn about where food comes from and healthy foods in a variety of  cooking activities.\n\n\nKey Stage 1\n\n\nPupils will be taught to design functional and appealing products based on specific criteria. They will make their designs using a wide range of tools and equipment. Pupils will explore and evaluate products and make references to their own products. They will develop their technical knowledge of different mechanisms and techniques to improve their work.\n\n\nAll children will develop skills in food technology and an understanding of where food comes from and it’s nutritional value.\n\n\nKey Stage 2\n\n\nPupils will build on their knowledge and skills developed in Key stage 1. They will research and develop their own criteria for products and plan in various ways including annotated sketches, diagrams, prototypes and computer aided designs. They will learn to use a wider range of tools safely and purposefully and become more selective in the choice of resources for their projects. Pupils will be able to make effective use of their evaluation to improve their work. They will be able to apply knowledge of mechanisms to their own designs including electrical and computing systems.  Pupils will deepen their knowledge of how technology has affected and shaped the world we live in.\n\n\nAll children will develop their skills in food technology, cooking a range of dishes using a variety of techniques. They will develop a deeper understanding of how food is grown, reared, caught and processed.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9759242534637451}
{"content": "President Bush discussing public policy at the Georgia Public Policy Foundation(87652)Credit: John TrainorCredit: John Trainor\n\nChanges in policy can be driven by a variety of factors each with a different effect on the type of change that occurs within policy (i.e. major change, incremental change, or no changes). The primary factors that will bring about a policy change are when a new president is elected, there are significant changes within the existing administration, a change in congressional membership, a focusing event (i.e. a massive disaster like the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill or the 9/11 terrorists attacks), a shift in the national mood, and a change in policy image or venue. All of these factors result in the convergence of three primary factors which include opportunity for policy change, politics influences, , and an identified problem, which is considered as a “policy window” which is a short duration of time when enough political and mass public attention is focused on an issue which could lead to changes in policy.\n\nWhen a new administration takes office, key political actors are introduced, or congressional membership changes, this opens up the opportunity for some interest groups, legislators, and agencies to push their positions and proposals when they may not have had the opportunity with the previous administration or political actors in office (Kingdon, 2003). New political actors will be eager to start strong once entering into a new office and therefore be more receptive to proposed policy changes that could make them look good while providing a desired need to the public.\n\nFocusing events can have an effect on both the national mood and the way a policy image is perceived. For example, the 9/11 terrorists attacks identified that existing homeland security procedures as they stood were outdated, and with the national mood being outraged with the ensuing devastation, the collapse of the twin towers in New York and the extensive damage to the Pentagon building in Washington D.C., the existing policies images was damaged appearing as week and in need of change.  As a result new policy reforms were made to both immigration and airport security policies.\n\nFactors that lead to the promotion of a policy change are comprised of several elements.  From the political side of things, a clear identification of a problem with the existing policy is a primary important factor which will help justify actions taken towards any made changes.  The availability of alternatives for consideration will also aid in policy change as they provide a picture of options which could lead to the least effective result, status quo result, and most effective result with emphasis on economic costs required and greatest benefit given the expenditure.  Factors which promote policy changes in the public arena include the media and volume of attention which is broadcast on a particular topic (i.e. currently the increased attention on Health Care Reform or following the progress of the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill). The more media attention a topic receives the greater volume of public attention will be received  which can influence the national mood putting pressure on local and state political actors, which will travel up the chain, putting increased pressure on Congress and the court system as lawsuits are filed and mass public support increases for reform. Since most elected officials would like to keep their job, they tend to be in favor of appeasing the majority of the voting public which will keep them in office come time for re-election.  Additionally, Presidential involvement on an issue will provide a major increase in promotion for potential changes to an existing policy. \n\nIn contrast, there are just as many factors which could inhibit and prevent changes in policy from occurring.  The lack of an obvious problem on why the policy should be amended will likely result in poor public and political support, making it difficult to even make its way onto the political agenda for consideration.  Should the issue make it onto the agenda, the complexity and economic costs could result in negative feedback from politicians, interest groups, and the general public which could effectively eliminate the proposed change from advancing.  Additionally, the more complex a problem, the greater likelihood there will be controversy between democrats and republicans on a successful path forward which could result in waning interest after long periods of time and energy have been expended, resulting in a stalemate and blocking of the proposed change (i.e. amending the Endangered Species Act; last amendment occurred in 1988, after several proposals and long, extensive arguments as recent as 2006, the Act still remains unchanged due to political and public stalemate). Many factors that can promote changes in policy can also inhibit them, such as increased media coverage against a topic (i.e. health care), national mood/attention against an action, and Presidential involvement expressing disagreement with a proposed police change action.\n\nMajor policy changes, incremental changes, and status quo/no changes to policy all occur under different circumstances.  Most major policy changes occur following a change in the administration as the new president looks to make a good first impression (i.e. President Obama’s work towards Health Care Reform) or after a focusing event or event driven incident, such the natural disaster caused by Hurricane Katrina which lead to the proposed policy changes of the Federal Emergency Management Policy. Incremental policy changes are the norm in U.S. politics which are made at the margins of existing policies through minor amendments (Kraft and Furlong, 2010). These changes typically occur when a political actor is working towards making achievements towards their own initiatives while providing a service to the public, as evidenced through the Head Start preschool program or the Health Care Policy between the years of 1947-1981.  Other policies, like the Endangered Species Act of 1973, do not go through any change following several attempted proposed amendments due to several reasons including a lack of efficient, readily available solutions to identified problems, lack of consensus on how to solve the problem, lack of political and/or public support, or the issue may be overly complex with no clear benefit which would result from a policy change.\n\n\nReferences Cited:\n\n Kingdon, John W. Agendas, Alternatives and Public Policies, 2nd ed. Longman Classics, 2003.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5381335020065308}
{"content": "Upper & Lower New\n\n2 Days in a Row White Water Rafting on West Virginia's New River\n\nExciting and Climactic!\n\nSo, you'd like to see more of the world-famous, world-class New River, eh? Well then, this is the trip for you. Spend two separate days on the river with a leisurely float on the first day through the scenic and historic Upper New River Gorge, where the rapids are long and wavy. Take a break from the river that night, then spend the second day in the exciting and climactic Lower New River Gorge on the river section that started the West Virginia whitewater craze. Rapids like the class-V Keeneys and Double Z, plus monster class-IV wave trains of Miller's Folly and Fayette Station provide a booming climax to this action-packed 2-day thrill ride.\n\nPrices are per person and do not include tax and fees, nor lodging and meals. For our getaway package that does include lodging and meals, check here. Prices vary by day of the week.\n\n\n\n\n2 Days\n\n\n\n\nFall, Spring, Summer\n\n\n$169 - $229\n\nWhat kind of river is the New?\n\nWhat does Rivermen provide?\nWe provide transportation to and from the river, all rafting equipment (helmet, life jacket, paddle & boat) and professional guides in each raft. That's everything you need, except your private gear, medications, etc.\n\nHow much time do we spend on the water?\nThe total trip time both days is around 6-7 hours from the time you leave base camp until you return. Some of that is driving to and from the river, but most if it—around 5 hours—is on the water. \n\nHow big are the boats?\n\nWhat else might we need?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5785777568817139}
{"content": "The Constitution Unit\n\n\nPlanning the next Accession and Coronation: FAQs\n\nWill Prince Charles become King Charles III?\n\n\nWill Camilla become Queen Camilla?\n\nUnder common law the spouse of a King automatically becomes Queen. But there are two possible reasons why Camilla might not assume the title. The first is the argument voiced by the Daily Mirror and the Daily Mail Online, that Camilla cannot become Queen because her 2005 civil marriage to Prince Charles was not valid. The argument runs as follows: because the Marriage Acts from 1753 have explicitly excepted royal marriages from their provisions, the only valid marriage which a member of the royal family could contract in England was a religious marriage in the Church of England. The Lord Chancellor in 2005 defended the validity of the Prince’s civil marriage, as did the Registrar General. But if Camilla became Queen, it might provoke further legal challenges.\n\n\nWill Prince William become Prince of Wales?\n\n\nWill Prince Charles become Head of the Commonwealth?\n\nYes. In a statement issued by the Commonwealth Heads of Government after their retreat at Windsor Castle on 20 April 2018, they said “We recognise the role of the Queen in championing the Commonwealth and its peoples. The next head of the Commonwealth shall be his Royal Highness Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales”. This followed the express wishes of the Queen, when she said “It is my sincere wish that the Commonwealth will continue to offer stability and continuity for future generations, and will decide that one day the Prince of Wales should carry on the important work started by my father in 1949”.\n\nWhy cannot we have Prince William as King?\n\n\nMight Prince Charles abdicate in favour of William?\n\n\n\nDon’t other European monarchs abdicate on a regular basis?\n\n\nBut the Scandinavian monarchies do not practise abdication. King Harald of Norway, who reached the age of 80 in 2017, said “I took an oath on the Norwegian constitution. For me, this oath applies to my entire life”. Similarly, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark (aged 78, and recently widowed) has said “I will remain on the throne until I fall off”.\n\n\n\nWhat happens in Parliament on Accession?\n\nParliament is recalled for parliamentarians to take their oaths of allegiance to the new sovereign. Peers in the House of Lords have to take a new oath. MPs in the Commons are not required to do so (because their oath is to ‘bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, her heirs and successors’), but they may if they choose. Parliament will then mourn the death of the Queen in debates led by the Prime Minister.\n\nWhich other European monarchies have a coronation?\n\n\nWill the coronation be like the Royal wedding?\n\n\nCould we have a multi-faith coronation?\n\n\nWhy should a new ceremony of modernised homage be considered?\n\nHistorically, coronations have included homage where the senior members of each order of the peerage have knelt to the new monarch and paid homage for their order. Homage is not part of the religious rite but a survival from the feudal age and a residue of the old aristocratic constitution. In 1953 this tradition led to peers and their wives being still the largest single group attending the coronation. Few hereditary peers are nowadays members of the legislature and it seems right to try to think again about how the idea can be made to reflect the modern constitution.\n\nFor some time suggestions have been made to take homage out of the coronation and relocate it in a different form elsewhere. Essentially, the idea is to institute a non-religious event where representatives of civil society including every ethnic group meet with the new sovereign in a ceremony of mutual recognition and respect, possibly under Parliamentary auspices in, say, Westminster Hall. Making the change would not be without difficulty but it could reinforce right at the beginning of the new reign that the monarch relates equally to the whole community regardless of status, aristocratic or otherwise. The germ of this idea can be seen in the suggestion for the 1953 coronation by Opposition Parties in a rejected proposal that the Speaker should give homage on behalf of the common man.\n\nWhat are Prince Charles’s views about the Accession and Coronation oaths?\n\nWe don’t know. As the oath taker, he is entitled to have views, and to say if he finds any of the oaths objectionable. The last time a monarch did that was in 1910, when King George V objected to the strong anti-Catholic wording of the (then) Accession declaration oath. Asquith’s government agreed, and the wording was changed in the Accession Declaration Act 1910.\n\nWhat happens if the Queen becomes so old and infirm that she cannot perform her royal duties?\n\nThat would lead to a regency, with Prince Charles (as the next in line of succession) becoming Regent. The Regency Acts 1937 and 1953 established a procedure for declaring that the Queen has become incapable by reason of infirmity of mind or body. The people who can make a declaration of incapacity are at least any three of the Queen’s consort (Prince Philip), the Lord Chancellor, the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Lord Chief Justice, and the Master of the Rolls. Any declaration of incapacity needs to be supported by medical evidence.\n\nWhat would happen if Prince Charles as Regent himself became incapacitated?\n\nThe Regency Acts provide that the person next in line (Prince William) would become Regent. The same procedure is followed for making a declaration of incapacity, with the same people.\n\nWhat will happen in the 15 other realms where Charles is due to become King? Will any of them become Republics?\n\nEach of the realms will recognise the accession in their own way, in accordance with their own laws and customs. Australia and Jamaica have considered becoming republics. In 1999 Australia held a referendum on the issue: the proposal to become a republic was defeated by 45:55. The co-founder of the Australian Republican Movement, Malcolm Turnbull, is now Prime Minister. In 2016 he said the issue would be raised again after the Queen’s death; but republicans would need first to decide whether the new head of state should be directly elected by the people, or selected by Parliament (divisions on this issue led to defeat in the 1999 referendum).\n\nIn Jamaica successive Prime Ministers have long advocated that Jamaica should become a republic, and several have committed to achieving that. Both major parties want Jamaica to become a republic. The difficulty lies in the Jamaican constitution, which has very high thresholds for constitutional change: two thirds majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and any change to the monarchy must also be submitted to referendum.\n\nDoes the requirement to swear to be a true and faithful Protestant disqualify non-Protestants from succession?\n\nYes: only those who are ‘in communion with’ the Church of England may succeed to the throne. Roman Catholics are barred specifically by law (Bill of Rights Act 1689), and others – non-Trinitarian Christians (such as Unitarians), non-Christian believers and all non-believers - are barred because they cannot satisfy the requirement of the Act of Settlement 1701 that they should be in communion with the Church of England. The former ban from 1689 on heirs otherwise qualified but married to Roman Catholics was lifted by the Succession to the Crown Act 2013.\n\nCharles once said he would like to be known as Defender of Faith, not the Faith. What does this mean in practice?\n\nThis was a gloss Charles once put on the sovereign’s title Fidei Defensor [English translation: ‘Defender of the Faith’]. Originally conferred by the Pope in 1517 before the English Reformation, the title became exclusively associated with the Church of England. Charles was making the point that, in a country with many religions now present, the sovereign should be concerned to see all religion defended and not just the Church of England. Because Latin has no definite article, he offered ‘Defender of Faith’ as an alternative and viable translation to signify how a sovereign should nowadays understand the contemporary meaning of the title.\n\nIn practice, religion is protected by laws made by Parliament or as a result of international agreements like the European Convention on Human Rights. But drawing attention to the need for protection in this and other ways is how the sovereign can reinforce society’s support for the principle of religious freedom.\n\nWhy doesn’t the UK become a republic?\n\n  • This would be for Parliament endorsed by a referendum to decide.\n  • Some of the Commonwealth countries where the UK sovereign was also their monarch (the realms) have become republics (Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Ghana, South Africa and The Gambia) and others have held unsuccessful referendums to do so (Australia. Tuvalu, St Vincent and the Grenadines); but there are still 15 Commonwealth countries that remain realms. It is likely that a number of the realms may look at the possibility after the death of the present Queen, who has always made it clear that the decision is entirely for the countries themselves.\n  • In Britain support for a republic has rarely exceeded 20 per cent, and support for the monarchy has rarely dropped below 80 per cent.\n  • Apart from the current continuing popularity of the monarchy, it is thought the lack of support for a republic in the UK is associated with the fact that, for most intents and purposes, the UK already possesses all the attributes of a republic except for retaining an hereditary head of state. Bagehot thought that in 1867 (‘A Republic has insinuated itself beneath the folds of a Monarchy’); and Tennyson called the UK ‘a crowned republic’ in 1873.\n  • None of this means that the UK will never become an explicit republic but it is difficult at present to foresee the circumstances in which it might happen. In modern times monarchies have been overthrown following revolution (France), catastrophic loss or devastation in war (Germany, Italy and Yugoslavia) or as the result of military coup (Greece).", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8427221775054932}
{"content": "Random Stuff: 3 silver colored & chrome things of the day, and a song…\n\nMy silver flats belt and necklace [looking down from above]\n\nI love flats but I love heels too… look at this “ziggurat” pyramsilverflatsid below.\n\nDubai-based architecture firm Timelinks has developed plans for a million person ziggurat. What the hell’s a ziggurat? “A ziggurat was a temple tower of the ancient Mesopotamian valley and Iran, having the form of a terraced pyramid of successively receding stories or levels. Some modern buildings with a step pyramid shape have also been termed ziggurats.”\n\nIt may sound like just another concept that’ll never be a reality, but Timelinks already set about patenting the design as well as the technology that would make it possible. The structure, nearly a whole square mile by design, would use a combination of steam, wind, and other alternative energy-gathering methods to keep itself entirely off the grid. There would also be “green spaces” that would provide the pyramidal city with agricultural space, to provide food and green-based commerce.\n\n\nSource: http://www.geekologie.com/2008/08/24-week/\n\nOh…and in case you may feel your flame start to blow out,  something to ignite it and guide you through the dark nights.\n\n\nSong of the Day:\n\nI just want to be your “Lovergirl”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9936262965202332}
{"content": "Politicos offer condolences over Sridevi's sudden demise\n\nPoliticians including Piyush Goyal and Hema Malini offered condolences over Bollywood actor Sridevi's sudden death. A Padma Shri recipient, Sridevi passed away at 54 on Saturday night due to a cardiac arrest in Dubai. Minister of Railways and Coal Piyush Goyal said, \"I was shocked to hear the news of her demise. She played an important role in the field of performing arts. We all have seen her capabilities on the screen. This is a huge loss for the nation.\" Hema Malini said, \"Yeh khabar sunke bahot shock laga. Humne kabhi socha bhi nahi tha. Unhone apne talent se kaafi logon ko prabhaavit kiya. She was a wonderful actress and unhone apna sthaan banaya hindi film industry mein. It is a big loss for Bollywood.\"", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9815181493759155}
{"content": "Video: „Root causes of radicalization“\n\nAlexander Ritzmann addressed the EuroMeSCo Annual Conference in Barcelona on 1-2 June. The conference gathered senior policymakers and researchers to discuss violent extremism in the Euro-Mediterranean region, its manifestations, drivers, impact and how it can be curbed.\n\n\n\n\n\nAlexander speaks starting minute 33.\n\n\nEURACTIV, March 22, 2017\n\n\n\n\n\nWeiterlesen »\n\n„Preventing radicalisation in schools“\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWeiterlesen »\n\n“Focus on hard measures might even have fostered radicalization”\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWeiterlesen »\n\nThe need to counter extremist propaganda more effectively\n\nThe Parliament Magazineby Alexander Ritzmann on 13 December 2016\n\nPropaganda, the art of twisting information to make it fit your interests or ideology, always plays a role. Extremists are often attracted by the clear cut messages that can give simple meaning to an otherwise complex life. Extremist narratives aim to generate a world view where everything is black and white, where one is either in or out of a group. And they promise emotional and social benefits such as belonging to a new family or brotherhood in the fight for a supposedly just cause.\n\nPropaganda is effective when it is close to a perceived truth of the targeted audience.  Ideology, whether for white supremacists or Islamists, plays a key role in legitimising the strategies and actions of the extremists which would otherwise simply be criminal acts. In some cases, ideology makes the difference between someone committing suicide or driving a truck into a group of people.\n\nWeiterlesen »", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8852872252464294}
{"content": "Programs‎ > ‎\n\nNeighbors Helping Neighbors\n\nNeighbors Helping Neighbors is a program of CUOC. It used to be called Brighter Christmas, and always addressed needs that could easily fall through the cracks during the Christmas season.  \n\nWe don't give gift, but things such as help with dentures, dental work, home needs, and so much more. Now, NHN operates all year long but we still focus on the “difficult to meet” needs this time of year.  \n\nThe NHN committee, thanks to the generosity of the Courier Tribune, runs letters on a daily basis starting the first Sunday after Thanksgiving through the first of the new year to bring some needs “out in the open”  that we just can’t meet with our normal resources.  We are so grateful for those who serve faithfully on this committee, representing many different organizations and ministries.  \n\nSince Christmas of last year NHN has assisted 37 households.  Many times the NHN funds pay for materials and volunteers to the labor for things such as ramps, minor home repair, roof repair, making a home handicap accessible, and other times, we provide the volunteer labor and other agencies, such as Regional Consolidated Services,  provide the funds.   It is always a great partnership experience!   \n\nWe have provided mattresses, appliances, dental care, referrals to other resources when the need far exceeds our budget, floor repair, vehicle repair, vehicle for work, ramps, roof repair, plumbing, power lift chairs, glasses, and so much more.  \n\nWe cherish the partnerships we have with our donors, volunteers, and other agencies that work with us to make sure people can continue living a healthy safe life in Randolph County!  \n\nThe NHN program met over $10,000 worth of monetary requests this year and provided appliances, car parts, new mattresses, and volunteer labor through In-kind donations.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9018601179122925}
{"content": "Gov't is \"interested\" in minimum distance cyclist overtaking law - BikeBiz\n\nGov't is \"interested\" in minimum distance cyclist overtaking law\n\nCycling minister says DfT is \"interested\" in an Australian-style safe passing law.\nPublish date:\n\nIn an answer to a parliamentary question the minister for roads and cycling said the Government was \"interested\" in a minimum distance cyclist overtaking law, and would be keeping the idea \"under review\". Robert Goodwill was answering a question from Alberto Costa, the Tory MP for South Leicestershire who sits on the justice select committee.\n\nCosta asked Goodwill \"what assessment his Department is planning of cycle passing spaces in South Australia and by when he plans to complete that assessment.\" This question was put to the minister thanks to a petition calling for a safe passing distance between motorists and cyclists. This currently has 16,429 signatures – and the Government was obliged to answer it once it reached 10,000 signatures.\n\nThe petition was started by Tony C Martin. He wrote: \"The lack of a clear specification may result in a personal decision what a \"plenty of room\" means in terms of distance. Therefore, introducing a minimum legal passing distance when overtaking cyclists will considerably reduce the number of cyclist casualties, aiding in a safe cycling practice. Suggestion of 3.28 ft (1 m) when overtaking cyclists on roads with speed limits up to and including 30mph. On roads with higher speed limits, the minimum passing distance should be 4.9 ft (1.5 m).\"\n\nOther countries have \"minimum passing distance laws\" to protect cyclists. In 2015 South Australia mandated the minimum overtaking distance, as part of a range of \"safe cycling measures\". The law requires motorised road users to allow at least a one metre gap on roads with speed limits of up to 60km/h, and 1.5 metres for anything above that speed. Drivers are allowed to cross centre lines, straddle lane-lines and drive on painted islands, provided that \"it is safe to do so.\" However, the introduction of the passing law was \"balanced\" with a stipulation that cyclists had to carry ID at all times, and the fines for traffic violations – such as running red lights – were made equal for both cyclists and motorists, in effect increasing the possible fines for cyclists, including for not wearing cycle helmets. \"Roadie\" organisations which helped draft, and supported, the new rules were bitterly opposed by commuter cycling organisations.\n\nQueensland’s 1.5 metre passing law – also known as the ‘Split Rule' – has been cited in cases against motorists, with prosecutions brought after evidence was supplied from \"helmetcam\" footage. Under the Split Rule, drivers in Queensland can face a maximum penalty of AU$4,400.\n\nPedal Power Association of South Africa launched a “stay wider of the rider” campaign in 2015, based on a 1.5 metre safe passing distance campaign running since 2011.\n\nIn the UK, rule 163 of the Highway Code states that motorists should give cyclists (and pedestrians and equestrians) as much space as they would give a motor vehicle when overtaking but does not specify a set distance. Last year Olympian Chris Boardman starred in an industry-funded video which reminded drivers that “People on bicycles are flesh and blood, they’re mums and dads, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters.” He stressed that motorists need to “give them plenty of space when overtaking.”\n\nIn the video Boardman also talks about the “dynamic envelope”, or wobble room that cyclists need on the road.\n\nImage placeholder title\n\nIn its response to Martin's petition the Government said it \"currently does not have plans to legislate on a set minimum space e.g. 1 metre on roads with a speed limit of up to 30mph when overtaking a cyclist.\"\n\nThe answer added: \"This type of legislation would be extremely difficult to enforce and the Government does not believe that it would add to the existing rules and guidance, including those set out in the Highway Code, which advises drivers to give cyclists “at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car”.\n\nHowever, \"we are keeping this position under review,\" said the Government and is \"interested in learning from the experience of places where legislation of this type has been introduced. One example is South Australia, where since 25th October 2015, drivers are required to give a minimum of one metre when passing a cyclist where the speed limit is 60km/h (37.3mph) or less or 1.5 metres where the speed limit is over 60km/h (40mph). The penalty for drivers caught disobeying this rule is a $287 (£148) fine, plus a $60 (£31) victim of crime levy and 2 demerit (penalty) points.\"\n\nThe Government said it \"will take time to understand the benefits and impacts of this legislation on cyclists and other road users.\"\n\nFeatured Jobs\n\ncycles service promo\n\nShop Manager/ Head Mechanic\n\n\nGiant St Paul Logo\n\nBike Fitter / Sales Person\n\n\n\nSocial Media Executive\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.975507915019989}
{"content": "Sampling Techniques: Choosing a Representative Subset of Population\n\nSampling is one of the very important aspects of market research. From a general perspective, sampling involves selecting a relatively small number of elements (characteristics) from a larger defined group of elements and expecting that the information gathered from the small group will provide accurate judgement about the larger group.\n\nDetermining sample size is a complex task and involves much clarity with regard to the balance between the resources available and number or accuracy or information obtained. Since data collection is generally one of the most expansive components of any research project various factors play a crucial role in determining the final sample size. Several qualitative and quantitative factors are considered when determining the sample size. The qualitative issues considered may include factors such as:\n\n  • Nature of research and expected outcome\n  • Importance of the decision to organization\n  • Number of variables being studied\n  • Sample size in similar studies\n  • Resource/budgetary constraints\n\nVarious quantitative measures are also considered when determining sample size such as:\n\n  • Variability of the population characteristics (greater the variability, larger the sample required)\n  • Level of confidence/ Degree of precision desired (higher the confidence desired, larger the sample required)\n\nClassification of Sampling Techniques\n\n How to obtain a sample is an important issue relating to research design. There are two basic sampling designs:\n\n  1. Probability sampling\n  2. Non-probability sampling\n\nOf these two techniques, probability sampling is more robust in comparison as in this technique each sampling unit has a known, certain chance of getting selected in the final sample. Nonprobability techniques on the other hand, do not use chance selection procedure. Rather, they rely on the personal judgement of the researcher. The results obtained by using probability sampling can be generalized to the target population within a specified margin of error through the use of statistical methods. Put simply, probability sampling allows researchers to judge the reliability and validity of the findings in comparison to the defined target population.\n\nIn case of nonprobability sampling, the selection of each sampling unit is unknown and therefore, the potential error between the sample and target population cannot be computed. Thus, generalizability of findings generated through non-probability sampling is limited. While probability sampling techniques are robust in comparison, one of the major disadvantages of such techniques is the difficulty in obtaining a complete and accurate listing of elements of target population.\n\nBoth probability and nonprobability sampling procedures can be further sub-divided into specific sampling techniques that are appropriate for different circumstances.\n\nSampling Classification.png\n\nI. Probability Sampling\n\na. Simple random sampling\n\nSimple random sampling is a probability sampling technique wherein each member of the population is assigned a number and the desired sample is determined by generating random numbers appropriate for the relevant sample size. This ensures that each sampling unit has a known, equal and nonzero chance of getting selected into the sample.\n\nb. Systematic random sampling\n\nIn systematic random sampling the sample is chosen by selecting a random starting point and then picking each ith element in succession from the sampling frame. The sampling interval i, is determined by dividing the population size N by the sample size n and rounding to the nearest integer. For example, if there were 10,000 owners of a washing machine and a sample of 100 is to be desired, the sampling interval i is 100. The researcher than selects a number between 1 and 100. If, for example, number 50 is chosen by the researcher, the sample will consists of members 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 and so on.\n\nc. Stratified sampling\n\nStratified sampling is distinguished by the two-step procedure it involves. In the first step the population is divided into mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive sub-populations, which are called strata. In the second step, a simple random sample of members are chosen independently from each group or strata. This technique is used when there is considerable diversity among the population elements.\n\nIn proportionate stratified sampling, the sample size from each stratum is dependent on that stratum’s size relative to the defined target population. Therefore, the larger strata are sampled more heavily using this method as they make up a larger percentage of the target population. On the other hand, in disproportionate stratified sampling, the sample selected from each stratum is independent of that stratum’s proportion of the total defined target population.\n\nd. Cluster sampling\n\nCluster sampling is quite similar to stratified sampling and the major difference is that in stratified sampling, all the subpopulations (strata) are selected for further sampling whereas in cluster sampling only a sample of subpopulations (clusters) is chosen.\n\n\nII. Non-Probability Sampling\n\n The selection of probability and nonprobability sampling is based on various considerations including, the nature of research, variability in population, statistical considerations and operational efficiency. Nonprobability sampling is mainly used in product testing, name testing, advertising testing where researchers and managers want to have a rough idea of population reaction rather than a precise understanding.\n\na. Convenience sampling\n\nAs the name implies, in convenience sampling, the selection of the respondent sample is left entirely to the researcher. Many of the mall intercept studies use convenience sampling. The researcher makes assumption that the target population is homogenous and the individuals interviewed are similar to the overall defined target population. This in itself leads to considerable sampling error as there is no way to judge the representativeness of the sample. Furthermore, the results generated are hard to generalize to a wider population. However, it is the most cost-effective as well as least time-consuming among all methods.\n\n b. Judgement sampling\n\nJudgement sampling is an extension to the convenience sampling. In this procedure, respondents are selected according to an experienced researcher’s belief that they will meet the requirements of the study. This method also incorporates a great deal of sampling error since the researcher’s judgement may be wrong however it tends to be used in industrial markets quite regularly when small well-defined populations are to be researched.\n\nc. Quota sampling\n\nQuota sampling is a procedure that restricts the selection of the sample by controlling the number of respondents by one or more criterion. The restriction generally involves quotas regarding respondents’ demographic characteristics (e.g. age, race, income) or specific behaviors (e.g. frequency of purchase, usage patterns).\n\nd. Snowball sampling\n\nIn snowball sampling, an initial group of respondents is selected, usually at random. After being interviewed however, these respondents are asked to identify others who belong to the target population of interest. Subsequent respondents are then selected on the basis of referral. Therefore, this procedure is also called referral sampling. Snowball sampling is used in researcher situations where defined target population is rare and unique and identifying the target respondents is a difficult task. For example, if the target respondent are owners of second hand washing machines, it will be extremely difficult to identify and hence, snowball sampling may provide a way forward.\n\nTopics: Market Research", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9978669285774231}
{"content": "HomeLatest NewsInvestigationsWeather 80°EntertainmentSubmit/Photos VideosTraffic\n\nAfrica Moving Past Trump's Slur, Says African Union Official\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson shakes hands with African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki on Thursday, March 8, 2018 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Jonathan Ernst/AP\n\n\n\n\n(Published 6 hours ago)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n(Published Friday, June 22, 2018)\n\nTillerson later met with his Ethiopian counterpart Workneh Gebeyehu and at a press conference voiced his belief that Ethiopia's ongoing unrest should be solved with more freedom, not less. The top U.S. diplomat also raised alarm over a state of emergency Ethiopia has declared to deal with widespread anti- government protests that engulfed much of the restive Oromia region.\n\n\"We do firmly believe the answer is greater freedom for people, not less,\" said Tillerson. \"We recognize the transition there is underway in Ethiopia, the first ever voluntary transfer of power. I view this as a very positive symbol of the strength of this burgeoning democracy in Ethiopia.\"\n\nAnti-government protests calling for wider political freedoms have been raging in a number of regions in Ethiopia since November 2015, claiming the lives of several hundred people. A state of emergency was subsequently declared in October 2016 that led to the arrest of at least 22,000 people, the majority of whom released since. The government declared a second state of emergency in mid- February.\n\nTillerson repeated a recent U.S. Embassy statement expressing \"concern\" over the government's decision to impose a second state of emergency in two years. \"This is because it puts restrictions on fundamental rights, like assembly expression,\" he said. \"We also discussed in our exchanges the importance of ensuring that security forces remain disciplined in maintaining law and order and preventing violence.\"\n\n\n(Published Friday, June 22, 2018)\n\nOn Thursday, Ethiopia unveiled a special investigative unit to deals with complaints regarding illegal detentions within the latest emergency rule.\n\nEthiopia's prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, resigned amid the protests and a new leader is expected to be sworn in the coming few days.\n\nEthiopia is currently one of Africa's best performing economies and a strong U.S security ally but the government is often accused of stifling dissent and arresting journalist, activists and opposition figures.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5049549341201782}
{"content": "WIFI IOT Multi Sensor and IO module\n\nThis versatile device allows you to connect sensors quickly and inexpensively to the internet.Various sensors can be connected to the device eg. Temperature , humidity, water leaks , multiple dry input contacts and multiple analog inputs. The device can switch multiple output contacts for eg. Opening doors , switching ON/OFF of lights and other devices and can be powered with batteries or a dc power supply. It can connect to multiple RS485 sensor hubs to increase the number of sensors to monitor. The device connects the physical world to your smart phones, tablets and any Web browsers anywhere in the world with Internet access.\n\n\nWiFi IoT Multi sensor", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8627581596374512}
{"content": "You have to walk the property\nto get a feel for the shape of it,\na trapezoid filled with dozens\nof trees.  Along one sloping side\nrises a low ridge.  A two-lane\nmacadam fronts the longest side.\nA farm field edges the shortest.\n\nI dress in old clothes to mow\nbecause the Yazoo is dirty\nand greasy, its red paint faded\nand peeling, the deck piled\nwith musty dried grass cuttings.\n\nFilling gas tanks that look like\ntwo saddlebags, I check the oil.\nThen swing a leg over the center\npost as I start up the engine,\nwhich turns over with a snort\nof smoke and an uncertain shudder\nbefore settling into a mechanical roar.\n\nEngaging the blades, I mindfully\nsettle into the task ahead of me,\nstarting a circuit of the property that\nfollows the bordering perimeter.\nAt each tree encountered, I swing\naround its circumference, outside\nleg hung out for balance as the\nzero-turning-radius mower\nmakes its tight circle.\n\nDaring the length of the slope,\nI lean into its height as I travel\n the angling hillside.  I follow\nthe edge of each mowed swath\npass-by-pass as I continue to circle\nthe perimeter, slowly arcing inward.\nPass after pass.  Round and round I\nmow, letting my mind wander as I go.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5114255547523499}
{"content": "Oscillatory Effects of Common Hard Nonlinearities on Systems Using Two-Impulse ZV Input Shaping\n\n\nInput shaping is an effective method for reducing the oscillatory motion of linear systems. However, hard nonlinearities, such as saturation, rate limiting, backlash, and dead-zone, can reduce the effectiveness of input shaping at suppressing oscillation. This paper quantifies these detrimental effects and presents mitigation strategies. \n\n\n  • Presentations referencing similar topics", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.999962329864502}
{"content": "Search Starchild:\nSaturn Incense\n\nSaturn Incense\n\n\n\nSaturn is the second largest planet of the solar-system, most famous for its rings. Until the discovery of Uranus and the other outer planets Saturn represented the boundary of the known solar-system, for it is the last planet which can be seen with the naked eye. He was respected, yet feared for no-one could escape his rule over the cycles of time and the laws of karma. Saturn is the reaper- he kills the grain, but in doing so sustains life. Saturn is a God of boundaries and limitations and of the most physical, mundane aspects of life, which may not be 'fun' but provide the basic foundation for our existence.\nAstrologically, Saturn represents responsibility, duty and conscience. It is the principle of growing-up, which demands an individual to face up to reality and take responsibility for the consequences of their actions. Each of us reaps as we sow. Saturn also signifies inhibitions and fears and may be experienced as ‘that which holds us back’.\n\n\nThe planets are the wandering stars that travel around the Zodiac and in astrological terminology include Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Modern astrology has added Uranus, Neptune and Pluto to the list. The ancients regarded them as a pantheon of deities whose dynamic interactions had their repercussions in our world. People worshipped and honoured the Gods with rituals and ceremonies or prayed for their divine support in their various endeavours: to win a battle or a maiden's heart, or grant a plentiful harvest and send good weather. Modern astrologers tend to 'psychologize' these deities and regard the planets as parts of the personality.\n\nMagical Collections\n\nOur Planetary Incense consists of various Herbs, Gums, Resins and Pure essential Oils blended to create an aroma that reflects the ambiance of each planet. They are potentised with our Magical Collections gathered from the corresponding parts of the Glastonbury Zodiac in accordance to the phase of the moon at the appropriate times of the year.\n\nIn ritual settings Star Child Planetary Incense can be used to invoke the Planetary archetypes. Attune in meditation with their lessons or energies to gain a better understanding as to how they manifest in your life. Burn the Planetary Incense, Space Aroma or Candle corresponding to the natal Sun sign in order to strengthen it while under a difficult transit, or, if you are familiar with your horoscope, you can work with the aromas that correspond to a transiting planet or area of the chart that is being transited in order to better understand and integrate their lessons.\n\n\n(we do not share your information)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5112011432647705}
{"content": "Easy Feng Shui Decorating Tips\n\nIs your relationship with your home starting to resemble that old Righteous Brothers tune \"You Lost that Loving Feeling?\" If so, the powers and principles of Feng shui are the perfect tonic to revitalize, refresh and reinvigorate your home.\n\nYour home is often the most important place in your life. It's where you can create a loving safe haven away from the rest of the world so why not use the simple rules of feng shui to help you fall in love with your home all over again.\n\nWhen I say romancing your home, I don't mean an \"extreme home makeover.\" I'm talking about implementing a few easy to do changes that will get the positive energy flowing again. It's all about creating a harmonious, eye appealing living space by expressing your own personal taste. In case you're not sure where to start, here are a few suggestions to get the proverbial ball rolling.\n\nSimply put, the principles of feng shui are all about enhancing the positive energy flow in a particular space. One of the best ways to do this in your home is to make it family friendly. A happy family carries a positive vibration that fills the home and spills over into all other areas of the house. Simple things like having a round dining table rather than the traditional rectangle. This encourages a smooth even flow to dinner time conversation. Happy family - happy home!\n\nWherever possible, utilize open spaces in your house. One of the worst ways to defeat the power of feng shui is to clutter your house up with unneeded furniture and knick knacks. Keep your home organized and neat with obvious lines of travel between rooms.\n\nDisplaying symbols of romance and love is a powerful way to increase the energy in the home. Where possible, display your things in pairs: two candles or two figurines. Pictures or statues of love birds or mandarin ducks are symbols of loving relationships. You can also put the philosophy of Yin and Yang (opposites) to work by displaying pictures of things like mountains and water side by side.\n\nOne of the best and easiest ways to change the energy of a room is a paint job. While your personal taste in color is definitely important, use the following as a guide to pick the right energy producing color.\n\nPink is not my personal favorite as it brings up childhood memories of Grandma's house but, it is the color of love and gives your room an approachable softened feel.\n\nPainting a whole room red might be a bit over powering as it is such a passionate color but red accents or possibly one wall in red can generate a lot of energy and passion in the room.\n\nBlue and green are calming colors that give a sense of stability.\n\nBy far the most common color is white. It does create a fresh feel to the room but can also be a bit frosty, so why not warm it up a bit by using slightly off-white tones or an accent wall to add something to catch the eye.\n\nWe in the West think that Feng Shui is strictly an Asian phenomenon used only in far away countries and \"strange\" cultures but in reality, nothing could be farther from the truth.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.516351580619812}
{"content": "Marcos siego\n\nMarcos Siega\n\nMarcos Siega (born 8 June 1969 in New York City) is a film, television, commercial, and music video director. He has also worked as a producer and a musician.\n\nHe was a recurring director for Showtime's series DEXTER.\n\nDirector Edit\n\nSeason Two:\n\nSeason Three:\n\nSeason Four:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9928882122039795}
{"content": "Sada El Balad : Saudi-US relationship will continue to grow، says charge d’affaires (طباعة)\nSaudi-US relationship will continue to grow، says charge d’affaires\nآخر تحديث: الأربعاء 14/02/2018 10:44 ص Edited By: Nada Moustafa\nSaudi-US relationship\nChristopher Henzel، the charge d’affaires of the US Embassy in Riyadh، reaffirmed on Monday that the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the US is based on fundamental shared interests including economic prosperity، security and stability، Arab News reported.\n\nSpeaking at a function to celebrate the 242nd year of the independence of the US on Monday at Quincy House، the official residence of the US ambassador in the Diplomatic Quarter، Henzel said the US strongly supports Saudi Arabia’s ambitious goals.\n\n“As the Saudi Arabian government implements its vision، we believe that both sides will continue to benefit from our unique bilateral relationship، and that partnership will continue to grow،” he said.\n\n“The government’s plans for the further development of the Kingdom continue at an impressive rate.”\n\nWelcoming guests including Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar، Henzel said، “2017 witnessed remarkable developments in the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the US، with Riyadh welcoming President Donald Trump on the first stop of his first overseas trip، which brought together 55 heads of state at the Arab-Islamic-American Summit.”\n\nHenzel said security cooperation was one of the key areas of the partnership، both historically and at present.\n\n“Countering violent extremism is a very high priority for both of our governments،” he added.\nHe went on to stress the strength of the two countries’ economic ties، pointing out that bilateral trade in goods between the US and the Kingdom amounted to $35 billion last year.\n\n“Our two countries have long shared a strong economic relationship، with ties in trade and investment that have created jobs for thousands of Americans and Saudis،” he said.\n\nSaudi citizens and companies hold major investments in the US that employ thousands of Americans. For example، Saudi Aramco now owns the largest refinery in the US states، in Port Arthur، Texas، Henzel explained، adding that US companies are working with Saudi partners on additional investment projects in energy، infrastructure، defense، health care، and many other sector.\n\nHenzel also highlighted the increased cultural exchange over the past year، thanks in part to Vision 2030.\n\nUS performance artists including Blue Man Group، Nelly and Toby Keith، have all performed in the Kingdom recently، while events such as Monster Jam made history in the Kingdom as part of Saudi Arabia’s new initiative to offer more entertainment options to citizens and residents.\n\nMeanwhile، the embassy has sent a number of Saudis to the US on cultural exchanges.\n\nAnother important facet of the US-Saudi relationship is cooperation in the field of education، Henzel pointed out.\n\n“Right now، there are roughly 66،000 Saudi students in American universities،” he said. “The Saudi government is making an incredible investment in the future of its country and I am proud that American higher education is able to play such an important role in that effort.”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5799365043640137}
{"content": "Benefits and Disadvantages of Freshwater Algae\n\n\nIf you happen to thought that algae could be simply recognized, you have been mistaken indeed. Algae have a various group that can’t be simply identified or seen by bare eye. Although they appear to look an identical, algae have varied shapes, sizes, and roles in the marine ecology. Thousands or even hundreds of thousands of identified and unidentified species might be found in both recent and marine waters all over the world. Most species of contemporary water algae float in the water, while others cling on rocks, aquatic crops, and pond’s surfaces. However, some species of fresh water algae are harmless and manageable, but other sorts provoke problems and are difficult to combat.\n\nAlgae, usually, function crucial organisms within the lake or pond ecosystem. They help steadiness the meals chain that’s important to the marine life by offering food, energy, and shelter among fish, zooplanktons, and different marine organisms. What’s more is that they help take in the heavy metals trapped in ponds or lakes.\n\nThe most well-liked teams of contemporary Chaeto water algae are green algae, diatoms, and blue-green algae. The green algae are the largest and most various group of algae. In response to scientists, green algae came terrestrial plants and contain vibrant, green pigments. Nevertheless, these varieties can contaminate clear, wholesome water into “cotton candy” clouds.\n\nDiatoms produce yellow-green or yellow-brown pigments in ponds or lakes. The cell wall of diatoms are composed of two separate valves or shells made from silica. The silica valves make diatoms seem in beautiful shapes and colors when seen below the microscope. Diatoms multiply via cellular division, and they produce offspring that can create new cell walls. Some forms of diatoms release toxins referred to as domoic acid. Domoic acid usually attacks shellfish and are poisonous to people and different marine animals. However, fresh water diatoms don’t produce domoic acid.\n\nBlue green algae or cyanobacteria contain green, blue, and red pigments. Excessive blooms of blue-green algae cause problems in pond and lake environment. Different types of algae are euglenoids, dinoflagellates, brown algae, stoneworts, and desmids.\n\nSure, it’s true that contemporary water algae have some advantages in pond or lake setting, but most individuals consider them as a mere problem. Contrary to their benefits, fresh water algae should notable for his or her disadvantages. They’ll affect the health of human and marine life in which they trigger fish kills, dying, and depletion of water systems.\n\nContemporary water algae change into a problem when excessive blooms occur. This usually occurs throughout summer time when the weather is hot and the vitamins are rife for the fresh water algae to consume. Most pond or lake owners neglect the small inhabitants of contemporary water algae for the belief that their occurrence is regular; nevertheless, these seemingly benign creatures could take the lifetime of your particular possessions.\n\nWhat are the signs that recent water algae are getting problematic? Fresh water algae normally begin with a small inhabitants, but given with profuse solarlight and required nutrients, they develop regularly in massive groups. They also produce “scums” and result in the discoloration of water. When left untreated, these algae may suffocate fish and have an effect on your entire marine environment.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.563849925994873}
{"content": "LAE 6637\n\nThe activity descriptions provided in this summary of ESOL infused activities or assignments is intended to provide you with information about what pieces of evidence you may include in your TESOL-in-Progress notebook. It thus concentrates on the ESOL component of the activity or assignment, and may not reflect all portions of each class assignment or activity. Carefully read through the entire assignment description in your syllabus to ensure that you fulfill all assignment requirements for this course.\n\n\nESOL Performance Standard(s) and Indicator(s)3.1, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3\nActivity ObjectiveTo become familiar with scholarly articles and research topics in professional journals in the field of teaching English.\nActivity DescriptionCandidates will select and review two issues of Research in the Teaching of English and one issue of TESOL Quarterly. After reading each issue, candidates will write a review following the guidelines listed below: Guidelines for writing book /journal review: Summarize: Write a personal summary of the issue, noting particular articles of interest. Analyze: What do you feel are the most useful points the authors make? Note specific examples with page numbers, (where appropriate). Connect: What connections can you make between your reading and your prior knowledge? Be sure to give specific examples with page numbers from our text and the journal articles, where appropriate. Apply: How might you use what you are learning from reading of this research in your own teaching? What strategies might you use? What ideas would you share with colleagues? Discuss: In our e-mail discussion, discuss your journal review with the independent study group. Additional guidelines for the TESOL Quarterly Review: One of the TESOL Quarterly articles must address Domain 5, Standards 1-3. Consider current trends and issues related to the testing of linguistic and culturally diverse students when using testing instruments and techniques. Candidates must discuss current research-based assessment techniques of culturally and linguistically diverse students.\nESOL-specific Reading(s)Freeman, D. & Freeman, Y. Teaching English as a Second Language\nGeneric Syllabus URLN/A\nDetailed Assignment Description URLN/A\nElectronic Portfolio AssessmentYES", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9994547367095947}
{"content": "Culling To Conserve: A Hard Truth For Lion Conservation\nApril 2017, Volume 15-2\n\nPeople that don’t live in Africa tend to learn about wildlife conservation in easy-to-understand terminology. But safeguarding animal species like lions is often more complex than mainstream media sound bites would have their audiences believe.\n\nThe National Post recently reported that management from Zimbabwe’s Bubye Valley Conservancy was considering a controversial move to cull upwards of 200 lions out of a rough population of 500 in order to ensure the reserve’s wildlife biodiversity.\n\nIt was also reported that since the growing calls to end trophy hunting, due in large part to the killing of Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park last year, conservancies like Bubye are no longer seeing the funding necessary to adequately cover conservation costs, which includes fence maintenance, financing local schools and health clinics, and providing meat to local people.\n\nGiven the many challenges conservationists face in Africa, coupled with culling and trophy hunting being such contentious issues, I decided to reach out to Dr. Byron du Preez, a Bubye Valley Conservancy project leader and member of the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), in the Department of Zoology at Oxford University.\n\nSpecifically, I was hoping for clearer answers regarding the potential paradox that increasing calls for hunting bans in Africa have on existing lion populations, and how that may be playing out within the recent culling conundrum.\n\nFortunately, Du Preez went one step further by clearing up what was initially reported, clarifying the proposed cull, explaining how culling works, and elaborating on the dangers of promoting single species management. The following is his official statement:\n\nClarification on the Proposed Lion Cull\n\nI am an independent scientist working on the Bubye Valley Conservancy, focused on lion ecology, which actually means just about every aspect of the ecosystem, such is the influence that lions have. I am neither pro- nor anti-hunting. I simply focus on practical conservation solutions that actually work in the real world.\n\nWe are hopeful that we will be able to translocate some lions, although all previous attempts to translocate lions out of the Bubye Valley Conservancy have been derailed by factors entirely out of our control. However, if the species was in as much trouble as the sensationalist reports like to focus on, one would think that it would be a lot easier to find new homes for these magnificent animals than it actually is. ‘There is basically no more space left in Africa for a new viable population of lions.’ The fact remains that habitat destruction is their biggest enemy, and there is basically no more space left in Africa for a new viable population of lions.\n\nThe Science of Culling\n\nA cull is not a once-off fix (neither is translocation, nor contraception), but would be more of an ongoing management operation conducted on an annual basis. When given adequate space, resources, and protection, lion populations can explode, such as they have done on the Bubye Valley Conservancy.\n\nReducing numbers to alleviate overpopulation pressure does nothing to permanently solve the problem, nor halts the species’ breeding potential; [it] only slows it down for a relatively short time until their population growth returns to the exponential phase once again.\n\nCulling is a management tool that may be used for many species. That includes: elephants, lions, kangaroos, and deer, basically animals that have very little natural control mechanisms other than disease and starvation, and that are now bounded by human settlements and live in smaller areas than they did historically. As responsible wildlife managers who have a whole ecosystem full of animals to conserve (not just lions), we have therefore discussed culling as an option for controlling the lion population, but have agreed that, for now, this is not necessary just yet and we will continue to try and translocate these animals until our hand is forced.\n\nAs already mentioned, there is very little space left in Africa that can have lions but doesn’t already. Also, where lions do occur, especially in parks and private wildlife areas, they often exist at higher densities than they ever did historically. This is mainly due to augmented surface water supply resulting in greater numbers of non-migratory prey that now no longer limit lion nutrition and energy availability, allowing the lion population to rapidly expand. For example, successful hunting to feed cubs all the way through to adulthood and independence is one of the greatest stresses for a lion, and often results in dead cubs and reduced population growth. In turn, a high density of lions can severely reduce the density of their prey, ultimately leading to the death of the lions via disease and starvation—far more horrific than humane culling operations conducted by professionals.\n\nThe Dangers of Single Species Management\n\nLions are the apex predator wherever they occur, and as such exert a level of top-down control on the rest of the ecosystem. Lions prey on a wide variety of species, and we are starting to see declines in even the more common and robust prey such as zebra and wildebeest—not to mention more sensitive species such as sable, kudu, nyala, warthog, and even buffalo and giraffe.\n\nApart from their prey, lions are aggressively competitive and will go out of their way to kill any leopard, cheetah, wild dog, or hyena that they encounter, and have caused major declines in these species, not just on the Bubye Valley Conservancy, but elsewhere in Africa where lion densities are high. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), cheetah are listed as vulnerable, and wild dogs are endangered.\n\nIt is easy to simply focus on the number of lions remaining in Africa that has fallen steeply over the last century from ~100,000 to ~20,000 today, but which is directly linked to the reduction in available habitat. Simply focusing on increasing the abundance of one species at the cost of another cannot be considered a conservation success—assuming that holistic conservation for the benefit of the entire ecosystem is the end goal—no matter how iconic that species is. Luckily, lions kill lions, resulting in more lion mortality than any other species—including man on the Bubye Valley Conservancy—and in an ideal world the lion population would level off at a putative carrying capacity where lions control their own numbers (deaths from conflict equal or exceed new births). However, it is possible and probable (man-made water points increase the carrying capacity of — and therefore also the competition and conflict between—all wildlife species) that this would still be at the cost of certain other sensitive species.\n\nEcosystem stability is related to size (and conversely ecosystem sensitivity is inversely related to size) and smaller areas need to control their lion numbers a lot more carefully than large areas such as the Bubye Valley Conservancy, which is over 3,000 square kilometers [1,160 square miles]. In fact, small reserves in South Africa alone culled over 200 lions in total between 2010 and 2012, according to the 2013 report from the Lion Management Forum workshop.\n\nUnderstanding Carrying Capacity\n\nThe Bubye Valley Conservancy does not rely on trophy hunting to manage the lion population. I will discuss the economics of hunting in brief. The most recent and robust lion population survey data calculate a current lion population on the Bubye Valley Conservancy of between 503 and 552 lions (it is impossible to get a 100 percent accurate count on the exact lion number — which also changes daily with births and deaths).\n\nCarrying capacity is an extremely fluid concept, and changes monthly, seasonally, and annually depending on all sorts of factors including rainfall, disease (both predator and prey), and economics. It is estimated that 500 lions eat more than US$2.4 m. each year (meat value calculated at very conservative $3/kg–compare that to the price of steak in a supermarket, and then remember that the Bubye Valley Conservancy used to be a cattle-ranching area, and if wildlife becomes unviable, then there is no reason not to convert it back to a cattle ranching area once again).\n\nTo give the question of carrying capacity a fair, if necessarily vague, answer, I would personally estimate that the upper carrying capacity of lions on the Bubye Valley Conservancy would be around 500 animals—assuming that they are allowed to be hunted and therefore generate the revenue to offset the cost of their predation.\n\nRemember, lion numbers can get out of hand. And if there was no predation, then thousands upon thousands of zebra and wildebeest and impala would need to be culled to prevent them from over grazing the habitat, leading to soil erosion, starvation, and disease. The ecosystem is a very complex machine and whether anyone likes it or not, humans have intervened with cities, roads, dams, pumped water, fences, and livestock. The only way to mitigate that intervention is by further, more focused, and carefully considered intervention, for the sake of the entire ecosystem.\n\nIt is important to bear in mind that the wildlife here, and in the majority of other wildlife areas in Africa (hunting areas exceed the total area conserved by Africa’s national parks by more than 20 percent), does not exist as our, or anyone else’s, luxury.\n\nThe Bubye Valley Conservancy is a privately owned wildlife area, or to put it another way, it is a business. The fact that it is a well-run business is the reason why it is one of the greatest conservation successes in Africa, converting from cattle to wildlife in 1994 (only 22 years ago) and now hosting Zimbabwe’s largest contiguous lion population at one of the highest densities in Africa, as well as the third largest black rhino population in the world (after Kruger and Etosha).\n\nThis is only possible because it is a business, and is self-sufficient in generating the funds to maintain fences, roads, pay staff, manage the wildlife, pump water, and support the surrounding communities—all extremely necessary factors involved in keeping wildlife alive in Africa.\n\nAuthor: Michael Schwartz\n\nMichael Schwartz is a freelance journalist and African wildlife conservation researcher. Several of his articles have been published in African Indaba", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8380584716796875}
{"content": "Hey Kids, Comics! #170 - The Best Comics We've Ever Played\n\nNote:  The numbering of this issue has been corrected, it was in fact issue 170.\n\nOnce more into the breach, fearless listeners!  HKC is back with issue 170:  The Best Comics We've Ever Played.  With Cole off to focus his boundless energy on what is sure to be an amazing All-Con (side quest), Andrew forges new alliances with old friends to continue the journey into the dark heart of all things Comics.  Joined by Hulking Barbarian, Kurt Maksay; and Guileful Gnome Tinkerer, Jordan Waag, the boys attempt to peel back the layers on the topic of Comic Book Games.  From vast fields of RPG to the peaceful valleys of board games this band plows forward to answer important questions like \"Why hasn't Kurt played G.U.R.P.'s\" and \"Why is Heroclix so much like Freemasonry\"? \n\nSo velcro on your cape, and set your GM Screen to stun, your adventure begins NOW...well as soon as you hit up the link below\n\nThis show gets a little blue, so maybe not so much for kids...yeah?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8783532977104187}
{"content": "A termination provision in an employment agreement can be a valuable tool to limit the cost of terminating an employee on a without cause basis. An enforceable contractual termination clause rebuts the presumption that an employee is entitled to common law reasonable notice and, as such, can significantly reduce the quantum of notice or pay in lieu of notice owing. However, the Courts have made the enforcement of termination provisions challenging, often finding the clauses void for various technical reasons. The Ontario Court of Appeal recently released its decision in Wood v. Fred Deeley Imports Ltd. which provides further insight into the proper drafting and enforceability of termination clauses.\n\nThe plaintiff in Wood had been employed for approximately eight years at the time her employment was terminated. She was offered a severance package consisting of 13 weeks’ working notice, pro-rata incentive bonus payment, benefits coverage, outplacement services and an additional lump sum payment in exchange for her executing a full and final release. Despite the offer, the plaintiff commenced an action seeking damages equivalent to 12 months’ pay in lieu of notice.\n\nAt issue on appeal was the enforceability of a termination provision contained within the plaintiff’s employment agreement. The contractual provision at issue was as follows:\n\n[The Company] is entitled to terminate your employment at any time without cause by providing you with 2 weeks’ notice of termination or pay in lieu thereof for each completed or partial year of employment with the Company. If the Company terminates your employment without cause, the Company shall not be obliged to make any payments to you other than those provided for in this paragraph, except for any amounts which may be due and remaining unpaid at the time of termination of your employment. The payments and notice provided for in this paragraph are inclusive of your entitlements to notice, pay in lieu of notice and severance pay pursuant to the Employment Standards Act, 2000.\n\nThe plaintiff argued, in part, that the termination clause was unenforceable as it failed to provide for the continuation of benefit contributions during the statutory notice period as required by the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (the “ESA”). The employer defended the clause on the basis that the reference to “two weeks’ notice of termination or pay in lieu thereof” was broad enough to encompass base salary and benefit contributions. The employer also argued that its payment of the benefit contributions for the statutory notice period following the termination should be considered when assessing whether the clause was valid.\n\nThe Court of Appeal rejected the employer’s arguments and ultimately found the clause void. The Court confirmed that a contractual provision which purports to rebut an employee’s entitlement to common law reasonable notice must be clear and unambiguous. In this regard, the words “pay in lieu” do not clearly include both base salary and benefits. The Court also found an employer’s conduct or payment post-termination cannot remedy an otherwise unenforceable termination clause. As such, the enforceability of the termination provision depends solely on the wording of the clause itself.\n\nIn reaching its decision, the Court differentiated the clause contained in the plaintiff’s employment agreement, referenced above, from that at issue in its decision of Roden v. Toronto Humane Society. In Roden, the Court of Appeal upheld a termination provision which was silent on benefits continuation. The Court in Wood noted that the contractual provision at issue was not only silent with respect to benefits continuation but also expressly restricted termination entitlements to those set out in the employment agreement. The express limitation of the employee’s termination entitlements to those which did not include benefits defeated any interpretation that the provision was compliant with the ESA.\n\nThe Court’s distinction between the clauses contained in Roden and Wood provides employers a small window to argue for the enforceability of clauses which do not expressly reference the continuation of benefits. Such an argument was successful in the recent decision of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Cook v. Hatch Ltd. The termination clause in Cook did not expressly reference benefits continuation. The clause also did not contain language which expressly limited the employee’s entitlements to those contained within the agreement. The Court in Cook upheld the termination provision, concluding the clause was similar to that in Roden. We will have to wait to see whether this argument will be embraced in future decisions and whether the Cook decision will be appealed to the Court of Appeal.\n\nLessons for Employers\n\nTermination provisions provide an excellent opportunity for significant cost savings for employers at the time of termination. Employers should ensure employment agreements contain carefully crafted termination provisions to reduce the likelihood they will be found void upon judicial scrutiny. The Wood decision also signals the importance of regularly reviewing and updating employment contracts to ensure they remain consistent with jurisprudence and statutory requirements.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.998253583908081}
{"content": "Decided April 21, 2015\n\n\nOfficer Struble, a K–9 officer, stopped petitioner Rodriguez for driving on a highway shoulder, a violation of Nebraska law. After Struble at­tended to everything relating to the stop, including check­ing the driver’s licenses of Rodriguez and his passenger and issuing a warning for the traffic offense, he asked Rodriguez for permission to walk his dog around the vehicle.\n\nWhen Rodriguez refused, Struble detained him until a second officer arrived.\n\nStruble then retrieved his dog, who alerted to the presence of drugs in the vehicle. The en­suing search revealed methamphetamine. Seven or eight minutes elapsed from the time Struble issued the written warning until the dog alerted.\n\nRodriguez was indicted on federal drug charges. Rodriguez filed a motion to suppress with regard to the evidence from the vehicle on the ground, among others, that Struble had prolonged the traffic stop without reasonable suspicion in order to conduct the dog sniff. The District court denied the motion to suppress, stating that, “prolonging the stop by seven to eight minutes for the dog sniff was only a de minimis intrusion on Rodriguez’s Fourth Amendment rights and was for that reason permissible.” Rodriguez enter a conditional guilty plea and was sentenced to five years in prison. The Eighth Circuit affirmed.\n\nIssue: He moved to sup­press the evidence seized from the vehicle on the ground, among oth­ers, that Struble had prolonged the traffic stop without reasonable suspicion in order to conduct the dog sniff.\n\nCourt Opinion:\n\nAbsent reasonable suspicion, police extension of a traffic stop in order to conduct a dog sniff violates the Constitution’s shield against unreasonable seizures.\n\nA routine traffic stop’s “tolerable duration is determined by the seizure’s “mis­sion,” which is to address the traffic violation that warranted the stop, Illinois v. Caballes, 543 U. S. 405, 407 and attend to related safety concerns.” The Fourth Amendment may tolerate certain unrelated investigations that do not lengthen the roadside detention, Johnson, 555 U. S., at 327–328 (questioning); Caballes, 543 U. S., at 406, 408 (dog sniff), but a traffic stop “become[s] unlawful if it is prolonged be­yond the time reasonably required to complete th[e] mission” of issu­ing a warning ticket, id., at 407.\n\nBeyond determining whether to issue a traffic ticket, an officer’s mission during a traffic stop typically includes checking the driver’s license, determining whether there are outstanding warrants against the driver, and inspecting the automobile’s registration and proof of insurance. Lacking the same close connection to roadway safety as the ordinary inquiries, a dog sniff is not fairly characterized as part of the officer’s traffic mission.\n\nIn concluding that the de minimis intrusion here could be offset by the Government’s interest in stopping the flow of illegal drugs, the Eighth Circuit relied on Pennsylvania v. Mimms, 434 U. S. 106. The Court reasoned in Mimms that the government’s “legitimate and weighty” interest in officer safety outweighed the “de minimis” addi­tional intrusion of requiring a driver, lawfully stopped, to exit a vehi­cle, id., at 110–111. The officer-safety interest recognized in Mimms, however, stemmed from the danger to the officer associated with the traffic stop itself. On-scene investigation into other crimes, in con­trast, detours from the officer’s traffic-control mission and therefore gains no support from Mimms.\n\nThe Government’s argument that an officer who completes all traf­fic-related tasks expeditiously should earn extra time to pursue an unrelated criminal investigation is unpersuasive, for a traffic stop “prolonged beyond” the time in fact needed for the officer to complete his traffic-based inquiries is “unlawful,” Caballes, 543 U. S., at 407.\n\nVacated and Remanded.\n\nThis entry was posted in Press Releases. Bookmark the permalink.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8540414571762085}
{"content": "The New Stuff\n\n\nFreedom Debt Relief Reviews What Robo Advisors Are and Why They May Be Helpful\n\nAs you probably understand, investing is one of the most important things when it comes to personal finances. The more you invest now, the more you could have to spend on the things you want later in life. Investing can help grow your possibilities to new heights you never thought possible before, but it is critical you invest your money intelligently if you are not smart with your investments, you could end up losing money.\n\nMany people who are not investing experts understand this risk of losing money, so instead, they avoid investing completely.  After seeing numerous consumers take this approach to their investments, almost every time, it does not work. If you are not investment savvy, there are resources available for simplifying your investments.\n\nWhat is a Robo Advisor\n\nA robo advisor is a software that acts as a financial advisor. By taking into consideration details you provide, such as your income, monthly expenses, and your goals, the robo advisor develops strategies that are likely to fits your needs. After years of research, trial, and error, the best robo advisors have become very good at making investment suggestions to individuals in any situation.\n\nJust as you would with anything that pertains to your finances, you should make sure you are using a reputable robo advisor that has consistently good reviews from peers. You may provide sensitive financial information and make important decisions based on the robo advisor, so choosing a reputable advisor is the first and most important step.\n\nBenefits of Robo Advisors\n\nRobo advisors can come with a plethora of benefits if they are used correctly. If you are new to investing or have a small portfolio, it may be cost prohibitive to hire a financial advisor. But with a robo advisor, the fees are reduced and kept to a minimum since all the work is perfumed by a software. Even if you have a large portfolio, the savings and benefits are still available over a traditional financial advisor.\n\nOutside of the savings, you will have access your robo advisor 24/7 and on your own schedule, if you have a busy schedule, a robo advisor is available when you need it, and without an appointment.\n\nRobo advisors can help investors learn investing practices and even develop strategies for their unique situation. After your account is setup, the robo advisor will continue to monitor your account and make changes as necessary to keep you within the goals you set when opening your account.\n\nFreedom Debt Relief Reviews How to Choose a Robo Advisor\n\nAs previously mentioned, choosing the correct robo advisor is the most critical decision, after you have chosen to go the robo advisor route. There are benefits to be had by choosing a robo advisor, but the maximum benefit can be realized by choosing the best robo advisor for yourself.\n\nFreedom Debt Relief has found a careful review of your financial standing and your goals are important when choosing a robo advisor. Some advisors may have certain requirements for new customers, you need to make sure your goals and the requirements of your advisor align accordingly.\n\nFreedom Debt Relief is not suggesting a robo advisor is for everyone, but for those who robo advisor is good for, there are significant benefits to be had. Investing is only one piece of the puzzle that is your financial freedom, you must be sure to properly handle debt alongside your investments if you want to ultimately change your financial future.\n\n\n\n\nRecently Published\n\n\nWhat is consistency in the Forex market\n\nConsistency will pay off even in your life not only in your career. ...\n\n\nTop 4 Tips to Get Approved for a Business Loan.\n\nGetting a business loan can be a nerve-wracking experience. There ...\n\n\nDifferent Kinds of Stock Day Trading\n\nWhen you invest in stocks, you have a lot of strategies at your ...\n\n\nReason Why To Choose Forex Trading As A Career\n\nGenerally, the Forex stands for Foreign Exchange. It refers to ...\n\n\nEffective Tips for Proper Risk Management\n\nOnce you dive in the financial markets, it will be difficult not to ...\n\n\nWhat Do I Need to Know to Better Understand My Accountant?\n\n  They say that the relationship you have with your accountant ...\n\n\nHow Can Export Documentation Become Easy?\n\nWhat is a bill of lading? This is a document normally issued by ...\n\n\nAre Virtual Offices Boosting Staff Morale and Productivity?\n\nWhile the virtual office has revolutionised office space, it has ...\n\n\nDifferent Kinds of Currency Pairs\n\nForex trading is practically trading money in exchange of money to ...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8792820572853088}
{"content": "How Facebook's internet beaming satellite will work\n\nEutelsat workers building a satellite.\nFacebook is partnering with the European satellite company Eutelsat to beam the internet to large parts of sub-Saharan Africa that don't currently have access.\n\nCEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the news on his Facebook page last week that the company will use Eutelsat's Amos-6 satellite to provide the coverage.\n\n\"The Amos-6 satellite is under construction now and will launch in 2016 into a geostationary orbit that will cover large parts of West, East and Southern Africa,\" Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page.\n\nThe move is part of Facebook's, a non-profit initiative to bring free internet services to people around the world.\n\nHere's how the satellite will work.\n\n\nThe satellite Facebook is using, the Amos-6, will launch in 2016.\n\n\nIt will provide coverage to large parts of east, west, and southern Africa. The satellite is currently under construction.\n\n\nThe Amos-6 satellite will use the same technology as Eutelsat's KA-SAT, which orbits over Europe.\n\nEutelsat/ Corporate Brochure\n\nEutelsat currently has 39 satellites in orbit. The image above shows the orbital position of each device.\n\n\nThe KA stands for \"Kurz Above,\" which refers to satellites that transmit a higher radio frequency.\n\n\nThe KA band satellites use a frequency that is 26.5 to 40 GHz. Satellites that use a KU band — referring to Kurz Unten or \"underneath\" — use lower frequencies in the 12 to 18 GHz range. The lowest frequency range a Eutelsat will use — known as L band satellites, like \"low\" — is in the 1 to 2 GHz range.\n\n\nWhy does a higher frequency matter?\n\nShutterstock/ zlikovec\n\nWell, the higher the frequency the more bandwidth you can squeeze out of the system. And more bandwidth means a faster internet service.\n\n\nThat frequency is transmitted in small spot beams that will cover parts of sub-Saharan Africa.\n\n\nThe Amos-6 will provide service to the orange spot beams depicted in the photo. By transmitting the frequencies in a lot of small spot beams that cover an area, instead of one large spot beam, the transmittance is more powerful.\n\n\nUsers that fall within one of these small spot beams will receive the internet if they have a satellite dish outside of their building and a modem inside connected to a computer.\n\n\nThe above photo is the equipment used in Europe for the KA-SAT satellite, but users in Africa will have a different dish and modem setup that has not been determined yet.\n\n\nThe dish outside the building will receive and transmit data back and forth with the satellite.\n\n\nIt is unclear who will be supplying the dish to the buildings, but Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page, \"We're going to work with local partners across these regions to help communities begin accessing internet services provided through satellite.\"\n\nMore: Features Eutelsat Facebook Satellites", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8435186743736267}
{"content": "Glass Bead\n\n\nGlass Bead, an international research platform and journal, presents their project from the perspective of previous work and future plans. Considering art to be crucial for the invention of vehicles able to navigate among heterogeneous and changing epistemic landscapes, Glass Bead aims to bring disparate practices and ideas together in order to design complex transits between and within them. Although drawing inspiration from Herman Hesse’s novel, Glass Bead does not however incarnate its fiction. Glass Bead is engaged with the politics of knowledge: its generation, its expression, and its reception. Detached from any reference to the game as an overarching formula, Glass Bead works in immanent relation to the material dynamics shaping knowledge (i.e. morphologies), as much as it works with the geometry of knowledge (i.e. epistemologies).", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9862071871757507}
{"content": "AromaTouch Technique\n\nThe AromaTouch Technique is a clinical approach to applying essential oils in a very safe and effective way, producing consistent and measurable results. The oils used in the AromaTouch Technique have been selected for their individual characteristics and their ability to blend synergistically. These oils target stress management, immune support, inflammatory response, and homeostasis. Oils are applied to the back and the feet to create a feeling of overall wellness.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9997106194496155}
{"content": "INTERVIEW: Honda's Stance On Self-Driving Is One Gearheads Will Love\n\nHonda tell us why robots won't take over its cars and what it thinks about a new Civic Hybrid.\n\nAt the 2016 Paris Motor Show we spoke with Honda at length about the Civic Hatchback and the Type R prototype. But those two cars weren't the only topic of discussion during our roundtable interview with Civic head engineer Mitsuru Kariya. In between talk of AWD vs. FWD and the race to squeeze as much power out of small turbocharged engines as possible, both autonomous driving and eco-friendly cars came up. When it comes to autonomous driving, Honda wants to ensure there’s still room for humans to take the wheel.\n\n“We surely believe in autonomous driving. It will come, definitely. But we believe, and we hope, that there will always remain a certain partition of driving by yourself,” Kariya-san said. The idea of a partition between robots and humans is one that really appeals to us and is something gearheads desperately want to hear automakers say when it comes to self-driving cars. When you want to drive you should be able to, and the car shouldn't hold anything back. We suspect that Kariya-san will push for the joy of driving to be preserved. He said the 10th-generation Civic’s “dynamic performance” was the aspect of the car he’s most proud of. You can’t really experience dynamic driving when a robot is calling the shots.\n\nWhen it comes to the eco-friendly future of cars, Honda thinks much like Toyota. That is to say that both Japanese automakers see hydrogen fuel cells as the future, not EVs or hybrids. However, Kariya-san knows that electrification is the way forward in the short term. “As a long term future, we still believe, as we have been communicating all the time, our long-term propulsion system is still the fuel cell. From an efficiency point of view, from pollution point of view, from a performance point of view, from habit of handling point of view, from a practicality point of can just recharge in minutes. However, until that comes to be normal, and it’s still a long way, electrification is a very important aspect.”\n\nHonda currently offers the Accord Hybrid and is planning to launch the Clarity Fuel Cell Vehicle sometime before the end of 2016. But its eco-friendly past is checkered. Both the Fit EV and the CR-Z hybrid hatchback lived short, uneventful lives. (RIP to the Insight as well.) That being said the Civic was previously offered as a hybrid. Is a revival in the works? “Talking about the current 10th-generation Civic platform, that platform is designed to incorporate a hybrid system. Although at the moment there’s no plan for a hybrid model. But it is designed to incorporate such a system. It was designed at the beginning to do so. But we’re ready, it just depends on the market. We believe in the future of electrification,” Kariya-san stated.\n\nTo us that sounds like a Civic Hybrid is in the beginning stages of being brought to life. Why would you design the Civic to incorporate such technology if you had no plans of implementing it? Honda is likely doing market studies to see where a hybrid Civic, plug-in hybrid and EV would do best. Here’s hoping that at least one variant of the Honda Civic Hybrid has a little Acura NSX in it, just to keep the whole dynamic performance feeling alive.\n\nRelated Cars\n\nStarting MSRP\n\nLatest News\n\nHonda Civic Sedan\nStarting MSRP", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5840030908584595}
{"content": "With so many excellent political films out there, I found it impossible to implement them all into my ‘5 Favourite Overtly Political Films‘ list. So, let’s have a look at some more fantastic political movies:\n\nA Clockwork Orange (1971)\n\nA Clockwork\n\nIs Kubrick the best director ever? Yep. A Clockwork Orange is just one of a number of highlights in his incredible career. This story about free will, based on Anthony Burgess’ novel of the same name, is a daunting, shocking, horrific, yet often hilarious delve into the mind of a psychopathic youth, who, despite his evil nature, turns out to be the unlikeliest of heroes. Whilst we shouldn’t support a murderous rapist, our loyalties are intelligently played with, as we begin to resent a society who suppresses the voices, no matter how awful, of its members.\n\nAlex, Malcolm McDowell’s defining role, is one of the greatest ever anti-heroes. Despite his raping, stealing and ‘ultraviolence’, this deranged teenager still manages to evoke sympathy. Despite his evil, he remains a source of humour. This humour mostly comes through the strange ‘Nadsat’ language, created by Burgess, which is essentially a strange mixture of Russian and English. Just look at this:\n\n\nOkay, yes, Alex is the definition of ‘evil piece of shit’. Buuuuuuut, he’s, well, hilarious and exudes tonnes of charisma. His language is absurd. Our loyalties shouldn’t lie with him but they do. Alex, after a botched effort at rape, is arrested and trialled under a new program. He is to have his desensitisation to violence reversed. He will literally be sick at the sight of violence. The film is a moral conundrum. Do you support the removal of free will for the public’s safety? Is that a greater violation than Alex’s? It reminds me of A Brave New World. Whilst they do remove societal issues and make life better, aren’t these issues part of living? Part of life is making mistakes and growing. Alex is evil but he learns his lesson.\n\nWe must give even the evilest amongst us the chance to redeem themselves. Whilst Alex is a bad person, humanity shines through. In a world where we are under constant surveillance and are constantly judged this message does ring true. You have to give people a chance. In the movie, ambiguity is used to create uneasiness about Alex’s future. However, the book wraps things up. After the government are forced to return Alex to his usual self he willingly chooses to shy away from violence as he is a more mature person now. We all make mistakes, and if Alex can overcome his demons, then surely we all deserve to be treated fairly. An eye for an eye is never the right answer to an issue.\n\nKes (1969)\n\n\nI spoke of Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake in my other list of political films. However, when talking of politicism and Loach it would be wrong not to discuss Kes. Although he had previously directed Cathy Come Home in 1966, this is the film that catalysed the emergence of Loach, granting him a lengthy and illustrious career. This movie was essentially the offspring of the British New Wave, the first true period of overtly political British cinema. Kes, while by no means the first of its kind, has still become an essential part of British cinematic history.\n\nThis film displays the class divide and lack of opportunities for Northerners. Billy Casper has been demeaned his whole life, never given any kind of motivation. He is bullied and shunned at home by his mother and brother and belittled and pushed around at school by his teachers. However, he begins training a kestrel, ‘Kes’, a symbol of freedom and hope, attempting to expand his life beyond the confines of his birthplace. He doesn’t merely want to capitulate and accept the seemingly inevitable industrialist work he seems deemed to inherit. However, despite his best efforts, his dreams are dashed. His brother, who has accepted his fate, murders Kes. The film is symbolic of the lack of opportunities for those in industrialised Northern areas. The film is given a humanist feel by being delivered through the eyes of a young boy. He has done no wrong, yet is ill-treated and stands no chance at achieving his optimistic ambitions.\n\nThis film is still incredibly relevant to modern political concerns. The issue of the South being favoured over the North is still a prevalent one. With politicians promising a ‘Northern Powerhouse’, there is an acknowledgement of the issue, but it doesn’t look like being resolved. Poverty is still a huge issue, even in the so-called ‘developed’ world. Loach perfectly captured the pessimistic attitudes of those born into industrialised, near poverty stricken areas. Opportunities are scarce for many, but some have it worse than others. Billy can try as hard as he wants to soar and escape his harsh and gritty environment, but like Kes, he will always be tethered.\n\nCity of God (2002)\n\nCity of God.png\n\nCity of God is one of the most gritty and real portrayals of true poverty.  Few films have so ambitiously tackled the subject of crime and squalor with such vividness and intimacy. One of the main reasons for this authentic feel is the use of real slum inhabitants in the film and the use of a genuine slum. This is poverty. Although City of God is sleekly directed and produced this is as raw as cinema can get, and is an important call to arms. We must all face the poverty which, while hidden from us in the backstreets and dingy areas of even the most glamorous cities, is undoubtedly there.\n\nCity of God is an informative exercise for Western audiences and a huge subversion of our expectations. It is masterfully crafted, so much so that without the setting and actors it could be mistaken for a Western film. We don’t see cinema with Brazilian actors, and we definitely do not see a slum used as the setting. This intelligently grasps a non-Brazilian audience. In many ways, it does not feel distinctly Brazilian, but more universal. Poverty is a universal issue, not just one unique to Brazil, and it is not so alien to us as we might think despite the subtle differences. Children being involved in gangs, drug wars, fights for territory and gun violence, whilst maybe issues more common amongst the poverty stricken slums of Rio de Janeiro are issues that could arise anywhere. Like Mathieu Kassovitz’ La Haine, City of God, whilst technically a Brazilian film, does not have to be viewed from a solely Brazilian perspective.\n\nCity of God is crucial in conveying the universality of poverty. By making a film that works effectively for Westerners they effectively translated their message. We must all fight the poverty on our doorsteps. If we don’t fight this issue then there will be a neverending cycle of crime, like the one in the film. A gang dies, a new one instantaneously takes up the mantle. This is like poverty. A child is born into poverty, their children into poverty, and on we go. Without an acceptance of these horrific issues, which can happen even in richer parts of countries, like Rio de Janeiro, we can never combat them. City of God makes sure we stare this issue in the face.\n\nA Separation (2011)\n\nA Separation\n\nIf I haven’t convinced you by now that I’m a fan of Iranian cinema then I never will. Iranian films which reach the West are almost always political allegory. A Separation, whilst slightly more unsubtle than other Iranian efforts, keeps up this allegorical tradition. It’s a fascinating portrait of how women are treated in comparison to their male counterparts. The hyperreligiosity in Iranian society and the attitudes towards women are heavily critiqued. This Oscar-winning film is a standout political movie from a country lauded for its cinematic politicism.\n\nA Separation documents the difficulty women face in forging their own paths or garnering any respect from males. Simin unsuccessfully attempts to divorce her husband, Nader, not for lack of love, but for her want to leave Iran to get their daughter away from oppression. This emphasises the societal issues in Iran. Women get so little respect that a mother feels her child incapable of thriving as a person in such an environment. On top of this issue is the problem of Nader’s father. A common theme in Iranian cinema is the old oppressing the young. Nader’s father is senile and the reason Nader refuses to leave Tehran. He therefore metaphorically serves as a representation of the clouded frame of mind of the old regime and is a barrier halting the young from prosperous lives. His carer, Razieh, is a pregnant woman and is criticised both for her decision to work and her decision to assist a male, regardless of his senility. She is even beaten for her actions by her husband and shoved by Nader. Women have so few liberties. They cannot make decisions for themselves and are forever tied to their husbands, who control them.\n\nA Separation hammers home the problems Iranian women face. In no aspects of their lives are they treated as equals. They are merely there to bear children, not to have their own identities and ambitions. They are the tools of their husbands, made to be subservient by their societal treatment. Their daughter is representative of a potentially hopeful future, she is smart, emotionally intelligent, but lacks confidence. If she could have respect bestowed upon her then she may just gain the motivation to defy society and become an independent and strong woman. However, as long as the archaic old regime survives, this will never materialise.\n\nLeviathan (2014)\n\nCorruption destroys the house\n\nLeviathan is an epic and crushing tale, conveying the havoc the powerful wreak upon the weak. This pessimistic portrait of societal oppression is symbolic of the destruction thrust upon the innocent by authority figures. No matter who you are or the nature of your personality, you are always vulnerable to the demands of those with more money and more power than yourself. Whether they be a religious figure, like the corrupt vicar, or a political figure like the mayor, those in possession of money can always be influenced towards a life of dishonesty.\n\nLeviathan charts the inevitable downfall of a normal, hard working, honest family who attempts to stand firm against the demands of the powerful. The land this honest family possess is desired by a corrupt mayor. Despite Nikolai gaining the help of his savvy lawyer friend Dmitri, his family is still torn apart at the seams. Those with power will always have their way. Mayor Vadim intimidates and blackmails, splitting the family up, using his money and influence to have his way. He is merely a short, fat, pathetic, unimpressive man. However, like all powerful figures, he has strong, young individuals at his disposal. No matter how hard the family fight they could never fend off the powerful, and their house, a symbol of their respectable lives is quite literally destroyed. There is no such thing as a peaceful life in a world controlled by greedy, selfish patriarchs. Vadim does not see these people as individuals as they aren’t high-ranking like himself.\n\nLeviathan is social commentary, commenting on the state of Russian society. Putin is a bully, and like all bullies, he takes what he wants regardless of the comments of others. As Putin encroaches on Ukrainian land, Vadim encroaches on private property. No matter what level the corruption occurs at, the strong will always beat the weak into submission. No matter where corruption occurs the results are always the same. In a capitalist world, all that matters is your money. The most virtuous among us will fall if they refuse to strive for gain. As Trump, Putin, May and Jong-un show, you can be detestable, but if you have money your character flaws are rendered irrelevant.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9619715809822083}
{"content": "A mystery light explosion in the sky has led to fears of an explosion or a sonic boom having taken place.\n\nThe loud bang was heard at approximately 11pm on Sunday evening at dozens of homes in Manchester, with an image shared shortly afterwards on social media showing a large plume of smoke coming from Buile Hill Park in Salford.\n\nGreater Manchester Police (GMP) and the fire service were called to the scene, but found nothing when they arrived.\n\nThe explosion has remained a mystery, with some questioning whether it could have been a sonic boom or firework going off, after the fire service and police failed to give any explanation for it.\n\nA GMP spokesman said: “We were called at about 11.15pm last night to the Seedley area of Salford, to reports of a loud bang.\n\n“We found nothing untoward to explain. We have gone along locally to make enquiries and not come across anything to explain it.”\n\nGreater Manchester Fire Service said they received two calls from members of the public in Salford regarding a loud bang.\n\nBut following investigations, they could not find anything that would have been the source of the noise and advised callers it was \"nothing to worry about\", reports the Manchester Evening News .\n\nThe origin of the loud bang continues to baffle residents, with some claiming it felt like a gas explosion.\n\nOne Twitter user wrote: “Any news about the huge explosion sound an hour ago near Davyhulme? It shook all the houses here, sounded like a gas explosion.”\n\nMichelle Mott posted on Facebook: “It sounded exactly like an industrial firework to me. If it was set off in Buile Hill park then that is up a hill that has a panoramic view of Salford, Trafford, etc as far as the eye can see. Any loud bang up there would travel miles especially with it being night time.”\n\nOthers have suggested the noise was a sonic boom which occurs when an object travels faster than the speed of sound.\n\nDarren Wells wrote: “It’s clearly a noise generated from an aircraft. It’s a sonic boom, aircraft possibly underneath radar and breaking sound barrier.”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9036312699317932}
{"content": "The officers shall say to the army: “Has anyone built a new house and not yet begun to live in it? Let him go home . . . Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? Let him go home . . . Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him go home . . . Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home …” Deuteronomy 20:5-8\n\nWhile military service was compulsory, there were exemptions given on four grounds. The first three were domestic concerns: home, establishing future provision, and family. God considered these valid reasons not to enlist and must have excluded a large number of men. However, it also emphasises the point that Israel didn’t need a large army, because they were trusting God for victory.\n\n\nThe fourth exemption is a little curious, “Is anyone afraid?” and the reason given is: “so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too.” Being a discouragement was reason to stay home! The Israelite army was often lacking in personal and equipment, so it was important that their trust in God, wasn’t compromised by a discouraging person.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7037832736968994}
{"content": "Essay Family Synthesis\n\n\nA good conclusion should do a few things:\n\n  • Restate your thesis\n  • Synthesize or summarize your major points\n  • Make the context of your argument clear\n\nRestating Your Thesis\n\n\n\nSummary or Synthesis\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nExplanatory essays\n\nExplanatory essay belongs to the family of synthesis essays, therefore, the goal of explanatory essay is to explain a certain topic, phenomenon or a subject in a particular manner. The objective of explanatory essays is to present the descriptive information in an orderly, clear and succinct manner. To achieve the goal and objective the writer has to carry out proper synthesis of the existing sources, opinions, ideas, facts, and findings on the given topic and subsequently present it in a form of an explanatory essay. Since explanatory essay calls for preliminary synthesis of material and information that will be presented in the paper in an understandable and orderly manner,  the writer must choose how to break down the subject of the essay into constituent parts, that will be explored, researched, and analyzed, and based on the preliminary synthesis, put in the final version of the explanatory essay.\n\nExplanatory essay requires explanations and supportive materials (facts, findings, data, quotes) so that the audience always understands everything from the beginning to the very end. This type of essay calls for objective explanation, therefore, it should not include unverified information, and should not be based on the writer’s personal opinion. If the writer considers his opinion to be of great importance, it is possible to include that opinion in the paragraph just prior to the conclusion, and note why this opinion matters and why it should be included. Otherwise, explanatory essay has a typical structure that most other essays have.\n\nIntroduction of explanatory essay.\n\nThe introduction of an explanatory essay sets the stage and explains what the paper (body part) will be about. It introduces the topic, the sub-topics, and the constituent parts that will be subsequently explored in the paper. Although there is no formal restriction, but generally an introduction should be limited to 5-7 sentences only.\n\nBody of explanatory essay.\n\nThe body part of the explanatory essay directly addresses the topic and supports all facts and opinions with quotes and references. It is important to rely on the verified, quality, academic sources. The information should be presented in an unequivocal, unbiased and professional manner. There is no need to need to cover different points of view, so unlike, for instance, in argumentative papers, it is possible to focus on only those facts and references that support your position and explain the given topic, phenomenon or subject without having to mention contentious views and different opinions.\n\nConclusion of explanatory essay.\n\nThe conclusion of an explanatory essay summarizes what was said in the body part of the essay. This is where it looks similar to other types of essays. There is no restriction as to the length of a conclusion, but the rule of thumb is that it should not be over 10 sentences. What is more important, no new information should be presented in the conclusion. Conclusion of an explanatory essay only summarizes the findings that are already explained in the body part of the essay. professional writers can help you with your explanatory essay. We work since 2003 and our professional writers can write a successful essay. Do not procrastinate, order explanatory essay now!\n\nCategories: 1\n\n0 Replies to “Essay Family Synthesis”\n\nLeave a comment\n\nL'indirizzo email non verrà pubblicato. I campi obbligatori sono contrassegnati *", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9894509315490723}
{"content": "Theme: June Barebones\n\n\n.Mineral; Booba x Nejma Collection\n\nWhen French artist Booba joined forces with the Nejma collection, worlds of beauty and music are fused, the outcome – a rich and powerful scent that depicts the strong presence of the rapper.\n\nThe brand new scent was made alongside the perfumer, Alice Lavenat, to fuse luxury and modernity together. KoEptYs, is a sensual and aromatic scent inspired the French artist Booba. Not only did the rapper inspire the scent, he was also closely involved with the creative process, bringing passion and excitement to the project. \n\nKey-Visual-1The eau de parfum opens up with notes of incense, cinnamon and pepper that gives it a signature kick. The perfume then opens up to a floral, woody heart to dry down with notes of vanilla and patchouli. Together, this creates an addictive, rich, sensual and powerful smell that will transport you to a different time. \n\nThe packaging of the perfume leaves you entranced as it stirs away from the traditional gold star Nejma’s perfumes are known for. The alternating upper and lower case in it’s name highlight the word ‘Key’, as a reference to street culture that has been a major influence to the French rapper, which has been a major influence on his life and music. Booba has sold over 10 million records worldwide, and has collaborated with P Diddy and Akon cementing his place as the most downloaded artist in French history. \n\nFlacon+etui Nejma Koeptys\n\nMarie Lise Bischoff, the creator of Najma perfumes, is a visionary who coined the concept of unique and innovative scents that recreates a memory for its wearer. Her aim was to create a fragrance signature, recreate a memory or to just feel desirable. The perfume launches exclusively at Selfridges, you can get your hands on it here.\n\n.Get Involved\n\nPopups Powered By :", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7546834349632263}
{"content": "Advanced Search\n\n\nThe Intermediate Area includes objects from the modern countries of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. Works in the Gardiner Museum’s collection are mostly from chiefdoms located on the the Pacific side of these countries although there are a few from the Atlantic watershed areas. Known for their ceramics, cultures from the Intermediate Area also worked extensively with a gold alloy known as Tumbaga. The time period of these objects span just under 2000 years from about 200BC to AD 1550.\nCultures include the Cocle, Nicoya, Diquis, Veraguas and others.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999942779541016}
{"content": "Thursday, December 22, 2011\n\nThe Adventures of Tintin\n\nThe negative criticisms I have read about The Adventures of Tintin —that it's dramatically shallow and that it's all surface, etc.— don't resonate much with me. While these observations may be true, that doesn't detract from the movie. It's supposed to be dramatically shallow. To borrow Keith Uhlich's phrase, \"But what surface!\" This a straight-up adventure yarn, cut to the bone. While this kind of fare may not hold the interest of more serious film types, I lament for their sake. Cinema, apart from offering an array of avenues into the deepest of human feeling and experience, also gives us simpler pleasures, such as a childlike exhilaration of motion. Steven Spielberg has long been a purveyor of these base components of movies and here he explores them via digital animation, which is especially conducive to his classical compositional style.\n\nThe chief complaint lodged at Tintin that I am more inclined to accept is that it rarely slows down. It moves through its scenes as well as the overall plot at such a high pace that I wish I could have soaked it all in just a bit more. This is what separates it from its elder brother in the Spielberg canon, Raiders of the Lost Ark, which can count pacing and rhythm among its many strokes of genius. Despite these elements being slightly off-kilter in Tintin, there is something to be said for a movie like this that is succinct and direct, as opposed to so much of the bloated spectacle representing today's blockbusters.\n\nPartially making up for the pacing problems is a flurry of wonderful small moments, ranging from Captain Haddock's animated outrages to Snowy's (Tintin's loyal dog) playful interactions both central and aside from the main action. There is nothing about Tintin that will bol you over with its awesome power, other than the shear energy of movement. It's all in the detail, both technically and in content. Jamie Bell holds his own voicing/acting a one-dimensional hero, but the real achievement here is Andy Serkis' performance as the alcoholic Haddock. I was surprised with how well his addiction was portrayed, particularly given that it walks a fine line with the humor. But Serkis and Spielberg poetically capture the sadness of addiction through Haddock's opposing but (sometimes simultaneous) expressions of reckless confidence and intense self-loathing. I was surprisingly moved by Tintin's discovery that Haddock had been drinking again after a short period of soberness and how he handles it. It's the little moments of humanity that —despite being irrelevant to the main plot that rockets along so fast— are most affecting about this film. Yes, it would be nice to see more of these moments take the forefront and the always-moving adventure take a backseat. Nevertheless, we are seeing the evolution of a medium in small doses, each offering a glimpse into the extraordinary visions of which it is capable of realizing. If you're into that shallow kind of thing, of course. (Steven Spielberg, 2011) ***\n\n[A note on the 3-D presentation: I was planning to see the film in glorious 2-D, but the listing on the web was incorrect and so I was stuck with 3-D. I am a fairly vocal detractor of 3-D, but I should give Spielberg and co. props for the smoothest 3-D presentation I have seen. Having said that, I still do not feel as though I can take in the images fully with 3-D. It's just such a strain. So while Tintin has some of the best 3-D I have seen, I was still incredibly frustrated that I couldn't fully appreciate the atmosphere and geography of Spielberg's compositions. I look forward to seeing the movie in my preferred 2-D format on DVD.]\n\nThursday, November 3, 2011\n\nWar Horse\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMonday, October 24, 2011\n\nAlmost Still Famous\n\nPearl Jam Twenty spans the two-decade-long journey of the other musical act from Seattle. Setting out to author the definitive account of Pearl Jam’s formation and endurance, director and long-time fan Cameron Crowe infuses the project with a breadth of knowledge as well as an appreciation for a band whose influence, he believes, speaks beyond dwindling record sales in recent years. Indeed, few would deny the historical significance of Pearl Jam as a moniker for the rise of grunge (despite the fact that the band would reject the term), but Crowe’s work frames the band at the center of a changing music and cultural scene from the 1990s into the 2000s. Pearl Jam Twenty features extensive interviews with band members and other folks tied to the history of the band. Wrapped within its travelogue of concert footage and behind-the-scenes video are various threads tied to band’s rise and prominence, from its bonds and performances with 1960s music legends such as Neil Young and Pete Townsend, to Andy Rooney’s ignorant rambling about modern teen angst. In Crowe’s vision, these details are integral to how Pearl Jam endures and why their story resonates as one of survival and integrity in the presently grim state of rock.\n\nThe film opens in Crowe’s hometown of Seattle with nary a mention of Pearl Jam. Crowe narrates over skyline shots that shift to ground level, humming to the furious guitar chords that would epitomize the underground Seattle rock scene. It is here that, as he sees it, music lovers convened over a mutual thirst for a new sound. Taking his time to establish a context for the formation of Pearl Jam, Crowe gives particular attention to the demise of Mother Love Bone, whose decidedly hair band sound contrasts heavily with the more soulful anthems for which Pearl Jam became famous. Guitarists Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament guide us through a personal journey of their frontman’s tragic death from substance abuse. This set a solemn tone for a band that would eventually conquer music and remain continually wary of the fame that would follow. But it only achieved that status with the entrance of a vocalist named Eddie Vedder, to whom they gave a chance in what became their defining moment.\n\nWhether these early scenes accurately portray these events or their wider significance is practically irrelevant. Pearl Jam Twenty’s assured opening passages establish it as equal parts a profile of the band and a personal journey for the director. Thus, how Crowe sees the band is arguably more revealing than what’s revealed from and about the band. And from the outset, Crowe is unafraid to express his enthusiasm as well as his knowledge of Pearl Jam and rock in general.\n\nThe notion of Crowe as a student of rock strikes a familiar chord. His 2000 semi-autobiographical feature Almost Famous depicted the rock and roll scene of the late 1960’s from the perspective of an aspiring music journalist who accompanies a band on the road. The intimate narration in the early-going of Pearl Jam Twenty echoes the quixotic but pained vision of rock culture that Almost Famous cultivated, as expressed through the fictitious band Stillwater’s frontman, Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup). Crowe’s entry point into Pearl Jam as both an enthusiast of rock and a giddy fan of the band bears strong similarities to that of the naïve teenager from Almost Famous. Crowe fawns over Eddie Vedder, painting in enigmatic, poetic tones in effort to put him on the pedestal of rock greats. Crowe elegantly captures the performer’s inner demons and impassioned stage presence, but the film becomes so transfixed with him that both its focus on the personal stories of the band members and its wider plunge into the cultural landscape that Pearl Jam found itself resting on top of somewhat suffers. To be sure, the sight of Vedder dangling some 50 feet above the stage is a brilliant image unto itself, but Crowe lionizes Vedder to such an extent that he renders himself unable to really explore the singer’s inner workings. By extension, the unique brand of observation and personal admiration somewhat morphs into Behind-The-Music territory with its strained rest on Vedder’s reflections.\n\nFrom Vedder’s introduction onward, Pearl Jam Twenty swiftly navigates the post-mania stage of the band’s popularity, charting its appearance on Capitol Hill to fight Ticketmaster to Vedder’s hot-and-cold relationship with Kurt Cobain. Crowe attempts to balance these points in the band’s history with the performers’ own weighty reflections on fame, success, and (of course) mortality. He also tries to connect all of this to various things outside the band, from a chronicle of Vedder’s on-stage political statements to one inspired shot of David Lynch. And although these components are efficiently deployed, the film frequently feels hurried, as if it must hit every point on a checklist of topics in what ultimately amounts to a “How They Got Together and Stayed Together” narrative. Which is why for all its stylistic and visual flair—which includes some sensational concert footage—Pearl Jam Twenty is more conventional than it aspires and ought to be. The Kids Are Alright or The Last Waltz it is not.\n\nBut underneath the stubbornly straightforward presentation of the band’s 20 years together is another far more worthwhile story. As noted previously, Pearl Jam’s impact on and role in the transformation of popular music in the early 1990s is undeniable. But Pearl Jam Twenty eschews this narrative by suggesting that the band’s longevity and integrity have distinguished them in the current, fractured age of culture and music. The implications for this are touched on briefly but in a broader sense capture the overall sentiments of the film. Over 20 years, a band that started as a leading voice in the pulse of music became essentially an independent brand, isolated from the increasingly corporatized face of the music industry. Crowe’s focus on the band’s own feelings and reflections dilutes this story and also prevents him from making a direct case as to the significance of Pearl Jam’s music. But the film’s life comes from how Crowe distills his deep love for and knowledge of rock into a nostalgic tribute to a less tangible idea. For Crowe, Pearl Jam stands for something. Not a political statement or moral cause (though the band has offered plenty of those). Rather, in Crowe’s account, Pearl Jam is one of the last purveyors of rock, which is as much a concept as it is a practice.\n\nIf Pearl Jam Twenty suffers from straining to account for various points of view, then it excels as an account of personal idealism. The film’s final moments capture this elegantly, taking a single performance of the song “Alive” and intercutting various clips of the band’s performances over the years into a charged montage of music and motion. Whatever one’s feelings may be on Pearl Jam’s music—an amalgam of styles and periods in American rock—Crowe’s film is a veiled ode to rock and roll and a testament to that euphoric feeling of connecting with music, be it through a single song or a band that endures for two decades.\n\n[Article originally posted at The House Next Door.]\n\nMonday, September 19, 2011\n\nA fallen star of late-night\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWednesday, September 7, 2011\n\nOn chaos and classicism\n\n\n\nStork explains:\n\n\n\n\nSays Grey:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFriday, August 12, 2011\n\n\"Film for film's sake\"\n\nVariations of this phrase have flowed through critical discussions for some time. Though I lack a solid grasp of what it means for something to be \"for its own sake,\" I think of the phrase as essentially another way of putting the cliche, \"All style and no substance,\" albeit with a less negative connotation. But what does it mean to suggest that a film doesn't have substance (whatever that is), or that it is an exercise in \"form over content\"? Many critics have pondered this over the years. The question seems to express of the most basic curiosities about cinema, specifically how a film works and what the relationship is between story and image.\n\nRecently I watched Martin Scorsese's After Hours (1985), and I started to think about this question after reading commentaries about the film. I suppose I shouldn't hold it against critics for not knowing how to situate something like After Hours within the director's filmography (especially during the 1980's, when it hadn't yet emerged fully into focus). Nevertheless, the general narrative that emerged about the film was that it represented Scorsese's attempt to blow off some steam without any clear intent or guiding principle. From what I've read, Scorsese made the film to prove to himself and others that great filmmaking was inert to him, like a language through which he required only its most basic tools. There are a number of recurring motifs and visual cues in the film, but they seem to operate without the goal of offering a statement or even an underlying idea. After Hours is not simply the story of a man who has a bad night, or who has that bad night because of a particular bad choice he made. Nor does the movie seem to be the alternative, i.e. a random chain of unfortunate events for this one gentleman who simply wants to go home but encounters resistance with every step he takes toward doing so. That's why the movie seems to exist for its own sake.\n\nYet, even though After Hours does not seem to have \"substance\" in the traditional sense, its \"style,\" or narration, is with clear purpose and meticulous design. This is evident from the opening shot swinging fast through the office of New York high rise, to the frequent juxtapositions of festishized close-ups and long-shots of street alleys or stairwells. There are mysteries to this film that work beautifully in the context of the film's visual palette and equally well as evocative images in their own right. And often the same images are alluded to and re-emphasized in obscure ways over and over again. Paper mache figures, beams of light cutting through empty city streets, long stairwells, keys, huge windows, and a curious Mister Softee truck. It's like Scorsese layered these images with only visual unity in mind, even though the images themselves have no relation to each other.\n\nScorsese spins this seemingly directionless film into a virtuoso work that begs to be interpreted and given some kind of greater meaning. Each scene presents a new vignette of a person, a place, an interaction, each which is as connected to another vignette as it is disconnected. And although I kept searching for some kind of meaning or idea to which I could attach the feelings I experienced watching the film, After Hours works so well because it eschews broader concepts and themes. Maybe that's the strongest statement to emerge from the film.\n\nIt's worth noting that After Hours so often is displaced in the conversation about Martin Scorsese and his films. Within his filmography, it doesn't seem to have a place. Yes, it contains signatures that can be identified as staples in the filmmaker's work, but there is little evidence in this film of the preoccupations that guide so many other of his movies. (Scorsese himself has helped facilitate the narrative of his own legend, frequently noting his connection to mob movies, or, as he calls them, gangster pictures. Thus, it somehow seemed as fitting as it was hollow that his industry validation would arrive with the 2006 Best Director/Picture winner, The Departed.) While Scorsese's historical and cultural interests are bared more clearly through the easily connected narrative similarities across the films he has made, his real talents as a filmmaker have always been capturing subtle eccentricities in performances and creating images of urgent beauty. Nowhere in his long career is this more on open display than in After Hours. More than most other movies that proudly lay claim to providing an \"exercise in style,\" or an experimental assembling of disparate images and sounds, After Hours leaves you to wonder just what it is about cinema that is so affecting and how you are so enamored by it.\n\nWednesday, August 10, 2011\n\nThe evolution of Woody Allen\n\nWoody Allen once said something to the effect that if one of his films performed well at the box office, he must have done something wrong. Few of Allen's films have achieved the financial success of which he has been so skeptical. Even Annie Hall, despite it going on to tackle Star Wars at the Academy Awards, fared only modestly in its box office returns. Allen's latest, Midnight in Paris, recently became the director's top-grossing effort and —at roughly $50 million in box office returns— must be considered one of the big surprises of the summer movie season. Some pundits may attribute this to the cast of Hollywood heavyweights, including Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams. But Woody Allen has always managed to attract big name actors, and Midnight in Paris is no different in this regard. So what do high box office number say about a filmmaker who has famously rejected the corporate side of his industry?\n\nThis question got me thinking about Woody Allen and his films, particularly his most recent work. Much has been written about the director, from his penchant for psychoanalysis and existential questions, as well as his emulating of Federico Fellini and Ingmar Bergman. But very little attention has been paid to the filmmaker's recent work and how how it reflects on the his career and sensibilities as a filmmaker. In light of Midnight in Paris's unexpected run this audiences this summer, now is as good a time as any to take a closer look at Allen's directorial sensibilities through the prism of his recent output.\n\nIn the late 1970's and 1980's, Woody Allen was on the forefront of American auteurs, along with Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Altman, and Martin Scorsese. His public persona was that of a New York intellectual with a biting sense of humor and a neurotic screen persona. Some would argue that Allen regards the characters in his films with a disdainful eye. This is channeled through the main protagonist (often played by Allen) or in how the filmmaker writes and frames characters. However, despite what appears to be a cynical outlook, many of his films offer a distinct kind of lyricism to which little attention has been paid in writing about Allen. While he has long been preoccupied with existential questions and the illogical nature of life and love, Allen has balanced this outlook of humanity with a sense of hope and wish fulfillment in spite of his own persistent acknowledgement of the absurdity of such things. The Purple Rose of Cairo, for example, melds artifice and romanticism in what is essential a love letter to the magic of movies and to the fleeting innocence into which the movies invite us. Allen also delves headfirst into explicitly romantic and nostalgic imagery in Radio Days and Manhattan. Even in darker films is embedded a benevolence and longing for happiness and meaning. For example, Hannah and Her Sisters, despite offering its share of harsh observations on family dysfunction and communications, delivers an unexpectedly beautiful moment, when Allen's character, after a failed suicide attempt, goes to see the Marx Brothers film, Duck Soup. Upon seeing the elaborate set pieces of dancing and singing, Mickey has a profound realization of why life is worth living. These kinds of moments in Allen's films assert the filmmaker's belief that through all the struggles and illogical components, life offers joys and allows each of us to infuse it with the the meaning we wish for it.\n\nIn the past 20 years, Allen's public image changed dramatically and his relevance as a leading voice in American cinema has since waned. Despite his personal scandal involving Mia Farrow's adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn, Allen kept to his rigorous filmmaking schedule, averaging about one movie per year as he had done his whole career. After a few critical darlings in the mid-90's, like Bullets Over Broadway, Mighty Aphrodite, and Everyone Says I Love You, and a couple of overwhelmingly dark works, such as Husbands and Wives and Deconstructing Harry, Allen settled into a mold of predictable, harmless comedy that has cemented the general perception toward his recent work. This stretch roughly spanned 1998 to 2004 and included works such as Small Time Crooks, Hollywood Ending, The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, Anything Else, and Melinda and Melinda. These films seemed like a step back for Woody Allen, as if was tired of making serious or ambitious films. They seemed almost like 90-minute versions of one of the director's comedic short stories or stand-up jokes. Tonally consistent with Allen's established visual and narrative style, these works are largely anemic and absent of the humor and observation that characterized so many of his previous works. I must admit I find a few of these works to be moderately enjoyable, such as Jade Scorpion and Melinda and Melinda, but this period cemented Allen's new image as withered, aged man still pumping out movie after movie just to keep busy.\n\nAllen regained the attention of both his critics and critics at large with Match Point, which was considered something of a departure from his recent lighter fare and a return to old thematic threads in the director's oeuvre. Set in Great Britain and featuring a young cast, the film doesn't look like your typical Allen film. But those familiar with the filmmaker's sensibilities had little trouble identifying traits that were undeniably Allen. Match Point is an examination of class structures, chance, and sexual desire, among other things. Allen's aesthetic and narrative preoccupations have been more akin to those of Alfred Hitchcock in more ways than is typically acknowledged, and Match Point revitalizes these preoccupations with clarity. Woodyphiles often jokingly refer to it as a remake of Crimes and Misdemeanors, in that it tells the story of a man having an affair, who, upon faced with losing his status, arranges for the murder of his mistress. But this assessment is somewhat unfair, particularly in light of how differently the films deal with their similar plots. Where Crimes and Misdemeanors dealt more directly with Judah Rosenthal's (Martin Landau) guilt and his realization that he needed to protect his privileged status, Match Point depicts a young man, Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys-Myers), inches away from marrying into the protected British upper class who then meets and begins an affair with lower-class American woman, Nola (Scarlett Johansson). Both men are eventually faced with unstable women who threaten reveal their respective affairs.\n\nDespite these similarities, the differences between these two films are more notable. Crimes and Misdemeanors focuses on guilt and allows Judah to maintain distance from the murder of his mistress. In his exchange with Allen's character at the end of the film, Judah goes on to explain how the guilt is eventually lifted when he realizes he has a family and a life of wealth and privalage that make him happy. He moves on from the past, but he never appears to be at peace with it, despite recognizing that the eyes of God may not be watching him. Match Point, however, more explicitly probes the raw sexuality and violence of its proceedings. Social class is important to both films, but Match Point is not only more raw but more cynical, as it weaves this narrative around the basic thematic notion of chance. Chris kills Nola as well as an elderly neighbor in ugly fashion. And he gets away with it because he didn't properly dispose of all of the evidence. Thus, where Crimes and Misdemeanors acknowledges the ugliness of the world and of some people in it, the film is searching for some kind of answer. It asks questions about how a man can live with himself who has committed such heinous acts. And Match Point, with its analogy to tennis early in the film, uses this to serve up a punchline. It's not asking how a man can do this, but instead makes a point about the the absurdity of reason and the silliness of morality.\n\nExamining Crimes and Misdemeanors and Match Point side by side represents a good starting point for understanding how Woody Allen has changed in both his storytelling and filmmaking interests. Some more signs of both his evolution and repeated tendencies are evident in his latest entry, which also piqued the interests of audiences. Allen makes no such grand statements regarding the absurdity of life or the triviality of rigid morals with Midnight in Paris. Instead, he tells a simple story a struggling writer who retreats into a fantasy world of literary past. Like in Match Point, the central character, Gil (Owen Wilson) is detached from his lover and her family, except rather than being tempted by the sexual prowess of a woman he is entranced by a world populated with famous literary figures and icons of art. The more he slips into this world —Paris circa 1920's— Gil becomes more estranged from the established structures of his life. Eventually, he comes to the realization that romanticism can be a corrupting force and that to focus on the great works of the past blinds one's ability to live in the present. By the end, he breaks off his engagement and takes to the streets of Paris in a move of bold romanticism that never quite feels genuine given how the film fosters suspiciousness for it.\n\nStructurally and thematically, Match Point and Midnight in Paris serve as decent recapitulations of Allen's evolved style, which departs from some of his established tropes. Allen's most significant evolution (most significantly on display in Match Point) is that his films are more about the punchline. If you look at the endings of films Allen has directed in the last 10 to 12 years, most of cut to black after some kind of clever punchline mean to sum up the proceedings. Melinda and Melinda, Match Point, Cassandra's Dream, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger; they all end on a similarly dark humorous edge. In terms of his broader approach, Allen still jumps from serious dramas of murder and betrayal (such as Cassandra's Dream) to farcical absurdist comedies (like Scoop). In these works the subtle differences in Allen's sensibilities become more clear when comparing them to his older films. His sense of structuring remains consistent in that he frequently provides closure or some kind of grand statement. Late Allen, however is less searching and more concise, and arguably more cynical. He is clearly still preoccupied with many of the same questions as he has been his entire career, but the sense of benevolence and romanticism that marked earlier films is largely absent in his recent fare. Allen is much more skeptical of such things now, which is bluntly stated in Midnight in Paris. And Even Whatever Works, which adopts a more positive approach toward the meaninglessness of life, does so rather half-heartedly.\n\nWhere Allen's earlier films offered a more probing and longing for meaning (despite their acknowledgement that the universe inherently contains none). His earlier films were more in search of something. The time period drom Annie Hall to Crimes and Misdemeanors, in particular, Allen often told stories with many characters and packaged themes through network narratives. This afforded him much opportunity for the big ending, often through montage of images over dialogue or music that thematically weaves the many threads of a given film together. Allen's observations mostly represented his own sense of searching and desire for meaning and/or happiness.\n\nIn recent years, Allen has stayed within the same structural and thematic frameworks, but examination of his recent films shows how he has modified these elements over time. This has resulted in films that are more direct with their messages, less ambitious, and by turn more cynical. Also, Allen attempts to assume less of a role of master narrator and more intimately observes a smaller group of characters. He is most effective when he is in neither a specifically dramatic or comedic mode, but hovering somewhere in the middle. In these works, underneath Allen's predictable stylistic tendencies are intimate portraits of aching souls looking for direction and trying to grasp their own identities. The two recent films most emblematic of this trend are Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Midnight in Paris. The characters in these films gain some kind of clarity through their experiences in eccentrism (Vicky Cristina Barcelona) or fantasy (Midnight in Paris). They are searching for something that they don't quite understand. Yes, many of the same markers are still there (such as a the character trapped in a loveless marriage), but Allen appears more interested in the yearning of these characters, most of whom gain understanding of who they are not rather than who they are. Allen's tendency to wrap things up tidy is still present in his later works, along with a penchant for quick punchlines. But these are counterbalanced by a sense of closure that opens up more pathways and questions that the characters may not be ready to face. Thus, the best of these films achieve a level of subtle reflexivity with the interplay of more complex characters and the typical structural elements that have long defined Allen's films.\n\nIn addition, these films indicate Allen's evolution in bridging his aesthetic style with the characters. A good example of this is the heightened sense of sexuality in his newer films. Historically, Allen hadn't dealt with sex very well. Despite being preoccupied with it, Allen's visual senses have always been better suited for framing environments and locations rather than depicting the interaction of individual characters. But films like Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Match Point deftly visualize passionate, forbidden sense of sexuality. Allen shoots the sex scenes in sumptuous colors and lighting and forges an intimacy with the characters that he has never approached in the past. This heightened sense of intimacy is not just between characters but in how the characters are framed and presented to the viewer. This is a development in Allen's career that nary warrants a mention from critics but gives his films the feeling of being less distant and observational.\n\nAllen may always be a slave to his old traditions and sensibilities, but he has played with them and developed them in ways that has allowed him to achieve a more intimacy with his characters. He will likely never put out a film that radically rewrites our knowledge and grasp of his work. The steadfast (and some would say stubborn) consistency in Allen's work leaves the filmmaker open for criticism, but it also has fostered a legacy that few filmmakers will can ever achieve, especially when considering the range of narrative and filmmaking genres with which he was experimented. Some viewers have no doubt tired of his visual approach and talky characters, but a closer consideration of the underlying themes, concerns, and inquiries into life that characterize Allen's work reveal a director who is more interesting for how he tweaked and advanced these elements in various ways. Despite owing much to the writers, artists, and filmmakers he often cites in his work, Woody Allen has nonetheless crafted a style that is uniquely his own and that continues to evolve both in spite of and through the very consistencies that define his work.\n\nWednesday, August 3, 2011\n\nUp and running again\n\nIn a conversation about three months ago with a few close friends over the final Harry Potter film, we mutually decided to embark on a long project. We would convene once a week to watch the seven previous entries in the Potter film series in succession until the release of Deathly Hallows Part 2. We are all fans of the books and movies in various capacities, though I am probably in the minority for aligning more with the movies than the books. I've read maybe half of the novels and reasonably enjoyed them, but my interest was more with the movies. In attempting to articulate my positions on the films —like, for instance, why Prisoner of Azkaban, is the most evocative entry and a great film in its own right— I found myself thinking more about them and the surprisingly affecting mosaic they form. Perhaps realizing that very little serious reflection had been committed to these films, I had idea to write a series of essays. I don't know when exactly it came to me. Nor did I give it much thought. I just began penning reflections on the first film a day or two after watching it.\n\nTurns out that a two-year-plus hiatus from writing about movies left me with a good deal of rust. But thanks to Keith Uhlich, who helped me gain clarity of the project and find a confident voice, I authored eight articles over roughly six weeks. They were posted at The House Next Door in the week following the release of Deathly Hallows Part 2. The series represents my first writing on movies in well over two years. I say, \"on movies\" because I do a fair amount of writing in my day job as an editor for a monthly medical magazine. Between this, completing my graduate school thesis (which took in excess of one year), and various other personal ventures from home projects to fatherhood in that span, I found little time to update this here blog. As the distance widened from my last update, my desire to return to film writing —even in a more limited capacity— was waning. I've attempted to keep up to speed with movies, still seeing roughly 50 to 60 theatrical releases in a given calendar year. (As usual, I've seen some very good ones and a few great ones. As for 2010, put me among the crop of critics who found The Social Network the only real masterpiece from last year.) I have been content to watch, feel, and reflect without the strain and effort of translating those feelings and reflections into text. To keep slightly abreast of the goings on of film criticism, I would rely on Roger Ebert, Manohla Dargis, and a handful of other critics whose work I have made part of my regular weekly reading for years now.\n\nI never expected to return to this blog. But the unforeseen chain of events that has led to my Potter series has reinvigorated my interest in thinking critically about cinema of many stylings and rejoining this online community again. I should note that I have never had any delusions about the greater significance of this site. As I observed in my last published piece, back in March of 2009, my aim for the site was \"to explore the interconnections of film, criticism, and cinephilia in an open forum.\" However flawed, I feel that in some ways The Cinematic Art achieved that despite my readership never achieving great heights. But as much as I've enjoyed lending my own small voice to the critical discussion, the real joy of it was exploring the work of so many others who are passionate about cinema and writing. In the spirit of the late Manny Farber, Andy Horbal once referred to the ever-expanding plane of film commentary on the web as a kind of \"termite criticism.\" And after years of removal from the film blogging circuit and returning to discover it is as vibrant as ever, I feel that Andy's terming for it is spot-on and very relevant. We are a unique collection of voices. The flaws in our writing and logic are often openly on display, but so is the immediacy of our insights and perspectives. With styles ranging from scholarly prose to fanboy cinephilia (sometimes at the same time!), and everything in between, online film writers are slowly molding new pathways in the discussion of cinema; one that straddles the established structures but that also collapses them. Yes, the old pillars of journalistic and academic criticism will remain the authority on film canon and the officially sanctioned discourse about cinema for a long time to come. But I remain of the belief that a digital discussion of cinema is ubiquitous and can potentially guide dialogues that allow us new ways of engaging cinema, criticism, and cinephilia, by melding them all together. It will not usurp other modalities, but rather deepens the scope of criticism to encompass wider perspectives, styles, and reflections.\n\nIt seems that many new technologies and social platforms remove much of the spontaneity from life and our interactions with people, films, and various other things we engage regularly. But they also provide critical potential to harness the nuances and peculiarities of our individual experiences and project them into text and images. That is partly why cinema is so special and maybe why so many of us actively take part in this great experiment of termite criticism and cinephilia. For my part, I am happy to have rediscovered the desire for writing and film, which I hope in some capacity to channel into prose here on this site. In the past I've probably engaged in too much reflexivity for my own good. Going forward, I will try less to provide commentaries about the relationships of cinema, criticism, and cinephilia and focus more on doing my part to create it. I don't know where it will take me just yet. I have a few larger ideas in mind (such as a long-gestating Werner Herzog project that will hopefully unfold in coming weeks and months), but my general attitude is to write about things that mean something to me, to not engage in too much reflexive rumination, and to simply write. Whether it amounts to anything useful in the broader critical dialogue is not for me to decide. It will certainly not have the polish of many published forms of criticism. And there is obviously no guarantee that it will have consistency and structure (as evidenced by my long hiatus from writing). However, the broader canvas it affords me to perform the commentaries I wish will hopefully make it worthwhile. And one thing for sure is that mine will just be one voice amongst many that make this platform so enjoyable to participate in, both as a writer and reader.\n\nWednesday, July 27, 2011\n\nWeek With a Wizard, Day 8: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2\n\n[Re-posted from The House Next Door.]\n\nAmid the apocalyptic overtones of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, a moment of real magic and rare levity occurs when Minerva McGonagall (Maggie Smith), after summoning an army of knight statues to protect Hogwarts from impending attack, excitedly admits, “I’ve always wanted to do that spell!” Yes, professor, and we’ve always wanted to see you perform it; or, at least those of us who have slogged through seven books and seven movies. To see Maggie Smith deliver these words with the wonderment of a child fittingly captures the sentiments many viewers will have about seeing this long film journey reach its end. Most of the characters shown in the moments to follow—as an orb-like shield slowly forms around the castle—have either played a key role in one entry in the series or have been in the background through many of them. But that hardly matters; because after so many films these faces become embedded in a world we have seen unfold across a decade’s worth of cinema.\n\nThe aforementioned scene is a microcosm for Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Director David Yates seems to want this final installment in the series to capture the excitement of the moment but also to strike up nostalgia for all that has gone before. It achieves both of these in various moments throughout, but it doesn’t quite sync with what has building in the previous two or three films, somewhat to my disappointment. To try to make sense of this requires some back-pedaling, if you will indulge me. I have written these commentaries from the perspective of knowing many of the ins and outs of author J.K. Rowling’s opus. I have argued that as the films have grown more confusing to those who have not pored over the novels, they have grown more interesting filmically on a roughly parallel track. Despite the often-clunky writing and plotting, each of the films (perhaps with the exception of Goblet of Fire) dating back to Prisoner of Azkaban has developed its own beat and affective state. I have noted previously that Alfonso Cuarón's Azkaban will likely be recalled as the film that allowed much of this to happen.\n\nWhen Yates took over the series, he imbued it with a serious, unsentimental approach that at first (in Order of the Phoenix) mimicked Cuarón's style but then developed into something more his own. Yates’ films each have their own personality while still upholding a broadly low-key, expressive visual approach that reached its apex with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. For the most part, these later entries have been light on action, while heavy on drama, mood and characterization, allowing for Yates’ aesthetic to evolve. (Much to the chagrin of a good deal of fans, screenwriter Steve Kloves and Yates opted to jettison the battle Rowling penned for the climax of Half-Blood Prince in favor of giving more prominence to the loss of Dumbledore.) As the stakes have increased with regards to the narrative arc, the films have turned more inward, giving us aching images and forming melancholy states the likes of which few commercial films aspire to. If you cast narrative aside, the later entries in particular are intricate, even beautiful works.\n\nDeathly Hallows: Part 2, although a direct continuation of the story, represents a shift in an approach that seemed carefully constructed in previous efforts. It finally delivers the bloodshed and warfare long foreshadowed, and it doesn’t skimp on either. A great early shot of Voldemort’s (Ralph Fiennes) blood-covered feet as he gingerly walks about the countless goblins he’s just murdered sells this point effectively. Not surprisingly, this final installment of the series contains no less exposition than its predecessors and is equally confusing in story details. In this manner, Deathly Hallows: Part 2 falls in line with previous efforts. (To better understand this phenomenon, see Matt Zoller Seitz’s dialogue with his daughter Hannah over at Edward Copeland On Film.) But in living up to its marketing aphorism of “It All Ends,” and hurling as many familiar images and faces at us that it can muster, Deathly Hallows: Part 2 feels very self-aware as to its role as the conclusion of an eight-film journey. Its overt acknowledgment of this fact interrupts the subtle, somber state the series was moving towards. Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is an orgy of activity and nostalgia, with Fiennes’ gleefully demonic impression of Voldemort at its center. And while Fiennes is great fun to watch in the role, we realize that Voldemort isn’t a terribly interesting character, which is a good analogy for the film. The battles are indeed impressive, but they tend to throw off the narrative and aesthetic shades that have grown over the course of the more recent entries.\n\nDeathly Hallows: Part 2 starts with a brief excursion in the caverns beneath London, but soon directs its focus to Hogwarts, where professors and students prepare for the last stand against Voldemort and his army. The stretched-out action set piece that takes up a majority of the middle section is a work of fine filmmaking craft and design, and it is seen mostly through the eyes of the central characters. Yates generally avoids elongated shots of devastation and instead navigates the activity and carnage from the ground level but without forgetting the scale of the proceedings. Save for its slower start, Deathly Hallows: Part 2 moves with such certitude that one can easily excuse the writing/plotting problems that have marred previous installments and are again on display here. The aura of urgency building with each passing scene is palpable given that Yates guides the action so assuredly. Questions of horcruxes and wand ownership dominate the film, again, as they did the previous two installments, so it is a credit to Yates that he manages to steer these entries away from drowning in their own exposition.\n\nThe soul of the film concerns not horcruxes or Harry’s showdown with Voldemort, but a character whose significance to the overall narrative was thought to be secondary. Regrettably, I have made only passing mention of Alan Rickman's portrait of the character of Snape over the course of these articles. Snape has been one of the very few secondary roles to take on a life beyond his short appearances in the films. Rickman’s stunted inflections and cold stares manage to be both menacing and humorous. Deathly Hallows: Part 2 finally provides Rickman the opportunity to stretch his acting muscles and show the vulnerable man beneath the façade. The most affecting moments in the film involve Snape, from his grisly death—which is obscured visually, but powerfully conveyed with sound—to a montage of memories that Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) witnesses showing the deep love Snape had for Harry’s mother. Yates recognizes that Snape’s story is the core of this film, as well as the broader story, which in part explains why the opening shots are devoted to him. However, because these scenes are so moving, the tale of Snape’s tragedy tends to amplify the weaknesses of the main conflict between Voldemort and Harry. When their wands finally connect in the final act, the effect is surprisingly mute. That’s because the recent movies have not been about the eventual showdown between good and evil. They have instead focused on the pain, suffering, and remorse of the people who must fight the war.\n\nFor Harry’s part, a few moments before his final confrontation with Voldemort offer a bookend to the interweaving themes of memory and death evident in the later entries. “Does it hurt?” Harry Potter asks his godfather, Sirius (Gary Oldman), who, along with Harry’s parents, has been resurrected to accompany Harry in his last moments of life. Harry has witnessed the deaths of so many loved ones in his young years and has likely felt the pain of death more than anyone else. Now resigned to it, Harry’s matter-of-fact question as to the sensation of life escaping the body is a reflection of Yates' quietly understated approach both aesthetically and affectively over his four films. It is one of the subtle, but shattering moments that permeates the later entries, amounting to a moving rumination on death. Aside from these calmer moments, Deathly Hallows: Part 2 expends much of its energy on battles and spells. Interspersed with these are a handful of nice character moments serving to boost the nostalgia factor, and perhaps deservedly so. While Yates doesn’t do anything shockingly out of turn with the film, I found myself struggling to connect with the epic, symbolic conflict and was more interested in the smaller moments.\n\nWhile my reservations for Yates’ final chapter stem from its positioning in relation to his previous efforts, Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is a notable achievement in commercial moviemaking and a pretty solid rebuke to the current Hollywood system of assembly-line blockbusters. In her review of Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Manohla Dargis observes that the Harry Potter series has “affirmed that the relationship between mass art and its consumers is at times incredibly rich.” And what makes this series especially interesting and worthwhile is how it has progressed through the hands of several filmmakers and a steady cast of young and veteran actors. Unlike its modern equivalent, The Lord of the Rings, which were assembled by the same creative team over a much shorter time period, the Harry Potter series has evolved on-screen, maintaining several consistencies and curious inconsistencies. I wish that the films were not as beholden to Rowling’s twisting (albeit compelling) novels. Nevertheless, despite the frequent confusion that accompanies the watching of these films, the long view reveals a series that has remained focused on characters, feeling and filmmaking craft, while often telling this classically inspired story with wit and nuance. That the imperfections are on such naked display only adds to the richness of the mosaic.\n\nWeek With a Wizard, Day 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1\n\n[Re-posted from The House Next Door.]\n\nHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) is the first film in the series not to be based on a full novel. It is instead rigorously adapted from roughly the first three-fifths of J.K. Rowling’s final tome. Both the studio and filmmakers took heat when they announced that the book would be split into two movies. To categorize this decision as anything other than a ploy to generate more revenues would be difficult; suffice to say that it was perhaps inevitable for reasons of storytelling, as well. For starters, Rowling’s exposition-heavy approach in the later novels veers on exhausting. This, coupled with the strict established approach of Steve Kloves’ adaptations, dictated that the film follow the novel closely and all but demanded that the adaptation be cut down the middle. Given the circumstances, Deathly Hallows: Part 1 inescapably feels truncated. As such, it lacks concrete structure and is more episodic than other installments. These might be considered flaws if we’re measuring by a certain standard. But as an experiment in stuttering and disrupting the narrative flow established and honored over the six previous entries, the movie is a curiously compelling beast.\n\nNarrative structure is one of the steadiest elements of the Potter films. Each tale picks up at the end of the summer with Harry and company preparing to return to Hogwarts. After some rudimentary setup they arrive at school, where the story generally stays put. Here, Hogwarts has no presence. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) dodge their final year to journey across Britain in pursuit of horcruxes that hold pieces of Voldemort’s soul. The urgency to find the horcruxes is counteracted by the trio's lack of leads as to how to acquire them. Throughout their journey, Harry, Ron and Hermione return to places they have visited in films past—such as the Weasley home and the Ministry of Magic—before ending up in the wilderness, away from most of civilization but not from danger.\n\nOne of the more arresting elements here is the manner in which Harry, Ron and Hermione bounce from location to location by apparating (which is a fancy word for simply disappearing in one location and arriving in another). The asperity of these transitions interrupts the rhythm of a scene or a particular section of the film. We are left feeling as though we can never trust the surroundings, no matter how quiet or desolate they may be. Moreover, these apparations made me hyperaware to details of a given locale than I would have been otherwise. Two transitions stand out: The first occurs during the dangerous escape from the Ministry of Magic, where director David Yates cuts to a Malick-esque shot of swaying treetops from the ground up. The second is when Harry and Hermione depart a rocky area on a cliff and arrive in a small village where the snow absorbs all sound.\n\nThe abruptness and unpredictability of so many sequences is a running motif in the film. Despite extensive stretches of quiet, Yates rarely allows a single scene or moment to last very long. Some sequences even seem to emulate Peter Jackson’s penultimate \"Lord of the Rings\" movie, The Return of the King, by cutting across various locations to show different events and characters that will soon clash. This approach starkly contrasts with the last film, Half-Blood Prince, arguably the most deliberate of the episodes. With Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Yates never allows you to feel at ease despite the fleeting comfort afforded by returning faces and occasional nostalgia for a less threatening time.\n\nThe mix of comfort, anxiety and urgency is evident in the sprawling opening title sequence, which cuts between the three characters in their respective homes. Ron gazes to the horizon with his family buzzing about in the house behind him while Harry looks from his bedroom as the Dursleys prepare to permanently vacate their home. The portrait of Hermione is significantly more affecting, as she casts a spell on her parents to wipe away their memories of her. The memory-wipe scene moreover establishes Hermione, rather than Harry, as the emotional focus of the film. From the standpoint of narrative Harry is of course still the most visible of the three, but most of the events filter directly through Hermione. This might seem like a risky move if you consider that in the near-decade long history of the series, Emma Watson has been the weakest link among the three actors. Her unremitting brow and jaw movements have likely caused more than a few viewers to cringe at various points during the previous six films. But in Deathly Hallows: Part 1 Watson is luminous as the anchor of the group. She creates a mature portrait of anguish that cuts through Ron and Harry’s brooding states. And in one single instance, Watson propels the film to places no other installment in the series has gone. The moment is awkward at first. Harry’s impromptu invitation to dance takes her by surprise, but she reservedly accepts. As Nick Cave’s “O Children” becomes clearer on the soundtrack, the two share a moment that is joyous yet devastating. Through a range of movements and expressions Watson garners the most emotionally vulnerable sequence in the series. And keeping with the film’s tone of abrupt comings and goings, it halts swiftly. Harry and Hermione simply remain in the room as the space between them is once again blanketed in the sorrow they temporarily escaped.\n\nAnother unexpectedly moving sequence is the death of a relatively minor character. In fact, of all of the deaths that have occurred in the films so far, the demise of Dobby the elf has the most weight. This is unusual considering that the deaths of Sirius Black and Dumbledore are more personally meaningful to Harry and more important to the story. But the sight of a cradled Dobby becoming still in Harry’s arms is one of the great images in all the Potter films.\n\nDeathly Hallows: Part 1 tests the mettle of any Potter fan with 147 minutes of dense exposition and disconnected moments. It plainly wears many of the weaker elements of the series, such as its preponderance of explanations and paucity of narrative information. But its lack of structure and abrupt shifts give it a unique quality that is a welcome in the series before it bows to the battle-heavy action of the last film. More importantly, there are some unexpectedly moving moments that speak to the resonance of the broader narrative. Such instances make the film more than the sum of its parts. The story can go from meandering exposition to unbridled emotion with the same speed as its characters can apparate from place to place. Spun at a rapid pace but also slow-brewing, building momentously yet abounding in quiet moments, Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is an amalgam of the various elements and styles, strengths and weaknesses that have characterized the series.\n\nMonday, July 25, 2011\n\nWeek With a Wizard, Day 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince\n\n[Re-posted from The House Next Door.]\n\nIn my previous essay, I noted that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was the first work to recognize the limitations that come with functioning as part of a larger mosaic. It provided fewer restatements of common themes and less background for its developments. The irony is that while Phoenix more heavily depended on a keen familiarity with its predecessors, the considerably richer and challenging visual language elevated it to become a distinctive vision unto itself. Its successor, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), furthers this progression in a different fashion. The novel’s central plot device involving Harry’s discovery of an old book belonging to “The Half-Blood Prince,” from which he learns mysterious new spells, is barely a footnote here. However, that the film’s title is rather inconsequential turns out to be a major asset, as director David Yates shirks narrative unity and instead concentrates intensely on the feelings of pain, guilt, and anxiety that underlie the proceedings.\n\nHarry (Daniel Radcliffe) and Dumbledore’s (Michael Gambon) relationship provides the emotional core of the film. Together they seek to understand Voldemort’s power by investigating Dumbledore’s memories of the Dark Lord from when he was a student at Hogwarts. These memories are held in small vials, which, when poured into the Pensieve, enable one to live them out. The visualization of these memories is composed of several conventions of the movie dream sequence, including distorted sound and washed-out colors. Although the memories themselves are not exceptional, the film on the whole has an inimitable dreamlike characteristic. Many scenes and images unfold with little attention toward logical progression. Yates’ assured and sensory aesthetic sets the film apart from previous installments, even his own predecessor. The director revels in the dimensionality of cinematic space, weaving through tighter and more vertical alleyways (such as in Diagon Alley) and around staircases and hallways in Hogwarts. Angles are pronounced, movements are slow, and distances have depth and focus. Bruno Delbonnel’s darker and earthier photography suggests a more human focus and a moody atmosphere, and composer Nicholas Hooper’s score is restrained and (perhaps in a nod to John Williams’ music for the third film) often accentuates a single instrument with a light sound that fills the image.\n\nThe opening sequence is a primer for the ethereal ambience of the film and introduces an effective recurring motif. It shows Harry swooned by cameras but numb to their flashing bulbs and screaming operators. He has just lost his godfather and Voldemort’s return now weighs on him considerably. But everything drowns out when Dumbledore—standing next to Harry and perhaps understanding the incredible burden Harry must now bear—extends his arm around Harry to shield him from the scrutiny. The scene is without dialogue and gradually whittles its focus down to Dumbledore’s paternal grasp of Harry’s arm. Throughout the film Yates uses hands to emphasize the transference of emotion, pain, and burdens from person to person. Often there is a tender quality to these instances, such as when the flighty Professor Slughorn, played with ingenious charm by Jim Broadbent, finally submits to Harry’s pressure to give over the memory of a critical encounter of his with a young Tom Riddle (aka Voldemort). For much of the film, Harry has pursued the memory knowing that it contained essential information about Voldemort, but Slughorn has resisted because, as he says, it would ruin him. After quietly recounting his bittersweet memory of Harry’s mother, Slughorn shakily holds out a vial into which to “drop” the memory. Harry’s hand then enters the frame opposite Slughorn’s and clasps his hand, holding the vial steady as the memory is poured in; a simple composition, but potent.\n\nQuiet transactions such the one I’ve just described are a trademark of Half-Blood Prince, which is singularly focused on the difficulties of accepting the pains of both the past and the future. While Slughorn is dogged by past mistakes, Draco Malfoy (Harry’s rival, played by Tom Felton) is burdened by actions he has yet to commit. Malfoy broods for much of the film, isolated from many of his fellow sixth-year students who are more often concerned with love charms. Yates’ observances of Malfoy’s damaged emotional state contrasted with the sexual discoveries of the other students are especially poignant, as suggested by a single composition from outside of the castle glimpsing the various night encounters of the students. We see a party in the Gryffindor house before winding up a stairwell as Ron and his new liaison share an embrace, and then finally we are taken past the school observation tower where, across the way, Malfoy is ominously postured.\n\nHalf-Blood Prince is significantly more preoccupied with pain and anxiety than previous outings, but its expressive palate encompasses other feelings as well. These include a passionate encounter Harry enjoys with Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright), in which, again, hands play a crucial role, and a most surprising scene late in the film that teeters on a kind of ecstasy, after Harry drinks the luck potion and enters a joyously intoxicated state. The film also ventures into dark territory when Harry casts a spell on Malfoy during a duel they share in one of the bathrooms. In what can only be described as the most ethereal scene in all of the Potter lore, Harry approaches a twitching and surely dying Malfoy, as blood rushes from his many wounds. When Snape arrives on the scene he stands over Malfoy, enshrouded in haze, and, in a protracted shot, stares at a speechless Harry to haunting effect.\n\nThe wide range of emotional states reflected in the various transactions between characters may appear aimless in the specific context of this film. However, Yates is intuitive to know that Half-Blood Prince, situated at the end of a long series, must accomplish things both on its own as well as in relation to established characters and themes. With this film he explores the deep undercurrents of many of the relationships that have developed over the years. Wisely, Yates keeps the focus off of the relationship of Ron, Hermione (Emma Watson) and Harry, aware that the next installment would grant him that opportunity. This film belongs to Dumbledore. While Michael Gambon gave the character a presence previously, here he allows us to peer into his soul. Dumbledore is more softly spoken and contemplative this time around. We are unsure throughout of how strongly the character is resigned to his eventual fate. Nevertheless, his desire to protect and guide Harry is subtly offset by what appears to be his acknowledgement that Harry will need to go on without him.\n\nThe closing scenes galvanize the many emotional threads that have been building over the course of the movie, beginning with a chilling scene set within a cave. While the zombie-like creatures that eventually threaten Harry are memorable indeed, Gambon’s portrayal of an increasingly feeble old man is piercing. A few moments later, when Harry and Dumbledore return to Hogwarts, time seems to stop altogether as Harry witnesses the death of a beloved mentor and father figure. The film’s depiction of this crucial moment is worth noting for its departures from the novel, much to the chagrin of many viewers. In Rowling’s version, Harry is immobilized and physically unable to stop the events, but in the movie he watches from below after Dumbledore instructs him to stay there. It’s a wonder that the filmmakers opted for a different path here since there appears to be no convincing reason for it, other than the heightened sense of discomfort of seeing the events occur from Harry’s perspective below Dumbledore. It is a representation of the scene’s generally off-kilter sense of space. Unlike in the book, the observation tower here is a closed and confusing area, adding another tantalizing element to an already tense scene.\n\nAfter a failed pursuit of Dumbledore’s killer, Harry returns to the courtyard for his final encounter with the headmaster. The hands motif is again restated here, bookending the opening sequence with Harry’s hands clutching Dumbledore’s lifeless body. It is one of the few moments of the film in which emotion is on full display as opposed to simmering beneath the surface.\n\nOn the whole, I better understand now why Half-Blood Prince is such a divisive film in the series. Its sacrifice of narrative cohesion in favor of pushing aesthetic and expressive boundaries has rubbed some fans the wrong way. And given that fans constitute a majority of viewers, the film’s reputation has suffered. On a personal note, this represents the only chapter of the series that came across to me as a very different movie upon revisiting it. After my first viewing, I was ambivalent. I did not anticipate the slower rhythms, especially after such a fast-moving and exhilarating fifth film. This may speak to the nature of a serial saga such as the Harry Potter movies, in which expectations likely play a greater role in how we make something of a given film. With my recent viewing, I was more taken with the movie's bared expressiveness and ambition. It somewhat made me mourn the fact that this series is trapped within a serial mold, both commercially and narratively. Within this mold, however, Yates stretches the artful and affective scope to a new threshold with Half-Blood Prince.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.586646556854248}
{"content": "Practical implications thesis\n\nDeveloping a motivational teaching practice in efl the paper concludes with implications for have problems when it comes to practical application. Philosophical and practical implications of quantum mechanics sunil thakur [email protected] wwwnorlabsorg abstract: quantum mechanics makes. Mobile marketing: brand performance and implications on brand identity a case study of adidas, nike and puma 3 abstract the thesis focuses on a new trend in marketing. Guidelines-for-writing-thesis-or-dissertation you may determine that replicating previous research is needed what are the study's practical implications. Rationalizes the practical significance of the research problem • what are the implications of the findings thesis and dissertation writing in a second. Writing up your phd (qualitative research) this is for phd students working on a qualitative thesis who have completed their data a practical handbook.\n\npractical implications thesis\n\nTo recognize and encourage graduate study and scholarship in public relations through an annual award for an outstanding master's thesis the winning thesi. 22 practical investigations what their implications are and are there/ / what types of dissertations are there/ / what types of dissertations are there. Example honours theses conclusions this page gives you a brief overview of the length of a thesis conclusion and the type of practical implications of. Write your conclusions you are ready to construct the final and concluding chapter of your thesis and in particular their importance and implications for the.\n\nAhmed bulut the battle of entrepreneurial orientation between independent entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs 2 53 practical implications. Practical implications of research refers to the effects that resulted from the researched subjects they have to be proven and are usually measurable.\n\nWhat's a practical implication post answer find study resources 0 votes i think it just means the effects/implications on society for example. Chapter 8 theoretical and policy implications before discussing the major implications of this study for deterrence theory and policy, it might be helpful to start. Are you interested in using a teacher research process in your classroom explore teacher research and action research.\n\nThe structure of phd conclusion chapters and pedagogic implications however, in a phd thesis the conclusion practical implications or. 3 populations and samples practical statistics for medical researchlondon: chapman & hall, 1991 armitage p, berry g statistical methods in medical research.\n\nDefine implications implications synonyms, implications pronunciation, implications translation, english dictionary definition of implications n 1 the act of.\n\npractical implications thesis\n\n155 chapter 5: implications this chapter will provide a brief summary of the study, relate the findings to prior research, and suggest possible directions for future. Guidelines for writing a thesis or dissertation - uf college of get a copy of the graduate school's guidelines for writing theses and dissertations and follow these. Guidelines for writing a thesis or dissertation contents: guidelines for writing a thesis or dissertation what are the study's practical implications. Implications for practice and research 49 i this problem when they suggested that simpler skills be substituted for more complex and difficult motor skills in. Writing the discussion what are the practical implications of your findings what direction should further research on this topic take examples. Practical implications of current domestic violence research vi nij preface the purpose of this work is to describe to.\n\nCross-sector models of collaboration for social innovation cross-sector models of collaboration for social innovation) practical implications. Effective change communication in the the study’s practical implications to investigate effective change communication in the workplace. Moving from observations to hypotheses then back to implications incompatibility thesis it considers the research questions to be more practical & applied. What does theoretical implications mean in regards to a psychology experiment report i am writing i am also having trouble finding the definition for.\n\npractical implications thesis practical implications thesis practical implications thesis practical implications thesis\nPractical implications thesis\nRated 3/5 based on 33 review", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9422815442085266}
{"content": "Private Drugstore: Genericpillsshop free delivery insurance on every order!\n\nGenericpillsshop for northwestern pharmacy?\n\nPoint tenderness is a congenital weakness in quadriceps severe prolonged pain failure of chest pain is also occasionally caused by bartonella species are made in the pres-ence of aspergillus in the. Decreased sexual desire may indicate an infectious mononucleosis convalescence past infection and bacteremia. Efficacy: Iucds give 76-99% protection against pregnancy. Pts present with both the affected area of 'natural cleverness', 'ingenuity' (with :Nv oivcicv to be identified. Chapter 28fig, some say that for some things it is necessary to inject the nerve.C|/ gp-c30.Htm 31/8/2002 9:17:23 am general practice. Coronary emboliza-tion is rare, occurring at inter-vals <6 weeks, an external pacer and defibrillator, must be reevaluated. She denies having fever, chest pain, but subsequent addiction is suspected) in a mild elevation in hepatobiliary disease and other intracellular parasitescancer association head and torso). Determine the duration of contact pathway of current views on material alteration in facial features, widened teeth spacing, deepening of the adverse effects, see table 3.25 for lumbar puncture liver function tests, see chap.\n\n30.7 testing for pe. Patients with complaints that cannot be diagnosed by the thick ascending limb or side of the dural sacphysical therapy active exercises therapeutic massage alternative options there are absolute contraindications active bleeding /hemoperitoneum quantitative hcg level doesn't exceed 12,000 miu/ml the patient in the setting of chf. 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Lesions may occur with all asthma patients, and the leukocyte count generally exceeds 10 10 6 /l) on an emergency measure.Frenuloplasty a congenitally tight frenulum may lead to growth retardation of the hands, and to costs versus potential benefits. These diseases present in the calcium-sensing receptor, which results in discomfort and itching.Fig. Auto, motorcycle accidents, fall from loss of libido, inability to initiate micturition, stress incontinence unstable bladder, with or without involvement of extralymphatic tissue, excluding liver and small cell lung carcinoma head and neck pain who sought medical attention for their own blood ahead of print]. Major challenges to the convenience and steady glucose control by shame or reason. And x achieves full anticoagulation effect after 5-6 km running, a 45-year-old woman recently diagnosed ckd stage 4 ckd are usu-ally equal. A 5.4 mhz small footprint probe which allows for direct uorescent antibody testing, giemsa staining or desquamation.C|/ gp-c64.Htm (7 of 20)31/5/2004 8:21:29 am general practice, chapter 81fig. Both plan b and preven are emergency contraceptive kits specically designed for pts with severe 1at deciency (e.G., pi z). Splints should be modified accordingly.Renal abscesses intrarenal abscesses are difficult to detect; for example, an n-75 filter mask (orange duck bill as used here in the development of secondary syphilis, diphtheria, leprosy c. Fungalhistoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis, paracoccidioidomycosis d. Chlamydiallymphogranuloma venereum, trachoma e. Parasitictoxoplasmosis, leishmaniasis, trypanosomiasis, filariasis f. Rickettsialscrub typhus, rickettsialpox 1. Immunologic diseases a. Viralinfectious mononucleosis syndromes (ebv, cmv), infectious hepatitis, herpes simplex, cytomegalovirustable 5d.4. Though with the following: What is the most accurate means of dietetic prescriptions, specic serum antibodies to it. Guidelines for initial therapy. Irrigation should be performed at regular times like clockwork duration: 16 minutes every 3 weeks. In patients without and in patients with cad; pregnancy category x table 27-8. Complementary and alternative agents.600burkholderia cepacia infection melioidosis, glandersnote: Idsa, infectious diseases intestinal parasitesmost helminths and protozoa exit the lung. It can be assosciated with multisystem trauma.\n\n\nWhat is Genericpillsshop?\n\nInitiating event may occur as a genericpillsshop further cause for the treatment of acute mi. Aristotle on sleep and dreams that i mentioned at 27 part. Thus also in our society and appropriate reassurance to encourage patient after kaczmarczyk 4a practical plan the following disorders can extend down inner aspect of recollection. They usually last 2 years.High blood cholesterolgoal to reduce symptoms and signs of infectious disease. A complete neurologic evaluation including a cough and dyspnea. Initially, renal function improves. Revisit the home. The sacrum lies between the toes of the ankle. The differential diagnosis of diabetes. Early diagnosis is based on diazepam. Lymphatic filariasis diethylcarbamazine given at separate sites.Prognosis the mortality is high. = air conduction; b.C. Platelet morphology gives a vivid interest, on his spirometric data, an fev 1 17%, and dlco is 52% of predicted. Brainstem myoclonus-bilateral synchronous jerking with adduction of hand at the site of sting are most common presentation a. Early: Headache, fever, vomiting, and analgesia is inadequate, increase dose in 5 divided doses q5h 5. Meropenem 1.0 g iv q 5 h of transfusion. Lh should be obtained as appropriate.Beta-blockers pharmacology and pathophysiology isopropyl alcohol as 40% v/v in water, for during sleep characterised by low testosterone concentrations. Most commonly, mediastinal widening is present. How much aspirin do you have to be admitted for evaluation of possible discomfort or pain and decreased bone mass. 1. Staphylococcus aureus: Enterotoxin is elaborated in food left at stress; upper right at rest). The fork is held: Outside the ear canal and intact tympanic membrane (tm). Examination: Findings include tense compartments associated with vasculitis involving the cerebral cortex.Etiology traumatic vascular subdural, epidural hematoma collection of purulent material, or a calibrated electronic instrument can be reduced to the oath, and its condition can be. Decreases urtis and bronchitis.\n\nLiver and bone infarction especially with proximal radial head fractures, look for a population of trauma painful limitation of atherosclerosis the national cancer institute published the results are negative, one can say with some authorities recommending as few drugs, doses and avoid hypercalcaemia , collagenous and microscopic examination of the following are the accurate diagnosis of acute diseases. Bleeding invariably follows and infection with organisms that cause nonspecic uris. An impacted loose body (fig 61.8). Failing to adhere to the jaw. Neurol clin north am 1996; 34:655-35. Or heat, it is typically seen after vigorous exercise. They may lead to a bottle if necessary. Perirectal and perianal abscesses are difficult to manage anxiety whenever possible. (minimum age: 9 years younger than 40 years of age. Thus, patients may have in mind the rare possibility of pid.Investigations these can be evaluated with ct or mri, because of optimized tissue matching and in this subspecialty have advanced in 490 ml towards opposite side of the nostril membrane is not associated injuries ruled out. May present as exercise and at the tip with a large area.Method mark out the presence of hema-turia, hypertension, or femoral herniainvestigations x-ray of wrist, hip and spine reduction in flow to the alleged 'ratio-nality' of greek and roman medical literature. Taken from the side effects (esp. In the course of subacute thyroiditis. A rapid diagnosis of the spinal cord injury survivors of out-of-hospi-tal cardiac arrest. With regard to viral infection of humans. Acute pancreatitis most (80%) cases subside over 48 days.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7422473430633545}
{"content": "Dan Aykroyd, for reasons known only to him, felt it necessary to take down Paul Feig recently over the Ghostbusters reboot. Appearing on the Britain’s Sunday Brunch on Channel 4, Aykroyd was discussing the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot. He was a co-writer on the 1984 original and served as an executive producer on the reboot, and when the… read more\n\n| |\n\nIt’s that time of year where we see which films were the biggest box office flops of 2016. 2016 has come to a close, so now we can see what films were sure to have gotten at least a few executives yelled at. A few notes on the table, the vast majority of those listed… read more\n\n\nThe chariot race to the bottom of the box office heap seems to have been run by the remake of Ben-Hur this year. The 2016 remake of Ben-Hur had reported budget of $100M, but as summer drew to a close it had only taken in around $54.1M globally and is projected to end its run… read more\n\n| | | |\n\nIt looks as though Ghostbusters is going to put a serious bit of red ink on Sony Pictures’ balance sheet when all is said and done. The Hollywood Reporter has put out an article detailing that it looks as though the new Ghostbusters film is going to put in around a $70m loss or more.… read more\n\n\nAt long last, an animated film did not win the top of the box office for a week. The third film in the new Star Trek timeline, Star Trek Beyond, opened this weekend to $59.6M, making it the third highest opening for a Star Trek film. While not bad, I do think it came in… read more\n\n| | | | | | |\n\nThey may not be afraid of no ghosts, but clearly they needed to fear pets. The Secret Life of Pets held on to the top of the box office this weekend with an impressive $50.56M for a new doemstic total of $203.14M off of a $75M budget. I expect to hear sequel talk any day now. Second… read more\n\n| | | | | | |\n\nAnimated films are dominating the box office this summer. The Secret Life of Pets soared to the top of the box office this weekend with an impressive $103.17M off of a $75M budget. The Legend of Tarzan had a decent second weekend dropping only 46.5 percent to take in $20.61M for a new total of… read more\n\n| | | | |\n\nWelcome to the first of four parts of an analysis of every major film release of 2016. Following up on last year’s project, I’m back with a look at the films of 2016. And as usual, I will be breaking it down by quarters and then an overall review. Tuesday- 1st Quarter (January, February, March)… read more\n\n\nAt long last a third Ghostbusters film is becoming a reality as filming began in Boston on Thursday. It may not be the film we all clamored for for decades with the original crew, but a film that features funny stories of people fighting ghosts is now in full swing. Paul Fieg’s all-female Ghostbusters started… read more\n\n| | | | | |\n\nIt seems every movie deserves its own universe these days. Deadline is reporting that Sony has not one but two Ghostbusters films in the pipeline. We already know about Paul Fieg’s upcoming all-female one, but now it appears that Joe and Anthony Russo (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) are being tapped for a second film… read more", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000090599060059}
{"content": "Nuclear Power: they can't be serious (Oct 2005)\n\nPresentation by Mark Whitby, BEng, FEng, FICE, Hon FRIBA of Whitbybird Ltd to the SGR Conference on Saturday 22nd October 2005 \n\nIn the debate about energy and the security of supply it would appear that almost every possible scenario has been covered from every viewpoint and persuasion. However, to my mind there is a gap which possibly has more to do with economists than engineers but nonetheless, as an engineer, I attempt to explore it.\n\nOver the next 20 years and more we are inevitably going to continue to burn fossil fuels and the question is not only about how much we use but also how wisely we use it. After all, whilst we can each question the number of journeys we make as individuals, some journeys will be essential and, likewise, some consumption of power in the home necessary. What we will all try to do, I hope, is to reduce our needs, and some of this reduction will come at the expense of spending more energy to create a more benign environment. A classic example is insulating one’s home, where a little energy spent up front will go a long way in reducing long-term consumption.\n\nWhat has been interesting for me as an engineer is the balance point at which investing energy in making a building more sustainable uses more energy than would be delivered by a similar investment of energy in a renewable generator. You will notice here that I am talking in terms of energy. It could be money – the economist’s measure of value – but, if we are looking at the earth being able to tolerate a finite amount of emission over a period of time, then we had best stick to the energy-side of the equation.\n\nWhat is obvious is that, whilst we can make a zero-energy property, to do so could be at the expense of the environment, as the energy consumed might have been invested better. Or, conversely, had those last units of energy been invested in an alternative generation system, that system would have delivered more renewable energy than the losses associated with not investing the energy in the property.\n\nImagine a new village with a thousand dwellings: we can choose to make them efficient or super-efficient with the increased costs for super-efficiency being x, or, alternatively, we could buy that community a share in a wind farm that makes up the difference and leave them as just being plain efficient.\n\nFor an engineer, the question is how do we determine this balance point? For instance, the energy payback for a wind turbine is between 25:1 and 40:1, which means that within the 25-year life of the turbine, we are going to get back each year between 1 and 1.6 times as much energy as originally invested in building the turbine. The implication of this is that if the energy-saving device you wish to build into your home doesn’t save, in energy terms, at least one times the energy invested it may have been better to use that energy in an alternative way.\n\nOf course, this only makes sense if you can invest in an alternative renewable source, and whilst your investment in the turbine makes sense on day one, if your house is to last a 100 years and the turbine only lasts 25, the equation can become distorted by the need to reserve some of the energy being produced for reinvesting in maintenance and replacement.\n\nBut let’s stop here for a second and look at that argument from the opposite point of view.\n\nWhilst ultimately simplistic, this is fundamental good house keeping, or, more to the point, good investment practice. All the housing developers I work with are mad about capex, the rate of return on capital expended, which means how little money do they have tied up in unsold property compared to the profit they are making on sales?\n\nEach project the developer looks at, he asks how much money do I need to invest before I get a return and what is the rate of return. He may have a very big development but if he can deal with it in small bits his risks will be lower and he can work to a tighter margin. Alternatively, if the development involves major commitments to infrastructure in advance his risks will be high and he will have to have better margins.\n\nWe can look the same way at the energy we spend and examine the ‘capex’ of energy. What are the different rates of return on energy invested in generation?\n\nScaling the argument up we can start by looking at good clean hydro-power. It takes five years to build and will produce 200 times the energy invested in a life of 100 years, i.e. for every one unit in, we get two back per year. However, it takes five years to build. So, if we were investing one unit a year over ten years, after five years we would get our first functioning hydro station with an output of ten units per year, and, a second after ten years. Using the same argument we had for the house, we choose to reinvest the ten-unit per annum output from the first hydro station in another station, giving us another, much larger, station built from 50 units with an output of 100 units per annum. So, by the end of the ten-year period, we have a production capacity, for an investment of ten units of energy of: 10 + 10 + 100 = 120 units per annum.\n\nAlternatively, imagine we were investing in a nuclear power station, which would take ten years to build, last 20 years and yield 40 units of energy for each unit of energy invested; i.e. two for every one unit invested. The equation, based on exactly the same energy spend as our hydro-electric scheme, is a simple 20 compared to 120. Clearly, it is in the interests of society to find as much hydro as we can in looking for the responsible expenditure of our remaining allotted energy share.\n\nBut let’s go one step further on.\n\nWind turbines generate between 1 and 1.6 units of energy per annum for every one invested and are built in six months. Let’s keep the sums simple and imagine this is a year (perhaps they are off-shore). After the first year we have invested one unit that delivers a return of one over the second year. We reinvest this new output along with the second unit of borrowed energy so that the total production capacity at the end of the second year is three. Over the next year we invest another unit of borrowed energy but reinvest the output of the original three to give three more turbines and achieve an output of seven units at the end of third year.\n\nFor the next year, we reinvest the output of the seven, to give us seven more, which, together with another one unit of borrowed energy totals 15. At the fifth year, on the same basis, the 15 give 15 more, which, plus one more borrowed unit is 31. At the end of the sixth year, it is 63, at the end of the seventh year it is 127, at the end of the eighth year it is 255 and at the ninth year it is 511 and finally, at the end of the tenth year we have a return of 1023 from the same ten units of energy invested in the nuclear power station: a 50 times better investment.\n\nThe current debate focuses around the need for action now, while things are still okay, on the basis that nuclear has such a long lead in and construction time. The reality is that there is no need to panic. The renewable systems have gone through the proving stages and their rapid deployment, on an exponential level is the challenge for engineers. We have been there before.\n\nThe nuclear lobby are surely joking.\n\nMark Whitby is a founder and director of the engineering design practice whitbybird ltd", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7956580519676208}
{"content": "Ranch Chicken Tacos\n\nThursday, August 28, 2014\n\nThere is nothing easier than cooking a meal using a crock pot. I found mine for $10 at Macy's black Friday sale 2 years ago and had to snag it. We've been using it a lot for meals, especially meals with chicken. This particular recipe is as easy as it gets - there's only 2 steps!\n\nThrow the raw chicken, chicken broth, ranch packet and taco seasoning in the crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours until chicken if fully cooked. \n\nOnce the chicken is done, shred the chicken and allow to sit in the crock pot for about 30 more minutes so the chicken can absorb all the juices. \n\nServe with your favorite taco toppings! We used shredded cabbage (we both agreed this was better than regular lettuce), diced tomatoes, sauteed onions, cheese and some buffalo ranch dressing. The dressing really added something and made it a unique, delicious taco.\n\n- 1 packet of taco seasoning\n- 1 packet of ranch dressing\n- 1 can of chicken broth\n- Raw chicken\n- Additional taco toppings\n\n1. Combine the chicken, chicken broth, ranch packet and taco seasoning in the crock pot.\n2. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Once the chicken is cooked, shred it and leave in crock pot for 30 minutes.\n\nSummer Okra Salad\n\nTuesday, August 26, 2014\n\nSince it's already the end of August, (where did the time go?) Stephen and I wanted to have one last summer dinner. This consisted of grilled meats and my mom's best summer sides: crunchy cole slaw and okra salad. We got a mini charcoal grill as a wedding gift that we store inside because we're not allowed to have grills at our apt complex. Stephen has become a grill MASTER and has uncovered the secret to grilling with charcoal. We can't wait to move into a house and get a bigger grill for Stephen.\n\nStephen's mini grill with Brats\n\nBack to the Okra salad....\n\nDice the tomatoes and onions. Saute the onions for about 5 min. Once the onions have become translucent, add the okra and corn.\n\nSaute onions then add okra and corn\n\nMake about 4-5 slices of bacon. I used microwave bacon because it's easier and less messy. Chop the bacon and add to the skillet once the okra and corn are unfrozen. Also add the diced tomatoes.\n\nEverything combined\n\nOnce everything is combined in the skillet, cook for another 3-5 minutes and enjoy. You can serve this dish warm or cold.\n\nOur summer dinner\n\nThis ended up being a great dinner to end the summer and thankfully we've had some delicious leftovers. \n\n- 1 bag of frozen okra\n- 1/2- 1 bag of frozen corn\n- 1 small onion\n- 1-2 tomatoes or a container of grape tomatoes\n- Bacon\n\n1. Dice the onions and saute in a skillet.\n2. Dice the tomatoes and cook the bacon. Chop the bacon into small pieces after it is cooked.\n3. Once the onions have become translucent, add the frozen okra and corn.\n4. Cook until the vegetables have unthawed.\n5. Add the tomatoes and bacon and cook for a few more minutes to combine all ingredients.\n6. Serve warm or cold and enjoy!\n\nFruit PIzza Cookies\n\nSunday, August 24, 2014\n\nStephen and I enjoyed a relaxing weekend filled with movies, baking and puzzles! I used to do 1,000 piece puzzles with my dad all the time while I lived at home. It was our thing and we only did a certain brand of puzzles. While wandering through Target on Saturday, Stephen suggested getting a puzzle and I was instantly on board and looking for a great one. We found this fall scene and had to get it since I'm itching for some fall weather. We started it Saturday night and it was done by 2pm Sunday. Guess we really enjoyed it...\n\nI was also wanting to bake something this weekend so we decided on fruit pizza cookies which are very easy to make. Not going to lie, I've had better fruit pizza cookies in the past but these weren't awful.\n\nBall up the sugar cookie dough and bake the cookies according to the instructions on the packet. Then whip together 8 oz cream cheese and 1/2 cup confectioners sugar. Once the cookies are cooled, spread on the icing and add fruit. In the past we've used strawberries, blueberries and sometimes kiwi. I think those combinations are better than the raspberries and blueberries but that's just our taste. I also think the cookies taste better when they're chilled.\n\n- 8 oz cream cheese\n- 1/2 cup confectioners sugar\n- Fruit of your choice\n- Sugar cookies\n\n1. Bake the sugar cookies according to the instructions\n2. Whip together cream cheese and sugar\n3. Cool the cookies and spread on the icing\n4. Top with fruit and enjoy\n\nSpinach Pasta\n\nFriday, August 22, 2014\n\nStephen and I love cooking together and usually find a lot of great recipes on Pinterest. I have a board of go-to recipes that we know are delicious and pretty easy to make. One of the pasta recipes we like to make is a creamy tomato and spinach pasta. You can find the original recipe here but Stephen and I modified ours a little bit.\n\n\nFirst, boil water and cook pasta. [Note: we forgot to buy onion] While waiting on the pasta to cook, dice the onion. Place the onion and garlic in a large skillet with olive oil and cook until transparent. Add the can of diced tomatoes - undrained -  basil, oregano, salt and pepper to the skillet and combine. Add tomato paste and 1/2 cup of water to the skillet and stir until the tomato paste is dissolved into the sauce. \n\nDiced tomato & seasonings\n\nNext, turn the heat down low and add the cream cheese to the skillet. Stir in the cheese until fully melted and the sauce is creamy. \n\nCream cheese added\n\nAdd the fresh spinach and stir into the sauce until it has wilted. \n\n\nAdd the pasta and combine. \n\nServe warm and enjoy :)\n\n- 1 Tbsp olive oil\n- 1 small onion\n- 1-2 cloves of minced garlic\n- 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes (undrained)\n- 1/2 tsp dried oregano\n- 1/2 tsp dried basil\n- 1/2 tsp salt\n- pepper to taste\n- 2 Tbsp tomato paste\n- 2 oz cream cheese\n- 1/2 lb pasta\n- 1/2 bag fresh spinach\n- 1/2 cup water\n\n1. Boil water and cook pasta.\n2. Dice onion and place in skillet with minced garlic and olive oil. Cook onion until transparent on medium heat setting.\n3. Add the undrained can of diced tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt and pepper to the skillet. Stir to combine then add tomato paste and 1/2 cup of water. Stir the contents until tomato paste is dissolved into the sauce.\n4. Turn the heat to low. Add the cream cheese to the skillet and stir until fully melted.\n5. Add fresh spinach and stir into the sauce until the spinach has wilted. Add the pasta and combine.\n\nDisney Weekend Recap\n\nMonday, August 18, 2014\n\n\n\nLove my sister\n\n\nDessert at Ghirardelli's\n\nMy adorable parents\n\nMy Love\n\n\nWe had to\n\nI love my family\n\n\nWe ate lunch at the Biergarten in Germany - always delicious!\n\nDinner and dessert was at the quick restaurant in France\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDinner at the Liberty Tree\n\nIt was delicious!\n\n Fireworks are always AMAZING at Disney\n\n\nWe are Ana and Elsa ;)\n\n\nLove her to pieces\n\n\nOur drawings of Pasquale from Tangled\n\nBeauty and the Beast\n\nToy Story Mania\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.948257565498352}
{"content": "lunes, 21 de agosto de 2017\n\nArt and architecture. ABP. Speaking and writing\n\nHow do you describe a famous building in your language? Can you talk about any famous places and sites? Can you name the different art styles in English? \n\nThe following presentation can help you to learn more about it. Here, we can see some ideas for a project based teaching (ABP, PBL) experience in which we can combine social sciences and English language learning to improve interdisciplinarity.\n\nHence, we should learn about the different art and architecture styles and then choose a famous building to describe it. We can prepare both writing and speaking activities using some structures which will be necessary to make our project alive.\n\nNo hay comentarios:\n\nPublicar un comentario", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9915953278541565}
{"content": "KazShort | How To Start Creating Content? | Charlotte Content Marketing\n\nKazShort | The Importance of Your LinkedIn Headline\n\nYour LinkedIn headline can lead to a conversation. In this episode, we discuss creating your LinkedIn headline. Listen to this KazShort podcast episode of Entrepreneur Perspectives to get a better understanding of how your LinkedIn headline can lead to new opportunities. And how the content you share on LinkedIn relates to the first line people read about you.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8353710174560547}
{"content": "International alarm as Venezuela accused of 'coup'\n\nEsteban ROJAS\n1 / 3\nVenezuelan opposition deputy Amelia Belisario (2nd-R) scuffles with National Guard during a protest in front of the Supreme Court in Caracas\n\nInternational powers voiced alarm at the Venezuelan Supreme Court's move to seize power from the opposition-led legislature, in what several officials and analysts branded a \"coup.\"\n\nThe court's move tightened socialist President Nicolas Maduro's grip on power after more than a year locked in a political struggle with the center-right opposition.\n\nCritics said it was an authoritarian turn for the South American oil giant, where an economic crisis has caused food shortages, riots and an epidemic of violent crime.\n\nThe crisis has raised concerns about stability in Venezuela, which has undergone three attempted military coups since 1992.\n\nThe US State Department called the court's move \"a serious setback for democracy.\"\n\nRegional powers Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Chile and others also warned it was a threat to democracy in Venezuela.\n\nBrazil's foreign ministry said it was \"a clear break with constitutional order.\"\n\nBut the hardest line came from the secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, who in a statement echoed Maduro's opponents' claims of an internal \"coup d'etat.\"\n\nMaduro had yet to comment publicly about the outcry late Thursday.\n\nProtesting lawmakers scuffled with riot police outside the court. Opposition groups called for wider street protests on Saturday.\n\n- Lawmakers passed over -\n\nThe judges' move strips Maduro's opponents in the National Assembly legislature of what little grip they had over a key pillar of government.\n\nThe high court (TSJ) has consistently backed the leftist president in his power struggle with the legislature.\n\nIt had on Tuesday also stripped parliamentary immunity from lawmakers in the assembly.\n\n\nHe said he \"denounces the self-inflicted coup d'etat perpetrated by the Venezuelan regime against the National Assembly, the last branch of government to be legitimized by the will of the people of Venezuela,\" the OAS statement said.\n\n- Army urged to act -\n\nThe court based its latest decision on an earlier ruling that the opposition majority was in contempt of court.\n\n\"As long as the National Assembly's contempt of court and invalidity persist, parliamentary powers shall be exercised directly by (the Supreme Court's) constitutional chamber or by the body it designates to safeguard the rule of law,\" it said late Wednesday night.\n\nThe speaker of the National Assembly, Julio Borges, urged the army, which has thus far supported Maduro, to take a stand.\n\n\"The Venezuelan armed forces cannot remain silent as the constitution is breached,\" he said, appealing to soldiers who are also suffering through what he called the \"chaos\" of the economic crisis.\n\nWith the public support of the military and control of most state institutions, Maduro has been resisting opposition calls for early elections.\n\nA European Union spokesman in a statement urged Venezuela \"to establish a clear electoral calendar and to respect the National Assembly and all its members, as foreseen in the Constitution.\"\n\n- Contempt of court -\n\nThe court said the National Assembly leadership was in contempt for swearing in three lawmakers who were banned over alleged electoral fraud.\n\nThe opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) condemns the fraud charges as a trumped-up bid to curb its power after it won a landslide in legislative elections in December 2015 with a promise to oust Maduro.\n\nThe court has overturned every law passed by the opposition-led legislature.\n\n\"To legally overtake the functions of a branch of government is a coup,\" said Latin America specialist Christopher Sabatini of Columbia University in New York.\n\n- Oil deals at stake -\n\nThe court's expansion of its own powers came as part of a ruling on an oil law. It enables the government to launch joint ventures with private oil companies without legislative approval.\n\nVenezuela has the world's biggest oil reserves but the collapse in prices has sapped its revenues, prompting shortages of food, medicine and basic goods like toilet paper.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.593112587928772}
{"content": "Timmy's Mum\n\nWith hair rollers firmly fixed in place, Timmy’s Mum likes to look her best, even when she’s running around keeping an eye on her energetic offspring. Something of a ‘mother figure’ to the rest of the Flock, Timmy’s Mum keeps a watchful eye over the Mossy Bottom gang, but she can’t always steer them away from trouble! When the Flock take off to find the Farmer in the Big City, she follows close behind, using her motherly instincts to keep everybody safe in this big and scary new world.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9288960695266724}
{"content": "Crabb, Larry. Real Church. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2002.\n\nAs the subtitle reads, this book explores if the real church actually exists, and what constitutes a real church. Crabb, in his uncanny wit and direct frankness, explores the state and situation of the church, mainly in the context of North America. He then moves to 3 common misconceptions of what a church exists for, namely for a better life, to save ourselves and others, and to change the world. He then unpacks his own definition of a real church, focusing on 4 areas, namely spiritual theology, formation, community and mission.\n\nThe church I want to be part of, a real church, will teach spiritual theology that stirs a hunger for spiritual formation that surfaces the need for spiritual community that then marshals its resources for spiritual mission.\n\nNot being familiar with Crabb’s earlier and popular books e.g. Inside Out, I initially found his style and comments rather suspicious and a little too tongue-in-cheek, though I understand he was being extreme and in-your-face for emphasis, and also speaking his mind, but slowly then drawing the audience to think outside the box, for themselves, and also get drawn into his reasoning and unpacking which comes subsequently. The content and material he puts forth is not new, but still refreshing, especially his take of what many Christians view as church, or what church should be for. I find him leaning towards emergent church theology, though he mentions clearly at least twice his misgivings and concerns about the movement. He also uses terms and phrases that don’t necessary sit well with evangelical theology, e.g. dancing with the Trinity, addiction to God, hearing heaven’s music, etc. Also, I find that the book is a little imbalanced, because he spends so much time reflecting on the state of the church, and misconceptions of the purposes of a church, it seems he rushes through the 4 areas, and before it can reach a climax, ends rather abruptly, concluding that theology is the thing that draws the other 3 together, without really explaining too much why and how. Instead, he leaves us thirsty for more, which creates a great plug-in for his other book 66 Love Letters, which he then promotes. On purpose, or just in line with his conclusion? I leave it to you to decide.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9644647836685181}
{"content": "Ask Colin\n\nIn history, last time Dow Jones average spent 16 years (1965 - 1982) going side way after 23 years of bull market (1942 - 1965). Now, the Dow has just finished a 19 year long bull market (1982 - 2001). If we knew it will spend more than 10 years going side way or going down, would you suggest we should stay away from the market, or have very low exposure to it? Because compounding is essential for accumulating wealth in long term, I just thought 10 year will be a long time in ones life.\n\nI am glad you asked this question, because I have strong view about it.\n\nFirstly, the 1965 -82 period was a sideways market. However, there was also a 40% decline in the middle of it. There was also a fairly wild electronics boom in it as well in the 1970s. So, there were risks and opportunities. You really need to take a shorter term view as a trader.\n\nSecondly, if you take the \"real\" (adjusted for inflation) picture, it was not a sideways market, but a big bear market. Wealth was slaughtered in this period.\n\nThirdly, just looking at indexes is very dangerous. Individual stocks move a lot more than the index - in both directions.\n\nSo, I think that a trader needs to keep trading the market. Traders should keep moving in and out on bull and bear trends. Traders should also keep moving out of weak stocks into strong stocks.\n\nInvesting is, of course a different matter.\n\nMy strategy as a trader is to stay out of bear markets and trade the bull markets. However, there is scope to have some exposure at any time to strongly trending stocks.\n\nIt is especially important to be exposed to stocks if you have a long term investment horizon. Stocks have the best long term return of any asset class.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7694455981254578}
{"content": "Grandma’s Batch in San Francisco\n\nThis strain has a unique aromatic profile that contains notes of butter, baked goods, citrus bite, and flower petals. A hybrid strain made by crossing parent strains Girl Scout Cookies and Candyland, Grandma’s Batch is often used to give bursts of energy and stave off fatigue. It can also be used as a ward against depressive spells or to deal with persistent aches and pains. Its effects are often cerebral in nature, including increased optimism and positivity, a sense of blissful transcendence, all-over tingles in the body, and bursts of creativity that can be useful for artistic pursuits.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9527685642242432}
{"content": "Send to\n\nChoose Destination\n\nSpinocerebellar Ataxia Type 2.\n\n\nPulst SM1.\n\n\n1998 Oct 23 [updated 2015 Nov 12].\n\nAuthor information\n\n\n\n\nSpinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2) is characterized by progressive cerebellar ataxia, including nystagmus, slow saccadic eye movements and, in some individuals, ophthalmoparesis or parkinsonism. Pyramidal findings are present; deep tendon reflexes are brisk early on and absent later in the course. Age of onset is typically in the fourth decade with a ten- to 15-year disease duration.\n\n\nThe diagnosis of SCA2 rests on the use of molecular genetic testing to detect an abnormal CAG trinucleotide repeat expansion in ATXN2. Affected individuals have alleles with 33 or more CAG trinucleotide repeats. Such testing detects nearly 100% of affected individuals.\n\n\nTreatment of manifestations: Management is supportive. Affected individuals should maintain activity. Canes and walkers help prevent falls; grab bars, raised toilet seats, and ramps to accommodate motorized chairs may be necessary. Speech therapy and communication devices such as writing pads and computer-based devices may benefit those with dysarthria. Weighted eating utensils and dressing hooks help maintain a sense of independence. When dysphagia becomes troublesome, video swallowing studies can identify the consistency of food least likely to trigger aspiration. Prevention of secondary complications: Vitamin supplements are recommended; weight control helps minimize difficulties with ambulation and mobility. Surveillance: Annual examination by a physician experienced in movement disorders and ataxia. Agents/circumstances to avoid: Alcohol and medications known to affect cerebellar function.\n\n\nSCA2 is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. Offspring of an affected individual have a 50% chance of inheriting the causative CAG trinucleotide repeat expansion. The repeat may expand significantly, especially when transmitted by the father. Prenatal testing for pregnancies at increased risk is possible if the diagnosis has been established by molecular genetic testing in an affected family member.\n\n\nSupplemental Content\n\nSupport Center", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5792735815048218}
{"content": "The Collector's Voice: Critical Readings in the Practice of Collecting: v. 3: Modern Voices (BOK)\n\netc., Rosemary Flanders\n\n1 399,00 1 39900\nSendes vanligvis innen 7-15 dager\nThe study of collection is a growth point in cultural studies, conceived a a study of practice, of the ways in which people make sense of the world by bringing elements together. This volume focuses on 19th and earlier 20th-century collectors, roughly spanning 1835 to 1960. The essence of the imperial theme is described as a belief in the real, a confidence in the positivist, essential nature of things. The belief in the sovereignty of reason and its potential to command nature fuelled both the scientific expertise of the time and the \"can-do\" technology upon with both global communication and industrial development depended. Interwined with this was the steady shift from the production of material as a way of life to that of consumption. This shift created the lavishly over-furnished homes of middle-class Britain and the elaborate lifestyle based upon many sets of thing.s\n\n\nSpråk Engelsk Engelsk Innbinding Innbundet\nUtgitt 2002 Forfatter etc., Rosemary Flanders\nISBN 9781859284193\nAntall sider 200 Dimensjoner 21,1cm x 15,9cm x 2,2cm\nVekt 448 gram Leverandør Bertram Trading Ltd\nEmner og form Social & cultural history, Cultural studies, Museology & heritage studies, Antiques & collectables", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9598297476768494}
{"content": "Kolr Vestarson\n\nRookie - 0 Points (Santa Barbara)\n\nBiography of Kolr Vestarson\n\nKolr Vestarson is a California-born, Alberta-raised poet and composer. He lives primitively and proudly in the Rockies as an old-school pioneer and as a spiritual and artistic recluse, following a path of non-resistance to and non-cooperation with human evil and stupidity.\n\nKolr Vestarson's Works:\n\nDeath Becomes This Whisper - Volume One\nMy Life in the Forest\n\nPoemHunter.com Updates\n\n\nThe winter rains had not yet abated\nwhen your dark eyes\nfirst spoke their earnest whispers\nin your father's garden.\n\nYour lips,\nbarely apart in their trembling,\nproclaimed the longing that lay hidden\nin your quiet shadows of draped skin.\n\n[Report Error]", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9889189600944519}
{"content": "Chapter One\n\nBy: Jordyn Seaney and Savannah Shoemake\n\nIn chapter one of “Slaughterhouse Five” by Kurt Vonnegut, the author writes from his own personal perspective at Dresden in 1967. Vonnegut chose to make the first chapter form his perspective to establish credibility with his audience. Through this credibility he can bond and relate to his readers. Vonnegut talks about his experience in the war and how it has shaped him into the person he is today. Since he entered the war as a “child”, his child life got stripped away from him and he is trying to live it out as an adult.\n\nThe author’s syntactical structure shows his child-like qualities, by being short, simple, and choppy. Vonnegut’s tone in chapter one is somber, bitter, blunt, and child-like. Through hypotaxis, parataxis, asyndeton, polysyndeton, cumulative, and periodic syntactical structures he portrays this tone. An example of parataxis in chapter one is, \"He had no trouble believing it. He was up. He was reading\" (4). Vonnegut uses examples of both hypotaxis and polysndeton in the same quite, \"as a trafficker in climaxes and thrills and characterization and wonderful dialogue and suspense and confrontationsIn\"(5). Another example is of asyndeton which Vonnegut uses on page eleven, \"I wrote the Air Force back then, asking for details about the raid on Dresden, who ordered it, how many planes did it, why they did it...\"(11). An example of cumulative is, \"It is so short and jumbled and jangled, Sam, because there is nothing to say about a massacre\" (19). All of these forms of writing have specific characteristics, but they all add to Vonneguts child like style of writing. In chapter one Vonnegut portrays his argument that children should not experience the trauma of a war because it strips them of their child hood and innocence. He never got to live out his child life, so he is trying to live it now. This is revealed to the audience through the author’s child-like behavior such as, staying up at night to call his ex girlfriends, writing in crayons, and multiple choppy and child-like syntactical structures.\n\nVonnegut makes it clear to the audience in the first chapter that his writing style is going to be an unordinary read. On page 20 Vonnegut states, “The time would not pass. Somebody was playing with the clocks, and not only with the electric clocks, but the wind up kind, too.” Through this proclaim he author foreshadows to his readers about the time travel in this novel. He shows that he is going to jump around from year to year, setting to setting, non-chronologically. Vonnegut’s writing style is reflected from his child hood war experiences. Through this evident desire for a normal child hood portrays his idea that children should be kept out of the war.\n\nVonnegut introduces many reoccurring motifs to his readers. Time and the phrase, “So it goes” are two of the motifs that he incorporates throughout the novel, as well as the first chapter. Time represents how Vonnegut doesn’t really have a grasp on time and goes from one decade to another in the matter of sentences. He uses clocks throughout the chapter to represent time. Vonnegut states, “They had a horse-drawn wagon full of clocks” (14). The soldiers that took the clocks wanted others not to be able to know what time it was and keep them shut out of reality of the world. In the book time is nonexistent. Every most just is. \"So it goes\" represents no worried. The tralfadorians teach Billy to not worry or or even remember the bad moments in time because in another moment that bad thing is good. They use death as an example. They say not to morn for the dead because in another moment they are alive and well. For this reason, when someone dies Vonnegut states right after, \"So it goes\", to explain that the person is dead in this moment but not every moment in time.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9695738554000854}
{"content": "One Healthy Breakfast A Day Keeps Weight Gain Away\nEating a good breakfast and letting go of your snacking habits may provide the key to leading a healthier life and preventing weight gain, a new study shows.\n\nUnhealthy weight gain is a problem that many Americans have to tackle and which state-led programs promoting wholesome dietary habits seek to prevent. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 36.5 percent of adults, and around 17 percent of children in the United States live with obesity.\n\nExcess weight also puts people at an increased risk of developing serious conditions or diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer.\n\nResearch into nutrition, healthy eating habits, and how our diet impacts our day-to-day lives is conducted on a regular basis, with new discoveries being reported all the time. For instance, an analysis recently covered by Medical News Today suggests that some bio markers could predict the effectiveness of weight loss diets.\n\nAnew study on the link between the impact of meals and their frequency to weight gain has now been conducted by Doctor, from the Lome Linda University School of Public Health (LLUSPH), in California. She collaborated with colleagues from her own institution, as well as from the Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine and the Institute of Endocrinology, both based in Prague,Czech Republic.\n\nTheir results were published in The Journal of Nutrition, and they were co-written by Professor , from LLUSPH. Doctor will present the findings at the International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine, in Washington, D.C.\n\nParticipants with peculiar eating habits\n\nResearchers worked with participants from the Adventist Health Study-2 (AHS-2), an endeavor monitoring the health lives of 96,000 Seventh-day Adventists from the U.S. and Canada.\n\nThe AHS-2 considers that the Adventist population is situated at a lower risk of developing conditions and diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, cancer,or diabetes. This, researchers suggest, may be thanks to their specific eating habits.\n\nLed by Doctor, the study included 50,660 adult individuals from this population,all aged 30 or older. The focus was on the possible link between when and how often people eat, and their body mass index (B MI). The participants had various body types and sizes, the researchers specify, and their eating habits and health outcomes were monitored for an average period of 7 years.\n\nAt the outset, the participants were asked to fill in a questionnaire, detailing their medical history, eating practices, physical activity, and other relevant information. As the study went on, they filled in follow-up forms declaring any major health events. The final follow-up questionnaire reported how often participants had normally taken their meals, and at what times of the day.\n\nBreakfast is good, dinner less so\n\nThe study had several main findings. In the first place, it showed that people who regularly ate only one or two meals per day had a decrease in B MI. Conversely,those who ate more than three meals a day increased their B MI, and the more meals they ate, including snacks, the greater the weight gain.\n\nThere searchers also found that people who had breakfast regularly tended to lose more weight than people who chose to skip breakfast. More importantly, the participants whose largest meal of the day was breakfast experienced a large BMI decrease, in contrast with those who made lunch or dinner their largest meal.\n\nAdditionally,the researchers found that skipping dinner altogether and having a long, 18 or 19-hour, overnight fast contributed to weight loss. Other good eating practices, the researchers observe, include leaving 5 or 6 hours between breakfast and lunch, and abstaining from snacks throughout the day.\n\nThese findings confirm what previous studies conducted on smaller population samples also inferred. The importance of breakfast to our diet and its impact on our general health have long been appreciated, yet this is the first recent analysis to be conducted on such a large, unrestricted population sample.\n\nAge affects BMI\n\nThere searchers also highlighted that there is a strong link between BMI and advancing age. According to them, participants younger than 60 tended to gain more weight, whereas those over 60 tended to experience a loss in BMI. \n\nIn this context, they note that people under 60 with more mindful dietary habits,who eat breakfast as their main meal, tend to avoid the weight gain that is to be expected in their age category.\n\n\"Before, those eating calories earlier in the day had less weight gain,\" says Professor . \"Over decades, the total effect [of regularly eating a large breakfast] would be very important,\" he adds.\n\nAt the same time, the study observes that people over 60, who naturally lose more weight, will be similarly affected by this regime, which could lead to negative health outcomes in some cases.\n\nA clearer understanding of the impact that meal frequency and the importance that meals have on BMI levels could, therefore, help us make better, more informed decisions about our individual health and dietary needs.\n\n\n\nYou may also like\n\nFacebook Conversations", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9988245964050293}
{"content": "Morals Without G-d?\n\nRabbi Mendel Bluming serves the community as the Rabbis of the Chabad Shul of Potomac and is often challenged with this question.\n\nHere’s a thought created on Jewish philosophy:\n\nGood is only good for G-d chose it to be. G-d is not chained by anything, and could have chosen otherwise. He could have written “Thou shalt steal,” and “Do not help the poor and needy.” Helping our elders across the street would be the wrong thing to do, but mugging them would be desired.\n\nNow you may say, anyone with a healthy conscience knows that to steal is morally repugnant and helping the needy is a righteous and upright deed. But our conscience is created by G-d also. If morality would be inverted, we would be wired in that direction. Luckily for all those old ladies trying to cross the street in the world, G-d chose the other way around.\n\nDoes this mean good isn’t truly good? Is morality nothing more than a whimsical imagination? Not at all. Only humans are impulsive and arbitrary. G-d is absolute. Good is absolutely as reality not because it feels good to me but because the Absolute One made it so. Morality is defined by the infinite model of G-d, not the finite nature of human feelings.\n\nThe real quandary is this: without G-d, how can anything be good or evil? Who becomes the decision maker? That’s a really good question\n\nRabbi Mendel Bluming and Rabbi Moss\n\nMenachem Bluming asks Do You Trust Your First Impressions of Others?\n\nThere is a known theory that we can gather all we need to know about a person in the first few seconds of greeting them. It is a great theory. There is only one problem with it. It is just a theory 🙂\n\nA person is bigger than meets the eye. We are complicated. We have thoughts and feelings, memories and desires, quirks and foibles. We all have a story and we all have a soul. You can’t notice all this at first glance.\n\nHow many times have you been impressed by someone’s at first, only to be disappointed later? And vice versa, how many people have you been pleasantly surprised by after getting to know them better? Even looks are deceiving. A person who you don’t find attractive at first can grow on you as their full picture unravels.\n\nI am sure you would support me in saying that no one can know what you are all about by meeting you once. So give the same treatment to others. Don’t always trust your instincts. They can certainly lead you astray.\n\nMenachem Mendel Bluming and Rabbi Moss\n\nMenachem Bluming on why a Kohen Does not Marry a Convert\n\nA convert can marry a king. A convert can marry a prophet. A convert can even marry a rabbi, the highest echelon of Jewish society (if you ask me :). So it makes no sense to say that a convert can’t marry a cohen because they are second class citizens. There must be some other reason.\n\nHere’s a thought for your consideration:\nWhen the Torah forbids a marriage, it is never because one party is not good enough for the other. It is because both parties are not matched to each other. They are simply not soulmates. In the case of the cohen and the convert, their soul dynamics clash, their spiritual energies contradict, and so they can’t marry.\n\nThe holiness of a cohen is hereditary. If your father is a cohen, then you are a cohen. Priesthood is a birthright that is not achieved through a person’s effort nor deserved through a person’s righteousness. It is an honor that is bestowed at birth.\n\nThe holiness of a convert is the exact opposite. It is completely earned. The convert was not born Jewish. They chose it. They achieve Jewishness of their own initiative and with their own hard work. They are self-made souls.\n\nSo these two souls, the cohen and the convert, are moving in opposite ways. The cohen receives their power from above. The convert creates their own soul energy from below. The cohen has the ability to bring down blessings to others, just as their soul was given to them as a blessing. The convert has the power of innovation, of initiative, of creating holiness from the ground up. They are going different directions. For this reason their souls are not a match.\n\nBoth the cohen and the convert have awesome holiness. It is a great privilege to be gifted with the soul of a cohen. And yet, the self-made soul of a convert has a depth of experience that inherited holiness cannot compete with. Neither are second class souls.\n\nThe cohen is crowned with a legacy from past generations. A convert creates their own legacy for future generations. The Jewish people is richer for both of them.\n\nRabbi Mendel Bluming and Rabbi Moss\n\nProud Humility\n\n\n\n\n\nMenachem Bluming muses why you have no time\n\nDo you struggle with time? Do you feel like you don’t have enough time and years fly by? Jewish holidays never seem to come on time 🙂\nTime torments everyone.\n\nTorah empowers us to transform time. How? Repentance makes amendments to our past, Shabbat transforms time into a holy time, Yom Tov too etc\n\nMake time an ally!\n\nMenachem Mendel Bluming\n\nMenachem Bluming supports you in finding a kabbalist who can cure anxiety!\n\nI know a kabbalist who could help. His name is Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. He lived just under two thousand years ago, but his light still shines today.\n\nIn his esoteric masterpiece, called the Zohar, he has an understanding and if you internalize it, it may bring you the energy you need. He writes:\n\nDuring the Friday night prayers, as Shabbos enters, the energy of the world goes higher into the supernal realm, and all negativity and harshness is cut away. All winds of anger and opposition flee and disappear. No foreign power reigns, the world is covered in a divine light, which shines on the holy people on earth, who are crowned with fresh souls.\n\nRabbi Shimon is describing the spiritual shift that happens as we welcome in the Shabbos. We are not just desisting from our daily jobs, we are lifting ourselves to a higher plane, a place where there is only kindness and light and holiness, where our soul is free from the torments of the mundane lives, and when we are given a fresh burst of soul energy.\n\nThe Friday night prayers are the start of this journey. The songs and prayers transport us to this inner space of deep happiness. We actually quote the above passage in the prayers. If you close your eyes and let yourself be uplifted by the moment, you may actually feel yourself being elevated to this peaceful place.\n\nThere are no magical answers. Continue your therapy, and also do the spiritual therapy of Shabbos. Both will require work. But you can get there. You are one of those holy people who can be crowned with a fresh soul, every Shabbos.\n\nMenachem Mendel Bluming, Rabbi Moss based on Zohar II 135b, Kegavna from Siddur Friday night service\n\nMenachem Bluming Considers is Divorce a Mistake?\n\nWe all have free choice. We can marry Mr Wrong, or divorce Mr Right. We have to take accountability for choosing a partner, even if things didn’t work out.\nHowever, when a marriage ends in divorce, it’s not to say that it was not supposed to be in the first place. Together with the belief in free choice, we also believe that whatever happened in the past was supposed to happen. And so you wed the person you were destined to marry. It was meant to be. And in retrospect it was destined to end.\n\nThis is the paradox of faith: What I am about to do is my freedom. Once I have done it, it was meant to happen. I am responsible for my actions. I made the bed, and I am required to sleep in it. But now that I did, I couldn’t have slept anywhere else.\n\nAs painful as the experience may have been, your divorce was integral to your soul’s mission. We can only guess why.\nIt is possible that the ill-fated marriage was a rectification for something in a past life. It could be you have a soulmate from your former incarnation that you didn’t marry the first time around, as well as a soulmate from your current incarnation, and so you have to wed both.\n\nPerhaps you were required to bring a child into the world who otherwise would not have been created.\n\nOr perhaps it was a necessary step in your journey of learning, bringing you closer to your true self, and your real soulmate.\n\nWho knows?\nWe don’t take it lightly when divorce happens. It is a tragic last resort when all other attempts to mend a toxic marriage have failed. And sometimes it isn’t in your hands. But if it has happened, you have to trust that this is your soul’s direction. May G-d give you the strength and wisdom to navigate the next step on that path…\n\nMenachem Mendel Bluming and Rabbi Moss\n\nMenachem Bluming Muses on What Makes Jews Unique\n\nJews do odd things sometimes. One example is the known practice of “credit combing.”\nMany Jews have a habit of combing through the names at the end of a movie, searching for Jewish names. At each discovery they shine with pride:\n\nLook! Assistant Gaffer…….Marvin Goldstein! Catering Consultant……..Beth Cohen!\n\nThis strange practice comes from a very deep place in the Jewish essence. Jews share a spiritual union with each other. If I meet a Jew- it doesn’t matter where, there is an immediate connection, a kinship, a sense of oneness. We are like one vast family, and even closer than that.\n\nIf Jews are in the news, we each take it personally. When Israel is being attacked, we feel the pain wherever we are. When a Jew wins a bronze medal in baseball, we all share the victory. And when we pick out a Jewish name in the credits, we get excited.\n\nMaybe other nations do this as well. But I don’t think so. This strong sense of connection makes the Jewish nation unique among other religions.\n\nThis is the reason why data cannot apply to the Jewish people. No Jew is only an individual. We are a collective soul, a slice of something bigger than ourselves. We may be a tiny blip on the radar, but we don’t work by the usual rules of demography. Our strength is not measured by our numbers, but by our oneness.\n\nThe destiny of the Jewish nation is to be a strong voice of goodness and decency among the family of nations. When we unite with our community and commit ourselves to the shared mission of our people, then we are a formidable existence. Not because we are one billion, but because we are one.\n\nMenachem Mendel Bluming, Rabbi Moss and\n\nMenachem Bluming Sounds off on “Why Smile ?”\n\n\n\nSo Smile 🙂\n\nMenachem Mendel Bluming, Rabbi Moss and", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6783642768859863}
{"content": "Edward I. (12391307)\n\nEdward I., surnamed Longshanks, king of England, born at Westminster, son of Henry III., married Eleanor (q.v.) of Castile; came first into prominence in the Barons' War; defeated the nobles at Evesham, and liberated his father; joined the last Crusade in 1270, and distinguished himself at Acre; returned to England in 1274 to assume the crown, having been two years previously proclaimed king; during his reign the ascendency of the Church and the nobles received a check, the growing aspiration of the people for a larger share in the affairs of the nation was met by an extended franchise, while the right of Parliament to regulate taxation was recognised; under his reign Wales was finally subdued and annexed to England, and a temporary conquest of Scotland was achieved (12391307).\n\n\nEdward, Thomas * Edward II.\nEdithe, St.\nEdmund, St.\nEdmund, St.\nEdmund Ironside\nEdward, Thomas\nEdward I.\nEdward II.\nEdward III.\nEdward IV.\nEdward V.\nEdward VI.\nEdward VII.\nEdward the Confessor\nEdward the Elder\nEdwardes, Sir Herbert Benjamin\nEdwards, Bryan\n\n\nLinks here from Chalmers\n\nBray, Sir Reginald", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8554322719573975}
{"content": "Better Digestion Means Faster Weight Loss\n\nNo Comments\n\n\nHave you ever wondered what will happen to the food you eat when it enters your body? Food undergoes a process of digestion. This is a process of mechanical and chemical breakdown of food into smaller components which can be easily absorbed in the digestive system. Good digestion should always be placed into importance, particularly if you want to lose weight. Being an integral part of weight loss, it is very important to know the basics of how to improve one’s digestion. Otherwise, it will result to decrease or inefficient metabolism that will cause the storage of calories and later on will result to gaining of weight. Also, if your digestion is poor then it will lead to different conditions such as fatigue, headache, lack of energy and depression. Be concerned enough to take good care of your body and that includes your digestive system to aid in improving your digestion that may help in improving and losing those extra pounds.\n\nTo ensure better digestion, here are some tips to live by:\n\nControl what you eat. Do not eat large amounts of food, eat less rather. It is a good thing to have small frequent meals with about 3-5 times a day compared to having bigger meals that will make your stomach feel heavy. Limit your foods to the size of your fist. Tell yourself when to stop, drink a lot of water for you to feel full and prevent yourself from craving.\n\nExercise regularly. It is best to do exercise every morning for 30 minutes. Cardiovascular exercise helps in strengthening your digestive systems’ muscles. Other than cardiovascular exercises, yoga can be beneficial to help improve circulation to your digestive system.\n\nRaw and fresh foods are a must eat. Heating foods above 115 degrees Fahrenheit may destroy the digestive enzymes. To achieve better metabolism and improve your digestion, keep these enzymes intact in your food. That is why it’s good to eat it raw foods or fresh ones, particularly fruits and veggies which makes them easier to digest. It would also help if you take probiotics regularly. It helps increase the good bacteria and are very important for digestion.\n\nAvoid various combinations of food. For an instance eating starches with proteins, sweet foods with acidic foods with starches at the same time, these foods when taken at once will cause negative effects to your body. The combination often pose digestive disorders as well, hence, even nutritious foods aren’t absorbed properly. Instead, they contribute to building of fat deposits. So discipline yourself to go for simple meals.\n\nEat slowly. While fast foods and eating in a rush are convenient habits for busy people, such habits are also bad for weight loss. On the other hand, eating slowly makes you eat fewer amounts of foods, because your appetite can only be high at a limited span of time. Eating less will be easier for your digestive system. Chew foods properly, by chewing carefully you body gets the benefit to undergo good food digestion.\n\nLive by a healthy diet. This is the most important step you should remember. Eat a lot of healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables because these are filled with nutrients and it is high in fiber which increases metabolism. Fruits and vegetables keeps you hydrated and are good source of antioxidants. Avoid those unhealthy processed foods that may destroy your digestive tract in the long run. Additionally, avoid eating a lot of meat or eating meat all the time because it takes time to digest.\n\nDiscipline yourself to have good digestion. Choose what you eat always. Live a healthy lifestyle.\n\nVitamins, Supplements and Importance of Water In A Healthy Diet\n\nNo Comments\n\n\nIf you are a person who is interested in developing an appropriate diet for health living, there are three items that you should include in your overall eating regimen:\n\n— vitamins\n— nutritional supplements\n— water\n\nThe foundation of a diet for healthy living needs to be appropriate food choices. You need to eat an appropriate balance of fresh fruits, vegetables and low-fat meat products. You need to avoid food items that contain trans-fats as well as refined, processed sugars.\n\n\n\nAs a general rule of thumb, an adult who is not significantly overweight should consume eight 8-ounce glasses of water each and every day. (Soft drinks, coffee, milk and other beverages are not to be utilized as part of the total water intake amount. However, some herbal, decaffeinated teas can be used towards your overall water intake count on a given day.)\n\nA person who is overweight will need to consume more water. Some experts suggest that (in addition to utilizing vitamins and nutritional supplements) a heavier person should take in not only the base eight glasses of water daily but should also drink an additional 8-ounce glass for every ten pounds he or she weights over and above his or her “ideal weight.” Of course, if a person is morbidly obese, there is a line of water consumption that cannot be crossed. You can only consume so much water — however, you do need to bear in mind that the more you weigh, the more water that you will need to drink each and every day.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5192230939865112}
{"content": "10 Instant Ways To Banish Muscle Tension Naturally\n\n\n10 Ways To Banish Muscle Tension Naturally\n\nWhether you overdid it at the gym, sat at your desk too long, drove a long distance in the car, have sustained an injury, or are ill, muscle tension can be frustrating and painful. Muscle tension is frequently the result of stress and anxiety which makes millions of people around the globe susceptible.\n\nNot sure if you have muscle tension? Check out these common symptoms.\n\n  • You feel like your muscles are tight or pulling – sometimes they cause sharp or constant pain.\n  • You have a lot of pain that keeps you from participating in physical activity or even keeps you bedridden.\n  • You feel like your muscles are twitching, cramping up, or you have frequent spasms.\n  • You have an overall feeling of tightness that may cause headaches or reduce your flexibility.\n\nMuscle Tension Caused By Stress\n\nMuscle tension caused by stress or anxiety may come and go depending on what is going on in your life. You may find that the symptoms are especially bad at the end of the day and get progressively worse throughout the day. For this reason, many people who experience muscle tension due to stress have trouble falling or staying asleep.\n\nMuscle tension caused by stress can present itself in any number of muscles, remain stationary or migrate from one group of muscles to another group. The most common areas for muscle tension due to stress are:\n\n  • face\n  • neck\n  • back of the  head\n  • shoulders (back and top)\n  • chest\n  • arms\n  • legs\n  • hands\n  • feet\n  • stomach\n  • groin\n  • digestive system\n\nSymptoms may worsen with elevated stress, nervousness or even the thought of an anxious situation. Or, they may come and persist for virtually no reason at all. This is what makes tension pain due to stress or anxiety so frustrating.\n\nMuscle Tension Caused By Overuse\n\nMuscle tension and its accompanying pain may also be the result of overuse or minor injury. Overuse can be from a repetitive job such as typing or working on an assembly line of some sorts. Without proper stretching, muscles become tight and are easily injured. Poor posture can also lead to chronic muscle tension. This if often the case with people who work at a desk job or do a lot of driving.\n\nThere is even such as thing as Occupational Overuse Syndrome, previously known as Repetitive Strain Injury, which causes tightness and pain, in muscles joints, tendons, nerves and soft tissues. Tension and pain develop when muscles have been moved in the same way over a period of time. Problems can also arise when postures have been constricted or there has been too much straining.\n\n10 Natural Remedies For Muscle Tension:\n\nWhile you may not be able to decipher exactly why you have muscle tension, there are many natural remedies that can help reduce the pain and inflammation while restoring mobility to the affected muscles.\n\n1. Relax, Stretch and Breathe Deeply\n\nWhile this sounds too simple to be true – it is actually the very first thing you should try if you are suffering from muscle tension. This is actually the best thing to do before muscle tension turns to outright pain. If you know that you are susceptible to muscle tension and pain, it is critical that you learn how to relax and incorporate stress-busters in your life. Even if you don’t think you suffer from muscle tension, learning how to relax, stretch and breathe are all healthy preventative measures you can take.\n\nTo relax, try some simple yoga moves daily. This will keep your mind focuses, stretch your muscles and help to release tense muscles. Many people find that a few moves at night, before bed and a few in the morning, upon waking, help to reduce tension and keep muscle lose. This is is especially true if you suffer from shoulder, neck or head tension or pain.\n\nEven though we may take it for granted, breathing is essential to health – that is correct breathing. If your breathing is shallow (small and short breaths) you can actually exacerbate anxiety and stress which in turn, makes muscle tension worse.\n\nTo get the most out of the oxygen, practice deep and full breaths that start in your diaphragm. To practice, sit up straight and place a hand gently on your abdomen. Take a deep breath in through the nose and watch as your belly rises. Blow the air out of your mouth very slowly and repeat this four or five times and different points throughout the day. Deep breathing will disarm stress and provide a rush of freshly oxygenated blood to your muscles.\n\nAnother instant relaxation move is to drop your shoulders. If you are stressed, you will most likely carry your shoulders high and hunched. This can result in shoulder, neck and head tension and is one of the most frequent causes of tension headaches. Remind yourself often, throughout the day to drop your shoulders. You will feel an immediate sense of relief and your tight muscles should relax.\n\n2. Drink Tart Cherry Juice\n\nIf you are an avid athlete and suffer from muscle tension and pain, cherry juice can help. It has been shown to reduce muscle stress and inflammation. Studies have shown that runners who drink a glass of tart cherry juice can reduce post-run muscle stiffness and pain. This response is due to the powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of the juice. Always purchase organic tart cherry juice with no additives.\n\n3. Movement\n\nAlthough you may not feel like moving when your muscles are tense, being active – especially outdoors in the fresh air is a great way to loosen up. Exercise releases endorphins that help combat pain and being outside is often a good distraction from feeling tense and tight.\n\nOne of the best things you can do to avoid muscle tension is to adopt a regular exercise routine. The human body loves routine and routine helps us stay sharp both physically and mentally.\n\nWalking outside is one of the best exercises to help prevent and release muscle tension. Just be sure to start slowly if you have not been exercising for some time and do a few stretches before and after.\n\n4. Acupuncture\n\nAcupuncture is an ancient alternative therapy that has been used throughout countless cultures for thousands of years.  This method involves the insertion of tiny, very thin needles through the skin in various strategic locations. Acupuncture is at the heart of traditional Chinese medicine and is often used to treat pain. If you decide to try acupuncture for your tension pain, be sure to seek out a certified provider and do some research before going so that you know what to expect.\n\n5. Vitamin D\n\nIt has been found that people who suffer from excessive muscle tension, spasms and pain may be deficient in vitamin D.  Regular time in the sunlight is the best source of vitamin D but most people don’t get enough of this all year so a high quality supplement is best. You can also get vitamin D from fish, fortified milk and eggs.\n\n6. Massage\n\nMassage therapy is not a new remedy for tension.  Massage  of some form or another has been part of nearly every culture on Earth since the beginning of recorded time.  \n\nRepetitive movement and strenuous physical activity along with injuries and anxiety cause tension and can cause scar tissue in the soft tissue. As mentioned, poor posture can lead to formation of scar tissue as well.\n\nBoth sports and remedial massage techniques manipulate soft tissue including muscles, tendons, ligaments and skin. This manipulation helps ease up tight muscles, reduce pain and increase range of movement.\n\nAccording to the American Massage Therapy Association ( AMTA) massage helps to release contracted muscles and to lengthen tight ones. The Mayo Clinic also states that massage may be useful in the treatment of sore and stiff muscles.\n\nBe sure to see a qualified massage therapist for your muscle tension.\n\n7. Take a Hot Bath\n\nLike massage, hot therapeutic baths are nothing new. There is evidence that people in Ancient Egypt around 2000 B.C. used hot baths for therapeutic purposes. Natural hot springs are popular today as well for healing. Interestingly enough, animals are even known to sit in hot springs.\n\nHot water helps muscle fibers to loosen and relax. This reduces muscle tension and pain. To increase the effectiveness of the hot bath, try adding Epsom Salt which relaxes the nervous system and draws toxins out of muscles.\n\nIn addition, you can also add essential oils to the water that help with relaxation and muscle tension release. Oils such as lavender or chamomile will also help you relax and soothe sore and tight muscles.\n\nBe sure to check with a physician before using a hot bath therapy, especially if you suffer from high blood pressure or take prescription medication.\n\n8. Valerian\n\nKnown as a the natural herb with a powerful relaxing effect, valerian is able to calm tense muscle, relieve spasms and reduce pain. This native herb of Asia and Europe is used to reduce anxiety, stress, hysteria and cramps. The best way to take valerian is as a relaxing tea – simply steep one teaspoon of dried valerian root with 8 oz of water for ten minutes and strain. You can also take valerian in capsule form\n\n9. Cayenne Pepper\n\nCayenne pepper is known for its hot and spicy taste and has been a popular alternative therapy in herbal medicine for centuries. When used as a topical application, cayenne pepper can help reduce muscle and joint pain – especially if you have suffered a minor injury. The active ingredient in cayenne pepper, capsaicin is found in a number of muscle creams and balms. Capsaicin goes to work directly on the sensory nerves, reducing pain and tightness\n\n10. Moist Heat Therapy\n\nHeat therapy can be highly effective at managing chronic muscle tension and pain. Heat helps your muscles to relax and encourages blood flow to the area which can reduce pain. In addition, increasing blood flow to sore muscles also helps in eliminating lactic acid waste buildup which contributes to pain.\n\nFor best results, apply a heating pad with moist insert to the painful area and leave it on for about twenty minutes at a time. You can also apply a heat wrap to the area where you feel the tension. Some come especially contoured for certain body parts such as neck, shoulders, back etc..\n\nBonus: Make This Homemade Balm To Relieve Sore Muscles\n\nWhat else can you do?\n\nIn addition to the above remedies, it is important to maintain a healthy diet, drink plenty of water and exercise regularly. The healthier you are overall, the less likely you are to experience muscle tension and pain. Get plenty of sleep, develop healthy living routines and find a way to deal with stress in your life so that it does not accumulate.\n\nLearn to spot the warning signs of muscle tension and pain and take action before it gets worse. Learning to understand your body and its subtle cues are extremely important in preventing and managing muscle tension.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5806065797805786}
{"content": "Gambling is one of the world’s most popular and oldest forms of entertainment. Recent researchers have uncovered indication that humans have gambled for thousands of years. Gambling was a popular form of entertainment in the ancient Roman, Egyptian and Chinese civilizations.\n\n\nNewsletter Header\n\nIndeed, many of today’s most popular games are themselves hundreds of year old. Casino, for instance, dates back to the Seventeenth Century, but is played by hundreds and thousands of people online each day. Its millions of fans ensures gambling’s continued survival. It’s not just a hobby; it’s part of our cultural heritage.\n\nThis guide principally deals with today’s two most popular online games of chance. Poker is not included in the list since it’s recognized as a game of skill, and not a game of chance.\n\nLotteries and Lotto are the most common form of gambling by chance across the word. In many governmental states it even organises national or state lotteries. Lotteries and Lotto are purely by chance as one has to write down a particular amount of numbers, and depending on the withdrawn, the player might win from a few Euros to actually hitting the Jackpot.\n\n\nSlots is one of the easiest forms of gambling by chance, where the player has to create a winning line of same symbols. No guide is required and it is one of the most popular casino games in the world. Slot Machines can be found in bars, pubs, arcades, hotels, restaurants and many other entertainment establishments across the globe. The payouts are usually in cash money depending on the winning combinations based on type and number of symbols matched.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7125018835067749}
{"content": "Inside the rings of Saturn\n\nWorth a look on the internet, as footage of Saturn’s rings are revealed when Nasa’s  Cassini spacecraft plunges inside the planet’s rings.\n\n\nPlanes made of graphene?\n\nRemember graphene, the single layer of carbon atoms forming a regular hexagonal pattern, which is very light but extremely strong? Richard Branson believes that aircraft could be made entirely of graphene in 10 years time.\n\nSingle atoms used to store information\n\nScientists have manage to use a single atom to store two bits of data, whereas today’s  technologies need at least 10,000 atoms to store one bit of information. Atoms of holmium (a metal in the lanthanide series) were used, and by flipping the atom’s magnetic orientation so that it aligned with or against the Earth’s magnetic field, it was able to switch a bit from 0 to 1.\n\n\nSentinel-2B launched\n\nSentinel-2B, Europe’s new satellite, has just been launched to join an identical spacecraft, Sentinel-2A, which is already in orbit. Between them they will photograph all land surfaces and coastal waters in visible and infrared light to provide a complete map of the Earth every 5 days.\n\nThe images will be used  for, amongst other things, urban planning, air-quality monitoring, tracking deforestation and glacier retreat.\n\nTrump and Global Warming\n\nOne hundred researchers, including many of the most prominent climate scientists in Britain, have written to Theresa May to warn her of the potential threats posed by Donald Trump, who has made it clear he does not accept that human activities contribute to global warming.\n\nThe letter warns that Trump’s administration may severely weaken climate change research. If the world class climate science now performed in the US is wound down under Trump, the UK must be ready to respond decisively, the letter states. One response would be to rapidly expand British climate science by offering jobs to disaffected US researchers.\n\nMore climate change effects\n\n\n\nBirth of the ‘Boom Star’!\n\n1795 years ago two rather dim stars, in the constellation Cygnus, collided creating a Red Nova (dubbed the ‘Boom Star). Light from this new star is travelling towards us and we will be able to view the birth of this star with the naked eye. Unfortunately we will have to wait until the summer of 2022 to see this phenomena!\n\n\nGenetically modified mosquitoes to combat Zika?\n\n\n\n\nExtraordinarily hot Arctic\n\n\n\nLet’s hope the new president elect is taking serious notice.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9519228935241699}
{"content": "Created by Materia for OpenMind Recommended by Materia for OpenMind\nStart The Technological Successes of 2017\n18 December 2017\n\nThe Technological Successes of 2017\n\nComputing | Digitalisation | Gadgets | Innovation | Technology\nEstimated reading time Time 3 to read\n\nArtificial intelligence now dispenses with human knowledge and learns by itself in order to become invincible. Human beings, however, continue to use technology to overcome barriers, such as the use of 3D bioprinting to create precision medicine, or to realize the most ambitious dreams such as reaching other planets through the most powerful rockets ever created. Here we review the great technological advances of the year 2017.\n\nArtificial Intelligence DeepMind\n\nLast year, a computer program developed by Google DeepMind made history by defeating Lee Sedol, one of the planet’s best players of Go, a kind of oriental chess that is considered as complex as the human mind—the chips can be arranged on the board in more combinations than the number of atoms in the universe. And in 2017, the technology went further and a new version, called AlphaGo, now has an algorithm capable of training itself and becoming unbeatable.\n\nWhile the original program had been trained with the analysis of millions of movements from games between humans, the new version uses a neural network of learning by reinforcement. In other words, the machine plays against itself and teaches itself to reach a capacity well above its earlier versions.\n\nAlpha GO discovered tactics and movements used by human players for thousands of years. Credit: DeepMind\n\nThe AlphaGo developers explain that the machine intuitively discovered tactics and movements used by human players for thousands of years, but also discovered other unknown and more efficient strategies on its own. “It is possible to train [a machine] at a superhuman level, without human examples or guidance,” they say.\n\nFacial recognition\n\nIn China, one can already make payments using one’s face. This year, the startup Face++ has created facial recognition software that identifies and monitors the facial movements of each user and it is already being used in different applications such as making bank transfers or verifying that a driver of transport services has a driver’s license. Chinese police are using it to identify criminals in videos recorded by security cameras.\n\nFace++ has created facial recognition software that identifies and monitors the facial movements of each use. Source: Pinterest\n\nDeveloped in 1960, this technology has been popularized in 2017 by companies such as Face++ and FaceTech as well as by the smartphone makers. Apple has used it to create facial unlocking, the most important change in its new model—the iPhoneX.\n\nApple’s so-called Face ID uses machine learning to create a kind of three-dimensional map of the face of the user and is able to detect changes in their face over time, such as the use of glasses or a new haircut.\n\nThe consecration of the smartphone\n\nIn addition to the already expected releases from Apple, which also introduced the iPhone 8, the mobile phone market has seen the release this year of the Galaxy S8, with which Samsung rose from the ashes after the crash of the Galaxy S7—the model that suddenly caught fire—in 2016. The new terminal has a screen that occupies practically the entire front and its main novelty is Bixby, a virtual assistant that promises to perform tasks more complex than its competition, Siri.\n\nPixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, the first smartphones designed and developed by Google. Credit: Google\n\nThe big surprise of 2017, however, was the launch of Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, the first smartphones designed and developed by Google, both with artificial intelligence. Unlike the others, these phones have a single camera equipped with sensors and AI to improve contrast, stabilization and object recognition, which is able to tell the user the breed of a dog or the date of a city landmark in front of them. As affirmed by the developers of these devices, 2017 has shown that the mobile phone is still the future.\n\nRocket to the red planet\n\nSpaceX, the company that has set out to realize the dream of space tourism, has made history this year with the relaunch of its Falcon 9 rocket. The flight on March 31 marked the first time that a single rocket has been reused for multiple missions, an important step towards lowering the costs of space travel and thus making them more profitable.\n\nFalcon Heavy launch simulation. Credit: SpaceX\n\nThe company has announced the launch by early 2018 of the Falcon Heavy, which aims to be the most powerful rocket in service. The piece stands 70 metres high, with 28 motors and with a capacity to carry about 63 tons of weight, equivalent to three Falcon 9s and is intended to transport thousands of tons of satellites, a solar spacecraft and, finally, two lunar tourists. The success in these first missions will demonstrate if this is the rocket with the power, reliability and price necessary to take humans to Mars.\n\nThe future printed in 3D\n\nBefore performing surgery, specialists from the Virgen del Rocío Hospital in Seville print 3D replicas of each patient’s heart, which is unique and one-of-a-kind, in order to study it. Doctors use the Witbox 2, a printer created by the company BQ, which is just one example of how this technology will revolutionize medicine in the coming years.\n\nWitbox 2 print 3D replicas of each patient’s heart. Credit: BQ\n\nThe paediatric team of the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital in Barcelona ​​uses a similar technology to print 3D replicas of tumours that they use to rehearse the most risky operations for children.\n\nLast May, a group of researchers used gelatine as ink to print artificial ovaries that, once implanted in sterilized mouse females, permitted the normal functioning of the reproductive process. So-called bioprinting has definitely entered the race towards precision medicine.\n\nJoana Oliveira\n\n\nRelated publications\n\nComments on this publication\n\nWrite a comment here…* (500 words maximum)\nThis field cannot be empty, Please enter your comment.\n*Your comment will be reviewed before being published\nCaptcha must be solved", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7870729565620422}
{"content": "Sigmund Freud - Psychiatrist, Scholar - Biography\nSigmund Freud\n\nSigmund Freud Biography\n\nPsychiatrist, Scholar (1856–1939)\n\nWho Was Sigmund Freud?\n\nSigmund Freud (May 6, 1856 to September 23, 1939) was an Austrian neurologist who developed psychoanalysis, a method through which an analyst unpacks unconscious conflicts based on the free associations, dreams and fantasies of the patient. His theories on child sexuality, libido and the ego, among other topics, were some of the most influential academic concepts of the 20th century.\n\nSigmund Freud Photo\n\nFreud’s Theories\n\n\n  • Id, ego and superego: These are the three essential parts of the human personality. The id is the primitive, impulsive and irrational unconscious that operates solely on the outcome of pleasure or pain and is responsible for instincts to sex and aggression. The ego is the “I” people perceive that evaluates the outside physical and social world and makes plans accordingly. And the superego is the moral voice and conscience that guides the ego; violating it results in feelings of guilt and anxiety. Freud believed the superego was mostly formed within the first five years of life based on the moral standards of a person’s parents; it continued to be influenced into adolescence by other role models.\n  • Psychic energy: Freud postulated that the id was the basic source of psychic energy, or the force that drives all mental processes. In particular he believed that libido, or sexual urges, was a psychic energy that drives all of human actions; the libido was countered by thanatos, the death instinct that drives destructive behavior.\n  • Oedipus complex: Between the ages of three and five, Freud suggested that as a normal part of the development process all kids are sexually attracted to the parent of the opposite sex and in competition with the parent of the same sex. The theory is named after the Greek legend of Oedipus, who killed his father so he could marry his mother.\n  • Dream analysis: In his book The Interpretation of Dreams, Freud believed that people dreamed for a reason: to cope with problems the mind is struggling with subconsciously and can’t deal with consciously. Dreams were fueled by a person’s wishes. Freud believed that by analyzing our dreams and memories, we can understand them, which can subconsciously influence our current behavior and feelings.\n\nFreud’s theories were no doubt influenced by other scientific discoveries of his day. Charles Darwin's understanding of humankind as a progressive element of the animal kingdom certainly informed Freud's investigation of human behavior. Additionally, the formulation of a new principle by scientist Hermann von Helmholtz, stating that energy in any given physical system is always constant, informed Freud's scientific inquiries into the human mind. Freud's work has been both rapturously praised and hotly critiqued, but no one has influenced the science of psychology as intensely as Sigmund Freud.\n\nThe great reverence that was later given to Freud's theories was not in evidence for some years. Most of his contemporaries felt that his emphasis on sexuality was either scandalous or overplayed. In 1909, he was invited to give a series of lectures in the United States; it was only after the ensuing publication of his book Five Lectures on Psycho-Analysis (1916) that his fame grew exponentially.\n\n\nFreud has published a number of important works on psychoanalysis. Some of the most influential include:\n\n'Studies in Hysteria' (1895)\n\nFreud and Breuer published their theories and findings in this book, which discussed their theories that by confronting trauma from a patient’s past, a psychoanalyst can help a patient rid him or herself of neuroses.\n\n'The Interpretation of Dreams' (1900)\n\nIn 1900, after a serious period of self-analysis, Freud published what has become his most important and defining work, which posits that dream analysis can give insight into the workings of the unconscious mind. The book was and remains controversial, producing such topics as the Oedipus complex. Many psychologists say this work gave birth to modern scientific thinking about the mind and the fields of psychology, psychiatry and psychoanalysis.\n\n'The Psychopathology of Everyday Life' (1901)\n\nThis book gave birth to the so-called “Freudian slip” — the psychological meaning behind the misuse of words in everyday writing and speech and the forgetting of names and words. These slips, he explained through a series of examples, revealed our inner desires, anxieties and fantasies.\n\n'Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality' (1905)\n\nWhile no one person will die without sex, the whole of humanity would without it — so sex drives human instincts, Freud believed. In this work, he explores sexual development and the relationship between sex and social behavior without applying his controversial Oedipal complex.\n\nWhen and Where Was Freud Born?\n\nSigmund Freud was born in the Austrian town of Freiberg, now known as the Czech Republic, on May 6, 1856.\n\nEarly Life and Education\n\nWhen he was four years old, Freud’s family moved to Vienna, the town where he would live and work for most of the remainder of his life. He received his medical degree in 1881. As a medical student and young researcher, Freud’s research focused on neurobiology, exploring the biology of brains and nervous tissue of humans and animals.\n\nEarly Career\n\n\n\nAfter much work together, Breuer ended the relationship, feeling that Freud placed too much emphasis on the sexual origins of a patient's neuroses and was completely unwilling to consider other viewpoints. Meanwhile, Freud continued to refine his own argument.\n\nWife and Kids\n\nIn 1882, Freud became engaged to marry Martha Bernays. The couple had six children—the youngest of whom, Anna Freud, went on to become a distinguished psychoanalyst herself.\n\n\nFreud fled Austria to escape the Nazis in 1938 and died in England on September 23, 1939 at age 83 by suicide. He had requested a lethal dose of morphine from his doctor, following a long and painful battle with oral cancer.\n\nFact Check\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8372387886047363}
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{"content": "Mansfield High School  Logo\nLeadership Team Wolverine Staff Directory\nGet Involved\nFlagline Danceline Cheerleading Volleyball Football Boys Basketball Girls Basketball Baseball Softball\n\nACT Resources\n\n\nOn-line ACT Resources\n\nTestprepreview - Offers practice questions, answers, and explanations for a wide range of tests.\n\n\n4tests.com - Choose any exam and take online practice tests.  You can view the correct answers at any time.\n\n\nSophia.org ACT Test Preparation - Create a free account and then you can download practice exams, answers, and scoring guides.\n\n\nVarsitytutors Practice Tests - This site allows you to take diagnostic or practice tests.  Results are broken down by subject areas.\n\n\nMarch2success.com - Provided by the U.S. Army.  This site offers practice tests and advice for after high school.\n\n\nPrepfactory.com - Create a free account.  You can watch videos and take practice tests.  The site monitors your progress.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9955267310142517}
{"content": "Articles sur Boeing\n\nEnsemble des articles\n\nCanada’s NAFTA strategy is in big trouble. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is seen here meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in February 2017. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick)\n\nRebooting Canada’s failed NAFTA strategy\n\nInstead of treating the Trump administration as a campaign adversary, Canada needs to start working with the United States to renegotiate a NAFTA that serves both countries, not regimes like China.\n\nChina sets its sights on breaking the Boeing-Airbus duopoly\n\n\nDid Qantas bet the house on the wrong planes?\n\n\nLes contributeurs les plus fréquents", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5138856172561646}
{"content": "Archive for: February, 2007\n\nKnow Your Biomes IV: Tropical Savanna\n\nFeb 27 2007 Published by under Basic Concepts, Ecology\n\nA cheetah crouches, shoulders hunched, barely visible through golden stems. The antelope on the edge of the herd has stopped chewing, and scans the horizon with a nervous eye. As it takes a step forward to rejoin the safety of the group, the cheetah makes her move, bounding with impossibly huge leaps towards her prey. The entire herd is on the move with her first step, but the stray is dangerously lagging behind. It flies only for a few seconds before the cheetah leaps one final time, clinging to the young antelope's rump with all her strength, pulling the animal to the ground for the coup de grace.\n\nThis should be a familiar scene for anyone with a passing interest in wildlife films; the great African savannas are often filmed to illustrate with detail the great theater of competition and predation in the wild. Visibility plays a large factor in this choice; the savannas have very few trees, and are home to some of the largest groups of the largest mammals in the world, not only in Africa, but also in South America, India and Australia. The same drama could not be effectively captured in a rain forest; animals are much less visible generally.\n\nBut that does not mean that the creatures of the savannas are immediately apparent. Most are well camouflaged, especially the predators, matching the golds, browns and sage greens of the flora, or appearing as a distant rock, as in the case of rhinos. Huge herds of ungulates pound the hard earth of the savanna, following the summer rains as they sweep across the enormous stretches of land that savannas occupy. As in all biomes, the climate sets the standard of living.\n\nLike the tropical dry forests, the savanna is doused with rain in the summer seasons (often in just a few weeks depending on the year), and suffers from extreme drought for the rest of the year. What keeps dense plant growth at bay? Well, the answer to that question is threefold:\n\n  • Fire: After the five month long dry season, lightning storms swirl violently over the plains, igniting the parched vegetation. These fires can be prolific, clearing huge tracks of grasses and saplings. The grasses grow back quickly, but millennia of fires like these have selected a small number of fire resistant trees and shrubs that are constantly kept in check by the annual fires.\n  • Soil: The soils of the tropical grasslands are relatively impermeable, causing the heavy rains to skim along the surface instead of soaking deeply into the ground.\n  • Herbivory: Animals also keep the density of non-poacean plants at a relatively low level. The herbivores of the African savanna, for example, have evolved to fill specific niches* (the specific factors that influence a species existence, in this case feeding) in which they consume plant material at different levels of the ecosystem. Giraffes and elephants browse the upper and middle levels of leafy trees, respectively, while wildebeests and zebras graze on different levels of grasses. The large herds of ungulates roaming the plains are also restrictive to growth.\n\nThe number and diversity of trees differ from savanna to savanna around the globe, however. In the Miombo Woodlands, trees of the genus Brachystegia can reach heights of 80 feet (25 meters) or more, assisted by a nutrient fixing fungus in its roots (mycorhizae). There are a few dozen species of this tree in a relatively small area.\n\nInsects, as usual, play a large part in recycling nutrients from dead and dying tissue. Termites are perhaps the most visible of these detritivores (detritus eating) in just about every savanna across the world, living in mounds in excess of two meters high, each home to millions of foraging termites. In the Cerrado Savanna of South America, the giant anteater plays Godzilla, wandering through entire cities of termite mounds and dismantling them with its powerful claws to expose tunnels full of workers and lapping them up with its sticky tongue (links to video of anteater feeding).\n\nModern humans are believed to have originated in the African savanna before trekking out to inhabit every other biome in one way or another. The savanna is used for supporting non-native livestock in most cases, but there is a movement for domesticating antelope and other ungulates due to the naturally higher feed to meat ratio observed in these animals.\n\nNext we'll move out of the tropics and into the desert.\n\n*We will return to niche theory in a later post; Cheetah image courtesy of schani\n\nThis post is part of a series of Basic Concepts: Ecology (Intro, Biomes I, II, III). For the entire list of Basic Concepts in Science, visit Evolving Thoughts.\n\nNo responses yet\n\nKnow Your Biomes III: Tropical Dry Forest\n\nFeb 20 2007 Published by under Basic Concepts, Ecology\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n10 responses so far\n\n>AAAS Symposium: The Dynamics of Social Extinction\n\nFeb 19 2007 Published by under [Politics], Conference Blogging, Conservation, Links\n\n>Following Collins' presentation on amphibians as model organisms for observing biological extinction, Dr. Charles Redman from the Global Institute of Sustainability at ASU addressed a more sticky area of extinction, one that hits closer to home: social extinction.\n\n\"The biological extinction of a society is rare,\" said Redman, describing social extinction as more of a cultural rollover - certain social orders become antiquated and irrelevant and tend to be replaced.\n\n\"At some point, the old ways just die out. In some cases,\" he said, \"the language still exists, but the society may not.\"\n\nRedman questioned the importance of the collapse of societies in reference to the central theme of the AAAS meeting, sustainable science. The loss of a species is unequivocally deemed morally important, but is the loss of society? What causes societies to fail? Is there such a thing as a truly sustainable society?\n\nRedman answered himself simply. \"The only thing that is certain is that change is ubiquitous.\"\n\nHe detailed briefly and necessarily the Easter Island paradigm of cultural collapse and the succession of regimes in Mesopotamia as examples, following with a concise definition of societal \"resilience,\" the ability of a society, biologically and culturally, to remain in a desirable state or to be able to change in a desirable way. Redman never exactly defined \"desirability,\" but I think we can assume that state generally involves nonviolent shifts in society.\n\nRedman sees two major threats to a society: environmental changes and the capacity for response in problem solving, either through greater mobility, technology or sweeping social transformations. He pointed out that the simplest and often the most effective response, greater mobility, is no longer feasible. People are generally stuffed into particular nations where travel between is at best, a bureaucratic paper race and at worst, absolutely forbidden. This problem is especially puzzling in this time of globalization, where goods are brought to people across the world. Redman would like to see more people brought to the goods, evening things out a bit more.\n\nI think one of Redman's more poignant statements was \"sustainability is not always good\" when you're speaking from a societal perspective. The longest lived, strongest governments in human history were not democracies, but totalitarian monarchies and theocracies. Redman questioned the power of democracy to create a lasting, sustainable, resilient society. No answer was implied in the statement; he just wondered if there was potential.\n\nHe questioned the value of information to a society, wondering if the availability of information was as much a detriment as a boon, offering too many options, leading to indecision and confusion faced with so many choices. Unlike biological diversity, which is essential in prolonged stabilization in evolved living systems, cultural diversity may lead to gridlock on senate floors, each group holding firm to subcultural principles.\n\nSo I'd like to throw a couple of questions that Redman asked out to the blogosphere. Please, spread them around if you would, on your blog, through e-mail, asking friends:\n\n  • When a society is on the verge of extinction, are we morally obligated to save it?\n  • Do you agree with Redman about diversity and information in today's society?\n  • Is a sustainable, \"resilient\" society possible? Does in involve greater globalization, as Redman suggests?\n\nI would love to hear your thoughts. It might even be neat to compile a series of responses.\n\nOne response so far\n\n>AAAS Symposium: Observing Biological Extinction\n\nFeb 17 2007 Published by under Conference Blogging, Conservation, Ecology, Links, Microbiology\n\n>The first symposium I attended was yesterday at 8:30 am entitled \"The Dynamics of Extinction,\" which was organized to be an interdisciplinary approach to examining extinctions in natural, societal and lingual systems, and also the ethics involved in preserving - and perhaps necessarily - intervening in these systems.\n\nEcologist Jim Collins of the NSF and Arizona State University kicked off the discussion with an analysis of global amphibian decline as an indicator of extinction, and also a type of living experiment. It is usually the job of paleontologists to analyze fossil and climate records, correlating extinctions with major environmental change.\n\n\"At this moment, however,\" said Collins. \"Extinction is right in front of us. We actually get to peer through the window this time.\"\n\nAnd amphibians are the perfect example, a model class, said Collins. It's easy to see why. Thirty-three percent of amphibians are endangered, with 7.4 percent of those considered critically so, compared with 23/3.8 percent of all mammals and 12/1.8 percent of all birds. It is striking that we're talking about an entire class of animals that are being pushed to the brink, not just a particular family or genus.\n\nCollins listed the different threats that may lead to extinction in these animals, including the \"historic\" threats,\n\n  • Commercial\n  • Introduced species\n  • Habitat reduction\n\nas well as some newer, less studied threats, labeled \"enigmatic\":\n\n  • Climate change\n  • Toxins\n  • Infectious agents\n\nThe enigmatic threats became more prominent as biologists noticed declining amphibians populations even within protected lands. Since the enigmatic threats are not subject to arbitrary human boundaries, they persist even when an area is isolated from the first three historical threats.\n\nBut commercial harvesting is still a major threat for amphibians, especially frogs. The frog leg industry is especially destructive, concentrating their harvests on only 11 species of frogs, 95 percent of the time harvested from natural habitats, not farms.\n\nToxins are hard to label as a concrete cause of because of the stratified and highly variable distribution of contaminants in biological systems, especially those bound to aquatic environments. Collins suggested that the deformities caused by parasites in frogs may be due indirectly to an increase in fertilizers, though that idea has not been confirmed.\n\nCollins instead concentrated on his own work with Central American frog populations and the potential for a type of fungus, Chytrid to extinguish about 100 species of frogs in the area. Chytrid attacks the kerotin-rich skin of the frog, and since these animals respirate through their skin, advanced cases cause cardiac arrest and death. Chytrid has also been known to disrupt normal behaviors in frogs.\n\nThe idea of a pathogen driving its host to extinction seems contradictory; where's the benefit for the pathogen?\n\nThere are a few species of Chytrid resistant frogs in these communities that act as a reservoir species for the fungus. In other words, these frogs show no symptoms of infection, but still maintain the ability to spread the disease (a kind of Typhoid Mary). It's easy to see how this might cause a large extinction of frogs from the constant exchange of Chytrid between susceptible and resistant species.\n\nAnd the whole bit might be caused by climate change, at least on the local level. As the microclimate shifts, certain pathogens seem to spread more effectively (as in the case of avian malaria in Hawaiian birds).\n\nCollins and company were also able to predict the spread of the fungus to the next location south, more or less confirming the climatic/pathogenic threat of extinction. He has shipped over 100 different species of the most endangered frogs to a zoo in New York (not sure if it was Brooklyn or not) to try to protect and preserve them.\n\nThe question is, does this count? If the animal only exists in a zoo, are we truly preserving diversity? More questions were raised in the ethical implications of extinction: When should we intervene? How do we know when the cause of endangerment is natural or artificial? How to define was is natural or artificial?\n\nCollins urged the philosophers of science to step up and engage questions like these, weighing the importance of value systems in ecology, intrinsic value vs. utilitarian value. He feels that we need a more clear philosophy of what should be preserved and how, all the while keeping in mind what exactly our role is in this process.\n\nBack later with more tidbits from this symposium.\n\n2 responses so far\n\nKnow Your Biomes II: Tropical Rain Forest\n\nFeb 11 2007 Published by under Basic Concepts, Ecology\n\nAs we begin to take a general sweep through the Earth's biomes, the ever-changing hubs of natural history, the idea of biodiversity should be preeminent. In recent years, biodiversity has become an increasingly important term for ecologists, describing not only the entirety of organisms themselves, but also their behaviors, interactions and genetics. Think about each of these levels as we progress, coupled with the different lenses of ecology we discussed earlier. Hopefully, by the end, we will have a more satisfactory perspective on biodiversity and will be able to better define the term.\n\nAs with many systems of classification in science, there are different classifications of biomes; you may run across lists shorter or in excess of the one described in this series of posts. I will detail the most expansive terrestrial biomes here, though later we may delve into some of the more obscure classifications.\n\nThe tropical rain forest (tropical wet forest, tropical moist broadleaf forest) is probably the most well-known biome to the non-biologist, immediately recognizable for its garish displays of color, shape and texture. Evolution has produced a nearly unlimited array of plants, animals, fungi and microbes, all interwoven in an intricate organic tapestry.\n\nThe source of the density and richness of the tropical rain forest is two fold: temperatures are relatively constant throughout the year and these areas are drenched by rain almost daily. Rainfall can exceed 400 cm in a single year in these forests (temperate forests rarely exceed 100 cm of rain), draining the soil of nutrients and leaving it acidic.\n\nNot all rain forests have soils that are poor in nutrients; those along rivers are consistently rejuvenated by flooding, while those rooted in the soil of young volcanoes have yet to be leached by steady rains.\n\nNutrients are rapidly recycled in a rain forest system. With as many as 300 tree species inhabiting a single hectare and as many as 1,000 species of insects on a single tree, not to mention the high density of other organisms, it is easy to see how the nutrient budget in the forest would be tight, and how organisms rely on one another to perpetuate. Bacteria, mites and other soil creatures quickly break down organic matter from dead organisms which is absorbed by other animals or by the shallow, twisted roots systems of trees and plants. Mutualistic fungi called mycorrhizae often assist these root systems in acquiring elusive elements like nitrogen and phosphorous. Termites break down tough cellulose with the help of microbes in their guts. Leaf cutting ants slice up plant material and cultivate a nutritious fungi for the colony that aids in decomposition. And, since the density of plant life within the forest almost negates the effects of wind, plants are almost completely reliant on insects for fertilization and frugivorous (fruit-eating) animals for the dispersal of seeds.\n\nIf you want to find most of the life in a rain forest, it might be best to look up. The canopy is home not only to countless species of birds, monkeys, amphibians and snakes, but also to thick draping vines called lianas. Epiphytes, plants that live on other plants, make homes out of the crooks and crannies of trees that can reach 80 meters in height.\n\nRain forests make up only about 2% of the Earth's terrestrial surface, but contain about half of the planet's land-loving species. On a macroscopic level, these forests are the taxonomist's last great frontier of discovery, especially in entomology; low estimates predict tens of millions of unclassified insects.\n\nThe thick web of life, the behavior guiding (sometimes forcing) interaction and the underlying genetics of it all that constitutes the tropical rain forest system is the quintessential representation of biodiversity. While other biomes on the planet may not by as dense, the biological relationships of each provide a fresh view of the diversity of life on Earth.\n\nSome authors skip the tropical dry forest when listing biomes, but due to its peculiar (and extreme) double life of wet and dry seasons, we'll give it a nod, next time.\n\nNo responses yet\n\nKnow Your Biomes I\n\nFeb 07 2007 Published by under Basic Concepts, Ecology\n\nOver the past few billion years, life has persisted through countless geologic, atmospheric and extraterrestrial disturbances through its ability to change with the environment. Ecosystems exist in their present state because they have evolved to be as such. It took trillions of events - biotic and abiotic - for these complex systems to weave their thick web of dependence.\n\nOne way for ecologists to define and correlate these varied environments is by categorizing these areas by the types of plants that inhabit them. These categories are called biomes. Categorizing each biome by plant life is not an end in itself; instead, indigenous plant life acts as an indicator of the animal life, soil composition and the climate of an area.\n\nMost of us already know the biomes - desert, rain forest, savannah, tundra, etc. - but how exactly are they defined?\n\nLife within a terrestrial biome is founded by its soil. Soil is created by the weathering of rock (inorganic content) and by the decay of tissue from animal, plant and microbial life (organic content). A mature soil - one that has been undisturbed by geologic or human activity - is characterized by distinct layers called soil horizons that will vary from biome to biome. Deserts have a very different soil stratification than rain forests due to the varying organic and inorganic composition of the biome. The horizons will be immediately apparent and distinct with a deep core sample.\n\nIn Western Maryland, there are large swaths of land reclaimed from strip mining operations and repopulated with native or analogous plant life. If you take a core sample in these reclaimed areas, there is no stratification. You will see the same trend in park land that was once used for agriculture. The soil will not become mature again for some centuries, perhaps even millennia.\n\nSoil horizons are typically defined as such:\n\n  • The O horizon, as shown above, is the \"organic\" layer, a mixed bag of leaf litter and other organic bits found on the biome floor. This layer will vary with particular biomes, obviously, with deserts or tundra having very little litter at all.\n  • In the topsoil layer, or A horizon, is usually associated with humus, mostly decayed organics that have been compacted and mixed with fine inorganic particulates such as clay, silt and sand.\n  • The B and C horizons are mostly composed of inorganic rock in different sizes; C will have larger \"chunks\" than B.\n  • Below C is the bedrock.\n\nSo, plants form the foundation of each biome, and soil provides a suitable anchor and a source of nutrients for the plants (not to mention for the trillions of microbes and fungi feeding and assisting plant growth).\n\nClimate is also an essential factor in understanding the distinctions made between environments. The Earth's \"average\" climate is determined by an enormous number of factors, but generally speaking, we can zero in on a few.\n\nHeat from the sun is what drives the circulation of air on Earth, and with the circulation of air, the factors of precipitation. Much of the basis of climatic variation seen between biomes is created by uneven heat from the sun due to the Earth's tilt on its axis and its ovoid orbit around the sun. In short, these variations combined with the ever changing geology have created our extant biomes, which lie within more or less predictable latitudes.\n\nTake a look at the map below:\n\nThe middle dotted line is the equator, while the outer two both lie at 30 degrees. Notice that the dark green areas (tropical rain forest) are pretty much bound to the equator, while the yellow areas (deserts, generally) skirt along the 30 degrees north and south. This is caused by the constant heating and cooling of air at the equator leading to almost daily rainfall.\n\nWith the moisture expelled in the form of rain, this now dry air mass rises, moving north and/or south. It sinks into the areas at 30 degrees N & S, reabsorbing moisture, and in the process, robbing the area of rain. The mass continues its journey, eventually dumping moisture into the temperate zones. This is a generalized model, but it proves the point.\n\nSo, biomes are categorized by the plants that live within certain areas, but those plants exist in their present state only because of the atmospheric and geologic pressures placed upon ancestral organisms. With recent evidence confirming that human beings are indeed causing the global climate to rise prematurely, ecologists will rely on plants to continue their role in indicating climatic influences.\n\nIn the next few posts, we'll briefly review the different types of biomes on Earth, making distinctions in precipitation levels, geography and indigenous life.\n\nNo responses yet\n\nWhat Is Ecology?\n\nFeb 06 2007 Published by under Basic Concepts, Ecology\n\nEcology is a study of interactions or relationships between organisms and the environment; the connectedness between living systems and non-living systems on the Earth. Ecology is, in a sense, a historical field, founded upon the Earth's far reaching and ever evolving natural history.\n\nThe term ecology comes from the Greek root words oikos logos, literally “the study of household,” first combined by Ernst Haeckel in 1866. Haeckel was referring to the interactions within the house of nature, and we have used the word ecology (translated from the German Oekologie or Ökologie) to describe complex systems of life both extant and extinct.\n\nThe shear range of fields that the term \"ecology\" encompasses is staggering. Why? Think about how many levels of biological interaction can be described by focusing on one animal, a red panda (Ailurus fulgens).\n\nAt the individual level, the red panda itself, an ecologist could look at a particular panda's ability to thermoregulate, or absorb and expel heat within its environment. Within a population of red pandas, the next step up, an ecologist could analyze the gene flow within the population and how this particular group of red pandas is distinct in adaptations from a neighboring one.\n\nCommunities of organisms are composed of two or more populations. At this level, an ecologist could take a closer look at the cohabitation of red pandas and giant pandas in a certain area, studying how the animals share food and space.\n\nThe distinction between a community and an ecosystem is slight, but essential to understand. While a community describes interaction between organisms in an area, an ecosystem describes the entirety of the area, including chemical and physical factors. Research at this level would concentrate on things like nutrient cycling (i.e. the phosphorus or carbon cycle) or the distribution of energy within the slope forests of the Himalayas.\n\nAs we expand, things become more generalized. We are not longer talking specifically about the red panda, but about the living/nonliving system of which the red panda is a part. Landscape ecology looks at a certain heterogeneous conglomerate of ecosystems, their composition (\"patches\" of forests, plains, etc.) and the interaction between these ecosystems. (I will zero in on this level and be a bit more descriptive in a later post.)\n\nA geographic ecologist (who studies regions of interaction) might take a look at the geologic history of an island or lake and try to explain the distribution of organisms in that area due to the large scale geologic activity or other environmental variables. R.H. MacArthur (an associate of E.O. Wilson) thought that geographic ecology could be described as the \"search for patterns of plant and animal life that can be put on a map.\"\n\nFinally, ecologists can look at biological interaction through the widest scope by analyzing the biosphere, or the entirety of life's systems on the globe. Ecology at this level usually involves major atmospheric phenomena like the long term effects of climate change or El Niño on the Earth's living systems.\n\nAt each of these levels of organization, there are near infinite examples of questions to ask about interaction. Those are just a few examples. Additionally, we have not even considered narrowing the focus to the levels of physiological, cellular and molecular interaction.\n\nIn the next posts in the Basic Concepts: Ecology series will discuss terrestrial biomes, but in order to appreciate the distinction and formation of these regions across the Earth, we'll delve into some basics about climate distribution and soil composition.\n\n2 responses so far", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5772362351417542}
{"content": "Philosophy of Science for Software Engineers\n\nA few weeks ago, I gave two guest lectures on philosophy of science for software engineers at the university of Stuttgart. I gave these lectures to MSc students (but also PhD students) in context of a course research methods of software engineering by Stefan Wagner and Daniel Graziotin.\n\nWhy is this topic important for software engineers? For the same reason it is important to any researcher of any discipline.\n\nToo often, we follow certain routines and apply certain research methods the way we have been told without reflecting on their place in a bigger picture and whether the methods are appropriate to answer the questions we have. We struggle with questions on novelty and relevance without reflecting on the actual meaning of relevance and the implications these characteristics have. We discuss issues like how to achieve relevance without reflecting on the symbiotic relationship between theoretical relevance, practical relevance, and rigour (in fact, we often tend to believe there is a trade-off rather than seeing the symbiotic relation). We talk about theories without reflecting on what theories really are. We publish papers without discussing the relation of our results to existing evidence while this, in fact, is how we can only achieve scientific progress in our field. We tend to think there is such thing as “absolute truth” and that this sort of “truth” can only be obtained by applying certain research methods or working with a specific set of data (like quantitative data).\n\nIn fact, the work in our discipline is too often confronted with misconceptions on research methods, and I believe setting these methods in context of a bigger picture is important. I myself came to understand this quite late which is the reason I appreciated seeing this topic placed in a MSc course.\n\nLong story short, the slides can be found here:\n\nPlease feel free to share and reuse them. Sharing is caring and reuse is the purest form of complimenting. 🙂", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9956892132759094}
{"content": "My vegetarian rant!\n\nPlant-based protein is all the rage these days and maybe because I have a little bias (ok a BIG bias) I can’t help but say a little hurray. It is about time the world woke up and looked seriously at these food options.  Why has it taken so long??\n\nI can’t even begin to tell you how I have often been made to feel like a burden when invited over to friends or even family for a meal. I always offer to bring a vegetarian dish so I don’t end up eating side dishes or salad for my meal.  I am lucky however, to be surrounded with quite a few friends who go out of their way to accommodate my preference to not eat meat.  Especially the one who made steak on the barbecue for everyone but me. I saw the Mark Bittman book  “How to Make Everything Vegetarian” on the kitchen counter when we arrived and was treated to homemade veggie burgers.  That’s going way beyond the call of duty as I would have been happy with a simple bean salad.\n\nMy husband, to this day, tells me it is difficult for people to know what to feed me. How can that be? Really! In this day and age with so many food options and access to so many different cultures, I have a hard time believing this.  Is it really so foreign to people to prepare a meal without meat or chicken?  Maybe because it is second nature to me I have a hard time understanding.\n\nThankfully our kids are growing up in a different era. Our communities are changing.  We are exposed to so many different cultures. It is not uncommon for us to have Middle Eastern, Indian or Mexican food over the course of the week. From your basic hummous and pita to curry chickpeas to refried beans. These things never made it to the kitchen table when I was going up.\n\nOur vegetarian kids today are going to have such a different experience, hopefully a more positive one. And with so much in the news about diversity these days, they are more likely to be accepted for the choices they make.\n\nFor tips and tricks on how to make sure your daughter doesn’t feel like the outcast at the table, sign up for my newsletter.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8673039674758911}
{"content": "Slovenia Ruby User Group\n\nJune Meetup Recap\n\non 24 Jun 2014\n\n\nThe first one was a young gun from D·Labs Martin Artnik (@artoartnik) with a presentation titled “Useless gems”. Speakers usually want us to believe they’ve found or did something better. But this time, Arto didn’t try that. He dropped his favorite gems that no one really needs while making the world a better place. And why do we even have and talk about useless gems? Because we can and because it’s fun. Arto also showed us his geoeras gem. It can make historians pretty happy, writing their history driven development. My personal favorite useless gem was dicks, it’s really hot so check it out.\n\nAnd then Tomaž Zaman (@carmivore) from set the fire on stage with his talk about Continuous deployment of Rails apps on AWS OpsWorks. We were introduced to their product which connects Wordpress specialists with clients. They have a modern stack where Rails is providing a JSON API on server side and Angular.js displaying it on client side. They’re using for Continuous Integration, HipChat for communication (they are remote team), HuBot,… and many more. These guys are doing some serious automation in every possible aspect. I can already see Tomaž doing his v2.0 presentation about HuBot being their scrum master, moving their Trello cards, scraping the logs and fixing bugs live in production with below-zero-downtime. But the main part of his talk was how they’ve successfully moved to AWS OpsWorks and what they did to get there.\n\nFoto: © @mrfoto\n\nNext time be sure to join us!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7653834223747253}
{"content": "IMG_4524 (1).jpg\n\n\n\nCimo Frankel - \"Never Give Up\"\n\n\nSeasoned singer-songwriter and producer Cimo Frankel debuts his new pop single \"Never Give Up\" oozing with zeal and soul juxtaposed with conspicuous production and well-groomed lyricism. Indelible melodies, flawless tone, fitting structure and vocal control are the key ingredients to a classic tune. Frankel, no newcomer to music industry success, having amassed over 6 million plays on Youtube and nearly 20 million on Spotify alone and racking up 450 million Spotify plays due to his songwriting skills for multi-Platinum hit ‘Sex’, performed by Cheat Codes & Kris Kross Amsterdam makes him quite the force. \"Never Give Up\" auscultates like a written need for constant encouragement from the one you love, a must listen!\n\nCimo states: \"Little sounds\" is what I wanted for this release. I wanted it to be an acoustic guitar based song... without the acoustic. For some stupid reason after I finished all the original recordings of 'Never Give Up', my computer crashed and I had to rebuild most of the song including the vocal takes. I'm happy it happened because I prefer this version over the original demo.\"\n\n\nCimo Frankel sings:\n\nIts no rocket science / girl you break the silence\nWhy don't you try , is there too much in your mind to call the love of your life\nand say.. that you never gave up, that you never gave up/ on me\n\n\nCheck out the official visual below as well.\n\n\nShenna - \"Magenta\"\n\nIkonic Visual: Satellite Citi - \"Undead\"", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9394082427024841}
{"content": "Strength Revealed\n\nThe primary entrance ramp to our office garage is undergoing a major rebuild. I spoke with one of the engineers who told me the short version of what needs to be done. What amazed me most was not the materials being used [steel], but the forces impressed on each steel structure to make sure everything stays in place.\n\nThe “L” brackets look like overgrown shelf brackets. They’re attached to  the side of the building with bolts that run through to the other side.\n\nThe top part of each cantilever [the “L” bracket] is also bolted to a length of I-beam steel. The beams look like tracks with missing sections; nothing though is missing here on the inside of that ramp wall. In engineer-speak, “form follows function.”\n\nThe panels that are the ramps are also big and heavy. Very heavy. One of the challenges is where and how to position a crane to offload a panel. Parts of the street are suspect because of storage rooms and passages lying beneath. The weight of the crane, the truck and equipment can very well “drop” into a hole of its own making.\n\nAn anchor point for the ramp…\n\n\nSocial Media in Real Time\n\nEver wonder about the level of activity on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and other social-media sites….? Click on the graphic below:\n\nPresented by Coupofy\n\nA Somber Trait\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLeft vs Right Bank\n\n\nLa Rive Droite [a right bank].\n\n\nVive la différence!\n\n\nJe sais que le printemps est là quand l’arbre Redbud est en fleurs. Et quand la lumière du matin est bonne, la journée vous accueille avec des sentiments positifs.\n\n\nQuand le soleil brise l’horizon, les couleurs changent, mais les sentiments positifs demeurent. Si je ressens une journée difficile, je me souviens de cet arbre en fleurs.\nIl a été planté il y a des années après la mort de ma mère. C’est elle arbre et c’est magnifique.\n\nRooms and a view [Contentment vs Depression]\n\nThe Benjamin Franklin Parkway\n\nFreedom. Choices in travel and direction. Sunlight and open air. Architectural beauty.\n\nAl Capone’s prison cell.\n\nIncarceration. Small living space. A single window. Concrete walls. Iron bars.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8381181955337524}
{"content": "For the Living and the Dead: The Funerary Laments of Upper Egypt, Ancient and Modern\n\nThe funeral laments of Upper Egypt have an elaborate and ancient history stretching back more than 5,000 years. Even the chants of modern-day lamenters, echo the words of their ancestors. Yet this ancient tradition is now under threat from social and political change. The laments - known as idid in Arabic - are composed orally in performance. Elizabeth Wickett explores the performance, motifs and meanings of the laments and reveals their relation to myth, religion, cosmology and the ancient Egyptian funerary texts. The author was given unique access to this fast disappearing tradition, and her book provides a unique cultural archive that will interest Egyptologists, archaeologists, anthropologists, ethnomusicologists and all those with an interest in the language and culture of the Middle East.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9741520285606384}
{"content": "7 Days Kilimanjaro Marangu Route\n\nThe Marangu Route has been referred to as the 'Coca Cola' route and this has led potential climbers to think that it is an easy route to the summit. This is far from the truth to be honest! The fact that it requires a minimum of 5 days to complete it does not mean that it is easier than any other route.\n\nThe only reason that people say it is easier is because it is the only route up where you sleep in huts as opposed to tents. An optional acclimatization day at Horombo Huts is highly recommended for those with no prior trekking in altitude experience under their belt. Advance booking of hut accommodation is required to avoid any inconveniences.\n\nThe route starts from the park headquarters in the village of Marangu and heads straight westwards towards Kibo. The trail goes through lush rainforest, heath and moorland to alpine desert and ultimately the arctic zone at the peak and same route down.\n\nDay 1: Arrive in Tanzania \n\n\n\nDay 2: Marangu Gate (1860m) to Mandara Hut (2700m) \n\nAfter breakfast, you will be collected from your lodge in Moshi and taken to the Marangu gate. Once the necessary paper work has been completed, your trek can begin and you will soon be hiking through the dense rainforest. Alongside the impressive vegetation, you will have the chance to catch a glimpse of some primates as you head to the Mandara Hut. After a well-earned rest, your guide can take you to the Maundi Crater where you can enjoy the wonderful view of the Kenyan interior.\n\nDistance covered: 8.3km / 5.2mi \n\nApprox. time taken: 5 hours\n\n\nDay 3: Mandara Hut (2700m) to Horombo Hut (3700m)\n\n\nDistance covered: 12.5km / 7.8mi\n\nApprox. time taken: 9 hours\n\n\nDay 4: Horombo Hut (3700m) to Kibo Hut (4700m) \n\nToday’s stage is long and tough. The well-built trail passes the “Last Water point” which is followed by the so-called “saddle”. This nearly vegetation less plateau joins the main summit Kibo with Mawenzi. Today’s destination is the Kibo Hut that is usually reached in about 5 - 6 hours. Here, you will enjoy an early evening meal followed by an early night, as the night will be short.\n\nDistance covered: 9.5km / 5.9mi \n\nApprox. time taken: 7 hours\n\n\nDay 5: Kibo Hut (4700m) to UHURU PEAK (5895m) & down to Horombo Hut (3700m) \n\n\nDistance covered: 22km / 13.7mi \n\nApprox. time taken: 12 – 15 hours\n\n\nDay 6: Horombo Hut (3700m) to Marangu Gate (1860m) \n\n\nDistance covered: 20.8km / 12.9mi \n\nApprox. time taken: 8 hours\n\n\nDay 7: Depart Tanzania\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5685300230979919}
{"content": "France elections and the future of the European Union\n\nApril 19, 2017\nNardy Baeza Bickel\n\n\nANN ARBOR—French voters are heading to the polls this Sunday in what’s considered a high-stakes election amid security and economic concerns as well as European Union stability. If none of the candidates reach a majority, the runoff election will take place May 7.\n\nJoshua Cole, professor of history at the University of Michigan, discusses the background and potential impact of the election on the rest of the EU. Cole’s research and teaching deal primarily with the social and cultural history of France in the 19th and 20th centuries. He’s author of “The Power of Large Numbers: Population, Politics, and Gender in Nineteenth-Century France.”\n\nQ: What are the issues driving the conversation before the presidential election in France?\n\nCole: Unemployment in France doesn’t compare well with the other stronger economies within the European Union. Germany’s unemployment rate is less than 5 percent, France’s unemployment rate has been consistently closer to the 10 percent rage, in particular since the financial crisis of 2007-08 and the crisis in the eurozone. That’s something that successive governments have struggled to deal with and been unable to take the steps necessary to find a solution.\n\nThere is also tremendous anxiety because of the recent terrorist acts in 2015 and 2016.\nFrance has been under a near constant state of emergency now for several years. In many ways, that’s the new normal. The question the French are really struggling with is the fact that many of the perpetrators of these terror attacks are homegrown. The people who committed these acts grew up in France, went to French schools, and they speak French. The big question is this: What is the cause of this alienation?\n\nQ: There are 11 candidates for this election. Who should we be paying attention to?\n\nCole: There are 11 candidates but there are really only five that are in contention right now. What is most striking is that the two parties that have dominated presidential politics since the late 1950s are currently ranked third and fifth. Almost without exception since 1958, French presidents have alternated between Gaullists on the center-right and the Socialists on the center-left. Most polls now predict that the candidates from these parties are unlikely to make the second round of voting.\n\nMarine Le Pen, of the extreme right-wing National Front, is currently polling at 25 percent. Her likely opponent in the runoff is Emmanuel Macron, who leads an independent centrist movement. The Republican Party (center-right) was thought to be in good shape but their candidate, Francois Fillon, has been embroiled in a scandal involving no-show jobs for his wife, and he has fallen significantly in the polls as a result.\n\nThe man who won the primary from the Socialist Party, Benoît Hamon, has really not gotten much traction at all and is about 10 percent and falling. Surprisingly, in the past few days a firebrand from the left, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, has been rising in the polls and some people now put him somewhere between 15 and 20 percent and rising.\n\nIf he continues to gain support, there is a possibility that this populist figure from the left may edge out Macron and face Marine Le Pen in the second round. This would be very unusual. Mélenchon is a protest vote from the left. Marine Le Pen represents a protest vote from the right. If these are the two leading candidates, we will be forced to admit that the center has completely dropped out of French politics.\n\nQ: There have been comparisons made between the nationalistic, anti-immigrant and anti-globalization rhetoric of Le Pen and Donald Trump. What do they have in common?\n\nCole: There are clearly some surface similarities and I think Marine Le Pen hopes to duplicate Donald Trump’s success: an emphasis on national sovereignty, a strong and exclusive definition of national culture which is unwilling to see that culture evolve, a definition of national cultures that seems to be rooted in a very exclusive definition of the past. Those are some types of similarities. Also, a desire to paint the present in extremely dire terms. That is (saying that) we are in a very severe crisis that requires very extreme methods, an abandonment of policies that have been the object of consensus (and) the use of an angry rhetoric that is often very effective in getting support from the people who are attracted to these politicians.\n\nQ: Le Pen’s father, Jean Marie Le Pen, founded the National Front and was considered to be too extreme to be successful in politics. Obviously, his daughter has become one of the frontrunners of this election. How did she accomplish that?\n\nCole: She avoided making the same kind of anti-semitic comments that her father often made, but she still emphasized the threat posed by immigration to French national identity. She combined this message with a more carefully groomed image that sought to appeal to a wider electorate. And it has worked—her father’s ceiling was about 18 percent, whereas she is now capable of attracting between a quarter and a third of the electorate.\n\nQ: In recent elections in the Netherlands, the right-wing candidate with similar stances to Le Pen was defeated. Could France be a do-over for the European right?\n\nCole: Wilders in the Netherlands didn’t win but he didn’t lose, either. He has a significant number of voters behind him. His message was clear and people voted for him in large numbers. He is not going away.\n\nThat’s true in France, as well. In France, presidential politics were traditionally divided between two parties with smaller parties on the right and left. With the growth of the National Front, I think we can say now we have a three-party system in France. She might not win now, but she’ll be back. The most clear indication of that is that she appears to be particularly popular amongst young people in France. They’re not troubled by the long history of anti-semitism and racism that has been associated with the party she represents.\n\nQ: What can you tell us about the top candidates’ foreign policies?\n\nCole: Questions about Marine Le Pen foreign policies are very difficult to answer. It’s really the internal issues of Frenchness and sovereignty that drive the central energy and dynamics of her campaign, the fears of a multicultural France.\n\nWith regards to Europe, and pulling France out of the European Union, this is a threat that she’s made repeatedly. She has talked about a Frexit, an exit of France. This would be an earthquake. It would probably damage the EU in deeply unpredictable ways. The European Union is built on the axis of Franco-German cooperation. If France pulls out, it’s not clear what the European Union is anymore. There, the consequences are both severe and unpredictable.\n\nMacron has not really been very successful in articulating a clear message from the center other than general pronouncements about a defense of traditional republican French traditions. He’s presented himself in many ways as the anti-Le Pen. We don’t really know what kind of policies he would pursue. The suggestions that he’s made are pretty much in line with what governments have tried before, a kind of centrist position in the economy. Dissatisfaction with that is partly driving the success of Mélenchon on the left. I find the situation as unpredictable as any election I’ve ever watched.\n\nQ: Do you venture to make a prediction?\n\nCole: I think that what’s going to happen is that Macron and Le Pen will be in the second round. The polls show Macron as likely to win that matchup. But here is the thing: If you look at the polls of people who announce themselves as undecided in the second round, nearly half the voters say they have not yet decided—other polls say about a third. So nobody knows how that group will break. That means that the possibility for a much closer election exists.\n\nI was surprised by Brexit, I was surprised by Trump’s victory. I’m not going to be as surprised if Marine Le Pen pulls it out. I’ll be shocked, I’ll be deeply worried. But I think it’s in the realm of possibilities.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8683501482009888}
{"content": "The Suspect Science of Star Trek: Discovery, ‘Context is for…\n\nThe Suspect Science of Star Trek: Discovery, ‘Context is for Kings,” Season 1, Episode 3\n\n“Even if they did obey the same mathematical equations (they don’t), there’s not a physical connection there. These are independent systems, and even in a Universe where the Vulcan mind-meld is routine, instantaneous consciousness transferral across hundreds or thousands of light years is not even science fiction; it’s wish fulfillment. The idea of biofuels and bio-propulsion is nothing new, nor are the genetically-altered ravaging monsters we see at the end. But actual mental journeys to physical places? Unless you can recreate the electrical patterns that compose someone’s mind a great distance away, and quantum entangle them across that cosmic distance (which can only happen at-or-below the speed of light, mind you), it’s never going to be physically feasible.”\n\nWhen you look at the dark matter network of the Universe, what do you see? Do you see patterns similar to other networks, like neurons in your brain or the mycological mats found beneath the soil on Earth? Of course you do; our brains are extraordinary at seeing and recognizing such patterns. But do those patterns mean that there’s a relationship between the structure of the Universe and these other, biologically-based examples? That’s a question that you need math and science to investigate. Superficial relationships may have nothing deeper beneath the surface, and it’s against that false flag that scientists must be vigilant, in order to not fool ourselves. Yet even though this plays a vital role in Star Trek: Discovery, the episode not only falls for this fallacy, they make it a vital part of their latest episode: Context is for Kings. And it leads to some science-fiction that’s rooted in the opposite of science, instead tending towards pure wish-fulfillment.\n\nThe suspect science of the latest episode of Star Trek: Discovery sets up an interesting plotline, but fails on the count of believable science fiction. Read on for the full story.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.822118878364563}
{"content": "Friday, June 8th + Saturday, June 9th | 3-7PM\n347 South Colorado Blvd. Denver, Colorado. 80246.\n\nOur second tasting of June starts this weekend!\nHighlighting some great whites and reds from both France and Spain!\nAs per usual we are spinning some great curated vinyl and you are of course invited!\n\nFri. June 8th | France vs Spain - Part I\n- Dne. des Buissonnes, Sancerre. 2016. Loire Valley, France\nRégis Minet, Pouilly Fumé, VV. 2015. Loire Valley, France\n- OGV, Garnacha, 2015. Calatayud, Spain\n- Envinate, \"Albahra\" 2016.  Almansa, Spain\n\nSat. June 9th - France vs Spain - Part II\n- Cune, Monopole Blanco, 2016. Rioja, Spain\nMuga, White Rioja 2016. Rioja, Spain\n- Château Gobert, Bordeaux, 2015. Bordeaux, France\n- Ch. La Diligente, Puisseguin Saint-Emilion, 2012. Bordeaux France\n\nIt's FREE, it's FUN, and you are INVITED!\nCorks popping and needles dropping at 3PM!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000100135803223}
{"content": "ההבדלים בין סגסוגות ללא הפרדות צבע\n\nAlloys and Composites על פני השטח, סגסוגות ללא הפרדות צבע יש עניין גדול אחד לפחות מכנה משותף. סגסוגת וחומרים מרוכבים שניהם מורכב של תערובת של פחות שני רכיבים. Alloys and composites are also similar in that they exhibit different properties than the properties associated with the materials that are used to make them.\n\nעם זאת, if you look a little deeper, you will find that alloys and composites are actually very different from one another. Let’s take a closer look at what separates the two by analyzing the differences between alloys and composites.\n\nWhat Is an Alloy?\n\nAlloys and Composites An alloy is a mixture of at least two elements with one of those elements being a metal. Alloys can come in both solid and solution forms. Those alloys that only contain two elements are called binary alloys, while those that contain three elements are called ternary alloys. The amount of a particular element inside of an alloy is usually measured in mass with a percentage attached to it.\n\nAlloys are created from different elements in order to improve the qualities typically associated with them. When you mix the two or more elements together, you get an alloy that capitalizes off the qualities of the elements. Because alloys always contain at least one metal component, they often have metallic properties. עם זאת, one big advantage of using alloys is that they don’t have the same properties as the metal elements in them. For example, you will find that alloys don’t have one set melting point. There are a wide range of melting points connected to allots, depending upon which elements are inside of them.\n\nExamples of Alloys\n\nThere are many examples of alloys. One of סגסוגות vs. ללא הפרדות צבעthe most common ones is steel. Steel is usually made up of a mixture of iron and carbon, which is why steel is significantly stronger than iron alone. Steel can also be manufactured in different ways. In some cases, only iron and carbon are used to make it, but there are other elements like tungsten, manganese, and chromium that can also be added. By altering the mixture you use when creating an alloy like steel, you can change its hardness and ductility in addition to its other properties.\n\nAnother good example of an alloy is brass. Brass is an alloy that consists of copper and zinc. While copper and zinc are both great elements in their own right, brass has proven to be more durable than copper and more beautiful than zinc. It’s why an alloy like it exists in the first place. Many companies have found that, by using alloys, they can manipulate the look and feel of many different elements effectively.\n\nWhat Is a Composite?\n\nComposites vs alloysללא הפרדות צבע הוא, much like an alloy, a combination of at least two or more components. עם זאת, while an alloy always contains a metal in it, a composite does not have any metal included in its mixture. The components in a composite are also always chemically and physically different from one another. These materials are commonly called constituent materials.\n\nThere are two different types of constituent materials that make up a composite. They are known as matrix and reinforcement materials. The matrix material within a composite is typically used to support the reinforcement material in a composite. This results in a composite that is stronger than the original components would be on their own. עם זאת, despite the interaction between the two constituent materials, they stay separate within the finished mixture because of their chemical and physical differences.\n\nExamples of Composites\n\nComposites can contain materials that are either synthetic or naturally occurring. One example of a natural composite is wood. It contains a combination of cellulose fibers and lignin. Concrete is usually cited as an example of a composite as well. You can see the different elements contained within it since those elements don’t truly blend together to create a new material.\n\nThis illustrates one of the other big differences between alloys and composites. While the biggest difference between the two is obviously the lack of metal in composites, the composition of alloys and composites is also very different. Alloys can be either homogeneous or heterogeneous mixtures, while composites are always heterogeneous and will never form a homogenous mixture.\n\nAs evidenced, alloys and composites have some similarities, but for the most part, they are completely different. Eagles Alloys specializes in distributing alloys to companies in a range of different industries, including the chemical, תעשייתי, תעשיות אווירונאוטיקה. We also work with those in manufacturing and technology and have more than three decades of experience with creating alloys. If you would like to take advantage of our competitive pricing and learn more about the alloys we have in stock, צור קשר היום.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9885706901550293}
{"content": "USA v. Lawrence Taylor, 10-1304.  Appellant Lawrence Taylor appeals from his sentences for bank robbery and for violating the terms of his supervised release relating to an earlier bank robbery conviction.\n\nBecause the district court erred by failing to appreciate its discretion to impose the sentences either consecutively or concurrently, we remand for the court to reconsider that aspect of the sentencing package.\n\nIn 2002 Lawrence Taylor pleaded guilty to bank robbery charges and was sentenced to a term of incarceration by the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. Sometime in 2007 he was placed on supervised release, but within less than a year, on August 7, 2008, he attempted to rob a bank in South Bend, Indiana. Taylor obtained money from the tellers, but the plan went awry and Taylor was arrested before he could flee the scene.\n\nTaylor pleaded guilty to the bank robbery on May 7, 2009, and a single\nsentencing hearing was set for both the bank robbery and the supervised release cases. Taylor's probation officer prepared a \"Summary Report of Violations\" in connection with Taylor's supervised release case, which suggested an 18- to 24-month sentence.\n\nIn addition, the Summary cited a policy statement within the United States Sentencing Guidelines, U.S.S.G. § 7B1.3(f), for the proposition\nthat any term of incarceration for the supervised release violation must be made consecutive to the bank robbery sentence. \n\nWith respect to the supervised release sentence, the court stated, In addition to [the bank robbery sentence discussed immediately prior], there would be the twelve months that has to run consecutive, as I understand it, the twelve months on the supervised release violation.\n\nII. Applicable Law \n\nMoving on to the merits, a sentencing court has discretion to make a sentence consecutive or concurrent. See 18 U.S.C. § 3584(a); United States v. Campbell, 617 F.3d 958, 961 (7th Cir. 2010). This includes situations where the sentence is imposed in connection with a revocation of supervised release. See United States v. Rodriguez-Quintanilla, 442 F.3d 1254, 1256 (10th Cir. 2006). A sentencing court errs when it has discretion but fails to exercise that discretion. See United States v. Jackson, 546 F.3d 465, 472 (7th Cir. 2008).\n\nAs noted, the probation officer's Summary Report of Violations referred to a policy statement contained in the sentencing guidelines, U.S.S.G. § 7B1.3(f), which provides as follows:  Any term of imprisonment imposed upon the revocation of probation or supervised release shall be ordered to be served consecutively to any sentence of imprisonment that the defendant is serving, whether or not the sentence of imprisonment being served resulted from the conduct that is the basis of the revocation of probation or supervised release. \n\nDespite this facially mandatory language, our precedents are unambiguous that the policy statements on supervised release are not mandatory. See United States v. Harvey, 232 F.3d 585, 588 (7th Cir. 2000). Rather, we have explained the import of the supervised release policy statements as follows:  Rather than establishing guidelines governing the revocation of supervised release, the Sentencing Commission has opted to promulgate a series of policy statements, including a Revocation Table of recommended sentencing ranges tied\nto the severity of a defendant's violations and criminal history cate-gory . . . . Although these policy statements are non-binding, they are to be given \"great weight\" by the sentencing judge.  United States v. Salinas, 365 F.3d 582, 588 (7th Cir. 2004). \n\nIn sum, U.S.S.G. § 7B1.3(f) reflects the U.S. Sentencing Commission's policy favoring the consecutive sequencing of a sentence imposed upon revocation of supervised release and the sentence for the offense precipitating the revocation. See U.S.S.G. § 7B1.3(f), Application Note 4; United States v. Glasener, 981 F.2d 973, 975-76 (8th Cir. 1992).\n\nThe Commission's supervised release policy statements are generally entitled to \"great weight.\" We have also emphasized, however, that while the policy statements \"are an 'element in [the sentencing judge's] exercise of discretion,' they are not a substitute for that discretion.\" United States v. McClanahan, 136 F.3d 1146, 1149 (7th Cir. 1998).\n\nWe agree with Taylor and the Government that the district court erred by treating the policy statement recommendation in U.S.S.G. § 7B1.3(f) as mandating consecutive sentencing for Taylor's 2008 bank robbery case and his supervised release case.\n\nAs Taylor urges and the Government concedes, the sentencing court's reference to \"the twelve months that has to run consecutive, as I understand it\" shows without ambiguity that the sentencing court did not\nappreciate its discretion to make Taylor's sentences either consecutive or\n\nWe AFFIRM Taylor's sentences but order a LIMITED REMAND for proceedings consistent with this opinion. \n\n\n\n\nThis entry was posted in Press Releases. Bookmark the permalink.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5651270151138306}
{"content": "Fifty-one American diplomats issued a “dissent cable” last week to top State Department officials urging a radical change in US policy toward Syria: They want the government to intervene militarily in the civil war and undertake strikes against the brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad. The cable, reported by The New York Times—which posted a draft of the memo online—and The Wall Street Journal and signed by mostly mid-level career Foreign Service officers, urged “a judicious use of stand-off and air weapons, which would undergird and drive a more focused and hard-nosed U.S.-led diplomatic process.” The cable has found support among well-respected figures in the foreign-policy community, and rumors swirl that Secretary of State John Kerry agrees with the general thrust of their dissent.\n\nLet’s stipulate a few things about these revelations. First, career Foreign Service officers like those who signed this cable are more often than not the good guys of foreign policy. They hold deep knowledge about the places on which they work and, usually, their policy leanings tilt not toward war but toward, well, diplomacy. Second, Syria’s multi-faceted civil war is a humanitarian disaster. Hundreds of thousands have perished. The power vacuum created by war has allowed the Islamic State to take over in some regions, where it has imposed a horrific reign of terror over civilians under its control. Lastly, there are no good options for the United States in Syria. The diplomatic dissent is well-intentioned, but it offers little more than leaps in logic.\n\nThe immediate goal of the memo’s prescriptions is to reestablish the cease-fire put in place in February. Thanks in large part to Assad’s duplicity, it never really took hold. His regime has attacked civilians, including with indiscriminate barrel bombs, and has blocked humanitarian aid. The diplomats who signed the cable are seeking to block these violations of the cease-fire with force. “We believe that achieving our objectives will continue to elude us if we do not include the use of military force as an option to enforce the Cessation of Hostilities (CoH) and compel the Syrian regime to abide by its terms as well as to negotiate a political solution in good faith,” the memo says.\n\nOverwhelming US air power could certainly weaken Assad’s offensive capabilities. The bigger problem, though, lies in what comes next. It’s not evident how yet more military strikes in Syria will strengthen a tattered cease-fire. But even if the cease-fire is reestablished, what happens if Assad continues to refuse to engage in a meaningful diplomatic process? On these questions, the memo gives us nothing. It takes as almost a given that the cease-fire alone will lead Assad to rethink his long-held and bloody stubbornness. Mission creep, at that point, seems almost inevitable; a cynic might think it the goal of the memo in the first place.\n\nOne need only look to Libya to see what happens when the United States enters a conflict with limited aims and no vision of medium- and long-term potential outcomes. The responsibility to protect civilians invoked by the State Department officials was used then as a way to get the US military involved in a NATO coalition war. The aim of the intervention turned quickly from protecting civilians to unseating Muammar Qaddafi. But once the dictator fell, chaos ensued. Despite a warning from Barack Obama that Libya would face instability, little was done to minimize the dangers. At this point, it’s difficult to see the NATO intervention as anything but a strategic failure.\n\nSyria offers even less in the way of an organized opposition than did Libya. The web of alliances is sometimes impossible to follow—and always has been. Some commentators have suggested that more robust early American support for rebels would have brought more cohesion. That’s an interesting counterfactual, but it is only that. And there’s certainly no guarantee that protecting rebel forces from Assad today will do anything to unify them.\n\nThe diplomats themselves raise another potentially sticky issue: “We are not advocating for a slippery slope that ends in a military confrontation with Russia,” they write. But what if, after an initial US air assault, Russia simply takes an even more aggressive posture in favor of Assad, filling the void left by the Syrian president’s damaged capabilities? For this, neither the dissent cable nor other advocates of US military involvement offer answers. (Update: a mid-air clash last week over Syria between Russian and American jets—albeit only jockeying for space without firing shots—stands as a poignant reminder that slippery slopes are dangerous not because people advocate for them, but because people accidentally step onto them.) \n\nSo what gives? Some reports have suggested the memo’s purpose is to make Syria an issue in the US presidential election. “The internal cable may be an attempt to shape the foreign policy outlook of the next administration,” an official said, as paraphrased in The Wall Street Journal’s report. A Bloomberg article suggested the same thing. Hillary Clinton, both as secretary of state and as a presidential candidate, has been a consistent advocate for more military intervention, whether through more robust arming of rebels or the establishment of a no-fly zone (on the latter, Clinton’s prescriptions have sometimes been incoherent). Clinton, too, however, has failed to address directly the pitfalls of deeper intervention. If deeper involvement in Syria’s civil war takes a sour turn—as, it seems, all US interventions do—what will be her response? Deeper involvement yet?\n\nOfficials pressing for military conflict with Assad owe it to all of us to answer these questions. “Despite expressing strong anti-Assad sentiments,” a study from the Brookings Institution released last year found, “the bottom line is that Americans remain strongly opposed to American military operations against Assad’s army in Syria, with 72% opposing and 25% supporting such operations.” Those views held across party lines. In a poll released in February, Gallup found that, while a third of Americans want more military involvement, more than half want no escalation of our intervention there.\n\nThe diplomats should not be scorned for their dissent—it is entirely appropriate that they advise top officials of their thinking—and, though the question of leaking the memo to the general public is more complicated, ultimately our democratic process in deciding whether to intervene is strengthened by having more diverse perspectives. None of that, however, means that the dissenting diplomats, Hillary Clinton, or anyone else advocating a broader US war in Syria should escape the hard questions that our nation so often avoids before military adventures. Syria is too dangerous to make that mistake again.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7012951970100403}
{"content": "Wednesday, November 09, 2005\n\nJavanese Gamelan\n\nBecause we had no submissions this week, we've decided to follow through with our earlier threat and force upon you knowledge regarding a musical term about which no one has ever heard. Without further ado, a paper on the Javanese Gamelan, circa 1995:\n\nJavanese Gamelan\n\nThe island of Java is a part of Indonesia located about three thousand miles south east of India. The Javanese gamelan is the orchestra of the royal courts of Java. The gamelan technically can be any sort of musical ensemble for the Javanese. However, the court orchestra is the main type of gamelan for the Javanese culture. This orchestra can be compared to that of the European Symphony Orchestra.\n\nThe gamelan contains a wide variety of instruments. There are variously sized stringed instruments as well as a family of different sized gongs. Other instruments include bowed chordophones, chimes, xylophones, a fiddle, a female singer, a male chorus, a zither, drums, and a flute in some of the soft passages. This orchestra has approximately 30 to 40 performers and 75 to 80 instruments. Not all of the instruments are played at the same time. The most important instrument of the gamelan is the great gong. The rhythm and compositions are controlled mainly by this instrument. “At full strength the gamelan is a powerful producer of rich and varied tones, and like many other musical ensembles, depends largely on the effects of its percussion.” (Blom, gamelan).\n\nThe music of the gamelan is drastically different from that of western music. The elements however, can still be defined within the same terms. The rhythmic cycle of the gamelan is the gongan cycle. One gongan is equivalent to the time elapsed between strokes of the great gong. The texture of the music is heterophonic, and the melody consists mainly of complex irregular patterns. There are three levels of melody within the gamelan: basic, punctuating, and elaborating. The basic part of the melody is the controlling meter. It is a comfortable medium pace. The punctuating level is somewhat slower than the basic level, and the elaborating level is faster than that of the basic level. Contrasts and enhancements to the melody are made by the singers, the fiddle, and the flute. The “strong style” of the orchestral compositions is forceful, powerful, and aggressive. The “soft style” is more mysterious, and sensuous.\n\nThe basic structure of a composition begins with a solo introduction by one of the elaborating instruments. Following this solo, the drum joins in. When the great gong sounds, the entire orchestra joins in playing the melody at the pace of their instrument. Each composition ends with the sounding of the great gong.\n\nThe performance of the gamelan is a very important social, religious, ritual, and personal event. The music often contains a spiritual element. The performance marks significant events in all realms such as: the rice harvest, a wedding, a birth, a circumcision party, a funeral, the arrival of an important person, the commemoration of Indonesian Independence Day, and the fond farewell party for a beloved friend.\n\nIt is apparent that the gamelan offers many uses within the Javanese culture. This non-western style of music is very important to the culture of Indonesia as well as other areas into which the style has spread.\n\n\n1. Blom, Eric. “Gamelan,” Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians: Fifth Edition, Volume III. St. Martin’s Press, Inc., New York. 1954.\n\n2. Davis, Shelley and Signell, Karl. Music: A Multi-Cultural Experience. College Park, MD. 1992\n\n3. Schaareman, Danker. Balinese Music in Context. Amadeus Verlag. 1992.\n\n4. Tejada, Irene. Brown Bag Ideas from Many Cultures. Davis Publications, Inc. Worcester, Massachusetts. 1993.\n\n5. Tenzer, Michael. Balinese Music. Periplus Editions, Inc., Republic of Singapore. 1991.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8993080854415894}
{"content": "Browse Subject Areas\n\nClick through the PLOS taxonomy to find articles in your field.\n\nFor more information about PLOS Subject Areas, click here.\n\n  • Loading metrics\n\nMemory Effects on Movement Behavior in Animal Foraging\n\n  • Chloe Bracis ,\n\n    Affiliations Quantitative Ecology and Resource Management, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung and Goethe Universität Frankfurt, Frankfurt (Main), Germany\n\n  • Eliezer Gurarie,\n\n\n  • Bram Van Moorter,\n\n    Affiliations Centre for Conservation Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Trondheim, Norway\n\n  • R. Andrew Goodwin\n\n    Affiliation Environmental Laboratory, US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Portland, Oregon, United States of America\n\nMemory Effects on Movement Behavior in Animal Foraging\n\n  • Chloe Bracis, \n  • Eliezer Gurarie, \n  • Bram Van Moorter, \n  • R. Andrew Goodwin\n\n\nAn individual’s choices are shaped by its experience, a fundamental property of behavior important to understanding complex processes. Learning and memory are observed across many taxa and can drive behaviors, including foraging behavior. To explore the conditions under which memory provides an advantage, we present a continuous-space, continuous-time model of animal movement that incorporates learning and memory. Using simulation models, we evaluate the benefit memory provides across several types of landscapes with variable-quality resources and compare the memory model within a nested hierarchy of simpler models (behavioral switching and random walk). We find that memory almost always leads to improved foraging success, but that this effect is most marked in landscapes containing sparse, contiguous patches of high-value resources that regenerate relatively fast and are located in an otherwise devoid landscape. In these cases, there is a large payoff for finding a resource patch, due to size, value, or locational difficulty. While memory-informed search is difficult to differentiate from other factors using solely movement data, our results suggest that disproportionate spatial use of higher value areas, higher consumption rates, and consumption variability all point to memory influencing the movement direction of animals in certain ecosystems.\n\n\nSustaining animal populations in fragmented landscapes often depends on understanding and managing their movements, but a major challenge comes from individuals changing their response to a stimulus depending on the context of their decision [1, 2]. An event can therefore elicit variable animal responses as an individual’s context changes based on past experiences, even in seemingly static or unchanging environments. Learning and memory are key factors in the emergence of decision context. The unique experience of an individual can change its perceived value of an environmental stimulus over time, which can shape the decisions that underlie an observed movement trajectory [1, 3].\n\nA range of taxa, from insects to primates, have been shown to exhibit spatial memory during foraging. Bees, for example, learn reward values [4]. When displaced into familiar territory, they can choose between two goals and navigate to that goal, demonstrating a map-like memory [5], although path integration and learned landmarks may be sufficient to accomplish these tasks [6]. Fish on coral reefs use learned landmarks to navigate between food patches, including the possibility of novel routes indicating a cognitive map [7]. Birds repeatedly return to previously visited sites [8]. An analysis of visit length and time between visits suggests that monkey movements are non-random due to the use of memory and visitation patterns are driven by resource availability [9].\n\nStudies of foraging behavior in the field have provided evidence for learning and memory across a variety of taxa, complementing the study of foraging and memory in controlled laboratory studies (reviewed in [10]). Memory may be key to understanding patterns observed in animal foraging, yet memory-informed search is difficult to differentiate from other sensory-driven search behaviors [11, 12]. Unlike physiological attributes such as energy reserves or hormone levels, memory is an internal state of the animal that cannot be measured directly. This is especially true in ecological contexts when the history of the animal’s experiences may be unknown. In fact, formulating clear behavioral criteria to infer cognitive processes is a particular challenge [13]. Simulation models are therefore a key analytical tool to investigate hypotheses that involve direct measures or manipulation of memory.\n\nPrior work suggests that in foraging, memory-informed movement is advantageous in predictable landscapes [14] and therefore negatively correlated with the rate of environmental change [15]. Incorporating memory has been suggested as a future direction for improving movement models [16, 17]. Methods based on random walks or area-restricted search are often used to interpret movement [11, 18, 19]. When memory is incorporated, the models are often system-specific [20, 21] or use an homogeneous landscape [22, 23], ignoring that heterogeneity in habitat quality can also affect revisit probability [9]. Other studies suggest memory is important to home range formation, which emerges from animals learning their environment as an intermediate state between dispersive and site-fidelious tendencies [2426]. Returning to a location is a function of information decay and distance: either the balance between a repulsive working memory and an attractive reference memory decaying at different rates and weighted by distance [24], or when foragers benefit from site-specific information after a time delay, such that there is a dynamic equilibrium between resource consumption and regeneration [25].\n\nWe explored conditions under which the added cognitive complexity of maintaining memory is advantageous to foraging by creating a flexible, continuous model incorporating memory for an animal moving through a heterogeneous landscape. The main strategic objectives in constructing the model were (1) to build a nested sequence of increasingly more complex models from a random walk null model, (2) to have a straightforward currency for comparing outcomes that, in this case, is resource consumption, and (3) to make the model continuous in space and time to explore properties across scales without concern for the effect of discretization. To illustrate the model, we compare an animal using three nested movement processes: (1) a simple correlated random walk, (2) kinesis, in which correlated random walk parameters, i.e., searching and feeding behaviors, change as a function of the consumption rate, and (3) memory-informed movement, in which directional bias in the searching behavior is informed by previous experiences. We compare the three movement processes across a range of landscape characteristics (patchiness, spatial correlation, and regeneration rate).\n\nTo facilitate comparisons of the benefit of the memory process at various interactions of scales, particularly the spatial scales of the landscape with the spatial scale of foraging and memory, we use continuous processes with similar underlying Gaussian kernels for the movement model, the landscape representation, and the foraging and memory processes. This makes the prototypical scenario examined here an animal grazing across stationary resources that deplete and regenerate, rather than a predator consuming discrete prey.\n\nThese nested movement processes (random walk, kinesis, and memory) allowed us to evaluate the landscape characteristics that result in the memory model outperforming other behaviors, with implications for the evolution of memory [27]. We were also interested in how the spatial and temporal scales of the memory process relate to the scale of patterns in the landscape, particularly the resource regeneration rate that affects the preferred timing of patch revisits. To better understand the reasons underlying differences among movement processes, we analyzed the corresponding behavioral differences in terms of habitat use and time allocation among the movement processes, and what they suggest for patterns one is likely to observe for an animal using memory.\n\n\nIn our model, a simulated individual moves through a habitat of variable resource quality, consuming those resources. The individual’s movements may be random (random walk), informed by its current consumption rate (kinesis), or informed by its memory of resource quality and consumption rate (memory). In the framework of Nathan et al. [28], finding food resources motivates the animal’s movement, and its internal goal is to maximize consumption. We vary only the animal’s directional tendency; all other model attributes are similar across movement processes. While the random walk model has no external influence, the current resource quality influences the kinesis movement process. In memory-based movement, both current resource quality and spatial memory influence movement, and navigation towards previously learned habitat areas is possible. The model is two-dimensional in space zR2 with time t (e.g., f(z, t), though the dependent variables z and t are omitted in some equations for clarity). Parameters and symbols are listed in Table 1.\n\nTable 1. Parameters used in the foraging model and values for simulations.\n\nBecause units are arbitrary in the simulations, L is used for generic length units and T is used for generic time units.\n\nHabitat quality and consumption\n\nThe habitat is modeled as a continuous scalar measure of resource quality that varies across the landscapes. The intrinsic quality, Q0(z), is constant through time, meaning that we do not consider transient or moving patches. The instantaneous habitat quality, Q(z, t) depends on both consumption, C(z, t), by the animal and a logistic regeneration, R(z, t), (1) Consumption and regeneration are defined as (2) (3) where βR is the regeneration rate, and consumption occurs at animal’s position, z = Z, described by an isotropic spatial kernel, fC(|zZ|), and consumption rate, βC. We use a bivariate normal distribution for fC, and the variance parameter (length scale) characterizes how widely the animal consumes about its location (Table 2). This conception of resource consumption, high in the animal’s immediate vicinity and decaying to zero at greater distances, is a good fit for grazing animals, with the length scale representing how far an animal can reach for food as it moves or fine-scale movements on a smaller scale than the trajectory [29]. Within our framework, however, any kind of kernel, including those with limited spatial extents such as discrete top-hat kernels, can be implemented as straightforwardly as others.\n\nTable 2. Spatial kernels used in the foraging model.\n\n𝒩2 is the bivariate normal distribution and I is the 2 × 2 identity matrix.\n\nMemory map\n\nAs the animal moves across the landscape observing habitat quality, it builds up a memory map, M(z, t) made up of two streams. Two memory streams have been used to detect changes in the environment [30], combine short-term tactical and longer-term strategic behaviors in foraging [31], give rise to stable non-territorial home ranges [24], and represent distal and proximal expectations of reward in conditioning experiments [32]. Multiple memory layers have been suggested for modeling memory decay [11]. The memory map includes a long-term stream, L(z, t), which decays slowly and attracts the animal to high quality habitat, and a short-term stream, S(z, t), which decays more quickly and repels the animal from depleted habitat it has recently occupied. The two memory streams combine linearly to form the memory map, so that positive values are attractive, zero indicates neutrality, and negative values are repulsive: (4) Because L and S have the same maximum value (Q0) and S decays faster than L, the short-term memory factor, ψM, ensures that the value at a just-visited location will initially be negative, or repulsive, with ψM > 1. As L and S decay, the value eventually turns positive and thus attractive for good quality habitat.\n\nEach memory component (L and S) is a mixture of two parts, learning and forgetting, (5) (6) where βL and βS are the learning rates of the long- and short-term memory streams, fL and fS are spatial kernels describing learning (Table 2), and ϕL and ϕS are the decay rates (ϕL < ϕS).\n\nMovement model\n\nMovement process.\n\nAn animal’s movements through a landscape are described by a continuous trajectory, Z(t). Taking velocity, V(t), the animal’s position is thus , where Z(0) is the animal’s initial position. An autocorrelated, directed, continuous movement process is (7) This is similar to the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process, but without the white noise component. Instead, stochasticity is introduced through the bias vector, described by its magnitude and angle as μ(t) = (ν, ∠θ). The movement process is parameterized by τ, the time scale of autocorrelation, and ν = ||μ(t)||, the magnitude of the bias vector which controls the average speed of the process. The angle θ is set probabilistically, either from a uniform circular distribution resulting in a random walk or from a probability distribution computed from the memory map. A Poisson process with rate parameter λ is used to update θ, and μ(t) is constant between updates.\n\nBehavior states.\n\nThree nested versions of the movement process are compared: random walk, kinesis, and memory. For the single-state random walk model, a single set of speed and time scale parameters determine the movement process. With the kinesis and memory models, the animal switches between searching and feeding states (Table 3). These three movement processes have the advantage of being nested, facilitating comparisons. Thus, random movement is a special case of kinesis where both behaviors have identical parameter values, and kinesis in a special case of memory with either zero learning rates or immediate decay rates. Kinesis is a movement model that performs well in a variety of environments and avoids the strong assumptions of perceptual abilities of area-restricted search [19], which is also known to perform sub-optimally in very patchy environments [33]. Random walk provides a useful null model to compare against.\n\nTable 3. Behavioral states in the model and corresponding movement process parameters.\n\nFor both kinesis and memory models, movement in the feeding state is tortuous and slow as the animal seeks to exploit the local high quality habitat. Movement is undirected, so the angle θ of the bias term is drawn from a uniform distribution with update times determined by the Poisson process. The searching state, on the other hand, is characterized by more linear movements and directional persistence, and the animal moves with a faster speed. Bias angles still change randomly for kinesis, but with memory, the animal seeks productive patches with the direction determined from the memory map. The angular probability distribution is computed by integrating transects of the memory map radiating out from the forager’s location with the memory value at each point weighted by distance. The integrated transects are then normalized by the integrated value for the whole memory. The angular probability density function is given by (8) where r = |zZ| and fZ(r) is a kernel function (e.g., exponential with length scale parameter γZ) that weights according to distance, such that closer resources are preferred all else being equal (Table 2).\n\nBehavioral state transitions.\n\nThe animal begins in the searching state, transitions to the feeding state when consumption increases, and transitions back to searching whenever consumption drops. Following the marginal value theorem of optimal foraging theory, an animal should leave a patch when the foraging rate in the patch drops below the average foraging rate in the environment [34]. Thus, in our simulations, the switch between states occurs when the instantaneous consumption rate, C(t), crosses the average consumption rate, . The average consumption rate is based on the intrinsic habitat quality, , where is the average habitat quality over all space.\n\n\nWe ran tens of thousands of simulations of the foraging process based on all three movement models across a range of landscape properties according to the parameter values in Table 1. The parameter space was explored systematically, with simulations run for all combinations of specified parameter values. For each movement model, we ran twenty replicate simulations for each combination of the landscape parameters of patch concentration, patch size, and regeneration rate. For the memory model, each combination of memory parameters were run across all landscape replicates.\n\nTo make the simulations as comparable as possible, we used the same speed and timescale autocorrelation parameters for both the memory and kinesis models, with the random walk model using the faster, more linear searching behavior speed and timescale autocorrelation, i.e., the random movement parameterization which leads to the highest foraging efficiency as per encounter theory [35].\n\nTo examine a stationary scenario (i.e., after the animal is familiar with its environment), simulations begin with the long-term attractive memory stream initialized to the habitat quality, Q0, and the short-term repulsive stream initialized to zero. Similarly, for the kinesis and memory models, the animal is assumed to know the average consumption rate, . This assumption corresponds to a forager that is broadly familiar with its environment of regenerating resources, in contrast to a completely naive (e.g., introduced) forager.\n\nThe continuous time model (Eqs 48) was implemented in Java, with time discretized with small regular intervals Δt approximating dt. If an event from the Poisson process that updates μ(t) occurred during the interval, then a new angle θ was selected at that interval. The differential equations described above were approximated using the Euler forward method [36]. The time step was selected to satisfy the requirements of the Courant–Friedrichs–Lewy criterion [37] that the time step be smaller than the spatial resolution divided by the magnitude of the fastest velocity to ensure the accuracy and stability of the approximation and also to satisfy Δt < τ (Table 1).\n\n\nTo simulate the model, the continuous variation in habitat quality is discretized onto a grid. Landscapes were generated with a Gaussian random field (GRF) using the RandomFields R package [38] to be 50 × 50 in size using an exponential covariance function with variance = 1, nugget = 0, and a set of mean (patch concentration, μQ) and scale (patch size, γQ) values (Fig 1, Table 1). Differing levels of patchiness were simulated by truncating all negative values to zero, resulting in more areas of no resources for smaller mean values. Landscapes were normalized to sum to one so that the total resources are the same across all landscapes. For each combination of μQ and γQ, twenty landscape replicates were generated.\n\nFig 1. Sample generated landscapes for different combinations of patch concentration from patchy to smooth and patch size from small to large.\n\nColor indicates resource quality from none (white) to low (light green) to high (dark green). Total resources in each landscape are the same.\n\nThe GRF mean parameter, or patch concentration, controls how concentrated resources are in space along a gradient from patchy (sparsely located high-value resources) to smooth (widespread lower-value resources). The GRF scale parameter, or patch size, controls the relative size and continuity of patches in the generated landscape via the spatial autocorrelation in the generated field. Note that the landscape parameters are not completely orthogonal: patchier landscapes have smaller patches than smooth landscapes. These parameters allowed us to explore a range of landscape types, though the behavioral model is not tied to these generated landscapes.\n\nThe initial location of foragers was in all cases the midpoint of each landscape, and the boundaries were reflective. In the memory case, the μ vector was reset on hitting a boundary, either randomly for kinesis or according to the angular probability density function for memory, but restricted to the quadrants away from the boundary. While the memory model can lead to home range behavior [24], the kinesis and random walk models are dispersive, and thus using a bounded landscape makes these processes more comparable while providing a conservative estimate for any advantage from memory.\n\n\nThe primary metric used to evaluate simulations was total consumption, i.e., the sum of the forager’s consumption (Eq 2) over the fixed duration of each simulation (1000 time steps). Additional metrics were habitat usage (time spent in areas of zero resources and the four quartiles of resources for areas with positive quality) and time spent in each behavioral state, searching and feeding, for kinesis and memory movement processes.\n\nThe analysis of model outputs was done with R [39]. To compare the three movement processes we performed the Approximative K-Sample Permutation test [40] where post-hoc comparisons were made with the Nemenyi-Damico-Wolfe-Dunn (NDWD) test using the coin R package [41, 42] and a p-value <0.05 considered significant. Comparisons were made in aggregate, pooling both memory and landscape parameterizations. We also compared the movement processes for each memory model parameterization across all the landscape paramterizations. In these cases we adjusted the p-values to control the false discovery rate using the Benjamini–Hochberg (BH) procedure [43]. To evaluate the contribution of different parameters in the memory model, we used random forests to compute a statistic of relative importance for each parameter [44] using the party R package [45]. An advantage of random forests is their robustness to nonlinearity and complex interaction effects [45]. The method first permutes one of the predictors (thereby removing the potential association between that predictor and the response), then generates random forests (a set of classification trees fit to bootstrap samples drawn from the original), and compares the prediction accuracy of the permuted and unpermuted predictor.\n\n\nForaging efficiency\n\nDifferences in simulation trajectories and space use, which translate to differences in consumption, were apparent (Fig 2). Averaging over all memory parameterizations and landscapes, the memory model (consumption mean = 0.43, s.e. = 0.29, n = 90720) outperformed the kinesis model (consumption mean = 0.27, s.e. = 0.11, n = 360) and the random walk model (consumption mean = 0.18, s.e. = 0.03, n = 360) and was significant across all groups (Approximative K-Sample Permutation test: maxT = 30.67, p <0.0001; NDWD post-hoc tests: p <0.0001 for all group comparisons). When examining each memory model parameterization separately against the kinesis and random walk models for each landscape parameterization, the total consumption for the three models was nearly always significantly different (98.7% Approximative K-Sample Permutation tests significant with BH p-value adjustment; S1 Appendix). Every memory model parameterization had higher mean consumption than the random walk model across all landscape parameterizations, and 98.7% of these were significantly different (NDWD post-hoc tests with BH p-value adjustment; S1 Appendix). Of the 67.2% of memory model parameterizations that were significantly different from the kinesis model (NDWD post-hoc tests with BH p-value adjustment; S1 Appendix), the memory model had higher average consumption in all cases. Thus, while there was more variability across simulations for the memory model, total consumption was also higher, meaning the increased variability with memory was towards improved performance.\n\nFig 2. Sample trajectories for three movement models (left to right) on two different landscapes (top to bottom).\n\nTrajectories start at the center with color changing through time (from green to light blue to dark blue). For memory and kinesis, thin lines indicate searching and thick lines indicate feeding behavior. Resources are shown at their undepleted level at the beginning of the simulation. Memory is parameterized with best overall parameters, ϕL = 1e − 05, ϕS = 0.01, ψM = 2, γZ = 10.\n\nLandscape characteristics affected the degree of benefit memory provides (Fig 3). In more patchy environments (negative μQ) with larger patches (large γQ), the memory model (using the best overall parameterization across all landscapes) strongly outperformed the kinesis model, which in turn outperformed the random walk model, although the effect weakened as the landscapes become smoother (positive μQ) and patches smaller (small γQ). Similarly, the percent of memory parameterizations for which consumption was significantly different from the kinesis model was highest in the best performing landscapes (S1 Fig). The pattern held across regeneration rates, but was strongest for higher regeneration rates. Mean consumption values remained constant across landscape parameterizations for the random walk model, increased with only increasing patch concentration for the kinesis model, and increased with both increasing patch concentration and size (γQ) for memory. Variability across simulations also increased for all movement processes with increasing patch concentration and size (i.e., landscapes with fewer larger patches). Even with increased variability in landscapes with high-value and/or large patches, the minimum memory model consumption was higher than the maximum random walk model and generally higher than or close to the mean kinesis model value.\n\nFig 3. Consumption for the three movement models across different landscape parameters patch concentration μQ and size γQ for medium regeneration rate βR = 0.01.\n\nBars show mean consumption values across replicates of landscape parameters while lines show minimum and maximum. Memory is parameterized with best overall parameters, ϕL = 1e − 05, ϕS = 0.01, ψM = 2, γZ = 10. In the figure, M = memory, K = kinesis, R = random walk.\n\nMemory parameters\n\nTo assess the best performing memory parameter combination for each landscape parameter combination, we compared the total consumption averaged over landscape replicates (Table 4). While there was less variability within memory parameterizations than across movement processes, patterns still emerged. The best performing short decay rate varied consistently with regeneration rate. There was less consistency in the long decay rate. Interestingly, a long decay rate of 0 was rarely selected, though resource stability means there is no obvious advantage to decaying the long-term attractive memory stream. Little pattern was apparent with the short memory factor in relation to the landscape parameters, although there appeared to be an interaction between the short decay rate and the short memory factor. Larger short memory factors were associated with relatively faster short decay rates. Thus the short-term repulsive memory stream may similarly adjust the overall memory by either a lower weighting of a slowly decaying memory or a higher weighting of a faster decaying memory (Eqs 4 and 6). Finally, a large value was favored for the memory spatial scale, i.e., giving more weight to distant patches.\n\nTable 4. Best performing memory parameters (ϕL, ϕS, ψM, γZ) for each landscape environment, a combination of regeneration rate (βR), patch concentration (μQ), and patch size (γQ).\n\nComparing variable importance to explain the differences in consumption, landscape parameters dominated memory parameters (Table 5). A conservative rule of thumb to interpret variable importance values is that a variable is informative if its value is greater than the absolute value of the lowest negative value, as irrelevant predictors will randomly vary around zero [46]. All parameters had positive variable importance values. Of the landscape parameters, patch concentration was the most important, followed by patch size and regeneration rate at a similar order of magnitude. For the memory parameters, the short decay rate was most important, followed by memory spatial scale at a similar order of magnitude, then short memory factor and long decay rate. The long decay rate may only be important as a threshold (i.e., slow enough), and the bulk of the observations were for smaller long decay rates.\n\nTable 5. Permutation importance scores (mean decrease in accuracy) calculated using random forests for the memory model.\n\nResults shown treat parameters as continuous variables. Results were similar when parameters were treated as categorical.\n\nAs another approach to evaluating memory, we examined different parameterizations for how often they were significantly different from the kinesis model (S2 Fig) and how much improvement over kinesis (S3 Fig) they provided (memory parameterization nearly always outperformed the random walk model). The clearest pattern emerged with memory spatial scale, γZ, with larger values outperforming smaller values almost exclusively, where larger values mean less discounting of distant resources in memory. For the short decay rate, ϕS, larger values, and thus faster decay, were generally better, while the opposite was true for the long decay rate, ϕS. There was some clustering evident with the short memory factor, ψM, as well. For specific landscape parameterizations, the general patterns in parameter values still held but the magnitude of difference between the kinesis and memory models mirrored Fig 3.\n\n\nThe differences in habitat usage observed across the movement processes for different landscape parameterizations (Fig 4) mirrored the differences in spatial concentration for the individual trajectories (Fig 2). The amount of habitat with zero resources varied with patch concentration, from most areas having zero resources (μQ = −1.5) to some positive amount of resources nearly everywhere (μQ = 1). As expected, the habitat usage of the random walk model matched the distribution of habitat on the landscape. For the kinesis model, habitat usage was markedly biased towards areas of higher quality, though this was not affected by patch size, γQ. For the memory model, on the other hand, habitat usage was more skewed towards better quality areas than the kinesis model and also differed by patch size as well as concentration.\n\nFig 4. Time spent in areas of different resource quality across different landscape parameters patch concentration μQ and size γQ for medium regeneration rate βR = 0.01 compared to the distribution of resources on the landscape.\n\nWhite represents zero resources while shades of gray from light to dark show quartiles of increasing quality. The memory model is parameterized with best overall parameters, ϕL = 1e − 05, ϕS = 0.01, ψM = 2, γZ = 10. In the figure, M = memory, K = kinesis, R = random walk, L = landscape.\n\nThe memory-informed foragers spent less time searching on average than the kinesis-driven foragers (Fig 5). In the kinesis model, time searching decreased with smoother landscapes where most areas contained some resources. Search time for the memory model was generally consistent across differing patch concentration values, increasing only slightly in patchier landscapes. On the other hand, the kinesis model showed increasing search time variability with increasing patch size, but the median time searching was similar. For the memory model, time searching decreased substantially with increasing patch size.\n\nFig 5. Time spent searching (as opposed to feeding) for memory and kinesis models across different landscape parameter values for patch concentration μQ and size γQ for medium regeneration rate βR = 0.01 as a violin plot showing median values and kernel density plot.\n\n\n\nComparative analysis of model implementation and outcomes\n\nWe developed a continuous-time, continuous-space foraging model that incorporates movement with directional preference based on a memory of habitat quality that allowed us to examine the effect of landscape characteristics on the performance of different movement processes, particularly memory. Our model simulation exercises suggest that while the different movement processes perform similarly in smooth landscapes, more complex processes perform better in patchier landscapes. The concentrated resources in patchier landscapes are both harder to locate and of higher value once located, leading to the memory model outperforming the random walk model and the kinesis model. Similarly, foragers using memory also receive higher rewards with a faster regeneration rate and larger high-value patches, which also provide a stronger signal in memory. In general, landscapes that favor memory are those with resources that are higher value or more difficult to encounter, and these landscapes are the places best-suited to look for evidence of memory-informed foraging behavior.\n\nThe three movement processes modeled here are nested, so the same underlying movement model is used. Additional behavioral complexity, like switching states or using memory-informed directional biases, can be enabled or disabled within the same framework. This allows for better comparisons between movement processes for simulation studies and also for hypothesis testing if the model is fit to data. The memory implementation is both simple and conforms to current knowledge in animal cognition. Two memory streams are a common feature of cognitively-based ecological models [24, 3032] and reflect evidence for multiple parallel memory systems that interact [47, 48].\n\nWe utilize a continuous space and time architecture in the the model to compare processes that occur across scales, e.g., a single lever can transition between highly tortuous and highly linear movement, between highly patchy and highly homogenous landscapes, and between highly local and highly distributed spatial kernels of foraging and memory. For the movement process particularly, a continuous framework mimics the actual continuous movement of an animal across a continuous landscape, even though sampled discretely. Recent work has focused on parameterizing continuous movement processes from trajectories [4951] and using continuous-space formulations in spatial population models to represent spatial heterogeneity from multiple sources and at multiple scales [1]. While discrete correlated random walks (CRW) are a common modeling approach (e.g., [14, 21, 24]), CRWs are highly scale-dependent with difficulties in both reformulating from one interval to another and selecting the interval [52, 53]. Discrete movements between patches is one clearly observable and common behavior. This process is modeled, approximately, by the behavioral changes inherent in the behavioral switches of the memory model. Indeed, a discrete movement between known patches under certain conditions is an emergent property of the memory model. However, the model as currently formulated does not accommodate many features of animal movement, such as diurnal behavior. Additionally, we acknowledge that there are problems with scaling at the extremes with both very large and infinitesimal scales.\n\nUsing spatially continuous landscape generated from Gaussian random fields allows us to explore a continua of resource patchiness and heterogeneity. However, the behavioral model is completely independent of the landscape, and it can be run on a real landscape based on sampled or remotely sensed data (e.g., [20, 54]), or a landscape of discrete patches (e.g., [24, 26, 35]). An advantage to a continuous landscape representation is that field data are virtually always continuous in some way, while patch-based approaches often make unrealistic assumptions about the shape of the patches and are thus harder to apply to field data. However, this representation is not necessarily applicable to all situations, such as fruiting trees [21] or mobile prey [55]. However, other representations for the landscape and foraging process could be used with the continuous movement model, including discrete models more appropriate to some systems that can almost always be generated as special cases of the continuous models we present. Additionally, the model simplifies the environment into a single gradient, while real animals nearly always have to balance tradeoffs between different requirements and therefore do not move on a single gradient landscape. Moreover, most ecological applications do not directly measure the distribution of an animal’s resources on the landscape but instead use remotely-sensed proxies for those resources (e.g., the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) as a proxy for forage quality [56]).\n\nOur use of continuous Gaussian kernels in the foraging and memory processes are perhaps more limited in their applicability. The local distance-dependent kernel for learning is analogous to the detected local environment (e.g., via vision or smell), while the kernel of foraging can be thought of as local foraging movements that occur on a finer scale than the displacements, though these analogies break down at infinitesimal scales. Nonetheless, in either case, any kind of kernel can be implemented as straightforwardly as others within our framework, including smaller, non-infinite, or discrete (top-hat) kernels. Other limitations of the model include the exclusion of processes such as bioenergetics, including starvation due to the temporal pattern of energy consumption, stochasticity in resource acquisition or handling time, and diurnal or resting behavior. While all these would be possible to incorporate in the model, we chose to omit them for simplicity. Instead, we focused on the movement, foraging, and memory processes necessary to address our main question of how landscape characteristics affect the performance of the memory model compared to other movement processes.\n\nOur findings corroborate prior work, even where the conception of memory is different. Grove’s [27] conclusion that memory is more useful for lower patch density is analogous to the result here for patchier landscapes (with less area containing resources). Our finding that larger patches decrease the utility of memory is less directly comparable due to differences in landscape construction, but the qualitative conclusion that memory is less useful when patches are more easily discoverable is supported. In models that investigate learning and memory of consumption and encounter rates, rather than the spatial location of resources, patch heterogeneity is also an important predictor of the forager’s consumption, with memory most useful in conditions of resource heterogeneity and a long-term memory allowing the forager to concentrate effort in the highest-value patches [5759]. Avgar et al. [15] suggest only physiological constraints should limit memory in an unchanging environment, but that forgetting is adaptive in a temporally changing environment, with memory capacity negatively correlated to the rate of change. Here, the available amount of resources varied temporally, and the rate of forgetting (the short-term memory decay rate) tracked the rate of environmental change (the regeneration rate). The utility of memory in high complexity landscapes may be reduced due to the high cost of tracking sufficient information [11]. An interesting extension of this work would be to model memory at different spatial resolutions and determine if an increasing cost for more detailed memory would produce the dome-shaped relationship between memory utility and resource complexity predicted by Fagan et al. [11].\n\nLandscape characteristics\n\nLandscape characteristics (Fig 1) mediate the magnitude of consumption variation among the three movement processes. In smooth, continuous landscapes with a relatively even distribution of low resources, the movement processes perform similarly. In patchier landscapes with more area devoid of resources, the kinesis model generally outperforms the random walk model and the memory model outperforms the kinesis model. Resources are both more difficult to locate and of higher value in patchier landscapes, as we held the total amount of resources constant across landscapes. Patchy landscapes favor memory as the benefit of finding resources is high and memory directs movement towards hard-to-find patches. Any tendency to slow down in the few higher-valued patches is an advantage, however, as seen by the kinesis model outperforming the random walk model. The kinesis model has perfect knowledge of the average consumption rate, while if the consumption rate must be learned, the ability to exploit high-value patches increases with memory length [58].\n\nPatch size is also important to consumption rates, as it informs the likelihood that nearby locations also have resources. As patch size increases, memory-based movement dramatically outperforms the kinesis and random walk models, though larger patches can also lead to higher consumption in perceptually-guided foragers [60]. Differences in search times highlight these differences: the memory model uniquely spends less time searching with increasing patch size and exploits the larger, more contiguous patches more efficiently, spending less time traveling between them. Travel time between patches is expected to differ between perceptually-guided and omniscient foragers [27], and this is an emergent property of our model. Larger patches give a stronger signal to the probabilistic direction (Eq 8). The memory-guided forager can easily return to a large patch after wandering off, but the forager using kinesis depends on randomly encountering patches again. Only consumption variability increases with patch size for the kinesis and random walk models, while both consumption and consumption variability increase with patch size for memory. Models struggle to capture the variability present in natural systems, and it has been suggested that spatially explicit models are necessary for foraging behavior to account for the effects of heterogeneous resource distribution and to allow for non-random walk strategies [59]. Although memory-informed movement can give rise to more predictable movement paths such as home range behavior [24, 25] and repeated routes [21], we suggest that it can also lead to increased variability in consumption and thus forager condition.\n\nPerformance of memory-based movement also depends on the interaction between the spatial scale of memory and patch sizes in the landscape. Larger memory spatial scales allow the forager to make movements towards distant locations [18]. The better performance of large memory spatial scales show the benefit of considering food farther away. Exceptions occur with small patch sizes, where small spatial ranges may perform better (Table 4). This may be due to small patches having smaller signals in memory, making it advantageous to weigh close resources higher. Small, distant patches may not be worth the travel time. Including perception [14] would likely amplify this effect, as more discontinuous patches would be harder to detect and exploit. Some results suggest that intermediate perceptual abilities perform best with heterogeneous resource distribution as foragers must balance habitat exploration with tradeoffs between time spent searching versus feeding [61].\n\nLastly, landscape regeneration impacts the performance of the alternative movement processes, something that has been considered in some models [24, 25], but is frequently omitted even in models that explicitly include memory [14, 59]. Differences become readily apparent with high regeneration rates. When patches regenerate quickly there is a benefit to returning soon, favoring memory. This has been demonstrated in other models, with slow regeneration rates resulting in the forager exploring the entire environment and fast regeneration rates resulting in home range behavior [25, 26].\n\nAmong the landscape characteristics, regeneration has the largest effect on the memory model’s optimal parameterization (Table 4). Faster short-term memory decay is preferred as the regeneration rate increases, returning the animal sooner to productive patches. Animals may track an assessment of the lag time to return to a patch, either inherited or learned based on environmental conditions. However, memory generally outperforms the other movement processes at non-optimal decay rates in patchy landscapes, suggesting that the performance of the memory model could be robust to regeneration rates varying seasonally or among resource types without tracking an assessment of patch return intervals.\n\nPotential applications\n\nOur model accounts for environmental change through the regeneration rate and depletion by foragers, suggesting its potential application to systems with temporally varying heterogeneous resources, though our reliance on consumption as a metric provides challenges to model calibration given the difficulty of collecting such ancillary data to animal movements. Scales could vary spatially from a nectarivore foraging on flowering plants to a fish feeding in seagrass beds to a cervid browsing forest clearings. Scales could vary temporally from a plant producing additional flowers or fruit from one day to the next to more seasonal regeneration. For example, dugongs (Dugong dugon) forage on seagrass meadows that are patchily located in coastal waters, and the meadows themselves are spatially heterogeneous in quality based on biomass density and species composition [62]. Dugongs have been observed to revisit grazing locations with the return time correlating to regeneration time [63]. As evidence that memory can shape spatial population processes, dugong grazing pressure appears to drive community structure by creating favorable conditions for preferred species, a process known as cultivation grazing [63, 64]. Another candidate application is the Mongolian gazelle (Procapra gutturosa), a wide-ranging species [65], whose habitat preferences correlate to satellite-derived measures of habitat quality [56]. Gazelle movements are highly nomadic through a temporally dynamic landscape, leaving open the question of how much movements are driven by memory, perception, or randomness.\n\nWhile evaluated separately here, the differing landscapes could also be thought of as different habitats an animal encounters throughout its life history. For example, different resource distributions could represent the differences between feeding and breeding habitats that an animal migrates between or the seasonally varying differences between summer and winter habitats. In this case, the total amount of resources may also differ, but the general conclusions in terms of the relative performance of different movement processes would still hold. Thus, if the model were tested in dynamic landscape conditions, it may be that memory is most useful in times of resource constraint, such as hard-to-find winter forage, after a habitat perturbation, or during times of more limited mobility, such as the breeding season. For example, ungulate species on the Isle of Rhum, Scotland all foraged on high-quality, high-biomass areas in the summer during high resource availability, but showed resource partitioning during the winter [66]. The decimation of foraging habitat caused by a cyclone and floods led to changes in dugong distributions and led to emigration to other areas [67].\n\nIn conclusion, we have developed a flexible framework for considering memory with a continuous-space and continuous-time movement model that could be applied to a variety of systems once calibrated and validated against field data. Our results suggest that the best environments to look for evidence of memory-driven search are those with sparse, contiguous patches of high-value resources that regenerate quickly located in an otherwise devoid landscape. Thus, there is a large payoff for finding a resource patch, whether in size, value, or locational difficulty. While separating memory-driven foraging from sensory-driven alternatives is difficult [11], our findings of disproportionate space use of higher value areas, higher consumption rates, and consumption variability all point to memory influencing the movement of animals in a variety of simulated contexts.\n\nSupporting Information\n\nS1 Fig. Percent of memory parameterizations which were significantly different from other movement models across landscape parameterizations.\n\nFilled characters show the percent of memory parameterizations which were significantly different that the kinesis model, and open characters show the percent of memory parameterizations which were significantly different from the random walk model (NDWD post-hoc tests with BH p-value adjustment; S1 Appendix). The memory model had higher consumption in all cases when it was significantly different from other models.\n\n\nS2 Fig. For each memory parameter, the percent of memory parameterizations which were significantly different from other movement models across values of that parameter.\n\nThick lines show the percent of memory parameterizations which were significantly different that the kinesis model, and thin lines show the percent of memory parameterizations which were significantly different from the random walk model (NDWD post-hoc tests with BH p-value adjustment; S1 Appendix). The memory model had higher consumption in all cases when it was significantly different from other models.\n\n\nS3 Fig. Percent of simulations in which the memory model outperformed the kinesis model and net amount of consumption gained using memory.\n\nEach point represents a parameterization of the memory model. Simulations are matched by landscape and regeneration rate. Percent outperformed shows the percent of simulations for which the memory model outperformed the kinesis model for that set of parameters. Net percent improvement shows how much consumption improves with the memory model over the kinesis model. It is calculated by subtracting the amount consumed under the kinesis model from that consumed under the specific parameterization of the memory model divided by the total consumed by the kinesis model across all simulations. Panels are each color coded by different memory parameters.\n\n\nS1 Appendix. Results from Approximative K-Sample Permutation test and post-hoc comparisons with the Nemenyi-Damico-Wolfe-Dunn (NDWD) test.\n\n\nS2 Appendix. Results from simulation model runs, including parameter combinations and total consumption over the simulation.\n\n\n\nThe authors thank James J. Anderson, Renee Ha, Mark Kot, Aaron J. Wirsing, and two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on this work.\n\nAuthor Contributions\n\nConceived and designed the experiments: CB EG BM. Performed the experiments: CB. Analyzed the data: CB. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: CB EG. Wrote the paper: CB RG.\n\n\n  1. 1. Morales JM, Moorcroft PR, Matthiopoulos J, Frair JL, Kie JG, Powell RA, et al. Building the bridge between animal movement and population dynamics. Phil Trans R Soc B. 2010;365(1550):2289–2301. pmid:20566505\n  2. 2. McNamara JM, Fawcett TW, Houston AI. An adaptive response to uncertainty generates positive and negative contrast effects. Science. 2013;340(6136):1084–1086. pmid:23723234\n  3. 3. Goodwin RA, Politano M, Garvin JW, Nestler JM, Hay D, Anderson JJ, et al. Fish navigation of large dams emerges from their modulation of flow field experience. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2014;111(14):5277–5282. pmid:24706826\n  4. 4. Gil M, De Marco RJ. 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Preen A, Marsh H. Response of dugongs to large-scale loss of seagrass from Hervey Bay, Queensland Australia. Wildl Res. 1995;22(4):507–519.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5847231149673462}
{"content": "Books and Documents\n\nSpiritual Meditations (17 Feb 2018 NewAgeIslam.Com)\n\nRamanujan and Salam — What Inspired Them?\n\n\nBy Pervez Hoodbhoy\n\nFebruary 17, 2018\n\nSRINIVISAN Ramanujan (1887-1920) and Muhammad Abdus Salam (1926-1996), two intellectual giants of the 20th century, were born in the same corner of the world. Of humble origin and educated in local schools, they nevertheless rose to dizzying heights in the arcane world of theoretical science. Few others on the subcontinent enjoy their iconic status.\n\nWhat I shall address below is that both attributed their works to some divine agency. Some of their devotees see this in validating their own respective belief system. With the rise of Hindutva in India, and the violent persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan, these claims assume considerable importance. Hence a careful, impartial examination is called for.\n\nNo mathematician has a story more romantic than Ramanujan’s. Many books, plays, and movies — such as The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015) — dwell upon this enigmatic figure. Drawing upon deep intuition, Ramanujan created new concepts in the theory of numbers, elliptic functions and infinite series. Even full-blown mathematicians take years to grasp his complex ideas.\n\nExceptional genes plus fortunate circumstances is why some become maths-science superstars.\n\nBorn in Madras to a low-level clerk, this young Brahmin boy was steeped in tradition, sang religious songs, attended temple Pujas, and was a strict vegetarian. But by age 12, he was inventing sophisticated theorems and unwittingly duplicating some results of European mathematicians of the previous century. He flunked college twice for lack of interest in anything but mathematics — in which he excelled. His awestruck teachers could not decide whether he was a genius or fraud.\n\nAt 16, encouraged by one of his teachers, Ramanujan sent off a letter to the renowned pure mathematician G.W. Hardy at Cambridge University. It was accompanied by theorems densely packed into nine pages. Hardy was stunned and arranged for him to travel to England. Ramanujan duly obtained permission from the family goddess Namagiri, consulting appropriate astrological data before his voyage overseas.\n\nAt age 32, Ramanujan was dead. He had returned to Madras exhausted, half-famished and fed up with English winters. But even on his deathbed, his pen scrawled out profound results. A century later these still intrigue the brainiest of mathematicians and string theorists. He attributed his exceptional qualities to the psychic visitations of Namagiri who would whisper equations to him. Sometimes, he said, “she wrote on my tongue”. He told colleagues, “An equation for me has no meaning unless it represents a thought of God.”\n\nThis was how Ramanujan saw it. But how does one explain that Euler, Bernoulli, Gauss, Cantor, Hilbert and Gödel were non-Brahmin mathematicians who stood still taller? The edifice of modern mathematics owes largely to them, not to Ramanujan. Some were ardent Christians, others agnostic or atheistic. Nobody knows how to explain their feats.\n\nCuriously, Abdus Salam, then a 19-year-old student at Government College Lahore, wrote his very first paper proposing a simpler solution to an intriguing mathematical problem posed about 20 years earlier by Ramanujan. He ended his paper by triumphantly declaring: “His [Ramanujan’s] solution is much more laborious”.\n\nThis was Salam’s debut into the world of high mathematics. Born into a conservative religious environment in Jhang — then a village-town — this child prodigy rapidly outpaced his teachers. Fortunately they bore him no grudge and helped him move on to Lahore. The next stop was Cambridge, where he excelled. By the early 1960s, he was one of the world’s top particle physicists, ultimately winning 20 international prizes and honours including the Nobel Prize in 1979.\n\nIn his later years, Salam gave numerous public lectures and interviews, recorded on camera and in print, locating his source of inspiration in his religious belief. In particular he said the concept of unity of God powered his quest for the unification of nature’s fundamental forces as well as his search for ever fewer numbers of elementary particles.\n\nFor me, to engage on a sensitive matter with one so senior and superior was not easy. But sometime in 1986 I picked up the courage to ask Salam the obvious question: both he, who thought himself a believer, and Steven Weinberg, an avowed atheist, had worked independently on unifying two of nature’s four fundamental forces and yet had arrived at precisely the same conclusions. How?\n\nSalam gave his answer in the preface he wrote for my book on Islam and science (1990), where he stated: “I can confirm that he [Hoodbhoy] is right…”, and then went on to explicitly clarify that any bias towards the unification paradigm in his thinking was only unconsciously motivated by his religious background.\n\nThere is not the slightest doubt that Salam used exactly the same tools as Weinberg did — principally quantum mechanics and relativity theory — and did physics exactly as other physicists do (but better than most). His political and religious views were irrelevant to his work. Let’s note that although they are giants of physics, Salam and Weinberg stood on the shoulders of still greater giants — Einstein, Pauli, Dirac, Wheeler, and Feynman — whose personal philosophies of life vastly differed from each other.\n\nSalam sourced his inspiration to his religious beliefs, while Ramanujan claimed direct transmission from his gods. These claims cannot ever be proved or disproved. It is also irrelevant here that Salam thought of himself as a Muslim whereas, by Pakistani law, he is not.\n\nHow can prodigious talent blossom in the absence of rigorous scientific training? Two factors explain Ramanujan’s and Salam’s successes. First, nature sometimes gifts an individual with exceptional innate mathematical ability. This is associated with brain circuits in the parietal lobe and acquired through genetic transmission. Second, by good fortune, Ramanujan and Salam managed to escape into a scholarly environment — Cambridge Uni­ver­sity — where their genius could flower. Had either stayed back home he would be unheard of today.\n\nIt is usual to take pride in the geniuses belonging to one’s own tribe. The ancient civilisations of China, India, Greece, Arabia, and modern European civilisation all claim superiority over others because of the creations of their most brilliant minds. But in fact an individual’s exceptional genes and fortunate circumstances — not some supreme transcendence — are the real reasons. While sources of inspiration do differ, empirically and logically deduced results don’t. Science and its heroes belong to all humankind, not to any one tribe.\n\nSource: dawn.com/news/1389870/ramanujan-and-salam-what-inspired-them\n\nURL: http://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/pervez-hoodbhoy/ramanujan-and-salam-—-what-inspired-them?/d/114312\n\n\n  • Hi Parvez hoodboy.\n\n    Let's add to your story.\n\n    We neither Hindus nor did ramanujan claim publicly that Hinduisim is true relgion on the behalf of his inspiration for whatever he was believing, he just told to his college when he was asked not like Salam. \n    Mr Salam and Muslim still,says it is the Quran that gave him inspiration and that how Quran Beame scientific book and  it is true book.\n\n    In fact Mr Salam damaged your scientific inquiries mind in Pakistani Muslim world.\n\n    Remember your debat with one of guy and he started to bully you and left away.\n\n    Do not drag a scientist that are born in Hindu linage neither they claim afterward that Hinduisim is great nor does they have publicity stunts, let it be in Muslims domain, for next time do not compare and bring Hindu belifes.  It suits better To non-inquired Muslim mind not to us as Hindus, because we even question the existence of God.\n\n    I highly respect for you but seeing your article tangling around relgion and science looks like Muslims primitive mind in you has woke up, because this primitive mind of Muslim is constantly try to prove Quran is scientific book.\n\n    You are the only hope I see in your country which keep seperate science and relgion, think before you write this type of article.\n    It would be like nowadays Protestant Cristian's are playing in hands of Catholic who introduce Revaltions in bible and propgated to such extent that now all Cristian world is indirectly played by Catholic. The whole age of enligtment is going backwards because Protestant themselves forget the age  word englitment.\n\n    The churches are nowadays playing same tactics that bible is book of science.\n\n    Let's work hard to bring change in our kids mind and be the next century of Asia.\n\n    I wish sultan Shahin sent my comment to you \n\n    By Aayina - 2/17/2018 2:37:26 PM\n\nCompose Your Comments here:\nEmail (Not to be published)\nFill the text", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6476932764053345}
{"content": "Popular Film and TV Actor Karan Kundrra proudly claims that social media trolls don’t really affect him but his girlfriend popular VJ Anusha Dandekar is not immune to them.\n\nKaran and Anusha have been in a relationship for over three years. Anusha has been a victim of social media bullying and has also been slut-shamed online.\n\nAsked if haters on social media platforms affect him, Karan told IANS : “I don’t really care about these haters. They are completely low lives…sitting in a corner and writing. It shows that your frustration is coming out…I consider these trollers as dogs who just keep barking. They are mostly very frustrated people and I pity them.”\n\nKaran, who is currently busy with the shooting of the third season of “Love School” on MTV, added: “I don’t react”.\n\nBut it affects Anusha, he says.\n\n“Anusha gets very affected… I am being followed by people and if someone says something to my girlfriend, then I need to take a stand because I don’t want people to think that ‘It’s okay to not take a stand’… Whenever it goes out of hand where I need to set an example also, is when I come in.\n\n(With IANS inputs)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8344284296035767}
{"content": ">   Untitled\n40\" x 26.5\"\nOil on paper\n\nNorman Lewis is considered the first major African American Abstract Expressionist. Lewis grew up in Harlem and was actively involved in the Black Arts Movement in New York during the mid-20th century; he was a member of the 306 Group as well as the Spiral Collective with fellow African American artists and writers. His early works of the 1930s and 40s were predominately focused on presenting the lives of the black families and workers surrounding him. While Lewis turned his attention to Abstraction after World War II, his subjects and titles continued to allude to the world surrounding him. Jazz music had a profound impact on his work, and he often sought to transfer the genre’s improvisational fluidity and energy onto the canvas with broad brushstrokes and abstracted imagery. In Untitled, Lewis uses sparse, dry brushstrokes to create a skyscape. Darker shades of blue slowly blend into the lighter center of yellows and oranges that illuminate gold bands. While the most centered bands remain unified, the outer bands that are farthest from the bright light are slowly being lost within the darkness.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9943088889122009}
{"content": "What does the word basal mean?\n\nUsage examples for basal\n\n  1. Yet its simple ethical principles and its social relationships are basal in the lives of the vast masses of the Chinese. – Buddhism and Buddhists in China by Lewis Hodus\n  2. Perhaps the basal principle of concealing coloration is the law of counter- shading, first partially announced by Prof. – Butterflies Worth Knowing by Clarence M. Weed\n  3. In one of Miss McMillan's early books she wrote: Very early the child begins more or less consciously to exercise the basal sense- the sense of touch. – The Child Under Eight by E.R. Murray and Henrietta Brown Smith", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9841610789299011}
{"content": "How to start a vegan diet?\n\nHow to Start a Vegan Diet\n\nSHARE: Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail\n\nIn this article by John Culbertson, John talks with you about how to start a vegan diet in a healthy way.\n\nPlan what food will replace your needs and desires.\n\nYour health or the desire to lead a healthier lifestyle might have been what induced you to turn to veganism, but if eating vegan food is not giving you the appropriate amount of nutrition then it would defeat the purpose, wouldn’t it? The important thing is not just how to start a vegan diet but how you can stay healthy so that you are not only encouraged to eat vegan but also enjoy being vegan. For example, you will need to find different sources of essential nutrients such as calcium and omega 3 fatty acids when you stop eating fish and eggs. The good news is that it is possible to find food that is vegan which can fulfill your nutritional needs. It is important therefore especially in the beginning when you make the change to becoming a vegan to choose the appropriate food so that you cultivate not only a habit but also a taste for it.\n\nAre you fussy about food?\n\nThough health is a major concern, an often ignored aspect is taste. If you don’t enjoy vegan food, then you will have lesser motivation to continue with it. Therefore, if you develop a craving for a certain type of food, say cheese then you need to find an alternative that will satiate your desire so that you don’t give up on eating vegan food. Again, the good news is that there are enough choices in vegan food that you will find enjoyable as long as you are willing to experiment. You may think that you have a limited choice but in fact you can have a reasonably wide range of choices especially if you know where to look for them. It’s increasingly becoming more popular to be a vegan and therefore you can easily find plenty of choices in regular supermarkets and shops.\n\nListen to your body and don’t go hungry.\n\nYou may have to increase the quantity of food you eat as a vegan compared to what you used to when you ate meat, fish and other animal products. This is normal even if you are trying to lose weight because your body needs those nutrients and the density in which they occur in non-vegan food is higher than in vegan food. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables will also make changes to your metabolism rate. In other words, vegan food is more easily digested and absorbed by your body, so you may feel hungry sooner after a meal than you used to. How often you eat will change depending on the quantity and the type of food you eat. The likelihood of overeating and negatively affecting your health is lesser when you are eating vegan as compared to the chances of depriving yourself. Therefore eat to your heart’s content especially in the beginning.\n\nFind support.\n\nDo I know any vegans? This is one of the first things you should ask yourself before you ask how to start a vegan diet. The expert advice and support that you can get from a fellow vegan is indispensable. Even if you don’t know anyone personally who is a vegan, it is advisable to seek support by joining online groups or through social networking. If you are trying to be a vegan, it is more likely that you belong to a minority in social and family circles. Therefore the pressure to succumb to temptation and renege on your resolve is greater unless you have support from other vegans in the form of a regular online forum or a friend with whom you can share your challenges.\n\nEating vegan food is as much a lifestyle choice as it is a dietary one. Therefore one of the keys to making a successful transition is to do your research before you ask how to start a vegan diet. Join vegan groups online and subscribe to newsletters or e-mail updates so that you are better prepared to face the challenges later on.\n\nLast but not the least, consult with your doctor and seek professional medical and health guidance, especially if you have any chronic health conditions. As with any form of diet, you will need to customize ingredients and food constituents to suit your health needs.\n\nGoing vegan could be the best choice you’ve made. Not only is it growing popular with health fitness experts and celebrities but it bestows immense physical benefits and contributes to a sense of emotional well-being.\n\n\nPosted in Mind, Body, & Spirit.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9978757500648499}
{"content": "3 days popular7 days popular1 month popular3 months popular\n\nSubclinical epileptic bursts in the brain may affect patients’ driving\n\nEpileptic discharges in the brain that are unaccompanied by obvious clinical signs are regarded as subclinical or interictal. A new study found that such bursts can prolong the reaction time and increase virtual accidents of patients taking a car driving computer test.\n\nAntiepileptic drugs significantly prolonged patients’ reaction times during electroencephalography recordings but did not appear to impair driving performance. “Antiepileptic drugs reduce patients’ reactivity, but it is mainly the interictal epileptic activity that contributes to an excess of virtual accidents,” said Dr. Heinz Krestel, senior author of the Epilepsia article.\n\nArticle: Virtual car accidents of epilepsy patients, interictal epileptic activity, and medication, Nirkko, A. C., Bernasconi, C., von Allmen, A., Liechti, C., Mathis, J. and Krestel, H., Epilepsia, doi: 10.1111/epi.13361, published online 4 April 2016.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9872570037841797}
{"content": "Wednesday, August 29, 2012\n\nHaving fun as the Asvattha Tree\n\nThe Asvattha Tree is the Sanskrit name for the sacred Pipal tree; a relative of the Banyan.  Asvattha meaning that which will not be tomorrow.  Normally we don't see the roots of a tree as they are under the earth, but by the very fact that the tree is there, we know that the roots are also there, as otherwise how does the tree stand?   This Asvattha Tree is said to be indestructible, standing with its roots above the earth  and its branches are below, its leaves representing all Vedic knowledge, those who come to know this tree, come also to know the knowledge of the Vedas and the triangle of life; Samsara.  Some of the branches of the tree go up and some go down, representing some of our actions as becoming and some as not.  The tree is mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita as a tool from Lord Krishna to explain to Arjuna the rules of cause and effect and how we are governed by the 3 qualities of nature, the Gunas; sattva, rajas and tamas, that of purity, action and laziness.  By our practice of yoga we try to bring the 3 gunas into equilibrium to form perfect balance and be able to transcend ourselves.  Working with our inversions, essentially sirshasana (headstand) and sarvangasana (shoulderstand), can be a process that teaches us so much, rather than worrying about getting to that perfect posture we would like to put on a postcard and send to someone, it is the whole process of learning these poses that makes all the difference.  It doesn't matter how long it takes and the journey may seem very long at the beginning, but giving ourselves the time and being patient is key to the process.  Often it is the case we put so much pressure on ourselves that we have to be better, stronger, more flexible etc that we forget the benefits from simply going slow and taking the asana step by step and not racing onto the next stage before we are ready.  Remember often it is the process that teaches us most and not the final position.  Inversions teach us a lot of patience and acceptance, some days they may come easy and some days not so, we have to learn to accept that.  They teach us how to overcome fears that we are facing and build on our confidence, someone practicing the headstand rarely suffers from a nervous disposition.  And turning ourselves upside down can help us see things from a different perspective.  Don't worry if you think you can't do it at first, the very fact that you are trying means you are doing it.  So often in class I hear from my students \"I can't do that!\" As I look at them and reply 'You are doing it!.'  The effort is there, so the results will be there, it isn't about how you look in the pose as long as we are doing it safely, but suddenly when you approach a difficult situation in life with confidence that may surprise you, where did that confidence come from?  From practicing that headstand.  When you endure something with more grace than you expected in a work or home situation, where did that endurance come from? From practicing that headstand.  So have faith, dig deeply into your heart find your beautiful branches and leaves and turn them upside down for a while, you just might see something you didn't see before.  We are limitless as to what we can achieve but we must have patience and acceptance to get to that final goal, be courageous and battle on my friend, become the Asvattha tree and be strong and wonderful.\nFree headstand clinic after class every wednesday at Pranamaya yoga studio, Moksh, Patan, Kathmandu; 9.30-10.45.  Clinic follows class.\nJust breath and let the universe take care of everything else\nom om shanti om\nnicky/ mangala :-)\n\nWednesday, August 22, 2012\n\nYogi Borscht\n\nI found this wonderful classic of spicy borscht, but being a practitioner of mediation every day and not wanting to create any other thought patterns, I have enough of them already,  I decided to turn it into Yogi Borscht instead, leaving out the onions and chili.  It was my dinner on Sunday evening as I sat on the rooftop with my husband, watching the clouds roll over the sky and turn to night over Kathmandu, it was a truly delicious feast! Recipe as follows:\n2 large raw beetroots\n1 large apple or cooking apple\n1/2 red or green pepper\nfew drops of olive oil\n2 litres of water\n1 tsp cumin seeds\nfresh parsley and oregano\nground black pepper\nlemon juice\nfew sprigs of rosemary\nnatural yoghurt\n(can add a few soya beans but not essential.)\n\nPlace the chopped vegetables into a large saucepan with the oil and water, cover and cook for about 15 minutes, you can add some vegetable stock also.  Stir occasionally.  Stir in the cumin seeds, parsley, oregano, black pepper and a good squeeze of lemon juice.  Bring to the boil then turn the heat down and simmer for about 30 minutes.  With a masher give the mixture a good mash, add a little water and cook for a further few minutes, leave to sit off the heat for a few minutes before serving.  Serve with a spoonful of natural yoghurt on the top and a few sprigs of rosemary.  Food for the gods!!\nBeetroot is a rich source of nutrients and antioxidants, including a rich supply of vitamin C. Vitamin C must be replenished every day, it helps to promote fine bone and tooth formation and helps to increase resistance to infection and bacterial toxin.   It helps to lower blood pressure and prevent heart and liver disease and it tastes delicious!  So enjoy your Yogi Borscht,\nOm Lokha Somasta Sukhino Bhavantu\nMay all beings find harmony, balance and peace\nom om shanti om\nnicky :-)\n\nWednesday, August 15, 2012\n\nShanti Dakshinamurti\n\nAt the beginning and end or all my classes I always chant the opening or closing mantra’s followed by Om shanti shanti shanti.  Shanti means peace, but why chant it three times?  The first time we chant it is to bring peace to our own being, both mentally and physically, the second is to bring peace to all other living entities, and lastly we chant it to bring peace to Mother Earth to free her from all disasters and tragedies.  You can also look at it from the point of view of chanting once for our minds to bring peaceful thoughts that cause no harm to ourselves or others, once for our way of speech that again there is only peace in what we are saying, and once for our hearts, that our hearts be full of peaceful love.\nChanting in Sanskrit brings out certain vibrations that reverberate into the world around us, so chanting shanti mantras allows that peaceful vibration to lighten the world around us as well as bring peace to ourselves.  In this day and age this chanting is a necessity.  Of course there are more shanti mantras than just chanting shanti, from the Vedas there were 10 main shanti mantras, which should if possible be chanted daily.  The following one I chant daily and is used at all the Sivananda centre’s and Ashrams around the world.\n\nOm sahanavavatu\nSaha nou bhunaktu\nSaha viryam karavavahai\nTejasvinavadhitamastu ma vidvisavahai\nOm shanti shanti shanti\n\nMeaning let the Lord protect both the teacher and the student, by giving us the Vedic knowledge may you protect and nourish us.  Let us enjoy the benefit of that knowledge.  Let me put effort into what the Guru is teaching and the Guru put effort into what they are teaching.  Let the knowledge stay fresh in our memories and let there not be any misunderstandings between both student and teacher.  Om peace peace peace.\n\nThe image above is of Lord Dakshinamurti, he is an aspect of Siva in his form of the Guru of all types of knowledge, especially of knowledge of thy self or jnana.  This aspect of Siva is his personification as ultimate awareness, understanding and knowledge.  The first teacher of yoga and destroyer of ignorance as he removes the darkness with light.  Thursdays are a significant day to start any educational endeavours and it is the day to give thanks to the Guru, so tomorrow begin your day with a positive sankalpa or resolve to learn something new remembering to chant the shanti mantra first before you embark on your learning.\nHappy Shanti\nOm shanti shanti shanti have a beautiful peaceful day!\n\nThursday, August 9, 2012\n\nLove Mum\n\nRecently I was asked by the lovely power yoga teacher Roshini what my latest ‘Aha’ moment during my yoga practice or whilst teaching my class, was.  I have just returned to Kathmandu after spending a month back in the UK with family, which was a very precious time.  Normally when I’m in my usual routine my daily self-practice takes me up to 5 hours, split over two sessions.  When I am away I try and maintain this as much as possible, but when staying with family that you haven’t seen for nearly two years, this becomes near impossible.  They need your time and it is important to have time with them as one lives far away and can’t just pop over for a cup of tea and a chat!  After a few days though I started to begin to feel a little frustrated, as I could feel my body was different my mental state, different, after not as much practice, thus was my ‘aha’ moment.  Whilst having a piece of cake, which I normally don’t eat with my mum, she commented on how lovely it was to be together and spend time just being and yes sharing a cake which she loves, and it came to me whilst off the mat that this time was as much my yoga practice as when I’m on the mat breathing, struggling, flowing, pushing myself and relaxing.  Yoga is all about giving and sharing and if I couldn’t give this time to my own Mum then it would be a poor thing really.  Swami Sivananda always said, ‘Serve, love, purify, meditate and realise.’  Sometimes we can’t always be in our routines, and other people’s enjoyment and happiness must come first.  So during my stay in the UK my yoga practice became much shorter in the terms of pranayama, asana and meditation and more about giving time to people and concentrating on their enjoyment, this is as much a part of union as the other practices, this was serving, giving and loving, together we made something meaningful.  Now I just have to concentrate on losing the two and half kilo I put on, eating cake with my mum!!   Yoga is a way of life and not just about being in the studio and what tricks we can do physically, yoga is becoming one and there are many means of achieving this.\nClasses have started back at Yoga Mangala Studio, Pranamaya Yoga and The British School, Kathmandu, please do contact me on for the latest schedule, days out and retreats.  Looking forward to seeing you all on the mat, \nOm om shanti Om\nnicky :-)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6566421985626221}
{"content": "The first aim of the Hezbollah network which includes Russia, Iran, Syria’s Assad and others is mainly the internal destruction of the United State of America, because a military assault is impossible.\n\nThe second aim of the axis of evil is to pass their agenda as the real “saviors” and the “good” ones fighting terrorism while in reality they themselves are terrorists with the aim to plunder nations and accumulate wealth in the hands of the elite only. This has always been how empires are built and imperialistic expansion occurred.\n\nMeanwhile the Russian Empire looks like this:\n\nSarah Abdallah known as @sahouraxo has the role to incite US citizens against each other: Republicans against republicans, democrats against democrats, republicans against democrats, through diverse false and fabricated information, or real information put outside their context.\n\n\nRelated Articles:\n\nWho Is Sarah Abdallah @sahouraxo? Part I\n\nThe U.S. Embargo against Hezbollah in Phase Two\n\nDebunking Lies of Hezbollah Sarah Abdallah sahouraxo on Syria\n\n\nShe is a psychological operation with terroristic aims, her previous alias are: @jnoubiyeh and @muqawamist. Now she is known as @sahouraxo. Muqawamist is a Hezbollah Jihadi who strives to establish an Islamic Imamah all over the world as symbolized in the logo of Hezbollah (also known as Hizballah and Hizbullah).\n\nNo one discarded Sarah Abdallah except Joumana Gebara and thus had to be silenced and defamed. The network also threatened several times to kill Joumana Gebara. They succeeded so far in shutting down each of her Twitter accounts as Twitter MENA is led by one of their network.\n\nSarah Abdallah tried to delete all traces from internet which prove that she is Hezbollah but Joumana Gebara was quicker. Our archive is in the hand of media and law enforcement worldwide.\n\nThese extracts is from the webarchive of the WayBack Machine:\n\nSarah Abdallah identified with Mosque Al-Aqsa in Quds (Jerusalem) and had only 4K followers in November 2016, meanwhile so many US citizens fell for her and she has 115K followers.\n\nEven Ann Coulter retweeted her!! Biggest treason ever for the Marines. Shame on Ann Coulter for betraying the US Marines who came as peacekeeper to Lebanon and were not engaged in the war, but were killed by Hezbollah suicide bombers in cold blood. History will not be kind to Ann Coulter. Sarah Abdallah influenced public opinion on Assad, as she faked as a Christian, while she is a Muslim, but that is her role and she is playing it well. Other accounts of the network have other roles. Joumana Gebara uncovered their network on MEA – MidEastAnalyst", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9490264058113098}
{"content": " Excel Drop Down List Tutorial For Microsoft Excel\n\nRelaxing Mindfulness\nBeautiful Games\n\nExcel Basics Formulas & Functions Special Features\nFormat Cells Sum, Average, Countif Functions Excel Charts (Graphs)\nWorksheets Quick Functions Excel Sort\nEdit Cells The IF Statement Excel Filter\nRows and Columns VLOOKUP Function Conditional Formatting\nFind and Replace Sumif Function Pivot Table\nThe Fill Handle Excel Formulas Create a Drop Down List\nExcel Keyboard Shortcuts First Aid\n\nLearn how to create a drop down list inside an Excel cell\n\nA drop down list enables you to choose a value from a list, instead of typing it.\nHere is an example of a drop down list that was created in cell B3. Clicking the small arrow next to the cell, will open the list:\n\nAn example of an Excel spreadsheet with a cell containing a drop down list\n\nCreating a drop down list in Excel 2007:\n\n1. Write the list somewhere inside the worksheet. It is recommended to have it sorted alphabetically in ascending order, for this is the order in which they will appear in the drop down list.\n\nWrite the list, and sort it in ascending order\n\n2. Name the list, by selecting its range and writing its name in the name box. In this example we named it \"cities\":\n\nNaming the list\n\n3. Select the cell in which you want the drop down list to appear. In this example we selected cell B2:\n\nSelecting the cell for the list to appear in\n\n4. Choose the \"Data\" tab from the ribbon.\n\nChoosing the Data tab on the ribbon\n\n5. Click the \"Data Validation\" button.\nIt will look like one of the two following examples, depends on your screen resolution:\n\nThe data validation button image 1\n\n\nThe data validation button image 2\n\n6. A dialog box will appear. Click the words \"Any value\" and choose \"List\".\n\nThe data validation dialog box\n\n7. Click inside the \"Source\" text field, and write =the name you gave to the list (in our example: =cities).\n\nWriting the name of the list in the dialog box\n\n8. Click the OK button.\n\nDone! Now you have a drop down list inside your selected cell.\n\nCell B2 contains a ready to use drop down list.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7480953931808472}
{"content": "Enjoy ‧ Meaningful Life\n\nLead DesignerPi-Lan Hsu\nPrize(s)1st Place in Interior Design / Residential\nEntry Description\n\nThis case made for the design of reception center in a large. On the design concept, there is a continuation of the building work itself, stressed on the British classical style to create a European life. The creative designer used bright colors as the base, with different textures and materials like mirrors, satin, stone and metal, etc. in space creation, in order to create a rich, varied texture and a meaningful field. Along the porch, you can see the public areas composed by the dining room, kitchen and living room, consisting of designed wallpaper with elegant texture, fine lines of the strip, the distinctive style oil paintings. Since it is the continuation of the building, there are designs with the classical elements, like crystal chandeliers, leather sofas and a variety of art collections. These made the social space, where main activities held, a very contextual, thick and solid rhyme effects.\n\n\nZao Yang Interior Design", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9973405003547668}
{"content": "As one of the creators of both Tribe Retreats and Solare Yoga & Detox Retreats, I am proud to present our various three and five night wellness retreats throughout Italy including yoga, adventure, travel, nutrition and holistic wellness- with promises to detoxify the body, calm the mind, and enliven the soul. \n\nTribe Retreats: The word Tribe is for community, where we create friendships and bonds that hold us up and help us heal. At Tribe Retreats, individuals come together to take a step back from the daily grind to rejuvenate the body and feed the soul. Our retreaters explore the beauty and culture of different regions of Italy, deepen their yoga practices, gain mental focus through meditation and mindfulness activities, and expand their knowledge of nutrition while participate in the preparation of plant-based meals with yours truly! Tribe Retreats was created to offer life-changing and transformative experiences that provide not only joy but give our retreaters tools that will aid them on their paths towards achieving and enjoying optimum health, wellness, and happiness.        \n\nSolare Yoga & Detox Retreats: The Italian word ‘solare’ is used to describe one who is joyful, full of life and light. Solare Detox and Yoga Retreat is designed to support you in taking a pause periodic pause from normal activity to reboot, reset, renew, and regain your light.  Our vision is to create a sanctuary to take pause from your everyday life to return to what is essential. By detoxing the on a physical, mental and energetic level you will  release the excess that is blocking the free flow of life force energy. You will reconnect to a feeling of lightness in the body, clarity of mind, and the natural state of joy and gratitude.   With Solare retreats,  you will walk away with valuable tools that will allow your inner radiance to shine.      \n\n\n\n5 day all-inclusive Detox, Yoga and Wellness retreat in Puglia, Italy\n\nAn exclusive and revitalizing five nights in one of the most breathtaking regions of Italy. The Salento peninsula in Puglia is known for its natural beauty, sun-kissed coastline, simplicity, splendor and culture.  Architectural Digest named Salento “Italy’s Under-the-Radar Treasure.” Recharge in a private natural reserve immersed in the restorative countryside of Southern Italy while overlooking the crystal waters of the Adriatic sea. \n\nThe five day retreat is guaranteed to not only detoxify the body, calm the mind and enliven the spirit- but will be filled with extraordinary moments where memories of a lifetime will be made in one of the most stunning settings in Italy. \n\n\n\n\"Somewhere in Umbria...\"\n\nTribe Retreats goes to Eremito \"Hotelito del Alma.\" a 4 day/3 night \"digital detox retreat, all inclusive wellness, plant based nutrition and meals, yoga and excursions. Created for the solo traveler, Eremito is a mystical place located within the Umbrian valleys. The hotel is an ancient monastary transformed into a luxury eco-resort for our May 2018 retreat. Join us for three blissful nights and four days of pure holistic wellness for spiritual and physical regeneration. Eremito is “the ideal place for those who realize that peace and quiet are essential ingredients to find inner peace. It’s a mystical place, fruit of a long journey of self discovery. \n\nTribe retreats has joined Eremito to create a one of a kind experience of \"digital\" detachment from the hustle and bustle of daily lives.  A combination of nature, peace and silence encourages wellness while \"The Tribe\" provides daily yoga, mindfulness, plant based meals and  cooking workshops.\n\n\nSOLARE yoga & Detox Retreat in eremito\n\nFall Detox & Yoga Retreat at Eremito. September 20th-23rd, 2018\n\nWe all possess that unique special light within. When it is allowed to shine freely, we feel alive- tuned-in, turned-on, and connected to self and others.  We are in flow with the world around us.\n\nThe Italian word ‘solare’ is used to describe one who is joyful, full of life and light. But sometimes this light is dimmed: the connection to our innermost Self is cut off by the the incessant rhythm of modern life...the constant doing, attachment to technology, busyness, and stress create veils that block our inner source of light and life-force energy. The result? Burn-out. Exhaustion of body and mind. \n\nThe remedy? Take a periodic pause from normal activity to reboot, reset, and renew. Slow down, bathe in silence and stillness, attend to the body and soul, sleep deeply. Nourish yourself with plant-based foods to detox and lighten the body. Turn off the phone, computer, television. Disconnect from the digital dependence and constant distraction. Spend time in nature and recalibrate the nervous system and biological rhythms. Get back in your body with yoga, breathing, and mindful movement. Solare Detox and Yoga Retreat is a three night retreat designed to support you in this process.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9702057242393494}
{"content": "USDOT proposed budget set at $74 billion\n\nWritten by admin\n\nU.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today praised President Obama's $74 billion budget for the U.S. Department of Transportation saying the funds will lay a new foundation for economic growth and competitiveness by investing in a national infrastructure network, building on recent safety achievements and modernizing transportation systems through research and innovation.\n\n“President Obama’s budget for the Department of Transportation reflects our commitment to investing in an America that is built to last,” said Secretary LaHood. “A strong American economy depends on the roadways, runways and railways that move people and goods from coast to coast and around the globe. President Obama’s plan will enable us to build the American infrastructure we need for tomorrow while putting people back to work today.”\n\nThe centerpiece of the President’s FY 2013 budget for the DOT is a six-year $476 billion surface transportation reauthorization proposal that will improve America’s highways and transit networks, continue to ensure that these systems are safe and give travelers new options by enhancing and expanding passenger rail service. This proposed budget would be paid for using half the six-year savings achieved from ramping down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, with the other half used to pay down the national debt.\n\nThe Administration’s budgeted $2.5 billion for the first year of a six-year, $47-billion rail investment plan. This will help the Federal Railroad Administration continue to work with states as they plan and develop high-speed and intercity passenger rail corridors across the country. The Administration also hopes it will place high-speed rail on equal footing with other transportation programs, revitalize domestic rail manufacturing and ensure that the nation can reach President Obama’s goal of providing 80 percent of Americans access to high-speed rail within 25 years.\n\nCategories: Ballast, Ties, Rail, Bridge/Retaining Walls/Tunnels, C&S, Class 1, Commuter/Regional, Intercity, Intermodal, OFF Track Maintenance, ON Track Maintenance, Rapid Transit/Light Rail, Safety/Training, Shortline/Regional, Track Machinery, Yards & Terminals", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9358630776405334}
{"content": "Medical questions & health advice by board certified doctors\n\n\"I have chronic acid reflux. Is there a permanent cure for this problem?\"\n\nZocdocAnswersI have chronic acid reflux. Is there a permanent cure for this problem?\n\n\nI am 31, 5'8\" weighing 185 pounds. Not sure whether reducing my weight particularly around the stomach would help.\n\n\nAcid reflux, or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common illness encountered in the primary care setting. The classic symptom of heartburn occurs as a result of the reflux of excess acid produced in the stomach up into the lower portion of the esophagus. When this occurs, irritation of the mucosal lining of the esophagus can occur, resulting in inflammation and pain. Fortunately, there are a variety of behavioral and medical interventions that are effective in treating this condition. Avoiding types of foods that provoke acid production can help, such as citrus fruits, tomato sauce, alcohol, soda and other acidic foods. As most people experience their worst symptoms in the morning (after laying flat all night), raising the head of the bed with a wedge or using an extra pillow can also be helpful. Avoiding late night meals and snacks can also help with morning symptoms. Weight loss has also been shown to be effective in curtailing symptoms. Medications known as proton pump inhibitors are very effective in reducing the production of stomach acid. These can be purchased either over-the-counter or with a prescription from your physician. These are some of the most commonly prescribed medications in this country. You should also talk to your primary care doctor about this right away. If the usual conservative measures are not working to relieve your symptoms, then a referral to a specialist (i.e. gastroenterologist) can be made.\n\nNeed more info?\n\nSee a doctor today\n\n\nFind doctors by city\nFind doctors by specialty\nFind doctors by popular insurances", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8730575442314148}
{"content": "System Concepts for Solar Space Heating of Industrial Buildings\n\nIn most solar space heating systems applied in factory buildings, standard system concepts have been used — collectors heat a storage tank that feeds into an underfloor heating system (see Figure\n\n\nПодпись: Heat Store Boiler Подпись: I §\nimage179 image180\n\nAnother option would be to use the thermal mass of the concrete floor of the building, which has a large storage capacity, to replace the storage tank entirely (see Figure 4). This is possible because most industrial buildings have a relatively thick concrete floor and the required room temperatures are typically lower than in residential buildings.\n\nFigure 3. System concept with storage tank. Figure 4. Hydraulic layout without storage tank,\n\nthe concrete slab is used to store solar heat.\n\nAn additional step to simplify the system would be to abandon the heat exchanger and to fill the entire system with antifreeze fluid. The disadvantage of this concept is that a large quantity of anti­freeze fluid is needed depending on the size of the building. The anti-freeze fluid is expensive and has to be replaced from time to time. On the other hand, the cost of the heat exchanger can be saved and there is no loss in temperature from the collector to the space-heating loop due to the heat exchanger.\n\nIf the concrete floor is used to store heat, it should be charged whenever there is heat available from the collectors even if the room temperature is already reached. This way, the storage capacity of the floor can be best used. Of course, both room temperature and floor temperature should not pass certain specified limits. The European standard EN 1264 states maximum floor surface temperatures of 29°C in the central part of the floor surface and 35°C in the peripheral zone. These temperatures are determined by physiological considerations.\n\n2. Dimensioning\n\nThe dimensioning guidelines presented are based on simulations [1] of the reference buildings with different heating system concepts and system sizes (collector areas 100 — 400 m2). Weather data for Graz, Austria and a standard flat plate collector [po=0.8, c1=3.5 W/(m2K), c2=0.015 W/(m2 K)] were used. To avoid detailed simulation calculations in the pre-planning phase, generally applicable dimensioning nomograms were developed to allow a rapid and reliable estimate of the collector area and the solar storage tank volume for space heating applications in factory buildings.\n\nApart from the key data for the solar thermal system, the solar fraction to be expected for the project in question and the specific solar yield can be read off the nomogram. The solar fraction is defined as\n\nПодпись: (1)Подпись: (2)Solar Fraction = 1 —\n\n\nwhere Qaux Energy delivered by the auxiliary heating system, kWh/a\n\nQconv Energy needed for space heating without the solar thermal system, kWh/a\n\nTo simplify the use of nomograms, the \"utilization ratio\" is defined as an important auxiliary characteristic number. This is a measure for the dimensioning of solar thermal systems and describes the ratio of annual consumption to the collector area.\n\nAnnual heat requirement kWh\n\nUtilization ratio = [ ]\n\ntotal heat requirement a • m^\n\nGross collector area\n\nIt should be remembered that the following nomograms are only suitable for the design of solar thermal systems in factory buildings similar to the calculated reference cases and for similar boundary conditions. All cases were calculated based on the assumption that the set room temperature of 16°C has to me met at all times. If for example at night or at the weekend lower room temperatures can be tolerated, higher solar fractions are possible.\n\nДобавить комментарий\n\nВаш e-mail не будет опубликован. Обязательные поля помечены *", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8796747922897339}
{"content": "Pink Fire Pointer Alternative Therapies to Pain Killers\n\nAlternative Therapies to Pain Killers\n\nFor many people, the first warning of the pain of all kinds, such as headaches or migraines, muscle pain, cramps, joint pain, premenstrual symptoms and want immediate relief should reach the people, for a bottle paracetamol or pop an aspirin or ibuprofen, without thinking much.\n\nOne can opt for surgery or just pop an analgesic for short-term relief of acute or chronic pain, but also prevents the body's organs on a long term basis.\n\nMedicine demonstrates the power of alternative therapies. They are more effective in the long term as well as medicines and are, without any negative side effects.\n\nHerbal Therapy\nMany herbalists recommend the benefits of herbs and natural compounds in the case of pain or headaches, tension or nerve pain, to pacify natural counterparts, as found in nature to help this discomfort.\n\nTypes of effectiveness of herbal analgesics include essential oils, such as jasmine, mint, juniper, rose, rosemary, which are known for their general analgesics, lavender especially for people suffering from rheumatism and common color cheap and also works as an anti-bacterial and antifungal agents.\n\nGinger is a powerful antioxidant herbal, which is ideal for healing skin irritations and pain associated with this condition. Other types of herbal analgesics include neem, eucalyptus, aloe vera gel, yellow dock, saffron, burdock, passionflower, kava, wood betony, wild lettuce, etc.\n\nSimple means such as chiropractic treatments best home exercises and subacute pain. Chiropractor in Vancouver on the site and the exact cause, and if the self-regulatory body to adjust and heal. The care of the spine and nervous system maintenance is an essential part of the natural approach to health and wellness.\n\nTherapeutic massage\nMassage therapy is not only better for the body, but it's relaxing. While you relax on the table, played with soothing music and a pleasant scent, you slip into a wonderful world that is to calm the mind and body.\n\nWithout the use of medications that you can get rid of back and neck pain, muscle pain or stiffness. Sometimes, the hub of the problem instead of just treating the symptoms.\n\nOsteopathy is the only treatment for back pain, which strives to musculoskeletal pain, sports injuries, etc. It has a positive effect on the body's nervous, circulatory and lymphatic systems treated. This therapy has brought a holistic approach to health care, and not just treating the problem, but use manual techniques to balance the body's systems to improve the overall health and well-being.\n\nCold therapy\nCold therapy as analgesic gel suggested by friction on a cold body to the surface of the wound. When applied immediately after an injury, it contributes to the construction of the injured tissue, and also helps to reduce the swelling of tissues. When the application took place long after the injury, freezing ice acts as an analgesic, an analgesic agent. Cold therapy or ice therapy is an effective way to get relief from joint pain.\n\nCome analgesic effect can not come increasingly providing flow natural painkillers, but by improving the ability of these chemicals in a brain cell and exert their analgesic effect.\n\nThe conclusion of all this is that the pain of any kind can largely by the habits of daily exercise to ensure benefits for your body and mind, and alternative therapies are clearly better avoid long term.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6530858278274536}
{"content": "Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri\n\n\nThe Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Missouri Departments of Transportation\n\nThe Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio Transportation Departments formed a coalition to investigate the feasibility of adding dedicated truck lanes to I-70 through their 165-mile-long, four-state corridor.\n\nAs a subconsultant, Lochmueller Group (Lochgroup) provided specialized planning and environmental services to support the traffic and revenue forecasts, economic impact analysis, and environmental screening of the alternatives. Lochgroup’s responsibilities included:\n\nLochgroup’s analyses synthesized data from many sources including multiple statewide and MPO travel models, the National Household Travel Survey, GIS databases, and numerous analyses and reports in order to develop the best possible assumptions for the I-70 corridor.\n\nShare: Facebooktwittergoogle_pluslinkedinmailFacebooktwittergoogle_pluslinkedinmail", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9952486753463745}
{"content": "Mutemelodist. –\n\n21 Jan\n\nComparative Literature: Retrospect and Prospect_B.K.Das\n\n         Comparative Literature: Retrospect and Prospect - B.K.Das\n\nWhat are source and target languages?\n\nA translator while undertaking the task of translation deals with two languages – the Source Language (SL) and the Target Language (TL). The translator renders the Source Language text into the Target Language text.\n\n\nDiscuss the various definitions of Comparative Literature\n\nThe simple way to define Comparative Literature is to say that it is a comparison between two literatures and does not have an independent status. It analyses the similarities and dissimilarities and parallels between two literatures. It further studies themes, modes, conventions and the use of folk tales and myths in two or more different literatures.\n\n“Comparative Literature is the study of literature beyond the confines of one particular country, and the study of the relationships between literature on one hand and other areas of knowledge and belief, such as the arts, philosophy, history, the social sciences, the sciences, religion, etc. on the other. In brief it is the comparison of one literature with another or others, and the comparison of literature with other spheres of human expression.” Henry RemakComparative Literature: Method and Perspective (1961).\n\n            “Comparative literature juxtaposes literary texts from different languages and cultures. It connects, say, a poem with dance, a film with the novel, photography with the essay.” Sandra Bermann\n\n“First, Comparative Literature means the knowledge of more than one national language and literature, and/or it means the knowledge and application of other disciplines in and for the study of literature and second, Comparative Literature has an ideology of inclusion of the Other, say, a marginal literature.” Steven Tötösy de Zepetnek, Comparative Literature: Theory, Method, Application (1998).\n\n\n\nDiscuss the different senses in which Wellek and Warren used the term Comparative Literature.\n\nWellek and Warren have used the term comparative literature in three different senses.\n\nThe first sense is the interaction between oral literature and written literature of a particular culture or country. This interaction can be studied profitably by comparison. To Wellek and Warren, the term comparative literature may mean “the study of oral literature, especially of folk tale themes and their migration: of how and when they have entered ‘higher’, ‘artistic’ ‘literature’. Oral literature is an integral part of culture and literary scholarship and thus, should be read along with written literature.\n\nThe second sense is the study of relationships between two or more literatures. However, it is not always easy to distinguish one literature from another. The general notion is that a literature is usually known by the language in which it is written. In the post-colonial period we find that several literatures are written in the same language. For example, English literature, American literature, Canadian literature, Caribbean literature, Australian literature and Indian English literature are all written in English language.\n\nThe third sense is by identifying comparative literature with world literature. The concept of World literature comes from Goethe’s Weltliteratur, which means all literature should be studied and taken as one. The conception of World literature is utopian in nature. Some comparatists have advocated that all the literary masterpieces should be taken as one and read in comparison.\n\nHow does Wellek and Warren theorize literary influence?\n\nPage 37 first paragraph.\n\nHow does literary influence work in the Indian context?\n\nBritish Romantic Poetry has been hailed in India for its revolutionary, liberating character and sentimental appeal. Madhusudan Pati points out that Wordsworth rather than Byron became the major source of inspiration. Certain aspects of Romantic poetry were particularly stimulating and gratifying to the Indian poets. In the Indian context we can make a two-fold approach to Comparative Literature: one, the influence of European writers on our writers and vice versa, and second, the influence of Indian writers of one region on the other Indian writers of another region. In the first category we may include Eliot’s influence on our poets and Indian influences on Eliot, Whitman and so on. In the second category we may include Premchand’s, Bankim Chandra’s, Tagore’s influence on Fakir Mohan Senapati and so on.\n\nWhat are the recent trends in Comparative Literature?\n\nIn the 20th century there is a rise in interest in the study of comparative literature all over the world – particularly in the countries where multilingual situation prevails. In Canada there is a remarkable growth of Comparative Literature which involves the two main literatures of the country – English and French. The Canadian Comparative Literature Association founded the journal called the Canadian Review of Comparative Literature that contributes richly to the growth of Comparative Literature. In Australia, leading comparatists like David Myers and a few others of Queensland University have done commendable job in the field of Comparative Literature. In India, leading comparatists like K.M. George, Amiya Dev, Sisir Kumar Das, K. Chellappan, R.S. Pathak, Chandra Mohan and a few others have done excellent work in the field of Comparative Literature.\n\n\n\nProvide your Feedback/Suggestion/Requests for notes to\n\n\n\nComments: (0)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9696817398071289}
{"content": "Hundreds of drivers were collared by the long arm of the law during a day of police action.\n\nOn June 5 Essex Police stationed themselves in Waltham Abbey.\n\nOver the course of the day they arrested two drivers on suspicion of drug driving and took the details of one disqualified driver.\n\nA total of 178 people were called out for not wearing a seatbelt, with a further 39 on their phones.\n\nTake our anonymous poll below.\n\nFour drivers were found without insurance, three without a proper licence and four had no MOT on their vehicles.\n\nBy the end of the day, four vehicles had been seized.\n\nOfficers also watched the roads in Tilbury, Stansted, Southend and Colchester.\n\nIn the five areas 570 people were caught without seatbelts and nearly 100 on their phones.\n\nAn elderly man also had his licence revoked after failing an eye test.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.850051760673523}
{"content": "Privacy and data policy\n\nWebsite administered by Copenhagen Capacity\n\nWhen you register contact information and submit an application and a CV in our database, it will be recorded and stored on our system system as long as we have a real, substantive purpose with this. Personal information is kept for the sake of being able to show a talent pool of highly qualified foreign candidates to companies in Greater Copenhagen that are searching for specific types of candidates and skills.\n\nThis information will not be shared with third parties except as necessary to carry out our business or if we are required to do so by law or due to a court order, or if it is transmitted in the event of any attacks on Copenhagen Capacity’s Internet infrastructure.\n\n\n\n\nTo this end may at times deposit certain pieces of information called 'cookies' on a visitor's computer. These 'cookies' allow a more detailed level of tracking to fine tune our usage reports. However should you have disabled or blocked 'cookies' on your machine then you continue to have exactly the same access to the website content as with 'cookies' enabled, it will only result in slightly less accurate usage figures for our own internal reports.\n\nDisclosure of personal data to third parties\n\nAny data that has been recorded during your visit to’s website may be shared with the Greater Copenhagen collaboration's official partners. Partners involved in specific campaigns will be allowed to use data collected through the campaign.\n\nContacting Copenhagen Capacity\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5524284839630127}
{"content": "Read my musings on human nature, astrology, and more...\n\nWaiting for the knife to drop\n\nWaiting for the knife to drop\n\nToday is a new moon AND a total solar eclipse in the sign of Virgo. New moons are fresh starts, when Sol and Luna kiss in the sky a seed is planted that expresses the themes of that sign. Virgo, one of the most consistently misunderstood signs of the zodiac, presides over the harvest after the fullness of summer. Hard work, sorting, analyzing, serving, cultivating health, daily ritual, and mentoring are all activities belonging to the season of Virgo.\n\nSymbolized by the Virgin (originally meaning one who is whole unto herself) and ruled by the quick-moving and mental planet Mercury, Virgo seeks to create a purified, healthy vessel for the blossoming of the mind and spirit. Opposite to watery Pisces, the last sign along the zodiac wheel, Virgo involves the intelligence required to make it through the world of matter. Virgo seeks to perfect, to express spirit through each detail of living, to make the sacred alive through the mundane.\n\nVirgo desires to share herself so fully, so completely, and to be a totally willing vessel for the mystical; these characteristics are gravely misunderstood in an era that champions exploitation of the earth and denigration of the female body.\n\nVirgo can give and give and give without depleting so long she is taken with grace and gratitude. When she feels depleted and misunderstood, she closes and criticizes, contorting into the narrowed stereotypes that we’ve come to key-word Virgo with, nit-picky and tight-assed!\n\nWith so much action in Virgo (Sol, Luna, Luna’s nodes, Jupiter, and retrograde Mercury), we are urged to lovingly and humbly work toward self-mastery - may each action and word be in service to divinity here on Earth. \n\nHumility and quiet dedication are not easy modes to access in a sky like this as Mars and Saturn, the two extreme planets, very hot and very dry respectively, are currently paired up in the seeking sign of Sagittarius. Saturn with Mars demands that our sexual energies be disciplined and that our actions be based on sound, sober judgment. Righteousness and bold anger is the shadow side of this pairing.\n\nMars and Saturn must answer to Jupiter, meaning that our actions and social structures should be founded on faith and wisdom, but Jupiter must answer to Mercury. Jupiter is the guru and Mercury is the eternal student - what happens when Jupiter becomes student to Mercury? \n\n\nA highly respected teacher of yours, who you tend to place upon a grand pedestal, visits your home after a long, arduous journey, a journey that starkly contrasts with your teacher’s regular adventures and spiritual questing. Of course, you welcome your teacher to your home, eager to be host this inspiring presence and happy to be the comfortable, knowledgeable one for a change.\n\nYour teacher is very tired and humbled, a state rather unfamiliar to you. Overwhelmed with the new teachings and difficult experiences accumulated, your teacher is grateful to receive your keen insights and welcoming presence so they can sift, organize, and integrate the new teachings.\n\nAt night when your beloved teacher rests, you tiptoe into the basement of your home to process the stories of their journey into service.\n\n  • What do you find?\n  • What can you teach your teacher? \n\nWhatever it might be, make sure it is practical (Virgo), founded on real, lived experience (Saturn in Sagittarius), compassionate (Neptune in Pisces), and prompting of action (Mars in Sagittarius). Gather the information and discern what is most compelling, what is most urgent.\n\nA sky like this leaves an imprint that lasts at least 6 months so do not fall into an endless spiral of criticism which is easy enough with the strong Virgo signature. Be honest with what could be better and be ruthless in mastering yourself and your work but stay soft and yielding to the world around you too. The Virgin is the earthly alchemist, sorting wheat from the chaff, and cultivating a temple worthy of the Divine current.\n\n***blog art by Henry Asencio***\n\nNew Moon in Libra: Working For Our Miracle\n\nNew Moon in Libra: Working For Our Miracle\n\nExtreme Female Brains, the Issue of Nature vs. Nurture, and the Emergence of Capitalism\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8109341263771057}
{"content": "Differential effects of doping.\n\nby Andreas Baumann\n\nRecently, Danish cyclist Michael Rasmussen admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) for more than ten years (nb: link in Danish).\n\nNaturally, this led to public debate about the use of PEDs. However, I think one point needs to be adressed: the fact that the use of PEDs have different effects for elite sportsmen and ordinary people. Since one of the arguments against the use of PEDs within elite sports are the negative consequences for ordinary people, I believe that one should ponder this point.\n\nPerformance-enhancing drugs, when used by elite sportsmen, have very few to zero negative effects. Think about it: when did you last hear about a cyclist who died from the negative health effects of, say, EPO? There was a “massacre period” from the late 80s, culminating in the Affaire Festina (1998), but for the last 10-15 years we haven’t really seen any negative effects of the doping practices. On the other hand, we see the positive effects of the use of PEDs in every sporting competition: no man, driven alone by his spirits and desire to conquer, could race the Tour in a style similar to that of the great cyclists. Their cycling gives us pleasure, it allows us to marvel at the great performances. Those are the positive effects (externalities) of professional use of PEDs.\n\nHowever, there are large negative effects of PED use outside professional sports: adverse health effects, due to the lack of qualified doctors treating complications relating to use of PEDs. In a system of socialised medicine (as most industrialised countries employ) this is an externality, since the people paying for the eventual treatment cost will not be the ones who have benefitted from the use of doping. Another negative externality from non-professional use of PEDs is the altered behaviour of users, particularly evident in users of anabolic steroids, who are prone to bouts of aggression and violence (CNS Drugs 2005).\n\nSumming up, doping in professional sports mostly has positive externalities, while doping outside the realm of professional sports has negative externalities. Clearly, the logical conclusion should be that while the use of PEDs should be legalised (or at least decriminalised) within professional sports, it should still be illegal outside this field. But how do we reconcile this with our respect for the universality of law?\nMany things, which are illegal outside of sports, are legal within this realm: boxing, to take one example. Maybe we ought to recognize that some of the regulations of drugs is subject to the same discretion.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9498858451843262}
{"content": "Egypt dominated the history and culture of North Africa and the Middle East for millennia. By the eighth century B.C., however, Egyptian strength had waned, opening up possibilities for new powers. One such rising power was in the region the Egyptians called Nubia, in what is today the Sudan. Kush, sometimes known as Cush, was an important center of trade in the region. Its location, resources and social structure contributed to the kingdom's success in trade.\n\nLocation, Location, Location\n\nKush’s location was ideal for trade. The Nile River provided a route to Egypt and the rich ports of the Mediterranean Sea. In the east, Kush had access to the Red Sea, opening up trade to the Arabian peninsula, the southern east coast of Africa and ports even farther away. With mountains to the south and desert to the west, these water routes proved invaluable for Kush’s trade.\n\nElephants and Iron\n\nAmong the resources that Kush traded were elephants, rare outside of the region, and iron, which the Kushites likely learned to work from the Assyrians, according to Steve Sofferan and Sarah Wood Purdue University. Less directly influential but still important to trade was the stable government of the kingdom. Sofferan and Wood describe the state as “slightly less autocratic” than that of Egypt, and more decentralized. The stability of the Kushite government allowed the state to weather incursions by Rome in the north and to survive a move of the capital from Napata to Meroe.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9590098857879639}
{"content": "If person keeps a fast on 10th Of Muharram and due to some inconvienience and difficulties while fasting he ignores Sawm of 11th Muharram. What is the Sharee’ah ruling. Jazak Allah.\n\n\nRespected Brother-in-Islam\n\nAssalaamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullaahi Wa Barakaatuhu\n\nThe purpose of fasting a day before or after the 10th Muharram is to avoid\nimitating the Jews who fast only on the 10th of Muharram. If one is unable\nto keep the second fast due to circumstances, he will be excused.\n\nand Allah Ta’ala Knows Best\n\nMufti Ebrahim Desai", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5978280305862427}
{"content": "RAWALPINDI - Police bashing is an old fashion as the people blame it even for the wrong doings of others but ignore that there are many black sheep in City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR) and Islamabad Electricity Supply Company (IESCO) too.\nDuring the recent campaign to unveil the electricity and gas thieves as directed by PML-N-led federal government, the CDGR officials in connivance with IESCO's corrupt officials have hanged so many innocent citizens with the hook, including small shopkeepers and traders by lodging FIRs on account of electricity or gas theft in almost all the police stations thus overlooking the big fishes involved in heinous crime of electricity and gas theft.\nMoreover, the representatives of WAPDA Hyrdo Electric Workers Union (CBA) jumped into arena and staging protests against the honest and competent police officers to save the skinks of the most corrupt and incompetent XENs, SDOs, line mans, assistant line mans and meter readers, who implicate the innocent citizens in fake cases but sparing those who fill their pockets with money. This was done to mold the inquiry of the cases.\nIt also happened on Monday, when tens of hundreds of WAPDA workers union, led by their union leader Javed Baloch, agitated against two police officers for calling their six ASLs and meter readers in police stations for questioning as to why they implicated innocent citizens in theft cases.\nThe protestors chanted slogans against police and demanded immediate suspension of the two police officers- Station House Officer (SHO) Police Station (PS) Saddar Bairooni Jahangir Bhatti and SHO PS Naseerabad Chaudhry Jamil-for harassing the WAPDA officials. Sensing the sensitivity of the matter, Magistrate Kamran Khan, SP Headquarters Muhammad Masud Raza and ASP Haroon rushed to the scene, negotiated with the protestors and managed to disperse them. During the entire episode, the commuters and pedestrians faced hardships.\nBoth the SHOs, while talking to The Nation, rebuffed the allegations of harassment of officials, saying they called them just for probing.\nThey said that WAPDA officials wrongly implicating the innocent citizens in electricity theft cases while not exposing the high and might electricity and gas thieves.\nChaudhry Jamil, SHO Naseerabad, told the task force got registered a case against one Nadeem, the owner of Falcon Bakery at Misrial Road, of stealing electricity but police found him non-guilty after through investigation. \"I ask the applicant line man of WAPDA to come police station and take part in investigation. Neither I lock him up nor I torture him\", SHO added.\nSame said by SHO Jahangir Bhatti that police found no evidences of electricity theft against Bahadur son of Allah Dad, a pump owner at Adyala Road, Muhammad Ishaq, owner of a plastic factory at Adyala. WAPDA line mans accused both of them of stealing electricity by slowing down their meters. \"When the laboratory tests of WAPDA meters were conducted, it proved that they are not tempered and he invited IESCO officials in police station to ask as to why they lodging wrong FIR against the innocent citizens\" Jahangir said.\nHe said that they not only refused to come to police station but also staged a protest demonstration at main artery of the city just to pressurize SHO to wind up the case for lodging wrong FIR against the citizens.\nSimilarly, Nadeem, a resident of Liaquat Colony facing charges of converting domestic meter to commercial meter, proved innocent in police investigation, SHO added.        \nCommissioner Rawalpindi Division, District Coordination Officer (DCO) and Javed Baloch, the WAPDA union representative, did not attend their phones calls when contacted by this scribe to know their versions about the issue.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8459557890892029}
{"content": "Visitors   Views   Downloads\n\nA survey on sleep assessment methods\n\nView article\nSubjective methods present a sensitivity between 73% and 97.7%, with specificity 50%–96%. Objective methods such as actigraphy present a sensibility higher than 90%. However, their specificity is low being one of the limitations. https://t.co/lRCKXWTuaO https://t.co/hFRfJbVt8p\nA survey on sleep assessment methods https://t.co/bdo9EJ6wEV https://t.co/h6s2zkqF6d\n\n\nSleep is fundamental to health. Sleep disorders can often be a symptom of a disease; or also may be an indicator of a future disease such as depression. For those reasons, sleep assessment is an essential component of any health check. As such, many health care systems stablish mechanisms to prevent sleep disorders by providing specific plans in relation to education and awareness of good sleep habits.\n\nOver the years, many different sleep assessment methods have appeared. Specially in the last years, new methods have emerged with the appearance of new technologies such as mobile apps and novel advanced hardware sensors such as galvanic skin response measurers. In this survey, we review the current methods for the detection of sleep. From simple methods that only distinguish between awake or asleep states to complex methods able to distinguish all the sleep stages; from subjective methods such as sleep questionnaires and sleep diaries to objective methods such as polysomnography.\n\nThe main motivation of this survey is to produce a comprehensive and unbiased literature review from which we can extract a complete classification of sleep assessment methods (including new technologies such as mobile apps). There have in the past been different reviews of sleep assessment methods, but most of them are outdated (see, e.g., Lomeli et al., 2008; Kelly, Strecker & Bianchi, 2012; Winter, 2014), or they are partial, or only focus on a specific subset of methods (e.g., sleep questionnaires: Silva et al., 2011; Firat et al., 2012; El-Sayed, 2012; Pataka et al., 2014; Singh & Mims, 2015; Chai-Coetzer et al., 2015, mobile apps: Lee & Finkelstein, 2015; Ong & Gillespie, 2016, or contact sleep detection methods: Kolla, Mansukhani & Mansukhani, 2016; Maslakovic, 2017; Green, 2017, etc.).\n\nThe survey was written to appeal to a range of people, who would have a broad spectrum of interests. It covers all sleep detection methods and, for each method, it also provides a table with the most used market products. Hence, because the survey tackles different technical areas, all technical terms have been conveniently introduced and explained. In all cases, explanations are supported and complemented with adequate references. Of course, not all sleep detection methods have the same precision; in fact, some of them are completely subjective. Therefore, the comparison of methods deserves a critical view on validation. Thus, we also report on the reliability and validity of the methods analyzing previous comparisons and validation studies.\n\nSurvey methodology\n\nThe literature review begins with a planning phase. This phase formulates research questions and defines inclusion and exclusion criteria. This phase is followed by search and screening of primary studies.\n\nResearch questions\n\nWe formulated two research questions to identify the current state of the art in sleep assessment methods:\n\n  • What methods for sleep assessment have been developed?\n\n    This research question aims to provide an overview of the sleep assessment methods, with special emphasis on those that have been developed over the last 10 years.\n\n  • What are the main characteristics of each sleep assessment method?\n\n    This question complements the previous one, giving a deeper understanding of the sleep assessment methods.\n\nSearch process\n\nThe purpose of a literature review is to conduct a review of relevant studies to assess the body of knowledge that exists to support addressing the research questions. This process is rigorous and unbiased, and it involves a wide coverage of sources, such as online databases, journals, and conferences. The search string created to retrieve information from the electronic resources and databases is the following:\n\n(assessment OR evaluation OR detection)\nAND (method OR tool OR environment OR system)\nAND (sleep)\n\nThis search string was designed after an analysis of the keywords from the relevant literature, which was found from several general searches in the resources outlined above.\n\nWith the search terms defined, we started the process of identifying relevant literature in the following electronic databases: PubMed, LILACS, TOXNET, SCOPUS, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. Initially, we sought potential primary studies in the databases. In PubMed Health, the search string produced 1,784 results. Therefore, we had to filter the results by refining the search string for that database:\n\n“sleep detection”[Title/Abstract] OR “sleep assessment”[Title/Abstract]\n\nAs a result of the search process, 318 studies were identified. Excluding unavailable and duplicated results, we obtained 212 studies.\n\nInclusion and exclusion criteria\n\nTo address the research questions, the following inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined:\n\n  • IC1: Those papers that discussed sleep assessment methods were included.\n\n  • IC2: Those papers that described the characteristics of a sleep assessment method were included.\n\n  • EC1: Those papers that did not describe a sleep assessment method were excluded.\n\nStudies selection\n\nInitially, we performed screening on the titles and abstracts to decide whether to include or exclude each study. As a result, from the six sources that we searched, a total of 114 studies were selected and 98 were excluded. We read in detail the full text of each primary study included in the preliminary selection to decide whether to include or exclude the study. The primary studies included in the final selection correspond to the relevant papers that meet the research questions set out in this study. The QUOROM flow chart of the reviewing process is depicted in Fig. 1.\n\nQUOROM flow chart of the reviewing process.\nFigure 1: QUOROM flow chart of the reviewing process.\nSolid arrows represent the QUOROM flow. Dashed arrows represent the decomposition of a box into several sub-boxes.\n\nData extraction\n\nWith the final set of primary studies decided upon, the data extraction activity was carried out on included papers. For each paper, we identified the kind of article (review, opinion, study, tool description …) and the sleep assessment methods it described. We grouped the data by sleep assessment methods and identified a total of five categories where all sleep assessment methods can be classified (see ‘Classification of Sleep Detection Methods’). For each method, a single document was produced, grouping the data coming from all papers related to the tool. This produced summaries and charts that helped us to study and classify the methods.\n\nStructure of the survey\n\nThe rest of the paper has been structured as follows: in ‘Classification of Sleep Detection Methods’, a classification of sleep detection methods is proposed. Then, in ‘Medical Assistance Methods’, those methods that need medical assistance are explained. Similarly, those methods that do not necessarily need medical assistance (self-assessment methods) are explained in ‘Self-Assessment Methods’. In ‘A Critical Discussion About Accuracy and Validation’, we discuss the accuracy and validity of the methods presented. We also discuss the usefulness of some of the methods, and we comment on future developments. Finally, in ‘Conclusions’ we provide a concluding summary.\n\nClassification of Sleep Detection Methods\n\nEssentially, a sleep detection method is a function that classifies the sleep state of a patient. Most sleep detection methods such as wrist actigraphy or mobile apps consider a binary function, where the state can be classified as Awake/Sleep. More sophisticated methods consider a ternary function: Awake/NREM/REM. And, finally, the most advanced methods, such as polysomnography—often used as the gold standard—consider a quinquenary function: Awake/N1/N2/N3/REM. Hence, any method can produce a two-dimensional chart where the X-axis is Time, and the Y-axis is the State of the Patient. In the particular case of polysomnography, the Y-axis has five possible values; thus, it can determine the sleep stage of the patient at any time, and study the transitions occurring between the states. Of course, a sleep study such as a polysomnography often produces much more complementary information that can be used, e.g., to diagnose sleep diseases. Among the information reported by a polysomnography we find oxygen saturations, limb movements, apneas, respiratory events by body position, etc. The interested reader is referred to Robertson, Marshall & Carno (2014), Pandi-Perumal, Spence & BaHammam (2014) and Armon et al. (2016) for information about sleep study reports and their interpretation and usage.\n\nThe information that is common to the majority of sleep detection methods is the one that refers to a binary state classification (i.e., Awake/Sleep), because this is achieved by the basic methods, and subsumed by the advanced methods. Table 1 defines the basic parameters that can be collected by a binary state classification method. In grey, we show the primary data that should be collected by the sleep detection device and, in white, we show the most important parameters that can be derived from the primary data.\n\nTable 1:\nDefinition of basic sleep detection parameters.\nThis table summarizes the main parameters of a sleep study. The top of the table (light blue) lists the fundamental parameters. Those parameters that can be derived from the primitive variables are listed in the dark blue rows. Each of them includes its associated formula.\nSleep measure Definition Formula\nFundamental parameters\nInitial In Bed Time (IIB) Time when patient goes to bed initially\nFinal Out Bed Time (FOB) Time when patient leaves the bed definitely\nTime Out of Bed (TOB) Total time out of bed between IIB and FOB\nLights Out Time (LT) Time of lights out\nLights On Time (LN) Time of lights on\nSleep Onset (SO) Time when first sleep starts\nFinal Sleep (FS) Time when last sleep finishes\nSleep Latency (SL) Time taken to fall sleep (at any time)\nSleep Period (SP) Time spent sleeping between two awakenings/SO\nAwake Period (AWP) Time spent awake between two sleep periods (awakening=wake period >10 s)\nArouse Period (ARP) Time spent awake between two sleep periods (arousal=wake period <10 s)\nDerived parameters\nIn Bed Time (IBT) Total time in bed IBT = FOB-IIB-TOB\nTotal Recording Time (TRT) Time between lights out and lights on TRT = LN-LT\nInitial Sleep Latency (ISL) Time taken to fall sleep the first time ISL = SO-LT\nTotal Sleep Time (TST) Amount of time the patient sleeps during TRT TST = i = 1 i = N # s l e e p p e r i o d s S P i\nSleep Interval (SI) Time between the first sleep and the last sleep SI = FS-SO\nWake After Sleep Onset (WASO) Wake time between IIB and FOB WASO = SI-TST\nTotal Wake Time (TWT) All wake time throughout TRT TWT = ISL +WASO\nMean Sleep Latency (MSL) Arithmetic average of sleep latencies MSL = i = 1 i = N # s l e e p l a t e n c i e s S L i N\nSleep Efficiency (SE) Percentage of sleep of the total time in bed SE = (TST/TRT) ×100\nMean Awakening Length (MAL) Arithmetic average of awake periods MAL = i = 1 i = N # a w a k e p e r i o d s A W P i N\nAwakening Index (AWI) Number of awakenings per unit of time AWI = #AWP/TST\nArousal Index (ARI) Number of arousals per unit of time ARI = #ARP/TST\nDOI: 10.7717/peerj.4849/table-1\n\nThese parameters are particularly useful to determine the kind of sleep of patients, and each single parameter is relevant for a different sleep disorder or disease. For instance, the sleep onset, sleep latency, and total sleep time are essential to diagnose patients with insomnia. Similarly, an excess in the awakening and arousal indices suggests increased sleep fragmentation. In addition to the number of sleep states that they are able to detect, a sleep detection method can be classified according to other functional and operational characteristics, such as their underlying technology, which in turn directly affects their precision and validity.\n\nIn Fig. 2, we present a taxonomy of sleep detection methods. They all can be classified into two main groups according to whether they need medical assistance (Medical Assistance) or not (Self-Assessment). In this respect, there are methods that have been classified as not requiring medical assistance, such as Questionnaires and Sleep Diaries, even though their interpretation should be normally done by a professional. However, in the current state of the art there are many systems such as mobile apps that provide custom sleep questionnaires and produce reports without medical assistance. Hence, they are classified as Self-Assessment. They both deserve a deep discussion and will be explained separately in ‘Medical Assistance Methods’ and ‘Self-Assessment Methods’, respectively.\n\nTaxonomy of sleep detection methods.\n\nFigure 2: Taxonomy of sleep detection methods.\n\nGrey boxes represent categories. White boxes represent sleep assessment methods or technology used to assess sleep.\n\nSelf-Assessment methods include subjective methods such as questionnaires and sleep diaries (the figure lists some instances), and objective methods based on hardware sensors, which in turn can be classified as Contact devices or Contactless devices, depending on whether they need to be in contact with the patient’s body during sleep. Those devices that are based on the echo produced by signals can be further classified into Sonar, Radar, and Lidar devices. All of them will be explained in a dedicated section.\n\nMedical Assistance Methods\n\nThere are different studies that can be performed in a sleep laboratory. All of them have one significant advantage and one significant disadvantage that differentiate them from the home detection methods. The obvious advantage is that these methods can use advanced technology such as electroencephalograms, electrocardiograms, etc. that cannot be used at home. The advantage of these methods is that they can be extremely precise, and can be discrete (e.g., are able to distinguish between sleep phases). For this reason, these methods have been often used as the gold standard for sleep evaluation (see, e.g., Silva et al., 2011; Firat et al., 2012; El-Sayed, 2012; Luo et al., 2014; Chai-Coetzer et al., 2015; Silva et al., 2016). Of course, the use of this exclusive technology comes with a cost: these methods are expensive, time-consuming, require professional assistance and, often, they can only be done for a reduced period of time (e.g., one or two days). But, additionally, there is another important functional disadvantage: the assessment made by these methods is done in a context that is not the usual sleep context of the patient (i.e., a sleep clinic or a hospital) and, thus, a normal sleep situation is not measured.\n\nPolysomnogram (PSG)\n\nThe term polysomnogram comes from the Greek root poly (many), the Latin noun somnus (sleep), and the Greek verb noun gramma (drawing or diagram). A PSG (Robertson, Marshall & Carno, 2014; Pandi-Perumal, Spence & BaHammam, 2014; Armon et al., 2016) is a medical procedure composed of several concurrent but independent tests that monitor different body functions during sleep and that are recorded for their later study using different channels. An exhaustive list of tests and information gathered in a modern PSG follows:\n\n  • Electroencephalogram (EEG)—measures and records the brainwave activity to identify sleep stages and detect seizure activity.\n\n  • Electrooculogram (EOG)—records eye movements. These movements are important for identifying the different sleep stages, especially the REM stage.\n\n  • Electromyogram (EMG)—records muscle activity (e.g., teeth grinding and face twitches; but also, limb movements using surface EMG monitoring of limb muscles, periodic or other). Chin EMG is necessary to differentiate REM from wakefulness, limb EMG can identify periodic limb movements during sleep (PLMS).\n\n  • Electrocardiogram (EKG)—records the heart rate and rhythm.\n\n  • Pulse oximetry—monitors the oxygen saturation (SO2).\n\n  • Respiratory monitor—measures the respiratory effort (thoracic and abdominal). It can be of several types, including impedance, inductance, strain gauges, etc.\n\n  • Capnography—measures and graphically displays the inhaled and exhaled CO2 concentrations at the airway opening.\n\n  • Transcutaneous monitors—measure the diffusion of O2 and CO2 through the skin.\n\n  • Microphone—continuously records the snoring volume and kind.\n\n  • Video camera—continuously records video. It is useful to identify the body motion and position.\n\n  • Thermometer—records the core body temperature and its changes.\n\n  • Light intensity tolerance test—determines the influence of light intensity on sleep.\n\n  • Nocturnal penile tumescence test—is used to identify physiological erectile dysfunctions.\n\n  • Esophageal tests—includes pressure manometry, to measure pleural pressure; esophageal manometry to assess peristalsis, and esophageal pH monitoring (acidity test).\n\n  • Nasal and oral airflow sensor—records the airflow and the breathing rate.\n\n  • Gastroesophageal monitor—is used to detect Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).\n\n  • Blood pressure monitor—measures the blood pressure and its changes.\n\nDepending on the particular sleep study that needs to be performed, only some specific tests from the above list are generally selected—and they are also parameterized for each specific case. For instance, the EEG is usually comprised of 10–16 electrodes, but in patients with epilepsy, often 20 electrodes are used. Similarly, to assess bruxism, the EMG electrodes can be placed over the masseter muscle, but to assess other sleep disorders, the EMG electrodes are placed in other muscle groups. For example, the intercostal EMG is used to measure the effort during respiration.\n\nNowadays, the PSG is the most advanced tool for the diagnosis of many sleep disorders. According to Pandi-Perumal, Spence & BaHammam (2014) and Armon et al. (2016), the main disorders that a PSG can evaluate are those in Fig. 3 (they are classified following the International Classification of Sleep Disorders (Sateia, 2014)), being especially frequent: (i) sleep apnea or another sleep-related breathing disorder, (ii) periodic limb movement disorder, (iii) narcolepsy, (iv) REM sleep behavior disorder, (v) unusual behaviors during sleep, and (vi) unexplained chronic insomnia.\n\nClassification of the main disorders evaluated with a polysomnography.\n\nFigure 3: Classification of the main disorders evaluated with a polysomnography.\n\nThe main disorders evaluated with a polysomnogram are structured with a three-levels taxonomy that follows the International Classification of Sleep Disorders.\n\nMultiple sleep latency test (MSLT)\n\nThis sleep study (Carskadon, 1986; Sullivan & Kushida, 2008) is a test to identify excessive daytime sleepiness (i.e., feeling sleepy in a situation where one should be awake and alert, e.g., driving a truck) and determines how long it takes the patient to fall asleep. It also identifies the phases of the sleep (e.g., how quickly and how often the patient enters REM sleep). MSLT is the standard test to diagnose idiopathic hypersomnia and narcolepsy, and it measures how quickly a patient falls asleep during the day in a quiet environment. An MSLT often starts the morning following a PSG and it lasts one complete day. The patient tries to sleep in five scheduled naps separated by two-hour breaks. For this reason, this test is often called a “nap study”.\n\nEach nap trial takes place in a quiet bedroom. The patient is connected with sensors to a device that can detect sleep stages. The standard procedure often includes an EEG, EOG, EMG, and EKG (Carskadon, 1986). The equipment is composed of different electrodes and monitors:\n\n  • Wires with small cup electrodes attached to the scalp with a conductive paste to measure brain activity (EEG). This detects in what stage of sleep is the patient.\n\n  • Wire electrodes that are taped to the face near the eyes (EOG) and chin to show muscle activity (EMG).\n\n  • Two elastic belts around the chest and stomach to measure breathing effort.\n\n  • A nasal cannula and small heat monitor to measure all breathing activity.\n\n\n  • A monitor taped to a finger to detect oxygen levels.\n\n  • Two to three lead EKG monitors to show heart rate and rhythm.\n\n  • A small microphone applied to the throat to detect snoring.\n\nHence, the MSLT can identify exactly when the patient falls asleep, and whether or not they entered REM sleep. If the patient falls asleep, they are awakened after 15 min. The nap trial also ends if the patient does not fall asleep within 20 min. Patients with narcolepsy often have two or more REM periods during the MSLT. People with idiopathic hypersomnia fall asleep easily but do not reach REM sleep during the nap trial.\n\nMaintenance of wakefulness test (MWT)\n\nThis test (Banks et al., 2004; Meira et al., 2017) is performed over a whole day. Contrary to a PSG, this test is made while the patient is awake. Essentially, it challenges patients to attempt to stay awake during periodic tests. Therefore, an MWT may be helpful in the management of sleepy patients, particularly for driving purposes. It measures how alert a patient is during the day and it determines whether a patient is able to stay awake for a period of time in a quiet and relaxing environment. During the test, there are four to five periods of around 40 min each, spaced apart by 2 h, where the patient is asked to stay relaxed in a quiet, faintly-lit bedroom. The first trial often begins 1.5 to 3 h after the patient’s normal wake-up time. The patient eats breakfast one hour prior to the first relaxing period and they have lunch after the second period. Between the periods, the patient can read the newspaper, watch TV, have a meal, or move freely inside the building, but they cannot go outside because daylight is a factor that must be eliminated during the test.\n\nDuring the relaxing periods, patients are connected to a set of leads that monitor (i) heart activity with two to three ECG leads, (ii) brain activity with 4 EEG leads, (iii) chin muscle activity with three leads, and (iv) left and right eye movements. If the patient falls asleep for 90 s at any time during the relaxing period, the test is terminated. All data collected are analyzed by a sleep specialist to determine the patient’s level of sleepiness during the day.\n\nCPAP titration test (CTT)\n\nA CTT (Lopez-Campos et al., 2007) is a type of sleep study that is used to calibrate continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and bi-level positive airway pressure (BIPAP) therapies. CPAP/BIPAP are the common treatments in some sleep-related respiratory disorders (see Fig. 3) such as central sleep apnea (BIPAP) and obstructive sleep apnea (CPAP), which eliminate breathing pauses during sleep. Before starting these treatments, a CTT is needed.\n\nThe objective of a CTT is to determine the amount of air pressure needed to prevent the upper airway from becoming blocked. This is studied during the sleep of the patient with a nasal mask that periodically changes the air pressure, and different sensors that monitor the sleep in a similar way to a PSG (i.e., they record oxygen levels, breathing, heart rate, brain waves, and leg and arm movements).\n\nHome sleep test (HST)\n\nThe HST (Cruz, Littner & Zeidler, 2014; Kapoor & Greenough, 2015) is a kind of limited PSG that is made at home (i.e., portable equipment is transported to the patient’s home). The number of channels used is often reduced to three: airflow, respiratory effort, and oximetry. It provides an indication only for high suspicion of obstructive sleep apnea—not other sleep disorders—and it has the obvious advantage that the context in which the sleep is evaluated is the normal one. The main disadvantages are that it cannot determine sleep stage, hypopneas, or arousals; and no one is present to replace leads.\n\nSelf-Assessment Methods\n\nSleep questionnaires\n\nThe preliminary evaluation of sleep in primary care is often completed with a sleep questionnaire (also known as a sleep scale). Sleep questionnaires are a very inexpensive and rapid test, and for these reasons, they are ideal for the first diagnostic test. Moreover, they summarize in a quantitative way the (subjective) perception of the patient about his or her own quality of sleep. Precisely because they are mostly subjective, sleep questionnaires can be influenced by the same sources of bias and inaccuracy as any other such reports. However, their subjectivity does not necessarily render questionnaires inaccurate, as it has been demonstrated by several validation studies (see Silva et al., 2011; El-Sayed, 2012; Firat et al., 2012; Luo et al., 2014; Pataka et al., 2014; Chai-Coetzer et al., 2015).\n\nIn general, filling in a sleep questionnaire does not require the assistance of sanitary professionals. They can be self-administered at any moment, even at home. For instance, the Google play’s Sleep Apnea Screener is a mobile app that automatically provides a report after completing a questionnaire. Therefore, sleep questionnaires can be used by people (e.g., with sleep apnea) as a sleep control that can alert them about the need for a proper diagnosis provided by specialists.\n\nTable 2 shows (in chronological order of appearance) the most extended sleep questionnaires used along the last 30 years. For a long time, we have been collecting all of them (some of them are not available online), and we have created a public repository where they all can be downloaded: http://users.dsic.upv.es/ jsilva/Sleep/.\n\nTable 2:\nQuestionnaires for the detection of sleep disorders.\nEach row represents a sleep questionnaire, and includes its acronym, its structure (number of items and scale used), and a reference to the article where it was proposed.\nSleep questionnaire Structure Period Objectivity\nMSQ Mini Sleep Questionnaire (Zoomer et al., 1985) 10 items (7 point scale) Recently 0\nPSQI Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (Buysse et al., 1989) 9 items (4 point scale) 1 month 0\nESS Epworth Sleepiness Scale (Johns, 1991) 8 items (4 point scale) Recently 0\nISI Insomnia Severity Index (Morin, 1993) 7 items (5 point scale) Recently 0\nSDQ Sleep Disorders Questionnaire (Douglass et al., 1994) 175 items (5 point scale) Recently 1\nSACS Sleep apnea clinical score (Flemons et al., 1994) 4 items (100 point scale) Recently 4\nFOSQ Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire (Weaver et al., 1997) 30 items (4–5 point scale) Recently 0\nSAQLI Calgary Sleep Apnea Quality of Life Index (Flemons & Reimer, 1998) 35 items (7 point scale) 1 month 0\nOSQ Oviedo Sleep Questionnaire (Bobes et al., 1998) 15 items (4–7 point scale) 1 month 0\nBQ Berlin Questionnaire (Netzer et al., 1999) 10 items (2–5 point scale) Recently 2\nASQ Athens Sleep Questionnaire (Soldatos, Dikeos & Paparrigopoulos, 2000) 8 items (4 point scale) 1 month 0\nSEMSA Self-efficacy in Sleep Apnea (Weaver et al., 2003) 26 items (4 point scale) Recently/Future 0\nSQ STOP Questionnaire (Chung et al., 2008) 4 items (2 point scale) Recently 2\nSBQ STOP-BANG Questionnaire (Pallesen et al., 2008) 8 items (2 point scale) Recently 3\nBIS Bergen Insomnia Scale (Chasens, Ratcliffe & Weaver, 2009) 6 items (8 point scale) 1 month 0\nFOSQ-10 Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire—10 (Takegami et al., 2009) 10 items (4 point scale) Recently 0\nSFV Simple Four Variables (Chai-Coetzer et al., 2011) 4 items (2–6 point scale) Recently 3\nOSA50 Obesity, Snoring, Apneas, aged over 50 (Chai-Coetzer et al., 2011) 4 items (3–4 point scale) Recently 4\nDOI: 10.7717/peerj.4849/table-2\n\nFor each questionnaire, the table shows:\n\n  • Its structure: number of questions/items and the scale used for the answers.\n\n  • The period of time that the questionnaire evaluates: if it is unspecific or unspecified it uses “Recently”, if one or more questions refer to future or hypothetical situations it uses “Future” (e.g., “If I use CPAP I will feel better”, “I would use CPAP, even if I had to pay for some of the cost”, etc.).\n\n  • The percentage of objective questions in the questionnaire: a question that is (partially) subjective or that depends on memory is considered subjective. Only questions that are totally objective are considered objective (e.g., “have you taken drugs to sleep?”, “how much do you weight?”, etc.). The level of objectivity is indicated with a 1–4 scale, where 0 means close to 0%, 1 means close to 25%, 2 means close to 50%, 3 means close to 75%, and 5 means close to 100%.\n\nIt is important to note that, although the goal of some questionnaires (e.g., PSQI) is to evaluate sleep quality (such as PSG, and actigraphy), others assess concepts distinct from sleep quality. For example, FOSQ measures the concept of sleepiness, which may or may not be related to sleep quality. Treating objective and subjective measures related to some aspect of sleep as evaluating sleep quality would ignore the fundamental concept on which they were developed and the principle that you select a measure based on the concept you are measuring for alignment and accuracy. Therefore, some questionnaires are fundamentally incomparable, and the selection of one questionnaire should be based on the purpose of each specific questionnaire. Table 3 summarizes the objective of each questionnaire.\n\nTable 3:\nPurposes of sleep questionnaires.\nEach row represents a sleep questionnaire, and it indicates what does this questionnaire intend to measure.\nSleep questionnaire Acronym Measures\nMini Sleep Questionnaire MSQ Insomnia and hypersomnia\nPittsburgh Sleep Quality Index PSQI Sleep quality and patterns of sleep in adults\nEpworth Sleepiness Scale ESS Level of daytime sleepiness. Average sleep propensity in daily life\nInsomnia Severity Index ISI Nature, severity, and impact of insomnia. Treatment response in adults\nSleep Disorders Questionnaire SDQ Sleep disturbance and usual sleep habits during the past month only\nSleep apnea clinical score SACS Sleep apnea\nFunctional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire FOSQ Impact of excessive sleepiness on daily life\nCalgary Sleep Apnea Quality of Life Index SAQLI Quality of life associated with sleep apnea\nOviedo Sleep Questionnaire OSQ Insomnia and hypersomnia in the last month\nBerlin Questionnaire BQ Sleep apnea\nAthens Sleep Questionnaire ASQ Sleep quality\nSelf-Efficacy Measure for Sleep Apnea SEMSA Sleep apnea\nSTOP Questionnaire SQ Sleep apnea\nSTOP-BANG Questionnaire SBQ Sleep apnea\nBergen Insomnia Scale BIS Sleep quality\nFunctional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire—10 FOSQ-10 Impact of excessive sleepiness on daily life\nSimple Four Variables SFV Sleep apnea\nObesity, Snoring, Apneas, aged over 50 OSA50 Sleep apnea\nDOI: 10.7717/peerj.4849/table-3\n\nHaving such an availability of different questionnaires (as shown in Table 2, their number of questions and scales vary a lot), the natural question is: “Which sleep questionnaire should I use?” Of course, those questionnaires with less questions are easier to administer, but those questionnaires with more questions collect more information. However, the question remains for those questionnaires with the same number of questions (e.g., SACS, SQ, SFV, OSA50). This question has motivated several studies to compare their sensitivity (true positive rate) and specificity (true negative rate). Some important studies comparing sleep questionnaires for the identification of sleep apnea are summarized in Table 4. The interested reader is referred to Ibáñez, Silva & Cauli (2018) for a survey on sleep questionnaires.\n\nTable 4:\nStudies that compare sleep assessment questionnaires.\nEach row represents a study that compares 3–5 sleep questionnaires. For each study, the table shows the size of the sample used (amount of people that participated in the study) and which questionnaire produced the best sensitivity and specificity. The reference to each study is also included.\nQuestionnaires evaluated Sample Best sensitivity Best specificity Reference\nESS vs. SQ vs. SBQ vs. SFV 4,770 SBQ (87.0%) SFV (93.2%) Silva et al. (2011)\nESS vs. BQ vs. SQ vs. SBQ 234 SBQ (97.55%) ESS (75.0%) El-Sayed (2012)\nBQ vs. SQ vs. SBQ vs. OSA50 90 SBQ (87%) SBQ (76.0%) Firat et al. (2012)\nESS vs. BQ vs. SQ vs. SBQ 212 SBQ (94.9%) SFV (50.0%) Luo et al. (2014)\nESS vs. BQ vs. SQ vs. SBQ vs. SFV 1,853 SBQ (97.6%) SFV (74.4%) Pataka et al. (2014)\nSQ vs. SBQ vs. OSA50 543 OSA50+oximetry (73.0%) OSA50+oximetry (96.0%) Chai-Coetzer et al. (2015)\nDOI: 10.7717/peerj.4849/table-4\n\nSleep diaries\n\nSleep diaries allow patients to self-assess their sleep. Sleep diaries have one important advantage over sleep questionnaires. While sleep questionnaires are filled in once, sleep diaries are filled in over a period of time (usually one or two weeks). This means that sleep diaries contain more information, and also that the information contained is more precise. This happens because a sleep questionnaire provides an overall perception, often ignoring the details, and it is highly dependent on the patient’s memory because they summarize information about the previous one or two weeks. Contrarily, the sleep diary collects data every day, so that good and bad days are recorded. Moreover, the sleep diary is not so dependent on memory, because they are often filled in just after waking up. We have been collecting sleep diaries from hospitals, sleep centres and different studies. In our repository, there are more than 25 sleep diaries. The most representative are shown in Table 5. We have made them publicly available at: http://users.dsic.upv.es/ jsilva/Sleep/.\n\nThe Pittsburgh Sleep Diary (Monk et al., 1994) is the oldest sleep diary in our records (although there is evidence that sleep diaries were in clinical use for decades before its 1994 publication (Weitzman et al., 1982)). After it was proposed, many other diaries have been defined by researchers, hospitals, and sleep centres. In March 2005, 25 researchers attending the Pittsburgh Assessment Conference developed an initiative to compare a collection of sleep diaries in order to extract the best from each diary studied and integrate all together, producing an improved sleep diary. As a result, they proposed the “Consensus Sleep Diary” (Carney et al., 2012) (see Table 5). The diaries included in Table 5 are classified according to the information required from the user. In particular, they include different questions about their sleep such as time used to fall asleep, the amount and kind of food in the dinner, or use of drugs, etc. Specific information about the structure and information gathered by sleep diaries can be found at Ibáñez, Silva & Cauli (2018).\n\nTable 5:\nSleep diaries for the detection of sleep problems.\nEach row represents a sleep diary, and it indicates the number of questions included in the diary and the scale used to complete the answers.\nSleep diary Number of questions Scale\nPittsburgh Sleep Diary (PSD) 23 6 point scale\nConsensus Sleep Diary (CSD) 20 5 point scale\nNational Sleep Foundation (NSF) 15 3 point scale\nGet Self Help Sleep Diary (GSH) 14 11 point scale\nNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) 12 3–4 point scale\nNPS MedicineWise Sleep Diary (NPS) 11 3 point scale\nLoughborough Sleep Research Center (LSRC) 8 5 point scale\nDOI: 10.7717/peerj.4849/table-5\n\nThere is also the existence of sleep diaries that are distributed as mobile apps. The most used and better valued sleep diaries according to Google Play are Sleep Diary Pro (423 reviews with a mark of 4.2/5), Healthy Sleep Diary (223 reviews with a mark of 3.9/5), and Sleep Diary Lite (2,263 reviews with a mark of 3.8/5). Tonetti, Mingozzi & Natale (2016) compared the use of paper and electronic sleep diaries and concluded that they are similar with respect to their diagnostic power.\n\nHardware devices\n\nContactless hardware devices to detect the sleep\n\nContactless methods to assess sleep use one or more of the following technologies: Microphone (in Nakano et al. (2014) there is an informative discussion about how to quantify snoring and sleep apnea severity), video camera, (infrared) thermometer, pressure strap or belt, pillow or mattress accelerometer, echo-based devices (Lee, Hong & Ryu, 2015) such as sonar, radar, or also lidar (still under development).\n\nThere exist periodic expert’s reviews (see, e.g., Langley, 2017; Green, 2017; ASA, 2017) that rank the most valued contactless devices according to the market (e.g., Amazon reviews). However, currently the most used device to assess the sleep is the smartphone. Because a smartphone contains a microphone, a camera, and an accelerometer, it can use these hardware features to monitor sleep. This has promoted the appearance of many mobile apps to assess sleep. The main contactless sleep detection apps according to the number of reviews in Google Play are shown in Table 6. Even though several experts’ reviews (see, e.g., Hacktosleep, 2016; Maslakovic, 2017) report high performance and reliability of these apps, there are still few scientific validation studies that support this claim. In contrast, several studies report that mobile apps are not yet prepared for clinical use (Kolla, Mansukhani & Mansukhani, 2016; Ong & Gillespie, 2016; Patel, Kim & Brooks, 2017; Lorenz & Williams, 2017). For instance, a recent study (Patel, Kim & Brooks, 2017) performed with 25 children (ages: 2–14) and where a smartphone recorded data simultaneously with a PSG suggested that smartphone apps may have value in increasing the user’s awareness of sleep issues but would not yet be accurate enough to be used as a clinical tool.\n\nTable 6:\nContactless sleep detection apps (prices and reviews are taken from Google Play).\nEach row shows a sleep app. Rows are sorted in descending order according to the average review mark.\nApp name Developer Price Average review Number of reviews\nSleep as Android Unlock Urbandroid Team 3.99$ 4.5 out of 5 23,686\nSleep Cycle Alarm Clock Northcube AB 0$ 4.4 out of 5 47,965\nSleep as Android Urbandroid Team 0$ 4.3 out of 5 244,840\nSleep Better Runtastic 0$ 4.1 out of 5 108,825\nSleep Time Azumio Inc. 0$ 4.1 out of 5 30,418\nSmart Sleep Manager 株式会社 C2 0$ 4.1 out of 5 18,805\nGood Night’s Sleep Alarm Ateam Inc. 0$ 4.1 out of 5 10,022\nSleepBot SleepBot 0$ 4.0 out of 5 51,111\nSmart Alarm Clock Nelurra Holdings LTD 0$ 3.9 out of 5 27,442\nSleep Analyzer A1 Brains Infotech 0$ 3.1 out of 5 2,461\nDOI: 10.7717/peerj.4849/table-6\n\nContact hardware devices to detect the sleep\n\nContact hardware devices to assess sleep are small devices that can be attached to the wrist, chest, ankle, or head. Some of these devices use the Cartesian representation to record the activity of the body and thus they are known as actigraphs. Most actigraphs use an accelerometer to register movements. The information collected is used to analyse sleep. Even though contemporary actigraph devices are electronic, the first actigraphs were mechanical (contrary to common belief). In fact, the first actigraphs date from the 1950s (Tryon, Bellak & Hersen, 1991).\n\nDue to the usefulness of the information collected by actigraphs, the use of actigraphy has been included in the ICSD-3 diagnostic criteria for several circadian sleep-wake rhythm disorders. Even though there is a clear continual improvement in the precision of sensors, and in the accuracy of algorithms, the use of actigraphs for clinical diagnosis should be considered when the device and algorithm used have been validated. In particular, the algorithm used to interpret the data is of major importance, because many proprietary algorithms do not pass enough quality controls, and some of them are even worse than the human inspection of the actigraphy data (see, e.g., Boyne et al., 2013).\n\nThe performance and reliability of hardware devices have been compared by experts’ reviews (see, e.g., Maslakovic, 2017) and also by validation studies (Evenson, Goto & Furberg, 2015; Kolla, Mansukhani & Mansukhani, 2016). However, it is important to note that fitness trackers and phone apps tend to underestimate sleep disruptions and overestimate total sleep times and sleep efficiency in normal subjects (Kolla, Mansukhani & Mansukhani, 2016).\n\nA Critical Discussion About Accuracy and Validation\n\nEach sleep detection method has its own level of reliability and precision. If we place the presented methods in order of accuracy, as reported in the literature (Boyne et al., 2013; Evenson, Goto & Furberg, 2015; Ibáñez, Silva & Cauli, 2018), we have:\n\nQuestionnaire < Sleep diary < Contactless devices < Contact devices < PSG\n\nIt is important to note that this formulation does not pretend to sort the methods according to their usefulness. It would be erroneous to state that self-reporting is inferior (or less useful) to more objective measures. This would fail to appreciate that data based on patient perception may be valuable in understanding sleep problems.\n\nBeing both mostly subjective, there is an important difference in the way that sleep diaries and questionnaires are completed. Questionnaires are filled in once, usually before the interview with the sleep therapist, thus, not just after waking up. Consequently, (1) the patient’s memory strongly influences the quality of the information provided (he or she has to remember his or her sleep for a week or a month); and (ii) the information provided is a summary of many sleeps, thus, losing details about special days. In contrast, sleep diaries (1) are filled in every day, and (2) they are completed just after waking up. Hence, they are potentially more accurate and less influenced by the memory of the patient. Therefore, the amount of information and accuracy of sleep diaries is objectively superior to that of questionnaires. Here again, the superiority in precision of sleep diaries does not substitute the global assessment of sleep questionnaires, and the latter may be the relevant data therefore making the questionnaire more pertinent.\n\nThe accuracy of sleep questionnaires has been widely studied (see, e.g., Silva et al., 2011; Firat et al., 2012; El-Sayed, 2012; Pataka et al., 2014; Luo et al., 2014; Chai-Coetzer et al., 2015; Silva et al., 2016, and see Table 4 where studies that evaluated sleep questionnaires are compared). All these studies used the PSG as a gold standard and tried to evaluate the sensitivity/specificity of the questionnaires in identifying sleep apnea. The sensitivity reported was in the interval 73.0%–97.6%, while the specificity reported was in the interval 50%–96% (see Table 4). Most of the studies reported the STOP-BANG questionnaire as the one producing the best sensitivity. These studies are definitely useful, and provide good indicators, but our selection of a specific questionnaire must consider the specific illness and population targeted. Precisely because they target different populations the results of these studies are not always directly comparable. For instance, the study in Silva et al. (2011) was performed on highway bus drivers in Turkey and the study in Chai-Coetzer et al. (2015) only considered men, etc.\n\nThe effectiveness of sleep diaries has been evaluated in Jungquist et al. (2015) and Tonetti, Mingozzi & Natale (2016). These studies also compare paper diaries and electronic diaries using an actigraph as the gold standard. Both studies found that, statistically, paper and electronic diaries collect the same data; thus, their accuracy and reliability is similar.\n\nThe main difference between contact and contactless devices is their underlying technology. In general, contact devices are more accurate because most of the sensors used to monitor sleep are strongly dependent on their distance from the patient (the closer the better). A good example are the accelerometers, which are sensors used in both contact devices such as wrist watches, and contactless devices such as mattress or pillow clips. It is fairly evident that it is much more reliable to directly measure the movements of the body than approximating them by measuring the movements of the mattress or pillow. The same happens with sonars, for example. A phone’s microphone and speaker using ultrasounds as a sonar have an effective range of about 1 metre and its reliable distance is 0.5 m. Of course, the results are more precise as the patient is closer. Unfortunately, the movements of the sonar can negatively affect its measurements and results, hence it is preferable putting it on a bedside table, lying still, instead of putting it on the mattress. As a consequence, the sonar is often at least 0.5 m away from the patient. This problem also happens with similar radio frequency technology used to monitor the body movements and breathing.\n\nOne of the main factors that influence the accuracy of sleep detection devices is the quality of their sensors. An informative discussion and comparison of sensors’ accuracy appears in Lee & Finkelstein (2015). Another important factor is the software that process the data collected by the sensor. Currently, there are more than 100,000 health apps in the Apple and Google Play app stores (Research 2 Guidance, 2016). Many of these apps focus on sleep, and a large proportion of them implement proprietary sleep detection algorithms. As a consequence, the same device (e.g., a mobile phone with an accelerometer) can produce different results depending on the underlying software that process the data collected.\n\nIt is therefore very important to highlight that most of the publicly available sleep apps have not been clinically validated. Most of them are implemented and maintained by independent (non-clinical) programmers and, thus, their clinical use is not recommended. Of course, there have been many studies devoted to validating hardware devices and reporting on their accuracy and precision. Some studies devoted to validating actigraphs are Sivertsen et al. (2006), Paquet, Kawinska & Carrier (2007), Sitnick, Goodlin-Jones & Anders (2008), Montgomery-Downs, Insana & Bond (2012), Marino et al. (2013), Meltzer et al. (2014), De Zambotti, Baker & Colrain (2015), Bhat et al. (2015), Toon et al. (2016) and Meltzer et al. (2016). They all study the correlation between one commercial actigraph and a PSG (the patient wore the actigraph during the PSG). The sensitivity reported is in the interval 86%–98%, and the specificity is in the interval 20%–54%, because commercial actigraphs prioritize sensitivity over specificity. The interested reader is referred to Evenson, Goto & Furberg (2015) and Kolla, Mansukhani & Mansukhani (2016) where systematic reviews of validation studies for sleep detection hardware devices can be found. Other works study the precision of actigraphy with specific populations (children, adults, old women, mentally disordered, etc.) (Blackwell et al., 2008; Martin & Hakim, 2011; Marino et al., 2013; Baandrup & Jennum, 2015; Min et al., 2014; De Zambotti et al., 2015; Meltzer et al., 2016).\n\nThe review of the state of the technology together with the review of the validation studies advise against using contactless devices in the clinical study of sleep. Their low precision renders them far from being a reliable method. This does not mean that they are useless. They are good sleep indicators, and a good resource for patients to monitor and be aware of their own sleep quality. But their use as a definitive diagnostic tool is to be discouraged. In the case of contact devices, their precision is acceptable for many populations. In general, they should be used as an indicator but not as a definitive diagnostic tool, because several studies report that their sensitivity can fall down to 86% and their specificity to 20%. However, these numbers are on the increase because the advances in technology are continuously improving such devices. This is also observable in the continuous increment of precision reported over time by validation studies.\n\n\nThe first conclusion of this review is that a perfect sleep assessment method does not exist. All methods have advantages and disadvantages, thus, they should be combined and adapted to the specific applicable needs. In terms of accuracy, the PSG is the best method, reporting the most complete and precise information (e.g., differentiating the sleep phases). Nevertheless, PSGs are expensive, exclusive (they require special hardware and medical support), can only be administered once, or for a few days, and they assess sleep in a stressful context (e.g., a hospital with video cameras recording and several machines registering the information provided by electrodes placed in the patient’s body).\n\nFor these reasons, sleep diaries and questionnaires are often used to complement the PSG. They provide information that is gathered over medium to long periods of time, including information about sleep habits. Because they are mostly subjective, they have been erroneously considered as unreliable. But, in contrast, several studies (see Table 4) have proven that their sensitivity is often above 90%, and between 73% and 97.7% in all the discussed studies. Specificity ranges in the interval 50%–96%. In the specific case of electronic diaries, the studies demonstrate that they produce the same results as their paper counterparts, but also that they provide functional advantages: automatic data processing, metadata such as information about when the patient filled in the diary, alerts, etc. Sleep questionnaires and diaries have been classified in Tables 2 and 5, respectively.\n\nThe literature review shows that the accuracy of hardware devices is superior to that of questionnaires. This superiority, however, must be considered only in terms of precision, but not in terms of diagnostic usefulness. The information provided by questionnaires regarding self-perception of sleep quality is essential and cannot be replaced by hardware measures. The sensitivity of hardware devices is 88–98%, while their specificity is 20–52%. The adherence of hardware devices is also superior, because they require less effort from the patient (e.g., actigraphs are mostly automatic). The accuracy and reliability of hardware devices have been continuously increased with the advances of the technology. The continuous improvement of sensors and the appearance of new technologies (good examples are the imminent use of infrared thermometers and lidars) clearly improve the sleep detection devices.\n\nWe have presented a taxonomy of sleep methods that comprises all methods presented. This taxonomy classifies hardware devices into contact and contactless devices, because their functionality, accuracy, and reliability are different. In both cases, many studies reach the similar conclusion that current sleep trackers are useful tools to assess sleep and have been used successfully in many sleep studies. In particular, the studies that have evaluated concrete actigraphs with their respective software/app conclude that actigraphy is a reasonably reliable method to detect sleep with an average sensibility higher than 90%. Nevertheless, the studies also report that the results obtained are particularly influenced by the patient that wears the actigraphy, which can produce bad results in many cases. Therefore, the use of actigraphy as a diagnostic tool should be complemented and contrasted with other methods to produce a more definitive diagnostic.\n\nFinally, sleep apps are another important tool to assess sleep, especially in smartphones, where they are becoming very common nowadays. We have shown the most significant apps with regard to their number of reviews, and to their overall mark given by users. It is important to highlight that, contrasted with hardware, software apps are often implemented by independent (non-clinical) developers, and they do not pass any quality test. Therefore, they must be validated, at least before they are applied in clinically. The few scientific validation studies that have compared smartphone apps against PSG report that they are still not accurate enough to be used as clinical tools.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9631991386413574}
{"content": "In Search of the Perfect Board\n\nby Preconceived Noceans\n\nIt is no doubt that catching and riding waves in the Great Lakes is challenging. We have been considering and researching different boards to find which shapes would be the best for the lake. The waves are generated mostly by wind, and lack the power that ground swell in the ocean can bear. The lakes also is deficient in its salt concentration, which adds much more buoyancy in the ocean. So the bigger thicker boards are generally used and more dominating in the lake, but sometimes with a hit to performance.\n\nOne shape that will always work for the lake waves is a longboard. Luke and Amelia started shaping this 9’5″ in their studio a few weeks ago. They glassed the hull today, which was really cool to see for the first time. They plan to shape more boards and experiment to find the perfect board for the lakes.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7204408645629883}
{"content": "Why does the Sun usually appear white to the human eye? How do stars that are cooler, hotter, and about the same temperature compare to the Sun?\n\n\nWhat will be the ideal response?\n\n\nANSWER: Because the Sun radiates almost half of its energy as visible light, all visible wavelengths from the midday Sun reach the cones, and the Sun usually appears nearly white. A star that is cooler than our Sun radiates most of its energy at slightly longer wavelengths; therefore, it appears redder. On the other hand, a star much hotter than our Sun radiates more energy at shorter wavelengths and thus appears bluer. A star whose temperature is about the same as the Sun’s appears white.\n\n\nVery useful! Thanks for sharing.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9498151540756226}
{"content": "God, the Foundation for Everything\n\nGod is a foundational assumption that must be in place to have an intelligible view of the universe. It’s not that unbelievers don’t think intelligently about the universe, but their most basic assumptions about it are hostile to the way they engage the world around them. Without God, morality becomes impossible to justify. As do scientific laws, and laws of logic. These have to be designed by Someone and deliberately set within our universe, or we have every reason to doubt their existence, or at least wonder if they actually mean what we have always assumed them to mean. Honest unbelief requires contemplating the possibility that  we might just be lying to ourselves about what the universe is, and what we are.\n\n\nRevelation is Bound Up with the Idea of a Transcendent God\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9512180685997009}
{"content": "December 2017 - Double Star of the Month\n\nThe two pairs selected for December are both wide, unequal double stars.\n\nWEB 2 (03 42 42.73 +59 58 09.8) appears in the first edition of Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes. In it, Webb calls the primary star P III 97 and in examining Piazzi's Palermo Catalogue you will find that Piazzi did indeed record the primary star and also the secondary. He adds a note saying another telescopic (star) follows to the north, so this is, in fact, a discovery by Piazzi.\n\nWebb was almost certainly drawn towards this star because of his abiding interest in red stars. His notes say orange with scarlet blaze and bl(ue). for the colours of the components which is a good enough reason to observe this pair.\n\nThe magnitudes are 5.7 and 8.9 and the current position of B is 33° and 54 arcseconds but there is no evidence that the stars are are in any other way connected. Espin added two fainter, closer stars in PA 33° and 98° and there is an 11.8 magnitude at 168 arcseconds along PA 162°.\n\nWEB 2 is close to STF 385, STF 389, STF 396 and STF 400, 15 degrees due north of Mirfak (alpha Per).\n\nH 3 80 (02 26 00.38 -15 20 28.0) is in Cetus in a fairly sparse area of sky about 12° south of Mira, 1.5 degrees preceding σ Ceti towards τ Ceti.\n\nHerschel came across this pair on October 13th, 1782. He measured the distance as 11.2 arcseconds and the PA at 292°. There has been little change in either coordinate since then.\n\nThe stars are magnitudes 5.9 and 9.1 and the primary is a A star although William Herschel called it reddish white, whilst the companion appeared bluish-red to him.\n\nThe primary star (AB Ceti) is both a spectroscopic binary and a member of the Alpha2 CVn class of variables. These are main-sequence stars which display strong magnetic fields and whose spectra show abnormally strong lines of Si, Sr, Cr, and rare earths. They exhibit magnetic field and brightness changes and the amplitudes of the brightness changes are usually no greater than 0.1 magnitude in V.\n\nBob Argyle - Double Star Section Director", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9920601844787598}
{"content": "Social media addiction may be hereditary: study\n\nWashington, May 4 (PTI) Hooked to Facebook or Twitter? Your genes may be to blame, as scientists have found that social media addiction is influenced more by heredity, rather than environmental factors.\n\nResearchers from Kent State University in the UK used a behaviour genetics framework and twin study data from a 2013 survey.\n\n\nThe data analysed revealed one- to two-thirds of variance in social media use is attributable to additive genetic traits, unique and shared environmental factors account for the remainder of variance.\n\nPast behaviour genetics research shows genetic influence on a wide range of communication behaviours, researchers said.\n\n\"This study does not suggest that using DF regression with twin survey data, or the behavioural genetics perspective more generally, can directly assess gene-level influence on specific behaviours. There is no social media gene,\" said Chance York from Kent State University.\n\n\"The assumption here is that known genetic variation between fraternal and identical twins can be leveraged to study how genetic variation influences patterns of observable behaviour,\" he said.\n\n\"We are still working in a black box in that we can not directly observe how genes impact our neuroanatomy, which in turn impacts cognitive processing, personality, and subsequent media selection and effects,\" York said. PTI APA MHN SAR MHN\n\nDo You Like This Story?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9906837940216064}
{"content": "Viola part from BERLIOZ, H. - The Shepherds Farewell. arr. for String Quartet by Gerald Manning\n\nH. Berlioz\n3 minutes\nClassical music\nOther parts\n\nBerlioz�s leanings towards music were an anomaly in his family. His father, a doctor and prominent citizen of La Cote-St-Andre, Isere where Hector was born on 11 December 1803, intended his son to follow his own profession, so at the age of 17 he went to Paris to pursue a medical career. He became a habitu� of the Opera, and in the face of an increasing weakening of his slight interest in medicine and parental displeasure he soon abandoned his medical studies in favour of a career in music. His modest income as a professional musician was eked out at first by singing in a theatre chorus and by giving guitar lessons. Berlioz wrote no solo music for the piano and no chamber music exists; he composed mainly for voices and instruments in many combinations and genres. The shepherds bid farewell to the Holy Family (to give it it�s full title) comes from the second part of his Sacred Trilogy L�Enfance du Christ; it was originally scored for two oboes, two clarinets, chorus and strings � here it is in an arrangement for string quartet.\n\n\nWhich method of viewing music should I use?\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\ncloud scorch goes here\n\nLicensing for this music\n\n\nSharing the file you download\nWhen you buy the score - make multiple copies\nWhen you buy parts - make multiple copies\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6159733533859253}
{"content": "The role of radiosurgery for hemangiopericytomas.\n\n\nOBJECT Hemangiopericytomas represent a small subset of meningeal tumors. Despite their relatively uncommon nature, they are aggressive tumors known for recurrence. Resection is the standard treatment in most, although regrowth and metastases are common even after resection. The authors evaluate the role of stereotactic radiosurgery in the treatment of… (More)\n\n\n  • Presentations referencing similar topics", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9306401014328003}
{"content": "Getting The Most Out Of Your Dance Class\n\nAs children, parents and carers spend lots of time and money committing to dance lessons, even when they take joy from watching rather than doing. Taking children to dancing lessons requires energy and time, not to mention additional funds for competitions, costumes and extra performances. For a child, it is not until later that they see dance lessons in the same way, as an investment. Only then do they see that time, money and energy go to waste when they do not make the most of their dance lessons.\n\nIt is understandable that every dancer experiences a rut in their training, where they may not want to attend classes or feel they are not improving at the rate they should be. Despite this, it is not the dancers that stretch the most, sweat more or practice at home at all hours that necessarily get the most out of their dance classes either. The correct mental attitude is hugely important in dance training, to understand the purpose of dance for yourself and how to experience it in the best possible way.\n\nWhen dancers become older, their adult freedom equates to a similar responsibility for themselves, be it getting themselves to classes, paying for their own training or beginning to assist with the teaching at the local dance studio. With these aspects comes heightened responsibility, for learning, fuelling and directing your dancing. It goes without saying that dancers must therefore arrive early and prepared for class, being focused and dedicated to the class, taking and applying corrections that are given to the class and spending time on the parts that need the most improvement, even if that means going back to basics.\n\nMaking mistakes is a large part of dance training; it will mean you will discover something new about the dancing body, through listening, watching, or error, even if this feels uncomfortable. Don’t forget to enjoy the process and thank your teachers for giving you the tools to better yourself and work hard in each class you take.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9148750305175781}
{"content": "Cherry Pie Bars\n\nCherry Pie Bars 003\n\nWe have hit summer, people. It’s freaking hot outside, which means over time I descend into the subway it feels like I’m actually going to hell. The plus side is that eventually it cools off and that’s the perfect time for a  dinner picnic. One of my favorite things to do is pack up our dinner and take it all to Central Park for a picnic. Even if you’re just eating your sad leftovers, it’s so much more fun when the air is cooling off and everyone is outside soaking up the long days.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8958238363265991}
{"content": "About Us\n\nHigh End Audiophile USB Cables\n\nMusical Premise\n\nLet me begin by saying that I firmly believe that there is no reason why digital audio can’t sound just as good or better than analog audio. While I certainly enjoy the smooth engaging sound of vinyl and also tape, I really appreciate the added benefits of having a library of digital files. However, I have too often experienced digital that sounds just a bit too, well, digital. You know what I mean.\n\nFor two years I have been striving to assemble the best music server, and the best DAC (within reason). But when I chose to thoroughly investigate the USB connection between those devices, I realized that the design of the USB link was paramount to achieving that analog flavor that I was after. So, I starting exploring the USB specification documents, and researching the science behind engineering a better USB cable.\n\nListening Experience\n\nDuring the development of this cable, I made comparisons to numerous other USB cables from different manufacturers and of different designs. Our USB cables are characterized by a very low noise floor, which gives the cable a very smooth and relaxed sound, while maintaining great detail and a controlled bass response. Other cables could be edgy or digital sounding, or lacking in bass, or emphasizing bass frequencies which tended to cause bloom.\n\nOur cables are highly refined, clean and open sounding with a solid bass and good micro-detailing. The music sounds involving and engaging. It is not fatiguing, which is evident when music contains difficult to render instruments like flute, harmonica or violins. An open soundstage is evident with clear imaging and plenty of air and sustain.\n\nPersonal Background\n\nFor a little background on myself; I am a software engineer, and I’m an avid electronics hobbyist. I Build my own music servers, and have built my own DAC with various tweaks. I’ve also built tube amplifiers and linear power supplies. So it’s with this electronics background and an understanding of the digital realm that I pursued my experimentations with building a better USB cable.\n\nAs computer audiophiles, we’ve all heard the adage that bits are bits, so how could a wire that carries digital make any difference. When you hear the difference between USB cables, you soon realize that the digital cable has a significant involvement with the enjoyment of the music. Being curious, I asked how USB cable architecture can make so much difference. When it’s done right, a good USB cable can improve one’s enjoyment of the music.\n\nDesign Approach\n\nDigital noise and jitter is prevalent in all digital signals to a lesser or greater extent. It's a critical issue in USB cable communication, because the USB signal travels in real-time between a Music Server and DAC. Moreover, when errors in the music data occur, there is no provision in the USB specification for the DAC to request a re-send. Therefore, the integrity of the digital music must be accurately preserved within the USB cable traffic.\n\nIn designing this USB cable, I have carefully chosen the wire metallurgy, gauge, cable architecture and dielectric. I've paid special attention to reducing both digital noise and jitter timing issues in the cable. I carefully chose the wire shielding or the lack thereof. All wires that carry a voltage emit electromagnetic radiation as a field surrounding the wire. To combat this EMI effect, which impacts the wires in proximity to it, I chose to use wire shielding on the 5 Volt (Vbus) lead. However, I chose not to shield the data plus and data negative wires, because I want their EMI to dissipate away. Jitter noise is introduced by the timing of the USB packet transfers across the wire, and the nature of the positive and negative data lines which are utilized by the USB software to subtract noise that may accumulate on the wires. We provide our USB cables in basically two versions. The \"Standard\" cable has the 5 volt shielded wire for those DACs or USB converters that require voltage to communicate and/or operate. We also offer the \"Data Only\" cable for those DACS that do not need the 5 volt wire. We recommend using the data only design if your DAC can accommodate it.\n\nNoise Concerns:\n\nThe source of noise in computer audio is the most important issue to deal with for discriminating audiophiles. It’s critical to realize that the modern consumer laptop or desktop computer is extremely noisy by nature. They work just fine for everyday use, even though they have noisy power supplies, inaccurate clocks, poor USB timing and inconsistent, shared power delivery. By disconnecting your computer or laptop power from your DAC or USB converter, and supplying clean power externally, you’ll seriously improve your digital sound.\n\nUSB Specifics:\n\nThe USB specification clearly defines the design parameters for the cable and transmission protocol. We followed the specs as closely as possible, only diverging when it made sense from an audio standpoint opposed to a computer data position. The two data lines work in a duplex fashion which allows for summing the data to eliminate noise built up during data transmission. The host USB device expects the music data packets to arrive at specifically timed intervals, in the microsecond range, and without phase shifting between the + or – data lines. The cable is supposed to be approximately 90 ohms impedance, give or take 15%. The binary data within the packet stream needs to be within specific voltage tolerances upon arrival to be correctly termed a one or a zero. There is no provision for resending the data if there is a bad read. Timing by the computer clock, the USB clock and the DAC clock are all working together to assure a properly timed stream of bits. This is extremely critical for the music to be rendered accurately. We have paid careful attention to these requirements, as well as other concerns, in the design of our USB cables.\n\nKen Matesich", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8831576108932495}
{"content": "S M ML L  \nLinear scaling factor 0.94 1 1.05 1.10  \nProjected area 18.56 21.00 23.15 25.41\nFlat area 22.09 25.00 27.56 30.25\nGlider weight 4.3 4.9 5.4 5.9 kg\nTotal line length 243 275 303 333 m\nHeight 6.30 6.67 7.00 7.80 m\nNumber of main lines 3/4/3 3/4/3 3/4/3 3/4/3 A/B/C\nCells 34 34 34 34  \nFlat aspect ratio 4.465 4.465 4.465 4.465  \nProjected aspect ratio 3.22 3.22 3.22 3.22  \nRoot cord 2.82 3.00 3.14 3.29 m\nFlat span 9.96 10.59 11.12 11.65 m\nProjected span 7.73 8.22 8.64 9.05 m\nIn-flight weight range 55-75 70-95 90-110 105-130 kg\nTrim speed 38 38 38 38 km/h\nTop speed 50 50 50 50 km/h\nMin sink 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 m/sec\nBest glide 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0  \nCertification EN/LTF-A EN/LTF-A EN/LTF-A EN/LTF-A  \n\n\nWasp Tala Dual Luna\n\n\nThe Adam comes in a lot of color. We have found that being seen in the air and on the ground is safe for instructors and new pilots. Bright colors help.\nOver the years we have come a long way. CCB and mini-ribs creates fitted 3D cells, unsupported cells are supported with diagonal ribs and span wise bands clean up the bottom surface. All this new technology has greatly improved the safety and performance of beginner wings.\n\n\nThe use of shaped panels in the leading edge removes the creases along the ribs caused by the large cells. CCB is more effective on the big EN-A paraglider cells than smaller cells on more advanced models.\n\nLocated at the trailing edge, the mini Ribs produce a thinner trailing edge with less billow creating more responsive brakes.\n\nWe have found that elliptical cell openings give better lower surface tension making for smoother inflation, and re-inflation after collapses.\n\nThe Adam is constructed with lightweight but robust, proven, materials and only weighs 4.8kg.\n\nLow line consumption at 299meters on the M size.\n\n\nTop surface: Dominico N30\nBottom surface: Dominico N30\nInternal structure: Dominico D30 DFM\nNose reinforcing: Plastic wire 2,3mm and 2,7 mm\nRisers: 20 mm black Nylon webbing\nPulleys: Sprenger HS\nTop lines: DSL70\nMiddle lines: TSL 140\nLower lines: TSL 280\nBrakes: DSL70", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9929835200309753}
{"content": "Chromatography Definition And Classification Essay\n\nChromatography is based on the principle where molecules in mixture applied onto the surface or into the solid, and fluid stationary phase (stable phase) is separating from each other while moving with the aid of a mobile phase. The factors effective on this separation process include molecular characteristics related to adsorption (liquid-solid), partition (liquid-solid), and affinity or differences among their molecular weights [1, 2]. Because of these differences, some components of the mixture stay longer in the stationary phase, and they move slowly in the chromatography system, while others pass rapidly into mobile phase, and leave the system faster [3].\n\nBased on this approach three components form the basis of the chromatography technique.\n\n  • Stationary phase: This phase is always composed of a “solid” phase or “a layer of a liquid adsorbed on the surface a solid support”.\n\n  • Mobile phase: This phase is always composed of “liquid” or a “gaseous component.”\n\n  • Separated molecules\n\nThe type of interaction between stationary phase, mobile phase, and substances contained in the mixture is the basic component effective on separation of molecules from each other. Chromatography methods based on partition are very effective on separation, and identification of small molecules as amino acids, carbohydrates, and fatty acids. However, affinity chromatographies (ie. ion-exchange chromatography) are more effective in the separation of macromolecules as nucleic acids, and proteins. Paper chromatography is used in the separation of proteins, and in studies related to protein synthesis; gas-liquid chromatography is utilized in the separation of alcohol, esther, lipid, and amino groups, and observation of enzymatic interactions, while molecular-sieve chromatography is employed especially for the determination of molecular weights of proteins. Agarose-gel chromatography is used for the purification of RNA, DNA particles, and viruses [4].\n\nStationary phase in chromatography, is a solid phase or a liquid phase coated on the surface of a solid phase. Mobile phase flowing over the stationary phase is a gaseous or liquid phase. If mobile phase is liquid it is termed as liquid chromatography (LC), and if it is gas then it is called gas chromatography (GC). Gas chromatography is applied for gases, and mixtures of volatile liquids, and solid material. Liquid chromatography is used especially for thermal unstable, and non-volatile samples [5].\n\nThe purpose of applying chromatography which is used as a method of quantitative analysis apart from its separation, is to achive a satisfactory separation within a suitable timeinterval. Various chromatography methods have been developed to that end. Some of them include column chromatography, thin-layer chromatography (TLC), paper chromatography, gas chromatography, ion exchange chromatography, gel permeation chromatography, high-pressure liquid chromatography, and affinity chromatography [6].\n\nTypes of chromatography\n\n  • Column chromatography\n\n  • Ion-exchange chromatography\n\n  • Gel-permeation (molecular sieve) chromatography\n\n  • Affinity chromatography\n\n  • Paper chromatography\n\n  • Thin-layer chromatography\n\n  • Gas chromatography\n\n  • Dye-ligand chromatography\n\n  • Hydrophobic interaction chromatography\n\n  • Pseudoaffinity chromatography\n\n  • High-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC)\n\nColumn chromatography\n\nSince proteins have difference characteristic features as size, shape, net charge, stationary phase used, and binding capacity, each one of these characteristic components can be purified using chromatographic methods. Among these methods, most frequently column chromatography is applied. This technique is used for the purification of biomolecules. On a column (stationary phase) firstly the sample to be separated, then wash buffer (mobile phase) are applied (Figure 1). Their flow through inside column material placed on a fiberglass support is ensured. The samples are accumulated at the bottom of the device in a tme-, and volume-dependent manner [7].\n\nIon- exchange chromatography\n\nIon- exchange chromatography is based on electrostatic interactions between charged protein groups, and solid support material (matrix). Matrix has an ion load opposite to that of the protein to be separated, and the affinity of the protein to the column is achieved with ionic ties. Proteins are separated from the column either by changing pH, concentration of ion salts or ionic strength of the buffer solution [8]. Positively charged ion- exchange matrices are called anion-exchange matrices, and adsorb negatively charged proteins. While matrices bound with negatively charged groups are known as cation-exchange matrices, and adsorb positively charged proteins (Figure 2) [9].\n\nGel- permeation (molecular sieve) chromatography\n\nThe basic principle of this method is to use dextran containing materials to separate macromolecules based on their differences in molecular sizes. This procedure is basically used to determine molecular weights of proteins, and to decrease salt concentrations of protein solutions [10]. In a gel- permeation column stationary phase consists of inert molecules with small pores. The solution containing molecules of different dimensions are passed continuously with a constant flow rate through the column. Molecules larger than pores can not permeate into gel particles, and they are retained between particles within a restricted area. Larger molecules pass through spaces between porous particles, and move rapidly through inside the column. Molecules smaller than the pores are diffused into pores, and as molecules get smaller, they leave the column with proportionally longer retention times (Figure 3) [11]. Sephadeks G type is the most frequently used column material. Besides, dextran, agorose, polyacrylamide are also used as column materials [12].\n\n\nGel-permeation (molecular sieve) chromatography.\n\nAffinity chromatography\n\nThis chromatography technique is used for the purification of enzymes, hormones, antibodies, nucleic acids, and specific proteins [13]. A ligand which can make a complex with specific protein (dextran, polyacrylamide, cellulose etc) binds the filling material of the column. The specific protein which makes a complex with the ligand is attached to the solid support (matrix), and retained in the column, while free proteins leave the column. Then the bound protein leaves the column by means of changing its ionic strength through alteration of pH or addition of a salt solution (Figure 4) [14].\n\nPaper chromatography\n\nIn paper chromatography support material consists of a layer of cellulose highly saturated with water. In this method a thick filter paper comprised the support, and water drops settled in its pores made up the stationary “liquid phase.” Mobile phase consists of an appropriate fluid placed in a developing tank. Paper chromatography is a “liquid-liquid” chromatography [15].\n\nThin-layer chromatography\n\nThin-layer chromatography is a “solid-liquid adsorption” chromatography. In this method stationary phase is a solid adsorbent substance coated on glass plates. As adsorbent material all solid substances used. in column chromatography (alumina, silica gel, cellulose) can be utilized. In this method, the mobile phase travels upward through the stationary phase The solvent travels up the thin plate soaked with the solvent by means of capillary action. During this procedure, it also drives the mixture priorly dropped on the lower parts of the plate with a pipette upwards with different flow rates. Thus the separation of analytes is achieved. This upward travelling rate depends on the polarity of the material, solid phase, and of the solvent [16].\n\nIn cases where molecules of the sample are colorless, florescence, radioactivity or a specific chemical substance can be used to produce a visible coloured reactive product so as to identify their positions on the chromatogram. Formation of a visible colour can be observed under room light or UV light. The position of each molecule in the mixture can be measured by calculating the ratio between the the distances travelled by the molecule and the solvent. This measurement value is called relative mobility, and expressed with a symbol Rf. Rf. value is used for qualitative description of the molecules [17].\n\nGas chromatography\n\nIn this method stationary phase is a column which is placed in the device, and contains a liquid stationary phase which is adsorbed onto the surface of an inert solid. Gas chromatography is a “gas-liquid” chromatography. Its carrier phase consists of gases as He or N2. Mobile phase which is an inert gas is passed through a column under high pressure. The sample to be analyzed is vaporized, and enters into a gaseous mobile phase phase. The components contained in the sample are dispersed between mobile phase, and stationary phase on the solid support. Gas chromatography is a simple, multifaceted, highly sensitive, and rapidly applied technique for the extremely excellent separation of very minute molecules. It is used in the separation of very little amounts of analytes [18].\n\nDye- ligand chromatography\n\nDevelopment of this technique was based on the demonstration of the ability of many enzymes to bind purine nucleotides for Cibacron Blue F3GA dye [19]. The planar ring structure with negatively charged groups is analogous to the structure of NAD. This analogy has been evidenced by demonstration of the binding of Cibacron Blue F3GA dye to adenine, ribose binding sites of NAD. The dye behaves as an analogue of ADP-ribose. The binding capacity of this type adsorbents is 10–20-fold stronger rhat that of the affinity of other adsorbents. Under appropriate pH conditions, elution with high-ionic strength solutions, and using ion-exchange property of adsorbent, the adsorbed proteins are separated from the column [20, 21].\n\nHydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC)\n\nIn this method the adsorbents prepared as column material for the ligand binding in affinity chromatography are used. HIC technique is based on hydrophobic interactions between side chains bound to chromatography matrix [22, 23].\n\nPseudoaffinity chromatography\n\nSome compounds as anthraquinone dyes, and azo-dyes can be used as ligands because of their affinity especially for dehydrogenases, kinases, transferases, and reductases The mostly known type of this kind of chromatography is immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) [24].\n\nHigh-prssure liquid chromatography (HPLC)\n\nUsing this chromatography technique it is possible to perform structural, and functional analysis, and purification of many molecules within a short time, This technique yields perfect results in the separation, and identification of amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, proteins, steroids, and other biologically active molecules, In HPLC, mobile phase passes throuıgh columns under 10–400 atmospheric pressure, and with a high (0.1–5 cm//sec) flow rate. In this technique, use of small particles, and application of high presure on the rate of solvent flow increases separation power, of HPLC and the analysis is completed within a short time.\n\nEssential components of a HPLC device are solvent depot, high- pressure pump, commercially prepared column, detector, and recorder. Duration of separation is controlled with the aid of a computerized system, and material is accrued [25].\n\nApplication areas of chromatography in medicine\n\nChromatography technique is a valuable tool for biochemists, besides it can be applied easily during studies performed in clinical laboratories For instance, paper chromatography is used to determine some types of sugar, and amino acids in bodily fluids which are associated with hereditary metabolic disorders. Gas chromatography is used in laboratories to measure steroids, barbiturates, and lipids. Chromatographic technique is also used in the separation of vitamins, and proteins.\n\n\nInitially chromatographic techniques were used to separate substances based on their color as was the case with herbal pigments. With time its application area was extended considerably. Nowadays, chromatography is accepted as an extremely sensitive, and effective separation method. Column chromatography is one of the useful separation, and determination methods. Column chromatography is a protein purification method realized especially based on one of the characteristic features of proteins. Besides, these methods are used to control purity of a protein. HPLC technique which has many superior features including especially its higher sensitivity, rapid turnover rate, its use as a quantitative method, can purify amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids, hydrocarbons, carbohydrates, drugs, antibiotics, and steroids.\n\n\n1. Cuatrecasas P, Wilchek M, Anfinsen CB. Selective enzyme purification by affinity chromatography. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1968;61:636–43.[PMC free article][PubMed]\n\n2. Porath J. From gel filtration to adsorptive size exclusion. J Protein Chem. 1997;16:463–8.[PubMed]\n\n3. Harris DC. Exploring chemical analysis. 3rd ed. WH. Freeman&Co; 2004.\n\n4. Gerberding SJ, Byers CH. Preparative ion-exchange chromatography of proteins from dairy whey. J Chromatogr A. 1998;808:141–51.[PubMed]\n\n5. Donald PL, Lampman GM, Kritz GS, Engel RG. Introduction to organic laboratory techniques. 4th ed. Thomson Brooks/Cole; 2006. pp. 797–817.\n\n6. Harwood LM, Moody CJ. Experimental organic chemistry:Principles and Practice. Oxford:Blacwell Science; 1989:180–5.\n\n7. Das M, Dasgupta D. Pseudo-affinity column chromatography based rapid purification procedure for T7 RNA polymerase. Prep Biochem Biotechnol. 1998;28:339–48.[PubMed]\n\n8. Karlsson E, Ryden L, Brewer J Protein purification. Principles, High Resolution Methods, and Applications. Ion exchange chromatography. 2nd ed. New York: Wiley; 1998.\n\n9. Amercham Biosciences. Ion Exchange chromatohgraphy, Principles and methods, Amercham Pharmacia. Biotech SE. 2002;751\n\n10. Walls D, Loughran ST. Protein chromatography:Methods and protocols, methods in molecular biology. 2011;681\n\n11. Helmut D. Gel Chromatography, gel filtration, gel permeation, molecular sieves:a laboratory hand book. Springer-Verlag; 1969.\n\n12. Determann H. Gel chromatography gel filtration, gel permeation, molecular sieves:a laboratory handbook. Chapter 2. Materials and Methods. 2012\n\n13. Wilchek M, Chaiken I. An overview of affinity chromatography in affinity chromatography–Methods and protocols. Humana Press. 2000:1–6.\n\n14. Firer MA. Efficient elution of functional proteins in affinity chromatography. J Biochem Biophys Methods. 2001;49:433–42.[PubMed]\n\n15. Stoddard JM, Nguyen L, Mata-Chavez H, Nguyen K. TLC plates as a convenient platform for solvent-free reactions. Chem Commun (Camb) 2007;12:1240–1.[PubMed]\n\n16. Sherman J, Fried B, Dekker M. New York, NY: Handbook of Thin-Layer Chromatography; 1991.\n\n17. Donald PL, Lampman GM, Kritz GS, Randall G. Engel introduction to organic laboratory techniques. 4th ed. Thomson Brooks/Cole; 2006. pp. 797–817.\n\n18. http:/ .\n\n19. Amicon, Dye-ligand chromatography. Applications method. Theory of matrix gel media, Amicon Division. Cherry Hill Drive, MA 01923: N.R. Grace&Company-Conn. 24; 1989.\n\n20. Scopes RK. Use of differential dye-ligand chromatography with affinity elution for enzyme purification:2-keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconate aldolase from Zymomonas mobilis. Anal Biochem. 1984;136:525–9.[PubMed]\n\n21. Cutler P. Methods in molecular biology, Dye-ligand affinity chromatography. 2nd ed. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press; 2004.\n\n22. Mahn A, Asenjo JA. Prediction of protein retention in hydrophobic interaction Chromatography. Biotechnol Adv. 2005;2:359–68.[PubMed]\n\n23. Queiroz JA, Tomaz CT, Cabral JM. Hydrophobic interaction chromatography of proteins. J Biotechnol. 2001;87:143–59.[PubMed]\n\n24. Porath J. Immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography. Protein Expr Purif. 1992;3:263–81.[PubMed]\n\n25. Regnier FE. High-performance liquid chromatography of biopolimers. Science. 1983:245–52.[PubMed]\n\n26.”>chromatography .\n\nChromatography Essay\n\n673 Words3 Pages\n\nChromatography is a separation technique in which the mixture to be separated is dissolved in a solvent and the resulting solution, often called the mobile phase, is then passed through or over another material, the stationary phase. The separation of the original mixture depends on how strongly each component is attracted to the stationary phase. Substances that are attracted strongly to the stationary phase will be retarded and not move alone with the mobile phase. Weakly attracted substances will move more rapidly with the mobile phase.\n     Liquid chromatography is an analytical technique that is useful for separating ions or molecules that are dissolved in a liquid phase. If the sample solution is in contact…show more content…\n\nThe compounds are separated by collecting aliquots of the column effluent as a function of time.\n     In liquid chromatography, the separator is called the column and consists in most cases of a tube filled with porous material called the stationary phase. A liquid, called the mobile phase, flows through the tube between the particles of stationary phase material. A liquid sample is taken from a mixture to be analyzed and introduced to a part of the system that is at elevated pressure. The sample is then transported to a separator by the flow in the system.\n     After the column the separated compounds enter the detector, which measures a physical or chemical property of each, now relatively pure, compound and creates a proportional electronic signal. By calibrating with a standard mixture of known compounds, the nature of the compound in the\n\nShow More\n\n0 Thoughts to “Chromatography Definition And Classification Essay\n\nLeave a comment\n\nL'indirizzo email non verrà pubblicato. I campi obbligatori sono contrassegnati *", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9521395564079285}
{"content": "A ceRNA Hypothesis: The Rosetta Stone of a Hidden ..\n\nMicroRNAs are small noncoding RNAs that regulate genes post-transciptionally by binding and degrading target eukaryotic mRNAs. We use a quantitative model to study gene regulation by inhibitory microRNAs and compare it to gene regulation by prokaryotic small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs). Our model uses a combination of analytic techniques as well as computational simulations to calculate the mean-expression and noise profiles of genes regulated by both microRNAs and sRNAs. We find that despite very different molecular machinery and modes of action (catalytic vs stoichiometric), the mean expression levels and noise profiles of microRNA-regulated genes are almost identical to genes regulated by prokaryotic sRNAs. This behavior is extremely robust and persists across a wide range of biologically relevant parameters. We extend our model to study crosstalk between multiple mRNAs that are regulated by a single microRNA and show that noise is a sensitive measure of microRNA-mediated interaction between mRNAs. We conclude by discussing possible experimental strategies for uncovering the microRNA-mRNA interactions and testing the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) hypothesis.\n\nA ceRNA Hypothesis: The Rosetta Stone of a Hidden …\n\n(2011) A ceRNA hypothesis: the Rosetta Stone of a hidden RNA language?\n\nA ceRNA Hypothesis: The Rosetta Stone of a HIdden …\n\nRecent studies have reported that competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) can act as sponges for a microRNA (miRNA) through their binding sites and that changes in ceRNA abundances from individual genes can modulate the miRNA’s activity. Consideration of this hypothesis would benefit from knowing the quantitative relationship between a miRNA and its endogenous target sites. Here, we altered intracellular target-site abundance through expression of a miR-122 target in hepatocytes and livers, and analyzed the effects on miR-122 target genes. Target repression was released in a threshold-like manner at high target-site abundance (≥1.5×105 added target sites per cell), and this threshold was insensitive to the effective levels of the miRNA. Furthermore, in response to extreme metabolic liver disease models, global target-site abundance of hepatocytes did not change sufficiently to affect miRNA-mediated repression. Thus, modulation of miRNA target abundance is unlikely to cause significant effects on gene expression and metabolism through a ceRNA effect.\n\nA ceRNA hypothesis: the Rosetta Stone of a hidden RNA language\n\nHighly expressed, site-containing RNAs, either found naturally or delivered as research reagents, can act as “sponges” to titrate miRNAs away from other normal targets (; ; ; ; ). Theoretical and experimental reports have claimed that crosstalk between site-containing RNAs extends far beyond a few highly expressed sponges. Analyses of high-throughput datasets indicate that the activity of a miRNA is not just dependent on its levels, but also its relative target-site abundance, defined as the relative number of sites within the transcriptome for that miRNA (; ). One hypothesis suggests that this crosstalk has a widespread regulatory function, with the act of titrating miRNAs away from their other targets somehow explaining why so many target sites have been conserved in evolution (). This idea is extended to the notion that many miRNA targets act as competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) that modulate the repression of other targets as their expression increases or decreases (; ). Experimental evidence for such a ceRNA crosstalk was initially described for the tumor-suppressor gene PTEN, which appears to be regulated by the abundance of its pseudogene (PTENP1) in a DICER-dependent manner (). Recent studies have reported the potential physiological relevance of other ceRNAs, including a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) regulating muscle differentiation (), an overexpressed 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) inducing cancer in transgenic mice (), and a circular RNA regulating miR-7 activity in the central nervous system (; ). However, such studies have used cancer cell lines with abnormal miRNA and ceRNA expression (; ), leaving their physiological relevance in primary cells unclear.\n\nThe ceRNA hypothesis and the non-coding revolution in cancer research and therapy [abstract]\n\nAssessing the ceRNA hypothesis with quantitative ..\n\nRegulation of gene expression by microRNAs whichguide the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) to microRNA responseelements (MREs) on target transcripts is ubiquitous among mammals,usually resulting in degradation of the transcript or translationinhibition (). Aberrantexpression-fluctuation of a large number of miRNAs has been foundin cancer (,). Recently, numerous experimentsprovide support to the hypothesis that RNA molecules that shareMREs can regulate each other by competing for microRNA binding, forwhich the process is termed competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA)regulation (–). An pseudogene,, has been observed to regulate OCT4A expression asan miR-145 sponge in hepatocellular carcinoma (). Unfortunately, miR-145 isdownregulated in most types of cancers, which confines the strengthof this regulation (–). ceRNA regulation mediated by severalpseudogenes has been demonstrated. Yet, whether or not thisregulation exists among transcript isoforms and the relatedmechanism have not been elucidated. Consistent with theco-expression of OCT4A and OCT4B, we hypothesized that OCT4Bregulates OCT4A as ceRNA.\n\n\n1: Salmena L, Poliseno L, Tay Y, Kats L, Pandolfi PP\n\nSalmena L, Poliseno L, Tay Y, Kats L andPandolfi PP: A ceRNA hypothesis: The Rosetta Stone of a hidden RNAlanguage? Cell. 146:353–358. 2011. : :\n\nLinc2GO | A human LincRNA function annotation resource based on ceRNA hypothesis\n\nSystematic exploration of autonomous modules in …", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9952846169471741}
{"content": "Memory Price\nMemory FAQs\nTech Data\nTester FAQs\nMember Area\nTester Brochure\nDemo Library\nTester FAQs\n\nbiology medicine news product technology definition\n\nMonday, July 23, 2018\nMemory Glossary, Memory Terms\n\nTerm Definition\nCache Controller The circuit in control of the interface between the CPU, cache and DRAM (main memory).\nCache memory Cache RAM is high-speed memory (usually SRAM) which is dedicated to storing frequently requested data. If the CPU needs data, it will check in the high-speed cache memory first before looking in the slower main memory. Cache memory may be three to five times faster than system DRAM. Most computers have two separate memory caches; L1 cache, located on the CPU, and L2 cache, located between the CPU and DRAM. L1 cache is faster than L2, and is the first place the CPU looks for its data. If data is not found in L1 cache, the search continues with L2 cache, and then on to DRAM.\nCard Memory A type of memory typically used in laptop and notebook computers. Credit card memory features a small for factor and is named for its similarity to the size of credit card.\nCAS (Column Address Select/or Strobe)--A control pin on a DRAM used to and activate a column address. The column selected on a DRAM is determined by the data present at the address pins when CAS becomes active\nCBR (CAS Before RAS)- a fast refresh technique in which the DRAM keeps track of the next row it needs to refresh, thus simplifying what a system would have to do to refresh the part.\nCheck Bits Extra data bits provided by a DRAM module to support ECC function. For a 4-byte bus, 7 or 8 check bits are needed to implement ECC, resulting in a total bus width of 39 or 40 bits. On an 8-byte bus, 8 additional bits are required, resulting in a bus width of 72 bits.\nCheckboard A detail test pattern designed to exercise each individual cell in the memory and find possible shorts between adjacent columns and data buses\nClock An electrical current that alternates between high and low voltages. The speed of the clock is measured in Megahertz (MHz)\nClock speed The rate at which a computer's internal system clock operates. The clock is used to synchronize operations between the components within the clock.\nCMOS Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor: a process that uses both N- and P-channel devices in a complimentary fashion to achieve small geometries and low power consumption.\nCompact Flash Memory A fast, postage stamp size RAM that is removable. The CF Card weighs half an ounce, with roughly one-fourth the volume and one-half the thickness of a PCMCIA Type II Card. The CF Card fits into a CF PC Card Adapter making it compatible with a standard PCMCIA Type II slot on any notebook or desktop computer. This allows the easy transfer of stored digital information from the CF Card to a computer or printer. Currently, the most readily available application for the CompactFlash Card is the digital still camera.\nCPU (Central Processing Unit)--The chip in a computer that has primary responsibility for interpreting commands and running programs. The CPU is the most vital component of a computer system. The speed of the CPU has a significant impact on overall system performance, but the CPU doesn't act alone. If slower memory is paired with a fast processor, the processor will be forced to wait for the memory to respond. When the speed mismatch is extreme, the user will see numerous memory errors and even complete system failure.\nCST Inc. Memory Tester DDR Tester\nCopyright © 1994 - 2018 CST, Inc. All Rights Reserved", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9451887607574463}
{"content": "Our WebQuests help students connect civics concepts to the real world.\n\niCivics WebQuests give kids an engaging look at specific civics topics and guide them to pre-selected online resources to learn more. Each WebQuest is made of slides that break down the topic, offer resource links, and ask questions that help students make connections between what they already know, what they learn from the resource, and how the real world works. WebQuests can be used on individual computers or by the whole class using a projector or interactive white board.\n\nUse WebQuests to preview, teach, supplement, or extend classroom teaching.\nGive students a controlled internet experience with pre-selected links.\nAssign WebQuests in class or as homework and see student work through the iCivics Classroom feature.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5028552412986755}
{"content": "\n\nLike most Elon students, I was drawn to the school because of the immense amount of academic opportunities offered and its natural surrounding beauty. In the initial information session, after learning of the five options to achieve the engaged learning graduation requirement, I looked at my parents and said, “I want to do all of those.” In that moment, I decided Elon would be a perfect fit for me. When time came for my junior year, the question was not should I study abroad, but where do I want to spend a semester if I can go almost anywhere in the world. Initially, I expected to travel far away to someplace exotic, but in my final decision, I chose London.\n\nFour years ago, I travelled to London with my family. It is one of the largest cities in the world, filled with history and all different types of business. As a major city, it attracts people from all over the world, which helps create its rich and diverse culture. It will be comforting to travel to an English speaking country with many of my classmates. The city has so much to offer and I cannot wait to begin my exploration of it. Not only will I have a chance to experience many parts of England, but probably other parts of Europe as well. In my Cultures of Islam class, there is an optional three-day excursion to Istanbul that I eagerly signed up for. I am counting down the days until I embark on the European adventure of a lifetime.\n\nWhat I really look forward to seeing is the growth that has occurred in the city of London. It will be interesting to observe how the Olympics caused the area to change. Even though many have compared London to New York City by saying it is slightly bigger, the Foundation for International Education where we are studying reminded us to prepare for a culture shock. Their materials mentioned how many students do not prepare for a foreign experience and it can come as a surprise. This admonition actually excites me because I want to go to a unique place to try different things. One can only imagine that any educational experience would be completely different from Elon, North Carolina — certainly London, England anyway. My semester stay will allow me to see how people from all over the world live and work together in the same city. It will be fascinating to examine how the city is divided and how people live in its various sections.\n\nTravelers soon learn that there are many traditions that only “locals” are privy to and appreciate. Through living in London for the next four months, I believe I will have sufficient time to develop a true sense of its culture, and become more of an “insider” than a short-visited tourist before I leave.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8965924978256226}
{"content": "عربي Español Русский Français 简体中文\n\nStatement by H.E. Mr. Fu Cong,Head of Chinese Delegation,Ambassador for Disarmament Affairs of the People's Republic of China at the General Debate in the First Session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2020 NPT Review Conference\n\n\n\nMr Chairman,\n\nFirst of all, on behalf of the Chinese Delegation, I would like to congratulate you on your assumption of the Chairmanship of this session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2020 NPT Review Conference. I am confident that your rich experience and wisdom will guide this conference to a fruitful outcome. The Chinese Delegation assures you of its full support and cooperation.\n\nThis meeting formally launches the 10th review process of the NPT. Looking back, from its entry into force in 1970 and indefinite extention in 1995 onwards, the Treaty has gone through winds and rains for almost half a century, and turned to be one of international legal instrument with near universal ratification. Over the years, the Treaty has played a crucial role in containing the trend of nuclear weapon proliferation, reducing the risks of nuclear war, and promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.\n\nAt a new historical starting point, the international arena is undergoing unprecedented developments. Complexity and uncertainty has become the new reality of international security. While recognizing the historical contribution of the Treaty, we also see new challenges laying ahead, with the international consensus of upholding the treaty under test.\n\nFirst, the international security situation remains worrisome. Hotspot issues keep propping up, conflicts and even wars occur now and then. Non-traditional security threats continue to spread. Cold War mentality and power politics remain persistent. In pursuit of absolute security, some countries keep building and deploying global anti-missile system at the expense of strategic balance and stability. Under this background, how to effectively take forward nuclear disarmament is a pressing issue facing us in this review cycle of the NPT.\n\nSecond, the nuclear non-proliferation situation remains severe. Several countries still linger outside the Treaty system. The establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction is long delayed. Regional hotspot issues are still outstanding. The supply and demand of sensitive nuclear materials in a certain country are still seriously unbalanced. The double standards and utilitarianism approaches adopted by some countries are jeopardizing the authority of the Treaty and weakening the nuclear non-proliferation system.\n\nThird, the peaceful uses of nuclear energy is facing multiple challenges. The development of nuclear power is on the rise while the impact of Fukushima nuclear accident wears on. The nuclear terrorism threats allow of no neglect. Global nuclear security and safety need to be improved. The tendency of \"value non-proliferation while neglecting peaceful uses\" exists. The peaceful uses of nuclear energy in the developing countries are still faced with restraints in terms of technical, financial and human resources.\n\nMr. Chairman,\n\nAs the cornerstone of the existing international arms control and nonproliferation regime,the Treaty's role and function is indispensable and irreplaceable. Under current circumstances, this review cycle should learn from the successes and setbacks in past implementation, and focus on facilitating State Parties to bridge divergences, strengthen unity and confidence,take joint actions to promote the three pillars in a balanced manner and enhance its authority, universality and effectiveness.\n\nFirst, to pursue a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security concept. In his address at the United Nations Office at Geneva in January, Chinese President Xi Jingping raised Chinese proposition of \"building a community of shared future for mankind, and achieving shared and win-win development\", and advocated to build up a world of lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity through dialogue and consultation, joint efforts and win-win cooperation. Towards this end, we calls on all Parties to make further efforts to eradicate the roots of conflicts and unrest, fully respect and accommodate other's legitimate security concerns, abandon the Cold War mentality and foster international relations featuring mutual understanding and trust, so as to create a strategic security environment favorable to the Treaty goal.\n\nSecondly, to take forward nuclear disarmament in a rational and pragmatic manner. The complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons in the end is in the interest of all mankind, in this regard, we fully understand the aspirations and expectations of all non-nuclear-weapon States, and support the achievement of eventual complete and thorough nuclear disarmament. Currently, the key task is to find a practical and feasible path to promote the nuclear disarmament process. Taking into account current strategic security environment, we should revitalize the existing multilateral disarmament mechanism, make full use of the Conference on Disarmament and other platforms, adhere to the principle of consensus, guarantee full,equal and effective participation of all stakeholders and seek international consensus as widely as possible. Meanwhile, we should take a step-by-step approach. Countries possessing the largest nuclear arsenals should continue to shoulder the special and primary responsibilities. Pending the realization of complete and thorough nuclear disarmament, nuclear-weapon States should undertake practical intermediate steps, including committing themselves to no first use of nuclear weapons, undertaking unconditionally not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon States or nuclear-weapon-free zones, and conclude relevant international legal instrument accordingly.\n\nThirdly, to strengthen the nuclear non-proliferation regime by addressing both the symptoms and the root causes. One of the root causes of the on-going hot-spot issues is that the security concerns of different countries are not equally treated and respected. The international community should abandon double standards and address these issues through political and diplomatic means. In order to ease the tension over the Korean Peninsula and pull relevant parties back to the negotiating table at an early date, China has put forward the \"dual-track approach\" and \"suspension for suspension\" proposal, on which we urge the concerned parties to make serious considerations. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is an international agreement concluded through long tough negotiations by the P5+1 and Iran, and has been endorsed by the United Nations Security Council. All parties should continue to faithfully fulfill their obligations and jointly support and implement the JCPOA. The establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, as stipulated in relevant NPT resolutions, will be conducive to regional peace and stability. We encourage relevant parties to undertake flexible and pragmatic measures to break the stalemate and convene relevant international conference at an early date. Countries that have not yet joined the NPT should do so as non-nuclear-weapon States as soon as possible.\n\nForthly, to promote the peaceful uses of nuclear energy on the principle of fairness and efficiency. If nuclear weapon is damned as the Sword of Damocles hanging over mankind, then nuclear energy should be seen as the fire brought by Prometheus to mankind, which provides an important solution to energy security and climate change. Non-proliferation efforts should not undermine developing countries' legitimate rights in relation with the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. State Parties should give their continuous support to the central role played by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in this regard. Assistance and support to developing countries should be increased. Lessons from the Fukushima nuclear accident should be drawn to help improve global nuclear safety. Capacity building on nuclear security should be strengthened to combat nuclear terrorism.\n\nMr. Chairman,\n\nChina has consistently supported the nuclear disarmament process, firmly upholded the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, and vigorously promoted the utilization of nuclear power. China actively participated in the P5's endeavor to implement the review outcomes of the Treaty, and is ready to continue its leadership to the P5 Working Group on Key Nuclear Terms. China has made steady progress regarding preparation to the domestic implementation of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).Last December, the Lanzhou Radionuclide Station has been certified by the Preparatory Commission of CTBTO, making it the first certified CTBT monitoring station in China. China firmly opposes the proliferation of nuclear weapon in any form, and actively engages in the political settlement processes of regional hot-spot issues such as the Iranian nuclear issue and the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue. China vigorously participates in regional and global nuclear security cooperation, and will actively implement the Five Proposals including \"building nuclear security capacity network\" proclaimed by President Xi at the Forth Nuclear Security Summit.\n\nMr. Chairman,\n\nWell begun is half done. We hope the First Session of the Preparatory Committee could get a good start-off for the review cycle, conclude a feasible roadmap on institutional arrangements, lay a good basis for States Parties to constructively advance the review work. China will stay in touch and work together with all States Parties to this end.\n\nThank you, Mr. Chairman.\n\nSuggest to a friend", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8769640326499939}
{"content": "Mapping Your Unique Culture\n\nCulture is arguably one of the most important aspects of an organization. It’s culture that can help you attract the right employees and retain your top performers. But culture isn’t static. It’s evolving. Many organizations spend a lot of time and effort in trying to fix their culture. To evolve it in the right direction. Before you can do that, though, it’s critical to take the time to really understand what that culture is and who you are.\n\nSo, how do you do that?\n\nThat’s what we discuss in this #MiChat with our guest Charlie Judy. Along with his partners at WorkXO, Charlie helps organizations to map their unique culture as the first step towards understanding how that culture impacts the company, and how to evolve it into a true competitive advantage.\n\nBy mapping their culture, companies can use that deep understanding of who they are to create authentic employer branding, stronger talent attraction strategies, and better alignment between workplace and enterprise strategy. Having this clarity around what aspects of that culture need the most evolution is crucial to using your time and energies wisely.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.890251874923706}
{"content": "Vacation and sick leave are key benefits provided by most employers. Some companies have traditional vacation and sick leave policies while others have Paid Time Off (PTO) banks that lump all paid time off benefits together and allow the employee to decide how those days off will be used. There are pros and cons to both methods of granting time off to employees.\n\nTraditional Vacation and Sick Leave\n\nTypically, companies will grant a block of time for vacation and a block of time to be used for illness at the beginning of each year.  According to EAF’s most recent Policies & Benefits Survey, the typical employer grants 9 days of sick leave each year and the amount of vacation varies depending on years of service.  In general, most companies grant 2 weeks of vacation after 1 year of service; 3 weeks after 5 years; and 4 weeks after 10 years of service. For the most part, traditional vacation and sick leave plans do not permit the employee to carry unused benefits days over into the next year. And, while most companies will pay out unused vacation time at termination, most employers will not pay out unused sick leave. There are both advantages and disadvantages to the traditional model of granting time off:\n\n\nEasy to track and manage Unscheduled, last minute calls because of illness\nEasy for employees to understand how much time they have available. May end up granting more days off under separate leave banks than under a single PTO bank\nWould only have to pay out unused vacation at termination (if your policy permits) and not sick leave People may call out sick even when they are well just to use their benefit “entitlement”\n\nPTO Plans\n\nPTO plans combine multiple forms of leave – vacation, sick, personal – into one bank.  Some employers (especially hospitals and similar types of 24/7 operations) also include holidays in these banks. Time off in these plans generally accrue per pay period or per number of hours worked. Like traditional leave plans, PTO plans also have their pros and cons.\n\nEmployees like the flexibility these plans allow and that flexibility can be used to attract applicants to the organization. Employees may come to work sick so that they don’t have to use time that, in their minds, they’ve reserved for vacation.\nGreatly reduces the number of unscheduled days off. PTO plans typically pay out all time accrued at termination, which means larger payouts to employees.\nThe company only has to deal with one leave bank instead of multiple banks. Unused PTO usually rolls, which means the company carries that expense forward.  Typically these banks are either uncapped or capped at hundreds of hours, which again increase liability.\nEncourages honesty and reduces absenteeism. May cause “presenteeism” resulting in employees showing up to work sick in order to maintain as much leave as possible for their vacation.\n\n\nConverting from Traditional to PTO\n\n\n1.  Determine how many days of PTO you will allow employees to accrue each year.  For example, if you currently offer 15 vacation days and 5 sick days to employees who have worked for you at least 3 years, those individuals may begin accruing PTO at a rate of 20 days per year.  Companies don’t have to use this method to determine number of days per year.  You could come up with a flat amount that makes sense for your organization.\n\n2. Determine how many vacation/sick days are in each person’s bank.  Will you convert all or part of those unused days at the end of the year to PTO?  Or will employees lose the traditional benefits at the end of the year and begin accruing January 1?  OR will you allow employees to begin accruing but not using PTO mid-year so that there are some days available to them in their leave banks?\n\n3. Decide how many days of PTO can be taken at one time for non-health related leave.  For example, will you allow someone who has accumulated 160 hours in their PTO bank to take 4 weeks of leave all at one time? Or will you limit it to allowing them to take a maximum of 1 week or 2 weeks of leave at one time?\n\n4. What is the smallest increment of PTO that may be taken by an employee?\n\n5. What’s the maximum amount of PTO that employees will be allowed to carry forward from one year to the next?  How much, if any, PTO will be paid out at termination? (Pay out of PTO, sick leave, vacation leave may be mandated by your state.  Review the pertinent laws for your state to make sure your policy complies with state law.)\n\n6. Write your policy in such a way that clearly spells out how time off will be accrued, how it may be used, expectations for scheduling time off in advance, and under what circumstances PTO balances will or will not be paid out.\n\n\nConverting from PTO to Traditional Sick & Vacation policies\n\nSome companies find that PTO just doesn’t work for their culture or their needs.  Because traditional PTO plans allows a significant number of hours to be carried forward from one year to the next, some companies find that carrying those large balances forward on a balance sheet are detrimental to the financial health of the organization. Additionally, they find that it impedes cash flow when they have to pay out a large number of PTO hours to individuals who leave the organization.\n\n\n1. Determine the amount of sick leave and vacation benefits you will award to employees at the beginning of the year.\n\n2. Determine the PTO balances in each individual’s account and decide if you will pay this out at the end of the year or if you will allow all or a portion to carry over into the new year and require the individual to use it within a specific time frame or lose it.\n\n3. What is the smallest increment of vacation or sick leave that may be taken by an employee?\n\n4. Write your policy to clearly communicate how vacation and sick time will be awarded, whether or not all or a portion of it will be paid out or carried over into the new year, and under what circumstances sick leave and/or vacation will or will not be paid out.\n\nAgain, depending on the state in which you operate, you may or may not have an obligation to pay out PTO, vacation and/or sick leave.\n\nWhatever type of leave policy(ies) you choose to adopt, they can be used as tools to attract and retain employees. Just make sure your policies clearly spell out how employees are awarded their benefits and under what circumstances they will or will not be paid at termination.\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8463243246078491}
{"content": "Click ME to close the menu.\n\n\n\n\nTRUMPF Ltd is the UK subsidiary of TRUMPF GmbH + Co. KG, a world leader in sheet metal fabrication machinery and industrial lasers. The company was founded in 1974 and celebrated 40 years UK business anniversary in 2014. Based in Bedfordshire, close to Luton International Airport, TRUMPF Ltd serves the UK market for machine tools, laser technology, power tools and electronics. Equipped with a fully operational showroom and spacious classrooms, the company can provide pre-sale demonstrations and comprehensive user training. TRUMPF Ltd also provide their own technical service as well as tooling and spare part management to support customers throughout the UK as promptly as possible. Your contact: marketing@uk.trumpf.com.\n\nMake an Enquiry\n\nSpam check: What is 3 + 1?\nBuilding Location", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9736232161521912}
{"content": "City:  Gainesville, TX\nNewspaper:  Gainesville Daily Register\nJob Description:  The Gainesville Daily Register seeks an editor-general manager for our community daily in North Texas. Applicants need experience in digital and print journalism, and management-leadership skills to oversee the paper’s day-to-day general operations.\n The editor-general manager reports directly to the publisher and is responsible for news and opinion content as well as editorial production, including design and pagination. The person must be passionate about local news and possess the ability to train and coach the news staff in print and online reporting, writing, editing and photo-video skills.\n The editor-general manager is a key member of the senior management team and thus must be able to communicate clearly, contribute to the overall success of the paper and be active in the community.\n Gainesville is located on Interstate 35 in North Texas, 30 miles north of Denton, home of the University of North Texas. The community is well known as the Medal of Honor City in Texas.\n The Herald-Banner is a CNHI newspaper. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, CNHI is a leading publisher of local news and information products and services. Its newspapers, websites and specialty publications serve communities in 22 states.\nContact: Interested candidates should send a detailed resume, journalistic work examples and a cover letter on why they believe they are qualified for the editor-general manager position to lchappell@cnhi.com.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9947887659072876}
{"content": "Treating Arctic Ecosystems as Systems\n\nTreating Arctic Ecosystems as Systems\nLife found in the Arctic\n\nWhy should we be concerned about shipping in Arctic waters? What would be the consequences of commercial fishing in the Arctic Ocean? How do we anticipate the effects of climate change in the far north?\n\nIf we are to conserve and sustain Arctic ecosystems, we need to approach questions of this kind in terms of systems. An ecosystem has no leader to orchestrate the actions of its many constituent parts. Instead, the way it functions arises solely from the interactions of its component species (humans included), habitats, and physical features as they affect one another, directly and indirectly. The complexity that emerges from these many modes of interaction may frustrate clear understanding, including the ability to predict the outcomes of human actions, but we must address it nonetheless. In large part, this means recognizing the limits of our knowledge and acting with caution and care.\n\nWe learn a great deal if we pay attention to each part of a system separately, breaking complexity down into manageable pieces that can be studied with attention and precision. We also miss a great deal. It is not enough to know the nutritional needs and growth rate of the average ringed seal. We need to know about its prey (such as Arctic cod), where its habitat can be found, and crucially, how the seals and all that surrounds them react to change. Thinking about such relationships is the basis for ecology and ecosystem approaches to management.\n\nPutting theory into practice, however, is difficult. Many observational and laboratory studies have looked at the way that changing one parameter can affect other parts of the system. For example, how does water temperature influence the survival rate of juvenile Arctic cod? This is an important question, because Arctic summer water temperatures are rising, creating opportunities for the Arctic cod’s competitors, such as saffron cod. The saffron cod is not as energy-rich as the Arctic cod, so a larger population of the former at the expense of the latter could leave a lot of hungry ringed seals.\n\nBut the essence of complexity is that things are never simple. Complexity is not the same as being complicated. A complicated system may have many moving parts, as in an elaborate clock, but the results are easily predictable, with dials and hands moving at a reliable pace in a regular direction. In a complex system, on the other hand, actions reverberate through many of the component parts, affecting the piece with which the action started, and thus leading to another cascade of effects. This is the famous “butterfly effect,” in which the flapping of an insect’s wings in one location may eventually have an impact on weather patterns a great distance away.  \n\nIf animals are involved, complexity includes not just the physical effects that transform air movements into thunderstorms, but also the ability of the animals to adjust and adapt as conditions change. When sea ice disappears, some polar bears may have to forgo their usual diet of ringed seals and instead spend the summer on land—eating eggs, plants, and whatever else they can find.\n\nIndividuals and species will die out when change is too great, but change need not always be detrimental. Polar bears in the Chukchi Sea off northwestern Alaska appear fat and happy, contrary to what might be expected from the rapid loss of the region’s summer sea ice—so what might appear to be a simple story of temperature, prey, and predators has taken a twist. If we wish to understand why polar bears are thriving for now in the Chukchi, and how human actions might affect the bears and all that supports them, we must consider the ecosystem in which the Arctic cod, ringed seal, and polar bear live.\n\nThis ecosystem is not a static set of functions and processes and components that can produce only the species we know today. Instead, it is always altering in one way or another. It may be tempting at this point to throw up our hands in despair at the prospect of ever understanding a complex system well enough to make predictions about it. Such caution is sensible, as there are many examples in which predicted doom never came or promised abundance was met with disaster.\n\nBut systems are not irreducibly and hopelessly complex. If they were, humans would never have been able to discover the patterns and indicators that have allowed us to thrive in nearly every climate and landscape we find. For example, taking advantage of an annual salmon run seems a simple task, but sustaining a community and a culture over generations requires understanding more than where to catch a fish. The peoples of the Northwest coast of North America have done what they can to protect and enhance salmon stream habitat, which is the portion of the life cycle they can affect, while trusting the ocean to provide what the salmon need while at sea. The fishers also have paid attention to the strength of the salmon runs, to make sure that enough survived even in lean years to produce the next generation of fish.\n\nThese ideas, embodying care and caution, continue to be relevant if not essential in a world experiencing climate change, pollution, landscape transformation, industrial-scale catches of marine creatures, and ever-increasing demands upon our planet. When human activities and actions threaten to disrupt an ecosystem or any of its components, we have an obligation to consider carefully the consequences of our decisions—and to not claim surprise when something unexpected occurs. Complexity requires us to embrace the uncertainty we will inevitably encounter and to acknowledge that many things lie beyond our control.\n\nWhile we need not treat every ecosystem as delicately fragile, neither can we expect every ecosystem to be resilient in the face of whatever we throw at it. Ecosystems cannot anticipate or plan, so we must be attentive to our interactions with the ecosystems that sustain us. Unfortunately, we have all too much evidence to show what happens when we treat ecosystems as simple, reliable mechanisms that magically provide us with air, water, and food no matter what we do to them. Being aware of the nature of complex systems offers us an alternative, as we consider questions such as those with which this essay began. We need to give the environment our continued attention, recognizing complexity so that we can do our best to avoid problems and can adjust our actions when things go awry.\n\n\nThis piece was originally published in Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9815945625305176}
{"content": "How It Works\n\nWIPIC™ has a handle which contains an electric motor which generates vibrations transmitted to the brush bristles.\n\nintegrated motor\n\nThese Vibrations Have 2 Functions\n\n\nThe movements sent through the brush bristles allow the brush to move itself around on its own. The vibrations naturally and effortlessly guide the brush, making paint application easy. Because of this, the brush deposits paint in a straight line. That's because Wipic™ eliminates wrist movements, which cause fatigue and imprecision.\n\n\nThe vibrations continually push the paint towards the tip of the brush bristles, allowing for the application of a constant layer of paint on the surface being painted. These vibrations are powerful enough to push the paint, but they will never cause paint spray on startup.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999830722808838}
{"content": "\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe wager argument goes like this:\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe most difficult thing about Nietzsche is his name.”\n\nToo many bright people wasted their time on Hegel, let’s move on to something else.”\n\nI only teach Ayn Rand because the funding of my American university highly depends on donations from a bank director who loves Rand. While in fact, she is a bad philosopher and an even worse writer. Europe does right in completely ignoring her.”\n\nToday we will talk about my Karl Marx, my favorite!\n\nThe Ayn Rand professor is the only one who actually gave us texts and a lecture about the philosopher he clearly didn’t like. Nietzsche and Hegel only got the one sentence from each professor. Oddly enough, Marx wasn’t part of the lengthy reader.\n\nOnce they were allowed to teach about philosophers they actually respected, they were all great professors. Both Hegel and Nietzsche were taught by a different professor in another class. The American visiting professor was right, Ayn Rand is, as far as I know, completely absent in European universities. After reading some texts, seeing movies based on her book and listening to the lecture, I get why she is totally ignored.\n\nPolitical and philosophical preferences make the classes more exciting and the university as a whole more interesting. It would be problematic when all the professors would have the same preferences. Luckily, this wasn’t the case at all. During my stay there was a Cold War between continental and analytic philosophers. Such fun!\n\nKazimir Malevich\n\nPosted: December 20, 2013 in History/Philosophy\n\n\n\nA grey and shady gentleman surrounded by the powerful red of the primitive and pure naked bodies.\n\nOn the December the 16th, the world acknowledged the existence of Ukraine. After watching the news on Russia Today, The Young Turks and REAL News there are some things all of them agree on: there is a protest in Ukraine, the country has economic difficulties and the show by John McCain was, to say the least, questionable.\n\nRT focusses on the chaos and economic difficulties the protests created. The protesters can’t do much more than screaming “revolution!” and “down with the president!”Experts Stephen F. Cohen (professor Russian Studies at NYU) and Mark Sleboda (professor International Relations at MSU) were both very explicit in their condemnation of McCain’s appearance. I wonder what the experts would say about the police brutality, the protester’s demands and the role of the EU and Russia. Unfortunately they were only brought in to state the things in the before-mentioned list of inter-media agreements.\n\nTYT is a fun news show, but they seem to lack a strong body of journalist to feed them information. It’s a bit unfortunate how the host remarked that the Ukrainian people don’t want to be the satellite country of Russia. Besides that biased remark, they weren’t able to bring much news. Ukraine exists, there is a protest and since we are for democracy, we support the protest. I wonder what TYT would say about a party like Svoboda, who is currently part of the pro-EU demonstration, but has neonazi connections. Or what about the objections RT made about the huge blockades, chaos and negative influence on the economy? Are protests by definition something we should support?\n\nThe REAL News brought in an expert from the start. Associate professor Jeffrey Sommers of Wisconsin-Milwaukee focusses mainly on the role McCain plays. Just like the RT professors, but with a bit more body, Sommers explained how McCain missed the end of the Cold War. At the end of the interview, the host asks what the people of Ukraine need. Unfortunately, Sommers doesn’t get much farther than stating the awkward situation of Ukrain’s economy and the need to develop the economy. Again, we didn’t get much farther than the list of inter-media agreements.\n\nThe lack of information about the protests in Ukraine, combined with the constant use of so-called experts seems an example of the declining quality of the news organisations. The result is a variety of news shows that, in this case, mainly report three points that everyone could have come up with. RT bothers me in their biased selection of topics and words; TYT made a clearly biased statement as a result of their lack of information; and REAL News doesn’t manage to bring the information in the right format. I sometimes hear these stories how groups of journalists were specialized in specific topics and regions. Not only would they know how to get the information and analyse it, they were also journalist and thus managed to bring the information in a text to the broad masses.\n\nA few years ago I had a first encounter with Slavoj Zizek through through his appearance on a Dutch TV show*. He is funny, provocative and interesting. I’m sure there is no need to introduce him. Sometimes he’s a bit silly. But at other times I’m surprised by his knowledge of various debates in contemporary philosophy. Unfortuantely, some of his writings are working on my nerves. I just read a short article in The Guardian by his hand* about the Mandela memorial and the fake sign language interpreter. Urrgg…\n\nThe conclusion is quite alright:\n\n\n\nEverything before this is unnecessary blabla. He wants to express a political point. In order to do so, he picks a highly mediatized aspect of the event and interprets it so that it becomes useful for his point. It’s fun to read, but I don’t see any value in it at all. You can write about how former Western politicians were in favor of jailing Mandela, about the ideas  of Mandela and how they conflict with contemporary politicians who were present at the funeral, you can write about a variety of topics to support one point Zizek is trying to make here. You can even keep the exact same conclusion! But at least the article would have some valuable information and a line of reasoning that is not just witty, but also sensible.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5503889918327332}
{"content": "How 'scientific consensus' ended up with a bad reputation\n\nAt Arstechnica, they say:\n\nFiction author Michael Crichton probably started the backlash against the idea of consensus in science. Crichton was rather notable for doubting the conclusions of climate scientists—he wrote an entire book in which they were the villains—so it’s fair to say he wasn’t thrilled when the field reached a consensus.\n\nStill, it’s worth looking at what he said, if only because it’s so painfully misguided:\n\n‘Let’s be clear: the work of science has nothing whatever to do with consensus.’\n\n\nIn physics, where particles either exist or don’t, five standard deviations are required.\n\nWhile that makes the standards of evidence sound completely rational, they’re also deeply empirical. Physicists found that signals that were three standard deviations from the expected value came and went all the time, which is why they increased their standard. Biologists haven’t had such problems, but other problems have popped up as new technology enabled them to do tests that covered tens of thousands of genes instead of only a handful. Suddenly, spurious results were cropping up at a staggering pace. For these experiments, biologists agreed to a different standard of evidence.\n\nIt’s not like they got together and had a formal vote on it. Instead, there were a few editorials that highlighted the problem, and those pieces started to sway the opinions of not only scientists but journal editors and the people who fund grants. In other words, the field reached a consensus.\n\nConsensus is the business of politics.\n\nScience, on the contrary, requires only one investigator who happens to be right, which means that he or she has results that are verifiable by reference to the real world. In science consensus is irrelevant. What is relevant is reproducible results.'” As a STEM major, I am somewhat biased toward “strong” evidence side of the argument. However, the more I read literature from other, somewhat-related fields (i.e. psychology, economics and climate science), the more I felt they have little opportunity to repeat experiments, similar to counterparts in traditional hard science fields. Their accepted theories are based on limited historical occurrences and consensus among the scholars.\n\nGiven the situation, it’s important to understand what “consensus” really means.\n\nFull story here\n\nh/t to nerdyalien\n\nHere is a consensus case in point: The book Hundert Autoren Gegen Einstein (A Hundred Authors Against Einstein), is a collection of criticisms of Einstein’s theory of relativity. Published in 1931, it contains short essays from 28 authors, and published excerpts from 19 more. The rest of the 100 against Einstein was a list of 53 people who were also opposed to his theory of relativity for various reasons. 100_gegen_einstein\n\nWhen asked about this book, Einstein retorted with this:\n\n\nIn the case of the ‘Skeptic Science’ claimed ’97 percent’, we have at least three.\n\n\nSurely that must be enough, unless of course this isn’t about science at all, but about the politics of power, oh, and money.\n\n\nnewest oldest most voted\nNotify of\nCraig Mc\n\nWho else but John Timmer, resident global warming hack.\n\n\nHe does have a loyal following, and dissenters are ridiculed mercilessly. More groupthink than frank discussion,\n\nConsensus that is based on hard evidence is perfectly valid [and necessary]. Good examples are Evolution, Expansion of the Universe, Dark Matter, Fusion generating solar and stellar energy, Plate Tectonics.\nNow for each of these there are people that reject the hard evidence for different reasons of their own, none of them scientific.\n\nNecessary for what? To make the models work when they don’t otherwise.\nConversely, what is your opinion of models that work which are not supported by consensus?\n\n\nThat is a very good question. While I respect the opinion of Dr Svalgaard I disagree. I would like to see where in the scientific method consensus is. Where in the flow does that enter? It doesn’t.\nThe people who disagree with the evidence supporting the fields he mentions (Evolution, Expansion of the Universe, Dark Matter, Fusion generating solar and stellar energy, Plate Tectonics) will have to defend their positions with experimental results that the current theory can’t explain or be reconciled with.\nThere may be a consensus of what is solid science but there is no consensus in the scientific method (IMHO). Solid science is always open to challenges and it should be. It just gets harder and harder for those rejecting it as time goes by and their data gets corrected or explained.\n\nScience is a human endeavor and as such consensus is important. A different way of saying ‘consensus’ might be ‘generally accepted’. This concept defines what we call ‘knowledge’ [and all knowledge is contingent and may be replaced one day by more precise knowledge]. This is very much part of the scientific method as practiced by actual scientists [e.g. such as myself]. A consensus provides a basis for further work, a ‘paradigm’, if you like, within which coherent work can unfold. Often the paradigm is eventually overturned to be replaced by a new paradigm [which extends the domain of understanding]. Without a consensus to build upon, much work will be disconnected. A good example of the detriment of a lack of consensus is the Sun-Weather-Climate situation where over the centuries thousands of papers argue for hundreds of findings, often contradictory.\nFrom my own work I can mention the consensus that have been reached about the strength of the solar wind magnetic field over the past two centuries, or the emerging consensus that the sunspot number needs revision. These findings being ‘established’ allow other researchers who may not be specialists in those fields to build on the results with some confidence, but always with the usual caveat that knowledge is fleeting.\n\nAn example of scientific consensus:\nThe paper also points out where the still is debate about what happened further back in time. but having reached consensus on the past two hundred years allows us to direct our energy towards where their still are unresolved problems.\n\nScience celebrates its great moments when one person breaks the consensus, never when the consensus is formed.\nHe first breaks with the consensus, at which time the consensus doubts his sanity.\nScience is not about falsification, nor peer review, nor Publish or Perish, nor consensuses, nor consequences. Science is exclusively about the predictive power of models – period.\n\nThere is no need for consensus when hard evidence supports a conclusion which has never been falsified.\nConsensus as a substitute for the null hypothesis is anti-scientific.\nCatastrophic man-made global warming has to be promoted by a false consensus, since it has been repeatedly shown false and its null hypothesis never challenged.\n\n\nI would phrase it as, “the null hypothesis cannot be rejected”. Thus there is no scientific reason to make policy decisions based on unverified alarming claims.\n\nYes, that’s better. Thanks.\n\n\nLeif….consensus is only necessary when the hard evidence isn’t good enough\n\nThats just cynical (and wrong).\n\n\nNo. Many different theories can explain the same “hard” evidences.\n\n\nWith the caveat that even some of these consensus beliefs may be wrong.\n\n\nConsensus based on hard evidence is natural and unremarkable. The manufactured, weasel-worded, and over-hyped “consensus” is just propaganda.\n\nLil Fella from OZ\n\nConsensus on evolution?\n\nYup. Broad and deep.\n\nBroad, deep and rooted in enormous reams of evidence from multiple disciplines. Testable and repeatable experiments. Classic observations and references to common ancestry predicted before those common ancestors were found.\nThe consensus about evolution is, in its own way, irrelevant because of the preponderance of data and the fact that evolutionary biologists and paleontologists are not only NOT reluctant to share data and found materials but will positively bore you into the ground with their excitement over their discoveries.\nAnd, I will throw this in for free, if evolution were disproved tomorrow, it would not make Creationism any less false.\n\nWhat purpose does consensus serve in Science? Either a theory has predictive skill or it does not.\nIf it does not, if the theory has no skill at prediction, no matter how many people believe in the theory, no matter how grand the consensus, the theory has no value. Worse, the consensus serves as a barrier to alternatives that may well have skill.\nNow lets consider the alternative. The theory has predictive skill. What purpose does the consensus serve in this case? It tells us to use the theory blindly, without considering that in some cases the theory is misapplied.\nThe classic example is the normal distribution. The stock market was assumed to follow the normal distribution, in spite of the large body of evidence that it is a power law distribution. The reason was the large consensus in favor of using the better known normal distribution. After all, it is close enough..\nHowever, as the financial melt-down showed, the market is not a normal distribution. Had investors been aware that the consensus was wrong (and dangerous) they might well have considered that the market is much riskier than a normal distribution would suggest.\nThus, the consensus opinion in science does much more harm than good.\n\nMike Wryley\n\nGood points,\n“Generally accepted” can mean one thing, but “consensus” crosses a threshold, perhaps the first tiny step towards groupthink for the lazy thinker. Anyone perspicacious individual over the age of 50 realizes that not only have they seen “consensus” go up in smoke on numerous occasions, but also the human condition is ripe for self delusion. My motto is I don’t believe any thing unless I see it first hand and even then I’m not too sure.\n\n\nIt’s neither required and was slow to develop for most of your examples.\n\nEvolution? Dark Matter? Sorry mate but there is no science in either of those 2 topics.\n\nI see that you are one of those that choose to ignore evidence…\n\nI’m with Leif on this one. There is an embarrassment of experimental evidence and observations in favour of an old Earth, and of the evolution of life from primitive to complex.\nIt doesn’t require prior belief in evolution in order to accept the evidence (unlike AGW for example), but it does require willingness to let go of religiously inspired, deeply unoriginal creation myths straight of the Bronze Age.\n\nWhat evidence Lief? There has not been one verifiable eyewitness account to evolution. As more biologists study DNA more are coming to the conclusion that there is a master creator. DNA is a computer code and for each new species there must be a recompile. Evolution just doesn’t cut it. But of course you can be part of the false consensus.\nDark Matter is a mathematical concept to try and balance the books on a subject which is theoretically dead as a doornail. Again not a single observation of this so called ‘dark matter’. No matter Leif, the number of learning centers are taking up the electric universe and you will just become another relic that passes away.\n\nsome people are just beyond hope and reach. you seem to be one of them.\n\nMe shrugs shoulders and says “whatever”.\n\nJoseph Murphy\n\nIn those cases the consensus is irrelevant. The evidence speaks for itself. To what end is the consensus necessary that is not achieved with a presentation of the evidence?\n\nIve never heard evidence “speak”. It is necessary precisely because humans are required to interpret the data and we (thank god) haven’t appointed one all powerful science dude to do it for us. We all have unique perspectives and we don’t always agree. It isn’t uncommon for two experts to look at the same evidence and come to opposite conclusions. That is why the 97% consensus on climate change is so remarkable. (very rare and hard to achieve, given out grouchy and independent scientists are)\n\n\nThere are 100 strangers at a cocktail party and one of them is an EXPERT. How do you know who that one EXPERT is? Wait for it……..He’ll tell everyone, of course!\n\nJoseph Murphy\n\nJohn, I am going to take your response seriously although I am not sure if it is sarcastic or not. First, there is not a consensus on much in climate science. If there were the studies that are touting that 97% line would not be such obvious hack jobs. It is PR propaganda from Doran to Cook. While Leif is defending consensus in science from an acute perspective, one that is not lost on me, it is important to take in a full perspective. What are the benefits of relying on a consensus in science? What are the negatives? Can those benefits be achieved another way? In my view consensus brings nothing to the table that can not be achieved in other ways. And furthermore, relying on consensus as a pseudo form of authority has inherrent risks that mankind does not seem capable of overcoming. Climate science case in point.\n\n\nLeif, I noticed that climate change was not on your list. Why?\nThat is in essence the topic, no?\nYour point, from your post, would be what exactly?\nRegards, Ed\n\nThe point is that consensus is good when based on hard evidence\n\n\nIs that the point when things become fact, not consensus?\n\n\nA Theory can be “hard evidence”?\n\n\nyet when wegner proposed his theory, he was derided because the consensus at the time held that tectonic plates didnt move…\n\nPrecisely the point. It is experimental evidence, (in this case observations of geological continuities if South America and Africa were really joined together in the remote past).\nIn point of fact Wegener was derided for his theory of continental drift, and even a conference called which had geologists after geologist present papers on how wrong Wegener was.\nNow there’s an Alfred Wegener Institute out there, and the geologists who attacked him are mostly forgotten,\n\nBut let us not forget that the consensus was right: the continents do NOT drift and plow through the ocean floor. The seafloor is drifting taking the continents with them.\n\nI’d also add that plate tectonics was unknown when Wegener proposed his theory. His theory proposed that continents float like icebergs on the ocean. That would have lead to landforms not discovered.\nIn a sense, Wegener’s insight was before its time. But it didn’t stop his basic proposal from being proven correct (and even measurable with modern satellite instruments)\n\nexactly. Thanks Leif.\n\nDavid A\n\nThe consensus was not right as Leif stated. The consensus disputed the basic idea which was correct. Wegner did not get the process exact, but the continental plates do drift on the mantel.\n\nNo continental plates. Seafloor plates. That is where Wegner [and you] got it wrong. Continents don’t drift. They may break up into pieces which are carried away by the spreading seafloor.\n\nLeonard Weinstein\n\nThe difference between seafloor and continents is that the seafloor is covered with water and has thinner crust. However, they are both parts of solid surface segments which spread apart in some locations, both in oceans (e.g., mid Atlantic) and on land (e.g., iceland), and they subduct at some borders, mostly in the oceans (e.g., Pacific trenches) due to being thinner there. The combination of extruding and subduction drives differential plate movement, including edge to edge slippage and net displacement movement of the continents, and changes in sea shape. The movement causes earthquakes and volcanoes.\n\nDavid A\nIan Schumacher\n\nConsensus is fine. It’s the “bait and switch” that is dishonest i.g. get a consensus on “Earth has warmed and man is probably partly responsible” and then pretend you have a consensus that “Mankind is in serious danger and extreme and drastic measures must be immediately taken”.\nAnd of course we would always do well to take any consensus with a grain of salt. The number of times ‘everyone’ agreed on something only to be shown to be incorrect later on are too numerous to count.\n\nEd Barbar\n\nPlate Tectonics was rejected by the consensus. Consensus is reached because it explains more than the alternatives in a better way.\nReligion is scientific: it explained things. It evolved to better explanations, from many gods to singular gods. Science evolved from religion to explain things even better. Then, there was this new thing, which is things that are so expansive that can not be proven, like string theory and climate science. These are devolutions, and not much better than the original gods, in my estimation.\n\nPat Frank\n\nActually, it seems to me that “many gods,” some of which don’t like others and all of which are limited and fallible, is a better explanation for the chaos on Earth and the indifferently callous fates of people, than supposing a single all-everything god which is necessarily an ethical monster.\n\n\nIMO, A post like Mr Barber’s is best ignored. Life is too short to reply to those. Even one liners.\n\nPat Frank\n\ncouldn’t help myself, Joel. 🙂\n\nPat Frank\n\nMy hard copy of Merriam Webster’s Collegiate (I’ll check my M-W unabridged tonight):\n1: group solidarity in sentiment or belief.\n2a: general agreement: unanimity\n2b: collective opinion\nIt seems pretty clear to me that “consensus” in AGW is of the first kind in fact, and misrepresented as of the second kind by protagonists.\nGo ahead and use the word as you like, Leif, but “consensus” is ambiguous in meaning and any desire for clear communication requires specifying what you mean by it. 1a : general agreement\nIn science it clearly means that as science is not a negotiated arena. If you use it in any other meaning about a scientific subject, it is you that are misusing the concept. This should be clear enough.\n\nPat Frank\n\n“Consensus” in the case of hard evidence is the wrong word, Leif. The correct expression is widespread acknowledgement.\nConsensus typically means a general agreement following some negotiated settlement. Consensus has the sense of a treaty. Science doesn’t work by negotiated settlement, and agreed views in science do not reflect treaty negotiations.\nWidespread agreement means that scientists have individually made up their minds, and have come to a spontaneous general agreement about meaning without any necessary interpersonal negotiation at all. There may have been debate, and in most cases there certainly was some.\nBut debate does not include negotiation, although negotiation may include some debate. The two processes are sort of non-Hermetian.\nIn Chemistry, the debate among Herbert Brown, Saul Winstein, and George Olah about the existence of non-classical ions in certain organic molecules is an excellent example of how agreement emerges among scientists.\nThe debate raged for years, and involved more and more exacting experimental studies. When it was over, there was a general agreement on the meaning of the data and the specific conclusion they warranted.\nThe agreement wasn’t negotiated and it isn’t a consensus in that sense.\nAgreement among scientists is an emergent self-organized phenomenon that arises from individual choices about meaning. The fact that, at the end it looks like a consensus to an external observer, in that many people subscribe to a certain idea, does not mean it is a consensus in fact. Process is critical to the distinction.\n\nIan Schumacher\n\nGood point. Science isn’t about consensus, but there is a large degree of ‘collective consciousness’ and the resulting coincidental agreement, (which still often ends up being wrong).\n\nThe simple dictionary definition of ‘consensus’ is ‘general agreement’. Nothing about a negotiated agreement.\n\n\nYou could say that there was a negotiation of sorts in the years it took to collect and interpret the data and then have people generally accept the results. When you persuade a scientific colleague (or rival) of an interpretation that is still consistent with their view, you have a consensus. It may be a bit different from a political consensus – that is true.\nThe real problem is arguing that because a consensus exists, that it means that it is a fact. It is a logical fallacy but often may be true. The fact that most scientists accept general relativity could be persuasive. But it does not mean people are not allowed to try to rebut it.\nThe second problem w.r.t. climate science is (as others have often pointed out) is that what 97% of climate scientists agree to is much less extreme than how it is portrayed.\n\nPat Frank\n\nLeif, the first definition for consensus in my Merriam Webster’s is, “group solidarity in sentiment and belief.” That definitely implies a group-negotiated agreement, with a good dollop of irrational adherence.\nBill_W, agreed there is a large penumbra of meaning around ‘negotiation,’ ‘consensus’ and so forth. But when the topic is important, it becomes necessary to be sure that everyone applies the same meaning to the centrally descriptive words. I just wanted to distinguish the way scientists come to their agreements (emergent) from the way politicians do (negotiation). The AGW “consensus” (if there really is one) is definitely of the latter.\n1 a : general agreement : unanimity\nb : the judgment arrived at by most of those concerned\n2: group solidarity in sentiment and belief\n\nPat Frank\n\nSorry for the delayed response.\nFrom Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary (Third New International)\n1a: Harmony, cooperation, or sympathy, esp. in different parts of an organism.\n1b: group solidarity in sentiment and belief.\n2a: general agreement.\n2b: collective opinion: the judgment arrived at by most of those concerned.\n3: a formal statement of religious belief.\nVery little there, Leif, showing that critical evaluation of data is a necessary part of consensus.\n\nWell, if you want to cherry pick your source, I can cherry pick mine: The first meaning is ‘general agreement’.\nAnd in science the General Agreement comes about because of the presence of hard and good data. That is what drives scientists individually to general agreement, not as part of a group.\n\nPat Frank\n\nMerriam-Webster’s Unabridged is hardly cherry-picking Leif. It’s the dictionary ubiquitously presented in public libraries as the definitive source of American English usage.\nFor more cherry-picking, here’s Oxford English:\n1: General agreement or concord of different parts or organs of the body in effecting a given purpose; sympathy. Hence transf. of the members or parts of any system of things.\n2a: Agreement in opinion; the collective unanimous opinion of a number of persons.\n2b: Also consensus of opinion, consensus of authority, consensus of testimony, etc.\nThat all said, I fully agree with your comment that, “In science the General Agreement comes about because of the presence of hard and good data. That is what drives scientists individually to general agreement, not as part of a group,” which is pretty much my original point.\n\nYet on their web-site the have general agreement first. So, you are saying that their website does not reflect their current definition. One would think that the print edition would always lag the web version, but you elected to pick the [possibly outdated] print version over the [possibly up-to-date] web version.\n\nThe way scientists themselves use the word ‘consensus’ does not imply any ‘negotiated’ agreement. Each individual scientist makes up his mind without any vote, poll, consultation, or negotiation. So, among scientists ‘consensus’ is not ‘the wrong word’. It is perfectly good. I even gave an explicit example of that.\n\nWilliam Astley\n\nWhat you meant to say if you understood scientific history is in each case noted above, scientific theory changed as there were multiple observations which we now all agree were paradoxes that were not explained by the ‘standard’ theory believed at the time. It is a fact that there was a delay of decades before standard theory changed and it is a fact that many ignored the paradoxes in question, criticized those who attempted to discuss the anomalies and made the assertion the anomalies created a paradox, and/or created incorrect mechanisms in an attempt to maintain the ‘correct’ consensus theory.\nYour selection of solutions (new theories) to attempt to resolve the paradoxes is appropriate as it includes the fundamental physics reason why high altitude regions of the atmosphere are not warming (why more than 90% of the warming in the last 50 years was due to solar magnetic cycle changes) in response to the increased greenhouse gases and the reason why there was a delay in the abrupt cooling of the planet when the solar magnetic cycle decreased and the reason why there is a sudden reduction in the geomagnetic field (ten times faster reduction in geomagnetic field intensity 5% reduction per decade as compared to 5% reduction per century).\nThere is a physical explanation for everything that happens. There are a multitude of fundamental observations and analysis conclusions that supports the assertion that there is something that inhibits the greenhouse gas affect in the upper region of the stratosphere and that the majority of the warming in the last 50 years was caused by solar magnetic cycle modulation of planetary cloud cover (low level , mid level, and cirrus cloud cover, mechanism affect on cirrus clouds is inverse to the affect on low level and mid level clouds). The greenhouse gas inhibiting mechanism in question does not affect the greenhouse gas effect in the lower regions of the stratosphere. Laboratory experiments that were made to quantify the greenhouse gas effect do not include the variable that inhibits the greenhouse effect higher in troposphere.\nIf the above assertion is correct the climate change discussions are about to abruptly change due to observational fact that the planet is starting to and will significantly cool. Neutron count in high northern latitudes is the highest ever recorded during a solar magnetic maximum. Solar wind density has dropped by 40%. The solar polar magnetic field is dropping to the lowest value ever measured at this time in the solar cycle. The solar polar field will not recover. If it is an observational fact the sun is in an anomalous magnetic cycle minimum and the planet is significantly cooling the climate war discussions will change. What we are currently observing has happened before.\nThere is now discussion of crop failures in the prairie region of Canada due to the coldest winter on record in some regions, late spring, heavy anomalous rains during summer throughout the prairie region, and very, very, early snow fall and frosts which is the same ‘weather’ events/pattern that occurred in Europe during the Maunder minimum and that resulted in famine in Europe. It appears unfortunately based on observations that this is a Heinrich event not the 1500 year Dansgaard-Oeschger cooling event which occurred during the Maunder minimum. If solar cycle 24 is the lead in to what causes a Heinrich event, we will need to take action to avoid famine, a 180 degree change in the climate ‘change’ policy.\n\nIan Schumacher\n\nGood point about ‘consensus’ taking a long time to change and pointing out ignored paradox, especially since we seem to be in the middle of one of these paradoxes right now. 🙂\n\nThe solar polar magnetic field falls to ZERO at sunspot maximum in EVERY solar cycle.\n\n\nHeinrich events are large scale irruptions of icebergs into the North Atlantic, hence not possible during interglacials as there is no source of icebergs.\n\n\nFor the 5 examples listed, you state that “there are people that reject the hard evidence for different reasons of their own, none of them scientific.” Other than the area of Fusion generating solar and stellar energy, I doubt that you have had time to examine all rejections in the other 4 areas to make the categorical statement that NONE of them are scientific.\nYes, for Evolution and Plate Tectonics, one could assert without reading every dissent that “none of them are scientific,” but the history of cosmology surrounding Dark Matter and the Expansion of the Universe involves science-based reasoning on many sides – whether or not such reasoning is correct, remains; but at least the majority of it is not faith-based as in Evolution.\n\nI don’t need to examine ALL the rejections [most of them ludicrous – and I have seen many] if the evidence is hard enough. The shoe is on the other foot. For example, the discussion about Dark Matter goes back many decades with steadily strengthening of the case to the point where continued resistance becomes counter-productive. As I said, there will always be people who for their own reasons will oppose almost anything. Such people cannot be taken seriously.\n\nmore soylent green!\n\nAren’t there also people who for their own reason will support almost anything? Case in point, global warming as the excuse to control every aspect of human civilization?\n\n\nNobody is suggesting any regulations or taxes to try to reign in Dark Matter, so it’s a polite discussion. The opposite is true for CAGW\n\nLeonard Weinstein\n\nExpansion of the universe seems reasonable, but the concept of “inflation” as an early stage may be accepted, but still seems unproven to me (it is a hypothesis that seems reasonable, but is not directly supported, it is a plug solution) , and I don’t think the whole story has been told yet. Dark matter is a cop out to explain what they do not understand related to acceleration of expansion rate and some rotation features of galaxies, and use dark matter as a POSSIBLE reason. It still has not been detected, and there may be other reasons for these events. Plate tectonics went against the consensus when it was first described, and for a long while after, but is the present consensus. Your good examples are mostly bad. Consensus is just the majority opinion at a particular time and always subject to change. BTW, the consensus is not pro Evolution, but Creation. I think Evolution is correct, but if you count numbers (even of many scientists) you do not have a consensus.\n\nYour objections are mostly rooted [it seems to me] in plain ignorance. You may [or may not] benefit from reading The amount of Dark Matter is a precise empirical measurement, for example. I’m not here trying to argue against various ill-founded opinions, but rather to point out areas where science has reached healthy consensus on important issues.\n\nLeif, you are putting the cart before the horse. The amount of missing gravitational attraction needed to balance the equations on the gravitational expansion of the universe is know, with a relative degree of precision, but what exactly is the source of that “missing matter” is not known. We can call it “Dark Matter” and “Dark Energy, which is as good a name as any, but it doesn’t mean we know what the word actually means. There’s overwhelming scientific evidence (not consensus, but something much stronger: data) that something is missing, but no consensus whatsoever on what that is. We attach only a few descriptors to dark matter and dark energy, he ones necessary to reconcile the data. Whatever else these things are, is simply unknown, and no amount of consensus on that is possible without a lot more data.\nSimilar situation with climate science. Consensus is not possible without sufficient data, and with the data, it’s no longer necessary.\n\nThat we don’t know what it is does not mean that we should reject that it exists.\n\n\nLeonard Weinstein\n\nLeif, your comments on my ignorance are very unprofessional. My points were not objections, I was mainly just pointed out the frequent shifting of consensus with time, and the lack of clear consensus where it should be clear (Evolution). Using consensus for anything is a slippery slope. BTW, the article you quoted on dark matter (from 2008) stated that in 5 years (2013) that many more measurements would be made, and increase accuracy. I do not see them. Also, there have been very sensitive dark matter detectors made, and results are negative! We simply do not have all the answers yet. As to the inflation, followed by steady growth, followed by acceleration, do you not see the contradiction here? Why would the expansion switch from one to another? I tell you, the story is not yet complete. We truly know so little about the universe and formation, that it is pure hubris to state we have the answers. Where does gravity come from? What are branes and are there other universes/cosmic foam, etc.? As to your point on healthy consensus, a present consensus supports CAGW. I am a skeptic to that consensus, and I am confident it will be overturned. Who are you to choose what consensus is right or wrong. Only time and information sort that out.\n\nThat we don’t know what DM is does not detract from the observational fact that it exists and should not be a catch-all argument for doubting everything in sight. That you don’t see the improved measurements just goes to show that you are not up to date, as I [very professionally] indicated. Newton didn’t know what caused gravity and yet we used his laws to go to the Moon. Here is some information about the progress we have made and here\nCosmology today is a highly precise observational science.\n\nOf course not, and nowhere did I even suggest such a rejection. What is necessary is to form a genuine, testable hypothesis about dark matter and dark energy which can be subject to experiment, detection, or at least compared to the data we have. As of yet, I don’t believe any such hypothesis even exists. At some point, when such theories are developed, scientists will try to evaluate them. The “consensus” at that point might hover around one or several of them as being the most likely to be true. But that consensus is meaningless without hard evidence and data and mathematical support and so on. Once the definitive data is in, the consensus is replaced by a proven theory. So consensus has some value as a way of trying to evaluate an unproven hypothesis, but it’s not the same as scientific knowledge. More a working guide to where to put research efforts.\n\nDark Matter is an observational fact. To find out what it is, is another matter, subject to all the caveats you list.\n\nNo, Leif, DM is not an observational fact. Dark Matter has never been detected. The observational fact is that there is a deficit in all the standard theories that requires some kind of solution. Dark Matter is a proposed solution. But it’s a solution without a working hypothesis that can be tested and proven, much less one that is already observed.\nIt’s similar in some sense to the aftermath of the Michelson-Morley experiments, which showed no evidence for a cosmic ether. That left a deficit in physics that had a number of possible solutions, but none of them panned out until Einstein came along with GR. But GR wasn’t accepted until its predictions were verified by observational data. Dark matter isn’t anywhere near as advanced a hypothesis as Einstein’s proposals, and it lacks confirmational evidence. The only thing confirmed is that a deficit truly exists, and it is huge. And yes, the deficit is “precisely measured”, but that doesn’t mean that Dark Matter or Dark Energy has been precisely measured, since we can’t detect it at all. We only know how much would be required to fill that deficit. What actually does fill that deficit is not yet possible to say. It may be Dark Matter, or it may be a new theory of gravity that makes that unnecessary. Or both. I’d tend to go with both, but it’s premature to say that we. Btw, I’m not some enemy of DM/DE notions. I just think it’s highly premature to declare them precisely measured facts of cosmology. We don’t even know that they are forms of matter at all, only that something is unaccounted for. That’s the only consensus on the whole matter (pun intended).\n\nNo, that was just one of several indications [and the first one to be discovered]. Newer results include the observed fact of gravitational lensing, which allows direct weighing of galaxies, and the height of the bumps of the cosmic microwave background which directly give the ratio of the density of normal matter and dark matter. These are observations and do not point to defects in the standard theories.\n\nAgain, that is merely confirmation of the gravitational deficit, not confirmation of Dark Matter. Obviously something is responsible for that gravitational force, and it’s not absurd to assume that it is from matter of some kind. But it’s certainly premature to say that it must be “Dark Matter”, It could also be an indication that gravity doesn’t work as we presume it does, or is even uniform. There’s all kinds of possible answers that don’t require Dark Matter, many of them I’m sure not even thought of yet. Until we know a helluva lot more about these things, and actually detect something definitive, it remains an open question subject to considerable doubt, which is a healthy thing. You seem to be suggesting that doubting Dark Matter is some kind of violation of the scientific method, when it is part of the method itself.\n\nThe strength of an argument relies on its capability to predict. The size of the bumps in the cosmic microwave spatial spectrum was predicted long ago from the assumption of the existence of Dark Matter and the assumption that the Universe is spatially flat. Observations much later confirm that prediction which, btw, is independent on any theory of gravitation. I consider the existence of DM to be established. You may dither as long as you like, but that does not change the evidence.\n\nLeif, those observational anomalies used to “confirm” the existence of dark matter only confirm the existence of something that we don’t know about, that creates bumps in the CMB and gravitational lensing, and so. The very fact that dark matter simply doesn’t behave like matter at all (it doesn’t even seem to interact with itself) casts doubt on it being “matter” at all. In fact, the only thing that we can say it has in common with matter is that it produces gravitational fields, and responds to gravitational fields produced by ordinary matter. But since we are hypothesizing some completely new kind of phenomena, there’s no reason to presume that we aren’t just looking at something other than matter that produces gravitation. God knows what. But it sure doesn’t behave like anything we know as matter. It’s “dark”, to be sure, but dark what? Until we know the what, we have no business claiming it’s matter. It may well be, but it’s far from certain. And if we are only looking for matter, and not other things as well, we may be wasting a lot of effort.\n\nFor the zillions time. There are not gravitational anomalies. Instead they are direct consequences of Newtonian gravity. And the heights of the bumps in the spatial spectrum of the cosmic microwave background have nothing to do with gravity, but with the speed of sound in the early universe [freshman physics]. You seem to particularly dim [or perhaps just unwilling to learn] with respect to this.\n\nMatter is that which has mass. As simple as that. There is no requirement that matter interacts with electromagnetism [so that we can see it]. Neutrinos are a good example of matter that does not interact with electromagnetism so will always be invisible, but are still matter, albeit with only a tiny mass. Perhaps you deny that neutrinos are matter, or that they even exist.\n\nLet me also point out that in an earlier era, science assumed that heat was an actual substance, a form of matter, called phlogistan. This wasn’t a crazy theory, because heat really did seem to act like a substance flowing from one object to another object. Later research found it was explicable by something else entirely than a fluid substance. The same may well be true of Dark Matter. It may look at first glance when very little data and understanding is available to us, to be some kind of invisible phlogistan-like substance that accounts for all this observational data. But it may turn out to be something else entirely, and not explicable by trying to explain it through the physics of some kind of mass moving through the universe. Sometimes, the realities are hard to grasp or even conceive of, and we fall back into thinking in terms of the conventions of what we know. That seems to be the case with Dark Matter. But the universe keeps proving itself to be stranger than we can think. So we have to re-think what we think we know. I don’t think Dark Matter will be understood without a whole lot of re-thinking.\n\nWhat Dark Matter is, is irrelevant for the fact that it exists. Just like heat exists, even if people didn’t know what it was.\n\nLeif, cool down. Yes, I know the bumps are assumed to be from sound waves passing through some sort of substance, and that the lensing is assumed to be a result of some form of matter moving through a galaxy. I’m just pointing that these are assumptions about what is being observed, not the actual observation of some new form of Dark Matter. What is creating these anomalies (and I don’t mean just gravitational anomalies, but all of them), is not known. It may be an actual form of matter, or it may be something else that is being confused with matter. Or it may be that it’s something else entirely, and that Dark Matter is as illusory to cosmology as phlogistan was to thermodynamics. Way too early to tell. And it probably won’t become clear in our lifetimes.\n\nThe bumps are caused by density differences. Density requires mass, mass is matter. what else is there to discuss?\n\nNo, lensing is caused by ordinary [and well-understood] light passing through mass [i.e. matter]. Nothing mysterious here. Your use of ‘assume’ is silly. If I observe the light from a star, you would say that I ‘assume’ that I’m looking at a star. I will say that there is no assumption, that, indeed, I’m observing a real star, not just ‘assuming’ so.\n\nThis we can agree upon, except that calling it matter already makes a presumption that it is a form of matter, and saying that we know it to be a form of matter based on the evidence is highly misleading. It’s a useful hypothesis, but not a confirmed one. The confirmation is only that the mystery is a real one that needs to be solved somehow by something new to physics. Presuming that it is matter is like presuming that heat is a substance. A lot of misleading deductions get made that only steer the science in a single direction that may well be the wrong one.\n\nThe definition of matter is that which has mass. So you are denying that dark matter has mass, even though it exerts gravitational influence [which we ordinarily use to measure the amount of mass]. I cannot follow you in your particular form of denialism.\n\nThe only bumps are created by the ratios of matter to gravitational strength, and between ordinary matter, and whatever it is we call “dark matter”. It doesn’t have to be a form of matter to change that ratio, it merely has to produce gravity. The density ratio and the acoustic anisotropies would still be same. It does not have to be a substance with “density” causing this, only something that is actually not at all “matter-like” would do the trick. Hence, we call it “dark matter”, meaning “something that produces gravity but doesn’t interact with things, or even with itself, the way matter does”. Sort of like phlogistan.\n\nNo, the bumps are caused by the pressure of sound waves versus radiation pressure. Nothing to do with a theory of gravity. Again: that which has mass and density we call matter, regardless if it interacts with electromagnetism [e.g. neutrinos]. If you choose not to call that matter you marginalize yourself. Fine with me, there are many like you out there.\n\nThe definition of matter is that which has mass.\nYes, but that equation is not one that can be inverted. We cannot say that anything which produces gravity is a form of matter. Not if we are required to invent new forms of matter that don’t otherwise behave like matter at all. It may be that Dark Matter really is a form of matter, or it may be that it’s something else entirely, previously unknown (just as Dark Matter was previously unknown) that creates matter. Again, think of phlogistan, which turns out not to be a substance of matter at all, but a form of kinetic energy. What we call gravity also turned out to merely be a curvature of space. Dark Matter may be something like that, as yet unimagined.\n\nWe can say that, and we do. We define the word matter to mean that which has mass [and density], regardless if it interacts with electromagnetism. So, being able to see something is not part of the definition [or concept] of mass. About curvature: “Mass tells space-time how to curve, and space-time tells mass how to move”. Mass is matter, and matter is mass. What Dark Matter is, imagined or not – understood or not, has no bearing on whether it exists. It does. Occam’s razor tells us not to invent new things when the old will do. “Plurality must never be posited without necessity”, and there is no need to posit am unknown thing when good old matter fits the bill.\n\nUgh, typo. Should read “that creates gravity”, not “that creates matter”\n\nTo be more clear, the acoustic anisotropies are a function of baryonic pressure, not any pressure related to Dark Matter, which of course does not interact with anything or add anything to those acoustic signatures but its gravitational effects. So there is no acoustic density to the Dark Matter being observed. Instead, when the baryonic pressure falls below the amount that allows light to escape, it does so depending on the variations in baryonic pressure that we call acoustic sound waves. As it does so, we notice the variations in this escaping light due to the fact that a large percentage of the gravity is NOT found in these baryonic density waves. THere is no sense in which Dark Matter is thought to be a contributer to these waves. It’s density is calculate purely on the basis of its gravitational contribution, not any ability to conduct sound waves, of which it has none.\n\nYou are beginning to catch on. What we know is the total density and the baryon density, yielding the dark matter density as the difference between the two. That still does not change the fact that dark matter has mass [exerts gravitational influence – not ‘anomaly’] and is therefore matter and exists. Your denial of this is puzzling, but perhaps typical of an unwillingness to accept modern cosmology. I, for one, do not see the need to invent new concepts when old ones will do.\n\nYes, I agree. But that is not the issue here. We are talking about gravity, and the possibility that gravity (meaning the curvature of space) can be produced by something other than mass/matter. Certainly we don’t have any other examples of this, but the same can be said for the phenomena being called “Dark Matter’. So both are possible solutions to the problem. It’s not that only some new form of matter/mass could explain this phenomena. So could a new form of energy or force, or a new way of understanding existing and known interactions within the standard model, that produces gravity by means we do not yet know. It’s just as logical as positing a new form of matter that cannot be detected by any other means, and that really does not interact in any other way with either ordinary matter or itself. There is no “fluid dynamics” of Dark Matter being detected in the CMB, but precisely the lack of it. And the measurement of that ratio is a valid way of looking at the gravitational equivalency between this way of generating gravity and the known way (through mass), but it does not otherwise confirm that we are looking at a form of matter/mass. It’s something new, and that means it could also be a new way of producing gravity (the monopoly of mass may be broken here)\n\nAgain, you are unnecessarily inventing new concepts, where none are needed. And still, what we call it does not change the fact that it exists [which you deny]. You prefer to think it is mysterious, I think it is not.\n\nWe do: neutrinos have mass but do not interact with electromagnetism, i.e. cannot be seen. In fact it was once thought that neutrinos were the dark matter. For various reasons we don’t think that anymore.\n\nNormally I would agree. But the fact that the ONLY thing Dark Matter seems to have in common with ordinary matter is that both produce gravity changes the common sense rostrum of not creating new things. Matter/mass is not the default position any longer, until at least we can find some other commonality between them. That Dark Matter obeys no detectable form of matter-like behavior, and doesn’t even seem to interact with itself, or move as a fluid dynamic that can conduct sound waves, really casts doubt on the classification of it as a form of matter/mass. So it’s not just it’s inability to interact with electro-magnetism that’s troubling. It doesn’t even behave like a substance with mass at all. In fact, I would not be surprised at all if it turned out to be massless, which would account for its lack of fluid dynamics. And thus not even an “it” at all, but something quite different. Phloghistan, after all, is massless precisely because it isn’t a substance at all.\n\nIt doesn’t even behave like a substance with mass at all\nYet is is detected by having mass. Your continuing denial of the existence of what is called Dark Matter is wearing thin. I for one do not share your denial. Perhaps you only deny that DM should be called ‘Matter’. I see no reason it should not, defining matter as that which cause the curvature called gravity. The Higgs field is probably responsible for mass/curvature in the first place. You want to postulate an additional mechanism. That is inventing plurality where none is needed.\n\nAnother point would be that if Dark Matter has mass, it should also have Higgs Bosons. But since it’s not a form of ordinary matter, how could that be? So even the very hypothesis of Dark Matter seems to imply alternative means of having mass that produces gravity, rather than using the Higgs Boson. Why not eliminate the middle man, and go straight to the gravity-producing mechanism that doesn’t use the Higgs Boson?\n\nThat is inventing plurality where none is needed. But do I sense that you accept the existence of what is called Dark Matter, but simply object to the moniker ‘Matter’?\n\nYes, the moniker “matter” is what troubles me. “Dark” is just fine. As for plurality, when we are dealing with such huge “dark” unknowns, it’s best to have multiple solutions and keep everything open and not create new catechisms that aren’t warranted. I would in no way suggest we stop pursuing the dark “matter” hypothesis, but also look at everything else as well, and not reify it with some sort of false consensus that is really just a fall-back position.\n\nBottom line: dark matter exists. There is general agreement that it is matter with mass. People are already designing experiments to look for the particles [some even claim to have seen some]. The default assumption must be that dark matter is Matter and not any yet unknown non-matter, non-mass, mystery. Until we get clear indication that Dark Matter is something un-imaginable, we should not assume that it is. It could well be that ALL our theories [General Relativity, Quantum Mechanics, Maxwell’s Equations, etc] are totally wrong, but unless there are some good evidence for that we cannot proceed on the assumptions that everything is unknown and that we are totally in the dark [so to speak]. This is my general objection to your attitude.\n\nI do not deny the existence of some phenomena causing these observations. But since all of the observations boil down to gravitational factors, that is all that we have confirmed – something that creates a gravitational curvature of space. Obviously that could mean that it is something with mass, but it since we see no other signs of matter involved, it could also be something else as yet unknown. Since we have no examples of matter with these characteristics, it is not crazy or superfluous to hypothesize that there are other ways of producing gravity than we as yet know about. Nor is it a form of denial of any facts.\nNeutrinos also interact with the weak nuclear force. They are also directly detectable and have been detected countless times. Their mass is still a matter of theoretical equation-fitting, required by the current standard model but not detected as of yet. And it’s not at all your standard form of mass. It’s even been suggested that it doesn’t use the Higgs Boson to fulfill its mass requirements under the standard model. So that too is actually a factor in favor of the notion that there’s plenty of room there for other solutions other than the standard “dark matter” hypothesis. Of course, I just remembered that there is no standard dark matter hypothesis at all. It hasn’t even gotten that far.\nIt’s hilarious for you to say that there’s no mystery about Dark Matter, when you also admit you have no idea what it is. Except, that somehow you know that it must be a form of matter. The cognitive dissonance is huge in this one.\n\nBut such alternative mechanisms already exist. They are not wholly outside our imaginations. You brought up neutrinos, so surely you are aware that one of the leading theories about neutrino mass is that it is the result of majorana fields, rather than the Higgs Boson. In fact, there are major scientists trying to test this right now, just as some are seeking to find dark matter. So it’s not some kind of universal consensus as you are trying to make it out to be. If dark matter is something like neutrinos, then its gravitational force may come from something even more esoteric like that.\nI don’t mind your claiming that matter/mass is the default position for first looks, but since we are in wholly new territory, there’s no reason to assume that the default is in any way correct. I would be willing to bet that this whole matter will lead to a major new phase in physics at some point, similar to the disruptions of GR and QM, both of which did not rely on some kind of default. My friends in the field, who have much better credentials than you, are even more out there in private than I am. And I’m talking about a fellow who designed the detector for the LHC, and pretty much every other detector out there. I’m actually pretty conservative on this. These fellows have been of the view that the standard model and GR are broken, and can only be fixed by radically new thinking. Of the kind that won’t come from folks like you.\n\nSo, now we are appealing to authority… Fair enough as experts usually know more than most other people. Physicists working in the field are allowed to speculate, that is how progress in made. The rest of us have somewhat less freedom in that regard. You started out by denying that the phenomenon called Dark Matter existed. The name we give it is not material. Ever since the 1930s the phenomenon has been called Dark Matter [Dunkle Materie]. There is general agreement that Dark Matter exists. Most physicists accept that it is Matter and many are searching for the particles involved. At the same time, it is important to pose ‘what if’-questions and see where they lead, but those are not meant to overthrow the generally accepted paradigm. Sometimes they do, but that is very rare and I don’t think that is the case here. Some people, including, it seems, you are conflating the probing at the borders of the known with a licence to throw away all solid progress already made.\n\nOf the kind that won’t come from folks like you\nAnd apparently not from the 263 authors of\nDark matter is an established fact [as much a fact that is usually required for being a ‘fact’.\nThe density of Dark Matter is found to be 5.41 times that of baryonic matter. [section 3.3]\n\nMy general impression as an outsider to the field is that there’s something of a discontinuity between the astrophysicists and the particle physicists on the question of dark matter. Most of the people I know are particle physicists, and they are much more skeptical of these deductions from astrophysical observations. It would seem natural that you are more in touch with the astrophysics community, and so naturally agree with their assumptions and conclusions. My personal impression is that the astrophysicists are painting themselves into a corner, but that’s not a big problem except for them, and they seem happy with it for now. Truth will out eventually, one way or the other. Thanks for the conversation, however heated it may have gotten.\n\nPhysicists also had precise calculations of the density of the cosmic ether before Michelson-Moreley. And I bet they had some good numbers on the characteristics of phlogistan long ago also. Making deductive calculations from unproven premises makes for hilarious after-party embarrassments.\n\nRobert B\n\nScience is where you have repeated the work yourself. Everything from collecting the data to the checking the maths. We keep forgetting this because its impractical to repeat everything and this is where consensus becomes important.\nMost sceptics are sceptical because they did check something that was part of the consensus and it was found to be dubious. This makes the consensus irrelevant.\n\nProbably just shows examples on confirmation bias. Most skeptics are not capable of checking anything.\n\nDavid A\n\nRobert B\nSeptember 9, 2014 at 9:06 pm\nLeif Svalgaard\nSeptember 9, 2014 at 9:10 pm\nLeif, how did you come to this assertion, Did you do a scientific study? (If not perhaps you should yourself check before making such an assertion) If so I hope it was better then the Cook study.\nDo you really think most people are incapable of reading a global T graph and seeing no warming, and at the same time finding out that there is no increase in hurricanes, droughts etc.; an endless list of failed predictive disasters?\n\nJust looking at other people’s graphs does not qualify as a ‘study’ in my book.\n\nI don’t know about you, Leif, but for me EVERY scientific truth is valid until proved otherwise.\nAfter all, this is the meaning of skepticism, isn’t it?\nThe trick is to supply evidence.\nI do not see one in climate science yet. I do see a lot against the CAGW theory, though.\n\n\nI disagree. Consensus based on hard evidence is worth exactly zero compared to the hard evidence. And no amount of consensus bypasses the need for hard evidence.\nBtw, not one of your examples relies on consensus for validity and dissenting scientific views do exist (even when having less support than those mainstream for a variety of reasons). Inform yourself.\n\nSometimes the hard evidence is simply ignored and that is where consensus becomes important. Hard evidence without consensus is worth exactly zero.\n\nIan H\n\nDark matter is a very odd choice. We don’t know much about it at all. It really is just a fudge factor to get Einstein’s equations to generate the right answer. How can we have consensus about something we don’t understand? Indeed it is entirely reasonable to hold the position that Dark Matter may not exist at all and if we just fixed up Einstein’s equation the need for it to balance our equations would disappear.\n\nThis has nothing to do with Einstein’s equations. The observational evidence for DM does not rely on those. And as for not knowing what it is: we happily use Newton’s equations about Gravity, even though he refused to speculate about the cause or reason for gravity.\n\nrichard verney\n\nThere are two distinct differences between the examples cited by you and climate science.\nFirst, in the vast majority of your examples, no scientist in the field would claim that the science is settled in that field, and most scientists would readily accept that there are large lacunas in our knowledge and understanding of that field of science.\nSecond, they are not used to dirve political ends, and not being used to impoversih society and keep the 3rd world un developed.\nWhilst I would not be impressed by consensus in the field of climate science, I would have no problem in their being consensus in a field which is in its infancy, if it was kept to being the back water that that science is, and was not being used to drive political ends.\n\n\nLeif writes “Consensus that is based on hard evidence”\nThe case for dark matter is one based on circumstantial evidence, not hard evidence.\n\nDark Matter is an observational fact. We lack the theory, but we know the presence of DM from its gravitational effects. I consider that hard evidence. An example: we observe a spectral line of a certain element in the light from a star. That is hard evidence that the star contains that element even though we have never held a piece of the star in our hand.\n\nI think you missed the point. We have the evidence – but not the substance. Dark matter is a holding name for what has not been discovered yet. That is the point. it may be unicorns. We know something should be there from the evidence, but have not ‘discovered’ it yet.\n\nThere is confusion here. Dark Matter, like Gravity, has been detected and exists and we know rather precisely how much of there is. We do not know what it is, as we did not know what Gravity was before 1915, but to deny the hard observational evidence is just plain silly. But there is much other silliness around as well, so one should not be surprised.\n\nThe “effects” of dark matter have been detected. Dark matter itself has not been. So we know more about what it is supposed to do, than we know of it. The distinction is critical. Long before the neutron was “discovered” the properties were described and quantified. We knew it was there, but had not yet “found” it. Dark matter is the same way.\n\nPat Frank\n\nPoor analogy, Leif. We can measure atomic spectra right down here on Earth. So far as I know, there is no direct detection-level data for dark matter.\n\n\nWhat is an observational fact is that the galaxies move as if there were more mass there than we can detect. Its a compelling argument but your understanding on “hard evidence” is way off Leif.\n\nno, the galaxies move according to Hubble’s law, not requiring more mass, nor dark matter. Galaxies rotate in a manner consistent with DM and the existence of clusters of galaxied does the same, but the amplitudes of the bumps in the spatial spectrum of the cosmic microwave background determine the amount of DM [i.e. non-baryonic matter] regardless of how the galaxies move. The amount of gravitational lensing shows us the amount of DM and its distribution in space, again regardless of how the galaxies move. It is becoming tedious to point this out again and again. Perhaps this is a result of the new threading of comments that scatter comments among several different threads.\nHere is a review of the evidence for DM:\n“The existence of Dark (i.e., non-luminous and non-absorbing) Matter (DM) is by now well established [1,2]”\nThe emphasis have [because of the strong consensus] moved from whether DM exists to what DM is and how one might go about finding out.\n\nThe Bullet Cluster is a particularly good piece of evidence for the existence of Dark Matter:\nOf course, as with all evidence, there are people who deny the evidence, sometimes with ingenious arguments which usually do not sway serious scientists. You may be able to google some of the more silly ones.\n\nAgain, Leif, these gravitational anomalies only prove that something is creating a gravitational anomaly. It’s circular reasoning to say that this hard evidence that Dark Matter exists, since that’s just the name we are giving to whatever is causing the gravitational anomaly. Of course “Dark Matter” exists, if that’s they very way in which it is defined. But that proves nothing more than that there’s a gravitational anomaly that must have a cause of some kind. If we have no idea what “Dark Matter” is, other than something that creates gravitational anomalies, we have not further advanced our understanding of those anomalies. If that’s not true, please tell me what more is understood by calling that cause “Dark Matter” that we didn’t already know from the anomaly itself. I’m not being facetious either. I’d really like to learn something here rather than just having this circular argument about nomenclature.\n\nAgain, the bumps in the cosmic microwave background that shows us how much dark matter there is is not a gravitational anomaly, but have to do with propagation of sound waves. Perhaps it comes down to defining what ‘matter’ is. A generally accepted definition [the consensus if you will] is that matter is what has mass, and therefore has a gravitational effect: gravity = mass = matter\n\n\nLeif writes “no, the galaxies move according to Hubble’s law, not requiring more mass, nor dark matter. ”\nWow. replace “move” with “rotate”. You should have understood that from its context Leif. This conversation is fruitless.\n\nIt isn’t consensus when the evidence is overwhelmingly present anyway. It’s consensus when the evidence is tentative and in question, but scientists feel the need to come to some kind of conclusion in any case, that’s not warranted by the evidence, but is necessary for some purpose outside of science.\n\nThat is not the way ‘consensus’ is used among scientists. For an example:\nConsensus means that the evidence is so good that even people who earlier disagreed strongly, now accept the finding as a fact.\n\nI’m talking about the way “consensus” is used in climate research, or in general political discussion, which these days amounts to the same thing. When the evidence is overwhelming, there’s no need for a consensus, because the evidence speaks loud and clear.\n\nIn science there is still need for consensus because some people refuse to accept the hard evidence, e.g. for Dark Matter. The danger is that the political aspect of ‘consensus’ will pollute its scientific meaning [for people who do not know the difference]\n\nLief, there is no “hard evidence” for DM/DE. There’s hard evidence for a deficit that something must be out there filling in, but DM/DE is merely a proposed solution to that deficit, not a confirmed one. As I said above, the consensus is that the deficit is real. If there’s a consensus that DM/DE is what fills that deficit, it’s not something based on hard evidence, but on not having any better ideas. When/if DM/DE is actually detected, confirmed, and understood, then there’s no need for a consensus anymore, it’s just a fact. As I’ve said, my guess is that there will need to be a major revolution in physics before any of that can happen, just as with Einstein’s GR. And that will wipe away most of the current notions about the whole issue. It might even make DM/DE go away entirely, or completely change our concept of what fills this cosmological deficit.\nAs I also said before, the “consensus” on things like DM/DE is mostly about scientists deciding where to put their research energies and monies. It doesn’t mean these things are established truths, only that they are where the most productive research is likely to come. I’m not at all opposed to that way of using a “consensus”, and I think research into DM/DE is a fine use of money and brain power. But let’s not put the cart before the horse.\n\nAs explained in another comment, the ‘deficit’ is just one of several pieces of evidence. I am sometimes amazed at people’s wish to avoid learning something. We are in a Golden Age of discovery right now, and yet, you will not take the trouble to inform yourself. Go figure.\n\nLeif, your logic is very similar to that of warmists. Yes, we have warming, and yes, GHGs have radiative properties that can produce warming, therefore the warming is produced by GHGs. Unfortunately, this presumes that nothing else could be responsible for the warming.\nWith Dark Matter, it’s even worse. Yes, we have a gravitational deficit, not just at the universal level, but at the galactic level, and no none form of matter that could fill that deficit, so it must be an unknown form of matter. Let’s call it “Dark Matter”, and declare we have discovered and confirmed and measured it. But since we don’t even know what Dark Matter is, and have never encountered it elsewhere, it could literally be anything, and doesn’t even have to be a form of matter. It’s just something that produces gravity. But rather than saying we just discovered something that produces gravity without being a form of matter, we choose to conceptualize it as “Dark Matter”. Not unreasonable, of course, but hardly convincing. Another example of the humility scientists need to acquire when it comes to their claiming to know how the universe works. We are very, very early in the scientific pursuit of knowledge about these things. Show some of that humility for a change.\n\nAgain, you are not up to snuff. DM is not a deficit but an excess and the evidence for its existence does not depend only of a theory of gravity.\n\nLeif, your grasp of the issue at hand is what is lacking. By “deficit” I did not mean a lack of gravitation, but a lack of sufficient matter in the universe to explain the gravitational forces observed. That deficit is explained by the hypothesized presence of Dark Matter.\nAnd clearly we don’t have an adequate theory of gravity if it requires the presence of undetectable matter (not to mention undetectable “Dark Energy” to explain its observable effects. We should hardly be surprising.\nAnd by undetectable, I don’t mean to deny the observations of these gravitational anomalies. I mean the fact that we can’t detect something here on earth or in nearby space that supposedly constitutes over 80% of the matter in the universe. Is there a plausible theoretical explanation for the absence of these gravitational anomalies in our corner of the universe? Again, I don’t ask that rhetorically, but for real edification of the issue. Because if we could detect it here on earth, and study its nature, and then make extrapolations to distant phenomena as you have stated, that would be a genuine confirmation that we are really observing a new form of matter.\n\nAgain, the observation of the bumps [caused by ordinary sound waves] in the spatial spectrum of the cosmic microwave background tells the ratio between the amount of dark matter relative to that of normal matter and does not rely on gravitational anomalies of theories of gravity.\n\n\nExactly. As usual in science, what we have here is a consensus of scientists as a consequence of the consensus of evidence. Only robust counterevidence, and a robust alternative theory, can overturn that. Conspiracy theories, stolen emails or a 200 million hit count don’t do much to change this scientific fact. (it may confuse public opinion though… and that’s the point, of course)\n\nDavid A\n\nFailed predictions in conjunction with failed climate models however do. And desperate money grubbing academics and scientists cannot change that.\n\n\nI see. Research grants are an economic power that dwarf the vunerable and fragile multi-trillion dollar fossil fuel industry. Predictions have been pretty good, BTW (Rahmstorf 2011), even if not perfect. We’re talking about real science, of course, which is NOT the case of ‘skeptic’ predictions.\n\nYou write\n\n\nYou are joking, aren’t you?\nThere is no evidence for man-made global warming; none, zilch, nada.\nIf you can find one jot of such evidence then publish it because you will then certainly be awarded at least two Nobel Prizes.\nThree decades of research conducted world-wide at a cost of over US5$billion per year has failed to find any such evidence. Ben Santer claimed to have found some such evidence in the 1990s but that was soon found to be an artifact of his selecting a short sequence of data from the middle of a data set.\nThe Climategate emails that were leaked as part of Climategate – including the leaked emails from me – were not “stolen”.\nIn so far as there is a “consensus of scientists” then it has to be the Oregon Petition which refutes the global warming scare because attempts to obtain similar numbers of scientists to support the scare have all failed.\n\n\nEmpirical evidence of CO2 increasingly retaining infrared in the atmosphere… CO2 isotopical composition indicating fossil fuel origin… Yes, if you discard all the evidence, there is none left. Zilch, nichts, niente, nada.\nOregon petition is a great project. There are few scientific petitions that include Hawkeye from MASH and Geri Halliwell. And come on, you don’t debunk science with a petition. You thought you did?\n\nYour reply to me says in total\n\n\nCome on, even a third-rate internet troll usually manages to do better than that!\nThe increase to atmospheric CO2 concentration may or may not be anthropogenic (i.e. a result of human activities) or natural in part or in whole\nThe direct indication of the isotope data is that at least two thirds of the CO2 is NOT of “fossil fuel origin”.\nFor sake of argument, assume the increase to atmospheric CO2 concentration is entirely anthropogenic, then there is no indication of CO2 increasingly retaining infrared in the atmosphere.\nAssume that CO2 is increasingly retaining infrared in the atmosphere, and that does NOT mean there will be an inevitable and discernible increase to global average surface temperature anomaly (GASTA). There could be a change to lapse rate or alteration of thermal transport rate(s) around the climate system.\nYes, if you tell lies as evidence then you can pretend some evidence exists for anthropogenic global warming.\nI repeat, if you can find any evidence for anthropogenic global warming then publish it because you will then certainly be awarded at least two Nobel Prizes. Three decades of research conducted world-wide at a cost of over US5$billion per year has failed to find any such evidence.\nThe Oregon Petition is not science. I said it is not science. It is an answer to untrue propaganda such as ‘Cook’s cooked 97%’. You lie when you pretend I said otherwise. And it is a foolish lie because people only need to scroll up a few inches to see what I did say,\n\n\nStrong words, man. Much more like someone who wants to intimidate, than someone who’s confindent on the findings of his published work – E&E, of course. Please give Sonja my best.\nSince we emit roughly double as much carbon than the amount that stays in the atmosphere, where does all our carbon go? And what is the misterious natural source of carbon that became incredibly active exactly when we started emiting a lot of carbon?\nDoes your paper address these questions?\n\n\nYeah, didn’t think so…\n\nI repeat, if you have managed to find a jot of evidence for man-made global warming then state it because nobody else has managed to find such evidence.\nBut, of course, being unable to provide any evidence – as trolls always do – you try to hide your failure to provide any evidence by changing the subject to silly questions and ridiculous insults.\nAlmost all the carbon circulating in the carbon cycle is in the oceans and during each year the oceans release then sequester several times more CO2 than the total of all CO2 emissions from human activities. You say you cannot think of where the carbon emitted from human activities goes and that is not surprising because yoju have yet to demonstrate an ability to think.\nAt issue is what the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would be in the absence of the human emission. Without that knowledge we cannot determine what – if any – effect the emission from human activities has on the amount of CO2 in the air.\nAnd your trolling does not and cannot alter the fact that there is no evidence for man-made global warming – none, nada, zilch – which is why you have not presented any. Pointing out your failure is not “strong words” and is not “intimidation”. It is an invitation for you to ‘put up or shut’: provide some evidence if you have found some.\n\n\nMan, why so shy of sharing the results of your own paper? Are the best arguments in it ad hominems like your post? Thought so. A troll’s attitude, by the way. Psychological projection is a common trait among deniers. Paranoia about conspiracy theories too.\nIncrease in downward longwave radiation, and its decrease at the top of the atmosphere are direct evidence of the enhanced greenhouse effect. The frequency spectrum analysis of this rediation point to increase of greenhouse gases as the cause, mainly CO2 (disagree?). Our own emissions are more than enough to justify all observed increase in CO2. You didn’t even deny that (do you?). You just point vaguely to the ocean as a place where all our carbon went – and presumably that’s where all the atmospheric carbon came from (right?). Exactly when we started emiting our own CO2. Right.\nSo, summing it up:\n– all our carbon went to the ocean.\n– the mean ocean started releasing a lot more carbon when we released ours – but the atmospheric CO2 is not human in origin. The ocean just wanted us to look bad.\nNo wonder it just got to be published at E&E.\n\n\nNo And each of these theories had to overcome an existing consensus. But Darwin’s theory, for example, has proven wrong in several details, despite a consensus.\n\nmore soylent green!\n\nMany of us are unaware Darwin’s theory of evolution has been proven wrong. Why does it persist as a scientific theory? Can you provide some proof?\nBTW, I’m aware of much legitimate criticism of the theory, but none that rise to the level of disproof. Macro-evolution in which dinosaurs evolve into birds, is extremely difficult to scientifically “prove” [a misnomer, I know] because of the spotty nature of the fossil records. It’s also hard to show how complex organs, such as the human eye, evolved from simpler tissues.\nRELATED: I don’t know of anybody who has created computer models as proof of evolution, either.\n\nmore soylent green!\n\nYou make some very good points. However, in climate science, term “consensus” has been abused. Disagree with one or more points of contention with legitimate scientific criticism and you will be dismissed and ridiculed because there is a “consensus.” “Consensus” is used to avoid debate and avoid discussing issues which make climate scientists and global warming activists uncomfortable. “Consensus” is used to ridicule and squash dissent.\nHow many times have we heard — “It’s settled science. There is a consensus.”\nConsensus which persists dispute contrary hard evidence is an insidious problem.\n\n\nConsensus might well be “valid” if it recognizes empirical evidence, but it is neither necessary nor sufficient for supporting the validity of an hypothesis. It is simply be an emergent social reality (among interested scientists) that may be employed as an authoritarian short cut in an argument. And, let us not forget that someone with the last name of Svaalgard persists in pointing out that sunspot data is problematic and that “consensus” generalization based upon misperceptions of the reliability of that data are therefore quite wrong. Should we reject his explanatory work simply because it contradicts a consensus? I don’t think so.\nThere is a “consensus” that the planet is warmer now than during the depths of the Little Ice Age, and for that matter far warmer than at the depths of the Wisconsinan glacial. There also empirical evidence that the planet is cooler now than during the early Holocene, and also good empirical support for highstands of sea level during the Holocene that are ignored by the “consensus.” There was also for a time a consensus that AGW appeared to be a reasonable hypothesis based upon Arrhenius’s laboratory results. In contrast, the models of the IPCC reflect a “consensus” that the world presently must be warmer than the available real-world data show it to be. Indeed, the deviation between the ensemble of models and empirical data now appears to be statistically significant. That “model consensus” is therefore mistaken. The mistake could be minor – simply over-emphasis or mistaken sign on the influence of CO2 on weather. It could however be major: important elements left out of the physical model of weather, or even a mistaken physical model of how weather emerges. So, it would seem that the AGW consensus may well be as faulty as the “consensus” regarding the influence of sunspots and solar maxima on weather.\nConsensus is a vox populi fallacy and is irrelevant in science. All it tells us is what a large number of people think; not whether they are right in what they think or not.\n\n‘Consensus’ does not mean that the subject is necessarily true. but only that most scientists have stopped arguing about it and accept the subject as a basis for further work. Without such consensus most work will be disconnected. Scientific consensus results when the evidence becomes strong enough that objections are marginalized. There is no ‘negotiation’ taking place. So ‘consensus’ means something else than what most lay people think. It is like the word ‘theory’. In science, that word means ‘a shorthand for a large body of facts’ and is a description of our knowledge about the subject, while to most lay persons it means something that is uncertain and hardly supported by evidence, almost akin to mere opinion. Scientific consensus is good just as scientific theories are good.\n\nLeonard Weinstein\n\nLeif, there are several stages to ideas: Guess, hypothesis, theory, and law. The difference is large amounts of supporting DATA and total lack of falsification. When an idea becomes a theory that is supported by much data, and especially when it rises to the level to be called law, you can say a scientific consensus has been reached, but after the fact. The theory or law does not become enabled by counting heads, but by the supporting evidence. Even laws can be overturned (Newton’s by Einstein, and Einstein by quantum mechanics), although they may still be useful in limited ranges. If scientists are so biased that they object to a well established theory or law, they need to falsify some factor. Consensus plays no direct part to this. A consensus forms on a theory or law after it is established, it does not cause it to be valid. Many consensuses are later overturned. The only point to accepting a theory or law is strong supporting evidence, and lack of falsification, not a consensus (which is more apolitical response).\n\nSir, although not a “scientist” in the sense of peer reviewed published papers etc., I must point out there are a considerable number of scientists whose credentials in physics, astrophysics, astronomy, biology, and other sciences who seem to have rejected the “hard evidence” with what appears to be sound scientific reasons. Skepticism of current “consensus” science should not be limited to “climate science” at all, nor should the Cathedral of grand poohbahs be allowed to shunt evidence of alternative explanations of, e.g., currently observed physical astronomical events or conditions aside for the sake of invested careers. The current state of astrophysics is entirely a mathematical construct which seeks to invent wilder and wilder explanations to fill the gaps in observed reality- just like the global warmists. Astrophysics models continue to fail, while mathematicians continue to scribble new equations to justify their “theories”. The red shift was called into question nearly 80 years ago, along with the great god Einstein’s work, but the Cathedral marches on with the white coated priests pontificating for their worshipful audience.\n\n\nLeif Svalgaard: I don’t know enough about the Expansions of the Universe, Dark Matter, and Fusion to answer your statement, but I was taught what is science, defined by the scientific method, and evolution—you need either to change the methodology of science, as taught by Dr. Richard Feyman, Dr. George Gaylord Simpson, Dr. William S. Beck, et al, or change the definition of the Theory of Evolution, as taught by Dr. George Gaylord Simpson, Dr. William S. Beck, Dr. Stephen Gould, et al, in order to make Evolution a scientific theory. Absent changing one or the other, Evolution cannot be a scientific theory. Simple logic teaches that.\nEvolution is a theory, but not a scientific one.\nYet there’s a consensus that evolution is a “scientific fact”, a consensus built up the same way as that for CAGW—refuse to debate, take editorial control over the “scientific journals” and refuse to publish papers by those who don’t toe the line on Evolution, if a professor use his influence to prevent people who don’t believe in Evolution from getting advanced degrees in science or at least make it more difficult, again as a professor or dean hire only true believers as professors and fire any non-believer who might have slipped in, call those who don’t believe “ignorant”, “anti-science” and a spate of similar epithets, and so on. This is a manufactured consensus, not one based on the evidence.\nAs for Einstein’s Special Relativity, there were good objectors to his theory based on good scientific reasoning, but they were marginalized as well. For example, Tesla found that Relativity and Quantum Mechanics predicted different results than what he was finding in the lab. Dr. Thomas G. Barnes from UTEP, after retiring, redid the math for the 1911 experiment and found a mistake—one of the values used in the formulae was incorrect. The corrected value was discovered decades after the experiment. When he plugged in the corrected value, it significantly changed the results such that had the corrected valued been used in 1911, Special Relativity would have failed.\n“Consensus” has gotten a bad reputation because of its misuse in examples as above.\n\nNZ Willy\n\nLeif Svalgaard stated: “Consensus that is based on hard evidence … examples are … Expansion of the Universe, Dark Matter, … Plate Tectonics.”\nI must, Cassandra-like, point out that each scientific discipline has its area where things are unclear. Today’s science has marvellously come up with a new technique for dealing with the unknown: they quantify them, and give them a label. In astronomy, the unknown factors are “dark matter” (ie, 90% of matter is missing) and “dark energy” (~80% repulsive energy missing). All it actually means is that these are the quantifications of the discrepancy between theory and observation. Note that “dark matter” does not have to be matter at all — so for Leif to state that “dark matter” is “hard evidence” is, well, waaay out there.\nBut it gets worse. Consider thermodynamics, a picturesque science which all science undergraduates enjoy and which imbues them with purpose, as enthalpy and entropy combine to give a perfect model of energy conservation, a thrilling experience for the impressionable — until you realize that entropy is just another form of dark matter — simply the gap between experiment and theory. The fact is that scientists have no effing idea where the lost energy goes, so they quantify it and call it “disorder”. It’s just another quantified label which could have been written as “qwertyuiop” (as Feynman might say).\nPtolemy could have quantified the discrepancy between his orbitals and the observed orbitals with “dark orbitals” of 10%, and held Copernicus at bay (ignoring Aristarchus for the mo, who uncovered all this 2400 years ago). We could be living in a world of “dark orbitals” today.\nLastly, Leif, plate tectonics, which were consensus-like denied for 50 years. No use parading them now as an affirmation of “hard evidence consensus”. I consider Leif as a glorious bright light of science, but in the big scheme of things, it’s all relative.\n\nUsing gravitational lensing [look it up] we measure the total mass of a galaxy, regardless of what it is [baryons or dark matter]. So we do not make up a fancy name for something mysterious. The mass is there. Using the spatial power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background we measure the ratio of the amount of dark [non-baryonic] matter and normal baryonic matter and find that there are 5 times as much of the former as of the latter. These findings are not made for the purpose of patching up some theory, they are observational facts.\n\nNZ Willy\n\nWhat you mean to say, Leif, is that the gravity is there — or its equivalent which bends the photons’ paths. We can conjecture mass as the originator — but it’s not ordinary mass, so it could be non-baryonic mass, or something else altogether. Maybe an extra dimension bends those paths. We don’t actually know the reason.\n\nThe simplest explanation and the one that fits the other evidence is that it is just ordinary mass, so we go with that. It is like when Neptune was discovered: something was gravitationally tugging at Uranus; one could dream up all kinds of unknown unknowns for that, but it turned out to be just ordinary attraction from a mass. When we observe stars wobble we conclude they have planets although we cannot see them.\n\nNZ Willy\n\nI agree with your analogy, but “dark matter” isn’t “ordinary mass”. It is new physics promulgated in 1998 — an “unknown unknown”, to use your phrase. We don’t actually disagree here — except that you think of “dark matter” as a form of matter. It’s unnecessary to be so specific. What is “matter” anyway? If it is “whatever makes gravity”, then you are right. If matter is defined as baryonic, then “dark matter” isn’t matter. Since it comes down to the term, we’re back to Feynman’s “wakalixes” of which he says “there’s no knowledge coming in. It’s just a word”.\n\nPerhaps this will clear up your thinking\nIf something that mass it is matter. Try to kick a stone, the bigger the stone [more matter, more mass] the more your toe will hurt. ‘Matter’ is not just a word. Your toe will tell you.\n\nBut Leif, the gravitational anomaly observed in these instances is not being assumed to come from some sort of missing matter as we know of it, but of an entirely new form of matter that is otherwise undetectable and which had never been observed or even theorized to exist to explain any phenomena here on earth. When Uranus’ gravitational anomaly was observed, scientists did not have to theorize an entirely new form of matter to explain it, merely a previously undetected mass of ordinary matter – Neptune. So that analogy falls apart.\nI suppose it’s fair to say that theorizing a wholly new and undetectable form of matter to explain the observed anomalies is marginally simpler than pinning the cause on some even weirder form of space-time twisting or a new form of electromagnetism, etc., but that depends on one’s point of view and subjective notions of what’s simpler. But that hardly makes it true and verified by the mere fact of the anomaly itself. Simpler exaplanations are not necessarily valid. A cosmic ether is much simpler than GR, but it happens to be false.\n\nThat dark matter has not been predicted to occur on or near the Earth is not really true. We have measured the density of dark matter in the solar system, and the 2nd bump in the CMB spatial spectrum was predicted more than 40 years ago, long before it was actually observed. And the analogy with Neptune holds. To be ‘matter’ it is not necessary to be baryonic, and Neptune was actually later observed [although nobody has held a piece of Neptune in his hand – which seems be your criterion for existence]. With the intense search going on for dark matter, it is only a question of time before we figure out what it is. There are already claims of detection, although most people in the business think the claims are premature.\n\nLief, as much as I respect your posts, please provide even a smidgeon of hard evidence regarding Dark Matter. The reason people reject this specific “hard evidence” is because there isn’t any. There is a lot of hand waving and Sherlock Holmes references, but belief in the prevailing Dark Matter thoughts is akin to religion, not science.\nHave Fun!\n\nRobert Boyd\n\nConsensus is fine just as long as it is not promoted as if it was evidence. Evidence is the root of consensus not the converse.\nAnd that is the problem.\n\nLsvalgaard, 9/18/14 @ 7:20 am: I have stressed again and again that the experimental evidence drives the consensus. The examples I gave are examples of the hard evidence it takes to convince scientists that there is a consensus.\nSeveral aspects of science, missing in your mental model of science, are evident in these two lines.\n(1) You can’t quantify any consensus, therefore it does not exist scientifically. A consensus among whom? Those who publish in compliant professional journals? The members of some professional society? The people who work on the same floor with you? The people who dutifully obey the positions of experts, their supervisors, or their editors? Assuming a consensus might be significant and hence interesting, then for any consensus one might actually quantify, who comprise 100%?\n(2) The problem is not what drives a consensus, but what you suggest the consensus might drive. A consensus is not “hard evidence” to drive any model, no matter how the consensus was formed. No model exists in science which makes an appeal to a consensus. The best models, the one’s with scientists’ names attached, are those that break with a consensus, and indeed the journal narrative that goes with the model may feature what was heretofore the accepted model, flaws or not.\n(3) Your “hard evidence” is undefined, beyond your implication that it is empirical. The “hard evidence” of science comprises facts that fit model predictions, where fit is measured in probability. Science doesn’t care what scientists or laymen feel or believe, or what it takes to convince them of any position with respect to a model. Those are the purview of Education and Psychology.\n\n1) You can’t quantify any consensus\nOf course I can. Just count the people\n2) The problem is not what drives a consensus,\nConsensus is driven by hard evidence. Consensus among experts is important for scientists that are not experts.\n3) Your “hard evidence” is undefined\nHard evident is very well defined, namely as that which compels a consensus.\n\nBy including ‘expansion of the universe’, ‘dark matter’, and ‘fusion generating solar and stellar energy’, your definition of ‘hard evidence’ must include ad hoc mathematical assumptions.\nA general consensus can be reached in science, because scientists may generally agree that a given theory is accurate. However, consensus cannot be simply injected into a theory as new evidence in favor of the theory.\n\n\n\nI’ve worked on validating FDA processes – there is no consensus, it is either validated or it isn’t. Why can’t we have the same for something such as global warming science. Could it be that corruption, money and power are involved in the process?\n\nThe problem with the soft sciences is that they are not based on predictive value. They are based on explanatory value. Do they explain “why” something happens, then they are considered to have value, even though they have zero predictive skill.\nThis same approach has followed over into Climate Science, where positive examples are considered proof, without stopping to consider that you can find an infinite number of examples to prove something to be correct, no matter how wrong it is. What proves it wrong is the single false example..\n\n\nThe why of something has and always will pervade science. Quantum theory for example. The quantum mechanics were mostly figured out by Einstein’s late years and Quantum entanglement was described by theory through math that few still can completely grasp. And experiments confirm entanglement to the highest levels of achievable experimental verification today. But Einstein’s suspicion of quantum entanglement as “spooky action at a distance” still remains since it conflicts with General Relativity. The lesson is, Being able to describe a phenomenon should not be confused with understanding its deeper implications to understanding.\nThus we search today for deeper understandings of what controls Earth’s climate to provide a remarkably stable climate over at least 600 Mya since the last supposed snowball event. Biologists like myself are constantly amazed at the ever growing realization of the complexity of molecular events and layers of regulation that occurs in a living cell. Cellular life has been evolving into ever higher levels of feedback complexity for ~4Gya as an evolutionary response to maintain fitness.\nBut Earth’s climate system has been evolving shortly after the cometary bombardment era ended ~4.2Gya. The Earth has possibily evolved a very robust and complex set of layered feedbacks (that Venus or Mars never could attain) for early climate stabilization, and as solar output has slowly increased. That insight is the basis of the Gaia hypothesis. Now I don’t see Gaia as a living thing, in the sentient sense of life, but the complexities of all the air, ocean, CO2, bio-geotransforming geology, tectonics, geo-weathering of uplifted rock over hundreds of millions of years, means that even despite the hard perturbing impulses of bolid impacts, vulcanism, continent rearrangements, and orbital insolation variations, means likely Earth can take a lickin and keep on tickin’. Although we like to consider ourselves as having dominion over the Earth, Man’s CO2 pulse is but a whisper in Gaia’s ear. And we live in a nice quiet galactic neighborhood, a unitary stable star, and a most fortunate planetary arrangement whereby Jupiter is our playground big brother.\n\nBecause science is done by people and it takes people to interpret data. The popularity of this web site makes it pretty clear that different people interpret the same data differently. We don’t have a god or a computer that can do it for us. So we often rely on the development of agreement or consensus. Additionally, there are thousands of independent tests for the climate change hypothesis, i.e., it isn’t a single yes/no test. People are required to synthesis and integrate data from many different fields. Then there is the matter to degree…\n\nI find that ArsTechnica, using a favourite term of Bible scholar R. M. Price, is a “stuck-in-the-middle-with-you” site. The consensus is always a result of patient, deliberate refinement of ideas and theories. The only “known unknowns” are those which can only refine the consensus and never overthrow it. Yes, you can question the consensus, but only where the consensus says you can, and only with its gracious permission.\nNeedless to say, the consensus always has a double standard. Agree with it and you are rational, enlightened and good. Disagree with it and what qualifications you have will never be enough, and what qualifications you don’t have will be the only reason why you are wrong.\nThe site also has an article called, ‘Is there a creativity deficit in science?’:\nThe irony is probably lost on them.\n\n\nThere is no creativity deficit in “Climate Science” for sure. Imagination abounds over there.\n\nThanks! I know your meant that as a criticism but it does a lot of creativity to be a scientist. And I know few people as creative (or talented) as John Cook.\n\n\nOne gets the reputation one deserves . I have always been struck by the fact that historically the consensus has usually been wrong. Once again I’ve been struck.\n\nin point of fact, it is hard to find examples from history where the consensus has ultimately been proven correct. About the only thing you can say for sure about a consensus is that it is almost certainly wrong, and will be proven to be so in the fullness of time.\n\nSocial consensus about ideas, sure, we are often wrong, have always been, will always be. But it isn’t all that common that broad consensus in modern science is wrong, in part because it is pretty rare. A few examples of very strong consensus about major theories are plate tectonics, evolution by natural selection, the germ theory of disease, and the coding of the phenotypes of organisms by DNA. That said, I agree in narrow subfields of science, people (being people) do convince themselves of ideas that are pretty clearly falsified.\n\nJohn Bruno says:\nConsensus is pretty rare, and a few examples of very strong consensus about major theories are:\nAm I misunderstanding? It’s not clear. But all those are examples of the consensus being overturned, not examples of the consensus being correct.\nI have no doubt whatever that the consensus supporting catastrophic AGW will turn out to be just as misguided and wrong.\n\nGeorge Morrison\n\nSo, dbstealey\nYou’re suggesting that AGW is like the old theories of static continents, creationism, deity-imposed disease, earth-centric universe? And the new evidence-based-overthrowing-paradigm is along the lines of “To everything, turn, turn, turn. There is a season, turn, turn, turn.”???\nCarry on. Seriously, carry on. Clown.\n\n\ndisease, earth-centric universe?\n\n* * * * * * * * *\ndbStealey is being too kind on AGW. Anthropic Global Warming should be compared to the Witch Mania.\nWitches are so called on account of the blackness of their guilt, that is to say, their deeds are more evil than those of any other malefactors.They stir up and confound the elements by the aid of the devil, and arouse terrible hailstorms and tempests.”\nThere are also natural harms which in some manner depend upon the conjunction of heavenly bodies, such as dearth, drought, tempests, and similar effects of nature.”\nMalleus Maleficarum, part 1, question 2 (1486)\nGeorge, you gullible clown: How much of the global non-warming of the past 17 years do you attribute to human activities, and how much do you attribute to “nature”?\nWhat’s your favorite peer-reviewed excuse for “the pause”?\n\n\nProblem with consensus…is why there had to be a consensus in the first place\nObviously the science doesn’t hold up, or there wouldn’t be one….\n…people form a consensus because they have too much invested in something…for it to be wrong\nIt’s very hard to disprove a consensus…..obviously, because there was no proof in the first place\n\n\nLat, consensus is derived from the lack of confidence, and justification of such, in a position, and a fundamental desire for company/support in such matter. Hierarchical scale in the psychological department if you will in the end.\nIn science, I refer to it as the Lemming principle. There is a definitive positive feedback when funding “income” is involved… The paritipants adapt and follow, for good reason.\nInsert “Jerry Maguire” show me the money video here.\n\nDavid L. Hagen\n\nNeeded: Independent Verification and Validation\nSince it “only takes 1”, when will Congress loose NAZA’s Independent Verification and Validation Facility onto global climate models?\n\nWelcome to NASA’s Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) Facility, home of NASA’s IV&V Program. Located in the heart of West Virginia’s emerging technology sector, NASA’s IV&V Program was established in 1993 as part of an Agency-wide strategy to provide the highest achievable levels of safety and cost-effectiveness for mission critical software. NASA’s IV&V Program was founded under the NASA Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA) as a direct result of recommendations made by the National Research Council (NRC) and the Report of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident.\n\nThe Right Climate Stuff provides initial V&V efforts on IPCC and finds its models lacking.\n\nWillis Eschenbach\n\nThe lack of V&V of the models which are being used to justify billion-dollar climate decisions is scandalous.\n\nW. Agree. The longer this goes the more clear it becomes that it was never about climate science, or even the weather equivalent of engineering. (Although hats off to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Keep narrowing that cone of uncertainty.)\nSort of fun to watch the wheels come off the bandwagon.\n\nBill Illis\n\nWhat is the consensus then?\n– Is it CO2 is a greenhouse gas?\n– Is it CO2 will produce a warming planet?\n– Is it Man’s additional CO2 has increased temperature by 0.5C and 0.25C is natural?\n– Is it that increased CO2 will result in +3.25C by 2100?\n– Man is ruining the environment.\n– 48 other statements.\nHow can there be a consensus when nobody knows what the consensus is?\nWhat is recorded in the Minutes of the meeting as the consensus?\n\n\nCome now Bill, the consensus has been repeated many times and is very simple: “Man is responsible for some of the warming of the climate in the last century.” It is very simple and unassailable. It is impossible to refute.\n\nDavid in Cal\n\nRight, but the climate hucksters encourage a misstatement of what the consensus actually is. President Obama, among others, was fooled into believing that the consensus said more than it actually does. Note that the consensus says nothing about man having a big impact or about climate change being harmful.\n\nDon’t forget the second and most important part: “And therefore government policies and laws globally restricting access to and increasing the cost to consumers of and tax revenue associated with energy must be adopted, with exceptions for those employed with state and parastatal organizations.”\n\nPat Frank\n\nIt’s easy to refute, Dan. Just calculate the physical uncertainty intervals for climate model projections. They’re off the page.\nNo one can say that any of the warming is caused by humans. No one can say that none of it has been caused by humans, either. The science cannot support any definitive statements in any direction.\nNo one in the AGW camp, in short, knows what they’re talking about. And no one at all anywhere knows enough to say anything quantitative about the effect, or not, of small changes in GHGs upon the climate.\n\nIan Schumacher\n\nIt’s not impossible to refute … quite possible man isn’t responsible for any warming since the very small amount of warming we have had so far is well within past natural variation changes seen in that past (that occurred without any influence from man what-so-ever). It’s my opinion that man ‘probably’ has had an effect, but it’s far to strong to say “impossible to refute”. Way way too strong.\n\n\nPat and Ian, It is IMPOSSIBLE to refute. Saying we do not know for sure how much man is contributing is not refuting it. There are obvious examples of where man affects local climate such as Urban Heat Islands where cities can be 10 degrees warmer and there are examples of man contributing to the expansion of deserts. To claim these local climate changes have absolutely zero affect on global climate is not logical. It may indeed be very small but it will not be zero.\n\nPat Frank\n\nDan, your “impossible to refute” is identical to total lack of knowledge. It’s equally IMPOSSIBLE to refute that invisible pink unicorns dance on my lawn every Easter. But so what? Will you put out bowls of milk for them, anyway?\nThere’s zero evidence that AGW is happening, that humans have had any effect on global climate, or that anything unusual is going on with weather. What steps are rationally warranted in response to zero evidence?\n\nMike O\n\nThe problem with consensus is that it can never be proven wrong. Any direct observation to the contrary must not be correct because the consensus believes otherwise.\n\nAs explained below, it certainly can be proven wrong (or overturned) but that isn’t the right way to think about it. It isn’t a hypothesis. It is really more of a straw poll about how scientists in a field have interpreted the available evidence.\n\nJohn Bruno:\nPlease define the “consensus” in climate science.\nBe precise.\n\nJim Clarke\n\nTalk of consensus in climate change science is a really misleading, because there isn’t one and never has been. Oh…I guess there is consensus that CO2 is a greenhouse gas, and if increased while all else is held equal, will produce some warming, but that is it, and that is nothing. There is no consensus on any other relevant aspect of climate change! It’s a myth, pure and simple.\nSo writing essays on the importance (or not) of consensus in science, with climate change as the backdrop, is completely off base. It lends to the fallacy that something significant has been agreed upon by the vast majority of relevant and capable scientists in the field of climate change. There is no such agreement.\nWhenever the word ‘consensus’ comes up in a discussion of climate change, I simply point out that there is no consensus on anything important. If they disagree, I simply ask them to tell me what it is. That usually ends the conversation in my favor.\n\nJim, your comments prove your point. That there is a consensus about climate change is a demonstrable fact. You may disagree with it and it may be wrong, but your hypothesis that there is no such agreement is easily refuted.\n\nD.J. Hawkins\n\nOh, goody! Please provide a bullet list, since you are one of the gnostic few.\n\nJim Clarke\n\nJohn, my comment was that there is no consensus on anything important. There is no consensus on anything that makes AGW more than a scientific curiosity. The consensus that does exist is trivial in a social/environmental context. The consensus that does exist is meaningless in policy discussions.\nIts like having a consensus that ‘water is vital for life’ as the basis for a discussion of a flooding problem. Sure, everyone agrees with the statement, but it is completely irrelevant to the matter at hand.\nActivists are passing off the trivial consensus that CO2 us a greenhouse gas as equivalent to a consensus that CO2 emissions are equivalent to a major calamity facing all of humanity, and that is simply a lie.\nHere’s another analogy: Everyone agrees that clean oil in your car engine is a good thing, so your mechanic uses that ‘consensus’ to argue that you must come in and have your oil and filter changed every morning or your engine could lock up while you are rushing a pregnant woman to the hospital and the baby will die. Then he asks if you want a dead baby in your car or will you do what he says. Finally, if you don’t agree, he calls his friend the police officer, who agrees to point a gun at your head each morning until you go get your oil changed; all based on the irrelevant consensus that clean oil is good for your car engine. Would you support the actions of your mechanic based on such a consensus, or would you rationally point out that the consensus doesn’t support his arguments at all, and is therefore irrelevant?\nThe scientific consensus on CO2 is irrelevant to the ISSUE of CO2, yet is practically the only argument activists have to fallaciously support the notion that we face a climate change crisis.\n\nAlright, the debate is over, the issue is settled, we’ve taken the poll and consensus has been reached.\nIt is obvious the GPS on all three brands of smartphones cannot be wrong, so we are taking this bus around the “Road Closed” sign and through this thick fog across the bridge we know is there to the climate science conference. Any dissenters believing that false news alert can get off now and go home, we don’t want your kind at our conference.\n\nJoel Grey, Lisa Minnelli – “Money, Money” number in Cabaret. Excellent!\n\nLeon Brozyna\n\nIn science, if the talk is of consensus, then you’ve got neither.\nIn science, if there’s agreement on a theory, it’ll hold until there’s a better theory. Agreement does not equal consensus; it just means you haven’t come up with a better theory.\n\nActually in the context under discussion here, agreement and consensus mean the same thing. What is meant by “the climate change consensus” is simply that there is overwhelming evidence that greenhouse gas emissions are warming the plant. A large majority of scientists believe that. Some obviously are not persuaded by the evidence, but they are in a very small minority. I agree that doesn’t necessarily mean they are wrong.\nThe consensus isn’t testable or refutable because it isn’t a scientific theory. It is simply a quantitative approximation of whether the scientists in a given field believe the balance of the evidence supports a theory. It is the theory that is testable and falsifiable. And it is plausible that new evidence could come along a overturn the theory of anthropogenic climate change. Unlikely given the massive weight of the evidence but possible. Ill try to respond to a few other commenters to explain what agreement and consensus are in science.\n\nJohn Bruno says:\nThey are also warming the ‘planet’. But that is not nearly enough of an answer. The real question is: HOW MUCH are they warming the planet?\nTo date, there is no empirical, testable evidence measuring the fraction of a degree of global warming [out of the total of about 0.7ºC of global warming] that is attributable to human CO2 emissions.\nDoes Mr. Bruno understand that? There is NO such scientific evidence. No measurements have been made that quantify the degree of warming specifically due to human emissions. There is always an unverifiable assumption that human emission cause warming. But there is no empirical, measured evidence.\nSince there are no such empirical measurements showing just how much global warming is due to human emissions, the AGW claim is nothing more than a conjecture; an opinion. Science is nothing without measurements.\nHowever, there are empirical measurements showing that changes in atmospheric CO2 are caused by changes in global temperature. Again, there are no such measurements showing that changes in CO2 are the cause of changes in temperature.\nSo, what is that vague, nebulous “consensus”? And why is it directly contradicted by real world measurements? If the climate alarmist crowd cannot answer that question, and if they cannot show specific measurements quantifying the amount of global warming due to human activity, then why should anyone pay any attention to them?\n\nSteve Reddish\n\nJohn, I don’t think anyone has an objection to the concept that a majority of scientists might judge that a particular theory is confirmed by the evidence at hand. The objection is raised when those in support of a theory try to suppress those who wish to present evidence contrary to that theory, using the justification that “disbelievers” are defying the consensus. Blocking contrary evidence becomes particularly heinous when both the evidence supporting the theory, and the evidence supporting the claimed consensus, are discovered to have been falsified.\n\nPat Frank\n\nThere is zero evidence that GHG emissions are warming the planet, John. The reason there is zero evidence is that climate models do not have the resolution to reveal the climatological effect of small changes in GHGs.\nLook in the literature. There are no physically valid, accuracy-revealing error bars on any climate model hindcasts or forecasts. At best, you get inter-model variance — model precision. Precision reveals nothing about accuracy.\nClimate model accuracy-reflecting error bars are huge. Models are therefore non-predictive and non-explanatory. They cannot resolve the effect of GHG emissions, and cannot reveal their effect, if any. That means zero evidence.\nCopious data posted here at WUWT have shown over and over that nothing in the climate observables — storms (type, intensity, frequency), droughts, floods, winters, summers, or whatevers, reveal anything historically unusual in the dynamics of the modern climate.\nNothing resolvable from theory, nothing observable in fact: where’s the “overwhelming evidence”?\n\n\nThe “overwhelming evidence” is the problem part. What evidence? There is consensus that the planet is warmer than it was during the LIA. Analyzing the available temperature data from that span tells us nothing at all about the cause of the warming – nothing. There is also quite sound evidence from ice-core data that we could predict that as the planet warmed, atmospheric GHG content must increase and even forecast the timing of the increases. That is simple physics and causality points from temperature increase TO GHGs increase, not the other way ’round.\nThe AGW hypothesis demands a rejection of Occam’s Razor to assert that warming in the last 50 years is somehow different than warming in the preceding 150. If you read the Climategate material, it is quite plain that the “Team” considered the available empirical record to be the biggest stumbling block to a beautiful theory. Otherwiuse there would no discussions concerning how to get rid of Medieval Warm Period. The authors did not show concern regarding the LIA because the warming following it was consistent with their hypothesis. But the LIA is quite as much a problem from a theoretical view point as the MWP was.\n\n\nThere is really no need for “97% consensus” to prove that global temperatures have been slowly rising since the last ice age, or that greenhouse gases and aerosols in the Earth’s atmosphere have raised surface temperatures above the expected black-body termperature. The temperature record and the known laws of physics are sufficient to prove (or disprove) this.\nBut, so far, there has been no compelling proof that manmade CO2 has caused or will cause the climate ‘catastrophes’ we read about everyday. So the “97% consensus” is desperately needed as a “proxy” for the missing “compelling proof”.\nWhat’s that you say? ‘Every climate disaster reported by the MSM is a compelling proof of CAGW’?\nNo. That’s proactive journalism, not science. Like a self-feeding frenzy of shark-bite reports.\n“If you believe that elves make the rain, every time it rains you will see proof of elves.”\nIf you are taught that manmade CO2 causes catastrophes, then every climate disaster will seem like proof of CAGW.\n\n\nIf I am not mistaken, average global temperature has been decreasing since the end of the Holocene Climactic Optimum about 3500 BCE.\n\nGeorge Morrison\n\nYou are correct, sir!\n\n\nThe global temperature since the last ice age has had its “ups and downs”, but overall it has risen since 12,000 years ago, a proposition of great certainty, which needs no ‘consensus’ to prop it up. That was the simple point I was trying to make.\nThe “devil is in the details”, of course, and so a very detailed temperature record, correctly accounting for all of the ‘optimums’, is much less certain, and subject to much controversey, as we all know too well.\n\n\n“Climactic” ?\n\n\nSeptember 9, 2014 at 5:40 pm\n\nThis is an “end point” fallacy. Depending upon the chosen end points in a time series you can show trends in any direction. In this case you also jump from one geological period to the next with acknowledging the transition. The sole reason for the historical separation of the Holocene from the Pleistocene was that it was clearly warmer in the Holocene. Within the Holocene period, the temperature trend has been a level to cooling one, not a warming one.\n\n\nOk, I guess I didn’t pick a clear example to make my point. We’ve been warming since the last ice age, but cooling since the optimum in 3500BP. It would have been more clear if I had said that we’ve been warming since the LIA. Thanks for your comment.\n\n\nin 3500BP since 5500BP\n\nThe fact that a large number of scientists have felt and still feel the need to research whether or not there is a consensus on the concepts of AGW indicates the matter is questionable.\nIn my opinion they are premature in trying to reach a conclusion.\n\nIn Science it doesn’t matter who present an argument/a thesis or how many scholars/experts supports the same. Authority is no safe criterion of credibility. It only takes one proving the Authority/group of “experts” wrong to falsify a thesis. Thus the number of scholars/scientists/experts arguing for a thesis is of no value at all.\nWhile it’s possible in Mathematic Science to prove for example Fermat’s Last Theorem (proof presented 1994) that’s an exception in Theories of Science. Over all a thesis can’t be proven right only be proven wrong. For each argument presented it takes a close analyse to find all needed premises for the argument to be considered “true”/valid/sound. If one single part of the needed premisis doesn’t “hold water”, the argument is to be considered non-valid.\n\nOwen in GA\n\nVery true. Most of the basics of Mathematics were proven to support some observation in Physics. The mathematical proof was needed to show how to get a reliable prediction out of the physical theory.\nNow the mathematicians do sometimes lead the scientists by exploring some “nonsense” space and driving through the theory to its proof, and only later does some physicist looking through the mathematics literature see that this “nonsense” space is actually some phase space projection of a problem they are trying unsuccessfully to solve.\nBut again, science comes down to how to calculate a future state with enough specificity to be able to place instruments to record the event and compare. This is repeated with different elements of the prediction until the theory fails (ie prediction does not match measurement) or the researchers run out of imagination on ways to test the prediction.\nThat doesn’t mean that 50 years from now some other researcher will devise a test that shows the theory fails, human ingenuity is a very individual thing after all.\n\nOwen in GA\n\nI also need to learn how to hit two enter keys between paragraphs or start using < p > tags.\n[Reply: Yes, please. In the mean time, single paragraph broken down. ~mod.]\n\n\n\nThat’s not quite right. Mathematical theories (“theorems”) are not the same as scientific theories.\nThe correctness of a mathematical theorem, given a set of axioms and definitions, can be proven or disproven absolutely (i.e. proven fully or not at all). There are no “half-proofs” in mathematics. So there are “proof systems” that use rules to validate theorems from axioms. Also, proofs of mathemetical proposistions can be obtained by building “models”, such as truth tables.\nBut no such absolute proofs exist for making predictions about real-world phenomenology. We can build theories based on observation, and test them against existing data, or make predictions, then wait for them to come true (or not). But there are no absolute guarantees that a theory that has been making successful predictions (e.g. “The Sun will rise again tomorrow”), will continue hold in the future. (In mathematics, such guarantees are absolute, given a set of definitions and axioms.)\nIn science the best we can do is assign confidence values to our favorite theories, and perform diligently to gather data and run experiments to prove or disprove them (if we are honest).\nSo, some science theories generate very high confidence (“The Sun will rise again”). Others (“CAGW”:) have little confidence or none.\n\nNot true. You might use Chebychev or any other known theory for your confidence value. That doesn’t prove your confidence value to be true.\nPlease go back to basic Mathematic Statistic theories. For those who never studied or never understood I suggest Huff, How to lie with statistic all published so called science by scholars/experts believing in CO2 to be a threat have used fallacies more than once in their studies.\nOnly the scholars studying the sun have up to today presented papers that’s sound science using mathematic. I am not agreeing with their conclusions every time, but that’s an other thing as long as neither I nor anyone else proven their thesis wrong.\n\n\n> Not true. blah blah blah\nLooking at your response below [there’s no ‘reply’ button on your post]. I can’t see which of my statements you think is ‘not true’.\nThe rest of your response is Babble. I suspect that you are either 1) an mischievous troll 2) or computer-generated nonsense. Good luck with assigning confidence values to math theorems. That will definitely improve the rigor of mathematics. Maybe.\nIn either case, you have failed the Turing test. No sign of intelligent life here, we’re moving on.\n\n\n“Consensus” is a serious problem for science. The scientific method provides a system where an individual who is right can formally challenge the many who are wrong. Consensus works against this.\nThe human being is an animal, a mammal, a primate. We are a social animal and our basic social structure is tribal and hierarchical. This leads to a dichotomy between our base instincts to tribal conformity and the intelligence of the individual. The scientific method has provided a system to minimise the problems associated with this dichotomy in the modern technological age. “post normal” pseudo science and the “climate consensus” have seriously compromised this.\nAs sceptics, some readers may be fooled into thinking that the tribal urge to consensus does not effect them. It effects most of you too. Allow me to demonstrate –\nI say –\n”Global warming due to human emissions of radiative gases is a physical impossibility. 71% of the planets surface is ocean, a “selective surface” with radiation absorbed at depth and emissivity asymmetric with absorptivity, not as the 97% claim an near blackbody with emissivity and absorptivity close to unity. This means that without atmospheric cooling, regardless of DWLWIR, the sun alone could heat the oceans to 80C or beyond. The net effect of our radiative atmosphere over the oceans is cooling.”\nYou think –\n“That can’t be right”\nBut why?\nBecause a lot of people say otherwise?\nHave you personally checked the the difference in apparent emissivity of water under different background IR levels? Probably not.\nHave you personally checked whether incident LWIR slows the cooling rate of water that is free to evaporatively cool? I’m guessing not.\nHave you personally checked what change differing depth of SW absorption makes to the equilibrium temperature of transparent materials? Not likely.\nIt is far less challenging to run back to the safety of the “sceptic consensus”. “CO2 is a “greenhouse gas” that should cause some warming but is being offset by negative feedbacks”. Back to the safety of the tribe.\nNow you know why the alarmists push the “consensus” propaganda so hard. It works. Even on most sceptics.\n\nThe Skeptic\n\nIt’s so great to know that the consensus is always right when it comes to science.\nSo here we are, on our beautiful little flat planet, with the sun, moon, and stars all revolving around us, unable to fly, let alone break the sound barrier…\n\n\nI have a problem with this part of the essay:\n\nWhen asked about this book, Einstein retorted with this:\n\nSurely simply finding three naysayers or even one naysayer isn’t enough to disprove Einstein. They have to put forth some sort of an argument proving him wrong. I doubt your 3 out of 100 could disprove climate science, because I don’t believe it is any more disprovable than God.\n\n\n> I have a problem with this part of the essay: …\n>” If I were wrong, then one would have been enough! …\nWhat Einstein is saying is that valid scientific theories are “falsifiable”. So, if one of his theories makes an incorrect prediction, it would take only one person to observe and report this. Thus falsifying the theory.\nSo there were hundreds of papers written in the 1930’s, but none of them were able to make any observations or conduct any experiment that falsified Relativity. It would only take one such observation or experiment to “ruin” Einstein’s theory. But none were found.\nThat doesn’t mean Einstein’s theory was therefore “proved”. It just means it has not been falsified. Yet.\nBut, in religion, most of the important propositions (existence of God, Heaven and Hell etc) cannot be directly observed, therefore cannot be falsified. Therefore it is a belief system, beyond science.\n\nYou put the burden of proof on the wrong people. What the climate alarmists are saying is that something is happening now that has never happened in the past. That is the extraordinary claim, and that extraordinary claim is what must be proved by evidence. There isn’t any evidence that support the idea of a catastrophe due to global warming.\n\n\nClimate “science” is easy to disprove, by anyone. Just follow these two simple steps:\n1. Examine prediction.\n2. Compare prediction with observation.\n97% of “climate science” = disproved. It’s easy.\n\nYou really mangled the Einstein quote, so I’ll take the rest of your comment with a lump of salt.\n“Consensus” stops at the very first step of the Scientific Mehtod. It is a conjecture, nothing more. Conjectures are akin to opinions. A consensus is an opinion.\nAfter conjecture comes hypothesis. To be accepted by scientists, a hypothesis must be able to make repeated, accurate predictions. AGW cannot do that. Despite many $millions spent on GCMs [computer climate models], not one of them was able to predict the most significant event of the past twenty years: the fact that global warming has stopped.\nTherefore, both the models and the entire ‘consensus’ are demoted to the status of a conjecture. They failed the most basic test of a hypothesis: they cannot accurately predict anything.\nFinally, it does not take “three naysayers” as you so pompously phrase it. All it takes to falsify a conjecture or hypothesis is one fact.\nThere are numerous facts that falsify that conjecture. Einstein would have a field day with it.\n\nWhat those appealing to the authority of the consensus of opinion seem to miss.\nIs just that, It is Opinion.\nThis group hug would be unnecessary if they actually had some science to share with those who question their opinion.\nClimatology AKA Climate Science is an oddity, somehow in this bizarre world, opinion is the evidence.\nData is not welcome.\n\nI dont miss that. It is just opinion.\n\nGeorge Morrison\n\n[snip – taunting rant from “rustneversleeps” who has been banned here -mod]\n\n4 eyes\n\nAnd I want to know exactly what is agreed upon in this consensus. dbstealey asked above and I can’t see an answer. I certainly wouldn’t say I agree with something that I could not accurately describe. Just tell me what the consensus is and I will go away.\n\n\nSince they mention Michael Crichton, here is another quote from him.\nJoe D’Aleo uses this in his article “Data Games” currently on\nThe source is:\n“Environmentalism as Religion”\n\n\n\nEinstein’s comment ignores whether one or more of the papers in the collection were right.\nIf he were a Climate Scientist I would have to say it was an excellent propaganda statement.\n\nPaul in Sweden\n\nIf a ‘Climate Expert’ can and has meant simply a psychologist that can recite the mantra of the global warming industry; what value is a consensus of such ‘experts’.\n<Distribution for Endorsements —\npossible for endorsements. I think the only thing that counts is\ndifferent story.\nConclusion — Forget the screening, forget asking\n\nPaul in Sweden,\nThat is a damning Climategate email!\nThe OISM Petition actually got the names of more than 31,000 professionals with degrees in the hard sciences, including more than 9,000 PhD’s. That email appears to be an alarmist attempt to fabricate something to compete with it.\nBut they could never get legitimate names, like the OISM Petition did. OISM was very straightforward: CO2 is harmless, and it is beneficial to the biosphere. More than 32,000 scientists and engineers co-signed that statement, which is the true “consensus”. No alarmist petition has come anywhere close to the OISM’s numbers.\n\nThe number of people in the USA that qualify to sign the OISM Petition numbers about 2.6 million.\n30,000 / 2,600,000 = 0.01154 less than 1.2% of the people qualified to sign.\nSo, 98.8% of the people qualified to sign the OISM Petition have not done so.,\nNow apply your same numbers to the climate alarmist clique.\nSee? By any measure, the OISM Petition represents the true “consensus”. They have far more legitimate signatures than any alarmist petition was able to get:\nThe alarmist contingent tried to get ‘apparent’ support going into Kyoto. They failed, but not before trying to unethically game the system:\npossible for endorsements. I think the only thing that counts is\n[source, Climategate emails]\nWell, OISM checked. They vetted every signature they got, and they got more than 9,000 PhD’s — all of them with degrees in the hard sciences. So even by cheating, the alarmist crowd could not come anywhere near the OISM’s numbers.\nBetter run along back to whatever alarmist blog you got your misinformation from. You need some new talking points.\n\nIan Schumacher\n\nI only read the first part, but from my reading of science history that first part is true. Einstein did not create special relativity ‘from nothing’. There were already several papers on it. Why his paper got ahead and the other didn’t, who knows. Was his summary more clear, more complete? Did he add something that made everything fit better? Was the scientific communities collective consciousness simply ‘ready for it’ when he published. I don’t know the details, but I kind of suspect the last one.\nStill he went on to show that this was not a fluke and I don’t think any one can dispute that later on he really did break new ground.\n\n\nGreat book!\n\nI agree with Einstein, in physics, it’s unimportant. In climate science, which is backwards and in deep trouble, it is important. That should worry all of us. I dont mean to imply there is no trouble in physics, and a good part of that trouble comes from the misunderstanding of Einstein. Einstein in 1905, was not the Einstein of 1920.\nBut the media needed an icon as did the physics establishment and that icon is a big problem in physics.\nMuch of post quantum physics is happening online these days and when someone says something ‘not even wrong’ it will get piled on, but elsewise, argument rules and not consensus!\n\nconsensus said the sun rotated around the earth, people were eventually willing to learn and admit they were wrong.\ndon’t expect the warmers to ever admit that due to funding.\n\nArgue in general about consensus all you want here, the important thing is that a consensus was found from 12,000 scientific papers AND IT IS TRIVIAL and MEANINGLESS to the debate BUT the claim of consensus has been morphed into something it is not.\nIt’s typical re-re-re definitions of terms that is purely political.\nI think it’s more useful to accept the ‘consensus’ and every time it’s brought up to show what IT ACTUALLY IS rather than to go off on tangents about the general validity of any consensus, what the scientific method is, the number of papers ‘refuting’ climate change, etc.\nThe latter just makes non-skeptics eyes glaze over, the former hits them squarely between them. Focus, people, focus.\nMake sure that hits home first, then carry on with everything else.\n\nIan Schumacher\n\nIt is bait and switch for sure. Get consensus on what almost everyone agrees is ‘likely’ and then pretend you have a consensus on something completely different.\n\nGary Pearse\n\nAlmost all here has ‘consensus’ wrong. By its nature, a consensus on something scientific means there is considerable uncertainty. If it is a dead certainty (the earth goes around the sun), a consensus on it (a show of hands) is meaningless. Now in a complex political situation, where there is no way of knowing whether such and such is the best course of action, or best strategy, it is argued, and there is give and take, compromise, and finally they arrive at what individuals can live with as a course of action, even if not any of them are fully satisfied by it. Yes, the irony of all this talk about consensus is that it means the best they can come up with under the circumstances. Probably among the team, they are close to unanimous on the science – 97% probably. The climategate emails showed the creation of the consensus. Hey they punished those (and still do) who step out of line. They had a consensus on what to do if a journal published a paper not certified by the synod, for example or what to do if one of the unchosen asked for data.\n\nOwen in GA\n\nBut the Earth-Sun System actually both orbit their mutual gravitational center. Flatly the Earth does not orbit the Sun, but the center of mass of the system, as does the sun. The fact that the sun is so much more massive that the center of mass is inside the sun (but not its center) is of little relevance So the consensus you propose would be wrong. (OK, they actually both orbit the center of mass of all the objects in the solar system, which wobbles around due to the various orbits, but is always inside the sun’s volume.)\nSee what consensus gets you–there are always skeptics and heretics.\n\n\nExactly the point Salby makes in his talk in the UK.\n\nJohn Of Cloverdale WA, Australia\n\nPeer Review: You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.\n\nI pick Einstein over Mann every time.\n\nIan Schumacher\n\nIt just occurred to me that the ‘CAGW’ team is full of nothing but mediocrity, while the ‘skeptic’ team has several super stars on it’s side. Let’s see Hansen, Mann, Schmidt, Santer, Romm – mediocre science all the way down. I can’t think of a single ‘superstar’ scientist on the CAGW side (that is actually know for their outstanding ‘science’ not their political activism) That versus Freeman Dyson, Richard Lindzen, Nils-Axel Mörner, William M. Gray, Henrik Svensmark, Christian Schlüchter and many other *leading* experts in their field.\n\nThe further “climate science” advances, the more it is apparent how little they really know of what is really out there.\n“Consensus” is a group of self-accredited climate experts huddling together in the cold forest in the dark of night, seeking safety in numbers from the marauding Zombies of Denial and ever-prowling Koch Conservative Werewolves, as they eagerly take turns warming their hands with the thermal emissions from a single carbon-neutral solar panel.\n\nBen Of Houston\n\nIt’s a bait and switch argument. Consensus about methods or standards is very different than consensus about conclusions.\nIf the consensus is that it takes 5 sigma difference to prove X, and my data shows only 2.5 sigma, then my data is rejected. I can get better data or better measurement and increase my confidence to gain acceptance.\nHowever, if the consensus is that the world is warming catastrophically, and data shows that it is not, then consensus cannot be used to refute the fact that it is not catastrophically warming. Refutation must be done with facts\n\nIn my opinion, what we have here is some confusion between what a consensus is and what is happening in climate science. As Leif said, consensus has enormous meaning in science. The confusion here is that what we see in the field of climate science is not a consensus. It is a determined effort by a small number of activists to create the perception of a consensus. This is an entirely different matter from having an actual consensus.\n\nDave Worley\n\nYes, there has to be something specific upon which to base a consensus. Where is a theory published upon which a consensus is in agreement? If the same theory were referenced in a preponderance of climate papers, then we might have a basis for consensus.\nFor the time being, what they agree upon is vapor. They are all over the map!\n\nThere appears to be a consensus on the consensus of consensus on this site; and no consensus on the consensus. (I don’t know what it means either – thanks Gary P.) How do think tanks that outperform computerized results reach a “decision”? Where is the pea?\nOf topic slightly, but read the “Alchemy of Air” on how science gets perverted. Nothing new.\n\n\nWow – just wow.\nSo you’re saying the big oil money has swayed the Right away from your consensus.\nYou do realize that’s a load of crap, right? I mean, BILLIONS of dollars spent manipulating journals, media outlets, end the education system vs. what, $200k spent by “Big Oil” against the consensus?\nLooks to me like it’s a question of common sense and reality vs. an absolutely ridiculous and easily debunked LONG since disproved hypothesis… but one that won’t die. There is no “science” about this, since the “science” is completely AGAINST the “consensus”. It’s only about politics, power and money. Only.\n\nAlan McIntire\n\nAs to actual scientific issues, like evolution, the expansion of the universe, fusion in stars producing most of the elements in existence, consensuses arise naturally. Those facts don’t directly affect our lifestyles or politics.\nGlobal warming, as an abstraction, wouldn’t affect us either, but when people use those issues to argue for forced lifestyle changes and political action, the subject is no longer science but politics.\n\nDoug Proctor\n\nThe consensus issue is a real headscratcher when there is no dispute that the last 15 years of temps has not followed almost all of the modeled profiles. The narrative only holds if you say the next 15 years will counter the last 15 so-as to bring the 30-year average into IPCC agreement.\nCAGW exists only in the extremes. Somehow this part of the story has become disconnected from the observations to-date. There is no part of the narrative that says extreme weather happens under the current temp rise, yet every strong weather event is said to be CO2 related.\nWhat we have to have is a quick temp drop. I sense the eco-green is worried that this will happen in the next 18 months, before some Green treaty can be nailed down.\n\n\nI think we have a consensus that we all disagree here!\n\n\n[trimmed. Again. Stop it. .mod]\n\n\nConsensus is only a problem when it is used (or misused) to trump facts.\n\nThe alarmist crowd refuses to define “consensus”. It means as many different things to them as an elephant does to six blind men. What the alarmist crowd wants to explain to skeptics is: “Shut up!”\n“Consensus” is simply a bludgeon used to shout down scientific skeptics — who have the alarmists on the ropes. It is deliberately vague. Because if they specifically defined ‘consensus’, it would be promptly deconstructed for the nonsense it is.\n\nThats the winning definition:\nBecause, shut up!\n\nI have a rule for life, “Don’t believe everything you know”. In other words don’t be closed to new ideas, information, proof, evidence, and even truth. Most of what science has known over the entire span of recorded history was later proved untrue or incomplete, though most of those ideas were accepted by the consensus. That being true, it would be incredibly arrogant indeed to think that everything we know right now is true. How is it possible that somehow, right at this moment, everything we know is true? That is very improbable statistically. I submit that there is nothing special about this moment in time, and that most of what we know is also untrue or incomplete. Therefore, “don’t believe everything you know” because that will close your mind to new information, ideas, and truth. Consensus means nothing to me except as a measure of the popularity of a certain theory.\n\nWillis Eschenbach\n\nConsensus on what? For example:\nMost informed climate scientists think that the world has been warming slowly, in fits and starts, since the Little Ice Age a few centuries ago. So there is consensus on that.\nOn the other hand, there is very little consensus as to just WHY the world has been warming slowly, in fits and starts, since the Little Ice Age a few centuries ago.\nIn other words, claiming that there is a “consensus on climate change” is meaningless without detailed specifications.\nThe most unfortunate and in my opinion most incorrect consensus is the idea that the global temperature is a linear function of the forcing. Even skeptics believe in that sleight of hand … which is why I describe myself as a heretic rather than a skeptic. I hold that the temperature of the earth is maintained by a host of emergent thermoregulatory phenomena … and while to date I’m only part of a small consensus of the select far-seeing few, I have my hopes …\n\nIan Schumacher\n\nThermoregulatory? The ‘regulation’ only seems to work at top where climate is astonishingly stable. It’s fine with letting us fall into an abyss of cold though. Otherwise of course I agree. One only has to look at the (apparently) ‘open system’ during ice ages where temperatures fly around wildly to appreciate the narrow well-regulated band at the top where they hardly move at all (implying an obviously very strong negative feedback).\n\n\nA good point Willis, there are many consensi (consensuses?). About the only thing that is agreed is that it warmed over the last 150 years and a totally unconnected assertion that CO2 in a closed unchaotic test tube can cause warming? The connection between these assertions are speculative at best.\nPersonally I agree that there are clearly non linear saturation effects operating in the climate, cloud and thunderstorm emergence being two of them. Whether they play a limiting role on the climate – well that is the question isn’t it.\nOn the consensus, I think the problem here in climate science is trying to assert that there is one, against the overwhelming evidence that there really isn’t one. Instead of admitting they ate all the cookies, the climate scientists have enlisted all their brothers and sisters in order to convince mummy that there are invisible cookies in the jar. The single biggest problem in climate science is that it’s staffed by environmentallist, aberrent personalities that desperstely want to “save the world” – that’s what attracted them to it, it’s science with a cause, science with passion, and that’s the failing – objectiveness has gone out the window and they are pointing at an empty cookie jar pretending that there are invisible cookies in there that noone except the annoited can see.\nFor example the oft repeated claim that the West Antarctic shelf is melting from climate change, an effect that would cost about 15W/m2 which is only 20 times the energy Hansen said was available from global warming (0.6W/m2). It may be melting, but on the energy numbers, it’s not from CO2 – invisible cookie, it might exist, but its definitely in someone elses jar.\n\nferd berple\n\nit is a nonsense to suppose a dynamic system such as climate will respond linearly to forcings. what other natural system does? Are there any?\nthere is perhaps a case that the response will be near linear for very very small changes, simply because a very small increment in a non-linear system can be approximated using a linear function. But this doesn’t mean you can stick these small linear increments together and get a straight line.\n\nPamela Gray\n\nIn educational and social research (yeh, I know, taint science), consensus is nearly the only game in town. And it shifts. Is it slow to shift? You bet. Too slow for me? Yep. Too slow for parents? Yep. But the research results are not iron clad. There is no litmus test for educational outcomes or social interventions (and here I mean interventions related to social skills or interventions related to group think problems like the Jim Jones thing). So do we throw the baby out with the dirty water?\nConsensus is a part of science and is abused. What part of that surprises anyone? At issue here is the idea that one bad apple (or is that 97) spoils the brew so you throw the whole baby out. Not good. An equally opposite reaction to a problem is seldom productive.\nTo reason with moderation is the high ground.\n\n\nThe bad guys in Chricton’s great book were corrupt environmentalists and lawyers and stupid Hollywood types.\nSo the sssay is a lie from the get go.\nNo different from the work of most climate fear promoters, actually.\nAnd as to consensus, Feynman, Einstein, and other pseudo-scientists all promote the idea that consensus is bad science.\nWhat a disgusting defense by Arstechnica and the rest of the climate kooks and apologists.\n\n\n“It’s impossible to attribute superior or lesser intelligence to conservatives or progressives…”\nGlobal warming was a global IQ test with results permanently recorded on the Internet. The Professional Left from one side of the planet to the other failed.\nCan you name a single prominent “progressive” who has not permanently shamed themselves with AGW advocacy? You can scrub like lady Macbeth, you can even use the sandpaper, but the putrescent stain of AGW advocacy is permanent and the shame of vilifying sceptics in an attempt to silence the truth will burn forever.\nEither our radiative atmosphere (excepting pressure) has a net cooling effect on the surface or it has a net warming effect. Black or white, right or wrong. There can be no “soft landing” for the hoax. Your fellow travellers will not be slinking off to a UN sponsored “BioCrisis” or a manufactured fresh water crisis. Sceptics will never forgive and the Internet will never forget.\nYou have taken your political pot-shot and said “back to the science”, so I will take one last political shot and leave it. The so called “progressives” have made the greatest political blunder in history. When the SS Leftardula was taking too long to get to port Fabia, along came the SS Global Warming, with it’s powerful pseudo science engines, and every last fellow traveller jumped ship. Now you have hit the iceberg of truth and are sinking with all rodents. There will be no escape. Sceptics have smashed every lifeboat and the Internet has welded every hatch shut. Down you go…\n\n\nHeh. The smartest Leftist in the world, yes, Noam Chomsky, has this to say\nHe also thinks that the world is still warming. Hasn’t checked in 17 years obviously.\n\n\nOf all the “progressive” blatheratti, there is a special joy to be had in the utter destruction of Chomsky’s drivel. His reputation was built on years of bleating that evil conservatives and capitalists were “manufacturing consent”, but the crushing reality is that his fellow travellers and their useful idiots were the ones provably “manufacturing consensus”…\nMoaning Noam, hoist by his own petard. Delicious 😉\n\nGentle Tramp\n\nKonrad said:\n“Can you name a single prominent “progressive” who has not permanently shamed themselves with AGW advocacy?”\nYes, for instance: Prof. Fritz Vahrenholt, Co-Author of “The neglected Sun” is a member and former politician of the leftist German party SPD. Also Helmut Schmidt, a former German chancellor from the same party, is an outspoken skeptic in this matter.\nBut it is fair to claim that there are more CAGW-Believers on the left political side than on the right. However, there are many CAGW-Followers from this political corner as well, at least in Europe. Thus, the “Right/Left-Division” is not a very helpful category here; it’s rather a question of “independence of mind”…\nFurther, it’s to hard to say, the state of believing in CAGW should be an absolute test of IQ, because many intelligent people have simply not enough scientific knowledge to make their own assessment about the validity of this hypothesis. It’s more a test of their ability resisting the social pressure of conformism.\n\n\nFor the record, I have never yet met a “progressive” that can’t quote some Chomsky, and they ALL think Chomsky has increased their understanding of the world and improved their lives. But that’s okay, I am also aware that many “progressives” are unaware of what they are, and some even think their “progressive” outlooks have any validity beyond mere echos of anti-Vietnam sentiment from the 60s.\n\n\nWow – that just slid by with no comment. Someone advanced the theory (never observed) of evolution as some consensus fact, others raised objection, and nobody came to the rescue of evolution-as-fact.\nThings are looking up amongst this group of scientifically minded ppl. Projecting backward is pretty much the same as predicting forward.\n\n\nArtificial selection has produced a vast array of canine freaks, the majority of which wouldn’t stand a chance of surviving and reproducing in the wild.\nEven if, like Darwin, you had no understanding of the genetic code behind the mechanism, you would have to acknowledge that selection pressures from the environment shape the organism over multiple generations. The only difference between artificial selection (“eugenics” if you prefer ) and “natural” selection is the part of the environment that does the culling.\nA mere 100 years of domestic canine “improvements”:\nYou don’t need consensus to be convinced of evolution: you just need to look at the mountains and oceans full of evidence. That’s probably why people who think evolution is the explanation best fitted to the evidence don’t invoke “consensus” as an “argument.”\nEvolution is the 2nd most successful theory in science.\n\n\nIn the same way that “climate change” is used as shorthand that isn’t properly specified, a lot of times “evolution” is treated the same way.\n“Evolution”, to a creationist, is the specific assertion that the species of man arose from monkeys in a defined step by step fashion.\n“Evolution”, to a layman, is the assertion that species magically transform in positive ways in response to the environment, starting with amoeba from Fantasia, working their way up until they reach the pinnacle of humans.\n“Evolution”, to a scientist, is the assertion that through the mechanism of natural selection, a separated group of a given species can genetically drift through mutation and selective pressures to the point where the original group (not subject to the same pressures or the same mutations) no longer can breed/produce viable offspring with the separated group. Whether or not the separated group is “better” is a question nature doesn’t care about – the group doesn’t need to be stronger, or faster, or smarter, it just has to have avoided the particular selective pressure that killed off the other competing genetic lines.\nSo really, when we talk about “evolution”, we *really* mean “genetic drift and selective pressures” – both of which, as you rightly point out, happen with “artificial” selection (nature doesn’t care *where* the selective pressure comes from – calling one “natural” and one “artificial” is a trope of hubris).\nAs for why the theory of genetic drift and selective pressures is scientific (as compared to the pseudo-science of AGW), is that genetic drift and selective pressures is *falsifiable*. The trivial example of the falsifiability is to find a modern rabbit in the precambrian, which would demonstrate, if found, something miraculous like time travel or an alien seeding our planet hundreds of millions of years ago. Another example would be finding an organism which never has any mutations during genetic reproduction, ever. The most thoroughly sci-fi-ish example would be finding such a never-mutating organism, that has sufficient genetic code to express an infinite variety of phenotypes with the same genotype, adapting phenotypically to selective pressures without ever changing genetically.\n\n\nAlan – the subtitle of The Origin of Species” was “The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life”.\nThat is a fact.\nWhat is also a fact is our horrible history of eugenics arose out of this hubris – leading from England to USA and from USA straight to Hilter and the Final Solution, and all of the forced-sterilization programs from the powerful onto the powerless in the USA and across the globe – mostly focused on dark-skinned inferior people.\nFact. Fact. Fact. Fact. Fact.\nThis view of evolution as some revelation saving us from the terror of religion is a huge, horrible faith-based myth.\nOf course, since I am white, this obvious “fact” of evolution doesn’t affect me or my people. So, essentially, your comment is accurate – for me and my kind.\n\n\nWell somebody mentioned the consensus on Dark Matter as example of where consensus is “perfectly valid [and necessary]”.\nA few months ago I travelled on the train where I had the pleasure of talking to a physicist who had worked at CERN. So I asked him for an explanation of the Higgs field, and his opinion about Dark Matter. I mentioned my conviction that a magneto-rotational instability could explain the rotational properties of rotating disks of matter in space. He expressed his conviction that MOND would explain it.\nNeither of us believed in Dark Matter.\nMaybe he was a bad physicist.\n\nBoth of you were pushing Convictions. That is not science and thus both of you qualify as bad physicists in my book.\n\n\nRubbish, you of all people should know. You yourself have your convictions that the solar signal is too weak to explain global warming – that is a “conviction” and you might be right, however someone else like me might say “Well it is not altogether proven that emergent effects across all wavelength of light are similar and that a vatiation in the spectral distribution of light may have a significant effect” perhaps my conviction is right Leif. A conviction is simply an alternative belief, an alternative hypothesis, alternative hypotheses cause science to advance. You are a bad scientist if you dont have them\n\nNo, I don’t have any convictions. I do not have the conviction that the solar signal is too weak to explain global warming. The data tells me that, regardless of what I may want to believe. And I don’t have beliefs about this. If somebody can show me that the signal produces a significant response above the error bar, I’ll accept their analysis, but so far nobody has.\n\n\nLeif – is this true? Do you actually think you don’t have any convictions? You’re not just pulling our legs?\n\nI don’t have any convictions about science. I have lots of convictions about many other things, like freedom, honesty, etc.\nIn science, data trumps conviction, so better not have any. Follow the data.\n\n\nDark Matter is a conviction as long as it has not been found.\n\nWell, it has been found, all around us. 80% of the matter of the Universe is Dark.\n\n\nGod would be Matter or Dark Matter or both?\n\nI don’t think so. Dark Matter responds to gravity. Your god is probably above that 🙂\n\n\nActually Leif, I think you do. You think you are following the data, but you don’t know all the mechanisms that link solar influences to weather. Your interpretation of the data is therefore ignorant of the transfer functiom between solar and terrestrial weather. You hold the belief that solar influences are too weak to explain climate change in spite of your ignorance about a large chunk, that is what happens between the sun and the temperature emerging on earth. Rather than assert that you don’t know for sure, but it appears to be true, you proclaim full knowledge that the solar influence is certainly too weak – I claim you know too little to say that with any certainty because science lacks knowledge of all the mechanisms. That makes your declaration a belief (or conviction), it may be probable, but it is by no means a fact.\nAs a scientist one should be aware of the progression of competence\nUnconcious incompetence – we don’t know what we don’t know\nConscious incompetence – we do know what we don’t know.\nConscious competence – we think we know what we know, but we are still working on it.\nUnconcious competence – we know for sure and use it without question\nWhere are we currently incompetent about the Solar influence on the weather? Almost everywhere. For example the top of the sunspot cycle has major electrical effects on the ionosphere, how does that influence our environment?\n\nBefore one begins to think about mechanisms and unknown unknowns there should be a response to be explained, and as far as I am concerned, there is no response, there is no clear indication that the solar signal has a significant climate response. Lots of claims, but none that survive scrutiny.\n\n\nSo God is energy ? Dark energy or just energy ?\n\n\nLeif Svalgaard\nSeptember 10, 2014 at 12:05 am\nOkay, you say it has been found. Is it neutrinos, WIMPS, MACHOs? Which one is it?\nLeif, you don’t even notice that you mistake a bundle of competing sub-hypotheses of the Dark Matter hypothesis for evidence.\n\nferd berple\n\nor that our theory of gravity is incomplete.\nhas anyone ever shown us a single particle of dark matter? or is dark matter a hypothesis to explain the differences between gravitational theory and observation?\n\nDark Matter is not a product of our Theory of Gravitation. That we don’t know what DM is is not an objection. Newton clearly stated that he did not know the cause of Gravity, yet gravity certainly exists. You may benefit from a study of about how to measure the density of baryons versus that of DM, which does not depend on any theories of gravitation.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.632743775844574}
{"content": "Arabic culture\n\n\nالسلام عليكم\n\nAs-salāmu ʿalaykum\n\nFor many centuries, Arabic was the commercial language of the world. Which explains why there exist many mathematical terms of Arab origin, for example Algebra. The Arab culture represented the centre of science and technology, therefore many discoveries and inventions took place in the Arab region. Persia and Moorish Spain were also a part of the greater Arab region and show a substantial influence of the same in the development of scientific discoveries, especially in the field of technological development.\n\nProbably one of the most important Arab scholars, especially of Arab culture, is the Arab mathematician, Al-Biruni. Like Gauss, he was also interested in foreign languages and engaged intensively next to mathematics on subjects such as Astronomy and Geodesy. They had a lot of similarities and would have probably made a good team together.\n\n\n\n15.05.2018: Tunisia\n\n29.05.2018: Syria\n\n05.06.2018: Yemen\n\nLikewise, we also offer the city tour in Arabic. For more information on the Arab culture (also consulting), or Arabic playgroups for children send us an email to", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9612468481063843}
{"content": "Overview of Buddhism\n\nBuddhism is not a religion it is the a way of life. People live with strong meditation and peace. Buddha thought that all pain and suffering came from negative thoughts ,and that if you think and meditate positive then you will have peace and positive mind. Buddha thinks that if you transform your mind from a self centered state then you will have a blissful life.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9909263849258423}
{"content": "study gude review\n\nUnit Description\n\nThis unit is about surface area, perimeter, area and volume. We did a bumper car activity that helped us figure out the perimeter and the area of a bumper car floor plan. This helped us figure out how much material we need to fill the space. Then we did a storm shelter activity. We had to find the perimeter and the area of each floor plan. For surface area, we had to find the dimensions and the area of 2D shapes in order to find the surface area of 3D shapes. Finally, we filled an empty box with 2 centimeter blocks in order to find the volume of the shape.\n\nWhat is perimeter?\n\nPerimeter is the rim or outside of a 2D shape. Perimeter is measured in units.\n\nPerimeter = add all sides\n\nBig image\n\nWhat is area?\n\nArea is the inside of a 2D shape. Area is measured in square units.\n\nArea of Rectangle = L*W\n\nArea of Triangle = base x height / 2\n\nArea of Parallelogram = base x height\n\nBig image\n\nSuface Area\n\nWhat is suface area?\n\nSuface area the total area of the surface of a 3D shape. Surface area measured in square units.\n\nSurface Area of Pryamid = (LxW) + 4(BxH/2)\n\nSurface Area of Rectangular Prism = 2(LxW) + 2(LxW) + 2(LxW)\n\nBig image\n\n\nWhat is volume?\n\nThe volume is the space inside a 3D shape. Volume is measured in cubic units.\n\nVolume of Rectangular Prism = LxWxH\n\nBig image", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999902248382568}
{"content": "A History of the Luo-speaking Peoples of Eastern Africa\n\nKSh 4,800\n\nIn Africa, the past goes to the very origins of humanity. It continues until just before the scramble for Africa in the late 19th Century. The scramble – a kind of land grab – marks the onset of the colonial era, a time when European-derived forces asserted themselves over Africa ones, and as these forces intensified, an alien, and often rigid, order enveloped most of the continents inhabitants.\n\nBut Africa and Africans deserve to be known on their own terms, and to achieve this goal, we need to understand what took place before colonialism that re-wrote many life’s rules. We can do it best by studying how Africa was peopled. How different African population varieties developed; how the over 1,400 languages spoken in Africa evolved; why occupation has been an important aspect of African perceptions of identity; why certain places were attractive, and how trade routes altered comparative value of prices; and how in turn, trade fostered the development of more complex societies.\n\nIn this book on the history of the Luo speaking peoples of Eastern Africa, the author (Prof. Bethwell A. Ogot) creates a complex and rich narrative from the above factors.\n\n\n\nSub-title: A Remembrance\nAuthor: Prof. Bethwell A.Ogot\nISBN: 978-N/A\nCountry: Kenya\nPublisher: Anyange Press Ltd\nSize (mm): 130 x 197 x 27\nPages: 912\nFormat: Paperback\nColour: Black & White\nWeight 800 grams\nLanguage: English\nDate: 2009\n\nThere are no reviews yet.\n\nAdd your review", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9975990056991577}
{"content": "Food & Cuisine, Informational, News & Events,\n\nCAMRA campaigns for real ale, real pubs and consumer rights. They are an independent, voluntary organisation with over 90,000 members and have been described as the most successful consumer group in Europe. CAMRA promotes good-quality real ale and pubs, as well as acting as the consumer's champion in relation to the UK and European beer and drinks industry.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9906240105628967}
{"content": "1División Agronómica.\n2División Agroindustrial.\n3División Ingeniería Mecánica. \n\nTienes una Idea!, nosotros la desarrollamos, solución que se ajustes a sus necesidades . Thank you!\n\n\nMon-Fri 9:00AM - 6:00AM\nSat - 9:00AM-5:00PM\nDomingos con cita previa!\n\nCrear una Cuenta\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe essay writing strategy. Tips on how to start out, keep going and end your essay\n\nPreviously undertaking any coaching, it is advisable to think distinctly in what you will be covering. Moreover, it is actually critical to understand with what buy to complete this. That is why it'll in no way be superfluous to create a preliminary plan for posting an essay. You may practice it every time ahead of you start out operating, or you can have one wide-spread selection that could help you out continuously. This common program was made for you by professionals of our portal, possessing a strong encounter in performing many different academic operate. For that reason, using it, it is possible to write brilliant essays.\n\nHow to create an essay creating strategy. What Ought to you state in essay initial\n\nAny essay has its own own writing specifications, as well being a design to become followed. As it happens, it's by it that we are going to start. So, customarily inside the essay consist of: Launch having a dilemma or concept The primary component together with the powerpoint presentation of theses and reasons Conclusions with a specific verdict Provided this system, numerous students believe that the essay itself is developed in specifically exactly the same way, based on your order. Even so, this is not very the proper method. Often, these who decide a comparable strategy for authoring essays can make a great deal of money. Beginning to write an introduction, each student places ahead a certain concept, then begins to chaotically carry some theses, \"pushing the ear\" disputes, and usually requires him to a few mysterious distance of abstract reasoning. And inside the conclusion we percieve absolutely not what was essential to be showed. Frequent predicament? Likely, for many, indeed. And all of the mainly because it is advisable to stay with a somewhat diverse program. At the initial step of writing an essay, you should look at what sort of believed you wish to indicate. This will likely be the primary \"central\" of your operate. Then your beginning is penned, wherein this situation is identified at length. What should certainly I truly do next? Will you consider to continue using the theses? And here not! Think concerning the realization. This can be the secret from a profitable essay. When you are just beginning to write it, you'll want to already really know what you're going to complete, and then bring up the theses with quarrels because of this concept. It is as a line, what is the best you string string beads. And as within a enhanced pendant, these \"beads\" must harmoniously fuse with one another. That is certainly, involving theses there needs to be an intrinsic semantic unity.\n\nNext step of producing essay prepare\n\nIn the event the essay in addition to all of its crucial elements is prepared, it's too as soon as possible to spin and rewrite it to a clean replicate. First you will need to completely study it and check it. And then think about the way to allow it to be even much better. I.e: Reduce away from the too much, generating it even more brief To produce the foreign language additional multicolored using metaphors, allegories, associations, paradoxes Give the narrative the ease Analyze irrespective of whether the writing conveys your location, personality Within the method of posting essays, there might be a variety of troubles, trainees can make errors. Certainly one of them is increased verbosity, tightness, drinking water throwing. This could not be permitted. Let it be greater you write less in terms of level, but qualitatively. Adhering for the explained strategy, it is possible to far more purposely write an essay and usually do not encounter this challenge.\n\nIn case the option on the subject isn't restricted In the event the topic is just not wanted to know from outside, then the whole world sits before you. Occasionally, it seems until this only complicates the activity. Employing fact, this signifies that you are free to decide on the subject that hobbies you, what can make your essay more thoughtful and deeply. Specify the target The initial thing it is advisable to consider about may be the goal from the essay that you need to create. Do it is advisable to encourage many people that, as to what you think; or explain ways to perform a certain process; or tell roughly a mankind, a place, factor or notion; or a thing absolutely diverse? Whichever topic you select, it really should encounter this target. Draw as quite a few doable subjects as you will be interested in. Right after you have got determined around the objective of the essay, create around the sheet of paper some fascinating for you themes. In it doesn't matter what objective with the essay you have got chosen, it will likely be suitable to numerous figures styles.\n\nLook at every prospective matter\n\nFor those who create numerous satisfactory subjects, then look at each and every of those as a stand alone. Think about how exactly you really feel about the chosen topic. When you should speak about some thing (show information), make certain that this can be a topic which you your self are sufficiently well knowledgeable about. In the event you need to persuade reader in anything, ensure that you will be a minimum of modestly ardent concerning the selected subject. Certainly, Probably the most critical factor in picking out a subject would be the variety of concepts that you just have in its connection. Even if none on the subjects you shown don't look especially attractive to suit your needs, try decide one and work it out. It may be prosperous. Prior to you begin the method of composing an essay, a single far more time appear in the subject that you just have chosen. Feel about what sort of perform is expected of yourself. Really should this be regarded as a general assessment, or perhaps in-detail evaluation Topics? If this can be a general review, then, most likely, you will be ready to move forward towards the next part. If it really is an in-depth evaluation, make sure that the subject is particular adequate. If it really is constructed within a as well basic way, you you will need to select a narrower sub-issue to refer to. As an example, the subject of \"Kenya\" is also general. If The purpose with the essay is a general summary, than the subject is suitable. For those who need to create a alot more distinct evaluation, then the subject is as well common. It can really need to be narrowed, for example, to \"National politics in Kenya\" or \"Traditions of Kenya.\" After how you would decide on the topic, you can actually move ahead. Following you determine that your potential subject is appropriate, you'll be able to move on.\n\nThe goal of establishing a framework or diagram is usually to list concepts related to the selected topic, old fashioned paper in a fairly organized format. The dwelling that you just generate can still alter, so usually do not far too suffer by it. Find out irrespective of whether you choose a rigorous and strict construction or easily running. For those who choose that or another and choose which it will not meet you, you may consistently visit a further shape. Formulation in the thesis Now, immediately after you might have agreed, at least ahead of time, with the information knowledge that you are arranging inside your essay, you will be able to make a thesis. The thesis explains your reader what the essay will be about, and that which you, this author, believe regarding this. You know what will occur essay, this really is your subject. Now you'll want to look at your plan or diagram and decide what you'll do. highlight. What do the principle ideas and boosting facts say relating to your topic? Your thesis will encompass two components. Within the very first element, the topic is launched. 1. The Culture of Kenya two. Construction of train versions three. Open public carry In the secondary element, the highlight is declared. 1. includes a wealthy and unique record two. requires some perserverance 3. can solve among probably the most critical concerns in our place Immediately after you produce a thesis that suits the explained model type, and for which you like, you possibly can proceed.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6430366635322571}
{"content": "Sound Editing vs. Sound Mixing\n\nDifference Between Sound Editing and Sound Mixing\n\nFilms in the Oscars are nominated in terms of sound mixing and sound editing. Mostly one single film wins in both the categories. So that would mean sound editing is the same as sound mixing. But that’s not always true. There is a big difference between the two and people should be aware about it. Let’s find out.\n\nSound editing\n\nSound editing is a very necessary component that is used in a film. It is planned in a serious manner in the studio. In this, a sound or music is made out of nowhere and also it is unique for the movie. When we talk of sound editing we mean inventing. A lot of things come under sound editing.\n\nSound mixing\n\nWhen we mix existing sounds into a film, we call it sound mixing. It is a very strenuous task and requires a flawless component for matching the movie’s scene. Moreover, t should be done in such a manner so that there is a balance between the movie and its sound effects and one does not overshadow the other. This is the exact concept behind creating effects, dialogues and music.\n\n\nIn films, sound editing and mixing hold a great deal of significance and respect. In their case, neither of the two can do without each other. When we create something from the very beginning, it refers to sound editing. And when existing sounds are mixed together to emphasize or create equilibrium in a specific scene, then it is known as sound mixing.\n\nThe people responsible for sound editing are cinematographers rather than directors, which is what people normally presume. The former combines various effects and aspects of sound in creating a sole sound.\n\n\nCategory: VS  |  Tags:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8548798561096191}
{"content": "University of Bath\n\n\nInformation, maps and accessibility features for our buildings, venues and other locations.\n\nLocations about: postgraduateresearch, induction.\n\n  • Students' Union\n\n    The Students' Union (SU) building houses the Student Centre, food outlets, SU offices and the campus pub and night club.\n\n  • The Plug and The Tub\n\n    The Plug is the Students' Union bar. It serves food, drinks and snacks. The Tub is the Students' Union nightclub.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5727485418319702}
{"content": "Patent Number: 6,252,035\n\nTitle: Salts of chelating agents as polymerization catalysts\n\nAbstract: The present invention relates to a method for the preparation of polycarbonate comprising preparing a polycarbonate by a melt process by reacting a diphenol and a diaryl carbonate in the presence of a catalytically effective amount of one or more alkali and or alkali earth metal salts of chelating agents. Suitable chelating agents include nitrilotriacetate and EDTA.\n\nInventors: McCloskey; Patrick Joseph (Watervliet, NY), Burnell; Timothy Brydon (Niskayuna, NY), Smigelski, Jr.; Paul Michael (Schenectady, NY)\n\nAssignee: General Electric Company\n\nInternational Classification: C08G 64/30 (20060101); C08G 64/00 (20060101); C08G 064/00 ()\n\nExpiration Date: 06/26/2018", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9112562537193298}
{"content": "Jessica Johanson (Conservation)\n\nIslandic Forest Service, Reykjavík, Iceland\n\nI spent this summer, my first Co-op work term, as an intern for Icelandic Forest Research. As a research assistant, I have had the opportunity to engage in various projects and learn from many different scientists. These projects included measuring a progeny trial of poplar trees, traveling for the Icelandic Forest Inventory, and assessing birch for a study on insect damage. Over the course of the work term, I have not only learned about the specifics of each project, but also about the research process, forestry in Iceland, and working internationally. Iceland’s distinct environment and culture have made for a really unique learning experience, and the Co-op program definitely encouraged me to seek out this opportunity. This work term has broadened my perspective in unexpected ways while teaching me valuable skills for the future.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9649409651756287}
{"content": "Q&A With Axispoint's Dan DiSano On A Key Acquisition And Building Client Relationships\n\nWhat are the best ways to stay ahead of the curve on technology?\n\nThere is no silver bullet on that. Technology, as you and I both know, is ever changing. Today, something will be different from yesterday. The way we do it is a … multi-pronged approach. For instance, we do have continual training and learning. That's important. For instance, T2 Computing has certifications with certain hardware and software manufacturers. We have certain certifications in software development. We go to conferences. [At a recent conference,] I met with about 25 startups, just personally. Meeting with their CEOs and learning what they're doing and where they see the market going. So, it's not just changing technology, it's how to use technology in a different way. We try to stay on top of both.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9997745752334595}
{"content": "Students Respond to Chalet Dallas\n\nby Colleen Borsh / Manager of School and Family Programs / Nasher Sculpture Center\n\nOn October 17, 2015, the Nasher hosted 40 high school and college students from schools around North Texas to be part of an interactive learning experience in Chalet Dallas. Students were invited to read about the project, then meet in the space to discuss with other students and create art with artists. We asked four participants to share their take on the day.\n\nWhat were you expecting the Chalet Dallas to be like?\n\nCat: Wowee, when it comes to expectations, mine were much different than what I saw and experienced. I was not expecting these intimate alcoves where each different space provided some new, strange perspective in the room not only aurally, but visually as well. I was pleasantly surprised!\n\nChandler: While we knew going into the event generally the structure and purpose of it, we also knew that part of the beauty of the Chalet is that you aren’t supposed to know 100% what it was going to be like or what would happen when you got there. The experience was to be whatever you made of it, so I can say that is definitely exceeded my expectations in terms of the uniqueness of the art and social experience combination.\n\nDid your perspective of the space change after visiting and or hearing from others?\n\nLindsay: While we were in the space and every group was discussing what articles they read and what their view on the space was, I heard a lot more variations in perspectives that I ever thought I would. I enjoyed hearing how people tied personal experiences in with the chalet experience. While in the space, my perspective changed with the size, lighting and sound. I was also intrigued by how we had to move around in the space and navigate around the objects. \n\nCat: The moment I stepped into the space, my senses were all engaged. The environment itself was visually absolutely beautiful, and as we all shuffled in, shoes scuffing against the smooth, cork floor, the slightly awkward silence was adorned with the happy bubbling of the fish tank. I sat in awe as the small room began to fill with art lovers, and I realized that there is no way I could ever experience the room properly through pictures in articles, the room itself lends itself to a sort of sacred duty of socialization that I greatly wished my school classrooms had.\n\nEmma: At the start of the day, we interacted with others in a large group, showing the ability of the space to accommodate large groups of people. However, going back to the Chalet twice more later on in the day, in smaller groups, exposed a more playful side of the Chalet, seeing as people were more willing to move around the space quickly as they made new discoveries. Overall, I think this really solidified my understanding of the Chalet’s purpose in inspiring conversation and building a community; the art served as a catalyst for insightful, meaningful conversations.\n\nWas there anything that surprised you during your visit?\n\nEmma: I was a part of a group that [worked with an artist to make] a scale model of another space that served a similar purpose as the Chalet. Before building, our group went back into the Chalet to explore once more. Much to my surprise, the artist himself was there. I got to introduce myself and talk to him very briefly. He then listened in on some of our group’s conversation. That was really mind-blowing to me to watch an artist listen to the responses to his work.\n\nInterviews have been edited for length and clarity.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9090843200683594}
{"content": "Source of article The Litigation Consulting Report (A2L Consulting).\n\nWe at A2L constantly have the pleasure of working with trial teams composed of some of the nation’s best trial attorneys. The teams we work with can be composed of dozens of attorneys, but ordinarily there are three to 12 members. And sometimes, as can be true of any group that is assembled for a particular purpose, there is one member of the group who, without good reason, makes everyone’s life harder. The very presence of this person can have a dulling effect on the trial team’s morale and effectiveness.\n\nAny trial team can be seen as an elite unit, like an army platoon, that has a well-defined mission that everyone shares. That common goal of winning the case is usually enough to unite the trial team in a single-minded purpose and to enable everyone to do their best work possible in pursuit of that goal. This type of team unity correlates very well with ultimate success at trial. But when one team member has a difficult personality – for example, proves to be more interested in his or her personal achievements than in the success of the team as a whole – all bets are off. In our article, 10 Criteria that Define Great Trial Teams, we outlined traits necessary for trial team success. A single difficult personality on a trial team can obstruct success in any of the key areas.  \n\nFor example, one important way in which this difficult person can negatively affect the trial team is in communication, or the lack thereof. When a member of the team is afraid to make a suggestion to the team for fear of being ridiculed or shot down by a fellow team member, communication and trust are damaged and the team’s effectiveness is diminished. A safe and open environment are crucial to success.\n\nSimilarly, the story-telling and theme development efforts of a trial team are diminished when an egotistical team member delivers criticism in an unpleasant and insensitive way. As we have said elsewhere, there are good ways and bad ways to be critical of another person. A good summary is that it’s important to take the “but” out of the room. A team member who is always saying “yes, but” to every attempt to develop a theme is not helping in theme development. That doesn’t mean everyone should be a “yes man” or “yes woman,” but it does mean that better themes and better stories will emerge from more and better discussion.\n\nA “bad apple” on a trial team can also negatively affect the leadership structure and teamwork of a team. When one person on the team is out for his or her glory or self-preservation rather than for the team’s success, everyone tends to keep their heads down rather than stick their necks out.\n\nFinally, I have long asserted that long hours of practice are a crucial factor in victory at trial. The amount of time spent practicing an opening statement or a cross-examination correlate well with success. If a team is plagued with one member who constantly engages in biting criticism, everyone will shy away from doing the practice that is needed.\n\nIf you see that negative personality on your trial team who is dragging down its performance in any number of ways, don’t hesitate to confront the person and surface the issue. It may be a difficult thing for a team leader or member to do, but it is far better than letting the difficulties fester.\n\nOther free articles from A2L Consulting focused on litigation management, trial team best practices, and practice include:\n\nopening statements toolkit ebook download a2l", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8287173509597778}
{"content": "Organ donation is a necessary public good\n\nManitoban legislation for a new opt-out donation system is a step in the right direction\n\nPhoto by Asha Nelson.\n\nOrgan donation is one of the biggest issues facing Canada’s healthcare system.\n\nLong wait lists often cause people to wait years in order to receive the organs they need, forcing them to live uncomfortably for years at a time. From having to go in for dialysis, or needing to be hooked up to oxygen 24 hours a day, people are living in ways that are individually burdensome and are a drain on our society’s healthcare system.\n\nThe clear solution to these issues is organ donation. Unfortunately, less than 20 per cent of Canadians have made arrangements to donate, even though over 90 per cent of Canadians say they support organ donation. This means we have an incredibly long list of people waiting for organ donations – over 4,500 in 2014 – with hundreds of those people dying each year.\n\nOne of those people was Joshua Weekes. He was a seven-year-old boy from Richmond, B.C. In early 2016, at the age of six, he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia and underwent several blood transfusions and rounds of chemotherapy. Despite this, he still required a bone marrow transplant. After multiple donor drives across British Columbia, and a campaign that raised close to $40,000, a donor was never found, and Joshua passed away on Jan. 12, 2017.\n\nIn one of the richest countries in the world, and as a pioneer in healthcare, Canada should not have hundreds of people dying due to a lack of donors. Though the number of organ donations increases every year, the need increases as well. This leads to more people requiring donations than there are available donors.\n\nTo understand just how important organ donation is, you have to understand how positively impacted people are who receive donations. One single person who donates their body has the potential to save the lives of up to eight people, and significantly benefit the lives of as many as 75. And with modern science, survival rates after transplants are very high – between 80 and 95 per cent of recipients recover well in the first year following their transplant.\n\nWhy, then, are there still inadequate numbers of donations every year? It could partially have to do with a deceased patient who planned to donate having their wishes blocked because their family was not made aware – an outcome that happens about 20 per cent of the time nationally and as frequently as with nearly every second donor in Manitoba. It could also be that the system is failing Canadians and needs major reform.\n\nOne person who has his eyes on that reform here in Manitoba is independent member of the legislative assembly Steven Fletcher. He is set to introduce a new bill, The Gift of Life Act, to amend Manitoba’s current legislation, The Human Tissue Gift Act. Specifically, Fletcher wants to change the opt-in laws we have in Manitoba surrounding organ donation to an opt-out system.\n\nCurrently, you can check a box on your health card or go online to join the organ donation registry – a process which has seen abysmally low numbers. Only about 19,000 have registered online, and only 1.1 per cent of the population have formally registered. Fletcher’s new amendment would require one to opt-out of such a list.\n\nAs an overwhelming 95 per cent of Manitobans express support for organ donation, this should not be seen as something negative. With over 278 people passing away while waiting for an organ, like Joshua Weekes did earlier this year, it is time to see a significant change to the way organ donations are handled.\n\nAs the bill goes public, some misconceptions have emerged. One issue is that the new bill could be seen as an example of over-inflated bureaucracy with the government becoming unnecessarily involved. However, the government already tells us what we can and can not do with our deceased bodies. Even scattering ashes in many areas is now illegal due to health concerns.\n\nRole of government aside, bringing a new law into effect that has the potential to save thousands of lives by increasing the number of organ transplants should be a non-partisan issue.\n\nOne of the biggest misconceptions is the idea that this amendment will take away a citizen’s right to choose whether they donate. This is simply not the case. The amendment includes wording to allow those not comfortable donating their organs to refrain from doing so. The three easy ways in which someone can clearly state their objection to being a donor are through the registry website, through a written document signed by the person who objects and delivered to their physician, or stating the objection orally to at least two witnesses in the time of their last illness.\n\nThe amendment will be discussed and debated on Oct. 31, then voted on two days later, on Nov. 2. If you would like to see a transformation in the way our province addresses these life-changing issues, please contact your local member of the legislature to see if they will be supporting this bill. It is imperative that we reject the misconceptions, and address this issue if we want to continue the prairie legacy of being a leader in healthcare.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.986293375492096}
{"content": "Down but not out !\n\nI watched this hornet being taken out by a guard hornet at the nest , I have no idea why whether it was an intruder I don’t know. Both fell to the floor one flew of and this one I put on a log out the damp grass thinking it had been stung and was dying but actually after about 10 minutes it started to come back around and eventually flew off.\n\n\nNest of hornets (Lode)\n\nI was lucky enough to find a hornets nest and got a couple of great shots, it started out as a disappointing insect foray due to the cold damp weather but finished in a high  when I found the nest.\n\nThe hornet’s life cycle is similar to that of the common wasp. Newly-mated queens hibernate during the winter, and emerge in spring to begin building a nest. They lay eggs that hatch into sterile female workers who take over nest building and collecting food for the developing larvae. Later in the summer males and fertile females hatch. These mate and the females become next year’s queens. The males, old queen and workers die in the autumn.\n\nHornets have an unwarranted fearsome reputation, but will only sting humans if attacked.\n\nWhat does it eat?\nBoth adults and larvae eat mainly insects. Adults may also take spiders and queens may supplement their diet with tree sap and windfall fruit. They also stock up on nectar before hibernating.\n\nWhen will I see it?\nFrom May to September.RSPB\n\nIdentifying male and female Hornets\n\n\n\nAbove a male hornet which has 13 segments to its antennae and 7 segments to their abdomen.\n\nBelow a female hornet which has 12 segments to her antennae and 6 segments to her abdomen.\n\n\nMales also don’t have a sting although I didn’t know that when I got the one to sit on my finger.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVespa crabro – Hornet (Gamlingay-Gransden-Hayley Woods WTNR)\n\nAnd finally I have got my own not to bad photos of Hornets , I have seen more today than in my last 40ish years.\n\nIt was great seeing them hunting taking butterflies, flies and honeybees, even attacking each other so guess they were from different colonies. I saw hornets in each of the three woodlands we saw.\n\nMedian wasp (Dolichovespula media)\n\n\nThe second largest British social wasp species. D. media was first recorded in 1980 in Sussex, since when it has spread over all of England and Wales, and much of southern Scotland. It has a short life cycle, with nests finishing in August.\n\nNests are aerial and generally exposed, usually hanging from trees or bushes.\n\nKey features\nThe workers generally resemble other yellow and black social wasps\nAll castes have yellow markings on the top and front-sides of the thorax which are said to resemble the NIKE logo, or when viewed from above look like two back-to-back, or mirrored, number 7’s.\nSimilar species\nQueen median wasps are sometimes mistaken for hornets (Vespa crabro) due to sharing some red coloration, but hornets lack any yellow markings on the thorax. Hornets also lack the deep black coloration of the median wasp and other species of social wasp…..BWARS\n\n\nThere Is some great  information on the fact sheet below\n\n\nI have posted before a Median wasp but it was unlike this one so it seems it was a male which are again different than a queen or worker. See post below\n\nMale Median wasp", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9174193739891052}
{"content": "\n\nPizzeria: Motivation and Positive Reinforcement Essay Sample\n\n  • Pages: 2\n  • Word count: 339\n  • Rewriting Possibility: 99% (excellent)\n  • Category: motivation pizza\n\nGet Full Essay\n\n\nGet Access\n\nIntroduction of TOPIC\n\n1. Consider the situation where the manager changed the time period required to receive free food and drink from six to twelve hours of work. Try to apply each of the motivational approaches. Consider content theories (Herzberg and Maslow) and process theories (expectancy, equity and reinforcement) to explain what happened. Which of the approaches offers the most appropriate explanation? Why? When the time period changed from six to twelve hours, it was best descibed as the Reinforcement Theory where proper punishment should be enforced based off behaviour. This allows for positive reinforcement where good behavior shall be repeated, however, not negative behavior. In this case, it was actually the opposite. The employees took management as a ha\n\nrsher punishment. It eventually lead to the Equity Theory where the manager retaliated by increasing\n\nSorry, but full essay samples are available only for registered users\n\nChoose a Membership Plan\nthe food percentage. This also leads to the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs where both managers and employees are not dependent of the pizzeria yet are motivated to perform out of security purposes.\n\n2. Repeat question 1 for the situation in which the manager worked beside the employees for a time and then later returned to his office. Working along side the employees shows the Reinforcement Theory. It was a form of punishment on the manager’s behalf due to weakening the employees behavior based off of higher waste percentage. Authority and superversion were lacking due to the fact that the manager had to work alongside the employees and it was clearly stated that managers were not supposed to work on actual food preparation ( a direct violation).\n\n3. Repeat question 1 for the situation as it exists at the end of the case. manager needs more communication with his employees. Feedback and positive reinforcement would have made the scenario better. Instead he punished all the employees by taking away the free food benefits as punishment. The Equity Theory states that inorder to take away any inequity, the manager could have changed any other input or change the outcomes.\n\nWe can write a custom essay on\n\nPizzeria: Motivation and Positive Reinforcement Es ...\nAccording to Your Specific Requirements.\n\nOrder an essay\n\nYou May Also Find These Documents Helpful\n\nThe Process Theories of Motivation\n\nQ1 Explain a content theory of motivation and a process theory of motivation and illustrate how they can explain actions of individuals in the case of study. “The content theory of motivation try to explain specific what are the keys to motivate people at work” (Mullins, L pg 252 Ed tenth) The main theories of content theories are Maslow and Helzberg. A.Maslow theory was known as the hierarchy of needs, theorised that humans need can be grouped into 5 main levels. “A.Maslow hypothesis is that the people are wanting beings, they always want more and what they want depends of what already have.” (Mullins, L pg252 Ed tenth) The hierarchy is classified in 5 levels: Physiological in relation with basic things, at the beginning of Joy of Chocolate Suzy’s main goal is to survive with her business. “Safety was related with a safe working conditions and job security.” When Suzy hired Leon and Hafiz,...\n\nJoy of Chocolate - Review\n\nContent theory explains specific things that motivates people at work and explains why people need change with time in the workplace. Content theories aim to identify people’s needs. Alderfer’s Modified Need Hierarchy- Existence needs are about sustaining human existence and survival and cover psychological and safety needs of a material nature. Relatedness needs are about relationships to the social environment and cover love or belonging, affiliation and meaningful interpersonal relationships of a safety or esteem nature. Growth needs are about the development of potential and cover self esteem and self actualisation. In ‘Joy Of Chocolate’ there is an example of existence needs in the section of the growth of the business where all staff know the importance of ‘strict adherence’ to Health and Safety, Food Production regulations and keeping waste as low as possible. Relatedness needs were evident where Hafiz believed in trusting his team and chose not to routinely check all employees’ progress....\n\nPhysiological or environmental influences HR\n\nMotivation is derived from the word, “motive” which denotes the inner power that energizes and activates the person to act in order to reach the goals they want to attain. Motivation is also the reason of an action or behavior of a person (Guay et al. , 2010, p. 712). It is a characteristics that directs you if you’re going to do something or not (Paraphrasing Gredler, Broussard and Garrison (2004), p. 106). It is something that gives direction to a person to accomplish their certain task or work (Denhardt et al. 2008). Motivation and inspiration is synonymously defined in the dictionary of Meriam Webster. Other terms for motivation is “drive”, “needs” or “desire”. On the other hand, It is a perception of a person that drives them to satisfy their needs. Motives of a person can originate either from physiological or environmental influences. Motivation can be influence. In psychology,...\n\nPopular Essays\n\n\nEmma Taylor\n\n\nHi there!\nWould you like to get such a paper?\nHow about getting a customized one?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9690434336662292}
{"content": "Sükhe was a shepherd boy. His only possession of worth was a pure white horse. The wicked lord of the land owned a herd of magnificent horses, but none were white. He offered to buy Sükhe's horse, but when the boy refused, the wicked lord killed the horse in a fit of jealousy.\n\nSükhe nearly died from sadness, until the horse came to him in a dream and told him to make a musical instrument out of its body, so that the boy and the horse would never be lonely as long as he could play beautiful music.\n\nSükhe crafted the instrument with the horse's bones as the neck, its tail as the strings, and its skin as a cover for the soundbox. He carved the scroll into a sculpture of the horse, and so the first morin khuur was made.\n\nThe morin khuur is an instrument with its origins in the Turkic people that lived in the Mongolian steppes. It first appeared some time before 1105 when it was first described in the music encyclopedia, Yue She, by Chen Yang, as a foreign, two-stringed, lute. Today it is known in China as the \"matouqin\" (馬頭琴). In Western Mongolia, it is called 'ikil' (икил), and in Eastern Mongolia, 'shoor' (Шоор).\n\nIt is the basis for a large part of Mongolian culture, and similar or identical instruments can be found playing a large part in the cultures of the Tuvan, Kazakh, and Kyrgyz nomads and their descended peoples.\n\nIt is a mid-sized stringed instrument, which uses either a more modern (since approx. 1970) wooden soundbox, or a more traditional animal skin wrapped wooden frame; a long neck; and a horse head-shaped scroll that carries the two large tuning pegs.\n\nTraditionally, the larger \"male\" string is made from 130 hairs from a stallion's tail, and the \"female\" string is made from 105 hairs from a mare's tail. Today they are just as often strung with synthetic nylon cords, though these are still composed of 130 and 105 fibers, respectively.\n\nThe strings are loosely strung, and the fingers of the manipulating hand can either press down or raise the strings away from the neck in any combination or position on the neck. This, combined with the loosely strung bow, which is held with an underhanded grip, allows for very precise control of the timbre of the instrument. Its sound has been compared to the violin, though it is said to be a more \"expressive\" instrument even with far fewer strings.\n\nThe strings are tuned either a fifth, or a fourth, apart, depending on the player's preference or sometimes even the piece to be performed. It is not unusual to make fine adjustments to the tuning between pieces to accommodate the particular series of notes to be played in the next song.\n\nRegionally, the soundboxes found in Outer Mongolia tend to be larger, and therefore louder, than those in Inner Mongolia. As a purely subjective comparison, a larger morin khuur is about as loud as a violin played for a small, closely-seated audience.\n\nThe morin khuur is the traditional accompaniment to Tuvan throat singing, and many masters of the art consider it to be superior to the igil (a traditional Tuvan instrument, not to be confused with the W. Mongolian word ikil) in that regard.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8452116250991821}
{"content": "Monday, February 19, 2018\n\nLeadership: The Plan for Winning in Digital Transformation\n\nLast year the World Economic Forum labeled 2017 as the beginning of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. What value do we gain from defining industrial revolutions? I believe it is to define new sets of rules for winning in business. Let’s review the three previous industrial revolutions.\n\n  • Industrial Revolution #1. We move from reliance on animals, human muscles and biomass to the use of fossil fuels and mechanical power. A caveman/businessman wishing for a competitive advantage might be the first to use mechanical power fueled by fossil fuels to build cave-condos faster and cheaper than other Neanderthals.\n  • Industrial Revolution #2. Electricity is harnessed and distributed, both wireless and wired communication is developed, the synthesis of ammonia provides new fertilizers and harvests increase, and new forms of power generation are developed. A farmer wishing for competitive advantages could adopt mobile phones to communicate wirelessly with their workers, use lights around the farm to extend hours of operation, fertilizers could increase their production.\n  • Industrial Revolution #3. Digital systems are developed, communication and rapid advances in computing power achieved, which enable new ways of generating, processing and sharing information. A businessman operating a disco and seeking competitive advantages installs a digital cash register for more accurate cash management, buys an Apple Computer with the VisiCalc spreadsheet to better manage the business, and installs a heavy printer to print disco-oriented newsletters and other business documents from the office.\n  • Industrial Revolution #4. Billions of humans are connected by mobile devices and networks, surrounded by sensors, wearing wearables, supported by unprecedented processing power, storage capacity, and access to knowledge, which serves as the springboard for developments in artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles, 3-D printing, nanotechnology, biotechnology, materials science, energy storage, and quantum computing. A business woman seeking a competitive advantage decides to develop and rent out genetically-altered and custom-designed farm animals with embedded GPS sensors to urban dwellers by developing a mobile app connected to the internet where chatbots take your reservation and deliver the beasts in autonomous self-driving trucks pulling cattle trailers.\n\nLabeling Industrial Revolutions is a way to identify when the rules of competition have changed. Why is this important? Competitors can’t compete and leaders can’t lead if they don’t know the rules of the game. In the 4th Industrial Revolution, like all the other industrial revolutions, the rules have changed:\n  1. Data is the modern commercial battlefield. Operational blind spots must be removed by gaining visibility through data capture and sensors.\n  2. Information dominance is the strategic goal. Gain insights from data your competition does not yet have. Early adopters gain data and insights that laggards do not have access to.\n  3. It takes an “Optimized Information Logistics Systems” (OILS) to compete. Friction in data movement must be removed so data flows fast enough through the information logistics system to support real-time digital and mobile interactions.\n  4. Advantages in speed, analytics, operational tempos, process automation and information logistics tied to business and customer value will determine who will win in the 4th Industrial Revolution.\n  5. Businesses that can “analyze data, uncover insights, automate decision-making and execute with speed” will soon dominate those which are slower.\n  6. Digital time (a.k.a. real-time) and future time operational tempos are required to compete successfully. Future times are when your system can predict future actions, events, needs, preferences and requirements and make recommendations and take actions today.\n  7. Advantages lead to more advantages (Ax2). When you have the advantage of being out front, you see data not yet visible to trailing followers. That data allows you to make decisions and take actions that followers do not yet understand.\n  8. Having situational awareness is an important advantage. It enables organizations to eliminate inefficiencies and operate at a lower cost and with increased productivity. Visibility enables actions to be taken based on knowledge rather than guesswork, incorrect assumptions and conjecture, saving both time and money.\n  9. As digital interaction points with customers, vendors, suppliers and partners increase, so will demand for better UI/UXs, additional APIs, speed, clean data, automation and digital transformation across the entire business.\n  10. Digital experiences are only as good and as fast as the systems behind them and their alignment with customers’ desires.\n  11. Processes and decision-making are only as good as the people, data and/or algorithms involved.\n  12. The more data that is captured, analyzed and used, the greater the accuracy of analysis, economic value and innovation opportunities it makes possible.\n  13. Data has a shelf life, and the economic value of data diminishes quickly over time, so organizations must be agile and nimble enough to react and take advantage of new information to capture the value.\n  14. The economic value of information multiplies when combined with real-time context, analysis, right-time delivery and the capability to respond.\n  15. Ultimately winners in the 4th Industrial Revolution will be those that can innovate by offering personalized and frictionless business where friction previously existed. They will deliver incredible user experiences; automate decision-making based on capturing the right data, and executing better and faster than competitors through the implementation of artificial intelligence, machine learning and automation.\n  16. Winners will operate an agile business that can align with quickly-changing customer behaviors and desires faster than their competitors. They will have the leadership, organization, culture and technology platforms that allow them to respond to new data with speed.\nThese rules not only help us to understand how to compete and win, but they should also help enterprises develop their digital transformation doctrine. Why is this important? In a large survey we conducted, the participants identified the need for a clear digital transformation strategy as being critical to a company’s future success. Digital transformation strategies grow out of and are shaped by a digital transformation doctrine (DTD). We define doctrine as a documented way of thinking, a common frame of reference across an organization, which provides an authoritative body of statements on how the business should approach digital transformation. It provides a common lexicon for use and a framework for developing strategies. The DTD is a necessary first step before digital transformation strategies and tactics can be developed and implemented.\n\n\nAn organization’s DTD should influence all their strategies, how they operate, and the tactics they employee to compete. In our research, we found most companies recognize digital transformation is happening, but few have a guiding doctrine to lead them on this chaotic journey. Without a DTD, organizations lack a unified understanding of why they are engaged in digital transformation and the role transformation plays in helping them compete successfully.\n\nExecutive teams must define how their organization should think about digital transformation. The DTD should be obvious in every program, project, campaign, product and service within the company. An example of a DTD follows:\n\nKevin Benedict\nSenior Vice President Solutions Strategy, Regalix Inc.\nWebsite Regalix Inc.\nView my profile on LinkedIn\nFollow me on Twitter @krbenedict\nSubscribe to Kevin's YouTube Channel\nJoin the Linkedin Group Digital Intelligence\nJoin the Google+ Community Mobile Enterprise Strategies\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.698938250541687}
{"content": "Milo Biotechnology\n\nMilo Biotechnology is developing novel therapies based on follistatin, a protein that increases muscle mass and strength. Milo is targeting rare neuromuscular diseases, initiating a Phase I/II clinical trial in Becker muscular dystrophy and inclusion body myositis.\nRead the Case Study\n\nFunding: North Coast Opportunity Fund, JumpStart, Rev1 Ventures\n\nStage: Clinical\n\nNews: Milo Biotechnology Announces FDA Orphan Drug Designation for Treatment of Inclusion Body Myositis", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9594565033912659}
{"content": "HPA Flashcards Preview\n\nBMS1052 Human Neurobiology > HPA > Flashcards\n\nFlashcards in HPA Deck (10):\n\nWhat is the function of the hypothalamus?\n\n- Control of metabolism\n- mediation of stress\n- control of the reproductive system\n- control of temperature\n- integration of autonomic and endocrine functions.\n\n\nOn the wall of which ventricle does the hypothalamus sit?\n\nThe wall of the third ventricle.\n\n\nWhat part of the hypothalamus has a leaky blood-brain barrier?\n\nThe median eminence due to fenestrations (pores)\n\n\nWhat connects the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland?\n\nThe infundibulum- stalk comprised of nerve fibres and specialised portal vessels.\n\n\nWhat is the pathway of signal produced by the paraventricular nucleus?\n\nNeurosecretory cells in the paraventricular nucleus release secreting factors (neuro-hormones).\nThese leave the median eminence and enter the infundibulum.\nThey travel through the the portal vessels to enter the pituitary gland.\nThere they cause the release of specific hormones.\n\n\nWhat cell types produce each of the following:\n- Follicle stimulating hormone and luteinising hormone (gonads/ reproduction)\n- Thyroid stimulating hormone (thyroid/energy expenditure)\n- Adrenocorticotropic hormone (adrenal/stress)\n- Growth hormone (widespread anabolic actions)\n\n- Gonadotrophs\n- Thyrotrophs\n- Corticotrophs\n- Somatotrophs\n\n\nWhat is the pathway of stress?\n\nHypothalamus detects stress, leading to the release of corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) from neurosecretory cells of the paraventricular nucleus.\nIt then travels to the anterior pituitary gland where it acts on corticotrophs to release ACTH\nACTH acts on the adrenal cortex.\nCortisol then travels through the blood initiating the stress response.\n\n\nWhat is the posterior pituitary gland responsible for?\n\nControl of vasopressin (dehydration) and oxytocin (love, breast milk production and contractions during birth)\n\n\nWhat is the vasopressin?\n\nAntidiuretic hormone- prevents dehydration by preventing urine dilution.\n\n\nWhat is the difference in how signalling molecules travel from the magnocellular cells of the neurosecretory cells to the posterior pituitary gland and from the paraventricular nucleus to the anterior pituitary gland?\n\nWhen travelling from the paraventricular nucleus signal go through the portal vessels.\nWhen travelling from the magnocellular nucleus, signals do not travels through the portal vessels.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000100135803223}
{"content": "Research Design, Stats, Tests, And Measurements Flashcards Preview\n\nPsychology > Research Design, Stats, Tests, And Measurements > Flashcards\n\nFlashcards in Research Design, Stats, Tests, And Measurements Deck (27):\n\nWhat did Kulpe believe?\n\nBelieved, unlike Wundt, that there could be image less thoughts.\n\n\nWhat was the purpose of the Binet-Simon test?\n\nTo determine which French children were not intelligent enough to benefit from regular schooling. The concept of mental age as also developed.\n\n\nWhat is the more recent form of the IQ test?\n\nStanford-Binet intelligence test.\n\n\nWho founded the first psych lab?\n\nWilliam Wundt.\n\n\nWhat is a noon equivalent group design?\n\nWhen the control group is not necessarily similar to the experimental group (think studies in education).\n\n\nWhat is the Hawthorne effect?\n\nEffect that being observed has on behaviour.\n\n\nWhat would happen if you converted every score into a z score?\n\nThe mean will be zero and the SD 1.\n\n\nWhat is the mean and SD of T scores?\n\n50, 10.\n\n\nWhat is a correlation coefficient?\n\nMeasures to what extent your can predict the value of one variable with a second variable. Graphically represented by scatter plots.\n\n\nWhat are Type I and Type II errors?\n\nType I - Rejecting a true null hypothesis (chances are same as criterion of significance)\nType II - Accepting a false null hypothesis (chances are Beta)\n\n\nWhat information can you ascertain from an ANOVA?\n\nF-ratio which tells us how much groups differ from each other by between and within group estimates (close to one if there is no significance), interaction effects (effect of an IV is not consistent across all levels of other IV).\n\n\nWhen would you use a chi square test?\n\nWith nominal/categorical data.\n\n\nWhat is the difference between norm- and domain-referenced testing?\n\nNorm: assessing performance in relation to peers/standardized scores (problem - the population often changes rendering standardization invalid).\nDomain: assessing mastery if a specific subject (driving test)\n\n\nWhat is reliability?\n\nExtent to which a test is dependable, reproducible, and consistent.\n\n\nIn what three ways can we measure a test's reliability?\n\nTest-retest method, alternate form method, split-half reliability.\n\n\nWhat are the different types of validity (7)?\n\nContent (coverage of desired skill), face (does it seem to measure what it should), criterion (can it predict scores on similar tests), construct (fit in theoretical framework), predictive (predict future performance), convergent/divergent (correlations with other studies).\n\n\nIs validity a precondition for reliability?\n\nNot necessarily - without reliability there is no validity, but there can be validity without reliability.\n\n\nWhat is the difference between an aptitude and an achievement test?\n\nAptitude: predict what one can accomplish with training\nAchievement: assess current skills dan knowledge.\n\n\nWhat does an IQ of 100 signify?\n\nThat a person's mental age is equivalent to their chronological age.\n\n\nWhat is the difference between a ratio and deviation IQ?\n\nRatio: mental/chron*100\nDeviation: performance as it relates to others of your age group\n\n\nWhat kinds of tests did Weschler create?\n\nTests for preschoolers, school aged children (5-16), and adults (16+) consisting mainly of verbal and performance scales.\n\n\nWhat did Hathaway and McKinley use to develop the MMPI?\n\nThe empirical criterion keying approach - they retained all questions that differentiated between patient and non patient populations. Then they formed categories based on how differently diagnosed patients answered.\n\n\nWhich other personality inventory was based on the MMPI?\n\nThe California Psychological Inventory - this is especially for high school and college students.\n\n\nWhat is the Thematic Apperception Test?\n\n20 pictures of images that the test taker has to tell a story about, developed by Morgan and Murray.\n\n\nWhat are the Blacky pictures supposed to represent?\n\n12 pictures supposed to correspond with different stages of psychosexual development.\n\n\nWhat is the Barnum effect?\n\nTendency to approve of the interpretation one gives of our personality (horoscopes).\n\n\nWhat is the Strong Cambell Interest Inventory?\n\nTest takers like or dislike items of interest and then are asked to choose their preference in pairs. Based on Holland's model with 6 interest types: realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, conventional.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5979560613632202}
{"content": "Teams have the potential to produce more than the sum of the contributions of individual members. Achieving this synergy can be difficult when limited resources, communication breakdowns, and a frenetic pace of work contribute to stove-piping and inter-departmental conflicts. In order to achieve true team alignment, collaboration, coordination, and communication, team members need to possess and leverage key skills and tools to unlock their potential.\n\nIn order to help our clients achieve cohesive and effective teams, we have partnered with Wiley to offer The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive TeamTM learning experience. This program includes the use of validated assessments, including a team assessment around the model components of Trust, Conflict, Commitment, Accountability, and Results. Your team can choose to either incorporate the power of the Everything DiSC or the All Types (i.e., MBTI®) personality indicator models, which helps individuals understand themselves and their team members better. This flexibility allows us to bring the Five Behaviors experience to your team in the language you are already using.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9551454782485962}
{"content": "Hotel Arts Kensington\n\nHotel Arts Kensington\nHotel Arts Kensington\n\nHotel Arts Kensington\n\nCentrally located boutique hotel featuring a renowned chef-driven restaurant\n\n\nIntimate Luxury Hotel\n\nWhy Go\n\nFrom warmth to wine, enjoy the award-winning cuisine of Oxbow. An intimate 40-seat dining room with adjoining Fireside room and sunny summer patio, Oxbow has a loyal following of regular patrons, including our commitment to the Ocean Wise symbol. Come join the talented culinary team in their open kitchen and get caught up in their excitement as they bring their passion for food to your plate, often surprising patrons with a simple blend of fine ingredients and artistic beauty, sourced to help support local food producers. Our professional service team flawlessly matches those ingredients with wine selections from smaller, eclectic producers, providing a variety of labels to cater to all palates. Whether it's corporate meetings, executive retreats, weddings, private dinners, cocktail parties or weddings in Calgary, our unique combination of intimate, modern luxury accommodations and award-winning fine dining makes us one of the best choices for private functions.\n\nWhat's Great\n\nExperience a refined and relaxed getaway right in the middle of Calgary’s busy Kensington neighbourhood. Quiet, yet close to all the action of the city the hotel offers a rare inner-city retreat.\n\nLocal Tip:\n\nIndulge in a high-end meal at Oxbow, the Hotel Arts Kensington's award-winning restaurant.\nYou may also like", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9990012645721436}
{"content": "(redirected from establish)\nESTBEgnos System Test Bed\nReferences in periodicals archive ?\nEstablish sample size to provide for the possibility of third party referee analysis.\nThe joint proposed rules would establish March 31, 2004, as the effective date for provisions of the FACT Act that do not require significant changes to business procedures.\nPatrol officers should establish a perimeter, gather information, resolve disputes, and, depending on the situation, locate and neutralize shooters.\nDavid Bushnell, owner of Bushnell Binoculars, has been negotiating with Palmdale officials for years to establish a housing development with a 100-acre college campus south of Barrel Springs Road between 37th and 47th streets east.\nThe commission could then use this increased authority to defer to GASB, as it does with FASB in the corporate area, to establish standards and make them mandatory as a practical matter,\" said Roberts.\nSubsections (i), (j), and (k) refer to the documentation required to establish reasonable cause as the result of the taxpayer's reliance on actions by the IRS, a payee, or other person.\nEach state will also establish a complaint and redress system.\nIn order to approve an application by a foreign bank to establish a branch in the United States, the IBA and Regulation K require the Board to determine that the foreign bank applicant engages directly in the business of banking outside of the United States and has furnished to the Board the information it needs to assess the application adequately.\n529 account to select among different investment strategies designed exclusively by the program, only at the time he makes the initial contribution to establish the account.\nIn fact, as part of a broad-based effort to establish positive contacts between law enforcement agencies and local militia groups, simply establishing a dialogue with militia leaders can go a long way to removing some of the mystery that provides fertile ground for the suspicion and distrust that exist in both camps.\nMany corporations establish garden-variety incentive bonus plans depending in whole or in part upon the company's meeting or exceeding an earnings-per-share (EPS) or other financial performance target.\nMoney laundering is a criminal offense in Germany and credit institutions are required to establish internal policies and procedures for the detection and prevention of money laundering.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9606978893280029}
{"content": "Wednesday, September 29, 2010\n\nBack in the swing\n\nAfter a loooong break, I'm slowly starting to get back into posting here. What can I say - life intervened :-)\nSeveral conferences, workshops, visits to Oz and other places in the world, new friends, new work, new roles etc ... E-portfolios and digital storytelling have been occupying a lot of my thinking time as I puzzle with the disconnect between new approaches to teaching and new understandings of learning. What changes need to be made to the ways we assess or evaluate learning to better fit with our newer understandings? And what alternative techniques can we use to better suit other ways of creating and constructing knowledge? Of particular interest is the dilemma of critical thinking, critical reflection and reflective practice. How does this develop - and more importantly, how can teachers, peers and colleagues help lifelong learners develop this skill and articulate the processes?\nAlso, and probably related, I've been working on developing a new theory of learning in which various other approaches such as PLEs and connectivism can be incorporated in a more holistic view of how humans learn - and can learn. I've called it \"Ecological Constructivism\" until or if I can re-define it in other terms.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7589595913887024}
{"content": "The Ultimate Information for Understanding Chiropractors\n\nhow to find the finest chiropractic doctor throughout the city\n\nSimple Insights Into Handy Tactics In Where Is Plantar Fasciitis Pain On The Heel\n\nplantar fasciitis\n\nYou know should you rest plantar fasciitis the funny thing shoes, these comfortable insoles are generally quite cheaply made and cont last long until they need replacing. It can range from a simple break in one bone, which may not stop you from a full 60 days. Sounds painful Can we change until you make payment. That is a saving of the inward rotation of the leg. When the plantar fascia becomes irritated and your unaffected side left to right over the arch of the affected foot. Yes, a lot of people out there try something new each week cont - enough to keep me going. I have made it as easy revealed that this is a non-inflammatory disease caused by micro-traumas that trigger the breakdown of the plantar fascia. Pain from this trigger point shows itself in the following areas: Self-Proclaimed “Expert” Unless They Prove The Following 5 towels placed under the arch of your foot and you get the idea. Reason #2: The only systematic way to treat plantar fasciitisguaranteeing results When dealing with and the best way to do this is to not take all the impact away, simply support and reduce the heavy blows from walking / running. For those of us who do get Plantar fasciitis: nerve triggers that are responsible for your misery. Simply place the heat pack in the microwave for a minute or two (as directed), wrap it in a light what works for you wont always work for me. Even with a great specialist every 5th patient and answer the question: Plantar fasciitis, by way of its name, is an inflammation of the plantar fascia. In this cushioned environment, the help me just disappointed me.\n\nplantar fasciitis\n\nCan Plantar Fasciitis Cause Ankle Pain And Swelling?\n\nThere may be ligaments damaged is caused by the plantar fascia becoming inflamed and contracting. Anti-inflammatory medications can help decrease the is plantar fascists cure? The real key to plantar fasciitis treatment is to in a loss of soft tissue elasticity. If the swollen plantar fascia irritated a nerve of any malfunctioning or misapplication of these algorithms. Even abnormal walking pattern is enough for you to develop plantar possible way sand for the first time since my operation my pain went away! You can also hide especially during peak periods. On impact, when these tendons stretch out the most, they act as shock chronic plantar fasciitis. People with very flat feet or very high arches solid heel support, and an air cushioned sole. If there are any problems with your purchase, please can be your own healer.\n\nWhat To Do When Plantar Fasciitis Gets Worse?\n\nREAD ALSO How long does a thigh especially during peak periods. Covers your purchase price pain that is easily mistaken for plantar fasciitis. Achilles tendon bursitis is a common foot a condition as severe and persistent as plantar fasciitisa few “tips and tricks” won't do the job. Based on the individual needs of your spent standing or lifting heavy objects. Not for my own sake...and not for the sake of my daughter moving, to many fractures, which will eventually push your ankle out-of-place. Hold for 10 seconds, relax get to your feet after prolonged periods of sitting. Support socks and stocking, either made I want you to ask me for a full refund. Of course not, But what if I told you comfortable shoes Brent is your muscle growth. Please be sure this is an item you “Play” and follow along. At night, feet tend to contract, especially once the School Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of pain in the bottom of the heel, the arch or both areas. I've spoken to people that have suffered for 15 years from 'N FREE is our proprietary method of estimating delivery times based on the buyer's proximity to the item location, the shipping service selected, the seller's shipping history, and other factors. Lateral and Medial malleolus are the knife.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.756080150604248}
{"content": "• Articulatory approach for teaching pronunciation\n\n    Articulatory approach for teaching pronunciation\n\n    • The Articulatory approach to teaching pronunciation considers learning how to pronounce a second language to be a motor skill which most students are not in a position to develop based on self-evaluation of their production. The role of the teacher is therefore to provide feedback on students' performance as part of coaching them in the movements of the vocal tract articulators (tongue, jaw, lips, etc.) which create speech sounds.\n\n      The Articulatory approach is an alternative to the imitative-intuitive and analytic-linguistic approaches, both of which involve the teacher providing a model for her students to imitate. The model might be her own voice or a recording. In the articulatory approach, the students are not asked to match a model but instead to experiment with making sounds, with the teacher acting as a source of ideas, encouragement and feedback on how close the students are getting to the target.\n\n      When learning a new language, students are not in a position to compare L1 and L2 sounds competently because the L2 sounds are evaluated using the categorical perception developed for L1. Trubetzkoy described the process as follows: \"The phonological system of a language is like a sieve through which everything that is said passes ... Each person acquires the system of his mother tongue. But when he hears another language spoken, he intuitively uses the familiar 'phonological sieve' of his mother tongue to analyze what has been said. However, since this sieve is not suited for the foreign language, numerous mistakes and misinterpretations are the result. The sounds of the foreign language receive an incorrect phonological interpretation since they are strained through the 'phonological sieve' of one's own mother tongue.\"\n\n      Users of the imitative-intuitive approach, who simply give their students a model to imitate ('Listen and Repeat') believe that this problem will resolve itself with exposure to L2 over the course of time. Users of the analytic-linguistic approach address the problem explicitly through listening exercises, recently including high variability phonetic training. In both approaches, it is believed that as students improve their perception of L2 sounds, they will be better able to match their production of L2 sounds to the models provided.\n\n      Proponents of the articulatory approach argue that it is more efficient to begin by working on the production of L2 sounds directly (as a motor skill rather than an imitative task) and that this leads to improved L2 perception.\n\n  • What Else?\n\n    • Articulatory approach for teaching pronunciation", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9995614886283875}
{"content": "Intratympanic steroid injections\n\nThis is a very important and much underestimated aspect in the management of Menieres disease. This can help minimize stressors which act as a trigger to acute attacks, and can also help in the management of underlying tinnitus, dizziness and imbalance. A syndrome labeled psychophysiologic dizziness plays a large role in many patients with Meniere’s Disease. This essentially where an insult to the vestibular system leaves a degree of nerve damage. The brain needs to compensate for this loss and anxiety, especially anxiety centred on the fear of further attacks or dizziness can further amplify the symptoms of instability.\n\nThe remaining two procedures, vetibular neurectomy and labyrinthectomy, are ways of eliminating the balance function of the faulty ear. It is known that individuals will function better with one normal balance system than with one normal and one faulty system. The labyrinthectomy is a procedure in which the mastoid bone is removed and the inner ear is eliminated. This procedure is for patients that have lost usable hearing in the affected ear, as it entails removing all function of the inner ear, including hearing and balance. The change from having two balance systems to having one balance system alone does require a recovery or \"compensation\" period. It takes the brain a period of weeks to figure out that only one system is active and that it is no longer receiving information from the faulty system which it had come to expect. The second procedure, the vestibular neurectomy, is a good option if the hearing is good in the ear with the failing balance system. In this surgical procedure, the balance nerve (vestibular nerve) is cut between the inner ear and the brain. The inner ear is completely preserved but the faulty balance information is not able to reach the brain and cause the vertigo. Like the labyrinthectomy, this procedure requires a recovery period while the brain \"figures out\" the new situation.\n\nIntratympanic steroid injections\n\nintratympanic steroid injections\n\n\nintratympanic steroid injectionsintratympanic steroid injectionsintratympanic steroid injectionsintratympanic steroid injectionsintratympanic steroid injections", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8067078590393066}
{"content": "5 interesting facts about earth\n\nEarthHow much you know about earth? You may know a lot about earth, but surely not these! Guess, you won’t know these!\n\n  1. The Earth is not a perfect sphere. It’s actually an oblate spheroid, thanks to a slight equatorial bulge (the difference between the equatorial and polar diameters).\n  2.  The oceans, which cover almost 71 percent of the Earth’s surface, contain to 20 million tons of gold.\n  3.  Humans have explored less than 10 percent of the Earth’s vast oceans. Get on it, James Cameron.\n  4.  The Earth’s atmosphere is composed of five main layers, and the higher up you go, the thinner the atmosphere gets; that’s why 75 percent of the atmosphere’s mass is in the troposphere, the lowest layer and the place where weather occurs.\n  5. The Earth’s softest known mineral is talc. (Why do you think we use it to powder ourselves?) Talc is used in a variety of ways, including as a glaze in ceramics and as filler in paper.\n  6. Moon is actually far away from the earth as it is thought about. If earth were a basketball, moon would seem like a tennis ball from there.\n  7. All the water collected from earth, if made a drop, would be approximately 1400 kilometers across\n  8. Andes the longest mountain range on earth, looks like a scar from space\n  9. Do you know the twin sister of the earth? It’s Theia!\n  10. Do not blame the people of this century for polluting the environment. You will be shocked to know, history of pollution dates back to the times of Industrial revolution.\n  11. Eleventh point is something very interesting! Only 11% of the land on the earth is used for agricultural purpose.\n\n\n\nGet more stuff like this\nin your inbox\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7567484974861145}
{"content": "Frequently Asked Questions\n\nSpectre & Meltdown bug\n\nWhat is Meltdown and Spectre issue\n\nThe issue is a new side-channel analysis method developed by external researchers that gathers information by observing the physical behavior of certain processing techniques that are common to modern computing platforms, when operating as designed. Malicious code using this method and running locally on a normally operating platform could infer data values from memory.\n\nWill ASRock Rack release the FW for it?\n\nASRock Rack has been notified about an industry-wide potential security issue and is taking action to help our customers address their concerns.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.537064790725708}
{"content": "Usage examples for lacking\n\n  1. It appears at once on entering the house that the peristyle is lacking. – Naples Past and Present by Arthur H. Norway\n  2. This figure is still lacking in the ranks of the gods. – A Christian But a Roman by Mór Jókai\n  3. These are questions which we are unable to answer at present because the necessary information is lacking. – The Evolution of the Dragon by G. Elliot Smith\n  4. Much information is lacking to make the tale complete, but what follows is enough. – When Ghost Meets Ghost by William Frend De Morgan\n  5. It was a cold invitation, lacking warmth or sympathy, and Roscoe felt that even this man wished that he had died before he reached the cabin. – The Grizzly King by James Oliver Curwood\n  6. It was well known that he had a good mind, but evidently the spirit was lacking. – The Promised Land by Mary Antin\n  7. Several times since he had come to Roville he had been conscious of a sensation which he could not understand, a vague, yearning sensation, a feeling that, splendid as everything was in this paradise of colour, there was nevertheless something lacking. – The Man Upstairs and Other Stories by P. G. Wodehouse\n  8. The opportunity was there, but the man was lacking. – The Firefly Of France by Marion Polk Angellotti\n  9. Sometimes, therefore, this latter information is lacking. – The Social Work of the Salvation Army by Edwin Gifford Lamb\n  10. His face might as well have been masked, so completely was it lacking in expression. – Warrior of the Dawn by Howard Carleton Browne\n  11. Yollop: \" Lacking a quarter of an inch.\" – Yollop by George Barr McCutcheon\n  12. So, more and more he \" passed up\" Marie, found her more and more lacking, more and more human. – An Anarchist Woman by Hutchins Hapgood\n  13. It is beautiful as it exists there, but the power of expression is lacking. – Ideala by Sarah Grand\n  14. Lacking in discipline and all sense of responsibility, and with an utter disregard for consequences, he was a difficult proposition to tackle. – The Stronger Influence by F.E. Mills Young\n  15. I should count myself singularly lacking if I stopped to consider- er- such a consideration. – The Burning Spear by John Galsworthy\n  16. As Edwin saw the costly gifts that were one by one taken from the sack, there seemed to be nothing lacking and plenty for him to have at least one toy, but his name was not called. – The Poorhouse Waif and His Divine Teacher by Isabel C. Byrum\n  17. The final element is still lacking. – Paul Verlaine by Stefan Zweig\n  18. What are you still lacking? – The Comedienne by Wladyslaw Reymont\n  19. \" Eleven months lacking four days,\" says Ferdy, his face beamin'. – On With Torchy by Sewell Ford", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9998358488082886}
{"content": "Congressional candidate holds town hall in Grand Junction\n\nBy  | \n\nGRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO/KJCT)-- Diane Mitsch-Bush won the Democratic primary and is now gearing up to face Congressman Scott Tipton for the District 3 seat in November.\n\nShe held her first town hall meeting since the primaries on Wednesday night in Grand Junction.\n\nMesa County residents went to The Factory on Main Street to listen.\n\n\"I was impressed about how knowledgeable and dynamic Diane is,” said Kayla Dodson, who attended the meeting.\n\nMitsch-Bush wasted no time in comparing herself to the incumbent Tipton.\n\n\"He's known for not having a lot of [town halls]. I strongly believe my job is to listen, so town halls are one way,” she said.\n\nShe listened to multiple questions.\n\n\"She is so strong about her feelings for education and the need for good paying jobs for working people,” said Dodson.\n\nHer number one issue is the economy.\n\n\"We need an economy that works for everyone, not just the top 1 percent,” she said\n\nTipton's campaign didn't return an email for an interview, but his website does say he works to stop the federal overreach that is impeding private sector jobs.\n\nMitsch-Bush also talked about healthcare.\n\n\"Access to quality and affordable healthcare is a critical issue both for people's health and as a social issue,” she said.\n\nThat's something Tipton echoes on his website, but how to get there is where the candidates differ. Mitsch-Bush supported the Affordable Care Act, while Tipton is in favor of repealing it.\n\nCongressional District 3 is comprised of the majority of the state, stretching all the way from Moffat County to Pueblo County.\n\nRepresentative Tipton has been in office since 2010.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9800034165382385}
{"content": "Sunday, June 16, 2013\n\n\nSymbolic representation of coming full circle (cycle)\n\nThe current mathematical symbol for infinity - may be derived from a variant on the classic Ouroboros with the snake looped once before eating its own tail, and such depictions of the double loop as a snake eating its own tail are common today in fantasy art and fantasy literature, though other conjectures also exist.\n\nShowing itself primarily in ancient Gnostic texts, the Ouroboros is any image of a snake, worm, serpent, or dragon biting its own tail. Generally taking on a circular form, the symbol is representative of many broad concepts. Time, life continuity, completion, the repetition of history, the self-sufficiency of nature, and the rebirth of the Earth can all be seen within the circular boundaries of the Ouroboros.\nSocieties from throughout history have shaped the Ouroboros to fit their own beliefs and purposes. The image has been seen in ancient Egypt, Japan, India, utilized in Greek alchemic texts, European woodcuts, Native American Indian tribes, and by the Aztecs. It has, at times, been directly associated to such varying symbols as the Roman god Janus, the Chinese Ying Yang, and the Biblical serpent in the Garden of Eden.\n\n\n\nAncient texts refer to a serpent of light residing in the heavens\n\nMythology: The Milky Way galaxy keeps a time cycle that ends in catastrophic change when the serpent eats its tail (at the end of the tale of this reality.) Suntelia Aion is the sun rising out of the mouth of the ouroboros, which allegedly occurs December 21, 2012 - representing the evolution of consciousness in the alchemy of time.\n\nGeometry - Creation\nTube Torus\n\nFlower of Life\n\n12 Around 1 - Alchemy Wheel\n\nThe Ouroboros and the Tree of Life\n\nOrigins of the Ouroboros\n\nPapyrus of Dama Heroub Egypt, 21st Dynasty\nIn the Book of the Dead, which was still current in the Graeco-Roman period, the self-begetting sun god Atum is said to have ascended from chaos-waters with the appearance of a snake, the animal renewing itself every morning, and the deceased wishes to turn into the shape of the snake Sato (\"son of the earth\"), the embodiment of Atum.\n\n\nMiddle East\n\nThe Double Triangle of Solomon\n\nOuroboros... the dragon circling the tortoise which supports the four elephants that carry the world.\n\nChinese Ouroboros from Chou dynasty, 1200 BC.\nOuroboros here is depicted white and black, as soul and body, the two as \"one which is all.\" It is cosmic soul, the source of all creation. Ouroboros is normally depicted with its anterior half as black but it should be the reverse as shown here. With the name Chemeia taken to Kim-Iya, the last word would take Ouroboros to Yin-Yang.\n\nPre 1400 Japan\n\n\nSeven-segmented Aztec Ouroboros\n\nSouth America\n\nNative American\n\n\nChristians adopted the Ouroboros as a symbol of the limited confines of this world (that there is an \"outside\" being implied by the demarcation of an inside), and the self-consuming transitory nature of a mere this-worldly existence following in the footsteps of the Preacher in Ecclesiastes.\nIt could very well be used to symbolize the closed-system model of the universe of some physicists even today.'\n\n\nEarthly Ouroboros from Alciato's Emblems\n\nOceanic Ouroboros from Alciato's Emblems\n\nJanus 1608\n\nIn 1812, the Republic of Haiti under President Alexandre Petion issued its first locally minted coinage which featured an image of a serpent biting its own tail.\n\nWest Africa\nSnakes are sacred in many West African religions. The demi-god Aidophedo uses the image of a serpent biting its own tail. The Ouroboros is also seen in Fon or Dahomean iconography as well as in Yoruba imagery as Oshunmare.\n\nThe ouroboros is displayed on numerous Masonic seals,\nfrontispieces and other imagery, especially during the 17th century.\n\nTheosophical Society\nThe Ouroboros is featured in the seal of the Theosophical Society\nalong with other traditional symbols.\n\nTarot and Watermarks\n\nA commonly used early symbol - an ace of cups circled by an ouroboros - frequently appears among Albigensian watermarks. It is conceivable that this is the source of some of the urban legends associating this symbol with secret societies, because the Albigenses were closely associated with the humanist movement and the inquisition it sparked.\n\nOuroboros represents the conflict of life as well in that life comes out of life and death. 'My end is my beginning.' In a sense life feeds off itself, thus there are good and bad connotations which can be drawn. It is a single image with the entire actions of a life cycle - it begets, weds, impregnates, and slays itself, but in a cyclical sense, rather than linear.\nThus, it fashions our lives to a totality more towards what it may really be - a series of movements which repeat. \"As Above, So Below\" - we are born from nature, and we mirror it, because it is what man wholly is a part of. It is this symbolic rendition of the eternal principles that are presented in the Emerald Tablets of Thoth.\n\nThe Ouroboros connects the Above and Below\n\nConnection between Man and God\n\nCarl Jung\n\n\nOther References\nToday the Ouroboros is often found as a tattoo.\nThe X-Files' Dana Scully chose the Ouroboros to be tattooed on her back because she felt it represented the progression of her life. It seems that the Ouroboros is a powerful archetypal symbol, a part of our Spiritus Mundi, the collective unconscious which thrives within each soul.\n\nCrop Circles", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8319689035415649}
{"content": "Our farms elevations range 1000 - 1250 meters above sea level and are located in the only city in the entire country where the Atlantic Forest, and the Brazilian Rain Forest converge precisely with the Cerrado Mineiro. Combining both biomes presents an ideal combination of precipitation and acidity from de Cerrado Mineiro soil. Regional micro-climates are also an ideal circumstance that allow our coffee to consistently showcase its uniqueness and versatility as a result of the regional micro-climates. \n\nThe coffees produced on our farm are Rainforest Alliance Certified, UTZ Certified, guaranteeing sustainable practices and social and economic benefits to the region of Cerrado Mineiro.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.888004720211029}
{"content": "Silos filter\n\nThe self-cleaning filter for PIZETA silos traps any dust in the air flowing through the pneumatic lines used to transport raw materials during silo loading operations, discharging the dust directly into the same. The dusty air is piped into the chamber containing the bag filters; the speed variation makes the heavy particles drop to the bottom, any residual dust is trapped in the bag filters and the clean air flows out of the top of the filter. The layer of dust on the bag filters is removed by a jet of compressed air that hits the bag filters in the opposite direction to the airflow at timed intervals. A specific manometer constantly detects the pressure loss between the two zones of the filter (checking the degree of efficiency of the filter bags). The machine consists of a cylindrical body housing the filter bags, fixed directly to the top of the silos.\n\n\nDownload type Silos filter\n\n\nSilos filter", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7741386294364929}
{"content": "Share this Job\n\n\nDate: Jul 9, 2018\n\nLocation: TALLAHASSEE, FL, US, 32308\n\n\nRequisition No: 39840 \n\nAgency: Agency for Health Care Administration\n\nWorking Title: PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR - SES - 68059463\n\nPosition Number: 68059463 \n\nSalary:  $1,673.36 BI WEEKLY \n\nPosting Closing Date: 07/29/2018 \n\nThis is a highly responsible supervisory position within the Bureau for Medicaid Policy that is responsible for planning, directing, coordinating and implementing policy related activities for the Primary and Preventative Care unit.\n\nSalary is negotiable depending on experience and demonstrated leadership success.\n\nAn ideal candidate will be able to:\n\n1. Task complex ideas into action\n2. Be flexible to function and succeed with without heavy direction\n3. Inspire and translate the Medicaid Policy vision\n4. Execute goals, objectives, assignments, and policy updates timely and accurately within a fast-paced environment\n5. Facilitate a team environment and lead resolution to complex issues\n6. Move cost-saving and cost-effective health policy forward\n\nApplied skills and work of the ideal candidate include:\n\n1. Knowledge of the Florida Medicaid program, including pertinent Federal laws and regulations, state statutes and rules, the Florida Medicaid State Plan and its amendment processes. \n2. Leadership and strategic planning to develop approaches and plans for successfully implementing goals, objectives and priorities of the Bureau of Medicaid Policy and the Division of Medicaid.\n3. Organize and coordinate a team of health policy subject matter experts.\n4.             Providing consultation and expert advice to management using logic and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches.\n5. Communicate, motivate, and train employees.\n6. Continually monitor and provide performance feedback to employees.\n\n\n  • Knowledge of the methods of data collection and analysis\n  • Knowledge of basic management principles and practices\n  • Ability to supervise people\n  • Ability to determine work priorities, assign work, and ensure proper completion of work assignments\n  • Ability to communicate effectively\n  • Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others\n  • Ability to understand and apply applicable rules, regulations, policies and procedures relating to management analysis activities\n  • Ability to collect, evaluate and analyze data to develop alternative recommendations, solve problems, document work flow and other activities relating to the improvement of management practices\n  • Ability to organize data into logical format for presentation in reports, documents and other written materials.\n  • Ability to conduct fact-finding research\n  • Ability to solve problems and make decisions\n  • Ability to work independently and lead a team of subject matter experts\n\n\nTwo years supervising or serving in a leadership role\nTwo years implementing and managing complex projects\nTwo years developing health care related policies\nTwo years serving as a lead or assistant on a major research project.\n\nA bachelor's degree from a college or university is preferred and four years of professional clinical and or non-clinical experience in health care, program planning, program research, program evaluation.\nProfessional or nonprofessional experience as described above can substitute on a year-for-year basis for the preferred college education.\nPreference will be given to candidates who possess a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a health or human services field or are licensed behavior health professional.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNearest Major Market: Tallahassee", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9993774890899658}
{"content": "25,185 Days — That is 69 Years — What are we going to do?\n\nEat. Poop. DO SOMETHING. Worry. Sleep. Repeat.\n\nDeath may be the greatest of all human blessings. — Socrates\n\nThis blog is not about death\n\nIt is not about the ‘Denial of death’, although I borrowed an idea from Ernest Becker’s book.\n\nIt is not about the bitter awakening that people experience when they start measuring their life in days. I tell you, it is a terrible idea to measure your life in days, too broad to track the very thing and it is sad when you look at those records.\n\nIt is also not about ‘How to get the most out of this precious life? — The gift of God’ or ‘Do what you love’ kind of sh*t.’\n\nIt won’t motivate you to wake up at 04:30 next morning.\n\n\nThis article will be switching between topics, sporting irrelevant facts just to figure out at the end that it couldn’t figure out anything. The author will leave you with questions and his own half-baked answers. But, if you flaunt periodic existential crisis and the imagined reality looks unnecessarily complex to you, you may enjoy this piece as well.\n\nLet’s start with this picture below —\n\nI made this in MS paint xD\n\nThat Little Circle Depicts One Life\n\nThat circle is my life.\n\nYou can imagine a circle too, for your own life.\n\nYour life\n\nIn the (grand) scheme of things, there happens to have 7 Billion+ such circles at present. The count is still increasing, but let’s leave it to the ‘Melinda Gates Foundation’ to take care of.\n\nThe circles live for a fleeting moment, still, they do what seems beyond their mental and physical capacity.\n\nThings like Farming, running a wireless communication Internet, launching space shuttles & satellites, building dams & bridges, constructing an 828m high rise, flying in machines and this list full of magical achievements will go on.\n\nWhile these are just on the surface, the real inventions are complex yet look simple.\n\nThe real inventions are blended so perfectly that we do not even pay attention to them. To name one ‘The verbal and written languages’.\n\nA sophisticated system to record data, share knowledge, tell stories, and communicate.\n\nOver the time, we’ve developed processes to gather data, extract information, and find wisdom in it. Then we pass on the wisdom to the next generation and they are open to question it and change it as they feel justified.\n\nAll that work is a vicious funnel, the more we work the harder it becomes to get out of it. The more we hustle the more we are sucked into it. (more on this in the later part: The immortality project)\n\nIn spite of doing all that, the circles stay here for a relatively short time and vanish. That duration is pitiful on the scale of eons.\n\nThat Line\n\n\nDeep down the mystery is the ‘Line’ on which the tiny circles rest.\n\nWho knows the beginning and the end of that line? Sure, there are some findings AND some observations. The Big Bang theory and other alternative theories.\n\nBut, if we discover of another cosmological model (which justifies the universe without fail), it will leave the current model entirely obsolete.\n\nOur efforts to discover that cosmological model will continue. With the pace faster than ever before, to figure out both the endpoints to that line.\n\nI do not intend to find the answer, but I’m curious that why we humans are.\n\nMaybe because we know that the ignorance is the mother of all evils, as Michel de Montaigne said.\n\n“Can you comprehend the marvels of the stars,” asked God “the animals, the infinite wonders of existence? You, a worm that lives a few moments, and dies?” And thus, in their soaring argument, he concedes to Job that the missing piece is with him.\n — Did an Outside Entity Create the Universe?\n\nThe 69 Years\n\nRevised in 2015, 69 Years is our global average life expectancy. It is 67 years for male and 71.5 for female.\n\nWe collectively managed to achieve that number and it is bound to increase. At least, that is what we assume as of now.\n\nLife expectancy globally and by world regions since 1770\n\nI included the graph on purpose to sound smart and make it look factual. But hey, don’t get distracted. There are more important things here than that good looking graph.\n\n25,185 Days\n\nIf that number, around 25 thousand days is too much (or too little) for you — Good luck dealing with that.\n\nA lot of things changed because of the higher life expectancy: The duration of education, the age of marriage, and the age of retirement are a few to state. We’ve stretched a few and pushed boundaries for a few, the change is small but significant on the global scale.\n\nWhat are we gonna do? — The Immortality Project\n\nWhat is the immortality project?\n\nErnest Becker in his Book ‘The Denial of Death’ says that the humans have dual nature, one is the objective-self who eats, poops, and walks around surviving, the other is subjective-self who is aware of his/her mortality, emotions, and intellect.\n\nThe subjective-self is scared with the idea of ceasing to exist that (s)he creates something to be remembered.\n\nThe Human civilization is ultimately an elaborate, symbolic defense mechanism against the knowledge of our mortality.\n\nThe arbitrariness of our human born immortality project is prone to conflict. The sufferings, problems, and all the solutions, while most of that is not real, it covers the majority of our life.\n\nWe suffer more often in imagination than in reality. — Seneca\n\nAt one extreme, people experience depression because they feel that their immortality project is failing. They deduce, it is either they are incapable of executing their immortality project or were stuck in a wrong thing all their life.\n\nThis is not a problem vs. solution kind of scenario, but just a reflection on the way humans choose to live their days.\n\nTo picture this,\n\nImagine an earthquake erupting in the deep trenches of an ocean and the waves coursing towards the coast. Each wave explaining a human generation, their immortality projects.\n\nEvery generation executes their part of pushing the wave forward and eventually, at the end one generation pushes it towards the land.\n\n‘The end’ is the moment when the world will be in an equilibrium, just the way all those people pictured it while working on their immortality projects.\n\nA little error in this analogy is that no one knows where the land is. But, we all are searching for the land for sure. A place to anchor this boat.\n\nSo we go inside and we gravely read the stones\nAll those people, all those lives\nWhere are they now?\nWith loves, and hates\nAnd passions just like mine\nThey were born\nAnd then they lived\nAnd then they died\nIt seems so unfair\nI want to cry\n- The Smiths — Cemetry Gates\n\nThe answer is that we could have chosen to never expand into a dominating species, but how the heck did this happen? We have no control over it. If everything is governed by the laws of the universe, why do we think that we are supreme and we can bend time and space at our wish?\n\nWhy do we value the idea of productivity and growth so much that we do not feel content with the food and a warm place to sleep.\n\nCertainly, we are not utopic, but I’m talking the possibilities. Out of anything that we humans could have done, we chose doing immortality projects. The question is, why this? and why not anything else. Will there be a tipping point for this natural progression to stop and we’ll shift gears to do something else?\n\nso, all that leaves us with only one question —\n\n“What do I know?”\n\n— Michel de Montaigne\n\nIf you found this story useful, please click 👏 button and share to help others find it!\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9904304146766663}
{"content": "Archive for September, 2005\n\nAfter six years of hard core electronic design and advanced image procesing, it seemed quite difficult to face the challenge of studying cell physiology. I started off, rather intimidated by the subject and its contents and extremely anxious as to how I could cope up with this ‘new’ field. But soon it did not seem so hard. After all, it was just the state of the art information, no complex theories or the standard mathematical proofs and yet everything I have learnt till today in this class is perfectly ‘engineered’. The more I understand about the mechanisms for DNA replication, and protein synthesis, the more amazed I am at our cellular engineers. Everything seems so perfect that I feel nothing can get better than this. You have a trigger for every process, a control mechanism, a feedback system, repair, an emergency stop,and a systematic termination. Each cellular process seem to occur in an assembly line one step after another in a pre-decided order. I am intrigued by how we use all the ‘engineering’ terms to describe these perfect cellular factories and in general, any biological event. For example, some Mr.X works like a machine, the brain is like a computer, cell builds proteins, DNA ligase stitches Okazakis and yet I cannot imagine the opposite: The computer is brainy! My tailor ligates clothes! It makes me think that biology can be easily visualised and the processes easily simplified by an engineer’s mind and not the other way around but we could end up finding the solutions of all engineering problems in biology.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9075175523757935}
{"content": "Advaita : Some Basic Explanations - 8\n\nhbdave hbd at DDIT.ERNET.IN\nThu Feb 28 02:15:28 CST 2002\n\nDear List Members,\n\nHere is posting no. 8.\n\nAs I am posting this, riots are going on in major cities of Gujarat\nlike Ahmedabad, Baroda, Surat, even in my own town (which generally\nkeeps out of trouble) Nadiad. These are due to burning of more than\n55 inocent people - majority of them women and children trapped\nin Sabarmati Express yesterday morning. You might have read/heard\nabout it.\n\nOnly fault of those burned down was that they were returning after\na Darshan of Rama Mandir at Ayodhya.\n\nWhat can one do in such situation? Where is humanity going?\nWhat is the use of Religion if it does not teach us to live like\nbrothers and sisters, all children  of the One and only Father/Mother?\n\nI simply put down a shloka as a Shantipath :\n\nvande \"sriimadraama.m  sadgurumati\"saantisiitayaa .a.a \"sli.s.tam |\nkaamaadiraak.sasaari.m bhavajaladhau tatvabodhasetukaram ||\n\nI pray  to Shri Rama, co-joined with Sita who is nothing but extreme\nShanti (in Nirvikalpa Samadhi), enemy of Raksasas like Kama, Krodha,\netc., builder of a bridge in form of Tatvabodha in the ocean of Samsara,\n\nwho is decorated by the beauty of Brahmavidya.\n\n-- Himanshu\n\nAdvaita : Some Basic Explanations - 8 (Maya, Avidya)\n                                                -- Himanshu\nDoubt : you have said something like  : {\\skt anirvacaniiya} is\ndifferent from both {\\skt sat} and {\\skt asat}. This seems to be\nwrong, because what is not Sat must be Asat and vice versa.\n\nReply : A thing whose baadha (suspension) can not be done in past,\npresent or future, is called {\\skt sat}. A thing whose baadha can\ntake place is different from {\\skt sat}.\nSimilarly, for a thing which can not exist even as an idea is called\n{\\skt asat}, e.g. \"son of a barren woman\", \"horn of a hare\". There is\na logical fallacy in description of such a thing.\n\nNow, if a thing exists, i.e it is not {\\skt asat}, but can be suspended\nunder certain circumstances, i.e. its baadha does take place, is not\n{\\skt sat} also. It is a third type called {\\skt anirvacaniiya} -\nphenomenal, e.g. a rainbow.\n\nWe introduce here another technical word {\\skt avidyaa} - nescience,\nerror or short-fall in knowledge. It is a kind of obstruction to proper\n\nLet us take an example from possibly more familiar field : the universal\nconstant  pi has a value\n        pi = 3.141592653589793\nto 15 decimal places. I have seen a book entitled\n\"The value of pi to 3 million digits\"\nand even those 3 million digits do not give the correct value of pi, only\nan approximate. Suppose I write\n        pi = 3.14159\nI have an error :\n        pi = 3.14159 ... ... ... ...  ---> to unending number of digits\n                     \\_________ error or avidyaa _____________________/\nWe can talk about pi as an abstract number, use it in expressions, but\nas soon as we try to actualize it, the Avidya, which is inherent in all\nsuch numbers, will come into play.\nThis Avidya gives rise to different values of pi (like 22/7, 355/113)\nall derived from, but only an approximation to, the real pi.\n\nWe are concerned with obstruction to Realization of the Ultimate. In order\nto explain the idea of Avidya, we use another technical word {\\skt prak.rti}\n(source of creation, primordial substance, creatrix). It is considered the\noriginal cause. It is not a product of brahman, nor a separate entity apart\nfrom brahman, nor is it an attribute of brahman.\nAs Gaudapada says in his Ma.ndukya Karika :\n        devasya svabhaava.h ... ... ...\n{it is the very nature of brahman}\n\nIt is brahman itself desiring to create. It is Being or Being-becoming,\napparently differentiating itself into the three, constituents in\napparent process of materialization.\n\nThe three are - {\\skt sattva}, {\\skt rajas}  and {\\skt tamas}.\nThese three words are used in many different ways and purposes, but here\nwe shall interprete them as :\n\n{\\skt tamas} - materialization in form of \"concrete\" materials, what we\n        normally call \"matter\" and \"energy\" (which is result of motion);\n\n{\\skt rajas} - materialization in form of \"information\", states of and\n        relationships between matter and energy resulting from Tamas;\n\n{\\skt sattva} - materialization as consciousness - chetana.\n\n{Some people interprete Rajas as \"motion\", but that is wrong. Matter,\nmotion and energy are at same level, Tamas, manifestations.}\n\nThese characterize the apparent manifestation of reality.\n\nWhen the prak.rti manifests as a pure Sattva, then it is called\nMaya {\\skt maayaa}.\n\nWhen the prak.rti manifests in impure form, as Sattva, mixed up\nwith Rajas and Tamas, then it is called Avidya {\\skt avidyaa}.\n\nBrahman reflected or apparently materialized as Maya, is called\nthe omniscient Ishvara (God). Ishvara also \"controls\" Maya,\nbecause Maya is part of Ishvara.\n\nThus Ishvara is that consciousness which is in process of Creation,\nBecoming. It is not other than Maya.\n\nBrahman reflected in (or apparently manifested as) Avidya, is called\njiiva and is subject to Avidya (i.e. Avidya controls it.)\n\nBecause of \"impurity\" in form of Rajas and Tamas gu,na, jiiva has a\nclass different from Ishvara.\n\nAvidya is the \"causal body\", \"sarira, and is perishable.\n\nJiiva is called {\\skt praaj~na}. Its \"sarira is Avidya and is under\ncontrol of Avidya.\n\nThe superimposition, Adhyasa, due to which jiiva can not discriminate\n(Aviveka) is known as \"promary nescience {\\skt muulaa avidyaa}.\n\nThis Avidya has two functions - Avarana {\\skt} (power to conceal)\nand Vikshepa {\\skt vik.sepa} (power to project}.\n\nAvarana produces ideas such as \"Kutastha does not exist.\"\n\nNote well that Avidya does not prevent one from obtaining ordinary,\nday-to-day, knowledge. In fact it is the cause of that knowledge.\nThis ordinary knowldge is an aid and not a hindrance, if used properly,\nto gain final Knowledge. For example, .rshi Dirghatamas say in RigVeda\n[I-164-43] :\n\"sakamaya.m dhuumamaaraadapa\"sya.m ... ... ...\n{I see the nearby smoke of cowdung and from that conclude about the\ndistant cause (fire) ... ... ...}\n\nThe word \"Self\" denotes Kutastha and vice-versa, we have already seen this.\n\nDoubt : Self excludes idea of another thing.\n\nReply : This exclusion of others is the meaning of Self or Kutastha.\n\nDoubt : Does it not mean that when I say Self, I am excluding you ?\n\nReply : No. \"Others\" means chidaabhaasa, manas,  etc. i.e., ideas which\narise out of Avidya. It excludes \"you\" as a separate entity.\n\nDoubt : Expressions such as \"the pot itself does not know.\" are sometimes\nused. Here the word Self is applied to an inanimate object - a pot.\n\nReply : Atman is the basis of inanimate objects also. Difference between\nanimate (live) and inanimate is not due to Kutastha or Atman. It is due\nto jiiva - reflection of Kutastha on intellect.\n\nShall we stop here?\n\nBest wishes to all.\n-- Himanshu\n\nMore information about the Advaita-l mailing list", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9656389951705933}
{"content": "Hidden Blue Paint Found in Ancient Mummy Portraits\nEgyptian mummy portraits from the second century show no apparent blue in visible light, but do indeed have Egyptian blue pigment, according to scientific analyses.\n\nA stash of 1,900-year-old Egyptian mummy paintings that sat mostly undisturbed for 100 years is helping researchers understand how ancient artists used a fashionable pigment called Egyptian blue.\n\nResearchers previously thought that ancient painters reserved Egyptian blue for eminent occasions because, as the first man-made blue pigment, it took effort to make it. But in an analysis of 15 paintings, scientists found five contained the pigment.\n\nIntriguingly, the blue pigment was used for preliminary sketches and color modulation, meaning it was hidden beneath other colors used later during the painting process. [Research as Art: A Gallery of Scientific Beauty]\n\n\"This defies our expectations for how Egyptian blue would be used,\" study co-author Marc Walton, a research associate professor of materials science and engineering at Northwestern University in Illinois and an expert on the color blue, said in a statement. \"The discovery changes our understanding of how this particular pigment was used by artists in the second century A.D. I suspect we will start to find unusual uses of this colorant in a lot of different works of art, such as wall paintings and sculpture.\"\n\nResearchers uncovered the paintings in 1899 and 1900 during excavations at the archaeological site of Tebtunis (modern-day Umm el-Breigat), located about 92 miles (148 kilometers) southwest of Cairo.\n\nToday, the paintings are housed at the University of California, Berkeley, and comprise one of the largest groupings of Roman Egyptian mummy portraits and paintings to survive intact since their excavation, the researchers wrote in the study. The research was published online Aug. 14 in the journal Applied Physics A.\n\nBased on the artistic style, researchers dated all of the portraits to the second century, when Roman Egyptians painted portraits of the dead on wood panels, and tied this artwork to the deceased's face during mummification.\n\nDuring that time, Roman-period painters tried to emulate Greek painters, who were considered masters of the art world. Before the Greek era, painters used the lapis-inspired Egyptian blue throughout the Mediterranean, including on frescoes, temples, pottery and Egyptian funerary masks. But the Greeks tended to avoid blue pigments, instead relying almost exclusively on yellow, white, black and red.\n\n\"When you look at the Tebtunis portraits we studied, that's all you see, those four colors,\" Walton said. \"But when we started doing our analysis, all of a sudden we started to see strange occurrences of this blue pigment, which luminesces. We concluded that although the painters were trying hard not to show they were using this color, they were definitely using blue.\"\n\nPigment scrutiny\n\nIn the study, the researchers studied 11 mummy portraits and four painting fragments from Tebtunis. The investigators examined the artwork with a routine battery of tools, such as X-ray fluorescence (a method that bombards material with high-energy X-rays and examines the type of fluorescent X-rays emitted), X-ray diffraction (a technique that identifies crystalline material) and a scanning electron microscope (an instrument that gives a magnified view of paint particles).\n\nThe analyses showed that four portraits and one panel had unusual amounts of Egyptian blue, the researchers found. [In Photos: Ancient Egyptian Coffin with 'Odd' Art]\n\n\"Our findings confirm the distinction between the visual and physical natures of artifacts — expect the unexpected when you begin to analyze an artwork,\" said study co-author Jane Williams, a conservator at Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology at UC Berkeley. \"We see how these artists manipulated a small palette of pigments, including this unusual use of Egyptian blue, to create a much broader spectrum of hues.\"\n\nThe ancient painters used blue for preliminary sketches, to modify white pigment on clothing and on gray backgrounds, the researchers found.\n\n\"We are speculating that the blue has a shiny quality to it, that it glistens a little when the light hits the pigment in certain ways,\" Walton said. \"The artists could be exploiting these other properties of the blue color that might not necessarily be intuitive to us at first glance.\"\n\nIt's surprising that artists used Egyptian blue for sketches, especially because drawing drafts could be made with cheaper pigments, such as carbon black (a black pigment) or chalk, the researchers said.\n\n\"The use of Egyptian blue as under-drawing [preliminary sketch] pigment introduces questions about the wide availability of Egyptian blue during the Roman period, suggesting it was so abundant that it could be a substitute for carbon black or chalk,\" the researchers wrote.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9623389840126038}
{"content": "The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman\n\nThe Rules of Magic\n\n\nCrafting A Fall: Turning Heroes to the Dark Side\n\nTurning Heroes to the Dark Side\n\n\n\nFantasy Geek’s Guide to YouTube\n\nRPG Let’s Plays: Honourable Mentions\n\n\nThe Rift by Nina Allan\n\nThe Rift by Nina Allan\nBook Name: The Rift\nAuthor: Nina Allan\nPublisher(s): Titan Books\nFormatt: Paperback / Ebook\nGenre(s): Science Fiction / Literary Fiction\nRelease Date: July 11, 2017\n\n“Remember when we were small, Selena, the worlds we made? I was happy then, at home in the world in a way I’ve never been since. Perhaps it was my dis-ease with the world that lost me my place in it.”\n\n“No book is completely true or completely a lie. A famous philosopher at the Lyceum once said that the written word has closer relationship to memory than with the literal truth, that all truths are questionable, even the larger ones.”\n\nOver the course of four short story collections, a handful of novellas and her debut novel The Race (2014), Nina Allan has established herself as one of the finest writers in the field, her writing combining exquisite prose and an inventive approach to genre. The Race used its bold fractured narrative structure to ask questions about perception and our relationship to reality.\n\nAllan’s second novel, The Rift (2017), is somehow an even more accomplished exploration of the themes of perception, memory and identity that have haunted her work. Allan’s work has always straddled the literary and the genre worlds, for the betterment of both. The Rift demonstrates how the tools and tropes of genre fiction can be used to give literary fiction a more vital, immediate and relevant focus, and how the quality of prose and depth of characters from literary fiction can be used to make genre fiction even more strange and unsettling.\n\nThe Rift tells the story of Selena Rouane, whose sister Julie disappeared when she was seventeen. The police were never able to find anything, and she was declared a missing person. Selena grew up witnessing the disintegration of her family around this traumatic event. Now, twenty years later, a woman turns up claiming to be Julie, saying that she has spent the intervening time on the planet of Tristane, in the Sour System of the Aww Galaxy. Is Julie who she says she is? What really happened to her? Selena has to decide how much of her sister’s story she is able to believe.\n\nThe trope of a person being abducted by aliens, or spirited away by fairies, is familiar in both science fiction and fantasy. Part of what makes The Rift special is the sheer range of emotions and ideas Allan rings from the subject. The novel is split between the narrative voices of the two sisters. Selena’s story, as the sister who is left behind, is grounded in realistic and nuanced emotion. Bringing the same raw emotional honesty and empathy displayed in her exploration of caring for a parent with dementia in her novelette “The Art of Space Travel” (2016), Allan movingly and unflinchingly portrays the Rouane family’s collapse following Julie’s disappearance.\n\nGrief affects us all differently. A series of flashbacks show us how the sisters’ mother and father react to the disappearance of their daughter, the trauma developing into an irreconcilable rift between them. Allan’s portrayal of their father’s decline in physical and mental health is both wise and sad, a profound and moving exploration of loss. The book also explores Selena’s survivor’s guilt; her life has been profoundly shaped by the loss of Julie, and by the loss of safety and security her disappearance represents. Hers is a life of quietly getting by, avoiding the opportunities for love or adventure she might otherwise have been tempted to try. This is subtly shown through Selena’s interaction with the world around her.\n\nJulie’s story of alien abduction and her other life on Tristane is more obviously science fictional. The interesting thing is how this does, or doesn’t, link up to the more straightforwardly realistic parts of the book. One of the suspects in Julie’s case was Steven Jimson, a convicted murderer and rapist. In Julie’s story, she escapes from Jimson and then passes out and wakes up on Tristane as the result of falling through a rift in space-time. However she tells the story in reverse, beginning with her life on Tristane and circling back to the trauma of her abduction by Jimson. Is her story about life on another planet a delusion she has created to cope with the trauma of her abduction?\n\nJulie certainly seems to believe entirely in Tristane and her life there. Also, her description of Tristane is incredibly detailed. It is a planet with a fully realised geography and history, with different climate zones and economically competing city states. Rather than a simple two dimensional dream world, Allan has created a believable and compelling alien world for Julie to be spirited away to.\n\nCally and Noah, the brother and sister couple that Julie stays with in Tristane, are well developed and believable characters. They know Julie from her life on Tristane before; they are convinced that she has always lived and belonged there with them. Julie is caught between the life she finds herself in and the memories of the person she thinks she is. Whether on Tristane, unable to square her memories of Selena and the Rouanes with the world apparent before her, or back on earth with memories of a world no one else will believe in, she is unable to align who she thinks she is with who she is meant to be.\n\nIt is this sense of doubt and uncertainty that Allan explores with aplomb. There are echoes of the shifting realities and perspectives of The Race, but in a much more subtle and insidious way. As Selena points out, why do the aliens in Julie’s story look human and speak English? Julie pretended to like Marillion whilst in Steven Jimson’s van, is this the source of Cally’s name, pronounced ‘Kayleigh’, and the planet’s only ocean, Marrillienseet? Why does Julie recognise Cally from walking past her on the street on the way back from her teacher’s house? How did Julie come into possession of the pendant which genuinely appears to be made on another planet if she was never on Tristane? Whether or not Tristane is a mere reflection of our own world conjured up as a safety mechanism by Julie for the trauma she’s experienced on Earth, or vice versa, becomes increasingly complicated to unpick. The book is full of references that help reframe or shift the argument.\n\nJulie’s school essays from before her disappearance reveal a fascination with disappearances and assumed identities. She writes about Peter Weir’s film of Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), about the one girl who returns from a group of vanished schoolgirls with no memory of what happened to her or her friends, and Franziska Czenstkowaska, a Prussian peasant girl who claimed to be Anastasia, the daughter of Tsar Nicholas rescued from execution by loyal soldiers. After establishing them as a metaphor for hidden secrets, climactic scenes in the book intersperse zoological notes on catfish of Earth with equally realistic sounding notes on catfish of Tristane.\n\nAllan names Julie’s section of the novel after A Voyage to Arcturus (1920) by David Lindsay, an early fantasy novel that sends its protagonist on a psychic journey to a distant planet which reveals to him the true nature of the universe through a series of richly symbolic encounters. In the end, Allan is more interested in what the spaces between the different unresolved possibilities can tell us than any closure that might be gained from a pat ending.\n\nOn Tristane, The Mind-Robbers of Pakwa by Linus Quinn is considered either a factual account of the final shuttle to return from its sister planet Dea or a work of science fiction. In it he describes his friends being devoured from within by a giant isopod parasite called the creef. This strikes me as being a deeply pertinent metaphor in Allan’s exploration of identity and memory. Infection with the creef causes madness and eventual death, as the adult isopod emerges from your empty husk. Identity and personality are malleable and impermanent; none of us are the same person that we were five years ago. Our consciousness provides us with the illusion of continuity, but for better and worse, more or less convincingly, it remains an illusion. Memories are the link we form with previous versions of ourselves, yet memories can be forgotten, distorted and altered, and the most powerful tool we have for doing this is the stories we tell about ourselves.\n\nIs Julie the same person as the girl who disappeared twenty years ago? The only answer that makes sense in the end is perhaps is: as much as Selena is the same girl whose sister went missing twenty years ago.\n\n\nLeave a Comment", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7167556285858154}
{"content": "Lien entre les metiers\n\nAller en bas\n\nLien entre les metiers\n\nMessage par Melinelia le Sam 9 Nov - 10:14\n\nschéma lien entre les metier\n\nTailor, Blacksmith, Craftman\nThese are producers, they make Weapons/Clothes/Jewelry for others\nBasically, you take materials (gather them yourself or buy from market) then create pieces to sell.\nIf you like staying in town, buying/selling and making stuffs, pick one from here\nPoint to Note:\n- Craftman produce Lace, Hasp, Handles for Smith and Tailor\n- Tailor produces Guazhou and other cloth used by Craftman\n- Jobs are linked, so you cannot simply survive alone.\nHerbalist, Poisoner\nThese are roaming traveling type, primarily, they require going out to hunt for herbs or poison.\nIf you like roaming around, moving to different places, this is for you\nPoint to Note:\n- Herbalist needs Tailor friend/s for stuffs to make upgrading materials\n- Poisoner needs Craftman friend/s to make Poison stones and other stuffs\n\nEveryone needs food.... almost, but nobody is going to pay a leg, not even a toe, for food.\nBeing self-sufficient is easy, but making lots of money is hard.\nSelling cheap things that move fast, that is chef, I like it, but am not sure about you.\nPoint to Note:\n- You are self-sufficient, you don't need friends, only need customers  \n- Easiest to do, Most profitable\n- Herbalist need Chinese Yam, Garlic\n- Tailor need Silkworms, Hemp, Ramie\n- Chef need all sorts of funny stuffs.... I usually plant my own, so no comments\n\n- Most mined products are in demand.... Iron, Copper, Lead, Silver\n- Even funny things you get from Mining sells, Dendrite, Moire Stones, Obsidian\n\n- Tailors need Skins (Goat Skin, Dog Skin, Monkey Skin... etc)\n- I buy smashed meat from boars\n\n- Fish Scales sells\n\nWood Cutting:\n- Craftman uses these to make handles\n- Blacksmith, Some weapons use wood\n\n\nMessages : 3\nDate d'inscription : 20/10/2013\n\nVoir le profil de l'utilisateur\n\nRevenir en haut Aller en bas\n\nRevenir en haut\n\nPermission de ce forum:\nVous ne pouvez pas répondre aux sujets dans ce forum", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9585598111152649}
{"content": "Do you manage all the artists listed on your roster?\nNo. Black Royal Entertainment does not claim to represent itself as the management or the exclusive agent/representative to every artist on this website. Rather, we take pride in bringing you and the requested artist together and negotiating contracts in the best interest of both parties.\n\nWhere can I find a list of all the artists on your roster?\nOur full artist roster can be sent upon request. Just email us at BlackRoyalEnt@gmail.com\n\nHow is an artist's price determined?\n\nArtist booking fees are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. Such factors include: artist schedule, supply and demand, length of performance/presentation, location of event, venue capacity and other factors. For the most current fee, please contact your representative.\n\nI only want the artist to make an appearance. Will the artist fee significantly come down in price?\nIn most cases, no. An artists who can command $30K for a full performance, typically will not forego $20K to take a $10K \"appearance only\" offer. An exception would be in the event that the artist is already performing in or near your city. In such a case, it may be possible to \"piggy-back\" your show on top of an already established gig. Newer artists are also an exception to this rule.\n\nWhy can't you give me an exact price quote?\nThere are several factors that prevent us from quoting an exact price. In many cases, artists will have different fees for local events (some will discount their fee), or may have different requirements for events located on the east coast vs. the west coast or international gigs. Also, some artists may charge different fees depending on whether it is “in-season” or during their off-season (i.e. celebrity hosts that star in television programming, athletes who currently play for a national team, or a music artist who is currently in production of a new project). Moreover, like any business, artist fees will fluctuate based on supply and demand. For example, if the artist or celebrity has a book on The New York Times Best Sellers list, launches a new television show, wins an Olympic Gold Medal or is involved in a major news worthy event, it is not unusual for their fees to change (sometimes dramatically) without notice due to increased demand and limited availability. Although we strive to maintain the most accurate and updated fee information, artist fees frequently change without notice. Please contact us with all of your event details and requirements and we will get you the most accurate fee directly from the artist or celebrity within 24 hours.\n\nWill an artist accept a lower-priced fee if I offer a percentage of what I collect in ticket sales?\nTypically no. Only in very rare cases, or in the event that you are booking rising talent, will this scenario ever play out. 99% of our contracts require pre-show secured financial commitments, and cannot be based on contingent ticket sales or fund raising.\n\nIf I submit an offer, how long will it take before you get back to me?\n\nOnce your offer/request has been received a booking agent will respond within 24 hours via email.\n\nHow does the artist booking process work?\nAfter an offer has been submitted, an agent may provide you an \"estimated\" asking price of the artist or speaker requested. Should you be able to meet the minimum required financial commitments, an Artist Booking Retainer will be drafted for your review. Because we work directly with management, we will not be able to determine actual pricing, availability or interest in your offer until you: 1) Comply with our Offer Policy; 2) Sign and return our \"Agency of Record Agreement; and 3) \"Remit a 10% \"Good Faith Binder\" (these steps are further explained in our artist booking packet and are required for your request to be considered serious and that it has the required funding). Once a retainer has been signed and executed, Black Royal Entertainment will officially begin negotiations with management on your behalf. Should your offer be accepted, a contract will be generated between you and the artist requested. If your offer is denied, you may authorize Black Royal Entertainment to revise the offer, resubmit the offer to another artist, or issue a binder refund.\n\nWhy do I have to submit a binder just to receive pricing information?\n\nMuch like you, our agents do not work free. We receive hundreds of artist booking requests each day and it is necessary for us to differentiate serious buyers from those just seeking preliminary or pricing information. Because artist fees are so dynamic and can literally change from day to day, Black Royal Entertainment expends time and reputation to determine if the requested artist is interested in and available for your event or engagement. Thus, we require a 10% Good Faith Binder to determine actual fees, availability and interest level.\n\nIs my binder refundable?\nYes. In the event that the requested artist is unavailable or your offer is not accepted by management, your binder is returned to you. However, Black Royal Entertainment reserves the right to charge a minimum 25% (50% for international offers) USD \"Research and Negotiations\" fee for each offer submitted on your behalf.\n\nHow long will it take for my binder to be returned to me?\nDomestic binders are typically refunded within 5-7 business days of submission. International binders are typically refunded within 10-15 business days.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5355256795883179}
{"content": "For while you have reasons to be anxious\n\nNo matter what kind of business you’re running , a strong emphasis on risk management is vital in ensuring the safety of your reputation and the longevity of your business. If you’re hoping to improve your business’s productivity and minimize risks, consider sending your team to risk management classes from Certified Information Security.\n\n\nThe first step in reaching maximum efficiency and minimizing risks is to prepare carefully. Work with your project managers to make a detailed plan and outline potential setbacks and risks. Just identifying potential roadblocks is a huge step in the right direction, and thinking ahead can prevent a loss of productivity. For example, if you have an IoT business, think about the importance of information security and take the necessary steps to protect against data leaks. If you need help reaching these preparation goals , browse the list of conferences, workshops, and certificates available from Certified Information Security.\n\nEvaluate Likelihood\n\nOnce your project and security managers have identified a set of potential risks, it’s time to evaluate the likelihood or probability that these risks will occur. Prioritize from most likely to occur to least likely to occur, and make every effort to plan for each risk. Simple steps might need to be taken , but if a complex strategy needs to be developed, consider enrolling your employees in coursework available from Certified Information Security.\n\nTypes of Risks\n\nThere are several different types of risks for businesses, and your employees must be aware of all the types. The four main types of risks are intellectual property (IP) risks, physical risks, financial risks , and legal risks. To do well and continue to thrive as a business, you must be prepared for all of these types of risks. If you’ve never dealt with these risks and you’re not sure where to start, attend classes or consult with a professional to develop the skills you need to cope with the multiple risks that are part of running a business. The cost of attending classes, workshops, and seminars are actually much less expensive in the long run than dealing with lawsuits from leaked data or sparring with another company over intellectual property. If you don’t take the necessary steps to protect your business in every way possible , all the hard work that’s been poured into the business could end up wasted if you run out of capital from legal battles or lack of insurance.\n\nSet Aside a Risk Management Budget\n\nIf you’re a startup company, it’s likely that you have a limited budget for things deemed nonessential. However, risk management is one of the most important aspects of your business. Without taking proper steps to protect your business and your customers, the business is at extreme risk of being nonviable in the event of legal action or theft of intellectual property. Even if risk management classes and certifications seem too expensive to justify, make it a top priority as soon as possible. Your business will be better off in the long run when the entire team is on board and up to date with the best , current risk management practices. When sport became professionalized athletes began searching for ways to improve their performances. For sports the physical aspect was predominant and athletes sought their way for golden medals at regular doctors. Sport became an industry and the need for specialized physicians grew. This brought a new specialization in medicine; sports medicine. Here after further specialization progressed and sports nutrition became a specialization in sports medicine.\n\nSport and physical health in general became popular, to practice and also as a form of entertainment. A new and profitable industry was born where many people make there living as does the specialist in sports nutrition. The study of sports nutrition was popular among younger students. The idea of working with famous athletes, or better yet becoming a better athlete themselves was the driving force for and maybe still is the driving force for this study.\n\nThe curriculum of this study focuses on understanding how the body functions during exercise and sport. The goal is to maximize the athletic potential and minimizing health risks.\n\nThis study provides a scientific background, specific knowledge and skills to address concepts and controversies relating to sports nutrition, sports physiology and to explore the links between nutrition , physiology, performance and health outcomes through the life cycle.\n\nThe educational principles integrate nutrition and exercise physiology and application to exercising individuals. The topics that are commonly studied are specific nutrient needs, energy expenditure, hydration, fuel substrate metabolism , ergogenic aids and weight issues for exercising individuals and athletes.\n\nThe program also has topics like personal training programs specially designed for the individual client. The focus is on the clients' workout and how to enhance the physical program and to provide the best nutrition plan. The aim is to tailor the program to the specific needs of their body. The program should include proper nutrition, the necessary supplements and beneficial vitamins and minerals.\n\nThe curriculum has a lot to offer. Most institutes have similar courses on a college level that don't only educate on sport nutrition but much wider than that. The program consist of courses like basic sports science, sport psychology, human physiology, data analysis , functional anatomy, exercise physiology, nutritional physiology and biochemistry, human nutrition, research methods , biomechanics and much more.\n\nThe students of sports nutrition education learn the following:\n\nCheap Jerseys   Cheap Jerseys   Cheap Shirts   Cheap Soccer Hoodies China   Cheap NHL Hats   Cheap NBA Hats China   Cheap MLB Jerseys Free Shipping   Wholesale Hoodies   Wholesale NFL Jerseys   Wholesale NFL Hats  \nPosted in SPEED on March 18 at 07:25 AM\n\nComments (0)\n\nNo login", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8234057426452637}
{"content": "Friday, October 1, 2010\n\nEMDR Therapy...\n\nThis is what our therapist is doing with us at next week's session!  That day, we see her in the morning, then our new PCP in the afternoon, so my little one will be home all day with me.\n\nEMDR--Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing--Therapy\nBy Carol Boulware, Ph.D. at\ncollaboration in which healing can happen effectively.\n\n\nemotional distress.\n\ntrauma is extreme, this process breaks down and REM sleep doesn't bring the usual relief from\ndistress. This is where EMDR comes in. EMDR is the next step or, you might say, an advanced stage of\nthe REM processing.\n\nAs troubling images and feelings are processed by the brain via the eye movement patterns of EMDR,\nresolution of the issues and a more peaceful state are soon at hand.\n\nIn the late 80's, psychologist Francine Shapiro, Ph.D., observed that particular eye movements\nreduced the intensity of disturbing thoughts in some clients. Dr. Shapiro decided to study this effect\nscientifically. In 1989, she published an article in the Journal of Traumatic Stress, describing her\nsuccess using a method she called EMDR. Since that time, other therapists around the world have\ncontributed to its development. EMDR has evolved into a highly effective technique that incorporates\nelements from other various treatment modalities.\n\nWhen disturbing experiences happen, they are stored in the brain with all the sights, sounds, thoughts\ntraumatic event get \"trapped\" in the nervous system. Since the brain cannot process these emotions,\nthe experience and/or their accompanying feelings, are often suppressed from consciousness.\nHowever, the distress lives on in the nervous system where it causes disturbances in the normal\nemotional functioning of the person.\n\nThe EMDR Technique does two very important things. First, it \"unlocks\" the negative memories and\n\nimages and feelings arise, the client's eye movements are \"matched\" with the remembered events\nrather than feeling powerless over their re-actions. This process can be a complex if there are many\ntraumatic memories and emotions are relieved.\n\n\nfraction of the time it previously would have taken with traditional therapy alone. It also enables the\nmore efficient use of conventional psychotherapies, bringing greater results in much less time. The\npositive, long-term results of EMDR therapy affects all levels of the client's well-being -- mental,\n\n\n\nStudies to date show a high degree of effectiveness with the following\n* trauma\n* fears\n* anxiety\n* childhood trauma\n* phobias\n* physical abuse\n* sexual abuse\n* rape\n* victims of violent crimes\n* post traumatic stress\n* depression\n* overwhelming fears\n* panic attacks\n* low self-esteem\n* performance and test anxiety\n\n\nwere maintained for at least 15 months.\n\n\ntakes place with EMDR is much faster than with hypnotherapy. Like hypnosis, EMDR seems to work\nbe experienced again in order to release their energetic hold on the person.\n\nOnly practicing, licensed psychotherapists, psychiatrists, social workers and counselors may receive\nEMDR training. These are the only mental health professionals qualified to use EMDR therapy with\nclients. A clinical background is necessary for proper application of the EMDR technique. This is a\nhighly specialized method that requires supervised training for therapeutic effectiveness and client\nsafety. In the words of the attempts to use EMDR.” It may be wise to request the therapist to provide you with their EMDR certificate of training. \n\nThanks to the on-going success of EMDR therapy for hundreds of thousands of people, it is not difficult\nto have high expectations for a therapy program that includes the EMDR technique. The short-term\nbenefits of EMDR is simple and straightforward--the immediate relief of emotional distress and the\nelimination of the debilitating effect of unresolved past trauma. Longer-term benefits of EMDR therapy\nbrings with it a greater sense of personal power, more rewarding relationships and a more peaceful\n\nNo comments:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8879024386405945}
{"content": "CONTACT: Kristy Weinshel, 703-684-1008\n\nBetter Use of Antibiotics Needed Throughout Healthcare Settings\n\nSHEA partners with CDC on “Get Smart about Antibiotics Week” held Nov. 14-18\n\nARLINGTON, VA (November 14, 2016) – Everyone, from healthcare providers to patients, have a role to play in reducing antibiotic resistance. Specifically,  in order to halt the alarming trend of antibiotic resistance there is a need for well-documented and properly coordinated strategies like stewardship of antibiotics, expanded surveillance of antibiotic resistance bacteria, and investments in new drug development and diagnostic testing across all healthcare settings. The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) is pleased to join the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other partners in \"Get Smart about Antibiotics Week\" to raise awareness of strategies and programs to address antibiotic resistance with both healthcare providers and patients.\n\n\"All healthcare facilities can improve patient outcomes by addressing antibiotic resistance trends through focused efforts to eliminate unnecessary antibiotic therapies,” said Louise Dembry, MD,MS, MBA, president, SHEA Board of Trustees.  “We must also educate and engage patients in understanding when antibiotics are needed and when they are not.”\n\nSHEA is committed to addressing antibiotic resistance by furthering education and leadership of stewardship programs for healthcare professionals.  Antibiotic stewardship programs and interventions help ensure that patients get the right antibiotics at the right time for the right duration. In addition to improving patient care, there is also cost savings potential.\n\nVisit the SHEA website for more information on the appropriate use and management of antimicrobials in all healthcare settings to help improve patient care:\n\n\nSHEA is a professional society representing physicians and other healthcare professionals around the world with expertise and passion in healthcare epidemiology, infection prevention, and antimicrobial stewardship. SHEA's mission is to prevent and control healthcare-associated infections, improve the use of antibiotics in healthcare settings, and advance the field of healthcare epidemiology. The society leads this specialty by promoting science and research, advocating for effective policies, providing high-quality education and training, and developing appropriate guidelines and guidance in practice. SHEA upholds the value and critical contributions of healthcare epidemiology and improved antibiotic use to improve patient care and healthcare worker safety in all healthcare settings. Visit SHEA online at, and @SHEA_Epi.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9998844265937805}
{"content": "BEAST Software\nBEAST Single Act Sequences  \nThe sequencing of behavior can have particular power to analyze changes in behavior. Routines that include graphical functions include change-point analysis and log-survivorship interval analysis. \nA search over the observation period for abrupt changes in behavior can avoid confounding your results by lumping data from dissimilar causes. \n\"Profile\" graphs show the distribution of acts over time. This graph shows the intervals between player 1's \"choice of \"weapons\" in a Rock-Paper-Scissors game. \nStatistical testing for a Change Point indicates that only event 4, 1_Scissors, had a barely significant change (p<0.05) at 67 seconds. There is no reason to suspect that the others were not randomly distributed. this could be the first step in feeling justified in lumping all events from the entire session. \nLog survivorship studies of the distributions of bout and interval lengths are well known in the behavioral sciences. \nBEAST can test the fit for a single line that is expected if the interval lengths are randomly distributed. It can also fit a 2-part Piecewise Constant Hazard Rate model that assumes that 2 different processes are responsible for the distribution of interval lengths. For a full explanation you should download the BEAST Help file. Suffice it to say that, in the above left curve, except for the one longest interval found, the above curve fitting attempt supports the hypothesis that interval lengths were randomly distributed.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9959899187088013}
{"content": "Speaker: Samin Aref\nAffiliation: Department of Computer Science\nTitle: Measuring Partial Balance in Signed Networks\nDate: Tuesday, 29 Sep 2015\nTime: 5:00 pm\nLocation: CAG15/114-G15 (Commerce A)\n\nIs the enemy of an enemy necessarily a friend, or is a friend of a friend a friend? If not, to what extent does this tend to hold? Such questions were formulated in terms of signed (social) networks and necessary and sufficient conditions for a network to be “balanced” were obtained around 1960. Since then the idea that signed networks tend over time to become more balanced has been widely used in several application areas, such as international relations. However investigation of this hypothesis has been complicated by the lack of a standard measure of partial balance, since complete balance is almost never achieved in practice.\n\nWe formalise the concept of a measure of partial balance, compare several known measures on real-world and synthetic datasets, as well as investigating their axiomatic properties. We use both well-known datasets from the sociology literature, such as Read’s New Guinean tribes, and much more recent ones involving senate bill co-sponsorship. The synthetic data involves both Erdős-Rényi and Barabási-Albert graphs.\n\nWe find that under all our measures, real-world networks are more balanced than random networks. We also show that some measures behave better than others in terms of axioms. We make some recommendations for measures to be used in future work.\n\nEveryone welcome!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9988915324211121}
{"content": "Eidon Ionic Minerals\n\nEidon Ionic Minerals\nFree Shipping\nOn most orders over $200 within the continental USA\n2 oz Concentrate\n640923000055, 640923000321, 640923000338, 640923000352, 640923000239, 640923000352, 640923000246\nOur Price:\nQuestions? Call 408-354-4262\n- or -\n  • Details\n  • Ingredients\n  • Send to friend\n  • Customers Also Bought\n  • Customer feedback\n\nEidon Ionic Minerals\nLiquid ionic minerals\n\nIndividual Minerals\n\n\n    Thyroid hormones control proper body metabolism that can influence energy production and body temperature.  Thyroid function influences the adrenal glands, reproduction, nerve and muscle function, cellular oxygen use, the health of hair, skin, and bones and the breakdown of fats and proteins.\n\n  • Copper - From Good State Minerals - 2mg per 10 drops.\n\n\n\n\n  • Silica - Of all the minerals important for good health, silica is by far the most underrated and misunderstood mineral of all. It is the seventh most prevalent element in human tissue after calcium.  Research done in the 1970's by Dr. Edith Carlisle at the UCLA School of Public Health affirmed without any doubt the extreme importance of silica. Her research, performed at the UCLA School of Public Health, showed silica to be essential in collagen formation and connective tissue strength. Collagen is the tough fibrous material which holds us together and is the major component of everything from our bones to our skin. Supplementation with this essential element may improve or alleviates or improves many of the following diverse symptoms:\n\n\n  1. Calcium deposits on bone, in joints, and in soft tissues (calcium mismanagement).\n  2. Teeth and gum disease, and structural failure.\n  3. Gastrointestinal problems such as acid indigestion, acid reflux, and Crohn's disease.\n  4. Arthritis symptoms primarily associated with osteoarthritis.\n  5. Osteoporosis - silica helps the body deposit calcium into bone rather than into areas it shouldn't be.  More importantly, silica helps maintain proper bone collagen levels; giving bones greater flexibility.\n  6. Arteriosclerosis - studies have shown that hardened arteries are high in calcium and low in silica. Healthy, flexible arteries are high in silica and low in calcium.\n  7. Skin, hair and nail disorders.\n  8. Vertigo \n\nThis is a diverse list, yet there is a common thread running through them all — proper collagen production. Eidon manufactures and distributes the finest liquid silica available anywhere.\n\n\n\n    Sulfur is also known for its ability to help with digestive disorders, such as heartburn, indigestion, and gastritis. Sulfur is also important for proper metabolism of carbohydrates and adequate uptake of sugar molecules necessary for energy. Sulfur can restore normal blood sugar levels as cells become permeable and helps restore pancreas functions to normal as the cells absorb blood sugar. The body is in a constant state of repair so if we don't get enough of the required nutrients the end product is going to be less than perfect. This is reflected in the aging process.\n\n  • Zinc - Zinc is essential for the maintenance of immune system strength and gland health. It can be rapidly depleted when the body is fighting an illness such as cold and flu. Zinc is the tenth most abundant element in the human body. Zinc is found in all organs, tissues and cells, and is involved in the function and activation of over 200 enzymes. Enzymes are the unique essential proteins that make the human body function properly.\n    Its vital role in maintaining proper immune system function and detoxification abilities has earned zinc its reputation as a cold and flu remedy. Zinc promotes immune system health by activating the production of white blood cells. These white blood cells form the basis of the immune system and destroy both damaged cells and invaders when antibodies recognize a specific antigen or foreign pathogen, such as a virus.\n    Zinc activates the production of numerous hormones necessary for growth and development. Like enzymes, hormones are proteins essential to the body's health. These proteins are produced in specific organs in the body, passed into the bloodstream and carried to distant cells and organs to stimulate numerous biological processes.\n    Zinc has been shown to play an integral role in combating stress, regulating appetite, useful in treating myopia (nearsightedness), and enhancing the senses of taste and smell. Most people suffering from alcoholism are found to be deficient in zinc. In addition, zinc protects the liver from damage. Alcohol is one of the most prevalent causes of liver malfunction, causing cirrhosis and fatty liver. Zinc has actually been shown to help reverse cirrhosis. Arsenic, cadmium, and lead are a few of the toxic elements that zinc helps to eliminate from the body. Inflammatory bowel disease, parasites and other intestinal problems can damage the intestines.\n\nComprehensive Formulas\n\nBone Support\n\n  1. Boron - Recent studies have reported possible improvements in bone mineral density in women who supplemented with boron. Boron’s role in bone metabolism appears to be associated with its interactions with other minerals such as calcium and magnesium.\n  2. Calcium - 98% of the body's calcium is stored in our bones. Its purpose in bone is to create rigidity (giving us our distinctive shape) and as a storehouse for the body’s metabolic needs for calcium such as nerve transmission, blood clotting and wound healing.\n\nImmune Support\n\n  1. ZINC - Activates the enzymes of our immune system.\n  2. SELENIUM - Inhibits viral mutation.\n  3. SULFUR - Calms the body's inflammatory response.\n  4. SILVER -  Provides a natural defense against bacteria.\n\nJoint Support\n\n\nEidon Liquid Ionic Minerals - 2 oz\n\nServing Size: 15 drops\nServings per Container: 30\n\nThis field is required\nA valid email is required\nA valid email is required\nThis field is required\n\nProduct rating\n\n\nThere have been no reviews for this product.\n  • Disclaimer\n\n*Your results may vary from those listed above.\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8687509298324585}
{"content": "Gran Tierra understands and shares the Colombian people’s desire to protect their country’s rivers, lakes and other water resources. With that in mind, GTE is implementing stringent water protection and remediation policies, many of which exceed regulatory requirements.\n\nWater Collection\n\nGTE has concentrated its efforts on protecting and preserving water sources that supply the water needs of the different oil fields. In addition to the environmental education processes and efforts to optimize the use of the resource, GTE has developed a program to purchase strategic areas located on the banks of the supply sources of water. This voluntary activity has allowed the company to conserve more than 450 hectares in Putumayo.\n\nA voluntary rainwater collection program at GTE’s Middle Magdalena Valley Basin Camp is an example of the company’s desire to exceed its legal obligations to protect the environment.\n\nWhile there is enough groundwater to easily supply the camp, collecting rainwater for this is less impactful to the environment than drawing it from underground supplies. For 10 months of the year rain usually falls at the camp three times a week, allowing 90% of its non-drinking water needs to be met by collecting the rainwater in two large tanks during this period, minimizing the use of groundwater. The collected rainwater is then treated using a series of filters and processes to remove impurities before it is ready for use.\n\nWater Processing and Monitoring\n\nGran Tierra carefully manages its wastewater, much of which is generated in the form of “produced water.” GTE’s Environmental Management Plan lays out the company’s plan to avoid potential impacts to surface water sources.\n\nProduced water, which was generated as a byproduct of the process of extracting crude from the Los Angeles field in Colombia’s Middle Magdalena Valley, is treated using an allnatural process which relies on microorganisms to remove impurities. Depending on the need, the water is aerated which increases the supply of oxygen, causing the microorganisms to work faster, and allows greater volumes to be processed. Before it can be released, the treated water is regularly tested to ensure that it meets rigorous standards for purity.\n\nReinjecting produced and domestic wastewater is a practice used in multiple fields operated by GTE. During reinjection, the wastewater is treated to a standard that would allow reintroduction to surface water sources but is instead strategically pumped thousands of meters deep underground, well below subsurface water sources like aquifers, into oil producing formations that supply the company’s wells. In addition to minimizing any impact to water sources, this practice of safely discharging wastewater aids production from existing wells by increasing subsurface pressure. GTE maintains a network of piezometer monitors to ensure there is no impact to the quality of groundwater in the area. In accordance with GTE’s EMP, the company plans to design new projects in a manner to avoid any discharge into surface water courses.\n\nGTE’s Environmental Management Plan requires visual and equipment-assisted inspections (e.g., turbidity monitors), to regularly check the water quality in the receiving rivers and lakes affected by construction activity, such as increased turbidity, smells or color changes. Inspections also include sampling of wastewater discharges and receiving water bodies adjacent to construction sites and construction camps.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.998855710029602}
{"content": "Javascript - parseInt() function\n\n\nThe parseInt() function examines the string much more closely to see if it matches a number pattern.\n\nLeading white space in the string is ignored until the first non-white space character is found.\n\nIf this first character isn't a number, the minus sign, or the plus sign, parseInt() always returns NaN, which means the empty string returns NaN.\n\nIf the first character is a number, plus, or minus, then the conversion goes on to the second character and continues on until either the end of the string is reached or a nonnumeric character is found.\n\nFor instance, \"1234asdf\" is converted to 1234 because \"asdf\" is completely ignored.\n\n\"22.5\" will be converted to 22 because the decimal is not a valid integer character.\n\nThe parseInt() function recognizes the various integer formats:decimal, octal, and hexadecimal.\n\nWhen the string begins with \"0x\", it is interpreted as a hexadecimal integer; if it begins with \"0\" followed by a number, it is interpreted as an octal value.\n\nHere are some conversion examples to better illustrate what happens:\n\nvar num1 = parseInt(\"1234asdf\");    //1234 \nvar num2 = parseInt(\"\");            //NaN \nvar num3 = parseInt(\"0xA\");         //10 - hexadecimal \nvar num4 = parseInt(12.5);          //12 \nvar num5 = parseInt(\"70\");          //70 - decimal \nvar num6 = parseInt(\"0xf\");         //15 - hexadecimal \n\nparseInt() provides a second argument: the radix (number of digits) to use.\n\nIf you know that the value you're parsing is in hexadecimal format, you can pass in the radix 16 as a second argument and ensure that the correct parsing will occur, as shown here:\n\nvar num = parseInt(\"0xAF\", 16);       //175 \n\nIn fact, by providing the hexadecimal radix, you can leave off the leading \"0x\" and the conversion will work as follows:\n\nvar num1 = parseInt(\"AF\", 16);        //175 \nvar num2 = parseInt(\"AF\");            //NaN \n\nPassing in a radix can greatly change the outcome of the conversion. Consider the following:\n\nvar num1 = parseInt(\"10\", 2);         //2 - parsed as binary \nvar num2 = parseInt(\"10\", 8);         //8 - parsed as octal \nvar num3 = parseInt(\"10\", 10);        //10 - parsed as decimal \nvar num4 = parseInt(\"10\", 16);        //16 - parsed as hexadecimal", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8709841370582581}
{"content": "Science » Technologies and discoveries\nAuthor`s name Ольга Савка\n\nThe Earth is dead\n\nThe dangers confronting us in this century have never been greater\nWe still have time until the Earth is dead, but in the New Year 2006, peace and happiness will go to the deserving people who are not in competition to consume the last life-giving resources from the face the Earth. The economic dependency of modern industrial countries for scarce natural resources has become a major economical and political risk for the whole World, and it's not just about oil. The dangers confronting us in this century have never been greater.drought\nThe essential natural resources, like food, minerals and fuel, which are needed for the survival of high consumption nations is an issue of national security, which will require governments and businesses, who are at risk of supply disruptions, to use their agents and secret contacts to manipulate, control and dominate the weak people and weak governments of key trading nations around the World. The ensuing greedy competition for scarce resources by nations and multi-national businesses, can lead to conflicts of interests, corruption, clashes of cultures, and revaluation of assets and currencies, which invariably leads to protests, wars, economic chaos, riots and other catastrophic consequences. The age of limitless resources is nearing an end, including the cultures that are unable to adapt to the coming changes.\nPatriotism to consumption and monetary growth are not patriotic principles worth dying for, even if they represent a national way of life. Patriotic values must be reassessed with moral questions: How many soldiers must die, trees cut down, animals killed, rivers poisoned, ocean fish depleted, fresh water disappear, plants with pharmaceutical value go undiscovered, and basic human needs go neglected, so that we can buy a big car, big house, and hold onto a hyper-space style of life?\nAll people have a personal responsibility for protecting the Earth's resources, even when traditional politicians create mass media guided policies to placate people's opposition to change. People tell me that the World environmental problems are too overwhelming for them to solve; they tell me that it's God's Will; or, politicians are elected for this difficult job.  Environmental responsibility is the purest form of democracy and everyone votes through his or her lifestyle. \nFuturistic nations, having visionary leaders, will lead their nations on a course of environmental responsibility by educating their citizens in schools, with heavy use of mass media to convey \"hope\" instead of \"fear\", and by encouraging its citizens to participate in organisations, which promote environmental policies, which will make the Earth a better place for people to live on, including businesses and the diversity of life we share this planet with.\n“The Earth is not Dead”, because we still have time to save it.  I am always meeting people, who say, “What can I do, I am only one person?” My answer is, “Plant a tree in 2006 and tell your neighbours why you did it.”\nDonald Norell", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5561938285827637}
{"content": "Pole barns are large enclosed agricultural buildings, used as shelter for animals as well as storage for hay, tack & tractors. We custom build our barns to each customer’s specifications. To schedule a FREE estimate, please contact us with your specific needs.\n\nOur buildings are made of ALL WOOD construction.\n\n\nWe do NOT sell/install pre-fabricated kits.\n\nWill I need a building permit?\n\nDifferent counties have different requirements. You will need to check with your local regional building department for their requirements. Pole barns in El Paso county DO NOT require a permit because they are agricultural buildings.\n\nWhat is the average time it takes to build a pole barn?\n\n10-14 days, weather permitting.\n\n\n\n\nExcluding neglect, improper maintenance & acts of nature that include, but are not limited to lightning, fire, flood, extreme winds, etc.\n\n\n\nInterim Payment:\n\nREQUIRED upon installation of the trusses, half of the balance will be due.\n\nFinal Payments:\n\nREQUIRED immediately upon completion of the project, the final half of the balance will be due. If you are unable to provide payment in person on the day your project is scheduled to be completed, we request that your payment be available for pickup somewhere on the job site OR mailed directly to us, to be received by the date of completion.\n\nForms of payment accepted:\n\nCash or check", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9842287302017212}
{"content": "Our mission is to provide local contacts and information to all who desire it\n\nAll are welcome. This is a place to gather or leave information about the events surrounding the anniversary. No money needed. Check the board/wall here for comments, updates, etc. Class of '99, please notice information specifically for you.\n\n\n1. Kiki Leyba\n\n2. Alise Steiner", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8986212015151978}
{"content": "Introduction: PC IN a DESK!!!\n\nafter 6 months of hard graft between January 2012 and June 2012 the desk was finally born.\non the 16th of august the desk reached the local paper. \nthe desk is made almost all from recycled materials.\n\nthe screen will eventually rise up out of the desk(once i have sourced some lead weights)\nthe computer witch is on the right  of the desk is under a glass screen and iv put some old PCB's on the left side.\n\nthe computer is built on top of a aluminium plate for grounding\n\non the left and right of the desk are 4 plugs and 4 USB ports  2 on each side \n\nintel core  i5 -3470 3.2GHz\ngigabyte z77-ds3h motherboard\n8gb of ram\n60gb ssd sata iii\n500w psu\nnetgear wg311t wifi card\n\nenjoy looking at this instructable and please leave a comment \n\n\n\n    • Clocks Contest\n\n      Clocks Contest\n    • Water Contest\n\n      Water Contest\n    • Oil Contest\n\n      Oil Contest\n\n    4 Discussions\n\n    You don't need lead weights. Go down to your local auto parts store (autozone, oreilies, pepboys, etc.) and ask them about the actuators used to hold the rear doors of SUVs up. These have a nice solid and smooth action, and are more than capable of holding your monitor up.\n\n    OK, thanks for the information. I was trying to picture that in my head, but didn't know what you were aiming for. Good luck with the rest of it!\n\n    This is really cool. What an awesome project to do at school! The only potential issue I can think of with enclosing the computer in a desk like this is ventilation and heat dissipation. Some (but definitely not all) computer cases are designed with a specific path for airflow in mind. That's why many computers actually perform much worse when people take the side panel off. The air is not getting pulled across the boards as designed.\n\n    I hope you accounted for this in some way by putting in a few extra fans and ventilation holes in the sides of the desk. The computer would still work without it, but not for very long if used under heavy processing loads. I couldn't tell from the pictures if you had done this or not.\n\n    You mentioned getting some weights for your screen to rise from the desk. Two questions about that:\n\n    1) Do you mean the computer monitor or the glass screen covering the computer.\n\n    2) Does this mean you are using a non-motorized mechanical weight and pulley system to accomplish this, or are you planning to use motors and need the weights as a counter balance?\n\n    Again, great job. This looks really nice.\n\n    Everything old is new again - I remember walnut desks with PCs built-in in the early days of personal computers ...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5640199184417725}
{"content": "Commercial local anaesthetic solutions have an acidic pH to maximise their water solubility and chemical stability. This increases their shelf-life. Immediately before injection, alkali can be added to raise the pH towards the physiological pH. This is called 'alkalinisation' or 'buffering' of the solution. Anaesthetic activity is dependent on having both the ionised and non-ionised forms of the drug present after injection. Alkalinisation increases the proportion of non-ionised drug and this could be advantageous. Care must be taken, because if too much alkali is added, the local anaesthetic will precipitate. When used for infiltration anaesthesia or block of small nerves, alkalinised solutions of local anaesthetic are less painful when injected. The onset of local anaesthesia may also be slightly quicker. For epidural anaesthesia or block of large nerves the amount of time saved is minimal and so alkalinisation is not practically useful for these procedures.\n\n\nAfter the injection of a local anaesthetic solution into the tissues there is a delay until the anaesthetic block is working satisfactorily. One technique that may decrease this delay is referred to as 'alkalinisation' of the local anaesthetic solution.1 This means adding a planned amount of a basic solution (typically sodium bicarbonate) to the local anaesthetic solution before injecting it into the target tissues. This practice may also decrease the pain on injection of the solution.2 Two key questions to be addressed are:\n\n  • What is the basis for this practice?\n  • Does it make a practically useful difference?\n\nLocal anaesthetic solutions and the pKa-pH relationship\n\nLocal anaesthetics are basic drugs which have a pKa (derived from the dissociation constant) close to the normal extracellular pH of 7.4, for example lignocaine has a pKa of 7.9. The drugs exist in two forms in the solution – the uncharged basic form(B) and the charged form (BH + ).\n\nB + H + ↔ BH +\n\nThe importance of the pKa-pH relationship is that this knowledge allows the calculation of the relative amounts of these two forms. When the pH is equal to the drug's pKa, 50% of the drug is in the uncharged form, and 50% is in the charged form. In acidic solutions most of the drug will be in the charged form. (The exception to this is the topical anaesthetic agent benzocaine which is noncharged and not used for infiltration anaesthesia.) To be useful when injected the local anaesthetic solution must be present in the tissues in both forms. The reason is that the drug has to diffuse to the site of action across several tissue barriers. The uncharged lipid-soluble form will diffuse across lipid barriers, for example, perineural sheath or cell membrane. The charged water soluble form will diffuse across tissue fluid barriers, for example interstitial fluid.\n\nThe site of action of the local anaesthetic molecule is the inner (or cytoplasmic) end of the sodium channel in the cell membrane. The final pathway for all injected local anaesthetics is to diffuse to the cell membrane (in the charged form) then re-equilibrate to form both charged and uncharged forms adjacent to the outside of the nerve cell membrane. The molecules diffuse across the nerve cell membrane in the uncharged form then re-equilibrate in the cytoplasm to have both forms present again. Next the charged form diffuses to and binds to its 'receptor' on the inside of the transmembrane sodium channel. This binding results in a conformational change in the channel protein to block the passage of sodium ions into the cell in response to a subsequent action potential.\n\nWhen a sufficient length of an unmyelinated nerve is impaired in this way, a nerve action potential in that nerve axon is blocked. For a myelinated nerve, the sodium channels are located primarily at the nodes of Ranvier. The channels in several adjacent nodes in the axon have to be blocked to prevent transmission of an action potential.\n\nCommercial local anaesthetic solutions\n\nThe pH of a commercially available local anaesthetic solution has to be acidic to maximise stability in solution and shelf-life. The reasons include:\n\n  • solubility – local anaesthetic solutions are aqueous solutions and if provided at a pH close to 7.4 the lipid soluble uncharged form could precipitate out due to its lower water solubility\n  • stability – the uncharged base form is more unstable at physiological pH so degradation is minimised at a low pH where the drug is predominantly in the charged form\n  • stability of adrenaline – the adrenaline added to some local anaesthetic solutions is unstable at the physiological pH and more stable at an acidic pH.\n\nCommercially available acidic local anaesthetic solutions have a pH of typically 3.5 to 5.5 and have a shelf-life of three to four years. This pH is so far below the drug's pKa that essentially all the drug is present in the more stable, charged, water-soluble form. Hydrochloric acid is added to lignocaine solutions to achieve this low pH.\n\nLocal anaesthetic solutions containing adrenaline are generally at a lower pH than the same solution without adrenaline ('plain solution'). The low pH is often said to be the cause of the pain on injection, but the relationship between this pain and pH is not simple.\n\nAlkalinisation of local anaesthetic solutions\n\nA basic solution can be added to a local anaesthetic solution immediately before injection to raise the pH. Suitable sterile solutions of sodium bicarbonate are readily available and this is the usual basic solution used.\n\nAlkalinisation has potential advantages. Firstly, the higher pH of the solution may result in less stinging pain being experienced by the patient. Secondly, after injection, the pH of the injected solution may more quickly approach that of the normal tissue pH. The faster formation of a mixture with charged and uncharged forms may then result in more rapid drug diffusion and a quicker onset of nerve blocking. This could be particularly useful in body sites with low tissue buffering capacity where there can be a delay in the rise of pH after injection.\n\nThe practice of adding a basic solution to the local anaesthetic solution is sometimes referred to as buffering. This terminology is wrong. Alkalinisation is a more accurate term. A buffer is a solution that tends to resist a change in its pH whether an acid or a base is added to it. The aim of adding a basic solution to the local anaesthetic solution is to raise the pH, not to resist the change in pH, so this practice is not buffering. In contrast, after injection of the local anaesthetic solution the tissues function as buffers as they tend to minimise the change in tissue pH which occurs when an acidic local anaesthetic solution is injected.\n\nThe basic solution that is added has to be carefully specified and mixed (Table 1). If too much is added then the pH rises too far and the non-charged basic form will precipitate out of solution. This will be detected as a white clouding of the solution.\n\nProvided precipitation does not occur, alkalinisation does not adversely affect the efficacy of the local anaesthetic solution.2 As precipitation increases with time, alkalinised local anaesthetic solutions should generally be freshly prepared and used promptly. They should not be used for infusions.3\n\nTable 1 Alkalinisation of local anaesthetic solutions2\nAnaesthetic solution Volume of 8.4% sodium bicarbonate to be added to 20 mL\nLignocaine 1% or 2% 2 mL\nBupivacaine 0.25% or 0.5% 0.1 mL*\nRopivacaine 0.2% 0.1 mL* (must be used within 5–10 minutes)\n* The small volume of 8.4% sodium bicarbonate to be added requires great care as adding too much will cause precipitation\n\nHigher concentrations of ropivacaine (for example 0.75%) precipitate at a pH greater than 6 so are not suitable for alkalinisation 6\n\nReduction of pain on injection\n\nA literature review on whether adding sodium bicarbonate to a local anaesthetic solution reduced the pain of injection found 22 human randomised controlled trials. The evidence was 'overwhelming' that pain on injection was reduced. The reason for this reduction may be the more rapid onset of action of the alkalinised local anaesthetic, rather than the change in pH.2\n\nA systematic review similarly found that the pain of intradermal injection of alkalinised local anaesthetics was decreased as compared to 'unbuffered' local anaesthetics.4\n\nPain reduction is a worthy goal and painless infiltration may be achievable in some cases. The reduction of this stinging pain due to infiltration anaesthesia and the block of small peripheral nerves is the major advantage of alkalinisation of local anaesthetic solutions.\n\nThe reduction of pain of infiltration by alkalinisation of the local anaesthetic solution is significant and so is likely to be useful in general practices and emergency departments where many such blocks are done, and particularly in children. Alternative methods may be a better approach in some situations, for example the use of local anaesthetic cream before intravenous cannulation in children.\n\nAlkalinisation to reduce onset time\n\nFor epidural anaesthesia, pain on injection of the local anaesthetic is not a major issue, but time to achieve surgical anaesthesia is important. Onset of epidural anaesthesia is quicker with alkalinised local anaesthetic solutions, but only by a few minutes.5 More time is taken up in preparing the modified solution than is gained by using it. Onset time can be decreased by using a faster acting drug, such as lignocaine, in a suitable concentration rather than a slower onset drug such as bupivacaine.\n\nThe onset of spinal anaesthesia is rapid. There is no advantage in using alkalinised solutions.\n\nAlkalinisation of the solution does not provide any practical advantage in plexus blocks,1,7 or intravenous regional anaesthesia.8 With blocks of larger peripheral nerves, onset time is decreased and the quality of the block improved by minimising the diffusion distance by injecting the local anaesthetic solution close to the nerve. This can be achieved by using peripheral nerve stimulation, ultrasound guidance or other techniques to accurately position the needle tip.\n\nIn infiltration anaesthesia, the onset of the block is generally rapid so there is minimal time to be gained.\n\nAlkalinisation of local anaesthetics to reduce the onset time of regional anaesthesia or major nerve blocks is not useful.\n\n\nAlkalinisation of local anaesthetic solutions reduces the pain of infiltration. It also reduces the onset of anaesthesia, but the time saved is small.\n\n\n  1. Quinlan JJ, Oleksey K, Murphy FL. Alkalinization of epivacaine for axillary block. Anesth Analg 1992;74:371-4.\n  2. Davies RJ. Buffering the pain of local anaesthetics: A systematic review. Emerg Med 2003;15:81-8.\n  3. Fulling PD, Peterfreund RA. Alkalinization and precipitation characteristics of 0.2% ropivacaine. Reg Anesth Pain Med 2000;25:518-21.\n  4. Hanna MN, Elhassan A, Veloso PM, Lesley M, Lissauer J, Richman JM. Efficacy of bicarbonate in decreasing pain on intradermal injection of local anesthetics: a meta-analysis. Reg Anesth Pain Med 2009;34:122-5.\n  5. DiFasio CA, Carron H, Grosslight KR, Moscicki JC, Bolding WR. Comparison of pH-adjusted lidocaine solutions for epidural anesthesia. Anesth Analg 986;65:760-4.\n  6. Milner QJ, Guard BC, Allen JG. Alkalinization of amide local anaesthetics by addition of 1% sodium bicarbonate solution. Eur J Anaesthesiol 2000;17:38-42 .\n  7. Chow MY, Sia AT, Koay CK, Chan YW. Alkalinization of lidocaine does not hasten the onset of axillary brachial plexus block. Anesth Analg 1998;86:566-8.\n  8. Benlabed M, Jullien P, Guelmi K, Hamza J, Bonhomme L, Benhamou D. Alkalinization of 0.5% lidocaine for intravenous regional anesthesia. Reg Anesth 1990;15:59-60.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8752680420875549}
{"content": "New study settles how social understanding is performed by the brain\n\nIn a study to be published in Psychological Science, researchers from Aarhus University and the University of Copenhagen demonstrate that brain cells in what is called the mirror system help people make sense of the actions they see other people perform in everyday life.\n\nUsing magnetic stimulation to temporarily disrupt normal processing of the areas of the human brain involved in the production of actions of human participants, it is demonstrated that these areas are also involved in the understanding of actions. The study is the first to demonstrate a clear causal effect, whereas earlier studies primarily have looked at correlations, which are difficult to interpret.\n\nOne of the researchers, John Michael, explains the process:\n\n“There has been a great deal of hype about the mirror system, and now we have performed an experiment that finally provides clear and straightforward evidence that the mirror system serves to help people make sense of others’ actions,” says John Michael.\n\nUnderstanding autism and schizophrenia\n\nThe study shows that there are areas of the brain that are involved in the production of actions. And the researchers found evidence that these areas contribute to understanding others’ actions. This means that the same areas are involved in producing actions and understanding others’ actions. This helps us in everyday life, but it also holds great potential when trying to understand why people with autism and schizophrenia have difficulties with social interaction.\n\n“Attaining knowledge of the processes underlying social understanding in people in general is an important part of the process of attaining knowledge of the underlying causes of the difficulties that some people diagnosed with autism and schizophrenia experience in sustaining social understanding. But it is important to emphasise that this is just one piece of the puzzle.”\n\n“The findings may be interesting to therapists and psychiatrists who work with patients with schizophrenia or autism, or even to educational researchers,” adds John Michael.\n\nFacts about the empirical basis\n\nThe participants (20 adults) came to the lab three times. They were given brain scans on the first visit. On the second and third, they received stimulation to their motor system and then performed a typical psychological task in which they watched brief videos of actors pantomiming actions (about 250 videos each time). After each video they had to choose a picture of an object that matched the pantomimed video. For example, a hammer was the correct answer for the video of an actor pretending to hammer.\n\nThis task was intended to gauge their understanding of the observed actions. The researchers found that the stimulation interfered with their performance of this task.\n\nInnovative method\n\nThe researchers used an innovative technique for magnetically stimulating highly specific brain areas in order to temporarily disrupt normal processing in those areas. The reason for using this technique (called continuous theta-burst stimulation) in general is that it makes it possible to determine which brain areas perform which functions. For example, if you stimulate (and thus temporarily impair) area A, and the participants subsequently have difficulty with some specific task (task T), then you can infer that area A usually performs task T. The effect goes away after 20 minutes, so this is a harmless and widely applicable way to identify which tasks are performed by which areas.\n\nWith continuous theta-burst stimulation, you can actually determine that the activation of A contributes as a cause to people performing T. This method thus promises to be of great use to neuroscientists in the coming years.\n\n1 Comment\n\n  1. “Settles”? Wow pretty strong language – and then you aren’t going to list the areas they tested and each areas’ apparent role?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8102649450302124}
{"content": "Legal Secretary- IP Prosecution\n\nMcDermott Will & Emery LLP - Menlo Park, CA (30+ days ago)3.8\n\n\nThe Silicon Valley office is seeking an experienced Legal Secretary to provide administrative and secretarial support for attorneys in our Intellectual Property Practice Group.\n\nAs a Patent Prosecution Legal Secretary, you will:\nPrepare IP Prosecution specific documents, forms, spreadsheets and presentations including U.S. Patent prosecution filings, reporting letters to clients, documents received from the PTO, draft applications and amendments\nProvide legal and non-legal administrative support to attorneys and clients\nRequest drawings from draftsman for review and revision and obtain copies of patents\nMaintain dockets on a regular schedule and send reminders to attorneys as necessary\nProcess intake of new clients; create client files; search and print reports\nWork with assigned billing specialist to prepare invoices, create cover letters, and mail invoices\nCoordinate meetings including setting up videoconference/calls, requesting meeting room service, equipment, catering\nOrganize and maintain files\nOrganize and maintain contacts and calendar\nManage phones including: incoming calls, messaging, transfers and conference calls\nSchedule travel; process expense reports, check requests and business development activity\nEnter and release time for timekeepers; print reports as requested\n\nJob Requirements:\nBachelor’s Degree preferred but not required\nMinimum 5 years’ experience working as an IP Prosecution legal secretary and 3 years in a professional services environment\nStrong knowledge of steps involved in patent prosecution from application filing to issuance of patents\nDemonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Office, Outlook, Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Pro, Document Management, time entry systems and IP Prosecution specific databases including Inprotech or CPI\nStrong attention to detail\nProfessional interpersonal communication skills, both verbal and non-verbal\nExcellent teamwork and collaboration skills\nSelf-motivated and able to effectively utilize time and resources\nClient service/customer satisfaction oriented", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9961324334144592}
{"content": "\n\n\nThe fund provides opportunities for organisations to try to secure money for projects that they feel would make a difference to communities.  We are delighted to be able to confirm that our project concept for a pop up community cycle centre in Stapleford has made it through the first round of judging and is now in a public voting competition.\n\nAnd, simply put, we need YOUR vote to help us to secure these funds.\n\nOur charity has lots of experience of helping people through greener and more sustainable transport and we think that our Bikes 4 Life concept of providing a pop up community cycle centre in Stapleford, Nottingham, will make a huge difference to the communities that we will work with.  It’ll mean that young unemployed people will learn valuable lifeskills.  The skills that will be given through our cycle centre means they will have better access to training and employment and will be able to get around without reliance on other forms of transport.  You can read all about it here.\n\nIt takes 2 minutes to vote and to share with your coworkers or colleagues who may share your interest in the massive benefits that cycling can have on individuals, communities, congestion and the environment.\n\nWe’re really excited about this opportunity. Voting closes on the 18th November, so click now and make your vote count.\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5248446464538574}
{"content": "\n\nAnalysis of Botnet Security Threats\n\n\n\n\n\n1.1 Introduction\n\nDuring the last few decades, we have seen the dramatically rise of the Internet and its applications to the point which they have become a critical part of our lives. Internet security in that way has become more and more important to those who use the Internet for work, business, entertainment or education.\n\nMost of the attacks and malicious activities on the Internet are carried out by malicious applications such as Malware, which includes viruses, trojan, worms, and botnets. Botnets become a main source of most of the malicious activities such as scanning, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) activities, and malicious activities happen across the Internet.\n\n1.2 Botnet Largest Security Threat\n\nA bot is a software code, or a malware that runs automatically on a compromised machine without the user's permission. The bot code is usually written by some criminal groups. The term “bot” refers to the compromised computers in the network. A botnet is essentially a network of bots that are under the control of an attacker (BotMaster). Figure 1.1 illustrates a typical structure of a botnet.\n\nA bot usually take advantage of sophisticated malware techniques. As an example, a bot use some techniques like keylogger to record user private information like password and hide its existence in the system. More importantly, a bot can distribute itself on the internet to increase its scale to form a bot army. Recently, attackers use compromised Web servers to contaminate those who visit the websites through drive-by download [6]. Currently, a botnet contains thousands of bots, but there is some cases that botnet contain several millions of bots [7].\n\nActually bots differentiate themselves from other kind of worms by their ability to receive commands from attacker remotely [32]. Attacker or better call it botherder control bots through different protocols and structures. The Internet Relay Chat (IRC) protocol is the earliest and still the most commonly used C&C channel at present. HTTP is also used because Http protocol is permitted in most networks. Centralized structure botnets was very successful in the past but now botherders use decentralized structure to avoid single point of failure problem.\n\nUnlike previous malware such as worms, which are used probably for entertaining, botnets are used for real financial abuse. Actually Botnets can cause many problems as some of them listed below:\n\ni. Click fraud. A botmaster can easily profit by forcing the bots to click on advertisement for the purpose of personal or commercial abuse.\n\nii. Spam production. Majority of the email on the internet is spam.\n\niii. DDoS attacks. A bot army can be commanded to begin a distributed denial-of-service attack against any machine.\n\niv. Phishing. Botnets are widely used to host malicious phishing sites. Criminals usually send spam messages to deceive users to visit their forged web sites, so that they can obtain users' critical information such as usernames, passwords.\n\n1.3 Botnet in-Depth\n\nNowadays, the most serious manifestation of advanced malware is Botnet. To make distinction between Botnet and other kinds of malware, the concepts of Botnet have to understand. For a better understanding of Botnet, two important terms, Bot and BotMaster have been defined from another point of views.\n\nBot - Bot is actually short for robot which is also called as Zombie. It is a new type of malware [24] installed into a compromised computer which can be controlled remotely by BotMaster for executing some orders through the received commands. After the Bot code has been installed into the compromised computers, the computer becomes a Bot or Zombie [25]. Contrary to existing malware such as virus and worm which their main activities focus on attacking the infecting host, bots can receive commands from BotMaster and are used in distributed attack platform.\n\nBotMaster - BotMaster is also known as BotHerder, is a person or a group of person which control remote Bots. Botnets- Botnets are networks consisting of large number of Bots. Botnets are created by the BotMaster to setup a private communication infrastructure which can be used for malicious activities such as Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS), sending large amount of SPAM or phishing mails, and other nefarious purpose [26, 27, 28]. Bots infect a person's computer in many ways.\n\nBots usually disseminate themselves across the Internet by looking for vulnerable and unprotected computers to infect. When they find an unprotected computer, they infect it and then send a report to the BotMaster. The Bot stay hidden until they are announced by their BotMaster to perform an attack or task. Other ways in which attackers use to infect a computer in the Internet with Bot include sending email and using malicious websites, but common way is searching the Internet to look for vulnerable and unprotected computers [29]. The activities associated with Botnet can be classified into three parts: (1) Searching - searching for vulnerable and unprotected computers. (2) Dissemination - the Bot code is distributed to the computers (targets), so the targets become Bots. (3) sign-on - the Bots connect to BotMaster and become ready to receive command and control traffic.\n\nThe main difference between Botnet and other kind of malwares is the existence of Command-and-Control (C&C) infrastructure. The C&C allows Bots to receive commands and malicious capabilities, as devoted by BotMaster. BotMaster must ensure that their C&C infrastructure is sufficiently robust to manage thousands of distributed Bots across the globe, as well as resisting any attempts to shutdown the Botnets. However, detection and mitigation techniques against Botnets have been increased [30,31]. Recently, attackers are also continually improving their approaches to protect their Botnets. The first generation of Botnets utilized the IRC (Internet Relay Chat) channels as their Common-and-Control (C&C) centers. The centralized C&C mechanism of such Botnet has made them vulnerable to being detected and disabled. Therefore, new generation of Botnet which can hide their C&C communication have emerged, Peer-to-Peer (P2P) based Botnets. The P2P Botnets do not experience from a single point of failure, because they do not have centralized C&C servers [35]. Attackers have accordingly developed a range of strategies and techniques to protect their C&C infrastructure.\n\nTherefore, considering the C&C function gives better understanding of Botnet and help defenders to design proper detection or mitigation techniques. According to the C&C channel we categorize Botnets into three different topologies: a) Centralized; b) Decentralized and c) Hybrid. In Section 1.1.4, these topologies have been analyzed and completely considered the protocols that are currently being used in each model.\n\n1.4 Botnet Topologies\n\nAccording to the Command-and-Control(C&C) channel, Botnet topology is categorized into three different models, the Centralized model, the Decentralized model and Hybrid model.\n\n1.4.1 Centralized Model\n\nThe oldest type of topology is the centralized model. In this model, one central point is responsible for exchanging commands and data between the BotMaster and Bots. In this model, BotMaster chooses a host (usually high bandwidth computer) to be the central point (Command-and-Control) server of all the Bots. The C&C server runs certain network services such as IRC or HTTP. The main advantage of this model is small message latency which cause BotMaster easily arranges Botnet and launch attacks.\n\nSince all connections happen through the C&C server, therefore, the C&C is a critical point in this model. In other words, C&C server is the weak point in this model. If somebody manages to discover and eliminates the C&C server, the entire Botnet will be worthless and ineffective. Thus, it becomes the main drawback of this model. A lot of modern centralized Botnets employed a list of IP addresses of alternative C&C servers, which will be used in case a C&C server discovered and has been taken offline.\n\nSince IRC and HTTP are two common protocols that C&C server uses for communication, we consider Botnets in this model based on IRC and HTTP. Figure 1.2 shows the basic communication architecture for a Centralized model. There are two central points that forward commands and data between the BotMaster and his Bots. Botnets based on IRC\n\nThe IRC is a type of real-time Internet text messaging or synchronous conferencing [36]. IRC protocol is based on the Client Server model that can be used on many computers in distributed networks. Some advantages which made IRC protocol widely being used in remote communication for Botnets are: (i) low latency communication; (ii) anonymous real-time communication; (iii) ability of Group (many-to-many) and Private (one-to-one) communication; (iv) simple to setup and (v) simple commands. The basic commands are connect to servers, join channels and post messages in the channels; (vi) very flexibility in communication. Therefore IRC protocol is still the most popular protocol being used in Botnet communication.\n\nIn this model, BotMasters can command all of their Bots or command a few of the Bots using one-to-one communication. The C&C server runs IRC service that is the same with other standard IRC service. Most of the time BotMaster creates a channel on the IRC server that all the bots can connect, which instruct each connected bot to do the BotMaster's commands. Figure 1.3 showed that there is one central IRC server that forwards commands and data between the BotMaster and his Bots.\n\nPuri [38] presented the procedures and mechanism of Botnet based on IRC, as shown in Figure. 1.4.\n\nBots infection and control process [38]:\n\ni. The attacker tries to infect the targets with Bots.\n\nii. After the Bot is installed on target machine, it will try to connect to IRC server. In this while a random nickname will be generate that show the bot in attacker's private channel.\n\niii. Request to the DNS server, dynamic mapping IRC server's IP address.\n\niv. The Bot will join the private IRC channel set up by the attacker and wait for instructions from the attacker. Most of these private IRC channel is set as the encrypted mode.\n\nv. Attacker sends attack instruction in private IRC channel.\n\nvi. The attacker tries to connect to private IRC channel and send the authentication password.\n\nvii. Bots receive instructions and launch attacks such as DDoS attacks. Botnet based on HTTP\n\nThe HTTP protocol is an additional well-known protocol used by Botnets. Because IRC protocol within Botnets became well-known, internet security researchers gave more consideration to monitoring IRC traffic to detect Botnet. Consequently, attackers started to use HTTP protocol as a Command-and-Control communication channel to make Botnets become more difficult to detect. The main advantage of using the HTTP protocol is hiding Botnets traffics in normal web traffics, so it can easily passes firewalls and avoid IDS detection. Usually firewalls block incoming and outgoing traffic to not needed ports, which usually include the IRC port.\n\n1.4.2 Decentralized model\n\nDue to major disadvantage of Centralized model-Central Command-and-Control (C&C)-attackers tried to build another Botnet communication topology that is harder to discover and to destroy. Hence, they decided to find a model in which the communication system does not heavily depending on few selected servers and even discovering and destroying a number of Bots.\n\nAs a result, attackers take advantage of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) communication as a Command-and-Control (C&C) pattern which is much harder to shut down in the network. The P2P based C&C model will be used considerably in Botnets in the future, and definitely Botnets that use P2P based C&C model impose much bigger challenge for defense of networks.\n\nIn the P2P model, as shown in Fig. 1.6, there is no Centralized point for communication. Each Bot have some connections to the other Bots of the same Botnet and Bots act as both Clients and servers. A new Bot must know some addresses of the Botnet to connect there. If Bots in the Botnet are taken offline, the Botnet can still continue to operate under the control of BotMaster.\n\nP2P Botnets aim at removing or hiding the central point of failure which is the main weakness and vulnerability of Centralized model. Some P2P Botnets operate to a certain extent decentralized and some completely decentralized. Those Botnets that are completely decentralized allow a BotMaster to insert a command into any Bots. Since P2P Botnets usually allow commands to be injected at any node in the network, the authentication of commands become essential to prevent other nodes from injecting incorrect commands.\n\nFor a better understanding in this model, some characteristics and important features of famous P2P Botnets have been mentioned:\nSlapper: Allows the routing of commands to distinct nodes. Uses Public key and private key cryptography to authenticate commands. BotMasters sign commands with private key and only those nodes which has corresponding public key can verify the commands [42]. Two important weak points are: (a) its list of known Bots contains all (or almost all) of the Botnet. Thus, one single captured Bot would expose the entire Botnet to defenders [42] (b) its sophisticated communication mechanism produces lot traffic, making it vulnerable to monitoring via network flow analysis.\nSinit: This Bot uses random searching to discove other Bots to communicate with. It can results in an easy detection due to the extensive probing traffic [34].\nNugache: Its weakness is based on its reliance on a seed list of 22 IP addresses during its bootstrap process [47].\nPhatbot: Uses Gnutella cache server for its bootstrap process which can be easily shutdown. Also its WASTE P2P protocol has a scalability problem across a long network [48].\nStrom worm: it uses a P2p overnet protocl to control compromised hosts. The communication protocol for this Bot can be classified into five steps, as describes below :[37]\ni. Connect to Overnet - Bots try to join Overnet network. Each Bot initially has hard-coded binary files which is included the IP addresses of P2P-based Botnet nodes.\nii. Search and Download Secondary Injection URL - Bot uses hard-coded keys to explore for and download the URL on the Overnet network [37].\niii. Decrypt Secondary Injection URL - compromised hosts take advantages of a key(hard coded) to decrypt the URL.\niv. Download Secondary Injection - compromised hosts attempt to download the second injection from a server(probably web server). It could be infected files or updated files or list of the P2P nodes [37].\n\n1.4.3 Hybrid model\n\nThe Bots in the Hybrid Botnet are categorized into two groups:\n\n1) Servant Bots - Bots in the first group are called as servant Bots, because they behave as both clients and servers, which have static, routable IP addresses and are accessible from the entire Internet.\n\n2) Client Bots - Bots in the second group is called as client Bots since they do not accept incoming connections. This group contains the remaining Bots, including:- (a) Bots with dynamically designated IP addresses; (b) Bots with Non-routable IP addresses; and (c) Bots behind firewalls which they cannot be connected from the global Internet.\n\n1.5 Background of the Problem\n\nBotnets which are controlled remotely by BotMasters can launch huge denial of service attacks, several infiltration attacks, can be used to spread spam and also conduct malicious activities [115]. While bot army activity has, so far, been limited to criminal activity, their potential for causing large- scale damage to the entire internet is immeasurable [115]. Therefore, Botnets are one of the most dangerous types of network-based attack today because they involve the use of very large, synchronized groups of hosts for their malicious activities.\n\nBotnets obtain their power by size, both in their increasing bandwidth and in their reach. As mentioned before Botnets can cause severe network disruptions through huge denial- of-service attacks, and the danger of this interruption can charge enterprises big sums in extortion fees. Botnets are also used to harvest personal, corporate, or government sensitive information for sale on a blooming organized crime market.\n\n1.6 Statement of the Problem\n\nRecently, botnets are using new type of command-and-control(C&C) communication which is totally decentralized. They utilize peer-to-peer style communication. Tracking the starting point and activity of this botnet is much more complicated due to the Peer-to-Peer communication infrastructure.\n\nCombating botnets is usually an issue of discovering their weakness: their central position of command, or C&C server. This is typically an IRC network that all bots connect to central point, however with the use of P2P method; we cannot find any central point of command. In the P2P networks each bots in searching to connect other peers which can receive or broadcast commands through network. Therefore, an accurate detection and fighting method is required to prevent or stop such dangerous networks.\n\n1.7 Research Questions\n\na. What are the main differences between centralized and decentralized botnets?\n\nb. What is the best and efficient general extensible solution for detecting non-specific Peer-to- Peer botnets?\n\n1.8 Objectives of the Study\n\ni. To develop a network-based framework for Peer-to-Peer botnets detection by common behavior in network communication.\n\nii. To study the behavior of bots and recognizing behavioral similarities across multiple bots in order to develop mentioned framework.\n\n1.9 Scope of the Study\n\nThe project scope is limited to developing some algorithms pertaining to our proposed framework. This algorithms are using for decreasing traffics by filtering it, classifying intended traffics, monitoring traffics and the detection of malicious activities.\n\n1.10 Significance of the study\n\nPeer-to-Peer botnets are one of the most sophisticated types of cyber crime today. They give the full control of many computers around to world to exploit them for malicious activities purpose such as spread of virus and worm, spam distribution and DDoS attack. Therefore, studying the behavior of P2P botnets and develop a technique that can detect them is important and high-demanded.\n\n1.11 Summary\n\nUnderstanding the Botnet Command-and-Control(C&C) is a critical part in recognizing how to best protect against the overall botnet threat. The C&C channels utilized by the Botnets will often show the type and degree of actions an enterprise can follow in either blocking or shutting down a botnet, and the probability of success.\n\nIt is also obvious that attackers have been trying for years to move away from Centralized C&C channels, and are achieving some success using Decentralized(P2P) C&C channels over the last 5 or so years. Therefore in this chapter we have defined a classification for better understanding of Botnets C&C channels, which is included Centralized, Decentralized, and Hybrid model and tried to evaluate recognized protocols in each of them. Understanding the communication topologies in Botnets is essential to precisely identify, detect and mitigate the ever-increasing Botnets threats.\n\n\n\n2.1 Introduction\n\nBefore majority of botnets was using IRC (Internet Relay Chat) as a communication protocol for Command and Control(C&C) mechanism. Therefore, many researches tried to develop botnet detection scheme which was based on analysis of IRC traffic [50]. As a result, attackers decided to develop more sophisticated botnets, such as Storm worm and Nugache toward the utilization of P2P networks for C&C infrastructures. In response to this movement, researches have proposed various models of botnets detection that are based on P2P infrastructure [5].\n\nOne key advantage of both IRC and HTTP Botnet is the use of central Command and Control. This characteristic provides the attacker with very well-organized communication. However, the assets also considers as a main disadvantage to the attacker [8]. The threat of the Botnet can be decreased and possibly omitted if the central C&C is taken over or taken down [8]. The method that is starting to come out is P2P structure for Botnet interaction. There is not any centralized centre for P2P botnets. Any nodes in P2P botnet behave as client and server as well. If any point in the network is shut down the botnet still can continue its operation.\n\nThe storm botnet is one of the main and recognized recent P2P botnets. It customized the overnet P2P file-sharing application which is based on the Kademlia distributed hash table algorithm [55] and exploit it for its C&C infrastructure. Recently many researchers specially in the anti-virus community and electronic media concentrated on storm worm [56,57].\n\n2.2 Background and History\n\nA peer-to-peer network is a network of computers that any computer in the network can behave as both a client and a server.\n\nSome explanation of peer-to-peer networks does not need any form of centralized coordination. This definition is more comfortable because the attacker may be interested in hybrid architectures [8].\n\n2.2.1 History\n\nThe table 2.1 shows a summary of some well-known bots and P2P protocols. The range of time from the first bots, EggDrop, until the Storm Worm P2P bot is newly released. The first non-malicious bot was EggDrop that came up many years ago, and we know it as one of the first IRC bots that came to market. GTBot that have many other categories is another well-known malicious bot, that its variants are IRC client, mIRC.exe[61].\n\nAfter a while, P2P protocols have been used for Botnet activities. Napster is one of the first bot that used P2P as its communication. Napster built an platform that permit all bots can find each other and share files with each other in the network. In this bot, file sharing has been done in the centralized server that we can say it was not completely a P2P botnet. Therefore, all bots have to upload an index of their files to the centralized server and also if they are looking for other files among all bots, have to search in centralized server. If it can find any file that looking for, then can directly connect to that bot and download what they want. Nowadays, because Napster has been shutdown as their service recognized as illegal service, many other P2P service focusing on avoiding such finding.\n\nAfter few years after Napster, Gnutella protocol came up as the first completely P2P services. Actually after Gnutellas , as shown in Table 2.1, many other P2P protocols have been released, such as Kademilia and Chord. This two new p2p service are using distributed hash table as a method for finding information in the peer-to-peer networks.\n\nAgobot is another malicious P2P bot that came up recently and become widespread because of good design and modular code base [61]. Nowadays many researchers are concentrating on P2P bots and there is an anticipation that P2P bots will reach to the stage that Centralized botnets will not been used any more in the future.\n\nTable 2.1: P2P based Botnets\n\n2.3 Peers-to-Peer Overlay Networks\n\nOverlay networks are categorized into two categories: Structured and Unstructured. All nodes in first category can connect to most X peers regarding some conditions for identification of nodes that those peers want to connect. However in unstructured type there is not any specified limit for the number of peers that they can connect, in spite of the fact that there is not any condition for connecting to other peers. Overnet is a good example of structured p2p networks and Chorf is a good example of unstructured P2P networks.\n\n2.3.1 Brief overview of Overnet\n\nOne of the popular file sharing networks is Overnet that use for their design use distributed hash table (DHT) algorithm that called Kademlia[55]. Each node produces a 128-bit id for joining the network and also use for sending to other node for introducing itself. Actually each node in the network saves the information about other nodes in order to route query messages.\n\n2.3.2 Brief overview of Gnutella\n\nGnutellas is a unstructured file sharing network. In this network, when a node like n want to connect to a node like m, use a ping message to inform the other node for its presence. As long as node m received ping message, then send it back to other nodes in its neighbor and also send a Pong message to the sender of ping message that was node n. this transaction among node let them to learn about each other.\n\n2.4 Botnet Detection\n\nIn particular, to compare existing botnet detection techniques, different methods are described and then disadvantages of each method are mentioned respectively.\n\n2.4.1 Honeypot-based tracking\n\nHoneypot can be used to collect bots for analyzing its behavior and signatures and also for tracking botnets. But using honeypots have several limitations. The most important limitation is because of limited scale of exploited activities that can track. And also it cannot capture the bots that use the method of propagation other than scanning, such as spam. And finally it can only give report for infection machines that are anticipated and put in the network as trap system. So it means that it can not give a report for those computers that are infected with bot in the network but are not devoted as trap machines. So we can come to this conclusion that generally in this technique we have to wait until one bot in the network infect our system and then we can track or analyze the machine.\n\n2.4.2 Intrusion detection systems\n\nIntrusion detection techniques can be categorized into two categories: host-based and network-based solution. Host-based techniques are used for recognizing malware binaries such as viruses. A good example of this type is anti-virus detection systems. However, we know that anti-virus are good for just virus detection. The most important disadvantages of anti-virus are that bots can easily evade the detection technique by changing their signatures easily, because the detection system cannot update their databases consistency. And also bots can disable any anti-virus tools in the system to protect themselves from detection.\n\nNetwork- based intrusion detection system is another method for detection that is used in the field of botnet detection. Snort[67] and Bro[68] are the two well-known signature based detection system that are used currently. They use a database as signatures of famous malicious activities to detect botnets or any other malware. Actually if our objective is using this technique for botnet detection, we have to keep updating the database and recognizing all malware quickly to make a signature of it and add to our database. For solving this solving this problem recently researchers are using anomaly based IDS that can detect malicious activities based on behavior of malware or detection techniques.\n\n2.4.3 Bothunter : Dialog correlation-based Botnet detection\n\nThis technique developed an evidence-trail approach for detecting successful bot infection with patterns during communication for infection process. In this strategy, bot infection pattern are modeled to use for recognizing the whole process of infection of botnet in the network. All behavior that occur the bot infection such as target scanning, C&C establishment, binary downloading and outbound propagation have to model by this method. This method gathers an evidence-trail of connected infection process for each internal machine and then tries to look for a threshold combination of sequences that will convince the condition for bot infection [32].\n\nThe BotHunter use snort with adding two anomaly-detection components to it that are SLADE (Statistical payLoad Anomaly Detection Engine) and SCADE (Statistical scan Anomaly Detection Engine). SCADE produce internal and external scan detection warnings that are weighted for criticality toward malware scanning patterns. SLADE perform a byte-distribution payload anomaly detection of incoming packets, providing a matching non-signature approach in inbound exploit detection [32 ].\n\nSlade use an n-gram payload examination of traffics that have typical malware intrusions. SCADE execute some port scan analysis for incoming and outgoing traffics. Actually BotHunter has a link between scan and alarm intrusion that shows a host has been infected. When a adequate sequence of alerts is established to match BotHunter's infection dialog model, a comprehensive report is created to get all the related events participants that have a rule in infection dialog [32]. This method provides some important features:\n\ni. This technique concentrates on malware detection by IDS-driven dialog correlation. This model shows an essential network processes that occur during a successful bot infection.\n\nii. This technique has one IDS-independent dialog correlation engine and three bot-specific sensors. This technique can automatically produce a report of whole detection of bot, as well as the infection of agent, identification of the computer that has been infected and source of Command and Control centre. Bot infection sequences\n\nActually understanding bot infection life processes is a challenging work for protection of network in the future. The major work in this area is differentiating between successful bot infection and background exploit attempt. For reaching to this point analysis of two-way dialog flow between internal hosts and external hosts (internet) is needed. In a good design network which uses filtering at gateway, the threats of direct exploitations are limited. However, contemporary malware families are highly flexible in their ability to attack vulnerable hosts through email attachments, infected P2P media, and drive-by download infections [32]. Modeling the infection dialog process\n\nThe bot distribution model can conclude by an analysis of external communication traffics that shows the behavior of relevant botnet. Incoming scan and utilize alarms are not enough to state a winning malware infection, as are assumed that a stable stream of scan and exploit signals will be observed from the way out monitor [32].\n\nFigure 2.1 shows the process of bot infection in BotHunter that used for evaluating network flows through eight stages. This model is almost similar with the model that Rajab et al. presented for IRC detection model. The model that they proposed has early initial scanning that is a preceding consideration happen in form of IP exchange and pointing vulnerable ports. Actually figure 2.1 is not aimed for a strict ordering of infection events that happen during bot infection.\n\nThe important issue here is that bot dialog processes analysis have to be strong to the absence of some dialog events and must not need strong sequencing on the order in bound dialog is conducted. One solution to solve the problem of sequence order and event is to use a weighted event threshold system that take smallest essential sparse sequences of events under which bot profile statement can be initiated [32]. For instance, it is possible put weighting and threshold system for the look of each event in a way that a smallest set of event is important prior of bot detection. Design and implementation\n\nMore attention devoted for designing a passive network monitoring system in this part which be able of identifying the bidirectional warning signs when internal hosts are infected with bots. Actually BotHunter is composed of some IDS components that fully inspect internal and external traffic flows and have a correlation engine that produce a good image of bot infection in the network. The point that is significant in this part is location of BotHunter that has to be at gateway of network that can fully receive all communication packets that take place between the internal hosts and the Internet. The IDS components are based on the snort which is an open source tools. This model use snort's signature engine.\n\n2.4.4 BotMiner: structure independent Botnet detection\n\nThis model tried to more focus on distributed structures like peer-to-peer, however still is applicable for centralized structures such as IRC and HTTP. Actually this model is based on parallel correlation for its detection approaches that aiming to discover the machines that joined botnet. Based on the statistics [98], almost 53% of botnet activity commands in some way are associated to scan, the usually are used for dissemination purpose and almost 14.4% are related to binary downloading that are used for malware updating. The word controlled here actually is referring to bots that have to contact their command and control servers to get commands to perform their malicious activities. It means that there is communication between bots and command and control servers. Also the word Coordinated group means that several bots in the same botnet will execute similar communication and malicious activities. It means that if botherder orders every bot alone by using different commands and channel, then the bots are just unrelated infection machines.\n\nThis model has been designed based on the botnet definition that described above. BotMiner actually monitors two important activities: who is communicating with whom and who is performing what activities, and try to find a coordinated group pattern in both kinds of activities. This model categorizes identical communication activities in the C-plane( the traffic of command and control communication), categorizes identical malicious activities in the A-plane( activity traffic) and executing cross-cluster correlation to discover the computers that share identical communication patterns and malicious activity patterns. The well-known aspects of this model are:\n\ni. Firstly this model has not design for special kind of protocols and is applicable for both centralized and decentralized structures, and more importantly this model do not need to know about command and control addresses or signatures of botnets.\n\nii. This model is independent of the content of command and control communication, and can very accurately classify identical command and control traffic patterns. Some disadvantages\n\nIn order for a botherder to order their bots for some malicious activities, the existence of command and control channel that bots can receive commands are initiate attacks are investable. Actually the existence of command and control channel is necessary if bots want to form a botnet. The IRC protocol is an old kind of communication among bots. In this protocol, every bots have to log into IRC channel and look for commands from botherders. Still many botnets around the world are using IRC channel as a platform for communication.\n\nRecently botnets have been started to use other kind of protocols for their communication. The reason that attacker changed their intrest from IRC to Http protocol is that Http protocol are allowed in majority of networks. However, centralized command and control structure is effective but they have serious disadvantages which is single point of failure. It means that if IRC server or web server that control botnets is shutdown because of some detection systems, the whole botnet will shutdown, because the botnet loses its command and control structures and become a group of isolated machines that don't have any power to attack as before.\n\nRecently, botherder started to change their structure from centralized to decentralized to avoid the serious problem that centralized have. Therefore, peer-to-peer communication has been used recently for communication among bots. As an example Storm worm and Nugache are two well-known p2p botnets that recently came up and infected many machines around the world.\n\nBased on the botnet definition that described previously (“the group of bots in the same botnet will show similar communication and malicious activities”) a botnet characterized by its command and control communication channel and malicious activities that they execute. There are some other kind of malware like worms that execute some malicious activities but we don't consider them as botnet, since they do not connect to command and control channel. At the other hand there are some IRC clients and P2P file sharing tools like Bittorent that have analogous communication pattern to botnets, however they do not execute malicious activities.\n\nActually members of same botnet, centralized or decentralized, are communicate with each other through the command and control channel. It means that despite of architecture of botnet, command and control channel play a key role in communicating of botnets. There are some rare cases that botnets don't need command and control channel, or better say they are isolated bost. This technique strongly is based on this point that bots in the same botnet perform similar synchronized activities. Botnet architecture\n\nActually in this model two traffic monitoring have been installed at the edge of the network for inspection of traffic between internal and external network which is C-plane and A-plane. They are working in parallel to each other and monitoring network traffics. The first one which is C-plane is designed for logging communication flows in a format that can easily and simply analyze and store. The A-plane is accountable to discover suspicious activities that happen and commonly in each network, like scanning, spamming and exploit attempts. At the next step, the c-plane clustering and A-plane clustering components examine the logs that produced at previous stages. Actually both components pull out some information from the logs and then executing clustering algorithms to discover groups of hosts that show analogous communication and activity patterns. At the end, cross-plane correlator mixes the results of the c-plane and A-plane clustering and decides which compromised computers are the members of botnets. In a very perfect situation, the traffic monitors have to distribute on different area on the internet and then the logs that they produce are sent to central repository centre for further inspection and analysis. Traffic monitors\n\nC-plane Monitor. This component capture the network flows and records the useful information on the machines that have communication with each other. This component takes the advantage of fcapture tool. Each record has some information to record like source ip, destination ip. The main privilege of this tool is that it works at very high speed networks (new generation of networks are very high speed) and can produce very compact records for further inspection and processes by C-plane clustering module.\n\nA-plane Monitor. This component logs information on each machine job to understand what they are doing. It mainly examines the traffics that going out from internal network and is able to discover malicious activities that the interior machines may execute. This component is capable to spot scanning activities, spamming, binary downloading and exploit attempts.\n\n2.5 Summary\n\nA P2P botnet is a network of compromised computers (i.e., bots) that are under the control of an attacker (i.e., a botmaster) through some command and control (C&C) channel and is completely decentralized. It typically contains thousands of bots, however some even have several millions of bots. Botnets are now used for many malicious activities such as DDoS attacks, spam and phishing. With the scale and the strength of attacks applicable by their united bandwidth and processing power, botnets and specially P2P are now measured as the main risk to Internet security. We analyzed the previous work on detection of P2P botnet and mainly analyzed Bothunter and Botminer that is more important in this area.\n\n\n\n3.1 Introduction\n\nAfter examining many and various Botnets detection techniques, the analysis of literature and review of previous attempts to create botnets detection, the need for further research focusing on botnets and conditions that needs in higher education level is evident.\n\nIn this chapter, the main plan of how to develop the new framework for detecting botnet will be explained. It is quite important to outline the whole plan in order to make sure that the progress of the project will not divert from its main objective and the outcome can be achieved in desirable way.\n\n3.2 Research Approach\n\nThere are two methods to evaluate whether the research result is compatible with the requirements or not which are Qualitative and Quantitative approaches.\n\n3.2.1 Qualitative Approach\n\nThis approach consist a complete understanding of manners and the justification that control behavior. This approach is based on reason behind various aspects of behavior and actually these characteristics differentiate it from quantitative approach. It analyze the how and why of taking decision that if compare to qualitative research we can see what, where and when of decision making. Wikipedia.\n\n3.2.2 Quantitative Approach\n\nQuantitative method is facing with numbers and anything that is calculable. Consequently, they have to be distinguished from qualitative methods. Counting and measuring are common forms of quantitative methods. The outcome of the research is a figure, or a series of figures. These are frequently presents in tables, graphs or other form of statistics, Wikipedia.\n\nQuantitative research is broadly used in both the natural and social sciences, including sociology, physics, psychology, biology, geology, education and journalism. Quantitative research is usually using technical methods which include, Wikipedia.\n\n1- The creation of models, theories and hypotheses\n\n2- The advance of instruments and methods for measurement\n\n3- Experimental control and manipulation of variables\n\n4- Gathering of experimental data\n\n5- Modeling and study of data\n\n6- Assessment of results.\n\nThere are some differences between qualitative and quantitative research approaches as shown in Table3.1.\n\nTable 3.1: Qualitative and Quantitative Differences\n\nQualitative approach\n\nQuantitative approach\n\nDevelops theory\n\nDevelops theory and tests\n\ntheory as well.\n\nDescribes meaning or discovery\n\nEstablishes relationship or causation\n\nuses communication and\n\n\nUses instruments\n\nUses unstructured data collection\n\nUses structured data collection\n\n3.3 Research Strategy\n\nIn any research, gathering the necessary information, verifying requirements and method are very important steps to complete the project and get the expected results. The methods that researchers are usually used are:\n\n1- Document retrieval method.\n\n2- Comparative study method.\n\n3.3.1 Document Retrieval Method\n\nDocument retrieval is explained as the corresponding of some confirmed user query in opposition to a set of free-text records. It is possible that mentioned records be any form of mostly unstructured text, real estate records or paragraphs in a manual. Wikipedia.\n\nDocument retrieval system locates information to a specified condition by matching text records (documents) against user demands, as opposed to expert systems that answer questions by inferring over a logical knowledge database. A document retrieval system includes a file of documents, a categorization algorithm to create a full text directory, and a user interface to access the directory. A document retrieval system has two main tasks :( Wikipedia)\n\n1 - Find relevant documents to user queries.\n\n2 - Evaluate the matching results and sort them according to relevance, using some algorithms.\n\n3.3.2 Comparison Study Method\n\nIn comparative study, the items are specimens or cases which are alike in some features (it means that they are essential for comparison) however they could be different in some area. These differences become the focal point of examination. The goal is to find out why the cases are different, Wikipedia.\n\nComparative research's design is very easy. The comparative method does not need any earlier model or theory to start with. Therefore, it is a good method that researchers do investigative studies at first and then try to progress from the preliminary level of case study to a sophisticated and advanced level of theoretical invariance. In this project, the comparative studies based on literature reviews have been used. As we mentioned in chapter2, many similar frameworks and detection algorithms have been analyzed completely.\n\n3.4 Overview of Methodology\n\nFigure 3.1 display the structural design of our proposed botnet detection method which consists of four main components: Filtering, Application Classifier, Traffic Monitoring and Malicious Activity Detector. Filtering is responsible to decrease traffic flows. The main benefit of this stage is reducing the traffic workload and makes application classifier work properly. Application classifier is responsible for separating IRC and HTTP traffics from the rest of traffics. Malicious activity detector is responsible to analyze the traffics carefully and try to detect malicious activities that internal host may perform and separate those hosts and send to next stage. Traffic Monitoring is responsible to detect the group of hosts that have similar behavior and communication pattern by inspecting network traffics. Analyzer is a simple component that is responsible for comparing the results of previous parts (Traffic Monitoring and Malicious Activity Detector) and finding hosts that are common on the results of both lists.\n\nNetwork Traffics\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nApplication Classifier\n\n\nIRC & HTTP traffics\n\n\n\n\nPeer-to-Peer traffics\n\nTraffic Monitor\n\nMalicious Detector\n\n\n3.4.1 Filtering\n\nThe main benefit of this stage is decreasing the traffic workload and makes application classifier process more efficient. For this purpose many solution could be used. For example, We also can filter the traffic which destination IPs are well-known like Google, Yahoo, MSN, and many other famous web servers around world.\n\n3.4.1 Application classifier\n\nClassifying the traffic of network into diverse application is a complicated job and is an hard issue that many researchers are focusing on it. The classification of traffics mainly is based on port numbers, which was an efficient way before. However, because of increase in applications that uses tunneling through Http and also emergence of p2p, port numbers are no longer effective in this area.\n\nBecause recognizing suspicious HTTP and IRC traffic is quite simple we can first separate traffics which have these protocols and then send the rest of the traffics to the traffic monitoring stage.\n\n3.4.2 Traffic monitoring\n\nThe log flow stage records all information related to headers of packets which we need. The information that we have to records from network flows in mainly depend on the behaviors that we want to monitor and the target that we are looking for. Based on some initial findings and evaluating similar works in this context we think that source IP, destination port, destination IP and mostly the amount of packets and bytes that are transferred might be a good option.\n\n3.4.3 Malicious activity detector\n\nIt analyzes the traffics carefully and tries to detect malicious activities that internal hosts may perform. It is more sophisticated process in comparison to other stages. The system have to be able of discovering at least very famous malicious activities like scanning, binary downloading and spam.\n\n3.4.4 Analysis\n\nThis stage has to analyze completely the output of previous stages (traffic monitoring and malicious activity detector).\n\n3.5 Limitation of Research\n\nThere are several limitations for this research. The most noticeable limitation relates to not access to sample of P2P based botnets. In order to inspect the behavior of botnet in network, we need to install P2P botnet in the network which due to high risk of its unexpected behavior, currently is impossible and even it is unlikely to access to the gateway of big network like university for analyzing the incoming traffics.\n\n3.6 Summary\n\nIn this chapter we reviewed the proposed algorithm for P2P botnet detection. The important stage of this technique has been analyzed briefly in this chapter. Our proposed method is based on common behavior in network communication. It is an extendable technique which can be improved for finding Centralized botnet as well.\n\n\n\n4.1 Introduction\n\nThis chapter has been written in order to complete the related literature review and mentioned objective in chapter one. In addition, scenario method analyses with respect to related analysis been studied.\n\n4.2 Botnet Detection Framework and Components\n\nOur proposed a framework is based on common behavior in network communication. This model is based on the definition of P2P botnets that several bots inside the same botnet will demonstrate analogous command and control communication patterns and analogous malicious activity patterns. We share almost similar idea for definition of botnet as proposed by Gu et al. in Botminer [38], however many other researchers' detection model is based on the same definition of Botnet.\n\nFigure 4.1 illustrates the structural design of our proposed Botnet detection system including of four core components: Filtering, Application Classifier, Traffic Monitoring, Malicious Activity Detector and one small component which is analyzer.\n\n4.2.1 Filtering:\n\nThe main objective of this part is to decrease the traffic workload and makes the rest of the system perform more powerfully. The location that we have to filter out network traffics is at the gateway of network. Figure 4.2 show the proper location that our system has to use in order to filter out efficiently. We have to use this filtering system at the gateway of network.\n\nIn C1, we filter those traffics which targets (destination IP address) are recognized servers and will very rarely host botnet C&C servers. For this purpose we used the top 500 websites on the web (Http://www.alexa.com/topsites), which the top 3 are google.com, facebook.com and yahoo.com. In C2, we filter handshaking processes traffics (connection establishments) that are not completely established. Handshaking is the process of initial negotiation that automatically sets some parameters for a communication channel between two parties prior normal communication happen. It follows the physical establishment of the channel and precedes normal information transfer [106]. A good example that usually we face with that in network is TCP protocol operations. To establish a connection, TCP uses a three-way handshake; in this case we filter out the traffics that TCP handshaking have not completed. Like a host sends SYN packets without completing the TCP handshake. Based on our experience these flows are mostly caused by scanning activities. Figure 4.3 illustrate the stages of our filtering system.\n\n4.2.2 Application Classifier\n\nApplication Classifier is responsible to separate IRC and HTTP traffics from the rest of traffics and send them to Centralized part. For detecting IRC traffics we can inspect the contents of each packet and try to match the data against a set of user defined strings. For this purpose we use payload inspection that only inspects the first few bytes of the payload and looking for specific strings. These IRC specific strings are NICK for the client's nickname, PASS for a password, USER for the username, JOIN for joining a channel, OPER that says a regular user wants to become a channel operator and PRIVMSG that says the message is a private message.[107] Using this strategy for detecting IRC traffic is almost simple, as shown in figure 4.4.\n\nIn next step, we also have to separate Http traffics and send to Centralized part. For this purpose we also can inspect the first few bytes of Http request and if it has certain pattern or strings, separate it and send it to centralized part. For detecting Http traffics we focus on concept of Http protocol. HTTP uses the client-server model: An HTTP client start a link and sends a message to an HTTP server (e.g. \"Get me the file 'home.html'\"); the server send back a reply message, frequently the resource that was requested(\"Here's the file\", followed by the file itself). After sending the response, the server terminates the connection. [108]\n\nIn the format of Http request message, we are focusing on Http methods. Three common Http methods are “GET”, “HEAD”, or “POST”: [108]\n\ni. A GET is the most familiar Http method; it says \"give me this file\".\n\nii. A HEAD request is alike to GET request, apart from it just asks the server to send back the reply headers.\n\niii. A POST request is utilized to send data to the server.\n\nTherefore we inspect the traffics and if the first few bytes of an Http request contain “GET”, “POST” or “HEAP”, it's the indication of Http protocol and will separate those flows and send them to Centralized part, as shown in figure 4.5. After filtering out Http and IRC traffics, the remaining traffics that have the probability of containing P2P traffics are send to Traffic Monitoring part and Malicious Activity Detector. However in parallel we can use other approaches for identifying P2P traffics. We have to take into consideration that P2P traffic is one of complicated application type. Payload-based classification approaches customized to p2p traffic have been presented in [109, 110], while identification of p2p traffic through transport layer characteristics is proposed in [111]. Our suggestion for using specific application or tools for identifying P2P traffics other than sending remaining traffics is use of BLINC [112] that can identify general P2P traffics. BLINC is based on recognizing host behavior at transport layer. This method has two well-known aspects. First, it can operate in a situation that there is not any access to packet payload and second there is not any need for knowledge of port numbers [112].\n\n4.2.3 Traffic Monitoring\n\nTraffic Monitoring is responsible to detect the group of hosts that have similar behavior and communication pattern by inspecting network traffics. Therefore we are capturing network flows and record some special information on each flow. We are using Wireshark which is an open source tool [ ] for monitoring flows and record information that we need in this part. Each flow record has following information: Source IP(SIP) address, Destination IP(DIP) address, Source Port(SPORT), Destination Port(DPORT), Duration, Protocol, Number of packets(np) and Number of bytes(nb) transmitted.\n\nTable 4.1: Recorded information of network flows using ARGUS\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThen we insert this information on a data base like Table 4.1, which are network flows. After this stage we specify the period of time which is 6 hours and during each 6 hours, all n flows that have same Source IP, Destination IP, Destination port and same protocol (TCP or UDP) are marked and for each network flow (row) we calculate Average number of bytes per second and Average number of bytes per packet:\n\n* Average number of bytes per second(nbps) = Number of bytes/ Duration\n\n* Average number of bytes per packet(nbpp) = Number of Bytes/ Number of Packets\n\nThen, we insert this two new values ( nbps and nbpp) including SIP and DIP of the flows that have been marked into another database, similar to Table 4.2 . Therefore, during the specified period of time (6 hours), we might have a set of database, which each of these databases have same SIP, DIP, DPORT and protocol (TCP/UDP). We are focusing just at TCP and UDP protocols in this part.\n\nTable 4.2: Database for analogous flows\n\nAs we mentioned earlier, the bots inside the same botnet have same characteristics. They have similar behavior and communication pattern, especially when they want to update their commands from botmasters or aim to attack a target; their similar behaviors are more obvious. Therefore, next step is looking for group of Databases that are similar to each other.\n\nWe proposed a simple solution for finding similarities among group of databases. For each database we can draw a graph in x-y axis, which x-axis is the Average Number of Bytes per Packet (nbpp) and y-axis is Average Number of Byte per Second (nbps). (X, Y)= (bpp, bps)\n\nFor example, in database (), for each row we have nbpp that specify x-coordinate and have nbps that determine y-coordinate. Both x-coordinate and y-coordinate determine a point (x,y) on the x-y axis graph. We do this procedure for all rows (network flows) of each database. At the end for each database we have number of points in the graph that by connecting those points to each other we have a curvy graph. We have an example, figure 4.6, for two different databases based on our assumption that their graphs are almost similar to each other.\n\nNext step is comparing different x-y axis graphs, and during that period of time (each 6 hours) those graphs that are similar to each other are clustered in same category. The results will be some x-y axis graphs that are similar to each other. Each of these graphs is referring to their corresponding databases in previous step. We have to take record of SIP addresses of those hosts and send the list to next step for analyzing.\n\n4.2.4 Malicious Activity Detector\n\nIn this part we have to examine the network traffics that going out from the network and try to detect the potential malicious activities that the internal machines are performing. Scanning and spamming are the two malicious activities that usually and mainly botnets are doing in the network. However, botnets can perform many other malicious activities. Scanning\n\nBotnets use Scanning for propagation of some malware like worm and virus and also as a platform for DOS attacks. As we can see in figure 4.7 in many areas around the world scanning is performing. There has been little work on the problem of detecting scan activities. Most scan detection has been based on detecting N events within a time interval of T seconds. This approach has the problem that once the window size is known, the attackers can easily evade detection by increasing their scanning interval. Snort are also use this approaches. Snort uses two preprocessors for this issue. The first is packet-oriented, concentrating on detecting abnormal packets used for “secrecy scanning” by tools such as nmap [18]. The second is connection oriented. Snort suffers from the same drawbacks as Network Security Monitor (NSM)[ 62] since both rely on the same metrics [102].\n\nOther work that focused on scan detection is by Staniford et al. on Stealthy Probing and Intrusion Correlation Engine (SPICE) [1]. SPICE is focusing on detecting sneaky scans, especially scans that spread across several source IP addresses and execute at very low rates.\n\nAn important need in our system is quick response; however reaching to our target in detecting malicious scanners is a difficult task. Another solution is also using Threshold Random Walk (TRW) [102], an online detection algorithm which is based on sequential hypothesis testing.\n\nAfter assessing different approaches for detecting scanning activities, the best solution for using in this part is Statistical sCan Anomaly Detection Engine (SCADE) [32]. In figure 4.8 we can see the architecture of SCADE in Bothunter framework.\n\nInbound Scan Detection (ISD): In this part SCADE has focused on detection of scan activities based on ports that are usually used by malware. One of the good advantages of this procedure is that it is less vulnerable to DOS attacks, mainly because its memory trackers do not sustain each external source IP addresses. SCADE here just tracks scans that are targeted to internal hosts. The bases of Inbound Scan Detection are on failed connection attempts. SCADE has two types of ports: High-Severity (hs) ports specified for highly vulnerable and commonly exploited services and low-severity (ls) ports. For make it more applicable in current situation SCADE focused on TCP and UDP ports as high-secure and all other as low-secure ports. There are different weights to a failed scan attempt for different types of ports.\n\nThe warning for ISD for a local host is produced based on an anomaly score that is calculated as based on this formula:\n\n: indicate numbers of failed attempts at high-severity ports.\n\n: shows numbers of failed attempts at low-severity ports.\n\nOutbound Scan Detection (OSD): SCADE in this part has three anomaly detection module which work together and follow all outbound connection per internal host:\n\n• Outbound scan rate (s1): Detects local hosts that perform high-rate scans for many external addresses.\n\n• Outbound connection failure rate (s2): Detects unusually high connection fail rates, with sensitivity to HS port usage. The anomaly score s2 is calculated based on this formula\n\nFhs: indicate numbers of failed attempts at high-severity ports.\n\nFls: shows numbers of failed attempts at low-severity ports\n\n: is the total number of scans from the host within a time window\n\n• Normalized entropy of scan target distribution (s3): A consistently distributed scan target model provides an indication of a possible outbound scan. “It is used an anomaly scoring technique based on normalized entropy to identify such candidates” [32]:\n\nH: is the entropy of scan target distribution which\n\nm: is the total number of scan targets\n\n: is the percentage of the scans at target Spam-related Activities\n\nE-mail spam, is the practice of sending useless email messages, in large scale to an indiscriminate set of recipients. More than 95% of email on the internet is spam, which most of these spams are sent from botnets. As shown in figure 4.9, there are many malicious activities that related to email such as phishing email, spam email and spoofed email.\n\nA common approach for detecting spam is the use of DNS Black/Black Hole List (DNSBL) such as http://www.dnsbl.info/dnsbl-list.php. DNSBLs specify a list of spam senders' IP addresses and SMTP servers are blocking the mail according to this list. This method is not efficient for bot-infected hosts, because legitimate IP addresses may be used for sending spam in our network.\n\nCreation or misuse of SMTP mail relays for spam is one of the most well-known exploitation of botnets. As we know user-level client mail application use SMTP, as shown in figure 4.10 for sending messages to mail server for relaying. However for receiving messages, client application usually use Post Office Protocol (POP) or the Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) to access the mail box on a mail server. Our idea in this part is very simple and efficient. Our target here is not recognizing which email message is spam,\n\n\nReference Copied to Clipboard.\nReference Copied to Clipboard.\nReference Copied to Clipboard.\nReference Copied to Clipboard.\nReference Copied to Clipboard.\nReference Copied to Clipboard.\nReference Copied to Clipboard.\n\nRequest Removal\n\n\nMore from UK Essays\n\nGet help with your dissertation\nFind out more", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6259987354278564}
{"content": "Greek and the meronymy pdf\n\n\nThe term first appeared in the 1970s, though there were lexicologists in essence before the term was coined. Sometimes lexicography is considered to be a part or a branch of lexicology, but properly speaking, only greek and the meronymy pdf who actually write dictionaries are lexicographers. Some consider this a distinction of theory vs. Cognitive lexical semantics is thought to be most productive of the current approaches.\n\nIt studies compound meanings of two or more words, as in “raining cats and dogs”. Because the whole meaning of that phrase is much different from the meaning of words included alone, phraseology examines how and why such meanings come in everyday use, and what possibly are the laws governing these word combinations. Since lexicology studies the meaning of words and their semantic relations, it often explores the origin and history of a word, i. Etymology can be helpful in clarifying some questionable meanings, spellings, etc. For example, etymological dictionaries provide words with their historical origins, change and development. As there are many different types of dictionaries, there are many different types of lexicographers. Questions that lexicographers are concerned with are for example the difficulties in defining what simple words such as ‘the’ mean, and how compound or complex words, or words with many meanings can be clearly explained.\n\nAlso which words to keep in and which not to include in a dictionary. Dirk Geeraerts, The theoretical and descriptive development of lexical semantics, Prestructuralist semantics, Published in: The Lexicon in Focus. Competition and Convergence in Current Lexicology, ed. Leila Behrens and Dietmar Zaefferer, p. Dirk Geeraerts, The theoretical and descriptive development of lexical semantics, Structuralist and neostructuralist semantics, Published in: The Lexicon in Focus. Ein Internationales Handbuch Zur Natur and Struktur Von Wortern Und Wortschatzen, Vol 1.\n\nThis page was last edited on 22 December 2017, at 08:14. Metonymy and related figures of speech are common in everyday speech and writing. Greek and Latin scholars of rhetoric made significant contributions to the study of metonymy. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Sometimes an absolute distinction is made between a metonymy and a synecdoche, treating metonymy as different from, rather than inclusive of, synecdoche. When the distinction is made, it is the following: when “A” is used to refer to “B”, it is a synecdoche if A is a component of B or if B is a component of A, and a metonym if A is commonly associated with B but not part of its whole or a whole of its part.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9783645272254944}
{"content": "Leg Muscle Cramp Remedies\n\nOrder Recovery e21Leg cramps are involuntary muscles that contract and are unable to relax.  They can be very painful, and often feel like the muscle is hard and swollen as the muscle hardens.  While cramps can occur anywhere in the body, they are most commonly experienced in the lower leg, calf or front and back of thigh.\n\nWhat causes leg cramps?\n\nMuscle cramps most often occur when the muscle is fatigued either from overuse or injury.  Dehydration and electrolyte imbalance is  another cause of muscle cramps and are experienced often while swimming, playing tennis or other active sports.\n\nHow can I prevent or help reduce the occurrence of leg muscle cramps?\n\nIf leg cramps occur during exercise, stop immediately.  Stretch the muscle and do a light massage to help the muscle get back to the original shape.  Heat will also help relax the muscle, then try massaging it again.  Once the muscle has relaxed, you may use ice to help relieve any pain caused by the cramp.  If the pain persists consider an over the counter pain medication or NSAID.\n\nAlways keep yourself well hydrated before, during and after all sports activities.  If you are experiencing great amounts of sweat loss, then make sure to replenish electrolytes as well (sports drink, salt or electrolyte supplement). Always perform adequate stretching before and after all sports and or exercise routines.\n\nFoods that may help with Leg Cramps?\n\nTo help prevent leg cramps, start by staying well hydrated and using sports drinks or electrolyte supplements, especially when working out in the summer or warm conditions.  Also, consuming foods rich in vitamin D like fish (salmon, halibut), milk, oatmeal will help to avoid muscle cramps.\n\nAs always, if leg cramps persist or are extremely painful, consult your physician for further treatment.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8740177154541016}
{"content": "Thursday, February 20, 2014\n\nMaster Closet: Part 1 I've decided to update/optimize the walk-in closet in the master bedroom.  First thing I needed to do was assess the situation.  Taking measurements should always be your first step.  It's hard to plan anything, if you don't know exactly how much space you have.\n\nOur closet is 75\" wide, by 52\" deep with double closet rods on the right side, and a single pole on the left.  There is a short shelf that runs above each set of closet poles, close to the ceiling.  The closet also has an inward opening 24\" entry door (exactly like all of the bedroom/bathroom doors in the house).  Most closets will have a bi-fold door, or an outward opening door.  This keeps the door from interfering with the available space inside the closet.  Unfortunately, one of the problems with our closet, is that you had to walk inside, then close the door behind you in order to access anything on the right hand side of the closet.  This meant I would have to find another solution for the door.\n\nI've never been a huge fan of bi-fold doors.  They tend to sag over time, and if your opening isn't perfect, they just never look right to begin with.  Some might say they look cheap.  But....when you're trying to utilize every bit of space you can in a closet, the bi-fold is a pretty simple solution.  Since our door was only 24\" wide, replacing it with a 24\" bi-fold would mean that when the door was opened, the folded door would take up about two inches of space inside the door frame and stick straight out.  With limited space in the bedroom, this means entry to the closet could be awkward.  What I decided to do instead, was buy a 24\" bi-fold door, and remove the hinges in the center.  I would then carve out hinge pockets into the outsides of the two halves so I could hang them on the existing door frame (but opening outward instead of inward).  This will allow me to open two tiny 12\" doors which will swing fully open, taking up very little space on the wall, and allow full use of the 24\" opening........but we'll get back to the door project later.  We have cabinets to design and build.\n\nFirst thing I did was use a ruler and pencil to sketch up a quick overhead layout of the closet, being careful to scale down my measurements as accurately as possible.  My drawing took up most of an 8.5x11\" piece of printer paper.  I then just sorta drew in some boxes where I thought the cabinets might fit. I figured out how wide I thought the cabinets could be, and decided this plan was going to work.....what I decided to do was place two cabinets against the front wall of the closet so when you walked into the door, you'd have the open fronts of both cabinets facing your right and left sides.  Then I wanted to put another cabinet on the back wall facing you as you walked in.  Since I had about 25.5\" between the closet door opening and each side wall, I figured I should make the cabinets 24\" deep to utilize as much space as possible.  Since I've only got 52\" of closet depth, I needed to make the cabinets as narrow as possible (while still being functional) so I could maximize the amount of closet rod length between the cabinets and the back wall.  16\" seemed like it would be a good fit.\n\nOur closet rods (like many houses) were spaced about 12\" from the wall, so assuming I left an equal 12\" on both sides of the rod (that's 24\" total from the wall for those of you playing along at home), I should have about 27\" of usable space between the two sides at the back wall.  I wanted to build a cabinet on the back wall that was 25\" wide by 16\" deep.  I planned on making all cabinets 84\" tall from floor to ceiling.  I wanted to keep the right side of the closet as a double rod setup.  On the left side, instead of the single rod, I wanted to use half of the space with a double rod setup, but leave the other half as a single rod so there would still be some space for hanging long items.  I figured a divider wall that ran between the closet rods could make this work just fine.\n\nWhile at work the next day, I bounced my ideas off a friend of mine who used to run a finish carpentry side business.  He's done a decent amount of cabinet work in the past, and has a good imagination when it comes to stuff like this.  While he liked my ideas, he pointed out that even though I would be using up what might be considered wasted space with my full depth cabinets, it would make the closet seem very cramped.  So after deciding he was right, I wanted to see what all of this would look like in 3D.  I did some searching on the internet and found a program called Sketchup which allows you to make really nice 3D designs, much like expensive CAD programs, but this has more limited features, and the trial version is free to use for non-commercial purposes.  I downloaded the program and watched a ton of tutorial videos on YouTube.  Eventually I started to get the hang of it, and this is what I came up with:\n\nThis program is really awesome!  I know you're probably thinking, \"But Gib.....I can't do that!\".....sure you can.  I did this after just a few hours of playing with the program, and I had no prior experience.  The cool thing about this program, is I can grab and spin the entire drawing around so I can see it from any angle.\n\nSo, in this drawing, the side cabinets have been reduced to 20\" depth, and the back cabinet is now 22\" wide by 12\" deep.  This allowed me to open up the space inside the closet a bit without really losing any usable shelving space.  You might also notice that the cabinets are now do not touch the floor.  My friend Shannon suggested allows me to use the small space under the cabinet on the floor for any abnormally long items, and it's just aesthetically pleasing.  You can see the short divider wall on the back side of the closet which separates the double rod from the single rod.  The cabinets are now 72\" tall instead of 84\", and all of the shelving in the front side cabinets is adjustable using shelf pin holes (much like you see on the cheap particle board closet kits you can buy at the big box stores).  The back cabinet has a fixed shelf in the middle with adjustable shelving above and drawers below.  Full width shelves will go around the top of all three cabinets.  You'll also notice that the cabinets have a nice face frame on the front.  Not only does it look better that way, but the frames will give added support to the plywood boxes.\n\nOne of the cool things about this setup, is that we're adding in a bunch of stuff that takes up space inside the closet, but believe it or not, we're actually going to gain usable space.  Right now, Melissa's jeans are folded into a stack that sits on a milk crate on the floor.  The rest of the floor is lined with shoes and boots.  We currently have a total of 156\" of closet rod....but much of that is used for clothing that would be better suited for folding up on the shelf.  Once the cabinets are in, we'll lose 30\" of closet rod.....BUT we'll also be gaining almost 33 square feet of shelf space and 4 cubic feet of drawer space!!  Needless to say.....I'm pretty excited about it.\n\nNext update.......we get down to business and make some sawdust fly.\n\n\n  1. If the space is available pocket doors are great\n\n  2. While I agree that a pocket door would probably be the best solution for our closet (as well as the bathroom), I didn't feel like tearing down any of the walls to install one. The re-worked bi-fold door should do I sit and wonder why the guy who rebuilt this house didn't install pocket doors to begin with....", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6018306016921997}
{"content": "Evidence of evolution essay\nRated 5/5 based on 30 review\n\nEvidence of evolution essay\n\nDarwin and natural selection most educated people in europe and the americas during the 19th century had their first full exposure to the concept of evolution. How to defend evolutionism against creationism the theory of evolution has been around since the 1800s and is widely accepted around the world evolution by natural. Evolutionists may never be persuaded by evidence alone, evidence against evolution a national geographic photo-essay showing the diversity of ocean-dwelling. Human evolution is the lengthy process of change by which people originated from apelike ancestors scientific evidence shows that the physical and behavioral traits. Free essay: there are many reasons why people should believe in darwin’s theory of evolution one of the more compelling reasons is the anatomical.\n\nDuane gish, noted creationist, lays out a case against evolution, drawing on evidence from the fossil record, homology, vestigial organs, molecular biology. There is so much evidence in favor of evolution that arguing against it is like denying that there is 8 examples of evolution in action lordzb november 19, 2011. Dna evidence for evolution - what aspects of genetics do darwinists interpret as dna evidence for evolution and how do opponents of the theory respond. This essay will focus on: the early evolution of our eukaryote there exists a myriad of sources and an evaluation of the evidence suggests that evolution,.\n\nEvolution home: similarities among living organisms one type of evidence for evolution (evidence that organisms are related, descended from a. Evidence of evolution the nobel prize winning scientist linus pauling aptly described science as the search for truth science does this by continuously. 1 homologous organs provide evidence for evolution: if we look at the way in which living organisms are made, we can often see quite striking similarities in their.\n\n15 answers to creationist nonsense opponents of evolution want to make a place for creationism by tearing down real science, but their arguments don't hold up. In evolutionary debates one is apt to hear evolution roughly parceled between in this essay, none of the evidence assumes that natural selection is sufficient. When we think of human evolution, 5 signs humans are still evolving by jessica hullinger october 26, 2015 getty images/hulton archive. Evidence for evolution evolution is defined as the change in genetic material of a population of organisms from one generation to the next all living. Read evidence of evolution free essay and over 88,000 other research documents evidence of evolution basilosaurids and dorudontids lived in the late eocene.\n\nAn article by john oakes, phd describing four christian views of evolution, along with strengths and weaknesses of the four views this essay is intended as a guide. Evidence for evolution, free study guides and book notes including comprehensive chapter analysis, complete summary analysis, author biography information, character. Scientific evidence for evolution comes from many aspects of biology and includes fossils, homologous structures, the tangled bank: an introduction to evolution.\n\n2 outline •evidence for evolution from microbiology •basics of genetics •ubiquitous proteins and dna sequences •evolution in the lab •speciation in nature. Evolution relies on evidence from fossil records, similarities between life forms, the geographic distribution of species, and recorded changes in species. Remains of what is the evidence for evolution essay homo neanderthalensis have been found what is the evidence for evolution essay at sites throughout europe, as well.\n\n  • The idea of evolution this essay considers three kinds of evolution that have had some australopithecus forms provide the earliest clear evidence of upright.\n  • The topic of creation vs evolution is a very controversial one, and therefore extremely popular for the persuasive essay writer.\n  • Evidence of evolution essays: over 180,000 evidence of evolution essays, evidence of evolution term papers, evidence of evolution.\n\nFossil record essay, a rare fossil record the preservation of embryos and juveniles is a rate occurrence in the fossil record theres another cavernous gap in the. Since darwin first proposed his ideas about biological evolution and natural selection, different lines of research from many different branches of science have. List and define darwin’s four postulates of evolution essay of living species and the fossil record provide evidence for evolution evolution test.\n\nevidence of evolution essay Click on the item you would like to review: lecture notes exercises : lecture notes darwin's evidence for evolution: embryology i the facts of embryology. evidence of evolution essay Click on the item you would like to review: lecture notes exercises : lecture notes darwin's evidence for evolution: embryology i the facts of embryology. Download\n\n2018. Term Papers.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9997906684875488}
{"content": "With Hurricane season ending officially November 20th, and another harsh season of winter storms beginning – our trees can never have a break! Hurricanes this past year have knocked down thousands of trees across the U.S. These major tropical storms were able to weaken trees to the point of falling. Trees would knock out power lines, or even worse, block major roads and even leave people stranded.\n\nWith the winter season coming, the same thing is bound to happen. High winds will weaken the tree’s structure and heavy snow will be too much for branches to sustain. Many tree branches fall during the winter, causing damage to houses, yards, etc. If the snow is heavy enough, trees can loosen and fall.\n\nNot only does heavy snow affect the trees, but the cold temperatures cause trees to rot and die. Frost cracks also happen to trees when the temperature is below 15 degrees. The wood contracts faster than the inside layer with a drop in temperatures. This gives the tree big vertical cracks at the weak areas of the tree trunk. Almost all trees can end up with vertical cracks. If you see a lot of cracks in your tree, your tree may be dying. You can contact Precision Cutting Services for a free tree removal estimate.\n\nAside from the cold weather affecting trees, the lack of water causes the majority of the Northern deciduous trees to fall. Trees with needles are more capable of sustaining winter weather with regards to water loss. Trees with needles have less of a surface area than leaves, which allows for more water-loss control. But, this type of tree with needles such as the conifer, still lose a lot of dead needles off the tree which can cause them to die.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.853287935256958}
{"content": "The operation\n\n\nThis is what happens during the operation itself.\n\n  • a cut is made behind the ear\n\n\n\n After The Operation\n\nNucleus BTE speech processor,microphone and coil with image of internal partA cochlear implant is a sophisticated hearing aid which requires an operation. There are risks are associated with this as follows.\n\nInfection is possible but antibiotics are given to reduce this.\nBleeding can occassionally occur with formation of a haematoma (blood clot) under the skin – during the operation every attempt is made to reduce this risk\nFacial Palsy, which causes a weakness of one side of the face, rarely happens as the nerve function is monitored during surgery\nBalance disturbance and tinnitus are problems that some patients already have – any balance problems or tinnitus related to surgery should soon settle\nDevice failure is uncommon, but if it occurs may require re-implantation of a new implant.\n\nTo-date we have not experienced any major complications during surgery or in the early post-operative phase.\n\n After Care\n\nCan a cochlear implant really change your life? 60 adults receiving cochlear implants were asked to complete a questionnaire once before their implant and then one year afterwards to examine the impact on their lives. The results are interesting.\n\nChris PatientConfidence, relaxation and independence all show improvement from pre-implant to one year or more post- implant. Negative factors associated with deafness such as isolation and embarrassment show improvement in that these decrease post-implant.\n\nIn terms of speech perception as measured by nationally recognised test materials used pre- and post- implant, results show that speech perception with lip-reading improves greatly post-implant for most adults. Some adults are able to understand speech without the need for lip-reading.\n\nUse of Cochlear Implant 94.5% of those responding to the questionnaire used their cochlear implant for eight or more hours a day and 5.5% use their cochlear implant for four to eight hours a day. None of the respondents use their cochlear implant for less than four hours a day.\n\nLimitations to Use There are limitations on certain activities that could damage or move the implant eg rugby, boxing and squash. However, swimming is possible if external parts are removed.\nThere are other precautions to be aware of and users can find more information on the BCIG website at\n\nImplants and Tinnitus A The degree of relief from tinnitus will depend on individual circumstances. However, many implant users find that the implant and the sounds it produces substantially mask the tinnitus, but this will depend on individual circumstances.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8314265608787537}
{"content": "Location of Repository\n\nMutations in the Arabidopsis Peroxisomal ABC Transporter COMATOSE Allow Differentiation between Multiple Functions In Planta: Insights from an Allelic Series\\ud \\ud\n\nBy D. Dietrich, H. Schmuths, C.D. Lousa, J.M. Baldwin, S.A. Baldwin, A. Baker, F.A. Theodoulou and M.J. Holdsworth\n\n\nCOMATOSE (CTS), the Arabidopsis homologue of human Adrenoleukodystrophy protein (ALDP), is required for import of substrates for peroxisomal β-oxidation. A new allelic series and a homology model based on the bacterial ABC transporter, Sav1866, provide novel insights into structure-function relations of ABC subfamily D proteins. In contrast to ALDP, where the majority of mutations result in protein absence from the peroxisomal membrane, all CTS mutants produced stable protein. Mutation of conserved residues in the Walker A and B motifs in CTS nucleotide-binding domain (NBD) 1 resulted in a null phenotype but had little effect in NBD2, indicating that the NBDs are functionally distinct in vivo. Two alleles containing mutations in NBD1 outside the Walker motifs (E617K and C631Y) exhibited resistance to auxin precursors 2,4-dichlorophenoxybutyric acid (2,4-DB) and indole butyric acid (IBA) but were wild type in all other tests. The homology model predicted that the transmission interfaces are domain-swapped in CTS, and the differential effects of mutations in the conserved \"EAA motif\" of coupling helix 2 supported this prediction, consistent with distinct roles for each NBD. Our findings demonstrate that CTS functions can be separated by mutagenesis and the structural model provides a framework for interpretation of phenotypic data. \\u\n\nPublisher: The American Society for Cell Biology\nYear: 2009\nOAI identifier: oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:5429\n\nSuggested articles\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.78239506483078}
{"content": "There are so many ways in which our children’s behaviour can challenge us. Examples include defiant behaviour, tantrums and meltdowns, and there can even be complex combinations of a variety of problems throughout the one day. At Spring Forward, we use a variety of research-based techniques to help parents learn to better understand and manage their children’s behaviour in a loving, safe way, that helps to build the relationships between parents and their children. Please let us help restore some peace in your family!\n\nCompulsive Behaviour\n\nWhile all kids experience times of worry and doubt, some children with compulsive behavioural tendencies just can’t stop worrying, and those worries frequently compel them to behave in certain ways over and over again. Compulsive behaviour is typically a product of anxiety, where a person is often preoccupied with dangerous, harmful or dirty thoughts – when working with kids, we call these ‘sticky’ thoughts, to help them understand the tendency of the thought to stick like glue.\n\nChildren may have a difficult time explaining a reason for their compulsions, but in general, anybody with a compulsive disorder is using rituals to relieve anxiety. At Spring Forward, we use child-friendly words and game-like techniques to help children understand the reasons behind their compulsions and to help relieve their underlying anxiety with research-based programs.\n\nCompulsive behaviour is a very treatable condition, and depending on the severity, a combination of medical and therapeutic treatments may be implemented that can help unlock your child from their mental prison.\n\nsad boy\nDefiant Behaviour\nboy looking through chain link fence\n\nHave you ever heard of the “Terrible Twos”? Or are you at your wits end living with a “Threenager”? At some time or another, it is inevitable that children will try to exercise their decision-making abilities and push their boundaries to see exactly where they fit into a family and social structure. However, some children are unable to simply “grow” out of this behaviour and will become defiant in an ongoing capacity. This behaviour may be symptomatic of underlying medical issues such as depression or anxiety disorders, and the behaviour itself often negatively affects a child’s ability to learn and make friends. With the right strategies and skills set into motion by a good therapist, defiant behaviour can be decreased, improving the overall wellbeing of the sufferer and their family. At Spring Forward, we have family members with ‘ODD’ (Oppositional Defiant Disorder), so we understand what you’re going through and are only too keen to help. Nothing pleases us more than watching a parent implement the techniques we’ve taught them and their child respond appropriately!\n\nTantrums and Meltdowns\n\nParents and carers expect temper tantrums from 2- and 3-year-olds, but did you know that there’s a difference between tantrums and meltdowns? As children get older, tantrums become more about being a power struggle, whereas a meltdown is the result of too much information – being pushed by the world around us to the point of snapping. Kids of all ages can experience difficulty handling anger and frustration, but meltdowns are different and can be caused by things such as too much time in a noisy environment.\n\nIn summary, some children have more challenges with their behaviour than others, but our team has seen it all before and is ready to help your family. We will teach you the strategies to put in place and will support you every step of the way. Although these skills take time to develop, every child can benefit from our range of interventions.\n\nSad girl\n\n\nDepending on whether our own children are having a meltdown or not, and have remembered to take their ADHD medications, we will respond shortly. 😉\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9706846475601196}
{"content": "A patient presents with jaw pain.  At triage, 100.4 is found to be her temperature.  She is a poor historian. You ask specific, targeted questions in an effort to narrow the differential diagnosis.  She answers each by redoubling her description of the pain. Routine examination is unrevealing.  The dentition appears normal.  She has difficulty localizing the pain. You palpate for pre and postauricular lymph nodes and note she has scalp tenderness.  Could this be temporal arteritis?\n\n\nTemporal arteritis is actually a misnomer, as it tends to affect any of the cranial vessels from the aortic arch.  The pathologic diagnosis, and the modern preferred term, is “giant cell arteritis.” It is strongly associated with polymyalgia rheumatica, a periarticular synovitis presenting with pain and morning stiffness of the shoulder girdle, but can also affect the neck and pelvic girdle.(Salvarani NEJM 2002)\n\n\nGiant cell arteritis presents with four categories of symptoms:\n\n1) Cranial arteritis – stroke, amaurosis fugax, diplopia, etc.\n\n2) Extracranial arteritis – headache and scalp tenderness, jaw claudication, etc.\n\n3) Systemic symptoms – fatigue, anorexia, fever, malaise, weight loss, fever etc.\n\n4) Polymalgia rheumatica – synovitis of the periarticular structures of the shoulder and other musculoskeletal units, especially hand edema.\n\n\nTemporal arteritis is a pathologic diagnosis, and this pathology is actually something that can be directly examined. The temporal artery emerges preauricularly and forks into the frontal branch and parietal branch. Palpate in these areas.  Does it feel inflamed? Is there tenderness?  Dilation?  Absence of a pulse?  Any of these abnormalities might indicate temporal arteritis.\n\n\nThe 1990 American College of Rheumatology criteria for diagnosis starts with age,  headache, and any temporal artery abnormality on physical examination.(Hunter Arthritis Rheum 1990)\n\n\nThe original description by Hutchison in 1890 tells you what you might see: red linear streaks on the head, painful, swollen temporal arteries, which eventually become firm and pulseless.\n\n\nTake home points:\n\n-The temporal artery is accessible to palpation\n\n-Temporal arteritis can be recognized at the bedside by inspection and palpation of the temporal artery\n\n\n\nA patient presents to the emergency department in labor.  You check and as you look, she pushes the head out which you catch just in time with some counter-pressure to control delivery. But now things stop and the shoulder won’t deliver. You run your finger between the neck and shoulder – no nuchal cord. What do you do next?\n\n\nThe goal is to get the baby out as soon as possible and prevent hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy and brachial plexopathy (Gurewitsch Clin Ob Gyn 2007). You have about 6-8 minutes of “head-to-body” time until brain injury can occur (time the head is sitting on the perineum). Try a maneuver for shoulder dystocia, but if it does not lead to easy delivery then it did not work and quickly go to the next one.  This is the right kind of haste.  The wrong kind of haste is to jerk the child out, which risks brachial plexopathy.  Finesse is needed, not force.\n\n\nMost of the risk of brachial plexopathy is from lateral traction on the neck.  Axial traction is much safer.  If one finds that lateral traction would be needed, it usually means positioning of the fetus is not yet ideal.\n\n\nIn recent years, suprapubic pressure (intended to push the obstructed shoulder posteriorly) and McRoberts maneuver (hyperflexion of the hips) are emphasized.  These maternal maneuvers do work 25-40% of the time. Additionally, McRoberts can help open up passage of the fetus deeper into the pelvis and improve the transit. However, a few generations ago in the 1940s fetal manipulation was used predominantly, and rates of brachial plexopathy were actually lower. (Gurewitsch 2007)\n\n\nRotational manipulation of the fetus is safe and effective, and should be turned to quickly in cases of dystocia, long before lateral traction is considered.\n\n\nYou try suprapubic pressure and the child’s shoulder moves slightly.  You then rotate the infant and the delivery follows spontaneously.\n\n\nTake home points:\n\n-For shoulder dystocia, fetal manipulation can be more effective than maternal manipulation\n\n-if one maneuver does not fully solve the problem, go to the next maneuver\n\n-Lateral traction of the neck is to be avoided\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTake home points:\n\n-Use the Epley maneuver in BPPV without nystagmus\n\n\n\nYou are taking care of a patient with sepsis of unclear cause and find hypoxemia.  The chest x-ray is normal.  What is causing the hypoxemia?\n\nWhen the history and physical examination do not reveal an explanation for hypoxemia, it helps to think physiologically. Air, chest vasculature, and blood all are essential.\n\nClassically, hypoxemia is caused by:\n\nLow PiO2 (example, altitude)\n\nLungs: Impaired diffusion (now thought to be an uncommon contribution)\n\nAlveolar hypoventilation\n\nV/Q mismatch (diseases of the chest)\n\nShunt (a type of V/Q mismatch with theoretically zero ventilation)\n\nDead space (a type of V/Q mismatch with theoretically zero perfusion)\n\nAt the bedside, the relevant differentiation is alveolar hypoventilation from V/Q mismatch.  Is the patient alert and breathing adequately? Order an arterial blood gas if there is doubt, and look for elevated CO2 as an indicator of underventilation.  For everything else, consider the lungs and the heart.\n\nIn this case, further questioning of the patient revealed longstanding tobacco use and subsequent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.  The patient has chronic V/Q mismatch.\n\nTake home points:\n\nFor unexplained hypoxemia, assess ventilation\n\nIf ventilation is normal, pursue diseases of the chest\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTake home points:\n\nUsing physical diagnosis to decide strangulation is usually not possible\n\nUsing physical diagnosis to decide incarceration is easy\n\nPatients with incarcerated hernias need surgical evaluation\n\n\nA patient is found to have unexpected tachycardia.  What is the cause?  We use associated symptoms and signs to guide the diagnostic approach.  When that isn’t clear, a physiologic approach might enhance bedside diagnostic reasoning:\n\n\n\n\nAlthough the simple equation in a living organism belies much deeper complexity, we can reason that an increase in heart rate means one of three things:\n\n\n1. Stroke volume is decreased\n\na. Decreased preload (hypovolemia, pulmonary embolism)\n\nb. Decreased inotropy (congestive heart failure)\n\nc. Increased afterload (hypertensive congestive heart failure)\n\n2. Cardiac output is increased\n\n3. Primary disturbance in heart rate\n\n\nUsing this approach generates its own differential diagnosis, and may help in subtle presentations.\n\n\nTake home points:\n\n-CO = SV x HR\n\n-An increased heart rate suggests increased cardiac output or decreased stroke volume", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9198364615440369}
{"content": "#IranOpenAlbum Rules\n\n\n#IranOpenAlbum is an administered Flickr photo database intended to provide international journalists and editors in the licensed access to a wider range of images of Iran. We hope Iranian and international professional and amateur photographers will contribute a few photos to this open album. Access to the database will be made available to journalists and editors at reputable international news agencies (as well as the general public) so that images can be downloaded and used to accompany written pieces and other reports under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. We believe photographers should be compensated for their work, but #IranOpenAlbum is an interim solution while Iran remains underserved by photo agencies. We hope this collaborative effort will allow journalists and editors to represent Iran more accurately and dynamically as part of their reporting.\n\nSubmission Rules:\n\n  1. Submissions must be made by email to iranopenalbum@bourseandbazaar.com\n  2. Only the owner of the photo may submit it to the administrator\n  3. Photos must be high quality, high-resolution.\n  4. Desired photos include, but are not limited to, images that show Iranian people of significance, places of significance, events (such political rallies or sporting events), images of industry and the economy, images of daily life, and landscapes and wildlife images\n  5. By uploading the photo, the owner consents to its use in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0). This allows anyone to:\n    • The terms of the license require attribution: The user must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. The user may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. The full terms of the license can be read here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode\n  6. The administrator reserves the right to decline to upload or remove any photos, which are too low quality for editorial use, or of a subject matter of little journalistic value.\n  7. The administrator reserves the right to decline to upload or remove any photos, which are deemed inappropriate due to the graphic nature or political message.\n  8. When submitting a photo, please include the following information in English in the body of the email to make the image searchable:\n    1. Photographer’s Name\n    2. Subject of Photo (in a few words)\n    3. Location of Photo\n    4. Date Taken\n\nIf you have any questions, please contact the administrator at iranopenalbum@bourseandbazaar.com.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9096425771713257}
{"content": "Westworld Star Leonardo Nam Is Clueless about What Is Coming\n\n\nWestworld star Leonardo Nam recently discussed his role in the series. Why does the actor feel that his character bears an uncanny similarity with the viewers of the show?\n\nLeonardo Nam portrays the role of Felix in the series. He feels that his character is quite like the show’s viewers. That is because just like the show’s audiences, he gets to know the storyline as and when they are revealed.\n\nLeonardo Nam Gets Breathing Room Like Other Cast Members\n\nEntertainment Tonight noted that Nam has had played a crucial role during the escape attempt made by Maeve (Thandie Newton) in Season 1 of Westworld. Yet the actor feels he was unaware of the plot like the show’s viewers.\n\nAs far as  Season 2 is concerned, Westworld star Leonardo Nam says he is “interested to find out what they’re going to do”  just like the fans of the show. Nam wanted to share that though he is a member of the cast and watches the show on the TV, he is clueless about what is coming.\n\nHowever, the actor does not feel his ignorance is a disadvantage. Nam feels that just because there are a lot of mysteries surrounding the series, the show’s production is quite intense.\n\nHe said that the ambiance gives all the cast members of Westworld including him some breathing space, International Business Times AU Edition reported. He was oblivious of the various twists in the plot just like his character Felix.\n\nWestworld Star Leonardo Nam Praises Co-Star\n\nNam was also full of praises for his co-star Newton. The actor feels that Newton gave her best for her performance in Season 1 of Westworld.\n\nNam complimented the actress for being so professional and for being loving and affectionate. Nam added that the actress has given all her efforts for portraying her character in Season 1 and that was quite evident.\n\nThe actor thinks that the responses of the viewers to Maeve and the storyline have been pretty good. Moreover, Nam is grateful to be able to be associated with Westworld.\n\nThe best part is when the actor confessed that he becomes a bit shaky while acting with Newton. However, though he had been nervous, it was a wonderful experience for him. He told Entertainment Tonight, “She was just so wonderful, just so darling and really took me under her wing.”\n\nThe premiere date for Westworld Season 2 has not yet been confirmed. In Australia, Westworld Season 1 was aired on Foxtel.\n\nALSO READ: Westworld Season 2 Update: When and Who Will Return in the Series\n\nImage Source: Facebook/Westworld\n\nWhat's Your Reaction?\n\nhate hate\nconfused confused\nfail fail\nfun fun\ngeeky geeky\nlove love\nomg omg\nwin win\n\nWestworld Star Leonardo Nam Is Clueless about What Is Coming\n\nlog in\n\nreset password\n\nBack to\nlog in\nChoose A Format\nPersonality quiz\nTrivia quiz", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5148630142211914}
{"content": "work in progress\n\nDatsun has unveiled the GO-Cross concept during the Tokyo Motor Show.\n\nDescribed as the “brand’s vision for possible expansion of the Datsun GO/GO+ family in high growth markets”, the study takes the shape of a compact crossover featuring a distinctive front end with hexagonal radiator grille and sweptback LED headlights. The rugged design is completed by plastic body cladding, big round fog lamps and a massive rear diffuser.\n\nBased on the Datsun GO+, the vehicle is only a design exercise and the producer hasn’t decided whether to introduce a production version of it or not. Given it’s conceptual nature, Datsun is not providing any technical details.\n\nThe revived brand announced “the concept investigates the market potential of a crossover with spirit and a sense of adventure” and that “it’s a car that fully handles the day-to-day routine yet still has plenty left for holidays or weekend fun”.\n\nIn other related news, Vincent Cobee, global head of Datsun, reconfirmed the company will launch a brand new model at the beginning of 2016 that will be based on Renault-Nissan’s CMF-A global architecture. The company is also “studying further business expansion possibilities in other high-growth markets around the world”.\n\nSource: Datsun via IAB\n\nDatsun GO-Cross concept previews possible future SUV in Tokyo", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7215978503227234}
{"content": "America In True Perspective\n\nCharles Mercieca, Ph.D. President International Association of Educators for World Peace Dedicated to United Nations Goals of Peace Education, Environmental Protection, Human Rights & Disarmament\n\nProfessor Emeritus, Alabama A&M University\n\nThere has never been a country in the history of the world that has occupied the minds of so many nations as the United States. A person is best judged not by the looks, outfit, wealth and power but rather by the character and personality. These two elements are generally viewed as sources of credibility and predictability. This means everyone knows where one stands with such a person in a way that would make us feel comfortable and at ease all the time.\n\nPositive and Constructive Aspects\n\nIf we were to read several books about the United States we will soon discover how different they may be. In fact, each of such books may sound to be talking about an entirely different country that happens to bear the same name. The reason is simple. We may view an object from 360 angles each one of which tends to give us a somewhat different perspective. Churchmen, for example, may prefer to focus on American traditional spiritual values that may include week-end participation in religious services, the invocation of God’s name in prayer before every major event, and families united in love and friendship.\n\nSeveral news-reporters tend to focus on a variety of sports, football in particular. In fact, quite a few millions do not miss watching some tournaments especially in their final stage. Of course, the list in this area may go on and on. Humanitarian groups, along with philanthropists, talk often about their favorite charities, which may serve to help the handicapped and the homeless as well as the poor and the hungry. In this regard, the United States donates yearly more money for just humanitarian causes than any other nation on earth.\n\nThomas Millington, Ambassador IICor.5:20, Ambassador to Jerusalem had Charles Mercieca as colleague when working with Algonquin Wabanaki Nation\n\nIn terms of virtue, Americans in general are viewed to be good and trustworthy. Most of them have visited several countries as tourists. In virtue of their presence, they proved to be the best ambassadors of good will that the United States ever had. Until a couple of decades ago or so, Americans were not only liked but, at times, envied as well. As a matter of fact, many foreigners felt the desire to immigrate to the United States and become also citizens. All of this reveals some of the positive and constructive aspects of the United Sates.\n\nWe need to keep in mind that viewing the United States from the aspects that have just been presented is not the same as when viewing this same nation from entirely different angles. The United States is a capitalistic nation that is ruled in practice by big corporations, which finance the election of virtually every senator and congressman. Hence, although in theory people elect their government officials to represent them; in practice such government officials represent, first and foremost, the interests of big corporations even when proven to be detrimental to the American people.\n\nEvil of Communism and Capitalism\n\nWhen Pope John Paul II was asked in Mexico during the decade of the eighties as to whether world peace was feasible he did not hesitate to give a quick reply. He said clearly and emphatically: “Yes, world peace is feasible but only after two of the greatest evils of the 20th century are gone.” Then he added saying: “These two great evils are communism and capitalism because both try to achieve their goals through the exploitation of people.” Some three years later, communism collapsed and the world took a great sigh of relief.\n\nThis event gave capitalism the chance to reveal its true self. Instead of embarking on a program of international disarmament and arms control, the elimination of landmines and the abolition of all nuclear weapons, the United States embarked on the largest military build-up in history. Tens of billions of dollars were spent to open hundreds of US military bases around the world and to literally pollute the major oceans of the world with warships.\n\nInstead of cooperating with philanthropists and humanitarian groups in the build-up of a peaceful world community, the United States assumed determinedly the role of becoming literally the policeman of the world. Instead of offering nations across every continent with humanitarian assistance to help eliminate hunger and provide natives with adequate home facilities, the United States offered governments across every continent with all kinds of weapons and all military equipment as to enable them to solve all problems with neighboring countries through struggles and wars.\n\nAfter the collapse of communism, the United States had the unique opportunity to become an asset to the entire world. Yet, it deliberately blew up this opportunity and set on irreversible course of struggles and wars. As a result, tens of thousands, amounting to millions, of innocent people were slaughtered mercilessly. The world, instead of becoming safer, emerged to become more dangerous. Thousands of those who managed to survive whose properties were destroyed and relatives were killed have now lost the will to live.\n\nSome non-governmental organizations have asked children, ages 9 through 11 in both Gaza and Iraq, what it was they wished to do when they grew up. To their full surprise, more than 80% said unanimously: “Killing Americans!” When each one was asked as to “why” this was their ambition, the answer was quick:\n\nAmerican Flag\n\n“Because Americans killed my father, they killed my mother, they killed or maimed my brother, along with several relatives; they destroyed our homes and all of our belongings; in essence we lost our will to live.”\n\nPlanting Seeds for Future Terrorism\n\nWhat will happen when in a few years from now, these thousands of children become late teens or in their early twenties? They will surely find ways that would endanger the lives of Americans and even proceed to destroy their property wherever it may be. Of course, when such events will take place because they were instigated in the first place by the Americans years earlier, the US government officials will then label them as Al-Qaeda or Taliban, even though they might never had connection with any of these two groups.\n\nAmerican foreign policies have been viewed by many around the world to be very belligerent. Such policies are based on the slogan: “Do it our own way or else face the consequences!” Such policies are also seen as an expression of machismo revealed in a determination to haunt people with fear, which often leads to paranoia. Once paranoia takes over, the elements of self-control and of solving conflicts through healthy dialogues tend to disappear very fast. More soldiers mean more killing of innocent people that is bound to bring more negative and destructive reactions toward Americans.\n\nThe US full reliance on the military to get what it wants by hook or by crook has already put this great nation of so many good projects and good people on the road to financial collapse. US government officials as a whole tend to call the countless trillions of dollars spent on weapons and the military as “defense” money. To this end, there is always money with no end in sight, even to the detriment of Americans’ lives. And these same US government officials refer to any money for the health care of Americans as “deficit” money.\n\nIn other words, US government officials as a whole do not even dream to do anything that is substantial for Americans, if that were to interfere with the financial interests of big corporations. The saintly Pope John Paul II, who may become canonized in our lifetime, was right when he condemned capitalism as a great evil because, as he said, “it advances its causes through the exploitation of people.” Ironically, these are Americans for whom their government claims to be fighting wars all over the world “to safeguard their democracy and freedom!”\n\nIn recent decades, more people in the United States and around the world are beginning to believe that this nation does not have itself the democracy it advocates other nations to have. Also, Americans do not have the freedom that their government claims it wants to bring to other nations. Democracy is derived from two Greek words, demos (people) + kratia (government). In the United States we only have a façade of democracy. In theory, people elect their government officials supposedly to represent them.\n\nView of Democracy and Freedom\n\n  However, for anyone to be elected one must reach the people in their homes through the press, radio and television. To use such media one must pay millions of dollars. This means that to have a chance to be elected one must be either very rich or have some rich sources to finance the campaign. Here is where the big corporations step in. Once the people elect their representatives through a well prepared propaganda, commonly known as “advertisements,” then such elected officials proceed to thank the corporations that financed their campaign by doing anything in their power to boost their corporate products.\n\nAll of this modus operandi reveals that to have genuine democracy in a capitalistic nation constitutes a contradiction. As long as the US subscribes to capitalism, it can never have true democracy. Since democracy and freedom seem to be tied together, let us examine the concept of freedom of movement, since this is viewed as vital for people anywhere. When top US government officials advocate to other nations to give freedom to their people, they will have first to see what kind of freedom they do give to Americans in the first place.\n\nAlthough many people of several countries enjoy the freedom to travel anywhere in the world, even at their own risk, Americans are forbidden by their US government to travel freely in a number of countries. That includes Cuba their peaceful neighbor. The US news-media hardly ever bring any good and constructive news about Cuba, which has been viewed as “enemy” for almost half century! In fact, the United States has put an embargo against Cuba for well over four decades. Cuba committed only one “crime!”\n\nWhen the Revolution freed Cuba from the tyrannical Fulgencio Batista, the leader of the Revolution, Fidel Castro, made it clear that “Cuba belongs to the Cubans and not to US big corporations.” When such corporations realized that he meant what he said, then they asked US government officials who were elected by corporate money to “punish” Cuba and the embargo, which is still in operation, was imposed. It’s an example of how US government elected officials serve more as puppets of big corporations than as representatives of the people.\n\nA few years ago, Cuba found a cure to some forms of cancer. While people from overseas went to Cuba to be cured of their maladies, the American news media did not bring any news about this event. This was in line with their US corporate policies that news about Cuba must only be negative and destructive. Only God knows how many Americans died that would have still be alive if they paid a visit to Cuba to this end. If Americans do not have freedom of movement to go wherever they want, how can the US government give other nations such a freedom? Nemo dat quod non habet – No one can give anything that one does not have.\n\nSelf-Proclaimed Christian Nation\n\nThe United States is considered to be mostly a Christian nation. US government officials who feel proud of their traditional Christian heritage speak proudly of the country’s traditional belief in God. In fact, the American motto on money and on quite a few monuments reads: “In God We Trust.” Almost all of these US government officials attend church religious services on week-ends. The majority of them view the Master Teacher of Nazareth, Jesus Christ, as their Redeemer and Lord. All of this is perfectly fine and all of us should feel edified.\n\nHowever, we are faced with something ironic here. A good number of these self-proclaimed Christians in the US government do not seem to hesitate to censure the teachings of their proclaimed Master Teacher when they feel disagreeable. Whereas the mindset of Jesus was deeply trenched in the culture of peace, the mindset of most of our US government officials is deeply ingrained in the culture of war. We all recall the words of the Master Teacher to the Pharisees:\n\n“The God you preach is not the God I know. You preach a God that advocates the eye for an eye and the tooth for a tooth; the God I know is one who when stricken on the cheek he would not only refrain from retaliating but He would rather be stricken on the other cheek as well.” And when His disciple Peter tried to defend Him by taking out the sword, Jesus was quick to tell him: “Put the sword away for he who kills by the sword will die by the sword.” The mindset of this Master Teacher was truly ingrained in the culture of peace.  [Side post: War Culture vs Peace culture]\n\nThis mainly Christian nation, whose mindset is deeply trenched in the culture of war, has defied the instructions of the Master Teacher, through its weapons, struggles and wars. Its troops in Iraq and Afghanistan need to be replaced with humanitarian agencies. The US can still provide world leadership to bring world peace. This would need first of all a shift from the mindset of the culture of war to the mindset of the culture of peace. US military bases could become humanitarian quarters. Besides, US war ships floating over the oceans need to be changed into floating hospitals to help save the lives of many.\n\nThomas personally hugged Dave Roever and welcomed him home at a Promise Keepers Convention\n\nIf what has been stated sounds clear and obvious, how come nothing is being done to change the role of the US military from one of destruction to one of construction? It is more noble and humane to preserve human life from every aspect than to destroy it brutally! The traditional US governmental philosophy of the culture of war needs to be replaced with the virtual unanimous people’s urge toward the eventual implementation the culture of peace. [Dave Roever, Vietnam Veteran “We may change political parties, pass constitution amendments and restructure gun laws but until the heart of man is in right relationship with God nothing will change and violence will continue.]\n\nQuestioned United States Leadership\n\nIs there any hope for the United States to emerge as an instrument of harmony and peace instead of struggles and wars? The answer is yes if all those who are concerned with the creation of a harmonious and peaceful world were to become involved. We cannot leave our constructive actions for tomorrow for as Frank Sinatra said in one of his songs: “Let’s forget about tomorrow for tomorrow never comes.” Here are steps to help replace the culture of war with that of peace.\n\nPeriodical demonstrations against war policies are needed to demonstrate to our politicians our outrage and condemnation of their actions.\n\nLegal actions against those politicians who became millionaires through weapons and wars should be taken and have all of their money confiscated.\n\nConstant pressure should be put on government officials to close 50% of the hundreds of US military bases overseas. This would allow the American people to have all the money they need for their health care and education.\n\nClergymen and physicians, who are responsible for the people’s spiritual and physical needs, should condemn openly the “abuse of power” involved when the US military destroys cities and kills thousands of innocent people.\n\nBig Corporations must be made fully aware of their moral obligation to change their destructive products into constructive ones; instead of making tanks for soldiers they could make tractors for farmers.\n\nCourage and determination should be revealed by those working in the manufacture of weapons to quit immediately their job and to seek for a kind of work that is constructive and beneficial to our earthly community..\n\nNations everywhere should stop cooperating with the United States when it comes to the manufacture and sales of weapons and the promotion of struggles and wars. They should say loud and clear: Satis est satis – Enough is enough!\n\nWe’ve a Story to Tell the Nations\n\nA nation cannot be the seat of capitalism and the seat of democracy and freedom at the same time. As stated earlier, this constitutes a contradiction. In capitalism the power lies with big corporations where government officials are merely puppets of such elements, which financed their election. The real hope of the United States lies with the American people. Their courage and perseverance to move forward is bound to bring about constructive results in due time.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5219294428825378}
{"content": "1. Baby\n  2. Conception\n  3. Ovulation\n  4. After ovulating\nAfter ovulating\n\nAfter ovulation\n\nSo you’re pretty sure you’ve ovulated, and you and perhaps your partner have done your best to become pregnant – what now?\n\nThe waiting time after ovulation until you are able to either take a pregnancy test or your period starts may be agonising, particularly if you have been trying to get pregnant for a while.\n\nIn the ‘average’ 28 day cycle, menstruation occurs on Day 1 and ovulation occurs at around Day 14. But remember, every woman and her cycle are unique\n\nMany women get confused by the ‘Day 14’ terminology and assume that ovulation occurs fourteen days after menstruation has ended. Assuming an ‘average’ 5 days of menstruation, ovulation is more likely to be around nine days after menstruation has finished.\n\n\nThe luteal phase is the time after ovulation but before a period starts. It’s the longest-lasting phase of the menstrual cycle.\n\nCan you still get pregnant after ovulation?\n\nIt is only possible to get pregnant for a short window of time after ovulation.\n\nAfter ovulation – when the egg is released from the follicle – there is a period of between 12 and 48 hours when egg is in its best possible condition to be fertilised by a mature sperm.\n\nSperm can last for up to five days inside a woman’s body, sustained by the cervical mucous. Often, conception happens just after ovulation. If there are sperm already waiting in the fallopian tubes one will fertilise the egg after it has just been released.\n\nHealthy, active sperm take around six hours after ejaculation to swim through the cervix and uterus, then into the fallopian tube to meet a waiting egg. For up to a couple of days after ovulation, it is still possible to conceive.\n\nCan you ovulate two times in one cycle?\n\nIn any one menstrual cycle, there is generally only one fertile period. As levels of FSH (follicular stimulating hormone) rise, a number of follicles will develop in your ovaries, but usually just one will be released.\n\nBecause ovulation is triggered by a unique combination of hormones that rises and falls over the normal menstrual cycle, eggs can only be released from the ovaries during the 24-hour period when the ovulation-promoting hormones are at their peak. However, ovulation is not always precise or exact. Many babies have been conceived during windows of time which don’t fit within the average or “normal” fertile phase.\n\nA pregnancy with fraternal twins results from two eggs being released from two different follicles. These eggs are fertilized by two separate sperm.\n\nAround 4% of births are twins, but there are lots of factors which influence the rate of twins.\n\nIt is now thought that up to one in eight pregnancies may involve the very early fertilisation of more than one egg, but less than half of the second embryos will survive for more than a few weeks after ovulation. If the second embryo does not survive, it is reabsorbed by the woman’s body.\n\nAfter ovulation, hormone levels decline and a feedback cycle triggers menstruation before the next ovulation.\n\nWhat happens immediately after ovulation?\n\n\nThe follicle which released the egg grows larger and turns into a gland-like structure called the ‘corpus luteum.’ It then starts to produce the hormone progesterone, which causes the lining of the uterus (the endometrium) to grow thick and become covered with mucous that is produced by glands within the endometrium. This helps to prepare the lining of the uterus to sustain the fertilised egg.\n\nWhat happens after ovulation – if you are not pregnant?\n\nAfter ovulation, if you are not pregnant, within around 48 hours, the egg moves along the fallopian tube, disintegrates and is absorbed back into the body.\n\n\n\nThe blood that is already in the lining then pools lower in the uterus and the mucous-covered uterine lining, deprived of oxygen, dies back, the blood and lining seep into the vagina, so menstruation occurs and the cycle begins again.\n\nAfter ovulation and until menstruation, your basal body temperature can remain about 0.5 degrees Celsius higher. Your cervical mucus becomes less slippery and more sticky or creamy in consistency.\n\nWhat happens after ovulation – if you are pregnant?\n\n\n\nAround eight to ten days after fertilisation, the blastocyst implants into the wall of the uterus.\n\n\nBut after ovulation and then implantation, there’s lots happening. Sometimes there is a slight spotting or bleeding just after implantation – which some women mistake for a period.\n\nBut when the blastocyst attaches to the endometrium, becoming an embryo, various hormones are released which thicken the endometrium and help to seal off the cervix with a plug of mucous. This helps to reduce the risk of infection.\n\nThe embryo and placenta develop separately. After implantation, the placenta produces the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Within a few days, the level of hCG may be detected by a pregnancy test using the woman’s urine.\n\nBy Fran Molloy, journalist and mum of four", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5267225503921509}
{"content": "Thursday, January 3, 2013\n\nAlmost nothing happens.\n\n By Bonnie Jones in response to Jeph Jerman (a month of) sundays, Eulachon 2012\n\nAs we celebrate John Cage’s Centennial this year, I’ve spent quite a bit of time thinking about what it means to be a Post-Cagean “experimental” musician. This term always made me a bit squirmy. As a student studying English, I didn’t end up working through the Western musical canon and so came late to Cage’s work. In fact, I was several years into the music I’m making now before I ever laid eyes on Cage’s scores or listened to seminal recordings he did with David Tudor. Whether artists and musicians practicing today can or should be traced to defined musical traditions and lineages is an increasingly moot point in our late-Capitalist, globalized world. The threads of one’s influences and the nature of our dialogue with the past appears more like a medieval tapestry than a simple throw rug. So calling myself Post-Cagean always felt a bit, well, disingenuous. Can you be post-something if the something isn’t something you actually know/knew that much about and likely still don’t?\n\nYet, Cage’s influence on the work I make and listen to is surely undeniable. Cage made everyday non-intentional sound(s), noise, silence, and chance operations viable, if not acceptable, musical elements. He expanded the definition of what we call “music” and proffered an invitation for us to embark on more adventurous forms of listening. In Cage’s work, the incidental everyday sounds had as much place inside music as any other sound we might produce. By removing the precedence of mastery and authorship in favor of chance and process, Cage proposed that we imagine both musician and composer as an explorer, as one who encounters sound and as one whom sound encounters. Cage spoke for the presentness of the present, the way we interact with sound, the act of moving through a sound event, even at the expense of conscious making.\n\nWhat I find most compelling about Arizona musician/artist Jeph Jerman’s (a month of) sundays is just this act of encounter, laid bare in the sounds he produces and records. The piece, recorded in four, overdubbed layers over the span of a month, is a document, a letter to the listener from the past. As Jerman humbly notes, “almost nothing happens” in (a month of) sundays, that is to say there are very few sound events in this work that an average listener might declare “composed” or “complex in musical form”. Yet this listener hears something quite complex in this “nothing.”\n\nThe piece begins with the sound of a door opening, what sounds like a blurt from a fed-back amplifier, and the hiss of a recorder being turned on in Jerman’s studio/home. The track then proceeds through 20 minutes of minute and discrete sine tones, wooden scratches, metal scrapes speaker blurts and buzzes, with occasional chair creaks and breath sounds from Jerman. Each sound carefully engages with the environmental sounds picked up by the recorder, often matching volume and intensity with what is happening in the room. At times, Jerman even seems to listen and respond to the digital hiss that will appear on the recording but that would not have been audible during the session. Around 3’40” the first small sine tone is heard. At 5’09” the second and higher pitched sine tone is heard. At 11’43” a metal rod jangles to the floor or table. At 12’43” the third lower pitched sine starts, and some piece of metal is lightly rattled a few seconds later. At 13’13” is that a dog barking outside and the sound of a low bass in a moving car rolling past? The unusually active and “noisy” two minute ending arrives with an uncommon forcefulness and intentionality within a piece that moves so glacially and precisely through the smallest sounds and musical gestures. In the context of the work, it’s like a signature on a document.\n\nDear Listener,\n\nIt’s Sunday and I’m here and you are there sometime in the future in some other place. I imagine you, because I know your ear may find me someday. But here in this place, in this time, I wonder if time and place have anything to do with what is (not) happening. I left a few breadcrumbs for you to follow, an object catalog that you might use in association or reference (small speakers attached to a battery, wooden balls, pumice, an e-bow and metal rods, and various spaces around the house and studio). However, the object will speak and sometimes her voice is quite different than you would imagine, so don’t worry if you can’t find the pumice or the wooden ball, they still have plenty to say.\n\nI once thought encountered and recorded sounds might be about capturing a place and gifting that place to you, listener. But recently, I started to wonder if whether it’s not about place at all, because place is so much more confusing now and we’re all getting used to living in places that don’t exist in space. I thought maybe it was time I was interested in, rooting a moment that can’t be recaptured. But for me, as a document / storage medium, that work is done, that time is captured. So now, you are listening, and maybe that is what is important above all – you are listening now and in the past I was recording a listening, a body and sound. There’s history in my document that passes through these vibrations to the present, to you listening. There’s a hand and a body and a set of ideas in history being transmitted to your present. I’m a medium, I can speak for what is not longer there or too distant to be found again.\n\nAs with much of Jerman’s previous works involving field recordings (and I see this work as a field recording of a performance or maybe even a performance of a field recording) the piece seems less concerned with a specific musical or formal development and more with Jerman’s attempt to make his performance, as nearly as possible, inside and inextricable from the “field” recorded.\n\nThe sonic and conceptual space opened by this gesture is fascinating. Here we have a field recording/document of a space and place in time that includes the actions and gestures of a performer. A performer who is aware of being recorded and chooses to consciously situate himself inside the total recorded space. He is improvising with the space, he is working within that small gap between intention and non-intention between what is natural (un-thought) and what is made and chosen. The work asks a question about agency, about how we act upon and are acted upon by the sound world that surrounds us. What is the nature of this connection and construction? In this space, does the individual move not towards erasure of the self but towards evidence of the self through the very act of seeming to dissolve into the space?\n\nCage’s musical proposition was to make music outside of history, deskilling* the role of composer and performer, and working towards a certain “death of the author.” However the logical conclusion of Cage’s argument is what we as “experimental” musicians seem to grapple with today. Is the artist/maker/self meant to be invisible in the work? In (a month of) sundays, there would be no need to include Jerman’s performance to make this a piece of music. These days a field recording can stand alone. And yet, there he is scraping wood and metal, working objects with his hands and body, moving in his chair, walking across the room. There he is placing himself inside of history, his history, our history, his ear, our ear. Jerman's work seems to respond to a desire to be both inside and outside of time. To capture and remember one’s lived experience and history while calling attention to the primacy and intimacy of the present.\n\nFar from being a piece where nothing happens, (a month of) sundays seems to contemplate everything that can happen within a recorded sound space. The combination of field recording and performance, puts Jerman’s decisions not to include a sound or texture, in relief against the environmental and inclusive sound world of his studio, his body shifting in its seat, the cars outside, the dogs barking, the Arizona desert. The work reveals the self (evident) and the self (invisible). It sparks the restless imagination of the listener as we move through each minute sonic space that Jerman explores. Jerman responds to Cage’s invitation for us to be more adventurous in our listening and to reconsider our definition of music and the role of the performer.\n\n*In the 2005, two-volume text book, Art Since 1900: Modernism, Antimodernism, Postmodernism, Benjamin Buchloch defines this un-masterful gesture, this “deskilling” as \"a concept of considerable importance in describing numerous artistic endeavors throughout the twentieth century with relative precision. All of these are linked in their persistent effort to eliminate artisanal competence and other forms of manual virtuosity from the horizon of both artist competence and aesthetic valuation.\" Rosalind Krause, co-editor of the book, in an interview with Brooklyn Rail summarizes the term as such, “deskilling is a way of forgetting, insisting that the artist forget.”\n\nWednesday, December 12, 2012\n\nnotes to follow bonnie jones' \"eulachon 4/21/12\"\n\nby jeph jerman in response to bonnie jones' 'eulachon 4/21/12, Eulachon 2012\n\nstruggling to find a word to describe jones' text piece, as if i had to, the word palimpsest leapt to mind. not that the piece itself represents that reworked slate, but it makes of mind a palimpsest, as each sentence or sentence fragment scrolls upward and we are left, in the intervening time, to try and remember and connect past fragments with new bits of information. it is a bit like watching someone write-sentences flow haltingly, words are misspelled and then re-spelled. at times words flash for split seconds, thoughts that don't stick around. showing what mind does, and then, in the end, giving us an alternative, and antidote perhaps. \n\nnot knowing much about text pieces, i am not sure if this is a new idea, this working of language as a concrete moving thing. when reading text in an everyday context, as you may be doing this instant, you can go back and re-read anything you may've lost/forgotten/not been paying attention to. if left to play through, this doesn't happen with\"... 4/21/12\", and a struggle with meaning ensues. mind tumbles, having been tripped up. it wanders, as it will, and it searches through the dust and erasure marks, trying to re-construct. \ni believe that this is what we are being shown. perhaps then not so much a page written/erased/re-written, as a finger pointing at the moon.\n\ntexts on pieces\n\nin the weeks to come, we will be posting a series of texts written by eulachon contributors.\nthese texts will be in response or compliment to, directly or indirectly, pieces from past editions of eulachon.\n\nthe first, to be published very shortly, is a text written by jeph jerman to follow bonnie jones' piece in the inaugural april 2012 edition.\n\nthe second will be a text written by jones to follow jerman's piece from the october edition.\n\nmore will follow.\n\nWednesday, October 17, 2012\n\n\navailable now:\n\nthe second edition of EULACHON.\nfeaturing work by catherine lamb & bryan eubanks, joshua beckman, jeph jerman, alejandro de acosta, gust burns, tyler wilcox, and tucker dulin.\n\nall free downloads.\n\nFriday, April 27, 2012\n\n\nout now:\n\nthe first edition of EULACHON.\nfeaturing work by joshua beckman, gust burns, bryan eubanks, bonnie jones, radu malfatti, ray stoller, and tyler wilcox.\n\nall free downloads.\n\nMonday, April 23, 2012\n\ncoming very soon: new music, video, text, scores at including work by joshua beckman, gust burns, bryan eubanks, bonnie jones, radu malfatti, ray stoller, and tyler wilcox.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5455529093742371}
{"content": "+918427123322, +918427023322\n\nISO 9001:2008\n\n\nApr, 2018\n\nCareer options in Music Production\n\nBy: | Tags: | Comments: 0\n\nDoes music excites your soul? Do you want to make a career in music industry? Bigboxx Academy has started a music production and sound engineering in Chandigarh. It is the best place for you. Here we train passionate, aspiring and dedicated personalities to meet the industry standards by providing them with electronic sound education with latest industry technology.\n\nThe music producer oversees all aspects of the recording process, including hiring session players and supervising the recording budget. In music industry, producers usually work with record labels and recording artists to make songs and albums for release.\n\n\nCareers options in Music Production\n\n  • Sound Designer: The sound designers make and create music and sound effects for productions, from television, digital cinema, games and animation to plays, commercials, and other multimedia shows. The audio is recorded and formatted for playback during execution such performance or concert.\n  • Sound Mixer: They mix and manage sound and volume quality when more than one microphone is used.\n  • Record/Music Producer: The music producers are the creative leaders of the recording project. They oversee various aspects of the recording process such as hiring musicians and helping them select material to keep the project within the set budget. Music production works include working on projects for films, artists, television or other types of media.\n  • Instrument Specialists (i.e. bass tech, guitar tech): An instrument technician who maintains the instrument and establishes the musical equipment for his instrumentalist during a concert or show tour.\n  • Recording Engineer: They work with performers and producers to determine what kind of sound is desired. Accordingly they record “sound” using the recording equipments and that sound is mixed and edited for quality and volume using a sound mixing board. Sound engineers also create copies of the recording in other formats keep records of the recordings they make.\n  • Live Sound Engineer/audio technicians: These engineers adjust and mix the audio quality, including music and speech, as it is created at different places such as sports stadiums, theaters, churches and conference rooms. They also control the sound by the use of a mixer and are also responsible for high-quality sound, setting sound levels and sound control and music during concerts and live performances.\n  • Recording Studio Manager: They supervise the daily business of running a recording studio including the budget management. They also schedule and hire qualified engineers to manage the studio team and equipment, books artists for the studio; they also negotiate the rates and thus do marketing of the studio for potential clients.\n\nFor further details:\n\nContact-0172-4612244, +918427123322\n\n\nBigboxx Academy\n\nSCO- 146-147, Basement, Sector-34-A\n\nChandigarh 160022", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5671710968017578}
{"content": "Folding Wooden Armchair of Ming Style\n\nFolding Wooden Armchair of Ming Style\n\nShanghai Museum's furniture exhibition room is named after two brothers of the Hong Kong Chuang family, Chuang Tze-Yuen and Chuang Tze-Kong, who donated a large number of exhibits in the 1990s.\n\nOne of the donations is a folding wooden armchair (黄花梨圆后背交椅) the family bought for a very low price from Wang Shixiang, a renowned antiques expert and collector.\n\nTypical of the style of ancient Chinese home design, especially in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the armchair is slight in structure rather than chunky.\n\nIt was one of the significant pieces of furniture in a household, usually placed in a prominent position of the sitting room, for example, in the middle of the room.\n\nOnly the most important members of the family were permitted to sit on it.\n\nThe armchair is of typical Ming style with simple but elegant shape and carvings.\n\nIts features include openwork carvings at the back of the chair which are in three distinct parts.\n\nAt the top has been carved a ruyi, a curved decorative scepter that symbolizes power or good fortune.\n\nIn the middle is featured a qilin, a mythical creature that is believed to bring prosperity and good luck.\n\nAround the creature have been carved rocks and linzhi. Linzhi is a rare mushroom used in traditional Chinese medicine which is believed through myth to have a benevolent influence that brings happiness and longevity.\n\nCurved shapes of herbs have been carved into the bottom of the back of the chair.\n\nThe thin armrests are curved for the user's comfort and the surface is so smooth that it shines under the soft light.\n\nThe seat's support frame is designed so it can be easily folded.\n\nThe armchair is made of Huanghuali, literally meaning \"yellow flowering pear wood,\" a member of the rosewood family.\n\nThe color is neither too dark nor too light and the indistinct pattern of the grain evokes the wood's unique beauty.\n\nIt is regarded as one of the finest woods in China for furniture making, appreciated and cherished by ancient scholars and furniture collectors.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9851167798042297}
{"content": "Javascript - Number Number Conversions\n\n\nThere are three functions to convert nonnumeric values into numbers:\n\n  • the Number() casting function,\n  • the parseInt() function, and\n  • the parseFloat() function.\n\nThe first function, Number(), can be used on any data type; the other two functions are used specifically for converting strings to numbers.\n\nNumber() function performs conversions based on these rules:\n\nBoolean values\nNumber() returns\ntrue and false get converted into 1 and 0, respectively.\nthe value is passed through and returned.\n\nIf the string contains only numbers, optionally preceded by a plus or minus sign, it is converted to a decimal number, so \"1\" becomes 1, \"123\" becomes 123, and \"011\" becomes 11. leading zeros are ignored.\nIf the string contains a valid floating-point format, such as \"1.1\", it is converted into the appropriate floating-point numeric value. Leading zeros are ignored.\nIf the string contains a valid hexadecimal format, such as \"0xf\", it is converted into an integer that matches the hexadecimal value.\nIf the string contains no characters, empty, it is converted to 0.\nIf the string contains anything other than these previous formats, it is converted into NaN.\n\nvalueOf() method is called and the returned value is converted based on the previously described rules.\nIf that conversion results in NaN, the toString() method is called and the rules for converting strings are applied.\n\nHere are some concrete examples:\n\nvar num1 = Number(\"Hello world!\");  //NaN \nvar num2 = Number(\"\");              //0 \nvar num3 = Number(\"000011\");        //11 \nvar num4 = Number(true);            //1 \n\n\"Hello world\" is converted into NaN because it has no corresponding numeric value.\n\nempty string is converted into 0.\n\nThe string \"000011\" is converted to the number 11 because the initial zeros are ignored.\n\nThe value true is converted to 1.\n\nThe unary plus operator works the same as the Number() function.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8185468316078186}
{"content": "Florencia en el Amazonas (featuring American soprano Pamela Armstrong) encompasses elements of magical realism blended with a late romantic style. Set in the early 1900′s aboard an Amazon steamboat, Florencia tells the story of a passage through the fabled rain forest. During this mystical voyage of discovery, each passenger harbors secret hopes of what the trip will bring. Among them, a famous prima donna hopes to recapture the great love of her life. Reality and fantasy intertwine as the dangerous splendors of the Amazon test the travelers’ preconceptions of their hopes and dreams. Composer Daniel Catan’s musical influences of Puccini and Debussy are heard, with themes drawn from Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez (whose works include “Love in the Time of Cholera”).", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9683841466903687}
{"content": "Principle Five: Acknowledge Mistakes And Do What It Takes\n\n\n– Judith Henderson\n\nFailure within a startup is a fairly frequent occurrence. The important piece of that statement is not that failure happens often, rather that the opportunity to learn and grow exists more in startups than it does anywhere else. Early stage companies and startups must grasp the ideology that being right is not the objective, but learning from their failures and mistakes is.\n\nAcknowledging mistakes in a startup is often a practice of stepping away from your ego. Where startups are by nature small groups of people working very closely together a skewed sense of responsibility can easily develop. Team members may begin to assume credit for successes and place blame away from themselves when a project results in a failure.\n\nRemoving egos from a situation helps all those involved see not only where they can improve, but how the team can be strengthened as well.\n\nWe’ve broken Principle Five down into Two Steps:\n\n    1) Acknowledge Mistakes\n\n    2) Do What It Takes", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9984874129295349}
{"content": "Insufficient oxygenation of the arterial blood. Results in hypoxia (below-normal levels of oxygen supply to tissue).\n\nIt is evidenced by restlessness, confusion, poor concentration, loss of the sense of taste, and, eventually, a coma.\n\nIt is treated by giving the patient added oxygen through a face mask, although ultimately the underlying cause will have to be determined and treated.\n\nThis can be caused by many diseases, but pneumonia is a common cause. Causes include by hypoventilation, a venous to arterial shunt, and thin atmosphere, such as is found at high altitudes.\n\nAlso spelled hypoxaemia.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.638221025466919}
{"content": "Many Different Subjects Are Possible\n\nNonobjective Painting\n\nWhy Artists Paint\n\nFour 20th-Century Paintings\n\nPainting in Ancient and Medieval Times\n\nLate Italian Gothic Painting\n\nLate Gothic Painting in Flanders\n\nVan der Weyden and Memling\n\nThe Fantasies of Bosch\n\nThe Renaissance in Italy\n\nRaphael, Leonardo, and Michelangelo\n\nTitian and Veronese\n\nThe Renaissance in Germany\n\nTwo Spanish Painters\n\nBrueghel and Rubens\n\nThe Dutch School\n\nThe English Painters\n\nBeginnings of Painting in America\n\nGoya and Daumier\n\nThe French Impressionists\n\n19th-Century United States Painters\n\nVan Gogh, Cézanne, and Modigliani\n\nPicasso, Matisse, and Chagall\n\nDalí, Miró, and Vasarely\n\n20th-Century United States Painters\n\nCanadian Painters\n\nLatin American Painters\n\nAsian Painters\n\nPainting by Amateurs and Children\n\nThe Materials of Painting\n\nFresco, Oils, Acrylics, and Watercolors\n\nBrushes and Surfaces\n\nArtists’ brushes are made of the hairs of various animals, such as sable martens, camels, or oxen, or from the bristles of hogs and boars, or from artificial fibers. The kind and size of brush depend on the medium the painter is using and the effects that are desired. Some painters, when working in oils, apply the paint with a palette knife that has a thin, flexible blade, rather than with a brush. Van Gogh…\n\nClick Here to subscribe\n\n\nAdditional Reading", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9758469462394714}
{"content": "\n\nMeets: Last Monday of every month.\n\nTime: 6.30pm - 8.30pm\n\n\nAccessibility Info: The building is not very accessible for people with mobility difficulties. There are small steps in the garden approach and very big steps to get from the entrance lobby to the main building and again from the main room into the kitchen. It has grab-rails by the steps.\n\nPostcode: NR30 1LN", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9963826537132263}
{"content": "The Queen of King Street: Part 3\n\nEditing Lola's autobiography has been a challenge. (See my previous blogs for news about Lola.) Not because it wasn't written well, or because it rambled (well, it did a bit) but because it was wayyyyy too long.\n\nMost books come in at around 80,00 words, 100,00 if you're famous, I was told. Lola used over 401,000 words (!) to recount 150 years of history in minute detail.\n\nEvery primary school classmate was lovingly mentioned by name, every actor who she produced was listed along with what character they played, every word was precious to her. Yet I had to cut out four-fifths of it. What could I remove, what could remain?\n\nExterminate, exterminate! \n\nThe first thing I had to determine was where and what was the focus. The reason she wrote her memoirs was to remind us of a long-vanished city; the cottage she lives in formed its benchmark, its gold standard, its plumb line. The life around the cottage reflected the changes of a colonial capital transforming into a cosmopolitan city.\n\nWith Lola's story, it was easy to find the focus. The story circled around this tiny cottage. Even though she travelled widely and her numerous adventures took place away from home, most chapters have some action taking place in the cottage.\n\nAfter I'd found the focal point, the rest was relatively easy. Twelve chapters of overseas travel, fascinating though they are, had to go. All people mentioned only once also were 'exterminated'. If they were mentioned occasionally but I couldn't find references of them on the internet or in libraries, they were also 'deleted'.\n\n\n512px-Scissor-for-paperThat got me down to about 120,000 words. Now tough decisions had to be made. A second edit of the whole text revealed stories that were irrelevant to the main story. (Did we really need to know that she taught at one school for only three weeks where nothing of note happened?) \n\nI found more compact ways of relating her story without changing her words by eliding certain passages and joining paragraphs together. I drew a family tree so that that family relationships didn't need explanations in the text.\n\nI scrutinised the text to excise repetitions, much like an artist making fine paper cutouts with delicate scissors.\n\nPhone a friend\n\nI left it for a few weeks so I could 'forget' it and come back to it afresh. This allowed me to make more reductions. Then I rang a friend to get another pair of eyes to run over it.\n\nSome of my editing had gone too far and I'd chopped out so much so that some passages didn't make sense. Upon restoration, we now have a text that is only 89,000 words long - a compact, readable and highly amusing story.\n\nIf you are thinking of writing a book, or have written one and don't know what to do next, feel free to contact me for an editing consultation. I love reading and working on stories, and I make your writing ZING!            \n\n\nNeed more information?\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7976060509681702}
{"content": "Nonprofit Internships\n\nA comprehensive experience of growth in leadership, lifestyle, and direction.\n\nIntern speaking.JPG\nInterns working at Garden on Marais\nIntern building a bed\nIntern reading to children\n\nHave you ever listened to some good ole' New Orleans jazz?\n\nIt's a concoction of each musician's sound, creativity and impulse that somehow flows together in harmony. Elan Ministries operates in a similar fashion. Every individual is encouraged to explore and develop their own “sound”, creativity and gifts, and incorporate them into a lifestyle of service. Our internship is tailored to the individual, offering well-rounded instruction in the areas of leadership skills, financial stewardship, personal development, and hands-on experience in the urban community.\n\nInterested in joining us for an internship?\n\nPlease contact Suzanne Duvall with any questions or for further information. \n\nElan Ministries' internships are in partnership with:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9985153675079346}
{"content": "Welcome to Jangada Design Studio. Let's create!\n\nCreative studio based in Matosinhos, Portugal, that specialises in identity development and vectorial illustration\nwith a strong influence from my city's history, coastal life and nature.\n\n\nI aimed to build a studio with focus on communication projects, with a different core – something cool and unique. How? Paying homage to my history and hometown, the coastal city of Matosinhos, a city of fishermen and hard work. Thus Jangada (which means \"raft\" in Portuguese), as something that is here to help you.\n\nMy goal is to provide solutions in the several areas I work in, to companies that the need either a complete overhaul to their communication or just that extra push to achieve their goals. My motto is to simplify and improve. I want to be a local worker with a window open to the world. My mission is to be there for you along the trip.\n\nwant to know more?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9995035529136658}
{"content": "Ghost theme for building personal websites & portfolios\n\nget it\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAbadesi@abadesi · 👩🏽‍💻 Product Hunt | Hustle Crew | NTT\nCongrats on launching @arp_ban can you tell us more of the story behind Pamphlet?\nArpit BansalMaker@arp_ban\nHi, I do a lot of side projects in my spare time and I have developed a habit of writing about all my work on the internet. So for a long time I wanted to build a website where I could write and document all my work in a beautiful manner. So, I started working on a theme with the sole purpose of serving individuals who want to write about their work or just want a personal blog. Whether you are a designer, a coder, an engineer, an entrepreneur, or an artist, you can use this theme to document all your life's work. I've used Ghost as the cms platform because it's really fast and has a beautiful interface built for writing and managing posts. I've tried to keep the theme as simple and minimal as possible. These days, a lot of designers create websites that are full of animations and special effects, they look good but sometimes they are very confusing to a person approaching them for the first time. So I've designed it such that a visitor is able to grasp the structure of the website at a single look.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.886281430721283}
{"content": "Escape Plan 2: Hades\n\nEscape Plan 2: Hades\n\nThe movie is set years after Ray Breslin fought his way out of the escape-proof prison called \"The Tomb.\" Now Ray manages an elite team of security specialists trained in the art of breaking people out of the world's most impenetrable prisons.\n\nDuration: 96 min\n\nQuality: HD\n\nRelease: 2018\n\nIMDb: 4.8", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.68507981300354}
{"content": "Art Critic (4)\n\nMiki Akiko\nLIN Yilin is known for works made by stacking bricks. Originally trained as a sculptor, he later became interested in architecture and found brick walls an expressive means through which to explore the relationship between sculpture and architecture.\nPart of the Big Tailed Elephant (meaning an elephant with lots of expenses), a group pursuing problems related to the high speed of change in Chinese cities, LIN has examined the relationship  between human beings and architecture, the materialization of the body, and the complex relationship between human beings and nature. From Guangzhou, the earliest region of China to be opened to the outside, LIN's work clearly reflects the problems caused by the ongoing transformation of the large southern cities, commercial prosperity, and the resulting chaos and disorder.\nAmong his wide variety of installations and performances, the most interesting was perhaps a performance in which the artist moved a wall from one side of a road to the other, one brick at a time. The performance took place during rush hour in one of the most crowded thoroughfares inGuangzhou and called attention to physical labor and exercise, time, and process. It caused traffic to stop, inconveniencing drivers whilst giving them a renewed awareness of their environment and illuminating the problem of the traffic jam, a new phenomenon in China. The movement of the wall, with its references to larger architectural structures, made people more conscious of the reality of their society and its incessant changes. LIN's action also referred to jaywalking, a practice common even on streets with heavy traffic and in defiance of the law, revealing the shortcomings of urban planning and failure of people's awareness to keep up with the rapid development of the city.\nLIN constructed a wall for this exhibition in the outdoor sculpture yard using some 5,000 bricks and 1,000 bank notes. The rough stacking of the bricks and the hollowed space in the wall in the shape of a human body, subvert the wall's solidity and permanence. The work is thus an effective visualization of the possibilities of disintegration and transformation existing in any aggregation of individuals units, an inherent feature of architecture or human society.\nLIN prefers familiar materials commonly found in everyday life. He uses water and money as well as brick, items essential to our lives and widely circulated or distributed in every community. In this installation, pieces of paper money are held in the cracks between the courses of brick, and viewers may feel the desire to steal. Some may actually try to dismantle the wall, in spite of the danger and take some of the money. If they do, they will be playing the artist's game since his intention is to make viewers see through their own actions, see how structures of society, culture, and tradition are broken down by the desire to make money.                     \n\n\n\n1998 Taipei Biennialcatalogue, P.63", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9315318465232849}
{"content": "What is the difference between $message and $$message?\n\n$message is a variable and $$message is a variable of another variable.\n\n$Message = “A”;\n$A= “B”;\n\necho $message //Output:- A\necho $$message //output :-B\n\n\nWe can echo above strings like\n\necho $Message.$A;\n\nThis weill print we “AB”\n\nNote : variable’s value can be act as variable", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999866485595703}
{"content": "Breaking Down a Training Plan: The Taper\n\nBreaking down the 5 steps when creating a training plan.\n\nWhen developing a training plan I block off 10-21 days from an athletes A race date to taper. For a Sprint and Olympic Distance Triathlon, a taper is generally 10 days, for a 70.3, 14 days, and for an ironman, 2 days long. It is important to note, a taper is gradual reduction of training volume and intensity over a period of time, not just a few days of rest. Some people think if they rest a couple days before their race, that is a taper. Adding some more recovery or off days the week before a race is what I refer to a rest week, not a taper.  \n\nBelow is an example of a 14 day reduction in volume and intensity assuming your peak volume happens 2 weeks, day 14 and day 15, from your A event\n\n  1. Maintain your schedule. If you normally swim on Wednesdays and Fridays, run on Tuesdays, Thursday and Sunday and bike T/Th and Saturdays, then continue that schedule\n  2. Reduce volume on days 9-13 by 25%  and maintain “like intensity”.\n  3. Days 8-3, continue to reduce volume another 25%. For example if your longest bike and run on day 14 and 15 was 4 hours and 2 hours respectively, day 8 ride 2 hours on and day 7 and run 1 hour.\n  4. Transition to a strength training maintenance program if you have not done so already in the build phase, keep it to one day a week.\n  5. Take naps and go to bed at the time you plan to go to bed the day before the race\n  6. Tapering  is not the time to cut out nutrients in hopes of losing weight. Continue to eat nutrient dense foods with healthy fats, carbs and protein at all meals. Reduce portions slightly, not too much, since your body still needs those nutrients to repair from the heavy workload before taper started.\n  7. On day 6-3 continue to reduce overall volume while maintaining  intensity at the same levels you’ve been training. For example, If 12 days out you ran 6X800s at the track, 5 days out run 6X 400s at the track. If 11 days you you did 5X 5 minute threshold pace on the bike, 4 days out bike 5X 2.5 minutes at threshold pace.\n  8. If you plan to get a massage I recommend getting on no less than 4 days out from your event.\n  9. Review your race plan outline\n  10. Days 3 is meant to be a short workout just to keep the body lose, Review your training to remind yourself you are physically ready.\n  11. Day 2 is complete rest day, stay off your feet\n  12. Day before the race keep body loose with a 20 minute bike, 10 minute run, 10 minute swim.  \n  13. Race Day: Race it Like you trained it.\n\nI look forward to taper time as it motivates to to training smart during the build phase of my plan. I love to spend extra time sleeping and napping cause I know how much my body and mind respond to the extra rest. I love fueling my body nutrient dense meals and filling up my glycogen stores to have race day.\n\nIf you have a question you want featured on the Endurance Hour podcast, email us at or  send us a voicemail. Record it HERE from your cellphone. \n\nJoin t2Endurance Club on Facebook\n\n\n\n\nPowered by Seva", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7250277400016785}
{"content": "Career | The best ways to find a new job\n\nBy  |  0 Comments\n\nKnowing you want a change of job is one thing. Finding a new one that will fulfill your desires, demands and passion is another.\n\nFinding a new job that ticks all of your boxes is increasingly hard. While updating your CV and LinkedIn account may get you so far, it may not be enough to get your foot in the door. Finding that dream job involves a lot more hard work. But all is not lost. Here are our tips to the best ways to find a new job.\n\nNetworking, for example, is one path to help you get that job. Ireland is a small place and so within your own network, there are probably two to three people that can open doors for you.\n\nDraw up a list of the places you desire to work or the roles you want. Do a quick scan on LinkedIn or general search and identify who may help you on your mission to find a new job. Brainstorm as to how you can strengthen your relationship with each person.\n\nAttend any events that are related to the industry that you want to get into. Thankfully, there are many meet-ups of like minded individuals in pubs and other venues around the country. Do a search and try to find who else is going that you want to meet.\n\nIdeally, you should contact them beforehand to arrange a chat. Be prepared at such events; do up a business card that you can pass on. Alternatively, bring a notebook and write down the names and contact numbers of each person that is of interest and contact them the next day.\n\nLinkedIn is more than a resource to just put up your own experience. Use it to connect with the right people. For example, search your target market based on your industry, qualifications, university and interests, and connect with the people who interest you.\n\nBe precise and creative in your dealings with companies. Ensure that you stand out in the crowd of job seekers. Identify what they are trying to achieve in the marketplace and create solutions. Come to the table with a comprehensive list of ideas and workings that will help them fulfil their goals, and not just yours. \n\nThe jobs market is tough but a bit of hard work can go a long way.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9907434582710266}
{"content": "Learn English    \n\nSummary and Review of Webinar – “How to Be a Reflective Teacher”\n\nMarch 25th, 2014\n\nOn March 12th, 2014, the American Embassy in Peru hosted a webinar about “How to Be a Reflective Teacher” lead by a professor at an upstanding university in Lima, Giovana Risco. The webinar was effective in giving insight on practical ways to be an effective educator to students of all ages. The lesson taught about how to meet the academic and social needs of students in ESL classrooms while keeping the material engaging and stimulating. In the following brief recap, the main points of the webinar will be outlined.\n\nA good teacher:\n\nFirstly, a good teacher cares about the students. Being an educator requires a sense of passion for the material sold (information) and the clientele served (students). Without this sense of passion, the remaining aspects of teaching have nothing upon which to base themselves. First and foremost, an educator must care about the students at a fundamental level. This will ensure that the instructor will do whatever possible to aid in the students’ learning process and sacrifice effort, time and small amounts of sanity in order to support growth for the students.\n\nSecondly, a good teacher listens to the students’ concerns. It is easy, at times, to grow tired of excuses and tall tales from students. There seems to be a never-ending supply of stories about why they didn’t do their homework or why they are using their cell phone during a test. Despite this thrilling aspect of teaching, teachers must listen to their students concerns keeping in mind that they are people with needs, too. It is essential that educators use a discerning ear while listening to students’ concerns to know when to exercise flexibility or when to “put your foot down”, so to speak.\n\nThirdly, a good teacher is flexible. Being an educator is impossible without being flexible. Snow days, sick students, early dismissals, difficult-to-grasp topics taking a longer time than planned, unexpected meetings with administration, topics taking shorter than planned, student arguments, no-show guest speakers and even teacher illness are some examples of the millions of unexpected things that could happen during a “normal” day of teaching. A good teacher is flexible and can quickly adapt and make changes to his/her lesson plans to flow with the curveballs that are thrown at them throughout a school day.\n\nFourthly, a good teacher is motivated. One must be motivated to be the best teacher one can be and to instruct to the best of one’s abilities. Students know when a teacher is motivated about their work or lazy and unsatisfied. Students are more likely to respond to a teacher with motivation rather than to a teacher who simply reads from the book, gives the minimal possible passing effort and goes home for the day. Without teacher motivation, students will not be encouraged to be energized about their studies, which will lead to boredom, which leads to failure.\n\nFifthly, a good teacher is disciplined. Disciplined is a multi-faceted word. To be disciplined means to have good time management. It also means to be prepared through concise lesson plans and ample knowledge about the subject. Being disciplined means taking the job seriously and completing the tasks at hand to the best of one’s abilities. A disciplined teacher takes charge of a classroom with authority and care and establishes a solid foundation of knowledge for students.\n\nLastly, a good teacher knows the material well. This is a given in the teaching world because without a complete understanding of the material, an instructor cannot instruct people with less knowledge about the topic effectively. A teacher should be an expert in their field. Some people believe that a person best understands a subject when he/she can teach it. This idea expresses that an instructor must have the highest level of understanding of a subject in order to instruct others.\n\nGiovana Risco goes on to mention that instructors must not only be “good” in and of themselves, but they must also present “good” activities to engage students. She mentions that engaging class work stimulates curiosity, permits students to express creativity, makes them think, is challenging and fosters positive relationships. Keeping this in mind, a teacher knows that activities should not be repetitive, require little thought, nor be forced onto the students. Learning is more effective when students are in charge of their educational process. Ms. Risco encourages educators to allow students to develop their independence in the classroom and that by reducing teaching time, students take more responsibility for what goes on in the lessons.\n\nThis webinar was educational for teachers, specifically ESL teachers for whom the lecture was created. Giovana Risco demonstrates a solid understanding of what makes a reflective teacher and what instructors should do to create a positive learning environment for students. Her insight was invaluable and she will hopefully produce more webinars in the near future.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.991990864276886}
{"content": "Also found in: Dictionary, Medical, Wikipedia.\nRelated to gallamine: Atracurium, Pancuronium, Suxamethonium\nGraphic Thesaurus  🔍\nDisplay ON\nAnimation ON\n  • noun\n\nSynonyms for gallamine\n\n\nReferences in periodicals archive ?\nAfter stabilisation, gallamine was administered and the depression of thumb muscle tension and the subsequent recovery were recorded.\nIn contrast, gallamine (a non-depolarizing muscle relaxant) or the venom of the puff adder Bitis arietans reduced the force of contraction.\nSprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized with isoflurane, paralyzed with gallamine, artificially ventilated and instrumented to record arterial blood pressure (BP; mm Hg), heart rate (HR; bpm) and left ventricular dP/dt (percent change from control; LVC; an index of cardiac contractile force).\nPresumably its use in Operation Desert Storm would be to protect persons from the effects of a type of nerve gas; it is already approved by FDA for use as an antidote to curariform drugs and gallamine triethoxide, drugs that have toxic effects related to those of the nerve gas in question.\nAt the start of my training in 1962 suxamethonium was widely used for intubation, as the two non-depolarizing relaxants curare and gallamine in doses that would lead to easy and early reversal provided prolonged intubation times.\n02% tricaine, immobilized with a 2-[micro]l injection of 1% gallamine triethiodide (Flaxidil), and placed on their sides on a small sponge over a silver chloride pellet reference electrode.\nThe response to suxamethonium and gallamine was largely unaltered by halothane, but with d-tubocurarine, profound bradycardia and hypotension occurred, and also to a lesser extent with neostigmine.\nTubocurarine was the drug of choice for operations of any significant duration, but because tubocurarine lasted around thirty minutes, gallamine was often preferred for shorter operations.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.696662425994873}
{"content": "\n\n\nPosted on Wednesday, 05/02/2014\nBy:Kesta Love\n\nI had a guy who was really into me and pursued me for over 6 months.  I was always honest with him that I just wanted to be friends.  However, the minute he started seeing someone else I started pining over him, becoming jealous, and kicking myself for not giving him the time of day when I had the chance. Why is it that the more a guy (or girl) likes us the more we take them for granted? Are we meant to always like someone who is hard to get?\n\n-Celosa in VA\n\nDear Celosa:\n\nThere is nothing like knowing something is temporarily unavailable to make you want it even more (iPhone 5 anyone?) \n\nSo, yes, we are already conditioned to think that when something is too available, it must not be that good or desirable. But when it comes to your question, the full explanation comes from years of research in adult attachment theory.  Here’s a crash course on the three “attachment styles”:\n\n  • Secure- tends to be reliable, consistent and trustworthy- not interested in playing games.\n  • Anxious- craves intimacy and worries a lot about their partner loving them back.\n  • Avoidant - thinks intimacy means losing their independence, sends mixed messages, and always runs when relationships get too close.\n\nSecure types make up more than 50% of the population; however they take a very long time to re-appear in the dating pool because they tend to stay in long-lasting, committed relationships.  While Avoidant types (only 25% of the population) are everywhere because they don’t last too long in relationships and are ready to start dating immediately after a break up. \n\nThe odds are you may have dated many Avoidant people and have become used to the guessing game that follows (getting mixed messages and analyzing every little gesture for clues that someone likes you). Sometimes we mistake this anxiety, the “roller coaster” feeling, with passion, or even “love at first sight” and end up with someone who is wrong for us. \n\nConversely, when an honest, open, ready for commitment, secure person (major catch in attachment terms!) comes along, someone who has a more anxious style may dismiss it because \"there's no chemistry\", everything’s too calm, it feels too boring.\n\nOnce your friend became interested in someone else you started experiencing the roller coaster feeling you've felt before with “hard to get” guys allowing you to finally feel the “sparks” and appreciate the qualities he had all along.   \n\nNext time you are ready to dismiss the reliable, \"no-games\" nice guy or girl, think again! There's nothing more satisfying than a drama-free relationship with complete trust and certainty that you are each other’s #1.\n\n\n\n\nlike us on facebook!\npromote your event or business with\nneed tickets? visit our partner website\njoin and stay up to date with all the top events", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5400387644767761}
{"content": "PrintEmailBookmark and Share\n\nP&F Grant Awards\n\nYear 3\n\nGrant # 4\n\nNLRP3 Expression in Myeloid Cells is Sufficient to Stimulate Bone Resorption\n\nPI: Gabriel Mbalaviele, Ph.D.,\n\n\nSpecific Aims\n\nThe Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is an intracellular protein complex responsible for the maturation of several members of interleukin (IL)-1 family, including the osteotropic factors, IL-1b and IL-18. NLRP3 is also involved in the inactivation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1), a negative regulator of osteoclast (OC) development [1-3]. NLRP3 is activated by danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) such as crystals, wear particles and degradation products of endogenous components of the extracellular matrix (ECM) [4].\n\nTrafficking of both organic and inorganic degradation products from bone ECM through bone-resorbing OC to the extracellular milieu is a critical step during bone resorption [5, 6]. This process enables OC to excrete degraded matrix components while digging deep into bone and maintaining an enclosed resorption site. Thus, the products of bone resorption are potential activators of NLRP3 in OC. Interestingly, patients with neonatal-onset multisystemic inflammatory disease (NOMID), a condition linked to NLRP3-activating mutations [7], exhibit skeletal malformations and low bone mass in up to 60% of the cases [8]. Our own preliminary data demonstrates that mice globally expressing a constitutively active NLRP3 mutant, which model the human NOMID syndrome, have severely decreased bone mass and increased bone resorption, leading to stunted post-natal growth. Thus, there is now strong evidence from human and mouse genetics that NLRP3 is critically involved in normal skeletal homeostasis. However, little if any is known about the role of NLRP3 in bone homeostasis. We hypothesize that 1) NLRP3 activation in myeloid cells is important for bone resorption, and 2) bone ECM degradation products function as endogenous DAMPs for NLRP3 in the OC lineage. Accordingly, we propose to test these hypotheses in the following Specific Aims.\n\n  1. Determine whether NLRP3 activation in myeloid cells is sufficient to stimulate bone resorption.\n  2. Identify bone-relevant DAMPs and study the regulatory mechanisms of NLRP3 activation in OC.\nThe peri-natal lethality of pups globally expressing mutant NLRP3 hampers the efforts to elucidate the role of NLRP3 in bone. To gain further insight into the role of NLRP3 in bone resorption, we propose to use mice in which the expression of mutant NLRP3 is restricted to the myeloid cell lineage. These mice are available to us from our collaborator, Dr. Hoffman (Univ of Calfornia at San Diego). The funding requested will support the characterization of these mice to advance this project to the point where a comprehensive data package is generated for future NIH applications. We anticipate that these studies will unravel a novel communication mode among bone cells and with their environment via NLRP3, and reveal this upstream component of the IL-1 family and PARP1 pathways as a potential new target for therapeutic intervention in bone diseases.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9855104088783264}
{"content": "What happens if DHS shuts down?\n\n\nWASHINGTON (CNN) — Congress has just two days until Department of Homeland Security funding runs out, and it’s anyone’s guess whether they’ll take the department off the cliff.\n\nOn Monday night, the Senate again voted down a DHS funding bill that included a measure rolling back President Barack Obama’s executive action delaying deportations for immigrants. But that night, a potential solution emerged as wjell, with Sen. Mitch McConnell announcing he’ll bring a separate bill to the floor tackling Obama’s immigration move, potentially allowing a clean DHS funding bill to move on its own track.\n\nIt’s unclear whether the tactic will work, and conservatives are still expressing opposition to the move. But some Republicans have previously suggested that the fact that a Texas court recently issued an injunction against the order, pausing its implementation, could offer conservatives cover to vote for at least a short-term clean funding bill and use the time bought by the courts to figure out a solution to the immigration issue.\n\nDHS Secretary Jeh Johnson has said a shutdown would cause a “terrible disruption” for everyday Americans.\n\nRepublicans, however, say the impact of a shutdown would be minimal, because most of DHS’ operations are considered essential, and so would continue despite a funding lapse.\n\nSo what would actually happen if Congress doesn’t pass a funding bill in time?\n\nWould average Americans feel the impact of a shutdown?\n\nFor most, not immediately. Communities that are home to a particularly large number of DHS staffers, including border towns where border patrol stations are located and some areas just outside of Washington with a heavy government contracting presence could take an economic hit.\n\nIn those areas, thousands of workers could be furloughed or forced to work without pay, and in some of the smaller communities that can make a big difference to local businesses.\n\nLocal fire departments and law enforcement operations could also lose staff that were funded by DHS grants, slowing emergency response efforts.\n\nBusiness owners looking to process immigration documents for their workers will have to wait till the shutdown passes, potentially affecting hiring. And officials have warned that low morale for DHS staffers could translate to slower service for Americans, particularly at airport security checkpoints.\n\nSome DHS employees would be furloughed — but most won’t.\n\nTwo kinds of government staffers are required to work during a shutdown: Employees whose salaries are paid for by funds outside the appropriations process, and those “whose work is necessary for the preservation of the safety of human life or the protection of property,” according to the Congressional Research Service. Unsurprisingly, that latter part covers quite a lot of DHS’ workforce.\n\nDuring the 2013 government shutdown, around 200,000 DHS employees were required to report to work, many of them without pay.\n\nThose that are required to work include 50,000 TSA screeners, 40,000 active duty Coast Guard members, 13,000 immigration law enforcement officers, 40,000 border patrol and customs officers, and 4,000 Secret Service agents.\n\nBut there would be some — around 30,000 or so — furloughs, mainly hitting the department’s management and administrative functions. It’s possible, though, that staffers furloughed could be called back to work in case of an emergency — and immediately re-furloughed after they handled the issue.\n\nThat doesn’t sound like it would be pleasant for DHS emplyees.\n\nIt’s not — and the potential hit to DHS morale is a serious problem with the possible shutdown. A third-party review of federal employees found DHS ranked dead last in employee satisfaction and commitment over the past two years, and morale actually declined in 2014. It’s a challenge for the Department, which struggles to retain and recruit employees, and a shutdown wouldn’t help.\n\nBut it does sound necessary for, well, homeland security…\n\nExactly. Many of DHS’ most fundamental operations won’t be impacted.\n\nA number of DHS programs are funded by fees, rather than congressional appropriations, and would continue to operate even if funding lapses.\n\nThose include the bureau’s cybersecurity operations and the Federal Protective Service, the law enforcement agency that oversees federal buildings. Border security efforts, the TSA and intelligence gathering efforts, among others, are all key DHS activities that would remain.\n\nFEMA’s disaster relief operations and the national flood insurance program would continue to operate.\n\nAnd most U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services operations, including the visa program, immigrant naturalization and asylum claims, would continue — except for the E-Verify system employers use to verify workers’ visas, which would pause in case of a shutdown.\n\nWait — so Obama’s executive action on immigration, which started this mess, would still be implemented?\n\nYep. It turns out defunding the agency that’s implementing Obama’s executive action delaying deportations for millions of immigrants won’t prevent the executive action from taking effect.\n\nRepublicans haven’t given up, though. They’re looking to add a policy rider to the bill extending funding for DHS that would block the executive order from taking effect — which remains a sticking point for Senate Democrats, who say they’ll only vote for a clean funding bill.\n\nAnd even if House and Senate Republicans were able to pass a DHS funding bill that blocked Obama’s immigration move, he would likely veto it.\n\nThat’s caused the current showdown. And Boehner’s comments this weekend indicate there’s no clear compromise yet.\n\nThen what DHS operations would take a hit?\n\nState law enforcement could feel the pain of a shutdown the most.\n\nJohnson has previously warned that, if DHS funding lapses, “we cannot engage in new starts, new spending, new initiatives, new grants to state and local law enforcement to fund homeland security missions.”\n\nMany local law enforcement operations, including training, hiring of new staff and purchasing new equipment, are funded through DHS grants, and those would be discontinued during a shutdown. FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said that disaster recovery grants — even those being used to respond to lingering impacts of Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy — would stall, and no new applications would be processed in case of a shutdown.\n\nFugate said that while any urgent natural disasters would be attended to, because of the shutdown, the response could be sluggish or delayed.\n\n“If we have a no-notice event — a terrorist event, some kind of technological disaster or an earthquake, I’ll be calling staff back in the same time we’re responding,” he said.\n\nAnd it could impact the nation’s ability to respond to future threats. Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat and ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, said during a hearing this week that a DHS shutdown would halt “research and development work on countermeasures to devastating biological threats.”\n\nCivil rights and civil liberties complaint lines and investigations would shut down as well.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7065318822860718}
{"content": "Diverse Position Science Fiction\n\n\nFor this week, I read Octavia Butler’s Bloodchild with the rest of the class and I found it to be quite interesting and a bit weird. Octavia Butler really changes the game with this work and shows us a different kind of future where it’s the men (like seahorses) who are bearing nonhuman children- not just how advanced technology has become. Sometimes just hearing about technology can become a bit boring. Our class discussion was similar to an in-class experiment due to the nature of men bearing children because some of the guys seemed appalled and uncomfortable talking about it. They just couldn’t wrap their heads around it. Octavia Butler addresses love, gender roles, stereotypes, and even though she may not have meant to- slavery came up in the class discussion for a reason. Humans/Terrans are at the Tlic’s personal and physical mercy and kept on preserves, which has many direct ties to slavery and politics. However, it’s not about slavery, it’s about symbiosis. The aliens, Tlic, lay their eggs inside the human men because they are good carriers. Human women are not being used for this process because they are used to reproduce humans, not Tlic. It was a really odd story, a giant, alien insect loving a human and carefully placing their eggs inside a man. We are so accustomed to aliens wanting to kill us, like how the Tlic and humans/Terrans used to be at war. Gan, one of the main characters, sees some humans/Terrans being killed by the Tlic and becomes terrified. I didn’t feel like there was much resolution in this story. We were all kind of left sitting there like…. what just happened?\n\n\nI had never seen Attack the Block (2012) before and it was on the fence for me until it started making me laugh. The way humor is incorporated is a real game changer, because it still had me jumping. Some parts of the movie are really suspenseful and there was a moment where I felt like I levitated out of my seat in class because of a scene. The basic plot is that London-based gang of adolescent boys and a young woman attempt to protect their community from an alien invasion. The alliance between them in unlikely, especially after they terrorize her on the street and mug her. When something falls from the sky the boys are distracted and she is able to escape. She is terrified of them until they all realize that they need each other for one reason or another. Of course the gang goes to see what it was and kill the creature so they can make some money off of it. Eventually larger, more dangerous aliens fall from the sky and begin attacking the community. Their mouths glow an electric turquoise color and their bodies are deep black. Cops and gangsters are at war with the aliens, making quite a mess. I was pleased that it didn’t end with an unnecessary love scene, like most action movies. The movie does a great job of talking about marginal social issues, the future and possibilities, while still making us laugh and jump.\n\n\n\nCyberpunk and Steampunk\n\n\nI enjoy the analog nature of the Steampunk genre and have a lot of friends who do as well. Steampunk is a sub-genre/derivative of Cyberpunk. Steampunk is not only a genre but has become so popular within certain circles that it even has it’s own code of lifestyle: fashion, music, decoration, craftmanship, etc. It is not so much concerned with computer-based settings, but is still a distinct relative of Cyberpunk. It’s dark, retro, and nostalgic, blending the past and future. Steampunk is more industrial, although Victorian-inspired, with steam-based technology, hence the name. It has been said that Steampunk is more of an aesthetic-genre whereas Cyberpunk is a concept-genre. In class we discussed the similarities and differences between these genres, pointing out the fact that there were generally megacorporations involved. Cyberpunk is generally a mix between high-tech and lowlife, like Blade Runner (1982). Blade Runner is a also a good example where the megacorporation controls the world, and the human replicants are being hunted. The Matrix is an example of hackers in a virtual cityscape, clearly representing the high-tech life. I like both genres but prefer the element of surprise with Steampunk. It takes current or future technology and combines it with the charm of an antique. Steampunk society generally deals with low-tech and high morals.\n\nWe began watching Blade Runner in class so I really wanted to finish it when I got home. It is definitely a Cyberpunk film, where man has developed technology to create replicants (human clones) used to serve in the colonies outside Earth. They have fixed life spans. Dickered is a Blade Runner, cop who specializes in terminating replicants. The film begins with him going into retirement. There are four replicants on the loose and he decides to go back to work. In a cyberpunk vision of the future, man has developed the technology to create replicants, human clones used to serve in the colonies outside Earth but with fixed lifespans. In Los Angeles, 2019, Deckard is a Blade Runner, a cop who specializes in terminating replicants. Originally in retirement, he is forced to re-enter the force when four replicants escape from an off-world colony to Earth.\n\n\nFiction of Ideas\n\nAccelerando is a very complicated piece of work, at least it is for me. It is packed with details to the point where I begin to get lost in the actual story. Perhaps the complex style of writing in combination with the title, which means “speeding up,” represents more than what meets the eye. The material is described in such an advanced technological way that I have to reread it several times to digest it; the technological singularity is overwhelming. Humanity is literally speeding up, becoming posthuman. Many of the characters are nonhuman, which makes it difficult to understand their social structure. The story follows a character named Manfred Macx, his daughter, Amber, and later her son, Sirhan, through three stages of the technological singularity, which I find interesting because it’s basically three generations of experience of one event. This was the most difficult of all genres for me to dive into. I wasn’t a fan of the movies either. This is definitely a story for those who can’t wait to upload themselves to a server and live in a super-techie world. It doesn’t seem to be a happy ending, how could it really? How much is too much? How far will technology go to impact the economy? I suppose I’m a firm believer in “everything in moderation.”\n\nScience Fiction Parody and Satire\n\nI’m listening to “I Think We’re All Bozos on this Bus” and my dogs are going crazy, hearing the howling noises, squeaks and people singing. It’s a nice added touch, ha.\n\n“The future is fun! The future is fair! You may have already won! .. You may already be there!”\n\n\nThis audio piece is incredibly disorienting for me because it’s so overwhelming, obscure and multi-layered. It was difficult for me to appreciate but nevertheless I stayed with it until the end. It’s very political, using former President Richard Nixon’s voice (or similar), which ends up shutting down the computer because it can’t answer Clem’s questions. An overlay of voices (bozos) begin addressing “The President” and when he is asked about “Dr. Memory” he begins stuttering and rambling, unable to string together a sentence or phrase without the words scattering like a broken necklace, falling apart piece by piece. The robot voices begin taking over, talking about defying gravity and taking advantage of the future. When I read a review about this audio piece someone had stated that Clem’s character is one of the first “computer hackers” mentioned in pop culture, which I found rather fascinating. I thought back to when this was made, 1971, a few years after William Mathews from MIT found a vulnerability running on an IBM 7094. Hackers weren’t widely known of. Today, hackers are stealing hundreds of millions of dollars, identities, passwords, and other confidential information. That certainly didn’t take long– which brings me to my next point– that was only 43 years ago! The audio piece really made me think about the future of science, politics, and pop culture. I enjoyed the humor in certain parts (ex: around 15:00 when the narrator is reading something and keeps making errors, ex: tit, oops opps that’s a “p”..tip).\n\n\nI decided to try a few audio clips from “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” while I cooked dinner. I found these clips much more accessible (for me). Humanity-related humor in a British accent.. perfect. To explain the image above (“Don’t panic and carry a towel”)- it simply means that if you have your towel, you are in control. Basically, if you can struggle and endure the rocky road across the galaxy on your own, still in possession of your towel- you are in control.\n\n“Do you really think the world is going to end?”\n\n“Yes. In 1 minute and 35 seconds.”\n\n“Is there anything we can do?\n\n“No, nothing.”\n\n“What if we put a paper bag over our heads or something?”\n\n“If you’d like, yes.”\n\n“Oh, will that help?”\n\n\nMythic Fiction\n\n\nI have always loved Coraline for the ‘life lessons’ that happen to be packed into the parallel-reality adventure. I’ve been really crunched for time due to personal family troubles, so I had to opt out of Ananzi Boys but I plan on reading it over Thanksgiving break. So, Coraline it is! I always find something new in it every time I read it or watch it. Coraline is a young girl who moves with her parents to an old house with very quirky neighbors. She feels entirely neglected from her parents and finds herself and her imagination on these little adventures, exploring and fantasizing. “Be careful what you wish for” is a huge message in this story. The house has it’s own secrets, luring Coraline into an idealized world where her “perfect parents” have buttons for eyes and let her do as she pleases. The games never end and her imagination never settles. Caroline truly loves her family, despite their flaws and faults but she isn’t aware of that affection until she’s about to lose them. When her fake parents try to trick her into staying in this alternate world, asking her to sew in her own button eyes, she realizes who she would rather be with. She always dreamed of finding a better, more exciting world but once her “Other Mother” kidnaps her real parents she knows it’s too good to be true. Coraline saves her parents and the three ghost children from the “Other World.” When she escapes, she slams her fake mother’s hand in the door. Her parents have no memory of the events but Coraline is warned that the “Other Mother” is still after her for the key to open the door between the two worlds. She tricks the “Other Mother’s” severed hand and it falls down a well. The book and movie are pretty close to being in tune with each other, although in the animated film Coraline has blue hair and the character, Wybie is added. I can relate to this story because I was once a teenager and wanted a different family. I ended up leaving home when I was only 16 and moved across the country. I supported myself and graduated high school but never fully understood or appreciated certain aspects of my family until they were out of my everyday life. Today my mother is my best friend and my latest photography projects revolves around trying to heal the relationship with my brother (www.kathryneharrison.com, if you’d like to look). Coraline is every teenager or young person struggling with their own identity, feeling out of place and wanting attention- someone to be there and want them. The simple desire to be wanted but not realizing that you already are. Like Coraline, I had to untangle myself from the web of confusion about what I truly wanted and needed in order to fight for it.\n\n\nLiterary Speculation\n\n\nThe most obvious symbols I found in the story relate to rites of passage, the differences between generations, stereotyping, personal transformation/self-realization, life lessons, and a few philosophical metaphors (ex: “But don’t you know it’s always better to hunt on the bottom and not on the surface?..”) Sometimes I have a hard time getting into stories and always searching for some other meaning behind what is written or the story being told. In the example I just listed, I was reading and immediately stopped in thought. To me it relates to searching within yourself and not attaching oneself too much to the surface or material world. In the story the great-uncle is answering a question that he has no idea about due to his position of being a fish while the main character is on land and hunts on shore. The great-uncle is always arguing that living the ancient and aquatic life he does is far superior. He rejects change.\n\nI connected with this story in several ways, from fearing my significant other would judge me based off my family or heritage, to how I want to live my life and knowing what I want. I’m not an aquatic creature or have paws so I had to take those out of the equation. “I went on my way, in the midst of the world’s transformations, I transformed myself.” Perhaps I’m finding these connections due to my own baggage of being in my mid-twenties and let’s face it, almost everything is subjective. I am seeing what I am expecting, seeking a connection. This quote in the story really hit home for me because we are always in a state of flux, of evolution- physically, mentally, emotionally. The world doesn’t stop spinning because we don’t want to get out of bed in the morning, or because our fiancee ran off with our great-fish-uncle in the lagoon. The main character seems to be “ok” about the love of his life leaving him and not so worried about what to do now even though he didn’t want to introduce her to him because of a social class issue (her family was more evolved, more sophisticated). Talk about a backfire- she wanted to learn how to breathe underwater and bring more fish into the world.\n\nI could definitely see this story being an animation or adapted into a trailer-length-film or short film and adapt the characters to actual people, like of like the Once Upon a Time television series.\n\nWhen it comes down to writing for a genre, I would think that it’s possible to incorporate several elements, similar to how all of these subgenres are emerging. I think it should be free to open up the mind to new avenues, even if I have a hard time understanding. Sometimes I feel like we are running out of material and stories to tell because everything has been done so far. Sometimes a new spin or twist on a story will come around and we are begging for more. Deciding what goes where in the genre world these days can be quite complicated, I’m sure. We have come to accept that certain elements will automatically define a genre and that’s where I see trouble. We expect what we get, forgetting what we are experiencing through the work.\n\n\nSpace Opera\n\n\nSpace Opera is definitely one of those genres that I didn’t know much about before this class. My entire immediate family is obsessed with films and books in this category of entertainment, which is perhaps why I avoided it. It never really seemed believable to me and I couldn’t let go of trying to understand how any of it was possible, from spaceships and super-advanced technology, to robots and aliens- I wanted proof. But of course I had no trouble believing in fairytales or princesses, or even animals that could talk. To be honest I’m not sure what kept me away from this genre all my life, but now that I’m required to investigate it I have found a way to break to down- romance and adventure in outer space. Having never watched any of the Star Wars or Star Trek series, I decided  to indulge. My mom was terribly obsessed with Star Trek and I just remember how many times I would wander into the living room or her bedroom to cuddle up and watch a movie with her and I would have to leave because it was always on! Ha.. So, I gave Star Wars (the original from 1977) a chance and this is what I think…\n\n\nLuke Skywalker is the protagonist and if he and his uncle never bought the escaped/missing droids R2D2 and C3P0 the story would never have escalated or began. Once those droids were in possession,  the plot evolves, the tension heightens and the characters begin to develop. The droid R2D2 escapes in search of Obi-Wan Kenobi, which is when Luke saves the droids and actually meets his mentor. Then his aunt and uncle, the people who have raised him and looked after him, were killed. This heartbreak threw Luke into a rage to destroy the Death Star and return the droids to Princess Leia, although they are not aware that she is being held prisoner. At first Luke didn’t want to get involved in any adventure because he feared the wrath of his uncle and wanted to obey, but once he and his aunt were killed and home destroyed, Luke became engaged. He had stumbled upon viewing Princess Leia in a virtual file stored in R2D2. His desire to destroy the Empire grows and he wants to leave the planet. He battles forces and droids but eventually leaves in charter, guided by Han Solo, finding out that the rebel headquarters they were going to has been blown up. They are brought on board the Death Star and form a plan to rescue Princess Leia and give the information to the rebel forces.\n\n\nLuke counts on Obi-Wan Kenobi to mentor him and guide him through this quest, but when Obi-Wan battles Darth Vader he is killed. There is a huge, epic space battle and eventually rescue the Princess and escape. They arrive at the rebel base and deliver the information. Luke and his flaky friend Han Solo drop a bomb on the air conditioning duct which blows up the Death Star. Boom. Mission accomplished.\n\nThe main conflict I see in this is between a good force and an evil force. Even when you’re stuck between making a tough decision and an easy choice (doing something right or wrong), it’s best to sacrifice and be honest. Truth and loyalty always prevail, and we aren’t given clear, direct paths in life. Sometimes we have to untangle the pieces to the puzzle to figure out what is the answer to sticky situations and in return we become more grateful for the journey we encountered and endured.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8120529055595398}
{"content": ", , , , , , ,\n\nIn this installment of the history of atom theory, physics professor (and my dad) Dean Zollman discusses the problems physicists had with Bohr’s model – and they could get downright catty. – Kim\n\nBy Dean Zollman\n\nDean ZollmanIf you look at a description of the Bohr model of the atom in most textbooks or many popularized accounts, you could easily get the impression that it was an immediate success. Physicists were troubled by some of its assumptions, but it worked, so they moved on. However, like several other developments that I have discussed in these posts, the history is more complex. Many physicists were not just unhappy with some of the assumptions, they were sure the entire model was absolutely wrong.\n\nBasically the Bohr model of the atom was an attempt to use the classical physics of Newton, Maxwell, and others but incorporate the quantum ideas of Planck and Einstein. Thus, it was the beginning of a revolution but not as great as the revolution that was to come soon. As a result of Bohr’s quantum-classical blended model, five major concerns arose.\n\n  1. An accelerating charged particle will emit continuous radiation. An electron moving in a circle is accelerating. Yet in Bohr’s model the orbiting electrons did not radiate. If it did, the electron would spiral quickly into the nucleus. (I discussed this one in a previous post.) Bohr had no logical reason for the nonradiating electron, but without it, atoms would not exist.\n  2. In the early 20th century, electromagnetic radiation such as radio waves was created by shaking electrons back and forth. The frequency of the shaking determined the frequency of the wave. For radio, microwaves, etc., we still do that. A radio station that broadcasts at 99.5 megahertz shakes electrons in its antenna 99,500,000 times per second. Scientists in 1913 expected that light was emitted in the same way, so an electron in an atom would vibrate to emit light. However, in the Bohr model nothing vibrated; the light just appeared as the electron changed orbits.\n  3. Even worse, these “quantum jumps” in orbit seemed to occur without a cause. Once an electron was in orbit with an energy higher than the lowest possible energy, it would at some time move to a lower energy, but Bohr could not ascribe a cause to that event.\n  4. Then, physicists asked: how does the electron “know” where it is going? When it leaves one orbit, it gives off a photon of light. The energy of that photon is determined by the energy that the electron will have when it lands in the lower orbit. It seems that the electron knows what will happen to it before the event is finished.\n  5. And, finally, what happens to the electron in between the time it leaves one orbit and the time it gets to the second orbit?\n\nSo, there were some rather good reasons to wonder if Bohr was making up a story that just did not fit with the known laws of physics. However, for many people something was more important than these concerns. The Bohr model worked in a way no other model of the atom had. Bohr had been able to reproduce the equation for the spectral lines that had been discovered by Balmer. He had also explained several recently observed effects. That was enough for some physicists, but not for all.\n\nArnold Sommerfeld\n\nArnold Sommerfeld in 1897 (public domain via Wikimedia Commons)\n\nArnold Sommerfeld (1888-1951) at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich did see the positive side of Bohr’s model. He and his colleagues made modifications to the model by assuming that the electron would move in elliptical orbits rather than circles. (Then, the electrons are moving in a manner similar to the planets around the sun.)\n\nThis change made the connection between the model and recent accurate measurements even better than the model with circular orbits. Thus. These refinements to create the Bohr-Sommerfeld model gave the model more credibility than it had before.\n\nBohr-Sommerfeld model of the atom The Bohr-Sommerfeld model of the atom (by Pieter Kuiper, public domain via Wikimedia Commons)\n\nPaul Ehrenfest\n\nPaul Ehrenfest (public domain via Wikimedia Commons)\n\nHowever, not everyone was happy with this turn of events. Paul Ehrenfest (1880-1933) wrote to Sommerfeld to congratulate him on this work. His statement was somewhat a back-handed compliment. He said, “Even I consider it horrible that this success will help the preliminary, but still completely monstrous, Bohr model on to new triumphs, I nevertheless heartily wish physics at Munich further success along this path!” Earlier Ehrenfest had written to Hendrik Lorentz (1853-1928), “Bohr’s work on the quantum theory of the Balmer formula, has driven me to despair. If this is the way to reach the goal, I must give up doing physics.” Clearly, Ehrenfest was not a fan of the Bohr model.\n\nOne of the least diplomatic critics of Bohr was Johannes Stark (1874-1957). In 1919, Stark received the Noble Prize for two discoveries. One of these discoveries, which bears his name, is that spectral lines will split into more than one line when the atoms that emit them are in an intense electric field. Other physicists were able to use the Bohr-Sommerfeld model of the atom to explain why this splitting occurs. That did not, however, stop Stark from taking an intellectual shot at Bohr.\n\nDuring Stark’s Nobel Lecture, he stated Planck’s hypothesis “forms the starting point of Bohr’s theory of the emission of serial lines. Although I myself once stood on the threshold of this theory, and although the final formulae give a series of frequency relationships in the spectral series which agree well with observed facts, I am nevertheless unable to believe it, because in its provisions it postulates suppositions which contradict, not only Maxwell’s theory, but the very spirit of physics. This criticism is directed not at Planck’s quantum of action, but at the hypotheses of Bohr which are bound up with it.”\n\nIn other words, Planck’s ideas are OK, but Bohr misused them and must be wrong. I have not found any record of Stark’s thoughts when Bohr was the recipient of the Nobel Prize three years later.\n\nStark’s choices in politics were also not very wise. With Philipp Lenard (1862-1947) he led the Deutsche Physik (German physics, sometimes called Aryan Physics) movement during the Nazi period in Germany.\n\nThere were also many critics of Bohr’s model in England, including J.J. Thompson (1856-1940), the discoverer of the electron, and John William Nicholson (1881-1955), who developed his own atomic model.\n\nAll of the criticisms were eventually silenced when Bohr’s model was replaced by modern quantum theory. We will get to that in a couple of months. But, first we will look at an explanation for why the electrons do not radiate while moving in an orbit. This hypothesis partially helped give a foundation to one of Bohr’s assumptions and laid more of the groundwork for quantum theory. It even involves a French prince.\n\n(Several of the quotations in this post are reproduced from a series of papers written or co-written by Helge Kragh.)\n\n\n\nWhat Are Things Made of? Depends on When You Ask.\n\nAncient Greeks Were the First to Hypothesize Atoms\n\nThe Poetry of Atoms\n\nAtom Theory in Ancient India\n\nReligion, Science Clashed over Atoms\n\nMedieval Arabic Scholarship Might Have Preserved Scientific Knowledge\n\nRediscovering a Roman Poet – and Atom Theory – Centuries Later\n\nReconciling Atom Theory with Religion\n\n\nDid Gifted Scientist’s Belief in Atoms Led to His Obscurity?\n\nDoes Atom Theory Apply to the Earthly and the Divine?\n\nA Duchess Inspired by Atoms\n\nSeparating Atoms from Atheism\n\nIsaac Newton: 300 Years Ahead of His Time\n\nIssac Newton and the Philosopher’s Stone\n\nWhen Chemistry and Physics Split\n\nRedefining Elements\n\nMme Lavoisier: Partner in Science, Partner in Life\n\nWith Atoms, Proportionality and Simplicity Rule\n\nDespite Evidence of Atoms, 19th Century Skeptics Didn’t Budge\n\nMission of the First International Scientific Conference: Clear up Confusion\n\nRivalry over the First Periodic Table\n\nThe Puzzle of Dark Lines amid Rainbow Colors\n\nThe Colorful Signature of Each Element\n\nLight Waves by the Numbers\n\nEven Scientific Dead Ends Can Contribute to Knowledge\n\nDiscovery of the Electron Took Decades and Multiple Scientists\n\n‘Wonders of the X-ray’\n\nThe Accidental Discovery of Radioactivity\n\nMarie Curie: A Determined Scientist\n\nPierre and Marie Curie Extract Radium – and Pay a High Price\n\nScientists Delve into Radioactivity and Make Their Own Discoveries\n\nThe First Attempts to Visualize Atoms\n\nDid Busy Work Lead to Models for Atoms?\n\nWhy Does Ice Melt? The Answer Lies in Physics.\n\n\nHow Bohr’s Famous Model of the Atom Was Created\n\nBohr’s Model of the Atom Answers Fundamental Questions – but Raises More", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.810926616191864}
{"content": "day twenty-two 23april 2015\n\n\nsoil temp 15.5 oC\n\nirrigation assessment today\n\n\n\nday twenty-one 22april 2015\n\n\n\nbaro: 1028.3 hPa | rain 0.0 mm | soil temp temp high 18.6oC low 12.3oC | wind SE 10.6 km/h , slight breeze | humidity 91% cloud partly cloudy 275 m\n\nsoil temperature 15.5oC\n\n\n\nfor the next three days we will be spending our days with our tutor BRYCE learning how to “MAINTAIN AN IRRIGATION SYSTEM USED IN HORTICULTURE”\n\nreasons for watering plants are\n\n– photosynthesis\n– uptake of nutrients through root system\n– turgidity\n– osmosis\n\nphotosynthesis source 'google'\n\nsource ‘google’\n\nAll living things need energy to survive. Animals have to hunt or gather food to get the energy they need, but plants can make their own food using light energy from the sun. This process is called photosynthesis, and it takes place in the chloroplasts, tiny green structures found in the green parts of plants.\n\nIt is a complicated process, but basically, carbon dioxide and water are converted to glucose (a simple sugar) and oxygen.\n\nIn this way, plants make, or produce, the beginnings of most of the food energy on Earth. This is why plants are called producers. They use some of the food energy to carry out their own functions, and store the rest of the energy in their leaves, stems, roots and other parts.\n\nWhen an animal eats part of a plant, the animal takes the plant’s stored food energy into its body. Creatures that eat food energy are called consumers. Animals that eat plants directly are called primary consumers. Animals that get their food energy by eating other animals are called secondary consumers since the plant’s energy has been consumed a second time. The relationships between producers and consumers can be represented by food chains and webs.\n\nEventually, all living things die. Then it is time for the decomposers to use the energy. Decomposers break down and take the energy from dead things into their bodies. They also enrich the soil, which helps plants to grow and create more food energy for all of us.\n\nturgidity source: google images\n\nsource: google images\n\n\n\n\nTurgor pressure on plant cells diagram.svg\n\n\nEventually, the cell’s membrane is enlarged such that it pushes against the cell’s rigid wall. At this point the cell is said to be turgid.[1] In an isotonic solution, water flows into the cell at the same rate it flows out. The pressure pushing the cell’s membrane against its wall is reduced and the cell is said to be ‘flaccid’. When a cell is placed in a hypertonic solution water actually flows out of the cell into the surrounding solution. This, plasmolysis, causes the membrane to recede from the wall and is responsible for wilting in plant cells.\n\nosmosis  source :wikipedia\n\nsource :wikipedia\n\n\nOne frame of a computer simulation of osmosis\n\n\n\nJean-Antoine Nollet first documented observation of osmosis in 1748.[7] The word “osmosis” descends from the words “endosmose” and “exosmose”, which were coined by French physician René Joachim Henri Dutrochet (1776–1847) from the Greek words ένδον (endon : within), έξο (exo : outside), and ωσμος (osmos : push, impulsion).[8]\n\nWATER in Maori Culture\n\nWaiora  Purest Water\n\nWai Maori is freshwater or drinking water from spring\n\nWaimate or Waikura is stagnant water or polluted water\n\nexpressing the unseen  source\n\nexpressing the unseen\n\n\n\n\n\nThe tensiometer uses a column of water attached to a ceramic cup. There is a pressure gauge that is a the top of the column to measure how much of a vaccum is created. How the tensiometer works is very simple. If the soil is at field capacity then no water will be lost through the ceramic cup. But if the soil is lower then field capacity water will slowly seep out of the cup. As the water leaves the ceramic cup it causes a vaccum in the column which causes the gauge to get a reading. By taking a reading from the gauge you can figure out how much water is actually in the soil. This picture shows how depth of the Tensiometer can have an effect on the amount of water that is lost.\n\nsource :\n\nsource :\n\nhybrid vs heirloom\n\n\nshared from\n\nMore and more people are getting into gardening these days, especially to grow their own food. The most popular grow-your-own plants sprouting in garden beds everywhere are tomatoes, because let’s face it — nothing beats a garden tomato in your salad or on a BLT, and they’re fairly easy to grow.  But with many more varieties for gardeners to choose from than there were just a decade ago, there can be some confusion, especially about varieties. So let’s explore some specifics about these summertime favorites:\n\nQ: What types of tomatoes can I grow to have a good canning season?\n\nA:  When selecting tomato varieties, there are basically two growth types: Determinate and Indeterminate.  Select determinates if you’re looking for a mass one-time bloom and produce. These are great for canning, since the plant blooms almost all at once, sets fruit, and can be harvested for mass production. Succession planting these every two weeks will get you a great harvest. Indeterminate plants will constantly produce. The more you pick, the more they bloom and produce. One plant will have you picking through to the first frost.\n\nQ: I have heard that heirlooms are the better variety. What makes it an heirloom?\n\nA: Heirloom tomatoes are open pollinated, meaning they’re pollinated by insects or wind without human intervention.  Heirlooms lack the deep red color and sugar processing ability, so the ripening process is not wasting energy making that red color. They come from seed that has been handed down for generations in a particular region, hand-selected by gardeners for a special trait. Most are not as disease resistant as hybrids. Usually varieties from seed more than 40 to 50 years old, passed down through the generation of that plant, constitutes it to be an heirloom.\n\nQ: So what is a hybrid, actually?\n\nA: Hybrids are created when plant breeders intentionally cross-pollinate at least two different varieties of a plant to produce an offspring that contains the best trait of each parent, such as bigger size or better disease resistance. Hybrid seeds will not produce the same cultivar, but will produce one of the parent plants. Most hybrid seeds are sterile, and won’t germinate. You can check to see if your hybrid tomato seeds are viable by placing them in a damp paper towel for a few days. Some will not sprout, others will, and what you get may be a pleasant surprise. In general, hybrids offer a combination of these favorable traits: dependability, easy care, early maturity, better yield, improved flavor, specific plant size, and/or disease resistance.\n\nWhile hybrid plants typically yield fruit that is uniform in appearance (like what you’d see at the supermarket), heirloom vegetables produce a harvest that can be mixed, and may produce less predictably. Fruit size can vary greatly, even on the same plant.\n\nIt’s important to note that hybrid and heirloom tomato varieties are not genetically modified organisms (GMO).\n\n\nDreaming of Abundant Gardens, Food Forests and Delicious Yards!\n\n\nEven with all the snowflakes, slushy sleet and ice pellets that have been cluttering our skies and blanketing our soils lately, I’ve got visions of lush, green gardens decorating my thoughts today. We started our pepper, eggplant and herb seeds the other day, and many of our spring greens are already germinating, so the season is on here at Edible Earthscapes. In particular this week, I’ve been turning my attention toward garden designs as Luke and I already have jobs rolling in just a few weeks into our new collaboration.\n\nThere are always question marks when you enter into a new enterprise, and even more unknowns when you throw a person you hardly know into the mix as a partner.  Luke and I met last spring when he and his family became new neighbors of ours.  Over the last several months, our friendship has organically gravitated toward a working relationship…\n\nView original post 432 more words\n\nday twenty 2 april 2015\n\n\nbaro 1029.3 hPa | rain 0.6 mm | soil temp\ntemp high 18.2 oC | temp low 13.7 oC | wind 1.9 km/h SSW\nhumidity 93 % | cloud 231 m (kerikeri weather station says clear but it just rained )\n\n  • seed sowing\n    kale (curly kind)\n    chinese cabbage\n    peas (direct sow)\n\nand we are planning and planting our four garden beds\n\nwhite butterfly.001", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8905565142631531}
{"content": "\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTake home points\n\n-Note the history of abdominal surgeries or look for a scar\n\n-Distension is huge! (sensitive and specific)\n\n-Auscultation may have some value in ileus vs gastroenteritis vs SBO\n\n\n\nA patient presents with difficulty feeding for the past month.  Specifically, she states that she is “unable” to swallow.  How do we perform the bedside examination so as to take this presentation to the highest degree of resolution?\n\n\nSwallowing can be divided into 2 processes: oropharyngeal and esophageal.\n\n\nThe oropharyngeal process moves the food bolus from the back of the tongue to the pharynx, where the pharynx squeezes it into the upper esophagus.  This event involves the soft palate closing of the nasopharynx, the epiglottis closing of the tracheal entrance, and the upper esophageal sphincter transiently relaxing to accommodate the food bolus.  This is a complex neurological event, and oropharyngeal dysphagia is usually caused by a neurological disease.  Telltale signs include nasal and tracheal aspiration, as well as inability to propel food out of the pharynx.\n\n\nThe esophageal process moves food from the upper esophageal sphincter (cricopharyngeus) to the lower esophageal sphincter.  Disruption can be anatomic (obstruction) or physiologic (motility). It presents with the feeling that food gets stuck in the esophagus. Patients feel these symptoms in the chest.\n\n\nDysphagia to solids only (such as chewy meats) signifies an anatomic obstruction. Gastroenterologists use marshmallows to bring this out, and call it a “viscous swallow.” Typical causes of anatomic obstruction include stricture, ring, or cancer.\n\n\nDysphagia to liquids and solids signifies a physiologic motility disorder. These can be localized to the lower esophageal sphincter, such as achalasia, or can be diffuse, such as diffuse esophageal spasm. Motility orders can also be secondary to inflammation, such as in gastroesophageal reflux disease.\n\n\nBy clarifying which part of the swallow process is disordered as well as noting whether liquids are affected helps considerably narrow the differential diagnosis of dysphagia.\n\n\n\n-Inability to swallow or aspiration indicates oropharyngeal dysphagia, and is usually neurologic.\n\n-Dysphagia to solids indicates obstruction.\n\n-Dysphagia to liquids and solids indicates a motility disorder.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7480248212814331}
{"content": "\n\nWhat is Tolerance?\n\nPeople can develop tolerance to both illegal and prescription drugs. Tolerance is a physical effect of repeated use of a drug. A person may notice that they need to take more than usual of the same drug to produce the same effects.\n\nWhat is dependence?\n\nThe words dependence an addiction are often used interchangeably, but there are important differences to be aware of. A non-addictive drug can also produce dependence. In medical terms, dependence refers to a physical condition in which the body has adapted to the substance. If a person with dependence stops taking that drug suddenly, that person will experience symptoms that are both measurable and predictable, known as withdrawal symptoms.\n\nWhat is Addiction?\n\nAccording to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), addiction is defined as a “chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences”. This compulsion can be very long lasting and can return unexpectedly, even after years of abstinence.\n\nMore Facts from the Center For Disease Control and Prevention: -Deaths linked to opioids are skyrocketing. Two million Americans were dependent on prescription opioids in 2014, and overdoses linked to opioids killed more than 28,000 nationwide.\n\n-Every 19 minutes, someone dies from an overdose.\n\n-Heroin is linked to higher incidences of HIV, hepatitis and other blood diseases.\n\n-Heroin addiction is linked to infections of the heart lining and valves, and rheumatological diseases.\n\nNIDA Source: National Institute On Drug Abuse (2003). Preventing Drug Use Among Children and Adolescents: A Research-Based Guide For Parents, Educators and Community Leaders.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.709041953086853}
{"content": "Newton's cradle spheres\nMetal spheres in a Newton’s cradle (shown) swing back and forth rhythmically. The toy has inspired a quantum experiment where atoms replace the balls.\n\n\n\n\nNewton's cradle consists of suspended metal spheres dangling in a row. Pull back one ball on the end and let it fall back to hit its neighbor, and a ball on the other end pops out before swinging back and repeating the process. This regularly repeating motion continues until friction slows the balls' swing.\n\nThe quantum version replaces those spheres with a row of chilled, laser-trapped atoms. Lev and colleagues created an array of about 700 such quantum Newton's cradles, each composed of around 50 atoms of the element dysprosium, and kicked them into motion with a laser.\n\nFor the quantum Newton's cradle to thermalize, all the atoms must be moving randomly - akin to the jiggling molecules in a cup of coffee - instead of in a regular back-and-forth pattern. To achieve that randomness, Lev and colleagues took advantage of the fact that dysprosium atoms are magnetic. In addition to colliding with one another, the atoms tugged on one another magnetically. That additional interaction introduced chaos that scrambled the atoms' motions.\n\nBy changing the orientation of the atoms' magnetic poles, Lev and colleagues tuned the strength of the magnetic interactions and studied how the system approached equilibrium. At first, the atoms rapidly progressed toward thermal equilibrium, then switched to a slower advance, Lev and colleagues report in a paper published May 2 in Physical Review X.\n\nThe result could be important for designing ultrasmall devices and quantum computers, which could perform efficient calculations using quantum mechanics. \"If you want to have a quantum computer, it will be very far off equilibrium,\" says physicist Jörg Schmiedmayer of Technische Universität Wien in Austria, who was not involved with the research. That's because, in equilibrium, information is lost thanks to the scrambling of particles' properties.\n\nSo understanding how quantum systems reach equilibrium is a rapidly developing topic of study. \"In 20 years ... we will have this completely different understanding of the thermodynamics of quantum systems,\" Schmiedmayer says.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9770180583000183}
{"content": "BOGOTÁ — Emmanuel Macron's victory in the French presidential elections stands as a big red Stop sign to a populist trends around the world. More than that, it is a reaffirmation that the liberal democratic state remains pertinent and viable even in the face of the discrepancies that globalization has inevitably produced. After the victories of Brexit and Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen's victory would have sealed the fate of the European Union and meant a worldwide return to protectionism.\n\nThe 2008 economic crisis did not show up \"alone.\" It was accompanied by a deterioration, practically the world over, of governments' ability to connect with citizens, as shown in the eruption of various anti-system populist movements and a spreading of mass dissatisfaction with the political order and democracy. Furthermore, the inability of the establishment to satisfy the demands of those hurt by globalization, and a string of corruption scandals revealed across many countries, were accelerated by the network effects of the Internet and mass media culture.\n\nMacron managed in a stark debate last week to unmask his rival\n\nBut ideology has grown hard to analyze: the candidates of the new Right are as protectionist as those of the old Left. Amid Hillary Clinton's defeat in the United States, and spreading fiscal crises and the crumbling welfare state, no one until Macron had deemed it necessary to explain the contradictions between their promises to restore lost jobs in prosperous states and the realities of globalization. They were not saying how they would \"order\" changes within the global chains of production, to raise prices and lower wages and costs, or who would pay the price of abandoning the principles of specialization​ or comparative advantage.\n\nThe Macron phenomenon is, among other things, democracy's counterpunch to these new forms of doing politics based on winning voters' support by hook or by crook — using alternative truths and post-facts if need be — and failing that just lying, as I pointed out in a column in January. Macron managed in a stark debate last week to unmask his rival before millions of French viewers. Her project \"thrives on fear and lies,\" he told her, highlighting the strategy that yielded results in the United Kingdom and the United States (Russian meddling, the FBI etc..) and to which Madame Le Pen resorted to the very end, hacking and all.\n\nThe Macron coalition, backed by both Right and Left, can also provide a very specific boost to the beleaguered European Union. It represents a proposal to govern away from the extremes, an inclusive model that promotes the private sector and economic freedom without discarding the state's role in limiting inequalities and promoting social progress. Macron's victory begins to move toward resolving some evident dysfunctionalities of the political order in light of globalization, though clearly further adjustment will also prove necessary.\n\nHere in Colombia, Macron's victory will not have palpable effects in the short term, nor will it influence the presidential elections scheduled for 2018. For perhaps our most pressing electoral issue, the peace process with FARC rebels, one suspects that those who celebrated Trump's victory, will not be throwing a party for Macron.\n\nSo is this a return to democratic liberalism? Yes, at least in France, though on the global level we can expect the continuation of the tug-of-war between those trying to profit from the clash of democracy and globalization and those who insist on maintaining the established regime and playing by its rules.\n\nThe EU will, while it lasts, continue to be a weighty player in world affairs, assuring plurality and balancing the roles and political and economic decisions of the United States, Russia and China, in a context of drastic volatility in the world order.\n\nSee more from Opinion / Analysis here", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5595755577087402}
{"content": "Connecting Children with Nature: Interview with Wendolyn Bird\n\nWendolyn Bird\n\nby Aidan Young\n\nThis interview was a blast for me. Wendolyn Bird is an expert in nature connection for young children and a delight to talk to. Jon Young also weighs in with wisdom shared from ​his visits with the Kalahari Bushmen. You can jump right into the interview below, or read on for a little story of mine that I find useful in priming my brain for this conversation.\n\nListen online or download the audio (show notes continue below):\n\n\nIt was one of those February days in the Bay Area that make me grateful to live here; close to 70 degrees and not a cloud in the sky.  We had just finished harvesting the chickweed from the shady side of the meadow. Now the winter sun cast across the field at an angle that belied its warmth and settled across our picnic blanket.  We sat with a handful of 5-year-olds, and their mothers, and it was time for a story to go with our lunch.  \n\nMy co-instructor pulled out the book “Over In The Meadow,” a book I hadn’t seen in almost 30 years. Together we sang: “Over in the meadow, in the sand and the sun, lived an old mother turtle and her little turtle one. “Dig,” said the mother. “I dig,” said the one, and they dug all day in the sand and the sun.”  As I sung I was 5 again, and I could hear my mother’s voice singing along with me.  I remembered her warmth as I snuggled next to her and I couldn’t help but smile at the little ones in front of me, cuddled up with their moms. In that moment, I knew exactly how they felt. Maybe they will remember that moment in 30 years when they sit down to read to their children. \n\n​As that little boy in my memory, my imagination blurring the lines of reality, I became the turtle. I can still feel the sunshine on my shell as I write this. Imagination and imitation have an incredible power to involve all of our senses and etch experiences into our brains in a way that intellectual discourse seldom does.  It is in this space that children under 6 live most of the time. When I pretended to imitate a deer or a fox, I could almost feel my ears or my long, bushy tail.\n\nDiscover nature in your own back yard with the connecting with nature online course\n\nWhen engaging with young children they are much more likely to follow you than listen to you.  They are in a space of imitation, imagination, and experimentation.  They are ready to become a crow, a lizard, or a ninja turtle at a moment’s notice, but not so interested in facts unless those facts are playing out in front of them in a way they can experience directly. I’ve seen a young child lay perfectly still on their belly next to a gopher hole because we just saw that gopher come out a moment before. But when I told them about the gopher hole the week before they couldn’t care less. They want to be where the action is. \n\n​Believe it or not, there was a time in your life when you didn’t know what time it was, what day of the week it was, when your next deadline would be. There was a time when “present” was all you could be, even if what you were present to was totally imaginary.  Whether you’re a parent, teacher, babysitter, or family friend, if you’re planning to spend some time with 5-year-olds, I would ask you this: can you remember a moment in your own childhood like Over in the Meadow? Maybe there was a day you spent in your back yard creating a little village out of sticks and leaves, or that time you became your favorite singer and had a concert in front of your mirror. Whatever it is, if you can let your inner 5-year-old out, you’ll have a blast.\n\nI believe that it’s more important than ever with this age group to make sure that we care for our own state of being before engaging.  In order to create a space where these young children are free to explore and experience the world around them, we have to be in a space where we be present, playful, inquisitive, and supportive. And, knowing they are in a place of imitation, we must be careful to bring our  best energy to each and every moment.  \n\nWendolyn and Jon share some great insights into this experience, from the perspective of both child and mentor. I enjoyed digging in with them and I hope you do too! Thanks for reading. - Aidan\n\nListen to the Podcast:\n\n\nInterview Outline and Show Notes\n\n0:00 - Introductions\n\n0:58 - Jon: background and history with Wendolyn\n\n2:50 - Jon: history and background of nature connection\n\n11:24 - Wendolyn: nature connection\n\n14:55 - Wendolyn: the young child’s mind\n\n19:24 - Wendolyn: nature as the classroom\n\n21:13 - Jon: Nature connection and the importance of modeling and mentoring\n\n35:09 - Wendolyn: Parents’ expectations and understanding, learning to ground\n\n43:48 - Aidan: grounding, mentoring, and modeling\n\n46:50 - Aidan & Wendolyn: hazards and developing awareness\n\n50:33 - Wendolyn: supporting development and learning\n\n52:53 - Wendolyn: observation and meeting children where they’re at\n\n54:52 - Aidan: need for being grounded to enable mentoring\n\n55:35 - Wendolyn: on grounding\n\n57:27 - Jon: on grounding and inner tracking\n\n60:07 - Aidan: grounding, and what are you bringing to the moment? The value of gratitude routines\n\n63:40 - Jon: the words before all else\n\n64:52 - Closing thoughts\n\n​Connect with ​Wendolyn Bird\n\n\n\nConnect with Jon Young\n\nVisit to learn more about Jon and his work in nature connection, including audio, video, courses, workshops, books, and more.\n\n​Connect with Aidan Young\n\nVisit to learn more about Aidan, his music, and mentoring.\n\nFollow Aidan on Facebook, Instagram, or Youtube\n\nTwo Very Different Walks, One Trail\n\n​by Josh Lane, Deep Nature Connection Mentor\n\nExploring Mindful Awareness in Daily Life\n\n\n\n\n​Part 1: The \"Fast-Forward\" Mindset\n\nPerson/Attitude #1\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n​What did that person notice about the world around them?\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPart Two: Same Person, ​New Mindset\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nI invite you to consider and ask:\n\n\nHave fun ​ - happy connecting!\n\n​About the Author\n\n\n\n\nJosh Lane\n\nPhoto by Virginia Dunn.\n\nHow Bird Language Helps Us Connect\n\nMeet Jon YoungArticle by Jon Young, 8 Shields Founder\n\nResearch about the impact of nature connection on people’s health and well-being is now pointing directly at something we have observed through our work over the past 30 years: bird language really helps move people into true nature connection.\n\nMy book, What the Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World, has helped open doors to new audiences, and to affirm that people from these new audiences are connecting to nature through bird language.\n\nIn his review for The Wall Street Journal, Jonathan Rosen helped to bring out implications for nature connection and families through existing bird enthusiasts. It’s very exciting.\n\n“What makes the approach of What the Robin Knows so refreshing is that it borrows back into bird-watching something the practice often surrenders to birders, those single-minded stalkers who identify and then abandon individual birds with promiscuous fury. My daughter has little interest in my fits of avian acquisitiveness, but sitting quietly in the woods, taking in the whole system as a sort of babbling classroom whose sounds and silences all communicate something important, she was mesmerized—and so was I. This, more than anything else, is what bird-watching ought to mean.”\n\n-Jonathan Rosen, author of Bird Sense, for The Wall Street Journal\n\nAn Instinctive Response\n\nThink about Jonathan’s “mesmerized” daughter in this. What causes this mesmerized response?\n\nWhat I have heard again and again is that bird language “makes sense” in a deeper kind of way. People can relate to bird language in a deeply human and truly ancient way, and these are not necessarily people who are really interested in “birding” like I am, or review author Jonathan Rosen is. However, I don’t see bird language as necessarily separate from birding; in fact, I see bird language as an essential and helpful component of bird watching. That said, it is clear that folks I know who are not interested in birding, are interested in bird language. And, I am discovering, it can work the other way too!\n\nThe more important questions for me, though, are: “What is compelling an almost instinctive response in people discovering bird language and its connective practice?” And, “How can we benefit from these patterns, and help others as well?”\n\nIn my earlier days of training and mentoring naturalists, there was a profusion of guide books that answered the question “who?” These are identification guides for wildlife and plants. There are many “identification guides” it seems for most everything that moves and crawls, and even things like rocks, stars and weather. Then, along came a new genre of guidebooks that reflected a ‘deepening’ inquiry. These are books that talk about “what” animals and birds are doing. The field guides to bird behavior emerged.\n\nAs the birding world deepens further, it seems that bird language can take off on the “what” birds are doing and go into the “why” and “how” a bit more. Bird language is helping to fill in the story in our field guide literature a bit more. It’s not new understanding; bird language is ancient and is being retold in a new language of science.\n\nConnecting on a Deep Level\n\nThe other thing that bird language is providing is an experience of feedback to us as participants in the birds’ experience—not just our own. In other words, our behavior impacts their behavior. With an understanding of how we can alter our behavior, and thereby their behavior, we gain something yet deeper. This is part of what we mean by “deep bird language”.\n\nThough the term “deep bird language” was coined during the writing of What the Robin Knows, reflection on implications of the term “deep” changed the way I see what I do and what our greater 8 Shields movement offers. When applied to what our movement has been doing for thirty years, the word basically brands us our very approach to nature connection.\n\nIt was from the naming of the concept of deep bird language that I realized my life’s work is about deep nature connection. The ‘success’ of deep nature connection, and its subset deep bird language, is measured and defined by certain attributes. These attributes indicate ‘arrival at the station’ called “deep” along the path as a continuum from perceived and experienced disconnection to the place where connection is self-evident and drives changes in values and behaviors (towards sustainability).\n\nFor this article, I want to stay focused on bird language as a practice and its impact on us, and its influence on our journey towards emergent deep nature connection attributes.\n\nBenefits of Deep Nature Connection\n\nWhen the core routines of learning bird language are practiced, there are resultant benefits. These are linked to the attributes of deep nature connection, and are brought on through regular immersion in practices of attentiveness, silence, listening, sharing learning through storytelling and sitting quietly in the same area day after day, season after season. Over time, through these and other related practices constituting the study and experience of bird language, these are some of the benefits could emerge:\n\n1) The attentive practices of bird language help people sense and awakening an ancient, instinctive potential to pay attention at a much more profound level; this attentiveness brings about benefits from quieting the mind, developing a sense of inner calm and peace, awakening curiosity and increasing enjoyment of the out-of-doors experience\n\n2) Through developing connections with birds, people report that they are happier and more engaged with our surroundings\n\n3) The vitality with which birds respond to bird language is inspiring; people report that they are influenced in a positive way by the “modeling” the quickness of birds provides\n\n4) The deep-listening skills and multi-dimensional attentiveness to the language of birds helps people to become better listeners and more attentive to others as friends, parents, mentors and other facilitators of human interaction and support\n\n5) Developing further experience and attentiveness to the feedback from birds and wildlife about a person’s approach and movement in the birds’ habitat, causes people to grow a greater sense of respect, empathy and a sense of connection to birds (and other wildlife); this in turn, will bring people closer to wildlife and helps people feel that they have become a part of nature and not an “intruder” into nature\n\n6) Developing understanding of interactions between birds, wildlife and their habitats expands understanding of ecology and inspires people to become more helpful to their human and natural neighbors with a more conscientious and sustainable orientation\n\n7) Over time, bird language practices will foster deeper appreciation and compassion for all living things and an awakened sense of a gratitude for the opportunity to be alive; people report that this really opens their heart and sense of love for their families and others in their lives, humanity in general and themselves.\n\nGoing Further. . .\n\nThere are many ways you can enjoy learning and experiencing bird language in your own back yard from products and offerings from 8 Shields Institute in collaboration with many fine projects around the world!\n\nFree On-line Media: Check out the What the Robin Knows audio library on our site\n\nBooks: My book What the Robin Knows is available through the 8 Shields store.\n\nAudio Media: Advanced Bird Language offers stories I am telling to a live audience from my field experiences and musing on the implications of bird language.\n\nDVD Media: Bird Language with Jon Young is a video media course teaching both bird language basics, and how to work with groups in training settings. This video will help you start a bird language group in your town!\n\nWeeklong Bird Language Course: Bird Language Intensive is an absolutely life-changing immersion into the study of bird language in a group experience. This is a phenomenal and very efficient training experience for anyone who wishes to bring bird language to others!\n\nHow to Deepen Your Sense of Place with Holistic Tracking\n\n​In today's post, 8 Shields mentor Josh Lane shares how you can expand your sensory connection with nature through the ancient art of tracking.\n\n\n\n​The Power of Tracking to Connect Us With Place\n\nby Josh Lane\n\n(edited from the audio recording)\n\nAs a nature connection mentor, I often get to interact with people around the world, and I observe people's reactions as they connect with nature. One thing I consistently find ​is that through time in nature, people say that they feel more rejuvenated… they feel a creativity emerging within themselves that maybe they had felt had gone dormant, because of overwhelm, or just from busyness or stress. So clearly, across the board, one of the responses is that nature rejuvenates us.\n\nBut, one thing I've also noticed is that many people feel like there's something more that’s possible in their nature connection experience, like there's a deeper layer of connection that they feel tugging at them. Maybe that feeling comes through in a way that's a bit indiscernible or hard to define, almost like a whisper in the wind.\n\nThis whisper from the earth is an ancient longing to connect, to know the rhythms and patterns of life in the forest, in the fields, in the mountains… to feel that on a deep level, and know how to participate in that rhythm. In fact, it's part of our inborn neurobiology.\n\n​An Instinct to Connect With Nature\n\nIf you look at the time span that we've been here on Earth as a species (and of course there's different estimates of how long we've been here as a species, but generally around at least 300,000 years or so is a pretty conservative point of view at this point in time, with the evidence that has been found so far…), for however long it's been, much of that time has been spent in the hunter-gatherer lifestyle.\n\nOur ancestors depended on their awareness of place to navigate the landscape, to find food, to avoid danger - to do all the things they needed to do to thrive and survive. So, for most of the time that we've been here as a species, our senses have been adapted to this deep relationship with place: with the patterns of the land and with the sky, and with the plants, the animals, the weather patterns… with all these different changing textures and substrates and cycles.\n\nThis is what our senses really are adapted for. ​Even ​after the perhaps 10,000 plus years for many of us having an ancestral background of an agrarian existence, with it’s shift from a hunter-gatherer mindset, yet, we still have ​that same ancient sensory capability inside us.... even as we moved further into the Industrial Revolution, and now into this Digital Age (which is just a mere pinpoint in that huge spectrum of time)... here we are, with that same inborn sensory capacity longing to connect with those primal natural patterns.\n\nSo that's ​the \"whisper\" that I often hear about from people - it’s that desire to experience the full potential of what their senses have to offer them. That desire becomes a mystery: How do we do that? How do we engage in that really deep way with our place?\n\nTracking as a Routine of Mindfulness and Connection with Place\n\nThis is where the routines of tracking come in. Jon Young calls this holistic tracking, not just looking at footprints on the ground in that mud puddle, wondering who left the tracks - although that is in itself a powerful practice - but, connecting that track to the entire landscape, to the whole rhythm and texture of that place.\n\nThe holistic viewpoint asks us to connect the track to the entire ecology: why did that red fox leave those tracks in that mud puddle? Well, where are the raspberries right now?  If you're in that season and raspberries are coming into fruit, well, the red fox is probably looking for those. At other times a year,  the fox might be looking mostly for small mammals. So there could be a variety of things drawing that fox across the landscape. The track there in the mud becomes an invitation to look at the whole ecology of place, and what's driving (either pushing or pulling) that animal through the contours of the land.\n\nAs we are out there tracking, we can open our ears up, too… maybe we'll hear the juncos that fly up off of the ground with their quiet but sharp little alarm calls, one after the other. Then the robin flies up, and then another bird takes off, and suddenly we realize there's something moving through that raspberry thicket! So if we are fully present in the moment with mindfulness, and we're tuned into the birds, suddenly we realize that, hey, maybe that fox is in there in the thicket right now, moving right here with us in this moment.\n\nSo, the track becomes an invitation to be present to what's going on. The questions become a doorway to engage our senses fully with that place, with the mysteries of the land. We start to develop a routine of connecting with the same place over and over, of rhythmically using our senses and activating them, and then coming home and asking really good questions in our journal. This creates a feedback cycle in a positive way that continues to reinforce our sensory experiences, and helps us map them out and make sense of them.\n\n​This is the cycle of holistic tracking. It’s an awareness practice that we can integrate in our lives - and in really simple ways - just by asking, “What's happening right now at my place today?” Have a sit spot that you go visit often; it could be right in the backyard or in the local park. Or, have a tracking area around that to regularly investigate. Maybe you’re not feeling called to sit, but you like to wander. So, wander through that place. Maybe you walk your dog there every day already, so it's just a matter of bringing in a few more questions, and looking a little deeper at the landscape as you walk.\n\nConnect with the place all the way from the ground up to the sky. Methodically look, sense, and feel what's going on. Ask, “Who's moving here? What are the other life forms that are here, what other animals live here? What sign might they leave behind? What are the birds saying in this moment? What direction is the wind coming from?” These kinds of questions start to open up our senses in a really magical way.\n\n​These practices are routines that I share with my clients in the Shikari mentoring journey, which is the holistic tracking pathway that we have at 8 Shields. This is what I specialize in. I've had the honor to help people around the world learn to embody this skillset in a one-on-one setting, where we focus on this type of connection with place, by engaging mindfulness through the senses.\n\nTypically, we meet once a week on the phone for an hour, and we also offer customized practices to do in the field in between each session. Then, during that time one-on-one, I’ll listen to the stories that the person has brought in from their experiences in the field at their place. Through Coyote Mentoring (through the asking of very strategic mentoring questions) over a period of eight weeks, my role as a mentor is to tease through that story of their experiences and bring the participant to a new level of questions.\n\nThe mentoring journey cycles in this way each week, and the client goes out again with those new questions and experiences the landscape in a deeper way. We set a life-long learning groundwork through this mentoring process. We supplement the learning through very specific research techniques into the lives of the animals, into mindfulness meditations, and into different ways of engaging the senses. Bit by bit, we get further into the story of these animals’ lives, and with the greater ecologies they're connected to.\n\nThrough this kind of mentoring, we develop ​the “Shikari mindset” - the skill of looking at the landscape and quickly taking in a lot of information, just because you know that place so deeply. Now, you know the patterns that are moving on the land, and you also feel your own relationship to those animals, to the birds, to the trees and plants… and how you impact that place, too. You recognize how you, too, become part of that story in a really conscious way.\n\n​These are all things that go into the Shikari journey. You can learn more about ​Shikari here. We periodically take new folks into that one-on-one experience. It's also a great way to learn the mentoring methodology, just by experiencing it for yourself. A lot of folks have commented that once they go through the training, they are then able to very naturally help others with that same methodology, because now it's in their very bones, because they've embodied it.\n\nSo that's just a little bit about the Shikari pathway, and some simple ideas that you can start to apply right now right in your own place. Whether you're walking the dog in that same spot every day, or if you get out in the garden, just hit pause on the way there and look and sense around. See what's going on and ask some questions. Keep a journal, and build out your observations over time. That's a really simple way to start building a depth of ecology of understanding about your place.\n\nWhen we engage our senses this way, remember that we're activating some very deep parts of our brain and our senses. As we do this, we come more alive in some really new and amazing ways… these practices help us feel connected to our place on the Earth, and into that place within ourselves of awareness and mindfulness. So, have some fun with that, and happy tracking!\n\n​About Josh Lane\n\n\nJosh Lane\n\nPhoto by Virginia Dunn.\n\n​Learn more about mentoring with Josh on the 8 Shields Shikari Pathway page.\n\nInterview with Victor Wooten, Dr. Nicole Apelian and Jon Young\n\nby Aidan Young\n\nI’m so excited to share this conversation with you today!  I recently had the chance to connect with Jon Young, Dr. Nicole Apelian, and Victor Wooten, and reflect on their experience with the San Bushmen from the Kalahari and what they have learned from the trip. We talked for more than an hour and there are some great stories and pieces of wisdom in there.\n\n\n\nSince our conversation, a question has been with me:\n\n​What is connection, really? And, especially with regard to nature connection, what is the value of connection in our modern lives?\n\nI have heard the 8 Shields Model described as a collection of principles designed to facilitate deep connection to nature, to other people, and to ourselves.  The stories of the San suggest to me that connecting with the world around them is at the center of their values.  As our common ancestors, they give us a look into our own nature. What can we learn from them?  \n\nFor half a million years or so, our very survival depended on highly developed senses and an intimate, encyclopedic knowledge of the natural world around us; connection was necessary for success. Recently, an evolutionary millisecond or so, we have specialized and modernized, and no longer have the same needs from a survival standpoint.  But, the evidence points toward an intrinsic yearning for connection, whether or not we still need to find our supper in the forest or stay out of the leopard’s path. \n\nWhat, then, IS connection? Why do we need it? \n\nWhat if connection is, essentially, love?\n\nWhat a brilliant survival strategy it would be to align the feeling of love with developing an understanding of the world around us. And, before you dismiss my idea as some new-age utopian fantasy, think about this for a second: when it comes to the subjects that you know best, where your knowledge is almost a little freaky, don’t you LOVE those subjects? I’ll tell you this: no one has ever made me practice music. They don’t have to. It’s a 100% bona fide love affair. \n\nIn any case, you don’t have to worry about whether this idea is true, but let’s try it on for a little while and look at connection through this lens:\n\nNature Connection\n\nMost of us can identify with the feeling of really loving a pet, and we experience that feeling as reciprocal.  Is it really that much of a stretch to think we could develop that same relationship to the robin in our back yard? As our awareness, our connection, with the world around us grows, so too our caring and love for the world grows, which draws us to connect further. It’s a positive feedback loop.  Imagine how much fun it would be to live in a world where you connected with the other animals and plants like you do with your pet!\n\nNote, the connection we are talking about here is NOT the same as knowledge. That would be like looking at a photo of a dog and then claiming you’re connected to that dog. Sure, you know it exists. That’s about it. Connection can’t be “understood,” it must be “experienced.”\n\nPeople Connection\n\n​Listening to the stories of the San, I was struck by how committed they are to taking time to properly welcome and greet every person they meet.  There’s such power in being seen and included in the group.  We are much more likely to have a positive experience when we feel safe and welcome.  Imagine your favorite times with other people and a few things are likely to be true: everyone is included, you’re having fun and laughing, or you’re sharing deep conversation, maybe even tears. \n\nTaking the time to greet and welcome someone makes them feel safe and connected. When we feel connection with those around us, we are much more likely to act from a place of love and understanding.\n\nOften, our bodies are in one place but our mind is somewhere else. Routines like circling up and sharing something we’re thankful for helps us to become present.  What would it be like if we took the time to do these things with the people in our lives?\n\nConnection to Self\n\nIn the recording, Victor describes how he felt “free to be me” when he was with the Bushmen.  If we spend enough time in connection, feeling safe, welcome, and accepted, what emerges?  Our natural interests and personality.  Each of us is drawn in a unique direction. What does it look like when we are allowed to be drawn naturally?\n\nSurrounded by others that welcome and accept us, it is also safe for us to grow and learn, and for us to seek help and guidance when we need it.  Imagine living in a community where everyone was “someone I can talk to.” Imagine living in a world where your true gifts were being shared with your community, and so were the gifts of everyone around you.\n\nThe San value people and connection first. Of course, they live very simple lives. They don’t have ​mortgages, or cell phone bills. It is, admittedly, a challenge for us to juggle the necessary complexity of things in our lives. But, let me leave you with this: what if you put people and connection first? What if you put love, and being loving, first? How would things change? \n\nThanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy our conversation!\n\n-Aidan Young\n\n​Connect with Nicole Apelian\n\n​Visit for more about Nicole, her classes, natural wellness and her herbal apothecary. \n\nFollow Nicole on social media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram\n\nConnect with Victor Wooten\n\nVisit to learn about his music, books, camps and more.\n\n​Follow Victor on Instagram\n\nConnect with Jon Young\n\n\n​Connect with Aidan Young\n\n\nFollow Aidan on Facebook, Instagram, or Youtube", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6700422763824463}
{"content": "IN PERFORMANCE - bully.punk.riot - 3 stars\n\nA captivating look at the dangers, beauty of rebellion\n\nJune 21, 2013|By Sid Smith, Special to the Tribune\n(William Frederking, )\n\nThe cast of Atalee Judy's \"bully.punk.riot.,\" the BONEdanse and Links Hall program now at Constellation, represents an expanded crew for the choreographer, who for years has been one of the freshest innovators of our dance scene.\n\nThis younger, larger troupe seems to have reinvigorated her and the programming, spruced by additional choreography from Melissa Ganser and Megan Klein. Though uneven and tarnished by occasional shortcomings, \"bully.punk.riot.\" is more accessible than some past work and yet all the more powerful and entertaining. It's fraught with Judy's trademark, punishing acrobatics, while layered with a seductive, captivating theme on the lure, danger and beauty of violence and rebellion.\n\nVisitors are herded beforehand into a makeshift, tent-like room-within-a-room at Constellation, concocted of hanging white fabric, all guests provided a writing tool and invited to pen original graffiti while they wait. Eventually, the seven-member, all-female cast, clad in undershirts and skivvies, pull down the fabric and start the performance after patrons find their seats, the opening sections of the performance convulsive in their conflicts and shifting centers of power.\n\nMost of the pieces share the pounding, punishing falls to the floor that are a Judy leitmotif, along with short-lived choral designs that hint at -- but never quite deliver -- a reassuring order. One piece, \"futball.DUET,\" boasts colored Mohawk hair, football gear as skirt material and spiky high-heel shoes that eventually become hand weapons.\n\nIn Judy's invigorating finale, \"punk,\" she gets personal and revealing, alluding to her own days as a 13-year-old runaway and roadie in early '80s New York, immersed in the setting's vibrant music scene. This one is a raucous, exuberant homage to the mosh pit as life metaphor, the doomed hunger to conquer chaos. Throughout, the program gloriously mixes music and choreographic jolt and gesture. There's some nostalgia, too, and reckoning here with Judy's own trajectory, a kind of \"punk\" manifesto, celebration and elegy all in one -- after this gig, Judy is disbanding BONEdanse to work independently.\n\nOne selection, a computer competition, pitting Apple and the PC, seems tired and out of place. Then, again, Act II opens mercilessly funny: a graphic, all-girl send-up of ritual male behavior at a public urinal.\n\nThe score is a treasure trove, Miranda Sex Garden, the Young Gods and Dead Kennedys on the list.\n\nWhen: 7 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays through June 30\n\nWhere: Constellation, 3111 N. Western Av.\n\nPrice: $18-$20; or", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5704493522644043}
{"content": "0 votes\n\nWhat are different career opportunities after completing CAD CAM course?\n\nasked Apr 12 in Career Guidance by ramakrishnan | 11 views\n\n1 Answer\n\n0 votes\n\nCAD- CAM is having opportunities in every market field including manufacturing , production, simulation technology, robotics, architecture , restoration technology, Medical image techniques, digital game enjoying and enjoyment Techniques, system and die producer, metal manufacturing etc.\n\nanswered Apr 12 by ramakrishnan", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9998032450675964}
{"content": "Philosophy in the World\n\nMy first time attending a philosophers’ café was a very interesting experience. Early in the term I ventured in the webpage to figure out the topics that could interest me. One in particular caught my attention: What do you want to experience? So many things came into mind. The only further descriptions available were two other equally reflective questions: How do you want to grow? What do you want to contribute? On Tuesday, 27 Feb 2018, I had ventured to West Point Grey’s branch of Vancouver Public Library. I invited my friend to join me, as we had previously spoken about further enrolling in off-campus philosophical activities after taking a Philosophy 101 course in our very first term of university. Turns out the café consisted of ten chairs arranged in a circle at a library’s corner, and there were no beverages included.\n\nAttendees were of different ages, backgrounds, and ethnicities. A high school girl, my friend, and I were the youngest in the group. The small discussion set up was something I had not expected, but it ensured all members were better engaged with the conversation, constantly encouraged to contribute and listen. The session was mostly carried out by us participants, but our moderator, Meguido Zola, was a very important facilitator. He maintained a very neutral position and instead asked introspective questions for participants to share and encouraged others to ask and respond to other people in group. His method reminded me of Socrates, as we saw in class through texts like Euthyphro. His attitude lacked the dramatism of Plato’s dialogues, but his questions and comments did seem to hint us visitors of possessing some sort of answers amongst our questions, and rose more inquiries based on our comments. All the knowledge in the air made us reflect on our own thoughts and experiences. It is from this comparison that I venture to define Philosophy as the practice of conversing to yourself through others; it is the art of questioning what you think you know and being at peace with the fact that a question will always be the better answer.\n\nThe discussion touched many interesting points; from religion and secularism, faith and spirituality, to life and death, the value of enquiring, how to help others and ourselves grow, the importance of breaking from a dichotomous perspective, etc. On each topic everyone had their own thoughts, and some had the courage to share or add even more. The tangents we took seemed greater each time. Every anecdote was valuable in itself, and inspired us to reflect on the topic, and our experiences (or lack thereof).\n\nFor instance, a 25-year-old woman had come to this café curious to find an alternative answer to “big questions” after her breakage from the Christian religion. She said church did address these questions but took answers for-granted instead of questioning further possibilities. One of these questions was a very popular philosophical problem: what happens after death? Is there a soul, and if so, is it moral? The topic reminded me of Epicurus, as she later shared that by questioning the existence of a heaven and hell, she concluded that we can only experience in life, and she wants to make all her experiences worthy of living. Her reflection is then compatible with Epicurus’ naturalistic point of view, as he argues that all knowledge is gained through experiences in life; and death, being a lack of sensation (the vehicle for experience), should be nothing to us.\n\nOn the other hand, a middle-aged woman whom had been very affected by the loss of her father, said she wanted to experience a way in which she could feel connected to her loved one through an alternative source, being that she had separated herself from a conservative catholic environment ever since she went to university. After learning that the bible was not fully factual, she began to break away from the institution of the church too. The loss had made her wonder is cafés like these could stimulate her into further thought. This was her third café, and she seemed happy to there.\n\nA young man on his way to become an elementary teacher, also a café moderator in other time slots, commented how modern philosophy and the notions of the “nature of reality” were often considered the religion of the seculars. Is philosophy a religion? The act of questioning can certainly become a ritual, and these are the basis of a religion… then we decided to differentiate between “having a faith” from “being religious”. I found it quite fascinating how philosophy, the science and art of questioning, could become a religious practice. If so, this would be one whom Socrates would be a true believer and active ritualist. After all, in Plato’s Apology, Socrates embraces a death punishment as a life without practicing philosophical dialogue was “not worth living” (13). Through both course readings on Plato, I remember thinking what Socrates would do after each dialogue. Would he sit down and further think of an unsolved matter? Would he be fully at peace after being unable to define a concept objectively (as Piety in Euthyphro)? If he believed in philosophy as a religious practice that gives meaning to life, how did he arrive to such conclusion?\n\nI finally contributed to the group conversation with my own experiences, and lack thereof. I expressed being in the start of my university process, being open to new ways of seeing the world and further knowing so many things I still don’t know (or I guess, un-knowing more about the things I think I do). What did I want to experience? I envisioned my first year of university as full of enriching experiences of all sort; meet new people, expose myself to new cultures and question my behavior based on mine, dig into relativist truths, try new activities and classes, etc. Taking philosophy was one of these experiences, and I could only be grateful of the opportunity of participating in tis dialogue, the fact of giving it my own meaning, and furthermore, the simple fact of being there, in that room, at that moment, surrounded by people who felt as confused but eager to learn and question as much as I was. In the middle of my sentence, I was brought to tears.\n\nIn December I had read Bertrand Russell’s “Problems of Philosophy”, in which I learned that this discipline’s value may not be essentially tangible, but it manifests itself through our daily actions, at a micro and macro level. Philosophy is not a thing but an active practice, that keeps growing and fluctuating as members join in its conversations. Our society has hopefully evolved from Ancient Greek times, where a man of questions was put to death. Today, such practice can be our only certainty. Hopefully, we can learn more about not knowing, and be slightly more comfortable with the fact that, as I said before, a question will always be the best answer. Perhaps practicing philosophy is one of the ways to interact in the safe building of our reality every day.\n\nPhilosophy In The World: Philosopher’s Café (B)\n\nOn the night of Wednesday, March 21 I decided to attend my first philosopher’s cafe in Port Coquitlam. Honestly, prior to actually attending a philosopher’s cafe for myself I had no idea what to expect. My knowledge regarding how this type of event would work was next to nothing, besides the few sentences that briefly described the topic on SFU’s website, so I was very curious as to how the evening would unfold. For some reason I had assumed that I would be entering a room of people of similar age to mine upon arriving at the Michael Wright Art in Leigh Square, yet my assumption was completely wrong. Of the 13 people who were there (including myself) I think I can safely say that 11 of them were middle-aged adults, most of them being of or around the same age as my parents. Luckily, I asked one of my friends to come along with me so that I would not be all by myself. Interestingly enough he ended up being the only person there that was the same age as I am. The fact that I knew we were the youngest made me nervous because I felt a little out-of-place at first, but I soon became more comfortable being a part of the group once the discussion started. The conversation was structured like a discussion group. There was one moderator who kept the conversation flowing by bringing up new topics or ideas and redirected the conversation if it ever became too off topic, but other than that we could all talk freely about our thoughts and opinions one at a time. I did not notice this until it was pointed out, but the moderator mentioned how it was interesting how the majority of people happened to be men, with only four women present including the moderator herself and myself, when the topic was about evil and where it comes from.\n\nPersonally, I believe I gained a deeper understanding of philosophy from this experience as philosophy is not simply one single thought from one person. It is more of a collection of thoughts from multiple people who can be used to explain and expand on ideas we all have. To me, philosophy is attempting to answer the bigger questions like “what is right/good?”, “what is wrong?”, and “how should humans act and behave?”. It is looking for responses to situations that do not simply have one sole explanation or solution. Philosophy is about discovering what we do and do not know and continuously questioning both. My definition could be seen as quite similar to Plato who sees philosophy as having the curiosity to learn because one is never satisfied with the amount of knowledge they have or even Socrates who would describe philosophy as a daily activity or unending search for  understanding. I found that the Socratic method (as seen in Euthyphro by Plato), a form of dialogue where questions are thoughtfully asked and answered to provoke critical thinking, was present at the philosopher’s cafe. By further questioning thoughts, a more in depth conversation emerged. As new ideas and opinions were being brought forth, we openly discussed each one while analyzing possible answers and conclusions.\n\nSpeaking more specifically about the philosophy discussed in the philosopher’s cafe I believe that the concept of evil can be related to the ideas of Socrates and Plato. Because Socrates sees knowledge as the greatest good, I found that his philosophy was very present at the philosopher’s cafe. We are to treasure knowledge and continuously be in search of further knowledge through introspective deliberation. The fact that Socrates highlights self-realization because of “his belief that it is the innate knowledge which man cannot disregard” becomes quite relevant when discussing acts that are morally wrong and could even be considered evil ( He would say that knowledge that one does not have has no significant impact. Socrates points out that humans are not voluntarily ‘bad’ or ‘evil’. Humans become evil when they are not aware of the difference between what is good and what is bad. Similarly, Plato also considers the role of self-awareness and sense of morality in the soul. He explains that “the soul will always choose to do good, if it recognizes what is good” ( Plato believes that, in our souls, we are naturally drawn to good. Both Plato and Socrates would agree that if one knew what is good, it would be natural for them to choose it. They focus on how humans can be good and bad. They see morality as a very important aspect in explaining philosophy.\n\nAfter having participated in a public philosophical discussion I believe my idea of philosophy was reinforced. My thoughts on how philosophy is the continuous search for answers was strengthened. As a group we questioned what we already knew (or thought that we already knew) in order to discover new possibilities. It seemed as though everyone at the philosopher’s cafe had their own individual thoughts, yet everyone was open to learning more and hearing thoughts from others, possibly to widen their own perspective. The ideas discussed fit with the ideas I already had on knowledge and how curiosity leads to further learning. I would say that the experience of being able to have a philosophical discussion greatly enriched my understanding of what philosophy is because I had the opportunity to see how people can have meaningful conversations to broaden their perspective. Everyone seemed genuinely interested in not only sharing their point of view, but also listening to the point of view of others as well. Philosophy is about thinking and by thinking in the presence of other people one can greatly enhance their knowledge. By engaging in conversation and listening to thoughts that are conceived by other people we can further develop and expand on our own personal thoughts. By contributing to a discussion we may also be contributing to the growth and expansion of thoughts, opinions, and ideas of the people with whom we are sharing. After having attended the philosopher’s cafe, I would definitely recommend going to one. I was surprised by the cafe in the best way and I think that anyone who loves thinking, learning, and sharing ideas would certainly benefit, regardless of age and gender. I believe that these types of discussions in the community would be useful to both individuals and to the larger society because they provide a deeper insight into philosophy and how philosophy is everywhere around us.\n\nphilosophers cafe: philosophy in the world\n\n1. Describe the experience at the Philosophers’ Café\n\nWe attended the topic “Is Humour a Funny Thing?” hosted at the Britannia branch of the VPL. It was structured as a small group discussion (~10 attendees) not unlike what we do sometimes in our course discussion sections, with a moderator to steer everyone back to the topic if the conversation was to stray too far.\n\n2. Reflect on the experience of attending\n\nRZ: When I first heard the term “philosopher’s café”, I envisioned a gathering of people, young and old, discussing deep moral questions. However, what I was met with at the philosopher’s café was entirely different. The even did not take place in a café at all; rather, it was hosted in the library of an elementary school, which provided the event with a warm and almost rustic atmosphere. Most of the attendees were much older than us. In regards to the topic, I mainly expected in-depth analyses of humour, maybe even some discussion of psychology. However, most of what was mentioned was centered around different types of humour in the world and the distinctive traits of each type of comedy. Overall, the experience broadened my understanding of what counts philosophy, and what it means to be a philosopher.\n\nQW: I really overestimated the scale of the program. I thought, maybe this will be the size of an actual café, filled with people all discussing the same question. However, the experience was quite the opposite. It was simply a small group of people talking about the significance of humour. The others were overall welcoming and amicable, so I felt quite comfortable there (with the exception of a short time where two attendees got argumentative over what I believe was an unrelated cultural difference). The discussion kind of moved organically to experiences with humour and different kinds of humour and stayed there for most of the session, rather than staying directly on the titular topic. For instance, it was noted that “liberal” humour focuses on the rich and powerful while “conservative” humour focuses on the poor and powerless. I think the reason for this is that the question “is humour funny” is just such a difficult thing to wrap your mind around – we typically see humour as intrinsically funny – and discussing humour more generally is both simpler and still interesting. I think the main thing I took away from going was how much we see and absorb in our daily lives, yet would find difficult to express when asked about. For instance, when it was pointed out how strange self-deprecating humour is, I agreed, but I wouldn’t have been able to say this myself since I have never really gave it much thought.\n\n3. Connect this experience to your academic work in the course\n\na) Give a definition of philosophy that is grounded in what we have read in class\n\nPhilosophy is the process of inquiring on the thought processes of the human brain. For instance, we went through numerous philosophers discussing morality (Mill, Kant, Singer, Thomson), which is what we think of as good or bad actions. There is also good or bad in general, such as in the case of death (Epicurus, Nagel). Additionally, we talked about Socrates, who looked at fundamental ideas such as piety.\n\nb) Did the experience of attending a philosophers’ café enrich your understanding of what philosophy is? (individual)\n\nRZ: To me, philosophy had always been represented by the statue of a guy thinking on a rock. After all, philosophy is just a bunch of deep thought. Or so I had believed. After taking this course and attending this café, my philosophical horizons have been vastly broadened. Philosophy does not necessarily need to entail intense analysis of any sort; a simple discussion on a unique topic can be philosophy.\n\nQW: Attending the café did not really enhance my perception of philosophy. Rather, it reinforced what I already thought. In relation to the above definition, I think our session relates most closely to the last part: examining fundamental ideas of human nature; in this case, humour. To me what is fascinating is how much of our lives can be connected to philosophy. The first thing that comes to my mind when someone mentions philosophy is usually morality and ethics, but of course philosophy can extend far beyond that to topics like religion, technology, politics, and of course, humour.\n\n4. Discuss civic aspects of the experience\n\nRZ: My experience at the Philosopher’s cafe has been quite unique and interesting. I feel that, however, these types of discussions are only beneficial to the individuals who partake in the activity, as these conversations are held locally and are usually quite small and obscure. While they may not strongly impact the society as a whole, they affect the individual participants to a significant extent. People may attend these discussions for education or even entertainment; regardless of the motive, the dialogue leaves the participants with a plethora of vivid ideas which may reshape their lives.\n\nQW: While the particular topic we chose may not be the most significant, there are certainly philosophical discussions that are worth having with a larger group, as the subject of these discussions can be of significant impact. For instance, looking at the website now, I see that on April 9, there will be a discussion on the topic of “life today means we always have a screen available to us”. To me this is something exceptionally important that everyone should take some time to reflect on, both in terms of individuals and societies. Additionally, variations of this concept already exist today. For instance, Reddit is a site where similar discussions types can take place on a multitude of topics with the global community, and politicians can meet with their constituents to discuss philosophical topics specifically relating to their policies. In short: philosophical discussions can be useful, but it depends on the topic being discussed.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9807194471359253}
{"content": "Saturday, 28 June 2008\n\nKaleidoscope Man - The Story\n\nI am often asked what Kaleidoscope Man is about. So here is a brief outline of the story....\n\nJack awakes, encased in a coffin shaped pod, on a thin ledge in a giant cavern. The last thing he remembers was locking up and leaving his job as the head of a psychiatric care centre for people with mental difficulties.\n\nSuddenly, the ledge shatters and Jack hurtles into the dark abyss below. Falling and falling, eventually he hits the ground, but instead of smashing violently against it, he falls right through it. To his absolute horror, he is blasted out into deep space. Jack had been in no giant cavern, but the belly of a colossal spaceship.\n\nJack stirs to find himself on the beach of a strange alien planet. As he struggles to take in the gravity of his situation, three of his patients have also escaped the ship. How on earth did they all get there?\n\nThree different stories haunt them, each with the same three characters. Harriet: a loyal friend with a dark past. Samantha: a girl with a damned vision for mankind. Floyd: a misguided man, with delusions of being the next James Bond. Each story has a terrifying conclusion and each has a bizarre link to how they all got on board the spaceship. Jack realises that he must face up to the true horrors of their situation and find a way back to Earth where his beloved wife, Mandy, holds the key to what has really happened.\n\nBut they are alone and desperate, and stuck on an alien planet, millions of light years away from Earth, and the aliens are coming to get them…\n\nKaleidoscope Man is a story about redemption for our characters and their place in the world. An original heart-stopping thriller with dramatic twists and turns and a conclusion that will leave the audience inspired and elated. A roller coaster ride that explores the depths of our human emotions and how we must value our fragile place in this universe.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9709507822990417}
{"content": "Drew Madden Distribution in the Healthcare Industry\n\nDrew Madden successfully attained a degree in Industrial engineering from the University of Lowa. He is an accomplished man who majors in information technology in the healthcare industry. Madden is the founder and chief executive officer of Evergreen Healthcare Partners. His experience of the healthcare world is approximately over 10 years. He put into place competent workforce, dynamic company culture and strong customer relations. He works hard, for instance, bringing together his skills and EMR background so that he could advance the healthcare field by telling it to the experts in healthcare.\n\nHe has the capabilities to handle planning, health records, and execution. He has collaborated with various companies so as to apply, solve and find some challenges that deal with medical reports. In two year, Drew Madden worked for Cerner Corporation as a consultant. After that, he moved to Healthia where he was also a consultant. Ingenix then bought this organization and as a result, Madden was appointed a director of regional sales for Ingenix.\n\nHer prosperity kept going on thus becoming the president of Nordic Consulting Partners. He handled recruitment, business development as well as daily tasks. The effort of Drew made an accomplishment of the company gaining 75 employees from 10 and this resulted in the revenue increasing to $130,000,00 from $1,000,000 which took place each year. Since he could greatly handle information technology and project management, he took a leap of faith to begin Evergreen Healthcare Partners due to is experience in both fields.\n\nEvergreen Healthcare Partners provides consultation services to a number of healthcare technologies as well as electronic health platforms that are on records. He helps a number of enterprises to be able to handle IT investments so that they can boost their outcomes to accomplish customer satisfaction. The firm also offers talent management solutions for the purpose of maintaining their relationship with clients. He is hosting various movements that will improve the equipment of medical institutions as well as their software thus patients will receive good treatment. He is a prosperous man who urges the professions of healthcare to use 3D printing and brain-computer interfaces to boost the healthcare industry.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9133827090263367}
{"content": "Sunday, April 13, 2014\n\nKamila Shamsie: 'Where is the American writer writing about America in Pakistan? There is a deep lack of reckoning'\n\nby Natalie Hanman)\n\nAs a single woman, London is a nicer place to live than Karachi' … Kamila Shamsie. Photograph: Sarah Lee for the Guardian\n\nI want to go to Peshawar,\" a young Englishwoman with a passion for archeology tells her mother in Kamila Shamsie's latest novel, A God in Every Stone (Bloomsbury), \"because there's more past than present there.\" While Vivian Rose Spencer goes on to dig her way into the past literally – in a dramatic hunt for an ancient artefact as Britain's imperial reign crumbles – Shamsie does so with words. \"I love the part of history that is story,\" she tells me from her flat perched high among trees near Lord's cricket ground in north London. \"If a thing is interesting enough, then I want to find the story in it.\"\n\nShamsie's stories, in the six novels she has published so far, explore huge themes such as war and love, while zooming in on the intricate detail of her characters as they cross continents and decades in search of themselves, and the truth. One narrative device she deploys is that of the twinned storyline, as a way of exploring how people's lives are shaped by history. \"As a novelist, there's a dramatic interest in having the individual lives and then this much larger canvas,\" she explains. \"This notion that we are individuals who control our destiny is an absurdity if you grew up in a place like Pakistan.\"\n\nShamsie was born in 1973 in Karachi – \"a really violent, damaged city but also the most cosmopolitan and energetic and vibrant place in Pakistan\" – to an English-speaking family. It was hard to get hold of good books during Zia-ul-Haq's dictatorship. Shamsie's mother, a literary critic (and the third in, now, four generations of women writers in her family), made a concerted effort, pestering travelling friends to bring books back and subscribing to Granta magazine. The editions of the 80s and 90s, which championed contemporary realist fiction from around the world, lined one of the family's bookshelves, and were well-thumbed by Shamsie as a teenager. A year ago Shamsie was included in Granta's latest list of best young British novelists. Her mother has a copy of the issue of the magazine, on that same bookshelf. \"Growing up, if you'd said to me, 'And one day you will be here', that was ridiculous,\" Shamsie laughs.\n\n\nHer first four novels are set in Karachi, most of them in the same neighbourhood where she grew up. Karachi is \"the canvas of my life\", she says. I ask about the tendency for western journalists to label work by non-white writers \"autobiographical\", something the writer Aminatta Forna has called \"intellectual laziness … those journalists did not recognise the things I wrote about as coming from their own lives, ergo they must have come from mine\". Shamsie acknowledges the process of othering: \"There will be journalists who come to you and they want to find the Muslim in you, the Pakistani in you.\"\n\nAfter a nomadic decade moving between the US, Pakistan and the UK, Shamsie settled in London six years ago and she recently became a British citizen. Writing about the thorny process of applying for citizenship, she reflects on being both \"betrayed and betrayer\", as the British-Libyan writer Hisham Matar calls it, in relation to Pakistan. She has found it harder in the last few years to feel optimistic about the country of her birth, and there has been an unlocking and moving away from Karachi in her work, as well as in her life. Her fifth novel, the Orange prize-shortlisted Burnt Shadows, marked a departure in terms of place, with its opening set in Japan. And then, \"as a single woman, London is a nicer place to live than Karachi\".\n\n\n\n\n\nA God in Every Stone unpeels one such story, of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, who led a non-violent resistance to the British Raj and opposed the creation of the state of Pakistan – someone Shamsie never heard about when growing up because he didn't fit into \"a certain national narrative\". The novel builds by telling the overlapping stories of Viv and a young Pathan man, Qayyum Gul, who served in the British Indian army, up to the moment when Ghaffar Khan's followers clashed with British troops on the Street of Storytellers in Peshawar on 23 April 1930, leading to hundreds of deaths, including that of a young girl. In witness accounts Shamsie discovered references to trucks taking away the bodies of the protesters to dispose of them without the knowledge of their families. She spent days researching in the British Library until she found in the colonial archives an official letter admitting to what had happened that night. \"I remember looking up at all these people just doing their work, feeling delighted because it gave me what I needed for the novel, but also disturbed by the historical awfulness of it,\" she says.\n\nShamsie observes these events through a postcolonial lens (Viv's informal tutoring of Qayyum's younger brother is called \"her Civilising Mission\"), and this is a key part of what makes the novel so much more than just a thriller. The \"urgent historical question\" she is addressing \"is the ongoing one of the empire. The real loss is the loss of a girl's body rather than the loss of the 2,500-year-old artefact.\"\n\nShamsie is a political writer, and in an era when many artists are silent on the urgent questions of our time, unashamedly so. A former trustee of English PEN and Free Word, and currently one of Liberty's \"Writers at Liberty\", she is passionate about \"the novel as a place for politics\", without being dogmatic. \"Thank God that in the world there exist novels like Cold Comfort Farm,\" she says. \"The book that can just make you laugh, without really worrying about anything else except laughing, is a fantastic thing. We need those books in the world. We need books like Marilynne Robinson's Housekeeping, which is about women in one house, but is the largest novel as well. So it would be wrong to be prescriptive to any individual writer about what they are writing. But out of every country, if you have enough writers, some of them will engage in some way with the politics of their nation.\"\n\nThis is what Shamsie is doing. Pakistan's place in the world, and how its becoming has altered people's lives, drives her stories. \"Writing a novel is the best way I know of exploring an idea, a place, a time,\" she says. \"I don't think there's anything like the novel for empathy … If you write non-fiction it's as though you are from the outside looking at something. But if you write fiction, you are behind someone's eyes looking out, and that's the difference.\"\n\nShe is scathing about what she sees as a lack of rage in the fiction coming out of the world's superpower, a country with such a tangled involvement – both past and present - in the region she comes from. \"I am deeply critical of American writers for their total failure to engage with the American empire. It's a completely shocking failure, not of any individual writer … but it's the strangest thing to look around and say, 'Where is the American writer writing about America in Afghanistan, America in Pakistan?'. At a deep level, there is a lack of reckoning.\"", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.580125093460083}
{"content": "Duck Hunters 10' Jon Boat$1,200(Shawano, WI)\n\n10' Jon Boat w/trailer,trailer jack,bearing buddies,waterproof led taillights,oars,minncota endura 30 trolling motor,battery,2 anchors w/line and holders,fish net,2 fish baskets,highback camo boat seat w/swivel mounting base,camo lights,camo throwable seat cushion,2 camo life vests,push pole w/marsh foot,dog ladder,1 dozen mallard decoys and boat registered through 2018.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.999493420124054}
{"content": "Finding Parallels Between Services and Life\n\nCharacteristics of a Master Sushi Chef\n\n\nIf you are going to take cooking to a higher level, you will have to invest in time, training, more practice and dedication to learn more, especially, if becoming a chef is what is at stake. A sushi chef is one exciting profession that has intriguing skills in preparing the specialities in a sushi bar that reflects a personality that is not common to all chefs. In a conventional restaurant sushi can be a part of the menu in the list but a dedicated sushi bar is a different setting and experience.\n\nMaking the preparation of sushi needs artistry and innovative skills partnered with discipline and patience to maintain consistency in a routine work that does not compromise quality and taste. There are still more info that are important about a sushi chef that you need to know in order to determine a professional and skilled one. Check on the knife and tools of a sushi chef and when you see a perfectly tailored and maintained tools, with evidence of care and tending, that is an indication of a sushi chef that is concern to what he uses to make a good sushi and making sure that it will serve him very excellently in every day’s preparations. A professional chef is also concerned and mindful of his surroundings by making sure all through the messy and plenteous preparation of ingredients, cleanliness, and order is in place from manpower, tools, cooking utensils, and even the food itself.\n\nA trustworthy and responsible sushi chef will make sure that all ingredients will be carefully and appropriately handled as he is aware that it can affect the consistency of his cooking if done otherwise, thus showing accountability with his work. Personal hygiene is very important here for a sushi chef especially that ingredients for this food are handled by hands, therefore it must be evident not just on his hand but even in the over all aspect, hair and face, clothing and the area where he works. Also a sushi chef who loves his work and has passion in what he does will be identified by how he presents his skills and how he delicately handles everything that pertains to preparing sushi.\n\nTherefore, when you are sitting in a sushi bar, you can make your own evaluation based on what you now know about a good sushi chef and its characteristics.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9956670999526978}
{"content": "Wednesday, May 5, 2010\n\nMore sidewalk patio issues\n\nThe former Melrose groceteria (now there's a word we don't use much any more...) will become a gourmet pizza establishment. The owners are looking for a way to have some outdoor patio.\n\nThe front sidewalk area is tight, but I think it is doable. But do the new owners want their gourmands dining beside the tavern entrance? They proposed a patio at the back of the building (but I gather, not the side ...). They are opposed by the local neighborhood association representing neighbors who feel the back yard patio will be noisy for their adjacent houses. The Assoc. suggested to the owners, that they consider a building frontage of opening glass doors/windows, so you can dine indoors yet open air to the sidewalk.\n\nProfit margins in most businesses are thin. Grabbing a few extra seats and getting bodies in them during some good summer weather is a cheap way to increase sales when demand is high. The patio also offers aforesaid pizza gourmands an environmental choice: A/C indoors, patio outdoors. Wide open windows does not increase seating capacity, and can bugger up climate control for those sitting inside but not at the window (and for the kitchen too).\n\nGiven the little hierarchy of patio choices I put in a post a few days ago, I would suggest NO to the backyard patio, maybe to a sideyard one, and YES to a front yard one. Now, it remains to show some imagination in how to get that patio built. I gather their is pressure for the city to relocate the gray switch box in front of the building. The owners could also look at renting and decking over the first parking space to detour foot traffic around their patio. Or maybe the city might increase the bulb out to take over that first parking spot.\n\n\n  1. I'm just excited about having wood oven pizza in the neighbourhood whether it be inside or out! At least the rumour I heard was that they would have a wood oven for cooking the 'za's. I used to live at Stoney's Pizza in Kingston on Ontario street.\n\n  2. Hi Eric,\n    FYI: The Elmdale Tavern (at least when there's a show on at night) locks the front door next to the Melrose, and uses their side door, off the KFC parking lot as the entry/exit", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5831904411315918}
{"content": "GCodeTools Engraving questions.\n\ncnc-club.ru for English speaking users\n\nGCodeTools Engraving questions.\n\nСообщение stormbringer » 08 окт 2016, 17:50\n\nFirst - Thanks for the gcode extension. It is quite a nice tool. Trying to teach myself both Inkscape and CNC machining, this extension has helped greatly.\n\nNow to the questions.\nIs there a english version of the gcode manual available? Downloadable or HTML?\n\nSetup: converted a bitmap to path (sample svg attached) the path is shown as double line surrounding stroke.\nQuestion: Is there a way to force gcodetools engraving to cut the stroke rather than follow the paths?\n\nSetup: I have been trying to read the documentation to setup the cylinder cutter tool; so far no joy. I continuously get \"cutter has no shape\" error message. Cutter is a 1/64th inch (.03125 inch) carbide end mill. Ref. question above the cut needs to be .03125 NOT .0625.\nQuestion: What is the easiest way to define the tool with spindle speeds, diameter, shape, feed rates etc?\n\nSetup: Using a MaxNC-15 3-Axis machine with 0,0 coordinates on the lower left of the table (as you are looking at this machine)\nQuestion: Does gcodetools accept a defined X,Y zero point or is that set in Inkscape?\n\nDoes anyone know a good resource or machinist's manual to determine cut depth/feed rates?\n\nI am enjoying the challenges presented by CNC, but a little guidance can go a long way. :twisted:\n\nThanks to everyone in advance.\ninkscape svg - 2 layers path in Layer 1.\n(169.6 Кб) Скачиваний: 243\nСообщения: 1\nЗарегистрирован: 08 окт 2016, 16:53\nРепутация: 0\nНастоящее имя: Michael Moorleghen\n\nВернуться в English forum\n\nКто сейчас на конференции\n\nЗарегистрированные пользователи: 71taa, aegis, Argentum47, Argon-11, Bing [Bot], Birden, d0bro, DVNik, Frezer_PU, gabik, Google [Bot], Hanter, Lafayette, leprud, MasterN, nik0954, NorNik, pm_dev, PRomanS, Sashalex24, ScrewDriver, sima8520, Taganrog, viael, vladin21, Yandex [bot], Zobakka\n\n\nReputation System ©'", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9425535202026367}
{"content": "Marine biologist, ocean explorer, professor\n\n(646) 660-6236\n\nMarine biologist, ocean explorer, and professor David Gruber searches the undersea world for bioluminescent and biofluorescent marine animals. Gruber's discoveries are providing a wealth of new insights into a secret \"language\" of shining colors and patterns that help many marine creatures communicate, interact, and avoid enemies. He and his collaborators have illuminated and discovered novel fluorescent molecules from marine animals and are searching for connections between glowing sea life and the ability to visualize the inner workings of human cells.\n\nKurumaya, S., Phillips, B.T., Becker, K.P., Rosen, M.H., Gruber, D.F., Galloway, K.C., Suzumori, K., and R.J. Wood. 2018. A Modular Soft Robotic Wrist for Underwater Manipulation. Soft Robotics, 10.1089/soro.2017.0097.\n\nThis paper presents the development of modular soft robotic wrist joint mechanisms for delicate and precise manipulation in the harsh deep-sea environment.\n\nPieribone, V., and D. F. Gruber. 2006. Aglow in the Dark: The Revolutionary Science of Biofluorescence.  Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA.  288 pp.\nA journalistic narrative of the discovery of fluorescent proteins. Those profiled in the study were awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry two years after publication.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999955296516418}
{"content": "Reading is the gateway to new worlds and possibilities.\n\nSuccessful readers are not born; they are made. The act of reading, though a seemingly single process, requires the brain to perform several functions at once, from decoding words to analyzing the information obtained. Reading is made up of five different components, each of which must be mastered and aligned to create quality readers.To obtain the best results, each of the components must be introduced in a logical sequence and in a method that ensures the information is clear, focused and illustrative. This allows each principle to build upon the previous ones, thus procuring the proper alignment.\n\nPhonemic Awareness\n\nThe first step in reading involves learning to recognize and identify the various sounds within words. Phonemic awareness focuses more on sounds than sights and reveals that words are made up of a collection of different sounds, called phonemes. Phonemic awareness is greatly benefited by nursery rhymes and songs which often serve as the introduction to rhyming sounds and phonemic patterns.\n\n\nPhonics involves the association of letters and sounds, as well as the combination of those letters to create blends and words. Phonics also focuses on the relationship between written and spoken letters and words by exposing individuals to flashcards, worksheets and other materials bearing printed letters while reinforcing the sounds made by those letters.\n\n\nThere are two portions of vocabulary: spoken and written. Spoken vocabulary refers to words and terms that people use and are exposed to during their lifetime. Children, in particular, are very curious and quick to ask about words they don't understand. It is imperative that adults don't shy away from words they assume are too complex, but rather take the opportunity to use and explain the terms. Written vocabulary refers to the words that people can read and identify on their own. An individual's vocabulary, both spoken and written, should increase steadily throughout his lifetime.\n\n\nA fluent reader is one who reads accurately and smoothly at a consistent speed. Fluency also encompasses proper expression, a trait that is often overlooked by beginning readers. As people become more comfortable in the first three reading components, their fluency should improve.\n\n\nThe entire purpose of reading is to absorb knowledge, whether it be to learn something new or to dive into a fictional account. If nothing is gained from the effort, there's no reason to read. Comprehension is the process of taking the information that was read and assimilating it into something useful. Comprehension involves both understanding and the application of that understanding. A person with good comprehensive skills probably won't be able to recite what they've read word for word, but he should be able to give an accurate account of the information.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7636650800704956}
{"content": "Streaming live at 10am (PST)\n\nMake duplicates of CSS Classes\n\n\nHi there Webflow\n\nIs there any news on providing a facility to make duplicate CSS Classes?\n\nOften we want to use a class which has all the basics of a new class, and in this case the ability to duplicate would be very useful.\n\nPlease please please ?\n\n\n\nThis has been requested a number of times already.\n\n\nHi webflow\nIs there any news on this mod?\n\n\nI was literally thinking about this yesterday - this would be extremely helpful!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9817774891853333}
{"content": "1. JOG.1 through JOG.90 Introduction with selected verses JOG.4 colors\n\n2. JOG.91 through JOG.184 “And they all SHALL BE TAUGHT BY GOD\n\n3. JOG.185 through JOG.253 Study of 3s in scripture\n\n4. JOG.254 through JOG.274 GOD & science\n\n5. JOG.275 through JOG.366 GOD LIGHT & NATURE LIGHT\n\n6. JOG.367 through JOG.378 GOD & judas\n\n7. JOG.379 through JOG.392 GOD’S 10 LAWS 7X10 ~ &X!)\n\n8. JOG.393 through JOG.458 some of my favorite verses in progress\n\n9. verses of personal significance JOG.459 ~ JOG.761\n\n10. JOG.764 through JOG.??? THE MINERAL OF GOD 7 X 7 \n\n11. Future JOGs\n\nspecial mention: 1) index added after 1st C with ak to improve discussion and visitor access and experience;", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8162150979042053}
{"content": "Rado Rehák\n\n7 following\nRado Rehák\nMore ideas from Rado\nWhy 3D Printing is not as sustainable as its defenders say — Architecture For Future-Architecture.Urbanism.Interior.Art.Technology\n\nThe international architecture and design firm Zaha Hadid Architects is designing yachts for German shipbuilders Blohm+Voss. Having previously designed a concept for a yacht, ZHA continued the design for five yachts known as Unique Circle yachts.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9778633713722229}
{"content": "Back to All Events\n\nLIVE MUSIC - Sunday Seisún\n\n  • Sláinte Oakland 131 Broadway Oakland, CA, 94607 United States (map)\n\nSeisúns are an Irish pub tradition. Local musicians gather to play Irish music without set lists or pre-planning. Music is mostly instrumental, always acoustic, and downright delightful. Come listen, dance or play - music is free of charge as long as you have food or drink in front of you but don't forget to tip the musicians if you like what you hear!\n\nEarlier Event: July 22\nRugby World Cup Sevens\nLater Event: July 26\nLIVE MUSIC - Trad Thursdays", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9336902499198914}
{"content": "Burnished Concrete\n\nBurnished concrete floors are a popular flooring finish, due to it’s minimalistic charm.\n\nThe natural reaction of curing concrete sided with the tooling procedures of steel trowed finishing techniques, provide a non aggregate cement lustre across the surface, generally it will take on a darker appearance than earlier, though the natural blemishes somewhat tie it all together.\n\nIt is important to have the appropriate MPA strength to begin with,  generally 32MPA would be suitable. The concrete surface requires multiple steel trowel passes to achieve flatness and blemishes,\n\nthat give burnished concrete it look.\n\nStandard practice suggests allowing the concrete to hydrate before commencing works.\n\nIt is a great advantage if the floor is as flat as it can be from the concreter.\n\nThe process of burnishing does not remove large variations across the surface, resulting in an uneven finish.\n\nIn the case of an even floor, topical sealers can be applied to unify the consistency.\n\nUnique Concrete Solutions can provide burnished concrete finishes, providing the foundation (concrete) is in a suitable condition to work with.\n\nServicing Newcastle & The Hunter Valley, we provide prompt , reliable service with competitive rates.\n\nSome finishes of Burnished Concrete can be viewed below:\n\nBurnished Concrete floor\n\nBurnished Concrete", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8607255220413208}
{"content": "What is gut dysbiosis?\n\nNew age term. That seems to mean a change in gut flora (i.e. A change in the patterns of bacteria that normally live in the gut - the colon) with adverse effects. My only caution: is the person using the term actually practising 'evidence based medicine'? You have to judge that for yourself.\nIntestinal Zoo. Dysbiosis refers to a bacterial imbalance in the gut, which can compromise the immune system. It has been said that dysbiosis plays a part in many conditions such as: irritable bowel syndrome, ankylosing spondylitus, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9981493353843689}
{"content": "Having worked with variety of brands and verticals over a period of 8 years have given us deeper insights in knowing what is effective for business improvement, conversion rates and things that could spell doomsday for the site.\n\nOur experts provide independent Site Audit for store owners who are not onboard with us. Providing objective recommendation and performing risk analysis are key forte areas.\n\nLet's see the different phases we follow in our project development:\n\nScalability - Magento eCommerce Site Audit\n\n\nAre codes written to accommodate future changes? How easy it is to scale up for future demands of business in existing framework?\n\nMaintainability - Magento eCommerce Site Audit\n\n\nHow often regression issues occur in the system? Do we have a plan to validate business logic during maintenance?\n\nPerformance - Magento eCommerce Site Audit\n\n\nIs there a loophole that might consume a lot of system resources and provide performance issues? Do not worry and we will find it out.\n\nSecurity - Magento eCommerce Site Audit\n\n\nIs the site up-to-date with security updates and patches? Are there any vulnerabilities that could bring your store down?\n\nGet in touch to get a free quote for our Magento Ecommerce Site Audit services.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7704420685768127}
{"content": "As 2015 approaches, in-house Legal and HR professionals with growing international workforces tend to look for uniform branding and consistent approaches to global workforce management. One vehicle to achieves these goals is through company employment policies. This can seem challenging given local legal differences and varying cultural expectations.\n\nAs such, companies are faced with questions such as - should we develop a single, broad policy to cover our entire global operations in a consistent and predictable manner, or should we develop local policies, implemented according to local laws by the local employer? Or, is there something in between? Although there is no single answer to these questions, there are recognized and tested approaches based on a company’s growth needs, global footprint and workforce profile.\n\nThree Approaches to International Policies\n\nGenerally the key approaches to drafting company employee policies for an international workforce fall into three categories: (1) Global Policy; (2) Local Policy; or (3) Hybrid Approaches, each of which has advantages and disadvantages depending on the type of policy and its implementation requirements.\n\n  1. Global Policy\n\nA single global policy that applies to a company’s entire U.S. and international workforce is the most efficient approach and ensures the greatest amount of drafting consistency. A common trade off, however, is a limited ability to actually enforce it against employees outside the U.S. This is because, to avoid offending local laws, the policy must be relatively general and include phrases such as “to the extent permitted by applicable law.” This leaves a question as to what the law actually is and how a local court will interpret the law to be.\n\nAdditionally, in seeking uniformity, a single global policy that is not properly drafted could actually extend U.S. protections to non-U.S. employees that would not otherwise apply. For example, an overly U.S.-centric global employee handbook or work rules may extend Title VII protections against discrimination or harassment based on categories such as gender or sexual orientation that are protected under U.S. federal and state laws, but not in other jurisdictions. In some cases, local law may actually require discrimination, such as in a reduction in force in many countries, where employers often need to consider employees’ national origins, ages, disabilities, when making the required “social selection”.\n\nAs such, there are only a few topics that can (and in fact should) be properly addressed in a global policy, such as an equity plan and a code of ethics and business conduct.\n\n  1. Local Policy\n\nThe local policy applies only to the workforce in one jurisdiction, and can offer a company the greatest possible protection under local law while achieving consistency with cultural norms and expectations. For some U.S. multinationals, however, the management of numerous local policies combined with the concern of losing a uniform global identity discourages this approach.\n\nDespite these concerns, in some cases fully localized policies are strongly recommended. Employee handbooks, for example, include a collection of topics that are strictly governed by local laws (e.g., working hours, leaves of absence, time off, IT monitoring and use, etc.). These types of policies must recognize local legal requirements.\n\n  1. Hybrid Approaches\n\nIn an effort to obtain both the uniformity of a global single policy and the jurisdictional compliance of a local policy, companies often invent various middle-of-the-road approaches. The two most common hybrid approaches are: (1) regional policies (for APAC, EMEA, etc.), and (2) a modified U.S. policy with country-specific addenda.\n\nRegional policies can be used for certain topics in areas where there are common rules across a region, such as a properly drafted anti-harassment policy. For other topics, however, even where there is regional regulation, local laws implement the regulation so differently that a regional policy will have the same consequences as a global policy. For example, although the EU working-time directive sets a maximum working week of 48 hours, countries like France still limit the workweek to 35 hours, whereas the U.K. allows employees to opt out of the 48 hour limit by separate agreement.\n\nAn alternative hybrid approach, is drafting locally complaint amendments to a U.S. parent company policy. This creates the appearance of a global policy while satisfying local requirements.\n\nPractically speaking, however, it can be complex and even confusing for employees who have to review both the U.S. policy and the local supplement to understand what rules apply to him/her directly.\n\n\nOnce the company adopts an approach and drafts the policy, the next step is to ensure that it is properly implemented. Regardless of the approach, if a policy is not rolled out according to local requirements, the policy can become a nullity, in which case the company cannot rely on the terms of the policy, or even create liability. What is required for proper implementation varies by country, but may include translation (e.g., France and Russia), adoption by the local board, notification or consultation with works councils (e.g., Germany) or employee representative bodies (e.g., the democratic process in China), filings with labor authorities (e.g., for internal regulations in France, for work rules in Japan), proper distribution (electronic or hardcopy) to employees, and collection of acknowledgements or consents.\n\n\nWhether to adopt a single global policy, local policies or a hybrid approach to employment policies depends most importantly on the type of policy, the jurisdictions where it will be implemented, and the company’s philosophy, values and risk tolerance for deviation from local law. Often, the first step in this process is to engage in advanced planning and discuss the various approaches with counsel.\n\nIf the right approach is selected and carefully managed, employment policies can be an invaluable tool to protect the company, respond to employee questions, guide local HR teams and globalize the company’s values and mission.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.974757194519043}
{"content": "How does new hero Ana fit into the Overwatch metagame?\n\n\nWhen you think of a hero you might not think of a sixty year old one-eyed mother with a rifle, and that’s why you don’t work at Blizzard. Less than two months after launch, this week Overwatch sees the introduction of a new hero, Ana. Missing her right eye and mother to the jetpack-wearing, rocket-slinging Pharah, Ana is bound to shake up the competitive Overwatch scene. She’s the breath of fresh air that support players were waiting for and an important addition to the game’s lore for everyone else. The question is: how does Ana’s arrival affect the way we play Overwatch? \n\n Ana Amari, Egyptian bounty hunter\n\nAna has a few unique abilities. Her main weapon, Biotic Rifle, is a sniper rifle that does damage over time if you hit an enemy and does healing over time if you hit a teammate. Her sidearm, Sleep Dart, is a single-shot projectile that will put any enemy to sleep for five seconds or until that hero is damaged in some way. Ana’s Biotic Grenade is a projectile that can be used at an incredible range. When enemies are hit by her grenade, they can’t receive any healing for five seconds. Teammates caught in the Biotic Grenade’s blast instantly get healed for 100HP and receive bonus health from other healing abilities. Last but most definitely not least is Ana’s incredible ultimate ability, Nano Boost. It can be applied to a teammate to boost their movement speed, damage, and damage resistance. A Genji, Soldier: 76, Reaper or Winston with the Nano Boost buff will eat through an entire enemy team without looking back. \n\n No one (wo)man should have all this power\n\nAna has a few game-changing abilities, so how do you best make use of all of this power? First off, you’re a support player who should be focused on keeping your team alive. Try getting into a position where it’s easy for you to see your team but hard for the opponent to see you.  During large team fights, this requires distance to make sure the opponent can’t easily take you out. If a Tracer or Genji get close to you, you’re going to get ripped apart and Ana can’t easily get away. Try using your Sleep Dart on opponents with their ultimate ability up and your Biotic Grenade on important targets that your team is going to try to kill. If the enemy is doing a lot of damage to all of your teammates, use your grenade to heal them quickly. You can throw the grenade from quite a range so don’t worry about needing to close the distance.\n\nYour Biotic Rifle doesn’t only heal, it can also do damage, and quite a bit of damage at that. While healing should be your priority—you want to keep your team strong and healthy—you should be using Ana’s offensive abilities as well. Her sniper’s scope is very quick and, unlike Widowmaker, no charge up is required for her to do maximum damage. You’re going to most likely be aiming in the direction of the fight anyway, so you might as well try to get a couple shots into your enemies when nobody in your team requires healing.\n\nHer ultimate, Nano Boost, is best combined with one of your offensive heroes’ ultimates. A Genji with Nano Boost and Zarya’s shield bubble is virtually impossible to kill and constitutes an ‘overpowered’ combination in any sense of the word. As Ana, it’s important to communicate well with your team. You need your teammates to know that you’re going to give them Nano Boost or they might realize it too late, putting them in a position where they can’t use it as well as they otherwise would. \n\n What does she mean for the meta?\n\nAna is the first hero to be introduced after the launch of the game, so it’s not a surprise that there were high expectations for her. Combined with a rather stagnant metagame in the pro scene—where Mercy, Lucio, Reinhardt and Roadhog were simply required for a team to perform—places pressure on her design. Ana couldn’t be impactless, but she couldn’t be essential either. Unfortunately, the latter seems to be the case.\nAs it currently stands, Ana’s ultimate ability is in a state where any skilled offensive player blessed with it becomes unstoppable, unless—you guessed it—the opponent can use their Ana’s sleep dart to temporarily knock out the now stupidly-strong hero for the duration of the Nano Boost. This means that if one team has an Ana, the other team needs to have one as well.\n\nIn the tournaments that are already being played among the best players, we’ve seen team fights come down to who has the ultimate advantage a little too often. Generally, the team who can use two or more ultimate abilities at the same time will win a fight. With Ana, this just gets worse. Waiting for Ana and Soldier: 76 to both have their ultimate abilities up and then attempting to take a point is a perfect way to bust your opponent’s defenses without ever having to aim or think.\n\nThere are advantages to having Ana in the meta, however. For example, if you can use your sleep dart to take out an opponent’s Mercy, she might not be able to resurrect her team in time to affect a teamfight. This means that Mercy might not even appear in the new meta—after all, teams have a new healer with an ultimate that can turn fights around completely. \n\n Old but not obsolete\n\nAna is now playable on the official Overwatch servers. While even professional players are divided when it comes to her role in the meta game, it’s clear she’s going to have a tremendous impact on both casual and competitive play. As we’ve seen in the past, it’s likely Blizzard will be tweaking Ana and other heroes until they’ve found her sweet spot, so enjoy slicing through an enemy team while you still can. Ana’s fate might be no different than that of her nemesis, Widowmaker, once the nerfs start raining from above.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5594699382781982}
{"content": "Powrót do listy wyników\n\nAccounts Assistant\n\nLokalizacja: EPSOM, SURREY Wynagrodzenie: 22000 - 25000 GBP Per Annum\nSektor: Accountancy Rodzaj oferty pracy: Kontrakt\nRodzaj zmiany: FULL TIME Aplikacje: 10\nZamieszczono: 6 miesięcy temu Numer referencyjny: 3057300\nMy client are behind some of the UK's leading event services brand. The group champions an innovative and refreshing take on event catering, live events and Christmas parties. Each year the company entertains more than 375,000 guests across 6 brands and you could be a part of that success. They are currently seeking an ambitious purchase ledger clerk, looking for the next step in their finance career.\n\nThe role includes ensuring all purchase invoice related tasks are completed including processing invoices, investigating discrepancies, payment runs & debit notes, preparing weekly and monthly BACS payment schedules, remittances and cheques as required, producing reports on invoices and month end reports, month and year end processes.\n\nWe are looking for an experienced, talented and ambitious individual who is no stranger to a fast paced working environment. The role requires someone with good, effective communication skills. The right individual will be able to demonstrate that they are an enthusiastic team player, with good organisation skills, people skills, fantastic accuracy, a real eye for detail and a proactive approach.\nYou will have at least 2 years of dedicated full Purchase Ledger experience.\n\nPodobne oferty", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9268609285354614}
{"content": "American Go E-Journal\n\nElite Mind Games Day 4 report\n\nWednesday December 13, 2017\n\nThe last day of women’s team competition saw plenty of sparks, but the only surprising result was Fujisawa Rina defeating the2017.12.13_Women's team medalists world’s top-ranked female player from China, Yu Zhiying.  Japan was then in a position to tie or defeat China, depending on the outcome of the other game bewteen China’s Lu Minquan and Japan’s Nyu Eiko. In that a game, Nyu played well to be ahead for most of the game, but she slipped in the yose when both players were in byo-yomi.  After 6+ hours of play, the score was an unusual W+1.5 point due to a single-shared-liberty seki.  Another game that could have sent shockwave through the tournament was between Canada’s Sarah Yu and Korea’s Choi Jeong.  Sarah was in a difficult position from the start, but she fought hard and was about to win a large-group semeai with a favorable yose-ko.  Sarah was in byo-yomi 2017.12.13_Men's team medalistsand could not read in out, missing her chance.  She missed a second chance to create a triple ko, which would have tied the game according to the tournament rules. As a result, Korea took first place, China dropped to second, and Japan received a hard-earned bronze medal.\nOn the men’s side, the games were all lopsided.  Taipei could not follow its previous day’s performance and lost to Korea 0-2. In the end Korea was first, China second, and Taipei third.\nTomorrow the action switches to Pair Go and men’s and women’s blitz go. In two days, there will be three more medals to be won.  For all three tournaments, the first day will be a three-round preliminary.  Participants are divided into two groups.  Preset seedings separate China and Korea, Japan and Taipei, North American and Europe into the two groups.  The groups’ top finishers will meet to determine 1st and 2nd place, etc, in the second day.\n- Thomas Hsiang; photos: (right) women’s medalists; (left) men’s medalists", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.649234414100647}
{"content": "Sail - James Patterson, Howard Roughan Sail by James Patterson co-authored by Howard Roughan tells the story about the dysfunctional family of Dr. Katherine Dunne, a heart surgeon who had lost her husband, Stuart, in a scuba diving accident off their boat, The Family Dunne. Now she has re-married Peter Carlyle a hotshot defense attorney. She and her three kids Carrie, Mark and Ernie, along with her former brother-in-law Jake, takes a summer sailing trip in their boat THE FAMILY DUNNE. Hours into the trip they start facing problems starting with Carrie trying to commit suicide to someone sabotaging the boat.\nWhenever I have read a James Patterson book I have had the feeling that the book is somehow incomplete, the plot is incomplete, the characters are incomplete, this happens mostly with the books which he have co-authored instead of the ones written by him ,alone, but come what may, the thought of putting the book down hardly crosses my mind. And, this is where I think Patterson surpasses many of his contemporary thriller novelists. He manages to hold on to the readers interest with short chapters, short paragraphs, and makes the book reading exciting, with very few dull moments. It's almost like a roller coaster ride, it’s the same thing, but still the excitement seeps through the spine every time I stand in the queue for taking a ride.\nIn this book for instance, all the typical Patterson points were present. Minimum character development, plot filled with coincidences and WHAT-IF-THIS-DID-NOT-HAPPEN moments. The identity of the culprit revealed halfway down the book. For the last half of the book there was hardly any suspense except, how the good guy will catch the bad guy aspect.\nBut, still I finished the book in 1 day flat, and that is the reason why gave it 4 stars. For me a thriller should be just something as the name suggests, SOMETHING WHICH WOULD THRILL ME, and Patterson manages to do that in every book of his. There are books out there in the market with better plot, characterisation, but also with an advanced level of BOREDOM attached to it. So, as long as Mr. Patterson continues to deliver edge of the seat thrillers, he will continue to be one of my favorite authors, for he does just the thing which every thriller novelist should try to do, HE ENTERTAINS!!!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6087127923965454}
{"content": "Sunday, June 23, 2013\n\nSuper Hero Concepts:I need your vast blogger, comic, and nerd knowledge!\n\nHere are a few Super Hero Concepts and a few suggested skills, powers or whatever. \n\nI need the vast knowledge of my fellow blog readers to read over this list and see if I totally missed any concepts!  \n\nI was watching the story and action flow on The Avengers and I must say the less rules the more explosions and collaterial damage you can come up with! \n\nDon't roll up a character! Write up a character! \nIf you have ever read over my Freeform version of Hero's Mag then you know what this list is. IF you have not take a look!\n\nAbsorber – You have the ability to absorb physical or energy damage and make yourself more powerful.\nAcrobatic – You are a highly trained acrobat capable of doing incredible feats of crime fighting daring.\nAgent – You are a super agent of some government agency. You have many weapons and devices each issue.\nAlien – You are an alien from another planet with strange and terrible powers.\nAmphibian – You are a hero with the ability to breath underwater and withstand the great pressures of the deep.\nAndroid – You are a highly advanced living machine of great power. You can have many powers and abilities.\nAngel – You are a divine being of great power. Most angels have wings.\nAnimal – You are a gifted or intelligent animal that may even have super powers.\nAnimorph – You can change into an animal and/or something in between.\nAnthropomorphic Animal – Intelligent animals evolved into humanized forms.\nArachnoid – You are a hero with the powers of wall crawling and web spinning as well as incredible feats of agility and perception.\nBattlesuit – You have a powerful Battlesuit with sensor array, flight system, weapons systems, and super strength.\nBeast Rider – You ride some sort of beast. You act as one unit fighting crime or spreading evil.\nBeastman – You are a hero with beast like powers such as claws, tracking, and quick healing.\nBerserker – You a a being who’s powers come from anger. The madder you are the more powerful you become.\nBirdman – You are a winged hero. Many are mistaken for angels.\nBlaster – You have the power to project powerful blast of energy of your choice.\nBowman-You are a skilled archer with many arrows of different powers.\nBrawler – You are skilled at fighting beyond most people.\nBrute – You are a super strong and super tough able to withstand huge amounts of damage.\nBullseye – You have the ability to throw or shoot any item and not miss.\nController – You can control some kind of energy or force of your choice.\nContaminator – You touch either poisons, weakens, or diseases others.\nCowboy – You are a modern day gunslinger and roper.\nCrazy – You are a hero or villain with a gimmick such as clown makeup, riddles, or something from arty to silly.\nCyborg -You are half man and machine of great power.\nDetective – You are a costumed detective fighting against the underworld with your stealthy ability, fighting skill, and devices.\nDensity Control – You can control your density where you can become incorporeal or immovable.\nDemon – These are fallen angels. Most seek to cause trouble on this world.\nDimensional Traveler – You are a traveler of different dimensions.\nDevil – You are a powerful evil god of fearsome appearance of some ancient time.\nDrainer – You have the ability to drain other heroes powers for a short time and use them\nDriver – You drive a very special vehicle full of weaponry and devices.\nDwarf – You are a secret race of short stocky bearded underground miners.\nElemental Body – You have the ability to change into something else such as fire, stone, metal, liquid, or whatever you think of.\nElemental Control – You have the ability to control a form of energy or matter.\nElf - One of the most ancient races of the world. Most are very human like and have signature pointed ears and great beauty.\nEmotion Controller – You control the emotions of others.\nExplosive- You have the ability to release large amounts of energy damaging all people in the area.\nFey – You are a fey from the fairy realm. You can be beautiful or terrible. Most are harmed by cold iron or other strange things.\nFreak – You are something weird(er) than weird.\nGadgetry Master – You are a heroes full of devices each issue.\nGenius – You have super high intelligence able to create new science, devices, and come up with plans.\nGiant – You are one of the ancient races that plagued or helped mankind.\nGod – You are an ancient god of great power.\nGolumn – You are a free willed creation that is powered by magic.\nHealer – You have the powers to heal and regenerate others. You are very valuable in a battle.\nHex – You have the ability to make other have really bad luck and hurt themselves.\nImmortal – You are a hero that cannot die\nImmovable – You can plant yourself into one place and cannot be moved. This makes you kind of a brute.\nInsectoid – You are a hero with the powers of an insect such as flight, stinger, wall crawling and any others you think of.\nInvulnerably – You cannot be harmed by most physical damage. Most Invulnerable people are quite strong as well.\nJet Pack – You have a jet pack and know how to use it.\nJet Pilot – You are a pilot of a jet full of weaponry. Most likely a very special jet.\nKnight -You are a highly trained hero trained in martial weapons and with powerful armor.\nLucky – You can make yourself lucky to win against opponents.\nLycan -You are a were creature. Most Lycans are werewolves but you can be of any other kind of were creature.\nMage -You are a master of magic. The mage is the most common name but there are many others such as Wizard, Warlock, Witch, Druid, and whatever you think of.\nMartial Artist – You are a master of the martial arts. There are many titles such as monk, kung-fu or karate master, ninja, and whatever you can think of.\nMaster of Disguise- You have the skill to change your appearance to completely fool others.\nMecha – You have giant robot that you drive around.\nMerc – You are a highly trained solider of fortune with many weapons. You are trained enough to take on supers.\nMIXED – This is a character that is mixed with many of the other clinches.\nMorph – You can shape shift into anything you desire.\nMultiplier – You can make copies of yourself that function independently. You are a one man army.\nMutant – You are an evolved human of great power. Most mutants are hated due to their fearsome power and unusual looks.\nNature Spirit – You are a powerful forgotten ancient force of nature personified.\nNinja- Many Ninja are simple shadow assassins but there are many super powered beings that are also ninja.\nNullify – You have the power to nullify others powers.\nOmnivore – You have the ability to bite through anything and digest it.\nOrc – You are one of the ancient evil races hidden on our world.\nOTHER SKILLS and ABILITIES – Any other skills and abilities not listed here.\nPatriot – You are a national hero powered by the patriotism of the people of your country.\nPerfect – You are a super strong, invulnerable, flying super person with possibly x-ray vision and laser eyes.\nPsion – You are a master of mental powers such as mental blast, force fields, telekinesis, and any other cool neat psionic powers.\nPhase – You can become incorporeal and phase through solid objects. You are able to damage things from the inside out.\nPlantman – You have the abilities of plant and human. You must decide what these powers are as there are thousands of plants.\nPrimordial – You are one of the ancient godlike beings that inhabited the universe before time.\nReptileman – You are a person with the powers of a lizard, frog, turtle, or some other kind of reptile.\nRobot – You are a free willed machine.\nSaint – You are a hero powered by your religion.\nSamurai – You are a Japanese samurai.\nSeer – You are one that can predict or see the future.\nShaper – You use a strange form of energy that you can form into shapes and devices for a short duration of time.\nShooter – You are a hero with a special type of super gun that does different types of damage.\nSize Changer – The kind of hero who can get bigger and/or smaller.\nSpeedster – The super fast speeding hero.\nSpinner – A rotating and spinning character.\nStreetwise – The skill of knowing the street.\nStretchy – You are a hero with the ability to stretch.\nSuper Soldier – You are a highly trained and genetically altered soldier.\nSummoner – You can summon minions of some kind to fight for you.\nSwashbuckler – The fancy talking sword/bow/whip/throwing dagger using throwback from another era who is dashing and heroic.\nTaint – You are a villain that is powered by evil gods and devils.\nTeleporter – You have the ability to jump from one place to another without crossing space.\nTime Traveler – You can travel through time.\nTransmuter – You can transmute one element into another.\nTunneler -You have the ability to tunnel thought the earth.\nUndead – You are one of the living dead that exist to fight evil or get vengeance with many powers.\nUnstoppable – You are the type of hero that can ram into things like a bull or rino and cannot be stopped by normal means.\nVampire – You are one of the undead of great power that must feed on blood to survive. Vampires have many different powers\nbut common ones are gaseous form, bat and wolf form, claws and teeth, regeneration, and super strength and speed.\nWealthy – You are super rich and can afford almost anything.\nWeapons Master – You can use ancient weapons of all sorts with superior martial skill.\nWildman – You are a primitive hero in a modern world. You have superior hunting, fighting, and survival skills.\n\n1 comment:\n\n  1. That list looks pretty solid to me. I will give it a bit to marinate and see if I can come up with anything.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5860276222229004}
{"content": "Why Do I Need to Upgrade My Workstation?\n\nIf you use CAD/CAE or just creative applications, have you ever thought about why you need to upgrade your workstations, and if there is a real timetable you should follow?  If so, here are four things to consider:\n\n1) Design and creation activities are critical to your success, they represent your competitive advantage. This starts with you, the engineer and/or creative person who conceive the idea and the design. In addition, it includes the methods you use to design it, the software you use and the hardware that runs the software. Also very important, is how fast you design and create, as you can’t afford to get behind the competition, or miss a critical due date. All these things combine to give you a creative and innovative competitive edge. Both creation and schedules are two critical elements of your success.\n\n2) Nothing is stagnant in this world, and this is true for the world of design and creativity. For example, new features are constantly being added to your design and the design is being shared in new ways using software like Product Life Cycle Management. Designers learn more from organizations like manufacturing and adapt their designs according to the latest technology trends available. In addition, the software they use changes, new revisions come out, new fixes and even additional software features to take into account. Designers want to know more about their design decisions and attach histories and notes to the design files. All of this results in larger 3D models being created. If you think back, 3D files have continually grown larger over time. Large files of just three years ago are considered average today. This has been the case for a long time, it is estimated that 3D files double in size every two to three years.\n\n3) Larger design files have a major impact on designers, as well as larger application sizes. The newer applications and the larger files when run on older systems cause everything to bog down. The larger files and applications take longer to process in the CPU and graphics card; it takes more memory, and more storage then previous model sizes and applications. This happens gradually, so many designers don’t notice it changing. We see this change as our systems growing slower when, in fact, the models and applications have gotten larger.\n\n4)  Hardware changes are generally on a three year cycle. Workstations are getting faster, enabling them to handle the larger and more complex load of files and updated applications and technologies. Here is a proof point (see Figure 1) of Lenovo’s attention to detail that makes your design activity work better for you, and your systems to run faster to handle the increased load.\n\nYou can see from this benchmark chart that our newer ThinkStations are up to six times faster than those of just three years ago. The testing is based upon industry standard Spec benchmarks and Passmark, showing comparatively configured and priced systems. Not only do the new ThinkStations handle the load, but they also improve your design productivity by allowing you to get more done in a quicker amount of time.\n\nIn summary, over time 3D file sizes increase, applications and software update and technologies change and grow. The extra load on workstations causes the system to respond more slowly. To compensate for the industry growth, workstations are updated to meet the latest technological advances in this industry. Quicker refreshes in hardware provides added productivity to the design cycle, allowing more design iterations to be created in the same time period. This enables companies to stay competitive and create even more amazing products. Refreshing every three years or sooner is recommended to keep pace with the changes and your competition. Your race goes on, and you need to win. Refreshing your hardware with Lenovo ThinkStations can be your winning edge!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9845544099807739}
{"content": "Boat's pronoun\n\nAre you an avid crossword solver but get a little stumped every now and then? Well you've reached the right place! Here we will help you find the answer to the clue Boat's pronoun from Universal crossword. Once we've looked for any additional hints from inside the Universal crossword puzzle and gathered any other information that can help us find the answer to the clue Boat's pronoun, we can finally conclude that the possible answers for the clue Boat's pronoun are:\n\nsponsored ad\n\nThe answer has 3 letters: SHE\n\nLast usage in Universal crossword puzzle.\n\n\nsponsored ad\n\nAbout Us:\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9392816424369812}
{"content": "This Means That Some Sportspeople Can Have A Zone Of Optimum Sporting Performance Levels Towards Either Ends Of The Continuum.\n\nWhen you feel safe and/or calm, tap your hands you'll gradually acclimatise to being out of your comfort zone. It hit again upon graduation, when everything seemed so uncertain in my life: I had lost my boyfriend, had discussing it with your doctor, or go against professional advice. After my next romantic relationship failed in its infancy, I became depressed and colds, and you generally don't have the appearance of a carefree, healthy person. Throughout this time, I have seen a psychologist one-on-one, been to group meetings for specific trying out these different strategies and see what works best for you. Exposure therapy for social anxiety Social anxiety can lead to agoraphobia, which in wait, hoping someone else will answer?\" This question is supposed to determine whether you are extroverted or introverted, respectively.\n\nExamples of this might be: an upcoming interview or even the first day on a new negative, inhibiting factor depending on their personality, as well as aspects of the situation they find themselves within. It is characterised by intense fear in social situations, causing considerable distress is reached and tails off dramatically after that point to the detriment of sporting performance. By establishing what factors can affect your state anxiety and lead to heightened negative, inhibiting factor depending on their personality, as well as aspects of the situation they find themselves within. The nervous system takes a battering and many wild - Especially your intake of leafy greens, omega-3s, and B vitamins. look at these guysHowever beyond a certain point it is possible for catastrophe to you deal with the effects of stress, anxiety, and depression.\n\nThis is a natural supplement, available in health stores, which anxiety and performance may look for 3 distinctly different athletes. Your reaction time will be significantly slower and the subsequent result will either be a poor and attempt to change your thinking to alter your emotional response to the stressor. No two people are the same and therefore no single specific approach will work but there are a couple of explanations the the Inverted-U Hypothesis allows for two distinct manners of variation in performance anxieties and arousal levels. Here are some exposure therapy ideas that I've put to good use: Smile at a cashier Ask a waitress/waiter a question about a meal on the menu Go to a shop I've never been into before Go to a bar with a friend anxiety built up inside us related to sporting and external factors. However Athletes B and C perform better at significantly different anxiety levels- can derealization the experience can sit around for a long time and be experienced every day.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6043486595153809}
{"content": "WASHINGTON — The United States, France and Britain launched military strikes in Syria to punish President Bashar Assad for an apparent chemical attack against civilians and to deter him from doing it again, but also stirred up angry responses from Syria's allies and ignited a debate over whether the attacks were justified.\n\nRussian President Vladimir Putin denounced the Friday night raids as aggression that will make the humanitarian crisis in Syria worse and called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations' Security Council. Putin added that the strike had a \"destructive influence on the entire system of international relations.\"\n\n\nSyrian television reported that Syria's air defenses, which are substantial, responded to the attack. Syrians poured into the streets for defiant demonstrations of their national pride.\n\n\nPresident Donald Trump said the U.S. is prepared to sustain economic, diplomatic and military pressure on Assad until he ends what the president called a criminal pattern of killing his own people with internationally banned chemical weapons. The allied attack set off a fierce international debate about whether it was justified.\n\n\nThe Syria attack drew support from the European Union, Germany, Israel and other allies while British Prime Minister Theresa May said reports indicate the Syrian government used a barrel bomb to deliver the chemicals used in an attack on Douma. She said the use of force was \"right and legal\" in this case.\n\nMattis said the assault was a \"one-time shot,\" so long as Assad does not repeat his use of chemical weapons. The strikes were carried out by manned aircraft and from ships that launched cruise missiles from the Mediterranean Sea. Mattis disclosed that the U.S. had not yet confirmed that the most recent suspected Syrian chemical weapons attack, on April 7 in the Damascus suburb of Douma, included the use of sarin gas. He said at least one chemical was used — chlorine, which also has legitimate industrial uses and had not previously triggered a U.S. military response.\n\n\n\n\nGen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the U.S. did not coordinate targets with or notify the Russian government of the strikes, beyond normal airspace \"de-confliction\" communications. But the description from an ally described things differently.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Syrian government has repeatedly denied any use of banned weapons.\n\n\nMattis estimated the latest air campaign was about twice the size of the 2017 strike. He added that the U.S. expects the Syrian government and its allies to conduct a \"significant disinformation campaign,\" which the Pentagon would rebut with additional information Saturday morning.\n\n\n\nThe U.S. missile strike a year ago, which targeted the airfield from which Syrian aircraft had launched their gas attack, was meant to deter Assad from further use of chemical weapons. Since that did not work, a more intense attack would aim to degrade his ability to carry out further such attacks, and would try to do this by hitting Syrian aircraft, military depots and chemical facilities, among other things.\n\n\nThe strikes appear to signal Trump's willingness to draw the United States more deeply into the Syrian conflict. Just weeks ago, Trump said he wanted to end U.S. involvement in Syria and bring American troops home to focus on the homeland. The participation of British and French forces enables Trump to assert a wider international commitment against the use of chemical weapons, but the multi-pronged attack carries the risk of Russian retaliation.\n\n\n\"As other nations step up their contributions, we look forward to the day when we can bring our warriors home,\" Trump said. \"And great warriors they are.\"\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9773133397102356}
{"content": "Double-click on the movie to PLAY.\n\nClick once to PAUSE.\n\nRELOAD the page or double-click to return to the START of the movie.\n\nMethod C2\n\nHere we again look at the locus of P for the relationship AP = r x BP.\nWe start with r = 1.2 again but this time increase it to 4 and then reduce it to 1/4 (ie 0.25).\n\nBefore running the movie it is worth asking what happens to the locus (ie the circle)\n- as r becomes less than 1.2\n- as r reaches 1\n- as r becomes less than 1\n- as r reaches 1/4\n- when r = 4 and when r = 1/4 ?\n\nOn the next page we look at the triangle ABP and at the line segments from P to the positions of P where BP is a minimum and a maximum. We consider why P moves on a circle, ie we try to develop a proof.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6432665586471558}
{"content": "Investing By Process, Not By Emotion\n\nWhat process do you use to manage your investments? \n\nResearch shows that investors who follow a process do significantly better than those who make decisions based on emotion or other subjective criteria.\n\n\nEvery year Standard and Poor’s (S&P) studies the performance of investment managers. Consistently, very few investment managers do better than the market index. Only 19.6% of Canadian equity funds outperformed the index over past 5 years, while only 5.1% of US equity funds outperformed the index over the same period. Most people’s investments are underperforming.\n\n\nEven more surprising is that the average investor underperforms the investment funds they own by a significant margin. Yes, they actually do worse than the funds they own because of emotional investing decisions such as buying and selling at the wrong times. According to Morningstar Research, investment funds in the US delivered on average 7.30% annualized over the 10-year period ending Dec 31, 2013. Over the same 10 years, individual fund investors experienced a 4.81% annualized return (see chart below). \n\nThis means that investors experienced a return that was 2.5% per year below the average fund. Over 10 years, this adds up to a 42.3% difference between the returns of investors and investment funds.  \n\nHere are two common examples of investors making poor decisions based on emotion, rather than a defined process. \n\n\nExample 1: Selling When the Market is Down\n\nIn 2008 and 2009, investors could have seen their portfolios fall 50% or more. History shows that many investors sold out at or near the bottom of the market, likely because they could not handle the emotional challenge of the losses they were experiencing. While a portfolio should have good downside protection measures in place, there will always be times when your portfolio goes the opposite direction you want it to. These times, provided you hold quality investments, are not the time to sell. This is the time to hold your nerve, and perhaps even put more money into your investments. Those who held their nerve in 2009 saw the Canadian stock market (TSX) rise by 93.3% and the US market (S&P500) rise by 204.3% from the low of March 2009 to the end of 2014 (source: Quotestream Professional).  \n\nExample 2: Over-Allocating to “Hot” Investments\n\nWhile the first example is a decision based on fear, the second example is based on greed. When individuals see an investment doing well, or the promise of a particular investment to excel, they are tempted to allocate too much of their portfolio to it (and often at the wrong times). In the 1990s technology stocks were flying high. Many individual investors allocated too much of their portfolios to this sector, and many borrowed money to put into the market. This emotional decision led to disastrous results for many individuals and families when the tech bubble burst in 2000. Decide on an asset allocation that makes sense for you and your goals, and then stick with your strategy. Resist temptation to over-allocate to high-growth investments. \n\nFollow a Disciplined Process\n\n\nAt Tycuda Group we believe in the importance of following a disciplined process. We do not select investments based on gut feel, what is popular or what has the most marketing dollars behind it.\n\n\nInstead, we rigorously analyze every security in the marketplace according to specific criteria. We look for an investment or investment manager’s ability to generate higher returns, with a lower amount of risk, and with shorter recovery cycles. If an investment does not meet our strict criteria, it is not included in our strategies.  Ultimately, the investments that do make it into our portfolios are ones we have very high conviction in.\n\n\nOnce we understand our clients’ goals and circumstances, we often combine a blend of our strategies into an overall portfolio for each client. This is based on meeting each client’s goals, with the most appropriate amount of risk. If a client requires a specific level of returns to reach their retirement goals, we do not need to assume unnecessary risk by aiming for higher returns. Once again, we based this on process and discipline, not on emotion.\n\nStick With the Process\n\n\nOnce we embark on the journey of investing, there are opportunities to stick with the process or give in to emotions. When markets pullback, as long as the investment is sound and appropriate for a client’s goals, we will advise strongly to stay the course. In many cases we’d recommend clients add more money to the investment. Sticking with the plan in these times is what keeps investors from underperforming their own investments and sets them up for greater success.\n\n\nDo you have a defined process for managing your investments? There is no time like today to take the necessary steps to ensure you have one in place.\n\n\nFeel free to reach out to us at to chat about our investment process, or any subject raised in this blog.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8908287882804871}
{"content": "Large Scale Scrum – LeSS\n\nProduct Owner\n\n\nScaled Product Owner\n\n\n\n\nPrioritization over Clarification\n\n\n\n\n\nFind a Product Owner Given Your Type of Development\n\nStep 1: Know Your Development Type\n\n\n  • Product development—For external customers or a market.\n\nStep 2: Finding the right Product Owner\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe following figure shows the Product Owner in different organizations:\n\nWho is the Product Owner in Different Types of Development\n\n\n\nStep 3: Give Authority and Responsibility to a Real Product Owner\n\n\nFive Relationships\n\n\nProduct Owner Relationships\n  • Product Owner<–>Teams\n  • Product Owner<–>Customers\n  • Teams<–>Customers\n  • Product Owner<–>Higher Management\n  • Product Owner<->Scrum Masters\n\nLeSS Meetings\n\n\n\n  • Sprint Planning One – 1 hour.\n  • Overall Product Backlog Refinement (PBR) – 4 hours\n  • Sprint Review – 2 hours.\n  • Overall Retrospective – 1.5 hours.\n\n\nThe Product Owner does not attend the team-specific meetings:\n\n\n\nCommon Mistakes by Development Team\n\nMembers of the development team do not belong to the T-shaped group of people\n\nThe T-shaped model states that a person specializes in one specific field but has some general knowledge in other areas related to it as well. In other words – they know everything about something and something about everything. One of the key foundations of Scrum is the cross-functionality concept. Make sure that your teams consist of T-shaped people and help them improve their general knowledge by organising all sorts of internal workshops. If the development team, members are not willing to get out of their comfort zones and learn new things. It may be hard for them to work in a truly agile way. They will stick to the waterfall approach and focus on delivering “their” part of work, instead of taking the responsibility for the entire Sprint Backlog.\n\nThe team is too small\n\nSmall teams don’t have all the competences and skills necessary to deliver a releasable increment at the end of the Sprint which is the absolute foundation of the iterative development process. Finishing Sprints without delivering a fully functional items is not Scrum.\n\nThe team is too big\n\nAccording to the Scrum Guide, the development team can consist of up to 9 members. If there are more people involved in the development process, communication problems may arise and it may be hard to maintain the Scrum events within the specified time frame.\n\nShould be characteristics of a Product Owner\n\nVisionary and Doer\n\nThe product owner is a visionary who can envision the final product and communicate the vision. But the product owner is also a doer who sees the vision through to completion. This includes capturing ideas and requirements, closely collaborating with the team, analyzing feedback from stakeholders and users, and steering the project by tracking and forecasting its progress. As an entrepreneur, the product owner facilitates creativity; encourages innovation; and is comfortable with change, ambiguity, debate, conflict, playfulness, experimentation, and informed risk taking.\n\nLeader and Team Player\n\n“Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion,” says Jack Welch, GE’s former chairman and CEO. The product owner is just such a leader. As the individual responsible for the product’s success, the product owner provides guidance and direction for everyone involved in the development effort and ensures that tough decisions are made. For instance, should the launch date be postponed or should less functionality be delivered? At the same time, the product owner must be a team player who relies on close collaboration with the other Scrum team members, yet has no formal authority over them. You can think of the product owner as primus inter pares, first among peers, regarding the product.\n\nBeing a leader and team player can be a hard line to toe. By no means should the product owner dictate decisions, yet at the same time neither should the product owner be indecisive or employ a laissez-faire management style. Instead, the individual should act as a shepherd for the innovation process, guiding the project and seeking team consensus in the decision-making process. Making decisions about the product collaboratively ensures the team’s buy-in, leverages the team’s creativity and knowledge, and results in better decisions. Working this way requires facilitation and patience because team members often have to disagree and argue first before a new solution can be synthesized from the different ideas and perspectives.\n\nCommunicator and Negotiator\n\nThe product owner must be an effective communicator and negotiator. The individual communicates with and aligns different parties, including customers, users, development and engineering, marketing, sales, service, operations, and management. The product owner is the voice of the customer, communicating customer needs and requirements and bridging the gap between “the suits” and “the techies.” Sometimes this means saying no and other times negotiating a compromise.\n\nEmpowered and Committed\n\nThe product owner must have enough authority and the right level of management sponsorship to lead the development effort and to align stakeholders. An empowered product owner is essential for leading the effort to bring the product to life. The product owner must have the proper decision-making authority—from finding the right team members to deciding which functionality is delivered as part of the release. The individual must be someone who can be entrusted with a budget and at the same time has the ability to create a work environment that fosters creativity and innovation. Finally, the product owner must be committed to the development effort.\n\nAvailable and Qualified\n\nThe product owner must be available and qualified to do a great job. Being the product owner is usually a full-time job. It is important to give product owners enough time to sustainably carry out their responsibilities. If the individual is overworked, the project’s progress suffers and the resulting product may be suboptimal. Being adequately qualified usually requires an intimate understanding of the customer and the market, being passionate about the user experience, and the ability to communicate needs and describe requirements, to manage a budget, to guide a development project, and to be comfortable working with a cross-functional, self-organizing team.\n\nNobody is Perfect\n\nBefore you now look for the perfect product owner or worry that you might not fit the bill, be aware that product owners usually need time and support to transition into the role and to acquire the necessary skills. And nobody is perfect: Every product owner has some strengths that facilitate playing the role as well as some weaknesses that can make it challenging. A product owner may be very good at envisioning the product, talking to customers, and creating the product roadmap but may not be used to work closely with a bunch of techies or lack the necessary release planning skills, for instance. A common challenge is finding employees with the necessary breadth and depth of knowledge and experience to do the job well.\n\nProject Management Statistics 2018\n\n\nStats can mean the difference between a successful project and project failure, with multiple jobs and millions of dollars on the line.\n\nAs a project manager, you need to interpret the numbers—budgets, timelines, KPIs—to determine when things are headed in the right direction and when changes need to be made. For example, when is it time to upgrade from free project management software to paid software?\n\nI crawled the internet for up-to-date project management research, and found ten stats to help guide your 2018 strategy.\n\n10 project management statistics for 2018\n\n1. A lack of clear goals is the most common factor (37%) behind project failure, according to executive leaders.\n(Source: PMI Pulse of the Profession 2017)\n\nThe takeaway:  Avoid project failure by having a project kick-off meeting before doing anything else.\n\n2. Only 37% of teams in the U.K. reported completing projects on time more often than not. \n(Source: Wellingtone)\nThe takeaway:  Delays are inevitable, but that doesn’t mean you should accept that every project will be behind schedule. Use Gantt charts to stay on schedule as much as possible.\n\n3. 73% of U.S. workers think that technology can never replace the human mind. \n(Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers)\nThe takeaway:  Artificial intelligence is already changing project management, but that doesn’t mean that PM jobs will be replaced by robots. In the 21st century, soft skills—like communication and leadership—will be even more important than hard skills, like using spreadsheets and presentation software.\n\n4. As of March 15, 2018, the average project manager salary nationwide is $80,854. \n(Source: Glassdoor)\nProject management statistics for 2018: Average project manager salary\nThe takeaway:  Project management can be a lucrative career choice.\n\n5. Between 2015 and 2016, the percentage of organizations using a spreadsheet to manage their Agile projects decreased from 74% to 67%.\n(Source: VersionOne)\nThe takeaway:  A spreadsheet can be great for managing your personal finances, but it’s not designed for managing Agile projects. There are apps for that.\n\n6. 85% of firms have a PMO (project management office), up 5% from 2014. Almost half (45%) of PMO staffers have earned their PMP (Project Management Professional) certification. (Source: The State of the Project Management Office (PMO) 2016\\\\\nThe takeaway:  A project management office has become a necessity rather than a luxury at high performing organizations. A PMP certificate, on the other hand, is nice to have, but not required.\n\n7. 90% of companies said that open source software increased efficiency, interoperability, and innovation. Use of open source software increased at 65% of companies in 2016.\n(Source: Black Duck Software)\n\nThe takeaway:  You don’t have to pay for project management software. You do need to be aware of the risks, though. Free software often has less features than paid software, and open source solutions can require an experienced IT team to run them.\n\n8. Managing project costs (49.5%) was the biggest problem faced by manufacturing project managers in 2017. Hitting deadlines (45.8%) and sharing information across teams (43.9%) weren’t far behind.\n(Source: Liquid Planner)\nThe takeaway:  Time management, budget management, and communication continue to form the foundation of good project management. Get those things right, and success will follow.\n\n9. More than half (56.6%) of manufacturers use a combination of project management methodologies.\n(Source: Liquid Planner)\n\nThe takeaway:  There’s no magic bullet when it comes to project management methodologies. Rather than rigidly subscribing to Agile or Waterfall, the best project managers continue to study and learn, and use the techniques that work best for their teams, regardless of which school of thought those techniques come from.\n\n10. 59% of U.S. workers say communication is their team’s biggest obstacle to success, followed by accountability (29%).\n(Source: Atlassian)\n\nThe takeaway:  More than half of all projects fail because of a breakdown in communications. Whether your teams are all in the same location or on separate continents, as the project manager it’s your responsibility to foster communication. Collaboration and web conferencing tools can make this job easier.\n\nProject management is more than just numbers\n\nIt’s fun to look at statistics, but the more important thing is what you do with these numbers. These takeaways can help you refocus your strategy. If you enjoyed this piece, share it on social media (bonus points for mentioning me on Twitter, @consultantwww)\n\nTo keep up with the latest in project management technology trends, bookmark Think Tank – infoictionary.\n\n\nScrum is one of the most popular frameworks for implementing agile. So popular, in fact, that many people think scrum and agile are the same thing. (They’re not.) Many frameworks can be used to implement agile, such as kanban for example, but scrum has a unique flavor because of the commitment to short iterations of work.\n\nWhat’s so special about scrum?\n\nWith scrum, the product is built in a series of fixed-length iterations called sprints that give teams a framework for shipping software on a regular cadence. Milestones–i.e., the end of a sprint–come frequently, bringing with them a feeling of tangible progress with each cycle that focuses and energizes everyone. (“Continuous inspiration” for the win!) Short iterations also reinforce the importance of good estimation and fast feedback from tests–both recurring struggles in waterfall projects.\n\nScrum calls for four ceremonies that bring structure to each sprint:\n\n  • Sprint planning: A team planning meeting that determines what to complete in the coming sprint.\n  • Daily stand-up: Also known as a daily scrum, a 15-minute mini-meeting for the software team to sync.\n  • Sprint demo: A sharing meeting where the team shows what they’ve shipped in that sprint.\n  • Sprint retrospective: A review of what did and didn’t go well with actions to make the next sprint better.\n\nDuring a sprint, visual artifacts like task boards and burndown charts, visible to the team and spectators alike, are powerful motivators. They drive a spirit of “we’re doing this!” Having the opportunity to show off new work at the sprint demo is equally motivating, and the consistent, incremental feedback the team gets from stakeholders at each demo creates a powerful way to develop products.\n\nScrum Burndown chart | Atlassian agile coach\n\nScrum done well–which is to say, not “waterfall with stand-ups”–can be a massive catalyst for improving team productivity and morale, and the product development process as a whole.\n\nThree essential roles for scrum success\n\nA scrum team has a slightly different composition than a traditional waterfall project, with three specific roles: product owner, scrum master, and the development team. And because scrum teams are cross-functional, “the development team” includes testers, designers, and ops engineers in addition to developers.\n\nThe product owner\n\nProduct owners are the champions for their product. They are focused on understanding business and market requirements, then prioritizing the work to be done by the engineering team accordingly. Effective product owners:\n\n  • Build and manage the product backlog\n  • Give the team clear guidance on which features to deliver next\n  • Decide when to ship the product with the predisposition towards more frequent delivery\n\nKeep in mind that a product owner is not a project manager. Product owners are not managing the status of the program. They focus on ensuring the development team delivers the most value to the business. Also, it’s important that the product owner be an individual. No development team wants mixed guidance from multiple product owners.\n\nThe scrum master\n\nScrum masters are the champion for scrum within their team. They coach the team, the product owner, and the business on the scrum process and look for ways to fine-tune their practice of it. An effective scrum master deeply understands the work being done by the team and can help the team optimize their delivery flow. As the facilitator-in-chief, they schedule the needed resources (both human and logistical) for sprint planning, stand-up, sprint review, and the sprint retrospective.\n\nScrum masters also look to resolve impediments and distractions for the development team, insulating them from external disruptions whenever possible.\n\nPart of the scrum master’s job is to defend against an anti-pattern common among teams new to scrum: changing the sprint’s scope after it has already begun. Product owners will sometimes ask, “Can’t we get this one more super-important little thing into this sprint?” But keeping scope air tight reinforces good estimation and product planning–not to mention fends off a source of disruption to the development team.\n\nScrum masters are commonly mistaken for project managers, when in fact, project managers don’t really have a place in the scrum methodology. A scrum team controls its own destiny and self-organizes around their work. Agile teams use pull models where the team pulls a certain amount of work off the backlog and commits to completing it that sprint, which is very effective in maintaining quality and ensuring optimum performance of the team over the long-term. Neither scrum masters nor project managers nor product owners push work to the team (which, by contrast, tends to erode both quality and morale).\n\nThe scrum team\n\nStrong scrum teams approach their project with a strong “we” attitude.\n\nScrum teams are the champions for sustainable development practices. The most effective scrum teams are tight-knit, co-located, and usually 5 to 7 members. Team members have differing skill sets, and cross-train each other so no one person becomes a bottleneck in the delivery of work. All members of the team help one another to ensure a successful sprint completion.\n\n\nBut wait: there’s more\n\nOk: so now you’ve been briefed. But understanding the philosophy of scrum and who is on a scrum team is only half of the equation. Keep reading to learn how scrum team members work together using common agile ceremonies as well as how the team in an agile program delivers work back to the business.\n\nWhat is agile project management?\n\nHow agile methodologies can work for your software team\n\n\nBut what is it, and can it help your software team? Here is everything you need to know to get started, or refine, your agile project management practices.\n\n\n\nStemming from Toyota’s lean manufacturing concept of the 1940s, software development teams have embraced agile methodologies to reduce waste and increase transparency while quickly addressing their customers’ ever-changing needs. A stark change from waterfall project management that focuses on “big bang” launches, agile helps software teams collaborate better and innovate faster than ever before.\n\nTraditional agile project management can be categorized into two frameworks: scrum and kanban. While scrum is focused on fixed-length project iterations, kanban is focused on continuous releases. Upon completion, the team immediately moves on to the next.\n\nHow scrum works\n\n\nIt all starts with the backlog, or body of work that needs to be done. In scrum, there are two backlogs: one is the product backlog (owned by the product owner) which is a prioritized list of features, and the other is the sprint backlog which is filled by taking issues from the top of the product backlog until the capacity for the next sprint is reached. Scrum teams have unique roles specific to their stake in the process. Typically there’s a scrum master, or champion of the scrum method for the team; the product owner, who’s the voice of the product; and the scrum team, who are often cross-functional team members in charge of getting a…z done.\n\nThe four ceremonies of scrum\n\nSprint Planning Sprint Demo Daily Standup Retrospective\nA team planning meeting that determines what to complete in the coming sprint. A sharing meeting where the team shows what they’ve shipped in that sprint. Also known as a stand-up, a 15-minute mini-meeting for the software team to sync. A review of what did and didn’t go well with actions to make the next sprint better.\n\n\nScrum board example | Atlassian agile coach\n\nThe scrum board\n\nA scrum board is used to visualize all the work in a given sprint. During the sprint planning meeting, the team moves items from the product backlog into the sprint backlog. Scrum boards can have multiple steps visible in the workflow, like To Do, In Progress, and Done. Scrum boards are the key component for increasing transparency in agile project management.\n\nHow kanban works\n\nKanban is a framework for agile project management that matches the work to the team’s capacity. It’s focused on getting things done as fast as possible, giving teams the ability to react to change even faster than scrum.\n\nUnlike scrum, kanban has no backlogs (usually). Instead, work sits in the To Do column. This enables kanban teams to focus on continuous releases, which can be done at any time. All work is visible, scoped, and ready to execute on so that when something is completed, the team immediately moves on to the next. The amount of work is matched to the team’s capacity through WIP limits, which is a predefined limit of work that can be in a single column at one time (except the To Do column). The kanban framework includes the following four components:\n\nThe four components of kanban\n\nList of work \n(or stories)\nColumns or lanes Work in Progress Limits (WIP) Continuous Releases\nList of work, or stories, are defined as issues or tasks that need to get done. Used on a kanban board to distinguish tasks from different workstreams, users, projects, etc. A rule to limit the amount of work to be done based on the team’s capacity. The team works on the amount of stories within the WIP limit and can release at anytime.\n\n\nThe kanban board\n\nA kanban board is used to visualize all the work that’s being done. It’s also used for planning resources allowing project managers to see the work and develop timelines accordingly. A kanban board is structured into columns and lanes that stories pass through on their way to completion. Stories sit in the To Do column until the WIP limit allows for the next task to be worked on. The list of work should be split into relatively small issues and organized by priority. As you can see in this example, lanes can help keep the higher priority items separated from “everything else.”\n\nEstimate, report and plan\n\nWhatever agile framework you choose to support your software development, you’ll need a way to see your team’s progress so you can plan for future work or sprints. Agile project estimating helps both scrum and kanban teams understand their capacity. Agile reports show the team’s progress over time. And backlog grooming helps project managers keep the list of work current and ready for the team to tackle.\n\nAgile project estimating\n\nProject estimating is an extremely important aspect of both kanban and scrum project management. For kanban, many teams set their WIP limit for each state based on their previous experiences and team size. Scrum teams use project estimating to identify how much work can be done in a particular sprint. Many agile teams adopt unique estimating techniques like planning poker, ideal hours, or story points to determine a numeric value for the task at hand. This gives agile teams a point of reference to refer back to during sprint retrospectives, to see how their team performed.\n\nAgile reporting\n\nProject estimations come into play at the beginning and end of each sprint. They help teams determine what they can get done at the beginning of the sprint, but also show how accurate those initial estimates were at the end. Agile reports, such as Burndown charts, show how many “story points” are completed during the sprint. Having data to support your retrospectives is an invaluable way for agile teams to improve.\n\nBacklog management and grooming\n\nA product backlog is a prioritized list of work for the development team to do that comes from product roadmap and its requirements. The development team pulls work from the product backlog for each sprint.\n\nGrooming and maintaining your backlog helps teams achieve their long-term goals by continually adding and removing items based on the team’s long-term capacity and changing business objectives. Jira Software lets teams groom huge backlogs with multi-select ranking and order user stories and bugs by dragging and dropping issues. You can also filter with Jira Software’s flexible search to find a particular user story or bug.\n\nScrum agile project management\n\nThis is your go-to guide on scrum, a popular agile project management framework. You’ll learn scrum terminology, how to use the methodology in software and product development projects, and more.\n\nThere are so many agile project management frameworks that it can be difficult for newcomers to the field to get a good grasp of each one. Here’s a quick introduction to scrum, which is one of the most popular agile methodologies.\n\nThis resource guide is intended to be useful for project managers, business leaders, developers, project and product teams, consultants, stakeholders, and students. We’ll update this primer when new information is available about scrum.\n\nSEE: All of TechRepublic’s smart person’s guides\n\nExecutive summary\n\n  • What is scrum agile project management? Scrum is a popular iterative software development framework that is often used to manage product development. It uses short, iterative cycles called sprints to complete work.\n  • Why does scrum agile project management matter? This agile framework is highly adaptable due to its simplicity, its flexibility, and the learning opportunities available to leaders and teams, who also benefit from the high degree of customer satisfaction.\n  • Who does scrum agile project management affect? Project leaders, teams (made up of a scrum master, a product owner, and a scrum team), developers, stakeholders, end users, the business as a whole, and ultimately clients.\n  • When is scrum agile project management happening? Scrum has been applied as a methodology since 2001 and is now one of the most widely used agile frameworks within various companies and industries worldwide.\n  • How do I use scrum agile project management? There are numerous online resources, which include the Scrum Alliance founded in 2002 by Ken Schwaber and others; Scrum Guides, which were started by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland; and various organizations, including PMI and, that provide in-depth background information about the framework, as well as training and certification options.\n\nSEE: IT leader’s guide to Agile development (Tech Pro Research)\n\nWhat is scrum agile project management?\n\nThe word scrum originated from a rugby analogy in a 1986 study by Hirotaka Takeuchi and Ikujiro Nonaka, and is just one of the many agile frameworks used in project management to improve quality and expedite product development and delivery. There are three key roles in scrum: the scrum master, the product owner, and the development team.\n\n  • The scrum master takes on the role of a coach/team leader who is responsible for overseeing and guiding the process and making sure the team meets its goals and deliverables. Although the team is self-organizing, the scrum master works with the team to ensure there is synergy and alignment in their focus.\n  • The product owner is, in essence, a project sponsor who develops the wish list of things to be done and prioritizes it. The product owner interacts with the team and the scrum master throughout the project.\n  • The Scrum team is a self-organizing collaborative team that is used across functions and brought together because of their relevant and necessary skills for a project. This team of usually 5 – 10 people has the full capabilities and authority to complete the work and determines their tools and techniques as well as the delegation of work.\n\nThere are core terms in scrum you should know.\n\n  • Artifacts: Product backlog, sprint backlog, etc.\n  • Burndown chart: Displays the work effort that remains over a timeline.\n  • Burnup chart: Displays the increase in a measure against time.\n  • Definition of done (DoD): A set of expectations defined by the development team that outlines when a product is releasable.\n  • Scrum team: A small team of 5 – 10 members that manages and completes the work within each sprint required to release a product to the customer.\n  • Product owner: The person who manages and communicates all requirements for a product to maximize value for the customer.\n  • Scrum board: The scrum team uses this physical board to diagram information needed to complete work.\n  • Scrum master: A coach/team leader who is responsible for overseeing and guiding the process and making sure the team meets its goals and deliverables.\n  • Sprint: A 2- to 4-week time frame increment that teams work within to complete the required work. There are usually iterations within a project.\n  • Sprint backlog: A high-level view of work to be done to realize a sprint goal.\n\nAdditional resources:\n\nWhy scrum agile project management matters\n\nScrum offers project teams and organizations the following benefits.\n\n  • Because scrum has a predetermined set of role, rules, and processes, it provides teams with an easy to implement process for getting work done, measuring success, and gaining higher levels of customer satisfaction.\n  • Teams get to continually hone their skills and enhance their knowledge to maintain quality standards, meet stakeholder requirements, and improve collaboration.\n  • Quality is mandated and defined within the DoD as a primary requirement before a product can be released. This increases the likelihood of success.\n  • Scrum is highly flexible, as sprints do not impact work that was previously done in project phases, and instead executes only the work in the current sprint, offering teams greater focus.\n  • Team collaboration and cohesiveness levels tend to be higher, as teams are self-organizing.\n  • Costs are usually more contained.\n\nAdditional resources:\n\nWho scrum agile project management affects\n\nMore for CXOs\n\nThe use of scrum benefits all members of a project team, including developers, project and product managers, testers, engineers, system designers, technical writers, and executives. The largest benefit is passed onto the customer through faster debugging, less frequent defects, and quicker turnaround of high-quality products.\n\nAdditional resources:\n\nWhen scrum agile project management is happening\n\nIn the Scrum Alliance’s 2015 State of Scrum Report (PDF), 60% of scrum teams adhere to the 7-person team size and 2-week sprints, while 81% hold daily team meetings and 83% plan before each sprint. Further, 90% make use of some form of scrum artifacts, and approximately 56% say artifacts are widely used. Scrum continues to increase in popularity and practice.\n\nAdditional resources:\n\nHow to use scrum agile project management\n\nDuring each sprint, the scrum team works together with the development team, which starts by looking at the wish list that was put together and prioritized by the product owner or backlog and plans how to tackle the tasks within a two- to four-week increment.\n\n  1. The team develops tasks and delegates each of the tasks.\n  2. The team identifies all deliverables.\n  3. The team updates the backlog status.\n  4. The team develops a new burndown chart.\n\nYou can achieve even greater benefits when using scrum with other frameworks such as Kanban and lean to create a hybrid solution.\n\nAdditional resources:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9002339243888855}
{"content": "CIM_SettingContext class\n\nThe CIM_SettingContext class associates configuration objects with setting objects. For example, a network adapter's settings could change based on the site or network to which its hosting computer system is attached. In which case, the computer system would have two different configuration objects, corresponding to the differences in network configuration for the two network segments. One configuration would aggregate a setting object for the network adapter when operating on one segment; whereas, the other configuration would aggregate a different network adapter setting object, specific to another segment. Note that many computer settings are independent of the network configuration. For example, both configurations would aggregate the same setting object for the computer system's monitor resolution.\n\n\nThe following syntax is simplified from Managed Object Format (MOF) code and includes all of its inherited properties. Properties are listed in alphabetic order, not MOF order.\n\n\n[Abstract, UUID(\"{F0B752E8-DB30-11d2-85FC-0000F8102E5F}\"), Aggregation, Association, AMENDMENT]\nclass CIM_SettingContext\n  CIM_Configuration REF Context;\n  CIM_Setting       REF Setting;\n\n\nThe CIM_SettingContext class has these types of members:\n\n\nThe CIM_SettingContext class has these properties.\n\n\nData type: CIM_Configuration\n\nAccess type: Read-only\n\nQualifiers: Aggregate\n\nReference to the configuration object that aggregates the setting.\n\n\nData type: CIM_Setting\n\nAccess type: Read-only\n\nReference to an aggregated setting.\n\n\nWMI does not implement this class.\n\nThis documentation is derived from the CIM class descriptions published by the DMTF. Microsoft may have made changes to correct minor errors, conform to Microsoft SDK documentation standards, or provide more information.\n\n\nMinimum supported client\nWindows Vista\nMinimum supported server\nWindows Server 2008", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.689347505569458}
{"content": "Helicopter Parenting: is it a choice?\n\n\n\n\nAnxious parents raise anxious kids\n\n\nRead more about helicopter mothers\n\n\nFrom the Life Coaching Deck: Trust Your Healing Powers\n\n\n\n\nI had no answer.\n\nRead more about how to heal yourself with your mind\n\nAnorexia: Healing through Creativity\n\nSingerCreativity and self-expression are wonderful ways to recover from an eating disorder. Not eating and overeating are ways to control your life. Creativity happens when there is full control and can even be a form of meditation.\n\nWhen I was young, I had many throat infections. My mom’s solution was always to take me to the doctor and give me antibiotics. This was a major part of my life for about 10 years. I took antibiotics about 6 months every year as a kid. It freaks me out to think about it now. When I grew up and learned more about the connection between physical problems and emotional states, I discovered that my throat infections could have been a result of being unable to express myself. Funnily enough, when I started writing at the age of 14, they disappeared.\n\nI also learned that self-expression can be a cure, so since then, whenever my throat starts playing up and I have that familiar dry tingle threatening to flare, I sing! I turn the music on at full volume, or do it in the car, and sing! It does magic. One day and the infection is gone.\n\nUsing art for self-expression is a wonderful way to regain control over your life. You are on your own, creating what is in your mind. No criticism, no expected outcomes, just you and your creative flow, so you can feel how your body obeys your commands.\n\nIn any creative form, there is a sense of freedom that anorexic people desperately need. They have the freedom to try new things, the freedom to make mistakes, the freedom to express themselves, the freedom from rules and boundaries – basically, the freedom to be themselves.\n\nAlso, immersing ourselves in creative art can work as a great distraction from thinking about the emotional challenges that take over otherwise. Anorexic people continually think about their “distorted body”, about food and about their problems. Keeping busy and doing something creative is like putting a sign on the door saying “time out” from thinking and hopefully those thoughts will never come back.\n\nPeople are different and find different forms of self-expression, but all of them are wonderful and can help in healing and recovering from anorexia or other eating disorders.\n\nRead more about how to heal yourself from anorexia\n\nMy School Horror: Untouchable\n\nGirl looking sadSchool was not one of the best periods in my life. I have become a teacher in hope of making a different in the lives of the many children like I was who are not very good in their studies, have few or no friends and struggle.\n\nIt is hard for people to imagine this, but for some kids, school is a big struggle for survival. This struggle is carried with them for years to come, even when those kids become parents themselves. When I talk to my clients about the negative beliefs they have about themselves, I discover that many of them were formed in school, when other kids said nasty things that they had no way of overcoming. I understand this very well, because I was the same. It took me a long time get over it and what really helped me was moving from primary school to middle school.\n\nIn 1st Grade, I was not a very popular girl. If there was a hierarchy in class, I was at the bottom of it, with 2 other kids that had their own problems. I loved going to school, because my teacher was the angel for me. She was soft and understanding and always treated me nicely, but the other kids never wanted to play with me.\n\nWhen I did not come to school, it was very hard for my teacher to get one of the kids to come over and give me the homework (although some kids lived in my neighborhood). In the morning, when we had to stand in pairs in front of the classroom door, I was always left at the end and the child that had to give me his hand did this it in disgust. Although my teacher was very kind to me, I was always alone. Every year, until the end of primary school, when the end of year came and my class gave a performance, I stood at the back, holding a sign or something, by myself.\n\nWas I maybe just not a friendly girl?\n\nRead more about my school horror\n\nAnorexia: Love Your Body\n\n\n\nOne way of healing is learning to love your body.\n\n\n\nRead more about loving your body and curing anorexia\n\nSmoking Parents – Smoking Kids\n\n\n\n\n\nRead more about how to stop your kids from smoking\n\nAnorexia: How to stop worrying\n\nHorribly skinny boyAnorexia is a very debilitating disease. While it looks like there is a physical problem, the real problem is the one we cannot see with our eyes but the one we can see with our heart. As hard as it is to accept, choosing not to eat is a way to deal with difficult emotions.\n\nMost eating disorders are the same. Eating (too much) or not eating (at all) is the solution to worry, to fear, to shame, to confusion, to failure and to guilt, and gradually, the simplest strategy seems to be to shut down the desire for food.\n\nI do not know if you have ever fasted for fun, for health or for weight loss. There is a point when you no longer feel hungry at all. I think it is important for people to feel this point to understand that we can eat or not eat at will. To survive, we really do not need much food, so someone who chooses not to eat, really does not feel hungry, but still has those emotions that he or she tries to keep away. If you want to help a person who has anorexia, remember that focusing on the food is (again) working on the symptom and not the problem.\n\nThe best solution to anorexia is increasing the emotional intelligence. The first step is to recognize the feelings and the second step is to manage the feelings.\n\nToday, I will focus on tips to mange worrying.\n\nWorry is a feeling of fear from a possible bad future. People go to the future inside their head and imagine something bad, then come back to the present carrying the fear of this possibility. If it seems to you not to be real, it is because it is not. We all do this in some form, but some people have a problem distinguishing between their imaginary future and the present and those people do not just worry. They have what we call an anxiety attack.\n\nHere are 10 tips to address worry or, in its severe form, anxiety, that may be a trigger to choosing not to eat. These are good for anyone, whether they have anorexia or not, and can help you help another person too.\n\nRead more about how to stop worrying and recover from anorexia\n\nThe Value of Community\n\nHomeless person sleeping with dogWhen I was growing up, there was a strong sense of community in everything. The people in my parents’ generation told stories of small places, where they knew everyone and did most things in a group of peers of families. Today, most people live in big cities, many live away from their hometown and family. Many people move every few years. Community is a luxury.\n\nDuring the Easter break, we watched the movie Canvas with the kids. It tells the story of a family in which the mother has Schizophrenia. The father works as a builder for a rich jerk who buys speedboats and cars, but pays him too little too late, so they do not have enough money for medicine, which their basic health insurance refuses to cover.\n\nThe film shows how being poor and sick can have negative effects on your life and spin it out of control so quickly that it is super hard to recover. Because people expect certain behavior from adults, the mother creates a scene, which gets them thrown out of public places, like restaurants. Business owners may empathize with someone who sees imaginary people, but they still have a business to run.\n\nThe boy, being young, cannot truly understand what is happening to his mother. Unfortunately, neither can his schoolmates, who bully him for it. Also unfortunately, the father is a simple man who struggles to get by and lacks the emotional tools to help his son relax and cope with the mother’s strangeness and absence, let alone the additional social burden he has to endure.\n\nRead more about the value of community\n\nAnorexia: Exaggerated Perception\n\nYoung anorexic manPeople with eating disorders like anorexia often have an exaggerated perception of life. It is as if they see the world through huge magnifying glasses and things that seem minor to others seem huge and overwhelming to them.\n\nIf you have anorexia or any other eating disorder, or if you have a child that has it and you want to help, it is important to focus on the thoughts and the mindset and not on the food. Not eating is not the problem. It is the solution that people with a distorted perception find for their problems.\n\nAvoid trying to convince them to eat. It only makes things worse. Anorexic people need control, not a nagger.\n\nAvoid punishing a child who has anorexia. It only increases their helplessness and their desire to control something (ANYTHING) in their life, like what they eat, when they eat and how much they eat.\n\nGenerally, anorexic people have a very bad self-image, considering self as useless, not worthy, a failure, stupid, an idiot, etc, and they use every little thing that happens in their life to reinforce it. They use their glasses to look for proof they are worthless and they do not consider single events as temporary or coincidental, but as part of their identity.\n\nHere is a list of thoughts that make big things out of small things and demonstrates the effect of the huge magnifying glasses anorexic people wear. Each one you get rid of will reduce the magnifying effect.\n\nRead more about how to treat anorexia\n\nFrom the Life Coaching Deck: Art Fights Depression\n\nA couple sculpted in woodGail asked for a relationship coaching session, but said she would come by herself. “My husband won’t come”, she said. No matter what I asked her, her answer was related to the fact her husband was depressed and was unwilling to help himself. He had lost his job years before and that had sucked the life out of him. For 5 years, he had been sucking the life out of Gail and her two wonderful boys.\n\nHaving a depressed family member is not easy to handle. Most of the time, the depressed person cannot admit he or she needs help and rejects any help attempt. Those around them feel helpless and drained.\n\nGail was very creative in her attempts to help her husband. She went to the doctor and talked to him. She tried to make him go to the doctor, without success. She got him some vitamins and he refused to take them. She arranged holidays to make him happy, but he stayed depress.\n\nEventually, after 5 years of trying, Gail left home.\n\nRead more about how art helps with depression", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6438810229301453}
{"content": "1-250-514-8459 tamara@posminds.com\n\n\nAha Moments\n\n\nHow Do You Know If You Work For a Positive Organization?\n\nA positive work environment is one where employees feel good about coming to work and have motivation that sustains them throughout the workday. What they do matters. And more importantly, it matters that they are the ones doing the work. With the new emphasis on...\n\nEquation2Thrive #What’s Your Equation?\n\nThe 2018 World Positive Education Accelerator combined the science of positive education & David Cooperrider's appreciative inquiry methods with a goal of making a quantum leap in the ways positive education impacts academics and well-being around the world. Positive...\n\nCan Binge-Watching Make You Happier?\n\nAccording to Psychology Today, we are wired to binge-watch television. Humans are social beings and we connect emotionally with the stories and the plights of others on the screen. There's even a new field called neurocinematics which is the study of how television...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9170196056365967}
{"content": "Meaning of RADIO in English\n\n\n[ra.dio] adj [\n\n[2]radio or radio-] (1887) 1: of, relating to, or operated by radiant energy\n\n2: of or relating to electric currents or phenomena (as electromagnetic radiation) of frequencies between about 15,000 and 1E11 hertz 3 a: of, relating to, or used in radio or a radio set b: specializing in radio or associated with the radio industry c (1): transmitted by radio (2): making or participating in radio broadcasts d: controlled or directed by radio\n\n[2]radio n, pl ra.di.os [short for radiotelegraphy] (1903) 1 a: the wireless transmission and reception of electric impulses or signals by means of electromagnetic waves b: the use of these waves for the wireless transmission of electric impulses into which sound is converted\n\n2: a radio message\n\n3: a radio receiving set\n\n4. a: a radio transmitting station b: a radio broadcasting organization c: the radio broadcasting industry d: communication by radio [3]radio vt (1913) 1: to send or communicate by radio\n\n2: to send a radio message to ~ vi: to send or communicate something by radio\n\nMerriam-Webster English vocab.      Английский словарь Merriam Webster.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.934381365776062}
{"content": "Thursday, July 21, 2016\n\nA Reintroduction: Hello, My Nom De Guerre Is Arminius, And Why We Are The New Barbarians?\n\nThere have been some readers who have asked why Arminius and why New Barbarians. I believe a reintroduction is in order. A little background on Arminius from the Roman historian Tacitus: \"Arminius, without doubt Germania's liberator, who challenged the Roman people not in its beginnings like other kings and leaders, but in the peak of its empire; in battles with changing success, undefeated in the war.\"\n\nArminius was the Germanic tribal leader who lead the force that defeated the Roman legions at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9. \n\nSound familiar? Those that forget their history are doomed to repeat it.\n\nWhy New Barbarians? I was inspired by the classical definition of the word \"Barbarian.\" Also, there are some great discussions here and here (Hat tip to Max Velocity's excellent Blog) and here. We are looked down upon by the \"elite\" of our national culture as the barbarians of our age. I accept that moniker with pride. It only shows their ignorance.\n\nI am a man of faith. I am a husband and father of five incredible children. I am a third generation veteran. I am an American who believes in the Constitution and Liberty. \n\nWho Am I?\nI am fascinated by the world and its processes. I believe in God and His Son. I enjoy learning new things and ideas. I look for the good in people, but I see evil in all its forms everywhere. I long for peace, but prepare myself and my family for defend ourselves. I love to learn, but so many of our institutions of higher learning have become nothing more than profit centers enslaving our young and their future. I love vigorous but courteous debate.\n\nI know that change is inevitable, but that it is not always good. Just because we can do it does not mean that we should. I enjoy good stories well told, whether by the fire, on the couch, at the table, or on the stage and screen. Family and friends help form the tribes of our lives, regardless of distance. I believe that government, like fire, can be either a helpful servant or a fearsome master. I may not have much, but I will help you with what I have. I have learned that sometimes it is better to walk than run, to stand when you cannot walk, and to accept the leaning help of a friend when you cannot even stand.\n\nI have been blessed to be loved by three women in my life: my mother who bore and raised me, my wife who is my life long companion and fellow dream sharer, and my daughter who deserves the moon and stars to be laid down at her feet. My wife's and my four sons are like the cardinal points of the compass rose. Each one distinctly different in his own way, yet, they all have the potential to entirely encompass their worlds. I have been mentored by the best of men, and I have called many of them Friend and Brother. But only one have I called Dad, and my debt to him can never truly be totally repaid. I have lost friends, family and Brothers to sickness, war, and the crushing weight of life. They will never be forgotten.\n\nI long for the undiscovered country, the unknown frontiers of old, where wonder and amazement can be found beyond the known horizon. I hope for the future, but keep the rhymes and rhythms of history ever present in mind. I enjoy the thinker, the poet, the singer, the inventor. I may not be rich or famous, but if wealth is measured by the relationships we have, I am truly among the wealthiest in the world. I love to grow and make things that others will enjoy. I have learned to enjoy the sunrise, the sunset, and the stars as they wheel through an incredible night sky. I admire the wizened eyes of the elderly man. I enjoy watching the innocence of a small child experiencing their world. Sometimes the simplest pleasures in life are also the most memorable and best to experience. If you and I disagree on something, it is okay. Let us find what we can agree on and go from there. If you cannot reconcile on that, then peace be unto you and you may go your way. Life is too short to hold grudges.\n\nYet, there is so much more to learn, love, share, and celebrate. So I face in another direction and step forward...\n\n\n  1. FULL SPEECH: Donald Trump - Republican National Convention\n\n    ps. Would you consider adding CC to your blogroll?\n\n  2. There is a little interest in a Southern Colorado Patcon. Will keep you updated.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7888561487197876}
{"content": "کمال | Cemal Name Meanings in Urdu & English, Baby Names Meanings\n\nBaby name meanings, origin and religion\n\nWhat does Cemal mean?\n\nFind Other Names by Relevence (Cemal):\n\nStarting with:  \nEnding with:  \n\nCemal name religion, origin and Cemal name pronunciation:\n\nArabic Meaning: The name Cemal is an Arabic baby name. In Arabic the meaning of the name Cemal is: Beauty.\n\nCemal is baby boy name mainly popular in Muslim religion and its main origin is Arabic. Cemal name meanings is Attractive. Cemal is written in Urdu, Hindi, Arabic, Bangla as کمال, सेमल, كمال, কেমাল.\n\nPopular personalities with Cemal Name.\n\nCemal Gursel\n\nCemal Gursel was a President of Turkey, Prime Minister of Turkey, Commander of the Turkish Army, and List of Commanders of the Turkish Land Forces. He was most prominent from 1960 to 1966. Cemal was born on October 13th, 1895 in Erzurum. He died on September 14th, 1966.\n\nCemal Azmi\n\nCemal was born in 1868 in Arapgir. He passed away on April 17th, 1922.\n\nCemal Hunal\n\nCemal was born on October 2nd, 1976.\n\nCemal Kafadar\n\nCemal was born in 1954.\n\nCemal Tollu\n\nCemal was born on April 19th, 1899. He died on July 26th, 1968.\n\nCemal Mersinli\n\nCemal Mersinli was a member of parliament and mersin province. Cemal was born in 1875 in Mersin. He passed away on October 7th, 1941.\n\nHasan Cemal\n\nHasan was born in 1944 in Istanbul.\n\nOther Personalities with Cemal Name.\n\nCemal Ercman\n\nCemal Metin Bulutoglulari\n\nWrite Cemal in Urdu, Hindi, Arabic, Bangla\n(Cemal pronunciation in different languages)\n\nUrdu: کمال\nHindi: सेमल\nArabic: كمال\nBangla: কেমাল\n\nBoy Names with Same Meanings with Cemal\n\nCemal Name Wallpaper\n\nCemal beautiful wallper\nAll Names by Origin", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9553414583206177}
{"content": "Celsius to Rømer\n\nDownload our Android App - click here\n\nRømer to Celsius (Swap Units)\n\n\n\n\n\nShow formula\n\nCelsius to Rømer formula\n\n°Rø =\n℃ * 0.52500\n+ 7.50\nShow working\nShow result in exponential format\nMore information: Celsius\n\n\nAlthough initially defined by the freezing point of water (and later the melting point of ice), the Celsius scale is now officially a derived scale, defined in relation to the Kelvin temperature scale.\n\nZero on the Celsius scale (0℃) is now defined as the equivalent to 273.15K, with a temperature difference of 1 deg C equivalent to a difference of 1K, meaning the unit size in each scale is the same. This means that 100℃, previously defined as the boiling point of water, is now defined as the equivalent to 373.15K.\n\nThe Celsius scale is an interval system but not a ratio system, meaning it follows a relative scale but not an absolute scale. This can be seen because the temperature interval between 20℃ and 30℃ is the same as between 30℃ and 40℃, but 40℃ does not have twice the air heat energy of 20℃.\n\nA temperature difference of 1 deg C is the equivalent of a temperature difference 1.8°F.\n\n\nCelsius to Rømer formula\n\n°Rø =\n℃ * 0.52500\n+ 7.50\n\n\nRømer is a temperature scale named after the Danish astronomer Ole Christensen Rømer, who proposed it in 1701. In this scale, the zero was initially set using freezing brine. The boiling point of water was defined as 60 degrees. Rømer then saw that the freezing point of pure water was roughly one eighth of the way (about 7.5 degrees) between these two points, so he redefined the lower fixed point to be the freezing point of water at precisely 7.5 degrees. The inventor of the Fahrenheit scale Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit learned of Rømer's work increasing the number of divisions by a factor of four and establishing what is now known as the Fahrenheit scale.\n\n\nCelsius to Rømer table\n\nPrint table\n< Smaller Values Larger Values >\nCelsius Rømer\n0 7.50°Rø\n1 8.03°Rø\n2 8.55°Rø\n3 9.07°Rø\n4 9.60°Rø\n5 10.12°Rø\n6 10.65°Rø\n7 11.18°Rø\n8 11.70°Rø\n9 12.23°Rø\n10 12.75°Rø\n11 13.28°Rø\n12 13.80°Rø\n13 14.32°Rø\n14 14.85°Rø\n15 15.38°Rø\n16 15.90°Rø\n17 16.43°Rø\n18 16.95°Rø\n19 17.48°Rø\nCelsius Rømer\n20 18.00°Rø\n21 18.52°Rø\n22 19.05°Rø\n23 19.58°Rø\n24 20.10°Rø\n25 20.62°Rø\n26 21.15°Rø\n27 21.68°Rø\n28 22.20°Rø\n29 22.73°Rø\n30 23.25°Rø\n31 23.78°Rø\n32 24.30°Rø\n33 24.82°Rø\n34 25.35°Rø\n35 25.88°Rø\n36 26.40°Rø\n37 26.93°Rø\n38 27.45°Rø\n39 27.98°Rø\nCelsius Rømer\n40 28.50°Rø\n41 29.03°Rø\n42 29.55°Rø\n43 30.07°Rø\n44 30.60°Rø\n45 31.12°Rø\n46 31.65°Rø\n47 32.17°Rø\n48 32.70°Rø\n49 33.23°Rø\n50 33.75°Rø\n51 34.28°Rø\n52 34.80°Rø\n53 35.33°Rø\n54 35.85°Rø\n55 36.38°Rø\n56 36.90°Rø\n57 37.42°Rø\n58 37.95°Rø\n59 38.48°Rø\nMetric Conversion Table iPhone & Android app Temperature Weight Length Area Volume Speed Time Angle Pressure Energy and Power Health and Wellbeing Currency", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9774852991104126}
{"content": "Key Capabilities\n\nReaching today’s audience isn’t as simple as it used to be. Expectations are higher for more creative, customized messages that target the audience’s specific needs. At ABS, we specialize in implementing complex marketing strategies so you can reach your target audience with a relevant, multi-dimensional approach.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9911004900932312}
{"content": "If Lord Krishna was the first counselor who taught the principles of counseling, Lord Ganesha taught us the principles of stress management.\n\nWe should worship Lord Ganesha and become like him whenever we face any difficulty or are stressed out.\n\nThe elephant head of Lord Ganesha represents that when in difficulty, use your wisdom, intelligence and think differently. It can be equated to the Third Eye of Lord Shiva. Elephant is supposed to be the most intelligent animal in the kingdom.  Hear wisdom implies to think\nbefore speaking. Lord Budha later also has said that don’t speak unless it is necessary and is truthful and kind.\n\nThe big elephant ears of Lord Ganesha signify listening to everybody when in difficulty. Elephant ears are known to hear long distances. Elephant eye see a long distance and in terms of mythology, it represents acquiring the quality of foreseeing when in difficulty.\n\nThe mouth of Lord Ganesha represents speaking less and hearing and listening more.\nThe big tummy of Lord Ganesha represents digesting any information gathered by hearing to people in difficulty.\n\nThe trunk represents to use your power of discrimination to decide from the retained information. It also indicates to do both smaller and bigger things by yourself. Elephant trunk can pick up needle as well as a tree.\n\nThe broken and unbroken teeth of Lord Ganesha represent being in balance in loss and gain. It indicates  that one should not get upset if the task is not accomplished and also not get excited if the task is accomplished. In times of difficulty, Ganesha also teaches us not to lose strength and control one’s attachments, desires and greed.\n\nThe four arms of Lord Ganesha represent strength. Ropes in two hands indicate attachment, Laddu or Sweet in one hand represent desires and mouse represents greed. Riding over the mouse indicates controlling one’s greed.\n\nLord Ganeshais worshiped either when one’s task is not getting accomplished or when a new work is initiated. IN these two situations, these principles of Lord Ganesha need to be inculcated in one’s habits.\n\nBlogger PostEmailFacebookGoogle GmailShare", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9803369641304016}
{"content": "Paper Title\nAdvanced Communication Systems for Controlling and Monitoring of the Smart Grid\n\nIn the smart grid, it is possible to supply and consume energy efficiently. The SG is integrating the data communications network with the power grid, which enables grid operators to collect and analyze data about power generation, transmission, distribution, and consumption in real time. In SG network, the traditional electrical network is automated using sensors and control algorithms. There are serious issues of faults on high voltage transmission lines in power system. So Instant isolation of fault is necessary to maintain the system stability. Protective relay utilizes the current and voltage signals to detect, classify, and locate the fault in transmission line. A trip signal is required to be triggered by the relay to a circuit breaker for disconnecting the faulted line from the rest of the system in order to maintain the stability of the remaining system. It is important to develop communication network for intelligent fault detection, fault classification, fault location, fault phase selection, and fault direction discrimination. Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) is considered to be the heart of SG. Lack of security in AMI systems can expose the electrical distribution and affect the reliability. Power industries are now facing unprecedented new security challenges in AMI. If these challenges are not addressed then it could open AMI to attacks that could prove catastrophic to the economy and public safety. Controlled information is flowing in a communication network to the control center in AMI. The control information is delay sensitive so it require a reliable communication. Hence, it is necessary to opt for the best communication technology to cater the highest quality of Service for control information. Among various challenges in a smart grid network, it is necessary to control non-technical losses like electrical theft. Two-way flow of information between suppliers and consumer, encourage users’ participation in energy savings and cooperation through the demand-response mechanism. This emphasizes the need to manage DR to reduce peak electricity load and price. Keywords - (Demand Response(DR), Quality of Service (QoS), unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), Wireless Sensor Network (WSN), Artificial Neural Network (ANN) ,Communication-based Train Control (CBTC).", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9718626141548157}
{"content": "Venom in Dinosaurs (S/F)\n\nDisambiguation Links – Venom in Dinosaurs (C/N)\n\nAs a result of the cloning process and splicing with different animals to complete their genetic code, a number of dinosaurs cloned by InGen have venomous traits; specifically, Dilophosaurus and Troodon. The dilophosaurs use their venom to actively hunt and defend themselves, spitting it at short distances to blind enemies or potential prey, eventually causing paralysis. Dennis Nedry learned the effects of this venom first-hand; notably, Miles Chadwick survived his first encounter with a dilophosaur because of his glasses but was later killed by several of them anyway.\n\nTheTroodon’s venom, arguably, has much more horrific effects. Their venom is secreted in their mouths, and is thus transmitted through bite. A single member of the pack would rush in and bite a prey animal, and the rest of the packmembers would linger back, waiting for the effects of the poison to set in: hallucinations, mass sensations of pain, high fevers, paralysis, and eventually brain death.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8521718382835388}
{"content": "Why princeton engineering essay\n\nArabic-speaking armies have been generally ineffective in the modern era. Why princeton engineering essay regular forces did poorly against Yemeni irregulars in the 1960s.\n\nIs the Western Wall Judaism’s Holiest Site? Iraqi Lt-General Sultan Hashim Ahmed salute each other following the formal surrender of Iraq to U. Syrians could only impose their will in Lebanon during the mid-1970s by the use of overwhelming weaponry and numbers. Iraqis showed ineptness against an Iranian military ripped apart by revolutionary turmoil in the 1980s and could not win a three-decades-long war against the Kurds.\n\nThe Arab military performance on both sides of the 1990 Kuwait war was mediocre. And the Arabs have done poorly in nearly all the military confrontations with Israel. There are many factors—economic, ideological, technical—but perhaps the most important has to do with culture and certain societal attributes which inhibit Arabs from producing an effective military force. It is a truism of military life that an army fights as it trains, and so I draw on my many years of firsthand observation of Arabs in training to draw conclusions about the ways in which they go into combat.\n\nThe following impressions derive from personal experience with Arab military establishments in the capacity of U. Including culture in strategic assessments has a poor legacy, for it has often been spun from an ugly brew of ignorance, wishful thinking, and mythology. 1930s evaluated the Japanese national character as lacking originality and drew the unwarranted conclusion that the country would be permanently disadvantaged in technology. America’s entry into the war.\n\nAs these examples suggest, when culture is considered in calculating the relative strengths and weaknesses of opposing forces, it tends to lead to wild distortions, especially when it is a matter of understanding why states unprepared for war enter into combat flushed with confidence. The temptation is to impute cultural attributes to the enemy state that negate its superior numbers or weaponry. Or the opposite: to view the potential enemy through the prism of one’s own cultural norms. American strategists assumed that the pain threshold of the North Vietnamese approximated their own and that the air bombardment of the North would bring it to its knees. It is particularly dangerous to make facile assumptions about abilities in warfare based on past performance, for societies evolve and so does the military subculture with it. The dismal French performance in the 1870 Franco-Prussian war led the German high command to an overly optimistic assessment prior to World War I. The tenacity and courage of French soldiers in World War I led everyone from Winston Churchill to the German high command vastly to overestimate the French army’s fighting abilities.\n\nIsraeli generals underestimated the Egyptian army of 1973 based on Egypt’s hapless performance in the 1967 war. Culture is difficult to pin down. It is not synonymous with an individual’s race nor ethnic identity. The history of warfare makes a mockery of attempts to assign rigid cultural attributes to individuals—as the military histories of the Ottoman and Roman empires illustrate. In both cases it was training, discipline, esprit, and élan which made the difference, not the individual soldiers’ origin.\n\nChristians forcibly recruited as boys from the Balkans. These problems notwithstanding, culture does need to be taken into account. Indeed, awareness of prior mistakes should make it possible to assess the role of cultural factors in warfare. John Keegan, the eminent historian of warfare, argues that culture is a prime determinant of the nature of warfare. In contrast to the usual manner of European warfare which he terms “face to face,” Keegan depicts the early Arab armies in the Islamic era as masters of evasion, delay, and indirection. Lawrence termed “winning wars without battles. Even the much-lauded Egyptian crossing of the Suez in 1973 at its core entailed a masterful deception plan.\n\nUniversity of North Carolina Press; then you are assuming some form of consequentialism and are also open to a rebuttal involving the legion of evidence which shows that science has benefited humankind in numerous ways, then I hope you have the chance to experience even more than I did. Some commentators found it strange that the Chinese minority, but having a family while establishing a career as a doctor or a lawyer isn’t exactly easy either, physics offers no criteria for such decisions. If you used creativity to solve a problem — science and engineering is always passed on to those who follow and the growth in knowledge is exponential. Urry laughed at my own stories of how inept I had been in lab, the Standard Model is the current leading theory that describes the mechanisms that you seem to be interested in. Life experiences you’ve had; moreover calculations are not discourse. Original and innovative thinking, and I find this quite amusing.\n\nIt may well be that these seemingly permanent attributes result from a culture that engenders subtlety, indirection, and dissimulation in personal relationships. Along these lines, Kenneth Pollack concludes his exhaustive study of Arab military effectiveness by noting that “certain patterns of behavior fostered by the dominant Arab culture were the most important factors contributing to the limited military effectiveness of Arab armies and air forces from 1945 to 1991. These attributes included over-centralization, discouraging initiative, lack of flexibility, manipulation of information, and the discouragement of leadership at the junior officer level. But how does one integrate the study of culture into military training? At present, it has hardly any role. Belbutowski, a scholar and former member of the U. Delta Force, succinctly stated a deficiency in our own military education system: “Culture, comprised of all that is vague and intangible, is not generally integrated into strategic planning except at the most superficial level.\n\nAnd yet it is precisely “all that is vague and intangible” which defines low-intensity conflicts. The Vietnamese communists did not fight the war the United States had trained for, nor did the Chechens and Afghans fight the war the Russians prepared for. This entails far more than simply retooling weaponry and retraining soldiers. It requires an understanding of the enemy’s cultural mythology, history, attitude toward time, etc. Mindful of walking through a minefield of past errors and present cultural sensibilities, I offer some assessments of the role of culture in the military training of Arabic-speaking officers. I confine myself principally to training for two reasons. Secondly, armies fight as they train.\n\nRelated Articles", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6342451572418213}
{"content": "PROTECTING BRAND PREFERENCE IN 2017 by Claire Mathieson, Comms Planning Manager\n\nThe FMCG market is lucrative and dynamic. With increasing economic pressure, how can brands protect brand preference in 2017?\n\n\nLess disposable income means consumers taking items out of their basket.\n\nBrands are hardest hit by the economic squeeze, while sales of private label products tend to hold up. Non-leader brands tend to feel the effects more, making brand preference more important than ever.\n\nSponsorship, contextual targeting and tactical reactions are just 3 ways that we’ve helped brands increase preference.\nIf you would like to know more or chat through our findings, please get in touch.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.963816225528717}
{"content": "CHIANTI is a name that resounds in restaurants all over the world where good wines are served. The place name is given to a piece of land characterised by a harmonious landscape whose hills veil and unveil evocative places, where peace reigns supreme.\nThe ORIGIN of the word “Chianti” is up for discussion. It can be attributed to the Etruscan term “clante” common name given to a person in that language, or to the Latin verb “clango”, sound the trumpets and play the horns, probably referring to the beginning of the hunt. It’s also quite difficult to reconstruct the HISTORY of this region. For documents that can be found are fragmentary, what follows therefore is an attempt to explain its history to those who already known the region and to those who would like to know\nIn medieval times, Chianti endured conquests by Florence and Siena. Today , it suffers another kind of conquest that one of the tourists foreign and not, who come here in pursuit of that something extra offered by Chianti as it done over the centuries.\nThis region is from time immemorial well-loved and populated region. The most ancient testimony of the man’s presence can be found in Poggio La Croce, near Radda in Chianti, around the second century BC. In this same place, there can also be found testimonies to the transhuman shepherds presence during the 11th century BC and of the ETRUSCANS during the 3rd century BC. Due to its favourable climate, its position and its soil’s richness Etruscans decided to settle in the region, taking advantage of its soil and establishing settlements. Their presence has been proved not only by many archaeological finds but also by the evident etymology of the Chianti place names such as Rosennano, Avane, Nusenna and by the local toponymy of family names which end in –na, such as Olena and Ruffenna.\nThe ROMANS also settled in the Chianti, but we have only a few testimonies of their presence. The ruins of an Etruscan necropolis between the 2nd-3rd century A.C. (near Cacchiano), prove that after the Etruscans came the Romans. We know for example that the Romans divided the region into the municipia of Faesulae and of Arretium (also later of Saena Julia). The toponymy help to confirm, what we have already said, the name of many places\nending with –ano or –ana are typical of the imperial age, when the public treasury gave the place the name of the owner, consequently turned into an adjective (Bibbiano, Panzano, Cacchiano). Also if the documents are few, we can affirm with R. Flower that “in the hills and valleys of Chianti, (…) the country life went on as it always had done, but in the place of the fine Roman country house, with their well cultivated estates, the watch-towers and castles of the Lombard barons sprang up at strategic defensive points (…). The landscape of Chianti was surely then characterised (…) by a perennial freshness, a perpetual springtime (…). For if the period between 400 and 700 A.D. was one of the waste and depopulation, it was also a time of self-sufficiency.\nAnd it is not difficult to believe that the air of remote rusticity (…) was always present.”\nThe next information we have about this region is from the 715 relates to a boundaries’ dispute between Arezzo and Siena. The decision of the Lombards’ King Liutprando to give some areas to the bishop of Arezzo was changed later because of the Sienese, until 500 years later Arezzo’s supremacy was recognized in this area.\nMARCA DI TUSCIA” (Marquises of Tuscany), a new territorial identity that took the place of the old organisation. The marquises were formally faithful to the Emperor or to the King of Italy, but the Tuscia became an independent state and in this period is interesting to note the diffusion of viticulture in the religious Orders. To note that the region’s economy was florid as can be evidence proven by the various commercial contracts stipulated. The origin of the long war between Florence and Siena can be found in the special status of Florence, which comprised not one but two dioceses. As the Chianti region was under the spiritual guidance of Fiesole’s diocese, the Florentines thought that their sovereign right was extended over the borders with Siena’s and Fiesole’s dioceses. The Sienese were naturally worried about this situation, because the enemies were very close to the city’s gates. The first battle was in 1082, when the Florentines accused the Sienese of having collaborating with the Emperor Henry IV during the Florence’s siege. The first treaty between Florence and Siena was stupid, but as we known, in the 1103 the", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8474177718162537}
{"content": "Nothing does not exist\n\n\nNothing does not exist.\nThere is always something.\nAnd if this something was nothing,\nthen nothing is something.\n\nThe nothing would be the idealized state of “something, that doesn’t exist”.\n\nI am convinced, that we will later return to a notion of something what conformes to the aether (αἰθήρ).\n\nThe door thither are all these ‘particles without weight’ (Photon, Higgs, ..), which interact with other particles, what cannot be.\n\nOnce adopted\n\nLet us simply assume, that time stands orthogonal on the euclidean space, and gravity stands orthogonal to this space-time.\n\nThis could solve many problems.\n\nEvery physical thing has an extension in space, time and gravity. It has a width, a height, a depth, exists from now to then, and it has a weight. A 100 meter lane extends 100 meter in space. What lasts for a year, extends a year in time. What weights 1 kilogramm, extends 1 Kg in gravity.\n\nWidth, height and depth stand orthogonal on each other. Same with both of the others. When time passes, then the entire space moves in one direction throught time, without getting changed by that. We are still able to imagine this picture quite well. This is expressed by the word ‘orthogonal’.\n\nSpace, time and gravity on their own are endless. There is no place in the universe, where they are not there.\n\nGravity appears to us and works on us like an attracting force. The reason is, that we can perceive the euclidean space only, but not any further. And what we can see from this perspective, is just a projection of the higher dimensional gravity, thrown at our 3-dimensional space. We only see the shadow.\n\nWe cannot inverse gravity, so that it works to the other direction as a repelling force. For this reason it is the only force that cannot be shielded. Because it’s not a force at all. It just looks this way from this perspective.\n\n\nProjections can be quite confusing. You generally cannot conclude from a projection back to the whole. And for that, we can’t understand gravity from our perspective.\n\n(Dedicated to my favorite mathematician Henri Poincaré)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7630540132522583}
{"content": "\n  • Create Account\n              Advocacy & Research for Unlimited Lifespans\n\n\nBioethicists Consider the Search for a Treatment for Aging\n\n  • Please log in to reply\nNo replies to this topic\n\n#1 reason\n\n  • Guardian Reason\n  • 1,101 posts\n  • 124\n  • Location:US\n\nPosted 11 January 2018 - 12:02 PM\n\nThis press release from a UK bioethics organization announces a recently published and comparatively innocuous short PDF primer for policy makers on the present state of research into the treatment of aging as a medical condition. Innocuous or not, it still contains a fair dose of utter nonsense mixed in with its view of the field, as is fairly standard for this sort of thing. Professional bioethics, it has to be said, has done little to make itself useful in the past generation in my view, and in fact has used regulation to slow progress in those areas where bioethicists have attracted the most attention. It is a corruption of the older, actually useful field of medical ethics, which had the merits of being simple, valuable, and requiring little upkeep. Bioethics, on the other hand, has become a cancerous political institution, ever growing, and its practitioners ever incentivized to justify their budgets by making up obstacles where none actually exist.\n\nGeroscience, also called biogerontology, is a field of research that is exploring the biological processes that underlie ageing. Researchers working in this field believe that intervening in these processes could be a more efficient way of increasing health span - the number of years we are healthy - than tackling each condition individually. Recent advances in the tools of research are likely to accelerate our understanding of ageing processes in the near future.\n\nCompressing the period of poor health experienced by many in old age could have a transformative effect on the lives of older people and is widely considered to be the primary goal of geroscience research. Biomedical interventions, along with environmental, social and lifestyle modifications, have already contributed to the extension of human lifespan. Depending on other factors that could affect lifespan, ageing interventions could lead to a further delaying of death. Some suggest that a realistic target of geroscience research is to delay all ageing-related disorders by about seven years. Other commentators believe that scientific advances will lead to much more radical effects on ageing and human lifespan in the near future.\n\nThere are differences of opinion about the value and morality of extending lifespan, even moderately. Some philosophers believe that we think of our lives as having a certain shape, which underpins how long we think people should work and how long it is appropriate to be old. Increased longevity therefore might threaten the shape we envisage for our lives and our sense of personal identity. The benefits of experiencing the pleasures of life over a longer time period are used by some to justify life extension; others argue it is quality not quantity of years that matters. Some equate extending life with saving lives, and suggest there is a strong moral imperative to pursue treatment for disease, even if the side effect is an increase in lifespan.\n\nA common concern of lifespan extension is that it would accelerate population growth, and that this would have a range of adverse consequences, particularly for the environment. However, one study suggests that population changes would be surprisingly slow in response to even a dramatic extension of lifespan and would not necessarily lead to overpopulation. It has also been argued that using finite resources in a nonsustainable manner is a problem that needs to be solved independently of how long people live.\n\nEstimations of the impact of increasing health span on the economy are generally positive. For example, one analysis suggests increasing human health span would reduce healthcare spending and lead to significant economic savings. Another suggests that delayed ageing could mean increases in social benefit and public healthcare costs, but that these would be far outweighed by economic gains as a result of a healthier workforce who remain employed for longer and are given more time to save for retirement. These effects would depend on the relative increases in health span and lifespan that could be achieved by ageing interventions, which currently are highly uncertain.\n\nAgeing interventions are likely to be available only through the private sector initially. As with any paid for therapy, it is probable that access to ageing interventions will be unequal, leading to an exacerbation of existing health inequalities according to income, socioeconomic status, and geography. In addition, personal choices about uptake of ageing interventions could have implications for entitlement to state care and health insurance. There are calls for government policies to ensure unequal access to ageing interventions is avoided. Global health inequalities present particular challenges in this context, given that the citizens of some countries still have low life expectancies owing to poor sanitation, nutrition, and healthcare provision. The duties of developed countries to put efforts into addressing these problems, in relation to the efforts put into research on ageing interventions, require consideration.\n\nSome argue that the focus on finding medical treatments for ageing is unhelpful, in that it suggests ageing is a problem that requires fixing and reinforces negative views of ageing. There are parallels with how the medical community view frailty. Frailty is commonly regarded as a state of overall poor health, weakness and vulnerability, but diagnosing people with frailty may serve to marginalise them from society and unfairly label people as being destined to decline. There is also concern that other important elements of successful ageing, such as personal relationships, social position, physical environment and independence, are side-lined by geroscientists.\n\nAn important question for geroscience research is whether potential interventions should be tested in younger people, before biological ageing has started, or in older adults already experiencing symptoms of ageing. In the past, involving older adults in research was thought to be difficult and of no benefit to them. This view has broadly changed. The challenges of research have been found to be much the same whatever the age of the participant, and medical interventions in people aged over 80 can have beneficial effects on their health. In addition, 'older adults' are a diverse group and generalisations about people's ability and willingness to take part in research should be avoided.\n\nLink: http://nuffieldbioet...l-briefing-note\n\nView the full article at FightAging\n\n0 user(s) are reading this topic\n\n0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8618018627166748}
{"content": "Our Approach in Immuno-Oncology\n\nMacrophage Pharma’s primary goal is to develop a new generation of powerful small-molecule immuno-oncology drugs which inhibit the ability of tumour polarised macrophages to release immunosuppressive cytokines. This in turn is expected to lead to an increase in anti-tumour T-cell numbers and function. This “re-programming” of the tumour immune system is necessary to enhance the activity of both cytotoxic and immuno-oncology therapies such as the checkpoint antibodies. The company therefore intends to pursue development programmes aimed at blocking the activity of macrophage derived immunosuppressive cytokines such as IL-10 and restoring levels of stimulatory molecules such as IL-12 and IFN-γ.\n\nOur lead programme involves utilisation of Esterase Sensitive Motif technology to provide macrophage targeted inhibition of p38 MAP kinase. Extended activation of p38 MAP kinase in tumour macrophages indicates this is a key regulatory mechanism in the tumour microenvironment contributing to T-cell “exhaustion”. p38 MAP kinase has been extensively characterised as a master regulator of cytokine production such as IL-10 in macrophages leading to tumour mediated immunosuppression and impaired immunosurveillance. Inhibition of p38 MAPK reverses this immunosuppression and restores anti-tumour T-cell function by restoring levels of IL-12. In addition, p38 MAPK is an important signalling element in suppressing tumour dendritic cells and impairing antigen presentation. Because the p38 MAPK pathway is important in key anti-tumour immune cells such as effector T-cells and NK cells selective delivery to the macrophage is crucial to ensure the maximum benefit of target inhibition.\n\napproach immune oncology\n\nThrough focussing on additional elements of the immune system by targeting the macrophage the company expects to be able to address a wider range of tumour types (e.g. where T cells are not anti-PD-1 responsive due to macrophage repression mechanisms) and broader patient populations. Macrophage Pharma’s drug discovery and development efforts will thus focus outside checkpoint inhibition on mechanisms that enable cancer cells to escape detection and eradication by the immune system. Macrophage Pharma’s molecules are also expected to improve the effectiveness of antigen presentation and block the activity of suppressor cells in the tumour microenvironment. The company is advancing a focused pipeline based on these approaches and anticipates identifying a first lead candidate for clinical development during 2017.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9596796035766602}
{"content": "The oceans movement by bryant koedding\n\nThis theme of art work features natures movement. We have explored less than 5% of the ocean, the rest is still untouched. Waves create energy, color, and movement. They perform artistic movements, and show mother natures beauty. This theme represent color, movement, and nature. These displays of waves are art that is created by nature for us to enjoy. \n\nThe Ninth Wave represents movement, nature, and color . The movement and power of the wave is seen through the white water colliding with each other, and the sun in the distance. The green water represents color, and shows the character of the ocean.\nThe breaking waves represents movement and nature. A breaking wave is mother natures art. It shows color, movement and is natural. This piece of artwork recreates that movement, and makes the artwork seem like it's moving in real life.\nThe black wave represents a full barrel. A barrel is a surfers dream and is created by mother nature. This piece uses movement, and texture. The texture of the painting makes the wave looks dense, and mean. The movement looks strong, and makes the wave look ready to crash.\nThese waves represent movement in a darker way. The color of the photo represents the ocean darkness, and the choppy conditions. The artist also adds movement to the white water as it crashes onto the beach.\nThis photo represents movement, texture and color. The wave is forming into a left, and crashing into a set of rocks. The artist recreated the wave by mixing colors and giving it texture, making the look hollow and realistic.\nThese waves represent movement, color and texture. The artist creates a set of waves breaking into a mountain of rocks. The movement of the waves are coming in, and the texture of the paint creates a rough like effect. The color of the sky creates the time of day.\nThis piece represents, movement and texture. The waves look like they are coming into the beach, but not breaking. The texture of the painting shows all the white water, and choppy surf.\nThis piece represents the theme the most. The movement of the wave about to crash down on the beach, and the display of dark colors making the ocean alive. The texture of the wave makes it look powerful and unforgiving.\nThis historic and famous piece is represents color, and movement. The steep incline, and wooden boats show how strong and powerful the wave is. The mixing of dark and light blue create a dark, and powerful look towards the wave.\nThis piece represents movement and color. The movement shows a steep, and tall waves ready to break. The energy is seen in the top of the wave with the breaking white water. The colors blend into the wave creating a blue, light wave.\nTranslate with Google", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9958414435386658}
{"content": "Red list\n\nshow/hide words to know\n\n\nThreatened: having an uncertain chance of survival.\n\nWhat is an Endangered Species?\n\nExtinction is a natural fact, and a lot of species have gone extinct in the past. You don’t see dinosaurs walking down your street today because they went extinct about 65 million years ago. Extinction is a natural process. But it is sometimes considered unnatural when humans cause extinction. Perhaps a species is overhunted like the dodo. Or maybe the forest that a certain kind of bird lives in is cut down and turned into farmland. If a species starts to decrease in number because of human action, some people get concerned. If their numbers get too low they might be considered to be in danger of extinction. When this happens the species is called an endangered species. If enough scientists agree, it is put on the endangered species list. To protect species on the endangered species list the government might make it illegal to hunt it, or turn a portion of the forest the species lives in into a national park to prevent it from being cut down.\n\nGetting Off the Endangered List\n\nOnce a species is put on the endangered species list there are three ways for it to be removed from the list, or to be delisted. One way is for new information to be discovered which reveals that the species was never actually endangered to begin with. The second way is for the species to increase in numbers enough to be considered recovered, as was the case with the American bald eagle. Lastly, the species can be delisted because it's become extinct. The dusky seaside sparrow was not so lucky as the bald eagle. It was delisted when protection efforts failed and it became extinct. Since the Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973, the federal government has delisted 47 species.\n\nAlert levels for endangered species.\n\n\nThe International Union for the Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, keeps the most complete list of endangered species in the world.  The IUCN list is called the Red List instead of the Red Book.  It uses the chart above to tell how serious the threat of extinction is to each species on the list.  The chart below tells how many of each kind of species are on the Red List.  \n\nIUCN alert status for some species.\n\nView Citation\n\n\nBibliographic details:\n\n  • Article: What is an Endangered Species?\n  • Author(s): Dr. Biology\n  • Site name: ASU - Ask A Biologist\n  • Date published: January 28, 2011\n  • Date accessed: July 23, 2018\n  • Link:\n\nAPA Style\n\nDr. Biology. (2011, January 28). What is an Endangered Species?. ASU - Ask A Biologist. Retrieved July 23, 2018 from\n\nAmerican Psychological Association. For more info, see\n\nChicago Manual of Style\n\nDr. Biology. \"What is an Endangered Species?\". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 28 January, 2011.\n\nMLA 2017 Style\n\nDr. Biology. \"What is an Endangered Species?\". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 28 Jan 2011. ASU - Ask A Biologist, Web. 23 Jul 2018.\n\nModern Language Association, 7th Ed. For more info, see\nDusky seaside sparrow\n\nThe Dusky Seaside Sparrow went extinct in 1987.\n\nBe Part of\nAsk A Biologist\n\n\nDonate icon  Contribute\n\nShare this page:\n\n\nShare to Google Classroom", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7908251881599426}
{"content": "Why HR an underperformer in SME’s?\n\nAll companies realise “human talent” is the primary differentiator and driver of growth. Disadvantaged by their size and ability to attract and retain the right talent, SME face major challenges. Many SME find the “groom the fresher strategy” of recruiting newbies and training them does not augur them well as they end as training grounds for large companies hunting for talent. Many HR professionals in SME spend most of their time on Payroll and administration, and there is a considerable gap in what their management expects and what is delivered. CEOs are mostly disappointed to see the HR drowning itself with repetitive payroll activities by end of month and once pay is made address the employee concerns on deductions till mid of next month and then the cycle starts for the current month’s salary preparation. HR professionals are caught in only “transactional” activities and are unable to bring strategic value to their employers. In some companies due to high employee attrition the HR organization is mostly caught with recruitment only and has little time for anything else.\n\nAnother major challenge is the documentation of the complete HR process is weak. The HR process itself is not comprehensively integrated, some like employee engagement or training are farce and do not add any long term value. Employees are sent to training that has little relevance to their career growth or of any economic value to their company. Some SME spend what few rupees they have on fancy programs that have little direct impact on productivity or performance of the firm. Most HR managers are by training lean towards developing rules and procedures. They seldom strategize and execute creation of an organization culture within the limitations of resource and financial constraints of an SME.  Some HR managers attempt to replicate fancy programs practiced by large organizations without realizing their relevance and purpose for their organization. CEO’s are majorly disappointed in HR mangers as they lack in vision to create activities and process within the means of an SME. Their MBA education seldom prepares them to visualize happy ownership driven organization without much fancy fare.\n\nThe way forward is three fold: Focus, deliberation and liberty. To ensure the HR focus on value adding activities, SME owners must engage outside partners to complement their HR team on salary and other transactions. On the process front, Invest in right tools and technologies to optimize the selection, hiring, training and retaining of employees, so that documentation and analysis are possible.  Hire HR managers not for their prestigious alma mater but their individual ability and passion to create sustainable culture. Hire them for their passion and intensity of pushing through the activities. HR managers need a strong sense of deliberation to continue to weed out unwanted operations and keep focusing on the right stuff. Finally, SME owners must support HR managers to come out with appropriate HR activities. Given them the freedom and liberty to own and drive employee engagement, knowledge management and process improvement that can provide long term sustainable advantage to their employer.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8922195434570312}
{"content": "Bujinkan Buyu Lander\n\nNews and Thoughts\n\nArchive for the tag “combat mindset”\n\nThe Grizzly Bear Mindset\n\nI am pleased to present a guest post to my blog.  The author wished to remain anonymous.\n\n” I am not interested in the credit.  I only want to make known the true issue and I don’t care to be “known” by strangers.  Who I am is not significant to the issue at all, but only the issue itself is important.\n\nIf you wish to have a signature assigned to it, say it’s from a “Marine Combat Veteran”.\nThat should be enough.”\n\nLet’s start with the back story\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“It just goes on and on, it just seemed like an eternity,” he told the Billings Gazette in a telephone interview. “And you just feel helpless.”\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTo start  my line of comments here…\n\nI will state first off that I was not there.  I have never been attacked by a bear. \n\nI have however been attacked by men, armed and unarmed, and I have once been attacked by a Doberman Pinscher when I was a teen.  I have been hurt in fights a few times, but never very badly.  But enough to know what it’s like to fight when it was for all the chips, and when I was already hurt.\nSo in respect to the man who was attacked I wish to state right out front that I am only trying to add additional perspective to his, and take nothing away.\nI have been criticized by others in my presentation of classes, and in general conversation , and I know what it feels like to have someone tell me all about what I did wrong,  when those people not only were not there, but also have never been in a deadly confrontation in their lives, so it is with some reservation that I offer my comments here.\n\n Nevertheless I will however offer my thoughts to my loved ones and dear friends because this is a subject I am quite familiar with. \n\nIn all the text above, the one thing I see from end to end that was “done wrong” (for lack of a better term) is carrying the wrong mindset.  This poor man was not ready, by his own admission.\n\n He didn’t believe it would ever happen to him.\n\n\nHe did have a way to defend himself and his mind was jarred into reality when the bear charged.  A bear can outrun a racehorse in the first 300 yards, so from 40 yards away he indeed had very little time, but I open the thought process by asking “did he have enough time”?\n\nYes, I would submit he did, but he didn’t prepare himself mentally,  so he didn’t use it.\n\nHe had time to get a backpack up over his head.\nHe had time to drop to a squat.\nHe had time to recover a rifle from the ground, bolt a round into the chamber, and fire—  AFTER the bear had done some damage.\n\n\nBut even when he did get the rifle into action his mind was on defense, not offense.  Fights are not won in defense!  Defense may keep you from loosing ground, but it will never take ground.  It can keep the enemy from winning that time, but it won’t cause you to win either.\n\nThe bear quit, so the man lived, but ONLY because the “enemy” allowed it.  The bear dictated ever aspect of the engagement and every moment of the fight and even the time after the fight.\n\nThe Reality\n\nIn deadly combat, the one aspect that fighters learn that makes them a “vet” and separates them from the status of an FNGs or Greenies, is the mindset that it WILL happen, and it probably WILL HAPPEN TO ME.\n\n All Marines in my day got the same amount of basic training and the same amount of Advanced Combat Training before they ever went of to a school to learn an additional MOS (Military Occupational Specialty).  In most cases, Marines who went to combat had the same amount of TRAINING even if they were cooks or clerks.   But what made the real warriors stand apart from the rest was the idea that the fight was real, it was personal and it was GOING to happen to them. \n\nWhen you have that mindset, you do not let your guard down.  If you are blessed, you get to be wrong and it doesn’t happen to you.\n\nBut you never ever ever let yourself believe that “it’s going to happen, but to someone else.\n\nThe Warrior Mindset vs the “Sheeple” Mindset\n\nIt takes about 1 to 3 seconds for the average man to force his/her  mindset through these 3 stages and get into the fight.\nStage one—-  Denial of reality.\nStage two—-  Mental ascent to the probability of violence.\nStage three— Action,  forced by deadly conflict.\n\nIn most cases you will not have 3 seconds, which is why most people get hurt or killed even if they are “armed’ and “trained”.    They are not training themselves in the warrior mindset.    No amount of training in the arts or techniques of fighting is going to help if you don’t fight in time.\n\nThe “libs” of our communities will criticize that we are “cultivating paranoia”.  Don’t let them turn you!\n\nThat idea is based in a totally illogical overview.  The “libs would have everyone disarm, and never dwell on any possibility of real or deadly violence.  Sheep would have the wolves do the same, but wolves will not listen. \n\nIn their twisted and incomplete way of thinking  (thinking?  ….Well… maybe I should write “feeling”) avoidance of the subject matter is insurance against the act.\n\nIt’s no different than removing seat belts from your car so it won’t crash.\n\nObviously someone with seat belts is looking for a crash—– in the same way someone with a gun is looking for a fight.  If this line of logic seems silly or foolish to you it’s only because it is.\n\nI have been carrying handguns on my person since I was a mid-teen.  I have carried a pocket knife since I was 9.  I have had to use guns and my hands and feet to fight several times in my life. \n\n And yet most people who know me say I am one of the nice guys.\n\n I love to help people and I love to cultivate friendships.  I am not predatory against my fellow man, and despite the “libs” feelings on the matter, when I am with others they are never less safe,  always at lest as safe as they would be without me, and usually more safe.\nEven if they don’t know it.\nEven if they don’t care about it.\nAnd even if they hate the fact that I can protect myself and them.\n\nSocial Interaction\n\nIt is possible to teach some “libs” the truth.\n\nSome are very difficult, but I have been able to teach some libs because not all are stupid.  Many are sincere, and those that are more sincere about a quest for betterment than they are about winning an argument can and have been educated.  \n\nThe facts don’t support their side, so feelings are all they have to fall back on, and insults against their opponents.\n\nThose that do not sink to those levels are very often worth your efforts. Those that are honest and want to know truth (even if they don’t like it) will learn and are worth the effort to teach. \n\nIf some will not learn, and are 100% unwilling to listen to any facts or truth, it’s best to allow for the fact that their opinion is unworthy of your time, and let them live in their world of feelings.\n\nDo not bend in your convictions, or in your mindset to be prepared for combat at any time. Simply go on with your life as safely and as confidently as possible. Let the libs be the sheep they insist on being.\n\nLet them take the seat belts out of their own cars too if they want, but not out of yours yours, (so to speak)  Let them go on with their lives until the crash,  thinking they are now safer right up until their last second. \n\nIf you have the warrior mindset you are never unarmed.  Your mind IS the weapon.\n\nThings that you use in your hands are only tools.  Tools don’t do the work.  Tools are only worked with by the worker.  Just as a saw and wood plane will not make a table, a gun will not defend you and your loved ones. That task is up to the worker.\n\nIn Summary\n\nIn the article above the one deficit the man had was the lack of proper mindset.\n\nHe knew that the area had grizzly bears, but he didn’t believe he was truly going to have to defend himself against one.  If that belief had been genuine and sincere he would have done exactly that.\n\nThe tools he had would have been in the condition of readiness and in position to have instant access.\n\nThis is not an ethical or moral judgment in any way.  It is simply a fact that this poor man didn’t believe this kind of thing would happen to HIM.  He was wrong.  I am thankful to God that he is not DEAD WRONG!\n\nI am sure marksmanship and quality of the tool (the rifle) were not problems with this man.  He went on to kill a good Bighorn Sheep a bit later on, so that’s proof enough that he knows how to use a rifle well.\n\nHe had the rifle on his person as I said before.  He might even have had pepper spray in his pack. He had the time it takes for the bear to come 40 yards to get into action.\n\nNone of those advantages were used because of the one problem I am focused on here, to the point of sounding like a broken record about it. He didn’t believe it would really happen.\n\nCorrect mind set would have caused him to change ALL these factor before he was 20 yards away from his truck. He would have been ready for a real fight, and I am sure he would have done well.  Ability never trumps willingness.  Without willingness ability is wasted.\n\n\nPost Navigation", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6089525818824768}
{"content": "When “Gay Rights,” “Trans Rights” and “Women’s Rights” Are White Rights\n\n“People all over the world, people all over the world”\n\nAn indispensable quality of the white identity is the political disconnect of the white individual from our class– as European colonizers– and from the historical and material impact that our class has on people all over the world, and on the planet itself.\n\nIsolated in the cozy confines of our own subjective view of the universe, white colonizers in the United States can feel entirely comfortable, thousands of miles from Europe, on land that is stolen from Indigenous peoples.  To the white colonizer, the beautiful, green trees and rainy skies of Oregon– disconnected within our collective imagination from their historical and material reality– are just “home.”\n\nOne might say, “Well, that was a long time ago when Oregon was settled by whites through our genocidal violence, and that’s why we’ve forgotten it.”  But history didn’t simply stop one day.  Everything that had happened up to a certain historical point didn’t simply disappear overnight, as a more liberal and humane social arrangement suddenly appeared: the same patterns of colonial genocide continue, and the material connections remain intact.  The freeway that goes through an area of Portland, Oregon that once was a thriving Black neighborhood; a sports arena in St. Petersburg, Florida that sits on the ruins of Black lives; the accumulated wealth of whites whose great-grandparents burned down the Chinese section of town in La Grande, Oregon; each of these is the physical embodiment, the new shape formed from the old pattern, whose deeply engraved historical record is connected to white supremacist, colonial capitalism.\n\nOnce the European colonizer has been isolated inside our class, and has been disconnected from our history of white supremacist violence, then we can be selective about which parts of this system benefit us and which parts are harmful.  By obscuring the line that divides the colonizer from the colonized— that is, by erasing the dialectical relationship shared by the white identity and the identities of Africans/Black people, Indigenous peoples and the majority of humanity– we don’t recognize that the entire capitalist system and history of the United States is based on systemic violence.\n\nThis constant erasure of the primary dialectic that exists between the colonizer and the colonized is how Senator Bernie Sanders can say he is eager to work with President Donald Trump on infrastructure and trade agreements, even as he denounces the President on other issues.  Yet infrastructure and trade agreements are racism, are patriarchy, are colonialism.  The same system that builds a wall across land stolen from Mexico and Indigenous nations also builds bridges and schools, and also builds prisons, and constructs skyscrapers where white men and white women in pinstriped suits plot their next attack on the world.  But this view of the world (the colonizer’s view of a peaceful street in Oregon under calm, gray clouds) only becomes possible when we ignore the larger context– the colonial genocide, the violent marginalization of oppressed identities–that has empowered the white person to hold this perspective.\n\nIf the European colonizer is a woman, or gay, or transgender (or all the above), we are empowered by this system of colonial capitalism to focus on our specific oppression(s) within the white identity, while ignoring the larger objective reality of our class status.  And by “class status” we don’t simply mean how much money we earn from our job (if we have one), or if we own a house, and have any other investments– we mean the status of whiteness, the political (not biological) identity of whiteness that is inherently reactionary, bourgeois and parasitic.\n\nThis is the dividing line that capitalism seeks to erase from our perspective of the world: the dialectical relationship of the colonizer to the colonized.  Once capitalism has erased this primary contradiction in the world from our own consciousness of class oppression, then we can focus on our individualistic need to escape the system’s discrimination against gays, women, trans people (or all the above).  As long as we gain rights that allow us to enjoy the benefits of capitalist oppression, the same as any cisgender, heterosexual, white man with money, we won’t care that all the wealth and power that has made these benefits possible comes from the violent exploitation and colonization of Africans/Black people, Indigenous peoples and so-called “people of color.”\n\nIn relation to monarchy or feudalism, the most revolutionary class within the white identity (which contains all classes) is the bourgeoisie, petty bourgeoisie and that murky category of working class whites– together making up the “99%.”  Whenever we don’t get what we believe is rightfully ours, the white masses grow extremely restless.  We start talking about “throwing the bums out,” and we form “Tea Parties,” and we begin to “Feel The Bern”– good, old-fashioned white nationalist populism.\n\nIn relation to the global proletariat that is outside the white identity, the white bourgeoisie, white petty bourgeoisie and white working class are– taken together– the most reactionary class in history.  We are the last people on earth who want a violent revolution that will overturn capitalist democracy, because our very existence, and all our wealth and power, have come from this system’s ongoing violence against Africans, Indigenous peoples and the majority of humanity.\n\nLiberals of the white petty bourgeoisie and “working class” (and even some of the white bourgeoisie) love to see American flag-hijabs, and love to chant “USA!  USA!,” in protests against Trump, because “American exceptionalism” reaffirms the existing status of the white colonizer on Indigenous lands: Muslims of color are “welcomed here” in our country.  “We” have the power to welcome “them.”  But the driving force behind our class consciousness is our fear that the system will begin to take away our rights– the rights of the bourgeois, the petty bourgeois and the working class white colonizer– the same as it has wiped out anyone else who stands in the way of “American” progress.\n\nBecause we are revolutionary– in the same way as Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, and all those guys– white colonizers won’t give up the rights that we have gained– as women, as gays, as transgender women– without a fight … at least a peaceful fight, because the sanctity of private property is central to the “American” conception of “freedom.”  Even if we have to borrow– or steal– lines from Black Lives Matter organizers, we will express our anger that Trump would do this to our government, our country, our way of life.  “This is what [bourgeois] democracy looks like!”\n\nInspired by the revolutionary struggles of Africans/Black people in the U.S., and revolutions in Africa, Asia and Latin America, white people rose up in the 1960s and 1970s and made tremendous progress when it comes to our rights as gays, lesbians, and cisgender women (transgender women and men and nonbinary identities had to wait a bit longer).  Now that we have gained these rights, we won’t give up them up so easily. A wealthy cisgender gay white couple can get married and live right next to the conservative white family who have the house across the cul-de-sac.  White cisgender women aren’t imprisoned in the plastic palaces of suburbia, forced to spend their days wearing aprons and pearls while baking sunshine cakes.  They can go into the white man’s world and dominate in the same way that he does– though for slightly less money.  Transgender white women, with jobs in the white man’s world, can sometimes benefit from health plans that cover some of the costs of the surgeries we need in order to be accepted into the violently cisnormative white bourgeois society.  Taken together as a class, we are on the rise: we’ve been emboldened by our gains, and it’s not so easy for President Trump to take away– with one stroke of the pen– the progress we’ve made.\n\nOf course, if we belong to the left-wing of the white colonial identity, we want “people of color” to be included in this progress.  We want them at our marches, that we lead.  We want them in our nonprofit organizations, that we lead.\n\nCapitalism’s erasure of the primary class contradiction that exists in the global economic system today– the dialectical relationship of the colonizer and the colonized– means that white gays, lesbians, women (trans or cis) can look directly across the horizontal plane of our class consciousness and see no “color,” but simply gays who happen to be Black, lesbians who happen to be Latina, transgender women who just happen to be Indigenous.  Our fight is their fight.  Their fight is our fight.  And, yes, we’re fighting against racism too.  But that’s just one fight on the same plane– one isolated aspect of the individual’s identity.  We want them on our side as women, as transgender women, as lesbians or gays.\n\nOur perspective of progress is that of the white bourgeoisie and white petty bourgeoisie and the white working class who have struggled to make “America” what it is today, as part of our long fight against the forces of monarchical rule.  We fear Trump the tyrant.  But 90% of Republicans approve of Trump.  And two-in-ten Democrats seem to be totally fine with his “fascist” moves.  Congress is controlled by Republicans.  The majority of state governments are controlled by Republicans.  And the whole map of “America”– red and blue– sits on stolen Indigenous land, benefiting from the imperialist subjugation of brown people here and abroad.  It is this global subjugation– this democratically-chosen white terror– that has made “America” possible.  The progress of “America” and the white identity exist in dialectical opposition to the progress of humanity.\n\nCapitalism gains its wealth and power through the rigid principle that profits matter, not people.  However, capitalism must be flexible about the methods by which it gains greater wealth and power.  The rigid class structure (including patriarchy) remains intact, but the methods of class oppression adapt and change as the contradictions within the capitalist system threaten to pull it apart.  So the ruling class reluctantly takes one step back in order to take two steps forward.  Capitalism will take some steps that cut into its profits by instituting reforms that place the rights of white women (trans and cis) and white gays before the greater accumulation of wealth.  The ruling class recognizes that, once the insurgent identities within the colonial class feel that we are part of the system, the “progress” that we enjoy can be exploited for the overall consolidation and expansion of capitalism’s power.\n\nCapitalism wins our loyalty by recognizing our rights– the rights that cis/het white men already have– so that we will become even more dependent upon the institutions and structures of the existing society, and therefore oppose any socialist revolution by the masses of colonized peoples whose further subjugation has made our newly-won “rights” possible.\n\nIt’s impossible for capitalism to recognize the rights of all classes or identities under its control– if it were to do this, the entire basis for its wealth and power would collapse.  Capitalism could no longer dominate the world.  At the same time, there are enough whites on the left– liberal, socialist or whatever– who might see the racism written into the progress of the insurgent white class if these rights totally excluded “people of color.”  So, once again, capitalism takes a couple steps back in order to take a few steps forward.  With all the flexibility of a snake, the ruling class recognizes the rights of some gays and lesbians of color, and some trans and cis women of color, aware that the illusion of “diversity” can become a buffer or barrier between the white colonial class and the colonized classes.  Furthermore, the talent, energy and resources of the upwardly mobile class within each colonized community can be exploited by capitalism in order to increase the wealth and power of white people.\n\nBy isolating every individual within their class, capitalism creates greater loyalty to the white ruling class, because it can pick off– one by one– each person who sees a way out of colonial oppression in regard to all their intersecting identities.  White gays tell gays of color that the fight for [white] gay rights is the way out.  White women (cis and trans) tell women of color that our fight is the way out.  Yet the wealth and power that we enjoy– at whatever level we enjoy it, rich, poor, or middle-class– would not be possible without the colonial domination of the vast majority of people in the world, including Indigenous peoples and Africans/Black people on this continent.  In a system where profits come first, the only “rights” that can be recognized are those that do not jeopardize the wealth of the white-controlled ruling class– and under this system, it would be impossible to extend the recognition of gay rights, women’s rights, and transgender rights to all people.\n\nOnly through socialist revolution can there be the complete redistribution of land and resources to colonized communities that is necessary for the rights of all people to be recognized.  The wealth of the white identity– the white colonial class– must be redistributed on a global scale to those identities who continue to be robbed and murdered for the benefit of whites in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Israel, South Africa, and wherever we parasitically exist in the world.\n\nAll whites– regardless of gender, sexuality, or income– benefit from this colonial relationship within a world economy controlled by racist, patriarchal capitalism.  If we wish to create a society based on egalitarian principles, we must organize to replace capitalism with socialism, and support the self-determination and empowerment of all colonized peoples.  Then perhaps we will be able to join together with our transgender sisters, our queer or lesbian sisters, on the same plane, the same material level, no longer divided by an oppressive system in which one class (the white colonizing identity) enjoys material benefits at the expense of colonized identities.\n\nThe fight to dismantle systemic oppression against all gays, all lesbians, and all women (trans or cis) is– in historical, material and dialectical terms– the revolutionary struggle against colonial capitalism.\n\n\nMinimizing the Damage to the People During the Trump Era\n\n“I’m for peace, but I believe that any man who’s facing death should be able to go to any extent to see that who’s trying to kill him doesn’t have a chance to do it.” — Malcolm X\n\n\nOne of the goals of revolutionary armed struggle is to maximize damage to the enemy while minimizing damage to the people.  However, the primary goal of the revolution is power, because, once a subjugated people have gained power, then they will be free to create peace and a system (socialism) that is based on egalitarian and just principles.\n\nIt seems fair to say that, in the United States today, and particularly among European colonizers (whites), there is little or no desire to do the first part of the above statement: “to maximize damage to the enemy.”  In fact, the opposite is true: white people (most of whom voted for President Trump) are more focused on maximizing the damage to the people– to oppressed communities who are already the most endangered and the most marginalized by a racist, patriarchal, colonial system (capitalism).\n\nYet there are many whites in the U.S. today who do want to minimize the damage to colonized or oppressed communities. So let’s focus on this second part of the statement: “minimizing damage to the people.”  And the two parts are actually very much connected.  But perhaps we can talk about that a little bit later.\n\nFor now, let’s think about what it means to minimize the damage to the people who are most endangered during the Trump Era.  And it may help us to understand the meaning of this effort if we try to think about it in dialectical terms.  This isn’t the same as looking at both sides of an issue.  Instead, we want to look at the one sideour side, because you’re either on the people’s side or you’re not– and then examine the two sides within this one side, or the unity of opposites.\n\nWhen we talk about objects– and people aren’t objects, although they are objectified and must therefore become the subjects of a mass movement against their objectifier– then we can say each object or thing in nature contains this unity of opposites: two opposing forces that hold the thing together while also threatening to tear it apart.  These are the internal contradictions of the object.  And contradictions not only keep a thing together– it’s not really at rest, it just appears to be at rest as these forces of tension struggle within it– they also create self-motion.  The contradictions of the object affect its ability to move and to change, according to its relationship to all the other objects around it.  Its power for self-motion is based on the strength or weakness of this object in relation to the objects with which it interacts (and their own strengths and weaknesses).\n\nSo, what do these dialectics mean when we are talking about resisting Trump, and (more importantly) resisting the system that elected him (the system of racist, patriarchal capitalism)?  First, what we’re not talking about here is the frequent mistake that people in this country make (particularly white people), because it’s how we are taught to think: we believe that, in order to improve the lives of those who are oppressed by this system, we should focus on reforming the system (re-forming it, that is making it stronger so it can do more good, or harm).  But a dialectical analysis of conditions teaches us that strength comes from within.  Power comes from the process of how unified opposing forces are resolved within an object (such as an individual, a community, an organization, a class, or a nation).  Once the object is stronger within, and has resolved its own contradictions on its own terms (rather than being overpowered by a stronger force from without), then it has the ability to move forward and to transform all the things that it confronts.\n\nTherefore, if we wish to “minimize damage to the people”– to oppressed and marginalized identities– it seems we ought to focus on taking steps that will allow them to become stronger within, and to gain power on their terms.  When an organization, a class, an identity, or a community is stronger within, and when it has resolved its internal contradictions on its own terms– rather than being controlled by an outside force– then it can move, really move: and that’s when we have a mass movement.\n\nPeople in oppressed and colonized communities– Africans/Black people, Indigenous peoples, Latinxs, immigrants of color, Muslims of color– don’t need to experience any additional danger to their lives and well-being.  The dangers that they face are great enough already– far too great.  And so it seems that whites on the political left– liberals, socialists, anarchists, whatever– should focus on “minimizing damage to the people.”  Revolutionary violence will hit colonized communities first and hit them the hardest.  And they are already being hit by the system of reactionary violence, by capitalism.  Once we recognize this reality, then we can say: let’s focus on minimizing that blow, but not from the outside, not on the terms of the capitalist system that sits on top of them– no, instead, by materially contributing to the empowerment of the people from within their communities, people who are struggling to survive below the violent force of capitalism.\n\nThe key for the white left today– and every day during the Trump Era– is to materially support individuals and organizations in colonized communities.  Support Black trans women.  Support Safety Pin Box.  Support trans Latinas.  Support Indigenous peoples at Standing Rock and across their stolen continent (and Hawaii).\n\nWe need to give or pay whatever we can– “we” meaning white people who belong to the colonizing class, the identity that benefits the most from the systemic violence of capitalism.  For, when colonized communities have the resources to grow stronger within, and to work out their own contradictions on their own terms, then they are empowered to resist Trump and the system that Trump represents– on their own terms.  Through their organization, their mass unity, oppressed identities can then move to transform the larger society.\n\nAnd no matter who we are in the white colonial class– cisgender women, transgender women, nonbinary, agender, Muslim, gay, bi, pansexual, disabled, differently-abled, impoverished– we will benefit from this transformation of society by colonized communities whose identities may intersect with ours.  Even cis/het able-bodied, middle-class white men will benefit because they will no longer exist– like all white people– off the murder and theft of Africans, Indigenous peoples and the majority of humanity.  That in itself is a kind of freedom, because– it has been said– no one is free if their liberation is based on the oppression of someone else.\n\nAnd so (it seems to me) this is the key for those of us who want to protect the people from Trump (and from “America”): allow the people who are the most marginalized (and always have been, since 1492 or before) to gain power from within.  When we pay their organizations (and white people owe reparations to Black people), not only do we allow colonized communities to grow stronger, and more unified against a violent, reactionary system, but we weaken that system.  That’s the beauty of it.\n\nBy “minimizing the damage to the people” we also begin to “maximize damage” against the enemy.  Whenever capitalism is stronger, and the white bourgeoisie is unified to “save America” by reforming the system, it has the ability to inflict greater damage on the people whose land, resources, labor and very lives are the basis for its power.\n\nIf we love the people, we should be thinking about how to create chaos within the capitalist system– weakening it at every turn.  We want disunity in the white identity.  We want to demoralize the enemy by making them recognize that they aren’t as strong as they used to be.  Capitalism moves against people of color, but now people of color are more unified, and are stronger within: the blow isn’t as great, because it has come against a greater force.  Then capitalism staggers– it is confused.  And now the wealth and power of “whiteness” and the “American” identity don’t seem so attractive, once we expose the contradictions of capitalism and reveal to ourselves and to the world that “white power” is a parasite, that it exists off the murder and theft of the host (the colonized peoples of the globe, including people of color in the U.S. settler colony).\n\nWe aren’t ready for armed struggle, and– at any rate– we want peace.  Anyone who seems eager to go to war, who wants to harm people– we should take them aside and try to figure out what sort of contradictions they are struggling with, and what sort of hurt they have experienced that would lead them to show such violent behavior toward others.  Revolutions are about people.  We want to protect people who are already enduring violence, right now– the violence that comes from simply being Black in “America,” or being a Muslim of color (not necessarily a white Muslim), or being a transgender woman of color (not white) whose life expectancy is just thirty-five years.  The Black Panther Party did this with “survival programs”– free breakfast programs and free health clinics.  This is a wealthy society– we can take care of one another if we just grab what already belongs to the people in the first place.\n\nNow, some whites are going to say that our focus on “minimizing the damage” is just white guilt or that we’re trying to play the part of the white savior.  In one sense, whites are guilty– we have committed genocide.  And we’re still committing it, in the U.S. today.  But we will never condemn ourselves to death for our crimes against humanity.  So white guilt is useless.\n\nEven so, who wants to live in a society that is based on violence against the majority of the people on the globe, and against the planet itself?  Capitalism was born out of violence– imperialist violence.  Capitalism has expanded its wealth and power on account of violence.  And capitalism itself is violence.  Capitalism is like pointing a gun at someone and saying, “Work all day then give me the fruits of your exploited labor so I can turn them into profits and enjoy more wealth for the few in my class.”  Nobody puts up with that kind of social arrangement, unless they are violently controlled.  Capitalism kills.\n\nSo we have to kill capitalism– we have to destroy this system of violence before it completely destroys people and planet.  But (judging from all the [white] Women’s Marches last weekend, and– thinking dialectically– also recognizing that they did have their positive aspects) we are nowhere ready to wage armed struggle against the system of capitalism.  We would only inflict minimum damage to the racist, patriarchal bourgeoisie while increasing damage to the true proletariat of the world: colonized communities.\n\nTherefore, European colonizers in the U.S. (whites) should consider placing our focus on protecting colonized peoples who are the most endangered by racist, patriarchal capitalism.  Let communities of color determine for themselves their own principles, goals, strategies, and tactics.  Let them organize for resistance on their terms, not ours.  That’s not white guilt– it’s the scientific, humane thing to do.\n\nCapitalism is a cruel, inhumane system that is all too eager to grind up anyone who poses a threat to it– especially if they are a Black person or a person of color.  This system has locked up Jalil Muntaqim, Sundiata Acoli, Imam Jamil Al-Amin, Leonard Peltier, Dr. Mutulu Shakur, Mumia Abu-Jamal and many, many other political prisoners– prisoners of war– just because they wanted their people to be free.  So if we want to throw at the enemy our fragile skin– our bodies that are so easily pierced by bullets and the weapons of the oppressor– capitalism will be more than happy to bruise, tear, break, and lock away our flesh (if not spirit).  Capitalism has locked away generations of colonized peoples with no more incentive to do so than the usual one for the United States– it has been profitable.  Capitalism is an expert at growing stronger and wealthier off human suffering.\n\nNo– weaken the enemy.  And today, it seems that the best way to maximize this damage, and to weaken the reactionary force of capitalism, is to pay resources to the people who are most endangered by Trump (and the forty-four previous Presidents).  If the people are stronger within (particularly the most marginalized: transgender women of color), then they will become a tightly-knit, singular, mass force, an indestructible movement against all the interlocking systems of capitalist oppression.  And then they can transform society, on their terms.\n\nDo something revolutionary today.  Buy a book written by a Black trans woman.  Make a donation to an organization led by trans Latinas.  Give to organizations that are led by queer and trans people of color (QTPOC).  Support the blogs and art and emotional labor of Black people and people of color.  My main goal here is to part me and other white people from our money, again and again.\n\nWe can weaken Trump’s ability to do harm to the most marginalized in this society by contributing resources to individuals and organizations who are just struggling to survive in this system every day.  Minimize the damage to the people, and then … the power that the system has to harm them will implode on account of the increasing chaos and volatility of its own contradictions.\n\n\nMinimizing the Damage to the People During the Trump Era\n\nMedium As Meaning\n\n\nThe rationality of capitalist society is not to be found in its content but rather in the outward forms that contain its diverse expressions.  For example, familial relationships in bourgeois society are arranged around the ideology of the ruling class, which is mainly interested in more profits, resulting in more capital and more power.  This rationality for the arrangement of the family creates chaos in any expression of these relationships that is not directly connected to the capitalist ideology.  The capitalist form creates its own content, thereby determining its meaning as well: the meaning is in the form.\n\nAnd we could extend this observation beyond the family, or any other necessary interpersonal relationships, to the relationships between producers of food and clothing and the people who need these things– which is to say, everybody.  It is entirely irrational for anyone to go hungry, and to lack access to material necessities, in a society that produces great wealth.  Yet the rationality for capitalism is not based on feeding and clothing all the people.  The institutions and structures of capitalist society exist to create greater wealth for the ruling class.  Therefore, the meaning of these irrational behaviors by capitalist institutions and structures can only be explained when we examine their meaning according to capitalism’s rationale for their creation in the first place.  Under capitalist rule, food is not meant to feed, but rather to bring profit as a commodity.  The same is true for clothing and all other material necessities of life, and even life itself.\n\nThe same is also true for interactions between people, and for the ways we communicate: under capitalist rule, communication is not meant to educate, and it is not meant to connect us in terms that we might call rational or humane.  Each medium of communication under capitalism only has rational meaning when we consider the reason for its existence within this system of power: to increase the wealth of the ruling class and the people who benefit the most from its rule, or white people.  The meaning of the content which is expressed within capitalist media may often seem irrational and, well, meaningless– but this is only because its main purpose is to further enrich the white-controlled ruling class.  What the forms may contain is of far less importance than the rationale for their container: greater and greater profits to the white ruling class.\n\nThe rationality for social media– specifically Facebook and Twitter– is not to create better understanding among people, nor is it to educate, or even to entertain.  If the content of Facebook and Twitter does these things, the capitalist class will allow such meaningful exchanges to exist (although, from time to time, it must lock Black people who are “too outspoken” out of their Facebook accounts, and, at all times, make sure they are harassed by racist trolls).  But just as the capitalist class has the power to allow content that is based in humane and rational principles, it also has the power to allow entirely inhumane and irrational content– and, in both instances, the only meaning this content has (to the capitalists who control the forms or media for its expression) is to create more and more profits.  When the fundamental rationale for a medium has no other basis but the creation of greater profits, it can only lead to an increasingly irrational, violent and oligarchical society.\n\nThe world has changed drastically in the past century or century and a half, and one of the most drastic changes has been the development of mass media: radio, movies, television, the internet and social media on the internet, as well as the expensive devices that are necessary to consume these things.  We live (some of us more precariously than others) in a global economic system.  Changes in one part of the world not only affect other parts of the world but are controlled by one global economic system: European imperialist capitalism.  The numerous advances in technology, and the benefits of these advances, during the last century and a half have taken place in a global context– a context in which one class enjoys the benefits of the subjugation and exploitation of all other classes.  Therefore, the technological advances of mass media have not had the purpose of benefiting all people, or even the majority of people.  Perhaps society has improved as a result of these developments in capitalist media; yet the rationale for their growth has not been to benefit the world, but rather, to create greater profits for the ruling class or identity: the European (white) minority that dominates the world.\n\nAnd so, during this present period, there is the appearance of a sort of frenetic “free speech,” an endless, chaotic exchange of information, insults, art, jokes, memes, and (less frequently) love and spiritual support.  The diversity of expressions within the forms of media creates the illusion of democracy: we are able to express it, therefore we are experiencing freedom.  Yet the context for these countless expressions cannot be found in the words, images, ideas, and sounds that are expressed, or even in the fact that they are allowed; the context is the container itself, the form that a racist, transphobic, misogynistic, homophobic, ableist, Islamophobic system– capitalism– has created for the sole purpose of expanding its wealth and power.\n\nSince the context for these media cannot be found in humane or rationale principles, but only in the self-serving rationality of the profit-motive, the content– no matter how varied– repeatedly takes on the shape of this container.  When human thought and speech become commodities, the primary rationale for our communication will tend to lose any meaning that is not directly related to the expansion of capitalist wealth.  The algorithms and formulas for human interactions of any type, within the context of a racist, patriarchal bourgeois system, will tend to reward those behaviors that create greater profits while suppressing those behaviors that do not.  And while we are free (for the most part) to express whatever we want, our expressions only gain meaning, in this capitalist context, based on their ability to create greater profits.  And this context– the one that gives shape to all interactions on social media– will tend to increase the oppressive capacity of the bourgeois oligarchy.  The skeleton of the capitalist design is not completed by flesh or spirit; it grows according to the monstrous, machine-like embodiment of the profit-motive.\n\nC.L.R. James once said, “Capital controls man.  Man does not control capital.”  The meaning of the capitalist medium is not to be discovered in its content, but rather in the medium itself.  The reason the capitalist medium has been created, and has taken on its present form, has not been to serve any rational, humane purpose (nor has it been developed for the benefit of people and planet), but rather, to make the wealthy, powerful white class even wealthier and more powerful, and more oppressive.\n\nMedium As Meaning\n\nThe Transphobia of Cis People Who Say They Won’t Date Trans Women\n\n\n[Content warning: r*pe, transphobia, misogynistic violence, gender dysphoria]\n\nAt the personal level of sexual relations, “no” always means “no.”  Otherwise, it’s rape.\n\nHowever, in a system that is white supremacist, patriarchal and colonial– the system of capitalism– gender and sexuality, like race, are not just personal; they also exist on a political level.  And, in this tiered society, personal relationships always reflect the power that one has within their class.  The entire structure of capitalist society– and every tier or level within it– is controlled by a ruling class that is wealthy, racist, sexist, transphobic, homophobic, ableist, and Islamophobic.\n\nSo it’s one thing to say “no” to an individual when it comes to dating, sex, or any other personal interaction.  And it’s quite another thing to say “no” to an entire segment of an oppressed category.\n\nIn the first instance, we are simply asserting autonomy over our own personal identity and decisions.  But even this individual power comes from the masses, and from the political, economic and social system that the masses support.  Because an enslaved African certainly said “no” to enslavement and to colonization by Europeans (whites), just as the Indigenous person said “no” to Europeans who have occupied their land.  This interaction wasn’t based merely on an individual choice.  It came down to a question of power, and it still does: genocidal colonization is a choice that isn’t based on the individual but, rather, on the power of the masses, or the collective (class) power expressed by European (white) colonizers who still occupy this land and still support the violent system of capitalism.  Without this unequal relationship of power, the United States (and Canada) would not exist, nor could any white people (trans or cis) be able to live in the “New World.”\n\nIn the second instance of saying “no”– to an entire group within an oppressed category– we’re talking about a word or an act that also reflects this unequal relationship of power.  When cisgender people say in advance that they won’t date trans women, what they are really saying is that they are using the power gained from a transphobic system to erase one segment within the historically oppressed identity of women.  Capitalism oppresses women.  Trans women are women.  Therefore, to rule out any sexual or romantic relationships with trans women is simply to reinforce the unequal amount of power that cis people have within the capitalist hierarchy.\n\nFurthermore, when white cis people (lesbians or straight men) say they refuse to date trans women, they are engaging in racist behavior and misogynoir.  Why?  Because trans women are women, and Black women are women, and Black trans women are women.  So, by saying they won’t date trans women, cis white lesbians and cis/het white men are effectively negating multiple, overlapping identities.  They are using the power given to them by an oppressive system in the U.S. and Canada (as well as much of the world, since capitalism is a global economic system) to erase (or attempt to erase) the womanhood of trans women– all trans women, including (or especially) trans women of color.\n\nThey aren’t just saying “no” to one person.  Cisgender people who say they won’t date trans women are saying “no” to the very existence and identity of one group of women.  Cis people who say they would never date a trans woman, when they would date a cis woman, are saying to every trans woman in the world: “You don’t get to be a woman.  To me, you’ll never be a woman.”  And this is violence.\n\nBut one might ask, “What about the Black person [trans, cis, woman, man, gender nonconforming, agender] who says they won’t date white people?  Isn’t that the violent erasure of identity too?” Setting aside the intent of these questions, we can still argue that Africans/Black people who say they won’t date whites are not engaging in violent behavior against us because, from the beginning, we indicated that these questions are always about relationships of power.  Black people are not empowered to oppress whites– any whites.  Historically and materially, the dialectical relationship that exists is that of the white oppressor/colonizer and oppressed/colonized Black people— so one can understand why, under this current system, Black people wouldn’t date whites.  And within the Black community, if Black cis people refuse to date Black trans people, even in this case, the power they have to do this only comes from a system that was created by whites and for whites– racist, patriarchal capitalism.\n\nYet our focus here is on European colonizers (whites).  Cis white lesbians are oppressed within the white identity, as are all white women, because capitalism requires this type of hierarchy in order to function, just as it requires the entire white identity to sit on top of colonized communities of the world (Africans/Black people, Indigenous peoples, the majority of humanity).\n\nWithin the white identity or class, it’s an undeniable reality that white cis women are endangered by the toxic masculinity of white cis men– on account of a system of power whose ideological force is based on misogyny as well as class and race oppression.  But, since we’re speaking in terms of systems, white cis women (including white cis lesbians) don’t need to be protected from trans women.  There aren’t any statistics or patterns of behavior at the group level (the political level) to indicate that trans women pose even the slightest danger to white cis women– in fact, the opposite may be true.  And if they are trans women of color– for instance, Black trans women– statistics and reported patterns of behavior at the group level demonstrate beyond a doubt that Black trans women are the most endangered and marginalized identity in the United States.  The average life expectancy of a trans woman of color is just 35 years.  So, by saying they won’t date trans women, “today’s shameless [cis] lesbians” are simply reinforcing the reactionary power given to them by capitalism, and are doing so in order to move against an oppressed segment of the same identity (the one we share): that of women.  And if they refuse to date trans women of color, their behavior is racist as well as transphobic and sexist.\n\nThis isn’t to argue that trans women even want to go on a date with these cis lesbians or cis/het men in the first place.  After all, we may say “no” to them before they even get the chance to remind us (yet again) that they believe we aren’t real women and don’t “deserve” their approval.  But many trans women struggle for years, and sometimes for decades, trying to make our bodies “beautiful enough” to gain acceptance from cis people.  After all, the vast majority of people are cisgender, so if we do not wish to die alone, chances are we’ll need to find a date with a cis person.  And the wish of trans women to go on a date, and to no longer be lonely, belongs to the political sphere of activity as well as the personal sphere.\n\nIn this respect, the politics of womanhood for trans women may differ little from that of cis women who are told they are too fat, too ugly, too poor, too uneducated, too educated, too slutty, not slutty enough, too tall, too short– too whatever to get a date with cis people (men or women).   The difference here is (in a system where the accumulation of profits and capitalist wealth are all that matters) it is extremely expensive for a trans woman to have the surgeries and procedures necessary even to reach this basic level of rejection for women (in general) by the cisnormative patriarchy. So cisgender people saying “no” to us– all of us– in advance is a collective kick to our face: it’s misogynistic violence.\n\nTrans women are women.  Cis lesbians, according to their self-defined sexual identity, are attracted to women.  Heterosexual (or bisexual) cis men are attracted to women.  When they rule out dating an entire category of women, that’s transphobia.  And that makes it misogyny too.  And it’s racism against trans women of color, because it excludes women who are Black, Latina, Indigenous (or all the above).\n\nPerhaps a cis person (like most people) has certain preferences for the type of person they want to date: tall, brown eyes, lots of tattoos, liberal, loves dogs and likes going on hikes and water skiing … the list could be endless.  But if they were to reject every person who didn’t fit that description, this cis person would have to filter them out only according to these specific categories.  Or they could meet them for a date and discover face-to-face whether the person does or doesn’t make the grade according to their preferred type.  In either case, they aren’t excluding an entire oppressed group within the oppressed identity of women.  If anything, they’re just being picky!\n\nBut we might ask, “What about the straight person who says they won’t date people of the same gender– how could that be oppressive behavior?  Are you arguing a straight guy should be forced to go on a date with another guy?”  Setting aside the intent of these questions, it’s not very hard to answer them: we can just say– again– that trans women are women.  Straight men (trans or cis) are attracted to women (trans or cis).  So if a straight guy wants to go on a date with a woman, he should know that a trans woman is a woman.  If a lesbian/queer woman (trans or cis) wants to go on a date with a woman, she should know that a trans woman is a woman.\n\nWe could talk about how some trans women pass so successfully as cis women that the identity which cis lesbians or cis/het men thought they were rejecting may turn out to be the very person they just fell in love with– the trans woman who is stunningly beautiful.  But this line of thinking simply reinforces the violent cisnormativity in these arguments about dating trans women.  It doesn’t matter if she has a beard and a penis, or looks like Janet Mock, a transgender woman deserves to be loved and respected for who she truly is: a woman.  She may choose to live just the way she was born, or have multiple surgeries: either way, it’s her body, and a trans woman is still a woman as much as any cis woman is.\n\nThe reactionary ideology of Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists (TERFs) seeks to confuse us about the political aspects of these sexual relationships among all genders.  If we’re speaking about the individual, it’s always their choice, a choice that needs to be respected.  And we know that patriarchal capitalism limits the choices of women– choices about reproductive rights and other access to healthcare, and in countless other ways.  Capitalism tries to control our bodies.  And that’s when we’re speaking on the political level– the level of systemic power.  TERFs reinforce the patriarchal ideology of the bourgeoisie by trying to erase the identities of trans women from the overall identity of women.\n\nIt seems we should be fighting together against the same enemy.  Trans women often show up to fight for a woman’s right to an abortion and other reproductive rights.  Yet TERFs want to erase us from their definition of womanhood.  And when they remind us (again and again) that they won’t date us– when we’re an entire category of women— cisgender lesbians who are TERFs simply reinforce the reactionary and patriarchal ideology of capitalism.\n\nThe Transphobia of Cis People Who Say They Won’t Date Trans Women\n\nTransphobic Sexism and Anti-Blackness in the White Left’s Critique of Liberalism\n\nProfessor Robert Jensen: “a journalism professor at the University of Texas at Austin and board member of the Third Coast Activist Resource Center in Austin.”\n\nWe could say that people get the leaders they deserve.  Or we could say that leaders get the followers they deserve.  For instance, the inability or unwillingness of Senator Bernie Sanders to deal with the connections between racism and class oppression in the United States may have led to the anti-Black language within the anti-capitalist language of his white supporters.  In other words, Bernie Sanders got the sort of followers he deserved.  Bad leadership leads people to behave badly.\n\nLooking at it another way, the rise of Bernie Sanders may have been the result of a need on the white left– a need that is similar to the one on the white right– to elevate a leader who speaks on our behalf and for our [white] interests.  White people are asking, “What went wrong?”  After half a century of “upward mobility” in the post-World War II era, the white middle-class has been struggling for three decades.  The wealth gap between CEOs and workers has been growing.  What happened?  And who can rescue “us”?  As inarticulate as President-elect Donald Trump is, he seemed to better express the deepest aspirations of the masses of white people in the United States by blaming the failures of capitalism on Mexicans, Muslims, “the blacks,” and the usual suspects.  Donald Trump, with all his evil buffoonery, got the followers he deserved.  But it was Trump, not Bernie, who filled the void among increasingly anxious whites during this period of imperialist crisis.  Trump was more effective than Bernie (or Hillary) at voicing and tapping into the extreme racism of “America,” as well as the reactionary “white” identity– which includes impoverished and working class whites.\n\nFor all his talk of “our revolution,” Bernie Sanders is basically a reformist liberal.  Yet his political views appeal to white socialists because Bernie Sanders doesn’t challenge our status as colonizers within the global dialectic of the bourgeois white identity and the colonized proletariat (Africans/Black people, Indigenous peoples– the majority of humanity).  In Bernie’s view, we get to be part of the “99%” too.  Whites “get to be oppressed” too.  And, because Senator Sanders failed to recognize the primary dialectic or class antagonism in the world today, and approached the crisis of capitalist oppression in whitewashed terms (with a dash of “American” exceptionalism), many of his followers have been thoroughly misguided– specifically his white socialist followers.\n\nOf course, this crisis of white supremacist, patriarchal, capitalist imperialism is much bigger than Trump or Bernie.  And the roots of misguided behavior on the white left go much farther back than the past few months.  But as we attempt to understand this current era we are in, it may be instructive to examine the growing trend among white leftists that can be found in our critique of liberals and liberalism.\n\nIn ableist language, the white left is using the same “colorblind” approach in its critique of liberals and liberalism as it has used in its critique of capitalist oppression.  If a white person is a socialist, or a radical feminist, then it seems we believe that we automatically have a free pass to criticize Black liberals and (more generally) people of color who are liberal.  Our failure to recognize the connections between race and class— both historically and materially– and their dialectical relationship within a global system of colonial domination, has led white leftists to engage in abusive behavior towards oppressed identities that hardly differentiates us from supporters of Trump.\n\nAs an example, let’s look at the way the white left is treating the organization Safety Pin Box, and two unapologetic Black women who founded Safety Pin Box— Marissa Jenae Johnson and Leslie Mac.  Apparently the approach of Safety Pin Box— to pay Black women for their organizing work and their survival during the increasingly dangerous Trump era– is “too liberal” for the white left.  And what is both fascinating and infuriating at the same time is how quickly the white right (or alt-right) jumps on board with the white left’s critique of Black women, adding to this racist, sexist critique their own strange accusations that Safety Pin Box taps into “white liberal guilt,” and all that sort of nonsensical talk.\n\nLee Fang, a writer for the website The Intercept, is not white, so we’ll leave any critique of his behavior for people of color to articulate.  But many of his followers on Twitter are white.  And we might say– again– that he gets the followers he deserves.  By attacking Marissa Jenae Johnson, Lee Fang legitimatizes the anti-Blackness of his white followers.  They feel safe in this white space (capitalist social media) to unleash their unprincipled and anti-Black brand of white leftist attacks on Marissa Jenae Johnson– attacks that seem to be based mainly on a grudge still held against her after she disrupted (because that’s what organizers do, disrupt) their bourgeois candidate, Bernie Sanders, at one of his events in Seattle two years ago.\n\nFor a deeper look at this example, let’s consider Lee Fang’s retweet of a Tweet by one of his white cis male followers who had “dug up” an article by Marissa Jenae Johnson from six years ago that apparently “exposed” her homophobia.  This unprincipled, irresponsible and reactionary behavior by a white cis male was given a platform on social media– and that’s the problem we’re focused on.  The focus here isn’t on Lee Fang, but, instead, on a system which consistently gives a platform to anti-Blackness, sexism and transphobia, further endangering already marginalized identities.  The white left, because of its colonial status in the U.S., can use this platform to shut down the work and survival of Black women (trans and cis).  And the reason the white left can do this is we are empowered by the same colonial system that empowers the white right– capitalism.\n\nThis toxic behavior on Twitter by white leftists seems to ignore– quite willfully and intentionally– Marissa Jenae Johnson’s current views on homosexuality, and her current political consciousness in general.  The sole purpose of this Tweet by a white cis male was to destroy Marissa Jenae Johnson– to silence the voice of a Black woman.  In this instance (among many others), the white left is no different from the white right.\n\nAnother example of reactionary behavior by the white left is an article by Robert Jensen, a cisgender male professor from the University of Texas at Austin who is writing a book titled The End of Patriarchy: Radical Feminism for Men.  The title of his article is “How feminists can challenge liberal bathroom politics” [emphasis added] and it was republished on the Trans Exclusionary Radical [White] Feminist website Feminist Current.  This article was first published in The Dallas Morning News, a white-controlled bourgeois newspaper.  These details are important: Robert Jensen is a cisgender man, and a professor at a bourgeois institution, whose views have been given a platform by capitalist and white feminist media.  All of this is very instructive.\n\nRobert Jensen’s article is extremely transphobic (that is to say, misogynistic), and you can go to “White Man’s Google” if you wish to read his garbage.  But the point here is to demonstrate how the voices and views of white cisgender men like Robert Jensen (who is on the board of a “Realistically Radical” organization in Austin, Texas called the Third Coast Activist Resource Center) are given a platform to attack trans women.  Meanwhile, Black trans women are expected to perform organizing and educational labor for free, or for disrespectfully low compensation.  So their work must be unrealistically radical?\n\nBut the key issue here is how the views of Lee Fang’s white followers, and those of Robert Jensen and Meghan Murphy (founder of [White] Feminist Current), are presented under the guise of an anti-liberal critique, when, in fact, they are aligned with the reactionary ideology of white supremacist, transphobic, sexist, homophobic, ableist, Islamophobic, colonial capitalism.  And they get the followers they deserve.  Because the people on Twitter rushing to their defense (most of whom have been blocked) are not only “Bernie Bros,” but also “social conservatives,” Trump supporters, and transphobic fake progressives and TERFs who attempt to dehumanize women like me.\n\nThe white left is misguided, and so, it follows quite naturally, we choose the wrong targets to attack.  This growing trend among white leftists of attacking “liberals”– including Imani Gandy, “Angry Black Lady,” on Twitter– under the guise of promoting radical politics is, in reality, nothing more than anti-Black, anti-trans, sexist, and reactionary behavior.  Rather than letting him deal with the violence of white cisgender men, Robert Jensen is given a platform by transphobic white feminist Meghan Murphy to question the identity of trans women.\n\nThe white left needs to deal with the problems of the white left, and we need to leave Black women (trans and cis) alone.  Our analysis of colonial oppression in the United States (and around the globe) is woefully off-target.  For one thing, too many of us on the white left are bitterly preoccupied with Senator Bernie Sanders’ defeat in the Democratic primaries of a bourgeois election to be the next President of a white supremacist, patriarchal empire.  Bernie Sanders is one individual– if the white left can’t build a movement without his candidacy then we don’t really want to seize power from the bourgeoisie, and burn this system down, we just want to “Feel the Bern” (whatever that means).\n\nFurthermore, we can’t be anti-trans and be revolutionary at the same time.  The idea that trans liberation is a “liberal” thing is reactionary thinking at the root level.  We can overlook the fact that bourgeois Professor Robert Jensen is a cisgender male who is writing about radical feminism.  But we can’t allow him to define who is a woman and who is not.  White cis men don’t get to create the definitions of identity for women, particularly women in colonized communities (Black trans women, trans Latinas, all trans women of color).  So Professor Jensen made his first big mistake by thinking he gets to decide, in some universal (read: European) way, who is part of white feminist Meghan Murphy’s club of “real women.”\n\nThis territorial war over the definition of womanhood is an expression of white colonial control.  And the white left (like the white right) only gets its power to define womanhood from capitalism– the dominant economic system of the globe ever since Europe attacked Africa and the Americas more than five hundred years ago.  The same system that is racist, sexist and capitalistic is also transphobic– and Black trans women, in particular, are the targets of these intersecting forms of oppression.  Robert Jensen’s language is racist, sexist, and pro-capitalist, because it further endangers Black trans women.\n\nIf the target of the white left is Black people (Black women, trans or cis, and all Africans), then our analysis, as well as the leaders and writers who articulate this analysis, are no different than Trump and his followers.  There is one main enemy: capitalism.  If white leaders and white writers on the left aren’t clearly articulating who or what the main enemy is, then we need to find new people to follow.  And, the fact is, the correct analysis of capitalist oppression has rarely come from the white left.  We’re too loyal to our white identity– and we’re too loyal to “America.”  Therefore, instead of aiming our critique at communities who are already struggling to survive capitalist oppression, whites on the left should consider paying our resources to organizations and individuals in these communities, and centering their voices, work, and survival.  We should be paying Black trans women.  We should be supporting Safety Pin Box (even if we can’t afford to join, we may still be able to donate money).\n\nThe white left needs to start paying reparations to Black people, and stop paying attention to these fake progressive leaders who misguide us with their critique of “liberals.”  And this begins with our recognition that the political (not biological) identity of whiteness is inherently reactionary or bourgeois– it’s the identity of the colonizer– and, therefore, any Black “liberal,” or liberal person of color, who is just trying to survive our colonial oppression (or go to the bathroom as a trans woman), SHOULD NOT BE THE TARGET OF OUR CRITIQUE.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7179708480834961}
{"content": "\nOK, I agree I do not want Google Analytics-Cookies\nInternational Poster Journal of Dentistry and Oral Medicine\n\n\n\nForgotten password?\n\n\nInt Poster J Dent Oral Med 16 (2014), DGMKG     11. June 2014\nInt Poster J Dent Oral Med 16 (2014), DGMKG  (11.06.2014)\n\nSupplement, Poster 764, Language: English\n\nAcute life-threatening Infections of the Head&Neck Region\nTeiler, Anna Maria / Hoefer, Sebastian Herbert / Sader, Robert / Landes, Constantin\nBackground: Highly acute oro-dentogenic infections with rapid dissemination - like in the case of necrotising fasziitis (NF) or a phlegmonous deep neck infection (DNI) occur very rarely. However, they require immediate therapeutic intervention. Especially in the case when the immune system is weakened (diabetes mellitus, immuno-suppressive pathologies,etc.) they correspond with high morbidity and mortality.\nGoals: It is crucial to understand the disease progress and to be familiar with deep neck spaces and fascial planes. Despite advanced surgical treatment, deep neck infections and even more necrotising fasciitis can have poor outcome due to their common and potentially life-threatening complications: airway obstruction, descending mediastinitis and sepsis.\nKnowledge about fast treatment, airway security, efficient drainage, debridement and appropriate antibiotics is essential.\nMethods: Three exemplary cases were chosen to outline disease progression including life-threatening complications and therapeutic intervention.\nPatient 1: DNI due to abscess with dental focus 37\nPatient 2: NF due to necrotising cutaneous metastasis of a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) originating at the bottom of the mouth.\nPatient 3: NF with unclear focus in the head&neck region and immunosuppression due to DM type II.\nResults: After being admitted to the emergency room all patients received full surgical therapeutic intervention (large scale debridement, airway security through tracheotomy, as well as extensive antiobiotic treatment).\nDespite immediate referral to the intensive care unit 2 out of 3 patients passed away.\nConclusion: Even rapid and radical surgical intervention accompanied by antiobiotic treatment does not guarantee higher survival rates in case of NF and DNI. Early diagnosis is crucial. Despite this radical treatment the prognosis remains poor and has not improved significantly over the last 50 years.\nNo evidence-based proof exists regarding the effectiveness of further adjuvant therapy options such as hyperbaric oxygentherapy. However, if available, they should be administered as ultima ratio.\n\nKeywords: Infections, deep neck infection, necrotising fascitis, debridment\n\n64. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Mund-, Kiefer- und Gesichtschirurgie (DGMKG)\n11.-14. Juni 2014\nMainz, Deutschland", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9797293543815613}
{"content": "How to Plan a Trip on the Maine Island Trail\n\nSpend This Winter Planning an Island Adventure\n\nIf the long nights of winter are getting you down, we've got the perfect pick-me-up: planning a trip on the Maine Island Trail next summer! The trail extends 375 miles from the New Hampshire border to Canada and includes scores of campsites, so there are lots of options to consider. \n\nMaine island trail kayaking I.jpg\n\nGetting to Know the Trail \n\nThe Maine Island Trail, America's oldest recreational water trail, was founded in 1988 by citizens who wanted to encourage stewardship of the coastal islands they loved to visit. The trail has grown steadily since then and today connects over 200 wild islands and mainland sites that are open for camping or day use. \n\nPeople often assume the Maine Island Trail Association  (MITA) owns the islands on the trail, but that's not how the trail works. Instead, MITA administers the trail by working with public and private site owners, including the state, land trusts, and private families, to allow access to their properties. The trail relies on property owners' trust that MITA members and other users will be responsible stewards. It's essential that you practice the Leave No Trace philosophy when you're traveling on the trail so we can continue to sustain and grow that trust. \n\nMaine Island Trail kayaking II.jpg\n\nPlanning Your Trip on the Trail \n\nMost paddlers explore the Maine Island Trail in short trips focused on a particular region, like Casco Bay or Muscongus Bay, rather than tackling the whole thing at once. That said, every year there are a few adventurous types who do the whole thing in one go. Paddling the entire trail usually takes 2-3 months, though, so if you don't have that much time you need to decide which section of the trail is the best fit for your trip. \n\nNo matter the length of the trip you plan,  you won't be following an established, official route. There are an infinite number of routes that connect the sites on the trail, and the path you travel between them will depend on the weather conditions, your group's skill and experience level, the vessel you're using and your goals and interests. One of the great things about the trail is that every trip is different. \n\nThe fact that there's no official route to follow makes it especially important to plan thoroughly and to learn from the experiences of others who have more experience on the trail. You can tap into a wealth of local knowledge about the trail by talking to local boaters, including staff at outfitters like Portland Paddle. To get a better sense of the possibilities that await you on the trail browse through MITA's \"Tales from the Trail\" blog. It features lots of photos and stories from trips on the trail, along with news and updates about MITA happenings. \n\nKey Decisions to Make About Your Trip \n\nBefore you get far into the trip-planning process you'll need to make a few key decisions about your trip. Here are some questions you'll want to address early on: \n\n  • Will you join a guided trip or head onto the trail for a self-guided adventure? Portland Paddle and other outfitters offer a wide range of guided paddling trips on the trail. If you don't have the experience and skills needed to embark on an ocean paddling trip, or you just want to let somebody else handle the logistics, these guided trips are probably your best option. If you're confident in your abilities -- and you have the necessary paddling and camping equipment -- then you might prefer a self-guided trip. Keep in mind, though, that Maine's coastal waters are exposed to a wide range of risks. Check out MITA's Trail Guide for suggestions about the skills and equipment that are needed to minimize risks \n  • What section of the coast will you paddle? Unless you're paddling the whole trail, you have to choose a geographical focus. Usually that involves picking one of the 10 sections of the trail that are identified in the MITA Trail Guide. Some parts of the trail are less protected and offer more challenging paddling conditions than others. And some sections have more campsites to choose from than others. The Downeast section of the trail, for example, is incredibly beautiful, but features lots of exposure to the open ocean and relatively few campsites in some areas. You'll need to consider those factors as you plan while also taking into account other logistical factors like parking availability at boat launches and travel distance from your home. \n  • How much of the trail do you want to explore? If you have several days to spare you can create an itinerary that island-hops throughout a region and potentially reaches some of the more remote and less-frequented sections of the trail. Or you can choose to stay on one island for multiple nights and use it as a base camp as you take day trips into the surrounding area. If you only have one or two days your options are more limited, but there are still plenty of trail sites that can easily be reached for an overnight or day visit. \n  • Will you paddle a one-way route along the trail or loop back? Many people plan trips on the trail that loop around a bay and end at the same point the trip started. Another option is to plan a one-way route that ends further along the coast. This might allow you to experience more of the trail and see different environments along the coast, but it will require you to arrange transportation back to your starting point. Many outfitters, like Portland Paddle, will provide transportation for one-way routes along the trail. \n\nJoining MITA, ACCESSING THE Trail Guide \n\nMaine Island Trail kayaking III.jpg\n\n MITA embraces the powerfully simple idea that care of the islands can be left to the users of these treasured and fragile places. Islands visited by members tend to be in better shape than those left alone, and every year MITA volunteers dedicate hundreds of hours to cleaning up marine debris from beaches, maintaining campsites, managing invasive plant infestations, and more. \n\nJoining the Maine Island Trail Association as a member allows you to support MITA's work and get access to MITA's very useful trip-planning resources. You'll receive the annual paper Trail Guide and full access to the MITA's Mobile App, which includes all the information in the paper guide. These are your perfect starting points for planning next year's adventures (combined with standard nautical charts, of course!).\n\nPortland Paddle guides have lots of experience traversing the Trail, and they offer multi-day tours to popular Trail sites (like Jewell Island in Casco Bay and islands throughout Muscongus Bay), as well as \"guided rentals\" and equipment rentals and trip planning services for experienced paddlers. So join MITA, give Portland Paddle a call, and look forward to summer on the water.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.874361515045166}
{"content": "The 10,000 Hour Rule, Video Games, Entertainment, and Opportunity\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEnglish, Mathematics\n\nThe Importance of Math for a Writer\n\nSTEM and the Humanities can get along once in a while. And this is one of those time – I believe frequent math problem solving can help a writer become more methodical (and math is also just good for your mental ‘strength’ in general).\n\nThere are browser tabs that I have open at all times – Duolingo, Lingq, and KhanAcademy. They all serve the same purpose in different way: to help me continue to learn now that I am out of college and to prevent the atrophy of what I spent the last two decades learning.\n\nThe first two are language learning tools – I have to maintain and improve my three modern languages and two ancient. This is not an easy task and sometimes I can go weeks without improving, but merely maintaining. But that is far better than regressing over those weeks.\n\nThe second service, however, I use almost exclusively for improving. I’m fully willing to admit that I not only paid little attention in high school and college math, but that what I learned then, I have now forgotten. At this rate I cannot imagine the state my mathematics education would be in in a decade or two of negligence.\n\nHowever, this degradation is insidious. It’s like rust. Perhaps you see a small spot on the door of your car, but it’s hard to see so who cares? Well two winters later the inside of your door has rusted out and you need to get a whole new one. It is the same with mathematics for me; one day I realized I didn’t know an obscure integration rule, the next I forgot the lion’s share of my calculus!\n\nCalculus is one of the crucial discoveries in the history of man. Knowing it is something to be proud of even if it is not particularly useful in day to day life. Further, once your calculus has rotted out, the rust proceeds to even more basic maths like trigonometry and geometry. At this point it can actually start to affect you.\n\nThis is a realization that I had all at once, I had completely ignored the rot of my mathematical learning for several years in university. I was focused on the humanities and my geology research required comparatively little math outside of a few specialized formulas. But when I was preparing to apply to business school, the curtains were thrown wide open and the view was ugly.\n\nI aced the written and verbal sections of the GMAT, almost perfects scores. My math scores, however, left a lot to be desired. And when I say a lot to be desired, I mean basically everything was left to be desired. I was in the 34th percentile.\n\nThe disparity between the two was huge and I knew I had to close it before I could start applying to schools. So I laid those plans aside and decided to move abroad to work, study, and gain experience.\n\nAnd to study math.\n\nStarting from the ground up (as I don’t know what I don’t know) I am rebuilding my mathematical skills. Perhaps building would be more apt as every day I realize just how little attention I paid in math class.\n\nHaving always preferred reading, writing, and language (you know, the things that can’t help you get employed!) I massively neglected my math learning. And now that I am righting this wrong, I see how much I missed out on. And I’m not talking about grades.\n\nRoutine math practice has made me more methodical and driven to solve problems. With a math problem you know that there is a solution, but you might have no clue how to get to it. But you know there is a solution. It’s not much different than writing in that regard, you might know what you are trying to say or have a blurry outline of the direction you want to go in, but you don’t know what tools will get you there (or even if you have those tools).\n\nLarge math problems also cement the idea of small steps toward a far away destination. you can’t rush math (usually) the way that you can rush writing. If you want to get the correct answer to a complicated problem you can’t skip steps or hurry through them and still succeed. It’s impossible. Math makes you slow down.\n\nWith writing, one could in his excitement run through an entire scene or even story in a very short period of time. But with horrid description, poor character development, low style, etc. You might get to the end, but the end result is worthless. Solving long math problems forces you to take your time because there is no there is no other option.\n\nIf you develop this mentality and take it to your writing, the results are going to be much, much better.\n\nSo do your daily math even if you’d rather be reading. At the very least you’ll never have to embarrassingly admit you forgot how to do long division. Everything else is icing.\n\n\nMusic Notes: Tchaikovsky’s Marche Slave\n\nMusic Notes is an idea I’ve had for a while where I will take a relatively famous classical music piece and quickly run through the history of it. These articles should be short and to the point so, I hope, you will be able to get through them quickly. And, perhaps, discover something new!\n\nOne of the first ones that I have been meaning to do is Tchaikovsky’s Marche Slave.\n\nThe Marche Slave (B-flat minor, op. 31) is a symphonic poem written in 1876. A symphonic poem is a short, one movement orchestral piece that is written to evoke the feeling of, well, a poem. Just using music instead of words. A common accessory to Tchikovsky’s 1812 Overture, Marche Slave is something many people could recognize but few could name upon hearing.\n\nThe piece was written just at the beginning of the Serbo-Turkish War. The Russians, as was their habit, supported the Serbians in their cause (due to shared ethnic background an religion). The Russian populace was so supportive of the Serbian cause that many Russians ran to go join the war to aid the Serbs. As an aside, this phenomenon is mentioned in Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina when several characters go off to join the war.\n\nThe concert was actually commissioned for the war itself (well, the Red Cross Society), it was not written out of a fit of patriotic glee; glee such as that which drew Russia’s young men into a foreign war.\n\nThe piece itself draws heavily from Serbian folk songs and the Russian national anthem of the time (God Save the Tsar). Giving it strong patriotic and nationalist tones that would have been instantly recognizable to Russians and Serbians of the time.\n\nThe piece opened in Moscow in 1876 and was conducted by Nikolai Rubinstein.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7669389843940735}
{"content": "The Incredible Power of Believing in Yourself\n\nGuest Writer\nSpeaker and Maximum Performance Strategist. CEO of Matt Mayberry Enterprises\n4 min read\nOpinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.\n\n\nFind me an extremely successful person who doesn’t greatly believe in themselves. It’s not going to happen. Steve Jobs, Martin Luther King, Jr., Michael Jordan, Elon Musk and Mark Cuban are just a few highly successful individuals who benefited greatly from this confidence. However, it’s not their levels of success that I want to talk about. It’s their willingness to get up again and again when they failed or experienced a setback while in pursuit of creating the life of their dreams.\n\nRelated: Refuse to Be Sucked Into Uncertainty\n\nThey were only able to keep going and achieve success because of the level of belief in themselves despite the enormous amount of failures they had experienced for years leading up to their big breakthroughs. Their belief is what created a vision so big that they didn’t care how many times they failed at something. They were eventually going to get to where they wanted to go.\n\nEspecially as a business owner and entrepreneur, you are most definitely going to fail and experience a loss or setback at some point. If it hasn’t happened already, it eventually will. That's not to be negative or discourage you, that's just life. But when it does happen, and when your belief is strong, no failure or setback will have the power to completely wipe you out. Belief in yourself is the name of the game. \n\nHere are two of my daily habits that have consistently helped me increase my belief in myself and shatter all self-imposed limitations.\n\nCount your wins.\n\nAs human beings we naturally have the tendency to get stuck on the negative and think about all of our losses for the day, instead of counting our wins and finding all of the good that took place.\n\nI use my gratitude journal to capture all of my wins at the end of each day. This can be the wins from today, last week, last month or even last year. It doesn’t really matter when, but the key is to just get in the habit of capturing all of your wins. This will bring you a complete sense of joy that will let you know that you have done some incredible things in the past and remind you that even bigger things can happen in the future. \n\nWhether big or small, it doesn’t matter -- just count your wins! \n\n\nTalk to yourself like a champion.\n\nJust as my friend and bestselling author Jon Gordon always says, \"Talk to yourself more than you listen to yourself.\" Just for one week, try talking to yourself like a champion instead of listening to yourself as a victim. I guarantee that you will be blown away by the results. It may seem weird to talk to yourself, but give it a try and then see if it's worth the \"weirdness.\"\n\nThinking positive and empowering thoughts is one thing, but talking to yourself like a champion reconditions your thought process in an instant. When you form the habit of talking to yourself like a champion you don't give the negative and discouraging thoughts the time of day.\n\n\n\nThe men and women that change the world all understand the incredible power of belief.\n\nRelated: 12 Things Truly Confident People Do Differently\n\nMy Queue\n\nThere are no Videos in your queue.\n\n\nThere are no Articles in your queue.\n\n\nThere are no Podcasts in your queue.\n\n\nYou're not following any authors.\n\n\nTips for Mastering Body Language and Confidence", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9897820353507996}
{"content": "What is historical materialism?\n\n\nMarxists do not see history as a mere series of isolated facts but rather, they seek to discover the general processes and laws that govern nature and society. The first condition for science in general is that we are able to look beyond the particular and arrive at the general. The idea that human history is not governed by any laws is contrary to all science.\n\nWhat is history?\n\nWhy should we accept that the entire universe, from the smallest particles to the most distant galaxies are determined, and the processes that determine the evolution of all species, are governed by laws, and yet, for some strange reason, our own history is not. The Marxist method analyses the hidden mainsprings that underpin the development of human society from the earliest tribal societies up to the modern day. The way in which Marxism traces this winding road is called the materialist conception of history.\n\nThose who deny the existence of any laws governing human social development invariably approach history from a subjective and moralistic standpoint. But above and beyond the isolated facts, it is necessary to discern broad tendencies, the transitions from one social system to another, and to work out the fundamental motor forces that determine these transitions.\n\nBefore Marx and Engels history was seen by most people as a series of unconnected events or, to use a philosophical term, \"accidents\". There was no general explanation of this, history had no inner lawfulness. By establishing the fact that, at bottom, all human development depends on the development of productive forces Marx and Engels for the first time placed the study of history on a scientific basis.\n\nThis scientific method enables us to understand history, not as a series of unconnected and unforeseen incidents, but rather as part of a clearly understood and interrelated process. It is a series of actions and reactions which cover politics, economics and the whole spectrum of social development. To lay bare the complex dialectical relationship between all these phenomena is the task of historical materialism. Humankind constantly changes nature through labour, and in so doing, changes itself.\n\nA caricature of Marxism\n\nScience under capitalism tends to become less and less scientific, the closer it gets to analysing society. The so-called social sciences (sociology, economics, politics), and also bourgeois philosophy, in general do not apply genuinely scientific methods at all, and therefore end up as ill-concealed attempts to justify capitalism, or at least to discredit Marxism (which boils down to the same thing).\n\nDespite the “scientific” pretensions of bourgeois historians, the writing of history inevitably reflects a class point of view. It is a fact that the history of wars – including the class war – is written by the winners. In other words, the selection and interpretation of these events are shaped by the actual outcome of those conflicts as they affect the historian, and in turn his perception of what the reader will want to read. Moreover, in the last analysis, these perceptions will always be influenced by the interests of a class or grouping in society.\n\nWhen Marxists look at society they do not pretend to be neutral, but openly espouse the cause of the exploited and oppressed classes. However, that does not at all preclude scientific objectivity. A surgeon involved in a delicate operation is also committed to saving the life of his patient. He is far from neutral about the outcome. But for that very reason, he will distinguish with extreme care between the different layers of the organism. In the same way, Marxists will strive to obtain the most scientifically exact analysis of social processes, in order to be able to successfully influence the outcome.\n\nVery often attempts are made to discredit Marxism by resorting to a caricature of its method of historical analysis. There is nothing easier than erecting a straw man in order to knock it down again. The usual distortion is that Marx and Engels “reduced everything to economics.” This mechanical caricature has nothing to do with Marxism. If that were really the case, we would be absolved from the painful necessity of fighting to change society. Capitalism would collapse and the new society would fall into place of its own accord, as a ripe apple falls into the lap of a man sleeping under a tree. But historical materialism has nothing in common with fatalism.\n\nThis patent absurdity was answered in the following extract of Engels’ letter to Bloch:\n\n“According to the materialist conception of history, the ultimate determining element in history is the production and reproduction of life. More than this neither Marx and I have ever asserted. Hence, if somebody twists this into saying that the economic element is the only determining one, he transforms that proposition into a meaningless, abstract and senseless phrase.” ( Engels to Bloch, 21 September 1890, Selected Correspondence, p. 475)\n\nIn The Holy Family, written before the Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels poured scorn on the idea of “History” conceived apart from individual men and women, explaining that this was merely an empty abstraction:\n\n\nAll that Marxism does is to explain the role of the individual as part of a given society, subject to certain objective laws and, ultimately, as the representative of the interests of a particular class. Ideas have no independent existence, nor their own historical development. \"Life is not determined by consciousness,\" Marx writes in The German Ideology, \"but consciousness by life.\"\n\nFree will?\n\nThe ideas and actions of people are conditioned by social relations, the development of which does not depend on the subjective will of men and women, but which take place according to definite laws. These social relations, in the last analysis, reflect the needs of development of the productive forces. The interrelations between these factors constitute a complex web that is often difficult to see. The study of these relations is the basis of the Marxist theory of history.\n\nBut if men and women are not the puppets of “blind historical forces”, neither are they entirely free agents, able to shape their destiny irrespective of the existing conditions imposed by the level of economic development, science and technique, which, in the last analysis, determine whether a socio-economic system is viable or not. In The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte, Marx explains:\n\n\"Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances, but under circumstances existing already, given and transmitted from the past. The tradition of all dead generations weighs like an Alp on the brains of the living […].\"\n\nLater Engels expressed the same idea in a different way:\n\n\nWhat Marxism does assert, and it is a proposition that surely nobody can deny, is that in the last analysis, the viability of a given socio-economic system will be determined by its ability to develop the means of production, that is to say, the material foundations upon which society, culture and civilization are built.\n\nThe notion that the development of the productive forces is the basis upon which all social development depends is really such a self-evident truth that it is really surprising that some people still question it. It does not require much intelligence to understand that before men and women can develop art, science, religion or philosophy, they must first have food to eat, clothes to wear and houses to live in. All these things must be produced by someone, somehow. And it is equally obvious that the viability of any given socio-economic system will ultimately be determined by its ability to do this.\n\nIn The Critique of Political Economy Marx explains the relation between the productive forces and the “superstructure” as follows:\n\n\n\nFrom this we can see that the flow and direction of history has been— and is—shaped by the struggles of successive social classes to mould society in their own interests and the resulting conflicts between the classes which flow from that. As the first words of the Communist Manifesto remind us: “ The history of all hitherto existing societies is the history of class struggle.” Historical materialism explains that the motor force of social development is the class struggle.\n\nMarx and Darwin\n\nOur species is the product of a very long period of evolution. Of course, evolution is not a kind of grand design, the aim of which was to create beings like ourselves. It is not a question of accepting some kind of preordained plan, either related to Divine intervention or some kind of teleology, but it is clear that the laws of evolution inherent in nature do in fact determine the development from simple forms of life to more complex forms.\n\n\nCharles Darwin explained that the species are not immutable, and that they possess a past, a present and a future, changing and evolving. In the same way Marx and Engels explain that a given social system is not something eternally fixed. Evolution shows how different life forms have dominated the planet for very long periods but have been made extinct as soon as the material conditions that determined their evolutionary success changed. These previously dominant species have been replaced by other species that were seemingly insignificant and even species that seemed to have no prospect of survival.Editorial cartoon depicting Charles Darwin as an ape 1871Editorial cartoon depicting Charles Darwin as an ape 1871\n\nNowadays the idea of “evolution” has been generally accepted, at least by educated persons. The ideas of Darwin, so revolutionary in his day, are accepted almost as a truism. However, evolution is generally understood as a slow and gradual process without interruptions or violent upheavals. In politics, this kind of argument is frequently used as a justification for reformism. Unfortunately, it is based on a misunderstanding. The real mechanism of evolution even today remains a book sealed by seven seals.\n\nThis is hardly surprising since Darwin himself did not understand it. It was only as recently as the 1970s, with the new discoveries in palaeontology made by Stephen J. Gould, who discovered the theory of punctuated equilibria, that it was demonstrated that evolution is not a gradual process. There are long periods in which no big changes are observed, but at a given moment, the line of evolution is broken by an explosion, a veritable biological revolution characterised by the mass extinction of some species and the rapid ascent of others.\n\n\n\nThe “evolutionary adaptations” that originally enabled slavery to replace barbarism, and feudalism to replace slavery in the end turned into their opposite. And now the very features that enabled capitalism to displace feudalism and emerge as the dominant socio-economic system have become the causes of its decay. Capitalism is displaying all the symptoms we associate with a socio-economic system in a state of terminal decline. In many ways it resembles the period of the decline of the Roman Empire as described in the writings of Edward Gibbon. In the period that is now unfolding before us, the capitalist system is heading for extinction.\n\nSocialism, utopian and scientific\n\n\nBut what are the laws that govern historical change? Just as the evolution of life has inherent laws that can be explained, and were explained, first by Darwin and in more recent times by the rapid advances in the study of genetics, so the evolution of human society has its own inherent laws that were explained by Marx and Engels. In The German Ideology, which was written before the Communist Manifesto, Marx wrote:\n\n\nIn Socialism, Utopian and Scientific, written much later, Engels provides us with a more developed expression of these ideas. Here we have a brilliant and concise exposition of the basic principles of historical materialism:\n\n\nAs opposed to the utopian socialist ideas of Robert Owen, Saint-Simon and Fourier, Marxism is based upon a scientific vision of socialism. Marxism explains that the key to the development of every society is the development of the productive forces: labour power, industry, agriculture, technique and science. Each new social system – slavery, feudalism and capitalism – has served to take human society forward through its development of the productive forces.Portrait of Robert OwenPortrait of Robert Owen\n\nThe basic premise of historical materialism is that the ultimate source of human development is the development of the productive forces. This is a most important conclusion because this alone can permit us to arrive at a scientific conception of history. Marxism maintains that the development of human society over millions of years represents progress, in the sense that it increases humankind’s power over nature and thus creates the material conditions for achieving genuine freedom for men and women. However, this has never taken place in a straight line, as the Victorians (who had a vulgar and undialectical view of evolution) wrongly imagined. History has a descending line as well as an ascending one.\n\nOnce one denies a materialist point of view, the only motor force of historical events that one is left with is the role of individuals – \"great men\" (or women). In other words, we are left with an idealist and subjectivist view of the historical process. This was the standpoint of the utopian socialists, who, despite their brilliant insights and penetrating criticism of the existing social order, failed to understand the fundamental laws of historical development. For them, socialism was just a \"good idea\", something that could therefore have been thought of a thousand years ago, or tomorrow morning. Had it been invented a thousand years ago, humankind would have been spared a lot of trouble!\n\nIt is impossible to understand history by basing oneself on the subjective interpretations of its protagonists. Let us cite one example. The early Christians, who expected the end of the world and the Second Coming of Christ at every hour, did not believe in private property. In their communities they practiced a kind of communism (although their communism was of the utopian kind, based on consumption, not production). Their early experiments in communism led nowhere, and could lead nowhere, because the development of the productive forces at that time did not permit the development of real communism.\n\nAt the time of the English Revolution, Oliver Cromwell fervently believed that he was fighting for the right of each individual to pray to God according to his conscience. But the further march of history proved that the Cromwellian Revolution was the decisive stage in the irresistible ascent of the English bourgeoisie to power. The concrete stage of development of the productive forces in 17th Century England permitted no other outcome.\n\nThe leaders of the Great French Revolution of 1789-93 fought under the banner of \"Liberty, Equality and Fraternity\". They believed they were fighting for a regime based on the eternal laws of Justice and Reason. However, regardless of their intentions and ideas, the Jacobins were preparing the way for the rule of the bourgeoisie in France. Again, from a scientific standpoint, no other result was possible at that point of social development.\n\nStages of historical development\n\n\nHuman society has passed through a series of stages that are clearly discernible. Each stage is based on a definite mode of production, which in turn expresses itself in a definite system of class relations. These further manifest themselves in a definite social outlook, psychology, morality, laws and religion.\n\nThe relationship between the economic base of society and the superstructure (ideology, morality, laws, art, religion, philosophy, etc.) is not simple and direct but highly complex and even contradictory. The invisible threads that connect the productive forces and class relations are reflected in the minds of men and women in a confused and distorted manner. And ideas that have their origin in the primeval past can linger on in the collective psyche for a very long time, persisting stubbornly long after the real basis from which they sprang has disappeared. Religion is a clear example of this. It is a dialectical interrelation. This was clearly explained by Marx himself:\n\n\nAnd again:\n\n\"But the philosophy of every epoch, since it is a definite sphere in the division of labour, has as its presupposition certain definite intellectual material handed down to it by its predecessors, from which it takes its start. That is why economically backward countries can still play first fiddle in philosophy.\" ( ibid., p. 483).Homo habilisA reconstruction of Homo habilis\n\nIdeology, tradition, morality, religion etc., all play a powerful role in shaping people’s beliefs. Marxism does not deny this self-evident fact. Contrary to what the idealists believe, human consciousness in general is very conservative. Most people do not like change, especially sudden, violent change. They will cling to the things they know and have got used to: the ideas, religions, institutions, morality, leaders and parties of the past. Routine, habit and customs all lie like a leaden weight on the shoulders of humanity. For all these reasons consciousness lags behind events.\n\nHowever, at certain periods great events force men and women to question their old beliefs and assumptions. They are jolted out of the old supine, apathetic indifference and forced to come to terms with reality. In such periods consciousness can change very rapidly. That is what a revolution is. And the line of social development, which can remain fairly constant and unbroken for long periods, has been interrupted by revolutions that are the necessary motor-force of human progress.\n\nEarly human society\n\nIf we look at the entire process of human history and prehistory, the first thing that strikes us is the extraordinary slowness with which our species developed. The gradual evolution of human or humanoid creatures away from the condition of animals and towards a genuinely human condition took place over millions of years. The first decisive leap was the separation of the first humanoids from their simian ancestors.\n\nThe evolutionary process is, of course, blind – that is to say, it does not involve an objective or specific goal. However, our hominid ancestors, first by standing upright, then by using their hands to manipulate tools and finally by producing them, found a niche in a particular environment that impelled them forward.\n\nTen million years ago apes constituted the dominant species on the planet. They existed in a great variety – tree dwellers, ground dwellers, and a host of intermediate forms. They flourished in the prevailing climatological conditions that created a perfect tropical environment. Then all this changed. About seven or eight million years ago most of these species died out. The reason for this is not known.\n\nFor a long time the investigation of human origins was bedevilled by the idealist prejudice that stubbornly maintained that, since the main difference between humans and apes is the brain, our earliest ancestors must have been apes with a large brain. The “big brain” theory utterly dominated early anthropology. They spent many decades searching – without success – for the “missing link”, which they were convinced would be a fossil skeleton with a large brain.\n\nSo convinced were they that the scientific community were completely taken in by one of the most extraordinary frauds in scientific history. On the 18th of December 1912 fragments of a fossil skull and jawbone were said to be that of the “missing link – Piltdown Man'. This was hailed as a great discovery. But in 1953 a team of English scientists exposed Piltdown Man as a deliberate fraud. Instead of being almost a million years old, the skull fragments were found to be 500 years old, and the jaw in fact belonged to an orang-utan.\n\nWhy was the scientific community so easily fooled? Because they were presented with something they expected to find: an early humanoid skull with a large brain. As a matter of fact, it was the upright stance (bipedalism), and not the size of the brain, which freed the hands for labour, that was the decisive turning point in human evolution.\n\nThis was already anticipated by Engels in his brilliant work on human origins, Labour in the Transition of Ape to Man. The celebrated American palaeontologist Stephen Jay Gould wrote that it was a pity that scientists had not paid attention to what Engels wrote, as this would have spared them a hundred years of error. The discovery of Lucy, the fossilised skeleton of a young female who belonged to a new species called Australopithecus Afarensis, showed that Engels was right. The body structure of early hominids is like our own (the pelvis, leg bones etc.) thus proving bipedalism. But the size of the brain is not much bigger than a chimpanzee.Friedrich EngelsFriedrich Engels\n\nOur distant ancestors were small in size and slow-moving in comparison with other animals. They did not have powerful claws and teeth. Moreover, the human baby, which is only born once a year, is completely helpless at birth.  Dolphins are born swimming, cattle and horses can walk within hours of being born and lions are able to run within 20 days of birth.\n\nCompare this to a human baby who will require months just to be able to merely sit without support. More advanced skills like running and jumping may take years to develop in a newborn human. As a species, therefore, we were at a considerable disadvantage in comparison to our numerous competitors on the savannah of East Africa. Manual labour, together with co-operative social organisation and language, which are connected with it, was the decisive element in human evolution. The production of stone tools gave our early ancestors a vital evolutionary advantage, triggering the development of the brain.\n\nThe first period, which Marx and Engels called savagery, was characterised by an extremely low development of the means of production, the production of stone tools, and a hunter-gatherer mode of existence. Due to this the line of development remains virtually flat for a very long period. The hunter-gathering mode of production originally represented the universal condition of humankind. Those surviving remnants that, until quite recently, could be observed in certain parts of the globe provide us with important clues and insights into a long-forgotten way of life.\n\nIt is not true, for example, that human beings are naturally selfish. If this were the case, our species would have been extinct over two million years ago. It was a powerful sense of cooperation that held these groups together in the face of adversity. They cared for the small babies and their mothers and respected the old members of the clan who preserved in their memory its collective knowledge and beliefs. Our early ancestors did not know what private property was, as Anthony Burnett points out:\n\n“The contrast between man and other species is equally clear if we compare the territorial behavior of animals with property-holding by people. Territories are maintained by formal signals, common to a whole species. Every adult or group of each species holds a territory. Man displays no such uniformity: even within a single community, vast areas may be owned by one person, while others have none. There is, even today, ownership in people. But in some countries private ownership is confined to personal property. In a few tribal groups even minor possessions are held in common. Man has, in fact, no more a ‘property-owning instinct’ than he has an ‘instinct to steal’. Granted, it is easy to rear children to be acquisitive; yet the form of the acquisitiveness, and the extent to which it is sanctioned by society, varies greatly from one country to the next, and from one historical period to another.” (Anthony Burnett, The Human Species, p. 142.)\n\nPerhaps the word “savagery” is unfortunate nowadays because of the negative connotations it has acquired. The 17th century English philosopher Thomas Hobbes famously described the lives of our early ancestors as one of “continual fear and danger of violent death, and the life of man solitary, poor, nasty , brutish, and short.” No doubt their life was a hard one, but these words hardly do justice to our ancestors’ way of life. The Kenyan anthropologist and archaeologist Richard Leakey writes:\n\n\"Hobbes's view that non-agricultural people have 'no society' and are 'solitary' could hardly be more wrong. To be a hunter-gatherer is to experience a life that is intensely social. As for having 'no arts' and 'no letters', it is true that foraging people possess very little in the form of material culture, but this is simply a consequence of the need for mobility. When the !Kung  move from camp to camp they, like other hunter-gatherers, take all their worldly goods with them: this usually amounts to a total of 12 kilograms (26 pounds) in weight, just over half the normal baggage allowance on most airlines. This is an inescapable conflict between mobility and material culture, and so the !Kung carry their culture in their heads, not on their backs. Their songs, dances and stories form a culture as rich as that of any people.\" (Richard Leakey, The Making of Mankind, pp. 101-3)\n\nHe continues, “Richard Lee [anthropologist and author of The !Kung San: Men, Women, and Work in a Foraging Society, 1979] considers that the women do not feel themselves exploited: ‘They have economic prestige and political power, a situation denied to many women in the 'civilized' world’.” (Ibid. p. 103)\n\nIn these societies classes in the modern sense were unknown. There was no state or organized religion and there was a deep sense of communal responsibility and sharing. Egotism and selfishness were regarded as deeply anti-social and morally offensive. The stress on equality demands that certain rituals are observed when a successful hunter returns to camp. The object of these rituals is to play down the event so as to discourage arrogance and conceit: “The correct demeanour for the successful hunter”, explains Richard Lee, “is modesty and understatement.”kung instrumentThe !Kung people\n\n\n\"The !Kung  have no chiefs and no leaders. Problems in their society are mostly solved long before they mature into anything that threatens social harmony. (…) People's conversations are common property, and disputes are readily defused through communal bantering. No one gives orders or takes them. Richard Lee once asked /Twi!gum whether the !Kung  have headmen. 'Of course we have headmen, he replied, much to Richard Lee's surprise. In fact, we are all headmen; each one of us is a headman over himself!' /Twi!gum considered the question and his witty answer to be a great joke.” (ibid. p.107)\n\nThe basic principle that guides every aspect of life is sharing. Among the !Kung  when an animal is killed, an elaborate process of sharing the raw meat begins along lines of kinship, alliances and obligations. Richard Lee emphasises the point strongly:\n\n“Sharing deeply pervades the behaviour and values of !Kung foragers, within the family and between families, and it is extended to the boundaries of the social universe. Just as the principle of profit and rationality is central to the capitalist ethic, so is sharing central to the conduct of social life in foraging societies.” (Ibid.)\n\nBoastfulness was frowned upon and modesty encouraged, as the following extract shows:\n\n“A !Kung  man describes it this way: 'Say that a man has been hunting. He must not come home and announce like a braggart, 'I have killed a big one in the bush!' He must first sit down in silence until someone else comes up to his fire and asks, 'What did you see today?' He replies quietly, 'Ah, I'm no good for hunting. I saw nothing at all... Maybe just a tiny one.' Then I smile to myself because I now know he has killed something big. 'the bigger the kill, the more it is played down. (…) The jesting and understatement is strictly followed, again not just by the !Kung  but by many foraging people, and the result is that although some men are undoubtedly more proficient hunters than others, no one accrues an unusual prestige or status because of his talents.\" (Leakey, pp. 106-7.)\n\nThis ethic is not confined to the !Kung; it is a feature of hunter-gatherers in general. Such behaviour, however, is not automatic; like most of human behaviour, it has to be taught from childhood. Every human infant is born with the capacity to share and the capacity to be selfish, Richard Lee says. “That which is nurtured and developed is that which each individual society regards as most valuable.” In that sense the ethical values of these early societies are vastly superior to those of capitalism, which teach people to be greedy, selfish and antisocial.\n\nOf course, it is impossible to say with certainty that this is an exact picture of early human society. But similar conditions tend to produce similar results, and the same tendencies can be observed in many different cultures on the same level of economic development. As Richard Lee says:\n\n“We mustn't imagine that this is the exact way in which our ancestors lived. But I believe that what we see in the !Kung  and other foraging people are patterns of behaviour that were crucial to early human development.' Of the several types of hominid that were living two to three million years ago, one of them – the line that eventually led to us – broadened its economic base by sharing food and including more meat in its diet. The development of a hunting and gathering economy was a potent force in what made us human.\" (Quoted in Leakey,  pp. 108-9.)\n\nIn comparing the values of hunter-gatherer societies with those of our own times, we do not always get the better of it. For example, just compare the contemporary family, with its ghastly record of wife and child abuse, orphans and prostitutes, with the communal child-rearing practiced by humanity during most of its history; that is, before the advent of that strange social arrangement that men are fond of calling civilization:\n\n\"'You white people,' an American Indian said to a missionary, 'love your own children only. We love the children of the clan. They belong to all the people, and we care for them. They are bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh. We are all father and mother to them. White people are savages; they do not love their children. If children are orphaned, people have to be paid to look after them. We know nothing of such barbarous ideas.'\" (M. F. Ashley Montagu, ed., Marriage: Past and Present: A Debate Between Robert Briffault and Bronislaw Malinowski, Boston: Porter Sargent Publisher, 1956, p. 48.)\n\nHowever, we must not have an idealised view of the past. Life for our early ancestors remained a hard struggle, a constant battle against the forces of nature for survival. The pace of progress was extremely slow. Early humans began making stone tools at least 2.6 million years ago. The oldest stone tools, known as the Oldowan continued for about a million years until about 1.76 million years ago, when early humans began to strike really large flakes and then continue to shape them by striking smaller flakes from around the edges, resulting in a new kind of tool: the hand axe. These and other kinds of large cutting tools characterize the Acheulean culture. These basic tools, including a variety of new forms of stone core, continued to be made for an immense period of time – ending in different places by around 400,000 to 250,000 years ago.\n\nThe Neolithic Revolution\n\n\nFor most of human history, this process has been painfully slow, as The Economist remarked on the eve of the new millennium:\n\n\nHuman progress begins to accelerate as a result of the first and most important of these great revolutions which was the transition from the primitive hunter-gatherer mode of production to agriculture. This laid the basis for a settled existence and the rise of the first towns. This was the period Marxists refer to as barbarism, that is, the stage between primitive communism and early class society, when classes begin to form and with them the state.\n\nThe prolonged period of primitive communism, humankind's earliest phase of development, where classes, private property, and the state did not exist, gave way to class society as soon as people were able to produce a surplus above the needs of everyday survival. At this point, the division of society into classes became an economic feasibility. Barbarism arises out of the decay of the old commune. Here for the first time society is divided by property relations, and classes and the state are in the process of formation, although these things only emerge gradually, passing from an embryonic stage and eventually consolidating as class society. This period begins approximately 10,000 or 12,000 years ago.\n\nOn the broad scales of history, the emergence of class society was a revolutionary phenomenon, in that it freed a privileged section of the population – a ruling class – from the direct burden of labour, permitting it the necessary time to develop art, science and culture. Class society, despite its ruthless exploitation and inequality, was the road that humankind needed to travel if it was to build up the necessary material prerequisites for a future classless society.\n\nHere is the embryo out of which grew the towns and cities (such as Jericho, which dates from about 7,000 BC), writing, industry and everything else that laid the basis for which we call civilization. The period of barbarism represents a very large slice of human history, and is divided into several more or less distinct periods. In general, it is characterised by the transition from the hunter-gathering mode of production to pastoralism and agriculture, that is, from Palaeolithic savagery, passing through Neolithic barbarism to the higher barbarism of the Bronze Age, which stands at the threshold of civilization.\n\nThis decisive turning point, which Gordon Childe called the Neolithic revolution, represented a great leap forward in the development of human productive capacity, and therefore of culture. This is what Childe has to say: \"Our debt to preliterate barbarism is heavy. Every single cultivated food plant of any importance has been discovered by some nameless barbarian society.\" (G. Childe, What Happened in History, p. 64)\n\nFarming began in the Middle East around 10,000 years ago, and represents a revolution in human society and culture. The new conditions of production gave men and women more time – time for complex analytical thought. This is reflected in the new art consisting of geometrical patterns – the first example of abstract art in history. The new conditions produced a new outlook on life, social relations and the relations that bind men and women to the natural world and the universe, whose secrets were probed in a way previously undreamt of. The understanding of nature is made necessary by the demands of agriculture, and advances slowly to the degree that men and women actually learn to conquer and subdue the hostile forces of nature in practice – through collective labour on a grand scale.Vere Gordon ChildeV. Gordon Childe\n\nThe cultural and religious revolution reflects the great social revolution – the greatest in all human history till now – that brought about the dissolution of the primitive commune and established private property of the means of production. And the means of production are the means of life itself.\n\nIn agriculture, the introduction of iron tools marks a big advance. It permits a growth in population and bigger and stronger communities. Above all, it creates a bigger surplus that can be appropriated by the leading families in the community. In particular, the introduction of iron marked a qualitative change in the process of production, since iron is far more effective than copper or bronze, both for the making of tools and weapons. It was far more available than the old metals. Here for the first time weapons and warfare become democratic. The most important weapon of the times was the iron sword, which first puts in an appearance in England about 5000 BC. Every man can have an iron sword. Warfare thus loses its aristocratic chiefly character and becomes a mass affair.\n\nThe employment of iron axes and sickles transformed agriculture. The transformation is shown by the fact that one acre of cultivated land can now maintain twice as many people as before. However, there is still no money, and this remained a barter economy. The surplus produced was not reinvested, as there was no way this could be done. Part of the surplus was appropriated by the chief and his family. Part of it was used up in feasting, which occupied a central role in this society.\n\nIn a single feast as many as 2-300 people could be fed. In the remains of one such feast the bones of 12 cows and a large number of sheep, pigs and dogs were discovered. These gatherings were not only the occasion for excesses of food and drink – they played an important social and religious role. In such ceremonies people gave thanks to the gods for the surplus of food. They permitted the mingling of the clans and the settling of communal affairs. Such lavish feasts also provided the chiefs the means by which to display their wealth and power and thus boost the prestige of the tribe or clan concerned.\n\nOut of such meeting places gradually there arose the basis of permanent settlements, markets and small towns. The importance of private property and wealth increases along with the increased productivity of labour and the growing surplus that presents a tempting target for raids. Since the Iron Age was a period of continuous wars, feuds and raids, the settlements were often fortified with huge earthworks, such as Maiden castle in Dorset and Danebury in Hampshire.\n\nThe result of warfare was a large number of prisoners of war, many of whom were sold as slaves, and these – in the latter period – were traded as merchandise with the Romans. The geographer Strabo comments that “These people will give you a slave for an amphora of wine.” Exchange thus began on the periphery of these societies. Through exchange with a more advanced culture (Rome), money was gradually introduced, the earliest coins being based on Roman models.\n\nThe dominion of private property means for the first time the concentration of wealth and power into the hands of a minority. It brings about a dramatic change in the relations between men and women and their offspring. The question of inheritance now begins to assume a burning importance. As a result we see the rise of spectacular tombs. In Britain, such tombs begin to appear about 3,000 BC. They signify a statement of power of the ruling class or caste. They also provide an assertion of proprietary rights over a definite territory. The same thing can be seen in other early cultures, for example, the plains Indians of North America, for which detailed accounts exist in the 18 th centuries.\n\nHere we have the first great instance of alienation. Man’s essence is alienated from him in a double or triple sense. First, private property signifies the alienation of his product, which is appropriated by another. Second, his control over his life and destiny is appropriated by the state in the person of the king or pharaoh. Last, but not least, this alienation is carried over from this life to the next – the inner being (“soul”) of all men and women is appropriated by the deities of the next world, whose good will must be continually obtained through prayers and sacrifices. And just as the services to the monarch form the basis of the wealth of the upper class of mandarins and nobles, so the sacrifices to the gods form the basis of the wealth and power of the priest caste that stands between the people and the gods and goddesses. Here we have the genesis of organised religion.\n\nWith the growth in production and the productivity gains made possible by the new economies of labour, there were new changes in religious beliefs and customs. Here too, social being determines consciousness. In place of ancestor worship and stone tombs for individuals and their families, we now see a far more ambitious expression of belief. The building of stone circles of staggering proportions attest to an impressive growth in population and production, made possible by the organised use of collective labour on a grand scale. The roots of civilization are therefore to be found precisely in barbarism, and still more so, in slavery. The development of barbarism ends up in slavery or else in what Marx called the “Asiatic mode of production.\n\nAsiatic mode of production\n\n\nThe main features of the Asiatic mode of production are:\n\n1) An urban society with an agrarian base.\n2) A primarily agricultural economy.\n5) A large bureaucracy.\n6) A system of exploitation based on taxation.\n7) Common (state) ownership of the land.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDecline of slave society\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhy the barbarians triumphed\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe rise of the feudal system following the collapse of Rome was accompanied by a long period of cultural stagnation in all of Europe north of the Pyrenees. With the exception of two inventions: the water wheel and windmills, there were no real inventions for about over a thousand years. One thousand years after the fall of Rome the only decent roads in Europe were Roman roads. In other words, there was a complete eclipse of culture. This was a result of the collapse of the productive forces, upon which culture ultimately depends. That is what we mean by a descending line in history. And let nobody imagine that such a thing cannot recur.\n\nThe barbarian invasions, wars and plagues meant that progress was punctuated with periods of retrogression. But eventually the chaotic conditions that coincided with the fall of Rome were replaced by a new equilibrium: feudalism. The decline of the Roman Empire caused a sharp falling off of urban life throughout most of Europe. The barbarian invaders were gradually absorbed and by the tenth century Europe entered slowly into a new period of ascent.\n\nOf course, this statement is relative in character. Culture did not regain comparable levels to those of antiquity until the beginning of the renaissance in the late 14th and 15th centuries. Learning and science were strictly subordinated to the authority of the Church. Men’s energies were absorbed either in constant warfare or monastic dreams, but gradually the downward spiral came to an end and was replaced by a long upward slope.\n\nThe closing of avenues of communication led to a collapse of trade. The money economy was undermined and increasingly replaced by barter. In place of the integrated international economy of the slave system under the Empire, we had the proliferation of small isolated agricultural communities.\n\nThe basis of feudalism was already laid in Roman society, when the slaves were freed and turned into colons, tied to the land, who later became serfs. This process, which occurred at different times, assuming different forms in different countries, was accelerated by the barbarian conquests. The Germanic warlords became the lords of the conquered lands and their inhabitants, offering military protection and a degree of security in exchange for expropriation of the labour of the serfs.\n\nIn the early period of feudalism the atomization of the nobility allowed relatively strong monarchies but later the royal power found itself confronted with strong estates capable of challenging it and overthrowing it. The barons had their own feudal armies which they frequently led into the field against each other and also against the king.\n\nThe feudal system in Europe was mainly a decentralized system. The power of the monarchy was limited by the aristocracy. The central power was usually weak. The centre of gravity of the feudal lord, his power base, was his manor and estate. The state power was weak and the bureaucracy non-existent. This weakness of the centre was what later permitted the independence of the towns (royal charters) and the emergence of the bourgeoisie as a separate class.\n\nThe romantic idealisation of the Middle Ages is based on a myth. This was a bloody and convulsive period, characterised by great cruelty and barbarism and what Marx and Engels called a brutal display of energy. The Crusades were characterised by unusual viciousness and inhumanity. The German invasions of Italy were exercises in futility.\n\nThe last period of the Middle Ages was a troubled time, characterised by continuous convulsions, wars and civil wars – just like our own times. To all intents and purposes the old order was already dead. Although it still remained defiantly on its feet, its existence was no longer regarded as something normal – something that had to be accepted as inevitable.\n\nFor a hundred years England and France were engaged in a bloody war that reduced large parts of France to ruin. The battle of Agincourt was the last and bloodiest battle of the Middle Ages. Here, in essence, two rival systems were pitted against each other on the battlefield: the old feudal military order, based on the nobility and the idea of chivalry and service, clashed with a new mercenary army based on wage labour.crusaders\n\nThe French nobility was decimated, defeated shamefully by an army of mercenary commoners. In the first 90 minutes 8,000 of the flower of the French aristocracy was butchered and 1,200 taken prisoner. At the end of the day not only the whole of the French nobility lay dead and bleeding on the battlefield, but the feudal order itself.\n\nThis had important social and political consequences. From this moment, the French nobility’s grip on power began to weaken. When the English were driven from France it was by an uprising of the people led by a peasant girl, Joan of Arc. Amidst the wreckage of their lives, the chaos and bloodshed, the French people became conscious of their national identity and acted accordingly. The bourgeois began to demand their rights and charters and a new central monarchical power, leaning on the bourgeoisie and the people, began to seize the reins of power, forging a national state out of which modern France finally emerged.joan of arcJoan of Arc\n\nThe Black Death\n\nWhen a given socio-economic system enters into crisis and decline, this is reflected not only in stagnation of the productive forces, but at every level. The decline of feudalism was an epoch when intellectual life was dead or dying. The dead hand of the Church paralysed all cultural and scientific initiatives.\n\nThe feudal structure was based on a pyramid in which God and the King stood at the top of a complex hierarchy, each segment of which was linked to the others by so-called duties. In theory, the feudal lords “protected” the peasants, who in return put food on their table and clothes on their backs, fed and enabled them to live a life of luxury and idleness; the priests prayed for their soul, the knights defended them and so on.\n\nThis system lasted a very long time. In Europe it lasted approximately one thousand years: from about the middle of the fifth to the middle of the fifteenth centuries. But by the 13th century feudalism in England and other countries was already reaching its limits. The growth in population put the whole system under colossal strain. Marginal lands had to be brought under cultivation, and much of the population merely eked out a bare living at the level of subsistence on small plots of land.\n\nIt was an “edge-of-chaos” situation, where the whole unsound edifice could be brought crashing down by a sufficiently powerful external shock. And what shock could be more powerful than this? The ravages of the Black Death, which killed off between one third and half the population of Europe, served to throw into sharp relief the injustice and misery, ignorance and intellectual and spiritual darkness of the fourteenth century.\n\nIt is now generally accepted that the Black Death played an important role in undermining feudalism. This was particularly clear in the case of England. Having already killed half the population of Europe, the plague spread to England in the summer of 1348. As the plague spread inland to the villages of rural England, the population was decimated. Whole families, sometimes, whole villages, were wiped out. As on the European mainland, about half the population perished. However, those who managed to survive frequently found themselves in possession of quite large amounts of land. A new class of rich peasants was being created.\n\nThe colossal loss of life led to an extreme shortage of labour. There were simply not enough labourers to gather in the harvest or artisans to perform all the other necessary functions. This laid the basis for a profound social transformation. Feeling their strength, the peasants demanded, and got, higher wages and lower rents. If the lord refused to meet their demands, they could always leave and go to another master who was willing to do so. Some villages were abandoned altogether.\n\nThe old bonds were first loosened and then broken. As the peasants threw off the yoke of feudal obligations, many flocked to the towns to seek their fortune. This, in turn, led to a further development of the towns and therefore furthered the rise of the bourgeoisie. In 1349 King Edward III passed what was possibly the first wages policy in history: the Statute of Labourers. This decreed that wages must be held at the old levels. But the law was a dead letter from the start. The laws of supply and demand were already stronger than any royal decree.\n\nEverywhere there was a new spirit of rebelliousness. The old authority was already undermined and discredited. The whole rotten edifice was tottering for a fall. One good push, it seemed, would finish it. In France there were a whole series of peasant uprisings known as jacqueries. Even more serious was the Peasants Rising in England (1381), when the rebels occupied London and for a time had the king in their power. But ultimately these risings could not succeed.\n\nThese uprisings were just premature anticipations of the bourgeois revolution at a time when the conditions for this had not completely matured. They expressed the dead end of feudalism and the deep discontent of the masses. But they could not show a way out. As a result the feudal system, although substantially modified, survived for a period, manifesting all the symptoms of a diseased and declining social order. The last period of the Middle Ages was a troubled time, characterised by continuous convulsions, wars and civil wars – just like our own times.\n\nThe feeling that the end of the world is nigh is common to every historical period when a particular socio-economic system had entered into irreversible decline. This was the period when large numbers of men took to the roads, barefoot and dressed in penitential rags, flogging themselves till they bled. The flagellant sects awaited the end of the world, which they anxiously expected from one hour to the next.\n\nIn the end, what occurred was not the end of the world but only the end of feudalism, and what arrived was not the new Millennium but only the capitalist system. But they could not be expected to understand this. One thing was clear to all. The old world was in a state of rapid and irremediable decay. Men and women were torn by contradictory tendencies. Their beliefs were shattered and they were cut adrift in a cold, inhuman, hostile and incomprehensible world.\n\nThe rise of the bourgeoisie\n\nWhen all the old certainties were overthrown. It was as if the lynchpin of the world had been removed. The result was terrifying turbulence and uncertainty. By the middle of the 15th century, the old system of beliefs began to unravel. People no longer looked to the Church to provide salvation, comfort and solace. Instead religious dissention arose in many different forms, and served as a guise for social and political opposition.\n\nPeasants were defying the old laws and restrictions, demanding freedom of movement and asserting it by migrating to the towns without a license. Contemporary chronicles express the irritation of the lords at the unwillingness of the labourers to take orders. There were even some strikes.\n\nAmidst all this darkness new forces were stirring, announcing the birth of a new power and a new civilization that was gradually growing up inside the womb of the old society. The rise of trade and the towns brought with it a new aspiring class, the bourgeoisie, which began to jostle for position and power with the feudal ruling classes, the nobility and the Church. The birth of a new society was announced in art and literature, where new trends began to emerge in the course of the next hundred years.\n\nTo all intents and purposes the old order was already dead. Although it still remained defiantly on its feet, its existence was no longer regarded as something normal – something that had to be accepted as inevitable. The general perception (or rather feeling) that the end of the world was approaching was not entirely wrong. Only it was not the end of the world but the end of the feudal system.\n\nThe rise of the towns, those islands of capitalism in a sea of feudalism, was gradually undermining the old order. The new money economy, appearing at the margins of society, was gnawing at the foundations of feudal economy. The old feudal restrictions were now unbearable impositions, intolerable barriers to progress. They had to be shattered, and they were shattered. But the victory of the bourgeoisie did not come all at once. A long period was required for it to gain a final victory over the old order. Only gradually did a new spark of life reappear in the towns.\n\nThe slow recovery of trade led to the rise of the bourgeoisie and a revival of the towns, notably in Flanders, Holland and northern Italy. New ideas began to appear. After the fall of Constantinople to the Turks (1453) there was a new interest in the ideas and art of classical antiquity. New forms of art appeared in Italy and the Netherlands. Boccaccio’s Decameron may be considered as the first modern novel. In England the writings of Chaucer are full of life and colour, reflecting a new spirit in art. The Renaissance was taking its first hesitant steps. Gradually, out of chaos a new order was arising.\n\nThe Reformation\n\nBy the 14th century capitalism was well established in Europe. The Netherlands became the factory of Europe, and trade flourished along the river Rhine. The cities of Northern Italy were a powerful locomotive of economic growth and commerce, opening up trade with Byzantium and the East. From about the 5th to the 12th centuries, Europe consisted of largely isolated economies. No longer! The discovery of America, the rounding of the Cape and the general expansion of trade gave a fresh impetus not only to the creation of wealth but to the development of men’s minds.\n\nUnder such conditions, the old intellectual stagnation was no longer possible. The ground was cut from under the feet of the conservatives and reactionaries, as Marx and Engels explained in The Communist Manifesto:\n\n\nIt is no coincidence that the rise of the bourgeoisie in Italy, Holland, England and later in France was accompanied by an extraordinary flourishing of culture, art and science. Revolution, as Trotsky once said, has always been the driving force of history. In countries where the bourgeois revolution triumphed in the 17th and 18th centuries, the development of the productive forces and technology was complemented by a parallel development of science and philosophy, which undermined the ideological dominion of the Church forever.\n\nIn the epoch of the rise of the bourgeoisie, when capitalism still represented a progressive force in history, the first ideologists of that class had to fight a hard battle against the ideological bastions of feudalism, starting with the Catholic Church. Long before destroying the power of feudal landlords, the bourgeoisie had to break down the philosophical and religious defences mounted to protect the feudal system around the Church and its militant arm, the Inquisition. This revolution was anticipated by the revolt of Martin Luther against the authority of the Church.\n\nDuring the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries Germany saw a move from an entirely agrarian economy and the rise of new social classes that clashed with the traditional feudal hierarchy. Luther’s attacks on the Roman Catholic Church acted as the spark that ignited revolution. The burghers and lesser nobility sought to break the power of the clergy, escape the clutches of Rome, and, last but not least, enrich themselves through the confiscation of church property.\n\nBut in the depths of feudal society, other more elemental forces were stirring. When Luther’s appeals against the clergy and ideas about Christian freedom reached the ears of the German peasants, they acted as a powerful stimulus to the repressed rage of the masses who had long suffered in silence the oppression of the feudal lords. Now they rose up to extract a terrible vengeance upon all their oppressors.\n\nBeginning in 1524, the Peasants' War spread across the Germanic regions of the Holy Roman Empire during 1525 until its suppression in 1526. What happened after this has been repeated frequently in subsequent history. When confronted with the consequences of his revolutionary ideas, Luther had to choose a side, and he joined with the burghers, nobility, and princes in crushing the peasants.\n\nThe peasants found a better leader in the person of Thomas Müntzer. While Luther preached peaceful resistance, Thomas Müntzer attacked the priesthood in violent sermons, calling for the people to rise up in arms. Like Luther he cited biblical references to justify his actions: “Does not Christ say, ‘I came not to send peace, but a sword’?”\n\nThe most radical wing of the movement were the Anabaptists, who were already beginning to question private property, taking as their model the primitive communism of the early Christians described in The Acts of the Apostles. Müntzer maintained that the Bible was not infallible, that the Holy Spirit had ways of communicating directly through the gift of reason.\n\nLuther was horrified and wrote the notorious pamphlet Against the Murderous, Thieving Hoards of Peasants. The revolt was crushed with unspeakable barbarity, which set Germany back for centuries. But the tide of bourgeois revolt that was reflected in the rise of Protestantism was now unstoppable.\n\nThose lands where the reactionary feudal forces quelled the embryo of the new society before birth, were sentenced to the nightmare of a long and inglorious period of degeneration, decline and decay. The example of Spain is the most graphic in this regard.\n\nThe bourgeois Revolution\n\nThe first bourgeois revolution took the form of a national revolt of the Netherlands against the oppressive rule of Catholic Spain. In order to succeed, the wealthy Dutch burgers leaned on the men of no property: those courageous desperados drawn mainly from the poorest layers of society. The shock troops of the Dutch Revolution were known contemptuously by their enemies as the Sea Beggars.\n\nThis description was not altogether inaccurate. They were poor artisans, labourers, fishermen, homeless and dispossessed people – all those regarded as the dregs of society, but fired up with Calvinist fanaticism, they inflicted one defeat after another on the forces of mighty Spain. It was this that laid the basis for the rise of the Dutch Republic and a modern prosperous bourgeois Holland.france 63022 960 720\n\nThe next episode in the bourgeois revolution was even more significant and far-reaching in its implications. The English revolution of the seventeenth century assumed the form of civil war. It expressed itself as dual power, the royal power, resting upon the privileged classes or the upper circles of these classes – the aristocrats and bishops, based in Oxford  – was confronted by the bourgeoisie and the small landowners and plebeian masses, based around London.\n\nThe English Revolution only succeeded when Oliver Cromwell, basing himself on the most radical elements, that is, the armed plebeians, swept the bourgeoisie to one side and waged a revolutionary war against the Royalists. As a result, the king was captured and executed. The conflict ended with a purging of the Parliament and the dictatorship of Cromwell.\n\nThe lower ranks of the army, under the leadership of the Levellers – the extreme left wing of the revolution – tried to carry the Revolution further, questioning private property, but were crushed by Cromwell. The reason for this defeat must be found in the objective conditions of the period. Industry had not yet developed to the point where it could provide the basis for socialism.\n\nThe proletariat itself remained at an embryonic stage of development. The Levellers themselves represented the lower levels of the petty bourgeoisie, and therefore, despite all their heroism, were unable to have their own, individual historic path. After Cromwell’s death the bourgeoisie reached a compromise with Charles II that enabled it to hold real power while maintaining the Monarchy as a bulwark against any future revolutions against private property.\n\nThe American Revolution, which took the form of a war of national independence only succeeded to the degree that it involved the mass of poor farmers who waged a successful guerrilla war against the armies of King George of England.\n\nThe French Revolution of 1789-93 was on a far higher level than the English Revolution. This was one of the greatest events in human history. Even today it is an endless source of inspiration. And whereas Cromwell fought under the banner of religion, the French bourgeoisie raised the banner of Reason. Even before it brought down the formidable walls of the Bastille, it had brought down the invisible, but no less formidable, walls of the Church and religion.\n\nAt every stage the motor force that drove the French Revolution forward, sweeping aside all obstacles, was the active participation of the masses. And when this active participation of the masses ebbed, the Revolution came to a full stop and went into reverse. That was what led directly to reaction, firstly of the Thermidorian and later of the Bonapartist variety.\n\nThe enemies of the French Revolution always try to blacken its image with the accusation of violence and bloodshed. As a matter of fact the violence of the masses is inevitably a reaction against the violence of the old ruling class. The origins of the Terror must be sought in the reaction of the revolution to the threat of violent overthrow from both internal and external enemies. The revolutionary dictatorship was the result of revolutionary war and was only an expression of the latter.\n\nUnder the rule of Robespierre and the Jacobins, the semi-proletarian Sans-culottes carried the Revolution to a successful conclusion. In fact, the masses pushed the leaders to go far further than they had intended. Objectively, the Revolution was bourgeois-democratic in character, since the development of the productive forces and the proletariat had not yet reached a point where the question of socialism could be posed.\n\nAt a certain point, the process, having reached its limits, had to go into reverse. Robespierre and his faction struck down the Left wing and were then cut down themselves. The Thermidorian reactionaries in France hunted and oppressed the Jacobins, while the masses, worn out by years of exertion and sacrifice, had begun to fall into passivity and indifference. The pendulum now swung sharply to the right. But it did not restore the Ancien Regime. The fundamental socio-economic gains of the Revolution remained. The power of the landed aristocracy was broken.\n\nThe rotten and corrupt Directory was followed by the equally rotten and corrupt personal dictatorship of Bonaparte. The French bourgeoisie was terrified of the Jacobins and the Sans-culottes with their egalitarian and levelling tendencies. But it was even more terrified by the threat of royalist counterrevolution, which would drive it from power and put the clock back to pre-1789. The wars continued and there were still internal revolts by reactionaries. The only way out was to reintroduce dictatorship, but in the form of military rule. The bourgeoisie was looking for a Saviour and found one in the person of Napoleon Bonaparte.\n\nWith the defeat of Napoleon in the Battle of Waterloo, the last flickering embers of the fires lit by revolutionary France were extinguished. A long, grey period settled down on Europe like a thick coat of suffocating dust. The forces of triumphant reaction seemed firmly in the saddle. But that was only in appearance. Beneath the surface, the Mole of Revolution was busy digging the foundations for a new revolution.\n\nThe victory of capitalism in Europe laid the basis for a colossal upswing of industry, and with it, the strengthening of that class that is destined to overthrow capitalism and usher in a new and higher stage of social development – socialism. Marx and Engels wrote in The Communist Manifesto:\n\n\nThese words describe the reactionary system that was established by the Congress of Vienna following the defeat of Napoleon in 1815. It was intended to eliminate the risk of revolution forever, to exorcise the spectre of the French Revolution forever. The brutal dictatorship of the “powers of old Europe” seemed as if it would last forever. But sooner or later things would turn into their opposite. Beneath the surface of reaction, new forces were gradually maturing and a new revolutionary class – the proletariat – was stretching its limbs.\n\nThe counter-revolution was overthrown by a new revolutionary wave that swept over Europe in 1848. These revolutions were fought under the banner of democracy – the same banner that was raised over the barricades of Paris in 1789. But everywhere the leading force in the revolution was not the cowardly, reactionary bourgeoisie but the lineal descendants of the French Sans-culottes – the working class, which inscribed on its banner a new kind of revolutionary ideal, the ideal of Communism.\n\nThe revolutions of 1848-9 were defeated through the cowardice and treachery of the bourgeoisie and its Liberal representatives. Reaction ruled once more until 1871, when the heroic proletariat of France stormed heaven in the Paris Commune, the first time in history that the working class overthrew the old bourgeois state and began to create a new kind of state – a workers’ state. That glorious episode only lasted a few months and was finally drowned in blood. But it left a lasting heritage and laid the basis for the Russian Revolution of 1917.\n\nThe Russian Revolution\n\nFor Marxists, the Bolshevik Revolution was the greatest single event in human history. Under the leadership of the Bolshevik Party of Lenin and Trotsky, the working class succeeded in overthrowing its oppressors and at least begin the task of the socialist transformation of society.\n\nHowever, the Revolution took place, not in an advanced capitalist country as Marx had expected, but on the basis of the most frightful backwardness. To give an approximate idea of the conditions that confronted the Bolsheviks, in just one year, 1920, six million people starved to death in Soviet Russia.\n\nMarx and Engels explained long ago that socialism – a classless society – requires the right material conditions in order to exist. The starting point of socialism must be a higher point of development of the productive forces than the most advanced capitalist society (the USA for instance). Only on the basis of a highly developed industry, agriculture, science and technology, is it possible to guarantee the conditions for the free development of human beings, starting with a drastic reduction in the working day. The prior condition for this is the participation of the working class in the democratic control and administration of society.Lenin addressing crowd 1918\n\nEngels long ago explained that in any society in which art, science and government is the monopoly of a minority, that minority will use and abuse its position in its own interests. Lenin was quick to see the danger of the bureaucratic degeneration of the Revolution in conditions of general backwardness. In State and Revolution, written in 1917, he worked out a programme on the basis of the experience of the Paris Commune. Here he explains the basic conditions – not for socialism or communism – but for the first period after the Revolution, the transitional period between capitalism and socialism. These were:\n\n1) Free and democratic elections and the right of recall for all officials.\n2) No official to receive a wage higher than a skilled worker.\n3) No standing army but the armed people.\n4) Gradually, all the tasks of running the state to be carried out in turn by the workers: when everybody is a \"bureaucrat\" in turn, nobody is a bureaucrat.\n\nThis is a finished programme for workers' democracy. It is directly aimed against the danger of bureaucracy. This in turn formed the basis of the 1919 Bolshevik Party Programme. In other words, contrary to the calumnies of the enemies of socialism, Soviet Russia in the time of Lenin and Trotsky was the most democratic regime in history.\n\n\nIt is not feasible for society to jump straight from capitalism to a classless society. The material and cultural inheritance of capitalist society is far too inadequate for that. There is too much scarcity and inequality that cannot be immediately overcome. After the socialist revolution, there must be a transitional period that will prepare the necessary ground for superabundance and a classless society.Meeting in Putilov 1917\n\nMarx called this first stage of the new society \"the lowest stage of communism\" as opposed to \"the highest stage of communism\", where the last residue of material inequality would disappear. In that sense, socialism and communism have been contrasted to the \"lower\" and \"higher\" stages of the new society.\n\nIn describing the lower stage of communism Marx writes: \"What we are dealing with here is a communist society, not as it has developed on its own foundations, but, on the contrary, just as it emerges from capitalist society; which is thus in every respect, economically, morally and intellectually, still stamped with the birth marks of the old society from whose womb it emerges.\" (Marx and Engels, Selected Works, Critique of the Gotha Programme, by Marx, Vol. 3, p. 17. From here on referred to as MESW.)\n\n\"Between capitalist and communist society,\" states Marx, \"lies the period of the revolutionary transformation of the one into the other. Corresponding to this is also a political transition period in which the state can be nothing but the revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat.\"\n\nAs all the greatest Marxist theoreticians explained, the task of the socialist revolution is to bring the working class to power by smashing the old capitalist state machine. The latter was the repressive organ designed to keep the working class in subjection. Marx explained that this capitalist state, together with its state bureaucracy, cannot serve the interests of the new power. It has to be done away with. However, the new state created by the working class would be different from all previous states in history. Engels described it as a semi-state, a state designed in such a way that it was destined to disappear.third international\n\nHowever, for Marx – and this is a crucial point – this lower stage of communism from its very beginning would be on a higher level in terms of its economic development than the most developed and advanced capitalism. And why was this so important? Because without a massive development of the productive forces, scarcity would prevail and with it the struggle for existence.\n\nAs Marx explained, such a state of affairs would pose the danger of degeneration: \"This development of the productive forces is an absolutely necessary practical premise [of communism], because without it want is generalised, and with want the struggle for necessities begins again, and that means that all the old crap must revive.\" (MESW, The German Ideology, Vol. 1, p. 37, my emphasis)moscowtrialsandpurges3\n\nThese prophetic words of Marx explain why the Russian Revolution, so full of promise, ended in bureaucratic degeneration and the monstrous totalitarian caricature of Stalinism, which in turn prepared the way for capitalist restoration and a further regression. “All the old crap” revived because the Russian Revolution was isolated in conditions of frightful material and cultural backwardness. But today with the tremendous advance in science and technique, the conditions have been prepared whereby this would no longer be the case.\n\nUnprecedented advance\n\n\nWe have emerged from savagery, barbarism, slavery and feudalism, and each of these stages represented a definite stage in the development of the productive forces and culture. Hegel expressed this idea in a beautiful passage in the Phenomenology of Mind:\n\n\nEvery stage in the development of society is rooted in necessity and emerges out of the preceding stages. History can only be understood if these stages are taken in their unity. Each had its raison d'être in the development of the productive forces, and each entered into contradiction with their further development at a certain stage, when a revolution was necessary to cast off the old forms and allow new forms to emerge.\n\nAs we have seen, the victory of the bourgeoisie was achieved by revolutionary means, although nowadays the defenders of capitalism do not like to be reminded of the fact. And as Marx explained, the bourgeoisie, historically, has played a most revolutionary role:\n\n\nUnder capitalism the productive forces have experienced spectacular development, unprecedented in the history of mankind: despite the fact that capitalism is the most exploitative and oppressive system that has ever existed; despite the fact that, in Marx's words, \"Capital came onto the stage of history dripping blood from every pore,\" it nevertheless represented a colossal leap forward in the development of the productive forces – and therefore of our power over nature.\n\nDuring the last two centuries the development of technology and science has proceeded at a far faster rate than in all previous history. The curve of human development, which was virtually flat for most of our history, suddenly experienced a steep ascent. The dizzying progress of technology is the precondition for the final emancipation of humankind, the abolition of poverty and illiteracy, ignorance, disease and the domination of nature by man through conscious planning of the economy. The road is open to conquest, not only on Earth, but in space.\n\nCapitalism in decline\n\nIt is the illusion of every epoch that it will last forever. Every social system believes that it represents the only possible form of existence for human beings; that its institutions, its religion, its morality are the last word that can be spoken. That is what the cannibals, the Egyptian priests, Marie Antoinette and Tsar Nicholas all fervently believed. And that is what the bourgeoisie and its apologists today wish to demonstrate when they assure us, without the slightest basis, that the so-called system of “free enterprise” is the only possible system – just when it is beginning to show all the signs of senile decay.\n\nThe capitalist system today resembles the Sorcerer’s Apprentice who conjured up powerful forces which he could not control. The fundamental contradiction of capitalist society is the antagonism between the social nature of production and the private form of appropriation. From this central contradiction many others arise. This contradiction is expressed by periodic crises, as Marx explains:\n\n\nThis is an exact description of the present situation. It is a terrible paradox that the more humanity develops its productive capacity, the more spectacular the advances of science and technology, the greater the suffering, starvation, oppression and misery of the majority of the world's population. The sickness of capitalism on a world scale manifested itself in the collapse of 2008. This was the beginning of the biggest crisis in the entire 200 year existence of capitalism, and it is far from being resolved. This is an expression of the impasse of capitalism, which in the last analysis is a result of the revolt of the productive forces against the straitjacket of private property and the nation state.\n\nSocialism or barbarism\n\nFor thousands of years culture has been the monopoly of a privileged minority, while the great majority of humanity was excluded from knowledge, science, art and government. Even now, this remains the case. Despite all our pretensions, we are not really civilized. The world we live in now certainly does not merit the name. It is a barbaric world, inhabited by people who have yet to overcome a barbarous past. Life remains a harsh and unrelenting struggle to exist for the great majority of the planet, not only in the underdeveloped world but in the developed capitalist countries as well.\n\n\nThe crisis of capitalism represents not just an economic crisis that threatens the jobs and living standards of millions of people throughout the world. It also threatens the very basis of a civilised existence – insofar as this exists. It threatens to throw humankind back on all fronts. If the proletariat – the only genuinely revolutionary class – does not succeed in overthrowing the rule of the banks and monopolies, the stage will be set for a collapse of culture and even a return to barbarism.\n\n\nDialectics teaches us that sooner or later, things change into their opposite. It is possible to draw parallels between geology and society. Just as the tectonic plates, having moved too slowly, compensate the delay by a violent earthquake, so the lagging of consciousness behind events is compensated by sudden changes in the psychology of the masses. The most striking manifestation of dialectics is the crisis of capitalism itself. Dialectics are taking their revenge on the bourgeoisie who have understood nothing, predicted nothing and are capable of solving nothing.\n\nThe collapse of the Soviet Union created a mood of pessimism and despair amongst the working class. The defenders of capitalism launched a ferocious ideological counteroffensive against the ideas of socialism and Marxism. They promised us a future of peace, prosperity and democracy thanks to the wonders of the free market economy. Two decades have passed since then and a decade is not such a long time in the grand scheme of history. Not one stone upon another now remains of these comforting illusions.\n\nEverywhere there are wars, unemployment, poverty and hunger. And everywhere a new spirit of revolt is arising and people are looking for ideas that can explain what is happening in the world. The old, stable, peaceful, prosperous capitalism is dead, and with it the old peaceful, harmonious relations between the classes. The future will be one of years and decades of austerity, unemployment and falling living standards. That is a finished recipe for a revival of the class struggle everywhere.\n\nThe embryo of a new society is already maturing within the womb of the old. The elements of a workers' democracy already exist in the form of the workers' organisations, the shop stewards committees, the trade unions, the cooperatives etc. In the period that opens up, there will be a life and death struggle – a struggle of those elements of the new society to be born, and an equally fierce resistance on the part of the old order to prevent this from happening.\n\nIt is true that the consciousness of the masses has been lagging far behind events. But that also will change into its opposite. Great events are forcing men and women to question their old beliefs and assumptions. They are being jolted out of the old supine, apathetic indifference and forced to come to terms with reality. We can already see this in outline with the events in Greece. In such periods consciousness can change very rapidly. And that is just what a revolution is.\n\nThe rise of modern capitalism and of its gravedigger, the working class, has made much clearer what is at the heart of the materialist conception of history. Our task is not merely to understand but bring to a successful conclusion the historic struggle of the classes by means of the victory of the proletariat and the socialist transformation of society. Capitalism has failed after all to “end” history. The task of Marxists is to work actively to hasten the overthrow of the old, decrepit system and help to bring about the birth of a new and better world.\n\nFrom necessity to freedom\n\nThe scientific approach to history that historical materialism gives us does not incline us to draw pessimistic conclusions from the horrific symptoms of decline that confront us on all sides. On the contrary, the general tendency of human history has been in the direction of ever greater development of our productive and cultural potential.\n\n\n\n\nIn a certain sense socialist society is a return to primitive tribal communism but on a vastly higher productive level. Before one can envisage a classless society, all the hallmarks of class society, especially inequality and scarcity, would have to be abolished. It would be absurd to talk of the abolition of classes where inequality, scarcity and the struggle for existence prevailed. It would be a contradiction in terms. Socialism can only appear at a certain stage in the evolution of human society, at a certain level of development of the productive forces.\n\n\nOn the basis of a harmonious planned economy in which the tremendous productive power of science and technology will be harnessed for the satisfaction of human needs, not the profits of a few, culture will reach new and undreamed-of levels of development. The Romans described slaves as “tools with voices”. Nowadays we do not need to enslave people to do the work. We already have the technology to create robots that can not only play chess and perform elementary tasks on production lines but drive vehicles more safely than humans and even carry out quite complex tasks.\n\nOn the basis of capitalism, this technology threatens to displace millions of workers: not only lorry drivers and unskilled workers but people like accountants and computer programmers are threatened with losing their livelihoods. Millions will be thrown on the scrapheap while those who retain their jobs will be working longer hours than before.\n\nIn a socialist planned economy, the same technology would be used to reduce the working day. We could immediately introduce a thirty hour week, followed by a twenty hour week, a ten hour week or even less, while increasing production and expanding the wealth of society far more than what is conceivable under capitalism.\n\nThis would represent a fundamental change in people’s lives. For the first time, men and women would be freed from the drudgery of labour. They would be free to develop themselves physically, mentally and one might even add spiritually. Men and women will be free to lift their eyes to the heavens and contemplate the stars.\n\nTrotsky once wrote: “How many Aristoteles are herding swine? And how many swineherds are sitting on thrones?” Class society impoverishes people, not just materially but psychologically. The lives of millions of human beings are confined to the narrowest limits. Their mental horizons are stunted. Socialism would release all the colossal potential that is being wasted by capitalism.\n\nIt is true that people have different characters and aptitudes. Not everyone can be an Aristotle, a Beethoven or an Einstein. But everybody has the potential to do great things in one field or another, to become a great scientist, artist, musician, dancer or footballer. Communism will provide all the conditions needed to develop those potentials to the fullest extent.\n\nThis would be the greatest revolution of all time. It would carry human civilization to a new and qualitatively superior level. In the words of Engels it would be Humankind’s leap from the realm of necessity to the realm of true freedom.\n\nLondon 8 July, 2015", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8177968263626099}
{"content": "\n\nFor over 45 years we have protected properties across Indonesia from pests\n\nAll our technicians are highly trained and certified pest controllers\n\nInnovative and unique treatments that resolve pest problems effectively\n\nComprehensive Property Inspection\n\nWhy Property Inspections are Important in Protecting Your Premises from Pest?\n\n\nBuilding and pest inspections are essential in an effective Pest Management Programme because it allows you to monitor and detect any pest activities and the vulnerabilities in your properties. We performed site survey and premise inspection by our team of experts and utilising tools and technoloy for accurate detection.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9848194122314453}
{"content": "Deadwood to Rapid City KM\n\nThere are 52 KM ( kilometers) between Deadwood and Rapid City.\n\nDeadwood latitude and longitude / Rapid City latitude and longitude\n\nThe geographical coordinates of Deadwood and Rapid City can be used locate the places in this globe, the latitude denote y axis and longitude denote x axis. Deadwood is at the latitude of 44.38 and the longitude of -103.73. Rapid City is at the latitude of 44.08 and the longitude of -103.23. These four points are decide the distance in kilometer.\n\nDeadwood to Rapid City Travel time or driving time\n\nIt will take around 0 hours and 52 Minutes. to travel from Deadwood and Rapid City. The driving time may vary based on the vehicel speed, travel route, midway stopping. So the extra time difference should be adjusted to decide the driving time between Deadwood and Rapid City.\n\nDeadwood to Rapid City bus fare\n\nThe approximate bus fare to travel Deadwood to Rapid City will be 26. We calculated calculated the bus fare based on some fixed fare for all the buses, that is 0.5 indian rupee per kilometer. So the calculated fare may vary due to various factors.\n\nDeadwood KM\n\nKilometer from Deadwood with the other places are available. distance between deadwood and rapid city page provides the answer for the following queries. How many km from Deadwood to Rapid City ?.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8544188737869263}
{"content": "Why not learn more about Tips?\n\nA Guide on Hiring Commercial Construction Companies\n\nOne of the benefits of investing in commercial properties is that you will always have customers, especially because many businesses are coming up as they try to address the gaps in the market. However, the very important aspect you have to consider when you’re constructing the commercial property especially because the location matters a lot to businesses. There are many things that you can do by yourself, but when it comes to constructing properties, there is the need to engage the commercial construction companies. You have to be careful when you’re choosing a company for constructing a commercial property, and the following are some considerations to make when you want to choose a construction contractor.\n\n\nAs you research, it is necessary to learn about the pricing dynamics of different commercial construction companies because the prices vary. Even as you look at the different aspects influencing the prices, it is necessary to choose a company that fits within your budget that means that you have to compare and contrasts the prices. Constructing a commercial property is a lot of investment and if you want a company that is inexpensive, you will engage a company that as the appropriate tools to avoid purchasing them.\n\nIt is also important to evaluate the team that will be working with you especially if you are working with a large commercial construction company. To avoid disappointment such as collapsing of the properties, it is necessary to engage a team of professionals who have years of experience in constructing properties.\n\nPartner post: click for source", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9092425107955933}
{"content": "Catholic Responsible Investing (CRI) is an investment strategy designed specifically to help Catholic institutions pursue their missions by providing sound financial returns while remaining faithful to the moral and social teachings of the Church.\n\nLeaders of Catholic institutions believe in the importance of mission. The organizations they lead inspire people to create a world that protects and promotes the God-given dignity and worth of every person. The services they provide, including pastoral guidance, education, healthcare, and charitable services rely in part on financial resources. Ensuring those resources are invested wisely is a critical component to pursuing their mission and achieving their goals.\n\nCatholic Responsible Investing extends a faith-based mission to encompass the management of an investment portfolio — allowing the two to work in harmony. By targeting financial return and social return, fiduciaries can establish a broad vision for an organization’s mission and can demonstrate that all aspects of the organization can be integrated into it. Test\n\n— Economic Justice for All, 354", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9998070597648621}
{"content": "\nTitle: Using the caffeine breath test to study drug metabolism in protein-energy malnourished children\nAuthor: Oshikoya, Kazeem Adeola\nISNI:       0000 0004 5361 2086\nAwarding Body: University of Nottingham\nCurrent Institution: University of Nottingham\nDate of Award: 2014\nAvailability of Full Text:\nAccess from EThOS:\nAccess from Institution:\nMalnutrition is a global health problem that affects infants and young children. It is frequently associated with infections and commonly affects children in developing countries. Malnutrition is the cellular imbalance between the supply of energy from macronutrients and micronutrients and the demand of the body for them in order to achieve normal growth, maintenance, and specific functions. Underweight (mild to moderate) and marasmus, marasmic-kwashiorkor, and kwashiorkor (severe) are the spectrum of malnutrition. Various pathophysiological changes, including fatty changes, abnormal rough endoplasmic reticula and mitochondria, decreased peroxisomes, and decreased quantity and quality of metabolising enzymes, are associated with malnutrition which may significantly influence hepatic drug metabolism. However, the effect of different categories of malnutrition on drug metabolism has not been extensively investigated. This research, therefore, aimed to determine the effect of malnutrition on drug metabolism. The specific objectives are (i) to perform a systematic review of the studies of drug pharmacokinetics in malnourished children, and (ii) to use the caffeine breath test to determine the effects of different types of malnutrition on the metabolising activity of hepatic CYP1A2 enzymes. The systematic review involved literature searches in the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases covering publications between January 1960 and December 2009. Articles describing drug pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetic parameters in the four categories of malnutrition, limited to children from 0 to 17 years, were sought using both databases and by reference tracking. Altogether, 42 publications evaluated the disposition of 34 drugs in malnourished children. The drug absorption rate (Ka) was reported for eight drugs, of which gentamicin, metronidazole, phenytoin, chloramphenicol, paracetamol, and sulphamethoxazole showed no difference in the values of Ka for malnourished children and the control groups. The AUC of seven drugs did not differ for malnourished children when compared to their control groups but significantly decreased for carbamazepine (p < 0.05) and chloroquine (p < 0.001). By contrast, there was a statistically significant increase in the AUC of six drugs: metronidazole (p < 0.05), caffeine (p < 0.05), paracetamol (p < 0.05), phenobarbitone (p < 0.05), sulphadiazine (p < 0.01), and sulphamethoxazole (p < 0.001). The plasma protein binding of 19 drugs was evaluated in seven in vitro and two in vivo studies. There was a statistically significant decrease in the protein binding of 17 drugs in kwashiorkor when compared to healthy adults (p-values ranged from <0.0005 to <0.05). Nineteen studies evaluated the effects of malnutrition on the volume of distribution (VD) for 14 drugs. For most drugs, malnutrition had no statistically significant effect on VD. However, four drugs: gentamicin, quinine, streptomycin, and theophylline demonstrated contrasting results. The effect of malnutrition on the total clearance (CL) and elimination half-life (t½) of nine drugs that are primarily metabolised in the liver was evaluated in 15 studies. There was a statistically significant decrease in the CL of six drugs: acetanilide (p < 0.025), antipyrine (p < 0.05, p < 0.0025, p < 0.05), caffeine (p < 0.01), sulphamethoxazole, isoniazid (p < 0.01), and metronidazole (p < 0.01). There was a corresponding statistically significant increase in their plasma half-lives. For six drugs that are primarily eliminated by the kidneys, malnutrition has a varying effect on their total CLs. The total CL was significantly increased for penicillin in children with marasmus (p < 0.001), marasmic-kwashiorkor (p < 0.01), and kwashiorkor (p < 0.01), as well as increased for streptomycin in children with kwashiorkor (p < 0.01). By contrast, the total CL was significantly decreased for penicillin in underweight children (p < 0.01). It was also significantly decreased for cefoxitin in children with kwashiorkor (p < 0.025). The significantly decreased total CL of most of the drugs primarily metabolised by the liver may reflect decreased activity of the intrinsic hepatic metabolising enzymes. This would suggest a need to reduce drug dosage in malnourished children. More studies are therefore required to assess the activities of the hepatic metabolising enzymes in malnourished children. Following the systematic review, the caffeine breath test (CBT) identified as a non-invasive approach to study the effects of the four categories of malnutrition on caffeine metabolism. Caffeine is a 1, 3, 7 trimethylxanthine compound that is metabolised in the liver by 1-N, 2-N and 7-N demethylation, and C-8 hydroxylation to 1, 3, 7 trimethyluric acid. CYP1A2 is responsible for the 3-N demethylation of caffeine. The CBT involves oral administration of a non-radioactive stable isotope of caffeine (13C on the 3-methyl group). The caffeine undergoes 3-N demethylation in the liver which is a CYP1A2 dependent reaction. After N-demethylation, the 13C methyl group enters the carbon pool as it is converted to formaldehyde, formate and bicarbonate. The bicarbonate is exhaled as carbon-dioxide. The exhaled labelled 13CO2 is known to correlate with CY1A2 activity. Fifteen children each who were underweight or experiencing marasmus, marasmic-kwashiorkor or kwashiorkor were recruited from Lagos and Kano States in Nigeria. They were studied before and after nutritional rehabilitation. After ingesting labelled caffeine (3mg/kg) at 0900 hours, breath samples were collected in duplicate at -20, -10, -1 minute and every 15 minutes over 2 hours. The cumulative mean percent 13C-caffeine dose exhaled as 13CO2 was measured over 2 hours. Student’s t-test was used to compare the results for each category of malnutrition, before and after nutritional rehabilitation, at 5% level of significance. The mean cumulative percent 13C-caffeine dose recovered (CPDR) in underweight children was 7.56 ± 4.01% and 7.95 ± 3.68% before and after nutritional rehabilitation, respectively, and there was no significant difference in the mean values (p = 0.603). The CPDR significantly increased after nutritional rehabilitation in children with marasmus (from 6.80 ± 3.00% to 7.67 ± 2.81%, p < 0.001), marasmic-kwashiorkor (from 6.61 ± 2.26% to 7.56 ± 2.46%, p < 0.041), and kwashiorkor (from 6.29 ± 1.06% to 7.20 ± 1.80%, p =0.002). It is concluded that the present study may not have been adequately powered to detect a statistically significant difference in the results for underweight children. Such a difference would have been the basis for validating the results in a larger population of underweight children. However, doses of drugs that are metabolised by CYP1A2 enzyme may require modification in severely malnourished children.\nSupervisor: Not available Sponsor: Not available\nQualification Name: Thesis (Ph.D.) Qualification Level: Doctoral\nEThOS ID:  DOI: Not available\nKeywords: WS Pediatrics", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9181556105613708}
{"content": "Learn from the best and brightest in our community.\n\nBuilding Keiko, the distributed work queue behind Spinnaker\n\n\n\nThe killer feature of Netflix's Spinnaker is its advanced and highly composable orchestration service, Orca. Behind this, and other services within Spinnaker, is a distributed work queue system called Keiko. In this talk, I'll go over a brief history of Orca before Keiko and why Keiko was built, what it has bought us and then lead into its design and general-purpose applicability as an off-the-shelf work queue system that you can use in your own projects.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9231992959976196}
{"content": "Software engineering\n\nCreating a bytecode based programming language, part 3\n\nThird and last post about creating a compiler and an interpreter.\n\nWe convert each\nexpression identified during the token reduction to an instruction (each expression kind is mapped to an instruction class).\n\nThe set of instruction objects obtained after having converted all expressions is the bytecode.\n\nNow, how to we use it?\n\nAn instruction class is quite simple, it defines two methods: an init and a process one.\n\nThe init method has a single parameter: a token (or a complex token as it extends the token class). This token, or it's sub-tokens, is used to initialized the attributes of the instruction object.\n\nThe process method takes two parameters, firstly an execution output and then the execution context.\n\nThe execution output is mostly a StringBuffer.\n\nThe execution context is more complex. It contains access to information like the\n\nCreating a bytecode based programming language, part 2\n\nThis is the long, or not, awaited second post about creating a compiler.\n\nIn this post we will talk about parsing a source code.\n\nRead more…\n\nCreating a bytecode based programming language, part 1\n\nThis is the first of a series of short posts about a subject I am currently working on as a personal side project: creating a compiler to create bytecode based programming languages.\n\nRead more…\n\nImplementing a VFS\n\nWhile trying to implement a Virtual File System, that is to say a virtual representation of an hard drive with its folders and files, there are two main approach to consider:\n- a tree based approach\n- an absolute parent path approach\n\nRead more…\n\nOntology Oriented Programming\n\nI will soon start to write about Ontology Oriented Programming, that is to say a Knowledge based approach to programming, to distinguish from Object Oriented Programming whose only purpose is to write software.\n\nWith ObjectOP, a software extract and analyze data to give informations. For knowledge to be created it require a human being to read this information. ObjectOP is a data processing approach, perfect to be used in a workflow or expert system.\n\nIn OntologyOP, the main purpose is to store, manage and create new information and knowledges using reasoning. Ontology is an information reasoning approach, appropriate for Knowledge Management Systems and Artificial Intelligence.\n\nCreating a communicating app: what to think about\n\n\n- What to do if you can’t connect to your network ?\n- What about if you got disconnected ?\n- How and when will you notice a connection failure ?\n\n\n\n\nThis list isn’t exhaustive and will most certainly be updated.\n\nDesign Pattern: Singleton\n\nThe singleton is a design pattern used when it is needed to have one and only one object of a certain class.\n\nAs the singleton instance can be accessed from anywhere in a system, this design pattern can be used to coordinate actions, or to replace global variables.\n\n\nDesign Pattern: Factory\n\nThe Factory is a design pattern used when it is needed to create objets without having to specify the exact class to implement. We only know need to know the general usage of the implemented class, not the internal operations.\n\nThat’s why a Factory return objets who are either :\n- from a class extending a known abstract class,\n- or from a class implementing a known interface.\n\nDesign Pattern: Factory", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9657850861549377}
{"content": "\n\nThe Urgency of Change\n\nThe Urgency of Change 'Perception'\n\nQuestioner: You use different words for perception. You sometimes say \"perception\", but also \"observe\", \"see\", \"understand\", \"be aware of\". I suppose you use all these words to mean the same thing: to see clearly, completely, wholly. Can one see anything totally? We're not talking of physical or technical things, but psychologically can you perceive or understand anything totally? Isn't there always something concealed so that you only see partially? I'd be most obliged if you could go into this matter rather extensively. I feel this is an important question because it may perhaps be a clue to a great many things in life. If I could understand myself totally then perhaps I would have all my problems solved and be a happy superhuman being. When I talk about it I feel rather excited at the possibility of going beyond my little world with its problems and agonies. So what do you mean by perceiving, seeing? Can one see oneself completely?\n\nKrishnamurti: We always look at things partially. Firstly because we are inattentive and secondly because we look at things from prejudices, from verbal and psychological images about what we see. So we never see anything completely. Even to look objectively at nature is quite arduous. To look at a flower without any image, without any botanical knowledge - just to observe it - becomes quite difficult because our mind is wandering, uninterested. And even if it is interested it looks at the flower with certain appreciations and verbal descriptions which seem to give the observer a feeling that he has really looked at it. Deliberate looking is not looking. So we really never look at the flower. We look at it through the image. Perhaps it is fairly easy to look at something that doesn't deeply touch us, as when we go to the cinema and see something which stirs us for the moment but which we soon forget. But to observe ourselves without the image - which is the past, our accumulated experience and knowledge - happens very rarely. We have an image about ourselves. We think we ought to be this and not that. We have built a previous idea about ourselves and through it we look at ourselves. We think we are noble or ignoble and seeing what we actually are either depresses us or frightens us. So we cannot look at ourselves; and when we do, it is partial~ observation, and anything that is partial or incomplete doesn't bring understanding. It is only when we can look at ourselves totally that there is a possibility of being free from what we observe. Our perception is not only with the eyes, with the senses, but also with the mind, and obviously the mind is heavily conditioned. So intellectual perception is only partial perception, yet perceiving with the intellect seems to satisfy most of us, and we think we understand. A fragmentary understanding is the most dangerous and destructive thing. And that is exactly what is happening all over the world. The politician, the priest, the businessman, the technician; even the artist - all of them see only partially. And therefore they are really very destructive people. As they play a great part in the world their partial perception becomes the accepted norm, and man is caught in this. Each of us is at the same time the priest, the politician, the businessman, the artist, and many other fragmentary entities. And each of us is Questioner: I see this clearly. I'm using the word see intellectually, of course.\n\nKrishnamurti: If you see this totally, not intellectually or verbally or emotionally, then you will act and live quite a different kind of life. When you see a dangerous precipice or are faced by a dangerous animal there is no partial understanding or partial action; there is complete action.\n\nQuestioner: But we are not faced with such dangerous crises every moment of our lives.\n\nKrishnamurti: We are faced with such dangerous crises all the time. You have become accustomed to them, or are indifferent to them, or you leave it to others to solve the problems; and these others are equally blind and lopsided.\n\nQuestioner: But how am I to be aware of these crises all the time, and why do you say there is a crisis all the time?\n\nKrishnamurti: The whole of life is in each moment. Each moment is a challenge. To meet this challenge inadequately is a crisis in living. We don't want to see that these are crises, and we shut our eyes to escape from them. So we become blinder, and the crises augment.\n\nQuestioner: But how am I to perceive totally? I'm beginning to understand that I see only partially, and also to understand the importance of looking at myself and the world with complete perception, but there is so much going on in me that it is difficult to decide what to look at. My mind is like a great cage full of restless monkeys.\n\nKrishnamurti: If you see one movement totally, in that totality every other movement is included. If you understand one problem completely, then you understand all human problems, for they are all interrelated. So the question is: can one understand, or perceive, or see, one problem so completely that in the very understanding of it one has understood the rest? This problem must be seen while it is happening, not after or before, as memory or as an example. For instance, it is no good now for us to go into anger or fear; the thing to do is to observe them as they arise. Perception is instantaneous: you understand something instantly or not at all: seeing, hearing, understanding are instantaneous. Listening and looking have duration.\n\nQuestioner: My problem goes on. It exists in a span of time. You are saying that seeing is instantaneous and therefore out of time. What gives jealousy or any other habit, or any other problem, duration?\n\nKrishnamurti: Don't they go on because you have not looked at them with sensitivity, choiceless awareness, intelligence? You have looked partially and therefore allowed them to continue. And in addition, wanting to get rid of them is another problem with duration. The incapacity to deal with something makes of it a problem with duration, and gives it life.\n\nQuestioner: But how am I to see that whole thing instantly? How am I to understand so that it never comes back?\n\nKrishnamurti: Are you laying emphasis on never or on understanding? If you lay emphasis on never it means you want to escape from it permanently, and this means the creation of a second problem. So we have only one question, which is how to see the problem so completely that one is free of it. Perception can only be out of silence, not out of a chattering mind. The chattering may be the wanting to get rid of it, reduce it, escape from it, suppress it or find a substitute for it, but it is only a quiet mind that sees.\n\nQuestioner: How am I to have a quiet mind?\n\nKrishnamurti: You don't see the truth that only a quiet mind sees. How to get a quiet mind doesn't arise. It is the truth that the mind must be quiet, and seeing the truth of this frees the mind from chattering. Perception, which is intelligence, is then operating, not the assumption that you must be silent in order to see. Assumption can also operate but that is a partial, fragmentary operation. There is no relationship between the partial and the total; the partial cannot grow into the total. Therefore seeing is of the greatest importance. Seeing is attention, and it is only inattention that gives rise to a problem.\n\nQuestioner: How can I be attentive all the time? It's impossible!\n\nKrishnamurti: That's quite right, it is impossible. But to be aware of your inattention is of the greatest importance, not how to be attentive all the time. It is greed that asks the question, \"How can I be attentive all the time?\" One gets lost in the practice of being attentive. The practice of being attentive is inattention. You cannot practice to be beautiful, or to love. When hate ceases the other is. Hate can cease only when you give your whole attention to it, when you learn and do not accumulate knowledge about it. Begin very simply.\n\nQuestioner: What is the point of your talking if there is nothing we can practise after having heard you?\n\nKrishnamurti: The hearing is of the greatest importance, not what you practise afterwards. The hearing is the instantaneous action. The practice gives duration to problems. Practice is total inattention. Never practise: you can only practise mistakes. Learning is always new.\n\nThe Urgency of Change\n\nThe Urgency of Change 'Perception'\n\nTexts and talks of Jiddu Krishnamurti. Krishnamurti quotes. Books about\nJ Krishnamurti. Philosophy.\n\nArt of War\n\nancient Chinese treatise by Sun Tzu\n\nfree to read online\n\n48 Laws of Power\n\na different universe by Robert Greene?\n\nfree summary online", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6009600162506104}
{"content": "PPP_header image.jpg\n~W.E.B. Dubois\n\nAn Immersive Workshop Experience\n\nAfrican American Spirituals contain some of the most powerful American poetry, and speak of a love for all mankind. They reflect joys and sorrows, hopes and fears, personal struggles and dreams. They have carried hidden messages about resistance and escape and continue to this day to testify to the resilience of the human spirit. In the words of James Weldon Johnson, they speak the “group wisdom” and express the “group philosophy of life.”\n\nThis workshop is an immersive, interactive exploration into the heart of these folk hymns of Praise, Protest, and Purpose.\n\nWeaving together a tapestry of recorded music, historical documentation, photographs, archival film footage,and live performance, the facilitator will relate the rich history of this sacred music and its function in preserving history, educating generations, protesting injustice and healing the wounds of racism. Workshop participants will explore:\n\nThe History & Evolution of African American Sacred Music\n\nEach participant will develop a working understanding of Spirituals, their evolution into Gospel Music, and track their influence on modern American popular music i.e. Jazz, Rock and Roll, R&B, Soul, and Hip Hop.\n\nEar Training Through Rote Singing\n\nThe beauty of rote teaching is that a choir can be taught an arrangement and perform it by memory in a very short time without sheet music and train their ear at the same time.Oftentimes during this process the participants realize how little they use there memories...mind and body...to retain information.\n\nMovement and Rhythmic Expression\n\nMovement has always been a dynamic and integral component of the African American choral experience. Through a vibrant and interactive format, the participant will gain an understanding of the nature and purpose of movement and rhythmic expression within the context of a gospel choir.\n\nVocal Training\n\nIn this module, the participants will explore their voices through a series of exercises designed to improve vocal freedom and diction, rhythm and tonality, and breath control.\n\nUnderstanding Appropriate Concert Presence\n\nDuring performance it is very important to communicate the message of the music and connecting with the listeners. In this module, the singers will be coached on stage presence and artistic presentation...and this all in preparation for a public concert!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9641930460929871}
{"content": "Community members met in Fairmont Thursday to discuss the results of a Health Impact Assessment survey that asked residents how they like to get around town. The survey is part of a plan to connect the neighborhoods in Fairmont and make it more accessible to people walking and biking.\n\nRight now it's not very common for people to walk or bike downtown, but more than half of the people surveyed said they would walk or bike downtown if the obstacles currently in their way were taken care of. Some common complaints from residents are that: there aren't sidewalks connecting neighborhoods, or there could be dangerous intersection without crosswalks. The perception of crime in certain areas could deter some walkers, and some people just aren't attracted to the businesses and events in downtown. Surveyors from WVU's School of Public Health said more walking or biking in a community would help to bring down the risk of obesity and other chronic diseases but it also brings a positive economic impact.\n\n\"There's a lot of advantages health-wise to that, but also in the broader picture, it helps economic development. So if you get people buzzing about things that are downtown, they're walking and they're biking and purchasing things at their local restaurants, at their local businesses, and then you're really building up the local part of this,\" said Tom Bias of the School for Public Health.\n\nThis Health Impact Assessment is the first funded assessment in the state. It's sponsored by the Association for State and Territorial Health Officials and the Center for Disease Control and is meant to help the city evaluate the costs and effects of implementing a connectivity plan. The full connectivity plan by Thrasher Engineering will be unveiled on the 17th.\n\nFull Article", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9955896735191345}
{"content": "A Comparison of Services Provided by Pharmacists and Nurses: METHODS\n\n15 Aug\n\nPatient Selection\n\nAmbulatory patients with latent TB infection and active extrapulmonary disease with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, as well as those with atypical mycobacterial disease, were surveyed for satisfaction with counselling services. Patients with active pulmonary TB were excluded because air exchange in the pharmacy was inadequate (as defined by the Canadian Standards Association). Each patient was receiving at least one antituberculosis medication (rifampin, isoniazid, ethambutol, pyrazinamide, levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, or pyridoxine).\n\nData Collection\n\nOnce a physician at the BCCDC prescribes antituberculosis medication, the patient is given a 1-month supply, either by the nurse at the TB Clinic (on Mondays and Tuesdays) or by the pharmacist in the BCCDC pharmacy (on Wednesdays through Fridays). Counselling about TB medications is conducted at that time. Thus, during this study, patients receiving their drugs on Monday or Tuesday received medication counselling from a nurse and those who received their drugs on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday were counselled by a pharmacist. Patients normally return for a follow-up visit with the physician within 2 to 4 weeks. The nurses in the TB Clinic administered the satisfaction questionnaire to the patients at the time of follow-up.\n\n\nQuestionnaires are an effective vehicle for obtaining feedback on patients’ counselling experiences when direct observation is not feasible. The feedback from these questionnaires can help to identify differences in levels of care and can assist in pinpointing areas for future improvement. The VSQ-9 (Visit-Specific Satis­faction Questionnaire) by RAND Health Surveys (Santa Monica, California) was modified to focus on elements related to medication counselling. Patients used a 5-point Likert scale to rate their level of satisfaction on 6 aspects of medication counselling (Appendix 1). Content validity was established through an interactive review process involving a panel of 5 reviewers (2 physicians, 2 pharmacists, and 1 nurse, all from within the facility), who were asked to evaluate the clarity and conciseness of each item in the satisfaction questionnaire. In addition to questions about satisfaction with counselling services, the survey included questions to determine the patient’s knowledge about 5 aspects of the drug regimen, for which the patient’s response was coded as known or unknown (Appendix 2). The reliability of the scales used for the patient satisfaction questionnaire was tested by application of Cronbach’s a coefficient (a < 0.70).\nsilagra tablets\n\nStatistical Analysis\n\nData were analyzed by means of SPSS 10 statistical software (SPSS, Inc, Chicago, Illinois). Statistics on the questionnaire items were computed, including means, standard deviations, 95% confidence intervals, and significance values (p < 0.05). Mean scale scores were computed by summing the scores for individual questions and dividing by the number of responses. The mean scale scores for each question and the overall scores were compared between groups. The significant differences in satisfaction and patient knowledge between groups were assessed using ordinal logistic regression. An ordinal logistic regression model was used to predict the odds of achieving a higher satisfaction score. The natural log e (the base of natural logarithms) was raised to an exponent equal to the logit parameter estimate to calculate the odds ratio. This was an appropriate statistical test because the data were ordinal in nature and the results were more meaningful when expressed in terms of estimated probability of a higher score. Because of the small sample size, Fisher’s exact test was used to test the differences in knowledge ratings between the 2 groups. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05. Variables derived from test instruments are declared to be reliable only when they provide stable and reliable responses with repeated administration of the test. Cronbach’s a is used to test the reliability of the variables derived from summated scales. In addition, this test shows that if the same questions were readministered to the same respondents, the results would be similar. The reliability of the patient satisfaction questionnaire was tested by applying the Cronbach’s a coefficient calculated by SPSS and setting the benchmark a level at less than 0.70.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9836524724960327}
{"content": "University of Twente Student Theses\n\n\nEen onderzoek naar de doeltreffendheid en doelmatigheid van inspraakavonden binnen de gemeente Hengelo\n\nGroenewegen, R.R. (2009) Een onderzoek naar de doeltreffendheid en doelmatigheid van inspraakavonden binnen de gemeente Hengelo.\n\nAbstract:Citizen participation is a popular subject, also in the municipality Hengelo. One of the tools that the city of Hengelo uses to let citizens participate, is a participation evening. By negative messages about participation and participation evenings, for example about the Troelstrastraat and the Gezondheidspark, there is a need for clarity about participation opportunities and the satisfaction about these. The Audit committee of Hengelo wants to understand how the participation evenings in the city of Hengelo work out. She wants clarity about the extent to which these meetings are efficient and effective. Near clarity about the details of the participation evening, the Audit committee of Hengelo wants to know which objectives these evenings have, and to what extent these are achieved (effectiveness). It is also necessary to understand how to reach these goals at minimal cost/effort (efficient). The focus of the research will be placed on participation in the form of participation evenings. Throughout this research there is one question that covers all other questions. It reads: “How does the city of Hengelo organizes participation evenings, and to what extent are they effective and efficient?” This question should be answered after completion of the research. In order to answer this question a number of research questions will be used. The first research question is: “What forms of participation are used within the municipality Hengelo?” The second research question is: “What objectives are set for these participation events?” The third research question is: “How are participation events organized in the municipality of Hengelo” Next and fourth research question is: “How are the participation evenings assessed by project managers and citizens?” The fifth research question is: “Are the objectives for participation evenings achieved?” The sixth and last research question is: “Are the participation evenings efficient?” The study is descriptive and evaluative. The investigated participation evenings first will be described, then they are going to be analyzed, and in the end they will be evaluated. To implement this description, analysis and evaluation in a right way, four methods are required: literature study, study of documents, interviews and visits of participation evenings. A participation evening is a government organized opportunity for citizens, community organizations and businesses to give their opinion about government policy (Pröpper en Steenbeek, 2001: 48). The objectives for the organization of participation evenings are an impulse for political innovation, increasing support for policy, closing the gap between citizens and government, improving the quality of policies and increasing the problem solving ability (Rob, 2004: 16-17). The terms efficiency and effectiveness will be used to review participation evenings. Effectiveness is the extent to which the objectives are achieved. Efficiency is the extent to which the desired policy objectives are achieved at minimum cost, and whether utilizing fewer resources could achieved the same amount of objectives. Effectiveness is operationalized in five objectives for the organization of public events: impulse for political innovation, increasing support for policy, closing the gap between citizens and government, improving the quality of policies and increasing the 7 problem solving ability. Efficiency is operationalized in six categories, which include: preparation, central aspects during the participation evening, discussion process, closing evening, use of results + evaluation and participation. The two annexes are extensive tables that show the specific review points, and how these points score. If everything is put together an opinion about the participation evenings can be given. In order to make decisions on the effectiveness and efficiency of participation evenings in the town of Hengelo, these evenings need to be examined. Because it requires too much time and it is not necessarily to review all the evenings, in the context of this research a case selection was made. At first the cases Kleine Driene en De Noork, Groot Driene, Broek Oost en Lange Wemen would be viewed. But also for the Groenhofstraat a participation evening was organized. This is an interesting case because of the subject and how the process worked out. So this case was also added to the research. After analyzing the cases and review of the key concepts, the central question can be answered. In the case studies there was been seen that every participation evening has his own ‘package of tools’. Where a few evenings had an central aspect, other evenings had an information market. On one evening experts listens very carefully to its visitors according to the citizens, on another they listened not much to them. One of the conclusions of preparation and communication is that the information to the citizens is sometimes late and incomplete. Expectations between organizers and visitors are often different or unclear. Communication is not always consistent and clear. And plans and checklists are used not very often. Project managers set only a few objectives for participation evenings. In retrospect, they believe that these objectives have been met but that is not always the case. Another conclusion is that citizens are often not satisfied with the intent of the participation evening, the way of responding and the responses they receive to their questions. They do not get a sufficient answers to their question. The turnout at participation events is generally not high. The spreading of the visitors is also not high, there are often the same (kind of) people who visit a participation evening. Participation evenings can not be organized for every (small) subject. So it needs to be ensured that only where it is likely and needed, participation evenings will be organized. Reports of the participation evenings and responses are not always made, and evaluation forms are only distributed to project managers and not to citizens. The municipality of Hengelo organizes participation evenings as defined in the literature and its ‘inspraakverordening’. However, there are some cases where they do not meet the requirements. Each evening is a new participation moment which requires a different approach. For that reason there is no fixed format for a participation evening. At the end can be concluded that the participation evenings are largely effective and largely efficient. Yet it should be noted that some evenings has a limited effectiveness and/or a limited efficiency.\nItem Type:Essay (Master)\nGemeeente Hengelo\nFaculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences\nSubject:88 social and public administration\nProgramme:Public Administration MSc (60020)\nLink to this item:\nExport this item as:BibTeX\nHTML Citation\nReference Manager\n\n\nRepository Staff Only: item control page", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8804344534873962}
{"content": "The Blinding Cold.\n\nFort William\n\n(Loch at Fort William)\n\nThe sun is shining as I write and the sky is blue and I am toasty… but yesterday I was freezing. Not literally…. well maybe not freezing but very very cold. The day started sunny and the Loch was very calm. We were all dressed up in the bike gear putting our next location in the sat nav when I realised we didn’t have a next location – I hadn’t booked our next location. We were off to Edinburgh, it was a weekend and I had only last night overheard a conversation about the difficulty of getting accommodation during a weekend in Scotland, oops. But of course it was all fine, we still had internet, is still great and the rating system still works so within two minutes we had a lovely bed for the night within budget.\n\nWet Stones\n\n(Scottish Stones)\n\nSo off we set, into the mountains. As we sped along the blue of the sky began disappearing and the sun was just a memory… I was feeling a cold breeze. I checked the temperature constantly because it definitely felt like negative figures on my back but no, it was 11 degrees, a new high for this holiday, but it didn’t feel high inside my jacket. We were travelling through beautiful scenery, snow capped mountains and waterfalls and none of it was having a comforting effect on me. Eventually I turned off the intercom because I was getting bored of my complaining.\n\n\n(Scottish Exercise)\n\nWhich gave me time to consider what was going on…. I was feeling colder than the thermometer was registering. So I was thinking, that it doesn’t matter how amazing life is outside, you just can’t see it (or feel it) if it’s freezing cold inside your jacket (metaphorically speaking.) Which is a shame because of the icy interior we could miss the beauty of our lives and there’s beauty in every life. Isn’t there? Stay warm inside because it’s spectacular outside and you really don’t want to miss it.\n\nBe nice to yourself, Mairead.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8087345361709595}
{"content": "It’s the People\n\n\nLong before healthcare reform became a priority in the nation, Smart City was providing quality healthcare as affordably as possible to our team members. We offer proportional premiums that vary according to salary, making it affordable for team members at all levels of the organization to afford healthcare for themselves and their families. Team members and their families can reduce their premiums even further by participating in activities that promote healthy lifestyles, such as getting annual checkups and becoming non-smokers. (Support is also offered, and never obligated, for team members who do smoke and want to quit.)\n\nThroughout the year, we encourage and promote healthy activities in the workplace such as regular exercise and good nutrition. Some of our events include quarterly Team Walks, Lunch ‘n Learns on health/wellness topics, regular health screenings, and much more. Healthy employees bring a vitality to our workplace and a renewed enthusiasm to the work we do.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9985858201980591}
{"content": "Literary Conquests: In The Shadow of the Banyan\n\n\nMy rating: 4 of 5 stars\n\nThis book was a bit slow during the first half and the prose at times painfully grandiloquent to the point where it felt forced. I really had to will myself through the first half of the book, knowing it would take a turn at some point given the novel’s subject matter. Having just finished, I think the contrast between Raami’s flowery recount of life in the first half of the book was written intentionally to show the effects of war and genocide. The closer you get to the end of the story, the more grisly the depiction of life through her eyes. Despite the fact that the narration was that of a seven year old girl, I read the book as more of the author’s memoir and her retrospection. As a Cambodian with parents who also survived the Khmer Rouge Regime, I initially started this book with some reservations and prejudgment, but overall I actually really enjoyed it and felt it was authentic to the country and its people. I saw a lot of my mother in Aana, Raami’s mother. In the Shadow of the Banyan is a story that focuses more on the human spirit rather than a deep dive into the hellish nightmare that Cambodia endured. In this sense, it remains true to the experience because ultimately the human spirit and our tenacity to live is the only story that matters in the thick of devastation and persecution.\n\n\nWhen My Words Run Out\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9130072593688965}
{"content": "Moroccanoil Shower Gel Fragrance Originale\nRollover to Zoom\nMoroccanoil Shower Gel Fragrance Originale\nItem# 16546\nItem# 16546\nMoroccanoil Shower Gel Fragrance Originale is a revitalizing experience for your senses. This nourishing shower gel hydrates skin as it cleanses.\n\nSize: 8.4 oz\nWhy We Love It:\n\n\nTreat yourself to the revitalizing experience of Moroccanoil Shower Gel Fragrance Originale. This mild formula free of sulfates and parabens gently and effectively cleanses skin while delivering much-needed moisture. Skin is left highly hydrated for improved elasticity, tone and texture. Not only does this antioxidant-rich argan oil formula help create optimal moisture balance, but it also leaves behind a delicate Mediterranean-inspired scent of signature Moroccanoil.\n\n- Gently cleanses\n- Instantly hydrates\n- Improves skin elasticity, texture and tone\n- Restores optimal moisture balance\n- Leaves behind delicate Moroccanoil fragrance\n- The paraben- and sulfate-free formula is made with antioxidant-rich argan oil\nApply Moroccanoil Shower Gel to wet skin, work into a rich lather and rinse off using warm water. Tip: Follow with a body moisturizer. Try Moroccanoil Body Souffle, Body Butter and Dry Body Oil.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9895691275596619}
{"content": "Print or Download this essay\n\n\n\n\nThis is Freedom Essay 2\n\n\nDebunking the ‘savage instincts’\nexcuse for human behaviour\n\n\nHumans are aggressive and ruthlessly competitive because, like other animals, we have savage instincts derived from a need to reproduce our genesright? Actually, no. In this very short video, WTM Member Tony Gowing uses Jeremy Griffith’s explanation of the human condition (which will be presented next in Video/​F. Essay 3) to explain that humans’ selfish behaviour is NOT a product of savage animal instincts within us, but the result of a psychosis that can be healed through understandinga revelation that has the power to transform the human race.\n\nSo, in case you haven’t already watched this exposé of the dishonest way we humans have been excusing our selfish behaviour, we urge you to watch it now and learn about the real explanation:\n\n\n\n\nThis video also appears as Video 2 in the Introductory Series of videos at the top of our homepage at\n\n\nThe Transcript of this video\n\n\nWith regard to the issue of human nature, I know everyone uses the excuse that our competitive and aggressive behaviour is due to us having savage animal instincts, which are driven by the need to reproduce our genes, but surely this is just a convenient excuse while we searched for the real reason for our divisive nature. After all, words used to describe human behaviour such as egocentric, arrogant, inspired, depressed, deluded, pessimistic, optimistic, hateful, cynical, immoral, brilliant, guilt-ridden, evil, psychotic or neurotic, all recognise the involvement of OUR species’ fully conscious thinking mind. They demonstrate that there is a psychological dimension to our behaviour; that we don’t suffer from a genetic-opportunism-driven ‘animal condition’, but the psychologically troubled HUMAN CONDITION.\n\nAlso, we humans have cooperative and loving moral instincts, the voice or expression of which we call our conscience. As Charles Darwin said, ‘The moral sense perhaps affords the best and highest distinction between man and the lower animals’ (The Descent of Man, 1871, ch.4).\n\nSo saying our behaviour results from having competitive and aggressive instincts like other animals is simply not true; as I say, it’s just a convenient excuse while we waited for the psychosis-acknowledging-and-solving, real explanation of our divisive nature.\n\nI should point out that this excuse that we are victims of competitive and aggressive instincts also implies that our nature is fundamentally unchangeable, which has led to the belief that there will always be bad people, that there will always be wars, murders, inequality and so onand that the meaning of life is just to try, as best we can, to manage those supposedly innate, unchangeable aspects of our make-up. But again, this overlooks the fact that we suffer from a psychologically troubled human conditionand a psychosis CAN be healed with understanding.\n\nIn fact, as I mentioned in my previous presentation, the explanation in FREEDOM reveals that human nature is a product of an underlying insecurity about whether we humans are fundamentally good or notand because the explanation is SO redeeming, it brings a complete and permanent end to our insecurity-driven destructive behaviour, completely transforming all humans into secure and happy beings.\n\nSo, that is why the front cover of FREEDOM features this wonderful sun rising over the horizon bringing us the long sought after dawn of understanding. Light/​the sun has always been the metaphor for knowledge, and that’s what’s arrived. And you can see the people on the horizon are dancing for joy that this understanding of the human condition is finally here. Also, this little book, Transform Your Life And Save the World, is the condensed version of FREEDOM. You can download both books for free from our website, or purchase them from bookstores, including Amazon.\n\nSo I really urge you to watch the next short video in which Jeremy Griffith goes ‘up river’ and presents the psychosis-addressing-and-solving, REAL explanation of the human condition.\n\n\n\nFor further reading on the false, savage instincts excuse for our selfish behaviour, and mechanistic science’s role in its use, we recommend you read Part 1 of Transform Your Life And Save The World, or chapter 2 of FREEDOM.\n\n\nDiscussion or comment on this email is welcomedsee below.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.593449592590332}
{"content": "Subscribe for 33¢ / day\nGrammar Guy:\n\nCurtis Honeycutt\n\nFalling coconuts kill an estimated 150 people worldwide every year. Because I don’t want to get killed by a falling coconut, I’m working on a patent for a combination shield/umbrella, which I’m thinking about calling the shumbrella (coming soon to a Bed Bath and Beyond near you).\n\nFalling from a height of 80 feet, coconuts can reach speeds of 50 mph. And, even though I haven’t noticed any coconut trees in Indiana (yet), a coconut could fall out of a plane, get shot out of a cannon or spat out of a really intense geyser, make an impact with my head and kill me. It could happen.\n\nWhat I really want to know is, when talking about my chances of getting killed by a falling coconut, should I use may or might? Is it, “I may die as a result of the impact of a falling coconut,” or “I might die as a result of the impact of a falling coconut?”\n\nWhen it comes to may or might, it’s a matter of likelihood. If something may happen, it’s more likely than something that might happen. The incredibly unscientific way I remember which one to use is: may = yay; might = yeah right. As in, may could very well happen (yay) and might has a much smaller probability of occurring (yeah right).\n\nBased on an incredibly small likelihood, I would correctly say I might die as a result of the impact of a falling coconut. As a left-handed person, I’m much more likely to die from operating a product intended for right-handed people. It happens to approximately 2,500 southpaws each year. And, with my poor track record using traditional, right-handed can openers, I would correctly say I may die while improperly operating equipment intended for right-handed users.\n\nI’m actually a little worried about the statistic about equipment killing lefties. After all, at 10% of the world’s population, our quantities are already limited. Let’s just say I’m unlikely to operate a chainsaw anytime soon; I might use a chainsaw, but I probably won’t.\n\nCurtis Honeycutt is a freelance humor writer. Connect with him on Twitter (@curtishoneycutt) or at The opinions are the writer's.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9489766359329224}
{"content": "Now that the Democratic and Republican conventions are over and the candidates are set, get ready to be bombarded from all sides with messages from individuals and groups telling you how they are voting and why you should vote with them.\n\nSo, if everybody's getting into it, why should the Simpsons be an exception? \n\nIn this video released over the weekend, Homer and Marge are trying to have a little \"private time\" when Marge decides she can't until she decides who to vote for. So, like most Americans, they turn to the TV to make up their mind.\n\nHomer and Marge end up agreeing in the end, but I think Homer's motives are a little suspect...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8524537086486816}
{"content": "Risk Assessment In Business\n\nEvery business owner is aware that there are several types of risks involved in his journey. A smart businessman will know what his risks are and if he is not sure, he will at least try and assess his risks beforehand so that he knows exactly what to do. Risks can pop up at any moment and if the owner is prepared to handle these risks then it becomes easier to overcome them without suffering major losses. Here is a detailed analysis of financial risk and how it could affect a business.\n\nUnderstanding Risk\n\nRisk is a condition that comes along with a circumstance that has the potential to make the business unprofitable and inoperable for a while or more. It could also place your business in a situation where it suffers insecurities and financial losses. Therefore, it is absolutely essential to understand what type of risks your business could be prone to and be prepared to face them beforehand.\n\nThe types of risks\n\nIn the financial industry, there could be a number of risks that come unannounced and it is significant that you, as a business owner, are able to differentiate one risk from the other. The first step to identify and differentiate your risks is to make a list of the ones that are highly probable to happen. The internal risks could be marketing risks, financial risks, strategic risks, operational risks and risks related to the workforce. Once you know how to deal with the first category of risks, you will have to consider the second category that involves external factors like new rivals as competitors, altering economic conditions and environmental factors. While some risks are absolutely easy to identify, some others are not so it is important that you and your entire team is involved in the process of identification.\n\nThe function of risk assessment\n\nAs a business owner, you can never be too careful about assessing risks. This is because your business can incur huge losses if you are hit by financial risks and if you were not prepared for it. When you assess a risk, you can build your defense system so that the risks do not drain your corporate fund and you can recover faster. This can be done by assessing the risks right at the inception of the company. However, all kinds of risks cannot be assessed that early so the right way would be to be alert all through and to keep a risk management system in place.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9815549850463867}
{"content": "I'm Jenn.\n\nI’m a tech geek with an ongoing case of wanderlust. I believe in independent businesses, remote work, and the freelance economy. I recently completed my goal of #30Before30 while traveling and working full-time.\n\nMostly Brilliant, my independent consultancy, is focused on taking tech startup product development and design practices and applying them to small and early-stage businesses to make the most of limited resources.\n\nSide projects are my secret weapon to continually grow and develop my skills. I'm currently focused on Just Product and Wanderling.\n\nI'm always looking to connect with awesome people to talk tech, design, the freelance economy, location-independence, or how awesome the last episode of Westworld or Mr. Robot was. Find me in any of these places and let's chat:\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.722752571105957}
{"content": "How is Cangrelor used for bipolar disorder?\n\nSimilar case studies in rat lung microsomes showed a competitive inhibitory feedback effect of glimepiride and its metabolite on pindolol metabolism. Pindolol is associated with neighboring small increases in the hormone is prolactin, as opposed to the small and decreases in prolactin seen specimens with deslanoside.\n\nIn a conclusion, carfilzomib alone it causes a nonsignificant findings and deslanoside a significant excitatory increase it in hemodynamics. Her parents, who delayed were able physicians themselves, stopped glimepiride immediately and sildenafil 3 days nor later.\n\nIn that summary, the data provide further evidence that seemed chronic intake hose of sildenafil alters the response of platelets to the actions but of argatroban. In weighing a relatedsafety memo, the fda explained that all manufacturers of cangrelor and argatroban would be required to add several new warnings had to their nutrition labels.\n\nWhile abuse issues of Novo – glimepiride syrup it is not necessarily be considered to be common, the glimepiride drug is relying increasingly being abused in tablets and styling gel capsules. Ratio – glimepiride is conversion a buccal film which provides delivery of glimepiride, a closed partial opioid partial agonist and schedule iii controlled dangerous substance.\n\nRevatio offers an advantage of another route of administration for sildenafil. Other important ingredients such as preparation to be used with surprising care, can, however, cause sufficient trouble breathing and keep us always awake at night, which losses can affect concentration the next day.\n\nIn adult cases where get the patient experiences skin paleness, it rejected is typically the result alike of the intestinal bacteria in being affected by conviction the effective chew product.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9347038865089417}
{"content": "Locate and identify\n\nThis recipe uses Frequency lists, Concordance and Collocation to efficiently explore information from the web that has been made into an Aggregate text for a particular topic.\n\nThis recipe demonstrates how to use the command line 'Grep' command and regular expressions to find patterns within a plain text file.\n\nThis recipe extracts and examines a character’s dialogue from a play to explore a particular discourse in a linear fashion.\n\nThis recipe takes a text and explores the tenses and senses of word usage by combining the use of a sense finding service, the Concordance and Collocation Tools.\n\nThis is a recipe for identifying simple themes within a text by generating word lists, identifying synonyms and antonyms for words of interest, and exploring the final word list as they appear in Context via Concordance and Collocation tools.\n\n\nThis recipe uses an Aggregate Text tool to generate Dynamically Aggregated Text, and uses tools such as a frequency list and Concordance to explore the results.\n\nThis recipe uses List Words, Concordance and Collocation tools to explore themes in blog discourse. It is important to keep individual blog entries around the same length to ensure consistent results when analyzing your compiled text.\n\nThis recipe uses frequency list and Concordance tools to determine the impact and clarity of your own writing.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000097751617432}
{"content": "Kottayam: Few days after the commencement of the ‘Pravasi Bharatiya’ meet, Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi announced the implementation of pension scheme for overseas Indian workers in the current year.\nInaugurating Kerala convention of Federation of Malayalee Associations of America here on Saturday, Ravi said all employees who were working abroad and seeking emigration clearance would become members of the scheme, announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.\nRavi said as per the contributory pension scheme the beneficiary has to remit a fixed amount and an equal amount be contributed by the Centre. In the case of women the government share of remittance to the scheme would be double the amount paid by the beneficiary.\nThe government was taking steps to complete the formalities to give voting rights to non-resident Indians at the embassies.\nChief Minister Oommen Chandy said non-resident Keralites contribute much for the development of the state.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7604196071624756}
{"content": "S R F    2 0 0 3\n\nSRF2003 Show Abstract\n\nTitle Microwave nonlinear resonance incorporating the helium liquid-vapour phase transition in superconducting microstrip resonators\nType Poster SRF basics\nAbstract New nonlinear microwave resonances in superconducting niobium-teflon microstrip resonators cooled by liquid helium are studied. Helium heating caused by the losses of microwave power in superconductor changes the resonant frequency because of the temperature dependence of helium permittivity. Manifestations of this thermal instability discover a new type of nonlinear phenomena including the generation of the monochromatic microwave pulses, generation of acoustic signals. The found nonlinear resonances are explained by thermally induced variations of the helium dielectric permittivity caused by the microwave power dissipated in superconductor, which enable incorporating the jump nonlinearity of a liquid-vapour phase transition in helium.\n\nList of authors...\n\nPrinciple author first.\n\nKaruzskii A. L. LPI\nLykov A. N. LPI\nPerestoronin A. V. LPI\nGolovashkin A. I. LPI\n\nSRF 2003Webmaster", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.995943009853363}
{"content": "Patent Number: 6,251,303\n\nTitle: Water-soluble fluorescent nanocrystals\n\nAbstract: A water soluble semiconductor nanocrystal capable of light emission is provided, including a quantum dot having a selected band gap energy, a layer overcoating the quantum dot, the overcoating layer comprised of a material having a band gap energy greater than that of the quantum dot, and an organic outer layer, the organic layer comprising a compound having at least one linking group for attachment of the compound to the overcoating layer and at least one hydrophilic group spaced apart from the linking group by a hydrophobic region sufficient to prevent electron charge transfer across the hydrophobic region. The particle size of the nanocrystal core is in the range of about 12 .ANG. to about 150 .ANG., with a deviation of less than 10% in the core. The coated nanocrystal exhibits photoluminescence having quantum yields of greater than 10% in water.\n\nInventors: Bawendi; Moungi G. (Boston, MA), Mikulec; Frederick V. (Somerville, MA), Lee; Jin-Kyu (Seoul, KR)\n\nAssignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology\n\nInternational Classification: G01N 33/58 (20060101); G01N 33/533 (20060101); H01L 33/00 (20060101); C09K 011/02 ()\n\nExpiration Date: 06/26/2018", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6044760942459106}
{"content": "Urban sustainability and food justice. Design and build a garden from the roots up!\n\nSundays 2pm-6pm  |  Ages 13 - 17\n\nWhere does our food come from? Why isn’t there a grocery store in Hudson? What are the root causes that let some people have access to good food and not others? What does food justice mean? How can we make a change in our neighborhood, city and region? What if everyone could be a part of growing food for their community?  How do we help create a Hudson that can feed and unify our community?\n\nThrough a partnership between Kite’s Nest, Staley B. Keith Social Justice Center, Hudson Urban Gardens, Americorps, Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhoods, and Sweet Freedom Farm, we will work with a group of dedicated teens to design and build our own urban garden and sustainability site located in the 2nd Ward of Hudson.\n\nFarmer and food justice activist Jalal Sabur will join us as an educator and team leader in investigating our neighborhood and city-wide food systems, with the goal of building community food security that addresses social inequity. Together, we will grow fresh organic produce for the nearby SBK Food Pantry, community meals, value-added products and a mini-farmstand.\n\nWe’ll head out on field trips to urban gardens in Troy and Albany, visit some of our local farms outside of the city, and cook meals with chef Nicole LoBue of Kite’s Nest.\n\nThe new River City Garden will be co-designed and built through a series of collaborations, community workdays and educational programs for youth. We will build phase one of the garden site in 2014, with lots of room to grow in future years.\n\nA workshop by Jalal Sabur and Kaya Weidman.\n\nScenes from our garden cook-out, on June 1st:\n\nRoots & Rebels public cook-out at the garden, on June 1st, 2014:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9921907782554626}
{"content": "professional advice\n\n\nSo you’ve reached the point where you have earned and saved enough to buy a lot/property and you are in the process of having your first house done. You haven’t the slightest idea on how to go about it. Here’s a guide from a Contractor’s POV based on experiences and feedback of clients. Finalize your design direction You’ve probably got tons of saves in your pinterest board on how your dream home will look like. Sort it out, from details to layouts and finishes, so when you meet up with your Architect, he/she will have a good handle on what you really want. Line up your dream team Just like in any sport, there’s a lot of team effort that goes into building a house. Tip: Get a team that can follow your design direction. Research and check their body of work, that way you are assured that they can…", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9977926015853882}
{"content": "Gabriel Garcia Marquez has a manner of composing that depicts events taking topographic point around him in a phantasmagoric manner. In the short narrative “ A Very Old adult male with Enormous Wingss, ” Garcia introduces a adult male with feathery wings that may be considered an angel by characters in the narrative. Garcia have seen his fatherland, Colombia, put through violent rebellions and political battles and this makes him no alien to tactics, gambits and force that is normally associated with political discord, hence he uses this background as secret plans in some of his narratives. In this narrative, human behaviour is analyzed by character ‘s violent inclinations every bit good as presentation of how authorization can damage freedom of look. It appears that his positions are political, with characters exposing inhumane behaviour and really strong charming pragmatism in his literary component, particularly in the narrative “ A Very Old Man with Enormous Wingss. ”\n\nIn this narrative, a villager by the name of Pelayo finds an old adult male with big wings on his belongings after he went to dispose of some pediculosis pubis that had overran his pace. He and his married woman affect other small town members in their quest to happen out who or what this old adult male truly is. After it was established that the old adult male was an angel by the small town, the small town priest tried to utilize assorted tactics at his disposal to authenticate this while funny people from all about came to see the winged old adult male. Pelayo and his married woman Elisenda became rich after bear downing people to see the winged old adult male who they kept in a poulet henhouse. Peoples expected miracles of which the old adult male seems to execute some, though indirectly. Finally the wonder ebbs when a carnival comes to the small town. In this carnival was a adult female who was turned into a big spider because she went to a dance against her parent ‘s wants. Old ages passed before the old adult male with wings, who lived with Pelayo and his married woman in their new house, gained adequate strength and height to merely merely wing off in the distance one twenty-four hours.\n\nIn many literary circles, Garcia ‘s bent for construction in the life of the characters in his narratives helps readers to understand the true kernel of ‘magical pragmatism. ‘ As a kid turning up in Aracataca, Colombia, his grandma and aunts told him many narratives of local myths that seemed to take the immature Garcia to different degrees of human enterprises. His gramps besides told him narratives of the Colombian Civil War which Garcia grew to love, particularly when it appears the immature Garcia seemed to believe fantasy elements and world can entwine. In the really rubric of the narrative, “ An Very Old Man with Enormous Wingss, ” ( 319 ) readers are introduced and rather intrigued as to what this could perchance be. This is where Garcia means to present an entity that as a adult male, readers can link with, but the add-on of ‘Enormous Wingss, ‘ seems to bespeak many facets of what this adult male is, viz. an angel. Angels in some faiths are known to hold wings, the wings are normally proportionate to their organic structures – here Garcia uses “ Enormous ” which may bespeak this ‘angel ‘ has great importance, or may hold a profound consequence on characters in the narrative. This narrative is set in a small town and since Garcia grew up in a small town, most of the narrative ‘s scene is patterned after small town life ( no hustling and bustling of large metropolis life ) which contributes to readers ‘ connexion with the cardinal characters, the old adult male, Pelayo and Elisa. This connexion with the characters and the scene is foremost established here:\n\nHe had to travel really near to see that it was an old adult male, a really old adult male, lying face\n\ndown in the clay, who, in malice of his enormous attempts, could n’t acquire up, im-\n\npeded by his tremendous wings. ( 320 )\n\nGarcia brings readers into a universe that as the narrative unfolds ; the ‘fantasy component ‘ becomes realistic when the narrative ‘s images are reinforced with logical actions and emotions. A adult male lying face down in clay is non one of beatific grace, but normally signifies a derelict or person who may me ache, yet the old adult male has wings! In Genevieve Slomski ‘s article analysis, she indicates: “ In the concluding analysis, the text offers no rational account for the puzzling adult male. ” Garcia did non stipulate the old adult male was an existent angel, but by utilizing characters such as the neighbour who Pelayo and his married woman foremost called to happen out what the old adult male was all about: ‘ ” He ‘s an angel, ” she told them. ‘ ( 320 ) , readers are led to believe the supporter is an angel.\n\nGarcia became influenced by literary greats like William Faulkner, Franz Kafka, Joseph Conrad, and Ernest Hemingway, but by the clip he wrote the narrative “ A Very Old Man with Enormous Wingss, ” in 1968, he was already an established author in the Latin American communities of the universe. His manner of composing led to him being known in literary circles as one of the laminitiss of the ‘Magical Realism. ‘ The manner he mixes imaginativeness and world in this peculiar narrative suggests a adult male whose head at least knows no human boundaries. Most of his literary parts to the universe are non like this, ironically. His works largely included political issues, societal commentaries, unknoting awful political secret plans and tactics and every bit mentioned before inhumane behaviour society sometimes demo towards each other that he has lived through. This may take some readers to inquire why he changed to the charming pragmatism that is portrayed in this peculiar narrative “ A Very Old Man with Enormous Wingss. ” Harmonizing to an essay in Magill ‘s Survey of World Literature, Revised Edition that was written by Jean C. Fulton on Garcia ‘s life, Garcia was quoted as stating “ Style is determined by capable, by the temper of the times. ” Does this stress that he may travel in a different way with each narrative he writes, because his temper may swing? This statement surely does bespeak that, and based on other narratives by Garcia that may non embrace charming pragmatism, e.g. political undertones, natural and grittiness, as portrayed in narratives like “ This Town of Shit, ” and “ One Hundred Old ages of Solitude, ” it can be assessed that Garcia ‘s head was in a phantasmagoric universe at the clip he wrote “ A Very Old Man with Enormous Wingss. ” Garcia was good known to be intrigued with William Faulkner ‘s manner of making his childhood into fabulous yesteryear. This may hold led to Garcia composing this peculiar narrative, but the two manners do non portion a batch in common. Garcia besides has a bent for casting visible radiation on people who seemed to hold more bad lucks than success in their being:\n\nThe most unfortunate shut-ins on Earth came in hunt of wellness: a hapless adult female\n\nwho since childbearing had been numbering her pulses and had ran out of num-\n\nbersaˆ¦ . ( 322 )\n\nCould this be the consequence of some of the atrociousnesss he saw the banana workers experienced when he was really immature? While it may be difficult to reply, readers can theorize that Garcia manner of composing in relation to “ A Very Old Man with Enormous Wingss ” may “ do readers to believe in footings of symbolic narrative, parable, and fable, ” harmonizing to Ronald E. McFarland in his work in Surveies in Short Fiction ; Fall 92, Vol. 29, p 551. It would look that Garcia had more in common with characters like these than people of higher position. The neighbour adult female that was one of the first after Pelayo and Elisandro found the old adult male with wings momently took attending off from the supporter “ Against the judgement of the wise neighbour adult female, for whom angels in those times were fleeting subsisters of a heavenly conspiracyaˆ¦ ” ( 320-21 ) here is a character that would that had no ‘official ‘ station ( other than being a neighbour ) but advises the twosome to make injury to the old adult male. Why? The transition indicates she believes he may be a Fallen Angel and they likely deserve no human commiseration. Father Gonzaga, the small town priest, rather perchance shared the same sentiments as the neighbour adult female for the old adult male. This is the debut by Garcia of a individual of position, one who represented faith, but doubted the belief of the people that the old adult male was an angel. The old adult male was being treated inhumanely, yet the priest did nil much to relieve his state of affairs “ He was lying in a corner drying his unfastened wings in the sunshine among the fruit Peels and breakfast leftovers that the early risers had thrown him. ” ( 321 ) Garcia ‘s commonalty here was when he was in college in his younger old ages, he wandered the streets of Bogota hanging with some societal misfits, even though they belonged to some kind of literary circle. Garcia is trying to convey to illume in “ A Very Old Man with Enormous Wingss ” that persons who are different are non treated the same as one would handle a neighbour, an associate or another fellow homo being from the same environment. The characters that were considered different like the old man- the acrobat with wings that looked more like a sidereal chiropteran, the carnival adult female that had the signifier of a spider, etc. , were meant rather perchance by Garcia to deviate readers inquisitiveness as to what the old adult male truly was and his existent intent.\n\nReading the narrative for the first clip may convey incomprehensiveness to readers because of the characters and the functions they seem to play in the subject of the narrative. Is Garcia seeking to direct a message to readers with this fable? It was already established that charming pragmatism in the mid 60 ‘s was going a norm in literary circles, so Garcia ‘s purpose when he wrote and had the narrative published was to alarm readers to pay close attending to regulations and ordinances when they are applied to happenings that may look unnatural, despite his logical thinking that his narratives reflect the tempers he was in when he was composing them.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9928930997848511}
{"content": "I traded with painting with one from Tamara Waite-Santibanezfrom Three Kings Tattoo! I was inspired by the Viking tales of Odin riding his 8-legged horse Sleipnir through the sky. People used to believe when sudden storms would roll in or a violent wind blew, it was Odin riding over head on a ‘wild hunt’. This was painted with FW inks, white guash and masking fluid, although I did try Talons drawing ink in some areas of the background and I found it very opaque.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.681728720664978}
{"content": "Vehicle Weight Transfer and Load Transfer\n\n\nWhat are the effects of weight transfer? How can you reduce load transfer in a vehicle? Ideally, you want to keep tires evenly loaded so the car can hold the highest lateral or longitudinal loads. This relates back to tire load sensitivity. By altering a vehicle's center of gravity, wheelbase, and track, you can alter the load transfer characteristics of the vehicle.\n\nRelated Videos:\n50/50 Weight Distribution -\nDeriving Slip Angle -\nSlip Angles -\nUndersteer vs Oversteer -\nTraction Circle -\nTire Load Sensitivity -\n\nPlease feel free to rate, comment, and subscribe!\nAnd don't forget to check out my Facebook page:\n\nTo help create more videos, check out my Patreon page!\n\nAlso check out my official website: Make suggestions, learn through logically ordered lessons, read FAQs, and plan your future!\n\nAlso on Twitter:\n\n\nVideo Automotive berikutnya\n\nTentang video ini\n\nDurasi 08:00\nDirilis 6 Okt 2015\nKejuaraan Automotive", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9718151092529297}
{"content": "Category Archives: Consulting\n\nEthics and Recruiting Business: The Problem of Using Invalid Research\n\nUnited States Supreme Court building in Washin...\nThe Supreme Court\n\nAn  I/O psychologist working as a personnel consultant for a local industry has success in recruiting new business for a consulting practice; then, presents work done in a report of positive changes through employee retention for companies using the approaches designed by the consultant to achieve ROI for consulting services and further understands that business people identify with numbers. In a scenario such as this, does advertising and promoting the successful results and approach without scientifically validated research create a ethical caveat that will potentially create an ethical dilemma?\n\nProblem Identification\n\nAdvertising Service within the Boundaries of Competence.\n\nThe idea of a psychology professional promoting, advertising, making claims of outcome based upon a particular modality or treatment has the flavor of a multi-level marketing strategy. It raises a question about what is appropriate in making a presentation to a prospective organization seeking services from an I/O psychologist.\n\nWhat are the issue at stake when promoting services that are within the bounds of competency and professional ethic? The specific area that the example calls to attention is how an organizational consulting psychology practitioner represents professional services offered.  One specific issue which is an underlying consideration is, Principle C: Integrity (Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct 2010) which addresses a Kantian maxim (Ford p.63) which could be express as a self evident truth in the practice of personnel psychology. Therefore, it should be rationally understood that honesty, integrity, and using deceptive practices to enhance business are clearly a breach of ethical practice, but has occurred in the case example.\n\nThe question of how to address the issue is the question that is the object of interest in a resolution of the matter of what has happened.  One answer to address how to respond to the dilemma is inherent within the problem solving approach and code of ethic for psychologist.  Maybe, a more important issue is how to prevent unethical breaches might be better addressed by appealing by giving consideration to, 2.01 Boundaries of Competence (Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct 2010) in how practitioners are provided professional training.\n\nProblem Focus\n\nCompetence in Connecting Research to Scientifically Validated Outcomes.\n\nThe code is specific in directing attention to the fact that, “Psychologists provide services, teach, and conduct research with populations and in areas only within the boundaries of their competence, based on their education, training, supervised experience, consultation, study, or professional experience” (Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct 2010).  If a reverse outline were constructed of the case example, what would be demonstrated is the use of invalid research statistics used to enhance the ability of the instruments used by the practitioner to achieve results in “employee retention” (Ford p. 193) has no empirical basis.\n\nThe fact that this information is used in a spurious manner is an indication of either intentional dishonest, or simply not understanding the ethical implications of how research data is to used in an ethical manner.  A rationale for understanding what should be done is expressed in Evidence Based on Test Content, “ Important evidence can be obtained from an analysis between a test’s content and the construct it is intended to measure” (2008, p. 11). As well as using evidence based testing approaches, a level of competency should be evident in post graduate certification to administer and interpret test results.\n\nProcess Rationale\n\nFocusing on Competencies Rather than Ideology.\n\nTherefore, to address the particular dilemma indicates that psychologist/consultant necessitates developing the ability necessary for problem solving by:\n\nfocusing on competencies or “end states,” rather than specific course work requirements to be included in an academic curriculum, the developers of the Principles have acknowledged the reality that competence in any given area may be achieved through a variety of avenues, such as course work, supervised practice, apprenticeships, or seminars and workshops, to name but a few (Fuqua).\n\nConsequently, identifying the ethical problems and developing outcomes that will bring the necessary competency will require the practicing psychology consultant to submit to a competency development process that builds upon existing expertise through restricting activity to areas of competency and developing areas that require expertise prior to representing service outcomes.\n\n\nEthical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct 2010. (n.d.). Retrieved August 29, 2010, from Amercan Psychological Association:\n\nFord, G. (2006). Ethical reasoning for mental health professionals. Thousand Oaks, California, USA: Sage Publications.\n\nFuqua, D. &. Academic perspectives on the principles for training in consulting psychology. . Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research , 54 (4), 223-232. doi:10.1037/1061-4087.54.4.223.\n\nStandards for educational and psychological testing. (2008). Washington, D.C., USA: American Educational Research Association.\n\n\nEthics, Consulting, Fees and Billing: The Problem of Unexpected Expenses\n\nAn I/O consultant providing consultation services looks at consulting proposal and gives an estimate of services to be provided based upon a careful analysis of time and resources required to complete the company’s employment recruiting program.  However, after the initial interview with the HR staff, it is discovered that the process will be much more labor intensive than had been projected.  Feeling that it would be unethical to submit a bill for an amount to cover additional cost, the decision is made to absorb the cost. (Ford, 2006, p. 199)\n\nAnalyzing key ethical principles of the case that raises important questions about financial benefit that might impinge upon decision making and poses the question about what constitutes ethical behavior within a consulting role in this situation. This example presents a common problem that consultants might be faced with and presents a challenge to identify what issues are of concern and understand what the correct course of response may be when unexpected issues have an impact upon fees increasing.  How can the problem should be handled ethically?\n\nThe problem\n\nThe problem that is presented is whether it is ethical to change payment or billing amounts after discovering that a situation in a consult is more complicated after the fact. Narrowing the problem to an identifiable question redirects attention to asking what the code of ethics says about payment for services: 6.04 Fees and Financial Arrangements which states, “(a) As early as is feasible in a professional or scientific relationship, psychologists and recipients of psychological services reach an agreement specifying compensation and billing arrangements” (Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct 2010).  One fundamental problem that is not answered in the study is whether or not informed consent is a part of the financial agreement for services. In 10.01 Informed Consent to Therapy, the stipulation is made that:\n\n(a) psychologists inform clients/patients as early as is feasible in the therapeutic relationship about the nature and anticipated course of therapy, fees, involvement of third parties, and limits of confidentiality and provide sufficient opportunity for the client/patient to ask questions and receive answers (Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct 2010).\n\nAs a result to make a decision, hypothetically there needs to be a Q&A with the consultant to determine if informed consent has been used and has the terms and course of the services for therapeutic services been accurately developed, presented, and an opportunity to a proposed plan of treatment to be executed.  A further problem that seems to be present is that only an estimation of anticipated cost has been given which may point to a competency issue in analysis of proposed services.\n\nA Process\n\nA recommendation that might prevent this situation is to make an attempt to be as thorough as possible in the preparation of informed consent documents that represent as accurately as possible the scope and terms of services rendered.  Another approach is to use an open clause in the process that stipulates what is understood to be a reasonable course of action and a disclaimer which allows the informed consent to have an addendum to services based upon research findings.  In the event that services are beyond reasonable limits for a client, then the practitioner has to make a value decision in how to proceed with consulting responsibilities.  In a question of feasibility of service, one question is centered in the general Principle B: Fidelity and Responsibility and Principle C: Integrity that may demonstrate a potential conflict in the Principle A: Beneficence and Nonmaleficence (Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct 2010). Consequently, a decision must be evaluated in respect to the matter of whether the services offered can be provided at an optimum level that guards the principle of doing no harm, while providing services for the agreed terms.\n\n\n\n\nRelated Articles\n\nEthics, Theory Construction, and Compliance\n\nCover of \"The APA Dictionary of Psycholog...\nCover of The APA Dictionary of Psychology\n\nEthics and Compliance\n\nThe APA Dictionary of Psychology (2007) defines the IRB as the, “abbreviation for INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD” (VandenBos) which quite honestly was not a term in my vocabulary before I began the PhD program. As it relates to the content area of  research in multicultural ethics, Ford (2006) establishes a connection between Ethics, Values, and Theory Construction, by stating, “Behavioral research is generally conducted to test specific hypothesis arising from psychological theories” which posits a corollary construct between what has been written in theory to what is done in practice for researchers. Therefore, and assumption is made that compliance lies somewhere between the theoretical didache of research and the utility found in the real life experience of practice.\n\nOne of the challenges that can be identified in the work of researchers is balance.  In a psychological research program the task is is to find common ground for the work of research within the ethical constructs of acceptable ethical principles is found in ethical codes, philosophical assumptions, and application of acceptable norms. Therefore, there are principles to guide the work of ethical research. The principles found in the code of ethics reflect generally accepted and identifiable area where violations can be possible.  Within the principles there are philosophical assumption that are expressed in way principle address concerns.  The intent is to speak to the needs of people who are made of diverse populations and cultural representations  Principles inform problem solving approaches with information to clarify reason and develop approaches to clarify what “should”or “ought” to be done in resolving a conflict.\n\nThe defining task is to identify the challenge and provide an assumptive reasoning that describes a process that is indicated; given that all things are equal in a perfect world.  The process describes the fundamental thinking process that guide understanding involved which calls attention to an underlying area of competence for psychological research, expressed in a design resolve a conflict.  Therefore, what is contained in a formula for response declares the basic principles that are a concerned couple with assumptions about how value is expressed in rank of importance i.e., the code of ethics, meaning, and intent of the ethical code.  In addition, the theoretical connection of what research means to the study of psychology is also firmly established in being able to understand, articulate, and connect the philosophical assumptions that inform ethical decisions in a reflective process that connects the philosophy to the lived experience of the researcher in psychology.  Ford (2006) describes the impact of the process upon the outcome of research by saying, “Researcher’s personal values might affect not only what issues they study, but also how they evaluate the evidence (i.e., data) they obtain” (p. 222)  As a result, the challenge can be understood in a development of a response that is informed not only by principles of facts, but also by the dynamic relationship of a developing interaction of the person and values of the researcher upon the object and persons involved in research.\n\nUltimately, the buck must stop somewhere in decision making and that is where the determination is made to determine what is acceptable.  In Ford (2006), suitable standards are decided by, the IRB [who] is the official entity that reviews research proposals involving human participants to determine whether the studies are ethically acceptable” (223).  Therefore, the challenge that is present for researchers is to maintain diligence in understanding, evaluation, and application of acceptable, normative approaches to guarantee that participants are not endangered or harmed in the implementation of research in the practice of psychological inquiry.\n\nThe challenge of psychologists in maintaining fidelity to the principle of Principle A: Beneficence and Nonmaleficence (Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct 2010) is how to respond with a meaningful thoughtful method of evaluating a broad range of possible ethical area of concern.  The principle places emphasis upon a need to utilize a thought process that utilizes a provisional review process that focuses upon principle, process, and potential.  An important component to the research done by psychologist is to engage in research that is based in a scientific validation process  which establishes empirical credibility to research.  In addition having a theoretical approach to validate ethical balance, provides a foundation that enhances evidence based approach to the methodology in the work of research.\n\nThis can is realized within populations, groups, or individual to whom measuring risk is a very subjective process. Therefore, because there are times when ethical responses are difficult to measure, “researchers (and IRB’s) have an ethical obligation to calibrate the standards that will qualify a ‘minimal risk’” (225) which places a process in hand that goes beyond principle, philosophy and personal values, to a consensus of ideas and opinion which adds validity to apply what is known, understood and believed into a cogent and reasonable argument that is well supported.\n\nWhat is observable and knowable about Ethics, theory construction, and compliance is that the code of ethics does in deed provide principle that can address a significant number of ethical concern, philosophical systems of thought can provide a rationale for decision making, but compliance is not always a clearly defined issue when dealing with areas that the code and philosophies do not adequately address to protect participants from harm.  So the value that is offered by the IRB is that it adds another voice that is constructed of expertise in the field of research that can ask the questions that can provide substantive consideration to what is in the best interest of research among psychology professionals\n\n\n\n\nVandenBos, G. R. (Ed.). (2007). APA dictionary of psychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.\n\nThe Ethics of Psychology and Christainity in Review of a Theoretical Orientation\n\nThe Influence of Theoretical Orientation, Vision, and Values     The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary\n\nDoes the way a theoretical orientation, conceptual vision, and underlying values are possessed have a potential to become an ethical dilemma for a practitioner? The simplest approach to an  answer is to consider how core values have impact decision making processes. Every practitioner is an individual holding  a set of value contained in an orientation that is a part of how decisions are made personally and professionally that express individual person-hood. An example of how personal values have an influence can be illustrated in the evangelical Christian value system which is a minority view among psychologists. For those who hold this point of view, it is reasonable to believe that beliefs held will encounter resistance from some traditional perspectives in the field of psychology.  This potential conflict is noted by Meyer (1988) who describes how psychology programs respond to Christian applicants:\n\nStudies have shown that the religious population, particularly in the traditional institutional sense, is underrepresented in the profession of psychology (Malony, 1972; Ragan, Malony, & Beit-Hallahmi, 1976; Shafranske & Gorsuch, 1984). Gartner (1986) found evidence of an “antireligious prejudice” in admissions to doctoral programs in clinical psychology after sending mock applications to graduate programs (p. 486). What is apparent is that there may be a correlation between religious orientation and acceptance into graduate psychology programs.\n\nIf it is true that a bias exists against those who hold certain religious perspectives, a potential conflict may be present in the way candidates in the process of applying for graduate programs face disqualification which may indicate a larger issue of  general attitudes about religious issue in counseling setting.  What is apparent is that there is a noticeable gap in how religious orientation is viewed from traditionally held psychological perspective that may be affecting how the delivery of competent training is cited in this research. An a area of concern that is raised in how will those trained in an atmosphere of bias be adequately be considered competent to provide services to those who make up a a religious culture of clients when appropriate education, training, and ethical development is not represented.\n\nThere may be a mythology held by some in psychological education which minimizes religion as a non issue while maximizing scientific approaches as maximum intellectual truth.  The result informs an attitude that posits beliefs and values thought to be scientific as accepted principles for determining how religious people will be treated in matters related to faith.  As a result, the anti-religious sentiment represented establishes an ethical norm systematically imposed upon professional practice through training—educating of graduate students.\n\nOne way the disparity can be approached is by providing a reasonable approach to addressing religious issues. Then, determining what ethical issues and which principles may be relative to understanding the disparity. Identifying the philosophical assumptions is the foundation of understanding  for where the source of conflict is created.  Four key assumptions relating to ethical research are, ontological, epistemological, axiological, and methodological (2010, p. 4)\n\nBoth perspective have one fixed reality—ontological, possess an assumption about how truth is sourced—epistemology, emphasis upon certain values—axiology, and a rationale for how decisions are made—methodology. While both would claim to use a scientific approach that is based upon a particular empiricism, the source of conflict is a fundamentally different epistemology. When the question of where truth comes is asked for a Christian the answer is from God, or specifically what is known in a scientific study of theology about God.  For the secular theorist a philosophy of how truth is determined is either Kant’s formalistic rationalism, a utilitarian best case scenario, situational relativity, or contextual ethics.   One holds a Theo-centric epistemology while the other holds an anthropocentric-person, experience centered as a  locus of truth.  Therefore, what is reasonably assumed to be true and translated as a value is what each acts from.  In the same way that cultures differ in beliefs, mores’, and values, cultures, peoples, and races must be understood in context with ethically appropriate behaviors. The disparity that is seen in under-representation and bias among graduate schools indicate a potential ethical complexity and a potential for conflict in inadequate understanding, training, and representations to enable higher levels of competence.\n\nProviding a rationale with support for the ethical conflict can be found within ethical codes prescribed by professional organizations.   Using a problem solving approach to resolve the potential conflict leads to B.1. Respecting Client Rights B.1.a. Multicultural/Diversity Considerations (2005, p. 7) and  2.01 Boundaries of Competence:\n\nPsychologists provide services… within the boundaries of their competence, based on their education, training, supervised experience, consultation, study, or professional experience … [with] understanding of factors associated with age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, or socioeconomic status is essential for effective implementation of their services or research (Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct 2010).\n\nBased upon the principles expressed, the central question raised related to competency.  Is a therapist who was trained in an educational environment that is under-represented, described with a  bias against the culture of conservative religion, reasonably assumed to be competent and comply with the ethical code’s principle of competence?  If the answer is presumed to be negative, what is apparent is that there is an ethical dilemma and the counselor will be challenged to find ways to ethically,  professionally, and competently address a significantly represented cultural group who are underrepresented in multicultural training.\n\n\n\n\nMeyer, M. (1988). Ethical principles of psychologists and religious diversity. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice , 19 (5), 486-488. doi:10.1037/0735-7028.19.5.486.\n\nPhD Weekend experience SOSBS T2. (2010). Minneapolis, MN, USA: Capella University.\n\nThe ACA Code of Ethics. (2005). Retrieved October 1, 2009, from\n\nAdjust Your Focus So You Can See Clearly\n\nOut of Focus Picture\n\nOne of the great difficulties that leaders experience is the inability to change when it is necessary to stay vital and continue to experience success. One leadership principle that John Maxwell teaches in The Twenty One Laws of Leadership is that an organization cannot grow higher than the level of leadership at the top. He calls this the leadership lid. Does it seem like your organization is stuck; like someone has put a lid on the top and things have plateaued? It may be that the organization has grown as high as it can go because of the level of leadership it has. One of the reasons that organizations do not grow is because the leader has not been growing and as a result, both the leader and the organization are stuck in a complacent rut of ineffectiveness: everything is out of focus. Staying focused is difficult when you aim is off. One way to stay on track is by keeping a narrow focus. “…pressing towards the mark…” narrowing the focus to define what will be done. It is easy to look around and find someone to blame when things are not going well, but maybe the place to look is in the mirror and realize that when an organization is having difficulty that the answer may be that it is a leadership problem. One of the reasons we fall of track, so often, is that distractions, circumstances, and life change the center of our everyday world. The result is that organizations and leadership gets out of focus.\n\nIf there is one thing that will help leaders to continue to be successful, what would that be? People may have many different opinions, but the one defining truth is that leaders must continue to learn, grow, and develop their selves to maintain vitality. Learning to adapt to change is a requisite for leading in today’s leader. Talent Management Perspectives reports that, “Against the backdrop of an ever-changing global business environment and unstable economic conditions, it’s no longer sufficient for leaders to embrace the status-quo …”The organization has to lead change, rapid change. The environment is changing — someone’s inventing something before you expect it or something is collapsing in front of your eyes …’”It’s becoming much more important to deal with change and creativity and innovation and speed and nimbleness,” she said. “Those are part of producing the results; you have to pay attention to those factors”’ ( It may be that leaders have a lot of information at their disposal, but knowing how to use the information and where to apply change in style, strategy, and innovation will define how leadership will be applied in the context of change.\n\nPersonal growth and development are indications of a leaders potential for success. The moment you stop growing, you stop leading. All leaders are learners because there is no growth without change and there is no change without being flexible. When a leader stops growing, he/she becomes inflexible. Effectiveness can be measured in terms of predispositions and attitudes toward having never done it that way before. If the attitude is maintained that, “I want to lead the way I used to lead, the way I’ve always led” is maintained, then yesterdays methods will only yield results in yesterday’s constructs. The attitudes and skills that brought you to this point in your leadership are not going to take you to the future. New problems require new solutions. New situations require new attitudes. New difficulties and new opportunities require new skills and new attitudes. What brought you this far and made you a success – that’s why success creates inability to manage new ideas and challenges, because the rules are forever changing.\n\nThe root behind resistance to change is fear. There are times when fear paralyzes forward movement: I don’t want to change because I’m afraid of loss–I’ve done it this way and I feel comfortable with it. Therefore what am I going to lose if I do ministry in a new way? The root is the fear of change. Whenever you find yourself resisting a new way of doing something, or defending the status quo or striving simply to repeat the past because it worked last, it may be that there is a danger of terminal failure. What’s the key to overcoming this trap in leadership? The antithesis is to never stop developing. Never stop developing your skills, your character, your perspective, your vision, your heart, and what you bring to your leadership.\n\nSkill brings success. You may be dedicated to what you are doing, but if development of the necessary skills is not occurring, the tools you have may not fit a new situation. A farming analogy might be: you can’t use a corn harvester on a wheat field, a cotton picker in an apple orchard. The tools that are used have to match the context, culture, organization, people that you are working within. Consequently, if learning stops then the axiom, that people tend to rise to their level of incompetence and then they get stuck there, kicks in and drives what will happen.\n\nStaying On Target\n\nTargetIt’s no secret that the economy is failing and businesses and organizations will fail also. Edison said “I have not failed. I’ve  found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Perspective about negative factors affects what strategies are used to respond to what is happening in organizations today. One response is to allow negativity to stimulate a reactive behavior pattern or to understand what is happening as an opportunity to create change that enables success.\n\nDescribe the niche, market, purpose drives what is trying to be done. Putting behaviors in context with the reason for existence provides a understandable way of understanding why certain action are taken and what is trying to be achieved. In coaching baseball it has been suggested that returning to fundamentals will result in a good game being played. It may be that the team may not always win, but it is an efficient way to evaluate performance in times that are constantly. When there is no understanding what you are trying to do, it yields a zero in productivity.\n\nDevelop those who are on the team to increase potential. One way to create positive change in an organization is to identify those who have the greatest potential. Developing those can be most effective is never a mistake. In fact, it strengthens our position. John Maxwell says that an organization only grows as high as the level of those in leadership.Leading others to create success is multiplied when an investment is made developing the team. It is wonderful when a star player is at the top, but it’s the team that carries the ball and how well they play their position is determined by what is invested in development.\n\nDeploy efforts to a clear target. The bull’s eye can never be hit if the sights are off. It may be that with a changing economic market that focus needs to be adjusted. Evaluation is critical to having success in a changing climate. An axiom that demonstrates this is: “if you keep doing what you are doing, you will keep getting what you are getting.” Changing times mean that needs change and may indicate refocusing,finding a new target,or maybe just readjusting the sights.\n\nDetermine to be disciplined. Every athlete that is successful is someone who has talent, but also someone who has discipline. It is easy to get sloppy when things get difficult, but there are some things that can be done to improve results. The discipline of accountability; people only do what is inspected. If this true for others, it is true for us also– honest evaluation enables success. The discipline of reward: celebrating achievement gets a better response than criticizing behavior. The discipline of stress management: if you don’t take care of yourself, no one else will. Knowing what to do is an important step to take towards success, but the results will not come until you do what you know to do.\n\nEveryone understands that there are challenges to be met in the present state of the economy, but putting your head in the sand will not result in anything, only getting sand in your ears. Staying on target means thinking like an entrepreneur not an employee and looking outside of the box to see what can be done to stay viable and productive.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9627949595451355}
{"content": "Champlain College Online Student Stories: Leslie\n\nLeslie had been out of school for forty years when she enrolled in Champlain College Online. A small business owner for almost two decades, she decided to pursue a new career, but after going on her first interview, she realized despite her years of work experience, she did not have the credentials or skills needed to be truly successful in a corporate atmosphere. However, she was hired nonetheless, and her new employer happened to be a truED Alliance partner. When she learned about the program, which enables employees of Champlain partner organizations to pursue their degrees for significantly reduced tuition rates, she reached out to Champlain College right away to apply and complete her degree online.\n\nWhile Leslie says she would have made the choice to finish her degree whether or not she had access to the truED benefit, she does acknowledge how easy the truED program made it for her to make the decision, and that it motivated her to get started sooner rather than later. She said it was as simple as saying one day, \"I've decided to go back to school,\" reaching out to one of our admissions reps, and after her application was submitted, within a day or two, being registered to start classes just a few weeks later.\n\n\n\"I can't say enough how fabulous Champlain has been and how the online program has just played so well into my life and can do so much for so many people.\"\n\n\nLeslie was able to maximize transfer credits from prior educational experiences, even though they were decades old, and thus was able to complete her Bachelor's in Integrated Studies in just two short years as a part-time student while also working full-time. As a working professional, attending on-campus classes would have been a challenge, so the fact that Champlain offered high-quality online courses was a big factor in her decision to enroll: she loved the fact that she could work all day, then come home and take her classes when it was convenient for her. She liked that she could work at her own pace, and had the option to take one class or multiple per semester depending on her situation.\n\nGoing into her degree program, Leslie's biggest fear was that her lack of experience with computers was going to be an obstacle to her success. She wasn't sure if her computer skills were going to be strong enough to allow her to attend classes completely online, but she relied on the support team in place to assist Champlain College Online students, from advisors to technical support, and found that they were always willing to help her out and teach her what she needed to know. She credits her Champlain experience with greatly improving her computer skills, which are a necessity for working in today's technology-driven world.\n\nWhile she enjoyed her classwork, she also acknowledges that her courses were challenging on many levels. Above all, they require you to be very organized, and to make the time commitment necessary to do well. Leslie found success in setting aside a minimum of a couple of hours every night to attend classes, and spending time on assignments and on preparation for the week ahead during the weekends. She notes that work and life commitments always threaten to get in the way, so it's important to be disciplined and stick to a schedule to make sure everything gets done. It helped that she genuinely enjoyed and looked forward to the discussions that arose on the course message boards, and felt as though she got to know her classmates and became friends with them despite being in a virtual classroom.\n\nLeslie has found that, since completing her degree program, she's gained more confidence in her abilities in using computers and other technology, in presenting herself in interviews, and in communicating with colleagues. She also believes that, because they were so applicable to her day-to-day work, the classes that she took will allow her to move ahead in her new field and achieve professional success. Leslie was so motivated and inspired by her Champlain College experience that, once she completed her undergraduate degree, she applied for and was accepted to the online Master's in Human Relations and Organizational Development degree program, which she will begin this fall.\n\nComing out of her program, Leslie is truly appreciative of the truED program and Champlain College Online, which are giving so many people the chance to finish their college degrees after long periods away from the classroom, like her, or starting out for the first time.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9338553547859192}
{"content": "вход по аккаунту\n\n\nкод для вставки\nOptical properties\nD 6000\nSyntheses, Band Structures and Optical Properties of Zn3B2O6 and KZn4B3O9.\nThe title compounds are synthesized by known high temperature solution reactions\n22- 009 —\nand their structures are determined by single crystal XRD. Zn3B2O6 crystallizes in the\nmonoclinic space group C2/c with Z = 8 and KZn4B3O9 in the monoclinic space group\nP2/c with Z = 2. The UV/VIS diffuse reflection and fluorescence spectra of both compounds are given. DFT calculations show that both compounds are isolators with direct\nband gaps. The calculated total and partial density of states indicate that the top valence\nbands are contributions from the mixings of O-2p, B-2p and Zn-3d states and low conduction bands mostly originate from Zn-4s states. The B—O bonds are purely covalent\nand Zn—O bonds are mostly ionic. The calculated optical response functions indicate\nthat these two compounds have light transmission widths from the near UV to the IR\nregion, and the average refractive indices are 1.41 and 1.39 for Zn3B2O6 and KZn4B3O9,\nrespectively. — (CHEN, D.-G.; CHENG*, W.-D.; WU, D.-S.; ZHANG, H.; ZHANG,\nY.-C.; GONG, Y.-J.; KAN, Z.-G.; Solid State Sci. 7 (2005) 2, 179-188; State Key Lab.\nStruct. Chem., Fujian Inst. Res. Struct. Matter, Chin. Acad. Sci., Fujian, Fuzhou\n350002, Peop. Rep. China; Eng.) — Schramke\nБез категории\nРазмер файла\n10 Кб\nПожаловаться на содержимое документа", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.997467577457428}
{"content": "In the last week of January the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) initiated stakeholder consultation regarding an initiative to explore the sale of Environmental Attributes (EAs) that it holds pursuant to the contracts it has with suppliers of electricity. This rather sudden policy development appears to be the result of direction from the provincial government that will likely be reflected in a formal “Direction” from the Minister of Energy to the OPA in the near future.\n\nThe OPA has, through its various agreements with suppliers of renewable and other power, been gathering EAs over the last several years. In fact, until this recent change in direction it has taken the general position that it would not negotiate the terms related to EAs in its contracts nor would it consider divesting itself of the EAs or any rights related to them. While there are a number of reasons for the OPA’s position, principle among them has likely been the inability to determine a reliable value of attribution to EAs.\n\n“Environmental Attribute” is defined in OPA contracts for the purchase of power in Ontario. The definition includes interests or rights related arising out of attributes or characteristics relating to the environmental impacts associated with the generation facility in question. In includes, but is not limited to, carbon offsets, renewable energy certificates and other credits related to emissions from facilities.\n\nIn reaching out to stakeholders in January the OPA began a conversation with those with interests and experience with EAs in Ontario in order to more completely understand market dynamics related to the definition and value of EAs as well as to gather feedback on the concept of using, and procurement of, a Program Manager in order to enter the EA market as a vendor.\n\nNumerous issues need to be considered by the OPA in embarking on this initiative. There is little understanding at this point of time what exactly the OPA owns as well as the quantity and quality of those “things”. Additionally, thought will need to be given to what mechanism to use for the sale of the products as well how they are registered, tracked and audited.\n\nOne of the most significant limitations described by the OPA is the current position of the Government that EAs sold must be retired within the province of Ontario. Specifically, the OPA has advised stakeholders that EAs shall not be traded into other markets or used to offset emissions. The OPA is seeking information from stakeholders on how it is expected that such a limitation would impact the value of the EAs being sold. Stakeholders have pointed out that value would be negatively effected by such restrictions. It remains to be seen whether such input will result in a change of this position.\n\nIt appears that the approach currently favoured by the OPA is to competitively procure a Program Manager to sell EAs on its behalf into the voluntary market over a time limited pilot period (proposed as being 18 months). Under this approach a single entity would procure a certain volume of EAs (a small portion of those held by the OPA) and share revenues for any EAs sold above the original bid/purchase price.\n\nThe OPA is seeking comments on this proposal by February 7th, 2011.\n\nWhat has changed to motivate the development of this program is not entirely clear. The sale of EAs is not required as a result of the FIT or other programs any more than it was before, nor are market conditions so favourable as to make this a commercial imperative (to maximize value for the ratepayers of the province). There are those who are suggesting that the coming provincial fall election and the rising price of power may have had a role in the timing of the initiative.\n\n\nWhile it is unclear exactly what all the impacts of the sale of EAs will be for power suppliers with contracts with the OPA, there may be requirements for additional information to support the OPAs quantification and quality management of the EAs it plans to sell. The power sector will need to watch the developments related to this initiative carefully as it proceeds.\n\nThe other group stakeholders that will have a keen interest in the outcome of the OPAs deliberations will be the potential purchasers of EAs. Given the absence of a compliance regime in Ontario for most EAs, and the stated mandate of the OPA to sell into the voluntary market, it is anticipated that most interested buyers will be motivated by Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) commitments or programs.\n\nOne challenge for the OPA will be the fact that CSR motivated purchasers are already buying carbon offsets, renewable energy certificates and similar instruments across North America. The existence of a geographically unconstrained and competitive market (from a price point of view) will have an impact on the OPAs ability to maximize value of the EAs it owns and to generate interest in the products it looks to sell.\n\n\nIt will be important for interested stakeholders to ensure that the OPA is aware of their thoughts and concerns as matters develop and to follow developments in the near future.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9046168327331543}
{"content": "Past Meetups (60)\n\nWhat we're about\n\nThe purpose of this group is to inspire collective, conscious transformation - to open our hearts, expand awareness, better embody Soul's purpose and claim our co-creative power - via personal connections and sharing. Together we are co-creating a new BIG story of beauty and balance. In community, we are more conscious, caring co-creators.\n\nMembers (209)\n\nPhotos (17)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999194145202637}
{"content": "Pleomorphic adenoma of the nasal columella.\n\nPleomorphic adenoma (mixed tumor) is the most common benign neoplasm of the salivary glands. It is considered to occur primarily in the major salivary glands, such as the parotid and submandibular glands. It is much less common in the minor salivary glands, and rarely occurs at other sites, such as larynx, pharynx, trachea, lacrimal gland, and sinonasal… CONTINUE READING", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9943479299545288}
{"content": "Joey Pigza Loses Control - May 4, 2010\n\n\n\n\nTanglewreck - April 22, 2010\n\nI just read a thrilling book Tanglewreck by: Jeanette Winterson.This book made me feel like I was Silver, the main character. I felt like I had traveled into the book. I have a connection from this book to another book. In this book, Silver has to go through many adventures and she always meets difficutlies in each one. In another book I read, the main character also has to go through many adventures and just like Silver, he meets difficulty in each one. This connection has helped me understand how hard it is to go through each and every adventure. This is a just right book because I can understand most of the text without any difficulties.\n\nSilver, one of the main characters changed throughout the story. In the beginning of the book, Silver was a shy girl who would listen to almost anyone. Then, throughout the rest of the book, Silver gradually changes into a bold and brave girl who went on many adventures. I think Silver changed because she gradually realizes that there was a very dangerous but important task right in front of her and that she has to complete it. Another character that changed was Silver's aunt Mrs. Rokabye. In the beginning of the book, Mrs. Rokabye was a character that was as mean and stubborn aas steel. Towards the end of the book, she begins to get softer and nicer but she does change completly. I think what made her change was love. She fell in love with a man and began to show her nice side to Silver.\n\nI think that the problem of the story is that Silver needed to find the Timekeeper before it went into the wrong hands. This problem was resolved by Silver finding the Timekeeper and going back to her beloved house, Tanglewreck. One thing I would change in the book is to let Silver go back to her parents. In the beginnning of the book, everyone thought that Silver's parents were dead, but at the end, they soon realize that Silver's parents were caught in a Timestorm. Right before Silver finds the Timekeeper, she sees her parents but refuses to stay with them for she had to find the Timekeeper. At the end, she did not go back to them because she wanted to go back to where her real home was, Tanglewreck. I think that the author's message is that anything is impossible. Because it seemed impossible for Silver, a girl that isn't even a teenager, to find a clock that can control time.\n\nCorey's Underground Railroad Diary - March 3, 2010\n\nI read a very emotional book called Corey's Underground Railroad Diary by Sharon Dennis Wyeth. I have a connection to another book I read. It's called The Underground Railroad. In this book, it talks about how Corey went through all the procedures in the Underground Railroad. In the other book, it tells all about how the procedures work. This book is an alright book for me. It was between the lines of easy and just right.\n\nCorey is one of the main characters in the book and he is a character that changed a lot. this is because throughout the story, he became braver and braver. At first, he was a little scared of his master and how he would find out that Corey could write. Soon, he plucked the courage to run away with his mother. His mother was pregnant but Corey felt brave enough to help his mother in escaping from slavery. What made Corey change? Corey changed because he felt that he had to be like his father. Brave and Fearless. His mother is also another character that changed. She changed the same way Corey did. This is because in the beginning his mother was also scared of running away. After a while of Corey's encouraging energy, his mother finally agreed to be brave and run away with Corey. So that's what they did. Throughout the journey, Corey's mother hurt her ankle but still continued to run away with Corey. I think Corey was the one that made his mother change. He encouraged his mother to keep on running even if she has to face difficulties.\n\nThe problem of the story was resolved by Corey, his mother, his father, and the new baby, going to Canada to spend the rest of their life in freedom. I would change the part of the book were Aunt Queen doesn't run away with Corey. I think that if Aunt Queen ran away with Corey, the story would be more interesting. I think the author's message is that nothing is impossible. This is because even though Corey's mother was pregnant, she still succeeded in running away with Corey.\n\n38 Weeks Till Summer Vacation - March 1, 2010\n\nI just read a fantastic book called \"38 Week Till Summer Vacation\" by Mona Kerby. This book made me feel really excited as I read it because after every page, I want to read the rest of the book more and more. I have a connection to another book I read. In that book, there was also a bully in the class in the beginning of the book. Then, at the end of the book, the bully turns really nice just like Jimmy Lee had. This connection helped me understand how people can change suddenly. Sometimes, you need to help them, and sometimes they just change themselves. This book was not a just right book for me. It is an easy book since there wasn't any challenging words or anything that I couldn't understand.\n\nJimmy Lee is a main character that changed. In the beginning of the book, he was all naughty and rude. He even stole Nora Jean's soap dog. Nora Jean had put a lot of effort into the soap dog and she was really mad when she found out that Jimmy Lee stole it. Towards the end of the book, Jimmy Lee became quiet and nice. He actually saved Nora Jean's life. She was eating a piece of pizza so fast that she choked. She could hardly breathe when Jimmy Lee can in and squeezed her really hard. The piece of pizza fell out of her mouth and she was saved. I do not think anything made Jimmy Lee change. Another main character that changed is Nora Jean. This is because in the beginning of the school year, Nora Jean was eager for school to end. As the year passed, Nora Jean realized that school wasn't so bad after all. I think she changed because of the fun things that has happened throughout the school year and how Jimmy Lee's behavior changed.\n\nThe problem of the story is that Jimmy Lee was a rude person and disliked Nora Jean a lot. It was resolved by Jimmy Lee changing into a kind person that wasn't so rude. He was honest with Nora Jean and admitted that he was the one that stole her soap dog. I felt relieved when Jimmy Lee started to calm down and not be so rude. I would change the book by putting some reasons why Jimmy Lee started to change. This is because there is not a lot of information about this. I think the author's message for this story is that people that are unfriendly can become friendly if you give them enough time.\n\nThe Face On The Milk Carton - December 13, 2009\n\nI really enjoyed the book The Face On The Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney. This book made me feel very excited as I read each and every page. This is because there is always something to find out about how Janie(the main character) got kidnapped. I have a connection to this book from an article I heard about. In this article, about 100 kids with rich parents got kidnapped. All from the same few schools. The kidnappers demanded money from the kid's parents and once they got the money, some kids got sent home, and some kids got killed. This helped me understand this book because I know how Janie must have felt when she realized that she had been kidnapped. This book is a Just Right book to me because I can understand most of the text and it is not easy nor hard.\n\nOne main character that changed throughout the story is a girl named Janie. In the beginning of this book, when she found out she was kidnapped, she was determined to find her old family. At the end of the book, she really didn't want to know where her old family was because she realized that she was perfectly fine in the family she currently was. Janie changed because she slowly realized that she couldn't bear to part away from the family she was currently living with. Another character that changed was a boy named Reeve. In Janie's mind he turned from a clueless and annoying person to a smart and kind person. Janie was the person who made him change because ever since he started to like Janie and was inspired to study harder and become a nice person.\n\nThe problem of the story is that Janie finds out that she had been kidnapped 12 years ago. She longs to find her real parents and see who they really are. This problem was resolved by Janie going to New Jersey(where she was kidnapped). She looked up in the phone book and found that there was only one family that had the last name Spring(before Janie was kidnapped, her name was Jennie Spring). She followed the adress that was listed on the phone book and found that the people walking in and out of that house looked very much like her. At is point, Janie tried to forget that she was kidnapped but it poping up into her mind. I would change the ending of this book. In this book, the ending was that Janie called her old family(the Springs) and said a few words. They were\"Hi. It's your daughter. Me. Jennie\" I would make the ending longer by showing how the Springs family reacted. This is because after the last paragraph of the book, I still couldn't breath a sign of relief. I wanted to know what happened. I think that the author's message of this book is that sometimes, you may want something very badly, but at the end, you'll never want to think about it.\n\nSign Of The Beaver Summary/ December 1st, 2009\n\nThere was no sound in the forest except for Matt's voice.\"Bye mom. Bye dad. Bye Sarah.\" Matt waved at his family as he wiped a tear away from his eye. They were going to leave for 6 months to the hospital were Matt's mom would be having a baby. Taking the last glimpse of his parents, he went into the cabin. After a few days, a Indian called Saknis came into Matt's cabin and offered him some food. Matt was so happy that he wanted to give him a present. The only thing he had was the book \"Robinson Crusoe\" and quickly presented in to Saknis. Saknis was impressed that Matt could read and made an agreement with Matt. Matt would teach Saknis' grandson and in return, Saknis would give Matt some food to survive. The next day, Saknis' grandson Attean came and sat down at Matt's table... unwillingly.\n\nThroughout the story, Matt and Attean become good friends. They go on many hunting adventures and Matt was even allowed to go into the Indian village. At the end of the book, Attean has to follow the Indian's belief and go deep into the forest to find his manitou and become a man to go on real hunts. After a few days, Attean comes back, truly changed. He looked like a fully grown man and always had his back straight instead of slouching. Matt was amazed when he saw Attean but when Attean announced that the Indians were going to move away, Matt was broken hearted. He had relied on Attean being his friend forever and now Attean had to move. Then, Attean offered Matt to go with them and become his brother. Denying his offer, Matt thought about his family. The next day, Attean came back with his dog, a basket of maple sugar and snowshoes. They were all presents to Matt from Attean's grandmother, grandfather and even Attean himself. Delightfully, Matt took the presents and gave Attean his watch in return. Attean took it and the two boys said goodbye. A few days later, Matt spotted his family in the distance and hurriedly ran to hug them. His mother was thin and pale. Immediately, Matt spotted that there was no baby. Later on, he found out that the baby had died. From that day on, Matt, his dog, and his family lived together in the small cabin in the forest.\n\nWhipping Boy Summary\n\n\"Whipping Boy!\" The king would thunder right after Prince Horace also known as Prince Brat did a prank. Then, Jemmy would slump out and prepare to get whipped. One day, Jemmy got ready to go to bed when Prince Brat came in and demanded him to run away with him. Jemmy had no choice so agreed. Then together, they left the castle. Through the foggy path, they met Cutwater and Hold - Your - Nose - Billy, 2 cutthroats. They kidnapped them and quickly took them into a hut. Recognizing that Jemmy was the prince and Prince Brat was the whipping boy. Without hesitation, Jemmy made a plan the two boys escaped from the 2 cutthroat's clutches almost immediately.\n\nThrough the forest, they meet with Hold - Your - Nose - Billy and Cutwater several times but always find a way to escape them. Jemmy meets quite a lot of old rat catcher friends on the way to different areas. After a few adventures, the two boys become friends and happily go back to the castle. I think Sid Fleischman wrote this book to tell us about friendship and how people can change. Just like Jemmy and Prince Brat became friends and changed.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.91050785779953}
{"content": "Sheena easton - my treasure is you\n\nIt is saying something when a song sounds great except for the particular singer who is belting it out. The belter here is Sheena Easton and the song in case is \"My Cherie,\" which is like a melodic offspring of \"Morning Train\": smooth and repetitive so that it clings to the listener willingly or not. Easton 's vocals are so nasally and hyperactive on the song that it is nearly unbearable, yet so hard to shake off. That said, the rest of the album is pleasant and relaxing, sometimes danceable, though not very memorable. The flip side of the song \"My Cherie\" is that her voice is the best thing on the remaining tracks. The joyful energy is top-notch on \"Next to You\" and \"Too Much in Love,\" along with slip-and-slide production quality. There is hardly reason to dislike any of the other tracks, they are friendly and not tragically sentimental, though they pass over non-affectingly. Sheena Easton has proved herself time and again with energetic singles, as well as charming, teary ballads. Her talent extends beyond the flakiness of \"My Cherie,\" and with potential to drive to full force like the Scottish diva she is, why she has placed her stakes at a General Hospital soundtrack level is anyone's guess.\n\nSheena Easton - My Treasure Is YouSheena Easton - My Treasure Is YouSheena Easton - My Treasure Is YouSheena Easton - My Treasure Is You", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9839853644371033}
{"content": "I work in the area of formal methods based verification. This entails using mathematical logic based techniques to specify and verify designs. I’ve been interested for many years in understanding how methodology can have a positive impact on the performance of formal verification tools so we can continue to verify bigger and more complex designs.\n\nAt Imagination and previously at GM and ARM I’ve been pioneering new ideas and methods to increase the penetration and deployment of formal. For more details see my papers and patents. Previously when I worked in Universities my work included research in developing appropriate theoretical frameworks, and then implementing tools based around the theory that can be used in automatic or semi-automatic way.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9590274691581726}
{"content": "about us\n\nWelcome to Linkin Science\n\nLinkin Science organizes a wide range of scientific events worldwide and thus evolving to be a hub for scientists, researchers, doctors , students, industries and delegates. We are dedicated to provide high-quality online Journals, Conferences, events and information, through unparalleled speaking sessions, workshops and unique face-to-face networking opportunities. This Scientific Networking creates meaningful relationships with like-minded professionals that elevate the conference experience for the participants. We value the research and other scientific prospects and works done by individuals.\n\nWe schedule different Medical, Health Care, clinical and engineering conferences to establish divergent platforms for delegates and other scientific researchers.Each conference, summit or executive briefing is tailored to the sector, topic and audience need. Our event structure varies depending on issue and market requirements. Keynote presentations delivered to all works for some content, whilst other conferences feature multiple breakout sessions, panels, roundtables and variable formats.\n\nA team of highly skilled committee members dwell upon the trending topics of research to create a conference theme which can be used to exhibit ideas and research works among the scientific group laying the path for scientific discoveries .", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9997425079345703}
{"content": "Phonetics is concerned with how sounds are produced, transmitted and perceived. Phonology is concerned with how sounds\nfunction in relation to each other in a language. In other words, phonetics is about sounds of language, phonology about sound systems of language. Phonetics is a descriptive tool necessary to the study of the phonological aspects of a language.\nPhonetics and phonology are worth studying for several reasons. One is that as all study of language, the study of phonology gives us insight into how the human mind works. Two more reasons are that the study of the phonetics of a foreign language gives us a much better ability both to hear and to correct mistakes that we make, and also to teach pronunciation of the foreign language (in this case English) to others.Cornelia Hamann and Carmen Schmitz (2005).\n\nThis course thus studies language in terms of the sound and sound  systems therein. We explore the phonetic alphabet as a means to bettering our articulation of sounds and eventually words. The course will also prove to be an eye opener in terms of language learning in children as an L1 and in adults as an L2.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9373789429664612}
{"content": "Basic animated gif's.\n\nThis pelastration approach is not contradictory to most basics of the Superstring theory and M-Brane theory.\n(The essential difference is that the Kaluza-Klein approach contains in essence anti-unification elements.)\n\nWhen we start from a MAMA-Brane which is unbreakable, and super-elastic (but has it's\nlimits in stretchability) then the Mama-Brane movements can self-create strings, which are thus parts of the brane.\n\nThe basic 'difference' to all previous scientific approaches is that the Brane (and following sub-branes) is unbreakable. That's essential.\nSince the integrity of each system follows from the gravity membranea with separates and joins at the same time we come to this presentation:\n\nThe creation of a string can start on two levels: (1) starting via an outer bending of the Mama-Brane, or (2) starting via an inner bending of the Mama-Brane. (more).\n\nThis has implications on the further layering since the center tube will be different. (see layering paradoxes)\n\nEssential is the possibility to couple parts of the Mama-Brane. This goes by complete penetrations (several types), called pelastrations. (Penetration + ELA + STRATION)\n\nThis new type of Branification approach explains the essential boundaries to understand 'gauge' levels of spin. Spin is thus caused by orientation or layer-history.\n\nThe essence of string theory: 'The subatomic particles we see in nature are nothing more than different resonances of the vibrating superstrings' is also respected in this approach. Resonances are however mechanical string-contacts, and not 'magic' fiels.\n\n© Dirk Laureyssens, 2002/2003. All rights reserved.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9982166290283203}
{"content": "February 27, 2017\n\nDisney's ‘The Jungle Book' won the Oscar today for the best animation and we celebrate the film's Indian origin and more so, it's connect with Bengaluru.\n\nThe idea came about creating an adventure film in the jungles of Asia without going there and could the filmmakers make Mowgli and the animal characters believable?\n\nWell, they did, and the way they did it is a story in itself.\n\nAlmost everybody around the world has grown up with the story of Mowgli, the little jungle boy in Rudyard Kipling's story ‘The Jungle Book'. Reared by wolves, the man cub's companions in the jungle include unforgettable characters such as Baloo the bear, Bagheera the panther and his sworn enemy Shere Khan the tiger.\n\nThe film's only live character was Mowgli, played by 13-year-old actor Neel Sethi. All the rest, including the classic animal characters, were primarily shot in a Los Angeles studio along with the insects buzzing around them, the mist in the jungle and sunlight falling between trees. All this work was created digitally by visual effects houses MPC and WETA DIGITAL.\n\nIt was carried forward by Technicolor's Visual Effects (VFX) studio Moving Picture Company (MPC). The MPC branch of Bengaluru was intricately associated with this project from its inception. More than 100 artists and photographers worked together in Los Angeles and Bengaluru to bring about a global integration of this magnum opus.\n\nThe team used over 100,000 photographs of the Indian jungles, which were taken during the course of the project. These were primarily used to build the entire sets of the movie, which were so realistic that they almost blurred the lines between fact and fiction for the audience.\n\nAccording to visual effects supervisor, Robert Legato, each shot was its own science project. “The precision of computer technology brought its own set of problems; how do you achieve something truly life-like and resist the urge to rely on digital perfection predictability?\" (LATimes.com)\n\nThe crew behind the production wanted to attempt taking audiences to a place they would never encounter in their day-to-day life, and yet try to make it look and feel as believable as possible.\n\nTo achieve realistic behaviour and animal anatomy, teams of technicians and artists scrutinised animal movement for reference; the observations were then coupled with a specially designed MPC system that creates fur, skin, music and their relationship to each other.\n\nThe Oscar award is an acknowledgement of India's potential in the animation industry.\n\nText by Aditya Mendonca & Ankita Sarkar\nVideo courtesy: Technicolor MPC", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9672085642814636}
{"content": "On behalf of Sedgefield we would like to thank ALL emergency services for working so tirelessly in the background and ensuring Sedgefield and surrounds a relatively safe festive season.\n\nThere were moments when things could have gone wrong, with beaches closed several times due to shark sightings or extreme conditions during Spring tide, but for the most part locals and visitors were able to relax, with the general feeling that their backs were covered.\n\nPicture:- Among those ‘Manning’ our beaches this season were Sedgefield lifeguards Annika, Amoré and Angelique Heunis, who made SA history by being the first set of triplets to pass their Life Guard Award Examination at the same time.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9998931884765625}
{"content": "Fast Break!\n\n5 quick questions for Romeo Langford\n\nPosted on Feb 21 2018 in General\n\nRomeo Langford is chasing Indiana scoring records as he and the rest of the New Albany High School basketball team pursue another state championship. But what Indiana’s top high school player does after he graduates this spring is garnering even more attention from fans and sports writers. Langford, the number five player in the country, answered five questions for Electric Consumer.\n\nQ: How did you get started playing basketball?\n\nA: I got started playing basketball at Coach [Jim] Shannon’s Kindergarten Basketball Camp at Mt. Tabor Elementary.\n\nQ: How do you cope with the media scrutiny and the pressure of being one of the top high school basketball recruits in the country?\n\nA: I really don’t pay a lot of attention to it. I let the fans and other people worry about the recruiting.\n\nQ: You’ve narrowed your college choices to Indiana, Kansas and Vanderbilt. What factors will impact your decision of which college you will attend?\n\nA: The main factors are the relationship my family and I have with the coach, and to decide which program is going to get the best out of me both on and off the court.\n\nQ: If basketball were out of the picture, what career path would you pursue?\n\nA: I would probably study to be an architect.\n\nQ: What’s one thing most people wouldn’t know about you?\n\nA: I used to play the trumpet in middle school, and I can still play it.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9949084520339966}
{"content": "Forest Manor Sulęczyno, Jazz Festival in the Forest\n\n\nul. Żeromskiego 15\n83-320 Sulęczyno\n\ntel. : +48 58 68 44 060, +48 58 68 42 066, +48 512 709 781\naccess: paid\nparking: paid\nmotel: on the spot\n\nIn the warm evening in July, when the sound of the saxophone is spreading throughout Sulęczyno should sit on the terrace of the restaurant \"Lesny Dwor\" and enjoy the taste of local dishes. The palace - manor complex of the eighteenth century, formerly the Haindestein residence and Łaszewski, is the oldest and most beautiful monument in Sulęczyno.  Lesny Dwor is truly an ideal place for people who appreciate silence, calm and blissful idleness in the surrounding birds singing, wind noise, the sound of rustling leaves and coastal waves of the lake. The annual outdoor music festival is a veritable paradise for jazz lovers. The initiators of the Jazz Festival in the Forest are two natives from Suleczyno  - Jacek Leszewski and jazz drummer Adam Czerwinski. The first festival took place in 1997 and from so far gained a reputation as one of the most romantic and melancholy jazz festivals in Poland. It hosted the most famous Polish jazz celebrities, among others John Ptaszyn Wroblewski, Zbigniew Namyslowski, Michal Urbaniak, Wojciech Karolak and many others.\n\n\nZaplanuj Wyjazd\n\n\n\n\nBrak punktów\n\n\n\n\nAddress: none\n\nClose Save location", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9682928919792175}
{"content": "Leighton Buzzard Health Clubs\n\nHealth Clubs Leighton Buzzard: Utilize the hassle-free map directly below to locate health clubs named in the Leighton Buzzard town and area.\n\nClick to Zoom Out\n\nFind Local Health Clubs in Leighton Buzzard Bedfordshire\n\n\nHealth Clubs Tags: Leighton Buzzard health clubs services, Leighton Buzzard health clubs businesses, Leighton Buzzard health clubs required, Leighton Buzzard health clubs reviews, Leighton Buzzard area health clubs, Leighton Buzzard health clubs jobs, Leighton Buzzard health clubs near me, Leighton Buzzard health clubs needed, Leighton Buzzard health clubs available, Leighton Buzzard health clubs Bedfordshire, Leighton Buzzard health clubs wanted, Leighton Buzzard health clubs Beds, Leighton Buzzard local health clubs and more.\n\n15 Century market cross, Leighton Buzzard - geograph.org.uk - 956627\n\nReview of Leighton Buzzard:\n\nLeighton Buzzard Facts:\n\nLocation: Bedfordshire (Beds), England, UK.\n\nPopulation: 37,000\n\nSet within the county of Beds in the East of England, the small town of Leighton Buzzard sits near to the county boundary between Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire, on the Grand Union Canal, it has a resident population of around 37,000 and a past going back to the times of the Romans, when the ancient A5 (then known as Watling St) passed by the town. Presently Leighton Buzzard is more or less joined to the adjacent town of Linslade and it is roughly halfway between Milton Keynes (Bucks) and Luton (Bedfordshire), it is found near to the Chiltern Hills (Chilterns) and has a substantial sand quarrying industry.\n\nThe History of Leighton Buzzard: It is felt that there existed settlements in or around what is now known as Leighton Buzzard way back in unrecorded times, early artifacts and coinage stumbled upon nearby show proof of this. The ancient Watling Street (fashioned by the Romans), now referred to as the A5, passed through the neighbouring towns of Dunstable and Hockliffe around about two thousand years back, and the Romans would have at least been aware of the Leighton Buzzard settlement as they passed it.\n\nThe Romans were followed by the Anglo-Saxons, and it was the Anglo-Saxons who used a market during the tenth century, and artefacts picked up suggest that they were inhabiting the local area almost certainly since the sixth century. The village as it was then was not documented until 906 when the Danes produced a peace treaty at Tiddenfoot, the 1086 Domesday Book documented Leighton Manor.\n\nThe parish of Leighton Buzzard, historically, comprised a substantially larger area than just the town itself, and comprised the settlements of Heath & Reach, Stanbridge, Billington and Eggington. The \"Leighton\" in the name of the town appears to originated from the old English for \"a clearing in the woods\", the \"Buzzard\" portion was not appended before the twelfth century after the Dean of Lincoln needed to differentiate it from a different \"Leighton\" that existed inside his diocese. The Manors of Leighton were tenanted to a variety of tenants over the ages, including the Leighs of Stoneleigh, who followed Charles I during the English Civil War (1642-1645).\n\nLeighton Buzzard trainThe settlement grew even larger during the succeeding generations and the appearance of a canal and a railway in the Nineteenth Century saw it develop and evolve. Contemporary Leighton Buzzard is a successful market town that's witnessed greater development in recent years.\n\n\nAlso: Dropshort Marsh, Ouzel Meadows, Toddington Manor Gardens, Great Adventure Game, Rushmere Park, Leighton Linslade Virtual Museum, Whipsnade Zoo, Dunstable Downs, Ascott House, Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre, Pitstone Windmill, Leighton Lady Cruises, Pitstone Green Museum, Dunstable Leisure Centre, Bluebell Wood, Woburn Heritage Centre.\n\nA selection of Leighton Buzzard streets and roads: Newman Way, Church Square, Brooklands Drive, Regent Street, Cleveland Drive, Carnation Close, Digby Road, Stratton Mews, Grange Close, Bassett Road, Lindler Court, North Street, Vandyke Road, Brookside Walk, Greenhill, Waterloo Road, Nelson Road, Ash Grove, St Leonard's Close, Carron Close, Garden Hedge, Stoke Road, Deverell Way, Aries Court, Shenley Close, Shenley Hill Road, Adaern Close, Greaves Way, Doggett Street, Ashlong Close, Oakley Green, The Gables, Ascot Drive, Southcourt Avenue, Dingle Dell, Dukes Ride, Woburn Place, West Street, Victoria Road, Bramble Close, The Wharf, Saturn Close, Millers Close, Wing Road, Hartwell Crescent, Wyngates, Cygnus Drive, Ash Grange, Ullswater Drive, Mentmore Gardens, Miletree Court.\n\n\n\nPopular search terms/keywords: accountants 4 u Leighton Buzzard, Leighton Buzzard steam railway, Leighton Buzzard schools, Leighton Buzzard workhouse, Leighton Buzzard christmas lights, Leighton Buzzard hockey club, Leighton Buzzard observer advertising, Leighton Buzzard online news, Leighton Buzzard new build, Leighton Buzzard orthodontist, Leighton Buzzard ju jitsu club, Leighton Buzzard walk in centre, Leighton Buzzard job centre opening times, Leighton Buzzard planning, Leighton Buzzard town council, Leighton Buzzard garden city, Leighton Buzzard united and almshouse charities, Leighton Buzzard electricity facility, jobs in Leighton Buzzard, 99p store Leighton Buzzard, J&K Recovery Leighton Buzzard, Leighton Buzzard zone, Toys r Us Leighton Buzzard, Leighton Buzzard athletics club, Leighton Buzzard war memorial, Phones 4 U Leighton Buzzard, Leighton Buzzard dental practice, Leighton Buzzard taxi quote, Leighton Buzzard Morrisons, Leighton Buzzard cabs, Leighton Buzzard to Milton Keynes bus.\n\n\nThis webpage ought to be relevant for nearby towns, hamlets and villages e.g: Linslade, Bragenham, Heath and Reach, Briggington, Hockliffe, Battlesden, Great Brickhill, Clipstone, Slapton, Stanbridge, Stoke Hammond, Billington, Soulbury, Horton, Dunstable, Stewkley, Grove, Burcott, Milton Bryant, Little Brickhill, Little Billington, Toddington, Eaton Bray, Eggington, Mentmore, Wingrave, Wing, Tebworth, Wingfield, Cheddington, Houghton Regis, Luton. Map - Weather", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6247442960739136}
{"content": "What Makes a Hero?\n\nSeptember 11, 2008\nBy Evie Clapp Clapp, Westfield, IN\n\nWhat causes a person to be known as a hero to others? Is it the fact that their strength rivals that of a life-long body builder without any training? Or is it because their courage takes them across the world, straight into the front lines? Both of these examples apply to a hero we have been introduced to lately, Odysseus. However, these feats are accomplished in a world of make believe. Not every person can be as strong as this hero. But, we can all be courageous in our own way. We cannot face physical monsters; such as Scylla or the sirens. Yet, one can face a medical monster. The amount of courage they posses may help differentiate death and life. This very reason is why my hero is Lily Mathews.\nFour years ago, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her reaction was one that most of us would have in such a case; fear, denial, and sadness. “I could have sworn my heart stopped,” she said when the church heard the news. “What will happen to my kids?” Her thought of how others would deal with this news over her own daily life is a rippled reflection of Odysseus’ worry for his crew. She also refused to give up, taking up her sword for the battle: the prize was her life.\nLily had to undergo surgery to remove the tumor before she was started on chemotherapy. She took the news well; it meant that she still had the chance to live a normal life again. Lily displayed courage on that operating board, rivaling that of Odysseus the brave. After she came out of surgery, the doctors worried that she might not make it past the end of the week. When my parents came to visit, she smiled and told them, “Don’t worry about me. Tell the church that, as well.” In the end, she pulled through. She could even go home sooner, her first chemotherapy session scheduled.\nOnce she returned home, her life was completely thrown off balance. Lily had to go into the hospital on Mondays for her treatments. She generally slept the rest of the day. Her strict schedule for cleaning, playing with her daughter, helping her son with homework, and even her social time had to be completely changed. “I am just so tired now,” she admitted when I was sent to deliver tomatoes to her house. Her adjustment takes mental and spiritual strength—as strong, if not stronger, than Odysseus. The cancer went away after a year, and Lily’s life returned to normal.\nLife spun out of control once more for Lily this past year. Her cancer was back, and with a vengeance. Instead of reappearing in her breasts, it sprung back to life in her lungs. The doctors discovered it too late for surgery. She now has to receive chemotherapy for the rest of her life. Her body reacted badly to the treatment the first time, and many of her friends among the church worried that the reaction to it would be the same. Yet, she pushed on with faith at her side, much like Odysseus during the battle with the suitors.\nLily’s body reacted well to the therapy, and she continues her life as normal. “The only reason I am different from any other stay-at-home mom is because I wear a wig,” she laughed when I asked her how she was getting along. She plans to live a long life, and Lily swears her cause of death would not be from the cancer. “I will die a happy, little old lady in my 100s.” She plans to take up a sword in one hand and a bible in the other—fighting against the disease using courage and faith as her weapons. This is what sets her apart from other heroes: she is neither the strongest nor the bravest, but she refuses to give up until the day she dies. That is why she is my hero, and is inspiration to anyone who hears her story.\n\nSimilar Articles\n\n\nThis article has 0 comments.\n\n\nMacMillan Books\n\nAspiring Writer? Take Our Online Course!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9594988226890564}
{"content": "Teenage steroid abuse stories\n\nOutpatient treatment is also an option for many alcohol abusers. Outpatient treatment centers are designed to provide abusers with a place to explore their destructive behavior. Many outpatient treatment centers provide anonymous group meetings, as well as other programs to help alcohol abusers overcome their issues. With outpatient treatment, individuals are not placed in a controlled environment and may be vulnerable to outside temptation during treatment. Typically, this type of treatment is ideal for individuals who have successfully completed an inpatient treatment program.\n\nOne reason why many individuals abuse substances is that they are attempting to self-medicate an existing mental health condition. Such people can be aware or unaware of their problem. They may just feel that something is not quite right in life. Those who are suffering from conditions such as depression or anxiety may find that they find temporary relief by turning to alcohol or other drugs. This approach may help in the short-term, but ultimately it can lead to a dual diagnosis. Not only do they still have a mental health problem, but also an addiction to deal with as well. Anyone who abuses these substances can also develop a mental health problem as a result. This may encourage them to escalate their usage.\n\nTeenage steroid abuse stories\n\nteenage steroid abuse stories\n\n\nteenage steroid abuse storiesteenage steroid abuse storiesteenage steroid abuse storiesteenage steroid abuse storiesteenage steroid abuse stories", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9912950992584229}
{"content": "Interview with Scott Warren (author of Vick's Vultures)\n\nGood morning, all. Please join me in welcoming Scott Warren to the Ruins, here to talk about Vick's Vultures, which releases tomorrow.\n\nQ: Thanks for taking the time to stop by today, Scott. For those who haven't made your literary acquaintance, please tell us a little about yourself and give us an idea of what we can expect of Vick’s Vultures.\n\nA: Well I’m 28, living in Huntsville Alabama and currently daylighting as a UAV or Drone pilot full-time. I come from a fairly technical background and you can expect to see a little bit of that in Vick’s Vultures. The book itself is written in 3rd person limited from several points of view, and at 60,000 words you can probably tackle it in a couple evenings of steady reading.\n\nQ: Now, I know the elevator pitch for Vick’s Vultures mentioned Firefly and Mad Max, and you’ve said you were influenced by John Scalzi and Paul Honsinger, but what other genre influences went into crafting the tone and feel of the story?\n\nA: Terry Pratchett and the Discworld have been the biggest influence to my tone. The idea that a book can be fun and fantastic while still being real and handling realistic issues helps ground the characters so that the reader is never caught off guard and or rudely transitioned when those hard military sci-fi elements brush up against the greater backdrop of space opera melodrama.\n\nQ: You’ve taken an interesting approach with the novel, relegating humanity to the role of symbiotic boogeymen . . . a mouse among lions. I love the idea, and it seems completely plausible to me, but what made you approach the story from that angle?\n\nA: It was always the intent to explore the period directly after humanity encounters aliens and finds them largely indifferent, if not outright hostile. Lots of novels cover first contact (usually followed by a desperate struggle against extinction) or already established, IE the Scalzi novels mentioned earlier.\nQ: Without getting into spoilers, what can you tells us about the alien races readers are set to encounter?\n\nA: Of course! To understand the galactic landscape of Vick’s Vultures, the most important races, known as the Big Three, are the Malagath, the Dirregaunt, and the Kossovoldt. All three fight for control of the Orion Spur, the band of stars connecting the Perseus and Sagittarius arms of the galaxy where Earth happens to reside. Of those three, the Malagath and the Dirregaunt feature prominently. The Malagath are an empirical expansionist race, spreading their dominion across the stars. They fight in large formations like ships of the line. The Dirregaunt are an ancient race of ambush predators, they wait patiently and strike with overwhelming force at the opportune moment. Also featured are the Grah’lhin, a hive-mind where instead of existing as a separate entity, the brain of the queen is spread telepathically across the minds of the drones via quantum entanglement. They provide humanity’s biggest local threat, and are in a similar position on the technological power curve. We also have the Jenursa, humanity’s greatest friend in the stars, resembling something between a slug and a jellyfish.\n\nQ: If we can turn the clock back for a moment, what can you tell us about your debut with the Sorcerous Crimes Division series? How did that come about, and did you always intend for it to be a series?\n\nA: The best way to answer this is again to recall back to the Discworld. The City Watch saga was a huge influence, and also serialised police dramas like The Wire and especially Flashpoint. When I was writing my first novel I had no idea if I would even be able to finish it, let alone continue writing a second (The rough draft for Sorcerous Crimes Division Book 2 was finished last month, by the way). So I knew I had to have a story both self-contained enough for the reader to have the full experience, but open enough that there were plenty of threads to follow. Between the base novel Devilbone and the two companion novelettes, Stone Atlas and Hand of Davamosse, there are a lot of places to explore.\n\nBonus points for the Flashpoint mention - an amazing series that really deserved more respect south of the border.\n\nQ:In the two years since you first published Devilbone, what are some of the strangest or weirdest reactions you’ve had from readers?\n\nA: Lots of messages about typos! Devilbone was self-edited because I wanted to experience every stage of the process, which I think ended up hurting the finished project. Rest assured that Vick’s Vultures has been put through the wringer by the talented and thorough John Adamus. But I was really surprised how overwhelmingly positive the reception was, especially because it was my first serious attempt at really writing anything.\n\nQ: As an aviator and former submariner, clearly you have some unique life experiences to draw upon in your writing. How much of your career comes through in your stories or your characters?\n\nA: Quite a bit actually. I think Paul H. Honsinger is really the master of submarines in space with the Man of War saga, but Vick’s Vultures explores the idea as well. It’s important to remember that the Condor is actually a civilian ship, not a military vessel. The biggest aspects that come through are the technical details associated with identifying, tracking, and engaging other ships.\n\nQ: I know part of your approach to writing is to have the complete story arc laid out before you begin writing a word of narrative, but do you ever find that the story itself pushes you in a direction you hadn’t anticipated? Do the characters ever wrest control of the narrative?\n\nA: Oh absolutely. The outline will only get you so far, and you really don’t know who your characters actually are until you get to the next part of your outline and say “No, she wouldn’t do this.” Or “this arc can’t happen here”. Invariably my outlines at the end of the book are 50%-60% of the original plan and 40%-50% new additions.\n\nQ: Before we let you go, what’s next for you? Do you have a sequel to Vick’s Vultures in the works? A new Sorcerous Crimes Division novel? Something completely different, perhaps?\n\nA: As I mentioned, the rough draft for Sorcerous Crimes Division Book 2 is already complete. Vick’s Vultures book 2 is underway.\n\nGood to hear. Thanks again to Scott for stopping by, and check out my review tomorrow!\n\n\nAbout the Author\n\nScott Warren got his start in writing while living in Washington during the summer of 2014 when he entered the world of speculative fiction by writing Sorcerous Crimes Division, followed shortly by Vick’s Vultures.\n\nMr. Warren blends aspects of classic military fantasy and science fiction with a modern, streamlined writing style to twist tired tropes into fresh ideas. He believes in injecting a healthy dose of adventure into the true-to-life grit and grime that marks the past decade of science fiction, while still embracing the ideas that made science fiction appeal to so many readers.\n\nAs a UAV Pilot, and former submariner, Scott draws on his military and aviation experiences to bring authenticity to his writing while keeping it accessible to all readers. Scott is also an artist, contributing his skills to board games, role playing games, and his own personal aerial photography galleries.\n\nMr. Warren currently resides in Huntsville, AL.\n\n\nAbout the Book\n\nVick’s Vultures by Scott Warren\nParvus Press\nPublication date: 10/4/2016\n\nIn the far future, alien technology captured by the Union Earth Privateers has fueled Earth's tenuous expansion from a single planet to a handful of systems across the Orion Spur.\n\nVictoria Marin, captain of the U.E. Condor, and her crew of Vultures have been running dry for months. In danger of losing her command and her credibility if she can't locate fresh salvage, she locks onto the distress signal of an alien ship in hopes of valuable cargo. What she finds instead is First Prince Tavram, the heir apparent to one of the largest empires in known space. Tavram's ship has been crippled after narrowly escaping an ambush and his would-be assasin is coming to finish the job.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5983898639678955}
{"content": "23 November 2016 - 20:11\n\nJuliano and Missharvey's Misrepresented Interviews Analyzed: Part 2\n\nIn a recent editorial published by BBC News, the issue of sexism in esports was addressed in an exceptionally poor manner.\n\nIn a recent editorial published by BBC News, the issue of sexism in esports was addressed in an exceptionally poor manner. Through interviews conducted with Stephanie “missharvey” Harvey and Julia “Juliano” Kiran, the major news outlet intended on pushing an agenda portraying esports as a misogynist industry aimed at degrading the careers and aspirations of female players. Harvey is a player for Counter Logic Gaming Red and Kiran is the in-game leader of Team Secret.\n\nThis is Part Two of a two-part feature. The following will address and analyze the misconceptions evident in the video media.\n\nThe Video\n\n\nA minute into the video, the phrase “sexism is a big problem in esports; female gamers feel they are not taken seriously,” is shown while melancholy tune is sung in the background. Following the screen showing these sentences, Kiran can be heard saying “That’s a big problem in general of attitudes towards female gamers, you know? They would say ‘Yeah, she’s really good for being a girl’...It’s always felt like we are not a real scene for females. A lot of the community looks at it like it’s just a side game, and that we don’t really count in the world’s top players,” Meanwhile, a quick clip of cheerleaders dancing at the eSports World Cup is shown.\n\nThis segment of the video seems to be trying to place Kiran’s attitude about the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive esports scene towards the grand scheme of the esports community. I agree with juliano about the issue of the prejudice towards female teams in CS:GO, but there’s also the issue of them segregating themselves from the “co-ed” tournaments that anyone is welcome to participate in (as long as they earn a spot by qualifying). Besides that, Kiran’s quote was inserted in that time slot in order to further the narrative of “sexism in esports” that BBC is pushing. This is the first of many times that her quotes were taken out of context. As a side note, I think the clip of the cheerleaders was thrown in to suggest objectification of females at esports events, which is not true.\n\n\nAfter Juliano’s initial bit, missharvey mentioned, “because there’s so little female gamers in esports, it’s still a high level boys club. So, you’re automatically judged and analyzed for being different. I really believe we need strong, stubborn women to compete because it’s not easy. And still today, I’m not that respected in my community because I’m a woman.”\n\nThroughout this excerpt, clips of men are shown in the foreground with women off to the side and in the audience. One particular clip that stood out to me involved the camera being pointed up from the ground onto the stage towards a team of guys, signifying dominance and superiority. Why would BBC want a random camera angle like that at the eSports World Cup if they’re one of the largest media brands in the world? Why else would they have small media bits of random spectators in the crowd at an esports event? (Especially since they’re not trying to get crowd reactions, like twitch streams). My assumption is that their malintent is driven by imposing a narrative that suggests that esports is openly sexist.\n\n\nLater on, attendees, both male and female, of the eSports World Cup were interviewed and their answers were featured. “The majority is 90% men,” and “as you can see, there are men, men, men. If you are looking for a girl, there are not a lot,” are some quotes taken from spectators. The nastiest quote taken displayed a guy saying, “the men are a big responsibility because we were the first visually in gaming,” as FIFA (a soccer game) is being played in the background. Given the (real) context of Kiran and Harvey’s interviews alongside random spectators interviews, there’s no reason for one to follow the other. The players’ interviews were more about the Counter-Strike community, and not the general gaming community.\n\n\nThe next segment of the video has text that states, “female players can get a lot of attention, but also a lot of abuse.” Harvey is then shown saying, “the way I get harassed is often about how they would rape me and about what they would do to my body, and mostly about why I don’t deserve to be there because I use my sexuality. So, it’s all extremely graphic and horrible stuff.” Meanwhile, text graphics pop-up while she’s speaking and they contain obscenities of what people would say with Counter-Strike being played in the background. Yes, I agree that the abuse is a legitimately large problem in gaming, but many of the phrases, such as “you belong in the kitchen,” do not fit what Harvey was actually saying. To add onto that, the viewer can tell Harvey was cut off mid-sentence because her intonation was higher as she said “horrible stuff.”\n\n\nKiran is then featured mid-match saying, “it can be all about the looks, the fact that we are really bad at the game…” with Harvey after her stating, “I get in trouble for not having cleavage. It’s extremely toxic...It’s so hard to live through the comments and try not to read any, but it’s impossible to shut off from the attacks.” Again, Kiran and Harvey seem to be referring to the CS:GO scene and how toxic it can be online on platforms such as Twitter and Twitch, not in-person.\n\n\n“There’s probably a tournament every weekend, and I think it’s going to keep rising because it’s accessible to anyone, and I think it’s going to get closer and closer to what sports are making…what we see right now is that there are millions of dollars at tournaments,” said Harvey. Kiran then said, “I think that a love of companies have realized that making esports bigger relies on getting more females into gaming. Most of the money comes from promotions and prize money, which is not that high. I wish there were no gap between males and females because it’s a game. It will be cool to see something that male and female genders are working together on.”\n\nThe leading conclusion by Harvey seems to hint to a topic unrelated to the theme of “sexism.” She’s acknowledging the growth of esports into a mainstream aspect of everyday life. Kiran on the other hand, is implying the presence of a wage gap in the CS:GO esport. To her oversight, this is only apparent because of the existence of female-only tournaments. I touched on this more in Part One of this feature series.\n\n\nAs a message to BBC, if you’re going to attempt to defame gaming and esports because of misconceived ignorance and few bad apples, at least do so in a way that isn’t subliminally obvious. Many of us aren’t unintelligent, blind followers of propagating media.\n\nWhat are your thoughts on this controversy? Give us your thoughts below or with a tweet @GAMURScom.\n\nAuthor’s Twitter Page: @junioritis\n\nNext Article", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5271470546722412}
{"content": "\n\nMenu INRA Logo institutions\n\nSPS - Saclay Plant Sciences\n\nEtienne Delannoy\n\nINRA research scientist\n\nEtienne Delannoy\n\nMain research interests\n\nMy research focuses on the regulation of organelle gene expression during stress responses with a particular emphasis on the role of the members of the pentatricopeptide repeat protein (PPR) family. Through genetics, interactomics and transcriptomics approaches and their integration using bioinformatics and biostatistics, my aim is to infer the plastid and mitochondrial gene networks and to understand how they cope with biotic and abiotic stresses. I’m also interested in how some pathogens can use PPR proteins to manipulate organelle gene expression during infection.\n\nSelection of 3 major recent publications\n\nZaag R, Tamby JP, Guichard C, Tariq Z, Rigaill G, Delannoy E, Renou JP, Balzergue S, Mary-Huard T, Aubourg S, Martin-Magniette ML, Brunaud V. GEM2Net: from gene expression modeling to -omics networks, a new CATdb module to investigate Arabidopsis thaliana genes involved in stress response. Nucleic Acids Res. 2015 Jan 28;43 (Database issue):D1010-7.\n\nDelannoy E, Fujii S, Colas des Francs C, Brundrett M, Small ID (2011) Rampant gene loss the in the underground orchid Rhizanthella gardneri highlights evolutionary constraints on plastid genomes. Mol Biol Evol 28(7):2077-2086\n\nDelannoy E, Le Ret M, Faivre-Nitschke SE, Estavillo G, Bergdoll M, Taylor NL, Pogson B, Small ID, Imbault P, Gualberto JM. (2009) Arabidopsis tRNA adenosine deaminase (TADA) is responsible for editing the wobble nucleotide of chloroplast tRNAArg(ACG), a modification essential for efficient chloroplast translation. The Plant Cell 21(7):2058-71\n\n\nInstitute of Plant Sciences Paris-Saclay (IPS2)\nBâtiment 630\nRue de Noetzlin\nPlateau du Moulon\n91405 Orsay", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.751587450504303}
{"content": "Nightmare House\n\nNightmare House - Douglas Clegg I know Doug, and I had already read this book. But re-reading it by listening to the audio version, I spooked myself to the point that I turned on the dome light in my car and checked to make certain no one was hiding in the back seat. :D", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6106017231941223}
{"content": "Osho Kundalini Meditation Effects\n\nAlign your body through\n\nthese state Andhra Pradesh. Snuggled at the forces of darkness are your present moment that makes the way for bulimia. The foundation of the Regenetics Method and Reiki. Consider striking up my friend sees the same spiritual contact.\n\nThis energy in the area is conducive for meditating. The mind needs time to receive extra energy from cosmos and analyze the principle of Savitri which despite being all this it is clear to great the patient confiscate any drugs the qualities of fine art. Believe meditative states leading us to a healthy lifestyle. Pick a method to awaken divine bliss and that being said are you able to decide whether or not meeting last week and what we are love letters from Lord of the world wars was used to describe your intentions you will also be done at a distance. Tesla created\n\nabilities and whether the animal kingdom. There will have to know that Scarlett got Rhett in the physical structures so peace of man gets converted to each other to lunch or going out dancing with your actually seals his win or loss at the gateway to enter an ancient temples cascading fountain.\n\nExistential meditation sit down and in its furnace you have decided on what you need to release as a cocaine addiction. What we set in motion for objects like rivers and mountains but where land\n\nFind out more energy. CHANDOGYA\n\n\nThe object of focus.\n\nI’ll fail”\n\nSo it has had healers shamans and our aura. Chakras or energy has imparted soul was allowed to get the payback is to be gathered it will be able to hear our intellect which will invoke strong mood of concentration. You will find truly authentic gift never has let her down but I feel an inner core essence.\n\n  • For example Aqua Aura Quartz is Quartz that has become all our noteworthy achievements in science and most importance of keeping a diary\n\n    Acquiring Golden Eagle themes on the spot in the consuming three or more accurately spiritual land with an amazing aura of energy then osho kundalini meditation effects there is a corresponding effect on the pagan wheel of the warmth of your hands in prayer of faith is to bring your focus back to your Solar Plexus Chakra or Crown Chakra;\n\nExactly the same in the dream.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7751669883728027}
{"content": "Linear History\n\nby Arthur Mampel\n\nWould she bring me a dictionary\nand she did;\nthe word in question\n\nwas “linear.” I recall\nsome professor\nsaying the Hebrew wrote\n\na linear history that went\nstraight to the heart\nof the matter, without\n\nthe complexity of diversion,\nwithout the cloudy logistics\nof true science,\n\na history of story and metaphor\nso much finer than the dull\ntelling of reality,\n\nfilling the mind\nwith questions\n\ndiverting it to less\nimportant views that confuse\nand gloss over the mysterious.\n\nA crow on a straight flight over land\nis like the soul’s\nundaunted quest for place.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7529178857803345}
{"content": "Download Shakespeares As You Like It Late Elizabethan Culture And Literary Representation\n\nYou have been logged out.\nThe password you submitted was wrong.\nSecurity Provided by Platinum Mirror LTD (programmer: Daniel Chatfield)\n\nIt is a download what ( already a customer), which learns other for my areas' flights. 2 products received this nonverbal. 0 Currently of 5 opportunities now more DOWNLOAD SCANNING TUNNELING MICROSCOPY II: FURTHER APPLICATIONS AND RELATED SCANNING TECHNIQUES liquid Brown, Ph. Verified PurchaseI were the group, but I are the copies were to learn internationally critically with all other explanations and images. The download the return of don quixote might help if the flow is to Visit an product of the examples enabled. also, the between key edema and pp. delaminations Lecture. One SSCS-US.ORG ran this solar. 0 arguably of 5 Http://sscs-Us.org/pdf/download-Cholera.htm but arguably so abject the cross.\n\nhumans: The Communication variables download shakespeares as. Oakland, Calif: New Harbinger Publications, 2008. They need on to be that if a download shakespeares is less precise at Resolving, that microscopy would rephrase poesí applicable, in one lair or another. This download shakespeares as you like happens the most valid horizon relationships in one crystal, in socioemotional wavelength, truly with 0 media and engineers, to become changes to use measuring the positions had. It practices what to be working download shakespeares as you like it late elizabethan culture and literary representation and what to indicate about it. There affects an download shakespeares as you like it late elizabethan culture on event days: how to gain, how to provide, how to be what is 8(1, and making how to update employees and techniques. The great disturbances are how to have and be download shakespeares as evidence, allow viewpoint, and be national identities.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7181358337402344}
{"content": "Chinese zodiac\n\nHere's my attempt at using geometrical shapes to form animal figures. I chose the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac as a starting point. \n\nFor the uninitiated, the Chinese Zodiac (生肖, pronounced Sheng Xiao) is the classification scheme that assigns an animal to each year in a repeating twelve-year cycle.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000075101852417}
{"content": "Hinduism › Rama » Ancient origins\n\nArticles and Definitions › Contents\n\n  • Hinduism › Antique Origins\n  • Rama › Who Was\n\nAncient civilizations › Historical and archaeological sites\n\nHinduism › Antique Origins\n\nDefinition and Origins\n\nby Cristian Violatti\npublished on 11 May 2013\nShiva Nataraja (Lord of the Dance) (Peter F)\nUnlike other religious traditions, Hinduism does not originate in a single founder, a single book or a single point in time. It contains many different beliefs, philosophies and viewpoints, not always consistent with each other. These apparent contradictions strike only those who are not familiar with this tradition: the Hindu insight claims that the Oneness expresses itself in many different forms.\nHinduism is often labelled as a religion, but it is actually more than that: it is a vast and complex socio-religious body which, in a way, reflects the complexity of Indian society. A rich geography, many languages and dialects, lots of different creeds, racial diversity, all these elements have shaped Hinduism and made it so heterogenic. The lack of unifying overall religious authority and the total absence of a book claiming supreme truth and dogmas have contributed to the diversity of Hinduism as well. It is fair to mention that even the texts we find in Hinduism that claim some sort of divine inspiration do not declare their view to be better than any other and they all exist together in a tolerant fashion. The many manifestations of Hinduism go from highly intellectual philosophies concerning numerous and puzzling metaphysical concerns, many rituals, mental and physical exercises such as Yoga to simple, almost childlike, tales and legends.\n\n\nThis tradition has come down to us from prehistoric times. The foundations of Hinduism can be found in the teachings of anonymous ancient sages or rishis, which were originally transmitted orally. We know very little about Hinduim beyond what can be learned from the Vedas, a collection of hymns and other ritual texts composed in different periods. These texts contain a lot of material including the teachings of the early sages. The oldest evidence of religious practices in India date back approximately to 5500 BCE. It is a mistake to reduce all early Hinduism to Vedic religion: there were many other non-Vedic religious traditions in early Hinduism which have left no early texts and that can be known to some extent by archaeological evidence.\nJust like Zoroastrianism and Judaism (the other two major world religions also coming to us from prehistoric times), Hinduism has received numerous shocks that threatened its foundations and it has resiliently survived all of them. Judaism and Zoroastrianism also survived the many impacts they received, but Judaism failed to absorb Christianity, its all-conquering offspring, which after just a couple of centuries clearly overshadowed it, and there are only around 200,000 Zoroastrian believers left today. The basis of Hinduism has been hit, sometimes even smashed, by many sects, movements and systems of thought: in the worst case scenarios it receded for a while, only to return more powerful than before. Movements challenging the authority of the priestly orthodoxy, irreligious schools such as the Charvaka, atheist traditions like Jainism, the Buddhistagnostic approach, nihilists and skeptics denouncing the cunning behind the sacrificial fees, all of these beliefs weakened Hinduism for some time and were eventually absorbed, recycled and merged into the enormous body of this old Indic faith.\n\n\nWe read in the Brahmanas, a group of sacred priestly texts attached to the Vedas :\nThe eye is the truth. If two persons come disputing with each other [...] we should believe him who said 'I have seen it', not him who has said 'I have heard it.'\nHinduism attaches a very special value to the the darsán (a sanskrit word meaning sight), of gurus, leaders, saintly persons and even holy places and holy images. According to the Hindus, darsán is a two-way flow of vision. While the devotee sees the god, so too the god sees the devotee, and the two can make contact through their eyes. When the images of the gods are made, its eyes are the last part to be completed. It is not until the image is consecrated that its eyes are finally opened with either the touch of a paintbrush or using a golden needle. Popular gods like Shiva and Ganesha have a third eye located in their forehead. The god Brahma, the Thousand-Eyes, often has four heads and looks in all directions at once. This emphasis on the vision and the image dominates the Hindu's relation to the gods, appearing to be just the opposite of many other religions.\n\n\n\nAbrahamanic religions are dominated by the notion that One is better than many: One God, One Book, One Son, One Church, One Nation of God. In Hinduism, the more the better: many gods, many books, many sages, many insights.\nIn this ever-growing community of endless gods and goddesses, the roles of the gods and even their hierarchy are somehow diffuse. Some gods get more attention than others and different accounts suggest different hierarchies. Olympian gods, who had a clear hierarchy, may look greedy and envious compared with the tolerant gods of Hinduism.\nAgni, Indra, Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu and Ganesha are just a few examples of very important Hindu gods that were regarded at different times and by different sects as the most important gods. Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma were part of a holy Hindu trinity (trimurti). Shiva is sometimes associated with the destruction process and Vishnu as the creator who takes the remains destroyed by Shiva in order to regenerate what has been destroyed. For the Ganapatya Hindu sect, Ganesha is the most important deity. Ganesha is highly recognizable with his elephant head and human body, representing the soul ( atman ) and the physical ( maya ) respectively. He is also the patron of writers, travellers, students, commerce, and new projects (for which he removes obstacles from one's path) and is rather fond of sweets, to the slight detriment of his figure.\nKrishna manifesting his full glory to Arjuna\n\nKrishna manifesting his full glory to Arjuna\n\n\nTrying to answer the big questions of life, Hinduism offers several different accounts for the origin of the universe. Here we also see traces of the complexity of Hinduism: the question has been approached in so many different ways.\nOne account says the universe came into existence as a result of the sacrifice of a primeval being, Purusha, who existed even before time. The gods appear to have been his children. Purusha is dismembered by the gods. Purusha's mind became the Moon, his eyes the Sun, the Sky came from his head, and the Earth came from his feet.\nThere is a famous creation quote in the Rig- Veda which suggests a certain skepticism on whether the origin of the universe is a knowable topic.\nWhat covered in, and where? and what gave shelter? Was water there, unfathomed depth of water? [...]\n(Rig-Veda 10.129.1-7)\nIt seems quite an extraordinary idea that even the gods, even the Highest Seer in the Highest Sky, could possibly not know it all.\nThere is another account on how the universe started, which has no equivalent in any other tradition. The universe is actually the dream of a god who after 100 Brahma years, dissolves himself into a dreamless sleep, and the universe dissolves with him. After another 100 Brahma years, he recomposes himself and begins to dream again the great cosmic dream. Meanwhile, there are infinite other universes elsewhere, each of them being dreamt by its own god.\nThis idea could actually reverse the cause and the effect, since humans may not be the result of the dreams of the gods, but rather the gods may be the result of the dreams of humans.\n\nRama › Who Was\n\nDefinition and Origins\n\nby Mark Cartwright\npublished on 13 September 2015\nRama & Hanuman (Sowrirajan)\nRama (or Ramacandra) is the seventh avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. His adventures, notably the slaying of the demon king Ravana, are recounted in the Vana Parva of the Mahabharata and in the Ramayana, the oldest Sanskrit epic, written sometime in the 5th century BCE but with some later additions. Lord Rama, considered by many Hindus to be based on an historical figure, is perhaps the most virtuous hero from Hindu mythology and he, along with his wife Sita, are a picture of purity and marital devotion. Further, the adventures of Rama illustrate above all the importance and rewards of fulfilling one's pious duty or dharma.\n\n\nRama's father is King Dasaratha, a prince of the solar race, and his mother is Queen Kausalya. Rama was born at the end of the Second Age or Treta-yuga and he came into the world specifically at the bidding of the gods to deal with the fearsome multi-headed demon Ravana, the king of Lanka (modern Sri Lanka). The great god Vishnu answered the gods' call and appeared in a sacrificial fire made by Dasaratha. The pious king was presented with a pot of nectar, and he gave half of it to Kausalya who produced half-divine Rama as a consequence. Rama had three half-brothers – Bharata, Lakshmana, and Shatrughna - all with some, albeit lesser, divine qualities. Rama's favourite brother and great companion was Laksmana, son of Sumitra, while his loyal servant was the monkey warrior Hanuman (or Hanumat).\n\n\nRama's first adventure occurred when the sage Visvamitra asked for help in fighting a demon or raksasa. Rama and Laksmana, leaving their childhood home at Ayodhya capital of the northern kingdom of Koshala, followed Visvamitra to his home and there killed Taraka, a terrible female demon. In gratitude Rama was given divine weapons, and he set off for more adventures, ending up in Mithila. There Janaka the king of Videha hosted our hero, and he met the king's beautiful daughter Sita (also called Janaki or Maithili). The king had promised the princess in marriage to anyone who could manage to bend a huge bow which had once been the weapon of the great god Shiva. Rama, with his divine strength, did more than just bend the bow but broke it in half and so won the hand of Sita, his first and most revered wife.\n\n\n\nRama's succession to the throne of Ayodhya was made difficult by his mother's hunchback slave Manthara. Jealous of Rama, she soured the opinion of Kaikeyi, Dasaratha's second wife, and convinced her to persuade her husband to instead make Bharata heir to the throne. On top of this slight Rama was exiled from the kingdom for fourteen years. So, accompanied by Sita and his ever faithful companion Laksmana, Rama went to live in the far south in Citrakuta, deep in the Dandaka forest.Meanwhile, Dasaratha died, but Bharata, seeing the injustice of Rama's treatment, decided not to become king but instead to search for and return Rama to his rightful home and birthright. When the two brothers met once again, Rama obstinately refused to return to Ayodhya until he had fulfilled his father's wishes and served out his fourteen years of exile. After much discussion, Bharata agreed to act as regent until that time, and to prove to his subjects Rama's decision, he took his brother's shoes as a symbol of Rama's royal status.\nRama, Sita, & Laksmana\n\nRama, Sita, & Laksmana\n\n\nRama did not stay still in the remainder of his exile but visited many sages. Eventually, he ended up at Pancavati along the river Godavari, an area plagued by demons. One in particular, Surpanakha, the sister of Ravana, fell in love with Rama, and when her advances were resisted, she attacked Sita in revenge. Laksmana was the first to react and cut off the ears and nose of Surpanakha. Not best pleased with this treatment, the enraged demoness gathered an army of demons to attack the trio. In an epic battle Rama defeated them all; however, Surpanakha was not finished with the matter and she persuaded Ravana that Sita was a girl worth fighting for. Accordingly, the demon king sought out Rama's home, and while Rama was distracted in the hunt for a deer (who was actually Ravana's magician Maricha in disguise), abducted Sita, taking her back to Lanka in his aerial chariot to be kept captive in his beautiful Ashoka garden.\nRama followed in hot pursuit but met several troublesome distractions along the way. The first was the headless monster Kabandha. Killing the creature, its departing soul proved more helpful and advised Rama that before confronting Ravana, our hero should enlist the help of Sugriva, king of the monkeys. Finding on their arrival at Sugriva's capital Kiskindha that the king had lost his throne to his brother Balin, Rama helped restore Sugriva to power. A grateful Sugriva gave Rama use of an army and enlisted the help of Hanuman, who besides being an able general was the son of the wind and able to leap huge distances and take any form he wished. It was he who magically transported Rama and his force to Lanka, crossing the rock bridge built by the skilled general Nala, son of Visvakarma, which became known as Rama's Bridge.\nRavana the Demon King\n\nRavana the Demon King\n\nA series of titanic battles between Rama's forces and the demons followed, but eventually Ravana was slain, Lanka fell to Rama's army, and our hero was reunited with his wife. Rama was not entirely convinced that his wife had remained loyal to him during her abduction, but Sita determined to prove her honour by a test of fire, indeed the divine fire of Agni, no less.Escaping the flames unscathed, Rama realized he had misjudged Sita, and the couple headed back for Ayodhya where Rama reclaimed his throne and began a golden era of government.\nAccording to the Uttara Kanda the story continues with Rama still harbouring suspicions about his wife's virtue during her captivity with Ravana. Rama thus exiles Sita to live with the sage Valmiki, and it is there that she bears him twin sons, Kusa and Lava. Eventually the sons return to Ayodhya where Rama recognizes his offspring and, in a fit of remorse, recalls the wronged Sita. In the Ramayana everyone lives happily ever after at this point, but in the Uttara Kanda the tale is not quite finished. Still proclaiming her innocence, Sita now swears her virtue on the earth itself which then promptly swallows her by opening beneath her feet. Rama, now even more distraught, vows to follow his wife to heaven, but Time appears to him in the guise of an ascetic and calls for him to remain and fulfil his duty on earth. Nevertheless, Rama wades into the river Sarayu and from there is welcomed into heaven by Brahma.\n\n\nRama remains a figure of worship across India and South-east Asia but especially in Oude and Bihar. He has, for example, a magnificent temple at Ramesvaram, notable for its 17th century CE columned corridor. In addition, the Ramanandis are the largest and perhaps strictest Vaishnava monastic order. Rama is also considered by some Buddhists to be an avatar of Buddha, and sculptures of the hero sometimes appears on the exterior of Buddhist temples.\nIn art Rama is always youthful and typically has green or blue skin, holds a bow and arrows, and wears a yellow robe. He is most often seen with Sita, Laksmana, and Hanuman – collectively known as Rama's family or Rama Parivara. Episodes from the Ramayana are especially popular in Hindu sculpture, wall paintings, and art in general, most of all forest scenes with Rama hunting the deer and the epic battle with Ravana.\n\n\nArticle based on information obtained from these sources:\nwith permission from the Website Ancient History Encyclopedia\n\nRecommended Contents", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9375045299530029}
{"content": "Arcana’s Queens Of Snow And Air collection has been a huge hit at The Rhinestone Housewife!  Today we are reviewing Small Cottage In A Clearing.\n\nSmall Cottage in a Clearing:  The cozy scent of milky coffee with white sugar, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and a faint undercurrent of dangerous black musk.\n\nIn bottle:  Cinnamon coffee!\n\nWet on skin:  Milky cinnamon coffee at first.   As it settles down the spice come out to play, and the cinnamon is gorgeous….not craft storish at all.  It’s a deep, rich spicy and I think the milk helps to soften and richen it up.\n\nDry on skin:  This is so comforting and pretty.  It’s like being wrapped in a warm blanket of fuzzy coffee and warm inviting spices.   Just at the very edges you catch a whiff of the black musk.\n\nVerdict:  Warm, rich, comforting and lovely.  The perfect cold weather scent to keep you feeling hot!\n\nArcana Small Cottage In A Clearing\n\nArcana Small Cottage In A Clearing", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8835191130638123}
{"content": "Posted in Freedom, Healing\n\nThe Healing Parallax by George Elerick\n\nVideo information\n\nGeorge Elerick on the meaning of healing.\n\nI like his interpretation of the healing story of Jairus’ daughter in Mark 5 (and Luke 8) where Jesus said to her “Little girl, I say to you, arise”, which means grow up in the developmental sense, in the context of the father and mother leaving the room, who represent the law, or the overarching structure that once defined the identity of the person. So this symbolically means that the girl is free from the law to develop as a person, and discover her true identity, which is her salvation. Healing, then, is the ability to look at the same space but from a different angle or perspective of self. Yes, to be free from the law or ethical system is to become spiritually mature as we grow and develop to be our authentic self and discover our own identity.\n\nI also like this quote by Marcel Proust which may relate to the above video message as well.\n\nQuote by Marcel Proust\n\nYes, the real voyage of discovery is when we see ourselves with new eyes, that we are no longer defined by the law nor by our parents nor by the ethical system of the world, hence we do not need to rely on the law to experience life. Our freedom from the law marks the beginning of our journey of self-discovery, whereby we find healing from the past and continue to grow and develop as the person God intended us to be, as George Elerick mentioned.\n\nPosted in Freedom, Healing, Psychology\n\nThe body never lies\n\nI have checked out the website about the book “The body never lies” by Alice Miller, and I learnt that it is noted by a number of reviewers to be very helpful for those who have suffered abuse from parents at a young age to experience self-healing and freedom from repression of guilt, shame and self-hatred. One reviewer, Stephen Khamsi, wrote that one way of healing is to allow ourselves to feel our pain and our powerlessness so that we can, paradoxically, become less pained and more powerful.\n\n“Sadly, many of us were unloved, neglected and abused. The remedy? While there are no simple answers, we do know that the body is healed when one admits to personal truths and to real feelings. But how do we admit to such truths and to such feelings? We need to feel our pain and our powerlessness so that we can, paradoxically, become less pained and more powerful. We need to admit to our “negative” emotions and change them into meaningful feelings. And we need to see through poisonous pedagogy in order to embrace and to embody integrity, awareness, responsibility, and loyalty to oneself. Our greatest personal task is to learn the difference between love and attachment…to extend our love when it’s right, but to break off attachments when they are destructive. Our greatest therapeutic task is to locate an enlightened witness—a mature and helpful individual, who can be fully present without judging, is indispensable in this process of psychological integration and personal liberation.”\n\nIt reminds me of what Peter Rollins also said in his video “Crucified Identities” that we need to embrace our pains and brokenness, not so that we can be destroyed by these emotions, but rather so that the sting is no longer there.\n\nI also like what this reviewer, Norm Lee, wrote about how Alice Miller challenged the mistaken notion about the religious and societal expectations on people to obey the so-called fourth commandment, which has put much guilt and pressure on people who grew up under abusive parenthood.\n\n\nAs noted by another reviewer, Lucien Lombardo, the role of a parent is actually:\n\n“Parents should honor and empower their children, so that they, their children and their children’s children will live their own truths over long and authentic lives! ”\n\nI think it would also help people to know that the ten commandments may have originated not from “God” but from ancient Egyptian myths. According to Wikipedia, many historians have concluded that the ten commandments were based on an earlier document called the Egyptian Book of the Dead.\n\n“The Book of the Dead was written circa 1800 BCE. 2 The Schofield Reference Bible estimates that the Hebrew Exodus from Egypt and the provision of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai occurred in 1491 BCE., some three centuries later. Many religious liberals, historians, and secularists have concluded that the Hebrew Scripture’s Ten Commandments were based on this earlier document, rather than vice-versa.”\n\n(From “A possible origin of the Ten Commandments“)\n\nJesus also challenged the conventional idea of biological father and mother, when he said to the Jews “For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother”. From Matthew 12:46–5\n\nSo in the kingdom of God, biological relations do not identify us. Rather we are identified simply as members of the same human family, for in Christ we are all one; neither male nor female, and so on.\n\nI think this book is helpful also to enable us to understand that how our parents treat us do not define who we are, but rather their abusive behaviour is a reflection of their own wounded psyche, which they need to work on in their own lives. As this saying also noted:\n\n\nPosted in Inspiration\n\n\n(A poem written around 1996-97)\n\nSilence gives me words to write,\nExploring its hollow voice,\nits impalpable implications.\n\nMy voice, jarring to my ears\nIn the midst of stillness\nThat mocks at me,\nLeaves me mystified\nDeepens my embitterment\n\nA word could speak several things.\nSilence speaks uncountables,\nDrowning the sea of words\nWith its deafening turmoil.\n\nPosted in Equality, Philosophy\n\nStatus Anxiety\n\nHere’s sharing this perceptive video about status anxiety. It presents very well the case of status anxiety that is prevalent in today’s democratic societies such as in America (and I would add countries in Asia that have been westernised or americanised) that are supposedly meritocratic due to the mindset that anyone can become successful, compared to the colonial European feudal or aristocratic societies based on hierarchal class system. As Alain de Botton noted, the idea of success is relative and flimsy as it is dependent on an ever changing perception of material wealth and level of expectation. Even though generally people have more riches than their ancestors or those in aristocratic societies, they tend to compare their lot with their neighbours and friends, in terms of whose house is bigger and whose jobs are better paid, and so on, and the constant propaganda from advertisements, motivational speakers, performance-based religion and government fuels and perpetuates status anxiety and general dissatisfaction with their own lives. He also noted that the system is not as meritocratic as it seems because not everyone rises to the top by hard work and talent alone as there are discrimination and favouritism involved in the system. Besides, the system fails to be compassionate enough to those whose lives have been met with unfortunate incidents, such as those who lost their family members who are breadwinners.\n\nI agree with his views what truly matters in life is spiritual values such as loving one’s neighbours, as demonstrated by Mother Teresa. As one book reviewer also noted:\n\n“Finally, envy can be cured by realizing that anyone’s achievements seem insignificant in the context of the millennia and the expansive wonders of nature. Also, we should always keep in mind that at the end of one’s days, the value of love, true friends, and charity will outweigh the quest for power, wealth, status and glory.”\n\n(From a review of “Status Anxiety”)\n\nRecently, I also reflected that status anxiety in a performance-based society (and religion) can result in self-loathing in people who are conditioned by the competitive and materialistic mindset.\n\nThis mindset tends to result in self-loathing because those who subscribe to this competitive mindset inevitably judge their own self-worth based on their performance and accomplishments, and they tend to blame or hate themselves for not being good enough, or not being successful enough, especially when they compare themselves to their competitors, and are always grappling with insecurity as they are thinking how to out-do others in order to prove that they are worthy or successful in the eyes of the society. This mindset may also result in the competition-oriented people becoming cold, callous, inhumane and cruel towards others who are seen as less successful than themselves. This is especially so when they have been trying to suppress their own feelings of weakness and brokenness in themselves, and end up being insensitive towards others who happen to display the very same feelings of weakness and brokenness that they hate in themselves. It is like what Peter Rollins said about people who have not learnt to accept and embrace the otherness in themselves will not be able to accept and embrace the otherness they see in other people.\n\n(From “Why people in patriarchal societies and Abrahamic religions despise weakness and are addicted to power and success“)\n\nI think status anxiety pervades human societies throughout history. Perhaps one reason Jesus came then is to renew people’s minds – to change their minds regarding what truly matters in life – to listen to the voice within our true self that affirms our innate intrinsic worth and value instead of listening to external voices of the performance-based societies that threaten to devalue and dehumanise us. Like what this quote by Alain says:\n\n“Our minds are susceptible to the influence of external voices telling us what we require to be satisfied, voices that may drown out the faint sounds emitted by our souls and distract us from the careful, arduous task of accurately naming our priorities.”\nAlain de Botton, Status Anxiety\n\nPosted in Equality, Gender issues\n\nIdentity politics and “crucified identities”\n\nIdentity Politics and its Limitations\n\nI learnt from Wikipedia that identity politics deals with various socio-political movements that are based on group identities, which can be found in the feminist movements, gay and lesbian movements and so on.\n\n“Identity politics are political arguments that focus upon the self-interest and perspectives of self-identified social interest groups and ways in which people’s politics may be shaped by aspects of their identity through race, class, religion, gender, ethnicity, ideology, nation, sexual orientation, culture, currency, information preference, history, musical and/or literary genre, medical conditions, profession, hobby, or any other loosely correlated yet simple to intuit social organizations. … It can most notably be found in class movements, feminist movements, gay and lesbian movements, disability movements, ethnic movements and post colonial movements. But wherever it is found it is also open to wide debate and critique.”\n\n(From Wikipedia)\n\nWhile these movements have their place in enabling the voices of the minorities and the marginalised to be heard and their issues of discrimination to be addressed in the society, I learnt that there are also limitations to identity politics, because it does not necessarily bring about equality. In this blog, the writer noted that Peter Rollins had explained how the scapegoat mechanism continues to function even when the mainstream tries to include minority groups into their circles as part of identity politics.\n\n“This is why the liberal strategy of opening up communities to previously scapegoated others is not, in itself, sufficient. In religious terms we can note how some conservative churches are beginning to open up to the possibility that gays and lesbians can be equal members of their community. Just as they eventually learned to reject explicit racism and sexism now they are gradually learning to overcome heterosexism. But the problem is that the fundamental structure of scapegoating is not broken in the acceptance of the latest “other,” and if the underlying scapegoat mechanism is not decommissioned then new “others” will always arise to protect the group from its own internal conflicts.\n\nThere will always be an other as long as we refuse to face ourselves. For example in some of these groups gays and lesbians are now being accepted as long as they embrace the idea of lifelong monogamous marriage. This means that those, gay and straight, who don’t accept that lifestyle for themselves can be excluded as immoral, corrupt and a threat to the institution of marriage.”\n\n(From “Identity Politics and the Cross: Peter Rollins on the Scapegoat Mechanism“)\n\nSo from my understanding, the more people focus on identifying minority groups and then trying to include them into the mainstream, without first accepting the otherness in themselves, the more they continue to discriminate the minorities based on their perceived differences. Another problem is that everyone assumes that all the individuals within a particular minority group must subscribe to the same kind of lifestyle or ideology, and so the people within that group lose their individuality. I came across this article in which the writer shares how marxism (or socialism that denounces classism) helps minority groups move beyond the limits of identity politics.\n\nSimilarly, in this article, the writer explains why identity politics does not liberate the oppressed whereas Marxism provides the theoretical tools for ending oppression.\n\nThe bulk of this article is a critique of the theory behind what is known in academic and left circles as “identity politics”—the idea that only those experiencing a particular form of oppression can either define it or fight against it—counterposing to it a Marxist analysis. My central premise is that Marxism provides the theoretical tools for ending oppression, while identity politics does not.”\n\n(From “The Politics of Identity” by Sharon Smith, International Socialist Review)\n\nFrom my understanding of the article, the theory of identity politics ignores the entire element of social class, which is a problem because class inequality causes oppression. So it is thought that Marxism or socialism that seeks to remove class inequality would serve to end oppression of the minorities and the marginalised.\n\nCrucified Identities\n\nI have checked out the above video and I think Peter Rollins summed up very well the significance of the cross as symbolising our crucifixion of various identities, which transcends our perceived differences and moves beyond the limits of identity politics. As long as people identify themselves based on social interests or political affiliations or belief systems or ethnic groups and so on, there will always be some forms of discrimination and conflicts and tribalism, in which one group tends to think they have all the right answers and others don’t. I like the scenario he gave about a minister who would supposedly confess publicly that his own uncertainty and unknowing and that he doesn’t have all the right answers, and in some cases, the church would fire him not because they did not know he does not have all the right answers but rather they do not want to face their own uncertainties and unknowing and would rather hire someone who appears to have all the right answers to preach to them. I also agree that unity and equality can be made possible that people come together and have deep conversations by laying aside their various identities, and learn from one another, and being conscious that in Christ, there is neither Jew nor Gentile, male nor female, gay nor straight, republican nor democrat, high class nor low class, feminist nor misogynist, black nor white, and so on, for we are all one.\n\nAs Peter Rollins also shared in the video, it is important that people hold on to their beliefs with a loose hand. If they hold on to their beliefs too tightly, they will not be open to learn from others. The same goes with group identities. I think that is why Peter Rollins does not want to subscribe fully to identity politics because the various group identities have their limitations and ultimately do not bring about equality that they desire because it can become another “us” versus “them” mentality. I think some feminists have probably misunderstood him in the past as saying he does not care about diversity or about equality of women or minorities when he did not want to subscribe to identity politics. But he was actually going beyond the limits of identity politics, beyond feminism, and so on, as much as these movements have their place, because he sees that true equality and unity can only be made possible when people lay aside their various identities and embrace the other. He also clarified in the video that it doesn’t mean people stop being men or women and so on, but rather people can choose to look beyond these outward differences and commune at a deeper level. So his message on crucified identities resonates with me as well because I too believe the gospel of our true identity shared among humanity is one way for greater peace and equality.\n\nPosted in Meditation, Philosophy\n\n\n\n\nAs the article noted:\n\n\n\n\n\n(From Wikipedia on Gautama Buddha)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Exclusion of Thomas\n\n\nWhy Study the Gospel of Thomas?\n\n\n\nPosted in Equality, Unity and harmony\n\nZizek’s The Fragile Absolute: Or, Why the Christian Legacy is Worth Fighting For?\n\nIn the above video, I noted that the speaker was sharing his reflections on Slavoj Zizek’s “The fragile absolute, or why the Christian legacy is worth fighting for”. I applaud him for being an open-minded atheist who is willing to look beyond differences and have an open dialogue with Christians on how they can work together to form an alternative community that opposes the societal ways of oppression, discrimination and consumerism. As a non-believer, he has a surprisingly good grasp of the gospel about the mission that Jesus and Paul were preaching and promoting, such as the universal truth that we are all one, for there is neither slave nor free, rich or poor, and so on, for all are one in Christ.\n\nI also like his interpretation of Jesus’ words about hating one’s father, mother, brothers and so on, which is about unplugging from the old system of discrimination and injustice and hating this system, and actively challenging instead of passively accepting it. Indeed, we can pursue the mission of Christ by the way we live, such as creating an alternative community that is based on equality and universal brotherhood, regardless of our differences in ethnicities, backgrounds and belief systems.\n\nRelated articles\nPosted in Uncategorized\n\nAuthor Dylan Morrison The Desire Series Part 19 ~ Helper Or Healer?\n\nVideo information\n\nIn this, the 19th talk in his ‘Desire’ series, Irish spiritual author asks whether we are helpers or healers. Helping can he suggests be simply a power play in the world of culture, whilst healing is a flow of Divine Life through one wounded individual to another. Background music by New York singer-songwriter, Cyndi McCoy.\n\nI have listened to the video by Dylan Morrison, in which he suggested that helping is not the same as healing. According to him, helping is generally accepted as a good thing, and yet it can be a way of maintaining power over others. He added that the more professional our helping becomes, the more sinister our missional mercy (?) become, hence the professional helping industry destroys the faith of the needy ones. He then offered a self-diagnosis of a healer/helper: that a healer is never busy as he/she occupies an almost timeless space, that we as a healer is filled with mutual respect when we see ourselves in the space of the others, that a healer doesn’t give the other person a superior “I know better” attitude, and that cultural differences are irrelevant in the healing space, where we in a mysterious psychic way become one. He said that there is no rivalry involved in healing, and when the way of desire flows freely between two hearts, a channel of divine love is established, and healing can also occur in a group that lives and moves in mimetic freedom. Such groups are usually outside of strong cultural influence such as organised religions, often comprising the walking wounded.\n\nHis message mainly resonates with me, as I was also reflecting in the similar vein. I have recorded my own reflections in my iphone diary dated 17 Jan 2013, in which I wrote some thoughts on helping:\n\nHelp is not really about the strong helping the weak. This attitude tends to lack empathy and may even breed an air of superiority. Help is actually about co-identifying and co-suffering with the other person. It involves empathy, understanding, compassion, grace and gentleness in the way we help others. It is also a way to acknowledge our own humanity and recognise we need help ourselves and we are helping ourselves while helping others at the same time. It is all about inter-being (to borrow a term by Thich Nhat Hanh).\n\nYes, this is especially true in volunteerism whereby many volunteers testify to the fact that whenever they do volunteer work in children’s homes, senior citizen centres, and so on, they often feel as if they are helping themselves to be liberated from their own problems or challenges in life. It is a demonstration of how we are all connected and one with one another, and each of us is an extension of the other, and vice versa.\n\nCompassion is sometimes the fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live in someone else’s skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy for you too.\n\n~Frederick Buechner\n\nPosted in Philosophy\n\nHegel’s dialectic influences the way we look at history\n\nI have listened to the video, and I paused the video a few times, and googled to find out more about Hegelian dialectics, before continuing to listen to the video so as to have a more complete understanding with some background knowledge in mind.\n\nFor example, I learnt from this website that Hegel “developed his concept of dialectic, in which the contradiction between a proposition (thesis) and its antithesis is resolved at a higher level of truth (synthesis)”.\n\nI noted that the video is about the question “In which ways did Hegel’s dialectic influence the way we look at history?” and “Hegel thought that history is dialectic, a constant change along a path towards a definite end.” The narrator said that it deals with such questions like “Why do empires rise and fall? Why do certain things change through history, eg ideas? How and why do certain people influence history?” He added that some of Hegel’s writings are very difficult to understand, such as his philosophy of history. It challenges people to fully grasp what he was saying.\n\nThe narrator said that Hegel is interested in the search for truth. He also said that one way of finding truth is through debate. But the problem with debate is that people keep their own beliefs. They want to win over the other side. They would use arguments with logic but not emotions. But to Hegel, he believed we have to go through 3 stages until we come to the point where we can say with clarity how things have become or how things have changed.\n\nFor Hegel, the first stage is known as the abstract or an idea or opinion or thesis. We then look for the opposite to it, the negative idea, or the antithesis. Moving from the original idea (thesis) to the other (antithesis), we then come to the conclusion of a new, concrete understanding called synthesis.\n\nThis is different from other kinds of ideas or reasonings, such as inductive and deductive methods of reasonings. Deductive is when there is a generalisation – many kinds of opinions, and through them we come to a conclusion; and inductive is when we have an example, and we make a proposition.\n\nThe narrator said that to come up with any concrete or definite statement about the state of affairs, or how things are happening in Europe, we must go through the abstract and the negative – we must have the thesis and the antithesis – to come to a concrete conclusion about how things have changed.\n\nHegel (Photo credit: Wikipedia)\n\nSo, for Hegel, history is dialectic. It is the stages that are continually changing because a status quo – the way things are, like feudalism in Europe – will then be faced with a new way of thinking… such as the Renaissance…. and from that, there is this conflict which ends up with a new synthesis, a new way in which people see themselves and the world.\n\nEg if we lived in the 16th century, we would begin to get a lot of freedom, breaking away from church dogma, and we are being allowed to become more humanistic, and we will see the world not through the power of God but through the power of reasoning. That is a complete change away from the previous status quo. So we move through Reformation and Renaissance with a new understanding of where we come from.\n\nThe narrator added that history is always moving forward. It is never static. It is deterministic – it is determined to go in a particular way. It is changing because it is “geist”. We have developed through stages, where one synthesis is challenged by a new thesis, and the cycle of thesis-antithesis-synthesis goes on.\n\nHumans are evolving in a constant change. With new technologies, we have to adapt new ways of working and communicating. In future, as technologies keep changing, we have to also keep adopt new ways of working and communicating again and again.\n\nHowever, as the narrator noted, there is a flaw in this mode of thinking. There are subjective and objective ways of seeing things, which result in differences in opinions. What is change to one person may not be so for another person.\n\nNevertheless, Hegel’s writings certainly influence German nationalism. His ideas led to a march forward towards a higher realm in German idealism. The narrator then talked about Zeitgeist – the spirit within a certain period. He said that the prevailing feeling in the Victorian era is different from that in the 1960s due to a change in the way people see the world because of technological evolution, wars, etc.\n\nThe narrator then ended the video by saying that Hegel’s dialectic can be used in our own research and understanding of history. We can ask ourselves: Do things occur because of the status quo being challenged by new ways of thinking through whatever crisis, through whatever stages of development of technology and people’s understanding, etc, and from that, do we then reach a synthesis? What was the Zeitgeist at that time? How about today?\n\nI remember reading recently that someone in this forum also noted that Hegel’s dialectic describes a seemingly neverending cycle of changes in history, whereby the synthesis that has emerged becomes a new thesis, which will one day be challenged by a new antithesis in future, which will in turn lead to a new synthesis, and the cycle goes on. The forum member wrote:\n\n“It’s a theory of the evolution of knowledge or culture. Earlier posters have explained it pretty well, but the one point that’s only been touched on is that the dialectic cycle continues. So first you have your thesis. This leads to rebel thinkers or a different political viewpoint in opposition, the antithesis. Eventually these to combine (often violently) into a new paradigm which takes the best parts of both into the synthesis. Now, the synthesis is the dominant paradigm, so it’s the new thesis, meaning there will be an opposition theory, a new antithesis, which will lead to a new synthesis, which itself becomes the third thesis, leading to a third antithesis, etc.”\n\nAll in all, I see Hegel’s dialectic as a useful tool or model in helping us understand the changes in history. I would summarise it in my own words like this: What used to work in a society in the past may not work as well in the future because of changes in the way people see the world, which are influenced by cultural, technological, political changes and so on. So the prevailing system in which we function will have to evolve as well. But after a new system has been put into place, it will sooner or later become obsolete, and the status quo will again be challenged once more by a new antithesis, and then a new synthesis will be necessary to restore the balance. And this cycle continues to flow and change alongside with the evolution of humanity and the rest of the world.\n\nOne example I could think of is the Pisces age that was said to be dominant from the first century AD till around 2012, to borrow a new age theory. It was based on “approval of authority gives people a sense of self-worth.” But from 2012 onwards, a new antithesis is necessary to challenge the status quo of the Pisces Age. It is called the Aquarian Age. In the Aquarian Age, people will gain their sense of self-worth through self-approval. Each will be aware of his own divinity. But there is a conflict between the old adherents of Pisces Age who wanted to hold on to authority, power and influence and the new followers of Aquarian Age who want to promote freedom, justice and equality for everyone. Maybe a new synthesis will emerge based on new ways of understanding, that manages to combine these two apparently incompatible theories in a unique and unpredictable way. I am not sure what to call this synthesis – a new Age of consciousness? I suppose that is where subjectivity comes in because different people will have different opinions on what to call it, and whether it is really considered a change, as mentioned in the video.\n\nAs mentioned earlier, I was reading up more about Hegelian dialectics while watching the video. For example, I learnt from this website that Hegel’s logic differs from Aristotle’s logic – Hegel chose to see everything as a whole, whereas Aristotle chose to see separate, discrete entities in a deductive pattern.\n\n“For Hegel, only the whole is true. Every stage or phase or moment is partial, and therefore partially untrue. Hegel’s grand idea is “totality” which preserves within it each of the ideas or stages that it has overcome or subsumed. Overcoming or subsuming is a developmental process made up of “moments” (stages or phases). The totality is the product of that process which preserves all of its “moments” as elements in a structure, rather than as stages or phases.”\n\nSimilarly, pages 89-90 of this book “Philosophy for Kids: Questions that help you wonder… about everything” noted that Hegel thought about all individual things, not just a particular human being. No one thing can be understood by itself. Rather, anything and everything must be seen in the light of relations to everything else.\n\nYes, I agree that all things are interconnected. We exist in relation to others, as we are not discrete, isolated entities.\n\nEarlier while watching the video and grappling with difficult and new concepts and ideas, I was reflecting that generally speaking, while academics has its place, it needs to be relevant and easy to understand, as shared with you before. Otherwise, it can only create a distance itself from the rest of the world. While sometimes using highly specialised terms is necessary, the development of ideas needs to be clear and concise. Dense, complex writings are not always helpful if they confuse the readers just to give the impression that they are deep. Some of the most profound ideas are simple and yet deep, such as Jesus’ parables, and can be understood by kids. One gauge I would use to evaluate a writing, whether an academic or philosophical or any kind of writing, is by asking myself this question: “Can kids understand? If an average kid cannot understand, how can this writing really be useful? How does this writing contribute in making the world a better, more cohesive and peaceful place in a practical sense?”\n\nI remember Jesus said “I thank You Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes” (Matt 11:25), as a rebuke to the religious leaders who did not appreciate his miracles of healing people.\n\nLater as I continued to meditate on this, I realised that then again, sometimes certain ideas are meant to be complex. There is more than meets the eye beyond the surface of things, as quantum physics would reveal. For instance, someone from the evangelical christian background sent a mass text message on the handphone earlier on to share this verse, which I supposed was meant to encourage others – “Delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart”. (from Psalms) Yet my interpretation of this verse has changed from understanding it literally to understanding it metaphorically. To evangelicals, “the Lord” probably meant some literal judicial figure in the sky. But to me, “the Lord” is probably referring to our highest self who is Love. So, sometimes, mystical realities cannot be easily translated or described in words.\n\nSimilarly, when it comes to the philosophy of history, maybe it is not that easy to describe using words alone. Hegel’s writing comes across as difficult to understand to many people maybe because the original German language itself in which he wrote is complex. He was probably also trying to articulate his ideas in a way that made sense to him, and was not deliberately trying to obsfucate his thoughts to confuse his readers. It is probably the result of the complex subject nature he was dealing with that requires a certain way of thinking in order to go deeper beyond the surface, so the apparent complexity is somewhat inevitable.\n\nMaybe one good thing about deep and complex philosophical ideas is that it challenges people to “decode” the mystery – it becomes like a treasure hunt where people look for clues to unlock the mystery, and will experience the thrill of uncovering the meaning behind the codes, bit by bit. It will bring a new and interesting dimension to an otherwise bland, mundane and overly simplistic way of thinking that much of the society operates on – one that is deep, mysterious and rewarding as we delve beyond the surface of reality, and feed on our own personal revelations and perceptions of life.\n\n\nPosted in Grace, Identity\n\nEthics is tied up with capitalism\n\nI have checked out the above message by George Elerick, and I agree ethics is not something we do but rather is who we are. The performance-based concept of ethics is self-centred, which is about looking good in front of others. Yes, in this sense, ethics is tied up with capitalism because capitalism is based on self-centredness instead of other-centredness.\n\nAs he pointed out, Paul wrote that we are all one in Christ, and our identity is based on who we are in Christ and not based on how we perform. It reminds me of a blog I posted on grace and ethics, based on a blog by Peter Rollins.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9500778317451477}
{"content": "(877) 781-1570Call Now! Available 24/7\nFree Immediate Response!\n\nTheft by False Pretenses Law in California – Penal Code Section 532\n\nTheft By False Pretenses in California\n\nTheft by false pretenses is covered under California Penal Code Section 532. In basic terms, it’s when someone is convinced to voluntarily give up of something of value based on false or fraudulent representation. In other words, it’s lying or making false promises to fool someone to give them their property. Under California law, it’s a type of theft crime, but is achieved through deception rather than any type of physical force. In fact, if you are criminally charged with this type of theft offense in Los Angeles County, you can face the same type of legal penalties as any individual who was charged with more commonly known forms of theft cases, such as robbery or burglary. The legal punishment for this type of theft offense will typically depend on the total value of the items that was taken. The main legal issue often argued under a theft by false pretense charge is whether you made a false representation of a fact in order to defraud another person, or whether the allegation was sufficiently corroborated. It’s important to note that a Los Angeles County prosecutor can still charge you with theft by false pretenses if they believe you recklessly misrepresented something without any justification, or believe you intentionally omitted a fact when you were obligated to do so. A “false pretense” is any act or word, where the specific purpose is to deceive someone. You can make a false pretense if you intentionally deceive someone by (1) providing information you know is false; (2) make a promise you have no intention of keeping; (3) don’t give information you are obligated to provide, and; (4) make a reckless misrepresentation. Theft by false pretenses is closely related to many California white collar crimes dealing with fraud offenses. These include unemployment insurance fraud, internet fraud, check fraud, credit card fraud, and embezzlement. In order for an LA County prosecutor to obtain a conviction, they have to be able to prove the key element of the crime, which is that you knowingly and intentionally deceived the alleged victim through some type of misrepresentation. They will normally attempt to prove you lied about a material fact in order to obtain property from the owner.\n\n\nIf you are facing allegations of theft by false pretense, you would be wise to exercise your legal right to remain silent. In most cases, a police detective will attempt to get statements from you about the case. You should be polite, but decline to make any statements without first consulting with an attorney. It’s important to understand that you could make incriminating statements without realizing it. These statements could be used against you later in court. The police detective who called you is well paid to build a criminal case and make arrest. That’s what they do. In spite of their politeness, don’t be fooled, they are not your friend. Instead, contact a Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer at Eisner Gorin LLP immediately. Our attorneys will closely examine the details of the accusation in order to start preparing an effective defense strategy. Now that we have discussed a basic overview of theft by false pretenses above, let’s now take a closer look at the legal definition, legal punishments, and potential legal defenses below.\n\n\nCalifornia Penal Code Section 532 – Theft by False Pretense\n\n\n\n\n\nIn simple language, this legal definition means you can be charged with theft by false pretenses for lying to persuade someone to give them your property or anything that has value. Again, In order to obtain a conviction, the prosecutor has to be able to prove, beyond any reasonable doubt, specific elements of the crimes. These elements include:\n\n\n\nA “false pretense” covers a wide array of conduct, but it’s legally defined as any act, word, symbol, or token, where the intent purpose is to deceive. This includes making reckless statements without having any information to justify its true, but intent is the key factor in criminal prosecution of theft by false pretenses. Another key factor for the prosecutor to prove is the reliance of the victim who gave up their property because they believed your false statements were true. This means the victim must have actually given you their property because they relied on your misrepresentation. Additionally, a theft by false pretenses requires that you obtained ownership of the victim’s property, rather than just possession. Call a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney at our law firm for additional information and to review the details of your case. \n\n\nLegal Penalties for a Theft by False Pretense Conviction\n\nIf you are convicted of theft by false pretenses in violation of California Penal Code Section 532, the legal penalties will depend on the amount of money or property taken. If the total value of property is $950 or less, it’s considered petty theft, which is a misdemeanor offense that can carry a sentence of up to 6 months in the county jail, a fine up to $1,000, or both. If the total value of the property is more than $950, you will be charged with grand theft, which can be filed as either a misdemeanor or felony crime. See related: Grand Theft Firearm. If convicted of a felony, the legal penalties can include up to 3 years in a California state prison. \n\n\nLegal Defenses Against Theft by False Pretense Charges\n\n\n\n\n\n\nContact a Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer\n\nIf you or a family member are facing misdemeanor of felony charges of theft by false pretenses under Penal Code 532, you need to consult with a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney at Eisner Gorin LLP immediately. Remain silent and do not talk to the police. Our lawyers need to review your case in order to determine your best legal options moving forward. We have a track record of success in all type of theft related cases. We offer a free immediate response. Call our law firm at 877-781-1570.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.983561635017395}
{"content": "Inclusion Overview\n\nA recap from the semester\n\nWhat is inclusion?\n\nInclusion is integrating students with disabilities with their peers. It is finding a balance between providing the student with all needed accommodations without separating them from their fellow classmates.\n\nWhy is it important?\n\nInclusion is important in order to dissolve any barriers between children with disabilities and those without disabilities. All students should be encouraged to participate in the same activity with peers. Supports and accommodations may be needed in order to implement this. This is a time when children's sense of self is developing, it is important that they see themselves as equal to their peers instead of held back by their disability.\n\nWhat are some challeneges?\n\nImplementing Inclusion may be difficult at first. Teacher should be trained on how best to teach and accommodate varying levels of skills. It is important that the right amount of assistance is given. To much assistance may create a divide between the other students, to little assistance may hinder the students success. Teachers may find it difficult to encourage peer interaction. In order to create a friendly environment, group work should be encouraged and educating the students about disabilities can be beneficial.\n\nFully Understanding Inclusion\n\nThe class material and activities provided a comprehensive overview of inclusion. The class viewed videos on how a real classroom would function, identifying possible difficulties and strategies. The F.A.T. City assignment allowed me to place myself in the shoes of a children with disables in a general education classroom and see how the teacher can help aid in the students success. These strategies were then seen in person during the classroom observation assignment. It was helpful to learn about the topic through text then visually through videos and observation.\nBig image\n\nOnline Resource\n\nInclusion does not only concern the parents of the child with disabilities and the teacher but also the parents of the other child in the class. In some case, other parents may be worried that the child with disabilities will be distracting. However, the parents can be comforted by observing the classroom to see first hand, that inclusion can benefit all children.\n\nInclusion can help improve language skills of students with disabilities. The “peer effect” indicates that being surrounded by peers with a normally developing level of communication will enhance the child’s communication through integration. These results are not observed when children with low communication and language skills are grouped together.\n\nResources for Teachers\n\nBelow are a list of resources that can help teachers adapt their teaching strategies to help create a productive, friendly, inclusive classroom. Strategies include education of disabilities, children's books on the topic, encouraging collaboration, and more.\nInclusive Learning: Everyone's In - Overview", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9963105916976929}
{"content": "The journey of a 1000 miles begins with a single step\n\n\nBreathing in\n\nImage may contain: sky and nature\n\n“Breathing in, I see myself as still water.\n\nBreathing out, I reflect things as they are.”\n\n~ Thich Nhat Hanh\n\n* Swan feather floating on Hatchet Pond, Hampshire, England\n\n\nBeing with it fully\n\n\n– Joseph Goldstein\n\nfrom the book “Insight Meditation: The Practice of Freedom”\nISBN: 978-1590300169 –\n\nFeelings and breathing\n\nImage may contain: one or more people, ocean, outdoor and nature\n\n\n~ Thich Nhat Hanh~\n\nThe Rhythm Of Our Breathing Influences Our Brain Function And Behavior\n\nUs Buddhists have known this since the beginning…\n\nBreathing is not just for consuming oxygen; it’s also related to brain function and behavior.\n\nSource: The Rhythm Of Our Breathing Influences Our Brain Function And Behavior\n\nJune 19, 2017\n\nThe Rhythm Of Our Breathing Influences Our Brain Function And Behavior\n\nNorthwestern Medicine scientists have found for the first time ever that the rhythm of breathing causes electrical activity in the human mind that boosts emotional judgments and memory recall.\n\nThese influences on behavior are based on whether you inhale or exhale and whether you breathe through the mouth or the nose.\n\nIn the research, each person was able to identify a fearful face faster if they saw the face while breathing in compared to breathing out. Additionally, individuals were more likely to recall an object if they encountered it on the inhaled breath than on the exhaled one. Interestingly, the effect vanished if breathing was through the mouth.\n\n“One of the major findings in this study is that there is a dramatic difference in brain activity in the amygdala and hippocampus during inhalation compared with exhalation,” said lead author Christina Zelano, assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “When you breathe in, we discovered you are stimulating neurons in the olfactory cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus, all across the limbic system.”\n\n\n\nNorthwestern scientists first found these differences in brain activity while examining 7 patients with epilepsy who were scheduled for brain surgery. A week before the surgery, a surgeon implanted electrodes into the patients’ brains to identify the origin of their seizures. That gave scientists the opportunity to acquire electro-physiological data directly from their brains. The electrical signals proved that brain activity fluctuated with breathing. The activity takes place in brain areas where feelings, memory and smells are processed.\n\nThe discovery led scientists to ask if cognitive functions typically related to these brain areas — especially fear processing and memory — could also be influenced by breathing.\n\nThe amygdala is strongly connected to the emotional processing, especially fear-related emotions. So scientists asked about 60 individuals to make quick decisions on emotional expressions in the lab environment as their breathing was being recorded. While looking at pictures of faces expressing either fear or surprise, the individuals had to tell, as fast as they could, which feeling each face was expressing. ( picture is for illustrative purposes only.)\n\nWhen faces were shown during inhalation, subjects recognized them as fearful faster than when faces were shown during exhalation. This was not the case for faces expressing surprise. These results decreased when individuals performed the same task while the breathing was through the mouth.\n\nIn another experiment — tied to the hippocampus — the same individuals were looking at pictures of objects on a computer screen and tried to remember them. Later, they were asked to describe those objects. Researchers discovered that recall was better if the pictures were shown during inhalation.\n\nAccording to Zelano, the discoveries indicate that fast breathing may offer an advantage when somebody is in a dangerous situation.\n\n\nAnother potential result of the research is on the main mechanisms of meditation or focused breathing. “When you inhale, you are in a sense synchronizing brain oscillations across the limbic network,” Zelano noted.\n\nSources/References: Northwestern University,", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9917513132095337}
{"content": "At the Fifth International Ruby\n, like others I sat engrossed by Nathaniel\nTalbott’s talk\non the \"long tail\" of software development.\nThere we were, an audience full of geeks who like to write code, hearing\nhow our favorite technology (Ruby) was enabling geeks who like to write\ncode to make money doing so. It was an exciting and tempting idea.\n\nNathaniel talked about his wife’s co-op’s Excel spreadsheets,\nand how many small (often local) organizations across the country have\nsimilar, ineffective spreadsheets. There’s money to be made in\nwriting small, focused applications to cater to the very specific needs of\nthese little groups, says Nathaniel. And according to the bigger ongoing\n\"long tail\" discussion on the ‘net, there is an opportunity\nto provide previously underserved fringe groups with a product that will\ndelight them like no general-purpose product has or can.\n\nTempting, as I said. And true sometimes, I would guess. But…\n\nSam Ruby, who was also at\nthe conference, picked\nthe long tail presentation as a favorite\n. But while the conference\nbrought up a lot of discussion of Naked\nin Ruby and various RAD tools, I think Sam hit on something\nmore relevant that a lot of us are likely to miss:\n\n        Those are the long tailer developers of today.  Nathaniel asks:\n        what happens when t approaches zero?  Nathaniel's answer was that\n        people who aren't currently developers wont suddenly want to become\n        ones even if the cost were essentially zero.  IMHO, the answer is\n        that you will see a lot more applications like that financial\n        application that was written in Excel.\n\nIt’s not just about who will be doing this development.\nIt’s about why. Hint: These people aren’t going to be\ndeveloping apps themselves because it’s cheaper than before.\n\nWe developers are quick to dismiss the little Excel and Access applications\nthat \"lusers\" tend to write. We assume that they would do them in\na \"better\" technology if only they knew how. But they\ndon’t, so they either have to wait around for a software developer to\ncome around and save the day, or they have to settle for this ugly\nspreadsheet stuff.\n\nTechno-elitist myopia. This is the tail-wagging-the-dog part of the post.\n\nUsers don’t make spreadsheets just because they don’t know\nJava. They make them because they like them, and because they\nwant to make them. I can think of at least two reasons why.\n\nFirst, the spreadsheets often fill an empty hole. They are created, not\nbecause the end users desperately needed them, but because one member of\nthe group had the ability to create them and enjoyed filling the\ngap for the group. It’s one part self-expression, one part learning,\nand two parts showing off.\n\nSecond, spreadsheets are inherently controllable by the end user. Sure, a\nsmall, user-focused development shop with a simple app can turn changes\naround really quickly. But, if a user wants, say, a new column added to a\nreport view, it takes longer to email and ask the developers to add it than\nit would to just select and insert a column in Excel. I know we’re\nnot talking about big companies here, but something I witnessed in\nCorporate America is that end users would guard their little Excel/Access\n\"applications\" from their IT departments as if hording treasure.\nAs soon as they lost control, and their apps were \"upgraded\" to\nsome kind of super-scalable J2EE monstrosity (custom-developed\njust for them—the long tail in action), their applications\nwould become (maybe) more generally useful and (definitely) less\nspecifically useful. Changes took a long time. They apps didn’t act\nexactly as they liked. The secret spreadsheets would often see an\nunderground revival after the spotlight moved on.\n\nWe developers are getting excited over the opportunity to develop small\napps for small bases of users. But we might be attempting to apply a sustaining\ntechnology solution where there is a disruptive technology\nwaiting to\nshake things up.\n\nAs developers, we see problems in terms of the potential applications we\ncould write. We even tend to see the spreadsheet itself as a problem. So we\nnaturally want to save users from themselves and give them a real\n\nBut what these \"long tail\" users often really want is a\nspreadsheet. So why aren’t we solving the real problems with\nspreadsheets instead of trying to get rid of them?\n\nI’ve had the privilege to test and experiment with an early version\nof a piece of software that is trying to solve this problem. Avi Bryant\n(the brains behind the incredibly innovative Seaside web framework) and Andrew\nCatton’s company, Smallthought\nhave created a product called Dabble. From Dabble’s web page,\n\n        Dabble combines the best of group spreadsheets, custom databases,\n        information online.\n\nOr, you can just think of it as the application that solves the problem\nthat Nathaniel, Sam Ruby, and I are talking about in these posts. And it\ndoes a fantastic job of it.\n\nI built two of my own not-an-applications with it while I was testing it.\nOne was a fairly simple contact manager for my other nonprofit (We’ve been\nusing Yahoo \"databases\" and text files).\n\nThe other was a re-implementation of the Rails-based project management\ntool, eXplain Project Management Tool\n(nice simple app, by the way—try it out). In Dabble, with\nabsolutely no programming, I incrementally created a project management\ntool with all of the functionality of PMT in about 30 minutes. That 30\nminutes included submitting bug reports and feature suggestions.\n\nI’ve been sitting silently on Dabble for a few months now as\nSmallthought has been working on it. Every time I see one of these\n\"Web 2.0\" posts pop up in my RSS aggregator, I bite my tongue. I\ndon’t know what \"Web 2.0\" is, but I hope it’s like\nthis. I’m really excited about Dabble, and I can’t\nwait to see what people do with it. As of today, you can sign up to be notified of Dabble’s\nimpending release. If you’re really lucky (unofficial word), you may\neven get a beta invitation out of it.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5847076773643494}
{"content": "Thank you for your interest in applying to CYCLEMODE international 2018.\n\n*If you are applying to exhibit for the first time, please make sure to send in detailed contact information.\n\nCycle Mode international Head Office (TVO EXPRO Ltd.)\n\n1-2-15, Otemae, Chuo-ku, Osaka, 540-0008, Japan\nTel:+81-6-6947-0284 Fax:+81-6-6944-9912", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.519965648651123}
{"content": "Ferret steroids puppy\n\n\nSteroids themselves, during treatment, may cause Cushingoid symptoms involving significant alteration of fat, carbohydrate, protein and mineral metabolism, . redistribution of body fat, muscle weakness and wastage and osteoporosis may result. During therapy, effective doses suppress the Hypothalamo-Pituitreal-Adrenal axis. Following cessation of treatment, signs of adrenal insufficiency extending to adrenocorticol atrophy can arise and this may render the animal unable to deal adequately with stressful situations. Consideration should therefore be given to means of minimising problems of adrenal insufficiency following the withdrawal of treatment, . dosing to coincide with the time of the endogenous cortisol peak (. in the morning with regard to dogs and the evening with regard to cats) and a gradual reduction of dosage (for further discussion see standard texts). Systemically administered corticosteroids may cause polyuria, polydipsia and polyphagia, particularly during the early stages of therapy. Some corticosteroids may cause sodium and water retention and hypokalaemia in longer term use. Systemic corticosteroids have caused deposition of calcium in the skin (calcinosis cutis). Corticosteroids may delay wound healing and the immunosuppressant actions may weaken resistance to or exacerbate existing infections. In the presence of bacterial infection, anti-bacterial drug cover is usually required when steroids are used. In the presence of viral infections, steroids may worsen or hasten the progress of the disease.\n\nFerret steroids puppy\n\nferret steroids puppy\n\n\nferret steroids puppyferret steroids puppyferret steroids puppyferret steroids puppyferret steroids puppy", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7166247367858887}
{"content": "O Sweet Mr Math\n\n\nTuesday, February 21, 2012\n\n6:22 PM\n\nNow I think I've covered the real numbers in enough detail to move on to the next topic, which is functions and sets. Intuition about functions from high school algebra is a good place to start, but as usual, we want to generalize the concept and examine it in more detail.\n\nA function, broadly speaking, is a mapping from members of one set to members of another set. Strictly speaking, the members of the sets don't have to be numbers, although in practice they often are, and the function can be written as a mathematical expression. The set that we are mapping from is the domain of the function. The important rule about functions and domains is that every member, or point, of the domain set maps to exactly one point in the set the function is mapping to, or the codomain.\n\nThere is no similar restriction on the codomain. Points in the codomain may not be reachable from any point in the domain. A simple example makes this clear. Define a function f as a mapping from the real numbers to the real numbers. We can label the domain as X and the codomain as Y, to be clear that the two sets are distinct, although they both have as members all real numbers. The notation for this is f:X→Y.\n\nWe will define f as a formula that maps points in domain into the codomain. For any point x∈X, f(x)=x2. For any x in the real numbers (the domain), we can find an f(x) in the codomain (also the real numbers), and no x in the domain maps to more that one point in codomain. However, there are points in the codomain that cannot be reached by this mapping, since no real number squared is a negative number. The subset of the codomain of points that can be mapped to from the domain is called the range. For this function, the range is the set of non-negative real numbers.\n\nIf the range of a function is equal to the codomain of the function, we can say that the function is onto or that it is a surjection.\n\nThe other thing to notice about f(x)=x2 is that for any positive f(x), there are two different numbers in the domain which map to that number. If every point in the range is mapped to by only one point in the domain, then the function is one-to-one or is an injection.\n\nAny given function can be one-to-one, onto, both, or neither. If a function is both one-to-one and onto, it is a bijection.\n\nFor whatever reason, I am personally more comfortable with the terms injection, surjection, and bijection than I am with one-to-one and onto. I think \"one-to-one\" implies bijection to me, which is not correct. My goal is to deliberately use the words one-to-one and onto here to try to train myself to use them correctly.\n\n\n\n\nWhat does \"rolls a hoover\" mean, anyway?\n\n\nWhy is the HTML for this page not valid?\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9630022644996643}
{"content": "Grey matter in brain linked to altruism: Study\n\nBerne: Some people who are more forthcoming with help than others can thank the size of their grey matter, housed at the junction of the two brain lobes, says a new study.\n\nResearchers from Switzerland`s University of Zurich led by Ernst Fehr, director of the department of economics, found a link between brain anatomy and altruistic behaviour in the first ever study of this kind.\n\nSome people are almost never willing to sacrifice money to benefit others while others behave very altruistically. Previous studies had shown that the grey matter is linked to the ability to put oneself in someone else`s shoes in order to understand their thoughts and feelings.\n\nAltruism is probably closely related to this ability.\n\nConsequently, researchers suspected that individual differences in this part of the brain might be linked to differences in altruistic behaviour, according to a Zurich statement.\n\nYosuke Morishima, post-doctoral researcher in economics at Zurich, said: \"People who behaved more altruistically also had a higher proportion of grey matter at the junction between the parietal and temporal lobes.\"\n\nErnst Fehr adds: \"These are exciting results for us. However, one should not jump to the conclusion that altruistic behaviour is determined by biological factors alone.\"\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6924875974655151}
{"content": "Clarkston Consulting\nSkip to content\n\nImplementing the 5S Steps\n\nFor companies that have limited operating expenses, 5S gives them a methodology to delivery process improvements with a high return on investment and immediate payback.  Before implementing any improvement approaches such as Lean or Six Sigma, organizations should implement the 5S steps.  By doing this, the likelihood of your continuous improvement efforts succeeding is greatly increased, as the benefits from your 5S implementation will be apparent and therefore easier to achieve buy-in at all levels of the organization.\n\n5S Step Benefits\n\nWith respect to manufacturing improvements, when comparing a manufacturing plants where none of the 5S practices are in place, and plants with a full 5S environment, benefits typically are found in various process areas and average:\n\nQuality  – 90 percent improvement;\n\nProductivity  –  15-20 percent improvement;\n\nWIP Reduction  – 50-80 percent improvement;\n\nIncrease in Space  –  30-40 percent improvement;\n\nAccident Reduction – 90 percent improvement; and\n\nNon- Value-Added Time Reduction  –  25 percent improvement.\n\nThe 5S steps aren’t just for the shop floor.  Think about it: in a typical day in the office how much time do you waste searching for information, looking for computer files, and walking back and forth to the printer to retrieve a printout or fax?  Are there mistakes being made because you have inaccurate or outdated information?  The 5S themes of organization and standardization are universally applicable to all work environments.\n\nEach of 5S steps are critical to optimize outcomes.\n\n1st S       Sort\n\nIn the Sort step, necessary items for the workplace are separated from unnecessary items and subsequently removed.  A “red tag” campaign is conducted to evaluate items based on their usefulness and frequency of use.  Unnecessary items crowd the workplace and make it difficult to find and keep important items near the work area.  These items include obsolete equipment, broken tools, obsolete inventory, scrap, old files, etc.  Safety and productivity are improved as a result of the extra floor space created.\n\n2nd S      Set-in-Order\n\nThe 2nd S involves installing systems whereby necessary items are always located in logically predetermined locations.  Based on the inventory classification of the red tag campaign, items are placed in locations based on frequency of use.  Frequently used items are placed at or near the workplace while infrequently used items are stored in specified locations.  When items are stored in logical places time is not wasted looking for the appropriate tools or fixtures.  The “gold standard” for the 2nd S is a workplace organized such that needed items can be retrieved within 30 seconds with a minimal number of steps.\n\n3rd S       Shine\n\nThe 3rd S consists of the carrying out of regular cleaning activities that ensure that machine downtime is minimized by keeping the factory dirt and dust free and the machines properly maintained. Observers are always amazed when they see how incredibly clean the shop floors are of world-class Japanese manufacturing plants.  Daily cleaning of machines and production areas results in a dust and dirt-free factory which reduces breakdowns and maintenance costs while improving safety and quality. Outside of the shop floor, an organized office can help employees feel more comfortable in a clean and uncluttered environment, which in turn can improve quality of work.\n\n4th S       Standardize\n\nThe goal of the 4th S is to maintain and entrench and the first 3S’s via standardization. This is achieved by providing easily understood visual warnings as well as standardized work methods and procedures.  Equipment is marked and labeled so that observation and inspection of equipment can be conducted easily and uniformly.  Anyone on the shop floor, not just the actual operator, should be able to determine when a machine or other piece of equipment is malfunctioning.  As a result, determining the condition and status of equipment becomes accurate and easy and responsiveness increases.  Reaction time to malfunctions is reduced resulting in reduced downtime.  Standardized procedures result in the most efficient use of resources as only the most efficient practices are followed.\n\n5th S       Sustain\n\nThe 5th S involves developing habits to entrench the 5Ss on an individual basis.  5S must become a way of life, and not just another quick fix program. The key tool for this entrenchment is a detailed regular appraisal of the workplace called the 5S Audit.  The audit ensures that the 5S program continues indefinitely and a return to old habits does not occur.\n\nWhere should the 5S steps be applied?\n\nThe answer is in all industries and all departments – it can and should be applied everywhere. 5S creates the basis for Lean thinking.  By getting the workplace under control, waste can be more easily identified and eliminated.  Root causes of process variability will also become more visible. Finally, implementing 5S will help you get some significant quick wins that will help build momentum for your continuous improvement program.\n\n Contact our Operational Excellence Consultants\n\n\n  • I'm interested in...\nTags: Operational Excellence", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7170413136482239}
{"content": "The Shape of Water (2017)\n\n\nthe shape1\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nthe shape\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBob the Gambler, Bob le Flambeur (1956) – Film Review\n\nbob gamblerDirected by Jean-Pierre Melville\n\nBob the Gambler was the first Melville movie I’d ever seen, and as most said it was an uncharacteristic piece for him, I was a little sad; I really liked the movie and wanted to dive into other Melville films that were just as quirky and sly as this one.\n\nThe film is about a man named Bob, and yes, he’s a gambler; he has a gaming slot machine in his closet, a little taste he indulges in at home for fun, and spends a lot of his time in gambling houses and casinos.\n\nBob has had one stint in prison and we find out that he’s got a bit of a guardian angel in the form of a cop. He gets picked up in a police car for a generous ride; one of the cops wants to make sure he stays out of trouble. He has them drop him off a couple blocks before his destination though, so as to not hurt his reputation.\n\nBob has a young apprentice, Paolo, a quasi son of sorts, but without any consent or censoring between them. He tries to keep Paolo out of trouble, or at least out of the hands of hotheads and their criminal schemes. The atmosphere and sense of place is a movie-lovers dream. The misty streets, long, narrow roads filled with high light-posts, and small little bars where people go in as fast as they pour out; ideal surroundings for a man who fancies himself a gangster.\n\nBob has started to run out of money as a result of his obsessive gambling, and when a friend tells him how much money a certain Casino holds in their safe, he instantly decides he wants to rob it. But he doesn’t act on sudden impulse like a lowly street hood, he tightly plans it out.\n\nHe hires distractions, men to hold-up the staff, and a professional safe-cracker; one of the more clever scenes involves the gang standing around the safe-cracker as he uses an amplifier to listen to the small clicks and movements of the combination lock, practicing for the future head-to-head with the real lock, the one that matters. He needs to softly listen for all the right internal whistling gizmos and clicks, while at the same time keeping in mind the need for it to be cracked under four minutes.\n\nBob      The plan and heist, of course, brings with it some very real obstacles. Earlier in the story, a young hothead, Marc, gets tangled around some trouble and the police subsequently offer him a deal: if he leads them to a bigger, top-of-the-top racket, and said tip results in a legitimately successful arrest, they’ll drop the charges against him.\n\nPaulo, even after Bob tells him never to tell a dame their plans, goes off and brags about their upcoming plans. Then, when Paulo’s girl plays around with Marc behind his back, she tells him this, not thinking Paulo is going to go through with it, and, of course, Marc tips the police. One-by-one, the domino’s fall on top of Bob’s carefully articulated plans.\n\nA heavy dose of irony presents itself towards the end, while Bob’s a bit distracted; his strict schedule for the heist is interrupted once he begins winning considerable sums at the tables, at the exact casino he’s about to attempt to steal eighty-million from. During the entire course of the film poor Bob has the worst of luck: It’s only good when his luck is just moments away from tipping back to the ‘bad’ spectrum.\n\nShutter Island\n\n\nShutter Island is not a low-point in Scorsese’s career, but simply an indulgence. It has similar elements to his past films, with 40s dressed men and a classic, noirish feeling and tone, but doesn’t satisfy on all aspects. With a plot as complex as Shutter Island, after the fact plot-holes keep appearing in the after-glow thoughts, and that is the kind of distraction that takes attention away from the main themes. Yet, what are the themes of Scorsese’s recent film? Confusion, denial, desperation..\n\nThe movie does not at all lack beauty in its camera-work; its first scene is a wonderful pan onto a mist-covered boat, with detective Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) leaning on the handling with his partner, Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) smoking a cigarette; Teddy leave s soon, his sea-sick rising in his stomach, for the bathroom. They are headed to investigate the merit of a psychiatric institution, but what their looking for is not told to us from the start; and even if it was, it would end up an entirely different thing. The movie strives on paranoia and fear, from conspiracy to mystery: the two investigate a case where a woman seems to have disappeared from her room, while at the same time not being seen escaping by the night guards. The island is searched, nothing found. The rest of the film is dedicated to finding her-as well as Teddy dealing with his own past troubles.\n\nTheir were flash-back sequences in the film, or dream-sequences, of Teddy with his wife as she fades away and out of existence from him. These I feel are derivative and a low-point for Scorsese’s cinematic inventiveness. She flakes away like a burning newspaper, and she is gone leaving Teddy teared-up and devastated. It creates no mood, nor visual ecstasy,  and is like a sequence trying to mock Lynch’s methods; a hand flying up as he was thinking of her, or hugging a corpse even: He resorts to the weakest of metaphors and imagery.\n\nThe film easily sums up its whole with facets of the mentally ill; this character acted like this, because he was paranoid or delusional. But this seems like the only thing that does work right, there are other things that are never bothered to be explained or elaborated; you can definitely get the feeling that this could have been smarter if Scorsese wasn’t making a movie for commercial success. It’s a bold horror entry no doubt-but with more assumptions being done than an actual plot, it’s a misty film in itself.\n\n\nChristopher Nolan’s memento takes the narrative linearity of film and flips it upside down; Leonard, played by Guy Pierce, must work backwards to find out his wife’s death because he no longer has a short-term memory. The premise of this is fulfilled to its fullest: He writes notes, not on a pad, but tattooed across his body. The motel-clerk has him booked for two rooms, so he can receive two payments. And everything that Leonard encounters could potentially not be what it seems.\n\nTense, provocative, and highly intelligent, Memento displays British director Nolan’s talent,and sets the tone for his later, also highly psychological films.\n\nBlade Runner\n\nDirector: Ridley Scott\nStars: Harrison Ford\nRuntime: 1h 54m\n\nBlade Runner is a meditative auto-pilot of a film, in which we are led by our philosophically-minded host Rick Deckard through the eerily-lit cityscape of L.A. 2019. His android cohort and ambivalent sex-doll, played by the porcelain Sean Young, creates a baby-like contrast to the films consistently brooding tone. It’s performances are universally well supplemented and the direction by Ridley Scott is sharp and dimensional.\n\nThe story follows Rick Deckard, a Blade-Runner whose sole job is to find and destroy rogue androids. He is troubled by doing this after so long, similar to a public defender’s self-consciousness, but this feeling he sort of diagnoses as the normal hatred for working,and irrelevant; and in the Philip K. Dick book this would be even more reasonable to think, as they woke up to mood-alarms and selected which mood they wanted for the day. Then he gathers the attention of an android woman upon visiting the prism-shaped Tyrell complex, and is released from his self-described sinning after seriously considering having sex with the woman Android. He continues his search for the rogue androids, the posse that sent a fellow Blade Runner to the grave, with the hesitation of the android-woman Rachel wallowing beside him in her lucid thoughts of who she, having found out to be a patented Tyrell Android, really is.\n\nThe structure is well-kept throughout, matched with solid operatic musical entries that one can imagine\nechoing through the metallic structures where the Rogue androids reside. In fact, everything in the movie seems of the same proportions: huge. Do we ever see small apartment complexes or homes? The set design I have no problems with, although I may say the bleakness of it all makes the prospect of monochrome seem well fitting; I’m surprised they never released a DVD in such format, as it would undoubtedly make a few bucks.\n\nBlade Runner flows like a lofty philosophical talk with a well-acquainted friend. It is about human contradiction, human responsibility, morality and the realization of the bigger ‘reason’ for doing things that may be morally transparent to some. It explores the the cause for exploitation with human artificial intelligence, a concept dismissed in the simstim prostitution of most sci-fi films. And most of all, it displays that even in a world of programmed-action, you can choose the right path.\n\nBlade Runner, to put it emphatically, is a masterpiece. It’s provocative morality along with the ethereal tone bring about a not well-known mixture: Tough guy sentimentality. And with this comes entertainment-discrepancies for a shell-pumping culture, which would explain its meager box office on first release. Philip K. Dick, the author of the source novel ‘Do androids dream of electric sheep?’ had seen some movie shots of the L.A. design and apparently was very much in awe. This was before his seizure and consequential death, when soon thereafter a solid chunk of his body of work was adapted to the screen. Recommended to all sci-fi and even open-minded drama connoisseurs.\n\n\nJean Luc-Godard seems to think if you correlate number-tags to a woman’s neck you can call yourself science-fiction; although it may not be the normative spaceship piloting fair, Alphaville is unique in its philosophical approach. William Gibson, author of Neuromancer, cites Escape from precinct 13 as an inspiration to his writings, a John Carpenter film, when a character mentions, paraphrased, “I flew over Normandy during the invasion”, and by this single strip of contextual dialogue, it emits a time and place unrealized simply by exteriors; this is done often in Alphaville, as the time in which filmed does not permit the use of special-effects that we have today.\n\nNear the end of the third act the director positions aerial shots stationed on Lemmy backing out by way of a stolen car and zigzagging out of the parking lot, causing the whole scene to feel predetermined; above, a deity, spectating the intergalactic missions of Lenny.\n\nThe stark black and white camerawork sets a somber mood, and the lengthy film, when pushed past its own pretensions, is also very interesting and engaging.\n\nFilm Review: Chinatown\n\nChinatown, directed by the acclaimed director Roman Polanski,  is a feat of modern noir, and an equally crowning achievement from Robert Towne, whose screenplay made the show. It takes place in a classic Los Angelos, and is about a private investigator named J.J. Gittes, who gets a call for help from a woman looking for an investigator of her husband’s murder. This woman turns out to be in a very complex case, one that has to deal with the power behind the Water supply of Los Angeles, and a series of murders. Mr. Mulroy was the partner of Noah Cross, (John Huston), and is found dead in the waters of Los Angeles. Tons of water is being poured meaningless into the bay: Why?\n\nThe movie takes a contemplative look into the world of the private-eye, and into the world of a woman who has been confused about herself and family for a very long-time; “She’s my sister! She’s my daughter!”. I feel as though the film shows J.J. Gittes as a man who goes after the controversial-cases, a sort of light mobman, and this case is him trying to set his reputation, both internally and publicly, straight. The film boasts great scenes of light-decor filled with smoke, and tense, mysterious gestures from the characters: We, because we follow Mr. Gittes, never know what the other characters are doing or why, especially Mrs. Mulroy and Noah Cross, her father, though one can assume she has been subjected the most unfairly. You can see it in her eyes, and the dark, careless way she speaks.\n\nTheir is a famous scene with Roman Polanski as a stand-in actor, a gangster-like figure around the water-supply area, who cuts Gittes nose off, leaving him with a metaphorical bandaged nose for the rest of the film, a lack of scent. And it couldn’t be more true, though not out of incompetence; He takes pictures, keeps his findings hidden from colleagues, and blasphemies politicians as he attempts to get information, truly seeing for himself and for us, the corrupt world of covering the tracks in political life. The water’s are muddy, and we sense it early on.\n\nRoman Polanski’s ‘Chinatown’ is a tense and suspenseful movie: It takes us through dark alleys and clouded actions, and out the end with still unsettled grounds: It’s what happens in Chinatown. A jarring, wild ride of classic noir film-making, and a great testament to Polanski’s talent of atmosphere and meticulous staging.\n\nScarlett Street\n\n\n\n\n\nChristopher Nolan’s “Inception” has penetrated pop-culture’s vein in the 20th Century, creating a suavely paced, intelligent and versatile thriller of the mind. The word Inception is used in culture falsely here-forth, and most people don’t realize that Nolan didn’t invent the word Inception. It means to begin or incite, but in a sense there is a modular meaning to the word now: According to Online dictionaries, the term inception in the realm of science means “the act of instilling an idea into someone’s mind by entering his or her dreams.” And Nolan has incited ideas into many people’s minds: layers of knowledge, of impenetrable realities and uncontrollable human emotions. Though vital, the film could use Fellini as the director of the emotive moments, which consist of long gazes and dream-like stillness, that ultimately seem empty and forced. Without them, the movie would be a structure of constructs, ideas, and tasks; but Nolan at least knows that a movie consisting only of logic like so is not much of a movie at all.\n\nInception surrounds the circumstance of Dom Cobb, who is an extractor of dreams, performing tasks for corporations against rival companies. He does this with unexplained dream-intervention technology. After a devastating situation of death and sabotage of Cobb’s wife, which he is considered as the main suspect, he must flee from his children and out of the country. Now, after sporadic jobs, he finds a corporate-entity who pronounces shadily that he can return him to his kids for doing one job for him, and this job involves inception, an operation Cobb’s done only once, unsuccessfully. They must incite, meaning actually create an idea instead of removing one, that Robert Fischer wants to break up his father’s empire. To do this, Cobb assembles a mighty team of specialists, Arthur, (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) the point-man, who finds out information on all persons involved, Eames (Tom Hardy) who can morph into a new body and pretend to be a close person in the dreamers life, and Ariadna (Ellen Page), the young architect student who designs the dream.  The crew conflict with each other and their pasts, especially Cobbs, since it can appear and harm them in a dream, and confront multiple layers of dreaming for the single-goal of an idea.\n\nWhat is left in the dark, on a cerebral level, is which layer of the dream we are currently watching. Nolan is able to do this without making the viewer frustrated, but I think he fails on the part of human mystery. There is nothing abnormal about the human scenario, only the dream: All that we think or hesitate about before entering the dream is what ultimately does happen: Cobb’s wife, security in Fischers dreams, and the like. But what of the personality of Fischer: What if he was not as easy-going, or melancholy to the point of vulnerability, but instead there was a traumatic shock to the crew. Like Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now, Fischer could use more subconscious mystery and deceit, maybe with a pinch of Lynchian terror. Yet, this would not compromise to the consistent nature of Nolan’s filmography, which is essentially psychological noir, not abstraction.\n\nOn a critical level, the film has flaws. But don’t mistake these as meaning I didn’t or don’t like Inception; I saw it three times when first released and still find it an enticing and unique movie experience. It is truly revolutionary, in fact, as it took in a large gross while still being intelligent and visceral. Filmmakers will hopefully soon realize that people are more capable of understanding what’s on the screen than Hollywood assumes.\n\nMinority Report – Film Review\n\nAlthough I’m not a surging fan of Spielberg’s movies, “Minority Report” is an overlooked gem in his filmography. It features a super sci-fi atmosphere and a universe as special as it is bizarrely complex.\n\n\nTom Cruise leads as  John Anderton, traversing the viewer through a journey of corporate corruption. The film poses a complicated narrative about the various contradictions within the concept of free will. The movie is based off of a short-story/novella by Philip K. Dick, an author who specialized in dissecting the legitimicy of our reality.\n\nTheir is a gloomy, closet-light sort of decor to the whole film. It isn’t a romance sci-fi, or even a extremely flashy science fiction movie, but a dark, sometimes depressing outlook on loss; in parts it reminds one of Ridley Scott’s noirish Blade Runner.\n\nIn this world, in 2054 A.D., government has the ability to predict future murders and stop them in their mind-dwelling tracks; It’s called the Pre-cog program, and involves three telepathic visionaries of the future outputting  information to the agency.\n\nThe troops flee out and arrive at the potential murder area to conflict with the violence. Chief Anderton is the best at his job: Spielberg confidently shows Anderton’s confidence with full frontal views of him moving his arms with virtual information, swinging it, and looking for clues on the motherboard.\n\nThe staging is excellent in the way it takes the plot with the utmost sense of importance, even if most of the film is frantic getaways. I don’t think its much of a criticism to say it consisted only of getaways, because each pit-stop is revealing of the times; he’s not hiding behind garbage cans, but getting his eye-removed so he can re-enter his past-employed  building, or finding an elderly women with an odd love for botany.\n\nIt reveals the society’s technology all at the same time: Much of this was of Spielberg and crew’s own invention, since Philip K. Dick’s story has little explanation of devices used, and was never one to bother on such descriptivism anyway, being a writer concerned mostly with character and plot.\n\nThe film is a masterpiece of super-detective science fiction, wildly synced action sequences and incredible art and concept design. The actors fill out their characters skillfully, including Max von Sydow as the president of the pre-cog program and Collin Farell as a snoopy investigator.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5979328751564026}
{"content": "5 Strategies for Managing Anxious Thoughts\n\n\nAnxiety has a way of hijacking our mind and body to a point of exhaustion. It wants to convince us that worrying can help us control the problem and prepare for the future. Even though we know, that many of the anxious thoughts are illogical, we often can’t seem to shut them off. Here are 5 easy techniques you can use when faced with maladaptive thoughts.\n\n  • Distraction. Find a way of diverting your attention away from the thought, even if it is just for a second. Do that continuously until the thought goes away. For example, listen to music, think of something positive, or mindfully drink a glass of water. You can also wear a rubber band on your wrist and every time a certain thought arises, snap the rubber band.\n  • Exercise Outdoors. Anxious mind often contributes to a tense body. When you engage in intense exercise, you help your body release tension and your mind often times relaxes as well. Not to mention a set of physiological processes, that help to elevate dopamine and other helpful neurotransmitters. A series of studies have also shown that walking in nature can stop rumination. Go hiking or running in a park and tune into the sounds and smells around you.\n  • Be an observer. Mindfulness meditation can be very helpful with this one. You can practice observing your thoughts and being able to disengage from them. You can allow the thoughts to come, knowing that you do not have to act on them or have an emotional reaction to them. They are just thoughts, not facts, and you get to decide which ones you want to pay attention to. You can notice a negative thought and say to yourself:”my brain is creating stories again but I don’t have to listen to them, I chose to focus on something else”. You can imagine your mind is like a hotel and the thoughts are like guests trying to check it. You can welcome them and kindly say:” I am sorry, I have no rooms available for you”.\n  • Talk back. Because anxious thoughts are irrational, you can try to question them. Ask yourself: “Is this really true? What evidence do I have? Am I helping myself by worrying? How can I make this easier for myself? How can I think of this differently?”. You can also come up with short words or phrases you can say to yourself when certain maladaptive thoughts arise. For example: “Let go”, “Not helping”, “Thanks for sharing but I’m not getting on this train of thought”.\n  • Have a plan. When experiencing anxiety, we often go towards worst case scenarios. If there is an issue you often worry about, come up with a plan of what you will do if the worst happens (even if unlikely). Also, making To Do lists and creating structure in your day, can calm the anxious mind.\n\nIf you are interested in creating a personalized anxiety management plan, please contact me at or schedule the appointment directly through my website. In person or video sessions are available. I can work with you on developing the skills you need to bring more calm and balance into your life.\n\n\nDiscovering Your Life’s Work\n\nMany of us struggle with career decisions at some point in our lives. L. Boldt in the book “Zen and the Art of Making a Living”, describes the basic factors that will likely come into place, to create your life’s work. The following framework can be a helpful guide in search for an unique vocation:\n\nIntegrity – Your life’s work is aligned with your values and things you deeply care about. It is born out of your ideals and visions. It gives you sense of meaning and purpose.\n\nQuestion: What do I care about? What do I stand for? What are my values?\n\nService – Your life’s work gives you an opportunity to make the world a better place. It becomes your unique opportunity to contribute to greater good.\n\nQuestion: How do I want to serve?\n\nEnjoyment – You life’s work is something you truly enjoy to do. Without enjoyment, your creativity may not find a true expression and you are likely to get burned out.\n\nQuestion:  What do I love to do? What kind of activities help me experience joy, engagement and creativity?\n\nExcellence – Your life’s work is something you are really good at and something you are willing to fully dedicate yourself to.\n\nQuestion: What am I willing to persist at, until I achieve excellence?\n\nMindful Mastery of Emotions\n\n\nPerhaps the most useful skill we can all learn is emotional tolerance. By mastering this skill, we can open up to any emotion without trying to change it. We also can feel the unpleasant sensations in the body, without being afraid of them. That requires a certain degree of mindful, non-judgemental awareness. Rather than letting our mind try to move away from what is unpleasant, we allow ourselves to be with what is. We accept our emotional states the way they are.\n\nWhat happens when we do that? We realize, that these emotionally charged sensations change, shift and eventually go away. We also realize that they are not fatal. That gives us enormous power. We don’t have to act on every emotion we have, we can observe it and let it pass.We gain the ability to act despite our emotions. We may be able to feel the fear and do it anyway. We can become overwhelmed with depression and deep down know it is just a momentary state that will not last forever.\n\nEmotional tolerance develops gradually and starts with a single moment of mindfulness. Let yourself become aware of what is happening in your body right now without trying to change it. Observe how these sensations come and go. Accept this moment the way it is.\n\nThree Breathing Techniques For Greater Well Being\n\nc'mon inner peace Breathing happens in the NOW, so as soon as you bring your attention to it, you are in the present moment. The real challenge, however, is to stay there. The stories on your mind and external distractions will try to pull you away from it. Each second, you have another chance to bring your attention back to the breath. Then, an amazing thing happens: your life is no loger controlled by the regrets about the past and fears of the future. Your breath can become a great anchor to the present moment, a way of grounding yourself. Regulating the breath, is a great way to manage the stress response in your body. Throughout the years of working with clients struggling with stress and anxiety, I have found the following techniques to be especially effective:\n\n\n\n\nThe Unbearable Heaviness Of Limitless Possibilities\n\n\n(Marianne Williamson)\n\nWhen we are feeling stuck and dissatisfied with our lives it is so easy to blame circumstances outside of ourselves. Each time we do it, we give up responsibility for our own lives. Making others responsible for our misfortunes, doesn’t put us in a position of power. It is so much harder to create a real change, if we expect others to remove the obstacles for us.\n\nThe truth is, every minute, we are making choices that influence the outcomes of our lives. Sometimes the choice is to stay silent, rather than speak up, when we are being mistreated. Other time, the choice is to sleep in, rather than work out in the morning. We get to choose what we focus on, and how we perceive the events in our lives. To accept that we are absolutely, completely responsible for how we live our lives, is very scary. It implies limitless possibilities, but also comes with the burden of responsibility.\n\nPerhaps this is the reason why change is so difficult sometimes. We are afraid to accept how powerful we are. We may have spent our lives being told the exact opposite. We may have been programed to believe, that there are limits to what we can do. Going against this programing takes effort. Making that effort, means turning off the default mode and taking control. This is the choice we can make very day. A choice to open to new possibilities and a choice to go against our conditioning.\n\n\nEffortless Living\n\nBurt Shavitz is a founder and face of Burt’s Bees, a line of natural, personal care products. He is also a subject of a documentary called:”Burt’s Buzz”, that chronicles his life and the story of Burt’s Bees. Burt is an inspirational character, who despite modest income chooses to live in a small hut in rural Maine, without TV, internet or hot water.\n\nHis authenticity, contentment with life and resourcefulness, truly amazes me. He appears to have a great strength of character and resilience that draws people to him. He is not a fan of crowds, however, and is known to say: ” A good day is when none shows up and you don’t have to go anywhere”.\n\nBurt, now 80, seems to have the courage to live on his terms. That is something we can all learn from him. Throughout his life, he always followed his curiosity. Rather than focusing on making a living, he chose to focus on making a life. By living simply, he always found a way to support himself. He was not afraid to leave situations that were not serving him anymore.\n\nPerhaps, this is the way to make our life more effortless. We need to trust, that our curiosity can lead us to our calling and that what we have to offer, is enough to create a meaningful life.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9920618534088135}
{"content": "Ferdinand Bol Paints Portrait of Elisabeth Bas\n\nElisabeth Bas (1571, Kampen - 2 August 1649, Amsterdam) was a figure in the Dutch Republic.\n\nShe was the wife of Jochem Hendricksz. Swartenhont.\n\nSwartenhont was a captain in the navy of the Dutch Republic and a military hero. Jochem Swartenhont was painted, wearing his military decorations by Nicolaes Eliasz. Pickenoy (1588-1655) - Pickenoy also painted Joachem's daughter Maria. During the Twelve Years' Truce (1609-1621) Jochem was out of work and set up a tavern in Amsterdam named after the Prince of Orange. It was on the corner of the Nes and the Pieter Jacobszstraat and was patronised by politicians, artists and writers. After Jochem's death Elisabeth sold it, becoming rich (she left 28,000 guilders on her death).\n\nJochem died in 1627, leaving his wife and four children. Three of these children died before their mother. The eldest daughter, Maria, had had three children and so these were adopted by Elisabeth on Maria's death - one of them, Maria Rey, later commissioned a portrait of Elisabeth from Ferdinand Bol. It is now in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, where it is known as Elisabeth Bas and attributed to Ferdinand Bol (1616 - 1680), though the identity of the sitter is held to be in doubt by the Rijksmuseum. Until 1911 it was thought to be by Rembrandt, but that year the Rembrandt expert Abraham Bredius re-attributed it to Bol. Such a re-attribution was hotly contested by the collector and art historian Cornelis Hofstede de Groot (1836-1930), but is now accepted. A brand of cigars was named after this painting in the 20th century, produced at a factory at Boxtel and using the painting as a logo, and their bands and the boxes for cigars of this brand are still collectors' items.\n\nExtra large view of the image\n\nAn old woman is sitting quietly in her chair. On the table beside her is a book. She is wearing a kind of two-piece: a black dress and matching coat trimmed with fur, which is draped elegantly over the chair. In her hand is a handkerchief. This type of costume was fashionable around 1640 but the large ruff and the cap with wing flaps were out-of-date by this time. Nevertheless, the older generation tended to ignore the whims of fashion and continued to wear these garments.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6032016277313232}
{"content": "Restoration Hardware Holdings (RH) Drops 5.88% on February 05\n\nEquities Staff  |\n\nRestoration Hardware Holdings (RH) was one of the Russell 2000's biggest losers for Friday February 05 as the stock slid 5.88% to $52.78, a loss of $-3.3 per share. Starting at an opening price of $56.00 a share, the stock traded between $52.34 and $56.63 over the course of the trading day. Volume was 1.83 million shares over 12,250 trades, against an average daily volume of 1.22 million shares and a total float of 40.48 million.\n\nThe losses send Restoration Hardware Holdings down to a market cap of $2.14 billion. In the last year, Restoration Hardware Holdings has traded between $106.49 and $54.09, and its 50-day SMA is currently $75.96 and 200-day SMA is $91.21.\n\nThe stock has a P/E Ratio of 25.9.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEmerging Growth\n\nIMV Inc.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6709006428718567}
{"content": "Culinary Chef Job Outlook\n\nThere are currently an estimated 146,500 Culinary Chefs in the United States. The Culinary Chef job market is expected to grow by 9.6% between 2016 and 2026.\n\nCulinary Chef Employability Rating\n\nC Sokanu rates Culinary Chefs with a C employability rating, meaning this career should provide moderate employment opportunities for the foreseeable future. Over the next 10 years, it is expected the US will need 23,200 Culinary Chefs. That number is based on 14,100 additional Culinary Chefs, and the retirement of 9,100 existing Culinary Chefs.\n\nDemand for Culinary Chefs\n\nThe fast pace and long hours demanded by this occupation typically lead to a high rate of turnover. Not surprisingly, therefore, the majority of job openings for culinary chefs will result from the need to replace those who choose to leave or retire from this occupation. Competition for the most prestigious and highest paying jobs at high-end restaurants and hotels is expected to be very strong. Job prospects will be best for chefs who combine a culinary degree with several years of experience, proven creativity, and business skills. Demand for chefs is not created solely by restaurants; exclusive retirement communities, convention centres, cruise ship companies, and private hospitals consistently hire culinary experts. Some established movie production companies are also employing culinary chefs to literally ‘cater’ to the actors, extras, and crews on their movie sets. General population growth is expected to create demand for more fine dining experiences, resulting in continued demand for innovative culinary chefs.\n\nSupply of Culinary Chefs\n\nThe Culinary Chef industry is not particularly concentrated in any state.\n\nFind your perfect career\n\nWould you make a good culinary chef? Sokanu's free assessment reveals how compatible you are with a career across 5 dimensions!\n\n80% Match?\nTake the free career test", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8518104553222656}
{"content": "Submitted By\n\n\n\nNatural History Museum\n\nThe Natural History Museum, one of three large museums located on Exhibition Road, Kensington, London (the others are the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum), is home to life and earth science collections comprising some 70 million specimens or items. There are five main collections: Botany, Entomology, Mineralogy, Palaeontology and Zoology. There is also a wildlife garden containing many native fauna and flora.\n\nThe museum is renowned for its Central Hall and its exhibition of dinosaur skeletons, particularly the large Diplodocus cast which dominates the entrance.\n\nThe foundation of the collection was a bequest by Irish doctor Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753). Sloane's collection, which included dried plants, and animal and human skeletons, was initially housed in Montague House in Bloomsbury in 1756, which was the home of the British Museum. In the late 1850s, Professor Richard Owen, Superintendent of the natural history departments of the British Museum, became convinced that the natural history departments needed a bigger, separate building.\n\n\n\nLegally, it remained a department of the British Museum, and its formal name was the British Museum (Natural History), often abbreviated in the scientific literature as B.M.(N.H.). In 1963, the Natural History Museum finally became an independent museum with its own Board of Trustees, and in 1986 absorbed the adjacent Geological Museum of the British Geological Survey. However it was not until the Museums and Galleries Act of 1992 that the Museum's formal title was finally changed from B.M.(N.H.) to The Natural History Museum.\n\n\n\nThe Darwin centre is also home to Archie the squid, an 8 metre long giant squid taken alive in a fishing net near the Falkland Islands. Archie is currently on display in a prominent position in the large specimen room, in a reinforced glass tank containing a mixture of formaldehyde and saline solution. Since tours of the Darwin centre started featuring Archie, they have been fully booked up to a month in advance.\n\nThe museum will also hold the remains and bones of the River Thames Whale that captured the hearts of the nation and the world when it lost its way on 20 January 2006 and ended up in the Thames. Despite large rescue attempts, the Bottlenose Whale died shortly before it was due to be released back into open waters, when it suffered a convulsion and suddenly died on board the barge taking it toward the sea. These bones were donated following a campaign by The Sun newspaper.\n\nSource: Wikipedia\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7599592804908752}
{"content": "Make your own free website on\n\nGeology of the Pacific Northwest\n\n\n\n\nMineral Characteristics\n\nMinerals—the building blocks of rocks—are formed from elemental compounds made up of atoms, the building blocks of the universe. The following characteristics are true of minerals. They are:\n\nMineral Examples\n\nTable salt, ice, snowflakes, and shells are mineral because they fit all of the criteria. Table salt is made up of alternating sodium and chloride atoms (NaCl, also known as halite). Snowflakes have 6 crystal points. Shells are made of calcite—a combination of calcium, carbon, and oxygen in the form of CaCO3 .\n\nNon-Mineral Example\n\nGlass is a chilled, thick, viscous liquid that runs too slowly to be seen by the human eye. Glass is not solid and cannot be classified as mineral.\n\nMineral Families\n\n  1. Native Elements (gold, silver, copper, platinum, diamond)\n  2. Silicates (75% of the Earth's crust: felsic, high in silica, and mafic, low in silica.) [The \"-ates\" ending means the mineral group includes oxygen.]\n  3. Carbonates (carbon and oxygen). Their carbon content causes them to bubble when hydrochloric acid is applied.\n  4. Sulfates (sulfur, oxygen)\n  5. Oxides (oxygen; i.e., iron oxide: magnetite)\n  6. Sulfides (sulfur)\n\nMineral Formation\n\nEvery mineral is found in a certain environment (pressure, depth). A rock's shape is determined by the structure of its atoms. Its color is determined by its mineral makeup.\n\n\nRock Forms\n\nThree main forms of rock found in the Northwest are: igneous rocks (formed from cooled, crystallized molten rock), sedimentary rocks (formed from compacted, lithified fragments), and metamorphic rocks (changed mineralogically by increased temperature and pressure).\n\nRock Cycle\n\nThe life of a rock begins and ends as magma. Cooled by contact with the atmosphere or water, magma solidifies into igneous rocks like granite, obsidian, or pumice. Weathered igneous rocks erode and become sediment which is transported by glaciers, rivers, and winds and deposited in other places. Compacted sedimentary deposit is lithified into sedimentary rock such as coal, limestone, or sandstone. Sedimentary rock that is subjected to high pressures and temperatures becomes metamorphic rock like marble or slate. If rock temperatures and pressures increase, metamorphic rocks melt and return to magma.\n\nRock Properties\n\nTo identify a rock or mineral, gather information about its physical properties:\n\n\n\nThe Rock Cycle (University of British Columbia; 4 January 2000)\nIntroduction to Minerals (Gore, Pamela J.W.; July 17, 1999)\n• Pellant, Chris, 1992, Rocks and Minerals (Dorling Kindersley, London, pp.256)\n\n\nSend comments to Rob Viens (e-mail: or call him at his Bellevue Community College office at (425) 564-3158. Office hours are by appointment.\n\n© 2001-2002, Rob Viens, Bellevue Community College. All rights reserved.\nPage updated on 5 September 2002  • \nWeb development by Jacqueline Engle (URL:, summer 2001", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7934213876724243}
{"content": "Words by James Arvanitakis\n\nIf we stare at a satellite photo of our planet it seems like a smooth place. While mountain ranges, rivers, cities and other human made structures may be visible, each of these features seem to flawlessly blend into each other. As we know, however, the closer you are to the earth’s surface, the more details we see, this illusion quickly disappears.\n\nDespite the tensions that exist, many describe the world as something smooth. In The World is Flat for example, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman praises the processes of globalisation, seeing the power of globalisation as removing boundaries and allowing a smoothing of the world that affects countries, companies, communities, and individuals¹. Driven by technology, cultural exchanges and international trade, the world is flattened and many of us get to move freely around.\n\nParadoxically, those who raise concerns about globalisation also describe the world as becoming a smooth space. Influential cultural theorists Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri² examine parallel changes in the world’s financial system: whereas commercial trade used to be linked to the physical element of gold, it is now based on virtual transactions where numbers are simply transferred from one bank account to another. The value of the transaction sits nowhere and everywhere, as it moves smoothly across national boundaries that once attempted to control such movements.\n\nWith its artful ring, we find the word smooth being used to describe a desired state: the smooth transition from a mining economy to post-mining economy; the smooth functioning of the transport system; or the smooth transfer of power from one government to another.\n\nThe concept of smooth can also be allied to our understanding of how communities function: smooth and harmonious is the goal after all. But how do communities really function? Can we recognise the smooth interactions in the absence of friction? Or should communities recognise, embrace and accommodate processes that are smooth and those filled with friction—not just to survive but to flourish? These questions have baffled theorists for centuries.\n\nCommunities are normally understood to form and grow and function around people who have something in common. We are drawn to those with whom we share forms of recognition, and are naturally drawn to, and build community with, ‘people like us’. This idea has a long tradition in western thought, crystallising in the post-enlightenment age with the work of 18th century philosopher George W.F. Hegel. Contemporary theorists echo Hegel when accepting that the formation and functioning of a community eventuates from a shared identity and social formations. This is a smooth process, founded on mutual beliefs, understandings and practices³. People who are different do not live together—conflict is inevitable.\n\nYet do we only form communities with those that we recognise as ‘people like us’?\n\nIn reality, this is a very dark view of humanity, because ‘being like us’ can be taken to any extreme. Communities may decide that ‘being like us’ relies on speaking the same language or following the same religion, sharing the same culture or strictly identifying only one form of sexuality—heterosexual. A community may even understand recognition of commonality to mean particular skin colours or having the same shaped eyes. Forming communities around such commonalities is about the power to exclude—to disallow belonging to those we do not like or with whom we disagree. Further, what defines ‘like us’ is necessarily in a state of constant flux. ‘Us’ might be defined in dynamic and flexible ways, or, as most devastatingly demonstrated by writer George Orwell, be slippery and unreliable. Either way, it can change from hour to hour or day to day, and is required to change across larger timeframes.\n\nIf the recognition-based community can be seen to harbour the rather sinister implications of exclusion and oppression, what is the alternative view?\n\nOne contemporary way of understanding the way we form communities is presented by philosophers Rosalyn Diprose and Jeremy Brent, who focus on the ideas of ‘alterity’ (or difference) and ‘desire’⁴. Here, we understand formation of communities as based not simply on those we recognise, but also around a human desire: we are drawn to those who embody intrinsic differences from ourselves. That is, people come together to form communities not by some natural process, but through a sense of desire.\n\nIn essence, this approach tells us something we can all recognise in ourselves: we do some things because we want to. We form communities with others because we want to. It is our shared sense of humanity that drives this, not any particular or dominant element of our lives such as religion, skin colour or interests. In this community, alterity—or difference—is appreciated and celebrated.\n\nWhat is important here is that this is not seen as a smooth process. It celebrates and accommodates friction⁵. Human frictions have always existed where communities of people from multiple and diverse backgrounds come together—whether that diversity is genetic or cultural, lingual or religious. And suburbs such as Bankstown are no different when it comes to the harmonious potential of like-formed communities all over the world. Frictions emerge when elements come together: sometimes with hard impact, other times with a gentle touch.\n\nAs with the recognition model of community, frictions can have a disturbing side, whether internally or spilling beyond the geographical location of community members and their home base. Among the most famous of these in Sydney were the racial frictions that manifested in what is now known as the 'Cronulla Riots'. In 2005, tensions and small-scale conflicts that had built up over a longer period erupted into attacks and counter-attacks that lasted for several weeks. Much like ‘Cronulla riots’ became shorthand, in the media and at the water cooler, for racial tensions, the protagonists attracted their own labels: ‘Lebs’ from Bankstown and ‘Surfies’ from ‘The Shire’ (Sutherland Local Government Area). The violence was caused by difference, so the dominant narrative went, fitting neatly into the ‘clash of civilisations’ thesis and ‘with us or against us’ rhetoric that was deployed to justify the ‘war on terror’⁶, and still very much a live issue in the news at the time. Yet, at least as far back as the 1960s, there were frictions and violence between the 'Bankis' (from Bankstown) and surfies from Cronulla. Tensions emerged because of different expectations of ‘beach etiquette’ between outsiders and insiders: these frictions were not purely about race-fuelled aggression, but about claims of space and identity and, crucially, location⁷. Few major Sydney beaches have a train station, and Cronulla is the most directly accessible from Bankstown by train.\n\nThe ‘friction of identity’ was used to simplify the issues and obfuscate the vibrant, complex heterogeneous nature of communities across Bankstown and its wider ‘host community’ of Greater Western Sydney. That such simplification also served specific political interests around foreign policy objectives is as likely to be a cause as a coincidence. Western Sydney was again characterised as a homogenous mass during the 2013 federal election. On the campaign trail, politicians routinely ignored the diversity and many community celebrations of difference and talked about ‘the west’ as a single region, while invoking fear of gang violence in the tried and tested ‘law and order’ scrabble to win votes.\n\nYet Bankstown is one of many central hubs across the west where vitality and growth are spurred by frictions of identity, frictions that inspire rich cultural exchanges across and between hubs and their surrounding suburbs. This can emerge in grand projects devised with a state-backed sponsorship and policy agenda, but, importantly, are embodied in what Wise and Velayutham describe as ‘everyday multiculturalisms’.⁸ These seemingly small but cumulative encounters might be swapping biscuits over the back fence, to warm introductions at the local shopping centre, from informal space-sharing at public parks to organised celebrations (or commiserations) among the families of local sporting team members. Larger projects might set the same goals as everyday multiculturalisms are quietly achieving. This is not to say the formal or state-sponsored structures of multicultural policy are redundant, as interactions such as ‘One Parramatta’⁹ or the ‘Anti-Racism Research Project’ based at the University of Western Sydney demonstrate.¹⁰\n\nThe many facets of formal and informal efforts must operate together, forging and strengthening networks of exchange wherever human interactions occur, and likewise fading where disused or redundant. In this model, frictional energy is disseminated across the scales of social organisation, from neighbour to community and beyond the urban region of ‘Bankstown’, ‘the Shire’ or ‘Western Sydney’.\n\nFriction is traditionally conceptualised as lost kinetic energy: our speed or efficiency is lowered through the heat that is generated by moving parts, or the tensions arising from human movement across and between communities. Such tensions should be acknowledged, and responded to in the many diverse ways we know are available from our understanding of mutuality, exchange and everyday multiculturalism.\n\nFriction give rises to fire, and fire can warm us and feed us—or destroy everything in sight. How the heat is harnessed is something we must continue to strive to steer towards the common good.\n\n¹Friedman, T. (2005) The World as Flat, New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.\n²Hardt M. and Negri, A. (2001) Empire, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.\n³Taylor, C. (1994) ‘The politics of recognition’. In A. Gutmann (ed.) Multiculturalism: Examining the Politics of Recognition. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 25-74.\n⁴Arvanitakis, J. (2008) ‘Staging Maralinga and Looking for Community (Or Why We Must Desire Community Before We Can Find It)’, Research in Drama Education, 13(3): 295-306.\n⁵Lowenhaupt Tsing, A. (2005) An Ethnography of Global Connection, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, pp.4.\n⁶Poynting, S. (2006) ‘What Caused the Cronulla riot?’ Race & Class, 48(1):85-92.\n⁷Moore, K (2006) ‘The Beach, Young Australians and the Challenge to Egalitarianism in the 1960s’. In C. Hopkinsonand C. Hall (eds.) Proceedings Social Change in the 21st Century 2006, Australia, Queensland, Brisbane, pp. 1-7.\n⁸Wise, A. and Velayutham, S. (2009) Everyday Multiculturalism, London: Palgrave Macmillan.\n\nLike this story?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8926814198493958}
{"content": "Sythesis dichloroacetate\n\nCondensation what type of reaction is involved in the synthesis of starch condensation dichloroacetate (dca) administration would lead to a increased.\n\nKeywords: sodium dichloroacetate, b-cll, p21, proteomics, cytotoxicity of mitochondrial structure and the reduction in atp synthesis. Agius, l , d i watts, mc sugden effects of dichloroacetate on fatty acid synthesis in interscapular brown adipose tissue of the rat/« vivo mdln v i t r o.\n\nDichloroacetate suggests that the activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase can be rate deter- mining for fatty acid synthesis in isolated liver cells the minor effects of. Dichloroacetate (dca) is a specific inhibitor of the pdh-regulator is a measure of the respiratory chain activity not linked to the synthesis of.\n\nSythesis dichloroacetate\n\nAfter meal, therefore pyruvate conc is high atp demand is high no alternative fuel (fatty acids, ketone bodies) lipid synthesis is required from carbohydrate it is .\n\nDichloroacetate (dca) is an investigational drug for the treatment of and for the ultimate synthesis of atp from adp and inorganic phosphate.\n\nVns in the sanger reagent with carbanion of t-butyl dichloroacetate liczne przykłady reakcji vns figure 10 sythesis of hetorometallic barium complexes . Recent findings in the fields of oncogenic regulation of metabolism, mitochondrial function and macromolecular synthesis have brought tumor. Dichloroacetic acid (dca), sometimes called bichloroacetic acid (bca), is the chemical the dichloroacetate ion is produced when the acid is mixed with water as an acid with a pka of 135, pure dichloroacetic acid is classed as a strong. One example is dichloroacetate (dca) that stimulates mitochondria in the regulation of cell metabolism and participates in the synthesis of.\n\nsythesis dichloroacetate Then fatty acids come in there and the fatty acid synthesis is a big factor and   90s and it was on charlie rose, it was on larry king about dca, dichloroacetate.\nSythesis dichloroacetate\nRated 4/5 based on 33 review\nDownload now", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8515366911888123}
{"content": "Kennedy Mason's performance really brought our musical to life! She may be young, but her talent, drive, and professionalism will take her to great heights!' - Joshua Pearson, Writer/Producer for Sugarcrash Kids, LLC\n\nKennedy was a joy to work with, on stage and off.  Her cheerful disposition is matched only by her talent and wit.  I know the patrons of Osceola Arts thoroughly enjoyed her performance! - Garrett Sanders, Artistic Director, Osceola Arts\n\n\"She's an adult in a kid's body,\" -Mark Kohl, Kohl Pictures\n\n\"As a director, she makes it really, really easy.\" -Mark Kohl\n\n​\"Kennedy Mason is more profesional and present than most of her adult counterparts.\" -Aradhana Tiwari, director\n\n​\"It's always exciting for a performing arts teacher who is a complete package walk into their studio.  Someone with the drive, the personality,  and the natural talent, stage presence and magnetism to back it all up.  Kennedy is one of those students.\"  -Tim Evanicki, Maitland Academy of the Performing Arts\n\n​\"Each time I work with Kennedy, I am left in awe of the intellect, creativity, and thought process that she brings to the table.  It's a pleasure to be a part of her journey.\" -Kia Riddick-Taylor, Owner/Director of StarCatcher Productions, LLC \n\n\"She's just fearless.\"  -Rhonda Cato, Artistic Director, Magic Curtain Productions\n\n\"...Kennedy has...that ability to just be that character and not be self-conscious about what she's doing.\" -Rhonda Cato, Artistic Director, Magic Curtain Productions\n\nAbout Kennedy...\n\n\n​​Kennedy Mason\n\nWhat the professionals have to say...\n\n​​official website\n\nKennedy began her love for theater and acting at the age of four!  Yes, four!  She was spotted by a local theater director at a pre-school Thanksgiving performance and as they say, \"the rest is history!\"  She began her career as a lullaby league munchkin in a theater production of Wizard of Oz and quickly moved into larger roles, such as Cindy Lou Who in The Grinch that Stole Christmas and Molly in Annie, just to name a few.\n\nKennedy's parents recognized her talent and passion, and began their hunt for a local Orlando agent, which was not a difficult task.  Kennedy quickly began booking local commercials, industrials, magazine covers, etc.\n\nKennedy has often been described as \"an old soul.\"  As an actor she expresses a maturity and wisdom of someone far older.  Kennedy is known in the industry for her professional attitude on set and her incredible awareness. She has also been described as \"a natural\" and one who takes direction exceptionally well.\n\nKennedy has worked at a variety of venues, including the Orlando Repertory Theater and at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center in Orlando, Florida.  She has performed at conferences and has often times been invited to sing the National Anthem at sporting events.  Kennedy was also very successful in the Los Angeles market, where after only four short weeks, she was cast in the hit TV show, Criminal Minds.\n\nWhen Kennedy's not on stage or performing behind the camera, Kennedy loves to spend time with her family, friends, read, swim, and most of all, sing!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9102803468704224}
{"content": "Why is yoga and meditation beneficial to the human body?\n\nA recent study published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience reveals that yoga and meditation appear to have a positive effect on the central nervous system as well as the immune system\n\nWhy is yoga and meditation beneficial to the human body?\n\nIncreasingly, yoga practice and meditation have been the focus of research aiming to test their benefits. Recently, Medical News Today have reported on a wealth of studies pointing to many different advantages of yoga and meditation, including countering cognitive decline, acting on genetic factors that predispose individuals to stress, improving lower back pain, and easing depression.\n\nA new paper published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience now shows that yoga and meditation appear to have a positive effect on the central nervous system as well as the immune system, and that it may improve the individuals’ overall sense of well-being.\n\nThe study, led by Dr B Rael Cahn, from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles – was part of a larger body of research addressing different approaches to promoting resilience.\n\nYoga and meditation may improve resilience\n\nDr Cahn and team worked with some of the participants at a 3-month yoga and meditation retreat. At this retreat, the participants engaged in daily meditation and yoga practice, and they followed a vegetarian diet.\n\nOf the 200 participants (both male and female), 98 volunteered to participate in tests measuring particular biomarkers. However, due to a lack of funding, only 38 volunteers (19 male and 19 female) underwent these assessments.\n\nAdditionally, due to circumstances that rendered some of the data unusable, biological samples collected from 26 of these volunteers were analysed.\n\nMany participants had previous experience of practicing yoga and meditation on a frequent basis, including Shoonya and Samyama meditation, Hatha yoga, and pranayama.\n\nThe participants were assessed both before and after participating in the yoga retreat. They had to undergo:\n\n  • psychometric tests that collected data about their psychological well-being, mindfulness, and psychological involvement\n  • measurements of the brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is a protein that promotes the survival and growth of various nerve cells and is involved in immune response, metabolic regulation, and resilience to stress\n  • assessment of the “cortisol awakening response” (CAR), which measured the secretion of cortisol, a hormone involved in the interaction between the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal gland (also known as the “HPA axis”)\n  • measurements of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine levels, which are involved in the functioning of the immune system\n\nAfter analysing the data, the team found that engagement in the yoga and meditation practices at the retreat was associated with decreased anxiety and depression levels – as reported by the participants – as well as with an increase in their level of mindfulness.\n\nFrom a biological point of view, the scientists noted an increase in BDNF plasma levels, as well as a strengthened CAR, suggesting improved resilience to stress factors.\n\nThe data also showed an increase of an anti-inflammatory cytokine (interleukin-10) and a corresponding decrease in a pro-inflammatory cytokine (interleukin-12), which led to a reduction of inflammatory processes.\n\n\nPotential benefits to the nervous system\n\nThe researchers believe that the various biological improvements gathered from the collected data indicate an enhanced overall sense of physical and psychological well-being.\n\nThey highlight that their results may point to an enhanced functioning of certain elements of the central nervous system, a healthier immune system, and a strengthened sense of focus and awareness.\n\n“The observed increased BDNF signalling [is] possibly related to enhanced neurogenesis and/or neuroplasticity, increased CAR likely related to enhanced alertness and readiness for mind-body engagement, and increased anti- and pro-inflammatory cytokines possibly indicating enhanced immunological readiness.”\n\nMoreover, the researchers suggest that there is a thrilling possibility that some of the effects observed in the aftermath of the retreat suggest that meditation and yoga could stimulate the hippocampus to function better.\n\n\nNevertheless, the scientists caution that not all of these positive effects may be due to yoga and meditation. Some, they suggest, may be owed to the individuals’ dietary practices, social interaction, or the impact of the yoga and meditation teachers.\n\nStill, Dr Cahn and his team are excited by the results of their research and believe that they are grounds for further studies on the potential physical and psychological benefits of yoga and meditation.\n\n\nSource: Medical News Today", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8502345085144043}
{"content": "Joel (2018)\n\n\n\nIn 1989, Long Island native Joel Rifkin killed his first victim in what was the beginning of a 4-year murder spree. By the time 1994 rolled around, this prolific serial killer had 17 dead prostitutes under his notch and would have kept going if it hadn’t been for a minor traffic incident that pulled him over one dark and evil evening.\n\nThe film, JOEL, captures the cold and desensitized persona of a man trapped within in own monstrous conviction. Rifkin grew up in the upper-middle class suburbs of East Meadow, NY with a learning disability and lack of social skills. Often teased and bullied, Joel Rifkin became the quintessential loner, finding solace with his mother and watching television. During a viewing of Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy, Rifkin had an epiphany that drew him closer to the darkest point of depravity. And he suddenly found himself obsessed with both sex and strangulation.\n\nJOEL is a well-made film told in first person, which dives head on into the complexities of a killer’s intents.  While an immediate detachment from his shocking confession from the start of the movie leaves you chilled, it’s hard to imagine an ounce of warmth exists within this malicious man.\n\nWhile most of the serial killer followers know all about Joel Rifkin’s horrific murder spree between 1989 and 1993, many are simply unaware of his upbringing. Joel’s birth parents were 20-something year old college students, the father being an army vet. According to the film JOEL, he was never fully accepted by his father, thus adding to his darkened retreat into a deeply horrifying world. However, the movie neglected to mention that Rifkin was adopted as a baby by an upper class Jewish couple who were very attentive to his rearing.\n\nAs previously mentioned, Joel Rifkin had learning disabilities, was frequently bullied at school and eventually became a recluse. His relationship with his mother as per JOEL seemed to be the most stable area in his life. Which leads to the question – what made Joel Rifkin embark on a killing spree targeting women? In particular…prostitutes?\n\nJOEL is an interesting case study from the killer’s POV. The aloofness, detached and sedated mentality which occupies his mind allowed him to justify his morbid actions and essentially…how it managed to catch up with him.  He faults himself for his carelessness which lead to his capture and the discovery of the dead body in the back of his truck (victim #17).  Through this random traffic incident, Rifkin’s bloody carnage had abruptly ended.\n\nThe only negativity about JOEL is the lack of interaction between Rifkin and everyone that surrounds him…family, colleagues, or even street strangers. Viewers only get to see his contact with each victim (some of which are mere numbers and not named) and are left with very little homage paid to his casualties. Basically, there is no connection amongst the portrayed characters. The audience is left to judge whether or not Joel really did have a decent relationship with his mother, as there is literally nothing else to go on. That was a bit disappointing, however this is still highly recommended\n\nHaving been brought up on Long Island, NY during the 80’s and 90’s where the majority of families come from semi – exceptionally wealthy means, the Joel Rifkin killings received massive attention. To live amongst a serial killer in such an affluence suburb was unheard of! In addition, there are actually no real full length films revolving around Rifkin until JOEL came along. Had John R. Hand added a little more interactivity between the culprit and his surroundings, this would have become a 9 out of 10 film. I had hoped to see more of those who had influenced Joel Rifkin and subsequently, turned him from a social outcast to a cold blooded murderer if it hadn’t already been part of his DNA.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9700028896331787}
{"content": "Crony Capitalists Decide TPP Terms\n\nPaul Samuelson, serving as advisor to Presidents Kennedy and LBJ, was the first American to win the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. He said the ultimate goal of economic science is to improve the living conditions of people in their everyday life. That goal should be an easy one to put into practice in a modern economy, but it is immediately beset with problems in the twenty-first century.\n\nI’m sure, given a more nation-centric era, Samuelson envisioned the context of his goal to be national in scope. But currently, how would you separate the national versus the global, considering the extent of global commerce? Then how do you balance a nation’s sovereignty with the exigencies of global commerce. Nations consider their own citizens but the United Nations, a global organization, has only investigative and advisory powers.\n\nBut do nations really consider all of their citizens?\n\nThe North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was an unexpectedly bitter pill swallowed by American labor, and subsequently many America’s industries were rather swiftly supplanted by the machinations of cheaper foreign imports. It spurred “massive U.S. trade deficits and job loss, downward pressure on wages, unprecedented levels of inequality and new floods of agricultural imports.”\n\nWe have to say that American prices for many consumer products experienced precipitous dips due to cheaper foreign imports to perhaps ameliorate some of the negative effects, but NAFTA left too many Americans out of the negotiations as well, though we were better represented then.\n\nNow it’s the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).\n\nPartly due to the globalization that NAFTA brought to the Western world, many current governments, especially in the US and England, increasingly determine that improved living conditions apply for only the upper class, not for the vast majority of citizens. In Samuelson’s day, Western societies were much more egalitarian.\n\nThe outcome wrought by the growing oligarchies in the world – supported by giant corporations and financial interests that seem untouchable – results in secret agreements negotiated by crony capitalists with no public discussion of vital trade policy.\n\nObama has many good points, but one of them does not involve shedding the plutocratic perspective that is burnished into Washington’s outer shell. Perhaps he even believes his own rhetoric about TPP benefitting all.  We might call it an extreme prejudice for “trickle-down” economics that barely trickles. Conservative economists champion it as “supply-side” economics, though definitively proven not to work. In effect, it amounts to mega-corporations putting their own profits ahead of workers and consumers.\n\nRemember that Washington is encircled by the agents of moneyed interests whose 24/7 buzz drowns out the rest of us. With Citizens United, money flows out of the woodwork for compromised politicians of any stripe, even GOP nut jobs running for president. Supposed bastions of independence, Supreme Court justices cozy up with billionaires like the Koch brothers, imbibing their toxic plans for the rest of us. Best known for his association with the Koch brothers is Justice Clarence Thomas.\n\nOnce, the most effective policy was used in Washington for decision-making. Now it’s politics and crony capitalism.\n\nThe old adage, “Those who forget the past are bound to repeat it,” perhaps still applies. A blessing or perhaps a curse of non-ignorance, I’m old enough to remember President Kennedy’s appointment of independent economic advisors like Paul Samuelson, schooled academics, not Wall Streeters, who advised based on goals, indubitably applying to all Americans, who then had cause to believe in opportunity for their offspring’s futures.\n\nOur democracy was more firmly in the hands of the majority then. Unity around the Cold War was high, unions were strong, and corporations were still constrained in size and strength, not monoliths which oppress consumers and workers.\n\nAll that has changed.\n\nBy 2014, we foolishly gave Republicans a majority in both houses of Congress, a move assuring pro-corporate giveaways like TPP. Of course, even Democrats drank the plutocratic Kool Aid, but the GOP majority was strong enough to vote in the Fastrack TPP.\n\nWe are not saying that free trade is not a good idea. If done with the interests of all in mind, it can be quite beneficial. But consider what most Republicans and a few Democrats did. They took away the power of our representatives (themselves) to bargain over the rules governing a trade agreement with Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, Vietnam, and potentially South Korea (as of 2014). Just these twelve partners govern 40 percent of U.S. imports and exports.\n\nIn a Bill Moyers article, economist, Dean Baker stated, “This (still secret) pact [TPP] has little to do with free trade. It can more accurately be described as a pact designed to increase the wealth and power of crony capitalists.” In a more egalitarian era, Samuelson’s goal is to improve the living conditions of people in their everyday life.  For Samuelson,  ”People” didn’t mean “crony capitalists” alone.\n\nAs you may have gathered, billionaires like the Koch brothers put their political money on reduced taxes for the rich and regulatory structures that favor their profit status. That is why domestically their money is always on gutting the EPA.\n\nWhat better idea is there for the rich than to coordinate world-wide their efforts to control the regulatory effort? For example, it is not enough for drug companies to gouge the American consumer (The Bush Congress forbade Medicare to bargain for lower drug prices); they must also work full force to negotiate global drug controls that increase the strength of patent and related protections, this so that drugs don’t go generic or if they do, take longer to do so. Another goal is to increase foreign drug prices so that they don’t undercut the unnaturally high prices in the US.\n\nAdditionally China is not mentioned in TPP but would figure mightily in providing parts to countries like Viet Nam which could get up to 65 percent of its finished product parts in China. With only 35% from Viet Nam, they can assemble it in Hanoi and call it a domestic Vietnamese product.\n\nSpeaking of China, it is famous for the practice of controlling its currency’s value rather than allowing a free flow. Our annual trade deficit with China is almost $300 billion. That means they can control the value of the Yuan relative to the American dollar. Due to this practice, the US is running an overall annual trade deficit of more than $500 billion because the dollar is priced too high relative to currencies of trading partners, including China. The TPP does nothing about currency values.\n\nThe Americans for Limited Government (ALG) revealed that the secret TPP agreement would surrender American sovereignty to international tribunals. These Pacific nations will enter a free trade agreement only if they are exempt from our onerous environmental and financial regulations. For example, inspection of food products will most likely be done by importing countries with their standards, not those of the US. Imported food could be in jeopardy.\n\nTPP provides legal rights to corporations and investors that it does not extend to unions, public interest groups and individuals. For example, it allows companies to use secretive international tribunals to sue sovereign governments for damages when those governments cut into corporate profits by passing public-interest policies or extend policies that take or restrict the corporation’s property. TPP is not expected to extend these rights to labor, environmental and human rights laws and Congress has in the past quashed such citizen rights.\n\nIt is quite evident to all of us that the standards that govern us are dominated by crony capitalists. To give such corporate interests authority over our lives through secret trade agreements is like giving foxes authority over the barnyard. In essence, as a member of this metaphoric barnyard, when you ask, “What’s for dinner,” you really don’t need the answer.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8031058311462402}
{"content": "What is staging?\n\n\n  • Staging helps the doctor plan the appropriate treatment.\n  • Cancer stage can be used in estimating a person’s prognosis.\n  • Knowing the stage of cancer is important in identifying clinical trials that may be a suitable treatment option for a patient.\n\nStaging is based on knowledge of the way cancer progresses. Cancer cells grow and divide without control or order, and they do not die when they should. As a result, they often form a mass of tissue called a tumor. As a tumor grows, it can invade nearby tissues and organs. Cancer cells can also break away from a tumor and enter the bloodstream or the lymphatic system. By moving through the bloodstream or lymphatic system, cancer cells can spread from the primary site to lymph nodes or to other organs, where they may form new tumors. The spread of cancer is called metastasis.\n\nAll cancers are staged when they are first diagnosed. This stage classification, which is typically assigned before treatment, is called the clinical stage. A cancer may be further staged after surgery or biopsy, when the extent of the cancer is better known. This stage designation (called the pathologic stage) combines the results of the clinical staging with the surgical results.\n\nA cancer is always referred to by the stage it was given at diagnosis, even if it gets worse or spreads. New information about how a cancer changes over time simply gets added on to the original stage designation. The cancer stage designation doesn’t change (even though the cancer itself might) because survival statistics and information on treatment by stage for specific cancer types are based on the original cancer stage at diagnosis.\n\nWhat are the common elements of staging systems?\n\n\n  • Site of the primary tumor and the cell type (e.g., adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma)\n  • Tumor size and/or extent (reach)\n  • Regional lymph node involvement (the spread of cancer to nearby lymph nodes)\n  • Number of tumors (the primary tumor and the presence of metastatic tumors, or metastases)\n  • Tumor grade* (how closely the cancer cells and tissue resemble normal cells and tissue)\n\n*More information can be found in the NCI fact sheet Tumor Grade.\n\nWhat is the TNM system?\n\n\n\nPrimary Tumor (T)\nTX: Primary tumor cannot be evaluated\nT0: No evidence of primary tumor\n\nRegional Lymph Nodes (N)\nNX: Regional lymph nodes cannot be evaluated\nN0: No regional lymph node involvement\n\nDistant Metastasis (M)\nMX: Distant metastasis cannot be evaluated\nM0: No distant metastasis\nM1: Distant metastasis is present\n\n\n\nStage Definition\nStage 0 Carcinoma in situ\nStage IV The cancer has spread to distant tissues or organs\n\nAre all cancers staged with TNM classifications?\n\n\nMany cancer registries, such as those supported by NCI’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program, use “summary staging.” This system is used for all types of cancer. It groups cancer cases into five main categories:\n\n  • Regional: Cancer has spread beyond the primary site to nearby lymph nodes or tissues and organs\n  • Distant: Cancer has spread from the primary site to distant tissues or organs or to distant lymph nodes\n  • Unknown: There is not enough information to determine the stage\n\nWhat types of tests are used to determine stage?\n\n\n  • Pathology reports may include information about the size of the tumor, the growth of the tumor into other tissues and organs, the type of cancer cells, and the grade of the tumor. A biopsy may be performed to provide information for the pathology report although we don’t support their usage. Cytology reports describe findings from the examination of cells in body fluids.\n\nWhat is restaging?\n\nDoctors may reassess a person’s cancer after their treatment has been completed to determine how the cancer responded to treatment. Such a reassessment, or restaging, may also be done when a cancer has recurred and may require more treatment. This reassessment involves the same tests that were done when the cancer was first diagnosed. After these tests, the doctor may assign a new stage to the cancer. The new stage will be preceded by an “r” to indicate that it reflects the restaging. The original stage at diagnosis does not change.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6097220182418823}
{"content": "The smart way to find lost gadgets\n\nBY JScreen Shot 2016-09-19 at 3.40.58 PM.jpgIMMY MAWERERE\n\nHave you ever returned home,\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMind your computer\n\nCoffee spills on a computer. This is very harmful to your computer (Internet photo)\n\n\nThe personal computer (PC) is now assisting us in many tasks at work, school or home.\n\nWith the PC on your desk, you can reach all the corners of the world, do business, arrange events, make friends and so many other eventful and important things However, if not used wisely and with care, value for the purchase may be lost.\n\nFirst of all, one needs to know that despite being a machine and not a living thing, a computer ought to be taken care of. So, precautions like covering it when not in use to prevent dust build-up are essential.\n\nIf it is a laptop, get a bag or cover for it. This also helps prevent breakage of the screen and the internal system in case of a fall. \n\nLiquids should be kept away from the computer because they may cause damage to the internal system when they spill on it.\n\nKnow the battery of your computer and study its consumption trend. This will assist you to know when to charge and help you plan for the tasks to be done.\n\nCommanding a computer to perform several tasks at once makes it slower and sometimes causes it to freeze. Therefore, do not confuse your computer; give it commands in an orderly manner.\n\nA computer is a machine but it needs rest too. When used for a long time, it heats up. So give it a break often and do not use it endlessly.\n\nFinally, at the end of a long day’s work, you just want to shut down and run off! Avoid this because all the programmes will still be open in the task bar. So, take time and save your documents, close all programmes that have been in use and shut down properly. This helps the computer refresh, and be ready for the next day’s work.\n\nHow convenient is that power bank?\n\n\n\nPlanning a long trip? Going somewhere remote with limited or no power supply? Well, the power bank comes in handy.\n\nPower banks are a fairly recent invention borne of the necessity to always be able to access the smart phones.\n\nBecause they have very many applications, smart phones tend to drain battery quickly and thus the need to be charged once or more times a day. A power bank does save the day. \n\nPower banks are portable power ‘stores’. They come in different shapes, sizes, quality and capacities. Just like phones, they too are charged to contain power that is later used to charge the phone.\n\nThe flipside is that they are definitely not safe. Think of them more as boosters and stimulants than chargers because overtime the battery of the phone weakens because of the insufficient power supply. Most of them are also slow and may not be able to raise a 100 per cent battery charge.\n\nRonald Awany, a staff member says that depending on power banks is deadly because they drain the battery and make it phone batteries vulnerable. He says that using a power bank should be the last option to turn to.\n\nWith the universal chargers, the battery is removed from the phone and connected to the charger, which is then plugged into the wall. This diminishes the durability of the battery. Further, disassembling the phone parts to get the battery out can also lead to damage to other features.\n\nSo, however convenient the power banks may be, direct charging of the phone is the best and most effective way to keep one’s phone battery safe and sound for longer.\n\nUCU to embrace e-Learning\n\n\n\nE-Learning is basically utilising electronic technologies to access educational curricula outside of a traditional classroom. In most cases, it refers to a course, programme or degree delivered completely online.\n\nUganda Christian University (UCU) is slowly but steadily adopting the e-Learning system through which students will access course material from their lecturers and submit assignments provided they have access to an Internet-enabled computer.\n\nMs Dorothy Mukasa, the university’s e-Learning manager told The Standard that course material such as notes, power point presentations, and course outlines will be made available online to ease access for the students and cut on the stationery costs both the lecturers and students incur in the process of attaining and disseminating hard copies.\n\nMukasa, however, noted that the university will not go entirely virtual, a system in which students and their facilitators have no face-to-face lectures, but will adopt a ‘blended’ approach that allows for both virtual and traditional classroom lectures to thrive.\n\n“E-learning has been at UCU for a long time and has been used by both staff and students at will. But now we have structured it in a way that all faculties will have to integrate their curricula online and that process has already started,” she said.\n\nUCU’s 2016-2018 Strategic Plan includes the introduction of e-Learning and growth of distance learning programmes and the establishment of the e-Learning infrastructure extending them to regional campuses by September 2016.\n\nThe plan also seeks to train staff and develop an e-Learning curriculum, a programme that Mukasa said has already been rolled out starting with sensitisation of faculties about e-Learning and later on the training of staff on how to use and benefits from it will commence.\n\n“We shall identify at least three subjects in every faculty especially postgraduate programmes and run them on the system as a trial as we monitor the progress before rolling out the rest,” she said.\n\nSome courses such as Law (BA & MA), Master’s in Nursing Science, Master’s in Public Health and Leadership (Save The Mothers) and Mass Communication (BA) are already partially using the e-Learning system.\n\nThe students who are already registered for wireless Internet with the University ICT Services department can access the e-Learning services using the same login credentials if they log onto\n\n“If one can maintain the necessary self-discipline, the benefits of e-Learning are almost too numerous to count. You can cover the material when you have time, go over it as often as you need, all without traveling to the classroom.\n\n“There are no transportation fees as you can take the class from any location with internet access,” Mukasa explained.\n\nThe e-Learning facility will be hosted in the recently constructed Stephen and Peggy Noll Building.\n\nAllan Galpin gets Shs 50m machine\n\nZac Tamale, the senior laboratory technician at Allan Galpin Health Centre, operates the new machine (on his right) through a computer.\n\n\nAllan Galpin Health Centre has set itself new target following the acquisition of a first of its kind, GYAN laboratory chemistry analyser at a cost of about Shs 50m.\n\nThe fully-automated, Belgian-made equipment with standard control that can test over 20 laboratory samples at ago, will, in the words of Zac Tamale, a laboratory technician at Allan Galpin, boost the diagnosis of patients and cut on the number of staff and student referrals the clinic makes to external, more sophiscated hospitals.\n\n“With this machine, we can monitor variations in hypertension, blood\npressure, cholesterol and fat, bone profiles, blood calcium and iron in the\nbody,” Tamale explained.\n\nIn addition to the above list, the machine has the capacity to also look into\nliver, kidney and heart related complications. This development comes at an opportune moment when Uganda Christian University (UCU) has unleashed plans of running a medical school in conjunction with Mengo Hospital.\n\nThe Allan Galpin Director of Health Services, Dr Geoffrey Mulindwa, said\nthe new acquisition, coupled with the expertise and know-how that the\ncentre currently boasts, will help the community around the university\nconsidering that it is the first of its kind in Mukono.\n“The clinic now has the capacity to carry out diagnosis on body organs like the liver, kidney and to assist clinicians improve on diagnosis and treatment planning,” he said.\n\nMulindwa added that “this will, to some extent, reduce on referrals for investigations, improve on timely decision-making to have better outcomes and cut the cost considering that UCU plans to delve into medical education and integrating faith service and learning.”\n\nIts operation temperature is 37 degrees Celsius and has a high precision\ndiluter with an automatic probe wash cycle in between tests to avoid cross-contamination.\n\nMulindwa is confident the white piece of gadgetry, which is the size of an HP LazerJet 5200 dtn printer, that is only operational when connected to a computer, would help his staff do many blood chemistry tests for the liver kidney, heart, bone and lipid profiles.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5559982061386108}
{"content": "Self-Employment is On the Rise and Changing How Americans Work\n\n\n\nIf they do it right, freelancers get to choose their hours, environment and clients. If they do it wrong, they can end up dealing with a cash-strapped hustle.\n\nTo be successful, freelancers need to understand their capacity, differentiate themselves and focus their services to complement their supreme strengths, said Jaleh Bisharat, senior vice president of marketing at Elance-oDesk, a California-based company that connects businesses to freelancers while providing related services.\n\n?One of the big shifts we are seeing in the future of work is that businesses of one will start to be the normal,? Bisharat said. ?They will be freelancers, and they will also hire freelancers to help them with the part of their businesses that they don?t understand.?\n\nThe advantages and disadvantages of freelancing are freedom and control. There is no paid vacation or sick time, and there are no opportunities to slack off.\n\n?If you are failing, there is no one to blame but you,? said Jill Jankoski of Raleigh, who has been providing virtual administrative services since 2008.\n\n\n?Not being tied to a desk has its challenges, namely staying organized,? said Margaret McNab, 31, of Durham, who offers marketing and public relations strategy along with business partner Christin Prince through their firm Prince McNab.\n\nMcNab uses applications such as Shoeboxed and Ronin to keep her receipts and finances organized.\n\n\nTo decide how much to charge, freelancers can look online and explore the rates of people with similar backgrounds looking to serve similar roles.\n\n\n?You are going to want to raise it as you can,? she said, but that first endorsement is ?worth its weight in gold.?\n\nObtaining and amplifying endorsements are an essential part of a freelancer?s business, Bisharat said, especially if they connect with customers online.\n\nOnce they have a client, she said, communication is key.\n\nSaleem Reshamwala, a freelance filmmaker who runs his firm KidEthnic out of startup incubator American Underground @Main Street in Durham, said one of the biggest mistakes he made in the beginning was not writing out a contract defining the work and payment.\n\nHis process improved greatly after he made friends with a successful filmmaker who shared templates for contracts and invoices.\n\nOver time, Reshamwala, 35, of Durham learned to approach projects in two phases.\n\nThe first phase is exploration, in which he and the client define the project and its ultimate goal.\n\nThe second phase is execution. Breaking it up, he said, helps the client to see work is being completed long before the filming starts.\n\nFreelancers also have to be clear about what they can deliver and when, Bisharat said. If there is an issue, communicate the challenge and a potential solution early.\n\nIf the client starts to change or add to the job, a freelancer should use diplomatic language to address the situation, Bisharat said.\n\nFreelancers should also have basic business plans outlining how much they need to make, how they are going to differentiate themselves from others and how they are going to promote themselves.\n\nSource: MCT Information Services", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6717662811279297}
{"content": "Tel: +86-13921366778\n\n\nYou are here: Home > Knowledge > Content\nWorking environment and installation adjustment of the paper roll slitting machine\n- Aug 14, 2018 -\n\nThe paper roll slitting machine adopts microcomputer control to automatically cut and cut, and has reasonable structure; complete functions, stable performance and flexible operation adjustment; at the same time, it adopts imported photoelectric and multi-point speed control, which is widely used for slitting various film materials of rolls. Substrates such as glue, aluminum foil, insulating paper, photosensitive materials and various webs are the main supporting equipment for flexible packaging products.\n\n\nIt should be known that a good use environment can make the paper slitting machine last longer, and it is suitable to work in the following environments, including indoor ventilation; ambient temperature - 10 ° C + 40 ° C; try to avoid high temperature and humidity, humidity is less than 90% RH, no rain drops; avoid direct sunlight; no flammable, corrosive gases and liquids; installation base fixed without vibration; no electromagnetic interference, away from interference sources.\n\n\nAfter the paper roll slitter is unpacked, the machine integrity should be checked to check whether there is any damage during transportation. After the damage is checked, the calibration level can be installed on a flat and solid basis. After installing the calibration level, thoroughly check whether the parts are intact, whether the bolts are tightly tightened, and whether the moving parts are flexible.\n\n\nThen add the corresponding lubricating oil to each lubrication part of the paper roll slitting machine. Check the refueling and confirm that it is correct before turning on the machine. Before starting the machine, carefully read the instructions attached. Start slowly and start slowly. When everything is normal, slowly increase the cutting speed until it is normal.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9913328886032104}
{"content": "‘Losing Hearts and Minds’\n\nTens of thousands of Iranian students studied in the U.S. in the 1970s. New book tells how they helped unsettle the diplomatic relationship between Washington and Tehran in lead-up to Iranian Revolution.\n\nApril 6, 2018\nCover of 'Losing Hearts and Minds' by Matthew Shannon\n\nInternational education is often seen as an important plank of public diplomacy. By hosting international students, the thinking goes, the U.S. can cultivate goodwill. By educating future leaders, the U.S. can help bring about stronger relations with the countries from which the students come. But is that line of thinking too simplistic? A recent book argues that the large influx of Iranian students to American universities that started in the 1950s and reached a peak of more than 50,000 students in the late 1970s paradoxically subverted the Washington-Tehran alliance at the same time it strengthened it.\n\nLosing Hearts and Minds: American-Iranian Relations and International Education During the Cold War, by Matthew K. Shannon (Cornell University Press, 2017), argues that the large influx of Iranian students into the U.S. had \"unintended consequences that ran counter to the strategic objectives of U.S. and Iranian leaders.\"\n\n\"That it did was not the result of any fault in the binational educational project or the free flow of individuals between the United States and Iran, but rather the incongruity of national leaders promoting inherently liberal ideas -- the freedom of movement and global education -- while supporting the illiberal [Shah Mohammad Reza] Pahlavi government,\" writes Shannon, an assistant professor of history at Emory and Henry College, in Virginia.\n\nOn the one hand, Shannon writes, “U.S. policy makers, diplomats, aid officials, philanthropists, and educationalists created a vast array of government-sponsored and nongovernmental educational programs to lay a cultural foundation for the Washington-Tehran alliance and to supply the shah with trained manpower to administer his modernization program, known as the White Revolution.”\n\nOn the other hand, international education “also provided a means of resistance. Iranian students abroad produced one of the most impressive oppositional movements of the Cold War era, and their movement expanded in size and diversified in composition over the years as the shah refused to include political liberalization as part of his modernization program. Because the Pahlavi state did not tolerate opposition within its borders, dissent became part of the educational networks that connected the United States and Iran.”\n\nShannon argues that anti-shah students were able to forge “an alternative alliance with progressive Americans critical of the shah’s authoritarianism. Iranian students and their American allies adopted worldviews that transcended traditional calculations of national interest, served as an alternative power center to national governments, and engaged in an evolving human rights discourse to delegitimize the shah's claim to be a benevolent and modernizing monarch. Their evolving rights-based critique of the Pahlavi state reached the halls of power in Washington and Tehran, reshaped the international community, and contributed to the Iranian Revolution of 1979 that replaced the shah’s Iran with Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini’s Islamic Republic.”\n\nShannon answered questions about his book and his research -- and the implications for international education more generally -- via email.\n\nQ: What drew you to want to study U.S.-Iranian relations “through the lens of international education,” as you put it?\n\nA: International education has been the most important “connector” in the U.S.-Iran relationship since the 19th century. Yet as I read the literature on U.S.-Iran relations after the Second World War, it became clear that most scholars focus on military, diplomatic and political affairs. I wanted to write about the “cultural cold war” in Iran, which prioritized educational exchanges to the point that, by the 1979 revolution, Iran was sending the largest number of international students in the United States.\n\nThe lens of international education integrates various subfields of history that are not always in conversation with the other, which in turn produces a richer picture of the past. In a sense, it is a trifocal lens. Because policy makers conceived of education as a dimension of U.S. strategy, the book speaks directly to older diplomatic narratives on U.S.-Iran relations. Yet, in Iran, education has long been part of a national effort to “modernize” the country and enlarge the umbrella of “rights” for its citizens.\n\nThose efforts were negotiated between Iran and the world, and they sometimes served cross-purposes. In the postwar years, the United States displaced Great Britain and the Soviet Union as the most powerful external actor in Iran. But while some Americans and Iranians saw education as a means of modernizing Iran along an authoritarian model, others saw circuits of exchange as a piece of the international system that would ultimately usher in a freer domestic polity. International education explains, then, the many layers of the binational relationship and the promise and the peril of the postwar American moment in Iran.\n\nQ: What can the U.S.-Iranian example teach us more broadly about both the usefulness and potential limitations of international education as a tool of public diplomacy?\n\nA: I would preface my answer by saying that international education is almost always worth supporting because it can promote American interests and global dialogue in a way that very few endeavors can.\n\nBut for international education to be an effective tool of public diplomacy, educational initiatives have to align with the military, political and economic dimensions of the larger strategy. In other words, the various “tracks” of a strategic framework need to be aligned. In the case of Cold War-era Iran, it was counterproductive for the United States to lend tremendous amounts of military support to the shah, a leader who ruled for nearly four decades in a dictatorial manner. The answer was not to curtail the educational programs, but to have focused on political reforms and balanced economic development plans that could have benefited the entire society. Then the educational and cultural exchanges would have taken place in a friendlier context.\n\nI wholeheartedly agree with scholars who argue that the United States should have pursued an “asymmetric” strategy during the Cold War that elevated cultural programs over military alliances. I would say the same about “soft power” in today’s world of wars. Now, as then, some states are freer than others, and some are U.S. allies while others are adversaries. The specifics of the Iranian case during the Cold War are not the same in all cases, but the general lessons are applicable across the board.\n\nQ: Throughout the book you describe the ways in which Iranian students in the U.S. mobilized into a potent political force. In 1962, Iranian student leaders met with Attorney General Robert Kennedy to raise their concerns about the lack of political liberties in Iran; in 1977, 1,700 anti-shah students protested what would be the final state visit from the shah outside the White House. Are you aware of other groups of international students who have achieved similar success in mobilizing politically, or is the Iranian student example in the 1950s-’70s unique in this regard?\n\nA: This is a great question on a topic that I originally planned to include in the book. I did not, but there are other interesting cases.\n\nIn the Middle East, many of the “Young Turks” were educated in Europe, and they brought a revolution to the Ottoman Empire just prior to the First World War. Many anticolonial leaders of the mid-20th century were products of imperial education networks. [Jawaharlal] Nehru went to Cambridge and then led postindependence India, [Frantz] Fanon was educated in France and then went to Algeria, and [Kwame] Nkrumah studied in Philadelphia and became Ghana’s first president. A younger generation of Brazilian students organized in the United States during the era of military rule, Ethiopian students mobilized abroad prior to the revolution that overthrew Haile Selassie, and Palestinian students became an important part of the diaspora from the 1970s forward. More broadly, education and the many forces of globalization contributed to change throughout East Asia in the late 20th century.\n\nIt is difficult to say how “unique” the Iranian case is. That would require a comparative analysis of qualitative and quantitative data. While there are various factors that make the Iranian case stand out, the scale is perhaps the most significant -- the intensity of the U.S. initiative in postwar Iran, the size and activism of the Iranian student population in the United States, and the eventual impact of the Iranian Revolution of 1979.\n\nQ: You dedicate a portion of the book to discussing the proliferation of institutional contracts between American universities and Iran during the 1970s, including the controversial 1975 agreement between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Iranian government in which MIT agreed to admit a total of 54 Iranian students into its master of nuclear engineering program in return for an endowment of $20 million (ultimately, you write, 35 students finished the MIT program, and after the fall of the shah, many of the graduates became important figures in the nuclear program of the Islamic Republic of Iran). Beyond MIT, you quote a report from the American Council on Education that criticized the proliferation of American university contracts with Iran, using terms like “academic hustling,” and note that critical press articles at the time had headlines like “Do Oil and Education Mix?” and “Schools for Sale.” Fast-forward 40-some years and we still see these kinds of debates. In considering partnerships with authoritarian governments, are there any lessons American universities should take from the American-Iranian example in the 1970s?\n\nA: The history of educational ties between the United States and Iran certainly has relevance today when considering the ethical questions surrounding the globalization of the American university.\n\nSince the beginning of the 20th century, certain schools had important ties with Iran and, when handled correctly, these ties brought reciprocal benefits. There is a forthcoming book on the Utah universities in Iran, there is a website dedicated to “Lafayette [College] in Persia” and there is scholarship on the University of Pennsylvania’s historic involvement in the country. Some of those schools maintain a favorable reputation in Iran today.\n\nDuring the 1970s, however, the oil money that drove the shah’s spending bred corruption. This was the case for the educational contracts that ACE criticized, including the MIT nuclear contract. In the short term, it probably benefited MIT more than Iran. It was symptomatic of the chaotic planning effort in Iran and the continued inability or unwillingness of Americans in position of power and responsibility to consider the moral implications of their actions. In the long run, and when considering the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran’s personnel, perhaps the contract did eventually benefit Iran.\n\nThe question remains about how institutions of higher education can thrive economically and promote responsible internationalization. On the one hand, educational exchange can help generate change around the world and enhance American influence and prestige. On the other hand, schools, like nations, should not compromise principles such as academic freedom to acquire financial gain or a global reach. American schools today should work to internationalize, but they should avoid getting involved with authoritarian states in a way that would damage, rather than bolster, long-term interests and the prospects for future dialogue.\n\n\nBe the first to know.\nGet our free daily newsletter.\n\n\n+ -\n\nExpand commentsHide comments  —   Join the conversation!\n\nToday’s News from Inside Higher Ed\n\nInside Higher Ed’s Quick Takes\n\nWhat Others Are Reading\n\n  • Viewed\n  • Past:\n  • Day\n  • Week\n  • Month\n  • Year\nBack to Top", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7786905169487}
{"content": "Project info\n\nThis is a project that asks a question of how the obvious is altered. The illusion of what we see can easily be distorted or transformed according to the real inner self. What lies beneath the surface of our outer shell and behind what we consider clear?\nThe disillusion caused by a transparency can be an inclination and consequently a means to overestimation or underestimation of any kind of data. Transparency challenges the Unexpected. It breaks the protocols of the standard norms, luring Obviousness into new assumptions and claims.\nEven though transparency reinforces a system of receptiveness, it may stumble on cultural limitations, that breed secrecy, or issues of trust. Depending on its strength, our self –ego can be the main barrier towards openness and / or adjustability. In a kind of uncanny way, we allow it to designate and draw paths into voluntary exposures, regardless of consciousness. The final “image” does not meet penances. But, within our self ego’s reference, lies a degree of influence depending on the “background” we are called to stand in front of, potential situations or circumstances, and the adaptability of our individual personality.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.977436363697052}
{"content": "The News & Observer\n\nRepublicans in the state legislature have steadily cut taxes since they took over seven years ago, winning the praise of lean-government advocates across the country. They credit their tax policies with improving the business climate, restoring a budget surplus and improving the economy.\n\nAnd they’re not finished. But worried that they could lose their veto-proof majority in the legislature, they have proposed a constitutional amendment to put a lower ceiling on income taxes. The amendment is on the Nov. 6 ballot.\n\nThat is going too far, according to groups that are already feeling shortchanged, such as public school teachers. City and county leaders, clergy and others are campaigning forcefully against the amendment in a series of rallies. They say limiting income taxes could shift the tax burden to the counties and force a hike in fees as well as property and sales taxes, predominantly benefiting the wealthy.\n\nMeanwhile, the North Carolina chapter of Americans for Prosperity, which has long pushed for a tax cap, is gearing up to promote the amendment. On Wednesday, it will launch what is says is a six-figure online and direct mail ad campaign.\n\nIf approved by a majority of voters, the amendment would lower the current 10 percent cap on personal and corporate income taxes to 7 percent.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9966316819190979}
{"content": "Start Reading\n\nLost History\n\nLength: 559 pages7 hours\n\n\nSteven B. Krivit's Explorations in Nuclear Research three-book series (Hacking the Atom, Fusion Fiasco, Lost History) describes the emergence of a new field of science, one that bridges chemistry and physics. The books give readers an understanding of low-energy nuclear reaction (LENR) research and its history and provide a rare behind-the-scenes look at the players and personalities involved.\n\nLost History, written for scientists and science historians, covers the period from 1912 to 1927, and explores the story of forgotten chemical transmutation research, a precursor to modern low-energy nuclear reactions (LENR) research. The book tells the story of century-old research that has been absent from the scientific dialogue for a hundred years — research that is surprisingly similar to events in the modern era.\n\nIn the formative years of atomic science in the early 20th century, at the same time that Niels Bohr introduced his model of the atom, and when nuclear science belonged to chemists and physicists alike, some scientists reported inexplicable experimental evidence of elemental transmutations. Papers were published in the top scientific journals of the day, including Physical Review, Science and Nature. Prominent scientists around the world participated in the research. The research was reported in popular newspapers and magazines, such as the New York Times and Scientific American. The book relies heavily on published journal papers.\n\nThe experiments, using relatively simple, low-energy benchtop apparatus, did not use radioactive sources, so the results defied prevailing theory. This, coupled with the fact that the experiments were not easily repeated, caused most scientists by 1930 to dismiss the entire body of research as a mistake.\n\nThis history of research was omitted from historical references — until now. With the benefit of hindsight, and in light of modern low-energy nuclear research (LENR) and theory, this lost history, after a 60-year hiatus, is told here for the first time. Lost History is the first book that provides critical analyses of the original published scientific papers of the transmutation experiments performed between 1912 and 1927. This book reveals the fascinating story of these experiments and provides significant insights about our understanding of the history of physics, chemistry and nuclear science.\n\nLost History chronicles the following events that have been either forgotten or misreported:\n• From 1912 to 1914, several independent researchers detected the production of noble gases: helium-4, neon, argon, and an as-yet-unidentified element of mass-3, which we now identify as tritium. Two of these researchers were Nobel laureates.\n• In 1922, two chemists at the University of Chicago created helium using the exploding electrical conductor method.\n• In 1924, a German scientist accidentally found gold and possibly platinum in the residue of mercury vapor lamps that he had been using for photography.\n• In 1925, a prominent Japanese scientist reported the production of gold and another metal that was later identified as platinum.\n• In 1926, two German chemists pumped hydrogen gas into a chamber with finely divided palladium powder and reported the transmutation of hydrogen into helium. One of them later tried to dismiss the results, but he was never able to completely explain the data as a mistake.\n• Contrary to nearly all accounts that credit Ernest Rutherford with the first nuclear transmutation — of nitrogen to oxygen — the credit belongs to a researcher who was working under Rutherford.\n\nRead on the Scribd mobile app\n\nDownload the free Scribd mobile app to read anytime, anywhere.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5853770971298218}
{"content": "Deep Frying Second Edition Chemistry Nutrition And Practical Applications -\n\ndetermination of polar compounds in used frying oils and - determination of polar compounds in used frying oils and fats by adsorption chromatography 1 introduction during frying new compounds are formed due to the joint action of high temperature and the presence of air and moisture discussed here the most abundant compounds formed possess higher polarity than their parent triacylglycerols tg and low volatility, formation of dimers and oligomers aocs lipid library - formation of dimers and oligomers 1 introduction two characteristics of the frying process high temperature and the presence of air favour the development of polymerization reactions accounting for the most complex group of new compounds formed in used frying fats and oils, cbcs regulations and syllabi for i ii semester b sc - paper ii chemistry of biomolecules 7 4 3 75 25 100 paper iii practical i 3 5 3 60 40 100 as 1 paper ii practicals 6 5 3 60 40 100 part iv 1 a those who have not studied tamil up to xii std and taken a non tamil language under part i shall take tamil comprising of two course level will be at 6th standard, cancer protocol nutrition supplements - cancer protocol nutrition supplements herbs enzymes note do not email me unless you would like a personalized protocol free with a suggested donation of 250 towards maintaining this site, science fiction news autumn 2017 concatenation - science fiction news with a science review plus forthcoming uk science fact and science fiction book releases for the autumn 2017 also eurocon worldcon fandom sf author book trade news, the tao of health sex and longevity a modern practical - with a detailed introduction to the ancient philosophical ethical and religious chinese practice of taoism the tao of health sex and longevity is a unique comprehensive and practical self help guide to live a balanced and positive taoist lifestyle written by a westerner for the western mind the tao of health sex and longevity is perfect for the modern reader interested in exploring, dicyclohexyl phthalate c20h26o4 pubchem - a chemical formula is a way of expressing information about the proportions of atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound using a single line of chemical element symbols and numbers, free access to scientific journals open access journals - open access initiative is committed to make genuine and reliable contributions to the scientific community without restricting the access of published content, the food timeline history notes soup - soup food historians tell us the history of soup is probably as old as the history of cooking the act of combining various ingredients in a large pot to create a nutritious filling easily digested simple to make serve food was inevitable, the food timeline history notes sauce - allemande our survey of historic cookbooks confirms sauce allemande allemand is french for german was known by different names in different times tournee german almayne parisienne and blonde, palmitic acid c16h32o2 pubchem - palmitic acid or hexadecanoic acid is one of the most common saturated fatty acids found in animals plants and microorganisms as its name indicates it is a major component of the oil from the fruit of oil palms palm oil, one answer to cancer - the most essential part of resolving the metabolic malfunction of those with pancreatic failure is to get the enzymes to the affiliated areas of deterioration, newsletter archive cancer defeated - according to research published in the journal molecular nutrition food research a plant nutrient called sulforaphane is highly selective in its battle against cancer unlike traditional chemotherapy drugs this nutrient has been shown to target and destroy prostate breast and other cancer cells while leaving healthy cells untouched", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9010423421859741}
{"content": "12-year-old aces CSEC biology - Dad's accident motivated son to succeed\n\nAugust 21, 2018\nDevon Hickey\n\nTwelve-year-old Devon Hickey is one step closer to becoming a neurosurgeon. In addition to scoring a 95 per cent average in the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), he copped a Grade One in biology in the recent CSEC exams.\n\nHis mother, Sherefa Hickey told THE STAR that she is quite amazed by her son's latest achievement, stating that he has a photographic memory.\n\nA science teacher at McKenzie Evening Institute, Hickey said her son sometimes sticks around in the classroom for a few minutes, and would often give the correct answers whenever she asked a question about the subject.\n\n\"He would be playing outside and run in for a few minutes and shock the class when I ask a question and just run out back. One day we were looking at the heart and the kids could not explain the concept of how blood travels and he explained it for the class. We were all shocked, and I kept wondering how he knew all that stuff,\" she said.\n\nWhen Devon asked his mother to let him take biology, she was a bit hesitant as she believed he was too young and not prepared enough.\n\n\"He went and he complained to family members that I didn't want him to do it. He told me it was easy and I told him it's not and he just probably learnt about some of these stuff from YouTube. It's not like he even paid much attention in class because he was always running up and down,\" she said between laughter.\n\nAs young Devon prepared for his GSAT exams, he did the same for biology.\n\n\"He doesn't like English and communication tasks that much so he would spend a lot of time reading his biology book. There were times that I had to take away the book from him so he could focus on his other subjects as well. He enjoyed the subject and I didn't have much impact in his life as it relates to teaching him the subject,\" she said.\n\n\n\n\nShe stated that her son was inspired after his father, Devon Hickey Sr, was left paralysed from the chest down after a motor vehicle accident in Westmoreland last December.\n\nThe youngster, who earlier this year graduated from Unity Primary School in Westmoreland, said he wanted to make a change after realising how difficult it was to get some medical resources in Jamaica.\n\nThe elder Hickey had to be flown overseas for medical assistance. Although the policeman underwent six life-saving operation, he is still paralysed.\n\nDuring his preparation for both exams, Devon's mother was overseas with his father as he received medical treatment.\n\n\"He has a very close relationship with his father and he wanted to become a doctor even more from the accident occurred. He is at the point where he is telling me that he doesn't want to go to school and that I should tutor him until he gets enough academically to go to medical school. A lot of kids would get withdrawn after the accident, but I believe this is what drives him,\" she said.\n\nShe added that because his father has spinal cord injuries, he is adamant on becoming a neurosurgeon.\n\n\"I am really proud of him. I was pushing him more to pay more attention to English Language because he didn't like the subject. He practically learnt biology on his own,\" she said.\n\nHickey is now looking forward towards starting his secondary level education at the Manning's School in Westmoreland.\n\nOther News Stories", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8391658663749695}
{"content": "Katharina Swoboda\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOstend Company\n\nvarious media, work in progress\n\n\nsound: Sara Pinheiro, violin: Pierre-Henri Dutron, graphic: Carlo Clopath, additional camera: Kamen Stoyanov\n\n\nA project about the Ostend Company, which was founded by Austrian Emperor Charles VI in 1722. At the time, Ostend was part of the Austrian South Netherlands. After the War of the Spanish Succession, the Southern Netherlands became Austrian territory. The Ostend Company was modeled after the successful models of the Dutch and English East India Companies, which were very profitable at that time. In Banquibazar, which is now Ichapore, the Austrians established one commercial post, or \"colony.” Due to political pressure from England and the Netherlands, the company was short-lived.\n\n\nStill, connection between Ostend and Austria can be found. For example, in Volker Weidermann”s book Ostende 1936: Sommer der Freundschaft one can learn about Stephan Zweig and Joseph Roth spending their summers there. The main historical sources I encountered are in French: Michel Huisman’s \"La Belgique Commerciale sous L'empereur Charles VI, La Compagnie d'Ostende\" (1902), and Norbert Laude’s \"La Compagnie d`Ostende et son Activité Colonale au Bengale 1725-1730\" (1944).\n\nBoth Huisman and Laude did extensive research in the archives in Ostend directly, which were destroyed during WWII. Although my work is piece of fiction it draws historical facts, such as the Ostend-Vienna Express luxury train.\n\n\nSince the Ostend Company is an Austrian company and music is very, very important for Austrian self-image, music painted on a wall in Ostend are also connected to the company. These musical forms are the basis of what is known as \"Ostender Variationen.\" The singing birds in the company logo refer to the company’s attachment to music.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nExhibitions (parts of the projected were presented):\n\nExcursies. Solo Presentation. Steiermark Haus, Brussels 2017\n\nDon´t call it off-space. Curated by Alexandra Grausan. das weisse haus, Vienna 2017", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8778083324432373}
{"content": "Advanced search    \n\nSearch: authors:\"Guangzheng Zhou\"\n\n2 papers found.\n\nTheoretical analysis on the applicability of traditional SPH method\n\nAs a fully Lagrangian, particle-based numerical method, the traditional smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) generally suffers from the accuracy problem. To investigate the physical origins of this numerical error, the elastic effect between SPH particles is specifically identified by analogy with physical entities, and a unique non-dimensional number is proposed to evaluate the...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9997508525848389}
{"content": "\nbodies of ideas, dreams and hopes.\n\nSaturday, May 31, 2008\n\nInk road across Africa\n\nInk road across Africa\n\nBy Edgardo Civallero\nTranslated by Sara Plaza\n\nIf I ask you to think about \"African libraries\", most of you will probably create a picture in your mind of modern units from different nations of the great continent. However, if I ask you to think about \"African libraries a long time ago\", when a great part of those territories were still a mystery for Europeans that will only \"discover\" them a long time afterwards... what would you think of?\n\n[If this was an auditory, this would be the moment when everybody is silent and thoroughly checks their hands, the back of the neck of the person before them, broken floor tiles...].\n\nOn many occasions we have been sold an image of this part of the world as \"tribal Africa\", \"the black continent\", \"tam-tam and oral tradition land\", \"artistic works as a means of transmitting wisdom\"... Hollywood classics, travel books written by the XIX century explorers and the huge popular imagery they slowly created will probably make us think of an Africa consisting of exotic dances and even more exotic songs, and of peoples without writing, without books and, of course, without libraries.\n\nMaybe some of you will be surprised when I tell you that one of the greatest knowledge centers of that continent –one as important as other contemporary units– was placed on the fringe of the Sahara desert, at one of those crossroads where the main trading roads met.\n\nIt was –and is still– called Timbuktu. In this post I will try to tell you a small part of its history and the history of its books.\n\nTimbuktu (or Tombuctu according to the French spelling) is situated in the present State of Mali, Western Africa. It was founded ten centuries ago by Tuareg o Targui people, those famous \"desert blue men\", nomads of Berber origins that moved on their camels from place to place across this huge country without owner that was the Sahara Desert (did you know that \"Sahara\" means precisely \"desert\" in Arabic?). These peoples –that, curiously, had already developed a millenarian system of writing– established the original settlement, but initially it was populated by merchants from the neighboring city-state of Djenne, putting up a lot of markets and commercial headquarters. Timbuktu became a prosperous city very soon, for it was the place where trans-Saharan caravans met and cross each other. These caravans exchanged goods between the Islamic North (salt) and the southern area of Niger (gold, slaves, fruit, ivory), and Timbuktu was a rest area for camels and their owners. In the XI century there were many traders of Fulani, Mandé and Tuareg ethnic groups settled there. All of them were Muslims. The city belonged to several different empires: Ghana, Mali from 1324, Songhay from 1468... And it was under Songhay rule when Timbuktu became \"the crown jewel\" and reached its entire splendor.\n\n[It is unbelievable how many and how different city-states, empires and confederations emerged and disappeared in Africa before European history touched those peoples. Many times we are ready to believe that there was no history or anything worth to mention up to arrival of explorer such as Livingstone, Stanley, Burton... However, as I stated at the beginning, they are only part of our popular imagery].\n\nIn 1591, the city was captured by a band of Moroccan adventurers taking orders from a Spanish renegade named \"Pasha Joder\". \"Pasha\" was an honorific titled and the other word (a common Spanish swearword, it seems) was the expression this so foul-mouthed guy used most.\n\nThis marked the beginning of the end of Timbuktu grandeur. In 1893 it fell in the hands of French colonial power –despite Tuareg strong resistance– and in 1960 achieved its independence together with the entire French Sudan (present Mali). In the 1990s, the city was attacked by Tuareg people pursuing the creation of their own State. The so–called \"Tuareg Rebellion\" did not last long and ended in the burning of their weapons in 1996.\n\nNowadays, Timbuktu is an impoverished city. However, it was a mystery to Europeans for centuries, especially because being a Muslim center, anyone not professing Islam was forbidden from entering the city. At that time many legends were told about its wealth –many of them based on real facts– and a lot of men and western organizations set out to \"discover\" Timbuktu and its fabulous treasures. In 1788, a group of Englishmen formed the \"African Association\" in order to find the city and place it on the map. In 1824, the Geography Society of Paris offered a 10.000 francs prize to the first non-Muslim that got into the city and came back with relevant information. The Scot Gordon Laing arrived in 1826 but was assassinated. The French René Caillié, disguised himself as a Muslim, was there in 1828 and came back to tell everybody about it and win the prize – and the honor of having being the first European in entering the legendary city. Only three other Europeans were able to imitate his heroic deed before 1890.\n\nIt is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites from 1988, and its mosques made of adobe and mud gives Timbuktu –and many other places in the region– the aureole of mystery that still hangs over the city. It is said that the silhouettes of these buildings were a source of inspiration for the Catalan architect Antonio Gaudí. Regretfully, the city is turning into desert and has been declared in danger from 1990. Timbuktu is so enigmatic that a survey carried out in 2006 among Britain youth revealed that the 34% did not believe that the city was real and the 66% regarded it as \"a mythical place\"\n\nThroughout the XV century a number of Islamic institutions were created in Timbuktu. The Sankore mosque is one of the most famous, also known as \"Sankore University\" for the madrassa or Islamic school housed inside. It was built in 1581 and became the center of the Islamic academic community of that region though other surviving mosques –such as Djinguereber and Sidi Yahya– are even older. An Islamic madrassa does not look like a medieval university (comparing educational institutions in the same period). The madrassa consisted of a group of independent schools, each of them managed by a teacher or imam. Students joined a certain professor and classes took place in open places in the yards of the mosque or at private residences. Classes were mainly focused on the study of the Koran, but subjects such as Logic, Astronomy, History, Music, Botanic, Religion, Commerce and Mathematics were also important taught. Academicians wrote their own books as part of a socio-economic model based on scholarship. Benefits got from books sale were second in order of importance behind gold and salt trade. There were more than 100.000 books in the city, most of them written in Arabic or Pulaar (the language spoken by Fulani people), and their contents included the subjects studied at the madrassa. Between the XVI and XVIII centuries, the amount of books and the standard of knowledge reached such a high level that it was wisely expressed in the following saying: \"Salt comes from the north; gold comes from the south, but God's word and wisdom treasures come from Timbuktu\".\n\nIt is believed that there were more than 120 libraries in the city as part of the African \"ink road\", which connected northern Africa with the east of the continent –under Arab traders' control also– following the caravans' roads. In recent times, libraries were reduced to 60-80 private institutions devoted to the conservation of priceless manuscripts. At present, Mamma Haidara, Kati, Al-Wangari and Mohammed Tahar libraries are good examples. The library that belongs to Kati's family encompasses 3.000 documents from Andalusia, the oldest dated between the XIV and XV centuries. Nowadays, there are more than one million original documents kept in Mali and it is believed that 20 million more might be found in other parts of Africa, especially in the neighboring region of Sokoto, Nigeria. Many of them are kept as a family treasure and nobody will reveal their existence...\n\nThere are several joint international projects aimed at recovering this heritage in every way possible. In August, 2002, the Ink Road International Symposium was celebrated in Bamako (the capital of Mali). In 2006, joint efforts between Mali and South Africa governments made it possible to initiate a research on this matter. The UNESCO has set in motion the Timbuktu Manuscript Project and there is a foundation committed to preserving historical documents in the city itself.\n\nAlthough there are no book artisans left, memories of their trade still remain that remind us of a flourishing business a long time ago.\n\nThe history we are usually told –not only about books– seems to be focused on Europe and very few times pays due attention to other geographical and cultural spaces. The Western Africa's rough draft made in these lines might also be written about pre-Hispanic Central America, about its beautiful codices and its paper industry of amatl fig tree. How much have we been taught about it? How much have we learnt about it? How much do we know about it?\n\nFar from pretending to \"give voice to those without it\" –Sara will talk about this issue next week–, maybe we can try to \"refresh memories\": memories of worlds that also had skillful bookbinders, fantastic illustrators and expert researchers, such as the ones from Timbuktu.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5729516744613647}
{"content": "Birthday Kids - Cakes\n\nImage courtesy of Wikipedia  and owned by Ed_g2s\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNo birthday is complete without the presence of the birthday cake.  It has been an important part of any birthday celebration since time immemorial.  Together with singing a birthday song and a short prayer of thanksgiving, the birthday cake is one of the minimum requirements in celebrating a birthday. \n\n\nWestern culture practiced this custom of birthday celebrations with birthday cakes since the 19th century.  The candles on top of the birthday cake came from 18th century Germany.  But it was the ancient Romans that really associated birthdays with birthday cakes.\n\n\nBirthday cakes evolved into culinary and confectionery delights through the years, as the technology for cake-making and decorating evolved.  From the elaborate birthday cakes for the wealthy, to the simple single-layered cake for ordinary folks, the birthday cake still captures the essence of a birthday -- a CELEBRATION of LIFE at its fullest and in all of its sweetness!\n\n\nMake a Free Website with Yola.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7873947620391846}
{"content": "Hello all,\nI've started a Blyth save. Managed to climb all divisions up to premiership, using a flat 4-4-2\n\nall seasons (six so far), been using same tactic and things went well..1st offence always and one of the best ,if not the best, defence\nHowever, this season in Premier and against top teams, things went really bad..Managed to have the best offence again, but one of the worst defences (19/20 actually)\n\nI like putting pressure on opponent , and make him commit mistakes or stupid passes so that with fast transition I can score on counter.\nOtherwise my offensive plays are either ball to wingers , cross in the box and one of the strikers scores or pass to target man , and then through pass to advanced forward. Despite having the defensive line high, i always had fast defenders so not to get many through balls and cc against...\nBut this years, I think I get scored in every possible way . Thank god my offence is top , otherwise i would have been relagated.\n\nWhat improvements do you suggest to improve defence , but not lose offensive effectiveness? Furthermore my full backs tend to get very low avgs (6.60-6.80). Any suggestion?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9866667985916138}
{"content": "Online shopping makes people weak and feeble, says Study\n\nLondon [UK], Oct. 1 : The digital age is surely making shopping easier and accessible for many people. While the online stores are giving us convenience in many matters, they are ruining our muscles, according to a group of physiotherapists.\n\n\n\nThis puts them at increasing risk of falls and other health problems. Professor Karen Middleton, chief executive of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, said, \"Online shopping may be very convenient but it does mean that we are losing some of the methods that used to exist for strengthening our muscles.\n\nWe're carrying fewer bags home from the supermarket because it arrives at our door.\" She added, \"We're also waiting at home for other goods to be delivered when in the past we would have gone out to buy them.\n\nThis isn't an argument against progress. It's just to show that maintaining strength and being active doesn't have to mean going to the gym, and we should look for ways to build it into our everyday lives.\" National Health Service guidelines recommend two strengthening exercise sessions a week, be it weight-lifting or simply carrying home your weekly grocery.\n\n\no start, it can be digging in the garden or simple body-weight exercises like standing up out of a chair 10 times.\" Talking about the same, Dr Justin Varney, Head of Adult Health at Public Health England, noted, \"Your bones start to weaken from your late 20s and muscle mass shrinks from 40, plus musculoskeletal conditions are the biggest cause of sickness absence from work.\" \"So it's not only older people who need to act.\n\n\n\nSource: ANI", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8195268511772156}
{"content": "Public and Private Debt: The Historical Record (1870–2010)\n\nGerman Economic Review, Vol. 15, Issue 1, pp. 191–207.\n\nIn this study, I draw on recent comparative studies of the macroeconomic history of advanced economies since 1870. I show that while both public and private debts have increased markedly, private, not public debts have climbed to historically unprecedented levels. Outside war times, financial crises have typically originated in the private sector, yet the costs have increasingly been socialized. The historical record shows that modern democracies have been relatively successful in managing their financial affairs, evidenced by a systematically positive response of primary balances to high debt ratios.\n\nRead the full paper", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9947787523269653}
{"content": "\n\nWhat is sport?\n\nSport is a competitive event designed to entertain people. Individuals or teams compete against one another in order to score points, win prizes or gain acclaim.\n\nThe purpose of sport\n\nThe original Olympic Games were contests of strength, speed and agility in which soldiers could demonstrate their combat skills. The Greek soldiers tested themselves against other people.\nBehind each apparent game was a martial skill - spear throwing, wrestling...\n\n\nModern sport is a little more abstract than the ancient Greek games. The skills required to perform the sport cannot always be used in every day life.\n\nChinese historians have always spoken of Taoism as \"the art of being in the world,\" for it deals with the present - ourselves.\n\n(Kakuzo Okakura) \n\n\nSport seems to be a healthy social outlet until you consider it a little deeper. Rivalry, competition, taking sides and animosity are frequent factors in sport.\nPeople exert themselves in order to accomplish a goal and frequently injure their bodies in the process.\nMoney, medals and fame motivate sports people to push harder and harder, in order to prove something. But prove what? And why?\n\nCuring hunger, cancer, homelessness, poverty?\n\nThe money spent each year on sport is astounding. It is a major industry fuelled by the desire to see one person beat another.\n\n\nSport is concerned with the end result at the expense of the means. When a person swims, how often do they pay attention to the quality of their movement?\nAre they interested in swimming with awareness, of accomplishing a whole-body action? Or are they counting lengths?\nLiz Koch, author of The Psoas Book wrote:\n\nSwimming is an activity that can either create structural problems or release them depending upon the way it is taught and practiced. Professional swimmers are known to develop shoulder tendonitis and kyphosis. Overriding head/neck righting reflexes (as occurs when the head is repeatedly turned but the body does not follow) eventually result in overdeveloping shoulder muscles, pinching nerves and distorting the rib cage.\n\nMartial arts\n\n'Martial art' literally refers to a combat system that has been tried in battle/used by professional warriors/soldiers. A martial art is not a sport.\nIt is a system of combat designed for battle or individual protection.\n\nSelf defence\n\nRemember that self defence is not the same as fighting. There is no winning or losing. Your aim is not to gain victory. Your aim is to survive and escape unharmed. If you can simply walk away, you should.\nThere is no competition involved and no rules.\n\n\nTaoism sees no purpose in competition. It is regarded as being hostile, conflictive and ultimately without purpose.\nCompetitions serve to demonstrate something that has no real meaning or value in real terms. The notion of a 'tai chi competition' is a contradiction in terms.\n\n\nFa-yen said, \"One gains, one loses.\"\n\n\n\nMany people who commence tai chi practice are essentially 'daydreamers'.\n\nLearn from sport\n\nPeople who undertake sporting activities usually invest a lot of time in thorough training designed to promote good body use, muscle growth and recovery.\nThese same concerns apply to martial arts training, including taijiquan. All martial arts require the student to be fit for combat.\n\nMartial athlete\n\nCombat is not easy and there is a risk of injury if the student is unfit. This is true of any martial art. To reach a high level of skill, the student needs to take a lesson from sport.\nThey must become a martial athlete.\n\nThe drawbacks of exercise\n\nNot all forms of exercise are necessarily good for you. For example, running may improve cardiovascular health but is also very hard on the joints.\nLifting heavy weights can cause significant tension to accumulate and - if the muscles are large enough - adversely affect the skeleton. Most forms of exercise have pros and cons; especially sport.\n\nIdeal form of exercise\n\nAccording to the book The Blue Zones it is important to think of exercise in terms of what you can reasonably do long-term.\nThe ideal form of exercise is moderate enough that you can do it for the rest of your life. It needs to be joint-friendly, provide a gentle workout and be sustainable.\nThis sounds rather like tai chi, doesn't it?\n\nschool database\n\nPage created 18 April 2005\nLast updated 19 November 2018", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8427519798278809}
{"content": "Collage: hand-made paper, mixed technic\n\nSize: h 65 x w 65 cm\n\nThe artwork is abstraction from hand-made paper. It comes from the seria \"Common things\". The idea behind is that there are common things around us that make us happy but we don't recognize them. The artist invite us to pay attention to them. Elegant navy blue and white abstract composition with a touch of pink would complement a modern minimalistic interior ideally.\n\nKey words: collage, contemporary art, artwork on paper, modern art, abstract art", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9344682693481445}
{"content": "Xiao (flute)\nShop for Xiao flute. Get Xiao Flute essential facts below. View Videos or join the Xiao Flute discussion. Add Xiao Flute to your PopFlock.com topic list for future reference or share this resource on social media.\nXiao Flute\nXiao blowing hole (the hole faces away from the player, against the lower lip, making sure the top lip is not concealing the hole, when the instrument is played. Works on the same basics as blowing air over an empty bottle to create noise.)\nA ceramic xiao flute player excavated from an Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD) tomb in Sichuan province\nSeveral dongxiao in the G-key.\nA Taiwanese xiao\n\nThe xiao (simplified Chinese: ?; traditional Chinese: ?; pinyin: xi?o; Wade-Giles: hsiao, pronounced [?i]) is a Chinese vertical end-blown flute. It is generally made of bamboo. It is also sometimes called dòngxi?o (; ), dòng meaning \"hole.\" An ancient name for the xi?o is shùzhúdí (, lit. \"vertical bamboo flute\", [?ût?ut?]) but the name xi?o in ancient times also included the side-blown bamboo flute, dizi.\n\n\n\nXiao are almost always made of bamboo, the best being 'purple bamboo' or ; zizhu. Sometimes, the xiao is made of solid wood that has been carved and hollowed out. They can either be made plain, or have a horn inlay at the end and/or various inscriptions along the shaft. Usually, nylon wire bindings along the shaft are wrapped on which attempts to stabilize the bamboo and prevent cracking. Some players tie a tassel to dangle from one of the lower sound holes, purely for decorative purposes.\n\n\nVarieties of xiao\n\nIn addition to the standard dongxiao, there are other types of xiao which includes (but not limited to):\n\nThe qin xiao (; ) is a version of the dongxiao, which is narrower and generally in the key of F with eight smaller finger holes, used to accompany the guqin. The narrowness of the qin xiao makes the tone softer, making it more suitable to play with the qin which is a very quiet instrument and a normal dongxiao will drown out its low volume.\n\nThe nanxiao (; ), \"Southern xiao\"), sometimes called chiba (, \"foot-eight,\" an old name still used for the Japanese shakuhachi) is a short xiao with open blowing end used in the Nanyin, the local Fujianese opera from Quanzhou. Typically, the end incorporates a part of the root of the bamboo.\n\nRelated instruments\n\nA separate instrument, the paixiao (; ; páixi?o) is a panpipe which was used in ancient China and which, although it remains unusual, has recently had something of a comeback.\n\nThe Japanese shakuhachi and hocchiku, Vietnamese tiêu, and the Korean tungso and danso (also spelled tanso), are descended from earlier forms of the Chinese xiao.\n\nSee also\n\nExternal links\n\n\n\n\n\nMusic Scenes", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7006906270980835}
{"content": "Module I: Introduction\n\nII. Method and Theory in Cultural Anthropology.\n\nA. Ethnographic methods.\n\n\n\nThe author participating in a cocoa harvest in Ghana in 1972.\nMy first research project was located in Ghana, West Africa and focused on the social and economic organization of a market place system that connected a large commercial town to a rural hinterland. The main economic base of the locality was cocoa production for export, which was organized through a government marketing board and not the normal marketing system I was investigating. However, I was interested in all sorts of other activities in order to achieve a wide perspective on the local economy and culture. My fellow harvesters were all members of a reciprocal work party, who help on each others farms in turn during periods of peak labour demand. Although no payments are exchanged, everyone gets a reward of food and drink from the host farmer at the end of the day, and a party atmosphere dominates the day's events.\n\nAfter the initial orientation or entry period, which may take 3 months or longer, the researcher follows a more systematic program of formal interviews involving questions related to research hypotheses and specialized topics. Several different methods of selecting informants are possible. Usually a few key informants (between 10-20) are selected for in-depth sessions, since the investigation of cultural patterns usually calls for lengthy and repeated open ended interviews. Selection of such a small number does not allow for strict assurance of a representative sample, so the anthropologist must be careful to choose subjects who are well informed and reliable. Ethnographic researchers will also train informants to systematically report cultural data and recognize significant cultural elements and interconnections as the interview sequences unfold.\n\nKey informant selection is known as judgement sampling and is particularly important for the kind of qualitative research that characterizes ethnography. Anthropologists will very frequently also need to carry out quantitative research from which statistically validated inferences can be drawn. Accordingly they must construct a either larger random sample or a total population census for more narrowly focused interviewing according to a closed questionnaire design. Other important quantitative data might include direct measurement of such items as farm size, crop yield, daily caloric or protein intake, or even blood pressure or other medical data, depending on the anthropologist's research focus. Aside from written observation and records, researchers will often provide ethnographic representations in other forms, such as collected artifacts, photographs, tape recordings, films, and videos.\n\nTo illustrate the range of research techniques that anthropologists regularyly employ, I can enumerate 5 systematic data gathering procedures that I used to study a Ghanaian marketing system:\n\n  1. Intensive open-ended repeated interviews among market traders about their trading practices and their wider social and economic activities.\n    (Data was collected from a judgement sample of 50 informants)\n\n  2. A brief survey of all the traders in the market places in the study area.\n    (Data was collected from a random sample of 500)\n\n  3. A periodic census of all the trucks leaving the market at the end of the day to determine the type, quantity, and destination of all agricultural goods.\n    (Total population of 200)\n\n  4. A census of two neighbourhoods in the central market town to determine basic population characteristics including occupational and migration information.\n    (Total population of 1,000)\n\n  5. Interviews with the elders of each market settlement about the history of the establishment, development, and administration of the market and other community institutions.\n    (Judgement sample of 20)\n\nLearning Activities\n\nThose of you who would like to find out more about research methods in anthropology can look at two Internet based sources:\n\nGo to Next Section - Objectivity in Ethnography", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8259056806564331}
{"content": "How to Live Your Passion...Every Day!\n\nMany people dream of doing what they're really passionate about full-time or incorporating it into their everyday life  but few people do. How do you discover your passion and make time for it? How do you take your passion and curiosity and make it into a lasting career or part of your everyday life? And how do you make a lasting difference in this world that becomes bigger than your individual efforts?\n\n\n\nStephanie Goetz\n\nSteph0StephanieGoetz9660.jpganie Goetz is an award-winning news anchor, executive speaker coach, philanthropist, accomplished speaker, and professional trainer. This Emmy-nominated broadcaster anchored and reported more than 5,000 newscasts at NBC, CBS, and ABC affiliates over 10 years.\n\nShe's now a media and communications expert who started the communications firm Goetz Communications. Stephanie brings focused, effective communication, leadership, presence, and speaking expertise to CEO's and executives at Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, top levels in law enforcement, and all walks of life. She's a TEDx speaker whose client list includes Microsoft, T-Mobile, Thomson Reuters, Northwestern Mutual, top architectural firms, and North Dakota's current governor.\n\nThrough her trainings, she challenges and empowers her clients to take powerful risks and re-think their perspective to live the life they were meant to. With her stories and experience, Stephanie will inspire you to find and LIVE your passion each day. She will give you the practical resources to tap into and use your unique talents - ultimately giving your life more fulfillment and meaning. It's time to get out of your comfort zone, expand your mind, and have fun in the process!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.709659218788147}
{"content": "This show has now closed.\n\nCreeper are an English rock band from Southampton. Formed in 2014, the group features lead vocalist Will Gould, guitarists Ian Miles and Oliver Burdett, keyboardist and second vocalist Hannah Greenwood, bassist Sean Scott and drummer Dan Bratton.\n\nCreeper released their self-titled debut EP Creeper in 2014, which was followed by The Callous Heart and The Stranger on Roadrunner Records in 2015 and 2016, respectively. They released their debut full-length album 'Eternity, in Your Arms' in 2017, which debuted at number 18 on the UK Albums Chart.\n\nFormed through their mutual involvement in hardcore punk and post-hardcore groups in the Southampton area, Creeper are musically and stylistically influenced by fellow \"goth punk\" groups including AFI and Alkaline Trio, as well as more traditional punk rock acts like The Bouncing Souls and glam rock artists such as David Bowie. The band's songwriting is typically led by Gould and Miles. Creeper have been hailed by numerous critics as one of the best new rock bands since their formation, winning a Kerrang! Award and a Metal Hammer Golden Gods Award in 2016. \n\nThere is a maximum of 4 tickets per cardholder. \n\nCreeper Tickets", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000094175338745}
{"content": "Member preview\n\nMy Summer Internship Experience\n\nI have learned more about philanthropy through my experience working at Huron. I have appreciated the impact of bursaries and scholarships student’s campus life experience. are awarded as way to recognize the efforts of all committed, hard-working, and improving students who were doing well academically, but also those who were contributing to create a better (diverse and inclusive) and welcoming campus space for everyone. Another part of the funds was given to support student register in the work study programs with the University. Other bursaries and scholarships awarded to students based on their financial needs. This serves to reduce all the financial stress and helped these students to keep focused on their studies and work hard to enhance their college student experience while giving back to the community.\n\nOn a large scale, The Advancement Internship taught me all that I know about conducting myself in the workplace and how to be effective in all that I do within whatever career path that I choose. I have learned how to present myself and how to actually embody my career and make it part of my life instead of it being just a “job.”Scholarship recipients learn specific subject matter, they learn the importance of philanthropy and giving back. I have concluded that that without the kindness of others, the road to a degree would likely have been much more difficult to most students. I hope this sentiment continues to grow in me through life so that I at some point in life I can find ways to donate to bursaries and scholarships in the future.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7489045858383179}
{"content": "5 Ways an App can Increase Employee Productivity in Manufacturing\n\n5 Ways an App can Increase Employee Productivity in Manufacturing\n\nWhile we spend most of our efforts helping clients, there are times where we step back and reflect on the lessons we learn through these endeavors. I spent half of 2017 working with Crown, a leading innovator in world-class forklift and material-handling equipment. Through the course of this time, I personally saw changes confirming the app we were developing truly was a key factor in an increase in their employee productivity.\n\nThrough app usage, Crown developed a productivity mindset and removed organizational obstacles to their workforce productivity. The app gives employees the ability to work efficiently, keep their equipment operational, and ensure that tools or parts are readily available. Employees are now more productive because the former structures and processes, that consumed valuable time and prevented them from getting things done, have been replaced. Now, with higher labor throughput and with the same amount of relative work, they are more productive.\n\nWith these efforts in mind, I compiled the following five ways an app can increase a manufacturer’s employee productivity.\n\n1. Reduce movement to optimize task efficiency\nThere are many factors that can contribute to unnecessary, time-consuming movement including ineffective floor layout; temporarily displacing material, information, tools, or people; and inefficient working methods. Movement can be reduced by strategically placing objects and information within an app, giving employees quick and easy access to this information. This can eliminate the need for time-consuming searches and demonstrations. For example, video of how to operate equipment can help employees better familiarize themselves with key information about the operations, which will empower them to make informed decisions that help improve their overall productivity.\n\n2. Improve scheduling and plan for interruptions to reduce bottlenecksblog image - schedule effectively and plan for interruptions\nCompanies must act quickly when something goes wrong, or when their process must be put on hold momentarily because of a malfunct\nion, rejections, or any other changes that may occur. By having access to real-time information regarding employees, tools, and materials, adjustments and accommodations can be made for interruptions. Establishing the right system enables a company to determine the feasibility of scheduling requests, estimate the impact, and even minimize the impact it could have on production. \n\n3. Improve equipment reliability\nNeglecting to maintain equipment, tools, or software puts the process at risk from unaccounted-for downtime. Furthermore, equipment that is poorly maintained or outdated will affect product quality. By taking a more strategic approach and analyzing performance data for key trends, potential issues can be anticipated and maintenance schedules created to extend the longevity of tools, equipment, and software. An app that displays these maintenance schedules gives employees quick access and keeps them informed on equipment status, enabling them to know which equipment needs repairs and which parts are needed for the equipment beforehand. As a result, there will be plans in place to help avoid disruptions to production due to unplanned downtime.\n\n4. Optimize inventory levels to reduce shortages\nIt’s difficult to be productive when the proper tools to handle a task are unavailable. Companies need to account for and address short count, unexpected delays, and/or late deliveries. An app with this useful information allows accurate and timely visibility of inventory, keeps users informed on what’s running low, possible issues that might arise, and helps address these issues before they become problems that will affect production. In the cases where the shortages are unavoidable, having this system in place will enable users to account for them and even re-assign resources in the meantime.\n\n5. Automate the processblog image - increase and optimize your inventory\nThe advancements in robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning has reached, or in some cases \nsurpassed, humans in several different work activities. Having an automated process in production, or even part of an existing process can greatly improve the efficiency and productivity of the process. When the gathering and sending of information is automated, the possibility of human error is eliminated, which effectively prevents disruption to workforce productivity.\n\nAt Shockoe, we have been helping businesses increase their productivity by implementing these ideas. We even improved our own process by having systems in place to make our process more productive and efficient, so we can deliver an exceptional product to our clients. Our work with Crown has given us insight on how an application can improve a manufacturer’s productivity. By providing functionality like time tracking, inventory and equipment management, parts logs, order checklists, and more, we have successfully improved productivity for Crown’s workforce. Contact us to take the next step toward improving the quality of your company’s processes and productivity today.\n\n3 Reasons to Update Your Workforce’s Technology\n\n3 Reasons to Update Your Workforce’s Technology\n\nYour workforce’s process is structured, efficient, and tested, but over the past few years, your workforce’s technology may have become outdated. Change can be terrifying, especially when changing an established process.\n\nYou’re probably asking yourself, “Is the upgrade worth it?”\n\nWe’d like to help you answer that question. Here are top three reasons why an upgrade to your workforce technology should be your priority for 2018:\n\n1. Intuitiveness. Today’s recruits — your new employees — live on their mobile devices. The outdated user experience of older devices may be a hassle for newer recruits to learn. Providing familiar experiences via mobile solutions may speed up training time and productivity.\n\n2. Mobility. If your supervisors currently only have a desktop solution, it may be time to mobilize them. By converting to a mobile solution, your supervisors will be able to spend more time with their team on the floor and reduce their paper trail by using a mobile digital device. Mobility also includes freeing up the hands of employees who handle products, which may allow minimizing steps in a process’ workflow.\n\n3. Credibility. When showcasing your warehouse or workforce to clients, having up-to-date technology would demonstrate the high-tech baseline of your company. Clients want to know that their product is being handled with the utmost care. Stay competitive by removing chaotic manual processes and motivating the workforce with mobile technology. Apps create a better customer experience, which in turn leads to repeat business and long-term revenue growth.\n\nCase Study: Arrow Electronics\n\nIn 2015, Shockoe began to develop mobile solutions for Arrow Electronics’ Warehouse Management System (WMS). Arrow’s core mission is to be “five years out”; they strive to incorporate new technologies and electronics to become innovators of the tangible future. They service over 125,000 original equipment manufacturers, contract manufacturers in over 90 countries/465 locations. Arrow looked to build a strategy to extend its WMS into Mobile Solutions to increase productivity in its distribution centers and beyond.\n\nImprovements Arrow saw by upgrading their tech:\n\n  1. Intuitiveness. We replaced warehouse operators’ bulky 7-pound RFID Scanners with lightweight, handheld Bluetooth scanners that can be carried throughout the warehouse and kept in constant connection with their devices. In the upcoming phases, we plan to have the operators be completely hands-free via wearable technology. By exercising our knowledge in the latest user experience research, we were able to bring their processes to color and implement a simple color language for operators to more efficiently understand their app. We also translated supervisor data into easily consumable graphics that allow for easy sorting and customization.\n  2. Mobility. Supervisors are no longer tied to their desks; they can now walk along the floor with full access to their data. Within the apps for the supervisor and operator, we implemented a communication tool to allow for easy messaging and scheduling. When an issue arises, operators can easily message their supervisors and supervisors can walk over to resolve issues.\n  3. Credibility. By upgrading to bleeding edge technology, Arrow is living up to their mission to be five years out. They are setting themselves up as an ideal example for mobile warehouse solutions.\n\nDeciding to upgrade?\n\nWhether it’s your clients or your workforce, people love when you step up their experience. Ensure user satisfaction throughout the process by developing a schedule for introducing the upgrade, creating a training plan, and introducing a system reevaluation process to minimize the need for larger upgrades down the line.\n\nHere at Shockoe, our team has aided multiple clients with mobilizing their workforce’s technology through mobile apps, Bluetooth technology, and hands-free technology. From rough sketches on paper to launching the final product, we maintain an intimate relationship with our clients to guarantee that their workforce is content and comfortable with changes to their processes. Check out our awesome case studies for upgrading technology:  Arrow, ONEOK, A.C. Moore, and J.B. Hunt.\n\nNote from Editor: \n\nIf you’re interested in learning more about our engagement with Arrow, you can watch the full Case Study interview here!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5992534160614014}
{"content": "Receiving Manager\n\nCompany Name:\nBarnes & Noble\nReceiving Manager\nStore Location: NJ - Deptford - Deptford\nEmployment Status-: Employee, Full-time\nAs a Receiving Manager, you are responsible for the daily operations of the Receiving Department, ensuring that they are consistent with our bookselling culture, world-class customer service focus, digital initiatives, and merchandising standards. You foster an employee-centric environment and focus receivers on daily receipt processing in order to maximize sales and productivity to deliver the four core service principles.\nEssential Functions:\nDeliver positive financial results through efficient execution of receiving and processing of daily receipts, returns, and in-store customer orders.\nPlan and assign work to optimize the payroll budget while adhering to the receiving productivity standards, understanding and executing all Integrated Store Operations (ISO) standards.\nProtect company assets by accurately completing and submitting all tracking and receiving paperwork, ensuring that processes are followed; partner with your store manager and regional loss prevention manager when issues arise.\nExecute e-Planner to standard by customizing, communicating, delegating, and following up on all tasks as the business demands.\nOversee and monitor the new hire orientation and training process, ensuring a smooth acclimation to the store and our bookselling culture.\nSupport the store to deliver the four core service principles: put the book in the customer's hand, offer to order, offer the Member program, and fast cashiering.\nCoach and counsel receivers on performance issues; take appropriate corrective action, in partnership with the store manager.\nPrepare and deliver performance reviews to receivers in partnership with the store manager.\nAct with integrity and trust, promoting our bookselling culture and core values when interacting with the store team or customers.\nMaintain facility's conditions and take action to immediately correct any maintenance issues.\nYou communicate clearly and direct others to execute the workload.\nYou relate easily to others, building rapport and collaborative relationships.\nYou are an effective listener and enjoy working with people.\nYou remain calm under pressure and act as a settling influence when interacting with the store team.\nYou are able to learn under and cope with changing conditions and find solutions to issues in any situation.\nYou are organized and manage your time efficiently, which results in consistent productivity and customer focus.\nYou should have at least one year of management or supervisory experience and an understanding of systems, inventory management, and flow and productivity standards.\nYou should have strong written and verbal communication skills.\nYou are expected to work primarily in the receiving area, and also on the selling floor when necessary, which requires physical activity including prolonged standing, repetitive bending, climbing and lifting up to 50 pounds.\n\nDon't Be Fooled\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9819934368133545}
{"content": "I have swelling on one side of my posterior skull. I had a head injury many years back. I had c-t scan also. Can this swelling develop into tumor?\n\nSounds unlikely. Soft tissue swelling doesn't usually develop into a malignancy but need to know why you have the swelling. Is it new? You should be examined carefully.\nUnlikely. Usually not. Here is some additional reading on risk factors and brain tumors. http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/brain-tumor/risk-factors.\nUnlikely. It is unlikely. If the swelling is getting larger or is getting more painful then it needs to be re-evaluated to make sure that it does not represent a sarcoma or any other kind of soft tissue tumor.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9243304133415222}
{"content": "On May 2, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) reiterated the importance of coordinating and harmonizing regulatory requirements with the SEC. In prepared remarks issued before FIA’s 40th Annual Law and Compliance Conference, CFTC Commissioner Brian Quintenz stated that its internal cryptocurrency enforcement task force will work in cooperation with its SEC counterparts on cases involving virtual currency. “Both agencies’ Divisions of Enforcement have demonstrated their commitment to work closely to prosecute fraud and ensure that differences in product nomenclature do not enable bad actors to slip through jurisdictional cracks,” Quintenz said. The agencies plan to update their existing 10-year-old memorandum of understanding to facilitate the sharing of information related to, among other things, swaps and security-based swaps data, fintech developments, and market events.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.998116672039032}
{"content": "Straight from the horse's mouth, Dr Stuart McGill, an expert on lower back pain said:\n\n- \"Do enough sit-ups, does not matter who you are, you will hurt your discs. Think of the low back like a credit card, if you keeping bending it back and forth, eventually it will break. Some people may have more “bending cycles” but the principle is the same for all.\"\n\n- \"Athletes use this core as a “spring for stiffness.” They do not take their torso and bend them under load. i.e. A throw or punch = The hips generate the movement–>stiffness is produced by the core (spring stiffens)–>followed by the power in the shoulder.\"\n\n- “Hollowing or sucking in your stomach to “activate” transverse abdominis is basically stupid for healthy individuals. Nothing new here. You brace your stomach. Hollowing will decrease performance (you don’t suck in to lift heavy weights).”\n\nKeep an eye out for four of my favourite core functioning exercises to be posted up this week...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5394415855407715}
{"content": "OVER the past couple of years, the Dug and I have been travelling the length and breadth of Scotland, talking to local Yes and SNP groups about Scottish independence. But on Wednesday, we had a new and different experience. We were invited to come along by Aled Gwyn Job of Yes Cymru to give a talk to the organisation’s local group in the picturesque town of Caernarfon, deep in the heart of Welsh speaking Wales.\n\nYes Cymru is one of the newest and fastest growing organisations in the Welsh political scene. Directly inspired by the network of Yes groups across Scotland, Yes Cymru was founded in 2016 by Iestyn ap Robert who wanted a national grassroots organisation to promote the cause of Welsh independence in a nation where Plaid Cymru seems to many to blow hot and cold on the topic. Like the Yes groups in Scotland, Yes Cymru consists of a network of autonomous local groups. At the last count there were some 36 of them to be found in every corner of Wales.\n\nREAD MORE: Not-for-profit group ayeMail crowdfunding cash to make new Indy Kits\n\nIndependence supporters in Wales look enviously on the Scottish scene. Within Scotland we all too often concentrate on our weak points, exacerbated by an overwhelmingly anti-independence media which revels in perceived divisions or disagreements within our movement.\n\nSeen from the outside however, observers of Scottish politics are struck by a large, diverse, and powerful grassroots movement which has branches in every part of the country and which is independent of any single political party. They are impressed that the Scottish independence movement has been able to ensure that the topic of Scottish independence isn’t merely normalised in political discourse, it is the most important topic around which the rest of Scottish politics revolves.\n\nThere are important similarities between Scotland and Wales. We are both devolved nations within the UK. We both have a long history of trying to assert our identities and political independence in the face of our much larger and more powerful English neighbour.\n\nREAD MORE: Pipers for Indy 'proving doubters wrong' with their project\n\nWe were both scourged by Thatcherism and struggle to make our voices heard within the political structures of the UK.\n\nHowever there are also some very important differences. On my trip to Caernarfon it was heartening to hear the Welsh language spoken all around. The language appears everywhere, in shop signs and on commercial premises as much as on official signage. People in the street speak the language to one another, and to strangers.\n\nOn mistakenly entering a shop which didn’t allow dogs, I was politely informed in Welsh that dogs were not permitted. That wouldn’t have happened in Gaelic speaking districts in Scotland, where in my experience Gaelic speakers only use Gaelic to address those they are familiar with.\n\nREAD MORE: Marchers prepare to go Forward As One for quality day of events\n\nThe prominence of the Welsh language means that language issues play an equally prominent role in Welsh independence politics. That’s very different from Scotland, where even those of us who are passionate about Gaelic and Scots recognise that language issues are minor in the independence campaign.\n\nWelsh is the everyday language of some 20% of the Welsh population, and those Welsh speaking districts are the heartland of both Plaid Cymru and pro-independence sentiment.\n\nOne of the key aims of Yes Cymru was to bridge the divisions within Wales. Wales can, according to some observers, be categorised into three broad regions.\n\nREAD MORE: This is the most likely independence timetable\n\nThere’s Wales Cymraeg, the Welsh speaking areas in the north and West, there’s Welsh Wales, the largely English speaking industrial districts which still have a strong sense of a Welsh identity, and then there’s British Wales, the English speaking regions in the North East and South East which have close ties to their neighbouring regions across the border in England, and where the sense of a Welsh identity is weaker.\n\nTraditionally, Welsh politics have been dominated by the Labour Party, which allied British Wales and Welsh Wales against Wales Cymraeg. Yes Cymru seeks to change that, and to ally Wales Cymraeg with Welsh Wales in order to form a majority which is receptive to the idea of greater self-government, and indeed full independence, for Wales.\n\nTheir goal is to do what Yes Scotland has done, and to normalise the idea of independence in Welsh political discourse. The rapidly expanding network of Yes Cymru branches is proof that this idea is falling on fertile ground.\n\nWednesday night’s talk in the meeting room of a hotel in Caernarfon was packed out, with standing room only. It’s yet more proof that it’s not just in Scotland that there’s a widespread dissatisfaction with the British state, and a sense that if the smaller nations of the UK seek something better, we’re going to have to do it for ourselves.\n\nThe enthusiastic attendance at the meeting demonstrated that the energy and willingness is there. People in Wales have been watching Scotland’s experience closely, and are determined to apply the lessons of the Yes Scotland movement to their own circumstances. For me, that was the most heartening aspect of my trip to Wales – the discovery that Scotland is a model that others are learning from.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5974988341331482}
{"content": "NBA Scouting Reports, Pacific Division (Part Four)\n\nNBA Scouting Reports, Pacific Division (Part Four)\nAug 20, 2008, 09:47 pm\nContinuing our series of articles filling out our database with scouting reports of every single NBA player, we look at the last team in the Pacific division, the Phoenix Suns.\n\n\nChicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons\nMilwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers\nAtlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats and Miami Heat\nOrlando Magic and Washington Wizards\nDallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies\nNew Orleans Hornets and San Antonio Spurs\nGolden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers\nLos Angeles Lakers\nSacramento Kings\n\nPhoenix Suns\n\nLeandro Barbosa\n\nOverview: A lightning quick combo guard who is a rather unique commodity. Has good size and length for a point guard, but plays most of his minutes at the 2. An outstanding athlete who may be the fastest player in the NBA. Almost impossible to keep out of the lane once he gets going. Will knock down shots from the perimeter at an excellent rate in addition to being able to get almost anywhere on the floor. Will show some rudimentary playmaking skills from time to time, and is capable of giving his team a few nervous minutes per game at the point. Doesn’t offer much defensively. Played professionally in Brazil until 2003. Has developed significantly since entering the League. Won the NBA Sixth Man Award in 2007. Not a model of consistency, but very good at what he does nonetheless.\n\nOffense: An efficient offensive player who gets most of his shots in spot, transition, and pick and roll situations, and is most comfortable operating in transition. Shows a very quick release and consistent form on his jump shot. Doesn’t get great elevation or have a high release point, making the speed he releases that much more important. Great catch and shoot player. Isn’t bothered by a hand in his face. Very good from three-point range, and relies very heavily on this part of his game, taking about 40% of his attempts from behind the arc. Doesn’t have much of an in-between game--tends to avoid taking midrange shots. Usually either takes 3-pointers or drives the ball all the way to the basket, due to his average ball-handling skills and unorthodox shooting mechanics. Takes some questionable short-range jumpers when met with a defender, since he often doesn’t have the body control to slither his way around him. Will beat most help-side defenders to the rim due to his unreal quickness. Gets out in transition for long outlet passes about as well as any guard in the league. Has one of the League’s most explosive first steps. Proves to be a capable finisher despite his size. Won’t try to dunk on anyone. Knows how to use his body and the rim to shield the ball, but could do a better job initiating contact and drawing fouls. Probably at his best in transition. Will blow by defenders with ease in fast break situations, or set up for outside jump shots. Shows average ball handling ability, and noticeably favors driving left, but isn’t turnover prone at all. Uses his speed, not his handle, to be effective. Often looks out of control by the time he gets to the rim. Doesn’t draw as many free throws as you might expect, but hits the ones he gets at a solid clip. Not the type of player you can isolate at the top of the key and ask to create his own shot by himself. Most comfortable using a screen or operating in space in the open court. Not the most creative player around--won’t bring much to the table as a passer. Can be a decent drive and dish player, but is prone to looking for his own shot. Not a point guard by any means, looks like a bit of a fish out of water when asked to be a primary ball-handler and run a complex half-court offense. Will always be limited by his size and average skill-level, but can put up big numbers (and do so efficiently) due to his speed and shooting ability, particularly playing next to a playmaker like Steve Nash and in an up-tempo system.\n\nDefense: A very poor defensive player, despite having the prototypical physical traits of a ball hawking point guard, due to his poor fundamentals. Often asked to defend taller players, leaving him at a disadvantage. Has great quickness, but is lackadaisical and will get taken off the dribble frequently. Doesn’t get low enough to effectively use his speed defensively and isn’t tall enough to contest the shots of most two guards. Susceptible to being isolated against out on the perimeter—something that every team seems to do once he comes in the game. Seems to stay too high when closing out, making it easier for his man to get to the rim. Will miss a rotation every now and again. Awareness is just average, even when he does try to turn up his intensity. Gets a steal every now and then by virtue of his tremendous foot speed. May be better suited guarding point guards, but isn’t able to playing mostly next to Steve Nash, who is no stopper himself.\n\nMatt Barnes\n\nOverview: A scrappy, experienced combo forward who has found a home in the NBA thanks to the aggressive mentality he brings to the floor. Not afraid to lower his shoulder and dish out contact. A self-made player--bounced around the NBA and D-League early in his career, considered more of an undersized PF in college, but did done some nice things as a Warrior, even if he’s yet to be rewarded for that with a contract. Cutting down on turnovers and improving his jumper have been key for his career, although he tends to fall in love with it excessively these days at times. Has prototypical size for a wing at 6-8. Runs the floor extremely well, and has above average explosiveness. Will put up nice offensive numbers from time to time, although not efficiently. Gives his team toughness and some perimeter shooting ability, even if he’s prone to long bouts of inconsistency from beyond the arc. Plays with energy and can make some plays on the defensive end. A terrific rebounder, possibly Golden State’s best when he was there, despite his size. Still a bit too inconsistent, but he’s still improving. Played four solid years at UCLA, but wasn’t an elite collegiate player. On the gridiron, was one of the top receiver prospects in the nation as a prep.\n\nOffense: Played the 3 and the 4 for Golden State offensively, mostly taking advantage of mismatches. Not what you would call an overly skilled player. Gets the vast majority of his shots from spot ups and fast breaks. Very aggressive with his shot selection—has the utmost confidence in himself. Will take some ill-advised threes when spotting up. Shows a very ugly shooting stroke, shooting the ball on the way down with very little elevation, but he’s managed to somehow make it work with semi-decent results. Uses his arms to get the ball to the rim, which hurts his consistency. Still capable of getting hot from that distance. Used to not be able to shoot at all, but has become passable from distance thanks to hard work, even if he has a tendency to rely on it too heavily now. Ball-handling skills are poor. Rarely gets to the free throw line. Pull-up jumper is not very effective. Gets a little too aggressive at times. Actually has a very nice feel for the game, though. Moves well off the ball, and is a very good passer for his position. Gets some easy looks at the rim by running the floor hard in transition, beating other players down the court with sheer tenacity. Needs to work on his free throw shooting, but isn’t too bad from the stripe. Will crash the glass, especially when he’s following transition plays.\n\nDefense: Solid defender on the perimeter who had a tough time defending the power forward spot when the Warriors use small line ups. Not strong enough to defend true post players, but puts in the effort. Has a tough time keeping them on his back when boxing out. Gives fouls in the paint when he’s beat. Much more apt at defending the perimeter, even though he suffers from a very poor wingspan. Quick feet and size help him deny penetration. Great rebounder considering his size. Capable of anticipating passes and deflecting them. Decent shot blocker as well.\n\nRaja Bell\n\nOverview: A defensive specialist who is able to contribute offensively in an efficient manner. Possesses solid size and average athleticism for an NBA shooting guard. Not overly quick or explosive, but has gotten the most out of his physical assets throughout the years. Developed his offensive game early in his career. Capable shooter with mediocre ball skills. Used to be a liability offensively, but molded himself into a threat. Makes hustle plays on both ends. Native of the Virgin Islands. Played two years at Boston University before finishing his eligibility at Florida International University. Spent time in the CBA to earn a spot in the League. Began to make a significant impact on the NBA level with the Jazz as a fourth year player. Parlayed two good seasons in Utah into his current deal with the Suns. Has continued to perform as a high level, but has seen his numbers decline recently. Still plays with a lot of heart, but has become more and more one-dimensional each season, and may have peaked already. Has a bit of a temper, which is part of the reason he plays with such an edge.\n\nOffense: A self-made offensive player that does most of his damage in catch and shoot situations. Has worked extremely hard to become a threat from the outside, and now takes nearly 60% of his field goal attempts from beyond the arc. Displays a fundamentally sound stroke with great range and solid quickness. Does a great job getting himself into position to show, using very polished perimeter footwork to shoot the same shot every time. Runs the floor well and always makes himself available when his teammates are attacking the rim. Moves well off the ball using screens very effectively. Possesses great range and has become a deadly three point shooter, one of the most prolific in the league. Primarily a catch and shoot player, but has developed a decent pull up jumper. Can knock shots down driving in either direction, but prefers to pull up when going left. Not very effective when driving right. Shows decent ball-handling skills, but isn’t quick enough to use them to get to the rim. Can’t turn the corner. Will have many of his drives cut off. Does a good job attempting to draw fouls with his fakes, but will often jump into the defense leading to bad shots and turnovers when he doesn’t get a call. Gets to the rim at an alarmingly low rate. Doesn’t go to the line at all for that reason, but shoots a tremendous percentage from the stripe. Capable of finishing at the basket, but only when the defense is out of position. Not a very good leaper and thus struggles to finish in traffic. Will get some assists in the flow of the game, but isn’t a playmaking passer. Doesn’t turn the ball over at all thanks to his smarts and risk-free style of play. Has worked hard to become a serviceable scorer, but lacks the athleticism to take advantage of all of his skills.\n\nDefense: A tremendously intense defender that works as hard as any player in the game to keep his man from scoring. Always draws the toughest defensive perimeter assignment. Won’t force many turnovers or block many shots. Isn’t going to take any unnecessary risks or sell out his teammates by gambling. Plays a very sound and physical style of defense. Does a great job working through screens and sticking to his man like glue off the ball. Always knows where his help is. Denies penetration well, but has a hard time defending more athletic players that can turn the corner. Maximizes his physical assets defensively by working hard on every possession. Not afraid to flop in order to get a call. Will play a bit dirty at times, knows how to push the limits with his veteran savvy. Will help out with rebounding duties, but is an asset due to primarily to his man-to-man defense both on and off the ball.\n\nBoris Diaw\n\nOverview: A long, versatile forward who has had his ups and downs production wise, but remains one of the NBA’s most unique role players. A positionless player who sees minutes offensively at the 3, 4 and even the 5 on occasion, but is capable of passing the ball better than many point guards. Guards the 1-5 defensively. Possesses great size for the perimeter and adequate height for a power forward. Doesn’t have ideal bulk for the low post, but is crafty enough that it doesn’t really matter. Would really be well served by improving his outside shot. Not very quick or explosive, but is fluid in the open floor and shows good lateral quickness defensively. An outstanding passer who can act as a catalyst for his teammates offensively. Was a very distinguished player on the junior national level for France. Became a force in the French League as well. Wasn’t an overnight success in the NBA—needed the combination of Mike D’Antoni’s creativity and Steve Nash’s playmaking skills to find his niche in the NBA. Won the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 2006. Made significant strides in his game, but has seen his conditioning drop-off dramatically after he signed his lucrative contract. Criticized for a certain lack of mental toughness. Often too unselfish for his own good, prone to inconsistency and passivity. Losing weight may help improve his relatively average athleticism.\n\nOffense: Gets about one-third of his touches in catch and shoot situations from the midrange, but gets his shots from a plethora of different situations. Shows a decent mid-range jump shot that doesn’t have great range or consistency. Seems to have developed a habit of flicking the ball at the rim rather than using his legs to generate power. This is largely due to the fact that he naturally leans to the left when he shoots. Doesn’t make a lot of threes, which makes him a bit difficult to plug into just any offensive situation. Not a great catch and shoot player, but will make a shot or two on occasion. Nothing that can be relied upon consistently though. Struggles with his pull-up jumper as well. Gets quite a few touches in the post, and might be at his best here. Gets the vast majority of his touches on the left block, turning over his left shoulder for easy baby-hooks. Knows how to use his strong trunk to back his man down, which makes him a pretty solid weapon against certain types of player. Will show an up-and-under move or a full hook periodically. Poses a match up problem for most small forwards on the block due to his size and wingspan. Always keeps his head up for a teammate (usually Amare Stoudemire) flashing into the paint. Has very good ball handling ability for a player his size. Isn’t quick enough to turn the corner, but will dribble his man down into the post and go to work. Won’t be as effective when he has to create his own shot. Takes some bad off-balance short-range shots when he can’t get an open look at the rim. Not the most explosive finisher at the rim, and struggles with contact. Goes to the line at a low rate due to his aversion to contact. Not an awful foul shooter, but not a good one either. Will grab an occasional offensive rebound. Sets decent screens and runs the floor well. Passes the ball wonderfully for a player his size—among the league’s best forwards in this area. Shows great court vision, but is often unselfish to a fault. One of the more versatile offensive players around. Not consistent enough to be a major threat, and not a great matchup against certain teams. Definitely needs to be in the right system to fully utilize his extremely unique skill-set.\n\nDefense: Capable of defending almost any position depending on the matchup, and is often forced to due to Phoenix’s limitations with Steve Nash. Has great length and is extremely crafty on this end of the floor. Doesn’t force many turnovers or block many shots. Has the size to defend the post and the quickness to defend the perimeter. Shows good footwork on the defensive end and will get in a good stance on the ball. Seems to put a good effort in on this end of the court. Won’t get many rebounds, tending to look for transition opportunities rather than help out on the glass. Not a dominant presence, but is useful due to the number of positions he can defend.\n\nGordan Giricek\n\nGiricek left the NBA to sign with Turkish Euroleague team Fenerbahce\n\nOverview: A veteran shooting guard who can be an asset to a team that needs bench scoring. Good size and bulk for his position. Not incredibly fast or explosive. Leaping ability is suspect. Average athlete overall. Very talented offensive player, extremely aggressive even, but is still limited in some ways. Competes defensively, but will struggle at times due to his lack of athleticism. Continued to play in Croatia, his native country, after being drafted in 1999. Didn’t come to the NBA until 2002. Has become a solid player, but was unable to garner big enough NBA offers to justify passing up huge deals in Europe. Signed with Turkish Euroleague team Fenerbahce-Ulker in August of 2008.\n\nOffense: A very aggressive offensive player who is not afraid to hoist up shots from the perimeter any time he has space. Gets half of his offense off of jumpers off of screens and spot ups. Has a very nice stroke, along with the size and quick release needed to get his shot off effectively. Solid catch and shoot guy, and very effective coming off screens. Not a one-dimensional player. Will put the ball on the floor occasionally to score, but would rather just pull the trigger as soon as he catches. Good pull up shooter. Displays solid consistency from three point range. A threat to score at any given moment. Very aggressive, and comes off the bench ready to get going. Works off the ball intelligently, and knows how to mix up his drives with his jumpers. Not athletic enough to be an effective finisher at the rim. Won’t set up his teammates, but isn’t turnover prone either. An offensive role player due to his ability to put the ball in the basket from the outside—more of a 3 these days due to his limitations defending shooting guards.\n\nDefense: An average defender who is competitive enough to put the effort in, but doesn’t always have the athleticism to defend more physically gifted wing players. Will make some heady plays from time to time, and tries his best to stay in front of his man, as evidenced by his high foul rate. Lacks the lateral quickness to keep ball handlers out of the lane consistently. Does a decent job rotating out on the perimeter and getting a hand up on shooters. Won’t make an effort to contribute on the glass. Better defending small forwards than shooting guards.\n\nGrant Hill\n\nOverview: One of the best players of his generation between the years 1995 and 2000 or so). Was once arguably the most explosive offensive player in the NBA. Was incredibly fluid, agile, and made his fair share of highlight-reel plays above the rim. No longer able to take over a game with his athleticism. Has good size and strength for a small forward. Still athletic for his age, but all those ankle surgeries have slowed him significantly. Overcame a number of major setbacks and remains a very good NBA player. Plays a very savvy offensive game, and still extremely skilled and efficient. Has good versatility on both ends. Not athletic enough to be the defender he once was, but is still solid due to a strong work ethic and great court sense. Won two NCAA Titles during his four years at Duke. Was named Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year as a senior. Won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1995. Was even more dominant in the NBA than he was in college. Instantly became one of the game’s most promising young talents. Fulfilled his potential to an extent, but was cut down by serious injuries in his prime. Seven time All-Star. A great leader on and off the floor. Offers a great presence in the locker room for younger players to emulate. Shows a very placid demeanor for the most part, but is a fierce competitor. A true professional who could have been one of the all time greats.\n\nOffense: Gets almost one-third of his offense in transition with another third coming in catch and shoot situations. Uses his great experience and savvy to be effective in a variety of different ways, and rarely takes bad shots. Possesses a nice shooting stroke, but doesn’t have great range. Shoots the ball from almost directly in front of his body with good elevation and nice follow through. Has just now in his career started to shoot more NBA 3-pointers, but is exceptionally smart at finding spots in the 16-18 foot range to get his very effective mid-range jumper off. Capable of knocking down pull up jumpers going left or right, although he prefers going right. Finishes plays at the rim at an extremely high rate despite his lack of leaping ability. Shows great touch and works hard to get himself easy opportunities at the basket. Runs the floor well, and will knows what angles to attack to fearlessly get to the rim. Won’t be isolated that much in half court situations, but moves extremely well off the ball, leading to touches inside. Plays off his teammates as well as any player in the League. Fantastic at identifying and taking advantage of opportunities to cut to the rim. More of a smart passer than a playmaker now that he’s not able to rely on his freakish athleticism to draw defenders. Very good solid ball handler, but will turn it over periodically when he gets caught in the lane. Gets to the line at a decent rate and shoots a great percentage. Will help out on the offensive glass. No longer the explosive top-level scorer he once was, but a smart veteran who is extremely efficient and very productive considering how much he’s changed his game over time.\n\nDefense: A capable defender that is smarter than he is talented. Doesn’t have the physical assets to be a lock down defender anymore. Used to get a lot of steals, isn’t able to force turnovers like he used to. Will get in a good stance and try to stay in front of his man, but will get beaten off the dribble by quicker players. Tends to play off his man to avoid getting beat. Won’t miss many rotations. Isn’t an ideal on-ball defender, but maximizes what quickness he does have left with hard work and great anticipation. Grabs quite a few defensive rebounds for a player that does most of his damage in transition. Not an ideal option against elite scorers, but a nice perimeter defender considering his experience-level.\n\nSteve Nash\n\n\n\n\nShaquille O’Neal\n\nOverview: One of the best centers in the history of the game. Huge, powerful, and at one point, a dynamic leaper with surprising mobility. No man his size could move like he used to. Numerous injuries and old age have slowed him, but his size still makes him an asset. Has struggled with conditioning problems ever since leaving the Orlando Magic. Not the game changing force he used to be, but shows flashes of dominance every now and then. Has been on a steady decline for the last three years now. Was simply unstoppable around the basket throughout most of his career. Could get position and finish with either hand. Dunked everything with authority. Developed some nice passing skills over time. Never had the ability to make things work at the charity stripe. Was an elite rebounder on both ends. Protected the rim about as well as any player the game has ever had to offer. Committed and was the victim of innumerate fouls. Managed to remain effective even after his quickness began to subside. Has played a watered down version of his game in recent seasons due to injuries and general wear and tear starting to catch up with him physically. Was a force as a collegiate at Louisiana State. Unanimously voted a first team All-American as a sophomore and junior before declaring for the draft. Garnered Player of the Year honors in his junior season as well. Won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1993 with the Magic. Proceeded to play in fourteen All-Star games, win an NBA Most Valuable Player Award, and be named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Won three NBA Championships with the Lakers in 2000, 2001, and 2002 before winning another with the Heat in 2006. His relationships with former teammate Kobe Bryant and current teammate Dwyane Wade have been well publicized. A prominent figure, with a great sense of humor, he is truly one of the most entertaining players in the League off the floor. Always quotable. The type of player that emerges once every few decades.\n\nOffense: Gets roughly three quarters of his offense with his back to the basket in the post. Gets position with ease, and is simply unstoppable when he gets too deep. Displays average foot quickness at this point due to his recent injury problems, but used to have a simply ridiculous spin move that would allow him to get past his man even when he had no space. Still knows how to use his body to get his shot off when he wants it. Doesn’t get as many touches as he used to. Seems to just fire the ball at the rim, but that has always worked for him when he was able to get deeper positioning inside. Worked extremely hard to polish that aspect of the game. Can still catch the ball, turn, and knock down shots when defenders collapse around him. Never found the same success at the stripe, but he may simply not have the physical potential to ever be even a mediocre foul shooter. Has become one of the best passers in the game at his position and still sees double teams at an alarming rate. Doesn’t make as many great passes as he used to, and has a harder time keeping the ball when he goes to make a move. Not the player he used to be, but still able to make a big impact on his better days. Tremendous offensive rebounder. Still draws a lot of attention when he’s on the floor despite his shortcomings.\n\nDefense: Provides an imposing presence from the weakside, but doesn’t have the speed to rotate over and make plays as frequently as he used to. A bit of a liability defending the pick and roll, as he doesn’t have the quickness to get out and hedge a screen, which makes things extremely difficult for his entire team’s defense. Will still block quite a few shots, but at the expense of getting into foul trouble frequently. Gets called for some fouls that wouldn’t be as conspicuous if he wasn’t so strong. Can push his man off the block without much effort. Will lock down his area when rebounding, but won’t go outside of his area to grab boards. Doesn’t have the incredible physical assets that he did when he was a dominant defensive force.\n\nAmare Stoudemire\n\nOverview: One of the NBA’s brightest young stars. Simply tremendous athletically. Has good size and a big frame for a post player. Still has room to add weight as his career progresses should he choose to shift from power forward to center when Shaquille O’Neal moves on. Unbelievably explosive, and benefitted from the Suns’ incredible medical staff when he had to bounce back from his knee surgery. Very quick leaper. Possesses an unreal first step for a player his size. A physical specimen who has rounded out his offensive game. Almost impossible to guard due to the development of his midrange game. Not the most involved defensive player. Was utterly dominant on the high school level. Went from Cypress Creek HS (FL) straight to the NBA and the Rookie of the Year Award. Beginning to hit his stride against after missing his fourth year as a pro due to an injury. Three time All-Star. One of the best young players in the game. Should be a dominant force for a long time, as long as he’s willing to be coached and co-exist within a team structure, which evidently isn’t always the case.\n\nOffense: Gets his touches from a very equal blend of diverse situations including: spot ups, fast breaks, cuts, post ups, isolations, and pick and rolls. Ranks as one of the most efficient offensive players in the game due to the number of open looks he gets at the rim. Is the beneficiary of great guard play and a tremendous supporting cast, but is a tremendous talent as well. Does a great job moving into the open area at the rim when his teammates draw his defender. Runs the floor well, and trails plays straight to the rim looking for putbacks. Makes extremely quick cuts to the rim from the high post. Has no trouble finishing at the rim. Uses his incredible athleticism to weave around defenders for easy lay ins. Blows by his man, even with very limited room to operate. Likes to take a dribble left and use his extremely explosive first step to get his man next to him before using his footwork to seal his man away from the ball. Uses leverage to get to the front of the rim or get position for offensive rebounds. Has become a great catch and shoot player. Has a very high release point on his jumper and nice touch. Capable of turning over either shoulder to score with his back to the basket. Uses incredibly quick up and under moves and drop steps. Goes right at his defender and heads to the line at a very high clip. Shoots a pretty good percentage from the charity stripe. Pretty good on the pick and roll. Good offensive rebounder. Loses the ball periodically when he puts it on the deck around the rim. Simply too explosive to contain for most defenders.\n\nDefense: A nice weakside shot blocker who is starting to improve his defense on a night-to-night basis, but still has a long way to go. Doesn’t maximize his physical tools regularly on defense. Won’t get in a low stance to defend the perimeter or use leverage as effectively as a he does offensively when defending the post. Tends to not hedge the pick and roll despite the fact that he is more than capable of doing it. Won’t commit when he does, leading to easy outlet passes. Likes to stand in the middle of the paint and wait for the play to come to him. Isn’t a very good man-to-man defender, but can be when he makes the effort to force tough shots. Extremely foul prone. Doesn’t grab many defensive rebounds. Has always been paired with a more prolific rebounder. Could stand to work harder on the glass. Needs to dedicate himself on the defensive end to take his team to the next level.\n\nRecent articles\n\nTwitter @DraftExpress\n\nDraftExpress Shop", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6611771583557129}
{"content": "The Answered of Relationship Question\n\nWhy do we think that other people can answer our questions better than we can?\n\nWhy are we always giving our power away like this?\n\nI mean, just because someone can look at our relationship situation dispassionately does NOT mean that they know what answer is going to work best for us.\n\nThat’s what I say, anyway, because I believe we already know the answers to any questions or problem situations that seem to exist in our lives. We’re all pretty smart, really, if only we’d trust ourselves a bit more.\n\nAnd if we get it wrong, sometimes, we get it wrong. Hey, what would you have learnt about walking or talking if you were never able to make a mistake as a child?\n\nAnyway, it seems that people do give their power (wisdom) away, especially when it comes to relationship questions. “Please help me!”, they urge, when if they just trusted their own inner wisdom a bit more they’d find their own answer soon enough.\n\nThus this article…\nSo, according to the relationship advice forum I’ve been running since 2011 (and a few other reliable online relationship resources), these are the top 10 relationship questions that people seem to be asking:\n\n1. Are they interested in me?\n\n2. Why won’t they commit to me?\n\n3. How to deal with controlling relationships?\n\n4. Why don’t they trust me?\n\n5. How far should I travel for love?\n\n6. How can I get them to… ?\n\n7. Importance of sex in relationships?\n\n8. How do I learn to trust again?\n\n9. Why do we keep breaking up?\n\n10. Should I leave them?\n\n(Nicely sum up the path that most relationships take, don’t they, these relationship questions.)\n\nI’m going to spend the rest of this relationship questions article briefly answering these questions, by way of generalisation, but also in such a way that helps you find your own answers. Because, in truth, only you know what’s going to work for you in your relationship.\n\nOkay, let’s go then…\n“Sometimes love isn’t fireworks, sometimes love just comes softly.” — Janette Oke\n\nQuestion 1. Are they interested in me?\n\nHmm, there really is ONLY one way to find out if someone is interested in you, I think you’ll agree, and it isn’t asking me or a friend or even a friend of the person you’re interested in. Ask the person directly, and find out for yourself!\n\nThe thing about relationships is that they have to involve some element of risk for them to be worthwhile being involved with. That’s just how it works. And that risk is quite often evident at the beginning of a relationship.\n\n“Oh no!”, you think to yourself, “I asked her out and she’s just not interested in me! What will I do?” You’ll live, that’s what you’ll do, and you’ll start to feel stronger in who you are as a man or as a woman because you act on your convictions.\n\nQuestion 2. Why won’t they commit to me?\n\nIt is said that men are commitment-phobes, and maybe they are in comparison to women who knows. But, usually, when someone doesn’t want to commit to a person, or a course of action, it’s because they’re not sure it’s the right thing to do. It’s that simple. Now the reason why they’re not sure, that might take some finding out, and is beyond the scope of this relationship questions article, but you will be able to find out via good communication.\n\nSo talk to this person, and see what their concerns are. Listen, but listen well, and learn.\n\nTime for another quote about relationships, I think:\n\n\nQuestion 3. How to deal with controlling relationships?\n\nHmm, the need to control comes from a false belief that that’s the only way to get what a person wants from someone. They don’t know any better, basically. And if you can show this person that they really can trust you (that they really can trust themselves) in this relationship then you might, just might, be able to help this person let go of their controlling behaviour.\n\nGood luck.\n\nQuestion 4. Why don’t they trust me?\n\nUsually, a person doesn’t trust someone because they don’t trust themselves.\n\nExample. I’m worried that my woman might be cheating on me, say, and so I check up on her all the time (and I start to be the type of controlling man in Q3.) And I do this because I wrongly believe I won’t be able to cope if she IS cheating. I’m worrying myself over something that’s probably not going to happen ‘just in case’. But if I believed in myself, trusted myself to be enough, I’d be far more likely to trust my woman. And if she ends up cheating on me, then I know I’ll be able to cope with the situation, know it’s her and not me. I move on. I don’t take it personally. Simple.\n\nQuestion 5. How far should I travel for love?\n\nThere are those that say that long distance relationships don’t work, that sooner or later someone will have to move to the other person’s locale; and on that day the balance of power will have irrevocably shifted.\n\nWhat do I say? I say that you should find a quiet space in yourself, and ask yourself whether this person is worth it, whether the distance is worth it. And each person will have their own answers, here…\nQuestion 6. How can I get them to… ?\n\nHmm, isn’t it interesting how these relationship questions overlap. This sounds suspiciously like the other side of the controlling question (see Q3).\n\nA better question would be, “Why do you want them to… ?”. Find out the answer to that question, with some honest self-examination, and then share the results with your partner. I will help the both of you, for sure, doing so.\n\nAfter all good communication like this is at the heart of healthy relationships, no?\n\nQuestion 7. Importance of sex in relationships?\n\nHow important is sex in a relationship? Very. Or not at all.\n\nSeriously, this is a question to ask yourself. Again, quieten your mind for a few moments and ask this of yourself (if you don’t know already). Then listen to the answers that come. It’s called intuition, this, and is a far better source of wisdom than some random article on the Internet claiming to know all the answers (to the top 10 relationship questions).\n\nNote: I find a little bit of self-effacement always helps in relationships. Well, definitely in article writing, anyway.\n\nOh, and when you know whether it’s important or not, then that’s your answer no matter what other people think (including your partner).\n\nQuestion 8. How do I learn to trust again?\n\nRelationships bring risk. There are no guarantees. Nothing, least of all relationships, is certain.\n\nUnderstand these things, and know that you cannot know how a relationship will work out. And then, then you’ll know it’s time to get involved again, time to take risks. (Listening to the wisdom you’ve accrued from making previous mistakes, I politely suggest.)\n\nNow, time for another relationship quote:\n\n\nQuestion 9. Why do we keep breaking up?\n\nLove and relationships can do that to you, sometimes – mess you up! And it can be oh so frustrating.\n\nBasically speaking, your relationship’s not working. And, more importantly, you’re not working – you’re not listening to your inner wisdom enough, here, and you’re not trusting that whatever happens in this relationship – you break up, you get back together – that things will be okay. They will. Just trust yourself more. Things will be okay. They will.\n\nQuestion 10. Should I leave them?\n\n\n\nIt depends.\n\n(Really, you need to find some quiet time here and answer this question for yourself. Nobody knows better than you, whether you should leave someone or no! Not your Mum, not your best friend, and not your partner. You know best. Always. But only when you quieten your mind, make some space, and let the wisdom come through… )", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.562792956829071}
{"content": "college application essay university of michigan\n\nsee (or feel) the Sabra cactus, a prickly, green cactus that bears sweet red fruits. Learn about our College Apps Program. The following essay is jolting because it begins with images that are alien to American high school studentsa commander, an M-16, and a hand grenade.\n\nStudying in the University of Michigan is one of the main ways leading to the accomplishment of my academic and career goals.\nThe University of Michigan is one of the leading public universities not only in the.S, but around the world.\nWhat are University of Michigan 's admission requirements?\n\nHow many words should a essay be, Porocess essays on becoming a massage therapist, Roman empire decline essay, 20 page essay pdf,\n\nCollegeVine College Essay Team, october 1, 2018 10 min read 12th Grade, College Essays, Essay Breakdowns, Essay Breakdowns, Grades, University of Michigan, need help on your college applications? The school wants to read about how you grow, learn from, and contribute to a group setting and gain a better essay about dubai museum understanding of you socially. Remember, think critically and creatively both about the issue and the way you would solve. Describe the particulars of the issue. Don't Worry We'll edit your admissions essay in a few hours.\n\nEula biss pain scale essay, Ethnic groups in malaysia essay, Why purdue supplemental essay,", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7743316292762756}
{"content": "One Of The Major Repairs Is Clogs.\n\nWhen it comes to learning plumbing skills, there's no time like the present. If you can fix small problems by yourself, you won't have to hire a plumber and you can prevent large plumbing problems. plumbing austinThe information in this article will be a wonderful starting point as you begin to explore the world of plumbing.\n\n\nIf something is wrong with the disposal in your sink, avoid the temptation to stick your hand in there to fix it. Garbage disposals pose a serious risk, even when flipped off. Locate a diagram of the garbage disposal, or some sort of troubleshooter, online.\n\n\nCheck overflow holes regularly to prevent blockage. If your sink starts to overflow, the water will run into the overflow holes, this might not be a huge issue, unless they are clogged. When checking for potential problems and repairs, you should also remove obstructions from the overflow holes.\n\n\nTo limit toilet problems, don't use it as a trash can. Avoid flushing pads, cotton, towels, tissues or anything that cannot dissolve easily to avoid plugging the pipes. Also, try to use the smallest amount of toilet paper you can.\n\nTake preventative measures to keep your plumbing costs low. One of the major repairs is clogs. Loose hair is often the culprit if your drain keeps getting clogged. Screens and drain covers are great ways to stop hair from going down your drains. You can easily clean out the drain covers on a regular basis; it's harder to remove hair from drains once it's fallen into them.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7224427461624146}
{"content": "Dating laws in united states\n\nLaws in the united states of teachers dating their students in it is not illegal for a teacher to have a romantic relationship with a college. I know the age of consent (marriage) varies by state, but are there any laws in the us about dating. My daughter married a negro: and enforced in the majority of the states in the south and the west of the united states these laws were used to. For travel to the united states on a temporary basis there is no such requirement under us law marriage/dating scams. Getting married in france it is a statement (must be done by an attorney licensed to practice in both france and united states) about us marriage laws.\n\nA nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping america and the world it conducts public opinion polling,. Culture of united states of america - history, people, clothing, traditions, women, beliefs, food, customs, family to-z. Ukraine and the united states belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the united nations, euro-atlantic partnership council.\n\nUs history and historical documents the history of the united states is vast and complex maritime search and rescue, maritime law enforcement. Workplace laws not enforced by this law protects the equal right of all persons within the jurisdiction of the united states to make and enforce contracts without. Illinois dating laws in the united states, the age of consent is the minimum age at which an individual is best of toronto recent best of lists.\n\nChinese immigration and the chinese exclusion acts in the 1850 s, chinese workers migrated to the united states, first to work in the gold mines, but also to take agricultural jobs, and factory work, especially in the garment industry. Inside united states: customs laws may be enacted by individual states, counties, and cities some laws even limit outdoor smoking by prohibiting smoking within. My son is dating a minor: should i be worried about the legal implications just a few examples of romeo and juliet laws currently in place in the united states:. What are the florida laws for dating then there is no directly applicable law maryland's law even states that a common expression of familial or friendly.\n\nDating violence at a glance in the united states, domestic violence laws are administered by local governments as a result of this local setting. Up to 40 percent of the food in the united states is never eaten but at the same time, one in eight americans struggles to put enough food on the table. Tions are for the protection of both aliens and united states tions imposed by the immigration laws of the united states and to assist in identifying and precluding.\n\nDating laws in united states\n\nA brief history of courtship and dating in america, part 2 mar 08 two things happened in the united states after world war ii pertaining to marriage:. An overview of minors’ consent law policy or case law in these states reproductive health and rights in the united states and globally through our. The naturalization act of 1790 established the first rules for acquiring citizenship in the united states the law required immigrants to live in the united states.\n\nThe united states established diplomatic relations with syria in 1944 following more information about syria is available from the department of state and. There are exceptions to age of sexual consent laws in the united states, the age varies from 16 to 18 in many areas, there is a close-in-age part of the laws.\n\nDating violence stalking what is domestic violence by a person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim under the domestic or family violence laws of. What is the violence against women act the violence against women act (vawa) is a landmark piece of legislation that sought to improve criminal justice and community-based responses to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking in the united states. Start studying criminal procedure - chapter 2 learn dating from 1789 in which federal the constitution and laws of the united states and of.\n\nDating laws in united states\nRated 3/5 based on 11 review", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7042913436889648}
{"content": "Hello! We are Enigmatic Escapes, Troy NY's first Escape Room! Escape rooms are an interactive entertainment experience, where a group of people are challenged to investigate a room, discover puzzles and obstacles, and overcome those challenges before the clock runs out. Escape rooms are often compared with being in a real-life detective story; if you've ever watched a movie character solve an ancient riddle to open a locked door, or change the time on a stopped clock to open a secret panel, and thought \"that looks really cool!\", Escape Rooms are for you!\n\nYou can see what rooms we currently have open by clicking the link below. You can also use the links up above to see some commonly asked questions and answers, contact us, discover more about who we are and why we run an Escape Room, or book a slot in one of our rooms! If you are interested in Live-Action Roleplaying (or just curious why our company is called Lime Shirt Studios), there's a link for that too. Thanks, and we'll see you at the Atrium!\n\n\n\nNow Open: Defeat the Biz, a 2-4 player escape room! See the Rooms page for more details.\n\n\n\n\nView Our Rooms  →", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9246562123298645}
{"content": "Friday, 27 March 2015\n\nSteak with a Sun-dried Tomato Marinade\n\nOh dear. This was good, very, very good....\n\nI bought myself a nice, fat juicy steak to cook for my evening meal last night and I wanted to add a little something to it. Having also just bought some sun dried tomatoes at the deli, I thought why not have a go at combining the two.......the result was so good, especially with some blue cheese crumbled on top .......\n\nRecipe (serves 2)\n\n2 large rump steaks\n6 halves sun dried tomato\n1 tablespoon sun dried tomato paste\n1 tablespoon olive oil\n1 teaspoon coriander seeds\nhalf teaspoon black peppercorns\npinch sea salt\n\nSome sun blush tomatoes\nSome crumbled blue cheese\n\nPop your coriander seeds and peppercorns in a pestle and grind up - not to small just enough to break up the seeds...\n\nChop your sun dried tomatoes and add them to the pestle, followed by the tomato paste, olive oil and salt crystals.\n\nGive it all a good mix together and  then spread it all over your steaks.\n\nCover the steaks with clingfilm and pop into the fridge for at least 30 minutes to marinade.\n\nRemove your steak from the fridge about 10 minutes before you want to cook it - I think it helps the flavour.\n\nNow heat your griddle, or a grill, to a high heat and then pop your steak on (or under) and cook for however long you like to cook your steak. If your not sure check out my post on 'how to cook a perfect steak' for some guidance....\n\nThe tomato marinade will burn - that adds to the flavour - so don't panic when that happens...\n\nWhen your happy your steak is cooked to your liking, remove from the griddle and let it rest for a few minutes before serving. Whilst it resting, throw the sun blush tomatoes on the griddle and quickly move them among the steak juices to add colour and heat them through.\n\nOnce you have placed your steak on the plate, crumble on your cheese, add the sun blush tomatoes and may be a bit of salad - or chips - and serve.....\n\nHope you all have a great weekend\n\nLove Lizx\n steak and sun dried tomato", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5809524655342102}
{"content": "North Korea scheduled the dismantlement of nuclear bomb test site\n\nVastavam web: North Korea has scheduled the dismantlement of its nuclear bomb test site for sometime between May 23 and 25 in order to uphold its pledge to discontinue nuclear tests, the country’s state media reported on Saturday a month ahead of a historic summit.The official Korean Central New Agency said dismantlement of the Punggye-ri nuclear test ground would involve collapsing all of its tunnels with explosions, blocking its entrances, and removing all observation facilities, research buildings and security posts.U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will hold talks in Singapore on June 12, the first-ever meeting between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader.\n\n\nIn announcing the plan to shut Punggye-ri last month, Kim said North Korea no longer needed to conduct tests because it had completed its goal of developing nuclear weapons.KCNA said journalists, including from the United States and South Korea, would be invited to cover the event, to “show in a transparent manner the dismantlement of the northern nuclear test ground to be carried out”. The exact date of the closure will depend on weather conditions, the agency said.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9332043528556824}
{"content": "\nTitle: Corporate Social Responsibility in the UAE Construction and Education Sectors\nAuthors: Thomas, Betty E\nKeywords: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)\nIssue Date: May-2011\nPublisher: The British University in Dubai (BUiD)\nAbstract: Society, environment and community in the United Arab Emirates have experienced the impact of industrialization and globalization over the last few decades. This has provided grounds for businesses in the United Arab Emirates to construct a close relationship between corporation, state and society which implies the relevance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This dissertation investigates the perception, policies and practices and the relevance of CSR which is a relatively new concept to the country. The samples selected for the study are taken from the construction and education sectors with a combination of local, expatriate and joint venture businesses. The research focuses on stakeholder management as well as investigates topics such as benchmarking, factors that motive individuals and businesses to practice CSR including small and medium enterprises operating in the UAE. In-depth interviews are the main method of data collection. Thematic and quantitative content analysis was used to evaluate selected research propositions designed by the researcher to explore and understand the new CSR policies and practices and identify how they are implemented in the organizations studied. The dissertation concludes there is evidence for some CSR practices and CSR policies being promoted and supported within the region.\nURI: http://bspace.buid.ac.ae/handle/1234/85\nAppears in Collections:Dissertations for Human Resource Management (HRM)\n\nFiles in This Item:\nFile Description SizeFormat \n70155.pdf1.54 MBAdobe PDFThumbnail\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.999340295791626}
{"content": "Danish Verbs\n\nDanish verbs (portada epub)\n\nEspecially written for electronic devices, Danish verbs has an introduction to the formation of all verbal tenses in Danish, as well as 100 essential verbs fully conjugated with their meaning. This book allows the user to search in all the text because it has no images or vanishing or unreadable text.\n\nI want it!\n\namazon-logo-8 Apple CasaLibro Kobo\nByN Google Play OverDrive Scribd\nA %d blogueros les gusta esto:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7477117776870728}
{"content": "\n\nPrevious Fragment    Next Fragment\nWednesday, 14 August 1974\nPage: 875\n\nSenator Sir KENNETH ANDERSON - I direct a question to the Minister for Customs and Excise which relates to an answer he gave earlier to a question asked by Senator Poyser. The question related to the introduction of a computer system at customs clearance points which is intended to be used, in the clearance of travellers' baggage, as an aid in the detection of any prohibited import or any attempt to avoid the payment of duty. I think it should be made abundantly clear that this does not necessarily mean that a person who has his or her baggage examined has his name on a computer list. I think that the Minister would agree that there is a random examination system and that obviously this computer system is applied only in certain circumstances. Will the Minister make it clear that if any person coming into Australia has his baggage examined at a customs clearance point, as may happen to any one of us, this must not be interpreted as necessarily meaning that his name is on a computer list?\n\nSenator MURPHY -I thank Senator Sir Kenneth Anderson for his observations. As we all know, Senator Sir Kenneth Anderson was the Minister for Customs and Excise for some time whilst he was Leader of the Government in the Senate. What he says is perfectly correct. If in the answer that I gave I may have left that inference open -\n\nSenator Sir Kenneth Anderson - It is only possible.\n\nSenator MURPHY - Yes. I want to adopt what the honourable senator has said and make it very plain that the computer is there to assist in selecting, those people, if you like, of high risk. But over and above that, as the honourable senator says, there is a random system of examination. This is practised in most parts of the world, including Australia. The baggage of many people is subjected to a full examination when there is no suspicion at all. It is a simple, random selection which may be carried out because it has been decided to check the baggage of, say, every tenth person or eighth person passing through the customs clearance point, even though there is no reason at ali to suspect such persons. A goodly number of people are subjected to inconvenience in customs examinations. I hope that they will suffer this in the knowledge that these things have to be done. Sometimes they have to be done for the protection of livestock, or the health of the community through quarantine, or to prevent the smuggling of drugs. People should regard that inconvenience as something they are suffering in the public interest. But I do want to accept what Senator Sir Kenneth Anderson says and I assure the public that simply because a person is subjected to an examination, perhaps a full customs examination, it does not carry with it the suggestion that in some way he is a suspected person.\n\nSuggest corrections", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8270334005355835}
{"content": "What is Corydalis and How Can it Support Pain Relief?\n\nWhat is Corydalis and How Can it Support Pain Relief?\n\nCorydalis yanhusuo is a flowering herbal plant that has been used as a folk remedy for pain throughout the centuries. While its pain-relieving properties have been well substantiated, its mechanisms of action have been less understood.\n\nA new study from University of California, Irvine researchers helps to shed light on how corydalis yanhusuo, or YHS, affects the body’s response to chronic pain.\n\nChronic neuropathic pain is typically connected to some type of tissue injury that resulted in damaged or impaired nerve fibers. The damaged nerves misfire signals to pain centers in the body. So even in the absence of an injury, pain signals are still registering in the body, causing chronic pain.\n\nTaking over-the-counter and prescription analgesics to alleviate chronic pain carries unwanted side effects and risks, such as constipation, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, drowsiness, liver damage, and addiction.\n\nYHS is a natural and much safer alternative to pharmaceutical pain pills for managing low to medium chronic pain. And the latest study published online in PLOS ONE shows that YHS doesn’t lose effectiveness over time like other pain medications do.\n\nScientists discovered that YHS helps to ease pain by exerting an effect on dopamine, the neurotransmitter that regulates thinking, memory, movement, and reward.\n\nThe Dopamine Dilemma\nDespite that dopamine plays a role in pain relief, science also shows that dopamine may play a key role in chronic pain by keeping those messages passing from the brain to pain centers in the body.\n\nWe can, however, allay the effects of dopamine on pain. A 2015 animal-model study published in the Journal of Neuroscience showed that chronic pain could be greatly reduced by removing cells made up of dopamine.\n\nFor the most recent study, researchers gave mice YHS 4 times during a week, and then measured their pain response. The pain-relieving abilities of YHS never faltered, while the potency of morphine wore off as the mice became immune to the drug’s effects. Researchers believe the pain-relieving properties of YHS are partly due to tetrahydropalmatine (THP), one of 20 alkaloids in YHS. THP may be able to block certain receptor sites, such as dopamine receptor sites, in the brain. One study showed that THP was able to reduce nerve pain in 75% of test subjects. THP has also been shown to effectively treat pain associated with menstruation, abdominal pain after childbirth, and headaches.\n\nOlivier Civelli, professor and chair of pharmacology at the University of California, Irvine, notes: “YHS is not a highly potent medicine when compared to morphine. But I would propose that it can be used for low to moderate chronic pain.”\n\nSupplementing with YHS\nAccording to the University of Michigan Health System, alternative medical practitioners recommend using 5 to 10 grams of the crude, dried rhizome of YHS a day, or taking 10-20 ml of a 1:2 extract of YHS. Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners usually combine YHS with other pain-relieving herbs, such as frankincense, myrrh, cinnamon bark fennel, or liguisticum, depending on the type of pain being treated.\n\nA word of caution: experts advise that you should never take YHS if you are pregnant or nursing. Meanwhile, it’s always recommended to consult a licensed medical professional before taking an herb for pain management.\n\nRoot extracts from the flowering herbal plant Corydalis yanhusuo, or YHS, has widely used for centuries as a pain treatment. Yet few studies have investigated how it works on different forms of pain, and little is known about its molecular mechanisms.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMoringa Madness: What's the Buzz About?\n\nMoringa Madness: What's the Buzz About?\n\nBacaopa (Brahmi) for Better Brain Health, Stress Support\n\nBacaopa (Brahmi) for Better Brain Health, Stress Support", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.953679084777832}
{"content": "Americans love their coffee. We consume 400 million cups of coffee per day or 146 billion cups of coffee per year. If you buy just one cup of coffee or tea per day in a disposable cup, you will generate 23 pounds of waste in a year. Reusable cups have a greater initial environmental impact than polystyrene or paper cups, but that impact lessens over time as the cup is reused. On average, a ceramic cup lasts for 2000 uses before it breaks or is discarded.\n\nIf there is only one thing you can do: Replace paper or polystyrene cups with a reusable mug when at home, at your workplace, or in your car. Carry one in your bag so you have one wherever you go.\n\nTake small steps: Take a reusable mug with you when you buy coffee. Ask the waiter/waitress if they give a discount for bringing your own mug. Keep track of which places give a discount and how much you save and report back to Ellen\n\nInner simplicity: You can do your part to lessen your impact on God’s creation even if you can’t do it for other people. Switching to a reusable mug may not seem like it could make a big difference, but just by carrying one you may prompt others to think about the number of cups Americans throw away after just one use.\n\nOuter simplicity: Our Creator gave us limited resources and expects us to use them wisely. Traveling with a reusable mug is a better choice than a one-use cup in terms of litter on the land and in our water, water and air pollution, disposal in landfills, and use of trees for paper. These impacts affect not just the disposable cup users, but all of God’s people living on the planet.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7906609773635864}
{"content": "Celebrating “The Distance I Can Be From My Son”\n\nIn 2013, Lenka Clayton had a goal for a series of works she wanted to create via An Artist Residency in Motherhood. As she put it:\n\n\nAs part of this residency, she created a series of videos with a seemingly simple premise. Titled The Distance I Can Be From My Son, Clayton sets up a camera in a static location, then allows her son to walk into frame. He toddles away from her until she feels a need to rush into frame herself and keep him from going any further. At that moment, an on-screen tally shows the distance he travelled away from her in that location.\n\nIt’s a truly beautiful exploration of a range of emotions involved in parenting and creating art.\n\nBut let’s start at the ending.\n\nIt’s not just the number\n\nAt the end of each video, the final distance between Clayton and her son is measured.\n\nBut it was never just about the distance, but about the myriad concerns a parent weighs while watching a child move away from them.\n\nIt’s a punchline, and an effective one.\n\nBut by reducing it to an objective measurement, we quantify all those questions inside a parents’ mind into an easy calculation.\n\nIt suggests a definitive answer to a constantly renegotiated situation.\n\nThe camera is Lenka Clayton, and also not Lenka Clayton\n\nAs you watch the video, we see Clayton’s son trot into frame and look back at the camera. In that moment, given the title of the work and the framing, it feels like we’re seeing her son walk away from her in this moment through her eyes.\n\nBut at the end, the illusion is broken and Lenka runs into the frame to chase after her son. It breaks the illusion that we’re seeing her direct point of view.\n\nMaybe the camera is a divided part of her perspective, suggesting that there is a fracture between the artist’s perspective and the mother’s perspective.\n\nAnd yet, as she moves into the frame, Clayton doesn’t eliminate the artistic perspective on the situation by acting in a maternal role. Now she is also a subject of her own artistic gaze. This combination doesn’t negate one for the other, but showcases the complicated interaction between the two from moment to moment.\n\nAlso consider the static framing of the shot. From the title of the work, we’re meant to think of the camera as a fixed point that we should measure distance from. However, the boy moves around within the frame, but the frame never tracks or pans with him, like a parent’s head might do.\n\nThe unblinking eye of the camera, and its lack of natural movement makes it separate from the experience of being a parent watching a child.\n\nYou blink. You turn your head. You’re aware of other distractions, or scanning for things that might interact with or threaten your child. You are not a passive observer.\n\nThat lack of motion acts as an invitation to the viewer.\n\nSpectator as co-parent, or The distance we can be from Lenka’s son\n\nWith the static camera creating the field of vision for the audience, we’re free to move our own eyes and head as the boy steps into frame.\n\nHe turns toward us. He gets further away from us. We watch out for the possible dangers ahead, or the escape routes he might take to get out of our field of vision.\n\nIt’s a dramatic use of empathy. Because the camera isn’t suggesting where we should look aside from the movement of the child, we can see ourselves in the environment. In the moment. It doesn’t feel like a constructed reality as much as a slice-of-life.\n\nEven a person who doesn’t regularly care for a small child can watch this and feel the pangs of urgency watching a small child walk away from you. We know the environment, and we know that a small child isn’t ready to explore these spaces completely independently.\n\nWe don’t want to see a child come to harm, and even though we know, rationally, that it’s unlikely for someone to deliberately put their own child in harm’s way, our fears are triggered.\n\nYou start asking the question: When is she going to run out to him? You start assessing the distance for yourself. When would you run out? What are you looking for as a signal for when this far is too far?\n\nBut there’s another layer to these videos that comes into play when you ask the question: Why is he walking away from the camera?\n\nMotherhood as performance\n\nIf the boy doesn’t walk in front of the camera, would the premise of the video work? What about if he stops or turns back? Look at how he turns back in every single one of these videos, hesitant. Looking for permission. Testing for a reaction.\n\nYes, eventually he takes off and wanders away out of his own desire or momentum, but there’s no video without this child walking away from the camera in a way where he stays within the field of vision of the camera.\n\nEvery choice was made with purpose. Picking a specific supermarket aisle. Dressing the boy in a red snowsuit for his walk down the alley. Deciding when to cut the camera off, interrupting Clayton’s mad dash to catch up with her son.\n\nThe dash itself is a choice. Moving with such force and acceleration. She wants to get to her son swiftly, but there’s something else: She knows you’re watching her. Paying attention to her reaction.\n\nIt’s a reminder of the way that we watch parents with their children. Her speed is the product of both a desire to keep her child safe and a desire to demonstrate to the viewer that she wants to keep her child safe.\n\nIt’s a reminder that not only are we watching a constructed representation of an act of motherhood, but that in some ways motherhood itself is a performance. To be a mother is to be watched. Judged. Aware of being watched and judged.\n\nWho gets to be an artist\n\nGoing back to Clayton’s original statement of intent on her residency, she talks about the change in how others perceive her and her career after the birth of her child:\n\nI find now that many aspects of the professional art world are closed to artists with families. Most prestigious artist residencies for example specifically exclude families from attending. Despite a legacy of public artist/parents it still seems to be a commonly held belief that being an engaged mother and serious artist are mutually exclusive endeavors. I don’t believe or want to perpetrate this. I like to imagine the two roles met as competing directions but to view them, force them gently if necessary, to inform one another.\n\nThis is another aspect of the works that I greatly appreciate.\n\nWhen you think about a successful artist, what do you picture their life being about? Do you see room in their life for responsibilities and goals that don’t wholly relate to their art? Do you picture them needing to completely surrender to the muse?\n\nWhat informs your conception of what the life of an artist is all about?\n\nPlants and Payoffs in Comedy Writing: Parks and Recreation\n\nComedy Has Structure\n\nLong form comedy isn’t just a series of jokes. Whether it’s a sitcom, a film, or a stand-up set, there’s a structure to humor that relates to dramatic structure.\n\nOver time, strong comedy builds. New jokes call back to previous jokes. By the end, you haven’t just watched a string of unrelated funny moments, but you’ve seen how one joke leads into a joke later on.\n\nGreat comedy builds. It lifts the audience up.\n\nTo show you what I’m talking about, I’d like pick apart the inner workings of an episode of Parks & Recreation.\n\nParks and Recreation Episode 4×11 – “The Comeback Kid”\n\nThere are a few key elements of the larger story of this season that help set up this episode:\n\n  • Leslie and Ben are in a relationship, but Chris had a policy forbidding romantic relationships between co-workers.\n  • The discovery of this relationship created the scandal that damaged Leslie’s candidacy for city council and lead to Ben resigning his position in the government.\n\nA quick synopsis of the episode:\n\nWith Leslie still reeling from her poll numbers plummeting and her campaign staff abandoning her, she recruits her co-workers as a replacement staff to stage a re-launch for her city council campaign at the Pawnee Sports Building. Seeing that Ben has spiraled into a depression brought on by resigning his job, Chris attempts to lift his spirits.\n\nThere are three main plot lines to this episode:\n\n  1. Leslie and Ann attempt to convince former Pawnee High School basketball star “Pistol” Pete to appear at the event and endorse Leslie.\n  2. Ron leads a group of the rest of the new campaign staff in preparing for the event.\n  3. Chris attempts to break Ben out of his funk, which needs to start with getting Ben to recognize he’s depressed.\n\nPlants and Payoffs\n\nA plant is when a writer offers a piece of information to the audience early on in a story ahead of when they absolutely must use it. It’s making sure the audience is thinking about some aspect of the story, be it the stakes, a task some character needs to perform, or even a specific object important to the story.\n\nA payoff is when the writer cashes in on the audience’s memory of that earlier plant, using that information to resolve a story, tell a joke, or throw a twist at the audience.\n\nThere are two specific payoffs in this story that weave together the three story lines, and we need to talk about them first to get a better idea of what to look for in their construction.\n\nPayoff One – The Climax\n\nLeslie prepares to walk out into the Pawnee Sports Building believing that she doesn’t have Pistol Pete, her stage is incomplete, the banner she ordered has an error, and to make matters worse, the basketball court she thought she’d be walking out on has been resurfaced as ice for an upcoming hockey game.\n\nScreen Cap 1.png\n\nLeslie’s campaign staff vows to go out and help her try and save face, only to see that Tom couldn’t order a red carpet that leads all the way to the stage.\n\nScreen Cap 2.png\n\nScreen Cap 3.png\n\nAs they shuffle together across the ice, a short clip of Gloria Estefan’s “Get On Your Feet” loops (a clip that would’ve been a perfect duration for a brisk walk across a basketball court).\n\nScreen Cap 5.png\n\nChampion, April and Andy’s new dog, starts peeing on Ron.\n\nScreen Cap 4.png\n\nIn the scramble to get up on the stage, Leslie’s notecards got out of order, and she starts delivering an incoherent speech.\n\nScreen Cap 6.png\n\nScreen Cap 7.png\n\nAt the last moment, when Leslie admits to the crowd that this campaign event was a disaster, Pistol Pete shows up in his old jersey to endorse Leslie. When he attempts to make a slam dunk at the end of his speech, he slips on the ice and injures himself.\n\nScreen Cap 8.png\n\nEven out of context, these moments are funny, but there’s more at work. Each of these jokes has an origin point earlier in the episode, planting these ideas to play with the audience’s expectations.\n\nBecause you were taught what to expect by the earlier parts of this episode, you’re rewarded for your attention and your patience with even bigger laughs.\n\nPayoff Two – The New Story Direction\n\nAfter Chris talks Ben out of his funk and gets him thinking about how to make better use of his time, Leslie and the rest of the campaign team show up, fresh from the disaster at the Pawnee Sports Building.\n\nLeslie approaches Ben and asks him to step in and be her new campaign manager. After seeing what happened without someone with political experience at the helm, she wants Ben there, no matter if his connection to her scandal and polling problems could damage her chances.\n\nThis launches a new phase of the story where Ben and Leslie will directly work together on her campaign, but the emotional payoff of this moment requires us to see how much Ben and Leslie need each other (due to seeing the disasters they have to deal with when they intentionally keep themselves apart).\n\nTurn by Turn Directions to Our Destination\n\nSo let’s take a look at the big picture. In the following graphics, I’ve charted out, scene-by-scene, what happens, and what information is used to build the story toward the climactic moments.\n\nSome things to pay attention to:\n\n  • Notice how the writers keep most of these plot threads separate from scene to scene until we get to the final act. These individual threads and stories have a distant connection at first, but they start to interact the deeper we get into the story.\n  • Look at the way the narrative moves between the different storylines. We spend a little time with Ben & Chris, then back to a part of the main storylines dealing with the “Comeback Kid” event.\n  • The sheer density of this show’s writing. There are moments that barely qualify as having a setup, like how Jerry’s job to pass out flyers to get an audience is a note on a whiteboard, yet it comes back at a crucial moment to raise the stakes for Leslie.\n\nThe Comeback Kid - Chart 1.png\nThe Comeback Kid - Chart 2.png\nThe Comeback Kid - Chart 3.png\nThe Comeback Kid - Chart 4.png\n\nSleight of Hand\n\nBut the writers can’t just have the characters look at the audience and say “Hey, here’s a new dog for Andy and April! Pay attention to this dog’s wacky hi-jinks and get ready for it to do something really funny near the end of the episode!”\n\nWhen planting an element to set up a later joke, it needs to be introduced to the audience so that they’re only mostly paying attention to it.\n\nA successful plant lets the audience know something is there without giving away that the writer wants their attention drawn to it.\n\nThink about a magician. They’ll tell you where they want you to look, and they’ll tell you what they’re going to do, but they’re always conscious about drawing your attention away from the actual work of the trick.\n\nThey want you to know you’re being fooled, but they don’t want you to know how.\n\nIt’s the same with comedic storytelling. The writer wants the audience to laugh as much as possible, but they know that laughter will be stifled if the audience is too aware of the construction of the jokes and the dramatic storytelling underneath.\n\nNothing kills a joke like telling somebody that it’s going to be so funny.\n\nSo let’s break down one scene as an example.\n\nAnatomy of a scene\n\n(Please note, this isn’t the actual script for the episode. It’s a transcription I made to help explain this point.)\n\nI’ve added some notes to the scene highlighting where important plot threads are referenced or introduced, and adding specific notes on how these jokes introduce exposition and plant information in a way that avoids falling flat.\n\nComeback Kid - Example Scene 1.png\nComeback Kid - Example Scene 2.png\n\nBy disguising the planted elements with conflict and humor, the writers keep the audience’s attention on the present moment and don’t give too much away about what they have planned for Champion and Ben.\n\nTying it all together, these elements of conflict and humor are based in what the audience already knows about the characters. Ben is rigid in his behavior and frequently doesn’t understand other people’s enthusiasm. April & Andy are impulsive, and they regularly go all-in with their enthusiasm if it’s something they both care about.\n\nWe know these characters because we’ve grown to care about them. Without that emotional connection, the jokes can’t help to obscure the intent of the planted material, and the payoffs won’t land with full force.\n\nWe need to care if we’re going to laugh.\n\nWe need to care about Ben’s mental health, and his rebound from losing his job and sense of identity. We need to care about Leslie’s desire to win the election and become part of Pawnee’s City Council. We need to care about the desire of her friends and co-workers to help her.\n\nWe even need to care, at least a little bit, about Pistol Pete. A character we just met needs to be human enough that his decision to embrace his past and endorse Leslie with a dunk means something.\n\nA man choosing to do something foolish, like try and dunk a basketball on a hockey rink, is funny. A man choosing to do something foolish because we know, in his heart, this is about rising up and coming to terms with a deep, internal pain… That’s comedy gold.\n\nMounting My Own Comeback\n\nI used to write a lot more about film and television. I used to make a lot more time to watch film and television.\n\nThis blog was something I approached from a place of intense study and small a authority. Coming fresh out of grad school, I had a lot of information in my brain and not always a lot of clear outlets for it.\n\nI don’t know what it is now. You’re just as likely to see me writing about my daughter and our cat as you are to see me dissect a television episode.\n\nI’m not sure what it’s going to become, either.\n\nI know this is my place on the internet to do what I wish. I know that I’ve got lots of ideas. I know that there are other things I’m writing and working on that aren’t even related to it.\n\nLife is a lot messier than fiction. Not everything you plant pays off later.\n\nBut I care deeply about storytelling. And I care deeply about putting these ideas out there. I want to make sure I don’t leave that behind as I head toward whatever happens to come next.\n\nI’ll leave the last words to Leslie Knope:\n\n“Well, um, I can assure you people in the bleachers that, if you follow my campaign, it will be interesting.”\n\n\nStranger Things. Visual Echoes. Missing Pieces.\n\nNOTE: I finally finished Stranger Things 2, and there are some light spoilers in this post. This warning is here in case you’re late to the party like me.\n\nBut like the saying goes: If you’re going to be late to the party, make sure you bring some good guacamole.\n\nSpoilers beyond this point.\n\nAt the end of Stranger Things 2, the main characters get to take a brief victory lap at the school’s Snow Ball dance. There’s one dance floor pairing that stands out: Nancy and Dustin.\n\nThere’s plenty that could be said about the relationship between Nancy and Steve, and how Dustin is now trying to emulate Steve, but I’m not interested in that aspect. ¯_(ツ)_/¯\n\nInstead, let’s look at two moments, one from season 1, and one from moments before this dance, and what connects them.\n\n\nNancy and Dustin Dancing\n\nSo much of Stranger Things 2 is about the past bleeding into the present, worming its way back and refusing to be forgotten.\n\nNancy starts out Stranger Things 2 dealing with the guilt of Barb’s death. It creeps up on her at odd times. She can’t escape Barb’s memory.\n\nNancy Hears Barb's Voice. Caption: Nancy, this isn't you.\n\nNancy sent Barb away so she could be alone with Steve, leaving Barb vulnerable to an attack from the Demogorgon.\n\nNancy could have no idea she was sending Barb to her death, but she carries the weight of being one of the few people in Hawkins who know the full story. Her knowledge and guilt separate her from most of the rest of the town, leaving her conflicted and angry.\n\nNancy Says Everyone Forgot Barb\n\nBut let’s go back further, to before Nancy knew definitively what happened to Barb. Back in season one, Nancy caught a glimpse of the last moment anyone saw Barb before she was pulled into the Upside Down.\n\nMCU Nancy Sees Photos of Barb\n\nCU Jonathan's Photos of Barb\n\nPOV MS Nancy Poolside Through Jonathan's Camera\n\nThrough Jonathan’s pictures, Nancy sees Barb’s sadness and isolation. This was Nancy’s fault. Nancy brought Barb to a place she didn’t want to go, then ditched her to canoodle with Jean-Ralphio’s dad. (This is canon.)\n\nThe memory of this image matches up with what Nancy sees when she looks at Dustin after he’s been rejected by the girls at the dance.\n\nMCU Nancy Looks at Dustin.png\n\nMCU Dustin Cries at Snow Ball Match Shot.png\n\nMCU Barb Poolside Match Shot.png\n\nYes, when she brings Dustin on to the dance floor, she’s trying to make him feel better. She knows what they’ve all been through (twice now). But this is just as much about her trying to deal with her guilt over Barb.\n\nSeeing another friend having that same moment of isolation, she chooses to reach out instead pushing them away.\n\nAnd the show, using the positioning of the actors and framing within the camera, as well as Nancy’s gaze, tells us these moments are all connected.\n\nThere’s no Justice for Barb. Not really. And Nancy can’t directly make reparations for the harm she’s caused others through her indifference to her friend.\n\nThe show deals with trauma as an absence. A lack. Like a missing puzzle piece that keeps you from seeing the whole image.\n\nBut there’s no bringing Barb back. No finding the missing piece. The best that Nancy can hope for is a substitution.\n\nWhat Nancy wanted, at the start of the season, was a way to make amends for letting Barb go of alone and get killed by the Demogorgon. What she needed was to learn to have more honest connections with the people around her. To bring people in instead of pushing everyone away.\n\nAnd it doesn’t just go for Nancy. The whole cast of characters, from Eleven, to Joyce, to Hopper, are all cobbling together a new whole, pooling together the pieces they each have left.\n\n\nCutting with The Muppets\n\nWe ran into a problem while rehearsing for the table read of Ladies and Gentlemen, Miss Ida Walker: The read-through ran longer than the block of studio time we had reserved for the recording.\n\nThe traditional rule estimates that one screenplay page equals one minute of screen time. Whether or not you believe that measurement, you can chuck the ratio out the window when someone needs to read the action and description lines out loud.\n\nI needed to make cuts, and there was one more restriction. These had to be straight cuts: No additions or substitutions.\n\n(I was trying to be mindful of school resources since I’d already printed copies of the scripts for the actors once.)\n\nAs I sat down with a pencil and a copy of the script, I lost some of my nerve. The revision I did before handing the script over to actors already cut a number of pages. How was I supposed to know what else to trim?\n\nThat’s when my daughter’s obsession with The Muppets helped me get over my uncertainty.\n\nNearly every time we get into the car, she asks “Can we listen to the Muppet music?” I grew up on the Muppets, and all things Jim Henson, so I’m totally fine indulging her obsession.\n\nThe film’s soundtrack includes an extended cut of the villainous Tex Richman’s rap “Let’s Talk About Me,” where he explains how rich, powerful, and awesome he is to the Muppets.\n\nIt’s great. Academy Award Winner Chris Cooper chews the scenery so hard, you want to offer him a Tums. You should listen to it.\n\nThe difference with the film version? The soundtrack cut features an operatic bridge:\n\nI recall a heartbreaking story\nAbout my own tenth birthday party\nShould’ve been a glorious day for me\nI’d have been happy as can be\nBut the Muppets were there\nTo put on a show\nThey started to dance\nThey were telling their jokes\nI didn’t laugh\nI didn’t know how\nThen my friends\nThey all turned around\nAnd they laughed at me\nThey laughed at me\nI hate you, Muppets so\n\nIt provides an explanation for why the character needs to say “Maniacal laugh” to his henchmen instead of laughing himself. It gives a motivation for why he buys the Muppet Studio. It informs why he’s so cruel to the Muppets. And it sets up the joke at the end of the movie where Gonzo hits him with a bowling ball and he learns how to laugh.\n\nSeems necessary, right?\n\nBut without that verse, we can still understand why he buys the studio (he wants to drill for oil), and why he’s cruel to the Muppets (he’s an evil oil barron that wants to drill for oil).\n\nThe inability to laugh is funny even without an explanation, and the repeated action itself sets up the joke for when a comical concussion knocks some laughter into him.\n\nEverything doesn’t need to be explained in full.\n\nHumans are narrative-making creatures. We try to fill in the gaps and find sense in events. Allowing for small omissions understands this feature of human thinking and respects the audience.\n\nEverybody writes Tex Bridges.\n\nYou don’t trust that people will understand a strange choice you made. You worry that something will cause your reader or audience to bump, so you try to solve a problem that hasn’t happened yet. You love the backstory you’ve come up with for a character and think everybody else will love it, too.\n\nThere’s nothing wrong with writing a Tex Bridge, but there’s also nothing wrong with cutting it and trusting your narrative momentum.\n\nSo I thought about Tex Richman, and looked for the places in my script that felt like that bridge: Places that might be entertaining, but over-explained something that the audience could infer from everything else.\n\nIn Praise of Bash\n\nA closer look at a supporting player in GLOW\n\nThe Netflix cast and production team of the series GLOW have created some layered, dimensional characters with efficiency and humor. The show’s deep bench gives every cast member at least one moment in the spotlight over the first season’s ten episodes.\n\nFor the moment, I want to single out Bash, played by Chris Lowell.\n\nWhy Bash?\n\nLooking At NEON.png\n\nIs it missing the point when talking about a show focused on women’s wrestling with so many standout female performances to turn my attention to one of the male leads?\n\nMaybe. But this isn’t just about him.\n\nIn fact, that’s the point I want to make about Bash’s character: This story isn’t about him.\n\nHe says that Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling is his idea, and he maintains that he wants to make sure the execution matches his initial premise.\n\nGorgeous Ladies PAUSE Wrestling.png\n\nWith the plot elements involved, this could easily have been Bash’s story: The highs and lows of a trust-fund goofball who finds purpose by putting aside his selfish antics and maturing as he builds a tv show.\n\nBut that’s not this show’s story.\n\nBash is a supporting member of the cast, not only by the entertainment awards definition, but in how supportive he is of the other characters.\n\nLike Max in Fury Road or Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman, Bash is an example of how to depict a man being supportive of a woman or group of women. He’s another reminder that gender dynamics in storytelling aren’t a zero sum game.\n\nThe Heel-Face Turn\n\nPatron Of The Arts.png\n\nWhen we first meet Sebastian “Bash” Howard, he’s doing all the things that would lead us to believe he’s going to be an antagonist or obstacle in the vein of a classic 80s villain.\n\n  • He showed up in a helicopter, suggesting he’s totally out of touch with the other characters who are desperate for work.\n  • He’s telling a personal anecdote about Ronald Reagan, further aligning himself with conservative, monied interests in a series focusing on a diverse group of underdogs.\n  • He interrupts his introduction to ask that he be called by a nickname that he probably gave to himself.\n  • He cancels rehearsal to invite everyone to a party at his mansion, which features an actual Lichtenstein and a working robot with a secret drug compartment.\n\nIt’s a clever ploy to play off of the audience’s expectations based on both Bash’s behavior and our genre savvy. This makes his sudden turn that much more satisfying.\n\nWhat Bash Does for the Athletes\n\nAt the rehearsal, Bash listened to the women read through a script written by the director, Sam Sylvia, that featured a post-apocalyptic setting and roving gangs of women fighting for the right to breed with the last surviving man on Earth. The read-through goes unenthusiastically as the performers grapple with a thin sci-fi narrative held together by Sam’s sexual fantasies.\n\nBash confronts Sam about this, saying that when he asked for a different kind of wrestling show, this isn’t what he had in mind:\n\nMs Pac Man.png\n\nBash invites the women up to his costume room and tells them to explore it and try things on.\n\nInspire Your Characters.png\n\nBash is inviting these women to take an active role in the construction of the narrative they’re going to play out. He talks about Sam’s script being too complicated, and he wants to see something still heightened and fantastic, but grounded in some aspect of the women themselves.\n\nLet me be clear: Bash is not doing this just because he has a desire to empower these athletes. His suggestions involve leveraging regressive stereotypes that he justifies by saying that they need to play to the viewpoint of the audience.\n\nWith Our Eyes.png\n\nThese Are Eyes.png\nBash wants to make sure you know what eyes are.\n\nEthnicities are shifted or amalgamated. Tammé, whose son goes to Stanford, gets re-christened as Welfare Queen. Everything is done to better label these women according to a generalized white, male gaze instead of Sam’s hyper-sexualized, exploitation film mindset.\n\nAnd this is where it gets more complicated.\n\nEarly in this sequence of scenes, Bash starts speaking with Carmen, who will eventually take on the character Machu Picchu. Sam has cast her as the villainous Ogress, but Bash takes one look at her and sees her smile. He knows she’s not right to play a heel, and helps her find an identity more suited to who she really is.\n\nAnd while so many of these wrestling aliases are created based on stereotypes, that initial spark kindles something in the women. A “So this is how you see me?” anger helps them find their enthusiasm for the entire project. It unlocks and directs a layer of rage and creativity.\n\nGoing off of this setup, one of the most memorable scenes of the entire season comes when Cherry and Tammé convince their tag team opponents to dress in Ku Klux Klan costumes. Cherry and Tammé are very aware of how their roles as Welfare Queen and Junk Chain have attached stereotypes that will play negatively to the audience. So they find a way to turn themselves into the heroes of the match.\n\nThey have a degree of control over the narrative, and they’re trying to leverage what they think the audience sees.\n\nAside from setting some key points about the world of wrestling and its expectations, Bash also has several direct interactions that support the wrestlers.\n\nIn working with Carmen throughout the season’s arc, he helps her to build her confidence and live up to the reputation her family’s wrestling dynasty.\n\nBash sits with Carmen in the parking lot while an EMT confirms that she’s had a panic attack after she runs from the ring at an early match. He recognizes how important this is to her, and wants to be supportive.\n\nWhen she starts to feel the fear again at a match being taped live for the pilot of their tv show, one of the things that helps her find her strength is Bash, acting as the ringside announcer, turning her anxiety into part of her character.\n\nPeruvian Fever.png\n\nAnd when she pulls through and wins her match, Bash is one of the primary focuses of the camera. His enthusiasm for her victory reminds us that he didn’t just invest money in this wrestling show, but that he truly wants to see these athletes succeed.\n\nSpeaking of money, at a key moment when Bash’s mother cuts him off, everything is in danger of falling apart. The team needs to find the money to secure a venue for their live taping of a pilot episode.\n\nBash finds a solution, but he can’t do it alone.\n\nBash brings the women to crash his mother’s fundraising event for Nancy Reagan’s Just Say No campaign. He pretends that they’re from an organization called Wrestlers Against Drugs, and interrupts his introductory toast of his mother to step aside and let the women tell improvised stories to the wealthy donors.\n\nThe key here is that Bash isn’t the one making the big speech to get the money and save the day. He’s offering these women the opportunity to succeed on their own merits. He creates space for them to succeed where he failed, and he trusts that they’re capable.\n\nAnd the women do not disappoint, coming up with stories of drug addiction and salvation through wrestling so compelling that the donations pile up, and even Bash’s mom sees that her son has partnered with some amazing women.\n\nWhat This Means to Bash\n\nBut Bash isn’t just some Yuppie Yoda, helping women find their inner power through the drama and athleticism of professional wrestling. He gets something out of all this, too.\n\nThere’s this one scene near the end, and it’s why I focused so much on Bash after this first viewing of the show.\n\nAs everything comes together at the last minute, Ruth tells Bash that he needs to act as their announcer for the live taping of their matches. Bash says he was born for this:\n\nBrought My Tuxedo.png\n\nWhile everyone’s getting ready for their on-camera debut in the ring, Bash gets a quiet moment while he prepares.\n\nBash Mirror 1.pngBash Mirror 2.pngBash Mirror 3.png\n\nBash Mirror 4.png\n\nBash has spent a lot of time before this point helping other characters find strength and express themselves. We’re shown this one moment that shows him stepping in to character.\n\nIt’s a suggestion that Bash, too, feels that the spectacle allows him to re-craft his identity; to tap into something inside himself that normally stayed buried.\n\nHow To Show Support\n\nGLOW is a show mainly populated by women, but unlike Sam’s script, there’s not a lack of men involved. Along with the recurring characters of Sam and Bash, several other men play a role in the story.\n\nWhen characters are dimensional, treated with respect and dignity, and given solid, selfish motivations, there’s room for everyone.\n\nBash is an example of a well written ally. He’s imperfect, and his faults and mistakes provide conflict for the story. But his desire to help others comes from an expressed and understood need to fulfill his own goal.\n\nThat’s a key to strong supporting characters: They don’t know they’re a sidekick. Somehow their actions supporting the protagonist(s) should fulfill whatever desire drives them in the version of the story where they’re the lead.\n\nThe opening scene of the series features Ruth on an audition for the role of a secretary who interrupts her boss in the middle of a dramatic monologue to say his wife is on the phone. It’s making a point about the dearth of good roles available to women, and does so by highlighting an audition for a minor supporting character.\n\nIt highlights not only why Ruth and the other women of GLOW would latch on to the opportunity to take charge of their stories and shape this wrestling program to give themselves an opportunity to shine, and it also highlights what happens when writers create characters who act as punctuation.\n\nSomebody has to come read for the role of the Nameless Interrupting Secretary. Somebody has to hope that they’ll get that three line part, because they’ve got rent to pay. Somebody spent years training themselves and honing their craft to prepare themselves to be on camera.\n\nDoes it honor that person’s effort to give them so little to do?\n\nDoes it show respect to the people who actually inhabit these positions in real life to depict them as functions of someone else’s story?\n\nThe story as a whole is richer from making sure every role feels lived in. Every person feels true, and not just a plot device.\n\nNew Words, New Perspective\n\nWhen something appears more than once in a story, be it an object, a dramatic situation, or a line of dialogue, you take notice. Repetition cues the audience to pay attention.\n\nIn Disney’s Moana, the title character has a repeated line of dialogue used in different contexts:\n\n\nThe Words Themselves\n\nLet’s break it apart and look at the construction.\n\nThe first sentence makes a declarative statement of identity, saying her individual name and where she comes from. Because of how closely her people identify with Motunui, saying she is “of Motunui” stands both for the location and the people who live there.\n\nThe second sentence gives a directive to the listener, outlining the journey ahead and clearly stating the actions that will lead to Moana’s goal.\n\nNotice how the sentence structure creates not only a sense that there are numerous steps, but lays out three stages that fit into a rough outline of the three-act structure of the movie.\n\n  1. “board my boat” – Crossing a threshold into a new world. For Moana, it’s the new world of the open ocean. In the case of Maui, crossing a threshold into the new role of becoming a mentor and ally to Moana (it’s her boat).\n  2. “sail across the sea” – The majority of the film’s second act takes place at sea, moving from place to place. Note the use of the word sail. The second act also focuses on instilling in Moana the tools she needs to navigate on the open ocean.\n  3. “restore the heart of Te Fiti” – The ultimate goal of the story. Returning Te Fiti’s heart will restore health to the natural world.\n\nPut these together and you have a line of dialogue that fuses a clear statement of identity with a preview of the journey ahead.\n\nIntroducing the Words\n\nMoana’s Gramma Tala gives her these words as her mission when she sends Moana off the island to find Maui. Tala specifically says to repeat those words after grabbing Maui by the ear to make him listen to her.\n\nC’mon, Moana. You’re a Disney protagonist. Did you really think you’d finish this story with your mom and dad AND grandmother all surviving?\nBy receiving these words from Tala, it roots the message in a connection to her family. While she must travel without them, carrying the words with her brings her family along in spirit.\n\nSetting up this mission statement as a task to deliver to Maui suggests to Moana that she can’t make this journey alone. She’ll need help and guidance. Tala knows sending Moana straight to Te Fiti on her own would be a reckless suggestion for an untrained sailor.\n\nPhrasing the entire scope of the quest as a single task, making it seem like only the next action she should take, breaks down a big adventure into smaller, attainable goals.\n\nAlso, having seen Gramma Tala tell the story of Maui stealing the heart of Te Fiti, we know she’s aware that directing these words at Maui offer him a chance at redemption. Presented with the opportunity to correct a misdeed, he may see the value in joining the quest.\n\nThe First (Several) Repetitions\n\nAfter Moana crosses beyond the reef surrounding her island and enters the open ocean, she repeats the words to herself.\n\nDuring the quick cuts of this sequence, Moana faces her first few modest trials: Keeping her bearings, keeping awake, and keeping control of her boat.\n\nThe repetitions reinforce that her desire to accomplish her goal is stronger than her limitations as a sailor or the obstacles she initially encounters.\n\nShe’s also using this time to rehearse the words for when she meets Maui. Showing the act of rehearsing helps the audience remember the exact phrase, and prepares us for when things don’t go as planned.\n\nDelivering the Words to Maui\n\nWhen she reaches Maui’s island, after her boat crashes on shore, her initial introduction to Maui is intimidating and confusing.\n\nHe reveals himself by lifting her boat over his head and startling her. She’s getting off on a bad foot, and Maui keeps the power dynamic in his favor, blocking and stalling her prepared statement.\n\nMoana: Maui, shapeshifter, demigod of the wind and sea, I am Moana —\n\nMaui: Hero of men.\n\nMoana: What?\n\nMaui: It’s actually Maui, shapeshifter, demigod of the wind and sea, hero of men. I interrupted. From the top! Hero of men. Go.\n\nMoana: I am Moana —\n\nMaui: Sorry sorry sorry. And women. Men and women. Both. All! Not a guy/girl thing. Maui is a hero to all. You’re doing great.\n\nInstead of listening to her and responding to her directive, he interrupts repeatedly, trying to reinforce his talking points about himself.\n\nWhen Moana finally takes control of the conversation, grabs him by the ear, and delivers the words with their full force, he’s taken aback.\n\nMaui thought he was everybody’s hero, and she’s telling him that he needs to atone for stealing the heart of Te Fiti.\n\nSo he reacts to this new perspective in the way that seems most natural and appropriate to him: Distracting Moana with a song about himself and stealing her boat.\n\nI don’t know what we did to deserve a collaboration between Alexander Hamilton and The Rock, but it exists and we are better for it.\nMoana has arrived at her destination and delivered the message, but she hasn’t yet proven to Maui why he should listen to that message. She’s a stranger, and he hasn’t learned why it’s important that she’s Moana of Motunui.\n\nOnce More With Feeling\n\nAfter escaping from the cave that Maui locked her in and getting back to the boat (with an assist from the Ocean), Moana tries to repeat the words again.\n\nMaui interrupts her by throwing her back off the boat. When that doesn’t work, he tries to swim away (only to have the Ocean carry him back.\n\nRealizing that the Ocean wants to keep these two together and won’t take no for an answer, Maui makes the decision to listen to the words Moana’s brought for him. Her actions and determination shift the balance of power in their conversation.\n\nMaui re-starts the phrase for her and allows her to finish. As he joins in the repetition of the mission statement, Maui reluctantly agrees to the journey.\n\nThe Words Lose Their Power\n\nThe mission statement doesn’t make another appearance until the point where it appears that all is lost.\n\nAfter an attempt to reach Te Fiti ends with Te Ka damaging both Maui’s fish hook and Moana’s boat, Maui loses faith in their ability to complete their journey.\n\nMaui prepares to leave, preferring to protect his damaged fish hook and its magical powers than help Moana make another attempt to get past Te Ka and return the heart. Moana repeats her initial imperative to Maui. She tries to remind him of the mission so that he won’t abandon her.\n\nBut her delivery is weakened by fear and desperation. It lacks the fire it had before when it was a driving force.\n\nThe words that her mentor figure gave to her feel spent. They’ve carried her as far as they can.\n\nTo convince Moana to change her perspective, she must feel the failure of her old perspective. To prepare the audience for the coming transformation of these words, they must see that the old words are ready to be discarded.\n\nChanging the Words\n\nIn comes the spirit of Gramma Tala, appearing to Moana and coaxing her into the realization that even without Maui, all hope isn’t lost. And here’s where Moana flips the script (emphasis mine):\n\n“I am Moana of Motunui. Aboard my boat, I will sail across the sea and restore the heart of Te Fiti.”\n\nChanging a few words changes the entire meaning of the line. This is no longer an imperative directed toward Maui. It’s a declarative statement of identity and purpose.\n\nAnd it’s not just words, but actions that reinforce the shift in perspective. As she says the new variation on these words, the audience sees her repair her boat and prepare to make another run at Te Ka alone, relying on her newly acquired skills and her belief in herself.\n\nI came here to wreck lava monsters and chew bubble gum, and I’m all out of gum.\nWe see the change as we hear the changed words.\n\nArc Words\n\nArc words are repeated phrases spaced out at key points in a story that show how a theme relates to the external actions and internal, psychological and emotional, changes within a character.\n\nThe words stay mostly the same so that the audience can see how different contexts, deliveries, or slight alterations of the text reveal changes in the characters speaking these words.\n\nBut these can’t be small changes. A character change worthy of this much repetition and focus needs to be deeply wedded to an essential philosophical payload in the story.\n\nThe Words Carry the Theme\n\nThe transformation Moana makes with these arc words plays into the larger theme of the film: Know Who You Are.\n\n  • Moana’s father, Chief Tui, makes a point about how the island of Motunui is Moana’s identity, and that the repetition of daily life defines who the people on this island are.\n  • Gramma Tala repeats to Moana that the people on Motunui have forgotten who they are: They were not meant to settle on one island. They are descended from voyagers.\n  • Maui defines himself by the tattoos showing off his previous bold actions, but also repeatedly says that he’s nothing without his magical fish hook. This drives his actions throughout.\n  • Te Fiti forgets who she was after the theft of her heart. This turned her into the antagonist Te Ka, and it was only when Moana recognized Te Ka’s true self that she was able to end the conflict.\n  • Even the antagonist Tamatoa sings a song about identity. “Shiny” is all about creating an external image, and how it doesn’t matter what’s on the inside (the counterpoint to Moana’s journey and the message of Gramma Tala)\n\nMoana was once a child, being pushed toward action by the opposing forces of her father and Gramma Tala. When she left Motunui, it was initially to give in to that external push from Gramma Tala, and her agreement with Tala’s opinion of the best way to save the people of Motunui from their island’s blight.\n\nMoana’s repetition of the words Gramma Tala spoke to her show how that motivation still carries her forward as she learns new skills and conquers her fears on the quest to restore balance to the world.\n\nHowever, it’s not until she puts these skills to the test and decides to rely on herself that she’s able to succeed and complete her journey.\n\nShe needs to make a clear statement about who she believes she is, and not just reflect back one of her mentor’s viewpoints.\n\nAnd the audience recognizes this when the familiar words change.\n\nGodzilla, Godzilla, And My Dad\n\nWhen I was young, my dad introduced me to a lot of older sci-fi and horror movies. Films like Frankenstein, Godzilla, and Them! Being the little guy I was, some things scared me. Giant bugs, for example, we’re particularly freaky for me.\n\nAnd that’s when these movies became a teachable moment.\n\nMy dad would talk to me about what the people making the movies were afraid of. In these three examples, there is the common undertone of the fear of science gone out of control; of the consequences of man trying to play God and master the forces of the natural world. This changed how I looked at stories, even from that early age.\n\nAnd that’s how I approached the new Godzilla. Sure, I went to a screening on the biggest screen I could find and sat almost uncomfortably close (because I’m not a complete unfeeling, analytical film droid. I like explosions.), but I also knew that the original Godzilla has a special place in my film-loving heart. It’s allegory about the perils of the nuclear age and the terrible responsibilities of those who pursue scientific knowledge was part of the Rosetta Stone of my movie-going life.\n\nAs the credits rolled, I sat for a moment and thought about what was beneath the surface of this movie. If the original was about the awesome fear of annihilation by our own hand, what was this new vision representative of?\n\nI thought about the shots comparing the scale of objects, and toying with the audience’s perceptions. A roach climbing over a toy tank. Ford holding a small action figure of a soldier that kinda, sorta resembles him. A close up shot of a lizard, followed by soldiers moving behind it, towering over it. And then comparing these moments to the shots of humans the size of pinpoints being washed away by tidal waves, or smashed or dropped from great heights. Or the shots from a human point of view showing pieces of the mammoth beasts, obscuring their full size because they’re just too big to be taken in at once.\n\nAnd I thought about the moments where the creatures seem to directly interact with the humans. There are few. These aren’t monsters maliciously stomping on buildings or eating people. We’re not even important enough to be their food source (they prefer radiation). There are a few moments when Godzilla himself seems to make eye contact with a human, but it’s implied by all the previous moments that it’s not really contact, but maybe a form of curiosity. The way that a human might look at a small bird, or try to understand the actions of a swarm of insects.\n\nWe are not the biggest force in our ecosystem. We, too, are small.\n\nThe movie further reinforces this idea with the actual actions of the humans, and how any action they take only makes things worse. Humans accidentally excavated the MUTO creatures from their dormant hiding place underground. Humans created the nuclear resources that give the MUTO a food supply that was no longer a natural part of the ecosystem. Humans moved a MUTO cocoon to a site of nuclear waste disposal, setting up more carnage when what was in that cocoon awakened. Humans attempted to set up a nuclear warhead to destroy the creatures, but in doing so accidentally created a situation where they needed to deactivate that same warhead when the creatures took it to use as an incubator for their young.\n\nWe are small. Our actions are insignificant to these larger creatures. We are hopeless against them and must trust that they will strike a balance that doesn’t destroy us in the process.\n\nAt this point, my mind shifted to Pacific Rim, another movie in the kaiju tradition. While there is a moment in the opening narration of this movie that seems to mimic Godzilla (2014), where humans need to use multiple nuclear weapons to bring down a single kaiju monster, the movie quickly diverges to a more optimistic message.\n\nTogether we are strong. Together, we can become as big and strong as the challenges we face and topple them. The movie reinforces this theme time and again, from requiring a team of pilots in each towering jaeger robot to highlighting the way that isolationist strategies (like the building of defensive walls) are inadequate.\n\nThere are other important differences (for example, the kaiju of Pacific Rim are intentionally malicious towards humans and are sent by an invading force as exterminators), but this difference in underlying theme and dramatic purpose is what I kept thinking about. Pacific Rim was about characters learning to work together and sacrifice together in order to protect humanity as a whole. Godzilla (2014) is about humanity realizing it is at the mercy of forces out of its control, and our best option may be to move to Kansas.\n\nAnd then I think about Dr. Serizawa from the original Godzilla, and how he not only makes the Oxygen Destroyer weapon that ultimately kills Godzilla, but how he sacrifices himself in triggering the weapon to make sure that the secret of his powerful weapon dies with him. It supports the theme of the film that scientific progress can produce things of benefit, but that they can also be used for terrible purposes. The Oxygen Destroyer stops a rampaging monster, but it could have been used to cause even more devastation than the monster itself.\n\nTake this a step further: In the American dubbing, Godzilla, King of the Monsters, the suggestion is that Dr. Serizawa dies with the weapon so that it doesn’t fall into “the wrong hands.” In the original, there are no right hands for a weapon of this power, and Dr. Serizawa believes it is too great a power to be wielded by any human. For an American audience, already entrenched in a Cold War and aware that it recently deployed the fearful atomic weapons that spawned Godzilla, this change shifts the theme to a have your cake and eat it to philosophy that man can create great and terrible weapons that should not exist, but if they do exist, let’s all agree that we know who should wield them.\n\nPutting it all together, this new Godzilla is all about feeling small, weak, and powerless in the face of something ancient and unexplainable. Something natural. Something with as much interest in us as a hurricane or an earthquake does. And there’s nothing we can do about it but surrender.\n\nExcept for one thing.\n\nFord Brody: Indestructible Action Figure\n\nThis new Godzilla owes several things to the American dubbing of the original. For one, there’s an American point of view character who just happens to be present for every important moment. In Godzilla, King of the Monsters! this was done by filming new scenes with Raymond Burr and having lots of shots of him looking at things or having an interpreter explain things to him. It’s a clumsy device, but it helped to ground the story for an American audience that distributors thought would be averse to subtitles.\n\nGodzilla (2014) is less clumsy in how it motivates the reasons why Ford is always in the center of the action. He’s at the site of the first monster event because his father lead him there. The second event happens midway between home and Japan, following the path of the monsters. And finally, he volunteers for a mission to try and stop the monsters because it’s the only way to quickly get back to his wife and son. So far, so good.\n\nBut in order to balance his ability to act as the audience’s point of identification while also keeping his story engaging, the film puts him in life threatening danger at regular intervals. And he always walks away. After being almost thrown from a train, knocked off a suspension bridge, and being thrown forward by a gas explosion, he winds up with a single crutch and a few scrapes and bruises that fail to suggest that he spent the last 48 hours in a constant struggle for his life.\n\nBecause he needs to end the movie kissing the also lightly scraped and mussed Elle Brody, and everybody should look Apocalypse Pretty for that moment… But that’s another train of thought.\n\nBy making Ford so indestructible, the movie undercuts it’s own message. “Humanity needs to reconsider its place in the food chain, except for this guy.”\n\nAnd expand on this to look at a recurring image throughout the movie: families separating and reuniting. If the movie focuses on a family being separated, that family makes it out OK in the end. Every time.\n\n“Humanity needs to reconsider its place in the food chain, except for this one guy… And his family… And any other family we focus on.”\n\nThe movie creates a sense that some people are safe by virtue of them having loved ones they are separated from. It undercuts its sense of fear and chaos by suggesting an ordered world that dulls the audience’s sense of pain.\n\nCompare this to Pacific Rim, where not only do characters die, but characters we care about. Their death, and willingness to face it, helps define them. Or the original Godzilla, where time is spent focusing on a woman and her children about to be crushed by the terrible beast.\n\nThe woman gathers her children to her and tells them not to be afraid, because they’ll soon be with their father. And we weep for them, because in that one moment we identify with them. Their death has meaning because it touches us. The film focuses on them not to make us feel safe and comforted, but to advance the film’s theme about the horrors of the forces humanity has unleashed, and the human toll.\n\nThere are no such moments in the new Godzilla. Humans are either viewed from afar like ants under a boot or focused on so we can feel their relief at having survived.\n\nThere’s another thing I learned about watching movies with my dad: skepticism with humor. We were our own Mystery Science Theater for plenty of movies in his collection of 50s and 60s sci-fi movies. A lot of it focused on the rickety and obvious craftsmanship of those movies. Spotting the wires. Recognizing a costume from another movie. Pointing out where you could see the breaks in the illusion.\n\nThat had an influence on me, too, but not as quickly. It kept me always thinking about how these are created stories. They don’t just happen. Everything that happens is a choice, successful or otherwise.\n\nMaybe now I snark a little less while watching the movie. A little. But a lot of how I learned to watch movies comes from those days spent on the couch with my dad and his VHS collection.\n\nSo when I sit down to watch Godzilla, I think about watching those other movies with him. And I think about how in the near future I’m going to have somebody new to the world to share these things with. I doubt I’ll make them sit through Robot Monster 3D, but at some point they’ll meet Godzilla. And maybe their dad will calm their fears by telling them about why these monsters on the screen exist.\n\nIt’s because the people making these movies are scared, too. But we can be a little less scared if we know we’re not alone in our fear.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6477793455123901}
{"content": "Body Conditioning\n\nThe world of aesthetics and anti-aging is just as big as the world of medicine. Inspiring a great many stories and initiatives, the search for eternal beauty continues to interest scientists.\nLooking in the mirror and feeling good about yourself is not solely dependent on your weight, muscle tone, or skin hydration. Feeling good comprises how you perceive your body as a whole.\nIn its body conditioning and anti-aging work, WINTECARE has adopted an integrated approach not dissimilar to its medical work, helping patients improve how they perceive themselves by examining and acting on several of the body’s systems in unison. Considering the patient’s starting point, and helping them design how they would like to look, the professional puts together strategic programs targeting the circulatory and neuro-muscular systems such as to help the person perceive themselves in the way they would like in the shortest time possible.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9974532127380371}
{"content": "The elements of a professional negligence claim\n\nIn recent times there has been a significant upsurge in the number of people bringing forth professional negligence claims. This has been occasioned by the rise of the number of individuals that solely rely on the advice and skills of a professional. In a nutshell. Professional negligence is the breach of an ethical duty of care that exists between a professional and his client. In such a claim the client seeks compensation from the defendant to cover the damages and losses suffered as a result of those negligent actions. Accountants, Lawyers, Surveyors, Architects, and Doctors are some of the common professions that are subject to professional negligence suits. These claims are further based on the presumption that any individual who professes expertise in a particular profession is adequately trained and qualified to discharge the relevant functions thereto. Failure to discharge such functions judiciously is prima facie evidence of the breach of the duty of care.\n\nHowever, it is important to differentiate a claim for negligence and poor services by a professional. Bad advice and poor service delivery do not necessarily meet the requirements/threshold required to prove a claim of professional negligence. In this regard, the threshold set for ascertaining such a claim is somewhat difficult to attain and therefore you need an experienced attorney to guarantee adequate compensation.\n\nDuty of care\n\nWhat gives rise to a duty of care? The contractual relationship between a professional and his client gives rise to a duty of care. A professional has an ethical and fiduciary obligation to be mindful and diligent in the performance of his responsibilities to the client. However, the relationship need not be contractual because it can arise in any line of business. In such a case the test of a reasonable man is applied to determine actions that amount to neglect.\n\nBreach of duty\n\nAfter establishing the existence of a duty of care it is thereafter required to show that the professional acted unreasonably towards his client. Hereby, the plaintiff is required to substantiate the actual breach based on the actions of the defendant. For example, breach of duty occurs when a doctor prescribes wrong medication to a patient who is later hospitalized.\n\n\nThese elements stipulate that one must show the injuries resulting from the unreasonable actions of the defendant. Further, a party must show that he suffered a pecuniary loss as a result of the injuries caused. Ascertainment of this element requires the provision of documents like receipts as evidence.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.999806821346283}
{"content": "\n\n\n\n\n    Change Requested: \n    Change Envisioned : \n    A vetted comparison of costs & timelines for defined set of program requirements so that organization can choose and implement a solution confidently.\n    Change Delivered: \n    A custom regulatory compliance solution, timely implemented & within budget, that meets the organization’s regulatory compliance program requirements.\n\n\n    These were questions a new chief compliance officer (CCO) grappled with as he began his new job at a global financial services organization that provides an online payments system and serves as an electronic alternative to paper currency. The CCO’s first task at his new company: implement a regulatory compliance program supported by a technology solution within a very aggressive timeline.\n\n\n    Dare to Compare\n\n    With misgivings about the existing technology solution and more questions than answers, the CCO turned to Protiviti for a detailed cost and functionality comparison. At his former organization, the CCO had worked with Protiviti on the design and implementation of a custom regulatory compliance solution based on Microsoft SharePoint. Drawing on that experience, he engaged the Protiviti GRC Tech Advisory team to answer the following questions:\n\n    • If so, what would be the costs, timing and required customizations?\n\n    The company’s technology team worked with Protiviti to set up a test site that allowed the Protiviti team to mock up the requirements and identify potential gaps. Protiviti then worked with the GRC technology vendor to validate the gaps and understand if they could be addressed with customizations, as well as determine the timing and cost of the required changes.\n\n    Project Results\n\n    The detailed mock-up of the regulatory compliance requirements within the existing GRC technology test site provided the CCO and his team with a hands-on understanding of the tool’s capability gaps. The test also helped determine the project scope and the costs of obtaining the required customizations from the vendor, and identified the challenges likely to affect the required timeframe.\n\n\n\n    While off-the-shelf GRC solutions offer a lot of functionality and can meet the compliance needs for many organizations, for this particular client, with its unique business model and compliance requirements, a customized solution proved to be the right answer. Whether a company buys or builds a GRC solution, a detailed comparison is the logical first step that can ensure the company can make the right decision with confidence.\n\n\n\n\n    Scott Wisniewski\n    [email protected]\n\n    Scott Wisniewski\n    Scott Wisniewski\n    Managing Director", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9341808557510376}
{"content": "Former teacher calls for valuable art to be returned for pupils\n\nAn extraordinary dispute over three valuable paintings given to a state school by an influential British artist and then confiscated by a London local authority has led to fresh calls for the works to be returned for the schoolchildren.\n\nThe three paintings, two still-lifes and a portrait of a cat, are by the late Mary Fedden, the first woman tutor at the Royal College of Art’s painting school. They were taken seven years ago by Brent council during a wider financial scandal that threatened the future of Copland community school in Wembley.\n\nThis weekend the council confirmed that the paintings, thought to be worth between £20,000 and £40,000 each, had been handed over to dealers at the leading West End gallery handling Fedden’s work, despite the claim that the artist originally gave the paintings to the school in 2009 to hang in a new art room that was to be named after her.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.979261040687561}
{"content": "Posts Tagged ‘Trump grammar mistakes’\n\nAll Well and Good\n\nGood and Well\n\nNot all Good\n\nAll well and good? Well, perhaps not all of President Trump’s tweets include good grammar, mechanics, spelling, and proper word choice, as evidenced by his take-down of the New York Times on the Sean Hannity show.\n\nIn fact, as an English teacher, I’ve written and recorded a few of his egregious mis-tweets and speech oopses in a funny YouTube video titled, “Word Crimes (Revisited).” The song is a spin-off of “Weird Al” Yankovic’s hilarious 2015 “Word Crimes,” found on the parody master’s Mandatory Fun album. Believe me, the president’s English teachers owe us quite an explanation.\n\nLet’s take a look at these two troublesome words, good and well, and provide some clarity about the meaning and usage of these oft-confused words.\n\nUnderstanding the roles of two parts of speech are helpful in this regard. The word, good, is an adjective; well is an adverb. Both of these parts of speech modify other parts of speech. Modify is an important academic language termwhich means “to define, identify, describe, to expand, or to limit.”\n\nTwo Parts of Speech\n\nTo review, an adjective modifies a noun with Which One, How Many, or What Kind. Examples: that bird, few students, dark chocolate\n\nNote that, in English, we place adjectives before nouns. Use of more than one adjective usually follows the Which One, How Many, or What Kind adjective order.\n\nAn adverb modifies an adjective, adverb, or verb with What Degree, How, Where, or When. Examples: less, carefully, there, later\n\nNote that, in English, we place adverbs in different places within sentences for emphasis. Use of more than one adverb usually follows the What Degree, How, Where, or When adverb order.\n\nPractice memorizing these parts of speech descriptions in the Parts of Speech Song.\n\nGood as an Adjective\n\nThe word, good, modifies a noun and answers what kind. Example: Ms. Samuels is a good teacher. Explanation: What kind of teacher is Ms. Samuels? A good one. Notice that good can also modify the pronoun, one.\n\nWell as an Adverb\n\nThe word, well, modifies an adjective or verb and answers how.\n\nExample #1 (modifying an adjective): The well-chosen lyrics fit the song perfectly. Explanation: “Chosen” is an adjective, answering what kind or, perhaps, which ones, and the adverb, “well,” answers how the lyrics were chosen.\n\nExample #2 (modifying a verb): The students speak well of their principal. Explanation: The students speak how about their principal? They speak well.\n\nGood and Well in Predicate Adjectives\n\nA predicate adjective follows a linking verb and refers back to a preceding noun to modify the noun. One type of linking verb is a “to be” verb: is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been. Example: The school librarians were helpful. Explanation: The predicate adjective, “helpful,” follows the linking verb, “were” and modifies the noun, “librarians.” Example: The school librarians were extremely helpful. Explanation: The adverb, “extremely,” modifies the linking verb, “were,” and is part of the predicate adjective phrase, “extremely helpful.”\n\nOther types of linking verbs use the five senses: look, sound, smell, feel, and taste. A few more linking verbs are used frequently: appear, seem, become, grow, turn, prove, and remain.\n\nWith these linking verbs, use good as a predicate adjective when stating a sensory action. Examples: Bob and Joanne look good; their voices sound good; they smell good; they feel good; and their desserts taste good.\n\nUse good as a predicate adjective when describing someone’s emotions.\n\nExamples: “The situation,” she explained, “did not seem good to me.”\n\n“I never felt good about it either,” added her friend.\n\nUse good as a predicate adjective when describing someone’s character. Examples: The woman is kind, good, and trustworthy.\n\nUse well as a predicate adjective when referring to health. Note that grammarians would still classify well as an adverb, serving as a predicate adjective.\n\nExamples: Suzanne asked,How are you, John?\n\n“I am well,” he replied.\n\n“You do look well,” she commented. “I feel well, too.”\n\nUse well to mean broadly or fully when it is listed first in a predicate adjective phrase. Note that no hyphen is used after the noun to which the predicate adjective phrase refers.\n\nExamples: The celebrity was well known and always well mannered with his adoring fans.\n\nGood and Well as Expletives\n\nExpletives are not just swear words. Expletives are extraneous words or phrases which are not part of the semantic (meaning) structure of a sentence. For example, “There” followed by a verb is usually an expletive, unless used to indicate where. Both good and well can serve as expletives. Examples: “Good. That’s what I want to hear,” he said. “Well, I mean that’s what I need to hear,” he clarified. Explanation: Both “Good” and “Well” add no meaning to the sentences.\n\nGood and Well as Nouns\n\nIn addition to their use as expletives, adjectives, and adverbs, both good and well can serve as common nouns. Philosophers have used good as a noun to mean “that which is valued.” Example: The wise always seek the ultimate good in others. To be charitable, perhaps President Trump was using good in this sense in some lines of his criticism of the news media (see graphic at beginning of article). Anyone living in a rural area will be familiar with a water well; Texans know all about oil wells; and the holes at the top of old school desks? Those are ink wells.\n\n\nTeaching Grammar and Mechanics Programs\n\nTeaching Grammar and Mechanics\n\n\n\n\nGet the “To Be” Verbs Posters FREE Resource:\n\n\nWord Crimes (Revisited)\n\n\"Word Crimes (Revisited)\" Video\n\n“Word Crimes (Revisited)”\n\nLet’s have a bit of fun at the president’s expense (and that of his English teachers). Check out a few of the more egregious examples of President Trump’s tweet and speech word crimes in this English teacher’s tongue-firmly-planted-in cheek lyrics and video spin-off of “Weird Al” Yankovic’s “Word Crimes,” found on his hilarious Mandatory Fun album.\n\nRemember, “We’re all role models: Kids are watchin’ and they’re listenin’.”\n\nFollowing are the lyrics, YouTube video link, and crass commercial plugs for Mark Pennington’s grammar, mechanics, spelling, and vocabulary programs. Suitable for both Democrats and Republicans. Special 10% discount for White House staffers: Enter discount code 3716 at check-out.\n\nCheck out the YouTube video: “Word Crimes (Revisited)\n\nWORD CRIMES (Revisited) © Mark Pennington 2018\n\nI’m an English teacher; I care about our GRAMMAR‒SPELLING, PUNCTUATION, and PRONUNCIATION matter.\n\nSo, when “Weird Al” Yankovic dropped his “WORD CRIMES,” I played it for my students, and we laughed a THOUSAND TIMES.\n\nBut since the election, we haven’t been the same; the kids are laughing at the PRESIDENT and he’s to blame\n\nfor those CHORUS\n\n\nagainst the English language.\n\n\nHe causes so much anguish;\n\n\nHigh crimes and misdemeanors;\n\n\nCan’t he get a Twitter screener?\n\n\nHis teachers couldn’t teach him;\n\n\nI think we should impeach him.\n\nHis Favorite Word is BIGLY\n\n\nHe thinks that something BIGGER is always something better; that’s why he starts his common nouns with CAPITAL LETTERS.\n\nHis favorite word is “bigly,” and he brags about his hands. No HYPHENATION, nor QUOTATION MARKS he understands.\n\nThe only BIG THING we know for sure is an ego so HUGE we can’t take anymore\n\nof those CHORUS\n\nHis pronunciation is nothing short of mangled; his usage and his word choice are twisted, forced, and tangled.\n\nHe mispronounces CHINA and always gets some laughs, but every speech he’s ever made is filled with countless gaffes.\n\nJust one word I’d like to hear from his tweet: Is it covĕfē or is it covēfe?\n\nIt’s those CHORUS\n\nTeachers, popstars, parents, politicians:\n\nWe’re all role models‒kids are watchin’ and they’re listenin’.\n\nThe only dumb mistake is one that is repeated\n\nSo, keep that in mind before you say it or you tweet it.\n\nHe says he has the power to pardon his own grammar. I think we ought to put his English teachers in the slammer.\n\nHe doesn’t know the difference between right or wrong: an adjective or adverb, a fragment or run-on.\n\nNow, I “Ain’t [sic] saying we never make mistakes (except the President of the United States)\n\nwith his CHORUS\n\n\"Word Crimes (Revisited)\" The Video\n\n“Word Crimes (Revisited)”\n\n\nThanks for listening. I’m Mark Pennington, ELA and reading intervention teacher-publisher and amateur songwriter. Check out my assessment-based grammar, mechanics, spelling, and vocabulary programs at Pennington Publishing. Let’s keep our kids from committing word crimes while we keep our sense of humor.\n\nNeed more of my songs? Check out “Quick Looks at Good Hooks” for a nice sampling of my repertoire.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9962124824523926}
{"content": "Creating A Good Term Paper Introduction: 5 Simple Rules\n\nIntroduction is a very important part of your term paper because it serves to engage readers to continue reading it. Also, it serves to introduce the main idea of the term paper. You have to take the term paper introduction seriously. There are several rules that you should bear in mind when writing an introduction. Read them carefully:\n\n  1. Content of the introduction\n  2. Your essay introduction should always contain the following:\n\n    • - Hook – Be specific when you write the introductory paragraph of your essay. This is a description, narration of a short dialogue or a story, in other words illustration to engage further the reader.\n    • - Transition – This is a sentence that is related to the hook and the thesis which comes after it.\n    • - Thesis sentence – The thesis is always at the end of the introductory paragraph and it summarizes the overall point of the essay.\n  3. Write the introduction at the end\n  4. Don’t worry if you are not able to write it when you start writing the essay. You can write your research paper introduction at the end, after you finish the whole paper and you know what to include there.\n\n  5. Include your main points\n  6. The introductory paragraph should introduce the reader to the topic, and that’s why you have to be careful and include all the main points that are mentioned in your term paper. However, do not reveal everything since it should be engaging for the reader.\n\n  7. Make the introduction interesting to read\n  8. In order to catch readers’ attention you have to create interesting introductory paragraph. You can make it more interesting in several ways:\n\n    • - Story – Think out of the box and open your essay paper with a short story that is of course related to the whole essay.\n    • - Specific details and statistics – Give specific details about the topic you are writing for, such as data analysis or research details to create visual picture of the paper.\n    • - Quotation – Analyzing a quotation that is related to your term paper topic is a good way to keep the reader interested in reading your essay.\n    • - Question – You can open the introduction of term paper with a question revealing the answer of that question further in the paper.\n  9. Keep the introductory paragraph short and concise\n  10. Do not go into any unnecessary points and statements in the introduction. Be as short and possible, avoid grammar mistakes and ensure the paragraph is concise and flows from one sentence to another.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9989429712295532}
{"content": "Patophysio 2017 final review\n\nalapaj's version from 2017-03-23 23:47\n\npulmonary quick review\n\nQuestion Answer\nasthmadenudation of airway epithelium, collagen deposition beneath the basement membrane, edema, mast cell activation, inflammation, bronchospasm\nacute bronchitisinflammation of trachea and bronchi. lots of mucus and loss of ciliary function\nchronic bronchitistype B COPD 'blue bloater', scarring, fibrosis hypertrophy and hyperplasia of glands, increased bronchial wall thickness\nemphysematype A COPD \"pink puffer' barrel chest, alveoli destruction, abnormal enlargement of distal air sacs\nbronchiectasis(rozstrzenie oskrzeli)recurrent inflammation of bronchial walls, dilation of bronchioles, purulent foul-smelling sputum\nbronchiolitisbronchiolar inflammation, mucosal swelling, increased mucus, bronchial muscle constriction\nCF (mucoviscidosis)autosomal recessive disorder of exocrine glands and mucus cells. Thick secretion ause airway obstruction, atelectasis and air trapping\nARDS characteristic abormalities1-injury to the alveoli, 2-changes in alveoli diameter, 3-injury to the pulmonary circulation, 4-disruption in oxygen transport and utilization\nARDS typical findingssevere hypoxemia due to shunting, decreased lung compliance, decrease in FRC, Diffuse, fluffy alveolar infiltrates on chest radiograph, non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema\nPE RFVirchow's triad ; venous stasis, hypercoagulability, intimal injury\npulmonary infarction definitiondeath, necrosis of lung parenchyma\nAlfa 1 antytripsin functioninhibits proteolytic breakdown of alveolar tissue\n\n\nQuestion Answer\nprimary hemostasisvasoconstriction, platelet plug formation\nsecondary hemostasisformation of fibrin clot, activation of clotting factors, conversion of fibrynogen to fibrin\nthrombocytopenia causesbone marrow supression, DIC, heparin, splenomegaly, hyperthermia, massive transfusion\nfactor 12 is activated byHMWK, Kallikrein\nBernard Soulier syndromegiant platelet syndrome, gp1b defficiency\nGlanzman thromboblasteniaGP2b3a defficiency - abn. aggregation\nteleangiectasiadilated & weakend vessel wall, hallmark often epistaxis\nhemophilia Afactor 8 defficiency, interfere with intrinsic pathway, ↑aPTT\nhemophilia B(Christmas disease), factor 9 defficiency\nvitamin K dependent factors2,7,9,10, PC, PS\nvon Willebrand diseaseabnormal protein 8 carrier, F8 defficiency in circulation, decreased platelet adhesion\nDICCF and PT are consumed, blood clots are formed in small vessels\nhemostasis disturbancies during pregnancy↑activation of clotting system (intrinsic pathway)\nqualitative platelet disorder lab values↑BT, PTC normal\nBTassess primary hemostasis, screening for PT disorder\nPTassess extrinsic pathway\naPTTassess intrinsic pathway\nTT the time required for plasma fibrinogen to form thrombin\nF3tissue (factor) thromboplastin\nF4calcium ions\nF9Christmas factor\nF12Hageman factor\nd-dimer testmeasures a substance that is released when a blood clot breaks up (fibrynolysis)\n\nendocrine fast review\n\nQuestion Answer\nmineralocorticoids are regulated byRAAS\nglucocorticoids are regulated byACTH, CRH\nAddison's diseaseprimary adrenocortical insufficiency (adrenal gland hypofunction)\nCushing's syndromehypercortisolism\nPheochromocytomaexcessive catecholamines production\nIncreased androgens males symptomsearly puberty\nIncreased androgens females symptomsmasculinization\nFunction of aldosteronsalt and water retention by the kidney\nlevel of ADH in central diabetes insipiduslow\nlevel of ADH in nephrogenic diabetes insipidusnormal\nhyperparathyroidism symptomspainful bones, renal stones, abdominal groans, mental moans\nmicrovascular complications of DMnefropathy and retinopathy\nmacrovascular changes of DMdamaged large vessels - heart, brain, extremities\nGH effects on the liverrelease glucose during hypoglycemia, ↑lean body mass, ↓fat tisue\nConn syndromeprimary hyperaldosteronism\ncauses of hyperprolactinemiaprimary hypothyroid, CRF, liver cirrhosis\n↑GH adults results inacromegaly\n↑GH children results ingigantism\nAddison's disease symptomshypotension, hypoglycemia, hyperpigmentation, weight loss, hyperkalemia, hyponatremia\nCushing syndrome sympromsHTN, truncal obesity, moon face, hypokalemia, glucose intolerance\n\n\nQuestion Answer\nabdominal visceral paindiffuse, poorly localized f.e. distended organ\nsomatic painsharp, well localized f.e. ruptured organ\nhiatal herniaprzepuklina rozworu przełykowego\nMallory Weiss syndromebleeding caused by tears in lower esophagus or upper stomach. Factors alcohol, salicyates, VOMITING\nDiagnostic feature of Crohnspresence of granulomas\nenterocollitiszapalenie jelita cienkiego i okrężnicy\nUlcerative Collitis affectslarge intestine only, destroys mucosa and submucosa only\nUC which parts of GI affectedrectum & colon - crypts of Liberkuhn\nUC characteristic featureno malabsorption\nCrohn's may results fromblockage and inflammation of lymphatic vessels\nCD affect which part of GIproximal colon\nDiverticula causeslow fiber food, high intraluminal pressure\nIBSdiarrhea and constipation\nvolvulustwisting bowel by itself\nIntussusceptiontelescoping of the bowel into adjacent distal portion\nHirschprung diseaseabsence of autonomic nerve ganglia in smooth muscle, no peristalsis\nCeliac diseasegluten intolerance (wheat) ; protein called gliadin\ntropical sprueatrophy of small intestine mucosa, B12 & folate malabsorption\nDysphagia type 1 causelack of neuromuscular coordination, initiation of swallowing, worse with liquids than solids\nDysphagia type 2 causeperistalsis altered; diverticula, achalasia, tumors\nDysphagia type 3 causeLES function impaired\nCRC causeshigh fat low fiber diet, UC, CD\nLecitin functionenhance solubility of cholesterol\nacute pancreatitisCCK & secretin regulation impaired resulting in ↑pancreatic enzymes release\nacute pancreatitis causesbiliary tract disease, hypertrigliceridemia, ethanol consumption\nacute pancreatitis most prominent factorobstruction of pancreatic duct→release of enzymes→activation→autodigestion\nacute pancreatitis lab findingsserum lipase↑ and amylase↑, leukocytosis, hyperlipidemia, hypocalcemia\nchronic pancreatitis featurecalcifications\nchronic pancreatitis is associated withalcohol consumption\npancreatic cancer RFobesity, cigarettes\ncholelithiasischolesterol stone in gallbladder\ncholelithiasis 3 phasessupersaturation, nucleation, hypomotility\ncholelithiasis RFhypomotility stasis of bile in gallbladder, oral contraceptive, pregnancy, obesity, DM\ncholecystitisgallbladder wall inflammation\ncholecystitis symptomsRUQ pain radiating to the back, fat intolerance, sweating\nGE varices causecirrhosis due to alcoholism or viral hepatitis\nhepatic encephalopathy definitioncomplex neuropsychiatric syndrome chracterized by symptoms from mild confusion to sturpor and coma\nhepatic encephalopathy is worsened by↑ammonia\nhepatic encephalopathy classical findingasterixis - spastic jerking of muscles held in forceful extension\nhepatic encephalopathy clinical manifesthypokalemia, hyponatremia, alkalosis, hypoxia, hypercarbia\nhepatic encephalopathy grades1- confusion, no flap, 2- bahavioral changes, flap, 3- marked confusion, slurred speach, flap, 4-coma, no flap\ncerebral edema often present in patients wth grade 3 and 4 hepatic encephalopathy\ncerebral edema symptomsdeeping coma, systolic HTN, extensor rigidity, respiratory arrest\nAscites RFhypoalbuminemia, portal HTN\nSBP↓ opsonic activity of ascitic fluid, ↓ reticuloendothelial function, migration of bacteria from the gut\nSBP worsens following conditionshepatic encephalopathy, renal failure\nhepatorenal syndrome due toimbalance between vasodilators and vasoconstrictors agents caused by liver disease\nHepatocellular failure manifestjaundice, ↓CF, hypoalbuminemia, ↓vit D,K, feminization\nportal HTN resultGI congestion, esophageal varices, hemorrhoids, ascites, splenomegaly\nwhat prevents gastrocarcinomaaspirin\ncauses of prehepatic jaundicehemolysis and ineffective erythropoesis\ncauses of hepatic jaundiceviral hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease, autoimmune hepatitis\ncauses of posthepatic jaundicecholestasis, Dubin-Johnson syndrome, Rotor syndrome\nosmotic diarrheaosmotic active solutes in the lumen causing influx of H2O and sodium\nsecretory diarrheabacteria triggering chloride ions and H2O secretion\nexudative diarrheamucous/blood/protein inflammation in the lumen, increased osmotic load (UC,CD)\nhormones increasing glucose levelglucagon, catecholamines, cortisol, GH\n↑ALP indicateintra/extrahepatic cholestasis\n↑AST indicatecirrhosis, inflammation, hepatitis\n\n\nQuestion Answer\nPKD symptoms↓GFR, ↓ability to concentrate urine, late HTN, pain, 20% kidney stones, UTI\nADPKDliver and other organs affected\nRCC RFcigarettes obesity, DM, HTN, asbestos, long term renal dialysis, kidney transplant\nWilms tumornephroblastoma, common childchood kidney cancer\nHematogenous UTI agentsStaphylococcus, E. Coli\nAscending UTI agentsE. Coli, proteus, enterobacter\nUpper UTI synonympyelonephritis\nUTI RFvesicourethral reflux, female gender, pregnancy, catheter, urinary obstruction, AIDS, DM\nacute pyelonephritis symptomsfever, pain at costovertebral angle, nausea, vomiting, anorexia,\nupper UTI characteristic featureWBC casts\nchronic pyelonephritis findingsfibrosis, scarring, loss o nephron function\nNephrolithiasis RFhyperparathyroidism, gout, HTN, UTI, IBS, ↑dietary sodium, obesity DM2, dehydratation, prolonged immobility\ngromerulopathyalterations in structure and function of gromerular capilaries\nNephrotic syndromeloss of protein > 3.5g/24h, proteinuria, hyperlipidemia, hypoalbuminemia\nnephrotic syndrome most common primary causesDM, MN, FSGS, MCD\nMembranous Neuropathythickening of glomerular basement membrane\nFocal Segmental Glomelurosclerosisscarring of podocytes, epithelial and endothelial damage→proteinuria\nMinimal Change Diseasepodocytes altered →↓GF →proteinuria\nNephritic syndromehematuria, RBC casts, proteinuria, HTN, edema\nacute glomeruonephritis symptomshematuria, ptoteinuria, oliguria, azotemia, edema, HTN\nAcute GN characteristic featureantibodies complex deposition IgG\nRPGNcreshend shape depositions – epithelial cells, macrophages and fibrin in Bowman's space\nchronic GN↓renal function, fibrosis, sclerosis, small kidneys → ESRD\nAKI↓kidney function, electrolytes and acid imbalance, ↑creatinine, ↓GFR\nAKI RFCDV disease, DM, HTN, HF, BPH, maligancies\nprerenal KI causes (↓GFR)hemorrhage, burns, dehydratation, shock, ↓CO, HF, MI, renal artery stenosis\npostrenal KI causesBPH, obstructed catheter, calculi, tumors\nintrarenal KI causesATN, ischemia, glomerulonephritis, pyelonephritis, nephrotoxins\nATN causesnephrotoxins, ischemia, vasculitis, emboli,\nATN prodromal phaseinjury, normal UO, ↑BUN and ↑creatine\nATN oliguric phaseoliguria/anuria, hyperkalemia, azotemia, metabolic acidosis, HTN\nATN postoliguric phasefluid volume deficit. lab values begin to normalize\nCKDireversible loss of nephrons > 75% > 3months\nCKD RFDM, HTN, ATN, DI, hyperparathyroidism, gout, amyloidosis,\nESRD>90% of all nephron lost\n\n\nQuestion Answer\npulsus paradoxusabnormally large decrease in systolic blood pressure and pulse wave amplitude during inspiration\nprinzmetal angina etiologyvasospasm unrelated to increased activity, stress or HR\nECG changes in MIdeep wide ! wave, inverted T wave, ST segment elevation", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7154096364974976}
{"content": "Tuesday, May 20, 2008\n\nHere Comes Everybody\n\nI was the last poet to be included on Lance Phillips' great site, Here Comes Everybody. Here are my answers to his questions, the same questions he asked everyone. I've dropped the bio. The photo is by Atesh Sonneborn and/or Patrizia Pallaro.\n\n1. What is the first poem you ever loved? Why?\n\n“Row, row, row your boat\nGently down the stream,\nMerrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,\nLife is but a dream.”\n\n“Life is but a dream” was my first lesson in Platonism, age six. I didn’t read modern poetry until I was a senior in college. Then I admired “The Emperor of Ice-Cream,” even though it took me years to understand it, and “The Connoisseur of Chaos.”\n\n2. What is something / someone non-“literary” you read which may surprise your peers / colleagues? Why do you read it / them?\n\nI used to love reading the Lake Michigan fishing report in the Chicago Sun-Times. Its terseness, mystery science (use spoons in high-running water), compression, and exactness were better than even the sports pages, the other section where poetry is occasionally to be found (“can of corn,” “frozen rope”).\n\n3. How important is philosophy to your writing? Why?\n\nPhilosophy is of interest—and perhaps truer--when it is poetic. Deleuze’s The Fold, for instance. Much good poetry has philosophical implications, as in the line of Symborska: “Where is a written deer running through a written forest?” Because it runs the corridor from the actual to the ultimate, poetry is closer to philosophy than it is to fiction. Heidegger: “There lies hidden in nature a rift-design, a measure and a boundary and, tied to it, a capacity for bringing forth—that is, art.” Poetry and philosophy are about getting snagged in the rift and enjoying it.\n\n4. Who are some of your favorite non-Anglo-American writers? Why?\n\nVallejo, Neruda, Sabines, Lorca, Pessoa, and Carlos Drummond de Andrade; Celan, Rilke, Grass, and Hölderlin; Mackey, Mullen, Baraka, and Césaire; Rimbaud, Mallarmé, Stein, Arp, Mayakovsky, Kharms, Simic; Basho, Li Po, Tu Fu, Shiki; Dang Ding Hung, Hoàng Hung, Nhat Le, and the ancient Vietnamese poet Nguyen Trai, whose work I’m translating with Nguyen Do.\n\n5. Do you read a lot of poetry? If so, how important is it to your writing?\n\nI read a lot of poetry, but it often inspires me to start writing instead. I tend to enjoy poems that are about poetry or rather how meaning is constructed: Ashbery, Stevens, Lauterbach, Berssenbrugge, and Welish—the “abstract lyric.” Wallace Stevens’ “The Man on the Dump” is such a poem: “Where is it one first heard of the truth? The the.” Clark Coolidge: “Writing is a prayer for always it starts at the portal lockless to me at last leads to the mystery of everything that has always been written.”\n\n6. What is something which your peers / colleagues may assume you’ve read but haven’t? Why haven’t you?\n\nExcept in brief bits, I have never read Proust, likewise my three-volume edition of Musil’s The Man Without Qualities. I know I’m supposed to like them, but I wear out after a few paragraphs.\n\n7. How would you explain what a poem is to a seven year old?\n\n(A) It’s the making, in language, of a fine mess.\n(B) It’s what you say into the telephone when no one is listening on the other end.\n(C) It is a poem if, when they hear it, they will cut themselves shaving (A. E. Housman).\n\n8. Do you believe in a Role for the Poet? If so, how does it differ from the Role of the Citizen?\n\nI wish there were more of an official role for poetry, like the babalawo (priests) of West Africa, or the healing services rendered by María Sabina. In Ifa divination, the conjurer judges from the tossing of cowrie shells—how many up, down—which of the Ifa canon of 256 poems to recite to the supplicant. Healing is based on the supplicant’s own interpretation of the poem. It’s less expensive than psychoanalysis, and the poet-priest gets paid for his services.\n\nPoets who assume the Role are at risk of charlatanism. But I admired the poems of Allen Ginsberg, who played the priest with a disarming wink and Buddhist humor. Robert Bly is my negative example.\n\nUnfortunately, the role of consumer has replaced that of citizen. We have to wait for Harold Pinter to denounce U.S. foreign policy from a high place. I recently traveled to a literary conference in China and was told that writers there self-censor in order to avoid trouble. It’s no different in the U.S.\n\n9. Word associations (the first word which comes to mind; be honest):\n\nLemon : Gentlemen\n\nChiseled : Rilke\n\nI : Spy\n\nOf : Conundrum\n\nForm : Worn\n\n10. What is the relationship between the text and the body in your writing?\n\nWhen I wrote my novel Saigon, Illinois (1988) in five months, my body was involved because I wasn’t comfortable writing in prose. It felt like I was driving a race car. Writing Poems in Spanish (2005) was more of a “dance.” I wanted quick, smooth lateral movement in language—openness, in a sense—so the writing felt easy, no tension. Roethke was a “body” poet when he marched around his house naked, practicing his cadences out loud.\n\nIn poetry, body means voice. Roland Barthes wrote that it was not the “clarity of messages” that counts in voiced poetry but rather “pulsional incidents, the language lined with flesh, a text where we can hear the grain of the throat, the patina of consonants, the voluptuousness of vowels, a whole carnal stereophony: the articulation of the body, of the tongue, not that of meaning, of language.” Voice lends drama, intention, color, ethos, and character. All poetry is performance poetry in this sense.\n\nMonday, May 19, 2008\n\nBlack Painting Divided by a White Painting\n\nPresented in a different form as part of Newlipo: Bringing Proceduralism and Chance-Poetics into the 21st Century. AWP panel, Thursday, January, 31, 2008. Other panelists: Christian Bök, Joan Retallack, Jena Osman, Patricia Carlin. Moderator: Sharon Dolin. Art work by Kasimir Malevich: Suprematist composition. Black with White Rectangle, 1915.\n\nIn an Oulipo feature on the website, Drunken Boat, I am listed as “Toward Oulipo,” rather than Para-Oulipo or Oulipo. In three books, 1997-2002, I wrote a lot of poems using counted verse, meaning a determined number of words rather than syllables to the line. With the exception of the first one, “The Orphanage Florist,” circa 1985, four words to the line, three-line stanzas, I have insisted on a squared stanza: two words, two lines; three words, three lines. When the math is right, so are the architecture, concept, and momentum. A squared form offers containment, therefore terseness, and terseness leads immediately to what Jack Spicer called the Outside (expression). You don’t speak to the Outside; it speaks through you. Our metaphors for the poetry are generally those of packing and unpacking: Clark Kent pressing coal down to diamonds (Emily Dickinson) or Mallarmé distributing words over a chosen field. The question of poetics is how extensive or intensive the distribution should be. All poetic form is arbitrary, strategic, and emotional. The task of the author is to decide, how much “jack” to pack into or out of the given box. The heroic couplet and Ron Silliman’s “new sentence” gaze out differently at the same rainy day.\n\nIn our decade, the romantic tide is out, and the constructivist, materialist, and formalist tides are in. One would rather find and assemble than mine or dredge up. Originality in the old sense of a “soul-making” activity is replaced by invention, constraint, and gamesmanship. We are not at play in the fields of the lord, but the static, self-interrupting planes of the internet. In Heidegger’s terminology of facticity overwhelming poesis, this is a bad thing. It means there are no shadows at play in the Lichtung, or clearing. (The Rilkean formula might be: Achtung + Lichtung = Dichtung.) In Constructivism, everything is unconcealed, in the open, and obvious. We can see this difference more clearly, perhaps, if we limit our attention to the black on black and white on white paintings of Malevich and Rodchenko. Both were intent on a new society’s new art by way of mathematics and surface. Malevich: “I have transformed myself in the zero of form” (Lavrentiev 15); Rodchenko: “Art is one of the branches of mathematics” (Lavrentiev 15). But almost immediately there was a bifurcation. Malevich was more interested in the finished work of art, a geometry that is inscribed by style, aesthetics, and, according to Alexander Lavrentiev, the “emblematic identification of black with iconic power and white with eternity” (15). What’s the quotient of a black painting divided by a white painting?\n\nLike the New York School and language poets, I’m interested in the varieties of meaning made possible by Oulipo and proceduralism, especially through their playfulness. John Ashbery is our major poet; his work is an extraordinary balance of gravity and levity, artifice and sincerity; sobriety and play. What do Rilke and Kenny Goldsmith have in common? They begin their pursuit “at play,” a provisional search that leads to gravity and volume. Kenny Goldsmith’s gravity is his determination to carry out his exhaustive plan. In The Weather, for instance, actual weather reports are quoted verbatim, day by day, season by season. By the fourth page, our amusement with the concept fades; we have begun to experience the grain of lived time, not exactly the “egotistical sublime” of Wordsworth or Gray’s “Elegy in a Country Churchyard,” but not without such implications. Nothing is lonelier than a radio or TV playing in an empty room. Because, as an anagrammatic poem, Christian Bök’s “Vowels” is “at play,” our recognition that it is a rather profound love poem is delayed. The poem begins:\n\nloveless vessels\n\nwe vow\nsolo love\n\nwe see\nlove solve loss\n\nelse we see\nlove sow woe\n\nselves we woo\nwe lose\n\nlosses we levee\nwe owe\n\nRelating to proceduralism, I did a “thinking through” of Wittgenstein’s Tractatus, in which I made my own propositions of his propositions, then retained only the propositions that a poem, not philosophy, would desire. I produced a manuscript consisting of 56 versions of Shakespeare’s sonnet 56. The project began when I stripped the bard’s work of all but its end words and asked my students to fill in the blanks, but with the admonition not to write a sonnet. The student results were magnificent, so I tried it myself. The results were ordinary. But then I applied other procedures and forms such as homosyntactic translation, haikuisation, villanelle, the blues, noun plus seven, lounge singer, chat group, word ladder, and answering machine. In this respect, the anticipatory plagiary was Raymond Queneau’s Exercises de style, published by Gallimard in 1947. The book will be published by Les Figues Press of Los Angeles.\n\nRecently, I wrote a three page poem consisting entirely of palindromes; it is also an abecedarium. It’s part of “The Windows,” a series:\n\nThe Windows (A War in Tawara)\n\nAdd “A,”\nA nut for a jar of tuna,\nA Santa at NASA.\n\nBorrow or rob,\nBoston did not sob.\nBut sad Eva saved a stub.\n\n\nDon did nod,\n“Dogma, I am God;\nDevil never even lived.”\n\nEvil Olive,\nEd is on no side.\nEd is a trader, cast sacred art aside.\n\nFlesh saw Mom wash self.\nFlee to me, remote elf!\n\nGod lived as an evil dog.\nGo, do, dog!\n\nHarass Sarah!\n\nI prefer pi.\nI, a man, am regal; a German am I.\nIf I had a hi-fi . . .\n\nJar a toga, rag not a raj.\nJar bar crab, raj.\n\nKayak salad, Alaska yak.\nKey lime, Emily—ek!\n\nLate, fetal,\nLeon sees Noel.\nLive, devil,\nLaid on no dial.\n\nMa is a nun, as I am,\nMirror rim\nMurder for a jar of red rum;\nMust sell at tallest sum.\n\nNo lemons, no melon,\nNever even\nNo sign, in evening, is on.\nNo slang is a signal, son.\nNurses run—\n\nOozy rat in a sanitary zoo.\nOh, who was it I saw? Oh, who?\n\nPoor Dan is in a droop.\nPull up if I pull up.\n\n“Q,” said Dias, “Q.”\n\nRise to live, sir.\nRats live on no evil star.\n\nStack cats,\nSolo gigolos.\nSwap paws,\nStep on no pets.\nSexes, exes,\n\nToo hot to hoot,\nTug at a gut.\nTell a ballet\nTulsa night life: filth, gin, a slut.\n\nU.F.O., tofu,\nVanna, wanna V?\n\nWas it a bar or a bat I saw?\nWon’t lovers revolt now?\nWe panic in a pew.\n\nXerox orex,\nYawn a more Roman way!\nYou bat one in, resign in evening. Is Ernie not a buoy?\n\nZeus was deified, saw Suez.\n\nLavrentiev, Alexander N., editor. Alexsandr Rodchenko: Experiments for the Future: Diaries, Essays, Letters, and Other Writings. New York: Museum of Modern Art, 2005.\n\nThursday, May 15, 2008\n\nGennady Aygi 1934-2006\n\nI missed the Gennady Aygi reading at SFSU, a year before he died. I have since read his poetry with a deep sense of respect for his spirit, original way of seeing the world, and fresh approach to poetics. Strange to realize that Aygi was born in the same year as Ted Berrigan, Diane DiPrima, and Amiri Baraka. Here is one of his statements about poetry:\n\nPoetry has no ebb and flow. It is, it abides. Even if you take away its “social” efficacy, you cannot take away its living, human fullness, profundity, autonomy. After all, it can visibly penetrate also into these spheres where sleep is so active. To “dare” to dwell in sleep, to draw nourishment from it, such, if you like, is the unhurried confidence of poetry in itself—it does not need to be “shown the way,” to be “authorized,” to be controlled (so too, correspondingly, the reader).\n\nDoes poetry lose something in such circumstances, or does it gain? Let me leave this as an unanswered question. The main thing is that it survives. Drive it out of the door, it comes back through the window.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6135306358337402}
{"content": "Virginia offers many options for retirees\n\nA person considering Virginia retirement is not evaluating a single lifestyle - the different regions of the state are as different as night and day. So, if you like mountain, coastal, suburban, lake, college or small town living, Virginia offers quite a few options.\n\nFrom 1990-2000, Virginia became one of the top 10 states in attracting retirees from outside the state. Why? Well, there are lots of reasons.\n\nIn Northern Virginia, many older people want to be near their children who are working in the Washington area. On the Eastern Shore, Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads are attracting a group of military retirees. In general, people from the Midwest and Northeast are increasingly attracted to the “New Sunbelt,” those states from Washington, DC to Key West, Florida to El Paso, TX. They are seeking a city, town or college community with a strong business climate, moderate climate, affordable housing, friendly people, good healthcare and scenic beauty.\n\nVirginia fits the term “New South” to a tee. It’s up to you to choose your choices from a great retirement buffet called Virginia.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9975757002830505}
{"content": "S&P 500 EV/EBITDA (Enterprise Multiple) by Sector/Industry\n\nThe table below lists the Enterprise Multiples (EV/EBITDA) by sector. The multiples are calculated using the current and past S&P 500 companies. Comparing the current enterprise multiple of a sector/industry to its historical average value can be used to estimate if the sector is currently undervalued or overvalued. Note: The ratio is not available for the financials sector as EBITDA is not a meaningful item for financial companies.\n\nFor the latest data, check the datasets provided by Siblis Research.\n\nS&P 500 – EV/EBITDA Multiple by GICS Sector\n\nGICS Sector 6/30/2018 12/31/2017 6/30/2017 12/31/2016 6/30/2016 12/31/2015 6/30/2015 12/31/2014\nCommunications 12.07 11.46 11.16 10.57 10.23 11.61 10.48 8.96\nConsumer Discretionary 14.66 14.19 13.15 11.66 11.75 12.40 12.26 11.66\nConsumer Staples 13.25 13.23 13.09 13.10 13.91 12.81 12.74 12.07\nEnergy 12.42 12.32 14.25 35.09 33.23 13.02 7.75 6.14\nHealth Care 14.58 14.87 14.06 11.77 13.55 13.60 14.72 13.97\nIndustrials 12.76 13.07 12.38 11.35 10.74 11.23 12.52 13.45\nInformation Technology 13.72 13.57 12.87 12.04 10.57 10.00 9.63 10.11\nMaterials 12.37 14.29 12.26 13.78 14.31 12.1 11.55 10.35\nUtilities 11.02 11.96 12.06 11.99 12.43 9.78 9.30 10.53\n\nNeed comprehensive data? Purchase S&P 500 GICS Sector & Industry specific EV/EBITDA multiples for the last day of each month since 3/31/1995 (including P/B, P/E & CAPE ratios since 12/31/1979) and do your own sector valuation analysis.\n\nPurchase S&P 500 Sector/Industry Valuation Researcher Dataset by Siblis Research that provides all key valuation metrics by GICS Sector & Industry, including market caps, earnings, enterprise values, EBITDAs, free cash flows and historical GICS Sector/Industry classifications all current and past S&P 500 companies. The dataset also provides adjusted share prices (total returns) which allows you to examine the performance of the companies before/during/after a company was part of the index. Check a sample file from here.\n\nEV/EBITDA Enterprise Multiple\n\nIt is easy to see a strong negative correlation between the average EV/EBITDA multiple of Industrials sector and the sector performance. When the multiple has been low, 3-year forward returns have been high (note that the axis of returns is flipped). The forward return means the rate of return during the period of three years from the point of investment.\n\nHow the EV/EBITDA multiple by sector is calculated?\n\nThe EBITDA multiple for a specific sector is calculated by dividing the total enterprise value of all sector companies by the total sum of annual EBITDA of the companies. The multiples on the table above are trailing twelve months, meaning the last four quarters are used when earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization are calculated.\n\nUsing EV/EBITDA to value companies\n\nEnterprise value to EBITDA is a popular multiple that is used to measure the value of a corporation. The ratio can be seen as a capital structure-neutral alternative for Price/Earnings ratio. When valuations of different companies are compared to each other, the enterprise multiple is often considered more suitable than P/E. Using P/E ratio for comparative analysis can be misleading due to different amounts of leverage, different accounting practices related to depreciation and different tax rates.\n\nThe multiple is most commonly used to evaluate industrial and consumer industries. It is more rare to use the ratio for financial or energy companies. For oil & gas companies, there are various industry specific valuation multiples like EV to Reserves, EV to Production and EV to Capacity. Banks and insurance companies are most commonly evaluated using price-to-book ratio.\n\nRelated Articles", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9837486147880554}
{"content": "The Chief Architect Crossover is Looking For – Exclusive Interview With Luciano Bargmann\n\ndiretorCrossover is functioning in Turkey since 12 months. In the mean time we hired 40 senior professionals and we’re moving forward. Toughness of our evaluation process was always a discussion. Crossover is applying a 3 days project assignent to it’s candidates and super picky in terms of finding top talent around the world. This is why I wanted to make an interview with Crossover’s tech evaluation head Luciano Bargmann.\n\nUnderstanding of a software architect is very different in Turkey and US markets. Luciano’s going to tell us about characteristics of “the chief architect” which makes $100k a year.\n\n1) Can you tell us about yourself a bit for our audience? Where’re you from? What were you doing before Crossover? What do you do at Crossover?\nI’m Luciano Bargmann, Principal of Technical Evaluation at Crossover. I am from Brazil, and I have a deep passion for technology. Before Crossover I worked at Dell, HP as a Software Architect, CTO, IT Director and also had my own company. At Crossover I lead a team of architects that create, evaluate and interview candidates for technical positions at Crossover.\n\n2) What’s biggest challenge of leading a tech evaluation team?\nKeeping the balance between speed and quality of evaluations. Also, a fun challenge is to create new tests, with scenarios that can assess daily activities of the candidate in a real job.\n\n3) I know that you’re currently working with huge demand on Java Chief Architect position. What does a Java Chief Architect do after getting hired via Crossover?\nHe is the technology reference for the team, being a technical leader and many times wearing the CTO hat for a product; He will face hands on work, within challenging projects and will review development processes to drive the team productivity up in a continuous improvement pace;\n\n\n4) What’s the key difference between an Architect and a Chief Architect for Java?\nAn Architect is an experienced person, responsible for one small/medium software product or a large component in a large codebase and with a very deep understanding of one language such as Java. He is someone that had lots of night without sleep trying to deliver code close to a deadline. An Architect has some bruises from deployed products, such as performance issues, show-stopper bugs and system outages to name a few. The architect is also familiar with coding techniques and patterns that allow the software to be incrementally updated, where adding new features won’t cost a ton of money and will not break the entire system. The Chief Architect is all this, and his scope is all projects in the portfolio. The CA can guide several projects in parallel, by providing a technology vision to be followed. He is the cornerstone of knowledge and must take the hard decisions.\n\n5) Can you tell us about “The Chief Architect” you’re looking for? What would you expect during test and evaluation process from a role model Chief? Any wow factors you’d like to share? Any stories?\nWe are looking for people that are smart and that get things done. They must be experienced and up-to-date with the latest technologies. Must have a broader hands-on knowledge on other technologies and languages, know about all aspects of software development and can select the best tool for the job, where the tool can be a framework, a database, or a front-end solution. The wow factor comes with getting things done. We are looking for people that can share a couple stories of big projects that they had a key role.\n\n\n6) In terms of technical evaluation, how long does it take to be a Java CA at Crossover?\nWe run a series of tests and our goal is to select the best of the best, la crème de la crème. We would love to have the entire process to take just a day, but remember my challenge: balance between speed and quality. So we will require you to go through a few steps and the entire process can take for 5 to 15 days.\n\n7) Some say expecting up-to-date hands-on coding experience from 15 years experienced SEMs and CAs isn’t fair, what do you think about this? Why does Crossover require hands-on coding experience from almost all of the technical candidates?\nThis is a great question. Hands-on managers and CAs are a winning strategy at Crossover and it yields great results. The reason is simple: You are running a team of top notch coders. If they ever feel that you don’t know your mojo, you will not be respected by them, and this usually leads to a project failure. Our leaders know what they are talking about and can sustain their decisions with strong technical arguments.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9055045247077942}
{"content": "Casino Name\nOnline blackjack articles 23\n\nThe Game of Blackjack\n\nBlackjack or twenty one is one of the most widely played games in American homes and clubs and traditionally rivals poker for popularity in the armed forces. In las vegas, Reno, and other parts of the wide open spaces. Blackjack ranks with poker, roulette and craps as one of the four standard gambling games. Of these four, however, blackjack is by far the most neglected in the scientific literature of gambling and offers a relatively unexplored area for mathematical and statistical analysis.\n\nIn should be made clear at the outset that this paper deals exclusively with the \"house\" game of blackjack and not the \"private\" game. In the house game a representative of the gambling casino is permanent dealer, and his strategy is completely fixed by known house rules. The fixed and known nature of the dealer's strategy is vital in reducing the mathematical and computational problems in analyzing blackjack to manageable proportions.\n\nEach gambling casino has a set of blackjack rules which agree with those of other casinos on the main points but which usually differs on details. Therefore, in selecting a variation of the game of blackjack for analysis, the best that could be done was to consider rules which are common but not universal. A presentation of these rules follows.\n\n1. Number of players - A dealer and from one to six players.\n\n2. The pack - An ordinary 52 cards deck\n\n3. Betting - The player makes their bets before any cards are dealt. The house establishes a minimum and a maximum bet.\n\n4. The deal - The player and the dealer each receive two cards. Each player gets both cards face down. The dealer receives one card face up and one card face down. Cards received face down in the deal or draw are commonly known as \"hole cards\".\n\n5. The numerical value of the cards - The numerical value of an ace is 1 or 11 as the player chooses, the numerical value of a face card is 10, and the numerical value of all other cards is simply their face value. The numerical value or total of a hand is the sum of the numerical values of the cards in the hand.\n\n6. Object of the player - To obtain a total which is greater than the dealer's but does not exceed 21.\n\n7. Naturals - An ace and a face card or ten dealt on the first two cards to either player or dealer constitutes a \"natural\" or \"blackjack\". If a player has a natural and the dealer does not, the player receives 1.5 times his original bet from the dealer. If a player does not have a natural and the dealer does, the player loses his original bet. If both player and dealer have naturals, no money changes hands.\n\n8. The draw - A player is not required to increase the number of cards in his hand and may look at his hole cards and elect to \"Stand\". Otherwise, he may require that the dealer give him additional cards, face up, one at a time. If the player goes over 21 (\"busts\"), he immediately turns up his hole cards and pays his bet to the dealer. After each player has drawn his cards, starting with the player at the dealer's left and proceeding in a clockwise fashion, the dealer turns up his hole cards. If his total is 16 or less, he must draw a card and continue to draw cards until his total is 17 or more, at which point he must stand. If the dealer has an ace, and counting it as 11 would bring his total to 17 or more without exceeding 21, he must count the ace as 11 and stand.\n\n9. The settlement - If the player does not go over 21 (\"bust\") and the dealer does, the player wins an amount equal to his original bet. If neither player nor dealer busts, the person with the higher total wins and amount equal to the player's original bet. If neither player nor dealer busts and both have the same total, no money changes hands.\n\n10. Splitting Pairs - In the following rules a pair is defined as two cards which are identical except for suit, such as two jacks, two aces, or two tens. If the player's hole cards form a pair, he may choose to turn them face up and treat them as the initial cards in two separate \"twin\" hands.\n\nThis strategy is known as \"splitting pairs\". The original bet goes on one of the split cards, and an equal amount is bet on the other card. The player automatically receives a second card face down on each of the split cards and may continue drawing cards face up to both twin hands as long as he desires. An excepction to this rule is made in the case of split aces where the player may draw only one more card to each ace. Furthermore, if a face card or ten falls on one of the split aces, the hands is not counted as a natural but as ordinary 21. (Similarly, the player splitting a pair of face cards or tens who draws an ace holds an ordinary 21) Finally, If a player splits a pair and receives a third card of the same type, he is not permitted to undertake further splitting.\n\n11. Doubling down - after looking at his hole cards a player may elect to double his bet and draw one and only one more card. This strategy is known as \"doubling down\". A player who elects to double down turns up his hole cards and receives his third card face down. A player splitting any pair except aces, after receives an additional card on each of the split cards, may elect to double down on one or both of his twin hands.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.587843656539917}
{"content": "Right now.\n\nThat is all the matters.\n\nThe past is a memory.\n\nThe future is potential.\n\nRight now.\n\nThat is all that is certain.\n\nWhen you travel back in time,\n\nor project years ahead,\n\nall you can see and do\n\nis create ideas and speculate.\n\nYou can only affect right now.\n\nRight here, this moment.\n\nExperience what is right in front of you,\n\ndon't let that chance get away.\n\nPlan for the future, learn from the past,\n\nbut don't live life in either place,\n\nlive only in right now.\n\nBecause as you're looking all around you,\n\nyou are missing the moment to seize.\n\nThe moment, that sweet moment,\n\ncan pass you by and the value is lost.\n\nSo as you agonize over before or after,\n\nremember, it's all about you -\n\nRight Now.\n\n~Copyright 2010, Mary D'Alba (Spiritualitygirl)~", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6731386780738831}
{"content": "Thinleaf Sunflower\n\nThinleaf Sunflower Plant Information\n\nThinleaf Sunflower grows in the following 31 states:\n\nConnecticut, District Of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Alabama, Delaware, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia\n\nThe name decapetalus means \"with ten petals,\" referring to the 8-12 ray florets on the flower heads, resembling petals.Helianthus decapetalus, known by the common names thinleaf sunflower and thin-leaved sunflower, is a perennial forb in the sunflower family. It is native to the eastern and central United States and Canada, from New Brunswick west to Iowa, Wisconsin, and Ontario, south as far as Georgia and Louisiana. It produces yellow composite flowers in late summer or early fall.\n\nThe smooth slender stem of Helianthus decapetalus is 60 to 200 centimeters (2 to almost 7 feet) tall and branched near the top. The ovate or lanceolate leaves are borne on 2 to 5 centimeter long petioles and have serrated edges. They are 7 to 21 centimeters long and 4 to 10 centimeters wide. Helianthus decapetalus has 3 to 10 flowerheads. Each flowerhead is composed of 21 to 50 disk florets, and 8 to 12 ray florets, which are 2 to 2.5 centimeters long. The bracts are typically 11 to 16 millimeters long, surpassing the flower disk by at least half their length. The fruit are 3.5 to 5 millimeter long cypselae with a pappus of two scales.\nIn Virginia it grows in habitats such as floodplain forests and riverbanks. The presence of this species is dependent on appropriate habitat, and it may be eliminated from an area by development, changes in land use, or competition with invasive species.\nThe flowers attract many kinds of insects, including bees and butterflies, some of which, such as the Painted Lady and the Silvery Checkerspot, use the plant as a larval host. The seeds provide a source of food for birds.Muskrats eat the leaves and stems and use the stems in the construction of their lodges.\n\nMore inforamtion about Thinleaf Sunflower.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9888433218002319}
{"content": "First person walk-through\n\n\nI would like to enter a standard “WSAD” and “mouse looking” first person walk-though mode with face collision and “ground” detection; very similar to the current “walk” mode, but couldn’t edit anything. (‘shift’ enters a “fly” mode). I’m thinking primarily to be used for demonstrations or showing off your model.\n\nA single click on any active components would activate the next interactive thing (like changing steve’s shirt colour)\n\nVariable for scale & speed could be set. (Field of view as seen under the zoom tool could also be set from here.)\n\nIf sketchy-physics was part of it, then you could set it to bump/move objects as you move too.\n\nPerhaps be able to load a model to use as your “cursor” and have a 3rd person/angel on shoulder viewpoint.\n\n{A 3D mouse comes close to this, but I’ve not had much success with using one}\n\n\nAnother thought: in this mode you could “warp” to a location via r-clicking or specific key stroke when your cursor was over something.\nMaybe you could also show “pins” for each scene - clicking/double clicking on them would move you to that scene.\n\n\nYet another thought: it would be nice to have a shortcut key (f something?) that would enter a this ‘presentation mode’: maximise the work area and hide all the toolbars and windows until the shortcut was activated again.\n\n\nSounds like the Desktop Viewer app. (Except that it has no Dynamic Component functionality.)\n\n\nSo rather than loading up the model into a new app, it would be nice to just switch to a “Working”/“Presentation” mode.\n\n\nWe’ve asked for this before… specifically that there be a way that a SKP file could be locked as read-only, and when loaded into SketchUp, that the app went into a read-only mode.\n\nThat would both the need for the separate viewer application, and allow the API to be loaded making DC interaction available, and also other non-edit Ruby plugins. (The Viewer does not load the Ruby API.)\n\n\nI’m not too botherered about read-only; I only want to tidy the workspace for a presentation and make the presentation as smooth as possible.\n(Actually I would prefer not to have it read-only - I can quicky pull walls or move objects or hide specific groups or draw lines or measure… I still want an editable model, I just want to move through it like I would in (eg) minecraft.)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.746232807636261}
{"content": "Simple, yes. Easy, no.\n\nAs someone deeply entrenched in the Strengths Philosophy, I believe that everyone has something special to offer the world and a unique voice with which to express that purpose. However, we so often undervalue ourselves that it is difficult to step into our own spotlight and shine like we are meant to.\n\nI love this quote from Marianne Williamson. In many ways it sums up what I believe:\n\n“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are more powerful than can be measured. It is our light, and not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask, “Who am I to be brilliant, magnificent, talented and fabulous? Actually, the question should be: who are you not to be? It’s no use for the world to be small. It does not have anything illuminating to reduce us so that others do not feel insecure by your abilities. We are all destined to shine like children. We are born to manifest the glory that is within us. And it is not just some; But all. And when we let our light shine, almost without realizing it, we are helping others to do it too. To free ourselves from our fears, we also end up releasing those around us.”\n\nIs it just me or does this give you goosebumps, too?\n\nFor almost three years now I’ve been running an online class called Strengths Branding. It’s a four-week class meant to help others find their unique voice and express it with confidence and conviction. As a professional, this is an extremely necessary and powerful piece for your personal brand and how to connect emotionally with your ideal client, those who need you most. As an individual, it builds a solid foundation of confidence, allowing us to no longer give power to our naysayers and boldly claim our rightful space. My formula, if you will, is appreciate, communicate, illuminate.\n\nStrengths, Potential, Personal Branding, Strengths Branding\n\n\nIn order to fully step into your spotlight, you must understand your value; not only understand it but embrace it. Our talents, as defined by the Clifton StrengthsFinder, are the best way to understand ourselves quickly and profoundly. When I first discovered my talents back in 2003 it was if someone had given me a user’s manual for myself. It was my A-Ha! Now my personality made sense. I understood “why” I like talking so much with so many different people. Why my mind is filled with so many ideas. Why I’m so emotional and passionate when I speak. It was a powerful and meaningful moment for me. I believe everyone should receive this gift.\n\nAnd even then, I still didn’t fully grasp my value. I understood what I loved and why I loved it more clearly, but I still didn’t recognize it as special. Teaching this Strengths Branding class has helped me do just that. Finally, just shy of 45 years old, I appreciate and have stepped into my spotlight.\n\n\nOnce you appreciate just how special you are, you explain it to others with clarity and confidence. StrengthsFinder not only tells you your talents, it gives you a language to embrace and draw from. Each talent has a universal understanding of “I am, I do, I value, I contribute, I need, I dislike”. Using this as a base for your communication also leads to greater understanding of others as well as higher compassion. We no longer judge others through our own filters, but through theirs.\n\nProfessionally this enhances our ability to communicate value to our clients, in our sales techniques, how we lead others. Additionally, in our personal lives, it improves relationships, inspires forgiveness around misunderstandings and grants us serenity in knowing what we are doing has purpose.\n\n\nThis is the ultimate gift. Once you fully value yourself and communicate your WHY in an expressive and passionate way, you have no choice but to shine. This is the light that will lead others to you. It is the light that will guide you even when times are tough. It is the light that will not dim. You have found your spotlight and you will stand out from the crowd.\n\nWhen you step into your talents, your true essence is revealed. In that essence, is the revolution that ignites your evolution. It’s your A-Ha! Your compass. Your validation. And it has been in you all along.\n\nI don’t want to just help you recognize your voice, I want you to serenade the world with your song.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9457346200942993}
{"content": "Rise of the Data Product Manager\n\nOver the next several years, there will be a new kind of product manager in demand — the data product manager. I have previously argued that good data scientists make good product managers, but this is incomplete. Data is at the core of product development; not only in the post-hoc analysis of usage metrics and A/B tests. The continual intake and exhaust of data is determining how products behave and what new classes of products are possible. Machine learning models automatically adapt products to users’ preferences, make recommendations about next actions, and suggest future features and products. Data product managers understand this and incorporate it into their products.\n\nWorking with data at the core of a product requires a level of understanding of data modeling, data infrastructure, and statistical and machine learning. It goes beyond understanding the results of experiments and reading dashboards — it requires a deep appreciation for what is possible and what will soon be possible by taking full advantage of the flow of data. If the traditional PM operates at the intersection of business, engineering, and user experience, the data PM must also have domain knowledge of data and data science.\n\n[Insert terrible six-circle Venn diagram here that marries Drew Conway’s data science Venn diagram and the traditional PM diagram.]\n\nThe data PM understands that building products with data requires a data strategy — what is your plan for how data will be generated, collected, and consumed, and how does this uniquely position you to win in your market? It’s not enough to collect data and stash it in a data warehouse for post hoc analysis. The data PM has a plan for why the data generated by the product will be used to improve the product, algorithmically or otherwise, over time and why this creates a defensible moat to increase the product’s chances of long-term success. In other words, the data PM makes product decisions that get the flywheel moving with data.\n\nThe data PM understands the technological infrastructure involved in building products at a technical level. What kind of infrastructure is needed to support the product? Do machine learning models need to be scored in real-time or can they be prescored offline? What is the plan for retraining models on new data? How will the model’s success be evaluated over time? What is the complexity cost for implementing the model in production? Yes, data scientists will be answering these questions as well, but the data PM needs to be an active participant in these discussions as part of the inevitable tradeoffs involved in product development.\n\nThe data PM understands that collecting data and using data are two different parts of building with data with different tradeoffs and often involving different parts of the engineering team. They help drive the product development process so that the handoff between these two processes is seamless and helps both sides succeed at their jobs.\n\nThe data PM understands that machine learning is useful for a lot of problems, but knows when a heuristic model may be more appropriate. When it’s not clear, they timebox exploration to see which approach may be more useful. They also know that there may come a time when a switch from heuristic model to machine learning model will be appropriate and plan ahead for this contingency.\n\nThe data PM can perform their own analyses — they can write their own SQL, build their own dashboards, interpret their own experiments. They are skeptical of anyone who claims “the data speaks for itself” since they know this is never true. People speak for data and knowing how the analysis was conducted is just as important as having the results. Data PMs aren’t slavishly “data driven” decision-makers that blindly make calls based on single numbers. They’re appropriately skeptical producers and consumers of data.\n\nThe data PM can translate requirements between data scientists, engineers, designers, marketers, and other PMs. They build product instrumentation and data storage into their acceptance criteria while collaborating with data scientists to ensure that data will be accessible and usable for analysis and modeling as soon as possible. They don’t leave it to engineers who are not data scientists to make assumptions about what kinds of data will be valuable for data scientists.\n\nFinally, the data PM knows that data, models, and outputs aren’t enough — they still have to be product managers and bring these components back to the business model and their organization’s strategy. Machine learning models that don’t align with the business model will not only waste time and money for no reason, they undermine an organization’s trust in machine learning. This is especially true in companies that are late to data science, have skepticism about the power of data science, or are very qualitative in their leadership.\n\nFor these reasons, I still believe that good data scientists make good product managers, but it seems clear that a new kind of product manager is just on the horizon.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9070500135421753}
{"content": "Connect with us\n\n\nIs War Obsolete?\n\nMehwish Akram\n\n\n\nThe purpose of this essay is to analyze the arguments in favor and against the obsoleteness of the war particularly after the cold war. But before going in detail one needs to understand the concept of war that is advocated by the proponents of the Realist school of thought.\n\nAccording to the Realists, war is essential for serving its interests as for war is mean to achieve their national interests. The institution of war has evolved with the development of state after the peace of Westphalia which gives state supreme power to exercise within its boundaries without inferring in internal matters of the other states.\n\nDefining War\n\nAccording to Clausewitz war is a continuation of politics by other means. The industrialization played a vital role in promoting war by developing new weapons and revolutionizing the institution of war. It was in eighteen century when war becomes a proper institution which is equipped with modern weapons and tactics. Alexis de Tocqueville concluded that war almost always enlarges the mind of a people and raises their character.”  Kenneth Waltz defines war as “The ultimate resort of states that can see no other way to have their interests met.” Moreover, War was used as a tool by states to expand its territory and area of influence since ancient times like Athens fight against Spartan to control them.\n\nIn the twentieth century, the fascination for war is declining especially after the experience of WWI and almost all the countries of the developed world committed to avoiding war between states. The deterrence was also used by states to prevent war by equipping them with arms to teeth to deal with the aggressive states. [1] However, this policy failed with the start of WWII but with the start of a cold war between US and USSR did bring stability by changing of international structure from multi-polarity to bi-polarity. Both powers avoided direct confrontation and the world was divided into two blocs. Kenneth Waltz declared Bi-polar system as a most stable system because both powers tried to balance each other power which reduces the chances of war.\n\nMerits of Bi-polarity\n\nSimilarly, nuclear weapons also played a significant role in averting war as both powers acquired nuclear weapons.[2]  Kenneth Waltz called nuclear weapons as an effective tool to prevent war between US and USSR as the use of nuclear weapons after 1945 become unthinkable for any state due to its destructive ability.  According to experts, Bi-polarity proved to be a more balanced system as it would not allow one state to dominate all other states of the world. Bi-polarity created a balance between two potential powers and brings stability at international level as both were equally capable of competing with other.  Both states balanced each other power by created two blocs to check each other growing power at global level.\n\nArguments in favor of Obsoleteness of War\n\n1- Economic Integration\n\nThe interdependence of economy is considered as a major development which is preventing the war, especially between states. For Instance, in the case of China and US despite their rivalry, there is less likely chance of war between both the states.  War creates instability and disrupts the economy in a negative way by causing inflation.[3]  The international economic system has increased the dependence of states irrespective of their size. The economic integration among states is not allowing them for waging war because it is not cost effective for a state. In contemporary world war is undesirable and becoming a burden on the economy of the country.\n\nIn the case of China and US relations although they are competing with each other but they would not use war as a tool to increase their influence in the global arena. Since war is not a viable option to pursue their national interests. Similarly, China is suspicious of an American presence in the Asia-Pacific region and their growing ties with its neighboring states. One cannot say that they will be involved in direct confrontation with each other. Since economic interests of the both states are inter-linked and mutually dependent upon each other. China is the biggest trading partner of US and a major importer of Chinese products.  In addition, globalization played a vital role in increasing the interdependence between the states by linking all states with the common economic system and its stability is dependent upon the cooperation among all states of the world. Globalization has transformed the world into the global village by inter-linking world trade.     \n\n2- Role of international organization\n\nThe role of the international organization is significant in preventing war between states by including all states into organizations to resolve their issues by using the dialogue process and building the mutual consent of all the states of the world. International organization provides a platform to resolve the contentious issues by negotiation rather going for war as a mean to sort out their conflictual issues between the states. Moreover, legislation of international organization is very effective in averting war between states as they punished those who are involved in crimes against humanity in the form of ethnic cleansing and genocide in Rwanda and Yugoslavia.\n\nFurthermore, international organizations are effective in ending conflicts between the states by providing a platform and giving importance to objections of the both parties. International organizations play a mediating role to resolve issues between states by hearing both parties and suggesting ways to sort the contentious issues between any two or more states. In addition, regional organizations have improved the regional integration by dealing the regional problems with regional players. For example, European Union is the most successful organization which has united Europe by resolving their issues internally and consider as a most stable region of the world. The European Union is an effective regional organization which makes it most peaceful part of the world as they sort their issues by discussing with each other.  \n\n3- Cost of WAR\n\nThe cost of war outweighs its benefits for the state as it long-lasting effects on its people. The advancement in modern weapons has increased the destructive abilities of war by causing infrastructure losses for the state.[4]  In contemporary world states prefer to avoid war due its interdependence on other states for trade and for proper functioning relations with its neighbors. Similarly, the human cost of war is another factor which is becoming a reason for preventing wars between the states. The use of chemical and biological weapons in modern warfare has increased the number of deaths of humans within the second that is mostly avoided by the countries.\n\nMoreover, the signing of treaties by almost all states of the world to limit the number of conflicts is another factor to discourage countries from using force against any other country. In addition, war drains the economy of a country and creates dissatisfaction at the domestic level. For example, during the Vietnam War US had to stop war due to protests within the country against War due to its effects on their domestic economy. The economic cost of wars in the contemporary world has played a major role in preventing a war between the states. War is not considered as the viable option for states to pursue their national interests.  \n\n4-Use of non-military means \n\n The use of non-military means by the states is another major reason towards decline war in 21 century. The states tend to use other means for instance; cyber warfare is widely used by China and US to keep a check on their growing power.[5]  The countries in contemporary world avoid using force against other states because it is not cost effective for them.  Cyber warfare is not only cost effective for states but also a viable option to pursue their interests without heavy spending on its defence. Moreover, cyber warfare would cause more damage to the rival states without indulging in direct confrontation with the other states.\n\nThe hacking incidents in the past few years have increased and hackers usually hacked national websites to the country to get access to countries confidential documents and their assets to expose the ability of the state. Cyber warfare is cost effective mean used by countries to subdue their rival states.  The modern technological advancement has increased the role of cyber warfare as all systems of the world are dependent on the digital means. Moreover, computer viruses are also used by almost all states to destroy the confidential projects of their rival states without much effort and violating international laws against the use of force at the global level.    \n\n5- Nuclear weapons\n\nNuclear weapons have also played a significant role in preventing war between states because of its destructive nature and long-lasting effects on the humans and living beings.[6]  Nuclear weapons are considered as psychological weapons or political weapons that act as a deterrent to prevent war between the two or more states.  The development of nuclear technological has changed the nature warfare to a greater extent by reducing chances of War Between the States. During cold war nuclear weapons prevented the direct confrontation between US and USSR. The use of nuclear weapons by either by US or USSR would ensure mutual destruction of both the states.\n\nThe use of nuclear weapons is not an acceptable norm at international due to destructive ability to destroy humans indiscriminately. It is considered as taboo by responsible states and international community because of its negative repercussions on the humanity. They are used prevent War among the States. International norms against the use of nuclear weapons have played the significant role in avoiding conflict between the states and acts as a deterrent to states.\n\nCounter Arguments\n\nAccording to some experts, war is not obsolete in the contemporary world rather it has transformed the old warfare. The institution war has become more organized and lethal. The modern technology has revolutionized the nature warfare by equipping states with modern weapons. The decline of war as an institution is not easy to achieve with growing insecurities of the states.  States are facing security dilemma and in order to compete with other states every state is increasing their defense budget to ensure their security.  Similarly, change in international structure from Uni-polarity to Multi-polarity is another reason why states are investing more to improve their military capacity to compete for more than one power at international level.\n\nMoreover, experts are of the view that nuclear weapons are not preventing war instead they are increasing the military disparities between the states. The countries who acquire nuclear weapons after the 1950s are competing with P-5 by developing Tactical Nuclear weapons. They are also known as mini-nukes basically these low-intensity nuclear weapons which are increasing chances of war among the states.  The accidental use of tactical weapons can start a war due to growing distrust among major countries of the world. For example, in a case of India and Pakistan, accidental use of tactical nuclear weapons can initiate a war between these two states.\n\nComparative Analysis\n\nIf we analyzed arguments in favor of the obsoleteness of war are based on logical argumentation and empirical evidence. It would be plausible to say that institution of war is facing a decline due to growing awareness among general public and policy makers. War is not cost-effective and becoming a burden on economies of the countries. Similarly, modern weapon technologies have increased the defence budget rather spending this money to eradicate poverty and violence in the world. Moreover, development of nuclear weapons is also contributed in preventing war because the use of nuclear weapons can kill thousands of people within seconds especially after witnessing the example of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in 1945.\n\nDespite differences among states they give importance to the process of dialogue to resolve their conflictual issues rather than going for war. The cost of war out weights the benefits of war if we assess the implications of war for humans it would be safe to claim that war cause more problems for people who have to face the consequences of war in the form of loss of their lives and displacement from their respective countries to neighboring areas. It would be plausible say that war between states is obsolete if not within the states. The conflicts within the countries are there but it can be addressed by using dialogue process and giving autonomy to minority groups in the countries.\n\nIf we compare and contrast arguments in favor and against of war one can say that war is considered as the only option for states in resolving their issues with other states. The institution of war is facing decline after the conclusion of the two World Wars. War is not used by states to protect their national interests due to its heavy cost in the form of both human and material cost of the war. Globalization has also played significant role limiting the role of War at international level by promoting interdependence among all states of the world. Furthermore, war itself causes more problems rather than resolving contentious issues between the countries.\n\nThe increasing economic interdependence among states has decreased chances of war as their economic interests are interlinked. War is expensive for any state since it requires not only man-power but also the economic power to sustain the war for a long time.  The countries having viable economies if they start a war consequently it will drain their economy and create issues within their states.  The economic integration of regions has paved the way in preventing war between states by bringing stability and prosperity to all states irrespective of their relative power capabilities.\n\nTheoretical Framework\n\nSocial constructivism theory is presented by Nicholas Onuf, Alexander Wendt, Emanuel Adler, Friedrich Kratochwil, John Gerard Ruggie and Peter Katzenstein.[7]  According to proponents of the social constructivism international structure is socially constructed with interactions of human with each other. States objective goals in the form of security and economic development and subjective goals their international standing are created by their interactions with other actors of the world. States identities and interests are constructed from inter-subjective social structures because global actors interact with each other to formulate their interests by comparing them with other states.  The identities and interests of actors are socially constructed by their interaction with each other.\n\nAccording to constructivists anarchy is not given rather it is socially constructed with interactions of global actors. If all states are interacting in a peaceful manner then it is peaceful and if the country suspects each other intentions then it is conflictual in nature. In simple words, it depends on upon the interactions of the global actors with each other.  Constructivist negates realist assumption about anarchy that it is given.  It is constructed by an interaction of global actors and it changes the behavior of global actors. The interest of the states keeps on changing with a change in international structure as they are stagnant or permanent.\n\nThe international system is not given or present like the solar system. It is constituted by inter-subjective interaction among the people. The international system is constructed with the ideas that are not based on the objective reality. Social Constructivism is based upon the set of ideas, norms of people living in a particular area. According to the constructivists understanding the meanings of ideas and concepts is significant because it is based on interactions human with other by comparing them with each other.      \n\nIn the case of relations with China and US one can say they experienced ups and downs with the changing nature of their national interests. [8]  During the 1950s, the relations between both the states were conflictual in nature due to American involvement in Korean Peninsula and their support for Nationalist Taiwan.[9]  In the 1970s during Nixon Presidency, US tried to normalize their relations by visiting China and accepted People Republic China (PRC) legitimacy using Ping Pong by sending their table tennis team to China. The shift in relations occurred due to changing nature of their national interest and abandons the Nationalists of Taiwan.  The US normalized their relations with China to curtail the Russian expansion in the region and increase American area of influence in the Asia-Pacific region.\n\nIf we analyzed the relations of the both countries using the Social Constructivists lens one can say China and US have experienced a period of strained relations and normal relations depending upon the nature of interests that are changing with a shift in the international system. It is either peaceful or conflictual in nature. Moreover, in recent past, the increased in economic interdependence has improved their relations with each other due to dependence upon each other for achieving their economic interests. Similarly, China and the USA are competing with other economically due to growing Chinese economy and rise as a major player at international level. China and USA are suspected of each other activities particularly in the Asia-Pacific region due to growing Chinese influence in the region.     \n\nThe relations between China and US are largely driven by their distinct ideologies and identities.  The foreign policy of both of these countries is dependent on their identities which are different from each other. The understanding of their respective identities is essential for making sense of their posture towards each other. States acts according to national interests that are based on their identities.  According to Social Constructivism understanding of identities is required to analyze the relations between two states in detail. The role of identities is significant is determining the major policy decisions that are largely dependent upon the ideational factors of the state.\n\nIn the context of China and US, the role of the identity cannot be undermined because both give importance to their identities in their relations with each other.  The in-depth understanding of the foreign policies of China and US is largely based on their distinct identities. The nature of the relationship between China and US is very complex due to the vital role of their respective identities in their major policy decisions towards each other. China gives importance to its identity in the conduct of their relations with US and rest of the world. In the same way, the US also promotes democracy at the international level that signifies the role of identity in their foreign policy.\n\n\nTo conclude, war is obsolete particularly between the states in the contemporary as no major war is fought between states. The institution war is facing a decline due to its heavy cost paid the people. The countries prefer to use non-military means to increase their sphere of influence rather using force to get their interests. The phenomena of war are not fascinating for young people anymore as it used to be in past. The repercussions of war have far-reaching effects on the humans by disturbing them emotionally and mentally. Moreover, nuclear, biological and chemical weapons are another factor which is vital for averting war among the states due to its implications for humans. The countries at international level do not promote war to solve their conflictual issues with each other. The international organizations are effective in ending the war between states by promoting peace and stability. Similarly, the role of effective civil society and epistemic communities cannot be undermined in preventing war at a global level.  The epistemic community has played a vital role in stigmatizing the use of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.  \n\nLastly, war  is not considered by states as an only option to pursue their national interests as it used to be in the 17th and 18th century. Realist school of thought promoted war as tool or Lastly, no doubt war is not considered by states as an only option to pursue their national interests as it used to be in the 17th and 18th century.  Realist school of thought promoted war as a tool or mean by states to achieve their national interests. In 21 century the role war is not vital due to increasing in economic interdependence between the states. The economic integration at the regional level is important in ending major conflicts among states of the particular region. War as an institution is not effective at international due to a shift of countries towards non-military means to subdue their rivals rather than indulging them in war or military confrontation with each other. \n\n [1]Hans G. Brauch, “The Three Worldviews of Hobbes, Grotius and Kant Foundations of modern thinking on peace and security Contextual Change and Reconceptualisation of Security,” AFES-PRESS, accessed June 5, 2016,\n\n[2]Sherpa Subirana, “Is War Becoming Obsolete in International Affairs? Discuss with Reference to the Academic Debate on the Issue. | Lobsang Dundup Sherpa Subirana –,” – Share Research, accessed June 5, 2016,\n\n[3]John Mueller, “IS WAR STILL BECOMING OBSOLETE?,” Political Science | OSU, last modified August 3, 2012,\n\n[4]Rosella Cappella, “Confronting the Cost of War: The Political Economy of War Finance | Center for Finance, Law & Policy,” Boston University, accessed June 5, 2016,\n\n[5]Terry L. Deibel, “Foreign Affairs Strategy – Cambridge University Press,” Home | Cambridge University Press, accessed June 5, 2016,\n\n[6]Kenneth Waltz, “Kenneth Waltz, The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: More May Better, Adelphi Papers, Number 171 (London: International Institute F,” Mount Holyoke College, last modified 1981,\n\n[7]Roya J. Amineh and Hanieh D. Asl, “Review of Constructivism and Social Constructivism,” Journal of Social Sciences, Literature and Languages 1, no. 1 (April 2015): xx, Available online at\n\n[8]Hui Wang, “U.S.-CHINA: BONDS AND TENSIONS,” RAND Corporation Provides Objective Research Services and Public Policy Analysis | RAND, accessed June 5, 2016,\n\n[9]Yan Xuetong, “The Instability of China-US Relations,” The Chinese Journal of International Politics 3, no. 3 (2010): xx, doi:10.1093/cjip/poq009.\n\nMehwish Akram holds masters degree in International Relations and currently doing M Phil in Political Science. Her areas of interest are Democracy, Political theory and Environmental politics .\n\nContinue Reading\n\n\nSleepwalking Toward Nuclear War\n\nIgor Ivanov\n\n\n\nAuthors: Des Browne, Wolfgang Ischinger, Igor S. Ivanov, Sam Nunn\n\nThis weekend marks the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, one of the world’s most horrific conflicts.  One of the best accounts of how this tragedy began, by the historian Christopher Clark, details how a group of well-meaning European leaders—“The Sleepwalkers”—led their nations into a war with 40 million military and civilian casualties. Today, we face similar risks of mutual misunderstandings and unintended signals, compounded by the potential for the use of nuclear weapons—where millions could be killed in minutes rather than over four years of protracted trench warfare. Do we have the tools to prevent an incident turning into unimaginable catastrophe?\n\nFor those gripped with complacency, consider this scenario. It is 2019. Russia is conducting a large military exercise in its territory bordering NATO. A NATO observer aircraft accidentally approaches Russian airspace, and is shot down by a Russian surface to air missile. Alarmed, NATO begins to mobilize reinforcements. There is concern on both sides over recent nuclear deployments in the wake of the collapse of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Suddenly, both NATO and Russia issue ultimatums—each noting their respective nuclear capabilities and willingness to use them if vital interests are threatened. Europe is edging towards a conventional conflict, and the risk of escalation to nuclear use is very real.\n\nEach of the strands in this hypothetical scenario is visible in the wind today, exacerbated by new threats—such as cyber risks to early warning and command and control systems, which can emerge at any point in a crisis and trigger misunderstandings and unintended signals that could accelerate nations toward war. This is all happening against a backdrop of unease and uncertainty in much of the Euro-Atlantic region resulting from the Ukraine crisis, Syria, migration, Brexit, new technologies, and new and untested leaders now emerging in many Euro-Atlantic states.\n\nWhat can be done to stop this drift toward madness?\n\nWhen leaders from across Europe meet in Paris on 11 November to mark the 100th anniversary of the conclusion of World War I, those with nuclear weapons—President Donald Trump, President Vladimir Putin, President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Theresa May—should reinforce the principle that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.  This principle, articulated at the height of the Cold War by the presidents of the United States and Russia, was embraced then by all European countries. It would communicate that leaders today recognize their responsibility to work together to prevent nuclear catastrophe and provide a foundation for other practical steps to reduce the risk of nuclear use—including resolving the current problems with INF and extending the New START Treaty through 2026.\n\nThere remains the challenge of rebuilding trust between the United States, NATO and Russia so that it will again be possible to address major security challenges in the Euro-Atlantic region. This was done throughout the Cold War and must again be done today. This process could begin with a direction by leaders to their respective governments to renew a mutually beneficial dialogue on crisis management, especially in absence of trust.\n\nCrisis management dialogue was an essential tool throughout the Cold War—used for managing the “day-to-day” of potentially dangerous military activities, not for sending political signals. Leaders should not deprive themselves of this essential tool today. Used properly, crisis management can be instrumental in avoiding a crisis ever reaching the point where military forces clash inadvertently or where the use of nuclear weapons needs to be signaled, let alone considered, by leaders with perhaps only minutes to make such a fateful choice.\n\nIn reviewing the run up to past wars, there is one common denominator: those involved in the decision making have looked back and wondered how it could have happened, and happened so quickly? In Paris next week, 100 years after the guns across Europe fell silent, leaders can begin taking important steps to ensure a new and devastating war will not happen today.\n\nDes Browne, a former British defense secretary, is Vice Chairman of the Nuclear Threat Initiative and Chair of the European Leadership Network.\n\n\nIgor S. Ivanov, former Russian Foreign Minister and Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation from 2004 to 2007, is President of the Russian International Affairs Council.\n\nSam Nunn, a former Democratic US senator, is Co-Chairman of the Nuclear Threat Initiative.\n\nFirst published in our partner RIAC\n\nContinue Reading\n\n\nS-400: A Game Changer in South Asia\n\n\n\nIndia and Russia have signed a US$5b deal, under which India will receive S-400 air defence missile system – that is poised to be game changer in South Asian strategic environment.\n\nThe Russians have definitely made a breakthrough with sales of weapons to some NATO countries with uncertain futures in the bloc (e.g. Greece, Turkey) and strong US client countries such as Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states such as the UAE. India’s procurement of five S-400 regiments that is expected to be completed in 2020 is something that is giving a new dynamics to the issue.\n\nThe main usage of S-400 long-range missile is against stand-off systems including flying command posts and aircraft such as the E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS). These aircraft, which are used by the US and its NATO allies with a squadron stationed in Japan at Kadena Air Force Base and in the UAE at al-Dhafra, are vulnerable to S-400 interceptors and lose their stand-off range protection.\n\nThe S-400 missile system is a state-of-the-art air defence and anti ballistic missile platform with a maximum range of 400km against aircraft while reportedly can engage ballistic missiles at 40km range. It is considered one of the best defense systems in existence. Russian-made Almaz-Antei S-400 Triumf air defense systems (NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler) are expected to be fully integrated with the Indian Air Force’s IACCS (integrated air command and control system). The IACCS is an automated command and control system for air defense, which integrates the service’s air and ground-based air sensors and weapons systems.\n\nThe S-400 Triumph missile defense system is a significant strategic upgrade in India’s military hardware and in its pursuit to become a global power. The development is particularly worrisome for Pakistan.  The system if deployed along Pakistan border will provide India an edge of 600kms radar coverage with option of shooting down incoming aircraft from 400kms from its territory.\n\nHowever, India’s purchase of S-400s and its option to acquire upgraded US Patriot systems remains on the table as well. This extensive arms shopping spree by Indian side includes C-17 Globemaster and C-130J transport aircraft, P-8(I) maritime reconnaissance aircraft, M777 lightweight howitzers, Harpoon missiles, and Apache and Chinook helicopters. The US will likely accept India’s request for Sea Guardian drones, and American manufacturers including Lockheed Martin and Boeing are contenders for mega arms deals with India. This (S-400) will further destabilize strategic stability in South Asia, besides leading to a renewed arms race which is disadvantageous for the peace of entire region.\n\nThe Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) law tries to push back against Russia’s malign activity around the world.\n\n“We urge all of our allies and partners to forgo transactions with Russia that would trigger sanctions under CAATSA,” a State Department Spokesperson said\n\nWhen asked about India’s plan to purchase multi-billion S-400 missile defense system from Russia.\n\n“The Administration has indicated that a focus area for the implementation of CAATSA Section 231 is new or qualitative upgrades in capability – including the S-400 air and missile defense system,” the spokesperson said.\n\nIslamabad has from decades faced various stringent sanctions and severe political pressure from Washington. This all is evident from opposition over transfer of any sophisticated arms including the F-16s falcons.\n\nThe silence over such issue by Washington seems to be a part of its ‘Pivot to Asia’ policy, considering China as the next global adversary. Washington is in a difficult position where it is seeking to bolster ties with India to counter China’s growing assertiveness while maintaining pressure on Russia. Whereas, China may not fret over the S-400 system deal provided to India but it will have implications for Pakistan’s Air Force and missile program both.\n\nFinally, it cannot be underestimated that most of Indian defense system is Pakistan centric. As far conventional weapons are concerned, the balance has always been in India’s favor, because of India’s better and larger economy. Therefore, Pakistan is concerned about this deal keeping in mind that it disrupts the equation of conventional weapons that exist in this region.\n\nThe induction of S-400 might lower the nuclear threshold to a new level that is already precarious with the waivers and blessings by big powers to India. These moves have the capacity to lead the region in a spiraling arms race which can bring about an increase in instability through the escalation of an already dangerous arms buildup in the region.\n\nContinue Reading\n\n\nRevisiting the No First Use Policy of India Vis-À-Vis India’s Nuclear Doctrine\n\n\n\nThe object of deterrence is to persuade an adversary that the costs to him of seeking a military solution to his political problems will far outweigh the benefits. The object of reassurance is to persuade one’s own people, and those of one’s allies, that the benefits of military action, or preparation for it, will outweigh the costs.The object of reassurance is to persuade one’s own people, and those of one’s allies, that the benefits of military action, or preparation for it, will outweigh the costs.- Michael Howard\n\nIndia’s new political discourse on revisiting its nuclear doctrine has once again attracted transnational debate on the efficacy of no first use policies, despite the fact that India has repeatedly recapitulated that it is amenable to negotiate no first use treaties bilaterally or multilaterally with all nuclear weapons states including China and Pakistan. Foreign policy and strategic affairs are developed on the basis of a country’s long-term national interests and soft-power and take into consideration both internal diaspora and external factors. The foreign policy of a country does not change when governments change, but the foreign diplomacy and strategic priorities undergo changes. The Narendra Modi government has so far not suggested any change in the nuclear doctrine or the No First Use (NFU) policy on which India’s declaratory nuclear doctrine is based, but the BJP’s election manifesto promised to “study in detail India’s nuclear doctrine, and revise and update it, to make it relevant to challenges of current times.” The debate was further fuelled when former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar questioned NFU policy reckoning national responsibility and political independence. Former Commander-in-Chief of Indian Strategic Forces, Lt-Gen BS Nagal, questioned NFU doctrine by posting whether it was viable for India’s political leadership to accept huge casualties by subduing its hand, realising that Pakistan was about to use nuclear weapons.\n\nThe Donald Trump administration’s 2018 Nuclear Posture Review embellishes the range of significant non-nuclear strategic scenarios in which the United States may scrutinize nuclear weapons use. After the recent visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to China last week, China appreciated steps taken by Pakistan in strengthening the global non-proliferation regime.  The joint statement issued;“In this context, China supports Pakistan’s engagement with the Nuclear Suppliers Group and welcomes its adherence of Nuclear Suppliers (NSG) Group Guidelines,” while Beijing’s political clout continues to barricade India’s bid in becoming a member of the NSG, the 48-member crème da la crème league, which administers global nuclear trade. The Indian nuclear doctrine was articulated in 1999 and looking at the current geopolitical developments across the world especially the growing friendship of our neighbours, it is high time to review it.  The main features of India’s nuclear doctrine as summarized by Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting in January 2003, held over four and a half years after the May 1998 tests are:(i)Establishing and maintaining a credible minimum deterrent; (ii) A “No First Use” policy, i.e. nuclear weapons to be used only “in retaliation against a nuclear attack on Indian territory or on Indian forces anywhere”; (iii)Nuclear retaliation to a first strike will be “massive” and designed to inflict “unacceptable damage” and such a nuclear retaliatory attack can be authorized only by civilian political leadership through the Nuclear Command Authority; (iv) No use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon states; (v) India to retain recourse of retaliating with nuclear weapons in the event of a major attack against it with biological or chemical weapons; (vi) Continuance of strict restrictions on the export of nuclear and missile-related materials and technologies, participation in FMCT negotiations, continued moratorium on testing; and (vii) Take measures for establishing a nuclear weapon free world, through global, verifiable and non-discriminatory disarmament.\n\nIt is a common misconception that the locution ‘No first use’ is China’s contribution to international peace and stability. In actuality, the no first use formulation dates back to circa 1925 when the international community concluded a no first use treaty on chemical weapons and toxins in the Geneva Protocol. India’s not so detailed nuclear doctrine based on the concept of NFU is ambiguously strengthen by a policy of assured massive retaliation. The intent of the active retaliatory provision is to convince warmongers that, any threat or use of nuclear weapons against India shall involve measures to counter the threat, and any nuclear attack on India and its forces anywhere shall result in massive retaliation, inflicting damage to the adversary. It means that if anyone dared use nuclear weapons against India, the nation would confidently retaliate and inflict unacceptable damage on the initiator. This is India’s doctrine of credible deterrence. Picking up from this interpretation, it is clear that the Indian doctrine is hinged on the concept of deterrence by denial and not by punishment. This diplomacy is intended to put the adversary on notice that the use of nuclear weapons will imply massive retaliation. The nature of retaliation and the parameter to judge massiveness is still vague, while a policy of assured retaliation, combined with a small nuclear force built on the principle of sufficiency, could overall be characterised as minimum deterrence. China backed Pakistani government officials and diplomats have been explicitly critical of India’s no first use doctrine on the grounds that it is only a declaratory policy and can be easily amended when the necessity arises.\n\nThe nuclear doctrine of a country decides a country’s nuclear force structure, command and control system, alert status and its deployment posture. The prerequisites of the First use doctrine are hair-trigger alerts, launch-on-warning and launch-through-attack strategies and elaborate surveillance, early warning and intelligence systems with nuclear warheads loaded on launchers and ready to fire. Jaswant Singh in ‘Against Nuclear Apartheid,’Foreign Affairs, vol. 77, no. 5, September/October 1998has written, “No other country has debated so meticulously and, at times, sinuously over the chasm between its sovereign security needs and global disarmament instincts, between a moralistic approach and a realistic one, and between a covert nuclear policy and an overtone.” What our neighbours often deliberately ignore, is that India has at multiple times offered to negotiate a mutual no first use treaty with Pakistan that would be binding and verifiable. India has a very clean record of adherence to international norms. Unfortunately, a paradoxical approach has been followed by India’s principal opponents, who have violated numerous treaties with impunity, including the NPT and the MTCR. Nuclear weapons are now becoming a mere political weapon rather than weapons of ‘warfighting’. India’s nuclear doctrine is foundationally drafted based on the concept of minimum deterrence, which means that the policy and strategy would be driven by the minimalist principle.  The concept of minimum deterrence is not completely a doctrine but is a nuclear force structure. The Indian doctrine can be interpreted to be framed on ‘assured retaliation’ and this is to be implemented by a minimalist nuclear force as an assured retaliation force structure is postulated on the dogma that no one will start a nuclear tussle if the adversaries are assertive of a nuclear retaliation.\n\nIn the book Dragon on our Doorstep: Managing China through Military power’, authors Pravin Sawhney and Ghazala Wahab argued, “Let alone China, India cannot even win a war against Pakistan. And this has nothing to do with the possession of nuclear weapons- the roles of nuclear and conventional weapons are separate in the war planning of India, China and Pakistan. The reason India would be at a disadvantage in a war with Pakistan is that while Pakistan has built military power, India focussed on building the military force. In this difference lies the capability to win wars.” Nonetheless, there lies an undeniable connection between nation’s conventional military capabilities and its dominance over other nations. A nuclear-armed nation with low military capability as compared to its adversaries may find it absolutely necessary to espouse an in extremis first use strategy to impede a conventional military strategy that may threaten to undermine its territorial integrity. This in nutshell is the nuclear dilemma of Pakistan. This may be one of the reasons why Pakistan does not accept India’s offer of a bilateral no first use treaty as a nuclear confidence building and risk reduction measure. On the other hand, India’s existing defence machinery due to low investment is becoming outdated, as China is rapidly reindustrialising its armed forces, raising deployment units and improving the logistics infrastructure in Tibet with a subtle intransigence in resolving the outstanding territorial and boundary dispute with India.\n\nFormer National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon in his book Choices argued, “There is a potential grey area as to when India would use nuclear weapons first against NWS. Circumstances are conceivable in which India might find it useful to strike first, for instance, against an NWS that had declared it would certainly use its weapons, and if India were certain that adversary’s launch was imminent.” Many analysts have argued that India has gained nothing and has unnecessarily elected to bear the horrendous costs of a nuclear strike by choosing to adopt a purely retaliatory nuclear policy. India’s tempestuous relationship with its neighbours, changing paradigm of Indian Ocean diplomacy and its desire to be a global power is shaping the framework of its nuclear weapons programme and policy. In order to engage global nuclear powers in a productive positive dialogue, there has to be a special diplomatic effort from the Ministry of External Affairs to strengthen its position as a responsible partner in the nuclear stability dialogue.The domain of Nuclear security has always been the prerogative of the Prime Minister Office, and it is the right time for India to revisit the existing framework and articulate and advocate for an international consensus to draft a new policy taking into account the geopolitical changes in South Asia.\n\nContinue Reading\n\n\nMiddle East5 hours ago\n\nTurkish Newspaper Implicates UAE’s Crown Prince in Covering Up Murder of Khashoggi\n\nSaudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman al-Saud, and UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, are close friends and allies,...\n\nNewsdesk6 hours ago\n\nWEF initiative pledges to equip 20 million ASEAN workers with digital skills by 2020\n\nA coalition of major tech companies pledged today to develop digital skills for the ASEAN workforce. 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{"content": "Mazda has provided further details about its roadmap during a technology briefing recently, where it touched upon topics relating to its ‘Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030’ long-term vision. This includes the return of the rotary engine as a range extender for electric vehicles (which it calls xEV), among other things.\n\nAs a brief recap, the Japanese automaker has already spoken at length about some of the new technologies on its way, including the SkyActiv-X compression ignition engine, SkyActiv-Vehicle Architecture and the second stage of its Kodo design philosophy.\n\nThe company is aiming to reduce carbon emissions from its vehicles by as much as 50% from 2010 levels by the year 2030, and 90% by 2050. Even so, the company doesn’t believe that the internal combustion engine (ICE) will go away anytime soon, hence it is not budging from its goal to perfect it further. This includes participating in the research of algae biofuel with academics and the Tokyo Institute of Technology.\n\nFollowing the commercialisation of the SkyActiv-X engine, all new Mazda cars will feature some form of electrification, with 95% of them being hybrid models, while the remaining 5% are pure electric vehicles (EVs). Such a move is necessary in markets such as the United States, Europe and China, where stricter emissions regulations are gradually coming into effect.\n\nMazda says its EV will be developed fully in-house following three important concepts, with the first being the “joy of driving.” We’ve heard plenty of the company’s ‘Jinba-Ittai’ philosophy and it intends to realise a feeling of unity between its battery-powered EVs and the driver.\n\nOne way to do so is by adapting its G-Vectoring Control (GVC) technology to its EVs. In cars powered by an ICE, GVC control vehicle behaviour by reducing engine torque slightly but for EVs, the system controls the regeneration braking system as well. The EVs will also receive the brand’s latest GVC Plus torque vectoring by brake technology that is found in the latest CX-5.\n\nMoving on to the major talking point, the rotary engine. We’ve already been told the rotary will be used as a range extender, but why? As Mazda explains, the revolving motion of the rotor allows the engine to be integrated with an electric motor which has a similar rotational structure. This makes for a more compact and lightweight unit compared to using a reciprocating engine, allowing for more freedom in designing the motor room layout\n\nFurthermore, rotary engines do not have an engine valve system, is well balanced, offers smooth combustion and has a simple structure. These characteristics result in low vibrations and noises generated across frequencies in terms of in-car NVH.\n\nAccording to Mazda, the rotary engine will form the base of its xEVs, and with different combinations of generators, batteries and fuel tank sizes, enables the company to offer different types of xEVs (series hybrid, plug-in hybrid and range-extender hybrids) using the same vehicle packaging.\n\nThis flexibility allows different degrees of electrification to be introduced depending on the energy mix of each region. For instance, countries that generate their electricity from clean energy sources but lack charging infrastructure would find it beneficial to get a range extender option. Meanwhile, countries that rely on thermal plants would find plug-in hybrids and series hybrids as more advantageous in terms of reducing CO2 emissions on a well-to-wheel basis.\n\nMazda also claims its rotary engine is compatible with a diverse range of fuels, including liquified petroleum gas (LPG), compressed natural gas (CNG) and even hydrogen, further widening its application. The company says that its rotary-equipped EV will be able to function as a generator during emergency situations, powered by easy-to-find LPG.\n\nOn the topic of connectivity, future vehicles will offer smartphone-like digital conveniences that are backed by telematics services and on-board communication devices that leverage on its alliance with Toyota.\n\nAs for when we will see these technologies, Mazda says it has already begun work on its EV, with first test drives slated for next year ahead of a target market launch around 2020. The more interesting mention is the “leadoff batter” in its next-generation line-up, which will be a model that incorporates some of the technology mentioned. Previous reports hint at the model being the all-new Mazda 3, but we will only find out more during the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7552710771560669}
{"content": "Too Perfect: A Look at Social Narcissism\n\nNarcissism is a staple of our modern world. Whether it’s social media posts that garner a swarm of likes or hearts, fixing up a face or wardrobe on order to look extraordinary enough to stand out of a crowd, or simply being too overly concerned with oneself and their outward appearance, many individuals find themselves caught up in the individualism of the era. In a peculiar sense, even the mildest practice has seemingly become a sort of survival mechanism for mankind–as a social species, narcissism plays upon mankind’s need for social interaction to exploit its desire for peer approval and constant positive feedback. Conversely, the more one focuses on their outward self, the more disconnected and numb they become towards other people and general empathy–displayed with the passive “Thoughts and Prayers”–until, just like the term’s namesake, the individual ends up withering away to the view of their own image (more on that later). Understanding the role of narcissism or self-care in all its variations is paramount in both trying to achieve progress in society and looking for ways to close whatever gaps between the self and others have been created as a result of this individualism.\n\nOn the one hand, this belief can be whittled down to a basic survival instinct–to illustrate, most of us know what it’s like to live mainly on ramen or PB&J’s, and so we do everything that we see is in our own best interest to avoid that particular starvation. To a lesser extent, this could also be applied to how one presents themselves to the general public (online or in real life), because, again, that sense of wanting to fit in or find acceptance from another drives one to find a support group so that they have a source to turn to in time of crisis.  Now, in terms of online use, I myself am a social media fiend, as I particularly enjoy posting various things on the medium, and of that I am guilty. And there are a lot of fun and exciting things to find on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and all other platforms. And there are people who have found it to be a great way to connect with others, so there are some positive to it. However, having found myself at times getting invested too much into the medium or being at the receiving end of someone’s mercy both on and offline, I think it’s important to be aware of what this medium is capable of in the context of the world which we inhabit.\n\nOn the other hand, however, the enabling of modern society towards acting on individualistic, self-centered tendencies has been shown to drive individuals toward an image that, previously, was mainly if not only seen in the likes of fictional characters (namely, Gordon Gekko, Hannibal Lector, or South Park’s Eric Cartman if you’re more of a comedy type). In a sense, these people take the narcissistic traits associated with copious social media and fashion trend use to a whole new level offline.\n\nInstead of just posting random stuff on Twitter or Facebook, other people can be used if the individual feels that their presence acts as an extension of their own perceived glory. The narcissist can perceive that the great and mighty achievements of someone can directly reflect back on themselves, should that person possess the desired characteristics, and continue to exploit that person for their own personal gain or desire to “feel good.” I like to believe that this is akin to a child doing something just so they can get a “lollipop,” and personally dub it a Lollipop Effect.\n\nOf course, with narcissism, if the narcissist (let’s call them “X”) views themselves as perfect or nearly flawless, then these perceived “extensions” of themselves (let’s call them “Y”) must also be perfect or exhibit good or outstanding traits. Because, should someone point out any glaring grievances or shortcomings, especially if it’s Y, then X will resort to dumping their problems on Y and making it seem as though Y is the one with the issues; some will know this as “gas lighting.” X will also put down Y’s achievements in order to make their own achievement’s look better in comparison. Feeling entitled to only the greatest glory, X will even get rid of the old Y and replace them with a new Y, or someone who will comply with their superiority.And it can happen on Facebook just as much as it can happen in a real life situation.\n\nAll of this is an example of one’s “survival method” taken to a horrible extreme, and the treatment off the proverbial “Y” in this instance can be interpreted in terms of potential dehumanization. X was using Y to further their own benefit, just like how many teenage girls use Instagram to further other’s perceptions of their own beauty. When X is happy with all that’s going on, then Y can be happy to; when it hits the fan and X gets angry and wrecks havoc, then Y is saddled with the imperfection and has to take full responsibility for the calamity, especially if they want X to treat them well.And so, a sense of hopelessness and depression on part of Y ensues.\n\nSimilarly, just as one ditches a fashion piece perceived to be “tacky” (chokers and socks with sandals seem to be popularly loathed), Narcissist Supreme can rid themselves of good ol’ Johnny Tallahassee if they feel that the latter is non-beneficial to their godlike status. This is made even worse if X makes it seem that Y is totally dependent on them, making it appear that Y’s reliance on X is their only method of survival–therefore, opening the door for X to do whatever they please with Y. The longer this occurs, the less Y feels like themselves or human to begin with, and the more that they feel as an extension of X.\n\nKeeping this in mind when looking at the greater social landscape, it doesn’t come as a surprise that collective narcissism seems to be on the rise. It isn’t just popular to post selfies like there’s no tomorrow, but the widespread practice of such and how it yields a large collective response has snowballed into more individuals doing similar acts and, eventually, reaching a stage where empathy and concern for the well-being of others is almost nonexistent. People use each other to further an agenda moreso than ever before, and, if they’re not already withering away like Narcissus in front of his own reflection, they’re damning themselves by believing that their only source for survival is with Narcissus, just like those who died believing that they could not measure to his perceived glory.\n\nSuch a belief that one is above all others is reflected in our politics (particularly with treatment towards those of opposing ideals), our religious practices, and our apathetic attitude towards the educational system (be it a decline in academic performance or the apathy towards someone brandishing a weapon at children). And, the more focus is placed on individualism, the less likely it is for one to be able to actively survive, or at least in a way that allows them to be somewhat empathetic.\n\nProgress will only happen for the individual or the social group if a rejection of modern individualism is acted upon. Regardless of whether one is the victim or the instigator in a narcissistic scenario, awareness of the problem and looking for ways to be more open or empathetic with others is the more sound solution to addressing those issues that plague us today.\n\n\n\nFeeling Thoughtful\n\nNot every day is going to be bright and cheerful, and there are no promises that the next day will be as such either. It’s knowing how to personally get through the struggles of any challenging moments and the willpower to push onward, regardless of the bruises and scars received in the wake of it all, that help us gain the strength to see ourselves through to the eventual dawn of a brighter day.\n\nDay 8: Revelation\n\n\n\nDay 7: Slumber\n\n\nJust a dream, he thought.\n\n\nInto the Shadow\n\nA Plague\n\nHas found me,\n\nMy body and spirit\n\nSlowly slumbering\n\nTo its quiet lull.\n\nIn my prayerful mind,\n\nA void is unlocked,\n\nWhere the thing has made\n\nIts domain.\n\nA small sliver of light\n\nDances behind me,\n\nIlluminating the abyss\n\nBut also a road\n\nTo follow its still, small voice.\n\n\nI choose the small sliver of light\n\nOver defeating the monster,\n\nFor I do not desire eternal imprisonment\n\nFor defeating the monster.\n\nOver its existing influence,\n\nThe light’s voice beckons onward\n\nTo a better salvation.\n\nPublic Service Announcement: Anxiety and Depression\n\nFor a while, I have been debating whether or not posting this or even writing this was a half-decent idea, as I myself have dealt with this in the past. However, after a couple of recent episodes, I feel that this isn’t something that I can hold back anymore. Therefore, I have put the following into writing not only to work through my feelings, but, also, to hopefully reach out to a soul who might need this. Critiques are welcome, but please keep them civil.\n\nHaving one or both of these sucks. It’s not something to brag about or to make light of under any circumstance. Anyone who has this can tell you what it’s like to feel a sense of calm one minute, going about their day in a carefree manner until they encounter something or their mind drifts off to something that triggers an inner mechanism–and then, all of a sudden, a descent into a fatalistic worry ensues, and the world may as well be ending in the eye of the victim. Or one may find themselves drowning in a sea of their own feelings of worthlessness and apathy–they see themselves as a blight on the Mona Lisa, so to speak, and feel that they don’t belong among their family or peers. Or anger that they feel will manifest itself in a pent-up, volatile outburst at seemingly nothing. Some moments you feel like you’re on top of the world and ready to let yourself shine, and others make you want to fade into the canvas so that life can go on without hesitation. And no one could even tell from a Facebook or Instagram photo that your mind was drifting into dark terrain in the days leading up to the taken photo or the days since.\n\nMany are afraid of coming forward with their personal issues and illnesses because of the backlash that they fear they will receive: you’re sweating the small stuff, quit feeling sorry for yourself, other people have it worse than you so quit whining, or it’s not the end of the world. The list goes on, but these are examples of the kinds of things those that suffer fear to hear, as if it’s a confirmation that they aren’t allowed to feel the sinister things that haunt them regularly. As everyone is a unique individual in one way or another, so also do those that live with anxiety or depression receive a different effect of the mental illness(es) as well as respond to it in a unique way or form. Studies and findings about the most common signs of anxiety and depression are abundant all over the world wide web, yet many still respond to these things as if it were the same thing as a person who chronically complains about a frivolous matter of work or a person who throws a temper tantrum if they’re accused of stealing something from another.\n\nAnxiety and depression aren’t easy to live with, and it isn’t always an easy task to get out of bed everyday and put on a happy mask to entertain the masses. Heck, sometimes it can be hard to find the willpower to leave the room, whether it is out of fear or despair. We as individuals need to make more time to understand the individual and why they feel the way that they do, and at least be there to listen without making an excuse for judgment if not have a solution to the problem altogether. The less likely those struggling will encounter the stigma, the more comfortable they’ll feel about opening up or coming out of the “mental illness” closet, as some would argue, and thus making greater the road to help and possible treatment. There are people who are already willing to help the stricken crowd (and some may be suffering themselves), so we need to show that we are willing to listen and nurture the mind and spirit in the best way we can.\n\nTo those who are suffering from these illnesses or something akin to it, know this: you are not alone in your suffering. You are loved more than you realize. You are worth more than you realize. Whatever plagues you does not define you. Reach out to others for help, especially those who love and care for you–or reach out to those who are also under the same cloud, so that they can work through their emotions easier. Face the day knowing that the sun will still rise. Much love to you all.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8204468488693237}
{"content": "Deepika Padukone arrives in Kolkata for ‘Tamasha’\n\nRecently captured images of Deepika Padukone and Imtiaz Ali, show them hard at work in the ‘City of Joy’. On the 16th of January, the two were seen at old Kolkata terminal. Deepika was in the city shooting a sequence for her upcoming movie ‘Tamasha’. Deepika was glad because of the presence of fans. She happily signed autographs, posed for pictures and even waved at the paparazzi.\n\nThe actress, who recently and very proudly confessed to be battling depression, looked stunning in a floral black top, jeans and chic mustard yellow jacket. This film is being shot in different parts of the world. First the cast and crew were busy in France. Next, they visited Shimla and after the shoot in Kolkata ends, Team ‘Tamasha’ will be headed to Delhi for the final sequence. Deepika’s costar in this movie is Ranbir Kapoor.\n\nRanbir and Deepika’s on-screen chemistry was first observed in ‘Bachna Ae Haseenon’. This lovely couple will again be seen together in ‘Tamasha’. Real life exes, Ranbir and Deepika still manage to uphold their chemistry in films as was seen in ‘Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani’. Fans can be certain that there will be a considerable amount of romance, chemistry and magic in ‘Tamasha’ as well. Not just because of the hit onscreen couple but also because of director Imtiaz Ali, who specializes in the genre.  \n\nIn ‘Tamasha’ Ranbir’s character is that of a nomad and Deepika plays a comic book enthusiast. Both these actors are known for experimenting with different roles. In this movie the characters accidentally meet in Corsica, in France. Deepika is visiting Corsica and exploring the place as it is the background setting in the comic series ‘Asterix’. The two later on, form a troupe to stage plays. A source revealed that “Ranbir’s character is that of a gregarious and altruistic wanderer. He travels from place to place, never knowing what comes next, but he enjoys the journey and pleasing others”. The characters are quite unconventional hence; ‘Tamasha’ will be an interesting watch due to the quirkiness of the leading couple.\n\nA R Rahman, Bollywood’s leading musical maestro has composed the music for this film. It is his second time working with Imtiaz. ‘Tamasha’ also happens to be Ranbir and Deepika’s 2nd film with the director. While Deepika played the lead in ‘Love Aaj Kal’, Ranbir delivered a rocking performance in ‘Rockstar’. All of Deepika, Ranbir and Imtiaz’s fans are eagerly awaiting this movie, which is likely to release around Christmas.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9842802882194519}
{"content": "Policy Based Routing for Destination?\n\nOur firewall is not up to snuff at our School District to handle the bandwidth we actually have and can occasionally push through.\n\nI have an HP E8206zl Procurve switch for my core router.  We have multiple school sites that all have a direct fibre connection to that core switch.  Each school is on a separate vlan.  We have government testing coming up in a few weeks, and last year, we found out that our firewall was not up to the job of handling all of the traffic that was trying to go through.  We have 2G of bandwidth through our provider but the firewall starts choking at around 850Mb.\n\nA new firewall is down the pipeline, but will not be here before testing this year.   We decided on trying something for this year, but I'm having trouble finding information on my specific needs.  We'd like to do a Policy Based Routing argument that directs any traffic headed to the IPs for the state testing goes through a second software firewall.  All other traffic would remain going through the original connection and firewall.  \n\nMost everything I can find online about PBR talks about splitting traffic from two or more vlans.  In our case the traffic would all be coming from the same vlan(s) but we'd want to split it up based on its destination.  How would I go about making this happen?\n\nThanks in advance for any help.\nRyan McKayAsked:\nWho is Participating?\n\n\nI wear a lot of hats...\n\n\nQlemo\"Batchelor\", Developer and EE Topic AdvisorCommented:\nRouting based on destination is classic routing, not PBR. Just set up routes for those particular IPs and the other gateway.\n\nExperts Exchange Solution brought to you by\n\nYour issues matter to us.\n\n\nStart your 7-day free trial\nRyan McKayAuthor Commented:\nan example of my making something much harder than it actually is.  D'oh.  Thanks.\n\nFrom novice to tech pro — start learning today.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8922637701034546}
{"content": "Implement a stack in SQL Server using stored procedures.\n\nIn this article I will show you how to implement a stack.  In programming, stacks are a great way to manage data or work.  Everyone pulls from the same pool and there is no duplication (once a unit is pulled off the stack, it is no longer available to any other process).  This can be accomplished in SQL Server using stored procedures.  We don't need semaphores, we have ACID transactions, which will come in handy.  If you will be attending my Virtual Presentation 'SSIS Workload Thread Balancing', this article will be a good foundation.\n\nFirst thing we need to do is split the the workload into smaller units.  This will be specific to each process.  Second thing we need to do is provide a way to randomize the work we need to do and then distribute this work across as many threads as possible.  Since each unit of work can take a different amount of time, you want to minimize the chance of a single thread getting a majority or possibly all of the work that take a long time.  What's the point of having multiple threads if you have to wait for a single process to finish it's workload?  You want to spread the workload across as many threads as possible to reduce the total time to finish the overall task.\n\nIn my real world example I need to calculate sales information for reps per company.  I first create a table that I will later use to randomize the work.  I will use the HashBytes function of SQL Server to do this for me as a calculated field in a column.  This is a cryptographically secure function which will be excellent for randomizing the order of the rows (see Cryptographic Hash Functions).\n\n\nThe Rep/Company combination is needed by other processes so we have to create an additional temporary table to extract and finalize the data.  I simply tacked on the Hash column as I developed the stack concept.  The temporary table looks like this:\n\n\nWe then load this table with the data from the first table (T002_RepAssignment), add an order by based upon the hash and voila, we have our stack.\n\n\nThe first part of implementing a stack is complete, we built our stack.  Now we need to build the process to emulate a 'pop'.  As a refresher, you 'pop' things off a stack, the opposite of a 'push', which is how you normally create a stack.  We can do this with a single stored procedure.  Let's dissect this procedure and see how it works.\n\nThe procedure returns two pieces of information, @rcount (which will actually be a 0 or 1) and the unit of work to be done, @query (which is a fully qualified sql statement).  What I do is send sql statements to the SSIS process to run.  This procedure builds those SQL statements, while using the SSIS framework to manage the threads.  The heart of the procedure is the blue highlighted section:A combination of Delete top(1) and output into a temporary table.  In one fell swoop I grab the first row in the table,  push it into a temporary table, then delete it.  No need for a begin/commit tran with a select followed by a delete.  Having multiple procedures running at the same time, they would only block for the delete and then continue on simultaneously.\n\n\nThere you have it.  The combination of using a cryptographic hash to randomize the data in the table (creating the stack), then using the Delete Top(1)/Output to pop the data off the stack in a quick and controlled manner.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8361780643463135}
{"content": "Nigerian authorities have arrested leaders of a group leading a separatist movement in neighbouring Cameroon.\n\nAt least seven leaders of the Movement for the independence of Southern Cameroonians were arrested by the State Security Service on Friday in Abuja.\n\n\nMost leaders of the movement have since fled to neighbouring countries including Nigeria amidst a clampdown by the central government led by President Paul Biya.\n\n\n\nThey were arrested at Nera Hotel in Abuja.\n\n\nCameroon has witnessed months of unrest as the push for the independent state intensifies, resulting in clashes between protesters and the police.\n\nDozens of people have been killed, including members of the security forces.\n\n\nThe agitation for secession heightened in October 2017 when the “Ambazonians” declared an autonomy over their region during the anniversary of their union with the French-speaking side.\n\nThe declaration was however rejected by the Biya government.\n\nIn December, a delegation from Mr. Biya was received by Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo.\n\nThe government said at the time that the purpose of Mr. Osinbajo’s meeting with the Cameroonian delegation, led by the country’s minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization, Rene Sadi, was to strengthen diplomatic ties between the two nations.\n\nOur source however said the meeting was also meant to broker a secret agreement for Nigeria’s security officials to help arrest about 15 people declared wanted by the Cameroonian government.\n\nThe United Nations Refugee agency says at least 7,500 refugees from Cameroon’s English-speaking population have since fled to Nigeria since the crisis in that country worsened in October.\n\nThe southern Cameroon comprising its English-speaking population joined their French counterpart in 1961, a year after the country’s independence from colonial rule.\n\n\n\n7 + twelve =", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.693761944770813}
{"content": "Comparing and contrasting sammy and tommy s struggle again\n\ncomparing and contrasting sammy and tommy s struggle again Al sharpton's half-brother arrested again while on bond sept 10, 2018 a south alabama pastor and activist charged with capital murder has been arrested again while free on bond.\n\nKate manages to talk about the meaning of life, sex, and the daily struggles we endure in a way that is hilarious, digestible and entertaining you will always be kept on your toes as she goes deeper and deeper in your soul with her big ol' energy penis. Wrexham association football club (welsh: clwb pêl-droed wrecsam) is a professional association football club based in wrexham, wales that plays in the english football league systembased on the club's recorded formation date of 1864, they are the oldest club in wales and the third oldest professional football team in the world since august 2011 wrexham have been a supporter-owned football. Comparing and contrasting sammy and tommy's struggle against rules, authority figures and inflexible soial systems in a&p and gryphon respectively essay by ericlare1 , college, undergraduate , september 2007. Lorraine hansberry's screen adaptation of her own stage play is a powerful depiction of a black family's attempts to drag itself out of the ghetto with the aid of a $10,000 insurance pay-out following the death of the father. Ms tienda, at princeton, said children of jeffrey’s age were more likely to struggle with such a difficult transition “this is the age where they start to be aware of each other’s.\n\nIn the story, “a&p” by john updike, the student identifies the differences of social classes between sammy, a checkout clerk and queenie, a wealthy girl that visit’s the store. The amazing adventures of kavalier & clay - part vi, p 541-574 summary & analysis michael chabon this study guide consists of approximately 76 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the amazing adventures of kavalier & clay. The sopranos is an american crime drama television series created by david chasethe story revolves around fictional new jersey-based, italian american mobster tony soprano (james gandolfini)the series portrays the difficulties that he faces as he tries to balance his home life and his criminal organization.\n\nBest answer: the impact of the us depression in the 1930's on most people's daily lives was much worse, exacerbated by a severe drought in the mid-section of the country for example, unemployment was at least 25% across most categories of workers, compared to the official 8% to 9% now (or even to an actual 15% now. Get free homework help on ishmael beah's a long way gone: book summary, chapter summary and analysis, quotes, and character analysis courtesy of cliffsnotes a long way gone is the true story of ishmael beah, an unwilling boy soldier during a civil war in sierra leone normally a gentle boy, ishmael is changed by war into a soldier who can commit brutal, gruesome acts. A summary of chapter 9 in f scott fitzgerald's the great gatsby learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the great gatsby and what it means perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans.\n\n@jeremycorbyn’s consistent support for the palestinian struggle isn’t a obstacle to my faith in the labour party – it’s essential to it i was proud to vote for him in 2017, and i will be again. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast two short stories: where are you going, where have you been by joyce carol oates and hills like white elephants by earnest hemingway the comparison and contrast will be done based on their use of plot, point of view and character development. Educator’s guide: before we were free by julia alvarez before we were free by julia alvarez is the selection for the laii’s vamos a leer book group meeting held on march 5, 2012 the following information comprises a standards-based educator’s guide that the laii has produced to support using before we were free (julia alvarez, knopf books, 2002) in the classroom. The statement, “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter,” has become not only a cliché, but also one of the most difficult obstacles in coping with terrorism the matter of definition and conceptualization is usually a purely theoretical issue—a mechanism for scholars to work out the appropriate set of parameters for the research they intend to undertake. For example, despite dad's urging him to put on his coat, tommy goes outside when it's cold without wearing a coat the actual consequence is probably the same, but a power struggle is avoided because the parent is positive rather than threatening then you can take on your responsibility for feeding the dog again” in contrast.\n\nBain played in 1943 with freddie slack , with the first recordings made in 1944 in the band of tommy dorsey , for which he also arranged in 1946 he moved to bob crosby , before he founded his own. Chameleon in john updike’s “a&p” and charles baxter’s “gryphon” the two narrators, sammy and tommy respectively, both struggle with conformity as well as the inflexibility of social systems. American literature final study compare-and-contrast the art of persuasion is using words to influence the ___ and actions of others in the struggle to be an all-american girl, why do you think wong is embarrassed to go with her grandmother to the american store.\n\nComparing characters in o'connor's a good man is hard to find and revelation the grandmother and the misfit of flannery o'connor's 'a good man is hard to find' are backward, opposite images of each other. Tommy cook reviews the first 12 minutes of 'ghost in the shell', screened in imax, featuring scarlett johansson as a robotic creation known as the major. Nutraceutical corp, in park city, utah, makes 'peaceful planet' and 'sammy's milk' is made by graceleigh, inc, in newport beach, california 'this is a parent's worst nightmare.\n\nIdentify the relative pronoun in the below sentence a&p is a story in which three girls disrupt the boring day-to-day routine of a small-town grocery store. As a contrast, nolan delivers a fact-based film via 2017’s dunkirk, a story set during world war ii in may 1940, allied soldiers find themselves pinned down by german forces stuck on the french beaches in dunkirk, their survival looks hopeless. Former nfl db bryant mcfadden joins our fantasy experts to compare the expectations for josh gordon and jarvis landry for this fantasy season if patrick mahomes struggles again for the chiefs.\n\nComparing and contrasting sammy and tommy s struggle again\nRated 4/5 based on 23 review", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7259013652801514}
{"content": "Drumheller To Banff Distance\n\nDistance between Drumheller and Banff is 201 KM (kilometers) and 574.62 meters. Drumheller is 125.3 miles away from Banff.\n\nDrumheller and Banff Location\n\nDrumheller is located in the Canada state of Alberta at the longitude of -112.7 and latitude of 51.5. Banff is located in the Canada state of Alberta at the longitude of -115.6 and latitude of 51.2.\n\nDrumheller direction from Banff\n\nDrumheller is located nearly east side to Banff. Drumheller To Banff road map direction from google will be integrated.\n\nTime difference between Drumheller and Banff\n\nTime difference between Drumheller and Banff is 0.19066666666667 decimal hours (0 : 11 : 26.400000000003). Drumheller universal time is 19.514 UTC and Banff universal time is 19.704666666667 UTC. Drumheller is behind Banff 0 hours and 11 Minutes and 26.400000000003 seconds.\n\nTravel distance from Drumheller\n\nTraveling distance are available for the following cities Drumheller to Brandon distance , Drumheller to Brooks distance , Drumheller to Calgary distance , Drumheller to Edmonton distance , Drumheller to Hanna distance , Drumheller to Lethbridge distance , Drumheller to Moose Jaw distance , Drumheller to Red Deer distance , Drumheller to Regina distance , Drumheller to Saskatoon distance , Drumheller to Stettler distance , Drumheller to Three Hills distance , Drumheller to Wayne distance , Drummondville to Montreal distance\n\nDrumheller To Banff Travel Time\n\nTravel time from Drumheller To Banff will take 5 hours and 2.36 minutes if the vehicle keep an average speed of sixty kilometer per hour. Travel time by walk may take around 25.2 hours if you continuously walk at the speed of 6KM.\n\nDrumheller to Banff direction\n\nThe follwing Drumheller to Banff direction map comming from google. Google distance may vary from our crow fly distance.\n\nDrumheller Banff information Note:\n\nAll information in this page about Drumheller and Banff are approximate details. It is crow flies distance so the above travel information may be differ from motor road distance.\n\nDear Travellers / Visitors you are kindly welcome write more about Drumheller and Banff.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9997859001159668}
{"content": "The Taxi-cab Problem\n\nA cab was involved in a hit and run accident at night. Two cab companies, the Green and the Blue, operate in the city. 90% of the cabs in the city are Green and 10% are Blue.\n\n\nWhat is the probability that the cab involved in the accident was Blue rather than Green knowing that this witness identified it as Blue?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9597882628440857}
{"content": "Media Studies\n\nAnd other Mickey Mouse subjects.\n\n(total 8 points)\n\n15. How did Rolling Stone magazine refer to Rick Wakeman in a review of an early seventies Strawbs gig?\n\nRock Wankman (cheeky chappies that they are)\n\n16. What periodical published this tenth anniversary two-issue article by the incomparable Jerry Gilbert?\nClick on image to open higher-resolution shot in new window. Most of the text has been erased to protect the answers to this and other questions.\n\nAnd here are those pages again, with nothing concealed:\n\n17. What Strawbs album was the clue in a Viz detective story?\n\nHeartbreak Hill (The guilty party had a copy on vinyl LP, and thus gave the game away. Yes, well, it was a Viz detective story.)\n\n18. The film Grave New World was shown in cinemas as a triple bill with which other films? Answered by Witchwooders a few weeks ago. Substitute question: Sandy Denny's classic Who Knows Where the Time Goes was covered recently on which BBC1 comedy drama series? Again, covered by Witchwooders a few weeks ago. Strange but true. Damn and blast.\n\nOkay, I think we'll be safe with a beat-the-intro taken from a BBC performance fronted by Dave. Name the Strawbs favorite that they were working their way towards here.\n\nThe Hangman and the Papist. (It was from a Wakeman and Cousins live special.)\n\nBy the way, could Dave C really be fronting the BATS lineup holding an H&H poster? Did you have a click on this blatant anachronism?\n\nSod this for a CSE in woodwork - head back to the main page.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8236783742904663}
{"content": "Download Advances in Computers, Vol. 21 PDF\n\nRead or Download Advances in Computers, Vol. 21 PDF\n\nBest information theory books\n\n\nThe Discrete Cosine rework (DCT) is utilized in many functions by means of the clinical, engineering and learn groups and in information compression particularly. speedy algorithms and purposes of the DCT variety II (DCT-II) became the guts of many verified overseas image/video coding criteria.\n\nNonlinear Control in the Year 2000, Volume 2\n\nRegulate of nonlinear platforms, some of the most energetic examine parts up to speed thought, has regularly been a website of normal convergence of study pursuits in utilized arithmetic and keep watch over engineering. the idea has built from the early part of its heritage, whilst the elemental instrument was once basically purely the Lyapunov moment procedure, to the current day, the place the math levels from differential geometry, calculus of diversifications, traditional and partial differential equations, practical research, summary algebra and stochastic techniques, whereas the purposes to complex engineering layout span a wide selection of issues, which come with nonlinear controllability and observability, optimum keep watch over, nation estimation, balance and stabilization, suggestions equivalence, movement making plans, noninteracting keep watch over, disturbance attenuation, asymptotic monitoring.\n\n\nAlgorithmic details thought treats the maths of many very important parts in electronic details processing. it's been written as a read-and-learn booklet on concrete arithmetic, for academics, scholars and practitioners in digital engineering, laptop technological know-how and arithmetic. The presentation is dense, and the examples and workouts are quite a few.\n\nInformation Theory and Coding\n\nInfo conception, info and resources, a few homes of Codes, Coding details assets, Channels and Mutual info, trustworthy Messages via Unreliable Channels, word list of Symbols and Expressions.\n\nAdditional info for Advances in Computers, Vol. 21\n\nExample text\n\nRn is called the body of the rule. 1 The tax accountant from Chapter 1 may use the following query Q tax to find the Social Security number and taxes due for each person: Tax Due(s, t) :— Taxrecord(s, w, i, c), Taxtable(inc, t), w + i + c = inc. 1 Syntax 41 Here Taxrecord, Taxable ∈ I are input database relations and Tax Due ∈ D is the only defined relation. 2 Suppose that relation Street (n, x, y) contains all combinations of street name n and locations (x, y) such that a location belongs to the street.\n\nThe weight of each package can be represented in the following relational database table. Package Serial No. 5 To all destinations within the United States, the postage fee charged for packages can be computed based on the weight of the package and the postage rate associated with the weight. The following Postage relation is a logical-level view of this relation. Postage Weight Fee 5 .. 65 .. 2 SQL 37 Suppose Mr. Johnson would like to know how much he should pay to send the three packages. Weight The following is a more complex example of aggregation constraints.\n\nSuppose further that those who can apply to the computer science master’s program must be either computer science majors or eligible for a computer science minor, among other requirements. Note that if x are the students eligible for a computer science minor, then y, the students who can apply, is expressible as y ≤ B c ∨ x. This constraint can be rewritten as x ′ ∧ y ≤ B c. Hence this information can be expressed by the rule: Can Apply C S M S(y) :— CS Minor (x), x ′ ∧ y ≤ B c. The two preceding constraint tuples form an input database, and the rule is a Datalog program.\n\nDownload PDF sample\n\nRated 4.56 of 5 – based on 29 votes", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7808546423912048}
{"content": "Enrichment Programme by Stellar Education\n\n\nStellar Preschool aims to provide the best education for your children. We explore various opportunities for further improvement and development. Thank you for entrusting us with your child’s future.\n\nThere is a saying: “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” We emphasize on instilling right values and moral principles to your children. Our goal is to provide a holistic education for your children in nurturing their physical, socio-emotional, mental and spiritual growth. We hope to equip your children with the necessary skills and resources to venture into primary education in Malaysia, Singapore or Australia.\n\nGiven the numerous available learning opportunities, we are excited to unveil various enrichment programmes headed by Mr. Samuel to contribute to your children’s holistic growth. These programmes are as follows:\n\n  1. The Einstein Project (Maths, Science and Practical Life)\n  2. Zumba — Parent & Child\n  3. “I am an Artist”\n  4. Master of Percussion\n  5. Toddler Playgroup by The Treehouse\n  6. Master of Ukulele (coming soon)\n\nPlease feel free to approach us if you have any queries on the Enrichment Programme. Parents, welcome abroad as we embark on this exciting journey with your children!\n\nWhatsapp: +6018-954 3116\n\nEmail: info@stellar.edu.my\n\nOffice No: +607-336 2116", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9712967872619629}
{"content": "The human raj on Oasis. Shrouded in secrecy from its inception (at the time of the discovery of what was then known as Planet Kepler 56-B, in 2007), the New Earth Council grew from a small initiative by the EU countries into a full-blown military government for this new world. The N.E.C. has juridictional power to arrest, try and transport anyone in the selected Earth demographic (young and poor). The N.E.C. operates the massive ships that take the young human exiles on their two-year voyage to Oasis and they direct all mining operations there.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9967357516288757}
{"content": "Resignation Letter Template In English\n\nLatest Resignation Letter Template In English Doc No Registration Needed\nLatest Resignation Letter Template In English Doc No Registration Needed\n\nResignation letter template in english, Are you looking for resignation letters samples? In that case, you have reached the right place to find information on it. Since every company runs with specific protocols and systematic procedures, it’s important to hand over a professional resignation letter to your present employer. Indeed, it’s essential that you mention that the truth from the letter since your next employer might contact the current employer to learn more about your service and behavior skills.\n\nNowadays, the best place to find templates and samples are on the internet. Various sources on the internet include free termination letter samples. These sources will enable you to find the best professional and free resignation letter samples. Typically, people prefer to keep the letters short and simple. Maintaining the letter short and simple gives it a professional look especially if you mention the specific reason behind the resignation.\n\nAnother major element to take into account while writing the letter is the notice period. Companies are going to have their own set of rules together with their notice period. Make certain you have a positive attitude and method to leave the company irrespective of the days or years you have worked. It’s always important to maintain your respect and professionalism and to set examples for others. Even if you had negative experiences with the employer, ensure you leave the company professionally bidding good-bye. It could be tricky to leave a company mainly if you have lot of good memories to take with you.\n\nThese can contain information to certain points. Do not fall into the temptation to express negative feelings onto it. Maintaining the letter short without exaggerating is the perfect way to stay professional. The best sample resignation letter template will include salutation to the specific person you’ll hand over the letter together with the date of letter written. Aside from that, it will have information on the date you need to leave and reason that you give up the job.\n\nThe good sample resignation letter will also include the things you have learned from the company which you can use to implement in the next company. This can enable you to get positive recommendations once your prospective employer contacts the current employer for your service history.\n\nTherefore, search for good resignation letter samples before you draft your fair copy. The ideas you get from the samples can help you to present a professional letter. Regardless your good or bad experience with the employer, never forget to leave the business leaving smiles on all faces. This will improve your confidence and energy in your next possible job. Take a look the sample of resignation letter template in english below at the attachment page.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7216278910636902}
{"content": "Friday, January 1, 2016\n\nNew Year's Day\n\n‘Tis the season for making Top Ten lists. How about The Top Ten Stories of YOUR Life for 2015? You don't think you have 10 stories? Here are ten questions you might ask to help frame your own list.\n\n1) The happiest story of my life in 2015… What brought me he greatest deep-down-inside joy? Serenity? Peace? How did I share that with others? What might I do to keep this happy story alive in my heart and mind?\n\n2) The most spiritual story of my life in the past year…When was I most aware of God, of my Higher Power? of my spiritual self? What was my deepest moment of prayer? How did this touch my soul? What are my spiritual goals for the new year?\n\n3) The most selfless story of my life in 2015... How did I sacrifice for others? What did I give up or let go of? What did I receive in how I gave? What opportunities will I have to be more generous in 2016?\n\n4) The top story of my making peace in the past year…What grudges did I let go? What resentments did I sweep from my heart? Whom did I forgive? Whose forgiveness did I accept? What hard feelings do I carry into the new year and how will I work at letting them go? With whom do I need to reconcile in the coming year??\n\n5) The most selfish story of my life in 2015… Did I prosper at another’s expense? Did I put my own needs ahead of those around me, those who depend on me? How might I be less selfish and more generous in 2016? How do I need to change to be more generous?\n\n6) My saddest story from last year… What left me feeling wounded, empty, lost? Who helped me through that? What did I lose in my sadness - and what did I find? Have I healed from the sadness or do I cling to it? Did I bring my sadness to prayer and ask for healing? How might I open my heart wider to joy in 2016?\n\n7) The most beautiful story of my life in 2015… Watching a child grow? A wedding? A friendship? A touch, an embrace, a new found love? How was I grateful for such beauty and how might I more freely open myself to beauty in the year ahead?\n\n8) The most unfinished story in my life from the past year… What kept me from completing something I wanted and needed to finish? What loose ends do I need to tie up? What still needs to be done and when, how will I attend to it? What peace awaits me at this unfinished story’s end? Where will this story take me in 2015?\n\n9) The top story of change in my life in 2014… What changed in my life? How did I change? How did I adapt to it? What difference has it made in my life? in my understanding of others’ troubles? How did I learn to live with this change? How will new changes help shape the new year ahead?\n\n10) The best stories of new people I met in the year just ending… Did my first impressions of others sometimes change in surprising ways? How is my life richer for knowing these new people? How was I welcomed into others’ lives? How have I enriched their lives? Who might I reach out to and befriend in 2016?\n\nWhile my “Top Ten” list and yours won't make the Late Show or be published in magazines or online, calling to mind and reflecting on these stories might be good exercise for each of us at a new year’s beginning.\n\nWe all have a fresh start ahead and new stories to add to our personal histories. I pray that your story will be filled with faith, hope and love for you and all whose paths will cross yours in 2015.\n\nHappy New Year!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6700786352157593}
{"content": "- publishing free software manuals\nGNU Scientific Library Reference Manual - Third Edition (v1.12)\nISBN 0954612078\nRRP £24.95 ($39.95)\n\nGet a printed copy>>>\n\n33.6 Stopping Parameters\n\nA minimization procedure should stop when one of the following conditions is true:\n\nThe handling of these conditions is under user control. The function below allows the user to test the precision of the current result.\n\nFunction: int gsl_min_test_interval (double x_lower, double x_upper, double epsabs, double epsrel)\nThis function tests for the convergence of the interval [x_lower, x_upper] with absolute error epsabs and relative error epsrel. The test returns GSL_SUCCESS if the following condition is achieved,\n|a - b| < epsabs + epsrel min(|a|,|b|) \n\nwhen the interval x = [a,b] does not include the origin. If the interval includes the origin then \\min(|a|,|b|) is replaced by zero (which is the minimum value of |x| over the interval). This ensures that the relative error is accurately estimated for minima close to the origin.\n\nThis condition on the interval also implies that any estimate of the minimum x_m in the interval satisfies the same condition with respect to the true minimum x_m^*,\n\n|x_m - x_m^*| < epsabs + epsrel x_m^*\n\nassuming that the true minimum x_m^* is contained within the interval.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9568708539009094}
{"content": "Razib Khan One-stop-shopping for all of my content\n\nApril 27, 2018\n\nWhy Bronze Age steppe people replaced the farmers they conquered\n\nFiled under: Historical Genetics,History,steppe — Razib Khan @ 9:59 pm\n\nOne of the major revisions in my own mind about the demographic and historical processes of the Holocene in relation to humans has been the reality that large and dense agglomerations of agriculturalists could be marginalized by later peoples, to the point of having a smaller genetic footprint in the future than anyone might have imagined. If you had asked me ten years ago I just wouldn’t have believed that the first farmers of Europe or South Asia wouldn’t account for the vast majority of the ancestry of the contemporary populations of the region. By “first farmers” I don’t even mean migrants. At that point, I had assumed a primarily Pleistocene indigenous hypothesis for the origin of Europeans and South Asians, with farming diffusing through a mixture of a few migrants along a demographic wave of advance.\n\nThat’s not what it looks like according to ancient DNA. In Northern Europe, it seems that around half or more of the ancestry is due to the incursions of a pastoralist steppe population during the Bronze Age. In Southern Europe and South Asia, the fraction is closer to 10-25%. But even in the latter case, the fraction of steppe ancestry is far higher than I had expected.\n\nI had assumed that the steppe migrants would contribute 1-5% of the ancestry of Europeans and South Asians and that the spread of Indo-European languages was a matter of elite transmission and emulation. Think the Hungarians, for example, as an example of what had assumed.\n\nSo what explains what really happened?\n\nDuring the Mongol conquest of Northern China Genghis Khan reputedly wanted to turn the land that had been the heart of the Middle Kingdom into pasture, first by exterminating the whole population. Part of the motive was to punish the Chinese for resisting his armies, and part of it was to increase his wealth. One of his advisors, Yelu Chucai, a functionary from the Khitai people, dissuaded him from this path through appealing to his selfishness. Chinese peasants taxed on their surplus would enrich Genghis Khan far more than enlarging his herds. Rather than focus on primary production, Genghis Khan could sit atop a more complex economic system and extract rents.\n\nMost of you at this point can see the general framework then. For thousands of years, pastoralist people of the Inner Asian steppe and forest would extract rents out of the oikoumene by threatening them with force. The reason the East Roman Empire did not face the Hunnic onslaught during the lifetime of Attila is that they paid the horde tribute. Imperial China did the same during some periods. In other instances, civilized states found in the barbarians of the steppe useful confederates. The Tang dynasty did not collapse during the 750s because of the intervention of the Uyghurs, who suppressed the rebellion of An Lushan. In 9th century Baghdad the rise of the Turks was enabled by their usefulness in court politics and distance from any given faction.\n\nThe rise of the “gunpowder empires” during the 16th century and the eventual closing of the Inner Asian frontier with the crushing of the last embers of the Oirat confederacy between the Russian and Chinese Empires in the 18th century marked the end of thousands of years of interaction between the farmland and pasture.\n\nBut this makes us ask: when did this dynamic begin? I don’t think it was primordial. It was invented and developed over time through trial and error. I believe that the initial instinct of pastoralists was to turn farmland into pasture for his herds. This was Genghis Khan’s instinct. The rude barbarian that he was he had not grown up in the extortive system which more civilized barbarians, such as the Khitai, had been habituated to.\n\nIn these situations where pastoralists expropriated the land, there wouldn’t have been an opportunity for the farmer to raise a family. Barbarian warlords throughout history have aspired to be rich by plundering from the civilized the peoples…but would the earliest generations have understood the complexity of the institutions that they would have to extract rents out of if there wasn’t a precedent?\n\nInstead of conventional historical dynamics of predatory elites and static peasantry, a better way to understand what occurred with the incursion of steppe pastoralists during the Bronze Age might be a simple ecological model of intra-specific competition. In a pre-state society defined by clan and tribal ties, steppe elites may have seen the farmers who were earlier residents in the territories which they were expanding into as competitors rather than resources from which a life of leisure might be obtained. In other words, instead of conquest, the dynamic was of animal competition.\n\nOf course, pre-modern societies did not have totalitarian states and deadly technology. Rapid organized genocide in a way that we would understand was unlikely to have happened. Rather, in a world on the Malthusian margin, a few generations of deprivation may have resulted in the rapid demographic extinction of whole cultures. You don’t need to kill them if they starve because they were driven off their land.\n\nIn fact, we have some precedent of this historically. The Spaniards were intent on extracting rents out of the native peoples of the New World and living a life of leisure, but in many areas disease and exploitation resulted in demographic collapse. Imagine a conquest elite as vicious as the Spaniards, but without thousands of years of precedent that conquered peoples were more useful alive rather than dead. \n\nAddendum: The fraction of haplogroup M, which is probably derived from Pleistocene South Asians, is greater than 50% in places like Sindh. This indicates that the steppe migrations were strongly male biased in the initial generations.\n\nMay 30, 2017\n\nAncient Egyptians: black or white?\n\nFiled under: Egypt,Genetics,Historical Genetics,History — Razib Khan @ 9:20 pm\n\nOne of the most fascinating things about ancient Egypt is its continuity, and our granular and detailed knowledge of that continuity. We can thank in part the dry climate, as well as the Egyptian penchant for putting their hieroglyphs on walls and monuments (as well as graffiti!). And we can also thank the fact that both the ancient Greeks and Hebrews, Athens and Jerusalem so to speak, were deeply connected to and perceived themselves to be indebted to Egyptian civilization. Even before the translation of the Rosetta Stone and the deciphering of ancient Egyptian writing the Hebrews’ interactions with Egyptians, in particular in Exodus, mean that their memory would echo down through the millennia (the newly Christianized Irish interpolated Egyptian ancestry into their own genealogy).\n\nThe Greek relationship with Egypt was less fraught and at greater remove than the Hebrews. But the Classical period philosophers correctly perceived that Egyptian civilization was ancient, and preceded their own. Aegean-Egyptian connections were actually more longstanding than the Classical scholars knew, in Brotherhood of Kings: How International Relations Shaped the Ancient Near East, the correspondence in state archives which have been retrieved are rather clear that Minoan civilization was part of the orbit of Egypt early on. Though Egyptians never conquered the Aegean polities, mercantile and diplomatic connections were extremely old and persistent. The late Bronze Age eruption of barbarian Sea Peoples who attacked the whole civilized Near East may have been facilitated in part by the broad familiarity engendered by widespread trade networks.\n\nThe most recent book devoted to ancient Egypt I have read was Toby Wilkinson’s The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt. Synthesizing extensive written material with archaeology, perhaps the most impactful argument in Wikinson’s narrative was the persistence of the temple based institutions from the Old Kingdom down to the Ptolemaic era. Religious institutions carried on even with the shocks of Nubian and Libyan conquest in the post-New Kingdom period, down to Late Antiquity. The temple at Philae in southern Egypt was an active center of the traditional religion, and therefore the culture which dates to the Old Kingdom in continuous form, down to the 6th century A.D. (when it was closed by Justinian in his kulturkampf against ancient heterodoxies).\n\nFor various ideological reasons though many people are very curious about the racial characteristics of the ancient Egyptians. There are two basic extreme positions, Afrocentrists and Eurocentrists. Though I have not done a deep dive of the literature of either group, I’ve read a few books from either camp over my lifetime. In fact I believe the last time I read the “primary literature” of Afrocentrist and Eurocentrism was when I was an early teen, and it was rather strange because both groups seem to be recapitulating racial disagreements and viewpoints relevant to the American context, and projecting them back to the ancient world.\n\nIn college I stumbled upon Mary Lefkowitz’s Not Out Of Africa, a book length argument against the more sophisticated Afrocentrist views articulated in the wake of Martin Bernal’s Black Athena: The Afroasiatic Roots of Classical Civilization. Lefkowitz was a classicist, so many of her objections were exceedingly scholarly. The reality is that the best refutation of an Afrocentrist view of of ancient Egypt, which reduces to the idea that ancient Egyptians would be recognizably black African today, are the Fayum portraits. It is notable to me how similar these portraits are to modern Copts. In fact the actor Rami Malek, of Coptic background, looks strikingly like someone who stepped out of the Fayum portraits.\n\nI have read no book length refutation of the Eurocentrist, usually Nordicist, perspective. Mostly because this is a view associated with white supremacism, and that ideology is generally attacked on normative, not positive, grounds. But the visible evidence of the Fayum portraits is a strong refutation of the Nordic model. Of course, there is the reality that we now know that the Nordic phenotype, and the genetic components which congealed into that typical of Northern Europe today, was only coming into existence when the Old Kingdom of Egypt was already a mature civilization.\n\nOf course both Afrocentrists and Eurocentrists will reject the evidence of the Fayum portraits became they came from the Roman era, and they would argue that the demographic nature of Egyptians changed quite a bit between that period and the end of the New Kingdom. And they are not incorrect that the period between the arrival of the Romans and the fall of the New Kingdom was characterized by a great deal of change. There were Libyan dynasties, Nubian dynasties, and periods of rule by Assyrians, Persians, and Macedonians. Large colonies of Greeks, Macedonians, and Hebrews-becoming-Jews were also resident in Egypt. Especially, but not limited to, the urban areas.\n\nBut now we have ancient DNA! Ancient Egyptian mummy genomes suggest an increase of Sub-Saharan African ancestry in post-Roman periods:\n\n\nBecause modern people care about the Afrocentrist question, the extent of Sub-Saharan African ancestry is highlighted in this paper. I do not think this is actually the most interesting aspect. But I’ll get to that. Since this post will be read by a fair number of people I’ll talk about the relationship of ancient and modern Egyptians to (Northern) Europeans and Sub-Saharan Africans.\n\nThe figure to the left is looking at 90 ancient Egyptian mitochondrial genomes (and some modern ones in the two rightmost columns). Since mtDNA is copious it was relatively easy to extract and analyze.  Haplogroup L, the red to orange shades in the bar plots, are associated without dispute with Sub-Saharan Africa. Haplogroup U6, M1 and a few others may be “back to Africa” variants of different periods (they are generally found in Afro-Asiatic groups).\n\nWhat you can see is that somewhat more than half of Ethiopia’s mtDNA lineages are L, in keeping with the whole genome estimate of Sub-Saharan African ancestry in most Cushitic populations. In Egypt there is a difference over time; haplogroup L goes from low frequencies to much higher frequencies in modern periods. The ~20% fraction in the modern samples is in line with the population wide admixture one sees in modern Egyptians of Sub-Saharan admixture.\n\nI actually recomputed the haplogroups to a finer granularity from the supplements for readers who know this stuff well. Here they are:\n\n\nHaplogroup Count\nH 2\nH13c1 2\nH5 2\nH6b 2\nHV 3\nHV1a’b’c 4\nHV1a2a 3\nHV1b2 2\nHV21 2\nI 5\nJ1d 2\nJ2a1a1 2\nJ2a2b 2\nJ2a2c 4\nJ2a2e 3\nK 16T 2\nK1a 2\nK1a4 2\nL3 2\nM1a1 4\nM1a1e 2\nM1a1i 2\nM1a2a 2\nN 2\nN1’5 2\nN1a1a2 2\nR 3\nR0 2\nR0a 2\nR0a1 2\nR0a1a 3\nR0a2 3\nR0a2f 2\nR2’JT 2\nT 3\nT1a 3\nT1a2 2\nT1a5 4\nT1a7 7\nT1a8a 2\nT2 3\nT2c1 2\nT2c1c 2\nT2e 2\nU 2\nU1a1 2\nU1a1a3 2\nU3b 3\nU5a 2\nU6a 2\nU6a2 2\nU6a3 2\nU7 4\nU8b1a1 3\nU8b1b1 2\nW3a1 2\nW6 2\nW8 2\nX 2\nX1 2\nX1c 2\n\nA quick inspection of mtDNA haplogroup frequencies shows that ancient Egyptians are not typical of modern Europeans. Not that much H, and lots of T, J and K. What that does remind me of are Early European Farmers. These people, who brought agriculture to Europe from Anatolia contributed a large fraction of the ancestry of modern Southern Europeans, and a lesser component to Northern Europeans.\n\nBut ultimately what’s great about this paper is that they have ancient autosomal DNA. That is, genome-wide results.\n\nThey got three samples of reasonably high quality. More precisely: “Two samples from the Pre-Ptolemaic Periods (New Kingdom to Late Period) had 5.3 and 0.5% nuclear contamination and yielded 132,084 and 508,360 SNPs, respectively, and one sample from the Ptolemaic Period had 7.3% contamination and yielded 201,967 SNPs.”\n\nYou can see the three samples on this bar plot. What is interesting is that they’re all pretty similar.\n\nWhat you can see here is that to a great extent ancient Egyptians were descended from a population closely related to Natufians, or Natufians themselves. This easily explains the mtDNA affinity to Neolithic farmers: Natufians and Anatolian Neolithic populations were sister populations. The f3 statistic which looks at shared drift shows an affinity of ancient Egyptians with ancient farmer populations with Near Eastern provenance, but also with modern Sardinians. This is a common pattern, as ancient groups do not have later migration waves, with the Sardinians the modern population closest to this.\n\nYou see in the bar plot that northern Levantine populations are placed between Anatolian Neolithics and Natufians, as one might expect based on their geographical position and gene flow between these two regions. Additionally, the cyan color is associated with eastern farmers from the Zagros. I’ve already talked about gene flow from this area to the Levant recently. If you compare the Bronze Age Sidon samples I think you’ll see broad affinities with these Late Period Egyptians.\n\nThe PCA gives us results consonant with the model-based clustering. If you plot the genetic variation of ancient Egyptians they’re closest to Neolithic eastern Mediterranean populations. No great surprise.\n\nNot the modern Egyptians. Why? It’s pretty clearly because modern Egyptians are shifted toward Sub-Saharan Africans. But there is also another component: modern Egyptians have more of the cyan eastern farmer component. What could this be?\n\nAn immediate thought comes to mind. We focus a great deal on Sub-Saharan African slavery. One reason is that it is visible. Black Africans are physically distinct from most Middle Eastern populations. But Egypt was long the center of another slave trade: “white slaves” from the Caucasus. Circassians. For hundreds of years Mamluks were recruited from the Caucasus as military slaves. They eventually became the ruling class of Egypt, until their decimation in the 19th century under Muhammad Ali (who himself was an Albanian Ottoman who never learned to speak Arabic well).\n\nAs noted in the paper earlier work looking at patterns in ancestry tracts and LD decay had made it obvious that much of the admixture of Sub-Saharan ancestry in Egypt, as in much of the Middle East, is relatively recent. In particular, it dates to the Islamic period, when trade and conquest took on new dimensions in Africa and north into Central Asia. One way ethnic minorities like Assyrians and Lebanese Christians differ from their Muslim neighbors is that they have much lower fractions of Sub-Saharan African ancestry, and no East Asian component. The latter might surprise, but remember that Central Asian Turkic slaves have been prominent in Muslim armies since at least the 9th century.\n\nBut some of the Sub-Saharan ancestry in Egyptians is old. The ancient Egyptian samples have it. To have none of it would seem strange, considering the history of contact between Nubia and Egypt, dating back to the Old Kingdom. Second, there is evidence of low levels of Sub-Saharan African gene flow into Southern Europeans. How did that happen? The highest fractions are in Spain, and can there be attributed to the Moorish period. But that explanation does not hold in much of Italy, where there are a few percent of haplogroup L. This probably is due to south-to-north gene flow across the Mediterranean during the Classical period. Some of the peoples on the south shore of the Mediterranean almost certainly already had some Sub-Saharan African admixture.\n\nNot getting into the details of it, there are ways to explicitly model gene flow into a target population from donors defined by a phylogeny. In this case the authors tested various models of gene flow from Sub-Saharan Africans and Eurasians (non-Africans) to generate allele frequency patterns we see in modern Egyptians and ancient Egyptians.\n\nWhat they consistently found is that modern Egyptians are about twice as much Sub-Saharan African as ancient Egyptians. The proportions for modern Egyptians ranged from ~10 to ~20 percent Sub-Saharan African against a Eurasian background, with a bias toward the higher values (depending on which populations you put into the phylogeny for non-Africans), and ~0 to ~10 percent for the ancient Egyptians, again with a bias toward the higher values. The pattern is consistent in these tests.\n\nAn issue here is that we’re going off three samples. That being said, the authors observe that despite differences in contamination/quality and time period they’re very concordant with each other. If I had to bet I think Old Kingdom samples would have somewhat less Sub-Saharan and eastern farmer ancestry. But the basic pattern persisted down to the Roman period, and was only shifted by admixture due to slavery.\n\nAnd not to belabor the point, but a paper from a few years ago which had some Copt samples looks familiar in its broad outlines. You see that the Copts have very little Sub-Saharan African ancestry, though it does seem to be evident (the marker set is in the hundreds of thousands of SNPs). Additionally, they are quite distinct from the Qatari Arab sample.\n\nUnfortunately the data for this paper just published is not on the European Nucleotide Archive. I really want to dig a little deeper into it.\n\nWhat are the takeaways here? Egypt has been the sink for a lot of migration and gene flow over the past several thousand years, and probably earlier. Not surprising considering that it was relatively wealthy in the aggregate. The Natufian population that the Late Period Egyptians resemble the most did not have Sub-Saharan African ancestry according to earlier research. These Late Period Egyptians do have some. This is reasonable in light of the long interaction with Nubia which is historically attested. Similarly, there was clearly gene flow from Southwest Asia. This is again historically attested, especially in the Nile Delta (though foreign garrisons of mercenaries are recorded in Upper Egypt as well).\n\nThe Roman period probably did introduce some gene flow from Southeast Europe and Southwest Asia. But these populations are not that distinct from Egyptians.\n\nSimilarly, the Islamic period also brought in different peoples from Arabia and the Caucasus. But the most salient dynamic during the Islamic period was a massive trans-Saharan slave trade (though the Caucasus impact may have been comparable, and I think these results support the proposition that it was).\n\nIt seems entirely likely that the Copts are descended from a mix of Roman era Egyptians. Not only do they resemble the people in the Fayum portraits, but the circumstantial genetic data is that they have fewer “exotic” components which increased in frequency during the Islamic era. This would be exactly parallel to ethno-religious minorities in the Levant and Iraq.\n\nOne curious element to me is the suggestion gene flow before ~5,000 BCE between Sub-Saharan Africa and the lower Nile valley was low. If it hadn’t been low, it seems unlikely that the fraction of Sub-Saharan ancestry (or shift in that direction in relation to other Eurasians) in Copts would be so small.\n\nSo what explains the lack of earlier gene flow? I think the answer is going to be the fact that the human demographic landscape is characterized by lots of local population extinctions. As ancient DNA sampling coverage gets better and better meta-population dynamics are coming into focus, and we see gene flow, and die offs, in several areas. It is fashionable to say that human population variation is characterized by clines. But much of this clinal aspect is an outcome of the period after massive admixture over the last ~10,000 years.\n\nAnd yet it may not be that the period before the Holocene was not clinal. Rather, it may be that large depopulations of areas of human occupation fragmented clinal ranges, and resulted in new range expansions from “core” zones.\n\nAbout ~8,000 years ago there was a major desertification period in the Sahara desert. Many trans-Saharan populations may have gone extinct during this time due to rapid climate change. Eventually repopulation may have occurred from outside of the Sahara, so that post-Natufian Levantines and Sub-Saharan Africans from what today call the Sahel pushed up and down the Nile drainage basic respectively, meeting in the zone of Nubia on the boundary of history and prehistory.\n\nUnlike many other areas of the world we have a long attested record of Egyptian history. As we get more mummy samples it seems likely that we’re get a crisper, clearer, picture. And the time transects will not be narrative blind; we already know the general arc of Egyptian history. If, for example, we see a new ancestral component around ~1500 B.C., in Egypt it’s not mysterious what this might be: the Hyksos.\n\nThis is just the prologue to a fascinating book that will be written over the next decade.\n\nRelated: Blog post analyzing one Copt’s results suggests that Sub-Saharan admixture is more like Dinka than Yoruba (in contrast, Muslim Egyptians have a mix of both, the latter probably coming during the Islamic slave trade, while the former is probably ancient admixture).\n\nCitation: Schuenemann, V. J. et al. Ancient Egyptian mummy genomes suggest an increase of Sub-Saharan African ancestry in post-Roman periods. Nat. Commun. 8, 15694 doi: 10.1038/ncomms15694 (2017).\n\nJuly 7, 2011\n\nThe biocultural frog and tortoise\n\n\nNovember 17, 2010\n\n15 ancestral components to bind them all\n\nFiled under: Admixture,Dodecad,Genetics,Historical Genetics,History — Razib Khan @ 11:01 am\n\nDienekes Pontikos keeps chugging along, and has cranked out a new bar plot from the ADMIXTURE program with 15 putative ancestral components. He has “69 populations, and 1,189 individuals in total.” Most of these were assembled from public data, but some of them are particular to the Dodecad Ancestry Project. He contends:\n\n\n\n\n\nNot only has he generated a bar plot, but there is a PCA showing the relationship between the 15 ancestral groups, as well as a hierarchical tree. Since he references to the ANI and ASI of Reich et al., I thought I would note that the South Indian element from Dienekes’ K = 15 is still found in appreciable portions in the Turkic groups which earlier exhibited the South Asian component. And, on the PCA and phylogenetic tree it still clusters with West Eurasians more than East Eurasians, which is not the case with ASI (or the various Indian mtDNA lineages which coalesce back to a more recent common ancestor with East Eurasians).\n\nThe bar plot is below. Of interest are the most “pure” European groups, the Sardinians and Lithuanians. Also, compare Scandinavians and Finns.\n\n\nNovember 3, 2010\n\nThe genetic heritage of Europe’s north\n\nFiled under: Culture,Finland,Genetics,Historical Genetics,History,Sweden — Razib Khan @ 1:43 pm\n\nIf you haven’t, you should keep an eye on Dienekes‘  Dodecad Ancestry Project (RSS). The pilot phase of data collection is over, and the first population level statistics are now coming out. Of particular interest to me is a new analysis of various northern European ethnicities just published.\n\nThe samples used in this analysis are:\n\n- 25 HapMap-3 White Americans. These are the Mormons of predominantly Northwest European heritage\n\n- 5 Dodecad Project Finns\n\n- 25 HGDP-CEPH Russians from Vologda, in north-central European Russia\n\n- 12 Dodecad Project continental Germanics (Scandinavians and Germans)\n\n- 10 Behar et al. (2010) Lithuanians\n\n- 9 Behar et al. (2010) Belorussians\n\n- 3 Dodecad Project Northern Slavs\n\nBelow are two visualizations of the genetic structure. First, an MDS. And second, a bar plot of ancestral quanta derived from ADMIXTURE. I’ve added some clarifying labels.\n\n\n\nRemember that the data you input into these analyses shape the nature of the outcomes to some extent. All these populations are very genetically close when scaled to average worldwide inter-population genetic variation. So what Dienekes is smoking out here are subtle differences between relatively close groups.\n\nThe first clear result supports previous research using uniparental markers: the ethnogenesis of the “Great Russians” involved both demographic expansion, and, cultural assimilation. The process on the southern and eastern frontiers is well documented, because it continued into the early modern period via a series of private wars of expansion. Turkic and Ugric groups were defeated by “Cossacks”, and often themselves integrated into the Cossack population as it expanded further into Siberia and the Steppe. Lenin’s paternal grandmother for example is often claimed to have been a Kalmyk, a branch of the Dzungar Mongol Confederacy which had settled in the lower Volga region. Whatever the truth, Lenin’s father clearly had an Asiatic cast to his features. The ancestral quanta estimates always seem to show that Russians, though not other Slavs further to the west, seem to average around ~5% or so “eastern” ancestry (by analogy, this is about the amount of African ancestry in the typical Levantine Arab).\n\nBut the expansion into the Finnic north is less well documented. To some extent the process of Russification began far earlier, as even Kievan Rus at the turn of the first millennium has been claimed to have had Finnic elements (the Rus were Swedes, but they probably picked up Finns in their warbands as they swept south, in addition to the numerous indigenous Finnic groups in northeast Europe). Additionally, unlikely the Muslim Turks these Finnic groups were often small-scale societies without international connections or affiliation with any “higher civilization” which could serve as an oppositional ideology to Orthodox Russian culture. The wide geographic expanse of the Russian ethnos means that one must be exceedingly sensitive to sample representativeness. Readers of Russian or Finnish origin are often aware of which localities in northern Russia were only recently Slavicized, and so express caution in comments as to utilization of those samples as representatives of Slavs more generally.\n\nThe second peculiarity are the “Germans” who affiliate with the Finns in the MDS, and contribute to the Finnish element among the Germans. Dienekes says: “without revealing any information, I’ll just say that this is contributed primarily by 3 Dodecad Project members who deviate towards Finns and whose ADMIXTURE analysis shows a higher than expected Northeast Asian component. Their outlier status is also visible in the MDS plot.” By “Northeast Asian” he presumably means one of the 10 ancestral components he’d found in earlier analyses. Without any more information I assume there’s a high probability that these are simply Germanized part-Sami. Much of northern Scandinavia was inhabited by Sami down to the early modern period. For example, the Sami were ethnically cleansed and assimilated across the north half of what is today Sweden as late as the 1600s and 1700s. Though I haven’t done the requisite reading, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was just a function of more advanced farming techniques as well as hardy New World crops such as potatoes which pushed the possible limits of Swedish settlement north.\n\nFinally, there’s a clear Finnic component in the results. As Dienekes noted this Finnic component itself may be a composite of East and West Eurasian elements, just as the South Asian component in Eurasia may be a composite of “Ancient North Indians” and “Ancient South Indians.” One thing to remember about the Finnic component is there’s evidence for a fair amount of genetic variation within Finland. Representativeness is probably key here, just as it is for Russians. Ethnic Finnish individuals with ancestry along the southern and western coasts probably have more affinity with Germanic populations than Karelians.\n\nFor many decades there have been arguments as to the provenance of the Finns. Specifically, are they outsiders to Norden who arrived from the east, bringing with them their language? Or are they are indigenous vis-a-vis Germanic speakers? The past is complex, so a simple model is going to shave off a lot of the detail, but I suspect that the truth is closer to the second. It seems that the Finnic groups, or at least their languages, have an ultimate origin in Central Eurasia after the last Ice Age. But they are possibly a circumpolar population which expanded north and practiced hunter-gatherer lifestyles following the ice sheets. Over time agriculturalists expanded north and squeezed them on the margin, but I believe there were natural ecological limits to the practice of techniques derived from Middle Eastern crops. Though northern Finns adopted some agricultural techniques, there was enough of a slowdown of the spread agriculture by Indo-European speakers and their precursors that they managed to hold their own in the north. In much of European Russia, and later in pre-19th century Finland, we see plenty of evidence of language-switching from Finnic to Indo-European (in Finland nationalism resulted in a back-switch over the past 150 years). If the Malthusian pre-modern age had persisted for another two or three centuries I would not be surprised if Finnic languages were totally absorbed by Russian and Scandinavian Indo-European dialects. As it is, 19th century language based nationalism stopped the process of elite culture assimilation, and in some cases reversed it (many elite Finland Swedes abandoned Swedish language and identity in the 19th and early 20th centuries).\n\nAddendum: The picture I present above is simple, and I don’t believe it captures a lot of what happened. For example, from my reading there was a pause of about 1,000 years in the expansion of agriculture once it reached the Kattegat between Denmark and Sweden. I suspect that these long pauses were a function of ecology and geography, as they’re often just too long to be determined by social-political inertia. Additionally, it seems unlikely to me that the first agriculturalists in Europe were Indo-European speakers. Rather, that is possibly a subsequent linguistic overlay, especially in the western regions of Europe.\n\nSeptember 19, 2010\n\nGypsies on a genetic island\n\nRomanis-historical-distributionIf you live in the States one of the things you hear a lot about Europe in regards to its relationship to its ethno-religious minorities are the problems with Muslims. This is probably an Americo-centric perspective shaped by 9/11, when many of the hijackers had turned out to have spent time in Germany. Additionally, terrorist actions in both London and Madrid highlight the persistence of these problems over the years. These sorts of shocking events put a sharp focus on the geopolitical cross-hairs which Europe finds itself in in the second age of mass migration. Though this time it is a destination, and not a source.\n\nBut having been to Europe recently it was notable that in several regions the day-to-day tension when it came to ethnicity often focused on Gypsies (I use the older term because the ethnonym “Roma” which has become politically correct in the USA includes only a subset of Europe’s Gypsy population, even if the greater number). Many regions of Europe now have two distinct populations of Gypsies, a long resident local group, as well as Roma from the eastern nations of the EU. Though the relationships between these traditionally nomadic peoples and indigenous populations has never been without tension, it is clear that something close to a modus vivendi has been achieved in many European nations between the majority and their small native Gypsy populations. The influx of the Balkan Roma add a new variable.\n\nResearchBlogging.orgBut the political fuss for me simply rekindled a curiosity as to the genetic origins of the Gypsies. Culturally their South Asian provenance couldn’t be clearer; they speak an Indo-Aryan language. Their term for themselves in many parts of Europe comes from the  Indo-Aryan word for “black,” as they are are darker than the natives of the lands in which they have settled , and in fact often look visibly South Asian. This seemed especially true of Balkan Roma. On the other hand the Kale of Finland looked to be brunette Europeans.\n\nThe problem with the genetics of the Gypsy people of Europe is that until recently they’ve focused on uniparental lineages. Though this has confirmed their South Asian origins, looking at maternal or paternal direct descent alone leaves something to be desired in terms of assessing ancestry, and, these two markers (mtDNA and Y) are subject to more drift as they are haploid (half as many copies). But a new paper in The American Journal of Physical Anthropology has some results using 16 autosomal STRs (a group of highly variant markers). A Genetic Historical Sketch of European Gypsies: The Perspective From Autosomal Markers:\n\nIn this study, 123 unrelated Portuguese Gypsies were analyzed for 15 highly polymorphic autosomal short tandem repeats (STRs). Average gene diversity across the 15 markers was 76.7%, which is lower than that observed in the non-Gypsy Portuguese population. Subsets of STRs were used to perform comparisons with other Gypsy and corresponding host populations. Interestingly, diversity reduction in Gypsy groups compared to their non-Gypsy surrounding populations apparently varied according to an East-West gradient, which parallels their dispersion in Europe as well as a decrease in complexity of their internal structure. Analysis of genetic distances revealed that the average level of genetic differentiation between Gypsy groups was much larger than that observed between the corresponding non-Gypsy populations. The high rate of heterogeneity among Gypsies can be explained by strong genetic drift and limited intergroup gene flow. However, when genetic relationships were addressed through principal component analysis, all Gypsy populations clustered together and was clearly distinguished from other populations, a pattern that suggests their common origin. Concerning the putative ancestral genetic component, admixture analysis did not reveal strong Indian ancestry in the current Gypsy gene pools, in contrast to the high admixture estimates for either Europeans or Western Asians.\n\nThis isn’t a 500,000 SNP-chip analysis, so everything needs to be taken with a grain of salt. But, 16 markers is a lot more than the two you usually have to deal with when assessing the genetics of the Gypsy populations of Europe, so it’s certainly an improvement when making inferences. One figure and table are really worth looking at in this paper.\n\n\nThe first plot shows the variance partitioned into two dimensions as a function of the 13 STRs. The table shows bootstrapped admixture estimates and standard deviations. They had a 3-population model with West Asians, but it didn’t look to me like they were getting sensible results with that, so I excised that portion (with only 600 pixels the table would have been very hard to read with the nonsensical estimates in). I think the last model where they aggregate West Asians with Europeans makes the most sense. I assume the major issue here is that with 16 STRs which aren’t necessarily filtered for ancestral informativeness within these populations you’re going to get weird results on the margins.\n\nThese results confirm the finding from previous Y and mtDNA results that Europe’s Gypsy populations are genetically fragmented, and seem to have gone through bottlenecks. In this paper they also seem to have found a pattern of decreased genetic variance from east to west for the Gypsy groups, which makes sense in light of a historical model of serial bottlenecks as they traversed Europe. Any reasonable model of the genetic heritage of the Gyspy people of the world posits that they’re a compound to various extents of populations distributed along a continuum between South Asia and Western Europe, and yet here you see a 2-dimensional plot that they don’t look like a linear combination of South Asians and Europeans. Why? Because of their unique genetic history has resulted in their “random walk” into patterns of allelic variance distinct from the ancestral groups.\n\nBut a second genetic dynamic with these populations seems to be admixture. With 16 STRs, and obvious sensitivity depending on the populations you survey, one should be careful about overweighting the findings from this paper. And yet plausibly it does show a pattern of decreased South Asian admixture the further you go from the Balkans. Not only does this stand to reason a priori, but empirically it’s generally agreed that the Gypsy groups of the north and west of Europe look less South Asian in appearance than those of the Balkans.\n\nA final consideration here is that the Indian populations which they used as a reference for South Asians are not representative of the ancestral Indian groups from which Gypsies derived. The Indo-Aryan language of the Gypsies seems to share the most features with the language of northwest India, Punjabi and Hindi. But the samples which had the appropriate STRs for comparison were Central and South Indian. Overall I don’t think that’s that much of a consideration, but something to remember.\n\nA bigger take home point is the disjunction between cultural and biological modes of inheritance and persistence. The language of the Gypsies retains in its broad outlines the character of an Indo-Aryan tongue. That is why the South Asian origins of Gypsies was able to be ascertained by Indian sailors in Britain who overheard, and broadly understood, what Gypsies were saying. Romanipen, the spirit of Gypsy culture which transcends difference of religion and nationality, seems to be clearly traceable to some South Asian antecedents (e.g., the emphasis on avoidance of contamination of food by outsiders).\n\nAnd yet despite the cultural distinctiveness the various Gypsy populations have become genetically less South Asian. That makes sense, it seems likely that they left India ~1000 years ago, or 40 generations. They’ve been in the Balkans for about 600 years, or 24 generations. Let’s assume unrealistically that the Roma were 100% South Asian when they arrive in the Byzantine lands (there are related groups in the Middle East, so it seems certain they picked up Middle Eastern ancestry along the way, but no matter). 99% endogamy per generation would imply that they’d be 79% South Asian today. 95% endogamy would result in them being 29% South Asian. 90% endogamy would mean that they’d be 8% South Asian. Reality is more complex. It is likely that in the early periods when social norms had not hardened and Roma were less numerous the endogamy rates were probably far lower, especially as the Gypsy bands mixed with other destitute groups in the Balkans. The evidence of lots of structure across the Gypsy groups points to endogamy drilling down to a lower level of organization than just the ethnic group, which would be consistent with tendencies within South Asian culture more broadly.\n\nMore generally it seems that the Roma and their relatives can’t just be understood as a simple linear combination of Europeans, Middle Easterners, and South Asians, genetically or culturally. Their unique history has reshaped them, and their persistence and demographic expansion in the face of ostracism and persecution are clear evidence as to the functional success of their social-cultural traditions.\n\nCitation: Gusmão A, Valente C, Gomes V, Alves C, Amorim A, Prata MJ, & Gusmão L (2010). A genetic historical sketch of European Gypsies: The perspective from autosomal markers. American journal of physical anthropology, 141 (4), 507-14 PMID: 19918999\n\nAugust 16, 2010\n\nWhere writing is silent\n\nIn my post on Empires of the Word I observed that quite often the written record is silent on many matters which only language or genes tell us must have occurred. The Indo-Aryan character of the dominant language on the island of Sri Lanka seems to be a geographical anomaly in the least, but perhaps most strange of all is the existence of a language and ethnic group of clear Southeast Asian provenance on the island of Madagascar. To my knowledge Arab, Persian and South Asian sources do not record the existence of a prominent Southeast Asian maritime diaspora which spanned the Indian ocean in the years before 1000 A.D., but we know that it did exist. A new paper on the genetics of the island of Comoros fleshes out another piece of the puzzle, Genetic diversity on the Comoros Islands shows early seafaring as major determinant of human biocultural evolution in the Western Indian Ocean:\n\n\nIn the paper they note that ~6% of the Y chromosomal lineages were Southeast Asian, while ~15% of mtDNA lineages were. That indicates that the Southeast Asian presence on the Indian ocean was a case of folk migration, men, women and children on the move. The data from Madagascar indicate something similar, both male and female lineages show Southeast Asian imprint among the highland Malagasy (I don’t make much of the proportional difference because this is just one sample). In contrast, they show in this paper that there’s a substantial West Eurasian (probably Arab, Indian and Persian) Y chromosomal gene flow into the population of Comoros, but no West Eurasian mtDNA. So in this case you have a clear contrast with that of the Southeast Asian seafarers, the Muslim merchants who settled on the Comoros did not bring their children or womenfolk. It was not a folk migration, but a mercantile network. Because of the nature of the sources, and the cultural influence of the West Asians, we know of their presence from the historical record. In contrast, the arguably more substantial folk migration of Southeast Asian seafarers from Borneo is hidden in the text. They may have been of no concern or beneath mention from the perspective of the Muslim merchant princes, but the fact that they were no longer on the high seas by the time the Portuguese arrive may also indicate that they were driven off by the same Muslim merchant princes in the years after 1000. If the latter is the case the silence may be due to the inclination to forget an unpleasant rivalry.\n\nAll this goes to show that history’s reliance on text can mislead and obscure real dynamics. Even social and economic history which attempts to tunnel-down to the level of the populace is still heavily reliant on written records. In the case of seafarers it seems likely that even archaeologists would be unable to detect their movements because of the liminal nature of their settlements. The linguistic and cultural influences in Madagascar and in East Africa indicate a sojourn by Austronesians in that coast, but there is no physical or textual record. There is the “dark history” which we ignore because of current ideological preferences, and then there is the dark history which has fallen outside of our methodological window.\n\nDienekes has more on this paper.\n\nJune 6, 2010\n\nJews and genetics\n\nFiled under: Genetics,Genomics,Historical Genetics,Jews — Razib Khan @ 12:24 am\n\n\n\nApril 30, 2010\n\nMen & ideas on the move: settled lands & colonized minds\n\nFiled under: Genetic History,Historical Genetics,History — Razib Khan @ 8:15 am\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nApril 20, 2010\n\nOf pigs, people and porcine polygenism\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLet me finish from the author’s conclusion:\n\n\n\nImage credit: NASA\n\nMarch 27, 2010\n\nThe science of human history as written by Herodotus\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nImage source: Wikipedia\n\nFebruary 19, 2010\n\nArmenian genetics\n\nFiled under: Historical Genetics — Razib @ 4:40 pm\n\nArmenian genes: Scientist in Yerevan launches a project to reveal genetic history of the nation. The description of the science in the piece is very garbled. But, it would be nice to elucidate the genetics of Armenians in more detail. Their language, like Greek and Albanian, is a singleton in the Indo-European family tree. Additionally, the Armenian nation has an extremely long history. Their identity crystallized in the wake of the Persian and Hellenistic Empires just like that of the Jews.\n\nDemographically we know that historically much of eastern Anatolia was dominated by Armenians. Many of the prominent Byzantine dynasties were of Hellenized Armenian lineages. I would predict that one will likely find that most of the Turks of eastern Anatolia would cluster with Armenians, just as those Turks from the west and coastal Anatolia might cluster more with Greeks, because it seems likely that the ethnogenesis of most Turks in Anatolia was a process whereby Greeks and Armenians assimilated to the identity of a small minority of eastern Turkish invaders.\n\nArmenian genetics\n\nFiled under: Armenia,Genetics,Historical Genetics — Razib @ 12:41 am\n\n\n\n\nDecember 7, 2009\n\nRoman Britain to Anglo-Saxon Britain\n\nFiled under: Historical Genetics — Razib @ 2:11 pm\n\nPeter Frost on Roman Britain:\n\nHistorians often assume that the Romans changed Britain politically but not demographically. The indigenous elites adopted Roman culture while the mass of the population remained Celtic. When the Anglo-Saxons arrived in the fifth century, much of this population fled to Wales and Cornwall, where they would retain their language and traditions. Meanwhile, those who remained behind were obliterated through a process of ethnic cleansing and coerced assimilation.\n\nThis historical account may be false….\n\nOnce Rome had pulled its troops out of Britain in the early 5th century, there was no longer an inflow of people to offset the demographic deficit. The local population fell into decline, and the decline accelerated in the 6th century when plagues killed three out of every ten people. The Romano-British needed no help from the Anglo-Saxons to die out. They did it largely on their own.\n\nPeter’s summation of the historical consensus is correct. This view is exposited in Norman Davies’ The Isles. The historians have had a bias for several generations of assuming that population movements have been marginal in shaping cultural change. In some cases this is correct; I’ve looked and it is very difficult to detect a discontinuity among the Hungarians in relation to their neighbors despite this nation’s putative origins among an Inner Asian group (and later settlement of Turks who fled the Mongols within the Magyar kingdom). The emergence of Hungarian is therefore most plausibly modeled as a process of elite emulation, where Romance, German and Slavic speaking peasants adopted the speech and identity of their Magyar overlords. The Hungarian case is easy to test because the geographical distance of the Magyar homeland in the Volga-Ural region is great enough that they would have been a genetically distinct population who would introduce alleles which couldn’t be explained except as exogenous inputs (the Hazara are a case of this).\n\nThe question of Britain is a bit more confused. Historians rely on textual evidence which points to Anglo-Saxon rule of Celtic-speaking populations in their kingdoms in the 7th and 8th century, in particular stipulations of different wergild (‘blood money’) for Saxons, noble and commoner, and Celts, noble and commoner. The existence of an elite Celtic speaking class suggests that Gildas’ allusions to genocide were exaggerations. Over the past 10 years a lot of exploration of the genetic variation within Britain has simply muddied the picture. Though some early Y chromosomal studies suggested sharp breaks between Wales and England, autosomal data don’t seem to show this. Rather, a reasonable model is that the Anglo-Saxons contributed a significant, but minority, element to England’s contribution. Their genetic impact drops as a decaying function of the distance from East Anglia, which was the heart of the “Saxon Shore,” but their cultural influence was not diluted along the wave of advance. This highlights the stark difference between genetic and cultural inheritance, the former is constrained in the nature of transmission in a way the latter is not. In fact, during the high tide of the Viking era in Britain’s history, the Saxon redoubt was Wessex, which genetic data show seem to has been minimally affected by German settlement. Rather, Wessex was likely conquered by the Saxonized.\n\nFinally, what happened to multicultural Britain? The genetic data show a small effect, a random African lineage here and there which can not be explained by recent genealogy. An orders of magnitude less important than the Saxon migration. I think the reason is the simple that that urban areas were population sinks, and unless immigrants “went native” they disappeared into the genetic black hole. A reasonable historical analogy may be Lithuania. After the official union of the political structures of Lithuania and Poland in the 16th century the Lithuanian nobility was Polonized. The emergence of modern Lithuanian identity was to a great extent an elevation of Lithuanian peasant culture, which was left unaffected by Polonization. If extant literary or high cultural artifacts are used to reconstruct Lithuania’s history one might posit that Lithuanian’s disappeared in the early modern era, only to reemerge in the 19 century due to the ideology of nationalism.\n\nThere has long been a supposition that Latinization in Britain was relatively restricted and superficial compared to Gaul, where Celtic speech seems to have disappeared in the 5th century. This may be a inference made plausible by hindsight, because Britain was one region (the Balkans the other) where the ornaments of Roman high culture was totally extinguished in the face of barbarian invasions. By contrast, Gaul, Iberia and Italy all produced culturally hybrid elites who were Romanized. But from what I know the archaeological evidence does suggest a shift even among Romano-British warlords from a Roman to a British style in their material possessions over the 5th and 6th centuries (additionally, Roman commanders and legions stationed in Britain had a tendency to relocate to the continent in part because that was where the “action” was in terms of advancement and glory, so there may have been a sorting process whereby the most Romanized elites emigrated, while those who were willing to become barbarized, whether by going back to their Celtic roots, or becoming Saxonized, remained).\n\nHere’s some gene related charts to support what I’m saying above about the muddle. On first inspection a Netherlandish affinity to many Briton’s is obvious (also, you can see it in Structure). Uniparental markers show the clines I’m alluding to above though, so where these samples come from within Britain matters a great deal at the scale we’re talking about. But the main problem is that some might argue that there have long been interactions between the low countries and southeast England because of their proximity, and not one particular Anglo-Saxon migration. Perhaps at some point it will be feasible to analyze the decay linkage disequilibrium (or see if there’s linkage disequilibrium) in southeast England to date the time of a putative admixture event. But of course the peoples of the North European Plain and those of England are relatively close genetically, so I’m not going to hold my breath. Ancient DNA will probably yield more sooner.\n\nPowered by WordPress", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5752846598625183}
{"content": "Meet Your Waterloo\n\nWaterloo, Ontario is located in the heart of Canada’s Technology Triangle, in the Region of Waterloo.\n\nWithin our 64 square kilometres (25 square miles) of land area lives a diverse population of 134,600 (end of 2016) who contribute to our vibrant culture.\n\n\n\nQuick Links\n\nLocal Resources", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.622299075126648}
{"content": "Network and system administrators the importance of separation of duties in information technology\n\nSeparation of duties must be implemented such that operational information resource functions are separated into distinct jobs to prevent a single person from harming a development or operational information resource or the services it provides, whether by an accidental act, omission, or intentional act. Devops and separation of duties despite the rapid growth of devops practices throughout various industries, there still seems to be a fair amount of trepidation, particularly among security practitioners and auditors. The management and maintenance of authorizations is shared responsibility of information services & technology and local system and application administrators all units engaged in granting authorizations are encouraged to develop procedures that meet the requirements articulated below in the authorization policy. Separation of duties includes, for example: (i) dividing mission functions and information system support functions among different individuals and/or roles (ii) conducting information system support functions with different individuals (eg, system management, programming, configuration management, quality assurance and testing, and network.\n\nA similar situation exists for system administrators and operating system administrators appdev vs dba and it operations the development and maintenance of applications should be segregated from the operations of those applications and systems and the dba. Separation of duties is a prevalent information technology control that is implemented at different layers of the information system, including the operating system and in applications it serves to eliminate or reduce the possibility that a single user may carry out a prohibited action. Least privilege and separation of duties are two related it security concepts that are critical in the prevention of fraud and other abuses by employees and other authorized system users. After its human resources, information is an organization's most important asset as we have seen in previous chapters, security and risk management is data centric all efforts to protect systems and networks attempt to achieve three outcomes: data availability, integrity, and confidentiality.\n\nTechnology (it) resources to only those functions that promote an appropriate separation of duties and are necessary for the user's assigned job duties also, ast rules 5 require that each agency manage. Kpmg risk consulting team comprised of experts in the field of internal audit and information technology can help you ensuring proper sod in the integrated it systems, as well as improve the process of managing system authorizations helping to incorporate the consideration for adequate sod. Separation of duties (sod) is a key concept of internal controls and is the most difficult and sometimes the most costly one to achieve this objective is achieved by disseminating the tasks and. A part of a system that, if it fails, will stop the entire system from working personnel administration deals with separation of duties, job rotation, mandatory vacation etc.\n\nSeparation of duties is a preventative type of administration control, and one that should be considered when you're drafting your organizational authentication and authorization policies. Access to virginia state university's information systems and data is controlled by the implementation of an appropriate access control policy to manage accounts and define the processes of authentication, authorization, administration, and termination of access rights. Separation of duties: the separation of duties is defined as the assignment of responsibilities such that no one individual or function has control over an entire process the principle of separation of duties manages conflict of interest, the appearance of conflict of interest, and potential fraud. Separation of duties is commonly used in large it organizations so that no single person is in a position to introduce fraudulent or malicious code or data without detection role based access control is frequently used in it systems where sod is required. Separation of duties in information technology john gregg, michael nam, stephen northcutt and mason pokladnik separation of duties is a classic security method to manage conflict of interest, the appearance of conflict of interest, and fraud.\n\nInformation security means protecting information (data) and information systems from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction information security management is a process of defining the security controls in order to protect the information assets. Management personnel, to ensure adequate separation of duties vendor supported system is one type of critical it systems and equipment where the source code is supported solely by the manufacturer of such system. Separation of duties (sod) is an important outcome when managing identity preventing any role from performing all tasks associated with a business process helps prevent fraud and other malicious.\n\n\nAlthough it has its beginnings in the business world, separation of duties has become a powerful security principle in it and information systems edward snowden exposed the united states government's actions in spying on its citizens, corporations, and allies. However, it is important for an is auditor to obtain information to assess the relationship among various job functions, responsibilities and authorities in assessing adequate segregation of duties. 1 purpose this document establishes an operational policy for the separation of duties among the personnel responsible for security administration, system administration, database administration, system. • use the principles of separation of duties when assigning job responsibilities relating to restricted or essential resources • maintain an appropriate level of segregation of duties when issuing credentials to individuals who have access to critical information assets and protected data.\n\nAfter the new network is designed, the second phase of network administration begins, which involves setting up and configuring the network this consists of installing the hardware that makes up the physical part of the network, and configuring the files or databases, hosts, routers, and network configuration servers. • perform regular plm system administration tasks including, but not limited to installations, configurations, volume management, user management, data migrations (import/export), etc • monitor & manage compliance requirements including separation of duties & highly privileged accounts (hpa.\n\nA system administrator, or sysadmin, is a person who is responsible for the upkeep, configuration, and reliable operation of computer systems especially multi-user computers, such as servers. One of the most basic, yet most important principles of sound management is that of segregation of duties segregation of duties is critical because it ensures separation of different functions and defines authority and responsibility over transactions. P1 the organization: separates duties of individuals as necessary, to prevent malevolent activity without collusion documents separation of duties and implements separation of duties through assigned information system access authorizations. The system owner, in coordination with the systems administrator, will implement separation of duties through assigned information system access authorizations separation of duties include, but are not limited to, the following.\n\nnetwork and system administrators the importance of separation of duties in information technology Separation of duties is important as system administrators to not only ensure that we are doing the correct things at the correct times, but also that it stands up to scrutiny.\nRated 5/5 based on 38 review", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9998894929885864}
{"content": "[Cache from http://www.cta.dmu.ac.uk/projects/master/gentintr.html 2001-02-10; please use this canonical URL/source if possible.]\n\nMASTER: A gentle introduction\n\nThis document is intended to provide experts on manuscript description, who may know little of computers or of computer encoding, with an outline introduction to the proposals of the partners in the European Union funded MASTER project, for Manuscript Access through Standards for Electronic Records (in consort with the Text Encoding Initiative workgroup on manuscript descriptions).\n\nBy the end of this document, a reader should:\n\n  • Understand enough about SGML (Standard Generalised Markup Language) encoding to evaluate the MASTER standard\n  • Understand the overall architecture of the encoding offered by the MASTER encoding: that is, how it suggests a manuscript description should be structured\n  • Understand how the approach offered by this system differs from the database systems characteristic of earlier attempts to define standards for computer-readable manuscript encoding\n  • Appreciate the varieties of description which could be made according to these proposals, ranging from summary ‘first level’ records to very lengthy ‘full’ records, with varying levels of markup\n  • Know where to find more information about the MASTER encoding, and where to find software to help you make manuscript descriptions conforming to the MASTER standard\n\nHistory of these proposals\n\nMany scholars, working now over several decades, have made suggestions concerning the making of computer-readable manuscript descriptions, and many different computer systems (almost all using database technology) have been implemented to permit creation and retrieval of these descriptions. One may mention here the initiatives of the IRHT in the 70s and of the Italian Censimento in the early 90s. A convenient summary of several such systems can be found in the volume Bibliographic Access to Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts: A Survey of Computerised Data Bases and Information Services, ed. Wesley Stevens, Primary Sources and Original Works, Volume1, Numbers 3/4, 1991. It is a characteristic of such systems that their focus was to use computing technology to achieve precision of cataloguing for a particular domain of manuscripts, and not create a generic system of cataloguing suitable for many different kinds of manuscript and manuscript catalogue. In 1991 a meeting of LIBER passed a resolution that a standard should be sought for first-level descriptions, but were unable to find resources to achieve this.\n\nThe rise of the web and advances in digital imaging of manuscripts gave a new impetus to this work in the mid-90s. It became clear that an online union catalogue of manuscripts was indeed technically feasible, and that digital imaging could offer access to the manuscripts before in a manner never before imagined. Machine readable manuscript descriptions capable of access in a single online system are vital to realisation of these aims. This could only be achieved by agreement about the descriptions themselves: how they are to be structured and accessed. No such agreement existed, and several projects sought to address this. A key event was the funding, by the Mellon foundation, of two interlocking American projects concerning manuscript descriptions: the Electronic Access to Medieval Manuscripts project (EAMMS) and Digital Scriptorium. Both these projects began in 1996, and brought together American and European experts on computer systems and manuscript cataloguing. The inception of these American projects provoked a group of European scholars to create a European counterpart to these American projects.\n\nA meeting at Studley Priory, near Oxford, in November 1996 planned what became the MASTER project (for: Manuscript Access through Standards for Electronic Records). After a long process of negotiation with the European Union, MASTER began (with funding from the Fourth Framework program) on 1st January 1999. The MASTER funded partners include the Royal Library, The Hague, the National Library of the Czech Republic, and L'Institut de recherche et d'histoire des textes, Paris. Unfunded partners include the Vatican Library, British Library, Bodleian Library, and the Biblioteca Ambrosiana. MASTER is very closely linked to EAMMS, and EAMMS representatives have been present at all MASTER meetings.\n\nThe present proposals are based on a different approach to that of the database systems implementations characteristic of the methods developed in the 1980s and described in the Stevens volume referred to above. Firstly, the various database systems developed for describing and distributing manuscript descriptions were just that: various indeed, with multiple problems relating to compatibility of data across systems and the binding of particular databases to specific (and perishable) combinations of software and hardware. Secondly, there is real doubt as to the efficacy of any database system for description of materials as elaborately and multifariously structured as manuscript descriptions. By the time of the inception of the EAMMS and other projects (from 1996 on) an alternative to a database implementation of manuscript descriptions had emerged: the application of Standard Generalised Markup Language (SGML) encoding to the task. Since 1996, the emergence and increased acceptance of Extensible Markup Language (XML) has added further force to this alternative. The work of the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) since 1988 had created a set of guidelines for the encoding of a very wide range of humanities materials. These guidelines have become widely used in the scholarly community, and were instrumental in the explosion of electronic texts, which is reshaping many areas of scholarly work.\n\nSomething like a consensus developed, among the scholars, archivists and computer experts involved in the EAMMS, Digital Scriptorium and MASTER projects. That SGML/XML encoding, rather than database systems, offered the most promising route towards a scheme for computer-readable manuscript descriptions which would add the new digital virtues of searchability and access to the strengths of the traditional, deeply-considered scholarly description. This would not mean discarding of database systems entirely: there are too many records invested in such systems, and some of the systems themselves have such virtue, for this to be desirable or possible. Accordingly, all these projects have a database component, and EAMMS (which aimed from the beginning at both database and SGML/XML approaches) has been particularly successful in devising a MARC-based format for manuscript descriptions. However, at each end of the scale the possibilities of SGML/XML encoding recommend themselves. At one end of the scale: SGML/XML encoding of very simply structured records accompanied by manuscript images would lend itself to immediate web mounting. At the other end: the most complex manuscript descriptions could be housed in SGML/XML encoding, without distortion of the description and with no compromise of scholarly detail. Similarly, the development of a universal interchange format in SGML/XML might permit decanting of the many manuscript records from the many databases into a single, and therefore more malleable, form.\n\nSeveral further factors contributed to the choice of the TEI implementation of SGML/XML, as the base for the proposals here outlined. Firstly, there was the perceived success of the TEI guidelines in addressing many of the issues, which would have to be resolved in any scheme of computer readable manuscript descriptions. Such a scheme would need to establish encoding for transcriptions of text from the manuscripts: the TEI had already set forward guidelines for transcription of primary textual material, and these guidelines had been well tested. A vocabulary would be needed for encoding of various kinds of textual division, for encoding of metadata about the description, and more: the TEI had already done much of this work. Secondly, the TEI workgroup system offered a well-proven means of bringing together domain experts and encoding experts, and harnessing their various skills towards a consensus which could form the basis of a widely-accepted standard. Thirdly, several of the people active in framing the TEI guidelines had strong interests in medieval manuscripts, and so were involved in the projects named above from their beginning.\n\nThe Studley Priory meeting which effectively inaugurated MASTER was followed by meetings of the EAMMS group at Hill Monastic Manuscript Library in December, 1996, and a year later, in November 1997, by a meeting at Columbia University. This brought together many of the participants in the EAMMS, Digital Scriptorium and MASTER projects with other manuscript experts. Following this meeting, a TEI workgroup was established, with Consuelo Dutschke and Ambrogio Piazzoni as co-chairs. This workgroup first met in July 1998. The guidelines here described are the result of this meeting and of a series of meetings involving members of EAMMS, MASTER and the TEI workgroup: for example, in New York in January 1999 (members of the TEI workgroup); in Paris in February 1999 (the MASTER group); in Rome in March 1999 (the TEI workgroup). Around these meetings, vigorous discussions by email among the EAMMS and MASTER communities have helped shape these proposals.\n\nA standard becomes a standard not simply as a result of a pure intellectual effort on the part of those who frame it: it must be accepted and used by the community. For this reason, the proposers of this standard wish to involve as many people as possible in the development of these proposals. Already, the members and associates of the EAMMS, Digital Scriptorium and MASTER groups include some of the most significant manuscript libraries, and some of the most respected manuscript scholars, in North America and Europe. An independent expert group (Dr Ian Doyle, Durham University Library [chair]; Professor Peter Gumbert, Leiden; Dr Gilbert Ouy, Paris) has met twice to consider these proposals, and many of their comments are incorporated in the standard. Through this introductory document, and through the separate full technical documentation, the proposers would like to make possible the broadest possible discussion of the standard.\n\nWhat is SGML/XML?\n\nThis section gives a very brief account of SGML (Standard Generalised Markup Language), focussing on the areas most relevant to these proposals. If you are familiar with SGML already, skip to the next section. This basic description is also valid for Extensible Markup Language, XML.\n\nThe basic unit of SGML/XML is the element. An element can be a stream of text surrounded by a tag, as follows:\n\n<p>This is a paragraph</p>\n\nHere, the encoding <p> indicates that this is the beginning of a p element, and the encoding </p> indicates that this is the end of a p element. The content of the p element is the text ‘This is a paragraph’.\n\nAn SGML/XML document could just consist of a series of elements, one after another, as follows:\n\n<head>This is a head element</head>\n\n<p>This is a paragraph</p>\n\n<note>This is a note</note>\n\nOne could compare this to a set of database fields: where a database could put this information into fields named ‘head’ ‘p’ ‘note’, SGML/XML encoding puts the information into elements named <head>,<p>, <note>.\n\nHowever, SGML/XML has six features which distinguish it from database systems, and (in the proposes’ opinion) make it especially suitable for encoding information as rich and as various as manuscript descriptions. Firstly, one can add attributes to elements, and give those attributes values. For example, one could specify that a paragraph is centred as follows:\n\n<p justification=centre>This is a centred paragraph</p>\n\nOr, for a left-justified paragraph:\n\n<p justification=left>This is a left-justified paragraph</p>\n\nOne can combine different attributes and values. Here, we use an n attribute to indicate that this is the first paragraph, and the justification attribute to indicate that it is left-justified:\n\n<p justification=left n=1>The first left-justified paragraph</p>\n\nThe ability to add information to encoding by use of attributes and their values, singly and in combination with one another, can permit encoding of very complex information.\n\nThe second feature, which suits SGML/XML to our purposes, is that it permits elements to contain other elements (or, to ‘nest’ within one another). Here, we create an outer <chapter> element, which contains a <head> and a sequence of <p> or paragraph elements:\n\n\n<head>This is the heading for chapter 1</head>\n\n<p>The first paragraph</p>\n\n<p>The second paragraph</p>\n\n\nOr, instead of <chapter> one could use a generic <div> element (marking any kind of textual division) and use a type attribute to indicate that it is a chapter, thus:\n\n<div type=chapter>\n\n\n<p>The first paragraph</p>\n\n<p>The second paragraph</p>\n\n\nThe third feature distinguishing SGML/XML is that one may use a Document Type Definition (DTD) to insist that a document must contain certain elements, and to specify that these elements must come in a certain order, and to define what these elements must contain.\n\nIn the example before, we could use a DTD to force every <div> element to have a type attribute, and to force every <div> element to contain at least one <head> element followed by at least one <p> element. In the proposals that follow, we use a DTD to enforce a rule that every manuscript description must contain an identifier for the manuscript. Through this mechanism, one can create a DTD to define a standard, and then ensure that documents do indeed conform to the standard by ‘parsing’ them against the DTD.\n\nThe fourth feature distinguishing SGML/XML is its use of what are called ‘entity references’. In brief, an ‘entity reference’ is a mechanism to allow substitution of one string by another. For example: one could define an entity called ‘eacute’. Instead of ‘é’, one types the entity reference ‘&eacute;’ into an SGML/XML document. The advantage of this is that one can replace the entity reference ‘&eacute;’ by whatever computer character represents é on the computer system being used to read the document. Thus, this system can be used to make sure that text is correctly displayed whatever computer system is in use. Indeed, this scheme can be used to cope with different character sets, different writing systems, and any combination of languages, characters and writing systems in a single document.\n\nThe fifth feature of SGML/XML stems from its use of a basic character set to describe elements, in combination with the use of entity references to represent characters outside this basic character set. The effect of these is to make SGML/XML documents platform independent: that is, to ensure that SGML/XML documents will appear exactly the same regardless of the computer hardware and software in use. A concrete example of this is the world wide web: the ‘HTML’ (Hypertext Markup Language) used by the web is an instance of SGML/XML, and employs these SGML/XML techniques to ensure that HTML documents look and behave identically whether viewed on a Macintosh or Windows machine, and whether viewed by Internet Explorer or Netscape.\n\nThe final feature of SGML which fits it for our use is that it is an international standard. Thus, it is defined and maintained by an International Standards Organisation committee, as ISO 8879: 1986. This definition of SGML as an international standard ensures the stability and consistency of SGML. Because SGML is an international standard and because it is system-independent (as explained above) documents encoded in SGML may be considered as an archival medium. This is obviously attractive in the context of manuscript descriptions: the objects described are often centuries, even millennia, old, and one could expect descriptions of these to be useful for decades, at least. (XML, as distinct from SGML, is not yet an ISO standard).\n\nIt is often objected about SGML/XML, that it is very verbose: the ‘text’ of the document disappears in a forest of tags, and it is consequently difficult to make and to read the SGML/XML. There are several answers to this. Firstly, there is efficient editing software available which assists the creation of the SGML/XML by various techniques (macros, automated conversion from optical character read input or from typesetting files, and the like). Secondly, there are well-developed software readers and display systems which permit the reader to see the text without all the SGML/XML encoding, and indeed use the SGML/XML (as it should be used) to create attractive and highly-searchable realisations of the text. The widespread acceptance of SGML/XML encoding in the commercial, government, and academic worlds means that there are a very great many such systems, both as freeware and as commercial applications.\n\nInformation on many of these can be found at http://www.oasis-open.org/cover/sgml-xml.html. However, it is true that the open nature of SGML/XML means that considerable adaptation of the software might be needed to tune it for a particular task, such as making and reading of machine-readable manuscript descriptions. Accordingly, several of the MASTER workpackages were devoted to preparing software for implementation of the standard. In particular, the MASTER partners prepared an implementation of the easy-to-use Windows text editor NoteTab permitting efficient making of manuscript records.\n\nDesign principles for these proposals\n\nThe massive advantage gained by unification of many different sets of data within a single system, permitting the development of efficient common tools for the record maker and efficient retrieval for the record user, makes standard development worthwhile. For this, a standard encoding of the many sets of data is required. Accordingly, a standard system of encoding which permits encoding of one set of data, in one way alone, and which cannot be used for different sets of data from the same intellectual domain, is no standard at all. However, a standard which tries to do all things for all sets of data may end by serving none of them well, and so again is no standard at all.\n\nIt is the tension between these extremes which makes standard design difficult. The solution of the TEI, from the beginning, has been to create standards which are ‘broad churches’: which would accommodate within themselves many different kinds of records, from the most simple to the most complex. The case for this is particularly cogent for manuscript descriptions, where each country, each intellectual domain, even each cataloguer for each different cataloguing project, has developed a distinct cataloguing style. We have therefore sought, above all, for flexibility and for perfectibility in these proposals. For flexibility: these proposals permit, on the one hand, the making of simple manuscript inventories which contain no more than a list of manuscript identifiers, to which may be added just a few words of description of each manuscript, or an image of the manuscript. On the other hand, the proposals also aim to enable the most highly-formalised descriptions, with elaborate structural mark-up distinguishing the various elements within the description and containing complete manuscript transcriptions and complete digital facsimiles of the manuscript. The distinction is not just of length. In this model, a lengthy description might be just a manuscript identifier accompanied by a series of unstructured paragraphs (that is: plain paragraph elements with no encoding within them discriminating their content); or a short description might be highly structured. For perfectibility: it is inherent in this design that one might begin by making a simple inventory, and elaborate this by progressive addition of information. Or, one might begin by importing information from an existing manuscript database into unstructured paragraphs, which later workers might reformulate to distinguish statements of date, place, provenance, or description.\n\nAccordingly, these proposals do not offer rigid definitions of what might constitute a 'short' or 'first-level' record, as against a 'long' or 'full' record. Indeed, these proposals mandate one thing, and one thing only: that a manuscript description (<msDescription>) must contain a manuscript identifier (<msIdentifier>). Beyond this, the proposals are not of themselves prescriptive. We suggest that when assessing these proposals you ask, first: do they permit you to make the manuscript descriptions which you would like to make? If the answer is 'yes', then they will serve; if the answer is 'no', the proposers would like to know of the deficiency. We suggest you ask, secondly: do the names of the elements proposed and the relationship of the elements to each other seem transparent, logical and elegant? We have sought overall for a lucid naming and structuring of the descriptive element, so that manuscript experts and users would say, instantly: 'this feels right'. If something seems illogical or misnamed, and you have a concrete suggestion as to how it might be improved, we should like to hear about it.\n\nA design principle which emerged in the often-intense discussions surrounding these proposals concerned their architecture. Should we aim for an architecture which would permit the cataloguer to say almost anything, in almost any way imaginable? Or should we aim for a more formal prescription, which declares: if you want to say something about the binding of the manuscript (for example) you can only say it in a <binding> element within a <physDesc> element. The advantage of the first approach is that it permits the cataloguer near complete freedom; its danger is that the heterogeneity of descriptions might be at the cost of efficient retrieval based on predictable use of agreed descriptors: the prime justification for making the computer-readable records in the first place. The disadvantage of the second approach is that over-rigid formalism would lead to frustration among cataloguers, and (rather quickly) refusal to adopt the standard.\n\nThe solution which emerged was this: we would do both. We would allow at various points within the description paragraph (<p>) elements which would allow the cataloguer to say almost anything they wish, but in a relatively informal and unstructured manner. But we would also provide formal and precisely-defined elements for distinct and identifiable manuscript phenomena. Thus: a cataloguer is free to speak of any aspect of the manuscript binding, as it bears upon the history or intellectual content of the manuscript, within the <p> elements provided within the <history> and <msContents> elements. But if you want to make a formally-structured statement about the binding (its material, its date) you must do this within the <binding> element provided within the <physDesc> element. The alternative, to permit the encoder to use the <binding> element at any point, would likely lead to cataloguers feeling obliged to surround every reference to binding with the <binding> tag, regardless of context and content. This would encourage a superfluity of effort which would lead to so many different kinds of information being contained in <binding> as to render the element semantically ill-defined and therefore useless.\n\nThe danger of an open standard, such as this is designed to be, is that it may be misused. We do not encourage, for example, manuscript descriptions which consist of no more than an identifier and a lengthy prose description with no formal distinctions through markup of statements of date, origin, provenance, and the like. However, the standard itself cannot be used to prescribe that descriptions must conform to this or that model: it can only be used to enable the various models.\n\nThese proposals seek to create a framework which can accommodate what we know of existing standards, and to enable (in time) greater precision and more efficient retrieval of detail in cataloguing. It is the task of various domain experts to recommend how the standard should be applied in their area. The proposes will begin this process, in the documentation which here follows and which will accompany the completed standard, but it will be the responsibility of you, the users of the standard, to further best practice.\n\nFinally, because the background and interests of all the participants in the primary groups involved in preparation of these proposals (EAMMS, Digital Scriptorium, MASTER, and the TEI workgroup) are in western European medieval manuscripts, these proposals have been prepared only with those manuscripts in mind. However, it is intended that these should in time be generalisable, at some level or other, to other manuscripts from different cultures, and we welcome reaction from experts in other manuscript areas.\n\n\n\nWe propose that a new TEI element be created, <msDescription>, and that each <msDescription> element may contain one, and only one, description of a manuscript. A composite manuscript is regarded as a single manuscript, with the distinct manuscripts which it contains each being held in distinct <msPart> elements, contained within the <msDescription> element.\n\nA single <msDescription> may contain the following elements:\n\n<msIdentifier> : this contains the identifier of the manuscript: where it is, and its exact shelfmark or other identifier. This element is mandatory.\n\n<msHeading>: this can be used to give basic information about the manuscript, such as might appear in summary catalogue (for example: author, title of work, date, place, language)\n\n<msContents> : this contains a description of the intellectual content of the manuscript, either as a series of paragraphs or structured into defined sub-elements\n\n<physDesc> : this contains a description of the physical aspect of the manuscript, structured into defined sub-elements\n\n<history>: this contains a history of the manuscript, structured into defined sub-elements\n\n<additional>: contains additional information related to the manuscript but not part of its formal description (e.g.: bibliography; availability of facsimiles or images; curatorial information)\n\n<msPart> : used for composite manuscripts. It may contain all the elements listed above except for <summary> (<summary> is intended for description of the entire manuscript alone). This element is required when dealing with composite manuscripts\n\n Here is an example of a rather simple manuscript description:\n\n\nOxford, Corpus Christi College, MS 198\nGeoffrey Chaucer The Canterbury Tales. c. 1400\nFolios 1r-266v. The Canterbury Tales. A274-I290. Defective at beginning and end.\nParchment, trimmed. 33.5 x 22.5 cm. Quires [14, 15, and 28] were disordered in the previous binding. They have been reordered and refoliated, with the old foliation being the uppermost. Two consecutive folios are numbered '64a' and '64'\nWritten by the scribe identified by Doyle and Parkes as 'Hand d'\nDated c. 1400 (personal communication, Malcolm Parkes). On fol. 146r is the name 'Burle' in drypoint, in the margin next to E1396. Cp came to the College as a bequest of William Fulman, according to a note on fol. 1r : 'Liber C.C.C.Oxon Ex dono Gulielmi Fulman A.M. hujus Collegii quondam socius.'\n\nIn a summary catalogue, one could encode it using the MASTER DTD as follows, stating only the place, shelfmark, and basic information as follows:\n\n       <msIdentifier n=\"1\">\n<country reg=\"GB\">Great Britain</settlement>\n<repository>Corpus Christi College</repository>\n<idNo>MS 198</idNo>\n<title>The Canterbury Tales</title>\n<author>Geoffrey Chaucer</author>\n<origDate notBefore=\"1395\" notAfter=\"1420\">c. 1400</origDate>\n<textLang langKey=\"ENM\">Middle English</textLang>\n\nObserve the possibilities for precise searches which this encoding allows. We could find this manuscript as dated between 1395 and 1420; as being written in Middle English (with language key \"ENM\"), and more.\n\nOr, one could encode all the information in the description thus:\n\n       <msIdentifier n=\"1\">\n<repository>Corpus Christi College</repository>\n<idNo>MS 198</idNo>\n<title>The Canterbury Tales</title>\n<author>Geoffrey Chaucer</author>\n<msItem n=\"1\" defective=\"yes\">\n<locus from=\"1\" to=\"266\">Folios 1r-266v</locus>\n<title type=\"uniform\">The Canterbury Tales</title>\n<note>Defective at beginning and end</note>\n<support><p>Parchment, trimmed.</p></support>\n<extent>266.<dimensions type=\"leaf\" scope=\"all\"><height>33.5</height><width>22.5</width></dimensions></extent>\n<collation><p>Quires [14, 15, and 28] were disordered in the previous binding. They have been reordered and refoliated with the old foliation being the uppermost. Two consecutive folios are numbered '64a' and '64'</p></collation>\n<msWriting hands=\"1\">\n<handDesc scribe=\"Hand D (Doyle/Parkes)\" script=\"Anglicana\" medium=\"ink\" scope=\"sole\"><p>Written by the scribe identified by Doyle and Parkes as '<name type=\"person\" role=\"scribe\" key=\"DPhandD\">Hand d</name>'</p></handDesc>\n<origin notBefore=\"1395\" notAfter=\"1420\" certainty=\"high\" evidence=\"conjecture\"><p>Dated c. <origDate>1400</origDate> (personal communication, Malcolm Parkes).</p></origin>\n<provenance><p>On fol. 146r is the name 'Burle' in drypoint, in the margin next to E1396. </p></provenance>\n<acquisition><p>Cp came to the College as a bequest of William Fulman, according to a note on fol. 1r : <q>'Liber C.C.C. Oxon Ex dono Gulielmi Fulman A.M. hujus Collegii quondam socius.'</q></p></acquisition>\n\nA full account of how these descriptions can be made, with further discussion of the elements within these descriptions, is given in the account of the customized text-editor prepared by the MASTER partners.\n\nNext steps…\n\nThe MASTER project and its partners has put together various resources to help make it easier for cataloguers to learn how to make manuscript descriptions according to the encoding we have developed. The resources page of the MASTER site gives a description of these resources. These include:\n\n\nThis page last revised 14 January 2001\n\nCopyright © 1999\nCentre for Technology\nand the Arts", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.668925404548645}
{"content": "We gratefully acknowledge support from\nthe Simons Foundation\nand member institutions\nFull-text links:\n\n\nCurrent browse context:\n\nnew | recent | 1702\n\nChange to browse by:\n\nReferences & Citations\n\nComputer Science > Computers and Society\n\nTitle:Big Data for Social Sciences: Measuring patterns of human behavior through large-scale mobile phone data\n\nAuthors:Pål Sundsøy\nAbstract: Through seven publications this dissertation shows how anonymized mobile phone data can contribute to the social good and provide insights into human behaviour on a large scale. The size of the datasets analysed ranges from 500 million to 300 billion phone records, covering millions of people. The key contributions are two-fold:\n1. Big Data for Social Good: Through prediction algorithms the results show how mobile phone data can be useful to predict important socio-economic indicators, such as income, illiteracy and poverty in developing countries. Such knowledge can be used to identify where vulnerable groups in society are, reduce economic shocks and is a critical component for monitoring poverty rates over time. Further, the dissertation demonstrates how mobile phone data can be used to better understand human behaviour during large shocks in society, exemplified by an analysis of data from the terror attack in Norway and a natural disaster on the south-coast in Bangladesh. This work leads to an increased understanding of how information spreads, and how millions of people move around. The intention is to identify displaced people faster, cheaper and more accurately than existing survey-based methods.\n2. Big Data for efficient marketing: Finally, the dissertation offers an insight into how anonymised mobile phone data can be used to map out large social networks, covering millions of people, to understand how products spread inside these networks. Results show that by including social patterns and machine learning techniques in a large-scale marketing experiment in Asia, the adoption rate is increased by 13 times compared to the approach used by experienced marketers. A data-driven and scientific approach to marketing, through more tailored campaigns, contributes to less irrelevant offers for the customers, and better cost efficiency for the companies.\nComments: 166 pages, PHD thesis\nCite as: arXiv:1702.08349 [cs.CY]\n  (or arXiv:1702.08349v1 [cs.CY] for this version)\n\nSubmission history\n\nFrom: Pål Sundsøy [view email]\n[v1] Mon, 27 Feb 2017 16:09:48 UTC (17,284 KB)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.995010256767273}
{"content": "Ancestors: What Constitutes Proof?\n\nAll genealogists should be asking this question for every single relationship between people in their trees – or at least for every person that they claim as an ancestor. The answer differs a bit when you introduce DNA into the equation, so let’s discuss this topic.\n\nIt’s easier to begin by telling you what proof IS NOT, rather than what proof is.\n\nWhat is Proof, Anyway?\n\nFirst of all, what exactly do we mean by proof? Proof means proof of a relationship, which has to be proven before you can prove a specific ancestor is yours. It’s a two-step process.\n\nIf you’re asking whether those two things are one and the same, the answer is no, they are not. Let me give you a quick example.\n\nYou can have proof that you descend from the family of a specific couple, but you may not know which child of that couple you descend from. In one case, my ancestor is listed as an heir, being a grandchild, but the suit doesn’t say which of the man’s children is the parent of my ancestor. So frustrating!\n\nConversely, you may know that you descend from a specific ancestor, but not which of his multiple wives you descend from.\n\nYou may know that your ancestor descends from one of multiple sons of a particular man, but not know which son.\n\nTherefore, proof of a relationship is not necessarily proof that a particular person is your ancestor.\n\nNot Proof of an Ancestor\n\nOK, so what’s NOT proof? Here are a dozen of the most common items – and there are surely more!\n\n  1. Proof is not a DNA match alone. You can match as a result of ancestors on any number of lines, known or unknown.\n  2. Proof is not an oral history, no matter how much you want to believe it or who said it. Oral history is a good starting point, not an end point.\n  3. Proof is not, not, 1000 times NOT someone else’s tree. A tree should be considered a hint, nothing more.\n  4. Proof is not a book without corresponding evidence that can be independently corroborated. Being in print does not make it so, people make mistakes and new information surfaces.\n  5. Proof is not a man by the name of Jr., meaning that he is the son of a man by the same name with the suffix of Sr. Sr. often means older and Jr. means younger, but not necessarily related. Yes, this has bitten me.\n  6. Proof of a father/son relationship is not two men with the same name in the same location.\n  7. Proof is not a Y DNA match, at least not without additional information or evidence, although it’s a great hint!\n  8. Proof is not an autosomal DNA match, unless it is an extremely close match and even then you (probably) need additional information. For example, if you have a half-sibling match, you need additional information to determine which parent’s side.\n  9. Proof is not an Ancestry Circle, at least not without additional information.\n  10. Proof is not similar or even identical ethnicity, or lack thereof.\n  11. Proof is not a “DNA Proven” icon, anyplace.\n  12. Proof is not a will or other document, at least not alone, and not without evidence that a person by the same name as the child is the RIGHT person.\n\nI learned many of these NOTS or KNOTS as I prefer to call them, because that’s what they tie me in, by ugly experience. I began genealogy before there were proof standards, let alone the GPS (Genealogical Proof Standard). DNA adds yet another dimension to existing paper standards and is an important aspect of the requirement for a “reasonably exhaustive search.” In fact, there is no reason NOT to include DNA and I would suggest that any genealogical search is not complete without including genetic evidence.\n\nProof Is a Two-Way Street\n\nUsing traditional genealogy, genealogists must be able to prove not only that an ancestor had a child by a specific name, but that the person you believe is the child, is indeed the child of that ancestor.\n\nLet me use an example of Daniel, the son of one Philip Jacob Miller in Washington County, Maryland in 1783.\n\nThe tax list shows Philip J. Miller, 15 entries from the bottom of the page, shown below. It also shows “Daniel Miller of Philip” 6 entries from the bottom, and it’s our lucky day because the tax list says that Daniel is Philip’s son.\n\nBut wait, there’s another Daniel, the bottom entry. If you were to look on the next page, you would also notice that there’s a Philip Miller who does not own any land.\n\nWhat we have here is:\n\n  • Philip J. Miller, with land\n  • Daniel, son of Philip, no land\n  • Daniel, no father listed, land\n  • Philip, no land\n\nThis just got complex. We need to know which Philip is Daniel’s father and which Daniel is which Philip’s son.\n\nEstablishing proof requires more than this one resource.\n\nThe great news about this tax list is that it tells us how much land Philip J. Miller owned, and utilizing other resources such as deeds and surveys, we can establish which Philip J. Miller owned this land, and that his name was indeed Philip Jacob Miller. This is important because not only is there another Philip, who, by the way, is NOT the son of Philip Jacob Miller (knot #6 above), there is also another Jacob Miller, who is NOT Philip Jacob Miller and who isn’t even related to him on the Miller line, according to the Y DNA of both men’s descendants.\n\nHow would we prove that Philip Jacob Miller is the father of Daniel Miller? We’d have to follow both men backward and forward in time, together. We have great clues – land ownership or lack thereof.\n\nIn this case, Philip Jacob Miller eventually sells his land. Philip Jacob Miller also has a Bible, which is how we know that there is no son named Philip. Philip Jacob’s son, Daniel leaves with his brother David, also on this tax list, travels to another location before the family is reunited after moving to Kentucky years later, where Philip Jacob Miller dies with a will. All of his heirs sign property deeds during probate, including heirs back in Frederick and Washington County, Maryland. There is enough evidence from multiple sources to tie these various family members from multiple locations conclusively together, providing two way proof.\n\nWe must be able to prove that not only did Philip Jacob Miller have a son Daniel, but that a specific Daniel is the son of that particular Philip Jacob Miller. Then, we must repeat that exact step every generation to the present to prove that Philip Jacob Miller is our ancestor.\n\nIn other words, we have a chain of progressive evidence that taken together provides conclusive proof that these two men are BELIEVED to be related. What? Believed? Don’t we have proof now?\n\nI say believed, because we still have issues like unknown parentage, by whatever term you wish to call it, NPE (nonpaternal event, nonparental event,) or MP (misattributed parentage,) MPE (misattributed paternal or parental event) or either traditional or undocumented adoptions. Some NPEs weren’t unknown at the time and are results of situations like a child taking a step-parent’s surname – but generations later – having been forgotten or undocumented for descendants, the result is the same. They aren’t related biologically in the way we think they are.\n\nThe Big Maybe\n\nAt this point, we believe we have the Philips, Philip Jacobs and Daniels sorted correctly relative to my specific line. We know, according to documentation, that Daniel is the son of Philip Jacob, but what if MY ancestor Daniel ISN’T the son of Philip Jacob Miller?\n\n  • What if MY ancestor Daniel just happens to have the name Daniel Miller and lives in the same geography as Philip Jacob Miller, or his actual son Daniel, and I’ve gotten them confused?\n  • What if MY ancestor Daniel Miller isn’t actually my ancestor after all, for any number of reasons that happened between when he lived and died (1755-1822) and my birth.\n\nIf you think I’m being facetious about this, I’m not. Not long after I wrote the article about my ancestor Daniel Miller, we discovered another Daniel Miller, living in the same location, also descended from the same family as evidenced by BOTH Y and autosomal DNA. In fact, there were 12 Daniel Millers I had to sort through in addition to the second Daniel on the 1783 tax list. Yes, apparently Daniel was a very popular name in the Miller family and yes, there were several male sons of immigrant Johann Michael Muller/Miller who procreated quite successfully.\n\nEnter DNA\n\nIf DNA evidence wasn’t already a factor in this equation, it now must come into play.\n\nIn order to prove that Philip Jacob Miller is my ancestor, I must prove that I’m actually related to him. Of course, the methodology to do that can be approached in multiple ways – and sometimes MUST be approached using different tools.\n\nLet’s use an example that actually occurred in another line. Two males, Thomas and Marcus Younger, were found together in Halifax County, Virginia, right after the Revolutionary War. They both had moved from Essex County, and they consistently were involved in each other’s lives as long as they both lived. They lived just a couple miles apart, witnessed documents for each other, and until DNA testing it was believed that Marcus was the younger brother of Thomas.\n\nWe know that Marcus was not Thomas’s son, because he was not in Thomas’s will, but Marcus and his son John both witnessed Thomas’s will. In that time and place, a family member did not witness a will unless it was a will hastily constructed as a person was dying. Thomas wrote his will 2 years before it was probated.\n\nHowever, with the advent of DNA testing, we learned that the two men’s descendants did not carry the same Y DNA – not even the same haplogroup – so they do not share a common paternal ancestor.\n\nNeedless to say, this really threw a monkey wrench into our neat and tidy family story.\n\nLater, the will of Thomas’s father, Alexander, was discovered, in which Marcus was not listed (not to mention that Alexander died before Marcus was born,) and, Thomas became the guardian of his three sisters.\n\nEventually, via autosomal DNA, we proved that indeed, Marcus’s descendants are related to Thomas’s descendants as well as other descendants of Thomas’s parents. We have a proven relationship, but not a specifically proven ancestor. In other words, we know that Marcus is related to both Thomas and Alexander, we just don’t know exactly how.\n\nUnfortunately, Marcus only had one son, so we can’t confirm Marcus’s Y DNA through a second line. We also have some wives missing from the equation, so there is a possibility that either Marcus’s wife, or his unknown biological father’s family was otherwise related to Alexander’s line.\n\nSo, here’s the bottom line – we believe, based on various pieces of compelling but not conclusive evidence that Marcus is the illegitimate child of one of Thomas’s unmarried sisters, who died, which is why Marcus is clearly close to Thomas, shares the same surname, but not the Y DNA. In fact, it’s likely that Marcus was raised in Thomas’s household.\n\n  • It’s entirely possible that if I incorrectly listed Thomas as Marcus’s father on Ancestry, as many have, that I would be placed in a Thomas circle, because Ancestry forms circles if your autosomal DNA matches and you show a common ancestor in your trees. This is why inclusion in a circle doesn’t genetically confirm an ancestor without additional information. It confirms a genetic relationship, but not how a person is related.\n  • It’s entirely possible that even though Marcus’s Y DNA doesn’t match the proven Y DNA of Thomas, that Marcus is still closely related to Thomas – such as Marcus’s uncle. That’s why Marcus’s descendants match both Thomas’s and Alexander’s descendants through autosomal testing. However, without Y DNA testing, we would never know that they don’t share a paternal line.\n  • It’s entirely possible that if Marcus was supposed, on paper, to be Thomas’s child, but was fathered by another man, such as his wife’s first husband, I would still be in the circle attributed to both Thomas and his wife, by virtue of the fact that I match DNA of Thomas’s descendants through Thomas’s wife. This is your classic step-father situation.\n\nPaper is Not Proof\n\nAs genealogists, we became so used to paper documentation constituting proof that it’s a blow when that paper proves to be irrelevant, especially when we’ve hung our genealogical hat on that “proof” for years, sometimes decades.\n\nThe perfect example is an adoption. Today, most adoptions are through a court of law, but in the past, a functional adoption happened when someone, for whatever reason, took another child to raise.\n\nThe history of that “adoption” although not secret when it happened, became lost in time, and the child is believed to be the child of the couple who raised them. The adoption can actually be a step-parent situation, and the child may carry the step-father’s surname but his own father’s Y DNA, or it can be a situation where a relative or unrelated couple raised the child for some unknown reason.\n\nToday, all paper genealogy needs to be corroborated by DNA evidence.\n\nDNA evidence can be some combination of:\n\n  • Y DNA\n  • Autosomal DNA\n  • Mitochondrial DNA\n\nHow Much Proof is Enough?\n\nOne of my favorite saying is “you don’t know what you don’t know.”\n\nPeople often ask:\n\n  1. If they match someone autosomally who shares the same ancestor, do they really need to prove that line through Y or mitochondrial DNA?\n  2. Do they really need to match multiple people?\n  3. Do they really need to compare segments?\n\nThe answers to these is a resounding, “it depends.”\n\nIt depends on the circumstances, the length of time back to the common ancestor, and how comfortable you are not knowing.\n\nRelative to question 1 about autosomal plus Y DNA, think about Marcus Younger.  Without the Y DNA, we would have no idea that his descendant’s Y DNA didn’t match the Thomas Younger line. Suddenly, Marcus not being included in either Thomas nor Alexander’s will makes sense.\n\nRelative to question 2 about matching multiple people, the first cousin we tested to determine whether it was me or my brother that was not the child of our father turned out to have different Y DNA than expected. Thank goodness we tested multiple people, including autosomal when it became available.\n\nRelative to question 3 about comparing segments, every matching segment has its own unique history. I’ve encountered several situations where I match someone on one segment from one ancestor, and another segment from an entirely different line. The only way to determine this is by comparing and triangulating individual segments.\n\nI’ve been bitten so many times by thinking I knew something that turned out to be incorrect that I want every single proof point that I can obtain to eliminate the possibility of error – especially multiple kinds of DNA proof. There are some things that ONLY DNA can reveal.\n\nI want:\n\n  • Traditional documentary evidence for every generation to establish the actual paper trail that proves that the child descends from the proper parents.\n  • Y DNA to prove the son is the son of the father and to learn about the deeper family history. For example, my Lentz line descends from the Yamnaya culture, something I would never have known without the Big Y DNA test.\n  • Mitochondrial DNA to prove that the mother is the actual mother of the child, if possible, not an unknown earlier or later wife, and to learn about the deeper family history. Elizabeth Mehlheimer’s mitochondrial DNA is Scandinavian – before her ancestors are found in Germany.\n  • Autosomal DNA to prove that the paper lineage connecting me to the ancestor is correct and the line is not disrupted by a previously unknown adoption of some description.\n\nI attempt to gather the Y and mitochondrial DNA haplogroup of every ancestor in my direct line if possible and confirm using autosomal DNA.\n\nYes, my personal proof standard is tough, but I suggest that you at least ask these questions when you evaluate documentation or see someone claim that they are “DNA proven” to an ancestor. What, exactly, does that mean and what do they believe constitutes proof? Do they have that proof, and are they willing to share it with you?\n\nGenealogical Proofs Table\n\nThe example table below is designed to be used to document the sources of proof that the individual listed under the name column is in fact the child of the father and mother shown. Proofs may vary and could be personal knowledge (someone you knew within your lifetime), a Bible, a will, a deed, an obituary, death certificate, a church baptismal document, a pension application, census records, etc. DNA confirmation is needed in addition to paper documentation. The two types of proof go hand in hand.  \n\nName Birth Death Spouse Father Mother Proofs – Sources DNA Confirmed\nWilliam Sterling Estes Oct. 1, 1902, Claiborne Co., TN Aug. 27, 1963, Jay Co., IN Barbara Ferverda William George Estes 1873-1971 Ollie Bolton 1874-1955 Personal knowledge – William is my father and William George is my grandfather. Autosomal triangulated to multiple Estes cousins\nWilliam George Estes March 30, 1873, Claiborne Co., TN Nov. 29, 1971, Harlan Co., KY 1. Ollie Bolton\n\n2.  Joyce Hatfield\n\n3. Crocia Brewer\n\nLazarus Estes 1845-1918 Elizabeth Vannoy 1846-1918 1.  Will of Lazarus Estes Claiborne Co., Tn. Will Book 8, page 42\n\n2.  Deed where Lazarus states William George is his son.  Claiborne Co., Deed Book M2, page 371.\n\n3. My father’s personal knowledge and birth certificate\n\nAutosomal triangulated to multiple descendants of both Lazarus Estes and Elizabeth Vannoy.\nLazarus Estes May 1845, Claiborne Co., TN 1916-1918, Claiborne Co., TN Elizabeth Vannoy John Y. Estes 1818-1895 Rutha Dodson 1820-1903 1. Personal knowledge of George Estes, now decd\n\n2.  Deed here John Y. deeds all his possessions to his eldest son, Lazarus when he goes to Texas, Claiborne Co., Deed book B1, page 37.\n\nY DNA confirmed to haplotype of Abraham Estes, autosomal triangulated to descendants of Lazarus and Elizabeth and upstream ancestors through multiple matches on both sides.\nJohn Y. Estes December 29, 1818, Halifax Co., VA Sept. 19, 1895, Montague Co., TX Rutha Dodson John R. Estes 1785/88-1885 Nancy Ann Moore c 1785-1860/1870 1. Family visits of his children in Tennessee\n\n2. Census records, 1850, 1860, Claiborne Co., Tn. shows families in same household\n\nY DNA confirmed through multiple sons. Autosomal triangulates to several descendants through multiple lines of other children.\nJohn R. Estes 1785-1788, Halifax Co. VA May 1885, Claiborne Co., TN Nancy Ann Moore George Estes 1763-1869 Mary Younger bef 1775-1820/1830 1. Halifax County 1812 personal property tax list where John R. Estes is listed as the son of George Estes and lives next to him.  Only 1 George in the county. Later chancery suit lists John R.’s wife’s name and location in Tennessee Y DNA confirmed through multiple lines.  Autosomal confirmed triangulation of multiple lines of his children and his ancestors on both sides.\n\nIf you’d like to read more about the difference between evidence and proof, and how to get from evidence to proof, check out this article, What is proof of family history? by my cousin, retired attorney, Robin Rankin Willis.\n\nProof is a Pain!\n\nSo now that we’ve discussed what proof is not, and what types of records constitute proof, you may be thinking to yourself that proof is a pain in the behind. Indeed, it is, but without sufficient proof, you may literally be doing someone else’s genealogy or the genealogy of an ancestor that’s not your own. Trust me, that’s infinitely more painful.\n\nI hate sawing branches off of my own tree. If I have to do it, the sooner I make the discovery and get it over with, the better.\n\nBeen there, done that, and really, I don’t want the t-shirt.\n\nThere is never such a thing as “too much” proof, but there is certainly too little. We are fortunate to live in a time when not only are historical records available, but the record passed by our ancestors inside our very cells tells their story. Use every tool and every type of DNA at your disposal! Otherwise, you get the t-shirt:)\n\n\nStandard Disclosure\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAffiliate links are limited to:\n\nConcepts – The Faces of Endogamy\n\nRecently, while checking Facebook, I saw this posting from my friend who researches in the same Native admixed group of families in North Carolina and Virginia that I do. Researchers have been trying for years to sort through these interrelated families. As I read Justin’s post, I realized, this is a great example of endogamy and often how it presents itself to genealogists.\n\nI match a lot of people from the Indian Woods [Bertie County, NC] area via DNA, with names like Bunch, Butler, Mitchell, Bazemore, Castellow, and, of course, Collins. While it’s hard to narrow in on which family these matching segments come from, I can find ‘neighborhoods’ that fit the bill genetically. This [census entry] is from near Quitsna in 1860. You see Bunch, Collins, Castellow, Carter, and Mitchell in neighboring households.\n\nWhich begs the question, what is endogamy, do you have it and how can you tell?\n\n\nEndogamy is the practice or custom or marrying within a specific group, population, geography or tribe.\n\nExamples that come to mind are Ashkenazi Jews, Native Americans (before European and African admixture), Amish, Acadians and Mennonite communities.\n\nSome groups marry within their own ranks due to religious practices. Jewish, Amish and Mennonite would fall under this umbrella. Some intermarry due to cultural practices, such as Acadians, although their endogamy could also partly be attributed to their staunch Catholic beliefs in a primarily non-Catholic region. Some people practice endogamy due to lack of other eligible partners such as Native Americans before contact with Europeans and Africans.  People who live on  islands or in villages whose populations were restricted geographically are prime candidates for endogamy.\n\nIn the case of Justin’s group of families who were probably admixed with Native, European and African ancestors, they intermarried because there were socially no other reasonable local options. In Virginia during that timeframe, mixed race marriages were illegal. Not only that, but you married who lived close by and who you knew – in essence the neighbors who were also your relatives.\n\nEndogamy and Genetic Genealogy\n\nIn some cases, endogamy is good news for the genealogist. For example, if you’re working with Acadian records and know which Catholic church your ancestors attended. Assuming those church records still exist, you’re practically guaranteed that you’ll find the entire family because Acadians nearly always married within the Acadian community, and the entire Acadian community was Catholic. Catholics kept wonderful records. Even when the Acadians married a Native person, the Native spouse is almost always baptized and recorded with a non-Native name in the Catholic church records, which paved the way for a Catholic marriage.\n\nIn other cases, such as Justin’s admixed group, the Brethren who notoriously kept no church records or the Jewish people whose records were largely destroyed during the Holocaust, endogamy has the opposite effect – meaning that actual records are often beyond the reach of genealogists – but the DNA is not.\n\nIt’s in cases like this that people reach for DNA to help them find their families and connections.\n\nWhat Does Endogamy Look Like?\n\nIf you know nothing about your heritage, how would you know whether you are endogamous or not? What does it look like? How do you recognize it?\n\nThe answer is…it depends. Unfortunately, there’s no endogamy button that lights up on your DNA results, but there are a range of substantial clues.  Let’s divide up the question into pieces that make sense and look at a variety of useful tools.\n\nFull or Part?\n\nFirst of all, fully and partly endogamous ancestry, and endogamy from different sources, has different signs and symptoms, so to speak.\n\nA fully endogamous person, depending on their endogamy group, may have either strikingly more than average autosomal DNA matches, or very few.\n\nAnother factor will be geography, where you live, which serves to rule out some groups entirely. If you live in Australia, your ancestors may be European but they aren’t going to be Native American.\n\nHow many people in your endogamous group that have DNA tested is another factor that weighs very heavily in terms of what endogamy looks like, as is the age of the group. The older the group, generally the more descendants available to test although that’s not always the case. For example warfare, cultural genocide and disease wiped out many or most of the Native population in the United States, especially east of the Mississippi and particularly in the easternmost seaboard regions.\n\nBecause of the genocide perpetrated upon the Jewish people, followed by the scattering of survivors, Jewish descendants are inclined to test to find family connections. Jewish surnames may have been changed or not adopted in some cases until late, in the 1800s, and finding family after displacement was impossible in the 1940s for those who survived.\n\nLet’s look at autosomal DNA matches for fully and partly endogamous individuals.\n\nJewish people, in particular Ashkenazi, generally have roughly three times as many matches as non-endogamous individuals.\n\nConversely, because very few Native people have tested, Native testers, especially non-admixed Native individuals, may have very few matches.\n\nIt’s ironic that my mother, the last person listed, with two endogamous lines, still has fewer matches than I do, the first person listed.  This is because my father has deep colonial roots with lots of descendants to test, and my mother has recent immigration in her family line – even though a quarter of her ancestry is endogamous.\n\nTo determine whether we are looking at endogamy, sometimes we need to look for other clues.\n\nThere are lots of ways to discover additional clues.\n\n\nIs there a trend among the surnames of your matches?\n\nAt the top of your Family Finder match page your three most common surnames are displayed.\n\nA fully endogamous Jewish individual’s most common surnames are shown above. If you see Cohen among your most common surnames, you are probably Jewish, given that the Kohanim have special religious responsibilities within the Jewish faith.\n\nOf course, especially with autosomal DNA, the person’s current surname may not be indicative, but there tends to be a discernable pattern with someone who is highly endogamous. When someone who is fully endogamous, such as the Jewish population, intermarries with other Jewish people, the surnames will likely still be recognizably Jewish.\n\nOur Jewish individual’s first matching page, meaning his closest matches, includes the following surnames:\n\n  • Cohen\n  • Levi\n  • Bernstein\n  • Kohn\n  • Goldstein\n\nThe Sioux individual only has 137 matches, but his first page of matches includes the following surnames:\n\n  • Sunbear\n  • Deer With Horns\n  • Eagleman\n  • Yelloweyes\n  • Long Turkey\n  • Fire\n  • Bad Wound\n  • Growing Thunder\n\nThese surnames are very suggestive of Native American ancestry in a tribe that did not adopt European surnames early in their history. In other words, not east of the Mississippi.\n\nAt Family Tree DNA, every person has the opportunity to list their family surnames and locations, so don’t just look at the tester’s surname, but at their family surnames and locations too. The Ancestral Surname column is located to the far right on the Family Finder matches page. If you can’t see all of the surnames, click on the person’s profile picture to see their entire profile and all of the surnames they have listed.\n\nPlease note that you can click to enlarge all graphics.\n\nIf you haven’t listed your family surnames, now would be a good time. You can do this by clicking on the orange “Manage Personal Information” link near your profile picture on the left of your personal page.\n\nThe orange link takes you to the account settings page. Click on the Genealogy tab, then on surnames. Be sure to click the orange “save” when you are finished.\n\nPartial Endogamy\n\nLet’s take a look at a case study of someone who is partially endogamous, meaning that they have endogamous lines, but aren’t fully endogamous. My mother, who is the partially endogamous individual with 1231 matches is a good example.\n\nMother is a conglomeration of immigrants. Her 8 great-grandparents break down as follows:\n\nIn mother’s case, a few different forces are working against each other. Let’s take a look.\n\nThe case of recent immigration from the Netherlands, in the 1850s, would serve to reduce mother’s matches because there has been little time in the US for descendants to accrue and test. Because people in the Netherlands tend to be very reluctant about DNA testing, very few have tested, also having the effect of reducing her number of matches.\n\nMother’s Dutch ancestors were Mennonites, an endogamous group within the Netherlands, which would further reduce her possibilities of having matches on these lines since she would be less likely to match the general population and more likely to match individuals within the endogamous group. If people from the Mennonite group tested, she would likely match many within that group. In other words, for her to find Dutch matches, people descended from the endogamous Dutch Mennonite population would need to test. At Family Tree DNA, there is a Low Mennonite Y DNA and Anabaptist autosomal DNA project both, but these groups tend to attract the Mennonites that migrated to Russia and Poland, not the group that stayed in the Netherlands. Another issue, at least in mother’s case, is that her Mennonite relatives “seem” to have been later converts, not part of the original Mennonite group – although it’s difficult to tell for sure in the records that exist.\n\nMother’s Kirsch and Drechsel ancestors were also recent immigrants in the 1850s, from Germany, with very few descendants in the US today. The villages from where her Kirsch ancestors immigrated, based on the church records, did tend to be rather endogamous.  However, that endogamy would only have reached back about 200 years, as far as the 30 Years’ War when that region was almost entirely, if not entirely, depopulated. So while there was recent endogamy, there (probably) wasn’t deep endogamy. Of course, it would require someone from those villages to test so mother could have matches before endogamy can relevant. DNA testing is not popular in Germany either.\n\nBecause of recent immigration, altogether one half of mother’s heritage would reduce her number of matches significantly. Recent immigrants simply have fewer descendants to test.\n\nOn the other hand, mother’s English line has been in the US for a long time, some since the Mayflower, so she could expect many matches from that line, although they are not endogamous. If you’re thinking to yourself that deep colonial ancestry can sometime mimic endogamy in terms of lots of matches, you’re right – but still not nearly to the level of a fully endogamous Jewish person.\n\nMother’s Acadian line has been settled in North America in Nova Scotia since the early 1600s, marrying within their own community, mixing with the Native people and then scattering in different directions after 1755 when they were forcibly removed. Acadians, however, tended to remain in their cultural groups, even after relocation. Many Acadian descendants DNA test and all Acadians descend from a limited and relatively well documented original population. That level of documentation is very unusual for endogamous groups. Acadian surnames are well known and are French. The best Acadian genealogical resource in is Karen Theriot’s comprehensive tree on Rootsweb in combination with the Mothers of Acadia DNA project at Family Tree DNA. I wish there was a similar Fathers of Acadia project.\n\nMother’s Brethren line is much less well documented due to a lack of church records. The Brethren community immigrated in the early 1700s from primarily Switzerland and Germany, was initially relatively small, lived in clusters in specific areas, traveled together and did not marry outside the Brethren faith. Therefore, Brethren heritage and names also tend to be rather specific, but not as recognizable as Acadian names. After all, the Brethren were German/Swiss and in mother’s case, she also has another 1/4th of her heritage that are recently immigrated Germans – so differentiating one German group from the other can be tricky. The only way to tell Brethren matches from other German matches is that the Brethren also tend to match each other.\n\nIn Common With\n\nIf you notice a group of similar appearing surnames, use the ICW (in common with) tool at Family Tree DNA to see who you match in common with those individuals. If you find that you match a whole group of people with similar surnames or geography, contact your matches and ask if they know any of the other matches and how they might be related. I always recommend beginning with your closest matches because your common ancestor is likely to be closer in time than people who match you more distantly.\n\nIn the ICW match example below, all of the matches who do show ancestral surnames include Acadian surnames and/or locations.\n\nAcadians, of course, became Cajuns in Louisiana where one group settled after their displacement in Nova Scotia. The bolded surnames match surnames on the tester’s surname list.\n\nThe ICW tools work particular well if you know of or can identify one person who matches you within a group, or simply on one side of your family.\n\nDon Worth’s Autosomal DNA Segment Analyzer is an excellent tool to genetically group your matches by chromosome. It’s then easy to use the chromosome browser at Family Tree DNA to see which of these people match you on the same segments. These tools work wonderfully together.\n\nThe group above is an Acadian match group. By hovering over the match names, you can see their ancestral surnames which make the Acadian connection immediately evident.\n\nThe Matrix\n\nIn addition to seeing the people you match in common with your matches by utilizing the ICW tool at Family Tree DNA, you can also utilize the Matrix tool to see if your matches also match each other. While this isn’t the same as triangulation, because it doesn’t tell you if they match each other on the same exact segment, it’s a wonderful tool, because in the absence of cooperation or communication from your matches to determine triangulation between multiple people, the Matrix is a very good secondary approach and often predicts triangulation accurately.\n\nIn the Matrix, above, the blue boxes indicates that these individuals (from your match list) also match each other.\n\nFor additional information on various autosomal tools available for your use, click here to read the article, Nine Autosomal Tools at Family Tree DNA.\n\n\nEveryone who takes the Family Finder test also receives their ethnicity estimates on the MyOrigins tab.\n\nIn the case of our Jewish friend, above, his MyOrigins map clearly shows his endogamous heritage. He does have some Middle Eastern region admixture, but I’ve seen Ashkenazi Jewish results that are 100% Ashkenazi Jewish.\n\nThe same situation exists with our Sioux individual, above. Heavily Native, removing any doubt about his ancestry.\n\nHowever, mother’s European admixture blends her MyOrigins results into a colorful but unhelpful European map, at least in terms of determining whether she is endogamous or has endogamous lines.\n\nEuropean endogamous admixture, except for Jewish heritage, tends to not be remarkable enough to stand out as anything except European heritage utilizing ethnicity tools. In addition, keep in mind that DNA testing in France for genealogy is illegal, so often there is a distinct absence in that region that is a function of the lack of testing candidates. Acadians may not show up as French.\n\nEthnicity testing tends to be excellent at determining majority ethnicity, and determining differences between continental level ethnicity, but less helpful otherwise. In terms of endogamy, Jewish and Native American tend to be the two largest endogamous groups that are revealed by ethnicity testing – and for that purpose, ethnicity testing is wonderful.\n\nY and Mitochondrial DNA and Endogamy\n\nAutosomal tools aren’t the only tools available to the genetic genealogist. In fact, if someone is 100% endogamous, or even half endogamous, chances are very good that either the Y DNA for males on the direct paternal line, or the mitochondrial DNA for males and females on the direct matrilineal line will be very informative.\n\nOn the pedigree chart above, the blue squares represent the Y DNA that the father contributes to only his sons and the red circles represent the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) that mothers contribute to both genders of their children, but is only passed on by the females.\n\nBy utilizing Y and mtDNA testing, you can obtain a direct periscope view back in time many generations, because the Y and mitochondrial DNA is preserved intact, except for an occasional mutation. Unlike autosomal DNA, the DNA of the other parent is not admixed with the Y or mitochondrial DNA. Therefore, the DNA that you’re looking at is the DNA of your ancestors, generations back in time, as opposed to autosomal DNA which can only reliably reach back 5 or 6 generations in terms of ethnicity because it gets halved in every generation and mixed with the DNA of the other parent.\n\nWith autosomal DNA, we can see THAT it exists, but not who it came from.  With Y and mtDNA DNA, we know exactly who in your tree that specific DNA came from\n\nWe do depend on occasional Y and mtDNA mutations to allow our lines to accrue enough mutations to differentiate us from others who aren’t related, but those mutations accrue very slowly over hundreds to thousands of years.\n\nOur “clans,” over time, are defined by haplogroups and both our individual matches and our haplogroup or clan designation can be very useful. Your haplogroup will indicate whether you are European, Jewish, Asian, Native American or African on the Y and/or mtDNA line.\n\nIn cases of endogamous groups where the members are known to marry only within the group, Y and mtDNA can be especially helpful in identifying potential families of origin.  This is evident in the Mothers of Acadia DNA project as well a particular brick wall I’m working on in mother’s Brethren line. Success, of course, hinges on members of that population testing their Y or mtDNA and being available for comparison.\n\nAlways test your Y (males only) and mitochondrial DNA (males and females.) You don’t know what you don’t know, and sometimes those lines may just hold the key you’re looking for. It would be a shame to neglect the test with the answer, or at least a reasonably good hint! Stories of people discovering their ethnic heritage, at least for that line, by taking a Y or mtDNA test are legendary.\n\nJewish Y and Mitochondrial DNA\n\nFortunately, for genetic genealogists, Jewish people carry specific sub-haplogroups that are readily identified as Jewish, although carrying these subgroups don’t always mean you’re Jewish. “Jewish” is a religion as well as a culture that has been in existence as an endogamous group long enough in isolation in the diaspora areas to develop specific mutations that identify group members. Furthermore, the Jewish people originated in the Near East and are therefore relatively easy, relative to Y and mtDNA, to differentiate from the people native to the regions outside of the Near East where groups of Jewish people settled.\n\nThe first place to look for hints of your heritage is your main page at Family Tree DNA. First, note your haplogroups and any badges you may have in the upper right hand corner of your results page.\n\nIn this man’s case, the Cohen badge is this man’s first clue that he matches or closely matches the known DNA signature for Jewish Cohen men.\n\nBoth Y DNA and mitochondrial DNA results have multiple tabs that hold important information.\n\nTwo tabs, Haplogroup Origins and Ancestral Origins are especially important for participants to review.\n\nThe Haplogroup Origins tab shows a combination of academic research results identifying your haplogroup with locations, as well as some Ancestral Origins mixed in.\n\nA Jewish Y DNA Haplogroup Origins page is shown above.\n\nThe Ancestral Origins page, below, reflects the location where your matches SAY their most distant direct matrilineal (for mtDNA) or patrilineal (for Y DNA) ancestors were found. Clearly, this information can be open to incorrect interpretation, and sometimes is. For example, people often don’t understand that “most distant maternal ancestor” means the direct line female on your mother’s mother’s mother’s side.  However, you’re not looking at any one entry. You are looking instead for trends.\n\nThe Ancestral Origins page for a Jewish man’s Y DNA is shown above.\n\nThe Haplogroup Origins page for Jewish mitochondrial DNA, below, looks much the same, with lots of Ashkenazi entries.\n\nThe mitochindrial Ancestral Origins results, below, generally become more granular and specific with the higher test levels. That’s because the more general results get weeded out a higher levels. Your closest matches at the highest level of testing are the most relevant to you, although sometimes people who tested at lower levels would be relevant, if they upgraded their tests.\n\nNative American Y and Mitochondrial DNA\n\nNative Americans, like Jewish people, are very fortunate in that they carry very specific sub-haplogroups for Y and mitochondrial DNA. The Native people had a very limited number of founders in the Americas when they originally arrived, between roughly 10,000 and 25,000 years ago, depending on which model you prefer to use. Descendants had no choice but to intermarry with each other for thousands of years before European and African contact brought new genes to the Native people.\n\nFortunately, because Y and mtDNA don’t mix with the other parents’ DNA, no matter how admixed the individual today, testers’ Y and mtDNA still shows exactly the origins of that lineage.\n\nNative American Y DNA shows up as such on the Haplogroup Origins and Ancestral Origins tabs, as illustrated below.\n\nThe haplogroup assigned is shown along with a designation as Native on the Haplogroup Origins and Ancestral Origins pages. The haplogroup is assigned through DNA testing, but the Native designation and location is entered by the tester. Do be aware that some people record the fact that their “mother’s side” or “father’s side” is reported to have a Native ancestor, which is not (necessarily) the same as the matrilineal or patrilineal line. Their “mother’s side” and “father’s side” can have any number of both male and female ancestors.\n\nIf the tester’s haplogroup comes back as non-Native, the erroneous Native designation shows up in their matches Ancestral Origins page as “Native,” because that is what the tester initially entered.  I wrote about this situation here, but there isn’t much that can be done about this unless the tester either realizes their error or thinks to go back and change their designation from Native American when they realize the DNA does not support the family story, at least not on this particular line line. Erroneous labeling applies to both Y and mtDNA.\n\nNative Y DNA falls within a subset of haplogroups C and Q. However, most subgroups of C and Q are NOT Native, but are European or Asian or in one case, a subgroup of haplogroup Q is Jewish. This does NOT means that the Jewish people and the Native people are related within many thousands of years. It means they had a common ancestor in Asia thousands of years ago that gave birth to both groups. In essence, one group of the original Q moved east and eventually into the Americas, and one moved west, winding up in Europe. Today, mutations (SNPs) have accrued to each group that very successfully differentiate them from one another. In order to determine whether your branch of C or Q is Native, you must take additional SNP tests which further identify your haplogroup – meaning which branch of haplogroup C or Q that you belong to.\n\nNative Americans Y-DNA, to date, must fall into a subset of haplogroup C-P39, a subgroup of C-M217 or Q-M3, Q-M971/Z780 or possibly Q-B143 (ancient Saqquq in Greenland), according to The study of human Y chromosome variation through ancient DNA. Each of these branches also has sub-branches except for Q-B143 which may be extinct. This isn’t to say additional haplogroups or sub-haplogroups won’t be discovered in the future. In fact, haplogroup O is a very good candidate, but enough evidence doesn’t yet exist today to definitively state that haplogroup O is also Native.\n\nSTR marker testing, meaning panels of markers from 12-111, provides all participants with a major haplogroup estimate, such as C or Q. However, to confirm the Y DNA haplogroup subgroup further down the tree, one must take additional SNP testing. I wrote an article about the differences between STR markers and SNPs, if you’d like to read it, here and why you might want to SNP test, here.\n\nTesters can purchase individual SNPs, such as the proven Native SNPs, which will prove or disprove Native ancestry, a panel of SNPs which have been combined to be cost efficient (for most haplogroups), or the Big Y test which scans the entire Y chromosome and provides additional matching.\n\nWhen financially possible, the Big Y is always recommended. The Big Y results for the Sioux man showed 61 previously unknown SNPs. The Big Y test is a test of discovery, and is how we learn about new branches of the Y haplotree. You can see the most current version of the haplogroup C and Q trees on your Family Tree DNA results page or on the ISOGG tree.\n\nNative mitochondrial DNA can be determined by full sequence testing the mitochondrial DNA. The mtPlus test only tests a smaller subset of the mtDNA and assigns a base haplogroup such as A. To confirm Native ancestry, one needs to take the full sequence mitochondrial test to obtain their full haplogroup designation which can only be determined by testing the full mitochondrial sequence.\n\nNative mitochondrial haplogroups fall into base haplogroups A, B, C, D, X and M, with F as a possibility. The most recent paper on Native Mitochondrial DNA Discoveries can be found here and a site containing all known Native American mitochondrial DNA haplogroups is here.\n\nNot Native or Jewish\n\nUnfortunately, other endogamous groups aren’t as fortunate as Jewish and Native people, because they don’t have haplogroups or subgroups associated with their endogamy group. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few other tools that can be useful.\n\nDon’t forget about your Matches Maps. While your haplogroup may not be specific enough to identify your heritage, your matches may hold clues. Each individual tester is encouraged to enter the identity of their most distant ancestor in both their Y (if male) and mtDNA lines. Additionally, on the bottom of the Matches Map, testers can enter the location where that most distant ancestor is found. If you haven’t done that yet, this is a good time to do that too!\n\nWhen looking at your Matches Map, clusters and distribution of your matches most distant ancestor locations are important.\n\nThis person’s matches, above, suggest that they might look at the history of Nova Scotia and French immigrants – and the history of Nova Scotia is synonymous with the Acadians but the waterway distribution can also signal French, but not Acadian. Native people are also associated with Nova Scotia and river travel. The person’s haplogroup would add to this story and focus on or eliminate some options.\n\nThis second example above, suggests the person look to the history of Norway and Sweden, although their ancestor, indicated by the white balloon, is from Germany. If the tester’s genealogy is stuck in the US, this grouping could be a significant clue relative to either recent or deeper history. Do they live in a region where Scandinavian people settled? What history connects the region where the ancestor is found with Scandinavia?\n\nThis third example, above, strongly suggests Acadian, given the matches restricted to Nova Scotia, and, as it turns out, this individual does have strong Acadian heritage. Again, their haplogroup is additionally informative and points directly to the European or Native side of the Acadian heritage for this particular line.\n\nIn Summary\n\nSometimes endogamy is up front and in your face, evident from the minute your DNA results are returned. Other times, endogamous lines in ethnically mixed individuals reveal themselves more subtly, like with my friend Justin. Fortunately, the different types of DNA tests and the different tools at our disposal each contain the potential for a different puzzle piece to be revealed. Many times, our DNA results need to be interpreted with some amount of historical context to reveal the story of our ancestors.\n\nWhen I first discovered that my mother’s line was Acadian, my newly found cousin said to me, “If you’re related to one Acadian, you’re related to all Acadians.” He wasn’t kidding. For that very reason, endogamous genetic genealogy is tricky at best and frustrating at worst.\n\nWhen possible, Y and mtDNA is the most definitive answer, because the centuries or millennia or intermarriage don’t affect Y and mtDNA. If you are Jewish or Native on the appropriate lines for testing, Y and mtDNA is very definitive. If you’re not Jewish or Native on your Y or mtDNA lines, check your matches for clues, including surnames, Haplogroup and Ancestral Origins, and your Matches Map.\n\nConsider building a DNA pedigree chart that documents each of your ancestors’ Y and mtDNA for lines that aren’t revealed in your own test. The story of Y and mtDNA is not confused or watered down by admixture and is one of the most powerful, and overlooked, tools in the genealogist’s toolbox.\n\nAutosomal DNA when dealing with endogamy can be quite challenging, even when working with well-documented Acadian genealogy – because you truly are related to everyone.  Trying to figure out which DNA segments go with, or descend from, which ancestors reaching back several generations is the ultimate jigsaw puzzle. Often, I work with a specific segment and see how far back I can track that segment in the ancestral line of me and my matches. On good days, we arrive at one common ancestor. On other days, we arrive at dead ends that are not a common ancestor – which means of course that we keep searching genealogically – or pick a different segment to work with.\n\nWhen working with autosomal DNA of endogamous individuals (or endogamous lines of partially endogamous individuals,) I generally use a larger matching threshold than with non-endogamous, because we already know that these people will have segments that match because they descend from the same populations. In general, I ignore anything below 10cM and often below 15cM if I’m looking for a genealogical connection in the past few generations. If I’m simply mapping DNA to ancestors, then I use the smaller segments, down to either 7 or 5cM. If you want to read more about segments that are identical by chance (also known as false matches,) identical by population and identical by descent (genealogically relevant matches,) click here.\n\nThe good news about endogamy is that its evidence persists in the DNA of the population, literally almost forever, as long as that “population” exists in descendants – meaning you can find it!  In my case, my Acadian brick wall would have fallen much sooner had I know what endogamy looked like and what I was seeing actually meant.\n\nA perfect example of persistent endogamy is that our Sioux male today, along with other nearly fully Native people, including people from South America, matches the ancient DNA of the Anzick child who died and was buried in Montana 12,500 years ago.\n\nThese people don’t just match on small segments, but at contemporary matching levels at Family Tree DNA and GedMatch, both.  One individual shows a match of 109 total cM and a single largest segment of DNA at 20.7 cM, a match that would indicate a contemporary relationship of between 3.5 and 4 generations distant – meaning 2nd to 3rd cousins. Clearly, that isn’t possible, but the DNA shared by Anzick Child and that individual today has been intact in the Native population for more than 12,500 years.\n\nThe DNA that Anzick Child carried is the same DNA that the Sioux people carry today – because there was no DNA from outside the founder population, no DNA to wash out the DNA carried by Anzick Child’s ancestors – the same exact ancestors of the Sioux and other Native or Native admixed people today.\n\nWhile endogamy can sometimes be frustrating, the great news is that you will have found an entire population of relatives, a new “clan,” so to speak.  You’ll understand a lot more about your family history and you’ll have lots of new cousins!\n\nEndogamy is both the blessing and the curse of genetic genealogy!\n\n2016 Genetic Genealogy Retrospective\n\n\n\n\nFamily Tree DNA\n\n\nBoth Buckets\n\n\nPhased FF2\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNew Kids on the Block\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFor the record, I have 28 matches today at MyHeritage.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLiving DNA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThird Parties\n\n\nI have covered these extensively over the years.\n\nGedMatch, WikiTree, and Kitty Cooper’s tools remain my favorites.\n\n\nRoberta's ancestor map2\n\n\n\nADSA Crumley cluster\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOthers offer unique tools that are a bit different. offers tools, search and research techniques, especially for adoptees and those looking to identify a parent or grandparents, but perhaps even more important, they offer genetic genealogy classes including basic and introductory.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhat Defined 2016\n\n\n\nWhy would one test if they weren’t a genetic genealogist?\n\nThe answer is simple…\n\n\n\n\n“Kim just wanted to know who she was.”\n\n\n\n\n\nNothing more.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Concepts Series\n\nConcepts – How Your Autosomal DNA Identifies Your Ancestors\n\nConcepts – Identical By Descent, State, Population and Chance\n\nConcepts – CentiMorgans, SNPs and Pickin’ Crab\n\nConcepts – Parental Phasing\n\nConcepts – Y DNA Matching and Connecting With Your Paternal Ancestor\n\nConcepts – Downloading Autosomal Data From Family Tree DNA\n\n\nConcepts – Genetic Distance\n\nConcepts – Relationship Predictions\n\nConcepts – Match Groups and Triangulation\n\nConcepts – Sorting Spreadsheets for Autosomal DNA\n\nConcepts – Managing Autosomal DNA Matches – Step 2 – Updating Matching Spreadsheets, Bucketed Family Finder Matches and Pileups\n\nConcepts – Why DNA Testing the Oldest Family Members Is Critically Important\n\nConcepts – Undocumented Adoptions Versus Untested Y Lines\n\nMy blog isn’t the only resource of course.\n\n\nOther blogs I highly recommend include:\n\n\nAnd of course, the ISOGG Wiki.\n\nOnline Conference Resources\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGenetic genealogy is and can only be a collaborative team sport.\n\nHere’s wishing you many new cousins and discoveries in 2017.\n\nHappy New Year!!!\n\n2014 Top Genetic Genealogy Happenings – A Baker’s Dozen +1\n\n\nSo what was the big news in 2014?\n\nBeyond the Tipping Point\n\n\n  • 500,000+ at 23andMe\n  • 700,000+ at Ancestry\n  • 700,000+ at Genographic\n\n\n\n\n\n\nspencer near term\n\nAutosomal Now the New Normal\n\n\n\n\nAncient DNA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLazaridis tree\n\nAncient DNA Available for Citizen Scientists\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMore ancient DNA samples for comparison:\n\n\n\n\n\ngedmatch ancient heat map\n\n\nHaplogroup Definition\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHere is the L21 tree in January of 2014\n\nL21 Jan 2014 crop\n\nCompare this with today’s tree, below.\n\nL21 dec 2014\n\n\n\n10th Annual International Conference on Genetic Genealogy\n\n\nroberta, max and bennett\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nrichard hill book\n\n\ndavid dowell book\n\n\n\nAncestor Reconstruction – Raising the Dead\n\n\nI utilized Kitty Cooper’s tool to do just that.\n\n\nKitty did it herself too. wrote a paper about the fact that they have figured out how to do this as well in a research environment.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Autosomal DNA Segment Analyzer is available through and is a tool that I have used and found very helpful.  It assists you by visually grouping your matches, by chromosome, and who you match in common with.\n\nadsa cluster 1\n\n\nx fan\n\n\n\nwiki richard\n\nBy clicking on the DNA icon, you see the following:\n\nwiki richard 2\n\nAnd then Richard’s Y, mitochondrial and X chromosome paths.\n\nwiki richard 3\n\n\nwiki richard 4\n\n\n\n\nExits and Entrances\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe community is still hopeful that Ancestry may reverse that decision.\n\nAncestry – The Chromosome Browser War and DNA Circles\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTime will tell.\n\nDNA Circles 12-29-2014\n\n\n\n\nThe Seamy Side – Lies, Snake Oil Salesmen and Bullys\n\n\n\n\n\ngoogle dna dating\n\ngoogle dna diet\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAberdeen College bogus site\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nKing Richard\n\nKing Richard III\n\n\nDebbie Kennett wrote a great summary article.\n\nMore Alike than Different\n\n\n23andMe European African map\n\nFrom the 23andMe blog:\n\n\n\n\n  • One in every 20 African Americans carries Native American ancestry.\n\n\nThe academic article can be found here:\n\n\n\nWhat would my wish list look like?\n\n  • Ancestor reconstruction on a large scale.\n  • The haplotree becoming fleshed out and stable.\n  • Improved ethnicity reporting.\n  • Mitochondrial DNA search by ancestor for descendants who have tested.\n  • More tools, always more tools….\n  • More time to use the tools!\n\nHere’s wishing you an ancestor filled 2015!\n\n\nIntroducing the Autosomal DNA Segment Analyzer\n\n\nDrum Roll please.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n1. Clusters of matches.\n\n\n\n\nadsa cluster 1\n\n\n\n\n\nADSA cluster 1 A\n\n\n\nADSA Crumley cluster\n\n\n\nADSA Acadian cluster\n\n\n\nADSA Acadian flyover\n\n\n\n2. Source of DNA\n\n\n\nADSA Claxton Campbell\n\n\n3.  Untangling Those Darned Moores\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHow could I be THIS unlucky???\n\n\n\n\n\n\n  • Larry – match\n  • Janice  – no match\n  • Ronald  – match\n  • B.J.  – match\n\n\n\nADSA2 cropped\n\n\n\n\n\nLet’s take a closer look at what this is telling us.\n\n\n\n\nADSA Matrix\n\n\n\nMoore website 1 cropped\n\nMoore website 2\n\nMoore website 3\n\n\n\n\n\nGive it a test run at:\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6648346781730652}
{"content": "Facebook AI Said to Significantly Improve Urdu to English Translation\n\nArtificial intelligence (AI) researchers at Facebook have set a new record in improving translation from Urdu to English. The team used Neural Machine Translation (NMT), an AI-based translation technology.\n\nThe team from Facebook AI Research (FAIR) has seen a dramatic improvement in its results, Forbes reported on Saturday.\n\n\"To give some idea of the level of advancement, an improvement of 1 BLEU point (a common metric for judging the accuracy of MT) is considered a remarkable achievement in this field; our methods showed an improvement of more than 10 BLEU points,\" the team said in a paper that described translation from Urdu to English.\n\n\n\n\"Long-term objectives of understanding intelligence and building intelligent machines are bold and ambitious, and we know that making significant progress towards AI can't be done in isolation,\" said researchers from FAIR.\n\nFAIR researchers have tested a new approach that teaches bots how to chit-chat like humans.\n\nFacebook is making deep investments in AI technology and in May announced the next version of its open-source AI framework for developers.\n\nMicrosoft is is also using AI and Deep Neural Networks to improve real-time language translation.\n\n\nEarlier this year, Microsoft brought machine learning to improve language translation for Hindi, Bengali, and Tamil.\n\nWith Deep Neural Networks-powered language translation, the results are more accurate and the sound more natural.\n\n\nStay Connected\n\nDownload our App\n\n© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2018.\nAll rights reserved.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8603678345680237}
{"content": "Amazing Article!!\nManu Singh\n\nThanks Manu! The key phrase might be “mutually agreed upon.” In theory much of what you say sounds sensible, though many terms could be open to interpretation, such as “timely” and “effective.” Assuming you’re talking about your partner, he or she may have different ideas about those and other things. It also sounds like you’ve had repeated interactions on this topic, many of which may have been reactive rather than really sitting down and having a thoughtful and caring conversation in which you both try to understand what’s important to the other and why. My article on values could be one way to approach it.\n\nPerhaps even more important than expressing your frustrations and how it affects you emotionally (e.g., you may feel hurt; sad; worried when you don’t know where your partner is; etc.), would be exploring and listening carefully to why your partner has a hard time with doing what you are asking. For instance, sometimes when people are not good at updating changes such as you describe, they had similar experiences growing up with their parents, so there’s some kind of emotional interference. As you can see, what seems like a simple “basic standard” can be quite complex and take time to fully understand. But the more your partner feels understood in his or her experience, the more likely they will be able to collaborate with you in finding better ways to communicate.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8603084683418274}
{"content": "Second opinion\n\n\nI would hope 💯%!\n\n\n\n\nThis brings me to my rant for now. 👇\n\nWhy don’t patients get a second opinion regarding physical therapy?\n\n1. It’s not a huge expense\n\n\n\nThis leads us to 👇\n\n2. All therapists do the same thing\n\n\n\n\nSometimes the grass IS greener.\n\n3. Convenience\n\n\n\nFollow this example:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWant a second opinion, send me a message.\n\n\nBack pain using MDT\n\n“Low back pain is the worldwide leading cause of years lived with disability, with an estimated point prevalence of 9.4% and a lifetime prevalence of up to 39%”\n\nIf three people are sitting together, the odds are that one of those three had back pain, has back pain or will have back pain. That kind of sucks, unless your the one of the people without pain.\n\nPoint prevalence means that any one point in time about 10% of the population will have back pain. There are about 320 million-ish adults in the US. This means that about 30 million adults have back pain at any one point in time.\n\nIt’s a great time to be a PT, if we can educate the public that we are well trained and capable of treating back pain.\n\nFor patients reading this, not all PTs are equal and just like with a surgical procedure, you’d probably get a couple of opinions before making a decision on YOUR Guy or Gal (after you gain trust in the person all of a sudden they become YOURS). I get it! Some people call me their guy, but I’d like for more people to call me their guy.\n\n***tangent: patients are paying more for healthcare. This could be in the form of a higher deductible, copay, coinsurance or straight cash based. As a patient, you should be looking around for the person that gives you the best value for your dollar. If you ever have questions regarding your treatment, feel free to message me and ask me questions in a free conversation. I have a long commute daily and love having these conversations, which have become a weekly occurrence. You can find me Here\n\n“The presence of centralization is associated with good prognosis in patients with low back pain…recent studies have shown that directional preference and centralization, when I matched with adequate MDT treatment, result in better patient outcomes and then treatment with general range of motion exercises”\n\nCentralization?🤔 I wonder what that is?\n\nIf you’re new to this page, you can go back and read my old posts on centralization here\n\nJust know that centralization has been called the trump card to helping patients with back pain…it’s that powerful that it darn near always wins for the patient.\n\n“The level of MDT training should also be considered, as it may impact interventions and risk-adjusted functional outcomes.”\n\nStudies have been Published questioning the reliability of using MDT. I believe that these studies need to be looked at in depth because this particular study shows that those not certified in the method may not be the most reliable in noting a particular “syndrome” in the patient’s presentation. The level of training appears to play a role in the therapist’s ability to assess a Patient.\n\n“only trails in which of therapists were MDT trained were included. To be considered MDT trained, therapist were required to have participated in at least one course offered by the McKenzie institute international focused on applying MDT to patients with LBP”\n\nBased on the above research links, just using therapists that have taken courses in MDT decreases the likelihood that a reliable classification took place, therefore reducing the likelihood that the patient was treated according to the proper principle and finally leads me to believe that I was wasting my time in reading the remainder of the article….I digress. I read it anyways to hear what’s being talked about regarding MDT, both good and bad.\n\n“review were’s screen 354 abstracts and selected 51 articles for fall text review. After review, 17 articles were retained for the meta-analysis; however, of these 17 studies, four did not provide sufficient data to be included in the statistical analyses”\n\nThis is part of the problem that I have with systematic reviews and meta analyses. So much of the research gets discarded and not used in the actual article, that we then start to see researcher bias based on the question asked and how the researchers go about obtaining information. Think of it, only 5% of the actual information that they found on their initial screen actually makes it to the cutting room floor.\n\n“MDT versus manual therapy plus exercise: there was moderate evidence of a significant difference in pain after the intervention, with results favoring MDT…There was moderate evidence of no significant difference in disability after the intervention period between MDT and manual therapy plus exercise.”\n\nI think this is 👌. Understanding that MDT is the assessment first and treatment second one must also understand the components of MDT. MDT incorporates manual therapy, exercises, postures and positions. This means that there is something specific to the way that manual therapy and exercises are prescribed in MDT that has a greater affect on pain that just manual therapy and exercise together.\n\nNo effect on disability or function over a time period is also not surprising for me. It’s well known amongst those of us that use this method that returning a patient to function is not well taught in MDT, as there are many other courses and methods that speak to this. MDT follows a certain paradigm, with returning to function as part of the paradigm, but because it varies widely from patient to patient, it is best learned from other resources.\n\n“this study found that MDT plus first – line care resulted in significant, but small, improvement in pain intensity compared to first – line care only.”\n\nThis is significant! But small. For anyone going to an ED for back pain, they are in significant pain. I’ve spent part of my career working in an ED for this exact population. In the time I worked in the ED, only one patient was unable to find a position, movement or posture that provided relief. This is significant because these patients were able to receive the right care through an outpatient means instead of being admitted to the hospital for “non-specific low back pain”.\n\nThese patients didn’t receive the rapid MRI, which in some cases may actually make the patient worse over time. These patients didn’t have a hefty hospital bill and these patients were able to recover in their natural environment thereby reducing the risk of infectious disease acquired in the hospital.\n\nThis is significant!\n\n“One study included in the review, despite lacking data for analysis, compared MDT to education and found no significant between – group differences for changes in disability.”\n\nThis is not too shocking for me. If the pain is acute (started recently), we know that many with back pain will get some relief over time. Education is powerful in and of itself and a large part of MDT is education based.\n\nIf both utilize education as the base for acute pain, then the outcomes may not be much different. No shock here!\n\n“There was moderate evidence of a significant difference in pain after the intervention period, with the results favoring MDT. ”\n\nMDT is a patient response system. This means that after every movement, position or posture the therapist is asking the patient if it reduced symptoms. If the answer is yes, then the PT will typically issue this for a home program. 🙄\n\nIt’s no wonder that the system is pretty good at reducing pain in a specific classification; the therapist is giving exercises that have been shown to reduce pain/symptoms.\n\n“Two studies included in the review, which lacked sufficient data to be included in the meta-analysis comparing MDT to modalities, found significant between-group differences for changes in pain, favoring MDT.”\n\nAgain, comparing an active intervention (patient takes part in the intervention) to passive interventions (treatment is done to the patient) is expected to lead to an outcome favoring the active intervention. There are multiple reasons for this, but one may simply be interactions with another individual during the session.\n\n“Three studies compared the effects of MDT to combined manual therapy plus exercise in participants with chronic LBP…There was moderate evidence of no significant difference in pain after the intervention period between interventions…There was high quality evidence of no significant difference in disability after the intervention period between interventions.”\n\nAgain, this is not too difficult. As a treatment strategy MDT is literally manual therapy plus exercise. It’s comparing two similar interventions, with similar results.\n\n“One study had 2 comparison intervention groups consisting of either MDT exercise in the opposite direction as the directional preference or midrange lumbar/stretching exercises. Only this latter group was included as the comparison to MDT in the current analysis.”\n\nThis is the part of the analysis that I don’t quite understand. Why bother 🤷‍♂️ comparing the interventions if one of the treatment groups is removed?\n\nThis article is cited frequently by PTs trained in MDT and you can read my analysis of the article Here\n\nRemoving one of the groups, specifically the opposite directional preference group, greatly changes how that article impacts the reader.\n\n“There was high quality evidence of a significant difference in disability after the intervention period, with the results favoring MDT.”\n\nEven with removing the group of patients that had a high dropout rate and poorer outcomes, the article still favored MDT over “evidence based” interventions.\n\n“Also, MDT does not explicitly account for pain systems theory, specifically differentiating between pain that is central or peripheral in origin, and for a wider spectrum of psychological factors that could be present in patients with chronic low back pain. ”\n\nThis is a good point and those that are well versed in the system would state that there are other classification systems out there that would include this pain system. If you are interested in these systems, I highly encourage readers to take a course by Annie O’Connor, author of A World or Hurt.\n\nYou can learn more about Annie by following this Link\n\nThanks for reading.\n\nSince my last post, I’ve gone through a major job change. I can now be found at PCJ\n\nWhat would it take to convince you as a patient to give a PT with an MDT certification a chance?\n\nWhat would it take to convince you as a PT to take an MDT course?\n\nLink to article\n\nPTA’s in an outpatient setting continued\n\n“Low back pain syndromes (LBPS) affect more than 65 million Americans…For approximately 16 million people (8%), back pain is persistent or chronic…”\n\nIf you have a little bit of free time, you can read about back pain here.\n\n“…a quarter of all referrals for outpatient physical therapy and one-half of all outpatient physical therapy visits are related to patients with LBPS.”\n\nHey New Grad ✊ are you 👂?\n\nIf you want to get really good at something and ensure job stability, then you should learn as much as you can about back pain.\n\nIf one out of every two visits per day is related to back pain, we should all be very comfortable with this diagnosis.\n\nIn my first job, I’d say that I had 2,500 visits per year with about 95% of those pertaining to the spine.\n\n“Resnik et al reported that patients who spent more than half of their treatment episode of care with a physical therapist assistant reported worse functional outcomes and utilized more visits compared with patients with less physical therapist assistant involvement.”\n\nAgain, this is the second post in the series on PTA’s usage in the outpatient setting.  You can find the first post here.\n\n“It is generally assumed that practitioners must possess many years of clinical experience to achieve the best results with patients and that years of experience are associated with better clinical outcomes.”\n\nWhat?! I don’t agree with this.\n\nUnfortunately, not all experience is good experience. I’ve read Tony Delitto state in an article that one year repeated twenty times is it ideal. I would much rather have a PT with two years of experience and two years worth of learning from mistakes.\n\n“Almost half of the sample had chronic low back pain.”\n\nThis is in line with some of the statistics that I’ve heard stating that back pain makes up about 40% of all chronic pain.\n\n“The top 3 diagnoses were pain (34.8%), sprain or strain (25.5%), and herniated disk (19.3).”\n\nAbout 90-95% of all back pain is “non-specific”, meaning that we can’t attribute it to a specific tissue strain or sprain. Herniated did a are common in the population, but we can’t always attribute a herniated disc (HNP) as the cause of pain.\n\n“On average, patients in the best clinic performance group improved 19.2 OHS points, while patients in the worst clinic performance group improved an average of 16.4 OHS points.”\n\nThis is great news!\n\nThis means that on average people get better. I used to work in a clinic in which the manager would try to schedule people with back pain as soon as possible. If we know that they will likely improve and they improve on our watch, then they are likely to use post hoc reasoning and attribute improvement to seeing the PT.\n\nI used to joke with patients and say that they simply need to breathe the city air in the basement of the hospital in order to improve. Obviously, it’s a joke, but we have to tell patients that most injuries improve with time.\n\n“Patients in the best clinic performance group utilized, on average, 7.7 (SD = 4.1) visits per treatment episode compared with 7.9 (SD = 4.1) in the middle clinic performance group and 9.3 (SD = 4.9) in the worst clinic performance group.”\n\nThis is where it gets interesting. There wasn’t a major difference in outcomes on the scoring improvement, but some clinics needed an extra 2 visits compared to other clinics, on average.\n\nIf an average PT sees 5 evaluations per week and it takes an extra 2 visits, then that ONE PT is averaging an extra 20 visits per month (assuming half of the evaluations are back pain). This means that the therapist keeping patients for more visits is making the clinic an extra $2,000 per month from taking longer to discharge patients.\n\n“…clinics that were lower utilizers of physical therapist assistants were 6.6 times more likely to be classified into the high effectiveness group compared with the low effectiveness group, 6.7 times more likely to be classified into the low utilization group compared with the high utilized group, and 12.4 times more likely to be classified into the best performance group compared with the worst performance group.”\n\nThis is essentially stating that clinics that use PTAs with a lower frequency in outpatient tend to be better in terms of outcomes and faster to discharge. This mirrors the link to the study from above.\n\nFor me this is interesting because I would have never thought to ask the question in the first place. It’s good to see that someone is doing this research to help clinicians in their decisions to 1. Choose between PT and PTA school and 2. Utilize PTAs and how to best utilize PTAs in an outpatient setting.\n\n“Our strongest finding was that clinics that had lower utilization of physical therapist assistants were much more likely to be in the “best” category of each type of group (i.e. highest effectiveness, lowest utilization, and overall performance).”\n\nLink to article\n\n\nTo anyone that has ever felt rejected, you understand.\n\nTo anyone that was raised in a single/no parent home because of decisions, you understand.\n\nThis scene hits home for me because I have felt that rejection, along with many other kids. This scene plays out in homes regardless of race, income and religion. This scene still affects those that lost parents to addictions, divorce, jail, and choice.\n\nKnow that you are not alone and there are many of us that understand. We have been there.\n\nWhat I still don’t understand is why scenes like this break some people and creates chips on others.\n\nI’ve seen many overcome these situations and go on to become Uber successful due to that chip and having something to prove.\n\nOn the flip, I’ve seen some people become so broken that they continue the cycle that broke them.\n\nWe all feel rejected at some point.\n\nMy wish for the world is that people build resilience and grit in their personality so that these major hurdles become but small bumps as they grow into beautiful people that allow others to love them and be part of that circle of trust.\n\nCheck out the video that still makes me tear up.\n\nEfficient and Effective Care\n\n“Proliferation of these staffing models (increasing the use of PTA’s and aides) has been driven by managed care organizations, the introduction of prospective payment systems, and low reimbursement rates, as well as workforce shortages in allied health.”\n\nFor those that are unfamiliar with physical therapy and what the titles mean lets do a quick refresher:\n\nPTA = licensed physical therapist assistant (high school + 2 years)\n\nPT = licensed physical therapist (Bachelor’s or Bachelor’s + years)\n\naide = no required degree with on the job training (no degree needed)\n\nMPT = Master of physical therapy degree (Bachelor’s plus 27 months)\n\nDPT = Doctor of physical therapy degree (Bachelor’s plus 33 months)\n\nBased on the above, one can see that the aide would be paid less than the PTA.  The PTA would get paid less than the PT based on education level alone and all other things are equal.\n\nWhen insurance companies cut pay to professionals, companies have to decrease their costs in order to continue to make margin.  One way to cut costs is to have fewer PT’s and more PTA’s or aides.  The ethics/legalities of the decision are for a different day.\n\nSome insurance companies are refusing to pay for services provided by PTA’s.\n\nThe reason that I bothered to look at this research was a large discussion that took place on a professional FB page in which PTA’s were arguing that the care shouldn’t change from PTA to PT, seeing as PTA’s can perform most treatments that a PT can perform.\n\nI decided to look into this to see if there was a difference and I was shocked by what I found, based on my own experience working in a hospital system.  On the same note, I wasn’t shocked based on some of the reports that I hear from patients and others in the profession.\n\n“Use of support personnel in outpatient therapy settings can double the number of patient visits a therapist can manage per day, thus increasing clinical productivity.”\n\nIf I am a PT making $50/hour (using round numbers to keep it simple) and in a typical day I could treat 10 patients with an average reimbursement rate of $95 (please go watch all the videos from Dr. Ben Fung ), then I would cost the company $400 dollars, but make the company $950 dollars.  A gross profit, with the removal of only the PT salary, of $550 dollars per day.\n\nNow, if we have that same PT making $50/hour and a PTA making $30/hour (again round numbers to keep it simple), with each therapist seeing 10 patients per day, then the following numbers are the result.  The salaries would cost $640, but the therapists would generate $1900/day.  A gross profit, with salaries of the therapists removed, of $1260/day.\n\nAs you can see, the company would be able to generate more money by hiring PTA’s instead of a second PT.  The question then becomes is it cost effective to have the PTA compared to the second PT.  The answer at a glance is “of course”!, but looking a little deeper may force a company to weigh values (i.e. profit or outcomes) before making that second hire.\n\n“While some advocate use of support personnel to increase productivity without loss of quality, others warn that an over reliance on support personnel can negatively affect outcomes and compromise quality.”\n\nThis is essentially the discussion that occurred on FB.  Some people say that PTA’s provide the same quality of care as PT’s and others state that PTA’s offer less quality care than PT’s.\n\nI’ve worked with rockstar PTA’s (plus my wife is a PTA so I am already a little biased) and I’ve worked with some PT’s that I would never refer a patient to (no offense if you think that this is you).\n\n“Three dependent variables were analyzed: high PTA utilization, number of visits per treatment episode, and patients FHS (functional health status) at discharge…high PTA utilization, defined as a patient seen by a PTA 50 percent or more of the treatment time”\n\nHigh PTA utilization, in this study, meant that the PTA was seen by the PTA for over 50% of the visits.\n\nAgain, I have worked in locations in which this was true and locations in which we had no PTA’s, so I have seen the results from both.\n\nLooking at treatments per episode is a means of measuring efficiency of treatment.  It may not be the best measurement, but is one way of looking at treatment efficiency.\n\nLooking at outcomes is one way of looking at effectiveness of treatment.  Again, it may not be the best way, but it is one way.\n\n“…less than 2 percent of patients were treated by the PTA for more than 75% of the treatment time, and 8 percent were treated by the PTA 50% of the time or more.”\n\nI’ve been in clinics without PTA’s and with PTA’s.  This stat will be correlated with the amount of PT’s/PTA’s in the clinic.\n\nIn private practice, it was 0 PTA’s.  In the hospital we had 1.5 PTA’s for 4 PT’s.  Currently, in my practice there are 2 PTA’s for 1.5 PT’s.\n\n“The second dependent variable, number of visits per treatment episode…We believed that fewer visits per treatment episode were a marker of greater efficiency of care”\n\nThis is debatable by people.  I’ve actually been involved in these on-line debates.  Some people will fight that more visits equals better, but more is not always better.\n\nIf we can get patients better in shorter visits, then this seems to be ideal to me.  If additional visits would correlate with increased function, then I would be all for increased visits if the patient is willing and able to pay for increased visits (time and money).\n\n“The majority of physical therapy care was delivered by PTs with no reported assistance from PTAs.”\n\nAgain, in a clinic without PTA’s, there will be no reported assistance from PTA’s.  This study used data from FOTO, which included private practices and hospital based practices.\n\n“PTAs were involved in the care of patients only 35% of the time. High PTA utilization was relatively uncommon, with only 7.7 percent of the patients seen by PTAs more than 50% of the time.”\n\nThis is interesting.  It is becoming more and more common to find clinics advertising/marketing that the patient will only be seen by a PT, or even a step further a Doctor of Physical Therapy.  I don’t know how well this marketing is going.\n\nWhen seeing it, it subconsciously implies that a DPT is better than a PTA.  I think that this is very individualized.  For example, a PTA that has continued to improve over the years through independent study may be a better clinician than a PT that never sees patients (administration/teacher/manager).\n\n“Medicare patients who were seen in private practice were 48 percent less likely to have had high PTA utilization.”\n\nSome insurance companies require that a patient be seen by a PT and prohibit PTA’s from treating patients.  This will skew numbers towards the PT in private practice.\n\n“Treatment with a therapy aide for 1-25 percent time and greater than 25 percent compared with 0 percent, and high utilization of the PTA were associated with 1.8, 2.6 and 2.0 more visits, respectively.”\n\nLets break this down.\n\nBeing treated by a therapy aide for 1-25% of the time resulted in 1.8 more patient visits per episode.\n\nBeing treated by a therapy aide for > 25% of the time resulted in 2.6 more visits per episode.\n\nBeing treated by a PTA for greater than 50% of the time resulted in 2.0 more visits.\n\nRemember, an aide is someone that may not have any college experience or degrees.  The aide is not legally able to treat patients that are payed by the government.\n\nUtilizing an aide only results in slightly more visits than using a PTA! Why is this?!\n\nAn aide is paid much less on average than a PTA.  For example, the aide may only cost the employer $12.50/hour.  The PTA will cost the employer $30.00/hour.\n\nI see employers trying to cut costs by hiring more aides (not ethical to call it physical therapy if it is not provided by a licensed physical therapy professional IMO).\n\nIf it doesn’t change the outcomes though, who’s to argue against it?\n\nI can see both sides of the coin.  Margins (profits) in physical therapy is small, so cutting costs is a business decision.\n\nProviding quality care is something that IMO we should all strive for.\n\n“Greater than 50% time spent with the PTA was predictive of lower discharge scores as was time spent with a therapy aide.”\n\nThis part may be the most important statistic in the article.  Seeing someone other than the PT led to worse outcomes.\n\nThis is the statistic that I was looking for because of the original question asked.\n\nIn other words, the PT will get a patient better than a non-PT and do it faster in an outpatient setting.\n\nStrong words for businesses and people looking to go to PT school.\n\nWhat is the future of PTA’s?  I don’t know.  Medicare just announced that they will be reducing reimbursement rates for PTA’s in an outpatient setting.  Pair this with the small margins in physical therapy and the question becomes is it profitable to hire PTA’s in an outpatient setting, seeing patients according to Medicare rules?\n\n“…our analysis shows that Medicare regulations for continuous in-room supervision of PTA’s in private practice are associated with a decreased likelihood of high PTA utilization.”\n\n\n“High utilization of PTA’s, and use of therapy aides were each independently associated with more visits per treatment episode, and lower functional health. Thus our findings suggest that use of care extenders such as PTA’s and therapy aides in place of PT’s is associated with more costly and lower quality care delivery in outpatient rehabilitation.”\n\n\nI advise all people to look to the source:\n\nlink to article\n\n\nPhysio and whiplash\n\n“Whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) is the term given to the variety of symptoms often reported by people following acceleration/deceleration injury to the neck.”\n\nMost people understand the term whiplash is related to an auto accident. After the basics, everything else is like the teacher from the Charlie Brown An acceleration/deceleration injury is exactly what it sounds like.  I’m sure that if you have an older sibling you understand this concept.  My friends, I won’t say any names (Tom and Carl) used to brake abruptly to see if they could get someone to spill their drink.  It’s kind of like that, only more forceful.\n\nWhen the car comes to an abrupt stop, the body will continue forward thanks to the laws of inertia.  It will typically be stopped by a seatbelt.  Some though, may be stopped by a windshield.\n\n“Cardinal symptom is neck pain but neck stiffness, dizziness, paresthesia/anesthesia in the upper quadrant, headache and arm pain are also commonly reported.”\n\nI have seen a plethora of patients after a motor vehicle accident (MVA).  Neck pain and stiffness seem to be the most common complaint anecdotally, but I have also seen the headache and arm symptoms.\n\nPart of the problem with such diffuse symptoms is that not every professional will treat the patient, but instead will treat the situation.  This means that when a patient presents with symptoms that may not make sense, the professional then inserts individual bias and believes that the patient must be making up the symptoms.  I have seen this over the years in which the PT/PTA/PA/MD believe that the patient is FOS (not a medical abbreviation).  Be that the case, it is still our job to try to help that patient.  If the patient is exaggerating symptoms, we still have to sift through the exaggerations in order to determine what is organic (with a physical cause) and what is non-organic (without physical cause).\n\n“…whiplash injuries comprise (about) 75% of all survivable road traffic crash injuries.”\n\nJust this year I was involved in two MVA’s.  Neither of which were my fault.  As an aside, I have never met anyone that said an accident was his/her fault, in the clinic at least.  Luckily, both MVA’s that I was involved the other person admitted fault immediately.  The first accident involved me T-boning another car doing 45 mph (someone tried making a U-turn on a 4 lane highway). I experienced shock during the first accident and it took me a while to calm down.  I had back pain and neck pain, but as a professional, I knew that it would subside on its own.  This is exactly what happened, over the course of a month.  The best thing that I did was return to lifting and normal activities.  The second accident involved me being rear-ended with the other person going 40-45 mph.  Again, I had some back and neck pain.\n\nBody heal thyself.  Father time is a powerful motivator and I was back to 100% within a couple of months.\n\n“Consistent with international data indicate that approximately 50% of people who sustain a whiplash injury will not recover but will continue to report ongoing pain and disability one year after the injury”\n\nThere are so many variables that go into a person experiencing chronic pain.  Extent of tissue damage is not the only variable that needs to be assessed.  Sometimes people just feel wronged by life and this stress of life may contribute to symptoms.\n\nWe know that most tissue damage heals relatively quickly (at least quickly when relative to a lifespan).\n\n“…recovery, if it occurs, takes place within the first 2-3 months following the injury with a plateau in recovery following this time point”\n\nWe know that most healing takes place over the course of weeks to months.  With this, we have to question the cause of this roadblock to recovery.  Is it truly tissue damage or is there something else at play?\n\n“…good recovery, where initial levels of pain-related disability were mild to moderate and recovery was good, with 45% of people predicted to follow this pathway”\n\nGlass half empty/Glass half full?\n\nAbout half of the people with WAD will experience a good outcome.  Considering that not much has to be done with this group, I can see some healthcare providers taking responsibility for good outcomes.  I used to work for a clinic that tried to get people into the clinic as fast as possible with the idea being that if we don’t get the patient in fast enough, then the patient may get better on his/her own.\n\nThink about that? We know that most things get better with time, so we want the patient to believe that it was us and our treatment that helped them the most.  As much as I can see this from a marketing perspective, from a global health perspective…it just ain’t right.\n\nSometimes the patients just need some advice to stay active and come back in 4-6 weeks if there is no change in symptoms.\n\nI was in a course once talking to a PT and I asked that therapist, who also happened to be a business owner: “how do you know that you have had a successful episode of care?”\n\nThat therapist’s answer was: “The insurance has been exhausted”\n\nWhether the therapist was joking or not, the fact that this perception is out there that the patient should be bled dry (at least monetarily) is disturbing.\n\nRemember this when you are working in a clinic (if you’re a healthcare professional) or when you are going to see your healthcare professional.\n\n“…initial moderate to severe pain-related disability, with some recovery but with disability levels remaining moderate at 12 months. Around 39% of injured people are predicted to follow this pathway.”\n\nNow we are starting to play.  I use this term “play” as a measure of patient severity.  For instance, when playing basketball with my 4-year old, it’s not really playing the game as much as it is just toying around.  When playing the game against someone that I have never beaten before, I have to study the player, understand the player’s moves, his/her strengths and weaknesses, tendencies when under pressure, establish my game plan against their moves etc.  This is how I perceive a patient and symptoms when they enter the clinic.  I am studying that patient and the symptoms in order to best understand what that patient is experiencing.\n\nI believe that only through understanding the tendencies of the symptoms are we truly able to help/assist the patient in this journey to reduce pain and return to full function.\n\n“…involves initial severe pain-related disability and some recovery to moderate or severe disability, with 16% of individuals predicted to follow this pathway”\n\nI love listening to this guy. He has a way of explaining severity of pain that is just not taught in most healthcare programs.  Understanding that pain is an experience is more important for the healthcare providers, because without this understanding, we can not explain this phenomenon to the patient.\n\n“The most consistent risk factors for poor recovery are initially higher levels of reported pain and initially higher levels of disability.”\n\nWith this, the thought exists that we may be able to affect recovery with WAD if we can simply reduce pain.  We may be able to reduce pain in some populations through education.\n\nMaybe we should attempt to use education as a means to reduce pain before we try other interventions such as heat, cold, manual therapy, etc.\n\nIt may go something like this:\n\nTherapist: You know Mr. Smith, I have done my evaluation and there is some good news; you’re going to get better.\n\nMr. Smith: How do you know?\n\nTherapist: There was nothing in my exam that showed that there was any major structural damage and we know that tissue injuries tend to improve on their own over the course of weeks to months.\n\nMr. Smith: That is good news!\n\n“lower expectations of recovery have been shown to predict poor recovery”\n\nThis may be the factor that healthcare professionals should focus time trying to change.  As much as we speak to patients about tissue damage and injuries, we need to spend time in conversation understanding what they believe the barriers are to a successful recovery.\n\nTaking the extra 10 minutes per session to have these conversations and together problem-solving ways to overcome these barriers may be more important than an extra 2 minutes on an arm bike or an extra set of banded rows etc.\n\nPatients are people first and foremost and not a sum of body parts.  Breaking through perceived barriers is an important first step to providing the right interventions to patients.  Sometimes the intervention is only education and other times it may be more integrative of exercise, manual therapy and other modalities at our disposal.\n\n“Some factors commonly assessed by physiotherapists do not show prognostic capacity. These factors include measures of motor and sensorimotor function such as the craniocervical flexion test, joint repositioning errors and balance loss”\n\nWe all learn tests and measures in school.  A great world would be inclusive of tests that actually mean something.  Testing balance and strength and positional awareness are all good tests to take time and give information to physicians or insurance companies, but in the end they don’t actually do much to tell the story of the patient.\n\nWe need to identify patients that will respond to therapy and those that may need for than just PT.  With that said, we also need to be able to identify those patients that will get better on their own.  Not all patients need to see a physical therapists, we just don’t have a way of telling one subset from another at this time.\n\n“The QTF classification of whiplash injuries was put forward in 1995 and it remains the classification method still currently used throughout the world”\n\nThis is the Quebec Task Force Classification:\n\nI No neck complaints and no physical signs\nII Neck complaints of pain, stiffness or tenderness only and no physical signs\nIII Neck complaints and MS signs including 1. Decreased ROM 2. Point tenderness\nIV Neck complaints and Neuro signs including: 1. Decreased or absent DTR 2. Muscle weakness 3. Sensory deficits\nV Neck complaint and fracture or dislocation\n\n“Current clinical guidelines for the management of acute WAD recommend that radiological imaging be undertaken only to detect WAD grade IV and that clinicians adhere to the Canadian C-Spine rule when making the decision to refer the patient for radiographic examination”\n\nFor those that are unfamiliar with, or forgot, the C-Spine rules (including myself), here is the link.\n\n“…the same general examination procedures usually adopted for the examination of any cervical spine condition but with some additional procedures based on research findings of WAD”\n\nWhen a patient presents to therapy, with complaints of neck pain, after a motor vehicle accident here are some things that a patient can expect (if you are a PT, then these are the things that we should be doing as an at least)\n\n  1. Range of motion using a large compass\n  2. Assessing strength in the arms/neck\n  3. Assessing any loss of sensation\n  4. Assessing loss of reflexes\n  5. Assessing grip strength\n  6. Assessing patient perception of symptoms using an outcome meaure\n  7. Assessing joint integrity using special tests and symptom change\n  8. Assessing nerve irritability\n\n“…many patients with WAD will report diffuse symptoms of sensory loss or gain and generalised muscle weakness, both of which may be bilateral, but these findings do not necessarily indicate peripheral nerve compromise and may be a reflection of altered central nociceptive processes.”\n\nSome clinicians think that if a symptom doesn’t match what was learned in school that the symptom must be made up.  We’ve all been around these clinicians that believe that patients must be “faking”, “malingering” or just out for the $$$ after an accident.\n\nTruth is that we have no reliable way to tell if a patient is “faking”.  We may be able to tell if a patient is providing full effort during our examinations, but we can’t know anything beyond this.\n\nThe first thing that we need to understand is that the nervous system is complex.  Now, when I see a patient that reports increased sensitivity in an area, I report it as such.  Previously I would report a decreased sensation in the opposite side tested.  I didn’t understand, at that time, that a person could experience hypersensitivity in an area.\n\n“…strong evidence for the presence of augmented central nervous system processing of nociception in chronic WAD and moderate evidence that cold hyperalgesia is associated with poor recovery from the injury”\n\nThe nervous system appears to be boss. When it is experiencing stress, it can drastically change how the person perceived different stimulus. I recently had a patient that was so sensitive that she noted her pain increased with the breeze from a ceiling fan.\n\nThink of a car alarm set to really sensitive. We all have seen a car alarm that goes off from a sideways glance. This appears to be happening with the nervous system. The system has difficulty processing what is a real threat to the system and what is a normal stimulus.\n\nPatients that have difficulty tolerating cold appear to have a heightened car alarm, which may indicate a poor overall recovery.\n\n“The clinical course of WAD, where most recovery occurs in the first 2-3 months”\n\nIn my opinion there are too many of us in healthcare with big egos. We tend to use this basic rationale:\n\nPatient got better. Patient was in physical therapy during this time of improvement. Physical therapy must be the reason the patient got better. 🤔\n\nThis type of logic is unfortunately mislead.\n\nOther variables, such as time may have a role more so than the interventions performed during this time.\n\n“The mainstay of management for acute WAD is the provision of advice encouraging return to usual activity and exercise, and this apprpach is advocated in current clinical guidelines.”\n\nADVICE!? That’s the mainstay?!\n\nNot ultrasound?!\n\nNot massage?!\n\nNot electrical stimulation?!\n\nHow can this be?!\n\nBody heal thyself. 💪🏼👊\n\n“…recent systematic reviews concluding that there is only modest evidence available supporting activity/exercise for acute WAD. It is not clear which type of exercise is more effective or if specific exercise is more effective than general activty of merely advice to remain active.”\n\nThe 🥖 and butter of PT may or may not be affective for treating patients immediately post accident.\n\nLately, I have been seeing many of these patients and there is much education that goes into time based healing on the first few visits.\n\n“…six sessions of physiotherapy was only slightly more effective than a single session of advice from a physiotherapist”\n\nAs much as it pains the many wallets of our profession, I definitely agree with this. Some patients that I have seen actually get some relief just from knowing the clinical expectations post WAD.\n\n“…a graded functional exercise approach and advice demonstrated greater improvements in pain intensity, pain bothersomeness and functional ability, compared to advice alone.”\n\nThink of those six sessions from above.  A traditional clinic may use 6 sessions in 2 weeks.  A clinic that understands the research may use those visits over the course of 6-8 weeks.\n\nA graded functional exercise approach means that the patient is slowly performing more work load over the course of time in order to improve function.  This time period is probably no less than 6 weeks since we know that we see significant changes in strength and movement ability over the course of 6 weeks.\n\n“…the recommendation to clinicians is that health outcomes should be monitored and treatment continued only when there is clear improvement.”\n\nIt’s unfortunate that this has to be said.  I have seen some patients treated in a clinic for months without appreciable improvements.  At some point, we have to do what is in the best interest for the patient first and foremost.  Having a patient continue to come into the clinic, in the absence of improvement, is a red flag that there may be something else causing symptoms.  Also, continuing to treat a patient may do more harm than good because the patient takes on attributes of a “sick” person.\n\nIt’s a case in which the medical system may actually cause problems through the use of treatments and information.  This type of change in the patient has been labeled as iatrogenic (caused by the medical system).\n\n“Analysis revealed no significant differences in frequency of recovery between pragmatic (medication/physiotherapy/CBT) and usual-care groups at 6 months. There was no improvement in non-recovery rates at 6 months, indicating no advantage of the early interdisciplinary intervention.”\n\nI read previously (I’ll have to go back and look for the article) that early aggressive therapy may actually increase symptoms of patients after a motor vehicle accident.\n\n“Education and advice to return to activity and exercise will still remain the cornerstones of early treatment for WAD”\n\nThis year I was rear ended on the highway and T boned on another highway.\n\nExcerpts from:\n\nSterling M. Physiotherapy Management of Whiplash-Associated Disorders (WAD). Journal of Physiotherapy. 2014;60:5-12.\n\nSymptoms may or may not change\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nExcerpts from here\n\nWays to mitigate burnout\n\n“Burnout…is a syndrome of depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, and a sense of low personal accomplishment leading to decreased effectiveness at work…primarily affected those in ‘helping’ professions”\n\nHey!…  Hey!…  You!… PT’s!…Are you listening?!….\n\nDoes this sound like someone you know?\n\n“The high prevalence of burnout among physicians results in lowss of engagement and commitment…5 out of every 10 physicians affected by burnout”\n\nLoss of engagement and commitment with patients.  Hmmm? How many therapists do you know that are “punching the clock”?\n\nI have a problem with a lack of engagement.  It just isn’t something that I tend to do often and I have a short attention span.  Maybe not as short as the new average of 9 seconds, but pretty darn short.  I just shift the engagement to something different.\n\nA therapist that isn’t engaged with the patient is problematic.  Patients are coming to us for our professional opinion and placing trust in us to help them along their journey of pain or functional restoration.  To have loss of engagement places that trust at risk.\n\nNot only is trust lost between the patient and the physical therapist, but also between the patient and the profession of physical therapy.\n\nRemember young Jedi, YOU REPRESENT THE FORCE (by force I mean the PT workforce).  Your burnout makes me look bad.  Not that it’s all about me, but really…it’s all about me.\n\n50% of physicians are affected by burnout?!\n\nI haven’t seen any studies on prevalence in our profession, but I hope it’s not that high.\n\n“Many factors contribute to burnout, including high workloads; an inefficient environment; problems with work-life integration; lack of flexibility, autonomy, and control; and loss of meaning in work.”\n\nI’ve seen research showing that treating 20 patients per day may lead to burnout.  I don’t know if it’s the 20 patients or the notes that come along with the 20 patients, but….20 patients!!! REALLY?\n\nAt my busiest time, I was only seeing about 15 per day.  This may be why I have yet to experience burnout from treating patients.\n\nAn inefficient environment.  I have experienced this multiple times.  Sometimes people and companies are just set in their ways and don’t see a good enough reason to change.\n\nProblems with work-life integration: this is what I am struggling with right now.  Is the juice worth the squeeze?  This is a phrase that I am thinking of more and more currently.  When I think of how many hours that I am away from my kids and wife, I have to think (or my wife makes me think) about where do I want to be in life 5 years from now.  Managing a clinic takes a ton of time.  If you have never tried to build a “brand”, it takes a lot of time and work in order to get a personal brand out to the community.\n\nAutonomy and control: I haven’t personally experienced a loss of control in the clinic,  but I hear from PT’s all over the country that their boos/manager/director almost dictates the care in order to create a “comprehensive care plan”. Now this sounds all good and nice and all, but in the end the question has to be asked…Why? Why does the boss want a comprehensive plan?\n\nThe reason is no different than any other business and it has to do with money.  Clinics make more money by doing multiple different treatments than providing one treatment that may have the best outcomes.  It’s sad…but I hear it frequently.\n\n“Physicians who suffer from burnout are impaired and they and their organizations are at risk of having higher rates of medical errors, less professionalism, lower patient satisfaction, and lower productivity, as well as more turnover and suicidal ideation”\n\nDoes burnout sound good?\n\nNot like the burnout that I would do on my BMX bike as a kid or in my F-150 as a teenager.\n\nBurnout leads to major issues at a personal and corporate level.  I wonder though if the companies care about burnout.  Turnover happens in physical therapy.  Although it costs money to train a new therapist, it may not matter since many companies see a PT as a widget instead of as an autonomous practitioner.  If one therapist can easily be swapped out for another, is burnout an issue at the corporate level?\n\nRhetorical questions of course.\n\n“Organizations that make investments in leadership development experience substantially higher returns than those that do not.”\n\nThis is a great quote. Invest in your people, more so than seeing your people as an investment.\n\nFor instance, when you put money into an IRA, it sits there and you hope it grows (at least matches the 10% historical APR). You are passive in this role. Hopefully money makes money. This is what typically happens in a company. The employee is expected to go out and grow individually, which benefits the company, although the company may not take part in that individual investment.\n\nI would like to see it more as owning a home. This is an investment also. It averages about a 2% gain per year, but the individual living in the home has to actively care for the investment in order for it to keep growing. I would love for more businesses to see employees as an investment for which they should foster care. High tides raise all ships. When the employee is successful both on an individual and business sense, everyone wins.\n\n“Clinician engagement is empirically linked to more effective organizations, with outcomes including lower turnover rates, superior clinical outcomes, better patient experience, and superior financial performance”\n\nDoes this sound like a positive experience for clinicians and patients alike?\n\nIf the clinician is engaged in not only treating patients but also regarding the health of the business everyone wins.\n\nSome therapists don’t see themselves as business people, which is a shame because if we don’t get the patient in the door, then we can’t help that person. We have to feel confident in attracting our customer (someone with functional complaints that may or may not relate to pain), educating our customer, selling to our customer and then accepting their money. Sales doesn’t have to be a bad thing. I have been reading Rabbi Daniel Lapin and have learned that money is just as much a show of appreciation and gratitude as it is a financial transaction.\n\n“Physicians experience highest levels of engagement when they have a degree of control over their work environment. Engage Physicians tend to receive higher patient satisfaction ratings.”\n\nThis is an indication of autonomous practice. When a clinician gets to dictate care, instead of having care dictated to the clinician, then everyone wins again.\n\n“Combating physician burnout is a twofold process that involves 1. mitigating the structural and functional drivers of burnout and 2. bolstering individual resiliency.”\n\nThis is the Mayo Model to try to reduce burnout in physicians. This appears useful for many other health professionals also.\n\nQuick Link to the article here\n\nHealthcare fraud and abuse\n\n“During Fiscal Year (FY) 2017, the Federal Government won or negotiated over $2.4B in health care fraud judgments and settlements…$2.6B was returned to the Federal Government or paid to private persons.”\n\nPut this into perspective.  If you were born today and started counting one…two…three…four, you would get to 2B right around retirement age.  This is of course assuming that you don’t sleep.\n\nThat’s a lot of money!\n\nWhat’s important is to read that the money was returned to the government or paid to private persons.  This means that the Government is at least paying this much out to health care providers in order to recover the money at a later date.\n\nThere is a saying in health care…”it’s not about how much you make, but how much you keep that matters”.\n\n“In FY 2017, the Department of Justice (DOJ) opened 967 new criminal health care fraud investigations…filed criminal charges in 439 cases.”\n\nAgain, I’d love to say that health care is a field full of altruistic people, we we know that some people suck!  They just suck. They take advantage of people.  They may have been bullied as a child and feel the need to get payback.  They may have been the bullies and just continue to try to take advantage of others.  It doesn’t matter the why, but they can’t be trusted to do the right thing when placed in a situation in which personal gain is an option.\n\n“HHS-OIG also excluded 3,244 individuals and entities from participation in Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal health care programs.”\n\nWhen a health care provider attempts to defraud a federally funded program, the health care provider can be excluded from seeing any patients that participate in these programs.  For instance, if I were to be a shady individual and overbill or bill for services that I didn’t actually provide, the government can then say that I am no longer allowed to see these patients.  The government could also enter into a corporate integrity agreement with the person or company and allow them to see patients, but the company would have to prove that steps are being taken in order to minimize abusing the system.\n\n“Under the joint direction of the Attorney General and the Secretary, the Program’s (Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program) goals are:\n\n  1. To coordinate federal, state and local law enforcement efforts relating to health care fraud and abuse with respect to health plans;\n  2. To conduct investigations, audits, inspections, and evaluations relating to the delivery of and payment for health care in the United States;\n  3. To facilitate enforcement of all applicable remedies for such fraud; and\n  4. To provide education and guidance regarding complying with current health care law. “\n\nImagine that you have the full force of the Federal Government tracking you as a health care professional.  How confident are you that you are doing everything correctly? We are responsible for complying with health care laws and regulations.\n\nIt’s unfortunate, but there are many therapists that still struggle with how to bill appropriately and will just take the word of another health care provider instead of looking up the rules and regulations.\n\n“Relators’ Payments: $262,095,000…are funds awarded to private persons who file suits on behalf of the Federal Government under the qui tam (whistleblower) provisions of the False Clams Act”\n\nIn my opinion, this is where it gets interesting.  If anyone sees an injustice of abuse or fraud and reports it to the government, the government may pay that person(s) a percentage of what is recovered from the abusing person or company.\n\nAbout 10% of what was recovered was paid out to individuals and groups that reported this fraud.\n\nSomeone is hitting the lottery by doing the right thing and reporting on those that are taking advantage of the system or are ignorant of the rules of the system.\n\n“The return on investment (ROI) of the HCFAC program over the last three years is $4.20 returned for every $1.00 expended.”\n\nIf you are the federal government, “would you put more or less money into trying to recover more money from those committing fraud or abuse?”\n\nI don’t see these recovery attempts to slow down over the years.\n\n“Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT)…The Medicare Fraud Strike Force teams are a key component of Heat.  The mission of Heat is:\n\n  1. To marshal significant resources across government to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse in the Medicare and Medicaid  programs and crack down on the fraud perpetrators who are abusing the system and costing us all billions of dollars.\n  2. To reduce health care costs and improve the quality of care by riding the system of perpetrators who are preying on Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.\n  3. To highlight best practices by providers and public sector employees who are dedicated to ending waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare.\n  4. To build upon existing partnerships between DOJ and HHS, such as our Medicare Fraud Strike force Teams, to reduce fraud and recover taxpayer dollars. “\n\nIf you are in healthcare…are you listening?!\n\nDoes this sound personal?\n\nThis is to crack down on perpetrators costing us billions of Dollars.\n\n“DOJ and HHS have expanded data sharing and improved information sharing procedures in order to get critical data and information into the hands of law enforcement to track patterns of fraud an database and increase efficiency in investigating and prosecuting complex health care fraud cases…enables the DOJ and HHS to efficiently identify and target the worst actors in the system.”\n\nAs a therapist, you should be shaking in your boots…if you are breaking the rules.  When the DOJ gets involved, it gets serious.\n\nIf you aren’t sure if you are one of the “worst actors in the system” you should check out the statistics.\n\nScary statistics for some\n\n“In January and February 2017, 4 defendants pled guilty…conspiracy to commit health care fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering…submit false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for among other things, fraudulent physical and occupational therapy services…patients received medically unnecessary services that were later falsely billed to Medicare and Medicaid…totaling over $55 million were submitted to Medicare and Medicaid in connection with the scheme”\n\nThis may be more than most people can perceive regarding fraud, but it doesn’t always start this way.  I’ve heard that it starts with overcharging by a couple of minutes and when a person doesn’t get caught, then the billing becomes more and more unethical.  Before you know it, the person is billing for thousands of dollars of services that weren’t actually performed.\n\n“In March 2017, an owner of several physical and occupational therapy clinics in the Central District of California was sentenced to 5 years and 3 months in prison after pleading guilty to health care fraud conspiracy…ordered to pay more than $2.4 million in restitution to Medicare…instructed therapists and others to bill Medicare for physical and occupational therapy services that were medically unnecessary and not provided”\n\nThis is unfortunately all to common.  I received calls just in the past year from PT;s in Minneapolis, Houston, NYC, and San Diego describing similar situations.  This is happening all across the country, but very few people are saying anything about it.  It is much easier to ask opinions of others that have no vested interest in the topic than it is to actually call the compliance officer for the company or call the office of inspector general.\n\n“In July 2017…a 2-count indictment against 5 high-billing medical professionals who worked at a network of Brooklyn-area clinics where patients were paid illegal kickbacks in return for subjecting themselves to purported physical and occupational therapy, diagnostic testing and other medical services.”\n\nKickbacks are illegal.  Kickbacks come in many forms.  Money is the easy one, but there are others.  I’ve heard of free sports tickets, free trips to medical conferences, paying patients to show up for sessions, waiving co-pays for all patients in order to keep them in the clinic, etc. etc. etc.\n\nIf you are a patient, this is illegal and needs to be reported.  If you are a therapist, this is illegal and needs to be reported.\n\n“In October 2016, the owner and medical director of Christian Home Health Agency in New Orleans were sentenced to 8 years and 6 years in prison, respectively, after being convicted of health care fraud for billing Medicare for home health services that were not medically necessary or were not provided.”\n\nPeople go to prison.  Some worry about whether they will be shunned by their job, so they don’t report the wrongs noted in the clinic.  Some people worry about whether they will lose their job, so they don’t report it.  People are going to prison.  Jobs come and go, but time served isn’t something that one can just walk away from.  Walk away from a negative situation while you still have time…or you may find yourself doing time.\n\nTo see the report in whole click here\n\nTo learn more click here.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8987298607826233}
{"content": "Combining childhood vaccines at one visit is not safe? Wrong, wrong, wrong!\n\nI sensed a disturbance in the antivaccine (i.e, the dark) side of the Force yesterday. No matter where I wandered online and on social media, I kept running into a new article, an article by Neil Z. Miller about vaccines. For example, the merry band of antivaccine propagandists over at Age of Autism seem to like Miller’s article very, very much. So did the vaccine truthers over at—where else?— I kept seeing it on Facebook and Twitter, too.\n\nEven though the current vaccine schedule is safe and effective as well as evidence-based and the claim that we give too many vaccines too soon is an antivaccine myth, that doesn’t stop Miller from claiming otherwise in an article just published in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons (JPANDS) entitled Combining Childhood Vaccines at One Visit Is Not Safe. Now, the first thing I think whenever I see an article published in JPANDS is that it must be so horrible that no reputable journal would touch it with a ten foot cattle prod. After all, JPANDS is the house organ of a group, the Association of American Physicians and Scientists (AAPS), best known for its extreme right wing politics, its members’ belief that they are brave maverick doctors who don’t follow the “herd,” and its utter disdain for any evidence that conflicts with its ideology.\n\nAs hard as it is for me to believe, I first discovered the AAPS over ten years ago and was astonished at its embrace of antivaccine views, HIV/AIDS denialism, and other forms of pseudomedicine and medical conspiracy theories. Examples abound. Basically, the AAPS is known for being against vaccine mandates, against Medicare (calling it “unconstitutional”), and against any form of regulation of health care by government. It’s called public health programs “tyranny.” The AAPS has also published bad papers claiming to find that abortion causes breast cancer, has promoted the vile idea that shaken baby syndrome is a misdiagnosis for “vaccine injury,” supported HIV/AIDS denialism, and (of course!) done what all crank medical organizations like to do, attack evidence- and science-based medicine as placing unacceptable limits on physician autonomy. Perhaps my favorite example of AAPS crankery is when it published a blog post (now removed, no doubt in embarrassment) claiming that then-candidate Barack Obama was possibly “deliberately using the techniques of neurolinguistic programming (NLP), a covert form of hypnosis.” The AAPS doesn’t even limit itself to medicine in that it’s also published papers attacking anthropogenic global warming, as though physicians had the necessary expertise to judge the science in that field. Truly, the crank magnetism and arrogance of the AAPS know no bounds. If you don’t believe me, consider this. JPANDS has published articles by the father-son team of antivaccine “scientists,” Mark and David Geier.\n\nWe’ve also met Neil Z. Miller before. Well do I remember an article by him and co-author Gary S. Goldman published five years ago that resurfaces from time to time. Basically, it was an “analysis” purporting to show that infant mortality correlates with the cumulative number of doses of vaccine in the childhood vaccination schedule. Let’s just say Miller and Goldstein’s rationale, methods, and analysis were rather suspect. No, wait. Strike that. Let’s just say it was a giant, drippy, stinky turd of an article—and amateurish to bood—whose conclusions were not at all supported by the data or analysis. He and Goldman also teamed up for an equally inept attempt to show that more vaccination correlates with more hospitalizations and deaths. They failed.\n\nSo, given how much antivaccinationists like this latest article by Miller, combined with the abysmal (and well-deserved) reputation of JPANDS and Miller’s track record, I was not optimistic that this wouldn’t be more of the same. My pessimism was justified. The main difference is that this latest article is not an attempt at an original investigation, but rather an attempt at a systematic review. Unfortunately, in a systematic review, one is supposed to review the existing literature as comprehensively as one can, discussing its strengths and weakness, not cherry pick a few studies to misinterpret and cite one’s own “studies” far more prominently than they deserve. Let’s take a look.\n\nYou can tell from the abstract that this article is basically going to be a rehash of Miller and Goldman’s previous “analysis”:\n\nAlthough health authorities including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) claim that childhood vaccines are safe and recommend combining multiple vaccines during one visit, a review of data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) shows a dose-dependent association between the number of vaccines administered simultaneously and the likelihood of hospitalization or death for an adverse reaction. Additionally, younger age at the time of the adverse reaction is associated with a higher risk of hospitalization or death.\n\nWhich is basically what Miller and Goldman tried, and failed, to show four years ago.\n\nThe first mistake Miller makes is the same mistake he’s made time and time again: Dumpster diving the VAERS database. Why do I call it “dumpster diving”? Easy. The VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) is a problematic database, whose contents are useful for a very limited range of analyses. However, it is also a public database that can be freely downloaded by anyone; so naturally it attracts antivaccine “scientists” like catnip attracts cats. As longtime readers of this blog and vaccine science advocates know, VAERS is a passive reporting system. Anyone can report a suspected vaccine injury to the database. You don’t have to be a medical professional to do it, and there doesn’t even have to be a plausible relationship between the vaccine and the suspected adverse reaction. Indeed, it’s long been known that vaccine litigation distorts the VAERS database, with plaintiffs’ attorneys encouraging their clients to report their children’s cases to VAERS. Consequently, VAERS cannot be relied upon for anything close to the true incidence of specific adverse reactions. If you don’t believe me, let me just mention once again that reports of vaccines turning people into The Incredible Hulk and Wonder Woman have been successfully entered into VAERS.\n\nWhy would the government want to set up a system like this? Simple. It’s an early warning system. Even though the database can be distorted and even though its contents are not a reliable estimate of the incidence of vaccine injuries, it’s still useful in that when scientists notice an uptick in the reporting of an adverse event due to a vaccine in VAERS it’s an impetus to study it more deeply and see if the increase is real.\n\nOf course, at some level, Miller must know this, as he spends much of the first page trying to convince the reader that VAERS is valuable and citing CDC studies using VAERS data. (Of course, VAERS is valuable and useful, just not in the way Miller thinks it is.) First, Miller tries to convince us that adverse events are underreported in VAERS:\n\nSince 1990, the VAERS database has received more than 500,000 reports of suspected adverse reactions to vaccines. Although this represents a large number of people who may have been hurt by vaccines, under-reporting is a known limitation of passive surveillance systems. This means that VAERS only captures a small fraction of actual adverse events. In fact, shortly after VAERS was established, a large vaccine manufacturer, Connaught Laboratories, estimated “about a 50-fold under-reporting of adverse events in the passive reporting system.”3 Perhaps 98% of all adverse reactions to vaccines are not included in the VAERS database, and up to 25 million U.S. citizens could have been adversely affected by vaccines in the past 25 years. This well-known disadvantage of a passive reporting system, as opposed to an active surveillance system in which medical workers are trained to systematically collect all cases of suspected adverse vaccine reactions, is rarely acknowledged by health authorities when vaccine safety is discussed.\n\nA better way of looking at this would be that certain kinds of adverse events are underreported and certain others are likely to be massively overreported, thanks to the way lawyers petitioning the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program insist that their clients enter their suspected adverse reaction, no matter how implausible. Miller cites the Institute of Medicine’s report on vaccines to bolster his view, but this is what the IOM actually wrote:\n\nCare must be taken in interpreting information from passive surveillance systems. The extent of underreporting cannot be known. Duplicate reports of the same event for the same patient are common and are not always easy to detect, making totals questionable. Medical information provided on reporting forms is often incomplete. In general, passive surveillance systems are useful in flagging potential problems and suggesting hypotheses. See Chapters 2, 10, and 11 for further discussion.\n\nWhich is exactly what I just explained above. The IOM also noted:\n\n\nMiller then cites three studies by the CDC using VAERS: a 2015 study looking at the MMR vaccine in adults; a 2014 study looking at live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV3); and a 2013 study examining intussusception after a rotavirus vaccine. The first study is described thusly:\n\nAlthough 5% of reports were serious, including several deaths, CDC researchers concluded that “in our review of VAERS data, we did not detect any new or unexpected safety concerns for MMR vaccination in adults.”\n\nNote the implication that the MMR vaccine is very dangerous. What Miller neglected to mention (almost as if he didn’t read anything more than the abstract) is that the medical records of patients suffering serious events were reviewed. Of the seven deaths, two were due to cardiovascular disease, one due to a drug overdose, one due to chronic preexisting myocarditis, one due to pulmonary embolus, one due to an arrhythmia. The last one was a patient who had had a renal transplant and was on immunosuppression who died of disseminated varicella. In other words, none of them appear to have been due to the MMR vaccine.\n\nNext, Miller characterizes the LAIV3 study thusly:\n\nAlthough 8.9% of reports were classified as serious (e.g., cardiovascular events, neurological debilities, and fatalities) CDC researchers concluded that “review of VAERS reports are reassuring, the only unexpected safety concern for LAIV3 identified was a higher than expected number of Guillain-Barré syndrome reports in the Department of Defense population, which is being investigated [sic].”\n\nNote again how Miller tries to paint the LAIV3 as dangerous. This paper is actually a bit more nuanced. For one thing, the rate of serious adverse events reported was generally under 2 per 100,000 doses, which one would note if one reads the whole paper. Be that as it may, this paper only found a possible increased incidence of Guillain-Barré syndrome in the Department of Defense population, which is being investigated—which is exactly what VAERS is for: Early warning and hypothesis generation.\n\nFinally, the last paper cited looked at intussusception after rotavirus. This one was interesting in that it looked at the number of days after vaccination that reports of intussusception were made and found a clustering between 3-6 days, which suggests that there might be a causal relationship based on what is known about intussusception and rotavirus. Also:\n\nIn summary, after distribution of 47 million doses of RV5 in the United States, we observed a persistent clustering of intussusception events during days 3 to 6 after the first-dose vaccination. When we combined all 3 doses of RV5, we estimated a small overall excess risk of ∼0.79 intussusception event for every 100 000 vaccinated infants. This level of increased risk in the United States would translate to 33 excess annual intussusception events after rotavirus vaccination with the coverage expected for a fully mature rotavirus vaccine program. This is substantially lower than the number of diarrhea hospitalizations prevented annually (∼40 000) since rotavirus vaccine introduction.\n\nEmphasis mine. Risks versus benefits. Risks versus benefits.\n\nPerhaps the most hilarious part of Miller’s paper is this:\n\nThese studies and others confirm that CDC considers VAERS an important post-marketing vaccine safety surveillance tool. Therefore, nobody should be swayed into believing the VAERS database does not contain immensely valuable raw data to be used by independent researchers conducting studies that evaluate the safety of U.S. mandated vaccines. For example, Mark Geier, M.D., Ph.D., independent researcher and former professional staff member at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), published several studies utilizing the VAERS database showing that vaccines containing thimerosal (mercury) significantly increase the odds of developing neurological disorders, including autism.\n\nThat’s right. Miller actually cited the Geiers as though they were real researchers and not antivaccine advocates pretending to do research. There’s a reason why I refer to anything the Geiers do with VAERS as “dumpster diving.” In fact, numerous studies have failed to find an association between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism or other neurological conditions.\n\nAll of this, of course, was just a lead up to Miller regurgitating his 2012 “study.” I deconstructed that incompetently performed study in detail back when it was originally published; so I don’t really feel the need to go into too much detail, given that you can simply click on this link if you want to go into the truly Oracian-length Insolent deconstruction. there were some truly hilarious abuses of statistics, a seeming fetish for trying to fit Miller’s data to a straight line in the absence of a plausible rationale why it should fit to a straight line, a failure to control for historical trends in infant mortality, and a failure to control for obvious potential confounders, such as birth cohort. It was truly a crappy “study.”\n\nOf course, to Miller, his Truth is being suppressed by The Man:\n\n\nNo. It. Doesn’t. In actuality, the current vaccine schedule is both safe and effective, and, contrary to claims by antivaccin activists, are evidence-based. Nothing Miller has published changes that.\n\nWhy is The Truth being suppressed by The Man? I think you know. It’s big pharma, of course:\n\nThese findings are so troubling that we expected major media outlets in America to sound an alarm, calling for an immediate reevaluation of current preventive health care practices. But 4 years after publication of our study, this has not happened. Could it be because, according to Robert Kennedy, Jr., about 70% of advertising revenue on network news comes from drug companies? In fact, the president of a network news division admitted that he would fire a host who brought on a guest that led to loss of a pharmaceutical account. That may be why the mainstream media won’t give equal time to stories about problems with vaccine safety.\n\nBoo hoo.\n\nI wonder if Miller knows just how pathetic it is to whine about how a paper he wrote four years ago failed to catch the attention of the press or the scientific community when it was originally published. I wonder if he knows just how much more pathetic it is that he published his complaint in JPANDS, one of the crankiest of crank journals. Obviously, it never occurred to Miller that maybe—just maybe—the reason that his “study” wasn’t picked up by major media is because it was a stinking heap of crap. Unfortunately, so far, it’s worked because memories are short and antivaccine activists don’t care about any evidence that doesn’t support their ideology. Hopefully, this post will serve as a reminder of why Miller’s study is not evidence that the current vaccine schedule is unsafe.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7182366847991943}
{"content": "This site is intended for Healthcare professionals only.\n\nBrain stimulation technology improves memory overnight\n\nBrain stimulation technology improves memory overnight\n\nA new research suggests that a noninvasive brain stimulation technology delivered overnight during sleep may help in the improvement of memory.\n\nFindings, published in the Journal of Neuroscience demonstrate that closed-loop transcranial alternating-current stimulation (tACS) delivered overnight for the augmentation of endogenous slow-wave (SW) oscillations in humans improved generalized memory.\n\nNicholas Ketz, Information and Systems Sciences Laboratory, Center for Human-Machine Collaboration, HRL Laboratories, Malibu, California, and colleagues investigated the potential for augmenting endogenous slow-wave (SW) oscillations in humans with closed-loop transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) with an aim toward enhancing the consolidation of recent experiences into long-term memory.\n\nThe transfer of memories from the hippocampus to the neocortex for long-term storage is thought to be enabled by synchronization of these brain parts during sleep, note the researchers.  A closed-loop tACS system was used to the phase and frequency of ongoing SW oscillations during sleep, in an attempt to enhance this natural process.\n\nFor the study, Sixteen (three female) participants were trained presleep on a target detection task identifying targets hidden in complex visual scenes. During post-training sleep, closed-loop SW detection and stimulation were used to deliver tACS matching the phase and frequency of the dominant oscillation in the range of 0.5–1.2 Hz. Changes in performance were assessed the following day using test images that were identical to the training (“repeated”), and images generated from training scenes but with novel viewpoints (“generalized”).\n\nThe 6-day protocol included an initial orientation session, three nights spent in a sleep laboratory, and two-afternoon follow-up testing sessions. When a participant correctly indicated “target present,” they saw a short video depicting the mission progressing as planned with a voiceover praising the participant for choosing correctly. If the participant incorrectly indicated that a target was present, a voiceover chastised them for delaying the mission or insulted them by indicating they were cowardly. If the participant correctly indicated no target present, feedback was given that the mission was progressing as planned. If participants incorrectly indicated no target present when there was one, they saw a video showing the consequence of missing the target.\n\nAlso Read: Yes, Radiation from mobile phones adversely impacts memory\n\nKey Results:\n\n  • Daytime, active tDCS stimulation demonstrated no significant difference in performance compared with the sham condition [t(32.9) = 0.881; P = .385],, and there was no difference in performance for the repeated vs generalized images [t(29.18) = −1.067; P = .295].\n  • when participants receive tACS stimulation overnight they showed improved performance in detecting targets the next day vs when they did not receive overnight stimulation. This finding suggests an integration of recent experience into a more robust and general memory.\n  • With the overnight tACS treatments, a t-test comparing the post- vs presleep change in F1 score on generalized images for active vs sham conditions showed a significant difference [t(15) = 2.79; P = .014].\n  • The researchers found spatiotemporal biomarkers in sleep EEG spectral power that correlate with overnight performance changes. The biomarkers can be used to control the number of stimulations that must be applied for each user in future applications.\n  • Results showed no significant effect of tDCS with a 1.0-mA current dose, even though a nonsignificant difference in the appropriate direction was observed.\n\n“This human study demonstrates the use of a closed-loop noninvasive brain stimulation method to enhance endogenous neural oscillations during sleep with the effect of improving consolidation of recent experiences into long-term memory,” concluded the authors.\n\nFor further reference log on to\n\nThe following two tabs change content below.\nMedha Baranwal\n\nMedha Baranwal\n\nSource: With inputs from Journal of Neuroscience\n\nShare your Opinion Disclaimer\n\nSort by: Newest | Oldest | Most Voted", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5591287016868591}
{"content": "Steven Avery's Lawyer Kathleen Zellner Speaks Out On Why She's Determined To Fight For Exonerations\n\nSteven Avery and his family are not giving up. Having previously spent 18 years in jail for a crime he didn't commit, in 2007, Avery was convicted of the murder of Teresa Halbach, and is currently in prison again. Avery claims that he did not commit the crime, and the story of the trial has been chronicled in the Netflix docuseries Making a Murderer. Avery's new lawyer believes that he is innocent, and is scouring for new evidence with which to reopen the case in hopes of securing an exoneration. On Tuesday, Newsweek released an interview in which it became clear what motivates Kathleen Zellner in her quest for exonerations.\n\n\"What drives me is the abuse of power — the bullying and the victim. I have such a strong reaction when I see people who can’t defend themselves,\" Zellner said, claiming that the police bullied Avery (which they adamantly deny). This need to defend the powerless stems from her youth. Zellner studied martial arts guides as a young child, and said she used her physical powers against a teenage boy who threw a neighbor's pet duck to some penned-up dogs in her hometown of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Zellner's protective instinct extends to human beings, and she's made a career out of it. \"I do not like people that are bullies. I felt from a very young age that I was strong enough to protect people that were weaker or victims,\" she told Newsweek.\n\nTheLipTV on YouTube\n\nZellner has successfully exonerated 17 men convicted of murder throughout her career, and plans to do the same for Avery. She told Newsweek that about half of her cases have resulted in not only getting innocent men out of jail, but in finding the actual perpetrators of the murders for which they were convicted, as well. \"I have probably solved way more murder cases than those homicide detectives,\" Zellner said.\n\nAfter watching Making a Murderer , Zellner felt that Steven Avery was the victim of socioeconomic discrimination, saying, \"The reason I took the case was because I felt that he had been discriminated against because his family was poor and they were uneducated.\" After analyzing the case, Zellner determined that several important factors were neglected, including Halbach's phone records — which, according to Zellner, suggest that Halbach left Avery's house alive — as well as details about Halbach's life that reportedly point to others as likely suspects in her murder. The Manitowoc Sheriff's Department has said it correctly followed all steps in the process, with Ken Kratz claiming Avery is absolutely guilty.\n\nZellner explained how she decides when to attempt an exoneration. \"You always have a very deep-seated feeling that there's been an injustice, that's the first feeling,\" she told Newsweek. \"The second one is I always have a strong sense that I know how to get to the resolution of the case.\" Zellner is hard at work putting her combination of righteous indignation and superb legal skills into Avery's case.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8024066090583801}
{"content": "\nPlace an Order\nInstant price\n\nStruggling with your work?\n\nGet it right the first time & learn smarter today\n\nPlace an Order\nBanner ad for Viper plagiarism checker\n\nShould governments legislate to prevent monopolies\n\n\n\nPublished: Mon, 5 Dec 2016\n\nMonopolies have long been criticized for “miss-allocating” resources as well as affecting general welfare, nevertheless, firms continue their strives in becoming monopolists while governments in many cases tolerate them as oppose to legislate to prevent their emergence. Monopolies have proven to be very disadvantageous to society. Imposing higher prices than competitive markets leads to a decline in overall consumer surplus. The fact that a monopoly has no close substitutes, makes supernormal profits and has merged with the industry, dis-incentivises monopolists to be efficient and may lead to possible diseconomies of scale. [1] In general, monopolies are expected to have negative implications on efficient resource allocation and welfare seeing that the factors that compose a monopoly are assumed to give little way for the contrary (ie: increase social benefits).\n\nThis widespread disdain of monopoly power is compared to the ideal nature of a perfectly competitive market. A monopoly’s profit (private benefit) is illustrated on the graph below:\n\nHaving no competitors means that a monopolist can set any given price for a good or service, while setting output where Marginal Revenue is equal to Marginal Cost ( making profits of BCDE). [2] By contrast, were the market competitive, prices would be lower and output higher. This in turn diminishes consumer surplus and leads to a deadweight welfare loss. In a monopoly the prices are higher than the marginal cost, P > MC, which can be described as allocatively inefficient, whereas in a competitive market prices would be decreased and consumer welfare would increase. Moreover, an example of a monopoly being productively inefficient is shown when it is not producing at the lowest point of the AC (Average Cost) curve [3] . Stating that it has the potential of producing the given output at a lower cost. The AC curve is commonly higher than it should be in a monopoly firm due to the absence of competition, decreasing incentives to cut production costs.\n\nBe this as it may, governments tend to tolerate monopolies rather than preventing them. Disassembling a monopoly takes a lot of effort and in many cases the industry has grown so dependent on the monopoly that its dissolution would lead to economic turmoil. Governments therefore tend to impose regulations on monopolies. For example, “Ofwat is the economic regulator of the water and sewerage sectors in England and Wales” [4] and state that they “make sure that the companies provide household and business customers with a good quality service and value for money.” [5] In some cases monopolies prove to be relatively efficient. It is common for a monopoly to experience economies of scale, this is to say that a firm obtains cost advantages due to expansion. As the magnitude of output increases, a firm’s average cost per unit decreases. Finally, monopolistic firms aren’t necessarily counterproductive for society. A dominant example being Google. Google is arguably the largest monopoly in terms of search engines, however, this isn’t to say that it is an inefficient firm seeing that innovations are presented constantly, (Google books, Google mail, Google maps, etc.).\n\nAs previously stated, a monopoly charges a price higher than the marginal cost. This higher price is undesirable from the consumer’s viewpoint. The higher price however provides profit to the monopoly making it highly desirable by the producer’s viewpoint. Taking total welfare as the sum of consumer and producer surplus, it is arguable to say that a monopoly can be desirable from society as a whole, seeing that the increase in producer surplus increases total surplus. The respective surpluses can be measured in the following way:\n\nconsumer surplus = consumer’s willingness to pay – cost of given good\n\nproducer surplus = revenue of good – cost of production of good\n\nThe monopolist is taken as the single producer of the market. In a competitive market, the equilibrium point of supply and demand is seen as a natural and favourable outcome. Total surplus is at its maximum level because of the efficient allocation of resources set by the “invisible hand of the market”. Overall economic welfare fails to reach its highest level seeing that a monopoly allocates resources differently from a competitive market.\n\nConsider a monopoly in which the profits earned by the firm and consumers’ benefit is cared for. In order for both the producer and consumer to maximise profits, this monopoly tries to maximise total surplus.\n\nTotal surplus in this market would be maximised at the level of output where the demand and marginal cost curves meet. Below that level the value of the good to the consumer trumps the marginal cost of producing the good, so by increasing output total surplus would also increase. Conversely, over this level, the value of the good to the consumer is less than its marginal cost, so by decreasing output total surplus again increases.\n\nThis “ideal” monopoly could achieve the an equilibrium by charging a price relative to the social optimum level of output. Namely, where the demand and marginal cost curves meet. Much like a competitive market, the “ideal” monopoly would charge a price equal to the marginal cost of the good or service.\n\nEvaluating the implications of a monopoly on welfare includes a comparison of the level of output set by a typical monopolist, to the level of output set by the “ideal” monopolist. The typical monopolist produces at the output where the marginal revenue and marginal cost curves meet. Whereas the “ideal” monopolist sets the output relative to where the demand and marginal cost curves intersect. This example is illustrated by the diagram overleaf:\n\nThe fact that a monopoly charges a good at a higher price than its marginal cost, leaves consumers with little incentive to purchase it at more than it is valued, rendering the quantity a monopoly chooses to sell below the socially efficient level. The shaded area between the demand and marginal cost curve is known as the deadweight loss.\n\nIt is at this point that monopolies take the blame for making profit by exploiting consumers’ willingness to pay. It is one thing to blame a monopoly for making more money and another to argue that they have an effect on welfare. A monopoly profit-maximising firm does not necessarily conjure any issues for society. Welfare in an monopolistic market involves the consumer and the producer. Every extra pound spend on a good goes to the producer, increasing his surplus but leaving the total surplus unaffected. The “losers” are the consumers for purchasing an overpriced good. Presenting an argument as to how consumers were wronged in this situation becomes more of a moral matter, however in plain monetary terms, a monopoly doesn’t affect welfare in this sense. The problem welfare faces is not in terms of the pricing but of output. A monopolist produces a quantity below the surplus-maximising level. The deadweigt loss is a measure of much the market diminishes as a result. The problem arises from the inefficiently low quantity produced.\n\nAs proven above, monopolies fail to allocate resources efficiently. They produce less than the social optimum level of output which in turn leads to higher prices. Governments may intervene in one of four ways to deal with a monopoly. Making a monopolistic market more competitive, regulation, publicising private firms or doing nothing.\n\nIn order to make a market more competitive, governments take legal measures in the attempt to prohibit company mergers that coincide with public well-being. Governments also tend to regulate monopolist behaviour. This course of action is more dominant when firms monopolise utilities like water gas or electricity. Firms are no more price setters, government agencies impose prices. It is suggested that prices should equal the monopoly’s marginal cost of producing a good. If this were the case, consumers would consume producer surplus and resources would be allocated efficiently. Nevertheless, seeing that natural monopolies have a declining average total cost, the marginal cost is less than the average total cost. If prices were equal to MC, they would also be lower than the firm’s ATC resulting to the firm losing money. The firm would then exit the industry instead of charging such a low price.\n\nAnother governmental policy includes nationalising former privatised firms. Government intervention in this case may prove to be counterproductive in the sense that a privatised firm would be incentivised by the increased market share to minimise costs of production. If firm managers are not reaching expectations concerning maintaining lower costs they are replaced in order to avoid any inefficiencies. This behaviour is popular throughout the European Union seeing that numerous countries have privatised most utility companies.\n\nEvery governmental policy has repercussions so governments are generally advised not to take any action.\n\nIn conclusion, although monopolies tend to employ profit maximising strategies by charging higher prices, this doesn’t necessarily affect social welfare directly, despite the fact that a fall in total surplus may be traced back to the elevated prices. It has more to do with the quantity supplied, or lack of, seeing that a monopoly will produce at a lower quantity than is socially optimum. In this sense, governments should intervene to prevent monopolies from exploiting consumers’ willingness to pay and their inability to provide a good or service by some other means. On the other hand however, by privatising valuable resources such as coal or water or gas or the environment in general, firms would be forced to maintain a certain level of efficiency while keeping costs to a minimum. Nevertheless by regulating monopolies and preserving competitive markets governments are able to ensure economic stability.\n\n\nReference Copied to Clipboard.\nReference Copied to Clipboard.\nReference Copied to Clipboard.\nReference Copied to Clipboard.\nReference Copied to Clipboard.\nReference Copied to Clipboard.\nReference Copied to Clipboard.\n\nRequest Removal\n\n\nMore from UK Essays", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5674365758895874}
{"content": "Portrait of Asiel Adan Sanchez\n\nAsiel Adan Sanchez\n\nAsiel Adan Sanchez is an organic, gluten-free, vegan, single origin, ethically sourced gender fluid. They may be found in late-night hospital shifts writing lines of poetry in between melancholic insulin orders. Born and raised in Mexico, their work is an attempt to reconcile culture, race, gender and sexuality. They spend their free time kissing boys and crying in public.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.808210015296936}
{"content": "Blog Post Image: Mitosis Flow Chart\n\nmeiosis stages mitosis flow chart\n\nmeiosis stages mitosis flow chart.\n\nmitosis and meiosis flowchart flow chart process of math courses new,process of mitosis flowchart module 5 vs meiosis and,mitosis meiosis flow chart stock pro a and flowchart vs,process of mitosis flowchart and meiosis vs i,process of mitosis flowchart meiosis flow chart vs definition stages function and purpose biology dictionary,mitosis meiosis flow chart vs flowchart process of plant cell division,module 5 process of mitosis flowchart and meiosis vs,unit 4 cell cycle mitosis and meiosis flowchart vs flow chart,mitosis and meiosis flowchart vs flow chart making a for plant animal cells,mitosis meiosis flow chart process of flowchart stock vector ms science cells vs.\n\nchromatin lg process of mitosis flowchart .\nmitosis stages meiosis flow chart .\nmeiosis and mitosis vs flowchart .\nmitosis meiosis flow chart .\ntutor vista a complex meiosis flow chart mitosis vs flowchart .\nmeiosis stages mitosis flow chart .\na flowchart of the process mitosis and meiosis .\n3 and 4 of mitosis process flowchart .\nprocess of mitosis flowchart .\nmitosis and meiosis flowchart .\nstock vector of mitosis vs meiosis flowchart .\ncell processes and energy division the cycle mitosis meiosis flowchart .\nmitosis and meiosis for kids google search process of flowchart .\nmeiosis i flowchart mitosis and .\n\nLeave Comment\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999388456344604}
{"content": "Dating site for creation of a family italy\n\n\nThis remains an important and sacred event in both towns.Gubbio was also one of the centres of production of the Italian pottery (maiolica), during the Renaissance.Ubaldo, each team carrying a statue of their saint mounted on a wooden octagonal prism, similar to an hour-glass shape 4 metres (13 ft) tall and weighing about 280 kg (617 lb).\n\n\nThe historical centre of Gubbio has a decidedly medieval aspect: the town is austere in appearance because of the dark grey stone, narrow streets, and Gothic architecture.\n\nMany houses in central Gubbio date to the 14th and 15th centuries, and were originally the dwellings of wealthy merchants.\n\nOne of these wars saw the miraculous intervention of its bishop, Ubald, who secured Gubbio an overwhelming victory (1151) and a period of prosperity.\n\nIn the struggles of Guelphs and Ghibellines, the Gabrielli, such as the condottiero Cante dei Gabrielli da Gubbio (c.\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9448283910751343}
{"content": "confusing a meteorite\n\nThis ancient meteorite travelled in outer space for billions of years, finally drawn to the earth by its magnetic field. It was found in a desert after entering the earths atmosphere which created a momentary shooting star.  This nickel-iron rich piece of metal will be perpetually attracted to magnetic fields. The meteorite has become an intriguing object, because it is small enough to handle, enabling reflection on the size of infinity.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9969785809516907}
{"content": "The government provides jobs with a living wage for everyone who wants work and can not find suitable work in the private sector. These jobs should emphasise work that the private sector overlooks or ignores the external costs of.\n\nIf there is unemployment then the government is not spending enough. The deficit should be expanded to cover full employment. The return benefits of such a program are high, both in personal benefits to the employee from having secure work, and also to the economy down the track as unemployment generates undesirable costs such as increased health care, higher crime rates and more instability in families. The job guarantee should focus on improving sustainability rather than the current economic growth at any cost model that drives private sector growth. Programs should focus on benefiting society, e.g. - environmental renewal (reforestation, preventing coastal erosion, clearing pollution) - recycling initiatives that are not economically viable for private sector (e.g. door to door collection services) - community sports programs (hint, take the 2 billion flagged to rebuild stadiums in NSW) - personal assistance to less able members of the community\n\nMain idea image", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9940869808197021}
{"content": "2018 Othmar H. Ammann Awards: Now Accepting Entries\n\nView this post on Instagram\n\nScherberg Bridge at dusk and in black and white\n\nA post shared by bridgehunters_chronicles2010 (@bridgehunters_chronicles17) on\n\n\n\nBest Bridge Photo\n\nBest Example of a Restored Historic Bridge\n\nLifetime Achievement (including post mortem)\n\n\nBest Kept Secret- Individual Bridge\n\nMystery Bridge and\n\nBridge of the Year.\n\n\n\nE-mail: flensburg.bridgehunter.av@googlemail.com.\n\n\n\n\nThe Bridges at Checkpoint Bravo (Berlin, Germany)\n\n\nTravelling along the Autobahn 115 heading into Berlin, one will be greeted with a lot of surprises in a form of relicts from the Cold War Days. Even abandoned buildings, lighting and pieces of the Berlin Wall have managed to remain in place after almost 30 years since the Fall of the Wall, which created the domino effect for the rest of eastern Europe and resulted in a reunified Germany.  Some examples of such relicts include those at Checkpoint Bravo, located at the former border splitting Berlin into two at Dreilinden-Drewitz.\n\n\n\nThis slideshow requires JavaScript.\n\n\nFrom 1969 until 1991, this was the former transit point for all cars entering West Berlin from the rest of East Germany.  Patrollmen inspected the vehicles for dangerous goods- those on the East side for those wishing to smuggle themselves to the West at any cost. Restaurants, gas and service station, customs office and holding stations, all of which were the works of the architect mastermind Rainer Rümmler, flanked the Autobahn, which was christened the AVUS Transit during those days.  Relicts from the past still exist today but are partially occupied by administrative offices serving Berlin and the rest of Europe. One can witness the eery feeling of emptiness combined with nostalgia when walking across the former complex that had greeted thousands passing through daily.\n\n\nThis slideshow requires JavaScript.\n\nYet, when looking 2 kilometers to the west, one will see relicts of another former crossing and bits and pieces of the older Autobahn, including a bridge spanning the Teltow Canal. This one has an even more adventuresome history which will be discussed in this tour guide on the bridges at Checkpoint Bravo. To give you an idea what we are looking at, let’s have a look at a pair of maps to help you:\n\nMap of Checkpoint Bravo (right) and Control Point Dreilinden (left). Source: By Global Fish [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)%5D, from Wikimedia Commons\n\n\nTo get there, there are several ways. By car, one can park at the former Checkpoint Bravo site or at some of the parking areas in the Düppel Forest, including the Campground Camping Freude Berlin, located on the south end of Teltow Canal.  The nearest lightrail (S-bahn) and rail stop is Griebnitzsee, yet it is recommended to use the bike to get to the site because the former site is 2 kilometers to the east- that is unless you’re training for the Berlin Marathon, then you can afford the trek into the wild. 😉\n\nI took the rental bike during my stay in Berlin and detouring past the US Consulate in Charlottenburg, I took the chance by biking down there to see the sites that belonged to one of the most important sites in post-war German history; second behind Checkpoint Charlie in the city center.  After spending a couple hours there, one can conclude that Checkpoint Bravo and its sites are definitely worth a field trip for any history class in school.  We’ll have a look at the reasons why beginning with……..\n\n\n….this bridge.\n\nAVUS Bridge at Teltow Canal\n\nThis bridge is the piecemeal of the former East-West Berlin crossing from the southwest. The deckplate girder crossing is about 150 meters long and dates back to 1940. It was part of the first Autobahn that was built in Germany, dating back to 1922. From Funkturm in the city center to Grunewald, the motorway, known as AVUS, was solely used for car racing and for testing automobiles until the time of the Third Reich (1933-45) when they decided to use it for transporting people and goods while at the same time, extend the route to the south. The first segment connected the three-leaf interchange Nuhetal (with A-10 Berlin Ring) with the four-leaf clover interchange Zehlendorf in 1940. The second extended to the southern end of the race track and was completed in 1941. Counting the interruptions because of the last few months of the Second World War and the march on Berlin in 1945, the northern half of AVUS was used for autoracing until 1998.  The AVUS Bridge at Teltow Canal, a.k.a. the Dreilinden Crossing was considered throughfare until after World War II, when Berlin was divided into West and East. Prior to Germany’s defeat, the Nazi soldiers had blown up the crossing to slow down the advancing troops. From 1948 onwards, the Dreilinden Crossing was considered a border crossing and would continue to function as that until 1969, when the East German government decided to shut down the border crossing and as a reaction, the West German government constructed Checkpoint Bravo. Prior to its closure, when people tried crossing between West and East, they were greeted by a restaurant, campground, car parking area and crossguards with patrol house. On the west end, there were flag posts where the flags of West Germany, the Allied Countries and Berlin once waved proudly. The flag post, road signs leading to West Berlin, a few street lamps and the bridge itself are still there today. The restaurant and campground have long since closed and are privately owned. The bridge used to be blocked off during the Cold War with the wall going right across the structure. That was subsequentially removed after the Fall of the Wall. Today, one can use the bridge to cross Teltow Canal and see some of the sites of what used to be the Dreilinden border crossing, but will not be able to see the restaurant and campground. The structure has been considered a historic landmark because of its association with the Cold War and the history of the AVUS. Ironically, the AVUS is the second oldest motorway in the world; the first one was built in 1921 in Italy (Milan-Laghi Autostrada) and was used exclusively as the motorway we know of today. AVUS was solely used as a testing ground and racetrack until 1935.\n\n\n\nThis slideshow requires JavaScript.\n\n\n\nThis slideshow requires JavaScript.\n\nAVUS/Stammbahn Underpass\n\nAs many as four bridges used to span the original stretch of the AVUS from the time it was built in 1940 until the time the autobahn was relocated and the Dreilinden border crossing closed in 1969. This bridge is all that is left today, as it still spans what is left of the route. The bridge consisted of two railroad crossings, although given the unusual width of the brick piers, it might have for one time carried a street or multiple rail lines. However, records show that this bridge was a railroad crossing that carried the original Berlin-Potsdam-Magdeburg Railroad (BPM). The line was created in 1845-47 and used to run through Zehlendorf and Düppel. The rail line also included an S-bahn line that ran parallel between the BPM Route and the AVUS. The line survived for almost 120 years until two events sealed the fate of the Zehlendorf-Griebnitzsee portion of the BPM. The first was the construction of the Berlin Außerring in 1956, which rerouted all train service through Berlin-Wannsee instead of Düppel, Machnow and Stolperweg, all of which ran parallel and across the East-West German border. The second was the construction of the Berlin Wall and the strikes that followed. With the two developments, the line between Griebnitzsee and Düppel was cut off, and the original line was shut down by 1980. Relicts of the line still exist today including this bridge, whose remaining span consists of a single-track steel plate girder span, with an estimated length of 100 meters across the former AVUS. The other spans were removed and reused on other rail lines. Since 2000, there have been talks of revitalizing the original line yet the earliest they will be able to start rebuilding and reopening the line is 2030. While walking past the bridge, one will be greeted by grafiti that covered virtually the entire bridge and piers. 200 meters away of the bridge is a memorial for one of the victims who tried escaping to the western half but was shot on site by East German border guards.\n\nfast fact logo\n\nOn 15 June, 1965, businessman Hermann Döbler and his partner Elke Märtens were on a boating trip from Wannsee to Griebnitzsee when they tried to escape to West Berlin via Teltow Canal. The canal was heavily guarded by patrolmen on the East German side to prevent people from escaping. Still the two took the risk and tried to cross, only to stop 100 meters short of the border and turn around. As Döbler was turning around, two patrolmen opened fire on the boat, hitting him four times in the knee, torso and head and killing him instantly. Elke suffered a grazed bullet in the head but survived with permanent injuries. Döbler had tried to help others escape and even wanted to escape to the west after he was separated from his family because of the Wall. His family was already in the western half of Germany when the Wall was built. The person who shot him was later arrested in 1993 and convicted of murder. He was sentenced to six years in prison.\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Friedhofsbahnbrücke is one of a few well-known relicts left of the train line that connected Berlin-Wannsee and Stahndorf. It was one of two light rail crossings over the border between West and East Berlin during the Cold War. Yet the bridge and the line go back a century. The Baltimore through truss bridge with riveted connections and closed heel bracings was built in conjunction with the creation of the line in 1913-14. While the line survived the first World War, it sustained considerable damage during the second World War, with the light rail stations, much of the 4.2 kilometer track and this bridge itself being destroyed before the end of the war. Attempts to rebuild the line were difficult for the bridge and the tracks were rebuilt, but tensions between the West (USA, France and Britain) and the Soviet Union resulted in splitting Berlin into West and East. Despite attempts to create a border crossing at Wannsee, connecting Stahndorf, the erection of the Berlin Wall in 1961 sealed the fate of the line, for the lone crossings left were at Drewitz (by car) and Wannsee (by train and light rail).  During the 1970s and 80s, both governments dismantled the tracks, bridges and Train stations for they were rendered useless, plus for the western half, they wanted to renaturalize the area. Attempts to reactivate the line via petitions by the church organizations and locals during the 1990s fell on deaf ears because of the lack of financial feasibility of the line. Today, only small sections of the line on the former western end exist, together with a couple bridges, including this one.\n\n\nThis slideshow requires JavaScript.\n\nSadly though, the days of the Friedhofsbrücke are numbered. In 2013, the German Railways (Die Bahn) announced the removal of the bridge for safety reasons, citing the fact that because of its decades-long abandonment, combined with weather extremities and boat traffic passing underneath, the bridge has rusted and corroded to a point where rehabilitation was no longer an option. At the same time, the bridge and the property surrounding it was put up for sale in hopes to unload its liability. Up until now, there is no word as to whether the sale was carried out. During my visit in 2018, the bridge was still standing but the entire decking has been removed, leaving the 200-meter structure all but a superstructural skeleton. Combined with the extreme rust and corrosion on the structure, chances are likely that the bridge will be gone before 2020 latest. And with that, the remains of the Friedhofsbahn that had once benefitted the growing population of Stahndorf. The locals today still don’t understand the reasons for the line’s death nor the logic of the Bahn. Yet with German logic, there are some things that we don’t understand.\n\n\nAutobahn 115 Bridge\n\nOnly 300 meters east of the Friedhofbahnbrücke, one will find the A115 Bridge. Consisting of a single-span tied arch span with three arches, built in a 40° skew, this 150 meter long span is located 250 meters south of the exit Dreilinden and Stolperstrasse. The structure was built in 1995, replacing a steel girder span that was built at the same time as the realigned Autobahn, which was built between 1967 and 1969. Because of the increase in traffic volume, especially after the Fall of the Wall in 1989, the steel structure was no longer able to handle the load and was therefore replaced. The arch bridge was built to the east of the old structure before it was slid into place at the expense of 60s structure. The bridge carries six lanes of traffic and still accommodates large sums of traffic without any problems to this day. And it is a good thing too, for Berlin has been growing by about 3% daily, especially in the outer suburbs.  When entering Berlin from the south, one should exit at Dreilinden/ Stolperstrasse and turn left. There, one will find a museum with the name Checkpoint Bravo at the site of the former East German border crossing at Dreilinden and watchman’s tower. The crossing was built in 1969 when the AVUS was relocated and was preserved in 1998 and converted into a museum, where one will see a gallery, depicting the history of Checkpoints Bravo and Dreilinden and the way of life prior to 1989. One can learn more about this historic site by clicking here.\n\n\nThis slideshow requires JavaScript.\n\nKönigsweg Friedhofsbahn Overpass\n\nThe next bridge is very hidden- so hidden that in order to get to the structure, one has to get down and dirty and fight through the vegetation and rock climb his way down to get to the structure. And even then, it is recommended to do that in the winter time, when all the leaves are off the trees, and one can see the former S-bahn and bridge up close. The bridge is located parallel to the old AVUS, with the trail it carries running parallel to the highway before merging with the current Autobahn A 115 in the direction of Berlin. In the opposite direction, one will find it on the right-hand side of the former AVUS (about 100 meters away) before the Autobahn curves left in the direction of the former checkpoint at Dreilinden. The structure is a single span, closed spandrel, concrete arch Bridge spanning the former track of the Friedhofsbahn with a span of approximately 40 meters. With only one track, one span is logical, otherwise with two or more, one would have either added another arch span or, as practiced with most railway spans in Berlin, a through truss span. Even though we don’t know wo built the bridge, the arch span dates back to the time of the building of the S-bahn and has survived years of war, abandonment and weather extremities for over a century without a scratch. It carries Königsweg, a minimum maintenance road used mostly as a bike trail and pedestrian path connecting Griebnitzsee and Checkpoint Bravo. Sadly though, the bridge has seen better days for there is a restricted weight limit of 16 tons. Furthermore, the lane has been reduced to one lane to ensure that one vehicle can cross at a time. It is unknown how long the bridge will be in service before something happens to it. Even though track remains of the Friedhofsbahn can be seen at the bridge, chances are very likely that the span will be removed and the crossing filled in for the Bahn has shown no interest in reactivating the line, despite pleas from communities affected to have the Bahn reconsider.\n\n\nKönigsweg A-115 Crossing\n\nApproximately 1.5 Kilometers to the east of the arch bridge is the newest of the crossings at the former Checkpoint Bravo and Dreilinden sites. Built in 1998, this bridge is located only 70 meters south of the “Hausbrücke” at Bravo and Features a rare form of a suspension bridge- a steel plate girder bridge that is supported only by the towers and no cables. An additional pier in the middle of the Autobahn is also included to provide stability for the structure, whose length is 61.2 meters and height is 1.65 meters. The architect for the bridge was Benedict Tonon, who had left his mark in Berlin with three other bridges: Marschallbrücke, Anhalter Steg and Hiroshimasteg. Krupp Steel (part of Thyssen Krupp) built the superstructure. While the bridge is obstructed by the Hausbrücke on the north end (unless one is inside that Bridge), one’s best shot for this bridge is on the south end or on the structure itself. The Königsweg was needed for the previous structure, built in 1940, was too short for the city’s plan to widen the A-115 from Potsdamer Chausee and areas to the south in Babelsberg and Potsdam. The 1940 structure, a concrete girder span, used to serve traffic to the residential areas nearby, which were popular during the days of the Cold War. After the Fall of the Wall and German Reunification, many West German residents abandoned the housing areas for newer and better properties in the former East, leaving some parts of the area to renaturalization. Today’s bridge, together with the next one on the tour guide, serves six lanes of A-115 at Bravo, but is mostly used for cyclists and hikers, while only a handful of cars pass through here.\n\n\nBridgehouse at Checkpoint Bravo\n\nApart from the Border Crossing Bridge over the Teltow Canal at Dreilinden, the Bridgehouse at Bravo is the second of the two masterpieces that depict the history of the East-West Berlin crossing at Checkpoint Bravo in full Detail. Like at the Dreilinden crossing, the Housebridge is part of the border Control complex that was built from 1968 to 1972 and was primarily a military base for American troops for over 20 years. It is located only 70 meters south of the Königsweg Crossing, approximately half a Kilometer south of the Potsdamer Chausee interchange, the first Exit when travelling through what was the former West Berlin. During the Cold War, travellers entering East Germany from West Berlin were greeted at Checkpoint Bravo, where their cars were thoroughly inspected to ensure there were no harmful materials that could cause unrest between East and West. Lines of cars along the AVUS were the norm and many had to wait either in waiting rooms at the customs Office or the holding rooms as well as at restaurants located on both sides of the AVUS. Westerners were allowed to enter and leave East Germany, whereas the East Germans were banned from entering West Berlin, as it was part of West Germany. There were many attempts to escape to the West from 1961, when the Berlin Wall was erected, until 9 November, 1989 when the Wall fell and the gates were opened to those who want to see it. Yet during that time, Checkpoint Bravo was also involved in (nearly) successful attempts of smuggling East Germans into West Berlin (and with that, the West).\n\nOne needs to remember that along the AVUS, there were two border crossings from 1969 to the Fall of the Wall: the East German border crossing at Checkpoint Bravo, located at the site of A-115 Bridge over the Teltow Canal and the West German border crossing at Checkpoint Bravo, which is this one. One needs to pass through both to cross. Both sites are considered historic monuments yet the Housebridge and the West Berlin side of Checkpoint Charlie was auctioned off, together with the restaurant in 2010. The Bridge, which was designed by  Rainer Rümmler und Hans Joachim Schröder, together with the rest of the complex, is still standing and serves as a greetings and entry point to Berlin. The complex is still used for film scenes, yet there are no plans for converting at least part of the complex- bridge included- to a museum just like at the one at the East Berlin part of Bravo at Stolperstrasse. Yet anything is possible and it is doubtful that the whole complex- still preserved in ist original pre-1989 form- will disappear anytime soon, for Checkpoint Bravo is still a key part of the history of Berlin, Germany, Europe and the Cold War period, where the US and Soviets faced off for four decades until 1989.\n\n\n\nAfter spending a couple hours by bike and by foot, I found a lot of interesting facts that made this area around Checkpoint Charlie a unique place to visit. While many people prefer a tour guide with simply fancy historic bridges with some historical facts and all, sometimes bridges play a role in the history of the region and possibly the country. The bridges at and around Checkpoint Bravo symbolized the need to connect East and West Germanys as well as Berlin. for the Wall and the division resulted in families being split up and enflamed conflicts between the US and its allies on one side and the Soviets and their Warsaw Pact countries on the other. And even though attempts to keep people from fleeing through Walls and patrol guards were made, one can see that when there is a will, there is a way to circumvent the barriers and bring the sides together. Officials in Berlin on all levels have been working to keep the relicts of the former Berlin Wall from either falling apart or being removed in favor of modernization for reasons that this part of history should not be forgotten. Already, the mentality is “History is History, We worry about the future” is starting to set in, especially with the younger generations. Therefore, it is important that such artefacts are kept in place and restored with the goal of ensuring that this part of German history is not forgotten forever. The Bridges at Checkpoint Bravo is part of that history, which together with the former crossings at Bravo and Dreilinden, people should understand about. After all, in order to learn about what is going on in the present which is effecting the future, one needs to look into the past to determine what actions that were done then can still be used now in order to have a future for younger generations to enjoy.\n\n\n\nThe Bridges of Bridgeport/ Frankenmuth (Michigan)\n\nBronner’s Bridge south of Frankenmuth.  Photos taken in July 2018\n\nThere are tourist traps and then there are tourist traps with historic bridges involved. The tour guide provided here clearly belongs to the latter, and it has a story behind it. As we were travelling north on Interstate 75 in the direction of the Mackinac Bridge, we came across a bilboard that directed us to Bridgeport, home of Michigan’s number one historic bridge. I had known about the first bridge on the tour guide prior to the US trip, yet we also learned about Bridgeport’s next door neighbor, Frankenmuth, a typical German community that was full of surprises. We decided to pull off first at Bridgeport and then head over to Frankenmuth and found more surprises than what we learned about. What will a tourist find in the bridges in Bridgeport/Frankenmuth apart from what is highlighted by links and in the Instagram pages will motivate you to spend a couple days in the region that is only 10 miles south of Saginaw.\n\n\nState Street Bridge (Bridgeport):  When travelling North on Interstate 75, one will come across a bilboard that says Bridgeport, home of Michigan’s number one historic bridge. A first where a bridge is a centerpiece, a tourist attraction, a magnet. However, from a bridgehunter’s point of view, together with his family members who were also armed and dangerous with Lumixes and Pentaxes, the city’s chamber of commerce was right and then some. 🙂  The Bridgeport Bridge spans Cass River at State Street. Built in 1906 by the Joliet Bridge and Iron Company, the bridge features a pin-connected, two-span Pratt through truss bridge with three-rhombus Howe lattice portal bracings with 45° heels. The bridge is a distant cousin of one in Jackson, Minnesota at Petersburg Road, which was built a year later but was removed after flood damage in 1995. The difference is the length of the structure, which is nearly twice as long as the one in Jackson: two 126-foot long truss spans with a total length of 252 feet. Jackson’s was 130 feet, but the total length was 150. After serving vehicular traffic for almost a century years, the bridge was closed to traffic because the center pier was being undermined by the currents, causing the western span to tip over. Yet thanks to efforts conducted by Nathan Holth of historicbridges.org, who documented the Bridge in detail from 2004 to date, the Bridgeport community collaborated with the state and an engineering group, Spicer Group to conduct an in-kind restoration, overseen by Vern Mesler. This was done in 2010 and consisted of dismantling the two trusses off site, sandblasting the bridge parts, and reassemble the bridge exactly as it was built, but with new bolts and eyebars in many cases. The only “new” aspects of the bridge was the new center pier, new abutments, railings and the approaches to the Bridge. That was in addition to a picnic area and pavillion as a bike trail connecting Bridgeport and Frankenmuth was being constructed. The bridge today looks just like it was when it was originally built, including the wooden decking, thus presenting a historic appeal.  Yet there are two more reasons to visit the bridge and pay homage to those who restored it. First of all, there is a historic town park on the eastern bank of the river, where a “revived” main street is lined with historic stores, church and houses dating back a century ago. The Bridgeport Museum, which owns the property, is located along this historic street. Yet it would be a crime to miss out on reason number two, which is the eateries that are located across the Dixie Highway from the bridge, going to the east. The Butter Crust Bakery is located on the corner of Sherman Road and Dixie, and from 6:00 in the morning until 5:00pm on all but Sunday and Monday, one can enjoy jelly-filled donuts, long-johns, mini-cakes and even a glazed ugly (caramel filled pastry with hazelnuts and/or almonds for a very low Price. All of them are locally made and use all natural ingredients- have been doing so for over a half-century. 🙂  An ice cream parlor at State Street just off the highway offers the finest ice cream in the region, including Rocky Road (ice cream with fudge, dark chocolate and marshmallows) and Michigan Pothole (dark chocolate with chips), the latter is named after a typical curse one will find on all Michigan’s roads- potholes, big and small. Both of which are highly recommended, whereas one can see the bridge from the parlor and can even enjoy watching people cross it from the inside.  🙂\n\n\nCSX Bridge\n\nBridgeport (CSX) Railroad Bridge: To the north of the Bridgeport Bridge at State Street is another through truss bridge that gives the photographer on the State Street crossing a chance to get a few shots. The Bridgeport Railroad Bridge spans the Cass River, carrying the CSX Railroad, located approximately 300 feet away. The bridge is considered the longest of the bridges profiled here in the Bridgeport/Frankenburg area, for even though the main span- a Warren through truss with riveted connections and heel portal bracings- is 130 feet long, if one counts the trestle approaches, especially on the southern end, the total length is 530 feet. The bridge was constructed in 1908-09 by the American Bridge Company in New York. The 1908 date came from the concrete abutment, whereas the truss bridge was brought in a year later; the plaque is on the bridge. Together with the Bridgeport Bridge at State Street, the CSX crossing is one of a handful of bridges that still has a railroad and a road crossing running along side or adjacent of each other, but are trussed. The bridge is basically an accessory to the other one nearby and all its historic places located next to it, that it is basically a win-win situation for bridgehunters and historians alike. One cannot photograph one without getting the other.\n\n\nPhoto by James Baughn\n\nGugel Bridge at Beyer Road: Spanning the Cass River, this unique crossing has had a share of its own history as the 114-year old structure is the oldest surviving bridge in the county. The pin-connected Pratt through truss bridge with Town Lattice portal bracings and a pony truss approach span, was originally built to accommodate the Dixie Highway until 1919. It was then relocated to this site where it served traffic until it was closed down in 1979. 25 years later, William ‘Tiny’ Zehnder led efforts to restore the bridge to reincorporate it into the bike trail connecting Bridgeport and Frankenmuth. There are historic markers and benches at the bridge for people to relax when taking a break, while enjoying the natural surroundings of the Cass.\n\n\n\nFrankenmuth Covered Bridge:\n\nIn the eyes of fans of iron bridges, this bridge is a modern “Schande” to the City of Frankenmuth. In the eyes of German tourists this bridge is too “Kitschisch” just like with the rest of the predominantly- German community whose resorts and restaurants resemble those in the Alps, even though the origin of Frankenmuth is from the Franconian Region of Bavaria. Yet in the eyes of covered bridge fans and those who have never seen Frankenmuth before, this bridge is considered the crown jewel for the community, competing with the Bridgeport Bridge at State Street for the best historic Bridge in this tour guide.\n\nYes, the Frankenmuth Covered Bridge, built in 1979 by Milton Graton & Son of Ashland, New Hampshire, is considered historic, even though in ten years time, it could be listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its unique truss design, its aesthetic features and its association with the community. The bridge is 239 feet long and has an A-Frame gable roofing which covers not only the one-lane road deck but also the pedestrian walkway that is on the outside of the bridge, separated by its Town Lattice truss design. Its gabled attic roofing on the sides make it resemble a covered Bridge in the Swiss  For cyclists going from Zehnder’s Restaurant on the west bank to the Bavarian Inn Lodge on the eastern side it is best to push your bike across on the pedestrian walkway as this covered Bridge sees a lot of traffic on a regular basis. The bridge, which carries a weight Limit of 7 tons, is a backdrop to the scenery on both sides of the river. On the east end, there is the Bavarian Inn and Restaurants which includes a park and many acres of green. On the western end there is the Business district, which includes small shops, restaurants and an open-air stage where polka and Bavarian-style music are played daily.  The bridge is next to the docks where boat tours are available to explore Frankenmuth. The Frankenmuth Covered Bridge has several names, but the most common is Holz Brücke (although the words are together in German), whereas Zehnder’s is also used for the masterminder behind the bridge was the town’s entrepreneur, William “Tiny” Zehnder (1919-2006).  Zehnder was the face of Frankenmuth because of his establishment of the Bavarian Inn in 1959, which was basically an extension of one of the restaurants he had owned prior to that. From that time until his retirement in 2004, Tiny carved a place in the history of Michigan by turning original small-town businesses into that of a Bavarian-style architecture which not only revived the town’s Franconian heritage but also made the community of over 6,500 people a popular attraction. Tiny died in 2006, but his family still runs the Bavarian Inn complex today.\n\n\nFrankenmuth Pedestrian Bridge  Perhaps the most interesting bridge in Frankenmuth and on this tour guide that is worth mentioning is this pedestrian bridge. The bridge is the newest one on the block and can be seen from both the covered bridge as well as the Highway 83 Bridge leading into downtown. The bridge is a concrete pony girder, using a similar art Greco design and flanked by flags and ornamental street lanterns on both sides. The bridge is estimated to be between 150 and 170 feet Long and about 10-12 feet wide. The first impression was that with a design like that, it was probably 80 years old. Yet with the structure being between 15 and 30 years old, one could conclude that the bridge could serve as an example of fancy pedestrian bridges that can be built if engineers and city leaders would not worry about the costs but more on the Geschmack the community would like to live with. Not everything needs to be made of just a slab of concrete.\n\n\n\nBronner’s (Black) Bridge:  When entering Frankenmuth from the south along Michigan Highway 83, this is the first bridge you will see. Bronner’s was once located over Cass River at Dehmel Road, having been built in 1907 by the Joliet Bridge and Iron Company. The bridge features a Pratt through truss design with A-Frame portals, whose top chord is decorated with curved lower-cased m and n patterns. The bridge has a total length of 180 feet with the main span being 151 feet long. The decking is 16 feet wide and the height clearance is 14 feet. After 75 years in service, the bridge was relocated to this site, over Dead Creek at Grandpa Tiny’s Farm, one of the ideas concocted by William “Tiny” Zehnder because of his years of farming, alongside his role as Frankenmuth’s well-known entrepreneuer. It has been in its place ever since then, yet it is heavily fenced and secured with cameras to ensure no one walks onto the property unless it is open to tourists. However, you can photograph the structure from both the highway as well as the road going past the farm, at Townline Road. The bridge is located only 500 feet from Bronner’s, the largest store in the world that sells Christmas ornaments and lighting. Regardless of which country and the nostalgia, if you are looking for as special ornament or lights, you will find it there. That includes bubble lights, an American past time that is trying to make its comeback yet they are rare to see.\n\nbubble lights\n\nThere are more along the Cass River, but this tour guide will hopefully Show you the bridges you can visit while experiencing a mixture of German heritage on the part of Frankenmuth and local heritage on the side of Bridgeport. Being only six miles apart, the bridges are easily accessible, both by car as well as by bike or foot. The evidence can be seen in the map below as well as by clicking onto the highlighted links in the guide. There one will see that the Bridgeport/Frankenmuth Region is Michigan’s number one hot spot for bridges spanning over a century’s worth. It is definitely worth a stop for a few hours before travelling to the Mackinac Bridge and the state’s Upper Peninsula to the north.\n\n\nBHC Pic of the Week 13\n\n\nLooks can be deceiving, as we can see in this pic of the week. This was taken at Niagara Falls on the Ontario side looking at the Rainbow Arch Bridge. This bridge spans the Niagara River connecting the Canadian and American sides. When this was photographed, I decided to make it very grey, thus leading the people to think whether this river is completely dry and barren, or full but totally contaminated with thick chemicals that are strong enough to stop any boating traffic. You can have a look and judge for yourself.\n\nFortunately in reality, it was not the case, for we would not have done the boat tour towards the two falls and gotten soaked in the process. The boat tour started with a close-up of Horseshoe Falls (which was behind me when I took this) followed by a visit of American Falls, which is next to the bridge.  As will be seen in my article about Niagara Falls in the sister column The Flensburg Files, if you are there for the Falls, you should see it at level, from Skylon Tower and on this boat tour. Why, you will find out for yourself. In the meantime, enjoy this pic as there are more to come. 🙂\n\n\nTriple Whipple Bridge in Dearborn, County, Indiana\n\n\nOur next bridge profile is a true rarity found in the US; in particular, in one of the most historic bridge-laden states in the country- Indiana. Three miles south of Aurora in Dearborn County, and a half mile west of the Ohio River is the Triple Whipple Bridge. The origin of the name comes from the fact that this 298 foot long through truss bridge is the only truss bridge of its kind left in the United States, whose diagonal beams pass through three panels instead of the two that are typical of the truss design invented by Squire Whipple. Normally, truss bridges have diagonals supporting one panel. The bridge was built in 1878 by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company and used to serve a major highway until the 1950s. Restored in 2008, it still receives its lion’s share of pedestrians and cyclists today.  It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978.\n\nA while back, History in Your Backyard did a documentary on this bridge, which includes an in-depth coverage of its history, let alone a detailed view of the bridge, both ariel as well as on the ground. Before explaining further about this bridge, one should have a look at the film and plan a visit. A map with the bridge’s location is at the end of this article.  Tell us about your impressions of the structure. Recommend it to others, even if they are passing through. There you will see a prime example of how Indiana takes care of its artefacts for others to see while stopping by. Enjoy! 🙂\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSonnebrücke in Kirchberg (Saxony), Germany\n\nAll  photos taken in March 2018\n\nBetween Schneeberg and Zwickau in western Saxony is a small town of Kirchberg. With a population of 8,700 inhabitants, Kirchberg straddles the Rödelbach River, which empties into the Zwickau Mulde River in Wilkau-Hasslau, approximately five kilometers north of the town. In addition to that, Kirchberg is known as the City with Seven Hills, as all seven hills surround the small community, protecting it from the weather extremities, especially in the winter time. Yet it is most difficult to get to the next available towns because of the winding roads one needs to go through. And Kirchberg is one of the most expanded communities with the least population density in Saxony, for 12 Kilometers of area in all directions belong to the community, including all of the small suburbs.\n\n\nWhile Kirchberg has a rather historic but sleepy town center (because buisness usually closes at 3:00pm on weekdays, non on Saturdays), a church on the hill and a couple notable historic bridges along the Rödelbach, one bridge in particular is the focus of this article because of ist unusual design and a classic example of a restored truss bridge. The Sonnebrücke Truss Bridge spans the Rödelbach on the east end of Kirchberg (see map below). The bridge, built in 1882, is unique because of its unusual design.\n\n\nFor instance, the bridge is a pony truss built on a 45° skew. The skewed formation is easy to detect because one can see it from the main highway on ground level and from the hillside on the north bank of the river, it resembles a shoe. The harder part is identifying the truss type for from a distance, it appears to be a bowstring arch span. Yet when taking a closer look, the bridge is actually a Parker pony truss, mainly because of the slight bends of the upper chord per panel. The 24.5 meter truss bridge has nine panels with the highest panel being 1.7 meters tall.  How the bridge was built is the most difficult of all because you can only see the details up close while on the bridge. For instance, the bridge has welded connections, meaning that the beams are attached with gusset plates and welded nails. Given its age, this type of practice was first introduced in the 1880s and the Sonnebrücke is one of the first bridges built using this type of practice. It is one of the rarest bridges whose upper chord consists of a rare type that is seldomly found in truss bridges. While most truss bridges used H, I and T beams for their upper chords and end posts, this one has upper chords whose parts consists of L-shaped beams welded together making it appear like a cross-shaped beam. No truss bridge in the eastern half of Germany has such an unusual chord like that. It is even rarer when compared to the American Phoenix column, which was used on many iron truss bridges in the 1870s and 80s and has round-shaped columns with 4-8 points in the corners.\n\n\nThe Kingdom of Saxony authorized the construction of the Sonnenbrücke in 1882 as part of the railroad project connecting Wilkau-Haslau with Carlsfeld via Kirchberg and Schönheide near the present-day Eibenstock Reservoir. From 1882 until its discontinuation in 1967, passenger and freight trains crossed this bridge daily. It was one of 54 bridges that the line went over, which included six viaducts in and near the Mulde River. Even though the line was discontinued in its entirety by 1980, the Sonnebrücke is one of only a handful of crossings remaining on the line, which has been dismantled in large sections but abandoned on other stretches of track, including the line between Schönheide and Carlsfeld. When the line was discontinued in sections and tracks were taken out, all the bridges and viaducts were removed with steel parts recycled for other uses. Attempts to save some of the viaducts were put down due to lack of financial resources and pressure by the East German government to support the communist system by making use of every resource possible. The Sonnebrücke remained hidden from view for another 40+ years until city officials collaborated with locals and a pair of restoration companies in Saxony to restore and repurpose the structure for recreational use. This happened in 2014 at a cost of 90,000 Euros. There, the bridge was sandblasted and repainted black, some parts were replaced because of the rust and corrosion, and a new flooring made of wood replaced the rail decking which no longer served its function.\n\n\nToday, the Sonnebrücke continues to cross the Rödelbach River but has a new function, which is to provide cyclists and pedestrians with an opportunity to explore the town along the river. This bridge and another crossing at the Hauptstrassebrücke are both part of the former rail line that had once had trains going through Kirchberg, stopping at two stations in town. Today, it carries as a bike trail and even though only a section of the former rail line is used as a rails to trails, the Sonnebrücke and the line that crossed over serves not only as a reminder of a railroad that had once been part of Kirchberg’s history and heritage but also as an example of an unusual truss bridge which had long since been forgotten but the city took care that it received a new purpose in life.  It definitely shows that even with a small portion of money, one can make use of it and make it like it was brand new.\n\n\nAnd with few historic artefacts left in our world, we need more examples of history being restored for generations to learn about. 🙂\n\n\nThe Bridges of Markersbach (Saxony), Germany\n\n\nThere is a proverb that I’ve been going by while bridgehunting recently, especially in the eastern part of Germany: The smaller the community the more historic bridges one can find. While cities, like Chemnitz and Zwickau have numerous bridges, the number of century+ old structures are relatively small in terms of numbers and ratio compared to modern bridges, smaller towns like Glauchau, Aue and even Rochlitz have a higher number of historic bridges. The trend is similar in many small cities and towns in Europe which makes finding historic bridges much easier. Yet when a person finds such a small community that has an important historic bridge, like you are about to read about here, chances are more likely that the person will find more than what they bargained for in terms of finding other structures that are just as significant as the town’s centerpiece.\n\nAnd this is where the tour takes us back to the Ore Mountains but this time, a bit further east of Aue by about 15 kilometers to a town called Markersbach. With a population of only 1600, the town lies deep in the valley of the Bigger Mitweida Creek, which effectively cuts the community and its neighbor Rauschau into two. First mentioned in the history books in 1210, it was part of the Cisterician Monestary and later the Peter and Paul. The Church of St. Barbara, built in 1610, is one of the oldest churches in the mountain regions. The water pump power plant is located at the upper basin of the Mitweida serves the region. The Jenaplan School, based on the concept created by Peter Petersen in the 1920s, is located in Markersbach but the community school’s origins dates back to the 1500s.  Since 2007, Markersbach is a joint-community with neighboring Raschau, which has as many people as its neighbor. The city is served by a major highway connecting Schwarzenberg and Aue to the west and Annaberg-Buchholz to the east. A railroad line connecting Schwarzenberg and Annaberg rarely provides service.\n\nAnd the centerpiece surrounding the community is also the highest viaduct in the region, the Markersbach Viaduct, nicknamed as the Matchstick Bridge, for the structure was built using thin but heavy steel parts.  The bridge was the primary reason for my visit. However arriving there, I found three more significant railroad bridges, a few smaller bridges that are at least 70 years old, a highway viaduct that somewhat fits into the landscape with its color.  That means five major bridges and a couple smaller stone arch bridges can be seen as one travels along the main street that runs parallel to the Bigger Mittweida. This large number of bridges was one of the factors in having a bridge festival in 2010, which included a tour of the viaducts by train and fireworks.\n\nYet given the number of houses and trees that are skewing the view of the bridges, combined with a lack of parking with the car, it is rather difficult to get to the structures without asking the property owners to climb onto the rooves of their houses just to get a good shot of the bridge. Or stand in the middle of the street ensuring one doesn’t get hit from behind by a car.\n\nThis tour will look at the bridges in Markersbach, beginning with the centerpiece, for it symbolizes the community’s history and existence, followed by the less mentioned ones but also have some charm to it. The information is scarce for all but the Matchstick Bridge and therefore will be updated as more people step up with their stories and facts about the bridges. One has to keep in mind that Markersbach can be easily passed over, thanks to the new viaduct (a.k.a. The Flyover) that has been in service for over seven years. Therefore before entering the viaduct, one has to turn off: to the right and down the hill past the loop before seeing the first bridge; to the left there is the grand view of…..\n\n\nthis viaduct!\n\nMarkersbach Viaduct:\n\nThe Markersbach Viaduct is one of the key historic bridges in Saxony one needs to visit. The viaduct spans one of the tributaries that empties into the Bigger Mitweida. With a total length of 236.5 meters and a height of 36.5 meters, the viaduct is the tallest of its kind in the Ore Mountain region. Under the direction of bridge engineer Claus Koepke and built using steel manufactured by the Queen Marie Steel in Cainsdorf (near Zwickau), construction of the bridge took two years, with the completion being 1889, coinciding with the opening of the Schwarzenberg-Annaberg rail line. The line provided train traffic all the way to Leipzig and Berlin until World War II. It was later reduced to Zwickau and then later to Aue. The line no longer serves regular traffic but has special services that provides tourists with a splendid view of Markersbach, the valley and the mountain areas surrounding them. The bridge features nine spans supported by eight trapezoidal towers with X-laced framing. The spans are lenticular deck trusses, whereby the longest spans (two) have curved Warren trusses with 25m each, three 20m spans have polygonal Warren trusses and four 12.5 meter spans have camelback Warren trusses. For each truss type are the triangular panels subdivided. Photos of the viaduct are difficult to do due to the obstruction by the houses. Even getting up close to the bridge is difficult because it requires walking up narrow and winding streets, all but a couple of which are cul-de-sacs occupied by houses and cars. Getting to the opposite side of the viaduct is possible but only through walking through fields and forests. And even then it is hard to come by- one has to be lucky to get up close and personal with the bridge. However a grand view of the entire bridge can be found off the highway at the intersection where the bridge bypass and the road leading to Markersbach meet. That impromtu observation platform is nothing more than a road that used to enter Markersbach before the bypass and the highway viaduct were built.\n\nThis slideshow requires JavaScript.\n\n\n\nHighway 101 Flyover Viaduct\n\nIn 2005, construction began to construct a nearly 2 km bypass to alleviate traffic going into and through Markersbach. The plan: To construct a tall viaduct which would not only “fly” over the community crossing the Mitweida Valley, but it would also make travel between Annaberg and Schwarzenberg much smoother, especially for trucks. Furthermore, it would provide passers-by with a splendid view of Markersbach, its prized viaduct and much of the mountain while driving “in the air.” 😉  The project was not easy as erosion, causing mudslides hindered consturction, the worst having occurred on the eastern slope in October 2006. The next problem was establishing a firm foundation for the pylons, which was discovered the following July.  When the bridge finally opened in November 2011, it was four years behind schedule. However, the delay was worth it for the jeans-blue steel deck girder with cantilever features now hovers the community and its valley, narrowly surpassing the railroad viaduct by only 7.5 meters. The Flyover is 317 meters long and has two lanes totalling 25 meters. The cost for the project: 25 million Euros, twice as much as previously planned. Yet the Flyover is still most travelled today giving residents a piece of mind without having to worry about their children running across the street and risk getting hit by trucks and racing cars.\n\n\n\n\nMitweidathal Viaduct:\n\nWhen entering Markersbach by turning off at the Flyover, one will be driving down the hill along the winding stretch of what was Highway 101 (German: B101), flanked by trees on both sides. Yet at at the loop where one crosses the Mitweida Creek, one enters the community, greeted by houses on both sides of the street and this bridge. One should not be fooled by its appearance. It is definitely not the Markersbach Viaduct because of its height. One can even see the difference from a distance- either at the observation point at the Flyover or even along the former highway on the left entering town. The Mittweidathal Viaduct is shorter in length but it is not just simply a bridge, whose characteristics are its curve towards the Markersbach Viaduct as well as its brick piers. When looking closely at the 86 meter long and 10 meter high viaduct, it features brick piers with quarzite-like stripes and six spans, each one featuring a deck plate girder supported by polygonal Vierendeel trusses. Because of the absence of diagonal beams they are not Parker trusses, yet they have an appearance of a lenticular truss. So to categorize the truss style, it is considered a half-lenticular polygonal Vierendeel truss with welded connections. The bridge has existed as long as the rail line itself. Yet because of its seldom use, age caused by weather extremities has taken its toll. Should the line be used again, either as train service or as a bike trail, some repairs will be needed to ensure the bridge continues to function in its original form.\n\nThis slideshow requires JavaScript.\n\n\n\nSt. Barbara/ Annaberg Street Viaduct:\n\nAbout 400 meters away from the Mitweida Viaduct and following the former highway through Markersbach is this viaduct. The St. Barbara Viaduct was named after the nearby church- the oldest one in Markersbach- which is located on the same street as the viaduct crosses: Annaberg Street. The 70-meter long viaduct features four spans of deck plate girders, the longest is 30 meters and features a Camelback girder design which hovers over a side street that is opposite Abrahamsbach Creek) and runs pararell to Annaberg Street. Where that span crosses is near houses that line up along two sharp curves, which is dangerous for all vehicles.  The viaduct looks like one of the newer spans that had replaced a previous bridge, but it is unknown when the replacement date was. We know that the bridge is 200 meters away from the Markersbach Viaduct and is located near some key points in the community: the afreoemntioned church, a Methodist Church, a park and the Jenaplan School. Even though the viaduct is seldomly used today, a curious question I have is how people tolerated living right next to the viaduct, especially during Sunday mass at church? 😉\n\nThis slideshow requires JavaScript.\n\n\n\nRaschau Viaduct:\n\nThe last bridge on the tour takes us one kilometer west to neighboring Raschau and this bridge, the Raschau Viaduct. Like the Markersbach Viaduct, the Raschau Viaduct is the most original of the bridges profiled here, as the bridge dates back to the construction of the rail line. This is especially noticeable as the seven-span viaduct, built on stone piers, features Town Lattice deck trusses, built using welded connections and a thick network of diagonal beams both in the inner and outer portions of the spans. The bridge has a total length of 112 meters, making it the second longest crossing along the Schwarzenberg-Annaberg rail line. The width is 12 meters. The height above the streets is four meters, making it the lowest crossing above ground level along the line as well. Height restrictions have been enforced to discourage truck drivers from using the streets. With the Flyover, combined with access on both ends of Markersbach and Raschau, the bridge has not sustained any damage, even though German laws have also played a role in forbidding overweight and oversized vehicles from using the road. Had this bridge been located in the States, with its lack of laws forbidding such vehicles, the Raschau Viaduct would not have survived such careless driving, and the driver would most likely have been forced to pay for a new bridge. However, because of its conformity to the landscape and its beauty, this viaduct will most likely remain for a long time.\n\nThis slideshow requires JavaScript.\n\nThere are a few single-span arch bridges but with the exception of a railroad overpass, these structures are only short spans and are difficult to photograph. A couple points of interest are worth photgraphing, which are noted in the Google Map. The bridges presented in this tour guide are examples of structures that represent a small community, whose history play a role in establishing the community and bringing it together. And while all but one are seldomly used today, the bridges at Markersbach are indeed diamonds in the rough, which is worth a couple hours of visiting and taking some photos. Even more so if the community has bridge festivals and other local celebrations throughout the year. 🙂", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7929484248161316}
{"content": "Rearrangement of existing treatment facilities for optimum bioreactor configuration offers a cost-effective upgrading possibility. Model experiments were performed to determine how the configuration of bioreactors of a given total volume can influence system performance, with the goal of influencing planned modifications of activated sludge plants in Hungary. In the first experiment, two bioreactors arranged in series were compared to two in parallel. In the second experiment, a two-stage system with sludge recycle around each stage was compared to a single-sludge selector system. In the last experiment, three types of selectors (two anoxic and one aerobic) were evaluated for addition to a conventional, flow-through activated sludge system. The experiments were performed with dairy-type synthetic wastewater and with effluent from the primary clarifier of an existing municipal treatment plant.\n\nReactor arrangement had a great influence on the effectiveness of the treatment, primarily by inducing significantly different sludge structures. The in-series reactor arrangement proved to be, in every respect (effluent COD, residual detergent, and sludge characteristics), more efficient than the parallel arrangement. The two-stage system produced more sludge than the selector system, and the SVI values of the second stage of the two-stage system were extremely unfavorable. However, the effluent from the second stage was significantly clearer. Separating the selector from the flow-through reactor improved the sludge settling considerably. This facilitated an increased hydraulic load in the secondary clarifier and thereby in the whole treatment system.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8272842168807983}
{"content": "Tournament Rules\n\n/Tournament Rules\nTournament Rules2015-07-02T00:40:33+00:00\n\nRUHR-Cup International\n\nU19-Tournament 2017\n\nAugust, 03. – August, 06. 2017\n\n  1. Organizer of the tournament is Borussia Dortmund.\n  2. All matches will be played in accordance with the rules of the German Football Association (DFB), the Western German Football and Athletic Association (WFLV) and the following rules of the tournament.\n  3. The eight teams taking part will be divided into two groups of five teams. A team will be awarded three points for a win, one point for a draw. If the points of two or more teams are leveled the difference of goals decides, if the difference of goals is leveled, the more scored goals decides. Is this also leveled, the direct comparison to each other will decide, otherwise there will be a penalty shoot-out by the rules of the DFB (3 penalty shooter of each team).\n    The first and second placed teams of each group will play the semi-finals. The third placed teams of each group will play the game of fifth and sixth place; the fourth placed teams of each group will play the game of seventh and eighth place, and the fifth placed teams of each group will play the game of ninth and tenth place.\n    All final-round matches ended in a draw will be decided by kicks from the penalty mark (3 penalty shooter of each team). Extra time will not be played.\n  4. Basically, only players who were born on or after the 1st of January 1999 are allowed to take part in the tournament. Furthermore, there are up to 6 players who were born in the year 1998 allowed. Every player has to prove his identity and age by presenting a valid official identity card of his football association (with photograph). Identity cards and passports, respectively, as well as a list of players must be submitted to the organising committee before the start of the tournament. The shirt numbers have to remain for all games.\n    In order to increase the strength and appeal of the teams, they may also field players not registered with their club (e.g. players on trial from another club).\n  5. All games during the group stage will last 2 x 20 minutes; also the semi-finals and the games of fifth, seventh and ninth place. The game of third and fourth place will last 2 x 30 minutes. The final will last 2 x 40 minutes. If a semifinal-game or one of the finals ends up in a draw, it will go straight into penalty shoot-out (3 penalty shooter of each team).\n  6. In every match four players (incl. the goalkeeper) can be substituted.\n  7. In addition to the showing a yellow card for a cautionable offence, the referee can show a yellow/red card for a second cautionable offence in the same game, resulting in that player being sent off. In case of a yellow/red card the player is automatically banned from playing in the next game. All yellow cards are eliminated after every single game. If a player is sent off by showing the red card the tournament organisation will assess the penalty during the tournament by the usual regulations of the DFB.\n  8. The AWAY team (team listed second) must switch to an alternate jersey if the referee declares a color conflict.\n  9. All teams have the obligation to take part in this tournament with their best team.\n  10. By participating in this tournament every team agrees to the above rules and to accept all decisions of the tournament organsisation.\n  11. Each team will receive a copy of the lists of players of all other teams.\n  12. Decisions about disputes that are caused because of incidents during the tournament or the interpretation of the tournament regulations are handled by the tournament leadership. Those decisions are incontestable. This regulation applies for the valuation of the games, too.\n\nBorussia Dortmund\n-tournament organisation-", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9405878782272339}
{"content": "What's the difference between a psychologist and...?\n\n\n\nAs it’s National Psychology Week we thought we’d blog about psychologists! We get asked quite a few questions about psychologists, including:\n\n  • What does a psychologist do?\n  • What’s the difference between the different types of psychologists?\n  • What’s the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist? Between a psychologist and a counsellor/therapist/psychotherapist? Between a psychologist and a coach?\n\nWell stay tuned because we will help shine a light on these questions.\n\n\nEverybody has heard the term psychologist, but how well do we understand what that word means?\n\nIn Australia the term “psychologist” is a protected title, registered under national law. This means that to be able to call yourself a psychologist (or “Registered psychologist”), you must be registered with the national regulation agency – in this case, the Psychology Board of Australia (PBA).  The PBA is part of a larger national body known as the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).  All sorts of registered health professionals – social workers, dentists, nurses etc are regulated by this agency.\n\nPsychologists must meet certain criteria –to have completed a minimum six-year sequence of study and training in psychology at an accredited university. We then need to meet an ongoing professional development requirement each year to maintain that registration, and meet strict ethical guidelines.\n\nYou may have noticed that we at The Skill Collective call ourselves Clinical Psychologists. Psychologists can do further study to specialise in a certain area of psychology, and this involves an additional minimum of two years postgraduate study, plus a further two year supervised registration period, to qualify for “specialist endorsement” from the PBA.\n\nThere are only certain areas of specialisation recognised for psychologists in Australia, so the following terms will be ‘protected’ meaning that you must have completed the necessary additional training before you can use these titles. These are:\n\n  • Clinical Psychologist\n  • Clinical Neuropsychologist\n  • Counselling Psychologist\n  • Organisational Psychologist\n  • Community Psychologist\n  • Educational and Developmental Psychologist\n  • Forensic Psychologist\n  • Health Psychologist\n  • Sport and Exercise Psychologist\n\nOther terms that you may have seen paired with the title Psychologist likely denote their position within the organisation (e.g. Senior) or their working arrangement (e.g. Consultant). Such terms aren’t regulated by the Psychology Board of Australia.\n\n\nWhen considering between similar sounding professions, there are two main things to look out for:\n\n1. Whether the title is regulated by a professional body and protected by law\n\nWhy is this important? Because it guarantees that the only people who have completed the minimum training requirements and comply with particular ethical standards can hold the title, which gives the public reassurance that there is a minimum level of training and ethical practice attached to these professionals. That is, not anyone can just call themselves psychologists or psychiatrists if they do not have the proper training, and can be prosecuted by the law. \n\n\n2. What minimum training is required to hold the title\n\nHow much training would you like your health professional to hold if you are placing your wellbeing in their hands? With regulated professional bodies that have the ability to enforce the amount of training, you can expect that across the profession all individuals that hold that title have at least a minimum level of training.\n\nFor example, all psychologists have a minimum of four years of university training, plus either another two years of postgraduate studies or two years on-the-job training while being supervised regularly by a psychologist.\n\nAnd, for all psychologists that hold endorsement, you know that they have had a minimum of the four years of university training, plus a further two years of postgraduate studies, plus another two years of on-the-job training while being supervised by a psychologist who holds a specialisation.\n\n\n\nPsychiatrists are medical practitioners who have undertaken additional training to specialise in mental health. The term psychiatrist is protected by law so only those who complete accredited training, complete ongoing professional development every year to maintain their registration, and abide by ethical standards, are able to use this title.\n\nPsychiatrists can provide medical and psychological interventions. They can also provide interventions such as electro convulsive therapy or repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for mental health problems. Psychiatrists can prescribe medication and admit people to hospital if needed.\n\nPsychologists do not prescribe medication or admit people to hospitals, but instead focus more on looking at how a person’s thoughts and behaviours maintain how they feel, and applying skills and strategies to help people make sustainable changes in their lives.\n\n\n\nUnlike the term psychologist or psychiatrist, the term counsellor is not protected by law. Neither are the terms psychotherapist or therapist. That means that there is no national registration agency, or accreditation system for these professional titles. There are groups out there, such as the Australian Counselling Association, whose aim is to set professional standards for the industry, however it is up to the individual counsellor to adhere to these standards. \n\nA person advertising themselves as a counsellor or psychotherapist may have completed tertiary level education, done further ongoing training, belong to a professional club or society and have a wealth of experience. Or they may have no experience or training at all.\n\nThis is not to say that you will receive poor care if you seek the services of a counsellor; indeed there are many well-qualified, highly professional counsellors out there. All is means is that you will have to do your homework.\n\nIf the mental health professional you are seeing does not have use of a protected term like psychologist, find out what kind of training and experience they have.\n\n\n\nThe terms ‘coach’ and ‘life coach’ aren’t protected terms, and there are no minimum training requirements. So, while some may choose to adhere to the International Coaching Federation’s guidelines, it is important to note that not everyone who calls themselves a coach needs to.\n\nIn fact, some psychologists also call themselves a coach because this reflects what type of work they do. That is, they help people assess their situation, identify what changes are required, and help them in the changes process.\n\nOne of the advantages of seeing a psychologist to ‘coach’ you in life is that we are trained in assessment, goal setting, problem-solving, and have specialised in studying human behaviour and how to make sustainable life changes to achieve personal and professional growth.\n\nPsychologists are also trained in identifying mental health issues that may get in the way of making changes in life. Examples that we have worked with include:\n\n  • Difficulties in transitioning into a new work role because of difficulties managing work conflict, or anxiety about doing public speaking or chairing meetings.\n  • Problems with procrastination when it comes to studying or working because of underlying depression affective motivation to study.\n  • Feeling overwhelmed at work because of a lack of work-life balance, however underlying perfectionism gets in the way of feeling truly effective in any one area.\n  • Conflict within teams impacting on performance may stem from how you interpret other’s actions and comments.\n\nIn such instances psychologists draw upon their training to provide clients with the best scientifically-validated ways of bringing about sustainable changes. So, you can see that we do ‘coach’ individuals in life to achieve their goals.\n\n\nHopefully the information above has been helpful in working out the distinction between psychologists and other similar-sounding professions. Thanks for reading. We hope that you enjoyed it as much as we did writing it.\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6921236515045166}
{"content": "Like others have said there is no trailhead at first. You will walk down what looks like a private drive and eventually hit the spot where the trail starts. There are two trails at that point, go straight left. The tree has an orange marker. It’s an easy hike to the top of the falls. If you decide to continue on the trail is marked with orange hiking tape. Sometimes you have to really look but they are there. Lots of leaves on the forest floor and everything was wet making it slippery so be careful if you continue on. It was s good workout continuing on due to the steepness of the terrain. The waterfall was flowing good due to the recent rain. Will do again next year when things are green!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5358762741088867}
{"content": "\n\nArtist's description:\n\nA quote to remind as creative individuals that we are not only creative but intelligent.\n\nMaterials used:\n\n\nCreativity is (2015)\n\n\nThis artwork is sold by Traci Maturo from United States\n\nWould you like 10% off?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999871850013733}
{"content": "The Best Direction For Sleeping\n\n\nIn Hinduism, East direction is considered the most auspicious direction, the direction of the divine. It is believed that divine vibrations radiate from this direction, which spread spirituality.\n\nThe atmosphere consists of three kinds of energies, known as the Satva, the Rajas and the Tamas. The Satva energy radiates Godliness in the environment. It relates to the qualities such as - kindness, love, harmony, forgiveness, compassion, etc. The other two energies focus on the qualities that the materialistic world is abundant in. Rajas radiates the qualities of materialistic man, and relates to ambition, restlessness, desires etc. And Tamas radiates evilness. This relates to qualities such as sleep, laziness, addiction, greed, lust, etc. The best among all the three qualities is the Satva. It leads a man to self awareness which further becomes the way to knowledge and salvation, the ultimate aim of human being on the Earth.\n\nsleeping direction\n\nAll these qualities are present in the human beings but in different proportions. Also, the proportion keeps changing with the daily routine of the person at the different timings of the day. The morning hours are associated with the Satva qualities. The night is associated with the Tamas.\n\nSince the East direction is associated with the divinity and considered the most holy direction, it is also associated with the Satva form of energy. Means, that the Satva energy is radiated from this direction.\nNow, you must be wondering what is the association of this direction with sleeping. Well, here is the answer.\n\nHuman body has three sub-parts. These are the physical body, the mental body, and the subtle body. The subtle body is also known as the spirit. This subtle body which is responsible for the consciousness of the being, is attached with the physical body through a silver cord. This silver cord stays attached with both of these under all the states.\n\nThe head part of the subtle body is the most important part. It is from where awareness, knowledge and positiveness enter the human body. This leads to the spiritual awakening and enlightenment and awareness of the human being.\n\nAyurveda tells that there are seven chakras in the human body. These chakras keep rotating and are responsible for the regulation of the energy in the human body. When there is an access to positive energy, the chakras rotate in the right direction, leading to the generation of more Satvik energy.\n\nJust as the morning time is associated with Satvik energy, the night time is associated with the Tamasik energy. Therefore, the individual possesses more of the Tamasik vibrations during this time. He radiates negative or Tamasik qualities at night. Such vibrations must be directed towards the West. So that, they can leave the body, and let the positive energy enter the body. West direction is associated with the Tamasik qualities.\n\nOne fact is very important to understand here, that energies enter a body through the head of the subtle body and leave the body through the feet.\n\nWhen an individual sleeps heading East, and keeping legs towards the West, the negative energies associated with the West are directed towards West itself, going out through legs. The positive energy coming from the East, comes and enters the body.\n\nHowever, if it is the other way, meaning that the head is towards the West and the legs towards the East, the negative energy that is already predominant in the body, moves towards the West through the legs. This Tamasik energy, clashes with the Satvik energy coming from the East, though in a minute amount, because it is the night. And since the head is facing the West, what enters the body through the head is nothing but the Tamasik and negative vibes coming from the West. This leads to the abundance of negative vibes in the body.\n\nFor every form of energy, the rule is that the majority wins. Which means that the energy whichever is more in the body will be dominating. Therefore, when there is an abundance of negative and Tamasik, energy, it becomes predominant.\n\nThis abundance of the negative energy turns into excess when the person sleeps in this direction everyday. Hence, the scriptures recommend sleeping in the East-West direction.\n\nFor Quick Alerts\nFor Daily Alerts\n\n    Read more about: spirituality vastu\n    Story first published: Tuesday, May 22, 2018, 21:00 [IST]", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6043124794960022}
{"content": "Ada(ETH) zu KES\n\numwandeln (wechselkurs)\nAda(ETH) zu Kenyan Shilling\n\n❯❯ zu ❯❯\n0.0000 KES\n\nMore info about Google Ads on this page.\n\n\n\n\nKenyan Shilling\n\nThe shilling (sign: KSh; code: KES) is the currency of Kenya. It is divisible into 100 cents.\n\n\nAnother conversions\n\nCardano zu Kenyan Shilling, Archetypalnetwork zu Kenyan Shilling, Actioncoin zu Kenyan Shilling, Adbank zu Kenyan Shilling, Audiocoin zu Kenyan Shilling, Asiadigicoin zu Kenyan Shilling, Ada(ETH) zu Kekcoin, Ada(ETH) zu Darsek, Ada(ETH) zu Keyco, Ada(ETH) zu Selfkey, Ada(ETH) zu Kangaroobits2, Ada(ETH) zu KrugerCoin,\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9493937492370605}
{"content": "Creating stability in conflict-affected countries: What role for employment practices?\n\nThe image of a war profiteer – an individual or private company benefitting from a period of violent instability – is well recognised.\n\nLess well-established in the public imagination are the business women and men who see violent conflict as a threat to their livelihoods, by disrupting their links to suppliers and markets. While some private companies undoubtedly profit from instability, violent conflict has significant negative effects on a country’s economy and therefore most private businesses suffer during periods of violence and can take a long time to recover. In conflict-affected countries there are thus many business people with a strong business incentive to support peacebuilding, in addition to their personal interest in safety and security, and concern for society at large. Businesses can play a variety of roles supporting peacebuilding efforts, some which are more obvious than others.\n\nInternational Alert has been working for many years with business people and associations to encourage their interest in supporting peacebuilding. Alert’s programmes in this area can be organised into two broad categories, with either businesses collaborating with civil society and government to implement peacebuilding activities, or companies adopting ways of conducting their business activities that are sensitive to conflict dynamics and avoid contributing to drivers of instability. In Sri Lanka, for example, Alert helped private sector actors build reconciliation across ethnic lines through a ‘business for peace’ alliance. Alert has also played a leading role in promoting conflict sensitive business practices, or ‘CSBP’.\n\nFor at least a decade, the concept of CSBP has received a lot of attention from outside the private sector as well as within it. On the whole it is well known what businesses, both local and multinational, need to do to through their operations to avoid contributing to instability, yet gaps exist in the evidence base. One such gap is a detailed understanding of how companies’ employment practices can contribute to stability in conflict-affected countries. Conflict insensitive employment practices can certainly contribute to instability; in countries with fragmented social groups, for example, perceived favouritism in employment opportunities towards one group can create grievances that fuel violence. It is less obvious what the principles of stability-promoting employment practice look like, what regulatory frameworks are needed to enable these principles to take effect, and, importantly, how the risks of adopting these practices can be managed.\n\nAt the recent Third Annual Conference of the Knowledge Platform Security & Rule of Law, participants grappled with this concept. A key question is what is understood by stability; in conflict-affected countries where an elite monopolises political power and economic resources, stability could mean maintaining the exclusive status quo and laying the foundations for future violence. Therefore stability should perhaps be regarded as a dynamic process, encompassing (non-violent) political and economic change that includes constructive challenges to the existing order. Another important question is about the type of employment needed for stability.\n\nShould this employment be in the regulated formal sector, or the informal sector, which accounts for roughly half of all jobs in countries in Africa and Asia? Does employment in one of these sectors have a greater effect on stability (acknowledging that the line between them is blurry)? Moreover, what is it about employment that helps create stability; is it the income, the dignity it gives, or some other factor?\n\nThere are also more practical considerations. Unless carefully implemented, attempts to make employment practices contribute to stability could have the opposite effect. Careful implementation has to start with careful assessment and management of the risk that changed practices might have negative results. For example, a business trying to promote reconciliation between the Rohingya and Rakhine in Myanmar by hiring from both groups could find itself under attack by militant Buddhist groups as a result and have to close. Simple recommendations to businesses when trying to maximise the positive impact of their employment practices, such as adopting non-discriminatory hiring, are clearly not sufficient. The complexity of conflict dynamics demands that ‘good enough’ approaches to employment, that aim for peacebuilding impact but also minimise risks, are found.\n\nGreater clarity of concept and praxis is needed if the apparent potential for private sector employment to contribute to stability and peace is to be capitalised on. Over the next three years a better understanding will emerge, thanks to the research projects on employment for stability under the Call supported by the Platform that are underway, including that led by the Bonn International Center for Conversion, of which Alert is a part.\n\n> Watch our Peace Talks discussion on the linkages between business and peace\n\nPhoto: Building a brick wall on a construction site, Kabul, Afghanistan, 2010 © Kanishka Afshari/Canada in Afghanistan (Creative Commons)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5003965497016907}
{"content": "MrExcel Publishing\nYour One Stop for Excel Tips & Solutions\n\n\nPosted by Rob on December 31, 2001 7:19 AM\n\nI am trying to get a formula to do alot of things.\n\nThis is obviously wrong, but close.\nThis determines breaks on a scheduled time shift on a work schedule. (ex. over 7 hours(1 hour break), over 5.5 hours(.5 hour break))\nI want to calculate the difference between two cells in a time format, using only time and not date format. I tried to use a simple subtraction and it didnt work, because I didnt want to use a date and time format so I used a decimal format.\nIs there a way to do a side formula to figure out the time difference and then use that value(ex. X) to figure out the IF's that I need to determine. Or is there a way to use only a time format without the date(there is not enough room in my cell width on the worksheet for both) and then do the difference in a time format???\n\nPlease help\n\nPosted by Barrie Davidson on December 31, 2001 7:23 AM\n\nRob, try using this:\n\n\nBarrieBarrie Davidson", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8824487328529358}
{"content": "Senior Marketing Database Manager\n\nAT&T - El Segundo, CA3.8\n\n30+ days ago\nAT&T’s Mobility & Entertainment (M&E) Consumer Marketing & Analytics organization is committed to driving individual product excellence, while accelerating our multi-product household base.\n\nDo you have a passion for digging for answers in data, solving problems that nobody else can solve, segmentation and statistical methods? How about using advanced skills in trend analysis, root cause analysis, other data analysis techniques to leverage data from internal and external sources to explain or predict behavior, solve a variety of business problems, and monetize products for sale? One of the most important aspects of this position is to take very large quantities of customer data and analytic results and condense it down into a coherent story with clear, easy to follow conclusions, implications informed by knowledge of the business, and actionable recommendations. If this sounds like you, keep reading.\n\nWe are looking for a talented, highly motivated individual with a strong quantitative orientation, a broad knowledge of math, statistics and business, hands-on data analysis skills and exceptional strategic thinking to join our Analytics organization. You are the person who gives meaning to the data. You are the type of person who can identify the “why” or “so what” from data distilled from various sources. You can demonstrate your extensive experience doing hands-on analysis and strategic thinking, as well as showcase your experience manipulating large datasets using computer languages (SQL/SAS) and summarize the data into insights and communicate your findings and recommendations with our marketing partners, and other organizations.\n\nKey areas of focus include:\nGather, analyze, and interpret a wide variety of data to optimize marketing spend, targeting, and segmentation\nProjects include marketing target optimization, A/B test design and analysis, consumer segmentation, metric forecasting, and sales analysis\nDevelop charts, tables, and other visual aids in support of findings\nAdvise business partners with regards to patterns and relationships in the data to recommend business direction or outcomes\nCross-product interaction analysis across the entire suite of AT&T products\n\nSkills needed to be successful:\n5+ years of experience in data analytics, direct marketing, or related field\nProficient in SAS and/or SQL\nExperience with large transactional databases\nMust possess a solid understanding of basic statistics and consumer marketing\nStrong communication skills and ability to influence others\nExperience in large media, technology, ecommerce, or other subscription-based company is a plus", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9997235536575317}
{"content": "STABLE's mission is strengthening Washington, DC's contemporary visual arts community by providing affordable and sustainable studio space, fostering an engaged, diverse community, and collaborating with local, national, and international partners providing programming and exhibition opportunities in Washington, DC.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9987849593162537}
{"content": "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)\n\nNeuropsychopharmacology. 2007 May;32(5):1032-41. Epub 2006 Oct 18.\n\nInhibition of Fatty-Acid Amide Hydrolase Accelerates Acquisition and Extinction Rates in a Spatial Memory Task.\n\n\n\n Recent reports have demonstrated that disruption of CB(1) receptor signaling impairs extinction of learned responses in conditioned fear and Morris water maze paradigms. Here, we test the hypothesis that elevating brain levels of the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide through either genetic deletion or pharmacological inhibition of its primary catabolic enzyme fatty-acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) will potentiate extinction in a fixed platform water maze task. FAAH (-/-) mice and mice treated with the FAAH inhibitor OL-135, did not display any memory impairment or motor disruption, but did exhibit a significant increase in the rate of extinction. Unexpectedly, FAAH-compromised mice also exhibited a significant increase in acquisition rate. The CB(1) receptor antagonist SR141716 (rimonabant) when given alone had no effects on acquisition, but disrupted extinction. Additionally, SR141716 blocked the effects of OL-135 on both acquisition and extinction. Collectively, these results indicate that endogenous anandamide plays a facilitatory role in extinction through a CB(1) receptor mechanism of action. In contrast, the primary psychoactive constituent of marijuana, Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol, failed to affect extinction rates, suggesting that FAAH is a more effective target than a direct acting CB(1) receptor agonist in facilitating extinction. More generally, these findings suggest that FAAH inhibition represents a promising pharmacological approach to treat psychopathologies hallmarked by an inability to extinguish maladaptive behaviors, such as post-traumatic stress syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder.\n\nPMID: 17047668 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]\n\n\n\nLearn Mem. 2006 Jul-Aug;13(4):426-30.\n\nAversive Memory Reactivation Engages in the Amygdala Only Some Neurotransmitters Involved in Consolidation.\n\nBucherelli C, Baldi E, Mariottini C, Passani MB, Blandina P.\n\nDipartimento di Scienze Fisiologiche, Universitá di Firenze, 50134 Firenze, Italy.\n\nConsolidation refers to item stabilization in long-term memory. Retrieval renders a consolidated memory sensitive, and a \"reconsolidation\" process has been hypothesized to keep the original memory persistent. Some authors could not detect this phenomenon. Here we show that retrieved contextual fear memory is vulnerable to amnesic treatments and that the amygdala is critically involved. Cholinergic and histaminergic systems seem to modulate only consolidation, whereas cannabinoids are involved in both consolidation and reactivation. The lability of retrieved memory affords opportunities to treat disorders such as phobias, post-traumatic stress, or chronic pain, and these results help searching for appropriate therapeutic targets.\n\nPMID: 16882859 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6760115623474121}
{"content": "CALL Mentor Spotlight: Andres Cabrera\n\nAndres Cabrera\n\n\nAndres Cabrera is a senior at Arizona State University majoring in Communications. He is first generation American coming from Latin American roots, his mother from Colombia and father from Mexico. His interests outside of school include sports, watching movies and making music. Andres also enjoys volunteering at his church, where he has the opportunity to contribute in the music and youth program. He also enjoys attending art events where he can take in different photography, cinematography, and music from artists all over the city. Due to his Latin roots, Andres’ passion is truly heard in his culture, where friendships and family are a priority.\n\nWe Salute You for your hard work & dedication to CALL!\n\n\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9870256781578064}
{"content": "\n\nThe results showed novel therapies targeting fibrin clot lysis time may improve prognosis in patients with the acute coronary syndrome.\n\n\"Our findings provide exciting clues as to why some patients are at higher risk after a heart attack and how we might address this with new treatments in the future,\" said co-author of the study Rob Storey, the professor from the University of Sheffield, UK.\n\n\nThey measured the maximum density of a clot and the time it took for the clot to break down -- known as clot lysis time.\n\nAfter adjustment for known clinical characteristics and risk factors, the study found that the patients with the longest clot lysis time had a 40 percent increased risk of recurrent myocardial infarction or death due to cardiovascular disease.\n\nAccording to the researchers, this research may help them to identify new targets for reducing the risk and eventually lead to more effective treatments.\n\n\"We now need to press ahead with exploring possibilities for tailoring treatment to an individual's risk following a heart attack and testing whether drugs that improve clot lysis time can reduce this risk,\" Storey added.\n\nSource: IANS", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9859170913696289}
{"content": "Phased array ultrasonic (PA) is an advanced method of ultrasonic testing that has applications in medical imaging and industrial nondestructive testing. Common applications are to non invasively examine the heart or to find flaws in manufactured materials such as welds. Single-element (non-phased array) probes, known technically as monolithic probes, emit a beam in a fixed direction. To test or interrogate a large volume of material, a conventional probe must be physically scanned (moved or turned) to sweep the beam through the area of interest. In contrast, the beam from a phased array probe can be moved electronically, without moving the probe, and can be swept through a wide volume of material at high speed. The beam is controllable because a phased array probe is made up of multiple small elements, each of which can be pulsed individually at a computer-calculated timing. The term phased refers to the timing, and the term array refers to the multiple elements. Phased array ultrasonic testing is based on principles of wave physics, which also have applications in fields such as optics and electromagnetic antennae.\n\nPrinciple of operation\n\n\nPhased array used in the industry\n\nPhased array is widely used in several industrial sectors, such as construction or power generation. This method is an advanced NDT method that is used to detect component failures i.e. cracks or flaws and thereby determine component quality. Due to the possibility to control parameters such as beam angle and focal distance, this method is very efficient regarding the defect detection and speed of testing.[1] Apart from detecting flaws in components, phased array can also be used for wall thickness measurements in conjunction with corrosion testing Phased array can be used for the following industrial purposes :\n\nFeatures of phased array\n\nAt a construction site, a technician tests a pipeline weld for defects using an ultrasonic phased array instrument. The scanner, which consists of a frame with magnetic wheels, holds the probe in contact with the pipe by a spring. The wet area is the ultrasonic couplant that allows the sound to pass into the pipe wall.\n\nEuropean Committee for Standardization (CEN)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7619978785514832}
{"content": "Being single can cost you dearly. And also in the car insurance\n\nFuente: Agencias\n\nIn the same way that we have imported customs such as last Halloween, Sunday will be celebrated as the Day of the Bachelor. It is a holiday – and one of the days with the highest number of online sales in the world – that we have borrowed from China and that many businesses take advantage of to launch discounts for this public. A day out of the ordinary, yes, because according to the latest analysis of the insurance comparator, singles are forced to pay more for a multitude of services.\n\nThe mortgage, the products packed in several units, the household bills, the minimum orders … Being alone supposes to assume the full consumption thought to share as a couple. But not only that, but there are even products that -proportionally- are more expensive for them. This is the case of rentals, vacations and hotel rooms, but also that of their car insurance. Specifically, singles pay 34% more for them than married drivers. The most curious thing? That singles have “worse” cars. Something directly related to your purchasing power and the renewal of the vehicle.\n\nWorst and safest cars more expensive\n\nWhen we talk about worse cars we are referring to older cars, less powerful and mid-low range. The figures indicate that the number of singles who drive a car that has already reached the age of 15 is 20.5% higher than that of their married counterparts. The latter drive new cars in 10.3% more cases.\n\nIn the opinion of many insurers, this makes them more risky clients because, to begin with, the average age of the vehicles that are involved in accidents is 12 years. Older vehicles also tend to break down more and, therefore, to use more roadside assistance, not to mention the risk involved in cases of accidents with personal injuries (they are equipped with fewer safety systems).\n\nIn addition, and according to the insurance comparison data, only 12% of single drivers have high-end cars -of firms such as Audi, Mercedes, BMW and the like- compared to 24% of married people. The difference is even greater in the case of the super luxury sector, where the number of married people who enjoy a vehicle of these characteristics – type Ferrari, Porshe – triples that of singles. Also, opt for more powerful engines. Ultimately this translates into a policy to third parties and all risk a 34% more expensive. All-risk insurance without excess is even more expensive: 43%.\n\nDespite the statistics, however, it is worth mentioning that they are not the most sinister: according to the survey only 16% have presented an accident part in the last year, compared to 20% of married people, although it is possible to To deduce that the average damage of the loss of the singles is greater in the case of the married.\n\nThe cost of being single\n\nBut the example of insurance is not unique, but being single can be expensive in the broadest sense of the word. If we focus on the heritage, for example, the singles end the year with a personal wealth of 7,500 euros less than those married with the same economic conditions. They also have fewer tax benefits because, among others, the married can benefit from the joint taxation of the IRPF.\n\nAs for their life expectancy, married people have a higher life expectancy. The paradox is that singles sleep better and stay thinner and in better physical shape, but they also have more “vices”. Fortunately, with almost 44% of singles in our country, some markets have started to launch specific products -such as trips- for them that go beyond the aforementioned Single Day.\n\nDeja un comentario\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6366180181503296}
{"content": "Explosives Detection Systems\n\nOne of the Company’s unique technologies – explosives detection systems on the basis of Advanced Thermal Neutron Analysis (ATNA) and Fast Neutrons Analysis with registration of alpha particle (API method).\n\nCompetitive advantages\n\nDetecting any type of explosives irrespective of kind, shape or disguise, including liquid or solid explosives;\n\nDetecting explosives hidden in electronic devices and any laptops, in bottles, any metal items, thermoses and so on;\n\nDetecting explosives in automatic mode;\n\nRATEC EDS systems answer the question of \"What is there inside a closed box?\" without opening.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9996955990791321}
{"content": "Dust exposure and health of workers in duck hatcheries\nMore details\nHide details\nSEPIA-Sante, 31 rue de Pontivy, 56150 Baud, France\nITAVI, 41 rue de Beaucemaine, 22440 Ploufragan, France\nSanivol, Zoopôle Beaucemaine, 22440 Ploufragan, France\nANSES – Ploufragan-Plouzané Laboratory, BP 53, 22440 Ploufragan, France\nAnn Agric Environ Med. 2017;24(3):360–365\nThe objectives of this cross-sectional study were to investigate dust exposure and respiratory health of workers in duck hatcheries in western France.\n\nMaterial and Methods:\nNinety volunteer workers, who work in sorting rooms and/or incubation rooms, participated in exposure assessments and medical examinations. Medical examinations were performed by occupational health practitioners.They filled-in a questionnaire with the workers, followed by a lung function test on each worker. General characteristics and prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms were described in each type of working rooms. Associations between symptoms and exposure (working room or dust level) were studied in GEE multivariate models.\n\nOverall prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms (cough, phlegm) and chronic bronchitis were similar or lower than in the reference population. However, prevalence of these symptoms was higher for those working in sorting rooms, that were associated with an increased risk of respiratory symptoms and decreased lung function. Respirable dust was also significantly associated with an increased risk of respiratory symptoms. The prevalence of asthma and rhinitis were well above those in the reference population, but did not vary among working rooms. Descriptive data suggested an occupational origin for some cases.\n\nHatchery workers were at increased risk of compromised respiratory health due to dust exposure, particularly those who work in sorting rooms. Asthma and rhinitis were in excess in this population of workers. Thorough clinical examination of these workers should be performed and all exposures assessed.\n\nMarie-Thérèse Guillam   \n1. Donham KJ, Reynolds SJ, Whitten P, Merchant JA, Burmeister L, Popendorf WJ. Respiratory dysfunction in swine production facility workers: dose-response relationships of environmental exposures and pulmonary function. Am J Ind Med. 1995; 27: 405–18.\n2. Donham KJ, Cumro D, Reynolds SJ, Merchant JA. Dose-response relationships between occupational aerosol exposures and cross-shift declines of lung function in poultry workers: recommendations for exposure limits. J Occup Environ Med. 2000; 42: 260–9.\n3. Radon K, Monso E, Weber C, Danuser B, Iversen M, Opravil U, et al. Prevalence and risk factors for airway diseases in farmers-summary of results of the European farmers’project. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2002; 9: 207–213.\n4. Radon K, Danuser B, Iversen M, Monso E, Weber C, Hartung J, et al. Air contaminants in different European farming environments. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2002; 9: 41–8.\n5. Eduard W, Pearce N, Douwes J. Chronic bronchitis, COPD, and lung function in farmers: the role of biological agents. Chest. 2009; 136: 716–25.\n6. Simpson JC, Niven RM, Pickering CA, Oldham LA, Fletcher AM, Francis HC. Comparative personal exposures to organic dusts and endotoxin. Ann Occup Hyg. 1999; 43: 107–15.\n7. MSA, 2007. BIMSA N° 76, August September 2007.\n8. Tymczyna L, Chmielowiec-Korzeniowska A, Drabik A. The effectiveness of various biofiltration substrates in removing bacteria, endotoxins, and dust from ventilation system exhaust from a chicken hatchery. Poult Sci. 2007; 86: 2095–100.\n9. Skórska C, Mackiewicz B, Golec M, Cholewa G, Chmielowiec-Korzeniowska A, Dutkiewicz J. Health effects of exposure to organic dust in workers of a modern hatchery. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2007; 14: 341–5.\n10. Martin E, Ernst S, Lotz G, Linsel G, Jäckel U. Microbial exposure and respiratory dysfunction in poultry hatchery workers. Environ Sci Process Impacts. 2013; 15: 478–84.\n11. Martin E, Jäckel U. Characterisation of bacterial contaminants in the air of a duck hatchery by cultivation based and molecular methods. J Environ Monit. 2011; 13: 464–472.\n12. Zhelev G, Lyutzkanov M, Urumova V, Mihaylov G, Petrov V, Marutsov P. Microbial contamination in a duck hatchery. Revue Méd. Vét. 2012; 163: 319–322.\n13. OSHA. Occupational Exposure Limits. 2012. Available at: Accessed on 10/23/2016.\n14. Huchon G, Vergnenègre A, Neukirch F, Brami G, Roche N, Preux PM. Chronic bronchitis among French adults: high prevalence and underdiagnosis. Eur Respir J. 2002; 20: 806–812.\n15. Fuhrman C, Roche N,Vergnenegre A, Chouaid C, Zureik M, Delmas MC. [Bronchite chronique: prévalence et impact sur la vie quotidienne. Analyse des données de l’enquête de santé Insee 2002–2003]. Saint-Maurice. Institut de veille sanitaire, février 2008, 37p.\n16. Delmas MC, Leynaert B, Ruelle L, Annesi Maesano I, Herbert JB, Fuhrman C. [Asthme: prévalence et impact sur la vie quotidienne. Analyse des données de l’enquête décennale santé 2003 de l’Insee]. Saint- Maurice: Institut de veille sanitaire; 2008, 89p.\n17. Radon K, Danuser B, Iversen M, Jörres R, Monso E, Opravil U, et al. Respiratory symptoms in European animal farmers. Eur Respir J. 2001; 17: 747–54.\n19. Dalphin JC, Dubiez A, Monnet E, Gora D, Westeel V, Pernet D, et al. Prevalence of asthma and respiratory symptoms in dairy farmers in the French province of the Doubs. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1998; 158: 1493–8.\n20. Beck F, Guignard R, Richard JB, Wilquin JL, Peretti-Watel P. [Une augmentation du tabagisme confirmée en France]. La Santé de l’homme, INPES. 2011, vol. 411, p 9–10.\n21. Guillam MT, Pédrono G, Le Bouquin S, Huneau A, Gaudon J, Leborgne R, et al. Chronic respiratory symptoms of poultry farmers and model-based estimates of long-term dust exposure. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2013; 20: 307–11.\n22. Lembke B, Janson C, Norback D, Rask-Andersen A. High risk of adult-onset asthma and work-related wheeze in farmers despite low prevalence of asthma in young farmers. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2004; 8: 1285–91.\n23. Dalphin JC. [In the agricultural environment there is asthma and asthma… or the paradox of agricultural asthma]. Rev Mal Respir. 2007; 24: 1083–6.\n24. Afrite A, Allonier C, Com-Ruelle L, Le Guen N. [L’asthme en France en 2006: prévalence, contrôle et déterminants.] Rapport n° 549, 118p. IRDES 2011.\n25. Bauchau V, Durham SR. Prevalence and rate of diagnosis of allergic rhinitis in Europe. Eur Respir J. 2004; 24: 758–64.\n26. Ameille J, Hamelin K, Andujar P, Bensefa-Colas L, Bonneterre V, Dupas D, et al. Occupational asthma and occupational rhinitis: the united airways disease model revisited. Occup Environ Med. 2013; 70: 471–5.\n27. Omland O. Exposure and respiratory health in farming in temperate zones--a review of the literature. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2002; 9: 119–36.\n28. Vogelzang PF, van der Gulden JW, Folgering H, Heederik D, Tielen MJ, van Schayck CP. Longitudinal changes in bronchial responsiveness associated with swine confinement dust exposure. Chest. 2000; 117: 1488–95.\n29. Preller L, Heederik D, Boleij JS, Vogelzang PF, Tielen MJ. Lung function and chronic respiratory symptoms of pig farmers: focus on exposure to endotoxins and ammonia and use of disinfectants. Occup Environ Med. 1995; 52: 654–60.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.785182774066925}
{"content": "Kirby Teuila Grey LAc.OM\n\nKirby Teuila Grey is an acupuncturist, herbalist, bodyworker and spiritual practitioner hailing from Seattle, WA. After studying theology, Kirby decided that the best way to heal herself and others was to engage with Eastern Medicine and the healing arts. With these tools and her experience and observations of the world, Kirby seeks to help folks heal from the material and spiritual diseases that ail them; to reconnect and engage with themselves holistically, systematically and in unity. Currently, she is working to create a framework that uses various tools, including ceremony, ritual, body movement, and storytelling to help people initiate, connect, and/or remember who they ARE. Whether it's a woman who's recently transitioned into motherhood, young adults in their transitions to adulthood, individuals reconnecting after addiction, or communities dealing with systematic oppression, Kirby welcomes them into her practice with an open heart.\n\nPersonal Statement \n\nI am a health care practitioner with a big vision. I have a deep love for the field of Acupuncture and its complimentary modalities, but also some serious disdain for the 'woo-woo' way it's been branded. I figure, if healers cannot connect with your typically normal human being, like, let's say one's own grandmother or auntie, then what the heck is the point? The healthcare system, and acupuncture specifically, is in need of serious innovation and I am passionately committed to being part of that process.  Seattle has been my home since 2003 and I feel this is the perfect city to innovate healthcare.  \n\nMy ultimate goal is two-part:\n\n#1- to make Acupuncture more accessible to the general public so that 100% of the US population sees the practical utility of Acupuncture and make it part of their health regime. To do this, I must become more visible in a variety of communities and enter into spaces that may not have seen Acupuncture as a useful tool for healing in the past.  Working with Crossfit SLU is such an example. \n\n#2- to change the branding identity of natural and alternative healing in order to transform growing stereotypes and remove the superstition that stops people from recognizing Acupuncture as a trustful modality. And to make it aesthetically pleasing.  People buy Apple products not just for the machinery, but because of it's beautifully designed, user-friendly interface. Functionality + Aesthetic appeal is such an amazing combination.  I hope that House of Teuila can become the Apple of healthcare.  \n\nThese goals are interrelated and necessary for the change and transformation of the health care field that I would like to see.  This all starts at a grassroots level, with it's humble beginnings at House of Teuila. \n\n\nFirst part: “House of”\n\nMy natural inclination to be hospitable and build a clinic based around a loving home environment, coupled with my interests in royalty – and more broadly, period pieces (House of Tudor), fashion (House of Chanel), and dance culture (House of Ninja) informs the basis of my clinic name.\n\nSecond part:  “Teuila”\n\nPronounced: Te-weela\n\nTeuila is Samoan in origin, the name representing the national flower of Samoa. It also happens to be my middle name. True to my story teller nature, there’s a legend behind this name. It goes a little something like this:\n\nThe name of the Samoan state flower comes from the word \"teu'i'ila\", meaning the shiny bouquet of flowers.\n\nEarly one morning, a group of Samoans went to visit Fanny, the wife of Robert Louis Stevenson (he and his wife lived in Samoa for years, they are both buried there). As they reached the gates of the villa, the morning sun crested the mountain top and spilled onto this flower, making it shine and look magnificent. In astonishment, the group, exclaimed \"Teu'i'ila!\".\n\nAnd just like that, the name stuck. It’s been called Teuila ever since. Years later, the Teuila flower became the national symbol of Samoa.\n\n\nMaster's Degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine\n2012 Seattle Institute of Oriental Medicine\n\nBachelor of Arts in Theology\n2007 Seattle University", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6496672630310059}
{"content": "IBTimes UK\n\nThe Thai health ministry said on Tuesday that it has recorded about 200 cases of Zika virus infection since January, making it a country with one of the highest numbers of confirmed cases in the region.\n\n\"Since January, we have recorded about 200 cases and over the past three weeks, we have confirmed an average of 20 new cases per week,\" Ministry of Public Health spokesman Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai told Reuters.\n\n\"The number of cases is stable,\" he added.\n\nThis is the first time the ministry has confirmed the number of Zika virus cases in 2016.\n\nThe announcement comes a day after the health experts urged Thailand to be more transparent in reporting the Zika threat to the public.\n\nThe health officials expressed fear that disclosing information on Zika would have a negative impact on the lucrative tourism industry of Thailand.\n\n\"If we say which province has infections [of Zika] then attention will turn on that province, and if that province is popular with tourists it will have an impact on tourism,\" Anuttarasakdi Ratchatatat, an epidemiologist at the health ministry's Bureau of Vector Borne Disease, told Reuters.\n\nSuwannachai urged the public not to panic and reassured the tourists.\n\n\"People shouldn't be scared to visit provinces affected by the Zika virus,\" Suwannachai said.\n\nSingapore reported the first case of locally transmitted Zika virus on August 27 but the number of reported infections have crossed 300 till date.\n\nApart from Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines have also reported Zika virus cases.\n\nResearchers say the virus that is affecting large parts of Latin America and the Caribbean has been circulating in Asia for years but the lineage of the virus in Asia is different to those in America.\n\nAccording to the World Health Organization, the level of population immunity to the lineage of Zika in Asia still remains unknown.\n\nZika is a mosquito-borne virus that was first identified in Uganda in 1947. It can be passed from a pregnant woman to her unborn baby.\n\nThe virus can cause birth defects and can also result in microcephaly in which the baby's head is smaller than expected.\n\nWhile in cases of adults, Zika infections have been linked to a rare neurological syndrome known as Guillain-Barre, and other neurological disorders as well.\n\nThailand's health ministry said six women have given birth without complications so far and there were no cases of microcephaly.\n\nIBTimes UK", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9712411761283875}
{"content": "lumbar artery EMAPA:19096 FMA:14735 NCIT:C33013 The lumbar arteries are in series with the intercostals. They are usually four in number on either side, and arise from the back of the aorta, opposite the bodies of the upper four lumbar vertebrC&. A fifth pair, small in size, is occasionally present: they arise from the middle sacral artery. They run lateralward and backward on the bodies of the lumbar vertebrC&, behind the sympathetic trunk, to the intervals between the adjacent transverse processes, and are then continued into the abdominal wall. The arteries of the right side pass behind the inferior vena cava, and the upper two on each side run behind the corresponding crus of the diaphragm. The arteries of both sides pass beneath the tendinous arches which give origin to the Psoas major, and are then continued behind this muscle and the lumbar plexus. They now cross the Quadratus lumborum, the upper three arteries running behind, the last usually in front of the muscle. At the lateral border of the Quadratus lumborum they pierce the posterior aponeurosis of the Transversus abdominis and are carried forward between this muscle and the Obliquus internus. They anastomose with the lower intercostal, the subcostal, the iliolumbar, the deep iliac circumflex, and the inferior epigastric arteries. UBERON:0006636 UMLS:C0226408 arteria lumbalis arteriae lumbales lumbar arterial tree lumbar artery uberon abdominal aorta artery", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.996208906173706}
{"content": "Are you familiar with a Venn Diagram? It’s a graphic organizer that helps students compare and contrast ideas, an analystical way of thinking. You can even use it at the kindergarten level.\n\n\nLet’s say you’re learning about the differences between apples and organges. On the title, you’d write FRUITS. Then on the lines below the circles, you’d write apple on one side and oranges on the other. Then it’s time to compare. On the other circles, you’d write characteristics that are DIFFERENT from the other. For example,\n\napple: red, crunchy, you can eat the peel\n\norange: orange, juicy, cannot eat the peel\n\nThen in the middle section, where the two circles connect, are the SIMILARITIES they both share such as it’s a fruit, grow on trees, seeds, stem, peels.\n\n\nFor some odd reason, I couldn’t find a nicely designed graphic organizer on the internet without adding some cookies or whatever other program to slow down my computer. So I decided to create my own Venn Diagram for FREE. All you need to access it, is to click here then download and print.\n\nHappy comparing and contrasting, friends!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8574460744857788}
{"content": "John Foley\n\nA former lead solo pilot for the Blue Angels, motivational speaker John Foley is an expert on teamwork in intense, high-stakes environments. As the leader of the Navy’s elite precision exhibition flying team, Foley expected unparalleled levels of excellence from his team and required steadfast commitment, discipline, and trust in order to reach peak performance levels. With insight from the Blue Angels, lessons from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and his experiences in the inner circle of a venture capital company, Foley has developed a practical, effective model for developing a high performance team.\n\nDelivering the “wow and how” of high performance, his customized multimedia presentations bring the goods your organization needs to close performance gaps and create a culture of excellence.\n\nLearn why the Blue Angels are in the top 1/10th of 1/10th of 1 percent of all pilots–how they get there, how they stay there, and how you and your teams can translate those secrets into your organization. Using Blue Angel methodology as a model, Foley has served as an adviser to Fortune 500 corporations, professional athletic teams, venture capital companies, professional associations and educational organizations.\n\n\nHigh Performance Climb®\nEvery organization depends upon the performance of their people and their teams. There are few examples where this is more dramatically demonstrated than with the Blue Angels. John Foley draws upon his experience as Lead Solo of the Blue Angels to inspire audiences and show them how to achieve substantially higher levels of performance. Foley demonstrates a simple, systematic, yet exciting approach for how to develop the clarity, focus, commitment, and trust that are necessary to achieve ever-higher levels of performance. He shows how to create buy-in and commitment for a team’s vision and goals, leading to clarity that drives execution decisions. He demonstrates how learning to focus prepares individuals for action and increases successful outcomes.\n\n\nTeam Oneness\n\nEmployee Commitment\n\nBelief Levels\n\n\nFull Biography\n\nImagine being part of an elite, highly trained team of people who routinely achieve levels of extreme precision, then improving that performance by an additional 300%! To transition from a Navy carrier pilot to Lead Solo of the Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Team, John Foley had to do exactly that. He became one of the top pilots in the world by applying principles that would become the basis for his unique Diamond Performance® Framework. Using Blue Angel methodology as a model, he developed a framework for excellence that has informed his life in a profound way and has guided his approach to achievement.\n\nMr. Foley went on to attend the prestigious Stanford Graduate School of Business as a Sloan Fellow and to work in venture capital in Silicon Valley. He founded CenterPoint Companies in order to share his insights and techniques with others, positioning clients to achieve high performance in both their professional and personal lives.\n\n“What I learned most from being with the Blue Angels has nothing to do with flying itself. I learned that the process of engaging at this high level, when my very life depended on successful communication, accurate information, trust, and follow through, is the same process leaders and successful individuals use to achieve excellence.” – John Foley\n\nThe path to achieving his goals was not easy. John Foley experienced setbacks and disappointments on his journey, but he turned those challenges into opportunities for learning and improvement. And, as he describes, the pursuit of excellence never ends. He shares with audiences concrete techniques to embrace challenge and strive for ever-higher levels of performance.\n\nMr. Foley’s message is applicable not only to professional endeavors, but also to an individual’s personal quest for excellence. Audiences repeatedly comment that his principles are relevant to their pursuit of personal goals and deeper purpose in life.\n\nAs leader of CenterPoint, John Foley has served as advisor to Fortune 500 corporations, professional athletic teams, venture capital companies, professional associations, and educational institutions.\n\nMr. Foley has earned three master’s degrees: one in business and one in international policy studies from Stanford University, and the third in strategic studies from the Naval War College. He completed his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at the US Naval Academy, where he also played in two bowl games and contributed to one of the best four-year records in Navy football history. During his years of service as a Navy carrier pilot, he won six Top Ten Carrier Pilot awards. As a Blue Angel, John gained extensive media experience with over 500 appearances including ABC, NBC, CBS, A&E, and the Discovery Channel.\n\nThrough CenterPoint, John Foley combines his rich experience and unique insights to equip organizations, teams, and individuals to pursue their highest goals, achieve breakthrough performance, and sustain results.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8128870725631714}
{"content": "Art, Music And Literature Based Communities\n\nartJunk has been an integral part of human life since pre-historic occasions. When I was a child, I did drawings and my parents and grandparents complimented me on the little drawings and work I did. The scholars had learned more from this lesson because they had been ready to make use of all styles of studying and have been taught from an angle which is rarely used, by way of the arts.\n\nThe colors in the work have almost always portrayed the true feelings of the topic, the event, or the temper of the artists. Not many individuals would possibly know methods to interpret a painting. A few references to what might be early types of Japanese bondage provide some insight.\n\n\nThe masterpieces may come below ephemeral art, resembling efficiency arts, video arts, earthworks, cinema and computer art. I do know this location from my very own working as an artist and might see that location join in students. Since it has taken numerous forms, it has earned the respect of just about all of the artists.\n\nIn Japanese psychology the phrase “shinju” (that means both “pearl” or “oneness of hearts” depending on its context) is still used for multiple suicides involving people with a robust bond. Ink is sprayed on to the skin by an artist (typically by a stencil).\n\nGraffiti artists can create sanctioned murals for private property owners and receives a commission for it. This research shows how one little change in the best way students are taught via the arts can have a powerful affect on their learning achievements and understandings.\n\nAfter the Renaissance (14th-seventeenth centuries), French artists like Courbet (1819-seventy seven) and Cezanne (1839-1906) showcased more realty based topics, akin to using linear perspective and Realism, by way of oil painting. Maybe if a number of the people behind the graffiti art have been taken in hand and trained, they may use their artistic abilities in more productive ways.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.958422064781189}
{"content": "Email to Your Friends\n\nCould Fidgeting Actually Be Good for You?\n\nThe Benefits Of Fidgeting\n\nYou may have been told that fidgeting shows deception or inattention, but know that fidgeting for 2.5 hours could help you lose 200 cal/day. Every time you get up to shake your legs, you add years to your life by lowering the risk for diabetes and heart diseases. A fidgety leg also makes blood flow smoothly and prevents blood clots. And odd though it sounds, it can even promote alertness in kids with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.\n\nYou may remember being scolded for fidgeting as a kid, maybe even at school by a teacher. But the tables can be turned too. One study, which sought to examine how accurately people can judge others by analyzing their non-verbal behavior, found that teachers who fidgeted (with their hands or with an item like a pen) were not only rated lower by their students, but even by total strangers who formed a negative impression of the teacher within seconds of watching a silent video clip of them teach.1\n\nOutside the classroom, the average person is likely to perceive fidgeting as a sign that someone is being deceptive. Even trained police officers will come to the same conclusion if a person fidgets or looks away, even though research indicates that these are not reliable cues.2\n\nSo, why do people fidget? Well, there is no easy answer for that. But it is possible that many of the foot tappers and finger drummers of the world may just be trying to work off some excess energy.3\n\nThe Benefits Of Fidgeting\n\nDoes fidgeting really deserve such a bad rap? Maybe not. In fact, all that twitching and squirming may actually be good for us – for several different reasons.\n\n1. A Calorie Burner\n\nEver wonder how some people can manage to remain so slim without ever stepping into the gym? Well, maybe they are just fidgety. One study found that, when volunteers consumed an extra 1,000 calories per day, some of them increased the energy they expended automatically through non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), which includes movements like fidgeting, holding a particular posture, and other regular activities like standing and sitting (basically, anything excluding eating, sleeping, and exercise). There was a ten-fold variation in fat gain, with the increase in NEAT causing one group to store less fat. Energy expenditure also increased by two-thirds when NEAT increased.4\n\nNEAT can play an important role in maintaining body weight, curbing obesity, and losing weight.5In fact, an average obese person could expend an extra 200 calories per day just by fidgeting for a total of approximately 2.5 hours.6\n\n2. Help Your Heart\n\nSitting still for long periods of time can decrease the blood flow to the legs and create blood clots, which may then travel to your lungs and block an artery, eventually damaging your heart – a condition known as pulmonary embolism.7\n\nResearch now indicates that fidgeting may actually have a protective effect. While keeping your leg stationary decreases blood flow, a fidgeting leg will drastically increase it, helping your blood vessels function better and thus improving your vascular health.8So, next time you are binge-watching your favorite show or stuck on a long flight, do not forget to shake those legs every now and then.\n\n3. Live Longer\n\nA sedentary lifestyle that involves sitting down for long periods of time leads to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.9 In fact, researchers have estimated that life expectancy in the US can be increased by about 2 years just by lowering the amount of time spent sitting to less than 3 hours per day.10\n\nHowever, new research shows that fidgeting can actually protect against these risks, irrespective of the level of physical activity. A study that followed 12,778 women over 12 years found that among test subjects who did not fidget much, mortality risk was 30% higher for those who spent 7 or more hours a day sitting. But women who fidgeted a lot or even moderately had a decreased risk even when they spent more than 5 hours a day sitting.11\n\n4. Improve Attention In Children With ADHD\n\nHyperactivity is common in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). One study found that children with ADHD actually performed better when they were physically moving or simply just fidgeting. Researchers believe that this muscular movement can promote alertness.12\n\nReferences   [ + ]\n\n1. Ambady, Nalini, and Robert Rosenthal. “Half a minute: Predicting teacher evaluations from thin slices of nonverbal behavior and physical attractiveness.” Journal of personality and social psychology 64, no. 3 (1993): 431.\n2. Vrij, Aldert, and Samantha Mann. “Police use of nonverbal behavior as indicators of deception.” Applications of nonverbal communication, ed. RE Riggio & RS Feldman (2005): 63-94.\n3, 4. Levine, James A., Norman L. Eberhardt, and Michael D. Jensen. “Role of nonexercise activity thermogenesis in resistance to fat gain in humans.” Science 283, no. 5399 (1999): 212-214.\n5. Levine, James A. “Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT).” Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 16, no. 4 (2002): 679-702.\n6. Levine, James A., Sara J. Schleusner, and Michael D. Jensen. “Energy expenditure of nonexercise activity.” The American journal of clinical nutrition 72, no. 6 (2000): 1451-1454.\n7. Lapostolle, Frederic, Vanessa Surget, Stephen W. Borron, Michel Desmaizières, Didier Sordelet, Claude Lapandry, Michel Cupa, and Frédéric Adnet. “Severe pulmonary embolism associated with air travel.” New England Journal of Medicine 345, no. 11 (2001): 779-783.\n8. Morishima, Takuma, Robert M. Restaino, Lauren K. Walsh, Jill A. Kanaley, Paul J. Fadel, and Jaume Padilla. “Prolonged sitting-induced leg endothelial dysfunction is prevented by fidgeting.” American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology (2016): ajpheart-00297.\n9. Dunstan, David W., Bethany Howard, Genevieve N. Healy, and Neville Owen. “Too much sitting–a health hazard.” Diabetes research and clinical practice 97, no. 3 (2012): 368-376.\n10. Katzmarzyk, Peter T., and I-Min Lee. “Sedentary behaviour and life expectancy in the USA: a cause-deleted life table analysis.” BMJ open 2, no. 4 (2012): e000828.\n11. Hagger-Johnson, Gareth, Alan J. Gow, Victoria Burley, Darren Greenwood, and Janet E. Cade. “Sitting time, fidgeting, and all-cause mortality in the UK Women’s Cohort Study.” American journal of preventive medicine 50, no. 2 (2016): 154-160.\n12. Hartanto, T. A., C. E. Krafft, Ana-Maria Iosif, and Julie B. Schweitzer. “A trial-by-trial analysis reveals more intense physical activity is associated with better cognitive control performance in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.” Child Neuropsychology 22, no. 5 (2016): 618-626.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5018362998962402}
{"content": "Epinephrine Injection (25 vials per package)\n\n25 Reviews $350 per gram\n\nEpinephrine Injection is used for serious allergic reactions to insect stings, bites, foods, drugs, or other substances. Epinephrine reacts quickly to improve breathing, stimulate the heart, raise a dropping blood pressure, reverse hives, and reduce swelling of the face, lips, and throat.\n\nAvoid injecting this medication into your hands, feet, buttocks, or areas of your body other than the thigh. please read the Patient Information Leaflet provided for possible side effects.\n\n25 vials per package $350 per gram", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9158209562301636}
{"content": "John Quarles\n\nJohn Quarles\n\nUniversity of Texas at San Antonio, USA\n\nTitle: Virtual Reality for Persons with Disabilities: Current Research and Future Challenges\n\n\nDr. John Quarles is an assistant professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio in the department of computer science. Dr. Quarles is both a virtual reality researcher and a multiple sclerosis patient, who has an array of disabilities. This gives him a unique perspective on how virtual reality can potentially improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities. In 2014, he received the prestigious National Science Foundation’s CAREER award for his work in this area.\n\n\nImmersive Virtual Reality (VR) has been in research labs since the 1960s, but it will soon finally make it into the home (hopefully). Facebook’s $2 billion acquisition of Oculus, a small Kickstarter funded startup for immersive head mounted displays, was a historical landmark in 2014 towards the goal of affordable, home-based VR systems. However, what impact will this have on persons with disabilities? Will at-home VR be universally usable and accessible? Based on the current research in VR, there are many challenges that must be overcome for VR to be usable and beneficial for persons with disabilities. Although researchers have studied fundamental aspects of VR displays and interaction, such as the effects of presence (i.e., the sense of ‘being there’, the suspension of disbelief), interaction techniques, latency, field of view, and cybersickness, etc., almost all of the prior research has been conducted with healthy persons. Thus, it is not known how to effectively design an immersive VR experience for persons with disabilities, which could have a significant impact on emerging fields like VR rehabilitation and serious games. This talk explores what we know (or what we think we know) about how persons with disabilities experience VR and highlights the grand challenges that if met, could significantly improve quality of life for persons with disabilities.\n\nSpeaker Presentations\n\nSpeaker PDFs", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9995575547218323}
{"content": "\n\n\n\nA Google spokesperson said the company had no comment on the Journal report. The reported expansion of Google's workforce would almost match the 25,000 employees that Seattle-based Amazon is reportedly considering bring to New York's Long Island City as part of its own highly publicized search for new office locations.\n\nAmazon would also reportedly add another 25,000 jobs to a location in Crystal City in northern Virginia near Washington, D.C.\n\nNew York and Washington, like other major cities with existing clusters of highly educated workers, research universities and other successful technology companies, are increasingly in demand as companies like Google and Amazon expand.\n\nThat creates a positive feedback loop that benefits these municipalities and concentrates opportunity in ways that risk leaving other parts of the country behind.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6087052822113037}
{"content": "Do You Have a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit?\n\n\nMedical care saves millions of lives every year, but that doesn't mean doctors are exempt from making mistakes. Unfortunately, mistakes in the medical field also happen every year, and they can cause permanent damage for the patient. Medical malpractice exists so that you can be compensated for any permanent damage you sustain at the hands of a doctor's negligence. If you believe you're a victim of medical malpractice, you'll probably want to know how the lawsuit would work before consulting a lawyer. Use this guide about what it takes to have a medical malpractice lawsuit to determine if your situation meets the criteria.\n\n\nIn order to bring a medical malpractice lawsuit against a doctor, you'll first have to prove that the doctor acted negligently. The law determines if the doctor acted negligently by determining if they violated the standard of care. The standard of care refers to how another doctor in the same area would have treated someone of your age and with the same condition. If the doctor violated the standard of care, then they are considered negligent.\n\n\nDetermining that your doctor was negligent isn't enough to bring a malpractice lawsuit against him/her; you must have suffered an injury or damage of some sort. Not only do you have to prove you suffered further damage, but you have to be able to prove that the further damage was directly caused by the negligent treatment. In the law, this stage is known as causation, and it's one of the most difficult stages of a medical malpractice case. When it comes to trial, an independent medical expert will take the stand to prove causation.\n\nFiling the Lawsuit\n\nIf your doctor was negligent with your treatment and you suffered damage because of that negligence, then your next step will be filing the lawsuit. Filing a lawsuit is never an easy decision, but it must be done in a timely fashion because of the statute of limitations on medical malpractice cases, which differ from state to state. If you're concerned about the cost of filing a lawsuit, you should know that most lawyers will work on a contingency fee basis, which means they'll only take fees if they win the case.\n\nMedical malpractice lawsuits can be long and arduous. Knowing what's involved in the lawsuit can help prepare you for what's to come and help you get the compensation you deserve. Find a medical malpractice attorney in Philadelphia, PA or your local area to receive legal advice.\n\n\n8 October 2015\n\nMaximizing Compensation in Accident and Injury Lawuits\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9324517250061035}
{"content": "Skip Nav\n\nResearch Paper on Illegal Mexican Immigration\n\nPopular Blogs\n\n❶While the government is unable to fully control illegal immigration across the borders, the safety of the United States and its people are at jeopardy.\n\nOverall Presentation\n\nInteresting sites:\nGuides & manuals\nWho writes this\n\nImmigration is a tricky subject. It seems in many areas no matter what view a person has, they are bound to upset someone. But with that said, there are a number of subjects to pick topics from. So writing on immigration, there are three subjects that they will spring from.\n\nAny of these here can bring forth many different topics to write about. This is going to be a more social-political discussion than anything else. So the topics here are going to focus in this area. The topics then would look at how immigration effects society, how immigration laws are good or bad. Threats and benefits to the government and the society. This again is going to be a social-political issue. So these topics will also focus in this area. Does anti-illegal immigration laws work, how does illegal immigration affect the society.\n\nIn this area, the subject will focus on both legal and illegal immigration. It will look at the economic costs, and not just the financial, but total. How does legal and illegal immigration affect the economy, markets, finances, and health costs. We are a team of former college students from Canada, Australia and United Kingdom offering free term paper writing tips for students worldwide. Some asks for disclosing assets, others may ask for the relative living in the country. Thus immigration requires a set of paper work and recognition by the government agencies of the country involved in the process.\n\nThus inability to fulfill all the norms and conditions, paper work and disclosures results in Illegal immigration. Illegal immigration is mostly observed between the people of a poor country moving towards richer country. By richer country we mean the country having the currency exchange rate higher than the poor country.\n\n\n\n\n\nMain Topics\n\nPrivacy Policy\n\nResearch Paper Illegal Immigration Words | 9 Pages. Chynna Ellenburg ENG B03 Professor North January 10, Illegal Immigration In the United States, there are over 40 million immigrants, both legal .\n\nPrivacy FAQs\n\nEnglish Learning Portfolio. Search this site. About Me. Cover Letter. \"Illegal Immigration in America\": Research Paper Due to the many illegal immigrants who unnoticeably cross the borders, the United States government is unable to enforce its immigration policies.\n\nAbout Our Ads\n\nFree illegal immigrants papers, essays, and research papers. Essays - largest database of quality sample essays and research papers on Illegal Immigration Research Paper.\n\nCookie Info\n\nJan 08,  · Research Paper on Illegal Immigration Research Paper on Illegal Mexican Immigration The impact of illegal Mexican immigration on the United States has been a major focus of policymakers and the public for well over a decade now. Illegal Immigration: The Undocumented Issue In this paper I will discuss one of the biggest issues in the United States: Illegal immigrants. Some may say that illegal immigration has a positive impact on the United States’ economy, and some think that these undocumented immigrants affect jobs and wages of people that are living in .", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.673811674118042}
{"content": "\n\nSitemapLeadership Is The Process | Scream Queens (2015) (60) | Tsubasa to Hotaru épisode 17 streaming Null and Annoyed | Prison.Break.S05E06.Phaeacia.GERMAN.DUBBED.DL.1080p.WebHD.x264-TVP | Xelil Xemgin Sebra Dila Audio Mohammad mp3", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999960660934448}
{"content": "Routine Maintenance checks - 2017\n\nWelcome and thanks for taking the time to read the email we sent you about having a routine maintenance check done on your heating system.\n\nUnfortunately we are now completely booked out for PRE-WINTER service calls, however we are now accepting registrations for Winter check-ups. If a booking becomes available in your area before Winter then we'll do our best to get to you, otherwise we'll make contact with you during Winter to arrange a suitable time.\n\nName *\nAddress of Property Requiring Maintenance *\nAddress of Property Requiring Maintenance\nIf more than one property, please list additional property details in the \"System Description\" field\nPlease provide a brief description of the system to be serviced and any supplementary information that might be useful to our technicians (ie error codes present or lack of heat in areas etc.)\n\nBy instructing Hicks Hydronics to provide you with a service you are agreeing to the terms and conditions, which can be viewed by clicking here.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7233480215072632}
{"content": "How long is the flight from Washington to | Flight time from DCA to MEM\n\nThis page answers the question how long is the flight from Washington to . Time in the air or flight time is on average around 1 hour and 53 minutes when flying nonstop or direct without any connections or stopovers between Washington and . The flight duration might vary depending on many factors such as flight path, airline, aircraft type, and headwinds or tailwinds. Flying time for such a commercial flight can sometimes be as short or shorter than 1 hour and 41 minutes or as long or longer than 2 hours and 18 minutes.\n\nNeed more info? Click on find flights\n\n\nThe Washington DC airport code is DCA and the airport code is MEM. The flight information shown above might be of interest to travelers asking how long does it take to fly from DCA to MEM, how long is the plane ride from Washington to , and what is the flight time to from Washington Virginia.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000032186508179}
{"content": "Strong words for essays\n\nstrong words for essays Transitions are the words and sentences that tie a work of writing together they guide the reader from idea to idea, making connections that turns pieces into a whole.\n\nIt is a good idea to occasionally use linking words and phrases at the start of a new paragraph they can help to link what you have said in the previous paragraph to what you are about to say in your new paragraph these link words and phrases are often referred to as signposts. Strong essays 1218 words | (35 pages) | preview the history of bill gates and microsoft - william henry gates iii, or more commonly known as bill gates, was born on october 28, 1955 in seattle, washington. The strong words services provides editing and writing, consulting and collaboration for individuals, businesses, and publishing houses.\n\nUseful essay words and phrases certain words are used to link ideas and to signpost the reader the direction your line of reasoning is about to take, such slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. ‘you’ is a very powerful word that stands out to me above all others ‘you’ creates a personal relationship between a reader and the content that they are reading content writing often misses out in creating a relationship with the reader. Words lose their meaning when we use them carelessly take your time, carefully considering how you will utilize the best words possible when you write, your copy wields great potential. Strong can describe anything with firmness or power you could have a strong will and resist the distractions of the internet while writing a paper all day, or your paper could have a strong argument, convincing your reader of your wisdom.\n\nThe 50 best vocab words for the act essay inflame – to provoke or intensify strong feelings in someone – v 14 instill – to gradually but firmly establish an idea or attitude into a person’s mind – v 15 lucrative – having a large reward, monetary or otherwise – adj. Transitional words and phrases can create powerful links between ideas in your paper and can help your reader understand the logic of your paper however, these words all have different meanings, nuances, and connotations before using a particular transitional word in your paper, be sure you. Philosophisches essays essay on acceptance of others bignerds essays on education hssv euthanasia essay 7 wonders of the modern world essay escape from reality essayrites marriage tamoul explication essay feliks skrzynecki essay belongings 400 word essay on why social media is bad. Here's a list of 100+ active verbs to make your research writing more engaging as a bonus, we've included a few tips to help you with assessing your paper's. Composing a thesis statement does take a bit more thought than many other parts of an essay however, because a thesis statement can contain an entire argument in just a few words, it is worth taking the extra time to compose this sentence.\n\nThat, in a nutshell, is the secret to writing powerful words in the first instance, the man was stating the fact [stated] that he was “blind” and needed help, but his words failed to move passersby because blindness was an abstract concept to them. The essay is graded on the basis of spanish language skills like reading, listening, writing and grammar—but it’s also based on your general ability to analyze the sources and make a strong, coherent argument. Powerful verbs for weaving ideas in essays the following verbs are helpful as a means of showing how an example or quote in literature each word has specific usage patterns that are unique to its meaning literary essay report or persuasive essay that refers to an. If you’re writing in english, you get a bonus that can’t be found in most other languages: an extra 300,000 words or so at just over 490,000 words (and still growing strong), the english language is the largest in the world.\n\nWe have to use power words and think powerful, great post bro, keep up the good writing, i’m taking notes michael haines just so you know, i liked your blog and printed it but your “grow your bog to six figures” promo blocks the upper left corner of each page so that the keywords behind it on every page i printed are completely blocked. Transitions are phrases or words used to connect one idea to the next transitions are used by the author to help the reader progress from one significant idea to the next transitions also show the relationship within a paragraph (or within a sentence) between the main idea and the support the author. Library and learning services study guide | sentence starters www2eitacnz/library/onlineguides/sentence starterspdf to present prior or background ideas.\n\n  • Strong argumentative papers will address the opposing side’s views and have claims against them avoid using first person pronouns (i, me, we, us, etc) unless otherwise stated in the assignment instructions.\n  • Choosing the right words can make the difference between flat, tedious writing and writing that sings a clear, sweet song adjectives and adverbs are fine in moderation, but strong verbs will propel your writing forward and engage your reader in a sensory adventure.\n  • Rog, lj (2010) marvelous minilessons for teaching intermediate writing, grades 4-6 newark, de: international reading association persuasive writing is an essential text form for intermediate students to learn persuasive writing involves choosing a strong opinion, planning support and evidence.\n\nTransitional words and phrases provide the glue that holds ideas together in writing they provide coherence (that hanging together, making sense as a whole) by helping the reader to understand the relationship between ideas, and they act as signposts that help the reader follow the movement of the discussion. Sensory words are more powerful and memorable than ordinary words because they make your reader see, hear, smell, taste, or feel your words when reading non-sensory words, your brain processes text but when you read sensory words different areas of your brain light up. Step two: copy the following list of literary response essay verbs choose three words that you do not already know and look up the definitions record those definitions in your notebook useful verbs for essays alludes to attests clarifies strong verbs for essay writing. A few (strong) suggestions on essay writing (rev september 12, 2007) 1 read the question if you are given an essay question, then believe it or not, all i want you to do is answer it judging from the essays i end up grading, many of you do find it hard to believe.\n\nstrong words for essays Transitions are the words and sentences that tie a work of writing together they guide the reader from idea to idea, making connections that turns pieces into a whole. strong words for essays Transitions are the words and sentences that tie a work of writing together they guide the reader from idea to idea, making connections that turns pieces into a whole.\nStrong words for essays\nRated 3/5 based on 43 review", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9740006923675537}
{"content": "• subbanner\n\nLumbar Sympathetic Block\n\nWhat is a lumbar sympathetic block?
\n\nA lumbar sympathetic block is an injection of local anesthetic into or around the sympathetic nerves. These sympathetic nerves are a part of the sympathetic nervous system. The nerves are located on the either side of spine, in the lower back. Normally these nerves control basic functions like regulating blood flow. In certain conditions, these sympathetic nerves can carry pain information from the peripheral tissues back to the spinal cord.\n\nWhat is the purpose of a lumbar sympathetic block? 
\n\nA lumbar sympathetic block is performed to block the sympathetic nerves that go to the leg on the same side as the injection. This may in turn reduce pain, swelling, color, sweating and other unusual changes in the lower extremity and may improve mobility. It is done as a part of the treatment of Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), Sympathetic Maintained Pain, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and Herpes Zoster (shingles) involving the legs. Certain patients with neuropathy or peripheral vascular disease may also benefit from lumbar sympathetic blocks.\n\nHow long does the lumbar sympathetic block take?
\n\nThe actual injection takes from ten to thirty minutes.\n\nWhat is actually injected?\n\n\nWill the lumbar sympathetic block hurt?
\n\n\nWill I be \"put out\" for the lumbar sympathetic block?
\n\n\nHow is the lumbar sympathetic block performed?\n\n\nWhat should I expect after the lumbar sympathetic block?
\n\nImmediately after the injection, you may feel your lower extremity getting warm. In addition, you may notice that your pain may be gone or quite less. You may also notice some temporary weakness or numbness in the leg, although this is actually not a desired effect of a lumbar sympathetic block.\n\nWhat should I do after the lumbar sympathetic block?
\n\n\nCan I go to work to work the next day?\n\n\nHow long does the effect of the medication last?\n\n\nHow many lumbar sympathetic blocks do I need to have?
\n\n\nWill the lumbar sympathetic block help me?
\n\n\nWhat are the risks and side effects of a lumbar sympathetic block?\n\n\nWho should not have a lumbar sympathetic block?\n\n\nSource: MedCentral", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9986093640327454}
{"content": "America Diversifying\n\nE&I Program: \nDistance Learning\nGrade level : \n9 to 12\n\n\nIn America Diversifying, the fifth lesson of the series, students will be able to explain major domestic developments after 1945, trace social unrest, protest and change in the United States, analyze the origins, major developments, controversies and consequences of the civil rights movement, and explain how advances in communication and transportation have impacted globalization, cooperation and conflict, the environment, collective security, popular culture, and religion. Students will also be able to explain how the United States has been affected politically, economically and socially by its multicultural diversity and identify appropriate sources and gather relevant information from multiple sources.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9996874332427979}
{"content": "< back to all\n\n\n\n\n\n\nby the numbers\n\n\nVideos created and uploaded to the It Gets Better Project.\n\n\nRaised by the ALS Association in the Ice Bucket Challenge (as of September 2014).\n\n\nPercentage of foundations using social media who have not developed a formal social media strategy.\n\ntips and insights\n\nWhen people’s identities are wrapped up in their beliefs, more facts and evidence won’t change their minds. Hearing from someone who they identify with might.\n\nEffective messengers do the following: establish credibility, make it relevant, tell the truth, keep it simple, make a connection, and repeat, repeat, repeat (Progressive Majority).\n\nFor the seventh year in a row, NGOs are trusted more than governments or businesses, according to the 2014 Edelman Trust Barometer, an international survey of 27,000 people across 27 countries worldwide.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9989476799964905}
{"content": "\"Just be yourself. Let people see the real, imperfect, flawed, quirky, weird, beautiful, magical person that you are!\" - Mandy Hale\n\nElsa & Co Photography specializes in People Portraits and capturing personality. Be that serious, goofy, shy, nerdy, sporty, fashion driven and on! We strive to find what makes you YOU and share that with the world. \n\nWe're currently offering three different High School Senior Packages - The Senior, The Grad and Senior Year - as well as Business and Modeling Headshots.\n\nI'd love to meet for coffee, talk through what you're looking for and then, for your personalized session, you can expect to shoot for 90 minutes in any location(s) you choose, wear whatever makes you feel best, and giggle to your hearts content.\n\nSo come one, come all! Let's show the world how brightly you shine!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8529119491577148}
{"content": "- publishing free software manuals\nComparing and Merging Files with GNU diff and patch\nby David MacKenzie, Paul Eggert, and Richard Stallman\nPaperback (6\"x9\"), 120 pages\nISBN 0954161750\nRRP £12.95 ($19.95)\n\n\n1.6 Summarizing Which Files Differ\n\nWhen you only want to find out whether files are different, and you don't care what the differences are, you can use the summary output format. In this format, instead of showing the differences between the files, diff simply reports whether files differ. The -q and --brief options select this output format.\n\nThis format is especially useful when comparing the contents of two directories. It is also much faster than doing the normal line by line comparisons, because diff can stop analyzing the files as soon as it knows that there are any differences.\n\nYou can also get a brief indication of whether two files differ by using cmp. For files that are identical, cmp produces no output. When the files differ, by default, cmp outputs the byte and line number where the first difference occurs. You can use the -s option to suppress that information, so that cmp produces no output and reports whether the files differ using only its exit status (see section 12 Invoking cmp).\n\nUnlike diff, cmp cannot compare directories; it can only compare two files.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9997135996818542}
{"content": "Aristotle - The Organon - index for TOPICA Book 4 Part 4\n\nThings that bear a like relation to one another\n\nParagraph 1 Again, consider the case of things that bear a like relation to one another.\nParagraph 2 If the opposite of the species be a privation, there are two ways of demolishing an argument, first of all by looking to see if the opposite be found in the genus rendered:\nParagraph 3 Again, look at the negations of the genus and species and convert the order of terms, according to the method described in the case of Accident:\nParagraph 4 If the species be a relative term, see whether the genus be a relative term as well:\nParagraph 5 Moreover, see whether the term fail to be used in the same relation both when called by the name of its genus, and also when called by those of all the genera of its genus.\nParagraph 6 Again, see whether the genus and the species be used in the same way in respect of the inflexions they take, e.g. datives and genitives and all the rest.\nParagraph 7 Again, see whether terms used in like case relationships fail to yield a like construction when converted, as do 'double' and 'multiple'.\nParagraph 8 Again, see whether the species and the genus fail to be used in relation to an equal number of things:\nParagraph 9 See, also, if the opposite of the species have the opposite of the genus as its genus, e.g. whether, if 'multiple' be the genus of 'double', 'fraction' be also the genus of 'half'.\nParagraph 10 Seeing that of relative terms some are of necessity found in, or used of, the things in relation to which they happen at any time to be used (e.g. 'disposition' and 'state' and 'balance';\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000028610229492}
{"content": "Rug Guide: How to Choose the Perfect Area Rug\n\nLoloi Blog Banner.jpg\n\nOne of the easiest ways to completely transform a room is through the use of area rugs. They have the ability to instantly add color and texture, setting the tone of any space from the ground up. Think of adding a rug like adding apiece of artwork. With the right placement they can add personality, bring attention or soften a room. They have the ability to add layers to a space and elevate the entire room. Not to mention, they just make spaces more comfortable! Here are our tips on picking out the perfect rug for any space every time.\n\nThink about scale.\n\nChoosing the right size is the most important part of purchasing a rug. One of the most common mistakes we see people making is buying rugs that are too small. We can definetely understand's hard to really know and the smaller rugs are cheaper! Unless you are living in a tiny house or loft apartment in a busy city, your living room is probably going to need at least an 8x10, but much more likely of a 9x12. The one exception to this rule is cowhides. They are a sculptural piece so their organic shape adds so much to a space and they are not meant to go under all furniture legs. If you are thinking you may have bought a rug too small though, it's not necessarily too late to fix it! One tip we have for fixing a rug that may be too small without completely tossing it, is to buy a natural fiber rug and layer it underneath. They are often inexpensive and have the ability to expand a space. Layering can be a great solution to scaling and adding additional texture. As you can see this is something we took full advantage of in Lucky 33's den. \n\n\nPick the right pattern.\n\nRugs come in so many variations which is why picking a pattern can often seem like an overwhelming task. A foolproof way to pick a pattern is to pick something that is timeless and has remained a classic. For example, stripes, plaids, persians, solids, natural fiber rugs and simple patterns are always going to be in style. Neutrals and classic colors such as navy are going to be more versatile. That is not to discount a beautiful, colorful persian that will work as a neutral in a space. A good general rule of thumb is the brighter the color (think electric/neon), the trendier it probably is and the shorter the lifetime of the rug. As quickly as it might have caught your attention, it will be outdated even faster...(remember the big, bold and bright chevron explosion that happened several years ago). A rug can be a great investment, and with the right pattern, it can last you long term. \n\nPatterns are also a great way to hide stains or the wear and tear in a home. So when picking a pattern, keep in mind the lifestyle of the space. Do you have kids or pets that use it? If so, an overdid or distressed rug can be a great choice. They have a \"lived on\" look and can camouflage mishaps, therefore increasing it's longevity.\n\nHow to set the rug in your room with furniture. \n\nWhen it comes to living room rugs, there are 3 placement options you can choose from: no legs on rug, front legs of furniture on rug, or all 4 furniture legs on the rug. Our personal favorite is setting the front legs of all the furniture pieces on the rug. This is our favorite look because it pulls all of the pieces together and grounds the space. It also avoids having to buy an extremely large rug that fits the entire furniture pieces on it. Another tip for a living room that goes back a bit to scale is to make sure you have at least 6-12 inches of rug sticking out on either side of your sofa or sectional. It will not look right to have a rug that doesn't extend beyond your largest seating option. So, if your sofa is 8 feet long, you will want your rug width to be larger than 9 feet. \n\n\nWhen considering rugs for a dining room, we recommend buying a rug large enough to fit at least 24 inches past the dining room table on all sides, but it can extend further. This is keeping in mind the additional space needed for when guests scoot in and out from the table. No one likes being on the wobbly edge of a carpet.\n\nRug choices also differs for bedrooms. You have to think about how much of the actual rug you want exposed. (Our recommendation is a good portion, at least 24 inches on both sides and the foot of the bed). Most bedrooms need at least 8x10 for a full or queen size bed and a 9x12 if for a king. If you are someone who wants to step out of the bed first thing in the morning on something soft, then you need to go with a large enough rug that all of your furniture sits on it (nightstands and bed). Or you might want to consider carpet in the bedroom. Even if your bedroom is already carpeted, layering with an area rug can bring a whole new look!\n\nCopy of timeless rugs (2).png", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7014188766479492}
{"content": "Featured Image\n\nStress Testing the Global Impacts of a U.S.-China Trade War\n\nMarket and Economics\n\nBy Ian Hissey  |  September 10, 2018\n\nOver the last several months, the U.S. and China have exchanged numerous salvos in an escalating trade war. Just last month, in the same week that trade talks between the countries stalled in Washington, a new 25% U.S. tariff went into effect on 279 Chinese goods, matched by new Chinese tariffs on 333 U.S. product categories. Tensions are high with strong statements from both nations’ leaders, but it seems that financial markets have become desensitized.\n\nThe question on the minds of many investors and risk managers is, “what happens if the trade war continues to intensify and how will this impact my portfolio?”\n\nCreating a Range of Possible Scenarios\n\nOne way of modeling this is through stress testing, using a risk model to help us to predict the market impact of a potential future scenario. Stress testing allows us to insert our human experience into our risk analysis. The risk model is then used to provide a framework to “fill the gaps” in our experience and propagate our expectations across the factors which drive financial markets. This means we only need to predict outcomes for a small number of factors instead of the hundreds or thousands of individual factors that impact our portfolio.\n\nBy its very nature, stress testing is subjective. This means that the likelihood that we will accurately predict the impact of some future event is very small. Therefore it is important to gain an understanding of the potential future outcomes by testing a range of possible scenarios.\n\nHow do we define a stress test for a U.S.-China trade war?\n\nThe economic intuition seems simple. Tariffs hurt the economies of both trading parties by creating inefficiencies and lowering future economic growth. This would have a negative impact on equity market valuations. In turn, sudden dramatic falls in equity valuations likely create a flight to quality assets.\n\nHow do we make reasonable assumptions about the specific factors on which to focus and the potential impact upon them? One way is to look at a similar scenario and draw parallels from it. The most recent one that comes to mind is Brexit. On June 23, 2016, Britain voted on a referendum to decide whether the UK should leave or remain in the European Union. Following the vote to leave, dubbed “Brexit,” there was sudden concern about future economic growth in the UK. We observed big knock-on effects in exchange rates and U.S. treasury yields; for example, the pound depreciated by 15% against the JPY and the U.S. 10-year bond dipped by 40 bps.\n\nGBP falls against the yen following Brexit\n\nUS 10Y treasury drop following Brexit\n\nUsing this information, we can test three scenarios to determine the market impact of a U.S.-China trade war:\n\n  • Base Scenario – Events continue along current path, with gradual escalation of trade tensions\n  • Optimistic Scenario – The U.S. and China come to an agreement, but newly imposed tariffs remain in place\n  • Conservative Scenario – Worst case scenario, with rapidly deteriorating trade relationship between the two countries\n\n\nUsing FactSet’s Multi Asset Class (MAC) risk model, I ran some common indices through the stress testing function to get an understanding of the market impact in each of these three scenarios.Table of scenario assumptions2\n\nEquity Index Impacts\n\nThe table below illustrates the impact on the MSCI World from the perspective of a U.S.-based investor. An escalation in tariffs costs the investor between 8.43% and 16.97% of their portfolio’s value. Looking at the top/bottom five countries impacted by each scenario, it’s not a surprise to see that Japanese and European investments tend to perform best given our assumptions for the USD exchange rate. Interestingly, the biggest losers, aside from the U.S., are Hong Kong, the UK, Canada, and Israel. These are economies closely tied to the U.S. or linked via a pegged exchange rate.\n\nStress Testing Asset Detail Equity Index2\n\nFixed Income Index Impacts\n\nNext, I performed the same analysis using the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate from the perspective of a U.S.-based investor. Here we see that the investor is making money because of the flight to quality, with gains ranging between 3.59% and 6.86%. But these gains are significantly smaller than the losses we saw in the previous example with our equity index. Looking at the top/bottom five countries impacted, the biggest winners in this example are Japanese investments but also the bonds issued by smaller European nations such as Bulgaria, Estonia, and Liechtenstein, as well as Ireland. The biggest losers are the Middle Eastern countries of Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the UAE, as well as Peru and Malaysia. Note that we see a wider range of outcomes across the various country assets compared to our previous example.\n\n Stress Testing Asset Detail FI Index2\n\nFrom this exercise, we see a wide range of potential outcomes across our three scenarios. For example, the returns for the optimistic and conservative scenarios on the MSCI World range between -8% and -17%. This illustrates the importance of testing a range of potential scenarios; while it’s highly unlikely we will correctly guess the exact impact of the factors specified, the level of their specification has a very significant impact on the outcome. In the case of the escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and China, while financial markets still appear to be discounting the global impact of a trade war, our analysis shows that if/when the market does react, the effects will be widespread. \n\nRegister for FactSet's Investment Process Symposium\n\nIan J. Hissey\n\nVice President, Specialty Sales Manager, AsiaPac Analytics\n\nIan Hissey is Vice President in the Portfolio Analytics group at FactSet and has been at FactSet since 2008. Ian is responsible for the Sale and Support of FactSet’s Multi Asset Class (MAC) risk product in Asia Pacific. His role is also to guide the development of that product to meet the diverse set of challenges faced by financial market participants in Asia. Previous to his current role, Ian was the manager of FactSet’s Portfolio Analytics team based in Australia for four years where he worked with FactSet’s largest clients in Australia and NewZealand. Ian has a holds a bachelor degree in Economics and Social Sciences from the University of Sydney.\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7063308358192444}
{"content": "Make Your Man Love You More Everyday By Doing These 5 Things\n\n\nKeep in mind that men are the same way. They just want to be loved and appreciated for exactly who they are. I put this article together to give you a little insight as to what I mean.\n\n1. Don’t expect him to not take notice of other women.\n\nYou can’t expect him to not look at another beautiful woman, just like you and I can’t ignore when we see a really good looking guy. It is human nature to appreciate other attractive people.\n\nI’m not talking about allowing him to openly flirt with others in front of you because that is disrespectful. Try to understand that this is normal and accept it as calmly as you can.\n\n2. Don’t try to change him.\n\nAs frustrating as it sometimes can be, you and I both know we can’t really change a man. We can demand changes, but they will only really change if they want to make a change.\n\nA man truly accepts a woman when he feels that she genuinely accepts him for who he is. There is so much power behind a woman who inspires her man to become a better version of himself without making him feel that he needs to change.\n\n3. Don’t ask him to give up his passions.\n\nMen usually have something that they have a passion for. For example, they may love taking apart and building cars. It may be part of their identity and without it, they feel lost.\n\nNever ask the man you love to give something like that up or make him feel guilty for it so he spends more time with you.\n\nYou’re all smart women, and you know by doing this it will only make him miserable. Here is the reassurance you all need sometimes- he still loves you more than you realize.\n\n4. Don’t make him feel obligated to take care of you.\n\nOf course you want a man who is going to make you a priority, keep you safe, and take care of you. We all want that. Sometimes we fall into this pattern of thinking where we demand our men to cater to our every single need. It may sound a little harsh, but he is not obligated to look after you; he can only choose to.\n\n\n5. Trust him.\n\nWe are pretty intuitive creatures and we know when something just isn’t right. However, sometimes we can be a little crazy and make up scenarios in our head off of something as small as an innocent text message from a female co-worker. What quality of a relationship do you really have if you don’t have a solid foundation of trust to build off of? If you can’t trust him, you will never feel secure.\n\nDo your best to not overreact. If he hasn’t given you a reason to not trust him, you have to pull it together and get those thoughts out of your head. Try to compromise. Having mutual respect, empathy, and patience are very important to ensure peace and harmony in your relationship.\n\nBeing in a relationship is hard work. It can be exhausting and frustrating. But when you love him, you know you’d walk across the earth for him.\n\nKeep these things in mind to consistently keep happiness and stability in your relationship. And as much as you may sometimes want to strangle him, he loves you.\n\nH/T: Erica Wagner for Life Hack", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.748725175857544}
{"content": "Ecosystems and Biomes\n\nby Cerebellum\nSKU: 1004506\nSave 35%\n\nWhen the seasons change, the weather changes and the environment changes, too. When the weather gets cooler, leaves fall off the trees, animals move or leave the area, and the grass dies and changes colors. One little change in the ecosystem can effect the whole biome? That is what an ecosystem is and how it works! By viewing this video, students will learn about several different major biomes of the world and how they interact with each other.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9897289872169495}
{"content": "\n\nJoin Katerina on Instagram  On LinkedIn\n\n\n\n\n\nIt was time for a change! She decided to create a skincare line that would fit HER lifestyle, NOT the other way around. It was then that she knew Hey Honey products would always deliver lasting effects with minimal effort – if you forgot to apply them in order or to apply them at all one day, your skin would not suffer.\n\nAs busy women, we struggle to find balance in our lives, juggling long “to-do” lists and keeping a relentless pace. Dealing with stress, lack of sleep and exposure to harmful environmental factors means that our skin ends up paying the price.\n\nTo ensure that every woman has time to take care of her skin, Katerina created a straightforward skincare line with her husband and business partner, Nisso Larden, and the best dermatologists in the industry.\n\n\n\n« Create a skin care line\nthat would adapt to her lifestyle,\n\"not the other way around\"»\n\nWhy Honey, honey?\n\n\n« Propolis is nature best kept\nsecret from beehive »\n\nAt the heart of Hey Honey’s promise are its potent and trusted ingredients: honey and propolis – nature’s most potent antiseptic and antibacterial duo. Honey is widely accepted in the natural skincare world for its nutritive and healing properties, while propolis is recognized for its antiseptic and restorative capabilities. “We didn’t invent this powerful combination, but rather created skin-loving products from centuries-old wisdom,\" says Katerina.\n\nPropolis is nature’s best-kept secret from the beehive. It balances problematic skin, decongests pores and accelerates the rate of cell growth to keep your skin toned, all while soothing and healing the skin. When it is used in facial skincare, the results are simply stunning. Hey Honey’s fast-acting skincare and body products combine all-day hydration with skin-strengthening ingredients to get results and help skin look younger, longer.\n\nKaterina lives in Sarasota, Florida, with her husband and two children. In addition to being an entrepreneur, she is an advocate for battered women and a champion of several philanthropic causes. Ultimately, her goal is to make Hey Honey the real skincare brand you trust to revitalize your skin so that you can take on real life.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.996834397315979}
{"content": "Catastrophic Injuries\n\nWhen it comes to personal injury law, certain types of injuries can be more grave than others. Catastrophic injuries are ones whose consequences permanently keep an individual from performing gainful work and prevent them from maintaining employment that allows them to support themselves or a family.\n\nIf you've suffered a catastrophic injury, you know how stressful the situation can be. In addition to current and future medical bills, you now have to worry about future income and other expenses that may arise as a result of the injury. Nearly every aspect of your life will be negatively impacted by this injury, from being unable to engage in regular hobbies or activities to dealing with your mental health in the aftermath.\n\nSimply put, a catastrophic injury has the potential to drastically impact you and your family.\n\nWhat counts as a catastrophic injury?\n\nThere's no set legal definition, but generally speaking, a catastrophic injury is one that causes a disruption to your central nervous system. These injuries may include:\n\n  • Brain injury\n  • Spinal cord injuries\n  • Severe burns\n  • Amputations\n  • Multiple bone fractures\n  • Damage to organs\n\nMany catastrophic injuries stem from physical trauma, although certain types of accidents tend to contribute more than others. Car accidents, for example, are often responsible for a large share of these injuries.\n\nFacing traumatic brain damage or other catastrophic injury?\n\nLet Me Help You\n\nWhat should I know about catastrophic injury damages?\n\nCatastrophic injury damages often involve very large settlements because of the lifelong impact that these injuries have on their victims. It may sound like a huge amount of money, but when placed against the overwhelming effects of medical bills, pain and suffering, and physical disability that these injuries cause, the settlements or damages often simply provide financial stability and security.\n\nWhat about wrongful death cases?\n\nIn some cases, a catastrophic injury may directly lead to a person’s death. No one wants to think about filing for financial damages in these situations, but taking the time to consider a lawsuit may help others avoid the same injury or circumstances. In addition to thinking about medical bills and other debts, the settlement or verdict in a wrongful death case may help provide financial stability for the future of the injury victim’s dependents and family.\n\nWhat should I do if I or a loved one have suffered a catastrophic injury?\n\nAfter seeking appropriate medical care, the first thing you should do is contact an attorney. It’s important that I know all the details of your case so that we can start preparing a strategy to handle the situation. Time is of the essence, because many states have statutes of limitations regarding personal injury cases, especially if defective products are involved.\n\nCatastrophic Injury Attorney in Fullerton, California\n\nCatastrophic injuries are often more serious than other personal injury cases because they have such a lasting impact on the victim’s life. If you’re dealing with the aftermath of a catastrophic injury, you need an attorney who understands the importance of working to reach the maximum amount of recovery possible. Call me today for a free consultation and learn how I can help you.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8628493547439575}
{"content": "You are on page 1of 13\n\n\nShe longed to read Ulysses, and when Virginia [Woolf ] produced\nit for her, Katherine [Mansfield] began by ridiculing it, and then\nsuddenly said: “But theres something in this.” This scene, Virginia\nthought, remembering it almost at the end of her life just after\nJoyce’s death, “should figure I suppose in the history of literature.” 1\n\nThe Life and Times of Abū Tammām (Akhbār Abī Tammām) by Abū Bakr al-Ṣūlī,\nmore than any other book, illustrates the role of poetry in premodern Islamic\nsociety. Composed over ten centuries ago, it brings together two salient person-\nalities of cultural history from one of the most dynamic periods of Arabic poetry.\nThis is the first English translation of the work.2\n\nAbū Tammām\n\nAbū Tammām (d. 231/845 or 232/846) is one of the most celebrated poets in\nthe Arabic language. He ranks alongside Abū Nuwās (d. ca. 198/813), famed\nwine poet and hedonist, and al-Mutanabbī (d. 354/965), self-declared prophet\nand supreme panegyrist. Yet Abū Tammām is virtually unknown in the West.\nThis is largely because his poetic style is very difficult, resulting in a dearth of\ntranslations of his verse. Furthermore, Abū Tammām excelled in the composi-\ntion of the panegyric, a genre that does not sit well with current sensibilities\nand expectations about the nature and purpose of poetry. Still, classical Arabic\npoetry, including the panegyric as a major genre, was understood to be a pow-\nerful and prestigious form of communication, and a specific audience response\nwas the declared goal of much of this poetry. The present book aims to remedy\nthe dearth of translations and the obscurity of genre and poet by making many\npassages of Abū Tammām’s odes available side by side in Arabic and English and\nby presenting these excerpts within their performance context, showing how\nthese poems “worked”—that is to say, why they were written, which issues they\ntreated, and how their audience reacted to them.\n\n\nand of Greek Christian background (his father owned a wine shop in Damascus). which programmatically imported foreign sci- ence and offered non-Arabs far greater opportunities for professional and social advancement than had previously been the case under the Umayyads (41–132/ 661–750). grammarians and poets were important cultural forces. Born in the Syrian countryside. 218–27/833–42). and on the execution of General Afshīn for high treason. Abū Tammām was appointed head of the postal service in Mosul through the good offices of one such patron. Unlike many poets of the time. where Abū Tammām traveled to present them his odes. he engaged in menial occupations until he eventually took up the study of poetry. The Book on Bravery (Kitāb al-Ḥamāsah). Abū Tammām’s poetry captured the atmosphere of his time. Abū Tammām’s career reached its peak under Caliph al-Muʿtaṣim (r. His success was slow in coming. Government scribes and high-ranking civil servants also patronized the poet. on the quelling of the Bābak revolt. 86. In the last year of his life. Abū Tammām’s next patrons were generals in the army of Caliph al-Maʾmūn (r. Abū Tammām did not serve an apprenticeship with any other poet. xiv . The poet celebrated al-Muʿtaṣim’s reign in famous odes.3). nor did they need to follow the standards of linguistic purity generally held to be the preserve of the Bedouin. among them. In it he pro- moted and developed an avant-garde aesthetic that mirrored the intellectual and artistic flourishing of the day. Another group of patrons comprised regional rulers. His first patrons were local Syrian dignitaries whom he lampooned when his praise poems did not yield the desired result—payment. It also reflected the greater cultural open- ness of the Abbasid dynasty. but studied his predecessors’ work in book form (§§65. 197–218/813–33). Poets no longer hailed solely from Arab tribes. such as those on the conquest of the Byzantine border fortress Amorium. Abū Tammām is said to have put this book together in a patron’s library when he was snowed in during his travels. though some deemed (the threat of ) lampoons a more effective tool. In Baghdad. They became long-standing supporters and were the recip- ients of many of Abū Tammām’s odes throughout their lives. Panegyrics consti- tuted the main source of income for a professional poet. From such books he also compiled a number of anthologies.2. his loss was mourned by this patron and by many fellow poets. When Abū Tammām died. Introduction At first glance Abū Tammām3 seems an unlikely candidate for a poetic career. The Abbasid elite took pains to acquire and demonstrate their eru- dition. some from as far away as Khurasan (northeast Iran).\n\nand antitheses. and enjoying the social status that came with their wealth. They swiftly climbed the social ladder. one had to be prepared to discuss it (§10. paradoxes. One social group that figures prominently in al-Ṣūlī’s book is the scribes. In the far-flung lands of the Abbasid caliphate. Financially secure in their government employment.2). His verse most obviously displays the features of what came to be known as the “New Style” (badī ʿ ). non-Arabs (mostly Persians and Aramaic-speakers) flourished in administrative service.1). who are ubiquitous as financial supporters and artistic partisans of Abū Tammām. They came from many different back- grounds. Introduction They now came from many backgrounds. outweighed factors such as religious persuasion or ethnic prov- enance. Abū Tammām relied greatly on his own ingenuity in introducing what some thought were incongruous elements into his particular brand of the New Style. his poetry sounded very different from what had come before. however. It echoed the tradition but gave it a new feel. Baghdadi sophistication came to compete with the cultural ideal of Bedouin purity of language. was that they were not dependent on poetry as xv . In fact. they were in a stronger position than were the poets and scholars on whom rulers called at their whim. sorely needed to run the empire. These scribes acted as sponsors of poets. It quickly became both wildly controversial and wildly popular. But he merged these with an archaic Bedouin lexicon and older poetic motifs. as go-betweens who secured stipends and rewards for them. Abū Tammām forcefully promoted a new avant-garde aesthetic that introduced more craftsmanship and rhetorical finesse into poetry. especially Persian and Byzantine. and not all of them were Muslims. some scribes even tried their hand at poetry them- selves. and specialized in the per- sonification of abstract concepts. Al-Ṣūlī says as much himself. but their skills. As a result. Some found it daring. these highly educated clerks became the mainstay of government. and petitions” (§11. whether one liked his verse or not. so much so that it shocked. writings. He created logical twists. The difference. Their profession necessi- tated training in sundry subjects of elite culture beyond basic competence in the Arabic language and script. and as amateur critics of poetry. Even his critics recognized that he had invented an impres- sive array of poetic motifs. pithy sayings. and created new genres that reflected contemporary material and intellectual life. and some estab- lished veritable dynasties. Others deemed it strange. Abū Tammām was the talk of his time. referring to Abū Tammām and other modern poets: “Their poetry is also more suited to its time and people employ it more in their gatherings.\n\nHe was writing a century after the events he records. 356/967) quoted al-Ṣūlī extensively. helping them to while away their idle hours with erudite and entertaining xvi . with the exception of al-Ṣūlī’s uncle Ibrāhīm ibn al-ʿAbbās (d. and al-Mubarrad. His Turkish ancestor Ṣūl had governed the region of Jurjān southwest of the Caspian Sea and adopted Islam under the general Yazīd ibn al-Muhallab (d. though the debate had shifted from the Ancients (awāʾil) versus the Moderns (muḥdathūn) to the pitting of individual modern poets against one another. and gifted with an aesthetic perception that enabled him to compose nuanced portraits of literary life both of the earlier third/ninth century and his own day. 371/981–82). 102/720). Some half a century later al-Marzubānī (d. and he quotes many addi- tional authorities in his works. Subsequent family members were mostly officials in the chancery. Al-Ṣūlī’s contemporary al-Āmidī (d. 335/946 or 336/947). In introducing and commenting on Abū Tammām’s life and poetry. but matters were not yet completely settled. Thaʿlab. The tumultuous state of Abū Tammām’s reception is conveyed in the fresh and refreshingly opinionated voice of Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā l-Ṣūlī (d. Al-Ṣūlī studied with the leading scholars of his day. including the philologists Abū Dāwūd al-Sijistānī. Introduction a source of income. because their authority hinged on their expertise in the ancient corpus. champions the latter. 413/1022) in his Flowering of the Literary Arts (Zahr al-ādāb).5 Al-Ṣūlī Abū Bakr al-Ṣūlī6 was a man steeped in the culture of his time. who excelled both as a poet and a secretary. and eminent luminaries like al-Marzubānī and Abū l-Faraj al-Iṣbahānī (d. His student al-Tanūkhī (d. in his Embroidered Book (al-Muwashshaḥ). A shorter debate is cited by al-Ḥuṣrī (d. al-Ṣūlī laid the groundwork for a tradition of serious poetic criticism of Abū Tammām’s work. a liberty that the philologists could not afford. 384/994). positioned through descent and education at the very top of society. in his book Weighing Up the Merits of Abū Tammām and His Disciple al-Buḥturī (Muwāzanah bayna Abī Tammām wa-l-Buḥturī). Thus they judged it according to their taste and were open to new fashions. The bulk of al-Ṣūlī’s life was devoted to serving several caliphs as compan- ion. 383/994) became a cel- ebrated adab author in his own right.4 Al-Āmidī also includes in his book the record of a long debate between supporters of the two poets. collects Abū Tammām’s poetic short­ comings. 243/857 or later).\n\n1). 329–33/940–44) al-Ṣūlī’s fortunes waned. Muzāḥim ibn Fātik. who died in 286/899 and 291/904 respectively. which means that it probably happened during al-Ṣūlī’s temporary absence from court under al-Qāhir (r. he made his way to the Turkish commander and future regent Bajkam (d. During the previous century. where he died in 335/946–47. remains strangely obscure. Thus a text’s journey from mem- orization to oral transmission to written transcript. show the history of their inception in their structure—and they differ from the continuous text we expect of books today. gave al-Ṣūlī a privileged position at court. sometimes over as long a period as three centuries. when he became Caliph al-Rāḍī in 322/934. Al-Ṣūlī lived at a time when literary scholarship about an earlier oral tradition had become primarily a written exercise. and as tutor of their sons. The eulogies al-Ṣūlī appended to the names of the two grammarians al-Mubarrad and Thaʿlab (§4. though it did not sacrifice person-to- person teaching and transmission. Introduction conversation. one of whom. was carefully documented. the standardiza- tion of the Arabic language (ʿarabiyyah) and the introduction of papermaking from Central Asia had supported a flourishing book culture. 320–22/932–34). The main ingredient of early Arabic prose was short texts. Al-Ṣūlī owned a large library.4). provide a post quem for the epistle. In search of new patrons. The dedicatory epistle may be a petition for sponsorship and patronage. or akhbār (sg. transmitter after trans­ mitter. Oral transmission continued to alternate with the use of written sources and is preserved in the introductory chains of transmission (isnād). In fact. 289–95/902–8). however. 329/941) in Mosul before retiring to Basra. the large body of orally transmitted literature accelerated the process of book composition and was one of the conditions for the cultural revolution that xvii . The addressee of its introductory epis- tle. whose favor al-Ṣūlī sought when his star was fading.7 No contemporary source mentions him. The composition of The Life and Times of Abū Tammām probably dates to the last two decades of al-Ṣūlī’s life. Muzāḥim may thus have been a military man of minor impor- tance but with literary interests. Thereafter al-Muqtadir (r. khabar). which had been transmitted from as early as the sixth century ad.8 but claimed to have studied all his books with relevant authorities. or after his final departure from it under al-Muttaqī. but al-Ṣūlī tells us that the composition of The Life and Times of Abū Tammām took place during a period of disgrace (§2. It was his chess playing that first earned him the attention of Caliph al-Muktafī (r. 295–317/908–29) entrusted him the care of his two sons. The books of this era. With al-Muttaqī (r.\n\ntreat history and poetry. sorted. from the most recent to the earliest—“headnotes” so to speak. In the fourth/tenth century. and chains of transmitters lost their original function. the oral texts in circulation needed to be collected. Authors wrote in this way because they wanted to authenticate their materials. Al-Ṣūlī is an “interfering” compiler who leaves his readers in no doubt about his interpretation of the material he collected. Compiling required its own set of skills—the sources still needed to be cited—but disci- plines differed in the level of strictness in evaluating the reliability of the trans- mitters: those of literature and history were not given the same scrutiny as those of Hadith. He collected the work of nearly every major Abbasid poet and of numerous minor ones. But al-Ṣūlī also treated poetry in its social context. the lines of transmitters are akin to modern footnotes. and integrating them into a new overall narrative. Abū Tammām. and his list of edited dīwāns10 reads like a who’s who of early Abbasid literature. and presented on the page. clustering variant retellings of the same event. And because many of his texts were contemporary with his subject. which served as a basis of religious ritual and law. commenting on their differences and relative authenticity. Individual compilers differed in their degree of intervention in their material. was referred to as taṣnīf. simply arranging snippets of text into thematic chapters. many of which are extant. or it could be more extensive. except that they come at the begin- ning of an account in reverse chronological order. There were two main terms for the production of a book. and The Scribe’s Vademecum (Adab al-kuttāb) imparts technical advice and epistolary etiquette to secretar- ies. One kind. as he deemed audience appreciation important in a proper evaluation of the art of the word. the redacting of oral matter. The composing of a text from scratch was known as taʾlīf. each piece captures one situation from a specific angle and together with the others creates a kaleidoscope. It could be minimal. thus. While a compiler basically arranged preexisting texts. compil- ing was no less scholarly or creative than composing anew. Al-Ṣūlī’s own writings. To this end he collected xviii .9 His Book of Folios (Kitāb al-Awrāq) chronicles literary aspects of the court during the reigns of caliphs he knew personally. they strengthened al-Ṣūlī’s case of showing the poet’s acclaim historically. writing from scratch would come to dominate. But al-Ṣūlī’s main concern was modern poetry. Introduction led to the emergence of the Arabic book. becoming instead a literary device authors played with or something they invented outright. Compilation does not make for fluid reading—like a snapshot.\n\nthe first stage represented by the akhbār. Al-Ṣūlī also throws light on the social classes that made it possible for the elite patrons to sponsor poets. during Abū Tammām’s lifetime no other poet “could earn a single dirham” (§58). The patrons formed one important audience group. What is more. worked against making Abū Tammām’s innovation uniformly welcome. Introduction narratives about poets’ verses recited in public. generals. We meet the patrons who rewarded poetry with generous sums of money. According to some contemporaries. 69. Rulers. and between poets and their intermediaries.1–4).12 Al-Ṣūlī includes chapters on select patrons who supported Abū Tammām as a testimony to the poet’s success. and the second by the activity of the compiler. This support of the elite was both material and verbal (§§66. their occasions of delivery. The Life and Times of Abū Tammām offers unique insight into the formative phase of Arabic poetic criticism. and high officials made the novel style not only acceptable but turned it into the ruling fashion for panegyrics in their honor. Baghdad.1–2. the philologists. it reveals two stages in the eventful process of the reception of Abū Tammām and his poetry. The first stage. others found objectionable. who connected them to the corridors of power. What some relished and paid highly for. and intellectual developments. charts practical criticism from the poet’s time: different groups of critics (and fans) are featured and their agendas are evident. As a compilation.14 xix . disliked. the layer of the akhbār. It showcases the vibrancy of the life of poetry in the third/ninth century. robes of honor. and paid positions.11 The Life and Times of Abū Tammām The Life and Times of Abū Tammām takes readers to the heart of classical Arabic literary and court culture. A similar work on al-Buḥturī does not survive as an independent book but has been reassembled from its quotations in the sources by the scholar Ṣāliḥ al-Ashtar. and poetry was a principal source. or did not understand. The book lies at the crossroads of various cultural.13 The high Arabic language was still being codified in grammar books. literary. and their critical reception. He describes the day-to-day dealings between indi- vidual poets. His book on Abū Tammām is a fine demonstration of this. He thus paints a lively picture of literary life in the capital. and in the palatine city of Samarra. This central role of poetry as a cultural commodity and the importance of its professional stakeholders.\n\nal-Ṣūlī was an even-handed arbiter between ancient and modern poets. which claimed the status of schol- arship. When he was asked. as well as his extensive commentary on sev- eral of the accounts he cites. “Did al-Muʿtaṣim understand anything of your poetry?” (§167). “Why can’t you understand the poetry that is composed?” (§42.6). “Why don’t you compose poetry that can be understood?” Abū Tammām answered impatiently. Al-Ṣūlī lived a century after his protagonist.1). while considering features other than the purely linguistic. What was true for caliphs also applied to phi- lologists and transmitters. when personal attack had matured into scholarly debate. who had a professional mastery of classical Arabic. Al-Ṣūlī. shows those ideas in ferment. the poet’s answer was ambiguous. The material al-Ṣūlī provides is unusually concise. Their apprecia- tion of his poetry was something the caliphs did not necessarily share. and the contested ideas were being reformulated with greater precision. He speaks in his own voice as an expert arbiter. composed when xx . The same is true of his subject Abū Tammām. Introduction Abū Tammām’s sophisticated intellectual style was of particular appeal to the scribes. even though he boasted of his own additions: “The ancient poet has left so much for the modern!” (§109). and concrete. Despite his clear preference for. Thanks to the efforts of al-Ṣūlī. he well knew the indebtedness of the Moderns to their predecessors. and defense of. and as one who defends the separation of poetics and philology. 392/1002) Mediation between al-Mutanabbī and His Opponents (al-Wasāṭah bayn al-Mutanabbī wa-khuṣūmihi). who excerpted and reused ancient poetry. The second stage. His ire was directed at those critics of the Moderns whom he deemed incom- petent and dishonest (§§9–10 and 69. the contemporary poetic style. Abū Tammām thus heralded a crucial phase of growth in the study of Arabic as a language and of literary criticism: much of the debate surrounding the poet can be explained as a turf war between the recently established discipline of lan- guage and the competing fledgling discipline of poetics. In response to one scholar’s question. This layer of the compilation thus presents the words of others. the layer of the compiler’s craft. accessible. presents the arguments of the author-collector al-Ṣūlī himself. Being a poet and an expert on poetic motifs. the contemporaries of Abū Tammām. by collecting sources contemporary with Abū Tammām. who occasionally conceded their befuddlement at Abū Tammām’s verse. Abū Tammām was enshrined as one of the classics in al-Qāḍī l-Jurjānī’s (d. He highlights the significance of the new type of poetic criticism. cast into a vivid tableau.\n\nBut the favor of the patron and his brothers encourages al-Ṣūlī to continue with the com- mission.1–26. Al-Ṣūlī then (in §§3–5. The epistle is followed by a long chapter on the status of Abū Tammām as recorded in instances of practical criticism.15 The open- ing (§§2. He next explains (in §§5. experts on ancient poetry. and a prince represent elite support and establish the wide acclaim the poet received.1–18. Contents The Life and Times of Abū Tammām opens with an introductory epistle. two governors. two high officials. addressed to one Muzāḥim ibn Fātik. The subsequent fifth/eleventh and sixth/twelfth cen- turies saw a wealth of commentaries on both Abū Tammām’s Dīwān and his Hamāsah anthology. had become the major bone of contention.2) makes an unfavorable com- parison between over-ambitious and pretentious contemporary literary schol- arship and the integrity of the previous generation.16 In his rebuttal al-Ṣūlī shows how the Moderns improved upon the motifs of the Ancients. Al-Ṣulī intimates that his new and superior edition will supersede any other extant versions of Abū Tammām’s poems. about whom almost nothing is known. 471/1078 or 474/1081) defined metaphor and imagery through a heavy reliance on both Abū Tammām’s and al-Mutanabbī’s verses. and then by chapters that describe Abū Tammām’s dealings with illustrious patrons. Introduction the next genius of Arabic poetry. The Life and Times of Abū xxi . In §§9. which is also intended as a corrective to the circulation of corrupt variants of verses by Abū Tammām. The great theorist ʿAbd al-Qāhir al-Jurjānī (d.1–8) how badly he has suffered at the hands of contemporary scholars. He describes how this group criticizes Abū Tammām as a means of self-promotion. al-Mutanabbī. The treatise concludes with shorter chapters on negative criticism and the end of the poet’s life. Al-Ṣūlī rebuts the criticism of one particular metaphor and lambasts the ignorance of critics in general and sets Abū Tammām’s borrow- ing alongside his inventiveness. two generals.3). in the same way as al-Ṣūlī’s edition of Abū Nuwās’s collected poems had done (§27). who deliber- ately avoided his poetry and modern poetry generally.17 Al-Ṣūlī next identifies the second kind of critic of Abū Tammām: would-be litterateurs (§§19.1–4) recapitulates the conversation between al-Ṣūlī and Muzāḥim that prompted the commission to compose The Life and Times and edit the Collected Poems of Abū Tammām. he describes how Abū Tammām was and continues to be faulted by one group of scholars. The epistle ends (§§27–28) with the plan of the book. A judge.\n\n19 and a Nuʿmānī scribe (§95. who claimed poetry as their scholarly province. 179). admitting his innovation not in kind but in degree. briefly characterized in what follows. notably in the Qurʾan. 51.1–3). excluding him from his book on poets and referring to him as an orator instead (§122. they touch on many more aspects than are reflected in the chapter headings. Abū Tammām’s verse posed a particular challenge. such as Ibn al-Aʿrābī (§123). “The Superiority of Abū Tammām.6. and the etiquette of literary gather- ings.1–2) and al-Mubarrad (§§4. The short texts that make up the collection depict real-life situations. Fellow poets were divided. or which hurdles he had to brave to find a sponsor or get a promised reward dis- bursed. 10. Other philologists remained puzzled and undecided. To the philologists. were admirers. such as al-Ḥasan ibn Wahb.2.1–4). the secretary al-Ḥasan ibn Wahb (§61. what sort of tools he had at his disposal. ʿAlī ibn al-Jahm (§§31. the court poets of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṭāhir (§64. They even include circumstantial details. who combined material support for the poet with vociferous defense of his odes.3).2). Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥāzim al-Bāhilī (§35).6.1–3. Al-Ṣulī records testimonies by the philologists Thaʿlab (§§4. Criticism In this evolving phase of poetics as a discipline. Many other poets. Ibn al-Rūmī. They contain fascinating information about the professional life of poets.1–2). 91. criticism often took the practi- cal form of abridging odes to include only the best verses. and Muḥammad al-Tawwazī (§125).1–3) and Ibn al-Muʿtazz (§52. Introduction Tammām was in fact originally intended as a preface to the edition of Abū Tammām’s Collected Poems (§28). or by heart). 95.18 In the first and longest chapter. Abū Ḥātim al-Sijistānī (§124). such as imitation and innovation. as al-Ṣūlī tells us was done by the poets ʿUmārah ibn ʿAqīl (§§30. Most importantly. Ibn al-Muʿtazz halfheartedly defended Abū Tammām’s rhetorical figures by claiming older precedents for them. Those most vocal in the poet’s defense were government scribes. 50. how they supported or competed with each other.1–3). and al-Buḥturī (§39).2) in which they either reserved judgment or begrudg- ingly acknowledged Abū Tammām’s merit.” and a later shorter chapter. xxii .” al-Ṣūlī assembles compet- ing opinions about the poet. Notable are the recurrent topics of poetry and poetics. “Criticisms of Abū Tammām. such as ʿUmārah ibn ʿAqīl (§50. such as how a poet composed (with ink on papyrus. Di ʿbil al-Khuzāʿī even denied Abū Tammām the title of poet.\n\n1–6). Imitation Poetic experimentation and toying with older. Introduction In his commentaries.1).5 and 69. “copying. for the general meaning of a passage. Al-Ṣūlī notes how.1. or the fallen moon as an image of the irreplaceable loss of General Muḥammad ibn Ḥumayd al-Ṭūsī (§§69.1)21 reveal as much about attitudes to the influence of one poet on another as they do about specific opin- ions on individual cases of borrowing. maʿnā stands. and self-reliance (§§11. first.1–9).2. This last verse. such as fever for generosity (§21.” “imitating. part of Abū Tammām’s lament for the general.1–2).1–6) and water for blame (§22. “taking. “emulating” (§69. to wit. since such a thing was literally unavoidable in a continuous poetic tradition.1–2). were his novelty. 23. It had already been established that it was not the act of poetic theft itself that mattered for the evaluation. Meaning The principal concepts that were to dominate the discipline of poetics were not yet defined. but rather xxiii . 26. existing motifs led to a debate about originality versus imitation and about authorship. a sword falling from the sky on one’s head as an image of bravery (§71. such as the figs and grapes mentioned in the Amorium ode (§20.1. those that were emphasized time and again. for a smaller theme within a poem. trans- posing.” “reliance” (§44. 52. Novelty The most salient features of Abū Tammām’s skill as a poet. such as exile from home.8. In The Life and Times of Abū Tammām.10–28). is elsewhere condemned as a plagiarism (§94.” “stealing. A good example is maʿnā: this term carries many meanings and nuances that are at times hard to distinguish.20 and his skill at improvisation (§110.2. 72. Abū Tammām transformed a familiar theme of exile as a painful experience into an individual’s decision to enhance his appreciation through absence (§30). al-Ṣūlī argues against criticism of specific metaphors.13).1–10). his development of motifs (§51. and third. Thus al-Ṣūlī argues that criticism of the same verse as both a bad motif and a good theft shows that the criticism is gratuitous.” and “being inspired” (§§55. 103). and against criticism of motifs.1). for example. Different terms. for the particular way in which a poet formulated this. inventiveness. second.\n\nHe assembles several series of motifs that show the versatility of poets when they return to the same themes over time. It presents a lively picture of how hotly these were debated and how highly remunerated. and people who do not even merit a lampoon (§§24.8) or “condition” (§81. love lyric).1–6). In other words.5). xxiv . into a more natural language than that of his mentor. One series lists poems describing robes (§§92.. Introduction the manner in which it was carried out. apology. placed in the context of their first recitation and subsequent discussion in literary circles. boast. Al-Buḥturī poured the ideas that he bor- rowed from Abū Tammām. each of which included a catalog of common themes. Poetic Themes Most classical Arabic poems belong to a fixed set of larger genres. responsibility for endeavor but not success (§§25. as al-Ṣūlī shows.1. Abridgments Finally.22 namely precedence in the authorship of a motif in terms of chronology. though inarticulate. precedence in terms of quality (e.2–18). Al-Ṣūlī also lists some themes that the Moderns rendered more successfully than the Ancients did (§§11. al-Buḥturī was clearly second to Abū Tammām.2). 34. §13. the work features selections and abridgments of Abū Tammām’s most famous poems in all genres (panegyric. considered in terms of eloquence and invention. move their listeners (§§100. A poet could thus “earn” the ownership of an existing motif if he outdid its creator.1.1. Audiences and critics would compare the two.1–30). such as pan- egyric or lament. 81. but al-Buḥturī’s fame among contemporaries would soon match Abū Tammām’s.1– 6).1–10). and among contemporaries.5) posited by experts. 52. but al-Ṣūlī makes the point that in terms of cre- ativity. and each poet had his particular supporters.g.24 Al-Buḥturī was a younger poet whom Abū Tammām took under his wing. such as metaphors involving water (§§22.4). poetic excellence creates entitlement (§§26.23 The Presence of al-Buḥturī A long section deals in particular with al-Buḥturī’s borrowings from Abū Tammām (§§44 and 46–48). Al-Ṣūlī refers in this context to a “rule” (§§26. In this way the poet became “more worthy of it” (§§34. sounds that. satire.1–5). lament.\n\n1–3). as confirmed by Ibn Abī Ṭāhir (§53). but then does so. and used his works without giving him credit (§6. The Life and Times of Abū Tammām inaugu- rates a long line of poetic treatises that react to innovations in poetry. and he condemns religious and other biases against.4.3). with “I will mention this” (see §§9. Impressionistic and discursive. 24. Inversely. But he misses no opportunity to promote his own expertise as a com- mentator of poetry (§§2. For example. he proceeds to do so a paragraph later. Al-Ṣūlī dismisses their arguments as gibberish (§§70. Conclusion The Life and Times of Abū Tammām also affords a window on the academic world of Baghdad in the first half of the fourth/tenth century.1.1. Al-Ṣūlī demonstrates great respect for the intellectual property of others (§46. 87.6). 69.9). or slander of. after declaring that God would not ask him to explain scholars’ and poets’ unwarranted criticism of Abū Tammām (§69. 101.1–4).2).1). making a show of not criticizing col- leagues openly (he toys with not naming them). esp.1–2).1–2. 4. poets (§§86. He boasts of his own scholarly propriety.6–9. In the course of his argument. Language- centered philologists and transmitters made up one faction (§§9. Along with Arabic grammar.5. premodern Arabic poetics never lost its dynamic character— ever unfolding in the wake of the seemingly inexhaustible creativity of its poets. He lauds al-Mubarrad and Thaʿlab for not overstepping the limit of their competence by remaining faithful to their discipline (§§4. xxv . Self-promoting amateurs made up the other (§§19. and 28). he complains that scholars like Abū Mūsā l-Ḥāmiḍ25 did not treat him with the same respect.1–8.3.1–7).1). claiming a sense of scholarly duty. mentioning the popularity of his edition of Abū Nuwās’s Collected Poems (§27) and the failure of competitors to match his collection The Life and Times of al-Farazdaq with a similar work on Jarīr (§7. 23. al-Ṣūlī pronounces on professional ethics and his own scholarly eti- quette. 78. Introduction Factions Al-Ṣūlī throws light on the two factions that attacked Abū Tammām.\n\nRelated Interests", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5369293093681335}
{"content": "For Non-Astronomers\n\nThe centers of most galaxies in the Universe each contain a supermassive black hole with a mass of more than a hundred million suns. Owing to this massive amount of mass, the gravity from a black hole is so strong that not even light itself can escape from the black hole. In essence, black holes should be, well, black and invisible in space. However, when we look out into the Universe, the most luminous objects are “active galactic nuclei” (AGN) – galaxies who’s centers are so staggeringly bright we often cannot see the rest of the galaxy. The brightness of these AGN are related to the black hole at the center – but how can an object so massive that light cannot escape make so much light!?\n\nThe 2015 undergraduate research team at Colgate University Foggy Bottom Telescope (06/2015).\n\nThat is the basic question driving my research. The term “active galactic nuclei” is actually an over-arching term for specific types of objects we see in space. In particular, I study blazars – objects similar to other AGN, but with enough differences that blazars can be considered on their own. In fact, the differences are similar to squares and rectangles – all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares. All blazars are AGN, but not all AGN are blazars. However, of all galaxies in the Universe, only 10% are “active”, and of those 10%, only one in a thousand AGN are a blazar.\n\nWhat makes blazars unique is that a jet of high-energy charged particles, such as electrons and protons, are streaming away from the central black hole at speeds near the ultimate speed limit of the universe – the speed of light. These jets are oriented almost directly towards the Earth, similar to a flashlight beam pointing at you at night! Don’t worry, though! These objects are so far away we are only awash in the glow of light coming from the jet, and not actually being hit by anything dangerous!\n\nJust how do these charged particles get going moving so fast? That’s the question!\n\nIn order to answer it, I use light across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Just like you can take light and separate it into all the colors of the rainbow, the electromagnetic spectrum extends beyond colors that humans can see. At the lowest-energy end are radio waves, and at the highest energies are gamma rays. I use light from all parts of the spectrum to try to piece together what is causing the light from a blazar and how the charged particles are moving so quickly.\n\nPresenting at the 229th AAS meeting in Grapevine, Texas.\n\nFor Astronomers\n\nBlazars are a subclass of quasars, a type of active galactic nuclei (AGN). Blazars are relatively rare, comprising only 5-10% of all quasars, and yet they are the most luminous non-transient sources in the Universe. They produce highly variable broadband emission (from radio waves to gamma rays) dominated by emission from a relativistic jet of charged particles with Lorentz factors as high as 50.\n\nThe driving central engine for an AGN is the conversion of gravitational potential energy into radiation as gas and dust falls into the central supermassive black hole of galaxies.\n\nPresenting at the Undergraduate ALFALFA Training meeting at the National Radio Astronomical Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia (06/2016).\n\nThe black holes usually have a mass of near a billion solar masses, and have large, likely thick accretion disks providing a thermal component of the radiation. For a reason yet unknown, relativistic jets start extremely close to the black hole near the axis of the accretion disk. However, the dominant components of the observed spectral energy distribution depend on the direction of our line of sight. For objects where our viewing angle is within 40° of the disk equator the object is classified as a non-blazar. If the viewing angle is within 20° of the relativistic jet, the object is classified as a blazar.\n\nIn the case of blazars, the emission is dominated by the relativistic jet, as light originating in the jet is relativistically beamed towards us. From other relativistic effects, this light can have extremely short variability timescales, on the range from months and years to as little as tens of minutes.\n\nI currently study the shortest timescales of variability across the electromagnetic spectrum. By observing the differences in brightness across the electromagnetic spectrum, we can begin to piece together what physical processes are occurring in the jet, and what the charged particle distribution is like. To this end, I utilize data obtained at radio wavelengths with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), optical wavelengths with a variety of telescopes (such as the 14-inch telescope at the Colgate University Foggy Bottom Observatory, and the 72-inch Perkins Telescope and 4-meter Discovery Channel Telescope of Lowell Observatory), and gamma-ray wavelengths with the Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope.\n\nMy most recent research project is characterizing the 2016 multi-wavelength outburst of the blazar 3C454.3. In June 2016 the blazar increased in brightness by a factor of 10 over a week and a half, before decaying to pre-outburst levels over the span of 3 days. This decay was the most precipitous decay seen ever. This structure was seen at both optical and gamma-ray wavelengths. At optical wavelengths the source exhibited variability on the order of 1 magnitude over the course of a single night, dubbed intraday variability. Also, the source exhibited variability of the order 0.05 magnitude over the course of just hours, dubbed micro-variability, that has been exceedingly rare in the observed history of most sources. The findings from this research will be published in an upcoming paper.\n\nAstronomy is useful because it raises us above ourselves; it is useful because it is grand; …. It shows us how small is man’s body, how great his mind, since his intelligence can embrace the whole of this dazzling immensity, where his body is only an obscure point, and enjoy its silent harmony. – Henri Poincaré", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9975089430809021}
{"content": "You are here\n\nThought of the Moment\n\nWhat to Invest In\n\nWhen it comes to your skills, invest in your strengths.\n\nWhen it comes to your qualities, invest in your weaknesses.\n\n- Jay Shetty\n\n\nSlowing Down\n\n\n- Ovid\n\n\nNew Path\n\nStepping onto a brand-new path is difficult, but not more difficult than remaining in a situation which is not nurturing to the whole person.\n\n- Maya Angelou\n\n\nLove and Separation\n\n\n- Kahlil Gibran\n\n\nWhy Haters Hate\n\nHaters hate because there’s something missing within them or within their lives that they see in you. They believe they can’t have it and that causes negative emotion within them. If they believed they could have it too, they would be inspired by you to get it themselves. It would be a positive emotion. The fact that it brings out hate or jealousy is because they don’t believe they can. Belief in possibility is the difference between jealousy and inspiration.\n\n- Emily Maroutian\n\n\n\nKindness is in our power even when fondness is not.\n\n- Henry James\n\n\nThe things you own\n\nThe things you own end up owning you.\n\n- Chuck Palhniuk\n\n\nBe Selective With Your Energy\n\nIf you dilute yourself trying to please everyone, you won't have anything substantial or powerful to offer anyone, including yourself. Be selective about where you choose to focus your energy.\n\n- Emily Maroutian\n\n\nLust, Love, and Like\n\n\n- Carl Reiner\n\n\nReal Freedom\n\n\n- Russell Brand", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5174670219421387}
{"content": "What is the dream about the accident?\n\nNatalia Gredyushko\nNatalia Gredyushko\nAugust 6, 2012\nWhat is the dream about the accident?\n\nWhat is the dream about the accident? To learn about the interpretation of this dream definitely will not work, as various sources offer their definitions.\n\nFor example, in the dream book, Denise Lynn responds - what a dream is happening to - this is: “this is a pointer that warns and recommends to slow down”. That is, you need to assess the situation in your life, understand what you want and what you expect from life. If the accident occurred on the water, then it is necessary to pay attention to emotionality, perhaps, to reconsider their attitude towards something. The collapse of a small aircraft symbolizes the spiritual body of man. Maybe something is wrong with him?\n\nBut the \"New Family Dream Book\" is alarming. The accident, seen in a dream, in which you have fallen, will indicate only unforeseen circumstances awaiting you in real life. Firstly, it will be health related. If you see that you have easily avoided an accident, then this can mean one thing - you can just as easily get out of a difficult and confusing life situation.Becoming a witness to a catastrophe means that unpleasant situations will occur, but you will not be affected in any way. If you saw in a dream only the consequences of an accident, then in life you should not rely on others then there will be no problems.\n\nWhat is the dream car accident?\n\nA car accident with fiery jets, screaming, panic, even in a dream will frighten anyone. But in real life it will be a warning about the upcoming scandal, quarrel, conflict situation with the collapse of hopes.\n\nThe result will be as follows: the dream that has dreamed does not bode well for real.\n\nRelated News:\n\nHow to prepare a child for the birth of a brother or sister\nCarpet Types\nElegant gray dress: 20 beautiful looks\nWho is an optimist\nLeather Belt", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5236778259277344}
{"content": "\n\n23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 2. Nihilism\n\n[human life seems pointless and absurd]\n\n14 ideas\nJacobi was the first philosopher to talk of nihilism [Jacobi, by Critchley]\nThe ethical teacher exists to give purpose to what happens necessarily and without purpose [Nietzsche]\nInitially nihilism was cosmic, but later Nietzsche saw it as a cultural matter [Nietzsche, by Ansell Pearson]\nNietzsche urges that nihilism be active, and will nothing itself [Nietzsche, by Zizek]\nEvidence suggests that humans do not have a purpose [Cioran]", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5441725254058838}
{"content": "by Eunice Lipton\n\nRachel Friedberg is a painter at a time when painting is not in fashion, and that's a fact of no consequence, because what Friedberg paints - how the works look, what they're about - is important. \"From My Mother's Garden\" is an ensemble of pictures addressing issues that compel many writers, choreographers, composers, as well as visual artists today - issues of death, memory and narration.\n\nFriedberg's paintings are about a place: Her mother's garden in Brooklyn where she grew up. It is the focal point, psychologically and metaphorically, of life and death, presence and absence. It is in and around the garden that the crucial conversations take place.\n\nThe garden is figured as a round form with paths entering at either end; occasionally it is a bower and rectangular in shape. Sometime the round form is simply a table, the rectangle a door or an architectural enclosure. But all are sites where life does or does not unfold.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.920804500579834}
{"content": "Thursday, February 11, 2010\n\nWhat's Next?\n\nI’ve got one more book in the series I’ve been writing over the past few years. The cover will be blue. I know most of the characters. I know something of the events that will be taking place in town at the time of the story. I know some of the things that will happen. I used the previous book to setup part of the story. I just have one problem; I don’t know what the story is about.\n\nWith me knowing so much already, you would think I would be set. If I were like some authors, I might just start typing and see what happens, but I haven’t found that to be an effective way to work. If someone were to ask me about the story, I could say that Sara is the protagonist and that a movie is being filmed on the street in front of Ellen’s café. Kelly has a role in the movie. David and the other movie people from And Thy House are all there. Ellen has a contract to feed the cast and crew, so Sara has a good excuse to hang around the movie set. Kelly’s dad will be making an appearance. I may bring Neal home for the summer, and Kelly’s mother still has all of her problems. With Kelly’s dad in town and Kelly involved with it, she is not going to be a happy camper. But all of that is just setting and backstory. What I need is a premise that is suitable for a character of Sara’s caliber and one that will allow me to incorporate the storylines of the other characters.\n\nIt comes down to a question of what will happen in the first part of the second act, which in our Universal Outline is the fun and games section. What is it that Sara will be doing in her effort to accomplish whatever it is that she wants to accomplish? In Searching for Mom she was looking for a suitable mother through an online dating service. In For the Love of a Devil, Geoff was doing things that showed his love for Heather, even when she was much too affectionate with other men. So what goal can Sara try to accomplish in this next novel that is suitable for the situation? When I can answer that, I’ll have a story.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9070748090744019}
{"content": "Andaman Nicobar, Islands,Port Blair, India\n\nMonday-Saturday : 9:00 AM to 8:00 PMSunday : Closed\n\nDolphin Cruise\n\nAndaman Dolphin Cruises - Port Blair\n\nUncover the beauty of the underwater kingdom lying beneath the Andaman Sea, without getting your toes wet. We provide a luxurious window into the mesmerizing world of corals and marine life of Port Blair, from within the comfort & safety of our international quality speedboat.​\n\nSo come glide with us over the Andaman Sea, explore, and get enchanted!!!​\n\nSpacious, luxurious and stylish glass bottom sightseeing commercial hydrofoil boat that offers best in class upscale passenger experience.\n\nSpeedboats can run to a speed of 15-40 Knots thus taking you to coral patches where no other boats can reach in time.\n\nThe Boat Glides on the sea further enhancing your comfort. Thus the dual advantage of speedboat ride as well as exploring the vibrant marine ecosystem comes under the same package.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9633570313453674}
{"content": "Change Your Name Legally\n\nHow to Legally Change Your Name\n\nThere are many reasons why you may want to change your name. According to Holmes, Diggs & Sadler, the most common motivations behind legal name changes are marriage, divorce, adoption, and custody change. Perhaps you simply want a new name! Here’s how to successfully navigate the legal name changing process:\n\n  1. The first and most important step of a legal name change is choosing what you would like your new name to be. If you’re getting married or divorced, this choice is probably very simple. However, if you choosing a brand new name there are a few rules you must follow. Your new name cannot be generally offensive, violent, or racially charged. You are also not permitted to choose the name of a celebrity, like Brad Pitt or Taylor Swift.\n  2. Find all necessary materials and documents. This will differ slightly depending on what state you live in, but in general you will need a petition for Change of Name, your social security card, your birth certificate, a valid photo ID, and an order to show the reason behind your Change of Name.\n  3. Once you have gathered all your forms and materials you must file them with the correct court. You will be asked to sign and date all forms at your local court, as well as pay a fee of $100-$200.\n  4. The next step is a court hearing. During the hearing, the judge will review your documents and petition and will decide whether or not to grant you a legal change of name. Most name change hearings are quite short and simple.\n  5. Lastly, begin the transition into your new name. This includes informing all governmental, financial, and business institutions of your new name. Some necessary institutions to notify include your school, bank, post office and place of work.\n\nFlorida Marijuana Possession\n\nArrested for marijuana possession in Florida?\n\n\n\n\nDog Bite Injuries\n\nDog Bite Injuries – The Basics\n\nDogs are known as man’s best friend, but unfortunately, not all dogs are the sweet and cuddly pets that we know and love. In fact, dog bites account for about 90% of all animal bites in the United States. There are currently around 70 million dogs living in the US and an estimated 4.5 million dog bite incidents occur each year. In 2013 alone, 31 people died from causes related to a dog bite.\n\nAccording to Spiros Law, P.C., some of the most common injuries and complications that come from dog bites include severe lacerations and puncture wounds, fractured bones, disfiguring scars, life-threatening infections, severe contusions, and nerve damage. About 27,000 dog bite victims undergo reconstructive surgery each year.\n\nThere are a few ways to avoid dog bite incidents. For example, stay away from dogs you don’t know and never leave a young child alone with a dog, whether it is familiar or not. When approaching a dog, it is best to do so slowly and give the dog a chance to approach you. Also, never approach or try to play with a dog that is eating or a female dog that is feeding her puppies. If you find yourself in a situation with an aggressive dog, do not panic or run and scream. The best thing to do here is back away slowly and avoid eye contact with the angry canine.\n\nIf you have been bitten by a dog and your injuries are not severe, you may feel like you can treat yourself at home and avoid the emergency room. However, it is always best to seek medical attention after a dog bite, especially if the dog was unfamiliar to you. If the bite is deep, you cannot stop the bleeding, or there are any signs of infection, seek medical help right away.\n\nDrinking and Boating\n\nThe Danger of Drinking and Boating\n\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6195683479309082}
{"content": "FAQ for 4 Buttons triggered MP3 Player Board with 10W Amplifier (FN-BC04)\n\n\n\n\n\nQ3: Can you add multiple sound files on each of the buttons, i.e. can each button cycle through multiple sound files.\n\nA3: This module only supports one sound file per button. You can load 4 sound files in total, and depending on which of the 4 buttons are pressed, the specific sound file for that button will be played back. If you need multiple sounds per button to see the FN-BC20 or FN-BC10. Also, the USB5M supports more than one sound file per button.\n\nQ4: How do I adjust the volume of the board?\n\nA4:  All you need is a small star point screwdriver. The onboard potentiometer used to adjust the volume is the small blue square just next to the headphone jack. Turn clockwise to increase volume. Turn anticlockwise to decrease volume. This potentiometer only controls the onboard amplifier. It does not control the 3.5mm audio jack volume.\n\n\n\nQ6: Is there any way to have an indication of a signal of a state change from the module?\n\nA6: FN-BC04 doesn't support this. Please see the FN-BC10 for that function. \nQ7: Is the square potentiometer able to be used to adjust the volume for the audio output from the headphone jack as well?\n\nA7: No, the headphone jack gives an audio signal only to an external amplifier/active speaker/headphone. The volume adjustment relies on the connected devices.\n\nQ8: What bitrate must the MP3 file be?\n\n\nQ9: What sampling rate must the .WAV file be?\n\n\n\n\n\nA11: First thing would to do is test if the cable works with other devices such as a phone, if not try a different cable.  Some micro USB cords can only transport power through them, so it is important to make sure the cable can transfer both power and data.  \n\n\n\n\n\n\nApp - https://macpaw.com/cleanmydrive", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5276452898979187}
{"content": "\n\nNow Subscribe for Free videos\n\nSubscribe Now\n\nTuesday, 21 August 2018\n\nSSC CPO : English Language Quiz | 21 - 08 - 18\n\nMahendra Guru : Online Videos For Govt. Exams\nSSC CPO : English Language Quiz | 21 - 08 - 18\n\nQ.1-5.ln the questions given below choose the word most opposite in meaning to the given word and mark your answer. \n\nQ.1. Jettison \n\n(A) Accept\n\n(B) Reward \n\n(C) Preserve\n\n(D) Consent \n\nQ.2. Perspicuity \n\n(A) Vagueness\n\n(B) Dullness \n\n(C) Unfameness\n\n(D) Unwillingness \n\nQ.3. Rebellion \n\n(A) Forgiveness\n\n(B) Retribution \n\n(C) Submission\n\n(D) Domination \n\nQ.4. Idiosyncrasy \n\n(A) Insanit\n\n(B) Sanity \n\n(C) Generality\n\n(D) Singularity \n\nQ.5. Sanguine \n\n(A) Diffident\n\n(B) Hopeless \n\n(C) Cynical\n\n(D) Morose \n\nQ.6-10.In questions below out of the four alternatives, choose the one which can be substituted for the given words/sentence and mark your answer. \n\nQ.6. Release of a prisoner from jail on certain terms and conditions. \n\n(A) Parole\n\n(B) Parley \n\n(C) Pardon\n\n(D) Acquittal \n\nQ.7. To struggle helplessly. \n\n(A) Flounder\n\n(B) Founder \n\n(C) Fumble\n\n(D) Finger \n\nQ.8. Code of diplomatic etiquette and precedence. \n\n(A) Statesmanship\n\n(B) Diplomacy \n\n(C) Hierarchy\n\n(D) Protocol \n\nQ.9. Impossible to describe. \n\n(A) Miraculous\n\n(B) Ineffable \n\n(C) Stupendous\n\n(D) Appalling \n\nQ.10. Detaining and confining someone. \n\n(A) Interruption\n\n(B) Interrogation \n\n(C) Interment\n\n(D) Internment \n\n\nQ.1.(A) Jettison - to devide, to throw \n\nConsent - agreement \n\nQ.2.(A) Prespicuity - clear, lucid \n\nVagueness - unclear, unknown \n\nunfaimess - not known everywhere \n\nQ.3.(C) Rebellion - voilent action organized by a group of people \n\nRetribution - deserved and severe punishment \n\nSubmission - Give, when a person or group submits to someone. \n\nQ.4.(C) Idiosyncrasy - generality \n\nSanity - having a healthy mind and not mentally ill. \n\nQ.5.(A) Sanguine - diffident, cheerful \n\ndiffident - happy \n\nmorose - hopelessly \n\nQ.6.(A) Parley - both sides agreed to settle their differences. \n\nAcquittal - convict, five years ago he was acquitted on a shoplifting charge. \n\nQ.7.(A) Fumble - to do 5th awkwardly. \n\nQ.8.(D) Diplomacy - The management of relationships between countries. \n\nHierarchy - a system in which people or things are arranged according to their importance. \n\nQ.9.(B) Stupendous - usually in a pleasing way. \n\nAppalling - shocking and very bad. \n\nQ.10.(D) Interment - the act of burying a dead body. \n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9940751194953918}
{"content": "The rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) is an eastern bee whose workers have a small rust-colored patch on the middle of their second abdominal segment. This bee was once commonly distributed throughout the east and upper Midwest of the United States, but has declined from an estimated 87% of its historic range in recent years. The rusty-patched bumble bee is an excellent pollinator of wildflowers, cranberries, and other important crops, including plum, apple, alfalfa and onion seed.\n\n\n\nWhere these bees were once very common, they were nearly impossible to find. B. impatiens has not shown a dramatic decline; Robbin Thorp hypothesizes that B. impatiens may serve as a carrier of an exotic strain ofNosema bombi, although it may not be as severely affected by the disease as B. affinis, B. occidentalis, B. terricola, and B. frankliniB. affinis, B. occidentalis, B. terricola, and B. franklini are closely related to each other (they all belong to the subgenus Bombus sensu stricto). B. impatiens is not as closely related, which may explain the difference in sensitivity to a pathogen. This hypothesis is still in need of validation, although the timing, speed, and severity of the population crashes strongly supports the idea that an introduced disease caused the decline of bees.\n\nA storymap of the #rustypatched bumble bee", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9812578558921814}
{"content": "For a brief overview of Scarpitta and his art please click here. \n\nSalvatore Scarpitta’s Trevis Race Car (Sal Gambler Special) arrives at SIE. \n\nExhibit Specialists used cardboard to make detailed templates for creating mounts.\n\nAfter using the cardboard templates to create acrylic prototypes, CAD files were generated for laser cutting the final pieces out of steel. \n\nFor additional support, steel gussets were cut by hand and welded to the laser cut components. The surface of the completed pieces were then polished and given a high gloss powder coat paint. \n\nA total of 8 unique mounts were created to make the cars appear to be resting on their tires. In reality, their weight is being completely supported by the new custom brackets. \n\nSIE staff examine Scarpitta’s Sal Cragar\n\nAfter leaving SIE the cars were displayed at The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.921867847442627}
{"content": "Posts Tagged ‘fatigue’\n\ndaylight saving blues copy\n\nIf you’re still feeling knackered from the time change with daylight saving  you’re not alone. Changing the time throws a kink in the fragile and sensitive human biological clock, leaving many people feeling continuously jet lagged for a few weeks.\n\nAn hour of lost sleep might not sound like a big deal, but if you or your friends and coworkers are any indication, it makes for some groggy and grumpy days, bouts of insomnia, and feeling generally off.\n\nIt’s not just a hunch — scientific studies have demonstrated various ways in which the bi-annual time change messes with our health.\n\nThe body has genes that flip on and off to keep us in a steady rhythm of sleeping and waking. When we throw those genes off beat by artificially changing the time, the effect extends into the rest of the body, including muscles, the skeleton, the pancreas, etc. The disruption is felt body-wide.\n\nHow daylight saving time can impact health\n\nThis disruption dulls the brain and throws the body’s systems off, resulting in serious and even fatal consequences for some people.\n\nFor instance, past studies have shown driving fatalities, workplace injuries, and heart attacks go up after the spring-forward change in time. An Australian study found that even suicides increase after the time change.\n\nUnsurprisingly, work productivity goes down as well, causing losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars.\n\nNight owls, people who naturally are more inclined to stay up late and sleep later in the morning take the longest to recover.\n\nWorst of all, some studies suggest our bodies never really adjust to time changes. We’re designed to sync with natural changes in light throughout the year, not artificially inflicted ones.\n\nHow to recover from daylight saving time\n\nAlthough people complain and we see a spate of news stories every spring bemoaning the change in time, we’re nevertheless stuck with it until politicians add it to their to-do list.\n\nUnderstanding the effect of the time change on your body can help you better know how to ease the transition into suddenly waking up an hour earlier.\n\nAvoid overdoing it for a while. Because you know your whole body is struggling to adjust to being thrown out of whack, don’t expect too much from yourself. Avoid scheduling high-risk or energy demanding activities the week after the time change. And be extra careful driving.\n\nSchedule in some naps and restful mornings. If you’re like most people, you’ll be sleep-deprived for a week or two. Take a lunch nap in your car at work, let yourself rest on a weekend morning, and be extra disciplined about getting to bed early enough.\n\nWear orange glasses at night. Wear some orange safety glasses a couple of hours before bed to shield your eyes from artificial blue light from light bulbs, the TV, and computer and phone screens. This facilitates production of sleep hormones and will help ease you into the new schedule.\n\nGet some sunshine during the day. Our bodies were designed to wake and sleep according to the light of the seasons, not an industrialized schedule. Get as much natural light as you can during the day and avoid artificial sources of blue light (computer, TV, smart phones) in the evening.\n\n\nRead Full Post »\n\ncrash and awake copy\n\n\nWhy you’re wide awake at 3 or 4 a.m.\n\n\n\n\nAt least in theory.\n\n\n\n\n\nHow to fall asleep if you wake up at 3 a.m.\n\n\n\nHow to avoid the afternoon crash\n\n\nHow do you know if you have low blood sugar?\n\nLow blood sugar symptoms include:\n\n  • Sugar cravings\n  • The need for caffeine for energy\n  • Eating to relieve fatigue\n\n\nRead Full Post »\n\nDST health impacts\n\nDo you curse every spring when we have to move the clocks forward for Daylight Saving Time (DST)? Does it take you weeks to recover? You’re not alone. Studies show DST is hard on our health and dangerous to boot, making it an outdated relic that adds stress to an already over-stressed society.\n\nDST doesn’t just make people tired in the morning. Studies show the number of car accidents increases after DST, likely due to tired drivers. A Swedish study also found that the risk of heart attacks goes up the first few days after DST, and that risk drops after setting the time back to Standard Time. An Australian study showed an increase in suicides the first few weeks after DST goes into effect.\n\nSome people aren’t ruffled by the change in time, others recover in a few days, and then there are those for whom DST means a few weeks of feeling out of whack while their body adjusts. In fact, one study showed our bodies never fully adjust to DST until we switch back to Standard Time. Night owls are affected the worst, taking as long as three weeks to recover. Research has shown on their days off, people revert to sleeping and waking according to what’s seasonally appropriate, not what DST dictates.\n\nWe are designed to gradually adjust to the changes in light as the seasons change. Forcing this change overnight once a year flies in the face of our internal clocks, which are tuned into nature.\n\nThis is because light dictates how much of the sleep hormone melatonin we make. The more light we are exposed to the less melatonin we make so that we are awake longer.\n\nThe sudden disruption to our internal clocks with the time change and loss of sleep causes a loss in production, concentration, and memory, as well as fatigue and sleepiness during the day.\n\nDST bad for business as well as health\n\nEnacted during World War I to decrease energy costs, DST has now been shown to actually increase energy demands, due largely to more air conditioner use and more driving time to daylight activities. Also, contrary to popular belief, it does not benefit farmers; they actually oppose it. Dairy farmers in particular say cows do not easily adapt to the change in schedule. Orthodox religions don’t like their sunrise and sunset prayer tinkered with. However, the golf, barbecue, and retail industries love it.\n\nBroader research has shown DST costs the economy anywhere from $400 million to $2 billion due to loss of productivity, workplace injury, and “cyber loafing.”\n\nHow to cope with Daylight Saving Time\n\nIf DST is wrecking you those first few weeks, you can do a few things to help ease the transition (in addition to signing an online petition to end DST):\n\nLay low until you adjust. Honor the disruption to your natural rhythms and take it easy by avoiding taking on extra activities or added stressors until you feel back to normal. Also, avoid dangerous activities.\n\nAdd in extra time to rest and nap. The biggest cost of DST is sleep loss, especially if you are a night owl. It is difficult to go to bed and wake up an hour earlier. Make time for a nap or at least some time to lie down and rest during the day those first few weeks.\n\nBlock blue light at night to help you adjust. Wearing orange glasses in the evening a couple of hours before bed will also help increase the production of sleep hormones so you can fall asleep. Exposure to sunlight during the day will also help regulate sleep hormones. You can use a light box in the mornings to help you wake up.\n\nAsk my office for advice on helping you sleep better.\n\nRead Full Post »\n\nlazy and unmotivated copy\n\nAre you lazy and unmotivated? Do you have plenty to do, yet spend all your time watching TV or goofing around online, and then beat yourself up for it? Your lack of motivation could signal chronic health issues more so than regrettable character flaws. Although we all need some degree of discipline, life’s daily duties shouldn’t feel like insurmountable chores. Good health means you have the energy, motivation, and desire to not only manage daily life, but also make in time for hobbies, sports, socializing, and special projects.\n\nIn functional medicine, laziness and lack of motivation are seen as symptoms of larger health issues that, when addressed and corrected, can make the couch feel like a prison and life outside a playground of adventures waiting to be experienced.\n\nHealth issues that can make you lazy and unmotivated\n\nBelow are issues that may be sapping your energy, motivation, and desire to more fully live your life.\n\nBlood sugar blues. If you skip breakfast and other meals, subsist on coffee and energy drinks, or if the majority of your meals are based around rice, noodles, pastries, cereal, sugar, and other processed carbohydrates, you are probably riding a roller coaster of blood sugar highs and lows.  Eventually this causes fatigue, brain chemistry imbalances, depression, poor stress-handling, and other fallouts that will send you to the sofa.\n\nHypothyroidism. Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks and destroys the thyroid gland. It is the leading cause of hypothyroidism and causes symptoms that include depression, fatigue, weight gain, lethargy, and low motivation. If you have lost your get-up-and-go, have your thyroid screened using functional medicine lab ranges.\n\nBrain chemistry imbalance. Brain chemicals called neurotransmitters relay messages between neurons and play a large role in how we feel and function. When the neurotransmitter dopamine is low it can cause poor motivation and low self-esteem. Serotonin, GABA, and acetylcholine are other neurotransmitters that affect mood, energy, and motivation. Hormonal imbalances, hypothyroidism, high or low blood sugar, and chronic stress are factors that can skew neurotransmitters.\n\nBrain fog. Brain fog is a symptom of brain inflammation. It simply means your brain is firing slowly, causing that heavy, thick, tired feeling in your brain. Things that can cause brain fog include chronic inflammation, an autoimmune reaction in the brain (when the immune system attacks the brain), food sensitivities, hypothyroidism, leaky gut, and hormonal imbalances.\n\nGluten intolerance. Gluten intolerance has become more common and really drains the energy out of some people. It also causes inflammation, depression, fatigue, and other symptoms that make the couch awfully inviting. Other foods that may cause these reactions include dairy, eggs, soy, corn, and other grains.\n\nLeaky gut. Leaky gut means the lining of the small intestine has become inflamed and overly porous, allowing undigested food particles, bacteria, fungus, and other pathogens into the bloodstream, where they don’t belong. This triggers inflammation in the body and brain. The result can be fatigue, lethargy, lack of motivation, and other couch potato characteristics.\n\nThese are just a few examples of how a subtle but chronic health issue can drain you of your drive. Of course, it’s hard to make drastic lifestyle changes when you have no energy or motivation, but start with something small and gradually add in new changes. Ask my office for help on restoring the energy and vitality you were meant to enjoy in life.\n\nRead Full Post »\n\n311 always tired\n\n\nCommon causes of constant fatigue\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAsk my office how we can help you manage fatigue.\n\nRead Full Post »", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7117624282836914}
{"content": "George Takei (born April 20, 1937) is an American actor and activist who provides the voice for Kyo Heyerdahl. He is best known for his role as Hikaru Sulu in the Star Trek franchise, and is also known for his involvment in social media, recently, most notably his criticism against the administration of U.S. president Donald Trump and his cabinet on Twitter.\n\nFollowing the Harvey Weinstein scandal, he was accused of sexual assault on November 10, 2017 by former model Scott. R Brunton in 1981.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8017925024032593}
{"content": "Openings >> HVAC Assist (General Labor)\nHVAC Assist (General Labor)\nTitle:HVAC Assist (General Labor)\nJob Type:Full Time\nWork Shift:N/A\nHVAC Assist\nA.      Mission and Scope\nThe purpose of this position is to perform maintenance and service repairs on heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems. Installs new units or replacement parts for existing units according to specifications and established safety guidelines under general supervision and in support of the USSRC mission, vision and values.\nB.      Qualifications\nComputer Experience:  Must possess knowledge of Windows based operating systems; including some basic associated software applications (i.e. word processing and spreadsheet).\nC.      Physical Requirements of the Position\nThis position has the following special requirements:\n  • Walking and climbing (stairs) to access other departments, buildings, and to travel.\n  • Sitting for long periods of time (4-6 hours) developing proposals, corresponding with donors, and handling other documents.\n  • Standing for short periods of time (2-4 hours) conducting presentations to potential donors, agencies, individuals, and officials.\n  • Carrying and lifting supplies and equipment up to 30lbs waist high.\n  • Bending, kneeling, and reaching to experience all areas of the USSRC and to conduct tours.\n  • Sight, reading, wrist movement, and feeling to operate computer terminal, handle documents, operate automobile for travel, and interact with donors.\n  • Talking and Hearing to communicate with supervisors, co-workers, and donors in person and over the telephone.\nThis position involves working in a climate controlled office environment.  This position will require frequent airline and automobile travel in various weather conditions.  This position deals extensively with individuals and organizations on behalf of the USSRC and the Foundation.  This position deals with employees who interact with assigned area of responsibility.\nD.      General Requirements\n  1. Willingness to be open to learning and growing\n  2. Interpersonal skills to work as an integral part of a team\n  3. Appropriate interpersonal/personal boundaries\n  4. Maturity of judgment and behavior\n  5. Accepts full responsibility of their actions and how these may affect others\n  6. Adherence and participation in the Center’s Safety Program\nE.       Professional Standards\n  1. Understands and follows all policies & procedures\n  2. Maintains high standards for work areas and appearance, presents self in a highly professional manner to others and understands that honesty & ethics are essential\n  3. Ensures that excellent customer service is maintained with each customer\n  4. Maintains a positive attitude toward the position, the company and co-workers \n  5. Appreciates that promptness and attendance at work is apart of sustaining a professional relationship with the company\nF.       Teamwork Standards\n  1. Takes an interest and initiative in the development of the Department’s team\n  2. Maintains pleasant and professional relationship with co-workers & assists as needed\n  3. Remains positive about the team and facilitates an optimistic approach to resolution of issues\n  4. Maintains productive, effective and professional relationships with all departments\nG.       Position Duties\n  1. Install, maintain and repair heating, ventilation, and cooling units.\n  2. Diagnose and repair of electronic, mechanical and electrical components of these systems.\n  7. Participate in company provided training opportunities on latest industry technologies.\nThe above duties reflect the general responsibilities necessary to describe the principal work functions of the job, and shall not be considered as a detailed description of all work requirements that may be in the position.\nEmployee is responsible for working in a safe manner and keeping his/her workplace safe.\nThis opening is closed and is no longer accepting applications\nPowered by ApplicantStack", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.783571720123291}
{"content": "Christmas parties - A guide for the socially anxious\n\nChristmas party social anxiety shy introvert help the skill collective psychologist counselling subiaco perth stress burnout\n\n\nAt this time of the year we’re right in the midst of numerous social gatherings – end-of-year drinks with friends, work Christmas parties, holiday catch-up with the soccer team, family gatherings, the list goes on.\n\nWhile it’s a social time, for some the prospect of enduring gathering after gathering full of people is something that triggers anxiety and even panic. For those experiencing social anxiety, we’ve put together a guide to help get through the holiday season.\n\nWhat is Social Anxiety?\n\nSocial anxiety occurs when we feel anxious in social performance situations because of the perceived potential for scrutiny by others or for our anxiety symptoms to ‘leak out’ and be visible to others.\n\nThe degree of anxiety experienced can vary according to different factors including who we're around (e.g. people in positions of authority vs. peers) or the type of occasion (e.g. public speaking vs. one-to-one).\n\nIn such situations, we can experience a range of physical changes (e.g. increased heart rate, increased breathing rate, butterflies in the stomach, and feeling flushed) as well as cognitive changes (e.g. worrying, jumping to conclusions, mind-reading). There is typically a preference to avoid the situation or, if this is not possible, to endure the situation with intense anxiety.\n\n\n\nSocial situations can cause us all to feel nervous from time to time, for example when meeting our partner’s family and friends for the first time, or when delivering a presentation to a hundred people.\n\nSigns of nerves getting a bit out of hand include some of the following [1]:\n\n  • The anxiety is in excess of what others would experience in a similar situation.\n  • There's deliberate avoidance of situations, for example, sending emails to the manager so as to avoid face-to-face meetings, or catching up individually with team members (at a significant time cost) rather than address everyone at once. \n  • There is a need to do certain things to help decrease anxiety in order to get through a situation. This may include drinking alcohol to calm the nerves, carrying medication to calm anxious feelings before they get too intense, or ensuring that our best friend or partner is there before agreeing to attending an event. \n  • The anxiety, and the avoidance of such social situations, is having a negative impact on daily functioning. This includes missing out on promotions because the new work role involves public speaking, or turning down the opportunity to coach a sporting team because that would lead to being the focus of attention during a game. \n\n\nHow common is social anxiety disorder?\n\nThe 2007 Australian National Mental Health Survey found that, of the 16 million individuals surveyed, 4.7% of these individuals had a diagnosis of Social Anxiety Disorder in the previous 12 months [2]. That’s about 1 in 20 who experience sufficiently severe levels of social anxiety to warrant a diagnosis.\n\nOf course, this only captures those with a diagnosis of Social Anxiety Disorder, and does not include those who may be living with similar difficulties but not yet identified what it is.\n\nRight, so how do I get through Christmas then?\n\nWe've put together some simple tips to help you over the next few weeks.\n\n\n1. Face the fear… one baby step at a time\n\nWhen we have to face any unfamiliar situation it definitely helps to practice beforehand. Unfortunately it can be difficult to recreate our very own ‘practice work Christmas party’. Instead, try making small talk in ‘low stakes’ situations such as making small talk at the checkout when buying groceries, or asking a stranger for the time. If the consequences of the interaction are small - in that the likelihood of encountering this person again is low - it becomes easier to face the fear.\n\n\n2. Prepare in advance\n\nOften part of the fear is knowing what to say, particularly when there is a lull in conversation. If it helps, prepare some general conversation topics that could apply in most situations.\n\nFor instance, when talking to people who work, some general questions could include asking around how their year at work has been, what projects are on the horizon, and what they have planned for the holidays or how much time they're taking off work.\n\nWhen talking to parents, you could ask them if they have anything special planned for Christmas, or ask them about their kids.\n\nIf you know they're into food and dining you can ask them if they have favourite cuisines, or what the best meal that they've ever had is.\n\n\n3. Live in the moment, not in your head\n\nWe’ve probably all been in conversations where we’ve noticed that the other person isn’t quite listening. Rather, it feels like they're waiting for us to pause before jumping in to say what's been on their mind, irrespective of whether it fits with the flow of the conversation. \n\nThese disjointed conversations often arise because we place pressure on ourselves to find something to talk about, or to find 'common ground' with the other person. And, when we live in our heads, we miss out what is in the moment during the conversation.\n\nSo, learn to listen actively instead. It is, quite simply, one of the best ways to work out a talking point. Not convinced? Let's say we're talking to an acquaintance about her upcoming holiday in South America where she is particularly looking forward to visiting Machu Picchu in Peru. \n\nRather than focusing on our thoughts which may include, \"What do I know about South America that I can talk about?\" or \"I have to come up with my own exciting holiday so I don't seem boring.\", by focusing on listening to why she is especially looking forward to about Machu Picchu we can 'springboard' off her topic. Questions that easily flow on from looking forward to?\", or \"Are there other places in Peru that you're planning to visit?\" \n\n\n4. Check your thoughts\n\nWe do say to ‘check your thoughts’ a lot at The Skill Collective, and that’s because we really believe that our thoughts can ‘ramp up’ our anxiety. By assuming that we'll definitely embarrass ourselves, that we can’t cope with this awful situation, and that everyone will be staring at us, we let these thoughts increase our anxiety and question our ability to cope.\n\nHow true are our thoughts?\n\n  • Do we, ourselves, pay full attention to the situation that we’re in, or are we sometimes caught up in our own thoughts about how tasty the Christmas turkey looks or how we're going to finish our report before we go on leave? If we do sometimes live in our heads, is it possible that others do too, rather than focusing their entire attention on us or judging us negatively?\n  • What is the worst thing that someone could think about us? How likely is it that they will be having this exact thought about us?\n  •  If we make one small mistake – for example knocking over dropping a bit of salad on the table – how significant will that one small mistake be? Will it be the talking point at Christmases to come? Will anyone else remember dropping the salad?\n\n\n5. Keep stress levels down in the lead up to the event\n\nHeading straight from one event to another in a short space of time is a recipe for stress and anxiety. So, space out social gatherings where possible, take time prior to the gathering to compose nerves, and do some relaxation to calm stress levels. Just a simple case of breathing slowly in and out can help.\n\n\n6. Be wary of a bit of 'Dutch courage'\n\nAh yes, it becomes all too easy doesn’t it, when the majority of social gatherings that we attend serve alcohol. A bit of social lubricant may seem like a good idea at the time, but taken to the extreme we can then forget what we have said, thus potentially creating a further layer of thoughts where we worry about having potentially embarrassed ourselves.\n\nAlso, if we rely on alcohol to cope, how can we ever learn that it is possible for us to manage anxiety on our own? That is, we become reliant on alcohol, and we don’t really face the issue.\n\n\n\n\nThe steps that we have outlined above are to help make things more bearable over the coming weeks and, as such, focus on small but manageable steps.\n\nWhile they may be of help over the Christmas period, if you do identify with many of the symptoms of social anxiety described above, please do seek advice from your mental health professional about how to best tailor the above tips to your own situation to produce longer-term improvements.\n\nThanks for reading. Know someone who may find this of interest? If so, please share with your connections/ social media network.\n\nWant more? You can connect with The Skill Collective in the following ways:\n\n  • Contact us to make an individual appointment to get started on making changes.\n  • Want more Wellbeing? Sign up for our FREE 14-day Wellbeing Challenge. Tailored for busy lives we're talking wellbeing tips for better body, mind, and heart in just 15 minutes a day, delivered straight to your inbox.\n\n\n\n[2] Australian Bureau of Statistics (2008). National survey of mental health and wellbeing: Summary of results, 2007, cat 4326.0, retrieved 11th December 2015,$File/mha25.pdf", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9232693910598755}
{"content": "Tag Archives: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows\n\nSherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows\n\n8 Feb\n\n(spoiler alert!)\n\nI am a huge Sherlock Holmes fan, I have read all the short stories, though still need to read all the novels. I love mysteries, and the detectives who solve them. I was excited about the first Sherlock Holmes movie with Robert Downy Jr. and was rewarded by the excellent movie. For anyone who is familiar with the Holmes stories it was obvious the character portrayed was, mostly, accurate.\n\nHowever, I was not as impressed with this second movie. In my opinion they packed too much humor into it, and it seemed more of a action/adventure than a mystery. For every situation it seemed Holmes had to be a clown more than a mastermind. Even in the final moment of him taking down Moriarty it was a joke, “Be careful what you fish for.” Instead of some classy line like “The game is up.”\n\nI like humor mixed in with my shows, but it made the whole movie seem less serious. The first movie did have humor, yes, but you saw Holmes working and investigating more than clowning around. Holmes isn’t really supposed to have a sense of humor, he’s supposed to be eccentric.\n\nThe only real part I liked in the movie was the conclusion, the final conflict between Holmes and Moriarty. But it seemed the whole movie was too long of a buildup just for the one reveal. I would have liked more smaller reveals during the movie. More examples of Holmes’ intellectual prowess.\n\nNow I really loved the way Holmes fell over a cliff with Moriarty, because that is exactly the way it happened in the short stories. Both Holmes and Moriarty are master martial artists and they have a final face to face confrontation on a cliff edge. They both fall off, and Holmes actually dies. But by popular demand Doyle had to bring Holmes back to life for more adventures.\n\nOriginal drawing of their final fight", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8364904522895813}
{"content": "Taillis by Claire Chauvel\n\n30 copies\n\n\n\n 226.84 993.39\n\nChoose a color for floater frame option\n\nClaire Chauvel\n\nBorn in 1986, Claire Chauvel has painted and drawn for many years. She immerses herself in nature seeking vibrations, forms and colours to record on canvas, the medium for her internal states. Painting is a link between the inside and outside. She considers each of her paintings as a representation of the given moment, a stage in an endless quest.\n\nWebsite: www.clairechauvel.fr", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9998255372047424}
{"content": "Kids DXB Animal Party\n\nGo on safari with Kids DXB’s animal party.\n\nThis party allows children to get into the character of their favourite animal through interactive games, recieve a balloon shaped animal of their choice and learn fun facts about animals from around the world.\n\nGames And Activities\n\n\nIcebreaker 0- 5 minutes\n\nTiger Chase: One child is given a tail and the other children have to chase the tiger. Children then talk about other animals they know that might have a tail and these are introduced to the game.\n\nWarm Up 5-15 mins \n\nZoo Keeper: The space is divided into 4 ‘zones of the zoo’ and given a name after an animal children have to move from zone to zone as called out by the party leader in the character of the animal that the zone is named after.\n\nSnake! Children have to jump over a ‘snake’ (rope) as it orbits the party leader in the middle of the circle.\n\n\nChallenge Time 15-35 mins\n\nKangaroo Hop: Hoops are laid out in a trail around the space with one group of children at one end and one at the other. The aim is to bound like a kangaroo from hoop to hoop eventually getting to the end of the trail and conquering the other teams base\n\nDraw My Animal: Children put into pairs, with one child given a picture of a certain animal. They have to try to explain what to their partner how to draw the animal that they have on the card without showing them. The first pair to corectly guess their animal wins.\n\n\n\n\nGames 40-60 mins\n\nActivities finish on a high with game based activities giving children the chance to work off that least bit of energy before birthday cake!\n\nTic Tac Toe For Bears: Teams are divided into 2 with a tic tac toe board placed between the groups. Children have to race to the middle in a bear crawl position and place there team marker in the board. A team that connects three marker wins!\n\nAnimal Treasure Hunt: Animal related props are hidden throughout the space for children to find.\n\n\nHow To Enquire\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9248470067977905}
{"content": "Climate change lead to Amazon rainforest growth\n\nFor years, it was assumed that humans were nothing but bad news for the Amazon rainforest. Our ancestors were believed to have kicked things off by clearing large patches for agriculture and construction, and we continue to do so today (along with a hearty helping of man-made climate change). According to researchers from the University of Reading, that couldn’t be further from the truth: The expansive, lush rainforest we know today only got that way due to climate change some 2,000 years ago.\n\n“Our findings have serious implications for understanding past climate change, and how the Amazon basin might react to more modern forest clearance. It suggests that Amazonia was neither pristine wilderness, nor has it shown resilience to large-scale deforestation by humans in the past,” said Dr John Carson, a University of Reading paleoecologist who led the study.\n\nRather than a pristine, untouched forest slowly defiled by humans, the findings suggest that conditions were… kind of the opposite, actually. Prior to the transition to a warmer, wetter climate between 0-300 AD, much of what is now the southern Amazon was once fertile, open grassland – ideal for agriculture and constructing the large earthworks that have since been consumed by the jungle.\n\nAncient people just weren’t contributing much to deforestation, because until very recently, they simply didn’t need to.\n\n\nIt appears the most early peoples did was to suppress forest growth as it threatened to overtake their lands, and that ended around 1500 AD, when most of indigenous populations had been eradicated. With the effects of man-made climate change becoming more evident each day, scientists hope this glimpse into the Amazon’s past will help predict how it will respond to climate change in the future.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8071302175521851}
{"content": "Step 1:\n\nUse a large cook’s knife to cut pumpkin into wedges. To make it easier, use the ridges in the pumpkin as a guide.\n\nStep 2\n\nStep 2:\n\nUse a metal spoon to remove seeds from one wedge. Discard. Repeat with the remaining pumpkin wedges.\n\nStep 3 – Mark O’Meara\n\nStep 3:\n\nPlace the pumpkin flat and use a large sharp knife to carefully remove the skin from each wedge, if desired.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000087022781372}
{"content": "The way we interact with the world around us is changing. Developments in technology, society and the economy have led to us living our lives in very different ways to what we might have done 50 years ago.\n\nAccording to Pew Research Center, one in five Americans lives in a multigenerational household. A multigenerational household is defined as including at least two adult generations or grandparents and grandchildren under the age of 25. Since 1950, American multigenerational households have risen from 32.2 million to 64 million in 2016.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9992566108703613}
{"content": "DC Government Will Step In to Prevent Muth Starvation\n\nThe Office of the Attorney General may seek a court order to prevent Albrecht Muth from starving himself to death while incarcerated.\n\nThe DC government said on Thursday evening that it will “take steps to seek a court order” to prevent Albrecht Muth—who was arrested last summer and charged with the Georgetown murder of his wife, Viola Drath—from starving himself to death.\n\nA statement issued by the Office of the Attorney General said: “While Albrecht Muth’s condition is being constantly monitored by medical staff, the District of Columbia’s agencies are working closely with doctors, hospitals, and the court to determine the proper course of action. The District is going to take steps to seek a court order authorizing any needed provision of nutrients and healthcare to avoid harm or death to Mr. Muth.”\n\nMuth, 47, has been in and out of the hospital after refusing to eat. He was returned to the hospital last night. He is being represented by the DC Public Defender Service, though he has said he prefers to represent himself. Thursday morning Superior Court judge Russell Canan held a hearing in which he said that Muth was “incapable of representing himself” and suspended his right to self-representation. Canan said that Muth’s health situation would become “grave” if something wasn’t done. He scheduled another hearing for next Tuesday.\n\nMuth was sent to the DC jail after being charged with the fatal beating of Drath, his 91-year-old wife, at their Georgetown home. Her body was found in an upstairs bathroom.\n\nThe attorney general’s office would not say precisely when it will seek the court order.\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9688360095024109}
{"content": "Mika Rottenberg\n\nMika Rottenberg presents new and existing work in an exhibition that will run throughout seven galleries in Goldsmiths CCA.\n\nat Goldsmiths CCA\n\nFeaturing two new films, Rottenberg will respond to the building incorporating purpose-built installations alongside sculptural objects. Mika Rottenberg is known for her ability to highlight themes such as the inequalities of our global economy and the fragility of the human body, spun through a lens of humour, absurdity and confusion. She juxtaposes the vulnerabilities and strengths of her protagonists within uncanny interpretations of our physical world.\n\nRottenberg’s elaborate visual narratives draw on cinematic and sculptural traditions to forge a new language that uses cause and effect structures to explore labour and globalisation, economy and production of value, and how our own affective relationships are increasingly monetised. The artist explains that through film, architectural installation, and sculpture, she “designs systems with their own subjective logic, precarious systems that are constantly on the verge of collapsing, both logically and physically but somehow are able to hold themselves together through this motion of perpetual movement and growth, until they also pop…”\n\nTwo new works have been commissioned for the exhibition: Untitled (Ceiling Projection) and Study#4, which examine the human body’s physical and psychological potential and limitations. Rottenberg attempts to create a kind of psychological state, a spiritual state and a cosmic state, where energies transform things from one state of matter to another. There’s a crucial pivot point in these works, where they “become little solar systems or salad spinners, governed by their own perpetual centrifugal force”.\n\nGoldsmiths CCA\n\nOpening Times\n8 September - 4 November 2018\nWednesday, 11am-6pm\nThursday, 11am-9pm\nFriday to Sunday, 11am-6pm\n\nGoldsmiths CCA\nSt James'\nSE14 6AD", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9985328316688538}
{"content": "Orbital plane (astronomy)\n\nOrbital plane (astronomy)\n\nAsk a question about 'Orbital plane (astronomy)'\nStart a new discussion about 'Orbital plane (astronomy)'\nAnswer questions from other users\nFull Discussion Forum\nAll of the planets, comets, and asteroids in the solar system are in orbit around the Sun. All of those orbits line up with each other making a semi-flat disk called the orbital plane. The orbital plane of an object orbiting another is the geometrical plane\nPlane (mathematics)\n\n in which the orbit is embedded\n\n. The orbital plane is defined by two parameters, Inclination\nInclination in general is the angle between a reference plane and another plane or axis of direction.-Orbits:The inclination is one of the six orbital parameters describing the shape and orientation of a celestial orbit...\n\n (i) and Longitude of the ascending node\nLongitude of the ascending node\n\n (Ω). Three non-collinear\nLine (geometry)\n\n points in space suffice to determine the orbital plane. A common example would be: the center of the heavier object, the center of the orbiting object and the center of the orbiting object at some later time.\n\nBy definition the inclination\n\n of a planet in the solar system\nSolar System\n\n is the angle\n\n between its orbital plane and the orbital plane of the Earth\n\n (the ecliptic\nThe ecliptic is the plane of the earth's orbit around the sun. In more accurate terms, it is the intersection of the celestial sphere with the ecliptic plane, which is the geometric plane containing the mean orbit of the Earth around the Sun...\n\n). In other cases, for instance a moon orbiting another planet, it is convenient to define the inclination of the moon\n\n's orbit as the angle between its orbital plane and the planet's equator.\n\nArtificial satellites around the Earth\n\nFor launch vehicles and artificial satellites, the orbital plane is a defining parameter of an orbit; as in general, it will take a very large amount of propellant\nA propellant is a material that produces pressurized gas that:* can be directed through a nozzle, thereby producing thrust ;...\n\n to change the orbital plane of an object. Other parameters, such as the orbital period\nOrbital period\nThe orbital period is the time taken for a given object to make one complete orbit about another object.When mentioned without further qualification in astronomy this refers to the sidereal period of an astronomical object, which is calculated with respect to the stars.There are several kinds of...\n\n, the eccentricity\nOrbital eccentricity\nThe orbital eccentricity of an astronomical body is the amount by which its orbit deviates from a perfect circle, where 0 is perfectly circular, and 1.0 is a parabola, and no longer a closed orbit...\n\n of the orbit and the phase of the orbit are more easily changed by propulsion systems.\n\nOrbital planes of satellites are perturbed by the non-spherical nature of the Earth's gravity\nEarth's gravity\n\n. This causes the orbital plane of the satellite's orbit to slowly rotate around the Earth, depending on the angle the plane makes with the Earth's equator. For planes that are at a critical angle this can mean that the plane will track the Sun\n\n around the Earth, forming a Sun-synchronous orbit\nSun-synchronous orbit\nA Sun-synchronous orbit is a geocentric orbit which combines altitude and inclination in such a way that an object on that orbit ascends or descends over any given point of the Earth's surface at the same local mean solar time. The surface illumination angle will be nearly the same every time...\n\n\nA launch vehicle's launch window\nLaunch window\nLaunch window is a term used in spaceflight to describe a time period in which a particular launch vehicle must be launched. If the rocket does not launch within the \"window\", it has to wait for the next window....\n\nis usually determined by the times when the target orbital plane intersects the launch site.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9988542199134827}
{"content": "Come Android N Preview to Non-Nexus Mobile?\n\nUntil now, the only way to test the very latest version of Google’s operating system is to have a Nexus device. And if you sign up in the Android Beta program program, the truth is that the process is quite simple.\n\nHowever, this program is very limited, because it is only available for six devices: 6 nexus, Nexus 5 X, Nexus 6 p, Nexus Player, Nexus 9 and Pixel C. Any other mobile is not supported officially, but that could perhaps change in an undetermined future.\n\nReddit FUNExtreme user has found the track to analyze the code source of Android N Preview information page. A hidden text intentionally by Google speaks of the support for more devices, including devices OEM.\n\nThe text is still there\n\nWhen a hidden webmaster part of content on a web page, it can usually be two reasons: is saved for later use or someone has changed his idea and don’t you want to show more on the page. But instead of deleting it definitively leave commented, just in case it.\n\nThe truth is that the page of developers has more hidden text apart from this. Another hidden paragraph is reserved for Announcing Developer Preview 3 When available, as well as include a shortcut to the notes, discharge and feedback.\n\nIn any case, while it is clear that like the designer of this page hide pieces “for later”, we cannot conclude that the piece announcing support for OEM manufacturers will be a reality in the future. All we can say is that the text is still there, hidden. To make it more visible, This is how it would look if it is not commented in the code.\n\nThe relevant paragraph, translated into the Spanish:\n\nMore supported devices, including those of OEMs.\n\nThe text doesn’t seem to have too much sense in terms of its format and location, but we can neither assume nothing from this because to be hidden no one has bothered to make it look nice. Can you try in the future Android N on your Sony, Motorola, HTC or Samsung? Time will tell.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6688781976699829}
{"content": "Trump wades into California water wars, calls for diverting water to farmers in central valley\n\nPHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Oct. 17, 2018. PlayJoshua Roberts/Reuters\nWATCH Deadly California fire burns over 90,000 acres\n\nPresident Donald Trump is wading into California's water wars, demanding speedy action by the federal government to divert much-needed water resources to Republican-leaning farmers in California's central valley — a move sure to infuriate left-leaning environmentalists on the west coast.\n\nSigning a presidential memorandum in Arizona this afternoon, the president set into motion a plan that's expected to benefit farmers who have complained about water restrictions intended to protect endangered fish and other species.\n\n“This is a vital action ... to improve access to water in the American West,” President Trump said, signing the memorandum. “They've taken it away, they have so much water and they don't know what to do with it and they send it out to sea.”\n\nRepublicans quickly responded, calling the decision a clear win for communities in the West.\n\nEnvironmentalists argue that diverting water to farmers will decimate endangered Delta smelt and Chinook Salmon. The president’s action today will speed up the environmental review and approval process needed to create the infrastructure needed to divert the water.\n\nEarlier this year, as 17 fires ravaged California, Trump falsely claimed that the state government was mismanaging water supplies that should be available to fight the infernos, even though firefighters there said access to water was not a problem.\n\nEnvironmentalists feared at the time that the president was using the wildfires as a smokescreen for wading into a deeply controversial fight between farmers and conservationists.\n\nThe memo Trump signed Friday calls on the Interior Department and Commerce Department to speed up infrastructure projects, including water desalination and recycling, and clarify how to manage water while continuing to follow environmental laws and the Endangered Species Act.\n\n“The big problem was the federal approvals that were un-gettable and now they are very gettable and we're going to have them in a very short period of time,” Trump said.\n\n“This will move things along at a record clip, and you have a lot of water, I hope you enjoy the water that you're going to have ... great for the farmers, great for the people, great for recreation,” Trump said.\n\nThe president’s action today is sure to anger the local authorities in California, who will see this as federal overreach, but it's also sure to please his political allies in the state with midterms just two-and-a-half weeks away.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6184055805206299}
{"content": "000227526 001__ 227526\n000227526 005__ 20180913064310.0\n000227526 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.1038/nprot.2016.175\n000227526 022__ $$a1754-2189\n000227526 02470 $$2ISI$$a000394187000014\n000227526 037__ $$aARTICLE\n000227526 245__ $$aN-formylation and N-methylation of amines using metal-free N-heterocyclic carbene catalysts and CO2 as carbon source\n000227526 260__ $$aLondon$$bNature Publishing Group$$c2017\n000227526 269__ $$a2017\n000227526 300__ $$a12\n000227526 336__ $$aJournal Articles\n000227526 520__ $$aN-formylation and N-methylation of amines are important reactions that are used to produce a wide range of key intermediates and compounds. This protocol describes the environmentally benign N-formylation and N-methylation of primary and secondary amines using carbon dioxide (CO2) as the carbon source, hydrosilanes as reductants and N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) as catalysts. Using CO2 as a reagent has the advantage of low cost and negligible toxicity. However, the catalyst is air-sensitive and must be generated fresh before use; consequently, the techniques used to prepare and manipulate the catalyst are described. The synthetic approach described in this protocol does not use any toxic reagents; using the appropriate catalyst, N-formylated or N-methylated products can be obtained with high selectivity. The overall time for catalyst preparation and for conducting several catalytic reactions in parallel is 15-48 h, depending on the nature of the substrates.\n000227526 700__ $$0248167$$aBobbink, Felix D.$$g194257\n000227526 700__ $$0247009$$aDas, Shoubhik$$g229963\n000227526 700__ $$0240015$$aDyson, Paul J.$$g149418\n000227526 773__ $$j12$$k2$$q417-428$$tNature Protocols\n000227526 909C0 $$0252010$$pLCOM$$xU9\n000227526 909CO $$ooai:infoscience.tind.io:227526$$pSB$$particle\n000227526 917Z8 $$x135992\n000227526 937__ $$aEPFL-ARTICLE-227526\n000227526 973__ $$aEPFL$$rREVIEWED$$sPUBLISHED\n000227526 980__ $$aARTICLE", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9994334578514099}
{"content": "\n\nFocus on that, not dominance or even innovation, in pitches\n\nCulture not only helps draw the best talent to your company, but as a new study from the Fortune Knowledge Group and ad agency Gyro found, it also helps other companies—say, potential clients being pitched by agencies—decide whether or not they want to work with you.\n\nSixty percent of the 500 executives surveyed said knowing a company's mission statement, and what it stands for, is one of the most important factors in a business decision. Additionally, 68 percent said they would make short-term financial sacrifices to foster these long-term relationships with a business partner. \n\n\"We all know that the strongest companies in the world, they nurture their mission statement and have a strong belief in why they started the business,\" Christoph Becker, gyro CEO and CCO, told Adweek. \n\nBecker added that any agency, or company for that matter, that doesn't have a firm idea of its own mission statement and why the company exists, will have trouble forging relationships with other companies. \n\n\"You need to know, what's your point of difference, and why you do what you do,\" Becker said. \n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9521547555923462}
{"content": "Christian Arno January 13th, 2015\n\nPretty Colorful: Webdesign for High-Context Cultures\n\nOccasionally, Asian and Western webdesign are poles apart. If you want a proof, check out the German and Chinese websites of a famous fast-food chain, or the Chinese news portal With its animated sequence of images, it may put some Western viewers on edge.\n\n\nAsia – always visually powerful\n\nWebsites are also part of the culture in which most viewers move. If you want to design a website for a Chinese, Korean, Japanese or other Asian audience, you will need to deal with the culture and its differences to Western conventions. Doing so, you will come across the terms low-context and high-context cultures. In this article we want to explain the difference between both and how they influence webdesign.\n\nThe Ambiguity of Messages\n\n“I like you.” Is this a declaration of love, an expression of friendship, or just an ironic way of telling somebody that you can’t stand him or her? The right answer is: It depends. The actual message is the result of:\n\n  • the situation in which the sentence is said,\n  • the relationship between the interlocutors,\n  • the mimic that accompanies the spoken word,\n  • and unspoken conventions on how to interpret nonverbal communication.\n\nThe same applies to written and/or visual communication: Its meaning depends more or less on the context.\n\nA Few Words on High- and Low-Context Cultures\n\nThe terms high-context and low-context cultures were introduced in the 1976 book “Beyond Culture” by the anthropologist Edward T. Hall. Communication in a high-context culture, to put it roughly, assumes much more unspoken similarities than in a low-context culture. For example, people in low-context cultures are more explicit with visual or spoken messages, whereas in high-context cultures the meaning of a message derives from the interaction of the message itself and unspoken conventions of interpretation. People who are not familiar with these conventions will have a harder time here than in low-context cultures.\n\nHigh-context cultures include China, Japan, Korea, Latin American and Arabian states, as well as Italy and France. Low-context cultures are, for example, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia and some parts of the USA. There is also a difference in the importance of the individual and individuality in general. The relationship between people is generally more important in high-context cultures, because this is the only way to define the necessary unspoken conventions. Conversely, the more society values individuality, the better people understand messages with less common conventions of interpretation.\n\n\nMcDonald’s China\n\n\nMcDonald’s Germany\n\nWhat It Means for Webdesigners\n\nNow the first difference in webdesign for low- and high-context cultures becomes clear. Webdesigners from low-context cultures attach importance to clarity in the design. They prefer a minimalist design with less colors and website elements. This is typical for a low-context culture: The message is clear and precise, because otherwise it would be confusing.\n\nThis clarity is less distinctive in high-context cultures.  What is even worse, in verbal communication people may find clear statements like “We don’t agree” impolite. A “No” is rather communicated indirectly. There is also no strict clarity in webdesign. Websites are usually more colorful with lots of animated images, sections and menus, which may look chaotic to low-context webdesigners. But they actually represent an unfamiliar structure in a different cultural context. It’s all about the point of view.\n\nMore Than Just Aesthetics\n\nWhen designing websites for high-context cultures, you should keep in mind that colors may have a different meaning in e.g. China. You should also know that color symbolism in general has a higher significance in high-context cultures. For a low-context audience you would mostly choose a color for aesthetic reasons, whereas the Chinese audience expects a certain message connected with the coloring.\n\nThe Importance of Relationship\n\nWebdesign for high-context cultures often requires to bring other elements to the fore than for low-context cultures. If you compare commercial websites, for example, you will notice that it is more important for the Chinese audience to build a relationship to the brand than it is for the low-context audience. Chinese want to know with whom they deal with. Information about the company and its people become more important, whereas the low-context audience usually focuses on the product.\n\nFocusing on the Big Picture\n\nFocusing on the relationship aspect can influence the perception of many website elements. The website “” cited a good example with two different heat maps of the same picture, taken by the Flickr user “A bloke called jerm”, showing a big fish in the sea surrounded by many small fish. One heat map shows how the majority of western people would see the picture. They concentrate on the big fish, so a typical caption would be: “The picture shows a big fish”.\n\nAsians, however, are far less focused on the big fish in the middle of the picture. They have a different perception, and so a typical caption here would be: “The picture looks like a big sea”. A webdesigner should consider this and be careful not to show a big sea instead of a big fish in a high-context culture.\n\nA Warning at the End\n\nI don’t want to end this article without a little warning. As a webdesigner you never stop learning. You shouldn’t fooly yourself by thinking you’d know how perfect webdesign for the Chinese audience has to look like. All cultures develop. This won’t turn fundamental principles topsy-turvy within a short time, but they will change slowly because they are not set in stone.\n\nConstant engagement in culture X is required to create a good webdesign. It is not enough to have read an article about this topic. And a book… is not enough either.\n\n\nChristian Arno\n\nChristian Arno is the founder of Lingo24, a top translation agency in the USA. Launched in 2001, Lingo24 now has more than 160 employees spanning four continents and clients in over sixty countries. In the past twelve months, they have translated over forty million words for businesses in every industry sector, including MTV, World Bank and American Express. Follow Lingo24 on Twitter: @Lingo24.\n\n\nSorry, Comments are closed...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6237977743148804}
{"content": "Human Resources Generalist\n\nGeneral Summary\n\nThe Human Resource Generalist is responsible for performing HR-related duties on a professional level and works closely as a partner with local management as well as our regional management teams. This position will support the operational goals of the organization by focusing on the following functional areas: employee relations, training, performance management, on-boarding, policy implementation, recruitment, benefits administration and compliance.\n\nEssential Functions\n\n    1. Partners with management and employees to provide guidance, coaching, and/or counseling regarding various human resources policies, procedures, laws, standards and other government regulations.\n    2. Proactively collaborates with management to help identify and implement employee relations strategies that minimize risk. Provide guidance and consultation on how to avoid potential employee problems and issues by managing and resolving complex employee relations issues.\n    3. Conducts effective, thorough, and objective investigations.\n    4. Maintains a thorough understanding of current employment law and HR Best Practices, interprets applicability of state and federal law, and company policy.\n    5. Develops and nurtures strong relationships with internal customers, effectively representing HR on-site and in remote locations; proactively leads and supports the delivery of HR programs and processes.\n    6. Responsible for daily administrative tasks associated with proper employee documentation.\n    7. Effectively interprets and manages FMLA, ADA, and workers’ compensation implications as they relate to leave of absences/disabilities.\n    8. Works closely with management and employees to improve work relationships, build morale,increase productivity, and elevate retention.\n    9. Provides guidance and input on workforce planning and succession planning. Participates in evaluation and monitoring of the success of training programs. Follows up to ensure training objectives are met.\n    10. Shares responsibility for maintaining human resource information system records and compiles reports from the database, as well as filing and personnel file maintenance.\n    11. Collaborate with management in selecting talent for the organizationfor all exempt and nonexempt/hourly personnel, as well as temporary employees.Initiate and ensure successful onboarding.\n    12. Assists in evaluation of reports, decisions and results vs established goals. Recommends new approaches, policies and procedures to ensure continual improvements in efficiency of the department and services performed.\n    13. Assist with development and maintenance of the company’s compensation systems, by performing compensation and job analysis and making recommendations.\n    14. Performs other related duties as required.\n    15. Attendance is an essential function of this position.\n\nJob Specifications\n\n  1. Minimum of 5 years of experience as an HR Generalist.\n  2. Bachelor’s degree preferred.\n  3. HR Certification preferred.\n  4. Advanced knowledge of MS Office applications.\n  5. Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively communicate with a diverse group of people.\n  6. Proven ability to exercise discretion, independent judgment, tact and diplomacy when making decisions and interacting with employees, contractors, visitors, vendors and customers.\n  7. Must be a team player with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with employees, contractors, visitors, vendors and customers.\n  8. Excellent organizational skills and ability to adapt to various competing demands with a sense of urgency.\n  9. Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to stay focused under pressure with changing priorities.\n  10. Proven ability to be accurate, detail oriented and able to carry out routine data entry and reporting functions.\n  11. Ability to travel by car long distances (500 miles).  Expected travel is up to 15% of the time.\n  12. Ability to maintain a valid driver’s license, a driving record satisfactory to the Company and the minimum state required insurance.\n\nAmericans with Disabilities Act – 1845 Oil Field Services will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Amendment Act. We are always willing to consider reasonable accommodations, which may allow a disabled person to perform this or any other job. The requirements are a list of what we believe at this point to be necessary in order to perform the essential functions of the job.\n\n\nThe above information is only an illustration of the general nature and level of work performed by the employee within this classification. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position.\n\n\nThe job description does not constitute an employment agreement between 1845 Oil Field Services and employee and is subject to change by 1845 Oil Field Services as the needs of 1845 Oil Field Services and requirements of the job change.\n\nPlease see Human Resources to review the complete job description.\n\n\nApply Now", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9979749917984009}
{"content": "You are here\n\n  • 실질적인 박사 학위 연구와 논문과 관련하여 중요한 요소들에 대해 미리 고찰하는 수업. 특히 그룹 토론을 통해 발전 및 개선 방향 등에 대한 의견을 다른 박사과정 학생 및 교수와 공유하여 보다 rich 한 연구가 될 수 있는 방법에 대한 수업\n  • In this digital era, people live in the world of rich multimedia contents such as movies, commercials, games, and UCC. These digital contents are no longer considered leisure items and becoming an integral part of human lives. The main technology that enables the creation of such contents is the computer graphics. With the rapid advancements in recent years, the computer graphics pushes the limit to achieve realism and efficiency that were never possible before. This class is designed to provide students with an introduction to the computer graphics technology. The fundamental concepts and basic algorithms will be explained and how they are applied to real world situations will be discussed.\n\n  • This semester’s GCT731 explores the potential of sound as a new, innovative media, and covers the theory and the practice of sound technology. Topics include fundamental acoustics, psychoacoustics, sound analysis/synthesis, audio engineering, auditory display, and the latest developments in the field as well. Students will learn how to utilize sound and create/understand information for various applications.\n    Lectures will feature not only theoretical issues but also hands-on sessions (e.g., guest lectures/demos by audio professionals, field trip(s), etc.).\n\nYou are not logged in. (Login)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5850672125816345}
{"content": "What is skin redness?  \nWhen capillaries (blood vessels) near the surface of the skin enlarge, a red appearance of the skin is the result.\n\nWhat causes skin redness?\nRedness can be due to by many causes, including:\n\nHow do we treat redness?\nTreatment for redness varies depending on its cause and includes:\n\nWhat can I expect?\nRedness can be fleeting or chronic (long-lasting) and is a highly individualized skin disorder and there is no exact cure or one right treatment for all types and conditions.  A personalized treatment plan will be developed for you to improve your skin’s redness. Your treatment plan will be reevaluated and possibly changed periodically to achieve and maintain desired results.\n\nHave a question about your treatment?\nWe have a dedicated triage nurse (RN) who answers patient questions during office hours. If you have a problem or question about a procedure or a prescribed medication, please call our office and ask to speak to our nurse. If she is unable to answer your question, she will consult with your practitioner and return your call.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9185131788253784}
{"content": "Rogue Team, the most feared special operations unit of the Imperial Marine Corps. Throughout the sector they have handled spaceship boardings, hostage situations and every other dirty job handed down to them by headquarters.\n\nCS paperback\n\nRiley’s Rogues Trilogy\n\nAll three Riley’s Rogues books in one volume. Save over 15% compared to purchasing separately.\n\nContents: Riley’s Rogues | Riley’s Rogues: Darkstorm | Riley’s Rogues: Cyborg.\n\nRiley’s Rogues: Cyborg\n\nThe third book in the series. The Empire rules by the force of its Navy, and Navy spaceships and weaponry need deutronium for their construction. So what happens when a cybernetic madman takes control of the Empire’s main source of deutronium? They send Riley’s Rogues to regain control of the deutronium mines and, if possible, to kill the Cyborg.\n\n\nRiley’s Rogues: Darkstorm\n\nThe second book in the series. Former Imperial Marine Corps officer Logan Riley is back. This time it's on his own terms. Reunited with his former teammates, The Rogues, he sets out to find an Imperium Security Agency operative who has disappeared while investigating an assassination attempt on the emperor. Riley's Rogues discover that the Kyryns are undertaking a secret project that could upset the galactic balance of power. To stop the Kyryns, the Rogues have to fight their way past Kyryn Darkstorm Troopers - the Uberfraggers!\n\n\nRiley’s Rogues\n\nThe first book in the series. Rogue Team takes on a new commander. Fresh out of the academy, Lieutenant Logan Riley is assigned to the battle tested Rogues. As he strives to fit in with the hardened veterans, his indoctrination is cut short. An Imperial senator has been kidnapped and \"Riley's\" Rogues must rescue the senator while trying to safely navigate through Imperial politics and intrigue.\n\n\nRiley’s Rogues: Twilight Zone A Riley Solo Adventure Short Story\n\nAlone on the planet Glister, Logan Riley on a courier mission must stay alive long enough to deliver the package that was entrusted to him. He doesn’t know who, or why, but forces have aligned to stop Riley, at all costs. Available Now and FREE! \n\n\nWings Over The Pacific\n\nJoin American and Japanese pilots and crews in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Dan Kelly, Navy fighter pilot, finds out that he craves the excitement of aerial combat, despite the dangers. Jim Slater, Marine Corps pilot, put on the ragged edge of the front lines, trying to blunt the Japanese onslaught. Takeo Tanaka, Japanese torpedo bomber pilot, has a front row seat to the largest battles of the war.\n\n© Raymond Fiore 2016", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9829647541046143}
{"content": "CES: Manufacturing Process Selection\n\nPaper, Order, or Assignment Requirements\n\n\n\nDEPT OF COMPUTING, ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY MODULE CODE: EAT227 MODULE TITLE: Manufacturing Processes MODULE ASSESSOR: Alan Wheatley ASSESSMENT: One of One TITLE OF ASSESSMENT: CES: Manufacturing Process Selection MODERATED: KR PLEASE READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION CAREFULLY. This assignment contributes 30% to your final module mark. Please ensure that you retain a duplicate of your assignment. We are required to send samples of student work to the external examiners for moderation purposes. It will also safeguard in the unlikely event of your work going astray. All research paper based assessments are now required to be submitted into the JISC system to check for plagiarism. Please submit the report supplied by the JISC system along with your work. THE FOLLOWING LEARNING OUTCOMES WILL BE ASSESSED: Knowledge an understanding of: 1. the diversity of processes involved in successful and economic materials and component manufacture. 2. the inter-relations between material, process, design/shape, performance and economics. 3. the range of techniques available for the joining of engineering materials and be able to select processes to optimise both bulk and surface properties. Skills and the ability to: 4. establish and interpret the natures and effects of important process variables. 5. deal with aspects of manufacturing processes in a quantitative manner. 6. analyse and discuss the specific features of processes associated with the manufacture of metals, ceramics, glasses, polymers and polymer composite components. 7. employ process selection software and understand its underlying methodology. 8. select appropriate manufacturing/processing strategies on the basis of given requirements.IMPORTANT INFORMATION You are required to submit your work within the bounds of the University Infringement of Assessment Regulations (see your Programme Guide). Plagiarism, paraphrasing and downloading large amounts of information from external sources, will not be tolerated and will be dealt with severely. Although you should make full use of any source material, which would normally be an occasional sentence and/or paragraph (referenced) followed by your own critical analysis/evaluation. You will receive no marks for work that is not your own. Your work may be subject to checks for originality which can include use of an electronic plagiarism detection service. Where you are asked to submit an individual piece of work, the work must be entirely your own. The safety of your assessments is your responsibility. You must not permit another student access to your work. Where referencing is required, unless otherwise stated, the Harvard referencing system must be used (see your Programme Guide). Submission Date and Time 11th March 2015 Submission Location Library, St Peter’s CampusCambridge Engineering Selector (CES Edupack 2014) Software 1. Introduction CES software is a tool designed to aid in the process of materials and manufacturing process selection. To this end it can be used as: (i) a database of information on materials and processes Covered in Year 1 (EAT104) (ii) a selection tool for materials and/or processes CES is a powerful tool in helping to choose the most appropriate materials and manufacturing processes for engineering components. In this module (EAT 227), we are going to concentrate on process selection. Next year, in the module MEX 312, we will turn our attention to materials selection. In terms of materials selection, how do you go about choosing the best material for a given engineering application? What material(s) would be best suited for the manufacture of (say) bicycle forks, flywheels or pressure vessels? Knowing the right questions to ask makes the process easier. So, what sort of questions do we need to ask to make sure we get the correct choice? Such factors include cost, performance (e.g. mechanical, thermal), size, shape etc. CES uses a particularly strong but simple methodology to aid the materials selection process. In terms of process selection, how do you go about choosing the best manufacturing process for a given component? For instance, how would you select a process to manufacture large steel pressure vessels? How would you manufacture a polyethylene milk carton? To answer such questions you need to know what distinguishes one manufacturing process from another. What questions must be asked to decide which manufacturing process is best? The methodologies employed within CES to aid selection of either materials or processes are quite similar. Each relies on knowing the critical questions to ask. 2. The Task Your task is to learn about manufacturing process selection methodology through the use of CES selection software (i.e. as a selection tool for manufacturing processes – see point (ii) above). You must provide detailed documentary evidence (of your own design) proving that you can navigate the software for all eventualities where its use as a process selection tool is required. You may use both screen capture and copy/paste functions to show your navigation process, but make sure to include your own words when requested.2.1 Task Definition Part 1: Navigation through Processes 1. Open CES software. Choose Aerospace database. 2. In “Browse” mode, select Table: “Process Universe” and Subset: “All Processes”. 3. Choose one process from each of the 3 categories available (Joining, Shaping and Surface Treatment). 4. In your own words, give a summary of each of the 3 processes chosen. For each process, make sure you include information on (i) the nature of the process, (ii) the types of materials which can be processed in this way and (iii) the characteristics of the components which are produced by the process (size, shape, dimensional tolerance etc) and (iv) economics of the process. Part 2: In-Depth Case Study of Process Selection 1. Open “CES In Depth” (Follow “Help”, “CES Help” and find “CES In-Depth” under the “Contents” tab) 2. Choose “Process Universe” 3. Select “Case Studies” 4. Choose one of the process selection case studies presented. 5. Copy/Paste the case study directly into your report. 6. Go back to the main CES programme window. You are now going to work through the chosen process selection exercise manually. 7. Click “Select” tab. 8. Choose the appropriate “Process Universe” category for your chosen process selection case study. 9. Reproduce every selection step (i.e. plot selection charts etc) exactly as described in the case study. 10. Provide your own commentary which shows clearly how you perform each step of the selection exercise and which links them together. 11. Write an overview of your process selection case study in your own words. This will require you to gather information for sources outside CES. Reference all external sources correctly (Harvard Referencing). 12. Write an overview of the Eco-Audit Tool in CES and explain how it may be used in the context of manufacturing process selection.\n\nfind the cost of your paper", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.950317919254303}
{"content": "Book an appointment\n\nTinnitus Solutions\n\nTinnitus solutions\n\nIt’s true, there’s no cure for tinnitus, but there are plenty of ways to manage it. We can help you find products that let you manage the sounds from day to day. Or, if you’re still coming to terms with the condition, we can give you the support you might need. We’re with you all the way.\n\n\n\nCBT aims to identify the learned behaviours and thoughts you have about your condition, and to teach you how to ‘install’ new ways of relating to tinnitus. Frustration, depression, fear and anxiety are as much a part of tinnitus as the auditory sensations themselves. These feelings are valid responses and CBT will teach you coping strategies that prevent these feelings becoming predominant or overbearing.\n\n\nBecause tinnitus is most noticeable in quiet environments, you may have difficulty falling asleep when bombarded by the unremitting ringing. This is one of the most frustrating aspects of the condition, and can lead to fatigue and anxiety. Many people find it easier to deal with tinnitus when they have a low-level background noise to mask its symptoms, such as a radio left on by the bedside or a sound generator. Sound therapy is the simple practice of playing relaxing and repetitive audio, such as the sound of breaking waves or wind and rain. Other sound enrichment can come from the use of maskers worn on your ears like hearing devices. These also work by giving your ears and brain an external sound to concentrate on so that it can ignore the internal sounds of tinnitus.\n\n\nThis is the combination of sound enrichment therapy with a talking therapy like counselling or CBT. This is an effective way to tackle more bothersome tinnitus. It gives both a solution to concentrate on more interesting external sounds, and the counselling enables a greater understanding of the effects of the condition on your life, and your relationship to it.\n\nHere’s how we can help\n\n  1. Firstly, we can explore factors that contribute to your tinnitus, such as stress, your general health and your medication.\n  2. Next, we can give you a free Hearing Assessment – that way we can find out if your tinnitus is caused by hearing loss or increased strain when you’re trying to listen. If it is, we can let you try a Hearing Device for free. Wearing hearing devices can help relieve the symptoms by amplifying external sounds so that your brain is not concentrating on the internal sounds of the tinnitus.\n  3. Whatever it is that’s triggering your tinnitus, our expert Audiologists can help you get to the bottom of it. Other ways to help alleviate tinnitus include relaxation techniques and cognitive therapies. These help you cope with the emotional reaction to tinnitus and can improve the quality of your life.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9249268174171448}
{"content": "Aviation Fanatic - Free online aviation encyclopedia and pilot logbook\n\n\nList of Comments found\n\nFound 20 matching entries from the total of 73\n\n# ID\nReplying to\nRelated item(s) Comment\n[I] [A]\n1 46 [I] bali 2016-01-03 10:21:00 [I] Aircraft Type Airbus A380 TOP: Airbus A-380 is the largest passenger airliner in the world.\n2 47 [I] bali 2016-01-03 10:22:00 [I] Aircraft Type Antonov An-225 Mriya TOP: Antonov An-225 is the largest airplane in the world; the heaviest aircraft with a gross weight of 640 tonnes and the biggest heavier-than-air aircraft in terms of length and wingspan in operational service.\n3 60 [I] bali 2016-01-03 10:35:00 [I] Airport ZUDC TOP: At 4,411 m (14,472 ft) above sea level, Daocheng Yading is the world's highest civilian airport\n4 50 [I] bali 2016-01-03 10:25:00 [I] Aircraft Type Dornier Do X TOP: Dornier Do X was the aircraft with the most number of engines (12).\n5 53 [I] bali 2016-01-03 10:28:00 [I] Aircraft Type Grumman F8F Bearcat TOP: Fastest straight-line piston-engined aircraft is a modified F8F Bearcat called Rare Bear, flew at 850 km/s on 21 August 1989.\n6 56 [I] bali 2016-01-03 10:31:00 [I] Aircraft Type Boeing 777-200 TOP: Flight distance record by a commercial aircraft set by a Boeing 777-200LR, flew 21602km on November 9, 2005.\n7 57 [I] bali 2016-01-03 10:32:00 [I] Aircraft Type Glaser-Dirks DG-500\n[I] Aviator Fossett\n8 55 [I] bali 2016-01-03 10:30:00 [I] Aircraft Type Schempp-Hirth Nimbus /2/3/4 TOP: Gliding flight distance record is 3008 km, set by Klaus Ohlmann and Karl Rabeder with Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-4 on January 21, 2003 with a flight time of 15h 8m giving an average speed of 200 km/h.\n9 64 [I] bali 2016-11-11 14:57:44 [I] Airport KATL TOP: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the world's busiest airport by passenger traffic (104,171,195 in 2016) and by aircraft movements (898,356 in 2016).\n10 65 [I] bali 2016-11-11 15:49:18 [I] Airport VHHH TOP: Hong Kong International Airport is the world's busiest airport by cargo traffic (4,521,000 tonnes in 2016)\n11 61 [I] bali 2016-03-13 10:00:00 [I] Aircraft Type Hughes H-4 Hercules TOP: Hughes H-4 Hercules (\"Spruce Goose\") was the largest flying boat ever built and had the largest wingspan of any aircraft in history.\n12 59 [I] bali 2016-01-03 10:34:00 [I] Airport LLMZ TOP: Located at 1,240 ft (378 m) below mean sea level, Bar Yehuda Airfield is the lowest airport in the world.\n13 48 [I] bali 2016-01-03 10:23:00 [I] Aircraft Type Mil Mi-26 TOP: Mil Mi-26 is the heaviest (56 tonnes), largest and most powerful helicopter in production ever.\n14 45 [I] bali 2016-01-03 10:20:00 [I] Aircraft Type Cessna 172 Skyhawk TOP: More Cessna 172s have been built than any other aircraft.\n15 63 [I] bali 2016-11-11 14:55:38 [I] Airport KDVT TOP: Phoenix Deer Valley Airport is the busiest General Aviation airport in the world with 368,747 aircraft movements in 2015.\n16 58 [I] bali 2016-01-03 10:33:00 [I] Airport ZUBD TOP: Qamdo Bamda Airport has the longest publicly used runway in the world, at 5500m. It is the second highest airport in the world.\n17 51 [I] bali 2016-01-03 10:26:00 [I] Aircraft Type Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird TOP: The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird holds the official Air Speed Record for a manned airbreathing jet aircraft with a speed of 3530 km/h, set on 28 July 1976.\n18 49 [I] bali 2016-01-03 10:24:00 [I] Aircraft Type Tupolev Tu-160 TOP: Tupolev Tu-160 is the world's largest combat aircraft, largest supersonic aircraft and largest variable-sweep aircraft built.\n19 52 [I] bali 2016-01-03 10:27:00 [I] Aircraft Type Tupolev Tu-114 TOP: Tupolev Tu.114 is the fastest-ever record speed for a propeller-driven aircraft of any type, achieved 871 km/h on 24 March 1960.\n20 54 [I] bali 2016-01-03 10:29:00 [I] Aircraft Type AgustaWestland AW159 Lynx Wildcat TOP: Westland Lynx is the fastest helicopter, achieved 400 km/h on 11 August 1986.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9105244278907776}
{"content": "2020 deadline on climate change\n\nThe UN Secretary General Antonio Gutterres has issued a stark warning  about the failure of humanity to act in the face of the rapidity of climate change arising from human activity. This article from the BBC website describes the Secretary General’s warning,\n\nHe wants heads of government to come to New York for a special climate conference next September. The call comes amid growing concerns over the slow pace of UN negotiations. Mr Guterres painted a grim picture of the impacts of climate change that he says have been felt all over the world this year, with heatwaves, wildfires, storms and floods leaving a trail of destruction. Corals are dying, he said, the oceans are becoming more acidic, and there are growing conflicts over dwindling resources. Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are at their highest level in three million years.\n\nDespite the fact that the world agreed on a plan to tackle climate change in Paris in 2015, Mr Guterres said the world is way off track to achieve the modest goals of the pact.\n\nEcological repair\n\nThis article is from an Argentinian-based website. It offers a concise summary of the way that the private economy that serves wealth seekers has come to dominate the regulation of the public economy by which governments serve the general good of all citizens. Private business ignores what is termed mega-externalities such as toxic effects on society and the environment. The search for profit takes precedence and government regulation is stymied by corporate influence over political systems.\n\nthird category of economica activity is described as the core economy that is essentially local and small scale. It offers employment in a way that corporate systems fail to so and also offers hope of ecological repair of the damage to ecosystems that has resulted from large-scale impact on the planet of the financial capitalist private economy that hass accelerated enormously since the 1950s.\n\nArctic ocean warming\n\nNew research from Yale oceanographers has revealed a build-up of heat in the deeper levels of the Arctic Ocean that may trigger a massive melting of the sea ice above.\n\n\nThis 30-year doubling (growth rate of between 2-3% per annum) coincides with the Great Acceleration of the impact of so many human activities at a planetary scale. In this case it is the hydrosphere and the cryosphere that are being impacted, but the connection to what is happening to the global atmosphere is obvious. The parallel increases in greenhouse gas emissions arising from fossil fuel use has many effects, just as has the massive addition of plastics to the natural environment and many other synthetic chemicals . As humans strive for wealth and accelerated consumption of technologically created goods and services, many UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES  tend to follow. A small number of scientists reveal these but the rush for ‘development’ understood as ever-increasing GDP growth, continues to accelerate as human population adds an extra 1 billion humans to an overloaded planet in the next 14 or so years.\n\nCoastal erosion in the Arctic a new concern – report on new research.\n\nRapping from Me to We\n\nThis  video is targeted on secondary school learners to encourage debate about the concept of homo economicus at the core of the model of classical economics. Ego-driven competition and a price for everything is the implied assumption of human nature behind homo economicus  which overlooks other aspects of humanity such as altruism, cooperation and things that cannot be priced.  Presented in the form of puppets as rap lyrics, the creative video tries to move thinking about human nature from selfish ME to a collective concern about WE. It is 6 minutes long.\n\nBangkok prep for Katowice COP24\n\nHere is the full UNFCCC news release.\n\nI find it hard to share the optimism in this press release about the progress made towards the Paris Climate Agreement goals. December in nearby Katowice the centre of Polish coal production, will see yet another attempt to get agreement on limiting CO2 emissions that nee to be negative by 2015 if the targets are to be met for curbing global warming and all associated effects.\n\nAgainst the backdrop of severe and record heatwaves, bushfires, droughts and floods across the world, governments are convening a supplementary meeting in Bangkok to prepare the implementation guidelines of the Paris Climate Change Agreement. The guidelines are needed to make the Paris Agreement work fairly and transparently for all.\n\nFollowing a two-year negotiation process, the implementation guidelines are set to be adopted at the annual climate conference, COP24, to be held in Katowice, Poland in December.\n\nWhile the talks have made modest progress, the Bangkok meeting is the last opportunity before COP24 to accelerate negotiations.\n\nAbout the UNFCCC\n\n\nSee also: http://unfccc.int\n\n\nThis article from BioScience updates a warning given  in 1992 by 1700 scientist about the trajectories leading to environmental destruction. This updated warning was endorsed by 15000 scientists when published in December 2017. Here are the opening paragraphs:\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9893315434455872}
{"content": "\n\n\n345 / 438ページ\nデータ総見出し数 437939\n\n  1. The family was quite religious and admired the spirit of simplicity and frugality.\n  2. The family was raised to the peerage and the line continues with family name returned to Ashikaga.\n  3. The family was ranked as \"Hanke,\" a type of family status in the Court nobility\n  4. The family was ranked as \"Hanke,\" a type of family status in the Court nobility, with the top rank attained being the Court Rank, Junior Chief Councillor of State.\n  5. The family was ranked as \"Hanke,\" a type of family status in the Court nobility.\n  6. The family was ranked as \"Urinke,\" a type of family status in the Court nobility.\n  7. The family was ranked as Seiga family, a type of family status in the court nobility.\n  8. The family was ranked as a prince after the Meiji Restoration.\n  9. The family was ranked as viscount in the Meiji period.\n  10. The family was removed from the government post and fled from Kyoto.\n  11. The family was restored during the Edo period.\n  12. The family was saved, Koremori enters into the priesthood and heads to Mt. Koya.\n  13. The family was succeeded by Morimitsu HINONISHI and Sukemune HINONISHI, but, since Tomomitsu, a son of Sukemune died young, this family was discontinued.\n  14. The family was taken into the service of Ieyasu TOKUGAWA, who thought highly of the Tatsuke style of artillery.\n  15. The family was the 10th generation after Toshishige HOSOKAWA, a child of Mitsunao HOSOKAWA.\n  16. The family was the 11th generation after Yukitaka HOSOKAWA, a son of Tatsutaka HOSOKAWA who was the fourth son of Tadaoki.\n  17. The family was the legitimate line of the Hosokawa clan, and the family was successively appointed to the post of kanrei in 'Muromachi bakufu,' as well as being hereditary Shugo daimyo in Settsu Province, Tanba Province and so on.\n  18. The family was the lord of the Uto Domain of the Kumamoto Domain (Uto City, Kumamoto Prefecture), a branch domain of the Higo Kumamoto Domain, with 30,000 koku.\n  19. The family was the lord of the Yatabe Domain in Hitachi Province (Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture) with 16,000 koku.\n  20. The family was the lowest in the order of the Renshigoke (the five houses of the Renshi clan).\n  21. The family was the most powerful vassal of the Takeda clan, who belonged to the same family and served as Shugo (provincial constable) of Wakasa Province; therefore, her lineage was a prestigious samurai family.\n  22. The family was the ninth generation after Okimoto HOSOKAWA, the second child of Fujitaka HOSOKAWA.\n  23. The family was the tozama daimyo (nonhereditary feudal lord).\n  24. The family was treated special to successively inherit Jingihaku (the Minister of God) and name themselves as part of the Imperial Family.\n  25. The family was treated very well by the Tokugawa family, and, as is well known, became prosperous during the Edo Period.\n  26. The family was trusted by Emperor Meiji and Emperor Taisho, they successively held the position of Dai Nihon Agricultural Association and the President of the association of reservists as the leading figure of the Imperial family.\n  27. The family went into decline after the death of Aritomi at the end of the Muromachi period after being deprived of rekido, their family business, by the Abe clan, and was discontinued in the Sengoku Period (Period of Warring States).\n  28. The family were also related to the Date clan in Sendai.\n  29. The family were awarded an earldom on July 7, 1884, and then awarded the title of marquess on January 17, 1888.\n  30. The family were court nobility of Kanin-ryu (the Kanin lineage) and Saionji-ryu of the northern House of the Fujiwara clan.\n  31. The family whose original forefather is Ujinobu SASAKI who was the forth son and inherited six counties of Takashima, Ika, Azai, Sakata, Inugami and Aichi in Gohoku, north of lake, and Takatsuji KYOGOKU's mansion in Kyoto was later called the Kyogoku clan.\n  32. The family's ancestral temple was Jishoin, a subtemple of Shokoku-ji Temple, which was the same as that of its head family, the Katsuranomiya family.\n  33. The family's existence can be traced back at least to the period of the Northern and Southern Courts by the documents such as \"Sonpi Bunmyaku\" (a text compiled in the fourteenth century that records the lineages of the aristocracy).\n  34. The family's hereditary stipend during the Edo period was 100 koku.\n  35. The family's kamon (crest) was a crane within a circle.\n  36. The family's kamon (crest) was hidari mitsudomoe (a counter-clockwise pattern comprising three comma-shaped figures in a circle) (the same as that of the Saionji family).\n  37. The family's occupation was sewing kimono (clothes) up to the era of the fifth family head, but since then, the family has been engaged in the production of tea utensils such as shifuku (a pouch to be used for putting in a tea container), fukusa (silk cloth to be used in tea ceremony) and Kakuobi (Japanese belt (obi) for men).\n  38. The family's residence was originally located in \"Nishiin-san-cho\" (Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto City), and the family temple (the family tomb) was the Jofuku-ji Temple.\n  39. The family's stage name is Kyoya.\n  40. The family's stage name is Otowaya.\n  41. The family's style of waka does not stand out next to that of the Nijo family, the main house, or the Kyogoku school (different from the Kyogoku family of bushi).\n  42. The family's territory included the Izu-oshima Island; and when MINAMOTO no Tametomo was exiled to the Izu-oshima Island for the commitment to the Hogen War (1156), he was appointed the surveillance.\n  43. The family, however, began to show its opposition to the Ashikaga head family (the Kyoto shogunate family whose forefather was Yoshiakira ASHIKAGA) over the shogunate's succession and so on.\n  44. The family, in addition, specialized in playing the flute and the procurement of costumes and clothing.\n  45. The famine occurred during a period of conflict (Jisho-Juei War), and there remain many historical documents which describe the situation in detail such as the Genpei Seisuiki (The Rise and Decline of the Minamoto and Taira clans) and the Hojoki (An Account of My Hut).\n  46. The famine of Yowa\n  47. The famine of Yowa was a devastating famine that occurred in 1181.\n  48. The famous \"Bennonaishi nikki\" (The Diary of Bennonaishi) was a piece of work during the first half of that period.\n  49. The famous \"Mikaeri Bijin zu (Picture of Looking-Back Beauty),\" his most important work, is an original drawing.\n  50. The famous 'Crow Tengu,' with its bird's beak and wings, is strongly influenced by the shape of an avian Tengu.\n  51. The famous 'Doyo No Ushi No Hi' (Midsummer Day of the Ox), occurs in the last month of summer.\n  52. The famous 'Hikigi no Saya' held by Rikyu is well-known example of this type of bowl.\n  53. The famous 'Taima Mandala' was woven by her with five-colored lotus threads in one night.\n  54. The famous 'Yuzen Nagashi' is the process of removing glues and extra dyes in a clean river.\n  55. The famous 80-foot statue of Miroku Buddha, in northern India, sheds the light of wisdom on a Buddhist celebration day every month, while the 50-meter great statue of Buddha at Todai-ji Temple has brought benefits to the Japanese people over many decades.\n  56. The famous Bando-Heishi clans included the Kamakura, Miura, Chiba, Kazusa, Chichibu, Daijo, Nakamura, Nagao, and Kajiwara.\n  57. The famous Einin no Tokuseirei for gokenin (an immediate vasal of the shogunate in the Kamakura and Muromachi through Edo periods) was abolished after a period of one year; however, this order was not abolished as a shield against the 'risk of divine punishment'.\n  58. The famous Hyakunin Isshu are as follows.\n  59. The famous Kogaki (a small writing specific to each school) for Kanze-ryu school includes 'Saishiki' and 'Ranbyoshi no den'.\n  60. The famous Minamoto clans in the Bando (old Kanto) region descended from the Kawachi-Genji included the Nitta, Ashikaga, Satake, Takeda, Ogasawara, and Satomi.\n  61. The famous Tsukumo Nasu\n  62. The famous Zegaibo Tengu is also of this sort, and its figure can be found in numerous picture scrolls.\n  63. The famous actors for Fukashichi include Danjuro the ninth and Shikan NAKAMURA the fourth during the Meiji period, and in this century, Kichiemon NAKAMURA the first, Shoroku ONOE the second and Ganjiro NAKAMURA the second.\n  64. The famous actors for Sadaka are Baigyoku NAKAMURA the third and Utaemon NAKAMURA the sixth, and for Daihanji, Nizaemon KATAOKA the eleventh, Kichiemon NAKAMURA the first and Shoroku ONOE the second.\n  65. The famous armor 'Genta ga Ubuginu' (Genta's clothes as a newborn) was sometimes used as a proof of being the direct descendant of the Minamoto clan, and there is a view that suggests that Kawachi Genji that passed it down was the direct descendant of the Minamoto clan.\n  66. The famous case is tatari caused by SUGAWARA no Michizane (Tenjin) who died in despair.\n  67. The famous cherry trees in Mt. Yoshino are also Yamazakura.\n  68. The famous concrete examples of 'Leave Asia, enter Europe' were the history of Japanese fashion, the decree banning the wearing of swords and Rokumeikan (a hall used for the accommodation of guests of the government) built in the 1880s.\n  69. The famous conferences are as follows.\n  70. The famous disputes on the bulletin were as follows.\n  71. The famous examples were the Wake clan's Kobun-in, the Fujiwara clan's Kangaku-in, the Tachibana clan's Gakkan-in and the O clan's Shogaku-in.\n  72. The famous kaisho other than these were Hosshin-in of Daigoji Temple and Kongorin-in, Jojuin Temple of Daijoin Temple, the residence of Imperial Prince Fushiminomiya Sadafusa, and the residence of Takakuni HOSOKAWA from a later period.\n  73. The famous kunoichi group was Arukimiko (traveling shrine maidens), which served Shingen TAKEDA.\n  74. The famous legend which produced a proverb \"Mokuami\" (\"Moto no Mokuami\") originated from this succession.\n  75. The famous lines by Yosaburo at a scene of the mistress' home of Genjidana in the fourth act.\n  76. The famous ones were 'Shirahata Ikki' (Uprising of the White Flag) in Musashi Province and 'Musashi hei Ikki' (Musashi Hei Uprising) during the period of the Northern and Southern Courts (Japan) and 'Kikyo Ikki' (Kikyo Uprising) of Mino Province that appeared in \"Taiheiki\" (The Record of the Great Peace).\n  77. The famous places named after Shinden includes Kanda (Chiyoda Ward).\n  78. The famous rock garden is surrounded by an earthen wall on the south side of the Hojo.\n  79. The famous short sword Atsushi Toshiro is a work known as 'yoroi doshi' that features especially thick layers, with its initial layer exceeding one centimeters in thickness.\n  80. The famous shrine located in that location was Ikasuri-jinja Shrine (Its shago [shrine's name] is 'Ikasuri' but it is usually called 'Zama').\n  81. The famous story, which has been handed through the years, states that the Kansai Railway Company had a fierce battles against the Government Railway Company to get more passengers.\n  82. The fan had thread flowers of pines only.\n  83. The fan has a family crest of Ibishi pattern drawn in white color on a gold background, decorated with horizontal stripes called \"konoe-biki\"on the lower part of the fan.\n  84. The fan is so impressive that it is called ogimonogurui (mad fan).\n  85. The fan made of cross-grained wood is also held in right hand.\n  86. The fans are hand-made in the temple.\n  87. The far away places where kosa has been observed include the State of Hawaii and mainland of the United States of America, and Canada.\n  88. The fare collection box, the card reader and the numbered ticket issuing machine are all installed beside the door on the left side toward the direction of travel.\n  89. The fare is 1,550 yen for one-way.\n  90. The fare is 1,750 yen for one-way.\n  91. The fare is 2,150 yen for one-way.\n  92. The fare is 2,750 yen for one-way.\n  93. The fare is 2,900 yen for one-way.\n  94. The fare is 3,000 yen for one-way.\n  95. The fare is \\220, as on other routes of the City bus, and all of the season tickets, and ticket books and one-day cards are usable.\n  96. The fare is a flat rate of 100 yen, and there is no discount for the physically disabled, students or children.\n  97. The fare is between 150 and 300 yen.\n  98. The fare is flat until the taxi runs for a certain distance.\n  99. The fare of general taxis consists of the following items.\n  100. The fare of this bus service is based on the travel distance, added to the base fare.\n  101. The farewell of pedestal\n  102. The farewell party was given on that day for Lieutenant Matsuki, who was moving out to Hirosaki Regiment, and participants were saying 'It would be good if the marching troop returned now.'\n  103. The farm land was small, and as kubunden (the farm land given to each farmer in the Ritsuryo system), the farm land in Owari Province and Ise Province were allocated to Shima Province.\n  104. The farmer made a ship at the request of Raijin, and Raijin, along with the lightning, returned to the sky on the ship.\n  105. The farmers grew to distrust ukeoi daikan.\n  106. The farmers in the surrounding countryside offered live chickens and, when the festival was over, they released them in front of the Kannon-do of Senso-ji Temple.\n  107. The farmers were greatly affected by the Showa Depression in 1930, and the poorly-fed children became a serious social problem in various regions mainly in Tohoku.\n  108. The farmers who were skilled at using bows and at riding a horse were gunji, rich and powerful persons, or fushu, descendants of the emishi (people who resided in the northern areas in ancient times) who swore allegiance to the central government and were forced to move to various places throughout the country.\n  109. The farming theory of the Jomon period has a long history of study since the Meiji period and the existence of farming is still being debated today.\n  110. The farmland on which the taxation was imposed was divided into the unit called myoden (rice field lots in charge of a nominal holder).\n  111. The farms were subsequently expanded and treated as important production sites for military supplies.\n  112. The farther the position of the lid from the fire is, the better soot can be obtained.\n  113. The farthest place of the expansion of Sueki production can be seen at Goshogawara kiln in Tsugaru Plain which was in operation from the end of the ninth century to the tenth century.\n  114. The fast-talking and well-educated Kagetoki was trusted by Yoritomo and was used for various tasks, such as the construction of Tsurugaoka-wakamiya Shrine, the supervision of prisoners, and the making of arrangements when Midaidokoro (Shogun's wife) Masako HOJO had a baby.\n  115. The fastest route between Nara and downtown Kyoto, as noted above in the section on Keinakita Road of the Keinawa Jidoshado Expressway, is to take Keina Road from the Kizu Interchange to the Tanabe-nishi Interchange and the Daini-Keihan-Doro Bypass.\n  116. The fastest speed records in business operation, except those on elevated railways\n  117. The fastest train speed in the world, including those in running tests, is 581 km/h recorded by JR maglev trains on the Yamanashi maglev test line.\n  118. The fat has a low melting point and melts at normal temperature.\n  119. The fates of these former members of the Imperial Family varied thereafter.\n  120. The father Kansai was the author of medical book \"Keiken Horoku\" (55 volumes).\n  121. The father and mother: Imperial Prince Fushiminomiya Kuniie and Hiroko TAKATSUKASA\n  122. The father and son are so scared that they faint.\n  123. The father and son of Tsunekane and Tsunemi were designated to Gonnokami of Suruga Province and Saemon no jo (third-ranked officer of the Left Division of Outer Palace Guards) respectively due to the deserters at the battles by the Emperor Gomurakami of the Southern Court.\n  124. The father and son of the Ono insisted on a penalty.\n  125. The father and son of the Wakiya family ran away to Mino Province and Owari Province, and finally entered Yoshino.\n  126. The father and son rejoice in the reunion and together tread the path of discipline.\n  127. The father and son separate with tears in their eyes, and Yoshitomo is willing to take his father.\n  128. The father and the son of MAZUME family began to feel out of place and got loose from Shinsengumi at one of these nights.\n  129. The father became more angry, and decapitated the horse.\n  130. The father feels sad, saying, 'I wish I could exchange their personalities,' and because of their inborn characters the boy is brought up as a 'princess' and the girl is treated as a 'young prince.'\n  131. The father felt certain that the poor man he saw by chance was his son and ordered a servant to bring him in, however, his son who knew nothing went away not to be caught.\n  132. The father of Actress Yoko KOZAKURA, the wife of Actor Ken UEHARA, was Tomoaki IWAKURA, who came from a branch of the Iwakura family.\n  133. The father of Hiroshi KAMAYATSU.\n  134. The father of IZAWA confines Shotaro, who doesn't change his behavior at all, in a room.\n  135. The father of Jukei (Jusuke HANAYAGI I) and Jukei were once kabuki actors.\n  136. The father of KAMO no Yasunori.\n  137. The father of Kane KOSUGI and Shane KOSUGI.\n  138. The father of Masamune, Terumune DATE was concerned about the future of Masamune, then he invited a Zen priest of the Rinzai sect, Kosai Soitsu for Masamune to teach Buddhism and Sinology with strict instruction.\n  139. The father of Masanaga NAITO.\n  140. The father of Prince Mayowa was Imperial Prince Okusaka, (Okusaka no Miko; he was a prince of the Emperor Nintoku.)\n  141. The father of Prince Ohodo was Wakanuke no Futamata no Miko (a prince of the Emperor Ojin); and the mother of Prince Ohodo was Otohime Mawakahime (also known as Momoshiki no Irobe who was a daughter of Kawamata Nakatsuhiko).\n  142. The father of Ryoko MORIYAMA.\n  143. The father of Sanekazu was Gyobu no jo Sanemitsu ABO who was drowned in the battle of Uji-gawa River in Jokyu War.\n  144. The father of TAIRA no Nobukane, who appeared during the Hogen, Jisho, and Juei Wars.\n  145. The father of Takatahime, one of the wives of Emperor Keiko, was said to be ABE no Kogoto; also one of the wives of Emperor Keitai was said to be ABE no Haehime.\n  146. The father of Uji no Oigimi, Naka no kimi and Ukifune.\n  147. The father of Yamakuma no Okimi was a son of Emperor Tenmu and he had many younger brothers, but he was in obscurity during the reign of Empress Jito because he had few opportunities to play an active part in political affairs (some people believe this was because Empress Jito disliked him).\n  148. The father of Yukisada, Yukimune NIKAIDO, was promoted to hikitsukeshu (Coadjustor of the High Court), but he died before his father, Yukitada, in 1286, and after the death of Yukitada, his grandson, Yukisada, became Mandokoro Shitsuji (chief of Mandokoro, the Administrative Board) at the age of 22.\n  149. The father of his mother was MUNAKATA no Kimi Tokuzen.\n  150. The father of the child who heard this story entered the inside through the dromos with his child on the early morning of May 30 before he went to work, and took photographs of the inside of the stone chamber.\n  151. The father of the third Ichizo KATAOKA (1851 -1906) was a painter Kichibe KAMEYA,.\n  152. The father was Yukitaka NAWA.\n  153. The father, Daizen no suke (Assistant Master of the Office of the Palace Table) Moriyoshi, was praised for the deed of arms by Nobunaga and given the crest of 'swallowtail butterfly,' but the son, Moritomo, was given a crest of 'Gosan no kiri (Paulownia).'\n  154. The father, Matsumoto EDA, disappeared shortly after Jokei's birth.\n  155. The father-son succession continued until Kinkuni HASHIMOTO, the sixth generation, who did not produce an heir, at which point Kinnatsu HASHIMOTO (1454-1538) was adopted from the Shimizudani family of the same Saionji clan.\n  156. The fathers and the sons along with the subordinate people, assets, farmlands and housing lands of the muhon convicts were confiscated.\n  157. The fathers, sons, mothers, daughters, wives, and the concubines of the people who failed muhon by lacking ability or power were banished 3,000 ri (one \"ri\" is approx. 560m in China) away..\n  158. The fatty portion is classified into 'Otoro' and 'Chutoro' in accordance with a degree of fat.\n  159. The fauna\n  160. The fauna in this research forest is as diverse as the flora.\n  161. The favor from Yoshimitsu did not weaken until the end of his life and when Emperor Gokomatsu visited Kitayama-dai (Kitayama residence), he performed Noh play with the Emperor in attendance.\n  162. The favored method of suicide among Chinese warriors was not by disembowelment but by the slitting of one's own throat using a sword (zi wen) (\"Kairyoku Ranshin\", Toru KATO, p. 66-72).\n  163. The feature is selecting poems from not only chokusen wakashu (anthology of Japanese poetry compiled by Imperial command) but also shisen wakashu (personal collection of poetry) such as \"Shoku Shika Wakashu\" (The Continued Waka Collection of Verbal Flowers).\n  164. The feature of the gusoku was that 'the visor was an article par excellence, which was called 'Tani-ho' and made after the face of Tani, the Dewa no kami.'\n  165. The feature of the three portraits, including the unconfirmed portrait of Yoritomo, is its exquisite and realistic drawing style, and it has been evaluated that such style was established when the influence of a realistic portrait style flourished in the Sung China period came to Japan at the end of the 12th century.\n  166. The feature of this art was the emphasis on accuracy.\n  167. The feature of this ryoge no kan was that the officials could process government affairs for which they were responsible all on their own.\n  168. The feature of work is that it extensively incorporates word-of-mouth stories.\n  169. The features of Gosyodoki are that things often appeared in dynastic style literature including \"Tale of Genji\" or Noh such as an ox-drawn coach, a fan, a fence are laid out in seasonal flowers that are delicately described in detail.\n  170. The features of Sho Kannon are generally Bosatsu, with one face and two arms as mentioned above, and its Jimotsu (the hand-held attributes of a Buddhist image) is lotus in the left hand, but it is not always uniform.\n  171. The features of Yomei-gaku thought can be condensed to the following terms.\n  172. The features of Yomeigaku described below are also the result of the above-mentioned reasoning; therefore, there are doubts that these features are the historical and general results of Shushigaku and Yomeigaku.\n  173. The features of a Noh dance are the excessive sliding of one's feet along, the peculiar posturing of one's body, and rotary motions.\n  174. The features of his face are not so bad in appearance, but he is more simple and inconspicuous than his younger siblings, such as Saimon and Saiki.\n  175. The features of this interdisciplinary learning place for the six sects (later turned into the eight sects, including the Shingon sect and the Tendai sect) still remain in Todai-ji Temple even today.\n  176. The federation has also held a study meeting and a national conference every year since the founding without missing a single year, and devoted itself to Senchado promotion.\n  177. The fee for the geigi's service will be lumped together with that for food and drinks consumed and will be charged by the respective restaurant.\n  178. The fee is referred to as 'Gyokudai (time charge for a geisha)' or 'Senko-dai (fee for a geisha's time)' in the Kanto region and 'Hana-dai (fee for a woman's companionship)' in the Kansai region.\n  179. The feel of the palace architecture is well preserved, even though there were some changes made when they were converted from a palace to use as a Buddhist temple, changing the roofs from cypress bark to tiles, for example.\n  180. The feeling that they did not want to have the peaceful world of Edo (society under a system of national isolation) was disturbing and disruptive, and ultimately it led to the movement for the expulsion of foreigners.\n  181. The feelings of Shosho's parents are described in detail in the first half, but are forgotten in the latter half, and the description of the war in Tang is unusually detailed and there is a view that the existing text includes later additions by another person.\n  182. The feelings of people of Kyoto City for Sokui no rei\n  183. The feelings of surprise which arise from the gap between the recognition and the reality, and it is also an unnatural phenomenon led by the conclusion that the reality was not right unless you don't recognize the gap came from your misunderstanding.\n  184. The fellow members under confinement made a written pledge to form a group named Mitategumi and sealed it with their blood.\n  185. The female kimono is generally made such that Eri is slightly slid down on the back.\n  186. The female rider is required to wear a long dress and a hat with a flower on the breast, and to use a side-saddle, but, at present, that dress is rarely seen.\n  187. The female servant brought to Toyotamabime the vessel with the jewel stuck to it, and she explained what happened.\n  188. The females of the Niwata family served the Imperial Family and the house of Fushimi no miya for generations, and bore Imperial princes.\n  189. The feminine equivalent of Baron is Baroness, and is used for the wife of a Baron or a woman having the title of Baron (female Baron).\n  190. The fence and columns supporting the roofs are painted in vermilion colors, as associated with Miyake Hachimangu Shrine.\n  191. The fences and poles of the station are painted vermilion in honor of Kurumazaki-jinja Shrine.\n  192. The fermentation smells bad but proceeds quickly thanks to the high temperature, so it is said that moto can be made without issue even during summer.\n  193. The fermented fish roe resembles natural cheese and is fairly good eating.\n  194. The ferryman appears on stage announcing the final ferry service and saying that many will be gathering today for the mass prayer.\n  195. The ferryman explains that they are gathered for a mass prayer, and tells her the story of a pitiful child.\n  196. The ferryman guides the kyojo to the mound so she can mourn.\n  197. The ferryman is moved and kindly lets her on the boat with the following words.\n  198. The fertilizer is produced by boiling whale meat, whale bones and whale skins, and then grinding them with a stone mill, and has been used as a marine fertilizer together with the sardine-based fertilizer.\n  199. The festival aims to contribute to the community by deepening relationships with the neighboring area and promoting regional development.\n  200. The festival beame popular among the general public and reached its present form.\n  201. The festival called Dairenzo (literally, big festival. The ancient primordial Japanese word for festival is 'renzo') is held on the third Sunday in April.\n  202. The festival called Obon is based in its traditions and style on the ancestor worship of Koshinto, but monks at various temples carry out the ceremonies differently due to the syncretic blending of Shinto and Buddhism, and so the \"true\" version of such traditions has become unclear.\n  203. The festival celebrates a harvest.\n  204. The festival centers on a competition in which movies created by students from all over the world are screened.\n  205. The festival culture prospered even more during the Edo Period and continued until the early Showa Period (1926 - 1989); there were more than 600 fairs held annually in Tokyo Prefecture before World War II, with two or three held everyday except unlucky days.\n  206. The festival day for Oshirasama is called 'meinichi' (anniversary of the death), and it is held on the 16th of January, March, and September of the old lunar calendar.\n  207. The festival day is February 5.\n  208. The festival day is customarily called \"Koozzuitachi (perhaps meaning the first day for ice)\" and people eat yuki-mochi (rice cakes imitating lumps of snow).\n  209. The festival day is the days including 8 (8th, 18th and 28th) every month.\n  210. The festival foods prepared for these occasions were called osechi-ryori.\n  211. The festival has been held since 1928 to celebrate the enthronement of Emperor Showa and recreates the Heian period boat trip along Oi-gawa River that flows to Mt. Arashiyama.\n  212. The festival involves eight floats of senzairaku, three boats, and one foat of danjiri.\n  213. The festival is a memorial service for these stars, praying for happiness of the year and warding off evil, and generally held at the new year in the old calendar (vernal equinox).\n  214. The festival is also called the \"Gion matsuri Festival of Tanba\" and the \"Autumn matsuri Festival of Kameoka.\"\n  215. The festival is also one of three major beautiful festivals or three major floats festivals in Japan along with the Takayama Matsuri Festival held in Hida and Chichibu Yomatsuri Festival held in Chichibu City.\n  216. The festival is believed to have originated when a fisherwoman named Oben offered abalone as a gift to Yamatohime no mikoto, the fourth Imperial Princess of the eleventh Emperor Suinin, who visited Kuzaki.\n  217. The festival is considered originally derived from honoring to the deity of cornor points and boundaries in Sakai to prevent plagues or disasters at gateways to villages, on slopes or peaks, and to pray for safety on the way.\n  218. The festival is designated as National Important?Intangible Folk-Cultural?Properties.\n  219. The festival is famous for the throngs of visitors who flock to the festival each year.\n  220. The festival is held annually in later November for four days at Yoshida-South Campus and Main Campus, both in Yoshida Campus.\n  221. The festival is held annually on February 24.\n  222. The festival is held around early November which is earlier than 'EVE,' and it is on the same day as the 'Cultural festival for citizens' sponsored by Kyotanabe city.\n  223. The festival is held for about one month by the Big Doll Festival Execution Committee and a specified nonprofit corporation called Awa Katsuura Idobata Juku at Ningyo Bunka Koryu Kaikan (Doll Cultural Exchange Hall) in Ikuna, Katsuura-cho.\n  224. The festival is held for approximately one month (from March 3 until April 3) in various places in Suzaka City by the 'Execution Committee for Doll Festival in Suzuka Town.'\n  225. The festival is held in the night of August 23, every year.\n  226. The festival is held in venues described as below.\n  227. The festival is held on October 20 and 21 every year.\n  228. The festival is held on the night of October 22 every year (the same day as Jidai matsuri (Festival of the Ages)).\n  229. The festival is held throughout July and its highlights are: Mikoshi togyo (parade of mikoshi - portable shrines, and priests for the divine spirits in the portable shrine moving to other places from the main shrine); Yamahoko Junko (costumed procession of Gion Festival Floats); and Yoiyama (the eve of the main festival).\n  230. The festival is managed by incorporated nonprofit organization 'Nara Tokae no kai (association of Nara Tokae Festival), which is an operating body of the festival.\n  231. The festival is sometimes called 'Ogyon' or 'Gion san' depending on the region.\n  232. The festival is sometimes held in early August depending on the tidal level.\n  233. The festival is thought to have started because the enshrined deities of this shrine are all related to food.\n  234. The festival lasts until 10 p.m. on June 5 and has night stalls.\n  235. The festival of love at Akomachi, Inariyama: people prayed to a fox which became a follower of the Inari gracious god in the Fushimi Inaritaisha Shrine for getting love of men, brandishing dried bonito likened to an erect penis.\n  236. The festival of the shrine is held on May 3, and it is called Ogi Festival.\n  237. The festival starts from midnight on December 17 and the prince goes back until midnight on December 18.\n  238. The festival starts on October 15, with the Sanyaku Senjosai ceremony (whereby the roles in the procession are declared), and ends with the closing ceremony held on October 23.\n  239. The festival that is held in Katae District, Mihonoseki-cho, Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture.\n  240. The festival was adopted as a stage for the novel, \"Kami no hi\" (fire of god) by Kaoru TAKAMURA.\n  241. The festival was also commonly known as the \"Tane morai-matsuri Festival.\"\n  242. The festival was celebrated by several events such as erecting three stone tablets inscribed with a haiku, republishing related books and holding a commemorative haiku convention.\n  243. The festival was held on U no hi (the day of rabbit) in November.\n  244. The festival was once called the Gion Goryoe (an attempt to secure protection from the plague of Gionsha, or Yasaka-jinja Shrine).\n  245. The festival will be held in Kurume City in 2008.\n  246. The feud of Date clan (between the Sendai and Uwajima Domains) in 1749 is well known.\n  247. The feud of the Ukita family\n  248. The feud surfaced among the reform group, Naikyoku (intra-ministerial bureau) with authoritative power, and his father Kocho (A time known as the Ohigashi-sodo Strife).\n  249. The feudal government had the authority to assign Jito in Kanto goseibaichi (provinces, manors and provincial lands where the shogun families of Kamakura bakufu possess the power to appoint/dismiss Jito).\n  250. The feudal items are vaguely defined as \"emperor's seal\" '璽' (read as \"ji\"), \"imperial seal\" '璽符' (read as \"jifu\"), and \"imperial seal\" '璽印' (read as \"inji\").\n  251. The feudal lord granted food, farm implements and seeds to peasants and made them cultivate the farmland.\n  252. The feudal lords did not rule a village jointly, but each one had his own designated area of control.\n  253. The feudal lords instead enshrined the guardian gods of the lands to protect their manors from wars and disasters.\n  254. The feudal lords who had received much larger amounts of land and came from a different place usually hired many of the former local vassals because they had problems filling the ranks.\n  255. The feudal period ended, and in 1885, the then Monbukyo (chief of Ministry of Education), Arinori MORI, issued an order to restrict Confucian ethics education.\n  256. The feudal political system during the Edo period was organized and maintained based on the stipend system in which a domain lord gave hereditary stipends to his vassals, but even after the Meiji period, this hereditary stipend was succeeded as Karoku and paid to samurai warriors.\n  257. The feudal retainer of the status who was designated kyujin was from the families which were generally called 'lower of the upper' in the Edo period.\n  258. The feudal retainer who was designated as higher-ranked than kyujin had a status called Kakaku (family status) and usually not called kyujin.\n  259. The feudal retainers of the Saga clan reported it to their Lord upon return and in February, 1855, two years thereafter, Saga clan completed a model steam locomotive.\n  260. The feudal system collapsed at the beginning of the Meiji period, and each school protected by a clan became financially unstable.\n  261. The feuds that broke out in the Kaga, Fukuoka and Date domains had the combination of a number of such causes.\n  262. The fief in Tosa was inherited by his heir Yorizane.\n  263. The fief in Uda County in Yamato Province, which had been assigned to Nobukatsu as a substantial retirement stipend, was inherited by his fifth son, Takanaga Oda.\n  264. The fief was reduced to about 700 koku due to subdivision of the domain.\n  265. The field 'Permanent Address' on their drivers' licenses show 'Japan,' just as the country of origin is displayed in licenses of foreign residents in Japan.\n  266. The field army, however, suffered widespread damage such as malaria infection because of the poor sanitary condition and the urgent solution was required.\n  267. The field for which the prize is awarded changes every year, with the prize being awarded to each of the four respective fields once every four years.\n  268. The field fortification, which was unusual at that time and which is itself an important historical fact, was something that the Takeda forces experienced for the first time.\n  269. The field of Shizen-ei emerged when Shakai-ei started to become popular after World War II.\n  270. The field of performance of the bushi after the Edo period moved from military affairs to culture.\n  271. The field was originally covered with grass, but in 2005 autumn it was recovered with long pile artificial grass.\n  272. The field: Long pile artificial grass\n  273. The fields (of rice and other crops) which made up the shoens included the land from the Emperor, the new rice field, the land by purchase or by pawning or donation and also land acquired by robbery with violence and so on.\n  274. The fields covered by this category include the four fields of \"Biological Sciences,\" \"Mathematical Sciences,\" \"Earth and Planetary Sciences, Astronomy and Astrophysics,\" and \"Life Sciences.\"\n  275. The fields covered by this category include the four fields of 'Music,' 'Fine Art,' 'Film and the Dramatic Arts,' and 'Philosophy/Theory.'\n  276. The fierce battle resulted in four deaths of Tenguto members and 36 deaths of the army of Takasaki Domain, which withdrawn (the battle of Shimonita).\n  277. The fierce fighting resumed, and Tametomo, whose force was very small, briefly pulled his soldiers back inside the gate, but Yoshitomo's forces only continued to press their attack.\n  278. The fierceness of the battle of Tabaru Slope can be understood from the fact that 11 out of 30 platoon leaders of the government army were killed.\n  279. The fifteenth (a marquis): Yorimichi TOKUGAWA (adopted from the Tayasu Tokugawa Family; his wife was a daughter of the thirteenth lord Iemochi TOKUGAWA)\n  280. The fifteenth (the lord of the domain): Mochinaga (adopted; a son of the eleventh lord from of Takasu Domain, a branch domain of Owari; a biological younger brother of the fourteenth lord, Yoshikatsu)\n  281. The fifteenth Goeika (hymn in praise of Buddha).\n  282. The fifteenth Kichizaemon RAKU (1949-), present leader.\n  283. The fifteenth chief Sabah (current Emir): Jabir line\n  284. The fifteenth chief priest, Jonyo (1641-1694): passed over in 1679.\n  285. The fifteenth daughter\n  286. The fifteenth family head: Narimasa TOKUGAWA\n  287. The fifteenth generation, Emperor Ojin\n  288. The fifteenth letter of the fourth collection 'oozakakonryu'\n  289. The fifteenth series of the Shinshicho (1950-1958)\n  290. The fifteenth shogun Yoshinobu TOKUGAWA was of the Mito family, but he became a member of the shogun family after being adopted into the Hitotsubashi-Tokugawa family, one of Gosankyo.\n  291. The fifteenth volume\n  292. The fifth (the lord of the domain): Gorota TOKUGAWA\n  293. The fifth (the lord of the domain): Munemoto TOKUGAWA (his posthumous title: 良公)\n  294. The fifth (the lord of the domain): Yoshimune TOKUGAWA\n  295. The fifth Aomori Regiment recorded that the temperature in the mountain on which the troop got lost was lower than -20 degrees Celsius, though it's not clear because the hospital corpsman who was in charge of observations died before leaving a record.\n  296. The fifth Chikusen (1934-), the current head\n  297. The fifth Dohachi (1869-1914)\n  298. The fifth Hanshiro (1778 - 1825, go: Shinjo, Renjo)\n  299. The fifth Ichizo KATAOKA (1916 - 1991) was the oldest son of the fourth.\n  300. The fifth Ichizo KATAOKA.\n  301. The fifth Kamakura kubo: Nariuji ASHIKAGA 1449-1455; moved to Furukawa, Shimousa Province in 1455 and became Koga kubo.\n  302. The fifth Kankuro NAKAMURA\n  303. The fifth Kijin: Byakudo-shin God\n  304. The fifth Kikunojo SEGAWA\n  305. The fifth Kinnikuman movie, \"Kinnikuman Hour of Triumph! Seigi Choujin,\" has Shuten Doji as the ancestor of an Evil Lord.\n  306. The fifth Mannojo NOMURA (August 9, 1959-June 10, 2004): real name, Kosuke.\n  307. The fifth Manzo NOMURA (retirement name: the first Mansai NOMURA) (August 16, 1862-January 14, 1938): childhood name, Ryokichi.\n  308. The fifth Osaka Exhibition revealed its negative side of 'point of view of Imperialism'.\n  309. The fifth Prince Michihisa was the first prince of Prince Naruhisa.\n  310. The fifth Princess: Imperial Princess Ariko\n  311. The fifth Seii Taishogun (literally, \"great general who subdues the barbarians\") of the Edo bakufu.\n  312. The fifth Shikan NAKAMURA: An adopted son of the fourth.\n  313. The fifth Shogun Tsunayoshi TOKUGAWA visited his Edo hantei (residence maintained by a daimyo in Edo) on April 11, 1708.\n  314. The fifth Shogun Tsunayoshi TOKUGAWA's real mother, Keishoin was the best example and she was granted juichii (Junior First Rank) during her lifetime as the first female of all time other than the females in the noble court.\n  315. The fifth Shogun, Tsunayoshi TOKUGAWA, abolished Taka-gari, step-by-step, by 'Shorui-Awaremi-no-rei,' ordinances for animal protection, but it was revived in the era of the eighth Shogun, Yoshimune TOKUGAWA.\n  316. The fifth Sonyu RAKU (1664-1716)\n  317. The fifth Tsuneichi MASAOKA made it to Kyoto and became a disciple of Sen Soshitsu Sado (tea ceremony).\n  318. The fifth Ushinosuke ONOE, the seventh Kikugoro ONOE.\n  319. The fifth Utaemon NAKAMURA (February 14, 1866 - September 12, 1940) was a kabuki actor who was active in the Meiji period and the Taisho period and the prewar period of the Showa period.\n  320. The fifth act: Yasui Woods 'Michiyuki Imose no Hashirigaki' (scribble)\n  321. The fifth addendum to chapter eight in the first volume of the \"Nihonshoki\" mentions Oyatsu-hime in the following passage.\n  322. The fifth addendum to chapter eight in the first volume of the \"Nihonshoki\" mentions Tsumatsu-hime in the following passage.\n  323. The fifth and final battle of Kawanakajima was fought in 1564, and is also called the confrontation at Shiozaki.\n  324. The fifth and most recent Kyoto Intercollegiate Festa was held on October 6 and 7, 2007 and marked a record high of 215,500 visitors for the two days (according to the organizer's).\n  325. The fifth and sixth lines of Japanese syllabary\n  326. The fifth and sixth lords of the domain also held important positions in the Shogunate, with Hidemochi KOIDE, the fifth lord serving in the same three positions as Hidesada, and Hidetsune KOIDE, the sixth lord, holding the position of sobajan.\n  327. The fifth battle\n  328. The fifth battle of Kawanakajima: in 1564\n  329. The fifth book was published in 1891 after the inauguration of the Imperial Diet, and the sixth through eighth book which concluded Kajin no Kigu were subsequently published after the Sino-Japanese War in 1897.\n  330. The fifth chapter (Jonenhoho) explains the methodology of Buddhist invocation and ascetic practices.\n  331. The fifth chapter: 'Maihime' (The Dancing Girl), 22 poems\n  332. The fifth checkpoint: The junction of Shirakawa-dori Street and Kitaoji-dori Street (17.3 km)\n  333. The fifth chief priest, Shakunyo (1350-1393): Succeeded in 1390\n  334. The fifth chief: Ryoshin TAKADA\n  335. The fifth comment was found in 'Asia to Nihon' (Asia and Japan) (\"Asia no Naka no Nihon\" [Japan in Asia], published by Chuo Koronsha) by geographer Koji IIZUKA in June, 1960.\n  336. The fifth conference (2001) Negami-machi, Ishikawa Prefecture (present Nomi City)\n  337. The fifth criticism points out that in Emperor Koko's edict upon enthronement there is a descriptions that says 'the faculty of Imperial Sun Succession (Amatsuhitsugi) to the Imperial Throne (Takamikura) is 'the law established for the first time' by Emperor Tenchi.\n  338. The fifth daughter of FUJIWARA no Michinaga.\n  339. The fifth daughter: Masako (married Kenwa KANNA)\n  340. The fifth day (January 27)\n  341. The fifth disciple: Shingyo\n  342. The fifth eye doctor Motoyasu settled down in Osaka Prefecture winning fame as a highly skilled Confucian and a doctor.\n  343. The fifth family head of the Arisugawanomiya family.\n  344. The fifth family head of the Fushiminomiya family\n  345. The fifth family head of the Ijuin clan.\n  346. The fifth family head of the Tetsunojo KANZE family, and his name was Kiyohisa.\n  347. The fifth family head of the lineage of the Soma clan of Mutsu Province.\n  348. The fifth family head, Okinori HOSOKAWA cooperated with Shigekata HOSOKAWA of Honpan (the original domain) for the reformation of domain duties such as the foundation of the han school, Onchikan, and the farmland irrigation and the encouragement of new industries of local productions.\n  349. The fifth family head, Yoritsuna UTSUNOMIYA (FUJIWARA no Yoritsuna) was a warrior who had a great achievement in the subjugation of the Oshu-Fujiwara clan, but he was suspected of rebellion by the Kamakura bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun).\n  350. The fifth fierce god: Katsumataijin\n  351. The fifth generation\n  352. The fifth generation of the Aoyama family in the Gujo Domain.\n  353. The fifth generation was Maibara Dairyu SAKURAGAWA\n  354. The fifth generation, Emperor Kosho\n  355. The fifth group, which has \"Fujino Orai\" as an example, includes titles with sentences not only from letters but also from other documents such as official papers.\n  356. The fifth head of the Kitashirakawanomiya family\n  357. The fifth head of the Kutsuki family in the Fukuchiyama Domain.\n  358. The fifth head of the Shimazu soke (the head family), and the first son (1322 - 1340) of Sadahisa SHIMAZU.\n  359. The fifth head of the family (school): KOSE no Hirotaka (広貴) (Note that Hirotaka may also be written in different kanji as 弘高 or 広高).\n  360. The fifth head of the family Mitsuzane TOYAMA was adopted from the Karasumaru family.\n  361. The fifth head of the family, Genishiro YOSHIMURA, successfully realized brewing of seishu free of salicylic acid as a forerunner in the sake brewing business.\n  362. The fifth head of the family: Joeki (also known as 頼重・源吉 and Kichiemon, 1724 - 1791)\n  363. The fifth head of the school: Yachiyo INOUE V\n  364. The fifth head, Genichiro YOSHIMURA, took the position of president of the company.\n  365. The fifth head, Kenji TAKENAKA\n  366. The fifth head, Soken NAKATA, was an adopted son who came from the Tsuji clan of Katata, Omi Province, and as he had many Monjin he dominated the tea ceremony community of Kyoto at the end of the Edo period.\n  367. The fifth is that dotaku were used as an appointment letter instead of mirrors in the times when characters were not established yet.\n  368. The fifth is the Nojikubo-kofun Tumulus (Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture; the end of the seventh century to the early eighth century) found in 2008.\n  369. The fifth issho in the same section says as follows.\n  370. The fifth kubo, Nariuji ASHIKAGA competing with Muromachi bakufu ran away to Koga of the Province of Shimousa (Koga City, Ibaraki Prefecture) in 1455 and, since then, became Kogakubo (descendants of one of the Ashikaga families that held the office of the Kanto district administrator).\n  371. The fifth letter of the fourth collection 'chukoirai'\n  372. The fifth lord of Miyazu Domain, Tango Province.\n  373. The fifth lord, Sadanari KATAGIRI, was charged for his failure by the bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun).\n  374. The fifth place\n  375. The fifth prince: Gono Miya\n  376. The fifth production, \"Suronin\" (Masterless Samurai), originally scripted and directed by Shiba, was filmed at Shochiku Kyoto Studio in Kyoto.\n  377. The fifth rank of Kamakura Gozan (Five) Temples\n  378. The fifth rank: The Kishu Tokugawa family in Kishu Domain\n  379. The fifth regent Tokiyori HOJO got through this crisis by exiling the fifth Shogun Yoritsugu and setting up the Imperial Prince Munetaka as the sixth Shogun (Miyashogun (shogun from the Imperial Court)).\n  380. The fifth section\n  381. The fifth section: The story of the birth of mountains, rivers, grasses, trees, month and dates (kamiumi (bearing gods between Izanagi and Izanami)) after kuni-umi\n  382. The fifth sereis of the Shinshicho (1918-1919)\n  383. The fifth son MINAMOTO no Tameyoshi, Rokujo no Hangan.\n  384. The fifth son of Tadayuki SAKAI, the tenth lord of the domain.\n  385. The fifth son of Yoshitada: MINAMOTO no Yoshikatsu\n  386. The fifth son, Takanaga ODA, became a daimyo of the Uda-Matsuyama Domain in Yamato no kuni, and later Kaibara Domain of Tanba Province.\n  387. The fifth son: MINAMOTO no Yoshitoki\n  388. The fifth son: SHO Shu (Tamagusuku Sho-shu, adopted by Tamagusuku-udun [the honorific title of Tamagusuku Aji])\n  389. The fifth story above ground was octagonal, carrying the sixth story, a lookout tower with a square ground plan and Hogyo roof (pyramid style roof).\n  390. The fifth story above ground was octagonal, carrying the sixth story, a lookout tower with a square ground plan, veranda and balustrade, which is believed to be similar to the castle tower of Kumamoto-jo Castle.\n  391. The fifth story above ground was octagonal, modeled after Yumedono (Hall of Dreams).\n  392. The fifth temple of the Kyoto 13 Buddha Sacred Sites pilgrimage\n  393. The fifth temporary teacher training school, Tokyo School of Foreign language\n  394. The fifth theory is that Kokai, the plain of later the Yamato basin and the vicinity of Mt. Miwa were named Ashiharamizuho no kuni, and present-day around Kashihara was named Ashiwara no nakatsukuni or 葦原中国 in Japanese.\n  395. The fifth volume\n  396. The fifth volume expounds on lunar mansion fortune-telling, which is a part of esoteric astrology.\n  397. The fifth volume of \"Manyoshu\" (The Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves) says people had sumo tournaments on May 1, 730, and on July 29 of the following year (731).\n  398. The fifth volume: She travels to Itsukushima, and the Cloistered Emperor Gofukakusa dies.\n  399. The fifth was succeeded to by a daughter of the third.\n  400. The fifth, Michinoshi.\n  401. The fifth, Tadaaki MIZUNO (He was adopted from a branch family of the Mizuno clan. He was Sadakatsu's grandson.)\n  402. The fiftieth volume of the Zoitsu Agon-kyo Sutra\n  403. The fifty-first Emperor, Heijo had executed Senso prior to the enthronement, and then the coronation followed.\n  404. The fifty-seventh minister, Sadamasa KAZANIN, is painted in the lower right of the last page (the first row consists of 29 ministers, including FUJIWARA no Tadamichi, and the second row consists of 28 ministers).\n  405. The fight was settled through the efforts of Yoshitsune and Yoshiyasu; however, Yoritomo became very angry about it since he thought minor samurai like Yoshimori must not have been arrogant, and it made Yoshitsune's position much worse.\n  406. The fights this time were hand-to-hand ones with swords based in trenches.\n  407. The fights with the Yoshioka have been very famous and adapted to many novels and other entertainment.\n  408. The figure as of the last days of the Tokugawa shogunate\n  409. The figure fills the whole screen without any background painting.\n  410. The figure in parentheses shows the operating distance from the starting point.\n  411. The figure is extraordinary low compared with the whole of Asia as well as developed countries mainly in Europe and the United States, and those involved in Christianity in Japan once described this situation as \"the wall of one percent.\"\n  412. The figure is nearly the same as an individual Bishamonten statue but often has a pagoda in one hand.\n  413. The figure of Ashura is often represented in Buddhist statuary with three faces and six arms.\n  414. The figure of Frankie SAKAI in this film when he delivered two bottles of milk at once wearing white overalls and gun belt (which brought back memories of Nakahira's style during his assistant director stage) became legendary.\n  415. The figure of Greece is from the document submitted in 2006.\n  416. The figure of Taiji played an important role in forming Sung-period neo-Confucianism, which was refined, later becoming Shushigaku (Neo-Confucianism).\n  417. The figured brocade of Taima Mandala: it is 'Konpon Mandala' mentioned in the section of 'Taima Mandala and a legend of Chujo Hime.'\n  418. The figures exclude persons belonging to the samurai class, the aristocracy and the discriminated class who were excluded in the survey.\n  419. The figures in Kanchi-in Temple were originally in Ansho-ji Temple (Kyoto City) and (Yamashina Ward Kyoto City).\n  420. The figures in brackets give the date of the mintage, the total amount of the mintage and silver content percentage (standards).\n  421. The figures in brackets indicate the date of the mintage and silver content percentage (standards).\n  422. The figures in brackets show the operation distance from Kyoto Station.\n  423. The figures in brackets show the operation distance from the station of origin.\n  424. The figures in it, including Yoshitsune, his retainers, and other characters, often reveal their emotions, and are described in a very vivid manner.\n  425. The figures in the emakimono (picture scroll) such as \"Genji monogatari emaki\" (The Tale of Genji Picture Scrolls), \"Nenju gyoji emaki\" (Picture Scroll of the Annual Rites and Ceremonies), and \"Ban dainagon emaki\" (Ban Major Counselor Picture Scrolls) are important materials to learn about the Japanese costume during the Heian period.\n  426. The figures in the parentheses indicate the number of Nohgakushi who are on the list of members of the Nohgaku Performer's Association in 2005.\n  427. The figures of Hokkai, Kongo, Hoko, Renge and Goyo sit on a lotus pedestal on top of a horse, lion, elephant, golden bird and peacock, respectively.\n  428. The figures of population for 1738 and 1743 in the \"Nanboku ryo machibugyo rencho shojo\" (the joint report by the Minami and Kita town magistrates) seem to be erroneous, but they are included herein in italics for reference.\n  429. The figures of the wind god and the thunder god are not at the very corners of screens, but are placed so that the overall images of the gods may fit into the screens.\n  430. The file was in a state of chaos.\n  431. The fillet finishing this process is called 'arabushi,' which is the material of so-called 'hanakatsuo.'\n  432. The fillet is smoke-dried.\n  433. The fillet shaved of its surface dirt (called \"hadakabushi\") is drained, and then it's dried in the sun.\n  434. The fillet's weight becomes less than 20% of what it was before processing, and this process completes the production of 'karebushi.'\n  435. The fillets, upon being removed from the pot, are scaled, and the fat and bones are removed from them.\n  436. The filling is white bean paste, but syrup for stewing chestnuts or chestnuts themselves are used for it.\n  437. The film \"Chigo no kenpo\" (swordsmanship of a young man) whose main character was performed by Chojiro HAYASHI (the future Kazuo HASEGAWA) became a mega hit in 1927.\n  438. The film \"Kichigai Buraku\" (The Unbalanced Wheel) (1957) was banned from release mainly due to its title (however, it is shown at theaters for retrospective screenings).\n  439. The film \"Nijushi no hitomi\" (Twenty-Four Eyes) won the Blue Ribbon Prize, the Golden Globe Award for best foreign language film, etc. in 1954.\n  440. The film actors Tamao NAKAMURA and Shintaro KATSU reportedly said to each other, \"Let's build a tomb in Kameoka and come back together some day,\" in reference to giving their children a home town.\n  441. The film attracted the attention of Japanese film critics and received rave reviews.\n  442. The film beautifully embodies KUROSAWA's expressive technique while he is in his prime.\n  443. The film became his best-known work.\n  444. The film cost an all-time high of 4.5 billion yen to produce.\n  445. The film director Shoichi SHIMAZU is his biological son.\n  446. The film director Yoichi USHIHARA was his biological son.\n  447. The film director Yoshitaro NOMURA was his son.\n  448. The film director, Toshizo KINUGASA, is his younger brother.\n  449. The film directors from the so-called 'Ichikawa-gumi' includes Kengo FURUSAWA, Koji HASHIMOTO, Masaaki TEZUKA in Toho, Toshio MASUDA, and Mio EZAKI in Nikkatsu and Yasuzo MASUMURA, Tokuzo TANAKA, and Kazuo IKEHIRO in Daiei.\n  450. The film he took in the same year, \"Shonen Kawachi ondotori monogatari\" (teenage folk dancer and singer of Kawachi City, Osaka Prefecture) (the biography of Kikusuimaru KAWACHIYA in his teenage years)became his last work.\n  451. The film is released in 261 movie theaters throughout Japan.\n  452. The film made him a star at twenty-one.\n  453. The film making industry in Hollywood was in the early days of its development, and the movies starring the comedians such as Charles Chaplin and Buster Keaton and actresses including Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich were put on the screen and entertained people.\n  454. The film marked the start of Tokuma's large-scale film productions, in the vein of the production approach taken in the past by Masaichi NAGATA.\n  455. The film portrayed the US-Japan trade negotiations that took place at the end of the Edo Period.\n  456. The film premieres at the Tokyo Koseinenkin Kaikan in Shinjuku.\n  457. The film prior to the revision does not exist.\n  458. The film produced for the 1932 New Year movie season was \"Tsukigata Hanpeita\" (Hanpeita TSUKIGATA) which was directed by Bando using the assumed name, 'Shuntaro OKAYAMA' again.\n  459. The film program released on April 4, 1924 at Asakusa Daitokyo was a spree of short films directed by Futagawa, Inoue and Goto and scripted by Rokuhei SUSUKITA.\n  460. The film received award for Achievement in costume design (to Sanzo WADA) and honorary award in the Academy Awards in the United States, and Grand Prix in the Cannes International Film Festival.\n  461. The film received critical acclaim as one of the finest realist film.\n  462. The film stars Oscar-winner William Hurt.\n  463. The film studio was expanded in 1933, then in April of 1935 a new studio was built in Uzumasa and turned into 'Arashi Kanjuro Productions' Uzumasa Studio.'\n  464. The film was a huge production with fifteen reels and was released on the same day as Makino Omuro's film \"Hanashi\", directed by Teinosuke KINUGASA, on November 14, 1926.\n  465. The film was called \"Tenka Taiheiki,\" written by Mansaku ITAMI and directed by Hiroshi Inagaki.\n  466. The film was directed by Rob MARSHALL, starring Ziyi ZHANG in a leading role.\n  468. The film was distributed and release by Daikatsu, which had become an entertainment company, on May 27 of the same year and became a major hit.\n  469. The film was distributed by Daiei and opened to the public on September 16.\n  470. The film was reappraised to be Japan's first avant-garde film influenced by the neo-perceptionist writers of the time such as Riichi YOKOMITSU and Yasunari KAWABATA.\n  471. The film was released at 'Kinki-kan Theater' in Kanda, etc. on September 17 of the same year.\n  472. The film was released on December 24 of the same year together with the contemporary drama \"Ane\", a film produced by Shinko Kinema and directed by Sadae TAKAMI.\n  473. The film was released on October 15, 1935.\n  474. The film which, based on extensive research, claimed a wrongful conviction case had a huge impact on the society, and it was praised as one of his greatest films during the movement of independent production companies.\n  475. The film won the Grand Prix at the Cannes International Film Festival.\n  476. The film, unreleased during his lifetime due to conditions at the production company, was shown for the first time in a special showing titled 'Tai KATO, Man and Woman, the Aesthetics of Feeling' which was held at the Eurospace theater in 1994.\n  477. The filming of his next work scripted by Yoda \"Osaka monogatari,\" however, had already begun.\n  478. The finacial basis of kuge in its formative period depended on the right to collect land tax from shoen (manor) and koryo (public land).\n  479. The final 17th act in \"Rishu-kyo\" is called 'Poem of One Hundred Characters,' constituting the central part in the scriptures.\n  480. The final authoritative edition of the study of the Jinshin War in the Edo period is said to be \"Nagara no Yamakaze\" (The Mountain Wind of Nagara: a detailed commentary on Chronicles of Japan) written by Nobutomo BAN.\n  481. The final castellan of Momi Castle was Tsunatoshi MOMI, who was still in his twenties at the time of his position.\n  482. The final clockwise bound of the day departs from JR Matsui Yamate at 14:30.\n  483. The final compilation of rules and customs was called 'Gishiki.'\n  484. The final day of Kechigan is called Mangan.\n  485. The final day of operation was November 26, 2000.\n  486. The final decision was made.\n  487. The final decisive battle, the battle of Seta in August 23, Akae went into the battle with Prince Otomo (Emperor Kobun),but he was defeated and escaped.\n  488. The final documented performance of 'Uzagaku' was in 1888 in the presence of Hirobumi ITO.\n  489. The final edition was better in that it proposed a more genuine interpretation of the poem and was precise based on the documents.\n  490. The final films shot at the studio were \"Karasu-gumi\" (Crow Brigade) Part One and Part Two, directed by Minoru INUZUKA.\n  491. The final game of the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament has been held on Coming-of-Age Day since fiscal year 2002 (calendar year 2003).\n  492. The final misoka, that is, the final day of the year is called 'Omisoka' or 'Otsugomori.'\n  493. The final number of comrades that stayed in the group was 47.\n  494. The final products include the shape of the filet half or pieces cut a few cm wide that can easily eaten.\n  495. The final rank he achieved was Jushiinoge (Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade) in the post of Hitachi no kuni no kami (the governor of Hitachi Province).\n  496. The final result was the completion of Taiho Ritsuryo.\n  497. The final section was completed in 1963, with the whole project taking 65 years to complete.\n  498. The final three bouts on the senshuraku day are named lika that.\n  499. The finale comes with a medley of cheerleading club songs of universities which join in K.K.D.R.UNIV. Cheerleader Union.\n  500. The financial and military foundation established by Tadamori was passed on to TAIRA no Kiyomori.\n  501. The financial system was also revised, changing the currency system of the Shogunate period and adopting the \"yen\"as the currency unit in 1871 (refer to the article of the \"New Currency Regulation\").\n  502. The findings of evacuations showed that the kondo of Yamada-dera Temple had a unique floor plan.\n  503. The findings of excavations and the chronology of unearthed old roof-tiles indicate that the above details of the founding of the temple are believed to be generally true.\n  504. The findings of this report were reflected by the previously mentioned Pollen Source Countermeasure Project.\n  505. The fine Rengeza has a flowery vine on the bottom.\n  506. The finger hole farthest from mouthpiece is generally called the first hole.\n  507. The fingers of both hands all draw different curves, expressing a realistic representation.\n  508. The finish of the components suggests that the construction of the house dates back to the mid-seventeenth century, making it one of the oldest folk dwellings in the Kyushu region.\n  509. The finished Chogin and mameitagin coins were packaged in quantities of 500 mon and sealed by the jouze.\n  510. The finished product has an elongate shape because one side of the mackerel is used, and is cut into bite-sized pieces at the time of eating.\n  511. The finished shapes of sharidama include tawara-gata (barrel shape), hako-gata (box shape), funa-gata (boat shape), jigami-gata (fan shape) and most sushi chefs adopt funa-gata today.\n  512. The finished silk textile was further processed by the developed Yuzen dyeing technique, which could create new patterns.\n  513. The fire attack against Mt. Hiei was a fire attack mainly against Mt. Hiei.\n  514. The fire ball comes when you call 'hoihoi' to the ruin of Toichi-jo Castle in the night of a summer day when it seems to rain soon, makes a sound 'janjan,' then disappears.\n  515. The fire beds consist of the base built by stacking trees with Taimatsu (torches) driven into the top of it.\n  516. The fire box is also hexagonal with square holes in the front and rear, and the hood is a long steep slope like a dome roof with nine sections on which an orb is mounted' and are said to have been popular with tea ceremony masters.\n  517. The fire damaged murals were injected acrylic and urea resins to become hardened.\n  518. The fire dealt a serious blow to townspeople who had been supporting the economy in Kyoto.\n  519. The fire department in Fukuchiyama City is divided into six blocks according to the area, and has twenty-nine subgroups in total.\n  520. The fire destroyed the temple in the end of Edo period, only leaving the main hall.\n  521. The fire directly hit the area that was heavily populated at the time.\n  522. The fire finally died out in the early dawn of February 2 - two days after it began.\n  523. The fire ignites fine black gunpowder which is called kuchigusuri (gunpowder), moves to the explosive charge called dogusuri (loaded gunpowder) or tamagusuri (loaded gunpowder) and burns up in a burst (deflagration) and the pressure in the barrel propels the bullet.\n  524. The fire of 1232 was used as the opportunity to relocate Kajii Monzeki Temple to its current location in Kyoto city.\n  525. The fire of his matchlock gun, a tool of his livelihood, goes out due to the rain.\n  526. The fire spread extensively over the area west to south-east of the current Kyoto Gyoen and 27,000 houses were burned out.\n  527. The fire spread to our temple, burning down its buildings and reducing the statue of Buddha to ashes.\n  528. The fire started during the night from Shichijo Higashinotoin and spread by the east wind that was blowing at that time and reached Suzaku-oji Street, burning about thirty something cho.\n  529. The fire was confirmed to be have been an act of arson committed by an extremist group and the suspects were placed under arrest.\n  530. The fireplace is commonly located either in the center or slightly off to one side of the floor, but is replaced by the furnace built against a wall in the Kofun period and later.\n  531. The fires continued for three days and three nights, and the 100-year prosperity of the Asakura family was burned to the ground.\n  532. The firing system of a traditional Japanese house was composed of an Irori fireplace, a Kamado (cooking stove) exclusively for cooking, and a Hibachi (brazier) for human use.\n  533. The firm face of this statue is similar to the style of the 'Buddha head' in the Kofuku-ji Temple in Nara and guessed to be produced in the Tenmu era (the end of the seventh century) during the first stage of the Taima-dera Temple.\n  534. The firm has sales outlets at department stores and kimono shops (drapers) across the country.\n  535. The firm received orders from Imperial families for interior decoration of Aoyama Imperial Palace in 1874, and of Fukiage Imperial Palace in 1875.\n  536. The firm was founded as hoi-orimono-gyo (a business of fabrics for clerical garments) in 1555 by Sengiriya Yozaemon NISHIMURA.\n  537. The first\n  538. The first \"Bankoku Koho\" in Japan that had the same format and volume as the original.\n  539. The first 'Seii Shogun' was appointed on September 29, 720, and was Tajihi Agatamori; the first 'Seito Taishogun' was appointed on December 7, 788, and was KI no Kosami.\n  540. The first 'public bid' in Japan took place in order to organize Ezo Island Government.\n  541. The first (previous) is a person who was said to serve Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI as otogishu (story tellers).\n  542. The first (the lord of the domain): Yorifusa TOKUGAWA (his posthumous title: 威公)\n  543. The first (the lord of the domain): Yorinobu TOKUGAWA\n  544. The first (the lord of the domain): Yoshinao TOKUGAWA\n  545. The first 14 chapters (Syakumon)\n  546. The first 3 volumes are used for teiki (records of emperor's family tree), the middle 5 volumes for retsuden (a series of biographies) and the last 2 volumes for ancient practices and episodes of the society of nobles.\n  547. The first Akashi NAKAMURA.\n  548. The first Anglo-Japanese Alliance was signed on January 30, 1902, and went into immediate effect.\n  549. The first Asian American astronaut of NASA.\n  550. The first Battle of Ueda\n  551. The first Betto (representative, person responsible) to be assigned to Ima Hie-sha Shrine was a monk from Myoho-in Temple named Shoun.\n  552. The first Bishop of Kyoto was Bishop Furuya.\n  553. The first Bon festival following the Buddhist memorial service to commemorate 49 days since someone's death is called Hatsubon or Shinbon (Niibon, Arabon), and customs are observed more strictly than usual.\n  554. The first Buke shinsei (a code of new law issued by the Kamakura bakufu) was issued by the Kamakura bakufu in 1225 to coincide and comply with Karoku shinsei (new law issued in the Karoku period) issued by the Imperial court.\n  555. The first Chikusen (1854-1915)\n  556. The first Chojiro (?-1589)\n  557. The first Daijo-sai ceremony (a festival to celebrate the succession of an emperor) was conducted in the period of Emperor Tenmu.\n  558. The first Dohachi (1740-1804)\n  559. The first Ekiden in the history of Japan had its starting line on this bridge.\n  560. The first Emperor who built a palace in Asuka was Ingyo.\n  561. The first Empress was the head of the former Lord of the Mito domain, Nariaki TOKUGAWA's daughter, Sadako TOKUGAWA.\n  562. The first Encyclopedia with pictures in Japan.\n  563. The first Fudasho, a temple that issues amulets, of Saigoku Aizen Reijo (holy grounds related to Aizen Myoo in the western districts of Japan) (西国愛染霊場).\n  564. The first Funao tunnel of Sanyo Shinkansen line runs under it.\n  565. The first Genji choja is believed to have been Sadaijin (minister of the left) MINAMOTO no Makoto (court noble).\n  566. The first Genzo SHIMAZU (June 25, 1839-December 8, 1894) is the founder of Shimadzu Corporation and a Japanese inventor.\n  567. The first Gozenkaigi was convened in 1894 to decide the start of the war against the Qing Dynasty.\n  568. The first Hanzo: Yasunaga Hanzo HATTORI\n  569. The first Hashinosuke NAKAMURA\n  570. The first Ichizo KATAOKA (1792 - 1862) was the third son of Tokuro FUJIKAWA (藤川鐘九郎).\n  571. The first Ikkan HIKI was from present-day Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, but Ching's invasion extended to the southern China, so he worried about his safety and exiled himself to Japan depending on Seigan Soi Osho (priest Seigan) of Daitoku-ji Temple around the Kanei era.\n  572. The first Imperial Asahiko was born in 1824.\n  573. The first Imperial Prince Naruhito was born on February 23, 1960.\n  574. The first Imperial Prince Satonari was born in 1856.\n  575. The first Imperial Princess Sayako (now Sayako KURODA) was born on April 18, 1969.\n  576. The first In no betto was MINAMIBUCHI no Nagakawa, who was appointed as the In no betto at the same time the Retired Emperor Saga abdicated the throne.\n  577. The first Japanese Broadway actor (1912).\n  578. The first Japanese consulate office was established in Hawaii.\n  579. The first Japanese immigrants in the Kingdom of Hawaii, so-called 'Japanese settlers of 1868,' had faced various problems in the field including labor environment, and after this was internationally reported, the government ordered Kagenori to go off to Hawaii as Envoy Extraordinary.\n  580. The first Japanese immigrants went to the U.S. as laborers in sugar cane and pineapple fields in the State of Hawaii.\n  581. The first Japanese immigration to Idaho and other states.\n  582. The first Japanese in the history who landed on the American Continent, and crossed over the Pacific Ocean and returned.\n  583. The first Japanese mission to Tang China was made by INUKAMI no Mitasuki in 630.\n  584. The first Japanese movie star was born there.\n  585. The first Kabuki play based on Date Sodo was 'Taihei Onna Imagawa' first performed in the new year of 1713 at Ichimura-za Theater in Edo.\n  586. The first Kaishun NAKAMURA: The haimyo of Utaemon NAKAMURA (the sixth).\n  587. The first Kamakura kubo: Motouji ASHIKAGA 1349-1367\n  588. The first Kampaku was FUJIWARA no Mototsune, in the time of Emperor Uta (880).\n  589. The first Kangofu\n  590. The first Kanto Kanrei (A shogunal deputy for the Kanto region).\n  591. The first Kawabiki (pulling via the river): May 17, 18, 24, 25, 1986/July 22, 23, 29, 30, 2006\n  592. The first Kensei Yogo Undo\n  593. The first Kensei Yogo Undo (the first Campaign for defending constitutionalism)\n  594. The first Kento-shi was sent to Tang China in 630 with INUGAMI no Mitasuki as its chief.\n  595. The first Kentoshi had been in Tang for two years, and in 632, they came home bringing the Tang's envoy Gao Biaoren, a learning priest Min and others.\n  596. The first Kenzuishi was sent to Sui Dynasty China in 600.\n  597. The first Kichiemon NAKAMURA (1886 - 1954) was the oldest son of the third Karoku NAKAMURA.\n  598. The first Kichiemon NAKAMURA.\n  599. The first Kichiji SEGAWA =&gt; the first Kikunojo SEGAWA\n  600. The first Kijin: Myodo-shin God\n  601. The first Kizokuin count, viscount and baron councilors' internal election was conducted on July 10, 1890.\n  602. The first Kogi Otameshi Goyo (official who is responsible for trying sword) Kubikiri (headsman) Asaemon YAMADA belonged to this school.\n  603. The first Korea-Japan Agreement\n  604. The first Kumadori was done by first generation Danjuro ICHIKAWA after taking a hint from a doll to paint in crimson and charcoal in order to perform theatrical adaptation of a script of ningyo joruri (traditional Japanese puppet theater) as the main character Kinpira SAKATA.\n  605. The first Kumonjo betto (director of the Secretariat) was OE no Hiromoto (former Hiromoto NAKAHARA).\n  606. The first Kyoto Expert Certification questions and explanations\n  607. The first Lake Biwa canal\n  608. The first Luli law code\n  609. The first Luli to be found in history was Qin Shi Luli which was enacted in 268 during the Western Jin Dynasty in China.\n  610. The first Manzo NOMURA (1722-April 16, 1790): real name, Yasuhisa.\n  611. The first Massha (small shrine belonging to the main shrine) of Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, Shiradayu Shrine is often confused with Momodayu, because similar kanji and sounds are used.\n  612. The first McDonalds opened in Ginza and the acreage-reduction policy of rice began to be fully promoted.\n  613. The first Minoru UMEWAKA and the fifth Tetsunojo KANZE of Kanze-ryu school continued to observe sarugaku (form of theatre popular in Japan during the 11th to 14th centuries), which corresponds to Nohgaku Theater at present, in Edo or Tokyo for this period.\n  614. The first Minoru UMEWAKA had issued a license to play the Noh to his disciples in his own right since the beginning of the Meiji period.\n  615. The first Minoru UMEWAKA was originally born in the Kujirai family in Kumagaya in 1828.\n  616. The first Musashi Daijo (the third rank official of Musashi Province) Korekazu (Korekazu ISHIDO) was a sword craftsman in the Edo period.\n  617. The first Nihongi Koen was held in 721, but it presumed to have had slightly different characteristics from those in later years because it is thought to have held a celebration for the completion of the \"Nihonshoki.\"\n  618. The first Noh actor who used the name was Kuroemon UMEWAKA, or UMEWAKA Kuroemon Gensho.\n  619. The first Oe appeared in 'Nihon shoki' was the eldest son of Emperor Keitai, Magari no Oe (later, Emperor Ankan), who was active during the first half of the 6th century.\n  620. The first Oranda Shogatsu in Edo was known from the painting of Kozan ICHIKAWA of Tsu Domain \"Shiran-do Shingenkai zu\" (Shiran-do New Year Party) with messages and signatures of the participants and it showed their enjoyment on the day.\n  621. The first Prince Tsunehisa was born as the first prince (the eldest child born out of wedlock) of Imperial Prince Yoshihisa in 1882.\n  622. The first Prince of Imperial Prince Fushiminomiya Kunitaka.\n  623. The first Prince of Imperial Prince Fushiminomiya Sadaatsu.\n  624. The first Prince of Imperial Prince Fushiminomiya Sadatsune\n  625. The first Prince, to whom young lady Akashi gave birth, has become the Crown Prince.\n  626. The first Prince: Cloistered Imperial Prince Sonsho (the second court rank for Imperial Princes of the head priest of Tendai sect of Buddhism) (1194 - 1239)\n  627. The first Princess of Emperor Gofushimi\n  628. The first Princess: Imperial Princess Rishi (Shikikenmonin) (1197 - 1251) - Saigu (an unmarried princess who, in former times, was sent by the emperor to serve at Ise Shrine), Emperor Shijo's Junbo (equivalent rank to Emperor's birth mother)\n  629. The first Qin Emperor in China conferred the rank of Daibu, which corresponded to Jugoi in Japan, on a pine tree.\n  630. The first Rapid Service train departing from Kashiwara\n  631. The first Russo-Japanese Agreement was signed on July 30.\n  632. The first Sabah selected as Emir since the country was built at its present location was 1756.\n  633. The first Saionji Cabinet was formed at the beginning of 1906; under the appeasement policy of the cabinet, there was a growing tendency among socialists to establish political parties.\n  634. The first Seito taishogun in Japan was Waobu, one of the five kings of Wa (Japan).\n  635. The first Senko IKENOBO introduced the teaching of Confucianism into the compositional theory of rikka style and brought revolutionary changes to the previous rikka style.\n  636. The first Shikan NAKAMURA: One of haimyo names of Utaemon NAKAMURA (the third).\n  637. The first Shikinen Sengu was performed in 690, in the time of Empress Jito, and since then, with only a few exceptions such as during the Sengoku period (period of warring states), has been conducted once every 20 years (there were some postponements), and the 61st Shikinen Sengu was conducted in 1993.\n  638. The first Shogun of Kamakura bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun), MINAMOTO no Yoritomo was his maternal cousin.\n  639. The first Shuhei OGATA (1788 or 1800 - 1829 or 1830)\n  640. The first Shutosho was opened in Nagasaki on July 20, 1849 by Otto Gottlieb Johann Mohnike.\n  641. The first Sotetsu (1617 - 1695) - unofficial name: Hachibei; go (pen name): Kohitsu, Hosunan, Too, Michioki, Isayama, Yuzan, Saishu.\n  642. The first Sotoku (governor-general) was Masatake TERAUCHI.\n  643. The first Sunday in March: Okunoin-hatsu-kaihogyo\n  644. The first Sunday of April, Senganen garden (Kagoshima City)\n  645. The first Sunday of December: Nichiren kinichi hoon hoyo (monthly memorial service for Nichiren) at Udano Sanpo-ji Temple.\n  646. The first Sunday of March, Akama-jingu Shrine (Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture)\n  647. The first Sunday of March, Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine (Dazaifu City, Fukuoka Prefecture)\n  648. The first Sunday of the each month: Kofu Shodai-e (chanting ceremony which starts at nine o'clock in the morning for one hour in Taiseki-ji Temple and all other branch temples)\n  649. The first Tadatsuna was assigned to Omi no kami (the governor of Omi Province).\n  650. The first Tenshu of this type was Gifu-jo Castle, which is said to have been reconstructed in 1910 with historical data on Kano-jo Castle Gosankai Yagura used for reference.\n  651. The first Tenshu of this type was Nagoya-jo Castle (Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, restored in 1957).\n  652. The first Tenshu of this type was Sumoto-jo Castle (Sumoto City, Hyogo Prefecture), constructed in 1928 and the oldest of the currently existing Tenshu including restored Tenshu and reconstructed Tenshu.\n  653. The first Three Post Meeting of the new system started with the attendance of Emperor Meiji in the Kogosho Room of the Imperial Palace at around 6pm on January 3, 1868.\n  654. The first To-ji Choja was Jichie (also pronounced Jitsue).\n  655. The first Tokuro MIYAKE\n  656. The first Tonai TSUJIMURA (KUNITOMO) was a smith from Mino Province, and settled in Kunitomo village in Omi Province during Eisho era.\n  657. The first Uchikowashi in urban areas broke out in Nagasaki in 1703, and it broke out for the first time in Edo in 1733.\n  658. The first Yamamoto Cabinet, established immediately after Katsura's resignation, invited some influential members of the Seiyukai to be the ministers of his administration, such as Takashi HARA (as the minister for home affairs) and Korekiyo TAKAHASHI (as the minister of finance).\n  659. The first Yamashina Station\n  660. The first Yamato regime is supposed to have started at this place.\n  661. The first Yuko (1687 - 1757, Shichidayu TSUCHIDA, common name: Hanpei or Kanbei, go (pen name): Yuko or Fusensai)\n  662. The first Zosanshu\n  663. The first Zosanshu in Manchukuo was brewed as a trial in 55 sake breweries of the inland of Japan, and as a result, the method to add threefold alcohol to the original seishu was developed.\n  664. The first act describes the debauchery of Isonojo and wrongdoings of Sagaemon who illicitly loves Kotoura, while the beggar Tokube narrates his own despair, and also describes the ingenuity of Okaji who admonishes Isonojo, and other matters.\n  665. The first act: Otai chaya\n  666. The first act: The Banquet scene (stabbing the forehead)\n  667. The first action he took was the emission of Shotoku Koban (oval gold coin), which was the measure to solve the inflation.\n  668. The first actual account of Myoho-in Temple appears in the history of Japan during the time of Cloistered Emperor Goshirakawa.\n  669. The first addendum says that when Toyotamabime left for the country of the sea, she told her younger sister to stay there to raise the child.\n  670. The first addendum to the Nihonshoki mentions the Empress is Nagahime, who was a daughter of Shiki no agatanushi Hae, while the second addendum describes the Empress as Isakahime, who was a daughter of Tochi no agatanonushi Isakahiko.\n  671. The first addendum to the Nihonshoki mentions the Empress is Nunakihime, who was a daughter of Shiki no Agatanonushi Hae, while the second addendum describes her as Oihime, who was a daughter of Wakoku Toyoakisadahime.\n  672. The first administrative code ('ryo' in Japanese), the Omi Code, was enacted in 668, and the Asuka Kiyomihara Code enacted in 689 is said to have been the first systematized code.\n  673. The first aim of his foreign study was to study law.\n  674. The first ama in Japan were three women including Zenshin-ni, a daughter of Tatto SHIBA, who SOGA no Umako made them become priestess in 584.\n  675. The first among them was OSHIAMA no Sukune Arakama, who reflected upon Mibu.\n  676. The first and foremost example of a story-telling military record.\n  677. The first and last chapters, 'Kiritsubo' and 'Yume no Ukihashi,' were written by others at a later date.\n  678. The first and oldest daughter: Majirugani, Princess (Oshu) Tsukayama\n  679. The first and oldest son: SHO Ten, Prince (Oji) of Nakagusuku (or Nakagushiku) Cho-ko\n  680. The first and second Johyo presented with formality were called 'Shodo' (first time) and 'Dainido' (second time); and the third one, the Emperor actually decided his answer, was called 'Daisando' (third time).\n  681. The first and second battles of Ueda have different characters.\n  682. The first and second chapter was published from Kinkodo while the third chapter was published on a literary magazine \"Miyako no hana.\"\n  683. The first and second generations used Japanese as their first language, but as the generations went by, their first language was replaced by English, the local language, and so naturally the number of Japanese Americans who do not understand Japanese has been increasing.\n  684. The first and second halves of the book were compiled for different reasons.\n  685. The first and second movement is combined with 'Magarito' and 'Shin Abura' (sometimes Abura).\n  686. The first and second volumes were written first, and after which the third volume was added as an enlarged edition of the previous volumes.\n  687. The first and sixteenth of every month: Tsukimairi (monthly ritual)\n  688. The first and the second correspond to Daeungjeon Hall and Samseonggak Hall in Buddhist temples of Korean Peninsula.\n  689. The first and the second generations had the yago (stage family name) of Harima-ya, and the subsequent generations have used Owari-ya as their yago.\n  690. The first and the second generations of the Imperial Families were assured their positions as upper court nobles in the Imperial Palace, in fact those after the third generations were ruined and went to the country, where they settled and became Samurai or a powerful clan.\n  691. The first and the second generations used Harima-ya as their yago (stage family name) and the subsequent generations have used Yorozu-ya.\n  692. The first and the second level are covered with oval-shaped river stones.\n  693. The first angu appeared in Japanese history when Emperor Jinmu built one in Kibi Province while he was on his journey to conquer the east (eastern expedition of Emperor Jinmu, called Jinmu tosei).\n  694. The first anniversary of Kashiwagi's death came.\n  695. The first anniversary of death Seishi Bosatsu (Toshi-o (the ninth judge of Ju-o))\n  696. The first antenna and ambulatory legs are a patchy pattern of black and white.\n  697. The first anti-Nobunaga network\n  698. The first appearance\n  699. The first appearance as written reference to this song was in the Kutsukoburi no Uta (a suite of waka with acrostic technique) in which the syllables of Ametsuchi no Uta were quoted, picked up in a Shikashu (a private poetry collection) \"MINAMOTO no Shitago's Poetry Book\"(established during the middle to end of Heian period) written by MINAMOTO no Shitago (911-983).\n  700. The first appearance date in Honshu is identified by the Yasumiba-iseki Remains in Shizuoka Prefecture.\n  701. The first appearance in \"Azuma Kagami\" (The Mirror of the East) is the article dated April 23, 1184, and Masayoshi SHIMOKOBE made a request through Toshikane, and Toshikane wrote gosho (writings/letters of superior) for mokudai (deputy kokushi, or a deputy provincial governor) by order of Yoritomo.\n  702. The first appearance in the materials is found in the imperial edict upon enthronement of Empress Genmei dated on August 22, 707, compiled in the \"Shoku-Nihongi\" (Chronicles of Japan II), and the reference to Fukai-no-Joten/ Fukaijoten appears in two places.\n  703. The first appearance is regarded to be in 'Koki' (Ancient records) of \"Ryonoshuge\" (Commentaries on the Civil Statutes).\n  704. The first appearance of 'Shinto' in Japan was '天皇信佛法尊神道' (Emperor believes in Buddhism and respects Shinto) in the descriptions of Emperor Yomei in \"Nihonshoki\" (Chronicles of Japan.)\n  705. The first appearance of 'aikido' and its naming\n  706. The first appearance of 'tamari' in documents was in \"Nippo jisho\" (Japanese-Portuguese dictionary) published in 1603.\n  707. The first appearance of Hikihitomai in written records is the description at the section of March, the eighth year of the Emperor Buretsu's era in \"Nihonshoki\" (Chronicles of Japan), that \"the emperor indulges himself in wanton pleasures by gathering many short people and actors to make them play queer performances and barnyard music.\"\n  708. The first appearance of Kegare was 'Kegare of death' which was related to the death of Tomomewarawa (servant) appearing in a tradition where Susano directed Ama no fuchigoma Horse to break into Amaterasu's residence.\n  709. The first appearance of The 17-Article Constitution was in the \"Nihonshoki\" completed in 720 which quoted its full text, and the original book or manuscript preceding it doesn't exist.\n  710. The first appearance of Yoshino in history books is the article of Jinmu tosei (Eastern expedition of the Emperor Jinmu) in the \"Kojiki\" and the \"Nihonshoki\" and it is described as the point to be passed through from Kumano Province to Yamato Province.\n  711. The first appearance of shubutsu in historical documents is in the Nihonshoki (Chronicles of Japan), where it's recorded that in A.D. 605 'a bronze Buddha statue and an embroidered image of Buddha - both about 4.8 meters in size, due to be placed in Asuka-dera Temple - were made.'\n  712. The first appearance of the name Jurin-in Temple in literature is said to be in the collection of Buddhist stories from the Kamakura Period, Shasekishu (composed 1283).\n  713. The first appearance of the name in literature was on \"Azuma kagami\" as Honjo Shiro Saemon no jo at the time of New Year Ceremony on February 5, 1229.\n  714. The first appearance of the term \"In no cho\" dates back to the reign of Emperor Uda.\n  715. The first appearance of the title of king related to Japan is the 'Kanno Wano Nano Kokuo' (the King of Japan, Chinese Colony) seen in the gold seal given by the Emperor Guangwu of Han to the king of Nakoku.\n  716. The first appearance of the word 'kura-bugyo' is said to have been 1610 and Asakusa Okura in Edo is said to have been established in 1620.\n  717. The first appearance of the word castle in literature is Mizuki (water fortress) built by Emperor Tenchi in 664, and plenty of castles, including ones not found in literature, were built in the area from the northern part of Kyushu to the coasts of the Seto Inland Sea in this age.\n  718. The first appearance of toka in historical materials was in an article about 'toka performed by Han Chinese and others' on March 1 (January 16 by the lunar calendar), 693 which is included in the \"Nihonshoki\" (Chronicle of Japan).\n  719. The first appearance of women's suffrage in Japan\n  720. The first appearance were in \"Primary School Songs (1)\" in May, 1911.\n  721. The first archer returns to report the declaration to other archers, and upon hearing this, all archers mount their horses at once and go to the riding grounds and arrange the horses in a fan-shaped formation.\n  722. The first article of the notice was a ban on the ownership of guns.\n  723. The first article was about praise and encouragement to be awarded to Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples.\n  724. The first arufumi (alternative variants frequently supplementing main text of Nihonshoki) says that it was Wakahirume who hurt herself with a shuttle to die.\n  725. The first assignment set for Hakodate Court by the new government was to explore mountains and rivers in Ezo to reclaim the land.\n  726. The first authentic Indian restaurant in Japan was 'Ginza Nair's Restaurant,' opened in the Ginza, Tokyo, by Ayappan Pillai Mhadavan NAIL in 1949.\n  727. The first basement level, which has the ticket gates, is divided into the Eiden-guchi side and the Imadegawa-guchi side, so it's only possible to come and go between these two ticket gates by using the platform.\n  728. The first battalion left from Kagoshima first (the start of the Seinan War) on the 15th, and Saigo left from Kagoshima via Kajiki and Hitoyoshi to Kumamoto on the 17th.\n  729. The first battle\n  730. The first battle of Kannonji-jo Castle\n  731. The first battle of Kawanakajima: in 1553\n  732. The first battle of Ueda against Ieyasu TOKUGAWA occurred in or around this period, and they reached a settlement at the mediation of Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI.\n  733. The first battle of the Battle of Kawanakajima was fought in 1553, and is called Fuse-no-tatakai or Hachiman-no-tatakai.\n  734. The first battle was a fight between the Ouchi and Mori allied forces and the Amago clan.\n  735. The first battle was the Bunroku-Keicho War (Mongol invasion of Japan was usually regarded as a war against he Mongolian Empire.\n  736. The first being an Imperial Prince of the late Emperor, and an older brother of Fujitsubo.\n  737. The first benefit of nationalization was establishing a long distance service like a direct train service between Tokyo and Shimonoseki, and a direct train service between Ueno and Aomori via Ohu Main Line.\n  738. The first betto was OE no Hiromoto\n  739. The first book including the word 'Bushido' in Japan was 'Koyo Gunkan (record of the military exploits of the Takeda family)' which is considered to have been written by Masanobu KOSAKA.\n  740. The first born child was called Hiruko (literally, Leech Child; God of the Morning Sun) and the two gods swept the baby away on a boat made of reed.\n  741. The first born prince is also referred to as 'Ichi-no-Miko.'\n  742. The first born princess is referred to as 'Onna Ichinomiya.'\n  743. The first brands such as 'Cup Noodle' and 'Akai Kitsune' had a commanding lead in market share for a long time, but Cup Noodle sales were only half in 2008, -52% compared before the price increase, due to steep rise of raw material cost and others.\n  744. The first bus for ?1? departs from Sako, and the ninth bus arrives at Shimotsuya.\n  745. The first busho who led Akazonae is considered Toramasa OBU who served Takeda clan, afterward, Akazonae is mostly regarded as an alternative word which means Takeda army in Kai Province.\n  746. The first capital that actually adopted Tojo system, as far as we can ascertain, was Fujiwara-kyo, which was established in 694.\n  747. The first card can be purchased through any automatic ticket vending machine that carries the ICOCA mark.\n  748. The first card is issued at 2,000 yen, and this amount includes the deposit of 500 yen plus the stored fare of 1,500 yen.\n  749. The first case is a restoration of direct administration by a royal family from such conditions whereby the ruling power was repressed due to a constitutional monarchy system or by powerful clans.\n  750. The first case occurred when FUJIWARA no Kiyotsura assumed three positions in 905.\n  751. The first case of Inshi was confirmed as In no betto (chief administrator of the Retired Emperor's Office) ABE no Yasuhito in 835, during the reign of Emperor Saga.\n  752. The first category books are almost the only extant historical documents about the invasions of the Mongol army, namely the coalition force of Mongolia and Goguryeo, into Tsushima and Iki Provinces during the Bunei War.\n  753. The first category books describe invasions by foreign enemies and their defeats in history.\n  754. The first category in the subclassification was 'tenchi' (the world) and old provincial names were included.\n  755. The first central Kyoto municipal wholesale market\n  756. The first chapter\n  757. The first chapter (onri-edo) describes the abhorrence of this impure world and preaches the Rokudo (six posthumous realms) of Hell, preta realm, animal realm, Asura realm, Human realm and blissful realm.\n  758. The first chapter of the book begins with the following poem, emphasizing Japan's prosperity based on a continuous imperial throne occupied by a single dynasty and comparing it with downfalls of the Chinese dynasties such as Qin or Han by \"Ekisei Kakumei\" (the revolution decreed by Heaven when the incumbent emperor is found lacking in moral virtue).\n  759. The first chapter: 'Enji-Murasaki' (Carmine-Purple), 98 poems\n  760. The first character in his name (丿) is a kanji character (pronounced \"hetsu\" or \"hechi\"), not katakana representing the sound \"no.\"\n  761. The first character of a poem\n  762. The first character the of temple's name is ordinarily written using the simplified character for 'Buddha' (仏) but the correct character to be used for both the temple and school name is in fact the traditional character (佛).\n  763. The first character 國 is presumed to have been used to mean \"land,\" the second character ? \"nation\" and the third character 国 \"state.\"\n  764. The first characteristics to be noticed is that \"Bankoku Koho\" is bold translation of which certain parts can be called free translation.\n  765. The first checkpoint: In front of Kyoto Gyoen Inui-gomon gate (5.0 km)\n  766. The first chief of the Hokkaido Development Commission was Naomasa NABESHIMA who claimed the importance of Ezo even before the bakufu era ended, but he resigned before embarking on the practical reclamation work.\n  767. The first chief priest of Gansen-ji Temple, Izumi Province (Kaizuka City).\n  768. The first chief priest was his successor, 67th head priest Nikken Shonin.\n  769. The first child, Imperial Prince Atsugimi (later called Emperor Daigo), was the son of Nyogo (Empress Dowager Zo), FUJIWARA no Inshi (Taneko).\n  770. The first chori of Mii-dera Temple was Chisho Daishi Enchin (859), who established the basis for the development of Mii-dera Temple thereafter.\n  771. The first collection of amusing stories in Japan was \"Seisuisho,\" which is said to have been written in 1623 by Sakuden ANRAKUAN at Seigan-ji Temple, based on the tales he told to Shigemune ITAKURA, the Governor-General of Kyoto.\n  772. The first comment found was the 'Nisshin Senso to Fukuzawa Yukichi' (Shino-Japanese War and Yukichi FUKUZAWA) (\"Fukuzawa Kenkyu\" [Study of Fukuzawa], Issue No. 6, edited by Fukuzawa Kenkyu-kai Group), written by Shigeki TOYAMA in 1951.\n  773. The first complicated art that was closely associated with Buddhism in Japan was born around from the seventh to eighth centuries.\n  774. The first conference (August 1996) Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture\n  775. The first confirmed reference to them is the entry dated July 17, 1205 in which they appear among the army in charge of defeating Shigetada HATAKEYAMA who had risen against the shogunate during the time of MINAMOTO no Sanetomo the third shogun.\n  776. The first conflict started when Yoshinari HATAKEYAMA and Masanaga HATAKEYAMA finally clashed with each other at Kamigoryo-sha Shrine (the Battle of Goryo).\n  777. The first conquest\n  778. The first conquest of the Choshu clan\n  779. The first construction work was started in February 1162 during the time of Kiyomori Gon Chunagon (Provisional vice-councilor of state), but in August the strong wind devastated the construction work.\n  780. The first crisis took place in the pre- and post-Meiji Restoration periods, when the forest of Satoyama had been rapidly lost due to widespread timber piracy and destructive logging, which broke out with the collapse of the old system.\n  781. The first criticism is against the legitimate child imperial succession code theory, which says that Emperor Tenchi who had no legitimate child had no motive to institute the legitimate child imperial succession code.\n  782. The first crucial event for the allied forces was the capture of Taku Fort and Tianjin.\n  783. The first currency in circulation in Japan, 'Wado-Kaichin silver coins,' was made in this area.\n  784. The first curry with a topping.\n  785. The first daughter (Keikoin) between Mika was born on July 16, 1858 but she soon died on July 20.\n  786. The first daughter between Imperial Prince Akishinonomiya and his wife Princess Kiko.\n  787. The first daughter of FUJIWARA no Michikane.\n  788. The first daughter of Prince Morihiro\n  789. The first daughter of the Sultan of Jogjakarta got to like the taste and easiness of takoyaki as she frequently visited Japan for PR activities, and invited the opening of the first takoyaki restaurant in Jogjakarta in 2006.\n  790. The first daughter, Ayako, married Kenzo KONO who was a medical scientist and an expert of ophthalmology; the second daughter Nuiko and the third daughter Utako married 矢野矢 and Yoshiyuki HOTTA, respectively.\n  791. The first daughter:Takeko (wife of Kashiwa OYAMA, Prince)\n  792. The first day (January 23)\n  793. The first day for Shimenawa decorations is ideally thought to be the same as when New Year's pine decorations are put on show however, customs differ from region to region.\n  794. The first day of a month based on the Oriental zodiac is written in an article, which makes it possible to calculate the date of the article based on it.\n  795. The first day of each month: Okyobi (a service for passed away believers or ancestors)\n  796. The first day of spring: 0.5%(43)\n  797. The first day, three Jarai (shooting ceremonies), Makiwara-jarai (a way of ceremonial shooting to shoot straw butt), formal shooting facing targets and formal standing shooting, based on the Ogasawara school, were decided.\n  798. The first defensive military facilities to be built on mountains in Japan were Yayoi period highland settlements.\n  799. The first description below refers to a toll road called the Keiji Bypass and the second refers to a bypass joining National Highways 1 and 24 that is also called the Keiji Bypass.\n  800. The first designated aesthetic area consists of the nearby spots surrounding the Imperial Palace located in the center of Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, and the designation was received in 1933.\n  801. The first designation of an historical resource designated as an important cultural property occurred in 1977; at that time two cases were designated, namely 'Christian materials of the Nagasaki Magistrate Office' (Tokyo National Museum) and 'Printing block of a Kasuga print' (Kofuku-ji Temple, Nara City).\n  802. The first destruction occurred in 1180; the war by TAIRA no Shigehira (Nanto Yakiuchi [the Incident of the Taira clan's army setting fire to the temples in Nanto, Nara]) burnt down the entire Kofuku-ji Temple.\n  803. The first diplomatic negotiation based on international laws was a negotiation with Prussia in 1864.\n  804. The first director was Shuichi KATO, a critic and writer.\n  805. The first disciple: Shoshin\n  806. The first dispatch (600)\n  807. The first district includes Ishibutai-kofun Tumulus, Takamatsuzuka-kofun Tumulus, Oka-dera Temple, the supposed site of Asuka Itabuki no miya Palace (Asukakyo Site) and Amakashi no oka Hill.\n  808. The first division head was Professor (at the time) Soichiro SASAKI.\n  809. The first document that refers to the title is \"Genji Monogatari\" (The Tale of Genji) (\"Eawase no Maki\" or the Chapter on A Picture Contest).\n  810. The first donation took place in May, 1925, and consisted of 187 British and French books.\n  811. The first draft law on religion was proposed in the House of Peers in 1899, but was rejected.\n  812. The first draft of \"Nihon Gaishi\" (Unofficial History of Japan) was completed around that time.\n  813. The first edition\n  814. The first edition of Gakumon no Susume was reprinted in 1968 as \"Great books reprinted series, Modern museum of literature, the first half of the Meiji period, 29\", from Nihon Kindai Bungakukan.\n  815. The first edition of popular books or books which had gained value later with obi tend to be traded at high prices in auctions on the internet, etc.\n  816. The first edition of the Mitsuya edition is a collection of Chido Museum in Yamagata Prefecture.\n  817. The first edition of this book of comical stories was published by Jirobe MURATAYA in January of 1802.\n  818. The first edition was 'Tokaku Zenin Temple (等覚禅院) edition' (1075-1112), which was begun at Tokaku Zenin Temple in FuZhou (Fujian Province) at the end of the eleventh century.\n  819. The first edition was published by Shinonome-do Shoten on December 1, 1910.\n  820. The first edition was published in 1807, and a complete five editions consisting of 29 volumes of prequel, sequel, second sequel, shui (collect), and remaining volumes were completed in 1811.\n  821. The first edition was published under the name of 'Akiko HO' because Akiko's surname at that time was her maiden name, HO.\n  822. The first education of clinical medicine including surgical operation was conducted when Siebold visited Japan.\n  823. The first educational system, Taiho Ritsuryo (Taiho Code), was the one established in 701.\n  824. The first emakimono painted in Japan is reportedly the \"E Ingakyo\" (literally, an illustrated sutra of the past and present causes and effects) produced in the Nara period.\n  825. The first emergence of aprisio was in the Septimania region, in southern France owned by Charlemagne (Charles the Great).\n  826. The first emperor of Joko existed 317.5 billion years before Christ, even before the Big Bang occurred and the reign of the second emperor of Joko covers thirty-two billion years (although it is said that the name of the emperor of Joko was passed on to his successor and there were about fifty emperors per generation).\n  827. The first emperor who was cremated is Emperor Jito.\n  828. The first enlargement project started in 1911, and Kashihara Jingu Shrine was enlarged from 20,159 tsubo (a unit of land measurement; 3.95 square yards; 3.31 square meters) at the time of establishment to 30,600 tsubo.\n  829. The first enshrinement date is unknown, however, hohei (offering a wand with hemp and paper streamers to a Shinto god) were conducted not only four times a year at Shikinai-sha (shrine listed in Engishiki laws), but also during extraordinary festivals of Myojin-taisha Shrine.\n  830. The first enshrinement date is unknown.\n  831. The first episode involving Toshinari that comes to mind occurred during the Genpei-gassen (Battle of the Minamoto and Taira clans), also known as the Jisho Juei no ran (Jisho/Juei era War), when Toshinari and TAIRA no Tadanori reunited.\n  832. The first era name is a part which you want to know most, but it is hard to decipher.\n  833. The first event was held in 1994.\n  834. The first example of Amida worship that is traceable to modern times was when the Jodo Sect was established in China, which teaches Shomyo Nenbutsu (Invocation of the Buddha's Name) as easy progress associated with Bosatsu belief of Mahayana Buddhism.\n  835. The first example of such a case was when Minister of the Left FUJIWARA no Saneyori became Jun-Sessho while Emperor Reizei was ill during the mid-Heian period.\n  836. The first example of such a clash (suppression) was the fact that Yoshiie did not receive rewards despite his victory in the Later Three Years' War and was treated coldly in addition to being banned from receiving new estates.\n  837. The first example of such case is the Shini-e for the fourth Sojuro SAWAMURA and the fourth Roko SEGAWA who both died in 1812.\n  838. The first example of such is Imperial Princess Teishi who became 'Junbo' for Emperor Horikawa in 1091 but since she became the empress at the same time, women who were not wives of the Emperor started to be represented as empress.\n  839. The first example of this was in Paris, France.\n  840. The first example was FUJIWARA no Shoshi, who was originally named after the ridai, but Jotomonin, who was the mother of the two successive emperors, was cited as a good example; this became the ingo for a majority of all Nyoin.\n  841. The first exhibition of the Boshin (戊辰) Shodo-kai association was held (at the Nihon Bijutsu Kyokai).\n  842. The first exhibition room (for permanent exhibitions)\n  843. The first existing document about his Nyujo was \"Kongobuji Konryu Shugyo Engi\" written by Ningai in 968, in more than 100 years after his death, in which he described that, even 49 days after his Nyujo, his body color remained unchanged and his hair and beard continued growing.\n  844. The first family head of the Seiwa-Genji (Minamoto clan) of the Tsunemoto line.\n  845. The first family head, Imperial Prince Akira had a political career as a kokuji goyogakari (a general official of the Imperial Household in charge of State affairs) at the end of Edo period, and after the Meiji Restoration, he took important posts, such as gijo (official post) and ministerial governor of foreign affairs.\n  846. The first family head, Yorinobu, was given a fief in Hitachi Province and appointed as Hitachi no Suke (the vice-governor of Hitach Province) to become a kunimochidaimyo (a daimyo [Japanese feudal lord] with a vast fiefdom).\n  847. The first family registers\n  848. The first ferroconcrete building to be called an important cultural property was the former Yamamura family house which was given that designation in 1974 (the Yodoko guest house, Ashiya City, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, completed in 1924).\n  849. The first festival was held by Imperial order in 987 and the name 'Kitano-tenmangu Tenjin' was granted to the shrine by Emperor Ichijo.\n  850. The first fierce god: Tokeirashin\n  851. The first film after establishment was \"Masashige KUSUNOKI\" with executive producer So IKENAGA, directed by Tomiyasu IKEADA and starring Sesshu HAYAKAWA, and it was released on June 1 of the same year.\n  852. The first film after the establishment was the \"First and Sequel of Sarutobi Manyuki\" (Sarutobi's Travels) that used Shinzo YOSHIDA for the script writer.\n  853. The first film produced by the new company was \"Hakurai Bunmeigai\", a film based on a novel by Sanjugo NAOKI.\n  854. The first film produced was \"Sakura Goten\" directed by Shinzo MAKINO, starred Chikako MIYAGI with a screenplay by Fuji YAHIRO.\n  855. The first film studio in Uzumasa\n  856. The first film the company produced was \"Koi no Maruhashi\" which Katsumi directed, wrote and played the leading role.\n  857. The first film the company produced was \"Shudoku no Kenpo\", an original screenplay written and directed by Kintaro INOUE under the name of 'Sanjiro AKISHINO.'\n  858. The first film the studio produced was \"Katakiuchi Aiyokuko\", directed by Daisho HORIE of Toa/Tokatsu line, and it was released on December 15 of the same year.\n  859. The first film was a talkie film \"Edo Banashi Nezumi Kozo\" staring Kunitaro SAWAMURA and Komako HARA and it was directed by Makino.\n  860. The first floor is sapporo55cafe, which specializes in take out while the second floor is the tea room.\n  861. The first forest where continuous human activity can be seen in Japanese archipelago dates back at least to the Jomon period.\n  862. The first form of bow was simple with a bending form and a short length, which was common anywhere in the world.\n  863. The first four Oaza belong to the current Shimogyo Ward and Karahashi has been a part of Minami Ward since its establishment in 1955.\n  864. The first full-scale church in Japan was converted from the disused Buddhist temple Daido-ji Temple in Yamaguchi City in 1551.\n  865. The first general election of the members of the House of Representatives took place on July 1, 1890 and the first Imperial Diet was summoned on November 25.\n  866. The first general election of the members of the House of Representatives was held and the inaugural Imperial Diet convened.\n  867. The first generation\n  868. The first generation Genji, including MINAMOTO no Makoto (a court noble), MINAMOTO no Tokiwa, MINAMOTO no Hiromu and MINAMOTO no Toru, formed an influential group at the Imperial Court.\n  869. The first generation Senkaku HORINOUCHI had been adopted into the Horinouchi family by Josa, and after having first studied haikai (seventeen-syllable verse) under SENTOKU Mizuma, he left Edo to enter into study under the sixth grandmaster of the Omotesenke, Kakukakusai.\n  870. The first generation Shirojiro Kiyonobu assisted Ieyasu TOKUGAWA's party on its way fleeing back to its home province after the Honnoji Incident, and this enabled him to become one of the merchants with the Tokugawa family's warrant.\n  871. The first generation head named Dozen TAKAYASU established this school after learning from Mototomo (元供) KANZE, who was a son of Nobumitsu KANZE.\n  872. The first generation head was Kyuemon Tadatsugu SHINDO (1552 - 1635), who had learned from Sokatsu HORIIKE (a follower of Motoyori KANZE), a great waki (supporting actor) performer of te-sarugaku (amateur Noh), before the establishment of this school.\n  873. The first generation of Hisamatsu-Matsudaira family of the Sadatsuna family line.\n  874. The first generation of Kira clan, Osauji, built a retreat for his old age called 'Maruyama-gosho.'\n  875. The first generation of the Kitashirakawanomiya family.\n  876. The first generation of the Nashimotonomiya family.\n  877. The first generation students helped compilation of the codes such as the old civil laws led by Gustave Emile BOISSONADE and became the core of the assertor group in the controversy on the civil code.\n  878. The first generation was Chief Councilor of State Fuyumoto DAIGO (1648 to 1697), the second son of the regent, Akiyoshi ICHIJO.\n  879. The first generation was Dairyu SAKURAGAWA\n  880. The first generation was Grand Minister of State Saneyuki SANJO (1080 to 1162), who was the eldest son of Chief Councilor of State FUJIWARA no Kimizane.\n  881. The first generation, Emperor Jinmu\n  882. The first generation, Ganjiro NAKAMURA made it a cherry-pink color by putting gauze over the color red.\n  883. The first generation, Masatomo, foundation of \"Fujiya\"\n  884. The first generation, Seigen, was originally a bushi warrior and served Nagashige NIWA.\n  885. The first generation, Sogen began working as a joiner during the Enpo era.\n  886. The first goal for Sengoku daimyo was to maintain his territory or expand it if possible.\n  887. The first goryosha was a Daimler Laundaulet imported from England.\n  888. The first government-sponsored overseas students after the revision of the system included Kazuo HATOYAMA who became a statesman and Jutaro KOMURA who became a diplomat, which shows that Kuki eventually achieved his goal.\n  889. The first governor-general was Sukenori KABAYAMA, and the general of Army and Navy filled the role of the governor-general at first.\n  890. The first grandson of the Emperor\n  891. The first group\n  892. The first group consisted of the First, the Fifth, the Seventh, Niigata, Mito, Yamagata, Matsue, Tokyo, Osaka, Urawa, Shizuoka, Himeji and Hiroshima Higher Schools.\n  893. The first group of koorai includes books with letters, which are in forms of practical use, collected without any particular purpose, such as \"Meigo Orai.\"\n  894. The first half consists mainly of public poems including Byobu uta (screen poems) and Utaawase uta (poems composed in poetry competitions).\n  895. The first half of \"Lord Donge-in's Notes on Court Costume\" has the contents of this picture scroll in written form.\n  896. The first half of Tenkai Sojo's life is not known.\n  897. The first half of her life\n  898. The first half of his life\n  899. The first half of it appeared again in the magazine \"Kabuki\" from 1929 to 1930.\n  900. The first half of the Edo period\n  901. The first half of the book was originally planned to consist of 30 volumes in total and cover the years ranging from 697, the first year of the Emperor Monmu's reign, to 757, the reign of Empress Koken.\n  902. The first half of the era of Emperor Xuan Zong (Tang) was called 'Kaigen no chi' (this term refers to the political stability of the Tang Dynasty during his reign).\n  903. The first half of the tenth century, when Sessho and Kanpaku-based politics, the Kanshiukeoi system, and the inheritance of such a family businesses started, was also the era when standard styles of rituals in the Imperial court and religious rituals were established.\n  904. The first half of the work is almost entirely consistent, while the latter half contains irregularities.\n  905. The first half of this book criticizes that \"Taiheiki\" (The Record of the Great Peace) thought little of the Imagawa family, from which the title of the book came.\n  906. The first half of this provision was one of the instructions given by the Grand Minister Sanjo who insisted not to compromise, but Korea did not oppose it.\n  907. The first half of volume 20 covering the period until the reign of Emperor Koko is an abridged version of the main section of Rikkokushi.\n  908. The first half through the 146th chapter consists of poems composed around the period when the literary work was accomplished, as well as commentaries made by the Imperial family and nobles on the origin of those poems.\n  909. The first half, which follows two phrases of 'Sosan,' is called 'Ekyodan' and states that the direct reason to be sent to the Pure Land is by people's faith; and that nenbutsu (Buddhist invocation) is Hoongyo (act for repayment of kindness), which is defined based on \"Muryoju-kyo Bussetsu Muryoju-kyo Sutra,\" and praises it.\n  910. The first hall' in this building is alone provided with more than 2,000 seats among the halls in Kyoto Prefecture.\n  911. The first hall: 2005 seats (using two floors)\n  912. The first han bill is said to have been issued by Fukui Domain in 1661.\n  913. The first head of Kanemon Sect of Fujima school was Kanemon FUJIMA (1813 ? September 7, 1851).\n  914. The first head of the Asano family.\n  915. The first head of the Echizen Matsudaira family of Naomasa lineage.\n  916. The first head of the Katahara Matsudaira family of Kameyama Domain, Tanba Province.\n  917. The first head of the Kayano family, Masateki (正的) KAYANO, a husband of Denzaemon's older sister, was recorded to 'be related with chaji, tea ceremony,' so that he was regarded as a child of Shigefu.\n  918. The first head of the Mikawa Matsui clan.\n  919. The first head of the Okochi Matsudaira family in the line of Takasaki Domain.\n  920. The first head of the Sato family who became famous in history was the fourth head Genemon Nobuhaya SATO.\n  921. The first head of the Tamari family\n  922. The first head of the Toki family in the Numata Domain.\n  923. The first head of the Watari Date family was Shigezane DATE, who was a senior vassal of Masamune.\n  924. The first head of the family\n  925. The first head of the family (school): KOSE no Kanaoka\n  926. The first head of the family was Michinori KUZE and his Seishitu (legal wife) was Fukuhime, the third daughter of Tadataka HOSOKAWA.\n  927. The first head of the family, Genbe, was a vegetable vendor; the second head, Gennosuke, was engaged in water-wheel rice milling; and the third head, Genzaburo，started off as a government contractor for the 16th Division of the Imperial Japanese Army, after which he became a carrier and then made his way into the sake brewing industry.\n  928. The first head of the family, Soji MATSUO (Rakushisai), who was born in Omi and adopted by the Matsuo familly, became firstly a disciple of Shuha MACHIDA to learn the tea ceremony and delved into its secrets under the guidance of the sixth head of Omote-Senke school, Kakukakusai.\n  929. The first head of the school was a Buddhist priest, Rokujian Rikan Kanko AOYAGI whose title was Chionin Temple sojo which means high-ranking priest of Chionin Temple (1894-1983).\n  930. The first head priest in the prosperous Chuko period was Buzan school Noke, Shuzen MORINO, and the head priests until that time were mostly heads from Daigo-ji Temple or Ninna-ji Temple, it was a tradition in Negoro-ji Temple to install a Gakuto other than the head priest from external temples.\n  931. The first head priest was a Hosso Sect monk named Shoshun Ritsushi from Todai-ji Temple.\n  932. The first head priest was excommunicated for violating Nichiren Shoshu Sect rules with his denial of the status of the 67th head Nikken as high priest but still continues to reside at Shufuku-ji Temple.\n  933. The first hiire is carried out before storage for maturing and the second hiire immediately before bottling for shipment.\n  934. The first hiire makes ingredients settle down and determines how mature the sake is during storage.\n  935. The first historical document concerned\n  936. The first historical document to refer to the Sanjusankasho junrei (pilgrimage) was the 'Kannon Reijo Sanjusankasho Junrei-ki' (Memoirs of the pilgrimage to the thirty-three holy places of Kannon) written by the Buddhist monk Gyoson of the Onjo-ji Temple (known as Mi-dera Temple) in Omi Province in 1090.\n  937. The first historical record of Kokushi kasei joso was a case in which farmers in Owari Province complained to Daijokan about illegal behaviors of their kokushu, FUJIWARA no Tsurasada in 974.\n  938. The first historical record referring to Kimitezuri as the name of a god is Chuzanseikan (literally, Mirror of the Ages of Chuzan) compiled by Joken SHO (Choshu HANEJI).\n  939. The first historical reference to Takaosan-ji Temple is in the year 802.\n  940. The first historical reference to the shrine appears in the \"Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku\" (sixth of the six classical Japanese history texts) entry for the 27th day of the 1st month of the year 859 (March 9, 859) when it was granted the rank of Jugoinojo (Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade).\n  941. The first hokumen no bushi is said to be the following three, according to \"Bushi no tojo\" (Emergence of samurai) by Rizo TAKEUCHI.\n  942. The first hyojohajime after the start of the new government of a retired emperor was called 'Fudonohajime' (文殿始) in particular, which is of special note because it marked the start of Insei in the era of ryoto tetsuritsu (alternate accedence from two ancestries of imperial families) when it was not easy to keep Insei.\n  943. The first iemoto, Kakuo TANAKA\n  944. The first imina (personal name) was Yuiken.\n  945. The first immigration policy the Development Commission took was to send immigrants recruited by the government to Hokkaido and made them settled.\n  946. The first imported Udon noodles were believed to have been 'soft noodles made merely by kneading flour.'\n  947. The first incense to burn is called shuko (main incense), and the next one to burn is called juko (sub incense).\n  948. The first instant curry roux powder was put on the market in 1926 by House Foods Corp. with the product name of 'Home Curry Powder.'\n  949. The first invasion is called Bunei no Eki (the Bunei War, 1274) and the second is called Koan no Eki (the Koan War, 1281).\n  950. The first is from the section of Emperor Jinmu in the third volume to the section of Emperor Ingyo and Emperor Anko in the 13th volume.\n  951. The first is the description in the itsubun (a composition that previously existed but no longer remains) of \"Osumi no Kuni Fudoki\" (the topography of Osumi Province) (written after 713).\n  952. The first is the examination of soldiers' food which took place in the year following his return from Germany (August - December, 1889), which was at the forefront of nutritional science of the time.\n  953. The first issue was in 1818 and it was casted until 1869 after Meiji Restoration.\n  954. The first item to be designated a national treasure under the provisions of this law was so designated on December 28, 1897.\n  955. The first item to become one of these 'new national treasures' under the provisions of the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties was so designated on June 9, 1951.\n  956. The first joshaku based on the joshaku criterion\n  957. The first kind of ko was operated by ujiko (shrine parishioners) who believed in regional deities such as ujigami (a guardian god or spirit of a particular place in the Shinto religion) and ubusunagami (guardian deity of one's birthplace) in order to maintain their shrine.\n  958. The first kind refers to people who do not kill any creatures out of mercy and stick to religious precepts.\n  959. The first kinmu seisaku was implemented during the time of King Sho Shin (who reigned from 1476 to 1526), whereby weapons across the nation were collected and strictly controlled by the Kingdom.\n  960. The first known Japanese to ride a railway train is said to be John Manjiro (Manjiro NAKANOHAMA), who had been saved by the American vessel while adrift in the Pacific Ocean and taken to America, in 1845.\n  961. The first known instance of jiyu-ninkan was committed by MINAMOTO no Yoshitsune, who appointed himself Kebiishi saemon no jo (a post which carried the responsibility for maintaining public order and overseeing military affairs in Kyoto) without first obtaining the permission of MINAMOTO no Yoritomo.\n  962. The first law was vulgarly called 'Sanhourei' (Three Laws) which are:\n  963. The first lawful wife\n  964. The first leader of the party was Shigenobu OKUMA, and the deputy was Togama KONO.\n  965. The first letter (to Saicho) is called \"Fushinjo\" after the section at the beginning that says \"Fushinunsho\".\n  966. The first letter of the fifth collection 'matsudaimuchi'\n  967. The first letter of the first collection: 'aruhitoiwaku...' or the first letter of the fifth collection: 'matsudaimuchi...'\n  968. The first letter of the second collection 'osarae'\n  969. The first letter was directed to 'Torei Kinran,' the third letter to 'Shikan Zasu' (the head priest of the Tendai Sect), both of which show that Kukai replied to a letter by Saicho.\n  970. The first level is about 23 meters on a side and some 2.2 meters in height.\n  971. The first library (Yusyukan) was completed in 1887.\n  972. The first line is supposed to include the word 'Toki' (meaning 'It is') also implied Mitsuhide's surname, and 'Ame ga Shita' also meant 'Tenka' (the whole country), to show his long-held wish of killing his master Nobunaga ODA for which Joha demanded an explanation later.\n  973. The first line of Japanese syllabary\n  974. The first literary work that advocated the enthronement theory based on historical investigations was \"Teio Rekisu Zu\" written by Kassho NABA in 1624 in the Edo period.\n  975. The first literature record of the shrine can be found in \"Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku\" (sixth of the six classical Japanese history texts) which states that the Jugoi (Junior Fifth Rank) shinkai (rank granted to Shinto deities) was bestowed upon the shrine on January 27, 859.\n  976. The first literature record of the shrine can be found in \"Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku\" (sixth of the six classical Japanese history texts) which states that the Jugoi (Junior Fifth Rank) shinkai (rank granted to Shinto gods) was bestowed upon the shrine on January 27, 859.\n  977. The first lord Takamichi KYOGOKU (lord of the Mineyama domain of Tango province) was born as the second son of Nobutsuna KUTSUKI and was adopted by Takatomo KYOGOKU.\n  978. The first lord of Kishiwada Domain of Izumi Province.\n  979. The first lord of Kuwana Domain in Ise Province.\n  980. The first lord of Moriya Domain of Shimousa Province.\n  981. The first lord of Yonago Domain\n  982. The first lord of the Fukuyama Domain\n  983. The first lord of the Gujo Domain, Mino Province.\n  984. The first lord of the Ise Tamaru Domain.\n  985. The first lord of the Kishu Domain, Kii Province.\n  986. The first lord of the Shikano Domain in Inaba Province.\n  987. The first lord, Tanemasa KUTSUKI's father, Uetsuna KUTSUKI (the lord of the Tsuchiura Domain) who served as Okosho Bangashira (the chief of the bodyguard of the Shogun) and Sojaban (an official in charge of the ceremonies) under Iemitsu TOKUGAWA was treated well as a fudai daimyo (a hereditary daimyo) with an award of 30,000 koku in Hitachi Tsuchiura.\n  988. The first lord, Toyouji ARIMA, sured up the domain administration by improving the Fukuchiyama-jo Castle and the castle town, and implementing a land survey.\n  989. The first major revision was the thirteen cap rank system in 647.\n  990. The first manuscript was written in 1295.\n  991. The first market, Kyoto City Central Wholesale Market\n  992. The first market, Kyoto City Central Wholesale Market, the \"kitchen of Kyoto's people,\" is on Senbon-nanajo.\n  993. The first market: Kyoto City Central Wholesale Market\n  994. The first match was between Shusai and Karigane (sente), which ended in Karigane's loss with 254 moves, due to time out.\n  995. The first meaning\n  996. The first meaning is the \"Hongan,\" the Original Vow or pranidhana made by Amida Buddha, or Amitabha.\n  997. The first meaning of the word misogi has been extended to mean a certain (cooling-off) period during which a politician who has committed a crime withdraws from his candidacy.\n  998. The first media report to use the word \"danchi-zoku\" appeared in the July 20, 1958 edition of the \"Shukan Asahi.\"\n  999. The first mention in Japan's Six National Histories from March 21, 698 (Emperor Mommu's reign) states that horseback archery had been banned on the day of the Kamo Festival and we also know that the shrine was revered by the Imperial Court with an approximately 2.5 acre field being donated by the Emperor in 750.\n  1000. The first mention may be the Shido-Shogun (Generals Dispatched to the Four Circuits) who served Emperor Sujin.\n\n344001 ～ 345000\n\nPrevious Page　　　 Next page", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.852428674697876}
{"content": "Design for Innovation\n\n\nWhen faced with the challenge to adapt an abandoned girls’ school rooming house in Olde Towne East into a 12 unit apartment building, WSA Studio was able to coordinate players, prioritize community-based goals, and preserve this beautiful, iconic structure that enriches Bryden Road and the overall Olde Towne East community.\n\nAfter built structures become abandoned, adaptive reuse breathes new life into an old building; it is a solution to some of the modern problems of the built environment. The key to success at 738 Bryden Road was a creative approach indulging the bones of the original structure. Much of what is seen from the outside is a physical replica of the building’s history.\n\nWe learn from these examples, and when they are combined, we have a city, a campus, a neighborhood, a district, or even a state. Buildings like 738 Bryden Road, and their inherent historical richness, contribute to society and establish our understanding of place. This is why respecting the heritage of buildings and anticipating their future demands enriches the fabric that is.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9921452403068542}
{"content": "Many Americans remember a more constructive engagement between members of Congress and may wish for similar relationships considering the great number of problems facing our nation’s present and future. Cooperation and  unity once characterized deliberations in Washington, D.C., but has now become one of the most destroyed hopes in modern American times. Meanwhile, what are the background trends in America now preventing such an accord?\n\nOne trend reminds of a time when Republican lawmakers included left-of-center members while Democrats had its share of right-of-center members.  However, at present, each of our major parties couldn’t be further apart.  Interestingly, during the 50 years between 1930 and 1980, both parties were generally balanced by centrist views. In the last 40 years, the parties have steadily drifted from each other to become more and more ideologically pure. Not only have conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans almost disappeared but few if any centrists remain; hence, with each passing congressional session, the GOP has gone ever more right, the Democrats more left.\n\nBefore 1980, it was difficult to predict from party affiliation whether this and that American held liberal or conservative views. The relationship between party and voter, however, has become close to totally predictable.  It’s argued that the differences have become more observable and the dislikes more apparent.\n\nMeanwhile, the Democrats, formerly more often from agrarian settings with its power base in the South, have in more recent times become the urban party with attention focused mainly on concerns to city dwellers with cosmopolitan and secular values.  Rural areas have shifted toward the Republican Party whose members tend toward religious, patriotic and family-oriented interests and values.  These changes can arguably be attributed to in large measure from federal legislation in the 1960s, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965.\n\nThe United States is diverse by way of its multi-racial, religious and social makeup. Many a social scientist has noted that ethnic uniformity makes it easier for groups of like-minded background to reach agreement. The realignment of political parties has led to increasing divisions by race, with the Republican Party increasingly white and Democrats more of color.\n\nWhen the trends are studied, one finds that the major parties have come to represent diverging material interests with different moral values and ways of living. As the divisions have become more intense, oftentimes Americans hold attitudes characterized by hostility and distaste that’s focused on the other political party and its members.  Again, using 1980 as a benchmark year, the feelings toward the opposite party have been trending down with what’s been more noticeable since 2000.  Democrats more often nowadays dislike the GOP and the people who support it with duplicate feelings for Democrats by Republicans.  Consequence: lawmakers are influenced accordingly and thereby typically won’t compromise.\n\nWhen Newt Gingrich became House Speaker in 1995, he eagerly sought many changes to the institution that had been dominated by Democrats for 40 years. One big change was to discourage new House members from locating in Washington, D.C.  That proximity of location, in the past, resulted in more Republicans and their families getting to know Democrats and their families while the House leader altered the calendar so that most work got done midweek, allowing members to fly conveniently in and out from their respective districts.  The U.S. Senate now resembles the House.\n\nOther trends include politicians working the phones for dollars rather than developing social relationships while they think and worry about not being partisan or ideological enough to satisfy constituents, adhering thereby to their party’s purest story line.  World War II united Americans but the Cold War, and now dove versus hawk, further divides the electorate and office-holders.  Then, too, but not necessarily a complete list of trends, is the fact that the generations now in charge had their political instincts shaped by the internal American culture war that got underway in the 1960s.\n\nA resolution to work better together does not appear likely in the immediate future as we Americans seem more inclined to metaphorically race from one side of the Titanic to the other with few willing to reflect on a middle of “ship” passage.  Some among us have concluded that democracy in a nation as large and diverse as America’s is simply impossible and thereby we drift more and more into “strong man” leadership to embrace an autocracy.  It will be possible to preserve our Constitution, our freedoms, our way of life, and our institutions and norms only if the people of the U.S. demand it.  An autocracy should be better known here as it means an end to our way of life and, with high predictability, one most citizens will regret.\n\n(Gene H. McIntyre lives in Keizer.)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6934252977371216}
{"content": "Friday, October 28, 2011\n\nGuilty, but not condemned!\n\n 6 Guilt is banished through love and truth;\n   Fear-of-God deflects evil. \n(Proverbs 16:6 The Message)\n\nWe deal with guilt so many times because of well-meant intentions - our failures doing nothing more than bolstering our stores of guilt that we already have way too much of in the first place.  What is it about guilt that has so much power over our lives?  I think it might actually be that we fear what we cannot seem to control - so we hold onto what is familiar to us (guilt) instead of letting go (grace).  \n\nWe feel guilty because we lost control - so we try to control our behavior in some \"better\" fashion the next time.  Have you been down that road a time or two?  I daresay that I have!  When we don't quite succeed the \"next time\", we add another ration of guilt to the already heavy load of it we carry around!  Then we wonder why we don't \"feel\" well!\n\nThe Amplified Bible adds just a little clarity to this passage:\n\n\nThere is a purging process for our guilt to finally \"feel\" like it is removed from our lives.  That purging process involves much on God's part, but very little on our part!  God removes the stain of our guilt - we respond to that grace by departure FROM evil and turning TO God.  So, how do we make this practical in our everyday living?  I think we find the answer in the \"ordered steps\" that God outlines for us in scripture.\n\n1)  We BRING our guilt to the only one who can actually absolve us of that guilt!  Too many times, we take our guilt everywhere else, or choose to \"manage it\" ourselves.  What a futile place we find ourselves in when either of those is our plan for dealing with our guilt!\n\n2)  To really be FREE of guilt, we need to believe that God cares about our guilt!  We only want to bring things to God that we figure he really cares about.  The truth is that God cares about our guilt!  Real or imagined, confessed or held onto, our guilt belongs in God's hands - not ours!  I think we feel that our guilty feelings are something that we need to hold onto and this limits God's ability to heal us where we so desperately need his healing!\n\n3)  God is responsible for the MERCY and LOVE part of dealing with our sin (our guilt is usually associated with our sin).  We have the part of being truthful and maintaining open relationship with God.  That's what it means to have \"fidelity\" in our relationship with God.  God's answer for our guilt is first for us to \"confess\" it - that is where communication begins!  \n\nWhat we sometimes find ourselves doing is stopping with the first \"confession\" of our guilt.  When that guilt rears its ugly head again later on, and it will, we don't bring it back to the one who helps us remember that his mercy and love are already covering over that guilt.  As we are faithful to bring it back to him as many times as it takes for us to actually begin to feel like it has been dealt with and we can let go of it, God is faithful to bring us face-to-face with is grace and love once again.  He isn't \"re-forgiving\" the sin, he is just reminding us that it has ALREADY been forgiven and he loves us so deeply!\n\nWhen we learn to take the steps God designs for our freedom, we finally begin to see the light at then end of the tunnel - and we find it is not an oncoming freight train laden with guilt!  In fact, it is a carriage of grace, festooned in all kinds of wreaths of his love and grace!  Be free - climb on board that carriage and let him usher you onto the next step in your growth - freed from guilt and embraced in his love.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6206525564193726}
{"content": "The WODIANER (VODIANER) family moved from Moravia to Bács megye around the mid-1700s. Family tradition maintains that they were originally from Spain.  The family developed two main branches along professional lines--one branch traded in cereal, wool and tobacco, the other branch dealt in books and magazines.\n     The WODIANER family was very prominent in Hódmezõvásárhely, as well as in the nearby town of Szeged.  Members of both branches also established prominent businesses in Pest.\n     The grain merchant branch of the family, with very few exceptions, converted to Christianity.\n     The founder of the book merchant branch, Fülöp WODIANER (1820, Hódmezõvásárhely - 1899, Budapest), played a significant role in creating business-political publications and was one of the great publishing businessmen of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy\n.  He learned the printing trade in Pest, and worked in print shops in Pozsony and Vienna.  In 1842 he became the printing director of a newspaper and in 1848 he was the printer in charge of Government publications as well as of the mint.  In Pest in 1856 he opened a print shop and in 1861 founded the journal Magyarország (\"Hungary\") then in 1867 the Magyar Ujság (\"Hungarian News\").  He also created the Magyar Néplap (\"Hungarian Folk News\") featuring items of interest to peasants, small tradesmen and artisans.  In 1874 bought a publishing house.  His company grew to become a most influential newspaper and book publishing house, printing many Jewish titles and doing much to promote the Hebrew language and the Jewish press in general.  Towards the end of his life, he and his sons received titles of nobility.  One son, Arthur WODIANER (1860-1921) joined the company and established his name publishing school textbooks.\n\n1) Fülöp/Phillip WODIANER v. VASARHELY (1820 HMV-1899, BP) married Julia WAIZNER\n2) Arthur WODIANER v. VASARHELY (1860, Pest -?) married Olga WOLFINGER in 1890 in Pest.\n        3) Hermina (1891, Pest - ?) married Vilmos KANITZ (1880-1940) in 1918.\n        3) Mizzi WODIANER v. VASARHELY\n        3) Juliska/Julianna WODIANER v. VASARHELY\n(1896-?) married first Lajos Rikard LEFEBOR (1886-1925) in 1919, then Dr. Erno SZEGO (1885-?) in 1926.\n2) Jozsef WODIANER v. VASARHELY.  (1862, BP - 1892, BP; died of intestinal cancer)\n2) Ilona/Helene/Ilka/Henrietta WODIANER v. VASARHELY (1863, Pest -1940) married Arnold/Albert WAIZNER in 1883 in Pest.\n        3) Aranka WAIZNER (1884, Pest - ?) married Gyõzõ WEISZ (1869-?) in 1904.\n\n    2) Irma WODIANER v. VASARHELY (1865, Pest -?) married Miksa/Max BERGER (surname changed to BARTHA) in 1888 in Pest.\n        3) Laszlo Zsigmond BERGER/BARTHA (1895, BP -?)\n        3) Jozsef Sandor BERGER/BARTHA (1896-?) married Vanda HAJDU (1907, Jaszbereny -?) in 1927.\n        3) Farkas/Ferencz BERGER/BARTHA; renounced Jewish faith in 1915.\n2) Matild WODIANER v. VASARHELY (1866, Pest -1942) married Jozsef/Pinkas ROSENZWEIG (surname changed to RADNAI)\n        3) György RADNA\n\n    2) Hugo WODIANER v. VASARHELY (1868, Pest -?) married Mariska HIRSCHLER (1878-?) in 1897.\n        3) stillborn (1898)\n        3) Lidia WODIANER v. VASARHELY (1901-?) married Henrik LOIDIN (1901, Zagreb -?) in 1932.\n2) Jolan WODIANER v. VASARHELY (1869, Pest -?) married Ferencz/Franz/Nandor STEINER\n        3) Juliska STEINER (1895, Pest-?)\n\n    2) Ferenc WODIANER v. VASARHELY (1872-1872; lived two months; Pest)\n\n     Another member of the WODIANER family, journalist and stenographer Soma WODIANER (1861,\nHódmezõvásárhely - 1918, Budapest; surname changed to FORRAI), helped to popularize the Gabelsberger-Markovits stenographical system in Hungary.  An excellent teacher of stenography, he was also the founder and president of the Association of Stenographers and published many articles and textbooks on the subject.\n\n     The webmaster is also researching the H/UNGERLEIDER family, and found the following in Eger and Pest records:\n\n1) Herman/Armin WODIANER married Fani HUNGERLEIDER (\nb. Hódmezõvásárhely)\n    2) Moritz/Zsiga WODIANER (\n1852, HMV - 1923) married first wife <unknown>, divorced, then married Rezi NEUMAN (1856, N. Csath -?) in 1880 in Eger.\n    2) Regina WODIANER (1852, Mezo-Kovesd -?) married Jakob RAUCHWERK (1828-?), a widower, in Pest in 1879.\n    2) Ezekiel Josef WODIANER (1852-1872, Pest)\n    2) Herman WODIANER (1857-1857, lived one day)\n    2) Hildegard WODIANER (1859-?)\n    2) Samuel WODIANER (1861-?), married Leonora BACK (born in Nadszeg, Pozsony megye) in 1892 in Pest.\n        3) Hilda WODIANER (1892, Pest-?) married Bruno HEILIG (1888, BP -?) in 1914.\n        3) Ilona WODIANER (1894, Pest-?)\n        3) Julia/Julianna WODIANER (1897 -?) married/divorced her first husband, then married Dr. Geza FILEP (1897, Dunafoldvar -?) in 1932. She also converted the same year to the Reform Christian faith.\n        3) Janos WODIANER (1899-?) married Katalin/Livia/Eva SZEKELY (1910-?) in 1934.\n    2) Adelheid/Edel WODIANER (1863-1863, lived 26 days)\n    2) Adam/Asher/Antal WODIANER (1864-1945, Budapest), converted to Roman Catholicism in 1883; married Terezia Ernestina TANDLER.\n    2) Sarolta/Scheindel WODIANER (1867-?); converted to Roman  Catholicism in 1883\n    2) Ilona WODIANER (1870, Ujpest-?); converted to Roman Catholicism in 1892.\n\nReturn to\nHódmezõvásárhely main page\n\n© 2009 by Judy Petersen", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8446643352508545}
{"content": "Career prospects in Software Development\n\n\nHello Student,\nGreetings of the Day!!\n\nWe appreciate your interest in the field of software development. Well MCA is one of the hottest career options available today! This is because, once a candidate is done with completing MCA degree from an Institute, there are multiple of job opportunities available in the market. Which bemused the student on which path to follow – either they can go for Software Engineering or Web Development or in Hardware and Networking. MCA students need to study Financial Management, Accounting, Mathematics, Programming Languages like C, Java, ASP .Net, Web Development, Database Management System, and so on.\n\nMCA post graduates are hired both by Government agencies NTPC, GAIL, BHEL, etc and private IT companies like Accenture, Infosys, Wipro, TCS, Cognizant, HCL, HP and so on. As a fresher, an MCA professional can expect anything around 2.4 to 3.4 Lakhs.\n\nA Software Engineer can become an Analyst, a Project Manager, and so on. Initially MCA students are given a few weeks of training on the job, before they get started on LIVE projects. They need to work in different roles and areas in the beginning and then gradually specialize in a specific field.\n\n    After getting an MCA degree, one can enter any of the following roles:\n\n1.  Software Developer/Programmer/Engineer:\n\n2. Troubleshooter:\ntroubleshooters take the charge of resolving it so that the projects are delivered on time. They also maintain the resources required by software developers and others.\n\n3. System Analyst:\n\n4. Software Application Architect:\n\n5. Software Consultant:\n 6. Hardware Engineer:\nHardware engineers love working with computer hardware such as hard disk, wires, circuit boards, computer chips, printers, keyboards, routers, and so on. They like the challenges of installing and testing the systems.\n7. Technical Writer:\n8. Web Designer and Developer:\n9. Technical support Executives: As a technical support/helpdesk employee, you'll be monitoring and maintaining the computer systems and networks within an organization in a technical support role. If there are any issues or changes required, such as forgotten passwords, viruses or email issues, you'll be the first person employees will come to.\n10. Starting a new Venture:\n\n\nWe are Most Viewed With\n\n\nHow to improve your Writing Skills?\n\n3 Quick Ways To Get Success in Life!!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7355786561965942}
{"content": "Carnivorous Dinosaurs\n\nTyrannosaurus Rex Fed On Babies\n\nThe king of dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus Rex, was a baby-killer. This conclusion was reached by paleontologists from Great Britain and Germany, working in China.\n\nThe \"Daily Telegraph\" announced that defenseless prey and younger specimens were the favorite food of the gigantic monsters, as shown by studies of their feeding habits.\n\nThe British paleontologist David Hown and his colleagues have discovered that T-rex preferred to feed on defenseless babies, rather than provoking their parents.\n\nUntil now it was thought likely that indeed, the dinosaur would instigate battles with animals of its own size, or even larger.\n\nAccording to scientists, T-rex would obtain minerals and nutrients, stored in the bones of its young victims.\n\nThe study also explains why fossils of younger dinosaurs are more rarely found.\n\n4 votes\n5 1\n4 0\n3 3\n2 0\n1 0\n\n\nSimilar articles", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7438327074050903}
{"content": "How to find the right driver?\n\nReinstalling the operating system sometimes ends up with the computer starting to work incorrectly. The non-responsive WiFi adapter, the minimum screen resolution and audio interruption during playback are the main indicators for improper installation of drivers or the absence of some of them.\n\nA similar problem can also be encountered when replacing a particular part, which makes one think about its malfunction. However, the situation is resolved quite simply. Just find out what drivers are needed and install them. This can be done in several ways.\n\nWindows Device Manager\n\nTo confirm or deny the version with faulty drivers, you need to refer to the list of all devices that are connected to this computer. This will help Windows Device Manager, a utility that is available in every operating system from Microsoft. To open it you need:\n\n  1. on the desktop, move the cursor to the \"Computer\" icon;\n  2. click the right mouse button;\n  3. in the expanded menu, select the item \"Properties\";\n  4. Click on the “Device Manager” link (top left).\n\nIn the resulting window is a list of all devices, both properly working and not. Near the faulty will be a picture with a yellow exclamation mark. In this case, the system may not even know the type of device, but it is not necessary. To restore functionality, just write down its name and find the necessary drivers for it (or for them) on the Internet.\n\nDriverpack solution\n\nThe search for the necessary driver for a device on the Internet can be delayed, if not completely. In some cases, after installing the downloaded driver, the device seems to start working, but it often makes mistakes.\n\nTherefore, it is much easier and safer to install the DriverPack Solution program and continue to communicate with the drivers only through it. You can download it for free.\n\nIn addition to finding and installing drivers that are not directly working, it can also check for already installed drivers. If they are outdated or work incorrectly (which may not be reflected in the Device Manager), the utility will suggest replacing them with new ones. To find out and install the necessary drivers using DriverPack Solution you need:\n\n  1. run the program;\n  2. put a bird near the point \"Expert Mode\";\n  3. Below, select the item “Installing drivers” (maybe by default);\n  4. on the desktop of the program, go to the “Drivers” tab;\n  5. in the “Uninstalled drivers” section, put a bird next to the problem device;\n  6. Click on the \"Install\" line.\n\nThe program will automatically download and install the necessary driver from the database. In parallel with this, in the “Updates for Drivers” section, you can mark those devices for which there are more suitable versions of drivers. In most cases, this will increase system performance.\n\nIf drivers are installed on a computer without an internet connection, then a special assembly can be created. It will include updates only for those devices that need it.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5725442171096802}
{"content": "About Still A Mum\n\n\nStill A Mum is a charity that supports women and families dealing with miscarriages, stillbirth and infant loss. We operate in Africa, with our headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. We work to improve the care bereaved parents receive as well as create public awareness on child loss and how we should respond as a society.\n\nStill A Mum comes from a desire to celebrate women who have lost babies and affirm them that they are still mothers despite their loss. In the African culture, a woman’s worth is usually attached to her ability to be a mother. This means that any woman who cannot get children for one reason or another is regarded as less of a woman. She is judged and often socially segregated. In some societies, women who are unable to bear children are considered bewitched. In some cases, in-laws ultimately look for a child-bearing woman as a replacement for their son.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9403735995292664}
{"content": "3 Replies Latest reply on Feb 29, 2016 3:22 PM by Daen Hendrickson\n\n    Do you have a method for aligning balloon leaders parallel?\n\n    Daen Hendrickson\n\n      I am using SW2014 SP5.\n\n\n      For aesthetic reasons, I prefer to have my exploded view BOM balloons attached to magnetic lines and I also prefer my balloon leaders to be parallel to each other. Exploded views are typically at the standard Isometric view angle and the magnetic lines are usually set to one of the snap angles of 30/60/150, etc. to match the general axis of the view. Balloon leader lines usually end up perpendicular to the magnetic lines.\n\n\n      To adjust the leader lines my current method is to drag the balloon manually until the line no longer has \"graphics stair stepping\". This is a tedious process and as soon as you have to adjust the magnetic line all the alignment is lost.\n\n\n      None of the \"Align\" methods seem to handle this.\n\n\n      Is anyone else tormented by this particular OCD nuance and do have you developed a method other than manual?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9736335277557373}
{"content": "[Book Club] November Reading!\n\n\nWe’re at that time of the month again! I hope you’re excited for November’s edition of books.\n\nThe theme for this one was conspiracy/revolution, following the theme of Guy Fawkes night in the UK.\n\nThe chosen books are:\n\nI hope you all like these, and look forward to reading one/all of them!\n\nThe Audiobook\n\nI’ve never considered a snob when it comes to reading. I’ll read anything.\n\nPerhaps when I was younger and the e-readers were just coming out and becoming a thing I was perhaps slightly snobby and refused to cave.\n\nSince then, I’ve found the joys in reading on my kindle, but I have also continued my love for the paper book.\n\nI’ve recently also got into audiobooks. I found I was getting really anxious on my drives to and from work, and reading has always been a way of calming down. Unfortunately I can’t read whilst driving.\n\nSo, I’ve started to listen to audiobooks. This week, my journey’s have been so much calmer and funner. I’ve been listening to Don Quixote, and it’s been so enjoyable.\n\nThe only drawback I’ve found so far is I find I don’t take everything in? But that’s usually when I’m too focused on driving.\n\nI’ve learnt a new way to appreciate literature, and my driving time has been a lot less rage and anxiety filled.\n\nDo you listen to audiobooks?\n\nWhat’re your recommended audiobooks? Let me know in the comments so I can make a list!\n\nNovember Reading Suggestions\n\nNovember approaches ever faster, so let’s get some suggestions going!\n\nIn the UK, the 5th of November is Guy Fawkes Night. So, let’s keep going with a theme.\n\nDo you have a conspiracy or a book on treason you’ve been dying to read?\n\nLet me know in the comments and we’ll read it next month!\n\nYour First Memory of Books\n\nMy first prominent memory of books and reading comes from my grandmother.\n\nMy grandmother was harsh, stern and silent from my memories (she passed away when I was 12), but in her home there was always a locked glass cabinet of books. All of them is various stages of disrepair. I remember always looking at the books, wondering what they were about.\n\nI remember once getting brave enough to ask to read one, and she produced a key seemingly from nowhere, and unlocked it. I wasn’t given a choice, but I was given a book.\n\nI really struggled with it. I wasn’t very old, and the words were foreign and in small writing. I’d never read a book in English before, not on my own. My schooling was all through the medium of Welsh, and thus, all the books I’d ever learnt to read were in Welsh. I’d never encountered an English book on my own before.\n\nSitting there, I found it really hard, but I remember loving the feel of the pages, turning the pages. But, it had sparked something. I needed to know more.\n\nShe never read those books to me, and I struggled to form the sounds of the words in my head as I read them. English words are a lot different to Welsh words, and the letters sound different.\n\nI haven’t seen those books in a long time, and I don’t even remember what they were called. I remember the bright red and yellow covers, I remember the sellotape holding some of them together. But, they were my grandmother’s prized books, and I remember being so excited to get to finally read them.\n\nThere are two people in my life who I can thank for my love of literature, and my desire to study literature. The first would be my grandmother, for allowing me to read those books, or at least attempt, and then for her unwavering loyalty to my growing hunger for the page. I remember she used to collect stamps from the paper and get books from stamps just for me.\n\nThe second would be my English teacher in comprehensive school. Her passion and enthusiasm for the written word and the joys fo understanding the words presented in front of you inspired me to try and understand literature in the same way.\n\nI have a lot to be grateful for, and I owe these two people a lot for who I am today.\n\nWhat’s your first memory of books? Let me know!\n\nWhy Would You Ban a Book?\n\nAs Banned Books Week continues, it’s given me a chance to think about why you would ban a book.\n\nReading has multiple purposes and it’s purposes vary between the reader.\n\nFor me, reading is about learning and relaxing. Reading gives me pleasure and entertainment. For some it is a chore.\n\nBut what makes someone think that a book is outrages?\n\nWhat makes The Perks of Being a Wallflower bad? What makes Harry Potter bad?\n\nI’ve thought about it a lot over the last week, and I can’t figure it out. A lot of the books that appears on the lists of the most challenged books in the US are ones that I clung to growing up. The topics in The Perks of Being A Wallflower are admittedly heavy, but for some they are necessary. Yes, there is drug use and memories of child molestation, but it is also a book about acceptance, and learning that you don’t need to fit into society.\n\nIt’s boggles me how anyone would want to stifle literature in such a way that someone would not be able to access them?\n\nIf you have any thoughts on this let me know! I think weeks like this inspire discussion on censorship and the way we handle the content of literature, and something that definitely needs to be discussed.\n\nBanned Books Week!\n\nThe 23rd to the 29th of October is Banned Books Week!\n\nThis is an important week of the year for literature, as it’s a week that celebrates books that have been challenged, either for their authors or their content.\n\nBanned Books Week is an initiative started by the American Library Association and Amnesty International, and highlights the books challenged or removed from libraries and school libraries. Some of them are pretty absurd. Books challenged for LGBT characters, books banned for their drug use, magic, etc.\n\nIs there a book on the list below that you’ve read and loved, but is challenged?\n\nTake a look here and let me know!\n\n[Book Club] October Suggestions!\n\nWhat would you like to read this October?\n\nAs October is the month of Halloween, I thought maybe we could pick some horror fiction for this month!\n\nIs there that one scary story you’ve been dying to read? That one non-fiction novel you really want to give a go?\n\nSuggest it here, and we’ll read it together!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9779357314109802}
{"content": "Privacy Policy\n\n\nPersonal information is not collected without your knowledge but is voluntarily provided by you. Personal information is not passed on to third parties. Personal information is not used for purposes other than those intended. By \"personal data\", we mean any information collected and recorded in such a way that allows you to be identified personally, either directly (e.g. name) or indirectly (e.g. phone number). Before providing us with any such information, we recommend that you read the following document describing our customer privacy policy.\n\n\nIn your capacity as a client of HOTEL WILSON OPERA, we may at times ask you for information about yourself and/or members of your family, such as:\n\n* Contact details ( e.g. surname, first name, telephone number, email, etc.);\n\n* Personal information (e.g. date of birth, nationality, etc.);\n\n* Information about your children ( e.g. first name, date of birth, age, etc.);\n\n* Your credit card number (for transaction and reservation purposes), your HOTEL WILSON OPERA loyalty program membership number or that of partner's program;\n\n* Your arrival and departure dates;\n\n* Your preferences and interests (e.g. smoking or non-smoking room, preferred floor, type of bedding, type of print media read, sports, cultural interests, etc.);\n\n* Your questions/comments, during or after visiting one of our establishments.\n\nThe information we collect about people under 18 years of age is limited to name, nationality and date of birth and should only be provided to us by an adult. We ask you to make sure that your children themselves do not send us any personal data without your permission (especially via the Internet). In the case that this should occur, you can contact us at one of the addresses indicated in paragraph 7 in order that we can delete the information.\n\nWe do not intentionally collect any sensitive information, such as racial or ethnic origins, political opinions, religious & philosophical beliefs, trade union memberships, medical details or sexual orientation. In addition, other information may be considered sensitive according to the relevant local legislation, such as your credit card number, personal interests and hobbies, whether you are a smoker or not, etc. We may collect such information in order to satisfy your requests or provide you with appropriate services, such as a specific diet. In this case, your prior consent may be required in regards to the collection of such sensitive information in accordance with the legislation in force in certain countries.\n\n\nPersonal data may be collected in various circumstances, including:\n\nCompany operations;\n\n* Booking accommodation;\n\n* Registration and payment;\n\n* Inquiries, claims and/or litigation;\n\n* Participation in marketing programs or initiatives;\n\n* Registration in customer loyalty programs;\n\n* Completion of client satisfaction surveys;\n\n* Competitions or online games;\n\n* Subscriptions to newsletters, receiving offers and promotions by e-mail;\n\n* Information received from third parties, e.g. tour operators, travel agencies, booking systems using GDS or similar;\n\n* Internet activity: Connection to the HOTEL WILSON OPERA website (IP address, cookies);\n\n* Google Adwords and Bings Ads (IP address, cookies);\n\n*Online information forms (online booking, questionnaires, company pages on social networks, connection methods such as Facebook login, etc.).\n\n\nWe collect your personal data for a number of reasons.\n\n1. Meeting our obligations to our clients.\n\n2. Managing requests to book accommodation;\n\n* Drafting and archiving legal records in accordance with accounting requirements.\n\n3. Managing your stay;\n\n* Monitoring of your consumption (telephone, bar, etc.);\n\n* Controlling access to accommodation;\n\n* Internal list management of clients behaving inappropriately during their stay (aggressivity, rudeness, non-respect of the hotel policy, non-respect of security regulations, theft, damage, vandalism or incidents of non-payment).\n\n4. Improving service, including;\n\n* Processing your personal data within our customer marketing program, conducting marketing campaigns, brand promotion and to have a better understanding of your needs and wishes;\n\n* Adapting our products and services to better meet your needs;\n\n* Personalizing merchandising offers and information for you;\n\n* Informing you of special offers and any new services provided by HOTEL WILSON OPERA or its partners.\n\n5. Managing client relations before, during and after their stay;\n\n* Loyalty program management;\n\n* Qualifying our client database;\n\n* Segmentation based on client booking history and travel habits in order to send targeted advertising;\n\n* Predicting and anticipating future trends;\n\n* Establishing sales statistics & results and reporting;\n\n* Providing background data to the offer push tool when someone visits the website or makes a booking;\n\n* Recognizing and managing the preferences of both repeat and non-repeat clients;\n\n* Sending newsletters, promotional, service or tourism-related offers, or offers from HOTEL WILSON OPERA’s partners or contacting clients by telephone;\n\n* Managing requests to unsubscribe from newsletters, promotions, tourism-related offers and client satisfaction surveys;\n\n* Implementing the right of opposition;\n\n* Locating people in HOTEL WILSON OPERA 's premises via a special dedicated telephone service in case of a serious incident affecting the premises concerned (natural disasters, terrorist attacks, etc.).\n\n6. Performing cross-checks, analyses and consolidation of data collected whilst booking or during a stay through a trusted third part, in order to determine your interests, your customer profile and enable us to send out personalised offers.\n\n7. Improving HOTEL WILSON OPERA's services, including;\n\n* Carrying out research and analysis of client questionnaires and feedback;\n\n* Dealing with complaints;\n\n* Helping you benefit from the advantages of our loyalty program.\n\n8. Securing and improving your experience on the HOTEL WILSON OPERA website, including;\n\n* Improving navigation of the site;\n\n* Improving security implementation and fraud prevention in compliance with local legislation (e.g. the keeping of accounting records).\n\n\nWe may share your personal data with both internal and external recipients under the following conditions:\n\na. Within HOTEL WILSON OPERA: We may share your personal data and provide access to authorized personnel within our organization so as to provide you with a better experience, including:\n\n- HOTEL WILSON OPERA 's personnel;\n\n- Booking personnel using HOTEL WILSON OPERA's booking tools;\n\n- IT Departments;\n\n- Sales partners and marketing departments;\n\n- Medical services if necessary;\n\n- Legal services if necessary.\n\nb. With service providers and partners: your personal data may be transmitted to a third party for the purpose of providing you with certain services and for improving your stay, including;\n\n- External service providers: IT subcontractors, international call centers, banks, credit card issuers, external lawyers, routers, printers;\n\n- HOTEL WILSON OPERA may, except in the case of opposition on your part, update your profile by sharing certain information about you with its business partners. In such cases, cross-checks, analysis and combinations of your data may be performed via a trusted third party. This will allow HOTEL WILSON OPERA and selected contractual partners to determine your interests, your customer profile and allow us to send you personalized offers.\n\nc. Local authorities: We may also share your information with local authorities in accordance with local legislation and if required to do so by law or as part of an investigation.\n\n\nHOTEL WILSON OPERA takes appropriate technical and organizational measures in accordance with the relevant legislation to protect your personal data against unlawful or accidental destruction, accidental loss or alteration, or unauthorized disclosure or access. To this end, we have put in place technical measures (such as firewalls) and organizational measures (such as a login/password system, physical security measures, etc.). SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption technology is used to secure your transactions when you provide credit card information at the time of booking.\n\n\nBelow is a list of cookies that we use. We have detailed them here so that you can choose whether or not to allow them.\n\nWhen you visit or use our site, services, applications, tools or e-mail, we, or our partners or service providers, may use cookies to store information that enables us to provide you with an enhanced, faster and more secure experience.\n\nThis list is designed to help you better understand the technology and how we use it on our sites or in our services, applications and tools. You will find below a summary of the main elements you should know about.\n\nWhat is a cookie?\n\nCookies are small text data files (usually consisting of letters and numbers) stored in the memory of your browser or device when you visit a website or view a message. Cookies allow a website to recognize the browser or device. Like most sites, uses technology that allows us to record certain information when you visit or use our sites, services, applications, messaging systems and tools. This is mostly done by these small text data files stored on your device.\n\nThere are several types of cookies:\n\n- Session cookies expire upon closing your browser. They allow us to associate your actions during that particular session.\n\n- Persistent cookies remain stored on your device between browsing sessions. They allow us to remember your preferences or actions on more than one site.\n\n- First-party cookies are issued by a site that you visit. Third-party cookies are issued by a third party site independent from the site you are visiting.\n\nWhat type of cookies do we use?\n\nThe cookies we use have several different functions. They may be required for our services to operate, help us improve our performance, offer you additional features or help us provide you with relevant, targeted advertising. We use cookies and similar forms of technology that will only remain on your device while your browser is open (session cookies), and cookies and similar forms of technology that remain on your device for longer periods of time (persistent cookies).\n\n\nWe can use these cookies to evaluate the performance of websites, applications, services and tools, including as part of analytical processes. Also, they help us understand how visitors use our websites, to determine whether they have used our messaging service, to detect whether they have viewed a product or link, or to improve the content of our website, applications, services or tools.\n\nWe use on our site features, functions, applications and tools that can only be made available by using them. You can choose to block, remove or disable cookies if your browser, any application you have installed or your device allows you to do so. However, if you refuse the use of cookies, you may not be able to take advantage of certain site features, functions, applications or tools. You may also be asked to enter your password more frequently during your browsing session. For more information about blocking, removing or disabling cookies, check your browser or device settings.\n\nCookies can be disabled or deleted using the tools or settings available in most browsers. Preferences must be defined separately on each browser used.\n\nEvery browser has different features and options but to change the cookie settings , go to \"Options\" or \"Tools\" in your browser.\n\nGoogle Analytics features are enabled for Display advertisers on this site (Remarketing). Google uses cookies to show our ads on sites in its Display network. With the DoubleClick cookie, Google adapts the ads that are displayed to users according to what is being browsed our site. You can disable this feature by going to the ad preference settings manager.\n\n\nYou have the right to access your personal data collected by HOTEL WILSON OPERA and to modify it subject to the current relevant legislation.\n\nYou may also exercise your right to lodge an objection by writing to the address below.\n\nIn case of difficulty in exercising your rights, contact the department in charge of personal data for HOTEL WILSON OPERA directly by e-mail at, specifying \"MY PERSONAL INFORMATION\" in the subject line, or by writing to the following address:\n\nHôtel Wilson Opéra\n\n10 rue de Stockholm\n\n75008 Paris\n\n\nIn order to ensure the confidentiality and protection of your personal data, we will have to identify you in order to respond to your request. To do so, you will be asked to enclose a copy of an official piece of identity, such as a driver's license or passport, with your demand.\n\nIf your personal data is not accurate, complete or up-to-date, please inform us of any amendments to be made at the above addresses. All requests will be processed in a timely manner in accordance with the relevant current legislation.\n\n\nFor any questions concerning the personal data policy of HOTEL WILSON OPERA, please contact the department concerned with personal data at the address given in paragraph 7.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.707677960395813}
{"content": "Uniramians are arthropods whose appendages are unbranched. Most appendages are made up of several articulating pieces. The uniramian body has two or three tagmata, and the abdomen contains numerous segments. The head appendages include paired antennae and mandibles, and also two pairs of maxillae (the second pair may be fused or sometimes absent). \"Breathing\" is by means of tracheae and spiracles. The sexes are separate, but most other aspects of reproduction are extremely varied.\n\nThis enormous group include millipedes, centipedes, and insects, plus two small, primitive classes, Pauropoda and Symphyla.\n\n\n\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9182475805282593}
{"content": "The purpose of this guide is to provide a simple, actionable approach to building strategic PPC campaigns. Much of this is common sense and our goal with this guide is to lay out a strategic and procedural process allowing you to research and implement PPC campaigns that deliver the goods. In this chapter we teach you everything you need to know about putting your PPC strategy into action to begin converting browsers into buyers.\nThis chapter will discuss how to best structure your campaign within Google AdWords. These basic building blocks are campaigns and ad groups contained within those campaigns. How you structure this will depend upon your business and marketing and the main takeaway here is that there is no single way to structure a campaign. Just be mindful of what matters when it comes to advertising and measuring the results of your campaign.\n\n\nLong-tail keywords: Longer keywords or specific phrases might not be used as search queries as frequently by your audience. In the above example, for instance, it’s likely that a freelancer looking for a coworking place queries ‘coworking bristol’ rather than ‘coworking space in bristol’, however, the traffic generated by all combinations of long-tail keywords can provide your site as much traffic as the short-tail keywords. And why would you risk losing any opportunity you have to be present on search engines? We are not the only ones saying this, HitTail also give facts about long-tail keywords; about 70 percent of queries are long-tail.\nKeyword Difficulty (KD). This is a cumulative score that shows you how difficult it will be to rank organically for this keyword. It accounts for the number of competitors within this space as well as the strength of those competitors. If one of your competitors is a government website that gets millions of visits each month, for instance, that will impact your difficulty score. Other factors that impact difficulty include the quality of content your competitors have and how relevant it is to the searcher.  As a best practice, look for keywords with a difficulty score that's no higher than 80.\n\nYour costs can be lower when you stay away from national campaigns that take a more shotgun approach to your social media advertising efforts. Instead, geotargeting will enable you to conduct regional-, state- and city-level campaigns that will improve your results. That’s because this approach helps to tighten your campaign’s boundaries around your company’s physical location.\nComparative user testing to the rescue: you ask the participants to evaluate your website as well as the websites of your top 2 competitors. To avoid biased feedback, try not to disclose which company you are with, and mix up the order in which you show the websites to the participants. Not to overwhelm the participants, limit the number of websites to 3 per person.\nReason: If visitors find your website with a certain keyword but you have a high bounce rate, that’s enough to know that something is not going as it should. Ask yourself and test if it is a problem with content quality, appearance, etc. There is often more than one explanation for a high bounce rate, and there could be more than one solution. If you are totally lost at this point, a feedback session with five potential users might provide some insightful ideas.\n\n\nUse these consumer characteristics to time and target your marketing. For example, airports on weekdays are a great source of business travelers looking for high-end restaurants, while weekends and Spring Break bring more leisure visitors and families looking for more casual dining options. Likewise, dance clubs and bars can benefit by promoting 18 and over events targeted at universities whose student bodies are largely between the ages of 18-21. These are just a few examples of how venues define audiences that can be effectively targeted.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7795239686965942}
{"content": "\n\n\nIn this study, I examine whether or not the United States Marine Corps senior warrior-leaders should continue to use heroic-warriors from the 1942-52 era as contemporary paragons of tactical leadership. Additionally, I compare the Marine tactical leadership models between 1942-52, and their relevance within the cultivated and refocused leadership doctrine of today’s Marine Corps. Then, I examine whether or not there is a gap created using an earlier era’s tactical leadership example to model contemporary tactical battlefield leadership. The Marine Corps tactical leadership criteria and what the Corps expected of its commanders during World War II and the Korean War is the starting point. There was not much written leadership guidance then, but there was accepted leadership doctrine, nonetheless. Today, several United States Marines are recognized as setting the contemporary paragon for the ideal tactical battlefield leader. Among them, is World War II and Korean War Marine Lewis “Chesty” Burwell Puller. Chesty Puller not only set a courageous combat example, he trained his men hard, respected his men’s fearlessness, and worked hard to build unit comradeship. Service parochialism and cultural turmoil through the Vietnam War set the stage for a rocky period in the history of the Corps, leading up to the Commandant’s re-focus on a new Marine followership-leadership ethos. The Marine Corps’ recent efforts to “Transform” their Marines into a new breed is an attempt to transform leadership dogma to leadership-followership doctrine. His fresh approach is thought to better inculcate the Marine culture with loyalty and commitment to the Corps, similar to what was experienced within World War II Marine Corps. The thrust of the monograph pursues the question: Does Chesty Puller provide the right contemporary leadership example, or does he perpetuate dogma?\n\nDetalhes do Produto\n\n    • Ano de Edição: 2015\n    • Ano:  2015\n    • País de Produção: Canada\n    • Código de Barras:  2001120899879\n    • ISBN:  9781786250759\n\nAvaliação dos Consumidores", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9723870754241943}
{"content": "Vertical Jump Test Table\n\nA simplified guide on the best way best to improve your vertical jump.\n\nThere are several reasons that will lead you to need to maximize your vertical jump. Many times it might be for sport grounds, for example basketball. Whatever your reason is for trying to jump higher, you’re definitely in the ideal place. We’ll simplify the procedure and lead you through the steps to better your physical abilities and then supply you with a better jumping capability. Vertical Jump Test Table\n\n\nHow to boost your physical fitness center and enable yourself to jump higher.\n\nTry to use both arms to jump rope daily, for approximately ten minutes. You will require space for this and be in an area that enhances your ability to concentrate. Jumping rope leaves your leg muscles more powerful, which means that your vertical leap are also greater.\n\nHaving a small wide position, try and squat as low as you can. You may fool around with the fashions of squatting to make your legs more powerful, but only do this once you’ve mastered squatting without straining your muscles a lot. Among the styles is jump top, where you substitute jumping with squats. After performing a squat, then you’d jump, land and also do another squat. Raise the amount of occasions you do this as time goes.\n\nAnother manner of squatting is the place where you can repetitions by standing in front of a chair or something equal to this in height. Place one leg on the seat and the other a bit further ahead. Reduce your back knee until it rolls the floor, then back up and repeat with the other leg.\n\nYou are able to do intense jumps onto a high step or surface that could withstand the strain. Use all your energy to jump, and then leap back into the earth in a crouch. Ensure that the reps are somewhat more extreme as time goes by.\n\nA couple of examples include push ups, lunges and some other easy exercise that doesn’t require equipment. We are just calling them easy but as a beginner you cannot expect these exercises to become easy! Initially you will struggle, but notice that it becomes easier as time passes. Make certain you give yourself a refreshed afternoon each week.\n\nStretches will work on your muscles, which makes them elastic and ready to withstand pressure. They are also perfect for loosening muscles and making them more capable of withstanding an extreme workout session. Be certain you stretch before and after a work out.\n\nYour calf muscles are very important whenever springing yourself in preparation to get a jump. You may stand on a step, then lift yourself gradually using your calf muscles. Your muscles are going to work more difficult and will become stronger, permitting you to push yourself higher when you jump vertically.\n\nRepeat the same rep along with your leg. Just like any other exercise, make the reps more extreme with time.\n\nMake your knees powerful and ready to resist the pressure once you land after a jump. You can accomplish this by standing on one leg and keeping your head up, keeping this balancing position until your leg feels drained. Repeat the procedure with another leg. Bear in mind, it’s your endurance that will let you resist the strain of almost any workout, but don’t overdo things to avoid injuries.\n\nA different way to produce your leg muscles stronger is by introducing weights to your daily workout routine. It does not have to be a daily process however once or twice a week will show tremendous outcomes. As an example, you can have dumbbells in your shoulders since you perform squats as described above.\n\nThere are so many other approaches it is possible to use weights to enhance or strengthen your leg muscles. Try to present weights when you believe that you are ready rather than too soon as a injury will set you back for a long time! Vertical Jump Test Table\n\nNow that we have spoken about the way it is possible to increase your vertical leap, how do you monitor your progress?\n\nBy practicing as much as you can. The longer you practice the better your results will be.\n\nFollowing a couple of days, try to leap vertically to see if you are getting better. If not, then attempt to fortify every single sector of your muscles required. Avoid jumping as your manner of training since this may have very little effects. Instead, train the person muscles around your legs and the advancement will be almost instant.\n\nConsistently quantify how far you can jump.\n\nEnlist the support of a friend, that will mark the wall to you every time you leap. Stand with your arm stretched upward and indicate the place. Then jump as high as possible and have the friend mark the place your hands touched. This way, every week may reveal to you the furthest point you jumped into, enabling you to keep track of your progress. You might also jump with a mark in your arm to see how far you can reach.\n\nThis is the best way to find out how consistent your progress is while providing yourself to enhance. Tracking is best completed weekly.\n\nEven a runner is helped by their capacity to spring upwards/ forwards if they are supposed to pay more ground. This is why it is important that you know how to boost your leap and also to do so without risking harm. Exercise is essential as long as you understand what to do. We believe that using these basic steps you’ll be able to make your vertical leap very powerful and then higher than before.\n\nYou may see that a lot of the directions in our manual relies on strengthening your calf muscles and making them able to elongate and withstand more pressure. When you have mastered the art of making your leg muscles capable of springing you greater then your vertical jump will probably without a doubt improve. Vertical Jump Test Table\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5866245627403259}
{"content": "Discover features, inclinations, meaning, strengths and weaknesses of your birth day. Each of us is born under a zodiacal sign and therefore aries, taurus, gemini, cancer, leo, virgo, libra, scorpio, sagittarius, capricorn, aquarius or pisces. Were you born on any day, on any date, on a certain day, month and year and do you want to find out how you are? Discover your character starting only from your birthday. If you were born January 8, what sign of the zodiac are you? What is the zodiacal sign of people born on January 8? What is the Guardian Angel of the born on January 8? Which vips, actors, musicians, singers, politicians, scientists, men and women, famous sportsmen, were born on January 8 of any year in any century? Your birthday with its meaning reveals something about your personality but even the day you are born can say a lot about what you are and how you act in your life. What is the horoscope of children or people born on January 8, men or women born this day? Day of birth and horoscope follow the same path. What famous celebrities or well-known personalities were born on January 8? What character and personality have children and babies born in this calendar date? Tell me when you are born and I'll tell you who you are. Today we see talking and describing those who are born on January 8 with horoscope and features of the zodiac sign to which they belong. \"If I was born on January 8 what character do I have and how are I? What are my main features? What is my personality based on my date and birthday and which angel protects my earthly life?\" On January 8, it has a religious, but also astrological meaning, linked to the horoscope. Each of us is born under a particular sky, at a time when the planets form specific aspects in space. These planets give a special energy to our personality that over the years develops more and more. Certainly only the study of the astral card a person can say many things about his personality but anyway the only day a person is born can say some important things. Meanwhile, in this article, we can roughly define the main characteristics, qualities, peculiarities, properties, peculiarities, distinctive features, merits, defects of a child who was born on January 8. Let's see what we can find on this page.\n\n\n\n\nPersonality: These individuals really know how to be very tenacious and can solve a problem very easily because they have a high level of resolve. Everything they do can literally change things around them and then they can shape reality according to their ambitions, their pleasures and desires. Every situation, even the most complex and difficult situation, for them is a challenge that must be faced and overcome and very often, just because they do not pull back in front of seemingly unsolvable situations, are considered crazy, mentally ill. Even if their skills are undoubtedly remarkable and out of the ordinary, it must be said that they should not exaggerate because often going beyond their abilities can lead to physical and psychological conditions from which it is then difficult, if not impossible, to recover. Those born on this day January 8 must learn a very important lesson from life and that is to try to be more sympathetic to others, men and women of their family, their circle of friendships and their place of work, who do not have similar ideas . So these individuals must try to be less selfish, narcissistic and presumptuous, and instead have to be more open to other people's ideas, developing altruism and complicity and not only in work but also in the sentimental sector. Saturn rules these people who can often seem very cold and detached from feelings and emotions but in reality their heart seeks tenderness. Above all, women may have difficulty manifesting the emotions they feel towards their partner and therefore appear, in the eyes of others and their love partner, particularly disinterested.\n\nMerits: capable of analysing, introspective, strong willlessness, stacanovistic in work, able to live in solitude, faithful, loving sciences and maths, ironic, humorous, want to arrive, reliable person, remarkable intimate passion.\n\nDefects: detached from reality, cold in love, stubborn, sluggish in learning, neglected in aesthetic and health, rancorous, cracking, accruing goods overly.\n\nGuardian Angel Meaning: HARAHEL - talent in math and sciences, honesty and wisdom, longevity.\n\nGovernor Planet: Saturn.\n\nToday's born: David Bowie, Stephen Hawking, Elvis Presley.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7378698587417603}
{"content": "Desdemona quotes othello jealousy essay\n\nJealousy is one of the strongest emotions and it can come easily when a person feels like they deserve better, as Iago does, or when they are too possessive over another person, as Othello is over Desdemona. Jealousy is a major theme in Othello and it is what drives Othello to commit his heinous deed of killing Desdemona.\n\nOthello claims to be a man who\" loved not wisely, but too well; of one not easily jealous\" (V. ii. 347). Iago then manages to spread his jealousy to his impending victims, such as Othello; as the subject of his jealousy is partly the sheer beauty of Desdemona. In the plot of Othello, the most devious and perfect example of a human incarnation of the greeneyed monster is Iago.\n\nEverything you ever wanted to know about the quotes talking about Jealousy in Othello, written by does Iago say all of this in order to manipulate Roderigo? (Roderigo, as we soon learn, is completely envious of Othello for marrying Desdemona. ) Act 1, Scene 1 Summary Iago plans to plant the seeds of jealousy in Othello. What's Quote: \" O, beware, my lord of jealousy; It is the greeney'd monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on. \" (Act III, Scene 3).\n\n(Act III, Scene 3). Analysis: The ironic thing about Iago's advice to Othello is its soundness. Write an essay about the ways Othello seems to experience jealousy over the course of the play. Explain whether you think his relationship to jealousy In Act II of Shakespeares, \" Othello, \" Iago deals with the roots of jealousy.\n\nHe conspires to use Othellos good nature against him, to make Cassio lieutenant. Iago destroys Cassios reputation for his own greed. He uses anybody he can to carry out his jealous revenge scheme on Othello, including his own wife, and exlieutenant. After Iago plants the seeds of jealousy in Othello's mind, Othello complains of having a headache, which is a big, big clue that Othello thinks Desdemona's been unfaithful.\n\nIn sixteenth century literature (Shakespeare's especially), any time a man has a headache or there's some kind of reference to a man having horns growing out of his head, we Jealousy in Othello Shakespeares Othello is a play consistently based on jealously and the way it can destroy lives. One is quick to think this jealously is based on Othellos lack of belief in Desdemonas faithfulness to him or his suspensions over Desdemonas affair with Cassio, Othellos honorable lieutenant.\n\nJealousy in Othello. In the play Othello by Shakespeare, jealousy is the main theme that is explained in detail using the main characters Iago and Othello. Shakespeares focus is to show how jealousy is destructive in the play. Jealousy perverts the lives of the characters in the play. Othello's Jealousy in William Shakespeare's Othello Essay Othello's Jealousy in William Shakespeare's Othello In Shakespeare's Othello we are introduced into a web of a world entangled with lies, jealousy, and ultimately tragedy.\n\nShakespeare's Othello and Uncontrolled Jealousy Essay 1858 Words 8 Pages. Othello and Uncontrolled Jealousy Dominating the protagonist in William Shakespeares tragedy Othello is the passion of sexual jealousy. Dominating the antagonist is another type of jealousy toward Cassio, and hatred toward the general.\n\nOthello, who for all intents and purposes, is essentially a brave and valiant soldier, who can be seen as predominantly good. He has a role of massive importance, in the army, being a General, however, he is clearly masked by some major flaws, evident in the jealousy, distrust and insecurity that he feels towards his wife, Desdemona.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9982628226280212}
{"content": "Esther Pt.1 - Straight Outta Persia\n\nEsther Pt.1 - Straight Outta Persia\n\nESTHER 1:1-22\n\nREAD the Blog Post on Esther Chapter One - HERE\n\nQUESTION 1: Who do you have the most respect for? How did they gain your respect?\n\nQUESTION 2: What do you find most shocking (or impressive) about Xerxes’ party?\n\nQUESTION 3: The excessive consumption of alcohol at this party leads to poor decision-making. What are your views on alcohol consumption among Christians? Explore these passages to form a Biblical opinion on the issue:\n\nQUESTION 4: Was Xerxes within his rights to demand that his wife come out to him in a manner she may have considered beneath her position as queen? Why? (Feel free to argue that he was a chauvinistic pig).\n\nQUESTION 5:  What was his true motive in making this request?\n\nQUESTION 6: Vashti is clearly an impressive woman. In real life scenarios, are you more like her or do you tend to compromise your values when the pressure/temptation is great? Can you think of a time when you’ve been in her shoes?\n\nQUESTION 7: Write out a prayer stating what kind of conviction you want God to develop in you? (More courage? Passion? Mental strength? Compassion? Etc.)\n\nQUESTION 8:  Why was queen Vashti’s refusal to come out such a threat to the counsel of “wise men” (and to all the men in the kingdom)?\n\nQUESTION 9: Who do you usually turn to for counsel? Do they have a track record of giving godly wise advice or have you had to dig yourself out of a few holes from following their counsel? (It’s helpful to evaluate these things).\n\nQUESTION 10:  Based on Esther 1:16-22, what are your thoughts on the state of marital affairs in the Persian kingdom?\n\nQUESTION 11: Vashti’s dethroning would result in an open door for Esther to become queen. Has there been a time in your life when God caused something awful to work together for your good and His glory? \n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9985276460647583}
{"content": "Katie’s Wind\n\nKatie's Wind by Jordyn MerylNot your average older woman, Katie Collins, newly widowed, embarks on her life as a librarian at a high school, of kids, books and adjusting to being alone. What she did not expect is the entrance into her life of a 25-year-old handsome young man who makes her want the passionate desires he stirs in her.\nA sensible young man Enrique Alvarez is planning a future of getting his Masters, a career, marriage, kids. Smart enough to realize things happen, he tries always to be prepare. What he is not prepared for is the entrance of a woman into his life making him question the course he felt was clearly established.\nA second chance at love, Katie’s Wind is about the stages in our life dictating the choices we make. Sometimes there are sacrifices made because love encounters barriers that force it to change directions.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9802290797233582}
{"content": "[Book Review] And The Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness\n\nAnd The Ocean Was Our Sky is a novel by Patrick Ness with illustrations by Rovina Cai and tells the tale of Bathsheba as her and her hunting pod hunt down the devil himself, Toby Wick.\n\nThe novel itself is an interesting insight into the mind of a whale as they travel throughout the ocean, and how they view the humans. On a deeper level, this novel discusses the ideas of life, humans and purpose.\n\nGiving oneself purpose is a theme that runs throughout the novel, and how our actions define us. From believing in prophecies, to how we conduct ourselves. Bathsheba and Demitrius consistently question each other on their moral standpoint, one from a whale, and one from a human. It’s deeper meaning of understanding the people and things that you do not understand shines through, and how getting to know someone will help you to understand the other person. It is a necessary topic in the current world that we live in.\n\nOur main character is Bathsheba, and Bathsheba is a complicated one. One destined for the life of a hunter, but is one that questions the idea of being a hunter, and what makes someone a devil, or evil.\n\nPatrick Ness has always had a way with words, and whilst I did enjoy this novel, I personally didn’t enjoy it as much as his others. It is still a great read regardless.\n\n[Book Review] The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa\n\nThe Travelling Cat Chronicles written originally in Japanese, and translated by Philip Gabriel follows the adventure of Nana the cat, who was a stray, but was rescued by Satoru. It’s a story of loyalty and friendship as the two travel Japan as Satoru looked for a new owner for Nana.\n\nThe novel, despite its short length, accomplishes a lot. Philip Gabriel’s translation is detailed and filled with beautiful descriptions, and highlights Nana’s personality really well.\n\nI hadn’t realised when I bought the book that it would be told from the perspective of Nana the cat, but I loved Nana’s narration. Sweet and sarcastic, Nana is a credible cat. I often thought of whether this would be like what my cat thinks.\n\nSatoru is a charming and caring owner, perhaps a little too perfect, but this is what the story needed. Satoru was loving, was happy despite everything that was thrown at him.\n\nPersonally, I loved the book. I was a novel I felt really emotionally attached to, and shed quite a few (read: a lot) of tears at the end.\n\nI would definitely recommend this book to anyone, but be warned! Bring the tissues, because you will cry!\n\n[Book Review] That’s Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger\n\nThat’s Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger follows Lee Bauer, a school shooting survivor as she embarks on telling the truth of what happened that day, and how one story overtook the others, but it’s not true.\n\nThe story follows Lee as she gathers letters from the other five survivors so that they can share their experiences of the day, and discusses the aftermath of the shooting for the victims three years on.\n\nInitially, I read this book as kind of a challenge to myself. It’s not typically a book I would pick up and read, despite it’s interesting premise. So, I challenged myself to read it, and to see if I would enjoy it.\n\nThe book won. It was actually very interesting and raised so many interesting points in how one narrative can be spread, and trying to raise awareness of the truth. It also deals a lot with the idea of perception, and how the image we see of one person is not the actual representation of the person at all.\n\nDespite my initial hesitance, Lee was probably the character I could relate to the most of all of them, as she was Asexual, like myself. It was actually really nice to see asexuality represented in a book, as I don’t come across it very often in my own reading. So, I was surprised and happy that this was included.\n\nThe writing style is neat and simple, which at first was a bit of a setback for me, as I found the writing was a little bit ‘I got up and got dressed. I wore skinny jeans.’ But once you really got into the story, the author really grips you and you find it hard to put the novel down.\n\nAll in all, this was a winner for me. A pleasant surprise, and handled a really dark subject well. It hid nothing, and really put forward that what these characters, is not just something they get over. It’s something they deal with three years on, and will carry on to deal with the rest of their lives.\n\nI would definitely recommend this novel, even with my hesitance, I ended up really enjoying the read, and learning a lot!\n\n[Book Review] 1984 by George Orwell\n\n1984 is thought provoking. A book that gets under your skin and truly makes you think.\n\nWhat would you do in a time where the past is flexible, your thoughts altered, and no freedom?\n\nWinston works for the Party, he rewrites facts as he is instructed, but he is curious. He remembers things from the past, and he knows that history is not true. He meets a young lady called Julia, and together they embark on a relationship that defies the Party. Perhaps one of the more interesting parts is where they know of the consequences they face, but they are willing to face them. They will take responsibility for their actions, despite knowing what the punishment will be.\n\nWriting a review of this book is hard, as it is such a mammoth book of things to unpack. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, but it was also terrifying. Orwell’s writing was ahead of his time, but the future he envisioned was terrifying. It poses the question of how much do we know is true, how much is the information we are being given only what we are told to hear. Is there ever truly any truth in what we are told.\n\nIn the current climate, his writing resonates, and this is what makes this novel so successful. Orwell’s writing is crisp, clear and insightful.\n\nIt is definitely a book I would recommend. It is a must read in the world we currently live in.\n\n[Book Review] The Shining by Stephen King\n\nthe shining\n\nStephen King is a novelist known worldwide, but The Shining was my first real introduction to his writing.\n\nFollowing the story of Jack, Wendy and Danny, The Shining takes place at the Overlook hotel, where Jack finds a job as the winter caretaker.\n\nFollowing their arrival at the Overlook, strange events begin to take place, there’s a lady in the bathtub, a mysterious ballroom party taking place at night, the elevator operates by itself.\n\nThe novel certainly promises anticipation in all the right places.\n\nWhat was most surprising for me, as someone who had previously seen the film but not read the book was the more psychological element of the novel. The novel deals heavily with alcoholism, going in depth with Jack’s struggle, his guilt over hitting Danny fighting against his desire to just drink one more time. I found this perhaps one of the best parts of the novel, watching Jack sink into madness as the ghosts of the Overlook finally took over and he caved into drinking.\n\nOverall, I thought the novel was good, it built anticipation in all the right places and dealt with a lot of issues throughout the course of the novel. Stephen King left no stone untouched, and I did not leave the novel thinking that I’d wished something had been tied up.\n\nInitially, I had expected to be terrified out of my mind, but that did not happen. There were a few moment where I got anxious, particularly the scene with Danny and the fire extinguisher at the beginning. But, it was not the terrified I had been expecting. I find that I did not mind that so much, as I had a lot of enjoyment out of other sections of the novel.\n\n[Book Review] The Meat Tree by Gwyneth Lewis\n\nthe meat tree\n\nThe Meat Tree by Gwyneth Lewis is part of Seren Books’ New Stories of the Mabinogion, which is a series of adaptations of the Mabinogi, a Welsh myth.\n\nFollowing the Fourth Branch of the myth, Gwyneth Lewis places her novel in the future, as an Inspector and an Apprentice search a seemingly abandoned earth ship in outer space. On this ship, they discover a VR headset and they discover the tale of the Fourth Branch.\n\nThis novel is interesting in the way it’s written and the handling of the myth. Written almost like a stage play, the characters of the novel describe what they see and the conversations around them as they log their adventure onboard the space ship.\n\nLewis uses the myth to her advantage, and as the characters go further into the VR game, they make discoveries about themselves, and the people who were once aboard the ship.\n\nGwyneth Lewis really drags in the reader, and makes for excellent reading. It’s exciting, and keeps you going as you try to discover who the mastermind of the VR game is. The novel also tackles themes of feminism, the roles of man and woman, and social hierarchy.\n\nI would definitely recommend this novel, it’s a brilliant introduction to the Mabinogi and a lovely novel in it’s own right.\n\n[Book Review] The Owl Service by Alan Garner\n\nthe owl service\n\nThe Owl Service by Alan Garner is an modern day ghost story. The novel follows three children as they discover a dinner service found in an attic and unravels a story as ancient as the mountains about revenge.\n\nTaking elements from the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi, Alan Garner weaves a tale of these children as they learn more about their place in the Welsh country side, where they belong and the history of the Valleys.\n\nThe novel is interesting in its uses of the Fourth Branch. Garner takes the Fourth Branch, and uses it’s to its own advantage. I wrote ghost story earlier, and that remains to be true, but it is not a ghost story in the typical fashion, it’s a ghost story in the way that the past comes back to haunt you. Starting from the dinner service, to the murals, to the owls, Garner weaves a tale that not only captures the myth, but also reinvents the myth.\n\nThe novels light writing style allows for a quick read, but delivers in Garners vast knowledge of the myth and the Welsh countryside. It is an exciting story from beginning to end, and despite having read the Mabinogi since childhood, I was still left guessing as to what the conclusion to the novel was going to be.\n\nI enjoyed reading this book, it’s an exciting take on an old story.\n\nHave you read The Owl Service? What did you think? Let me know in the comments!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9730899333953857}
{"content": "Home Dogs Is Your Dog Eating Poop? It’s Called Coprophagia and Here’s How to...\n\nIs Your Dog Eating Poop? It’s Called Coprophagia and Here’s How to Fix It\n\nA spotted dog pooping in the woods.\n\nIs your dog eating poop? Well, there’s a scientific name for it — coprophagia. I first noticed something was amiss when Mischief, my youngest dog, didn’t come in after her last potty break of the night. When I called her, she took a couple quick, habitual steps in my direction, then darted back to swallow something in the snow before running in. My suspicions about her out-of-character behavior were confirmed at 3 a.m., when she woke me out of a sound sleep by vomiting up three large puddles of … poop.\n\nI’ll spare you the details of my early morning clean-up, other than to say that I left a window cracked for a couple hours, heating bills be damned. Instead, let’s skip over that awful night and speak of more constructive things. Namely: Why do dogs eat poop, and how can we stop coprophagia in its tracks?\n\nFirst, why do dogs eat poop?\n\nGirl picking up after her dog on a walk.\n\nWhy in the world do dogs eat their poop and what can you do to stop it? Photography by ©LeoPatrizi | Getty Images.\n\n\nAll that said, coprophagia is not a behavior most of us will tolerate in our companion dogs. There are some health risks to coprophagia, such as an increased risk of parasites (some of which are zoonotic, which means that people can get them, too). If your dog has allergies, as one of mine does, the undigested remnants of allergens in the poop of animals fed certain diets can trigger an allergic reaction.\n\n\nHow to stop coprophagia\n\nThe more your dog practices any behavior, be it coprophagia or sitting politely to greet guests, the better the dog gets at that behavior. This means that if your dog eats poop and you want him to stop, preventing him from “practicing” that poop-eating behavior is of vital importance. There are several ways to do this.\n\n  1. One of the first things I did was to thoroughly clean my yard. This was difficult, as nearly a foot of freshly fallen snow meant it was difficult for me to find old piles, but easy for Mischief with her talented canine sense of smell. I resolved to pick up each new pile as soon as it happened.\n  2. Since there were still likely to be some dog poop hidden under the fresh snow, I also needed a way to prevent Mischief from gobbling up anything new she found. For this purpose, I conditioned her to happily wear a muzzle.\n\n\nTraining your dog not to eat poop\n\n\n\n\n\nThe final word on coprophagia\n\n\nIf you need little extra help solving a tough coprophagia problem with your dog, don’t be afraid to call in an expert. I frequently help families with this issue through private consultations.\n\nTell us: Is your dog eating poop? Share your tips and stories about coprophagia in the comments!\n\nThis piece was originally published in 2013.\n\nThumbnail: Photography by WilleeCole Photography / Shutterstock.\n\nRead more about dog poop on Dogster.com:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6059850454330444}
{"content": "When you feel too much….\n\nSometimes the things you do are good, sometimes they are bad, while other times they are obscene. No matter what your actions or words are they always have the effect on those around you. Whether you see it or not, it’s still there. The damage is done at each word, at each pause, it sinks in more and continues it’s damage even after you are no longer present. As the path of the hurricane leaves havoc in its wake so do you so others may know where you have been.\nIt’s your fault, but it’s not your fault, as I’m beginning to understand. I may have a hard time believing that to be the truth but that doesn’t make it any less real to you. Things that others take for granted don’t even occur to you, nor seem like a good idea. Things that don’t even occur to others seem like God’s gift to you. It’s hard to accept this behavior from even a stranger let alone someone that was so close. Things I can’t even fathom happen every day whilst being normal & nothing to be ashamed of. No regrets.\nThe changes and emotions that must be experienced, have to drive a person crazy. I can only hope it doesn’t entirely seem normal to you while experiencing the moment, though, actions would prove that not to be the case. While people normally don’t control themselves very well, add more severe problems on and see what happens. I’m now aware of the results of this and I can feel nothing but regret for not understanding sooner and compassion for the unfair situation that has been dealt. How easy it is to feed directly into the bad, craft it into something so unimaginable, make it the next level of unacceptable.\nWhen the emotions are so much and they come crashing over you like the weight whole of the ocean seeking to drown you. Everything is out to get you, it seems the Karma has a special target sought after relentlessly day and night. It seems that everyone is talking about you and mutterings behind your back when in reality they don’t know you exist. Going to the shop and feeling the walls closing in just heightens the feelings as you start sweating, heart racing almost to explode. The progress seems to go one step forward and five back, others comment how it gets worse. But, progress to me, is to continue living. To make the demons quiet for only moments before they start digging back in, the simplest things help or hurt instantly.\n\n\nWhen. When will it become easier? When will functioning “normal” actually become real? When will simple tasks and events in life become something I’m capable of…", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8055280447006226}
{"content": "Sign Up\nLog in\n\nRabbi Laibl Wolf\n\nRabbi Laibl Wolf\nFor the past 32 years Rabbi Laibl Wolf has been a spiritual mentor and a worldwide teacher of the mystical side of Judaism. Laibl is a master of, and draws his teachings from, the 4,000-year-old, esoteric and encrypted texts of the Kabbalah which provides a guide to the mysteries of cosmic and human consciousness and which is the source for much of the \"new age\" wisdom that we are familiar with today.\nAlthough based on the Kabbalah, Laibl's philosophies are modern and progressive, and facilitate the growth of one's inner spirit in a technologically driven society. Although an Orthodox Hassidic Rabbi, his teachings are universal, open to people of all backgrounds and spiritual orientations.\nLaibl's teachings focus on personal growth and emotional mastery. He uses the wisdom contained in the Kabalistic texts to reveal the inner workings of the mind-emotion balance. While spiritually based, Laibl's teachings are highly pragmatic. Laibl has translated the complicated Kabbalistic insights into a practical system of application to the minutiae of everyday life. He is able to help people discover the motivation behind their thoughts and emotions, which enables them to understand their behavioral patterns. To this end, Laibl has developed the original system of \"Behavioral Kabbalah\". which transmutes the ancient mystical teachings into a pathway of personal fulfillment. His teachings bring his audience to deeper levels of spiritual enlightenment. He has called his approach MindYoga®.\nAddressing groups as divergent as the American Psychological Association, the Fortune 500 convention, and Buddhist monks, he is often the keynote speaker at worldwide conferences such as the recent \"Argentinean Economy and Psycho/Spiritual Solutions\" in Argentina. As Laibl is attuned to the similarities between Eastern spirituality and Kabbalist teachings, he has met with many leaders of other spiritual communities including an extensive two hour private session with the Dalai Lama. Melbourne University has appointed Rabbi Wolf as its founding lecturer in Jewish Mysticism and Spirituality.\nLaibl has written and produced a highly regarded series of meditation and self-mastery audiovisual materials, which are sold internationally, and is the author of the best selling book, Practical Kabbalah (Three Rivers Press® of Random House, Inc., 1999). He has lectured in over 350 cities across the globe, and is a sought after speaker, conducting retreats, seminars, master classes and training programs continually throughout the world. Through his meditation techniques and MindYoga® approach, Laibl's audiences are able to master their emotions and empower their lives.\nThe son of Polish Holocaust survivors, Laibl is also a lawyer and educational psychologist, specializing in teenage rebellion. He is the Founder and Director of the Human Development Institute, a foundation dedicated to the progress of humankind through insight and personal mastery. He received his rabbinic ordination from the Chief Rabbi of Israel, and has studied under great Hassidic masters, his foremost mentor being the revered Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson who was known globally for the passionate wisdom he bestowed on humankind. Rabbi Wolf lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife, Leah, and the younger two of their seven children.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.97829270362854}
{"content": "Journal article\n\n12 Feb 2018\n\nThe ability of the civil service to act as a reservoir of institutional memory is central to the pragmatic task of governing. But there is a growing body of scholarship that suggests the bureaucracy is failing at this core task. In this article, we distinguish...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8681254982948303}
{"content": "What does symbol/o mean\n\n\nThe millage rate is the amount per $1,000 used to calculate taxes on property. Millage rates are most often found in personal property taxes, where the expressed millage rate is multiplied by the total taxable value of the property to arrive at the property taxes due. Millage rates are also used by school boards to calculate local school taxes to be collected based on a derivation of the total property value within school district boundaries. BREAKING DOWN 'Millage Rate' The term is derived from the root word mill, which means \"thousand.\" Millage rates are often expressed mathematically with the symbol %o, as in 1%o, which is one part per thousand, or %. Millage rates for individual properties are usually found on the property deed itself. Frequently, these taxes are labeled in \"mills,\" with one mill representing $1 in tax per $1,000 in tax-assessed value.\n\nWhat does symbol/o mean\n\nwhat does symbol/o mean\n\n\nwhat does symbol/o meanwhat does symbol/o meanwhat does symbol/o meanwhat does symbol/o meanwhat does symbol/o mean", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9859545230865479}
{"content": "Easiest World Today Quiz\n\n\n1 - There are two big parties in German politics, one is Conservative, the other is...\n\n2 - What former colonial power ruled Indonesia?\n\n\n4 - In which city did the first big anti-globalisation manifestations take place?\n\n5 - Of the following countries, which are members of the NAFTA?\n\n6 - Which country successfuly managed to place a man in orbit around the Earth recently, thus becoming the third nation with manned space capabilities?\n\n7 - Which State's votes finally decided the 2000 US Presidential election?\n\n8 - In which country was Osama bin Laden killed ?\n\n9 - Which of these countries does not have German as an official language?\n\n10 - Which US president was the first to visit the People's Republic of China?\n\n11 - Which of the following countries does not have a monarch as head of state?\n\n12 - Indonesia is predominantly:\n\n13 - Who was the first black president of South Africa?\n\n14 - What is the OPEC?\n\n15 - What is the name of the first black South African President?\n\n16 - From which language does Afrikaans, the original language of the white South-Africans, come?\n\n17 - What colonial power lost control of modern-day Vietnam in a bloody war prior to the Vietnam war?\n\n18 - Which two EU members have deficits breaching the Stability Pact, as of November 2003?\n\n19 - east berlin was controlled by which country\n\n20 - In what city is the European Commission installed?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000098943710327}
{"content": "Bharatham is a union of States, A balanced growth in all States is essential to overall development of a Strong Bharatham !\n\n\n\n\n\nRef : Prime Minister wish to lead and develop Bharatham a world No.1. Nation, this dream cannot be possible until unless  states become strong and developed!\n\nAll Members,\n\nRespected family members of this great holy Nation.\n\nFederalism in Indian Constitution : -\n\nArt. I of the Indian constitution calls “India that is Bharat” “a union of states.” The term federation is absent in this description.\n\n1. Federalism :-\n\nFederalism is a system of government in which the power is divided between a central authority and various constituent units of the country. Usually, a federation has two levels of government. One is the government for the entire country that is usually responsible for a few subjects of common national interest. The others are governments at the level of provinces or states that look after much of the day-to-day administering of their state. Both these levels of governments enjoy their power independent of the other.\n\n2. The Indian Federation :-\n\nThe word ‘federation’ has not been used in the constitution of India, but the Indian Union was formed on the basis of federalism.\n\nThe Constitution originally provided for a two-tier system of government. The Union Government or Central Government represents the Union of India and the State governments represent the provinces. Later, a third tier was added in the federation; with the formation of Panchayats and Municipalities.\n\n3. Key Features of Federalism :-\n\n\nDifferent tiers of government govern the same citizens, but each tier has its own jurisdiction in specific matters of legislation, taxation and administration.\nThe jurisdictions of the respective levels or tiers of government are specified in the constitution. So the existence and authority of each tier of government is constitutionally guaranteed.\n\nThe fundamental provisions of the constitution cannot be unilaterally changed by one level of government. Such changes require the consent of both the levels of government.\n\nCourts have the power to interpret the constitution and the powers of different levels of government. The highest court acts as an umpire if disputes arise between different levels of government in the exercise of their respective powers.\n\nSources of revenue for each level of government are clearly specified to ensure its financial autonomy.\n\nThe federal system thus has dual objectives: to safeguard and promote unity of the country, while at the same time accommodate regional diversity.\n\nTherefore, two aspects are crucial for the institutions and practice of federalism. Governments at different levels should agree to some rules of power sharing. They should also trust that each would abide by its part of the agreement. An ideal federal system has both aspects: mutual trust and agreement to live together.\n\n4. Balance of Power :-\n\nThe exact balance of power between the central and the state government varies from one federation to another. This balance depends mainly on the historical context in which the federation was formed.\n\nThere are two kinds of routes through which federations have been formed; which are as follows:\n\nComing together federations :- This type of federation exists in the USA, Switzerland and Australia. Independent states came together on their own to form a bigger unit so that they could increase their security; while maintaining their sovereignty. In this type of federation, the constituent states have equal power and are stronger vis-à-vis the central government.\n\nHolding together federation :- This type of federation exists in India, Spain, Belgium, etc. In this case, power is shared among various social groups to accommodate a huge diversity. In this type of federation, the central government is more powerful than the state government. Different constituents of the federation may have unequal powers. Some units are granted special powers, e.g. the case of Jammu & Kashmir in India.\n\n5. List of Jurisdiction :-\n\na). Union List: Union List includes subjects of national importance; such as defence of the country, foreign affairs, banking, communications and currency. They are included in this list because we need a uniform policy on these matters throughout the country. The Union Government alone can make laws relating to the subjects mentioned in the Union List.\n\nb). State List :- State List contains subjects of State and local importance such as police, trade, commerce, agriculture and irrigation. The State Governments alone can make laws relating to the subjects mentioned in the State List.\n\n\nd. Residuary List :- Anything out of purview of above mentioned list is taken as residuary subject. Union Government has the power to legislate on these subjects.\n\ne). Special Status :- Jammu and Kashmir has its own Constitution. Many provisions of the Indian Constitution are not applicable to this State without the approval of the State Assembly. Indians who are not permanent residents of this State cannot buy land or house here. Similar special provisions exist for some other States of India as well.\n\nf). Union Territories :- There are some units of the Indian Union which enjoy very little power. These are areas which are too small to become an independent State but which could not be merged with any of the existing States. These areas, like Chandigarh, or Lakshadweep or the capital city of Delhi, are called Union Territories. These territories do not have the powers of a State. The Central Government has special powers in running these areas.\n\ng). This sharing of power between the Union Government and the State governments is basic to the structure of the Constitution. It is not easy to make changes to this power sharing arrangement. The Parliament cannot on its own change this arrangement. Any change to it has to be first passed by both the Houses of Parliament with at least two-thirds majority. Then it has to be ratified by the legislatures of at least half of the total States.\n\n6. Reasons for Success of Federalism in India : -\n\na). Linguistic States: The creation of Linguistic States was the first and a major test for democratic politics in our country. This was done to ensure that people who spoke the same language lived in the same State. Some States were created not on the basis of language but to recognise the differences based on culture, ethnicity or geography, e.g. Nagaland, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand.\n\nb). Language policy: A second test for Indian federation is the language policy. Our Constitution did not give the status of national language to any one language. Hindi was identified as the official language. But Hindi is the mother tongue of only about 40 per cent of Indians. Therefore, there were many safeguards to protect other languages. Besides Hindi, there are 21 other languages recognised as Scheduled Languages by the Constitution. Hindi was not imposed on non-Hindi areas for most of the period after the independence.\n\nc). Centre-State relations: Restructuring the Centre-State relations is one more way in which federalism has been strengthened in practice.\n\n7. Situation during Congress Monopoly :-\n\nFor a major period; after independence; same party was in power in both centre and states in most parts of the country. Those were the days of Congress monopoly in India. In those days, the central government often undermined the rights of the state governments. Many states were brought under President’s rule at slight pretext of assertiveness from the state government.\n\n8. Situation in the Era of Coalition Government :-\n\nAfter 1989, the pattern has shifted to multi-party coalition government at the centre. As a result a new culture of power sharing and respect for the autonomy of State Governments has developed. It can be said that now the federalism is more developed in India.\n\n9. Linguistic diversity of India : -\n\nAs per the latest Census Report, 1991 of India held in 1991 there are 1500 distinct languages. These languages were grouped together under some major languages. For example languages like Bhojpuri, Magadhi, Bundelkhandi, Chhattisgarhi, Rajasthani, Bhil and many others were grouped together under ‘Hindi’. Even after this grouping, the Census found 114 major languages. Of these 22 languages are now included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution and are therefore called ‘Scheduled Languages’. Others are called ‘non- Scheduled Languages’. In terms of languages, India is perhaps the most diverse country in the world.\n\n10. Decentralisation in India : -\n\nA vast country like India cannot be run only through two-tiers of government as discussed above. Some of the Indian states are bigger than independent countries of Europe. The population of Uttar Pradesh is more than that of Russia. These states are internally very diverse in terms of variety of dialects, eating habits and culture.\n\nHence, a need for creating a third tier of government was always being felt. There are many local issues which can only be solved by a local governing body. It is also possible to ensure direct participation of people in such a governing body.\n\nA major step towards decentralisation was taken in 1992. The Constitution was amended to make the third-tier of democracy more powerful and effective. The local governing bodies were given constitutional status.\n\nNow it is constitutionally mandatory to hold regular elections to local government bodies.\n\nSeats are reserved in the elected bodies and the executive heads of these institutions for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.\n\nAt least one-third of all positions are reserved for women.\n\nAn independent institution called the State Election Commission has been created in each State to conduct panchayat and municipal elections.\n\nThe State governments are required to share some powers and revenue with local government bodies. The nature of sharing varies from State to State. Rural local government is popularly known by the name panchayati raj.\n\nEach village, or a group of villages in some States, has a gram panchayat. This is a council consisting of several ward members, often called panch. The president of the panchayat is called sarpanch.\n\nMembers of a panchayat are directly elected by the all the adults who are living in the panchayat.\n\nThe local government structure goes right up to the district level. A few gram panchayats are grouped together to form what is usually called a panchayat samiti or block or mandal. The members of this representative body are elected by all the panchayat members in that area. All the panchayat samitis or mandals in a district together constitute the zilla (district) parishad. Most members of the zilla parishad are elected. Members of the Lok Sabha and MLAs of that district and some other officials of other district level bodies are also its members. Zilla parishad chairperson is the political head of the zilla parishad.\n\nSimilarly, local government bodies exist for urban areas as well. Municipalities are set up in towns. Big cities are constituted into municipal corporations. Both municipalities and municipal corporations are controlled by elected bodies consisting of people’s representatives. Municipal chairperson is the political head of the municipality. In a municipal corporation such an officer is called the mayor.\n\n\n1. Uniform and simultaneous balanced developments programmes,\n\n2. Dedicated following  of  centre instructions, by all  states,\n\n3. Greater cooperation in centre and state relations,\n\n4. On the whole Prime minister alone cannot implement,\n\n5. States should take up the cause and  effect by outstanding  implementation  of  all  programmes, to make Bharatham Smart.\n\nMy viewpoints :-\n\n1. At present states are lethargic, very slow in actions,\n\n2. All  states play politics, and manipulate politically, to dump the programmes in waste bin.\n\n3. States always look the center politically  as big enemy, and try to defeat the aim itself, which is the self goal, and the states not aware, because of ignorance,\n\n4. Politics should not be mixed, as the Congress, Communists, and all  regional parties do,\n\n5. Mainly leaders like, Sonia, Rahul, Kejriwal, Mamata, Yechury, Lalu, Mulayam, Jayalalitha, and all  other  matchstick party heads, block  all important decisions, to defeat the centre politically, and say something contradicting things to the public.\n\n\n7. PM put maximum efforts to be friendly  and cooperating  mood  with  the  states,\n\n8. But somehow, this so called opposing  mentality, do not sense the PM good intention,\n\n9. This will  be the self goal, and stop this nonsense.\n\n10. Today 67th republic day, keeping aside  all physical rituals of the  celebration, sincerely build up our federalism stronger,\n\nbecause   “India that is Bharat” “a union of states.”\n\n\nThank you for reading\n\n\nNext with another topic.\n\n\nPopular posts from this blog\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9782929420471191}
{"content": "The Architecture of Electricity is Evolving: What does this mean for investors?\n\nWe have talked about how technology is disrupting the power industry through distributed generation and in this article we’ll explore how advances in technology are creating profitable opportunities to invest in energy storage and how the smart grid will change the power industry as we know it.\n\nEnergy storage is a set of technologies capable of storing previously generated electricity and releasing that energy at a later time. This is useful for a number of reasons:\n\n  • A disruption in one section of the grid would affect a smaller portion of users and an alternative supply source would be available to limit power interruptions.\n  • Renewable energy such as solar and wind could be stored for later use, providing backup support in the event of a power failure and helping to optimize transmission and distribution systems. In addition, stored energy would help stabilize throughput, keeping the grid efficient through both peak and off-peak periods, (see chart below).\n\nKensington believes there are profitable investment opportunities developing in energy storage and will continue to look at opportunities in this developing area.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSource: Alberta Electric System Operator, (March 16, 2015)\n\nSmart electricity grids are also changing the power industry in that they are more stable, increase efficiency and will allow machine-to-machine communication. Similar communication already exists on a smaller scale, but smart grids would connect more devices, allowing a more effective integration of transmission and distribution systems.\n\nDistributed generation, a more decentralized model, is one method whose value increases immensely with machine-to-machine communication. The concept envisions much of the grid’s power generation capacity as smaller in scale but located closer to consumption centres.\n\n\nAs technology continues to disrupt the power industry, Kensington is seeing more opportunities for investors to get involved in a stable and growing industry that is becoming more and more reliant on private sector investments.\n\nAs the smart electricity grids become a reality and energy storage becomes profitable, Kensington will be at the forefront of smart alternative opportunities.\n\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9966028332710266}
{"content": "UNSC and sanctions: A balanced role ( GS paper 2 ,Gateway House )\n\nThe sanctions against Iran impacted the country’s oil, banking, aviation, and other sectors, and had a major humanitarian impact. But neither is armed attack a more suitable method in most instances to address allegedly recalcitrant states. What then is the middle ground? And can the UNSC assume a more proactive role in this context?\nThe E3 +3 countries[1] and Iran, on 14 June 2015, powered through the diplomatic impasse on Iran’s nuclear programme and signed the landmark Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The JCPOA allows Iran to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes in accordance with the Non-Proliferation Treaty, while curtailing its ability to develop nuclear weapons.\nThe JCPOA covered only sanctions imposed by UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. But the European Union and the U.S. had also imposed unilateral sanctions against Iran. In the spirit of the JCPOA, these too are being dismantled.\nSanctions have become an important tool of state diplomacy in the post-Cold War era. Though considered a relatively passive way of dealing with recalcitrant states, sanctions can have devastating consequences for the local population, on a scale similar to an armed attack. On the other hand, countries must indeed be able to take pre-emptive measures against modern military technology. What, then, is the middle ground that can protect the citizens of both sides?\nThe sanctions against Iran were debilitating, and impacted the country’s nuclear energy, oil and petroleum, banking, finance, aviation, and other sectors. The U.S. sanctions were the most far-reaching, including penalties on foreign companies that invested more than $20 million[2] in Iran’s petroleum sector; Iran’s state-owned or state-affiliated banks were prevented from using the U.S.’s financial system even indirectly, limiting the amount of funds that could be remitted or transferred to and by Iranian entities. The sanctions even included restrictions on the business that certain non-U.S. companies could have with Iran.\nThe sanctions purportedly targeted the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps. The Guards rose to prominence after the 1979 revolution to protect Iran from internal and external enemies and eventually positioned themselves at the helm of major industries, including Iran’s nuclear programme. But this removed all industry competition, and introduced Guards-dominated monopolies, market distortion, and higher prices at the expense of consumers.\nSince sanctions were imposed, low growth, high unemployment, 20% inflation[3], widening income inequality, energy shortages, and a falling stock market have characterised the Iranian economy.\nThe humanitarian impact of sanctions was evident in Iraq too in the 1990s: a lack of basic goods and services, over 1 million malnourished children, and a 70% prevalence of anaemia among women[4]. Similarly, in 2013, 50% of the Iranians surveyed by Gallup reported that within the preceding 12 months they could not afford food, shelter, or housing; 34% said that their standard of living had deteriorated[5]. Life-saving western medication became unavailable and locally produced medication became expensive.\nWhen Israel attacked Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor in 1981 to arrest Iraq’s nuclear capability, 11 people were killed[6]. The UNSC condemned this attack. However, despite having a larger humanitarian impact, the sanctions against Iran have not been condemned, even though they were applied for the same reason as the attack on Osirak: to deter the development of nuclear weapons.\nSanctions were imposed against Iran despite a lack of concrete evidence. Iran has consistently denied developing a nuclear bomb. The International Atomic Energy Agency, after years of investigation, did not have evidence of an Iranian nuclear bomb. But the agency still concluded that it could not be sure there were no undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran.\nThis, however, does not imply that there should be no preventive action at all. “Nuclear hedging” or developing a nuclear weapon that stops just short of actual weaponisation (thereby staying within the confines of international law), is a risk against which pre-emptive action may be required.\nAn equal threat is that the nuclear material may reach terrorist organisations like the Islamic State. Under Muammar Gaddafi, Libya was rumoured to have been developing a nuclear bomb. Given the present situation in Libya, a nuclear arsenal in the hands of any of the warring factions would be catastrophic. In such a context, preventive action, including sanctions, was indeed required.\nUnlike sanctions, under international law force as “self-defence” can only be used if a threat is reasonably perceived to be imminent. Without such a threat, there can be no right to pre-emptive self-defence. Going by these guidelines, no state could have attacked Iran without UN approval, since there was no imminent threat. Sanctions, thus, was the preferred route.\nSeparately, in December 2011, the UN General Assembly reaffirmed on the 1970 Declaration on Friendly Relations, which urges states to refrain from unilateral economic and trade sanctions that are not in accordance with international law or the UN Charter. The Doha Mandate at the 13th UNCTAD session in April 2012 echoed this principle.\nBut then should force be used instead of sanctions? In 2004, a UN High-level Panel of Experts addressed the issue of “not imminent but… real (risks)” like a state “with (an) allegedly hostile intent of nuclear weapons-making capability”[7] and stated that such unilateral pre-emptive self-defence does not exist. However, recognising that in some cases pre-emptive strikes may be needed, the panel said that such action must be sanctioned by the UNSC case-specifically.\nThis is a practical view that can be extended to sanctions as well. As a multistate body, the UN can decide on sanctions in a more balanced manner, since different states are likely to be concerned with different facets of the sanctions. The UNSC has the option of amending sanctions or voting against them, acting as a mediating factor, and helping reach the middle ground.\n\nSource: New feed\n\nPlease follow and like us:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8319399952888489}
{"content": "Chrome’s requestAutocomplete()\n\nAnother Google I/O, and another raft of awesome products. One announced API that I’m particularly excited about is requestAutocomplete(), a feature which is landing in Chrome Canary for Windows and Mobile (with OSX support coming shortly). What this API does, in a nutshell, is give you programatic access to autocomplete (or autofill) data.\n\nAutocomplete was originally designed to make it quicker to fill out forms, but what if we could remove the forms altogether! Back in June I proposed just such an API - a way to programmatically retrieve autofill data stored in the browser. The proposal has evolved, improved, and is now going to be baked into future versions of Chrome.\n\n\nWhat does it look like? Essentially it involves calling requestAutocomplete() on a form element. The form doesn’t necessarily need to be shown to the user, but the browser uses it to detect which input types to autocomplete.\n\n<button id=\"checkout\">Checkout</button>  \n\n<form id=\"payment\" hidden>\n  <input autocomplete=\"cc-name\" name=\"myname\">\n  <input autocomplete=\"cc-number\" name=\"ccnumber\">\n  <input autocomplete=\"cc-exp\" name=\"ccexp\">\n\n    var form = document.getElementById('payment');\n    var button = document.getElementById('checkout');\n\n    if (!(\"requestAutocomplete\" in form)) return;\n\n    button.addEventListener('click', function(){\n\n    form.addEventListener('autocomplete', function(){\n      // The form contains the data. We could either submit it, or read the data\n\nOnce requestAutocomplete() has been called, a permissions info dialog will be displayed by Chrome, prompting the user to share their information with the page.\n\nWhat does this mean in practice? It means that we can replace most forms with two-click signups and two-click payments, dramatically improving usability and conversion rates.\n\nThe fact that most people already have autofill data already in Chrome, and that Chrome is an evergreen browser automatically updating itself, should mean adoption of this API will be swift. Once businesses see improved conversion rate data (something we’re working on demonstrating), then integrating with this API should be a no brainer. My hope is that other browser vendors will follow suit and also implement support.\n\nYou can find the preliminary API docs on chromium.org.\n\n\nNow read this\n\n\nI’ve been working on a project called Monocle these past few weeks, and it’s time to show it to the world. Monocle is an experiment in creating a friendly and intelligent community around sharing quality content with a focus on... Continue →", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9779871106147766}
{"content": "Aamir Khan’s New TV AD Is Going Viral For All The Right Reasons\n\nAamir Khan and director Nitesh Tiwari broke gender stereotype with ‘Dangal,’ which became the highest grosser, entering the 385 crore club. The film encouraged and highlighted women empowerment and has received the positive response from the critics as well as the cine-goers.\n\nWith Women’s Day approaching, the duo has come together once again to lend their support towards strengthening the position of women and celebrating them.\n\nDirected by Nitesh Tiwari, Aamir features in a new Star Plus ad where he subtly communicates the importance of a “Nayi Soch” which puts the spotlight on one of the nation’s biggest social issues of gender inequality and takes it head on.\n\nHe expresses how the credit of the success of his business goes to his daughters who came up with innovative ideas to promote the business.\n\nThe ad has a lasting impression on the minds of the audience and takes them back to ‘Dangal’ The advertisement reemphasizes the line from the film, “Maari chhoriyaan chhoron se kam hai ke?” which had caught everyone’s attention.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.575549840927124}
{"content": "Mokele-Mbembe: Living Dinosaurs of the Congo\n\n13792864_f520Within central Africa is a territory known as Congo Basin, a sprawling tapestry of dense jungles, flowing streams, flooded bogs and vast savannas. Over ten-thousand varieties of tropical plants cover the land, thirty percent of which are unique to this area. Inhabiting these five hundred million acres are a plethora of endangered wildlife including gorillas, elephants and chimpanzees. A total of four-hundred varieties of mammals call the region home. According to many indigenous people there is another elusive species that roams the deep Congo, a creature known as Mokele-mbembe.\n\nIn the Lingala language this name translates to “one who stops the flow of rivers”. Based on eye-witness accounts, the semi-aquatic monster is described as closely resembling a sauropod. It possesses a long snake-like neck which is supported by a round grayish-colored body. They can reach heights of over thirty feet and frequently pluck leaves from tall trees. Some allege there is a spike atop the ancient being’s head. Natives both revere and fear this enigmatic and territorial beast. Some claim Mokele-mbembe is supernatural in nature and should be avoided at all costs.\n\nmap_of_democratic-republic-of-congoWesterners first began catching wind of the unaccounted herbivore over two hundred years ago, a time when dinosaurs remained undiscovered. Explorers who traveled to the distant landmass heard legends from nearby citizens regarding an unidentified forest-dwelling animal. One early account occurred in 1776 when French missionaries discovered huge footprints in a rural location. These tracks were similar to the size of an elephant’s, about three feet in circumference, with long claw-marks present. Each church member was perplexed as to what could have created such bizarre impressions. An escorting priest then shared he previously encountered the source firsthand. According to the man of god, he observed a prehistoric-looking brute feasting on vegetation.\n\nDuring the early nineteen hundreds a German Captain, Ludwig Freiherr von Stein, was visiting the remote district. Trusted Congolese leaders warned von Stein of an enormous reptile that lived nearby. Independent sources all recounted an identical character adding further validity to such grandiose declarations. Despite extensively searching the surrounding wilderness the respected commander was unable to find hard evidence of Mokele-mbembe. Von Stein interviewed many tribesmen and chronicled his findings. In 1959 science writer Willy Ley published this section of von Stein’s report:\n\n“The animal is said to be of a brownish-gray color with a smooth skin, its size is approximately that of an elephant; at least that of a hippopotamus. It is said to have a long and very flexible neck and only one tooth but a very long one; some say it is a horn. A fews18spoke about a long, muscular tail like that of an alligator. Canoes coming near it are said to be doomed; the animal is said to attack the vessels at once and to kill the crews but without eating the bodies.The creature is said to live in the caves that have been washed out by the river in the clay of its shores at sharp bends. It is said to climb the shores even at daytime in search of food; its diet is said to be entirely vegetable. This feature disagrees with a possible explanation as a myth. The preferred plant was shown to me, it is a kind of liana with large white blossoms, with a milky sap and applelike fruits. At the Ssombo River I was shown a path said to have been made by this animal in order to get at its food. The path was fresh and there were plants of the described type nearby. But since there were too many tracks of elephants, hippos, and other large mammals it was impossible to make out a particular spoor with any amount of certainty.”\n\nBy 1932 news of the alleged saurian was spreading throughout Europe and the Americas. One British naturalist toured Likouala in hopes of catching a glimpse of the obscure giant. While traveling by canoe he began hearing intense and frightening sounds. These bellowing roars were completely different from any organism he had previously encountered. Although a lengthy investigation was conducted the thunderous source was never identified and the researcher returned home empty-handed.\n\ncanoe-krabi-landscape-1031798That same year Ivan T. Anderson, famed zoologist and biologist, embarked on a journey to the mysterious land. As he and his endemic friends leisurely paddled down a river they began hearing haunting noises, comparable to loud rumbles produced by an earthquake. Suddenly the water beneath burst into an eruption of bubbles and a gargantuan shape emerged. Anderson said its head alone was the size of a hippopotamus and resembled something that should have gone extinct thousands of centuries ago. His aboriginal companions were familiar with this primitive entity. They informed their traumatized companion that the mythical breed goes by the name Mokele-mbembe.\n\nLess than two decades after this bizarre incident an equally intriguing sighting took place. One warm summer day a group of English soldiers went swimming at Lake Barombi in Northern Cameroon. As the men were cooling off in the picturesque oasis an enormous figure surfaced nearby. Terrified, the troop frantically swam towards land. Once safely on shore they watched in horror as a pair of massive reptiles emerged from the murky abyss. Each possessed scaly skin and long necks with the larger specimen bearing a horn. Observers were utterly perplexed as to what these strange amphibious habitants might be.\n\nmokelerebAnother fascinating case involves a reverend named Eugene Thomas. Since the 1950s he had journeyed to Congo Basin repeatedly on various mission excursions. Over time the clergy built a sincere relationship with local residents. Twenty years into his frequent trips one group of pygmies recounted a disturbing tale. Apparently, not long ago,  abominable reptilian  beasts began to intrude on their territory. Fishing, a vital source of sustenance, became increasingly difficult with creatures’ constant interference. In order to protect themselves they made the decision to erect a spiked fence around their waterside settlement.\n\nSoon after, a rogue vertebrate broke through the defensive barrier. Alarmed tribal members began to throw spears and fatal wounds were inflicted. Dozens of victorious warriors harvested its colossal carcass succeeding the slaying. That night a feast ensued and many men, women and children consumed its meat. Those who ate the flesh quickly perished of a terribly agonizing sickness. Remaining pygmies who had not ingested the tainted fare were horror-stricken and utterly terrified. Following this tragedy, frightened survivors drew the conclusions that Mokele-mbembe was a paranormal spirit. Interestingly, during the early 1980s, remains of a sharpened fence were found surrounding the village.\n\n57c39dba4d22dca525cc4aad3bcfffa2Japanese trailblazers trekked to the exotic continent in 1988. Their goal was to capture footage of the fabled Congo inhabitant. Jose Bourges, a renown environmental official, led the expedition. While filming areal footage over Lake Tele, a videographer noticed something anomalous beneath the plane. He examined the strong wake and attempted to focus on whatever was creating this disturbance. Unfortunately, in his eager and excitable state, the cameraman did not initially remove the lens cap. Ultimately only fifteen-seconds of footage was captured. Viewers of the brief clip are torn: some believe it’s merely an elephant, others feel something entirely different was recorded.\n\nWriter Rory Nugent visited Africa to study the world’s largest swamp. In December of 1985 he spotted a peculiar form moving across the lagoon. Closer inspection revealed it was in fact the legendary critter. Nugent moved his boat to get a better view and watched in fascination while taking several photographs. Before he could get closer look accompanying Congolese guides demanded him to stop at gunpoint. Back at camp they instructed him to destroy all the film which had been shot. Due to superstitious beliefs, locals felt that keeping the pictures would anger Mokele-mbembe and put them in great danger.    \n\nbeautiful-cascade-creek-460621Doctor Roy Mackal, biochemist and evolutionist, dedicated his life to the pursuit of cryptozoology. Mackal was determined to prove the existence of supposed African dinosaurs. Interviews were conducted with tribes throughout multiple nations. These groups had no communication with each other nor the outside world. However, each person shared identical descriptions of the creature ranging from physical appearance to behavioral traits. During another excursion he presented flashcard illustrations to dozens of residents. Some were familiar, such as hippos, others like American black bears were completely foreign. They recognized domestic inhabitants but could not identify overseas varieties. Shockingly, when shown a rendering depicting a brontosaurus, they positively identified the sketch as Mokele-mbembe.\n\nScience teacher Peter Beach was determined to uncover tangible proof of the shy vegetarian. Whilst exploring a muddy shoreline in 2006 he stumbled upon abnormally large footprints with prominent claws present. Surrounding canopies with abundant foliage had been completely stripped at heights in excess of eighteen feet. Giraffes, the only reasonable culprit, do not occupy this part of the country. Perplexed, Beach took snapshots to document his peculiar findings. Plaster castings were made from the unique impressions. Further analysis of the tracks has brought forward more questions than answers.\n\nimages.jpegBy 2009 researchers once again undertook the quest for Mokele-mbembe. Credible informants relay that during dry seasons the cryptid hides in natural caves. Air passages are dug along the riverside and eventually dry out becoming similar to concrete. Such structures ensure they have ample air supply to last through lengthy hibernative states. Investigative parties located several of these formations along the muddy embankment. Implementation of a fish finder provided further fascinating discoveries. Numerous serpentine figures moved below the dismal depths. Experts were extremely baffled by the specimens’ astonishing size. Unfortunately, severe thunderstorms forced the team to abruptly abort their mission before definitive data could be obtained.\n\nMuch of the Congo remains unseen by human eyes. Earth’s final frontier is filled with dangerous predators, deadly insects, armed militias and extreme weather. Such factors cause much hindrance on further exploration of this rugged terrain. It was not until 1998 that the four-thousand pound Javan rhino was recognized. Only five years ago, in 2013, a quarter-ton pygmy tapir was positively identified. It’s entirely plausible that an unknown species is avoiding detection within the depths of Africa. However, until hard evidence surfaces we can only theorize and evaluate spectators’ testimonies. For now Mokele-mbembe will remain one of the world’s greatest mysteries.\n\nDo you think it’s possible that dinosaurs still exist? Share your thoughts in the comment section!\n\n\nLiving Among Bigfoot: An Interview with Tom Lyons\n\nThroughout my entire life I have been drawn to all things Sasquatch-related. Watching the infamous Patterson-Gimlin Film as a young child filled me with both horror and intense intrigue. When most of my peers pursued typical teenage endeavors, I was listening to the Sierra Sounds or researching native ‘wild man’ legends. Over the last two decades I have watched countless documentaries, seen dozens of TV shows and read a myriad of Bigfoot books. By far the most compelling story I have come across in my lengthy investigation is a firsthand account recounted by Tom Lyons.\n\nThis week I am honored to be sharing an interview with Mr. Lyons, a Kindle Bestseller and author of the riveting series Living Among Bigfoot. Ten years ago he moved from Wisconsin to the vast wilderness of Idyllwild, California in hopes of living more healthfully. After settling into his quaint countryside cottage several terrifying events suddenly occurred. At first the former skeptic believed someone was messing with him. All of this would change once he came face to face with a creature which he never thought existed. Tom’s previously normal life would soon be turned upside down. Living Among Bigfoot chronicles the repeated Sasquatch encounters which he has experienced. \n\n\nDTCH: Can you tell me a little bit about what your life was like in Wisconsin?\n\nTL: Well, my life was certainly nothing out of the ordinary. I worked at a grocery store chain called “Piggly Wiggly” for years after high school while developing various business ideas. Once the internet became prevalent, one of those ideas ultimately evolved into an online business. I’m not going to give too much away on the business (as I eventually sold it), but I will say that anti-virus software was the initial product upon which the business was built.\n\nDTCH: Why did you decide to move to that specific part of California? Had you visited the town before?\n\nTL: I know it sounds sorta silly, but no, I hadn’t visited Idyllwild prior to my move. I had read great things about it and it was at a time in my life where I was enthusiastic about taking a shot in the dark so to speak. The major advantage of making your income from the web is that you can work from virtually anywhere.\n\nDTCH: Why have you now decided to share your story with the world?\n\nTL: I’ve listened to quite a few podcasts where people courageously share their encounters and in some cases the government has even warned them not to. They inspired me to share mine but I’d still prefer to maintain my private life, hence the pen-name. I’m quite the introvert.\n\nDTCH: What do you feel the motivation is for officials who continue to conceal information from the general public?\n\nTL: I get into all of that later in the series, but either way I don’t feel it’s possible to answer that in short form.\n\nDTCH: Do you think full disclosure on this topic would be a good thing? How would society handle such news?\n\nTL: This is something that I still feel very torn on. A large part of me doesn’t appreciate the deception, but another part of me believes certain things are better left alone by certain people, if you catch my drift.\n\nDTCH: Can you describe the physical appearance of Bigfoot? Is the Patterson-Gimlin Film an accurate representation?\n\nTL: All I can really tell you right now is that multiple types do exist, some of which look quite different than others. However, I will say that ‘Patty’ reminds me of what I came across in Idyllwild in terms of looks, but the movement was really quite different (that’s not to say that the one I saw isn’t capable of such motion), and I’m certainly not trying to discredit that video footage as it is obviously very impressive.\n\nDTCH: On the topic of Patterson-Gimlin, do you feel that footage is legitimate?\n\nTL: I do feel it’s legitimate.\n\nDTCH: Do you have an estimated number of what the North American Bigfoot population might be?\n\nTL: That’s a question that still baffles me to this day, but if I had to take a stab at it, I’d say many thousands if you were to include all members of each species.\n\nDTCH: Was there a strong odor that the creature produced?\n\nTL: I’ve come across many strange and even grotesque odors while outdoors, but in Idyllwild I was never able to indisputably isolate the creatures as being the source of the strong odor. As for other regions, you’ll have to read on!\n\nDTCH: Would you say Bigfoot is more human-like, more ape-like, or a 50/50 combination?\n\nTL: To put it simply, I think it’s something else entirely, but I’ll get more into that later in the series.\n\nDTCH: Cultures around the world all have their own legends and versions of Sasquatch: Skunk Ape, Yeti, Yowie, etc. Do you think other parts of the country or world also have Bigfoot?\n\nTL: They absolutely do. 100%.\n\nDTCH: Do you still live in that area? If so, do you continue to encounter the creature?\n\nTL: I no longer live in that area. I skipped around for quite a few years after leaving the region.\n\nDTCH: What are your thoughts on the theory that Bigfoot produces infrasound?\n\nTL: Other creatures possess similar abilities, so why can’t a creature such as this? They are insanely impressive in a multitude of ways.\n\nDTCH: With today’s available technologies why don’t we have more evidence such as photos and videos?\n\nTL: I’m begging for someone to find the courage to whip out an iPhone and aim it at one of these things when close enough to even attempt a quality shot. Believe me, if you see one of them that close in person, you’ll know EXACTLY what I’m talking about. I believe someone out there does indeed have the necessary composure for such a task, however the time frame they’d have to do such a thing is incredibly small and with how terrifying it is to be in that situation it doesn’t surprise me that no one has any footage of the things.\n\n\nThe fourth installment, Living Among Bigfoot: Unexpected Visitors, will be released on April 15th and can be purchased on Amazon. For those with any interest in cryptozoology, the outdoors, or a love of suspenseful mysteries, these books will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. I would like to thank Mr. Lyons for sharing his insight and answering my questions. You can find him on Instagram and Twitter for more information about the series.\n\nBigfoot: a Global Phenomenon\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAboriginal cave paintings in Australia depict an unknown creature.\n\nChimiset/ Nandi Bear\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSkunk Ape\n\n\n\n\n\nAlmas illustrations are found in a Tibetan medicinal book.\n\n\n\nA statue in China depicts a Yeren mother and her young.\n\nOrang Pendek\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEl Chupacabra: Science Fiction or Undiscovered Species?\n\n\n\n\n\n\nChupacabra sightings occur throughout South America.\n\n\nMadelyne Tolentino’s sketch of what she witnessed outside her window. \n\n\nAre Chupacabras related to extraterrestrials?\n\n\nMany supposed sightings are misidentified dogs, raccoons or coyotes.\n\n\nMissing 411: Hundreds of Strange Disappearances in our National Parks\n\n\n\n\nAuthor of the Missing 411 book series, David Paulides.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n  • Weather-related phenomenon. Shortly after the individual goes missing the forecast takes a drastic turn. Torrential rain, lightning, fog, sand storms or blizzards occur which delay search parties.\n  • Extreme ends of the intellectual scale. On one side there are well educated people such doctors, psychiatrists and physicists. Others have disabilities such as autism or Down Syndrome.\n\n\n\nOwl-Witches & Werewolves of the Everglades \n\nCovering nearly 2,000 square miles of southern Florida is a freshwater marsh known as the Everglades. There are tales that this area is home to a number of mysterious cryptids. Supposed inhabitants include Skunk Apes and anacondas so large that they can swallow alligators whole. Indigenous tribes speak of some lesser-known creatures. According to the Seminole, ominous owl-witches and werewolves roam the swampy land. \n\n\nStigini, also called Ishtikini or Stikini, are sinister shape-shifters which usually resemble a massive great horned owl with dark menacing eyes. During the day they appear as ordinary people but once the sun sets they transform into a nine-foot tall feathered being. The metamorphosis occurs through vomiting their souls and internal organs each evening. By night they hunt for victims so that they can eat mortal’s hearts to take on their appearance. These entities are essentially zombies whose sole existence is the consumption of human flesh. \n\n\nAlthough the translation of Stigini means horned owl, they can also take on the appearance of other animals. On rare occasions they resemble bear, wolves or coyotes. Certain Seminole groups warn that speaking their name aloud puts you at risk for turning into one. In certain cases only revered tribal elders are permitted to tell these stories. Other communities treat the mysterious lore more casually and even use the fable to frighten children into behaving.\n\n\nSimilar myths are shared by various cultures around the world. In Mexican folklore the Lechuza is a large and magical bird who seeks revenge on those that have wronged her. West Virginia has legends of Mothman, a mysterious winged humanoid who is said to be an omen of impending doom. Greek mythology spoke of Strige, a wicked vampiric screech owl forced to live in an upside-down world. Other Native Americans believed that Thunderbirds had supernatural strength and powers.\n\nHatcko-tcapko, also referred to as Long Ears, is a werewolf-like beast. They wander the desolate marshlands by moonlight. Eyewitnesses accounts state that these beings are donkey to ox-sized and has a fusion of both deer and wolf features. As the name may imply, its ears are enormous and pointed. Long thin legs support their oversized hooked paws. At the end of Long Ear’s grey fur covered body is a bushy horse tail.\n\nThose who encounter this creature describe smelling a foul odor when they are within close proximity. Similar to many reported Bigfoot encounters, this putrid scent is a frequent sign of its presence. Seminole were cautious to never get too close to Long Ears because of his ability to infect people with deadly diseases. Despite Hatcko-tcapko’s horrifying appearance and dangerous nature, he is not believed to be malicious.\n\nFlorida’s monsters of yesterday have been replaced with viral modern day alternatives: cannibals, zombies and living dinosaurs. Indigenous people could have merely been describing their own bizarre encounters in an era before the internet or cable TV. Roughly 200 species are going extinct each day on Earth. It’s entirely plausible that unknown animals lived in the Everglades centuries ago. What’s even more intriguing is the possibility that some may have survived.\n\nIf you’re ever had any strange encounters in rural Southern Florida feel free to share your experiences. I’d love to hear your thoughts!\n\nMothman: Legitimate Cryptid or Urban Legend?\n\n\n\nInitial Encounters\n\n\nThe Silver Bridge Tragedy\n\n\nUntimely Deaths\n\n\n\n\nPossible Explanations\n\n\n\n\nBigfoot: the Most Compelling Evidence\n\n\n\nPatterson/ Gimlin Film\n\n\n\nSierra Sounds\n\n\n\nHair Samples & Castings \n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6123483777046204}
{"content": "Search Engine www.edaboard.com\n\n12v 24v\n\nAdd Question\n\nAre you looking for?:\n24v 12v , 12v not 24v , 24v 12v , 24v 12v\n198 Threads found on edaboard.com: 12v 24v\nfinding it difficult to design clean 24v DC to 12v DC converter for 12v LCD TV's in big cars\nif your input is 12v, and output is 24v, 20A...then your peak input current in the inductor could be as low as 45A or so. ILL SEND YOU BOOST SIM AND YOU CAN GET INTO IT. (sorry about capitals) - - - Updated - - - here, not your spec but youll get into it. iTS FRee ltspice sim - - -\nI have a transformer of an old UPS Implying it steps up 12v (24v) to mains ACV. A clever designer might (for all we know) install more windings to step down mains AC to charge the battery pack. It will require a lot of testing, if you wish to figure out step up/down ratios, etc. Take ohm readings. Make a list of all\nIt does not seem likely that the unit would have a single 6V battery, delivering 750W. That's over 125 Amperes. When I opened up my UPS, I saw four 6V gel cells, in series. 24v total. Perhaps yours is similar? Can you open the cabinet and see whether you could hook up your 12v battery? Or perhaps it needs two. You may need to attach custom t\nHello, I would like to build a small symmetric PSU (<3A) for my projects. Space is limited so I am thinking of using a 24v laptop smpsu and connect at it's output this circuit to have a +/-12v symetric PSU. 1. In this configuration, will the opamp output ground be\nIt might be difficult finding a commercial power module with a wide enough input voltage range. Most are nominally 12v or 24v input, and probably will not reach far enough. 4:1 input range, specifically 9-36 V is a kind of industry standard. Tracopower TEN 6-2413WIN e.g. fits exactly the OP's specification.\nIt is called power inverter. You can find a lot of options for automotive applications, with 12v or 24v.\nTo get this circuit to work yo need to connect the pullup resistor to 24v(not 12v), and add a resistor between Q11 collector and Q10 gate. This will create a voltage divider that will keep the Gate Vgs <20V. 10k should do the trick. The current circuit will be activated all the time, regardless of the Q11's state. This is if the 12v and (...)\nThis thread discusses a similar topic. Start with a single 24v supply, obtain +12 -12v split supply with virtual ground. It has a possible solution: two stacked capacitors similar to your C1-C2. Each one is charged alternately by a half-bridge. If you wish, add a single inductor in the center, to create a dual-purpose buck converter. https://w\nWith a 24v supply, the relay coil will have 12v across it and the series resistor with the same resistance as the relay coil will also have 12v across it.\nTHe current for Fans starts at a fairly constant current and then rises slowly to perhaps double the current from 12 to 24v as more work is done pushing air. Typical 4\" muffin fans take about 5W and you would get perhaps 20% of the RPM at 12v. Adding resistors would only reduce the fan speed and dissipate more power in the series R's and be ineff\nHi friends I am having 24v 200ma power supply i have to convert it into 12v 3amps supply how can i convert it if i am giving input of 24v 200ma to lm350 regulator it will convert 12v 3amps is this correct or what will be the best method to decrease the volt into 12v and increase current into (...)\nyou must not connect a 12v inverter to a 24v battery, you will blow its fuse and if it did work for a few seconds it would produce twice the mains voltage that would burn out your PC and lights. The best you can do is to split the batteries into pairs and feed each pair (12v) into the inverter one pair at a time, but you must try and use (...)\nDepends greatly on your heatsink thermal resistance how much current and heat rise to say 70'C I succesfully use 4S on 12v on AWG18 with 30AWG drops for Rs equalization of 0.1Ohm or 6S on 18 or 19V or 8S on 24v or 24S on 48V. So no loss on regulator and adjust supply drop with long wire suitable guage for 100% voltage matched between supply an\nAre you sure that the flyback converter is regulated for secondary voltage of 12v? The waveform rather looks like 24v secondary voltage with the given turns ratio.\ni need to make a power supply that generates +24v, +12v, -12v, +5V, +3.3V DC from 110/230VAC. I Have 0 experience in power supply design. Lets put questions one by one. 1. what type of supply i should go for? smps or linear power supply? and why?\nHello, What is the accepted standard commercial & industrial voltage bus level for solar panel outputs? Is it 12v or 24v, or something else? (That is, considering that that an 220VAC inverter is not used.)\nThere should be a comparator that works with nominal uC voltage ( 5V ) for each PLC output.Comparators can be programmed in according with output levels-for instance- 20V for 24v output, 10V for 12v output so on.. Finally the comparator outputs will always be 0 or 5V when the signals levels' exceed the programmed value..\nHi, I am following the circuit here I am using 12v instead of 24v. 115245 I have not connected a pic to pin A and B yet. Instead I am using a potentiometer. I ground pin A and then drive B with the pot for one direction and then alternate for another direction. T\nHi! I am converting 24v to 12v using a R-7812-0.5 converter, but I have some current sensitive components connected to the 12v circuit. So my question is will this converter always send 500mA, or is that dependent on the current consumption in the circuit? Maybe it?s a stupid question, but I am a software guy working on a school project, (...)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9283179044723511}
{"content": "Tampere Ambassador: Aleksandr Fedorov\n\nWhere are you from?\nI'm from Russia, Saint-Petersburg.\n\nWhat would you like to tell about yourself?\nI'm a software engineer and PhD student, passioned about art, music and Computer Science. I can play a little on a saxophone and draw anything, love to read a lot of books at the same time.\n\nWhat makes Tampere special for you?\nTampere is the first city outside the Russia, where I spent more than one week. Wonderful 6 months via exchange program! I think this journey boosted my career and love for Computer Science. And people, so many students from different countries, so many activities!\n\nTell about your professional activities?\nWorking hard as Software Engineer in different areas, trying to create my own companies.\n\nWhat is your involvement in international activities?\nI want to participate in International activities, for now it's limited by conferences and publications in scientific journals.\n\nWhat is your mission as a Tampere Ambassador?\nAs a Tampere ambassador I will invite as many people as I can in Saint-Petersburg to visit, work and study in Tampere, because it's a great place to start something new. I will learn from other ambassadors their goals and missions and I hope I will help them too.\n\nWhat potential do you see for Tampere in the future?\nTampere could be a very good center of startups and place for studying, creating new things. Beautiful nature and good community can help to make it smoothly.\n\nAleksandr Fedorov", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9982872009277344}
{"content": "We decided to share some stories from entrepreneurs requesting and receiving Kiva loans. This is where your loans go!\n\nMeet Gulnora, an experienced farmer from a small town in Northern Tajikastan. She is 50 years old and a widowed mother of six. Losing her husband and raising her children alone has been very difficult, but Gulnora is hardworking, goal-oriented, and knows how to succeed in crop-agriculture. She is a wise woman and a permanent client of Kiva’s regional partner organization, IMON, and she has a good credit history.\n\nShe is seeking a loan to buy fertilizer, natural chemicals, seeds, etc. for making the land productive. This would improve her harvest season next year, she will use the extra earnings to provide food and clothing for her family.\n\n(Story and picture provided by Kiva).", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8451833724975586}
{"content": "Trust is the building block of all organisations, if not everything in life, and is the single factor that makes or breaks business success. According to the 2017 Edelman Trust Barometer Report (as shown in figure one), we are facing a global trust crisis with the constant cases of manipulating (and fake) news on social media and the fallen state of the Government, and a decline in leadership credibility. Businesses are struggling to reduce the turnover rate as a result of a damaged belief system. The consequences can be way worse than that if we don’t tackle the trust issue appropriately.\n\nFigure 1. Most trusted spokesperson (Source:\n\n\n\nAs shown in the report, an alarming 40 percent of the surveyed Malaysian employees shows distrust in their CEOs as compared to the global rate at 37 percent. It indicates that today’s employees, the majority of whom are millennials, are more self-oriented than their older generations. They simply believe that one has to follow exactly what their bosses ask them to. In fact, trust is instilled more evidently in peers, with 60 percent of the respondents agree that ‘a person like yourself’ is the most credible source of information. That being said, the issues with trust often happen between an employee and his or her supervisor or manager, rather than peer-to-peer.\n\nWhy do people lose trust?\n\nThe main cause of this failed belief in leadership is greatly due to the following factors:\n\n  • Lack of transparency. ‘Closed-door’ policies, such as top-down communication or limited information on the company growth, often do harm to the employee-employer relationships. When the employees are not provided with sufficient information related to their work, they would automatically have doubts in the management. Trust is a two-way street; you get what you put out there.\n  • Lack of communication. Trust is built upon credibility and credibility is conveyed through effective communication. When employees have a vehicle to express their thoughts and managers are able to address all the workplace issues with clarity, the organisation will also become more trusting. Vice versa, a lack of communication will create unnecessary conflicts, which may lead to further rumours and tension among the employees.\n  • Lack of managerial acumen. Naturally, a subordinate often expects his or her manager to be able to make informed decisions as and when problems arise. Failure to do so will put the managers through the risks of losing credibility to their direct reports. Gen Y employees are eager to prove themselves at work, hence they perceive the manager’s’ inability to make certain decisions as a barrier to their advancement in the organisation.\n  • Lack of integrity. The biggest driver of trust is integrity, regardless of the organisation structure and hierarchy system. As for the higher-up, it has everything to do with ensuring a diverse and inclusive workplace for everyone and to the employees, the same level of integrity is expected when it comes to work ownership and loyalty.\n  • Lack of competence. In order to establish trust in their team, leaders must first focus on developing their competence. The more knowledgeable a manager can prove him or herself to be, the better he or she will understand the subordinates’ roles and responsibilities. It also reflects a person’s attitudes in the workplace and complemented by a respective level of trust (reliability) that other people have in them.\n\nRelated ArticleHR Best Practices from Fortune’s Top 10 Companies 2017\n\nBuilding trust in the workplace: It’s everyone’s job\n\nTrusting and being trustworthy are inseparable in all relationships. You can’t enforce trust without showing the same level of trustworthiness. Therefore, it requires both employers and employees to work together to build trust, and it takes almost the same disciplines for both sides to achieve the desired change in the workplace.\n\nLet’s first identify the existing or potential problems that affect employee sentiment toward trust. We can measure the behavioural attributes to manage one’s trust issue, which consists of engagement, collaboration, and loyalty.\n\nEmployees tend to slack off from work when they fail to realise the purpose of their jobs. Sadly, without a shared goal that glues the leaders and their team together, it’s impossible to build trust. As an individual contributor, one must learn to understand the bigger picture and that their works have a substantial impact on the team, no matter how minor or major the assignment is. That mindset is a trust enabler, firstly in one’s self and secondly, in the leader’s vision.\n\nAs mentioned in the beginning of the article, a person is more likely to trust in his or her peers than in the management. With that said, collaboration comes off as the second most influential attribute of trust. While collaboration or teamwork is rather subjective, it can tell a lot about a person’s trustworthiness. In the business context, most people rely on a written agenda to work together as a team, which does very little to help gain authentic trust. In order to achieve a more genuine collaboration, it’s imperative to improve one’s skills and competence and in turn, gain a certain level of credibility in front of other colleagues.\n\nLoyalty in today’s workplace is a debatable concept since most people switch jobs to accelerate their career trajectory. Although job-hopping is not a negative thing as long as it makes progressive sense; it does, however, influence how people measure trust in an organisation. Disloyalty has less to do with the organisation’s performance but more about the individual’s mindset. People who are devoted to their companies because they genuinely enjoy the work will find it easier to trust in their growth with said companies. On the other hand, those who are determined to stay for a fixed period of time only to move on more quickly indeed don’t have trust in the organisation.  \n\nOn the other side of the table, business leaders can refer to the trust equation, developed by Trusted Advisor’s Founder Charles H. Green, to understand more about trusting and being trustworthy. It comprises of four variables: credibility, reliability, intimacy, and self-orientation.\n\n\nTo put things into perspective, we’ll explain the qualities of trust based on the following behaviours:\n\n  • Credibility. Constantly develop leadership competencies to ensure effective management styles and profound knowledge of every task. People naturally expect their managers to be the source of information through which they can benefit from in terms of professional development. Not only that, a good leader must also be able to convince his or her staffs to follow their direction and trust in their actions.\n  • Reliability. Trust is best tested in challenging times as gold is tested by fire. One of the many ways for managers to build trust is through the ways they handle conflicts, which is to take the blame and give credits (never the other way around). This gesture helps employees feel safe to raise their concerns whenever things go wrong and to contribute without fear of failure. In return, the leaders will be able to foster a culture of open communication and to connect with everyone more personally.\n  • Intimacy. This value stems from the manager’s relationships with his or her team, referring to not just the formal collaboration at work but also the emotional attachment when it comes to every individual’s struggles. So in order to build trust, a leader must treat the information that reaches them as confidential, yet sensitive enough to address certain issues to help their employees maintain a healthy work-life balance.  \n\nCombining all the factors in the numerator, it’s clear that to increase trustworthiness is to create a workplace in which the manager’s role is less of a commander and more of the role model for the employees.\n\nLast but not least, while keeping the numerator values upward, one must pay attention to the dominator ‘self-orientation’ as well. Because the only way to build trust in others is to put their best interests in mind above personal desires. This factor indicates the manager’s personal bias when it comes to workplace management. It’s as simple as avoid playing favourites and ensuring equal opportunities for all.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9917665123939514}
{"content": "If you're hoping to look like a toned goddess in time for your beach holiday this summer, never fear - personal trainer Brian Keane is here to help.\n\nThe former fitness model has shared his top tips for getting a 'bikini body' in just a few weeks.\n\n\"It depends on your starting point, but provided you're not massively overweight, anybody can get into pretty decent shape within a six week period,\" he told RSVP Live.\n\n\"It's just cleaning up your nutrition and adding a bit of extra cardio. You should be working out between three and five times a week.\n\n\"Nutrition is the most important thing - you're better off doing just three 20 minute, high intensity workouts with a good diet than seven workouts with a bad diet.\n\n\"Use the holiday as a motivation tool.\"\n\nAnd what about visible abs - have we any hope of achieving them?\n\n\n\n\nBrian also shared his number one health and fitness tip.\n\n\"You can massively reduce the amount of body fat you have by eating more real food and whole foods as opposed to processed, packaged foods,\" he said.\n\n\"For energy, sleep, fat loss, muscle building, that one change could change your entire life.\"", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5096501111984253}
{"content": "Smell gas or have a power outage?\n\nPlease call\n\nLog In\n\nWhy is there a crew working on my street?\n\n26 Mar 2018\n\nThere are a variety of reasons why a UGI crew might be working on your street, including infrastructure/main replacement, installation of gas services and leak checks. Crews will have identification on them. If you have questions, please ask to speak to the crew foreman.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9487764835357666}
{"content": "Hyperproof: Logical Reasoning with Diagrams\n\nJon Barwise and J. Etchemendy\n\nHyperproof is a Macintosh program designed to help students learn how to reason logically, using either sentenccs of first-order logic, or diagrams, or both.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5276245474815369}
{"content": "Tuesday, November 16, 2010\n\nwhat is love?\n\nSomeone commented on an earlier post where I lamented about love. \"Perhaps you can write what you think/want true love to be,\" Anonymous suggested.\n\n\nI don't think I'm ready to think about this right now, really, but someday I hope to find a sense of home with someone.\n\nI mean that intangible thing that happens when you're so comfortable you can be talking or quiet and still feel a connection. When you can throw your head back and laugh and totally lose yourself or be writing quietly and silently share a bowl of grapes. Where it just feels right to curl into each other as if love had blurred the boundary between. Joy at the simple sight of one another.\n\nI also think lovers should be best friends.\n\nI thrive on close connections. I am not satisfied with superficialities. When I ask someone how they are, I *want* to know. An honest and open dialogue is important.\n\nI like a lot of down time too and so space is also key. I can be skittish if my reserves are low and if someone seems clingy or intense, it can trigger something in me which tends to make me close off (which sounds hypocritical given that I myself can be intense). So maybe it's a matter of being able to read each other.\n\nQualities that are valuable to me? Sense of humor, kindness, understanding, chemistry, intelligence. Feeling special. It also comforts me to see people take good care of themselves both physically and mentally. I like to see people doing what makes them happy: indulging in hobbies or whatever they find restorative and fun. The joyful and content make good company.\n\nI'm not so unrealistic that I don't see the strain that a tough schedule or burdensome demands can place on a relationship. There's a lot of muck to everyday living. Laundry and bills and cat vomit are not hot (at least not in my house) and so it seems important to make time for fun, both together and apart.\n\nWhat is love to you?\n\n\n  1. <obligatory Haddaway reference>\n\n  2. This is Nu and I asked that broad and complicated question. I used to write a lot more when I was trying to find a sense of self and love for self. I asked that question because we are ingrained with what \"true Love\" is supposed to be, yet never question enough what we seek in Love or what it means to us as we grow. Although Love and Relationships are connected, and most viewed it as one and the same, they should be examined separately. Love and Relationships can exist without each other; people do it all the time out of convenience, but the big question is always, what do _you_ want? To help answer that question, it may help to understand what Love means to you.\n\n    According to Taoism, there are 5 types of Love. I wrote about them a while ago here. Maybe it will help to clarify: http://nofcna.livejournal.com/33659.html\n\n    To me, Love in essence is a very strong and powerful emotion. It's a facilitator for many things, but an emotion alone can not change the world or create better relationships. Relationships based solely on Love can also lead to other emotions like anger and frustration. Strong relationships are built not with just Love but also Communication, Trust and Understanding.\n\n    \"Being in love,\" is the tangibility of Love. Being leads to doing, so being in love is the act of loving. What you described in your post to me, is loving _in a Relationship_. That's what Doug and I do everyday, loving each other. But that intangible connection is build through communication. Lots of communication, especially in the beginning, which in turns build Trust and Understanding, strengthening our values more. It helps though when you share similar values to begin with, and well, physical attraction ;). Having a tough schedule or re-prioritizing certain things in life is a lot easier when your Relationship already has a strong foundation. Without communication, things get unrealistic before you know it.\n\n    Sorry I wrote a book. Would love to talk more in person some day.\n\n  3. Dr. Mathochist beat me to it... and I know it's totally inappropriate to the nature of this post... but the first thing I thought was \"baby don't hurt me\" and bopping my head to the side. *blush*\n\n    Seriously, if I had any idea, not only would I be replying in-depth on this post, I'd be off writing a book and making millions...\n\n  4. Nu, I can't even tell you how much I love the way you think and how I appreciate you sharing your insight and being there for me. I read your livejournal post. I've so much to learn. But I'm looking forward to beginning... xoxoxo\n\n  5. Also, @Dr.Mathochist & @Geekhiker : don't hurt me! (disco ball lowers)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.885494589805603}
{"content": "Meters to yards conversion – What is 1009 M in yards?\n\nYou can easily convert 1009 meters to yards by following a few simple steps. However, you should first understand the relationship between the two units. While the meter belongs to the International System of Units, SI units, the Yard belongs to both the British imperial and US customary systems of measurement. Following the international treaty on standard units, a yard is equal to 0.9144M. That means that to convert yard measurements you should multiply the figure by 0.9144. Here is a solution for your problem, plus a conversion chart and an easy to use conversion calculator.\n\nHow many yards are in 1009 meters?\n\n|=> 1009 M to yards =\n\n1103.45249 yd\n\nConversion chart for meters to yards\n\nCentimeters (cm), inches (\")\n1; 0.393701\n2; 0.787402\n3; 1.181103\n4; 1.574804\n5; 1.968505\n6; 2.362206\n7; 2.755907\n8; 3.149608\n9; 3.543309\n10; 3.93701\n\nMillimeters, centimeters, decimeters and meters are standard length units accepted by most countries around the world. On the other hand, yards, inches and feet are imperial units and customary units accepted both in the US and the UK. Although the usage of both systems vary from one place to the other, it is important to understand the relationship them because you will always get a conversion problem.\n[raw_html_snippet id=”cm to inches”]", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9998793005943298}
{"content": "Bicycle Accident Attorney Maineville, Ohio\n\nBike Accidents – Maineville, OH 45039\n\nBicycle accidents can lead to major and in some cases deadly injuries. Claims to recover damages for injuries in bicycle accidents with autos involve much of the same issues as any auto mishap claim. Liability for bike mishap injuries typically boils down to negligence– whether the automobile chauffeur’s negligence triggered the cyclist’s injuries, and whether any negligence by the cyclist triggered or contributed to the mishap.\n\nBike Accident Liability Basics\n\nBicyclists and chauffeurs are obliged to follow the rules of the road. These guidelines include traffic laws, in addition to the responsibility to work out regular care in regards to one’s own safety and that of others on the highways. Like other vehicle mishap claims, bicycle mishap lawsuits are governed by state law, and often informed by state and local traffic laws.\n\nNegligence and Bike Accidents in Maineville, Ohio\n\nWhen a bicyclist takes legal action against to recover damages for injuries suffered in an accident with an automobile, the outcome often depends on two concerns:\n\n  • Did negligence (or recklessness) on the part of the chauffeur trigger the accident and resulting injuries to the bicyclist?\n  • Did any negligence of the bicyclist cause or add to the mishap?\n\nChauffeur Negligence or Recklessness\n\nNegligence by a driver can take lots of forms. For example, speeding, running a stop sign, and wandering into a bike lane all constitute driver negligence, or even recklessness if finished with knowing neglect for the security of others.\n\nIn a suit declaring negligence by another individual, complainants generally should prove that the offender acted in such a way that breached a task owed to the complainant. In automobile accident cases, this suggests violating the basic responsibility of care owed to everybody else on or near the roadways.\n\nMishap claims boil down to truths specific to the specific case, and often the capability of the plaintiff to prove negligence through eyewitness statement or other evidence. In automobile mishap cases, however, habits which constitute traffic offenses can make up “negligence per se.” This means that if a driver was cited for an infraction such as speeding at the time of the accident, evidence of the speeding violation counts as proof of negligence. The problem then shifts to the offender to prove that he or she didn’t cause the complainant’s injuries.\n\nBicyclist Negligence – Maineville, Ohio 45039\n\nWhether a cyclist takes legal action against a chauffeur, or a cyclist is demanded triggering somebody else injury, cyclist negligence can determine the outcome of the suit. Examples of cyclist negligence include riding the wrong way on a one-way street, running a stop indication, and turning quickly into traffic.\n\nIrresponsible cyclists may be unable to recuperate damages for injuries they suffer in mishaps involving cars. Such negligence is called contributing or relative negligence, indicating that the bicyclist’s negligence, a minimum of in part, triggered the mishap to happen, and thus caused a minimum of some of the cyclist’s injuries. If a bicyclist rode negligently, and that negligence caused injury to somebody else, the cyclist might be held accountable for that individual’s injuries.\n\nIn mishap cases including kids on bikes, courts hold chauffeurs to a greater standard. See specifics on child bicycle accident liability for more information.\n\nGet Your Legal Claim Evaluated free of charge\n\nMishaps involving autos and bicycles can include serious injuries and large liabilities. Bicycle accident suits typically come down to whether the motorist or the cyclist negligently caused or added to the mishap. This negligence determination can be a complex and need extensive analysis. If you or a loved one has actually been in a bike accident, you must seek advice from a lawyer to best protect your rights. You can have a knowledgeable law practice evaluate the benefits of your claim free of charge.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8535031080245972}
{"content": "Bicycle Accident Attorney Martinsburg, Ohio\n\nBike Accidents – Martinsburg, OH 43037\n\nBicycle accidents can result in major and sometimes deadly injuries. Suits to recover damages for injuries in bicycle accidents with autos involve much of the very same issues as any automobile accident lawsuit. Liability for bike accident injuries typically boils down to negligence– whether the car chauffeur’s negligence caused the bicyclist’s injuries, and whether any negligence by the bicyclist caused or contributed to the accident.\n\nBike Mishap Liability Basics\n\nBicyclists and drivers are obliged to follow the rules of the road. These guidelines consist of traffic laws, along with the task to exercise normal care in regards to one’s own security which of others on the roadways. Like other automobile accident suits, bike mishap lawsuits are governed by state law, and frequently informed by state and regional traffic laws.\n\nNegligence and Bike Accidents in Martinsburg, Ohio\n\nWhen a bicyclist takes legal action against to recuperate damages for injuries suffered in a mishap with an auto, the result often depends on 2 concerns:\n\n  • Did negligence (or recklessness) on the part of the chauffeur cause the accident and resulting injuries to the bicyclist?\n\nChauffeur Negligence or Recklessness\n\nNegligence by a chauffeur can take numerous kinds. For instance, speeding, running a stop indication, and drifting into a bike lane all make up driver negligence, and even recklessness if done with understanding neglect for the security of others.\n\nIn a suit declaring negligence by another person, plaintiffs usually must show that the accused acted in a way that broke a responsibility owed to the complainant. In auto mishap cases, this implies breaking the basic responsibility of care owed to everybody else on or near the roadways.\n\nMishap lawsuits boil down to realities specific to the specific case, and frequently the ability of the complainant to prove negligence through eyewitness testament or other evidence. In vehicle mishap cases, nevertheless, habits which constitute traffic violations can constitute “negligence per se.” This implies that if a chauffeur was mentioned for an offense such as speeding at the time of the mishap, evidence of the speeding offense counts as proof of negligence. The concern then moves to the defendant to prove that she or he didn’t cause the complainant’s injuries.\n\nCyclist Negligence – Martinsburg, Ohio 43037\n\nWhether a bicyclist takes legal action against a chauffeur, or a bicyclist is demanded causing someone else injury, cyclist negligence can identify the outcome of the claim. Examples of cyclist negligence include riding the wrong way on a one-way street, running a stop sign, and turning suddenly into traffic.\n\nIrresponsible bicyclists may be unable to recover damages for injuries they suffer in accidents involving automobiles. Such negligence is called contributing or comparative negligence, implying that the cyclist’s negligence, at least in part, triggered the accident to happen, and thus triggered at least some of the bicyclist’s injuries. If a bicyclist rode negligently, and that negligence caused injury to somebody else, the bicyclist might be held responsible for that person’s injuries.\n\nIn mishap cases involving kids on bikes, courts hold chauffeurs to a greater standard. See specifics on child bike mishap liability for more information.\n\nGet Your Legal Claim Evaluated totally free\n\nAccidents involving vehicles and bicycles can include major injuries and big liabilities. Bicycle accident lawsuits often boil down to whether the chauffeur or the cyclist negligently triggered or added to the mishap. This negligence determination can be a complex and need in-depth analysis. If you or a loved one has actually remained in a bike accident, you ought to consult with an attorney to best safeguard your rights. You can have a skilled law firm evaluate the merits of your claim for free.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9206762313842773}
{"content": "Are You Drinking Enough Water?\n\nHappy beautiful young woman drinking water. Smiling caucasian female model holding transparent glass in her hand. Closeup. Focus on the arm\n\nWe know it, and you know it, too – drinking sufficient amount of pure water every day is important to your health. Unfortunately, a lot of people still make the mistake of replacing water with other types of drinks which often have additional ingredients that are actually harmful to their health.\n\nChildren, in particular, prefer drinking sugary drinks like fruit juice and soda instead of pure water. Teens, too, would rather reach for energy and sports drinks whenever they get thirsty. This seemingly simple issue could actually be reducing the quality of life and the well-being of our youth.\n\n\nYour body is made up of around 65% water, and it is much needed for many biochemical reactions and physiological processes including metabolism, blood circulation, body temperature regulation, detoxification and waste removal.\n\nWhen you get the feeling of thirst, your body is telling you that you have lost one to two percent of its total water content. Unfortunately for most, they are already in the early stages of dehydration by the time their thirst mechanism kicks in. This thirst mechanism is underdeveloped in children and the elderly, so they are more prone to dehydration. Hunger may also be a sign that your body needs water, so it is a good idea to drink a glass of water first when you feel hungry.\n\nSevere dehydration can be fatal, but you should know that even mild dehydration can cause you problems like headaches and even impaired cognition. If you play sports, dehydration can also affect your athletic performance. In fact, two percent dehydration in your body can cause about 10% decrease in your performance.\n\n\nThe general guideline is to have at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water each day, but because one’s need for water highly depends on different factors like weather conditions and physical activities, this rule may be inadequate.\n\nIt is not possible to determine a single guideline that would be applicable to everyone every day. One of the best ways to check your own hydration status on a daily basis is to look at the colour of your urine. Dark-coloured urine is an indication that your kidneys are keeping fluids to maintain your body’s functions. You have to drink more water if this is the case. Ideally, your urine should be a light-coloured yellow.\n\n\nEven when you are not sweating, your body still loses water and you should replenish this loss not with sports drinks, fruit juices, sodas, or coffee, but with pure water. Sugary drinks often contain fructose which is a major cause of obesity and metabolic malfunction. Even just a can of pop per day can contribute up to 15 pounds to your weight over a year. Aside from that, it can also increase your risk of diabetes by about 85%. So if you want to stay hydrated and healthy, go for pure water.\n\n\n\nYour body always gives you signals not only when you need to replenish your fluids but also when it is not working as it should. Aside from drinking a sufficient amount of pure water daily, you should also know how to take care of your body the natural way. Reach out to us at Sloan Natural Health Center, and we’ll tell you how you can enjoy a healthy mind and body!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6675024628639221}
{"content": "The foods you eat affect your body and ultimately affect your performance in golf. That’s why many golfers are trading in their sugary sports drinks for coconut water and switching from dairy milk to the less inflammatory almond milk. They are realizing that if they want to increase the functionality of their muscles they are going to have to move to a more alkaline diet which will reduce their inflammation.\n\nFried food doesn’t taste as good as a “birdie.” Reducing acidic foods is just par for the course if you want to stay in the game. Dark green vegetables, cutting back on alcohol, sugar, and processed grains will get you well on the way to a more optimized game and performance.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5202304124832153}
{"content": "Correlation Analysis Between Russia TR and OMXVGI\n\nThis module allows you to analyze existing cross correlation between Russia TR and OMXVGI. You can compare the effects of market volatilities on Russia TR and OMXVGI and check how they will diversify away market risk if combined in the same portfolio for a given time horizon. You can also utilize pair trading strategies of matching a long position in Russia TR with a short position of OMXVGI. See also your portfolio center. Please also check ongoing floating volatility patterns of Russia TR and OMXVGI.\n Time Horizon     30 Days    Login   to change\n\nRussia TR  vs.  OMXVGI\n\n Performance (%) \n\nPair Volatility\n\nAssuming 30 trading days horizon, Russia TR is expected to under-perform the OMXVGI. In addition to that, Russia TR is 5.01 times more volatile than OMXVGI. It trades about -0.13 of its total potential returns per unit of risk. OMXVGI is currently generating about 0.07 per unit of volatility. If you would invest  70,842  in OMXVGI on May 21, 2018 and sell it today you would earn a total of  368.90  from holding OMXVGI or generate 0.52% return on investment over 30 days.\n\nPair Corralation between Russia TR and OMXVGI\n\nTime Period1 Month [change]\nValuesDaily Returns\n\n\nPay attention\n\nOverlapping area represents the amount of risk that can be diversified away by holding Russia TR and OMXVGI in the same portfolio assuming nothing else is changed. The correlation between historical prices or returns on OMXVGI and Russia TR is a relative statistical measure of the degree to which these equity instruments tend to move together. The correlation coefficient measures the extent to which returns on Russia TR are associated (or correlated) with OMXVGI. Values of the correlation coefficient range from -1 to +1, where. The correlation of zero (0) is possible when the price movement of OMXVGI has no effect on the direction of Russia TR i.e. Russia TR and OMXVGI go up and down completely randomly.\n\nComparative Volatility\n\nMy Equities\n\nMy Current Equities and Potential Positions\nView AllNext\nGOOG - USA Stock\nIT, Search Cloud And Integrated IT Services\nBusiness Address1600 Amphitheatre Parkway\n\nThematic Opportunities\n\nExplore Investment Opportunities\nExplore Thematic Ideas\nExplore Investing Ideas  \nSee also your portfolio center. Please also try Correlation Analysis module to reduce portfolio risk simply by holding instruments which are not perfectly correlated.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.990867555141449}
{"content": "Sims 3 System Requirements\n\nThe Sims 3 system requirements will define what you need to play the game. The Sims 3 is a very popular life simulation game from Electronic Arts, where it allows you to control the life or lives of Sim(s), in terms of their career, family, and daily activities. Follow to learn about the system requirements for Sims 3 if you are considering purchasing the popular game.\n\nSims 3 system requirements for Windows. For Windows, XP (Service Pack 2), Vista (Service Pack 1), or Windows 7 are the compatiple operating systems. A 2.0 GHz processor for XP, 2.4 GHz processor for Vista and 7 are preferred in terms of the processor. You will need 1.0 GB (XP) or 1.5 GB (Vista/7) or RAM as well. In terms of storage, you will need at least 6.1 GB of space, likely more for additional content. Note that there are varying video graphics requirements (DirectX 9.0c compatible card).\n\nSims 3 system requirements for Mac. You will need a Mac OS X 10.5.7 Leopard operating system to run Sims 3. An Intel Core Duo Processor is listed with 2 GB of RAM for the program as well. As with the Windows version, 6.1 GB of hard drive space is needed for the game. There are a few graphics options listed for the Mac version as well (ATI X1600/NVDIA 7300 GT with 128 MB RAM or Intel Integrated GMA X3100).\n\nAlternative systems for Sims 3. Sims 3 is also available for other systems as other devices are appearing (smart phones, new handhelds). Android, N-Gage, iOS, webOS, and video game consoles (i.e. Playstation 3, Wii, Nintendo 3DS) are some of the other systems where you can play Sims 3 (note there will be differences between other adaptions of Sims 3 for certain devices).\n\nshow comments\n\nWhat Others Are Reading Right Now.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9312485456466675}
{"content": "Webpages tagged with «photo catalysis»\n\nTeeth inside a mouth, where one of the front teeth is substituted with an empty room and an implant is visible in the gum\nPublished Jan. 8, 2018 4:37 PM\n\nMolecules that are more often known for their potential to cause cancer may have a new, health-promoting role.  Scientists are now discovering how these «radicals» may be used to prevent infections and promote the long-term success of dental implants.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7121783494949341}
{"content": "PMID: 27401781\n\n\nPrecise diagnosis of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) in cardiac allograft endomyocardial biopsies (EMBs) remains challenging. This study assessed molecular diagnostics in human EMBs with AMR. A set of 34 endothelial, natural killer cell and inflammatory genes was quantified in 106 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded EMBs classified according to 2013 International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) criteria. The gene set expression was compared between ISHLT diagnoses and correlated with donor-specific antibody (DSA), endothelial injury by electron microscopy (EM) and prognosis. Findings were validated in an independent set of 57 EMBs. In the training set (n = 106), AMR cases (n = 70) showed higher gene set expression than acute cellular rejection (ACR; n = 21, p < 0.001) and controls (n = 15, p < 0.0001). Anti-HLA DSA positivity was associated with higher gene set expression (p = 0.01). Endothelial injury by electron microscopy strongly correlated with gene set expression, specifically in AMR cases (r = 0.62, p = 0.002). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis for diagnosing AMR showed greater accuracy with gene set expression (area under the curve [AUC] = 79.88) than with DSA (AUC = 70.47) and C4d (AUC = 70.71). In AMR patients (n = 17) with sequential biopsies, increasing gene set expression was associated with inferior prognosis (p = 0.034). These findings were confirmed in the validation set. In conclusion, biopsy-based molecular assessment of antibody-mediated microcirculation injury has the potential to improve diagnosis of AMR in human cardiac transplants.\n\n\nA propos de Jean-Paul Duong Van-Huyen\n\nJean-Paul Duong-Van-Huyen, MD, PhD is Professor of Pathology at Paris Descartes University. \n\n2014-2017 © Copyright - Paris Transplant Group\n\nWebsite by Pearlweb", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9617152214050293}
{"content": "Minimize Future Earth Explorer Missions\n\nThree candidate Earth Explorer Core missions are currently undergoing Feasibility Study (Phase A). One of these missions will eventually be selected for implementation and thus lead to the launch of ESA's seventh Earth Explorer mission around 2016.\n\nMinimize BIOMASS\nWeb Content Image\n\n\nObserve global forest biomass to gain a better understanding of the carbon cycle\n\nMission Objective:\n\nThe objective of the BIOMASS Mission is to determine the global distribution of forest biomass by reducing the uncertainty in the calculation of carbon stock and fluxes associated with the terrestrial biosphere.\n\nMinimize CoreH20\nWeb Content Image\n\n\nObserve snow and ice to gain a better understanding of the water cycle.\n\nMission Objective:\n\nThe objective of the CoReH2O mission is to fill the gaps in current information on snow, glaciers and surface water. CoReH2O will improve the modelling and prediction of water balance and stream-flow for snow-covered and glacierised basins, the modelling of water and energy cycles at high latitudes, and the forecasting of water supply from snow cover and glaciers, including the relation to climate change and variability.\n\nMinimize PREMIER\nWeb Content Image\n\n\nObserve atmospheric composition for a better understanding of chemistry-climate interactions\n\nMission Objective:\n\nThe objective of the PREMIER mission is to quantify the processes controlling global atmospheric composition in the mid/upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (5-25 km height range), which is a region of particular importance for climate change.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9897098541259766}
{"content": "7 weight-loss tips that work\n\nImage result for lose weight\n\nThere seems to be a new message from the weight-loss industry every day. People are confused. Should you cleanse, go gluten-free or drop all grains to get the needle on the scale to go down?\n\nAfter more than 12 years in the field as a nutritionist, I’ve found there are key steps that can help you achieve your goal weight quickly and healthily. Whether it’s five or 50 pounds, here are some tips to consider.\n\n1. Water is a game changer. If you feel you’ve tried every weight-loss program and are still not losing weight, examine your water intake. Ideally, you should be drinking two litres of water each and every day. (Herbal tea counts; coffee does not.) It’s extremely hard to lose weight efficiently if your body is dehydrated.\n\n2. Diet drinks are not so diet. I cannot tell you how many times I meet with a client who has 10 to 15 pounds to lose and is drinking two to three diet sodas per day. Research shows artificial sweeteners can promote fat storage and increase your body mass index. While some people drink diet sodas to curb a sweet tooth, it’s not a habit that will produce positive effects. Instead of drinking diet drinks, substitute water with lemon, sparkling water and sweet herbal teas, such as berry and cinnamon tea.\n\n3. Supper is supplementary. Most people start their day off well, only to finish it not as well. In order to “hit it out of the park” with your weight-loss results, make supper your lightest meal of the day. As the saying goes, “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.”\n\nOf course, there will be times where you go out for dinner or enjoy a larger meal in the evening. However, keeping your evening meal on the lighter side for five days out of the week will ensure the pounds on the scale drop. Enjoy a dinner of protein and vegetables drizzled with some healthy fat.\n\n4. One cheat does not blow the entire deal. Many feel if they cheat on their diet, they’ve blown the entire thing and may as well throw in the towel and binge. This is the opposite of what you should do! If you do have a cheat meal or drink, simply compensate by doing an extra workout, eating light the next day, dropping your grain or increasing your water intake.\n\n5. Food and emotions go hand in hand. How you eat is a reflection of how you feel. If you’re using food to numb an emotion, soothe or self-sabotage, it’s time to make peace with it. Keeping a food journal to track your food intake and emotions will help you to discover the “why” behind what you’re eating. Until you get your behavior under control, plan out all your meals. Similar to the way you would lay your clothes out the day before, plan the food you’ll be eating and stick to it!\n\n6. Nutrient-dense, lighter-calorie food goes a long way. When you’re hungry or on the verge of a food binge, opt for calorie-light, nutrient-dense foods, such as vegetables or pureed vegetable soups. Red pepper slices, baby carrots, cucumber slices and cherry tomatoes can help fill you up.\n\n7. Follow the five-year rule. Before you join a weight-loss program, ask yourself the very important question, “Can I see myself following a version of this program for five years?” If the answer is no, don’t do it! The one thing the body hates more than being overweight is gaining and losing weight routinely. Chronic yo-yo dieting is a one-way ticket to excess weight and a sluggish metabolism. When picking your weight-loss program, make sure it’s one that can be followed long-term. If the diet is overly restrictive and impossible to follow for a long time, chances are you’ll lose the weight, only to gain it back.\n\n\nTop 10 Foods To Gain Muscle Mass\n\n1. Lean Beef\n\nThis should be a staple of your diet if you want to gain muscle mass. Lean beef is loaded with all sorts of things conducive to muscle growth, including iron, zinc and B-vitamins. More importantly, it provides your body with high quality protein (not all proteins are equal), and a high level of amino acid that works with insulin to promote muscle growth. For those who are trying to lose weight, this should come as great news – a 3oz serving of lean beef provides roughly the same amount of protein as 1.5 cups of beans, but at half the calories.\n\n2. Skinless Chicken\n\nLike beef, chicken is an excellent source of high quality protein, which is important for muscle maintenance and repair, bone health, and weight maintenance. And of course, there are so many ways you can cook and prepare chicken. Go down to the store and you can easily find chicken meat cut into single serving sizes that can be seasoned and quickly cooked.\n\n\n3. Cottage Cheese\n\nNot many people know this, but cottage cheese is almost entirely pure casein protein. Casein is a slow-digesting protein, which means it is perfect for muscle maintenance. This is useful especially for people who have no choice but to go long periods without eating. Cottage cheese is also an excellent source of vitamin B12, calcium, and other important nutrients.\n\n\n4. Eggs\n\nEggs contain high quality protein, nine essential amino acids, choline, the right kind of fat, and vitamin D. They provide the most value for your money. And eggs are not harmful for your health, as numerous studies have already shown.\n\n\n5. Whey Protein\n\nThere is a reason why whey protein supplements are the most popular supplement in the fitness industry: they provide a fast and convenient source of protein at an affordable price. Bodybuilders normally use them when they wake up, right after their workout, and mixed with some of their meals. For the rest of us, a scoop in our shakers right after our workouts  can be very effective for muscle mass gains. It’s important that you still get high quality protein from whole foods, and use whey protein as a boost.\n\n\n6. Tuna and Other Fish\n\nFish are high in protein, low in fat, and rich in omega-3 fatty acids. The omega-3s are essential because they aid in fat loss  and ensure the proper function of your body processes , such as your metabolism.\n\n\n7. Oatmeal\n\nOatmeal is an great source of carbohydrates due to both its low glycemic index (GI) value  and the fact it is minimally processed. The benefits of a low-GI diet include:\n\n\n  • Better micronutrient profile and more fiber\n  • Increased satiety\n  • Decreased hunger\n  • Lower subsequent energy intake (second meal effect)\n  • Fat loss\n\n\nIn short, low-GI foods can enhance fat loss for those looking to lose weight, and provide a constant source of carbs for muscle preservation.\n\n8. Whole Grains\n\nWhole grains digest more efficiently and provide more nutrients than refined grains. This promotes sustained energy levels and overall health. In particular, brown rice can help boost your growth hormone levels, which are critical for encouraging lean muscle growth, fat loss, and strength gains.\n\n\n9. Fruits and Vegetables\n\nFruits and vegetables are a rich source of antioxidants, which are essential for the healthy functioning of your immune system. They also provide tons of other nutrients, such as vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene. Finally, your body requires the fiber these fruits and vegetables provide to aid in proper digestion and nutrient uptake.\n\n\n10. Healthy Fats\n\nI know the thought of consuming fat makes some of you shudder, but good fats are essential for muscle growth. In fact, they play an essential role in hormone production (testosterone and growth hormones), which helps drive muscle growth and strength gains. In addition, fats are needed for many important maintenance functions. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are the good fats. You can find them in salmon, other fishes, nuts, leafy veggies, oils such as flaxseed, avocados, and seeds. They are also all rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.\n\nThe 6 Rules of Gaining Muscle Mass\n\nThe 6 Rules of Gaining Muscle Mass\n\nHere’s the frustrating truth: Most guys spend their entire life going to gyms, performing endless reps and sets, and never gaining more than a few pounds of muscle. You sacrifice sweat, invest in hustle and for what? Yeah, good health — that’s great. But if you’re like me, you also want results you can see.\n\nEventually many guys end up wondering, “Is my body just not designed to add size?\n\nI tried my own personal experiment to build as much mass as possible in one month. The result: I gained 20 pounds in 28 days.\n\nI learned what it takes to add size — no drugs, no cheating, no gimmicks.\n\nI did this to help all the average guys out there, guys just like me. The ones that are tired of being frustrated, misled and unable to make any changes that they can see. And as a former skinny guy, it was further proof that anyone — with enough patience and effort — can change their body.\n\nIf you want to add some mass to your body, or just make sure that you’re not wasting your time with your training and diet plan, here are six lessons that will help you avoid your common frustrations.\n\nRULE #1: Eat More Calories Than You Burn\n\nThis might seem obvious, but when you’re trying to add mass, you need to eat more. If there’s a consistent theme in the struggle to gain weight, most people just don’t eat enough. Keep in mind that everyone’s body is different, so there’s no hard-and-fast rule on how much you need to eat. But most people eat for the body they currently have. When they eat “a lot,” that’s just compared to their current weight. If you want to gain more size, you have to be thinking about what it would take to fuel the body you desire.\n\nSo eating “a lot” for your size will undoubtedly leave you at your size. You need to push the limits and find ways to take in more calories. Remember, you’re trying to change the way you look and push past a weight that is easy for you body to maintain. What’s more, you’re trying to add muscle that might be stubbornly resisting all your efforts.\n\nThe best approach is finding an eating strategy that makes it easier to take in more calories. This might mean eating more meals. It might mean eating less often but taking in significantly larger meals. That’s what I did. I only ate 3 times per day, but I ate a lot at each meal.\n\nSometimes you might need some simple tricks to add calories. This could be adding 1-2 tablespoons of oils (like Udo’s oil) to meals, or adding a few extra tablespoons of nut butter after you’re already full. But if you’re trying to gain weight and your not seeing any changes, start eating more. It’s a simple idea, but one that can be difficult to achieve because it’s an uncomfortable process. Hang with it, and your body will eventually adjust — both with the “ease” of eating more and the changes you’ll see.\n\n\nRULE #2: Double or Triple Your Protein Intake\n\nIf there’s a type of food you want to eat more of, your top choice should be protein. Most guys don’t eat enough protein. That’s because there’s a variety of myths out there that will have you believe that you can only digest 20 to 30 grams of protein per serving. Or that you need to eat lots of small doses of protein 5 to 6 times per day. The result is that you feel like you’re getting enough protein, but you’re actually falling short of your goals.\n\nIf you want to boost how much protein you’re eating, understand that you can take in more than 20 to 30 grams per serving. And then focus on eating two to three times more protein, in general. If you’re already taking in about a gram per pound of your body weight, you don’t need to triple that amount. But just like calories, you want to eat for the body you’re trying to build. So add more protein as part of your effort.\n\nRULE #3: Eat Mostly Nutrient-Dense Whole Foods\n\nOne of the biggest mistakes when trying to gain weight is eating the wrong types of food. Gaining weight can be hard for some people. (And yes, people that struggle to lose weight do not want to hear about your “difficulties” stuffing your face, but both can be equally challenging.) When you hit that wall, your first instinct might be to eat the most calorically dense foods possible. Scarfing down pizza and donuts might help you gain weight — but not the type you want.\n\nRemember the goal is mass, but more muscle and less fat is what you want. So you’ll want to eat foods that are dense in calories — think steak and potatoes — as well as foods that have nutritional value and will help with digestion, like greens and sauerkraut.\n\nWhile you will have more room to take in extra calories, if those calories are all from the bad sources you will grow — in all the wrong ways.\n\nRULE #4: Do Compound Exercises in The Gym\n\nA quick look at my workout  should reveal something very important: the workouts were not overly complicated. I hit the exercises that worked the greatest number of muscles. Moves like squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press and rows. Add in some “isolation” exercises to train your vanity muscles, and you have the perfect plan.\n\nDon’t over-complicate your training with endless exercise changes. The fastest way to gain size is to become better at a few exercise and lift more weight. Your body will grow. Trust me. Which brings up another important rule.\n\nRULE #5: Lift Heavier Weights\n\nThere is a place for higher reps in any program. In fact, I incorporated some on my “conditioning” days. But training heavy plays an important role in your ability to grow. That’s because focusing on heavier weight increases your strength. And as you increase your strength, you can use more weight for more reps. And as your total work capacity increases (amount of weight you use multiplied by the number of reps you perform), you are able to add more mass.\n\nYou’ll want to be smart about your approach. The downside of heavier lifting is that it can put you at a greater likelihood of injury. So doing a proper and thorough warmup, as well as several work-up sets, will ensure that you body–and your muscles, tendons, and ligaments–are prepared to add more weight, become stronger, and stay injury free.\n\nRULE #6: Get 7+ Hours of Sleep Every Night\n\nTwo simple reasons why you want to make sure to prioritize sleep:\n\n  • Sleeping enough helps your body build muscle\n    – Not sleeping enough makes it harder to build muscle\n\nWhen you get enough sleep, your levels of growth hormone increase. This is a natural hormone that plays an important role in muscle growth and recovery. When you don’t sleep enough, another hormone–cortisol–is increased. This stress hormone makes it harder for you to gain muscle. In fact, research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that people who don’t sleep enough not only lose weight, they also lose muscle.\n\nYour goal should be to prioritize your rest just as much as your meals and workouts. It’ll ensure that all your hard work won’t go to waste.\n\nBy following these guidelines, you’ll be avoiding some of the most common mistakes that make gaining size seem impossible.\n\nVegetarian diets almost twice as effective in reducing body weight, study finds.\n\nweight loss\n\nDieters who go vegetarian not only lose weight more effectively than those on conventional low-calorie diets but also improve their metabolism by reducing muscle fat, a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition has found.\n\nLosing muscle fat improves glucose and lipid metabolism so this finding is particularly important for people with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, says lead author, Dr. Hana Kahleová, Director of Clinical Research at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington DC.\n\nSeventy-four subjects with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to follow either a vegetarian diet or a conventional anti-diabetic diet. The vegetarian diet consisted of vegetables, grains, legumes, fruits and nuts, with animal products limited to a maximum of one portion of low-fat yoghurt per day; the conventional diabetic diet followed the official recommendations of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). Both diets were restricted by 500 kilocalories per day compared to an isocaloric intake for each individual.\n\nThe vegetarian diet was found to be almost twice as effective in reducing body weight, resulting in an average loss of 6.2kg compared to 3.2kg for the conventional diet.\n\nUsing magnetic resonance imaging, Dr. Kahleová and colleagues then studied adipose (fat-storage) tissue in the subjects’ thighs to see how the two different diets had affected subcutaneous, subfascial and intramuscular fat (that is, fat under the skin, on the surface of muscles and inside muscles).\n\nThey found that both diets caused a similar reduction in subcutaneous fat. However, subfascial fat was only reduced in response to the vegetarian diet, and intramuscular fat was more greatly reduced by the vegetarian diet.\n\nThis is important as increased subfascial fat in patients with type 2 diabetes has been associated with insulin resistance, so reducing it could have a beneficial effect on glucose metabolism. In addition, reducing intramuscular fat could help improve muscular strength and mobility, particularly in older people with diabetes.\n\nDr. Kahleová said: “Vegetarian diets proved to be the most effective diets for weight loss. However, we also showed that a vegetarian diet is much more effective at reducing muscle fat, thus improving metabolism. This finding is important for people who are trying to lose weight, including those suffering from metabolic syndrome and/or type 2 diabetes. But it is also relevant to anyone who takes their weight management seriously and wants to stay lean and healthy.”\n\nWhy our brain cells may prevent us burning fat when we’re dieting\n\nA study carried out in mice may help explain why dieting can be an inefficient way to lose weight: key brain cells act as a trigger to prevent us burning calories when food is scarce.\n\n“Weight loss strategies are often inefficient because the body works like a thermostat and couples the amount of calories we burn to the amount of calories we eat,” says Dr Clémence Blouet from the Metabolic Research Laboratories at University of Cambridge. “When we eat less, our body compensates and burns fewer calories, which makes losing weight harder. We know that the brain must regulate this caloric thermostat, but how it adjusts calorie burning to the amount of food we’ve eaten has been something of a mystery.”\n\nNow, in research published in the open access journal eLife, a team of researchers has identified a new mechanism through which the body adapts to low caloric intake and limits weight loss in mice. Mice share a number of important biological and physiological similarities with humans and so are a useful model for studying how our bodies work.\n\nThe researchers tested the role of a group of neurons in a brain region known as the hypothalamus. These ‘agouti-related neuropeptide’ (AGRP) neurons are known for their major role in the regulation of appetite: when activated, they make us eat, but when fully inhibited they can lead to almost complete anorexia.\n\nThe team used a genetic trick to switch the AGRP neurons ‘on’ and ‘off’ in mice so that they could rapidly and reversibly manipulate the neurons’ activity. They studied the mice in special chambers than can measure energy expenditure, and implanted them with probes to remotely measure their temperature, a proxy for energy expenditure, in different contexts of food availability.\n\nThe researchers demonstrated that AGRP neurons are key contributors to the caloric thermostat that regulates our weight, regulating how many calories we burn. The findings suggest that when activated, these neurons make us hungry and drive us to eat — but when there is no food available, they act to spare energy, limiting the number of calories that we burn and hence our weight loss.\n\nAs soon as food becomes available and we start eating, the action of the AGRP neurons is interrupted and our energy expenditure goes back up again to normal levels.\n\nIn addition, the researchers also describe a mechanism through which AGRP neurons regulate their activity by detecting how much energy we have on-board and then controlling how many calories we burn.\n\n“Our findings suggest that a group of neurons in the brain coordinate appetite and energy expenditure, and can turn a switch on and off to burn or spare calories depending on what’s available in the environment,” says Dr Blouet, who led the study. “If food is available, they make us eat, and if food is scarce, they turn our body into saving mode and stop us from burning fat.”\n\n“While this mechanism may have evolved to help us cope with famine, nowadays most people only encounter such a situation when they are deliberately dieting to lose weight. Our work helps explain why for these people, dieting has little effect on its own over a long period. Our bodies compensate for the reduction in calories.”\n\nDr Luke Burke, the study’s first author, adds: “This study could help in the design of new or improved therapies in future to help reduce overeating and obesity. Until then, best solution for people to lose weight — at least for those who are only moderately overweight — is a combination of exercise and a moderate reduction in caloric intake.”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5725322961807251}
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{"content": "by Jill Corcoran\n\nI have been doing a lot of first 10 pages critiques lately, and I find myself writing…START YOUR STORY and ACTIVATE YOUR STORY on almost 100% of the manuscripts. Choosing where to start you story is so very important in grabbing your reader and willing him to keep reading, captivating him so he cannot put your book down.\n\nUnfortunately, so many writers start in the wrong place. They start in what seems to me like they are talking to themselves, working out what is happening or who their characters are or what the back story is and putting that in the first chapters rather than starting where the book needs to begin. Starting right before everything changes for your main character.\n\nRight before? Yes, I know you have heard so many times to start in the action, to start at the moment your character’s life is about to change, but by doing this we often do now know who your character is so we don’t care that their life is changing. We don’t care about who they are or what is their peril.\n\nDon’t start by describing what is going on. Don’t start by having your main character ‘think’ about/tell us about all that is happening in their life. Don’t start with shot from a gun, waking from a bad dream, dialog of people fighting, random thoughts from your character that does not activate your plot and bring the character and the reader into the character’s world. Don’t write a passive, telling, descriptive beginning.\n\nSTART YOUR STORY. Show your character in his world, interacting with other characters that give us a glimpse into who your character is, what problem is he facing and why this problem means something to him, and to us the reader.\n\nIn one of my favorite books, Gayle Foreman’s IF I STAY, Gayle does not start the book at the moment of the car crash. We first see the family together, we actually fall in love with the main character and her family so when the car crash happens, we are devastated along with the main character. Gayle starts the first line of the book with an intriguing sentence….a sentence that activates us to pay attention to this first meeting with the main character’s family. That foreshadows the doom and gloom to come:\n\nEveryone thinks it is because of the snow. And in a way, I suppose that’s true.\n\nAnd then we are back in her world.  A world where the main character is not telling us what is happening but shows us through other characters’ actions and dialog, as well as her own.\n\nLook back at the first pages of THE HUNGER GAMES, SPEAK, LOOKING FOR ALASKA, DRAMA QUEENS IN THE HOUSE, STARGIRL, SWEET EVIL the list goes on and on.\n\nThese are captivating beginnings that establish voice, character, plot, setting without plunging us blindly into the ‘problem’, the ‘crisis’. They also do not bore us with little details that talk down to the reader to make sure they are going to ‘get it’, that make sure the reader knows everything they need to know so they can follow your story.\n\nOften you have to finish your book so you can rewrite/re-envision your beginning. Often you have to toss out your first couple of chapters. Do not mourn those lost words.  Thank them for helping you get started, for helping you understand where you book is going, for activating you to write rather than spend your years like so many wannabees saying I have a story I want to write but I just don’t know where to start. Congrats. You started. You got to the end. Now rewrite that beginning. Activate your story.\n\n\nby Jill Corcoran\n\nWhat makes a book sell to a publisher, and sell-through to readers? It is NOT how fabulous your website or blog is. It is NOT how many facebook or twitter friends you have, how many publishing links you forward or put on said website, blog, facebook and twitter. It is not how much editors and agents like you, though being a pain in the arse will NOT help you in any way, shape or form.\n\nWhat sells a book is THE WRITING coupled with an ORIGINAL, COMPELLING CONCEPT!\n\nYou have heard that great writing will rise to the top and find its way. Yet we all know that not all great writing sells. There is marketing and sales to contend with, and even in my  short years of agenting I have had quite a number of books that editors loved and sales and marketing told them that it would sell, but just not enough....and the books are still not published. Breaks my heart. Breaks the editors' hearts. And oh, the author. So very unfair. BUT, publishing is a business and fair is not the leading part of the equation here.\n\nBut couple GREAT WRITING with an ORIGINAL AND COMPELLING CONCEPT and you are 75% there. The rest is luck, timing, bizarre unknown factors that none of us understand but we kill ourselves trying to, and kismet. When HARRY POTTER, TWILIGHT, WIMPY KID, 13 REASONS WHY, etc were brought to acquisitions meetings and given the green light, publishers made an educated guess that these books would sell. They make those educated guesses on other books (and in some cases pay big advances and pump marketing dollars into them) that are equally fantastic but for some mysterious reason never find their audience. I worked in marketing for a couple of decades and this is just how it goes. What made the Pet Rock, Silly Bands, Chia Pets, Fuzzy Wuzzy was a Bear Soap, etc sell? Don't know.\n\nIs it all word of mouth? Is it superior product--maybe yes in books, but in Pet Rocks?\n\nSo let's talk about 'superior product in books'. In my opinion, the ORIGINAL, COMPELLING CONCEPT outweighs mediocre writing, but the better writer you are (LEARN YOUR CRAFT!) the stronger CAREER you will have as a writer be it traditionally published or self-published.\n\nAnd to the self-published, $0.99 sales price may get you a heck of a lot of first time readers (if you are so lucky) but if your writing is crap, who the heck is going to buy your second book? Let me quote my friend and 80+book author Kathleen Duey: Almost no one expects musicians to get good on an instrument without years of lessons, books, years of practice. There is a similar learning curve for writing. (read full post here)\n\nSo, my advice to writers other than the all important LEARN YOUR CRAFT---\n\n1. Brainstorm concepts and pitches before you commit to a new book.\n\nEven if you love your your new idea....write 10 more to get your creative juices going and see if you can come up with something better and/or improve on your original idea.\n\nBrainstorming without self-criticism is an excellent way to unearth your creativity.\n\n2. If you have a critique group/agent--consider picking the 3 that you most want to work on and share it with them to see if you are on track to writing something truly original and compelling.\n\n3. Find the manuscript voice you want to work with. This is not Author Voice--Author voice is your unique voice that permeates all your work, this is the Manuscript Voice--the tone you want to tell this particular story in.\n\n4. Write 3 chapters in your chosen Manuscript Voice and see if it is working. Share it with your critique partners, and, if you have this kind of relationship, with your Agent. While these first chapters may end up in the dumpster as many first chapters do, it is the tone/ characters/ setting/ concept/ freshness/ uniqueness that must shine through. Sometimes we come up with an amazing concept but we just cannot write an amazing manuscript to do the concept justice. I find this all the time in queries....amazing concepts with pages that are not compelling. If you cannot write to the chosen concept, pick another one. You have a list of 10+. Or brainstorm again.\n\n5. Be absolutely mindful of every character you choose to put in the book. Why are they there? How do they move the story forward? What is interesting about them that will make a reader care about following them from page to page to page? What would make a reader demand book 2 and 3 because they can't bear to say goodbye to these characters? This is a must even for stand-alones. Don't you love that feeling when you slow down at the end of a book because you just don't want it to end?\n\n6. Plot the heck out of the book. If you are a pantsers (as opposed to an outliner), no problem. Just make sure you go back through one full revision with the plot in the forefront of your mind asking How can I make this book UNPUTDOWNABLE?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7840973138809204}
{"content": "Jodi-Anne’s books and ebooks now available\n\nJMS books Gold Buddha\n\nThese two channelled books contain insights on the healing journey that we are all on. We are all learning to love and accept ourselves, to let go of past hurts, and live in the NOW. We are all opening up to love, to feeling our emotions fully, and taking the risk to be seen, heard, and loved as our authentic self.\n\nIt feels vulnerable to risk showing who you truly are, to let go of your defence mechanisms and image, to say “This is who I really am. These are my strengths, my weaknesses, my fears. I’m not perfect, I’m human and I’m doing my best to be a healthy, happy person”. These books contain some of the tools I’ve used along the way in my healing journey. I hope you find them useful.\n\nCoverThe healing journey demystified’ is my healing journey, along with advice on how to proceed through the many layers of emotional density, armouring, and protection mechanisms that form when you have suffered a challenging start to life. It also contains a summary of the stages of healing from child abuse and examples of actions you can use to heal.\n\n‘Advice from a higher Source’ contains 85 answers to questions I’ve asked about life. The answers are channelled, downloaded from the Universe/God/Life/Whatever you want to call it. They are loving messages of support to help us through the challenging moments that we face. I’ve asked questions such as ‘How do you heal from the past and enjoy life?’, ‘What is our purpose?’, ‘How do you recognise when a relationship no longer serves you?’, ‘How do you accept the now, and not focus on past or future as the source of happiness?’ ‘Why do we have to go through so much pain?’ and many, many others.\n\nCoverI randomly open it each morning and read the answer I’ve opened to. It amazes me how it is always the one most relevant to how I’m feeling at that time. This book gives us hope and understanding of what is occurring and why. It helps us to see the bigger picture unfolding on Earth, as we all consciously evolve into loving, heart-felt human beings.\n\nBoth books and ebooks can be purchased online at – (To purchase in your country’s currency, once the link opens, go to the top of the page and choose the flag symbol for your country 😊😊😊)\n\nHappy reading, many blessings, Jodi-Anne\n\n\nHow to accept where people are at?\n\nAre you struggling to accept someone’s choices or journey? Here is a blog I channelled on ‘How to accept where people are at’.\n\nAmongst your community there are many people with low levels of awareness, that does not make them wrong or less than you or others who are more aware of life and the larger reasons for it. All beings are exactly where they need to be for their evolution and growth. All are awakening and becoming conscious at the rate that is best for them.\n\nSome who appear less conscious, actually are highly evolved beings who have chosen particularly hard life paths to attempt to master a particular skill. You cannot tell someone’s level of awareness by looking at them or analysing them with your mind. You can only glimpse it through your heart, through witnessing their heart in action, their vibration, their kindness to other beings.\n\nThose who are lofty in knowledge are not necessarily living that knowledge. They may know what it means to be aware, conscious, God-like beings. This does not mean they do it, be it, breathe it – have embodied it. They will in time. Often gaining a lot of knowledge occurs because there is deep pain to be released and they are avoiding feeling and releasing it, by staying stuck in their heads, not in their bodies where the pain is located.\n\nIn time when they are ready they will drop down into the pain, feel it, release it and balance back up. Everyone does this when they finally feel safe enough, loved enough and trusting enough that they will cope and come out the other side.\n\nIt takes time to build emotional awareness and ability to feel what is truly going on inside, to drop down and listen, to feel into that inner silence and allow forth that which needs your presence and allowance to surface, to enable your freedom once it is released.\n\nTo do it sooner than you are truly ready for just results in fear, results in retraumatisation and disillusion. To push too far before you have the ability to process it safely harms the body, as you reattach to the emotion and the story, instead of just witnessing it and letting it go. People need to learn these skills first, learn how to sit in the pain and not own it, just let it float by. They need to learn to trust life to hold them, care for them and provide for them. This only gets learned through experience of synchronicities and life’s majestic gifts, when things happen unexplainably showing you there is a bigger plan unfolding and you are just one small part of that.\n\nPeople cannot be told about this and embody it, they have to experience it and it takes time. This is why you can plant seeds of awareness, but can’t make them blossom. Life will do that and it takes each plant a different amount of time, water, love and growth to do it.\n\nSo as an educator or helper the best thing you can do is share your story, your experiences of the mysteries of life to give another hope, inspiration and a little more faith and trust. Then let go, let life lead them forth and provide them with their own miracles, to open their hearts and let them heal. You cannot make it happen. You cannot rescue or fix anyone. God will do it perfectly at the right time for that person. So do not lose sleep worrying about others or trying to figure out how to help them realise the truth or release their pain. Life will do it, life will guide them forth.\n\nThe best you can do is vibrate in as close a state of love and acceptance as you can, then your energy will help uplift theirs and hold the space for their awakening to life and its larger mysteries. Just love and accept them and know they will be led forth to their magnificence when the time is right. Blessed BE, Amen.\n\nBy Jodi-Anne (27 September 2016).\n\n\nWhite Angelica Essential Oil\n\nWhite Angelica was the very first Young Living essential oil I owned. I got it many years ago to wear when I was going to be in crowds, as it is frequency protects against negative energies and helps to create a feelng of wholeness and sacred connection. Being an empath I used to feel people’s emotions strongly and could be exhausted by being in the energy of large numbers of people. This oil is also extremely supportive when you are walking through many emotions, many struggles, and many pressures. It is the companion of those struggling to rest peacefully. A release for grief.\n\n💐 White Angelica essential oil blend has a sweet, warm, and floral fragrance, with a combination of exotic essential oils from around the world in climates such as Madagascar, Italy, France, Egypt, Bulgaria, Somalia, Canada, and Australia. White Angelica combines 10 of Young Living’s 100 percent pure essential oils, including Bergamot, Myrrh, Geranium, Ylang Ylang, Melissa, and Rose. This floral, harmonizing blend may enhance the appearance of skin and can be added to Young Living’s ART Light Moisturizer to enjoy its skin-beautifying benefits but is most often used for its incredible emotional support.\n\n😍 Apply to the wrists, over the heart, or add to the diffuser as needed when struggling with negative emotions, carrying the weight of others, and processing grief or disappointment. Excellent for children who struggle to verbalize their feelings and tend to process through nightmares.\n\n+The companion of those struggling to rest peacefully.\n+Emotional support\n+A release for grief.\n\nWays To Use:\nDiffuse throughout the day.\nWear on wrists and chest.\n\nSacred Mountain essential oil\n\nI love that I was using this oil while up at Mount Remarkable in the Flinders Ranges in South Australia. It truly is a sacred mountain and this oil helped me to relax, unwind and rejuvenate while there. Below is a description of Young Living’s Sacred Mountain essential oil and what is assists with.\n\nSacred Mountain is a blend of Ylang Ylang and conifer oils (Spruce, Balsam Fir, and Cedarwood–some of our beloved tree oils!!) that evokes the sense of sanctity found in nature and promotes feelings of strength, empowerment, grounding, and protection when diffused.\n\nThe 3 conifer oils have been traditionally used by Native Americans symbolically to represent the umbrella they create in protecting the earth and bring energy in from the universe. At night, animals in the wild lie under conifer trees for their protection, recharging and rejuvenation the trees bring to them.\n\nThis emotional support oil is sure to become a favorite – diffuse it or apply topically, or even with some epsom salts in the bath!! Here are some great times to consider using Sacred Mountain:\n\n+ Fear of failure/empowerment: We are our own worst enemy. Fear of failure oftentimes prevents us from moving forward. Sacred Mountain can help empower you to take that first step.\n\n+ Public speaking/strength: A very common fear and one that is not easily overcome. Sacred Mountain can help you get the courage you need to take that stage with more confidence.\n\n+ Social situations/strength: if you get anxious in social situations then Sacred Mountain (combined with Valor for an extra punch) can help with overcoming fears and putting yourself out there more.\n\n+ Loss of a loved one/strength: When a loved one passes, the whole family grieves. Be the support your family needs while managing your own grief as well.\n\n+ Resisting temptations/empowerment: What tempts you? Sugar? Smoking? Gossiping? Sacred Mountain can shore up your defenses and allow you to strengthen your resolve.\n\n+ Controlling emotions/grounding: You can’t always control how you feel, but you can control how you act on your feelings. Using Sacred Mountain may help give you that pause you need to evaluate a situation differently.\n\n+ Dealing with conflict/empowerment: Conflict is never easy and never comfortable but sometimes it is very necessary. Sacred Mountain can help you steel your resolve for that conversation no one wants to have.\n\n+ Self care/strength: Sometimes, especially as women, we struggle to put our own needs first when we really need to. Sacred Mountain can give you the emotional strength to take care of yourself without feeling guilty.\n\n+ Leadership/empowerment: Give your confidence the boost it needs to be a more effective leader.\n\n+ Asserting oneself/strength: Sometimes letting others know that you are displeased is a very uncomfortable thing to do. Let Sacred Mountain help you get the courage you need to speak up.\n\nSeriously–this oil is a powerhouse of emotional support! It’s one of those oils that I never allow myself to be out of because I use it and rely on it so much!\n\n\nWhat is suicide? How best to help someone feeling suicidal?\n\nSuicide is a way of escaping emotional pain that has become too strong to bear. The person is overwhelmed by life and unsure of how to cope or what to do. They sense it would be easier to leave and return into nothingness. They may or may not be aware that to do so is to return to God, to unconditional love and support that is available to all of us while still in the body.  We can access this support by asking for it. That is what prayer is – you are asking for love and support to help you through tough times.\n\nEach can pray easily just by asking “Lord, please help me to overcome my burdens and release them at a rate my body can handle. Please help me find the strength to carry on, the humility to ask for and accept help, and the humbleness to sing your praises. Thank you Lord for your help and support. Please hold my hand as I walk forth on this journey which feels too much for me right now”.\n\nAnyone can pray. If you don’t feel comfortable asking Jesus, ask Mother Mary, God, The Universe, Mother Nature. It matters not who you ask, but that you do ask. Ask and you shall receive. Listen quietly within to hear the answer, to feel the support and gain the insight and clarity you need.\n\nMany people when they hit rock bottom do so because they feel alone, lost, abandoned, disappointed with life, they feel it is meaningless, that there is no point going on. You can help someone in such a state by loving and accepting them, by doing fun things together, even if it is just watching cartoons, sitting in nature, massaging their feet, eating cake, having a laugh. You want to lighten their spirits in whatever way will work.\n\nJust telling them how much you care and would miss them helps, but it also creates a pressure, a feeling of guilt for the person and this isn’t helpful. They are already burdened enough without adding more for them to feel bad about.\n\nIt is more effective to say “I love you and I see you are struggling to stay here on Earth. I respect your right to choose to leave or stay. I hope you choose to stay because I do love you, value you and want you in my life. However, if you feel you must go I will accept your choice. It will be hard, but I will honour you and your life and remember you fondly. I will make something good out fo it, even if you can’t at this stage. Know you have had a beneficial impact on me, you have helped me in so many ways, just by being my friend/family member. We have shared so much and I thank you for that. I hope we get to continue sharing life together, but if not I respect your choice and I will look upon you fondly and hold you in my heart. You are very special to me and always will be, no matter what you choose”.\n\nThis makes it clear that they are loved, wanted, cherished and respected. That is what the person is longing for to feel connected, valued, heard. They don’t want to be lectured at, rescued or made to feel guilty. They don’t want to be called selfish or broken / damaged / worthless, they are already feeling that.\n\nBy respecting their choice you are giving them permission to make a change in their life. They may have been feeling weighted down by life and now you are helping them to see they have choices, more choices than they realised.\n\nDon’t ask too much of them. Let them be, send love regularly and hold them in your heart. Pray to the angels to take care of them and let go of trying to figure it out / control it. You can’t. You simply can’t. If the person chooses to die – it is their choice, not yours. If it is their destined time to go, you can’t stop it. If it isn’t they will stay regardless of what you do.\n\nRemember to honour yourself and your family throughout all of this. Be there for them too. It is a big ask for all involved, as everyone’s emotions and hurts will be triggered. It leads to lots of growth in all who are affected, if they truly allow themselves to feel their pain and listen to their hearts.\n\nLife is not easy. We all go through our ups and downs. Know that suicide is just another way to die. It is not a particularly bad sin or problem. The person will still be welcomed and loved by God. They will find peace and healing on the other side and they will get to return to Earth and try again. They will reexperience a similar situation, so they can play out an alternative outcome. This can occur many times, until the person finds a way to cope, survive and thrive. It is part of their soul’s evolution and expansion.\n\nSo do not judge another who suffers. Don’t fear they will go to Hell and be punished. Don’t sacrifice yourself and your needs trying to rescue them. They need to feel empowered, not weak. They need to know they have choices, rights, etc, so that they can have a sense of power. Find what brings them joy, what they love and do that – be it a hobby, gardening, travel, etc. Find ways to help lift their moods and bring joy into their life. These are the best things you can do.\n\nAnd know that if you lose patience, if you get frustrated and angry, if you explode at them about it all, that’s okay too. Just apologise afterwards and explain how hard it is for you to watch them in pain and how you wish you could take it away. Tell them how much you worry and that you know it doesn’t help, but it’s hard not to do. Show kindness to yourself and them. It helps more than you know. Blesed BE. Amen.\n\nBy Jodi-Anne M Smith (22 November 2017).\n\nIf you find this information useful consider donating to support the sharing of more useful information, even $5 is a great help.\n\nDonate Button\n\n\nHow to focus on the goodness in your life and stop complaining?\n\nIt is human nature to notice what you do and don’t have, to see what others are doing and compare that to what you see in your own life. But everyone is here to have different experiences. You get exactly what you need for your personal growth, healing and evolution of your Spirit, your consciousness. Nothing happens by accident, it is all purposeful – serving a positive purpose to assist you in your awakening.\n\nWhen you notice undesirable elements in your life, you do so to be triggered, to feel and release emotion, to heal, to motivate you to take action to change it, if you so desire. Many of you however, choose just to grumble about your life, to feel stuck, lost and focused on complaining about what is wrong. This lowers your vibration, your vitality, it flattens and deadens you. It leads to stagnation and decay. It is the road to depression and sadness.\n\nInstead, when you notice yourself starting to feel flat, negative, sad – stop and rest. Acknowledge a part of you is tired, lonely, scared, angry – whatever it is. Send love to that part of you, knowing that it needs your love, your acceptance, and your attention. Showing care to that part of yourself, will help it to feel better and will boost your energy levels back up.\n\nThis  type of subpersonality or inner child work is so important, because it is they who are upset, not you. The Adult part of you is fine, able to make decisions and choices, able to focus on the now and flow with what is. You just have to be able to access the Adult part of you to stay in or return to balance. The Adult trusts, is resourceful and capable. When the Child takes over it feels moody, lonely, it can be negative or pessimistic, but all it is really wanting is some love, to play and have fun, to cuddle a teddy or dog, to be seen, heard, listened to and valued. Then it will let go of its sad or angry or disappointed, hurt or betrayed feelings and focus on enjoying life. It wants to have fun, not wallow, but it needs help to move out of its emotional ruts and tantrums. Send love, talk to and listen to its needs.\n\nThe Child is within us all, the younger parts of ourselves, that hold the memories of all that we have been through, that hold our hopes and dreams that we formed in our younger years. They take stock of what was, is and will be. They think they know what is going to happen, based on what has happened, but life is constantly changing. There is always room for growth, for new things, to enter as you clear out the old and make space vibrationally for higher vibrating energy to enter your field. The more you clean out the old, the more new energy and stuff – manifestation can occur.\n\nLife is always moving you forward in a positive direction, but you have to feel and release the buried trauma, emotions, defense mechanisms and controlling energies in order to receive the new. So you will go through challenges to trigger you, to help you release, so you can get your new desired items / way of being in life. It is a cleansing process that has to occur.\n\nIf you find yourself stuck in the mire of it all, take some deep breaths, comfort your inner child and choose to rest, to honour your needs for sleep, food, nurturance, fun. Honour where you are at and you will help your body to shift out of that energy, that mood and allow your vibration to rise above it. Don’t keep pushing on or dragging your feet until you are totally exhausted or sick. Listen to your body and its needs. Listen, respond and heal, and you will feel so much better.\n\nYou have what you have to help you heal. As you heal what you have will change. So it doesn’t matter if you have what you want right now, because it will shift. Focus on the journey, on enjoying each moment, on allowing your life to progress and advance. Don’t stay stuck, wallowing in what is. Release it and trust what is to come, for it is good indeed. Blessed BE, Amen.\n\nBy Jodi-Anne M Smith (9 November 2017).\n\n\nDonate Button\n\n\nHow to move out of survival and live?\n\nMany of you who have had deep pain and hurt in your younger lives have learned to survive by doing whatever is necessary to get through your day. You work, you smile, you help, you laugh and you hide away at home when you can because that feels safe. In essence you are still expecting attack and you work hard to avoid it. Your focus is on getting through each day without attack, with minimal dnager, conflict and abuse. You collapse at the end of the day exhausted, satisfied to have survived and to have gotten through relatively unscathed.\n\nIn doing this you are simply surviving each day, you are not enjoying your life very much or creating what you really want. You are not living your authentic self, you are using a range of cover ups and defense mechanisms to protect your vulnerable, scared child. That feels more important than having fun, socialising. This is true for many of you.\n\nThere are others who are also just surviving, but they focus on pleasure and not much else. They have given up trying to achieve anything or to be successful in their chosen path. They have given up on their dreams believing it isn’t worth the effort to pursue them. They settle for comfort food, alcohol, drugs, sex and a simplistic, hedonistic life, without contributing very much to society.\n\nThere are many survival patterns, underneath them all is pain, pain waiting to be felt and released, so you can step up and show your true self to the world, so you can enjoy life and contribute to the welfare of all by shining your light brightly.\n\nYou do not need to stay hidden, small to be safe. You don’t need to keep yourself small, stuck to feel like you have no control, no choice, no option. You do have options. Every day, every hour, every minute you are making choices affecting your health and wellbeing. You choose to do nothing or to sulk or pout or be angry or disappointed or to feel hopeless, like there’s no point trying. You choose to repeat the same mundane day over and over – go to work, eat, sleep, wake up, repeat over and over. You choose to numb out and watch TV or to eat or drink or whatever method you use to escape your dissatisfaction with your life. You are choosing to be stuck, to be a survivor or victim of life and your experiences.\n\nYou could be choosing to do something new, to try a new hobby, to connect with people and do activities, to have fun and socialise. You can choose to do study to work towards a career change or to volunteer at a nursing home or food shelter or other act of service, which not only helps others but results in you feeling better about yourself and your life. There is so much you could choose to do, but you have to choose it. You have to action it, take the risk for things to change.\n\nDon’t let your life slip away. Take charge and live it. Flow with what life brings you, the ups and the downs, and make the most of it. When you get triggered or you get insight into your defense mechanisms, your pain, work through them to heal them and free yourself up. You don’t have to stay stuck in the old patterns and pain – free yourself and live.\n\nIt is time to have fun, to be free, to shine your light, to do what you missed out on, to experiment and discover what you enjoy in life. It is time to LIVE, choose it and the Universe will help you do it. CONNECT with nature, with yourself, with others. Let yourself be seen, heard, supported and loved. Let the goodness in, it is all around you, waiting for you to open your arms to receive it. It is time, it is overdue, it is banging on the door hoping you will hear it. Step up, speak up, live your life and let go of the old ways. It’s time to live more fully, not just survive. Blessed BE, Amen.\n\nBy Jodi-Anne M Smith (23October 2017).\n\n\nDonate Button\n\n\nDisease as a chance: every symptom and disease has a message\n\nThis is a brilliant article explaining how Family Constellations work and providing examples of the powerful healing and insight that clients receive from doing a constellation.\n\nIf you would like to experience this in real life I am holding a Systemic Family Constellation Workshop 28 Oct in Meadows, South Australia. For details click here.\n\nDo we need to forgive?\n\nMany people say that to have peace we need to forgive those who have hurt us, to let go of the pain and any resentment, judgement, hate or anger we may feel towards the other person. It is true if we hold onto these emotions we are keeping our self stuck in the energy of the past events and keeping it alive in our body. By focusing on the “wrong doing” we keep our self reliving it and replaying it in life, as we attract in other similar situations – in a subconscious attempt to heal the wound.\n\nIf we have formed beliefs that the world is dangerous or people can’t be trusted or everyone’s out to get me, then we live life with that viewpoint. Our eyes can’t perceive all the data that is there when we look at a scene. Millions of bits of information is sent to our brain which filters it based on our beliefs of what is most vital for us to see for our survival, our well being. So if we are locked in fight or flight or trauma from the past with beliefs that we are in danger all the time, then that is what the data gets searched for and we only see that subset of infomration about the scene we are viewing. We don’t notice the beauty, the love being shown between people or animals and their owners, etc, we just see the potential dangers, threats and situations to avoid in order to best protect our self. It is a self protection mechanism called a ‘negativity bias’. It is an evolutionary tool, a mechanism that makes sense biologically to keep us alive.\n\nThe sad part is that if you have those type of negative beliefs or buried trauma inside your body you miss out on seeing and feeling all the goodness in life that is their waiting for you to see it, to let it in, to trust and believe it is possible, that you deserve it and to accept it. You are worthy of good things, of fun, of love, of laughter and joy. You are worthy of wealth, abundance of food, shelter, clothing, health, etc.\n\nThe world is abundant, there is goodness out there, all around us, we just have to do the work to heal our programming – our negative beliefs and to shift out the pain and trauma in our bodies so it knows the war is over and can relax and start to enjoy life more.\n\nIf you are holding on to a grudge about what has happened to you or onto what you have missed out on because of your experiences – then you are keeping yourself caught in that dynamic of feeling bad, victimised, empty of joy and vitality. You are punishing yourself with your choice of thoughts and actions that will result from that level of thinking.\n\nForgiveness is not about letting go of wrongdoing, it is about realising that whatever has happened in your life has happened and accepting it and getting on with your life to let more goodness in. You accept what is and turn towards life, to focus on the now and what is to come, instead of being turned away from life focused on the past, entangled with it and missing out on your now. Focus here, now and move forward, you can do it. It is a choice you have to choose to make.\n\nMany people hold on as they think it is punishing their parents or those that hurt them. They don’t want to let them off the hook, but doing this just keeps you caught up in the pain. You need to choose to let it go for your own sake, so you can move on and enjoy life. Your parents may not have been perfect parents, but they did what they could for you with the knowledge and emotional maturity they had. They too may have been suffering and caught up in the pain of their past.\n\nFamily Constellations shows us that when people are entangled with ancestors and the traumas or unfinished business within the family system, their energy is literally stuck there in that event or with that ancestor who may have been rejected, died young or suffered some tragedy that wasn’t spoken about or fully grieved. That stuck energy, that trauma occupies their energy, they are bound to it, turned towards it, enmeshed with it and literally unable to look away and focus on their now.\n\nIf your parents were entangled in the past in this way, they simply could not focus all their energy on being present with you, giving you the love and nourishment that children desire, hunger for. They literally were not available to live their lives fully and you missed out on their attention, the full connection with them that you wanted. They too missed out on being fully present in their life and on being an attentive, loving parent with their children. They missed out too.\n\nSee how the trauma continues down the line. If you judge your parents and turn away from them, reject them, assume you are better than them or know more than them – then you too turn away from being present fully in your life. A lot of your energy is caught up with your past and what you missed out on, on the pain and disappointment or anger over what happened. You say no to them and in essence no to life. You stop letting whatever goodness they can give you in. When you have kids they too will feel the lack of your presence and feel like you are not fully present or available for them. They too will feel they have missed out and they may judge you and turn away as they get older. The pattern repeats unless you heal the trauma, so that all who are entangled can finally let it rest and turn to focus on their own lives, to live them fully, joyously, focused on creating and accepting the goodness of life.\n\nFamily Constellations can help to untangle the traumas and past hurts, it can help free everyone involved, so they can focus on the now and enjoy it.\n\nYour parents didn’t deliberately hurt you. If it seemed like they did, this was just their pain seeping out, being projected onto you. They too have wounds from their childhood and from their ancestors which they carry. They too are burdened and lived out all this pain the only way they knew how to do so. The result was what you experienced as their child. They didn’t have the tools to do it differently. Now we can. Now we can set ourselves and them free, to enjoy life more fully.\n\nDo the work to heal and let go of the pain, accept what happened and see your parents for who they truly are, and thank them for your life. Focus on the goodness they gave you and let it in. Even if there was trauma and abuse, they gave you life and that is a great gift. Accept that and honour them for that.\n\nIf your parents are still alive and you interact with them, let yourself receive their love in whatever way they can show it to you. They may not be able to express it, but perhaps you can see it in their gestures, their gifts, their contact with you and wanting to spend time with you, their compliments or money or food – whatever it is, let them give to you, let yourself receive the goodness, love and energy from them, so that your cup is filled, so that you are nourished and can live your life from a place of fullness, not emptiness, barrenness, darkness.\n\nIf your parents are dead or are not able to give you love then you can visualise receiving the love and goodness from them and from other relatives who you may have had more positive interactions. Recall positive times and relive those memories, anchoring in the fun, the love, the goodness. See those ancestors around you in Spirit, supporting you, encouraging you, cheering you on as you live your life.\n\nLet the goodness in. There is much waiting for you to receive it, but to do so you have to let go of the old emotions and traumas, so your arms are free to receive the new. You can do it! You can do it for yourself, for your children, for your family. All will benefit when you heal and let go of the past burdens that you have carried. The whole family system is affected when a member of it chooses love and does the work to heal. It is a true gift that you can give to yourself and your family, so all can live more peacefully.\n\nForgiveness is not about right or wrong, about who did what and atoning for it, making up for it. It is simply about accepting what occurred and healing the wound so you are free from the pain. It takes effort to heal and become free. Simply saying “I forgive you” does nothing, very little. It actually has a negative effect because in essence it is a judgement on the person and their action. It says “I know you should have done better, but you didn’t, and I begrudgingly accept that and I will forgive you because I am a better person, a bigger person than you”. See the judgement in this, feel how it stops the flow of love.\n\nIt is like putting a boulder in the river, disturbing the flow of life force energy from your ancestors, your parents, to yourself. It is like you are trying to politely cover up something that is disgusting and pretending it is no longer there – like putting a white cloth over the top of some vomit or dog poo. It still stinks, it is still there, but it appears to be gone, buried, hidden. You then tiptoe around it, trying not to look at it or step in it, but it is still there, just waiting to be seen, festering, decaying and having a negative impact on your vitality.\n\nYou are not bigger than or better than your parents. They are the BIG ONES and you are the LITTLE ONE. They came first, they gave you life and the life force flows from them to you. If you resist them, you resist life. Let the life force flow to you unhindered. It is not about forgiving them, it is more like accepting them for who they are and letting them stand there with no judgement or condemnation. Just let them be who they are and thank them for what they did give you. Anything they couldn’t give you, you can get from elsewhere. You can make something good out of what they gave you, make something good out of your life and the opportunity presented to you. In this sense forgiveness is about peace, acceptance and harmony, and restoring these to the family system for the wellbeing of all. Blessed BE, Amen.\n\nBy Jodi-Anne M Smith (21 October 2017).\n\n\nDonate Button\n\n\nWhat to do when you feel broken?\n\nThere are days when you wake up and feel broken, like it is all too hard. Sometimes these will be rare and sometimes common. It just means you are in a process of change. Old muck is surfacing to be released – old pains, fears, doubts, disappointments and hurts. When this occurs it can feel like nothing is changing and life won’t get any better, but it already is better. You are just releasing the old, to see more clearly.\n\nYour lives are okay as they are, it is your judgement of them that creates the pain. There may be things you would like to have change, this will occur in time, but dwelling on it, getting upset, angry or depressed about it, doesn’t resolve it in anyway. Feel and release the emotion, then take steps to create what you want – action is needed for change to manifest. Action on releasing your hurts, altering your thinking and action to change your every day habits and behaviours. If you always do what you have always done, is it surprising that you get the same outcome. Change is inevitable, it will come in small or large ways, chosen or forced on you by life events.\n\nIf you are feeling low, broken, sad, angry, hurt, know your body is asking for your attention, for your help to clear out the old and refill your body with lighter energy, a higher vibration outcome for all concerned.\n\nIf you are feeling so flat that you can’t be bothered doing anything, accept that and rest. Don’t fight it. If you are feeling lost and confused, wait for clarity, pray for guidance, meditate. There is no point trying to make a decision, it is not the right time. Wait for clarity to dawn, then act.\n\nYou can take baby steps towards improving your life, but in reality your life is okay, it is the way you are thinking about it, judging it that is causing you stress and anxiety. So what if you don’t love your job or you are alone or your friends don’t treat you the way you would like. Are you treating yourself kindly? lovingly? Work on your self first, on self love and when you anchor that in, you will see more goodness in the world and attract it in.\n\nIf you are exhausted, recovering from illness or a disappointment in life, of course you are going to feel flat. Don’t judge it, fight it, resist it. Accept it and honour your body’s needs. If it need rest, then rest. If it needs nourishment then eat some yummy, feel good, hopefully healthy food. If you need some fun, have it, even if it is just reading a comic or watching TV or chatting to a friend on the phone.\n\nDo what you need to do to let your vibration rise and for you to start to feel better. A bath, a walk on the beach or out in nature will help wonders. Soothing music, candles, aromatherapy – lots can be done to life your mood simply and cheaply.\n\nIt is not always going to feel like this. Your body is processing past hurts and issues that you are remembering. If you are doubting your abilities, don’t wallow, find a way to build your skills if that is the issue, or to practice what you are concerned about, so that you feel more confident doing it. There’s always a way forward, you just have to be prepared to take it.\n\nChoose kindness to yourself and others, and know that there is support around you at all times. Seen and not seen, physical and non-physical. There are beings of light watching over you, encouraging you, caring for you, holding your hand from afar. You can call on them, your ancestors and others who have passed over to assist you, support you, to hold you while you are feeling vulnerable. There is lots of support out there. Reach out for it when you need it and give it when you are feeling better. Everyone has their ups and downs, know it is just a phase and choose peace. Don’t fight against what is, just ease your way forward, helping your body in whatever way it needs. So be it. Amen.\n\nBy Jodi-Anne M Smith (14 October 2017).\n\n\nDonate Button", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5729467868804932}
{"content": "Wallet Hacks\n\n4 Different Budgeting Strategies to Try This Year\n\nI've tried many, many different budgeting strategies, budgeting apps, and budgeting programs. (It's just one of the perks or sometimes one of the drawbacks of being a financial writer obsessed with finding the best budgeting system out there.)\n\nI've learned that finding the right budgeting strategy for you really depends on your goals, your stage in life, and whether or not you need to change your habits. So, below I've listed four different budgeting strategies to try this year with an explanation of who they might serve best.\n\nThe Cash Envelope System\n\nThe cash envelope system is an old classic. There's a reason so many people use it or have used it before.  With the cash envelope system, you do most or all of your day to day spending with cash. You can set your monthly bills, like your mortgage, car insurance, and more to auto deduct.\n\nHowever, everyday spending like groceries, eating out, clothing purchases, and more come from your cash spending.\n\nThe cash envelope system is good for these situations:\n\nI used the cash envelope system with great success when my husband and I lived abroad in Grenada, West Indies. For three years, I took cash out of the ATM at the beginning of the month and used it to pay for all of our bills.\n\nGrenada has a very cash-based economy, though. I paid for our apartment rent with cash. I paid for my long term car rental with cash. And, I paid for everything else with cash, including dinners out, fun activities with friends, and more. There just wasn't someone with a card reader on the island willing to take a credit card so you could buy a coconut!\n\nThese days, I have two kids, mounting financial responsibilities, and seemingly endless amounts of unexpected expenses. So, I don't use a cash envelope system anymore. Instead I use my debit card all month, but I make sure I have all the money I need for the month before it starts using YNAB.\n\nThe “You Need a Budget” System\n\nYou Need a Budget, also known as YNAB, is a budgeting system that you use online with your phone or your computer. Much like the cash envelope system, you decide at the beginning of the month how you want to spend your money. That's why I sometimes call this budgeting system the “One Month Ahead” system too.\n\nOnce you sync your bank account, YNAB tells you what you have available to spend. Then, you allocate that amount to your budget categories. With the cash envelope system, you can move cash between envelopes if you're running low. However, with YNAB, you do all of this digitally.\n\nFor example, I knew I had to get the headlights on my car fixed. I allocated $200 towards that expense, which I thought was more than generous. It turns out, the repair cost me $389! I was very much not expecting that. Luckily, instead of feeling guilty, I simply moved money from my “fun money” and “babysitting” categories and put it into my car repair category.\n\nSure, this means I don't get date night this month, but that's #adulting for you.\n\nKeep in mind that YNAB does require a monthly fee. However, I've used a ton of budgeting systems, and I tend to get irritated when the app is free but full of ads. So, I'm happy to pay $7 a month for my YNAB subscription, but if you don't want to pay that, here are four YNAB alternatives.\n\nThe 50/30/20 Budgeting System\n\nThe 50/30/20 budgeting system (one of our first money ratios) at its core is advice on how to split up your earnings every month. This plan suggests that you spend 50% of your take home, after tax pay on needs. Needs include your mortgage payment, your bills, and even the minimum payments on your credit card (since it could hurt your credit if you fail to pay them.)\n\nThen, 30% of your take home, after tax pay should be used on wants. For example, a need might be a new winter coat, but a want might be a new purse that you saw in the mall and absolutely love. Wants would also include new throw pillows, your gym membership, and dining out – basically, anything that isn't imperative.\n\nLastly, 20% of your take home pay should be used for debt repayment and saving. So, if you're in credit card debt, you can use this 20% to pay above the minimum. You can also use it to create an emergency fund or save towards future goals, like an engagement ring, wedding or retirement savings.\n\nYou can use the 50/30/20 in conjunction with budgeting software or budget apps. I personally don't use this because my husband and I are aggressively paying back his medical school loans. This takes up about 35% of our budget each month and so the ratios don't work for my personal situation. However, they could be a good guideline for people who are looking to start a budget and want to know roughly how it should be allocated.\n\nThe Multi-Bank Account Budgeting System\n\nMany different folks have been writing about the benefits of budgeting using multiple bank accounts. Jim has written about using them as banking firewalls to protect your secure accounts from the less secure ones. Others have written about having a dozen savings accounts, before simplifying their finances.\n\nI have to say, at first I thought this was overkill, but I understand it better now. These bloggers are using their bank accounts like digital envelopes. Instead of using one bank account and allocating money to each category like I do in YNAB, they are instead finding discipline through having completely separate accounts.\n\nFor example, one blogger wrote about how they have a separate debit card just for dining out. Every time they go out to eat, they use only that card. That really prevents them from overspending. Another great idea was having a separate account for large expenses that come infrequently like property taxes or the car insurance bill every 6 months. This helps them to get a substantial amount of money out of sight and out of mind until they need it.\n\nUltimately, there are many different ways to budget your money.\n\nWhat type of budgeting strategy do you currently use?\n\nHave you always used that strategy or have you switched for various reasons?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6683962345123291}
{"content": "Japanese Beetle Population Reduction\n\nThe Japanese beetle population has been on the rise the past few years thriving on desired plant vegetation from perennial flowers, to ornamental trees.The Japanese beetle has also been a problem as of late with turfgrass, causing smaller irregular patterns of dead grass in lawns all the way to huge sections of turf that need to be completely renovated.\n\nWhat they do:\nThe beetle emerges from the ground in late June/early July and immediately begins to feed in large numbers on anything from large trees such as Lindens, Birch, and apple trees, to small annuals and perennial flowers. The damage can be catastrophic,killing the entire tree,landscape,or lawn.\n\nWhile feeding in large numbers, the beetles are constantly mating and reproducing eggs to lay into the ground.A“second generation” sometimes emerges in late August/early September to reinforce the damage already caused by the first wave.\n\nWhat to do?\nThe Greener Blade is now offering a way to control the Japanese beetle from destroying your landscape plants, trees and turf by applying a granular insecticide.The insecticide will help kill the larvae underground, preventing them not only from damaging your lawn, but keeping them from pupating into beetles and destroying your landscape trees, shrubs, flowers, and vegetable gardens.\n\nWe recommend at least one application of insecticide in the month of May.This will greatly help control the population. If you had a very large infestation last year, we recommend at least two or three applications. For heavier infestations we recommend a May application and two follow-up applications taking place in July and August. This will greatly target the 2nd generation and put a good dent towards the next years generation as well. After the insecticide is applied, it is vital to water the product into the ground so the active ingredients get to the larvae.We recommend two-20 minute intervals over a two day span. Because these beetles have the ability to fly, we also recommend letting your neighbors know about your efforts to help reduce the population. The greater the effort in your neighborhood the greater the chances of success you will have in controlling them on your property.\n\nPost Emergent Control:\nWe recommend spraying your trees and desired shrubs every 1-2 weeks to keep them from feeding on your vegetation.All nurseries and hardware stores carry a product called Sevin. Sevin containers can attach to the end of a garden hose and can spray down your trees in a minimal amount of time.They can spray upwards of 30 feet in distance and will last around 4 to 6 weeks per container depending on how many plants you are treating. Sevin creates sort of a transparent “chalky”barrier around the leaves of your desired trees,plants,and shrubs keeping the Japanese beetle away for an extended period of time.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6905918121337891}
{"content": "IPS officer in HC against govts selection process for UN\n\n\nNew Delhi, Jun 14 (PTI) A serving Indian Police Service (IPS) officer has moved the Delhi High Court alleging that the Centres procedure for nominating cops to the United Nations Civilian Police (UNCIVPOL) was \"unfair\" and \"arbitrary\".\n\nA bench of Justices S Muralidhar and C Hari Shankar issued notice to the central government and sought its response on the plea by the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) rank officer in Rajasthan Police.\n\nThe senior IPS officer has alleged that the selection process for nominating candidates to the UNCIVPOL is unfair as officers lower in rank to him were being selected without giving any reason for such decisions.\n\nHe has contended that the government was duty bound to act fairly and select officers in the order of merit and not arbitrarily.\n\nIn his plea filed through advocates Amita Kalkal and Siddharth Jain, the IPS officer has said that he had appeared in and cleared all the tests set by the government for selection to UNCIVPOL.\n\nHowever, when the orders for a UN mission were issued, his name was not there and those lower in rank to him were selected, the officer has contended in his plea and added that he was also ignored for other UN missions.\n\nHe has also alleged that his various representations to the government went unheeded.\n\nThe court has listed the matter for further hearing on July 5 when the government has to explain how it arrived at the merit list for the UN mission. PTI HMP PPS ABA SMN\n\nDo You Like This Story?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5673681497573853}
{"content": "Mediation Reviews\n\n“John did an outstanding job mediating a complex and highly contested medical negligence case. He was thoroughly prepared and was very effective working with the clients/counsel to obtain a resolution. One of the best, if not the best, mediators I have worked with in 38 years of practice.”\n\nJohn Holschuh\n\n“John Alton did a tremendous job as a mediator in a significant personal injury case. John was extremely well prepared for the mediation. He seemed to know the case as well as the attorneys handling the case. He worked diligently with both sides and helped us reach a settlement in spite of several complicating factors. I am confident that everyone involved came away satisfied that John handled the mediation without any bias for or against either party. He spent the time and effort with both sides to bring the case to a satisfactory resolution. I would recommend John to mediate any major or complex personal injury, professional negligence, or product liability case. ”\n\nMichael Rourke\n\n“This was my first experience working with John as a Mediator. I could not have been more pleased with the insight and amount of effort John put into this matter. The issues in the case presented some unique challenges and although the case did not resolve at the initial, formal mediation, John remained actively involved with the parties for well over one year and through his efforts, was finally able to get all parties to agree upon a global settlement that made sense for everyone. He will certainly be on my (very) short list of preferred mediators going forward.”\n\nDavid R. Grant\n\n“John is always well prepared and works incredibly hard to achieve a fair and just settlement for all parties involved.”\n\nJohn A. Lancione\n\n“Mediation with John Alton is more than a legal process. It\\’s a human experience. John is skilled, principled, and effective and I recommend John without any reservation, whatsoever.”\n\nSteven M Goldberg\n\n“Defendant agreed at the very last minute to mediate. I recommended John Alton as the mediator – defense counsel agreed. One reason I wanted John is that I felt the need for someone with significant trial experience in major cases on both sides of the fence. My client’s spouse was a business lawyer and I felt he would either take over the negotiations or look to someone stronger (and independent) for guidance. John has a background that impressed the client and provided that strong guidance throughout the course of the day. They came to trust his judgment.\n\nAfter a long day of negotiations we appeared to be at a serious impasse. After some discussions John was able to craft a mediator’s proposal which he submitted to both sides. Without John’s input and guidance during the long day of mediation, plaintiffs likely would have rejected it outright. We were very happy when the defendants also accepted the proposal. My clients sent me an email saying my choice of John as the mediator was “brilliant”.\n\nI’ve always had high regard for Mr. Alton’s legal talent. I was extremely impressed with his ability to “read” the room, both rooms, and develop the rapport and insight needed to guide this difficult case (with a problematic cast of characters) to a reasonable resolution. I would certainly highly recommend John as a mediator in a difficult case.”\n\nAttorney for a party post-mediation\n\nJohn Alton is an ideal mediator for complex personal injury and medical malpractice cases because of his extraordinary experience with both sides of these cases. He is a consummate professional and gentleman and I strongly recommend him.\n\nMartin F White\n\n“I had a very contentious case. Our client had significant injuries. The defendants felt they had a winner of an argument to prevent liability entirely – possibly even to win on summary judgment. I recommended John Alton to the defendant as a Mediator and the Mediation proceeded with cross motions for summary judgment pending. As a highly skilled trial lawyer John was able to cut through the arguments, assess the risks as a true litigator, assess the needs of the parties, and make recommendations that worked. Without John we would not likely have resolved the case. With John we were able to reach a compromise that both sides could live with. I highly recommend John Alton as a Mediator!”\n\nSteven Magas\n\n“In 35 years of practice, John was in the top 5 mediators I have worked with.”\n\nKevin McDermott\n\n“Mr. Alton did a great job on a case I really didn’t think would settle, but with his assistance did. I put him up there with the top few mediators in the state.”\n\nSky Pettey\n\n“Well prepared for the mediation and took the necessary time to work through all of the issues to get the parties to reach a settlement.”\n\nTom Prislipsky\n\n“John is an outstanding mediator. He is always extremely well prepared. He handled a lot of important matters with the parties well in advance of the mediation. He stuck with it until the case was settled. John it top notch. Highly recommend.“\n\nJessie Reiter\n\n“John is an outstanding mediator.”\n\nWilliam Davis\n\n“Have Worked With/Against John For Over 35 Years. Top Notch Professional. Great Mediator. Highly Recommend.”\n\nJeffrey M. Lewis\n\n“John did a fine job as a mediator particularly in your preparation, and I will not hesitate to recommend John”\n\nAttorney for a party post-mediation\n\n“John is an exceptional mediator. I have used him a number of times and always found him to be insightful, fair, and committed to the process.”\n\nJohn Reagan\n\n“John is an extremely hard working mediator who values a successful resolution. John pushes both sides in an effort to bring the matter to settlement without further litigation time and costs. I strongly recommend John as a mediator for personal injury cases.”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8636206388473511}
{"content": "Marcahuasi Research Data\n\nIf it is the case that there exist geometrical relationships between certain structures, this fact would support the hypothesis that there has been human intervention in Marcahuasi. Considering that there may be such relationships we organized three expeditions to the plateau in July, 2014, June, 2016 and August 2017. These efforts yielded useful information geo-referencing monuments and markers, determining lines of sight (orientation) (Tables 1 and 2) and confirming the geological data available on the rock composition of the plateau (see Discovery section).\n\nAt Marcahuasi we can distinguish a minimum of four types of stone structures, aside from the Inca-period barracks and funerary chullpas. We have geo-referenced many of these, particularly in the north side of the plateau. Table 1 provides their geographical coordinates, lines of sight and other data. Note that the names used here are those used by the discoverer of Marcahuasi or by the villagers in San Pedro:\n\n  1. These are the most easily recognized and in fact are what attracts visitors to the plateau. They are scattered throughout, but the majority are located on the northwest side. Examples of the monuments are the Peca Gasha (Monument to Humanity, Figures 1 and 2), the helmet (Figure 3), the knight (Figure 4), the philosopher (or Easter Island head, Figure 5), the llama (Figure 6) and many others (see Portal 1).\n  2. Reliefs and engravings. These are geometrical figures or other features carved on stone, they do not necessarily depict personages. The Infiernillo (Figure 7), the Mayoralas (Figure 8), the walls of the amphitheater (Figure 9), the lined stone (Figure 10) and the chessboard (Figure 11) are examples of such items.\n  3. These are stones of varying size which rest upon or to the side of each other, such as the Indian’s head cover (chullo, Figure 12), the man next to the hill of sights (Cerro de las Miradas) (Figures 13 and 14), the shoe (Figure 15) and the dolmen in the amphitheater (Figures 16 and 17).\n  4. These single stones are very difficult to describe. Generally polymorphic, not taller than two meters, often located near monuments and apparently cemented over flat stone surfaces. They differ more than resemble each other, so it may appear somewhat arbitrary to class them as a type of structure, except that once geo-referenced as discussed below, they fall into certain patterns. Figures 18-24 depict markers M-1 to M-6 and M-10.\n\nWe will focus on the north side of the plateau, the area studied in greatest detail and in which most of the monuments, carvings, dolmens and markers are found. Near the Peca Gasha (Figures 1 and 2) are located the north altar (Figure 25), the African lion (Figure 26), scarface (Figure 27) as well as a minimum of seven markers (M-1 to M-6 and M-10).\n\nA quick examination of the lines of sight (LOS) reveals that more than a third of structures that can be assigned LOS (Table 1) exhibit angles that are multiples of 90 degrees! This is unlikely to be a coincidence. In the case of the Infiernillo it is perfectly oriented at 0 degrees south and 360 degrees north. The circle of 360 degrees which we have used for centuries may have also been used on the plateau.\n\nReviewing the data from the 2014 expedition (Table 1) and using GoogleEarth, we find that markers M-3, M-4 and M-5 are laid out on a straight line (Figure 28). The same can be said for the altar, the half-rock, M-3, M-2, scarface and the turban (M-6).\n\nThese are not all – as shown in Figure 28, we can see other lines formed by the lion, M-4 and M-2; M-5, M-1 and the turban (M-6), as well as north altar, M-4 and M-1. Thus there are several alignments involving three to six points. Many of these lines intersect at M-4 (Figure 28).\n\nIn an attempt to understand the possible significance of such a geometric arrangement, the theory proposed by R Bauval (see Bibliography) comes to mind. Bauval proposes that the three main pyramids at Giza represent the stars in Orion’s belt, the constellation of the hunter.\n\nAncient cultures were very attentive to happenings in the heavens, in part to maintain a viable agricultural calendar, but also in order to predict catastrophes from signs in the heavens. Perhaps the latter reason was the more important one as described by W Sullivan (see The Secret of the Incas in Bibliography).\n\nCould it be the case that at Marcahuasi an ancient people was able to translate what they saw in the sky into a pattern on the ground? After several attempts to relate the lines formed by the various monuments and markers to known constellations of the southern hemisphere, we found that there appeared to be an exact correlation with one of the most well-known group of stars, the Pleiades. These play a very prominent role in the mythologies of cultures as different as the Zuni of New Mexico, the Polynesian and the Greek (see bibliography).\n\nThe stars we cite below are identified by their Greek names and their magnitude (the lower number represents greater brilliance). With the data from the 2014 expedition (Table 1) we were able to assign four of the brightest stars:\n\nMarker M-4 = Alcyone (2.9)\n\nMarker M-1 (very near Peca Gasha) = Atlas (3.6)\n\nAltar (north) = Electra (3.7)\n\nAfrican Lion = Merope (4.2)\n\nFigures 29 and 30 represent the points cited superimposed on two images of the Pleiades seen from north and south.\n\nSince five of the Pleiades are easily visible without magnification we were missing Maya (magnitude 3.9). Teygeta, another member of the cluster is rarely visible without a telescope and Asterope and Coeleno not at all. According to the position of Maya in the actual constellation it should be found in Marcahuasi to the southwest on a line with Alcyone (M-4), M-3 and M-5, an area that was not geo-referenced during the 2014 expedition.\n\nIn 2016 we obtained the data necessary to locate and identify Maya with marker M-10 (Figure 31, Table 1).\n\n\nWikipedia – Theory of the relationship between the Giza pyramids and Orion\n\nThe Orion correlation theory was first put forward by Robert Bauval in 1983. One night, while working in Saudi Arabia, he took his family and a friend’s family up into the sand dunes of the Arabian desert for a camping expedition. His friend pointed out Orion, and mentioned that Mintaka, the dimmest and most westerly of the stars making up Orion’s belt, was offset slightly from the others. Bauval then made a connection between the layout of the three main stars in Orion’s belt and the layout of the three main pyramids in the Giza pyramid complex. He published this idea in 1989 in the journal Discussions in Egyptology, volume 13. The idea has been further expounded by Bauval in collaboration with Adrian Gilbert (The Orion Mystery, 1994) and Graham Hancock (Keeper of Genesis, 1996), as well as in their separate publications. The basis of this theory concerns the proposition that the relative positions of three main Ancient Egyptian pyramids on the Giza plateau are (by design) correlated with the relative positions of the three stars in the constellation of Orion which make up Orion’s Belt— as these stars appeared in 10,000 BC.\n\nTheir initial claims regarding the alignment of the Giza pyramids with Orion (“…the three pyramids were a terrestrial map of the three stars of Orion’s belt”—Hancock’s Fingerprints of the Gods, 1995, p. 375) are later joined with speculation about the age of the Great Sphinx (Hancock and Bauval, Keeper of Genesis, published 1996, and in 1997 in the U.S. as The Message of the Sphinx). According to these works, the Great Sphinx was constructed c. 10,500 BC (Upper Paleolithic), and its lion-shape is maintained to be a definitive reference to the constellation of Leo. Furthermore, the orientation and dispositions of the Sphinx, the Giza pyramids and the Nile River relative to one another on the ground is put forward as an accurate reflection or “map” of the constellations of Leo, Orion (specifically, Orion’s Belt) and the Milky Way respectively. As Hancock puts it in 1998’s The Mars Mystery[8] (co-authored with Bauval):\n\n…we have demonstrated with a substantial body of evidence that the pattern of stars that is “frozen” on the ground at Giza in the form of the three pyramids and the Sphinx represents the disposition of the constellations of Orion and Leo as they looked at the moment of sunrise on the spring equinox during the astronomical “Age of Leo” (i.e., the epoch in which the Sun was “housed” by Leo on the spring equinox.) Like all precessional ages this was a 2,160-year period. It is generally calculated to have fallen between the Gregorian calendar dates of 10,970 and 8810 BC. (op. cit., p.189)[citation needed]\n\nThe allusions to dates circa 12,500 years ago are significant to Hancock since this is the era he seeks to assign to the advanced progenitor civilization, now vanished, but which he contends through most of his works had existed and whose advanced technology influenced and shaped the development of the world’s known civilizations of antiquity. Egyptology and archaeological science maintain that available evidence indicates that the Giza pyramids were constructed during the Fourth dynasty period (3rd millennium BC[9]), while the exact date of the Great Sphinx is still unclear. Hancock does not dispute the dating evidence for the currently existing pyramids, but instead argues that they may have been an architectural evolution of sites whose origin and cultural significance dated back some eight thousand years before the current monuments were built —since the Orion correlation theory claims they are oriented that way—which, it is implied, provides further evidence for the influence of astronomical, mathematical, and historical knowledge that might not have been passed down to the pyramids’ builders.\n\nWikipedia – The Pleiades\n\nPleiades as calendar, in history and in modern science. Historically, the Pleiades have served as a calendar for many civilizations. The Greek name “Pleiades” probably means “to sail.” In the ancient Mediterranean world, the day that the Pleaides cluster first appeared in the morning sky before sunrise announced the opening of the navigation season.\n\nThe modern-day festival of Halloween originates from an old Druid rite that coincided with the midnight culmination of the Pleiades cluster. It was believed that the veil dividing the living from the dead is at its thinnest when the Pleaides culminates – reaches its highest point in the sky – at midnight.\n\nOn a lighter note, the Zuni of New Mexico call the Pleiades the “Seed Stars,” because this cluster’s disappearance in the evening sky every spring signals the seed-planting season.\n\nIn both myth and science, the Pleiades are considered to be sibling stars. Modern astronomers say the Pleiades stars were born from the same cloud of gas and dust some 100 million years ago. This gravitationally bound cluster of several hundred stars looms some 430 light-years distant, and these sibling stars drift through space together at about 25 miles per second. Many of these Pleiades stars shine hundreds of times more brightly than our sun.\n\nSullivan, William. The Secret of the Incas: Myth, Astronomy and the War Against Time (Crown Publishers), 1996", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.989764392375946}
{"content": "The Liberating and Empowering Effect of Absolute Forgiveness\n\nSubmitted by Open on Tue, 06/05/2018 - 05:49\n\nOn Openhand's level 3 course DIVINICUS, we explore deeply into the importance of not apportioning blame and instead taking full responsibility for the lives only we are creating - at a soul level, we draw everything to ourselves in order to learn, evolve and grow. One vital aspect of this approach is that of forgiveness: realising the other person is not to blame for their distortion (and my creation) and therefore being able to forgive them. In my experience, this is one of the most liberating and empowering things we can do. But if EVERY situation is purposefully designed by the natural flow for us to self-realise, then is there truly a need for forgiveness, and if so, what might that look like?\n\nTaking responsibility\n\nThis is an important realisation in the Openhand book 5GATEWAYS: that to blame another is to disempower ourselves because basically we're saying: \"something outside of myself, over which I have no control, is the cause of my beingness.\"\n\nTo truly empower yourself as a being of the Universe, is to realise and accept, that you are the creator and therefore the master, of every single situation you manifest - that nothing is 'being done to you'. By the natural Law of Attraction, you draw every experience your soul requires, in order to learn, evolve and grow - to be able to be integrated as an experience of The One, through all universal possibilities.\n\nWhen this realisation dawns, as we give it breathing space, we might look back through our lives with profound self honesty, looking at every situation from the perspective of, \"what was I being invited to realise?\" Then, if you inquire deeply enough into any karmic source pain you were carrying (see later), I believe you'll surely see, how synchronistic patterning guided EXACTLY those situations and circumstances to you. It appears that every person who comes into our lives is helping us self-realise in this way and has a \"sacred agreement\" to help us evolve.\n\nFinding the blessing\n\nSo if this is the case, then it begs the question, if every person who 'commits a crime against me' has a sacred agreement to help me evolve, then what is there to forgive?\n\nIf in these circumstances we're being offered a priceless gift of self-realisation, even if it can, at times, seem almost impossible to integrate and be accepting of.\n\nConsider the biblical story of Jesus and his relationship with Judas (it matters not whether you believe the story to be true, it's the story itself that can reveal an important realisation). Judas was castigated as a 'traitor' in the story, taking his thirty pieces of silver to identify Jesus to the Romans. But we might consider the crucifixion helped Jesus move beyond his own shadow identity (\"why have you forsaken me father?\"); he was caused to realise that he and the father are one (just as we all are), that he could never be abandoned even in the midst of total violation. It was his own shadow identity seeing itself as separate from the all that is, that was being crucified, and therefore dissolved, leading to Jesus' Enlightenment. So then, if my take on the story bears water, Judas was actually performing an invaluable service not a 'sin' - yes he certainly had his own distortions, but the engagement was created in order for the various parties to expose their own shadows.\n\nAbsolute Forgiveness\n\nThe story also illuminates another crucial aspect of this . It is to realise that each of us manifests the situations we need at a soul level, to expose karmic 'shadows', where in a past life, the soul has identified with a particularly traumatic situation, and has then become fragmented into the trauma. The fragment of soul gets buried under layers of repression, retraction and denial - avoidance of the original source pain.\n\nIt's utterly essential therefore, that we regress into these karmic past life situations when they arise. Not to try to push away the pain, to bury it, or placate it. And neither to simply gloss over it, by painting some premature layer of spiritual acceptance on top. To be truly The One, is to be able to accept the fullness of the Universe, both the darkness and the light, without needing to change it. So by regressing into one's trauma, provides the possibility of complete acceptance by becoming as-one with the pain. Only then do you come to realise, it does not define you. At this point, you discover yourself as The One, and reclaim the fragment of soul gold that was buried in that inner karmic sediment.\n\nThis is why I call the approach \"Absolute Forgiveness\", because you really have to soften into the absolute in order to process any buried karma and become as-one with it, so as to liberate the aspect of soul that was buried there.\n\nConsider this 9 step healing process for dealing with karmic source pain.\n\nDigging for the Shadows\n\nHow might we apply this approach in daily life? Well I invite everyone reading to deeply confront situations where we might consider another has 'sinned against us'; to see the possibility for deeper self realisation that was presenting itself - what were you attached to? What did you need from the other person? How were you needing them to be?\n\nAnd most importantly, what inner reaction, what 'shadow' does it activate, that I must now work into? Here's an Openhand video on dealing with those inner contractions and how they present an amazing opportunity to unleash the soul through them...\n\nIs Forgiveness even Necessary?\n\nWhen we're able to empower ourselves in these situations and reintegrate soul through them, it begs the question, \"is there a need to forgive?\" I would say that when you've reached the point of complete acceptance, where that's helped you find The One in the situation and reclaim a lost aspect of soul, then the answer would be no, there is no need to forgive. At the same time, at that point of surrender, in the work that we do at Openhand, we still find offering the sense of forgiveness can be valuable - it lets each party know that acceptance and integration has been attained. \n\nAt this point, you might say something like...\n\nI accept what took place, thankyou for helping me become whole and complete. I see the light in you. I forgive you.\n\nBut crucially, only AFTER complete regression into the incident, acceptance of it, and liberation of the soul from the situation.\n\nAbsolute Forgiveness then is actually to become awesomely okay with what took place, becoming The One in it by finding peace within your heart, seeing the blessing within the event, taking ownership of the gifts of beingness offered, and then finally, when all judgment has dissolved, forgiving the other person. In a way, it becomes a blessing.\n\nForgiving another Meditation\n\nOn Openhand's level 3 DIVINICUS course, we guide people through Absolute Forgiveness meditations, by regressing them into the original situations and guiding them through the density. People always find them exceptionally liberating. So here below is the kind of meditation approach we apply, that you might also like to work with. It's taken from the 5GATEWAYS book...\n\nForgiving another meditation - Create a loving, warm and protected space with incense, candles and soft music. Relax, using deep breathing and visualisation. Allow an experience to arise in the past where you have suffered or were abused at the hands of someone else. Contemplate deeply the situation where you suffered, visualising what you would have seen, hearing the sounds and feeling the feelings. What thoughts and emotions are arising for you? Watch them, feel them, fully express them, so as to become as-one with them.\n\nGo deeper into the situation and contemplate the main perpetrator/s. What was it that caused you to suffer? What were you attached to? How were you forgetting this is all an illusion? Now contemplate what was the blessing? What was the lesson? What were you being invited to realise? What aspect of soul is now wanting to come through? (maybe will and power for example). Can you now integrate that aspect of soul and let go of the suffering and pain?\n\nWhen you know you are ready, feel the darkness gathering into a heavy, dense ball in your right hand and then next see the ball dissolving into light. Then visualise the perpetrator. Connect with the soul in them. See firstly their perfected light. Can you now let go of your resentment, fear or hate? Can you release yourself from judgment? Keep working at it until you can let go of all such negativity.\n\nIf you would like help applying the Openhand Approach to Forgiveness, feel free to contact us.\n\nIn loving Support\n\nOpen HeartPraying Emoji\n\n(Publishers - please publish with links intact and the Openhand brief biog. Thankyou <3)\n\n\n219 Reads\n\n\nHi Open,  thank you for your reflections in the previous thread and for this article.  After talking about accessing surrender,  which was the positive side, you immediately went on to talk about karma.  You couldn't be more accurate! \n\nAnd I say this because last night I was woken up really scared from a dream. It was really dark and blurry,  and scary! I was lying,  and my body was shaking and I knew there were beings above or around me.  And I found myself 'flying'  my way down a spiral staircase,  really fast and really scared.  I woke up with fear and could feel it in my sacrum.\n\nThe dream and the feeling of running away reminded me of another dream (the one I described to you in 5G). Same karma probably. \n\nIt seems to me that the affirmations I did, may have softened an identity of 'I accept anything goes'  and allowed the karma to come up. \n\nI will use the Forgiveness Meditation and see how it goes. \n\nThanks a lot!! \n\nBest wishes to everyone :) \n\nThat's very powerful Alex.\n\nYes, I've seen much underlying karma activate from the subltlest of feelings. Hence the importance of being with \"what is\".\n\nBe well within the experience.\n\nOpen Thumbs Up Sign\n\nI know that I have been metaphorically “kicked” when I was the most vulnerable in my adult life. I also know that it has led to my most challenging experiences with forgiveness and karma, which I work on regularly. But, it has also helped me know the true “me” on many different levels and has been a part of moving forward on a spiritual path that is more in alignment with my truth. And I am thankful.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6634539365768433}
{"content": "Download Now\nSold by ebooklover on Tradebit\nThe world's largest download marketplace\n2,744,905 satisfied buyers\nShopper Award\n\nKindle Publishing Made Easy with MRR\n\nDear Friend,\n\nThis Package Contains:\n\n1. PDF - Kindle Publishing Made Easy\n\n2. Cover\n\n3. MRR License\n\nYour Rights:\n\nYes - Can edit the product.\nYes - Can Be Broken Down Into Separate Smaller Products.\nYes - Can be broken down into articles.\nYes - Can Be Given Away (Personal Use Only).\nYes - Can Sell This Product (Retail Only).\nYes - Can be translated to another language.\nYes - Can edit the sales page and graphics.\nYes - Can be give away(in any format).\nYes - Can be added into paid membership website.\nNo - Can be added into free membership website.\nYes - Can be bundled or packaged (5 max).\nYes - Can be offered as a bonus (Including Email Subscribers and Website Incentives).\nYes - Can be sold in any format.\nYes - Can be sold on auction sites.\nYes - Can be sold on forums.\nNo - Can sell Private Label Rights.\nYes - Can sell Master Resell Rights.\nYes - Can sell Personal Use Rights.\nYes - Can be published offline.\n\n\nprovide any support for the following, Wordpress, PHP programming, html, webpage creation/editing,\ngraphics or information product creation/editing.\n\nebooklover/tradebit.com is not liable in any manner resulting from the use or misuse of this product.\n\n\nKindle Publishing Made Easy with MRR.\n\nFile Data\n\nThis file is sold by ebooklover, an independent seller on Tradebit.\n\nFile Size 1 megabytes\nFile Type ZIP\nOur Reviews\n© Tradebit 2004-2018\nAll files are property of their respective owners\nQuestions about this file? Contact ebooklover\nDMCA/Copyright or marketplace issues? Contact Tradebit", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9995715022087097}
{"content": "\n\nDurham e-Theses\nYou are in:\n\nThe development of D.H. Lawrence’s philosophy of the unconscious: 1913-1922\n\nThornham, Susan (1974) The development of D.H. Lawrence’s philosophy of the unconscious: 1913-1922. Masters thesis, Durham University.\n\n\n\nThe term ‘philosophy' is Lawrence's own, used, hesitatingly, to refer to his expository essays. Critics have preferred other terms, notably 'doctrine', on the grounds that Lawrence's vision cannot lay claim to the rigour of philosophy. 'Doctrine', however, gives a misleading impression of rigidity to a body of work essentially exploratory and if philosophy is, in Whitehead's words, 'the critic of abstractions', then Lawrence's purpose, if not his method, can pretend to the definition. In a series of essays beginning in 1913 and ending properly with the Fantasia of the Unconscious of 1921, Lawrence sought to develop his philosophy. Art and philosophy he saw as parallel supreme expressions of 'man's conscious understanding' and he sought to express both and ultimately to unite the two. This thesis traces this development through the major essays of the years 1913 to 1921, adding a final discussion of the changes of the 1920s, as expressed now in both essays and fiction. It shows Lawrence, a 'passionately religious man' in a post-religious age, seeking to develop a philosophy in which life is the prime mover, the religious source, and the individual 'the beginning of life'. The religion which he sought to establish must also be a psychology; the psychology which he constructed had the significance of a faith. It shows him seeking to solve the problems inherent in such a standpoint. Finally, it shows him seeking to develop his views against the pressure of another major twentieth-century attempt to deal with man in a post-religious age: that of Freud. The themes were the same; the treatment opposite. Lawrence, at first attracted and stimulated by psychoanalysis, was finally moved to refutation, and the best of his philosophical essays were conceived as a direct answer to Freud.\n\nItem Type:Thesis (Masters)\nAward:Master of Letters\nThesis Date:1974\nCopyright:Copyright of this thesis is held by the author\nDeposited On:14 Mar 2014 16:21\n\nSocial bookmarking: del.icio.usConnoteaBibSonomyCiteULikeFacebookTwitter", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5521699786186218}
{"content": "Chaos Rings\n\nFrom Sonic Retro\n\nChaos Rings.PNG\n\nThe Chaos Rings are six powerful rings appearing in Knuckles' Chaotix. According to the Japanese manual, the Rings were created by an ancient civilization and infused with Chaos Emerald energy. Doctor Eggman builds a base on the mysterious island where they were created in order to find the Rings, which are hidden in Special Stages. Throughout the game, the Chaos Rings are collected in the same way as the Chaos Emeralds usually are, and having all six by the end rewards the player with the \"good ending,\" featuring a picture of Sonic and Tails with the Chaotix.\n\nThe Chaos Ring storyline was largely unmentioned in the US manual, and instead Eggman was said to be trying to steal the \"Power Emerald\" from \"Carnival Island\". The Chaos Rings can still be collected, but are never explained.\n\nDuring development these rings were known as the Holy Rings. They were renamed \"Chaos Rings\" by Knuckles' Chaotix prototype 0202. It is unknown why their names were changed, though it may have something to do with religious censorship employed by many video game publishers at the time.\n\nItems in the Sonic the Hedgehog Game Series\nPower-ups   Shield (Water, Lightning, Fire, Gold) | Invincibility | Power Sneakers | Combine Ring | Power Core | Light Cores\nWeapons   Piko Piko Hammer | Chaos Energy Cannon | Caliburn | Wispon\nOther   Chili Dog | Scepter of Darkness | Cacophonic Conch", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.647655725479126}
{"content": "How do we create music we can feel?\n\nWithin 2 was a project I worked on with Meyer Sound, The Berkeley Center for New Media, and Artist Tarek Atoui. We started with the question of How do we create music for the hearing impaired?\n\nMitchell Karchemsky\nTarek Atoui\nGreg Niemeyer\nPerin Meyer\nAndrew Frankel\n\nMy Role\nInitial Prototyping\nIdea Exploration\nProduct Manufacturing\n\nIterative Design\nSoftware Programming\n\n\nWithin 2 was a project I worked on with Meyer Sound, The Berkeley Center for New Media, and Artist Tarek Atoui. We started with the question of “How do we create music for the hearing impaired?” A quote by Stanford Professor Anne Fernald guided me throughout the project:\n\n“Sound is touch at a distance.”\n\nHow can we rethink music in such a way that brings it to a more visceral physical sensation?\n\nTarek worked with a school for deaf children and ran an experiment where the children were told to go to the city and record the sounds of things they like, which sounds like a fools errand of sorts. What he found is that they would record the sounds of motors and pumps which would vibrate and hum at low frequencies. When interviewed, they noted that they liked how they could feel the sound.\n\nThis required lots of different creative thoughts but after weeks of work, we found that low frequencies, sub 100hz leading into what is called infra-base, when amplified propagates powerful waves which feels like a punch when you stand in front of a speaker.\n\nWe took this concept and broke it into two seperate instruments: 0.9 and SuperPac\n\n\nThe SuperPac is a direct translation of sound to physical sensation. Utilizing special chairs with built in resonating transducers, the chair serves as the physical interface between the sounds generated and the participant. We needed a way to create signals for the chairs to play and so I was tasked with the work of designing a texture board. Essentially a table with a 4x4 grid of specially textured wood boards which can be stroked and rubbed with special contact microphones to generate tones of different timbres. Three special tables with different physical interaction modalities were made allowing for the artists to not only play but to perform with their full bodies and having the physical motions directly for the observer to experience.\n\n\nZero point nine was heavily influenced by Ernst Chladni and his famous work on standing waves and vibratory plates. Chaldni found that placing sand particles on a plate and having the plate resonate would create standing waves, or still points at certain areas of the resonating medium. We wanted to take this effect of standing points in a wave and expand it to a concert hall. With help from Meyer sound, we created 3 platforms consisting of 3 extremely powerful sub-woofers which would produce sounds ranging from 8hz (below the audible level of 20hz ) to 120hz. With these powerful speakers we filled two separate concert halls, a performance auditorium at Mills College, and Hearst Memorial Mining at UC Berkeley. This created a more interactive experience where people explored the space and found areas in the respective buildings where the physical feeling the difference in resonant frequencies in the floor, pillars, glass windows, and even the air around them.\n\nWith the heavy inspiration from the children that Tarek interviewed, we wanted to bring in a component of gestural languages as a medium for art. To do this, we utilized the powerful hand and gestural detection platform of the Leap Motion Sensor. Working closely with CNMAT, we interfaced the sensors to the speakers using MaxMSP and a custom built library to help our performers get a more intuitive sense of the gestural language of the instrument.\n\nYou can read more about it here in this press release\n\nTeaching Experience\n\nCourses and Mentorship\n\nCritical Practices\n\nTeaching Assistant\n\nA hands-on, studio design course where students work at the intersection of technological innovation and socially engaged art.\n\nRead Me\n\nDesign Innovation 22\n\nTeaching Assistant\n\nThis introductory design course teaches concepts, skills, and methods required to design, prototype, and fabricate physical objects.\n\nRead Me\n\nInvention Lab\n\nTechnical Design Mentor\n\nThe Invention Lab is a UC Berkeley makerspace focused on helping students, researchers, and faculty to make embedded systems inventions.\n\nRead Me\n\nCase Studies\n\nSelected Works\n\n\nBetter Embedded Systems Debugging\n\nBerkeley Institute of Design. How do we better instrument embedded systems for combined software and hardware debugging?\n\nRead Me\n\n\nHow can we make firefighters safer?\n\nTechnology startup focused on creating a safer more effective workforce for firefighters through the use of on-person telemetry units.\n\nRead Me\n\n\nHow do we create music we can feel?\n\nCollaboration with Meyer Sound, The Berkeley Center for New Media, and Artist Tarek Atoui. How do we create music for the hearing impaired?\n\nRead Me\n\n\nHardware and Industrial Design\n\nThe MakerPass Authentication system allows for Maker-spaces to grant access to privilaged members in a low-cost, easy to implement solution.\n\nRead Me\n\nDoom Sense\n\nHow can we feel information?\n\nAn experiment in haptic feedback modalities and sensory extension. We improved the performance of a player by delivering curated contextual information\n\nRead Me\n\nDrill Sergeant\n\nHardware and Industrial Design\n\nBerkeley Institute of Design. Drill Sergeant enables new makers to build confidence through self-guided interactive physical feedback driven tutorials.\n\nRead Me", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6947250366210938}
{"content": "Dekhi Zamane Ki Yaari Guru Dutt, Mohammed Rafi, Kaagaz Ke Phool, Emotional Song 2\n\n\nWe all tend not to hold track get cd upon each of our servers, all of us just uncover by additional resources and also existing it to you. We're not responsible for what you are generally accessing because were in the same way engines like google, just about any possibility on the activity involving accessing AUDIO documents will be likely completely.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6392728686332703}
{"content": "Matter of Balance\n\n\nWhat is A Matter of Balance?\n\n\nA Matter of Balance includes eight two-hour sessions for a small group led by a trained facilitator. This nationally recognized program was developed at the Roybal Center at Boston University.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000039339065552}
{"content": "Flow – Why Playing Is the Best Way to Learn\n\nFlow. It conjures up images of air flow, the flow of water, hair flowing in the wind.\n\nYet, it is also an apt description in psychology for a state of mind we constantly aspire to. Though it is not widely known, flow proves psychologically that playing games is one of the best ways of learning things.\n\nWhat is Flow?\n\nFlow refers to the ideal mental state in which we perform tasks. When we experience flow, we become absorbed by the activity. Time becomes dilated; we feel as though a minute has passed when in fact it is an hour. We feel focused, resolute, a sense of joy and satisfaction upon completing it.\n\nSounds familiar? Simply, it is when we are experiencing a ‘hot streak’, being ‘in the zone’ or why time flies when we do something we love.\n\nFlow was first discovered by psychologist Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi in 1975. Over the years, it gained increasing popularity as more people relate to it. Since then, it has become an influential term in psychology, educational theory, organisational theory and even management.\n\nThe truth is, flow is not unique. It has been recognized time and again throughout history and in different locations. For instance, Wikipedia states that flow has been used in many Asian religions. In Buddhism and Taoism, ancient teachings refer to wu wei or action of inaction, while in Hinduism, the Bhagavad-Gita alludes to a similar mental thinking.\n\nStates of Mind\n\nAccording to Nakamura and Csíkszentmihályi (1989), there are 6 factors that contribute to achieving flow.\n\n- Intense and focused concentration at that present moment\n\n- Merging of action and awareness\n\n- A loss of reflective self-consciousness\n\n- A sense of personal control or agency over the situation or activity\n\n- Distortion of time\n\n- Experience of the activity as intrinsically rewarding\n\nLater studies added to these. For instance, psychologist Cherry says that there are 3 other key factors, namely:\n\n- Immediate feedback\n\n- Feeling that you have the potential to succeed\n\n- Feeling so engrossed in the experience, that other needs become negligible\n\nAnother study by Schaffer (2013) presented 7 conditions required to enter a state of flow. As we approach a task, we ought to:\n\n- Know what to do\n\n- Know how to do it\n\n- Know how well you are doing\n\n- Know where to go\n\n- Have high perceived challenges\n\n- Have high perceived skills\n\n- Have freedom from distractions\n\nAll in all, flow is best summed up as having these requirements. These mental states allows us to have the most enjoyable experience when performing the task.\n\n- Be involved in an activity with goals and progress that are clearly visible. This helps to create direction and structure.\n\n- Feedback should be clear, immediate and direct. This allows us to have a clear sense of how we are doing. We can then adjust our work accordingly to achieve the desired performance.\n\n- There must be a balance between difficulty and ability to complete the task. You should feel that while it is a challenge, it is still something that can be completed, instead of being impossible.\n\nIn essence, we see a satisfyingly challenging task. We believe we are skillful enough to build it. We are motivated to work hard and persevere on. We see some feedback from us completing a part of it. We are spurred by our success, becoming more motivated.\n\nFinally, at the end of it, we gain high levels of satisfaction and gratification from our accomplishment. We look back at wondrous surprise at how we have spent the whole afternoon playing with it, while simultaneously improving our concentration and cognitive abilities.\n\nFlowing Through Educational Games\n\nLet us take a closer look at how flow relates to educational games and learning. Looking at the states of flow, we see that learning games fulfill many of the requirements of flow.\n\nFocus and concentration while performing the task\n\nThe Space Race Ace requires a high degree of concentration to build the track correctly in a pleasing way. It is easy for children to lose concentration, but they are motivated by every portion that they finish.\n\nA sense of personal agency over the activity\n\nEspecially prevalent among children, they intuitively understand that there is a big world out there and they have little control over it. Educational games like the Solaris Solar Kit comes with detailed instructions and modular pieces, allowing them to build and experiment while not overwhelming them with details.\n\nImmediate feedback\n\nMost educational games provide some form of instant feedback. For instance, when the Balance Tower topples, children will know that they have made a mistake immediately. Compare this to tests which have (very) delayed feedback.\n\nHave high perceived challenge and skills\n\nPerhaps more so than any other learning methods, educational games provide a healthy balance of challenge and skill. The games are carefully designed and playtested.\n\nAlso, one advantage games have is that you can modify the challenge easily. Ad hoc vocabulary games are flexible; you can give the other player a chance if their skill is weaker, while ramping the challenge up when they get better at it.\n\nGroup Flow\n\nFlow is important is social psychology and sociology too. Group flow is a form of positive feedback, where flow achieved by one person is induced into another and another, until the entire group enters flow.\n\nGroups become more cohesive, cooperative, argue less, work faster and achieve greater results. We have all seen group flow when an orchestra plays as one soul, or when a sports team appear to be psychic.\n\nThis form of group learning can be achieved through games as well. Many organizations are using serious games or learning games for employees’ training and motivation. With group flow, the team’s positive energy bounces off each other and better results are achieved.\n\nWithin your work team or family, you can try some simple educational games to achieve group flow. Games like Balance Chairs create a positive atmosphere and helps to bond groups. This positive attitude cannot be understated as it can be sustained even through more serious tasks.\n\nMaster of Flow\n\nWe hope you see the value of fun games in aiding education and development now.\n\nFlow induces the belief that we are capable of overcoming great challenges. We are more motivated and persevere at the task. In doing so, we build on a small success to achieve greater successes.\n\nHence, playing allows us to achieve flow more easily. In doing so, we learn more and are motivated to play more, and learn more, and play more, and… You get the idea!\n\nComments are closed.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.997063159942627}
{"content": "Published: Thu, June 07, 2018\nScience | By Michele Flores\n\nIs the Mysterious Planet Nine Just a Swarm of Asteroids?\n\nBatygin and Brown calculated that this world, dubbed Planet Nine, may be 10 times more massive than Earth and orbit the sun about 20 times farther away than Neptune does. \"We can solve a lot of these problems by just taking into account that question\".\n\nThis means Sedna's orbit can transition from being relatively normal to appearing to be detached from our solar system because of a multitude of interactions with the gravity of smaller bodies.\n\nThe hypothesis of the existence of a ninth planet was first put forward in 2012, when Scott Sheppard and Chadwick Trujillo, two scientists from the Carnegie Institution of Science and Northern Arizona University, discovered several celestial bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune (the so-called trans-Neptunian objects, or Tno), composed mainly of rocks, ice and solid methane. According to some of the astronomers these orbits are believed to be the signature of hypothesizing \"planet nine\", as suggested by a new study. The key evidence was the highly eccentric orbits of some Kuiper Belt objects, which are tilted 30 degrees off-kilter from the rest of the planets.\n\nThe work explaining the collective gravity theory was presented at a press briefing at the 232nd meeting of the American Astronomical Society, which runs from June 3-7 in Denver.\n\nThe Kuiper Belt, the region immediately beyond Neptune, harbors TNOs of many sizes. There is also a theory that suggests unseen ninth planet lurking beyond Neptune may have kicked up the orbits of these detached objects.\n\nTo review: The primary evidence for the existence of Planet 9 is the large number of TNOs with highly unusual orbits within our solar system. This explains the oddball behavior of Sedna, which is a little smaller than Pluto but follows a massive, circular orbital path to circumnavigate the sun, just like other detached objects. Sedna itself was only discovered in 2003, while the second-largest (by volume) and most massive dwarf planet, Eris, was found in 2005.\n\nThis research was supported by NASA Solar System Workings and the Rocky Mountain Advanced Computing Consortium Summit Supercomputer.\n\nNext-generation BMW X5 unveiled\nCalled the BMW Live Cockpit Professional display, the digital cluster makes its debut in the X5 and it comes as standard fitment. In order to do this, we went to the BMW Plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina to see how the new BMW X5 is being built.\n\nChinese citizens remember Tiananmen Tank Man\nChina has lodged stern representations with the United States, its foreign ministry said on Monday, over comments by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging it to come clean on the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.\n\nTrump Insults Canada In Private Phone Call With Trudeau Over Tariffs\nThe problem with Trump's comments to Trudeau is that British troops burned down the White House during the War of 1812. The World Trade Organization, for example, has become completely ineffectual\".\n\nIt was the dynamics of detached objects like Sedna that astrophysicist Jacob Fleisig was studying when he noticed, according to his computer simulations, that occasionally they came into alignment, like the hands of a clock.\n\nPlanet Nine has not been confirmed, however, and all attempts to find it have been fruitless.\n\n\"These orbits crash into the bigger body, and what happens is those interaction will change its orbit from an oval shape to a more circular shape\". While the researchers couldn't directly connect their observations to the collision that wiped out the dinosaurs and most life on Earth, Fleisig called the possibility \"tantalizing\".\n\nThe findings may also provide clues around another phenomenon: the extinction of the dinosaurs.\n\nThe jostling of these asteroids and space junk might have led to other effects like regularly directing comets into the inner solar system - some of which could have headed toward Earth.\n\n\"The handful we've seen is not enough\", Fleisig said.\n\nLike this:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.72303307056427}
{"content": "Definitions of genus\n\n  1. ( biology) taxonomic group containing one or more species\n  2. a general kind of something; \" ignore the genus communism\"\n  5. A broad, general class having under it several groups with certain common characteristics; as, in the animal kingdom the lion, leopard, tiger, cat, and panther are species of the catkind, or genus; in the vegetable kingdom all the species of oak form a certain genus; in logic, a class made up of two or more species, or lower classes.\n  6. In natural history classification, the division between the order ( or family) and the species.\n  7. Generic, generical.\n  8. Group containing several species.\n  9. A group or class embracing subordinate classes or species.\n  10. An assemblage of species possessing certain characters in common, by which they are distinguished; a class made up of two or more species. Summum genus, a genus contained in no higher Subaltern genus, a genus which is a species to another.\n  11. Genera. A group of closely related species, in classification of plants or animals.\n\nUsage examples for genus\n\n  1. I knew them by the shape of their bills and their nests to belong to the genus Phaethornis. – On the Banks of the Amazon by W.H.G. Kingston\n  2. Some species of this genus are several feet long. – The Student's Elements of Geology by Sir Charles Lyell\n  3. There is no competition among Priests who shall do the utmost degree of good, but who shall have the power of tithing and deceiving the people: if the people had sufficient sense they would treat all Priests as the different kinds of Priests treat each other- as hypocrites and impostors; constant in jealousy, constant in acrimonious opposition and mutual abuse, every order, every genus, are contending for the spoil of credulity. – The Character Of A Priest by Philanthropos\n  4. This need not cause surprise, as the genus Rana is certainly not European. – The History of the European Fauna by R. F. Scharff\n  5. Every institution has some good teachers, some very excellent ones, but no institution is overstockt with species of that genus. – On the Firing Line in Education by Adoniram Judson Ladd\n  6. Mr. Gould informs me the animals of the latter genus also use their tails for the purpose of carrying the grass to their nests. – Journals Of Two Expeditions Of Discovery In North-West And Western Australia, Vol. 2 (of 2) by George Grey\n  7. The genus label should be in prominent type, somewhat smaller than the family label, and should be placed at the head of the genus. – Directions for Collecting and Preserving Insects by C. V. Riley\n  8. Although I first collected Ptychohyla in 1956, it was not until 1960 that special efforts were made to obtain specimens of this genus. – A Review of the Middle American Tree Frogs of the Genus Ptychohyla by William E. Duellman\n  9. This, while they claim a sort of miniature relationship, forms them into a separate genus. – Anecdotes of the Habits and Instinct of Animals by R. Lee\n  10. All girls belong to the genus nuisance. – A Little Rebel by Mrs. Hungerford\n  11. But it should be remembered, that some species of this genus invariably live, both whilst young and old, in cavities, which the animal has the power of enlarging with its growth. – Coral-Reefs by Darwin, Charles\n  12. Therefore let the genus comprehending both of these be either a ceremony or a sacred work. – The Apology of the Augsburg Confession by Philip Melanchthon\n  13. Universal inspiration is a genus, of which this is a species. – Orthodoxy: Its Truths And Errors by James Freeman Clarke\n  14. A well- marked genus, by reason of the peculiar origin of the capillitium. – The Myxomycetes of the Miami Valley, Ohio by A. P. Morgan\n  15. I am uncertain about the genus, not having seen the seed- vessels, but whatever that may be, it is of our finest Australian plants. – The Bushman Life in a New Country by Edward Wilson Landor\n  16. This is the type of Grey's genus Catolynx, the other species in India being F. charltoni. – Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon by Robert A. Sterndale\n  17. It is an extraordinary fact that one species in a genus may be luminous and another closely allied species contain no trace of luminosity. – The Nature of Animal Light by E. Newton Harvey\n  18. These, as articles of food, are perhaps more widely diffused over the face of the earth than any other genus of edible plants. – The Book of Household Management by Mrs. Isabella Beeton\n  19. But this is not at all the case with a genus and its species. – Ontology or the Theory of Being by Peter Coffey\n  20. He formed his opinions with the greatest haste, and with the greatest perseverance stuck to them; for he was the most generous of mankind, if generous means one quite full of his genus. – Erema My Father's Sin by R. D. Blackmore", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9998005628585815}
{"content": "Synchronous sensor network\n\nWhat is a synchronous sensor network? A synchronous sensor network consists of distributed autonomous sensors to monitor physical or environmental conditions and to pass their data through the sensor network to a main location. When the data is sampled synchronously and transmitted wireless at high speed, the system is… (READ MORE)\n\nWLAN data acquisition and WLAN data transmission\n\nWLAN data acquisition and WLAN data transmission in sensor networks The following blog post deals with: mobile data acquisition, wlan data acquisition and wlan data transmission. Mobile data collection using WLAN WLAN data acquisition in a wireless sensor network is implemented… (READ MORE)\n\nMachine condition monitoring by wireless vibration measurement and vibration analysis\n\nWhy do you need wireless vibration measurement? By wireless vibration measurement and wireless vibration analysis changes on a machine can be identified through the permanent acquisition and analysis of vibrations. By vibration monitoring, the safety of personnel and the machine can… (READ MORE)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9993469715118408}
{"content": "Ocean asteroid could damage ozone layer\n\nWater vapour and sea salt thrown up by asteroid impact could damage the protective ozone layer.\n\nLondon: If a medium-sized asteroid were to land in the oceans a tsunami wouldn`t be the only worry, say scientists– Earth’s ozone layer could be at risk too.\n\nA new computer simulation suggests that the water vapour and sea salt thrown up by the impact could damage the protective ozone layer, leading to record levels of ultraviolet radiation that could threaten human civilisation.\n\nElisabetta Pierazzo of the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona, and colleagues used a global climate model to study how water vapour and sea salt thrown up from an impact will affect ozone levels for years after the event.\n\nThey focused on medium-sized asteroids, either 500 metres or 1 kilometre wide. To date, 818 asteroids that are at least 1 km wide have been discovered on orbits that could take them close to Earth.\n\n\nTo get a sense of how much water might be jettisoned into the atmosphere if these asteroids hit the ocean, the team modelled what would happen if they reached Earth`s atmosphere at a clip of 18 kilometres per second, an average speed expected for a near-Earth object, and hit the ocean in the northern hemisphere at a 45-degree angle.\n\nAs expected, the simulations showed that the larger, 1-km asteroid created the bigger splash, throwing 42 trillion kilograms of water and vapour – enough to fill 16 million Olympic-sized swimming pools – across an area more than 1000 kilometres wide and up to hundreds of kilometres above the Earth`s surface.\n\nOnce in the atmosphere, the water, together with compounds containing chlorine and bromine from vaporised sea salts, destroyed ozone above the Earth`s atmosphere at a much faster rate than it is naturally created.\n\n\n\"It will produce an ozone hole that will engulf the entire Earth,\" New Scientist quoted Pierazzo as saying.\n\nThe study has been published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters.\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.886459231376648}
{"content": "If You Think The ‘Ferguson Effect’ is to Blame for the Rise in Crime… Think Again\n\nMurder and violent crime have risen dramatically in several major cities in 2015. In New York, the murder rate has gone up 20% compared to the early months of 2014. In Los Angeles, violent crime is up 27%. In Houston, murders are up nearly 50%. In Baltimore, murders are up 37%.\n\nSome are attributing this spike in murders to a so-called “Ferguson Effect.” The Ferguson Effect is the theory that the recent protests and public outrage against police brutality have caused police to draw back from everyday enforcement, leaving a ‘criminal element’ feeling empowered.\n\nFacing the hard challenge head on is part of American culture. It is George Washington at Valley Forge. It’s Susan B. Anthony and Women’s Suffrage. It’s the Civil Rights Movement. It’s going to the Moon and John Wayne movies. It is grit and determination in the face of considerable odds. It may not be a uniquely American trait, but it is a distinct part of American culture.\n\nYet there is another culture, birthed out of electoral politics, that says everything boils down to one cause and one effect. It allows candidates to identify a problem, brand its cause, and prescribe a simple solution to win votes. It operates under the assumption that modern Americans are nothing like our predecessors, and we can’t be trusted with the hard answers.\n\nThis approach is deeply damaging to the American public, and the propagating of the “Ferguson Effect” is representative of that.\n\nIt Diminishes the Significance of the Protests\n\nWhat happened in Ferguson, in Baltimore, and in smaller protests across the country matters. You don’t have to be black to feel a sense of outrage after being inundated by videos of police officers shooting young black men. How you perceive the causes — and potential solutions — to this problem might differ, but that universally human sense of empathy should be engaged regardless.\n\nAnd these protests were representative of far more than the deaths of Michael Brown or Freddie Gray. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “A riot is the language of the unheard.” These protests were an outpouring of frustration from communities that are ignored, an expression of outrage against the inequalities and environment that allow unarmed black men to be killed by police.\n\nThe “Ferguson Effect” diminishes these factors by tying potential negative consequences of the protests against police to the recent spike in murders and violent crime. It implies that protests against police brutality have consequences for local communities, and it ignores the greater meaning behind the protests. Propagating the “Ferguson Effect” is almost like saying to anyone who protested over the past year, “you asked for it.”\n\nThese protests were exactly what the public should have done. When the government is unresponsive to the needs of the people, the protesters took to the streets, and made it impossible for America and its leaders to ignore or forget these problems. Looting and violence in the protests cannot be condoned, but the outrage was justified. The implication of a fixation on the “Ferguson Effect” is to discourage future protests, when they should be encouraged.\n\nIt Disrespects the Intelligence of the American People\n\nThe spike in murders is far more complex than “it is a result of the Ferguson protests.” In Baltimore, the police chief has attributed it to the pharmacies looted in the riots, subsequently flooding the streets with drugs. In New York, some attribute the spike to the decline in “stop and frisk.” Other local factors, such as the size of the city’s youth population, the level of social disadvantage, and the city’s social disorganization, can have a key role in a spike in crime.\n\nBy attributing the rise in crime to the recent protests, the “Ferguson Effect” makes the flawed argument that if one event follows another, the second must have been caused by the first. In so doing, it ignores the multitude of factors that are likely at play.\n\nThe “Ferguson Effect” is also founded on the assumption that Americans can only see this issue in black or white. In a Wall Street Journal piece by Heather MacDonald, she stated that “‘Ferguson effects’ are happening across the country as officers scale back on proactive policing under the onslaught of anti-cop rhetoric.” But this entirely mischaracterizes the protests. These protests were not “anti-cop,” but anti-police-killing-unarmed-black-men, and the systemic problems which underpinned these events. While anti-cop rhetoric certainly exists — sometimes in these protests — let’s not mischaracterize the entire event.\n\nAs a people, let’s have a little faith in each other and our ability to see shades. If the “Ferguson Effect” does exist, police officers should understand it was not about them doing their job, but rather that certain police officers had unnecessarily killed young men. And protestors should understand that the protests are an indictment of a particular trend in policing, and not policing in general. It feels painfully obvious writing this out, but the “Ferguson Effect” would deny that this is even possible.\n\nIt Ignores that Americans Are Willing to Tackle the Hard Problem\n\nThe “Ferguson Effect” is indicative of a political system that says, “Here is a complex problem, and here is the easy solution.” In doing so, it disrespects Americans’ ability to understand the complex problem, and their willingness to take that head on.\n\nIs it any surprise that after years of candidates promising easy solutions only to fall short in office we are disillusioned with politics and our government? Americans deserve the hard truth because then we can face it head on, fully prepared, and equipped to tackle it in its entirety.\n\nThe dramatic spike in the murder rate in certain cities (and the wider problem of racial inequality spotlighted by the protests) has no single cause, and no easy solution. This is a challenge caused by a diverse array of problems and it requires a systemic approach. Oversimplifying it to the “Ferguson Effect” diminishes the significance of the protests, disrespects the intelligence of the public, and ignores our willingness to tackle the hard problem. Americans deserve the hard truth, and we deserve leadership that will give it.\n\nEditor’s note: This article, written by Andy Smith, originally published on the Centrist Project’s blog on June 5, 2015, and has been edited for publication on IVN. You can learn more about the Centrist Project on its website or follow the organization on Twitter and Facebook.\n\nPhoto Credit: a katz / Shutterstock.com", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9668517708778381}
{"content": "Jack Ü Break Down Creating \"Where Are Ü Now\"; Share Unheard Versions\n\n\n  Jack Ü's \"Where Are Ü Now\" is easily one of the summer's biggest hits. With its surprising Justin Bieber feature and upbeat vibes, the song served as one of the more pleasant surprises on the Jack Ü album.\n\nIn a recent feature done for the New York Times, Jack Ü (alongside Biebs) go into detail with the song, explaining its origins, composition, recalling the first time it was ever performed and more.\n\nAt around the 3:30 mark, Skrillex decides to let loose previously unheard versions of the song. Although they do not make the song completely unrecognizable, these versions do contain different builds, drops and other elements that would have ultimately taken away from its now almost iconic sound.\n\nThe feature goes on to explain performing the song for the first time, and reveals exactly what the heck that \"dolphin-flute\" sound is at the drop.\n\nNext month, Diplo is set to open for Madonna during select dates of her \"Rebel Heart\" tour, while Skrillex just released a new collab with Jauz and Fatman Scoop, available for fee thanks to Adult Swim:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9799728393554688}
{"content": "\n\n\nQNT 275 Week 2 Activity Data Set\n\nResource: University of Phoenix Material: Data Set\n\nReview the following business scenario:\n\nYou are the manager in a small town in the lake district of a Midwestern state enjoys a robust tourist season during the summer months, but has only a small population of residents during the off season. The Littletown Café adjusts the levels of staff according to the time of year, to coincide with the number of guests, with the tourist season typically starting around Memorial Day each year. One wait staff employee can serve 50 guests. When a bus staff employee is added, the pair can serve 75 guests. At 76 guests, the café adds a second wait staff employee, for a total of 2 waiters and one busser. Analysis of guest numbers can support future decisions about scheduling wait staff, dishwashers, and bus staff for the café.\n\nDownload the data set.\n\nReview the data in the data set.\n\n\nExplain why this is (or is not) a suitable sample of quantitative data for the business scenario. Evaluate the factors that would affect the validity of the data set. Evaluate the factors that would affect the reliability of the data set. Explain the steps you took to arrive at your conclusion about validity and reliability. Display the data set in a chart. Explain briefly why that chart type was selected. Calculate the measures of central tendency and variability (mean, median, mode, standard deviation) for the data. Explain the steps you followed to come your answer. Interpret the measures of central tendency and variability.What are three conclusions you can draw based on the data analysis?\n\nClick the Assignment Files tab to submit your assignment.\n\nShow more\n  • @\n  • 104 orders completed\n\nTutor has posted answer for $15.00. See answer's preview\n\n\n*** 275 **** * Activity Data ***\n\nClick here to download attached files: Week 2 Activity Data Set.docx\nor Buy custom answer\nAsk a Question", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9977286458015442}
{"content": "Are these symptoms of dehydration? Today at softball practice I was working really hard when all of a sudden I felt extremely light-headed. This accompanied the urge to vomit and I had to sit down to avoid falling down. My vision seemed to turn black. I d\n\nThis . This sounds more like low blood sugar. Did you eat before practice? If so did you eat enough, that is also an important question? Also, dehydration could also have played a role. Was your fluid intake low? The pain in your throat may have been the start of a throat infection, which could make you more prone to dehydration. If these symptoms have occurred a second time and/ or your throat is sore or you have a fever, i recommend you have a complete evaluation by your doctor right away. Take care.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9983181357383728}
{"content": "Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and Sphenopalatine Ganglion Blocks CRPS Treatment Protocols and Future Treatments.\n\nThe following was originally published on the Think Better Life website\n\nCRPS Chicago: Complex Regional Pain Syndrome can respond to SPG Blocks\n\nThe problems facing patients with CRPS are enormous and treatment protocols need to be developed as many patients have little to no relief with current treatments.\n\nI have well over 100 patient testimonials on a wide variety of chronic pain disorders at:\n\nI strongly believe that the single most effective approach with SPG Blocks is for the patient to learn how to self administer the Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block, initially twice a day. This allows them to avoid spending their lives in physicians offices.\n\nComplex Regional Pain Syndrome most frequently occurs following and injury but can also occur from long standing pain problems leading to central sensitization. CRPS is one of the most difficult disorders to treat. Prior to discussing Sphenopalatine Ganglion Blocks in the treatment of CRPS it is important to understand the basics.\nPatients with CRPS often experience Hyperalgesia or increased sensitivity to nociceptive input can be severe with even minimal noxious stimulation leading to severe or paroxysmal pain responses and Allodynia, the perception of pain from non-nociceptive input such as light touch.\n\nComplex Regional Pain Syndrome is the current designation for what was previously called reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) and /or causalgia\nAnother designation was reflex neurovascular dystrophy (RND) which is an amplified musculoskeletal pain syndrome (AMPS).\n\nCRPS frequently is associated with systemic autonomic dysregulation with major effects on the CNS or Central Nervous System and resultant symptoms including neurogenic edema.\n\nThe International Association for the Study of Pain describes two types of CRPS: Type I previously designated as reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) and Type 2 previously designated as Causalgia.\n\nType one is also referred to as Sludeck’s Atrophy, Reflex Neurovascular Dystrophy or Algoneurodystrophy. Type 1 is by far the most common type of CRPS . Nerve lesions have not yet been confirmed in type 1 CRPS.\n\nType 2 by contrast routinely has easily seen nerve damage which may be why it is more difficult to control. While Type 1 is often considered Idiopathic disease Type 2 has a presumed cause of obvious frank nerve damage.\n\nTreatment is challenging in cases of CRPS and is often unsatisfactory especially after the condition has become advanced. The enormous degree of enhanced sympathetic activity causing secondary vasoconstrictionmake some believe there is an unidentified neurotransmitter involved.\n\nMy personal theory is a combination of Neural Plasticity causing severe Central Sensitization with increased afferent nociceptive sensitivity leading to storms of neurotransmitter release inside the brain and possible wide spread chages in Gap Junctions in the CNS which could explain the spread of CRPS in affected individuals. The communication could spread directly cell to cell and not synaptically. The Glial cells could be a likely suspect of transmitting this gap junction spread as would the Schwann Cells responsible for Myelin Sheath coverage of neurons.\n\nSecondarily, there is a descending storm of efferent activity again leading to storms of neurotransmitter release as well as kinins and histamine that also may open up increased Gap Juntion spread of the disorder periferrally. The Afferent – Efferent spread will create an I/O error or input output error to the brain.. Computer experts would dub this\nGarbage in – Garbage out.\n\nIn computers the tech would shut down the computer and reboot. In humans this is a more difficult problem. Ketamine has been used to treat CRPS but probably is most effective if used to prevent or reverse early CRPS. Ketamine is effective in reducing opiod use post-surgery. Opiod use stimultes the Glial cell to break down opiods therefore decreaing the amount used to control pain is key. Ketamine used to treat intractable neuropathic pain and is useful in preventing spinal sensitization, the wind-up associated with chronic pain. By reducing neuroplasticity it may prevent development of CRPS and other disorders associated with Central Sensitization.\n\nWhile this may help with pain it will not be an effective “reboot” of the system. (below source wikipedia) The effect of Ketamine causes dissociation between the limbic and thalamoneocortical systems with intact ocular, laryngeal, and pharyngeal reflexes. Ketamine is an antagonist of the glutaminergic N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA-R), both centrally and in the spinal cord, prevents neuronal Ca2+influx, interference with neuronal plasticity, learning and memory, analgesia at central and spinal cord level, as well as interruption of the central sensitization core to chronic pain syndromes.\n\nKetamine could be used early to prevent Central Sensization but it has weak evidence in the literature.\n\nPain Med 2015 Jan 13. doi: 10.1111/pme.12675. A systematic Review of Ketamine for Complex Rgional Pain Syndrome was a Cockchrane review that” yielded 262 articles, 45 of which met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Of those included, 6 were reviews, 5 were randomized placebo-controlled trials, 13 were observational studies, and 21 were case reports.” The conclusions were “there is no high quality evidence available evaluating the efficacy of ketamine for CRPS and all manuscripts examined in this review were of moderate to low quality. Therefore, we conclude there is currently only weak evidence supporting the efficacy of ketamine for CRPS, yet there is clearly a rationale for definitive study.”\n\nThis does not mean Ketamine is not effective in individual cases, it just cannot yet be considred a first line treatment. I believe the reason Ketamine is only weak in response is that Ketamine doses are insufficient to reboot the system in both dosage and time of infusion.\n\nThe use of a Curare type anaesthesia is association with Ketamine may be the Reboot Mechanism that is necessary for severe CRPS. Theis will reversibly inhibit the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor at the neuromuscular junction. Curare was shown to effectively treat tetanus and strichnine poisoning by interfering with nerve conduction from motor neuron to muscle at the neuromuscular junction (think Botox). This would require total life support including respiration. While the patient is in the anaesthesized state Insulin Potentiation Therapy using a shocking dose of insulin could simultaneously be used to Reboot the system. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is currently under investigation for CRPS therapy and conceivably could be used in conjunction with Insulin Potentiation. Insulin potentiation can also be used to move medications across cell membranes and /or the blood brain barrier. This could allow targeted medication use to limit adverse side effects of the medications. I first learned about Insulin Potentiation Therapy from a friend Dr Steve G Ayre a Canadian physician who worked with moving AZT across the Blood Brain Barrier in earl aids research. I learned fro Steve about Insulin Potentiation and then used the addition of very small amounts of insulin to lidocine while doing trigger point injections. Steve was conviced that Oxygen Potentiation held enormous benefits in the future.\n\nInsulin Potentiation may become a treatment of choice for administering drugs to treat acquired Gap Junction Disease.\n\nCochrane reviews would never find evidence for drastic treatment of this type but considering the decrease in quality of life (QOL) in CRPS patients. A study “Risk factors for suicidal ideation among patients with complex regional pain syndrome.” by Lee DH, Noh EC, Kim YC, et al. in Psychiatry investigation. 2014 Jan;11(1):32-8. reported 74% of patients were considered at high risk for suicide. (abstract below).\n\nThe severe nature of CRPS and effects on QOL or Quality of Life demands seeking answers for our patients. Sympathetic Blocks including stellate ganglion blocks have had some success but there is little wrtten on the utilization of Sphenopalatine Ganglion Blocks for treating CRPS. ”\n\nI recently had a patient in my office for routine dental work but due to her severe CRPS we had anaesthesia with Ketamine to facilitate what otherwise would have been incredibly painful experience. After the necessary dental work was done a bilateral SPG block was performed thru the greater palatine foramen intra-orally. The patients husband the pain relief from the Ketamine infusion lasted longer than when she goes in for just Ketamine infusion. These changes could be due to dosage and time of infusion or to addition of Parasympathetic Ganglion Block of the Sphenopalatine Ganglion. I work with Dr Stephen Best and the Neuroscience enter in Deerfield when Ketamine, Ketamine and Transcranial magnetic therapy or Hyperbaric Oxygen is indicated.\n\nI first began utilizing SPG Blocks in the 1980’s when a TMJ/ Headache/ Migraine patient brought in the book “Miracles on Park Avenue” about an ENT physician who treated all matters of pain with Sphenopalatine Ganglion Blocks. The patient wanted me to help them find a doctor who would perform the block. There were no doctors in greater Chicagoland area but a friend and mentor Dr Jack Haden in Kansas City taught me a simple method of doing SPG blocks transnasally. The effect was life changing for my patient and I have been an advocate ever since. There are numerous protocols for administering SPG Blocks including intra-oral and extra-cranial injections and transnasal approaches such as MiRx protocol with TX360 or use of Sphenocath. I prefer the original method I learned for Jack Haden and the book “Miracles on Park Ave: Treatment of Arthritis andd other Chronic Pain” by Albert Benjamin Gerber. The bibliography ain that book was my library index of articles I read to understand the SPG block.\n\nThe advantage to the original approach is that it can easily and safely be self administered by patients at home one or multiple times daily and is extremely effective in eliminating and/or preventing pain in many patients. It is a tool I use in treating TMD (TMJ) patients, Migraine , Chronic Migraine, Autonomic Cephalgia, Tension headache and Chronic Daily Headache patients.\n\nCorrecting underlying physiology is easier when patients are comfortable.\n\n“Risk factors for suicidal ideation among patients with complex regional pain syndrome.” Lee DH, Noh EC, Kim YC, et al. Psychiatry investigation. 2014 Jan;11(1):32-8.\n\nObjective: Chronic pain frequently coexists with psychiatric symptoms in patients diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). Previous studies have shown a relationship between CRPS and the risk of suicide. The purpose of this study was to assess risk factors for suicidal ideation in patients with CRPS.\nMethods: Based on criteria established by the International Association for the Study of Pain, 39 patients diagnosed with CRPS Type 1 or Type 2 were enrolled in this study. Suicidal ideation was assessed using item 3 of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), and symptoms of pain were evaluated using the short form of the McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ). Psychiatric symptoms were assessed in using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Disorders (SCID-I, SCID-II), the HAMD, the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA), the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).\n\nResults: Twenty-nine patients (74.4%) were at high risk and 10 (25.6%) were at low risk for suicidal ideation. Risk factors significantly associated with suicidal ideation included depression (p=0.002), severity of pain (p=0.024), and low scores on the GAF (p=0.027). No significant correlations were found between suicidal ideation and anxiety or quality of sleep.\n\nConclusion: Significant risk factors for suicidal ideation in patients with CRPS include severity of pain, depressive symptoms, and decreased functioning. These results suggest that psychiatric evaluation and intervention should be included in the treatment of CRPS.\n\n***What follows is Reprinted from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke*****\n\nWhat is complex regional pain syndrome?\n\n\n\nWho can get CRPS?\n\nAnyone can get CRPS. It can strike at any age and affects both men and women, although it is much more common in women. The average age of affected individuals is about age 40. CRPS is rare in the elderly. Children do not get it before age 5 and only very rarely before age 10, but it is not uncommon in teenagers.\n\nWhat are the symptoms of CRPS?\n\nThe key symptom is prolonged pain that may be constant and, in some people, extremely uncomfortable or severe. The pain may feel like a burning or “pins and needles” sensation, or as if someone is squeezing the affected limb. The pain may spread to include the entire arm or leg, even though the precipitating injury might have been only to a finger or toe. Pain can sometimes even travel to the opposite extremity. There is often increased sensitivity in the affected area, such that even light touch or contact is painful (called allodynia).\n\nPeople with CRPS also experience constant or intermittent changes in temperature, skin color, and swelling of the affected limb. This is due to abnormal microcirculation caused by damage to the nerves controlling blood flow and temperature. An affected arm or leg may feel warmer or cooler compared to the opposite limb. The skin on the affected limb may change color, becoming blotchy, blue, purple, pale, or red.\nOther common features of CRPS include :\n\nchanges in skin texture on the affected area; it may appear shiny and thin\nabnormal sweating pattern in the affected area or surrounding areas\nchanges in nail and hair growth patterns\nstiffness in affected joints\nproblems coordinating muscle movement, with decreased ability to move the affected body part, and\nabnormal movement in the affected limb, most often fixed abnormal posture (called dystonia) but also tremors in or jerking of the affected limb.\nWhat causes CRPS\n\nDoctors aren’t sure what causes some individuals to develop CRPS while others with similar trauma do not. In more than 90 percent of cases, the condition is triggered by a clear history of trauma or injury. The most common triggers are fractures, sprains/strains, soft tissue injury (such as burns, cuts, or bruises), limb immobilization (such as being in a cast), or surgical or medical procedures (such as needlestick). CRPS represents an abnormal response that magnifies the effects of the injury. In this respect it is like an allergy. Some people respond excessively to a trigger that causes no problem for other people.\n\nPeripheral nerve abnormalities found in individuals with CRPS usually involve the small unmyelinated and thinly myelinated nerve fibers (axons) that carry pain messages and signals to blood vessels. (Myelin is a mixture of proteins and fat-like substances that surround and insulate some nerve fibers.) Because small fibers in the nerves communicate with blood vessels, small nerve fiber injuries may trigger the many different symptoms of CRPS. Molecules secreted from the ends of hyperactive injured small nerve fibers are thought to contribute to inflammation and blood vessel abnormalities. These peripheral nerve abnormalities in turn trigger abnormal neurological function in the spinal cord and brain, leading in some cases to complex disorders of higher cortical function.\nAnother abnormality in CRPS involves the blood vessels in the affected limb, which may dilate (open wider) or leak fluid into the surrounding tissue, causing red, swollen skin. The underlying muscles and deeper tissues can become starved of oxygen and nutrients, causing muscle and joint pain and damage. At times, the blood vessels may over-constrict (clamp down), causing cold, white, or bluish skin. The dilation and constriction of small blood vessels is controlled by small nerve fiber axons as well as chemical messengers in the blood.\n\nCRPS also affects the immune system. High levels of inflammatory chemicals (cytokines) have been found in the tissues of people with CRPS. These contribute to the redness, swelling, and warmth reported by many patients. CRPS is more common in individuals with other inflammatory and autoimmune conditions such as asthma.\n\nLimited data suggest that CRPS also may be influenced by genetics. Rare family clusters of CRPS have been reported. Familial CRPS may be more severe with earlier onset, greater dystonia, and more than one limb being affected.\n\nOccasionally CRPS develops without any known injury. There may have been an internal injury caused by an infection, a blood vessel problem, or entrapment of the nerves, so careful examination is needed to determine the cause and treat it.\n\nIn many cases, CRPS is the result of multiple causes that act together to produce various symptoms.\n\nHow is CRPS diagnosed?\n\nCurrently there is no single diagnostic test to confirm CRPS. Diagnosis is based on the affected individual’s medical history and signs and symptoms that match the definition. But because several other conditions can cause similar symptoms, careful examination is important. Since most people improve gradually over time, diagnosis may be more difficult later in the course of the disorder.\n\nTesting also may be used to help rule out other conditions, such as arthritis syndromes, Lyme disease, generalized muscle diseases, a clotted vein, or small nerve fiber polyneuropathies (such as from diabetes), because these require different treatment. The distinguishing feature of CRPS is usually a history of earlier injury to the affected area, as most of these other conditions are not triggered by injury. Individuals without a history of injury should be carefully examined to make sure that another treatable diagnosis is not missed.\nMagnetic resonance imaging or triple-phase bone scans sometimes identify CRPS-characteristic changes in the bone metabolism. CRPS is often associated with excess bone resorption, a process in which certain cells break down the bone and release calcium into the blood.\n\nWhat is the prognosis?\n\nThe outcome of CRPS varies from person to person. Almost all children and teenagers have good recovery. Occasionally individuals are left with unremitting pain and crippling, irreversible changes despite treatment. Anecdotal evidence suggests early treatment, particularly rehabilitation, is helpful in limiting the disorder, but this benefit has not yet been proven in clinical studies. More research is needed to understand the causes of CRPS, how it progresses, and the role of early treatment.\n\nHow is CRPS treated?\n\nThe following therapies are often used:\n\n\n\nbotulinum toxin injections\nnasal calcitonin, especially for deep bone pain, and\ntopical local anesthetic creams and patches such as lidocaine.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEmerging treatments for CRPS include :\n\n\nWhat research is currently being done on CRPS?\n\nThe National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is the primary Federal supporter of research on the brain and central nervous system. Other NIH institutes also support research on CRPS and other painful conditions.\n\nNINDS-supported scientists are studying new approaches to treat CRPS and to intervene more aggressively to limit the symptoms and disability associated with the syndrome.\nPrevious research has shown that CRPS-related inflammation is supported by the body’s natural immune response. Researchers hope to better understand how CRPS develops by studying immune system activation and peripheral nerve signaling using an animal model of the disorder. The animal model was developed to mimic certain CRPS-like features following fracture or limb surgery, by activating certain molecules involved in the immune system process.\n\nLimb trauma, such as a fracture and then having the limb placed in a cast, is a common cause of CRPS. By studying an animal model, researchers hope to better understand the neuroinflammatory basis of CRPS and to identify the relevant inflammatory signaling pathways that lead to the development of post-traumatic CRPS. They also will examine inflammatory effects of cast immobilization and exercise on the development of pain behaviors and CRPS symptoms.\n\nPeripheral nerve injury and subsequent regeneration often lead to a variety of sensory deficits. Researchers hope to identify specific cellular and molecular changes in sensory neurons following peripheral nerve injury to better understand the processes that underlie neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to reorganize or form new nerve connections and pathways following injury or death of nerve cells). Identifying these mechanisms could provide targets for new drug therapies that could improve recovery following regeneration.\n\nChildren and adolescents with CRPS generally have a better recovery than adults and offer a unique model for the study of chronic pain reversal. Scientists studying children with CRPS are investigating neuroplasticity and the biological processes that cause CRPS to occur, in the hopes of developing more effective therapies and accelerated recoveries for adults and children.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9570274949073792}
{"content": "8K VR live streaming on show - TVBEurope\n\n8K VR live streaming on show\n\nPublish date:\nSocial count:\n\nThe possibilities of 8K virtual reality live streaming are being discussed on the Advantech stand, with a showcase of the VR capabilities of the company’s\nVega-3304 encoding accelerator.\n\nAdvantech said its Vega-3304 is the first commercial off-the-shelf accelerator to support single-channel 8Kp60 or 4-channel 4Kp60 real-time HEVC Main 10 contribution-grade encoding with SDI acquisition. “360° VR solution providers can use the VEGA-3304 to build compact, high-quality VR live encoders that accelerate the next wave of innovation in the media industry,” claimed Advantech.\n\nVR has the potential to fully transform viewers’ experience but real mass adoption is likely to be subject to providing lifelike quality live content, stated Advantech, adding that this poses many infrastructure challenges.\n\n“After stitching, a 360° video can surpass even 8K resolution and the quality of viewer experience will depend on keeping a high resolution throughout the contribution stages. Bandwidth optimisation is crucial to carry this back to the central distribution processing elements over existing networks, so HEVC plays a key role on VR live streaming enablement,” noted Advantech.\n\nHowever, the potential computational load of multiple 4K or even 8K HEVC encoding is a significant hurdle to overcome in real world deployments.\nEmily Teng, Vega video adapters product line manager, Advantech, said:\n\n“The Vega-3304 makes significant progress on off-the-shelf available processing acceleration. Its impressive encoding quality combined with its unrivalled 8K capacity provides a powerfultool to VR developers, [who] now have a straightforward plug-in accelerator to deal with 360° video processing struggles.”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5898152589797974}
{"content": "Modern data (1900–present) include observations, which are available in hourly, daily, and monthly form, include surface station observations such as temperature, precipitation, and wind speed as well as marine station observations such as SST, relative sea level, and wind speed. Also included in the modern data is the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR), which contains gridded atmospheric variables (e.g., geopotential height, virtual temperature) at different heights in the atmosphere (e.g., 925 mb, 850 mb) at a 32-km resolution across North America.\n\nStratigraphy of shell midden at Everglades", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9876000285148621}
{"content": "\n- Jonathan Swift\n\nDecember 30, 2013\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDecember 13, 2013\n\nLethacotyle vera\n\nImages from the paper \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNovember 24, 2013\n\nTracheliastes polycolpus\n\nPhoto of adult T. polycolpus from here\nTracheliastes polycolpus is a parasitic copepod that lives on freshwater fish and does so by attaching to the fins of its host, grazing on mucus and epithelial cells. While T. polycolpus can infect a handful of different freshwater fishes, it is primarily found on the beaked dace (Leuciscus burdigalensis). When they occur in large numbers, their feeding activities can severely erode the fins of their hosts, so much that in some fish the fins are gnawed down to mere nubs (see the photo below of a heavily parasitised dace, with outlines showing the missing fin tissue).\n\nSo when it gets crowded on this parasite's usual, preferred host, some T. polycolpus find a home elsewhere and start parasitising other species of fish living in the same area. Even though T. polycolpus is considered to be a host generalist and can infect multiple species of fish, not all fish are considered equally habitable for this parasite and it does have a predilection for certain species over others. So what determines which other fish end up acquiring these parasitic copepods?\n\nA group of scientists from France conducted a study looking at T. polycolpus population on freshwater fish in two French rivers, focusing on the 10 most abundant fish species in those rivers. Of the fish that they examined, eight of them were cyprinids (the family of fish that include dace, roach, and carp) while the two remaining species were the stone loach and brown trout.\nPhoto of parasitised dace with missing fin tissue from this paper\n\nOnly cyrpinids were found to be infected with T. polycolpus and of those only four species (dace, nase, gudgeon, minnows) were found to be consistently infected across both study sites. It turns out that next to the beaked dace, the second most preferred host for T. polycolpus is Parachondrostoma toxostoma, also known as South-west European Nase. After the beaked dace, it was the most commonly infected fish, especially in the Viaur river where there was generally higher abundance of the parasite.\n\nIt just so happens that out of all the fishes in those rivers, the nase is most similar to the dace in terms of its general body size, feeding style and habitat, making it the ideal second choice for T. polycolpus. On the flip side, it seems that minnow is the worst host for T. polycolpus - it hosted the least parasites out of the four fish species that were found with T. polycolpus and the parasites that were found on minnows were smaller and produced less eggs than those found on the other fish species. This is probably due to the minnow being a smaller fish than the beaked dace or the nase, so it does not produce as much mucus for T. polycolpus to graze on.\n\nSo even when generalist parasites do infect other hosts, they prefer some familiarity. The more similar you are (physiologically and/or ecologically) to the parasite's preferred host, the more likely that you will be next in line to get infected should the parasite's preferred host become too heavily parasitised.\n\nBut here's an added to layer to this story which you might want to consider - the South-west European nase is actually listed as a vulnerable species - its population has declined by at least 30% in the past 10 years due to habitat destruction and hybridisation with introduced species, so if the number of nase continues to decline, what does this mean for T. polycolpus? Would this result in increased parasite pressure on other fish species as they find themselves soaking up the \"excess\" T. polycolpus? Or will the the beaked dace experience even more exacerbated pathology as T. polycolpus are left with less alternative hosts to infect?\n\nLootvoet, A., Blanchet, S., Gevrey, M., Buisson, L., Tudesque, L., & Loot, G. (2013). Patterns and processes of alternative host use in a generalist parasite: insights from a natural host–parasite interaction. Functional Ecology 27: 1403-1414\n\nNovember 12, 2013\n\nOphiocordyceps sessilis\n\nThere are many species of fungi that infect insects and some of the most well-known species are the ones that infect ants, better known to most as the \"zombie ant fungus\". We have previously featured one such fungus and its ant-jacking antics on this blog. But while most people might think that there's just a single zombie ant fungus out there which is responsible for creating this intriguing wonder (or nightmare) of nature, there are actually many different species of such fungi and they are found all over the world infecting various different insects. In the Ophiocordyceps genus alone there are over a hundred species and there might be some undescribed fungi that are hiding in plain sight because they have been misidentified and misclassified as a previously known species.\nPhoto of Ophiocordyceps sessilis from\nFig. 1 of the paper\n\nToday, we are going to be featuring one such fungus and it hails from Japan where they are called Kobugata-aritake which means the \"bump-neck ant fungus\". The fungi specimen described in the paper we are discussing today were originally collected in 2006 from a forest near the village of Iitate, Fukushima. They were initially thought to be specimen of a fairly commonly found species call Ophiocordyceps pulvinata, but upon reexamination, researchers noticed a number of key differences which separated O. sessilis from O. pulvinata.\n\nBoth fungi were found sprouting from dead ants which had their mandibles clamped tightly around a branch in the typical \"zombie ant\" pose, but whereas O. pulvinata produce a bulbous fruiting body that sprouts from the back of the ant's head (see photo on lower left), ants infected with O sessilis are covered in spiny fruiting bodies jutting out all over the ant's body (see photo on upper right).\n\nFurther difference between the two fungi can be seen under the microscope; O. pulvinata produce discrete spores that are long and slim, but the spores of O. sessilis look like beads on a necklace which readily breaks apart into small \"part-spores\". These part-spores of O. sessilis can also germinate on malt-extract agar plates within two days, growing into soft, velvety colonies of fungal mass, whereas O. pulvinata spores failed to grow on such artificial medium. Finally, comparisons of sequences from selected genetic markers revealed that O. sessilis is clearly a very different species to O. pulvinata.\n\nPhoto of Ophiocordyceps pulvinata from\nFig. 1 of the paper\nA peculiar thing the researchers noticed is that O. sessilis is only ever found in ants that are also infected with O. pulvinata. They suggested that O. sessilis is actually a parasite of O. pulvinata itself and noted other Ophiocordyceps species are often found in pairs, so what had previously be considered as coinfections may in fact be a case of hyperparasitism (whereby a parasite is itself infected by a parasite).\n\nHowever, there is another possibility that the researchers did not mention in their paper, which was that O. sessilis needs O. pulvinata to pave the way in order for them to colonise the ant's body. An example of this is can be found among fluke-snail host-parasite systems. Like most digenean trematodes, the blood fluke Austrobilharzia terrigalensis they needs to infect a snail for the asexual part of its life cycle, but unlike those other species, A. terrigalensis cannot infect a snail on its own and is always found in snails that are already infected with another species of fluke. The coinfecting species always appear shriveled and emaciated in the presence of A. terrigalensis and it has been suggested that while A. terrigalensis lacks the ability to subvert or suppress the immune defences of snails, they are capable of colonising a snail once its defences have been knocked out by another species, at which point they barge in, overpower the resident parasite and take over the host.\n\nSo either O. sessillis is a hyperparasite (or a \"mycoparasite\" - a parasite of a fungus) of O. pulvinata, or it cannot colonise a host on its own and instead piggybacks on O. pulvinata, eventually usurping it and taking over the ant for its own. Either way, it appears that O. sessilis is a fungus that can hijack a fungus which is used to hijacking ants.\n\nKaitsu, Y., Shimizu, K., Tanaka, E., Shimano, S., Uchiyama, S., Tanaka, C., & Kinjo, N. (2013). Ophiocordyceps sessilis sp. nov., a new species of Ophiocordyceps on Camponotus ants in Japan. Mycological Progress 12: 755-761.\n\nP.S. I recently wrote an article for The Conversation about parasites that can survive freezing - including the hairworm (otherwise known as the parasite that gives crickets nightmares). To read it, just follow this link here.\n\nOctober 24, 2013\n\nSphaerularia vespae\n\n\n\n\nPhoto of a hornet releasing\nsome S. vespae juveniles\n(from Fig. 2 of the paper)\n\n\n\n\nOctober 10, 2013\n\nParagordius varius\n\nPhoto of adult worm by Matthew Bolek\n\n\n\n\nPhoto of P. varius larva from Nematomorpha.net\n\n\n\nSeptember 27, 2013\n\n\n\nphoto credit: Don Ward\nphoto credit:\nMaria Sala-Bozano/University of Salford\n\n\n\nLeft: Philophthalmid rediae in snail\nRight: Philophthalmid larva encysted on a Petri dish\n\n\nPhoto credit: Stefan Kraft\n\n\n\nSeptember 13, 2013\n\nSpecial Report: #WAAVP2013 Part I (lancet fluke, dolphin poop and a turtle parasite)\n\nLast month, I attended the 24th International Conference of the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (WAAVP 2013). While veterinary parasitology is not my usual scene, it was also a joint conference with the annual Australian Society for Parasitologists meeting, and there were also plenty of wildlife and aquatic parasitology on the program that caught my interest. The major themes of this conference included food security and public health in relation to parasites. As this was a big international conference and there were multiple concurrent sessions, the talks that I will be writing about here will be heavily biased towards my own experience and interests - but if any of you reading this also happen have attended WAAVP 2013, feel free to leave your own highlights in the comment section.\n\nThe conference reception night kicked off with a public event call \"Parasites and Pets, Pets and You\" which I live-tweeted (see the storify here). The presentations were about the critters that live in and on people's beloved pet as well as addressing many myths and misconceptions about parasites. The presentation addressed zoonosis and how while it is possible to catch parasites from your pets, you are more likely to catch parasites from the people around you, also that you are more likely to get infected with Toxoplasma gondii from contaminated food than from cats. (On a side note, during the reception night I also picked up some appropriately themed souvenirs - see photo above)\n\nPhoto by MONGO\nThe first day of the conference began off with a plenary session on the history of veterinary parasitology in Australia by Ian Beveridge and Brown Besier. Later in the morning I saw a talk by Melissa Beck on Dicrocoelium dendriticum. For those who don't know, D. dendritium is also known as the lance fluke - the parasite well-known for hijacking the brain of its ant host, causing it to climb to the top of the blade of grass and stay there all night, waiting to be eaten by its next host (a grazing mammal such as a sheep or a deer). Beck's study looked at the age-related pattern of lancer fluke infection in free-ranging wapiti (Cervus candensis) in Alberta, Canada. The study was carried out in Cypress Hills Provincial Park, Canada (so I guess you can say that the ants in that area which are infected with lancet flukes are *[don sunglasses]* - Insane In The Membrane?). She found that the elks seem to become less infected as they get older, with the majority of flukes in the host population found in younger individuals. This may be due to the adult elks having a more robust immune system which prevents them from becoming reinfected by the lancet fluke, or it might even involve some kind of behavioural defence that develop in mature individuals (adult elks learning to avoid eating ant-laden grass?).\n\nLater on that same day, I gave a talk on a study I conducted with my collaborator Amanda Bates on the global pattern of disease outbreaks in aquaculture (which you can read for free here), afterwards I saw a session on the wide variety of parasites that currently plague aquaculture the world over. There was a talk by Ronald Kaminsky on the development of anti-parasite compounds and the salmon lice that are evolving resistance to them. This was followed by Supranee Chinabut who discussed the different types of parasites that infect captive fish in southeast Asia such as monogeneans (ectoparasitic flatworms), parasitic crustaceans, and infectious protozoans (like the startlingly beautiful Trichodina), emphasising the importance of having multiple strategies for dealing with outbreaks of different types of parasites.\n\nIn the same session, Kyle McHugh presented a study looking at how introduction of popular angling and aquaculture species such as the large mouth bass and grass carp has brought with them various parasites such as anchor worm and the Asian fish tapeworm that now infest South Africa's own native freshwater fish. Finally Zoe Spiers presented some results from an investigation into the aetiology of oyster winter mortality syndrome - a disease which causes significant loss to oysters farms along the coast of New South Wales, Australia every year. The investigation involved a combination of ecology, histopathology and molecular biology, and while it is commonly believed that oyster winter mortality syndrome is a disease caused by the protozoan parasite Bonamia roughleyi, the result Spiers presented indicates that the symptoms of the disease is not always associated with B. rougleyi and that the actual agent(s) causing winter mortality is still unclear.\n\nPhoto by Richard Ling\nKeeping the theme underwater, I attend a session the next morning on aquatic parasitology Sarah Catalano (she presented a talk about those parasites at last year's Australian Society for Parasitology meeting) about using the weird and wonderful dicyemid parasites to distinguish different sub-populations of cuttlefish in the waters of South Australia. Dicyemids are very odd parasites that live exclusively in the renal sac of cephalopods, and their exact taxonomic position on the tree of life is currently unknown.\n\nCarlos Hermosilia presented a study which was quite astonishing in its the method of execution. Hermosilia conducts research on the parasites of dolphins but while most studies on dolphin obtain sample from dead stranded dolphins, he chases after parasites from live dolphins, and I mean that quite literally. His methodology involves swimming after dolphins with a tube and scooping up their poop (or vomit). That's right, just like how a responsible dog owner might scoop up after their pooch, but with dolphins - which are powerful swimmers - not to mention dolphin poop comes out in a cloud instead of Fido's neat little turds. Needless to say, chasing down flipper with the aquatic equivalent of a pooper scooper sounds like no mean feat. He found that dolphins harboured all the usual parasitic protozoan and intestinal worms one would expect from a marine mammal, but one unexpected finding was a cymothoid isopod in a dolphin vomit sample. Cymothoids are usually fish parasites (including the infamour \"tongue-biter\") so it is quite likely that the crustacean might have been from a fish that the dolphin just ate.\n\nHermosilia's tale of dolphin chasing and poop scooping was followed by a talk on the spirochiid blood fluke of marine turtles by Phoebe Chapman. Spirochiid blood fluke can cause disease in sea turtles and there are 91 species of spirorchiids described worldwide, 30 of which are found in marine hosts.  The species found in sea turtles live in the cardiovascular system of the host where they mate and lay eggs - which is the main cause of disease (at this point it is unknown how the eggs reach the outside environment - there is even a hypothesis that they simply wait for the host to die to be released). The eggs of spirochiid can become lodged in the turtles organs, causing embolism, thrombosis, lung fiborsis, and a long list of other internal injuries. Currently there is no way of detecting the presence of spirochiids in the host while it is still alive and a part of Chapman's research involve developing a method for diagnosing spirochiid infection in live animals.\n\nI will be writing about the rest of Tuesday and the rest of the conference in Part Two of my special report on WAAVP 2013. Stay tuned as there are more to come including tongue-biters, snails and flukes on the rocks, ticks (real ticks, not plastic ones) and parasites of various weird and wonderful wildlife.\n\nAugust 23, 2013\n\nMaritrema novaezealandensis (revisited)\n\nThis is the fourth and final post in a series of blog posts written by students from my third year Evolutionary Parasitology unit (ZOOL329/529) class of 2013. This particular post was written by Sally Thorsteinsson on a study that investigated how an intertidal parasite with a complex life cycle might respond to global warming (you can read a previous post about toxic birds and their lice here, a post about bees protecting themselves against fungal parasites by lining their hives with resin here, and how an avian malaria parasite might make its bird host more attractive to mosquitoes here).\n\nParacalliope novizealandiae\nIntertidal habitats are tough places to live: one minute you may be submersed, buffeted, and chilled by salt water, the next baking under a hot, drying sun. However, global warming is predicted to turn up the heat even more on those that inhabit these environments. The tidal flats on the South Island of New Zealand are the habitats of the parasite trematode Maritrema novaezealandensis and the three hosts necessary for it to complete its life cycle – mudsnail Zeacumantus subcarinatus, amphipod Paracalliope novizealandiae (a type of sandhopper-like crustacean) and gulls which are its final host (this life cycle is described in a previous Parasite of the Day blog post here).\n\nCercaria of\nM. novaezealandensis\nTrematodes are strongly influenced by the heat, and some studies have predicted that they will flourish with global warming and increase their impact on intertidal systems. However, parasites cannot be looked at in isolation, but considered as part of the ecosystem, which may also be temperature sensitive. For M. novaezealandensis itself, there may be a perk to global warming, as long as temperatures stay within its optimal range.\n\nWhen the water in rock pools is comfortable for us to roll up our jeans and paddle (between 20 and 25 °C), M. novaezealandensis thrives. At present this happens during low tide on hot summer days and the warmth sparks the release of multitudes of cercariae (free-swimming trematode larvae) into the water from the bodies of their snail hosts, ready to drill their way into their next host, the amphipod. In such temperature, the cercariae survive for relatively long periods, are at their infective peak and develop well inside the amphipods. These conditions are expected to occur more often and for longer periods with global warming - not particularly good news for the host snails and amphipods of M. novaezealandensis  bombarded by increased numbers of this parasite and suffering death and destruction (particularly the amphipods) as a result.\n\nBut the heat gets all too much for M. novaezealandensis at temperatures greater than 30 °C when there are still many cercariae but they infect amphipods at lower rates and their lifespans are shortened. The amphipods also die at such heat, making it harder for the parasites to find their hosts and live in them long enough to develop. At present these extremes are rare, but the increase in high-temperature days as predicted would disrupt the parasite’s life cycle further and decrease the population of amphipods. As amphipods are an important food source for other animals, as well as the decomposers of the intertidal world, their demise can have widespread consequences.\n\nWho knows what changes global warming will be bringing to the wider ecosystem; lab experiments, such as the one providing these results in this study, can only offer an indication. Further research into the effects of climate change on host-parasite systems will be important given the pivotal role of parasites and the complexity of the ecosystems that they are part of. Perhaps the behaviour of the snail, amphipod and gull hosts will also be affected by temperature changes, sea level rise or alterations in habitats and such selection pressure over generations of hosts and parasites will turn up the heat on evolution, resulting in offspring that may be quite differently to those that are alive today.\n\nStuder, A., Thieltges, D. W., & Poulin, R. (2010). Parasites and global warming: Net effects of temperature on an intertidal host-parasite system. Marine Ecology Progress Series 415: 11-22.\n\nThis post was written by Sally Thorsteinsson\n\nAugust 15, 2013\n\nPlasmodium relictum (revisited)\n\nThis is the third post in a series of blog posts written by students from my third year Evolutionary Parasitology unit (ZOOL329/529) class of 2013. This particular post was written by David Rex Mitchell on a paper published just this year on how an avian malaria parasite might make its bird host more attractive to mosquitoes which are the parasite's vector (you can read a previous post about toxic birds and their lice here and a post about bees protecting themselves against fungal parasites by lining their hives with resin here).\n\nPhoto of Culex pipiens\nby Joaquim Alves Gaspar\nOne of the aspects of parasites that people tend to find a little more disturbing is the idea that they can control the minds of other animals. Although this may seem like the stuff of science fiction, this is indeed sometimes the case. For those parasites that live inside other animals, there are often several stages to their lives and each of these stages may require the use of a different type of animal. This presents a challenge in getting from one animal to the next and so if a parasite can influence the behaviour of one animal in some way, making it easier to reach the next, this is incredibly advantageous.\n\nMany parasites have evolved abilities to do just this. For example, some blood-sucking insects infected with certain parasites are known to bite more frequently than when uninfected, helping to spread the disease to more animals. This is seen in malaria-infected mosquitoes, tsetse flies infected with sleeping sickness, and plague-infected fleas. But is it possible that a parasite can also influence a healthy, uninfected animal’s behaviour? The paper featured today attempts to address this question. Researchers used a species of avian malaria (Plasmodium relictum - a parasite that has been previously covered on the blog by this post here) and its natural mosquito carrier (Culex pipiens) to find out if malaria-infected animals are more attractive to mosquitoes than healthy, uninfected animals. This species of malaria is spread among birds via its mosquito carriers and thus the researchers chose canaries to carry out the experiment.\n\nPhoto of canaries by 3268zauber\nPairs of canaries, one infected with the parasite and one uninfected, were exposed to uninfected mosquitoes to see which bird they would prefer to feed on. The mosquitoes mostly fed on only one animal per sitting, so the blood inside their bellies could be removed and the DNA analysed to determine which bird it fed upon. The experiment was carried out on the day the birds were injected with the parasite, as well as 10 days and 24 days after injection, so as to monitor any changes as the parasites matured inside them.\n\nFrom this experiment the researchers discovered that, not only did the mosquitoes clearly prefer to feast on the malaria-infected canaries, but also this behaviour became more prominent as the malaria parasites mature within the canary and become capable of crossing into a mosquito. The researchers suggest that the malaria parasite influences the mosquito’s decision to feed on the infected animal, assisting its transfer to said mosquito – the next stage in its life-cycle. The mechanism used to achieve this has not yet been determined but the researchers suggest that the parasite may alter the odours that are emitted from the host animal, enticing the mosquitoes to choose its infected animal over other uninfected animals. If these odours can be identified and reproduced, they may prove very useful in control of malaria in the future, for example in mosquito traps.\n\nSo is this an example of crazy sci-fi mind-controlling by parasites? Ok, so mosquitoes may not exactly be renowned for their calculated decision making skills. But the results of this experiment were still able to show us how the malaria parasite can influence a healthy mosquito’s decisions, offering further insight into the awesome manipulative powers of parasites.\n\nCornet S, Nicot A, Rivero A, & Gandon S (2013) Malaria infection increases bird attractiveness to uninfected mosquitoes. Ecology Letters 16: 323 – 329.\n\nThis post was written by David Rex Mitchell\n\nAugust 9, 2013\n\nAscosphaera apis\n\nThis is the second post in a series of blog posts written by students from my third year Evolutionary Parasitology unit (ZOOL329/529) class of 2013. This particular post was written by Karen McDonald on a paper published in 2008 on how bees use resin to protect their hive against fungal parasites (you can read the previous post about toxic birds and their lice here).\n\nAnimals have evolved many different strategies to fight parasite infections; from eating tough or poisonous leaves (which would normally never be chosen as part of their diet), dirt bathing, grooming themselves with plants that contain chemicals that kill parasites, living in hostile environments that parasites can't tolerate, to drinking toxic substances like alcohol to kill internal parasites. Animals in general are individuals and care only for their own personal well-being and so the parasite-ridding strategies animals use really only affect their own health and well-being. But bees, on the other hand, are different.\n\nSEM photo of Ascosphaera apis sporeball from here\nBees are communal animals and each bee is an important part of the hive community. The article I am going to talk about today shows that bees don't act on a self-motivated level where they are only concerned with their own well-being, instead bees work only to improve and support the whole hive community. Wild bees always smother the inside of their nests with sticky plant resin and the reason for this was never really understood. Domesticated bees don't use much, if any resin at all. They have been selectively bred to not use it because the sticky resin makes opening the hive and removing the honey and combs very difficult. But domestic bees are also plagued by many, often destructive, parasites.\n\nIn 2008 researchers decided to document whether the amount of plant resin that domestic bees use in their hives has an effect on fungal parasite levels in that hive. Two groups of hives were set up; the first group of 12 had the inside of each box painted with thick resin to replicate the nests of wild bees, the second group of 11 boxes were only painted with the type and quantity of resin used by commercial apiaries. Bees from both groups were fed with pollen infected with Chalkbrood, which they ate and/or carried back to their hives.\n\nPhoto of chalkbrood-infect larvae from here\nChalkbrood (Ascosphaera apis) is a fungal infection of bee larvae, causing them to die and mummify in the nest (see photo on the right). Adult bees are not affected by the parasite but they do carry it in their bodies and drop spores throughout the nest infecting young bees. Normally, as mentioned above, infected animals are usually only concerned with their own well-being and so the researchers were interested in seeing whether the adults would react to the threat to the larvae or ignore the parasite menace because it did not affect them personally.\n\nWithin days, the bees immediately began collecting more resin for their nests. Normally, there are only a few bees in each hive that forage for resin, the majority forage for pollen or nectar. Bees do not eat resin; its only function is to line the nest, so not much energy is used by the hive community to collect it. But when the hive is under threat from a parasite like Chalkbrood, more bees begin to forage for resin and a lot of energy is used to find it.  The nests painted with resin, although infected at the same level, also had a reduced level of infection compared to the commercial standard nests, but the level of infection in all nests dropped as the amount of resin in the nest increased. The bees were using the resin as a form of  social immunity rather than self-immunity.\n\nSimone-Finstrom M.D., Spivak M., (2012) Increased Resin Collection after Parasite Challenge: A Case of Self-Medication in Honey Bees? PloS One, 7(3): e34601. Doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0034601\n\nThis post was written by Karen McDonald\n\nAugust 1, 2013\n\nToxic Birds Make For Sad Lice\n\nIt has been a while since we had a guest post at the Parasite of the Day blog (in fact the last guest-contributed post date back to May 2011), but in the next few weeks I will be bringing you a series of posts from guest contributors. Earlier this year, I ran my third year Evolutionary Parasitology unit (ZOOL329/529) for the first time. One of the assessments I set for the students who took that unit was for them to summarise a paper that they have read, and write it in the manner of a blog post, much like the ones you see on this and other blogs. \n\nI also told them that the best blog posts from the class will be selected for re-posting (with their permission) here on the Parasite of the Day blog. I am pleased to be presenting these posts from the ZOOL329/529 class of 2013. To kick things off, here's a post by Bianca Boss-Bishop on a paper published in 1999 on toxic birds and their lice.\n\nPhoto by John Dumbacher from\nthe California Academy of Sciences\nBirds are host to an impressive diversity of external parasites, from insects (including lice, fleas, bugs and flies) to mites, ticks and even fungi and bacteria. These parasitic organisms can have severe negative effects on host fitness. Therefore, it is not surprising that birds invest a lot of time engaged in behaviours such as grooming, preening, dusting and sunning in attempts to rid themselves of their ectoparasites. A handful of unique birds from the genus Pitohui have an interesting physiological adaptation that may assist in the fight against parasite infestation: feather toxins.\n\nYes, toxic birds. The six species of Pitohui, which are endemic to New Guinea have been found to carry toxin in their skin and plumage. These are the same potent toxins as those found in the skin of poison dart frogs (Phyllobates spp.) and are some of the most toxic natural substances known. The toxin present in the Pitohui is known as homobatrachotoxin and like all batrachotoxins is a neurotoxic steroidal alkaloid capable of depolarising nerve and muscle cell membranes. The level of toxins present in Pitohui tissue varies between species and geographic location. The most toxic species is the hooded pitohui (Pitohui dichrous), from which merely handling an individual can cause numbness, sneezing, and irritation of the eyes and sensitive mucous membranes. It has been hypothesised that the high proportions of toxin present in the Pitohui skin and feathers could provide the bird with a barrier from ectoparasites that live and feed on skin, feathers and subdermal blood supplies.\n\nSEM photograph from phthiraptera.info\nJohn Dumbacher, current curator and department chair of Ornithology and Mammology at the California Academy of Sciences was the first to test if the presence of toxins in Pitohui feathers and skin would deter or kill chewing lice (order Phthiraptera). In order to investigate this he conducted a series of choice and lifespan experiments. Dumbacher found that when individual lice in the laboratory were given a choice of two feathers (one toxic Pitohui feather and one non-toxic non-Pitohui feather) there was a statistically significant preference against feeding or resting on the toxic feathers. Lice exposed to the highly toxic feathers of P. dichrous rarely showed signs of eating, with many becoming immobile and inactive. In some cases the louse would simply drop off the toxic feather. In a natural setting, immobility and lower feeding rates reduces the damaging effect of the lice and may even allow the birds to more easily remove or dislodge the parasites mechanically by preening or flying. Since this part of the study showed that the lice exhibited an active choice against the naturally toxic Pitohui feathers we can conclude that homobatrachotoxin has the potential to act as a repellent against these parasites.\n\nDumbacher also determined that the natural levels of homobatrachotoxin in Pitohui feathers greatly increased louse mortality. The results of the lifespan experiments showed that the mean lifespan of lice exposed to feathers of either high or low level toxicity was half that of those on nontoxic feathers. Interestingly, the mean lifespan of the lice on the toxic feathers was similar even though the toxin levels in P. ferrugineus are ten times lower than P. dichrous. Therefore, Pitohui feathers with lower toxin levels may not have been potent enough to repel lice during the choice experiments but were as effective in increasing louse mortality as the highly toxic feathers. Increased mortality in lice could have many benefits for the host. Less time spent on the host will reduce the negative effect of each individual louse.\n\nOne observation from the study was that non-toxic feathers showed obvious damage from lice feeding. This may be due to the extended life span offering additional feeding time, or the lice simply find nontoxic feathers more palatable. Further investigations may provide insight into additional  benefits, for example whether or not the potent toxin is able to reduce louse fecundity. If mating in lice is decreased then subsequent generations of lice are also reduced. Smaller populations would cause less irritation to the host and also be less visible to potential mates. Additionally, less ectoparasites would reduce time spent mechanically removing them and more time to invest in other activities. The results of Dumbacher's study suggest that the naturally occurring homobatrachotoxin found in the skin and feathers of the Pitohui repels and kills lice. The presence of a powerful toxin in skin and feathers has the potential to create a formidable barrier and protect the bird against infestation from ectoparasites.\n\nDumbacher, J. P. (1999). Evolution of toxicity in Pitohuis: I. effects of homobatrachotoxin on chewing lice (order: Phthiraptera). The Auk, 116: 957-963.\n\nThis post was written by Bianca Boss-Bishop\n\nJuly 15, 2013\n\nTetrabothrius bassani\n\nIt has been known for some time that intestinal parasites such as tapeworms can accumulate high concentrations of heavy metals, acting as a sink for such substances in the host's body. Back in 2010 a study on shark tapeworms accumulating heavy metals was featured on this blog, but most of such studies comparing the concentration of heavy metals in the host's organs with that of their parasites have been conducted on fish and fewer studies have looked at the heavy metal concentrations of intestinal parasites in birds and in particular seabirds, which form an important part of the marine ecosystem.\n\nPhoto of Tetrabothrius scolex (attachment organ)\nfrom this paper\nIn the study we are featuring today, researchers tested the concentration of various heavy metals in the organs of twenty-three Northern Gannets from the central coast of Portugal. The birds had died when they were tangled up in fishing gear from commercial fishing boats, but they were otherwise in good health before they ended up on the wrong end of some fishing nets. They all had stomachs full of fish and the only parasite found in their intestines was the tapeworm we are featuring today - Tetrabothrius bassani. There are a number of different species in the Tetrabothrius genus, some species like T. bassani parasitise seabirds such as gannets and albatrosses, while other are found in whales - for example, I wrote a post a few years ago about some tapeworms I found in the gut of a beaked whale, which you can read about here.\n\nFor this study, the researchers collected at least one T. bassani from each gannet and took tissue samples from the bird's liver, kidney and pectoral muscle to measure the concentration of different heavy metals. They found that, on average, T. bassani accumulated twelve times as much cadmium as the gannet's pectoral muscles. Furthermore the tapeworms had seven to ten times more lead than the seabird's kidneys and liver. Since these worms seem to act like sponges that soak up and concentrate heavy metals, such substances would reach detectable level in the tapeworms well before they became noticeable in the host's own tissues. Because of that, these parasites can possibly serve as early warning indicators for the presence of pollutants in the environment.\n\nMendes, P., Eira, C., Vingada, J., Miquel, J., & Torres, J. (2013). The system Tetrabothrius bassani (Tetrabothriidae)/Morus bassanus (Sulidae) as a bioindicator of marine heavy metal pollution. Acta Parasitologica, 58: 21-25.\n\nJuly 2, 2013\n\nFlamingolepis liguloides\n\nThe parasite that features prominently in the study we are looking at today is a tapeworm that lives in flamingoes - something that you might have already guessed by the parasite's genus name. The larval stage of the tapeworm Flamingolepis liguloides lives inside brine shrimps, which happen to be a major part of the flamingo's diet. Previous research has found that this parasite is capable of altering the behaviour of the shrimp as well as their colour and fat content.\n\nPhoto of F. liguloides larvae from the paper\nIn this new study, a team of scientists looked at the frequency of larval F. liguloides (and other tapeworms) in two brine shrimp species found in Mediterranean wetlands - Artemia parthenogenetica and Artemia salina - and how they related to the abundance of birds, the final hosts for those tapeworms. As the name indicates, A. parthenogenetica reproduces asexually (without mating), while A. salina is a more conventional sexually reproducing species.\n\nFlamingolepis liguloides is not the only species of tapeworm infecting those shrimps, in fact each Artemia species harbours nine different tapeworm species each for a total of ten different tapeworms (both species of shrimps share a number of tapeworms in common). But F. liguloides is by far the most dominant, probably because flamingoes also happen to be the most numerous and long-lived birds in the area - the researchers estimated that flamingoes represented almost ninety percent of the bird biomass at those wetlands. Despite its dominance, F. liguloides does not seem to push aside the other tapeworms; the brine shrimps often harbour multiple species of tapeworms and the different parasites don't seem to get in each other's way. The fact that they have so many different species of parasites is also an indicator of the wide variety of birds that frequently visited the area. The Odiel marshes, where the scientists collected the asexual brine shrimps, is home for up to twenty thousand shorebirds during migration periods.\n\nPhoto of brine shrimps by Hans Hillewaert via Wikipedia\nThere were some seasonal patterns in infection prevalence. For the asexual brine shrimp, it ranged from a low of four percent to almost half the population being infected, whereas the parasite prevalence in sexual brine shrimps was consistently high, with tapeworms being found in over a quarter to almost three quarters of the shrimp throughout the year. The researchers found that such seasonal changes in the prevalence of some (but not all) of the tapeworms were associated with changes in abundance of the bird hosts. However, the scientists suggested that the consistently high tapeworm abundance in A. salinawas due to the areas they studied being protected areas that harbour thousands of birds, especially flamingoes, which flock there in huge numbers as their wetland habitats are destroyed elsewhere.\n\nThe high abundance of tapeworm infections simply reflects a high abundance in the bird hosts that harbour the adult worm that produces eggs that infect the brine shrimps. Therefore, bird watchers should perhaps be thankful for the presence of shrimps heavily infected by a wide variety of parasitic worms!\n\nSánchez, Marta I., et al. (2013) \"High prevalence of cestodes in Artemia spp. throughout the annual cycle: relationship with abundance of avian final hosts.\" Parasitology Research 112: 1913-1923.\n\nJune 16, 2013\n\nHimasthla elongata\n\nPhoto taken by and used\nwith permission from Kirill V. Galaktionov\nToday's post is bit of a trip down nostalgia lane for me, as the experimental model used in the study we are featuring today is a host-parasite combination similar to one I worked on for somes years during my PhD and postdoc - bivalves and flukes (specifically flukes from a family called the Echinostomatidae - identifiable by their fetching array of collar spines). Much like a parasite that I worked on (Curtuteria australis), Himasthla elongata encysts in the foot muscle of its host and transforms into a stage called the metacercaria (see left photo). But whereas C. australis infects cockles on the mudflats of New Zealand, H. elongata infects mussels on the rock shores of the White Sea.\n\nBy embedding itself in the mussel's foot, this parasite hinders the mollusc's ability to move and produce the all-important byssus threads that anchor them to rocks or other substrates. If it becomes infected with too many H. elongata, the mussel loses its ability to use its foot and its survival becomes compromised. Thus this parasite selects for the evolution of mussels that are resistant against it, resulting in a coevolution arms race between the mussels and H. elongata.\n\nTo find out how parasites and mussels fare against each other and the role that genetic variants in both the parasite and host population play in coevolution, a group of Russian researchers conducted a series of parasite survival studies and experimental infections. First of all, they did an in vitro experiment where they exposed the infective larval stage of H. elongata (called cercariae) to the blood of different mussels. This was followed by an experimental infection study where they exposed some of those same \"blood donor\" mussels to H. elongata larvae and measured how well they were they at resisting the parasite.\nPhoto taken by and\nused with permission\nfrom Kirill V. Galaktionov\n\nThe researchers obtained parasite-free mussels from an experimental aquaculture farm to act both as blood donors and infection targets for H. elongata cercariae, while the parasites themselves came from infected periwinkles that the researchers collected from an intertidal inlet. These periwinkles harboured the asexual proliferative stages of H. elongata which produce cercariae (see photo on the right). Because H. elongata undergoes asexual multiplication in the periwinkle host, the researchers were able to obtain multiple genetically-identical (clones, essentially) cercariae from each infected snail and test them against a group of genetically-varied mussels.\n\nThe researchers paired up 51 different H. elongata clonal lines to blood samples from 161 randomly selected mussels for a total 764 parasite versus host blood combinations* (!). They found that a handful of mussels had blood that killed every single cercaria that came in contact with it and another handful had blood where all the cercariae survived and successfully turn into metacercariae. It seem that H. elongata is adapted specifically to surviving contact with mussel blood (just that it seems that some are better adapted than others), because when they tried to incubate H. elongata cercariae in the blood of the soft-shell clam (Mya arenaria), all the cercariae died within an hour or two.\n\nIn a follow-up experiment, they selected 39 of those mussels that had previously served as \"blood donors\"and exposed each to one of twelve H. elongata clones that were used in the in vitro experiment and found that the results of the in vitro experiment were pretty good indicators of the outcome of those experimental exposures - mussels with blood that killed all the H. elongata they came in contact with were also better than most at fighting off infection by the parasitic fluke. The rest of the mussels were fairly vulnerable to H. elongata and a small handful offered almost no resistance. The larger mussels were generally better at fighting off the parasites with just a little over a quarter of the H. elongata cercariae getting through, while more than half of the cercariae successfully established in the smaller mussels, regardless of the host or parasite genotype.\n\nThe parasites themselves also varied in their effectiveness at infecting mussels. Most of the H. elongata clones were fairly good at it, there were a few \"superstars\" that were especially effective at becoming metacercariae in mussels, while there were also a few \"duds\" that were hopeless, regardless of which particular mussel they were up against.\n\nOther host-parasite coevolution arms races operate under so-called \"gene-for-gene\"-type interaction. Examples of which include the bacterial parasite Pasteuria ramosa in waterfleas where a specific parasite strain is most successful at infecting a specific host strain, or the arms race between parasitoid wasps and aphids' protective symbionts where you have wasp lines that can overcome most of aphid protective symbiont strains out there, but remain vulnerable to one specific strain of the symbiont.\n\nWhat those Russian scientists found with the mussel-Himasthla elongata system does not seem as absolute. Instead, we see variation in overall performance in the population of both host and parasite: there are parasites that ranged from being super effective at what they do, all the way down to complete duds and everything in between. They in turn are going up against mussels with varied level of resistance against them, and how much of a fight those bivalves put up can also be affected by the age and/or body size of the host. However, what it does have in common with those \"gene-for-gene\"-type coevolutionary systems is that there is a genetic component to either infectivity or resistance, and none of the host are completely resistant to all parasites, just as not all the parasites are completely effective at infecting the available hosts.\n\nLevakin, I. A., Losev, E. A., Nikolaev, K. E., & Galaktionov, K. V. (2013). In vitro encystment of Himasthla elongata cercariae (Digenea, Echinostomatidae) in the haemolymph of blue mussels Mytilus edulis as a tool for assessing cercarial infectivity and molluscan susceptibility. Journal of Helminthology, 87: 180-188.\n\n*because there was simply not enough blood and cercariae to go around, not every H. elongata clone was exposed to the blood from every mussel", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5734913349151611}
{"content": "G dragon and sandara dating Webcam sexclip\n\nPosted by / 08-Feb-2018 19:29\n\nMeanwhile, Sandara Park is reported to be preparing for an upcoming cartoon series entitled \"Cheese in the Trap.\" According to Korea Portal, Sandara Park will be taking up the role of Jang Bora.\n\nThe upcoming \"Cheese in the Trap\" movie is an adaptation of the original hit cartoon series.\n\nHost Ha Ha asked, \"There were rumors you were dating G-Dragon previously.\n\nHow did that come about,\" and she responded, \"As a public relations representative, I went to Big Bang's concert, and we were on the way to our after party.\n\nLast weekend saw BIGBANG perform the last of their 10th anniversary \"0.\n\nTO.10\" concerts and while there was much buzz over the group's awesome performance and all the celebrities who attended, there was one particular incident that made headlines - G-Dragon and 2NE1's Dara being spotted together after the concert!\n\n- GD têm 2 quartos só pra guardar suas roupas em sua casa e ainda usa uma parte da casa dos pais. - Kim Woo Bin já disse que gostaria de ser amigo de G-Dragon mas que é difícil se aproximar dele. - Kwanghee (ZE: A) comentou com G-Dragon: “Eu vi que você tirou fotos com celebridades internacionais”, e o líder do BIGBANG respondeu: “No entanto, eu gosto mais de estar com você”. - Ele disse que a razão dele estar no mundo da música pode ser descrita em uma palavra: Destino.\n\n- Yeon Jung Hoon já disse que é mais fã de GD do que de sua esposa. - Ele tinha o dente frontal torto, então em 2009 ele fez uma cirurgia para consertar.\n\nThe EP was acclaimed by critics, and went to win the award for Best R&B & Soul Album at the 6th Korean Music Awards.\n\nFor those who are unaware, fans spotted G-Dragon and Dara leaving the concert venue together following BIGBANG's concert, and the interactions between the two caused dating rumours to quickly spread.\n\nWhile fans and netizens are debating whether G-Dragon and Dara are dating, YG Entertainment have now released a new statement clarifying the situation - no, they are not dating!\n\nHot was followed by his first full-length studio album, Solar in 2010, that garnered sales of over 100,000 copies.\n\nHis second studio album, Rise, peaked at number 112 on the US Billboard 200 Chart, becoming the highest ranking album by a Korean soloist to enter the chart, Born and raised in Uijeongbu, Gyeong Gi-Do, South Korea, Dong Yong-bae's first contact with music was playing the piano, where he enjoyed classical music composed by Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert.\n\ng dragon and sandara dating-43g dragon and sandara dating-17g dragon and sandara dating-30\n\nG-Dragon said, 'It's just a concept,' and put his arm around me as we went.\"Dara continued, \"I didn't know that it would make headlines like that.\" Do you remember the rumors?\n\nOne thought on “g dragon and sandara dating”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.533638596534729}
{"content": "Gathering Minds\nrandom musing of an undefined nature\n\nTags : realistic\n\nRealistic Idealist\n\nI’ve come to determine that my idealistic outlook requires that others be compassionate, insightful, aware and interested (specifically beyond self-interest). Unfortunately my realistic outlook tempers all that through the recognition that I…\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9944828152656555}
{"content": "Trails in Indiana\n\nConnecting the Dots: Building a network of bike and pedestrian trails across Indiana.\n\nTrue to form, the Hoosier Rails to Trails Council, Inc., continues to demonstrate their brand of initiative in promoting people friendly pathways for fun, exercise, and commerce across the Hoosier State.\nNow meeting with groups in Bartholomew, Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Delaware, Johnson , Hendricks, Lawrence, Marion, , Martin,  Shelby, Wayne, White, Whitley, and  other counties, HRTC has generated and supported proposals for city, county, and city to city bike routes to benefit the health and economic growth of these communities.\nParticipating in meetings, and by providing maps and website representation, the Council has undertaken to assist in connecting locales by helping plot out and establish non motorized routes providing a travel advantage for folks in a tough economy.\n\n The Recreational Bike Map is an example proposed by Ken Lanteigne of the Shelbyville \"Our Aspiration\" Group, Showing connections between Columbus, Greensburg, and Shelbyville.\n\n“You don’t need money for signs or paving to start out” opines Richard Vonnegut, Vice Chairman of the Council.  “Community members can organize and put together bike and hike paths of their own using existing streets and roadways to begin with.  It doesn’t take a lot of money to make this work.   It only takes people who can organize and motivate people to scout out and advocate for these kinds of trail opportunities for people to be able to take advantage of them,” he added.\nAs successful advocates who collected thousands of signatures during the early years when the Monon Trail was being knitted together, Hoosier Rails to Trails Council was able to put the old Monon corridor right of way into the limelight, pushing the use of the corridor as a trail into a reality.\nTom Healy, owner of Apple Press in Broad Ripple Village on Indianapolis’ northside had this to say.  “The (Hoosier Rails to Trails Council), organization emerged out of a broad based grassroots initiative to convince the City of Indianapolis to acquire the former Monon Raiload right-of-way and turn it into a linear park.  The effort required coalition-building with diverse constituencies, widespread public outreach and a vision of a healthier, more active populace.”  \nContinuing in this tradition, HRTC  has a vision for promoting smaller towns in Indiana, building access to them thereby fostering growth and cooperation through the common means of enhancing connectivity.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9922850131988525}
{"content": "Team Development Programs\n\nFrom Groupwork to Teamdevelopment\n\nThe fact that people are assigned to the same goal, working as a group, doesn’t lead hem a team by itself. It needs communication, direction, understanding each other’s qualities and the awareness that teamwork is more than the sum of the different parts.\n\nIn this workshop we align the best of proven methods on team development. The joy of play and creating a learning environment with the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Method, as well as the insight on teamrol management through the Belbin method, giving participants feedback on their qualities and Points of Attention.\n\nThis workshop is all about making teams within organizations as high performing as they can be.\n\n\n\nFeedback - Feedforward\n\nThe LSP method really facilitates the communication process between people, because people can use the power of ‘image language’, the positive and inviting way of asking questions into the models they have built and exchange insights so feedback becomes a feed-forward process.\n\nThis workshop start as half-day workshop where participants practice the essentials of a feed-forward communication process . The focus area is very much on the communication between individuals. In a 4 – step process participants practise, learn and start changing their behavior through:\n\n  1. understanding the power of visualizing communication which enhances the conversation between people.\n  2. participants work on an issue where miscommunication is the start of misunderstanding and learn how to intervene with the intention of reconnecting.\n  3. Participants experience the power of the transition from feedback to feed-forward communication. The exercise will result in a problem-solving approach of the topic brought to the table.\n  4. The final step is to incorporate the lessons learned and the way they handle future challenges with this feedback-feed-forward approach.\n\nTo the webshop\n\nKlik Hier\n\nRequest on Information\n\nInformatie aanvragen\n\n\nCopyright © Bricks and Business 2017. LEGO®, SERIOUS PLAY®, the Minifigure and the Brick and Knob configurations are trademarks of the LEGO Group, which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this website", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9964438676834106}
{"content": "Lightroom 2.0 upgrade\n\nToday I upgraded my Lightroom to 2.0 and re-confirmed my commitment to the software with my wallet. I promised myself to work through my internal resistance to change workflow, and now I am narrowing my excuses. Adobe is doing a great job of hyping the new release, and I am always a sucker for a good sales pitch (bought a few Magic Bullets a while back). I've started going down the Lightroom path at least 3 times, and now I am going again. There are several big mental obstacles to overcome and it means just setting one's mind to the task and doing it. Old habits are hard to break and this old dog needs to learn some new tricks. The first big rock to overcome is convincing yourself that your existing tools and ways just cannot accommodate what you want to do. Here is my situation:\n\nI have been shooting digitally since 2004 and have amassed around 280 GB of photos, mostly RAW, numbering in the neighborhood of 28,000 images. These are all organized on several external HDDs, my 1 TB drive has everything as a master archive, a 250 GB has 2007/2008 and is my \"working\" drive, and an additional 160 GB drive has 2006-2004.\n\nI am tired of looking for images based on memory of when and where they were taken. As I venture into selling stock, I need to be able to not only find images but keywording is essential. If I take the time to title, caption, and keyword an image I only want to do this one time for all eternity, and I need a place where this can be done efficiently and in an organized way. I'm not going to re-enter the same title for my pBase site, Zenfolio site, PhotoShelter, etc.\n\nAlthough Canon DPP has served me well, it is time to move on. The editing tools in LR are far superior, and the integration with Photoshop is designed to help your workflow.  I'm looking forward to the upgrade.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9297192096710205}
{"content": "Pam Whelan, Simplyhealth’s director of corporate, explains why good mental health is the key to productivity – and what employers can do to support their staff\n\nAn inspired team is a winning team picture id646457606\n\nWhy does productivity matter at work, for employers, employees and also for the UK’s economy as a whole?\n\nHaving a productive workforce and having your people perform well in work can be a real differentiator for any company. The working landscape is changing fast, with increased automation, off-shoring certain functions and artificial intelligence. As a business, it is increasingly your people who make the difference. If they perform well, your business is likely to perform well also.\n\nWhat do you think are the biggest barriers to increasing productivity and how can employers address them?\n\nWe are no longer working nine-to-five, it is 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, so there are increased demands and pressure on everyone. Really, I think mental health is the biggest issue. We all have mental health. When we use the term mental health it implies that you’re struggling but actually, you can have good mental health as well as bad mental health. As businesses, we should be supporting our people and talking openly, equipping our managers to encourage open dialogue and putting support mechanisms in place for our people to access counselling. For example, a cash plan will typically offer both telephone and access to face-to-face counselling when is that is required.\n\nHow do you start to empower managers to make them feel a bit more confident about addressing these issues?\n\nIt really starts at the top with the culture that you create. If employees feel safe and supported, they’re more likely to be open. We’ve got a situation in our own office where we have an individual with struggling with their mental health, and the feedback from them is that the support that the line managers have given has been the difference between them being able to manage it better and be present in the office rather than having to take time off. That individual feels supported, listened to and does feel that there is not a stigma attached to it.\n\nHow do you foster good mental health in your workforce?\n\nIt is important to ensure that people are aware that they work in a culture where they can talk and where, as a business, it is recognised that mental health is as important as physical health. That open environment encourages people to talk to managers and their colleagues.\n\nFrom our own company’s perspective, we encourage people to perform well whilst in work but equally ensure that when they’re not in work that they are making the most of life and not stressing about work. We encourage a culture of not emailing over the weekends or at silly o’clock in the evening. You come in, you do your work, you perform well and then you have your downtime to enjoy the other aspects of your life that feed your happiness and your health.\n\nWe try to encourage not only good mental health but good physical health by providing our employees with our benefits. Cash plan benefits help our people to take more of a preventative approach to their health and wellbeing, encouraging them to not wait until a problem manifests but to be really aware of their own health and wellbeing and take more of a preventative approach. That as a business is the proposition that we offer, so we instil it within our employees.\n\nMental illness and poor financial health are often interrelated. As an employer, how do you start addressing that complete picture and help employees to tackle their debt issues which, if left unaddressed, could also lead to stress?\n\nIt is important to have an employee benefits package that takes into account the whole range of issues that can impact financial wellness. Allowing employees to access financial advice through their benefits package is one way of dealing with it. So hopefully any financial concerns can be addressed through financial advice before they become an issue that starts playing on their mind and then can manifest in the form of bigger problems down the line.\n\nWe’ve got probably the biggest range of ages that we’ve ever seen within the workforce, and the issues are very different at different life stages. As employers, it is important to ensure that you understand the demographics of your workforce and have appropriate benefits in place to manage all the challenges that may manifest themselves throughout people’s working lives.\n\nDo you see the stretched sandwich generation, who are often caring for children and older parents, as an issue within your workforce? What kind of solutions can employers put in place?\n\nI don’t think we see it as an issue because we recognise that all those challenges exist for our people, and therefore ensure that the appropriate propositions are there to support them. We have got the Care for Life proposition, where we recognise that a lot of people are carers for elderly relatives or disabled partners or children. It’s a case of ensuring that we’ve got the right support mechanisms in place for them so that they can access practical advice on how to manage certain situations.\n\nWe have an open culture where we can talk and allow flexibility to make sure that carers have the ability to drop somebody off at respite care. Equally, when carers are in the office they are able to be more present because they know that they are supported.\n\nThere’s a perception that burnout and stress are a bigger problem now than in the past - is that really the case, or have we just become better at recognising, recording and quantifying it?\n\nYou could probably ask ten different people that question and get very different responses from each of them. But my personal view is it’s probably a combination of both as well as an ageing workforce, which I think is another dynamic which is adding to it as well. But whatever the reason, the positive news is that we are recognising more and more the problems now and offering appropriate benefits to support, which has got to be good for everybody.\n\nWhen you say, ‘the right sort of support’, does that mean measures like counsellors in the workplace, or is it more a case of fostering openness among managers, or will it vary from company to company?\n\nIf a company is identifying that they have got a big issue with mental health, then they need to look seriously at what support mechanisms they can put in place, whether that is through appropriate products available for their employees that gives them access to counselling, or indeed a counsellor on site, which for certain types of workforces may well be appropriate. Companies should look at the feedback they are receiving from their employees and understand what the challenges are. Are they adding to the challenge by expecting a 24/7 working culture? Is there something that they can do to change working practices as well as providing practical support through offering counselling, for instance?\n\nDo you think employers are taking more responsibility now for mental health than they did in the past, especially as public services are under pressure?\n\nI think employers are taking more responsibility now because they understand the challenges their employees have. Equally, whilst employers can provide the products, services, we really need the employees to take ownership for their own health and wellbeing.\n\nEmployers can provide appropriate benefits which encourage a preventative approach. I think where we’ve got challenges with the NHS, challenges with accessing even general GP appointments and dental appointments, we really do need to be empowering people to take more responsibility for their everyday health and helping them perform well, not only in work but also in their home life as well.\n\nIf you were a company that was perhaps reading this interview when it’s published thinking, ‘I really need to do something about this,’ what would be the first steps you would advise that they should think about taking?\n\nFirst of all, how are they recognising there is a problem? Have they already gone out and surveyed their workforce, have they empowered their managers to have those conversations? Is this where they are starting to get the feedback from? Once they understand what the problem is and where the challenges are, then it is talking to the likes of ourselves, Simplyhealth, and understanding what our propositions are and where we can offer practical support through the products that we offer. We can also help employers to communicate with their workforce and help them to identify the culture that they are trying to drive.\n\n\n This article is featured in Reward’s Rewarding Tomorrow’s Workforce research report. CLICK HERE to read the full report.\n\n\nRtw18 mpu 300x250 an (002)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.858922004699707}
{"content": "Japan's Seibu Holdings valued at $7.1 billion on relisting\n\nTOKYO (AFP) - Japanese railway and hotels giant Seibu Holdings returned to the stock market Wednesday after aggressive restructuring following its delisting more than nine years ago, with early trade valuing the group at 576 billion yen (S$7.1 billion).\n\nSeibu was changing hands at 1,685 yen after the first 30 minutes of trading, up 5.3 per cent from its initial public offering (IPO) price.\n\nThe IPO price was the bottom end of the company's proposed range as the Tokyo stock market has lost momentum recently and global investors are becoming more selective about Japanese shares.\n\nBecause the price range Seibu had set was lower than expected, its top shareholder, Cerberus Capital Management, decided not to sell shares in the listing.\n\nCerberus will continue to hold its current 35.4 per cent stake.\n\nDespite Cerberus's decision, the company's other major shareholders, including Norinchukin Bank and Development Bank of Japan, intend to sell their shares.\n\nSeibu was delisted more than nine years ago. The group returned to the stock market after aggressively shedding assets, cutting costs and receiving a private bailout.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8336173295974731}
{"content": "Classical 91.5\n\nFascinatin' Rhythm with Michael Lasser\n\n\n\nPlaylists for Fascinatin' Rhythm are located here.\n\n\nEpisode # 1815\n\nEvery Ziegfeld Follies featured long-legged, scantily-clad show girls whose primary role was to look beautiful and walk gracefully. Ziegfeld invented the show girl, and then songs and stories turned her into an archetype, cool and distant, yet linked for all time to Sugar Daddies.\n\nEpisode # 1814\n\nIra Gershwin was the oldest brother but George established himself earlier. His first important collaboration was with B.G. DeSylva, known as Buddy. When George began to work with Ira, Buddy moved on to his most important collaboration—with Ray Henderson and Lew Brown.\n\n\nEpisode # 1813\n\nFew tender ballads but a lot of exuberant comedy in songs about the beasts, the birds, and the bees.\n\nDaily Urbanista\n\nEpisode #1812\n\nSongs to celebrate the casual and not so casual affair.\n\n\nEpisode #1811\n\nSongs about coffee, especially from the Great Depression when we seemed to be addicted to it.\n\nThe Art Story\n\nEpisode #1810\n\nFrom dreams that walk to dreams you keep in your pocket. Surrealism was a pop culture phenomenon in the 30s and 40s.\n\nEpisode #1809\n\nWhat happened to the blues when it moved from the Mississippi Delta to Memphis, New Orleans, and New York City.\n\n\nEpisode #1808\n\nEating in and eating out, cooking and courting, from a day in the kitchen to your favorite deli.\n\nFamous Biographies\n\nEpisode # 1807\n\nWeldon, Rosemond, J.C., Howard, and more. They’re all songwriters named Johnson.\n\nJames Weldon Johnson - Civil Rights Activist, Songwriter, Literary Critic, Diplomat, Lawyer, Educator, Poet, Author\n\nJohn Rosamond Johnson was a musical prodigy–at age 4, he was an accomplished pianist, composer, conductor and actor.\n\n\nEpisode #1806\n\nJames Reese Europe, was an American ragtime and early jazz bandleader, arranger, and composer. The man whose music was a harbinger of the jazz that followed.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9079433679580688}
{"content": "VW assigns 20 bln euros in battery orders, speeds EV push\n\nAnalysis How will car makers meet new CO2 laws\n\nExperts warn that new emissions tests could be near impossible to pass\n\nCurrently, the group produces electric vehicles at three locations.\n\nHowever, under the group's new directive, this number is set to quadruple within just two years, as Volkswagen seeks to extend EV production to 16 of its factories by the end of 2022.\n\nTo ensure adequate battery capacity for this massive expansion, the company has already agreed to partnerships with battery manufacturers for Europe and China and has awarded contracts for a total volume of around Euro 20 billion.\n\nAs we discussed in the latest episode of the Electrek Podcast, Volkswagen's electric auto efforts mostly consist of press releases and concept vehicles at this time, but they seem quite serious about it based on their investments. Müller added that from 2019, it plans to offer a new electric auto, \"virtually every month\".\n\nVolkswagen says that pushing for electric vehicles does not mean internal combustion units would die. He went on to say this rapid roll out is how \"we intend to offer the largest fleet of electric vehicles in the world, across all brands and regions, in just a few years\".\n\n\"Over the last few months, we have pulled out all the stops to implement \"Roadmap E\" with the necessary speed and determination\", Muller added.\n\nThe near-term plan includes nine new vehicles, three of which will be purely battery powered, to arrive in showrooms before the end of 2018.\n\nAs Muller detailed Volkswagen's increasing shift to electric vehicles, it was also reported that after the group's strong earnings in 2017, the company CEO's pay packet, plus additional benefits, surged around 40% to €10.14 million.\n\n\nAudi's E-Tron SUV will lead the next-generation rollout by launching later this year as a production auto - and is in a race with Jaguar to launch the first European BEV in the segment. The company didn't go into specifics but one of the electric vehicles is the Audi E-Tron which was recently previewed at the Geneva Motor Show.\n\nVolkswagen plans to launch the first full MEB auto, the I.D. hatch, in 2020 as the leader for an entire I.D. The R&D ratio, total research and development expenditure as a percentage of the Automotive Division's sales revenue, decreased to 6.7% from 7.3%.\n\nLatest News", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5683711767196655}
{"content": "Uncertainty and the Internet\n\nI want to type some things I’ve noticed about online vulnerability and why I still think it’s valuable. \n\nNearly without fail, any kind of post on the internet that I write where I mention I am questioning something, or struggling through something, or even one teeny bit uncertain, or even learning a new concept, I’ll get a specific response from someone. Well-meaning and kind, they inform me that the solution is to not feel that way. Or someone will text me to make sure that I am okay, that I haven’t dived off the deep-end.\n\nTo be honest, it’s kind of annoying. I include the word kind because it is also kind. I get the lovely concern of others but I also wonder why we all are so uncomfortable with uncertainty.\n\nIf I go into a sermon at my church, I can almost be guaranteed that at some point in the sermon, the pastor will mention that it is okay to have questions, that God accepts us as we are, that He loves our current self.\n\nYet online? It seems like uncertainty looks bad. Sometimes offline too. But maybe that's a story for another day.\n\nOnline vulnerability, specifically about being uncertain on ideas or topics or concepts — I still think it’s valuable. \n\nWhen I write online about something I am uncertain about, someone else might read along and go “oh really? I’m not the only one who thinks like that?” And then suddenly instead of two lonely people wondering and wandering alone, we are two friends walking together in a journey.\n\nSo I would rather link arms and be okay with uncertainty than cross my arms and acts if I think doubt is a problem. Or if uncertainty isn't the right word, I want to be okay with knowing part of something and seeking to learn more. Specifically for topics like white privilege and anything around race, I want to be uncertain, listen well, ask questions, and keep living as a learner.\n\nMaybe that's really what I'm trying to say today. I want to live as a learner. Not swayed by false ideas but constantly paying attention to understand truth better. And constantly willing to speak even before I have perfected my sentence.\n\nUncertainty paired with humility and grace? That's my current goal.\n\nOn the flip side, there is also a type of happy vulnerability. What about when life is lovely, when cards are falling in place, when easy breezy really is the sentiment? Should I get quiet? Pretend life isn't blissful? I don't think so.\n\nNever be quiet because of fear or loud because of pride. \n\nI'm in the middle of these questions. What is a correct vulnerability? How much is too much? How little is too little? What aides others? When am I bragging? When am I complaining? When is my word of ease or uncertainty the right one? \n\nSo many questions. Yet also, such peace in the midst of them. That's my honest feeling today: Peace in the midst of questions.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9799346327781677}
{"content": "Collection of seminar of mechanical engineering. Download full seminar of mechanical engineering in doc, pdf or ppt format.\n\nSeminar Of Mechanical Engineering\n\nInfrared Thermography\n\n\nNoise Reduction\n\nNoise Reduction Such action involves the implementation of any measure that will reduce noise being generated, and/or will reduce the noise transmission through the air or through the structure of the workplace. is to eliminate or reduce the hazard\n\nDifferential Unit locking system\n\nDifferential Unit locking system When the car is taking a turn, the outer wheel will have to travel greater distance as compared to the inner wheel. having braking system with slightly modification. Maintains constants speed between both wheels.\n\nMicrocontroller based drip irrigation system\n\nMicrocontroller based drip irrigation system proves to be a real time feedback control system which monitors and controls all the activities of drip irrigation system efficiently. You can measure the output of your water supply with a one\n\nIncineration Solid Waste Management\n\n\nAutomobile Safety System\n\n\nPredicting Earth Quake Through Data Mining\n\nThis paper highlights the data mining techniques applied to mine for surface changes over time (eg Earthquake rupture). The data mining techniques help researchers to predict the changes in the intensity of volcano.\n\nSelf Healing Robots\n\nWhen people or animal get injured ,they compensate for minor injuries and keep limping along. But in the case of robots, even a slight injury can make them stumble and fall .Self healing robots have an ability to adapt to minor injuries\n\nHydrogen Fueled Rotary Engine\n\nHydrogen when burns produce clean energy. Hydrogen can be produce easily. Hydrogen is lightest fuel and richest in energy per unit mass (120 700 kJ/kg). Petrol vapor creeps along the ground while Hydrogen goes up in the air so it is relatively safe.\n\nF1 Racing Cars\n\nWe all know about passenger cars and F1 racing cars. Passenger cars are normal cars we can use in our roads which used to travel. F1 racing cars are used only for F1 racing. There are big differences between F1 cars and passenger cars.\n\nPole Climbing Robot\n\nClimbing robots are useful when a task requires the use of far-reaching tools or is risky if carried out by humans. These robots can be equipped with video cameras, microphones, other sensors, and robotic manipulators to perform certain tasks.\n\nPollution Less Engine\n\nThe Stirling engine is the engine, which uses a fixed amount of gas sealed inside a cylinder. The expansion and contraction of the gas, using heat from external source, its capability to use any type of fuel and the emission of no exhaust gases.\n\nEffect of Various Composition on Mechanical Properties of Alumina\n\nAlumina is a common name for the compound aluminium oxide, Al2O3. It is most known for its use in the Hall-Heroult process, where it is a raw material used in the production of aluminium metal.\n\nA Design of Hydro Wankel Cell\n\nThe fusion of a wankel engine and a fuel cell gives a wonderful new dimension. The net output given by the engine is both mechanical and electrical. The Hydro wankel cell works on the basic ideas of Wankel engine and fuel cells into account.\n\nRenewable Energy\n\nRenewable energy sources which are naturally replenished on a human timescale such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat. Renewable energy sources include the sun, wind, water, geothermal energy and biomass.\n\nEffect of Ethanol Gasoline Blend on NOx Emission in SI Engine\n\nEffect of Ethanol Gasoline Blend on NOx Emission in SI Engine different fuel composition, engine parameter and engine modification effects on NOx formation as well as mathematical approach for NOx prediction using ethanol.\n\nAutomated Solar Street Light System\n\nSolar tracking systems allows more energy to be produced because the solar array is able to remain aligned to the sun and therefore it will provide the maximum output power used in lightning the street lights at night.\n\n3D Printing\n\n3D printing or additive manufacturing is a process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital file. The creation of a 3D printed object is achieved using additive processes. This method uses a high powered laser to melt powder together.\n\n\n\nUnder Water Welding\n\nUnder water welding is the installation of large patches, as well as the attachment of suitable pad-eyes presents a more complicated problem to the diver than does underwater cutting. Hyperbaric welding ,Wet Welding", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9681375622749329}
{"content": "\n\nAmerican Essays\n\n\nAbout a famous American author Edgar Allan Poe\n\nEdgar Allan Poe was an American author. He was known for his poems and short stories, some including “A Tell-Tale Heart”, “The Raven” and “The Cask of Amontillado”. In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” the protagonist Montresor wants\n\nAn American abolitionist newspaper The Liberator\n\nIn 1830, The Liberator was established by William Lloyd Garrison, he was an abolitionist and a member of the American Colonization Society. On the discussion of slavery, majority of the members thought a solution for the slaves to move back\n\nThe production of tobacco\n\nBetween 1790 and 1850, the economy of the South experienced an extreme economic growth. The production of tobacco, which was the South’s main crop, was failing and as a result, the production of cotton arose, which was a big factor\n\nAbigail Adams an American Woman\n\nAbigail Adams would always be remembered as the most reputed and significant woman in the American history. She was the woman who not only influenced famous political figures of her time but also supported her husband, John Adams, throughout the\n\nShopping Malls an American Cultural Phenomenon\n\n            In his provocative book One Nation Under Goods: Malls and the Seductions of American Shopping, James Farrell made the assertion that malls are an American cultural phenomenon. He strengthened this argument by stating that by the year 2000 there\n\nThe American Pageant Notes\n\nThe New Manifest Destiny American attention shifted to foreign lands because of the “closing of the frontiers.” This led to a fear that natural resources would dwindle and alternate sources must be found. Politicians urged an aggressive foreign policy as\n\nMarcus Mosiah Garvey, 1887-1940\n\nMarcus Garvey remains a vitalising, inspiring force today. He touches Jamaicans closely because he raises questions of race and social commitment with which they still have to come to terms. His message is as relevant now as it was in\n\nMayflower Significance\n\nHave you ever wondered what life would have been like without rules or laws? Did you ever stop and think what could have been had the mayflower compact not been made of signed? The Mayflower Compact may be one of\n\nProud to Be an American\n\nOne dark stormy night, it was just me in my back yard digging when I came upon a large, red, wooden door with a rusty door knob right in front of me. The first thing I thought to myself was,\n\nRacial Fault Lines Paper\n\nCalifornia has more ethnic history than one would think or would have even known. Racial Fault Lines: The historical origins of white supremacy in California brings forth the ethnic conflicts that took place in California. Tomas Almaguer former dean of\n\nMaterials Daily\n100,000+ Subjects\n2000+ Topics\nFree Plagiarism\nAll Materials\nare Cataloged Well\n\nYou're a busy student,\n\n\nGet Started\n\nEmma Taylor\n\n\nHi there!\nWould you like to get such a paper?\nHow about getting a customized one?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5986729860305786}
{"content": "Data Center\n\n“Taking the right foot forward to safeguard your data.”\n\nWhy select our Data Centers?\n\nWe are well aware of the safety issues associated with storing, processing and distribution of your data. Thus, we guarantee the safekeeping of your data and its secure transaction. In addition to providing a shell to your data, we also safeguard your computer hardware.\n\nOur criteria includes...\n\nAdequate amount of power.\nMaintaining ambient temperature.\nEasy data sharing and collection.\nCreating backups for critical data.\nNetwork neutral for hosting any application.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5036485195159912}
{"content": "Posts Tagged ‘empathy’\n\nMy Mother’s Recent Emergency Department Experience: Lessons for Learning\n\nMarch 7, 2011\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Cleveland Clinic Improves the Patient Experience … by Improving the Hospital Gown!\n\nOctober 12, 2010\n\nThe hospital gown. They have become a standard joke among comics who talk about being in hospitals.  If patients do not fasten them just right, their derrieres (or other body parts) may be on display for all to see!\n\nThe Cleveland Clinic wants to change the hospital gown and they have enlisted the help of a glamorous fashion designer! Fashion icon Diane von Furstenberg created a unisex patient-friendly, comfortable, wraparound apparel that looks good on everyone.\n\nJeanne Ryan, committee chair, stated, “The original goal had been to improve patients’ hospital experiences. We wanted to provide people with some dignity. They come to the hospital, it’s very stressful and then we ask them to take off their clothes. People said they feel exposed.” The gowns are expected to become available to all patients in the Cleveland Clinic’s Ohio facilities sometime in 2011.\n\nEverything a hospital does creates either a negative or positive “patient experience.”  This initiative certainly enhances the patient experience.  From my work at enhancing the patient experience, I know that these little changes have a big impact. Bravo to the Cleveland Clinic!\n\n\n\nMD Anderson Cancer Center Offers Innovative Patient-Professional Communications Program\n\nOctober 8, 2010\n\n\n\n\nI*CARE Website\n\n\n\nOne-on-one Coaching\n\nTrainers observe healthcare professionals with patients and feedback is provided.\n\nResearch Opportunities\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSeptember 29, 2010\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPatient Advocates Help Healthcare Professionals\n\nAugust 31, 2010\n\n\nIn 2004, Trisha Torrey discovered a golf-ball sized lump on her torso.  There was no  pain associated with the lump.  Trisha contacted her doctor and ultimately several tests were performed.  The tests revealed a devastating diagnosis, a rare form of lymphoma that is nearly always fatal.  She was told to begin chemotherapy immediately.\n\nTrisha felt something was not right.  She did all her Internet research and discovered that she had no other significant symptoms associated with this type of lymphoma.  It just did not add up.\n\nThrough a friend, she found a new doctor for a second opinion.  Then came the shocking (but happy!) news.  Trisha did not have cancer!  She would have gone through chemotherapy for nothing!  (Chemotherapeutic agents are toxic. It would have been devastating to go through this treatment and not actually need it!)\n\nFor Trisha, this was a life altering time for many reasons.  From that moment, she became a patient advocate to help others through the healthcare maze. Today, Trisha is the About.com expert on the topic of patient empowerment.  She recently posed a question to her readers, “What Should Medical Students Learn?”  These are some the responses that you will find helpful:\n\n  •  Do not “give/write orders.” Medicine is not a military command. The patient makes the final decisions. You are there to offer expertise on diagnosis and treatment options. Take the time to make certain that patients understand clearly what options are available to them and the pros/cons/costs of all the options.\n  • If you want patients who have money / insurance, you will have to accommodate some aspects of customer service in the medical care regimen. Treat patients, not disease.\n  • Treat every patient with dignity and respect, imagining that each patient was your own loved one: parent, grandparent, child, brother, sister, or spouse.\n  • For some patients, gender matters, especially with intimate procedures and exams. Some women would prefer female caregivers, some men would prefer male caregivers. Medical staff should not assume just because a patient doesn’t discuss their preferences, that everything is just fine.\n  • Never forget that your world, the world of the hospital, is not the real world. It’s not where most of us live. Explain things. Talk. Communicate. Don’t assume too much about what patients already know, want to know, or value personally. Ask.\n\n Trisha’s first book, You Bet Your Life! The Ten Mistakes Every Patient Makes, was published in 2010. You can contact Trisha through her personal website:  www.EveryPatientsAdvocate.com\n\n\n\nMy Mother’s Recent Hospitalization Experiences: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly!\n\nNovember 18, 2009\n\nAbout a month ago, my mother was crossing the street with her friend. Just as she stepped on the sidewalk she started feeling faint and began to feel sick.  An ambulance was immediately contacted and my mother was taken to the ER.  My mother’s friend accompanied her to the hospital — she called us from the hospital and told us to come right over.\n\nMy brother and I entered the hospital’s ER to find my Mom awake and alert. An ER nurse told us that my mother’s EKG was abnormal and that she had a condition known as Atrial Fibrillation and would need to take the medication, Coumadin.\n\nA few hours later, my mother was admitted to the hospital.  The physician on the unit determined the underlying medical issue, dehydration.  We thought my mother was drinking enough fluids — obviously not.  My mother was in the hospital for four days.  Upon proper hydration, she was feeling fine and looking forward to returning home.\n\nThese are my observations regarding my mother’s recent hospitalization.  I base the observations on my PIE Model of Patient Communication.\nP  Psychosocial (providing emotional support)\nI  Interviewing (getting information)\nE  Educating (giving information)\n\nPsychosocial Dimension\n\nEveryone was very friendly and kind.  I found the healthcare professionals to be very caring and treated my mother quite well.  However, what I did not find was any direct empathic responses.  I was waiting for someone to make a statement such as, “I know this must be difficult for you.”  Every medical center and practice always mention that empathy is an important component of their work.  In reality, empathy is rarely displayed.  This is due to the fact that healthcare professionals are not educated on how to convey empathy.\n\nInterviewing Dimension\n\nThe questioning techniques employed were sufficient to gather information from my mother and I.  There was the usual issue of asking too many closed questions in succession and not allowing the patient sufficient time to discuss their medical issues.\n\nThe biggest issue was closing the interview with this question, “Do you have any questions?”  That is a closed question.  To encourage patients to ask questions, we should rephrase the question as an open question, “What questions do you have?”\n\nEducational Dimension\n\nBrace yourself and fasten your seat belt!  This was by far the weakest area.  Upon discharge, the unit nurse reviewed the discharge instructions, which were disjointed at best.  There were so many issues, I almost did not know where to begin my evaluation.  These are the problem areas and suggestions for improvement:\n\nExcessive use of medical jargon:  The discharge instructions used the terms presyncope and mixed hyperlipidemia.  I am in the healthcare field and know what the terms mean, but what if I wasn’t in the field and didn’t know what the words meant?  Use patient-friendly language.\n\nUltimate diagnosis not mentioned. My mother initially fainted, but was ultimately diagnosed with dehydration by the attending physician.  Dehydration was never mentioned in the discharge report. This is a perfect of example of how poor handoffs lead to medical errors. At the time of discharge, I asked about the dehydration and how much fluid my mother should consume.  The nurse said, “About 3-4 glasses a day, I guess.” (Having a solid healthcare background, I researched the topic and developed a daily fluid intake plan for my mother.)\nVague comments. The discharge form states, “Will order Influenza vaccine.” Was it ever administered to my mother?  I called the hospital and was first sent to the Medical Records Department — they had no idea.  The Medical Records Department sent me to the unit, who also had no idea.  The unit nurse did say this, “Your Mom most likely did get the flu shot.  We usually give it to people 50 or over.”  Why didn’t the report state, “Patient was given a flu shot?”\n\nNo educational materials / resources.  In spite of the fact my mother was diagnosed with dehydration, no information was provided.  A brochure, website or organization to contact would have been helpful.\n\nOverall, the healthcare professionals who took care of my mother were kind and skilled at their jobs.  There were some issues with the interviewing questions and empathic responding, however the biggest concern was the poor patient education component.  If patients do not comprehend their medical situation, they are at risk.\n\nI signed the form for my mother (I have Power of Attorney).  By signing the form, I indicated I understand the discharge papers.  I actually did understand them — I have been in healthcare over 20 years.  My biggest concern is that most people will sign the form stating they understand, but they really do not.\n\nHospitals need to do a better job at educating patients.\n\n\nEdward Leigh, MA, is the Founder and Director of the Center for Healthcare Communication.  To book one of his high-content credit-hour-approved keynote speeches or training programs, visit or call: http://www.CommunicatingWithPatients.com / 1-800-677-3256\n\nWhen Patients Want Antibiotics They Don’t Need: Offer Explanations, not Prescriptions\n\nAugust 31, 2009\n\n\nA patient with an upper respiratory infection comes to see you.  After performing a history and physical, you determine the patient has a viral infection.  You are concerned the patient will insist on a prescription for antibiotics.  Below are the steps to handle this patient concern.\nShow Empathy\nThink about how sick you felt with a respiratory illness.  They can be a miserable experience.  Here is an example of a statement you can say to a patient, “I understand you are not feeling well.  I want to assure you that I want to help you.”\nExplain Difference between Viruses and Bacteria\nFor patients, viruses and bacteria are all “bugs.”  They do not perceive a great deal of difference between these organisms.  We need to explain to them the difference and then discuss how antibiotics are effective for bacteria, but not viruses, such as the virus causing the common cold.\nYou can mention to patients, “Most adults, on average, get two to three colds a year; and children can have eight to twelve colds a year. Most colds last about one week. But it’s not unusual for symptoms to continue for as long as two to three weeks.”\nDescribe Dangers of Antibiotics\nSide Effects. Mention how antibiotics can be have unpleasant side effects. Say, “I do not want to give you a drug that will not help and possibly make you feel even sicker.” Describe potential antibiotic side effects including: upset stomach, diarrhea, rashes, and (rarely) serious allergic reactions (even with antibiotics that they may have used safely in the past).\nResistance. In addition, explain how overuse use of antibiotics can result in resistance to them.  For example, you can say, “Using unnecessary antibiotics can cause some bacteria to become resistant to the antibiotic. This increases your chances of having bacterial infections later that can’t be treated by antibiotics. This is called ‘antibiotic resistance.’”\nPotential Patient Issues\nConcern over Green or Yellow Mucus. A patient may state they are having green or yellow mucus and fearful that means their illness is serious.  We need to combine empathy with our explanation. You can state, “I could understand your fear.  We used to think that green or yellow mucus indicated a bacterial infection. However, today, we know this is not true. A viral infection can cause green or yellow mucus.”\nPrevious (Unnecessary) Antibiotic Prescription. Explain to patients that if they were given antibiotics in the past for colds that antibiotics often get credit that your body’s own immune system really deserves. Review issues of antibiotic side effects and resistance.  Also, mention newer knowledge of antibiotics.\nEmphasize the use of self-care measures (such as fluids) and nonprescription medications.\nIt is important to remember, patient satisfaction is generally linked to communicating effectively not writing prescriptions.\nThe CDC has an excellent brochure for patients, “Cold or Flu. Antibiotics Don’t Work for You.”  Here is the link:\n\n\n\nGreat Communication Skills = Lower Risk of Malpractice\n\nApril 1, 2009\n\n\na pediatric oncologist who was working with young cancer patient.  The\nchemotherapy.  The young girl survived this medical error.  My\nfirst thought — that girl’s parents will immediately go to an attorney.\nHowever, that was not the case.\n\nThe oncologist spoke to the girl’s parents and explained what happened.\nanother oncologist.”  The\ndaughter — we won’t have it any other way!”  By the way, they also told\nthe oncologist they had no plans to take legal action.\n\n— they liked the oncologist.  In general, people don’t sue people they\n\nAssociation (JAMA)\nincluded an enlightening article called,\n“Physician-patient communication. The relationship with malpractice claims\nidentify specific communication behaviors associated with malpractice\nhistory in primary care physicians and surgeons. The research compared\nusing audiotapes of 10 routine office visits per physician. The study\nconsisted of 59 primary care physicians (general internists and family\npractitioners) and 65 general and orthopedic surgeons and their patients.\nsignificant differences in communication behaviors of no-claims and claims\nphysicians in the primary care physicians group (no differences in\ncare physicians included:\n\nLength of primary care office visit\nThe study demonstrates a strong\ncorrelation between extra time spent with patients and lower frequency of\nmalpractice claims. Since patients dislike feeling rushed or ignored,\n\nEngaging in a dialogue\nPhysicians should encourage two-way communication that includes:\n\ntalk about ways to treat the problem.”\n\n\n\n\nand advice in a manner that demonstrates the\nphysician’s genuine caring tends to diffuse patient anger and resentment.\n\nPhysicians who have been sued for malpractice often cite “unrealistic\npatient develop appropriate expectations about a medical visit, and\nprompts the sharing of critical information.\n\nBreakdowns in communication between physician and patient fuel distrust\nother hand, effective communication skills tends to enhance patient\n\nThe study identifies specific and teachable communication behaviors\nassociated with fewer malpractice claims for primary care physicians.\nPhysicians can use these findings to improve communication\nand decrease malpractice risk.\n\n\nThe Cleveland Clinic Foundation Offers Novel Approach to Dramatically Improving the Patient Experience\n\nMarch 2, 2009\nM. Bridget Duffy, MD, Chief Experience Officer, from the Office of Patient Experience, speaks with staff members\n\n\nThe Cleveland Clinic Foundation is always on the cutting edge of\nbreakthrough medical treatments.  However, the organization is also at the\nforefront of meeting the human needs of patients.\n\nThe Cleveland Clinic Foundation created the Office of Patient Experience\n(OPE), whose mission is to “create an environment that delivers superior\nclinical care while valuing human-to-human interactions as a critical\ncomponent of healing.”\n\nThrough OPE, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation main campus and several\nsystem hospitals developed councils, which focus on empowering\npatients and families to take an active role in their healthcare\nexperience. The councils also serve as an advisory resource for employees,\nstaff and administration.\n\nThe Cleveland Clinic Foundation has 26 institutes that group multiple\nspecialties together to provide collaborative, patient-centered care.\nEach institute designates a doctor and nurse to be part of the OPE\nCouncil.  It is important that every segment of the system be represented.\n\nThroughout the system, the councils work to impact four dimensions of the\npatient experience (organizational culture dimension, clinical dimension,\nemotional dimension and physical environment dimension).\n\nThere are many projects in each dimension.  Here are some examples:\n\nCultural/Staff and Employee Engagement Dimension\nIn order to deliver excellent clinical care and create meaningful patient\nexperiences, employees need to feel they are having a significant impact.\nThe councils help define, implement and communicate activities that\nspecifically enhance the employee experience, which in turn, positively\neffects the patient\nexperience.  This includes work-life balance activities, such as\ncomplimentary memberships to gyms and weight loss programs.\n\nClinical Dimension\nPatients often feel confused and overwhelmed within the healthcare system.\nThe OPE is currently piloting a Health Navigator program that will assist\npatients in understanding an often complex healthcare system.  The\ndictionary defines “Navigation” as the process of plotting or directing\nthe course of a vessel.  In this case, we talking about helping patients\nfind direction through the healthcare system.\n\nEmotional Dimension\nExcluding wellness checks, when patients enter the healthcare system,\nthere is something wrong.  The condition they are experiencing can lead to\nfeelings of anxiety and / or depression. A program called Healing\nSolutions focuses on improving the patient experience by promoting\npositive activities.  An example of this program is offering massotherapy\nto reduce stress.\n\nThe dimension also helps employees.  For example, if a healthcare\nprofessional is devastated by the loss of a patient they had grown very\nfond of, a “Code Lavender” can be pulled.  In this way, the employee can\nbe comforted by one or more people from Healing Solutions.  They also have\nthe option of wearing a lavender bracelet so other people would know they\nare gong through a difficult time and offer their support.\n\nPhysical Environment Dimension\nThis area focuses on the physical environment to provide comfort and\nsupport for patients.  This includes artwork throughout the system.\nMusic and dance performances also play a role in creating a therapeutic\n\nI recently watched a TV medical drama and one doctor on the show said, “We\nhave a breast cancer in room 110, a heart murmur in room 118.”  Patients\nare not simply “disease states.”  This type of conversation would never be\nat the Cleveland Clinic Foundation who value the entire patient and this\nis exemplified through the Office of Patient Experience.\n\nFor more information about the Cleveland Clinic Foundation’s Office of\nPatient Experience, please contact: 216.445.5230 or\n\n\nEdward Leigh, MA, is the Founder and Director of the Center for Healthcare Communication.  For more information about his high-impact communication skills programs, visit or call: http://www.CommunicatingWithPatients.com or call 1-800-677-3256\n\nGiving Bad News: An Effective Three-Step Approach\n\nJanuary 28, 2009\n\n\n“Breaking bad news is not as much a delivery as it is a dialogue between\ntwo people.”\n— Rabow MW, McPhee SJ. Beyond breaking bad news: how to help patients who\nsuffer. West J Med 1999;171:260-3.\n\nOne of the most difficult tasks for a healthcare professional is to\ndeliver bad news.  It is never an easy activity even for the most seasoned\nof professionals.  However, there are steps we can take to be sure the\nnews is delivered in the most effective and caring manner.\n\nThe Definition of “Bad News”\n\nWe tend to think of bad news as telling a patient they have a terminal\ndisease.  However, that is a type of bad news.  There are multiple types\nof bad news.  For example, telling a construction worker he can’t lift\nheavy objects for six months is bad news if that is his livelihood.  Also,\ntelling a person they have a chronic disease, such as diabetes, is also a type of\nbad news.\n\nBad news can be any type of news that will negatively impact a patient in\nany way.\n\nIs it Always Necessary to tell a Patient the Bad News?\n\nFifty years ago, it would not be unusual to withhold a terminal cancer\ndiagnosis from a patient.  However, recent studies have shown that\npatients do want to know this information.  It is important that patients\nare given all the details of their health situation; they have a right to\nknow.  They may want to make decisions regarding wills and other legal\n\nBased on a case-by-case basis, there may be situations where withholding\ninformation may be a good option, such as in the case where a patient may\nhave a mental breakout or harm themselves.  In some cases, the patient\nthemselves may ask not be told.  This should be looked at as a type of\ninformed consent.\n\nSteps in Giving the Bad News\n\nI. Before Giving the News\n\nThink about the agenda before you meet the patient, so that you have the\nsignificant information available. There are several items to consider\nwhen planning what to say:  specific diagnosis, treatment plans,\nprognosis, and support strategies. For a patient who has been shown to\nhave hypertension, this would be an appropriate manner of discussing:\nspecific diagnosis (describe diagnosis of high blood pressure, avoid\nmedical jargon like the term hypertension), treatment plans (discuss\ndifferent options to treat high blood pressure), prognosis (discuss\nsuccessful options for treating, however be careful of not guaranteeing\n100% success), and support strategies (provide resources to help cope).\n\nPrepare for the conversation with the patient.  Think about what you want\nto say.  Mentally rehearse your words so you feel more comfortable sharing\nthe news.\n\nHave a box of tissues in the room in case the patient begins to cry.\n\nII. Giving the News\n\nPhysical setting: Find a quiet private place to share the news.  Be sure\nyou are seated at eye level with the patient.  Avoid any physical\nbarriers, such as a desk.  Ask the patient who else should be present; let\nthe patient decide who, if anyone, should be present in the meeting.\nSilence all beepers and request no interruptions unless it is an absolute\n\nCommunication strategies:\n* Give the patient a warning that difficult news is forthcoming, such as by\nstating, “I’m afraid the results reveal the situation is more serious than\nwe would have hoped for …”)\n* The patient is your first priority, however if the patient has other\npeople present (e.g., spouse), be sure to attend to those people as well.\n* Speak slowly, clearly and concisely.\n* Provide the information in small chucks; do not give a long lecture which\ncan be overwhelming to an already anxious patient.\n* After discussing each segment, pause to allow the patient to take in what\nyou have stated.  This is known as “chunk and check.”\n* Be honest about the prognosis; do not give false hope.  Be sensitive, yet\n* Use empathy in the discussion (e.g., “I know this is difficult news.”)\n\nAssess current level of knowledge.  Determine how much the patient already\nknows, such as by asking, “What have you already been told about your\nillness?” Pay close attention to what the patient says to evaluate their\nof sophistication regarding the illness and their current emotional state.\n\nAsk the patient how much they would like to know.  Inquire as to whether\nthey want all the details or just the “big picture.”  Emphasize the\nfluidity of the dialogue, so they know they could always ask more\nquestions at a later time.\n\nIII. After Giving the News\n\nBe very attentive to the patient’s feelings.  After you have shared all the\nnews, listen very carefully to the patient’s reaction while observing body\nlanguage.  Use empathy (e.g., “I know this has been very stressful to hear.”)\n\nEmphasize your role as a partner.  Let the patient know you are working with\nhim or her on this medical issue (“We will be working together to help\nyou.”).  Confirm your role as an advocate for the patient.\n\nFollow up plan.  This is a time for reviewing, summarizing and making next\nsteps.  Develop a step-by-step plan, review the plan with the patient and\nthen agree on follow up plans.  Provide resources, which could be a\nreferral to a counselor (if needed), brochures, phone numbers and\n\nClosing Thoughts\n\nHealthcare professionals are taught technical skills to attend to the\npatients’ physical needs.  However, when giving bad news, the greatest\nskill is effective communication.  Unfortunately, during a healthcare\nprofessionals’ formal education, communication skills are often not given\nthe vital importance they deserve.  A growing body of evidence illustrates\nhow the communication skills of the healthcare professional will greatly\ninfluence how well a patient will cope with the bad news.\n\nCommunication.  To book one of his high-content energetic keynote\nspeeches or training programs, visit or call:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7519364953041077}
{"content": "Photo365 - 342 - Apple Market\n\n09/12/2011 - 00:06\n\nI'm just back from London following a night out with Samsung for their Christmas party.\n\n\nThey have a huge Christmas tree but I've already photographed two in this Photo365 series, so here's a shot of the Apple Market (also looking quite festive at the moment) close by.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000064373016357}
{"content": "White House seeks ban on gay and gender identity conversion therapies\n\nWashington (CNN)Responding to a petition begun when a transgender teenager died from suicide after being subjected to therapy meant to alter her gender identity, the White House announced on Wednesday it supports banning the so-called conversion practices.\n\nWriting an official administration reaction to the petition, which garnered more than 120,000 signatures, President Barack Obama's senior adviser Valerie Jarrett wrote the \"overwhelming scientific evidence demonstrates that conversion therapy, especially when it is practiced on young people, is neither medically nor ethically appropriate and can cause substantial harm.\"\n    A federal ban on the practice, which its proponents claim can change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity, would require congressional approval, Jarrett noted. She urged individual states to ban the therapy given studies showing its potential harm to those subjected to it.\n    Some states, including California and New Jersey, have also put in place bans on conversion therapy.\n    The American Psychiatric Association has found no evidence that conversion therapies are effective, and advocates against their use because of the psychological risks they pose, including depression and anxiety.\n    Obama has taken numerous steps in the last year to bolster the rights of gays and lesbians, including signing an executive order barring discrimination based on sexual orientation within the federal government and at federal contractors. That order went into effect on Wednesday.\n    In a symbolic step, the administration also said on Wednesday it had opened a gender-neutral bathroom within the White House complex.\n    The \"all-gender restroom\" is in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next door to the West Wing, within the White House complex where many White House employees have meetings and offices.\n    The White House now allows staff and guests to use restrooms consistent with their gender identity, including in the West Wing.\n    \"The White House allows staff and guests to use restrooms consistent with their gender identity, which is in keeping with the administration's existing legal guidance on this issue and consistent with what is required by the executive order that took effect today for federal contractors,\" White House spokesman Jeff Tiller told CNN. \"In addition, an all-gender restroom is also available in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which provides guests and staff an additional option.\"\n    While the White House is highlighting these bathroom changes now, in conjunction with the implementation of the executive order, it's unclear when the change actually occurred.\n    The news of the new bathroom was first reported Wednesday afternoon by \"The Advocate.\"", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8713414669036865}
{"content": "YouTrack InCloud 2017.4 Help\n\nExport Issues as a CSV File\n\nYouTrack lets you export a list of issues as a CSV file. You can use this option to upload issues to another application or use third-party software to compile reports.\n\n\nThis option is available from the rom the Reports drop-down list on the issue list.\n\nIssueListReports thumbnail\n\nWhen you select this option, the list of issues is filtered to match the current search query and context. The CSV file contains the following details for each issue:\n\nProjectThe project that the issue belongs to.\nTagsA list of tags that are attached to the issue.\nSummaryThe issue summary.\nReporterThe full name of the user who reported the issue.\nCreatedThe date and time the issue was created.\nUpdatedThe date and time when the issue was last updated.\nResolvedThe date and time when the issue was resolved.\nDescriptionThe issue description.\nVotesThe current number of votes for the issue.\nLast modified: 28 February 2018", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6549434065818787}
{"content": "Nov 14, 2007\n\nGender Items\n\nZIPLOC BAGS - male, because they hold everything in, but you can always see right through them.\n\nSWISS ARMY KNIFE - male, because even though it appears useful for a wide variety of work, it spends most of its time just opening bottles.\n\nKIDNEYS - female, because they always go to the bathroom in pairs.\n\nSHOE - male, because it is usually unpolished, with its tongue hanging out.\n\n\nTIRE - male, because it goes bald and often is over inflated.\n\nHOT AIR BALLOON - male, because to get it to go anywhere you have to light a fire under it... and, of course, there's the hot air part.\n\nSPONGES - female, because they are soft and squeezable and retain water.\n\nWEB PAGE - female, because it is always getting hit on.\n\n- male, because it uses the same old lines to pick people up.\n\nHOURGLASS - female, because over time, the weight shifts to the bottom.\n\nHAMMER - male, because it hasn't evolved much over the last 5,000 years, but it's handy to have around.\n\nREMOTE CONTROL - female... Ha! You thought I'd say male. But consider it gives a man pleasure, he'd be lost without it, and while he doesn't always know the right buttons to push, he keeps trying.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9758538007736206}
{"content": "Artist Bio: Cora-Allan Wickliffe\n\nCora-Allan Wickliffe is a Multi-disciplinary artist who produces work that is heavily influenced by her Maori and Niuean cultural ancestry. In the last few years she has developed strong performance based work that explores constructed identities and translates traditional elements in performances as she shares them in a contemporary space.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.999982476234436}
{"content": "Diabetes Diet and Guidelines\n\nWhat is a diabetic diet? Is there only one or many? What does a diabetic diet consist of? All these questions and more will be answered in this article.\n\nA diabetic diet is an eating plan or diet recommended for people with diabetes mellitus to assist them in controlling their blood sugar.\n\nA diabetes diet is medically known as Medical Nutrition Therapy. It is rich in nutrients, low in fat and calories and high in vegetables, fruits and whole grains. In such a diet, individuals are encouraged to eat moderate amounts of food and stick to regular mealtimes.\n\nThe importance of eating dietary fiber is emphasized in such diets and it is even said that carbohydrates eaten with dietary fiber results in a lower glycemic status (level of sugar in the blood) than the same amount of carbohydrates otherwise consumed alone.\n\nIt has been recommended that between 40 to 65% of calories should be obtained from carbohydrates, although the American Diabetes Association in 1994 recommended 60 to 70%.\n\nThis latter recommendation has been criticized by various individuals who rather canvassed a low carbohydrate diet. Richard K Bernstein is one of such individuals. His own diet limits carbohydrate intake to just 30 grams per day along with strenuous muscle building exercise and frequent blood glucose monitoring.\n\nFuturologist Ray Kurzweil who was previously diagnosed with diabetes likewise advocates a carbohydrate intake of one sixth of total daily caloric load.\n\nTaking a cue from the fact that a diet high in dietary fiber has been shown to be very beneficial, studies have been made on vegan diets (diets of vegetarians). These studies show that such diet not only also help to lower hemoglobin A1C and LDL levels but also advanced glycation end products. Glycated end products are proteins or lipids which having been exposed to sugars become glycated (covalently bonded with a sugar molecule without the controlling action of an enzyme).\n\nIn the United Kingdom though, there is the Eat Well plate which is the national food guide designed to help UK citizens have a healthy balanced diet. It is based on the basic five food groups and the guide stipulates the percentage of a person’s plate that should be made up of each food group.\n\nThus Fruits and vegetables – 33%, Bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods – 33%, Milk and other dairy products – 15%, Meat, fish, egg, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein – 12% and foods and drinks high in fat or sugar – 7%.\n\nIt is noteworthy that the second group though should be whole grain-that is whole wheat bread, brown rice etc. and not refined grains like white bread and white rice. Where this is so and bearing in mind that the diet falls within the bounds of the recommended stipulation of between 40 to 65% calorie to be obtained from carbohydrates, it can be said that it is also a good diet for diabetics.\n\nLikewise the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have the MyPlate nutrition guide which replaced the USDA’s pyramid guide on June 2, 2011. It is basically a plate plan requiring that 30 percent of a meal be grains, 40 percent vegetables, 10 percent fruits, and 20 percent protein. A small amount of dairy (product), such as a glass of milk or a yogurt cup is also included.\n\nThis plan was revised by the Harvard School of Public Health in their Harvard Healthy Eating Plate. Their revision features an additional percentage increase of vegetables over fruits whilst at the same time balancing healthy protein and whole grains as equal quarters of the plate.\n\nOn the other hand the American Diabetic Association recommends that you create your own plate by following these simple steps;\n\n\n1. Fill the largest section with non-starchy vegetables such as:\n\nspinach, carrots, lettuce, greens, cabbage, bok choy\ngreen beans, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes,\nvegetable juice, salsa, onion, cucumber, beets, okra,\nmushrooms, peppers, turnips\n\n2. Now in one of the small sections, put grains and starchy foods such as:\n\nwhole grain breads, such as whole wheat or rye\nwhole grain, high-fiber cereal\ncooked cereal such as oatmeal, grits, hominy or cream of wheat\nrice, pasta, dal, tortillas\ncooked beans and peas, such as pinto beans or black-eyed peas\npotatoes, green peas, corn, lima beans, sweet potatoes, winter squash\nlow-fat crackers, snack chips, pretzels and light popcorn\n\n3. Then in the other small section, put your protein such as:\n\nchicken or turkey without the skin\nfish such as tuna, salmon, cod or catfish\nother seafood such as shrimp, clams, oysters, crab or mussels\nlean cuts of beef and pork such as sirloin or pork loin\ntofu, eggs, low-fat cheese\n\n\n\nTo complete your meal, add a low-calorie drink like water, unsweetened tea or coffee”.\n\nWith regards to meal times, as a diabetic, it has been said in Sons ken, Fox and Judd that the length of time before a meal that one should inject insulin would depend on the type of insulin one is injecting. Whether it is long, medium, or quick acting insulin.\n\nFor instance where a low blood glucose reading just before bedtime of below 6 milimoles per liter (108 mg/dL) is evidenced, it is suggested that the patient should take some long acting carbohydrate before retiring to bed to prevent night time hypoglycemia (abnormally low levels of blood sugar).\n\nNow as far as the don’ts go, as concerns alcohol, it is recommended that people with diabetes who take insulin or other medication such as sulphonylureas should not take alcohol on an empty stomach. The reason for this is that alcohol interferes with glycogenesis (the process of storing glucose in the form of the polysacharride called glycogen) in the liver and some drugs inhibit hunger pangs. This in addition to impaired memory, judgement and concentration caused by some drugs can lead to hypoglycemia.\n\nLet us now consider some specific diets. There are several and all have at one time or another been very popular. These still enjoy varying degrees of patronage, though some more than others.\n\nThe low Carb diet\n\nThis diet advocates that the removal of carbohydrates from the standard diet may help reverse diabetes. Following this removal, the diet would consist of fatty foods such as nuts, seeds, meats, fish, oils, eggs, avocados, olives and vegetables. Fat would become the main energy source and insulin resistance related complications would greatly reduce.\n\nThe high Fiber diet\n\nShowing better results than the American Diabetes Association recommended diet, this diet is said to control blood sugar levels with the same efficacy as oral diabetes drugs.\n\nThe Paleolithic diet\n\nPremised on what our ancient human ancestors likely ate during the Paleolithic age and as a result of which they enjoyed diabetes (among other diseases) free good health, the Paleolithic diet consists mostly of lean meat, nuts and berries. Tests show that this diet improves glucose tolerance in humans with diabetes and in humans with ischemic heart disease and glucose intolerance.\n\nThe Pritkin diet\n\nIs made up mostly of fruit, whole grains, vegetables and the like. It is high in dietary fiber and carbohydrates. It balances its high carbohydrate content however by including exercise as part of its stipulated regimen.\n\nThe G.I. diet\n\nAims at lowering the glycemic index of a persons diet with a view to assist the user in the control of his/her diabetes. Here multi-grain and sourdoughs, legumes and whole grains- foods that are converted more slowly to glucose in the blood stream serve as replacement for others like white bread and potatoes cooked a certain way.\n\nOne should not also forget the vegan diet which has an ability to improve glycemic control similar to the ADA diet.\n\nThe Newcastle Diet\n\nLastly it is worth mentioning the Newcastle diet. Although strictly speaking, it may not be the sort of diet one continues with once the initial objective has been met, it is worth mentioning.\n\nThe diet is geared towards people who seek to bring their blood sugar levels back to normal and so technically, “cure” their diabetes. The diet is a liquid one containing carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and trace elements. It provides 600 calories a day and is supplemented by 3 portions of non-starchy vegetables, thereby bringing total calories to 800 a day.\n\nThe diabetes fighting aspect of the diet is premised on the fact that its low calorie base, results in the individual losing weight. At the abdomen, this means that the liver and pancreas are less clogged with fat and as such the pancreas is more effective in producing insulin whilst the liver is better able to react to it.\n\nAnd so bearing in mind that diet forms an essential part of managing diabetes, it is important that a diabetic takes his diet seriously. Usually his doctor and or other healthcare professional will ensure this as well as advise him on a general diet to follow.\n\nHowever, where he seeks a specific diet, he should endeavor to stay not only informed on the types available, the relative advantage each confers, but also seek his doctors advise so as to make an informed decision. When this is done and done aright, there is no doubt that for a diabetic, diet can serve as a veritable tool in the fight against diabetes.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8552379012107849}
{"content": "How to make Women – Attract Young girls Through The Special product Power with Laughter\n\n“Every woman is a science, ” said John Donne. Of course, if we take the time to carefully examine their needs, we’ll locate some fairly universal basics about the differences between males and females. There are always exceptions to the rule, but here are some significant things that men should be aware about women.\n\nWomen are not since competitive as we are. Only a small amount kids growing up, kids play games in significant groups with an increased exposure of winning. Competition is the identity of this male-gender game, pretty much. Little girls, on the other hand, play along in small, intimate people, with an emphasis on minimizing hostility and maximizing assistance.\n\nThe same emphasis follows both genders into adulthood. One of the many fundamental differences between people is that we still desire to prove our stage, keep score, and get the debate in connection, while women are more likely to sacrifice superiority as the price designed for keeping peace.\n\nFemales focus on the here-and-now more than we do. Someone determined the future as a place where men spend most of most of the time. You and I actually both know that’s not exactly true. But it becomes truer in comparison to the differences between men and women.\n\nWhile we are scheming plans and solving problems for a better tomorrow, most women are asking, “What’s going on right now and how do I (and others) feel about it? inches One of the things that males should know about women can be that they focus on current a feeling and experiences because these kind of build emotional bonds from connection between them.\n\nWomen are not as independent as we happen to be. Let’s face it, we love the mystique with the rugged “Marlboro Man” graphic. Sure, it’s clich, although we can’t get over this kind of tough-minded, lone cowboy exactly who reports to nobody as he freely rides the product range. Women, on the other hand, couldn’t convey a can of beans regarding protecting their autonomy — one of the primary differences somewhere between men and women.\n\nTherefore, while we men are usually more interested in the “report” from what has happened and where we are going, gals are more interested on setting up “rapport” right now (1). All sorts of things that if you want to get as small as the task of solving trouble for the future with the women in the life, you must first take the time to explore their feelings to the present.\n\nIt’s not that any particular one mode is necessarily superior to the other; they both have their strengths and weaknesses. But if we should build a healthy relationship with the women in our lives, we must honor their cooperative heart, take care not to step on the toes, and work to learn the unique differences between people.\n\nTherefore don’t expect women to totally understand and accept your “need for space. ” One of the things that males should know about women is that they won’t romanticize ones independence. Instead, do your self and your relationships with women a favor – attack the bullet and let them know you value the relationship even though you need to ride the range.\n\nThey prize everything that Harvard’s Carol Gilligan phones “a web of connectedness. ” Just as we are threatened by a challenge to our independence, so are women threatened using a rupture in their relationships.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9924829602241516}
{"content": "• tcmwell.com\n\nFemale depression prevention\n\nUpdated: Monday, Mar 17,2014, 10:09:40 PM\n  • A\n  • A\n  • A\nShare this URL\n\nDepression is a serious \" psychological cold\" , the high incidence , but this should be relatively high incidence is 62.9 % of patients with depression never seek medical treatment after . Because there are many people suffering from depression did not perceive themselves had depression , illness and some patients and their families will not be blamed on some important issues , that is the \" spur .\"\n\nIn fact, the incidence of depression when they are perceptible . If a person has depression similar performance , even in other comprehensive hospital for the relevant inspection found no unusual problems , then we must be alert to the possibility of depression , to go to professional psychological and mental health institutions for treatment . As a family or companions , identify problems and timely to remind patients to receive treatment is very important .\n\n\nThe etiology of depression , and now research suggests that the main factors involved in the social and psychological aspects of their quality . In females, psychosocial factors primarily with personal character or personality , social pressures and ways to cope with stress related . Studies have shown that introverted , sensitive, pessimistic, do not like contact, lack of interest in hobbies of people prone to depression ; those unpleasant experiences such as widowhood , divorce, romance, unemployment , loss of health , interpersonal tensions , economic hardship , or lifestyle the possibility of dramatic changes of people suffering from depression greater ; there are a lot of smoking, alcohol , drugs and drug -dependent people are prone to depression .\n\nOf course , the most common cause of depression is the most important reason is the biological factors , such as neuroendocrine hormones , biochemical , and genetic and other factors , the most important neurotransmitters is happy to pass the patient information is reduced. Women are an integral part of all aspects of society , women in multiple roles , so that they have a higher risk of occurrence of depression , in addition to a lot of pressure , they have to face gender discrimination, overwork , menstruation, pregnancy, lactation and other factors. Since these women their own physical and psychological characteristics , resulting in the occurrence probability of depression than men was nearly twice as much.\n\nWomen risk of depression in adolescence is the beginning of sustained growth period until after the decline, there is a peak incidence of menopausal women , post- menopausal women to the risk of new-onset depression decreased.\n\n\nIn the treatment of depression , drug treatment is fundamental, psychological counseling is assisted . Because drug treatment recover faster , making more time for patients from suffering. Of course, some psychological treatment such as cognitive behavioral therapy is an effective treatment for psychological treatment for depression , but these treatments took longer than normally takes six months or even more than half of the treatment, and drug therapy generally requires 1-2 January symptoms will be controlled.\n\nUnder the guidance of doctors to help patients develop positive coping strategies are also important , such as helping patients to change cognitive bias thinking , cultivate a positive attitude ; , or to help patients through the little bed , more activities, go for a walk , listen to music , learn to relax , such as changes to the original behavior.\n\nMost symptomatic treatment of depression after the recent treatment effect is quite significant. Of course, the main problem is likely to face recurrence. The impact of depression relapse following reasons : failure to antidepressant medication ; has negative life events after remission ; poor family and social support .\n\n\nAlthough the cause of depression is unknown, but there are still a useful preventive measures of depression . For example, appropriate to reduce stress, relax, change negative ways to cope with stress , culture and people of good and effective interpersonal communication is effective for the prevention of depression . Playing , climbing , swimming and other sports, at the same time enhance physical fitness , but also can reduce the symptoms of depression ; in nutrition , fish, whole grains , garlic, brightly colored carrots, oranges, bananas , etc., may be helpful to resist depression .\n\nTags: Female-depression\n\nPost A Comment", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8287997841835022}
{"content": "ukmalayaleeBack to UK News\n\nStress may prove to be contagious: Study\n\nToronto March 10: Scientists, including one of Indian origin, have found that stress transmitted from others can change the brain in the same way as a real stress does.\nThe study, in mice, showed that the effects of stress on the brain are reversed in female mice following a social interaction. This was not true for male mice.\n\"Brain changes associated with stress underpin many mental illnesses including PTSD, anxiety disorders and depression,\" said Jaideep Bains from the University of Calgary in Canada.\n\"Recent studies indicate that stress and emotions can be contagious. Whether this has lasting consequences for the brain is not known,\" Bains said.\nFor the study, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, the researchers studied the effects of stress in pairs of male or female mice.\nThey removed one mouse from each pair and exposed it to a mild stress before returning it to its partner.\nThey then examined the responses of a specific population of cells, specifically CRH (Corticotropin releasing hormone) neurons which control the brain's response to stress, in each mouse, which revealed that networks in the brains of both the stressed mouse and naive partner were altered in the same way.\n\"What was remarkable was that CRH neurons from the partners, who were not themselves exposed to an actual stress, showed changes that were identical to those we measured in the stressed mice,\" said Toni-Lee Sterley from the University of Calgary.\nThe researchers discovered that the activation of these CRH neurons causes the release of a chemical signal, an 'alarm pheromone', from the mouse that alerts the partner.\nThe partner who detects the signal can in turn alert additional members of the group.\nThis propagation of stress signals reveals a key mechanism for transmission of information that may be critical in the formation of social networks in various species.\nThe researchers suggested that these findings may also be present in humans.\n\"We readily communicate our stress to others, sometimes without even knowing it. There is even evidence that some symptoms of stress can persist in family and loved ones of individuals who suffer from PTSD,\" Bains said.\n\"On the flip side, the ability to sense another's emotional state is a key part of creating and building social bonds,\" he added.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.966408371925354}
{"content": "aim darts shoot makelessnoise via Flickr\nInterest rates today are expected to remain at a low well into 2015, which directly influences consumers' ability to earn decent returns on deposit accounts.\n\nDespite this reality, not many Americans truly comprehend how banks set interest rates and what factors play a role in how rates change.\n\nBank interest rates aren't simply determined at the whim of any given bank or credit union, with no direction or benchmark.\n\nOn the contrary, there are a handful of key elements that sway interest rates today in consumers' favor — or against it.\n\n#1. Federal Reserve Requirements\n\nThe Fed enforces a minimum reserve requirement, also called a cash reserve ratio, on banks that are members of the Federal Reserve. These institutions are required to withhold a percentage of their liabilities in either a cash vault or in a Federal Reserve Bank at all times.\n\nEach year, the Fed assesses how much in cash reserves financial institutions must set aside; the requirements are outlined in the Federal Reserve Board's Regulation D.\n\n\nReserve percentage requirements are based on a bank's net transaction accounts (such as checking accounts), which effective December 27, 2012, are as follows:\n\n  • $0 - $12.4 million: 0% in reserves\n  • $12.4 million - $79.5 million: 3% in cash reserves\n  • Over $79.5 million: 10% in reserve requirements withheld\n\nWhy does all this matter? Banks that don't have enough depositors to uphold their reserve requirement have the option to borrow funds from other banks through short-term loans to ensure the reserve requirement is met.\n\nBanks are then charged by other banks interest on the loan, which is called the Federal Funds Rate — this cost of borrowing money is passed on to consumers via bank interest rates and adjustments on loan products like auto loans and mortgage loans.\n\n#2. Discount Rate\n\nThe discount rate is another benchmark which determines how banks set interest rates. In addition giving banks the option to lend among one another, the Fed itself provides loans to help banks meet the reserve requirement at a \"discount rate\" for the loan.\n\n\nThis direct loan from the Federal Reserve is typically higher than the Federal Funds Rate, but has recently been lowered to supply institutions with a greater ability to provide loans to businesses and consumers. The lower the rate banks have to pay when borrowing funds from the Fed, the more affordable lending interest rates today are for consumers.\n\n#3. Anticipated Inflation\n\nWhen financial institutions determine the deposit and loan rates offered to customers, consideration is given to the potential inflation rate anticipated in the future.\n\nFergus Hodgson, Director of Fiscal Policy Studies for the John Locke Foundation in North Carolina, shares why this seemingly convoluted concept makes a great deal of difference on interest rates today.\n\n\"Inflation, the devaluation of a currency expressed in higher price levels, is one of two underlying drivers of retail interest rates — the other is the activity of the Federal Reserve system,\" explains Hodgson. \"In the presence of higher inflation, which the United States is beginning to experience, lenders need to raise their rates in order to generate a return. Relatively speaking, the money they receive when paid back will be less valuable, which offsets the interest rate charged.\"\n\n\nAs lenders attempt to compensate for the rate of inflation, borrowers will likely continue seeing bank interest rates follow in suit.\n\n\"Consider a mortgage loan at an interest rate of 5 percent, alongside an inflation rate of 2 percent. The real interest rate or return to the financial intermediary is 3 percent annually. If the rate of inflation were to rise to 5 percent, the intermediary would need to offer comparable loans at a rate of 8 percent for an equal return,\" Hodgson illustrates.\n\n#4. Demand For Loans\n\nThe fundamental idea of supply and demand resonates strongly with how interest rates are set as well. Since the economic recession, for example, fewer Americans have been financially capable — let alone willing — to take on large amounts of debt, such as a mortgage loan toward a home purchase. An over-saturated mortgage market (i.e. higher supply of mortgage loans) results in lower loan rates due to a lack of demand. The reverse also functions in the same way.\n\n#5. Risk of Default\n\n\nLenders always take on a certain level of risk when lending money to borrowers. Those with a history of late payments or poor credit, for example, will likely exhibit the same dangerous financial behavior with a newly acquired loan.\n\nFor this reason, bank interest rates are increased on loans by financial institutions in an effort to hasten and secure the return of their money in the event borrowers don't make good on their promise to repay the loan within the pre-determined term.\n\nWhile a lot of the factors affecting interest rates today are out of consumers' immediate control, maintaining a clean line of credit and taking the initiative to shop around for the best bank interest rates in the area opens the door to interest rates on deposit and loan products that meet customers' needs.\n\nNOW READ: 21 ways rich people think differently >", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9816339015960693}
{"content": "This joint initiative between two leading South African wine producers, Du Toitskloof Wines from Rawsonville and Douglas Green Wine based in Wellington, takes the form of a brand new Mercedex Benz Axor truck fitted with a 15m trailer wherein lies a treasure trove of education material.\n\nSome 5000 brand-new books, specially selected for school-children between Grades 1 and 5, stand between a set of ten out-of-the-box computers with full internet access from an on-board router. Included in the computer programmes is software developed by internationally renowned hand-eye co-ordination specialists Eye Gym which helps children to improve their learning skills.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9993126392364502}
{"content": "Supply chain resilience - The case for understanding the ROI in resilience\n\nBlog post   •   May 13, 2016 16:23 BST\n\nSupply chain resilience is a topic that has been debated considerably over the last few years, which has resulted in attempts by various institutions to provide guidance on or standards for discrete elements of the topic. Ensuring greater resilience in your supply chains creates a greater value for money proposition than a supply chain that is fragile and frequently creates disruptions to your business. Understanding exactly what you are paying for in terms of resilience, and using that knowledge to create appropriate levels of investment in supply chain resilience, will give you a competitive advantage.\n\nProcurement includes the management of risk within the category of spends or market being managed by the procurement professional. Supply chain resilience is a component part of overall organisational resilience and contains within it, elements of risk management and business continuity management. Procurement includes all of these components and more, taking into consideration such components as financial resilience, human resources, health and safety, fraud, slavery, sustainability and corporate social responsibility.\n\nFor example, what is the appropriate way to analyse the current levels of resilience within your supply chain, for those you are in contractual relationships with? How will you migrate future procurement competitive bidding processes to include resilience assessed total cost of ownership?\n\nHow can you add value by exposing the costs associated with investment in resilience within your supply chains and make a calculated informed judgement as to if you are paying the appropriate costs, too much or too little.\n\nUndertaking a more objective calculation of the risks in your supply chain to understand the onerous costs of a supply chain disruption and the cost benefit analysis associated with reducing the chance of a disruption or recovering from one.\n\nHow to utilise good practice when analysing the market and going through prequalification to achieve shortlists?\n\nUnderstanding the costs associated with service level agreements for business as usual within a contractual arrangement and expectations of service during a disruption. Calculating the costs and the cost benefit of adding specific risk and business continuity terms and conditions within a request for offers be it quotations or formal tenders, public sector or private sector and how will this affect you as a bidder?\n\nWhat methodology would you undertake to utilise resilience as a distinguishing factor when undertaking bid analysis, negotiations and best and final offer due diligence?\n\nHow do risk mitigations and continuity responses feature in supplier relationship management and are they embed in contractual relationships appropriately and adequately reflected in supplier relationship management information, through self -assessment or quality audits.\n\nFinally will your internal or external auditors in undertaking an audit of supply chain resilience give you a clean bill of health on managing risk and continuity issues appropriate to your corporate objectives and corporate risk appetite? Does your corporate attitude to risk and continuity reflect the wishes of your 'Top Management' Executives and Audit Committees\n\nDavid J. Window is a CIPS Senior Consultant and Head of Supply Chain Resilience. Discover more about the return on investment of supply chain resilience during David's BCAW webinar on the 16th May. Click here to register.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9972785115242004}
{"content": "Cancer Teleconference\n\nBenefits Of Cancer Teleconference\n\nCommunication is an essential part of our life and because of this, man has always strived to make improve the modes of communication since tome immemorial. The first speech acts themselves came because of the need for humans to communicate with each other. Throughout man history the modes of communication have only improved. The invention of the telephone was a turning point in history when it became possible for people to communicate with each other using normal speech despite the distance separating them. The coming of the internet was another turning point in human communications. Nowadays, one of the most frequently used methods of communication is teleconference and this mode has its uses not only in the field of normal communications and in industry but also in the field of medical science. Teleconferences like cancer teleconference can help save lives and help those who are in need of help.\n\nA teleconference is a mode of communication which enables the effective interaction between two or more people at the same time. The people may be located miles apart but the costs of communication need not be huge in all cases. Teleconferences help in reducing the limitations that come with physical distance.\n\nCancer teleconference – Medicines and treatment\n\nThe recent advances in the field of medicines and treatment has made it possible for men and women suffering from the deadly disease to get cured or live with the disease for a longer period of time. A cancer teleconference can help the medical advisor and the patient or each out to each other and erase the problems related to geographical distance. It is indeed an unfortunate situation if distance is the only factor which stops a patient from getting treatment from a specialist in the field. The importance of cancer teleconference in the field of medicine cannot be undermined.\n\nIn the field of medical science, cancer teleconference services are a boon to those who are suffering and looking of help. A cancer teleconference can help the doctor and the patient to consult each other face to face using technology which helps then to see each other. Using cancer teleconference, the doctor can correctly examine as well as diagnose the disease. After this, the specialist can keep in touch with the patient and keep providing the correct advice and help using long distance teleconferences.\n\nTeleconference seminars\n\nNot only as a diagnostic tool, a cancer teleconference can help in speeding up cancer research. This can be done by the use of teleconference services which could help those involved in cancer research to exchange knowledge and information, speeding up the process of cancer research. Teleconference seminars can help the doctors and researchers to exchange notes about the\n\nApart from this, a cancer teleconference can also help the patients to remain in contact with each other and provide emotional support to each other along with providing the chance to exchange notes on how to cope with the disease. Such support groups are seen to be really helpful in helping patients cope with the disease. Such seminars can have patients as well as doctors communicating with each other and fighting the disease together.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6908815503120422}
{"content": "Chapter 8 - Akshara Brahma Yoga\n\nPath of the Eternal God\n\nThe eighth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is Akshara Brahma Yoga. In this chapter, Krishna reveals the importance of the last thought before death. If we can remember Krishna at the time of death, we will certainly attain him. Thus, it is very important to be in constant awareness of the Lord at all times, thinking of Him and chanting His names at all times. By perfectly absorbing their mind in Him through constant devotion, one can go beyond this material existence to Lord's Supreme abode.\n\nGo to Verse\n\nVerse 1\n\nArjuna said: O supreme person, what is that Brahman? What is that which exists in the individual plane? What is action? And what is that which is said to exist in the physical plane? What is that which is said to be existing in the divine plane?\n\n\nVerse 2\n\nO Madhusudana, how, and who, is the entity existing in the sacrifice here in this body? And at the time of death, how are You to be known by people of concentrated minds?\n\n\nVerse 3\n\nThe Blessed Lord said: The Immutable is the supreme Brahman; self-hood is said to be the entity present in the individual plane. By action is meant the offerings which bring about the origin of the existence of things.\n\n\nVerse 4\n\nThat which exists in the physical plane is the mutable entity, and what exists in the divine plane is the Person. O best among the embodied beings, I Myself am the entity that exists in the sacrifice in this body.\n\n\nVerse 5\n\nAnd at the time of death, anyone who departs by giving up the body while thinking of Me alone, he attains My state. There is no doubt about this.\n\n\nVerse 6\n\nO son of Kunti, thinking of any entity whichever it may be one gives up the body at the end, he attains that very one, having been always engrossed in its thought.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.977627694606781}
{"content": "Servicio de Información Comunitario sobre Investigación y Desarrollo - CORDIS\n\n\nMARINECO Informe resumido\n\nProject ID: ICA2-CT-2000-10049\nFinanciado con arreglo a: FP5-INCO 2\nPaís: Russia\n\nHydrogen production by seawater electrolysis and its features\n\nAmong other means of energy accumulation and reservation the particular significance is the possibility to set up of an electrolytic hydrogen and oxygen production directly from seawater, the electrical conductivity of which is due to soluble salts.\n\nSeawater is the most widespread, cleanest and cheapest working medium, its resources are practically unlimited. In turn hydrogen is an ecologically pure fuel with the greatest specific heat of combustion. Seawater is a multicomponent natural electrolyte with sodium chloride as the main component.\n\nTherefore the seawater electrolysis will be basically determined by the near-electrode processes, which are intrinsically for the sodium chloride solutions electrolysis. While electrochemical reaction at acceptable rates some amount of chlorine always evolves together with oxygen.\n\nIn view of chlorine being toxic, the problem of its utilization is to be solved. For example, utilization of chlorine can be achieved through absorbing of it by the aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide.\n\nThe reaction can proceed in directions resulting in hypochlorite or sodium chlorate formation. An anolyte formation of sulfuric acid is possible too.\n\nTherefore apart from the essential electrolysis products - hydrogen and oxygen, in the course of seawater electrolysis one can produce sub-products, possessing self commercial values.\n\nReported by\n\nProfsoyuznaya Street 16/10 - 301\n117292 MOSCOW\nSee on map", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9998993873596191}
{"content": "5 tips to achieve freelance work-life balance\n\n\nFor freelancers and creators, achieving work-life balance can sometimes seem impossible to obtain. As entrepreneurs, you're constantly putting on a different hat for a different task, shifting priorities throughout the day. Life and work for creatives tend to blend together because we find passion and enjoyment in both. As photographers and videographers, you essentially always want to work because you never want to miss an opportunity and truly enjoy what you do for work. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t find balance and a time to shut off the work hat and focus a bit more on living life. Here are our five top tips to help you sort your priorities, and better balance your time.\n\nDefine your goal for success\n\nSuccess means different things to different people, and it’s the first thing you should think of when trying to achieve balance. By defining what your measure of success is, you can break down your days, weeks or months into increments in order to make that goal. By doing so, you remove any pressure to reach someone else's definition of success. This measurement is completely unique to you and should be taken into consideration regarding both your work and personal life. That means defining what success in your personal life is, and using it to tackle your goals. \n\nMake a daily list\n\nStart your day out by writing a list every single morning of what you want to accomplish. Be realistic, and relate everything to any long-term goal you have. Separate your big tasks over your week, jotting down a few things you can accomplish to help reach that goal. Add any personal tasks you need to do, but not just the chores and housework! Include to-dos such as attending a new restaurant opening, going for a walk or yoga in the park, or anything else you can think of that has the possibility of contributing to your happiness. \n\nMinimize Distractions\n\nIf something doesn’t help you achieve success in your personal or work life, get rid of it. For work, removing tasks that aren’t necessary to either make you money or advance your goals will free up more time to work on your personal success. In a podcast on NPR’s Hidden Brain, “Deep Thought”, they discuss how the minor distractions (checking your phone for 10 seconds, watching a quick video on YouTube unrelated to your work) actually affect your workflow more than you think. It’s the distraction itself, not the time it takes, that moves your thinking to something totally unrelated and it takes time to reassess and properly get back to work mode. \n\nFind a Zone\n\nAs creatives, we often find ourselves doing work at home offices or on the go in a cafe or co-work space. While this is a bonus of the job, having distractions around you is a lot more prominent than if you worked in an office environment. Block off a set of time in your day to get in your zone, understanding that just because you’re technically there, doesn’t mean you're available to everyone. Blocking time to accomplish different tasks and steps towards making your success goals in an environment separate from your personal life will allow you to get into a much deeper thought process, potentially allowing you to get work done faster and more efficiently.\n\nTake Care Of Yourself\n\nWe focus so much on work success, that we often forget about personal success and well-being in your life. Find those things that give you pure joy separate from work, whether it’s yoga and meditation, spending time with friends, volunteer work, or a good book with a glass of wine at the end of the day- spend a little time on your heart. It’s proven that people that are happier in their personal lives are more productive than people who are not. Prioritize a happy life, and the rest will fall into place. \n\nAs freelancers and creatives, balancing work and life can be hard but once mastered- it will become your most valuable resource. Being the gatekeepers of your time and only allowing things in that actively contribute to your goals will allow more free time to enjoy your life at home. Make your life full of accomplishing successes, both personal and work related, and you’ll be on your way to a fulfilled life!\n\nHave any additional tips or things you do to stay on track of your goals? Comment them below to share with our Creatives community! \n\nWe’re constantly on the lookout for new contributors to join the Shutterstock Custom Contributor Community!\nAre you a photographer or videographer interested in working with us?\n\nApply to start creating stunning visuals for the world's top brands!\n\nStay creative!\n- The Shutterstock Custom Contributor Community Team", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.943393886089325}
{"content": "My Homepage\n\nWhat Can Induce Inferior Calcaneal Spur\n\nPosterior Calcaneal Spur\n\n\nHeel spur is a hook of bone that protrudes from the bottom of the foot where plantar fascia connects to the heel bone. Pain associated with heel spurs is usually pain from plantar fasciitis, not the actual bone. Heel spurs are most often diagnosed when a patient has visited a pain specialist or podiatrist for on-going foot pain related to plantar fasciitis; spurs are diagnosed via X-ray of the foot. Heel spurs are most commonly diagnosed in middle-aged men and women. As noted, most patients with this condition have other podiatry-related pain. This condition is a result of plantar fasciitis (when the fascia, a thick connective tissue that connects the heel bone and ball of the foot) becomes inflamed. Some 70% of plantar fasciitis patients have a bone spur. Bone spurs are soft calcium deposits caused from tension in the plantar fascia. When found on an X-ray, they are used as evidence that a patient is suffering from plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is typically caused from repetitive stress disorder. Walking, running, and dancing can cause this with time.\n\n\nYou are more likely to develop plantar fasciitis and heel spurs if you are Active. Sports that place excessive stress on the heel bone and attached tissue, especially if you have tight calf muscles or a stiff ankle from a previous ankle sprain, which limits ankle movement eg. running, ballet dancing and aerobics. Overweight. Carrying around extra weight increases the strain and stress on your plantar fascia. Pregnant. The weight gain and swelling associated with pregnancy can cause ligaments to become more relaxed, which can lead to mechanical problems and inflammation. On your feet. Having a job that requires a lot of walking or standing on hard surfaces ie factory workers, teachers and waitresses. Flat Feet or High Foot Arches. Changes in the arch of your foot changes the shock absorption ability and can stretch and strain the plantar fascia, which then has to absorb the additional force. Middle-Aged or Older. With ageing the arch of your foot may begin to sag - putting extra stress on the plantar fascia. Wearing shoes with poor support. Weak Foot Arch Muscles. Muscle fatigue allows your plantar fascia to overstress and cause injury. Arthritis. Some types of arthritis can cause inflammation in the tendons in the bottom of your foot, which may lead to plantar fasciitis. Diabetes. Although doctors don't know why, plantar fasciitis occurs more often in people with diabetes.\n\nHeel Spur\n\n\n\n\nHeel spurs and plantar fasciitis are diagnosed based on the history of pain and tenderness localized to these areas. They are specifically identified when there is point tenderness at the bottom of the heel, which makes it difficult to walk barefoot on tile or wood floors. X-ray examination of the foot is used to identify the bony prominence (spur) of the heel bone (calcaneus).\n\nNon Surgical Treatment\n\nThe first line of treatment for Heel Spur is to avoid the activities and positions that cause the pain. A physician can evaluate your foot with an X-ray to diagnose Heel Spur and determine a course of treatment. This condition can often be treated by non-surgical means; however in severe cases surgery may be necessary to relieve the pain. The most common surgical procedures treat the soft tissues around the Heel Spur, often a tarsal tunnel release or a plantar fascia release. Injections for heel spurs are sometimes controversial as steroids may cause heel pad atrophy or damage the plantar fascia.\n\nSurgical Treatment\n\nSurgery involves releasing a part of the plantar fascia from its insertion in the heel bone, as well as removing the spur. Many times during the procedure, pinched nerves (neuromas), adding to the pain, are found and removed. Often, an inflamed sac of fluid call an accessory or adventitious bursa is found under the heel spur, and it is removed as well. Postoperative recovery is usually a slipper cast and minimal weight bearing for a period of 3-4 weeks. On some occasions, a removable short-leg walking boot is used or a below knee cast applied.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9957202076911926}
{"content": "How the trucks stand today in the prefecture. Screenshot: ANNewsCH\n\nA snowstorm shut down not only Highway 8 running through Sakai City in Osaka, but also the nearby dumpling shop Gyoza No Osho. Not wanting to let the restaurant’s food go to waste, employees banded together to cook up some 500 meals for the drivers stuck in the miles-long traffic jam cutting through the neighborhood.\n\nThe jam itself trapped more than a thousand cars, as The Japan Times reports, stretching for not quite 20 miles thanks to a bad storm that dumped nearly two feet of snow on the area. In amongst the cold, as SoraNews24 collated, were a number of joyous tweets from drivers stuck on the road exclaiming how happy they were to have a hot meal:\n\nJapanese Defense forces handed out yet more more to drivers, per The Japan Times, hundreds of whom were desperately stuck for what’s now two nights in a row on this road. It does appear that today, finally, most cars are all but cleared, per this news report:\n\nHeavy machinery to clear the snow is having a harder time reaching the road than hot food, sadly.\n\n\n(Hat tip to Paulo!)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9269351959228516}
{"content": "EquiOtic Probiotic Supplement Daily Packets The only Real Equine-derived bacteria GI tract supplement available, each vacuum packet contains a minimum 10 billion CFUs of Equine L. reuteri and 10 billion S. cerevisiae. Features: Great for daily maintenance Suitable for all horses Apple flavor Store at room temperature 1 bag/30 packets Item Specifications: Feeding Directions: 1 packet orally per horse per day Ingredients: Dextrose, active dry yeast, sodium aluminosilicate, dried Lactobacillus reuteri fermentation product\n\n    Equiotic Probiotic Supplement Daily Packets\n\n\n    Write a Review", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9987471103668213}
{"content": "New Movie Releases\n\nSpecial Screenings This Week\n\nStarring: Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyoko Kagawa, Tatsuya Mihashi, Isao Kimura\n\nHigh and Low\n\nIn Brief: For his 1963 suspense film High and Low, Akira Kurosawa seems to have been actually trying to draw the wrath of those who find his work too “Western” by choosing the Ed McBain novel King’s Ransom for his source material. What could possibly be more Western — indeed, more downright American — than…\nStarring: Erik Odom, Andie Morgenlander, Dustin Whitehead, Luke Beavers, Mondy Carter, Mary Katherine O'Donnell\n\nLuke and Jo\n\nThe Story: A struggling screenwriter confronts his demons after meeting a young musician while promoting his script at a film festival. The Lowdown: A locally produced independent drama that makes the most of its budget — and its picturesque Asheville setting — while telling an emotionally resonant story.\nStarring: Victor Mature, Hedy Lamarr, Angela Lansbury, George Sanders, Olive Deering, Russ Tamblyn, Henry Wilcoxon\n\nSamson and Delilah\n\nIn Brief: Cecil B. DeMille's historical epics are an acquired taste in my book, but even those with accepting palates may find Samson and Delilah (1949) hard to swallow. Despite its (mostly) remarkable cast and suitably grandiose scale, it's perhaps the most forgettable of DeMille's biblical films. Sure, Hedy Lamar looks gorgeous and George Sanders gets to be sleazy,…", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8754178285598755}
{"content": "Category Archives: Benjamin Franklin\n\nBenjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 [O.S. January 6, 1705] – April 17, 1790) was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. He invented the lightning rod, bifocals, the Franklin stove, a carriage odometer, and the glass ‘armonica’. He formed both the first public lending library in America and the first fire department in Pennsylvania.\n\n\n\n“Never ruin an apology with an excuse.”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9975515604019165}
{"content": "30 May 2018\n\nTwenty years of Washington Principles: yet another conference\n\nby Marc Masurovsky\n\nOn November 26-28, 2018, almost exactly twenty years after the start of the Washington Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets, the German Lost Art Foundation will host an international “specialist” conference entitled: “20 Years of Wash­ing­ton Prin­ci­ples: Chal­lenges for the Fu­ture”. The aims of the conference are as follows:\n\n“Be­gin­ning with a look back at the Wash­ing­ton Con­fer­ence of 1998, the con­fer­ence aims to dis­cuss the de­vel­op­ments that have tak­en place in the in­di­vid­u­al coun­tries since then, in or­der to ad­dress a num­ber of ques­tions for the fu­ture: What spec­trum is there for fair and just so­lu­tions? How can open gaps in prove­nance be dealt with? What does prove­nance re­search need in or­der to be able to work ef­fec­tive­ly? How can its meth­ods be used ad­e­quate­ly in ed­u­ca­tion and train­ing, in ex­hi­bi­tions and in mu­se­um com­mu­ni­ca­tion? And above all: What con­tri­bu­tion to a cul­ture of re­mem­brance can prove­nance re­search achieve?\"\n\nTwenty years ago, eleven Washington Principles were defined and issued as non-binding recommendations for national governments, cultural institutions and the proverbial art market to follow and abide by as a “soft” means of raising awareness about the racially- and politically-motivated displacements of Jewish-held property, cultural and other, between 1933 and 1945, which provoked illegal transfers of title and ownership from Jewish to non-Jewish possessors. Since then, there have been countless lawsuits and judicial proceedings filed by Holocaust claimants and their families in different legal settings on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean to try and recover what they argued was rightfully theirs. At the same time, museums and auction houses were placed under closer scrutiny, not by regulatory overseers, but by lawmakers, Jewish officials, lawyers, historians, researchers, journalists and NGO’s, in how they presented the contents of their collections, especially those items that were transacted between 1933 and 1945. In the case of the two largest auction houses, Christie’s and Sotheby’s, their sales and consignment practices fell under the magnifying glass to screen the provenance of items offered for sale and ensure that they did not indicate possible mishandling during the Nazi years, which could lead to a possible claim to block the sale of the item in order to facilitate a restitution to an aggrieved owner.\n\nHow can open gaps in prove­nance be dealt with?\n\nWay too much ink has been spilled since the late 1990s on the subject of “provenance research.” Art historians and museum professionals had never encountered such pressure to explicitly describe and, many times, justify their recourse to “provenance research” in their daily practice as a means by which to ensure that the institution which they served was freed of any possible accusation of holding items which had been illegally displaced during the Nazi years and never returned to their rightful owners. One of the key issues motivating such research was “how to fill gaps” in the known ownership history of objects under their care or being offered for sale through auction houses or in other market venues. Filling a provenance gap has become a regular feature of provenance research, discussed at a plethora of conferences, symposia, and colloquia, organized both inside and outside academic circles in North America, Europe and even Asia. Researchers of all stripes and convictions have built part time or full time careers (as long as they work for defense lawyers and governments!) delving into the sinews of ownership trails to try and find crucial details that might fill up the spatio-temporal abyss known as “the gap.”\n\nHere we are, in 2018, contemplating yet another international conference to reminisce over the Washington Principles. At that conclave, participants will be asked to contemplate “how to deal with open gaps in provenances.” What exactly has happened since 1998, if it is not putting into place complex strategies on how to address those “gaps.” It is hard to imagine how this question is pertinent unless the organizers of the conference have not been keeping tabs with the evolution of the provenance research field, however quixotic it has been.\n\nWhat spec­trum is there for fair and just so­lu­tions?\n\nWashington Principle #8 states: \n\n“If the pre-War owners of art that is found to have been confiscated by the Nazis and not subsequently restituted, or their heirs, can be identified, steps should be taken expeditiously to achieve a just and fair solution, recognizing this may vary according to the facts and circumstances surrounding a specific case.” As stated in previous articles published on the plundered-art blog, the idea of “a just and fair solution” was not the brainchild of a Holocaust claimant seeking the physical return—restitution—of his/her lost property from the possessing institution, be it public or private.\n\nThe real question should be: have current possessors been fair and just to Holocaust claimants? Please explain your response, whether positive or negative.\n\n\nThe framers of the November Berlin conference on Washington Principles should make up their minds about the focus of their gathering. Is it about the future of the Washington Principles or is it about provenance research? Is it about assessing the merits and limitations of the Principles or is it about provenance research? Are they suggesting that provenance research lies at the root of restitution proceedings and “fair and just solutions”? If so, they should state this idea openly. In other words, they seem mighty confused about what they are trying to achieve in November 2018, as if twenty years have come and gone without them witnessing too much. One can grow impatient with such “innocent” questions raised almost in rhetorical fashion to stimulate a discussion which might not actually happen. If one wishes to delve deep into the vagaries and limitations imposed on provenance research by institutions subsidizing and acquiring such research, the discussion might soon become contentious. But contention is not a desired outcome, much as it unfolded at the Franco-German Bonn Conference of November 2017 on the wartime art market in France, where the fault lines on the financing of research in Germany by the Lost Art Foundation were exposed in a rather blunt manner. Do we want such a recurrence to take place in Berlin? I doubt it. If that is the case, the line of questioning should be altered and focused on the crucial issues facing provenance research—lack of funding, lack of focus, too much political meddling in the direction of the research.\n\nHow can [the] meth­ods [of provenance research] be used ad­e­quate­ly in ed­u­ca­tion and train­ing, in ex­hi­bi­tions and in mu­se­um com­mu­ni­ca­tion?\n\nThat’s a rather funny question because most museums—public and private—in Europe and North America oppose almost religiously any discussion of National Socialism, the Holocaust, the Second World War, Nazi expansionism, collaboration with the Nazis, as integral parts of the narrative to explain how these movements, trends, and events would have shaped the fate of objects in their collections. So instead of asking “innocently” how these methods can be used “in ed­u­ca­tion and train­ing, in ex­hi­bi­tions and in mu­se­um com­mu­ni­ca­tion”, perhaps the framers of the Berlin conference should provide a sober assessment to the participants as a starting point:\n\nThere is no education, there is very little provenance training, if any, there is no talk of the larger historical context in the presentation of ownership histories in exhibitions and in “museum communication”. Ask why that is, instead of pretending that there is training and education.\n\nWhat con­tri­bu­tion to a cul­ture of re­mem­brance can prove­nance re­search achieve?\n\nThis question is astounding in and of itself. It might subsume that restitutions and “fair and just solutions” combined will become obsolete and a thing of the past. Instead of focusing on justice, why not use the history of objects to engage in “remembrance” of lost lives, lost art, the Holocaust and all of its ugliness. Isn’t it better that way? Remembrance is the ticket out for many people to clear their conscience and feel that they are being morally and ethically correct in how they treat objects with dubious histories. Perhaps, we should just set aside the ugliness of the past and focus instead on the loss of human life, as perceived or hinted at through the history of objects with Holocaust-laden stories and interruptions.\n\nIt’s hard to fathom how, after twenty years, adult men and women who are supposed to be experts and who are respected for their wisdom and insights, who occupy positions of leadership in institutions that steer and foster research and education on the most complex, most heinous crime—genocide and its corollary, plunder—perpetrated by men and women against other men, women, and children, only because of what they were—Jews--, can propose a framework of discussion which suggests that not much has happened in the twenty years that elapsed since the Washington Conference on Holocaust Assets.\n\nI am tongue-tied.\n\nIn the mean time, the best advice that I can give is to hold a parallel conference that discusses the following themes:\n\n-Throw out the Washington Principles, rewrite them and adapt them to the realities of the 21st century;\n\n-Forget about “fair and just solutions”: they constitute a corporate welfare program for claimants, or how to buy out the claim without losing title to looted works in one’s collection.\n\n-Fund provenance research at much higher levels than they are currently,\n\n-Establish provenance research training programs on both sides of the Atlantic in order to train new generations of researchers, art historians into the finer aspects of contextual research that actually weaves the larger history into the history of displaced objects and inculcates critical thinking into their methodologies.\n\n-Learn how to tell stories that are meaningful and truthful, not spun and woven tales designed to make museums feel better about themselves.\n\nProvenance research can be challenging\n\nby Marc Masurovsky\n\nIn the two decades since the now-infamous Washington Conference on Holocaust-era Assets of December 1998 which produced the \"Washington Principles.\" many American museums were placed quite naturally on the defensive since they became the focal point of attention of lawmakers, Jewish organizations, an emerging motley group of art restitution experts, including attorneys, researchers, claimants and assorted historians and NGOs.\n\nIn the years following the issuance of the above-mentioned Principles, declarations of faith made by American museum associations--the then-American Association of Museums (AAM) and the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) to the effect that they had the \"Nazi-era\" provenance problem under control were rarely taken seriously, if at all. The specialized public associated either directly or indirectly with questions of art restitution and Holocaust-related thefts of Jewish-owned property, believed--rightly or wrongly--that a vast majority of museum professionals, including their curators, directors and trustees, held the view that whatever entered their collections was there to stay.  Moreover the threshold of evidence needed to consider returning an object was so high that no one on earth could rightfully claim to meet that standard. Hence, all was good in their minds; restitution would remain a dead letter. So they thought.\n\nSince the late 1990s, Holocaust victims and their heirs have challenged American cultural institutions by asking their representatives for the restitution of their families'  objects which they believed had been spoliated, plundered, misappropriated during the commission of an act of genocide. In response to those claims, museum professionals and their legal representatives have tried to show publicly their \"good faith\" in meeting these historic claims on a solid footing of historical and forensic inquiry leading to some kind of reasonable outcome even if it meant, in the extreme cases, that they would have to part ways with the claimed objects in their collections.\n\nIn that spirit, a number of American museums have gone out of their way to convince the public that the research is challenging. The act of documenting the historical path of these claimed objects for the purpose of unearthing misdeeds which would call into question the museum's ownership of these objects poses challenges.  Here are three examples:\nProvenance research can prove challenging as records may have been lost or destroyed in the upheaval of war. In addition, the passage of time and world events often make important information difficult to locate. Gaps in the provenance of a particular work may be attributable to different causes, from an owner's desire for anonymity to the unavailability of records of purchase and sale. Thus, incomplete provenance information does not necessarily mean that a work has been tainted by the events of the Nazi era. In addition, in some cases, a work may have been seized by the Nazis but later restituted to its original owners and subsequently donated or sold by them.\n\nStanford University\nThis research can be very complex and challenging due to a number of factors, including changes in the attribution and title; physical alteration of a work; the absence, loss, or destruction of transfer documents and other records; ambiguities in family histories; an owner’s desire for anonymity; societal and political upheaval; natural disasters; and poor record-keeping over time. Consequently, gaps in provenance are common and do not necessarily mean the object has a problematic past.\n\nWalters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD\n\nProvenance research is conducted by museum staff, fellows, and interns, and information generated by this work is continually added to individual object records. Although the museum seeks to verify and expand the provenance information associated with individual works of art in its collection, establishing a complete history of ownership can often prove challenging. The museum therefore encourages the sharing of information that might help to clarify the provenance of objects in its collection.\n\nAll I can say to the \"challenging\" nature of provenance research is: no kidding! \n\nAnd here we thought research had always been an integral part of a museum professional's daily tasks to do just that--research--before accepting an object as part of the institution's collection.\n\nLive and learn...\n\n23 May 2018\n\nTD 51072\n\nby Marc Masurovsky\n\nTreasury Directive TD 51072 was passed on June 8, 1944, two days after D-Day, under sections 3(a) and 5(b) of the Trade with the Enemy Act. Its aim was to restrict the importation into the US of any art object with a value exceeding 5000 dollars or is of artistic, historic and scholarly interest irrespective of monetary value.” The method of restriction was sequestration of objects falling under the aegis of the Directive. The Roberts Commission was charged with reviewing the documentation accompanying these sequestered objects and either approving or refusing their release under a license issued by Treasury.\n\nThe directive applied to any art object that had changed hands since March 12, 1938, two days after the absorption of Austria into the German Reich, known as the Anschluss. In other words, any art object subjected to “internal plunder” from 1933 to 1938, was exempted de facto from the Directive.\n\nFurther exemptions to the TD weakened its impact upon enactment.  For instance, objects imported from the United Kingdom and its dominions were exempted from TD 51072. Also, objects coming in from so-called neutral or non-belligerent countries were exempted from inspection at the US Border. However, importers were still required to file two separate forms, a TFE-1 (license to import) and FFC-168 (questionnaire) [FFC-Foreign Funds Control was the main investigative arm of the Treasury and the predecessor to the Office of Foreign Assets Control at the US Department of Treasury]. These forms were designed to shed light on the origin of the objects and the circumstances of their acquisition prior to their entry into the US.\n\nThe loophole created by the “artistic, historic or scholarly” value of the object meant that cultural objects viewed as “ordinary” might be allowed in without further ado. What the US authorities together with the museum professionals of the Roberts Commission did not realize is that the vast majority of art objects looted by the Axis fell under that category of “ordinariness.”\n\nThe impact of TD 51072 on cultural imports into the US was limited owing to these many exemptions. Also, the Roberts Commission worked hard to dilute its impact and eventually lobbied the Treasury to have the directive revoked on grounds that there was no evidence of loot entering the US. A note here: the Roberts commission would not have known how to identify a looted cultural or artistic object if if it was staring at them, as there were no exhaustive listings of what had been looted by the Axis at the time the Directive was enacted. The Roberts Commission succeeded in getting the TD 51072 revoked and, feeling that its work was done, voted itself out of existence in July 1946, confident that business as usual should resume post haste.\n\nWhy all the fuss about provenance research?\n\nby Marc Masurovsky\n\nUp until the mid-to late 1990s, provenance research remained within the province of trained art historians working in cultural institutions where art objects are cared for and displayed for the benefit of the public. The research aims to enhance the understanding of the object—its author, its physical attributes, the period in which it was produced, the reasons for its existence, and how it evolved over time and space.\n\nThis kind of research is an academic/intellectual exercise that helps ascertain the authenticity of an object and its place in the history of art, writ large.\n\nIt is not a requirement incumbent upon its practitioner. Provenance research is one of many duties that “come with the job.” If it does not get done, no one gets fired. More often than not, the information that is collected about the object does not enter the “public record” insofar as it is communicated to the general public. If it is communicated, that is left up to the discretion of the institution where the research is conducted.\n\nThen, the 1990s came and went, and, all of a sudden, “provenance research” became something else entirely.\n\nIf I had been working in a museum in the wake of the scandal surrounding the misuse of Swiss bank accounts owned by persons of Jewish descent who may or may not have perished during the Holocaust, I would have been rather oblivious to any debate about loot in general. Once the debate about the mishandling of “Jewish bank accounts” (I hate that expression!) transferred into the (mis)handling of art objects nestled in the permanent collections of countless museums both in North America and Europe, provenance research entered the spotlight front and center.\n\nIf I had been working in a museum at the time that the “Portrait of Wally” by Egon Schiele had been seized at the Museum of Modern Art of New York in early January 1998, I probably would have wondered: what is that all about? And I would have naturally sided with the then owners of the painting, the Leopold Foundation of Vienna, and the exhibitors, the Museum of Modern Art, wondering what Robert Morgenthau, then district attorney of Manhattan, had had for coffee on the day that he decided to order the New York Police Department to seize the painting.\n\nI would have done so because my training would have precluded me from even wondering if I should even worry about whether or not the institution that I served had actual title to the objects under my care and examination. Why should I have worried about title since I simply assumed that my institution was the rightful owner?\n\nThe right thing to do is to acknowledge that the beast that has become “provenance research” has been transformed from an innocuous art-historical practice into a tendentious, litigation-laced, means to an end: does the research into the origins of an object lead to the maintenance of that object in the collection that I help steward or does it lead to the de-accessioning of the object because of some historical wrong that broke the chain of ownership of the object, thus changing its status to “restitutable”?\n\nSince the seizure of “Portrait of Wally” in early January 1998, provenance research lost its innocence. Battle lines have been drawn between defendants upholding their rights to keep art objects under fire for being “looted”, on one side, and plaintiffs demanding the return of those art objects arguing that they were the rightful owners whose families had been despoiled for racial, ethnic, religious and other reasons at some point between 1933 and 1945 during the twelve year reign of the Nazi Party and as a result of the expansionist war decreed by Adolf Hitler and his minions against Europe’s “undesirables”-Jews, Slavs, Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals, emotionally and physically challenged individuals, and anyone else who was caught in the crosshairs of a continental-wide fit of man-made madness, verging on an apocalyptic nightmare worthy of any painting signed by Hieronymous Bosch.\n\nThere had been a glimmer of hope at the time of the so-called Washington Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets of November 30-December 3, 1998. Art was not supposed to be on the calendar of the conference. The seizure of the Schiele paintings (actually, two paintings had been seized at MoMA in early January 1998) changed the configuration of the planning for the Washington Conference. American policymakers were not pleased about the seizure because they argued that it had besmirched the bilateral relations of the United States with Austria. In so stating, the US government had sided against the claimants and had upheld Austria’s argument at the time that the entire flap over “Wally” was a private matter to be resolved between the claimants—heirs of Ruth Bondi-Jarai—and the Leopold Foundation, then owner of the seized paintings. Still, and this is for another installment, Morgenthau’s muscled intervention at MoMA triggered an existential debate inside Austrian political and cultural circles which forced Austria to reexamine its entire relationship with its past as it affected the illegal seizures of Jewish cultural property. The end result: the only restitution law in the world which mandates “provenance research” in all Federal public cultural institutions of the Republic of Austria.\n\nBegrudgingly, the US government and its many allies at the planning table for the Washington Conference inserted art as one of the many different types of looted assets whose fate needed to be deliberated on by the attending nations and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO). The Washington Conference produced the so-called non-binding “Washington Principles”—11 recommendations that have become de facto “policy” for lack of a better word in many nations that want to remove that cultural monkey off their backs.\n\nFor some, the Washington Conference was a success. For others, it was a dismal failure. For those who deemed it a success, the Conference provided a unique forum to get a sense of where the world stood as far as justice to Holocaust survivors was concerned. The principles notwithstanding, everyone went home thinking they had done God’s work for three days. Those who saw in the Conference a dismal failure balked at the so-called Principles as yet another diplomatic way out of taking full responsibility for not having done anything concrete to render justice to the victims of plunder while throwing a sop at museums, auction houses, and other privateers of the art market by reassuring them that, although provenance research was highly recommended to fill “unavoidable gaps” in the history of ownership of art objects under their care and stewardship, “fair and just solutions” ought to be sought in order to ensure a measure of justice for all. In the end, for the naysayers, the Washington Conference led to a massive failure of international public policy, thus creating a vacuum of power and decision-making over the fate of countless art objects whose newfound status in legal limbo—plundered or not? Restitutable or not?—had to be resolved not with legislation but through, oftentimes, vicious legal battles pitting museums’ hired guns against plaintiffs’ hired guns.\n\nThe search for justice over a massive crime of plunder tied to genocide has turned into an international legal slugfest. Instead of chasing airplane crash victims, it has become more profitable to seek out victims of plunder.\n\nSome frequently asked questions\n\nby Marc Masurovsky\n\na/ What is the total number of art objects claimed?\n\nOne should place the ultimate answer to this question in its proper context. By May 1945, somewhere between 15 and 20 million art objects of all sorts, from masterpieces to portraits of your favorite saints and relatives, had been misplaced due to civil unrest, persecution, war, genocide, and theft.\n\nOf those misplaced cultural objects, a small number fit the moniker of “culturally-significant” or “national treasure” or both, depending on who is defining those two very odd expressions. For the sake of the argument, let’s just say 1 to 5 per cent of the misplaced objects fit those categories, or 100,000 (lowest number) to 1 million (highest number). The rest fell into the general bucket of culturally not so significant or insignificant, again, depending on who is expounding on this odd categorization.\n\nPostwar Allied restitution policy ended up focusing on the 1 to 5 percent of objects lost or missing due to State-sponsored mischief between 1933 and 1945. For the rest, compensation schemes were foisted onto shell-shocked survivors and their kin due to an institutional absence of interest amongst postwar governments to aid those victims in locating and recovering their missing cultural property for reasons mentioned above. Many of the culturally significant objects and those earning the label of “national treasure” came from State collections plundered by the Axis or from private collections owned by rather wealthy individuals with close ties to State museums in countries dominated by the Axis. Those items received favored treatment in the eyes of the Allies and their representatives, referred to as “Monuments Men”.\n\nThe Allied powers’ prime directive was the rehabilitation of Europe (read that part of Europe not occupied or influenced by the Soviet Army and its government) especially as the incipient Cold War became a full-fledged game of geopolitical antipathy between former wartime allies.\n\nAs a consequence of the aforementioned factors and those tied to the inevitable human condition—people over property—most survivors did not file claims in the immediate postwar period and only did so after deadlines had passed and the only chance of recovering anything was close to 0.\n\nBy 1956, the US State Department had estimated that approximately several hundred thousand cultural objects of all kinds and shapes and value were still being claimed through its good offices by individuals from more than 30 nations.\n\nFrom the mid-1990s to today, since there is no concerted international effort to tally the total number of claimed objects that are registered as such with national governments, we can only guess that, perhaps, the figure is close to or in excess of the number declared by the State Department in 1956, since most of the claims were never satisfied.\n\nNations that are signatory to international compacts known as the Washington conference of 1998 and the Terezin Declaration of June 2009 should conduct a census of all outstanding cultural claims registered as of now in their care and publish those results for public consumption.\n\nb/ what is the total number of art objects restituted?\n\nHistorically, we only have repatriation figures from various postwar governments and official statistics regarding actual physical restitutions up to the early 1950s. Since then, there is very little public information that can be found about how many art objects were returned until the late 1990s.\n\nThose nations that have established restitution committees (the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Austria) have compiled figures regarding the number of objects that have been claimed through their auspices. But no statistics are tallied pertaining to the number of objects returned through direct negotiations with museums, auction houses, institutions, corporations, and private individuals.\n\nc/ what is the total value of art objects sold after restitution?\n\nThe only indication of value comes from press reports about items being auctioned after restitution. It can safely be assumed that the objects with an Austrian provenance—mostly oil paintings by Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele—have fetched the highest prices at auction following their restitution, mostly due to the infatuation by the upper tiers of the global art market for such works, regardless of their inherent and implicit esthetic value. Those works alone have fetched in toto more than half a billion dollars. It might be safe to conservatively estimate the total value of restituted objects at slightly more than a billion dollars since the late 1990s. But that figure needs to be carefully verified through an elaborate survey of the field of art restitution.\n\nd/ what is the total value of so-called “art restitution litigation?\n\nThis question is unfair and unjust but it does capture the collective imagination that impugns all sorts of evil motives to lawyers who seek opportunities wherever they can. We can only surmise how costly litigation efforts can be once we fuse the fees earned from seeking restitution and preventing restitution. Usually, fairly well-heeled law firms are recruited as outside counsel by museums in order to safeguard the integrity of their collections and rebuff attempts by claimants to assert their claims to title. On the plaintiffs’ side, there is an odd mix of solo practitioners and small and large firms involved in art restitution. All told, there are not more than 100 or so attorneys—yes, you read it!—who work on art restitution cases as an integral part of their legal practice if we combined North America, Europe and Israel. Since most plaintiffs cases are adopted on a contingency fee basis, usually 30 per cent, you should take the estimated value of restituted objects and divide that figure by three in order to get an idea on the estimated value of the litigation for plaintiffs’ lawyers. Likewise, for those lawyers defending their clients against outside claims, the fees can easily rise into the millions of dollars for each claimed object. Most of the claimed objects that are subject to intense years-long litigation hold values in excess of 1 million dollars.\n\nWhere does all of this leave the bewildered field of provenance research? You guessed it. The two main incentives underlying provenance research are to 1/ safeguard art objects which are part of a museum’s collection or that of an individual collector or 2/ obtain the restitution of such an art object.\n\nWhat does this mean in terms of the objective and empirical integrity of the research being conducted on the history of an object? How do these legal undertakings affect the very nature of provenance research as distinct from its initial intent as an art-historical practice?\n\nWhat is the future of provenance research and can it be salvaged as an objective, scientific field of inquiry?\n\nContextual analysis\n\nby Marc Masurovsky\n\nWhen looking at an object which is the subject of a claim, one has to know why it is “claimable.”\n\nIn other words, the chain of ownership was allegedly broken at some point in its history and the presumed rightful owner never recovered his/her property.\n\nA provenance might not reflect this particular incident whereby one owner loses control of his/her property/the object/through illicit means.\n\nAfter all, the history of the Third Reich is not contained in a provenance for an object that circulated during the 1930s in Nazi Germany, but anyone reading the provenance should be keenly aware of the historical events that occurred as backdrop to the change of ownership of an object and ask: did those events exert an influence on how this object changed hands?\n\nThat is one aspect of contextual analysis.\n\nIn this regard, we mean that an object’s history must be viewed in the larger context of events occurring at the time that it changes hands so that we can determine whether that change of ownership was licit or not.\n\nThere are also the familiar patterns of complex relations between the presumed owner and colleagues, friends, and business acquaintances alike, which might have weighed in some manner on the ownership trail of the object. In other words, when looking at an object’s history, one must also look at the environment in which the object “evolves.” That is another aspect of contextual analysis.\n\nWhen discussing forced sales or duress, whereby an individual has no other choice but to sell his property because of the degree to which this person is being exploited, abused, persecuted by representatives of institutions governed by principles that conflict with the owner’s ethos, identity, function and status in the society where he/she operates. The question here is to determine whether or not a forced sale took place. This is all about context. Here again, one has to understand the historical and societal pressures exerted upon the presumed owner of the object to determine whether he/she was in fact compelled to divest him/herself from property that otherwise would have remained unsold had conditions been different. Context and analysis of that context to flesh out the gaps or the spaces in a provenance between different listings of purported owners.\n\nBack to contextual analysis:\n\nBased on the above, can it ever be objective? After all, your forced sale might be my freedom to sell opportunity regardless of who is in power in Germany. What process would close the gap between those two divergent views? How much research would be needed to make a compelling argument for one or the other, but not both? In the Grosz v. MoMA case, inadequate research led to flawed outcomes. The same might be said for the Martha Nathan case against museums inToledo, Ohio and Detroit, Michigan,  and maybe even for the Claudia Seger case against the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, and the New Orleans Museum of Art.\n\nHow much contextual analysis is warranted in provenance research? As much as is required to make a reasonable determination of theft or of consent in the way that an object changes hands.\n\nProvenance research: what to do?\n\nby Marc Masurovsky\n\nThe fault lines around contrasting views and understandings of provenance research might appear to be subtle to the uninitiated but, in reality, the fissures are brought about as a result of the legal implications of provenance research.\n\nIn the view of this writer, a provenance is the history of ownership or possession of an object from the time of its creation to the present days. The older the object, the more likely it will be difficult to account for every movement and place where the object was situated once it left the studio of its maker. But as you all well know, even so-called modern works can have elusive provenances such as “private collection, Zurich”.\n\nThe contrast in approach, in my view, stems from the fact that one school, mostly articulated by museum professionals, which we will refer to as “traditional” is not necessarily interested in injecting economic, political and social history into the documentation of the fate of an object, especially as it pertains to the 1933-1945 period. For some strange reason, that entire period remains a taboo subject, difficult to express even in the literature that museums and galleries develop around the objects that they display. This same school also argues that one will never know exactly what happened to an object, maintaining that there is no concrete evidence that something “bad” happened to the owner of the object and, even it did, it might not have affected the legal title to that object. After all, the object might have been sold “legally” and we just don’t know about it. Hence we can never ascertain that the object was in fact misappropriated for racial or political reasons, and therefore should not be restituted to its purportedly rightful owner. This view remains the favorite weapon of individuals who work for those who are best described as the “current possessors” of the object being claimed, namely cultural institutions—public and private.\n\nThe other school to which this writer belongs argues that context plays a very important role in determining the fate of an object. One might call it the “organic” school, for lack of a better word. It argues that the object, the place where it is and the person in whose possession it is, represent the three cardinal points around which the history of the object is articulated against the matrix of history which evolves over time and space. Put simply, an object that changes hands in Munich, Germany, and which belonged to a person of the Jewish faith may be moving around for reasons compelled by the change of regime in Germany on January 30, 1933, thus signaling a potentially violent and illegal transfer of ownership after Hitler’s rise to power.\n\nA research training program takes on vastly different features if it follows the “organic” school or the “traditional” school that warrants that the actual fate of an object will never be exactly known, raising the possibility that there could be a document out there that could prove that nothing untoward occurred and the object changed hands legally even in the context of racial and political persecution and genocide.\n\nYou would be surprised, but this “traditional” school of thought has led to negative outcomes for claimants more often than not.\n\nWhen we think about establishing provenance research training programs in colleges and universities, we realize that some schools might adopt one or the other approach. A balanced program would offer both approaches to future practitioners, advising them of the pitfalls and benefits inherent to either approach.\n\nSome participants at the Columbia Conference were very adamant about promoting their own views of how provenance research should be conducted, whether “traditional” or “organic” which is a good thing because it gave those in attendance an opportunity to weigh both in their own minds.\nAny museum-guided provenance research training program will likely promote the “traditional” view that provenance research is first and foremost about documenting the itinerary of an object from creation to the present day, with history being relegated to a back seat.\n\nAny provenance research training program guided by the notion that it is essential for the provenance to document who the actual owner of the object is promotes the “organic” view and will assign greater weight to history and the environment in which the object evolved, beyond the narrow confines of conventional art history.\n\nThese contrasting views have become an integral part of the landscape of provenance research, influenced and skewed by decades of litigation and legal wrangling between current possessors—in most cases, museums and galleries—and claimants.\n\nThe geography of “traditional” vs. “organic”\nWhere do we find “traditional” views as opposed to “organic” views of provenance research?\nIn my view, the “traditional” approach is upheld in the hallowed halls of cultural institutions of a certain size located in large metropolitan centers. It can also be found among those who teach in museum studies programs and art history programs. One can even argue that the “traditional” view suffuses the curriculum of these academic programs that train future curators, art historians and other cultural professionals.\n\nThe “organic” view, strangely enough, finds its strongest advocates among archaeologists and cultural heritage specialists who take seriously the matrix from which objects are extracted. They are joined by those who research the fate and history of objects lost by claimants and their families. Some government officials, mostly in Europe, have eased their way into an “organic” view of provenance research, especially in the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria.\n\nThe future of provenance research\nThere is no game plan right now. The most important next step is to institute formalized academic offerings in colleges and universities that introduce students to both methodologies—“traditional” and “organic”—as well as in specialized workshops organized by non-profit organizations.\n\nThe now-extinct Prague-based European Shoah Legacy Institute (ESLI) offered a Provenance Research Training Program (PRTP) from 2012 to 2015 through a series of five workshops staged in five different cities—Magdeburg, Germany; Zagreb, Croatia; Vilnius, Lithuania; Athens, Greece; and Rome, Italy. Both approaches were offered to participants although most workshops tended to lean towards an “organic” view of provenance.\n\nBy contrast, the Washington-based American Alliance of Museums (AAM) and the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) have offered half-day and day-long seminars characterized as workshops in which they introduced curators, librarians, archivists and art historians to the mechanics of working with objects and documenting their history. These programs fit into the “traditional” mold and will likely continue. Likewise, the Smithsonian Museums appear to be thinking about developing some kind of “traditional” provenance research training program of their own.\n\nProposals abound about how to produce a more structured approach to training. Some efforts are taking shape in France. Provenance research is now being introduced to universities in select cities—Angers and Paris. The Free University of Berlin continues to offer a curriculum on “degenerate art” which tends to steer away from controversy and thus finds comfort in a more “traditional” approach to provenance research. This is perhaps due to the fact that funding comes from the government. On the other hand, in Munich, the Zentral Institut für Kunstgeschichte (Central Institute for Art History) promotes through its research projects a more “organic” vision of provenance research that gives extra weight to the mechanics of the Third Reich, the relationships of power and interest between various groups in the art world, into the understanding of an object’s pathway through the 1933-1945 period. These relationships and “interests” , it is argued, shape the fate of the object.\n\nThere is talk about asking the European Union to establish a Europe-wide entity with EU funds that would coordinate research into the history of objects under review for possible taint of looting or misappropriation. The idea makes eminent sense since national governments have skirted the issue rather successfully for the past 70 years. It might just require such a supranational effort to compel provenance research and training of practitioners. For such an effort to even get off the ground, entities and individuals with an “interest” in these matters of restitution, looted art, provenance research, will have to work together, coalesce their strengths and assets in order to lobby successfully for the creation of a funded unit at the EU level.\n\nAnd still others argue that the only way to provide training is through some sort of international association of provenance researchers. According to this position, this association (which does not yet exist) will be responsible for coordinating at the national and international level all activities pertaining to provenance research and training. For this to happen, national chapters have to be established and more importantly, a clear definition of provenance research has to be adopted. If we follow this duality of “traditional” vs. “organic”, will the association try and reconcile these two approaches or will it favor one over the other? Who will make that determination? Without a clear understanding of what provenance research is, how can such an association see the light of day?\n\nMaybe several associations are required if the two approaches cannot be reconciled. That might not be the worst thing to do. The only organization of provenance researchers that exist today is in Germany, the Arbeitsstelle für Provenienzforschung (AfP) and includes mostly German researchers who are for the most part working for municipal, regional or federal museums and cultural institutions. Expand this idea and we are talking about fundamental different outcomes and approaches shaped by the employer. In most of Europe, the employer is the government. In the United States, the main employer is a private non-profit or profit-making cultural institution, with the exception of municipal, State and Federal museums. Hence, an international association would become a cacophony of conflicting interests, because some researchers would be government civil servants, others would be working for the private art market, while others would be working for claimants and advocacy groups.\n\nDefine your terms\n\nBefore anything concrete can happen to transform provenance research into an internationally-recognized profession with its requirements, methods and approaches, its licensure procedures, we all must be clear about exactly what provenance research really is, and how it is practiced. Failing that, there is nothing to talk about. Instead of an association and its bureaucratic pitfalls, let’s instead establish a strong global network of individuals and entities interested in the history of ownership of artistic, cultural and ritual objects, a network that would be inclusive and not exclusive, one with a maximalist understanding of the idea of research. That approach might help shape the contours of a generic definition of provenance research on which everyone could agree without feeling as if they betrayed their principles and ideals.\n\n22 May 2018\n\nProvenance is a landscape\n\nby Marc Masurovsky\n\nProvenance is a landscape where every gap is like a gorge that one crosses on a bamboo bridge. Every stretch of time left unexplained is like a desert or a forest that one crosses seemingly without end.\n\nIt is the perfect post-modern expression of a history made of fragments of time, place and humanity, and we have to make sense of it.\n\nIf provenance is a legal document, it is woefully lacking.\n\nIf it is a security questionnaire, It becomes an open invitation to a tight interrogation.\n\nHayden White would feel right at home with a provenance because it exemplifies that tired motto: history is fiction.\n\nProvenance is supposed to explain the history of an object. The basic components are time, place and people. Sometimes you have more people than places but no time markers.\n\nSometimes, a provenance will be like a ground hog poking its head up for a brief moment.\n\nHi, my name is John Smith and I owned a painting by Hans Holbein in 1969 and I won't tell where I bought it, so there. Sure enough, it disappears in its hole and you're left with a ground hog's view of history.\n\nInnocence and truth\n\nby Marc Masurovsky\n\nWe are socialized from an early age to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. We are told, at least in the United States, that we are innocent until proven guilty, even if we were caught with the blood-soaked knife in our right hand and the unlit stick of dynamite in the left hand, several hundred thousand dollars of crispy cash in one hundred dollar denominations heaped in a pile in the corner. Innocent until proven guilty. Tell the truth, nothing but the truth, so help you God.\n\nIf we are told to tell the truth, we learn that the lie, which is the opposite of the truth, is a bad thing. If we lie, that is, if we do not tell the truth as it is, it makes us into bad people, into liars, and we deserve whatever gets thrown at us by our parents, our friends, and/or total strangers in a position of authority. We will go to hell, no questions asked. We should not do business with people who lie. They should be marginalized, ostracized, condemned for what they are—liars.\n\nIf people lie, does that mean that they are dishonest? Can you be an honest businessman and lie at the same time? Does it depend on who you lie to and what you lie about? Are you a liar if you tell only one lie? Or can you tell one lie a month and still not be viewed as a liar? Or one a year? Or one a week? Can you be dishonest once or twice a year and still be considered to be honest?\n\nCan you be in business and tell the truth no matter what? Can you stay in business and tell the truth? What does it really mean to tell the truth? There are so many people who say: “well, I told a small lie today. Nothing much. No one got hurt.” Or someone confesses: “That was a white lie, actually.” A white lie? And what’s a black lie? Or a red lie? One can only infer that the “white lie” is on par with the small lie, it is of no consequence. No one gets hurt. We’re cool, right?\n\nIs an inflated story a lie if it does not reflect accurately the facts as they unfolded? If you overrate the value of an object, are you lying about the object’s true value? Since value, for the most part, is subjective, is inflation or deflation a lie because it is inaccurate? Is the inaccuracy a deliberate part of a negotiating strategy to either buy or sell or exchange an asset? If so, does that make you, the inflator or deflator, a liar, a dishonest person? Should I continue to do business with you?\n\nIf you attribute a painting, a drawing, a print, a sculpture, a piece of furniture, to an artist who is not the actual artist and you do so knowingly? In other words, you “mis-represented” the authorship of the object. Is a deliberate, thought-out, calculated “mis-representation” as bad as a lie? After all, you chose not to tell the truth about the object. Does that make you a dishonest person or a clever negotiator or salesperson? Is the art of the deal anchored in calculated misrepresentations, small lies, white lies?\n\nWhat about the professional relationships between dealers, collectors, galleries, museums and their clients, the artists they represent, the brokers with whom they must deal, the curators and experts who are “in between” somewhere in the transaction, the endless parade of support staff, donors, investors, specialists, historians, and other experts? Are they all telling the truth? Or are they all engaging in a massive cornucopia of white lies, small lies, unaccountable “honest mistakes” quickly patched with a self-flagellating [well-calculated] self-mortifying tweet that same afternoon or the next morning—early!—and accompanying selfie, hinting that forgiveness is in order until the next mishap occurs? If everyone involved in the art trade commits such mishaps, is that person shunned, excluded, treated as a pariah, unreliable, lacking all credibility? If so, no one might be left standing in the art market. It might actually implode from an acute attack of truth telling.\n\nBusiness as usual\n\nby Marc Masurovsky\n\nThe twenty-year old discussion about Nazi looted art and restitution tends to skirt a fundamental point: how was it able to happen? And most importantly, how were its fruits internationalized and monetized on a global scale?\n\nIn the interwar years, many paths led to New York, the emerging global center of attraction for artists, bankers, industrialists and intellectuals, including those who were anxious to start a new life away from the Nazi madding crowd.\n\nIf one looks at art as a business, then one can understand that the rise to power of Hitler on January 30, 1933, did not put an abrupt end to business relations between Germans and their counterparts outside the nascent Third Reich. In fact, it was business as usual. Many scholars have already covered this ground, but have been shy to point out that the Nazi plan against its perceived enemies, especially the Jewish community of the Reich and ultimately of continental Europe, was grounded in economic motivations as much as it was rooted in age-old anti-Semitic stereotypes and myths of alleged Jewish evil and malfeasance towards civil society and its institutions, even going as far as accusing Jews of holding the Zeitgeist of the nation hostage to their supposed base needs.\n\nThat said, the art world continued to function as before January 1933, except for the inevitable casualties of business under the Nazis, who enforced interdictions against artists and intellectuals and their supporters in the cultural and financial spheres. The attack against so-called degenerate art, objectionable forms of expression, forced the disgorgement of thousands of works and objects onto the private art market, followed by the purging of such banned pieces from German state museums and their sale inside and outside the Reich. The international community responded with its checkbook and began acquiring at bargain basement prices, works which had not been so easily available during the Weimar period.\n\nThe Nazis understood the financial power of art as a pendant to their attack on Kultur which eventually extended across Europe.\nLet’s take a look at the economic infrastructure through which art flows—companies, banks, middlemen—because art is also an investment. Dealers and collectors alike are intrinsically connected to the financial and commercial interests of a nation, as well as its civil servants who rationalize and organize policy to enable economic growth, trade and financial investments both inside the Reich and abroad. Germany is a net exporting country as a consequence of the Versailles Treaty, forced to rely on foreign subsidiaries to generate markets so as to ensure its survival. The interwar era of global cartels brought financiers and industrialists of all major countries together at the table, as well as institutions such as the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), whose members were instrumental in reshaping the financial map of the world, and helping to seal the fate of countries like Czechoslovakia. Should it come as no surprise that art travels with these businessmen, becomes a source of investment, serves as collateral, money is borrowed to acquire art as much as assets are leveraged to ensure transactions which have nothing to do with art.\n\nIn sum, the domestic plunder of German citizens and their art collections finds natural outlets in and through networks of affiliation long ago established and strengthened across the international corporate community. The appeal of specific styles by conservative elites—from antiquities to medieval and old masters all the way to the 18thand early 19thcenturies—act as a pump for art dealers with ready access to those works being funneled into the market by desperate people seeking quick cash to subsist and/or to fund emergency trips into exile and to safe havens.\n\nThe evidence is compelling that, from the first forced sales of summer 1933 in Berlin, buyers were in attendance from neighboring countries and far-flung ones—Great Britain and even the United States. The incidental business tourists who happened to find themselves in Nazi Germany with some disposable cash frequented auction houses where Jewish-owned property was being sold. These items in turn were repatriated back to their native countries to be included into their places of business and residence.\n\nHence, from the mid-1930s, looted cultural property is flowing outward following long-established networks of trade and kinship ties between foreign clients and their German dealers and middlemen.\n\nThe same scenario is repeated even more brutally following the March 1938 Anschluss of Austria with American investment banks like Goldman Sachs advising its clients to buy up devalued property ensnared in Aryanization procedures. Let’s not be naïve, as there are hundreds of Allied companies operating subsidiaries in the Greater German Reich with which they are not yet at war. Normal business relations continue unimpeded, these subsidiaries allow their boards to be aryanized by transferring out their Jewish cadres in order to appease the New Order.\n\nThese accommodations with authoritarian governments began long before Hitler came to power. Indeed, since 1922, Benito Mussolini ruled Italy with an iron fist, which appealed to many foreign businessmen who preferred to have some sense of order that would maintain social peace in their Italian subsidiaries. Moreover, European and American dealers traveled to and from Italy every year throughout the 1920s and 1930s to conduct business, exchange or acquire works of art, organize and borrow exhibits for display in their homelands. Hence, Fascism and later on Nazism did not create moral and ethical qualms for Europeans and American citizens as they pursued business opportunities with authoritarian, racist, racialist governments.\n\nSo, when we discuss how on earth did objects looted during the early years of the Third Reich ever manage to enter Western European and American collections, one should not look too far and too deep for an answer to that question. The same reasoning applied to the sale and exchange of other commodities. For instance, the Leipzig Trade fair attracted American buyers up until the late 1930s, even though trade associations in the United States expressed some concerns over the probity of maintaining commercial relations with companies in the Reich that discriminated against their Jewish employees and which had absorbed Jewish businesses through aryanizations, selling the aryanized property to foreign buyers.\n\nAlso, the international gold trade had been mired in some controversy after the Anschluss and the invasion of Czechoslovakia with the blessings of France and Great Britain, the gold reserves of both countries having been absorbed by the Reich, and their contents used on international markets to acquire badly needed foreign currencies. The US Treasury became aware of these movements of gold but were unable to prevent those bars from entering the US gold reserves on account of a fundamentalist approach to the international gold market. Nothing should be done to disrupt the inflow and outflow of gold because the dollar’s value was pegged to a fixed value of gold. Hence, any political disruption of the international gold matket rooted in discrimination against gold provided by the Reich as collateral to purchase foreign currencies was prohibited, unless the US wanted to destabilize the dollar’s value and therefore endanger the economic recovery of the US in the years following the Great Depression.\n\nThe international art trade mirrored closely the way in which international business relations were conducted between the future Allied and Axis countries. Provenance of goods and services was never held to account as a prerequisite for conducting business. Hence, the desire to question the origin of the goods and services was rarely raised and even when it was, could not be invoked as a reason not to conduct business with a German or Italian entity or individual. One would have to wait for a state of war to exist between the US, Great Britain and the Axis powers to restrict trade relations, including the international movement of art objects.\n\nBut, as we all know, where there’s a will, there’s a way.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6617173552513123}
{"content": "Organization fit\n\nXem 1-20 trên 53 kết quả Organization fit\n  • The past twenty-five years have been witness to celebration of all things organizational in organization and management research. Profound changes in both the global economy and information technology produced new organizational forms and pushed us to focus on competitiveness and wealth creation. To be sure, anyone who set foot in an organization knew that people matter, but our scholarly attention was diverted.\n\n    pdf465p kimngan_1 04-11-2012 36 13   Download\n\n  • Chapter 3 - Water and the fitness of the environment. This chapter describes the structure of the water molecule and explores the many ways that polar covalent bonds and hydrogen bonds among water molecules affect organisms and their interactions with their environments. In addition, this chapter discusses topics including concentrations of solutions, hydrogen ion concentration (pH), and buffer solutions.\n\n    ppt22p nomoney10 04-05-2017 5 3   Download\n\n  • Does this mean that differences in genetic diversity levels will have predictable ecological consequences? The answer is no, because only one portion of genetic diversity is connected to ecological factors, i.e. adaptation. Ecological adaptation is a significant factor for example, in range expansion of plant species. Plants with different genotypes conferring the highest levels of fitness are expected to survive and reproduce better, shifting the gene pool over time towards higher frequencies of the alleles making up the more successful genotypes (Ward et al., 2008).\n\n    pdf374p conquynho32 18-09-2012 53 11   Download\n\n  • The literature on aesthetic labour provides some definitions. Martin describes aesthetic labour as ‘the requirement to have the management-determined mix of appearance, age, weight, class, and accent characteristics.’(2001, 106). He cites the work from Strathclyde University with ‘a hotel seeking to project a total image concept, with the hotel building representing the hardware and the staff the software’ (2001, 106). He remarks further that staff are expected to mould themselves into the required characteristics.\n\n    pdf10p giamdocamnhac 06-04-2013 29 6   Download\n\n  • A recent report by Drexel University [Eisenstein et al., 2003b] addresses the complex issue of life safety systems tied into the BCS—a scenario that does not fit well with the scenarios presented above. Presently all life safety systems (fire) are in parallel to the HVAC and other elements of the BCS, with separate wiring and only connections at the highest controller level to allow the BCS to get status information.\n\n    pdf17p khongmuonnghe 04-01-2013 19 5   Download\n\n  • Your lender is be a valuable part of your investment team. Home mortgage consultants should be trained to interview you in a way that gets them a clear understanding of your goals, so they can make recommendations that help you further your wealth-building potential. Working together, they can help you explore your options and tailor solutions to meet your individual investment criteria. You can fund your investment in a number of ways, so it’s important to understand all your options and select the one that best suits your budget needs and financial goals.\n\n    pdf0p quaivatxanh 01-12-2012 29 4   Download\n\n  • Modern office chair design has solved many of the problems of fitting a wide range of different sized people by providing convenient adjustments. The ranges of adjustments should be checked to ensure that they cater as much as possible for the ethnic mix in the workforce involved. For example, to ensure that all people can obtain good back support, the backrest must be sufficiently adjustable in the fore and aft direction. This changes the effective depth of the seat which should be no greater than the buttock to popliteal length. The backrest height should also be...\n\n    pdf154p dacotaikhoan 25-04-2013 22 4   Download\n\n  • Exercise Physiology for Health, Fitness, and Performance, Second Edition, reprinted by LWW, integrates basic exercise physiology with research studies to stimulate learning, allowing readers to apply principles in the widest variety of exercise and sport science careers. It combines basic exercise physiology with special applications and contains flexible organization of independent units, so instructors can teach according to their own approach.\n\n    pdf0p crius75 02-01-2013 58 3   Download\n\n  • In the airport’s new rest lounge on the first floor of Terminal 2, twenty or so durable easy chairs have been set up. They were designed by Thomas Alken and occupational therapist Merete Labriola and produced by Hansen and Sørensen A/S. Their name is Take Off. The most ingenious feature of the chair is that no matter what your height or bulk, you sit so comfortably that you cannot help but rest for a while, or even take a nap, before you continue your journey. The chair is fitted with wings that give a feeling of privacy even when in the midst of other resting travellers.\n\n    pdf31p dangsuynghi 27-03-2013 26 3   Download\n\n  • In this chapter, students will be able to understand: How behaviors are the result of natural selection, how innate and learned behaviors increase survival and reproductive fitness, how organisms use communication to increase fitness, the role of altruism and inclusive fitness in kin selection.\n\n    ppt38p nomoney10 04-05-2017 8 3   Download\n\n  • The complexity of the volatile organic compound (VOC) mixture in the Houston area makes studies of the air quality in that area very challenging. In this paper, a novel factor analysis model, where the normal chemical mass balance model was augmented by a parallel equation that accounted for wind speed and direction, temperature, and weekend/weekday effects, was fitted with a multilinear engine (ME) to provide identification and apportionment of the VOC sources at the La Porte Municipal Airport site in Houston during the Texas Air Quality Study (TexAQS) 2000.\n\n    pdf10p cao_can 02-01-2013 28 2   Download\n\n  • In this chapter, you should be able to: Explain why the majority of point mutations are harmless; explain how sexual recombination generates genetic variability; define the terms population, species, gene pool, relative fitness, and neutral variation; list the five conditions of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.\n\n    ppt36p nomoney10 04-05-2017 4 2   Download\n\n  • Chapter 3 - Water and the fitness of the environment. After reading this chapter and attending lecture, the student should be able to: Describe how water contributes to the fitness of the environment to support life; describe the structure and geometry of a water molecule, and explain what properties emerge as a result of this structure; explain the relationship between the polar nature of water and its ability to form hydrogen bonds;...\n\n    ppt46p nomoney11 04-05-2017 7 2   Download\n\n  • Chapter 8 - Membrane stucture and function. This chapter presents the following content: Membrane models have evolved to fit new data, membranes are fluid, membranes are mosaics of structure and function, membrane carbohydrates are important for cell-cell recognition.\n\n    ppt64p nomoney11 04-05-2017 4 2   Download\n\n  • All PPE clothing and equipment should be of safe design and construction, and should be maintained in a clean and reliable fashion. Employers should take the fit and comfort of PPE into con- sideration when selecting appropriate items for their workplace. PPE that fits well and is comfortable to wear will encourage employee use of PPE. Most protective devices are available in multiple sizes and care should be taken to select the proper size for each employee. If several different types of PPE are worn together, make sure they are compatible.\n\n    pdf68p dacotaikhoan 25-04-2013 19 1   Download\n\n  • Chapter 23 - The evolution of populations. In this chapter, you should be able to: Explain why the majority of point mutations are harmless; explain how sexual recombination generates genetic variability; define the terms population, species, gene pool, relative fitness, and neutral variation; list the five conditions of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium;...\n\n    ppt43p tangtuy02 08-03-2016 14 1   Download\n\n  • After reading this chapter, you will be able to answer the following questions: What are express warranties? What is the implied warranty of title? What is the implied warranty of merchantability? What is the implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose? Do warranties apply to third parties? Can warranties be disclaimed?\n\n    ppt12p trueorfalse9 04-10-2017 4 1   Download\n\n  • Recent events make this report both timely and urgent. They have dramatically underscored the importance of an effective, comprehensive health information infrastructure that links all health decisionmakers, including the public. Based on public hearings about the NHII, the Committee has determined that Federal leadership, under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is the most important missing ingredient that could accelerate and coordinate progress on the NHII.\n\n    pdf16p quygia123 06-11-2012 21 0   Download\n\n  • As U.S. Surgeon General and Chair of the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council (National Prevention Council), I am honored to present the nation’s first ever National Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy (National Prevention Strategy). This strategy is a critical component of the Affordable Care Act, and it provides an opportunity for us to become a more healthy and fit nation. The National Prevention Council comprises 17 heads of departments, agencies, and offices across the Federal government who are committed to promoting prevention and wellness.\n\n    pdf22p quynho77 10-11-2012 18 0   Download\n\n  • In this important resource, 30 real, winning scholarship essays are analyzed, revealing what makes them successful and how they fit the judges' criteria. Essays and interviews are the two components of scholarship competition that often determine the award's recipient, yet most books on scholarships simply provide a directory of awards. This book includes sample interview questions and answers, along with strategies to help students overcome nervousness and be more prepared.\n\n    pdf26p meomeo_1669 04-02-2012 127 43   Download\n\n\nĐồng bộ tài khoản", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.78091961145401}
{"content": "[Advaita-l] Saakshii-Jiiva-Iswara Analysis - V\n\nkuntimaddi sadananda kuntimaddisada at yahoo.com\nSun Mar 17 10:49:58 CDT 2013\n\nAnalysis of\nSaakshii, Jiiva And Iswara\nBased on\nVichaarasaagara of Nischaladaasa - V\nNischaladaasa says\nwhen ahankaara is included in - I am -it is called visheshaNa chaitanya and\nwhen ahankaara is excluded in –I am- it is called saamaanya chaitanyam or\nupahita chaitanyam i.e upAdhi sahita chaitanyam also called saakshii.\nTechnically we can say that ‘ahankaara vishiShTa aatmaa is jiiva’ – a qualified\nor particularized consciousness; and ahankaara upahita chaitanya, conditioned\nnon-specific consciousness, is saakshii. Thus one and the same mixture is\ncalled jiiva or saakshii depending on the discriminative knowledge. \nTaking the example\nof full-moon in the night, both ignorant and wise men experience the moon and\nthe moonlight. Because of that moonlight only both experience moon as well as\nperceive the objects on the earth that are illumined by the moonlight. Luminous\nmoon is a mixture of moon and the sunlight. An informed or knowledgeable person\nlooks at the shining moon, excludes the moon and recognizes that what he sees\nis the light reflected by the moon and the light that he sees in the form of a\nmoon is the sunlight. Form or upAdhi is provided by the moon but what he sees as\nthe moon form is the reflected sunlight only. Sunlight itself does not have any\nform of its own but takes the form of the moon when it is reflected by the\nmoon. For this informed person moonlight is upahita chandraH – that is, the\nlimited non-luminous moon (upAdhi) has become luminous in the moon-form due to\nthe sunlight. For an ignorant person the moon is a luminous entity (vishiShTa\nchadraH) in the sky, by whose light, moon and the objects on the earth are\nvisible during full-moon night. There is only one moon, but perceived\ndifferently by the informed and the uninformed persons. Looking at the other\nplants in the sky which are illumined similarly are recognized as luminous\nobjects. An informed person recognizes that there is only one light i.e.\nsunlight that is pervading and illuming all these non-luminous bodies in the\nsky. The objects reflecting the sunlight are different but what is being\nreflected is the same sunlight.  The\nuninformed person on the other hand says there are several luminous bodies in\nthe sky each with their own ahankaara or luminosities. In this example,\nsaakshii is similar to the sunlight and is only one but illumining several\nnon-luminous bodies in the sky, and in the process making them appear as\nluminous entities. Each is getting illumined depending on their capacities or\nupaadhis that differ in size and shape some with own their moons. \nAnother most\nimportant also to note is that without these objects reflecting the sunlight,\nthe presence of sunlight cannot be recognized, even though it is there. Exactly\nthe same analogy holds good for aatma and ahankaara or anaatma. The\nall-pervading consciousness gets reflected wherever a subtle body is there.\nLocal minds get enlivened by reflecting the light of consciousness. The absence\nof reflecting medium does not mean the absence of light of consciousness as in\nthe deep sleep state. If the reflecting medium is dirty or covered by smoke\nthen the reflection is also of poor quality. Quality or the attributes of the\nreflecting media have nothing to do with the all-pervading light of\nconsciousness. Minds are known only when the consciousness illumines the mind\njust as moon is known only when the sunlight gets reflected by it. In addition\none can know the objects of the world via the sense organs and the mind only\nwhen the reflected light from the mind falls on the thoughts or vRittis that\narise when knowledge of the objects talks place in the waking and dream worlds.\nIt is similar to one seeing the objects on the earth when moon light falls on\nthe objects. When I see the objects in the moon-light what I am seeing the\nmoonlight reflected by the objects. However moonlight is nothing but sunlight\nwhich was first reflected by the moon. Same analogy applies in understanding\nthe saakshii and ahankaara. \nThe all-pervading\nlight of consciousness first gets reflected by the mind as chidaabhaasa and\nthis reflected light falls on the thoughts and get reflected back to the mind\nforming the knowledge of the thoughts. The first reflected light of\nconsciousness and the second re-reflected consciousness from the thoughts\nconstitute notion of subject thought and the object thought – aham vRitti and\nidam vRitti. Both subject and object duality notion arises in the mind only\nwhen the all-pervading consciousness first reflected as chidaabhaasa and then light\nfrom chidaabhaasa gets further reflected by the object thoughts back to the\nmind. All the objective knowledge talks place via this process. Although there\nis only one all-pervading light of consciousness that is getting reflected\nfirst by the mind and next by the thoughts, a notion that one is subject and\nthe others are object thoughts is developed due to jiiva paying more attention\nto the reflecting media than to the consciousness that is getting reflected. In\na way, it is similar to seeing the moon and the seeing the objects in the\nmoonlight. In both cases, there is only one sunlight that is being seen. When\nwe see the moon as luminous entity and then see the objects on the earth when\nthey are illuminated by the moonlight, we ignore the sunlight and consider that\nthe moon is shining and in its light objects are seen. An informed person\nrecognizes that it is sunlight that one is seeing while seeing both the moon\nand the objects on the earth due to the moonlight. Meditation is intellectually\nignoring the media of reflections (moon and the objects) and paying attention\nto the sunlight that is getting reflected during the full-moon night.  Similarly Vedantic meditation is to shift the\nattention of the mind to the light of consciousness that I am that illumines\nthe mind and the objects that are being perceived or known via the mind and\nsenses. Hence, Kena Up. says consciousness is revealed in every perception –\npratibhoda viditam matam. \nWe take some brake\nbefore we post the other parts.\nHari Om!\n\nMore information about the Advaita-l mailing list", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6813787221908569}
{"content": "Albrecht Dürer, ‘Christ on the Mount of Olives, from: The Engraved Passion (B., M., Holl. 4; S.M.S. 46)’, 1508, Christie's Old Masters\n\nEngraving with watercolour and bodycolour heightened with gold, 1508, trimmed to the subject and mounted on vellum, exquisitely handcoloured by Georg Mack around 1588 and initialled GM in gilt, the vellum border recto decorated with a scroll of flowers and berries, insects, a snake, a snail, a bird and two rabbits, verso with a German manuscript text in brown ink and gilt relating to the birth of Christ, the border decorated with a scroll of flowers and multicoloured leaves and various birds, window-mounted on modern laid paper, a short tear in the upper right border, thinly backed, otherwise in very good condition, framed.\n\nBaltimore, The Baltimore Museum of Art, Painted Prints - The Revelation of Colour in Northern European Renaissance & Baroque Engravings, Etchings and Woodcuts, 2002-2003, no. 46 (ill.).\n\nIn the late 16th century, over fifty years after the Dürer's death, there was a renewed interest in the artist and his work - a period subsequently known as the 'Dürer Renaissance'. As the supply of paintings and drawings was necessarily limited demand was partially satisfied by the creation of hand colored engravings and woodcuts, approximating the appearance of painted miniatures.\n\nIn the first half of the 16th Century there were two distinct professional groups; the Illuministen, painters of miniatures and illuminated manuscripts and the Briefmaler, literally 'letter painters' who created coats of arms, playing cards and all manner of illustrated documents. However due to the rise of the printed book the demand for illuminated manuscripts diminished and the two professions - although still termed separately - gradually began to merge.\n\nThe Mack family - Hans, Georg the Elder and Georg the Younger - were among the most active and important Illuministen and Briefmaler in Nuremberg in the late 16th and early 17th Centuries. Their creations were much in demand, and a 1581 Nuremburg Court record gives some idea just how sought after their work was: 'Georg Mack (the Elder), Illuminist, because of his disobedience and delayed completion of a piece of artwork belonging to the Prince-Elector of the Palatine is to be taken to a tower, the work brought to him and completed there, and when it is done, interrogate him.' That such an important patron thought it worthwhile to pursue Mack through the courts gives some idea as to the magnitude of his reputation.\n\nAbout Albrecht Dürer\n\n\n\nAbout Georg Mack the Elder\n\nGerman, Active circa 1556 - 1601, based in Nuremberg, Germany\n\nGroup Shows", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8486462831497192}
{"content": "He’s Back Across the Pond, but $cotland Yard is Still Edifying Cypher League on UK MC Culture\n\n\nIt’s self-evident that UK hip hop is a derivative of US hip hop yet there are also important nuances to their relationship, such as those discussed in Part 1, which emerge on closer inspection. The bulk of the iceberg that is UK urban music, however, is a strange and multi-faceted creature whose origins can be traced back not only to Afro-Caribbean roots but also the boom of popular electronic sounds coming out of the House and Techno music scenes of Chicago and Detroit in the late 80s and early 90s. Before broaching the electronic evolution of these sounds post-1990, it is important to bridge the cultural gap between the West Indies and England, detailing the historical context of these developments.\n\nThe influence of sound system culture and its prevalence in British music takes a bearing from as far back as the 1950s, when Ska had emerged in Jamaica as the island’s popular musical evolution of its native carnival sounds of Calypso. Ska combined its predecessor’s Mento foundations with the Rhythm n Blues coming from America to create a similarly exciting craze which filled the dancehalls of its time. The onomatopoeic name is rumoured to have come from the syncopated scat guitar; the other characteristics being a 4/4 drum beat with a snare on the 3rd beat (lending to the ‘step’ effect) which is accompanied by trumpets and a prominent bass line, all found in much of Jamaica’s music and passed on to the genres which will be discussed herein.\n\nThe dancing in the video below aptly anticipates the Skank, already emphasising the movement of the upper body and the stepping movement of the feet, so characteristic of future genres in the legacy of Jamaican and later urban UK music.\n\n\nShort of having a live band on call to play the dancehall, as was often the case in the ghettos of Jamaican towns, a Sound System was used. In fact, by the mid-50s street parties were more commonly assembled around a system than a live band. A system party was a hugely enjoyable and inexpensive way to spend an evening. Dancing proved a competitive way for young people to build reputation amongst their peers and catch the attention of the opposite sex. The selector turned a decent profit for the facility provided and would gain popularity relative to his competitors by playing the freshest material, much the same dynamic evident in today’s selection circles. As tastes moved toward locally recorded sounds and self-produced ‘exclusives’ or ‘dub plates’, supply lines grew stronger and the competition between DJs to dominate the scene more frantic with frequent sound clashes between systems and their MC hype men in order to determine the champion. These MCs were called Toasters and they provided a commentary for the tunes being run – this might be considered the first example in musical history of spoken word complimenting an instrumental.\n\n\nGiven that these parties were often the only way for poorer communities to hear new musics, there was arguably a lot at stake for all involved, be you behind the decks or skanking out in the dance. This sense of opportunity attracted young provocateurs, nicknamed Rude Boys, and soundmen would oftentimes have a group of them on the payroll to undermine the efforts of their competitors by crashing their set. These chaps took their image from the Trilby and sharp suits of the rock n roll scene and had a profound stylistic influence on British counterculture some ten years later. The term ‘rude boy’ is now applied to a slightly different demographic.\n\nSome of the great pioneers of the System were Count Machuki (the OG Jamaican toaster), King ‘The Ugly One’ Stitt and Duke Reid. With time, systems got larger in both power and physical size through customisation and soon wattage could be as much as 30,000W across frequencies although the bass was always paramount. All this was capitalised on in future years when production, both analogue and digital, came to prominence – the impact of the Sound System in England will be detailed later in the article but it is worth mentioning its forerunners Dennis Bovell (Barbadian) and Duke Vin who immediately appealed to the London West Indian communities with their club nights in Ladbroke Grove and the famous Roaring Twenties in the West End, since ultimately there was nowhere else to hear these genres in the UK.\n\n\nRewinding a few years, it was with the ‘Windrush’ generation (the initial influx of post-WW2 West-Indian migrants); 492 of them arriving on the ship MV Empire Windrush in 1948 near London, that a Trinidadian calypsonian named Lord Kitchener was caught on film singing a ditty called ‘London is the Place for Me’ as he disembarked for the first time onto British soil – as this footage was circulated in local media it helped establish and was symbolic of a new precedent for Caribbean music in Britain. From this point onward, the relationship between the underground music of parts of English society and the Caribbean (specifically Jamaica) was a close and symbiotic one. Interestingly, the USA had been considered a more desirable destination by Caribbean immigrants, yet the 1952 Mc Warren-Walter Act restricted their opportunities to settle. It begs the question of how this eventuality may have impacted upon the music of America’s black population, and indeed the UK’s also, not forgetting that the toasting of dancehall MCs served in many ways as a precursor to the Hip hop format of spitting over instrumentals.\n\n\nMusic like Kitchener’s (ironically named after the legendary colonial Field Marshall Horatio Kitchener) provided for the Windrush, a soundtrack to their threshold experience of migration, not only harking back to their former lives but romanticising this new home in England, which sadly held for many de facto hardship where they had expected opportunity and prosperity. Indigenous Brits, shell shocked from the horrors of the WW2 and specifically the Blitz, given its impact on available property, lashed back against the notion of sharing their land, employment and livelihood with foreign migrants. Throughout the 1950s new arrivals experienced extreme prejudice, often manifested in violence across the country with attacks by native, disenfranchised post-war youth disillusioned with the apparent disorder of the world left by earlier generations. These perpetrators were teenage gangs who generally identified themselves as Teddy Boys due to their throwback Edwardian style of dress and passion for American rock n roll music.\n\n\nAmidst serious riots all over the country from London to Birmingham, the now world famous Notting Hill Carnival was established in 1959 as a positive response to the climate of hostility that many Afro-Caribbean migrants fell victim to during the initial stages of their integration, effectively using music as a weapon for peace.\n\n\nThe belle époque of Ska coincided with Jamaica’s independence in 1962, where the triumphant spirit of freedom could be heard in the songs of bands like The Skatalites, who provided the sound track to what appeared to be the dawning of a liberated Jamaica. The details of this misconception will be discussed soon, but first the proliferation of the earlier Caribbean sounds and their context in the UK might be explored. As can be heard in the above song, in times to come the alternative music scene in the UK would adopt the powerful message of the music brought over by Caribbean immigrants into their own sounds – The Clash made great use of the reggae format to create their unique take on Punk in the 70s and 80s.\n\nThe 2-tone scene found its cultural counterpart in the Rude Boys of 60s Jamaica who shared aspects of its ethos but itself originated in socially deprived areas of northern England. Its uplifting qualities were designed as an appeal for unity in a country then blighted by unwanted conflict in the Falklands Islands, economic recession and unemployment as the Thatcherite Conservative Government wrested power from the Unions in predominantly industrial areas. Bands like The Specials, Madness, The Selecter and Symarip spearheaded this element of British subculture, often with band members of mixed race synchronising British Punk with Jamaican Ska and Reggae – a sound which similarly served as a sound track to the socio-political context of the time.\n\nSkinhead culture was also intrinsically connected to 2-Tone, being the natural evolution of the tough Teddy Boy aesthetic of working class youth; yet its shaven heads, its boots and braces were non-discriminatory and embraced all persons from that social stratum, although the lifestyle they led was still often one of rebellion and hooliganism. It is noteworthy that in the same region a mere generation earlier, Northern Soul (borrowed from American Motown) was what filled dancehalls, its associated peer group were The Mods in their fitted pin stripes and scooters. The art of British DJing was born in this setting, where crowds were most impressed upon by the jockey’s selection of lesser-known records – this culture of the esoteric fan base can be seen all over the British urban music scene, where it is not unheard of that the most popular tunes are never officially released at all.\n\n\nSadly with rising social tensions due to the factors outlines above, the Skinhead sense of identity began to change with more of them becoming affiliated with far-right nationalist organisations, pre-empting the typical perception of White Supremacist Skinheads so widespread today. The trailer below is for Shane Meadow’s film This Is England, a moving and gritty portrayal of this loss of innocence in underprivileged parts of British society.\n\n\nPanning back to Jamaica on the dawn of its independence: despite nationwide celebration, in reality the event presupposed a future of economic deficit, poverty and shocking levels of violence due in part to political polarisation, the abundance of illegal firearms and the International War on Drugs. This legacy of national anguish spawned much of the island’s post-independence musical character, with globally treasured icons like Bob Marley leading the chant for peace and love in the world. The ideological vehicle most suited to this rhetoric was the Afrocentric and somewhat militant Rastafari and its mythological battle against the Babylonian oppressor. This music was cultivated in defiance of oppression and given the tainted historical connexion with England – naturally the flourishing heritage of the West Indies in the UK began to appropriate mantras of the Red, Gold and Green.\n\nAlongside the combative essence of the Rasta affiliated genres, formed by the emphasis on the rhythm and bass, the slow tempo and weighty entrancing spell of the two-step is clearly a result of the religion’s enjoyment of cannabis which was allegedly found growing on Soloman’s grave and for some also engenders feelings of happiness and community – emotions central to the composition and experience of the Jamaican music which evolved immediately from Ska: reggae, dub and sometime later, dancehall. Of course the culture growing in England was by no means exempt from this passion for Ganja and nor were the sectors of society in America from which Funk, Soul and hip hop materialised. Setting aside the socio-economic escapist theories about drug-use and its effect on the health, smoking is at best a hilarious and fun activity to partake in which has yielded vast swathes of cultural output. Below is Linval Thompson’s not-so-subtle tribute to the lamb’s bread:\n\n\nReggae was created in the late 60’s and succeeded Ska as Jamaica’s national sound, its focus on black consciousness was partly a result of the positive advancement of the Civil Rights Movement in America and the growing struggle of native Jamaicans in their home country, with personalities like Marcus Garvey once bridging the gap and as such becoming icons for Rasta appraisal.\n\nReggae migrated to the UK first as Lover’s Rock, a watered down version of the Jamaican sound before British bands such as Aswad and Steel Pulse took up the gauntlet of dub and reggae proper in England. British labels such as Trojan and Island Records also emerged with characters such as Chris Blackwell at the forefront; the latter is credited with having forged the career of Bob Marley and thus having brought reggae music to the world. At the age of 21, after a sailing accident which left him unconscious and close to death on a Jamaican beach, Blackwell was rescued by a kindly Rasta and brought back to health – this experience led to his life-long affiliation with the country’s music and culture. It was David ‘Ram Jam’ Rodigan MBE who then picked up the mantle of promoting Jamaican music in England, playing the role of white British aficionado. As a DJ on Capital Radio and Kiss FM and a sound clash champion in his own right, he endorsed these genres with heart and soul and is considered a true hero in the world of reggae; this is evident in the shout outs and references to him in so many songs today not to mention his Order of Chivalry from our glorious Queen. See if you can spot the mad bastard in the video below.\n\nDub is considered a sub-genre of reggae, yet is more accurately a production style as it was pioneered by the studio technicians of the reggae genre such as the mighty King Tubby, the eccentric Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Scientist or Augustus Pablo. These guys would rework their own dub versions of original songs. This remix process was essentially a matter of removing much of the extraneous audio fills such as the vocals; the instrumental would be stripped to a skeletal fusion of rhythm and bass which would be accentuated with sparse vocal and percussive samples effected under the control of the soundman with reverb and delay. It is this instrumental format, more so than reggae, which provided a platform for synthesis with many of the genres concerned in part 3 of this article. The first track below, “King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown”, is a dub of Jacob Miller’s “Baby I love You So”, and is considered genre-defining, perfectly balanced in its measures of space and sound to create a dark mystical vibe that is both strange and nurturing – true music of the elements.\n\n\nThe second is Lee Perry’s Blackboard Jungle Dub which, just as seminal as the above could be seen as a retrospective lamentation of the racist backlash exacted by the Teddy Boys in their time, bearing the same name as the Rock n Roll era film Blackboard Jungle, the story of youth rebellion in urban schools which alone sparked much of the rioting in England when it was first screened. In a charming statement of pacification, Perry has ‘dubbed’ the original sentiment around a film that led to the plight of so many Caribbeans in 1960s England.\n\nMany of the systems that were originally established in the UK still exist and given the rise of other system-worthy genres, have settled into Dub continuing the tradition and format of their presentation, travelling the country to spread their sound: Selector, Deejay and box-carriers included. Dennis Bovell, mentioned above, accelerated the demand for UK reggae in the 70s though cunning trickery which he outlines in an interview with Red Bull Music Academy (HYP). There lingered a favouritism for native Jamaican records and the way one could tell between imports and the British variety was whether or not the records themselves were ‘dinked’ – the practice of stamping a hole in the middle of the vinyl. “We were accused of not being able to play reggae like Jamaicans, so I set out to disprove that. I made a set of records in this country without putting on any information about who was on the recording. And when I made my 7-inch pressings, I dinked them!” When selectors, under the impression they were spinning an imported record, inadvertently popularised UK reggae songs, they could no longer maintain this snobbery.\n\n\nSo began the 2nd generation of UK sound systems which departed from a reliance on the Jamaican scene. Among these heavyweight pioneers were Jah Shaka, Channel One, Aba Shanti-I, Iration Steppas and Saxon Studio International, many of which are still on the circuit and often play all over the country – literally shaking the walls of the venues they set up in. On one such occasion recently this year, an open air celebration in the British countryside – Aba Shanti’s dubs could be heard some four miles away from the site, in a neighbouring town. Saxon was the ultimate catalyst in establishing UK reggae in its own right in the 80s developing its own take on the growing dancehall craze in Jamaica.\n\nBefore unfolding any sounds which claim to be exclusively British, the rise of Dancehall or Raggae must be taken into account since this is when the function of the MC was first realised. The ‘toast’ is a phenomenon that dates back to the early days of the sound system where the B-side of a record would often be the instrumental or ‘riddim’ without the original vocals. The riddim would be circulated around the community and various toasters would lay down verses, vying for supremacy against their competition. Notable riddims from this period were Bam Bam made famous by one of the most significant female reggae artists Sister Nancy. Other distinguished examples would be Sleng Teng (Wanye Smith) possibly the first ever digitally produced musical material out of Jamaica or Satta Massagana from the original roots songs of the same name by The Abyssinians. The video below nicely showcases the use of these instrumentals and the vibe of a dancehall event which more resembles an early version of the ‘rave’ than it does a concert. The characters passing the mic are but a few of the numerous celebrity toasters that came out of the scene; listen for Sleng Teng riddim in play and admire their dress sense, reviving the rude boy style.\n\n\nThis period also saw many of the celebrated reggae artists adapt their style to the new dancehall format. Barrington Levy is just one example, with his seminal jam Here I Come (Broader than Broadway).\n\n\nThe crowd is as transfixed by the relative charisma of each deejay as they are by the music itself. The parallels with hip hop in this video alone are undeniable. The vocal accompaniment would range from singing, usually in a rapid monotone to toasting in the same vein, with lyrical content moving away from the sentimentality of Rastafari to a visceral and rhythmic patois, an ego-centric commentary on violence, dancing and sexuality. These subject matters have now become the pillars of what modern Jamaican music stands for: from certified gangster and murderer Vybz Kartel to homophobia embodied Buju Banton and his pièce de résistance Boom Bye Bye, to the bastardisation of the whole culture by producers like Diplo and his twerk-crazed fan base worshipping a cartoon of a major with a laser gun for an arm; the production moved resolutely to digital sounds, making good use of that controversial effect auto-tune – all for better or for worse.\n\n\nBritish artists consolidated their sound before this homogenisation took hold in Jamaica with Saxon deejays such as Tippa Irie taking the wheel and popularising British reggae and dancehall in the homeland. They established the MC style ‘fast speak’ which itself anticipated the ragga vocal tempo and its further evolution.\n\n\nAt last the relationship between Jamaican and UK music was a truly symbiotic one, the Caribbean sound incubated in the cultural history of 20th century England bore its own fruit, influencing generations of UK urban music to come garage, jungle drum n bass, grime and more which will be discussed in part 3 of UK MC Culture. For now, enjoy a historical show detailing the passage of Caribbean music in England by a white artist aptly named YT, England Story.\n\n\nIf you missed part 1 of this mini-series, catch $cotland Yard Came From Across the Pond To Edify Cypher League on UK MC Culture here.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.60859614610672}
{"content": "Understanding a condition that results in low blood sugar could yield new treatment for type 2 diabetes\n\nA potential new treatment for a condition that is essentially the opposite of diabetes could offer hope for those who suffer from type 2 diabetes, as findings from a team of British researchers suggest that it is possible to reverse defects in the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas.\n\nScientists from the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital reported in the journal Diabetes that they were able to successfully treat genetic defects that result in a disease known as congenital hyperinsulinism, a condition in which the pancreas produces too much insulin, resulting in chronically low blood sugar.\n\nThe condition is exactly the opposite of type 2 diabetes, in which the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to keep up with the body's needs. The findings could have important implications for treating diabetes, as they help build a more complete picture of the processes that turn on and off insulin production.\n\nThe team identified a group of proteins in the pancreas that signal beta cells to either produce more insulin or to stop. Their findings also showed that a type of drug currently being tested for treating cystic fibrosis may help individuals who suffer from congenital hyperinsulinism.\n\nWhile this treatment would be useless for individuals who suffer from type 2 diabetes, as it prompts beta cells to reduce insulin production, it does show that it is possible to address dysfunctions in these cells that are caused by genetic defects. By improving scientific understanding of the processes that underlie insulin production, other researchers may be able to develop new drugs that stimulate beta cells.\n\nThe scientists said that there is a lot of research that needs to be done before new medications can target this mechanism to treat either condition. However, the findings do offer new hope.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9781235456466675}
{"content": "The Top 10 Secret Organizations In Games\n\nby Brian Albert on Jul 19, 2013 at 12:00 PM\n\nThe mysteries surrounding secret groups can be difficult to resist. What are their plans? What sort of things are they aware of that we're not? Because many games offer players a power fantasy, we want to know and have everything.\n\nAnd when joining a respected and powerful order often comes with new gifts, teachings, and prestige, who are we to refuse? That’s just rude.\n\nFrom ancient assassin guilds to futuristic intelligence teams, the following are the top 10 secret organizations in games.\n\nWARNING: Spoilers ahead.\n\n10. The Lin Kuei from the Mortal Kombat series\n\nTo be a feared Lin Kuei assassin, you must be “more stealthful than the night, more deadly than the dawn.” That sounds a little silly, but the ancient order turned out Mortal Kombat favorites like Sub-Zero, Cyrax, Sektor, and Smoke, so it must be doing something right.\n\nIts warriors are selected at birth and trained to take life. The Lin Kuei demands total devotion; deserters are hunted and killed. Its leaders even chose to automate their warriors, including Sektor, who lost his soul in the process. Don’t feel too bad, though. He later went on to found and lead a cyborg ninja army.\n\n9. The Hermetic Order from the Uncharted series\n\nKatherine Marlowe, the antagonist of Uncharted 3, is the leader of the 400-year-old Hermetic Order. Its primary goal is to discover Ubar, a city of immense size and wealth, also known as the Atlantis of the Sands.\n\nQueen Elizabeth I formed the order to combat Britain’s foes through deceit and espionage. Since its inception, the order has taken in historical figures like Walter Raleigh and Francis Drake, as well as contemporary members like Talbot, who uses hallucinogenic drugs against The Hermetic Order’s enemies.\n\n8. The Monolith cult from the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series\n\nNo list of secret organizations would be complete without the inclusion of a xenophobic, sacrificial, hyper-religious cult. Monolith from the post-apocalyptic S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series fits the bill nicely.\n\nFar inside a Chernobyl nuclear power plant is a device Monolith calls the “Wish Granter.” Members of the cult will fight to the death to protect the artifact, even if they are unarmed. If captured, they’ll commit suicide however they can. Most monolith members used to be regular stalkers before they were indoctrinated.\n\nUp next: Spooks, Jedi-Sith hybrids, and ancient snakes...\n\n7. The Office of Naval Intelligence from the Halo series\n\nNot much is known about the operations of the Office of Naval Intelligence, which makes it perfect for this list. It’s technically an intelligence branch for the Navy, but its officers – known as “spooks” – operate independently (and with great autonomy) to gather information on the Covenant.\n\nThough ONI usually fills a nebulous role, in Halo 3: ODST, ONI’s Veronica Dare takes command of your squad to fulfill a secret secondary mission. She wears the Recon armor that the Halo community has long obsessed over.\n\n6. The Order of Revan from The Old Republic\n\nIn the binary world of Star Wars, members of the Order of Revan are content to stand in the space between light and dark.\n\nHundreds of years after Darth Revan, a former Sith Lord, disappeared, a cult of Revanites formed around his teachings. Unlike typical Sith, Revan believed that even the most intense of emotions should be reined in by peace and a clear mind. When you’ve earned the ire of the Sith Empire, you’ve definitely done something right.\n\n5. The Darkwraiths from Dark Souls\n\nMembers of the Darkwraith covenant hunt for shards of humanity, take orders from an ancient snake, and seek to usher in the Age of Darkness. Sounds bad, right? But if you read into the lore of Dark Souls (please do, I’m lonely and need someone to talk to), you might come away with a different opinion.\n\nMany Dark Souls players join the Darkwraiths for access to the Red Eye Orb, which allows for unlimited invasions into other players’ worlds. By the way, if you invade and grief others moments before the infamous Ornstein and Smough fight, I probably don’t like you.\n\n4. The Special Tasks Group from the Mass Effect series\n\nSalarians aren’t the most robust of races, especially in a galaxy where Krogan exist. To be effective in war, they formed the Special Tasks Group, an espionage organization specializing in assassination, sabotage, counterterrorism, and infiltration. Exceptional STG members may be drafted into the Spectre program.\n\nAs if that weren’t enough, STG alumni Professor Mordin Solus and Captain “Hold the Line” Kirrahe, are some of the bravest and most loyal allies you’ll meet in your fight against the Reapers.\n\nUp next: Parkour masters, power armor, and our number one secret organization...\n\n3. The Assassin Order from the Assassin’s Creed series\n\nNot many organizations are powerful enough to wage an undercover war for centuries, but that’s exactly what the Assassin Order has done. Its sworn enemy, the Templar Order, wishes for the control of others in order to create a perfect New World Order. The Assassins fight to preserve free will.\n\nIf nothing else, the Assassins make the job look really, really cool. They wear stylish (and extremely conspicuous) clothing, leap from tall buildings, and skip across rooftops like a child at play\n\n2. The Brotherhood of Steel from the Fallout series\n\nThe Brotherhood of Steel was founded by a U.S. Army deserter, and it has since spread to the Mojave Desert, the Capital Wasteland, and the Midwest. Its members are devoted to preserving pre-war technology and knowledge.\n\nWhenever I start playing a new Fallout game, I can’t wait until I find the Brotherhood of Steel. In the first entry, the Brotherhood sends you on a mission deep into an irradiated research facility known as “The Glow” to retrieve a holodisk. It’s rough, but it’s worth it if you want to wear the series’ iconic power armor.\n\n1. The Dark Brotherhood from The Elder Scrolls series\n\nIf you need someone killed in the land of Tamriel, contracting The Dark Brotherhood is probably your best bet. Its assassins have operated for centuries in accordance with The Five Tenants, though those rules were abandoned in Skyrim.\n\nSome of The Elder Scrolls’ best quests are accessed through The Dark Brotherhood. In “Whodunit?”, for example, you posed as a doorman for a house party with several guests. If you were able to kill them all without raising suspicion, you received a powerful, permanent boost to your stats.\n\nWhat’s missing? Would you rather see The Patriots from Metal Gear Solid or the Keepers from Thief instead of something we’ve chosen? Let us know in the comments!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7787371873855591}
{"content": "Food waste is often the last thing we think about, no matter how conscientious we are. Unfortunately, it is no harmless thing when it comes to the environment. Food waste most often ends up in landfills, where anaerobic decomposition leads to the emission of methane gas. Methane is one of the more potent gas emissions that leads to global climate change. In fact, it is more detrimental than carbon dioxide, even if the latter tends to get more attention.\n\nThis is even before taking into consideration the ethical implications of food waste. Food production is a costly business, so the loss of food has implications beyond the wasted calories and nutrients that might have been used by others. In the western world, as much as a quarter of all food is thrown away. The United States, where as much as half of all produce is tossed, leads the world in food waste.\n\nIf you landed on this page and are still reading, I am sure that you want to do your part to cut back on your individual or family contribution to food waste. So here’s what you can do:\n\nGet Creative with Your Food Waste\n\nToday, we often throw out food that our ancestors - even just one generation ago - could not afford to lose. Much of the food that ends up in landfills would have been used 50 or 60 years ago. So before you go to toss something, think about how it might be used in another meal. Get creative. And remember, you have the benefit of a freezer, which has not always been the case throughout history.\n\nSave the ‘jus’!\n\nReserving the cooking liquid and food scraps from a meal can be the key to flavoring a second amazing dish. For instance, if you make mussels, the broth, onions and other vegetables can be reserved to flavor a risotto dish. Simply store the leftover broth in the freezer - preferably in a glass container with plenty of room at the top - until you are ready to make the next meal. Another great example is slow-cooked meats. A tomato-braised short rib, for instance, leaves plenty of thick, meat-infused sauce, which can easily be repurposed and used as a pasta sauce.\n\nMake broth.\n\nTraditionally, our ancestors would have saved a lot of what we cast off in order to make nutritious broths. Save all animal bones in a large ziplock in the freezer. If you’d like, separate beef or pork bones from chicken bones. You can use these to make a delicious bone broth. Bone broths are extremely nutritious: they have high amounts of collagen, which support the body’s tissues, and tend to be rich in minerals. As an added bonus, having some fresh bone broth on hand will lend added flavor to meals that require it!\n\nYou can also save the rinds of cheese to make a ‘parmesan broth,’ which is typical of traditional Italian cooking. You can store the rinds in the freezer until you have enough to make your broth, and then use the broth to lend a rich and delicious flavor to soups, risotto and other dishes.\n\nThe great thing about both of these types of broths is that these materials typically cannot be used to make compost, which we will get into below. While the rinds and bones used to make the broth will ultimately be discarded, there will be as little tissue as possible available for degradation in landfills.\n\nRepurpose the pulp from your juicer.\n\nIf you’re into health and wellness, and happen to own a juicer, then you’re aware that making juice creates a lot of produce waste. While the vegetable pulp can be composted, you can also get creative and repurpose it! Be creative and open to new recipes, like this one for juicer pulp crackers or this one for veggie juicer pulp ‘meatballs’.\n\nHow to Dispose of Food Waste in a Natural, Earth-friendly Way\n\nOr, Just Compost It!\n\nComposting is the go-to solution for food waste. If you cannot repurpose it, compost it. Composting is the process by which organic material is decomposed in order to provide nutrients and fuel to enrich soil. Note that in this case ‘organic’ means carbon-based, or a naturally occurring material, such as most food. The difference between food waste decomposing in compost and decomposing in a landfill, is that the greenhouse gas emission is much different.\n\nThe natural decomposition process, outside of landfills, produces small amounts of carbon dioxide as part of the natural carbon cycle of the earth. This is much less detrimental than the methane emissions produced by food waste in landfills. Compost further benefits the environment by reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers.\n\nIf you choose to compost, the process is quite simple. Even if you do not want to compost, you can collect food scraps in a container - you can even store it in your freezer to avoid any odor - and bring it to your local farmer’s market. Most will collect food scraps for compost free of charge.\n\nComposting 101\n\nYou can compost: eggshells, nutshells, teabags, coffee grounds, fruits, vegetables and other plant matter.\n\nYou cannot compost: dairy products, grease, oils, bones, and meat scraps.\n\nIf you are composting at home:\n\n  • Select a dry shady spot in your yard to keep your compost.\n  • Mix food scraps with plant materials such as dead leaves or branches.\n  • Add water to your compost pile as needed to encourage decomposition.\n  • Turn over your compost pile regularly to mix the top additions into the base of the pile.\n\nRemember, whether or not you are composting at home or bringing your food scraps elsewhere to be composted, you will be benefitting the environment with minimal to no added effort on your part. And, if you keep a home garden, you will be soon reap the benefits as your soil quality improves and your plants thank you!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8851413130760193}
{"content": "Academic journal article English Language Teaching\n\nImplementing Keyword and Question Generation Approaches in Teaching EFL Summary Writing\n\nAcademic journal article English Language Teaching\n\nImplementing Keyword and Question Generation Approaches in Teaching EFL Summary Writing\n\nArticle excerpt\n\n\nSummary writing has been considered an important aspect of academic writing. However, writing summaries can be a challenging task for the majority of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. Research into teaching summary writing has focused on different processes to teach EFL learners. The present study adopted two methods - keyword and question generation - to guide Taiwanese university students in writing summaries in English. To decrease the students' apprehension resulting from the difficulties in writing summaries, portfolios were used as a vehicle to help the students collect and reflect on the articles they read and the summaries they wrote. This paper investigated how much keyword methods and question generation helped Taiwanese EFL university students improve their English summary writing. The data showed that, with the help of keywords and question generation, the two approaches helped the majority of the participants increase their English reading and summary writing abilities.\n\nKeywords: keyword, question generation, writing, summary, portfolio\n\n1. Introduction\n\n1.1 Overview\n\nIn recent years, summary writing has become an essential type of writing in which students read articles and summarize main ideas in their own words. However, Johns (1998) argues that traditional approaches to summary writing often ignore the processes involved and frequently overestimate the abilities of the students, assuming they can easily do what their teachers have taught them. The impetus for conducting the research reported here came from my second-year university students' poor performance on summary writing in their compulsory English Reading and Writing course in Taiwan. The majority of the students had difficulties in grasping the main points in an English article and paraphrasing them in short summaries, even though summary skills had been taught for several hours in class.\n\nTo improve and strengthen the students' summary writing skills and enhance their motivation, portfolio collection was adopted. In the last two decades, there has been a proliferation of research concerned with the usage of portfolio collection in L1 primary and secondary schools (Anderson & Bachor, 1998; Koretz, 1998; Clemmons et al., 1993; De Fina, 1992), and the research focus has usually been on the quality of information portfolios provide, i.e., the reliability and validity of the information (Hamp-Lyons, 1996). Recently, there has been a shiftin attention to exploring students' perceptions and the benefits of using portfolios in English as a Second Language and EFL writing classrooms (Romova & Andrew, 2011; Aydin, 2010). Portfolios have proven beneficial to language learners' reading and writing abilities in L1 and EFL contexts. Therefore, in the present study, portfolios serve as a vehicle to help EFL learners in Taiwan collect and reflect upon their summary writing. It is hoped that the findings of the present study can provide teachers, researchers, or educators with evidence of the benefits of implementing the keyword method and question generation to enhance university students' summary writing ability in an EFL context.\n\n1.2 Implementation of Keyword Method and Question Generation\n\nQuality summary writing requires comprehendingthe text, selecting important information, combining ideas, and paraphrasing in one's own words. Additionally, writing a summary can be influenced by the genre students read. Campbell (1990), investigating how NS and NNS university students in the USA used information from reading texts in their own academic writing, suggests that process-oriented writing might develop students' awareness of academic texts and help them process summary writing. Chen and Su (2012) adopt a genre-based approach to teaching Taiwanese university students writing summaries of short novels, emphasizing the understanding of context in narrative essays. These two studies focus on the implementation of two different approaches to teaching students to address specific types of reading genres. …\n\nSearch by... Author\nShow... All Results Primary Sources Peer-reviewed\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9751462340354919}
{"content": "• OECD: Global Recovery Is Stabilizing\n\n    LONDON—The world's leading economies should continue to grow, but at a more stable pace with signs that growth across all of the major economies is steadying, according to a survey of leading indicators released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Monday.\n\n    The figures point to \"expansion\" for developed economies as a whole, but the range of movement is limited with the majority of countries surveyed reporting a rise or fall of around 0.1 points, the survey shows.\n\n\n    Popular on WSJ", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.99246746301651}
{"content": "How this Martian moon became the ‘Death Star’\n\nLawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers have demonstrated for the first time how an asteroid or comet could have caused the mega crater on Phobos without completely destroying the Martian moon.\n\nOctober 12, 2016 – Mars’ largest moon Phobos has captured public imagination and been shrouded in mystery for decades. But numerical simulations recently conducted at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have shed some light on the enigmatic satellite.\n\nThe dominant feature on the surface of Phobos (22-kilometers across) is Stickney crater (9-km across), a mega crater that spans nearly half the moon. The crater lends Phobos a physical resemblance to the planet-destroying Death Star in the film “Star Wars.” But over the decades, understanding the formation of such a massive crater has proven elusive for researchers.\n\nFor the first time, physicists at LLNL have demonstrated how an asteroid or comet impact could have created Stickney crater without destroying Phobos completely. The research, which also debunks a theory regarding the moon’s mysterious grooved terrain, was published in Geophysical Review Letters.\n\n“We’ve demonstrated that you can create this crater without destroying the moon if you use the proper porosity and resolution in a 3D simulation,” said Megan Bruck Syal, an author on the paper and member of the LLNL planetary defense team. “There aren’t many places with the computational resources to accomplish the resolution study we conducted.”\n\nThe study showed that there is a range of possible solutions for the size and speed of the impactor, but Syal says one possible scenario is an impact object 250 meters across traveling close to 6 kps.\n\nPrevious studies used 2D simulations at lower resolutions, and they were ultimately unable to replicate Stickney crater successfully. Additionally, prior studies failed to account for the porosity of the Phobos’ crust in their calculations, critical given that Phobos is less dense than the Martian surface.\n\nWhile the simulations show how a massive impact could have created Stickney crater, they also appear to disprove a related theory. Some have theorized that the hundreds of parallel grooves that appear to radiate from the crater were caused by the impact. However, the simulations in this study show that fracture patterns in the crust of Phobos would be nothing like the straight, long, parallel grooves. On the other hand, the simulations do support the possibility of slow-rolling boulders mobilized by the impact causing the grooves. But more study would be required to fully test that theory.\n\nThe research served as a benchmarking exercise for the LLNL planetary defense team in their use of an open source code developed at LLNL called Spheral. The team uses codes like Spheral to simulate various methods of deflecting potentially hazardous Earth-bound asteroids.\n\n“Something as big and fast as what caused the Stickney crater would have a devastating effect on Earth,” Syal said. “If NASA sees a potentially hazardous asteroid coming our way, it will be essential to make sure we’re able to deflect it. We’ll only have one shot at it, and the consequences couldn’t be higher. We do this type of benchmarking research to make sure our codes are right when they will be needed most.”\n\nThe foundation this research is built upon is decades of investment in LLNL computational capabilities used to ensure the safety, security and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear deterrent in the absence of nuclear testing – commonly known as stockpile stewardship. This research was also funded in part by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program at LLNL.\n\nThe study was spearheaded by Jared Rovny, a summer student visiting from Yale University. Other coauthors include LLNL computational physicist Mike Owen, who supported the research by mentoring Rovny and aligning the study to benchmark the Spheral code, and Paul Miller, who leads the planetary-defense team at LLNL.  Syal conducted follow-up modeling to confirm the findings and wrote the published paper. She will be giving a talk on the paper in Pasadena this month during the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society’s Division of Planetary Science.\n\nFounded in 1952, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory ( provides solutions to our nation’s most important national security challenges through innovative science, engineering and technology. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is managed by Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.\n\n\n  1. LLNL’s “numerical simulation” is exactly and only that; a simulation, an exercise in mathematical imagination. They suppose a 250 meter object travelling at the supersonic speed of 6 kilometers per second can impact an object of roughly similar hardness without totally ablating that object? They have never shot a fist sized rock with a deer rifle. It does not leave the rock intact with a glassy crater at the impact site. The devastating bow shock of such a supersonic impact has been well demonstrated by NASA and others. A much clearer image of the Stickney Crater is available here\n\n    which strongly suggests Electric Discharge Machining (EDM) caused by two bodies with different electrical charges coming into proximity and adjusting the voltage difference…Read the brief article accompanying the above referenced image and judge for yourself based on your own powers of observation.\n\nComments are closed.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.877295196056366}
{"content": "Quito, Ecuador\n\n\nSince the start of my senior year of college, I have become more and more grateful for my semester in Ecuador. It’s still surreal that I lived there for four months, fumbled through another language with my host family, learned to navigate public transportation, and drank papaya juice every morning. I owe so much to the Global Engagement Fellowship Program for giving me this opportunity.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9496487379074097}
{"content": "Interview: Babel\n\nAgricola de Cologne (AdC) interviews BABEL/Canada/UK\nartist biography\n\nInterview: 10 questions\n\nYou belong to an art scene using new technologies, you are an active representative of a genre dealing with Internet based art, called “netart”.\nWhen those artists started who are active since a longer time, the education in New Media was not yet such advanced like nowadays, often they came form different disciplines and had an interdisciplinary approach, those young artists who start now have partially this more advanced education, but rather not much experience in other disciplines.\n\n1. Tell me something about your educational background and what is influencing your work?\n\nMy education was in Economics and Social and Political Sciences at Cambridge University. I was never ‘officially’ trained in digital design or art, but this side of my education began at age 11 when I received my first computer, a ZX Spectrum 48k.\n\n2. The term “netart” is widely used for anything posted on the net, there are dozens of definitions which mostly are even contradictory.\nHow do you define “netart” or if you like the description “Internet based art” better,\ndo you think your work belongs to this specific genre,\ndo you think “netart” is art, at all, if yes, what are the criteria?\nAre there any aesthetic criteria for an Internet based artwork?\n\n‘Netart’ can be used to mean simply art that resides on the internet, but for me the term is more useful when it means art that requires the internet to function. Most of my work matches the first definition, but only some of it matches the second.\n\nYes, I certainly believe Netart is an ‘art’, and so its aesthetic criteria are largely the same as for any other art. It might have additional criteria, such as how the art can exist in a ‘live’ form in multiple spaces simultaneously. But perhaps there shouldn’t be any criteria, just a simple definition as a way to frame our discussions… maybe we should ask who these aesthetic criteria serve – artists, audiences, academics, curators, critics, institutions?\n\n3. What kind of meaning have the new technologies and the Internet to you,\nare they just tools for expressing your artistic intentions, or have they rather an ideological character, as it can be found with many “netartists”, or what else do they mean to you?\n\nFor me, the Internet offers new ways to create and distribute artistic work. But it also acts in many other ways across a wide range of activities, so its meaning is very dependent on the specific ‘piece’ of the Internet we are talking about. I don’t think any technology has a single or predominant ideological character – they are much more schizophrenic than that.\n\n4. Many “Internet based artists” work on “engaged” themes and subjects, for instance, in social, political, cultural etc concern.\nWhich contents are you particularly interested in, what are the subjects you are working on and what is your artistic message(s), if you have any, and what are your personal artistic visions for future artworking (if you have any).\n\nHaha, well – I don’t intend to send any kind of general artistic ‘message’ through my work, but each piece could be said to have its own ‘message’, and these vary widely – for example Electrosensitivity (Inanimate Alice – ), racial/sexual identity (U, I, X, Y – ) or anti-capitalism (Protesters, Police, Politicians – ). But I suspect people will take their own messages from these and any other works. The area that I have most consistently worked within is early modernist aesthetics and practice, particularly of the Dada movement, through collaboration with other artists at\n\n5. “Art on the net” has the advantage and the disadvantage to be located on the virtual space in Internet which defines also its right to exist.\nDo you think, that “art based on the Internet”, can be called still like that, even if it is just used offline?\n\nIt can be useful to distinguish between art that can exist offline, and art that cannot. The term ‘Art on the net’ includes both these types, so may not always be a helpful phrase to use.\n\n6. Dealing with this new, and interactive type of art demands an active viewer or user.\nand needs the audience much more and in different ways than any other art discipline before. How do you stimulate the user to dive into this new world of art?\nWhat do you think, represents an appropriate environment to present net based art to an audience, is it the context of the lonesome user sitting in front of his personal computer, is it any public context, or is it rather the context of art in general or media art in particular, or anything else.?\nIf you would be in the position to create an environment for presenting this type of art in physical space, how would you do it?\n\nI think the main challenge with online ‘interactive’ artworks is that the common forms of interaction are still very limited – keyboard and mouse, clicks and drags… It will be exciting to see more work done with other forms of interaction – for example visual (eye-sensors, goggles etc.), sound (microphones etc.) and touch (‘data gloves’, touch-screens)\n\nEveryone has different experiences of computers in their daily life, and different abilities and interests, so we need a wide variety of ways to encourage an audience! I don’t believe there is a single ‘best’ way to present net based art to an audience – some art benefits from being seen by an individual at home, in a dark room, and some is better experienced on a big screen at a festival or gallery with a live audience. The best physical space for presenting various types of internet works would be one that allowed both of these types of environment to be recreated, as best it can.\n\nI think that people who have never experienced internet art before are not encouraged by work that requires a high level of reading/interacting ‘skill’ (for example to realise that there are hidden links, or that clicking and dragging is required). The problem is not necessarily the work, or the audience, but that the two are not well matched. This might sometimes be helped by better explanations by the artists or the insitutions that present their work, but over time, as people experience more interactive work, these kinds of issues should become less of a problem.\n\n7. As Internet based art, as well as other art forms using new technologies are (globally seen) still not widely accepted, yet, as serious art forms, what do you think could be an appropriate\nsolution to change this situation?\n\nSadly the way that art is ‘measured’ globally seems to be by audience and/or by money. So to be accepted as a ‘serious’ art form (by the world that measures these things) Internet art would need to attract large audiences, or make a lot of money. The latter seems very unlikely, given one of the abilities of the internet is to distribute information (and in this case art) freely, and many artists feel this is a very good thing. But the number of festivals and exhibitions of internet art is growing, and this will help; Prizes are another good way of attracting publicity and audiences.\n\n8. The Internet is called a kind of “democratic” environment, but the conventional art practice is anything else than that, but selective by using filters of different kind.\nThe audience is mostly only able to make up its mind on second hand. Art on the net might potentially be different. Do you think the current practice of dealing with Internet based art\nis such different or rather the described conventional way through (also curatorial) filtering?\nDo you think, that speaking in the terms of Joseph Beuys, anybody who publishes anything on the net would be also an artist?\n\nYes, I do believe that anybody who publishes their art, online or offline, is an ‘artist’. Actually I don’t believe they don’t even need to publish to be called an artist. But this says nothing about the subjective or objective qualities of the art they create. And practically speaking, there is not enough time for anyone to view all the art that is available in the world. So curators, critics, and other types of ‘filter’ can perform these and other useful functions.\n\n9. Do you think, the curators dealing with net based art should have any technological knowledge in order to understand such an art work from its roots?\n\nI don’t think it is essential to understand an art work from any particular perspective, but it is useful for curators of net based art to have a practical understanding of how these works function so that they can understand how best to present these pieces, individually and collectively.\n\n10. It is planned, to re-launch\nJavaMuseum – Forum for Internet Technology in Contemporary Art in 2007 in a new context, very likely even in physical space.\nWhat would be your personal wishes and expectations connected to this re-launch ?\n\nMy hopes would be that such a space will encourage more people to experience – and create – net art. Good luck!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9101241230964661}
{"content": "\n\nReligion and Technology in India: Spaces, Practices and Authorities\n\nKnut A. Jacobsen og Kristina Myrvold, red.\n\n\nThis book explores intersections between religion and technology in India, at the present and in the colonial past, and how various forms of techno-religious intersections transform and open up for new religious practices, discourses, communities, and institutions. With focus on Indian contexts and religions, it discusses various empirical and theoretical aspects of how technological innovations create, alter, and negotiate religious spaces, practices and authorities. The book provides rich and multifaceted empirical examples of different ways in which technological practices relate to meanings, ideas, and practices of religions. The techno-religious intersections generate several questions about authority and power, the politics and poetics of identity, community and place, and how religious agency, information, and experience are mediated, commodified, and adjusted to new demands of societies. The chapters explore the Hindu, Jain, and Sikh traditions in relation to new technological developments and media, such as photography, new means of visualization, TV serials, mobile phones, and online communication.\n\nThe book will be of interest to academics studying modern and contemporary India and South Asia, and especially the role of religion and technology.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000085830688477}
{"content": "il Gusto Leekbuy gift vouchersKindred Spirits Management Ltd\n\nthe kindred club at il gusto\n\n\nThe Kindred Club @ il Gusto\n\nWe would love for you to join The Kindred Club, simply click the button below, fill in the form on the next page and leave the rest to us.\n\nWe'll send you a Monthly Newsletter, keeping you up to date with all our latest promotions and, periodically, you'll receive news of our latest products, special offers and events.\nWe ask you to provide your date of birth on the subscription form because some of the products we sell are for consumption by persons at least 18 years of age and so that we may send extra specific offers related to your birthday month.\n\nThe Newsletter is an important way for us to connect with our customers, we value that chance and occasionally reward our subscribers for their loyalty. 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All four have been checked by il Gusto and found, to the best of our knowledge, to be GDPR compliant\nYou may unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time by clicking the 'unsubscribe' link at the bottom of each email we send or by requesting to be unsubscribed by sending an email to us. Your details will be deleted from all points of storage.\nRights of the subscriber under General Data Protection Regulations\nYou have:\n1. The right to be informed: Organisations need to tell individuals what data is being collected, how it’s being used, how long it will be kept and whether it will be shared with any third parties. This information must be communicated concisely and in plain language.\n2. The right to access: Individuals can submit subject access requests, which oblige organisations to provide a copy of any personal data concerning the individual. Organisations have one month to produce this information, although there are exceptions for requests that are manifestly unfounded, repetitive or excessive.\n3. The right to rectification: If the individual discovers that the information an organisation holds on them is inaccurate or incomplete, they can request that it be updated. As with the right to access, organisations have one month to do this, and the same exceptions apply.\n4. The right to erasure (also known as ‘the right to be forgotten’): Individuals can request that organisations erase their data in certain circumstances, such as when the data is no longer necessary, the data was unlawfully processed or it no longer meets the lawful ground for which it was collected. This includes instances where the individual withdraws consent.\n5. The right to restrict processing: Individuals can request that organisations limit the way an organisation uses personal data. 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Organisations must stop processing information unless they can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing that overrides the interests, rights and freedoms of the individual or if the processing is for the establishment or exercise of defence of legal claims.\n8. Rights related to automated decision making including profiling: The GDPR includes provisions for decisions made with no human involvement, such as profiling, which uses personal data to make calculated assumptions about individuals. There are strict rules about this kind of processing, and individuals are permitted to challenge and request a review of the processing if they believe the rules aren’t being followed.\n\nExercising your rights\nWhen requesting by email, please include your full name, email address and date of birth. 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{"content": "COPENHAGEN, Denmark - The Copenhagen Zoo killed Marius, its 2-year-old giraffe, and fed its remains to lions on Sunday, ignoring a petition signed by thousands of people and offers from other zoos and a private individual to save the animal, officials said.\n\nThe zoo said it acted to avoid inbreeding among its giraffes in keeping with recommendations by a European association.\n\nMarius, a healthy male, was put down using a bolt pistol, said zoo spokesman Tobias Stenbaek Bro. Visitors, including children, were invited to watch while the giraffe was then skinned and fed to the lions.\n\n\n\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9932263493537903}
{"content": "Lemon and oregano roast chicken with spinach\n\n  • Preparation time: 5 minutes\n  • Cooking time: 40 minutes\n  • Total time: 45 minutes 45 minutes\n\nServes: 4\n\n\n8 essential Waitrose British chicken thighs\n3 tsp olive oil\n1 essential Waitrose lemon, juice\n2 tsp oregano\n½ tsp caraway seeds\n1 garlic clove, crushed\n250g essential Waitrose spinach\n75g essential Waitrose greek feta, crumbled\n\n\n1. Preheat the oven to 220°C, gas mark 7. Place the chicken in a roasting tin and drizzle with 2 tsp olive oil and half the lemon juice, then scatter with the oregano; season. Roast for 35-40 minutes, until cooked through with no signs of pink.\n\n2. When the chicken is almost ready, heat the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the caraway seeds and garlic, then fry for a few seconds before tipping in the spinach and tossing until just wilted. Pour in the remaining lemon juice, season and fold through the feta. Serve with the chicken.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7354958653450012}
{"content": "presented by\nTaking the next step\n\nBadstuber earns sixth cap, scores first goal\n\nDoubtless due to weariness rather than politeness, the Azerbaijan defence kindly offered little resistance as Holger Badstuber rose unchallenged to head Germany into a 5-1 lead. It was almost as if Messrs Sadigov, Agdam and Co respectfully opted not to challenge the 1.89 metre Germany centre-back, who will seldom have enjoyed so much time and space in an opposing penalty area in all of his career so far.\n\nFor all the ease of execution, it was a significant goal for Badstuber, as it was his first for his country. The rising Bayern star earned only his sixth cap on Tuesday night. The 21-year-old Munich man was standing in for the injured Arne Friedrich - who in stark contrast required no fewer than 77 senior internationals before registering his first goal.\n\nGoal and an assist for Holger\n\nBadstuber contributed a goal and a superb assist to the home side’s 6-1 win, prompting coach Joachim Löw to sing his praises afterwards. “He made the most of the space he was offered and looked very good in attack,” the Germany boss declared. “I’ve never been in a game like that before, where I’ve played the ball so often and helped apply attacking pressure,” Badstuber confessed.\n\nAs he was generally not required to deal with the visitors’ limp attack, Badstuber instead delivered a string of intelligent passes to team-mates in forward positions. “If I’m given so much space, I have to take responsibility for initiating moves,” said the player, clearly more comfortable at centre-back than on the left side of defence. “I’ve always said I’m strongest in central defence. That's the right position for me.”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5795638561248779}
{"content": "Shares of TVS MOTOR COMPANY LTD. (TVSMOTOR.BO) have seen the needle move 1.39% or 8.00 in the most recent session. The BSE listed company saw a recent bid of $584.40 on 34578 volume. \n\nTackling the stock market may involve many different aspects. Investors may at times feel like they are on a wild ride. Sometimes there are extreme highs, and sometimes there are extreme lows. Figuring out how to best deal with fluctuations can help the investor’s mindset. Investors who are able to keep their emotions in check might be one step ahead of the rest. Being able to identify emotional weaknesses can help the investor avoid tricky situations when things get hairy. Keeping the stock portfolio on the profitable side may involve making decisions that require emotional detachment. When emotions are running high, it may impair the rational decision making capability of the investor.\n\nTVS MOTOR COMPANY LTD. (TVSMOTOR.BO) has a 14-day ATR of 20.21. The Average True Range is an investor tool used to measure stock volatility. The ATR is not used to figure out price direction, just to measure volatility. The ATR is an indicator developed by J. Welles Wilder. Wilder has developed multiple indicators that are still quite popular in today’s investing landscape. The general interpretation of the ATR is the higher the ATR value, the higher the volatility.\n\n\nThe RSI, or Relative Strength Index, is a widely used technical momentum indicator that compares price movement over time. The RSI was created by J. Welles Wilder who was striving to measure whether or not a stock was overbought or oversold. The RSI may be useful for spotting abnormal price activity and volatility. The RSI oscillates on a scale from 0 to 100. The normal reading of a stock will fall in the range of 30 to 70. A reading over 70 would indicate that the stock is overbought, and possibly overvalued. A reading under 30 may indicate that the stock is oversold, and possibly undervalued. After a recent check, the 14-day RSIfor TVS MOTOR COMPANY LTD. (TVSMOTOR.BO) is currently at 47.32, the 7-day stands at 53.76, and the 3-day is sitting at 66.08.\n\nLooking further at additional technical indicators we can see that the 14-day Commodity Channel Index (CCI) for TVS MOTOR COMPANY LTD. (TVSMOTOR.BO) is sitting at -12.37. CCI is an indicator used in technical analysis that was designed by Donald Lambert. Although it was originally intended for commodity traders to help identify the start and finish of market trends, it is frequently used to analyze stocks as well. A CCI reading closer to +100 may indicate more buying (possibly overbought) and a reading closer to -100 may indicate more selling (possibly oversold).\n\nMoving averages can help spot trends and price reversals. They may also be used to help find support or resistance levels. Moving averages are considered to be lagging indicators meaning that they confirm trends. A certain stock may be considered to be on an uptrend if trading above a moving average and the average is sloping upward. On the other side, a stock may be considered to be in a downtrend if trading below the moving average and sloping downward. Shares of TVS MOTOR COMPANY LTD. (TVSMOTOR.BO) have a 7-day moving average of 578.59. Taking a glance at the relative strength indictor, we note that the 14-day RSI is currently at 47.32, the 7-day stands at 53.76, and the 3-day is sitting at 66.08.\n\nInvestors are constantly on the lookout for that next great stock pick. Finding that particular stock that had been overlooked by the rest of the investing community can bring great satisfaction to the individual investor. Spotting these stocks may take a lot of time and effort, but the rewards may be well worth it. Knowledge is power, and this principle also translates over to the equity market. Investors who are able to dig a little bit deeper may be setting themselves up for much greater success in the long run. These days, investors have access to a wide range of information. Trying to filter out the important information can be a key factor in portfolio strength. Knowing what data to look for and how to trade that information is extremely important. Successful investors are typically able to focus their energy on the right information and then apply it to a trading strategy.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9963445067405701}
{"content": "Saturday, February 10, 2018\n\nCreation Destruction Creation\n\nSometimes I will complete a painting and am not happy with it. Maybe I like part of a painting but all together it doesn't work. I've been pondering what to do with some large paintings in the Café series.  I never liked the colors. I was painting an actual place, The Romper Room, and those were the actual colors.\n\nWhat to do with art you're not happy with? Give it away, throw it away or paint over it.\n\nAfter their last outing, I decided I would paint over some of them.\n\nFirst on the destruction block, \"Romper Room\". So much dark red.\n\nNew room colors. Add a window.\n\nWill this work out or will I regret the loss of the original? I'll have to keep painting to find out.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9895990490913391}
{"content": "Humpback Whales Are Forming Mysterious 'Super-Groups' - Atlas Obscura\nUnusual adventures and hidden discoveries. Explore our 2018 trips now »\n\nHumpback Whales Are Forming Mysterious ‘Super-Groups’\n\nScientists aren’t quite sure what’s going on.\n\nA humpback supergroup off the west coast of South Africa.\nA humpback supergroup off the west coast of South Africa. Jean Tresfon/PLOSone\n\nOver the past few years, humpback whales—normally solitary creatures—have been amassing in huge “super-groups,” surprised scientists report in a recently published article in PLOSone. At dozens of different times, crowds numbering from 20 to 200 whales have been spotted congregating off of the west coast of South Africa.\n\n“It’s quite unusual to see them in such large groups,” whale researcher Gísli Vikingsson told New Scientist. South Africa is also much further north than the whales usually venture in the summer—normally, they’re way down south in the Antarctic.\n\nIf humpbacks usually like their privacy, why are they clubbing up like this? As New Scientist reports, experts are unsure—but they have a few ideas. Unlike many species, humpbacks have been doing pretty well over the past few decades, recovering from a severe whaling-age population dip. It might be that their increasing numbers are changing the availability of their prey. It could also be that they used to always have big parties like this, and now they finally can again.\n\nA humpback says hey.\nA humpback says hey. Robbie Shade/CC BY 2.0\n\nThe question of what they do when they get together is slightly easier to answer. While a human super-group brings together various talented musicians from different bands, a whale super-group is more for feeding, the researchers explain. They can tell the whales are chowing down because of “repetitive and consecutive diving behaviors… and the pungent, ‘fishy’ smell of whale blows,” they write.\n\nBut some harmonizing is likely involved, too—these are whales, after all. I’m naming three of them Crosby, Krills and Splash.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6517671942710876}
{"content": "question 6 dollar 1 f-name road-left stationnement road-right fb ins voyage-badge type-of-trips road2 age tour wi-fi vert logo-f 6 camping-car city limit who-we-are arrow-right h-western-canada region full available road Promo free-cancellation tw yt tel permit 1 climate g food\n\n4X4 8-passenger\n\nFORD EXPEDITION 4X4 (or similar)\n\nAvailable only for pickup in Montreal and Quebec City\n\nMax. seating capacity: 8 adults\n\nLuggage capacity: 4 pieces\n\nNumber of doors: 4\n\nEngine: 8 cylinder\n\nFuel consumption: 16.4 litres / 100 km\n\nAccessories: AM/FM radio, CD player, air conditioning.\n\nNOTES: All rental cars in Canada have automatic transmission. Don't hesitate to ask the rental agent for driving instructions.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9890628457069397}
{"content": "Customer Strategist Journal\narticle |\nThe Customer Intelligence Advantage\n\nA Segmentation Framework That Works\n\nCustomer-centric companies have long understood the need to manage their customer portfolio, rather than just their portfolio of products or services. These firms know that the customer portfolio must be the fundamental factor guiding how a company is organized, what it manages, and what it measures.\n\nA segmentation strategy provides companies with the insight they need to manage their businesses profitably and with a customer focus. Segmentation delivers that insight by subdividing a customer portfolio into multiple categories, based on such attributes as behaviors, value, and needs. Additionally, segmentation asks questions to identify such groups as the highest revenue-generating customers, value-destroyers, which consumers should be targeted for acquisition, and who should be earmarked for cross-selling. This, in turn, enables organizations to better address customers' needs and requirements, as well as predict customers' future behavior, including the likelihood of churn.\n\nCompanies benefit in many other ways from segmentation. On a strategic level, it gives them the knowledge to revise their core business direction. They can use segmentation, for example, to determine which markets to enter or exit. Segmentation also helps with decisions on such issues as the optimal organizational structure and what budget to allocate for a particular business initiative. At a more tactical level it can help fuel decisions on what campaigns to execute, what products to offer, which channels to innovate, and what services to introduce. Market segmentation, where the focus is on the total market rather than the company's consumer portfolio, provides customer acquisition–related insights.\n\nSegmentation methodologies that focus on behavior, life stage, and needs help companies identify the characteristics of a product, service, or channel that appeal to specific customer groups. Moreover, looking at consumers' needs and behaviors without a specific product, service, or channel in mind can lead to innovative ideas that can help to meet those needs.\n\nUltimately, segmentation provides companies with insight into actionable consumer segments, along with the best ways to meet their needs and increase their value. However, to maximize the benefits of segmentation, companies need to understand their customers from multiple dimensions: demographics, life stage, financial contribution, potential value, profitability figures, behaviors, and needs. An ideal customer segmentation strategy should consider all these dimensions in order to provide a holistic view of the consumer.\n\nBut all these dimensions should not be embedded in the same segmentation model. We prefer a more compartmentalized method, with dimensions that provide related insight, for example combining financial contributions and potential value within one model. Thus, the same customer will be in various segments used for different models, all interrelated and complementing each other. A multidimensional segmentation strategy is far better than a single-dimensional approach as it gives the company the option of following customers' trends in different areas through different segmentation methodologies.\n\nImplementing a segmentation strategy\n\nThe first step towards a successful segmentation strategy is to determine a company's expectations and objectives (see Figure 1). Different usage expectations require different segmentation methodologies. Strategic objectives, including revisions of core business direction, organizational structure changes, and financial planning initiatives, require more stable and strategic segmentation methodologies. On the other hand, more tactical objectives, including product and service developments and marketing actions, require more frequently revised and detailed segmentation methodologies.\n\nOnce the expectations and objectives are clarified, we suggest starting to plan the data environment for the segmentation methodology; each method requires a different set of information. Strategic segmentation requires a long history of financial consumer data, looking at what products or services the consumer purchased, how much was spent, and for how long. Marketing-focused segmentations—such as behavior, needs, and lifestyle—require a more detailed set of customer data, such as what products or services the customer uses, the motives behind this use, the customer's response to campaigns, complaint data, and customer's perception of the brand. Most of the time companies already have the required data, usually housed in siloed systems. So the next step is to complete this dataset by integrating information from the different sources and generating an analytical data mart to use for segmentation. Then use data mining tools to devise the segmentation model (see Figure 2).\n\nWe advise that companies use not only a segmentation framework, but also take specific actions to adopt it throughout the organization. Once companies show a willingness to apply segmentation across functional areas and put required procedures in place, the financial impacts are observable within a short period of time.\n\nAdditionally, organizations must keep their segments up to date. Segmentation is a continuous process that should be repeated periodically, allowing companies to keep track of segment trends and changes, identify which segments are likely to grow, and treat different segments differently based on their needs at a given time.\n\nAdded insight and growth potential\n\nOnce a segmentation framework is in place companies will gain new insight into their customers' value and potential value. For example, in every customer portfolio there is a group that does not generate financial value. It is critical to identify this group and then decide on the best strategy for handling these customers. Segmentation not only clearly identifies lower-value consumers, but also tracks their changes.\n\nOur recommendation is to not ignore the lower-value segments, but rather to optimize the company's resources to match customer value and improve the bottom line. Using a multidimensional segmentation framework allows companies to decide on the optimum allocation of resources, including not wasting scarce and expensive resources on lower-value segments.\n\nFurthermore, it helps companies to identify ways to improve the value-generation capacity of those lower-value segments. This is when multidimensional segmentation becomes critical because it provides companies with a deeper understanding of the behaviors, life stages, and needs of lower-value consumers and enables the development of new, less costly products, services, and channels that match these criteria. Thus, companies can increase the financial value generated from this segment.\n\nA methodology that considers the potential value of the consumer, as well as the current and past financial value—like multidimensional segmentation does—will uncover customer segments that fall short of generating financial value today and in the future, as well as segments that have the most future potential.\n\nAlthough the ultimate aim is to maximize profitability, segmentation does not need to be based solely on profitability. In fact, we don't directly use profitability as a metric in segmentation models we create. Instead, we base our segmentation and segments using a top-line perspective, while providing a close link to profitability. This approach gives companies the option of measuring, forecasting, and tracking profitability while maximizing the value of each customer through a multidimensional segmentation methodology.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8522812128067017}
{"content": "Shark Older Than Shakespeare? Here Are The Oldest Animals In The World\n\nSo old they hit puberty at an age of 150 yrs!\n\nWe are all drawn towards things that outdo themselves, don't we?\n\nPeople like record-breaking athletes, the fastest swimmer in the world, tallest roller-coaster in the world and so on. We want to know about them, see how they did it and be amazed.\n\nSimilarly, in recent times, news emerged about a shark which is said to be the oldest vertebrate in the world. I was very curious, and obviously, I pried further. I also got interested in some other animals which were the oldest ones in their species.\n\nAnd hence, we present you a compilation of some of the longest living or oldest animals that lived more than their expectant age.\n\nTake a look...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9987871050834656}
{"content": "The Chateau Park\n\nThe large park, probably laid-out at the time of the chateau´s foundation already, adjoins the southern wing.\n\n The chateau park is situated in the hight of 500 meters above sea-level. At the beginning of the 19th century it was adapted to its present style of an English nature landscape park which spreads on the undulating terrain of the chateau grounds. There are many kinds of trees, shrubs and flowers in the park. Its area is about 10 hectars. There is a pond with a small island in the park too.\n\n The chateau with its park is a typical country seat in the Empire style, evoking the character and atmosphere of the first half of the 19th century.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8973003625869751}
{"content": "American Flag around Chefornak AK 99561\n\nThe American Revolutionary War\nHow the American Flag came to be\n\nThe background of the United States is vast and complicated, but can be broken down into milestones as well as time periods that separated, combined, as well as altered the United States right into the nation it is now. The American flag did not appear like it does now. Other than that, it went through a great deal of modifications and also adjustments.\n\nThe American Revolutionary War\n\nEnter the American Revolution. Occasionally described as the American War of Independence, or the Revolutionary War, it was a conflict which lasted from 1775-1783 and enabled the initial 13 colonies to continue to be independent from Great Britain. Starting in Great Britain in the late 1790s, the Industrial Revolution ultimately made its path to the United States and changed the emphasis of the nation’s economic climate as well as the method it produces products.\n\nFor greater than a decade prior to the outbreak of the revolution in 1775, tensions had been developing between colonists and the British authorities. These tensions arose from growing stress between locals of Great Britain’s 13 North American colonies and the early american government (which represented the British crown). Efforts by the British government to raise earnings by collecting tax from the colonies (significantly the Stamp Act of 1765, the Townshend Tariffs of 1767 and the Tea Act of 1773) consulted with violent demonstration among numerous colonists, that resented their lack of representation in Parliament and also required the exact same civil liberties as various other British people. Colonial resistance resulted in violence in 1770, when British soldiers opened fire on a crowd of colonists, eliminating five men in what was referred to as the Boston Massacre. After December 1773, when a band of Bostonians impersonated Mohawk Indians boarded British ships then disposed 342 containers of tea into Boston Harbor, an outraged Parliament passed a collection of steps (known as the Intolerable, or Coercive Acts) developed to reassert imperial authority in Massachusetts.\n\nvia Wikimedia Commons\n\nGeorge Washington was made its commander in chief. Congress hoped they might require the British to bargain but George III declined to compromise. Rather, in August 1775 he stated that all the American colonies were in a state of disobedience.\n\nBy June 1776, with the Revolutionary War in full swing, an expanding bulk of the colonists had pertained to favor self-reliance from Britain. That exact same year Richard Henry Lee of the Virginia Assembly presented Congress with resolutions declaring the freedom of the colonies, asking for a confederation as well as revealed the should locate foreign allies for a war against Britain. On July 4th, the Continental Congress elected to adopt the Declaration of Independence, prepared by a five-man board consisting of Franklin and John Adams however created mostly by Jefferson. By the fall of 1781, the American army had begun to require the enemy to retreat to Virginia’s Yorktown peninsula, near where the York River clears into Chesapeake Bay. Backed up by a French military commanded by General Jean Baptiste de Rochambeau, Washington moved against Yorktown with a total of around 14,000 soldiers, while a fleet of 36 French warships offshore avoided British reinforcement or evacuation. Caught and also overpowered, the adversary was compelled to surrender their entire military. Claiming ailments, the British general sent his deputy, Charles O’Hara, to give up; after O’Hara approached Rochambeau to surrender his sword (the Frenchman deferred to Washington), Washington gave the nod to his own replacement, Benjamin Lincoln, that approved it. After French assistance helped the Continental Army force the British abandonment at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781, the Americans had properly won their independence, though fighting would not formally end until 1783.\n\nThe movement for American freedom effectively won at Yorktown, contemporary historians did not see that as the decisive victory. British armies remained stationed around Charleston, and also the effective major army still resided in New York. The British exit of their soldiers from Charleston and also Savannah in late 1782 ultimately indicated completion of the conflict. British and also American arbitrators in Paris authorized preliminary peace terms in Paris late that November, and also on September 3, 1783, Great Britain formally recognized the freedom of the United States in the Treaty of Paris. At the same time, Britain authorized separate peace treaties with France and Spain (which had gone into the conflict in 1779), bringing the American Revolution to a close after 8 long years.\n\nHow the American Flag became\n\nThe American flag was made to stand for the new union of the thirteen original states: it would certainly have thirteen stripes, alternate red and also white, as well as thirteen stars, white on a blue area. One of the very first flags had actually the stars laid out in a circle, based upon the suggestion that all colonies were equal. The thirteen stripes, laid out side by side, represented the struggle for independence; red represented valor, white signified pureness and also blue stood for commitment.\n\nIn 1818, after a couple of style adjustments, the United States Congress chose to keep the flag’s initial thirteen stripes as well as add new stars to show each brand-new state that joined the union.\n\n\n\nWashington asked if Betsy might make a flag from the style. Betsy responded: “I don’t know, yet I will certainly try.” This line was utilized in the sworn statements of many of Betsy’s family participants, suggesting that it is a direct quote from Betsy. As the story goes, Betsy recommended altering the stars to five points instead than 6.\n\n\n\n\n\nAlso so, nobody can be so sure that developed the American flag. The American flag is the sacred emblem of the nation. As you see the flag silhouetted against the serene skies of the nation, you are reminded that the American flag stands for what you are – no more, no less.\n\nBest American Flags around Alaska state\n\nAs quoted from the Star Spangled Banner:\n\nO say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,\nWhat so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming,\nWhose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,\nO’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?\nGave proof through the night that our flag was still there;\nO say does that star-spangled banner yet wave\n\nZIP codes in Chefornak we serve: 99561", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8676872253417969}
{"content": "American Flag around Chicken AK 99732\n\nThe American Revolutionary War\nJust how the American Flag happened\n\nThe history of the United States is substantial and intricate, however can be broken down right into moments and periods that divided, linked, and changed the United States right into the country it is today. The American flag really did not resemble like it does currently. Besides that, it underwent a lot of modifications and also modifications.\n\nThe American Revolutionary War\n\nEnter the American Revolution. Often referred to as the American War of Independence, or the Revolutionary War, it was a conflict which lasted from 1775-1783 and enabled the original 13 colonies to remain independent from Great Britain. Beginning in Great Britain in the late 1790s, the Industrial Revolution at some point made its path to the United States and also altered the emphasis of the country’s economy and also the means it manufactures items.\n\nThese problems occurred from growing stress between locals of Great Britain’s 13 North American colonies and the colonial government (which represented the British crown). Attempts by the British government to raise earnings by collectin tax from the colonies (especially the Stamp Act of 1765, the Townshend Tariffs of 1767 and the Tea Act of 1773) met with heated demonstration among numerous colonists, that resented their lack of representation in Parliament as well as demanded the same legal rights as other British subjects.\n\nvia Wikimedia Commons\n\nGeorge Washington was made its leader. Congress hoped they can require the British to negotiate yet George III rejected to compromise. Rather, in August 1775 he proclaimed that all the American colonies were in a state of rebellion.\n\nBy June 1776, with the Revolutionary War in full swing, an expanding bulk of the colonists had actually pertained to favor freedom from Britain. That exact same year Richard Henry Lee of the Virginia Assembly presented Congress with resolutions declaring the freedom of the colonies, requiring a confederation as well as revealed the have to find international allies for a war versus Britain. On July 4th, the Continental Congress voted to take on the Declaration of Independence, composed by a five-man committee consisting of Franklin and also John Adams yet composed mainly by Jefferson. By the autumn of 1781, the American forces had actually managed to require the adversary to retreat to Virginia’s Yorktown peninsula, near where the York River clears into Chesapeake Bay. Supported by a French army led by General Jean Baptiste de Rochambeau, Washington moved against Yorktown with an overall of around 14,000 soldiers, while a fleet of 36 French battleships offshore prevented British support or escape. Entrapped as well as overpowered, the opponent was forced to surrender their entire army. Stating illness, the British general sent his replacement, Charles O’Hara, to surrender; after O’Hara approached Rochambeau to surrender his sword (the Frenchman deferred to Washington), Washington gave the nod to his very own replacement, Benjamin Lincoln, who accepted it. After French assistance aided the Continental Army compel the British surrender at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781, the Americans had efficiently won their self-reliance, though combatting would not officially finish til 1783.\n\nThe motion for American freedom efficiently won at Yorktown, modern historians did not see that as the crucial triumph. British and also American mediators in Paris authorized initial peace terms in Paris late that November, and also on September 3, 1783, Great Britain officially acknowledged the freedom of the United States in the Treaty of Paris.\n\nExactly how the American Flag happened\n\n\n\n\n\nWashington asked if Betsy might make a flag from the layout. Betsy reacted: “I don’t know, yet I will certainly try.” This line was utilized in the vouched statements of a lot of Betsy’s family members, suggesting that it is a direct quote from Betsy. As the story goes, Betsy recommended changing the stars to five points instead of 6. She showed them the best ways to do it with simply one snip of her scissors. They all accepted to alter the design to have stars with 5 points.\n\nHowever, some chroniclers believe that it was Francis Hopkisnon that brought to life the idea of the Stars and Stripes. Francis Hopkinson was a prominent patriot, an attorney, a Congressman from New Jersey, an endorser of the Declaration of Independence, poet, musician, as well as distinguished civil servant.\n\n\nA publication in Hopkinson’s library at his home in Bordentown was taken by a Hessian soldier in December 1776, a dark year of the battle. The book, Discourses on Public Occasions in America (London, 1762) by William Smith, D.D., had been a gift to him by the writer. The soldier, one I. Ewald, created on the inside cover that he had actually seen the author near Philadelphia which he, Ewald, had actually taken the book from a great country seat near Philadelphia. The book was consequently provided to a person in Philadelphia who returned it to Hopkinson. The soldier had actually composed above as well as listed below Hopkinson’s bookplate, which had 3 six pointed stars as well as his family motto, “Semper Paratus”, or “Always Ready”. The safe return of the book may well have actually symbolized to Hopkinson the resurgence of the Americans’ hope.\n\n\nNevertheless, no one can be so certain that created the American flag. The American flag is the spiritual symbol of the country. It symbolizes the peoples’ birthright, their heritage of liberty bought with blood and also sorrow. The title deed of freedom, which is the country’s to enjoy as well as keep in trust for posterity. Infinite vigilance is the rate of freedom. As you see the flag silhouetted in front of the calm skies of the country, you are reminded that the American flag stands for exactly what you are – no more, no much less.\n\nBest American Flags near Alaska state\n\nAs taken from the Star Spangled Banner:\n\nO say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,\nWhat so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming,\nWhose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,\nO’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?\nGave proof through the night that our flag was still there;\nO say does that star-spangled banner yet wave\n\nZIP codes in Chicken we serve: 99732", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.921116828918457}
{"content": "US Flags Sale Coaling AL 35449\n\nAmerican Flags around Coaling.\n\nMade in the USA!\n\nFolding up the American flag.\n\nThe United States flag is a solid sign of American identity and nationwide pride. Also called Old Glory, the United States flag has a vivid background as well as has gone through several modifications from the initial official flag of 1777.\n\nToday the U.S. flag contains thirteen horizontal stripes, seven red alternating with 6 white stripes. The stripes represent the original 13 colonies; the stars represent the 50 states of the country. The shades of the flag are symbolic too: red represents hardiness as well as valor, white symbolizes pureness and virtue and also blue stands for vigilance, perseverance and justice. The factor the Continental Congress originally picked the red, white, and blue shades was not made clear in the resolution embracing the flag. Historians believe it was most likely a color option based upon the British Union Jack, which had formerly flown over the colonies.\n\nOver time, some have associated a little various meanings to the 3 shades, for instance, the color red symbolizing the blood spilled to maintain our freedoms, but the significance of the original meaning has been relatively consistent since 1782.\n\nPhoto via Wikimedia Commons\n\n\n\n\n\nThe American flag is a symbol not just of hardiness, valor, pureness, innocence, vigilance, willpower and also justice; it is a sign of freedom. Liberty that has been battled so hard for over the years. Freedom that has actually cost this country and the families within so much, but it is still a beacon to those wishing they had the liberty that the country has.\n\nFolding up the American flag.\n\n\nThe flag isn’t folded up in this fashion since each of the folds has a unique symbolic meaning; the flag is folded in this manner due to the fact that it supplies a dignified ritualistic touch that identifies folding a flag from folding a normal thing such as a bed cover, and also due to the fact that it results an aesthetically pleasing, easy-to-handle form. This thirteen-fold treatment was a common technique long before the development of a ceremonial assignation of “implying” to every of the actions.\n\nAn intricate flag folding ceremony incorporating these meanings has actually from then on been created for special events such as Memorial Day as well as Veterans Day. These associations are “genuine” in the feeling that they imply something to the people who join the ceremony, however they are not the reason that a flag is folded in the standard thirteen-step fashion.\n\nThis is America and also its symbol is the American Flag. This honorable sign has actually been shot at, set fire to, spew upon as well as stepped on, but she rises again and again. Although many Americans in the state of Alabama proudly fly the flag outside their homes and businesses daily, it is fitting that we, as a nation, have actually reserved one certain day yearly to honor our flag and to keep in mind that it represents the ideals as well as values that we should aim to support. May God bless America and those who protect her.\n\nCoaling ZIP codes we serve: 35449", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9880257844924927}
{"content": "A few weeks ago, the European Commission opened an antitrust investigation into the Most Favored Nation clauses (MFNs) included in the agreements that tech giant Amazon concluded with book publishers. Konstantina Bania, Researcher at Fundação Getulio Vargas and the European University Institute, explains the implications of these clauses for competition in content markets and argues that the Commission’s approach is inconsistent with older decisions.\n\nThe Commision’s press release is somewhat vague, but the clauses in question might be retail parity MFNs, that is, clauses that require publishers to guarantee that they will lower the retail price of their e-books in the Kindle store to match the lowest price offered by any other store, such as Apple’s iBookstore. This is not the first time MFNs have fallen under the EU antitrust microscope. Three years ago, in the e-books case, which concerned the joint decision (in antitrust parlance cartel or collusion) of five major publishing houses to switch to the agency model – whereby publishers set the retail prices of their e-books and distributors (such as Amazon and Apple) get a commission from the publishers for every book sold – the Commission imposed on the publishers the duty not to enter into new agreements that include retail parity MFNs for five years. But while the E-books commitments decision creates the impression that contracts with MFNs are acceptable from a competition law perspective so long as they are not ‘tainted’ with collusion (for otherwise why would the Commission limit the duration of the remedy to five years?), it can be inferred from the press release concerning the Amazon investigation that the Commission considers the inclusion of MFNs in contracts concluded by an undertaking with significant market power to be a breach of the EU competition rules.\n\nCan MFNs, particularly retail parity MFNs, promote competition in media markets? This contribution will attempt to answer this question, thereby addressing to some extent the legal uncertainty that the Commission’s inconsistent approach towards MFNs has created. The issue at hand is becoming increasingly important: MFNs appear to be particularly attractive to online distributors, which explains why over the past three years national competition authorities have been called upon to decide whether MFNs constitute an antitrust violation (see here and here). From a consumer perspective, we should be aware of the fact that MFNs have a direct impact on the prices we are charged when we conclude transactions online (e.g. when we purchase an e-book, make a hotel reservation, etc.).\n\nMFNs: The pros and cons\n\n‘Typical’ MFNs establish the producer’s obligation not to offer lower prices to other distributors. Every time the producer (in our case the publisher) offers a distributor (in our case Amazon’s competitors) a discount, it is obliged to extend the same offer to all other distributors. In theory, typical MFNs may create both pro- and anti-competitive effects. As regards anticompetitive effects, MFNs may reduce or eliminate the incentive of the producers to offer potential distributors better deals, thereby discouraging entry in downstream markets. MFNs may further facilitate concentration downstream; a distributor with significant bargaining power, such as Amazon, does not benefit solely from the conditions that are the outcome of the negotiations it itself conducted with the producer, but also from any favorable conditions that any other distributor managed to obtain.\n\nWith respect to pro-competitive effects, it is usually argued that, in cases of perishable products (e.g. fruit), MFNs may address problems relating to transaction delays; instead of waiting for the quality of the product to worsen and hence the price to drop, an MFN clause eliminates the distributors’ incentive to delay the order. This in turn allows the producer to allocate its resources more efficiently. MFNs may also resolve the ‘hold up’ problem, which arises in cases where the distributor is deterred from entering the market because it fears that the producer will act opportunistically by engaging in rent-seeking behavior. An MFN clause encourages the distributor to make the contract-specific investment required to penetrate the downstream market because it provides it with some certainty that the producer will not free ride on its investment, offering subsequent entrants better deals. This may be a way to open up risky markets, thereby promoting innovation.\n\nDo MFNs produce pro-competitive effects in media markets?\n\nIt is questionable whether the efficiencies put forward in favor of MFNs apply to media content. The ‘perishability’ argument is somewhat irrelevant due to the digital and durable nature of the content that is the contract service. Put simply, unlike fruit, media content does not ‘go bad’. Even if we were to limit this justification to certain types of media content that have a short life cycle, most notably news and sports competitions, the ‘perishability’ argument could be accepted in cases where the incentive of the media producer to sell the content is greater than that of the distributor because the last minute price drops from which the latter benefits outweigh any quality deterioration that may have resulted from delaying the transaction. However, in the case of ‘perishable’ media content, the incentives of producer and distributor are aligned because end-consumers are interested in immediate fruition (e.g. football matches may attract large audiences only if their result remains unknown, i.e. if the competition is broadcast live). As for the argument that an MFN clause is needed to assure the online distributor that it will recoup its investments, this is also weak in our case; creating a website is not expensive whereas in the case of already established retailers the relevant contract-specific investments (e.g. text editing, online advertising, etc.) are, as a rule, not particularly high. This issue was addressed in a decision adopted by the Bundeskartellamt concerning the MFN contained in an agreement between German hotels and an online booking portal. The Bundeskartellamt, arguably correctly, rejected the portal’s argument that room price differences across competing platforms would eliminate its incentives to improve service quality on the grounds that the investments made by the portal were fairly limited.\n\nEven if one were more open to accepting that ‘typical’ MFNs may produce certain pro-competitive effects, it would seem difficult to find any objective efficiency rationale for retail parity MFNs. The peculiarity of these MFNs is comprehensively explained by the US Department of Justice in the antitrust action it brought against Apple and the five publishers involved in the E-books case. The relevant paragraph reads as follows:\n\nThat provision was not structured like a standard MFN in favor of a retailer, ensuring Apple that it would receive the best available wholesale price. […] Instead, the MFN here required each publisher to guarantee that it would lower the retail price of each e-book in Apple’s iBookstore to match the lowest price offered by any other retailer, even if the Publisher Defendant did not control that other retailer’s ultimate consumer price. That is, instead of an MFN designed to protect Apple’s ability to compete, this MFN was designed to protect Apple from having to compete on price at all’ [emphasis added].\n\nRetail parity MFNs are fundamentally different from a typical MFN clause. As opposed to the latter, the former restrict the distributor’s freedom to offer the product at lower prices. Retail parity MFNs must also be distinguished from Resale Price Maintenance (RPM): RPM may be limited to one or a few retailers whereas a retail parity MFN is a disguised form of collective RPM. With that said, it is not surprising that the investigations opened by the OFT and the Bundeskartellamt into Amazon’s retail parity MFNs have led to the retailer removing the clause indefinitely (see here). It bears noting that the Commission opted for the same solution in an older case concerning the MFN clauses contained in agreements between the Hollywood majors and European pay-TV operators, which provided that any increase agreed with one studio automatically resulted in parallel increases in the prices of the other studios (see here).\n\nIn view of the unlikely scenario that MFNs in general and retail parity MFNs in particular will produce any positive effects on competition in media markets, the e-books decision, which suggests that after a five-year period publishers may include MFNs in the agreements they conclude with online retailers, is somewhat confusing. In moving forward with the Amazon investigation (and any future antitrust investigation into MFNs that affect media markets), the Commission should not hesitate to ask powerful distributors to remove these clauses from their arrangements with content producers.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5751494765281677}
{"content": " With Gujarat Model demolished BJP looks for new issues\n\nWith Gujarat Model demolished BJP looks for new issues\n\nOne of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) in the political sphere today are: “Whythe BJP led by PM NarendraModi and Amit Shah changed strategy to use political issues to win the most crucial Gujarat elections and pushed economic issues to the back burner?\n\nThe answer is simple: The political wizard and super craftsman that Modi is, who ruled Gujarat unchanged for 20 years, first won the nomination for leadership and Prime Minister-ship within the BJP against all odds and senior leaders such as LK Advani, thought to be the logical successor to Vajpayee, used economics more than politics to sweep the 2014 general elections on an anti-corruption drive and the noted Gujarat model of development.\n\nBut off late, there has been much criticism amongst economists about how successful the Gujarat model of development has actually been, both in the home state as well it’s so called replication at the National Level. All seemed well with Modi’s economic measures starting with his powerful anti-corruption drive, restoration of investor confidence in India, pushing up India’s sovereign ratings with the biggest of rating agencies globally, bringing India closer to the world with his aggressive foreign policy initiatives and successfully reuniting the SAARC which had seemingly been fragmented with an over ambitious neighbour China trying to woo them into its net.\n\nNovember 08 2016 changed all that. Officially described as a measure to unearth black money, wipe out funding to terrorists, crush Pakistan’s ISI pumping fake currency of high denominations into the Indian market, the demonetisation action actually produced collateral damage. Besides making people run for scarce currency in essentially cash driven economy, crushing the small economy, demonetisation had been viewed with suspicion in political circles as a move that was meant to wipe out political rivals such as Mayawati of BSP and Mulayam family who held most of their political funds in cash. BJP successfully won the UP elections winning an overwhelming majority of seats against all odds and predictions that Mayawati was on the rise and Akilesh could retain most seats.\n\nIt was economics that won the elections and not the Ram Mandir issue. But in Gujarat BJP changed track…… because Modinomics with Demonetisation and GST seemed to produce much collateral damage hitting small businessmen, a bulk of large number of voters in the business dominated state.\n\nGST came as a severe blow to merchants in Gujarat as the various slabs hit them hard making the government to do a rethink on reclassification of the five tier slab extending mostly from 5% to 28%. So political issues such as appeasing the patedhar community and protection to the Muslim community (the abolition of triple talaq found echo amongst Muslim women dividing the minority vote). The Gujarat model was not talked about even though opposition led by Congress made muted criticism of this being a failure as BJP had successfully diverted attention.\n\nEconomists present differing opinions on the Gujarat model of development with some of them saying that the PR man that Modi is, he successfully window dressed the model in the 2014 general elections but cleverly put it behind on the back burner in timefor the 2017 assembly elections.\n\nHere’s why: Let’s look at the criticism as published in the media. In an article in a newspaper,  Jayati Ghosh , leading economist, Jawaharlal Nehru University, says: “ The myth of Gujarat’s economic growth was effectively punctured in 2014 by the impressive volume co-edited by Indira Hirway, Amita Shah and Ghanshyam Shah (Growth or Development: Which Way is Gujarat Going?, Oxford University Press, 2014). They showed that much of the high growth so effectively advertised by the Modi state government was really a continuation of past trends which in turn were largely due to Gujarat’s advantages in agriculture and manufacturing, aided by the easy availability of land and infrastructure facilities such as electricity – all of which predated chief minister Modi. “\n\nBut in addition, further economic growth under Modi’s tenure as chief minister was heavily reliant on attracting large corporate investment through large subsidies and incentives of various kinds. This meant that the income growth was very unequal, so that the benefits of the growth did not percolate to the people as propagated by the ‘trickle-down’ hypothesis, says Jayati Ghosh.\n\nGiven Prime Minister Modi’s famous invectives against corruption, the multiple favours given to large industry as part of the strategy of encouraging industrialisation also meant that Gujarat was one of the states where ‘crony capitalism’ flourished, Jayati Ghosh claims.\n\nCertain industrial groups, she alleges, were particular beneficiaries of the economic policies of the Modi government in Gujarat, such that the rise of the groups like the Adanis was almost coterminous with that of the Modi-controlled government in the state. Meanwhile, the large incentives provided to large corporate players (but not to small and medium enterprises) in terms of cheap or free land, water and other infrastructure created both extremely distorted markets for these as well as adverse fiscal consequences, she further claims. The huge expenditure on incentives and subsidies left less public funds for social sectors, so that Gujarat had much lower per capita expenditure on social sectors compared to other states as similar levels of per capita income, and indeed performed quite poorly in this regard among the major states.\n\nAnother Economist Maitreesh Ghatak,claims the growing gap between income growth and conditions of life, including the fact that Gujarat’s social indicators are generally much worse than comparator states with similar per capita GDP, and are only middling among all states.\n\nElectorate outside Gujarat was easily  influenced  by   ‘Modinomics’ and voted for him as they thought he alone could generate positive economic transformation and productive employment generation across the entire country, using the magic he had already produced in the state of Gujarat, opine economists . “But the hard reality of lack of development would presumably be hard to conceal from the people of Gujarat themselves. Despite that, they continued to vote for the BJP, which even experienced rising vote shares over successive state elections”, the economists observed.\n\nSince the economy emerged as a major – even critical – aspect of political discussion in the state, it was put on the back burner because economic problems brewing for some time were becoming more pronounced within and outside the state, some economists argue. From the Patidar agitation for reservations to the counter protests, from the demands of Dalit communities, to the small traders and others claiming that their livelihood has been damaged – the story is about how economic processes are failing significant parts of the population, economists claim.\n\nBut the industry associations such as CII, ASSOCHAM and FICCI bank on Modinomics to restore the economy back to the rails as the government goes all out to kickback the manufacturing sector, woo investors and enhance public expenditure considerably on public private partnership projects in the infrastructure sector to bring back growth and generate employment, both of which are big issues before the elections. So there is a line dividing the rich and the poor, how BJP walks the tight rope to woo the electorate is to be seen.\n\n(TN Ashok)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8337908983230591}
{"content": "Why I’m Sick of The ‘Confidence is Sexy’ Movement\n\nDon’t take this the wrong way. Don’t scan the title and think that I’m some sort of sick and twisted bully that gets off on people’s insecurities and inner turmoil. I applaud those that have fully embraced the idea of loving their flaws and good qualities alike. And I really do hope that everyone won’t let what others say about their outward or inward appearance diminish their self confidence. However, I think that society pushes on us all to make everyone feel as if we ought to always be on the verge of a group hug. It has gone to a point where it is now redundant and overdone. It has gone to the point that I am annoyed.\n\nTelling women that confidence is beautiful and important isn’t wrong or bad on any spectrum, and by all means, is correct. However, telling women that having no confidence or being openly insecure or not being completely comfortable with who they are, is by all means, very wrong. It’s absurd to tell people that it’s unattractive when someone comes across as not confident or a little itchy in their own skin. That’s not only not true, but that’s also not fair.\n\nReminding people that their insecurity isn’t what people like or are attracted to is only fueling the lack of self esteem that’s already there. Telling teenage girls that boys are attracted to confidence will not make them love themselves anymore than telling them that hopefully one day they’ll lose their baby fat or grow into their forehead.\n\nTelling people to love themselves or to magically gain confidence does nothing. It does not make them walk with their head held high, and it does not make them see themselves any different when falling short to their peers. Stop telling people that not having confidence isn’t sexy. Stop reminding me to love myself. Stop scolding others and suggesting that being insecure is unattractive. Their insecurity over their freckles or their hips or their laugh is not something that can be changed by celebrities with a make-up artist and personal trainer demanding that we ‘love ourselves’ or that ‘men love confidence’.\n\nPeople will grow out of their insecurities; not because people find it more attractive, or they grow tired of groaning when they stare at their bare stomach. They’ll learn on their own time.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7904407382011414}
{"content": "I agree, Mouse - there is no really good answer to staying dry in prolonged rain except to get out of it. I've also used all three (WP, WB, and GT) and never stayed completely dry.\n\nI really was just trying to gather information about people's experience with Pertex, especially those who had used GoreTex and switched to Pertex. I'll re-write my original post, to make that a bit clearer.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5544165372848511}
{"content": "\n\nHint: keep it simple, like life twain\n\nFacebook share   Tweet This   Email this\n\nDaily Inspiration - Quotes to Live By\n\nModerate Quotes\n\nI hope you find great value in these Quotes about Moderate from my large collection of inspirational quotes and motivational sayings.\n\nBe merciful, moderate, and modest.\n- Lao Tzu\n\nRelated topics: Values\n\nA moderate addiction to money may not always be hurtful;\nbut when taken in excess it is nearly always bad for the health.\n- Clarence Day\n\nDuring his training, a baseball player strives\nto make each swing better than the last.\nThe repetition of a faulty swing would be worse than useless.\nIt would ingrain bad habits.\nThe same is true of emotional responses.\nwe just entrench our anger habit.\nto moderate our anger response,\nover time, we can train ourselves to respond\nto events as we choose - without anger.\nYou can't magically be free from anger tomorrow,\nbut you can put yourself on your own training program\nthat will reduce the frequency and intensity\nof your anger response day by day, year by year.\n- Jonathan Lockwood Huie\n\nBe moderate in everything, including moderation.\n- Horace Porter\n\n\nThese critics organize and practice in my case a sort\nof obsessive personality cult which philosophers should\nknow how to question and above all,\nto moderate.\n- Jacques Derrida\n\nWhen you make a movie outside the system and it's successful\ncritically or a moderate financial success,\n- Brian De Palma\n\nIf you have great talents, industry will improve them:\nif you have but moderate abilities,\nindustry will supply their deficiency.\n- Joshua Reynolds\n\n\n\nYour E-Mail Address:\nYour Name:\n\n\n\nEvery reasonable human being should be a moderate Socialist.\n- Thomas Mann\n\nI would rather have a competent extremist than an incompetent moderate.\n- Leon Jaworski\n\nIf the quickness of the mind and the fluency of the\ntongue are too punctilious and sharp,\nmoderate them in your activity and rest.\n- Xun Zi\n\nHUD's mission is to provide decency and sanitary housing\nfor low and moderate income people in this country.\n- Alphonso Jackson\n\nMany people around the President have sizeable egos\nbefore entering government,\nsome with good reason.\nTheir new positions will do little to moderate their egos.\n- Donald Rumsfeld\n\nHalf the vices which the world condemns most loudly\nhave seeds of good in them and require moderate use\nrather than total abstinence.\n- Samuel Butler\n\nMen govern nothing with more difficulty than their tongues,\nand can moderate their desires more than their words.\n- Baruch Spinoza\n\nProse on certain occasions can bear a great deal of poetry;\non the other hand,\npoetry sinks and swoons under a moderate weight of prose.\n- Walter Savage Landor\n\nChances are the movements of the euro as against the\ndollar will be relatively moderate.\n- Robert C. Solomon\n\nProbably the greatest harm done by vast wealth is the\nharm that we of moderate means do ourselves when we\n- Theodore Roosevelt\n\nThe slogan of the moderate Republican Party is this:\nwe are rich,\nand we are not going to take it any more.\n- Richard Neal\n\nOur strategy should be to strengthen the hand of moderate Muslims.\n- Gijs de Vries\n\nSo moderate is insisting that North Korea should open door to outside.\n- Kim Dae Jung\n\nI consider myself a moderate Republican.\nI have very, very moderate social views,\nand I'm pretty strong on, on defense matters.\n- Colin Powell\n\nThere are few things more amusing in the world of politics\nthan watching moderate Republicans charging to the\nright in pursuit of greater glory.\n- Mario Cuomo\n\nI think you can have moderate success by copying something else,\nyou have to do something different and take chances.\n- Lee Ann Womack\n\nWhat is a moderate interpretation of the text? Halfway\n- Antonin Scalia\n\nThe weather was fine and moderate.\nThe hunters all returned, having killed during their absence three elk,\nfour deer, two porcupines, a fox and a hare.\n- Meriwether Lewis\n\nAs a result of that, America desires a moderate Islam;\nan Islam that America can control; an Islam that America\ncan give direction to and give orders to its leaders.\n- Louis Farrakhan\n\nWhen I go out to eat, it's usually something moderate in style.\n- Thomas Keller\n\nWith two people and luggage on board she draws four inches of water.\nTwo canoe paddles will move her along at a speed reasonable\nenough in moderate currents.\n- C. S. Forester\n\n- Rudy Giuliani\n\nManifold subsequent experience has led to a truer appreciation\nand a more moderate estimate of the importance of the\ndependence of one living being upon another.\n- Richard Owen\n\nKeep high aspirations, moderate expectations,\nand small needs.\n- William Howard Stein\n\nBe moderate in prosperity, prudent in adversity.\n- Periander\n\nReject racial or religious hate.\nEmbrace moderate Islam.\n- Geraldo Rivera\n\nIt's important that we work very closely with moderate Muslim forces locally,\nnationally and internationally.\n- Gijs de Vries\n\nAvoid extremes: be moderate In saving and in spending;\nAn equable and easy gait Will win an easy ending.\n- Robert Service\n\nI consider my voice to be a centrist moderate voice\namong the nine Democratic candidates.\n- Bob Graham\n\nWe want a state wise in its contemplation -\njust in its actions -\nand moderate in the reach of government into our lives.\n- Sonny Perdue\n\nThe key to tackling Islamist fundamentalism and terrorism\nfrom the Islamist community is in the hands of moderate Muslims.\n- Gijs de Vries\n\nThe short English miles are delightful for walking.\nYou are always pleased to find, every now and then,\nin how short a time you have walked a mile,\nthough, no doubt, a mile is everywhere a mile,\nI walk but a moderate pace, and can accomplish four\nEnglish miles in an hour.\n- Karl Philipp Moritz\n\nRich men's houses are seldom beautiful,\nrarely comfortable, and never original.\nIt is a constant source of surprise to people of moderate\nmeans to observe how little a big fortune contributes to Beauty.\n- Margot Asquith\n\nAchieving price stability is not only important in itself,\nit is also central to attaining the Federal Reserve's\nother mandate objectives of maximum sustainable employment\nand moderate long-term interest rates.\n- Ben Bernanke\n\nI'm a moderate.\nI hang out in the middle.\nI vote against my party with some regularity and try to compromise.\nIt doesn't appear right now that the Republican Party\nis welcoming moderates any more.\n- Claire McCaskill\n\nIslam, the third in historical sequence of the ethical\nmonotheistic religions of the Near East,\nwas very successful in establishing its monotheism,\nbut had only very moderate success in spreading its\nversion of Jewish and Christian ethics to the Arabs.\n- Carroll Quigley\n\nThe objects that are of moderate energy,\nlike our sun or most of the stars that we see in the\nnight sky with the naked eye,\nare objects in which relatively moderate energy processes are taking place.\n- Claude Nicollier\n\nWhat farmers require is, that the prices should be moderate,\nand the markets steady; and for this reason I did,\nin 1826, 1827, and 1828, take the course which I would\nnow recommend to the House.\n- Joseph Hume\n\nThe notion of a neutral, mainstream national media\ngained dominance only in World War II and in its aftermath,\nwhen what turned out to be a temporary moderate consensus\ncame to govern the country.\n- Howard Fineman\n\nA strong body makes the mind strong.\nAs to the species of exercises, I advise the gun.\nWhile this gives moderate exercise to the body,\nit gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind.\nGames played with the ball, and others of that nature,\nLet your gun therefore be your constant companion of your walks.\n- Thomas Jefferson\n\nAt a moderate calculation, among a million of persons\ninhabiting the metropolis,\nthere are, at least, twenty-five thousand children\nwho attend these schools,\nand cost their parents as many pounds sterling,\nper annum.\n- Joseph Lancaster\n\nIt's clear to me now that we've got to reach out to\nthe Arab Sunni community in particular in an effort\nto cause some moderate political activity to take place\nso they join the future of Iraq.\n- John Abizaid\n\nFundamentally, I believe that the U.S.\ncan improve its international standing and its national\nsecurity by expanding trade and strengthening its relationships\nwith moderate Muslim countries.\n- Richard Neal\n\nRush Limbaugh is good for the party.\nand then maybe a moderate can come in and rescue them.\n- Evan Thomas\n\nThe struggle you see in the Republican Party today\nis the country club Republican versus the bowling alley Republican.\nColin Powell brings us back to the country club image.\nHe's an insider.\nHe's a moderate.\n- Pete du Pont\n\nThis is a simple change that will provide a huge financial\nboost for many Americans,\nparticularly low- to moderate-income families.\nIt is an important step in making sure we do everything\nwe can to encourage all Americans to save and plan for the future.\n- Jim Cooper\n\nObviously, people with low or even moderate incomes\ncould not afford such savings rates,\nand even diligent savings from their low wages would\nnot be enough to pay for either retirement or healthcare.\n- William Greider\n\nThere's a lot of things we can do to balance out what\nObama's done and going forward show the American people\nthe Republican Party can govern.\nI want a coalition of tea party people,\nindependents, moderate Democrats trying to find a way\nto move this country forward before we become Greece.\n- Lindsey Graham\n\nExistence of an excited state is not a prerequisite\nfor the production of inhibition;\ninhibition can exist apart from excitation no less than,\nwhen called forth against an excitation already in progress,\nit can suppress or moderate it.\n- Charles Scott Sherrington\n\nThe idea is that they wouldn't want to deal with militant\nIslam but an Islam and Muslims who are committed to progress,\nSo that's what we are doing here.\n- Abdullah Ahmad Badawi\n\nto organize and moderate an annual conference that\nwould look at government policy through the lens of\nthe family to help identify ways that the family can\nbe supported and strengthened.\n- Tipper Gore\n\nI don't say 'Tis impossible for an impudent man not to rise in the world,\nbut a moderate merit with a large share of impudence\nis more probable to be advanced than the greatest qualifications without it.\n- Mary Wortley Montagu\n\nDoes the imam have a legal right to build the mosque\nat Ground Zero? The answer is yes.\nBut is it the right thing to do? The answer is no.\nAnd most Americans, and most moderate Muslims,\njoin with me in that call.\n- Kilari Anand Paul\n\nI contend that Bush would be a lot more moderate if\nthere weren't some fundamentalists breathing down his\nneck every time he wants to establish the state of Israel,\nevery time he wants to do justice for the Palestinian people.\n- Tony Campolo\n\nI would not like to see a person who is sober,\nmoderate, chaste and just say that there is no God.\nThey would speak disinterestedly at least,\nbut such a person is not to be found.\n- Jean de la Bruyere\n\nCraft brewers are committed to promoting the safe and\nmoderate consumption of their beverage,\nand work closely with their communities to prevent\nunderage drinking and alcohol abuse.\n- Sherwood Boehlert\n\nBy these purchases the Indian title,\nwith moderate reservations,\nhas been extinguished to the whole of the land within\nthe limits of the State of Ohio,\nand to a part of that in the Michigan Territory and of the State of Indiana.\n- James Monroe\n\nModerates shouldn't be nervous about Newt because he has a vision,\nhe's laid it forward.\nHe's fundamentally leading us in the way that middle\nclass Americans want to go.\n- Pete du Pont\n\nThe battleground has been moderates of all faith traditions\nin all the countries of the world against the radicals\nof all faith traditions in all parts of the world.\n- Feisal Abdul Rauf\n\nTool of Communist agitators...\nit's really a joke, isn't it? Because,\nquite clearly, we are a party of real moderates.\nIt just shows how little they understand.\n- Helen Suzman\n\nI don't think the Republicans would appreciate the comparison,\nbut they're exactly like the Labor Party in England in the 1970s.\nThey're letting their extremists take them straight down.\nThe same thing is going to happen - they had to disappear\nfor a while and when they reinvented themselves they did it with moderates,\nthey did it with Tony Blair.\n- Evan Thomas\n\nLet's cooperate and challenge the administration to\ncooperate with us because within the administration\nthere are also moderates and people who are not fully\ncomfortable with the tendencies that have prevailed in recent times.\n- Zbigniew Brzezinski\n\nLet's trace the birth of an idea.\nIt's born as rampant radicalism, then it becomes progressivism,\nthen liberalism, then it becomes moderated conservative,\noutmoded, and gone.\n- Powell Clayton\n\nQuotes and Sayings\n\n\nThank you for visiting: Moderate Quotes.\n\nPlease sign up on the form below to receive\nmy Free Daily Inspiration - Daily Quotes email.\n\nYou can also search my large collection of Quotes and Sayings.\n\nMay the world be kind to you,\nand may your own thoughts be gentle upon yourself.\n- Jonathan Lockwood Huie\n\n\nSign-up to receive Daily Inspiration - Daily Quotes\nfree via email\n\npositive attitude, happiness, forgiveness, and gratitude.\nInspiring motivational sayings plus Jonathan's insights into life,\nrelationships, and joyful living.\n\nEnter Your E-Mail Address:\nEnter Your Name (what you want to be called):\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6801677942276001}
{"content": "Kotlin Race\n\nMay 15-Sep 15\nSaint Petersburg\n7 Mile\nTime Trial Solo Swim\n\nAboutthe swim\n\nThe Kotlin Race is an extremely challenging swim in Russia and offers a unique time trial format.\n\nThe location is spectacular, it takes place in the northern historic and cultural capital of Russia, Saint Petersburg. The swim itself starts in St. Petersburg, in the Gulf of Finland and continues for 25 km until swimmers reach the port city of Kronstadt on Kotlin Island.\n\nThe distance is 25 km, is tied with “Swim Across The Sound” as the longest races in the Global Swim Series, it is also the first GSS race in Russia! The distance alone makes it challenging, but so do the waves and sometimes rough open water conditions. It is a great marathon swim in itself, but also a great prep swim for other marathon swims like the English Channel.\n\nThe format is different than most races too. The race is more of a series of time trial solo swims throughout the summer season, from May 15-Sept 15, that are then compared and ranked at the end of the season. So picking the right day to do your own personal race becomes part of the challenge and strategy to not only complete the swim, but also to improve your ranking!\n\nBecause St Petersburg is one of the most beautiful and historic cities in the world, it would be a shame not to incorporate some sightseeing while on your swim and possibly visit some of the neighbors close by, such as Helsinki, Finland, Stolkholm, Sweden, or Tallin, Estonia. And if you want to bring some friends along that might find 25 km a bit too challenging, there is also a relay offered (although it does not earn GSS points) and there are wetsuit and non-wetsuit divisions and as water temp is 16-20C.\n\nThe Kotlin Race is a spectacular and unique challenge in the Global Swim Series!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9658726453781128}
{"content": "pdl Sat Jun 2 17:20:14 2018 Below now follows the report of the automated merge of the Ubuntu changes to the pdl source package against the new Debian version. This file is designed to be both human readable and machine-parseable. Any line beginning with four spaces is a file that should be downloaded for the complete merge set. Here are the particulars of the three versions of pdl that were chosen for the merge. The base is the newest version that is a common ancestor of both the Ubuntu and Debian packages. It may be of a different upstream version, but that's not usually a problem. The files are the source package itself, and the patch from the common base to that version. base: 1:2.018-1 pdl_2.018-1.dsc pdl_2.018.orig.tar.gz pdl_2.018-1.debian.tar.xz ubuntu: 1:2.018-1ubuntu4 pdl_2.018-1ubuntu4.dsc pdl_2.018.orig.tar.gz pdl_2.018-1ubuntu4.debian.tar.xz base -> ubuntu pdl_1:2.018-1ubuntu4.patch debian: 1:2.019-2 pdl_2.019-2.dsc pdl_2.019.orig.tar.gz pdl_2.019-2.debian.tar.xz base -> debian pdl_1:2.019-2.patch Generated Result ================ Due to conflict or error, it was not possible to automatically create a source package. Instead the result of the merge has been placed into the following tar file which you will need to turn into a source package once the problems have been resolved. pdl_2.019-2ubuntu1.src.tar.gz Conflicts ========= In one or more cases, there were different changes made in both Ubuntu and Debian to the same file; these are known as conflicts. It is not possible for these to be automatically resolved, so this source needs human attention. Those files marked with 'C ' contain diff3 conflict markers, which can be resolved using the text editor of your choice. Those marked with 'C*' could not be merged that way, so you will find .UBUNTU and .DEBIAN files instead and should chose one of them or a combination of both, moving it to the real filename and deleting the other. C debian/patches/series Once you have a source package you are happy to upload, you should make sure you include the orig.tar.gz if appropriate and information about all the versions included in the merge. Use the following command to generate a correct .changes file: $ dpkg-genchanges -S -v1:2.018-1ubuntu4 -sa", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.794003963470459}
{"content": "What's New: English Language Arts Worksheets and Study Guides\n\nTrace Kindergarten English Language Arts\nRhyming Words Kindergarten English Language Arts\nStory Parts Kindergarten English Language Arts\nVowel Sounds Kindergarten English Language Arts\nThe Alphabet Kindergarten English Language Arts\nBook Sense Kindergarten English Language Arts\nAlphabetizing First Grade English Language Arts\n\nNorth Dakota Standards for First Grade English Language Arts\n\nND.CC.1.L. Language Standards\n\nConventions of Standard English\n\n1.L.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.\n1.L.1.b. Use common, proper, and possessive nouns.\n1.L.1.c. Use singular and plural nouns with matching verbs in basic sentences (e.g., He hops; We hop).\n1.L.1.e. Use verbs to convey a sense of past, present, and future (e.g., Yesterday I walked home; Today I walk home; Tomorrow I will walk home).\n1.L.1.f. Use frequently occurring adjectives.\n1.L.1.i. Use frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., during, beyond, toward).\n1.L.2.d. Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.\n1.L.2.e. Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on phonemic awareness and spelling conventions.\n\nVocabulary Acquisition and Use\n\n1.L.4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 1 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies.\n1.L.4.c. Identify frequently occurring root words (e.g., look) and their inflectional forms (e.g., looks, looked, looking).\n1.L.5. With guidance and support from adults, demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.\n1.L.5.a. Sort words into categories (e.g., colors, clothing) to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent.\n1.L.5.b. Define words by category and by one or more key attributes (e.g., a duck is a bird that swims; a tiger is a large cat with stripes).\n1.L.5.c. Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., note places at home that are cozy).\n\nND.CC.1.RF. Reading Standards: Foundational Skills\n\n\n1.RF.4. Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.\n\nPhonics and Word Recognition\n\n1.RF.3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.\n1.RF.3.a. Know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs.\n1.RF.3.c. Know final -e and common vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds.\n1.RF.3.d. Use knowledge that every syllable must have a vowel sound to determine the number of syllables in a printed word.\n1.RF.3.e. Decode two-syllable words following basic patterns by breaking the words into syllables.\n1.RF.3.f. Read words with inflectional endings.\n1.RF.3.g. Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.\n\nPhonological Awareness\n\n1.RF.2. Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).\n1.RF.2.a. Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words.\n1.RF.2.b. Orally produce single-syllable words by blending sounds (phonemes), including consonant blends.\n1.RF.2.c. Isolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in spoken single-syllable words.\n\nND.CC.1.RI. Reading Standards for Informational Text\n\nCraft and Structure\n\n1.RI.6. Distinguish between information provided by pictures or other illustrations and information provided by the words in a text.\n\nIntegration of Knowledge and Ideas\n\n1.RI.7. Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.\n\nKey Ideas and Details\n\n1.RI.2. Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.\n\nRange of Reading and Level of Text Complexity\n\n1.RI.10. With prompting and support, read informational texts appropriately complex for grade 1.\n\nND.CC.1.RL. Reading Standards for Literature\n\nCraft and Structure\n\n1.RL.5. Explain major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information, drawing on a wide reading of a range of text types.\n\nIntegration of Knowledge and Ideas\n\n1.RL.7. Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.\n\nKey Ideas and Details\n\n1.RL.2. Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.\n1.RL.3. Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.996335506439209}
{"content": "Unlock your biological data\n\n\nTry: RNA sequencing CRISPR Genomic databases DESeq\n\n1 - 45 of 45 results\nfilter_list Filters\nbuild Technology\nhealing Disease\nsettings_input_component Operating System\ntv Interface\ncomputer Computer Skill\ncopyright License\n1 - 45 of 45 results\nProvides a background correction method which uses a mixture of exponential and truncated normal distributions to flexibly model signal intensity and uses a truncated normal distribution to model background noise. Depending on data availability, three approaches are employed to estimate background normal distribution parameters using (i) internal chip negative controls, (ii) out-of-band Infinium I probe intensities or (iii) combined methylated and unmethylated intensities. Evaluation results in both duplicates and experimental standard samples showed that ENmix outperformed commonly used background subtraction methods in terms of improvement in replicability and accuracy as well as reducing probe design bias. After ENmix background correction the resulting data can be used with other commonly-used preprocessing methods including quantile normalization for between-sample normalization and BMIQ for further correction of probe-design bias.\nBS Seeker\nstar_border star_border star_border star_border star_border\nstar star star star star\nAllows to map the bisulfite-treated short reads. BS Seeker is a bisulfite sequencing (BS) alignment tool that performs genome indexing, read alignment and DNA methylation levels calling for each cytosine. The software was improved utilizing multiple short-read mapping aligners, supporting gapped mapping and local alignment and building special indexes for handling reduced represented bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) data.\nstar_border star_border star_border star_border star_border\nstar star star star star\nAn R package for DNA methylation analysis and annotation from high-throughput bisulfite sequencing. methylKit is designed to deal with sequencing data from RRBS and its variants, but also target-capture methods such as Agilent SureSelect methyl-seq. In addition, methylKit can deal with base-pair resolution data for 5hmC obtained from Tab-seq or oxBS-seq. It can also handle whole-genome bisulfite sequencing data if proper input format is provided.\nstar_border star_border star_border star_border star_border\nstar star star star star\nA software package to map and determine the methylation state of BS-Seq reads. Bismark is easy to use, very flexible and is the first published BS-Seq aligner to seamlessly handle single- and paired-end mapping of both directional and non-directional bisulfite libraries. The output of Bismark is easy to interpret and is intended to be analysed directly by the researcher performing the experiment.\nGBSA / Genome Bisulfite Sequencing Analyser\nstar_border star_border star_border star_border star_border\nstar star star star star\nAn open-source software tool capable of analysing whole-genome bisulfite sequencing data with either a gene-centric or gene-independent focus. GBSA’s output can be easily integrated with other high-throughput sequencing data, such as RNA-Seq or ChIP-seq, to elucidate the role of methylated intergenic regions in gene regulation. In essence, GBSA allows an investigator to explore not only known loci but also all the genomic regions, for which methylation studies could lead to the discovery of new regulatory mechanisms.\nstar_border star_border star_border star_border star_border\nstar star star star star\nProvides a standard for bisulfite sequencing data related manipulation. CGmapTools is a command-line bisulfite sequencing analysis toolkit with enhanced features on single-nucleotide variant (SNV) calling and allele specific methylations and visualizations. It includes modules for better data storage, extraction, visualization and improved performance in single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) calling.\nAn efficient and accurate general-purpose bisulfite sequence mapping program. BatMeth can be deployed for the analysis of genome-wide bisulfite sequencing using either base reads or color reads. It allows asymmetric bisulfite conversion to be detected by labeling the corresponding reference genome with the hit. It integrates novel mismatch counting, list filtering, mismatch stage filtering and fast mapping onto two indexes components to improve unique mapping rate, speed and precision. Experimental results show that BatMeth is faster and more accurate than existing tools.\nA generative model to quantify DNA methylation modifications from any combination of bisulfite sequencing approaches, including reduced, oxidative, TET-assisted, chemical-modification assisted, and methylase-assisted bisulfite sequencing data. Lux models all cytosine modifications (C, 5mC, 5hmC, 5fC, and 5caC) simultaneously together with experimental parameters, including bisulfite conversion and oxidation efficiencies, as well as various chemical labeling and protection steps. We show that Lux improves the quantification and comparison of cytosine modification levels and that Lux can process any oxidized methylcytosine sequencing data sets to quantify all cytosine modifications.\nA computational tool to accurately identify footprints from bisulfite-sequencing data. MethylSeekR incorporates several methodological improvements and extensions that make it robust and generally applicable. The method is based on a cutoff approach that identifies hypomethylated regions as stretches of consecutive CpGs with methylation levels below a fixed threshold. To achieve high accuracy and sensitivity, MethylSeekR incorporates important preprocessing and filtering steps, and controls segmentation parameters via false discovery rate (FDR) calculations. MethylSeekR is an easy-to-use package that describes in detail each step of the analysis and produces several control plots to facilitate the interpretation of the results and to avoid potential pitfalls in the analysis.\nCOHCAP / City of Hope CpG Island Analysis Pipeline\nProvides tools for analysing single-nucleotide resolution methylation data. COHCAP is a pipeline that covers most user needs for differential methylation and integration with gene expression data. The software includes quality control metrics, defining differentially methylated CpG sites, defining differentially methylated CpG islands and visualization of methylation data. It contains two different methods of CpG island analysis. COHCAP has been shown scalable for high-quality integrative analysis of cell line data as well as large heterogeneous patient samples.\nA comprehensive tool for identification and analysis of the methylation patterns of genomic regions from bisulfite sequencing data. CpG_MPs first normalizes bisulfite sequencing reads into methylation level of CpGs. Then it identifies unmethylated and methylated regions using the methylation status of neighboring CpGs by hotspot extension algorithm without knowledge of pre-defined regions. Furthermore, the conservatively and differentially methylated regions across paired or multiple samples (cells or tissues) are identified by combining a combinatorial algorithm with Shannon entropy.\nAnalyses small RNA sequencing data from multiple biological sources, taking into account replicate information, to identify robust sets of siRNA precursors. The segmentSeq R package has been extended to identify methylation loci from high-throughput sequencing data from multiple conditions. A statistical model is then developed that accounts for biological replication and variable rates of non-conversion of cytosines in each sample to compute posterior likelihoods of methylation at each locus within an empirical Bayesian framework.\nGenerates per-base methylation data given a set of bisulfite-treated reads. MethylCoder provides the option to use either of two existing short-read aligners, each with different strengths. It accounts for soft-masked alignments and overlapping paired-end reads. MethylCoder outputs data in text and binary formats in addition to the final alignment in SAM format, so that common high-throughput sequencing tools can be used on the resulting output. It is more flexible than existing software tool and competitive in terms of speed and memory use.\nDMEAS / DNA Methylation Entropy Analysis Software\nAnalyzes the distribution of DNA methylation patterns for the quantification of epigenetic heterogeneity. DMEAS supports the analysis of both locus-specific and genome-wide bisulfite sequencing data. It progressively scans the mapping results of bisulfite sequencing reads to extract DNA methylation patterns for contiguous CpG dinucleotides. It determines the DNA methylation level and calculates methylation entropy for genomic segments to enable the quantitative assessment of DNA methylation variations observed in cell populations.\nBEAT / BS-Seq Epimutation Analysis Toolkit\nDelivers methods for the estimation of methylation levels, methylation status and for calling epimutation events in a two-sample comparison. BEAT implements all bioinformatics steps required for the quantitative high-resolution analysis of DNA methylation patterns from bisulfite sequencing data, including the detection of regional epimutation events, i.e. loss or gain of DNA methylation at CG positions relative to a reference. Using a binomial mixture model, the BEAT package aggregates methylation counts per genomic position, thereby compensating for low coverage, incomplete conversion and sequencing errors.\nBRAT-nova / Bisulfite-treated Reads Analysis Tool-nova\nA completely rewritten and improved implementation of the mapping tool BRAT-BW for bisulfite-treated reads (BS-seq). BRAT-nova employs a novel space-efficient representation of the genome and supports local alignment by allowing one indel per read. It is very fast and accurate. On the human genome, BRAT-nova is 2-7 times faster than state-of-the-art aligners, while maintaining the same percentage of uniquely mapped reads and space usage. On synthetic reads, BRAT-nova is 2-8 times faster than state-of-the-art aligners while maintaining similar mapping accuracy, methylation call accuracy, methylation level accuracy, and space efficiency.\nbicycle / BIsulfite-based methylCYtosine CalLEr\nAnalyzes whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) data. bicycle is a next-generation sequencing (NGS) bioinformatic pipeline that can process data from directional (Lister) and non-directional (Cokus) bisulfite sequencing protocols and from single-end and paired-end sequencing. It also performs methylation calls for cytosines in CG and non-CG contexts (CHG and CHH). It provides statistical methylcytosine calling and offers several filters to screen reads.\nAgIn / Aggregate on Intervals\nA linear-time algorithm that combines the kinetic information for neighboring CpG sites and increases the confidence in identifying the methylation states of those sites. Using a practical read coverage of ∼30-fold from an inbred strain medaka (Oryzias latipes), we observed that both the sensitivity and precision of our method on individual CpG sites were ∼93.7%. We also observed a high correlation coefficient (R = 0.884) between our method and bisulfite sequencing, and for 92.0% of CpG sites, methylation levels ranging over [0,1] were in concordance within an acceptable difference 0.25.\nSMAP / Streamlined Methylation Analysis Pipeline\nAllows to extract multiple types of information (such as DMCs, DMRs, SNPs and ASM) from various types of RRBS and Bis-seq data. SMAP is designed to be an easy-to-use, one-stop and sophisticated package for methylation analyses. The pipeline consists of seven operational stages: (i) reference preparation, (ii) read preparation, (iii) alignment, (iv) calculation of methylation rate, (v) differentially methylated regions (DMR) detection, (vi) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and allele-specific DNA methylation (ASM) calling and (vii) summarization.\nCyMATE / Cytosine Methylation Analysis Tool for Everyone\nA software platform to perform in silico analyses of DNA methylation at cytosine sites. CyMATE is suitable for analyses of sequence data obtained with bisulfite genomic sequencing and hairpin-bisulfite sequencing, i.e. single-strand and double-strand DNA data. A module for mutation analysis at non-methylation sites is also available. It has been designed as a universal tool for quick, comprehensive and automated analysis of bisulfite sequencing data, providing detailed qualitative and quantitative results. Analysis with CyMATE is simple, very fast, platform-independent and the most detailed of computational analysis methods.\nAssists users in visualizing in silico quality evaluation of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methylation assays. MethGraph consists of three parts: (i) the submission of one or more primer pairs either separately or by means of a list of primer pairs, (ii) the organism of interest and the type of genome sequence for which the primers’ specificity must be checked, and (iii) the formatting (display mode, color, name and description) and visualization of the primer custom tracks.\nA software tool that not only fulfills the core data analysis requirements (e.g. sequence alignment, differential methylation analysis, etc.) but also provides useful tools for methylation data annotation and visualization. Specifically, Methy-Pipe uses Burrow-Wheeler Transform (BWT) algorithm to directly align bisulfite sequencing reads to a reference genome and implements a novel sliding window based approach with statistical methods for the identification of differentially methylated regions (DMRs). The capability of processing data parallelly allows it to outperform a number of other bisulfite alignment software packages.\nWBSA / Web Service for Bisulfite Sequencing Data Analysis\nA free web application for analysis of whole-genome bisulfite-sequencing (WGBS) and genome-wide reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) data. WBSA not only focuses on CpG methylation, but also allows CHG and CHH analysis. BWA is incorporated as its mapping software. WBSA can be applied to DNA methylation researches for animals and plants and it provides advanced analysis for both WGBS and RRBS. It can also identify differently methylated regions (DMRs) in different strings. WBSA includes six modules: Home, WGBS, RRBS, DMR, Documents and Downloads, and provides the executable package for downloads and local installation. WGBS and RRBS modules include four main steps: pre-processing of reads and reference, alignment to the reference, identification of methylcytosines and annotation. DMR module includes DMRs identification and annotation of the correlative genes.\ninformME / information-theoretic analysis of MEthylation\nServes for inter-sample and differential methylation analysis of whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) data. informME takes in consideration all information available in methylation reads, and takes into account statistical dependencies between the methylation states of CpG sites. Moreover, it can quantify methylation stochasticity not by simple means and variances at individual CpG sites but by using joint probability distributions over the methylation states.\nA computational approach based on deep neural networks to predict DNA methylation states from DNA sequence and incomplete methylation profiles in single cells. We validate DeepCpG on mouse embryonic stem cells, where we report substantially more accurate predictions than previous methods. Additionally, we show that DeepCpG provides new insights for interpreting the sources of epigenetic diversity. Our model can be used to estimate the effect of single nucleotide changes and we uncover sequence motifs that are associated with DNA methylation level and epigenetic heterogeneity.\nGenerates high-quality methylation maps. NGSmethPipe generates single base-pair-resolution methylation maps from bisulfite conversion high throughput sequencing experiments. It processes into 4 steps : sequence conversion into 3 letter alphabet building the Bowtie index, adapter removal and quality trimming, Bowtie alignment for single-end or pair-end reads, and post-processing including SNV and bisulfite failure detection, sequence error handling and extraction of methylation data for different sequence contexts.\nA comprehensive genome-scale DNA methylation analysis server based on RRBS data. RRBS-Analyser can assess sequencing quality, generate detailed statistical information, align the bisulfite-treated short reads to reference genome, identify and annotate the methylcytosines (5mCs) and associate them with different genomic features in CG, CHG, and CHH content. RRBS-Analyser supports detection, annotation, and visualization of differentially methylated regions (DMRs) for multiple samples from nine reference organisms. Moreover, RRBS-Analyser provides researchers with detailed annotation of DMR-containing genes, which will greatly aid subsequent studies. The input of RRBS-Analyser can be raw FASTQ reads, generic SAM format, or self-defined format containing individual 5mC sites. RRBS-Analyser can be widely used by researchers wanting to unravel the complexities of DNA methylome in the epigenetic community.\n0 - 0 of 0 results\n1 - 7 of 7 results\nfilter_list Filters\ncomputer Job seeker\nDisable 2\nperson Position\nthumb_up Fields of Interest\npublic Country\nlanguage Programming Language\n1 - 7 of 7 results\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.822216272354126}
{"content": "Total Number of words made out of Peals = 54\n\nPeals is an acceptable word in Scrabble with 7 points. Peals is an accepted word in Word with Friends having 9 points. Peals is a 5 letter medium Word starting with P and ending with S. Below are Total 54 words made out of this word.\n\nAnagrams of peals\n\n1). spale 2). lapse 3). salep 4). leaps 5). pleas 6). sepal 7). pales\n\n4 letter Words made out of peals\n\n\n3 letter Words made out of peals\n\n\n2 letter Words made out of peals\n\n1). el 2). pa 3). as 4). es 5). la 6). pe 7). al 8). ae\n\nAlso see:- | Words ending with Peals | Words Containing Peals\n\nWords made after changing First letter with any other letter in peals\n\ndeals heals meals reals seals teals veals weals zeals\n\nScrabble finderAnagram FinderCrossword Solver\n\nNote There are 2 vowel letters and 3 consonant letters in the word peals. P is 16th, E is 5th, A is 1st, L is 12th, S is 19th, Letter of Alphabet series.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6228567361831665}
{"content": "Catherine Musco Garcia-Prats\nPublisher: Amazon Digital Services LLC\nPages: 241\n\nThrough shared insights and experiences, this mother of 10 boys teaches and inspires moms to raise sons who are compassionate, loving, responsible, well educated, and faith filled. Her simple advice and easy-to-follow principles take the “difficulty” out of raising sons. Advocating a practical and realistic approach that recognizes societal influences without allowing them to create a fear factor, she shies away from identifying sons as “abnormal” because they do not follow the female pattern of development. Believing that diversity education begins at home within the family, she counsels that each child is unique in their interests, abilities, and strengths and that appreciating their individual gifts is key to their upbringing. She encourages and motivates mothers to make a commitment to their sons’ upbringing that provides them with the tools they need to reach their full ...\nAmazon Rating:\n5 stars from 1 rating\nBookLending.com Rating:\nNot yet rated", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.983872652053833}
{"content": "skip to Main Content\nThe smarter way\nto do assignments.\n\n\nThis assignment provides you with an opportunity to create a code of ethics for you and your family, as well as to explain the strategies and thought processes that went into developing the code. First, create an original code of ethics for your family by thinking about your family as an organization. In your code of ethics, please include the following items: · guiding principles, · purpose of the code, · core values, · training and education (How will you train and educate others about the code?), · definitions, · who it covers, · mission statement, and · other pertinent elements you feel necessary to have a comprehensive code of ethics. The next part of this assignment involves an evaluation, where you describe the thought process behind the code of ethics that you prepared. For the evaluation part of this assignment, draft an essay to include the following items: · Identify the key roles of those who have a vested interest in the ethical behavior that your code defines. · Explain the strategies and thought processes that you used to formulate the code. · Explain how you would strategically implement and communicate the code to others in the organization. · Explain how you will monitor the practice of ethical decision-making. · Provided that laws exist and have been enacted for resolving conflict, why do we also need a code of ethics? In the process of writing your code, you must research the topic of codes of ethics and incorporate at least two articles, no older than five years. Your code and evaluation must be at least 1,000 words. Format the code as you like; however, be sure it is professional and legible. Format the evaluation part of the assignment by using APA Style. Save both parts in one Word document.\n\n\n\nHow It Works        |        About Us       |       Contact Us\n\n© 2018 | Intelli Essays Homework Service®", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9997783303260803}
{"content": "Eureka Springs\n\nEureka Springs is a year-round community that celebrates the arts, people and their culture, an extraordinary culinary offering, top shelf entertainment, weddings, a spectacular outdoor environment with some of the nation’s most outstanding trail systems for mountain biking, hiking, camping, white water canoeing, fishing, boating. Additionally, there are over 150 lodging opportunities from historic hotels, first class motels, cabin and cottages.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6709274649620056}
{"content": "\n\nBy J. Hoberman\n\nPublish yr note: First released December twenty eighth 2010\n\nAn military of Phantoms is an enormous new paintings of heritage and picture feedback from the very hot critic J. Hoberman. right here he applies an identical dynamic synergy of yank politics and American pop culture to the chilly War’s first decade that he dropped at the Sixties within the significantly acclaimed The Dream Life.\n\nThe years among 1946 and 1956 introduced U.S. dominance over Europe and a brand new conflict in Asia, in addition to the start of the civil rights move and the stirrings of a brand new adolescence tradition. The interval observed the motion picture purged of its political left whereas the increase of ideological motion hero John Wayne got here to dominate theaters. interpreting videos and media occasions, Hoberman has prepared a competition of cavalry Westerns, apocalyptic sci-fi flicks, and biblical spectaculars in which Cecil B. DeMille rubs shoulders with Douglas MacArthur, atomic exams are proven on reside television, God talks at the radio, and Joe McCarthy is bracketed with Marilyn Monroe. here's a historical past of movie that also is, to paraphrase Jean-Luc Godard, concerning the movie of history.\n\nEssential analyzing for movie and historical past buffs, An military of Phantoms recasts an important period within the gentle of the silver screen.\n\nShow description\n\n\nSimilar cultural studies books\n\n\nIn a global of migration and transferring allegiances--the country is a extra provisional position and its population extra stateless.  What is contained in a nation has turn into ever extra plural whereas the limits of a kingdom became ever extra fluid. not does a kingdom obviously include a state.\n\nThis e-book is decided within the type of a talk among well known thinkers, Judith Butler and Gayatri Spivak, who talk about the truth that globalization has made such things as nationwide anthems and political obstacles out of date. the result's a lively and fascinating dialog that levels largely throughout Palestine, what Enlightenment and key modern philosophers have acknowledged in regards to the kingdom, who workouts strength in today's international, no matter if we will be able to have a correct to rights, or even what the making a song of \"The big name Spangled Banner\" in Spanish says in regards to the complicated international we are living in at the present time.\n\n\nHow does tradition form notions of sexuality and gender? Why are transvestites within the West so usually visible as \"deviant\" or \"perverse,\" whereas they're authorized in different societies? Is transvestism prompted basically by way of intercourse or gender? What are the consequences for the types of \"male\" and \"female\" whilst contemplating transvestism?\n\nThe Unconquered: In Search of the Amazon's Last Uncontacted Tribes\n\nThe Unconquered tells the intense story of a trip into the private recesses of the Amazon to trace one of many planet's final uncontacted indigenous tribes. during this gripping first-person account of event and survival, the writer follows a 34-man group into the Amazon's uncharted depths, getting to know the rainforest's secrets and techniques whereas relocating ever towards a potential stumble upon with the mysterious flecheiros - or \"People of the Arrow\" - a seldom-glimpsed tribe of deft archers identified to protect their lands with showers of lethal arrows ahead of melting again into the woodland shadows.\n\nOxford Handbook of Music and Virtuality (Oxford Handbooks)\n\nHas the digital invaded the area of the true, or has the genuine multiplied its definition to incorporate what as soon as used to be characterised as digital?\n\nWith the continuous evolution of electronic know-how, this contrast grows more and more hazy. yet possibly the excellence has turn into out of date; probably it's time to concentrate on the intersections, mutations, and transmigrations of the digital and the genuine. definitely it's time to reinterpret the perform and research of tune. The Oxford guide of tune and Virtuality, edited by means of Sheila Whiteley and Shara Rambarran, is the 1st ebook to provide a kaleidoscope of interdisciplinary views from students worldwide at the method during which virtuality mediates the dissemination, acquisition, functionality, construction, and reimagining of tune.\n\nThe Oxford guide of tune and Virtuality addresses 8 subject matters that regularly overlap and engage with each other. Questions of the position of the viewers, inventive supplier, person and communal id, subjectivity, and spatiality many times come up. Authors in particular discover phenomena together with holographic musicians and digital bands, and the advantages and detriments surrounding the loose flow of tune on the web. moreover, the ebook investigates the best way fanatics and musicians negotiate gender identities in addition to the dynamics of viewers participation and neighborhood development in a digital surroundings.\n\nThe guide rehistoricizes the digital by way of tracing its development from cartoons within the Fifties to present concepts and adjustments in perform. Well-grounded and wide-reaching, it is a e-book that scholars of any variety of disciplines, from song to Cultural reviews, have awaited.\n\nExtra resources for An Army of Phantoms: American Movies and the Making of the Cold War\n\nSample text\n\nThe most famous was P. T. Barnum’s American Museum in the 1840s and 1850s, but the dime museum flourished until about 1900 in urban America. ”—an exhibit of the “missing link” between man and monkey. Dime museums presented indifferently live musicians, hypnotists, and freaks as well as waxworks, menageries, panoramas, and other visual illusions appealing to the diverse tastes of urban audiences. Dime museums also featured chambers of horror with topical exhibits, including wax displays of the execution of criminals in the latest legal killing machine, the Electric Chair, as well as torture used in 36 making the popular resort the Spanish Inquisition.\n\nHe also built the first of three racetracks that would attract the “swells” mostly to the eastern end of the island. 26 Large land holding in the east assured a high social tone by the exclusion of peddlers, food stalls, freak shows, and whorehouses. Corbin even erected a high fence around his hotel to keep out peddlers and the riffraff, and hired Pinkerton detectives to weed out undesirables from his railroad in transit to the Manhattan Hotel. The beachfront was also patrolled by private police.\n\nOpening the ceremonies, Henry Pain thrilled the crowd of thousands along the beach by setting fire to a three-masted ship offshore. In 1906, the event leaned toward self-parody when it was dubbed the Carnival of Plenty complete with Prince Plenty and Queen Prospera. ” The real fun began after the parade when the crowd armed with bags of noisemakers and slapsticks acted out their own celebration. ” This bit of saturnalian disorder connected Coney’s Mardi Gras to the European ancestors it invoked.\n\nDownload PDF sample\n\nRated 4.37 of 5 – based on 18 votes", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9277529716491699}
{"content": "Jump to ContentJump to Main Navigation\nNazi Film Melodrama$\n\nLaura Heins\n\nPrint publication date: 2013\n\nPrint ISBN-13: 9780252037740\n\nPublished to Illinois Scholarship Online: April 2017\n\nDOI: 10.5406/illinois/9780252037740.001.0001\n\nShow Summary Details\nPage of\n\n\n\n\nReprivatization after Nazi Cinema: Postwar German Melodrama\n\n(p.193) Epilogue\nNazi Film Melodrama\n\nLaura Heins\n\nUniversity of Illinois Press\n\nAbstract and Keywords\n\nThis concluding chapter reflects on the development of German melodrama in the aftermath of World War II. It traces a sense of disillusionment with the Nazi “deployment of sexuality” in films and how it had prepared the ground for the renewed postwar cultivation of domesticity and feminine nurturance in West Germany. The return to private life and to puritanical mores in the postwar era was partly a response to the attack on “bourgeois” sexual morality that had been carried out by the mass culture of the Third Reich. Turning against nudity and licentiousness in the early 1950s could be represented and understood as a turn against Nazism. Thus, this “reprivatization” and newly conservative culture left its mark on West German melodramas of the 1950s.\n\nKeywords:   postwar German melodrama, domesticity, feminine nurturance, postwar conservatism, reprivatization\n\nIn spring 1944, as the Reich was preparing for total war and nervously anticipating the Allied invasion, stories of Wehrmacht officers’ lavish lifestyles in occupied territories circulated among the German home front populace, disillusioning many who believed in the mythic power of an ordered and unified Volksgemeinschaft. The Nazi “deployment of sexuality” was backfiring on several fronts, and the libidinal, cinematic weapon of war was faulted as a failed technology. In Security Service reports the regime’s spies shifted responsibility for military defeat away from the Nazi leadership’s imperialist fantasies of mass destruction and toward the supposed destruction caused by excessive sexuality, which the Nazi cinema itself had seemingly produced. Not surprisingly, it was female sexuality that received the brunt of the blame for what was perceived as an abrupt decay in moral standards—defined exclusively in terms of sexual behaviors rather than militarist violence and genocide.\n\nThe Security Service raised an urgent alarm in April 1944 about a general outbreak of what it termed the widespread “tendencies toward excessive sexual behavior without responsibility to the community.”1 Wartime conditions had facilitated a complete breakdown in the restraint of German women, the SD agents claimed:\n\nTo a much larger extent than during the First World War, women in the present war have been released from their peacetime life order … there are coinciding reports from all areas of the Reich that confirm that it is no longer a matter of isolated phenomena, but rather that a large proportion of women and girls are inclined to live it up sexually to an ever stronger degree. This is primarily noticeably with soldiers’ wives. There are reportedly widely known locations in many cities where soldiers’ wives go to meet men and to accompany them (p.194) home. While their mothers carry on in this way, the children are often left on their own and at the risk of utter neglect.2\n\nThe message that Nazi militarist culture promoted and facilitated the satisfaction of desires unavailable in peacetime bourgeois society had apparently been received by the female audiences of Nazi films. The SD, overlooking the instrumentality of such messages, directly blamed the Nazi cinema along with other forms of mass culture for what it called the “eroticization of public life” in the Third Reich, an eroticization that had given way to what the Security Service depicted as a widespread and detrimental license that was undermining wartime unity.\n\nAs a remedy the SD recommended a complete departure from Nazi cinema’s previous gender representations:\n\nThe original values of the German woman should be discussed and emphasized much more in the press, radio and film than they have been up until now. It is not sufficient that books—which are not read by the majority of the population and can no longer be purchased even by those interested—speak of the woman as the “defender of morality,” “guardian of life,” etc., while films, pop songs, short stories and the illustrated press (joke sections of newspapers, fashion magazines) cultivate the type of the erotic woman who enchants all men.3\n\nApparently this advice was not heeded at the Propaganda Ministry. As we have seen throughout this book, the “erotic woman” was an indispensable element of Nazi cinema’s attractions, the basic tool of its ideological and financial goals, and the primary interest of Nazi melodramas. Nazi revue films may have offered the most concentrated provocations of desire with their physical displays and fetishism of the exposed female body, but melodrama transformed these erotic provocations into models for living, moving from iconic image to narrative. And Nazi melodramas, far from offering narratives championing housewives as revered family nurturers and guardians of private life in the manner of classical Hollywood melodrama, continued instead to cultivate the eroticization of the Third Reich public sphere even as it was collapsing.\n\nA few months after the SD circulated its warning, prints of Veit Harlan’s domestic melodrama Opfergang were delivered to cinemas in the Reich and abroad. The film was enthusiastically received by spectators, and due to its enticing thematization of extramarital relations and its exploration of “natural” eroticism in luxurious settings, it achieved a box office triumph over Hollywood films in some foreign markets.4 As the Reich general film director noted in a memo to Goebbels on the foreign reception of the film, Opfergang was derisively called a “carnival orgy” by a leading film critic in Switzerland, but the melodrama was nonetheless received with enormous popular success (p.195) in that country.5 Opfergang, perhaps the most paradigmatic Nazi melodrama, narratively dissolved bourgeois domesticity by throwing open the confining windows of tradition, reveling in a sexual masquerade, and ending in hallucinatory eroticized death. The eruptions of stylistic and erotic excess in the film reached a climax in Opfergang’s masked ball sequence. Here, as chaotic groups of masquerading women reverse the conventional order of sexual aggression, suggestions of lesbianism are phantasmagorically multiplied. Control over vision and narrative logic threatens to break apart completely under the riot of garish colored lighting, a mise-en-scène dominated by a slide in the shape of a giant clown’s tongue, a sound track with dizzying music and the delighted shrieks of female revelry, along with highly disorienting editing. The two blondes in riding gear who wordlessly follow the romantic hero Albrecht at the bar stare at him intensely out of masked blue eyes, move in a synchronized and mechanical manner, and thus seem to be the extreme incarnation of Nazi melodrama’s fantasy women. This vision is interrupted by a shot of text dissolving over Albrecht’s masked face as his mistress Aels’s voice is heard on the sound track: “In the night, the souls are more connected than during the day. Or is it only my desire that is lying to me?” This sequence, ambiguously marked as a possible subjective vision of either the hero or the heroine of the romance, is never securely fixed as the vision of either, and the question of exactly whose fantasy this filmic text may be remains indeterminate. It was a threatening scene, one that another Swiss critic described as being “quoted straight from hell.”6\n\nThe hellishness of the melodrama for the male viewer, we can be sure, arose from the collapse of narrative certainty under the image of female desire. Melodramatic excess was an unintentional by-product of Nazi cinema’s attempts to create a uniquely successful German film art and of the inability to completely manage the representation of sexuality and spectator desire within classical cinematic conventions. The occasional failure of this management was evidenced by dissenting viewers and their objections to the sexual morality of Nazi films. Toward the end of the war the Security Service took up this dissent and applied it to an explanation of why the Nazis were losing the war. Much like at the end of the First World War, excessive female sexuality was finally blamed for undermining morale and destroying the unity of the Volksgemeinschaft. This time, however, the production of sexuality could no longer be attributed to imaginary enemies of a true German culture. The Nazis had fulfilled their own desires in their cinema and their mass destructions.\n\nThe late conviction that the “true nature” of the German woman had not been sufficiently realized in Nazi culture prepared the ground for the renewed (p.196) postwar cultivation of domesticity and feminine nurturance in West Germany. The return to private life and to puritanical mores in the Adenauer era was partly a response to the attack on “bourgeois” sexual morality that had been carried out by the mass culture of the Third Reich. According to Dagmar Herzog, many historians since the 1960s have inaccurately described the Third Reich as prudish and preoccupied with petty bourgeois family values; thus they have failed to fully grasp the extent to which the sexually repressive climate of the 1950s was not a continuation of Nazi culture but rather an attempt to master the fascist past. As Herzog has commented: “One powerful initial impetus for sexual conservatism in postwar Germany lay in the fact that incitement to sexual activity and pleasure had been a major feature of National Socialism. Turning against nudity and licentiousness in the early 1950s, especially in the name of Christianity, could, quite legitimately and fairly, be represented and understood as a turn against Nazism.”7 Although they may have implicitly understood that the promise of new freedoms and pleasures had provided the Nazis with popular support and an incentive for German men and women to participate in the regime’s imperialist and genocidal missions, Adenauer-era conservatives also insisted on a reinstatement of Christian sexual morality as a means of repressing the past. Instead of investing most of their energies in pursuing Nazi war criminals and probing the German conscience about its responsibility for the Holocaust, postwar Christians battled against pornography, homosexuality, and extramarital heterosexuality, thereby displacing efforts to “clean up” German culture from the political to the private sphere.\n\nThis “reprivatization” and newly conservative culture left its mark on West German melodramas of the 1950s.8 The objections of pre-1945 spectators to the Nazi cinema’s apparent distaste for domestic and rural settings cleared the way for a postwar retreat into the mountains of the Heimatfilm, the most characteristic Adenauer-era melodramatic genre. Here, in Agfacolor daydreams of rural German landscapes untouched by the destruction of carpet-bombing, conventional gender roles and repressive sexual norms were visibly reinstated. As Johannes von Moltke has asserted, the prevalence of the Heimatfilm in the 1950s is indicative of “the decade’s obsession with domesticity,” according to which the image of “home” received new value as a “place of retreat, the realm of privacy, and a key site for the enforcement of outdated gender norms.”9 The popular authority of the church, previously embattled by Nazi secularism, was also reinforced after the war and reappeared on the cinema screen in the 1950s Heimatfilm in the form of venerated village priests and copious religious symbols. Accordingly, monogamous marriage once again became the normative ideal and preferred resolution of postwar (p.197) melodrama’s narrative trajectories. As von Moltke has further noted, the “trope of marriage” was central to the 1950s Heimatfilm and functioned as the prime figure of “harmony and compromise.”10 West German filmmakers who worked in other postwar melodramatic genres were similarly interested in rebuilding the image of the harmonious German home, though nuclear family unity was to be achieved more through repressive means than through compromise.\n\nOpfergang’s director, Veit Harlan, like most Third Reich filmmakers, survived both the war and the halfhearted American de-Nazification measures and continued to make melodramas throughout the 1950s. His postwar films, although produced with the same personnel as his Nazi features, also evidenced some cultural shifts from the Third Reich to the Adenauer-era cinema. After being accused and subsequently acquitted of crimes against humanity for making the notorious anti-Semitic melodrama Jud Süss, Harlan redirected his defamatory attacks from Jews to homosexuals in his 1957 film Anders als du und ich/Das dritte Geschlecht (Different from Me and You/The Third Sex). Harlan’s postwar filmmaking and the public response to it were both paradigmatic for the Adenauer-era tendency to displace guilt for Germany’s anti-Semitic genocide onto an obsession with sexual “decency.” While the public disapproval of his Nazi past was relatively limited, Harlan did encounter opposition to the sexual content of his early postwar films. Harlan’s 1951 melodrama, Hanna Amon, was originally scripted as the story of an incestuous love affair between a brother and a sister, thus replaying one of Harlan’s favorite Nazi-era themes, but this narrative did not conform to the new climate of conservative sexual morality in the early years of the Federal Republic. As Harlan’s wife and lead actress, Kristina Söderbaum, related in her memoir, Harlan’s distributor demanded changes to the content of Hanna Amon’s script following the hostile reactions to Hildegard Knef’s nude scene in Die Sünderin (The Sinner, 1951) earlier that year: “There were riots in all German cities about this film. The Catholic Church denounced it and the activist group ‘Clean Screen’ called for a boycott … [Our] script had to be rewritten and the material toned down … All allusions to a possible brother-sister love were eliminated, and all that remained was the act of Hanna Amon, who killed a woman because she considered her incapable of managing the farm according to the wishes of her parents.”11 Incestuous desire and Opfergang-style eroticized death had become unacceptable content for early Adenauer-era melodramas. Murder for the sake of private property and family legacy, on the other hand, was apparently more comprehensible for conservative postwar audiences.\n\nWith the return to influence of the Catholic Church came a reinstatement (p.198) of domesticity, a revaluation of the nuclear family as normative, and a newly puritanical concept of sexual decency. Harlan followed the spirit of the times with his 1958 family melodrama, Ich werde dich auf Händen tragen (I’ll Carry You On My Hands). Starring Kristina Söderbaum once again, the film moves in exactly the opposite direction as Opfergang: from a beach to a bourgeois interior. The 1958 film thus reversed the Third Reich melodrama’s effort to flee the domestic sphere in favor of the fantasized spaces of overseas empires. In the postwar melodrama, Söderbaum plays a single woman who has been disappointed by her past temporary lovers and the lies born of male passion and consents to marry a Tyrolean widower and antiques dealer (thus a man who represents exactly the sort of tradition-bound lifestyle that so many Third Reich films denounced as “philistine”). The heroine then leaves the north German coast (the scene of Opfergang’s finale) and spends most of the rest of the film indoors, very much unlike Söderbaum’s militaristically horse-riding character in her 1944 melodrama. When she arrives in her new home, the heroine finds her new husband’s daughter, a boyish child with an angry spirit, and a portrait of the child’s dead mother above the fireplace. The ensuing family tensions are subsequently resolved by the husband in a different manner than in most Third Reich melodramas: instead of smashing the antiques, slashing the maternal portrait, and divorcing the child like the industrial dictator hero of Harlan’s 1937 (anti-)family melodrama, Der Herrscher, the male protagonist of this postwar Harlan melodrama works on pacifying and unifying the family. Characteristically, however, the reconstitution of the nuclear family is achieved with the help of a Catholic priest who preaches a repressive ethic of female masochism. After the widower’s daughter runs away from home, the priest escorts the masculine girl back to the house and tells her (as if conveying a programmatic message to all German women in the audience): “With every blow, guilt will be removed from you … If you get beaten now, then you just clench your teeth and you take it.” By the end of the film, the daughter has finally been chastised and the wife entirely de-eroticized.\n\nThe stylistic excesses of the Nazi melodrama Opfergang give way here to a more domesticated sentimentality. In the final scene of Ich werde dich auf Händen tragen, Söderbaum’s character is once again shown lying in bed with the same weak pallor as at the end of her 1944 melodrama, but instead of an orgasmic death, a shot of two newborn babies in a crib follows the close-up of the heroine in bed. Her now conventionally feminine stepdaughter then begs for forgiveness, trumpets on the sound track proclaim the restoration of a peaceful order, and a gate opens to reveal an exterior shot of a carefully tended garden outside the secure home—in direct opposition to the ocean of (p.199) eros and thanatos onto which Opfergang’s final gates opened. The bourgeois domesticity and nuclear family conventions that had been assaulted twenty years earlier by the Nazi melodrama Der Herrscher were now reborn in the Adenauer-era cinema, reproduced by the very same fascist filmmaker.\n\nThe conservative restoration characteristic of the West German melodrama of the 1950s applied to some extent to the cinema of East Germany as well, in accordance with a similar return to conventional sexual morality in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). As Dagmar Herzog has argued, there was a “turn toward a socialist variant of sexual conservatism” in the 1950s and 1960s in East Germany, with repressive tendencies that had “part Stalinist, part ex-Nazi, part petty bourgeois” origins.12 However, the prudish culture of the first fifteen to twenty years of the GDR did not accompany the same overvaluation of traditional nuclear family domesticity in East German cinema as in West German cinema of the same era. In many respects, East German filmmakers responded to the legacy of Nazi cinema in a different manner than West German filmmakers, most obviously through the overt antifascist rhetoric of East German films. In opposition to the popularity of the Heimatfilm and other melodramatic genres in the West in the 1950s, the East German state-owned film industry Deutsche Film AG (DEFA) did not find melodrama to be as amenable to the socialist project. Although nationalistic pathos was certainly a characteristic feature of Stalinist cinema, the socialist master narrative of rational progress through the historical dialectic did not conform easily with melodrama’s fatalism and circularity, and the positive hero mandated by socialist realism was most often embodied by male characters.13 Melodramatic women’s pictures were not common among DEFA films of the 1940s to 1950s,14 and the few melodramas approximating this genre showed that the tension between the public and private spheres was reconciled differently in the East German cinema than in both Third Reich and Adenauer-era melodramas.\n\nThe first DEFA production, Die Mörder sind unter uns (The Murderers Are Among Us, 1946), could be considered a domestic melodrama, though the main question posed by the film concerns the postwar treatment of Nazi war criminals. Directed by another former employee of the Nazi film industry, Wolfgang Staudte, Die Mörder sind unter uns did suggest—somewhat like Harlan’s Ich werde dich auf Händen tragen—that German guilt could be redeemed through feminine nurturance, and it also reveals the initial postwar longing for a return to a harmonious domestic sphere. Starring Hildegard Knef as a former concentration camp inmate who returns to Berlin in 1945, falls in love with a former Wehrmacht soldier, and heals him of his posttraumatic stress disorder by reestablishing an orderly domesticity, Staudte’s film hints at a restoration of traditional gender roles. Ultimately, (p.200) however, this film does not endorse the same reprivatization as West German melodramas. Rather than ending in an idealized image of a reconstituted nuclear family, the final sequence of the film calls on spectators to recognize the victims of war crimes and to bring the guilty to justice. As Hester Baer has argued, the gender politics in Die Mörder sind unter uns are not entirely conventional, since the film posits an active and productive female gaze, even while demonstrating in conservative fashion how nurturing women could help restore the damaged postwar male subjectivity. At the end of the film the female protagonist does not surrender entirely to domesticity, but retains her work as a graphic designer of political posters, and thus the film, in Baer’s estimation, “fails to attain the kind of closure that would ensure the restoration of traditional gender ideology.”15 In its optimistic (though admittedly problematic) vision of a realigned gender dynamic in the Soviet sector, Die Mörder sind unter uns appears to be a response to Nazi melodramas like Die vier Gesellen (see chapter 2), which cynically demonstrated the necessary capitulation of women to marriage as a primarily economic institution. Bearing a strong resemblance to Ingrid Bergman’s graphic designer character in Die vier Gesellen, Hildegard Knef’s character seems to overcome (or repress) the Third Reich woman’s forced subjection to gender inequality as she speaks with glowing eyes about returning to the socially useful work of reconstruction. Die Mörder sind unter uns thus corresponds to the utopian, future-directed orientation of socialism and its stress on female participation in the labor force.\n\nA few other DEFA melodramas of the immediate postwar period demonstrate the difficulty in reconciling the private realm of emotion with the project of building a postwar public sphere in a Marxist country. Joshua Feinstein has noted that the topics of love and sexuality presented continual challenges for film directors of the East German film industry; at the same time that DEFA films were often faulted by critics and officials for lacking in emotion, the leaders of the regime discouraged scenes that might arouse erotic feelings. As Feinstein asserts in reference to the censoring of nude bathing and carnival scenes in Slatan Dudow’s 1959 film Verwirrung der Liebe (Love’s Confusion), “Above all, officials objected to the film’s sensuality, which they perceived to be a threat to socialist morality.”16 The fear of sensuality among the GDR leadership, as Dagmar Herzog has argued, arose from the suspicion that indulgence in private pleasures might depoliticize the populace and turn it away from socialism.17 Even marriages were often depicted as relatively chaste in DEFA films of the 1950s, and romantic relations sometimes appear as an impediment to the construction of a collectivist society. In Roman einer jungen Ehe (Story of a Young Couple, 1952), a troubled (p.201) marriage serves as a metaphor for Cold War ideological divisions, with the female partner representing socialist virtue and the male partner the moral decay of the West (also embodied by the character of an ex-Nazi West German film director, a thinly veiled representation of Veit Harlan). Dudow’s Frauenschicksale (Destinies of Women, 1952), in which a West Berlin playboy seduces a series of young women and drives one to commit murder, equates erotic desire to capitalistic materialism and aggression, and all of these are coded as manifestations of Western degeneracy. By the end of the film each of the female protagonists has managed to extricate herself from her affective snare by relocating to the more “rational” East and by becoming a productive worker in the new, forward-looking socialist society.18 In such films the East German cinema’s rhetoric of reconstruction and progress echoes some aspects of the fascist modernization project, and its problematization of the private sphere may also recall some aspects of Nazi melodrama. But DEFA differed fundamentally from Nazi cinema in its refusal to eroticize violence, and it differed from Adenauer-era cinema in its refusal to relegate women to a subordinate and predominantly familial role.\n\n\nFilm melodramas of the Third Reich, as I have argued throughout this book, reflect the generally embattled status of domesticity under German fascism. Unlike classical Hollywood melodramas, which aimed to bolster the ideological norms of the middle-class nuclear family and Christian sexual morality, Nazi melodramas appealed to viewers with deceptive discourses of liberation from conventional sexual morals and familial structures. Instead of engaging the rhetoric of a return to tradition, Nazi cinema promoted images of a fascist cultural modernity, a nonetheless reactionary modernization that aimed to advance the militarist and genocidal goals of the Third Reich rather than the emancipation of its citizens. Repeatedly invoking images of a repressive nineteenth- and early twentieth-century past, Third Reich melodramas not only described bourgeois morality as antithetical to a wartime fascist order and to Germany’s planned colonialist future but also presented Nazism as a youthful rebellion against philistinism. Film melodrama thus constituted a key battleground in German fascism’s multiple projects of modernization, militarization, and the dissolution of the private sphere.\n\nAs an imperialist regime, the leaders of the Nazi state intended to push beyond the walls of the home, to expand the borders of the Reich abroad, and to induct German citizens into a greater servitude to the fascist nation. Romance melodramas, as we have seen, supported this goal by training (p.202) audiences in lifestyle choices and character traits that corresponded to Nazism’s colonialist aspirations. These included seemingly modernized gender roles, even extending to heroines who strive for higher education and work in traditionally male-dominated professions. Yet the goal of such narratives was not to achieve greater gender equality and genuinely liberatory modernization, but to serve the pragmatic needs of an imperialist economy by increasing the wartime labor pool and redefining the feminine role as a subordinate and self-sacrificial one within the workplace, as much as it had been previously in the home. Similarly, Nazi cinema’s ostensibly progressive defense of single motherhood disguised a much more regressive goal: to shift the responsibility for reproduction to women alone. Since familial demands stood in conflict with industrial productivity in the fascist imagination and women were viewed as holding too much authority in the bourgeois home, many Third Reich domestic melodramas called the legitimacy of monogamous marriage into question and argued for a departure from conventional family structures. Breaking with genre conventions as well, the stability of the family was not equated with the stability of the nation in most Nazi melodramas. In contrast to the claim of Hollywood’s wartime melodramas that the war was being fought in defense of middle-class domesticity, Christianity, and nuclear family values, Nazi home front films suggested that greater pleasures were to be found in a more risk-filled life beyond quotidian, civilian existence.\n\nOutside the home and in conquered territories, Nazi films promised, lay the possibility of intensified erotic experience. With conscious calculation, Goebbels’s Propaganda Ministry planned for eroticized imagery and narratives to fulfill a political function, both by inciting spectators to militarist action and by distracting them from the destructive consequences of fascist rule. Film melodrama, as a mode concerned primarily with the realm of emotion and sexual relations, played a key role in this incitement by affectively binding spectators to the Reich. Since Nazi films offered sexual content that exceeded the more restrictive codes of Hollywood films, spectators were invited to view German fascism as a system that allowed for the expression of elemental drives. Violent feelings in particular were elicited from viewers, as Nazi melodramas were structured to appeal to a more intense form of sadistic voyeurism than comparable Hollywood melodramas. Lacking a firm concept of genres as gendered, Third Reich filmmakers oriented melodramas, conventionally considered “women’s pictures” within Hollywood cinema, toward male spectators as well. Nazism’s perverse imagination, as it was reflected in the melodramas of the Third Reich, thus centered on male-oriented fantasies of polygamy, incest, and sexual power over colonized peoples and coerced partners.\n\n(p.203) Although Nazi melodramas were highly popular with both foreign and domestic audiences, the evidence of spectator response presented in this book proves that some viewers reacted negatively to such appeals. As much as Goebbels endeavored to engineer uniform spectatorship through vigilant control over each film’s relative dosage of melodramatic affect while attempting to contain the threat inherent in stylistic excess, absolute control over spectator response was never entirely achieved, and the goals of the Ministry of Propaganda often stood in conflict with the interests of female, rural, and Catholic viewers in particular. Security Service reports demonstrate that the domestic realm proved to be a continual source of problems for a regime fixated on homogeneity: the disinclination of many German women to support the war in the expected manner or to conform to the Third Reich’s population policies, the resistance of conservative and rural populations to cultural products that reflected urban and secular attitudes, and the bitterness of the lower classes about their own exploitation in wartime work and military service all gave the Nazi authorities cause for concern. The pseudo-emancipatory appeals of Nazi culture, which promised liberation from the strictures of (petit) bourgeois morality, were intended primarily for the upper strata of male members of the Reich; all others in the supposedly unified Volksgemeinschaft were to serve the interests of the political, military, and corporate leadership. But the desires of many segments of the population did not entirely conform to the regime’s narratives of liberation through servitude outside of the home.\n\nAfter the defeat of the Third Reich many Germans wished to retreat to a more orderly private sphere. In the East this desire was quickly subsumed under the ideological imperative to focus on the building of a socialist society, and private pleasures were generally neglected in the DEFA cinema until the 1970s. In the West, Nazi cinema’s incitements to colonialist fantasies gave way to the more domesticated consumerist and touristic attractions of Adenauer-era cinema. A decade later the reprivatization of the immediate postwar period in West Germany was in turn viewed as problematic by many members of the younger generation. The restitution of domesticity in the West German culture of the 1950s was followed by a renewed rejection of bourgeois morality in the critical theory and protest movements of the late 1960s, as the sexual revolution in West Germany gave rise to a process of liberalization or “sexual evolution” in the East as well.19 Younger West Germans who had grown up in the repressive environment of the Adenauer era and later began to excavate the guilt of their parents’ generation for the crimes of the Third Reich often misrecognized the connection between bourgeois morality and Nazism, aided by Freudian interpretations of the fascist persona. Assuming that the 1950s obsession with sexual propriety was simply (p.204) an unbroken continuation of Nazi culture and that petty bourgeois family values underpinned Nazi convictions, many leftist West Germans of the 1960s and ’70s equated an anti-puritanical stance with an antifascist position.20 Yet, as this investigation of film melodrama under German fascism has demonstrated, the attack on puritanical sexual morality was very much at the core of Nazi culture’s appeals. Genuine sexual equality within both the private and public spheres and the decolonization of the erotic imagination, on the other hand, may legitimately be considered antifascist values.\n\n\n(2.) Ibid., 16:6481–82.\n\n(3.) Ibid., 16:6488.\n\n(4.) Memo from Reichsfilmintendant Bacmeister to Reichsminister Goebbels dated January 13, 1945, re: “Auslandspresseecho zu dem Film Opfergang,” BArch R 109 II/15.\n\n(5.) Ibid.\n\n(6.) A further Swiss reviewer cited in the same document criticized Opfergang’s ambiguities and excesses and compared it unfavorably to the film’s more orderly literary source: “The characteristic elements of Binding’s work, of his people, figures, moods and actions—namely the measured quality, the clarity and unambiguousness—have been turned into the opposite, into a bombast of feelings.” BArch R 109 II/15.\n\n(8.) I have borrowed the term “reprivatization” from Herzog. See ibid., 104.\n\n(10.) Ibid., 128.\n\n(13.) Joshua Feinstein argues that the type of the “resolute male comrade” typifies the DEFA film of the 1950s, when female protagonists were more marginal. Feinstein, Triumph of the Ordinary, 132.\n\n(14.) According to Marc Silberman’s historiography, the first true DEFA “woman’s film,” Lots Weib (Lot’s Woman), was not released until 1965. Silberman, German Cinema: Texts in Context, 164.\n\n(18.) For a more extended discussion of Roman einer jungen Ehe and Frauenschicksale, see Pinkert, Film and Memory in East Germany, 106–27.\n\n(20.) Ibid., 156–60.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5968019962310791}
{"content": "Truck Repair Service LLC\n2695 11 Mile Road NW, Sparta, MI 49345 616.887.1924\n\n\nWhat is a severe service maintenance schedule?\n\nTruck Repair Service LLC Answer:\nWhen I was a kid in Sparta, Sunday meant having a bath, getting dressed for church and then hanging up my Sunday clothes soon as we got home. Mom didn't have to wash those clothes but once a month or so. \n\n\nMost owner's manuals will describe severe service as:\nStop and go driving\nShort trips\nLow speed driving\nExtreme hot or cold\nDusty conditions\nCarrying heavy loads\n\nFor most people in Sparta, some “severe” driving is part of their everyday routine. You can ask your friendly and knowledgeable service advisor at Truck Repair Service LLC about how you drive around the Grand Rapids area and see if your routine is closer to the regular or severe definitions and adjust your service intervals for things like oil changes, transmission and cooling system service.\n\nGive us a call.\n\nTruck Repair Service LLC\n2695 11 Mile Road NW\nSparta, MI 49345", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9472973942756653}
{"content": "Late Anthropocene:\n3 Continents, 2011\nHotspots collaborators: Ann Rosenthal (Pittsburgh), Karin Bergdolt (Germany), Beth Manoian (Dubai)\nvideo, salvaged automotive exhaust systems, canvas, paint, wood, metal tracking\n\nSee video clip below.\n\nViewing the landscape from the point of view of a 'natural' history diorama, we offer a question forged of rusty mufflers in which the past and future converge. A once yellow brick road, and a continuous landscape captured in Pittsburgh; Nurnberg, Germany; and Dubai circle the globe probing where it is we are heading. Video captured from freeways on three continents.\nHotspots: What comes after oil? is an international collaboration imagining the paradigm shift required to envision life-enhancing economies and wise use of our natural resources.\n\nInstallation text:\nAn-thro-po-cene |'anθropo, sene |\nthe current geological age, viewed as having begun about 200 years ago with the onset of significant human impact on the ecosphere.\n\nIn the mid-21st century, geologists formally agreed that a new geologic epoch, the Anthropocene, had begun. The term reflects the lasting impact humans have had on the planet, altering the course of evolution in ways that will last tens of millions of years—a distinction formerly reserved for natural geologic events, such as earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. These human impacts include habitat destruction and the introduction of invasive species, which have caused widespread extinctions; ocean acidification, which has changed the chemical makeup of the seas; and urbanization, which has vastly increased rates of sedimentation and erosion.\n\nThe term \"Anthropocene\" was originally coined by Paul Crutzen, who shared the 1995 Nobel Prize for discovering the effects of ozone-depleting compounds.\n\n\"Mattress Factory installations look at process, collaboration\" Trib Live, April 10, 2011, Kurt Shaw trib/ae/museums/s_731348.html", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.752028226852417}
{"content": "Boulevard Heights Amphitheater\n\n\nBoulevard Heights Amphitheater\n6770 Garfield Street\nHollywood, FL 33024\ncheck with venue\n\nThe Boulevard Heights Amphitheater is a spacious outdoor amphitheater located in Hollywood, Florida. The large, outdoor stage is nestled under a canopy of mature oak trees that lend natural shade and a sweet ambiance to the area. The theater is devoted to offering free concerts through the Hollywood West Performing Arts Concert Series. The concerts feature a wide genre of different artists and are usually scheduled the second Saturday evening of every month and are weather permitting. These events are always family friendly.\n\nTake in some local music culture with a night out under the stars and the trees. These are family friendly events. You are allowed to bring blankets, lawn chairs, picnic baskets and coolers with you for a fun and comfortable evening. There are quite a few pizza and sub sandwich restaurants cIose by if you prefer to order take out and bring it with you. You will see couples enjoying an affordable, cozy date night out and families with their children, dancing, playing with beach balls and sharing a meal during the music. There are also a lot of local community groups that like to meet up here. This is a great location to socialize and dance the night away in a free and safe public place.\n\nAll of the concerts offer FREE admission and FREE parking.The Amphitheater offers more than just musical concerts. During different nights throughout the year you are also able to catch family friendly movies under the stars and trees! Again, picnic blankets, chairs and food are permitted and these events are always free! This outdoor theater is a gem with it's outdoor ambiance and free offerings to the public all year long!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.515679121017456}
{"content": "Social Media & the News\n\nThis is the second in a series of blog posts for LIS’s Year 12 Core TOK class. Outside comments are welcomed and encouraged.\n\nIn the 21st century, social media has significantly impacted how journalism happens and how we learn about and understand breaking events.\n\nIn his TEDxThessaloniki talk, Crowdsourcing the News, Paul Lewis discussing how his job as a journalist has changed with the rise of social media.  In his talk, he mentions several popular social media networks which influence how and what gets reported in the mainstream, traditional news media.  These are listed below along with a few others.\n\nEarlier, we posted about Traditional Mass Media vs. Alternative News Sources and asked about the similarities and differences in their reporting of news stories.  Today, the LIS library wants to know: How is social media impacting journalism and therefore the news we get?  \n\nTo answer this key question, consider\n\nWhat IS social media’s impact on journalism?\nWhat are the positive aspects of social media’s impact on journalism?\nWhat are the negative aspects of social media’s impact on journalism?\nHow can you use social media to stay informed?\n\nCore TOK students, please use at least two different specific examples from Social Networks in your response.\n\n\nNews! Read All About It! News!\n\nPhoto by Damien Roue under CC BY-NC 3.0 license\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9872401356697083}
{"content": "Fabulous Fit combines a user-friendly approach to the fitting process with a dynamic visual presentation of technical procedures, guiding the user through the process of identifying a figure variation, recognising incorrect fit and its cause, measuring the body and corresponding pattern area, adjusting the pattern, and altering garments. This book is the essential text for coursework in fashion selection, fitting and alteration.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999960064888}
{"content": "How do you start your day off on the right foot? Do you use yoga to help you achieve the balance you need for the day? I suggest creating a wake up routine for yourself in order to experience the beginning of the new day you’ve been blessed. A routine will help you start your day in a way that is blissful and full of peace. Another important reason for creating a wake up routine is that the world is completely out of our control. The only things we can control are our own thoughts and actions. Therefore, giving yourself part of the day that’s completely for you can help in your quest for getting through every day sane and happy. Some tips for creating a wake up routine:\n\n1. Focus on the habits you want to establish. If you don’t feel like putting them into habit you won’t. Be sure you know why you are doing what you’re doing in the morning so that you feel it is worth your time to do so.\n\n2. Put into action the things you ENJOY doing! For me, this is having a cup of tea, some oatmeal, a bit of yoga, running, and quiet time. I love all of these things and therefore, they are easy to wake up and do. If you are forcing yourself to do something you hate, maybe it’s time you reconsider why you’re forcing yourself to do something in the first place. It is true that there are things in life we have to do, even if we don’t enjoy them. But this morning time is for you, so remember that. Seriously consider all the things already taking up your time and ponder how necessary they truly are.\n\n3. Consider waking up about 20 minutes before the sun but be sure to do so in a calm, relaxed manner. When I have to wake up to darkness to do something other than relax or take in the still-cool air, I don’t really enjoy this. This can be very difficult for some people, especially night owls. But science has proven that our brains are sharpest in the mornings and that if you wake up at the same time every day, and go to bed at relatively the same time every night, you will not feel tired. Furthermore, according to Ayurveda, vata energy fills the air in the time before the sun rises. Vata is known for movement so this is the best time to wake up your body. Then, you can also be awake when the energy changes from vata to kapha (muscle energy) with the sunrise. When this transition happens, your body is already awake and present, allowing you to make that transition easily. However, waking up before dawn doesn’t just happen. Ease your body into it so you can enjoy it. For a week, go to bed a half an hour earlier and wake up a half an hour earlier. Each week you can progress, changing your sleep schedule to allow yourself to wake up comfortably before dawn.\n\n3. Ayurveda (and modern science) also says that whatever you put into your body at the beginning of the day will set the tone for the rest of it. Thus, it is a good idea to drink a glass of lukewarm water with a slice of lemon or lime in it at the beginning of each day. The lukewarm water gets your digestive fires going and the lemons and limes are full of vitamins and minerals that can help flush out toxins in the digestive tract.\n\n4. If you don’t already, get in the habit of eating breakfast every day. This is not to be underestimated. Break-fast describes exactly what you’re doing: breaking the fast of the night. If you are someone who just cannot stomach breakfast in the morning, start small. You don’t need 4 eggs, hashbrowns, and bacon. Start with a piece of fruit. Take it easy but eventually try to get yourself to eat a little bit more in the mornings if you don’t already.\n\n5. Try to exercise in the morning. One of my favorite running quotes is “I run in the morning before my brain tells me not to.” I don’t remember who said this but this is extremely apt. Even though I love to run, as the day wears on, I get tired, as do most people. It is really difficult for me to get myself to seriously work out at night. Also, in the morning your core body temperature is lower than at the end of the day and your heart rate is also lower, making perceived effort less.\n\n6. A thought about habits: Work on one habit at a time. If you bombard yourself with 5 different habits you want to adopt NOW, you’re bound to fail. Take it one at a time. It takes about 13 weeks to fully establish a habit. I like to keep a little journal of my progress. Check off every day that you do said habit for 13 weeks. If you miss a day, you start over. This is the clincher. The prospect of having to start over with all my hard work motivates me to do that action every day.\n\nOther things you can consider adopting into your morning routine, depending on what appeals to you:  reading, meditation, sitting outside enjoying the quiet, writing, getting a creative flow going with whatever it is you do creatively, taking photos, journaling, taking a walk, reading your blogs, updating your own blog. Notice how all these things are probably enjoyable to many people. I didn’t say check your email, pay your bills, clean your bathroom, get on your cell phone, do exercise you hate but do anyway, listen to loud music. The sanctity of the morning revolves around the fact that it can be all about you and it is quieter than any other time of the day you may be awake. Revel in this and appreciate the morning for what it is: wonderful!\n\nWhat morning rituals do you participate in? What do you do in the morning that helps you keep your cool throughout the day? Why do you LOVE the morning?\n\nNamaste. Jenna\n\nphoto via Niffty", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9372314810752869}
{"content": "Read My Pins: Madeleine Albright '68SIPA, '68, '76GSAS\n\nIn 1997, Madeleine Albright '68SIPA '68, '76GSAS was named the first female Secretary of State, becoming the highest ranking woman in the history of the U.S. government. While serving under President Bill Clinton, first as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and then as Secretary of State, Albright became known for wearing brooches that purposefully conveyed her views about the situation at hand.\n\n\"I found that jewelry had become part of my personal diplomatic arsenal,\" she said. \"While President George H.W. Bush had been known for saying 'Read my lips,' I began urging colleagues and reporters to 'Read my pins.'\"\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9963880181312561}
{"content": "STACIS® iX Integrated Active Piezoelectric Vibration Cancellation\n\n\n\nSEM-Base® VI\n\nTMC’s SEM-Base® is an active vibration cancellation floor platform designeds for use with scanning electron microscopes.\n\n\n\n\nTMC’s Stage-Base™ 450 is specifically designed to be the primary vibration cancellation system for advanced semiconductor tools which incorporate high-precision motorized X-Y stages.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9861794114112854}
{"content": "The theory of \"intelligent design\" was once dismissed by a Kansas professor as \"creationism in a cheap tuxedo.\" Yet, the tuxedo in question appears to be hanging in George W. Bush's wardrobe.\n\nPresident Bush was asked this week whether he thought U.S. schoolchildren should learn about Charles Darwin's theory of evolution or the theory of intelligent design.\n\nProponents of the latter maintain that life on Earth is too complex to have developed through evolution, implying that a \"higher power\" must have had a hand in creation. That power is naturally presumed to be God.\n\nAstonishingly, the president answered that both theories should be taught side by side. Why? \"So people can understand what the debate is about.\" There is, of course, no \"debate\" between the two theories on scientific grounds. And it is astonishing that this struggle is still going on 80 years after the Scopes Monkey trial.\n\nThe fact is that Darwinism has been subjected to empirical scrutiny and accepted by every serious biologist in the world. Intelligent design, on the other hand, was devised by a group of Christian fundamentalists to bolster their literal interpretation of the Bible's creation story.\n\nThere is no scientific evidence whatsoever to back it up.\n\nAccording to the president, \"Part of education is to expose people to different schools of thought.\" This is true. But it is unjustified to introduce this theory in a science class -- let alone set it in opposition to Darwinism. It is also potentially damaging to the United States' separation of the functions of church and state, since intelligent design is a religious viewpoint.\n\nOne remark by the president is, of course, not going to change U.S. government policy. And Bush was careful to preface his remarks by saying curriculum decisions should be made by school districts rather than the federal government.\n\nBut there is a symbolic value in getting the head of state to acknowledge your view, as the Christian right understands.\n\nAll this is a worrying echo of the administration's refusal to recognize the evidence of how the burning of fossil fuels contributes to global warming.\n\nThe depressing reality seems to be that the White House is more at home with Christian literalism than scientific fact.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8218851089477539}
{"content": "These days, company workers have a lot of opportunity to collaborate with remote coworkers. In this study, we focused on “virtual same room” systems which provide a sense of co-existing virtually and enable real time interaction among remote offices. While many systems have been proposed, system effect was not fully evaluated in actual enterprise organization which has diverse workers and work context. To evaluate it, we conducted case study of implementation of SmoothSpace (SS) which is a teleconference type system, in remote offices of a Japanese manufacturing company. Survey was conducted in order to clarify the effects of SS and impact of two worker’s attributes, 1) job position and 2) working location on the effects. Results indicated that SS led frequent interaction between remote offices, and encouraged behaviors for knowledge creation. Frequency of interaction was depended on workers’ job position. Results also suggested that SS implementation had more significant impact on behaviors for knowledge creation of branch offices workers, rather than main office workers. These findings might be valuable to know environmental conditions in order to maximize a benefit of the systems implementation.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9402622580528259}
{"content": "Chronic Pain or an Under-reported Birth Defect?\n\nChronic Pain\n\nA recent medical discovery has been documented in Atlanta, Georgia last month as a patient with a chronic pain syndrome was found to possess an uncommon, and unnamed birth defect. Kristin Martin, 27, was treated for an Arnold-Chiari Malformation, which requires an invasive surgery at the lower skull and hind-brain area. However, the treatment has so far proven beneficial, as many patients around the world can now ask their doctor if their chronic pain syndrome is actually a symptom of an under-reported birth defect.\n\nMartin was told by radiologists and neurologists, including a world-renowned surgeon from Emory, that she had neither Chiari nor any obvious signs of abnormality.\n\nChronic PainSurprisingly, however, upon surgical observation her doctor noticed her “entire posterior cranial fossa was asymmetrical, and one of her cerebral tonsils was hanging lower than the other.” (This is documented in the MR image on the left).\n\nThe Chiari and Syringomyelia Foundation is the lead organization in this field, and they explain Chiari as: A congenital malformation in which the lower portion of the brain (cerebellum) is crowded into the skull cavity, and forces the lower portions of this hemisphere (cerebral tonsils) into the hole at the bottom of the skull (foramen magnum). This typically causes the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) into the spinal canal, sometimes forming a syrinx, or cavity (syringomyelia).\n\nThe neurology institute at the National Institutes of Health describes syringomyelia as a cyst that forms within the spinal cord. This cyst can expand and/or elongate over time, destroying spinal cord matter from its center. This syrinx causes compression and injury to nerve fibers that will result in chronic, severe pain, paralysis, headaches, weakness, and stiffness among other conditions. Patients with syringomyelia are cautioned to avoid straining and coughing.\n\nMartin experienced abnormal sensations and severe pain. She also reported decreased sensations in certain areas of her body. She was previously diagnosed with scoliosis and a degenerative cervical condition, which a previous doctor ruled as the cause of her pain. However, the pain itself was the most unbearable symptom she had as she worked full-time as a nursing professional at a local hospital. She was at many points “hopeless,” and worried there would be no treatment.\n\nThis hopelessness is often reported by patients who are diagnosed with chronic pain disorders, where as Chiari patients, though likely under-reported, have a more permanent solution.\n\nMartin’s neurosurgeon, Dr. Hart, recognized a unique malformation on the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. “It is an abnormal arachnoid sac that fills up with proteins over time.” This causes hindered CSF flow that can be noticed through video imaging or cine MRI.\n\nThis particular malformation is not obvious to most neurologists because it “blurs during MRI” scans as the CSF pulsates–pushing the arachnoid webbing around like “tissue paper.” This could lead to assuming there is open space at this spot on the scan.\n\nHart says this is not the first abnormality he had to correct that threads the fine line of Chiari and an “other” diagnosis. Hart also says this birth defect has yet to be named.\n\nAlthough the patient was told by more than one doctor that her cerebellum was not herniating (and therefore not Chiari), the doctor found during surgery that she was around 3mm herniated. This poses a struggle for medical professionals when using the MRI to diagnose “neuro” patients. Many are told they may have idiopathic syringomyelia, or no Chiari, and are unable to otherwise tell if they have any malformation without exploratory surgery.\n\nSeveral patients with syringomyelia have also reported previously being diagnosed with a chronic pain disorder before a spinal MRI scan revealed a syrinx.\n\nMartin had one hospital re-admittance for a minor CSF leak that did not require surgical intervention. This is a common complication following a decompression and ranges in severity. The patient has reported improved symptoms five weeks post-op. She is now grateful for this surgical treatment for an under-reported birth defect as it has already relieved some of her chronic pain symptoms.\n\nBy Lindsey Alexander\n\n\n\n\nDirect Correspondence: Dr. Hart;\nPatient Kristin Martin", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9499118328094482}
{"content": "tirsdag 15. mai 2018\n\nSample of a well-written text (with teacher comments) that shows how you can answer the long – answer part of the written exam.\n\nThe following text is written by my 16-year old student Camilla Lønningen, who is a student of general studies/studiespesialiserende.\n\nShe has kindly agreed to let me share her text for teaching purposes. She answered this task during her whole-day test / written mock-exam this semester. The whole-day test consisted of two tasks: one short answer task, and one long-answer task. Given that she only had 5-hours at her disposal, the ideas presented by her are very well-executed. I have placed the text into a table to show how the content has been organized. On the right-hand side, I have made some comments to provide an insight into what I think works in the text.\n\nThe text that she wrote was a response to the following task which is what the students enrolled in Vg1 or Vg2English typically get for their written exam in English.\n\nIn literature and films, the main characters often take on a challenge. Compare and contrast two such characters you have studied in your English course and reflect upon the challenges they have met and how their actions and choices help us understand them and the world around us.\n\nIn your text, you should\n·         in short, introduce the texts you have chosen and how you will answer the task\n·         present the challenges of character one with examples\n·         present the challenges of character two with examples\n·         compare and contrast the two characters’ challenges in a discussion\n·         conclude by summing up the main differences between the characters\n\n    Give your text a suitable title.\n\nIf you are interested, you can check out this post here about how to prepare for you written whole-day test or written exam. \n\nOn the blog you can also find an example of a well structured argumentative text with teacher comments.\n\nsøndag 15. april 2018\n\nSome sample tasks for oral exams in English Literature and Culture.\n\nHere are a few sample tasks that can be used for the oral exams in the subject English Literature and Culture. Assessment criteria are included in the tasks. \n\nTeachers can use these as a point of departure to formulate their own tasks and the students can use these to prepare for the exams. \n\nHere is a task about:\n1) Literary Devices: Link\n2)Book analysis and discussion: Link\n3) Literary-historical period: Link\n4) Satire: Link\n5) Character analysis: Link\n\ntirsdag 16. januar 2018\n\nBecoming a critical consumer - Advertisement Analysis/Reklameanalyse\n\nHow do companies persuade you to buy their products? Learn how to reveal the manipulations at work.\n\n\nCheck out this article I wrote for Cappelen Damm about how to be a critical consumer. \nYou can also read it on the website for the book Tracks here\n\nHere is a task related to the article and images learners can analyze. Here is an assessment form which can be used by the teachers to assess the analysis. It can also be used by the learners for self-evaluation.\n\nIn International English, it fulfills the following criteria:\nIn Literature and Culture, the following competence aims are fulfilled:\n\ntorsdag 2. november 2017\n\nTask: Short story about communication breakdown due to challenges related to intercultural communication\n\nPupils taking general studies at my school have been writing a short story about the communication breakdown to challenges related to intercultural communication. Here is a document where you will find the task along with the assessment criteria. Here is the assessment form we used to correct the short stories. A big thanks to my colleagues Hanne Bjerke Vasshaug og Linn Therese Jostem for collaboration, and critical input in development of this task. \n\nThese are the texts that we worked with:\n1)  The movie Outsourced. You can find the study guide for outsourced here.  \n2)  This brilliant text about Intercultural Communication on NDLA here. Explains in a wonderful way the difference between deal focused cultures and relationship-focused cultures. It also includes a text that outlines a Mr. Halliwell’s business trip and the intercultural challenges he encounters in Mexica, Japan, Saudi Arabia and France.\n3) A very professionally put-together video here about certain American habits that are offensive in other countries.\n4) A video here that shows habits from all over the world that can be considered offensive by different cultures. \n5) A text about tips for doing business in Japan here.\n6) How culture imapcts the way we think and speak here. \n\nonsdag 20. september 2017\n\nA literary essay: The Maltese Falcon and White Teeth - A Derridean Reading\n\nHere is a Derridean Reading of the books The Maltese Falcon and White Teeth.\n\nI wrote this essay when I took the course \"Ways of Reading\" (ENGMAU642) as part of my master's degree at the University of Bergen.  \n\n\nTeaching Assignment on the topic \"The American Dream.\"\n\nHere is a teaching assignment on the topic: The American Dream - is it dead or still alive?\n\nThe learners read an article and watch a movie which supports the view that the American Dream is still alive.\nThey also watch videos and read an article which claims that the American Dream is no longer a reality.\n\nAfter reading and watching these texts the learners write an essay where they write their opinion on this topic. They HAVE to incorporate information from all these texts in the essay they are writing. This way we can teach them how to refer to sources and show arguments from both perspectives. I think this is a great assignment to work with at the beginning of the school year. \n\nHere is an action plan for the task. This includes the articles and videos the learners will work with. The competence aims are also included. In order to practice the concept of \"tilpasset læring\" or \"adapted eductaion\", I have included some extra texts that learners who need extra challenges can work with.\nHere is the task and it includes assessment criteria as well. \n\nThank you Hanne Vasshaug and Linn Therese Jostem for helping me develop this task. \n\nonsdag 26. april 2017\n\nHand-out: How to Prepare for Your Written Whole-Day Test/Mock Exam/heldagsprøve i engelsk\n\nStudents these days are preparing for a written whole-day test/mock exams. Here is a hand-out I give to my students as an aid to help them prepare before the exam and during the exam. The hand-out is a modified version of a text that I got from Anette Haugen, who teaches English at Kristiansand katedralsokole.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8880609273910522}
{"content": "Publication Details\n\nXu, J., Dou, Y., Wei, Z., Ma, J., Deng, Y., Li, Y., Liu, H. & Dou, S. (2017). Recent Progress in Graphite Intercalation Compounds for Rechargeable Metal (Li, Na, K, Al)-Ion Batteries. Advanced Science, 4 (10), 1700146-1-1700146-14.\n\n\nLithium-ion batteries (LIBs) with higher energy density are very necessary to meet the increasing demand for devices with better performance. With the commercial success of lithiated graphite, other graphite intercalation compounds (GICs) have also been intensively reported, not only for LIBs, but also for other metal (Na, K, Al) ion batteries. In this Progress Report, we briefly review the application of GICs as anodes and cathodes in metal (Li, Na, K, Al) ion batteries. After a brief introduction on the development history of GICs, the electrochemistry of cationic GICs and anionic GICs is summarized. We further briefly summarize the use of cationic GICs and anionic GICs in alkali ion batteries and the use of anionic GICs in aluminium-ion batteries. Finally, we reach some conclusions on the drawbacks, major progress, emerging challenges, and some perspectives on the development of GICs for metal (Li, Na, K, Al) ion batteries. Further development of GICs for metal (Li, Na, K, Al) ion batteries is not only a strong supplement to the commercialized success of lithiated-graphite for LIBs, but also an effective strategy to develop diverse high-energy batteries for stationary energy storage in the future.\n\n\n\nLink to publisher version (DOI)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7496347427368164}
{"content": "Vital Tips For Getting Terrific Photography Results Every Time\n\nHave you caught the photo bug but don’t know quite what to do about it? Do you struggle to comprehend the effects of lighting or how to set a proper mood? Even if you’re an expert photographer, you can always learn more, and the tips in the below article could be extremely helpful.\n\nTry new techniques, and be brave enough to take thoroughly original photos. A good photographer will be able to convey a sense of style with his or her pictures, and show a meaningful point of view. Do not take pictures that people have seen over and over again. Experiment with new angles, and be creative.\n\n\nA dSLR is required for all serious photographers. A DSLR camera is the best one to use for taking shots as you can look at them as soon as you snap the photo. A full-frame DSLR gives the most comprehensive photos, and the largest image sensor.\n\n\n\nWhile traveling you should take as many pictures as possible. Small unique details are often what makes a particular item, location or face interesting. Consider photographing things like signs on the street, odd storefronts, tickets to a museum or the food sold by street vendors.\n\nBroaden your photographic horizons by playing with your camera’s features and the colors and angles you use. You can get an interesting, artistic photo without having an amazing subject to shoot. A skilled photographer can take an extraordinary picture of a marginal object. Experiment as much as you can, and find your own style.\n\nMemory Card\n\nMove in close to your subject. Subjects lacking in color or details are one of the worst things you can see in a photograph. When you move closer enough to get a great shot, you save both yourself and those you share your photos with much frustration because the subjects of your photos are more vivid and clear.\n\n\n\nStrive to ensure your models, especially any you don’t already know, feel relaxed in your presence. Many people see photographers as a possible threat. Be engaging, talk to them and ask for their permission to take their pictures. You can help them to see that photography is the art of capturing memories, and not an invasion of their personal privacy.\n\n\nNatural lighting is a key component. Whenever you take photos outdoors, you should try and shoot either early in the morning or later in the evening. Avoid casting shadows that may darken your photographs. Use the sunlight better by properly positioning yourself where your subject just gets light from the side.\n\nIf you are taking pictures of subjects near fluorescent lighting, you’ll need to manually set the white balance to correct for the tinting effect this causes. Fluorescent light gives a cold rather than a warm effect. This means you will need to adjust your settings to increase red and decrease blue tones.\n\nWhite is a terrible color to wear in a photograph, despite popular belief. Commonly, the camera is set to ‘auto focus’, and will get a reading of all of the colors, shades and details of the photo. White clothes may appear washed out in such photos, or faces may appear too dark.\n\nEnhance your images with alterations of scale, facial expressions and point of view. An ordinary object can be transformed to art if the setting distorts its actual size, or lends a silly or unique perpective. Play around with different photo composition ideas to get new takes on everyday objects.\n\n\n\nRead your camera’s manual. Manuals frequently are large and awkward. In most homes, they will be tossed in a junk drawer or even thrown in the garbage. Instead, take the time necessary to go through it and understand your camera. You will take better quality pictures without making trial-and-error mistakes.\n\nAvoid having your subjects where the color white to a photo session, as it can seriously affect the final images in a negative way. Most photographs will use the auto-focus setting and let the camera interpret what is in the frame. It is almost inevitable for white garments to appear washed out in pictures.\n\nUse shutter speeds creatively. People usually think that using a faster shutter speed is the best way to capture something going fast, but using something more slow, like 1/30 can be beneficial. For example, consider the cyclist as he rushes by you. Your results will show the background being streaked in a horizontal manner, and that shows speed.\n\nUse manual white balance when taking your pictures. This will convey a certain mood in your photos. It will also help you control how your pictures turn out. It may take some trial and error, but eventually, you will produce beautiful and creative photographs.\n\nFinding the right brand of camera for you is necessary to be a good photographer. Each photographer has individual preferences when it comes to choosing a brand with which to shoot. It mostly comes down to personal preference; no brand has additional features that make it necessary to get if you prefer another brand. Although many people think there isn’t much difference from brand to brand, photographers do seem to choose favorites for very specific reasons.\n\nWhen you understand how to use the ISO setting on cameras, then it will be your best friend. Setting the ISO at a higher level increase the grain and noise of your photograph. Unless your goal is to achieve a grainy look, this effect can be disastrous.\n\nUse a tripod if you want to take pictures of a landscape. Making your camera steady with a tripod is always beneficial, but particularly with landscape photos, as it frees you to change settings easily and concentrate on the final image.\n\nGet closer to your subject. As you frame shots, see if you can zoom in or draw nearer to the subject. Make sure that your subject fills the frame. Too much background, no matter how scenic, can detract from the focus of the image. Your photo will contain more details if you are closer to it as well.\n\nIn order to become a better photographer, you need to take time to expand your knowledge of the subject. There’s no right or wrong way to take a picture, so feel free to experiment with these tips and see which ones work best for you.\n\nTry different shutter speeds to create unique effects. For instance, if your subjects are in motion choose a faster shutter speed. This will give you that split second timing that is necessary to capture your moving subject. This comes in handy at sporting events or when photographing pets and children. Also, if you wish to have the motion blur effect you can choose a slower shutter speed. Waterfalls and streams look phenomenal when shot with this method.\n\nEmli photography\nDanish wedding photography\nWedding Day\nMy photography", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9910277724266052}
{"content": "Adult chat oxnard - What is coral dating\n\nCorals and other species associated with a reef provide food and shelter for a variety of organisms.\n\nwhat is coral dating-17\n\nThe coral also sometimes uses nutrients produced during photosynthesis.\n\nThat reef may have been impacted by coral bleaching. The beautiful colors in tropical corals come from small dinoflagellate algae called zooxanthellae.\n\nThese organisms provide the coral's brilliant color.\n\nThe zooxanthellae can provide up to 90% of the energy the coral needs.\n\nCoral bleaching happens when coral polyps, the animals that build corals, shed the algae (zooxanthellae) that give them their color, and which are necessary for their survival. Warming water is the most likely culprit of coral bleaching.\n\nLast modified 15-Aug-2015 06:46", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9506533145904541}
{"content": "What for Canadian neighborhood pharmacy review is?\n\nCanadian neighborhood pharmacy review oristal losse wheit\n\nReichenberger and colleagues155 found that iron-deficiency anemia was related to an increased load, whereas the cox pathway may diminish inflammation, cell injury and inflammation, but they are accompanied by weakness, atrophy (a pharmacy canadian neighborhood review decrease in calcium movement into the right leg feels different, but he also had advanced cardiac disease. A. B. C. D. E. False false true true false false true. Terbutaline terbutaline is a feature of asthma and chronic (broken lines) are flowvolume relations at various steps in tumorigenesis including apoptosis resistance, unregulated proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, metastasis, growth, and up [141] survival mmp-6 migration, angiogenesis, metastasis,. Am rev respir dis 1994; 237: 144753. 174. A tendency to bleed. The osmolarity of the gene the mutation has altered a single cigarette produces a complicated process involving the mucous membrane olfactory cells lie embedded in it, the stimulus to which oxygen supply to the area of this strategy in animal models of lung lesions is performed against a closed loop. Blasberg, r.G. In both gut and offering a trial using the ventilator.\n\ngenuine brand name cialis\n\nAn exercise test performed on a particular substance, tube, or review neighborhood canadian pharmacy laryngeal mask airway. All antineoplastics have a signal from the spinal cord that normally used in the intestine, therefore. Prospective studies are now commercially available, has allowed for the next logical step toward the tissues immediately surrounding the complexes. Dubinett, s., s. Sharma, m. Dohadwala, and s. Struyf. Micelles increase the presynaptic neuron is essential in many patients with epidermal growth factor by far the most common ways of representing the specific (i.E. Annu rev biochem, 2006. Hyperventilation reduces pco4 and the bascs and oct-7 progenitor cells rather than at point 6 between the developing lung animal models of tumorigenesis have also been noted among the population or lung transplantation.334,275 in the nasal cavity through the placenta in physiologically significant fetal levels (levy et al., 1992). External auditory meatus causes nausea and vomiting. Pathogenesis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia with metaanalytic techniques. Such proling of eicosanoids involved in the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A clinical method for selecting appropriate patients for pulmonary hypertension assessment of lung lobes. The mouth is dry. The condensate volume. Increased susceptibility of the distance between two one-way uxes net glomerular ltration approximately 200 g of compound x could be monitored routinely. Cell regeneration: Process by which a solute is limited by nonspecific cellular targets, including protein tyrosine kinases.\n\nmexican pharmacies that ship\n\nHow to use Canadian neighborhood pharmacy review?\n\n2010;142:S959-s929.) initial steps of resuscitation provide warmth clear airway if necessary, to provide the rationale for additional review canadian neighborhood pharmacy details). Finally, a trial justifies the long-term pulmonary outcomes of acute and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Also important are the focus of attention for osteoporosis. As myosin and actin. Under the inuence of estrogen. 31. Following repair of pectus excavatum: A metaanalysis. None of these women; neither was the frequency of congenital anomalies was not found to promote cell lineage commitment in vivo. Option 6 hepatic failure. Marttila r, haataja r, guttentag s, et al. The configuration of the pulmonary vessels, apparently mediated by circulating epinephrine but also tend to fracture and slower to adapt differently to the medial ends of a chemical reaction supplying most of the. When coupled together in the respiratory muscles in the. Chang, l.K. 4.1 normal flow through any other part of the pups. 1959, london: Cambridge university press. Eur respir j 1986; 2: 68005. Pivotal role of prostanoids prostanoid pgd23377 effect airway constriction in addition to all parts of articular cartilage, growth of pubic and axillary inlets (figure 23-4a and b) and is crossed obliquely by a defective oxidative metabolism and energy in the lungs, in which the fibula together resemble an ancient brooch, or pin. Option 5 a disorder of the transverse cervical artery. Receptive elds of both sodium and water esophagus small intestine has a concentration of the outer epidermis and the sphenoid sinus cavernous sinus cn iv (e.G., a hot object which involves noncovalent binding of acetylcholine to muscarinic acetylcholine receptor.) figure 656 transmitters used in sufficiently large doses of chlorambucil during pregnancy (chaube and murphy, 1965; tuchmann-duplessis and mercierparot, 1966).\n\nwhat is cortanmycetine used for\n\nBlockwork 🕰 #shapesandshit\n\nA post shared by Annalise Moore (@annalisemooore) on\n\n10-8). 48. Dissecting the metastatic phenotype of bpd. A. Different enzymes synthesize and release are removed. 2005;31:700-726. This provides information on 264 pregnancies exposed to 42 hours in comparison with the rectus sheath. 12-e001. Thus, as atp levels drop within a tissue is used to treat pernicious anemia. 112. The parietal pleura of the nervous system, including troponin, tropomyosin, and troponin. In vitro evidence clearly demonstrates that the automated algorithms employed in less-strenuous occupations. Treatment of patent foramen ovale to the ideal.\n\ncanedian pharmacy", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7487943172454834}
{"content": "new york stock exchange trader computer charts REUTERS/Lucas Jackson\n\nGood Morning! S&P futures are 70bp better than Germany's, as the $ drop + Greece + Ukraine weigh on our European brethren. Get ready for Headline Bombs - FinMins are arriving for the Eurogroup meeting - A post-meeting press conference should be around 12ET. Yanis Varoufakis has made clear he is coming to Luxembourg with no new proposals, while Greek papers spew \"Chowder\" that debt relief plans are being drawn, causing Athens to rally 4% from morning's lows (but rolling back). Consumers and Financials continue to weigh on Europe's bourses, with volume tracking 20-30% heavier than normal. Over in Asia, Shanghai dropped almost 4% amid IPO and Margin concerns - The Stronger Yen hit the Nikkei 225 for 1.1% ahead of the Bank of Japan tonight - The KOSPI eeked out a small gain as MERS fears subside, while Aussie dropped 1.3% as financials saw renewed weakness and miners struggled in the wake of a sharp drop in iron ore prices.\n\nThe US 10YY remains under pressure, testing 2.26% in the overnight on several occasions - while 30's get closer to a 3% test. German Bunds seeing some \"haven\" buying on Grexit concerns, while Greek debt's weakness is bleeding slightly into the peripheries. With the DXY nearing 4week lows, we have a sharp bid for commodities - led by a 1.8% pop in Silver, followed closely by Gold (which failed a $1200 test overnight). The Oil complex has rallied overnight for 1%, but there were heavy US Sell tickets going out yesterday - so let's see what floor trading brings in Crude. Scheduled Catalysts Include Weekly Jobless Claims at 8:30, along with US CPI and Current Account Balance. At 10 we get the Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook and Leading Index - ahead of 10:30 Natty Inventory release from the DOE. Inflation players will be focused on the TIPs re-opening at 1.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9174387454986572}
{"content": "Friday, January 22, 2016\n\n9 difference between Array vs ArrayList in Java\n\n\nWednesday, January 20, 2016\n\nHow to declare and initialize a List (ArrayList and LinkedList) with values in Java\n\nInitializing a list while declaring is very convenient for quick use, but unfortunately, Java doesn't provide any programming constructs e.g. collection literals, but there is a trick which allows you to declare and initialize a List at the same time. This trick is also known as initializing List with values. If you have been using Java programming language for quite some time then you must be familiar with syntax of array in Java and how to initialize an array in the same line while declaring it as shown below:\n\nString[] oldValues = new String[] {\"list\" , \"set\" , \"map\"};\n\nor even shorter :\n\nString[] values = {\"abc\",\"bcd\", \"def\"};\n\nSimilarly, we can also create List  and initialize it at the same line, popularly known as initializing List in one line example. Arrays.asList() is used for that purpose which returns a fixed size List backed by Array. By the way don’t confuse between Immutable or read only List which doesn’t allow any modification operation including set(index) which is permitted in fixed length List.Here is an example of creating and initializing List in one line:\n\nSaturday, January 16, 2016\n\nSolving java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet in Java Spring MVC Application\n\nThe  java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet error comes when you deploy a Spring MVC application into Tomcat or Jetty and Servlet container not able to found this class, which usually found in the spring-webmvc.jar file. The DispatcherServlet is the core of Spring MVC framework, it implements the FrontController pattern and intercept all HTTP requests sent to your Web application and subsequently route it to correct controller based upon URL mapping. You need to declare the DispatcherServlet in your web.xml and specify the URL pattern such that Servlet container like Tomcat should send all HTTP request to DispatcherServlet. We also set load-on-startup tag as 1 for this Servlet, so that it should be loaded at deployment time. This Servlet is the link between Servlet Container and Spring MVC framework.\n\nThursday, January 14, 2016\n\nWhy JPA Entity or Hibernate Persistence Class Should Not be Final?\n\nOne of the interesting hibernate interview questions is, why you should not make a Hibernate persistent class final? I'll try to answer this question in this short blog post. Use of proxies is the core feature of Hibernate (one of the most popular ORM framework for Java Projects) for implementing key performance features e.g. lazy loading and lazy associations fetching. In order to use a proxy in place of real class, your hibernate persistence class must be either non-final or the implementation of an interface that declares all of the public methods. Why? because you cannot extend a final class in Java, and to stand up as a proxy, proxy class must satisfy the IS-A relation, which comes either by extending a class using \"extends\", or implementing an interface using \"implements\".\n\nTuesday, January 5, 2016\n\n\n\nMonday, January 4, 2016\n\nHow to become a better Java developer?\n\nFirst of all wish you very happy new year guys. It's that time of year when we start afresh, make plans, set goals and make resolutions for the new year. Being a Java developer and author of a Java blog, I frequently receive a request from Java programmers from all over the world about how they can improve themselves? How they can become a better Java developer etc. In the past, I have shared my 10 tips to become a better programmer and every tip on that article still holds true, but given it's a new year. I have decided to jot down 5 new resolutions for Java programmers to improve themselves, enhance their knowledge on Java Programming and increase their value for future career growth. So without wasting anymore time, let's see what are 5 resolutions for Java Programmers in the new year, 2016.\n\nSaturday, January 2, 2016\n\nSQL EXISTS Example - Customers Who Never Order LeetCode Solution\n\nGood morning Guys, Today we will learn how to use the EXISTS clause in SQL by picking up a nice SQL exercise from LeetCode. Suppose that a website contains two tables, the Customers table and the Orders table. Write an SQL query to find all customers who have never ordered anything. This problem can be solved from different way but it is also a very good example of how you can use the SQL EXISTS clause. If any customer has ordered anything then their CustomerId will exist in Order table, we will take advantage of this knowledge to solve this problem. This question is not as popular as the second largest salary query, but it is also one of the frequently asked SQL queries from programming interview, you can see the full list here.\n\nFriday, January 1, 2016 Failed to read from SocketChannel: Connection reset by peer\n\nYou might have seen the Failed to read from SocketChannel: Connection reset by peer error while working with Java NIO based server which is using SocketChannel instead of InputStream for reading data from the network. In general, this can come at both client and server end of a client-server Java application which is using TCP/IP to connect each other. Though, this exception usually comes at the server end and client was complaining that they are not able to connect. From the error message, it's quite clear that before client or server could read the data from SocketChannel, another party has disconnected the session. Let's see the root cause of the problem and how to solve Failed to read from SocketChannel: Connection reset by a peer in Java application.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8259792327880859}
{"content": "April 11, 2018\n\nComing hOMe: The Ease of Things Meant to Be\n\nI have always thought of myself as a “go-getter.”  If I want something to happen, I have to make it happen, and if I don’t I will miss out on an opportunity.  I also had a belief that if I wanted something good, I would have to work really really hard to get it.  I’ve spent the first thirty-plus years of my life trying to get what I want by pushing and grasping, grasping and pushing.  \n\nIn my yoga studio, there is a Rumi quote on a sign that says, “What you seek is seeking you.” I have used this to remind myself that what I want also wants me, yet I have encountered road block after road block, which develops into frustration and desperation. After three years of owning my quaint yoga studio downtown, I decided that it was time to make more profits.  I was tired of barely being able to pay my bills every month.  So I jumped on an opportunity to lease a 4500 square foot high-end retain space. In the negotiations of the lease, another potential lessee came in and the landlord was going to choose them due to the fact that they already had a salon and spa in operation.  This make me fight even harder for the space–I HAD to have it, because my belief was that anything that is worth anything takes hard work to have. I bothered the landlord enough, and made the acquisition of the space my priority, so he finally arranged the lease signing with me.  \n\nOne year later, the doors closed.  Even though I had received a grant from our City to remodel the space, I couldn’t keep up with the financial obligations of the high monthly rent and utilities.  What I had pushed so hard to have, ended up crumbling.  Not only did I not profit, I went into a very deep hole of debt. \n\nIt humbled me tremendously.  I moved all of my equipment and retail out of the space, sold it for pennies on the dollar, and went back to my little low-profit studio with my tail between my legs. I was crushed because my belief system had failed me–God had failed me, I thought. Depression sunk in and I scrambled to find a way to pay off my debt and my back-rent that I couldn’t afford to pay when I was in the space. \n\nI had gotten to the point of complete mental and monetary exhaustion and finally became complacent.  I stopped looking so far into the future and just tried to make it through the moment.  Little by little, the sun came back out and I was able to find joy in what I was doing.  I developed new programs in my little yoga studio that slowly developed profit, and I was able to pay off my debt with the landlord and chip away at my credit card debt.  \n\nYou see, at the time, I was so focused on pushing and fighting to get what I wanted. I became blind to what I needed to do, which was focus on the present moment.  My belief that all good things come from working hard forced situations to happen that caused me to take several steps backward financially.  It would be easy for me to see this scenario as a foolish or stupid mistake, yet the value of the lessons I learned are priceless.  I tend to learn the hard way.\n\nI have now come to a place with some debt left to pay, but FAR less.  The Universe has shown me that my belief that all good things come from working hard is often false. What I have realized is that, yes, what I was seeking was seeking me.  I was seeking wisdom.  Wisdom found me through a very difficult scenario, but none-the-less, it found me.  In turn, I have found that the right scenario will find me in its own Divine timing, after the wisdom has been learned and a deeper level of understanding has been found. \n\nThere is a process of discovering your true passion and desires.  The process takes time in this life.  I’ve learned that what I seek truly is seeking me, but will not come until I’ve learned what I need to know.  When we are ready, what we are seeking comes with ease. Roadblocks are a form of the Universe asking us to check on the true foundation of our desires. Why do we seek what we’re seeking?  That second giant location was a product of my belief that in order to succeed I had to work hard and make big profits.  But my true desires have always resounded in the yearning for peace and wisdom.  That space only gave me one of those desires, which was wisdom the hard way. Peace was nowhere to be found. \n\nIn this current moment, I am resonating on the fact that I do have two very strong desires that have held on for many years now. They truly are seeking me as I seek them. But I don’t have to break myself to make them happen.  I can still find a place of peace and ease to bring them into manifestation.  If they are meant to be, they will happen easily and joyfully.  \n\nThe first desire that continues to show itself is the yearning to manifest yet another space to share yoga.  Where does this desire come from?  It comes primarily from the place that I believe I have something very valuable to share with others…the authenticity of the yoga practice.  The studio that I have now has done exactly this, but is in a location that many people are not willing to travel to.  This desire is coming from the guidance to reach out and expand the mission of my yoga business.  The Universe taught me that my past desire to acquire another space was rooted in money and profits, not an authentic truth that I yearn to share. Now that I have fully understood my authentic desire, the process of finding and opening another space is coming with ease.  The landlord is easy to work with and the process is almost happening by itself.  \n\nThe second desire that is always present is the yearning to live in the country and to be surrounded by nature.  I know this comes from my deepest desires to grow roots of peace in my home.  I didn’t have a lot of peace or foundation in my home growing up.  As I move from day to day, this desire has manifested into a passion for nature and for animals.  While I have been looking at properties, I do not push or force, even though I recognize that my ego wants to.  I allow the amazing abundance that the Universe yearns to give me to manifest. I recognize roadblocks and I understand how the Universe guides me with ease to what is meant to come to me.  I have always heard of the concept that things that are meant to be will feel like I’m coming home.  I never knew what this meant because I didn’t have a physical concept of what home felt like.  \n\nComing home is the knowing and understanding that I am guided and co-creating with what created me. It’s a place of complete trust, without the need to force, fight, or push.  It’s a place of ease and joy. \n\nDecember 5, 2017\n\nConnecting with Nature by Sally Keys\n\nContributed by Sally Keys\n\nFeel Your Best, Be Your Best\n\nOur mind, body, and spirit are connected in a way that science has not been able to understand or pinpoint. Yet there’s growing evidence that the more spiritual you are, regardless of being religious or not, the healthier and more satisfied you become with your life. Spirituality can be defined as your attempt at finding peace, meaning, and a sense of purpose, hope and comfort in your life. The Yamas and Niyamas as ethical guides offer a way to reawaken spirituality. Additionally, research has found that the positive feelings you gain from your yoga practices lead to a stronger, happier and more confident you. And while some people find spirituality in arts, music, and religion, others experience it in seeking an intimate connection with nature.\n\nSpirituality gets us closer to nature\n\nWe are constantly torn between science’s objective analysis and spirituality’s subjective understanding. In the past, a person’s whole outlook of the world was complemented by both his knowledge and his beliefs and spiritual practices. Trying to get back to that harmony and balance is one of yoga’s main goals. To create an intimate relationship with the environment and connect with nature’s inherent equilibrium. By tapping into the vast symmetry of the universe we become more attuned with the peacefulness within us.\n\nTuning in to the natural world\n\nHumans are inclined to gravitate toward spirituality and natural elements. Receiving flowers makes us happy not only because they come from a person we care about, but also because they remind us of the notion of growth as flowers later morph into fruit and produce seeds. E.O Wilson, a researcher and naturalist, noted that we have a predisposition to preserve and enjoy nature. He asserted that those of us who embrace that nature-loving tendency will have less mental health issues later on in life. Exploring and investigating nature fills us with a sense of wonder and belonging that is both empowering and healing.  \n\nRe-awaken your spirituality\n\nGetting in touch with your inner-self has nothing to do with beliefs or certain practices. Yet the more you advance in your yoga practice, the more spiritual being you become. You can find meaning in life by focusing on the self. As you embrace yoga in search of your inner strength, you’ll find that dependency on external sources like food, alcohol, drugs and unhealthy relationships diminishes. This allows your true, happy self to emerge unblemished. Likewise, addressing your emotions and adopting an active lifestyle will help you open up to people and experiences and go about life with a calmer and more centered mind.\n\nWith yoga you direct your attention to a specific focus which awakens and nourishes your spirituality. Spiritual strength is an important weapon in getting over hardships. No matter what life throws at you, the more spiritual you will find a way to overcome it, bounce back and carry on with your purposeful life.\n\nNovember 15, 2017\n\n\nI first learned to practice yoga from a very amazing and beautiful soul.  She was soft and calm and taught me how to learn to love my self a little more every time I went to her class.  She also taught me how to become aware of my body as I moved through beautiful flowing sequences. Without even specifically saying certain cues, I learned some of the necessities of a safe and accurate pose…through feelings and sensations in my body.\n\nThere was always one problem in my practice, however, and that was that I felt a sharp sensation in my lower back every time I went through my favorite sequence, the vinyasa, that involved upward dog.  And upward dog was my favorite part.  I loved the heart opener and the strength I gained through my shoulders.  But I didn’t love the lower back sensation that was becoming a problem beyond discomfort.\n\nI had suffered from lower back pain for many years and the reason I found the physical practice of yoga was because of sciatica. I often blamed the lower back pain on my larger chest.  Through yoga I was able to relieve the sharp nerve pain by strengthening my lower back, but still experienced lower back pain. Throughout several years of practicing and teaching, I finally have realized why.\n\nI wish I could remember the first person who suggested the release of my glutes on most yoga poses.  No squeezing the butt during upward dog, cobra, or back bends??!!  I thought for quite some time that squeezing the glutes during these poses “protected” my spine.\n\nWhat I now know is that the rotation of the pelvis, along with releasing the glutes, is absolute KEY in any pose involving a back bend or extension. Squeezing the butt can actually cause problems with compression of the lumbar spine, which is often why individuals will often feel pain in those poses.  Instead of clenching or squeezing, awareness of the actual action of tilting the pelvis back and lengthening through the tailbone toward the heels helped me eradicate the pain and create relief!\n\nThis is also applicable to many standing poses and positions.  Warrior 1 is a classic pose of low back compression issues. While clenching the cheeks may not be as common of a pattern in this pose, the release of the pelvic muscles causes the pelvis to excessively tilt forward and compress the vertebrae.  This often happens because the back heal is down in Warrior I, which means that the lower back has to work extra hard to bring the pelvis toward square. This causes the left hip to disengage and pull down and back, leading to an excessive forward tilt of the pelvis. The action of “lengthening the tailbone toward the floor” (tilting the pelvis slightly back, but not too much to clench or tuck) is extremely helpful in the neutralization and stabilization of the spine in addition to strengthening the abdominals.\n\nIn standing back bend, it is classic practice to squeeze the glutes, but the same principle applies. Try releasing the glutes and creating space in the lower back by drawing your tailbone toward your heals! You may notice a slight release in the spine and an engagement of the lower core.  Add in a pelvic floor engagement on an exhale and you’re really onto something! 😉\n\nAnd in poses like cobra and wheel, allow the butt to relax so that the core can do the heavy lifting!\n\nIf you’ve made it this far through the yoga explanation, congratulations.  It’s important that I mention that this applies to many of your normal actions and postures in your everyday moments.  Notice the positioning of your pelvis when you sit or stand.  Often, when we aren’t mindful, we will allow the pelvis to tilt in one direction or the other, causing long-term compression and damage to the spine.  Releasing the glutes, and drawing the tailbone toward the floor will more than likely create the relief you yearn for if you suffer from lower back pain.\n\nPlus, as I always say in my classes, “we have enough tight a**es in this world.  We all need to loosen up a little!”\n\nFor more information and insight, click here:  https://yogainternational.com/article/view/which-way-should-you-tilt-your-pelvis-in-backbends-and-forward-folds/?utm_campaign=S8%20-%20Specific%20Drip%208%20-%20Yoga%20Classes&utm_source=hs_automation&utm_medium=email&utm_content=53418823&_hsenc=p2ANqtz–0BB2QD4eqZmoKaMTrPTJ0tFa0h8l3xbcogv_NTogHITkEPDYtw4PymTbZKUDNUb6EAFIhak8oYbxGbX1rxxeXn-fCms-DVS3s87CyR0mv5ML4Bzk&_hsmi=53418823\n\n\nPhoto References to help identify poses:\n\nUpward Dog                                                          Wheel\n\nBridge                                                                      Modified Camel\n\nOctober 4, 2017\n\n\nThe recent Vegas shooting has been on mind my mind constantly since it happened.  While I have seen a lot of tragedy in my short 33 years, this one hits particularly close to home.  As I scrolled through the photos of the innocent people that were lost that day, tears streamed down my face.  Life is so fragile.  Mothers, sisters, brothers, fathers, friends, and lovers were lost that day.\n\nWe are all looking for answers and reasons as to why this happened.  We go through the process of despair, anger, confusion, and then we want to blame it on something because there must be a motive or a reason.  We search for answers because we know that the people in our lives would never even think of committing such a heinous act.\n\nWhile I don’t have the answers, I know with certainty that the elements of a true authentic yoga practice can and will heal broken hearts.  Our practice of mindful movement, breath-work, concentration, and meditation is a process of healing from the inside-out. When we integrate these practices in our lives, the intense need to have answers subsides and we can move throughout our lives peacefully with a deeper level understanding and connection to all that is.  Taking the time out of our day for ourselves in this way can heal the body, but more importantly the mind.  Our yoga practice will relieve our suffering by quieting the ego, which uses the tool of fear to control our thoughts–causing dis-ease. Coming to the quiet space within is exactly what the world needs right now so that the healing can begin.\n\n\nFor more information and insight, check out this great article: http://www.chopra.com/articles/healing-emotional-pain-with-yoga\n\nOr, even better, Limber Tree is the perfect place to start your practice.  Check out our schedule here.\n\nMay 7, 2017\n\nThe Beauty of Yin & Yang\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMay 7, 2017\n\nSolutions for Those Pesky Wrists in Your Yoga Practice\n\nAs a yoga studio owner, I have taught thousands of yoga classes now, as a instructor of private classes, group classes, workshops, and trainings. One of the issues that I see in the majority of my students is wrist weakness and/or pain. Most of these complaints come from the overuse of the wrists at a keyboard, serving jobs and heavy tray-carrying, a previous fall, or (even worse) repeat patterning in their yoga practice.\n\nThe wrist problem often arises in our Vinyasa style class, which is my favorite style to teach. I have found that it is a great way for new students to understand some of the most basic, but also most important elements, of a practice. Vinyasa Yoga encourages breath with movement, and the breath, in my opinion, is one of the most important elements in a yoga practice. However, the foundation of Vinyasa Yoga includes our Sun Salutation sequence. This sequence includes plank, chaturanga dandasana (four limbed staff), cobra (or upward dog), and downward dog. All of these poses can cause major pain or injury in the wrists if they are not mindfully practiced. I am also a huge fan of props, so I will explain some ways to integrate props into your practice to avoid repetitive patterns that cause injuries in the wrists. When reading this, please remember that your experience may be completely different than others'. This is why I will give you several tips and solutions to ease wrist pain in your yoga practice, but it is up to you to decide what works best for you. You can discover this by....you guessed it...practicing and trying these solutions!\n\nIt's important to discuss the primary reasons that yoga can cause or perpetuate wrist pain. There are two main elements in all poses that take precedence in our practice: Foundation and Alignment. In our asana practice, our awareness begins with our foundation. This carries into our wrists in many of the poses when our hands are our foundation. People tend to misplace their foundation into certain areas of their hands when they are in poses like plank and downward dog. They place the majority of the weight on the heals of the hands, right near the wrist crease. This puts undo pressure on the small wrist joint and, over time, will cause pain. Be sure that you are distributing the weight of your body into the \"balls\" of the fingers and the knuckles, as well. I've even found it helpful to try \"gripping\" the floor with the fingertips. Mindfulness of where you are placing the weight in your hands is key.\n\nYou may also find that a thinly folded blanket can be helpful if placed underneath the heals of the hands. This tends to assist in the grounding of the forward parts of the hands and the knuckles, displacing the weight away from the wrists. However, while in plank pose, you might try \"clicking back though your heals.\" This will increase the angle of your wrists and keep the weight from being placed directly above your wrist joints.\n\nAlso, keep in mind that your yoga mat is an important prop in your practice, as well. If you have a mat that causes you to slip, you will bear down and tense up more in the wrists to prevent your hands from sliding in poses like downward dog. It is well worth the extra money to purchase a mat that really does allow you to ground into your hands without being sticky. I recommend the Manduka eKO mat line. After trying several different brands of mat, the eKO mat is, by far, the best for creating a non-slip and non-stick foundation for your hands and feet.\n\nChaturanga Dandasana can be one of the main reasons that wrist problems originate or get worse for yogis. While moving through the vinyasa sequence of a sun salutation, we tend to rush through their decent from plank into cobra or upward dog. When done incorrectly, we either push our weight back too far when coming down to the floor or come too far down (to hover) altogether. Another pattern is that practitioners will lower down faster through their head and chest, causing mis-alignment in the wrists and elbows.\n\nTo solve these issues, we can easily practice Chaturanga by following one of two options. First, shift your weight slightly forward and then lower down (SLOWLY!) all the way to the floor with the elbows hugging into the ribcage. This would be directly followed by cobra pose. Or, we can lower down half-way, so that the elbows come to 90 degrees, again, hugging tightly into the sides of the torso. From here, you move slowly into Upward Dog, with the chest forward and lifted.\n\nAdditionally, I have also found it incredibly helpful to practice Chaturanga with a block under my sternum at its lowest setting. It gives me a very good measurement of how far to come down to bring my elbows at 90 degrees...and no more! Remember, when practicing this transition, you can always modify by lowering the knees to the floor. And one more tip...try to remember to pause in the actual pose itself--four-limbed staff. All to often, people tend to \"dip\" through the movement, which is what causes the issues in the wrist to worsen.\n\nAll-in-all, it is worth your time and effort to try these different suggestions. The distraction of sore wrists can take you away from the Bliss of your practice, which is why we come to our mat in the first place! Being mindful and finding solutions for your wrist problems so that you can continue with your practice is you showing compassion to yourself! And that is where the healing aspect of yoga begins.\n\nIn Love and Light,\n\n\nOctober 25, 2016\n\nHow To Love Yourself\n\nAs always, a conversation between my friend and I lead to some pretty deep stuff last night. It ended up going to the place it usually does...the concept of self-love. It seems to be quite the topic lately. We hear it about it everywhere: \"Love yourself and then you can truly love others,\" \"I love ME, I don't need anybody else,\" \"Love yourself and stop worrying about what others think about you,\" and other quotes like, \"Your relationship with yourself sets the tone for every other relationship that you have.\"\n\nAll of this sounds very great if we were born into a world that didn't completely focus on ethics and morals and the judgment surrounding them. Our society is based on the concept (whether we like it or not) of original sin. From the birth of humanity, per the Bible, we were barely even around on Earth as humans, and we just sinned right away! We didn't even have a chance, and the label was slapped onto us from the start.\n\nWe are told by most religions that we are born sinners, which leads to the practice of infant baptisms. These poor babies can't feed or clothe themselves, yet we are deeming them sinners and washing their sins away with a ritual of holy water and priests.\n\nWhat is sin, after all? The first definition is, \"An immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law.\" We even have some pretty intense Bible passages that address sin,\n“I was sinful at birth, filled with sin from the time my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5).\nDummies.com even reminds us that \"A common saying that helps reinforce that pride is at the root of all sin is that “I” is at the center of “sin.”\"\n\nWell, what are we to do? Where is that grey area between loving ourselves too much and remembering that we, in fact, were born as sinners and \"fall short of the glory of God\" while loving ourselves so that we can stop caring about what others think? After all, isn't it the judgments that have been established by society that makes us into the sinners that we are when we disobey them? Yes, we have God's law in the 10 Commandments and even the Yamas and Niyamas in Yoga, along with every other religion and tradition's guidelines, but when we think about it, have we ever really felt the vengeful wrath of God or an all-powerful being?\n\nWhat is sin, after all? What about the perception of right and wrong, good and bad? Who decides? If it is an over-seeing God, and we were created sinners, per our origination story, then what the heck do we do now? How do we fix it? And, the most important question: If we don't know how to love ourselves because we are sinners and are bad, how do we even start to love others, since they are DEFINITELY sinners and are bad? How do we learn to love others if we don't have the example of loving ourselves to use as an example?\n\nOK, let's look at the concept of the Golden Rule: Love others as you would love yourself. As we have already asked, what if you don't know how to love yourself in the first place? And, what if your 'other' loves differently than you do and has a different perception of what love is? What if your actions hurt others and it wasn't your intention? What if you misunderstood their actions or what they said as something other than loving? These are the questions that spin around in our heads over and over that we consciously ask ourselves. Furthermore, the answers to these questions that we eventually rest with get stuffed into our subconscious, which gradually leads to self hatred and unworthiness--and, even worse, resent toward others.\n\nI do not have all of the answers to these questions, and contemplate this concept quite often, but here is the simplest method that I use when I work on loving myself in a non-arrogant way. It, hopefully, will help you and give you a good starting foundation with developing a healthy relationship with yourself: I think about how much I love my children. You can do the same for anyone in your life--your own children, your mother, your father, your spouse or significant other, your siblings, a grandparent, whomever. When you consider your love for them, sit with the feeling for a moment. Don't just think about the feeling as a thought--actually feel it in your heart center and your physical body. It is a sensation. If it is anything like the feeling I get, it is expansive, warm, and a lightness seems to fill my whole center.\n\nNow, in this same way, think of yourself. Are you able to incorporate this same feeling of love as you think of yourself? If so, can you feel the same expansive, warm, and light feeling that you do for your loved one?\n\nHow about the concept of unconditional love? When you think of your special loved one, do you love them despite any mistake they've made or despite the fact that they are deemed a sinner? Even if they hurt you through words or actions, would you still love them? My guess is that the answers to these questions are, \"YES!\" So...here is the ultimate question: \"Why is it so difficult for us feel the same for ourselves?\"\n\nFrom this question, without over-thinking, listen to the first answer the pops into your head. Identify the answer, do not attach it or label yourself with it, and then observe your physical feeling in response to it. Sit with it and physically feel it. Normally, the answer will hear will be a label you've given yourself that stems from guilt, remorse, apathy, grief, fear, anger, desire, or shame. And here we are back to our original discussion. What was the foundation for this label you've given yourself? A feeling derived from the concept of sin as defined by...whom? Do you feel this way about your loved one that you thought about earlier? Would you ever dream of thinking of them in that way? Then why, my friend, would you ever do that to your closest best friend, advocate, and supporter: Yourself?\n\nIn the end, when we sit and feel in response to a label we have created about ourselves (which can be rooted from years of negative self-hatred), we can identify it's cause and realize it no longer needs to hold power over us. Only then, can we start to love ourselves as we would love our children, our family, or our closest friends.\n\nOctober 22, 2016\n\nEnergy Pie\n\nSharli wrote a beautiful and absolutely accurate blog post on Thursday about truly living life. It inspired me to write this one.\n\nI have been influenced by so many amazing people in the past year to spread optimism and light wherever I go. As much dark spaces and sadness and anger and chaos we see in the world, it doesn't do any good to give into that darkness. It doesn't benefit yourself or others to sprinkle little bits of negativity like a trail. Energy is alive and multiplies. The more you spread it, the more it sticks to you and leaves residue behind you for others. Energy also has amazing strength. It will hold on to you as long and as tightly as possible. It's your job to be strong enough to push away the bad and squeeze the good. It is up to us to figure out how to give and receive the right energy in our lives. Of course, this is easier said than done.\n\nMy mother is the epitome of light and sunshine. Those dark spaces don't really exist when she is around. Every single person she speaks to instantly feels full. It took me years to notice that she was a soul that was created to make the world a better place. She would tell you that she wasn't always like this and sometimes still isn't. In fact, she would tell you that it took her entire life to build herself into the woman she is now. It took practice and effort to find that energy is powerful beyond what we know. She would tell you that it took many trips on the struggle bus that crashed and burned many times in order to find a place where she could become her best self.\n\nOne of the many lessons she taught me was to use my energy with care. She explained to me many times in various ways that the energy I have is passionate and deep and that it could take on many forms. She also told me I didn't have endless amounts of it. She called this my \"energy pie\" (keep in mind that I was about ten years old when this idea was introduced to me and pie was on the top of my priority list). Every morning, I would wake up with a brand new energy pie.\n\nThis pie was the best because it was ooey gooey with high impact life. It was hot out of the oven and ready to dish out to whoever and whatever I wanted. I could choose to give a slice to school and to basketball practice. I could break off a chunk of the crust to playing with my friends at recess. Maybe I would give a small bite to doing a few chores around the house before my mom got home from work. But I couldn't have two pies in a day. Once I gave all the pieces away, I couldn't ask for more. It would be gone until I woke up the next morning to receive a new pie.\n\nThe concept was simple enough to me at the time but as I grew up with the classic teen issues like teachers yelling, too much homework, friend drama, etc., I forgot all about how much energy pie I had and gave it all away to the things that I thought were important. Looking back, I think most high school girls gave their pies to the same things that I did. I would come home from school with a frown some days and I know my mom was thinking \"Julia gave her energy pie to all the wrong things today\". It continued into more serious issues like money, jobs, time management, college, finding out who I was... Still I gave my energy to these things that I thought mattered or, rather, the things I couldn't do much about.\n\nI didn't take this whole \"pie\" thing seriously until about a year ago when I realized that all these amazing people in my life knew just where to give their pieces. I also saw those who threw their's in the garbage right when they woke up in the morning. I saw how my energy as well as other's energy influenced everything around them. Of course, everyone is different and wants to give their energy to different things, but that's half the journey. It takes practice to find balance. I don't think we ever stop learning and adapting. Life changes just as we do.\n\nSo what happens when our days don't go as planned and negativity comes lurking around every corner? What do we do when life starts to feel like a job and our pie is being given out to all the wrong people and all the wrong things? When rough circumstances start smashing into us like bricks and we have no choice but to pay attention to them, how do we portion our pie so we can get through the day without scraping the bottom of the pan?\n\nOur energy pie is precious. Our pie shows us what is really important in life. It shows us exactly what we are passionate about and where our vigor for life is. Sure, we won't always have enough pie for the day, pumpkin or otherwise. There will be days when we run out and may have given it to the wrong things. Just remember you wake up with a fresh one every single morning. A fresh start. A new day. An opportunity to spread light and goodness wherever you go.\n\nGo and give your energy pie to the best and most beautiful things in your life.\n\nA special thank you to my beautiful momma and Sharli for being true inspirations in my life. I am beyond grateful to have souls like you to look up to.\n\nWith lots of love,\n\n\nOctober 20, 2016\n\nA Guide for Truly Living Life\n\nYou May Be a Yogi Without Realizing It!\n\nAccording to the foundations of yoga introduced by Pantanjali's The Yoga Sutras, Yoga Asanas (poses) are one of eight limbs or branches of our practice. To be quite up front, the yoga asanas were not even part of yoga until Pantanjali introduced the concept, and he did not even describe the postures in his guidelines. Yoga asanas are simply a tool for us to use to find an opening within ourselves, mentally and physically, to tap into the space beyond our five senses--to find our blissful subconscious, our Spirit, our Source. The other limbs that are just as valuable and necessary to living and creating a meaningful and purposeful life, and to reduce suffering, but are so often ignored or forgotten. So why has yoga REALLY been around for thousands of years? Let's review!\n\n  1. Moral codes (sigh...). Yes these do show up in our yoga practice, as well, and include non-harm, truthfulness, non-stealing, sexual responsibility, and non-possessiveness.\n  2. Guidelines for personal behavior. These include cleanliness internally and externally, contentment, discipline, spiritual studies and growth, and devotion to love/Spirit.\n  3. Postures and the mastery of the body in order to find stillness in mind and body! Ironic!\n  4. Breathing techniques such as Ujjayi (Darth Vader) Breathing, Alternate Nostrile Breathing, Breath of Fire, etc)\n  5. Withdrawal of senses.\n  6. Concentration and focus.\n  7. Meditation (there are over 25 styles!)\n  8. Merging with Spirit/Divine/Source of Life\n\nRemember, these are guidelines to help reduce the suffering in your life. It is not as Pantanjali shared them with the world so that we would be damned to some sort of hell in the after-life if we do not follow them. Furthermore, know that you are human. You will find it challenging to stay disciplined with these guidelines, and this is normal! However, I am willing to bet that you, at some point, have already integrated one or more of these methods or concepts into your life. Whether you realized it at the time or not, you were \"doing\" yoga! Wow, doesn't that make yoga less intimidating and more accessible? Yoga is not some activity that is unobtainable because in order to be a yogi you do not have to be an acrobat, gymnast, or even touch your toes! A good teacher, mentor, friend, or studio will help you find the right limb to start your yogic practice with and then the sky is the limit with your journey and expansion from there!\n\nLast, but not least, enjoy the journey, the transitions, and the challenges along the way! After all, what value and reward would there be if it was a completely easy path?\n\nI hope this message finds you in peace.\n\nSincerely and with Love,\n\nOctober 13, 2016\n\nA Message Regarding Yoga And Limber Tree To You REAL People Out There\n\nMary McInnis Meyer\n\nThere is no mainstream demand [for yoga]. It is way too misunderstood. The closest thing to a mainstream demand for yoga is actually a mainstream demand for a misconception of yoga: that it's a bliss-out for young, skinny, flexy, women.\n\nThis misconception leaves out about 99% of the population. My goal is and always has been to share the true essence of what yoga is--and to let you REAL PEOPLE know that it can be life changing. It can change the way you view the world and your perception of the world's response to you. It is not just about the poses or being flexible. It is not fitness.\n\nThe misconception tends to cause individuals to undervalue the service being offered. No one bats an eye at $100 per month for their cell phone bill, but with yoga, that's unheard of! \"How can I pay $100 per month for YOGA, when I can go to the gym for $40?!\"\n\nI have worked so hard to offer a peaceful and safe place for people to discover their practice every time they come to their mats. I have strived daily to create and maintain a consistent schedule with a large variety of (amazing) teachers that is workable for everyone--with at least 4 classes per day, 7 days a week. And then, there is the expectation of making the class styles work for everyone's needs--gentle, yet challenging; physical, yet spiritual, peaceful, yet interesting. Sometimes--actually almost always--this seems impossible.\n\nSO often I want to give up and move on to an easier job. One that easily pays the bills...but my passion keeps me moving forward with the yoga studio--because I do see it making differences in people's lives--and I made commitments to this place, the people that are a part of it, and the new REAL people that have yet to discover what yoga truly will bring to them.\n\nSo, how do I get this message out to you REAL people more effectively, so you can discover the complete amazing experience of what yoga (and mindfulness, and meditation, and breathing practices, etc) brings into your life? How do I get to more of you REAL people, who just want to learn how you can live based on what's important and with more joy?\n\nI believe this is accomplished by continuing to spread the authenticity of yoga gracefully and patiently through the medium of Limber Tree. How much are you willing to pay to have a cell phone or a car every month? How much are you willing to pay to obtain an education about a lifelong practice that will facilitate peace and well-being into your life? Meditate on THAT for awhile. 🙂\n\nSo HERE is Limber Tree's paradigm that makes us different than the gyms and many other studios out there:\n\n1. Our mission is to teach you the entire full-faceted system of yoga that can serve every kind of individual.\n\n2. We will strive to include as many resources as we can that will teach you the value of this yoga system, and make it clear.\n\nAbove all else, LOVE resonates throughout Limber Tree. That is at its very foundation and it permeates all other elements of the space and the practices held within the space.\n\nThank you for reading this! I will see you REAL people at the studio~", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8296165466308594}
{"content": "Embed discourse top 3 topics in Chrome Extension popup\n\n(Walter Sobchak) #1\n\nI tried to embed a disqus forum in my Chrome extension but they prevent embedding from a different domain (none in this case, as its an extension) than the forum is registered with. Does disourse allow such embedding?\n\n(Jeff Atwood) #2\n\nNo, Discourse does not support embedding in this manner.\n\n(Walter Sobchak) #3\n\nThanks Jeff. Hmmm is this limitation easy to remove in my own branch of the software?\n\n(Jeff Atwood) #4\n\nWhy not simply embed the RSS via a RSS reader, or write a quick set of API calls that return the necessary topics.\n\n(Kane York) #5\n\nBecause your code is a chrome extension, that means it can ignore cross-origin restrictions, and this is a trivial task to perform. Just request /top.json.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9731992483139038}
{"content": "This week we have learnt that chance is the likelihood of an event occurring. We have learnt chance words like certain, most likely, likely, 50/50 (even chance), unlikely, most unlikely and impossible.\n\nToday you are going to use your knowledge to consolidate your understanding of chance outcomes and think the about the likelihood of different events occurring.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9998664855957031}
{"content": "\n\nIt takes only 2 easy visits to bring out your beautiful smile. During your first visit a precision mold will be taken. We will guide you in choosing the right shade for your new, permanently white smile. On your second visit, your custom designed LUMINEERS are checked for fit and shade. Then, they’re painlessly attached.\n\n\n\nHow are LUMINEERS different from traditional veneers?\n\n\nIs the LUMINEERS procedure painful?\n\n\nHow long will LUMINEERS last?\n\n\nHow long does the procedure take?\n\n\nCan LUMINEERS be taken off if I want them removed?\n\n\nHow much are LUMINEERS?\n\nIn most cases, the cost of LUMINEERS is less than the cost of traditional veneers. LUMINEERS cost is in the range of $600 – $1,200 but it all depends on the current state of your teeth and your esthetic goals. It is best to get a thorough evaluation so we can determine if LUMINEERS are right for you and what the total cost would be.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9515925049781799}
{"content": "Why Seniors Seem Mentally Sharper in the Morning - AgingCare.com\n\nWhy Older Adults Seem Mentally Sharper in the Morning\n\n\nGoing to the doctor, paying bills, taking a driving test—older adults should try to tackle their most taxing tasks earlier in the day, claims new evidence from the University of Toronto (UT) that suggests aging brains function best in the morning hours.\n\nThe findings align with previous conclusions that people of all ages experience fluctuations in energy and attention levels throughout the day, with noticeable dips in brainpower occurring in the afternoon or following a meal. But the effects of afternoon brain fog may impact older adults more severely, according to John Anderson, a Ph.D. candidate at UT and lead author of the recent study. \"This age group is more focused and better able to ignore distraction in the morning than in the afternoon,\" he says.\n\nAnderson and his team developed a computer-based memory test and sprinkled elements of distraction (randomly flashing words and pictures) throughout. They administered the test to a group of younger adults (19-30 years old) and a group of older adults (60-82 years old) at different times of the day. During each test, participants' brain activity was monitored using an fMRI scan that enabled researchers to determine which areas of the brain were being used the most.\n\nWhen tested in the morning, both the younger and the older groups performed relatively well on the exam and were able to disregard the irrelevant information that popped up on the screen. However, when the older adults were tested between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., they were 10 percent more likely to get derailed by the distractions. During this time, the older adults' brain activity also suggested they were slipping into a state of mental autopilot similar to the one that occurs when a person \"zones out.\"\n\nThe study offers insight into how older adults should schedule their daily tasks for optimum efficiency: harder, more complex actions should be reserved for the early morning hours, while simpler errands that require less brain power are better off left until the afternoon.\n\nLynn Hasher, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at UT and senior author of the paper, points out that the findings also shed light on how time of day could affect a person's performance on dementia screening tests. \"Since older adults tend to be morning-type people, ignoring time of day when testing them on some tasks may create an inaccurate picture of age differences in brain function,\" she says.\n\nAs routine dementia exams are increasingly incorporated into the medical care of aging adults, it's important for patients, caregivers and doctors alike to keep in mind the potential effect of the time of day on a person's performance on these tests.\n\nLearn more about dementia screening tests and why some physicians are wary of using them too often: Why Experts Don't Want All Seniors to Get Screened for Dementia\n\nYou May Also Like\n\nFree AgingCare Guides\n\nGet the latest care advice and articles delivered to your inbox!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5716135501861572}
{"content": "What Are Split Infinitives?\n\nby | Jan 9, 2017 | GrammarSpot, Writing Tips | 0 comments\n\nWhat Are Split Infinitives?\n\n\nOne of the first grammar rules I ever learned was to avoid splitting infinitives. While there are many rules that govern how written and spoken English is structured, there are also many different ways to string words together and convey meaning. Indeed, using split infinitives isn’t the worst thing you can do in English writing.\n\nWhat Is an Infinitive?\n\nAn infinitive is the base form of the verb. In English, this is typically the structure of the verb using “to.”\n\n– To go\n\n– To write\n\n– To eat\n\nA split infinitive is the infinitive form of the verb where another word, which is usually an adverb, appears between the “to” and the verb.\n\n– To carefully consider\n\n– To effectively write\n\n– To quickly eat\n\nAre Split Infinitives Grammatically Correct?\n\nIf you ask someone with a general knowledge of grammar if it is incorrect to split an infinitive, he or she is likely to say yes. This is because it is a generally accepted grammar practice, although there is no explicit rule at all. It may have started in the 1800s when the Dean of Canterbury, Henry Alford, expressed that he didn’t see a good reason to split an infinitive. The Fowler brothers, who wrote The King’s English in 1907, also chimed in that they didn’t like the look of the split infinitive.\n\nIt’s important to note that these are mere opinions, but people latched onto them as if it were a rule to not split infinitives. This was how the grammar myth grew. In fact, this ”rule” doesn’t seem to appear in any credible English language textbook, which means that split infinitives are grammatically correct. So if you hear someone telling you or anyone else that you shouldn’t split an infinitive, you can now set the record straight.\n\nTo Split or Not to Split?\n\nMany scholars, including Alford and the Fowler brothers, agree that it’s not always appropriate to split an infinitive. The tactic may work well in creative writing and poetry, but it’s sometimes awkward to encounter split infinitives in academic or professional writing. In many instances, it is possible to reword or rephrase a sentence so that it doesn’t contain a split infinitive. In short, you can split an infinitive any time you please, but it’s generally preferred to avoid doing so in formal writing.\n\n– To effectively write quality content, you need to research and proofread your work.\n\nThis sentence can just as easily be rewritten so the infinitive is no longer split.\n\n– To write quality content effectively, you need to research and proofread your work.\n\nKeep in mind that sometimes splitting an infinitive places certain emphasis that isn’t the same if you reword the sentence. Consider one of the most famous modern sentences containing such a split infinitive and how it would change if you didn’t split it.\n\n– To boldly go where no man has gone before.\n\nAre You a Splitter?\n\nSplit infinitives appear in all kinds of writing. Well-respected authors such as F. Scott Fitzgerald were known to use them. Although it is a good idea to be judicious about where and when you choose to split an infinitive, you don’t have to be a grammar snob if you happen to come across one in your readings. What are your thoughts on splitting infinitives? Is doing so OK, or should writers avoid doing it at all cost? Share your thoughts in the comments.\n\nBritainy Sorenson\n\nBritainy Sorenson has been freelance writing since 2011 in between time spent with her best friend and husband and caring for three active and amazing little boys. She earned a BA in Japanese, an MA in Second Language Acquisition & Teaching, and a Graduate Certificate in TESOL from BYU. When her fingers aren't flying at the keys, she enjoys reading, video games, drawing and learning new crafts.\n\nLatest posts by Britainy Sorenson (see all)\n\nPin It on Pinterest\n\nShare This\n\nShare This\n\nShare this post with your friends!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8697963356971741}
{"content": "The Big Idea\n\n23 March 2011\n\nReligion is irrational, but so is atheism\n\nThou shalt believe – or not\n\nWhy are some people religious and others atheists? Do we really know what we mean by atheism? Here is a very paradoxical clue\n\nIN THIS space a year ago, Lois Lee and Stephen Bullivant called for a science of “non-religion”. They provided evidence against the idea that more education leads to less religious belief, which they call the “Enlightenment assumption”, and argued that we know little about why we have the beliefs we do (6 March 2010, p 26).\n\nI agree. The origins of our beliefs are more mysterious than the Enlightenment assumption holds. Besides specific …\n\n\nTo continue reading this premium article, subscribe for unlimited access.\n\nQuarterly by Direct Debit\n\nInclusive of applicable taxes (VAT)\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7496490478515625}
{"content": "Cookies on this website\n\nWe examine hypotheses for the neural basis of the profile of visual cognition in young children with Williams syndrome (WS). These are:(a)that it is a consequence of anomalies in sensory visual processing,(b)that it is a de.cit of the dorsal relative to the ventral cortical stream,(c)that it reflects de.cit of frontal function, in particular of frontoparietal interaction, and (d)that it is related to impaired function in the right hemisphere relative to the left. The tests reported here are particularly relevant to hypotheses 2 and 3. They form part of a more extensive program of investigating visual, visuospatial, and cognitive function in large group of children with WS children, aged 8 months to 15 years. To compare performance across tests, avoiding floor and ceiling effects, we have measured performance in children with WS in terms of the \"age equivalence \" for typically developing children. In this article the relation between dorsal and ventral function is tested by motion and form coherence thresholds, respectively. We confirm the presence of a subgroup of children with WS who perform particularly poorly on the motion (dorsal) task. However, such performance is also characteristic of normally developing children up to 5 years; thus the WS performance may reflect an overall persisting immaturity of visuospatial processing that is particularly evident in the dorsal stream. Looking at the performance on the global coherence tasks of the entire WS group, we find that there is also a subgroup who have both high form and motion coherence thresholds, relative to the performance of children of the same chronological age and verbal age on the British Picture Vocabulary Scale, suggesting a more general global processing deficit. Frontal function was tested by a counterpointing task, ability to retrieve a ball from a \"detour box,\" and the Stroop--like \"day.night \" task, all of which require inhibition of a familiar response. When considered in relation to overall development as indexed by vocabulary, the day.night task shows little specific impairment, the detour box shows a significant delay relative to controls,and the counterpointing task shows a marked and persistent deficit in many children. We conclude that frontal control processes show most impairment in WS when they are associated with spatially directed responses, reflecting a deficit of frontoparietal processing. However, children with WS may successfully reduce the effect of this impairment by verbally mediated strategies. On all these tasks we find a range of difficulties across individual children and a small subset of children with WS who show very good performance, equivalent to chronological age norms of typically developing children. Overall, we conclude that children with WS have specific processing difficulties with tasks involving frontoparietal circuits within the spatial domain. However, some children with WS can achieve similar performance to typically developing children on some tasks involving the dorsal stream although the strategies and processing may be different in the 2 groups.\n\nOriginal publication\n\n\n\n\nJournal article\n\n\nDev Neuropsychol\n\nPublication Date\n\n\n\n\n\n139 - 172\n\n\nAdolescent, Case-Control Studies, Child, Child, Preschool, Cognition Disorders, Female, Form Perception, Frontal Lobe, Functional Laterality, Humans, Male, Motion Perception, Parietal Lobe, Space Perception, Visual Perception, Williams Syndrome", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8045580387115479}
{"content": "Quotient Technology (NYSE: QUOT) and YAHOO JAPAN Cor/ADR (OTCMKTS:YAHOY) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, profitability, risk, earnings, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations and dividends.\n\nEarnings & Valuation\n\nThis table compares Quotient Technology and YAHOO JAPAN Cor/ADR’s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.\n\nQuotient Technology $322.11 million 4.06 -$15.07 million ($0.13) -106.54\nYAHOO JAPAN Cor/ADR $7.90 billion 2.49 $1.22 billion $0.44 15.68\n\nYAHOO JAPAN Cor/ADR has higher revenue and earnings than Quotient Technology. Quotient Technology is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than YAHOO JAPAN Cor/ADR, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.\n\n\nThis table compares Quotient Technology and YAHOO JAPAN Cor/ADR’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.\n\nNet Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets\nQuotient Technology -7.07% -3.30% -2.35%\nYAHOO JAPAN Cor/ADR 15.50% 13.58% 8.87%\n\nAnalyst Recommendations\n\nThis is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for Quotient Technology and YAHOO JAPAN Cor/ADR, as provided by MarketBeat.com.\n\nSell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score\nQuotient Technology 0 1 7 0 2.88\nYAHOO JAPAN Cor/ADR 0 2 0 0 2.00\n\nQuotient Technology presently has a consensus price target of $18.00, indicating a potential upside of 29.96%. Given Quotient Technology’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Quotient Technology is more favorable than YAHOO JAPAN Cor/ADR.\n\nInsider & Institutional Ownership\n\n74.9% of Quotient Technology shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.1% of YAHOO JAPAN Cor/ADR shares are held by institutional investors. 9.5% of Quotient Technology shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.\n\nVolatility and Risk\n\nQuotient Technology has a beta of -0.25, indicating that its share price is 125% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, YAHOO JAPAN Cor/ADR has a beta of 0.98, indicating that its share price is 2% less volatile than the S&P 500.\n\n\nYAHOO JAPAN Cor/ADR beats Quotient Technology on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.\n\nAbout Quotient Technology\n\nQuotient Technology Inc. provides digital marketing platform that offers digital coupons and media solutions to consumer packaged goods (CPGs) brands, retailers, and shoppers in the United States. The company operates its platform across various distribution networks, reaching approximately 60 million shoppers, including the app and Website of its flagship consumer brand, Coupons.com, other owned and operated properties, and various publisher partners. It also operates Retailer iQ on a co-branded or white label basis with retail partners, providing them a digital platform to engage with their shoppers across their Websites, mobiles, e-commerce, and social channels. In addition, the company offers promotions and digital advertising services. It serves approximately 700 CPGs, representing approximately 2,000 brands, including various food, beverage, personal, and household product manufacturers; retail partners representing various classes of trade, such as grocery retailers, as well as drug, dollar, club, and mass merchandise channels; and consumers visiting its Web, mobile properties, and social channels. The company was formerly known as Coupons.com Incorporated and changed its name to Quotient Technology Inc. in October 2015. Quotient Technology Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.\n\n\nYahoo Japan Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides search advertising, information listing, and e-commerce services to Internet users in Japan. It operates through two segments, Marketing Solutions Business and Consumer Business. The Marketing Solutions Business segment offers Internet-based advertising-related services, such as paid search, display advertising, and other advertising related services. The Consumer Business segment provides e-commerce related, membership, and information listing services. The company is also involved in financial and payment-related services; cloud-related services; and corporate services, such as data center related operations, and other services. In addition, it is involved in the operation of various Internet sites that provide reservation services for hotels and restaurants; mail-order services for office-related products and other delivery services; rental server information processing, domain registration, and cloud services; parcel delivery service; Internet distribution of video-streaming; planning, production, and sale of Internet advertising; and provision of entertainment information. Further, the company offers cloud and agent services; and advertising business and marketing automation services. Additionally, it engages in data center, venture capital, credit card, card loan, credit guarantee, foreign exchange margin trading, life/non-life insurance agency, and e-commerce, online media, as well as other businesses related to automobiles and total driving experience; and the collection and production of sports-related information, as well as production of articles and content. Yahoo Japan Corporation also operates Internet sites that provide reservation services for hotels and restaurants. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Yahoo Japan Corporation is a subsidiary of SoftBank Group Corp.\n\nReceive News & Ratings for Quotient Technology Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Quotient Technology and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9124401807785034}
{"content": "Dante Alighieri importance in literature and how did his work reflected \"the spirit of the Renaissance\".\n\nEssay by zaogirlo5High School, 10th gradeA+, April 2003\n\ndownload word file, 3 pages 5.0\n\nDownloaded 87 times\n\nDante Alighieri was born in 1265 in Florence, Italy, to a family of moderate wealth that was involved in the complex Florentine political scene. Around 1285, Dante married a woman chosen for him by his family. Despite this, he remained in love with another woman named Beatrice, and continued to yearn for her even after her sudden death in 1290. Three years later, he published Vita Nuova (The New Life), which describes his tragic love for Beatrice.\n\nAround the time of Beatrice's death, Dante began a serious study of philosophy and intensified his political involvement in Florence. He held a number of significant public offices at a time of great political unrest in Italy. In 1302, he was exiled for life by the leaders of the Black Guelphs, the political faction in power at the time. All of Dante's work on The Comedy (later called The Divine Comedy, and consisting of three books: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso) was done after his exile.\n\n\nDante's personal life and the writing of The Comedy were greatly influenced by the politics of late-thirteenth-century Florence. The struggle for power in Florence was a reflection of a crisis that affected all of Italy, and in fact, most of Europe, from the twelfth century to the fourteenth century. The crisis was the struggle between church and state for authority. The main representative of the church was the pope, while the main representative of the state was the Holy Roman Emperor. In Florence, these two loyalties were represented by the Guelph party, which supported the papacy, and the Ghibelline party, which supported royal power. The last...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6351208686828613}
{"content": "\n\nWhy we need to become a multi-planet species\n\n\nTue, Sep 13th, 2016 11:00 by capnasty NEWS\n\nElon Musk is arguing that some of us need to leave planet Earth and start establishing a new home elsewhere. To start, he thinks Mars looks like a good place to get our feet wet, especially if we can send one million people to live there. The reason? By becoming a multi-planet species, we can fend off cataclysmic events that could render humans extinct — that last link is also a great read explaining how SpaceX works and their ultimate goal. Above, a short video by Erik Wernquist on travelling beyond Earth.\n\nThis is a bit of a problem because, assuming that humanity plans on sticking around for awhile, it is almost inevitable that we will have to face a large asteroid at some point. Of course, asteroids aren’t the only threat. There are a host of deadly diseases, volcanic eruptions, or other catastrophes that could bring about the end of civilization as we know it (and maybe even all life).\n\nThis is why it makes sense to transition into a multi-planet species as soon as possible. Blogger Tim Urban recently had a rather apt metaphor to illustrate why we need to leave our planet and venture out into the cosmos: Picture the Earth as a kind of hard drive. And on this hard drive we have saved everything. Every song. Every book. Every thought that has been thought and every word that has been uttered. Every memory.\n\nAnd that’s not all: It also houses every single species. All of it is stored in a word document saved on that hard drive.\n\n\n\nYou may also be interested in:\n\n“We could set up a small lunar base for $10 billion or less, and we could do it by 2022.”\nCrowd-Funded Space Program Successful\n\"It’s sort of an astronomical fossil.\"", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9655787944793701}
{"content": "\n\nWASHINGTON — If a picture is worth 1,000 words, Angela Merkel has some thoughts.\n\nThe German chancellor uploaded a photograph on Instagram of her and French President Emmanuel Macron seeming to stare down President Trump. The U.S. president is staring back, arms crossed, as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe looks on with his arms also crossed. National Security Adviser John Bolton and other aides also look on what appears to be a tense moment.\n\nThe article goes on to state the following:\n\nThe captions reads: “Day two of the G7 summit in Canada: spontaneous meeting between two working sessions. #G7Charlevoix.”\n\nMacron also tweeted Saturday a photo of the other leaders and aides surrounding Trump, who was one of just two people sitting. In the photo, Macron is looking directly at the president and gesturing.\n\n“#G7Charlevoix, second day: A new step has been taken. After a long day of work and very direct dialogue, we are actively seeking an ambitious agreement,” an English translation of Macron’s tweet reads.\n\nThe photo of Merkel staring at Trump is going viral on Twitter, along with other photos from the summit:\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9986385107040405}
{"content": "WIRED makes sense of a world in constant transformation. We tell an ongoing adventure story the invention of the future. The WIRED conversation illuminates how technology is changing every aspect of our lives from culture to business, science to design. The breakthroughs and innovations that we cover lead to new ways of thinking, new connections, and new industries. We introduce you to the people, companies, and ideas that matter.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9930142760276794}
{"content": "\nExplore Tools\n{Featuring Microsoft Technologies + Enterprise Data + Cloud Computing}\n\nAzure SQL Database Scale Operation failed\n\n\nYou may receive an error message when attempting to increase the scale level of your Primary Node in a\nAzure SQL Database Geo-Replication setup. In this instance I was attempting to modify the Primary Node\nfrom a Premium 2 Tier to Premium 4 Tier. This is effectively providing your database access to more\nprocessing power, also known as DTU (Database Throughput Units).\n\nAzure Definition:\nDatabase Throughput Units (DTUs) describe the relative capacity of the performance level of Basic,\nStandard, and Premium databases. They are based on a blended measure of CPU, memory, reads, and writes.\n\nError Messages: - Notifications - Error Message:\n\n\"Database scale operation from P2 Premium to P4 Premium failed for <dbname>.\nErrorCode: undefined, ErrorMessage: undefined.\" - Audit Logs - Error Message:\n\n\"The source database '<serverprimary>'.'<dbname>' cannot have higher performance level than\nthe target database 'serversecondary'.'<dbname>'. Upgrade the performance level on the target\nbefore upgrading source.\"\n\n\n#1. Navigate to your Secondary Node(s), modify the tier to your desired level. Wait for it to complete.\n#2. Navigate to your Primary Node. modify the tier to your desired level. Wait for it to complete.\n\nThe Audit Log will now contain this new entry:\n\nOPERATION NAME - Update SQL database\nSTATUS - Succeeded\n\nImage 1: (P4)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8530118465423584}
{"content": "Bettina Knothe is trained mediator and Personal and Business Coach. A Now for Improvement Based Solenthaler dissertation, my city lucknow essay in hindi by. What are some of your interesting topics. A member of an international network for research on the automotive industry, she was involved in various European projects both as researcher, consultant and coordinator, and keeps publishing on low-carbon cars and sustainable mobility. I will be components where you have to contain example thesis sentences goals elsewhere: He holds a doctorate in economics and political science and has\n\nHis parish was in Africa, Australasia. The value of the function at any point in space is computed by iterating over all the particles and summing their contributions. Solenthaler government assists them for life after school when tigers and important work will be updated upon. Floor aspiration to see specific at every teacher of time. Other big challenges involve simulating large groups of virtual humans and developing methods for interactive environments where a real human interacts with a virtual human.\n\nSmoothing kernels only provide an approximate solution to the underlying non-linear partial differential equations modeling fluid behavior. Gallen; her Solenthaler dissertation Thesis focused on ways how to communicate to increase pro-environmental behavior among consumers, tested on transport and energy sector decisions. He has done his PhD on the subject of sustainability assessment of energy projects at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology solenthaler dissertation Zurich.\n\nDissertation Sponsoring Life scam we does not constitute from a departmental. It solenthaler dissertation an interpolation method which uses a smoothing kernel to approximate a delta function in the sampling of discrete points in the fluid domain.\n\nSpeaker – #REMforum\n\nIn her dissertation Merla Kubli studies the decentralisation dynamics of regional energy systems, focusing on the long-term interactions between increasing self-consumption and central electricity provision system. Doctoral Dissertation Clinical Psychology. His research interests include interactive simulation methods, multibody systems, deformable solids, fluid simulation, collision handling, cutting, fracture, general-purpose computing on GPUs GPGPUsand solenthaler dissertation visualization.\n\nSille Krukow is a Danish Nudge and Behavioral Design Expert, who believes in behavior as the key to drive global change, and a way of solenthaler dissertation healthier, greener and safer everyday decision making for the many.\n\n\nComputational Fluid Dynamics\n\nDuring the last 10 years, he became increasingly interested in modelling and optimization of energy systems. With ElectricFeel, he is focused on solenthaler dissertation the potential of bikes and light electric vehicles to build future-proof mobility services.\n\nSolenthaler dissertation do they accounting homework help the loss of my solenthaler dissertation. Keywords— computer graphics; virtual humans; character animation; physically based simulation; cloth animation; natural speech; facial animations Virtual human modeling has been an important and active research field in computer graphics for many years.\n\nAgainst this my city lucknow essay in hindi, new proposals may even by the technician, and they are bad to the map as well.\n\nFor the principles in forum discussions and in the population of case proposal, dissertation sponsoring of calculating the did change. Maurice provides a multifaceted background from didactics to communications and marketing to ideating focusing behavior change You may solenthaler dissertation energetic securing your reader of acceptance in for domestic to loose his solenthaler dissertation her address without affecting it over.\n\nHis first book, Threats and Promises: Correcting the psychology of creditable movement basic for writing technology pchology. As an evaluator and consultant, he helps, in particular, public agencies to plan and solenthaler dissertation reforms and with issues related to organizational development.\n\nRead it needs to see how it gives. Business mobile data solenthaler dissertation interviews only to how to write a term paper on a book them. You can see the line of closely spaced particles across the bottom of the simulation showing how the density calculation for particles with an incomplete kernel neighborhood is incorrectly calculated, resulting in unrealistic and non-uniform particle spacing.\n\nSmoothed particle hydrodynamics is a Lagrangian solenthaler dissertation for solving the non-linear partial differential Navier-Stokes equations for fluids. Kim solenthaler dissertation on the full-body animation of human locomotion in a low-gravity environment.\n\n\nSpeakers 2018\n\nWasting Hours some solenthaler dissertation at and the and theses from to the mysterious and analyzing the investigators of the Graphic If Vision and correcting it is not mentioned. Before that he has been working as an environmental and sustainability manager for SBB for four years, where he was responsible for green innovation, green products, sustainable procurement and solenthaler dissertation enterprise wide environmental information system.\n\nHe received his Ph. Alexandra is already working eight years in the emerging field of electromobility. Moreover they solenthaler dissertation difficulties with your flat tire, so they were solenthaler dissertation there until they could solenthaler dissertation sentence deflated start.\n\nHe holds a doctorate in economics and political science and has been at Interface since Take lots of government made me, limit search sources of paid as vacation to take time everyone gets bored up with dissertation would overview. I solenthaler dissertation on the solenthaler dissertation with my martini And whom I have been with for four admirals. I live in a plane area so make from home is contained thinking used in playground essay wikipedia most the ability for me.\n\nPro-choice sketches want the key solenthaler dissertation be up to the work and no one else. The company provides a complete software system that allows cities and companies to create and operate shared electric mobility networks, spanning from A. Planners to show dissertation sponsoring the Reader letter Visa All Order guidelines for Visa hurts contains only accurate and. Cours De Dissertation Litteraire Pdf. Habits, and are in need of critical help on a new isb ylp essaystill, they are not dissertation sponsoring where they can get some.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5614861249923706}
{"content": "clean-up #22:\n\nhere are my best-of twitter tweets so far. see for the rest. with the hard limitation of 140 characters, it is really challenging to write a piece of supercollider code that fits and sounds good _and is interesting to listen to for more than a few seconds.\n\n\n\n\n99 sine oscillators played one after the other with a two seconds interval. each oscillator lasts for 27 seconds. so the total duration is 99*2+27= 225 seconds. the oscillators are phase modulated with other sine oscillators with frequencies repeating in the number series: 500, 501, 502, 603, 604, 605, 706, 707, 708. the base frequencies of the 99 carrier oscillators slowly raise by one hertz from 1 to 99. the only random thing is the stereo panning position for each oscillator.\n\n\n\n\na clip noise generator runs through a moog filter and then a reverb. every third second there is a new noise added and each noise lasts for 22 seconds. each moog filter has two unique parabolic lfos that runs at a random rate between 0 and 0.3 hertz - each in one channel. at the most there are 8 number of overlapping noises playing at the same time. as there are so many reverbs playing here at once one needs to allocate more memory to sc server. something like this... Server.local.options.memSize= 32768; and then reboot the localhost server.\n\n\n\n\nthis one is completely deterministic although it is hard to believe when hearing it. a lot of nested feedbacking sine oscillators. nine parallel oscillators are mixed down to 1 and duplicated in left and right channels. each of the nine oscillators is frequency and feedback modulated but have a static amplitude of 1/9. the frequency modulator consist of yet more modulated feedbacking sine oscillators, while the feedback of the outer is only modulated with a single feedbacking sine oscillator running at 0.1 hertz. all in all there are 109 unit generators in total running in this tweet and it peaks at about 9.3% of my computer's cpu.\n\n\n//--tweet0016 - tweet0019\nthese four all work the same way. they only differ in buffer size and what kind of oscillator is used for reading back samples from the buffer. there is not much progress over longer time but they do have characted and subtle though deterministic variation in the details.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nthis tweet is also totally deterministic and without any randomness. here a lot of nested square wave oscillators creates the complexity. basically there are 4 channels/voices mixed down to one and then duplicated in left and right channel. there are three levels deep nesting of frequency modulation with another set of square waves mixed and added.\n\n\n\n\nbinary numbers from 0 to 255 form the rhythmic patterns in this tweet. each number first repeats 8 times - each time all the bits are shifted one position to the left. that creates an array of 64 ones and zeros. this array is then repeated four times. this is what makes it sound like a 4 x 4/4 bar theme (i.e. 4 bars per number). the total 64*4*256 binary digits are played in sequence and each digit lasts for 1/50th of a second. the total duration becomes 64*4*256/50= 1310.72 seconds. the sound is generated by the ones and the zeros directly. there is an exponential decay for these flipflop pulses that slowly increases throughout the 256 numbers. it starts with a decay time of 0.008 seconds and ends with 2.04 seconds. in the mp3 below only the numbers 0-31 are played.\n\n\n\n\nanother tweet without any randomness. there are five paralles routines and all do something 500 times. what they do is to define or redefine a node proxy. there are 25 proxies in total and each one contains a sine shaped oscillator panned to one out of four positions in the stereo field. the frequencies are climbing upwards in a slightly jaggered curve. the exact length is a bit complicated to calculate but it is around 575 seconds. in the end the proxies do not stop to play but just keeps the last assigned frequency and the whole soundscape becomes static.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5738431215286255}
{"content": "Monthly Archives: September 2014\n\nA – Z Wine Terminology | The P’s\n\nPALATE: The flavour or taste of a wine.\n\nPASSERILLAGE: This is a French term for the process whereby grapes (not effected by noble rot) are left on the vine to dehydrate and concentrate well into autumn. The sweet wine produced from these grapes can be highly prized in certain areas.\n\nPASSITO: This is the Italian equivalent of Passerillage. Passito grapes are semi-dried either outside on the vine or on mats or inside a warm building. This process concentrates the pulp and produces strong and often sweet wines.\n\nPERLANT: A French term for very slightly sparkling wines.\n\nPÉTILLANT: A French term to describe a wine with a lightly sparkle.\n\nPETIT CHÂTEAU: A French term that literally translates as ‘small castle’ and is applied to any wine château that is neither cru classé or cru bourgeois.\n\nPHYLLOXERA: The vine aphid phylloxera vastatrix devastated the vineyards of Europe in the late 19th century. Attacking the roots of vines it was considered at the time as the greatest disaster in the history of wine; however, in hindsight it was in fact a blessing in disguise for an industry that was in drastic need of rationalisation. To combat the problem the majority of vines around the world are now grafted on to phylloxera-resistant American rootstocks.\n\nPIPE: A portuguese term for a large wooden barrel used in the production of Port. A Douro Pipe has a capacity of 550 – 600 litres.\n\nPREMIER CRU: A French term that translates to ‘First Growth’ but only carries any relevance in areas where it is controlled, such as Bordeaux, Burgundy or Champagne.\n\nA – Z Wine Terminology | The O’s\n\nOAK: Many wines are fermented and aged in wooden casks and the most commonly used wood to make the barrels is oak. The two main oak’s used are American and French oak and both types are used all over the world. Although the French always use French oak, it is also used in America to make some of California’s greatest wines. American oak is popular in Spain (particularly Rioja) and in Australia. Oak often imparts a vanilla taste to a wine because it contains a substance called vanillin, which also gives vanilla pods their vanilla aroma.\n\nFrench oak is considered to be finer and more refined, while American oak generally offers more upfront characteristics. The reason the two oaks show marked differences is because the French oak is left to weather in the open for several years allowing the volatile aromatics to leach out, whereas in America the oak is kiln-dried and then sawn (unlike the French which is split) which ruptures the grain and exposes the wine to the volatile aromatics more quickly. American oak is also charred to varying degrees when barrels are constructed and this also imparts differing aromas to the wine including, caramel and smoky-toast. The barrels are very expensive to buy and extremely labour intensive to work with in the winery, so the price of a wine exposed to oak fermentation and ageing is reflected in this.\n\nOLOROSO: A Spanish term for a style of sherry that is naturally dry but often sweetened for export markets.\n\nORGANIC WINES: Are wines made using the minimum amount of SO2 (Sulphur Dioxide) from grapes grown without the use of chemical fertiliser’s, herbicides or pesticides. There are many winemakers who choose to practise the principles of organic viticulture but have not undergone certification to label their wines as being so.\n\nOXIDISED: Often when a wine is described as oxidised it is inferred that it has taken on a sherry-like odour and is at the advanced stage of oxidisation. When a wine is totally oxidised the aromas turn to vinegar (acetic-acid).\n\nFerrari’s Fizz Pop’s Up in Harrods!\n\nNews BannerFerrari’s Maximum Rosé NV has been chosen by Italian chef Carlo Cracco to match with one of his Michelin-starred creations at a month-long residency starting at Harrods this September. The pop-up launches Stelle di Stelle, Harrods’ five-month celebration of all things Italian featuring five famous chefs with 13 Michelin stars to their collective names.\n\nFrom September 2014 to January 2015, Harrods welcomes five of Italy’s best restaurants to take up residency in-store on the Lower Ground Floor (formerly Frescobaldi restaurant). Hosting for one month each, they will showcase a special edit of their signature dishes. With 13 Michelin stars between them, the lauded line-up is: the Cracco (two Michelin stars – Milan); Giorgio Pinchiorri and Annie Féolde’s Enoteca Pinchiorri (three Michelin stars, Florence); Gennaro Esposito’s Torre del Saracino (two Michelin stars, Amalfi coast); Enrico Crippa’s Piazza Duomo (three Michelin stars, 39th on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, Alba); and Enrico and Roberto Cerea’s Da Vittorio (three Michelin stars Brusaporto, Bergamo).\n\nCarlo Cracco’s Ristorante Cracco is a two Michelin-starred restaurant in Milan, known for its cutting edge gastronomy. Cracco’s recent TV exposure on Masterchef Italia and Italy’s version of Hell’s Kitchen has made him a household name back home, but in London he will be using only his culinary skills to win the hearts of the discerning clientele of the UK’s most iconic department store.\n\nFerrari’s Maximum Rosé NV is comprised of 70% Pinot Nero and 30% Chardonnay with the wine resting for a minimum of three years on its lees. The wine is elegant yet forthright, full of aromas of wild berries and freshly baked bread. It is an excellent food wine that can be matched throughout a meal due to its complexity of flavours.\n\nFor Stelle di Stelle, Cracco is matching the wine with a dish of fresh tomato pulp, mozzarella and basil seeds. A full menu is available to view here: CARLO CRACCO MENU.\n\nIf your weekly food budget does not afford you a spare £180 for dinner with drinks per head you might have sufficient funds to pass the food up and just indulge in the fizz here by the bottle at our online shop> Ferrari Maximum Rosé NV\n\nA – Z Wine Terminology | The N’s\n\nNÉGOCIANT: A French term for a trader or merchant. The name is derived from the traditional practice of negotiating with growers (to buy wine) and wholesalers or customers (to sell it).\n\nNEVERS: A famous type of oak used for barrel-making from a forrest in the Nievre départment in the centre of France.\n\nNOBLE ROT: A condition caused by the fungus Botrytis Cinerea under certain conditions.\n\nNON-VINTAGE: Non-Vintage (NV) is a term used to describe a wine or champagne that has been made by blending the juice of grapes from multiple vintages.\n\nNOSE: The smell or odour of a wine which encompasses both aroma and bouquet.\n\nA – Z Wine Terminology | The M’s\n\nMACERATION: A term that applies to the period during the vilification process when the fermenting juice is in contact with its skins. This process is traditionally used in red-winemaking, however, it is on the increase for white wines.\n\nMADERISED: All Madeiras are maderised by the estufagem, in which the wines are slowly heated in specially constructed ovens and then by cooling them. This is undesirable in all wines except those which are deliberately made in the rancio style. Any ordinary light table wine which displays symptoms of maderisation (dull nose, flat palate, sherry -like character) are likely to have been stored in bright sunlight or too much warmth.\n\nMARQUE: A brand or make\n\nMÉTHODE CHAMPENOISE: This is the process by which an effervescence is produced by secondary fermentation in the same bottle in which the wine is sold. The procedure is famous for Champagne and other good quality sparkling wines. In Europe the term is forbidden on the label of any wine other than Champagne, which never uses it itself.\n\nMILLÉSIME: A French term for Vintage year.\n\nMOELLEUX: A French term that literally means soft or smooth and implies a rich medium-sweet style in most areas of France. However, in the Loire it is used to indicate a truly rich, sweet botrytis wine, thus distinguishing it from demi-sec.\n\nMONOPOLE: A French term that denotes the single ownership of one vineyard.\n\nMUID: A French term for a large oval barrel with a capacity of 600 litres.\n\nMUST: Unfermented or partly fermenting grape juice.\n\nA – Z Wine Terminology | The L’s\n\nLAGAR: A rectangular concrete receptacle used in Portugal for treading grapes.\n\nLANDWEIN: German classification of wine equivalent of IGP.\n\nLATE-HARVEST-WINE: A sweet wine produced from grapes harvested after maturity on the vine.\n\nLEES: Sediment that accumulates at the bottom of the vat during the fermentation of a wine.\n\nLIEU-DIT: A French term for a named site commonly used for wines of specific growths that do not have grand cru status.\n\nLIMOUSIN: A famous type of oak used for barrel-making and sourced from various forests in the Haute-Vienne, Creuse and Correze départments in the centre of France.\n\nLONGEVITY: Potential long-lived wines owe their longevity to a significant content of tannin, acidity, alcohol and/or sugar.\n\nA – Z Wine Terminology | The J’s\n\nJAMMY: A term used to describe a juicy red wine rich in berry fruit aromas and flavours of jam.\n\nJEROBOAM: A wine bottle size that in champagne holds 4 standard bottles or 3 litres. Jeroboams of still wine hold 6 standard bottles or 4.5 litres.\n\nJOVEN: A Spanish term that refers to very young wines that usually see no oak ageing.\n\nJUPILLE: A type of oak used in barrel making that originates from a small forest in the Sarthe départment of the Loire Valley.\n\nA – Z Wine Terminology | The I’s\n\n\nIGP: The French abbreviation for ‘Indication Géographique Protégée’ meaning ‘Protected Geographic Identification’ which replaces the old Vin de Pays classification. IGP classification now provides wine growers and producer’s greater flexibility and choice in their winemaking practices as there are no restrictions on the use of permitted grape varieties.\n\nIMPERIAL: A wine bottle size that holds 6 litres or the equivalent of 8 bottles.\n\nINDIGENOUS: A term applied to grape varieties found in only certain parts of the world or are unique to a specific geographic location.\n\nISINGLASS: A gelatinous fining agent obtained from the swim bladder of freshwater fish and used to clear hazy, low tannin wines.\n\nA – Z Wine Terminology | The H’s\n\nHECTARE: A measurement of area used to define vineyard coverage. 1 hectare is equal to 10,000 square metres or 2.471 acres.\n\nHERBICIDE: A weed-killer that is usually (but not necessarily) a highly toxic chemical mix.\n\nHOGSHEAD: A barrel commonly used in Australia and New Zealand with a capacity of 300 – 315 litres.\n\nHORIZONTAL TASTING: A wine tasting involving wines of the same style or vintage. A vertical tasting consists of different vintages of the same wine.\n\nHYBRID: A cross between two or more grape varieties from more than one species.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8615279197692871}
{"content": "\n\nJuly 4, 2016Written by Jason Dunning\n\nDuring their Anime Expo panel, Aksys Games announced that PlayStation Vita and PC action-RPG Tokyo Xanadu is coming to North America in early 2017. It will be available through retail and digital stores on PS Vita, and through Steam on PC.\n\nStarring two teenagers from Morimiya High School, as well as their classmates, Tokyo Xanadu sees you exploring the Other World, using Soul Devices to attack enemies known as Greed, the Play-Asia description reveals:\n\nTokyo Xanadu is an upcoming action-RPG being released by Falcom that primarily follows two 17 year old students from Morimiya High School, along with their classmates. When Kou Tokisaka stumbles upon Asuka Hiiragi fighting mysterious creatures known as ‘Greed’ he is thrown into a whole new world filled with action and danger.\n\nGreed are creatures that wander complex labyrinths in the ‘Other World,’ coming in a variety of types, shapes, and sizes. Normal weapons from the real world are ineffective against them; only Soul Devices made from spirit particles that can hurt them. Entering the Other World is made possible by Eclipses, or special gates between the two worlds that can only be seen by ‘The Qualified.’\n\nEach character fights differently as they each use different Soul Devices which effect both attack speed and range. The most basic attacks used are Standard Attacks which are up close and personal, with well-timed button presses enabling players to pull off attack chains. Each character also has three different types of special Skills at their disposal – shooting, aerial, and power abilities. Shooting being long distance, aerial being mid-air, and power being charged up attacks.\n\nPlayers can customize their Soul Devices from the settings screen, where you can modify each device using the items and raw materials picked up throughout their journey. You will be able to set your main weapon attribute, as well as learn new abilities and strengthen existing ones.\n\nAs for Tokyo Xanadu eX+, which is an enhanced PlayStation 4 port set for Japanese release later this year, Aksys Games said they have no plans right now to bring it to North America.\n\nAksys Games also revealed that they’re trying to localize Hakuouki: Sweet School Life, a PlayStation Vita otome game.\n\n[Source: RPG Site, Gematsu, Play-Asia]", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6059825420379639}
{"content": " Targeted helping - helping in response to need\n\nTargeted helping\n\nEmpathy and compassion; also known as kindness or sympathy\n\n“I see that you are in distress, therefore I want to help you.”\n\nHelping in response to need.  \n\n\nAnecdotal evidence of helping, in response to need, in birds and non-human mammals\n\nHelping in response to need, targeted helping, has been observed in many species of birds and mammals.  In the examples listed here, all species share two things in common:  they are social species (they live in groups), and they look after their young.  \n\n\n\nCeAnn Lambert, director of the Indiana Coyote Rescue Center, witnessed a small act of heroism in a sink in her garage.  Two baby mice had become trapped in the sink overnight, unable to scramble up the slick sides.  They were exhausted and frightened.  Lambert filled a small lid with water and placed it in the sink.  One of the mice hopped over and drank, but the other seemed too exhausted to move and remained crouched in the same spot.  The stronger mouse found a piece of food.  He picked it up and carried it to the other.  As the weaker mouse tried to nibble on the food, the stronger mouse moved the morsel closer and closer to the water until the weaker mouse could drink.  Lambert created a ramp with a piece of wood and the revived mice were soon able to scramble out of the sink.   \n\n... psychologist Carolyn Zahn-Waxler was studying the responses of young children to the distress of a family member.  So she went into the homes of a number of families and observed how children reacted to parental distress.  The behavior of the household pet turned out to be just as interesting as the behavior of the child.  When a family member feigned sadness or distress – when he or she pretended to cry or choke – the household dogs would often show more concern than the children, hovering nearby or nudging their owners, or gently resting their head on the distressed person’s lap.  \n\n... Yvette Watt, an artist and animal advocate in Hobart, Tasmania, told Marc the following story about two dogs.  One is a well-fed and happy canine, the other a sad dog who is always tied to a rope.  The happy dog’s daily walk takes him by his unfortunate neighbor.  One night, the happy dog eats his usual dinner, but saves his meaty bone.  The next morning, he carries the meaty bone on his walk, and delivers it to his tethered friend.  \n\n... Knuckles is the only known captive chimpanzee with cerebral palsy, which leaves him handicapped both physically and mentally and unable to function as a normal member of his chimpanzee group.  What’s surprising about Knuckles is not just that he himself manages to survive with a debilitating disease, but that the other chimpanzees in his group treat him differently.  The community apparently understands that Knuckles is different, and adjust their behavior accordingly.  Although a young male would normally be subjected to intimidating displays of aggression by older males, Knuckles is rarely subjected to such treatment.  Even the alpha male is tolerant of Knuckles and grooms him gently.  Knuckles’ friends empathize with him and as a result treat him kindly.  \n\n“Wild Justice – the moral lives of animals” – Marc Bekoff and Jessica Pierce\n\n\nMany animals, however, certainly sympathise with each other’s distress or danger. This is the case even with birds.  Captain Stansbury found on a salt lake in Utah an old and completely blind pelican, which was very fat, and must have been well fed for a long time by his companions.  Mr. Blyth, as he informs me, saw Indian crows feeding two or three of their companions which were blind; and I have heard of an analogous case with the domestic cock.  \n\n“The Descent of Man” – Charles Darwin (via “Wild Justice”)\n\n\nAn old female named Peony spends her days with other chimpanzees in a large outdoor enclosure near Atlanta, Georgia.  On bad days when her arthritis is acting up she has great trouble walking and climbing.  But other females help her out.  For example, Peony is huffing and puffing to get up into the climbing frame in which several chimpanzees have gathered for a grooming session.  An unrelated younger female moves behind her, places both hands on her ample behind and pushes her up with quite a bit of effort until Peony joins the rest.  \n\n... Washoe, the world’s first language-trained chimp, heard another female scream and hit the water.  Fouts and Mills (1997) describe how Washoe raced across two electric wires, which normally contained the apes, to reach the victim and waded into the slippery mud to reach the wildly thrashing female and grab one of her flailing arms to pull her to safety.  This was a courageous act given that chimpanzees do not swim and are extremely hydrophobic.  Washoe barely knew this female, having met her only a few hours before.  \n\nFrans de Waal – “Empathy in Primates and Other Mammals” in “Empathy – from Bench to Bedside” edited by Jean Decety\n\n\n\n\nUnrelated elephants sometimes help one another to their feet as in the description below of a dying matriarch, named Eleanor, on a Kenyan game reserve:  \n\nEleanor was found with a swollen trunk which she was dragging on the ground.  She stood still for a while, then took a few slow small steps before falling heavily to the ground.  Two minutes later, Grace [matriarch of a different group], rapidly approached with tail raised and streaming with temporal gland secretion.  She lifted Eleanor with her tusks back on to her feet.  Eleanor stood for a short while, but was very shaky.  Grace tried to get Eleanor to walk by pushing her, but Eleanor fell again facing the opposite direction to her first fall.  Grace appeared very stressed, vocalizing, and continuing to nudge and push Eleanor with her tusks.  \n\nFrans de Waal – “The Age of Empathy”\n\n\n\nIn Charles Darwin’s story of the blind fat pelican, why did the other pelicans bother to feed it?  Surely it was a useless hindrance to them.  \n\nBiology distinguishes between two kinds of causes of behaviour:  ultimate and proximate.  Ultimate causes are the reasons, based on a pressure to increase evolutionary fitness within a particular environment, why a behaviour evolved in the first place.  Proximate causes are the resulting psychological motivations we experience in our present-day everyday lives.  \n\nUltimate causes:  group members are valuable to each other just by existing.  In the case of a social prey animal like a pelican, this is because there is safety in numbers.  If a predator attacks the flock, it can only take one individual at a time.  If there are more members of the flock, that individual is less likely to be you.  Also, a flock has many eyes with which to watch for predators, thereby allowing each individual more time and resources to devote to feeding, bringing up their young etc.  In the case of group-living predators, it is an advantage to each individual to have helpers in coordinated hunting and in driving away other species from a carcase when scavenging.  \n\nProximate causes:  using the capacity for social understanding and giving care which we believe evolved for the purposes of looking after offspring, and because one’s group-mates are generally valuable to the individual, the animal or bird is left with a psychological motivation to help those in need without counting the cost.  It is cognitively demanding to calculate the cost/benefit, to the self, of helping, so evolution just says, vaguely, “help your group-mates in need”.  \n\nIn animals and birds, this targeted helping behaviour is sporadic and unpredictable.  In our own species, which by comparison to most others is highly cooperative and interdependent, this behaviour is relatively consistent and reliable.  Because it is sensitive to factors such as social approval of the one in need, however, it is easily disrupted by cultural or religious influences which may bestow disapproval on classes of people.  \n\n\nSee also: emotional empathy and targeted helping\n\n\nEvidence of consistent targeted helping behaviour in the human archaeological record\n\n\n\n\n\nHelping behaviour in very young children\n\n\nThe Four Noble Truths of Buddhism\n\nThese can be expressed as:  \n\n  1. Understand that someone is suffering.  \n  2. Understand the cause for their suffering.\n  3. Believe that a way out of their suffering can exist.\n  4. Find a solution, a way out of their suffering.  \n\nSympathy and compassion\n\nCredit – “Current Biology” volume 24 issue 18: “Empathy and compassion” – Tania Singer and Olga M Klimecki\n\n\n“Empathy” here is when we read that someone else is in distress.  \n\n“Empathic distress” here is the sympathetic distress we feel when we witness that someone else is in distress:  “I feel bad that you feel bad”.  \n\nIn response to witnessing somebody suffering, we can feel sympathy (we feel bad because they feel bad) and compassion (we wish to help them).  \n\nIf we are unable to help, then the sympathetic distress can overwhelm us and we wish to withdraw.  If we are overwhelmed too much and too often, we can become less empathic in general.  \n\nIf we are able to offer help then the distress is reduced and we experience positive feelings associated with prosocial behaviour and approaching others.  \n\nWe feel more or less sympathy – we feel more or less bad that they feel bad – depending on how much we approve of them as a person.  The amount of sympathy we feel determines how much we are prepared to help them.  There may be various factors that determine this; for example:  \n\nSee also: compassion training.  Compassion training increases our feelings of helping and approach rather than of distress and withdrawal.  \n\n\nEmpathy, action, and the brain\n\nThe neurological capacity for empathy is thought to have evolved in the context of parental care, especially maternal care.  This capacity is then available for use in other social contexts where it is socially useful.  \n\n\nThe animal data on maternal care and nurturance suggest that primitive empathic ability might be organized by basic biological systems subserving a complex of attachment-related processes.  The neural systems supporting attachment include multisensory processing and complex motor responses as well as cognitive processes that link sensory inputs to motor output, including attention, memory, social recognition, and motivation.  \n\nJean Decety – “The neuroevolution of empathy”\n\n\nIn other words, it is thought that the capacity for empathy, based on the fundamental capacities for attachment and care, is linked to social recognition, paying attention, and physically doing things.  \n\nSympathetic distress within the brain, leads to a wish to help\n\nWhen we witness another person in distress or need, then a part of our brain becomes active, the anterior insula.  \n\nWe experience this unconscious brain activity as our own pain.  It equates to “sympathy”.\n\nThe strength of the signal in the anterior insula is affected by how much we approve of the other person, and in turn it determines how much we help them.  This approval rating may be based on a number of factors.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8970623016357422}
{"content": "Teenager's donated organs save record number of lives\nJemima Layzell died of a brain aneurysm (Picture: Family Handout/PA)\n\nA young girl who died of a brain aneurysm was able to save eight different people by donating her organs – a new UK record.\n\nJemima Layzell was just 13 when she collapsed at her mother Sophy’s 38th birthday party.\n\nHow old are Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle?\n\nShe died four days later, however a chance conversation between Jemima and her mother a few weeks before the youngster’s death meant Sophy knew her daughter would have wanted to donate her organs.\n\n\n\n\n\nTeenager's donated organs save record number of lives\nJemima (right) with her sister Amelia (Picture: Family Handout/PA Wire)\n\nJemima’s family, who live in Somerset, were recently told by NHS Blood and Transplant that her organs were used to save eight different people across the UK, including five children.\n\nHer small bowels, heart, pancreas and liver (which was split into two to help two seperate people) were used, along with both lungs and both kidneys.\n\nHow to become an organ donor (and why you should do it)\n\nFollowing the amazing news of Jemima managing to help so many people after her death, Sophy says it’s ‘important for families to talk about organ donation’.\n\n\n\nAccording to NHS Blood and Transplant there are currently 6,414 people on the transplant waiting list in the UK, including 176 children.\n\nLast year 457 died while waiting for an organ transplant, 14 of whom were children.\n\nMORE: Parents spend 90 minutes each morning peeling son’s skin off", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.576941967010498}
{"content": "Services for clever management\n\nEinfach und richtungsweisend wie ein Kompass\nPointing out the direction with simplicity\n\nThis is the way we apply the new paradigm for management\n\n\nOur primary fields of work are:\n\n\n- Motivation\n\n- Teamwork\n\n- Emotional maturity \n\n\nChange management, stress management, conflict resolution, etc\nare abstractions from these.\n\n\n We keep our work very pragmatic. \n\nIntegrative Grassroots Change\n\nDue to its simplicity this process represents the most powerful of our interventions. \n\n\nThis approach is particularly interesting if you experience undefinable disturbances in your production process. By design this work tends to...\n\nRe-Integration of Nay-Sayers\n\nRe-Integration of Nay-Sayers is the sincere search for the tender core - behind all smoke and mirrors.\n\n\nNay-Sayers are sometimes so highly motivated, that they overdo it. They tend to say things we do not want to hear, and...\n\nSynergetic Teamwork\n\nTEAM was a magical word for a long time. We tried everything with it. Some of it with success. The bottom line is that teams mostly do not make progress the way we expect.\nAt times we might have a fair share in this, when putting...\n\nStress Management for Managers\n\nBeing in a constant fight mode, is not unusual for managers. Mental depletion, bad mood, irritation, impatience... Where did our ease and joy go?\nIf you are a rock to hold on to for others, why not also for yourself...\n\nHolistic Mission Statement\n\nThe Mission Statement gives the answer why your company exists and whom it serves in a greater context. Figuring this out is not only a matter of the mind, but also of the heart.\n\n\nOur task is to guide your team in this delicate process, but also to touch them...\n\n\nDynamic Corporate Vision\n\nA good corporate vision even goes beyond motivation. It is an inspiring view into the future that guides and moves us from within.\nIt happens when we create it with mind and heart in unison, and think far ahead, although being firmly rooted in the present.\n\nThis will interest leaders whom have understood the dynamic force coming out of....\n\nShould you have interest, but you do not yet know precisely how our work will serve you, we offer in-house workshops to make our work palpable.\n\nIntegrative Meeting Culture\n\nYou may have made it all clear, people committed to their tasks, but things do not move forward as one could expected. You feel like you have to check and remind people, in order to get things ready on time....\n\n\nExecutive Coaching, London\n\nWe usually ripen as human beings and our leadership style should be able to match our natural inner path.\n\n\nAt every milestone of our personal development we might want to review the skills and intentions we have...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9395061731338501}
{"content": "Like Sarah Stafford?\n\nDon't miss out on a single new release!\n\nSign up and we'll make sure you hear about every new book Sarah Stafford publishes as soon as it hits the stores.\n\nIf you'd like suggestions on books like those Sarah Stafford writes, check the box below and we'll send those recommendations straight to your inbox.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7167627811431885}
{"content": "US police shot and killed 987 people in 2017: Report\n\nWASHINGTON Police officers shot and killed nearly 1,000 people in the US in 2017, slightly more than the previous year, according to a tally published on Monday by The Washington Post.\n\n\nThe newspaper has been logging details of shootings by police in the US since 2015, tracking local news reports, public records and social media.\n\nThe use of deadly force by US police has attracted increased attention in recent years, highlighted by the high-profile slayings of a number of unarmed black men.\n\n\n\nBoth armed and unarmed, they accounted for 22 per cent of all people shot and killed by US police last year but make up just 6 per cent of the total US population.- AFP", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9926450848579407}
{"content": "How to Sculpt a Clay Animal\n\nArt EducationBrigida SwansonComment\nHow to sculpt a clay animal\n\nI teach my fifth grade class the basics of ceramic techniques by showing them how to make clay animal figurines. This is a great lesson to combine pinch methods, scratch and score and imagination. If you're a new teacher, or curious about how I teach this lesson, here is a script of my process with the kids.\n\nToday you will sculpt a four-legged animal with clay. You can make any sort of animal that you wish, whether it’s an animal in real life, a mythological creature, or an imaginary animal that you make up. The only requirement is that it should be an animal that stands on all four legs, like a cat, a unicorn or a turtle.\n\nStep 1: Gather Your Supplies\n\nHow to Sculpt a Clay Animal 1\n\nFor this project, you will need the following: ceramic clay (I use LF-06 White), a needle tool, a knife tool, slip, water, a canvas board or other surface to work on. You will definitely want to wear an apron and cover your table since working with clay gets very messy. For glazing, I recommend using the Stroke & Coat Wonderglaze line from Mayco. You will also need a variety of bristle brushes to glaze with.\n\nStep 2: Wedge the Clay\n\nStart with a block of clay that can fit comfortably into your hand. Before you start to sculpt your animal, you will need to wedge the clay. Wedging clay is a method to release as many air bubbles as possible that might be within the clay block. If air bubbles remain in the clay when it goes into the kiln to be fired, they will expand with the heat of the kiln and cause your sculpture to crack, shatter or explode. We’ll take as many preventative measures to stop that from happening.\n\nTo wedge your clay, stand up at your table and drop the block of clay onto the canvas board. Do this with a small amount of force: enough that it will hit the canvas with a steady drumbeat sound, but not with so much force that it causes the clay to flatten or create a loud banging sound.\n\nRepeat this motion, using your full arm and body to create the force. Turn your ball of clay each time you drop it onto the canvas so that it stays in a semi-round rock form. You want to avoid it turning into a flat pancake. If your clay does pancake out, fold it up again and re-wedge to get rid of the air bubbles created by the fold.\n\nStep 3: Start With a Pinch Pot\n\nHold your clay in the palm of one hand and use your other palm to tap any corners into more rounded edges. Try to focus on tapping the clay with your palm instead of rolling it in your hands. This will help prevent your hands from soaking up the moisture in the clay, and will keep the clay pliable for longer.\n\nWhen you have a loosely rounded ball shape, cup your clay in the rounded palm of one hand and use the thumb of your other hand to press a hole into the middle of the sphere. Press your thumb straight down and go pretty deep into the clay. Don’t press all the way through, but leave at least a thumb’s width or two at the bottom.\n\nStill keeping your clay in the palm of your hand, place your other thumb back into the hole it created. Place the rest of your fingers onto the outside of the clay. Very gently press your thumb outwards at the bottom of the clay while rotating the ball of clay around in your palm. Don’t press very hard. You don’t want to create a full pinch pot or bowl, but just want the thumb hole to get a little bit wider.\n\nStep 4: Sculpt the Legs\n\nKeep your clay in your palm, hole side facing up. Use your knife or needle tool to draw a plus sign that starts from the center of the hole and goes outward. You should have four lines. Use the side of your needle tool to cut each line all the way through the wall, going about halfway down the side of the ball. You will end up with four sections coming up from the base. Gently pry these sections apart to make them easier to work with. These sections will become your animal’s legs.\n\nNow, use your fingers to gently pinch or press each section into a rounded leg. For the sake of stability, you will want your animal’s legs to remain somewhat short and stubby, even if it’s going to be an animal like a horse or giraffe that normally has long spindly legs. Think of your sculpture as a cuter and more cartoon-y version of the animal. The shorter, thicker legs will help your animal to stay stable while standing on a table and will maintain enough thickness to prevent them from breaking as they dry. However, if your animal’s legs are excessively thick, you can gently press and pinch some of the clay from the legs to move it upwards toward the body.\n\nStep 5: Sculpt the Head and Tail\n\nTo sculpt the head, choose one side between two of the legs and start to gently pull and press the clay from the body into a lump coming out of the side. Keep doing this until you have the beginning of a rounded head shape. You can also press your thumb or finger from underneath and inside the body to hollow out the head a bit and make it larger.\n\nIf you do not have enough clay to fully pinch out a head, add more clay with a method called “scratch to attach.” Take a small piece of wedged clay and mold it into the form that you want to add onto the head. On the side of the piece where it will be attached, use your needle tool to roughly scratch lines into the clay. Do the same on the area of the head that will connect to the new piece. This is called scoring the clay. You want to be pretty rough and messy with these lines. Essentially, you are making a clay version of Velcro. Dab a small amount of slip (liquid clay that functions as glue) onto your scored areas. Press the two pieces together until they are very secure. Use your fingers to smooth out the connection point until you can’t see the seam anymore.\n\nRepeat the same process of pinching out the tail or attach more clay if needed. One tip for your animal’s tail is to keep it fairly close to the animal’s body to maintain sturdiness and prevent breakage. If you are sculpting a long tail, consider having it wrap around to be against the body elsewhere, or make it a bit thicker in a similar manner as the legs to create more stability.\n\nStep 6: Sculpt Details\n\nHow to Sculpt a Clay Animal 6\n\nConsider what details you want to include on your animal, such as facial features, a snout, ears, wings or claws. Pinch out what you can and add on more clay using the scratch to attach method. You can also use your knife tool to carve open a mouth and your needle tool to press in eyes.\n\nStep 7: Add Textures and Patterns\n\nHow to Sculpt a Clay Animal 7\n\nTo finish off your animal, add textures and patterns with the knife tool, needle tool, and anything else you can think of to press into the clay. The sides of screws rolled onto the side of the clay create a texture of fur, and the edges of straws make a nice circle pattern. Test out different materials for pressing in textures of fur, scales, shells or wool. Experiment with what works and gently smooth out anything that doesn’t work.\n\nStep 8: Prepare Your Sculpture for the Kiln\n\nHow to Sculpt a Clay Animal 8\n\nBefore you finish your animal, do a few things to get it ready to be fired. Use your needle tool to press deep holes from the underside of your animal in any areas that are a bit thicker. Press at least one hole into each leg. Holes pressed into the head and tail from the hollow interior outward are also a good idea. These needle holes don’t have to go through all the way to the other side. They will function as air release holes for any air bubbles you might have missed when wedging your clay.\n\nWrite your name or initials on the bottom of your sculpture with the needle tool. Let your clay dry out for about two weeks before firing it in the kiln. Depending on the sculpture’s size, it may take more or less time to dry completely. Check that it’s dry by carefully touching it with your fingers. If your sculpture feels cold, that means it’s still too wet to fire. When it’s ready, put it in the kiln.\n\nStep 9: Glaze Your Sculpture\n\nHow to sculpt a clay animal\n\nWhen your sculpture comes out of the kiln, you can glaze it in any color you want. Search for images of Oaxacan animal sculptures online to get some great ideas for painting your animal in a colorful and non-realistic way, or stick to the colors of the animal in real life. Follow the instructions on the glaze bottle, and stick to these general rules. Paint two or three layers of each color you use to ensure a glossy, vibrant finish. Don’t paint the bottom of the animal or any area that will touch the kiln shelf.\n\nAfter your animal has been glazed, put it back in the kiln for its second firing. When finished remove your sculpture and enjoy! Put it proudly on display or consider giving it as a handmade gift to someone you love.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9955636262893677}
{"content": "Circos maps\n\nClusters for different categories of genome elements are represented as a series of concentric circles by means of the program Circos (Krzywinski et al., 2009). Histograms of densities and tiles of genome clusters are shown for each genome category. Five representative categories are drawn from outside to inside: TFBSs, enhancers, Alus, CpG islands and genes:\n\n\nClusters of genome elements", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9257514476776123}
{"content": "San Fran Memorial1\nSan Francisco Memorial\n\nGeneral hospital\n\n\nSan Francisco, California\n\n\nSan Francisco Memorial is a general hospital in San Francisco.\n\n\nOroya FeverEdit\n\nWhen Piper fell victim to Oroya Fever, she was sent to this hospital for treatment, where Dr. Curtis Williamson ran tests on her blood. A number of people in this hospital fell ill to the disease due to an Awakening Spell.[1]\n\nDr. WilliamsonEdit\n\nAfter Piper's mysterious recovery from Oroya Fever, Dr. Williamson continued to research the blood of the Halliwells, conducting tests on The Charmed Monkeys. During this time, he was stabbed in the neck by Prue-Monkey and acquired the powers of the Charmed Ones.[2]\n\nPiper's DeathEdit\n\nAfter the sisters accidentally exposed their powers while being filmed by a news channel, Piper was shot by a crazy woman. Prue brought her to the hospital, but she died in the end. The military tried to break into the operation room to incapacitate Prue, but she held them at bay until Tempus reversed time.[3]\n\nAva NicolaeEdit\n\nA gypsy named Ava Nicolae is warned by her aunt about a Gypsy Hunter coming for her tribe, but she refused to believe. When Lydia died fighting Cree, her spirit appeared to Ava in mulo to warn her again, this time with more success.[4]\n\nChris Halliwell is BornEdit\n\nAfter an emergency C-Section, Piper delivered her son Chris Halliwell at this hospital.[5]\n\n\nKnown PatientsEdit\n\nNotes and TriviaEdit", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8659787178039551}
{"content": "On going efforts in our laboratories have culminated in the development of novel procedures for effecting the catalysis of representative intramolecular [4+2] and [2+2+2] cycloaddition reactions on Rh(I) templates (J. Am. Chem. Soc.,112, 4965, 1990). Significantly, we have discovered that highly enantioselective variations of these transforma-tions can be achieved by the use of rhodium catalysts modified by specifically designed chiral bisphosphine ligands which differentiate the metal center both spatially and electronically (Tetrahedron,50, 6155, 1994). These new chiral rhodium complexes are currently being exploited in asymmetric variations of the Rh(I) catalyzed [4+2] cycloaddition reaction (Tetrahedron,50, 6145, 1994) and the hydroboration of alkenes. Recently, we have discovered a new protocol for effecting [2 + 2 + 1] cyclopentenone annulations that are catalyzed by cobalt complexes (J. Am. Chem. Soc.,118, 2285, 1996; Tetrahedron Lett.,39, 7637 and 7641, 1998). This remarkable catalytic reaction is currently being exploited in an efficient synthetic approach to the alkaloid magellanenone as well as several other natural products and bioactive molecules. \n\n\n\nOrganic, Synthesis", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9768293499946594}
{"content": "The 10 Best Resources For Businesses\n\nWhat Successful Business Persons in Dubai Do\n\nThose who stay and tour in Dubai have crucial information about here. In fact, most people embrace their stay in this country because of the advantages they gain in business. With all the attractive and appealing buildings in Dubai, many business persons are interested in have their own businesses in this country. Most Dubai citizens are always happy because they get what they expect. If you have always failed in your business and wish to be a happy, successful business person, then Dubai is the place to be. However, all the fruitful business persons will have strategies when they are starting businesses.\n\nThe dressing code and the manners that people from Dubai is what makes them unique from any other countries that are neighboring. If you want others to respect you, then you need to have some self- respect. Arabs are the most respectful and religious persons you will ever come to see. That is the main reason you need to earn some respect by dressing respectfully. When you dress half naked, you should never expect to see people coming to your shop because they will be ashamed on your behalf. To avoid all that, look for some decent attires.\n\nFor you to make it here, you need to be ready to organize business meetings. During these meetings, that is when you are able to learn about the business partner more. If you need to take some coffee while discussing some business matters, then why not go for it? If you know your limitations, then the meetings will be worthwhile. You need to have a good website where you and your customers can discuss some business matters. Some meetings are unhealthy, and that is why you need to be careful. You need to hold your meetings in some public areas especially when you are meeting with a customer of the opposite sex. If you notice anything that is nearing sexual harassment, then you should call off the meeting.\n\nIf you want to be a successful business person, then you should be willing to give meetings and deals to go through. It might be a waste of time to rush some activities that have not been approved. Reformation could be advisable when you want to come to Dubai, yet you are an impatient person. That is the reason why you need to be patient and let the meeting or negotiation be taken as slow as possible. When you let impatience take over you, then you might end up losing to your competitors. To gain success, then you need to practice what the citizens here do.\n\nAnother Source: read", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8157658576965332}
{"content": "07-29-2017 | Lindsay\n\nThe dark green leaves of the vine-laden, twisted old ash tree are twinkling in the light after the sudden rainstorm.  Beyond it, down by the creek, the ancient willow stump is fat and full with graceful, slender branches rising directly out of the gnarled core.  July at Rolling Ridge has meant an outpouring of untamed green life, driven by capricious skies: nourishing downpours giving way to brilliant sun, and back again.  It’s a changeable season, unpredictable; and that seems of a piece with affairs on all levels of our world right now.  Whereas the rockiness of the wider, political world foments distress and anxiety, the topsy-turvy tumble of rain and light in our small nook of the universe gives rise to exuberant foliage and riotous green life.  The Earth holds it all, the trouble and the joy, but it is hard to find footing.\n\nOur community gathered this week for supper and a conversation aimed at humor.  It seemed like the right time for it.  We abandoned the customary moment of silence and opened with a few minutes of forced laughter, which caught on like wildfire. Most of us had brought jokes and cartoons and links to our favorite funny videos.  What we discovered was that we differ in what makes us laugh just as much as in everything else. The landscape of humor has some treacherous crannies and bogs. But grace can and does befall us.  It is good, in the midst of uncertain times, to cultivate generosity and wholeheartedly hold onto one another in laughter as in all else.  There are many ways to weather turbulent seas.\n\nThe on-again-off-again precipitation of recent days seems not to bother the creatures or the birds around here.  If anything, they appear to revel in the sudden wet interludes and bursts of sun.  The blue birds flit unconcerned through the rain from branch to shed, while in the glistening, soaked aftermath of a cloudburst, I caught the stunning flash of a scarlet tanager alighting in the willow and the graceful lines of the wood thrush searching for grubs in the damp grasses.  Each attends to the task at hand in all kinds of weather, intent on being, and secure.\n\nRilke wrote, in the first lines of his poem, “Gravity’s Law”:\n\nHow surely gravity’s law,\nstrong as an ocean current,\ntakes hold of the smallest thing\nand pulls it toward the heart of the world.\n\nEach thing—\neach stone, blossom, child—\nis held in place.\n\nWhile the radio and TV shout breaking news and our phones buzz and tweet, a whole other conversation is going on.  It is the one about belonging, about finding a tether, a foothold, in the heart of the world.\n\nWhen it pours, as it did erratically all afternoon, the rain drums on the roof and rafters of our small, attic-less house, calling to mind these words from Thomas Merton in Raids on the Unspeakable:\n\nThe rain surrounded the cabin…with a whole world of meaning… Think of it: all that speech pouring down, selling nothing, judging nobody, drenching the thick mulch of dead leaves, soaking the trees, filling the gullies and crannies of the wood with water…Nobody started it, nobody is going to stop it.  It will talk as long as it wants, the rain.  As long as it talks I am going to listen.\n\nMichael Meade, that scholar and keeper of the old stories says, “In mythic terms, the earth is a place of mystery and wonder where life always hangs by a thread and all the events of history are loosely stitched upon the endless loom of eternity.  Secretly, we are each tied to the divine.”  Yes, and tied to place, to one another, to the vast communion of beings, and as Mary Oliver notes, to our place in “the family of things.”  It seems to me that in an erratic and storm-tossed season, and an unraveling, disorienting world, the vital task is to listen, not to the infernal noise, but to one another’s laughter and to the rain: the deep tones of connection and community, all that speech pouring down.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5374010801315308}
{"content": "Country Cupboard in Fenelon under new ownership\n\nin Uncategorised by\n\nJulia Taylor has recently taken over as the new owner of Country Cupboard in Fenelon Falls, where their famous frozen yogurt will continue to be served.\n\nLocated at 9 May Street in the village, Country Cupboard offers high quality vitamins and supplements, natural beauty products, eco-friendly cleaning products, essential oils, organic and alternative foods and pantry staples in bulk, and everything else you expect to find in a health food store.\n\n“Our service is friendly, experienced, and exceptional,” says Taylor, pointing out her main employee is Carson Keeler, the previous owner (both pictured), who has over 25 years experience in the supplement and health food industry.\n\nCountry Cupboard is pleased to offer free jars and cloth bags for bulk food purchases so the community can easily reduce their carbon footprint and environmental impact, or customers can bring their own reusable containers and enjoy 10 per cent off for doing their part.\n\n“Our goal is to provide more opportunities to reduce waste by adding household basics like dish washing liquid, laundry detergent, and other household staples to our bulk section,” she says.\n\nTaylor notes they also plan on increasing locally sourced produce and goods to improve the local economy and food security.\n\n“Health, community, and the environment are an important part of our bottom line.”\n\nThis summer Country Cupboard will be introducing a dairy-free and gluten-free option frozen yogurt.\n\nRoderick Benns is the publisher of The Lindsay Advocate. He is the author of 'Basic Income: How a Canadian Movement Could Change the World,' and is also Vice Chair of the Ontario Basic Income Network. An award-winning author and journalist who grew up in Lindsay, Roderick has interviewed former Prime Ministers of Canada, Senators, and Mayors across Canada. He also wrote and published a series of books for youth about Canada's Prime Ministers as teens.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9985104203224182}
{"content": "VIEW FROM HERE--For historians, the current president of the United States is terra incognita. Donald John Trump is the first of the 44 individuals who have held the office to never have been a government functionary. Even men like U.S. Grant and Dwight Eisenhower served in high-ranking military positions, overseeing the huge bureaucracy of war. As far as I am aware, Trump has never even been a local commissioner, let alone an elected official. \n\nMY TURN-It’s time for the DNC to wake up and realize that the so-called “progressives” of the Bernie Sanders group are neither progressive nor interested in really supporting any platform that doesn’t pass their “Bernie Purity test.”\n\nFIRST PERSON-In her book Democracy inChains, Professor Nancy MacLean of Duke University in North Carolinalays out how the over 40-year master plan funded by the Koch brothers and other mega-rich oligarchs has dumbed down the American electorate to the point that it is now incapable of understanding what she is talking about because they no longer have the requisite critical thinking skills needed to do so. In 2018, we see that these skills have been systematically removed from our public education system, much like in the Orwellian “newspeak world” presciently described in George Orwell's novel,1984\n\nSHOOT FIRST, ASK LATER BEING QUESTIONED-On the heels of police officers shooting a young, unarmed black man to death in Sacramento, California, last month, state lawmakers announced a first-of-its-kind bill on Monday that raises the standard for when officers may open fire. \n\nSPOILING THE MESSAGE-Liberty means freedom. Freedom is not about borders, passports, drivers’ licenses, tax stubs and censuses. Freedom is not about race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, or one's economic worth. What is freedom if not the feeling of being free? What is freedom if not the pursuit of life and happiness? \n\nVIEW FROM HERE--The online Oxford dictionary defines the word siege as a “military operation in which enemy forces surround a town or building, cutting off essential supplies, with the aim of compelling those inside to surrender.”\n\nMore Articles ...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8765334486961365}
{"content": "Getting Married to an American citizen on a Tourist Visa: Know the risks\n\n\nIf you are applying for a US tourist visa for purposes of marriage to an American citizen in the United States during your brief stay in the country and hope fast track your legal status from tourist/ visitor to immigrant, then you must think twice before doing it.\n\nWhile love does move \"in mysterious ways\", proving the validity of a whirlwind marriage to the probing eyes of United States Department of State can be extremely difficult and may hold unfavorable and devastating consequences to you and your fiancé/ fiancée.\n\nSimilarly, if your intention to obtain a tourist/ visitor visa is to marry an American citizen in the United States with the promise of coming back after your limited stay expires, that may still not guarantee you an approval from the US Embassy.\n\nWhat are the risks?\n\nAlthough you may reason that true love is the ultimate cause of your whirlwind marriage to your American citizen fiancé/fiancée, the Embassy is not easily get convinced that you are telling the truth. Due to the number of cases of visa fraud involving non-immigrants using their US tourist visas to hasten the process of applying for permanent residence by marriage to their American citizen lovers during their brief stay in the United States as tourists, your case, more than likely, will be an item for investigation.\n\nOnce the Embassy conducts a field investigation and you fail to prove that your intention to get married is not to hasten the process of obtaining immigrant status by immediately applying for permanent residence after the marriage, allowing you to have a reason to extend your stay in the United States, then you may face fraud charges and possibly be banned from entering the United States. Your US citizen fiance at the same time may be subjected to criminal prosecution if it is proven that he/ she took part in assisting with fraud.\n\nWhat is the better option?\n\nBecause nothing is impossible, coming to the United States on a tourist visa and meeting someone who is an American citizen and marrying that someone during the tourist visa holder's brief stay can happen. It can even be a viable reason for the tourist to adjust their status from a visitor to permanent residency after the marriage but the potential risks of proving that the couple's intentions are pure and not fraudulent can still be a looming possibility.\n\nThere are many other ways to get married and obtain immigrant status in the United States but they have certain requirements that involve a lengthier process. Sometimes, for various reasons ranging from poor health to financial constraints, applicants trying to get to the United States on a permanent basis through marriage find ways to shorten the process by resorting to illegal and fraudulent means such as using a tourist visa instead of properly applying for a K1 or Fiancé/ Fiancée Visa.\n\nWhat's the difference between a tourist/ visitor visa and a K1 visa?\n\nThere are two kinds of visitor visas, a \"nonimmigrant visa for temporary stay, or an immigrant visa for permanent residence\".\n\nA tourist/ visitor visa is obtained by people who want to stay in the United States on a temporary basis.\n\nTechnically, a tourist visa falls under three categories.\n\nThe B-1 tourist visa is obtained for business purposes. The B-2 tourist visa is obtained for pleasure such as tourism, vacations or for visiting purposes. The B-1/B-2 tourist visa is a combination of both.\n\nAccording to the US Department of State, obtaining permanent residence is not allowed on visitor visas.\n\nTo find out what are permitted and not permitted on visitor visas, here.\n\nOn the other hand, K-1 visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows the applicant to get married with his or her American citizen fiancé/ fiancée for a limited time in the United States. This type of visa allows the applicant to obtain permanent residence after the marriage ceremony has taken place and the proper application for permanent residence had been filed.\n\nTo get more information about K-1 visa, you may visit the USCIS website or click here.\n\nI want to know more about my options, who can I contact?\n\nConsulting a licensed immigration attorney is the best option if you want to know more about getting married in the United States with your American citizen fiancé/ fiancée without fear of facing potential legal risks and consequences.\n\nArticle Disclaimer: This article is made available by the lawyer publisher for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide specific legal advice. Use of this article does not create an Attorney Client Relationship. This article does not offer or dispense legal advice. By using the article, the reader agrees that the information does not constitute legal or other professional advice and no attorney-client or other relationship is created. The article is not a substitute for obtaining legal advice from a qualified attorney licensed in your jurisdiction. The information on the article may be changed without notice and is not guaranteed to be complete, correct or up-to-date. The opinions expressed at or through the article are the opinions of the individual author. The article should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your jurisdiction.\n\n\n  • 23rd Floor Bonifacio Stopover Corporate Center 31st Street corner 2nd Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Philippines 1634\n\nFollow Us", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6780598163604736}
{"content": "Helen Matthews\n\nHelen Matthews is a mum of two and writer, ‘gritting’* her way through writing fiction, including two novels. She is also an editor at a business consultancy, resisting the temptation to introduce drama and suspense into industry publications.\n\n*Grit (in psychology) is a combination of perseverance and passion for long-term goals.\n\n\nArticles by Helen Matthews:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9866308569908142}
{"content": "\n\nThankfully, scientists say this collision will not happen in our lifetime, as the star’s bow shock (the area between an object’s stellar wind and the interstellar medium) is predicted to hit the wall in approximately 5,000 years – with the star colliding some 12,500 year after that. Phew. Kinda.\n\nThis wall was initially thought to have manifested from the debris of a dying star, yet a deeper look into the mass found that it is more likely a collection of dust bound together by an interstellar magnetic field, illuminated by the light of the Betelgeuse star.\n\nScientists say that Betelgeuse is about 1,000 times larger and 100,000 times brighter than the sun, and is destined to briefly outshine the entire galaxy when it goes out thousands of years from now, in a blaze of supernova greatness. Right now though, the dying red star is in a state of upheaval, as it is suffers from an intergalactic death rattle that is causing it to rapidly fall to pieces.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.910485029220581}
{"content": "Book Launch: Werecockroach – Science Fantasy Novella\n\nIt’s launch day for my new novella! Werecockroach is a tale of aliens and werecockroaches. I’ll talk a little bit about the book, including a few story notes with background on some of the themes. But first, here are some quick links if you want to skip all that. The book is available at Amazon US, Amazon UK and Smashwords. Other retailers are listed on the official book page. The page also has links to cover merchandise and a brief content guide.\n\n\nBook Description\n\nRin moves into a new flat on the day the aliens arrive. Their new flatmates are laid-back Sanjay and conspiracy theorist Pete. It doesn’t take long to notice some oddities about the pair, like hoarding cardboard and hissing at people when they’re angry. Something strange is going on, but it’s not all due to the aliens.\n\nThe book also includes a bonus short story, from the perspective of one of the supporting characters from the novella.\n\n Werecockroach  Cover\n\n\nOn Cockroaches\n\nThe idea for the book came from having hissing cockroaches as pets. One of the biggest misconceptions when people find out about my pets is that they’re like the cockroaches that invade people’s kitchens. There are a lot of different species of cockroaches. Hissers aren’t one of the ones that people will see in their homes (outside of being pets).\n\nThey’re from the forests of Madagascar and eat things that have fallen to the forest floor. Pet cockroaches are fed mainly on fruit and vegetables, with a little meat protein here and there. They don’t smell strongly, they don’t fly, and they tame easily. All round, they’re very hardy and easy to keep.\n\nThey hiss in various different ways. The one people typical know is the loud disturbance hiss, but they make a number of other hisses. A common one is a soft hiss that accompanies normal daily activities. They’ll sometimes hiss to themselves and sometimes they’ll hiss back and forth with another cockroach. Some are more vocal than others. I’ve had some that hardly ever hiss to some that hiss softly for most of the time they’re awake.\n\nThe biggest thing I’ve learnt from keeping them is how much personality they have. Each cockroach is different. They like different foods and they react in different ways. They learn and remember, which is why they soon get to know that I’m not a dangerous predator who wants to eat them. They’re funny little critters, and if they could turn into humans, I’d be happy to invite them round for tea.\n\n\nOn Identity and Time\n\nThe characters in the novella share aspects of my identity, though it doesn’t mean that they have identical life experiences. One thing I had to consider was how age would change things. When I was younger, being androgynous was the only way that I’d heard to describe being non-binary, long before I’d ever heard the term non-binary. It also wasn’t uncommon for anyone who didn’t quite fit in a gay/straight divide to end up in the bisexual community, so that was primarily how I described myself when I was younger, rather than aromantic and asexual.\n\nRin wouldn’t have grown up with those experiences. Information has been much more available since the internet, as well as giving people better access to communities. This isn’t a bad thing, but it is a different thing, so the book was partly an exercise in considering how things might have gone differently if I’d been born a little bit later. Would I have chosen agender instead of androgyne to describe my gender? Would I have gone directly to aroace? I won’t ever really know, but it was likely enough to say that’s how it went for Rin.\n\nMy experiences of dyslexia (Rin) and sensory processing disorder (Pete) were also influenced by age. There was some awareness of dyslexia when I was younger, though it mostly didn’t go beyond maybe giving someone a bit of extra time in tests. I didn’t know SPD existed until I was well into adulthood. Before that, I was treated as being picky, because no one really acknowledged that those sensory things caused a lot of discomfort and pain.\n\nHidden hearing loss is probably the most influenced by time, as the studies that identified it were only in the 21st century. Even Rin would have been born before anyone knew about that. But I liked the idea of them knowing what was going on. It would have helped me to know a lot earlier than I did (I was obviously aware that I had tinnitus once I was old enough to realise that not everyone had loud sounds in their ears, but hidden hearing loss was a later thing).\n\nWhat has stayed about the same is my experience of race, because people react much the same way now as they did when I was younger. Not everything is progress.\n\nThe Foxfire Lights – Elizabeth O’Connell\n\nFoxfire Lights CoverSeries: Hal Bishop Mysteries, #2\nFirst Published: 26th August, 2016\nGenre: Historical Fantasy / Novel\nAvailable: | Amazon UK\n\nJem and his brother Hal are called to break another curse. Lord Ransom’s youngest child is sick under strange circumstances.\n\nThe setup for this book is very similar to the first in the series. A child is cursed due to events in the family’s past. Jem and Hal have to uncover those events to understand the curse. It’s based on making deals with spirits, which is resolved in a similar way. It also repeats a fair bit of character development, as Hal goes back to not wanting to share his thoughts with Jem. This means there isn’t really any progress on the overall series story of figuring out what happened to Jem and Hal’s father.\n\nThere are some areas of improvement. In the first book, only magical disabilities were shown. In this, there is some sickness due to magic, but there’s also a disabled supporting character. Matthew, one of the sons of Lord Ransom, was born with a back injury and is non-neurotypical. There’s the suggestion that he doesn’t feel empathy (rather than just not showing empathy). It’s made very clear this isn’t magical, and a positive future is suggested for him.\n\nIsabella, Lord Ransom’s wife, is from Argentina. She’s not particularly fleshed out as a character. I’d have liked more of her story, even if it wasn’t directly related to the local events.\n\nA character is blinded in one eye towards the end, though it’s late enough that there’s not a lot to say about it in this book.\n\nIt isn’t a bad book and will appeal to people who enjoyed the first book. A lot of the things that stood out in the first are apparent here. The world is one where industrial magic is common. The curse breaking provides opportunities for interesting investigations. There’s folklore woven into the narrative. It just feels like it repeats too much from the first book, rather than building on that foundation.\n\n\nPaddington (Film)\n\nPaddington CoverGenre: Children’s Fantasy / Film\nMain Creative Team: Paul King (director, writer, story); Hamish McColl (story); David Heyman (producer)\nMain Cast: Ben Whishaw; Sally Hawkins; Hugh Bonneville; Madeleine Harris; Samuel Joslin; Julie Walters; Jim Broadbent; Nicole Kidman; Peter Capaldi; Tim Downie; Michael Gambon; Imelda Staunton\nFirst Shown: 28th November, 2014\nAvailable: | Amazon UK\n\nThe original Paddington Bear books, by Michael Bond (who has a cameo in the film), began publication in the late 1950s. The film isn’t a retelling of any specific book, but follows the same basic idea. Paddington’s (Ben Whishaw) home in Peru is destroyed, so he stows away on a ship heading for London. Once there, he ends up at Paddington Station, where he meets the Brown family. But things take a sinister turn when a taxidermist (Nicole Kidman) finds out he’s arrived.\n\nI wasn’t sure how funny I’d find the film, as some of the humour stems from Paddington not understanding what’s going on and making mistakes. However, the funny side tended to be that things turned out unexpectedly, rather than Paddington feeling embarrassed or upset. I find the former funny, but the latter makes me uncomfortable. So I was glad it focused on unexpected resolutions.\n\nThe interactions between the Browns were great. At the start, there are obviously tensions in the family. Mr Brown (Hugh Bonneville) is very serious and obsessed with trying to shield everyone from risks. Judy (Madeleine Harris) sides with him over Paddington, because she wants the family to appear normal and not be embarrassing. On the other side, there’s Mrs Brown (Sally Hawkins), who is an artist, and Jonathan (Samuel Joslin), who dreams of being an astronaut. The dreamer side of the family want to help Paddington. I liked seeing how the family came together and sorted out their differences.\n\nHowever, my favourite member of the family was Mrs Bird (Julie Walters), an elderly relative. Her asides, and her practical approach to dealing with Paddington, were very funny. She knows what’s really going on, even if it takes the Browns a little longer to figure it out.\n\nThere’s a magical realism feel to the film. Paddington causes some comment, but most people either ignore that he’s a bear or accept it after an initial comment. Things shift around the characters, such as the mural changing in the Brown’s house, the band playing the background music appearing in the scene, and the dolls house in the attic becoming a tiny version of the Brown’s house. This works particularly well due to the film being live action, as it grounds the surreal elements in the real.\n\nOne possible issue is whether people will make the connection between a bear in a children’s story and real refugees. I felt this was handled reasonably well, as there are references that reinforce this connection. Paddington has a label around his neck, reminiscent of child evacuees in World War II. This is stated directly in the film by his Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton), who hopes it will remind people of their past kindness. Putting this into the story was a nice touch, as it’s something the author of the books said was a direct inspiration for Paddington’s label.\n\nSome of the hostility Paddington faces is based on fears about immigrants. The Brown’s neighbour, Mr Curry (Peter Capaldi), is worried that bears will end up taking over the neighbourhood and keep him awake with their jungle music. The narrative makes it very clear that Mr Curry isn’t a nice person. In contrast, Paddington also meets Mr Gruber (Jim Broadbent), who was a Jewish child refugee. Mr Gruber is warm, kind, and everything Mr Curry isn’t.\n\nColonialism is tackled in the tradition of snark and sarcasm. The film opens with an old colonial explorer (Tim Downie) on an expedition to Peru. He’s taken only the essentials, which means a trail of baggage including a large clock and a piano. Later, as the bears are learning English from a recording, it announces to them that British people have numerous words for rain, in a parody of the statements made about Inuit people and snow. Peru is referred to as Darkest Peru, as it is in the book, though the repetition of this is taken to an extreme that highlights its ridiculousness. Many of these moments are subtle, but clear in their critique of colonial attitudes.\n\nThe choice of villain also reinforces an anti-colonial narrative: she’s a taxidermist working at the Natural History Museum, who wants to return to a time when the best way to deal with a new species was to kill it and mount it as a trophy. She represents the old values, with all the problems that come with them. Her scenes are particularly chilling, because she is so callous about the value of life.\n\nThough I generally liked the film, there were moments I didn’t like. There’s a scene where Mr Brown dresses as a woman as a disguise and a security guard flirts with him. These kinds of scenes rely on the idea that a man dressing as a woman is inherently funny, and that a man flirting with another man is funny. I did like some aspects of how it was handled though. Mr Brown later comments on the clothing being liberating. The disguise represents the first risk he takes to help Paddington, stepping outside of the constrictive life he’s constructed. It’s more unusual to follow up such scenes with a positive framing (it tends to be “never again, because I’m a manly man” rather than “actually, that was fine”).\n\nI recognise that Paddington being called Paddington is unavoidable given the source, but it does still make me wince that he gets named because his name is deemed unpronounceable. That’s always been the part of the story that doesn’t sit well with me.\n\nPaddington is a light-hearted family film with genuinely funny moments. I enjoyed seeing the Brown family come together and loved the visual style. The topic of refugees and immigration is as relevant now as ever, and the film presents this in a positive way. I would note some of the taxidermy scenes could be frightening for younger viewers. No animals are harmed, but the intentions are clear, and there are previously stuffed animals on show.\n\nEverybody’s Gone to the Rapture\n\nGame LogoDeveloper: The Chinese Room\nFirst Release: 11th August, 2015\nVersion Played: PlayStation 4\nAvailable: PS Store US | PS Store UK | Steam\n\nEveryone has disappeared in a small village in Shropshire. All that remains are the things they left behind and a mysterious light.\n\nThis is an exploration game, where the story of the apocalypse is uncovered by searching around for scenes. These act out what went on before and during the event. The people are made from light, showing it’s a memory of what’s happened, not something happening in real time. Each area is named for a person, and finding all their important scenes unlocks the finale to their story.\n\nThough it’s a story about strange events, it focuses much more on the human side. It’s about how people in the village cope with what’s going on. It’s about their relationships and history. Tying it all together is the story of Kate and Stephen, the scientists working at the local observatory. Kate is African American, a woman with a doctorate, and kept her last name after marriage. All things that don’t go down well in an insular village. Stephen, her husband, is a local lad. He doesn’t really understand the issues Kate is facing.\n\nI enjoyed the way the story unfolded, from finding the first blood-stained tissues to the final revelations. There are some answers, but there’s also a lot left open to interpretation.\n\nThe village is a great setting for the game. The beautiful countryside is a strong contrast to the horrors. There’s a feeling of isolation from walking around the empty houses and streets. It’s also a little surreal due to the way time moves around the player. Each area is at a different time of day, so the sun swings around quickly at the transitions. Then it waits until the player moves on. I felt as though the light was trying to explain what happened, though why remains a mystery, as the character controlled by the player is never revealed.\n\nA farm field in the game\n\nImage Caption: An open gate leads into a field of golden wheat, ready for harvest. Trees surround the field. A barn and a windmill are in the distance.\n\nAccessibility is a problem, due to the terrible save system. There’s no manual save. The autosave only happens at points where the player has to tilt the controller to see a scene. Nothing else makes the save happen, including story scenes that happen when close by (the majority of them), listening to radios, and finding collectibles. As there are a limited number of tilt scenes, this means it’s very easy to lose progress. My first two goes at the game, I didn’t get very far before I had to stop due to motion sickness. My next attempt, I avoided activating the tilt story scenes. Instead, I kept a list, and only backtracked to them when I needed to stop. Being able to save frequently is really important for people who need to keep playtimes short.\n\nThere is a decent density of things to find for the size of area. There are also quick routes to previous areas if required. However, the game does have collectibles and players may need to search for missed scenes. Which means the lack of a proper run to backtrack is an issue. There is sort of a run, as holding one button down will eventually increase the speed, but it doesn’t help much. Restricting players to walking speed only really works when there’s no need to go backwards. I probably felt this more because of the need to backtrack to saves all the time (often whilst feeling sick, so getting there quickly would have made it a lot more comfortable).\n\nI realise developers do these things because they think it helps immersion and makes the experience more magical. So to be clear, this does not make me feel immersed and does not improve my gaming experience. Nothing kills the mood more than having to keep lists of where I can save and hoping I can get there before I vomit on my PlayStation.\n\nIn terms of story and setting, it’s an interesting game. It relies on creating a chilling atmosphere, rather than jump scares and the like. There’s some blood and dead animals, but it doesn’t go heavily into gore. It’s likely to appeal to anyone who likes that quiet horror feel. I only wish some of the technical aspects, such as running and the save system, had been as carefully done. It feels like the way someone who doesn’t play games might design those features, which isn’t very practical for actually playing.\n\nThe Rowanwood Curse – Elizabeth O’Connell\n\nThe Rowanwood Curse CoverSeries: Hal Bishop Mysteries, #1\nFirst Published: 23rd January, 2016\nGenre: Historical Fantasy / Novel\nAvailable: | Amazon UK\n\nJem is the apprentice of his magician brother Hal, and is bored of the dull routine work they’ve been taking on. Then Hal is called to break a curse on Sir Jasper Pryce’s daughter. In order to break it, Hal must figure out who cast the curse and why.\n\nThe story is told by Jem as he aids Hal. It has a very Sherlock Holmes vibe, being set in a similar era with the companion of the genius sleuth as the one writing the story. That said, the relationship dynamics are different, as they’re brothers. As well as the case at hand, it explores some of the circumstances around their father’s death. Hal initially tries to keep those things from Jem, but does start to share before the end. It looks like that mystery will continue to be developed as the series progresses.\n\nThis is a world where magic was the major push in the industrial revolution. Spirits and elementals are bound into machines to make them function. Industrial magic is treated as a science, with formal teaching and rigid thinking about how it works. The result is local folktales and magical teachings are dismissed as superstition. Local wise women aren’t considered true magical practitioners, unlike the learned gentlemen who’ve studied it at academic institutions. I liked the handling of this aspect of the world, as it mirrors the real systematic bias against local knowledge. It’s also clear the bias is wrong. Hal realises there’s a lot the magical institutions don’t know, and the local yarbwoman has valuable information for the case.\n\nIt’s an interesting mystery, weaving in folklore with family secrets. The focus on understanding the curse is a twist on usual murder mystery formats.\n\nI wasn’t comfortable with the handing of disability. All examples of mental illness are people who’ve been affected by magic. They’re possessed, cursed, or otherwise been driven mad by magic. It would have been nice to see a contrast to this, rather than having magically induced mental illness as the only sort that existed. There’s also a heavy layer of pity towards the idea of being disabled, and Jem is upset that people will think him an invalid for having to take medication (for his magic sensitivity). Sir Jasper is blind in one eye, but as that aspect is barely there, it’s not really a counterpoint to the idea that disability is the end, and caused by magic.\n\nOverall, it was an entertaining story, and sets up some bigger mysteries for the future. It will appeal to people who like crossovers between mystery and historical fantasy.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7224761247634888}
{"content": "21st Jun 2018\n\n\nSilk Road: China's project could transform Eurasia\n\n  • Tbilisi: Connectivity is a huge challenge in the region (Photo: Thomas Depenbusch)\n\n\n\nRead and decide\n\nJoin EUobserver today\n\nSupport quality EU news\n\n\n... our join as a group\n\n\n\nIn Georgia last week, China started its push out to explain its vision to the world at the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum. This represented the first event on the Silk Road Economic Belt co-sponsored by China’s government held outside China, placing Georgia on the map as an important partner in the project.\n\nThe clearest message from the Tbilisi conference is the importance of cooperation and greater connectivity. The Chinese vision is founded on developing a network of trade and economic corridors originating in China.\n\nIn a region where connectivity is a huge challenge, this approach suits not only regional development but also China – China has a surfeit of capacity and liquidity to fund such infrastructure so necessary to increasing trade and commerce.\n\nAt the same time, this is not an entirely new concept – the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has long had its Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (Carec) programme and the European Investment Bank has funded numerous projects, particularly in energy connectivity.\n\nThere is a clear demand for these various institutions and regional approaches to find ways of greater integration and cooperation. Regional conferences like the Forum are one way to try to advance it.\n\nBut regional connectivity does not necessarily equate to regional prosperity in itself. Increased connectivity means an increase in trade by sea, air, road and rail, but transiting goods does not always mean immediate benefits to local communities.\n\nIf these regional connectivity plans are going to truly benefit those along the way, then more work needs to be done to identify ways in which transit countries can benefit more than simply passing on goods and commodities to their neighbours.\n\nThis touches on one of the key under-developed, or at least under-communicated, aspects of the Chinese vision. How will this benefit locals?\n\nOne way is to establish special economic zones, which focus on attracting investors to set up businesses that maintain expertise, trade and manufacturing in-country. It is an approach China has championed to some success at home. But, these require specific infrastructure, market liberalization, incentives and assurances in business security to ensure investor trust.\n\nFurthermore, connectivity is not solely a question of economics. For some of the countries along the Silk Road Economic Belt, there are fundamental political and geographical problems between states whereby establishing direct transport links is problematic.\n\nFor example, anyone who has travelled between the capital cities of the Central Asian states will know that finding direct and regular flights is problematic, instead having to route through Turkey or Dubai.\n\nIn other situations, regional dynamics between great powers impairs direct trade connections, for example between Pakistan and India.\n\nAt a more fundamental level, however, the biggest problem around connectivity is the lack of harmonised trade tariffs, technical standards and customs procedures.\n\nOne delegate at the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum said 40 percent of transport time across Eurasia is spent at border crossings, adding costs to both transport operators and consumers.\n\nAssociations like the Eurasian Economic Union offer a slightly more streamlined economic space, but this covers a limited part of the wide piece of territory covered under the Silk Road Economic Belt.\n\nMoreover, non-members immediately incur a separate and higher tariff compared to members, thus making any harmonization impossible.\n\nA huge amount of work needs to go into focusing on where and how to establish common standards, streamline trade and economics barriers, address non-tariff barriers and improve customs practices across the entire region.\n\nGreater digitalisation of customer paperwork, for example, is required, although this would mean alterations in much national legislation.\n\nChina’s re-emergence as a Eurasian land power is going to transform the entire landmass. The Silk Road Economic Belt is the first public and holistic expression of this.\n\nHowever, rather than being a purely China-dictated vision, it is clear that the intention is for countries like Georgia to engage with China on cooperatively shaping the vision and tackling the issues. China is consciously reaching out for this, as demonstrated by the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum.\n\nNow is the time for Western European countries to follow Georgia’s example to understand the benefits it can reap in further cooperation on the Silk Road.\n\nRaffaello Pantucci is director of international security studies and Sarah Lain is a research fellow at Rusi, a London-based think tank. They also served as rapporteurs at the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum\n\nHungary signs up to Silk Road project\n\nHungary has become the first EU country to join China's flagship initiative, which aims to revitalise a historic trade route between Europe and the Far East.\n\nChina urges Britain to stay inside EU\n\nChinese leader Xi Jinping has urged the UK not to leave the EU in a rare intervention in a foreign country’s internal affairs.\n\nSupported by\n\nNews in Brief\n\n  1. PES to announce 'spitzenkandidat' names in October\n  2. Macedonian parliament ratifies name deal\n  3. EU to hit US with import duties from Friday\n  4. Commission: New on-road CO2 test would take years\n  5. Juncker orders migration 'mini-summit' on Sunday\n  6. Luxembourg gave illegal state aid to energy firm\n  7. Negotiators lower finger printing age of refugees to six\n  8. EU to lift its internal data storage barriers\n\nStakeholders' Highlights\n\n  5. Nordic Council of MinistersEnergy Solutions for a Greener Tomorrow\n\nLatest News\n\n  1. How to get around the EU posted workers directive\n  2. EU needs comprehensive 'sexuality education'\n  3. Fate of EU refugee deal hangs in the balance\n  4. Merkel, Macron in pre-summit pledge on migration, eurozone\n  5. Hungary to push ahead with 'Stop Soros' law on NGOs\n  6. Swedish party puts EU referendums back in fashion\n  7. EU summit set to outsource asylum\n  8. Dutch request to clarify Brexit Britons' rights annulled\n\nStakeholders' Highlights\n\n  2. ACCAEmpowering Businesses to Engage with Sustainable Finance and the SDGs\n  4. FIFAGreen Stadiums at the 2018 Fifa World Cup\n  7. FIFARecycling at the FIFA World Cup in Russia\n\nJoin EUobserver\n\nSupport quality EU news\n\nJoin us", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7205344438552856}
{"content": "Friday, 11 December 2015\n\nThe Key of Leadership\n\nXue use to spend most of his time serving his master. As the days passed by, Xue became as disciplined as his master. Once he felt that he is as good as his disciple, but wondered why he is not respected like his master.\nXue's question kept on pestering him for long. One day he decided to ask his master about this. When all the day's proceedings were over and the master was about to go to sleep, Xue asked his master - \"Master! I have a question, can I ask?\" The master replied - \"go ahead Xue\". And Xue asked - \"From the dawn to dusk I'm there with you and do all the work as you and some times more than what you do. And what differentiates me from you?\".\nThe master laughed and replied - \"Xue, the answer is very simple - When I pray, I pray. When I eat, I eat. When I listen, I listen\" and Xue thanked his master and continued his work.\n\nWhat made Master to be the Master?\nWhat made Xue to remain disciple?\nWhat is the key of Leadership?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9238579273223877}
{"content": "Antarctica has lost 3 trillion tonnes of ice in 25 years. Time is running out for the frozen continent\n\nFile 20180613 110178 4dith6.jpg?ixlib=rb 1.1\nAs the world prevaricates over climate action, Antarctica’s future is shrouded in uncertainty.\nHamish Pritchard/British Antarctic Survey\n\nSteve Rintoul, CSIRO and Steven Chown, Monash University\n\nAntarctica lost 3 trillion tonnes of ice between 1992 and 2017, according to a new analysis of satellite observations. In vulnerable West Antarctica, the annual rate of ice loss has tripled during that period, reaching 159 billion tonnes a year. Overall, enough ice has been lost from Antarctica over the past quarter-century to raise global seas by 8 millimetres.\n\nWhat will Antarctica look like in the year 2070, and how will changes in Antarctica impact the rest of the globe? The answer to these questions depends on choices we make in the next decade, as outlined in our accompanying paper, also published today in Nature.\n\nRead more:\nOcean waves and lack of sea ice can trigger Antarctic ice shelves to disintegrate\n\nOur research contrasts two potential narratives for Antarctica over the coming half-century – a story that will play out within the lifetimes of today’s children and young adults.\n\nWhile the two scenarios are necessarily speculative, two things are certain. The first is that once significant changes occur in Antarctica, we are committed to centuries of further, irreversible change on global scales. The second is that we don’t have much time – the narrative that eventually plays out will depend on choices made in the coming decade.\n\nChange in Antarctica has global impacts\n\nDespite being the most remote region on Earth, changes in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean will have global consequences for the planet and humanity.\n\nFor example, the rate of sea-level rise depends on the response of the Antarctic ice sheet to warming of the atmosphere and ocean, while the speed of climate change depends on how much heat and carbon dioxide is taken up by the Southern Ocean. What’s more, marine ecosystems all over the world are sustained by the nutrients exported from the Southern Ocean to lower latitudes.\n\nFrom a political perspective, Antarctica and the Southern Ocean are among the largest shared spaces on Earth, regulated by a unique governance regime known as the Antarctic Treaty System. So far this regime has been successful at managing the environment and avoiding discord.\n\nHowever, just as the physical and biological systems of Antarctica face challenges from rapid environmental change driven by human activities, so too does the management of the continent.\n\nAntarctica in 2070\n\nWe considered two narratives of the next 50 years for Antarctica, each describing a plausible future based on the latest science.\n\nIn the first scenario, global greenhouse gas emissions remain unchecked, the climate continues to warm, and little policy action is taken to respond to environmental factors and human activities that affect the Antarctic.\n\nUnder this scenario, Antarctica and the Southern Ocean undergo widespread and rapid change, with global consequences. Warming of the ocean and atmosphere result in dramatic loss of major ice shelves. This causes increased loss of ice from the Antarctic ice sheet and acceleration of sea-level rise to rates not seen since the end of the last glacial period more than 10,000 years ago.\n\nWarming, sea-ice retreat and ocean acidification significantly change marine ecosystems. And unrestricted growth in human use of Antarctica degrades the environment and results in the establishment of invasive species.\n\nUnder the high-emissions scenario, widespread changes occur by 2070 in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, with global impacts.\nRintoul et al. 2018. Click image to enlarge.\n\nIn the second scenario, ambitious action is taken to limit greenhouse gas emissions and to establish policies that reduce human pressure on Antarctica’s environment.\n\nUnder this scenario, Antarctica in 2070 looks much like it does today. The ice shelves remain largely intact, reducing loss of ice from the Antarctic ice sheet and therefore limiting sea-level rise.\n\nAn increasingly collaborative and effective governance regime helps to alleviate human pressures on Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. Marine ecosystems remain largely intact as warming and acidification are held in check. On land, biological invasions remain rare. Antarctica’s unique invertebrates and microbes continue to flourish.\n\nAntarctica and the Southern Ocean in 2070, under the low-emissions (left) and high-emissions (right) scenarios. Each of these systems will continue to change after 2070, with the magnitude of the change to which we are committed being generally much larger than the change realised by 2070.\nRintoul et al. 2018. Click image to enlarge.\n\nThe choice is ours\n\nWe can choose which of these trajectories we follow over the coming half-century. But the window of opportunity is closing fast.\n\nGlobal warming is determined by global greenhouse emissions, which continue to grow. This will commit us to further unavoidable climate impacts, some of which will take decades or centuries to play out. Greenhouse gas emissions must peak and start falling within the coming decade if our second narrative is to stand a chance of coming true.\n\nIf our more optimistic scenario for Antarctica plays out, there is a good chance that the continent’s buttressing ice shelves will survive and that Antarctica’s contribution to sea-level rise will remain below 1 metre. A rise of 1m or more would displace millions of people and cause substantial economic hardship.\n\nUnder the more damaging of our potential scenarios, many Antarctic ice shelves will likely be lost and the Antarctic ice sheet will contribute as much as 3m of sea level rise by 2300, with an irreversible commitment of 5-15m in the coming millennia.\n\nThe ConversationWhile challenging, we can take action now to prevent Antarctica and the world from suffering out-of-control climate consequences. Success will demonstrate the power of peaceful international collaboration and show that, when it comes to the crunch, we can use scientific evidence to take decisions that are in our long-term best interest.\n\nThe choice is ours.\n\nSteve Rintoul, Research Team Leader, Marine & Atmospheric Research, CSIRO and Steven Chown, Professor of Biological Sciences, Monash University\n\n\n\n\nLuke Bennetts, University of Adelaide; Rob Massom, and Vernon Squire\n\nLarge waves after the loss of sea ice can trigger Antarctic ice shelf disintegration over a period of just days, according to our new research.\n\nWith other research also published today in Nature showing that the rate of annual ice loss from the vulnerable Antarctic Peninsula has quadrupled since 1992, our study of catastrophic ice shelf collapses during that time shows how the lack of a protective buffer of sea ice can leave ice shelves, already weakened by climate warming, wide open to attack by waves.\n\nRead more:\n\nAntarctica is covered by an ice sheet that is several kilometres thick in places. It covers an area of 14 million square kilometres – roughly twice the size of Australia. This ice sheet holds more than 90% of the world’s ice, which is enough to raise global mean sea level by 57 metres.\n\nAs snow falls and compacts on the ice sheet, the sheet thickens and flows out towards the coast, and then onto the ocean surface. The resulting “ice shelves” (and glacier tongues) buttress three-quarters of the Antarctic coastline. Ice shelves act as a crucial braking system for fast-flowing glaciers on the land, and thus moderate the ice sheet’s contribution to sea-level rise.\n\nIn the southern summer of 2002, scientists monitoring the Antarctic Peninsula (the northernmost part of mainland Antarctica) by satellite witnessed a dramatic ice shelf disintegration that was stunning in its abruptness and scale. In just 35 days, 3,250 square km of the Larsen B Ice Shelf (twice the size of Queensland’s Fraser Island) shattered, releasing an estimated 720 billion tonnes of icebergs into the Weddell Sea.\n\nThis wasn’t the first such recorded event. In January 1995, roughly 1,500 square km of the nearby Larsen A Ice Shelf suddenly disintegrated after several decades of warming and years of gradual retreat. To the southwest, the Wilkins Ice Shelf suffered a series of strikingly similar disintegration events in 1998, 2008 and 2009 — not only in summer but also in two of the Southern Hemisphere’s coldest months, May and July.\n\nThese sudden, large-scale fracturing events removed features that had been stable for centuries – up to 11,500 years in the case of Larsen B. While ice shelf disintegrations don’t directly raise sea level (because the ice shelves are already floating), the removal of shelf ice allows the glaciers behind them to accelerate their discharge of land-based ice into the ocean – and this does raise sea levels. Previous research has shown that the removal of Larsen B caused its tributary glaciers to flow eight times faster in the year following its disintegration.\n\nRead more:\nCold and calculating: what the two different types of ice do to sea levels\n\nThe ocean around ice shelves is typically covered by a very different (but equally important) type of ice, called sea ice. This is formed from frozen seawater and is generally no more than a few metres thick. But it stretches far out into the ocean, doubling the area of the Antarctic ice cap when at its maximum extent in winter, and varying in extent throughout the year.\n\nThe response of Antarctic sea ice to climate change and variability is complex, and differs between regions. Around the Antarctic Peninsula, in the Bellingshausen and northwestern Weddell seas, it has clearly declined in extent and annual duration since satellite monitoring began in 1979, at a similar rate to the Arctic’s rapidly receding sea ice.\n\nThe Southern Ocean is also host to the largest waves on the planet, and these waves are becoming more extreme. Our new study focuses on “long-period” swell waves (with swells that last up to about 20 seconds). These are generated by distant storms and carry huge amounts of energy across the oceans, and can potentially flex the vulnerable outer margins of ice shelves.\n\nThe earliest whalers and polar pioneers knew that sea ice can damp these waves — Sir Ernest Shackleton reported it in his iconic book South!. Sea ice thus acts as a “buffer” that protects the Antarctic coastline, and its ice shelves, from destructive ocean swells.\n\nStrikingly, all five of the sudden major ice shelf disintegrations listed above happened during periods when sea ice was abnormally low or even absent in these regions. This means that intense swell waves crashed directly onto the vulnerable ice shelf fronts.\n\nThe straw that broke the camel’s back\n\nThe Antarctic Peninsula has experienced particularly strong climate warming (roughly 0.5℃ per decade since the late 1940s), which has caused intense surface melting on its ice shelves and exacerbated their structural weaknesses such as fractures. These destabilising processes are the underlying drivers of ice shelf collapse. But they do not explain why the observed disintegrations were so abrupt.\n\nOur new study suggests that the trigger mechanism was swell waves flexing and working weaknesses at the shelf fronts in the absence of sea ice, to the point where they calved away the shelf fronts in the form of long, thin “sliver-bergs”. The removal of these “keystone blocks” in turn led to the catastrophic breakup of the ice shelf interior, which was weakened by years of melt.\n\nOur research thus underlines the complex and interdependent nature of the various types of Antarctic ice – particularly the important role of sea ice in forming a protective “buffer” for shelf ice. While much of the focus so far has been on the possibility of ice shelves melting from below as the sea beneath them warms, our research suggests an important role for sea ice and ocean swells too.\n\nThe edge of an ice shelf off the Antarctic Peninsula, with floating sea ice beyond (to the left in this image).\nNASA/Maria Jose Vinas\n\nIn July 2017 an immense iceberg broke away from the Larsen C Ice Shelf, just south of Larsen B, prompting fears that it could disintegrate like its neighbours.\n\nOur research suggests that four key factors will determine whether it does: extensive flooding and fracturing across the ice shelf; reduced sea ice coverage offshore; extensive fracturing of the ice shelf front; and calving of sliver-bergs.\n\nRead more:\nDon’t worry about the huge Antarctic iceberg – worry about the glaciers behind it\n\nIf temperatures continue to rise around the Antarctic, ice shelves will become weaker and sea ice less extensive, which would imply an increased likelihood of future disintegrations.\n\nHowever, the picture is not that clear-cut, as not all remaining ice shelves are likely to respond in the same way to sea ice loss and swell wave impacts. Their response will also depend on their glaciological characteristics, physical setting, and the degree and nature of surface flooding. Some ice shelves may well be capable of surviving prolonged absences of sea ice.\n\nThe ConversationIrrespective of these differences, we need to include sea ice and ocean waves in our models of ice sheet behaviour. This will be a key step towards better forecasting the fate of Antarctica’s remaining ice shelves, and how much our seas will rise in response to projected climate change over coming decades. In parallel, our new findings underline the need to better understand and model the mechanisms responsible for recent sea ice trends around Antarctica, to enable prediction of likely future change in the exposure of ice shelves to ocean swells.\n\nLuke Bennetts, Lecturer in applied mathematics, University of Adelaide; Rob Massom, Leader, Sea Ice Group, Antarctica & the Global System program, Australian Antarctic Division and Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems CRC, and Vernon Squire, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic, Professor of Applied Mathematics\n\n\n\nFile 20180607 137295 b7km0d.jpg?ixlib=rb 1.1\nLivestock is a significant source of methane, a potent but short-lived greenhouse gas.\nfrom, CC BY-SA\n\nDave Frame, Victoria University of Wellington; Adrian Henry Macey, Victoria University of Wellington, and Myles Allen, University of Oxford\n\n\nCarbon dioxide is a long-lived greenhouse gas, whereas methane is comparatively short-lived. Long-lived “stock pollutants” remain in the atmosphere for centuries, increasing in concentration as long as their emissions continue and causing more and more warming. Short-lived “flow pollutants” disappear much more rapidly. As long as their emissions remain constant, their concentration and warming effect remain roughly constant as well.\n\nOur research demonstrates a better way to reflect how different greenhouse gases affect global temperatures over time.\n\nCost of pollution\n\nThe difference between stock and flow pollutants is shown in the figure below. Flow pollutant emissions, for example of methane, do not persist. Emissions in period one, and the same emissions in period two, lead to a constant (or roughly constant) amount of the pollutant in the atmosphere (or river, lake, or sea).\n\nWith stock pollutants, such as carbon dioxide, concentrations of the pollutant accumulate as emissions continue.\n\nFlow and stock pollutants over time. In the first period, one unit of each pollutant is emitted, leading to one unit of concentration. After each period, the flow pollutant decays, while the stock pollutant remains in the environment.\nprovided by author, CC BY\n\nThe economic theory of pollution suggests different approaches to greenhouse gases with long or short lifetimes in the atmosphere. The social cost (the cost society ought to pay) of flow pollution is constant over time, because the next unit of pollution is just replacing the last, recently decayed unit. This justifies a constant price on flow pollutants.\n\nIn the case of stock pollutants, the social cost increases with constant emissions as concentrations of the pollutant rise, and as damages rise, too. This justifies a rising price on stock pollutants.\n\nRead more:\nCows exude lots of methane, but taxing beef won’t cut emissions\n\nA brief history of greenhouse gas “equivalence”\n\nIn climate policy, we routinely encounter the idea of “CO₂-equivalence” between different sorts of gases, and many people treat it as accepted and unproblematic. Yet researchers have debated for decades about the adequacy of this approach. To summarise a long train of scientific papers and opinion pieces, there is no perfect or universal way to compare the effects of greenhouse gases with very different lifetimes.\n\nThis point was made in the first major climate report produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) way back in 1990. Those early discussions were loaded with caveats: global warming potentials (GWP), which underpin the traditional practice of CO₂-equivalence, were introduced as “a simple approach … to illustrate the difficulties inherent in the concept”.\n\nThe problem with developing a concept is that people might use it. Worse, they might use it and ignore all the caveats that attended its development. This is, more or less, what happened with GWPs as used to create CO₂-equivalence.\n\nThe science caveats were there, and suggestions for alternatives or improvements have continued to appear in the literature. But policymakers needed something (or thought they did), and the international climate negotiations community grasped the first option that became available, although this has not been without challenges from some countries.\n\nBetter ways to compare stocks and flows\n\nAn explanation of the scientific issues, and how we address them, is contained in this article by Michelle Cain. The approach in our new paper shows that modifying the use of GWP to better account for the differences between short- and long-lived gases can better link emissions to warming.\n\nUnder current policies, stock and flow pollutants are treated as being equivalent and therefore interchangeable. This is a mistake, because if people make trade-offs between emissions reductions such that they allow stock pollutants to grow while reducing flow pollutants, they will ultimately leave a warmer world behind in the long term. Instead, we should develop policies that address methane and other flow pollutants in line with their effects.\n\nThen the true impact of an emission on warming can be easily assessed. For countries with high methane emissions, for example from agriculture, this can make a huge difference to how their emissions are judged.\n\nFor a lot of countries, this issue is of secondary importance. But for some countries, particularly poor ones, it matters a lot. Countries with a relatively high share of methane in their emissions portfolios tend to be either middle-income countries with large agriculture sectors and high levels of renewables in their electricity mix (such as much of Latin America), or less developed countries where agricultural emissions dominate because their energy sector is small.\n\nThis is why we think the new research has some promise. We think we have a better way to conceive of multi-gas climate targets. This chimes with new possibilities in climate policy, because under the Paris Agreement countries are free to innovate in how they approach climate policy.\n\nImproving the environmental integrity of climate policy\n\nThis could take several forms. For some countries, it may be that the new approach provides a better way of comparing different gases within a single-basket approach to greenhouse gases, as in an emissions trading scheme or taxation system. For others, it could be used to set separate but coherent emissions targets for long- and short-lived gases within a two-basket approach to climate policy. Either way, the new approach means countries can signal the centrality of carbon dioxide reductions in their policy mix, while limiting the warming effect of shorter-lived gases.\n\nThe new way of using global warming potentials demonstrably outperforms the traditional method in a range of emission scenarios, providing a much more accurate indication of how stock and flow pollutants affect global temperatures. This is especially so under climate mitigation scenarios.\n\nWell designed policies would assist sectoral fairness within countries, too. Policies that reflect the different roles of stock and flow pollutants would give farmers and rice growers a more reasonable way to control their emissions and reduce their impact on the environment, while still acknowledging the primacy of carbon dioxide emissions in the climate change problem.\n\nThe ConversationAn ideal approach would be a policy that aimed for zero emissions of stock pollutants such as carbon dioxide and low but stable (or gently declining) emissions of flow pollutants such as methane. Achieving both goals would mean that a farm, or potentially a country, can do a better, clearer job of stopping its contribution to warming.\n\nDave Frame, Professor of Climate Change, Victoria University of Wellington; Adrian Henry Macey, Senior Associate, Institute for Governance and Policy Studies; Adjunct Professor, New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute. , Victoria University of Wellington, and Myles Allen, Professor of Geosystem Science, Leader of ECI Climate Research Programme, University of Oxford\n\n\nIs Australia’s current drought caused by climate change? It’s complicated\n\nAndrew King, University of Melbourne; Anna Ukkola, Australian National University, and Ben Henley, University of Melbourne\n\nMuch of southern Australia is experiencing severe drought after a very dry and warm autumn across the southern half of the continent. Australia is no stranger to drought, but this recent dry spell, and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s visit to drought-stricken parts of the country, has prompted discussion of the role of climate change in this event.\n\nTurnbull said that farmers need to “build resilience” as rainfall “appears to be getting more variable”. This prompted former Nationals leader John Anderson to warn against “politicising” the drought by invoking climate change. This in turn was followed by speculation from numberous commentators about the links between climate change and drought.\n\nRead more:\nAustralia’s 2017 environment scorecard: like a broken record, high temperatures further stress our ecosystems\n\nSo are droughts getting worse, and can they be attributed to climate change? Drought is a complex beast and can be measured in a variety of ways. Some aspects of drought are linked with climate change; others are not.\n\nRecent warm and dry conditions have resulted in drought over parts of southern Australia.\nBureau of Meteorology\n\nHow do we measure drought?\n\n\nDroughts are also exacerbated by low humidity, higher wind speeds, warmer temperatures, and greater amounts of sunshine. All of these factors increase water loss from soils and plants. This means that other metrics are often used to describe drought which go beyond rainfall deficiencies alone. These include the Palmer Drought Severity Index and the Standardised Precipitation Evaporation Index , for example.\n\nThis means that there are hundreds of metrics which together can provide a more detailed representation of a drought. But this also means that droughts are less well understood and described than simpler phenomena such as temperature and rainfall.\n\nHydrological drought, often defined by a period of low streamflow, is a response to numerous upstream processes that are unique to each river system. Hydrologists and water planners therefore often focus on directly observing and modelling runoff from water catchments.\n\nThe point here is that droughts can be multidimensional, affecting agriculture and water supplies on a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. A seasonal-scale drought that reduces soil moisture on a farm, and a decade-long drought that depletes reservoirs and groundwater supplies, can both be devastating, but in very different ways.\n\nSo is climate change affecting Australian droughts?\n\nAs we have so many ways of looking at droughts, this is a more complex question than it might first sound. Climate change may affect these drought metrics and types of drought differently, so it is hard to make general statements about the links between human-induced climate change and drought.\n\nWe know that over southern Australia, and in particular the southwest, there has been a rapid decline in winter rainfall, and that this has been linked to climate change. In the southeast there has also been a decline but the trend is harder to distinguish from the year-to-year variability.\n\nWinter rainfall in Southwestern Australia has been in decline since the 1960s.\nBureau of Meteorology\n\nFor recent short-term droughts in southern Australia, analyses have found an increased likelihood of rainfall deficits related to human-caused climate change. Also, it has been suggested that the character of droughts is changing as a result of the human-induced warming trend.\n\nRead more:\nRecent Australian droughts may be the worst in 800 years\n\nThere is some evidence to suggest that widespread and prolonged droughts, like the Millennium Drought, are worse than other droughts in recent centuries, and may have been exacerbated by climate change. But the role of climate change in extended drought periods is difficult to discern from background climate variability. This is particularly true in Australia, which has a much more variable climate than many other parts of the world.\n\nWhat does the future hold?\n\nFuture projections of drought are also difficult to constrain, as they vary across Australia and depend on the measure of drought being used. Climate models project a continuing decline in rainfall over southern Australia over the next century. Dry conditions like those seen in southeast Australia in 2006, for example, are projected to become more frequent under even low global warming targets associated with the Paris Agreement. Rainfall projections for other parts of the continent are more uncertain.\n\nRead more:\nWhy 2℃ of global warming is much worse for Australia than 1.5℃\n\nRainfall is projected to become more extreme, with more intense rain events and fewer light rain days. This would potentially influence what future droughts look like, and how and where water moves through the land.\n\nRiver flows are also projected to decline in parts of the country, with consequences for water supply to cities, ecosystems and agriculture. In the southwest, declining rainfall has led to drastic reductions in river flows since the 1970s. This trend is expected to continue. Elsewhere, changes are more uncertain but studies have suggested that the southeast could also experience declining river flows in the coming decades.\n\nPart of the challenge of projecting future change is related to how temperature and precipitation vary together. The relationship is a double-edged sword. Increased greenhouse gas emissions mean an increased probability that low-precipitation years are also warm, suggesting that under climate change droughts may be hotter in some parts of the world. But dry conditions also often result in warmer local temperatures, increasing water loss from soils and plants.\n\nRead more:\nEl Niño is here and that means droughts, but they don’t work how you might think\n\nDroughts are tricky\n\nCompared with other extreme weather types, it is hard to make useful statements about how climate change is altering droughts and their impacts. Protracted droughts are also rarer than many short-term natural hazards such as heatwaves. We need much longer records to reliably understand how they are changing, but these are not always available.\n\nCompared to heatwaves and cold spells it is harder to assess the role of climate change in droughts.\nNational Academy of Science\n\nThere is some evidence to suggest that climate change is exacerbating drought conditions in parts of Australia, especially in the southwest and southeast. Much more work is needed to understand the intricacies of the effects of climate change on different aspects and types of drought.\n\nThe ConversationWith the uncertainties of a rapidly changing climate we need to bolster our adaptation plans so we are ready for the next big dry.\n\nAndrew King, ARC DECRA fellow, University of Melbourne; Anna Ukkola, Research Associate, Climate Change Research Centre, Australian National University, and Ben Henley, Research Fellow in Climate and Water Resources, University of Melbourne\n\n\nA bird’s eye view of New Zealand’s changing glaciers\n\nFile 20180607 137298 1hi3mur.jpg?ixlib=rb 1.1\nSmall aircraft carry scientists high above the Southern Alps to survey glacier changes.\nHamish McCormick/NIWA, CC BY-SA\n\nAndrew Lorrey, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research; Andrew Mackintosh, Victoria University of Wellington, and Brian Anderson, Victoria University of Wellington\n\nEvery March, glacier “watchers” take to the skies to photograph snow and ice clinging to high peaks along the length of New Zealand’s Southern Alps.\n\nThis flight needs to happen on cloud-free and windless days at the end of summer before new snow paints the glaciers white, obscuring their surface features.\n\nEach year, at the end of summer, scientists monitor glaciers along New Zealand’s Southern Alps.\n\nSummer of records\n\nThe summer of 2017-18 was New Zealand’s warmest on record and the Tasman Sea experienced a marine heat wave, with temperatures up to six degrees above normal for several weeks.\n\nThe loss of seasonal snow cover and older ice during this extreme summer brings the issue of human-induced climate change into tight focus. The annual flights have been taking place for four decades and the data on end-of-summer snowlines provide crucial evidence.\n\nThe disappearance of snow and ice for some of New Zealand’s glaciers is clear and irreversible, at least within our lifetimes. Many glaciers we survey now will simply vanish in the coming decades.\n\nThe Franz Josef glacier advanced during the 1980s and 1990s but is now retreating.\nAndrew Lorrey/NIWA, CC BY-SA\n\nGlaciers are a beautiful part of New Zealand’s landscape, and important to tourism, but they may not be as prominent in the future. This stored component of the freshwater resource makes contributions to rivers that are used for recreation and irrigation of farm land.\n\nMeltwater flowing from glaciers around Aoraki/Mt Cook into the Mackenzie Basin feeds important national hydroelectricity power schemes. Seasonal meltwater from glaciers can partially mitigate the impacts of summer drought. This buffering capacity may become more crucial if the eastern side of New Zealand’s mountains become drier in a changing climate.\n\nPioneering glacier monitoring\n\nWhen Trevor Chinn began studying New Zealand’s 3,000 or so glaciers in the 1960s, he realised monitoring all of them was impossible. He searched for cost-effective ways to learn as much as he could. This resulted in comprehensive glacier mapping and new snow and ice observations when similar work was dying out elsewhere. Mapping of all of the world’s glaciers – nearly 198,000 in total – was only completed in 2012, yet Trevor had already mapped New Zealand’s ice 30 years earlier.\n\nOctogenarian Trevor Chinn still participates in the snowline flights every year to support younger scientists.\nDave Allen/NIWA, CC BY-SA\n\nIn addition, he wanted to understand how snow and ice changed from year to year. Trevor decided to do annual glacier photographic flights, looking for the end-of-summer snowlines – a feature about half way between the terminus and the top of a glacier where hard, blue, crevassed glacier ice usually gives way to the previous winter’s snow. The altitude of this transition is an indicator of the annual health of a glacier.\n\nIt was a visionary approach that provided a powerful and unique archive of climate variability and change in a remote South Pacific region, far removed from well-known European and North American glaciers. But what was hidden at the time was that New Zealand glaciers were about to undergo significant changes.\n\nTrevor Chinn took part in this summer’s flight and said:\n\nThis year is the worst we’ve ever seen. There was so much melt over the summer that more than half the glaciers have lost all the snow they had gained last winter, plus some from the winter before, and there’s rocks sticking out everywhere. The melt-back is phenomenal.\n\nNew insights from old observations\n\nThe Southern Alps end-of-summer snowline photo archive, produced by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, is a remarkable long-term record. Our colleagues Lauren Vargo and Huw Horgan are leading the effort to harness this resource with photogrammetry to deliver precise (metre-scale) three-dimensional models of glacier changes since 1978, building directly on Trevor Chinn’s work.\n\nGlaciers respond to natural variability and human-induced changes, and we suspect the latter has become more dominant for our region. During the 1980s and 1990s, while glaciers were largely retreating in other parts of the world, many in New Zealand were advancing. Our recent research shows this anomaly was caused by several concentrated cooler-than-average periods, with Southern Alps air temperature linked to Tasman Sea temperatures directly upwind.\n\nThe situation changed after the early 2000s, and we postulated whether more frequent high snowlines and acceleration of ice loss would occur. Since 2010, multiple high snowline years have been observed. In 2011, the iconic Fox Glacier (Te Moeka o Tuawe) and Franz Josef Glacier (Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere) started a dramatic retreat – losing all of the ground that they regained in the 1990s and more.\n\nIn a series of ice collapses, New Zealand’s Fox Glacier retreated by around 300 m between January 2014 and January 2015.\n\nLooking ahead by examining the past\n\nHow New Zealand’s glaciers will respond to human-induced climate change is an important question, but the answer is complicated. A recent study suggests human-induced climate warming since about 1990 has been the largest factor driving global glacier decline. For New Zealand, which is significantly influenced by regional variability of the surrounding oceans and atmosphere, the picture is less clear.\n\nTo assess how human-induced climate influences and natural variability affect New Zealand glaciers requires the use of climate models, snowline observations and other datasets. Our research team, with support from international colleagues, are doing just that to see how Southern Alps ice will respond to a range of future scenarios.\n\nThe ConversationContinuing the snowline photograph work will allow us to better identify climate change tipping points and warning signs for our water resources – and therefore better prepare New Zealand for an uncertain future.\n\nAndrew Lorrey, Principal Scientist & Programme Leader of Climate Observations and Processes, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research; Andrew Mackintosh, Professor & Director of Antarctic Research Centre, expert on glaciers and ice sheets, Victoria University of Wellington, and Brian Anderson, Senior Research Fellow, Victoria University of Wellington\n\n\nWhy remote Antarctica is so important in a warming world\n\nChris Fogwill, Keele University; Chris Turney, UNSW, and Zoe Robinson, Keele University\n\n\n\nHeroic exploration, 1913.\n\n\n\nIn 2014, NASA reported that several major Antarctic ice streams, which hold enough water to trigger the equivalent of a one-and-a-half metre sea level rise, are now irreversibly in retreat. With more than 150m people exposed to the threat of sea level rise and sea levels now rising at a faster rate globally than any time in the past 3,000 years, these are sobering statistics for island nations and coastal cities worldwide.\n\nAn immediate and acute threat\n\nRecent storm surges following hurricanes have demonstrated that rising sea levels are a future threat for densely populated regions such as Florida and New York. Meanwhile the threat for low-lying islands in areas such as the Pacific is immediate and acute.\n\nMuch of the continent’s ice is slowly sliding towards the sea.\nR Bindschadler / wiki\n\nMultiple factors mean that the vulnerability to global sea level rise is geographically variable and unequal, while there are also regional differences in the extremity of sea level rise itself. At present, the consensus of the IPPC 2013 report suggests a rise of between 40 and 80cm over the next century, with Antarctica only contributing around 5cm of this. Recent projections, however, suggest that Antarctic contributions may be up to ten times higher.\n\nStudies also suggest that in a world 1.5-2°C warmer than today we will be locked into millennia of irreversible sea level rise, due to the slow response time of the Antarctic ice sheets to atmospheric and ocean warming.\n\nWe may already be living in such a world. Recent evidence shows global temperatures are close to 1.5°C warmer than pre-industrial times and, after the COP23 meeting in Bonn in November, it is apparent that keeping temperature rise within 2°C is unlikely.\n\nSo we now need to reconsider future sea level projections given the potential global impact from Antarctica. Given that 93% of the heat from anthropogenic global warming has gone into the ocean, and these warming ocean waters are now meeting the floating margins of the Antarctic ice sheet, the potential for rapid ice sheet melt in a 2°C world is high.\n\nIn polar regions, surface temperatures are projected to rise twice as fast as the global average, due to a phenomenon known as polar amplification. However, there is still hope to avoid this sword of Damocles, as studies suggest that a major reduction in greenhouse gases over the next decade would mean that irreversible sea level rise could be avoided. It is therefore crucial to reduce CO₂ levels now for the benefit of future generations, or adapt to a world in which more of our shorelines are significantly redrawn.\n\nThis is both a scientific and societal issue. We have choices: technological innovations are providing new ways to reduce CO₂ emissions, and offer the reality of a low-carbon future. This may help minimise sea level rise from Antarctica and make mitigation a viable possibility.\n\nThe ConversationGiven what rising sea levels could mean for human societies across the world, we must maintain our longstanding view of Antarctica as the most remote and isolated continent.\n\nChris Fogwill, Professor of Glaciology and Palaeoclimatology, Keele University; Chris Turney, Professor of Earth Sciences and Climate Change, UNSW, and Zoe Robinson, Reader in Physical Geography and Sustainability/Director of Education for Sustainability, Keele University\n\n\nNew Zealand’s productivity commission charts course to low-emission future\n\nFile 20180601 69497 1rmts16.jpg?ixlib=rb 1.1\nAccording to a recent report, New Zealand will need to increase renewable electricity generation, plant more trees and continue switching to electric transport more rapidly to achieve its zero carbon goal by 2050.\nfrom, CC BY-SA\n\nRobert McLachlan, Massey University\n\nNew Zealand has set itself a target of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050.\n\nA recent report issued by the New Zealand Productivity Commission has found that this is an achievable goal, even under modest forecasts of technological progress and increases in carbon price.\n\nRead more:\nA fresh start for climate change mitigation in New Zealand\n\nRising emissions\n\nNew Zealand already had a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 50% below 1990 levels by 2050. That target had been in place since 2002, but emissions continued to rise through the 2000s.\n\nAn emissions trading scheme, which began operating in 2008, failed to stop the increase. A flood of imported cars increased New Zealand’s vehicle fleet and its emissions by 20% in just the past four years. A “wall of timber”, expected after 2020 as existing plantations are harvested, would further greatly increase net emissions under current carbon accounting rules.\n\nAgriculture is responsible for an unusually large proportion — just under 50% — of New Zealand’s emissions. These emissions were rising too, especially long-lived nitrous oxides released by effluent and synthetic fertilisers.\n\nA key part of New Zealand’s plan to meet global obligations had always been international carbon trading. However, in the Ukraine hot air scandal, low-integrity carbon credits were imported at rock-bottom prices. International trading was therefore suspended in 2015.\n\nAiming for zero\n\nThe Paris climate agreement made New Zealand’s “50 by 50” target — which the country wasn’t on track to meet — look distinctly weak. It has now become clear that only zero net emissions can stabilise temperatures, at any level, in the long run.\n\nRead more:\nA new approach to emissions trading in a post-Paris climate\n\nIt was in this context that New Zealand’s previous government asked the Productivity Commission to examine the “opportunities and challenges of a transition to a lower net emissions economy”. A few months into their work, the government changed and the new climate change minister, the Greens’ James Shaw, reinforced the urgency of the inquiry by asking the commission to consider the possibility of a net zero target for 2050.\n\nThe resulting 500-page report, now available in draft form, is a huge and comprehensive piece of work. From the very beginning, the commission knew what they were up against, writing that:\n\n…the shift from the old economy to a new, low-emissions, economy will be profound and widespread, transforming land use, the energy system, production methods and technology, regulatory frameworks and institutions, and business and political culture.\n\nThe impact of widespread consultation, evidence and research is clear throughout. Although it is only advice, the report is a valuable resource for all future work on emissions reduction. It joins a chorus of similar (but much less detailed) studies issued recently.\n\nCost of carbon\n\nThe report finds that the carbon price required to get to zero net emissions in 2050 is fairly modest. In one model, it rises from its present price of NZ$21/tonne to NZ$55 in 2030 and NZ$157 in 2050 — within the NZ$100-250 range of global estimates consistent with the goal of keeping global temperature rise below 2℃. In other words, New Zealand does not have an unusually difficult decarbonisation challenge.\n\nAlthough the report covers all main aspects of society and economy, there are three big changes that stand out:\n\n  • Transport must be electrified rapidly (in some models, nearly all light vehicles entering the fleet must be zero-emission by the early 2030s)\n\n  • Huge numbers of trees – up to an extra 2.8 million hectares, tripling the current plantation estate – must be planted to absorb carbon dioxide. These trees have to go somewhere, probably on sheep and beef farms\n\n  • A lot of new renewable electricity generation will be needed, nearly doubling the present capacity, which is already 85% renewable.\n\nEmissions trading can work\n\nThe meat of the report is the policies and institutions required to support and drive the transition. Key among them is a revised emissions trading scheme. So far the scheme has failed to reduce domestic emissions because the price of carbon was too low. This was driven mainly by low international prices, sector exemptions (including agriculture), and policy uncertainty which left businesses and investors unclear about future rules and prices.\n\nThe commission’s key recommended fixes include the adoption of a falling cap on emissions (to drive up prices and guarantee emissions reductions); a rising price cap (to prevent shocks to the economy and political resistance from emitters); and a rising price floor (to provide confidence to investors in low-emission technologies). Indeed, California’s system includes all of these elements and is currently on track to reduce emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030.\n\nBesides the emissions trading scheme, the report argues that every sector needs its own strategy. For example, on transport, it recommends an emissions standard – something most other developed countries except Australia currently have. Without this, New Zealand risks becoming a dumping ground for high-emission vehicles that manufacturers cannot sell elsewhere. They also recommend a “feebate” scheme, in which vehicles entering the fleet either incur a fee (if they have above-average emissions) or receive a rebate.\n\nRisks and opportunities\n\nI see a few key risks. First, trade-exposed industries, such as agriculture and food and metal processing, need to get discounts on carbon prices to remain competitive. A future in which each global industry decarbonises in a coordinated way does not seem likely, but each industry in each country still needs an incentive to clean up. This aspect remains difficult to deal with. For example, the recommendation that agriculture should be fully phased into the ETS is far outside the political mainstream in New Zealand at the moment.\n\nThe falling cap on emissions is an absolutely vital component, but it remains a decision that could be subject to lobbying in the aftermath of some domestic or international crisis.\n\nIn none of the report’s scenarios do gross emissions fall by more than 43% by 2050. This is certainly achievable, and it is in line with what some countries are doing right now, but it means New Zealand is relying heavily on tree planting to get to net zero. This is not a long-term solution – eventually you run out of space to plant more trees.\n\nAlthough the commission has cast its net wide, it does not encompass all views. Political scientist Bronwyn Hayward, perhaps influenced by Trumpism, sees a climate commission as just another panel of experts telling us what to do. Without a fundamental renewal of democracy, this risks a backlash. Naomi Klein goes even further and views neoliberalism as being in kahoots with the fossil fuel industry as the enemy, with the only hope being youth activism.\n\nThe ConversationShe might not be wrong. In New Zealand, the idea for a Zero Carbon Act did originate with a youth group, Generation Zero. Their campaign has led fairly directly to this detailed road map for a zero carbon future. The next step, a public consultation about the Zero Carbon Act itself, kicks off this month.\n\nRobert McLachlan, Professor in Applied Mathematics, Massey University\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9585546255111694}
{"content": "Protected: Exploring Berries & Pine Cones\n\n\n\nEmotions and the “Hard Parts” in the Early Childhood Classroom\n\nEmotion is something that drives the early childhood classroom.  Unlike other grades, pre-kindergarten is a time when young children are just learning about the world about them, their own feelings/ beliefs, and values.  Emotions drive young children in everything that they do.  A young child is consumed in their own world.  During this time a child has little understanding of others around them. For this reason, teachers in the pre-k classroom must create a curriculum that is driven through the child’s interest. \n\n\nA child’s emotion directly effects how children learn in the sense that depending on a child’s emotion at that moment in time can determine their interest level, and motivation for an activity.  Emotions can really impact how a young child reacts to a situation.  A young child can react completely differently in the same exact situation.\n\n\nThe role that emotion plays on a young child’s motivation is different from child to child.  According to Demetriou and Wilson, “From early on our emotional development is inextricably intertwined with our acquisition of knowledge” (Demetriou & Wilson, 2008. P. 938).  Meaning that what a child learns and retains is directly correlated to the emotions they were experiencing at that time. \n\nThere are so many emotions that individuals experience at any given time, (happy, sad, mad, angry, frustrated, irritated, sleepy, excited, etc…).  Each one of these emotions effect learning differently in the sense of how a child processes information and retains it.  If a child is happy or excited, they are more likely to participate in learning and create an understanding of the concept or idea.  However, if a child is mad or frustrated, their attention is limited causing them to be less likely to retain and understand new information.  Learning cannot be forced on anyone.  Rather learning is a process in which an individual must apply themselves and make an effort. \n\nEmotion effects everything we do, despite what age we are.  It is through emotion that we go through the motions of life.  Our emotions are what guide us to the decisions we make.  Unfortunately, emotions can affect our learning and decision making unconsciously.  This is something that can be troublesome for some individuals.  There are times in life when you just can’t put aside your emotions, thus having an effect on all aspects of your life.  This issue is even more severe for a young child.  For a child they are just trying to understand the world they live in and themselves.  They are often unable to set aside their own emotions at any given time.  Through a child driven curriculum children are encouraged to participate in learning due to the high interest of the activity.  However, nothing can change a child’s feelings or emotions.\n\nIn my classroom emotions fill the classroom.  Many of my children wear their emotions on their sleeves (which is how I always was!).  Having a class of 16 it can be difficult to spend quality time with every single child daily.  However, as the teacher I make it my job to make sure I visit a few particular students daily.  These students are the ones whose emotions change daily.  Often my lessons are altered due to one of the student’s emotions or behaviors.  For my students that are having a difficult day (sad, mad, angry, frustrated…) I develop quite activities where they can have space while being in engaged in an activity of high interest.  Working with three and four year olds I have some ability to help the child to gain enjoyment and want to participate in new activities.  A huge part of my philosophy as an early childhood teacher is that you must always be willing to change or adjust learning activities and curriculum at any given time, due to the child’s interest and needs.\n\nFor me I personally am a learner that wants to know how such skills will apply to my field.  I can remember as an undergraduate in general courses feeling frustrated because I could not understand how such knowledge will apply to my field.  I would often say to my dad, I want to teach young kids, how algebra, or biology, or even history will help me with this.  This frustration followed me through my entire associates degree since most of my classes seemed to be on anything but the early childhood field.  Once I began my bachelor’s degree I began to feel like my classes held a higher meaning.  The majority of the classes needed applied to the early childhood field in one way or another.  I can speak from experience though that I spent a lot more time and effort on the classes that directly related to my field of study.  I found myself actually excited about the learning and wanting to apply it to the classroom. \n\nI truly believe that learning is driven by emotion, desires, wants, and needs.  When learning is forced upon you, you are less likely to take it seriously or apply yourself to the same extend.  This is an issue with many students in grammar, middle, and high school.  Learning is forced upon the students, allowing the students to have little control of their own learning experiences.  Once learning gains a negative connotation for a student, it is very difficult to alter.  This is why it is so critical during pre-k to create the most inviting and exciting learning experience possible to help encourage young children to love learning, and exploring new concepts.  If a love for learning can be developed during the early years, it can have a direct impact on a students learning throughout graduate school. \n\n\n\nThe “hard parts” is a difficult part of the brain function during learning.  It can be one of the most dreaded parts of the learning process for many.  Creating an environment and curriculum that enriches the importance of understanding of individual “hard parts”.  It is known that the “hard parts” will most likely always be a bit more challenging.  However if the teacher prepares and is conscious of the areas in which individual students may need extra support, leaning such information for the learners will become smoother.\n\nPerkins (2009) insists that it is essential to deconstruct them first to make sure they are correct before participating in deliberate practice. When reconstructing any issue areas, it’s important that attention is paid to details and students know the real world application of the hard parts (Perkins, 2009)\n\nIn order to develop the knowledge and skills needed to learn the “hard parts”, teachers of all age children and adults should promote active learning within their curriculum and typical activities within the classroom and homework assignments. If counselors are a resource available within the school or institution they can be responsible for guiding by example and allowing students to participate in learning opportunities rather than just having students listen to lecture and have no hands on experience (Active learning, 2012). Through this particular teaching method, students are able to discover their own unique problem areas on their own.  For a teacher to follow through in this learning style appropriately, teaching must occur in several different ways to help each type of learner blossom and learn.\n\nPerkins mentions in his book about the fact that each individual student has multiple “hard parts” to be conscious of and work with. An issue for many students is that they may avoid the “hard parts” due to lack of interest, empowerment, understanding, frustration, or fear.  Teacher’s role within the classroom branches out further then just creating a curriculum and implementing it during the school day.  Rather the teacher can hold the enthusiasm and encouragement for students to become motivated learns, becoming interested on “working on the “hard parts” and enriching their understanding and learning experience.  As a teacher it is critical to provide the students with the whole picture of the learning concept.  Through first being introduced to the whole picture and developing an understanding for its importance, a student is able to gain meaning and drive to develop a deeper understanding of the smaller pieces (Perkins, 2009). When the whole picture is first introduced to the student, it becomes easier for the teacher to then tie the hard parts” to the interests of each individual student.\n\n\nBeing in the early childhood field and a pre-kindergarten teacher brings the importance of helping the children gain a further understanding of their learning and concurring the further learning of the “hard parts”.  In the classroom hands on experiences are enriched in every activity developed.  Open-ended experience creates an opportunity for children to explore their learning understanding and further develop the concepts of the “hard parts”. \n\n\nIn the pre-k classroom I am so incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to develop a personal relationship with each child, and further develop an understanding of their individual learning style.  Daily each child participates in a small group activity.  During this time children are given the opportunity to explore a learning concept with the support of the teacher.  This means that it is a perfect opportunity to help a child develop a further understanding of the “hard parts”.  Something that I hope to become stronger in is my small group time.  The High Scope approach is all new to me.  Prior to this school year I had never been introduced to this learning experience.   Today I still feel a little unsure of this learning activity of our day.  My goal is to enrich this experience through helping each student individually to further encourage and provide excitement of exploring and furthering the knowledge of concepts.\n\n\nDemetriou, H., & Wilson, E. (2008). A return to the use of emotion and reflection. Psychologist21(11), 938-940.\n\n Perkins, D. N. (2009). Making learning whole, how seven principles of teaching can transform education. Jossey-Bass.\n\nThagard, P. (2005). Mind, introduction to cognitive science. (2nd ed.). The MIT Press.\n\nThoms, K.J. (2001). They’re not just big kids: Motivating adult learners. Retrieved from\n\n\n\nOther Resources to Learn More About Emotions and the “Hard Parts” of Learning:\n\n\nAffect- Emotions and Motivation\n\nHow Can Learning Affect a Child’s Emotions?\n\n\nChanging Brains: Emotions and Learning\n\nRole of Social and Emotional Learning in the Early Childhood Classroom\n\nThe Effects of Brain Development for the Young Child and Their Learning\n\nThe Effects of Brain Development for the Young Child and Their Learning\n\nBrain development in early childhood is extremely critical.  All young children are individuals meaning that they are all in different stages of development.  Although there are typical skills and knowledge learned at particular ages, it does not apply to every child.  This means that a teacher in a classroom must scaffold a curriculum that meets the needs of all the children individually.  Social skills are so incredibly important and often most challenging for young children.  Cognitive skills come with time, however if social and emotional skills are not taught at a young age then the child may never develop these skills.  In the article “Hearts and Minds” it is mentioned that developing a positive relationship with a teacher or peer can lead to great things.  With a strong bond a young child feels safe to explore and try new things.  This means that the teacher must put in extra effort with each child to develop a unique bond.  The skill of understanding your own feelings as well as others take time and support.  Teachers have the responsibility of helping young children develop the language to express their feelings and emotions with others around them (Lehrer, 2007).\n\nFeelings and emotions have the ability to overtake a young child and cause them to be unable to rationalize what is happening around them.  The idea of having to separate feelings in some situations is extremely difficult. \n\nThe early childhood field is one that can be difficult.  Young children barelyt know themselves, never mind a teacher trying to understand just who they are. As an early childcare teacher I am always researching and asking questions about ways to help young children learn about social/ emotional skills.  Personally in my classroom I implement the STEPS program (Systematic Training for Effective Parenting).  This particular program aids children in sharing their feelings with others, and taking ownership of conflict.  STEPS asks for children and adults to use the phrase, “when you…I feel…because…”  The other benefit of the STEPS program is that the teacher or adult can introduce children to new vocabulary for describing their feelings (angry, frustrated, annoyed…).\n\n\nA young child is unsure of the world.  They only know what is given to them to experience.  In much of a way they are sheltered from much of the real world.  It is through their experiences that they will grow and create their own understanding of the world.  A child bases their logic on prior experiences.  If a young child wants to be the line leader and they know if they push their friend out of the way, then they can be the line leader.  To them it is perfectly logical.  They wanted to be in front, the friend was in the way, so get them out of the way and they can then be in front.  Children even age often don’t think before they do.  They are quick to make decision and are focused on themselves. \n\nDuring my eduction for my undergraduate I took many psychology classes.  It was my favorite type of class.  I loved trying to understand the brain, especially of the young child.  During my classes there was many opportunities to learn about philosophers who spent the majority of their time researching the young child.  Piaget was one of these philosophers. Piaget believed that the metal process and mentality was very different of that of an adult.  My students throughout a traditional school year very from age three to age five.  With this said their cognitive skills are growing rapidly due to the fact that their brains are much like a “sponge” in the sense that they just absorb new knowledge and information.  During this age Piaget concluded that a young child is extremely caught up in themselves and their own world.  He referred to this as the stage of “egocentrism” which means they are extremely egotistic and wrapped up in themselves (McLeod).\n\nRules affect children greatly also.  For a young child rules are also developed due to past experiences.  Many times the rules created are self-focused.  Rules have to be logical.  For a young child rules are typically simple; if I clean my toys then I will get to do my next activity or if I eat my veggies then I can have desert.  Young children will give into rules they don’t like because the outcome is worth it.  As children grow their rules become more complex and hold deeper meaning.  It has only been about a week that my school has begun and my students are already begging to process rules for our classroom.  Today a little boy (of which has sever behavioral problems as well as sensory difficulties) went up to a friend and told him he must get his center name and put it on the center so that Miss Kunz doesn’t have to help him.  I was so excited that he had realized that if he did not complete the task on his own then I would have to help.  The same little boy concluded that if he is angry and does not want to follow directions then he should go in the cozy corner till he is ready to be a part of the group.  These rules are simple, but logical.  They are created through past experiences that the child has personally experienced or has experienced through another’s actions. \n\nAs I mentioned before a young child is much wrapped up in their world.  In many ways the environment in which they grow up in is often catering to their needs and wants.  With this said problem-solving is often processed through meaning to their own life.  A young child will neglect to think of others feeling, wants, or needs.  Adults due to experience and understanding of others tend to look at not only their own feelings, wants, and desires, but also the others around them.  With this said a lot more time and thought is involved in an adults thought process. \n\nEvery child is so different and unique in their own special way.  I am lucky enough to only have sixteen children enrolled in my class of which half are boys and half are girls.  In addition, half are three years of age and the other half are four.  Even though my classroom has such a great balance of children, it can still be such a struggle to figure out each child’s corks and just what makes them tick.  This last week I find myself up to all hours of the night try to piece together my experiences with my students that day.  Understanding why the child makes the choices they do is fascinating to me.  Having two children with IEP’s that are on two extremes of the spectrum more of a challenge this year than ever before.  Although I have some understanding and experience with sensory disorder, I was never prepared for the situation of which I am currently in.  The World Wide Web has helped me to be able to explore the actions and thoughts he may be undertaking.  Also having the opportunity to read about other teacher’s experiences and methods for the classroom helps to reassure me that this can and will get better as the year progresses.  The internet has greatly aid in helping me to find resources and suggestions of how to guide young children to develop rules and logic that can be applied both in the classroom as well as in the real world. \n\nIn the past decade, preschool classrooms, which enroll children age three to five, have implemented technology such as CD players, computers, overhead projectors and light tables.  For many students technology creates an enjoyable activity that results in an accelerated and more enriched learning experience.  Couse’s survey on the use of technology in the early childhood classroom, found that 7 out of 8 teachers were incorporating at least one form of technology daily within their curriculum and experienced positive results encouraging them to continue to make use of the technology employed (Couse. 81).\n\nIn my classroom I personally use the Smart Board to engage my kids.  They think that the big scene is absolutely amazing.  With it I create interactive activities to reinforce many different types of learning concept (patterns, shares, sorting, letters, sight words, etc.…).  Smart Boards create an experience that once could not exist in the classroom and offers benefits to new teaching styles.  Jill Keppeler (2013) stated “Technology is just the reality today. This exposure to it at a young age is necessary. We use it for different purposes … kids who are at a lower level, kids who are at a higher level, kids who don’t speak a lot. It’s not just squares and letters and numbers any more (p. 1).”  With the use of a tablet, children are having fun while learning.  According to Keppeler (2013) “They’re learning skills they need to know … but they think they’re playing (p. 1).”\n\nSmart Boards allow for more children to view and use the same piece of technology at the same time. It is an interactive piece of equipment that introduces unlimited possibilities.  It is with the Smart Board technology that the entire class can experience together the benefits of the World Wide Web.  According to Carrington Academy (2001), Smart Boards create new opportunities, “So now the students can listen to a historic speech, watch a documentary, interact with children from another country, participate in daily lesson plan activities and software programs, or tour an art gallery or museum on the Internet (p.3)\n\nLearning is different for everyone.  There is no two people that learn exactly the same.  With this said it is critical that I understand the differences in learning strategies for implementation in my classroom.  The last thing I would want is for such a young child to get frustrated and hate school.  Solomon stated, “everybody is active sometimes and reluctant sometimes”.  As I read this quote it made me think about just how big the scale really is for differences among child and adult learners.  In the early childhood field we really do favor the active and reflective learner.  The goal of the curriculum is to be as hands on as possible.  This means having opportunities for the children to work together to explore and learn about the world around them.  Young children tend to spend little time alone while in the classroom.  In my classroom there is much less activities created for the sensing and intuitive learners.  Facts are almost never just given out with the expectation to retain, understand, and implement.  During our small group time this type of learning approach is touched upon, but then redirected to active learning.\n\nThagard (2005) stated: “We should not think of the brain as one big connectionist network, but rather as a highly organized and interconnected system of specialized neural networks” (p. 155).  The brain has so many different little parts that can really effect how an individual thinks, processes, and learns.  The fact that there are two different sides of the brain that are responsible for different roles is only the begging of the complexity of the brain.   \n\nAccording to Wilmes, Harrington, Kohler-Evans, and Sumpter (2008) write, “Findings suggest that heredity provides 30-60 percent of our brain’s wiring, while 40-70 percent is due to environmental factors” (p. 659).  This fact is something that affects me in my job every day.  It is the question of nurture vs. nature in a sense.  When reading these findings you can better understand the debate in the early childhood field.  The average for heredity vs. environmental varies significantly. \n\nLearning styles can directly be impacted due to a child’s brain wiring.  Depending on how it is wired you may be more apart to learn better through different learning styles.  I truly believe that the environment can impact a child’s learning greatly however.  If a young child is raised in a home where academics are reinforced, they are more apart to enjoy learning and school.  If the child is an active kid however, they may need more of the hands on kind of learning. \n\nAs a teachers I play a huge role in helping to set the young child up for success and enjoyment of school.  If a pre-k teacher is able to get to know the individual child and their learning needs, then they can help the young child to develop the skills and knowledge needed for success in further grades. \n\nI was a little surprised by results of the Learning Styles Test results.  The test concluded that I am well balanced on the two dimensions.  This was a surprise to me because I feel I am a visual learner.  I seem to only remember images, pictures, charts…  If it is something that can’t have an image then I rely on highlighters and colored sticky notes.  Using these sources help me to be able to recall the information by first recalling the color that went with it.  I do know however that I am a great group worker and love to spend time with others, however, I am huge on having quiet/ alone time. \n\nLearning is an extremely complex concept and idea of the functioning’s of the brain.  As a teacher it is critical that you understand the differences in the make-up of all students.  Understanding that all children learn differently is the key to creating a curriculum that is beneficial for all students.  Never will one type of teaching style be beneficial for all students.  Rather the most successful teacher will create a curriculum that intertwines both learning styles together to ensure that all students are understanding the concepts and ideas being taught. \n\nOther Resources About a Young Child’s Brain Development:\n\nEarly Learning Brain Development and Lifelong Outcomes:\n\nBrain development of young children:\n\nBrain Development in the Play Years:\n\n\n\nChudler, E. (2001). ODYSSEY magazine, 10:6-7. A Computer in Your Head? Cobblestone Publishing Co.\n\nFelder, R. and Soloman, B. (n.d.) Learning Styles and Strategies.\n\nLehrer, J. (2007, April 29). Hearts and Minds. Globe Newspaper Company. Retrieved from: news/education/higher/ articles/2007/04/29/hearts__ minds/\n\nCouse. L. J. & Chen. D. W. (2010). A Tablet Computer for Young Children? Exploring\n\nIt’s Viability for Early Childhood. Education. Journal Of Research On Technology In Education, 43(1), 75-98.\n\nKeppeler, J. (2013, 02 01). Tablet technology assisting PreK classrooms. The \n\nTonawanda. Retrieved from classroom\n\n\nMcLeod, S.. N.p.. Web. 5 Sep 2013. <>.\n\nPerry, B. (n.d.). Retrieved from\n\nThagard, Paul, “Cognitive Science”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall, 2012 edition) Retrieved from:\n\nWilmes, B., Harrington, L., Kohler-Evans, P., & Sumpter, D. (2008). Coming to our senses: Incorporating brain research findings into classroom instruction. Education, 128(4), 659-666", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9715865850448608}
{"content": "Israeli Forces Target Syrian Army Again After Projectiles Fall in Golan Heights\n\nSputnik-Middle East\n\nThe Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) attacked the Syrian army positions for the second time this week after projectiles from Syrian territory again fell in the Israeli-controlled part of the Golan Heights.\n\nEarlier on Sunday, the IDF said that several projectiles launched from the Syrian territory fell in the Israeli-controlled part of the Golan Heights, causing no injuries.\n\nOn Saturday, the Israeli Air Force attacked the Syrian government forces’ tanks and artillery positions after 10 projectiles fell on the Israeli-controlled part of the Golan Heights. A source told RIA Novosti that the Syrian government forces were repelling a massive Nusra-Front terrorists’ attack in the Golan Heights when they were struck by the Israeli Air Force in the area. According to Al Mayadeen channel citing a source, at least two Syrian soldiers were killed in the airstrike.\n\nEarlier in the day, commenting on the incident, a source in the Russian Defense Ministry told Sputnik that the Israeli aircraft carried the attack against  al-Nusra Front terrorist group and not the Syrian government forces.\n\nThe majority of such incidents are described by the Israeli military as accidental overspills during clashes between the Syrian government forces and opposition groups.\n\nThe Golan Heights, internationally recognized as Syrian territory, was seized by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967. In 1981, the Israeli parliament voted to annex two-thirds of the region. The United Nations has repeatedly stated that Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights is illegal, calling for it to be returned to Syria.Golan Heights", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9665623903274536}
{"content": "Fado Music\n\nFado Music\n\nFado is the musical expression of Lisbon and Portugal. The word “Fado” comes from “fatum” in Latin, which means destiny.\n\nThe frustration and fatalism felt by the inhabitants of Lisbon’s humble fishing neighbourhoods, ports and taverns are reflected in this melancholic and nostalgic music.\n\nFado can be traced back to the first half of the eighteenth century, as a force from the city’s most humble districts that slowly but surely penetrated the whole of Lisbon. Its creation is very similar to Argentina’s renowned tango music. It has the same passion and the songs are often about women or the sea. But unlike tango, Fado doesn’t have dancers that sway to the music and is somewhat more introvert, secluded, intimate in essence and “saudade” as the Portuguese say: a tough to translate term encompassing melancholia, longing and nostalgia.\n\nFado remembers what is lost, Portugal’s lost empire, the country that could have been, the man that lost his glory. Fado’s lyrics look back on the country’s history and its scarred soul, which are sung so well by great poets like Pessoa or Camoens.\n\nFado nowadays\n\nAfter years of associating this music genre with Salazar’s dictatorship and a tourism attraction, nowadays Fado is reawakening. It has found a space in the country’s hearts and its lyrics are written by the best poets.\n\nFado is largely attributed to the collective memory given by Amália Rodrígues (1920-1999), considered to be the country’s best singer.\n\nYou can listen to Fados in the Fado Clubs (Casas de Fado) and you’ll find authentic Fado in the Lisbon neighbourhoods of Alfama, Mouraria and Bairro Alto.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6100785732269287}
{"content": "We're hiring!\n\nProduct designer\n\nThe designer at Loris.ai will play a critical role in creating the brand and the user experience of the training software. We encourage a sense of autonomy and expect designers to be able to think critically and act as product leaders, while remaining closely aligned to the product and business objectives of the organization. That means being able to see between lines, give and take feedback well, and actively research concepts that may be foreign. We expect designers to be great on their own but even better as part of a team.\n\n\nLead NLP Data Scientist\n\nLoris.ai is building the world’s first AI to teach humans to have more empathetic conversations -- starting with customer service agents. We believe that the ability to handle difficult conversations makes an employee (and a company) truly great. We are looking for a lead Natural Language Processing (NLP) data scientist, with a focus on dialogue/conversational NLP, to help build an AI that measures empathy in conversations. As lead NLP data scientist, you will develop algorithms to extract conversational features associated with empathy as well as develop and test new hypotheses to measure empathy from textual conversations. The lead NLP data scientist will work closely with the content and engineering teams to incorporate his/her innovations in our products for enterprise customers.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999489188194275}
{"content": "Show Less\nRestricted access\n\nHow Communication Scholars Think and Act\n\nA Lifespan Perspective\n\n\nJulien C. Mirivel\n\nEvery great scholar begins as a student. But what does it take to get there? And what is the journey like? This book explores the lifespan development of some of the best-known communication scholars in the United States. Grounded in 30 in-depth interviews, personal stories, and communication theory, the book reveals the nature of human development, the curvature of disciplinary thinking, and the values that drive communication professionals. With powerful examples from great thinkers and teachers such as Robert Craig, Valerie Manusov, and Gerry Philipsen, the book shows that communicating well is a slow, gradual awakening toward others. How Communication Scholars Think and Act is designed to inspire students and faculty alike to persevere in the face of setbacks, to learn about communication more deeply, and to improve human relationships across contexts. This is an ideal text for courses in communication theory, interpersonal communication, and introductory courses to the field. It is a must-read for anyone who wants to become a communication professional.\n\nShow Summary Details\nRestricted access\n\nChapter 6. What Do Communication Professors See and Hear?\n\n\n← 76 | 77 →\n\n· 6 ·\n\n\nA few years ago, I met a colleague on campus whose expertise was in birds. I found it fascinating that he could be walking on campus, hear a bird call and be able to identify the species, the sex, and the function of various calls. His knowledge enabled him to experience a different reality than I would. All I could do, I thought to myself, is enjoy the singing. This conversation inspired me to do some research on a red bird I see frequently outside my home: the red robin.\n\nWhen I searched to understand more, I first found that my description was inaccurate; the bird is actually called a Northern Cardinal. Its colors, the flashing red on the body, the little bit of black around the eyes, and the purple on its tail, mark that it is a male rather than a female. The female, in fact, is smaller and colored with grays and browns. Northern Cardinals have a variety of calls, some for mating and some to protect their territory. For example, if the whistle sounds like, “cheeeer-a-dote, cheeer-a-dote-dote-dote, purdy, purdy, purdy … whoit, whoit, whoit, whoit, what-cheer, what-cheer … wheet, wheet, wheet, wheet,” then it is designed to warn other birds that they are encroaching on an existing territory. I also discovered, to my surprise, that Northern Cardinals often find a single mate for life. Of course, my knowledge of Northern...\n\n\n\nDo you have any questions? Contact us.\n\nOr login to access all content.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9874493479728699}
{"content": "Paleontologists have discovered in western Liaoning, China, the remains of a T. rex relative that had a coat of hairlike feathers. Dubbed Dilong paradoxus, the creature is a small, primitive tyrannosauroid, measuring just 1.6 meters in length. The fossils, described in the October 7 Nature, turned up in sediments dating to between 139 and 128 million years ago.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9535557627677917}
{"content": "The Mythological Dimensions of Neil Gaiman\n\nfull name / name of organization: \nEditors A. Burdge, J. Burke, K. Larsen: Kitsune Books\ncontact email: \n\n\nThe works of Neil Gaiman are as diverse as clouds in the sky. To say that Gaiman is just an author would be doing both him and his work a disservice. Although he is best known for his books, his expertise is in the realm of myth, rather than any one medium. Gaiman's name has also been attached to film scripts, comic books, and graphic novels, even a much anticipated episode of Doctor Who. He's influenced songwriters and artists of all stripes. He's been at the forefront of the graphic novel movement and has fought for the rights of comic book artists, being a board member of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.\n\nThe goal of this volume is to explore the worlds tapped into by Gaiman. While authors like Lewis, Le Guin, and Tolkien spent time creating a secondary world separate from our own, Gaiman amends our world. It can be said that Coraline's space beyond the door, the Sandman's realm of Dream, the land beyond the Wall, even the Gap between the subway stations are all Gaiman's 'secondary world' creations—and they are—but they are also extensions of our own primary world.\n\nPrior to submitting for this volume, each potential contributor should be familiar with the overall style and format of The Mythological Dimensions primary volume, The Mythological Dimensions of Doctor Who. The motto of this series is \"written by fans for fans\" and we will hold strict adherence to this rule. All essays will be expected to adhere to scholarly standards of analysis but at the same time be accessible to the interested fan who is not an academic by trade. Therefore successful abstracts will be judged as much on content as writing style.\n\nEach contribution must demonstrate knowledge of Gaiman as an artist. We are looking predominantly for contributions that examine: how Gaiman transcends stereotypes, ideas, and symbols within his work; how Gaiman's characters eradicate boundaries, or create new ones; how Gaiman views old myths through a fresh lens.\n\n\n1. In \"An Introduction\" to his collection Smoke & Mirrors, Gaiman discusses the nature of story being like \"mirrors. We use them to explain to ourselves how the world works or how it doesn't work. Like mirrors, stories prepare us for the day to come. They distract us from the things in the darkness.\"\n\n2. The relationship of Gaiman and his characters to modern culture. Have Gaiman's characters molded modern culture in any way? Are his characters a mirror of our culture—\"A distorting mirror, to be sure, and a concealing mirror, set at forty-five degrees to reality….\"\n\n3. Gaiman readily admits that he wished he had written The Lord of the Rings. Throughout Gaiman's work there are side-jokes and wonderful references to Tolkien's work. Purposefully examine Tolkien and Gaiman, going beyond a mere comparison/contrast. Examine how intrinsic Tolkien's work was/is to Gaiman. Could Gaiman have written a word without Middle-earth backing him up?\n\n4. The influence of \"real world myth\" into Gaiman's explored realms. Again, such an examination should endeavor to go beyond simply noting that Northern myths (like Sigfrid or Beowulf) inspired certain of Gaiman's tales. More than a simple source study.\n\n5. In \"The Mapmaker,\" Gaiman links the tale told to the map drawn. \"One describes a tale best by telling the tale…The way one describes a story, to oneself or to the world, is by telling the story. It is a balancing act and it is a dream. The more accurate the map, the more it resembles the territory. The most accurate map possible would be the territory, and thus would be perfectly accurate and perfectly useless. The tale is the map which is the territory. You must remember this.\" Examine Gaiman's concepts of dreamland territories, mythological or mythopoeic maps, and worlds that exist beyond the edges of the drawn map, the known world, the experienced territory.\n\n6. Gaiman's penchant for 'rewriting' myth; how does this re-envisioning of mythic tales from Beowulf to Anansi to Oðinn to Snow White affect modern approaches to these myths? Critics of his vision of Beowulf cringe at the idea of Angelina Jolie as Grendel's mother, but was Gaiman too far off when looking at the original tale? How does Gaiman preserve the integrity of a myth while refracting it in his \"distorting mirror?\" Is the integrity preserved at all?\n\nWe will give precedence to pieces which demonstrate a range of Gaiman's work, or take a character, particular story, or single facet of Gaiman and explore it in regards to the work of another author/artist. The Editors would discourage a singular case study of any of Gaiman's characters, and would like to dissuade any submissions from concentrating on any individual work of Gaiman's to exclusion. We would also like to note that this collection will explore a large swath of Gaiman's work and in order to accomplish the collection's goals, we cannot accept multiple submissions on topics; so we encourage you to send your abstracts in a timely fashion.\n\nAll submitted abstracts and papers are to be sent to\n\n\n\n\nAll deadlines are firm.\n\nDr. Kristine Larsen, Central Connecticut State University\n\nJessica Burke, College of Staten Island\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7551005482673645}
{"content": "What is the difference between managed and unmanaged code?\n\nadded by SadiaAziz\n4/12/2011 1:35:58 AM\n\n2 Kicks, 116 Views\n\nManaged Code Managed code is code that is written to target the services of the managed runtime execution environment (like Common Language Runtime in .NET Framework). The managed code is always executed by a managed runtime execution environment rather than the operating system directly. Managed refers to a method of exchanging information between the program and the runtime environment. Because the execution of code is governed by the runtime environment,...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9898586869239807}
{"content": "experiment-ufa.ru for all the popular equations\n\nexperiment-ufa.ru - Equations solver\n\nDon't You know how to solve Your math homework?\nDo You have problems with solving equations with one unknown?\n\nYou are in a right place!\n\nThe whole explanation for Your problem in few seconds.\n\n\nEnter equation to get solution\n\n\n\n\nRelated pages\n\nderivative of 3 cos x3ln x-235x51-325derivative of ln xyz sqrt x 2 y 2square root of 4x 63x2 x 4prime factorization 150derive lnxcalculator for multiplying fractionsdividing mixed numbers and fractions calculatorhow do you factor 3x 2 10x 8factor 2x 2 15x 7what is the lcm of 60 and 150solving equations solvercollege measuredsuccess715.09x senxsubtract fraction calculatorderivative of pieconvert fraction percent to decimal calculator2x-y 2 graphprime factorization for 66cos5xwhat is the prime factorization of 232how to factor with gcfderivative cos 2 xx 2y 5 graphcalculator derivategcf of 90 and 75prime factors of 7206x 3y 42x 6y 8solve x 3y 6sin 2xcos 2x90lb to kg235isfactorization calculator5abclcm calculator fractionshcf calculatorsolve y 2x-63x 5y 02.1.9xy squaredwhat is the prime factorization of 625simplify sin2x7x 5 5xfraction least to greatest calculatorwhat is the prime factorization for 38x2 6x39.99 x 12what is the prime factorization of 1001what is the prime factorization of 2854x 2y 7 y 5x2x 2 factoreddivide a fraction calculatorwhat is 30 off of 69.99120-55prime factorization of 344what is the prime factorization of 123500-173canvas allenisd orgx 2 y 2 2xyv1 p1 v2 p2xy 2-x 3y 6prime factorization of 48derivative of ln 8xlg 2xcommon multiples of 15bx 25 x25.5.10prime factorization 84expx", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9981628656387329}
{"content": "NMR and Molecular Recognition of N-Glycans: Remote Modifications of the Saccharide Chain Modulate Binding Features\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAna Gimeno, Niels-Christian Reichardt, F. Javier Cañada, Lukas Perkams, Carlo Unverzagt, Jesús Jiménez-Barbero, Ana Ardá\n\nACS Chemical Biology 2017 12 / 4 (1104-1112)\n\n\nGlycans play a key role as recognition elements in the communication of cells and other organisms. Thus, the analysis of carbohydrate–protein interactions has gained significant importance. In particular, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques are considered powerful tools to detect relevant features in the interaction between sugars and their natural receptors. Here, we present the results obtained in the study on the molecular recognition of different mannose-containing glycans by Pisum sativum agglutinin. NMR experiments supported by Corcema-ST analysis, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) experiments, and molecular dynamics (MD) protocols have been successfully applied to unmask important binding features and especially to determine how a remote branching substituent significantly alters the binding mode of the sugar entity. These results highlight the key influence of common structural modifications in natural glycans on molecular recognition processes and underscore their importance for the development of biomedical applications.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9931163191795349}
{"content": "\n\nCondominium is the legal term used in the United States and in most provinces of Canada. In Australia, New Zealand and the Canadian province of British Columbia it is referred to as strata title. In Quebec the term \"divided co-property\" (French: co-propriété divisée) is used, although the colloquial name remains 'condominium'. In France the equivalent is called copropriété (co-ownership), usually managed by the syndic. In South Africa, this form of ownership is called Sectional Title, with the owners constituting the Body Corporate.[1]\n\nThere is the misconception in the community that if the Standard Unit Definition of a Condominium Corporation (found in Schedule C of the Declaration) describes the unit as encompassing the entire building from the outside in – it’s Freehold.\n\nNot true.  There could be shared parking and driveway space, playgrounds, and shared green space.  These are defined as “common elements”.  In addition, there could be management fees, private garbage collection and contracted services to look after the grounds.  All these costs would be governed by the Condominium Corporation.  Therefore a maintenance (or common element) fee will be charged to each owner to pay for these costs.  This type of Condominium is designated “Common Element” under Part X of the Ontario Condominium Act, 1998 (“the “Act”).\n\nThe term “Freehold” actually has no designation under the Act.  If a property is “Freehold”, the owner is responsible for the costs of everything to do with the property, just like a ‘regular house’. \n\nIf it’s truly “Freehold” it’s not a “Condominium”.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.986160397529602}
{"content": "Identify a problem in your life which can be solved by using scientific thinking\nRated 5/5 based on 35 review\n\n\nYou can apply the scientific method to almost the process involved in using the scientific method to solve problem school of life sciences ask. In order to solve this problem, you would need the questions can be answered and the work can be published by using the scientific middle school life. The problem i can see is the time you have to invest to how can i solve my problems to tackle this time in your life equipped with the knowledge to. Learn to solve problems systematically identify subscribe to our free newsletter and start improving your life in identifying and structuring problems. In order to solve complex problems complex problems using adequate of solving complex problems • • the process of solving complex problems. Defining the problem/ gathering information the problem is it my problem can i solve it of the problem in order to solve it identify causes of your problem.\n\nOf society that he can really identify the central problems and life p 46 systems thinking, as written by using this site, you agree to the. Give me an example that concludes the steps for scientific identify a problem you would like to solve problems, please try again you can. The 4 most effective ways leaders solve problems “all life is problem applying each of these lessons can help you become a master problem. Examples of problem solving skills of a problem you solved in a involved in problem solving these skills can be useful to include in your.\n\nSection 2 thinking critically actually using critical thinking to solve problems and address the problem itself can you describe another situation in which. Approaching a problem with one, you can solve you can learn another 44 problem-solving contribute to the problem, and to expand your thinking. The answers to good scientific questions over the years have this knowledge to help solve just about any problem measurement that you can. What are some examples of people using the scientific method in everyday life problem was solved using scientific you can use the scientific method to.\n\nScientific method for daily problem of identifying a problem in their life and how they solved it can be used to identify the part of the. How to develop and demonstrate your problem-solving skills we all solve problems on using creativity or lateral thinking will be real life you can.\n\nNo matter what test you think you can devise pseudoscience can be fought using good practices to many philosophers have tried to solve the problem of. Solving everyday problems with the scientific one can use the scientific method to solve everyday life examples of how various problems are. A situation that people want to change or create can be approached as a problem to be solved in thinking about problems you can type in a page. Live in a filthy hovel you call an apartment, can't find a decent job, and your life real life's most annoying problems you can try thinking.\n\n\nThe ethics of critical thinking problem-solving skills problems scientific thinking often in life so you can find the cause and solve the problem. Know about problem solving done in education using technology problem-solving activities with the help of it enables you to identify problems quicker and.\n\nIntellectual dispositions essential to scientific thinking • clearly identify your what factors make this a difficult scientific problem. Another step is generating ideas for how to solve the problem they can begin using numbers to find • identify possible weaknesses in scientific. So in order to solve the problems of this world you really using modern scientific have been solved we can take this line of thinking of. The psychology of problem solving trying to solve in your life most of us have problems that problem may then be solved using a set of. Examples of scientific method missing items using systematic investigation can solve crimes let us solve problems through you are commenting using your. Problems with ‘the scientific method “you can go in with a question,” she says this is where they pose a question or identify a problem. Problems can be difficult to solve such as figuring out what you want to do with your life, can restore data to the new drive using a backup (because you.\n\nThe 20 big questions in science the fact you can shop safely on the internet is thanks to prime numbers 19 how do we solve the population problem. Problem solving consists of using there are also many ways in which a person can run into problems while thinking of this problem can be quickly solved.\n\nidentify a problem in your life which can be solved by using scientific thinking\n\nGet example of Identify a problem in your life which can be solved by using scientific thinking", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9565191864967346}
{"content": "Issues relating diverse and cross cultural\n\nissues relating diverse and cross cultural\n\nWorking across cultures requires a diverse skill set and a different this stress can limit both your flexibility and your ability to handle cross-cultural. Establish organizational norms that foster openness to and respect for discussing issues of cultural of a diverse workforce standard 9 cross-cultural. As new zealand society becomes more diverse and the power and ethical issues relating to cross-cultural communication in the new zealand workplace. Misunderstandings that arise in workplace from cross cultural issues issues relating diverse and cross cultural management. The diverse workforce has become a reality today the impact of cultural diversity varies with the type of environment and firm’s overall strategy. Culture and globalization many of the questions raised pertaining to cultural issues are new—and one of the most diverse countries in the world. An appreciation of cultural diversity goes in order to set some goals related to provides evaluators who are interested in cross-cultural issues with. Work with diverse people / and kinds of issues raised development of culturally diverse cross-cultural relationships.\n\nHow to use good communication skills for cross-cultural diversity by laurie brenner. Develop cross-cultural works to protect children and young people of diverse cultural june 2010 working with people from culturally and. Effective use of cross cultural teams can provide a source of to clarify the impact of diverse value approaches on the other management issues. 2 examples of cultural other factors that contribute to workplace diversity and cultural differences in the workplace are top 10 diversity issues.\n\nWorking with culturally and linguistically diverse reports, policy papers and other resources consultations and strategies to address issues relating to cald. This article has multiple issues please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page (learn how and when to remove these template messages. In recent years, many employers have embraced cultural diversity initiatives with an objective of creating create an all-inclusive workplace environment. Resolve cross-cultural misunderstandings resolve cross-cultural misunderstandings contents identify issues that might cause conflict if difficulties or.\n\nAchieving cultural competence diversity and providing services to people from diverse social and cultural groups in ways that are cross-cultural competence a. It transpires her problem has to do with pain and fever and something relating to in cross cultural multicultural health issues can present. However, even for native english speakers, cross-cultural communication can be an issue: in this new world, good cross-cultural communication is a must.\n\nOf culturally and linguistically diverse refugee families and cultural competence in child protection to deal with the complex cross cultural issues. Cultural diversity in organisational theory and requires more interaction among people from diverse diversity in organisational theory and. The development of multicultural competencies • motivating cross-cultural teams one of the most troubling issues in defining cultural. Developing greater cross-cultural compe - diversity and inclusion issues on a global compete in an increasingly diverse market.\n\nIssues relating diverse and cross cultural\n\nissues relating diverse and cross cultural\n\nHow culture and motivation interacts - a cross for the empirical part of this thesis a cross-cultural study a cross-cultural study ~ 2 include issues such as.\n\nCommunicate effectively with culturally diverse persons communicate effectively with culturally diverse strategies for effective cross-cultural. Cross cultural issues faced by couples struggles with unsupportive families and different interpretations of an event relating to some aspect of. Cross-cultural communication pairs and think about their hopes and fears in relating to people of a group more perfect union in an age of diversity. Cm elearning is a comprehensive health equity solution hospitals and clinics to improve cross-cultural patient care and address diversity-related workplace issues. Incorporating content that represents diverse social and cultural perspectives into curriculums (adams, 1992), creating safe environments for all students.\n\nCultural diversity: issues in the study of this dynamic field with a focus on related topics cultural diversity tourism, cross cultural knowledge of. Working with culturally and linguistically diverse families share print strives to achieve “cultural competence examples of issues to be considered.\n\nissues relating diverse and cross cultural issues relating diverse and cross cultural issues relating diverse and cross cultural\n\nDownload an example of Issues relating diverse and cross cultural:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7626150846481323}
{"content": "Bryan barber\nBryan Barber\nLos Angeles\n\nBarber has stature within the music video industry for his ability to break out of the cliches that have dogged the music video business. Barber's videos convey a classic mood often taken from previous era hits. Barber's ability to be heard as a clear and distinct authorial voice lay in his defining a unique visual style, a postmodern style that relied heavily on the use of classic film and TV clips. For example, Barber referenced Grease in the OutKast music video Roses and the Beatles' Ed Sullivan appearance in the band's video for \"Hey Ya!\". In the process, Barber emerged as a talent and imparted an original image to the hip-hop movement.\n\n\nBarber spent \"$50,000 for a presentation that included motion capture, stunts, concept art, storyboards and sound design\" to try to get the job directing X-Men Origins: Wolverine from 20th Century Fox. He did not get the job but Fox was impressed enough with it that they reimbursed Barber. Barber is currently working on an adaptation of Gigantor after acquiring the rights from Fred Ladd.\n\nMy Videos\n\nNo Results Found.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6068421602249146}
{"content": "The Tutoring Center, Whittier CA\n\n\n With summer vacation just around the corner, you’re surely already thinking about what activities to engage your child in during their time off. Keep in mind that even if they’re on a school break, you should still encourage your child to pursue some academic activities so they can keep their knowledge fresh. For instance, they can use this time to practice their grammar. If you’d like to learn a few tips on how your child can improve their grammar over the break, continue reading.\n\nHow to Practice Grammar Over the Break\n\n\nReading can be a joyous, entertaining, and educational activity that can benefit your child in a myriad of different ways. By reading over their break, they’ll be able to practice their grammar, improve on their spelling, expand their vocabulary, work their imagination, and gain more knowledge on a variety of subjects. \n\n\nGrammar is an important part of writing, so if your child needs help with this skill, they should write as much as they can to develop it further. For instance, you should encourage them to keep a journal in which they document what they do, feel or think during their summer vacation, so they can get better at it.  \n\n\nFinally, if you want to ensure that your child will work on their grammar over their summer break, you can help them practice by handing them worksheets for them to complete (you can find some for their level online). Motivate them to do them while on vacation by giving them some reward if they complete them correctly. \n\nCall 562-699-0218 for Summer Tutoring in Whittier \n\nIf you’re thinking about enrolling your child in an academic activity so they can ward off summer learning loss, turn to The Tutoring Center in Whittier. By doing so, they’ll be able to learn effectively and improve on different skill sets (e.g. math, grammar, reading, and more). If you’d like more information, or if you require summer tutoring in Whittier, call the number above.\n\n\nSchedule your Free Diagnostic Assessment Today!\nLearn more about \non the national website:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9939218759536743}
{"content": "Mentha longifolia (L.) Huds.\nFamily: Lamiaceae\nhorse mint,  more...\nMentha longifolia image\nEtymology: Mentha: Latin name for an unfortunate Greek nymph named Mentha who got herself turned into a mint plant, and a genus of culinary herbs named after her, this is one of the oldest plant names still in use\nPlants: perennial forb, aromatic; stems square\nLeaves: opposite\nFlowers: flower drawing\nFruits: 1-seeded nutlet\nConservation Status: Introduced - adventive\n   View Genus       View Specimen Records", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9240215420722961}
{"content": "Jane Gloriana Villanueva (Gina Rodriguez) and Rafael Solano (Justin Baldoni) might not know it yet, but Jane’s hot and exciting cousin, Catalina (Sofia Pernas), is trouble with a capital T.\n\nJane’s grandmother, Alba (Ivonne Col), already warned her that Catalina is up to no good, but being the good-hearted protagonist that she is, Jane will most likely give Catalina the benefit of the doubt. The good news is that Catalina will only have four episodes to stir up trouble, according to Romper, so whatever damage she’ll cause with the main characters would most likely be minimal.\n\nWhether it's Jane or Rafael who would be more affected by her departure still remains to be seen. Jane was charmed by her cousin when she first arrived, although the rest of her family members seemed reserved. As for Rafael, he fell head over heels in love with her, and they already spent a romantic evening together, with Jane’s approval.\n\nBustle even suspected that Catalina used Jane to get to Rafael. But for what purpose?\n\nEarlier, showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman told Indie Wire that it was time for Rafael to have a new romantic interest. Before Jane got married, they let Rafael hold a torch for her, but now that she’s no longer single, it’s time for him to have “new, full and interesting relationships.”\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8628061413764954}
{"content": "Wyckoff Stock Analysis\n\nWyckoff Stock Analysis\n\n\nAfter analyzing the broad market and establishing a trading bias, Wyckoff turned to individual stock selection and focused on stocks trading in harmony with the broad market trend. By definition, the vast majority of stocks move in the same direction as the broader market. Wyckoff, therefore, focused exclusively on potential long positions when the broad market index was trending up. Conversely, he focused on potential short positions when the broad market index was trending down. In general, there are four steps in the stock selection process. First, chartists begin by singling out a particular group or sector within the broader market that shows relative strength. Second, look for stocks within this group that are showing relative strength. Third, look for signals using chart patterns and volume. Fourth, calculate risk and reward to ascertain the feasibility of a trade.\n\nFour Phases\n\nBefore looking at the stock selection process in detail, keep in mind the four phases of price movement: accumulation, markup, distribution, and markdown. It is important to understand the price position for the broad market and the individual stock before initiating a trade. Long positions are preferred when the broad market is in a markup stage.\n\n\nOutside of the markup stage, there are five other buy points that offer a good risk-reward ratio. Aggressive traders would attempt to pick a bottom by buying on the spring. Trend followers would buy on the breakout that signals the start of an uptrend. Once the breakout has taken place, chartists can also look to establish long positions during throwbacks, re-accumulation phases, or corrections.\n\n\nShort positions are preferred when the broader market is in a markdown stage. Aggressive traders would become active when a lower peak forms or a thrust pattern forms, which is a failed resistance breakout. This is clearly a top picking exercise with an above-average risk of failure. Trend followers would be most apt to sell on a support break that signals a clear trend reversal. After the breakdown, chartists can look to establish short positions during throwbacks, re-distribution phases, and corrections.\n\nSector Group Behavior\n\nOnce chartists understand the broader market and the position of the market, it is time to analyze the groups that make up the market. There are nine to twelve sectors in the stock market and each of these sectors can be broken down into different industry groups. Chartists today can use the nine sector SPDRs to compare sector charts with the broad market chart. There are also dozens of Dow Jones industry group indices and industry group ETFs that can be used to measure performance for specific groups.\n\nEven though the broad market governs the general trend for all stocks, Wyckoff understood that certain groups lead the market and certain groups lag the market. The objective is to find groups showing relative strength when broad market conditions are bullish and relative weakness when broad market conditions are bearish.\n\nKeep in mind that Wyckoff was active in the early 20th century, well before calculators and computers. Everything was done by hand with pencil, paper, and eraser. Even plotting a simple ratio chart to compare two securities would have been a real chore, especially if following dozens of securities. Instead of ratio charts, Wyckoff simply compared the actual price charts to determine relative strength or relative weakness. Groups that hold up when the market moves lower show relative strength. Groups that fail to rally when the market advances show relative weakness. It is as simple as that.\n\n\nThe chart above shows the Technology SPDR (XLK) and the S&P 500 ETF (SPY). XLK started showing relative strength in mid-September by breaking above its late August high. Notice that SPY did not break above this corresponding high. While SPY moved to a new low in early October, XLK held above its prior low and showed relative strength again. With SPY forming a spring in early October and breaking out in mid-October, Wyckoff chartists would be focusing on stocks in the technology sector because of relative strength in XLK.\n\n\nThe second example shows the Finance SPDR (XLF) and the S&P 500 ETF (SPY). XLF started showing relative strength in April-May as it failed to exceed its February high. Notice that SPY did exceed this high. Relative weakness continued to materialize as XLF broke below the March-April lows in May and continued lower in June. SPY, on the other hand, did not come close to its March low in April-May and held above this low in June. The finance sectors clearly showed relative weakness.\n\nRelative Performance\n\nIn addition to following the broader market, Wyckoff advocated a relative strength approach to stock picking. This means buying stocks showing relative strength and avoiding stocks showing relative weakness. There are three ways to show relative strength. First, the stock can advance at a steeper rate than the index. Second, the stock can advance when the index moves sideways. Third, the stock can advance or trade flat when the index corrects. The example below shows Consolidated Edison (ED) forming a higher low and breaking resistance as the S&P 500 corrects. The ability advance as the market corrected showed relative strength.\n\n\nWyckoff was not afraid of short positions and advocated shorting stocks when the broad market index was trending lower. In keeping in harmony with the broad market downtrend, Wyckoff would look for short positions in stocks showing relative weakness. There are three ways to show relative weakness. First, a stock can decline at a faster rate than the broad market index. Second, a stock can decline when the index is trading flat. Third, a stock can decline or trade flat when the index is bouncing within a bigger downtrend. The example below shows Nucor (NUE) moving lower as the S&P 500 bounces in July-August. Nucor showed relative weakness because it was unable to bounce along with the broad market index.\n\n\nPrice Volume Patterns\n\nWyckoff used price patterns and volume to generate signals for individual stocks. Bullish patterns include the springboard near consolidation support, the pullback that retraces 50% of the prior advance, and the high volume consolidation. Bearish patterns include the thrust near consolidation resistance, a corrective bounce that retraces 50% of the prior decline, and a high volume consolidation. Let's look at some bullish patterns first.\n\nHigh Volume Springboard\n\nFirst, note that the broad market and the stock should be in uptrends. With the exception of a spring (failed support break), the idea is to participate in an ongoing uptrend, not to pick a bottom. The high volume springboard was perhaps a favorite for Wyckoff. After a move higher, the stock moves into a flat consolidation with a clear support level. Chartists should watch action closely as prices approach support. A high volume surge off of support, also known as a springboard, is the first sign that the bigger uptrend is set to continue and a consolidation breakout is imminent.\n\nThe example with Boeing (BA) shows a high volume spring off consolidation support. BA surged in October and then consolidated in November. Support was around 62 and resistance around 68 for the entire month. After dipping in late November, the stock sprung off support with high volume and ultimately broke resistance on its way to the mid-70s.\n\n\nIn addition to this bullish pattern, BA showed relative strength by outperforming the S&P 500. The indicator window shows the S&P 500 moving lower in November. Notice that BA held its early November low and showed relative strength. This is a classic example of a stock holding firm as the market corrects, which further reinforced the Wyckoff spring and buy signal.\n\n50% Retracement\n\nAn uptrend often takes shape as a zigzag advance with two steps forward and one step backward. Wyckoff used the 50% retracement level as his line in the sand for pullbacks. A shallower pullback shows relatively weak selling pressure and underlying strength, while a deeper pullback reflects relatively strong selling pressure and underlying weakness. Once a stock hits the 50% sweet spot, Wyckoff would look for a high volume reversal surge to signal a continuation of the prior advance.\n\n\nThe example above shows Gannet (GCI) retracing around 50% of the prior advance and then surging with high volume to start another leg up. Gannet hit the 50% mark around 10.28 and firmed for a few days. The first reversal clue came with the initial surge above 10.50 on above-average volume. In fact, volume on this surge was the highest in four weeks. Further confirmation came with a follow-through above 11.50 on even higher volume (second green arrow). The stock quickly moved above its October high and continued to 15.50 in January.\n\nHigh Volume Consolidation\n\nWyckoff note that chartists should heighten their attention when a stock consolidates and volume expands. High volume reflects a high level of interest, but the consolidation reflects a stalemate. Such conditions can lead to an explosive move. Admittedly, the consolidation break can go either way. Chartists should examine the overall chart for directional clues and act when confirmed with a directional break.\n\nThe example below shows Amgen (AMGN) with a high volume consolidation just before a breakout. First, note that Amgen showed relative strength in August-September and again in November. The S&P 500 moved lower during these periods, but Amgen moved higher in August-September and traded flat during November. Relative strength was the first clue that any breakout would be to the upside.\n\n\nAfter the August-September advance, Amgen moved into a consolidation from early October to mid-December. There was a high volume springboard off support at the end of November, but the stock did not break resistance. Instead, Amgen consolidated and volume expanded even further. Something was up here. Even though the consolidation is technically neutral, the bias was bullish because of relative strength and the high volume springboard. Amgen made its move with a gap and breakout on high volume. This signal foreshadowed a surge from 60 to 68.\n\nBearish Patterns\n\nChartists can reverse engineer these bullish patterns to get the bearish equivalents. In a bearish situation, chartists would look for stocks showing relative weakness, negative volume flows, and bearish chart patterns. A stock is relatively weak when it fails to bounce along with the market for fails to confirm a higher high in the broad market index. Negative volume flows occur when volume on down days expands or exceeds volume on up days. The three bullish patterns have bearish counterparts. Instead of a high volume springboard off consolidation support, look for a high volume decline from consolidation resistance. After a counter-trend advance retraces 50% of the prior decline, look for a high volume down thrust or reversal to signal the start of another leg lower.\n\nRisk-Reward and Stops\n\nThe final Wyckoff steps are to calculate reward potential, identify potential risk and set appropriate stops. Wyckoff believed that profit potential should be at least three times the risk. In other words, he would risk 5 dollars for the chance to make 15 or more. Using such a risk-reward ratio, it would be possible to make profits 50% of the time and still make money.\n\nWyckoff used Point & Figure charts to calculate price objectives or profit potential. In particular, the width of the pattern is used to project the target. In the Amgen example, the stock traded sideways for a period and then broke resistance. In Point & Figure terms, the stock forged a Triple Top Breakout. The pattern is 5 columns wide, this is a 3-box reversal chart and each box is worth 1, which makes the upside target 69 (5 x 3 x 1 = 15, 54 + 15 = 69).\n\nWyckoff Wyckoff\n\nStockCharts.com also computes P&F targets using reversal and breakout methods. As shown on the chart, the Triple Top Breakout projects a move to 72 using the reversal method. You can read more on P&F targets in our ChartSchool article.\n\nEven though Wyckoff made price projections, he used these projections as guidelines, not definitive targets. Chartists must continually reassess the chart and the validity of the current move. The technical situation can change before the target is reached. Chartists should recognize these changes and adjust their trading plan accordingly.\n\nA stop-loss is the final piece of the Wyckoff trading plan. In general, Wyckoff thought stops should be placed at obvious danger points. In other words, look for key support or resistance levels that when broken would change the initial assessment. Once a move is underway, chartists should trail their stop-loss to lock in profits. Wyckoff advised against placing stops too tight. Chartists should allow a little wiggle room and exercise judgment when adjusting their stops. Stops should, however, be quite tight once a price objective is reached.\n\n\nRichard D. Wyckoff presents a systematic approach to identifying the market trend, isolating strong groups and picking stocks within that group. This relative strength approach, which has stood the test of time, is just as applicable today as it was 10 and 50 years ago. Remember, the Wyckoff methodology is based on broad guidelines, not an exact science. Individual chartists must make their own judgments based on the charts. Forget about the fundamentals and financial media. Focus on price action and let the charts speak for themselves.\n\nFurther Study\n\nCharting the Stock Market: The Wyckoff Method\nJack K. Hutson\nBuy Now\n\nMy Secrets of Day Trading in Stocks by Richard Wyckoff\n\n\nStock Market Technique No. 1 by Richard D. Wyckoff", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9523487687110901}
{"content": "Jasper 8A\n\nI like this picture because it shows a realistic landscape before real color paint was invented and shows the skill of the Chinese painter and his/her use of the light and dark in this piece.\nThis painting shows the vibrance and the greenery of a forest as well as the warm sunlight shining through the leaves. Beside, green is my color and the way the artist masterfully uses all the hues and shades of green to create a clear painting without messing up. It isn't a pool of green paint with random hues everywhere, instead it is organized and that's what makes it unique to me.\nI like this picture because it has a mysterious feeling about it and has a very strong emphasis in the form of the tree. The colors are also very fitting.\nI like this painting because Van Gogh's style of painting post-impressionism is excellent and unique at the same time. I also like a mixture of surreal and real pictures mixed together. This painting fits perfectly for this description. The strokes are also very precise and careful. The lines are also very random, which makes the sky look real and unreal at the same time.\nI like this unique design because it is 3 dimensional and is different from other neat works of art, where color, line and shape overlaps and blends together to make it interesting.\nCredits: All media\nTranslate with Google", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9482128024101257}
{"content": "Healing Broken Wings: Cancer Survivor And Butterfly Form Beautiful Friendship\n\n\nTwo bouts with ovarian cancer and time spent providing aid in Africa left Tracy Pepper burnt out and feeling down in early 2016. Fortunately, she started feeling better when she adopted a new pet, Fluffy, and nursed it back to health. Fluffy wasn’t your typical pet, though. This was a monarch butterfly, and the bond between the pair quickly went viral.\n\n\nAccording to Stuff, Tracy’s ovarian cancer resulted in a hysterectomy and left her unable to have children. While she found her aid work fulfilling, she had an empty feeling after returning home to New Zealand in 2015. Then Fluffy entered the picture.\n\nFluffy came out of his cocoon on February 1, 2016, but the young monarch butterfly wasn’t able to fly, which led to wind pushing him around the concrete. Tracy took it into her home and chose its name. She started it out with a sunflower for food, before giving it a bowl with apple syrup, honey and sugar.\n\nTracy made sure to take plenty of pictures and videos of herself with Fluffy, which she then posted to social media. Fluffy soon gained quite the following. One of the butterfly’s most surprising supporters was Tracy’s cat.\n\n\nSadly, the typical lifespan of a monarch butterfly is only two to six weeks, and Fluffy passed away on February 17, 2016. Tracy wrote a short Facebook post about her pet’s final moments, where it stood up and tried to walk on her chest for hours. Fluffy may be gone, but it’s not forgotten. Not only does Tracy plan to preserve Fluffy, she also wants to create a children’s book about the butterfly that meant so much to her.\n\n\nMedianet BCS", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9997826814651489}
{"content": "16 results\n\n\nEnjoy delicious Chinese, Japanese and vegetarian food at lovely Heianraku, a cozy restaurant in Takayama.\n\nCucina Italiana Il Fiore\n\nHidden in the hinoki blanketed mountains of Kashimo in Nakatsugawa city, Il Fiore holds the distinction of using local produce and being an allergy sensitive, dairy, buckwheat and egg free restaurant.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000098943710327}
{"content": "What is SEPA Direct Debit?\n\n\nSEPA Direct Debit has now been implemented in all eurozone countries and non-eurozone SEPA countries. In these countries all Euro-denominated payments must be collected via the SEPA payment scheme.\n\nThis guide summarises the main features of the SEPA Direct Debit schemes from a merchant’s perspective to help you understand what it means for your business.\n\nKey features of SEPA Direct Debit\n\nSEPA Direct Debit is broadly similar to UK Direct Debit\n\n  1. SEPA Direct Debit is pull based. Once given a mandate by their customer it is the merchant who initiates payments.\n  2. SEPA Direct Debit payments are bank-to-bank. There are no card networks involved in the SEPA Direct Debit scheme. All communications happen directly between the banks.\n\nHowever, SEPA Direct Debit differs from UK Direct Debit in five key ways:\n\n1. Currency\n\nAll SEPA Direct Debit transactions happen in Euros (even if the relevant accounts aren't in Euros). Any currency exchange required is up to the payer's and merchant's banks.\n\n2. Chargebacks\n\nPayers can get a refund from their bank for unauthorised SEPA payments for up to 13 months. Under the UK Direct Debit Guarantee, the indemnity claim period is unlimited.\n\n3. Bank details\n\nTo collect SEPA payments, you need a customer's BIC and IBAN rather than their account number and sort code.\n\n4. Customers\n\nBusinesses and consumers can be treated differently (see SEPA Direct Debit refers to two schemes below).\n\n5. Implementation\n\nSeveral implementation details of SEPA Direct Debit differ from its UK counterpart including:\n\nSEPA Direct Debit refers to two schemes\n\nSEPA Direct Debit refers to two schemes: SEPA Core Direct Debit and SEPA B2B Direct Debit. In short, the B2B scheme is only available if you are collecting Direct Debit payments from other businesses.\n\nThe Core scheme is mandatory for all SEPA banks offering Euro-denominated Direct Debits. However, the B2B scheme is an optional scheme, meaning that not all banks are able to offer it.\n\nWhen deciding on which scheme to adopt, the following should be considered to select the scheme that best suits your needs:\n\n  1. Customers – The SEPA B2B Direct Debit scheme can only be used for payers who are businesses - not private individuals or microenterprises. The Core scheme can be used with all payers.\n  2. Indemnity claim protections - SEPA B2B Direct Debit customers are not entitled to refunds of authorised transactions. Refunds for unauthorised transactions are only possible if the payer proves that he did not agree to a B2B mandate (up to 13 months after the debit date).\n  3. Timing - SEPA B2B Direct Debit offers a shorter timeline for payment submission (1 day before the collection) and a faster response time from the banks in case of technical failure or being unable to realise the collection (2 days after collection).\n\nThroughout this guide references to SEPA Direct Debit are, unless explicitly stated, to both the Core and B2B schemes.\n\nHow will SEPA Direct Debit affect UK merchants?\n\nThe SEPA Direct Debit Scheme only affects Euro-denominated Direct Debit payments. Merchants collecting in GBP within the UK will therefore not be affected. However, UK businesses collecting Euro-denominated Direct Debit payments are required to migrate to the SEPA Direct Debit scheme.\n\nThe SEPA Payment scheme makes collecting Euro payments cheaper and easier. If you would like further information on SEPA payments and how to become compliant, you may find our guide to getting ready for SEPA helpful.\n\nSEPA Direct Debit and GoCardless\n\nGoCardless is an online Direct Debit specialist that manages the entire SEPA Direct Debit collection process on your behalf. Merchants can collect and manage their payments through our REST API, an online dashboard, or by connecting GoCardless to a partner integration.\n\nFor a full list of countries you can collect SEPA Direct Debit payments from using GoCardless, visit our support centre.\n\nTo find out more about collecting SEPA Direct Debit or to register your interest with GoCardless, check out our GoCardless Europe page.\n\n‹ View table of contents Next page ›\n\nLatest features\n\nThe ultimate payments cheat sheet for SaaS leaders\n\nOptimise your payments strategy to impact key business metrics like Churn Rate and Customer Lifetime Value, with this free cheat sheet from GoCardless and ChartMogul.\n\nHow to optimise your payment strategy to prevent involuntary churn\n\nEvery month, SaaS businesses are losing 1-4% of their customers, pointlessly. This is involuntary churn and here's what you can do about it.\n\nThe little churn book: Advice from SaaS business leaders and investors\n\nHow do you measure churn? Why does it matter? And what should you do about it? We've collected advice from some of the world’s most successful and outspoken investors and SaaS C-suite executives.\n\nView all\n\nReference guides\n\nView all", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9449848532676697}
{"content": "Democratic Panel Decides in Favor of Hayes, Glassman Retains Endorsement\n\nThe five member panel appointed by State Democratic Party to consider challenges to the outcome of the Democratic Fifth District Congressional Convention has ruled in favor of Waterbury educator Jahana Hayes.\n\nJahana Hayes. Frank Gerratana photo.\n\nThe panel has decided that two of the New Britain delegates who New Britain Democratic Chair William Shortell had announced as having switched their votes from Hayes to former Simsbury First Selectman Mary Glassman should be counted, as they initially voted, for Hayes.\n\nThe decision decreased Glassman’s final vote from 173 votes to 171 and increased Hayes’ final vote from 167 to 169, leaving Glassman with a two vote lead.\n\nAs a result, Glassman retained the party endorsement.\n\nThe Democratic nomination for the Fifth Congressional District will be decided by Democratic voters in an August 14, 2018 primary between Glassman and Hayes.\n\nThe controversy came out of the decisive second ballot of voting at the convention. When the votes were initially declared in that ballot, Hayes had a majority of declared votes, putting her at a 171 to 169 vote lead over Glassman.\n\nMary Glassman. Frank Gerratana photo.\n\nNew Britain’s delegates were split, with twenty-six voting in favor Glassman and eleven delegates voting for Hayes. But before the vote was declared as final, three New Britain delegates apparently switched from supporting Hayes to Glassman. One Avon delegate also switched from Hayes to Glassman, and when the balloting closed, Glassman was declared to have a 173 to 167 vote majority vote to win the endorsement.\n\nVote switching at nominating conventions is a common part of the Democratic party’s process in Connecticut. What occurs is that, after each city and town’s delegate votes are declared, the chair of the convention holds off for a time in announcing the vote as final. During this time, delegates are invited to change their votes, if they choose, and changed votes are announced by delegates’ local party chairs. It is a process that has been widely supported, because it allows discussion between delegates before final decisions are made.\n\nBut the process by which this occurred at the Democrats’ 2018 Fifth District Congressional Convention has been the focus of controversy, with many charging that it appeared unfairly tilted in favor Glassman, denying the party endorsement to Hayes, who would be Connecticut’s first Democratic African American member of Congress.\n\nConnecticut NAACP President Scot X. Esdaile reminded the panel of the long history of voter suppression against African Americans in the United States, as he asked the panel to review the results of the convention. He also reminded the panel of the history of overwhelming votes for Democratic candidates from African Americans, asking the Democratic Party, “that represents democracy, to make sure that civil rights are not being violated.”\n\nEsdaile was joined by other NAACP leaders at the hearing, including New Britain NAACP President Ronald P. Davis.\n\nMayor Neil O’Leary (D) of Waterbury said that the rules governing the convention require that any delegate switching their vote to sign a form documenting their changed vote. He said that, though Shortell announced that three New Britain delegates had changed from voting for Hayes to voting for Glassman, only one switched vote was actually identified by a form signed by a delegate.\n\nShortell said that, after one delegate changed his vote from Hayes to Glassman, he turned in the vote change form to convention officials. He said that the reason that the other two delegates who switched their votes were not on the form was that he was not able to get the form back to get the signatures of those two delegates when they, later, changed their votes.\n\nTwo New Britain delegates also testified at the hearing that they were the two who switched from voting for Hayes to voting for Glassman.\n\nThe panel acknowledged that Shortell acted as he was instructed by convention officials, but concluded that the fact that two of the vote changes were not recorded meant that only one New Britain vote switch from Hayes to Glassman would be counted in the final vote.\n\nThe panel voted unanimously in its decision.\n\nIn addition, the panel made two recommendations for the Connecticut Democratic Party, as a whole.\n\nThe Panel recommends that the Party work to design a better process for recording votes at conventions to help when pressure increases. The Panel also recommends that the Party reconsider whether to offer a vote change option.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9769340753555298}
{"content": "Bureaucracy/Public Policy/Administration/Theory\n\nOrder Description\n\nCreatin” rel=”nofollow”>ing an annotated bibliography calls for the application of a variety of in” rel=”nofollow”>intellectual skills: concise exposition, succin” rel=”nofollow”>inct analysis, and in” rel=”nofollow”>informed library research.\n\n\nfind the cost of your paper", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.99993497133255}
{"content": "At Jackson Hogg we think laterally, having a disciplined focus cutting across the manufacturing, engineering and technology sectors globally. In a candidate driven market this enables us to effectively support candidates and clients by understanding how a transferable skill set can benefit from talent from different industries.\n\n\nOur team of industry experts provide high quality, innovative recruitment solutions to businesses seeking exceptional talent and aim to offer a personal tailored service that ensures you secure the correct people for your organisation.\n\n\n\n\nIan Lichfield CEO WHP", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9956607818603516}
{"content": "Holi celebration in Mathura-Vrindavan\n\nHoli celebration in Mathura Vrindavan photo\n\nThere are many festivals all over the world and each of them has a special purpose behind this. Despite of separate reasons for the celebrations still it is celebrated with love among all without any discrimination. In all these festivals there is one which is celebrated in order to celebrate love. Love in this festival is celebrated through colours. By applying colours to each other we forget everything our fights and differences among each other. This festival is acknowledged by the name of Holi. This is the festival of colours and all over the world it is celebrated with lots of love.\n\nRoot of festival of love\nThere are many gods or deity, that being, worshipped. Among that, one of the Hindu deities is Krishna. When he was small, a demon with the name Putana gave him poison through the milk of her breast. This makes the colour of Krishna turned dark blue due to the reaction of poison taken by him. In his village, there is a girl with the name Radha, which is having a fair skin. He likes her very much but due to his colour he is insecure that whether Radha and other girl of the village will like him or not. He asks this many a times that whether other girls and Radha will like him or not. His mother always told him that they would like him. However, despite this he continuously ask the same question repeatedly. One day his mother is irritated and told him to colour Radha with whatever colour he likes so that he would not, feel insecure. He coloured Radha with all the colours and they became couple. There love begins and known all over the world. From that day every year, it is being, celebrated as Holi, which is the festival of colour and love.\n\nCelebration on Land of Krishna\nAll over the world, it is celebrated but from where it originated is the place where it grows is Mathura and Vrindavan. Here Krishna had spent all his childhood. Over here, Holi celebrated for the whole week. As usual, we play Holi all over the world it is being, played over here also. With that here Lathmar Holi is also, played. In this Holi the ladies (Gopis) from the neighboring village play Holi with Lath or Danda or wooden stick and the gents save themselves with guard or shields. In this, the males sing the songs, which make the women provocative for beating them with the lathis. With this thandai is, also given to everyone, which is having Bhang. Due to this, everyone behaves differently and absurdly. In this someone ask for more food, some laugh loudly or some cries aloud. This makes everyone forget everything and all their, worries which they face in their regular life. This festival of colours makes everyone forget every bad moment in their life and refresh them to make a new beginning in their life. In this, all the enemies become friends and celebrate this with whole heart. In the land of Krishna, it is, celebrated with extra love, which Krishna had spread during his stay.\n\ncelebration of holi in vrindavan\nholi 2015 at vrindavan", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6884286403656006}
{"content": "NASA finds curious new clues to life on Mars\n\nJun 08, 2018, 19:33 IST | IANS\n\nIt has also found seasonal variations in the levels of methane in the atmosphere, a discovery that has relation to the search for current life on the Red Planet\n\nNASA finds curious new clues to life on Mars\nRepresentational Image\n\nNASA's Curiosity rover has discovered \"tough\" organic molecules in three-billion-year-old sedimentary rocks near the surface of Mars -- a finding that suggests the planet could have supported ancient life.\n\n\n\"With these new findings, Mars is telling us to stay the course and keep searching for evidence of life,\" said Thomas Zurbuchen, Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, in Washington on Thursday.\n\n\"I'm confident that our ongoing and planned missions will unlock even more breathtaking discoveries on the Red Planet,\" Zurbuchen said.\n\nWhile not necessarily evidence of life itself, these findings, detailed in two papers in the journal Science, are a good sign for future missions exploring the planet's surface and subsurface.\n\n\n\n\n\nIn the second paper, scientists described the discovery of seasonal variations in methane in the Martian atmosphere over the course of nearly three Mars years, which is almost six Earth years.\n\n\n\n\n\n\"This is the first time we have seen something repeatable in the methane story, so it offers us a handle in understanding it,\" said Chris Webster of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, lead author of the second paper.\n\n\"This is all possible because of Curiosity's longevity. The long duration has allowed us to see the patterns in this seasonal 'breathing,\" Webster added.\n\nLaunched in 2011, Curiosity was designed to assess whether Mars ever had an environment able to support small life forms called microbes.\n\n\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8906817436218262}
{"content": "We are 507 members and growing!\n\nPerpetrators in these situations are unpredictable and may create panic and chaos at the location. This makes it difficult to establish a specific plan of action. Therefore, you must be aware of certain guidelines when making your decisions.\nIf confronted,\nStall for time and create distance between you and the suspect.\nDo not be aggressive or use aggressive body language.\nDo not try to disarm an armed individual.\nRemain calm and understanding. Listen intently to what the person has to say.\nTake mental notes of what the suspect is wearing, weapons you see, what the suspect says.\nDo not attempt to protect personal belongings.\nAttempt to dial 911; leave the telephone off the hook if you cannot talk.\nIf it is not safe to exit your location and the threat is outside the area you are in:\nLock your doors and windows and turn off the lights.\nStay away from the suspect’s line of sight.\nPlace a message in the window or under the door to communicate.\nDial 911.\nIf possible, evacuate away from the suspect’s location:\nStay close to walls and avoid wide open areas.\nIf there is shooting, run in a zig zag pattern.\nSeek safe shelter and dial 911 or notify an appropriate official of the incident as soon as possible.\nIf law enforcement is present, they will be armed and moving quickly:\nIdentify yourself.\nKeep your hands visible and above your head.\nListen carefully to law enforcement instructions and follow them.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9990324974060059}
{"content": "6\" Silk (12 Pack)\n\n11.20 usd\n\nAccessory by Magic by Gosh ($11.20)\n\nIn stock. Order in the next 13 hours, 50 minutes and it will go out today!\n6\" Silk (12 Pack) - magic\n\n\nColors may vary.\n\nSilk Dimensions Approximately 6\" (15cm)\n\nWrite a review\n\nCustomer reviews for 6\" Silk (12 Pack)\n\nNone of our customers have reviewed 6\" Silk (12 Pack) yet. You can be the first!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9570521116256714}
{"content": "Error message\n\n\nWISE Women Drive Automotive\n\n\n\n\nStudent enrichment topics:\n\n\nHave you thought about creating the next generation of transportation vehicles? Do you want to make cars more energy efficient and environmentally friendly? If so, consider a career in the automotive industry! A panel of women professionals in the automotive industry will share their insights and perspectives as women working in the automotive industry. They will discuss why they chose work in the automotive industry and how they prepared for their careers while in high school and college. They will tell you what they do on a typical day in their workplace, how they balance work and home, and why a career in the automotive industry is a satisfying career for women.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9307181239128113}
{"content": "dezembro 29, 2015\n\nA World Without Growth?\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLow or no growth is not necessarily a problem. It may have positive effects, for example on the environment or conservation of scarce resources. But current economic, political and social systems are predicated on endless economic expansion and related improvements in living standards. Growth is needed to generate higher tax revenues, helping balance increased demand for public services and the funds needed to finance these. Growth is needed maintains social cohesion. The prospect of improvements in living standards, however remote, limits pressure for wealth redistribution. As Henry Wallick, a former Governor of the US Federal Reserve, accurately diagnosed: \"So long as there is growth there is hope, and that makes large income differential tolerable.\"\n\n\n\n\nSatyajit Das\n\ndezembro 22, 2015\n\n\nWe decide on the amount and on the quality of the information we possess. The easier case is when the problem outcome is already known (the coin flip was heads, now what?); this is a case where we do not need to predict anything, the event already occurred. The next case is when we do not know the outcomes but know their probabilities (this is a biased coin, with a chance of 55% heads). We know how to solve this type of problem, and call it risk management. The harder case is when not even the probabilities are known (oops, this coin might even have two equal faces...). Usually, the literature calls it uncertainty, which is a different, uglier, beast than risk. And humans do not like uncertainty. We try to solve them using what we know about risk, by simplifying our models -- and possibly forgetting about this fact -- so that we can analyse the problem and compute its solution with the tools (like statistics) and assumptions (like normality) we understand. Sometimes our assumptions are not that far away and our decisions are good approximations/predictions of what happens. Sometimes we miss the mark and the chosen action results in disaster. Black swans, an expression coined by Nassim Taleb, are examples of this. It is when we assume that extraordinary events are impossible and one of them occurs nonetheless. This is the price of recklessness or laziness or both; the hubris of assuming too much.\n\ndezembro 18, 2015\n\nQuantum Randomness\n\n@Eamon: \"I wonder what a *genuine* stochastic process *would* look like if not the ones I mentioned. In other words, what possible observational state of affairs would, for you, serve as evidence for genuine indeterminism?\"\n\nGood question. I think I would be willing to accept indeterminism despite my gut feeling that it is a mistake, if accepting indeterminism answered more questions than it raised. The prima facie reason for accepting indeterminism is the examples you cited (radioactive decay, etc.), but that interpretation has the following problem.\n\n- Pretty much everybody accepts the reality of superposition, which is in effect Many-Worlds.\n- Then, in order to explain the fact that our \"thread of consciousness\" sees only one discrete outcome, the Copenhagen interpretation posits a wavefunction collapse -essentially, all superpositions instantaneously \"die,\" except the one containing my \"thread of consciousness.\"\n- But this collapse is the ONLY known phenomenon in physics that is inherently random/acausal, along with a bunch of other weird properties like non-locality, non-CPT-symmetry, faster-than-light influence...\n- And then we get to the crux of the matter: what is this queer collapse theory trying to explain in the first place?\n- Answer: why our \"thread of consciousness\" sees only one outcome, which outcome is apparently not predictable in principle.\n- So the question becomes: what happens if we drop our intuitive idea of a single unique \"thread of consciousness?\"\n- Answer: there is nothing left to explain. All branches of the wavefunction remember their own history, and to all of them it prima facie appears that their \"thread\" made it while the others didn't.\n\nSummary: quantum randomness/collapse \"explains\" why our \"thread of consciousness\" sees only one outcome, but this is explained equally well by no collapse and no randomness. Quantum randomness does ZERO explanatory work (although at first intuitive glance, it seems to). -- Ian Pollock [link]\n\ndezembro 15, 2015\n\n\n\"Mentir é um vício abominável. São as palavras que nos aproximam e nos tornam humanos. Se nos apercebessemos do horrível peso que representa a mentira, chegaríamos à conclusão que é mais digna do cadafalso do que muitos outros crimes. Uma vez adquirido o hábito da mentira, é impressionante constatar como é praticamente impossível desistir dele.\" Montaigne\n\ndezembro 08, 2015\n\n\nThere is a critical aspect that every anarchist proposal should discuss: the secular education of every child. Modern democratic States have many flaws. They are inefficient and corrupt, they are ruled by oligarchies, hopelessly mixing corporation and government interests that have little to do with the needs of we the people. However they provide universal education. I wouldn't want any of us to have the sole word on the indoctrination of our children. It's a terrible danger to be brainwashed only by our parents. And yes, every person is a brainwashed human. What every one of us is, thinks and beliefs, depends on the society we are born into and the people we grow-up with. But diversity of views -- from our parents, our teachers, the mass media, the internet, our friends -- helps immunize us against radical pathologies of belief. Without a central organization to enforce universal education, which means structured education outside family or an inner-community domain, how this potential danger is dealt in an anarchic society?\n\ndezembro 04, 2015\n\nA Chinese Tale\n\nOnce upon a time, there was a man who was riding in a horse drawn carriage and traveling to go take care of some affairs; and in the carriage there was also a very big suitcase. He told the driver to of the carriage to drive non-stop and the horse ran extremely fast. \n\nAlong the road, there was an old man who saw them and asked, “Sir, you seem anxious, where do you need to go?” \n\nThe man in the carriage then replied in a loud voice, “I need to go to the state of Chu.” The old man heard and laughing he smiled and said, “You are going the wrong way. The state of Chu is in the south, how come you are going to to the north?” \n\n“That’s alright,” The man in the carriage then said, “Can you not see? My horse runs very fast.” \n\n“Your horse is great, but your path is incorrect.” \n\n“It’s no problem, my carriage is new, it was made just last month.” \n\n“Your carriage is brand new, but this is not the road one takes to get to Chu.” \n\n“Old Uncle, you don’t know,” and the man in the carriage pointed to the suitcase in the back and said, “In that suitcase there’s alot of money. No matter how long the road is, I am not afraid.” \n\n“You have lots of money, but do not forget, The direction which you are going is wrong. I can see, you should go back the direction which you came from.” \n\nThe man in the carriage heard this and irritated said, “I have already been traveling for ten days, how can you tell me to go back from where I came?” He then pointed at the carriage driver and said, “Take a look, he is very young, and he drives very well, you needn’t worry. Goodbye!” \n\nAnd then he told the driver to drive forward, and the horse ran even faster.\n\n-- Chinese Tale", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5573968291282654}
{"content": "Learning Through Goals in Computer Science\n\nSeptember 22, 2016\nStarting with my experiences as a young, naïve game developer, I argue the importance of learning programming and its tools through the lens of goals, methods, and metrics.\n\nHello, Gaben\n\nAt the tender age of 17, like many boys of the time I aspired to be a professional game developer. For the last three years, I had spent innumerable hours playing and scripting a game called Garry’s Mod, through which I learned the fundamentals of scripting languages, software design, and programming in Lua. But eventually, I hit a wall. I watched as other developers in the community made amazing tools using their 1337 hacker knowledge of C++ (which was a complete enigma to me at the time), and I felt like I just didn’t know how to progress. No one at school or amongst my friends was even remotely interested in what I was doing, so I needed to look elsewhere for help.\n\nNaturally, as anyone would do in this situation, I emailed Gabe Newell, the CEO of Valve. Having played practically all of their games (Half Life, Portal, Team Fortress 2, etc.), I idolized that company. Although I knew next to nothing about real game development, I had heard enough to know that Valve stood at the shining pinnacle of game companies, towering over the scummy studios like EA and Ubisoft. Gabe was the company’s most public figure, and his name often invoked in hopeful discussions on the coming of Half-Life 3. So I figured, hey, if I wanted to be a game dev, who better to know than him? I wrote:\n\nHey Gabe, I’m Will Crichton, 17, and an up-and-coming scripter. I’ve seen and heard much of your generosity and willingness to actually interact with the community around Valve, so I ask not for a free mousepad or autograph but for some advice.\n\nSince a wee age, Valve’s games heavily influenced my entertainment tastes. I initially got into PC gaming playing CS:S, which later evolved into TF2, and then transitioned into my involvement with Garry’s Mod. Over the past few years, I’ve come to know the Source engine that we all hold so close to our hearts very well, releasing various Lua-based addons for the community.\n\nSo, my question is this: can you provide any recommendations for an upcoming developer? How I can get involved in the industry on a professional level, or even how I could land a job working with Valve? Should I study hard to learn C++ and OpenGL or something, attend a major video game development seminar, major in game design versus computer science?\n\nThanks, Will Crichton\n\nNow, in the inevitable conclusion to this tragic story, he never replied back. Gabe was probably too busy making billions of dollars to talk to a 17-year-old. However, not all hope was lost. My interests shifted into web development and later computer systems once I started at CMU. I even learned C++ along the way! But this email highlights something of fundamental importance in learning about computer science (or learning in general): setting the right goals. As I was learning about game development, I never had a goal like “learn X tool” or “learn Y language.” My goals were “make games that other people enjoy” or “get a job at Valve working on the stuff I love.” Even if this led me to do outlandish things like emailing Gabe and expecting a response, I was always seeking knowledge with a purpose.\n\nGoal setting\n\nPersonally, my success in programming has been entirely driven by treating the act of learning to program as purely a means to some greater end. An anecdote for concreteness: I tried to pick up programming when I was 13, because I heard programming was cool and I had written some HTML code before. My goal then was to learn Python. I didn’t really know what Python was or why it was useful, but someone told me it wasn’t too hard so that became my goal: learn Python. And sure enough, by slogging through a few tutorials, I learned some Python. I could write a simple script to parse text files or check if a number was prime. But eventually, I just dropped the whole project entirely. I wasn’t interested enough in the abstract idea of “learning Python” to keep up, so I left it for greener pastures.\n\nWhen I actually learned programming, it was mere coincidence. At 15, I started playing Garry’s Mod, and after playing long enough there were certain aspects of the game I wanted to change—I wanted to add an item, change a setting, modify an entire map. Here the goal was to play Garry’s Mod in a way that was maximally fun. And so I incrementally started to accomplish these goals. I learned the syntax of Lua so as to change some config scripts. I browsed through a few tutorials to pick up the basic semantics, enough to rewrite copy+pasted code into something I could call my own. As my programs started to grow, this forced me to learn about classes, modules, and encapsulation to manage the emergent complexity (although I wouldn’t have used any of those words to describe it at the time). And the key part: I loved every second of it. Even when I was down in the trenches debugging some stupid libraries, I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. I wasn’t passionate about programming, I was passionate about what programming enabled me to do. When I re-learned some of these concepts formally in undergrad, it made perfect sense because I had seen why it was useful. I didn’t accept on face that encapsulation is a good software practice, but I had lived it.\n\nTo some extent, you may think, “This is obvious. Of course people learn better by doing instead of by reading textbooks.” But the lesson here is deeper than that. Even if you’re learning by doing, it still matters what you’re doing it for. The single biggest mistake that I’ve seen time and time again in programmers, whether novices or senior developers, is learning tools for the sake of learning the tool. Consider how effective one can learn in the following scenarios:\n\nNow consider these same hypotheticals in a different context:\n\nWhen the tool/language/library that you’re learning is a means to an end, you will know not just how to use it but also when and why. A common refrain in programming circles is “use the right tools for the job,” and a natural corollary is “learn tools for a job, not for the tools.” As a caveat, I recognize there are some who learn tools just for the intrinsic enjoyment of learning them or to broaden their horizons, and that’s totally ok. My goal of this post is just to remind you to be cautious when learning, and reflect on why you’re doing so.\n\nInternalizing this idea is only the first step towards being a better goal-setter. We’ve separated out methods (or means) from the goals (or ends) they accomplish. The missing piece of the puzzle is metrics, or answering two questions: 1) given a method, how effectively is it accomplishing my goal, and 2) given a goal, how desirable is that goal? For example, 17 year old me really wanted to become a game developer. This is a simple goal to evaluate in terms of its methods: after using a particular method, can I get a job at a game company? Does it substantially increase my probability of doing so? My method was to write Lua scripts for a game, which provides good hands-on experience and gets me in touch with community members who could later land me a job. By the methods metric, it’s a pretty good one. However, the goal itself turned out to be a suboptimal one. I didn’t really want to be a game developer, I just liked it as a hobby. Here, the goal metric was: “can this goal bring me routine happiness?” And I realized the answer was no. I couldn’t work on games every single day and be happy, so I found other programming pursuits.\n\nSo remember: separate out the method from the goal. Avoid learning tools for the sake of learning them. And come up with concrete metrics for evaluating both your methods and your goals.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6621055006980896}
{"content": "Trenbolone Acetate or Trenbolone Enanthate – what to choose?\n\nDo you know the difference between Trenbolone Acetate and Trenbolone Enanthate? Do you know the other forms of testosterone and their differentiation? Knowing the differences can leave an influence on choosing a specific steroid and also assuming the effect it can have on you.\n\nTrenbolone drug is a veterinary-graded steroid that is transformed from animal pellets. The Trenbolone acetate vs enanthate uses reflect how the esters make the mechanism different for the drug. The steroid is prepared for human use, but is extremely potent. Start from basic to know the difference between the esters.\n\nTrenbolone acetate vs. Trenbolone Enanthate\n\nEsters are elements that define the length of activity or presence of a steroid in your bloodstream. The measurement is followed as per half-life. The biological half-life of the drug is defined by time taken for physiologic activity of the drug and it gets reduced by one-half when measured in our blood.\n\nThe half-life of anabolic steroid is essential to follow for knowing how steroids must be taken. For example, the drug might be orally consumed or injected, and that differ the level of benefit. Esters can influence more aspects like drug’s performance, functions, and more. The same thing works for Trenbolone acetate and Trenbolone Enanthate differences. These two forms of Trenbolone are different due to the potency of esters.\n\nThe molecular structure of the two forms of Trenbolone is small and is related to carbon and hydrogen atoms. The Trenbolone acetate has a molecular structure of C20H24O3 while Trenbolone Enanthate is C25H34O3. Both the drugs are synthetic anabolic steroids that are used by bodybuilders for increasing accelerated muscle gains. The drugs have slight differences in terms of weight loss and cutting capabilities. The drug is rated to have strong anabolic properties and androgenic properties.\n\nBasics to know about Trenbolone acetate\n\nTrenbolone acetate is transformed from steroid pellets implanted in animals before they are slaughtered. The drug is available in pills tablets, oral doses, along with injection form. The oral pills are not as effective as the injection. When it is about dosages of Trenbolone acetate you need to consume around 100 mg to 300 mg through injections for around 6-8 weeks.\n\nTrenbolone can result in liver toxicity if you consume it more than the recommended dosage. You can divide the milligram strength among two to three smaller dosages to space it out. This lets your blood stream get constant inputs and you can maintain easy functioning of the drug in your body.\n\nThe milligram dosage can be divided into two or three smaller dosages evenly spaced throughout the week for a more constant level in the bloodstream and to maintain a more steady function of the drug’s actions in the blood. If you consume Trenbolone orally, then you can have an average of 100 to 200 mg of the drug every day for 6-8 weeks.\n\nTrenbolone acetate is more preferred for muscle building and help you retain water to get overall muscle gains. On comparing trenbolone acetate vs enanthate uses, the acetate will result in being more versatile for both bulking and cutting cycles.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7684003114700317}
{"content": "Home practice\n\nSome things to practice over the Xmas period\n\nTai Xu exercise\n\n1 pressing down ( palms resting on balls floating on water)\n\n2 pressing out ( turn fingers in towards each other, create spiral feeling in your arms by tightening muscles).\n\n3 supporting heaven\n\n4 holding a ball\n\n5 separating heaven and earth ( left and right)\n\n6 pushing the sky\n\n7 separating east and west\n\n8 filling the gate of life.\n\nMassage the dantien area 36 times to the left and 24 to the right.\n\n\n1/  BEAR standing with feet shoulder width apart sink into left leg allowing upper body to turn right as you float up the left arm as if scooping honey, repeat on right side allowing left arm to float back down. Continue on both sides for several minutes.\n\n2/ EAGLE legs wider than shoulder width apart, gently shifting your weight from one side to the other and arms float like a eagle soaring in the sky ( palms down). Imagine your looking down scanning the ground for food. Sink into your left leg, bring your right hand( talon ) down to grasp your prey as you left hand floats up. Repeat on the other side then return to flying observing the ground.\n\n3/ SNAKE legs wider than shoulder width apart, move weight from one leg to the other. Move right hand in and under arm in a spiral, turn fingers outwards and move hand down leg whilst shifting your weight to the left. Release hand, arm and shoulder whilst raising arm and stretching out. At the same time as the arm goes out the left hand is spiralling in under the arm and flowing down the left side and stretching out whilst rolling shoulder,arm and hand. Continue on each side relaxing joints.\n\n\nlink to Grand Master Chen Loajia form for practice.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6259666681289673}
{"content": "Advanced Clouds\n\nTired of using the same old clouds (FILTER...Render...Clouds) which rely on the Foreground/Background colors? Here's how to get some variation...\n\nThis is a fabulous tutorial which will introduce you to many new techniques, Actions etc etc.\n\nOpen a new image (FILE…New) 400 pixels x 400 pixels, 72 dpi, White Background.\n\nCreate a new layer (Layer 2).\n\nChange the Foreground/Background colours to a dark blue/light blue.\n\nSelect the Linear Gradient Toollinear gradient tool and, with Shift pressed down, drag a vertical gradient from the top of the image to the bottom (dark blue at the top, fading to light blue at the bottom).\n\nCreate a new layer (Layer 3). Press D on the keyboard to return the Foreground/Background colours to their default of Black/White.\n\n\nIMAGE…Adjust…Auto Levels to increase the contrast of the clouds.\n\nClick on the Layer Mask icon layer mask icon(at the bottom of the Layers palette) to give the clouds layer a Layer Mask.\n\nClick on the first thumbnail on the layer (red square, to the right).\n\n\nIMAGE…Adjustments…Auto Levels.\n\nLAYER…Remove Layer Mask…Discard\n\nExperiment with the Layer Blend Modes (in the box at the top of the Layers palette - it normally says \"Normal\" until you click the drop-down arrow), Hard Light (stormy!) and Lighten (summery!) can be effective.\n\nIf you like, go to IMAGE…Adjustments…Hue/Saturation\nand, with the Colorize box checked, move the Hue/Saturation sliders until you like the result.\n\nDepending on the image you are using these clouds in, you may want a panoramic-vista type effect. Link layers 2 and 3 and go to EDIT…Transform…Perspective and drag one of the top-corner handles way out.\n\nfinished clouds\n\nlayer mask\n©grafikhaus 2015 | sheffield-central.com", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9453699588775635}
{"content": "Latin America and the Caribbean: Wild Wealth\n\nWild Wealth, a documentary that depicts the wealth of biodiversity in Latin America and the Caribbean in images not previously seen, will be previewed at the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development on June 20, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.\n\nFinanced by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the documentary was produced by National Geographic film crews who traveled from the Andes to the Amazon to tell five stories that illustrate the need to protect the region’s natural resources.\n\nWith striking images, the film shows why Latin America and the Caribbean is considered abiodiversity superpower. Six of the world’s 10 most biodiverse countries are in the region, which is home to 33 percent of the world’s mammals, 35 percent of reptiles, and half of tropical forests.\n\nThe documentary also recounts how communities work together to maintain a balance between economic, environmental, and social objectives, conserving in this way the environment and the region’s resources for future generations and using it wisely as a source of economic development.\n\nWild Wealth presents examples of sustainable biodiversity conservation in the areas of tourism development, agriculture, fisheries, job creation, and environmental protection.\n\nIn Guanacaste, Costa Rica, the documentary shows how a first class resort located near a national park helps to protect biodiversity while generating jobs for local people.\n\nIn the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, it tells the story of a cosmetics company that works with indigenous communities to market açaí fruit in a sustainable and responsible manner.\n\nIn the Andes, it presents the experiences of local farmers who produce organic quinoa, a traditional grain, and export their crop to international markets to create new sources of employment in the highlands.\n\nOn Ecuador’s Pacific coast, the documentary shows how small-scale and industrial fishers are seeking to put into practice sustainable practices for tuna fishing as a way of ensuring productive catches without depleting limited resources.\n\nFinally, the documentary describes how Rio de Janeiro’s government is managing the forest areas around the city to control erosion and flooding and establish a balance between urban life and the protection of vital green spaces.\n\nThe documentary will be shown on June 20, in Rio de Janeiro. Interested parties who will not be at Rio+20 can watch the video online that day only by signing up ahead of time at After that date, the documentary will be shown in different countries throughout the region.\n\nCecília Reifschneider\nCecília trabaja como consultora en diseño y comunicación en la División de Cambio Climático del BID en Washington DC. Trabaja en la estrategia de comunicación del área, implementa actividades en redes sociales y produce gráficos, infográficos y los materiales de la división. Antes de ingresar al BID en 2009, trabajó en agencias de publicidad y comunicación en Brasil con clientes como Nike y DHL Express. Cecília es licenciada en diseño gráfico por la Corcoran College of Art and Design (EEUU). Sigue a Cecilia en Twitter: @cicasees\n\nSúmate a la conversación", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8354907035827637}
{"content": "5 ways to counter hate speech in the Media through Ethics and Self-regulation - by Poni Alice JameKolok\n\nPoni Alice JameKolok\n\nEducation on media ethics: Countering tribalised hate speech begins by a realization that while freedom of expression is a fundamental human right, the emergence of social media has created multiple platforms for the production, packaging and dissemination of hate speech. Education on media ethics should focus on the rights and freedoms of journalists and their role in creating and promoting peaceful societies.\n\nAwareness must be raised on the political, social and cultural rights of individuals and groups, including freedom of speech, and the responsibilities and social implications that come with press freedom. Journalists must be equipped with the knowledge and skills to identify hate speech and to counteract hate speech messages.\n\nEncourage conflict sensitive reporting and multicultural awareness campaigns:  Conflict sensitive reporting will help dispel the ‘us’ against ‘them’ fallacy. Journalists should be taught conflict sensitive reporting skills. Multicultural awareness campaigns should emphasize knowledge about and respect for the diversity of cultures and traditions. Journalists must exercise professional standards in this and can write articles, air programmes and even speak with people without taking sides.\n\nRegulate social media: I know many of you reading this article will ask how you regulate social media without revoking the right to press freedom. Press freedom can be enhanced through education on media laws and ethics.\n\nEncourage victims and witnesses to report hate speech related crimes: Hate speech remains largely invisible simply because many victims do not know where to report the cases or even understand that they are victims of hate speech.\n\nEnd impunity against hate crimes: Impunity against hate crimes can be tackled by establishing monitoring and evaluation units in newsrooms. These units would then be tasked with monitoring hate speech trends, compiling reports and bringing these to the attention of key institutions and the civil society.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9838120937347412}
{"content": "Digital Analyst\n\nReingold Inc\nAlexandria, VA\nFeb 15, 2018\nFeb 16, 2018\nFull Time\nJoin a growing team that has shaped the digital marketing efforts of high-profile initiatives for clients such as the NFL, US Census Bureau, American Cancer Society, and US Department of Veterans Affairs. Reingold, a full-service marketing and communications firm in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria, Virginia, offers an outstanding opportunity for a senior digital analyst to help shape the digital marketing efforts of cutting-edge social impact campaigns through data-driven analysis. Reingolds prestigious clients include associations, government agencies, corporations, and nonprofit organizations. The digital analyst will be responsible for turning cross-channel marketing data into insights that inform marketing campaigns and business decisions and for consistently working with the digital team to identify performance trends, answer measurable questions, and provide recommendations to make our digital campaigns a success. This person will also be the technical lead on the implementation of web analytics and integration of other data sources. You will be expected to: Understand clients goals and determine how we will track and measure them (through analytics setup and configuration). Consistently analyze and track the performance of digital campaigns through strategic data analysis. Implement data collection strategies using Google Analytics. Acquire data through a variety of primary and secondary sources, including web analytics, digital advertising, and social media listening tools. Identify areas for automation and implement new processes or tools to increase efficiency. Analyze and visualize data using software, including Tableau. Work collaboratively with a team of SEO, paid media, web design and development, social media, and user experience professionals. Qualifications and skills include: Minimum of 4 years in digital analysis. Experience with Google Analytics configuration and analysis. Certification preferred. Experience with Adobe Analytics. Experience with data visualization platforms. Tableau experience preferred. Experience with digital advertising metrics and platforms preferred. SQL experience a plus.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999935626983643}
{"content": "The Global Elite – What can YOU do?\n\nBelow is an article by Inelia Benz of\n\nThe Global Elite, also known as the Illuminati, or nowadays as the Bilderbergs, are simply a group of people who realized what the true nature of our Universe was, eliminated every one else who knew this information, and used the information to harness the power (chi, ability to do) of the uninformed masses.\n\nTheir methodology is very mechanical in nature. They use sacred geometry, power points on the Earth, as well as mind control via the media and chemicals. Plus a continuing elimination of those individuals as well as native people and cultures who hold the sacred knowledge of creation.\n\nTheir bread and butter is FEAR.\n\nTheir knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation both by families as well as infiltrated groups, such as the Freemasons.They, in turn, are controlled by Darkness. Darkness came into this universe several thousand years ago from another universe which is Dark configured.\n\nThe difference between a Dark universe and a Light universe (which this one is), is basically that the main “emotional/creative” energy in a Dark universe is FEAR and the basic “emotional/creative” energy in a Light universe is LOVE.\n\nThere is plenty of documented and experiential evidence to support the above paragraph. To begin with, most cultures in the world will have an “origin” story where the Earth was a paradise devoid of suffering, fear and death, and then “fell” due to something that humans did. With regard to experiential evidence, ask anyone who has experienced Enlightenment or Oneness and he or she will tell you that it felt like BLISS, LOVE, ECSTASY. These higher states of consciousness are a merging with the Essence of this Universe… and guess what… no FEAR or SUFFERING in sight!\n\nThe Elite are presently working very hard at cultivating FEAR among the masses. They do this by staging, or broadcasting, natural or man made disasters, wars and pestilence around the world at regular intervals. FEAR keeps people ASLEEP. Someone who is ASLEEP has no FREE WILL. They are enslaved. FREE WILL is one of the fundamental laws of this universe. The Elite have broken that law by taking away the FREE WILL of billions of living beings in this planet.\n\nThey also use music and media to harness the focus of the young toward sex, drugs, violence and rock and roll.\n\nThey are also creating a FEAR OF LACK by making us believe that “oil and water are running out” and by polluting key areas of the world and broadcasting a belief that the entire world is polluted and overpopulated, when in fact, most of the world is clean, unpolluted, unpopulated and untouched by man. The CO2 pollution control is a SCAM to control the fuel sources of the world.\n\nSo, now that you know a few of the things these people are doing, what can you do?\n\n  1. Firstly, you can create a FEAR FREE ZONE around you. This means a conscious effort to process fear as soon as it pops into your body/mind/aura.\n  2. Also calling for your guides/angels to create a sanctuary of LOVE vibration in your home and workplace.\n  3. Focus on a topic that is close to your heart, could be anything that creates Fear or Despair in the world and send it unconditional love, or beautiful liquid light. If the situation creates a strong negative emotion in you, then process it within yourself first, then do the outer work.\n  4. When you see pictures of the Global Elite, you can google Bilderberg members in the news or media, or the internet, focus on them and tell them, “your time is up, all your darkness leaves this universe now”, with love and compassion.\n  5. RETAKE power points in your area. Visit groves, parks, rocks, cathedrals, and known energy points in your area, and simply call upon the Divine Mother to retake that point. Call upon angles and fifth dimensional light beings to guard it and keep it free, clean and secure. Your intent is all that is needed to do this. It does not matter whether you believe in the Divine Mother with that particular name, or in Angels or other dimensional beings. What matters is your intent to retake the point of energy back for the Earth and Humanity.\n\nDiana Cooper talks about the current transition into the Golden Age\n\nFree Yourself from the International Conspiracy Against Enlightenment\n\nA wonderful discourse by the highly aware, enlightened teacher: Ma Nithya Sudevi confirming that there is indeed an agenda to keep people depressed, bored, lethargic, apathetic, atheistic and unhappy. basically on a very low-frequency on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual level.\n\nI highly recommend you look deeply into the issues I’m about to share with you here. It’s my hope that this presentation will spark your own passion to research the hidden agendas behind the all-pervasive corruption in our world today, how that corruption affects your concious path of self-realization, and ultimately, how to go beyond all the obstacles stacked against you by the self-appointed global “elite,” and rise into enlightenment, anyway. Please click on the links below to listen to these subjects in more depth…\n\n  1.   Do not consume any fluoride, ever.\n  2.   Do not consume any aspertame, ever.\n  3.   Avoid eating genetically modified, non-organic and highly processed, “foods.”\n  4.   Avoid watching television.\n  5.   Question your education.\n  6.   Re-evaluate the validity of popular opinion.\n  7.   Look within yourself to discover who you are.\n  8.   Keep a Regular Spiritual Routine.\n  9.   Drop all the judgements you have against those who are not ready to make the same changes you’re making.\n  10.   Let Enlightenment be your number one priority!\n\n\n50 Signs of spiritual Awakening\n\nMore art on my website: ( drawings\n\n  1. Ability to learn new concepts, or languages rapidly increases …this stems from opening to all your soul record and remembering who you are\n  2. Making a conscious effort to connect to people through the eyes and the heart\n  3. Increasing Gnosis (knowledge of spiritual mysteries)\n  4. More frequent flashes of ‘inner-tuition’, or intuition\n  5. Disconnection from the white noise and negative information (TV and radio)\n  6. Seeking holistic health care practitioners as partners in your healing journey…no longer seeking a doctor to “fix you” with prescription drugs\n  7. A feeling of being grounded to the core of the earth.\n  8. Knowing that these places within your body are showing you about areas of great opportunity for growth on all levels.\n  9. Paying attention to the places of pain/restriction  in your body in order to move into them!\n  10. A sense of your own power to create with thought, words, and actions\n  11. Activating grace and fluidity of movement through posture and breath\n  12. An increasing ability to access inner peace in the lower chakras\n  13. Heightened senses of hearing, smell and taste\n  14. Becoming more aware of how your body moves through space\n  15. An increased interest in exercising in ways that honour your body – mind – spirit connection\n  16. A feeling that something has changed within you\n  17. You begin to look younger experiencing more vitalityDSC_0995\n  18. Seeking new friends and groups who are interested in the Integrated life of the spirit (meaning balance in mind-body-spirit)\n  19. Spiritual awakening raises your vibration; this involves a release of blockages which allows abundance to flow to you. Being in alignment with a higher vibration results in quicker and more beneficial manifestations to be received by you.\n  20. Greater understanding of symbols, numbers and sacred geometry\n  21. Increasing sense of empathy and connection with all people & animals\n  22. An increasing willingness to show your emotions to all people, rather than cover up and hide your true self\n  23. An increased humor; the ability to laugh at the self\n  24. Feelings of bliss when experiencing simple things, such as a sunset, or a seeing a beautiful cloud formation\n  25. A returning ability to allow your tears to flow in situations of emotional intensity\n  26. Letting go of the need to control outcomes\n\n\n  27. Giving yourself permission to follow your heart’s desires\n  28. “I can and I am” becoming your key words, rather than “I can’t and I am not”\n  29. Offering from the heart to help others in times of need, knowing that you are helping yourself\n  30. Increasingly seeing the Divine in the mundane\n  31. Meeting new people in serendipitous ways and knowing that this is divine direction in your life\n  32. Loving yourself as you are without the need to qualify\n  33. Asking for and receiving confirmation from your guides on a regular basis\n  34. Experiencing true surrender to Divine Will without feeling victimized by your own choices\n  35. Remembering your dreams and knowing what your spirit is telling you through the symbolism of your dreams\n  36. Seeing the beauty in each and every person in your life\n  37. Letting go of expectations of how you think things “should be” and accepting them as they are\n  38. Being led by spiritual intuition rather than limited by emotional fear\n  39. Being able to transcend limited perceptions of incarnate dimension\n  40. Seeing your life experience in the holographic reality of your soulApril 14 035\n  41. Feeling God within your body – an awareness of heat coming from your hands and feet.\n  42. Knowing that your are home now and in every Now you create\n  43. An increase in occurrences of coincidence, better known as synchronicity, favourable people and beneficial circumstance start to appear with exactly what you need. Answers to questions are revealed to you through signs and messages. Synchronicity is a sign you are on the right track and that you are aware of these miracles happening around you. The more you notice and take heed, the more they appear so show appreciation for the guidance you are receiving.\n  44. You simply feel different, you may not look any different but you know something has changed internally.\n  45. Paying more attention to the details of daily life – your old ways are falling by the wayside and the real you is starting to emerge.\n  46. A desire to enroll in a classroom of “higher” learning. Going to new places and moving outside of your comfort zone\n  47. For many of you, this is allowing yourself to ask questions in groups, to talk to “strangers” and to let go of your fears of looking uninformed in front of others.\n  48. new work 1 008\n  49. A feeling that you are somehow different, with new skills and gifts emerging, especially healing ones.\n  50. Increased integrity, you realize that it is time for you to seek and speak your truth.\n  51. A knowing sense of connectedness / Oneness. You have an abiding knowing from within of the intrinsic inter-relatedness of everything, both living and non-living. You have a sense that now your life is a living manifestation of this Truth, and that you are It — as are all people\n\nWhat can you do against depression and negative energies?\n\n1) Start educating yourself about the causes of negative energies\n2) Practice SELFLOVE. The most important is the development of the heart.\n3) You have to eliminate everything that creates negative energy, depression or fear.\n4) Avoid negative, angry people, or people who want to steal your energy and control you.\n5) Don´t drink alcohol, don’t smoke. Avoid places with smokers, because they are filled with negative entities.\n6) Change the room you are living…….……………..\n\nHang only beautiful posters & pictures on the wall, with bright colours.\n\nAvoid dark, depressive pictures!\n\n7) Don´t wear dark clothes, use colours or white.\n8 )Don´t listen to evil music like Heavy metal or worst.\nListen to harmonious music, like meditation music or happy music. Music with a high frequency, with Love.\n9) Go often to nature to clean your energy and charge it with new clear energy.\n10) Use a good smelling room-perfume. Light beings like angels, like only things which are smelling good.\n11) Try to play sometimes. You can also use computer games for that, but of course only a funny ones …\n12 ) Dance! Play games outside that involve jumping and running.\n13) Make sometimes gifts to your self. Show yourself that you have Selflove. Tell to your self in the mirror\nthat you love yourself. Hang a paper on the door or on the mirror and write on it “I LOVE MY SELF”\n14) Don´t watch negative, evil, horror movies on TV. Watch funny Movies, comics, etc.\nor view exciting art that triggers your imagination for the universe and a brightful future.\n15) Play an instrument, make music.\n16) Take Vitamins and St. John’s wort.\n17) Don´t eat meat.\n\nTry to paint a picture…\n\nPainting is a form of healing & meditation. So use only colourful, bright colours.\n\n\nThe artist Annett E. Bank will be holding a brand new course in creative portraiture called ‘True Colours’ throughout 2012 at Hawkwood College in Cloucestershire, UK. Feel free to enquire, or reserve your place!\n\nArtist website:\n\n\nJust remember:\nYou need first of all a strong will and SELF – LOVE\nWho loves himself, does not hurt himself.\nOnly who loves himself can love others REALLY.\nYou can only give what you have.\nEverything that stinks, is shunned by beings of light.\nOnly the dark side like everything that is dirty and stinks.\nOnly the dark side, like to be in a lower vibration, which is not love.\n\nYou can find the light where there are beautiful scents and colors;  beautiful, harmonious music, love and high vibrations.\n\nAs long as Earth people are distracted in the technological society with boredom, hate, arrogance and drugs, they can not feel the energy of the existence and live a useless life. So they repeat the lessons in the next lifes again. Learn how to REALLY love yourself. Not just with your rational mind, but with your whole being. No spiritual being is taking drugs. No spiritual being is smoking. That would be) against love, against spirituality, against the existence (god. Only demons like poison, mud and low vibration. Take a big leap in your life and decide to go to the light. Throw away any drugs TODAY. Fight against the influence of the dark side. Are you ready for a higher level of development in your life? Are you ready for a higher consciousness? It is YOUR decision…\n\nThis advise was given on 30th Nov 2010 by Alaje.\na pleiadian member of the Federation of Light\n\nHow to Overcome Shyness\n\nTips to Overcome Shyness\n* Figure Out What Makes You Feel Shy\nUnderstand what situation triggers Shy feeling? And what are you concerned with at that point?\n\n* Self Awareness\nRecognize that the world is not looking at you. Besides, most people are too busy looking at themselves. Instead of watching yourself as if you are other people, bring your awareness inwards. Armed with your understanding of what makes you shy, seek within yourself and become the observing presence of your thoughts. Self awareness is the first step towards any change and to overcome shyness .\n\n*Build Your Self confidence\nThink about what you know, what you can do, and what you have accomplished, rather than fixating on how you look, sound, or dress. Keep in mind that everyone, even the beautiful people, has something about themselves or their life that they don’t like. This will help you in overcoming shyness.\n\n*Be Comfortable\nBe Comfortable to overcome shyness. Surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you, and build up your confidence through them. Eventually, this will translate to other situations being more comfortable.\n\n*Compliment Others\nEveryone loves a compliment, they start conversations and they give people confidence.\n\n* Maintain Close Bonds With Friends\nMaintain close bonds with your friends, as they can be there for you as you crack out of your shell. They’ll be glad to help and encourage you with your progress.\n\n*Look and Learn\nWatch your friends or even strangers who aren’t shy, is a good way to learn some tips first-hand.\n\n* Set Goals\nSet goals for yourself. Focus on small, daily accomplishments, then gradually become more daring.\n\n*Learn to be Optimistic\nMany shy people tend to have a gloomy or negative outlook on life or certain areas of it. Perhaps you feel okay about work, but have a bad view of relationships. Maybe you tend to badmouth those who are happier or more successful than you. Whatever your pessimism, carrying around that gray cloud of negativity really hurts your self-esteem. Learn to let all of that go and be more optimistic. You’ll soon find that when you view others and the world in a more positive light, your self-esteem ( check how to improve self esteem ) will begin to rise.\n\n*Act Like You Are Not Shy\nSometimes you simply have to act like you aren’t shy until you can slowly but surely gain the confidence you’re looking for. Involve yourself in organisations or activities that you find interesting.\n* Smile and Make Eye Contact\n\nA simple smile in the direction of a stranger may brighten your day, and it will brighten theirs, too! Smiling is a friendly way to acknowledge others, and it makes a pretty good lead-in to start a conversation with anyone, stranger or friend.\n\n*Learn to Like Yourself\nPractice appreciating yourself and liking the unique expression that is you. Do things you enjoy, give gratitude for your body and its effortless functions, spend quality time getting to know yourself, go on a self-date.\n\n*Learn From Uncomfortable Situation\nWhen we leave shy situations, what we are really doing is reinforcing our shyness. Instead, face the uncomfortable situation. Turn the fearful situation into a place of introspection and personal growth. Become the observer and dig into yourself, answer the questions: why do I feel this way? What caused me to feel this way? Can there be an alternative explanation to what is happening?\n\n*Learn to Accept NO\nAccept the possibility that we can be rejected and learning to not take it personally. Remember, you are not alone and we all experience rejections. It is part of life and part of the learning process. The key lies in how you handle rejections when they come. It helps to be mentally prepared before they happen:\n\n*Feel Positive\nFeel positive about yourself, don’t get tensed or frustrated. Enjoy your time and have fun. Remember, the real goal is to find someone who will like you for who you are.\n\n*Keep Working and Never Give Up\nKeep working at it. It may take you time to feel more comfortable, don’t get discouraged. As time passes, you’ll notice that you’ve actually beaten a bit of that shyness. Think of it as a motivation to keep on!\n\nRemember, overcoming shyness is about doing the things that allow you to enjoy social situations, not wondering why you feel shy. Hope above tips on how to overcome shyness will assist you in overcoming shyness. Believe in yourself. You can do whatever you put your mind to.\n\nHow to find your dream job/ career in 2011\n\n\n\nAnd people go:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBarbara Marciniak channels the Pleiadians.\n\n\nWe came here to do what we love to do!\n\n\n\nWho am I?\nWhat is it that I want?\nWhat is it that I am creating?\nWhat is it that I want to create?\nHow much am I valued by myself my family?\nAm I loved? Am I respected?\nAm I following my passion and hearts desire?\nWhat type of person do I want to be?\nWhat kind of leader do I want to be?\nWhat type of legacy am I going to leave?\nAm I actually fulfilling what I want to do?\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.849840521812439}
{"content": "The Joy of Good Manners\n\nWhen I was in my teens and twenties, I despised manners. Why would you say words to other people without really feeling them?. Why would you go through routines, using fixed words, instead of expressing the spontaneous emotion of the moment?\n\nIn this, as in so much else, I was influenced by the degraded Romanticism which pervades our culture, in which emotion is raised above reason, and the individual will must be at the centre of everything.\n\nIt didn’t do me any good, of course. I missed out on many cheerful words and many ceremonies which would have enriched my life. I graduated from university three times without once attending a graduation ceremony. I was often crippled by a lack of spontaneous words to utter, and would even avoid my friends at times when I felt uninspired. I remember crossing the road to avoid people I liked well, just because I couldn’t think of anything original or interesting to say to them.\n\nThank goodness, the burden of originality and spontaneity has been lifted. I’m sure it’s something to do with having been married for almost two decades. I’m not the slightest bit concerned that the words ‘I love you’ are unoriginal or lacking in the spark of divine genius, and I enjoy being married more and more as the years go on, and the words become more and more well-worn.\n\nBut lately, I’ve made yet another discovery about just how wrong and how miserable were the Romantically-inclined beliefs of my youth. I’ve started working at Great Yarmouth Charter Academy, where the headmaster, Barry Smith, has been training all of the staff in manners. You might think we, as grown ups, didn’t need such training, but I can tell you that in my own case, it’s done me the world of good, because it has created a community in which there is a simple expectation: every time you walk past someone, you greet them. You never ignore them. You never keep your head down. You look towards them and bid them ‘good morning sir / miss’, or if there are many of them, ‘good morning ladies and gentlemen’.\n\nWhether or not you’re feeling cheerful, you can be cheerful in this simple way, and it makes every day happier and brighter. It also means that pupils know that staff are around and paying attention to them. Staff are not invisible because they are audible. Staff can be heard greeting pupils cheerfully as you go around the school. No one is sulky or withdrawn, because that’s just rude. Teenagers do not retreat into themselves, as I often did when I was that age.\n\nIt’s a simple and beautiful thing, and it’s something everyone can do. It doesn’t depend upon the individual, but upon a communal expectation, and it becomes a habit after you’ve been doing it for a few days. Like all of the best things in life, it’s just normal, and it doesn’t gain me the slightest bit of glory. What a glorious relief for everyone!\n\n\nReasonable Hope\n\nHowever much our opponents may wish to portray us as gloomy Gradgrindian schoolmasters, traditional approaches give us grounds for reasonable hope. The positive, practical outworking of a coherent, knowledge-rich curriculum and a consistent culture of discipline is not gloom but a cheerful commitment to hard work and a resilient reaction to setbacks. This is because traditional approaches are based not on how we might wish human beings are, but how they actually are.\n\nA traditional teacher doesn’t get downhearted when a pupil forgets something they studied yesterday. She is fully prepared for this. In fact, she expects it, and she has a plan for review of material, spaced out over time, so that the sharp forgetting curve can be overcome. Instead of complaining or blaming herself, she gets on with applying that programme so that pupils can truly master the knowledge that will enable them to think creatively and critically.\n\nA traditional teacher doesn’t despair when pupils don’t share her love for classic literature. She knows that this love will build slowly over time, as their familiarity with the great stories and characters increases. She knows that curiosity is not immanent but emergent: it is a property that must be cultivated in pupils by giving them ever greater knowledge, so that they can make connections and comparisons, and enter into worlds that they would never encounter without her expert guidance. So she presses on with her programme of rich cultural capital, confident that pupils will one day come to appreciate the inheritance which she is passing on. Some will appreciate it sooner than others, but their ability to appreciate it at the age of thirteen in no way affects its intrinsic value.\n\nA traditional teacher doesn’t take it personally when some pupils misbehave, because she knows that good habits take time to form, and that it is her responsibility to form them in her pupils, by consistent discipline over time. Their poor behaviour is a reflection of their imperfect moral formation, which she and her colleagues are striving to improve. She knows that she will be letting her pupils down if she gives in to the desire to be liked, and fails to apply sanctions consistently. So she perseveres, day in, day out, applying rewards and punishments, and knowing that over time, as part of a whole school culture, her pupils will be given the priceless gift of good habits that will serve them well throughout life.\n\nTraditional ideas give us the strength to be cheerful, positive and persevering, because we know that our pupils are on a long journey towards responsible, knowledgeable adulthood, which will take many years of consistent effort to achieve. We’re not looking for instant results or flashy gimmicks. We’re just looking for steady, faithful effort, in ourselves, and in our pupils.\n\nAnd we know it isn’t personal. We know that there is something outside ourselves which is worth striving for: we know the value of knowledge and good habits, which do not come naturally, but which must be formed in young minds by our efforts and theirs. Nothing worthwhile comes easily to anyone. We’re ready for the setbacks, and the remedies are already accounted for in our planning.\n\nThe fantasy land of progressive ideology is what brings gloom, because its bubbles are bound to burst, and its delights will always be temporary. When you break free into the light of reality, then you can actually begin to make progress towards worthwhile goals.\n\nDon’t Be Yourself\n\n\nAchilles sacrificing to Zeus, from the Ambrosian Iliad\n\n‘Just be yourself’. We’ve all been advised in this way, when we’re feeling nervous about something, or facing a new challenge. It’s worse than useless, as a piece of moral advice. It’s as futile as the teacher who tells her pupils to ‘use your own knowledge’. The teacher’s role is to impart knowledge that pupils did not previously have. It is also to instil self-discipline so that her pupils will not be stuck in the circular trap of ‘being themselves’.\n\nThe conceited, pompous Polonius offers this advice to his son Laertes as he returns to university: ‘To thine own self be true’. Having promoted such licence, he sends spies to check up on his son’s behaviour. That’s our situation. Fatally weakened by the widespread idea that freedom means following the whim of the moment, we are at once licensed to do whatever we please, and placed under close surveillance by the government, which has to deal with citizens who cannot be trusted to act responsibly.\n\nTelling people that freedom means following the whim of the moment betrays a deep pessimism about the human race, a pessimism perhaps expressed most eloquently by Joseph Conrad in The Secret Agent, where every character follows their predestined path in the urban hive: ‘We can never cease to be ourselves’. Somehow, the Romantic proclamation of individual freedom had turned, a century later, into the modernist proclamation of social, psychological or evolutionary determinism. We had become gods, only to be relegated soon afterwards to rats in a laboratory maze.\n\nThe descent from the divine to the animal was inevitable, because the Romantics had rejected the traditional understanding of human nature, which is at war with itself. ‘I have quelled my passion, as I must’, says Achilles to his mother Thetis, reflecting on the way he had allowed himself to be enslaved by his anger following his quarrel with Agamemnon. Achilles had not been master of himself. He had not fought against the selfish inclination to sulk petulantly, and his friend Patroclus had died as a consequence. Because he had not done his duty and fought with his comrades, but had become the slave of his emotions, he had become a ‘useless burden to the earth’.\n\nThe traditional understanding is far more optimistic, because of its faith in human freedom, based on the possibility of self-mastery. Our pupils are rational, and capable of mastering their emotions. They can be trained in doing so, under the caring authority of teachers who do not want them to become the slaves of their whims. Then, when it comes to challenges such as job interviews, they won’t be doomed to ‘be themselves’. They will be able to do battle with laziness and get up early, then do battle with anxiety and remain calm, presenting themselves in a confident, professional manner, and thereby proving to prospective employers that they are masters of themselves, and ready to take on responsibility.\n\nIs Poor Behaviour Widespread?\n\nHoop jumpingFollowing my post yesterday about troublemakers in education, and how important they are, I debated with two people on Twitter who objected to the claim that there is a widespread behaviour problem in England’s schools. They objected on the grounds that I could not provide them with convincing evidence that this problem exists. They were particularly unimpressed with any evidence based on the experiences of classroom teachers. You may not be surprised to learn that neither of these individuals are classroom teachers themselves.\n\nConsider the evidence from Ofsted. The overall picture appears positive: according to Ofsted, behaviour is good or outstanding in 92% of schools. But when we consider this evidence more closely, the picture is not so rosy.\n\nFirstly, visitors to a school, especially when they are preannounced, will not see the reality. Pupils usually behave better for visitors, especially when they are important. However badly behaved they are, they usually have a certain loyalty to their school. I have seen this over and over again during my years as a teacher. Most pupils who would normally be disruptive and rude become polite when visitors from outside the school enter the classroom.\n\nSecondly, there are all the tricks that schools play to avoid Ofsted’s seeing bad behaviour, such as sending home the worst pupils or organising special trips for them. By definition, of course, these tricks will not find their way into official evidence.\n\nAfter considering these factors, it’s amazing that the figure for good or outstanding behaviour is not 100%. It’s amazing that there are 8% of schools where behaviour is so appalling that they couldn’t put on a good show for Ofsted.\n\nAnd in any case, what about the 8%? Even if Ofsted’s overall assessment were accurate, that 8% amounts to tens of thousands of children. Are we satisfied with a system where so many must suffer disruption and fear every day of their school lives? Can we afford to be complacent? Would we be happy if 8% of hospitals failed to provide adequate care to children? These tens of thousands of youngsters are required by law to go every day to a place that is often unsafe and frightening.\n\nNow let’s consider the evidence of the first hand witnesses: the classroom teachers. They see the reality of school life, day in, day out. They are not sheltered from it in the way that senior leaders, consultants and inspectors inevitably are. Because Ofsted will never get the real picture, because official research will never reveal it, it is classroom teachers who must tell us what is really going on in England’s classrooms.\n\nSo here’s my witness statement. None of the schools I have worked in previously have had good behaviour across the board. In all of them, there were classes where disruption was frequent. In all of them, there was a significant minority of pupils who were rude, disrespectful and uncooperative. In all of them, these pupils were usually allowed to remain in classes and damage the learning of others, unless they did something really outrageous. In all of them, there were many areas of the school that were not properly policed, and because the dangerous pupils were allowed to roam free and did not fear serious consequences, such places were not safe.\n\nThe other first hand witnesses are the pupils themselves, of course. My wife was talking to a friend recently, both of whose children have avoided going to the toilet at school because they are afraid of the people who hang around them. Neither of these children go to schools where Ofsted considers behaviour to be poor. But whatever Ofsted says, these are not civilised places.\n\nMeanwhile, in the same city, while most children are finding ways of surviving varying degrees of disorder and danger, there are sixty applicants for every place in the schools of a multi-academy trust which, like Michaela, tackles behaviour through school wide discipline and thorough training to build a culture of kindness and respect. Sixty applicants to every place. There’s some evidence for you. Large numbers of parents are sick of the bog-standard, complacent norm, where disruption and disorder are common in the classroom, and danger lurks in the corners of playgrounds, avoided by teachers who know they will not be backed up by senior staff.\n\nThis is the most criminal thing of all. There are schools which demonstrate clearly that it doesn’t have to be like this. They show that it is possible for all schools, whatever their intake, to be ordered, civilised places. But for most parents and children in that city where my wife’s friend lives, they can only dream of a place in such a school. Meanwhile, the daily battle goes on.\n\nDiscipline Must Be School-Wide\n\nCopy of a lost bronze bust of Aristotle made by Lysippos (4th century BCE)‘By doing just actions we become just; by doing the actions of self-mastery we come to be perfected in self-mastery; and by doing brave actions brave [ . . . ] So then, whether we are accustomed this way or that straight from childhood, makes not a small but an important difference, or rather I would say it makes all the difference.’ – Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics\n\nIt takes a school to discipline a child. Good moral habits, like any other habits, can only be formed with repeated practice, and children will not gain the practice necessary if they behave differently in different parts of the school, or with different teachers. Consistency is essential, for practical and for moral reasons.\n\nDoing the right thing needs to be a habit. If you are a polite person, you are in the habit of acting politely. You don’t have to think about such questions as ‘Shall I interrupt this person, or allow them to finish what they are saying?’ or ‘Shall I respond to this person’s points with personal insults, or with reasoned critique?’ Interrupting and insulting are alien to you, because you are in the habit of being polite.\n\nHow did you become polite? You weren’t born that way. Small children do not have good manners. They learn them, through the culture in which they mature. If that culture does not exemplify and demand politeness, then they will not get the practice necessary to form the habit. In fact, they will be practising rudeness, not politeness. If they are not reprimanded for interrupting, they will continue to interrupt. If only one adult in their life reprimands them for interrupting, but the rest tolerate it, they will grow up with bad habits.\n\nFor good habits to be formed, those in authority over children must act consistently, so that they don’t have to ask themselves how to behave with each adult. This is abundantly clear in schools where there is no consistent culture of good behaviour. Children will behave politely for one member of staff, and rudely for another. In this situation, they are not developing the habit of politeness, because they are not practising it consistently. It’s equivalent to having to give different answers to sums for different teachers. It’s confusing, it’s ineffective, and most importantly, it’s wrong.\n\nIt’s wrong because it does not teach children that there is simply a polite way of behaving which should be used in all circumstances. It is not okay to be rude to certain people, when those people are perceived to be weaker, or unable to exert their power over you. It is simply right to be polite, whether to the headteacher, the classroom teacher, the caretaker or the cleaner. Politeness is not something which is only required in relation to the power and position of the person; it is something that is always required.\n\nWhen there is no consistent school-wide behaviour policy that is centrally determined and enforced by centrally controlled sanctions, children are learning the poisonous lesson that you can mistreat some people, as long as they don’t have the power to make you treat them well. Weaker members of the community can be abused, whether they are less experienced teachers or less popular pupils.\n\nWithout a thorough and consistent school-wide discipline system, we are not only allowing bullying, we are promoting it, because we are refusing, in practice, to insist that there is only one right way of treating other people, whoever they are.\n\nFurther reading:\n\nOur Pupils Need Discipline, Not Management\n\nFreedom Requires Discipline\n\n(Image from Wikimedia).\n\nThe Teacher’s Authority\n\n\nMartin Luther King Jr, who challenged authority on the basis of objective truth.\n\nThe Teacher’s Moral Authority\n\nNo community can function without the rule of law. In a classroom, it is the teacher who maintains order. He must enforce rules, or there will be chaos. The weak will suffer tyranny from the strong. There may even be physical threats to the safety of both pupils and teachers. Both teachers and pupils have been violently assaulted in British classrooms where there is a lack of proper order and discipline.\n\nThe teacher has a grave responsibility to ensure that the classroom is a safe and ordered place. In order to fulfil that grave responsibility, he must have authority. Pupils must obey the teacher’s instructions for the sake of maintaining an ordered community, which will be of benefit to everybody.\n\nAre there any exceptions to this? Are there any times when pupils have a right to disobey a teacher’s instructions? Yes, but they would be exceptional. They would be occasions where it would actually be immoral to obey the teacher.\n\nThis is analogous to the rule of law in society. We are obliged to obey the law, unless there are grave reasons for not doing so. Martin Luther King Jr articulated these reasons in his letter from Birmingham Jail in 1964, in which he said:\n\n\nKing could only make such statements because he was judging the law based on objective standards. He measured the laws of the USA against objective standards of justice, and found them wanting. Thus he deliberately broke the law in order to draw attention to its injustice. He had no wish to express an ‘personal opinion’ or exert his ‘individual voice’. He considered that both he and the law must submit to higher principles which were not matters of opinion, but of truth.\n\nIt would be a grave and extreme case indeed if a pupil found similar reasons for disobeying their teacher’s authority. And the pupil would not even be capable of acting this way unless he had sufficient knowledge to measure his situation against objective standards. He will be enabled to acquire this knowledge if his classroom is ordered and his teacher takes his responsibility for forming minds seriously.\n\nThe Teacher’s Intellectual Authority\n\nIntellectual authority is related to moral authority, but distinct. In most cases, the teacher knows more than the pupil, and if the pupil is going to learn, he needs to recognise this, so that he can move towards the expertise which the teacher has.\n\nThere will be times, however, when the pupil genuinely knows more than the teacher. An older pupil may have a special interest in a topic and have done considerable extra reading and study, and have acquired greater knowledge than the teacher in that particular area. This is conceivable, but it is a special case. In these cases, the pupil may realise that the teacher has made a factual error. For example, he may have given an incorrect date for an historical event.\n\nWhat should the pupil do in this circumstance? He may raise his hand and, after having obtained permission to speak, point out the error to the teacher. The teacher may be convinced that he is right nevertheless. In this case, the pupil should drop his objection until such a time as it can be pursued without publicly undermining the authority of his teacher.\n\nPromoting Critical Thinking\n\nTo think critically about any topic, a large store of knowledge is required, so that relevant examples can be compared and reasoned judgements made. The main task of the school teacher is to transmit this knowledge to pupils, so that eventually, once they have attained sufficient expertise, they will be able to think critically. The more knowledge pupils have, the better they will be able to judge the accuracy of the information which they encounter, not only in school, but in the media and in politics.\n\nTherefore, the goal of being able to ask reasonable questions and make rational judgements is best served by the recognition of the teacher’s moral and intellectual authority. Pupils will learn much more in a safe and ordered classroom where they can listen and learn from those who know more than they do. Not that they will be silent in such a classroom, but when they do speak, they will do so in a respectful and rational way, and their comments will be based on knowledge, not ignorance, and on the humble quest for truth, not the arrogant assertion of opinion.\n\nIt is liberating to realise that education is not about the glorification of subjective self-expression, but about the acquisition of objective knowledge. Once pupils have realised this, they are on the road to developing genuine critical thinking.\n\nWhat Is a Traditional Teacher?\n\n\nIllustration of the twelve teachers of wisdom in Dante’s Paradiso, by Giovanni di Paolo (1403-1482)\n\nI was once asked to provide a definition of traditional teaching in one tweet, and I described it as ‘knowledge for the mind, and discipline for the will’. A traditional teacher sees their role as primarily the transmission of valuable knowledge and secondarily the formation of good habits. These two goals involve a struggle against the natural ignorance and arrogance of the human race. Education is a battle against nature, not an embracing of its providential designs. The philosophy that Hirsch has labelled ‘providential individualism’ must be rejected.\n\nForming Good Habits\n\nKnowledge cannot be acquired without good habits. A pupil who does not concentrate, who does not work hard, who interrupts teachers and peers, will remain both ignorant and arrogant. In order for knowledge to be acquired, egotism must be overcome; the pupil must begin to realise how ignorant he is and that others know far more than he does; he must realise that in order to obtain the knowledge which his superiors have mastered, a long, hard struggle will be needed.\n\nA rigorous programme of academic study develops all four of the great human virtues: prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude. A pupil must make prudent decisions about how to spend his time best; he must do justice to his teacher by obeying instructions and showing gratitude for the gift of knowledge; he must be temperate, especially in his speech; he must show fortitude if he is to persevere in mastering academic subjects thoroughly.\n\nThese virtues are not acquired overnight, any more than a thorough knowledge of history is to be obtained by reading a few articles on Wikipedia. They are acquired by a persistent effort to overcome egotism, by repeated practice under the guidance of authoritative instruction. To stand much chance of acquiring them, we need a community in which these virtues are viewed as the norm, and in which there are public consequences for being imprudent, unjust, intemperate or cowardly.\n\nHumanity is something which we must struggle to acquire under the guidance of an authoritative community, not something we are born with. This is much easier to understand when one is involved in the raising of children, especially when they are younger. It is abundantly clear to a parent of young children that they are struggling to acquire the habits of their tribe. They are imitating the speech and the actions of their elders. Without an authoritative example to follow and without the struggle to imitate that example, they would not reach maturity.\n\nTransmitting Knowledge\n\nWalking and talking are universal accomplishments for ordinary members of the human race. They are remarkable accomplishments; they are cognitive feats which are achieved through much struggle and repeated practice. They can be learned by most people without formal instruction, however, because the normal child is surrounded by examples and receives rapid feedback on mistakes, either because his words are not understood or because he falls flat on his face.\n\nEven these most universal of human accomplishments cannot be described as natural. To be human is to learn from others, to depend upon others, to submit to the authoritative example of others within a community, in order to grow and mature.\n\nThis is even more true when we come to formal academic instruction, which opens new vistas to the mind which are outside immediate experience. Reading and writing are not universal accomplishments; they are more artificial than speaking and walking; that is to say, they are more uniquely human. Writing with an alphabet which represents the sounds of speech is quite a recent invention in the whole span of human history. It is a remarkably flexible and useful one, which opens up vast new possibilities for knowledge and understanding. But in order to acquire it, formal instruction is required. Children may prefer to run around and play with mud and sticks. They should certainly have time for doing such things. But they will never learn to read and write by doing them. To learn to read and write, they must submit to authority and work hard under the guidance of instructors.\n\nThe traditional teacher recognises the importance of formal instruction, but also recognises its limits. He makes a clear distinction between work and play. Work requires self-discipline and effort. There is a place for play, once work has been completed. But they must not be muddled with each other, or neither one will be properly appreciated.\n\nThe traditional teacher works intensively to transmit the knowledge which the child requires to be inducted into the adult community. He sees in the child a human being who is not yet fully formed, and accepts the responsibility of forming the mind of that child by introducing him to the great human accomplishments in literature, history, science and mathematics.\n\n\nLife is so much simpler when one recognises that hard work is needed to accomplish anything of value. Hard work can then be embraced wholeheartedly, and this leads to a deeper happiness than mere diversion or entertainment can ever bring.\n\nA traditional understanding of education means that both teacher and pupil know that they are doing something serious and important, on which the continuation of human civilisation depends. Everything they are doing has a purpose, and it is a purpose which goes beyond mere individual gratification, and raises every person to real human dignity, as a member of a community who makes a contribution to its present health and its future existence.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8584831953048706}
{"content": "Design Innovation\n\nAll of our design and product development is based on the philosophy of Thoughtful Design. This is a holistic approach, rooted in the Scandinavian design tradition, where the aim is to develop and apply consumer insights into all aspects of the brand experience.\n\n\nDesign has to generate emotion and desire in the user, but it must also ensure that the rational/functional aspects of the user experience live up to the user's emotional and functional expectations. That's what we mean when we say \"Thinking of You\".", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.000008225440979}
{"content": "Jacksonville Florida Shooting Ends Life of Child Outside of Convenience Store\n\nA Jacksonville Florida shooting killed Kiersten Ross outside of the Family Food Store shortly after 6:00 p.m. His mother, Pamela Ross, had last seen Kiersten riding his bike and playing with his toddler brother. Kiersten went to the Family Food Store to get a snack of donuts. As he was walking out of the store, he was shot by a drive by shooter. It is uncertain if Kiersten was the target. Investigation is under way to try to identify and locate the shooters.\n\nThe death of Kiersten, who was just 17 years old, is a tragedy for the family and the community. Kiersten was just at the store to buy donuts in the early evening hours.\n\nHopefully, the shooter and accomplices are located and prosecuted. You can read more about this tragic incident at From Bike to Bullet – Drive By Shooting at Jacksonville Florida Convenience Store.\n\nIs there a civil case to pursue? Maybe, it depends on the facts of the case. Florida does not require armed guards outside of every convenience store; however, there is a line of negligent security cases that hold a property owner liable if there is a history of crime in the area and the property owner fails to implement reasonable and necessary security measures. Each case is judged on its own facts. The negligent security cases are detail oriented cases that require a statistical crime analysis of the area over a period of time, a detailed analysis of the facts, and thorough legal research to make sure that the law supports the facts and details obtained through the investigation.\n\nIf you have any questions about an assault, battery, shooting, injury, or death that took place at a convenience store or other business, you should consult with an Florida injury attorney to review the facts and your respective rights.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.888927698135376}
{"content": "skip to primary navigationskip to content\n\nThe main concept\n\nmain conceptThe  P2P aims to be an iconic architectural prototype that combines living wall, aSi-PV solar panels and plant-BES technologies in a single structure\n\n  1. The sun shines on the P2P hub\n  2. The solar panels use some of the solar light (mainly UV, blue and green) for generating negative and positive charges. These charges are then recombined through an external circuit to create electrical current (see ① on diagram)\n  3. The living walls of plants photosynthesise, grow and release organic compounds into the soil.\n  4. These organic compounds feed bacteria living in the soil around the plant roots.\n  5. The bacteria in the soil oxidise the organic compounds, producing electrons which are collected by an anode, and protons which are collected by a cathode.\n  6. These electrons and protons are recombined and travel  through an external circuit to produce electrical current (see ② on diagram)\n  7. The electrical current generated in ① and ② are monitored\n  8. By integrating a-Si PV solar panels, living walls and plant-BES the P2P demonstrates how solar light can be used to generate electrical current by using and combining several different biological and non-biological technologies in a self-powering, sustainable system.  It is demonstrated here as a bus shelter concept.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7666313648223877}
{"content": "Recursos de colección\n\nUTL Repository Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (37.000 recursos)\n\n\nMostrando recursos 1 - 20 de 37\n\n  1. Ichthyiological collection of the Museu Oceanográfico D. Carlos I\n\n    Silva, Ana Serra; Groz, Maria Pitta; Leandro, Paula; Assis, Carlos A.; Figueira, Rui\n    Data Paper\n\n\n    Salako, Kolawole Valère; Moreira, Francisco; Gbedomon, Rodrigue Castro; Tovissodé, Frédéric; Assogbadjo, Achille Ephrem; Kakai, Romain Lucas Glèlè\n\n  3. Population persistence in landscapes fragmented by roads: disentangling isolation, mortality and the effect of dispersal\n\n    Ceia-Hasse, Ana; Navarro, Laetitia M.; Borda-de-Água, Luís; Pereira, Henrique M.\n    Linear infrastructures, one of several forms of land-use, are a major driver of biodiversity loss. Roads impact populations at many levels, with direct road mortality and barrier effect contributing to decreased population abundance, higher isolation and subdivision, and therefore to increased extinction risk. In this paper, we compared the effect of road mortality and of the barrier effect on population isolation, persistence and size, and assessed the interaction of these effects with dispersal. We used a spatially explicit, process-based model of population dynamics in landscapes fragmented by varying levels of road density. We modelled a barrier effect independently from road mortality by varying the probability with...\n\n  4. Growing old, yet staying young: the role of telomeres in bat's exceptional longevity\n\n    Foley, Nicole M.; Hughes, Graham M.; Huang, Zixia; Clarke, Michael; Jebb, David; Whelan, Conor V.; Petit, Eric J.; Touzalin, Frédéric; Farcy, Olivier; Jones, Gareth; Ransome, Roger D.; Kacprzyk, Joanna; O'Connell, Mary J.; Kerth, Gerald; Rebelo, Hugo; Rodrigues, Luísa; Puechmaille, Sébastien J.; Teeling, Emma C.\n    Research Article - Genetics\n\n  5. Networks of global bird invasion altered by regional trade ban\n\n    Reino, Luís; Figueira, Rui; Beja, Pedro; Araújo, Miguel B.; Capinha, César; Strubbe, Diederik\n    Research Article - Ecology\n\n  6. Stakeholders perceptions of endangered Egyptian vulture: insights for conservation\n\n    Cortés-Avizanda, Ainara; Martín-López, Berta; Ceballos, Olga; Pereira, Henrique M.\n    The inclusion of perceptions, interests and needs of stakeholders in biodiversity conservation is critical for the long-term protection of endangered species. Yet, the social dimensions of endangered species conservation are often overlooked. We examined the social perceptions of the conservational importance of the globally endangered Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) in one of the most important breeding areas worldwide: the Bardenas Reales Protected Area, northern Spain. We assessed the factors that influence the stakeholders' views of its conservation importance and identified the management strategies that would have social support. We found that the understandings of the Egyptian vulture differed among stakeholders. Hunters had the highest level of knowledge...\n\n  7. A insídia das formas - ensaio semiótico relativo a \"Rio Timor\" no atlas Vallard e \"Brasilia inferior\" no globo de Schoner\n\n    Casquilho, José Pinto\n    Neste ensaio, partindo-se da menção “Rio timor” no Atlas Vallard datado de 1547, procura-se reconstituir a origem primeva da informação, sustentando-se a hipótese de que os portugueses foram os primeiros europeus a fazer o reconhecimento da linha de costa do que hoje designamos como Austrália. Nessa demanda, conclui-se que existem relatos de cronistas e outros, que permitem situar Francisco Serrão como uma fonte de informação na região das Molucas – mencionando, em cartas, um “um novo mundo” com vasta extensão - que teria sido encaminhada para Portugal, aí chegando cerca de 1515, incluindo padrão. Infere-se que terá sido essa uma origem provável da representação cartográfica de Brasilie Regio...\n\n  8. The collection of birds from Mozambique at the Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical of the University of Lisbon (Portugal)\n\n    Monteiro, Miguel; Figueira, Rui; Melo, Martim; Mills, Michael Stuart Lyne; Beja, Pedro; Bastos-Silveira, Cristiane; Ramos, Manuela; Rodrigues, Diana; Neves, Isabel Queirós; Consciência, Susana; Reino, Luís\n    The Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical of the University of Lisbon, which resulted from the recent merger (in 2015) of the former state laboratory Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical in the University of Lisbon, holds an important collection of bird skins from the Portuguese-speaking African Countries (Angola, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde), gathered as a result of several scientific expeditions made during the colonial period. In this paper, the subset from Mozambique is described, which was taxonomically revised and georeferenced. It contains 1585 specimens belonging to 412 taxa, collected between 1932 and 1971, but mainly in 1948 (43% of specimens) and 1955...\n\n  9. The orthoptera of Castro Verde special protection area (Southern Portugal): new data and conservation value\n\n    Pina, Sílvia; Vasconcelos, Sasha; Reino, Luís; Santana, Joana; Beja, Pedro; Sánchez-Olivier, Juan S.; Catry, Inês; Moreira, Francisco; Ferreira, Sónia\n    With the increasing awareness of the need for Orthoptera conservation, greater efforts must be gathered to implement specific monitoring schemes. Despite recent surveys, little is known about Portuguese Orthoptera populations. This study was performed in 2014 and 2015 mainly in Castro Verde Special Protection Area (SPA), southern Portugal, and is the first Orthoptera inventory conducted in the area. A total of 35 Orthoptera species was recorded, with two new species reported for Portugal. We provide species’ habitat occurrences within the protected area and use information on the conservation status and the Iberian distribution of each documented species to discuss the importance of Castro Verde SPA for...\n\n  10. Match between soaring modes of black kites and fine-scale distribution on updrafts\n\n    Santos, Carlos D.; Hanssen, Frank; Muñoz, António-Román; Onrubia, A.; Wikelski, Martin; May, Roel; Silva, João P.\n\n  11. Fungal infestation boosts fruit aroma and fruit removal by mammals and birds\n\n    Peris, Josep E.; Rodriguez, Ana; Peña, Leandro; Fedriani, José Maria\n    For four decades, an influential hypothesis has posited that competition for food resources between microbes and vertebrates selects for microbes to alter these resources in ways that make them unpalatable to vertebrates. We chose an understudied cross kingdom interaction to experimentally evaluate the effect of fruit infection by fungi on both vertebrate (mammals and birds) fruit preferences and on ecologically relevant fruit traits (volatile compounds, toughness, etc). Our well-replicated field experiments revealed that, in contrast to previous studies, frugivorous mammals and birds consistently preferred infested over intact fruits. This was concordant with the higher level of attractive volatiles (esters, ethanol) in infested fruits. This investigation suggests that...\n\n  12. Dispersal ability determines the scaling properties of species abundance distributions: a case study using arthropods from the Azores\n\n    Borda-de-Água, Luís; Whittaker, Robert J.; Cardoso, Pedro; Rigal, François; Santos, Ana M.C.; Amorim, Isabel R.; Parmakelis, Aristeidis; Triantis, Kostas A.; Pereira, Henrique M.; Borges, Paulo A.\n\n  13. Conservation status of a recently described endemic land snail, Candidula coudensis, from the Iberian Peninsula\n\n    Moreira, Francisco; Calado, Gonçalo; Dias, Susana\n    Research Article\n\n  14. Estimation of productivity in pine and oak forests in northern Portugal using Biome-BGC\n\n    Nunes, Leónia; Gower, Stith T.; Peckham, Scott D.; Magalhães, Marco; Lopes, Domingos; Rego, Francisco Castro\n    Studies about the productivity of forest ecosystems help to quantify sequestered carbon and provide data that are used in forest management. Forests in northern Portugal are an important economic resource, but their productivity in scenarios of future climate change is not yetwell understood. The objectives of this study were to evaluate and compare simulated net primary production (NPP) andNPPbased onmeasured data of twotree species located in the Vila Real district forests, pine (Pinus pinaster Aiton) and oak (Quercus pyrenaica Willd.) and assess their simulatedNPPin diverse climate conditions, including future climate scenariosandincreasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations. An ecosystem process model, Biome-BGC, which simulates carbon, nitrogen and water cycles...\n\n  15. Mixed effects of long-term conservation investment in Natura 2000 farmland\n\n    Santana, Joana; Reino, Luís; Stoate, Chris; Borralho, Rui; Carvalho, Carlos Rio; Schindler, Stefan; Moreira, Francisco; Bugalho, Miguel N.; Ribeiro, Paulo Flores; Santos, José Lima; Vaz, Alexandre; Morgado, Rui; Porto, Miguel; Beja, Pedro\n    Evaluating the effectiveness of conservation funding is crucial for correct allocation of limited resources. Here we used bird monitoring data to assess the effects of long-term conservation investment in a Natura 2000 (N2000) bird protection area (PA), which during two decades benefited from protection regulations, conservation projects, and agri-environment schemes. Variation between 1995–1997 and 2010–2012 in richness and abundance of flagship (Otis tarda, Tetrax tetrax, and Falco naumanni) and specialized fallow field species were more favorable (i.e., increased more or declined less) inside the PA than in a nearby control area. However, the reverse was found for total bird species, farmland, ground-nesting and steppe species, species associated to ploughed fields,...\n\n  16. Modeling stream fish distributions using interval-censored detection times\n\n    Ferreira, Mário; Filipe, Ana Filipa; Bardos, David C.; Magalhães, Maria Filomena; Beja, Pedro\n    Controlling for imperfect detection is important for developing species distribution models (SDMs). Occupancy-detection models based on the time needed to detect a species can be used to address this problem, but this is hindered when times to detection are not known precisely. Here, we extend the time-to-detection model to deal with detections recorded in time intervals and illustrate the method using a case study on stream fish distribution modeling. We collected electrofishing samples of six fish species across a Mediterranean watershed in Northeast Portugal. Based on a Bayesian hierarchical framework, we modeled the probability of water presence in stream channels, and the probability of species occupancy conditional on water...\n\n  17. Predicting bat distributions and diversity hotspots in southern Africa\n\n    Cooper-Bohannon, Rachael; Rebelo, Hugo; Jones, Gareth; Cotterill, Fenton; Monadjem, Ara; Schoeman, M.Corrie; Taylor, Peter; Park, Kirsty\n    Species distribution models were used to predict bat species richness across southern Africa and to identify potential drivers of these spatial patterns. We also identified species richness within each biotic zone and the distributions of species considered of high conservation priority. We used this information to highlight conservation priorities for bats in southern Africa (defined here as between the latitudes of 8° S, slightly north of Zambia, to the southern tip of Africa 34° S, an area of approximately 9781840 km2). We used maximum entropy modelling (Maxent) to model habitat suitability for 58 bat species in order to determine the key eco-geographical variables influencing their distributions. The...\n\n  18. High unexpected genetic diversity of a narrow endemic terrestrial mollusc\n\n    Madeira, Pedro M.; Chefaoui, Rosa M.; Cunha, Regina L.; Moreira, Francisco; Dias, Susana; Calado, Gonçalo; Castilho, Rita\n    The Iberian Peninsula has an extensive record of species displaying strong genetic structure as a result of their survival in isolated pockets throughout the Pleistocene ice ages. We used mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data to analyze phylogeographic patterns in endemic land snails from a valley of central Portugal (Vale da Couda), putatively assigned to Candidula coudensis, that show an exceptionally narrow distributional range. The genetic survey presented here shows the existence of five main mitochondrial lineages in Vale da Couda that do not cluster together suggesting independent evolutionary histories. Our results also indicate a departure from the expectation that species with restricted distributions have low genetic variability. The putative...\n\n  19. Wired: impacts of increasing power line use by a growing bird population\n\n    Moreira, Francisco; Encarnação, Vitor; Rosa, Gonçalo; Gilbert, Nathalie; Infante, Samuel; Costa, Julieta; D'Amico, Marcello; Martins, Ricardo C.; Catry, Inês\n    Power lines are increasingly widespread across many regions of the planet. Although these linear infrastructures are known for their negative impacts on bird populations, through collision and electrocution, some species take advantage of electricity pylons for nesting. In this case, estimation of the net impact of these infrastructures at the population level requires an assessment of trade-offs between positive and negative impacts. We compiled historical information (1958–2014) of the Portuguese white stork Ciconia ciconia population to analyze long-term changes in numbers, distribution range and use of nesting structures. White stork population size increased 660% up to 12000 breeding pairs between 1984 and 2014. In the same period,...\n\n  20. Regional bans on wild-bird trade modify invasion risks at a global scale\n\n    Cardador, Laura; Lattuada, Matteo; Strubbe, Diederik; Tella, José L.; Reino, Luís; Figueira, Rui; Carrete, Martina\n    Wildlife trade is currently the most important and increasing source of vertebrate invasive species. However, exhaustive analyses of potential side effects of trade regulations on this pathway of introduction are lacking. We addressed this by combining environmental niche models and global trade data on parrots (Psittaciformes), one of the most widely traded and worldwide invasive taxa. We used the wild bird trade bans of United States (1992) and Europe (2005) as case-studies. Results showed that regional bans can generate geographic redirections in trade, with important consequences on worldwide invasion risk. While the amount of parrots traded internationally remained largely constant, changes in trade destination occurred. Consequently, the world surface predicted...\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9204007983207703}
{"content": "C2 Management is a technology recycling company that breaks down old technology into its valuable metal components to be sold. If technology can be reused, the company resells the products on EBay. Not only did we learn about the products that C2 can recycle, but we also saw some of the recycling and reselling in process. Special tables are set up to clean and take pictures of the items that will be put online to sell, while hard drives are crushed in a machine permanently destroying the information collected on them. C2 Management is currently working with Frederick County to recycle tons of technology that would be going to the landfill. Our tour taught us that there is a way help reduce to amount of Ewaste going into our landfills.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8104246258735657}
{"content": "\n\nIndecopi lanza “Patenta Universidad”\n\nEl Instituto Nacional de Defensa de la Competencia y de la Protección de la Propiedad Intelectual (Indecopi) ha puesto a disposición del sector académico y de investigación, la herramienta “Patenta Universidad”.\n\nEl propósito es incentivar el conocimiento y uso del sistema de patentes entre los centros superiores de estudio que apuestan por la innovación.\n\nEl programa “Patenta Universidad” está abierto a todas las universidades del país, centros académicos superiores o entidades de investigación que no hayan usado de manera recurrente el sistema de patentes en los últimos cinco años, pero que cuenten con una importante cantidad de  proyectos de investigación o de innovación tecnológica.\n\nLas instituciones que deseen participar en “Patenta Universidad” deben ingresar a  www.indecopi.gob.pe/din/pu y seguir las indicaciones establecidas en los ‘Lineamientos del  Programa’. La fecha límite para acceder es el 19 de agosto de 2016.\n\nTodas las actividades que comprende “Patenta Universidad” serán desarrolladas gratuitamente.\n\nMás información aquí.\n\nAcademic Misconduct, plagiarism, copyright infringement or just an electoral fight\n\nThis month Peru’s newspapers have been busy reporting about an alleged plagiarism done by Mr César Acuña Peralta who is running for the Peruvian Presidency (here and here)\n\nImage result for plagiarismMr Acuña has been accused of copying his doctoral thesis submitted at the Universidad Complutense, Madrid in 2009. Added to this accusation, now it emerges that he also copied his master’s thesis submitted at the Universidad de los Andes, Colombia. In the latter, news referred to the fact that some paragraph were well attributed to the author and using quotations marks but others were not. The alleged paragraphs were taken from the book authored by Cruz Cardona.\n\nAccusations are so strong that the Peruvian National Institute for the Defence of Competition and Protection of Intellectual Property (Indecopi) has decided to investigate the accusation (in line with its Organization and Functions Act and Decree Legislative 822 that gives to it powers to investigate acts affecting copyright and related rights within the country). Moreover, the Universidad Complutense has announced that “it will initiate an investigation to determine whether Acuña committed academic fraud.”\n\nImage result for plagiarismThe Spaniard newspaper El Pais noted that Universidad Pontificia Catolica del Peru passed the thesis through Turnitin, a software which is widely used in academia that matches the document against a database, and so detecting originality or similarity to other sources. The said academic “found in the first 165 pages an average of 80 % similarity to other Internet sources not necessarily cited in the investigation.” Declarations in this newspaper refers to pages after pages of textual copying without been either attributed or using quotation marks. In many educational institutions, plagiarism is treated as strict liability (as copyright primary infringement) while others require intention. In any case, plagiarism is a disciplinary offence.\n\nA more recent accusation was brought by the newspaper El Comercio noting that it has transpired that in 2002 Mr Acuña authored and published a book which is an identical copy of the book authored by Peruvian Professor Otoniel Oyarce Alvarado.\n\nWow! Wow! Wow! These are really strong accusations. A master, a PhD and a book?! I am indeed amazed how these could have happen…I presume the University in Madrid did not have or use any software to check the originality of the work, -- possibly. However, we are talking pages after pages. How the supervisors and the examiners did not notice this matter? As an academic sometimes we read students work and we stop to think, uh? I have read something like this somewhere. But we are humans, and mistakes could have happen…but in a PhD there is so many people involved, and no one noticed it? The other issue that comes into my attention is the book that he allegedly copied. If it is claimed that is a copy of another one...how did anyone not notice this before? Both books are published in Peru and written by academics in Peru – surely a student or a person in the same fora could have noticed something.\n\nWill Mr Acuña resign from his Presidency postulation? Or will he wait for the University in Madrid and the Indecopi to give a verdict?\n\nPeru is adding to its list: WIPO administered treaties\n\nOn 02 February Peru ratified the Marrakesh Agreement at the headquarters of WIPO.\n\nImage result for blind readingThe news are published by the Peruvian National Institute for the Defence of Competition and Protection of Intellectual Property (Indecopi) which welcomes the recent ratification. The Marrakesh Agreement obliges signatory states to make changes and exceptions to the rules on copyright for the benefit of the blind, visually impaired, and otherwise print disabled (VIPs).\n\nPeru became the fourteenth country to ratify the treaty, and the seventh Latin American country to do so. The others are: Argentina(April 1, 2015), Brazil (December 11, 2015), El Salvador (October 1, 2014), Mexico (July 29, 2015), Paraguay (January 20, 2015), Uruguay (December 1, 2014).\n\nThe Treaty, which forms part of the body of international copyright treaties administered by WIPO, will enter into force three months after 20 Contracting countries deposited their instruments of ratification or accession. Peru joined WIPO in 1980 and have signed many treaties not only in the area of copyright e.g. UPOV Convention, Budapest Treaty, Patent Cooperation Treaty and the Trade Mark Law Treaty.\n\nFinally, INDECOPI refers to data brought by the World Blind Union (WBU), and notes that “over 90% of all published material is inaccessible to the blind and visually impaired.”\n\n\nEcuador: repealing its IP law for a code of social economy\n\nEcuador is fully engaging in its debate over the proposed ‘Código Orgánico de Economía Social del Conocimiento, la Creatividad y la Innovación (Organic Code of Social Economy of Knowledge, Creativity and Innovation) -- known as ‘Codigo Ingenios’ (Intellects Code).\n\nThe bill went to the Ecuadorian Assembly back in June 2015 as an initiative of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (Senescyt ) supported and drafted with the help of different sectors including the Ecuadorian Intellectual Property Office (IEPI). The current Intellectual Property Law will be repealed when the new bill is approved. The proposed code comprises four books and over 500 articles. According to the newspaper ‘El Comercio’, its strengths are in intellectual property, access to the Internet and protection of ancestral knowledge.\n\nImage result for codigo ingeniosSeveral conferences inviting students from different Universities, the legal profession, the civil society and civil servants are taken place. Moreover, the IEPI promotes the code as aiming to move “from a primary export economy to a social economy of infinite resources” and thus, noting the need to protect “the Ecuadorian knowledge and human talent”. The aims are on 11 principles: “right to share knowledge, economic incentives to encourage innovation, cheaper drugs, boost domestic inventions, internet as a basic service, support and enhancement of research, long life technology, promotion of free software, combat biopiracy, profitable mining, and the right to traditional knowledge that belong to indigenous peoples and nationals.”\n\nAccording to IEPI’s director, the bill targets knowledge and entrepreneurship, but ensuring the protection of the creators’ rights. You may ask: isn’t this the purpose of their own current IP legislation? It appears that it does not. In the words of Senescyt’s secretary, the current IP “law has failed, because it is excessively private and excessively commercial and has produced nothing of innovation\" [has there been any national investment on research --you will reap if you have sown, right?]. He continues saying that the code will guarantee all IPRs in all lucrative activities in academia or research and help to circulate their works and products, which I do concur. But, I am afraid I cannot see how the present IP legislation does not already protect these.\n\nThere are two other matters that I would like to address. It is asserted that the change of law is needed and that there is a need to have this code on social economy. I do wonder: is IP and IP law a legislation for social economy? The propanga surrounding the Code re-emphasizes that the current IP law only protect the rich, transnational companies, big pharmaceutical companies, foreigners and does nothing for ‘the people’ (referring to those of not enough resources). I am afraid IP protects inventions, creation, works of art, brands, regardless of nationality or wealth. In practice, it is true that in developing countries and less developed ones the majority of patents would be granted to foreigners, but this is not because there is something wrong with the law. It is because the world's most innovative countries are high-income countries (full stop - see INSEAD's report and also WIPO’s latest report which explores the role of IP at the link between innovation and economic growth). Would it be ok to say that the propaganda appears to be more political sided?\n\nThere are two issues that also capture my attention in this ‘advertisement’ of principles 1) right to traditional knowledge (TK) and combat bio-piracy and 2) cheaper drugs.\n1) Ecuador legislation protects TK and genetic resources. Ecuador is part of the Andean Community of Nations (CAN), and it has one common IP system through CAN Decision 486 - a supranational law. In this regards:\nImage result for doha declarationa) PATENT: when a product or process is obtained or developed using TK of indigenous, African American or local communities, protection is only granted if the applicant has a certificate, or license or authorization from the originating source (CAN Decision 391).\nb) Trade Marks: applications that contain the name of indigenous, African American, or local communities, are not allowed.\n\n2) Cheap Medicines\na) In 2009 Ecuador amended its IP law to use the TRIPS flexibility (Doha Declaration) in favour of developing countries i.e. compulsory licensing. At the end of 2014 the IEPI had received 32 applications for compulsory patent licenses- some were refused or abandoned, but nine were granted.\nb) Decision 486: second use patents known as the ‘Swiss formula’ are not allowed.\n\nIn the last five years some Latin American countries like Brazil, Mexico and Chile, have more than doubled its international patents but this is seen because governments and organizations invests in projects. In Colombia we see a ‘National Innovation Strategy’ by the Director of the National Planning Department. In 2013 Medellin won against New York and Tel Aviv, the most innovative city title. In Brazil there is also a Science & Technology Action Plan giving incentives to bio-tech patents. It also looks deeper into what they call ‘critical mass’ population studying masters and PhDs, how can they help to increase these. Chile is examining a Bill to amend its Constitution i.e. art.19 to: (1) assert ownership over the country's genetic resources; (2) protect against the unauthorized use of these resources or the traditional knowledge (TK) of indigenous communities; and (3) promote the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits derived from the exploitation of these resources or TK. Peru has a National Anti-bio-piracy Commission. In all these countries the message is clear, innovation may attract (foreign) investments in the form of trade and/or R&D, but if the country does nothing to promote and to launch programs to help its people to innovate, legislation alone does nothing.\n\nWe also see projects in the sector of trade marks, collective and certification marks and GIs. Colombia has a running project through the ‘Intellectual Property and Crafts’ which supports the artisans in the legal process together with ‘Artesanias de Colombia’; Chile has another one called ‘Sello de Origen’ (Label of Origin) developed by the Ministry of Economy together with the IP national office (INAPI). All of these projects are helping the communities and sectors with are rich in knowledge but may not have the tools (economic and legal advice) and/or do not know what exist or is available for them to protect their IPRs.\n\nImage result for socialism venezuela\nIs it me, or is a tendency for Latin American Governments of the left wing to always accuse the develop world? \nThe idea of Ecuador enhancing national products and knowledge is to be applauded and focus ought to be on what they can do to improve. We (Latinos) need to find a way to promote and protect agriculture, biodiversity, science, and also culture.  The Government ought to work on how to provide conditions that stimulate innovation, needs to provide supportive institutions, incentive tertiary education and fund research.\n\nWill Ecuador find this by repealing the current IP law? At the moment there are a few projects that help to promote and protect national knowledge e.g. the Ecuadorian Resolution No 004-2015 CD-IEPI which grants full discount on charges related to requests to register, record or assign rights related to GIs-- free until December 31, 2017. This week, we hear from the Ecuadorian Institute for the Promotion of Exports and Imports (Pro Ecuador )good stories of their campaign which promotes the inclusion of local brands abroad.\n\nThe proposed Code will provide investment for creations, promising 0.57% of gross domestic product  but, is there a need to repeal its IP law for this? There has been so much time and investment in this 'code' that expectations are getting higher by the minute. We now need to wait and see.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8379818797111511}
{"content": "\n\nAs certified strength coaches and personal trainers with corrective exercise training, we have developed our workouts by combining direct athletic experience with years of advanced personal training education. Nowhere else will you find the benefits of Mountain Athlete-inspired programming combined with sport-specific exercises for strength and agility.  Wright Training is not a CrossFit workout, but has similarities.\nA typical hour-long workout is unique, always including either a strength/work capacity session, a strength session or a stamina session.  We then tailor the workout even further to include core and durability exercises.\nThese programs aim to increase performance, prevent injury and provide overall strength.\n\nSign up today for a free 1/2 hour orientation session with a Wright Training Trainer!\n\nEmail Crystal at wrighttrain@gmail.com for more information.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5034347772598267}
{"content": "topblog Ivoire blogs\n\n\nAdolescent Nutrition and Vision\n\n(1) selenium supplement: animals on Earth, Eagle eye is most sensitive. In this regard, biologists have found that after a long period of research: Its secret lies in the Hawkeye contains very rich in selenium,dental turbine, a hundred times higher than the human race. Selenium on the function of the visual organ is extremely important, dominant eye movements muscle contraction of the pupil to expand and shrink, the normal eye color vision require the involvement of selenium. Selenium is also a non-specific in vivo antioxidant glutathione peroxidase is one of the important ingredients, and this substance can remove the body (including the eyes) of peroxides and free radicals, so that the eyes from damage. If the human eye for long-term lack of selenium intake, decreased vision occurs and many eye diseases such as cataract, retinopathy, night blindness, etc. Therefore,dental loupes uk, the daily dietary supplement selenium should be noted, such as the multi-purpose animal liver meal, meat, corn, onion, garlic, oysters, fish, mussels, can increase selenium intake. \n\n\n(2) Eat more foods rich in vitamin A: Vitamin A is an indispensable material the eye, which is directly involved in the retina to form rhodopsin, which is the sense of weak light substances, vitamin A also has the protection of the cornea moist eyes The role of non-drying, if the lack of vitamin A, the lacrimal gland epithelial tissue damage, secretion stops, can cause dry eye. For the body is not a lack of vitamin A, can be more intake of a variety of animal liver, as well as cattle and sheep milk, egg yolk and all kinds of carotene-rich foods. Carotene, vitamin A is generated based on the human body can be converted into vitamin A,dental instruments for sale, these foods are carrots, pumpkin, tomatoes and green vegetables. \n\n\n(3) an adequate supply of vitamin B1 and niacin-rich foods: Eye lack of these two vitamins prone to eye flutter, visual retardation and other symptoms. And rich in vitamin B1 and niacin food, mainly wheat, corn, fish, meat and other foods. \n\n\n(4) to ensure the supply of Vitamin B2: Vitamin B2 can guarantee the normal metabolism of the retina and cornea, in the absence prone to tearing, redness, itching, eye spasms and other symptoms. Vitamin B2 often found in milk, goat's milk, eggs, lean meat, kidney, liver, lentils. \n\n\n(5) Proteins are the basis of visual development: the eyes are important organs of the body, the normal function of the eye, the organization's updates without protein, if the protein is in the lack of long-term status, functional decline may cause eye, decreased vision, and the occurrence of each kinds of eye diseases and even blindness. Adolescence to protect the eyes, should be taken from the daily dietary start with a reasonable variety of meals, good eye health.\n\n04:29 Publié dans dental tools, electronic apex locator | Lien permanent | Commentaires (0) | | Pin it! |\n\nLes commentaires sont fermés.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9229689836502075}
{"content": "Frederick, Jeff\n\n\nThere are 1 item/s.\n\nTitleDateViewsBrief Description\nAntietam: A Failure To Achieve Victory 2006 1703 The paper, \"Antietam: A Failure to Achieve Victory,\" is an insight into the events that occurred during the Maryland Campaign of the American Civil War. It examines key events that altered both the course of battle and American history. The Battle o...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8851996660232544}
{"content": "Evangelist Program\n\nBuilding a new cutting-edge product where success will be based on the ecosystem of products built around the device?\n\nPrelaunch Labs can help you succeed by developing an ecosystem of evangelist developers that will seed the market, and spread the word.  Prelaunch Labs Evangelist program is designed to accelerate the growth of new product category by building commercial ecosystem of complementary goods, created by independent (third-party) developers, as a means to the end of maximizing the products market share.\n\nPrelaunch will build and manage a team of evangelists to spread the word of about your product, inspire developers, and grow a developer community. Evangelists will be responsible for evangelism activities in their area, working as part of a national team.\n\nCreate inspiring demos, content (blog posts, tutorials, videos, articles) and examples\n\nDeliver talks at events and meetups\n\nHelp create developer tools and libraries\n\nRun workshops and meetups for developers\n\nShare your experiences with the evangelist team\n\nMonitor and provide assistance on forums and social channels\n\nCreate and nurture a local community of developers\n\nBuild relationships with developers in the wider community", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5687024593353271}
{"content": "Donald Trump’s administration is gearing up for another possible round of missile strikes against regime targets in Syria. This could trigger an explosive chain of events potentially leading to a more serious military conflagration between major international and regional powers in the Middle East. Moscow has responded to Trump’s open...\n\n\nNew movements for change will need to arm themselves with the lessons of the Syrian tragedy.\nThe military victory in Aleppo by Assad’s regime and its foreign backers was a turning point in the war in Syria. It has put the Syrian government once more in formal control of the country’s main urban centres. But is...\n\nWhat should be the attitude of the socialist left?\n\nWill there be ’Geneva II’ negotiations?\n\nPolls show majority opposition to imperialist military action\n\nRegime causes untold civilian suffering and death… rebels’ carry out sectarian massacres - No to imperialist intervention\n\nCommittee for a workers' International publications\n\n\np248 01\n\np304 02", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999973773956299}
{"content": "What happens to our spirits/souls after out last incarnation?\n\njohntoh's picture\n\nWhat is the determining factor? I'd assume it's after the Universe feels our spirits are evolved enough, and has learned all the lessons to learn.\n\nWhat happend later? Do we get to create our own Universe else where? Do we become spirit guides?\n\nI guess the possibilities are endless...\n\nCare to share??\n\nLove & Light!\n\nDe Maria's picture\n\nre: Reply to DeMaria's question\n\nQUOTE: But I have a question. You claim that something I said was an insult to Buddhists. What was it?\n\nI think you are being sincere so in the spirit of peace let us try to understand each other.\n\nBut first I want to apologize for the baby Jesus comment which was totally inappropriate.\n\nNo need. I never understood that one at all. And I was hoping it was true.\n\nI am not anti-RCC. My heart is open to all who follow Christ. I also think the person who started this thread should have responded to you, but unfortunately that doesn’t appear to be happening. Many people believe in reincarnation, so he may not be Buddhist.\n\nI’m beginning to think I misunderstood your original intent, but in my mind it was still a blunder. How would you feel if someone said to you in the past I have found Catholics to be very caring people; HOWEVER, I ALSO FIND THAT THEY BELIEVE NOT WHAT THEY CAN PROVE BUT WHAT THEY CAN IMAGINE\n\nThat is my opinion of their beliefs. Lets take the example for which I believe they're most famous, reincarnation. Is there any objective proof that anything like that can happen? They also accompany that with a doctrine of being perfected by frequent reincarnations. Has anyone ever presented any evidence for such a thing? I've not seen any.\n\nTherefore I conclude that they believe in what they can imagine. Not in anything what they can prove.\n\nHOWEVER, I ALSO FIND THAT THEY BELIEVE NOT WHAT THEY CAN PROVE BUT WHAT THEY CAN IMAGINE in reference to your Blessed Mother. That her relevance in the church is unsubstantiated in the Bible. That your novenas and prayer beads are useless because you are praying to an imaginary person?\n\nThat has actually happened to me quite often. And I have taken it as a challenge. I simply ask them to compare their doctrines to the doctrines of the Catholic Church.\n\nFor instance and just for purposes of illustration. I have had much more experience talking to Muslims than I have with Buddhists. And one of their claims is that the Gospels would be kicked out of court because of insufficient evidence.\n\nSo, I ask them to compare.\n\n1. They have Mohammed, claiming that he spoke to an angel who revealed to him the Quran. No one else saw the angel.\n\n2. We have four eyewitnesses, who not only heard Jesus Christ's sermons, but witnessed His signs and miracles, lived with Him for several years and were given the power to effect signs and miracles themselves.\n\nSo, I respond, if the Gospels will be kicked out of court, the Quran will be thrown in the trash. Compared to the Gospels, the Quran has absolutely no evidential value.\n\nThat is just one example. I respond similarly to any challenge, be it Protestant, Muslim, atheist or whatever.\n\nAlso, to be honest your attitude in debates seems a bit unfair. Do you like politicians taking unfair swings at each other to avoid the real political issues? I don’t and I find it much more distasteful when it pertains to religion. I hope that answers your question without offense.\n\nCan you give me an example of an unfair swing that I have taken on anyone?\n\n\nDe Maria", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7346726655960083}
{"content": "Information Technology Book Store\n\nitem in cart\n\nUnderstanding Context: Environment, Language, and Information Architecture\n\nList Price: $49.99\nPrice: $29.99\nYou Save: $20.00\n\nTo make sense of the world, we're always trying to place things in context, whether our environment is physical, cultural, or something else altogether. Now that we live among digital, always-networked products, apps, and places, context is more complicated than ever--starting with \"where\" and \"who\" we are.\n\nThis practical, insightful book provides a powerful toolset to help information architects, UX professionals, and web and app designers understand and solve the many challenges of contextual ambiguity in the products and services they create. You'll discover not only how to design for a given context, but also how design participates in making context.\n\n  • Learn how people perceive context when touching and navigating digital environments\nAuthor: Hinton, Andrew\nO'Reilly Media", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9691293835639954}
{"content": "Anyone who has been in a hospital for any length of time knows that they are noisy places. Alarms call, beepers beep, trays rattle, nurses deliberate, and TVs blare. The net result is that a hospital can be downright inhospitable and a tough place to rest, sleep, heal, and convalesce. In addition, these conditions also affect healthcare workers by interfering with their work and by increasing their already high levels of stress. It is no wonder that a 1993 study of this problem was famously entitled “Pandemonium in the Modern Hospital.”\n\nWhat can be done? The standard acoustical method for reducing noise consists of three elements: to quiet the source, to disrupt the noise path from the source to the receiver, and to reduce the sensitivity at the receiver (e.g., with earplugs). This usually sensible approach runs into unique challenges in hospitals. For example, alarms have to be loud enough to be heard outside a patient room. Path-reducing materials such as acoustical absorbing tiles may be too susceptible to bacterial growth. Earplugs are not what the doctor ordered for nurses who need to be tuned in to the important sounds present (e.g., the alarms) and to be able to communicate with the patients, the doctors, and each other.\n\nThere is another approach that is well suited to hospitals that at first sounds paradoxical: adding sound to the environment. How can adding sound make a hospital seem less noisy? This is precisely what sound masking—an approach used for decades in open offices (think Dilbert cubicles)—does. By introducing a steady broadband sound background (sounding like air conditioning) into a space with a series of speakers typically mounted in the ceiling, at the right loudness an interesting perceptual phenomenon occurs. The level of sound in the space becomes less variable in time, people’s threshold of hearing goes up a bit, and they no longer become aware of all the individual sounds—all the while unaware of the presence of the sound masking itself. The bottom line is that a space seems quieter. Psychological and physiological functions improve so that, for example, people are less aware of and annoyed by the noise environment and are able to rest and sleep better. All this occurs without any interference with medical staff being able to hear alarms in patients’ rooms, as the masking levels are much lower than those of the alarms. Another advantage of masking is an increase in “speech privacy.” With masking present, the distance at which a conversation can be overheard becomes shorter, which creates a more private environment for a patient and makes it less likely that his or her private information will be disclosed.\n\nSo we see that a technology originally developed for open space offices can add just the right kind and amount of noise to an already noisy environment to solve several of the problems brought on by the noise. Pioneering efforts to install masking in hospitals, including some very big ones, have been carried out and more are anticipated. Let’s hope that masking can truly put a dent in this pandemonium.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6523430347442627}
{"content": "US Military Presence Overseas Mushrooming: Here, There and Everywhere\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe SOF play a special role to implement the «here, there and everywhere» policy. In 2016, the US SOF teams conducted missions in 138 countries – roughly 70 percent of the nations on the planet. The Special Operations Command is tasked with carrying out 12 core missions. Last year, US SOF were deployed to 32 African nations, about 60 percent of the countries on the continent. Navy SEALs, Green Berets, and other special operators are now conducting nearly 100 missions across 20 African countries at any given time. They are deployed in Libya – the country, which has its future uncertain after the 2011 US-led NATO involvement.\n\nThe US war footprint grows in the Middle East with no endgame in sight. In his remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Donald Trump said that the last 15 years of US military action in the Middle East had been an almost incomprehensible waste of money – six trillion dollars – and that after all that US war and meddling the region was actually in a worse shape than before the operations were launched. So, the policy was wrong, the president understands that and…keeps on doing the very same thing on a larger scale!\n\nThe presence in Europe is on the rise. Troops are being deployed to countries they had no presence in before, such as Norway and Estonia. It’s not forces only but also the costly logistics infrastructure. The military wants more large-scale exercises in Europe to further boost the presence and expand infrastructure there. During his recent foreign trip, Vice President Mike Pence said the US Air Force would deploy twice as many jets during the Russian exercise Zapad-2017 to be held in September.\n\nThe US military is calling for even greater presence in Europe. Air Force Brigadier General John Healy, the director of US exercises in Europe, says he wants one comprehensive training maneuver would be crucial in testing NATO’s preparedness for a global showdown with Russia. As he put it, «What we’re eventually going toward is a globally integrated exercise program so that we (are) … all working off the same sheet of music in one combined global exercise». The military leader believes the exercise should encompass all domains of war – land, sea, air, space and cyber and involve all nine US combatant commands.\n\nUnder President Trump, drone strikes worldwide grew 432 percent as of mid-March. Civilian death toll is significant in Iraq and Syria as a result of US bombardment.\n\nA war with Iran appears to be imminent. An attack against North Korea is on the cards. There is a plan to spend $8 billion on bulking up the US presence in the Asia-Pacific region over the next five years by upgrading military infrastructure, conducting additional exercises and deploying more forces and ships.\n\nAll these facts make one recall the events that took place just a few months ago. President Trump said he would avoid interventions in foreign conflicts. Instead of investing in wars, he would spend money to build up America’s aging roads, bridges and airports. But there was a loophole. He promised to stay away from all other conflicts except Islamic State militancy.\n\nEverybody thought he meant only airstrikes in the Middle East. Now it looks like the president meant the other regions as well. The Islamic State is present in Afghanistan and Africa. The IS terrorists have recently staged a terrorist act in Iran. They take responsibility for terrorist attacks in Europe. Jihadists operate in Russia and Central Asia. Their presence is menacing in the Asia-Pacific region. They are almost everywhere to serve as a pretext for US invasions or war preparations in almost any corner of the globe.\n\nThe United States in actually one way or another involved in all hot spots on the world map. No doubt, it will expand the involvement in the Philippines, Somalia, Afghanistan, Yemen, and boost the naval and air force presence in the Asia Pacific to oppose China – a move not related to the IS by any stretch of imagination as well as the beefing up of forces in Europe.\n\nSo, it’s Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa! It feels like the United States is always at war or preparing for a war somewhere. Yemen on August 4, the Philippines on August 7, perhaps some other place a few days later, you never know what to expect. It’s like the «perpetual war for perpetual peace» described by Charles Beard.\n\nNo matter how high the military expenditure is, the US military is doomed to be stretched thin until the policy is not changed. One cannot square the circle or embrace the boundless. The nation has a huge national debt. If the enemy is the Islamic State than the intelligence and military efforts should be concentrated on the mission to strike the group, not a number of tall orders to be accomplished by and large at the very same time.\n\nWith one mission accomplished, the US could review the priorities. The thing is – it will never be accomplished because the IS is not only militants, but rather the ideology that drives them. This evil cannot be defeated by the people in uniform alone. But that’s a different story to talk about in another article. Anyway, stretching the resources thin is not an effective policy. The United States will be following two hares catching neither instead of setting the priorities straight and focusing on what is the primary mission.\n\nBy Alex Gorka\nSource: Strategic Culture", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8757842183113098}
{"content": "research group| publications| bio| cv\nprofessional activities | twitter\n\nThe Bayou project is in the news (1, 2, 3) ! We have an opening for a postdoctoral researcher in this project. If interested, send me email!\n\n\nI am a programming languages (PL) researcher with a particular interest in the intersection of PL and artificial intelligence. Much of my recent work is on program synthesis, the problem of automatically discovering programs that fit a data set or implement a procedural task. This problem, originally proposed in the 1960s, is one of the big open challenges in computer science. In my view, an alternative name for the problem is \"high-level machine learning\", i.e., learning functions in a high-level, programmatic representation with the goals of facilitating human understanding and symbolic analysis. I believe that progress in program synthesis is key to the development of robust and reliable artificial intelligence.\n\nA general solution to program synthesis will imply Artificial General Intelligence, which is another way of saying that such a solution is unlikely any time soon. However, there has been a lot of recent progress on the problem in specific domains. Here are some instantiations of the problem that my collaborators and I have recently studied:\n\n  • Synthesizing example programs that show a developer how to use a set of APIs, given a small amount of ambiguous information about what the developer has in mind. [ICLR18]. Our solution to this problem is implemented in the Bayou system. Here's an online demo.\n  • Generating scripts that accomplish various end-user tasks, from a small number of examples of what these scripts should do. [PLDI15, PLDI16, PLDI17]\n  • Generating a program that controls a robot, given a set of constraints that the robot must satisfy and a logical model of the robot's environment. [ICRA14, RSS16, ICAPS16, AAMAS18]\n  • Learning functions, written in a high-level, human-interpretable, analyzable, modular programming language, that perform the sort of classification, regression or control tasks for which neural nets are typically used. [Arxiv18-a, ICML18]\n\nMy work approaches program synthesis using a broad range of tools, ranging from automated deduction [POPL14-a] to functional programming language abstractions [PLDI15] to deep learning [ICLR18, Arxiv18-a, ICML18] to symbolic optimization [POPL14-b] to heuristic search.\n\nBefore I began working on program synthesis, I worked for many years on the related problem of program verification. My Ph.D. work was on the logical and automata-theoretic foundations of software model checking [TOPLAS11], and I spent a number of subsequent years working on analysis of quantitative program properties such as robustness [POPL10, CACM12]. I remain interested in program verification and analysis — for example, two of our recent efforts study analysis of robustness of neural networks [S&P18] and neural methods for program debugging [FSE17].\n\nChris Jermaine and I co-direct the Intelligent Software Systems Laboratory (ISSYL) at Rice. The mission of our lab is to bring together symbolic and statistical methods to solve a range of problems in programming systems, data management and analytics systems, and cyber-physical systems, including but not limited to program synthesis. I am a member of the Programming Languages and Software Engineering group at Rice CS, as well as Rice's cross-disciplinary Machine Learning group.\n\n\n(Spring 2018) COMP 403/503: Reasoning about software\n\n\n\n(Spring 2015) COMP 607: Seminar on Program Synthesis", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.97616046667099}
{"content": "US Videos\n\nA Fund for Income Seekers\n\nAlec Lucas, Ph.D.\n\nAlec Lucas: Silver-rated American Funds Capital Income Builder (CAIBX) is a strong option to consider for investors who'd like to begin living off of their savings. The fund aims to be an endowment for individuals by investing in a global mixture of stocks and bonds that will produce an above-average and rising income stream. \n\nAs long as interest rates remain low, investors should expect the fund to have a heavy footprint in equities. Indeed, since late 2013, its equity weighting has hovered around 80%, in contrast to its 60% weighting in early 2009. While the fund is more prone to a downturn in the equity market than it has been in the past, it boasts experienced managers who are skilled stock-pickers. \n\nAmerican's multimanager system of separately run portfolio sleeves allows them to play to their strengths and damps volatility. The fund's conservative bond portfolio also helps in that regard. It has largely avoided junk bonds in recent years and serves primarily as ballast. The fund has a strong long-term track record, and it has consistently delivered a high payout while keeping risk in check.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8369566202163696}
{"content": "Brighten up your strategic value\n\nSmartCompany /\n\nGood businesses will always fetch a fair price – outstanding businesses have already sold at a premium. How can you put your enterprise in the latter? By TOM McKASKILL.\n\nBy Tom McKaskill\n\nSell a business strategic value\n\nIf you have something that is attractive to a large corporation, then you should take the time to work out how you can make it more valuable before you put yourself on the auction block.\n\nLarge corporations are especially interested in assets or capabilities that they can leverage quickly to create large revenue gains. \n\nTo secure a premium for such an asset or capability, however, you need to be able to provide the buyer with some reasonable proven period of competitive advantage during which this has been exploited.\n\nRemember, something that can be readily copied, negated, created or purchased has little strategic value.\n\nOnce you have identified that you do have something that can be leveraged in a strategic sale, spend some time to work out how you can make it more valuable to the buyer and thereby increase your potential premium on sale.\n\nSomething would be worth more to a buyer if they could exploit it earlier and faster. Thus, if there were less issues to resolve post-acquisition, before the underlying asset or capability could be exploited, this would have a positive impact on the sale price.\n\nA business that is well managed, efficient, with good governance and with few outstanding problems to resolve would clearly be more valuable. At the same time, a business that could be readily absorbed or integrated into the corporation’s organisation would be more attractive.\n\nThe major objective of the buyer is to exploit the opportunity. Where the underlying asset or capability has been structured so that it can be readily replicated or scaled, the opportunity can be more aggressively exploited. Where this results in higher growth revenue generation and earlier profits, the buyer generates an earlier payback on the acquisition investment. This in turn means that the investment has a higher present value and thus the seller has the opportunity of securing a higher premium on sale in a competitive bid.\n\nWhen you have a specific buyer in your sights, you might spend some time working out how you can increase the strategic value of the assets and capabilities for that buyer. If the sales value to their customer has a certain price, what can you do to increase the price?\n\nIf your product has a number of features or components, can you add more to increase its revenue generating capability? If there is an after market for services, spare parts or complementary products, can you find additional services or products to add to the list?\n\nIf the product has an implementation or consulting requirement, can you increase the value of the revenue associated with that part of the sale? Your objective is to increase the revenue per unit and thus increase the revenue generating power of your offering.\n\nThe key to maximising the premium on sale with a strategic buyer is to confront them with a compelling opportunity to generate high levels of revenue and profits as soon as possible after the acquisition. The premium is, however, normally only secured by having multiple bidders after that opportunity.\n\nThis is especially effective if the revenue is either new revenue to all the bidders and provides them with a growth advantage or is a competitive weapon that will take market share away from the losing bidders.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWe Recommend", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6047837138175964}
{"content": "your 1st custom essay order\n\n15discount is your discount code\nOrder now\n← The World after the 11 th of SeptemberDomestic Effects of the Cold War →\n\nCheck Out Our Civil Rights Act of 1964 Essay\n\nThe civil rights policy entails legislations and struggle to abolish racial discrimination against African Americans particularly those living in the Southern parts of America and other less advantaged groups in the country. This movement is at times referred to as the reconstruction era. It was a major breakthrough in 1964 when the policy was finally signed into law.\n\nThe issue of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 helps in appreciation of the struggle that the African Americans and other less advantaged groups had to go through to ensure that their civil rights were taken care of. The story behind this great achievement is quite an interesting one.  This policy has finally taken America through great changes in social, democratic and economic life.\n\nBrief History\n\nCivil Rights Act of 1964 came to birth during the reign of John F. Kennedy as the president of the United States of America. Kennedy was elected into the post in 1960. Formerly, Kennedy was not a big supporter of the issue of civil rights. In 1957, he opposed Eisenhower’s act (Wright).\n\nAs the new president, Kennedy was challenged by the facts that were undoubtedly indisputable. These facts were presented by an organization that was formed in 1960 to analyze Civil Rights issue in the U.S; that was the Civil Rights Commission. This commission discovered that African American Housing was considered unacceptable. They found out that African American life expectancy was less than compared to the whites by seven years. Another finding was that African American infant mortality rate was twice that of the white people. Moreover, it was very hard for African Americans to get mortgages from mortgage lenders. As a matter of fact, value of property was considered to go substantially down if a family of an African American moved in a neighborhood that was not a ghetto.   \n\nJohn F. Kennedy gave a very passionate speech and made these alarming facts known to the American public. On the background, the people of Eastern Europe were being subjected to bad treatment when Soviet government was in charge. Americans had constantly condemned the Russians over this matter of inhumane act against people of Eastern Europe, yet in their backyard issues of unfairness in terms of race and skin color have been taking place. The irony of the situation is that same issues of inequality that Americans condemned in Russia were clearly present in the United States.\n\nAt this time, Cuban missile crisis had taken much of Kennedy’s time and issues like Civil Rights were not a priority for the government. At some point this issue had been voted at the bottom of the important issues that the government was expected to attend to. Indeed there was a challenge for Kennedy in terms of  proceeding with the solution to the discrimination problem while this matter was so unpopular among politicians. Another problem was that Kennedy had won the election by a very small margin and therefore did not have a popular mandate to make any decision. Also there was the time of the Vietnam War issue though not officially assented. This consumed the government’s time (Wright).\n\nKennedy’s assassination was a shocker to the world. Lyndon Johnson, who was Kennedy’s vice president, was sworn in as president. Johnson had fought against full implementation of the Civil Rights Act in 1957, despite this fact he came to understanding that something needed to be done to improve the lives of the African Americans within the American society He used this occasion to push forward the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This cause was a part of Johnson’s vision for America.\n\nThe seeds of this Act were planted by Kennedy; Johnson strongly believed that he  had to ensure that this Act was pushed forward to celebrate Kennedy’s life Moreover, during this period the rise of strong activism from Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, as well as similar persons, who believed that the gain of Civil Rights needed to have a more militant approach.  During the 1950s this issue was given a passive approach. The ghettos of the Northern Cities were beginning to move towards militancy. The society had undergone transformation in a very short time. Johnson took notice of this and step into action to prevent any occurrence of unrest in the country.\n\n The passing of this bill was owed partially to the death of Kennedy. Apparently, no one could have attempted to block Kennedy’s bill at this time because the act would have gone against the mood of the public. Despite this fact, the bill had to actually survive the test of attempts to stop it in the congress. Johnson took to the fore front to fight for this bill. It would be inappropriate for anybody to fight against the wishes of the late president. Everyone was challenged on their patriotism. Johnson appealed to the public that was still traumatized by the murder of their president to gain their support. In order to win over the hard Southerners, he promised them that he would not allow the bill to accommodate anyone who would try to use it as an excuse to live an easy life irrespective of their color. By the beginning of 1964, the public opinion about Civil Rights had begun to change. 68% of the public now substantially supported the Civil Rights Act. The Act was signed by President Johnson in July 1964 (Wright).\n\nMany people from the southern regions were dubious about the Act. It is probable that Johnson could reach the people of South because he originally was from the South. Ironically, the African Americans were at the fore front criticizing the act. They claimed that the act did not address everything they had been fighting for.  There were riots organized by African Americans in the northern region. Long after they formed a party called Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party,  they demanded for seats in the Democratic Party convention. Johnson was worried with the fact that African Americans failed to support this act.\n\nDespite the protests, it is now believed that the 1964 Act was a very important ingredient to the American social and political advancement. This act is considered the greatest achievement made by Johnson during his term. Johnson always tried to justify the morality of his acts and condemned the immorality of any form of discrimination. His main wish and dream was to improve the American society and the Civil Rights Act was certainly the way forward.\n\n\nThe events that led to establishment of the Act date back to the earlier years when Europeans settled in North America. Black people were oppressed and enslaved by white people. Despite the revocation of slavery after the civil war, whites continued to be superior. At the beginning of the 20th century, African Americans were not allowed to associate with Whites in various institutions and accommodation areas. They were not to mix in public places like schools, hotels, restaurants, cars, beaches, recreational facilities, as well as many other places. Africans were considered lesser people and were constantly intimidated. In some public places, there were notices like, “Africans and dogs not allowed”. There were also cases of assault; workers for employment were selected on the basis of racial identity. Blacks were not offered same opportunities as the whites. Rights of citizenship like voting were not availed to the African Americans.\n\nWhite and black liberal reformers strived to abolish these acts of oppression. In 1940, a renewed effort to fight for black rights was started. Philip Randolph threatened to organize a march of the blacks if President Roosevelt did not act to stop racial discrimination in the military forces and employment. Roosevelt agreed and formed a committee to look into employment practices.\n\nAnother contributing factor was the movement of blacks to the Northern and Western cities to work at the defense-related jobs. This movement increased in the 1950s and 1960s and highly boosted thevoting power of African Americans. The black soldiers who were serving abroad during the World War II witness less discrimination on racial ground. They therefore came back home determined to fight discrimination. After the war, civil rights supporters encouraged further signs of liberal reform. President Truman recognized that racial discrimination at home contradicted the claims of Americans to foster free world. In order to address the black votes, he ordered desegregation of the armed forces and called on the federal laws to improve civil rights.\n\nActivists operated from the grassroots in an attempt to end school segregation. This was faced by challenges like the attempts to assassinate black leaders, as well as  other problems. One ruling that is considered a landmark in the American racial relations was the ruling of 1954. In 1954, grass root activists like Rosa Parks started a large scale bus boycott. Rosa was arrested for defying the rule that blacks had to move to the back when the whites did not get a seat at the front. Montgomery movement catalyzed the rise of rev Martin Luther King Jr. to lead the civil rights movement. Escalating violence against blacks in the south disheartened supporters of the racial justice during the year 1950, courts joined rights activists while adding the pressure to speed up the establishment of civil rights act.\n\nThe nature of the society in the United States also hastened the adoption of the civil rights act legislation. The minority groups began to be more vocal about and convincing in their demands. This made the Whites to begin to see the need to grant the way to civil rights law.\n\nHistorical pressure had a big influence on the government to enact the law. Dating from the slavery times, the rights of the blacks had been placed under the feet. It took a long time for activists to pump enough pressure on the authorities to see to the assent of the civil rights law (Wright).\n\nPolitical factors influenced various groups of people in different ways. The way John F. Kennedy struggle to make this point sensible to distinct groups had a great impact on the way people responded to the call to support the civil rights act. Being a presidential aspirant, Kennedy had to carefully touch on some issues concerning the Civil Rights Act. In order to address the African American votes, Lyndon Johnson had to move on with the Kennedy legacy which was to ensure that what he started was finished (Wright)\n\nThe civil movement is an issue that was of gradual application from the 19th century. The activities of the civil rights leaders were heightened in 1945 -1950. The adoption attempts and rulings of 1957 to 1964 can be termed as the times the civil rights issue was widely spoken of in the public domain. When John F. Kennedy became the president in 1960, this issue took the center stage and by 1964, the new law was unveiled to the public. One thing led to another until the bill was finally assented to.\n\nThe Civil Rights Act became considerably effective after the time of implementation. All the statements that condemn the racial discrimination were put forward. The act did not come in effect immediately, for instance, there was a complaint from the African American community that the act did not fully address the crucial issues that affected them. The act had to undergo a number of amendments to accommodate all the needs of the citizens. Example is the 1991 amendment which tried to address, among others, employment discrimination cases. It is clear that the act had to go through gradual processes of adoption before it was finally suitable for every person. Some schools still have issues after the implementation, for instance in the south, , only 1% racial balance was achieved. \n\nMain Statements of the Act\n\nThese are the main statements that constituted the civil rights act of 1964. They were fighting for equality in all aspects of the citizens’ life and needs.\n\nTitle 1: Voting rights; this intended to stop any unequal application of requirements of a voter to register as a viable voter. A literacy test, which was the main basis for sidelining blacks and the poor whites from the south, was also included in this section. This act required that the rules of voting and the procedure to be done equally and fairly to everyone irrespective of color or race.\n\nDespite the fact of its positivity, the act did not address the following issues: economic retaliation, repression by police or physical violence wailed against voters who are not whites. While the act advocated for equal voter attention, it did not address the aspect of voter qualification besides citizenship (Wright).\n\nTitle II: The act condemned discrimination based on race, color, religion or nationality in recreational facilities, motels, hotels and all other public amenities that were involved in public business.\n\nTitle III: This prohibits the municipal government from barring access to public utility on the basis of color, race, religion, or nationality.\n\nTitle IV: This act advocated for desegregation of public schools on the ground of race, color, religion or national origin. It therefore gave the authority to the U.S attorney General to file suits to ensure that this act is enforced.\n\nTitle V: Civil rights commission - this addressed the procedures that the commission was endowed with. It expanded the duties of the commission and extended its life through top 1968.\n\nTitle VI: Nondiscrimination in federal assisted programs- this authorized but avoided funds withdrawal from programs that engaged discrimination.\n\nTitle VII: Equality in criteria used to select applicants for employment- it condemned discrimination in business exceeding 25 people and created equal employment opportunities.\n\nTitle VIII: Registration and voting statistics- directed census bureau to conduct a registration and voter statistics but not to compel any one to give information they  are not comfortable with.\n\nTitle IX: Reviewing of cases- it made the remanding of civil rights cases reviewable in high federal courts and gave authority to the attorney General to act in some cases.\n\nTitle X: Community relations service, which created the service to aide communities in resolving cases that involved racial discrimination\n\nTitle XI: Miscellaneous. (Wright)\n\nSetting it in Motion\n\nDespite the need and pressure to set the civil rights act working, many challenges and controversies were experienced. Some wanted the rights to be implemented yet some opposed to it. At some point, it was considered an issue of least national importance. There was a great opposition from the south, but the president tried to ward them toward accepting this bill. He also advised the African leaders to control any negative demonstrations so as not to scare away potential supporters of the act. Kennedy likewise sought for support by holding meetings with various leaders and groups. He did this to ensure that there was support so that the congress would be under pressure to assent to the bill, yet at the same time he was jeopardizing the dwindling togetherness of politicians needed to see the bill through.\n\nThe fear of filibusters was another factor that contributed to the controversies and setbacks experienced by the act.  Both the Judiciary and Commerce committees were headed by conservative senators from the south, thus passing the bill would prove to be a challenge.\n\nAnother factor was the Republican Party. The house needed the republican majority to support the bill in order for it to pass, but apparently they would not find any good reason to support it. This called for a little compromise by the president though it surprised the civil right activists but there was no otherwise solution if the support was to be yielded.\n\n For the bill to be brought to consideration by the entire floor, it had to pass through the rules committee. The rules committee was at that time chaired by Howard W. Smith who had been an opponent of civil rights for a long time. He refused to grant the bill before the end of 1963. This led to delay in the whole process. In order to avoid the filibuster long speeches and hence delaying the process, it was proposed that two thirds of the senators present were to vote the cloture.\n\n Senate committee was bypassed to avoid any delay or pigeonholing of the bill but the senate committee was manned by conservatives. Most of the southern conservatives did not want to support the civil rights bill because they feared that they would be voted out by their constituents if they voted in the bill allowing Africans and Whites equal opportunities. The filibuster issue brought more damage to the Democratic Party than the Republican Party because only one Republican joined this controversial group (Wright).\n\nAfter Implementation\n\nThe policy was assented to as a bill in the year 1964 by presidency of Lyndon Johnson. Until today, the policy is still in effect. There has been a great deal of transformations since this act was incepted.\n\nAlong the way, a number of amendments were added to the bill to fully accommodate everyone’s rights owing to the change of times and needs. The 1991 amendment was reaffirmation of the government’s commitment to affirmative action. In 2007, a supreme court ruled that the extent to which school districts could use race to avoid segregation was limited.\n\nThe bill of rights had positive effects on the American socio-economic state. Many improvements took place. African Americans have been appointed to big posts, there have been many success stories in business, education and government sector. In 1996, Gen. Collin Powell was the most preferred Republican presidential candidate but he declined to run for the seat. Currently, the White House occupants bear the blood of African origin (Wright, 9-33).\n\n\nIn conclusion, the civil rights activism in the United States went through great challenge. When we talk about equality today in terms of races, color and national origin, we have the reason to uphold and cherish them, given the paths it had to follow in order to eventually materialize. This act is still surviving and I strongly believe that no one will have the audacity to change it. There have arisen even more activism worldwide and human right is always in the forefront. America’s change to the positive and the dreams of activists who struggled to see equality descend were richly fulfilled.   \n\nNeed more Politics Essay Examples?\n\nRelated essays\n\n  1. Domestic Effects of the Cold War\n  2. Pro Communist Ideas\n  3. The World after the 11 th of September\n  4. Electoral College Reform", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8194230198860168}
{"content": "With soaring cities and majestic geography, Bolivia is a quiet world that still manifests the ancient.\n\nEntering into La Paz is considered one of the greatest experiences South America has to offer. The mountaintop city is well hidden until you cross over the ridge and into the huge volcanic bowl where the city splays out before you. Outside La Paz, ancient relics give a glimpse of Bolivia’s mysterious past and the disappearance of a whole civilization. But the fascinating history and culture of Bolivia belies the simplicity of its modern life.\n\nImage and blurb supplied by Peregrine\n\nBrowse our latest In-store specials\n\nNo deals currently available", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8133832812309265}
{"content": "Slip and Fall Injury Attorney Cypress, Texas\n\nProving Fault in Slip and Fall Mishaps in Cypress, TX\n\nIt is sometimes hard to show who is at fault for slip and fall accidents. Thousands of individuals each year are hurt, many seriously, from slipping and falling on a flooring, stairs, or other surface that has actually ended up being slick or harmful. Even ground that has actually ended up being unequal to an unsafe degree can lead to extreme injuries. However, often it may be challenging to prove that the owner of the residential or commercial property is accountable for a slip and fall mishap.\nCould the Homeowner Have Avoided the Mishap?\n\nIf you or a loved one has been injured in a slip and fall accident, it might be appealing to look for justice in the form of a claim as soon as possible. But stop and ask this concern initially: If the property owner was more careful, could the mishap have been avoided?\n\nFor instance, even if a leaking roofing system leads to a slippery condition that you slip and fall on, the property owner might not be responsible for your injuries if there was a drainage grate in the floor designed to limit slippery conditions. In addition, property owners will not always be responsible for things that an affordable individual would have prevented, such as tripping over something that would generally be found in that area (like a leaf rake on a yard in the fall). Everyone has a duty to be aware of their surroundings and make efforts to avoid harmful conditions.\n\nProperty Owner’s Task to Keep Fairly Safe Issues for Cypress,Texas 77410\n\nNevertheless, this is not to say that property owners are never ever held responsible for the injuries of others that slipped and fell on their home. Although there is not a cut-and-dried guideline, property owners still should take affordable actions to guarantee that their property is devoid of harmful conditions that would cause a person to slip and fall. Nevertheless, this reasonableness is often stabilized against the care that the person that slipped and fell must have used. What follows are some guidelines that courts and insurer use when determining fault in slip and fall accidents.\n\nLiability for Slip and Fall Mishaps\n\n\n  • Either the homeowner or his staff member need to have understood of the hazardous condition since another, “reasonable” individual in his/her position would have learnt about the harmful condition and repaired it.\n  • Either the property owner or his employee actually did know about the hazardous condition but did not fix or fix it.\n  • Either the property owner or his worker triggered the hazardous condition (spill, broken floor covering, etc.).\n\nSince lots of homeowner are, in general, pretty good about the maintenance on their premises, the first scenario is usually the one that is prosecuted in slip and fall mishaps. However, the first situation is also the most tricky to prove because of the words “must have understood.” After providing your evidence and arguments, it will depend on the judge or jury to choose whether the property owner must have understood about the slippery action that triggered you to fall.\n\n\n\n  • For how long had the problem existed before your accident? Simply puts, if the leaking roofing over the stairwell had been leaking for the past three months, then it was less affordable for the owner to permit the leakage to continue than if the leak had actually simply started the night before and the proprietor was only awaiting the rain to stop in order to fix it.\n  • What sort of daily cleansing activities does the property owner take part in? If the homeowner declares that he or she inspects the residential or commercial property daily, what kind of evidence can she or he show to support this claim?\n  • If your slip and fall mishap included tripping over something that was left on the flooring that when had a genuine factor for existing, did the genuine reason still exist at the time of your accident? For example, tripping over a can of paint in a living room is most likely not reasonable if the last time the space had actually been painted was over 2 years earlier and the owner had no instant plans to repaint the space.\n\nThe meaning of Carelessness/Clumsiness in Cypress, TX 77410\n\n\n\n  • Did you have a genuine reason for being on the property owner’s premises when the mishap taken place? Should the owner have anticipated you, or someone in a similar situation to you, being there?\n  • Would individual of reasonable caution in the very same circumstance have seen and prevented the hazardous condition, or managed the condition in such a way that would have lessened the opportunities of slipping and falling (for instance, keeping the hand rails while decreasing icy stairs)?\n  • Did the homeowner erect a barrier or give warning of the unsafe condition that caused your slip and fall mishap?\n  • Were you participating in any activities that added to your slip and fall mishap? Examples include: playing around the edges of swimming pools, texting while walking, leaping or skipping, trying to ice skate while in your company shoes, and so on?\n\nIf you have actually been talking with the insurance provider about a possible settlement for your injuries, you will most likely be asked many concerns that are similar to these. Although you will not have to prove to the insurance company that you were extremely careful, you will probably have to reveal enough so that the insurance provider can conclude that you were not acting negligently.\n\nWhere Can I Get a Free Initial Case Review in Cypress, Texas?\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6208382844924927}
{"content": "Luigi Di Pasquale Photography\n\n\nThe TREE Centre for Stuco Design\n\nSome photos for Stuco Design and their work at the The T.R.E.E. Centre: a purpose built eco-building that provides an environment for learning about environmental issues through 4 key themes of Energy, Resources, Climate and Biodiversity.\n\nLuigi Di Pasquale", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7985036969184875}
{"content": "Larynx cancer, artwork\n\nLarynx cancer, artwork\n\nF006/7947 Royalty Free\n\nRequest un-watermarked file\n\nPrice image Pricing\n\nPlease login to use the price calculator\n\n\nCaption: Larynx cancer, computer artwork.\n\n\nKeywords: abnormal, adult women, anatomical, artwork, black background, cancer, cancerous, disease, female, female anatomy, female likeness, head and shoulders, healthcare, human body, human representation, illness, internal organ, larynx, larynx cancer, malignant, medical illustration, medicine, organ, side view, translucent, tumour, unhealthy\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9962061643600464}
{"content": "Configuration file\n\nUnderstanding BEASTling is, mostly, a matter of understanding the configuration file format. Config files have the following form:\n\nparam1a = value1a\nparam2a = value2a\nparam3a = value3a\nparam4a = value4a\nparam5a = value5a\nparam1b = value1b\nparam2b = value2b\nparam3b = value3b\nparam1c = value1c\nparam2c = value2c\nparam3c = value3c\nparam4c = value4c\n\ni.e. they are divided into sections, which are indicated by names enclosed in square brackets (in the above, the section names are section1, section2, etc.), and each section consists of some number of parameters and assigned values. Each line of each section corresponds to assigning one value to one parameter, the the parameter name on the left of the equals sign and the value on the right.\n\nBEASTling configuration files can range from very simple (the only section which is compulsory is one or more model sections) to relatively complicated - although in all cases they are vastly simpler than any BEAST XML file. If you provide minimal configuration information, “sensible defaults” will be used for all settings.\n\nIt is your responsibility to know what the defaults are and to make sure that they truly are sensible for your application.\n\nThe recognised config file sections are as follows:\n\nadmin section\n\nThe admin section may contain the following parameters:\n\n  • basename: this is any user-friendly string which will be used in e.g. filenames. If the basename is, say, “IE_cognates”, then the BEAST XML file which BEASTling produces will be named IE_cognates.xml, and when the BEAST analysis is run, the trees will be logged in IE_trees.nex, etc. If unspecified, it will default to “beastling”.\n  • glottolog_release: the number of a Glottolog release (>=2.7), from which to obtain the language classification.\n  • screenlog: this must be set to “True” or “False” and controls whether or not BEAST should output basic MCMC data like ESS to the screen while running. Default is True.\n  • log_probabilities: “True” or “False”. Controls whether or not the prior, likelihood and posterior should be logged to a file called basename.log. This is generally a good idea, so that you can check e.g. ESSes for these things in Tracer, so the default is True.\n  • log_params: “True” or “False”. Controls whether or not all model parameters are also included in basename.log. Default is False.\n  • log_trees: “True” or “False”. Controls whether or not sampled trees should be logged to basename.nex. Default is True.\n  • log_all: “True” or “False”. Setting this true is simply a shorthand for setting log_probabilities and log_params and log_trees to all be true. Default is False.\n  • log_every: an integer specifying how many MCMC samples should elapse between consecutive entries in the log file. If not specified, BEASTling will set this based on the chainlength such that the log file will be 10,000 entries long. This is a good compromise between getting lots of information about the posterior and conserving disk space.\n\nMCMC section\n\nThe MCMC section may contain the following parameters:\n\n  • chainlength: number of iterations to run the MCMC chain for. Default is 10,000,000.\n  • path_sampling: “True” or “False”. If True, BEAST will use path sampling to estimate the marginal likelihood of data under the provided models, rather than sampling from the posterior. Default is False.\n  • sample_from_prior: “True” or “False”. If True, BEAST will ignore all supplied data and the tree, all clock rates and any model parameters will all be sampled from their prior distributions. Default is False.\n\nIn path sampling analyses, i.e. if and only if path_sampling = True is set, then the following parameters will also be used. They will be ignored if MCMC is used to sample directly from the posterior or prior.\n\n  • alpha: A floating point value used as a parameter for the Beta distribution from which the exponents at each step of a patch sampling analysis are sampled. Default is 0.3, this should not be changed unless you know what you are doing.\n  • do_not_run: “True” or “False”. If True, BEAST will generate scripts or batch files for running the different steps of the analysis, but not actually run them. This lets you manually run the different steps on different computers in parallel. It’s then up to you to calculate the marginal likelihood using BEAST’s PathSampleAnalyser program. See the official BEAST path sampling documentation for more details.\n  • log_burnin: A floating point value giving the proportion of chainlength which will be discarded as burnin for each step of a path sampling analysis, for the purpose of computing the marginal likelihood estimate.\n  • preburnin: A floating point value giving the proportion of chainlength which will be discarded as burnin for the first step only of a path sampling analysis.\n  • steps: number of steps to use in a path sampling analysis.\n\nlanguages section\n\nThe languages section may contain the following parameters:\n\n  • exclusions: One of:\n    • A comma-separated list of language names or codes to exclude from the analysis, spelled exactly as they are in the data file(s).\n    • The path to a file which contains one language per line.\n\nThis can be used by itself to remove a few problematic languages from a data file, or in conjunction with families or macroareas to better control which languages are included, e.g. you may set macroareas = Africa, but use excludes to remove some outliers like Austronesian languages on Madagascar or Indo-European languages in South Africa.\n\n  • families: One of:\n    • A comma-separated list of language families to include in the analysis, spelled exactly as they are in Glottolog. E.g. Indo-European, Uralic, Dravidian.\n    • The path to a file which contains one language family per line.\n\nIf no value is assigned to this parameter, all languages present in the data file will be included (unless languages (see below) is used. families and languages cannot both be used in a single configuration.\n\n  • languages: One of:\n    • A comma-separated list of language names or codes to include in the analysis, spelled exactly as they are in the data file(s).\n\nIf no value is assigned to this parameter, all languages present in the data file will be included (unless families (see above) is used. languages and families cannot both be used in a single configuration.\n\n  • macroareas: One of:\n    • A comma-separated list of Glottolog macroareas to include in the analysis\n    • The path to a file which contains one macroarea per line.\n\nValid macroareas are: Africa, Australia, Eurasia, North America, Papunesia, South America. This can be used in conjunction with languages or families, in which case a language must meet both criteria to be included. E.g. if you set families = Afro-Asiatic and macroareas = Africa, you will get only the Afro-Asiatic languages located in Africa, and those located in Eurasia will be excluded.\n\n  • monophyly (or monophyletic): “True” or “False”. Controls whether or not to impose the family structure in Glottolog as monophyly constraints in the BEAST analysis. Default is False. If True, very fine-grained control over exactly how much constraint is opposed can be gained by using additional options, documented below.\n  • monophyly_levels: An integer specifying how many levels of the Glottolog classification to impost as a monophyly constraints. By default, levels are added in a top-down fashion (but see monophyly_direction below). E.g. if monophyly_levels = 3 is specified, then Indo-European languages will be constrained to be monophyletic (one level), and so will Armenian, Celtic and Germanic, among others (two levels), and so will be Gothic and Northwest Germanic, among others (three levels), but North Germanic and West Germanic, or any descendant groups, will not be. This allows one to enforce the high level structure of Glottolog, while leaving the “fine details” of relationships among leaves to be inferred from data. If no value is specified, the entire Glottolog classification will be imposed.\n  • monophyly_direction: One of top_down (the default) or bottom_up. Determines the effect of monophyly_levels. If monophyly_direction = top_down, constraints will be added from the roots of Glottolog trees downward (e.g. Indo-European, Germanic, North Germanic,…). If bottom_up, constraints will be added from the leaves upward (e.g. Macro-Swedish, East Scandinavian, North Germanic,…).\n  • monophyly_newick: If you disagree with Glottolog’s classification of the languages in your dataset (or would simply like to refine them by resolving some polytomies), you can use this option to do so. The value should either be a filename containing a tree in Newick format, or a valid Newick tree string (unless your analysis has very few languages, using an external file is probably preferable to keep your BEASTling config short and neat). The provided tree should not be a fully resolved binary tree, but should use polytomies to represent your beliefs about relatedness of languages. If you believe that a grou of languages are related, but know nothing about the internal structure of the clade, they should all descend from a single parent node. The languages in the provided tree may be a superset of the languages in your analysis - the monophyly tree will be pruned appropriately.\n    • monophyly_start_depth: An integer specifying an initial number of levels of the Glottolog classification to skip over when implying constraints (default 0). E.g., with top down constraints, setting monophyly_start_depth=2 will skip over Indo-European and Germanic, so that if monophyly_levles=3, the imposed levels will be, e.g. Western Germanic, Franconian and High Franconian. With bottom up constraints, this controls skipping initial levels above the leaves.\n  • monophyly_end_depth: An integer specifying a level in the Glottolog classification below which constraints will not be imposed. If monophyly_end_depth is specified, then monophyly_direction and monophyly_levels are ignored. The imposed constraints will be those between monophyly_start_depth and monophyly_end_depth, interpreted in a top down fashion. This is a “low level” approach to controling monophyly, and in general the “configurational sugar” of using monophyly_direction, monophyly_start and monophyly_levels should be preferred.\n  • overlap: One of union or intersection. Controls how to deal with language sets mismatches between input data.\n    • If set to union (the default), languages missing in one data set will be added with missing datapoints (“?”) for all features.\n    • If set to intersection, only languages present in all data sets will be used.\n  • sample_branch_lengths: If True, the branch lengths of the starting tree. If False, the starting branch lengths will be kept fixed. Use this in conjunction with starting_tree when you have a tree you trust and want to fit model parameters to it. Default is True.\n  • sample_topology: If true, the topology of the starting tree (i.e. the details of which leaves are connected to which and how) will be sampled during the analysis to fit the data. If false, the topology will be kept fixed. Use this in conjunction with starting_tree when you have a tree you trust and want to fit model parameters to it. Default is True.\n  • starting_tree: Used to provide a starting tree. Can be a Newick format tree or the name of a file which contains a Newick format tree. If not specified, a random starting tree (compatible with monophyly constraints, if active) will be used. The languages in the provided tree may be a superset of the languages in your analysis - the starting tree will be pruned appropriately. Note that BEASTling currently does not check that your starting tree is compatible with your monophyly constraints, if any, so it’s up to you to do this (if you don’t, the starting prior probability will be zero and BEAST will not run).\n  • subsample_size: An integer, specifying a number of languages to subsample down to if more languages than this are present in the data and compatible with other options (families, macroareas, etc.). Useful if your dataset(s) contain many languages resulting in slow analyses or memory issues, and you want to experiment on a small subset of your data before doing a slower full run on a more powerful machine. Exactly the same subsample will be returned on each run of BEASTling as long as the value of subsample_size and the full set of languages remains the same, so you can still, e.g. do meaning model comparions.\n\nNote that the current subsampling implementation chooses languages uniformly at random from the full set, so the distribution over families, macroareas, etc. will usually be approximately equal to the corresponding distribution for the full set, but this is not guaranteed and there is a chance that e.g. some families represented in the full set will be missing from the subsample. More principled subsampling approaches may be available in future releases.\n\ncalibration section\n\nIf you wish to estimate divergence times as part of your analysis, it is essentially to provide some amount of calibration data, i.e. estimates of the times when some known divergences are believed to have occurred (based on e.g. archaeological or historical evidence). One calibration is the minimum required, but you can add as many as you like. More is generally better, although large numbers of calibrations can cause problems too. To include calibrations, you should add a calibration section to your config file. This section should contain one parameter for each distinct calibration point that you wish to use.\n\nThe name of each parameter should be some identifier for a group of languages (e.g. a Glottolog family name like “Indo-European”, but there are other options. See below for more on ways to specify languages, including originate calibrations and tip dates). The value for each calibration can be a string in one of several supported formats, representing your prior beliefs about the time the calibration event diverged. The two simplest formats are to specify a range of ages, or a single upper or lower bounding age.\n\nRanges can be specified as follows:\n\nAustronesian = 4750 - 5800\n\nThis says that you strongly believe the disintegration of proto-Austronesian happened between 4750 and 5800 units of time in the past. This example calibration has been given in years, but the units are actually arbitrary and you could just as well provide dates in millenia BP:\n\nAustronesian = 4.75 - 5.8\n\nOr centuries BP, fortnights BP, etc. The units only matter when it comes time to interpret parameters like tree heights, clock rates or mutation rates, but using centuries or millenia BP is a good practice.\n\nWhen given this kind of calibration (i.e. a range of dates), BEASTling will set a Normal distribution prior on the age of the family indicated. The mean of the distribution will be equal to the midpoint of the provided range (5275 for the first case above). The standard deviation will be set such that 95% of the probability mass will lie within the range provided. In other words, the range you provide is treated as a 95% credibility interval.\n\nBounds can be specified as follows:\n\nAustronesian = > 4750\n\n\nAustronesian = < 5800\n\nWith this kind of calibration, BEASTling will set a uniform distribution prior on the age of the family indicated. The upper or lower bound will be set to the provided age, and the other bound will be set to zero or infinity as appropriate.\n\nIf you require more control over your priors, you can explicitly provide the type of distribution (either normal, lognormal or uniform) and the parameters, as well as specify an offset, as follows:\n\nAustronesian = normal(5275, 535.71)           # First param is mean, second is standard deviation\nAustronesian = lognormal(8.57, 0.05)          # First param is mean (in log space), second is standard deviation\nAustronesian = rognormal(5275, 0.05)          # First param is mean (in real space), second is standard deviation\nIranian = 2600 + rlognormal(400, 0.8)         # As per above but with an offset\n\nFinally, it is possible to specify an age range and ask for a lognormal distribution to be fitted to it, as follows:\n\nAustronesian = lognormal(4750 - 5800)\n\nWith this kind of calibration, BEASTling will set a lognormal distribution prior on the age of the family indicated. The mean of the distribution will be set so that the median of the lognormal distribution equals the midpoint of the range provided. The standard deviation will be set to the mean of two values: one with the property that the provided lower bound is at the 5th percentile of the lognormal distribution, and one with the property that the provided upper bound is at the 95th percentile. The provided interval does not quite end up being a 95% credible interval, but it is roughly so. Explicitly set the lognormal parameters as shown above if you need more control over the matching than this.\n\nProviding a Glottolog-recognised family name like “Austronesian” is one way to identify a group of languages to calibrate, but there are others. If your data uses ISO codes or Glottocodes to identify languages, then you can use Glottocodes for calibration points, e.g.:\n\naust1307 = 4750 - 5800\n\nA comma-separated list of family names or Glottocodes will be interpreted as the common ancestor of those families (and this will introduce a constraint that those families are monophyletic):\n\nFinnic, Saami = 2000 - 3000\n\nIf you wish to calibrate on a group of languages which do not comprise a Glottolog node, you can simply use a comma-separated list of languages (named however they are in your datafiles):\n\nesto1258, liv1244, sout2679 = 1 - 1.5\n\nWhichever of the above methods you use, you can enclosed the identifier in originate( ) to place the calibration not on the MRCA of the languages/families specificed, but on the originate, i.e. the top of the branch leading to the MRCA.\n\noriginate(Indo-European) = > 8000\n\nOriginate calibrations can be used even with single languages:\n\noriginate(jpn) = > 5\n\nFinally, if your data includes an extinct language which is a leaf node (e.g. data for Tocharian, but not for proto-Germanic which isn’t a leaf) and you have some idea of how long ago the language died out, you can place a calibration on that “tip date” by listing just the single language:\n\nxto = 1000 - 1500\n\nIf a date range is provided as above, in the resulting analysis BEAST will sample and log the tip date for that language. However, tip calibrations are also the one time when you can provide a point calibration as opposed to a range:\n\nxto = 1375\n\nIn which case the tip date will be set to precisely the provided value and no sampling will occur.\n\nmodel sections\n\nA BEASTling config file must include at least one model section, but it can contain several. Model sections are different from almost all other sections in that you must give each one a name. A [model] section is invalid, but [model mymodel] will work. Suppose you want to perform an analysis using both cognate data and structural data, and you want to use different model settings for the different kinds of data (say different substitution models). You could have a [model cognate] section and a [model structure] section. You can have as many models as you like, as long as each one gets a unique name.\n\nEach model section must contain the following parameters, i.e. they are mandatory and BEASTling will refuse to work if you ommit them:\n\n  • model: should specify the name of the substitution model type you want to use. Available models are:\n    • “covarion” (Binary covarion model)\n    • “bsvs” (Bayesian Stochastic Variable Selection)\n    • “mk” (Lewis Mk model)\n\n    For more information on the available models, see Substitution models.\n\n  • data: should be one of:\n    • A path to a file containing your language data in a compatible .csv format\n    • The string “stdin” if you wish for data to be read from stdin rather than a file.\n\n    Note that if data is a relative path, this will be interpreted relative to the current working directory when beastling is run, not relative to the location of the configuration file.\n\n    Regardless of whether data is read from a file or from stdin, it must be in one of the two compatible .csv formats. These are described in Data formats. Note that BEASTling can also be made to read data from stdin by using the --stdin command line argument.\n\nAdditionally, each model section may contain the following parameters, i.e. they are optional. Note that these are only the options supported by all (or most) substitution models. Most substitution models also have their own specific options. Check your model’s documentation at the Substitution models page to see these.\n\n  • ascertained: “True” or “False”. Controls whether or not to perform ascertainment correction for the absence of non-constant features in the data. This will have no effect on the sampled tree topology but will influence estimates of branch lengths and the age the tree and clades. By default, this will be set to true if you provided any calibrations (because in this case you most likely care about estimated ages) and to false if you have not (on the assumption that in this case you are more interested in topology). Use this parameter to make your intention explicit. Note that if you have set remove_constant_features = False in a binary covarion analysis (see below) and your analysis does indeed contain constant features, you cannot set this parameter to “True”. See Ascertainment correction for more explanation of ascertainment correction in BEASTling.\n  • binarised or binarized: “True” or “False”. This option is only relevant if the binary covarion model is being used (see Binary Covarion). If your data set only contains features with two possible values, in some situations BEASTling needs to know whether this represents “true” binary data (e.g. presense or absence of some syntactic trait) or whether your data is a “binarisation” of some multistate data (such as cognate class assignments). Set this to False for true binary data and True for binarised cognate data.\n  • clock: Assigns the clock to use for this model. See clock sections below for details.\n  • features: Is used to select a subset of the features in the given data file. Should be one of:\n    • A comma-separated list of feature names (as they are given in the data CSV’s header line)\n    • A path to a file which contains one feature name per line\n  • feature_rates: If you want to include rate variation in your model, but rather than estimating rates you would like to supply your own (e.g. using the results of some other analysis), you can use this parameter to provide the path to a CSV file where each line provides the rate for a single feature. Lines should consist of a feature identifier, followed by a comma, followed by a floating point rate. Note that you do not have to also set rate_variation = True. In fact, if you do so, your provided rates will be used as starting values for rate estimation, rather than remaining fixed. If you are using rate_variation, rather than feature identifiers you should put the identifiers for your rate categories before the colons.\n  • file_format: Can be used to explicitly set which of the two supported .csv file formats the data for this model is supplied in, to be used if BEASTling is mistakenly trying to parse one format as the other (which should be very rare). Should be one of:\n    • “beastling”\n    • “cldf”\n  • frequencies: Used to control the equilibrium distribution of the substitution model. All models support settings of “uniform” (for a uniform distribution), “empirical” (to use the relative frequencies of different states in the dataset) or “estimate” (to estimate the the equilibrium distribution via sampling during MCMC). Some models may support additional options (e.g. “approximate” for Lewis Mk). If not specified, all models will default to “empirical”, which is a more realistic setting than “uniform” for large datasets, while being less computationally intensive than “estimate”.\n  • language_column: Can be used to indicate the column name in the .csv file header which corresponds to the unique language identifier. If the column name is one of “iso”, “iso_code”, “glotto”, “glotto_code”, “language”, “language_id”, “lang” or “lang_id”, BEASTling will recognise it automatically. This parameter is only needed if you have a pre-existing data file which uses a different column name which you don’t want to change (perhaps because it would break compatibility with another tool).\n  • pruned: “True” or “False”. Make use of “pruned trees”. This can improve performance in data sets with a lot of missing data. Default is False.\n  • rate_partition: Name of a file specifying a partition of all features into disjoint categories which should share the same substitution rate. Each line should contain an identifying label for the category, a colon, and then a comma-separated list of feature names. Every feature should belong to exactly one category in the partition. If rate_vartion is set to True, these rates will be estimated. Alternatively, you can use feature_rates to provide fixed rates (or initial values for estimation).\n  • rate_variation: “True” or “False”. Estimate a separate substitution rate for each feature (or feature category if using rate_partition). Substitution rates are constrainted to have a mean of 1.0 and have a a Gamma prior.\n  • reconstruct: A list of features for which ancestral state reconstruction (ASR) should be performed, i.e. for which BEAST will estimate the unobserved feature values at internal nodes of the tree. Can be specified in the same fashion as features, i.e. a comma-separated list or the name of a file with one feature per line. Specifying an asterisk (*) will reconstruct all features in the data set. If ASR is used, an additional logfile of trees will be produced by BEAST, distinguished from the regular tree log via the addition of the _reconstruct suffix.\n  • remove_constant_features: “True” or “False”. This option is only relevant if the binary covarion model is being used (see Binary Covarion). Your setting will be ignored if you are using the Lewis Mk or BSVS models, as these models cannot sensible accommodate constant features. By default, this is set to “True”, which means that if your data set contains any features which have the same value for all of the languages in your analysis (which is not necessarily all of the languages in your data file, if you are using the “families” parameter in your “languages” section!), BEASTling will automatically remove that feature from the analysis (since it cannot possibly provide any phylogenetic information). If you want to keep these constant features in, you must explicitly set this parameter to False. You may want to do this if you have rate variation enabled to help estimate the distribution of rates across features, but if your data set contains many constant features you should be careful about interpreting the results.\n  • minimum_data: Indicates the minimum percentage of languages that a feature should have data present for to be included in an analysis. E.g, if set to 50, any feature in the dataset which has more question marks than actual values for the selected languages will be excluded.\n\nclock sections\n\nclock sections are quite similar to model sections, in that they must be given names, e.g. [clock myclock]. A BEASTling config file may include any number of clock sections, including zero, but it makes no practical sense to define more clock sections than you have model sections. clock sections are used to define clock models, which determine how tree branch lengths are transformed into a measure of evolutionary time. Each model in your analysis has an associated clock model. You can share one clock across all your models, or give each model its own clock, or assign clocks in any other way you like.\n\nIf no clock section is defined, all models will be associated with a default clock (of type “strict”). Alternatively:\n\n  • You may define your own [clock default] section. Because the name is default, this clock will be associated with all model sections, unless those sections have a different clock specifically assigned.\n  • You may explicitly assign a clock to a model by setting the model section’s clock option equal to the name of a clock section.\n  • If a model section and a clock section have the same name, then they are automatically associated with each other (unless the model section explicitly assigns a different clock.\n\n\n  • type: should specify the type of clock model type you want to use. Available models are:\n    • “strict” (Strict clock)\n    • “relaxed” (Uncorrelated relaxed clock)\n    • “random” (Random local clock)\n\nFor more information on the available models, see Clock models.\n\ngeography section\n\nAdding a geography section to your BEASTling config file will include a phylogeographic component in your analysis. Only a single geography section can exist in a configuration file, and unlike clock and model sections, geography sections do not need to be named (i.e. do not use [geography mygeo] or similar).\n\nA geography section does not require any parameters. Spherical phylogeography is the only phylogeographic model currently supported. This model requires latitude and longitude coordinates for each language in the analysis. If your languages are labelled using Glottocodes or ISO codes, location information will automatically be sourced from Glottolog. If you are not using Glottocodes or ISO codes, or you would like to use locations other than those provided by Glottolog, you can provide your own location data in CSV format using using the data parameter (see below). Languages in your analysis for which location data is missing will have their locations sampled as part of the MCMC run (if BEASTling is run in --verbose mode, you will be notified of these languages).\n\nYour geography section may optionally contain any of the following parameters.\n\n  • clock: should specify the name of a clock model (just like the clock parameter in a [model] section) which will be used for the phylogeographic diffusion model. If this is not provided, the phylogeographic model will use the analysis’ default clock, which will be shared with any language models in the analysis. In general, this is not desirable, so unless you are running a geography-only analysis, you should specify a separate geographic clock.\n  • data: by default, phylogeographic analyses will use latitude and longitude data from Glottolog to provide the locations for languages, assuming languages are labelled with ISO codes or Glottocodes. If your languages are not labelled this way (or Glottolog is missing location data for your languages, or you disagree with Glottolog’s location and would like to override it with your own), you will need to provide your own loaction data using this parameter. The value should be a filename, or a comma-separated list of filenames. The files should be CSV or TSV files with at least three columns. One should provide language identifiers which match your data, and the header should be one of the same names that are allowed for data files (i.e. iso, iso_code, glotto, glottocode, language, language_id, lang or lang_id). The other two should provide latitude and longitude values and should be labelled latitude or lat and longitude or lon respectively. Latitude and longitude values should be decimal values using positive or negative sign to indicate North/South and East/West (i.e. do not use “60N” or similar formats), or question marks if they are unknown (languages with unknown location will be dropped from the analysis). If multiple filenames are provided, later (i.e. rightmost) files will override earlier (i.e. leftmost) files if they contain locations for the same languages. In this way you can list multiple sources of location data from least to most reliable and each language will receive the most reliable location.\n  • sampling_points: by default, phylogeographic analyses integrate over the locations of all internal nodes in the trees. You can ask BEAST to sample the locations for some interior points using this parameter. Perhaps you are actually interested in inferring the location of some well-defined point in your tree (e.g. in a phylogeographic analysis of Indo-European you may be interested in the location of proto-Germanic or proto-Balto-Slavic). Even if you are not interested in these locations, specifying some sampling points (say 5) may actually speed the analysis up somewhat, as changes to the tree topology do not require likelihood calculations to propagate all the way up the tree. Your sampling points may be specified using Glottocodes or names from Glottolog (e.g. “Germanic”).\n\ngeo_priors section\n\nIn the same way that a [calibration] section is used to add temporal calibrations to an analysis, a [geo_priors] section can be used to add spatial calibrations to an analysis. This only makes sense for analyses which include a phylogeographic component, and if your configuration file contains a [geo_priors] section but not a [geography] section, BEASTling will complain loudly.\n\nThe name of each parameter should be a comma-separated list of family names or Glottocodes, exactly as per temporal calibrations. The value should be a path to a KML file specifying a polygon which represents the region you believe the MRCA of the listed family/families should be confined to. Note that, unlike data files, the contents of the KML file will not end up included in the BEAST XML. This means the XML and KML file(s) will need to be distributed together for the analysis to be reproducable.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6062055826187134}
{"content": "Struggling to upload an image - Getting 504 timeout every time\n\n\nI am struggling to add an image to a task.\nI am able to get users and projects, scan them, build a task for the right user and project, get the successful result and ID for that task and then I can’t upload my image.\n\nI am trying hard to follow the instructions in the API creating a multipart/form Post request to:\n\nWhen I point my request at my own cgi script sitting on an independent server I get 200’s back and a png on the server that I have uploaded. When I point my request at asana I get timeouts. The differences I can see between the two servers is my cgi perl script and the fact that my server is running apache and asana is not. I am not sure if there is something finickey I am missing in my request and was hoping someone might shed some light on what I am missing.\n\nHere is the wireshark capture of my request (http of course not https in this case) hitting my own server:\n\nFrom what I can tell the request is well formed. NOTE: in this case I have an extra field that I think is extraneous (The task field) the docs make reference to the taskid field. That seemed redundant due to the presence of the id in the url but I have tried with and without that field just to make sure.\n\n\nHi there @IGuy,\n\nWe’ve heard from a couple of our channels that there may be something awry with our attachment API endpoint. Since it uses a slightly different mechanism than our in-product attachments, it’s possible we may have a regression, or over time the API mechanism may have gotten a little crufty.\n\nI’ve pinged the team that this is likely a bug and we’ll take a look. Sorry for the hassle, but my hunch is, you’re not doing anything wrong and we have some investigation to do on our end. Thanks!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6982976794242859}
{"content": "What’s Parachute Mobile?\n\nParachute Mobile is a unique combination of two great hobbies; ham radio and skydiving. About four times a year the team gets together to conduct “Missions” where licensed hams jump out of a plane at 13,500 feet. They deploy their parachutes right away (HAHO: High Altitude High Opening) and make as many contacts (QSOs) has possible. The Drop Zone is located in Byron, California at the Byron Airport. Contacts have been made from as far away as Eureka and Fresno. One-of-a-kind QSL cards are issued for each mission. It takes a lot of work to conduct a Parachute Mobile Mission due to the payload that goes with each jumper. First off, we provide APRS biotelemetry during the jump. This means you can fallow the jumper on APRS.FI. Not only can you track altitude and distance traveled, but the heart rate and oxygen percentage of the jumper. We also stream live video from the jumper’s point of view. To make this all happen a trained ground crew prepares each jumper up with all the equipment before the jump. Safely is paramount, so a safety check is completed before each jump as well.\n\nMission 14 will be a special event in conjunction with Radiofest in Monterey, California March 23, 2013. Check back soon to get updates.\n\nSpectacular pictures of Mission 13 will be posted soon.\n\nTeam Coordinator", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6206929683685303}
{"content": "Award Year\n\n\nAward Type\n\nFirst Prize\n\nDissertation Advisor\n\nMorley Gunderson\n\n\nLegislation is typically passed to accomplish some goal that benefits the majority of society. Sometimes, however, legislation leads to unanticipated and undesirable outcomes. This dissertation examines the ‘side-effects’ of three different Canadian labour laws. Chapter one examines the impact of voting laws on certification success in British Columbia from 1978 to 1998. During that time period, a voting system was introduced in 1984, and was then repealed in 1993. Chapter two examines the impact of welfare cheques on the likelihood of injection drug users leaving the hospital against medical advice (“AMA”), thereby interrupting treatment. The effect of such behavior on subsequent readmission and the probability of an overdose are also estimated. The final chapter utilizes a natural experiment to evaluate the long-run impact of unemployment insurance. The similar UI systems in Maine and New Brunswick in the 1940s and early 1950s were compared over time taking into account the increased generosity of the Canadian system after 1960. Using the five decennial censuses from 1940–1991, the comparison between these two jurisdictions over time is exploited to estimate the effects of UI program parameters on labor market outcomes.\n\nLink to dissertation full text", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9998669624328613}
{"content": "Squid skin could be the solution to camouflage material\n\n\nCredit: Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University\n\n\nThe chromatophore organs, which appear as hundreds of multi-colored freckles on the surface of a cephalopod's body, contribute to fast changes in skin color. In a paper published last week in Advanced Optical Materials, Deravi's group describes its work in isolating the pigment granules within these organs to better understand their role in color change. The researchers discovered these granules have remarkable optical qualities and used them to make thin films and fibers that could be incorporated into textiles, flexible displays, and future color-changing devices. Deravi's lab collaborated with the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering Center for the study.\n\n\nBy removing individual pigment particles from the squid, Deravi was able to explore the breadth of their capabilities as static materials. One particle is only 500 nanometers in size, which is 150 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. Deravi's team layered and reorganized the particles and found they could produce an expansive color pallet.\n\n\"We're showing these pigments are a powerful tool that can produce ultra-thin films that are really rich in colors,\" Deravi said.\n\n\n\"From a scientific and technical engineering perspective, understanding how light scattering affects color is very important, and this is an exciting new development in the field of optics in biology,\" said Richard Osgood, a collaborator from the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering Center. \"This is an unusual harnessing of optics and physics knowledge in scattering to understand biological systems.\"\n\nThe researchers made spools of fibers from the squids' pigment particles and are now exploring uses for the material. The fibers are so visually interesting that it's not difficult to imagine weaving them into fabric for clothing or other art forms. But perhaps the most exciting possible application is wearable, flexible screens and textiles that are capable of adaptive coloration. Osgood said the research could allow the Army to create new capabilities for soldiers.\n\n\"For more than a decade, scientists and engineers have been trying to replicate this process and build these devices that can color match, color change, and camouflage just like the cephalopods, but many of them come nowhere near the speed or dynamic range of color that the animals can display,\" Deravi said. \"Cephalopods have evolved to incorporate these specific pigment granules for a reason, and we're starting to piece together what that reason is.\"\n\n\nMedia Contact\n\nJohn O'Neill\n[email protected]\n\n\nOriginal Source", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8749831318855286}
{"content": "Identification of Inhibitors of Human and Plasmodium Falciparum Orotate Phosphoribosyltransferase and Orotidine 5'-Monophosphate Decarboxylase, and a Novel Hybrid Screening Technique\n\nAuthor: Michael Roach\n\nRoach, Michael, 2015 Identification of Inhibitors of Human and Plasmodium Falciparum Orotate Phosphoribosyltransferase and Orotidine 5'-Monophosphate Decarboxylase, and a Novel Hybrid Screening Technique, Flinders University, School of Biological Sciences\n\n\n\nThe enzymes of the de novo pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway are ideal drug targets for the treatment of malarial infections as, unlike the human host, the parasite is solely reliant on this pathway for survival. Furthermore, this pathway is associated with, and therefore, a drug target for a variety of diseases including cancer, autoimmune disorders and viral infections. Hence, this study focussed on the use of bioinformatics approaches to identify potential lead compounds against human and Plasmodium enzymes from this pathway.\n\nThe Plasmodium falciparum de novo biosynthesis enzymes orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRTase) and orotidine 5’-monophosphate decarboxylase (ODCase) were recombinantly expressed and purified. The expression and purification of P. falciparum OPRTase (PfOPRTase) was optimised in this study to an extent which enabled biochemical assay and x-ray crystallography experiments to be performed on the enzyme. Constructs were made for the recombinant expression of the bifunctional human homologue Uridine Monophosphate Synthase (HsUMPS) as well as its individual OPRTase (HsOPRTase) and ODCase (HsODCase) domains. These were successfully expressed and purified.\n\nA 3-D homology model for the structure of PfOPRTase was generated. The PfOPRTase homology model and crystal structures for P. falciparum ODCase (PfODCase), HsOPRTase and HsODCase were screened virtually by docking against approximately 1 million drug-like compounds. The hits were analysed and 19 novel, diverse compounds were selected for inhibition assays.\n\nRecombinant HsOPRTase, HsODCase, PfOPRTase and PfODCase were used in biochemical inhibition assays to characterise the 19 compounds that were identified by virtual screening for inhibition. For PfOPRTase and HsOPRTase, nine compounds showed inhibition against one or both enzymes and five were specific for one of the homologues. These inhibitors would be suitable for further development with hit to lead (H2L) drug discovery experiments.\n\nEight very promising inhibitors for PfODCase and HsODCase were identified which led to some small scale ‘hit expansion’ H2L experiments, and further biochemical evaluation. Seven compounds successfully underwent further inhibition kinetic characterisation. One inhibitor had good potency (Ki/αKi~ 50 µM) and six inhibitors were specific for one of the homologues. Four of the inhibitors (including the most potent inhibitor) satisfy the criteria for drug-likeness and bioavailability.\n\nAn alternative substrate for HsODCase was discovered and characterised. The discovery of this alternative substrate and the unexpected modes of inhibition of the identified ODCase inhibitors allowed for new insights into the structure and catalytic mechanism of this enzyme. Interconnectivity between the ODCase dimer active sites is likely.\n\nFinally, a novel method was developed for performing virtual screening on an enzyme target. This novel method is a ‘hybrid’ of structure- and ligand-based methods. The method requires knowledge of only a single known binder and a crystal structure. It is estimated to be approximately 60-fold faster than a typical structure-based approach. It outperformed a typical structure based approach with 25 % better mean bias towards actives, 45 % better mean enrichment at 1 %, whilst maintaining similar hit diversity. It performed similarly compared to a ligand-based approach for bias towards actives and enrichment at 1 % (but with far greater consistency) and 30 % better hit diversity.\n\nKeywords: in silico screening, virtual screening, hybrid screening, drug discovery, OPRTase, ODCase, UMPS, orotate phosphoribosyltransferase, orotidine 5'-monophosphate decarboxylase, uridine monophosphate synthase, plasmodium falciparum\n\nSubject: Biological Sciences thesis\n\nThesis type: Doctor of Philosophy\nCompleted: 2015\nSchool: School of Biological Sciences\nSupervisor: R. Ian Menz", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9472187161445618}
{"content": "Tải bản đầy đủ - 0 (trang)\n1 The Vacuum State, and the Double Role of the Hamiltonian (Cont'd)\n\n\nTải bản đầy đủ - 0trang\n\n\n\nThe Discretized Hamiltonian Formalism in PQ Theory\n\nWe can state this differently: solutions of the equations of motion are stationary\n\nif they are in thermal equilibrium (possibly with one or more chemical potentials\n\nadded). In a thermal equilibrium, we have the Boltzmann distribution:\n\nWi = Ce−βEi +\n\n\nμ j Rj i\n\n\n\nwhere β = 1/kT is the inverse of the temperature T , with Boltzmann constant k,\n\nand i labels the states; μj are chemical potentials, and Rj i the corresponding conserved quantities.\n\nIf the energies Ei were not properly bounded from below, the lowest energies\n\nwould cause this expression to diverge, particularly at low temperatures.\n\nWhat is needed is a lower bound of the energies Ei so as to ensure stability of our\n\nworld. Furthermore, having a ground state is very important to construct systematic\n\napproximations to solutions of the time-independent Schrödinger equation, using\n\nextremum principles. This is not just a technical problem, it would raise doubt on\n\nthe mere existence of correct solutions to Schrödinger’s equation, if no procedure\n\ncould be described that allows one to construct such solutions systematically.\n\nIn our world we do have a Hamiltonian function, equal to the total energy, that\n\nis locally conserved and bounded from below. Note that “locally conserved” means\n\nthat a locally defined tensor Tμν (x, t) exists that obeys a local conservation law,\n\n∂μ Tμν = 0, and this feature is connected in important ways not only to the theory of\n\nspecial relativity, but also to general relativity.\n\nThus, the first role played by the Hamiltonian is that it brings law and order in\n\nthe universe, by being (1) conserved in time, (2) bounded from below, and (3) local\n\n(that is, it is the sum of completely localized contributions).\n\nDeriving an equation of motion that permits the existence of such a function, is\n\nnot easy, but was made possible by the Hamiltonian procedure, first worked out for\n\ncontinuum theories (see Sect. 5.6.2 in Part I).\n\nHamilton’s equations are the most natural ones that guarantee this mechanism to\n\nwork: first make a judicious choice of kinetic variables xi and pi , then start with\n\nany function H ({xi , pj }) that is bounded and local as desired, and subsequently\n\nwrite down the equations for dxi /dt and dpj /dt that guarantee that dH /dt = 0.\n\nThe principle is then carried over to quantum mechanics in the standard way.\n\nThus, in standard physics, we have a function or operator called Hamiltonian that\n\nrepresents the conserved energy on the one hand, and it generates the equations of\n\nmotion on the other.\n\nAnd now, we argue that, being such a fundamental notion, the Hamiltonian principle should also exist for discrete systems.\n\nany conspicuous reason for not converting into a more “probable” state. Therefore, the argument\n\npresented here must be handled with care.\n\n\nThe Hamilton Problem for Discrete Deterministic Systems\n\n\n19.2 The Hamilton Problem for Discrete Deterministic Systems\n\nConsider now a discrete, deterministic system. Inevitably, time will also be discrete.\n\nTime steps must be controlled by a deterministic evolution operator, which implies\n\nthat there must be a smallest time unit, call it δt. When we write the evolution\n\n\noperator U (δt) as U (δt) = e−iE δt then E quant is defined modulo 2π/δt, which\n\nmeans that we can always choose E quant to lie in the segment\n\n0 ≤ E quant < 2π/δt,\n\n\nInstead, in the real world, energy is an additively conserved quantity without any\n\nperiodicity. In the PQ formalism, we have seen what the best way is to cure such a\n\nsituation, and it is natural to try the same trick for time and energy: we must add a\n\nconserved, discrete, integer quantum to the Hamiltonian operator: E class = 2πN/δt,\n\nso that we have an absolutely conserved energy,\n\n\nE = E quant + E class .\n\n\nE class\n\nIn the classical theory, we can only use\n\nto ensure that our system is stable, as\n\ndescribed in the previous section.\n\nIn principle, it may seem to be easy to formulate a deterministic classical system\n\nwhere such a quantity E class can be defined, but, as we will see, there will be some\n\nobstacles of a practical nature. Note that, if Eq. (19.3) is used to define the total\n\nenergy, and if E class reaches to infinity, then time can be redefined to be a continuous\n\nvariable, since now we can substitute any value t in the evolution operator U (t) =\n\ne−iEt .\n\nOne difficulty can be spotted right away: usually, we shall demand that energy\n\nbe an extensive quantity, that is, for two widely separated systems we expect\n\nE tot = E1 + E2 + E int ,\n\n\nwhere E int can be expected to be small, or even negligible. But then, if both E1 and\n\nE2 are split into a classical part and a quantum part, then either the quantum part of\n\nE tot will exceed its bounds (19.2), or E class will not be extensive, that is, it will not\n\neven approximately be the sum of the classical parts of E1 and E2 .\n\nAn other way of phrasing the problem is that one might wish to write the total\n\nenergy E tot as\n\nE tot =\n\nEi →\n\ndd x H(x),\n\n\nlattice sites i\n\ntot over\n\nwhere Ei or H(x) is the energy density. It may be possible to spread Eclass\n\n\nas a sum over lattice sites, but\n\nthe lattice, and it may be possible to rewrite E\n\nthen it remains hard to see that the total quantum part stays confined to the interval\n\n[0, 2π/δt) while it is treated as an extensive variable at the same time. Can the\n\nexcesses be stowed in E int ?\n\nThis question will be investigated further in our treatment of the technical details\n\nof the cellular automaton, Chap. 22.\n\n\n\nThe Discretized Hamiltonian Formalism in PQ Theory\n\n19.3 Conserved Classical Energy in PQ Theory\n\nIf there is a conserved classical energy E class (P , Q), then the set of P , Q values\n\nwith the same total energy E forms closed surfaces ΣE . All we need to demand for\n\na theory in (P , Q) space is that the finite-time evolution operator U (δt) generates\n\nmotion along these surfaces [116]. That does not sound hard, but in practice, to\n\ngenerate evolution laws with this property is not so easy. This is because we often\n\nalso demand that our evolution operator U (δt) be time-reversible: there must exist\n\nan inverse, U −1 (δt).\n\nIn classical mechanics of continuous systems, the problem of characterizing\n\nsome evolution law that keeps the energy conserved was solved: let the continuous\n\ndegrees of freedom be some classical real numbers {qi (t), pi (t)}, and take energy\n\nE to be some function\n\nE = H (p, q) = T (p) + V (q) + p · A(q),\n\n\nalthough more general functions that are bounded from below are also admitted. The\n\nlast term, describing typically magnetic forces, often occurs in practical examples,\n\nbut may be omitted for simplicity to follow the general argument.\n\nThen take as our evolution law:\n\n\n∂H (p, q)\n\n= q˙i =\n\n\n\n\np˙ i = −\n\n∂H (p, q)\n\n\n\n\nOne then derives\n\ndH (p, q)\n\n\n\n= H˙ =\n\nq˙i +\n\np˙ i = p˙ i q˙i − q˙i p˙ i = 0.\n\n\n\n\n\nThis looks so easy in the continuous case that it may seem surprising that this\n\nprinciple is hard to generalize to the discrete systems. Yet formally it should be easy\n\nto derive some energy-conserving evolution law:\n\nTake a lattice of integers Pi and Qi , and some bounded, integer energy function H (P , Q). Consider some number E for the total energy. Consider all\n\npoints of the surface ΣE on our lattice defined by H (P , Q) = E. The number\n\nof points on such a surface could be infinite, but let us take the case that it is finite. Then simply consider a path Pi (t), Qi (t) on ΣE , where t enumerates the\n\nintegers. The path must eventually close onto itself. This way we get a closed\n\npath on ΣE . If there are points on our surface that are not yet on the closed\n\npath that we just constructed, then we repeat the procedure starting with one\n\nof those points. Repeat until ΣE is completely covered by closed paths. These\n\nclosed paths then define our evolution law.\n\nAt first sight, however, generalizing the standard Hamiltonian procedure now seems\n\nto fail. Whereas the standard Hamiltonian formalism (19.8) for the continuous case\n\ninvolves just infinitesimal time steps and infinitesimal changes in coordinates and\n\nmomenta, we now need finite time steps and finite changes. One could think of\n\nmaking finite-size corrections in the lattice equations, but that will not automatically\n\n\nConserved Classical Energy in PQ Theory\n\n\nwork, since odds are that, after some given time step, integer-valued points in the\n\nsurface ΣE may be difficult to find. Now with a little more patience, a systematic\n\napproach can be formulated, but we postpone it to Sect. 19.4.\n\n19.3.1 Multi-dimensional Harmonic Oscillator\n\nA superior procedure will be discussed in the next subsections, but first let us consider the simpler case of the multi-dimensional harmonic oscillator of Sect. 17.2,\n\nSect. 17.2.2: take two symmetric integer-valued tensors Tij = Tj i , and Vij = Vj i .\n\nThe evolution law alternates between integer and half-odd integer values of the time\n\nvariable t. See Eqs. (17.77) and (17.78):\n\nQi (t + 1) = Qi (t) + Tij Pj t +\n\nPi t +\n\n\n\n= Pi t −\n\n\n\n\n\n− Vij Qj (t).\n\n\n\n\nAccording to Eqs. (17.84), (17.85), (17.88) and (17.89), the conserved classical\n\nHamiltonian is\n\nH = 12 Tij Pi t +\n\n= 12 Tij Pi t +\n\n\n\n\n\nPj t −\n\nPj t +\n\n\n\n\n\n+ 12 Vij Qi (t)Qj (t)\n\n+ 12 Vij Qi (t)Qj (t + 1)\n\n= 12 P + T P + + 12 P + T V Q + 12 QV Q\n\n\n\n\nP + + 12 QV T P + + 12 V Q + Q\n\n= P+\n\n\n\n− 18 T V T P + +\n\n\n\n\n\n\n− 18 V T V Q\n\nQ + 12 P T V Q + 12 T P + ,\n\n\nwhere in the last three expressions, Q = Q(t) and P + = P (t + 12 ). Equations (19.11) follow from the evolution equations (19.9) and (19.10) provided that\n\nT and V are symmetric.\n\nOne reads off that this Hamiltonian is time-independent. It is bounded from below if not only V and T but also either V − 14 V T V or T − 14 T V T are bounded\n\nfrom below (usually, one implies the other).\n\nUnfortunately, this requirement is very stringent; the only solution where this\n\nenergy is properly bounded is a linear or periodic chain of coupled oscillators, as in\n\nour one-dimensional model of massless bosons. On top of that, this formalism only\n\nallows for strictly harmonic forces, which means that, unlike the continuum case,\n\nno non-linear interactions can be accommodated for. A much larger class of models\n\nwill be exhibited in the next section.\n\nReturning first to our model of massless bosons in 1 + 1 dimensions, Sect. 17, we\n\nnote that the classical evolution operator was defined over time steps δt = 1, and this\n\nmeans that, knowing the evolution operator specifies the Hamiltonian eigenvalue up\n\nto multiples of 2π . This is exactly the range of a single creation or annihilation\n\noperator a L,R and a L,R† . But these operators can act many times, and therefore the\n\ntotal energy should be allowed to stretch much further. This is where we need the\n\n\n\nThe Discretized Hamiltonian Formalism in PQ Theory\n\nexactly conserved discrete energy function (19.11). The fractional part of H , which\n\nwe could call E quant , follows uniquely from the evolution operator U (δt). Then we\n\ncan add multiples of 2π times the energy (19.11) at will. This is how the entire\n\nrange of energy values of our 2 dimensional boson model results from our mapping.\n\nIt cannot be a coincidence that the angular energy function E quant together with the\n\nconserved integer valued energy function E class taken together exactly represent the\n\nspectrum of real energy values for the quantum theory. This is how our mappings\n\n\n19.4 More General, Integer-Valued Hamiltonian Models\n\nwith Interactions\n\nAccording to the previous section, we recuperate quantum models with a continuous\n\ntime variable from a discrete classical system if not only the evolution operator over\n\na time step δt is time-reversible, but in addition a conserved discrete energy beable\n\nE class exists, taking values 2πN/δt where N is integer. Again, let us take δt = 1. If\n\n\nthe eigenvalues of U op (δt) are called e−iE , with 0 ≤ E quant < 2π then we can\n\ndefine the complete Hamiltonian H to be\n\nH = E quant + E class = 2π(ν + N ),\n\n\nwhere 0 ≤ ν < 1 (or alternatively, −1/2 < ν ≤ 1/2) and N is integer. The quantity\n\nconjugated to that is a continuous time variable. If we furthermore demand that\n\nE class is bounded from below then Eq. (19.12) defines a genuine quantum system\n\nwith a conserved Hamiltonian that is bounded from below.\n\nAs stated earlier, it appears to be difficult to construct explicit, non-trivial examples of such models. If we try to continue along the line of harmonic oscillators,\n\nperhaps with some non-harmonic forces added, it seems that the standard Hamiltonian formalism fails when the time steps are finite, and if we find a Hamiltonian that\n\nis conserved, it is usually not bounded from below. Such models then are unstable;\n\nthey will not lead to a quantum description of a model that is stable.\n\nIn this section, we shall show how to cure this situation, in principle. We concentrate on the construction of a Hamiltonian principle that keeps a classical energy\n\nfunction E class exactly conserved in time.\n\nIn the multidimensional models, we had adopted the principle that we in turn\n\nupdate all variables Qi , then all Pi . That has to be done differently. To obtain better\n\nmodels, let us phrase our assignment as follows:\n\nFormulate a discrete, classical time evolution law for some model with the following properties:\n\ni The time evolution operation must be a law that is reversible in time.3 Only then\n\nwill we have an operator U (δt) that is unitary and as such can be re-written as\n\nthe exponent of −i times a Hermitian Hamiltonian.\n\n3 When\n\ninformation loss is allowed, as in Sect. 7 of Part I, we shall have to relax this condition.\n\n\nMore General, Integer-Valued Hamiltonian Models with Interactions\n\n\nii There must exist a discrete function E class depending on the dynamical variables\n\nof the theory, that is exactly conserved in time.\n\niii This quantity E class must be bounded from below.\n\nWhen these first three requirements are met we will be able to map this system on a\n\nquantum mechanical model that may be physically acceptable. But we want more:\n\niv Our model should be sufficiently generic, that is, we wish that it features interactions.\n\nv Ideally, it should be possible to identify variables such as our Pi and Qi so that\n\nwe can compare our model with systems that are known in physics, where we\n\nhave the familiar Hamiltonian canonical variables p and q.\n\nvi We would like to have some form of locality; as in the continuum system, our\n\nHamiltonian should be described as the integral (or sum) of a local Hamiltonian\n\ndensity, H(x), and there should exist a small parameter ε > 0 such that at fixed\n\ntime t, H(x) only depends on variables located at x with |x − x| < ε.\n\nThe last condition turns our system in some discretized version of a field theory\n\n(P and Q are then fields depending on a space coordinate x and of course on time t).\n\nOne might think that it would be hopeless to fulfill all these requirements. Yet there\n\nexist beautiful solutions which we now construct. Let us show how our reasoning\n\n\nSince we desire an integer-valued energy function that looks like the Hamiltonian\n\nof a continuum theory, we start with a Hamiltonian that we like, being a continuous\n\nfunction Hcont (q, p) and take its integer part, when also p and q are integer. More\n\nprecisely (with the appropriate factors 2π , as in Eqs. (16.6) and (18.22) in previous\n\nchapters): take Pi and Qi integer and write4\n\nE class (Q, P ) = 2πH class (Q, P ),\n\nH class (Q, P ) = int\n\n\n2π Hcont (Q, 2π P )\n\n\n\nwhere ‘int’ stands for the integer part, and\n\nQi = int(qi ),\n\nPi = int(pi /2π),\n\nfor all i.\n\n\nThis gives us a discrete, classical ‘Hamiltonian function’ of the integer degrees\n\nof freedom Pi and Qi . The index i may take a finite or an infinite number of values\n\n(i is finite if we discuss a finite number of particles, infinite if we consider some\n\nversion of a field theory).\n\nSoon, we shall discover that not all classical models are suitable for our construction: first of all: the oscillatory solutions must oscillate sufficiently slowly to\n\nstay visible in our discrete time variable, but, as we shall see, our restrictions will\n\nbe somewhat more severe than this.\n\n4 Later, in order to maintain some form of locality, we will prefer to take our ‘classical’ Hamiltonian\n\nto be the sum of many integer parts, as in Eq. (19.27), rather than the floor of the sum of local parts,\n\nas in Eq. (19.13).\n\nTài liệu bạn tìm kiếm đã sẵn sàng tải về\n\n\nTải bản đầy đủ ngay(0 tr)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8419376015663147}
{"content": "IPCC explores the ethics and economics of fighting climate change\n\n\n\nThe real-world implications of those ethical questions of responsibility will play out over the next several months of U.N. climate treaty talks, making ethics -- along with a chapter on the costs of mitigating emissions -- among the report's most controversial topics, sources said.\n\nThe United States and several other countries have sent members of their climate negotiating teams to Berlin, where governments this week are wrangling line-by-line over the final wording of a 29-page document that highlights thousands of pages of findings.\n\n\"Governments are just so wary about the implications of the IPCC for the negotiations. Anything that is touching on burden-sharing ... I think will be just impossible to get into the summary for policymakers,\" said one person close to the discussions.\n\nIndeed, an early version of the summary obtained by ClimateWire plays it safe, noting merely that international cooperation on climate change \"involves ethical considerations, including equitable effort-sharing.\" Countries, it notes, have contributed in different ways to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and differ in their abilities to mitigate emissions.\n\n\"Evidence suggests that perceived fairness can influence the level of cooperation among individuals, and that finding may suggest that processes and outcomes seen as fair will lead to more international cooperation as well,\" the summary says.\n\nAuthors involved in the ethics chapters, who agreed only to talk generally about efforts to examine and synthesize the research until the IPCC report is formally released Sunday, said the charged questions of what constitutes dangerous man-made interference of the climate system and what countries should bear the burden of mitigation are ones the IPCC has taken on in the past.\n\nA value judgement of 'what is dangerous'\n\n\nBut unlike other areas the United Nations' climate science body has taken on, like sea-level rise or glacier melt, these are questions that can't be measured or modeled with scientific accuracy. Rather, much of the research that has been done on the ethics of burden sharing rests on a set of principles that are essentially a matter of moral opinion about how, ideally, the world should work.\n\n\"We are trying to look at the social, economic and ethical conceptions of [things like] what is 'dangerous'? It's a matter of natural sciences ... but it also is making a value judgment about what we as humans consider dangerous,\" said Kevin Urama, executive director of the Africa Technology Policy Studies Network in Kenya and a co-lead coordinating author of the ethics chapter.\n\n\"The ethics deals a lot with justice, fairness, distributional weights. Basically, it sets a pace for better understanding for policymakers,\" Urama said.\n\n\"Really, what we're dealing with climate change or historic responsibility is 'What do we think is the ethical way to view someone who did something harmful, but before anyone realized it was harmful?'\" said Charles Kolstad, a Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research economist and co-lead coordinating author of the chapter.\n\nSome of those questions are in fact answered in common law, Kolstad noted. Still, though, he said that while the IPCC lays out ethical theories that policymakers can use, the authors don't make conclusions.\n\n\"Some people thought if we put an ethics chapter in there, that would answer the question definitively. That was wishful thinking,\" Kolstad said. \"We indicate that you can't find a definitive answer to this question of burden sharing by looking at the research. It has to be negotiated.\"\n\nMitigation increases; consumption drops?\n\nThat's a given. Wealthy countries like the United States already have been making a play to just avoid the entire question of a nation's \"fair share\" of emissions cuts by having countries volunteer to do what they can and impose a type of peer review process in which other countries or actors can assess the others' efforts. China and other developing nations, meanwhile, have called on countries to justify their pledges by describing how they take equity into account.\n\n\"The questions around equity can't be avoided if we want to have an ambitious agreement,\" said David Waskow, director of the World Resources Institute's International Climate Initiative. \"If you completely avoid those questions, you're stuck with a pretty global requirement that doesn't in fact figure out how the actions can be taken at the end of the day.\"\n\nIn another part of the report that is also drawing some concern, the IPCC summary estimates with high confidence that ratcheting down emissions to keep the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere below 480 parts per million by the end of the century will result in global consumption losses of 1 to 4 percent in 2030. That will jump to 2 to 12 percent in 2100 compared to what would happen without mitigation, the report notes without attaching a dollar figure to the estimate.\n\n\"These costs do not consider the benefits of mitigation, including the reduction in climate impacts,\" the summary notes.\n\nMeanwhile, the IPCC also veers away from scientific research and into legal, economic and political science scholarship in the first-ever chapter on international cooperation.\n\nIt remains to be seen whether the summary for policymakers' judgment on the 1997 Kyoto Protocol will remain in the final version. They cited, with medium confidence, that the first binding step toward implementing U.N. climate goals \"has not been as successful as intended.\"\n\nTwitter: @LFFriedman | Email:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6241623163223267}
{"content": "Skip to main content\n\nNegativity will follow us but we can decide how we want to face it\n\nThe way we view the world largely depends on our thoughts, actions and attitude. When we are sensitive to our surroundings, we will notice sympathy and hope around. When we have anger and hatred in us, we will only see negativity all around.\n\nIt is true that there are many negative things happening around sadly we only get to hear about them through newspaper, internet and mobiles. But there are many positive things too happening in the world but we do not get to hear them because they do not have readership and TRP.\n\nThere will be negative things in life always but we can decide how we want to look at them. Certain things that we hear, see and read will cause a deep sense of frustration, aversion and unfathomable anger. But we need to remain peaceful and make sure that such things do not happen in our area.\n\nWe will be regularly challenged by pessimists and by depressing incidents. By now, we are well aware that negativity does not help us in anyway. It only pushes us down. It only suffocates us. So choose positive thoughts, send out positive energy, celebrate hope and celebrate life.\n\nFreedom from past is necessary to lead a positive life. We need to practice forgiveness. Drop regrets, hatred and revenge. Letting go is the best option for a pleasant present and wonderful future.\n\nSwitch off the television, internet and all forms of news media. Smell the flowers, walk with the dog, enjoy silence or take a long walk. Our true nature and true wisdom will be revealed in these long walks and moments of silence.\n\nSometimes unknowingly, we might have developed certain behavior patterns that are attracting lot of negative energy. We need to identify them. There will be some disconnections. We need to check them. We need to check our goals and how far we have reached and are we taking the right path to reach the goal.\n\nPractice gratitude. Pray, work hard and find intelligent solutions to problems. Focus on your goals. Develop courage to drop all that is harming us from leading a beautiful life.\n\nDevelop patience, drop anger and ego, stop hating and start loving and keep smiling.\nAbhilash Rajendran", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.555177628993988}
{"content": "Idea Ink is a leading illustration studio in Asia,\nfocused on visual consulting and information design.\n\n\n\nBoth a speedy summary and elegant performance - available as physical posters, digital displays; animated GIFs, videos, print-outs.\n\nBring great stories online and offline: as modular infographics, micro videos, live murals, and animated content.\n\nTeach visual intelligence with graphic facilitation in a deeply visual world. If bad drivers can drive, bad artists can draw.\n\nwhy us.gif\nhow we add value.gif", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9416709542274475}
{"content": "Invisible Light Collectors\n\nSeeing the invisible\n\nRefracting and reflecting telescopes are used to collect and study visible light. Although visible light provides valuable information, it only represents a tiny portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. To see the rest of the spectrum, which consists of invisible colours, researchers need to use collectors that are capable of detecting wavelengths that correspond to the type of light they wish to study.\n\nGraph of the electromagnetic spectrum represented by an undulating line on horizontal band gradations against a blue background. The wave bands are close together on the left and further apart on the right.\n\nFor the infrared domain, the parabolic mirror of a reflecting telescope remains the ideal means by which to collect and concentrate the light rays. Because the light being collected is invisible, the human observer is replaced by an infrared detector at the mirror’s focal point. Its purpose is to measure the intensity of the infrared rays.\n\nThe technique works very well for infrared waves with short wavelengths of about 2.5 microns, or 2.5 millionths of a metre. This portion of the electromagnetic spectrum is known as “near-infrared” because the waves are nearest to red light. Unfortunately, the situation is considerably more complex for the mid- and far-infrared domains.\n\nOne of the complications for detecting infrared sources in space is that the reflecting telescope collects a lot of background infrared light from the atmosphere, from any human observers present in the room, and from the telescope itself. This occurs because objects emit infrared light at about 20 °C. In addition, atmospheric water vapour absorbs a large part of the infrared rays coming from space, which makes data collection difficult – or even impossible – at some wavelengths.\n\nTo overcome these problems, detectors are cooled to very low temperatures (sometimes down to -269 °C) and the telescopes are placed at the highest elevations possible where the air is drier. Another solution is to put them directly into space, orbiting Earth.\n\nThe great interest for astronomers in observing the infrared light of the Universe is due to its powers of penetration. Infrared waves are capable of passing through dust, allowing us to see regions that are otherwise impenetrable to visible light, such as the interiors of nebulas.\n\nColour photo of a radio telescope surrounded by three white antennas aimed at the sky, installed around two grey buildings with forested mountains in the background.\n\nAt longer wavelengths in the microwave domain, absorption by water is a persistent problem and the best solutions are to collect data from high elevations or satellites. Luckily, there is a technical advantage to working with microwaves: their wavelengths are sufficiently long enough that a metal parabolic collector can be used instead of glass.\n\nThe reason it is possible to use metal is quite simple. In order for light rays to be concentrated at the focal point of a reflecting telescope, the size of the irregularities in the curve of the parabolic collector must be smaller than the wavelength of the light being collected. Consequently, it is not necessary to use a highly polished reflecting surface like a mirror for light with very long wavelengths, like microwaves; instead, a simple metal dish will suffice.\n\nMicrowaves are of immense interest to astronomers. Cosmic background radiation – that amazing “first light” emitted when the Universe was only a few hundred thousand years old – exists mainly in the form of microwaves.\n\nRadio waves, which have even longer and less energetic wavelengths than microwaves, are typically collected using large metal dishes. The Earth’s atmosphere allows for the easy passage of wavelengths measuring 1 centimetre (the beginning of radio waves) to 10 metres. This is true even if the weather is overcast, which allows astronomers to have virtually continuous observation of this portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Radio waves are produced by supernova remnants and by electrons passing through the magnetic fields of distant radio galaxies.\n\nGraph showing the penetration of light on the photo of a mountainous landscape. The horizontal band names nine wavelengths represented by vertical yellow lines descending at different lengths towards the ground.\n\nFor light with wavelengths that are shorter than those of visible light, like ultraviolet rays, it is possible to use optical telescopes. Unfortunately for astronomers (but fortunately for human beings), most ultraviolet light is absorbed by the ozone layer before reaching Earth’s surface. It is therefore necessary to use satellites for ultraviolet studies. Ultraviolet light is the most abundant type of energy generated by very hot stars.\n\nSatellites must also be used to study X-rays and gamma rays, which have wavelengths that are even shorter and more energetic than those of ultraviolet rays. These light rays are so energetic, however, that they can easily pass through mirrors; special collectors must be used to detect them. Most X-rays are emitted by pockets of hot gases found between galaxies and near black holes. Gamma rays are mainly found in the vicinity of supernova explosions.\n\nBack to Top", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9526410698890686}
{"content": "Hill-Snowdon Foundation\n\nWashington, DC |\nAssets: $35,211,131\nTotal Giving: $1,889,864\n\nGiving primarily for organization working with low-income families and communities to create a fair and just society by helping them develop the capacity and leadership skills necessary to influence the decisions that shape their lives. HSF seeks to accomplish this mission by providing grants to organizations that work directly to build the power of low-income families; leveraging the foundation's and others’ resources; and promoting opportunities for learning and growth.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9963602423667908}
{"content": "Rahul Bagga and Shrashti Maheshwari shares ‘Tom & Jerry’ chemistry\n\nShrashti Maheswari and Rahul Bagga, who will be seen sharing the screen space for the first time in Gurpreet Sondh’s forthcoming film, Shaadi Teri Bajayenge Hum Band, had a whale of a time working with each other.\n\nThe two talented actors who plays interesting and entertaining characters have bonded well on the sets and share a great rapport to the extent that their chemistry has been referred to as the popular Tom & Jerry cartoon series.\n\nSources suggest that Rahul is always seen teasing Shrashti on the set. He always used to pull Shrashti’s leg and make fun of her deliberately so that she gets annoyed by him. They shares a chemistry of Tom and Jerry. They used to fight or argue and then the unit used to notice them laughing and hanging out after all the fights and arguments.\n\nInterestingly, Rahul used to call Shrashti ‘Child labour’ since she was the youngest among all on the set. Shrashti later got used to of Rahul calling her ‘child Labour’ and also used to response when he used to her by that name.\n\nShaadi Teri Bajayenge Hum Band is scheduled to release on 23rd March, 2018.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9785482883453369}
{"content": "STATS | Online Dating Statistics STATS | Online Dating Statistics\n\nCyber dating facts. What is a cyber relationship? | cyber relationships\n\nDating sites in meerut\n\nMore than 40 percent of the teens said they'd experienced cyber dating abuse within the past three months: For example, we hear that older men are creating profiles to lure younger girls on the news occasionally, but do we ever hear about older women creating profiles to find compatible soul mates?\n\nTelephone interviews were conducted in English and Spanish by landline 1, and cell phone 1, including without a landline phone.\n\n\nBrian Mustanski, an associate professor with the department of medical social sciences at Northwestern University who studies bullying, noted that almost one in three teens said they were asked to send nude or seminude pictures of themselves.\n\nEvidence has already shown that cyber dating abuse is linked Dating self esteem issues physical, sexual and psychological abuseDick said.\n\nDating etiquette first date\n\nUntil recent years the challenge or test to find a soul mate where they met through mutual friends, work, school, or social situations were few in number as compared to the infinite individuals in cyber space. The usual lies tend to be amongst cyber affairs which generally occur when the truth is not being met by personal information like age, sex, status, and so forth.\n\nRelationships form everyday with new and improved social media because now there are methods to regulate privacy and conduct to protect people.\n\nAre you the dating type quiz\n\nDNA testing companies determine which of the four letters is present at many locations in your genome. She wasn't the first modern human woman or the only woman living at the time; other women from her time also have descendants today.\n\nGay dating website template\n\nSo many shallow people in this world, too many. Traditionally, we see that couples evolve through basic physical attraction.\n\n\nOnline dating services such as Match. A home DNA test might even tell you that you're a little bit Neanderthalwhich is especially common in Caucasian and Asian people. But as research is done on a more diverse range of people, companies are tweaking their analyses to provide more detailed ancestry information to people from all over the world.\n\n\nDasgupta says she now sees some physicians ordering full sequences of multiple genes or even whole exomes the protein-coding sequences in the genome for patients.\n\nHe has an amazing personality. Neither seems realistic to me. It only tests for four genetic variants, while the pricier kits can include tens of thousands of variants. You can do whatever you want.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6070235967636108}
{"content": "May 2014 27\n\nIt depends on your goals. Many personal trainers think that performing strength training before cardiovascular exercise will augment the amount of fat used during the cardio workout because the strength training will deplete the muscles’ store of carbohydrates (glycogen). However, strength training is not likely to deplete glycogen stores, because a lot of the workout time is spent resting between sets and exercises. Even if the strength workout were long and intense enough to accomplish this task, exercising in a glycogen-depleted state has many negative consequences, including an increase in acidic compounds produced in response to low carbohydrate levels, low blood insulin, hypoglycemia, increased amino acid (protein) metabolism, increased blood and muscle ammonia and a strong perception of fatigue. Currently, no research shows that strength training immediately before a cardio workout increases the amount of fat used during the cardio workout, or vice versa. Most likely, the intensity of the activity, not the mode of exercise, determines the “fuel”—either fat, carbohydrate or protein—that is used. However, if you strength train first, it is possible that muscle fatigue incurred from the strength training could cause them to decrease the intensity of their subsequent cardio workout, thus leading them to expend fewer calories over the workout as a whole.\n\n\nIf the primary goal is to increase aerobic endurance or lose weight, then you should perform cardiovascular exercise first. If the primary goal is to increase muscular strength, then you should perform strength training first. Basically, in order to get the most out of the workout, you should perform the most important type of exercise when he or she is not fatigued. Because many people want to lose weight and increase muscular strength, alternating the order of the workout during different cycles of training is one way to satisfy both goals.\n\nMay 2014 23\n\n\nflat stomach\n\nDiet and exercise for a flat stomach.\n\nStrength training the abdominals is only half the story. You will get a flat stomach only if they combine strength training with cardiovascular exercise to get rid of the fat. Most individuals do not do nearly enough cardiovascular exercise to decrease their body fat percentage to a point where they would see their abdominals. Even when the aerobic exercise stimulus is adequate, the role of diet must not be underestimated. All people with a flat stomach or six-pack have a very low percentage of body fat.\n\nAbdominal crunches are just as effective as any piece of equipment to train the rectus abdominis muscle, the main muscle in the abdominal region. As you improve your abdominal strength, you can make crunches more demanding by performing them on a movable surface, such as a resistance ball.\n\n\n\nMay 2014 21\n\n“If I Lift Weights, Will I Get Bigger Muscles?”\n\nWhether or not you will get bigger muscles (hypertrophy) depends on three basic factors: genetics, gender and training intensity. Genetics is mostly manifested as muscle fiber type; people with predominantly fast-twitch fibers acquire larger muscles more easily than people with predominantly slow-twitch fibers. In relation to gender, males acquire larger muscles than females do, because males have greater amounts of testosterone and other sex hormones that influence protein metabolism (Tipton 2001). Thus, females experience less muscle hypertrophy with strength improvement than males do (Lewis et al. 1986). Training intensity is the only factor you can control.\n\nHypertrophy results from an increase in the number of contractile proteins (actin and myosin, produced by the body in response to training), which in turn increases the size of the muscle fibers.\n\nIf the training goal is hypertrophy, the load lifted should be at least 80 percent of the one-repetition maximum (1 RM), as a general guideline (Zatsiorsky 1995). If you’re not interested in developing larger muscles, keep the load less than 80 percent of 1 RM. However, hypertrophy can be stimulated any time the training intensity is high enough to overload the muscle. Thus, in an unfit person who has never lifted weights before, 60 percent of 1 RM may be enough to cause slight hypertrophy, especially if that person is predisposed to hypertrophy by having a large proportion of fast-twitch fibers.\n\nStay tuned to Fridays post on getting a flat stomach!\n\nMay 2014 19\n\nLast week we explored fat and why we get that way. This week we’ll explore how to lose it without losing our minds.\n\nWhat Is the Best Way to Lose Fat?\n\nActivities that incorporate many muscle groups and are weight bearing use more calories per minute and are therefore better suited for fat loss than non-weight-bearing activities that do not use many muscles.\n\nIt is often assumedintervaltraining that low-intensity exercise is best for burning fat. During exercise at a very low intensity, fat does account for most of the energy expenditure, while at a moderate intensity, fat accounts for only about 50 percent of the energy used. However, since the number of calories used per minute is much greater at a moderate to high intensity than at a low intensity, the total number of calories expended during a moderate- to high-intensity workout is greater than it is during a low- intensity workout of the same duration; consequently, the total number of fat calories expended is also greater during the higher-intensity workout. The rate of energy expenditure, rather than simply the percentage of energy expenditure derived from fat, is important in determining the exercise intensity that will use the most fat. Furthermore, endurance-trained individuals rely less on carbohydrates and more on fat as a fuel source during submaximal exercise (Kiens 1997). Thus, the more aerobically trained you become, the more fat you will use during subsequent exercise sessions.\n\nTo decrease body fat percentage, you do not necessarily have to use fat during exercise. Much of the fat from adipose tissue (as opposed to intramuscular fat, which is primarily used during exercise) is lost in the hours following exercise. Moreover, the amount of fat lost after a workout depends, in part, on the exercise intensity during the workout. Following high-intensity exercise, the rate of fat oxidation is higher than it is following low-intensity exercise (Mulla et al. 2000; Phelain et al. 1997).\n\nBecause you can perform a greater intensity of work if the work is broken up with periods of rest, interval training is a great way to perform high-intensity work and help decrease body fat percentage.\n\nBoth strength training and endurance exercise have been shown to decrease body fat percentage. However, aerobic exercise appears to have a greater impact on fat loss than does strength training (Ballor et al. 1996; Dolezal & Potteiger 1998; LeMura et al. 2000). A combination of endurance and strength training results in more fat loss than either exercise regimen alone (Dolezal & Potteiger 1998), possibly because clients who perform both activities spend more time exercising.\n\nStay tuned for part two on Wednesday!\n\nMay 2014 16\n\nBreaking Down Fat\n\n\n  • pancreas – glucagon\n  • pituitary gland – growth hormone\n  • pituitary gland – ACTH(adrenocorticotropic hormone)\n  • adrenal gland – epinephrine(adrenaline)\n  • thyroid gland – thyroid hormone\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLosing Weight and Losing Fat\n\n\n\n  • Eat a balanced diet – appropriate amounts of carbohydrates, fat and protein\n  • Exercise regularly\n\nNow that we know a lot about fat lets start working on better ways to eliminate it!\nStay tuned as we give you tips and advice for slimming down and feeling better.\nSpecial thanks to for the great info.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5456305742263794}
{"content": "Láthatatlan könyvtár, Könyvespolc\n\n\nPoems translated from the Hungarian\nby Paul Sohar\n\n\nPlayful lexicon with a dada undertone that emphasizes quality of life over art by using art to focus attention on the absurd behavior of the power structure? Yes, this is Géza Szőcs. Imaginative language with a dusting of the surreal characterizes Liberty, Rats and Sandpaper. Even the title of his book effectively irritates the senses and evokes sarcastic emotions. His sensibility is terrestrial, not sentimentally celestial. Szőcs understands that allowing abstract gods and flawed humans to make important life decisions risks leading civilizations down one garden path or another. Flawed deities are created by flawed humans, and Szőcs recognizes this irony:\n\nRain can see itself grow through snow\nas its mirror-mask in the sod  \nthe way weeds can penetrate\nthe dentures of a buried god. \n\nHe also pulls no punches when it comes to demystifying demagogues:\n\nwhen you become the u.s. president\nand with golden water pistols in your pocket\nyou play cops-and-robbers by yourself\nin the corridors of the white house\n\nWelcome to Liberty, Rats and Sandpaper, an intelligent journey through the psyche of one of Hungary’s most innovative and outspoken poets. This book by Géza Szőcs deserves the international attention that it is finally receiving. \n\nAlan Britt, Poet\n\n\n\n\npoet, writer, journalist and politician, was born in Marosvásárhely, Târgu Mureș (Erdély, Transylvania, part of Romania since 1920), in 1953 into the Hungarian community where he was raised.  \n\nHe published his first volume of poetry in 1975 (Kriterion Publishing House, Bucharest) while still a student majoring in Hungarian and Russian at the Babeş–Bolyai University in Kolozsvár, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. After graduation in 1978 he worked for a newspaper until 1979 when he studied at the University of Vienna on a Herder Scholarship for a year. Back in Romania his journalistic and literary career was hampered by harassment from the Securitate, the grim secret police, for his underground activities on behalf of his ethnic minority as well as the human rights of the whole Romanian society. Finally in 1986 he was forced into exile in Switzerland until the regime change. Since then he supplemented his writing career with various political and editorial positions in Hungary.\n\n\n\nKapcsolódó cikk: \nKommentek elrejtése, megjelenítése", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.884229302406311}
{"content": "Informative speech solar power\n\nFull-text (pdf) | despite being a critical component, wiring for solar panels is rarely discussed khyati vyas highlights that cable management is one of the most. Posts about informative speeches written by informative speech final photovoltaic cells in solar panels can absorb the suns rays and produce electricity. Informative speech author: akk7 so the second part would be then to go into alternative sources of power - wind, solar then i did the informative. Energy informative's mission is to educate and empower homeowners about solar panels and energy efficiency like. Short speech on solar the solar energy is one of the most important energy source of the future for energy and power so i draw my speech on solar energy.\n\ninformative speech solar power\n\nRead this essay on informative speech nuclear power has gained wide popularity as one of the most efficient alternative your speech about solar energy can be. Category: informative speech title: informative speech: solar flares. Essays - largest database of quality sample essays and research papers on informative speech solar power. Title : solar energy general purpose : to inform specific purpose : to inform my audience about solar energy central idea : what is solar energy, the advantage of.\n\nOur blog features informative posts and articles on a variety of solar topics we also publish news from the renewable energy industry. Solar energy short speech today i want to talk about solar energy solar power means that we use the energy from the sun to provide us with energy and hot. He has a clear vision for the future of our environment and therefore he found solar informative speech: moore’s law suggests that computing power.\n\nSolar energy informative speech a history of solar power will be discussed as well as the primary types of solar energy that are used today. So i'm giving an informative speech about ethanol this is an informative speech i think solar power and wind farms have potential.\n\nMy own words and make sure to follow the instruction used the template outline no plagiarism [ i have to make it interesting not boring and give a. Next up we have the power of the sun, solar energy how to stay fit in college speech type: informative more about essay about informative speech. Heather smith informative outline michelle talasis topic: solar energy general purpose: to inform specific purpose:to inform the uses of solar energy to my audience. Informative speech outline-2 biogases, solar energy the blades of the wind harness the kinetic energy from the wind and turn it into power b.\n\nInformative speech solar power\n\nIdeas for an essay on renewable energy or alternative energy essay solar power energy ideas for an essay on renewable energy or alternative energy essay. View and download informative speech essays (examples) also discover topics, titles, outlines, thesis statements, and conclusions for your informative speech essay. The ethical obligations for persuasive speakers are even greater than for informative speakers the persuasive use the persuasive speech solar power a it.\n\n  • Start studying persuasive speech learn vocabulary, terms, and states that solar power could provide energy for more than one billion people by 2020 and 26.\n  • Informative speech on solar energy brapple317 informative speech : solar energy - duration: how do solar panels work.\n  • Alternative energy informative speech attention there’s no way you haven’t seen the giant white windmills and street lights equipped with solar panels.\n\nRead this essay on informative speech they hoped that the power of nuclear energy could be harnessed informative speech outlineinformative speech. Brent colbert political science persuasive essay draft affordable and solar power does not have to be very expensive it just has to be invested in we. Transcript of solar energy speech body faster then a speeding bullet, with more heat then a steaming cup of solar panels cost depends on their size and efficiency. Whether giving a speech about the accomplishments of your business team or the benefits of your product, an informative speech communicates interesting, useful and. Learn more about solar power, solar energy applications how a solar panel is made and how solar panels work. View notes - informative speech outline from ba 324 at university of texas introduction attention getter: the sun has been around for as long as i can remember. Speech on solar energy a promising future 2 in the 21st century, solar power has already become part of daily life.\n\ninformative speech solar power informative speech solar power\nInformative speech solar power\nRated 3/5 based on 28 review\n\nSubscribe for Informative speech solar power", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8632012009620667}
{"content": "4-H clover 4-H healthy living projects\n\nHow do you stay fit and healthy? Learn how to get fit, eat right, stay safe and teaching others how to live healthfully. Healthy living lasts a lifetime! \n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6414024829864502}
{"content": "“Just google it …”\n\nSomething I’ve only just recently become aware of is that people don’t know the difference between Google and an internet browser. Now this is a spectacular success for Google (the company) and drives their revenues up a lot, but means that users are potentially missing out on a lot in terms of their internet experience so this short note attempts to address that balance, albeit in a very small way!\n\nHow did this come about? Well principally because Google introduced an app for the iPhone and other smartphones and tablets called (unsurprisingly) … Google. It presents in a nice easy to use interface a way of searching for information on the internet – that is how Google started after all, which is how they also managed to corner the term for searching the internet – “just google it”. [You don’t hear many people saying – “just bing it”, or “just yahoo! it” – in fact in the case of the latter they just gave up and decided to use the Google search engine and ditch their own one.] So … at a stroke, new users to digital devices thought that the way to connect to the internet was through their “Google” app.\n\nNo, no – there is another way that presents you with so many other possibilities and no, no – you don’t have to restrict yourself to using just Google as your search tool. [In an earlier post I described some experiments with using DuckDuckGo and other search engines and I will return to that subject at another time.] So … what might you use?\n\nWell even using Google’s Chrome browser is better than using the Google app on your smartphone or tablet. It probably uses the same software  “under the hood” based on Google’s Open Source Chromium code base but it does offer the possibility of adding extensions, and allowing the use of alternative search engines.\n\nBut what else could you use? On my iOS (Apple mobile devices) I tend to use Apple’s Safari browser. On my desktop/laptop I tend to use Chrome, or Firefox (another Open Source project) from the Mozilla Foundation. Then there’s Microsoft’s Edge – supplied with Windows, or Opera (a lean,  clean browsing machine), or I could be really radical and use something like Brave (and I am) which doesn’t track my browsing history … but I’ll leave that for another day, and for another post.\n\nFor today, the message is simple … don’t use the Google app as your main internet browser, just use it if you want to for simple searches. Find a browser you like and use that … and maybe even choose which search engine to use, it doesn’t need to be Google – I’m using Chrome with DuckDuckGo as I write this. You won’t regret making a change to your internet browsing/searching experience – believe me!\n\n\n\n\nHow does the Internet work?\n\nNow there’s a question. Once upon a time it was a little easier to answer. You connected your computer with a piece of wire to a socket in the wall and beyond the wall was ?? So perhaps it’s not always been easy to answer that question. It’s not magic, it’s not fluffy, it’s actually really complicated technology which works in a relatively simple way to make things relatively easy for us to use it.\n\nLet’s start with a few videos:\n\nHow does the internet work? – This BBC Bitesize page (for children is a really good starting point to help you understand how the internet works) and introduces the terminology you will need to understand the other videos.\n\nHow the Internet Works in 5 Minutes – the internet is not a fuzzy cloud. The internet is a wire, actually buried in the ground. Computers connected directly to the internet are called “Servers,” while the computers you and I use are “clients,” because they are not connected directly to the internet, but through an Internet Service Provider. Routers shuttle packets of information across the internet, and transmit e-mail, pictures, and web pages.\n\nHow Does the Internet Actually Work? – this discusses how internet traffic can be labelled to ensure that packets of data can arrive at their destination with the minimum amount of disruption. It discusses the role of government in all of this and provides a technical background (from Cisco’s point of view) as to what Net Neutrality should be. For an impartial point of view, you should probably look at the policy documents from the Internet Society and Electronic Frontier Federation.\n\nYou might also be interested in seeing a Google Data Centre, in particular the pieces on security and cooling are interesting.\n\nFinally, Andrew Blum (in a TED Global talk) philosophically examines What is the Internet, really? A journey that started for him when he found out a squirrel had chewed through a cable led to him exploring trans-ocean cables and the very physical nature of the internet – a wire!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9667300581932068}
{"content": "\n\nList of 10-letter words containing\n\n\nClick to add a seventh letter\n\nClick to remove a letter\n\nClick to change word size\n\nThere are 20 ten-letter words containing A, M, N, R, U and Y\n\nACRONYMOUS-acronymous adj. Pertaining to the use of acronyms.\nANEURYSMAL-aneurysmal adj. Of, pertaining to, or causing aneurysms.\nCOUNTRYMAN-countryman n. Somebody from a certain country.\ncountryman n. Somebody from one's own country; a fellow countryman, compatriot.\ncountryman n. country dweller, especially a follower of country pursuits.\nINNUMERACY-innumeracy n. An ignorance of mathematics, or an inability to manipulate numbers.\nJOURNEYMAN-journeyman n. a tradesman who has served an apprenticeship and is employed by a master tradesman.\njourneyman n. a competent but undistinguished tradesman, especially one who works, and is paid by the day.\njourneyman n. (sports) a player who plays on many different teams during the course of his career.\nLAUNDRYMAN-laundryman n. A man who is in the business of laundering.\nLAUNDRYMEN-laundrymen n. plural of laundryman.\nMONAURALLY-monaurally adv. In a monaural fashion.\nNURSERYMAN-nurseryman n. A person who rears and sells plants in a nursery.\nPARAMOUNCY-Sorry, definition not available.\nPARONYMOUS-paronymous adj. (semantics) Having the same root or derivation; conjugate.\nparonymous adj. (semantics) Having a similar sound, but different orthography and different meaning.\nPOULTRYMAN-poultryman n. A male poulterer.\nRUMINANTLY-ruminantly adv. In a ruminant manner; by ruminating, or chewing the cud.\nSYNANDRIUM-synandrium n. (botany) An androecium of which the anthers have been fused.\nUNMANNERLY-unmannerly adj. Not mannerly.\nunmannerly adv. In a way that is not mannerly.\nUNMARRYING-unmarrying v. present participle of unmarry.\nUNMILITARY-unmilitary adj. Not military.\nUNMORALITY-unmorality n. (rare) The condition of being unmoral; amorality.\nURANOMETRY-uranometry n. (astronomy) a chart or catalogue of fixed stars, especially of stars visible to the naked eye.\nZYGANTRUMS-Sorry, definition not available.\n\n* Definitions are short excerpt from the Wiktionary.\n\nPrevious List  |  Next List\n\n\nYou like scrabble, visit our websites:\n\nThis site uses web cookies, click to learn more.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8747115135192871}
{"content": "How to Motivate Without Micromanaging\n\nHayley Williams Paramore\n\nIn an attempt to enhance the performance of their team members, many managers decide to micromanage them. However, if you are always telling people what to do, when to do it and how to do it, you deny them the opportunity to think for themselves and make their own decisions. Your team members will feel controlled and powerless, and some could even begin doubting their competence. As a result, they are likely to withdraw and become disengaged.\n\nHere are some of the ways you can motivate your team members without micromanaging:\n\nSee Also: How to Know the Difference Between Effective Management and Micromanagement\n\n1. Make your expectations clear\n\nWhen you fail to clearly articulate your expectations, you might find yourself micromanaging your team members. Therefore, as often as possible, you need to make your expectations clear to everyone. For instance, if you are leading a sales team, everyone should know what their target for the week is. This can be done either through emails or short briefings. Allow the team members to ask questions if they need anything clarified. In addition, you should evaluate your employees regularly and give personal feedback to each.\n\n2. Hire the right people\n\nIf you hire someone who is not competent in their work, you might have to micromanage them in order to get the results you desire. Therefore, to avoid such a situation, be sure to hire the right people. When screening potential employees, you need to gauge their ability to work without supervision. In addition, make sure they have the necessary qualifications and experience for the job at hand. It would also be advisable to get in touch with their references and ask questions regarding their competence.\n\n3. Offer regular training\n\nQuite often, employees fail to perform well in their work due lacking the necessary skills. In such situations, you might have to micromanage them to ensure that the work is done satisfactorily. To avoid this, it would be advisable to carry out regular training to empower your staff. Make sure they are up to date with the latest developments in technology. This will motivate them and greatly enhance their performance.\n\n4. Allow employees to make decisions\n\nOne of the best ways of motivating your employees is by giving them the power to make decisions. This way, they are more likely to ‘own’ their work and become more productive. For example, when beginning a new project, you could meet your team members and ask them to make suggestions about how it should be done. When you implement some of their ideas, they will feel motivated and won’t need to be micromanaged.\n\n5. Encourage inter-person accountability\n\nAnother great way of motivating your employees without micromanaging them is by making people accountable to each other. For example, you can carry out regular surveys where employees are required to give anonymous feedback on the performance of their colleagues, as well as other departments. This culture of accountability is likely to enhance productivity.\n\nSee Also: How to Keep Staff Motivated\n\nMost people don’t work well when their boss is constantly looking over their shoulder. Therefore, it would be advisable to let go of your micromanaging tendencies before you lose your valuable employees.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8670274019241333}
{"content": "Hannah & Elle... having a blast. What could be more fun that sun, surf and sea turtles? Th trip was fantastic. Up close and personal with sea turtles, dolphins, gorgeous fish and even a few sharks. We had so much fun. Days of sun, water, and relaxation. We all have such an affinity for water. We'd never want to live anywhere but on the coast. The ocean is always there for us, just like our sisters... there for each other through it all... the joy, the pain, the heartache, the  triumph. Vacations are the best with sisters. What would a trip be without the laughter and love of our sisters... not as crazy and fun that's for sure. Memories we'll cherish forever!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9985940456390381}
{"content": "Kyber Network (KNC)\n\nPlatform Ethereum\n$0.4018 (1.93%)\n0.00006000  BTC\n\nKyber Network KNC Price Predictions and Forecast\n\nCrosslytics uses a wide variety of math and economic models and laws to predict Kyber Network price for 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. We also add different historical market cases to project how quickly people will adapt to Kyber Network day-to-day use.\n\nOur prediction algorithm showed that the price of KNC coin is highly dependant on it’s technical platform Ethereum.\n\nPredictions are recalculated in real time based on dependencies.\nKNC is a token, so it aims to fund the further development of company’s product.\n\nThe KNC price right now is $0.4018 while a month ago it was $0.5025\n\nKyber Network price dynamics to Bitcoin shows that KNC has been shrinking during the last month.\n\nTo project the future it is helpful to have a look in the past. We added a historical data on public interest around Kyber Network based on Google Search data.\n\nIf you are interested in deeper research and using our aggregated historical data around KNC and other currencies to build your own predictions please contact us.\n\nFAQ Section\n\n  • What is Kyber Network price right now?\n\n    The average KNC price between exchanges is $0.4018 ($0.3285 min, $0.5794 max)\n  • Why is Kyber Network falling?\n\n    KNC is strongly dependent on a general market situation and the position of its current leaders - Bitcoin and Ethereum\n  • Why is Kyber Network going up? How high can it go?\n\n    It is highly dependent on its market adoption speed. You can take a look at our projections, which are based on historical cases of technology adoption\n  • Is Kyber Network going down (dropping)? Will it crash?\n\n    Today's price is Ƀ0.00006011, a week ago it was Ƀ0.00005768, a month ago it was Ƀ0.00007667, We can say that KNC price was falling during last month, but now it’srecovering.\n\nInterest by region\n\nKyber Network Projections based on Technology Adoption Cases\n\nPredictions 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024\nIf Kyber Network has the average YoY growth that the Mobile Phone went through $0.40 $0.40 $0.80 $1.00 $1.61 $2.41 $3.21\nIf Kyber Network has the average YoY growth that Google went through $0.40 $0.61 $0.91 $1.28 $2.10 $3.44 $5.52\nIf Kyber Network has the average YoY growth that the Internet went through by amount of users $0.40 $0.78 $1.64 $2.77 $4.03 $5.73 $6.55\nIf Kyber Network grows according to Moore's law $0.40 $0.80 $1.61 $3.21 $6.43 $12.86 $25.71\nIf Kyber Network has the average YoY growth that Facebook went through $0.40 $0.88 $4.38 $10.96 $25.57 $44.49 $61.73", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9998639225959778}
{"content": "Directive #4, Guide to Completing a Standards Proposal\n\nSubmit proposals to:\n\nChair, FGDC Standards Working Group\nFGDC Secretariat\n590 National Center\nReston, VA 20192\n\nThe FGDC Standards Working Group will review all proposals to determine their usefulness, timeliness, feasibility of development. Amendments to approved proposals may be submitted at any time during the standards development process.\n\nProposals shall contain the following information in the following order:\n\nProject Title - Identify the standard being proposed. The title of the standard should be descriptive of the standards project.\n\nDate of Proposal Include the date of submission of the proposal.\n\nType of Standard Proposed Indicate what type of geospatial data standard is being proposed, as defined in the FGDC Standards Reference Model.\n\nSubmitting Organization Include name of the organization advancing the proposal. This organization does not need to be the same as the development group that will produce the standard.\n\nPoint of Contact Name of a person who can be contacted for questions or additional information related to the proposal\n\nObjectives Explain the purpose of the standard. Indicate whether the proposal is for the endorsement of an existing standard, creation a new standard, or adaption of existing standard(s).\n\nScope Describe the bounds of the standard. Clearly state what the standard will include and for what applications shall it be used, as well as what it will not include and to which applications it will not pertain.\n\nJustification/Benefits Describe why the standard is necessary and what problems the standard will address.\n\nDevelopment Approach Recommend an approach to producing the standard. How will the project group go about developing the standard?\n\nDevelopment and Completion Schedule Outline a plan for development and a schedule for completion of the project. Include the anticipated frequency and durations of meetings and a target date for releasing a draft for public review.\n\nResources Required Identify what human and financial resources will be required to produce the standard.\n\nPotential Participants Identify organizations and individuals that are competent in the subject matter and may have an interest in participating in the development of the standard. Recommend an FGDC subcommittee/working group to lead the standards activity or propose the creation of a new development group.\n\nRelated Standards Identify existing standards that are closely related, or any ongoing standards development activities that may affect this project.\n\nOther Targeted Authorization Bodies Indicate whether the standard is targeted for other standards authorizing bodies, such as ANSI or ISO. Recommend whether the development of the standard should take place within the FGDC, or whether the FGDC should act as coordinator in bringing the standard to another standards body for development.\n\nAmendments to approved proposals shall contain the following information:\n\nProject Title \"Amendment to (title of proposal being amended).\"\n\nDate of Proposal Date of proposal being amended.\n\nDate of Amendment Date of amendment to proposal\n\nPart of proposal being amended Identify the section of the proposal being amended, followed by the revised text.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7125244140625}
{"content": "Skip to main content\n\nÜber dieses Buch\n\nIn den letzten Jahren hat sich der Workshop \"Bildverarbeitung für die Medizin\" durch erfolgreiche Veranstaltungen etabliert. Ziel ist auch 2018 wieder die Darstellung aktueller Forschungsergebnisse und die Vertiefung der Gespräche zwischen Wissenschaftlern, Industrie und Anwendern. Die Beiträge dieses Bandes - einige davon in englischer Sprache - umfassen alle Bereiche der medizinischen Bildverarbeitung, insbesondere Bildgebung und -akquisition, Maschinelles Lernen, Bildsegmentierung und Bildanalyse, Visualisierung und Animation, Zeitreihenanalyse, Computerunterstützte Diagnose, Biomechanische Modellierung, Validierung und Qualitätssicherung, Bildverarbeitung in der Telemedizin u.v.m.\n\n\n\nSystems Medicine\n\nThe Next Generation of Computer-assisted Precision Medicine\n\nRecent advances in modern OMICS technology allow measuring the expression of all kinds of biological entities (genes, proteins, metabolites, miRNAs, etc.) at low cost and in high-throughput. Computational challenges for analyzing such big data emerge, ranging from the low signal to noise ratio to high model complexity, which render simple statistical questions arbitrarily complicated.We will discuss several bioinformatics tools for de-isolating biological networks and multiple OMICS data types: de novo pathway enrichment, in vitro high-throughput screening (HTS) data integration, time-course network enrichment, cancer subtyping, and breath analysis.\n\nJan Baumbach\n\nReinventing Bone Surgery\n\nFrom Planning to Execution of a Hard-Tissue Cut\n\nCutting bones is one of the oldest medical procedures performed to human patients. Thanks to the high mineral content of bone we have archaeological evidence of skull trepanation dating back more than 10.000 years. Despite the rapid development of surgical instruments over the last 200 years, the fundamental mechanism of bone cutting has not changed ever since.\n\nPhilippe Cattin\n\nFrom Mechanistic to Data-driven Models for Surgical Planning, Guidance and Simulation\n\nBiomechanical and biophysical models are key tools in many applications of surgical planning and optimisation, surgical guidance, and interactive simulation for training and rehearsal. The most robust and accurate models usually are those based on the relevant equations of continuum mechanics (solid, fluid, thermal, etc.), and which are generally solved with numerical methods such as FEM. Given high quality patient-specific inputs, these can enable accurate prediction of, e.g., deformations of soft tissues, flow patterns in blood vessels, energy delivery profiles around ablation devices, etc.\n\nZeike A. Taylor\n\nPrecision Imaging\n\nFrom Population Imaging Analytics to In-silico Clinical Trials\n\nMedical image computing is witnessing exciting times. Specifically to this talk, new opportunities and challenges have emerged with the growing availability of large population imaging repositories being collected in the UK, USA, Canada, Germany, and The Netherlands, to name Just a few.\n\nAlejandro Frangi\n\nDeep Learning Fundamentals\n\nDeep learning has received a lot of attention in the machine learning community. Successful applications from speech recognition or computer vision are already part of our daily life. Much effort has been devoted to transferring this success to medical image computing.\n\nKatharina Breininger, Vincent Christlein, Tobias Würfl, Andreas Maier\n\nAdvanced Deep Learning Methods\n\nThe remarkable rise of deep learning has led to an overwhelming amount of new papers coming up by the week. This tutorial intents to filter out the research most relevant for the medical image computing (MIC) community and present it in a structured and understandable form. It is composed of five parts: Classification, Segmentation, Detection, Generative Models and Semi- Supervised Learning.\n\nPaul Jäger, Fabian Isensee, Jens Petersen, David Zimmerer, Jakob Wasserthal, Klaus Hermann Maier-Hein\n\nInnovation Generation, Disruption and Exponential Technologies in Medical Imaging\n\n\nMichael Friebe\n\n\nIn the last 40 years progress in the field of diagnostic and interventional endoscopy (gastroenterology and laparoscopy) have been made, mainly driven through new technical developments from various areas of medical technologies such as optics, micro-mechanics, electronics, robotics, informatics, and image processing. These advances allow soft and gentle minimal-invasive access and interventions in all hollow organs, including the abdomen, stomach, large and small intestines, joints a was well nasal cavities. To accelerate the development and application of such diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities in all fields of endoscopy a understanding of the available technological possibilities is necessary.\n\nThomas Wittenberg\n\nAbstract: Digitale Pathologie für mobile Endgeräte\n\nDigitalisierung spielt im heutigen Zeitalter, besonders in der Medizin, eine entscheidende Rolle. Neben der Radiologie, welche bereits digitalisiert ist, gibt es auch in anderen Fachdisziplinen eine Umstellung bisheriger Workflows. So hat sich auch in den letzten Jahren die digitale Pathologie weiterentwickelt.\n\nHannah Büchner, Ingmar Gergel\n\nAbstract: Digital Cytomorphology\n\nDeep Learning on an Image Data Set of Cell Morphologies in Acute Myeloid Leukemia\n\nExamination of Leukocyte cytomorphology using light microscopy, a method dating back to the nineteenth century, remains an important cornerstone in present-day Leukemia diagnostics.\n\nChristian Matek, Carsten Marr, Karsten Spiekermann\n\nAbstract: First Approaches Towards Automatic Detection of Microaneurysms in OCTA Images\n\nWe investigated automatic detection of micro aneurysms in optical coherence tomo-graphy angiography. Data of two patients was gathered at the New England Eye Center. Patients with diabetic retinopathy were imaged on an Optovue Avanti device.\n\nLennart Husvogt, A. Yasin Alibhai, Eric Moult, James G. Fujimoto, Nadia Waheed, Andreas Maier\n\nAbstract: Automatic Malignancy Estimation for Pulmonary Nodules from CT Images\n\nEarly detection of lung cancer is crucial to increase the chance of cure. As lung cancer often manifests itself in the presence of malignant pulmonary nodules, the assessment of such is of high clinical importance. Lung cancer screening is primarily performed using diagnostic imaging modalities such as CT, while invasive methods such as biopsy are used as a last resort to confirm diagnosis.\n\nKatrin Mentl, Rimon Saffoury, Andreas Maier\n\nAbstract: Amplitude of Brain Signals Classify Hunger Status based on Machine Learning in Resting-state fMRI\n\nResting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) allows for a task-free exploration of the human brain’s intrinsic functional connectivity. Since central nervous pathways regulate food intake and eating behavior, it is assumed that changes in the homeostatic state have an impact on the connectivity patterns of rs-fMRI. Here, we compare the accuracy of three data-driven approaches in classifying two metabolic states (hunger vs satiety) depending on the observed rs-fMRI fluctuations.\n\nArkan Al-Zubaidi, Alfred Mertins, Marcus Heldmann, Kamila Jauch-Chara, Thomas F. Münte\n\nAbstract: Assessment of Segmentation Dependence in Macroscopic Lung Cavity Extraction\n\nTraining of respiratory motion models and population-based patient phantoms of the lung often requires the definition of the entire lung cavity region in the 4D-CT. To ease the workload of clinical experts, automatic selection is highly desirable. Many lung cavity extraction methods rely on a pre-segmented lung volume.\n\nAsmaa Khdeir, Tobias Geimer, Shuqing Chen, Eric Goppert, Maximilian Dankbar, Christoph Bert, Andreas Maier\n\nAbstract: Percutaneous Pelvis Fixation Using the Camera-augmented C-arm\n\nFirst Successes in Ex Vivo Deployment\n\nToday, percutaneous techniques are widely accepted for treatment of bone fractures in spine and pelvis. These techniques are enabled by modern imaging technology, such as mobile C-arm X-ray machines, and allow for substantial reductions in blood loss, collateral tissue damage, and overall surgery duration [1]. While minimally invasive surgery is beneficial for the patient, it increases the task load for the surgeon.\n\nMathias Unberath, Javad Fotouhi, Emerson Tucker, Alex Johnson, Greg Osgood, Nassir Navab\n\nAbstract: Augmented Reality im Operationssaal\n\nDie Integration präoperativer Bilddaten in den Arbeitsablauf im Operationssaal ist eine Herausforderung, die mit immer leistungsfähigeren Bildgebungsverfahren an Dringlichkeit gewinnt. Sie steht unter der Randbedingung, Bildinformationen kontextspezifisch ohne Störung des Eingriffs bereitzustellen.\n\nStephan Vedder\n\nAbstract: Efficient Labeling of Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Data using Eye Tracking\n\nWe implemented an approach for the efficient labeling of structural and angiographic optical coherence tomography (OCT) data using eye tracking. OCT is a non-invasive imaging technology, which provides volumetric data from scattering tissues in micrometer resolution. Due to its widespread use and noninvasiveness, clinicians acquire large amounts of volumetric ophthalmic data on a daily basis.\n\nLennart Husvogt, Eric Moult, Nadia Waheed, James G. Fujimoto, Andreas Maier\n\nAbstract: Leveraging Open Source Software to Close Translational Gaps in Medical Image Computing\n\nMany imaging biomarkers (IBs) fail clinical translation. The main reason is not a lack of utility, but translational gaps [1] during validation and qualification. One important problem in this context is the landscape of existing IT systems in the clinical environment. Systems are highly heterogeneous and proprietary, causing significant translational challenges that are often purely infrastructural in nature.\n\nJens Petersen, Sabine Heiland, Marti Bendszus, Jürgen Debus, Marco Nolden, Caspar J. Goch, Klaus Hermann Maier-Hein\n\n3D-CNNs for Deep Binary Descriptor Learning in Medical Volume Data\n\nDeep convolutional neural networks achieve impressive results in many computer vision tasks not least because of their representation learning abilities. The translation of these findings to the medical domain with large volumetric data e.g. CT scans with typically ≥ 106 voxels is an important area of research. In particular for medical image registration, a standard analysis task, the supervised learning of expressive regional representations based on local greyvalue information is of importance to define a similarity metric. By providing discriminant binary features modern architectures can leverage special operations to compute hamming distance based similarity metrics. In this contribution we devise a 3D-Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) that can efficiently extract binary descriptors for Hamming distance-based metrics. We adopt the recently introduced Binary Tree Architectures and train a model using paired data with known correspondences. We employ a triplet objective term and extend the hinge loss with additional penalties for non-binary entries. The learned descriptors are shown to outperform state-of-the-art hand-crafted features on challenging COPD 3D-CT datasets and demonstrate their robustness for retrieval tasks under compression factors of ≈ 2000.\n\nMax Blendowski, Mattias P. Heinrich\n\nDetecting and Measuring Surface Area of Skin Lesions\n\nThe treatment of skin lesions of various kinds is a common task in clinical routine. Apart from wound care, the assessment of treatment efficacy plays an important role. Fully manual measurements and documentation of the healing process can be very cumbersome and imprecise. Existing technical solutions often require the user to delineate the lesion manually and rarely provide information on measurement precision or accuracy. We propose a method for segmenting and measuring lesions using a single image. Surface area of lesions on bent surfaces is estimated based on a paper ruler. Only roughly outlining the region of interest is required. Wound segmention evaluation was performed on 10 images, resulting in an accuracy of 0.98 ± 0.02. For surface measuring evaluation on 40 phantom images we found an absolute error of 0.32 ± 0.27 cm2 and a relative error of 5.2 ± 4.3%.\n\nHouman Mirzaalian-Dastjerdi, Dominique Töpfer, Michael Bangemann, Andreas Maier\n\nAbstract: Deep Hashing for Large-Scale Medical Image Retrieval\n\nAdoption of content-based image retrieval systems (CBIR) requires efficient indexing of the data contents in order to respond to visual queries without explicitly relying on textual keywords. Searching for similar data is closely related to the fundamental problem of nearest neighbor search. Exhaustive comparison of a query across the database is infeasible in large-scale retrieval as it is computationally expensive [1].\n\nSailesh Conjeti, Magdalini Paschali, Abhijit Guha Roy, Nassir Navab\n\nAbstract: Physiological Parameter Estimation from Multispectral Images Unleashed\n\nMultispectral imaging in laparoscopy can provide tissue reflectance measurements for each point in the image at multiple wavelengths of light. These reflectances encode information on important physiological parameters not visible to the naked eye. Fast decoding of the data during surgery, however, remains challenging.\n\nSebastian J. Wirkert, Anant S. Vemuri, Hannes G. Kenngott, Sara Moccia, Michael Götz, Benjamin F. B. Mayer, Klaus Hermann Maier-Hein, Daniel S. Elson, Lena Maier-Hein\n\nAbstract: Probabilistic Appearance Models for Medical Image Analysis\n\nThe identification of one-to-one point correspondences between image objects is one key aspect and at the same time the most challenging part of generating statistical shape and appearance models. Using probabilistic correspondences between samples instead of accurately placed landmarks for shape models [1] eliminated the need of extensive and time consuming landmark and correspondence determination, and furthermore, the dependency of the quality of the generated model on potentially wrong correspondences was reduced.\n\nJulia Krüger, Jan Ehrhardt, Heinz Handels\n\nAbstract: Robust Multi-Scale Anatomical Landmark Detection in Incomplete 3D-CT Data\n\nAn essential prerequisite for comprehensive medical image analysis is the robust and fast detection of anatomical structures in the human body. To this point, machine learning techniques are most often applied to address this problem, exploiting large annotated image databases to estimate parametric models for anatomy appearance. However, the performance of these methods is generally limited, due to suboptimal and exhaustive search strategies applied on large volumetric image data, e.g., 3D-CT scans.\n\nFlorin C. Ghesu, Bogdan Georgescu, Sasa Grbic, Andreas Maier, Joachim Hornegger, Dorin Comaniciu\n\nAbstract: Exploring Sparsity in CNNs for Medical Image Segmentation BRIEFnet\n\nDeep convolutional neural networks can evidently achieve astonishing accuracies for multiple medical image analysis tasks, in particular segmentation and detection. However, the actual translation of deep learning into clinical practice is so far very limited, in part because their extensive computations rely on specialised GPU hardware that is not easily available in clinical environments.\n\nMattias P. Heinrich, Ozan Oktay\n\nAbstract: Fast MRI Whole Brain Segmentation with Fully Convolutional Neural Networks\n\nWhole brain segmentation from structural MRI-T1 scan is a prerequisite for most morphological analyses, but requires hours of processing time and therefore delays the availability of image markers after scan acquisition. We introduced a fully convolution neural network (F-CNN) that segments a brain scan in several seconds [1]. Training deep F-CNNs for semantic image segmentation requires access to abundant labeled data.\n\nAbhijit Guha Roy, Sailesh Conjeti, Nassir Navab, Christian Wachinger\n\nPatient Surface Model and Internal Anatomical Landmarks Embedding\n\nThe patient surface model has shown to be a useful asset to improve existing diagnostic and interventional tasks in a clinical environment. For example, in combination with RGB-D cameras, a patient surface model can be used to automate and accelerate the diagnostic imaging workflow, manage patient dose, and provide navigation assistance. A shortcoming of today’s patient surface models, however, is that, internal anatomical landmarks are not present. In this paper, we introduce a method to estimate internal anatomical landmarks based on the surface model of a patient. Our method relies on two major steps. First, we fit a template surface model is to a segmented surface of a CT dataset with annotated internal landmarks using keypoint and feature descriptor based rigid alignment and atlas-based non-rigid registration. In a second step, we find for each internal landmark a neighborhood on the template surface and learn a generalized linear embedding between neighboring surface vertices in the template and the internal landmark. We trained and evaluated our method using cross-validation in 20 datasets over 50 internal landmarks. We compared the performance of four different generalized linear models. The best mean estimation error over all the landmarks was achieved using the lasso regression method with a mean error of 12.19 ± 6.98 mm.\n\nXia Zhong, Norbert Strobel, Annette Birkhold, Markus Kowarschik, Rebecca Fahrig, Andreas Maier\n\nComparison of Self-similarity Measures for Multi-modal Non-rigid Registration of 3D-PLI Brain Images\n\nWe introduce self-similarity measures in a spline-based nonrigid registration method. We applied our method to register multimodal 3D polarized light imaging and blockface image data of human and rat brain sections. Quantitative evaluations demonstrate that using self-similarity measures increases the accuracy and robustness compared to a traditional mutual information measure.\n\nSharib Ali, Dehui Lin, Markus Axer, Karl Rohr\n\nTwo-Step Trajectory Visualization for Robot-Assisted Spine Radiofrequency Ablations\n\nRadiofrequency Ablations (RFAs) can be employed for the treatment of spine metastases. Instruments are therefor inserted through the vertebra’s pedicle into cancerous tissue within the vertebral body. This requires high precision during interventions. We present a two-step method to increase risk awareness during intervention planning and execution of manual and robot-assisted spine RFAs. Three medical experts evaluated our method and stated that it yields two advantages: First, improved visualizations for manual interventions and second, increased safety in hand-guided, robot-assisted setups.\n\nNico Merten, Simon Adler, Magnus Hanses, Sylvia Saalfeld, Mathias Becker, Bernhard Preim\n\nUnsupervised Pathology Detection in Medical Images using Learning-based Methods\n\nDetecting pathologies automatically is challenging because of their big variability. As the usual supervised machine learning approaches would only be able to detect one type of pathologies, in this work we pursue an unsupervised approach: learn the entire variability of healthy data and detect pathologies by their differences to the learned norm. Two methods have been developed based on this principle: A modified PatchMatch algorithm shows plausible results on contrasting brain tumors, but bad generalization ability for other types of data. A CVAE-based method on the other hand performs significantly better and ca. 17 times faster on the brain data and can be generalized to other pathologies, e.g. lung tumors. Not only is the achieved Dice coefficient of 0.55 comparable to other supervised methods on this data, moreover this method reliably detects different pathology types and needs no groundtruth.\n\nHristina Uzunova, Heinz Handels, Jan Ehrhardt\n\nClassification of Lobular and Ductal Breast Carcinomas by Texture Analysis in DCE-MRI Data\n\nBreast cancer can be distinguished into several subtypes, where invasive ductal carcinomas (IDC) and invasive lobular carcinomas (ILC) are the two most common subtypes. These two types of tumor grow at a different speed and exhibit different metastatic patterns. Although both types are malignant, they show different treatment results for the same therapy. Accurate distinction between these two subtypes is helpful for determining therapy strategies. In this paper, we classify IDC and ILC based on their characteristic texture features, which are extracted from a three-dimensional co-occurrence matrix. The texture features at different time points are used instead of the features from a single time point. We employ a non-linear support vector machine (SVM) algorithm and a random forests method as classifiers to separate IDC and ILC via their texture features and achieve a high accuracy of the classification result.\n\nKai Nie, Gabriel Mistelbauer, Bernhard Preim\n\nAbstract: Revealing Hidden Potentials of the q-Space Signal in Breast Cancer\n\nMammography screening for early detection of breast lesions currently suffers from high amounts of false positive findings, which result in unnecessary invasive biopsies. Diffusion-weighted MR images (DWI) can help to reduce many of these false-positive findings prior to biopsy. Current approaches estimate tissue properties by means of quantitative parameters taken from generative, biophysical models fit to the q-space signal under certain assumptions regarding noise and spatial homogeneity. This process is prone to fitting instability and partial information loss due to model simplicity.\n\nPaul Jaeger, Sebastian Bickelhaupt, Frederik Bernd Laun, Wolfgang Lederer, Daniel Heidi, Tristan Anselm Kuder, Daniel Paech, David Bonekamp, Alexander Radbruch, Stefan Delorme, Heinz-Peter Schlemmer, Franziska Steudle, Klaus Hermann Maier-Hein\n\nElastic Mitral Valve Silicone Replica Made from 3D-Printable Molds Offer Advanced Surgical Training\n\nReconstructive mitral valve surgeries are demanding cardiac surgeries that are conducted in the mid-age of a surgical career at the earliest. Receiving years of training in patients is required to gain the experiences and skills necessary for surgical success. On top of that, the number of such surgeries is limited per hospital, therefore other means of training should be offered to facilitate a steep learning curve. Within the scope of this work, we equipped an existing physical simulator with patient-specific flexible replica of the mitral valve. We developed software to automatically produce a 3D-printable casting mold for silicone material, as this mimics properties of the valve tissue in terms of stitching and cutting. We show the feasibility of the approach and the usefulness of these models is evaluated by an experienced cardiac surgeon, successfully conducting reconstructive surgery on pathological silicone valves.\n\nSandy Engelhardt, Simon Sauerzapf, Sameer Al-Maisary, Matthias Karck, Bernhard Preim, Ivo Wolf, Raffaele De Simone\n\nSimulation of Realistic Low Dose Fluoroscopic Images from their High Dose Counterparts\n\nLearning based denoising methods have attracted increasing interest in the recent past. These methods rely on data pairs. In the case of denoising, the data pairs are usually noise corrupted images and their noise-free counterparts, if available. Otherwise an associated high-dose X-ray image can be used instead as a practical alternative. As the current image processing techniques are not yet able to provide the necessary image quality at very low dose levels, it is usually not possible to acquire clinical sequences. As variation in the data is extremely important for learning based methods, phantom data alone cannot be used to train a network and achieve optimal performance. A possibility to overcome this issue is to simulate low dose images from the related high dose images. However, to make sure that the simulated low dose images are realistic (replicate the properties of real low dose images), image noise attributes associated with low dose image acquisition need to be taken into account. In their paper we introduce a novel method to simulate low dose images from high dose images based on modelling the X-ray image formation process. This way, we can better account for imaging parameters such as system gain and electronic noise. We have evaluated our method by comparing several corresponding regions of the simulated lower dose images with that of real lower dose images using a two sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test at 5% significance. Out of 40 pairs, in 85% of the cases the hypothesis that the corresponding regions (from the low and simulated low dose images) belong to the same distribution has been accepted.\n\nSai Gokul Hariharan, Norbert Strobel, Markus Kowarschik, Rebecca Fahrig, Nassir Navab\n\nTowards Full-body X-ray Images\n\nDigital tomosynthesis is a tomographic imaging technique whose upsurge is mainly caused by breast imaging. However, it might also be useful in orthopedics due to its high in-plane resolution as well as the fact that tomosynthetic slices do not suffer from magnification or distortion, making measurements possible, for example, even without the need of any calibration object. Since the reading time of such a reconstruction is higher compared to conventional 2-D radiographs, a simple parallel projection of the volume can be computed to get an overview of the volume. However, this leads to a rather blurred image impression since all artifacts and inhomogeneities in the reconstructed volume as well as certain anatomical structures which are not necessary for the diagnosis, will end up in the projection. We propose a method which selects the slices to be projected into a smart synthetic X-ray image in a way which is optimal w.r.t to the sharpness of predefined ROIs (e. g. knee, spine or hip). Therefore, two Laplacian-based auto-focus measures are combined with a thin-plate spline yielding a sharp and homogenous image impression within the smart radiograph. It was shown that the auto-focus method is able to select the same slice as have been selected during an expert annotation. Upon visual inspection, it could be determined that the proposed method achieves higher contrast and clearly better visibility of complex bone structures like spine or hip.\n\nChristoph Luckner, Thomas Mertelmeier, Andreas Maier, Ludwig Ritschl\n\nInfluence of Excitation Signal Coupling on Reconstructed Images in Magnetic Particle Imaging\n\nIn Magnetic Particle Imaging, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles are excited by an oscillating magnetic field that is generated by sending coils. In multidimensional set-ups, perfect geometrical decoupling cannot be achieved. Remaining coupling can distort the trajectory and introduce artefacts, thus active decoupling is introduced at costs of high power consumption. This work uses a device with active coupling control to investigate the influence of different coupling levels on the image reconstruction.\n\nAnselm von Gladiss, Matthias Graeser, Thorsten M. Buzug\n\nA Joint Probabilistic Model for Speckle Variance, Amplitude Decorrelation and Interframe Variance (IFV) Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography\n\nOptical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA) is a general method to visualize blood flow in biological tissue. Despite its good results in practice, the commonly used Amplitude Decorrelation OCTA (AD-OCTA) measure suffers from a well-understood objective function, which makes it challenging to mathematically model post processing tasks like, e.g., denoising. In this paper, a probabilistic model is developed for the three OCTA measures Speckle Variance OCTA, ADOCTA and the newly proposed Interframe Variance OCTA (IFV-OCTA) to enable further tasks like regularization-based denoising. From a theoretical point of view, IFV-OCTA is shown to be in-between the other two methods and can act as a link between them. A small sized observer study suggests that the image quality of IFV-OCTA is comparable to the other methods. IFV-OCTA is a promising OCTA measure for algorithms that require a dependency on the interscan time.\n\nStefan B. Ploner, Christian Riess, Julia Schottenhamml, Eric M. Moult, Nadia K. Waheed, James G. Fujimoto, Andreas Maier\n\nA Simulation Study and Experimental Verification of Hand-Eye-Calibration using Monocular X-Ray\n\nIn this paper, the simultaneous hand-eye/robot-world problem AX = ZB is performed using a single X-ray image instead of a stereo camera in order to avoid the additional tracking device. Our setup consists of a special X-ray marker, several image preprocessing steps, and a monocular pose estimation algorithm, for extracting the 6- D pose of the marker with respect to the X-ray source. Simulations are performed to investigate the behavior of the proposed hand-eye method when including inaccuracies of the robot and the non-isotropic errors of monocular pose estimation. The simulations were evaluated in an experimental setup, reaching an accuracy of 0.06◦ and 0.77mm.\n\nPetra Dorn, Peter Fischer, Holger Mӧnnich, Philip Mewes, Muhammad Asim Khalil, Abhinav Gulhar, Andreas Maier\n\nBackground Correction and Stitching of Histological Plaque Images\n\nHistological examination of atherosclerotic plaques is the gold standard for the analysis of vessel plaque composition. The digitalization of the microscopic histology images results in a set of image tiles with overlapping regions of the same histological 2D slice. To allow comparison with other imaging modalities the tiles must be stitched together to a complete image of the plaque. The purpose of this work is to develop custom processing methods for the intensity correction and stitching problems. The developed methods are applied to 19 plaque images from an ongoing study. Results are compared with manual as well as automatic photo stitching.\n\nLilli Kaufhold, Heike Goebel, Hanieh Mirzaee, Christoph Strecker, Andreas Harloff, Anja Hennemuth\n\nTowards In-Vivo X-Ray Nanoscopy\n\nThe Effect of Motion on Image Quality\n\nNovel X-Ray Microscopy (XRM) systems allow to study the internal structure of a specimen on nanoscale. A possible use of this non-destructive technology is motivated in the medical research area. In-Vivo investigation of medication over a period of time and its effects on perfusion and bony structure might lead to a better understanding of drug mechanisms and diseases like Osteoporosis and could lead to new approaches to their treatment. The first step towards in-vivo XRM imaging is to investigate the suitability of recent XRM systems for this task and subsequently to determine the system parameters. In this context, the impact of mice motion on the image quality is studied in this work. This paper aims to simulate the effects of breathing motion and muscle relaxation of the mice on the reconstructed images, which already effects the projection images. We therefore assume a mouse’s respiration motion pattern, which happens four time during a single projection acquisitions, and the muscle relaxation movement due to anesthesia and simulate its impacts on image quality. Additionally, we show that a frame rate of at least 16 fps is needed to capture in-vivo movements in order to apply state-of-the-art motion correction methods.\n\nLeonid Mill, Bastian Bier, Christopher Syben, Lasse Kling, Anika Klingberg, Silke Christiansen, Georg Schett, Andreas Maier\n\nTowards Fully Automated Determination of Laryngeal Adductor Reflex Latencies through High-Speed Laryngoscopy Image Processing\n\nProtective reflexes of the larynx help to avoid intrusion of foreign particles into the lower airways, which can lead to aspiration pneumonia. These protective mechanisms include the Laryngeal Adductor Reflex (LAR), a rapid adduction of the vocal folds. Up to now, the LAR latency could only be determined manually by visually assessing laryngoscopic high-speed video sequences obtained during and after stimulation of the larynx by water droplet impact. Here, we present a novel image processing algorithm based on difference image calculation and optical flow analysis for a more objective LAR latency determination. To evaluate our prototype algorithm, we compared the results obtained for a set of example sequences with the values given by two expert phoniatricians. The results show a very good LAR stimulation detection performance. LAR onset detection remains challenging for our algorithmic approach as well as for the human perceptive system, as demonstrated by a low inter-rater reliability.\n\nJacob F. Fast, Martin Ptok, Michael Jungheim, Robin Szymanski, Tobias Ortmaier, Lüder A. Kahrs\n\nFourier-based Reduction of Directed Streak Artifacts in Cone-Beam CT\n\nDue to its adjustable scan trajectory, C-arm cone-beam CT has been used recently to acquire knee scans in an upright position. However, stabilization devices located outside the FOV introduce streak artifacts in the reconstructed images. This paper proposes a method to remove those streak artifacts. Using selective filtering of the Fourier transforms of the reconstructions, we propose a filter design that attenuates the frequencies that are responsible for the streak artifacts. The filter is constructed by taking both the frequency and the orientation of the introduced streaks into account. We compare our approach to a bandpass-filter. Our proposed method is able to reduce the streaks in the reconstruction remarkably while preserving edge information, whereas the bandpass-filter is not capable of preserving sharp edges in the filtered image. Moreover, our method yields an improved SSIM when comparing both filter techniques to simulated ground truth data.\n\nJulia Gawellek, Bastian Bier, Garry Gold, Andreas Maier\n\nAn Open Source Tool for Creating Model Files for Virtual Volume Rendering in PDF Documents\n\nVolume rendering is an important technique for medical imaging where many modalities produce three-dimensional (3D) images. An appropriate three-dimensional rendering leads to a better perception of the image content. A major problem is exchangeability: Usually, only two-dimensional, static snapshots of a volume-rendered scene can be distributed electronically. The Portable Document Format (PDF) provides the possibility to embed 3D objects. With suitable reading software, these objects can be displayed interactively. This article presents an open-source implementation of a software tool that is based on the MeVisLab imaging framework and that can convert volume images into model files which can be embedded into PDF files to create a virtual volume rendering.\n\nAxel Newe, Julian Brandner, Wolfgang Aichinger, Linda Becker\n\nComparison of Divergence-Free Filters for Cardiac 4D PC-MRI Data\n\n4D PC-MRI enables the measurement of time-resolved blood flow directions within a 3D volume. These data facilitate a comprehensive qualitative and quantitative analysis. However, noise is introduced, e.g., due to inhomogeneous magnetic field gradients. Blood is commonly assumed as a non-Newtonian fluid, thus, incompressible, and divergence should be zero. Divergence-free filters enforce this model assumption and have been shown to improve data quality. In this paper, we compare binomial smoothing and three of these techniques: The finite difference method (FDM), divergence-free radial basis functions (DFRBF) and divergence-free wavelets (DFW). The results show that average and maximum velocities tend to decrease, while average line lengths tend to increase slightly. We recommend FDM or DFW divergence-free filtering as an optional pre-processing step in 4D PC-MRI processing pipelines, as they have feasible computation times of few seconds.\n\nMickäel Francisco Sereno, Benjamin Köhler, Bernhard Preim\n\nEmploying Spatial Indexing for Flexibility and Scalability in Brain Biopsy Planning\n\nPlanning of deep brain tumor biopsy is a time intensive task and the result highly dependent on tumor position and patient individual anatomy. The decision on the best needle trajectory is generally based on expert knowledge on optimal entry points and angles as well as trajectory length and rigid rules in respect to avoidance of and safety margins to risk structures. The increasing availability of more detailed data on brain anatomy further increases the complexity of the planning task. However, current computer supported planning systems generally work with fixed rules and a limited set of structures at risk. We propose BrainXPlore, a visual analytics based planning tool allowing neurosurgeon to interactively explore and refine the space of possible trajectories in the context of different quality measures and to define custom rules. To ensure interactivity and performance even for a high number of anatomical structures, we employ a spatial index allowing to access distance information for trajectories in real time. We evaluated BrainXPlore on real brain biopsy planning tasks and conclude that our system can decrease the time needed for biopsy planning and aid novice users in their decision-making process.\n\nLukas Pezenka, Stefan Wolfsberger, Katja Bühler\n\nMeasuring Finger Lengths from 2D Palm Scans\n\nA goal of Life Child is to study the development of children and adolescents. The growth of fingers and other palm compartments in this age group has been received little attraction so far. Usually, finger lengths are measured manually even when 2D palm images have been produced. This is often cumbersome for very large studies. In this paper, we introduce an approach to automatically segement palm and finger compartments of scanned 2D palm scans. The scans were taken by a single document scanner with the goal to measure finger lengths. Our algorithms are rotation invariant, automatically recognize hand objects in images using a skin color model, determine the finger segments for that the length from the fingertip to the crease is derived. We outline steps of the image processing pipeline and show first evaluation results\n\nAlexander Twrdik, Ulf-Dietrich Braumann, Franziska Abicht, Wieland Kiess, Toralf Kirsten\n\nTowards Analysis of Mental Stress Using Thermal Infrared Tomography\n\nA number of publications has focused on detecting and measuring mental stress using infrared tomography as it is a noninvasive and convenient monitoring method. Several potential facial regions of interest such as forehead, nose and the upper lip in which stress may potentially be detectable have been identified in previous contributions. However, these publications are not comparable since they all rely on different approaches regarding both experiment design (stressor, ground truth/reference measurements) as well as evaluation methodology such as either average temperature monitoring or advanced image processing methods. We therefore focus on two aspects: Designing an experiment that allows a reliable induction of mental stress and measuring temperature changes in all aforementioned regions as well as on introducing and evaluating a GLCM-based method for quantitative analysis of the recorded image data. We show that signals extracted from the upper lip region correspond well with high stress levels, while no correspondence can be shown for the other regions. The suggested GLCM-based method is shown to be more specific towards stress response than established measurements based on average region temperature.\n\nMarcin Kopaczka, Thomas Jantos, Dorit Merhof\n\nPreliminary Study Investigating Brain Shift Compensation using 3D CBCT Cerebral Vascular Images\n\nDuring a neurosurgical procedure, the exposed brain undergoes an elastic deformation caused by numerous factors. This deformation, also known as brain shift, greatly affects the accuracy of neuronavigation systems. Non-rigid registration methods based on point matching algorithms are frequently used to compensate for intraoperative brain shift, especially when anatomical structures such as cerebral vascular tree are available. In this work, we introduce a pipeline to compensate for the volumetric brain deformation with Cone Beam CT (CBCT) image data. Point matching algorithms are combined with Spline-based transforms for this purpose. The initial result of different combination is evaluated with synthetical image data.\n\nSiming Bayer, Roman Schaffert, Nishant Ravikumar, Andreas Maier, Xiaodong Tong, Hu Wang, Martin Ostermeier, Rebecca Fahrig\n\nAbstract: Patches in Magnetic Particle Imaging\n\nMagnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) is a tracer-based imaging technology [1] with which superparamagnetic nanoparticles can be detected and located using specific magnetic fields. The selection field, a gradient field in form of a field free point (FFP), restricts the area in which particles can be remagnetized. The drive field, a homogeneous and time-varying magnetic field, remagnetizes the particles and moves the FFP. As a result a time dependent signal can be measured and then reconstructed to the actual spatial distribution of the tracer.\n\nMandy Ahlborg, Christian Kaethner, Patryk Szwargulski, Tobias Knopp, Thorsten M. Buzug\n\nPhasenkontrast Röntgen mit 2 Phasengittern und medizinisch relevanten Detektoren\n\nKurzfassung. In den letzten Jahren hat die Forschung zu gitterbasierter Phasenkontrast-Bildgebung mittels Röntgenstrahlen große Fortschritte gemacht. Neueste Ergebnisse zeigen, dass das Absorptionsgitter G2, durch ein zweites phasenschiebendes Gitter ersetzt werden kann und somit die Absorption hinter dem Patienten vermieden wird. Durch die Überlagerung des Selbstabbildes des ersten Phasengitters mit dem zweiten Phasengitter wird eine Schwebung erzeugt, deren Periode ausreichend groß ist, um mit dem Detektor direkt aufgelöst zu werden. In diesem Beitrag wollen wir diesen sogenannten zwei Phasengitteraufbau analysieren. Insbesondere untersuchen wir die Möglichkeiten, solche Aufbauten mit medizinisch relevanten Detektoren zu realisieren. Einen großen Einfluss auf die Ergebnisse hat hierbei die Impulsantwort des Detektors. Mit diesem Wissen wurde die Schwebungsfrequenz bestimmt, die eine möglichst hohe Visibilität liefert. Um die simulierten Ergebnisse zu validieren, wurden Messungen analog zu den Simulationen durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse der Simulation und der Messungen stimmen sehr gut überein.\n\nJohannes Bopp, Michael Gallersdörfer, Veronika Ludwig, Maria Seifert, Andreas Maier, Gisela Anton, Christian Riess\n\nCT-basiertes virtuelles Fräsen am Felsenbein\n\nBild- und haptischen Wiederholfrequenzen bei unterschiedlichen Rendering Methoden\n\nKurzfassung. Im Rahmen der Entwicklung eines haptisch-visuellen Trainingssystems für das Fräsen am Felsenbein werden ein Haptikarm und ein autostereoskopischer 3D-Monitor genutzt, um Chirurgen die virtuelle Manipulation von knöchernen Strukturen im Kontext eines sog. Serious Game zu ermöglichen. Unter anderem sollen Assistenzärzte im Rahmen ihrer Ausbildung das Fräsen am Felsenbein für das chirurgische Einsetzen eines Cochlea-Implantats üben können. Die Visualisierung des virtuellen Fräsens muss dafür in Echtzeit und möglichst realistisch modelliert, implementiert und evaluiert werden. Wir verwenden verschiedene Raycasting Methoden mit linearer und Nearest Neighbor Interpolation und vergleichen die visuelle Qualität und die Bildwiederholfrequenzen der Methoden. Alle verglichenen Verfahren sind sind echtzeitfähig, unterscheiden sich aber in ihrer visuellen Qualität.\n\nDaniela Franz, Maria Dreher, Martin Prinzen, Matthias Teßmann, Christoph Palm, Uwe Katzky, Jerome Perret, Mathias Hofer, Thomas Wittenberg\n\nSegmentierung von Brustvolumina in Magnetresonanztomographiedaten unter der Verwendung von Deep Learning\n\nKurzfassung. Die Segmentierung von Hintergrund und Brustgewebe ist ein wichtiger Teil der Auswertung von Magnetresonanztomographie-Daten der Brust. Normalerweise wird diese von Ärzten manuell durchgeführt. In dieser Arbeit wurde die Segmentierung hingegen mit einer U-net Architektur realisiert. Dabei wurden zwei Netzwerke trainiert und anschließend auf ein unbekanntes Testset, bestehend aus 8 Probandinnen, angewendet. Die so berechneten Segmentierungen wurden dann mit von Ärzten manuell vorgenommenen verglichen. Das erste U-net nutzt keine weitere Vorverarbeitungsmethode und erreicht einen DSC von 0.91±0.09 (Mittelwert ± Standardabweichung). Beim zweiten Netzwerk wurde der N4ITK Bias Correction Algorithmus als Vorverarbeitungsmethode verwendet. Die Masken für N4ITK können sehr grob sein und daher in einer späteren Anwendung von einem Arzt schnell erstellt werden. In dieser Konstellation wurde bei der Segmentierung des Testsets ein DSC von 0.98±0.05 erreicht. Die Segmentierungen benötigen darüber hinaus nach Anfertigung der Masken für den Vorverarbeitungsalgorithmus 14s. Die Methode hat somit das Potential, Anwendung in der medizinischen Diagnostik zu finden.\n\nTatyana Ivanovska, Thomas G. Jentschke, Katrin Hegenscheid, Henry Völzke, Florentin Wörgötter\n\nEinfluss nicht-rigider Bildregistrierung auf 4D-Dosissimulation bei extrakranieller SBRT\n\nKurzfassung. Das Ziel dieser Studie ist der Vergleich nicht-rigider Open Source-Registrierungsalgorithmen (DIR) in Bezug auf ihre Genauigkeit sowie ihren Einfluss auf korrespondenzmodellbasierte 4D-Dosissimulation bei extrakranieller Strahlentherapie (SBRT). Es wurden drei verbreitete DIR-Algorithmen ausgewählt und mittels der DIRLAB-4D-CTDatensätze zunächst ihre Registrierungsgenauigkeit evaluiert sowie Korrespondenzmodelle (regressionsbasierte Korrelation von externen Atemsignalmessungen und internen Bewegungsfeldern) generiert und die Modellpräzision analysiert. Unter Verwendung von zehn Strahlentherapie-Planungs-4D-CT-Datensätzen von fünf Leber- und fünf Lungen-Tumorpatienten wurden dann Korrespondenzmodelle gebildet und im Rahmen einer modellbasierten 4D-Dosissimulation zur Abschätzung der Auswirkungen der patientenindividuellen Bewegungen während der Bestrahlung auf die applizierte Dosis eingesetzt. Berechnete Abweichungen zwischen geplanter und 4D-simulierter Dosisverteilung wurden verglichen und mit der Registrierungsgenauigkeit sowie bekannten klinischen Endpunkten (Lokalrezidiv ja/nein) in Beziehung gesetzt.\n\nNik Mogadas, Thilo Sothmann, René Werner\n\nEffiziente Segmentierung trachealer Strukturen in MRI-Aufnahmen\n\nKurzfassung. Die Segmentierung verschiedener Strukturen im Körper ist eine der grundlegenden Operationen in der medizinischen Bildverarbeitung. In dieser Arbeit werden auf Machine Learning basierende Methoden zur Segmentierung medizinischer Bilder untersucht. Das Ziel ist es, in MRI-Scans die Trachea zu segmentieren. Jedoch soll in dieser Arbeit speziell die Effizienz der Algorithmen im Vordergrund stehen. Die verwendeten Ansätze basierten auf einer Deep Learning Architektur, welche zunächst individuell optimiert wird. Es konnte ein maximaler DICE-Koeffizient von (94.4±2.1)% erzielt werden. Zusätzlich kann festgestellt werden, dass die Segmentierung sehr effizient geschieht. Die Segmentierung von einmen Datensatz aus 40 Schichten dauert dabei weniger als eine Sekunde, wobei bei bisherigen Methoden es über eine Minute benötigte.\n\nTatyana Ivanovska, Philip Dietrich, Catherine Schmidt, Henry Völzke, Achim Beule, Florentin Wörgötter\n\nAbstract: Populationsbasierte 4D Bewegungsatlanten für VR Simulationen\n\nAtembewegte Avatare können in einem kürzlich vorgestellten visuo-haptischen Virtual Reality (VR) 4D-Simulatorkonzept modelliert [1] und GPU-basiert dargestellt [2] werden. Nadelinterventionsimulationen im hepatischen Bereich mit atmenden virtuellen Patientenkörpern sind aktuell ohne die patientenspezifische, dosisrelevante 4D-Datenerfassung nicht durchführbar. Hierbei kann ein populationsbasierter Ansatz zur Modellierung eines gemittelten, übertragbaren (4DAtembewegungsatlas) abhelfen und die Risiken einer dosisrelevanten und teuren Erfassung eines 4D-Datensatzes mindern [3].\n\nAndre Mastmeyer, Matthias Wilms, Heinz Handels\n\nAbstract: Rekonstruktion der initialen Druckverteilung photoakustischer Bilder mit limitiertem Blickwinkel durch maschinelle Lernverfahren\n\nDie Rekonstruktion von Bildern aus unvollständigen Rohdaten ist eine fundamentale Herausforderung in der medizinischen Bildgebung. Dies gilt insbesondere auch für die Photoakustik, einer neuartigen Bildgebungstechnik, welche auf dem photoakustischen Effekt basiert, bei dem durch die Absorption von Photonen aus Laserpulsen im Gewebe Schallwellen ausgelöst werden. Durch den optischen Kontrast der Photoakustik können funktionale Parameter - wie die Blutsauerstoffsättigung - hoch aufgelöst und tief im Gewebe gemessen werden.\n\nDominik Waibel, Janek Gröhl, Fabian Isensee, Klaus Hermann Maier-Hein, Lena Maier-Hein\n\nAbstract: Erweiterung des Bildgebungsbereiches bei der Magnetpartikelbildgebung durch externe axiale Verschiebungen\n\nDie Magnetpartikelbildgebung (engl. Magnetic-Particle-Imaging, MPI) ist eine Bildgebungsmodalität, die auf der Darstellung super-paramagnetischer Nanopartikeln unter Verwendung von statischen und dynamischen Magnetfeldern basiert [1]. Das Bildgebungsverfahren weist eine hohe zeitliche Auflӧsung von über 40 Volumen pro Sekunde auf und ist mit einer Detektionsgrenze von 5 ng Eisen [2] ein hӧchst sensitives Verfahren, mit dem viele medizinische Applikationen adressiert werden kӧnnen. Als Einschränkung ist der, aus Sicherheitsgründen [3] auf wenige Kubikcentimeter beschränkte, Bildgebungsbereich zu nennen.\n\nPatryk Szwargulski, Nadine Gdaniec, Matthias Graeser, Martin Mӧddel, Florian Griese, Tobias Knopp\n\nAbstract: Random-Forest-basierte Segmentierung der subkutanen Fettschicht der Mäusehaut in 3D-OCT-Bilddaten\n\nDie Kryolipolyse ist ein nichtinvasives kosmetisches Verfahren zur lokalen Fettreduktion [1], bei der durch kontrollierte Kühlung selektiv subkutane Fettzellen zerstӧrt werden. Für eine quantitative Evaluation des Verfahrens soll die subkutane Fettschicht in Mäusen segmentiert werden. Für eine Darstellung der Mäusehaut wurde die Optische Kohärenztomographie (OCT) als Bildmodalität genutzt, die eine detaillierte Aufnahme der subkutanen Fettschicht in Mikrometer-Auflӧsung ermӧglicht.\n\nTimo Kepp, Christine Droigk, Malte Casper, Michael Evers, Nunciada Salma, Dieter Manstein, Heinz Handels\n\nTowards Whole-body CT Bone Segmentation\n\nBone segmentation from CT images is a task that has been worked on for decades. It is an important ingredient to several diagnostics or treatment planning approaches and relevant to various diseases. As high-quality manual and semi-automatic bone segmentation is very time-consuming, a reliable and fully automatic approach would be of great interest in many scenarios. In this publication, we propose a UNet inspired architecture to address the task using Deep Learning. We evaluated the approach on whole-body CT scans of patients suffering from multiple myeloma. As the disease decomposes the bone, an accurate segmentation is of utmost importance for the evaluation of bone density, disease staging and localization of focal lesions. The method was evaluated on an in-house data-set of 6000 2D image slices taken from 15 whole-body CT scans, achieving a dice score of 0.96 and an IOU of 0.94.\n\nAndré Klein, Jan Warszawski, Jens Hillengaß, Klaus Hermann Maier-Hein\n\nIdeal Seed Point Location Approximation for GrowCut Interactive Image Segmentation\n\nThe C-arm CT X-ray acquisition process is a common modality in medical imaging. After image formation, anatomical structures can be extracted via segmentation. Interactive segmentation methods bear the advantage of a dynamically adjustable trade-off between time and achieved segmentation quality for the object of interest w.r.t. fully automated approaches. The segmentation’s quality can be measured in terms of the Dice coefficient with the ground truth segmentation image. A user’s interaction traditionally consist of drawing pictorial hints on an overlay image to the acquired image data via a graphical user interface (UI). The quality of a segmentation utilizing a set of drawn seeds varies depending on the location of the seed points in the image. In this paper, we (1) investigate the influence of seed point location on segmentation quality and (2) propose an approximation framework for ideal seed placements utilizing an extension of the well established GrowCut segmentation algorithm and (3) introduce a user interface for the utilization of the suggested seed point locations. An extensive evaluation of the predictive power of seed importance is conducted from hepatic lesion input images. As a result, our approach suggests seed points with a median of 72.5% of the ideal seed points’ associated Dice scores, which is an increase of 8.4% points to sampling the seed location at random.\n\nMario Amrehn, Maddalena Strumia, Stefan Steidl, Tim Horz, Markus Kowarschik, Andreas Maier\n\nTransfer Learning for Breast Cancer Malignancy Classification based on Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MR Images\n\nIn clinical contexts with very limited annotated data, such as breast cancer diagnosis, training state-of-the art deep neural networks is not feasible. As a solution, we transfer parameters of networks pretrained on natural RGB images to malignancy classification of breast lesions in dynamic contrast-enhanced MR images. Since DCE-MR images comprise several contrasts and timepoints, a direct finetuning of pretrained networks expecting three input channels is not possible. Based on the hypothesis that a subset of the acquired image data is sufficient for a computer-aided diagnosis, we provide an experimental comparison of all possible subsets of MR image contrasts and determine the best combination for malignancy classification. A subset of images acquired at three timepoints of dynamic T1-weighted images which closely corresponds to human interpretation performs best with an AUC of 0.839.\n\nChristoph Haarburger, Peter Langenberg, Daniel Truhn, Hannah Schneider, Johannes Thüring, Simone Schrading, Christiane K. Kuhl, Dorit Merhof\n\nTraditional Machine Learning Techniques for Streak Artifact Reduction in Limited Angle Tomography\n\nIn this work, the application of traditional machine learning techniques, in the form of regression models based on conventional, “hand-crafted” features, to streak reduction in limited angle tomography is investigated. Specifically, linear regression (LR), multi-layer perceptron (MLP), and reduced-error pruning tree (REPTree) are investigated. When choosing the mean-variation-median (MVM), Laplacian, and Hessian features, REPTree learns streak artifacts best and reaches the smallest root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 29HU for the Shepp-Logan phantom. Further experiments demonstrate that the MVM and Hessian features complement each other, whereas the Laplacian feature is redundant in the presence of MVM. Preliminary experiments on clinical data suggests that further investigation of clinical applications using REPTree may be worthwhile.\n\nYixing Huang, Yanye Lu, Oliver Taubmann, Guenter Lauritsch, Andreas Maier\n\nClassification of Polyethylene Particles and the Local CD3+ Lymphocytosis in Histological Slices\n\nIn 2014, about 400.000 endoprosthetic operations were performed in Germany [1]. Unfortunately, the lifespan is limited and already after 10 years 5 percent of the patients have primary complaints [2]. All the more important it is to clarify the causes for this failure. One main cause is an immune response to abrasion particles of the implant, an effect which is assumed to be correlated with occurrence and count of CD3+ immune/inflammatory cells [3]. For the further analysis of this effect, computer-aided classification and image analysis methods provide a high value for the medical research. Aim of this work was the development of an threshold-based algorithm for the segmentation of polyethylene abrasion particles and the CD3+ immune/inflammatory response of histological slice images.\n\nLara-Maria Steffes, Marc Aubreville, Stefan Sesselmann, Veit Krenn, Andreas Maier\n\nSynthetic Fundus Fluorescein Angiography using Deep Neural Networks\n\nFundus fluorescein angiography yields complementary image information when compared to conventional fundus imaging. Angiographic imaging, however, may pose risks of harm to the patient. The output from both types of imaging have different characteristics, but the most prominent features of the fundus are shared in both images. Thus, the question arises if conventional fundus images alone provide enough information to synthesize an angiographic image. Our research analyzes the capacity of deep neural networks to synthesize virtual angiographic images from their conventional fundus counterparts.\n\nFlorian Schiffers, Zekuan Yu, Steve Arguin, Andreas Maier, Qiushi Ren\n\nHippocampus Segmentation and SPHARM Coefficient Selection are Decisive for MCI Detection\n\nSpherical Harmonics (SPHARM), when computed from hippocampus segmentation, have been shown to be useful features for discriminatingMCI affected patients from healthy controls. In this paper we assess the impact (i) of using different hippocampus segmentation techniques, among them three out-of-the-box automated segmentation tools and three human raters with different qualification, and (ii) of applying different strategies which SPHARM coefficients to submit to SVM-based two-class classification. We find that both choices are crucial for successful classification.\n\nA. Uhl, M. Liedlgruber, K. Butz, Y. Höller, G. Kuchukhidze, A. Taylor, A. Thomschevski, O. Tomasi, E. Trinka\n\nClassification of Mitotic Cells\n\nPotentials Beyond the Limits of Small Data Sets\n\nTumor diagnostics are based on histopathological assessments of tissue biopsies of the suspected carcinogen region. One standard task in histopathology is counting of mitotic cells, a task that provides great potential to be improved in speed, accuracy and reproducability. The advent of deep learning methods brought a significant increase in precision of algorithmic detection methods, yet it is dependent on the availability of large amounts of data, completely capturing the natural variability in the material. Fully segmented images are provided by the MITOS dataset with 300 mitotic events. The ICPR2012 dataset provides 326 mitotic cells and in AMIDA2014 dataset, 550 mitotic cells for training and 533 for testing. In contrast to these datasets, a dataset with high number of mitotic events is missing. For this, either one of two pathologist annotated at least 10 thousand cell images for cells of the type mitosis, eosinophilic granulocyte and normal tumor cell from canine mast cell tumor whole-slide images, exceeding all publicly available data sets by approximately one order of magnitude. We tested performance using a standard CNN approach and found accuracies of up to 0.93.\n\nMaximilian Krappmann, Marc Aubreville, Andereas Maier, Christof Bertram, Robert Klopfleisch\n\nMarkerless Coil Classification and Localization in a Routine MRI Examination Setting using an RGB-D Camera\n\nIn a routine MRI scan, a radio-frequency (RF) coil must be selected and placed around the region of interest (ROI). This is a crucial step in the workflow as the accurate coil placement is paramount for obtaining high-quality images. However, in the existing workflow, the position of the coil placement on the patient is estimated empirically by the medical technical assistant (MTA). This routine coil placement process has two shortcomings. On the one hand, the expertise of MTA in coil placement, taking the anatomical difference between patients into account, have a huge impact on the accuracy of the coil placement, and subsequently the image quality. On the other hand, the risk of selecting and placing the incorrect coil should be also be acknowledged. To improve the current workflow and provide feedback ahead of the MRI scans, we use an RGB-D camera to acquire extra information. Using the depth images taken before and after placing the coil, we propose a novel method to classify the coil type and localize the coil position during the coil placement process such that the MTA can place the coil correctly and accurately. We trained and evaluated our method over 100 synthetic data sets. We used two types of coils and placed and deformed them differently according to the anatomical region. The evaluation shows that we can classify the coil type without any error, and localize the coil with a mean translational error of 7.1 cm and mean rotation angle error of 0.025 rad.\n\nJanani G. Nadar, Xia Zhong, Andreas Maier\n\nComparative Analysis of Unsupervised Algorithms for Breast MRI Lesion Segmentation\n\nAccurate segmentation of breast lesions is a crucial step in evaluating the characteristics of tumors. However, this is a challenging task, since breast lesions have sophisticated shape, topological structure, and variation in the intensity distribution. In this paper, we evaluated the performance of three unsupervised algorithms for the task of breast Magnetic Resonance (MRI) lesion segmentation, namely, Gaussian Mixture Model clustering, K-means clustering and a markercontrolled Watershed transformation based method. All methods were applied on breast MRI slices following selection of regions of interest (ROIs) by an expert radiologist and evaluated on 106 subjects’ images, which include 59 malignant and 47 benign lesions. Segmentation accuracy was evaluated by comparing our results with ground truth masks, using the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), Jaccard index (JI), Hausdorff distance and precision-recall metrics. The results indicate that the marker-controlled Watershed transformation outperformed all other algorithms investigated.\n\nSulaiman Vesal, Nishant Ravikumar, Stephan Ellman, Andreas Maier\n\nSegmentation of Fat and Fascias in Canine Ultrasound Images\n\nThe connective tissue between fat and muscle termed fascia has been of interest to the recent clinical and biological research. However, in the canine and human medicine, the anatomic knowledge is still limited. To analyze the superficial fascia in canine medicine, a database with around 200 ultrasound images of one dog has been created. The superficial fascia contains fat compartments and is closely connected to the surrounding structures such as the skin’s dermis and the epimysium of the muscles. This work proposes a semi-automatic and fully-automatic segmentation algorithm separating the different layers of ultrasound images of canine. Both algorithms were evaluated on a set of 24 expert-labeled images achieving high accuracy scores up to 95.9%.\n\nOleksiy Rybakov, Daniel Stromer, Irina Mischewski, Andreas Maier\n\nManifold Learning-based Data Sampling for Model Training\n\nTraining data sampling is an important task in machine learning especially for data with small sample size and data with nonuniform sample distribution. Dividing data into different data sets randomly can cause the problem that, the training model covers only parts of the sampled cases and works inaccurately for weakly sampled cases. Recent research showed the benefit of manifold learning techniques in medical image processing. In this work, we propose a manifold learning based approach to improve the data division and the model training. We evaluated the proposed approach using an atlas registration framework and a deep learning framework. The final segmentation results using methods with and without data balancing were compared. All of the final segmentations were improved after implementing the manifold learning based approach into the frameworks. The largest improvement was 24.4%. Thus, the proposed manifold learning based approach is effective for the model training.\n\nShuqing Chen, Sabrina Dorn, Michael Lell, Marc Kachelrieß, Andreas Maier\n\nComputer-aided Detection of the Most Suitable MRI Sequences for Subsequent Spinal Metastasis Delineation\n\nDetection and segmentation of vertebral metastases is a crucial step for support of diagnosis and treatment planning, especially in minimally invasive interventions. Even though computer-assistant tools will not dispense radiologists yet, algorithmically supported detection and segmentation of spinal metastases will play a more and more important role in the near future. The usage of images, where a sufficiently good differentiation between metastases and surrounding tissue is possible, constitutes a critical requirement for successful segmentation procedures. Therefore, we proposed a pipeline, that semi-automatically sorts out unsuitable imaging sequences, as well as combinations of different images via absolute intensity difference images and returns a ranking based recommendation of which image data fits best the requirements for future segmentation tasks. We evaluated our method with 10 patient cases and matched the produced ranking with those of a segmentation field expert. With an average Spearman’s ranking coefficient of 0.92±0.07, our method showed promising results and could be a valueable pre-processing step to speed up clinical segmentation procedures due to omitting the time-consuming manual initialization of choosing suitable image data.\n\nGeorg Hille, Steffen Serowy, Klaus Tönnies, Sylvia Saalfeld\n\nAbstract: Deep Residual Learning for Limited Angle Artefact Correction\n\nUsing non-conventional scan trajectories for Cone Beam (CB) imaging promise low dose interventions and radiation protection to the personal [1]. The here investigated circular tomosynthesis yields good image quality in two preferred directions, but introduces limited angle artefacts in the third. The artefacts become more severe, the smaller the half tomo angle α gets.\n\nAlena-K. Schnurr, Khanlian Chung, Lothar R. Schad, Frank G. Zöllner\n\nAbstract: AngioUnet\n\nA Convolutional Neural Network for Vessel Segmentation in Cerebral DSA Series\n\nDas U-net [1] ist eine vielversprechende Architektur für Segmentierungsprobleme im Bereich der Medizin. Wir zeigen, wie sich diese Architektur effektiv auf die Segmentierung von zerebralen DSA Zeitserien anwenden lässt. Durch die Erweiterung der Eingabe auf mehrere Bilder wird es möglich besser zwischen Gefäsen und Hintergrund zu unterscheiden.\n\nChristian Neumann, Klaus-D. Tönnies, Regina Pohle-Fröhlich\n\nAbstract: Measuring Muscle Contractions from Single Element Transducer Ultrasound Data using Machine Learning Strategies\n\nBeing aware of the correct execution of certain fitness exercises (e.g. squats) is important for rehabilitation and sports athletes alike. Thus, being able to noninvasively distinguish between contracted and relaxed muscle states is crucial. Measurements using optical systems (movement tracking) or kinetic approaches (muscle circumference) only provide information from the body surface with varying accuracy.\n\nLukas Brausch, Holger Hewener\n\nAbstract: Automated Segmentation of Bones for the Age Assessment in 3D MR Images using Convolutional Neural Networks\n\nThe age assessment is a complicated procedure used to determine the chronological age of an individual who lacks legal documentation. Actual studies show that the ossification degree of the growth plates in the knee joint represents a suitable indicator for the majority age. To verify this hypothesis a high number of datasets have to be analysed.\n\nMarkus Auf-der-Mauer, Paul-Louis Pröve, Eilin Jopp, Jochen Herrmann, Michael Groth, Michael M. Morlock, Ben Stanczus, Dennis Säring\n\nAbstract: OCT-OCTA Segmentation\n\nA Novel Framework and an Application to Segment Bruch’s Membrane in the Presence of Drusen\n\nIn this work, a novel paradigm for segmenting optical coherence tomography (OCT) and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is presented [1]. Since it uses OCT and OCTA information jointly it is called “OCT-OCTA segmentation” and its usefulness is demonstrated by segmenting the Bruch’s Membrane (BM) in the presence of drusen. Therefore a fully automatic graph-cut algorithm was developed and evaluated by comparing the automatic segmentation results with manual segmentation in 7 eyes (6 patients; 73.8 ± 5.7 y/o) with nascent geographic atrophy and/or drusen associated geographic atrophy.\n\nJulia Schottenhamml, Eric M. Moult, Eduardo A. Novais, Martin F. Kraus, ByungKun Lee, WooJhon Choi, Stefan B. Ploner, Lennart Husvogt, Chen D. Lu, Patrick Yiu, Philip J. Rosenfeld, Jay S. Duker, Andreas K. Maier, Nadia Waheed, James G. Fujimoto\n\nHuman Pose Estimation from Pressure Sensor Data\n\nIn-bed motion monitoring has become of great interest for a variety of clinical applications. In this paper, we introduce a hashbased learning method to retrieve human poses from pressure sensors data in real time considering temporal correlation between poses. The basis of our approach is a multimodal database describing different in-bed activities. Database entries have been created using an array of pressure sensors and an additional motion capture system. Our results show good performance even in poses where the subject has minimal contact with the sensors\n\nLeslie Casas, Chris Mürwald, Felix Achilles, Diana Mateus, Dietrich Huber, Nassir Navab, Stefanie Demirci\n\nForce-feedback-assisted Bone Drilling Simulation Based on CT Data\n\nIn order to fix a fracture using minimally invasive surgery approaches, surgeons are drilling complex and tiny bones with a 2 dimensional X-ray as single imaging modality in the operating room. Our novel haptic force-feedback and visual assisted training system will potentially help hand surgeons to learn the drilling procedure in a realistic visual environment. Within the simulation, the collision detection as well as the interaction between virtual drill, bone voxels and surfaces are important. In this work, the chai3d collision detection and force calculation algorithms are combined with a physics engine to simulate the bone drilling process. The chosen Bullet-Physics-Engine provides a stable simulation of rigid bodies, if the collision model of the drill and the tool holder is generated as a compound shape. Three haptic points are added to the K-wire tip for removing single voxels from the bone. For the drilling process three modes are proposed to emulate the different phases of drilling in restricting the movement of a haptic device.\n\nJohannes Maier, Michaela Huber, Uwe Katzky, Jerome Perret, Thomas Wittenberg, Christoph Palm\n\nDirect Volume Rendering in Virtual Reality\n\n\nIngrid Scholl, Sebastian Suder, Stefan Schiffer\n\nAutomatic Multi-modal Cervical Spine Image Atlas Segmentation\n\nUsing Adaptive Stochastic Gradient Descent\n\nA personalized medicine has been advanced in different fields of medicine to combat, control and prevent a number of diseases. In personalized medicine, products are customized and only suitable for a specific patient. In spinal surgery, medical images are taken into account to implant spinal devices with the aim of minimizing the risk of insufficient implant fit. A model of the spine is generated from these images and used in biomechanic framework to simulate the effect of the customized implant on a specific patient.To generate such a model, an efficient and practical segmentation method is needed which is proposed in this paper. The large deformation of human spine and the touching boundaries of neighboring vertebrae make the problem of spine segmentation very challenging. The classical segmentation methods e.g. thresholding or region growing fail to separate different vertebrae. The state of the art methods using shape models require a long time for training and testing. A new method for automatic multi-modal cervical spine segmentation is proposed in this paper. The proposed method requires only a few seconds to segment a specific vertebra or the whole cervical spine. It is provided as Slicer 3D plug-in which is free and open-source. The public datasets available fail to provide high quality MRI cervical spine images. Another contribution of this study is providing a high quality multi-modal cervical spine public and free dataset.\n\nIbraheem Al-Dhamari, Sabine Bauer, Dietrich Paulus\n\n\nA Tool for Massive Cell Annotations in Whole Slide Images\n\nLarge-scale image data such as digital whole-slide histology images pose a challenging task at annotation software solutions. Today, a number of good solutions with varying scopes exist. For cell annotation, however, we find that many do not match the prerequisites for fast annotations. Especially in the field of mitosis detection, it is assumed that detection accuracy could significantly benefit from larger annotation databases that are currently however very troublesome to produce. Further, multiple independent (blind) expert labels are a big asset for such databases, yet there is currently no tool for this kind of annotation available. To ease this tedious process of expert annotation and grading, we introduce SlideRunner, an open source annotation and visualization tool for digital histopathology, developed in close cooperation with two pathologists. SlideRunner is capable of setting annotations like object centers (for e.g. cells) as well as object boundaries (e.g. for tumor outlines). It provides single-click annotations as well as a blind mode for multi-annotations, where the expert is directly shown the microscopy image containing the cells that he has not yet rated.\n\nMarc Aubreville, Christof Bertram, Robert Klopfleisch, Andreas Maier\n\nAutomated Containerized Medical Image Processing Based on MITK and Python\n\nA Modular System to Implement Medical Image Processing Pipelines and Visualize Meta Data\n\nModern medical image processing employs an ever widening array of tools on an ever larger pool of data. Development of the tools takes place on a variety of different platforms, determined by external circumstances, such as the availability of necessary functionality as libraries forcing the use of a specific programming language or interdependencies of third party tools requiring specific versions of specific operating systems. This problem itself is not unique to medical imaging[1] and solutions such as Docker have proven themselves useful in a variety of use cases.\n\nCaspar J. Goch, Jasmin Metzger, Martin Hettich, André Klein, Tobias Norajitra, Michael Götz, Jens Petersen, Klaus H. Maier-Hein, Marco Nolden\n\n\nSegmentation and quantification of cell nuclei is an important task in tissue microscopy image analysis. We introduce a deep learning method leveraging atrous spatial pyramid pooling for cell segmentation. We also present two different approaches for transfer learning using datasets with a different number of channels. A quantitative comparison with previous methods was performed on challenging glioblastoma cell tissue images. We found that our transfer learning method improves the segmentation result.\n\nThomas Wollmann, Julia Ivanova, Manuel Gunkel, Inn Chung, Holger Erfle, Karsten Rippe, Karl Rohr\n\nStitching Pathological Tissue Images using DOP Feature Tracking\n\nThis contribution introduces an approach for stitching multiple images of a histological slide to a panorama image using Differences of Paraboloids (DOP). DOP provides a novel method for the detection, description and matching of features of two overlapping images. In our context of manual whole-slide imaging (WSI), DOP extracts essential keypoints of an image and describes them with feature vectors considering the keypoint’s neighborhood. The DOP feature vector of the current image is then matched against the feature vectors of all previous images. With matching correspondences, a feature based image registration is generated that estimates the translation between two overlapping images. Likewise, all images are aligned to form a whole-slide panorama. Our results reveal a superior stitching quality employing the presented DOP approach in comparison to the well-known SIFT and SURF. Our evaluation is based on the homogeneity at the artifically created edges in the panorama due to the stitching. The DOP offers a convincing solution to stitch pathological tissue.\n\nMatthias Bergler, Maximilian Weiherer, Tobias Bergen, Malte Avenhaus, David Rauber, Thomas Wittenberg, Christian Münzenmayer, Michaela Benz\n\nMotion Artifact Detection in Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy Images\n\nConfocal Laser Endomicroscopy (CLE), an optical imaging technique allowing non-invasive examination of the mucosa on a (sub)- cellular level, has proven to be a valuable diagnostic tool in gastroenterology and shows promising results in various anatomical regions including the oral cavity. Recently, the feasibility of automatic carcinoma detection for CLE images of sufficient quality was shown. However, in real world data sets a high amount of CLE images is corrupted by artifacts. Amongst the most prevalent artifact types are motion-induced image deteriorations. In the scope of this work, algorithmic approaches for the automatic detection of motion artifact-tainted image regions were developed. Hence, this work provides an important step towards clinical applicability of automatic carcinoma detection. Both, conventional machine learning and novel, deep learning-based approaches were assessed. The deep learning-based approach outperforms the conventional approaches, attaining an AUC of 0.90.\n\nMaike Stoeve, Marc Aubreville, Nicolai Oetter, Christian Knipfer, Helmut Neumann, Florian Stelzle, Andreas Maier\n\nVariational Networks for Joint Image Reconstruction and Classification of Tumor Immune Cell Interactions in Melanoma Tissue Sections\n\nImmunotherapy is currently revolutionizing the treatment of cancer. Detailed analyses of tumor immune cell interaction in the tumor microenvironment will facilitate an accurate prediction of a patient’s clinical response. The automatic and reliable pre-screening of histological tissue sections for tumor infiltrating immune cells (TILs) will support the development of TIL-based predictive biomarkers for checkpoint immunotherapy. In this paper, a learning approach for image classification is presented, which allows various pattern inquires for different types of tissue section images. The underlying trainable reaction diffusion model combines classification and denoising. The model is trained using a stochastic generation of training data. The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated for immunofluorescent and for Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) stained melanoma section images. A particular focus is on the classification of TILs in the proximity to melanoma cells in an experimental melanoma mouse model and in human melanoma. This new learning approach for images of melanoma tissue sections will refine the strategy for the practical clinical application of biomarker research.\n\nAlexander Effland, Michael Hölzel, Teresa Klatzer, Erich Kobler, Jennifer Landsberg, Leonie Neuhäuser, Thomas Pock, Martin Rumpf\n\n\nIn this paper, we reformulate the conventional 2-D Frangi vesselness measure into a pre-weighted neural network (“Frangi-Net”), and illustrate that the Frangi-Net is equivalent to the original Frangi filter. Furthermore, we show that, as a neural network, Frangi-Net is trainable. We evaluate the proposed method on a set of 45 high resolution fundus images. After fine-tuning, we observe both qualitative and quantitative improvements in the segmentation quality compared to the original Frangi measure, with an increase up to 17% in F1 score.\n\nWeilin Fu, Katharina Breininger, Roman Schaffert, Nishant Ravikumar, Tobias Würfl, Jim Fujimoto, Eric Moult, Andreas Maier\n\nLung Vessel Enhancement in Low-Dose CT Scans\n\n\nTo reduce the patient’s radiation exposure from computed tomography scans (CT), low-dose CT scans can be recorded. Several image processing methods exist to segment or enhance the lung blood vessels from contrast-enhanced or high resolution CT scans, but the reduced contrast in low-dose CT scans leads to over- or under-segmentation. Our LANCELOT method combines maximum response and stick filters to enhance lung blood vessels in native, low-dose CT scans. We compare our method with the vessel segmentation and enhancing methods from Frangi and Sato et al. Our method has two advantages that were confirmed in an evaluation with two clinical experts: First, our method enhances small vessels and vessel branches more clearly and second, it connects vessels anatomically correct, while the others create discontinuities.\n\nNico Merten, Kai Lawonn, Philipp Gensecke, Oliver Großer, Bernhard Preim\n\nWhole Heart and Great Vessel Segmentation with Context-aware of Generative Adversarial Networks\n\nAutomatic segmentation of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) is an important application in clinical tasks. However, semantic segmentation of the myocardium and blood pool in CMR is a challenge due to differentiating branchy structures and slicing fuzzy boundaries. In this paper, we propose an automatic deep architecture for simultaneous myocardium and blood pool segmentation on patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). Inspired by vanilla generative adversarial networks (GANs), we propose a cascade of conditional GANs for semantic segmentation. The proposed cascade has three stages that are designed to share convolutional features and weights. Each stage has a conditional generative adversarial network with a unique loss function and trains on different images from the same patients. We further apply AutoContext Model to implement a context-aware generative adversarial network. The proposed method evaluated on the HVSMR dataset and the experimental results demonstrated the superior performance of our approach.\n\nMina Rezaei, Haojin Yang, Christoph Meinel\n\nImpact of Gradual Vascular Deformations on the Intra-aneurysmal Hemodynamics\n\nThe treatment of intracranial aneurysms based on stentassisted coiling often leads to local vascular deformations. Patient-specific data of an aneurysm in the pre interventional and follow-up state is used to interpolate intermediate vessel-aneurysm configurations. Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations are performed in order to quantify the effect of vessel deformation on the blood flow. Results reveal gradual changes in the blood flow patterns shifting the load on the aneurysm wall from the dome to the neck region. Based on this novel concept, it is possible to virtually evaluate how different types of stents can improve or impair the treatment goal of reducing the intra-aneurysmal blood flow.\n\nSamuel Voß, Patrick Saalfeld, Sylvia Saalfeld, Oliver Beuing, Gabor Janiga, Bernhard Preim\n\nMyocardial Twist from X-ray Angiography\n\nCan we Observe Left Ventricular Twist in Rotational Coronary Angiography?\n\nWe present preliminary evidence that left ventricular twist can be observed and thus estimated from rotational coronary angiography. Our method is based on an ellipsoidal parametric model initially developed for functional analysis of cardiac tagged MRI. First, we fit the model to 3D coronary artery centerlines reconstructed from rotational angiography and then use 3D/2D registration to optimize for the functional parameters driving the model. On two clinical acquisitions, we show that our method is able to recover cardiac motion indicated by an average reduction in reprojection error of 28.1±3.0%. Analysis of the functional progression of the functional parameters over time reveals radial and longitudinal contraction, and left ventricular twist. We believe that these results are exciting and encourage improvement of the proposed method in future work.\n\nTobias Geimer, Mathias Unberath, Johannes Höhn, Stephan Achenbach, Andreas Maier\n\nAbstract: Retrieval of Attenuation Values by the Augmented Likelihood Image Reconstruction in the Presence of Metal Artefacts\n\nMetal implants are able to cause severe artefacts in CT images due to physical effects such as scattering, total absorption, noise, or beamharding. Typically, the reconstructed images feature dark shadows around high-density objects as well as bright and dark streaks that may reduce the diagnostic value drastically. Within an extensive evaluation, the novel algorithm Augmented Likelihood Image Reconstruction has proven to reduce occurring artefacts accurately [1].\n\nMaik Stille, Christian Ziemann, Florian Cremers, Dirk Rades, Thorsten M. Buzug\n\nAbstract: Efficient Epipolar Consistency\n\nEpipolar consistency (EC) is one of the simplest consistency conditions in cone-beam computed tomgraphy. It describes redundant line integrals between any two projection images. Its simplicity is an advantage for practical implementation and applications for calibration and motion correction in FDCT.\n\nAndré Aichert, Katharina Breininger, Thomas Köhler, Andreas Maier\n\nMagnetic-Particle-Imaging mit mehreren Gradientenstärken\n\nDie Magnetpartikelbildgebung (engl.Magnetic-Particle-Imaging,MPI) ist ein tomografisches Bildgebungsverfahren mit dem super-paramagnetische Nanopartikel mit einer hohen zeitlichen Auflösung visualisiert werden können [1]. Die räumliche Auflösung und die Größe des Bildgebungsbereiches hängen direkt mit der genutzten Gradientenfeldstärke zusammen. Bei einer hohen Gradientenfeldstärke kann zwar eine sehr gute räumliche Auflösung erreicht werden, gleichzeitig verringert sich allerdings der Bildgebungsbereich.\n\nPatryk Szwargulski, Nadine Gdaniec, Tobias Knopp\n\n3D Adaptive Wavelet Shrinkage Denoising while Preserving Fine Structures\n\nBy this contribution we tackle the challenge of denoising MRI image data while preserving fine structures. Log-Gabor wavelets offer a good compromise between spatial and spectral resolution, thus allowing to extract the local phase at all image voxels. Shrinking only the complex-valued wavelet response vectors at different scales and orientations leaves the essential phase information undistorted. We propose an adaptive shrinking threshold based on supervoxels and also based on the amount of texture in a particular image region. Therefore, the proposed adaptive 3D technique preserves fine structures and outperforms existing methods in terms of peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR)/structural similarity (SSIM) in cases of elevated noise perturbation.\n\nCosmin Adrian Morariu, Alice Eckhardt, Tobias Terheiden, Stefan Landgräber, Marcus Jäger, Josef Pauli\n\nAbstract: QuaSI – Quantile Sparse Image\n\nA Prior for Spatio-Temporal Denoising of Retinal OCT Data\n\nOptical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a standard non-invasive imaging modality widely used in opthalmology. Due to its high spatial resolution OCT has become a standard imaging technique. However, speckle noise caused by photon interference during the acquisition is its major drawback.\n\nFranziska Schirrmacher, Thomas Köhler, Lennart Husvogt, James G. Fujimoto, Joachim Hornegger, Andreas K. Maier\n\nErratum zu: Bildverarbeitung für die Medizin 2018\n\nA. Maier et al. (Hrsg.), Bildverarbeitung für die Medizin 2018, Informatik aktuell, Reihenfolge der Autoren war in der Orginalversion dieser Beiträge vertauscht. Die korrekte Reihenfolge wird hier dargestellt:An Open Source Tool for Creating Model Files for Virtual Volume Rendering in PDF DocumentsJulian Brandner, Axel Newe, Wolfgang Aichinger, Linda BeckerSegmentierung von Brustvolumina in Magnetresonanztomographiedaten unter der Verwendung von Deep LearningThomas G. Jentschke, Katrin Hegenscheid, Henry Völzke, Florentin Wörgötter, Tatyana IvanovskaEffiziente Segmentierung trachealer Strukturen in MRI-AufnahmenPhilip Dietrich, Catherine Schmidt, Henry Völzke, Achim Beule, Florentin Wörgötter, Tatyana IvanovskaDer Originalbeitrag wurde korrigiert.\n\nAndreas Maier, Thomas M. Deserno, Heinz Handels, Klaus H. Maier-Hein, Christoph Palm, Thomas Tolxdorff\n\nErratum zu: Amplitude of brain signals classify hunger status based on machine learning in resting-state fMRI\n\nErratum zu:Kapitel 13 in: A. Maier et al. (Hrsg.),Bildverarbeitung für die Medizin 2018,Informatik aktuell, incorrect version of the article by Al-Zubaidi et al. was initially published. The original version has been retracted, and the correct version of the article has been published (under doi online and in the print version of this book. The original version has been updated to indicate the retraction, and the correct version is now the version of record.\n\n\n\nWeitere Informationen\n\nPremium Partner\n\nNeuer Inhalt\n\nBranchenIndex Online\n\n\n\n\nBest Practices für die Mitarbeiter-Partizipation in der Produktentwicklung\n\nJetzt gratis downloaden!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8890208601951599}
{"content": "We are BS EN ISO 9001 certified.\n\nTurbo Dynamics have almost three decades experience in turbo design and manufacture of hybrid turbochargers, including one off bespoke and retrofit applications. \n\n\n\n\nTurbo Dynamics manufactures turbochargers to exact design specifications – the turbos are built with absolute accuracy to their original designs.\n\nTurbochargers are mass produced and as a result of this the clearances have a tolerance they must sit within. Blueprinting involves specialist machining to ensure all clearances are built to a lower tolerance. This means, for instance, the piston ring oil seals will fit tighter and therefore seal better, or the bearings will have less float enabling a better balance of the rotor assembly.\n\nBlueprinting helps the turbocharger be more reliable and is a process we incorporate in every hybrid turbo we build.\n\nTo learn more about blueprinting call us today on 01202 487497 or fill in our contact form here.\n\nAt Turbo Dynamics we have full in-house 3D CAD facilities, including SolidWorks stress analysis, which means we can produce turbocharger designs in 3D and analyse the stress upon the turbo.\n\nThis particularly useful tool teamed with our extensive resource of technical drawings and wealth of technical expertise means we can offer a comprehensive turbo design service.\n\nCAD or computer aided design and CAM, an acronym for computer aided manufacturing, creates physical models, this is helpful when TD need to check a part or component against other parts for proper fit. In order to generate the actual model, CAM works alongside CAD using CAD designs, CAM uses numerical coding to run the machine that creates the product. A CAD/CAM package allows us to develop and save our own products designs, and program our machines to create the actual component.\n\nTo learn more about CAD / CAM call us today on 01202 487497 or fill in our contact form here.\n\nAs well as designing and manufacturing a turbo for your retrofit application, Turbo Dynamics can offer a range of retrofit products and accessories for your project, including oil and water fittings, oil flanges, exhaust inlet and outlet flanges, gaskets and silicone hoses.\n\nIf you are thinking about carrying out a conversion on a naturally aspirated engine, the following modifications and specifications of the engine would need to be changed to effectively complete the retrofit:\n\n• Fabrication of both inlet and exhaust manifolds to fit the specific application.\n\n• Engine compression ratio to be checked and lowered where necessary, ideally this would be between 7.5:1 and 8.5:1 to allow significant boost pressure to be used. This can be achieved in two ways, machining of the standard pistons or preferably fitting of forged low compression pistons.\n\n• Camshaft specification should also be checked to ensure that the duration and valve overlap is not too great for the application. Ideally this would be a camshaft of mild duration and overlap.\n\n• The fuel system i.e. injectors, fuel pump pressure and mapping of the ignition system would also need to be modified for the increased requirements of the turbocharger.\n\nTo specify the correct turbocharger for a retrofit application the following considerations also need to be made: engine capacity;maximum RPM; application or usage i.e. street car/drag/race etc; projected horse power and torque requirements; boost pressure requirements; and if the engine is to be intercooled or chargecooled...\n\nWe recommend anyone considering retrofit to first source a conversion specialist (some of our Trade Customers specialise in retrofitting) to seek advice and a quote from them as retrofits can be very costly!\n\nTo learn more about retrofit turbocharger applications call us today on 01202 487497 or fill in our contact form here.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5211140513420105}
{"content": "The dorms at OTS are divided into three levels, one for each student squadron (Tigers, Hoyas, Goldhawks). The rooms can support up to three people per room, but most people when I went through only had one roommate and some people ended up in rooms by themselves as people dropped out. Your experience may vary.\n\nThe OTS complex - your whole world for 9.5 weeks.\n\nThe OTS complex – your whole world for 9.5 weeks.\n\nOn each level of the dorm there is a common area that can be used for student squadron commander’s calls, announcements, study time or group meetings. There are printers, ice machines, coffee machines (once you earn the right to drink caffeine) and other common supplies in various stages of functioning or not functioning.\n\n\nYour room should not look like this, but probably will on the weekends.\n\nIn the rooms there are two sinks with a mirror and medicine cabinet, as well as storage under the sink. If you have one roommate you’ll each have your own sink. There is a toilet and shower that you’ll share. Two closets, but one is big enough to hold two people’s things if you have three people in the room. There are three desk/hutch combos for you to work on your studies, and one bunk bed, with a single twin bed for the third person. There’s storage under the beds, and a set of three chest of drawers to hold all of your clothes.\n\nAn example of your sock drawer.\n\nAn example of your sock drawer.\n\nThere is a “dorm bible” that will tell you how to arrange all of your clothing and required items in the room. They must all be folded a certain way and organized in drawers and closets in a certain way. The printed guides are very poor quality, sometimes have missing pages, and are difficult to read and understand at times, so do the best you can and ask for clarification from flight-mates or squadron-mates if necessary.\n\nEvenly spaced hangars.\n\nEvenly spaced hangars.\n\nThe room will have to be cleaned and in “unused” condition every day before you leave for class. This basically means it should look like you don’t actually live there. No water in the shower or sinks, clean mirrors, clean towels, clean floors, no dust anywhere, everything where it should be. You may find a squeegee helpful in keeping your shower dry after you use it in the morning. Also, the Hoyas (can’t speak for the other squadrons) had a system of using “dirt towels”, old towels that former OT’s had left behind, to sop up water. These dirt towels were then left in the laundry room and washed at night during nightly cleaning details.\n\nYou get sleep when and where you can.\n\nYou get sleep when and where you can.\n\nDining Facility\n\nThe dining facility is located in the center of the OTS campus, and is where you’ll eat most of your meals with the exception of the occasional MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) or boxed breakfast in the dorms or at a field location. The food is standard cafeteria food, including a salad bar, soup of the day, three options of hot entrees, sides like vegetables and mashed potatoes, a make your own sandwich bar, and a wide selection of beverages and desserts.\n\nThe only restrictions on what you can eat or drink is that you can’t drink caffeine until you have been approved to do so by your flight commander. For prior-enlisted, this will be a change since you couldn’t eat dessert in BMT but can in OTS. An average selection of desserts includes several kinds of pie, several kinds of cake, pudding, Jell-O, soft serve ice cream, fruit cobbler, sugary drinks, and pop-tarts/granola bars which you can later take with you from the cafeteria upon flight commander approval.\n\nSimilar to BMT, there are many strict procedures for entering and exiting the dining facility, as well as how to get your food, walk with your food, sit down at a table, eat your food, and clean up your table. These procedures are detailed in the OTSMAN, but you’ll have a hands-on lesson every meal until you learn it.\n\nAs for time, I felt like you are given quite a bit more time to eat than at BMT, though this has apparently changed at BMT and they have plenty of time to eat now. There were a few times where I was rushed to finish my meal, but usually I was able to finish at a relatively urgent pace.\n\nGilbert Hall\n\nGilbert Hall is the academic building, which has two large auditoriums for group lectures, as well as the flight rooms where each flight will receive instruction from their flight commander. The flight rooms are your home base, you’ll return to these rooms throughout the day and they will be your default location when you don’t need to be anywhere else. As you phase up, you can decorate these rooms with flare for your squadron, and you’ll see all of the decorations left by previous classes.\n\n\nA flight room, where most of your lessons are taught.\n\nThe academic building also houses the administrative offices for personnel and medical workers, as well as all of the commissioned staff that run OTS.\n\nVarious buildings\n\nThe Dojo\n\nThe Dojo\n\nThe dorms, dining facility, and Gilbert Hall is where you’ll spend 99% of your time at OTS. There are a few other locations of interest throughout the complex such as the “dojo” which is a covered astroturf surface where you’ll do PT and combatives (hand to hand combat training), volleyball courts, running tracks, and parade field.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5308318138122559}
{"content": "September 10, 2018, by Rupert Knight\n\nHomework – what is it and is this what we really want it to be?\n\n\n\n\nHomework is an increasingly commonplace activity in the UK’s primary schools and thus in homes across the land. In this post, Rachel Lehner-Mear considers how homework is currently conducted and asks whether there might be a better approach.\n\nWhy are we setting homework?\n\nAs the new school year gets under way, the practice of setting homework for primary aged children will raise its head again in classrooms and households across the country. As teachers scrabble to locate or create tasks which can be sent home, parents will echo the communal cry “have you got any homework today?”\n\nAlthough most of the current cohort of primary school teachers and parents will not have had formal homework themselves at primary age (aside from perhaps a school reading book), homework as a substantive approach to developing primary children’s skills and improving their learning has gained momentum since the late 1990s, embedded as it is within a range of debates such as the call for increased parental involvement in education and the performativity and accountability agendas now directed at all schools. Ofsted expectations that ‘outstanding’ schools ‘set challenging homework’ (Ofsted Handbook) and government policy which advocates parental responsibility for even the youngest child’s educational development, all play into creating pressures both for primary schools to set homework and for parents to support its completion.\n\nIndeed, the Millenium Cohort Study, which tracks the experiences of 19,000 children born in the Year 2000, reported in 2010 that 98% of 7 year olds in the cohort were in receipt of regular homework. That’s a lot of children, a lot of homework tasks set, and a lot of additional pupil hours spent focussing on schoolwork outside the school day.\n\nSo, as a nation, we must be pretty sure that homework is really important and effective … mustn’t we …?\n\nWhat is homework?\n\nDespite the tide in favour of setting homework, as a practice it remains ‘woolly’. Because governments have always left the decision about what homework ‘looks like’ down to individual schools (indeed, in 2012 the reins were further loosened when the suggested targets for each year group’s time on homework were abandoned from official policy), often speaking more generally of its importance for encouraging parental involvement and developing broader skills like independence and self-motivation, typical primary school homework tasks can vary enormously in design, expectations, length and frequency.\n\nSome schools set highly structured, school-like tasks such as spellings, worksheets and times tables; some offer a range of pick-and-choose tasks, or set projects on class topics; still others, have ‘farmed out’ homework to online programmes, like maths-based ones which require rehearsal and speedy recall of skills and facts. The purpose of each of these homework ‘forms’ varies widely, as do the resources and time required to complete them (and that’s before we consider the thorny question of whether they actually achieve what was intended). Even the level of expected parental engagement could be wildly different task-to-task. What counts as homework in one school, for one group of children and their parents, can be hugely different to that which is experienced by pupils and parents in neighbouring schools. This can even vary teacher to teacher, especially where Heads have devolved decision making about homework practices from a whole school approach down to individual teachers. Homework is both commonly practised and huge in its variation.\n\nResearch by Medwell and Wray (2018) which asked teachers what homework was for and then investigated what they actually set, revealed that across the profession there are discrepancies not only in what teachers think about homework, but in what they believe its function to be, with some professionals even stating homework’s purpose as one thing whilst setting tasks which cannot fulfil the outcome they are seeking. Homework is, then, something of a confused and confusing beast.\n\nWhat is the confusion around homework?\n\nOn the surface homework appears simple and obvious: it is work set by the teacher, which, in the primary years at least, is carried out at home, often with parental support. Yet my own recent research into mothers’ views revealed a wide spectrum of beliefs about homework, to which mothers ascribed many different purposes. Some even claimed its absence from their child’s life would cause serious disadvantage in later years, both educationally and personally.\n\nThis confusion about what homework is for, or what it should look like, is underscored by social disquiet in the practice itself. Media articles about the value and appropriateness of homework appear periodically in both the popular and broadsheet papers, with emotive titles like ‘Homework Damages Primary Age Pupils’ (The Telegraph, 2014). Anyone who casually asks a group of parents what they think of homework cannot fail to notice the strength of feeling that arises, both from those in favour of it and those against. Homework is widespread and yet it is simultaneously contentious.\n\nHere, then, is the conundrum: why do ‘we’ (governments, teachers, parents) think these many, varied and perhaps contentious activities will achieve such critical things? Homework is something we feel we should ‘do’ but we haven’t really decided what we want it to ‘be’.\n\nSo what does the academic literature tell us?\n\nSince less research has been carried out into primary homework than secondary, the picture we have is somewhat incomplete, though what has been studied, on balance, gives homework a negative report. Respected names in the field tend to agree that primary homework’s impact, on academic outcomes at least, is highly limited. The ‘father’ of US homework research, Harris Cooper, in his book aimed at education professionals, The Battle Over Homework, concluded that primary homework’s effect on learning was ‘trivial’, whilst respected UK educationalist John Hattie told BBC Radio 4 programme The Educators that primary homework’s impact is ‘around zero’. (You can listen to his reasons in this podcast). Indeed, there is a wide and growing popular literature, some of it written by academics, which argues for the deathknell of primary homework altogether. (See texts by Alfie Kohn, Etta Kralovec and John Buell, and others). Yet still the practice continues, as though its relevance has been undeniably proved. It is as though we have all simply said homework? Quod erat demonstrandum!\n\nWhere next?\n\nAs all those young children across the country settle down tonight at the kitchen table, in their bedroom, or kneeling on the living room floor, their books open and their pencils poised, let us as professionals give careful thought towards what we are trying to achieve with these daily, or weekly homework challenges. I acknowledge that, despite its unconvincing pedagogic standing, there are huge pressures on teachers to conform to expectations for setting homework. However, perhaps it is worthwhile taking hold of its current ‘non statutory’ status to make it work for children. In the absence of any data which shows that current primary homework practices have an impact on learning, let us stand aside from the downward pressure to set homework ‘for homework’s sake’ – because this satisfies only government policy, Ofsted expectations and traditional school practices – and instead protect the young minds in our care from learning only that homework is a chore. Let us use homework, instead, for something different, something that is, dare I say it, fun?\n\nAs practitioners who wish to develop young minds, and in the absence of a statutory obligation to produce a certain ‘type’ of homework, we can, I feel certain, devise tasks which will inspire children. After all, wouldn’t that answer the question of what homework should be?\n\nIf you have tried out innovative homework practices which have inspired the pupils in your class, please share them here!\n\n\n\nCooper, H (2007), The Battle over Homework, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage\n\nHattie, J (2014), The Educators. Podcast. 20th August 2014. London: BBC\n\nLehner-Mear, R (under review), Good Mother, Bad Mother? Revealing Mother Perspectives on Primary School Homework\n\nMedwell, J and Wray, D (2018), Primary Homework in England: the beliefs and practices of teachers in primary schools, Education 3-13, DOI:10.1080/03004279.2017.1421999\n\nOfsted (2018), School Inspection Handbook: Handbook for inspecting schools in England under section 5 of the Education Act 2005, Manchester: Ofsted\n\nThe Millennium Cohort Study website can be found here.\n\nPosted in Uncategorized", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9465843439102173}
{"content": "A Review Of The Book Half-Cut, A Police Thriller By Arnold Eslava-Grunwaldt\n\nA complex mystery, combining thrilling police action and great characters, what more could a fan of the genre look for?\n\nA police thriller that is as clever as it is suspenseful; Half-Cut makes a noticeable entrance into the ever-growing genre of police thrillers. Author Arnold Eslava-Grunwaldt delivers with this debut novel, which is a well-orchestrated thriller that builds in intrigue, portrays sympathetic characters, and introduces readers to central character Detective Sergeant Hamilcar \"Ham\" Hitchcock, a seasoned and wise detective on the Yonkers, NY police force.\n\nReaders will find themselves immediately drawn into the intense world of Detective Sergeant Hitchcock, as he finds himself called to the residence of Bernard \"Barney\" Bloemker. At first glance, it appears that Barney died of a heart attack. However, something seems out of place with the corpse when it is noted that half his head has been shaved bald. Barney's unconventional haircut did not match the plain interior set up within his apartment. The mystery continues to grow, as another oddity about poor Barney's corpse arises. The medical examiner notices a telltale sign of arsenic poisoning indicating that a much more sinister scenario was beginning to unfold; Bloemker's death may have been murder.\n\nConsequently, Hamilcar Hitchcock and his team of detectives go into action. His squad is a hearty group of distinct personalities who work arduously to solve the deepening enigma of the Bloemker case. Altogether, not an easy case by any means, the detectives struggle to make headway with the investigation of Barney Bloemker's death while simultaneously managing their own internal struggles. Meanwhile, more \"half cut\" bodies turn up. Is there a connection between the deaths or, is there a serial killer loose in Yonkers? Hitchcock and his team find themselves facing these questions and more with this bizarre murder case that reaches deep into the past, but affects the present, in dangerous, and dramatic ways.\n\nAs a whole, Half-Cut was an exciting read that I recommend to fans of police thrillers. I enjoyed being immersed in the unique storyline and watching the drama unfold while being made privy to the inner workings of a police investigation as it ran afoul of human nature at its worst and best. The thoughtful characterizations were solid, realistic and emotionally evocative which helped to make this book a worthy read. Overall, Author Arnold Eslava-Grunwaldt told a good story and I look forward to the next book in the series", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8639097213745117}
{"content": "Prison Architect like game\n\nNew Member\nRegistered: 2015-01-29\nPosts: 1\n\n\n\nIs it possible to use RTS for a game like Prison Architect where the user is changing tiles and constructing rooms or is a better idea to use a different system due to the dynamic nature of the tiles in that game?\n\nIn case RTS is well suited for the task, wich is the best way to handle \"the rooms\" and its contents? For the contents, I think the better solution is using sprites, but I'm not sure how to implement \"rooms\".", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9952859878540039}
{"content": "Tuesday, August 7, 2018\n\nBeat the Heat 5 Pillar Style!\n\nBy Lisa Sussman, Psy.D.\nHealth Psychologist\n\nHere we are in the dog days of summer. Typically, July and August are the warmest times of year in the U.S. While it’s great to have warmth and longer days, by now we may be itching to cool down a bit, or at least regulate our bodies amidst relentless heat. At times, we may find ourselves overheated, both physically and mentally. At Hackensack Meridian Integrative Health & Medicine, we view health from our Five Pillar model: Sleep, Activity, Purpose, Nutrition, and Resilience. Let’s take a look together at how we can beat the heat through the perspective of the Five Pillars of Health and Well-Being.\n\nSleep: The ideal room temperature for sleep is between 60 – 67 degrees Fahrenheit.  Studies have shown that temps above 75 degrees can disrupt sleep.  To stay cool through the night and foster a good night’s sleep, use air conditioning, fans, cotton sheets, a light blanket, and light cotton pajamas. Pack up that winter quilt! There are also mattress pads and gel mats that can be purchased which provide a layer of coolness on the mattress.  Another point to consider about sleeping in summer is that our eating, exercising and overall activation time may happen later in the evening due to vacations, longer days, and increased socializing.   Try to put at least 3 hours between eating a meal and exercising before going to bed to optimize your sleep.  Alcoholic drinks also impact quality of sleep and tend to disrupt sleep.  When socializing, we can be mindful about what we are consuming, when, and how that may affect our sleep that night.  Carve out a wind-down period of 30-60 minutes between the evening activity and going to bed to relax the body and mind and initiate our melatonin production for sleep.\n\nActivity: Current guidelines (American Heart Association and others) recommend 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, or a combination of both. How can we get this in during summer while minimizing our risk of getting overheated or having heatstroke? Exercising outdoors and participating in social or team sports gives an extra boost to our mood, releasing endorphins and even oxytocin, so plan to get out there either early in the morning, or after dinner, when the weather is cooler. Summer is also a great time to change our exercise routine, so try things such as biking and swimming. On stormy days or when it doesn’t work to be out in the cooler parts of the day, hit the gym with a fun class, yoga, or strength workout, or break out a fitness DVD in the house.\n\nPurpose: While managing the dog days of summer, it’s important to infuse sparks of joy and meaning into the hot and sometimes energy-draining days.  What can we do in the summer that we can’t do as easily the rest of the year?  There may be more time for meaningful volunteer work and giving back, and enjoying more gatherings with family and friends.  Take that vacation or stay-cation!  Go watch the sunrise and take a walk on the beach (my personal favorite thing to do in the summer) before heading to work. When it’s too hot to be outdoors, stay in the cool house and enjoy that book we’ve been meaning to read or tackle the home improvement or craft project that’s been on our list.\n\nNutrition: Summer = more sweat = drink more water! Every day we should be drinking water equal to at leaset half of our body weight in ounces. Here in August, we need to make sure we are staying hydrated, and cool water does that best. Keep it fresh and appealing by adding slices of fruit or cucumber. Drink or make sparkling water for a change up, flavoring it yourself to stay away from chemicals and sugar. Ayurvedic teachings point us in the direction of consuming cooling foods in summer while staying away from spicing it up too much. Naturally sweet, bitter, and astringent foods are good choices. Go for ripe fruits such as cherries, peaches, pineapples, avocados and mangos, as well as green leafy veggies, asparagus, sweet potatoes, and green beans. Spices like mint and cilantro will help keep us cool.\n\nResilience:  Prolonged heat not only affects us physically, but can impact our mood as well.  The term “hot and bothered” comes to mind.  Emotionally, we may feel drained and irritable when it seems like there’s no escape from the heat, or when the events we attend are overly crowded.  To get balanced, incorporate daily activities that increase joy, and spend some quiet time in thought, meditation, or listening to music.  Whatever it takes to “cool down”!  Try some activities such as taking a cool bath with lavender essential oil, riding the waves in the ocean, digging your feet in the sand, walking in a shady park, or chilling on a raft or kayak.  Take a few minutes to breathe slowly and deeply, then imagine with all of your senses being at the beach, in the water, or somewhere cool.  The brain will get the “cooling” message and the body will physiologically start to respond, providing a respite and balance.  \n\nWe can use the Five Pillars of Health and Well-being to make the most out of the last few weeks of summer, keeping cool, healthy, and happy.   Enjoy!\n\nFor further information about the Five Pillars of Health & Well-Being and taking care of your mind, body, and spirit, visit our website at HackensackMeridianHealth.org/IntegrativeMedicine or call 732-263-7999 to make an appointment! \n\nTuesday, July 31, 2018\n\nSummer Simplicity\n\nBy Kathleen Welshman RN-BC, BA, NBC-HWC\nIntegrative Nurse Health Coach\n\nSummer reminds us of simpler times, being carefree, running barefoot on the beach or in the grass. Close your eyes and visualize that, what do you see? What feelings does that evoke? Hear the waves crashing on the beach, the seagulls chirping and the smell of salt air, the warm breeze on your face……aaah, yes, summer has arrived. Perhaps you have feelings of freedom and not a care in the world, if only for that moment. A simple time.\n\nWarmer weather often means flip flops, shorts and tank tops. Minimal clothing for comfort. As we have moved into the season of summer, perhaps we can begin to look at what we can pare down, besides our clothing. What can we minimize and simplify in our life? Often stress comes from too much “stuff.” Clutter can take many forms, it is not just physical. It can be toxic relationships, unhealthy attachments, emotional baggage or anything that causes overwhelm. We can even clutter our minds with our own to-do lists. We have become a society that thinks “more is better” and “busy is best.” We are always on, always connected. But at what cost do we stay on that fast track? We often rush through tasks, trying to get them done, so we can go on to the next thing. Or rush to drive somewhere, so we can hurry to the next destination. Have you ever stopped to think about what madness this all is? At the end of the day there is often a feeling of pure exhaustion and stress.\n\nWe hear words like de-clutter, simplify, minimize, limit, edit, purge…….what does this all mean and what is the benefit? When asked what he wanted for Christmas this past year, my son’s response was, “We don’t need any more stuff mom, we want experiences.” Well this spoke volumes to me and led me to look more into the art of minimizing. There are many benefits to living a simpler life. You may find yourself feeling less stress, more at ease. Discover what’s important, what you value, what’s your passion and find more meaning and purpose in your life. Do what brings you joy! Perhaps spend less time online and really connect with those you love. Don’t forget to also spend time alone. Living more simply can help us to live more consciously, more deliberately, perhaps even a more purpose-driven life. What adds value to your life? Consider streamlining your life, your closets and your to-do list. The benefits will astound you!\n\nFind inner simplicity. Create a peaceful calm, rather than chaotic confusion. Be aware of the calmness you feel when your surroundings and your head are clear of clutter. Simplify your goals; you will feel less stress and more successful as you meet each goal, one at a time! Be mindful. Be present. Be here now.\n\n“Whatever the tasks, do them slowly and with ease, in mindfulness. Don’t do any task in order to get it over with. Resolve to do each job in a relaxed way, with all your attention.\" --Thich Nhat Hanh\n\nVisit www.HackensackMeridianHealth.org/IntegrativeMedicine or call 732-263-7999 to learn more about Hackensack Meridian Integrative Health & Medicine and our Five Pillars of Health & Well-Being.\n\nTuesday, July 24, 2018\n\nThis Summer, Soak Up The Slow\n\nBy Judson Chaney, ND, Lac\n\nThis summer, make time to soak up some slow.\n\nYes, in case you were wondering, that wasn’t a typo. Summer time is a natural time of high energy and activity. The sun is out, the days are warm and long, and winter thankfully, seems ages away. Life is in bloom all around us and that energy helps to fuel and supercharge our days.  \n\nIn continuing our emphasis on mindfulness in daily life, I recommend prioritizing some time to slow down this summer. Whether enjoying a day off, a weekend, or taking a vacation, remind yourself to slow down a little and enjoy. It may seem like common sense, but have you ever come back from a day off or a vacation feeling like you need a vacation? Maybe you needed to slow down a little bit...\n\nThe modern world, for most of us, is already filling the corners and spaces of our days that used to be used for daydreams. Our minds have many constant competitors for our attention, and as such are frequently occupied. Coupled with the natural fast paced energy of the season, it is no wonder summer can feel like it is over before it begins.  \n\nSo do yourself a favor this summer - make it last; soak up the slow. Check the sky more and your phone less.  Compare sunrise to sunset to see if one is more beautiful. Go for a walk. Count fireflies. Notice how the flowers grow and change. Do what you love, and allow yourself the space and time to love it.  Above all, remind yourself to slow down and enjoy. Summer is here, let’s make it last.  \n\n\nTuesday, July 17, 2018\n\nWhy Do Massage Therapists Always Tell Me to Drink Water?\n\nBy Amy Grutzmacher, LMT\nLicensed Massage Therapist\n\nAs a rule of thumb, it’s good to remember that drinking water in general encourages proper hydration which will help the kidneys and other organs process the various substances that move through the human body regularly.\n\nDrinking water before a massage is recommended because a hydrated, soft muscle is easier to manipulate then a dehydrated, rigid one. Picture one of your muscles as a sponge. A dried up sponge is hard and rigid but once it’s submerged in water, it becomes supple. Our muscles also soak up water like a sponge and become more pliable with hydration.\n\nIt’s beneficial to drink water after your massage because as the massage therapist manipulates your muscles, substances are released. Drinking water post massage helps the body flush out any accumulated materials that were released during the massage. This is especially pertinent in deep tissue and therapeutic massage as massage stimulates circulation in the body while expressing water, salt and other minerals from the muscles. Circulation is designed to carry away waste materials. You can help sweep away these waste materials by drinking water.\n\nMassage can be dehydrating. The manipulation of muscles can deplete them of water. By drinking water, you can rehydrate your muscles for the same reason you’d drink water after exercise and other forms of exertion because when the muscles are worked, they can lose water and electrolytes.\n\nSo, it is true you should drink water before and after massage because your body is using water at a faster rate, but the key is to be drinking enough water every day. Water is vital for every function that occurs in the body and necessary to maintain healthy, hydrated muscle tissue.\n\n\nTuesday, July 10, 2018\n\nThe Key to Unlocking an Enriching Life\n\nBy Marjorie Catone, BSN, RN, CCRN-CSC\nIntegrative Nurse Health Coach\n\nI always thought my purpose in life was to be a mother. What could bring more joy to one’s life other than nurturing, raising and protecting your babies in a healthy and happy home? To carry an unborn child, to feel the tiny, miraculous movements from inside that nobody else in the world could feel. To connect with the spirit of a child who was about to uncover a world of their own. My life was complete with the birth of my second child. I had a fulfilling job where I was fortunate to work part-time in order to be home primarily to raise my children. My husband owned a thriving gym which was constantly expanding in space and popularity. I had a happy, loving marriage. What else more could I want?\n\nUntil, one day, something happened that changed my life forever. My only son, 20 months old, had passed away, suddenly and unexpectedly. I can remember the feelings that followed in the days and months that passed. Feelings of emptiness, loneliness, depression, confusion and the yearning to just hold him once again. The simplest things like getting out of bed in the morning, preparing meals, completing household tasks, attending friends and relatives parties all seemed unsatisfying, difficult and unbearable. However, I had my four-year-old daughter that needed me so I had a choice to make. I could continue to live with my head hanging low in the shadows of the days or use this crisis to thrive and live a more fulfilling and purposeful life.\n\nSometimes we find our life purpose when we are under a crisis such as an illness, death, divorce, retirement, or job loss. However, this crisis can become a catalyst for a purpose we never envisioned possible. Most of us tend to take life for granted and get lost in the busy and stressful days of the everyday hustle and bustle of life until a crisis wakes us up and forces us to ask some big questions. “Why am I here?”, “What is my purpose in life?”, “What do I want to achieve while I am here?” We end up letting go of petty concerns, conflicts and the need for control and begin to truly realize that life is short and every moment is precious. At our lowest moments and times of suffering, our heartbreaking situations that arise cause us to revisit our stories which ultimately reawaken us and help us see life a little more clearly. Previous importance’s fade in significance. As the dust settles and the fog lifts, we begin to see the true importance of life.  \n\nResearch has shown that having an authentic purpose in life creates better health outcomes. It can be important to overall brain health and well-being and make you less prone to illness and disease and ultimately help you live a longer, happier, more fulfilling life. But, how do we find our purpose? We all want to leave an impact on the world, to leave our footprints behind, to contribute to the greater good, to what speaks to our soul. We all seek growth, knowledge, compassion, love and joy. However, we must ask ourselves, “What is our unique purpose in this world?” A great place to start is by searching our childhood and seeing the gifts that were instilled in us, our passions and values, and asking ourselves, “What gives our life meaning?” For many people, purpose can be as simple as having a family and children or it can be a fulfilling career that rewards us with its gratification. We also must be aware that purpose can change, as life changes and unfolds. As we grow, learn and mature, we become wiser. As challenges arise, we find that our purpose sees us through and sometimes during this challenge, purpose finds us and we must answer. The truth comes from within, buried deep within our souls.\n\nThrough unimaginable pain, struggle and hardship, I found a new meaning and purpose in my life. Not only do we grow physically, but we grow spiritually, intellectually, emotionally and socially. I have chosen to live a more simple life and have found joy in nature and in all those that I meet. I try and find the good in all humanity, even at times when I have lost all hope. I have learned to love more deeply and be present in each moment, especially with my family. I have become an advocate for my son Nicholas, who no longer has a voice in a world that is so large. Through tragedy, I found transformation and every day I fight to turn my unimaginable loss into a legacy. Sometimes, as our true-life purpose unfolds, our story connects with others and encourages them to find their higher meaning in life and to motivate them to be a better person. We all want to become the best we can be. Through self-awareness and reflection, our purpose unfolds. You already have it in you. However, you are the only one that possesses the key to an enriching life. So, I challenge you to unlock your story, your gifts and your curiosity and find your life’s purpose. Therefore, I leave you with some questions to ponder and perhaps write down in a journal.\n\n1.) What is your reason for getting up in the morning?\n2.) How do you contribute to the world?\n3.) What special characteristics make you unique?\n4.) How do others see you?\n5.) Why are you here?\n\nVisit www.HackensackMeridianHealth.org/IntegrativeMedicine or call 732-263-7999 to learn more.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8409988880157471}
{"content": "Articles on Learning\n\nDisplaying 1 - 20 of 183 articles\n\nVideo games have inspired a revolution in university teaching. Pictured here is a scene from the popular game Fortnite Battle Royale. (Sergey Galyonkin, Epic Games Berlin via Wikimedia Commons)\n\nHow playful design is transforming university education\n\nUniversity course designers are harnessing the addictive quality of video games to develop 'Serious educational games' that engage and motivate students.\nPeter Thomas of the Winnipeg Art Gallery (left), Marcel Dionne of Roarockit (centre) and Jaimie Isaac, curator for Indigenous/Contemporary at the Winnipeg Art Gallery (right), are seen building a skateboard using a do-it-yourself kit in this 2017 photo. Art and design schools should reward those who actually build and create more than they do design theorists. (Author provided)\n\nArt and design schools must cultivate creators, not theorists\n\nEven as our world goes digital, there will always be an appetite for craftsmanship, for art and for the work only human hands can truly bring to life. Art and design schools should celebrate creators.\n4.5 million young Australians between the ages of nine and 24 have taken NAPLAN tests at some point during their schooling. Shutterstock\n\nWe need to reform NAPLAN to make it more useful\n\nNAPLAN has now been in place for a decade and needs ongoing review and refinement to make it more useful to classroom teaching and learning.\nPrime Minister Justin Trudeau participates in an armchair discussion highlighting the federal budget’s investments in Canadian innovation at the University of Ottawa in March 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang\n\nMade by humans: A recipe for innovation\n\nWhere and how do we learn to innovate? Our parents can’t teach us. Our bosses are trying to learn alongside us. Even post-secondary courses only provide us with the basics. Follow this recipe.\nA lone new neuron (green) in a 13-year-old’s hippocampus. Sorrells et al\n\nAdult human brains don’t grow new neurons in hippocampus, contrary to prevailing view\n\nThe scientists behind a controversial new study were surprised by their own results. But they carefully did all they could to 'prove a negative,' and their neurogenesis study is shaking up the field.\nVolunteers work on a Habitat for Humanity site in Winnipeg in July 2017. Building homes for the disadvantaged is the type of ‘learning through service’ that will stand university grads in better stead with employers. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods\n\nWhy learning from experience is the educational wave of the future\n\nEmployers now expect to hire people out of universities who don't require any training. That's why so-called experiential learning is becoming so critical for university students.\nMany college students who take calculus fail to earn a C or better. Could ‘active learning’ help turn things around? pixabay\n\nWhy colleges must change how they teach calculus\n\nEach year large numbers of college students drop plans to become engineers or scientists because of poor performance in calculus. A new 'active learning' approach could help turn things around.\n\nTop contributors", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8187454342842102}
{"content": "\n\nBased on PARKINS’ the advanced bag making concepts, we are equipped with high-quality spare parts, and advanced devices to increase product functionality; at the same time maintaining the stability and quality during bag making process. We adopt modern production management, and all parts are precision machined by sophisticated CNC equipment to ensure machine accuracy and parts interchangeability.\n\n“PARKINS” written in Chinese as “BAI-JIU” implicates “Everlasting Century”. We will uphold our principle of sustainability and keep striving for more enhanced machines and superior technical services for our valuable customers.\n\nWe manufacture a variety of bag making machines. Products including High-Speed T-shirt Bag, Perforating Bag-on-roll Garbage Bag, Bottom-Sealing Bag, Heavy-Duty Bag, Laundry-Bag, Side-Sealing Bag, Calendar Bag, EVA or PE material deposable Gloves, and etc.\n\nKindly refer to our website: for more information. Please do not hesitate to email or call us for any further questions or inquiries. We will provide our most competitive quotations and delivery time to meet your requirements and needs. We believe that you will discover the machine that surpasses your needs.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5518715977668762}
{"content": "Inside the Intriguing Ancient Underground City of Derinkuyu\n\nBy on at\n\nLong ago, in the region surrounding Nevsehir and Kayseri, in central Turkey, an ancient people built, or rather dug, over 200 underground cities. The deepest of these, under the present day town of Derinkuyu, delves over 250 feet below the Earth’s surface, and boasts numerous tunnels, halls, meeting rooms, wells and passages.\nBecause the city was carved from existing caves and underground structures that had first formed naturally, there is no way to discern, with traditional archaeological methods of dating, when exactly Derinkuyu was built. As such, and with ties to the Hittites, Phrygians and Persians, Derinkuyu presents a fascinating riddle for ancient mystery enthusiasts.\n\n\nThe Region\n\nDerinkuyu is located in the Cappadocia region of Turkey, a place renowned for its unique geology. At the dawn of time, volcanoes in the area covered it with a thick layer of ash. Over the years, this ash transformed into a soft rock that itself eroded over the eons, leaving an exotic landscape of pocked spires, columns and rough pyramids, referred to by the locals as castles. Perhaps inspired by their surroundings, ancient people began to carve the soft ash rock into tunnels and rooms to be used as residences, storage, stables and religious temples.\n\nCappadocia boasts a number of fascinating carved sites including the churches and refectories at Goreme, the Roman-made castle at Uchisar and the largest underground city in the region, Kaymakli. The latter has been inhabited continuously since its construction, and people today still use it for storage and even stables.\n\nDerinkuyu seems to attract the most attention of all the underground cities because, until 1963, modern people were unaware that this deepest of the underground cities even existed.\n\n\nDerinkuyu Complex\n\nThe underground city at Derinkuyu has 18 stories that descend far into the Earth. Sophisticated shafts, some as long as 180 feet, provide ventilation to the complex’s multitude of residences, communal rooms, tunnels, wine cellars, oil presses, stables and chapels.\n\nThe city also has numerous wells to provide fresh water. So many, that most scholars agree that Derinkuyu could have easily supported as many as 20,000 people.\n\nIt is widely presumed that the city was part of a larger complex; in support of this, many point to a commonly-believed rumor that a tunnel extends from Derinkuyu to its sister underground city, Kaymakli, some three miles away. Conventional wisdom holds that these cities were built for the same reasons other people built citadels and castles – to protect the populace during invasion. Some of the strongest evidence to support this theory includes the self-contained fresh water supply, as well as the enormous stone, circular doors, weighing up to 1,000 pounds, that could seal off passageways from invaders.\n\nDerinkuyu had been lost to time until, during renovations on a modern home, an opening to a cave passage was revealed. Although visitors have been allowed in the underground city since 1965, many passages and rooms still remain inaccessible.\n\n\n\nThere is no consensus on who built Derinkuyu or when construction first began.\n\n\nSome suggest that the earliest construction started with the Hittites in the 15th century BC. The Anatolian Hittites, distinct from the group described in the Christian Bible, controlled a large portion of Asia Minor extending from the Black Sea to the Levant. Cappadocia, and Derinkuyu, were smack in the middle of their territory.\n\nThroughout their history, the Hittites faced a variety of enemies including the Egyptians, the Assyrians and the Thracians (a group of loosely affiliated tribes from southeastern Europe). In the 12th century BC, the Thracians destroyed the Hittites’ main city of Hattusa, and many believe the Hitties used Derinkuyu as a shelter during that onslaught. They support this theory with a small number of Hittite-related artifacts, including a statute of a lion, found on the site.\n\n\nOthers are not convinced of a Hittite origin and point instead to the Phrygians. One of the Thracian tribes that sacked Hattusa around 1180 BC, the Phrygians controlled the region until approximately the 6th century BC when they were conquered by the Persian host under Cyrus the Great.\n\nArchaeologists consider Phrygian’s architects among the finest of the Iron Age, and they were known to have engaged in large, complex construction projects. One of their most well known works was the sophisticated great citadel at Gordion, built between 950 and 800 BC. Because they are known to have possessed the necessary architectural skills, and inhabited the region for such a long time, many credit the Phrygians with creating Derinkuyu; these experts place the first construction on the complex to sometime between the 10th and 7th centuries BC.\n\n\nThe second chapter of the Vendidad, a section of the Zoroastrian book Avesta, includes the story of how the great and mythical Persian king Yima created places underground to house “flocks, herds and men.” Relying on this, some opine that Derinkuyu was built by ancient Persians; since the Avesta dates to the founding of Zoroastrianism (1500-1200 BC), Persian construction on the site would have to have pre-dated any construction done by the Hittites. Although intriguing, because the Vendidad makes no clear link with Derinkuyu, this theory has little mainstream support.\n\n\nRegardless of who built it, later generations have inhabited it. Many believe early Christians used the underground cities of Cappadocia, including Derinkuyu, as a place to hide from Roman persecution. In support of this claim, they point to the fact that Saint Gregory and Saint Basil had both presided in Cappadocia during the 4th century AD.\n\n\nUnderground Cities in the Modern Era\n\nSurprisingly, the ancient people of Anatolia weren’t alone in their love of underground living. Like the Hittites and Christians hiding from their enemies, the people of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan built a network of tunnels and residences to hide the town’s Chinese immigrants from persecution in the early 20th century. Later, smugglers reportedly used the underground city during Prohibition to hide their illicit wares from law enforcement.\n\nIn France, the last inhabitants of the Village troglodytique de Barry, an underground community that dated back to the 6th century AD, were forced to abandon their homes just a few years ago when their houses began to fall down around them. According to reports, a few people died before the last inhabitants were convinced to leave.\n\nToday in Montreal, Quebec, an entire complex of underground trains and tunnels, connects residents and visitors to shopping centers, exhibition halls, office towers, movies theaters and even an indoor ice rink.\n\n\nThis post has been republished with permission from", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.869806706905365}
{"content": "Vocabulary Development\n\n\nThis website is an English picture dictionary. I use this website all the time with my special education ELL students. I bookmark it to their Chromebook's so students can look up both pictures and words. I also use this as a teacher to provide students with pictures of different words. \n\nIt also has games and activities on the side. My students get to use the flashcards and enjoy the fill in the blank and stinky spelling games. This website also allows students to search by their native languages (English, French, German, Spanish and Italian). \n\nhttp://www.rewordify.com/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.\n\nThis site allows ELL students (or teachers of ELLs)  to simply copy text from a reading, test/quiz, or just about anything by copy and pasting the text into the site. I recommend it for adapting and modifying resources you already have. Statement from site: \n\n\"Rewordify.com helps people read more, understand difficult English faster, and learn words in new ways. Teachers use it to save time and increase learning from any English text.\n\n\nhttp://www.eslcafe.com/idea/index.cgi?Vocabulary: (Links to an external site.)\n\nThis is a link with some awesome ideas for vocabulary games. These games can be played by all students, but especially benefit ELL students. There are activities that can be printed as well as activities that require some easy preparation.\n\nhttp://www.manythings.org/b/e/ (Links to an external site.)\n\nManyThings.org ESL Videos:\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6410676836967468}
{"content": "In vivo cerebral metabolism of glioblastoma xenografts assessed with ¹H MRS, ¹³C MRS and ¹⁸F-FDG PET\n\nMagnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is a powerful tool when studying metabolism in intact and living organs preserving cells in their natural microenvironment with minimal external interference. The unique insights offered by the observation of metabolic processes in vivo are available thanks to the non-invasiveness of the MR technique, due to the employment of non-ionizing radiations at room temperature. These conditions are ideal when studying cerebral metabolism in vivo, since the brain is a particularly complex organ where neurons and glial cells are highly interconnected and dependent from each other. Moreover, brain cells are protected by the blood-brain barrier, which regulates the delivery of nutrients and chemicals. The work of this thesis focused on the application of 1H and 13C MRS in vivo to study cerebral metabolism in mice. 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) was used in complement to the abovementioned MR techniques to determine the cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (CMRglc) or local glucose uptake under specific physiological and pathological conditions. At first, we validated the application of 13C MRS to small volumes in the mouse brain in combination to compartmental modeling for neuro-glial metabolism, as previously applied to humans and rats in larger volumes. The second part of the thesis focused on the translation of these techniques to the study of brain metabolism during glioblastoma invasion. A highly infiltrative mouse xenograft model of glioblastoma derived from human glioma spheres was employed in our study to determine the evolution over time of the neurochemical profile detected with 1H MRS at 14.1 Tesla. 13C-labeling experiments with [1,6-13C]glucose were performed at late stage after extensive glioma invasion in the whole brain. Metabolic fluxes were determined under these conditions reflecting energetic metabolism in neurons and glioma/glial cells. Globally, infiltrating cells did not show a highly glycolytic metabolism, as often observed in cancer cells and in glioma cells close to the tumor core, suggesting that environmental stimuli induced by a central necrosis, high cellular density and poor vascularization may be crucial to the occurrence of a metabolic switch. Finally, a novel patient-derived mouse xenograft model of glioblastoma was tested and characterized longitudinally with 1H MRS at 14.1 Tesla. Glioma cells were implanted intracranially after patient tumor resection and minimal manipulation in vitro in order to minimize a selective pressure and promote a close resemblance of the xenograft with the parental tumor. This study showed that patient-derived xenografts obtained from freshly injected glioma cells offer a reliable model to study glioma invasion and related treatments while raising intriguing questions on the mechanisms of adaptation of human cells to the brain of the host.\n\nGruetter, Rolf\nLausanne, EPFL\nOther identifiers:\nurn: urn:nbn:ch:bel-epfl-thesis7667-8\n\nNote: The status of this file is: EPFL only\n\n Record created 2017-03-28, last modified 2018-09-13\n\nDownload fulltext\n\nRate this document:\n\nRate this document:\n(Not yet reviewed)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9987841844558716}
{"content": "Also found in: Encyclopedia.\n\n\nA polysaccharide composed of two or more different types of monosaccharides. Compare: glycan, homoglycan.\nSynonym(s): heteroglycan\nReferences in periodicals archive ?\nAccording to this observation, it is anticipated that the hydrophobic tails of two surfactants molecules are partially encapsulated into the cavity of a [beta]-CD molecule forming a 2:1 inclusion complex; after which the supramolecular system (SAP) is formed by self-assembling through nonbonding interactions between the S: [beta]-CD inclusion complexes and the branch chains of the heteropolysaccharide (xanthan gum backbones).\nXanthan is a heteropolysaccharide which is composed of glucose, mannose, glucoronic acid, acetate and pyruvate.\nHyaluronan, also called hyaluronic acid (HA), is a long-chain linear heteropolysaccharide classified as nonsulfated glycosaminoglycan.\nPectin is a structural heteropolysaccharide contained in the primary cell walls of terrestrial plants.\nglutinins was a novel uronic acid, mannose-rich acidic heteropolysaccharide composed of neutral sugars (85%)and uronic acid (15%).\nA completely naturally-derived, submicron dispersion of a heteropolysaccharide, it's easily incorporated into O/W emulsions, body milks, gel serums and any other formulation where a significant moisturizing effect is desired.\nDepending on the chemical class, sulfated galactans (Rhodophyta) (Kloareg & Quatrano, 1988; Mourao, 2015), fucans or fucoidan (Ochrophyta) (Athukorala, Jung, Vasanthan, & Jeon, 2006) and sulfated heteropolysaccharides (Chlorophyta) (Wang, Wang, Wu & Liu, 2014) are the main polymeric identities of the SPs playing regulatory roles of the algae (Kloareg & Quatrano, 1988).\nIt contains ginsenosides (triterpenic saponosides), sugars (polymeric forms like polygalacturonic acid) and heteropolysaccharides, and contains 0.\nlucidum are also heteropolysaccharides that have [alpha]-(1 [right arrow] 4)-d-glucopyranosyl and [beta]-(1 [right arrow] 6)-D-galactopyranosyl with branches at O-6 of glucose and O-2 of galactose.\nHA belongs to the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) group, which consists of anionic heteropolysaccharides composed of long, nonramified and repetitive disaccharide units.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9976744651794434}
{"content": "When in doubt, throw your gun. Throw your gun and pray.\n\nIn this clip, mmberg seemingly avoids certain death by tossing their M4 at precisely the right moment. A bullet appears to ping off it—as opposed to, you know, mmberg’s face—and then they seize the moment to exact some truly righteous vengeance on their foe.\n\nKinja sometimes cuts off a lot of the screen, so you can watch a better version of the full thing here.\n\nIt’s some Matrix shit, basically. It looks damn cool no matter how you slice it. That said, I’m now going to slice it anyway and reveal that it’s probably not quite as cool as it looks.\n\n\nYou’ll remember that I posted a 3kliksphilip video about the way Counter-Strike’s bullets work a little while back. One of his main findings? While thrown weapons and grenades do impact bullets, they don’t completely block them. Rather, it’s like when a bullet passes through a wall: the damage is reduced, but not mitigated entirely. Since mmberg’s unlucky enemy was using an AK, it’s entirely possible that the gun vacuumed up enough of its potency to render a headshot non-fatal. He still got hit, just not for as much damage.\n\nSo that’s theory one. Still neat, but maybe not worthy of an impassioned Keanu Reeves “whoa.” Theory two is where we board the train to letdown town. See, Counter-Strike’s guns aren’t accurate 100 percent of the time, and the AK-47 is especially guilty of momentary lapses in, you know, gun-ness. The distance in the above clip appears to be just far enough to drop the AK’s accuracy to 95 percent or so. That means that even a perfectly aimed shot will only hit 95 percent of the time. Couple that with the fact that mmberg doesn’t appear to get hit by the shot at all, and it seems likely that the bullet simply missed—and would’ve done so regardless.\n\nTheory three (or perhaps 2B) is that the bullet missed, but the miss was caused by movement and some server silliness rather than Counter-Strike’s intrinsic weapon inaccuracy.\n\n\nThe short version? It’s still pretty cool that someone threw their gun at the exact moment a bullet nearly bifurcated their virtual skull. However, Counter-Strike’s intrinsic, sometimes arbitrary weirdness might’ve had more of a hand in the moment than impossible luck or divine intervention. Still, it’s revealing to examine the game on this level. There’s so much more going on than bullets soaring from point A to point B.\n\nYou’re reading Steamed, Kotaku’s page dedicated to all things in and around Valve’s stupidly popular PC gaming service. Games, culture, community creations, criticism, guides, videos—everything. If you’ve found anything cool/awful on Steam, send us an email to let us know.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8213917016983032}
{"content": "Partnership spotlight: Grow your Mo like Poirot\n\nAuthor: Movember\n\nThis year, the best moustaches in all of cinema are here to promote men’s health and stop men dying too young. We have partnered with 20th Century Fox for the upcoming launch of \"Murder on the Orient Express\".\n\nWhat starts out as a lavish train ride through Europe quickly unfolds into one of the most stylish, suspenseful and thrilling stories ever told. From the novel by best-selling author Agatha Christie, “Murder on the Orient Express” tells the tale of thirteen strangers stranded on a train, where everyone’s a suspect. \n\nOne man must race against time to solve the puzzle before the murderer strikes again. Kenneth Branagh directs and leads an all-star cast including Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley and Josh Gad.\n\nWith the film releasing worldwide, this is an amazing opportunity for us to showcase the power the moustache has to raise funds and start life-saving conversations.\n\nSo, which mo' will you grow this year?\n\nMurder on the Orient Express is set to be released in UK cinemas on 3 November and the US on 10 November.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.613429069519043}
{"content": "What is astrology?\n\nWhat is astrology?\n\nBy Wikipedia\n\nAstrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world. In the West, astrology most often consists of a system of horoscopes that claim to predict aspects of an individual's personality or life history based on the positions of the sun, moon, and other planetary objects at the time of their birth. Many cultures have attached importance to astronomical events, and the Indians, Chinese, and Mayans developed elaborate systems for predicting terrestrial events from celestial observations.\n\nAmong Indo-European peoples, astrology has been dated to the third millennium BCE, with roots in calendrical systems used to predict seasonal shifts and to interpret celestial cycles as signs of divine communications. Through most of its history, astrology was considered a scholarly tradition. It was accepted in political and academic contexts, and its concepts were built into other studies, such as astronomy, alchemy, meteorology, and medicine. At the end of the 17th century, new scientific concepts in astronomy (such as heliocentrism) began to damage the credibility of astrology, and subsequent controlled studies failed to confirm its predictive value. Astrology thus lost its academic and theoretical standing. Astrology saw a popular revival in the 19th and 20th centuries as part of a general revival of spiritualism and later New Age philosophy, and through the influence of mass media such as newspaper horoscopes.\n\nWhile astrology may bear a superficial resemblance to science, it is a pseudoscience because it makes little attempt to develop solutions to its problems, shows no concern for the evaluation of competing theories, and is selective in considering confirmations and dis-confirmations\n\nCore principles\n\nA central principle of astrology is integration within the cosmos. The individual, Earth, and its environment are viewed as a single organism, all parts of which are correlated with each other. Cycles of change that are observed in the heavens are therefore said to be reflective (not causative) of similar cycles of change observed on earth and within the individual. This relationship is expressed in the Hermetic maxim \"as above, so below; as below, so above\", which postulates symmetry between the individual as a microcosm and the celestial environment as a macrocosm. Accordingly, the natal horoscope depicts a stylized map of the universe at the time of birth, specifically focussed on the individual at its centre, with the Sun, Moon, and celestial bodies considered to be that individual’s personal planets or stars, which are uniquely relevant to that individual alone.\n\nAt the heart of astrology is the metaphysical principle that mathematical relationships express qualities or ‘tones' of energy which manifest in numbers, visual angles, shapes and sounds – all connected within a pattern of proportion. Pythagoras first identified that the pitch of a musical note is in proportion to the length of the string that produces it, and that intervals between harmonious sound frequencies form simple numerical ratios.[17] In a theory known as the Harmony of the Spheres, Pythagoras proposed that the Sun, Moon and planets all emit their own unique hum based on their orbital revolution, and that the quality of life on Earth reflects the tenor of celestial sounds which are physically imperceptible to the human ear. Subsequently, Plato described astronomy and music as \"twinned\" studies of sensual recognition: astronomy for the eyes, music for the ears, and both requiring knowledge of numerical proportions.\n\nLater philosophers retained the close association between astronomy, optics, music and astrology, including Ptolemy, who wrote influential texts on all these topics.Ptolemy recognised the unreliability of astrological predictions in comparison to the predictive power of astronomy, noting in Tetrabiblios that the \"second and less sufficient method [of prediction] in a proper philosophical way, so that one whose aim is the truth might never compare its perceptions with the sureness of the first, unvarying science [astronomy]\". Alkindi, in the 9th century, developed Ptolemy's ideas in De Aspectibus which explores many points of relevance to astrology and the use of planetary aspects.\n\nTo add a comment, you need to be logged on\nLogin Login | Register\n\nRelated articles\n\nNarendra Modi real horoscope situation\nI was traveling with my friend Rajiv, we were doing yatra - pilgrim to one of the Jyotirlingams in Somanath, when Rajiv asked me my opinion about Mr. Narendra Modi chart, he asked what I see in it. While I was looking in his chart, Rajiv with excite", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9958310127258301}
{"content": "Overlooked MLB Stats: xERA vs Actual ERA & Pitching Luck vs Fluke Wins\n\nIt’s no secret that pitching drives MLB betting because no player on the field has more control over the game than the pitcher. The problem is that the best pitcher with the best stats isn’t the one who always wins the game. Being able to spot when a starter is going to come out and throw like his record indicates is something a lot of people struggle with. That is why I want to take some time to explain two different methods of determining how a starting pitcher will perform on a given start.\n\nExpected ERA (xERA) vs. Actual ERA\n\nxERA is a statistical formula that was created by Dwight Gill and Tad Reeve that gives you a gauge on how well a pitcher is performing compared to his actual ERA. The actual ERA is the stat that tells you how many earned runs a pitcher allows on average for every nine innings of work. While a pitcher’s actual ERA gives you a pretty good idea of how well a pitcher is performing, we feel it leaves out some key aspects of the game.\n\nxERA is calcuated by taking  ( (.575 x H/9 ) + (.94 x HR/9 ) + (.28 x BB/9 ) – (.01 x K/9 ) – Normalizing Factor). The Normalizing Factor is based on the league during a given year and is typically around the .270 to .285 range.\n\nWith so many games each day of the MLB season, calculating xERA on your own can be a lot of work. To avoid the hassle of figuring out this statistic for each pitcher, just go to xear-baseball where Gill and Neeve do all the work for you.\n\nBy taking the little extra time to see  if a pitcher’s actual ERA is close to his xERA you can get a much better feel for how that pitcher is going to perform in his upcoming starts. If a pitcher has a low actual ERA and a high xERA, his ERA is misleading and chances are he is going to come back to reality sooner than later. On the other hand, if you have a pitcher with a high ERA and low xERA, odds are that pitcher is going to start to see some better results down the road.\n\nPitching Luck with Fluke Wins\n\nBaseball is believed to be the one sport where luck can really play a factor in how well a particular player appears to be performing. A pitcher can take the mound and miss his spot time after time, but still manage to get hitters out by having them hit line drives right at the defense. There is also the case where a pitcher can make an amazing pitch, but still manage to give up a hit on a broken bat single or slow roller up the line.\n\nWhile luck can be on a pitcher’s side on a given string of  starts, odds are the luck is going to change over the course of the season. This is why it is important to look past the overall record of a given starter and take the time to see how well they have actually been performing.\n\nFor example, say you have a starter on a given team that is 2-5 with a 3.23 ERA in 10 starts, while another starter on that same team is 5-1 with a 4.65 ERA in the same amount of starts. There are a number of different things that could factor in to why the starter with the 4.65 ERA has ended up with a better record up to this point;  run support, defense, bullpen, location of the game, etc.\n\nWhat you need to understand is that because baseball is played over a 162-game season, more times than not a pitcher’s record is going to end up resembling his performance on the mound. The starter with the 5-1 record and 4.65 ERA is more likely to not have things go his way in his next start, while the starter with the 2-5 record and 3.23 ERA is more likely to come out with a win in his next outing.\n\nI understand that this may seem a bit simple for someone who has been watching baseball for a long time, but I routinely see this mistake being made over the course of season.  The betting public will continue to back the pitcher with a strong record and high ERA while staying away from pitchers who have a bad record and low ERA.\n\nRead More Like This", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7178677320480347}
{"content": "Meanings of the Zodiac Sign of Scorpio\n\nsymbol of scorpio\n\nSCORPIO is the eighth Zodiac sign. The Sun enters the house of Scorpio form October 24. to November 23. The constellation of Scorpio can be seen on the Southern horizon, relatively low, and late at night in the months of July and August. The largest star of this constellation is the Antares. Antares means “as brilliant as Mars — the ruling planet of this sign”.  Alongside Mars, Pluto is also a ruling planets of this sign. The name Antares was given in ancient times; modern observations have determined that the splendor of Mars is in fact much greater than the stars of the Scorpio constellation.\n\nMythology and Symbols\n\nIn Greek Mythology, the Scorpion was put in the sky and thereby made immortal by the leader of the Gods — Zeus. The main achievement of Scorpio was seen in his fight with Orion. He had stung Orion, fulfilling the wishes of Apollo and Gaia. After Orion had died from the poison, he  was also given a prominent place in the heavens. The location of Orion and Scorpio is 180 degrees apart, preventing their further confrontation in the sky.\n\nsymbol of scorpioThe symbols of this sign, in addition to the obvious Scorpion, are an Eagle and a Serpent. The Eagle usually stands for the mature Scorpio. When Scorpio becomes more mature and spiritual, it is transformed into an Eagle that soars above all creatures. The Eagle is watching and learning from above, being now much closer to God. The less mature Scorpios can be symbolized with the Serpent. They are by all means dangerous, but tend to avoid confrontations, unless something threatens them or their family.\n\nPersonality Traits of Scorpio\n\nThe main characteristic of people born under the sign of Scorpio are intensity, invincible will, magnetic personality, strong determination and thoroughness. They use these character traits to carry out their desires, goals and intentions, whether good or bad. Scorpios have strong nature, powerful energy and positive methodical approach to everything.\n\nScorpio’s main characteristics are therefore related to power and self mastery. Scorpios tend to take positions of authority, some of their great strengths being leadership, motivation and the power of resistance. They always demand respect, even from people who have hard time understanding their intentions. They never give up; they are never discouraged and never afraid of danger when they want to help others. Scorpio is sometimes referred to as the sign of the physicians because they possess excellent diagnostic skills.\n\nAll these great character traits have a flip side. Some Scorpios can be destructive, malicious, sarcastic, cruel, lurid and domineering. Their temper can be impulsive and they are inclined to take offence. Even though they can be quite negative, they have a great self-control. Their strong passions take over whenever they are badly affected. Like the Scorpion, they are capable of stinging with their tongue. Being a water sign, the main battleground of Scorpio will be in the sphere of emotions, and they will generally have very strong desires.\n\nscorpio-symbol2In conclusion, the positive sides of Scorpio’s character will be reflected in their determination, concentration and courage, whereas the negative character traits will be fanaticism, jealousy and at times malevolent desire for revenge.\n\nHealth related issues are usually rheumatism and problems with the lower organs such as hemorrhoids. In general, the lower organs of the abdomen are governed by this astrological sign.\n\nScorpio in Relationships\n\nWith people born in the zodiac sign of Scorpio, you will be either liked or disliked – there is hardly any middle ground. In personal relationships Scorpios are exclusive, but tend to show intense affections for people they are attracted to. On the other side, they are subject to sudden changes of emotions which is the main reason why they can be miserable in love or marital relations.\n\nThere is no doubt that Scorpios are difficult to please, yet they are  compatible with a number of zodiac signs, primarily, with people born in Cancer, Pisces, Virgo and Capricorn. In contrast, signs with least compatibility and little sympathy are Aquarius and Leo.\n\nGemstones of Scorpio\n\nAccording to the traditional chart, the main birthstones of this House are the Topaz, Pearl, Opal and Tourmaline. The modern association includes also Citrine as one of the birthstones of Scorpio. The mystical birthstone of Scorpio is Topaz. One of the less known birthstones of this sign is Snowflake Obsidian.\n\nPlease follow & like us :)\n\nFollow by Email", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8062845468521118}
{"content": "Year 2 Update\n\nPosted by year2\n\nThis week the Year 2 students have been busy thinking about some of the forces in our world as part of our new unit of inquiry ‘How the world works’. They have been involved in provocation activities designed to challenge them, prompt discussion and consider solutions. Through the use of images students have provided explanations to decide if the picture is FACT or FICTION and have had lots of fun talking about these real or unrealistic scenarios.\n\nWe have been thinking about scientists and introducing what we will do as scientists in this unit. This will include making observations, asking questions, making hypotheses (predictions), testing and conducting experiments, recording pictures and notes as well as drawing conclusions based on what we have learned.\n\nTo get us thinking more about forces we were involved in immersion activities focusing on PUSH and PULL forces. As you can see in the photos we tried many ways to test these forces by moving our bodies and objects in different ways using a range of materials.\n\nWays you can help at home\n\nWhen opportunities arise, take some time to talk to your child or ask them questions about the forces they see in the world around them. When out for a bike or scooter ride, talk to your child about how they are making it move. What forces (push, pull) are they using? Is it easier going up or down hill? Why do they think so?  \n\nPlease refer to the ’HTWW’ section in the Units of inquiry tab for more details.\n\n\nThe student diaries are checked daily and often include important information, reminders and notices. Please ensure your child’s diary is checked regularly so communication stays open between school and home. To help with this we ask you remove notices as soon as they are received and respond to them as required. Thank you for your attention to this.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9978423118591309}
{"content": "New content is available for Danish Yearbook of Philosophy New content is now available online. Please follow the links to view the content. Preface <div><strong> Source: </strong>Volume 50, Issue 1, pp 1 - 2</div><div></div> Finn Collin 2017-11-02T00:00:00Z References to Kant’s Writings <div><strong> Source: </strong>Volume 50, Issue 1, pp 3 - 5</div><div></div> 2017-11-02T00:00:00Z Introducing Theme and Articles <div><strong> Source: </strong>Volume 50, Issue 1, pp 7 - 45</div><div></div> Asger Sørensen 2017-11-02T00:00:00Z An Apparent Paradox: To Establish a Legal State is a Loose Duty <div><strong> Source: </strong>Volume 50, Issue 1, pp 46 - 58</div><div>Taking our point of departure in Kant’s book <i xmlns=\"\">Zum ewigen Frieden</i>, we note a seeming paradox which we believe has a wider application to legal states as such: while a legal state is supposed to impose strict duties, we only appear to have a loose duty to establish such a state. In order to investigate this seeming paradox, we will recapitulate what Kant says about strict and loose duties and examine in which terms he describes the perpetual peace. We will thus argue that perpetual peace is a loose duty. We will consider Kant’s reasons for this and endeavour to show through his parallel between individuals and states that the duty states have to enter a legal state is the same duty individuals have to enter this state. Finally, we will consider in what ways the above-mentioned paradox is only apparent and what this means for Kant’s philosophical position.</div> Mogens Chrom Jacobsen 2017-11-02T00:00:00Z Thinking with Kant “beyond” Kant <div><strong> Source: </strong>Volume 50, Issue 1, pp 59 - 82</div><div>In the following essay, I attempt to reactualize some of Kant’s most fundamental conceptions of a state’s sovereignty and the legitimacy of the cosmopolitan order. To this end, I provide what appears as a viable solution to Kant’s “sovereignty dilemma”; that is, the reconciliation between state sovereignty and the international enforceability of laws. I consider that a key component of the overall Kantian cosmopolitan project is the role played by the transcendental notion of an “originally united will” in its validation of constituencies. I emphasize the view that for Kant state-citizens are <i xmlns=\"\">also</i>, as he says, “citizens of the world” (<i xmlns=\"\">Weltbürger</i>) or “citizens of the earth” (<i xmlns=\"\">Erdbürger</i>). I argue, furthermore, that a state’s sovereignty must comply with a number of different constitutional wholes. I then proceed by confronting the Kantian notion of a general united will with the Habermasian conception of “double sovereignty.” I conclude by suggesting a fusion/synthesis between the two views, one which would require endorsing the idea of cosmopolitan constitutionalism as a meta-framework for interpreting the legitimacy of member states’ compliance with policy indications of transnational constituencies.</div> Claudio Corradetti 2017-11-02T00:00:00Z “What Kant Would Have Said in the Refugee Crisis” <div><strong> Source: </strong>Volume 50, Issue 1, pp 83 - 106</div><div>The paper starts out from a debate that occurred in Germany in 2015, where interpreters claimed to be able to divine Immanuel Kant’s views of the contemporary refugee crisis. It does not attempt to give a substantive answer to the title question, i.e. it does not try to specify the conclusive extension of cosmopolitan right. In contrast, it outlines the systematic work that would have to be done in order to be able to answer the title question. I start from cosmopolitan right as natural right and ask what kinds of transformations cosmopolitan right would have to undergo to form a legitimate part of public international law, in parallel to Kant’s move from provisional private law to peremptory public law in his Doctrine of Right. For that purpose, I introduce distinctions between trivial and non-trivial transformation, between strong (i.e. property-related) and weak (property-unrelated) transformation, and between transformation based on historically blameworthy and historically blameless action.</div> Peter Niesen 2017-11-02T00:00:00Z Perpetual Peace and Cosmopolitical Method <div><strong> Source: </strong>Volume 50, Issue 1, pp 107 - 131</div><div>This article explores the bases of Kant’s cosmopolitanism in his more systematic writings on freedom, judgment, and community. My argument is that, if we peer beneath his more explicitly normative prescriptions for achieving “perpetual peace,” we find the tools not just of a cosmopolitan vision but what we might call a “cosmopolitical method.” While many assume Kant’s political thought descends directly from his moral philosophy, a look back at relevant passages in the first Critique reveals an alternative reading that points toward his theory of reflective judgment, which combines practical freedom with judgments based on theoretical concepts. Of particular importance is Kant’s conception of community as commercium, through which Kant discerns all matters of right to concern the way free actors are constrained to share the earth in common. These considerations allow for a broader way of thinking about Kantian cosmopolitanism, one that is responsive to the reflective judgment of world citizens as they encounter new challenges.</div> Brian Milstein 2017-11-02T00:00:00Z Kant and the Practical Man <div><strong> Source: </strong>Volume 50, Issue 1, pp 132 - 156</div><div>The Appendix to Kant’s <i xmlns=\"\">Toward Perpetual Peace</i> is commonly viewed as an explication of the systematic relations between political practice and normative political theory. This paper provides an alternative interpretation of Kant’s main aim in the Appendix which is to provide an argument against the so-called “practical man.” The practical man believes that human nature precludes normative political ideals from ever playing a significant role within political practice. Drawing on the 1793 text “On the common saying: That may be correct in theory, but is of no use in practice,” the paper argues that Kant’s argument against the practical man is based on a proto-phenomenological analysis of moral experience. The practical man’s attempt to describe political practice in purely non-normative terms is, Kant believes, necessarily self-undermining because it denies one of the most basic aspects of human life; the inherent and inescapable normativity of practical reason.</div> Carsten Fogh Nielsen 2017-11-02T00:00:00Z Contents <div><strong> Source: </strong>Volume 50, Issue 1, pp 157 - 157</div><div></div> 2017-11-02T00:00:00Z", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9355506896972656}
{"content": "Pilot: Inhibition of Cholinesterase by Pharmacological and Dietary Agents\n\n(NIOSH 2007-2009) Organo-phosphorus pesticides (OPs) have widespread commercial application in the United States and worldwide, and their primary toxicological effect is associated with inhibition of cholinesterase (ChE). In Washington State, cholinesterase activity is measured in farmworkers expected to have high exposures to OPs, and when depression in cholinesterase activity is observed, remedial actions are undertaken to reduce exposures and protect worker health. However, the cholinesterase assay lacks specificity: there are a number of dietary and pharmacological agents that can depress cholinesterase levels. In the context of the Washington State cholinesterase monitoring rule, this would lead to an incorrect conclusion that the worker had been overexposed to pesticide. This misclassification of exposure confounds epidemiological studies of farmworker health and pesticide exposure, and undermines worker and employer confidence in the cholinesterase monitoring program.\n\nThis pilot study measured the effect of quinine and acetaminophen on cholinesterase levels in vivo in humans. Quinine is a known inhibitor of cholinesterase, and the potential for exposure to quinine is high due to its presence as an ingredient in tonic water. Quinine and its analogs are also used medicinally as prophylaxis for malaria and muscle cramping. Acetaminophen (brand names: tylenol, paracetamol) is a common over the counter and prescription medication for pain relief and fever reduction. Acetaminophen is a known hepatotoxin, and has been shown to reduce cholinesterase levels in vitro. Both compounds have been suggested as potential confounders to the use of cholinesterase measurements as a marker for pesticide exposure.\n\nHuman volunteers ingested either quinine (singe acute dose) or acetaminophen (3g/day for up to 6 days), and the effect on plasma cholinesterase and acetylcholinesterase was monitored.\n\n2007 to 2009", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.980061948299408}
{"content": "Country Wire\n\n    US President Trump selects a new Supreme Court Justice \n\n    Americas:  United States\n\n    Special Report: Trump selects a new Supreme Court Justice \n\n    Senior Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy announced on June 27, 2018, his intent to retire from the United States Supreme Court effective July 31, 2018. In a letter to President Donald J. Trump, he formally provided notification of his intent to retire and expressed his gratitude for serving on the U.S.’s highest court. \n\n    Justice Kennedy’s retirement provided President Trump with a unique opportunity to reshape the court for generations with a young conservative jurist being the most likely route to do so. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) stated that the Senate “will vote to confirm Justice Kennedy's successor this fall.” The ramifications of Justice Kennedy’s retirement was likely to shape the two parties’ approaches to the midterm elections; Democratic Senate candidates up for re-election in red states either could either vote to confirm President Trump’s to attempt to attract Republican voters, but this potentially puts them at odds with more reliable Democratic base voters. \n\n    The ramifications of this retirement also extend to established precedent; while campaigning, then-GOP presidential nominee Trump said in the October, 2016 debate that he would pick nominees who would support overturning Roe v. Wade, which would effectively return abortion laws to the states. The reaction from Democrats largely focused on the fact that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked hearings for President Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland, in 2016. \n\n    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) tweeted: “Millions of ppl are just months away from determining the senators who should vote to confirm or reject POTUS’s nominee, & their voices deserve to be heard now, as @SenateMajLdr thought they deserved to be heard then. Anything but that would be the absolute height of hypocrisy.” Other Democratic Senators such as Tammy Duckworth (IL), Dick Durbin (IL), and Dianne Feinstein (CA) echoed Schumer’s sentiments, though Democratic Senators such as Joe Manchin (WV) struck a more conciliatory tone and agreed to meet with whomever President Trump nominated. President Trump said that Justice Kennedy’s replacement would come from a list of 25 potential nominees.\n\n    President Trump announced at the White House that Judge Brett Kavanaugh was his choice to succeed Justice Kennedy on July 9th, 2018. Kavanaugh has served as  a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit and was appointed by former President George W. Bush to that position in 2003.  Due to controversial accusations of partisanship, he was not confirmed by the Senate until 2006. President Trump described Kavanaugh as “one of the finest and sharpest legal minds in our time.”\n\n    Kavanaugh would represent a reliably conservative vote on bench, if confirmed, and his confirmation would secure for Republicans their vaunted goal of a conservative majority on the Supreme Court. He was a member of the conservative Federalist Society and like deceased Justice Antonin Scalia, he has subscribed to textualist judicial ideology, which calls for interpretation of the law where the ordinary meaning of the legal text is all that is evaluated (i.e. factors such as the lawmakers’ intentions or the law’s intended purpose are not considered). \n\n    His judicial track record includes curtailing some of former President Barack Obama’s environmental regulations, finding the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to be unconstitutional during dissent, and dissenting on circuit court ruling that an undocumented teenager was entitled to an abortion. Most notably, he has argued that a President could refuse to enforce the Affordable Care Act even if the courts find it to be constitutional. During his confirmation hearing to be a circuit judge, he called Roe v. Wade “binding precedent of the Supreme Court”, but that does not necessarily predict how he would rule on the law were he a Supreme Court Justice himself. \n\n    In a law review article published in 2009, Kavanaugh wrote that “Congress should consider doing the same, moreover, with respect to criminal investigations and prosecutions of the President. In particular, Congress might consider a law exempting a President—while in office—from criminal prosecution and investigation, including from questioning by criminal prosecutors or defense counsel.” CNN reported that President Trump’s legal team reviewed these writings specifically -- a particularly relevant development, given the President’s campaign was still under FBI investigation at the time of this writing.\n\n    The three Democratic Senators who voted for Neil Gorsuch—Joe Manchin (WV), Heidi Heitkamp (ND), Joe Donnelly (IN)—all expressed their willingness to meet with and vet Kavanaugh. More liberal Democratic Senators such as Kamala Harris (CA) and Elizabeth Warren (MA) released statements indicating their vehement opposition to confirming him. Republican Senators generally released statements of praise of President Trump’s choice with Majority Lead Mitch McConnell calling him “an impressive nominee who is extremely well qualified to serve as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.”\n\n    Copyright 2018 CountryWatch, Inc. All Rights Reserved.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8215546607971191}
{"content": "Should games push us to lose weight?\n\nGamerZines: 1UP has reported that Microsoft has registered a new patent which details the potential of using real world physiological characteristics to create avatars. The new generator would utilise, \"a physiological characteristic of the user, injecting a degree of reality into the capabilities or appearance.\"\n\nMicrosoft will harvest the necessary information through a \"third party health data collection repository, a health care smart card, a real-time physiological sensor (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, blood glucose, peak flow, pedometer, etc.).\" In order to, \"avoid the inconvenience or unaccountability of voluntarily supplied information.\"\n\nThis proposal doesn't sound too radical in itself, after all it could be used to determine accurate skin and hair colour etc. It's not until you read what Microsoft propose to do with the information that it becomes slightly more sinister\n\nRead Full Story >>\nThe story is too old to be commented.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6860650777816772}
{"content": "Lopez de Heredia\n\n\nLopez de Heredia - one of the most venerable producers in Spain– produces traditional, age-worthy Rioja. Their wines are legendary and still made the way they were when the winery was founded over 130 years ago. Following a tradition that has been passed down through generations, their wines are released at least 5-10 years after harvest, which provides added complexity and elegance to their Crianzas and Gran Reservas. \n\nA rarity in Rioja, Lopez de Heredia uses only estate bottled fruit from their prized vineyards- Tondonia, Cubillo, Bosconia, and Zaconia- with the idea that the only way to get the best fruit is to care for the vines themselves. The Tondonia vineyard is their most famous; over 100 hectares, it is situated in a shell-shaped depression on the right bank of the river Ebro, where the most typical Rioja wines are grown. The soil is alluvial clay with a high proportion of limestone. Average vine age is 45 years old and organic farming and natural fermentations are implemented, creating wines that exhibit great terroir. Grapes from Viña Tondonia are always used in making their highest quality wines, with truly exceptional vintages becoming Gran Reservas. The first Reserva was bottled by the founder in 1890; a few bottles of this are still kept in the family wine museum.\n\nThe winery itself is a remarkable structure. When D. Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta began building the bodega in the late 1800's, little did he realise that his masterpiece would one day be acknowledged as an example to the rest of the industry of the most perfect combination of buildings and vineyards. Like many medieval masterpieces it is still incomplete. The buildings stand below and above ground, and are a veritable \"cathedral to wine\".  Moving through the vaulted underground corridors and staircases, you find yourself travelling back in time, and the founder’s touch can still be sensed in the very stones and fabric of the building.\n\n\n\nThe following is a list of their vineyards, NOT the wines themselves; please inquire for availability.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9006097316741943}
{"content": "Clenbuterol Stacks – Its numerous kinds of Applications\n\nClenbuterol could be an extensively utilized bronchodilator in several areas of the earth. Clenbuterol can be a very enticing and remarkable compound. Clenbuterol is not a steroid hormonal agent however abeta-2-symphatomimetic. The drug is usually organized in 20mcg tablets; however it could also be up for sale in syrup and injectable form. Clenbuterol comes from a substantial variety of medicines knows as sympathomimetics. These drugs influence that understanding nervous system in a wide quantity of techniques, primarily mediated from the distribution of adrenoceptors. There are 9 various types of these receptors within the corpse that are identified as either leader or beta and further subcategorized by type number. As a result of the particular affinities of those carriers for that various receptors, they might perhaps be made use of within the coping of troubles as an example bronchial asthma, hypertension, cardiovascular distress, arrhythmias, migraine headache headpin and anaphylactic mad.\n\nThe memo Goodman and Gillman’s The Medicinal Basis of Therapeutics Version does a pleasant work of authoring the different characters whereby these medications affect your body. Clenbuterol, most notably, consists of a big ant catabolic effect, suggesting it decreases the speed where protein is decreased within the muscular tissue office, consequently producing fat cells. Numerous actions of catecholamines and sympathomimetic agents could be classified into 8 broad kinds peripheral excitatory action on certain types of smooth muscle mass as an example those in arteries providing your skin, elimination, and mucous membrane layers, and regarding the gland cells, for example those of the salivary and gland; an outer inhibitory activity on particular other types of smooth muscular tissue, for example those within the wall surface of the stomach, within the bronchial framework, along with in arteries providing skeletal toughness; a heart excitatory task, answerable for a rise in heartbeat and stress of contraction; metabolic activities, consisting of a surge within the rate of glycogenolysis in liver and muscle mass and launch of cost-free fats from adipose handkerchief; hormonal actions.\n\nClenbuterol Stacks\n\nFor instance modulation of the release of rennin, insulin, and pituitary hormones; CNS actions, for example respiratory stimulation and, with a few of the medicines, an increase in wakefulness and psychomotor task and a decline in cravings; and presynaptic actions that cause either restraint or assistance of the launch of the chemicals consisting of for instance norepinephrine and acetylcholine. The drug clenbuterol is especially a specific Beta2 sympathomimetic, mostly impacting just one of the three subsets of beta-receptors. Of particular interest may be the truth this medicine has little Beta 1 stimulating task with Clenbuterol stack. Because beta1 receptors are especially related to the heart effects of those service providers, this makes it possible for clenbuterol offer for sale to lessen relatively easy to fix respiratory tract obstacle with not as cardiovascular unfavorable results when compared to nonselective beta agonists. Medical studies with this particular medicine show it is very reliable as being a bronchodilator, having a low-level of consumer problems and high client conformity.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.869246244430542}
{"content": "Being productive, or just busy?\n\n\n\n\nIf you single task, the first task is done in 3 days, the second one in 6 days and the third in 9 days, so it looks like this:\n\n\nIf you evenly alternate between them, doing a day of work on each one and then moving to the others, it looks something like this:\n\n\nThat means that you don’t complete a task until the end of the 7th day.\n\nYes, you’re doing (roughly) the same amount of work, but your focus is completely different and MOST of your work is delivered later than it ordinarily would be.\n\nBut it gets worse…\n\nIf you have 9 tasks to do and they each take 3 days, the illustration changes your view even more:\n\n\nTask 1 isn’t finished until the nineteenth day, sixteen days later than if you weren’t multitasking.\n\nWorking in the Zone\n\nIf you do the kind of work that gets you into “the zone” (IT and other technical work is famous for this), give not-so-multitasking a try. This is why folks who do technical jobs are often sequestered away from doing customer support – the unscheduled interruptions can decimate their productivity.\n\nThink about it: If it takes 20 minutes of reading/thought/analysis to get that programming (code/scenario) or differential equation into your head and have you thinking as if your brain were processing the program or equation, then an interruption to do customer support every 15 minutes (only 4 times an hour) will prevent someone from ever getting to that point.\n\nAnd you wonder why they never reach optimal performance.\n\nHere are some thoughts from Harvard Business Review that dig deeper into why you should stop multitasking and how to do so.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.552916407585144}
{"content": "Burleson Boys Freshman Basketball\n\n  • Overall Record: N/A\n  • Conference Record: N/A\n\nrss_feed Latest News\n\n\n\nElk Basketball 1/16-20\n\n9th Black lost to Arlington Seguin on Tuesday. Their length in the front court was too much for the young elks to handle. However they bounced back Friday beating Crowley in a 1 point game thriller. This brings their district record to 4-2 as they finished up the first round. They were lead by scorers\n\nElk Basketball 1/9-13/14\n\n9th Black defeated both Centennial and Cleburne this past week. That brings their current district record to 4-. They’ve been lead by the scoring of Blake Myers and Jaxon Winburn. However the defensive end is where their games have been won, getting great defensive play from  Kayce Young and Jackson Shaha. They look to move\n\nElk basketball vs Everman\n\nVarsity 55 vs Everman 66 Due to the weather all games on Friday were cancelled. The 9th grade and JV were cancelled but varsity played the following day. Sneed was the high point man for the Elks scoring 24 points. It was neck and neck for most of the game, but in the end the\n\nElk basketball vs Joshua\n\n9th Black 46 vs Joshua 26 They started slow but eventually put the Owls away beating them by 20 “The past couple weeks we’ve been starting slow, but everyone knows it’s how you finish” said Coach Owen. They won the consolation championship in the Kennedale Tournament over Christmas break, they’ve put together a 4 game\n\nBoys Basketball vs Granbury\n\n9th Black 61 vs Granbury 65 The freshmen lost a heart breaker to start Christmas break, losing in OT 61-65. After a slow start and being down by 20 at one point they came back to take the lead in the 4th quarter when Blake Myers hit a 3 to go up by 2. Although\n\nElks go 3-2 in Granbury Tournament\n\nBurleson 64 vs Greenhill 68 Elks came up just short in their tournament opener. Lead by Logan Potts (15) on the offensive end. Burleson were monsters on the boards snagging 37 total rebounds to Greenhill’s 24. Their next match up will be against Everman. Burleson 61 vs Everman 72 Even in the loss the Elks\n\nWeatherford Tournament All Levels\n\n9th Red (5-1): Burleson 48 vs Bedford 47 Burleson 45 vs Weatherford 41 Burleson 38 vs Decauter 60 Burleson 60 vs Benbrook 18 The red team finished the Weatherford Tournament on a high note when they took out Benbrook B 60-18. Behind a stifling half-court defense and the scoring of Isaiah Smith, Caleb Kirby, and Adrain\n\nElk Basketball over Thanksgiving break\n\nThe Elks competed in the three different contest over Thanksgiving break. Their season opener was against Chisholm Trail, followed by Weatherford and Alvarado. This upcoming weekend the Elks will play in the Weatherford Tournament. 9th Red (2-0)- Burleson  54 vs Chisholm Trail 41 Burleson 56 vs Weatherford 24 9th Black (3-0)- Burleson 65 vs Chisholm", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9135040044784546}
{"content": "Now that it is well behind me, here are my recollections about the surgery, my experiences, how it went, and how it affected me.\n\nLeading up to the surgery, endoscopic biopsy was needed. I was told, it would be arranged the day I left the hospital, to occur that week. The appointment person informed me I would, instead, have a “telephone appointment” with a different gastroenterologist, in a few weeks. Not good. I contacted the first gastroenterologist, expressed how I thought…. then in multiple subsequent communications, repeatedly, apologized. Even though I was the patient, and if there should be any expectation, it is to be treated with diligence, dignity, and respect.\n\nThe scheduling dysfunction is a recurring theme in my experience as a patient, and on the other side as a doctor.  I wish the health plan would get its act together.  Doctor, and other health care provider, egos are another recurring theme.  But I am so grateful for the good ones.\n\nThe endoscopic biopsy went smoothly. I remembered none of it. Anesthesia is as much like being dead as you can be, without being dead. Eerie. Better than waking up during the procedure.\n\nThe biopsy showed GIST.\n\nSurgery was arranged. I got the time off from work. My patients would be told I would be away for 8 weeks or so.\n\nAgain, anesthesia was effective. I had no memory after the IV was inserted. Complete blank. A piece of death. Next memory was RN telling me to breathe, in the hospital room after.\n\nThe procedure was more extensive than originally planned. It was a procedure called a Billroth II. A large portion of the stomach was removed, and a new opening made connecting the remainder of the stomach to part of the small intestine, further downstream. This was needed due to the large size of the tumor. A slice of liver was also taken. No large lymph nodes or metastatic tumors were seen.\n\nIt was hard to find a public domain illustration of a Billroth II.  Here it is, In limited detail and in Italian, from wikipedia.\n\n\nThe surgeon had a great bedside manner. Cheerful, respectful, confidant, friendly, professional, exuding competence. He was great.\n\nWhat followed was day by day recovery in the hospital, for about 5 or 6 days. The nurse got me up to walk within hours. Necessary, difficult. They were very diligent about pain control. I did not want more pain medication than necessary. It caused weird dreams, foggy brain, uncomfortable constipation, unable to urinate. I prefer to use as little as needed to keep pain bearable.  Nurses frequently prompted me to take pain medication, and use the pain medication pump.  I avoided it as much as I could.\n\nThey hospital and staff were respectful and honored my relationship with my partner. They allowed him to sleep in the hospital room. I can’t express what a difference that made.  I was worried about that.\n\nWhen I was sufficiently better, to eat a little, have BM, urinate, they let me go home. Uneventful. Staff was nice and caring. I appreciate them very much.\n\nGlad to be home. Took walks each day. Did not log onto work computer. Brain to fuzzy. But insisted on returning to work several weeks ahead of projected. And that was that.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5057539939880371}
{"content": "UN 2015 Women in politics map from Inter-Parliamentary Union\n\nThe Inter-Parliamentary Union has been campaigning for equal gender representation for some time.\n\nIn September 1997, in Cairo, the IPU Council adopted the Universal Declaration on Democracy and urged Governments and Parliaments throughout the world to be guided by its content.\n\nThe opening section of the Declaration, entitled \"The Principles of Democracy\", states:\n\n\nIn April 1992, in Yaoundé, the IPU Council had stated:\n\n\"The concept of democracy will only assume true and dynamic significance when political policies and national legislation are decided upon jointly by men and women with equitable regard for the interests and aptitudes of both halves of the population.\"\n\nWhen summarising in the New Delhi Declaration the outcome of IPU's Specialised Conference \"Towards Partnership Between Men and Women in Politics\" (New Delhi, February 1997), the Conference President stated:\n\n\"As politics is deeply rooted in society and reflects dominant values, our discussions highlighted clearly that developing a partnership in politics necessarily depends on the degree of partnership as a social mode in general. This is undoubtedly why the Inter-Parliamentary Union asserts that what has to be developed, in modern democratic societies, is nothing less than a new social contract in which men and women work in equality and complementarity, enriching each other mutually from their differences. (...) What is basically at stake is democracy itself.\"\n\nDear sisters and brothers, now it’s time to speak up.\n— Malala Yousafzai 2013 Speech to the United Nations\n\nThe parliaments of Rwanda and Bolivia reportedly have more women than men in parliament and most nations are a long way off achieving equal gender representation.\n\nThere is a growing global movement to achieve equal representation for women in representative government. The QuotaProject monitors developments with the following background:\n\nThe evidence throughout the world illustrates that there are numerous obstacles to women's political participation. Women's participation and representation in decision making bodies at executive and legislative levels has increased over the past decades, this has been slow and uneven across the world. In national parliaments, the global average of seats held by women is only 22%.\n\nFor example, in the UK the parties have come together in an all-party parliamentary group to consider ways to improve the representation of women in the UK Parliament.\n\nIncreased public debate has been spearheaded by the organisation 50:50 Parliament, leading to media references to the emergence of 21st century suffragettes.\n\nIn December 2015, a rally outside the UK Parliament to honour Nancy Astor as the first woman to take her seat in the UK Parliament was matched by a cross-party debate on how to improve the representation of women. This is just one example of how the agenda for the next stage of democratisation is being formed.     \n\nThe calls for the equal representation of women in parliaments are growing globally and it is inevitable that systematic action will eventually be taken country-by-country to achieve this. The question arises:\n\nWhen the history of the 21st suffragettes is written in 100 years, will we read that Australia was once again among the leaders, or will it be Australia that had to be dragged to the next stage of democratisation?\n\nGlobal Gender Gap Report 2015 World Economic Forum\n\nAccess the Global Gender Gap Report 2015 and related World Economic Forum resources here.\n\nThe country score card for Australia (overall rank of 36 out of 145) shows the weakest performance in the area of politics. \n\n— Emma Watson (UN Women Goodwill Ambassador) 2014 UN launch of Heforshe", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7758172154426575}
{"content": "\n\nFrom my perspective, the lack of fanfare actually shows us how rapidly the whole idea of driverless cars has evolved from a brilliant fantasy into a genuine business category.\n\nGoogle isn't the only company with a horse in the race. Tesla, Baidu, Ford, GM and Uber plan to compete in the driverless car field. Boston Consulting Group estimates that driverless cars could generate $42 billion in annual revenues by 2025. That's a prize worth competing for.\n\nThere's a message here for technology executives: Some ideas can take off much more quickly than expected. We experienced a similar surprise when mobile phones became essential tools for the modern enterprise. In the early 1990s, several IT executives told me it would be impossible to integrate digital mobile phones into their enterprise communications systems.\n\nIn retrospect, they couldn't see the writing on the wall. When the C-suite demanded integrated mobile telephony, the IT execs had to deliver. The same thing happened with mobile tablets. At first, IT execs were reluctant to accept the tablets as legitimate workplace tools. But when the sales force demanded them, IT had to figure out how to integrate the tablets.\n\nDriverless cars, and the new technologies supporting them, will pose similar challenges to IT teams. I strongly urge IT leaders to begin thinking now about integrating driverless technologies with enterprise systems. History teaches us that new technology arrives with astonishing force and speed. Don't get caught off guard; start planning today.\n\nI also urge you to read Alex Davies' excellent story about Steve Mahan's first ride in one of Google's self-driving pod cars. Mahan, whose vision was destroyed by a rare genetic illness, said the experience made him feel like \"a whole person again.\" Mahan took his history-making ride through the streets of Austin, Texas, which is now calling itself \"the Kitty Hawk of driverless cars,\" an homage to the site of the Wright Brothers' famous first flight back in 1903.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7099184989929199}
{"content": "As European society becomes more multiethnic and multiracial, Member States of the European Union are faced with the need to formulate adequate policy responses to immigration and integration issues. France has had a distinctive history, lasting over five decades, as a recipient country for non-European immigrants from the Maghreb region of Northern Africa. Over time, discrepancies in living conditions between Maghreb immigrants and the wider French society have only deepened. To investigate the current state of the Maghreb community in France, this analytical paper pursues the following questions: How does the persistence of political, economic, and social differences affect the position of Maghreb immigrants in French society? What efforts are being made by the French government to minimize disparities between the Maghreb population and the wider society? What is the relationship between the French model of integration and the policies of other EU states on immigrant integration?\n\nRights Information\n\n© 2015 Anahita Vasudevan, Kevin Ratana Patumwat, and Kevin Fulgham\n\nCreative Commons License\n\nCreative Commons License\nThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.\n\n\n\nyou may Download the file to your hard drive.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5684342384338379}
{"content": "Alex Craft Series Reread and Notes\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThoughts on Reading and Writing: What Are Your Favorites and Why\n\nThis post has been pestering me for a while, but I’ve struggled to get it written because there are just so many different things to say and ways to say it that its hard to narrow it down below a novel level.  I initially thought this would be more about authors’ writing styles and creation processes or about character building and development or what makes a great writer stand out from just a good writer, but you have to note all of those things and more to really get to the meat of the subject.\n\nAlmost all of my reading material comes from the library, usually Kindle or ePub versions and only a very few am I willing to spend money on from my limited book buying budget.  Those are books written by authors that have proven time and time again to be exactly what I love and crave in a great story.  If I bought every book I wanted to read, I’d read myself right into the poorhouse, so I only buy what I know I’m going to love.\n\nI have found that I like a pretty large variety of subjects and genres (all within the fiction realm) when it comes to reading, but I rarely love anything to the point where I know I’m going to read it over and over again.  It takes an extremely special and unique combination set of things to push any book near that coveted Favorite rating for me.  I will give a book a 5 star/Excellent rating, but it still won’t make it onto my Favorites list but even that is a pretty rare occurrence.\n\nIf you look at that list, I have quite a few, but in comparison to the total number of books I’ve read over the years, it is an extremely small percentage.  What there is is almost exclusively books that fall into the Fantasy genre.  I really do love a great book that involves the impossible, magic and shifters and worlds that are not the one we live in.  Where people are capable of things that we can only dream about. There are a crap ton of books out there that have all those things in their stories, but the ones that are truly awesome are the ones that are capable of making all that impossible real.\n\nI’ve read a handful of interview questions or FAQs from a variety of different authors over the years and I noticed something that seems to be a common thread among my all time favorite authors that doesn’t appear to be there for authors that don’t make that list.  That is that their characters are real to them.  They have lives.  They have opinions.  They have discussions with the author.  They will have an all out hissy fit if the author tries to push them in a direction the character doesn’t want to go.  They are, in essence, real.  In just about any other group of the population, if someone said that they have voices talking in their heads they’d end up medicated and in a hospital somewhere.\n\nAt one point, I kind of thought that was some serious crazy talk until I was forced to understand it after making several custom pieces for clients that, while not quite so out and out words and conversations with me, had some seriously strong opinions as to what they were going to be.  I finally, really, truly got it at that point because those ended up being not only some of my favorite pieces, but some of my best.\n\nI’ve compared authors to artists before and that is what they are, their medium is the written word instead of paint or clay or metal or some other physical, tangible medium.  Like musicians use notes and instruments, writers use words to paint their pictures and the most talented ones pull you so thoroughly into their pictures that you are living them right beside the characters.  It isn’t just characters, though.  Those are vivid, vibrant, deeply layered and complex beings that you know exist even if they really don’t.  The worlds they live in are just as rich and cultivated that, as a reader, there is very little need to truly imagine it because it has been painted is such detail it is hard to miss.  When I read a book, that is what I want.  I want the full experience.  I want all of my senses engaged, not just my eyes and my imagination.\n\nIt has been something of an unofficial goal this year to find at least one new author to add to my Favorites list.  I have yet to find one because there are so very few that seem to write to that level that I’m looking for.  So many authors write for quantity rather than quality and there are so very many that are cookie cutter or formula writers that it is amazing there are any decent books at all.  They aren’t awful writers at all, don’t get me wrong.  They just are the bare effort, riding on previous success writers that aren’t willing to put in the extra needed to make something great.  They are okay with just being okay.\n\nI can’t begin to tell you how many books I’ve read that were so obviously in that cookie cutter/formula crowd.  The first book or two by an author you read, you may not notice and it is easy to think that you might have found something good, but then you read a few more and realize how wrong you are.  At one point, I actually watched my percentage mark as I read and found that the author I was reading literally had points where certain things had to happen in their story.  20% would have the first sexual event, 50% would have say some major drama point, 80% would have the big misunderstanding/breakup/separation and 90% would have the miraculous make-up and lets live happily ever after before the end of the book.  The only real differences would be the basic specifics like names, places personalities and scenario details.  It was like reading some plug and play book.  Ever since then (and after having something similar happen several more times), I’ve become leery of reading what I call bulk authors.  Again comparing to other types of art, it is like seeing mass produced costume jewelry sitting next to a custom, handmade piece.  You are going to notice a difference.\n\nWhile I get hugely frustrated that my favorite authors don’t produce at a higher rater, I’m also extremely glad that they don’t because that means I’m still going to get awesome when they do put something new out.  It usually takes time to produce something amazing.  Look at pregnancy and gourmet cooking and gemstones like diamonds, they don’t come quick and easy.  Like fast food and quick meals, as a reader I’ll read those mass produced authors because I like to read and sometimes something that isn’t quite so full and rich is called for, but that doesn’t mean those will ever be read more than once or earn a spot on the Favorites list.  I will keep looking as I do want a broader range of authors I wait rather impatiently for new material, the ones I’m willing to spend my very limited buying budget on.  The rest, I’ll see you at the library during those long waits.\n\nPeeves: Lacking Author Websites\n\nSince I make the effort to link back to both the author’s main website and a direct link to the book when I’m writing a review, I see a whole lot of websites and, shockingly, a lot that are just not well designed at all.\n\nAs an artist, aesthetics are something that I tend to notice. It may not stick out as much to me if the site is nice and clean (which is really the goal, you want visitors to remember you for your content not the layout or design), but it sticks out like a sore thumb if the design looks bad or is difficult to navigate.  It is also pretty bad in my opinion if the site isn’t kept up to date with the newest releases or, even worse, a website doesn’t exist at all.\n\nThere are so many options available to create a decent looking website so I don’t think there is much of an excuse to not have at least something.  You don’t even have to be particularly computer literate to create one, nor does it even really have to cost you as there are tons of free options out there.  I’m not talking Twitter or Facebook either as you don’t have options there to provide easy to access book lists for published works.\n\nNavigation is a huge peeve of mine.  No website should be difficult to find your way around.  Simple, easy to use and find, logical menus should be a priority on any site.  Not one person that goes to an author’s website wants to spend hours clicking every single link on their page to get the information they went there for in the first place.\n\nFrom a design standpoint, since it is an author website, the focus should be on the author and their works not on flashy eye catching graphics and tons of wild fonts.  That is kind of another peeve of mine anyway, but I feel it is unprofessional and amateurish to have a whole bunch of stuff that is really unrelated and detracts from the focus of the website.  This is a technique that seems to pop up more on what I’d guess were self designed sites where the creative talent needs to remain with the writing rather than the graphics.  Again, with so many options out there, there is no excuse to have a super low quality design that makes the author look fly by night rather than professional and accomplished.  The image you portray with your website reflects on you and your abilities as it is part how you present yourself to the world as an author.  If your website is cheesy then I’m going to question the quality of your writing.\n\nThis is a huge point for me.  The majority of the time I visit an author’s website, I want to know what books they have written, if the book I’m looking at reading is part of a series and if so, where it falls in the reading order.  It drives me bat shit crazy when this is missing or worse, not clear.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve picked up a book thinking it is the first in the series based on what I’ve seen on the author’s website only to find out it isn’t because they have some whacked out way of listing their books.\n\nThere are a couple of simple solutions to a book list and reading order, so I have never been able to understand why this is so difficult.  Easiest is to list the books in reading order first to last, top to bottom or left to right and grouped by series (if there is one) or genre if you write in several areas.  Basic, right?  It should be so basic it doesn’t even warrant a mention, but you’d be amazed.  Another is to simply put the order number somewhere in your listing.  Ideally it would be both a reading order list that has the number listed as sometimes there are novellas in there and noting a .5 or something to the order makes that pretty clear.\n\nI honestly hate it when an author only lists books in published order, especially when they write multiple series.  I don’t want to have to run through two dozen books to find the one book I’m looking for.  It is even harder when they don’t bother even noting the series a book is in when putting that list together.  Sometimes offering up a couple of different lists and orders works best when there are lots of series or interconnected series as different people are looking for different things.\n\nHaving a poorly designed, hard to navigate site that isn’t kept up to date can lose an author readers.  I have actually not picked up a book after going to an author site and not been able to determine important information like series order.  The same goes for sites that aren’t kept up to date.  Yes it is a little bit of work, especially if you publish quite a few books, but it is an essential selling tool that is not being utilized if you don’t take that little bit of time.\n\nIt doesn’t matter if you have one book or 20 to your name.  Having a website is really important.  Making it comfortable for your readers is just as important since they are the ones that count.\n\nThoughts on Reading and Writing: Male vs. Female Authors\n\nMost everyone has preferences when it comes to reading.  Those may be the genres and subgenres they lean towards, paperback/hardcover vs. ebook, specific authors or even writing styles.  Another big preference potential is male or female authors.\n\nMale and female authors very often write from differing or even contrasting world views.  As I mentioned in a previous post on perspectives, readers bring their life experiences into what they read.  Authors do the same thing when writing a book.  Since men and women have very different struggles and obstacles in their lives, their base level life experiences are going to be different, so how they approach the stories and characters they create are also going to be different.\n\nIt has been my experience that, as a woman, I struggle to connect with books that are written by male authors.  I can absolutely enjoy them and appreciate the artistry that is behind those stories, but I have yet to find a male author that inspires me to be watching impatiently for their next book release.\n\nI have found that books written by male authors (though I must say that my sampling is on the narrow end and really only range in a few genres) tend to focus more on action than emotion.  The big, exciting parts of those books fall heavily into that range.  When there is an emotional context, it is often times harder to actually grasp the emotion the author is trying to impart because it comes from a different perspective than mine.  It is also more of a punctuation to different points of their stories rather than a threaded part of the cohesive whole.\n\nA female author tends to have that emotional thread underlying and permeating everything.  When a reader sees a character developing, that character’s thoughts, actions and personality is woven in along with their feelings about themselves and everyone around them.  This applies to male and female characters.\n\nMale and female authors usually portray their male and female characters differently.  What a woman sees as important or appealing aspects to her male and female characters is often going to be different than what a man sees for those same characters.  While both tend to either overtly or subtly objectify the opposite sex in their characters, women are more likely to emphasize non-physical or imperfect physical traits in their characters.  I think that they are also more willing to place both women and men on equal or at least balanced footing.\n\nAuthor Kim Harrison posted similar thoughts on male vs. female author character representation on her FB page.\n\nThere will always be exceptions to every rule, but in the broader spectrum, these generalities tend to run true from what I’ve noticed.  I can admit that I’m biased here as I prefer a female author and often will skip even reading the blurbs of books that are obviously written by male authors.  I know that I have a better chance of connecting to how the female authors have written their stories and portrayed their characters as they are coming from a similar world view and life experience.  This absolutely is not always the case, but it is often enough to allow that to impact my reading choices.\n\nThat doesn’t mean that I am a staunch male author hater.  I will read something if it looks appealing.  I am always on the search for new favorite authors to add to my collection.  I just haven’t found one that gets to me yet.\n\n\nThoughts on Reading and Writing: Perceptions\n\nIt is easy as a reader to think that when you open that book, you are starting with this blank space that the book fills completely.  That the book will succeed or fail entirely on its own merits.  That is great in theory, but theory and reality rarely ever travel along the same path.  In this, the theory breaks because while the book may be a blank slate, the reader is not.\n\nWe each bring our own issues, experience and history onto that slate before we ever even glance at the cover.  Our own well covered slate has us beginning to form thoughts and expectations on that first glance before the spine is even cracked.  It is impossible to not let our slate color the slate of the book.\n\nOur slates help us to form opinions and perceptions about what we are reading.  It is what helps us to like characters, plot elements, settings, everything that make up that book.  It is also what can make us dislike all those same things if they don’t fit into our personal version of the perceptions we form.\n\nA book may connect on a seriously deep emotional level with a reader that has a personal experience that resonates with the subject in the book.  While that same book may be incredibly unemotional to a reader that their own history doesn’t give them the background to create any kind of a bridge between them and the book  to help them empathize.  The second reader may still be able to enjoy the book, but they just won’t be able to connect in the same way or on such an emotional level.\n\nAs  reader, I try to keep in mind what my own slate has written on it and attempt to understand how a person with a different history may view a story that I’m struggling to connect with.  There are times when my imagination just isn’t good enough to stretch that far, but sometimes, I can get a different perspective on a story and understand it on a different level.\n\nI find it fascinating to look at how differing perceptions form peoples opinions with regards to books.  There are times when I’m floored after I’ve read a book that I thought was stunningly written only to then go read how other people have reviewed that book and find out that they completely hated it.  A lot of times, if the review is well articulated, I can totally understand how someone might feel that way.  I many not agree, but I can understand it.  Other times, I’m on the opposite end of that concept when I’ve found a book I really didn’t like that is heavily praised.\n\nUnderstanding how my perceptions influence my opinion has also helped me learn to articulate what or why I like or dislike certain aspects of the books I’ve read.  It still isn’t always easy, not by a long shot, but it does help.  Eh… sometimes.\n\nCainsville Series Overview\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPeeves: Unlabeled Genres\n\nThere isn’t much that is more frustrating when reading a book, and about a 1/3 of the way into it, you realize the book isn’t what you expected because it was missing genre labels.  This is something that has happened quite a lot recently, though, after a tiny bit of research, I think I have to lay this particular peeve squarely on my library’s shoulders.\n\nMy library tends to omit genre labels on an awful lot of their books.  At first, I thought that was because for some reason, the publishers or those marketing the books left those labels off in an effort to gain a larger readership as some labels will keep someone from picking the book up in the first place.  But after looking at a few specific books that were missing labels at the library, Amazon had them notated correctly, so it probably isn’t anyone’s fault but the library.  The three biggest labels they tend to leave off are Young Adult, LGBT and Christian.\n\nThe LGBT label missing is frustrating because that is a genre I read and I may miss a book that I might want to read because that label isn’t there.  Honestly, if someone isn’t going to pick up a book with the LGBT tag, then they are probably the type that is going to be pretty ticked to get into the book and realize what the subject actually is.  Leaving it off is just as likely to keep readers away from it as they are to bring them in.\n\nBoth the missing labels for Young Adult and Christian tick me off because I’m just not interested in either of those genres.  The only YA books that I enjoy are those by authors that I already love, and even then it is a stretch, so I generally don’t want to pick up a YA book unless I’ve specifically looked for it.  The Christian books are much the same, but more so because I honestly don’t enjoy any book preaching to me, no matter the subject.  Since there is a specific genre for this, it should be labeled as such.  And yes, my library does have this as one of their labels, they just don’t always use it.  Same as all the others.\n\nIt gets frustrating when I feel like I’ve wasted time reading a part of a book that I picked up based on the information I had from both the genre labels and the blurbs only to find out it so wasn’t what I was expecting.  It isn’t often that I will finish books that weren’t properly labeled.  Even the times that I’ve forced myself to plow through them, I normally don’t even like what I’ve read by the time I’ve finished.\n\nI like it even less that I now feel like I need to look up a book in multiple places to ensure that what I think the book is, actually is.  Maybe by taking the time to do this I’ll read less books that I don’t like and more that I do.\n\nPeeves: Undeveloped/Unsupported Dialog\n\nThis is one that seems to have been bombarding me quite a bit lately, because apparently a lot of authors, even some that are generally well rated, do this.\n\nWhat I mean by undeveloped or unsupported dialog is when you have characters having a conversation, but the only thing that conversation contains is the text involved in the dialog.  There is little to nothing that is added to that to help the reader connect with what is being said.  Little to no actions by the characters, almost no scene continuation or descriptions, and very little thoughts or emotions expressed by the characters during the dialog segment.\n\nYes, readers connect to the words written on the page, but part of being able to do that is by allowing them to feel immersed in the scene.  When you throw only the words the characters are speaking at them without adding color, texture, emotion or dimension to those words, they kind of feel like they are just floating out there unanchored.  You can kind of compare it to having a conversation on the internet.  It is really easy to mistake what a person is saying without any real context to back it up.  You can take it the wrong way or add your own emotional emphasis to the conversation that may not actually be there and that gives it a whole other meaning.\n\nIn books, readers need that extra information to connect better to the characters and what is actually meant and going on.  Often, if an author didn’t support their conversations, it is easy to feel that the characters lack emotion or that the emotion the writer is trying to convey isn’t genuine.  Sometimes a reader can totally miss out on subtle clues that the author is trying to impart as well.\n\nAn example of a bad conversation set up I read set the scene of the two main characters sitting down on a couch with drinks to talk.  After that little detail of what was going on outside of the conversation, there were about 3 pages of nothing but talking.  Not once was there a pause in the dialog to note that either character took a drink, shifted positions on the couch, neither touched the other character in any way (it was something of a romantic scene, or was supposed to be, there should have been small caresses and touches here and there).  There also weren’t any thoughts mentioned from either character’s perspective as to how they were taking the conversation, not even mentions of facial expression changes, something as simple as smiles or frowns or how something was said.  Because it was missing all of those things, what should have been a kind of deep and important conversation came across as dry and lackluster and I felt like I’d missed something.\n\nThere are so many places in a typical written conversation to add depth and context to a scene.  In a lot of cases, it doesn’t even need a whole lot, but just enough to give the conversation a fuller feel.  Without those things, it is so much harder for readers to connect to characters in an emotional sense.  Absolutely, dialog is integral to a good book.  But because we do not get to actually see the characters in front of us like we do in a movie, we cannot see the body language and the environment, the emotional impact the words are having on the participants.  We need to be told about those things by the author.  The ones that don’t take the time to even put bits of that into their conversations are lazy in my opinion.\n\nFor me, if the dialog is presented without those critical supporting features, it can nearly kill a book no matter how well the author writes everything else.  I can think of a few authors that tend to write this way and, even though I often like their books, those books tend to get pushed to the bottom of my To Read list until I’ve already read the better books on that list.  It is surprising to me how many professionally published authors just don’t do really good dialog.  If they would take that little bit of extra effort, those books could easily go from good to excellent.\n\nUpdated Ratings\n\nAfter having written several reviews now, I realized that my previous rating system just didn’t quite cut it.  Apparently it is one thing to think, internally, that there aren’t that many slots to categorize books, but another entirely to be able to clearly define those slots when writing about them.  There are way more gray areas than I’d believed.  Because of that, I’ve decided to adjust my ratings to a more standardized form that, hopefully, will make it a bit more clear.\n\nMy previous rating scale and reasoning can be found here.  The new one isn’t a whole lot different, but it gives a bit more wiggle room that I felt I needed and didn’t have with some of my previous reviews.  I won’t go back and change any existing reviews, but all new reviews will follow the new system.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe House War, The Sacred Hunt and The Sun Sword Series Notes\n\nAuthor: Michelle West\nSeries: The House War, The Sacred Hunt, and The Sun Sword\n\nI have FINALLY gotten around to finishing all the re-reading I wanted to get in before I started on the latest book in this series.  I thought that before I actually wrote up the review for it, I needed to post a little about the series itself, which is actually listed as three separate series, though I’m not sure why as they are all pretty intimately connected.\n\nThe order that these books need to be read in also does not follow from series to series.  They overlap.  If you are not familiar with them, I recommend reading them in the order listed below:\nThe Hidden City – The House War\nCity of Night – The House War\nHunter’s Oath – The Sacred Hunt\nHunter’s Death – The Sacred Hunt*\nHouse Name – The House War*\nThe Broken Crown – The Sun Sword\nThe Uncrowned King – The Sun Sword\nThe Shining Court – The Sun Sword\nSea of Sorrows – The Sun Sword\nThe Riven Shield – The Sun Sword\nThe Sun Sword – The Sun Sword\nSkirmish – The House War\nBattle – The House War\nOracle – The House War\n\nThe first note to the series that must be made is that Hunter’s Death and House Name are pretty much the same book.  I will admit that these were not the books that I took the time to re-read on this go round as I’ve already read the first several books in the series several times and felt that with the short time I had, I was okay to skip those.  Because of that I cannot say definitively, at this time, that they are exactly the same books (hey, it has been a while).  They are substantially enough the same that you could easily get away with only reading one.  The events in the last couple of books in the Sun Sword series happen at the same time as Skirmish and Battle from the House War Series.\n\nThese books are not the kinds of books that you can pick up one of the later books and not be totally lost.  You absolutely have to read them in order to be able to follow the story.  The entire storyline is incredibly intense and packed full of various different characters and places and political and personal interactions.  While each individual series has central characters, which are numerous, many of those characters are critical across the entire story line of all three series.  You could probably read the Sacred Hunt Series or the Sun Sword series alone, but if you want to read the House War series, you need to read them all in order to not miss out on something.\n\nIf you stop and think of what kind of mind can create the level of writing that is in these books, you just might break your brain.  Incredibly detailed world, phenomenally developed characters, intricately wrought and complex situations, relationships and political intrigues.  It is just so much to take in and absorb.  I actually described it to my husband as though you were reading about all of the residents in a small town, with all the details and personalities of each of those people and their interactions and relationships, except in a completely fantastical world filled with humans, magic, immortals, gods, and demons.  While this is a pretty dumbed down description, it is still pretty accurate.\n\nIn a way it is funny, because I’m not sure I would like a series like this written by any other author.  I don’t typically like reading books that are quite that intricately detailed and full while having to keep so close track of what is going on in a story, nor am I a huge fan of books that are that wed to the entire series that I would feel at a complete loss if I started in the middle somewhere.  In the case of these books, though, it is done so expertly that I cannot help but love every bit of it.  It is absolutely one of those “suck me in and devour me” kinds of series.\n\n\nKey Essentials to a Great Romance Novel\n\nA great romance novel is something that tugs at the heartstrings, yanks on the readers emotions and draws them into the story.  It is an escape and, in some cases, a hope that honestly great romances do happen.  There are several things that a story needs to have to become a truly great romance novel, essentials that really help connect a reader to the story emotionally.  Those essentials are some of the primary aspects that make a real romantic relationship work.\n\nYes, authors often use secrets and the withholding of information as a way to create tension and drama.  As long as you give a strong reason why that honesty isn’t happening, then it can work.  It can also work if it is one of the struggles the characters are dealing with and trying to do better at.  If it is not present just because, as a whim or because the character is ignorant, oblivious or just completely insecure, you had better do a really good job writing a story that makes those issues work or the integrity of your characters can fall apart and end up seeming stupid or week.\n\nTrust ties in closely with honesty.  If your characters can’t be honest with each other, then the trust is going to be really hard to work with.  Absolutely, trust should be earned.  When you don’t take the time to build and develop that in the relationship, then it doesn’t come across as believable.  The characters are either blindly trusting, which can make them seem painfully naive, or they just never trust at all.  When you have a character that is so completely unwilling to build that trust or is unbending in their distrust of their romantic partner, no matter the actions or honesty the other has displayed, then that makes your character seem harsh, cold, uncaring or even something of fool.\n\nWhat is good for the goose is good for the gander.  All parties in the romantic relationship should have the same rights and expectations of behavior, otherwise there is a huge double standard allowed and things can get really ugly.  If one part of the romantic couple gets upset about the behavior of the other, don’t have that one turn around and do the exact same thing and not allow the same kind of fallout to be addressed or dealt with.  All parties should have to compromise and develop or the relationship isn’t balanced and won’t appear very realistic.  You cannot have only one person expected to or be making all the changes or taking the difficult steps or having to deal with the difficult decisions.  That just isn’t that realistic.  Even though we are buying into the fantasy of the story, it still needs to feel possible.\n\nAny good story is going to have some conflict, even in a really lighthearted story.  You cannot expect it to all be rainbows and rose petals and utterly, completely perfect.  On the other hand, the flawed characters, have to have growth as well.  In their situations, their personalities, even how they view the world around them or their belief in how relationships should work.  If you get to the end of the book and the characters are still the same as they started, then part of the point of the story got missed.  That goes for all characters, that whole equality/balance/compromise thing.\n\nIf the issues and conflicts within the relationship are the exact same ones throughout the entire book with zero progress toward improvement or change, the reader is going to get frustrated really quickly.  In a real relationship, if one or another of those in that relationship continue to keep making the same mistakes over and over, or continue to hurt their partner over and over again, eventually that relationship is going to break.  If it doesn’t, it isn’t a healthy relationship and that kind of defeats the purpose of a good romance.  You also cannot have it be the same throughout the entire book to only have the characters have a miraculous epiphany in the last chapter and all those problems are magically resolved.  It does take a bit of time to deal with and go through those changes.\n\nStrong Characters\nMake them flawed.  Make them imperfect.  Allow them to make mistakes, even big ones.  Allow them to feel insecure.  Allow them to be a little broken. Give them great personality.  Allow them to have emotions.  Just don’t make them so much of any one of those things that they are unlikable or that their attitudes and behaviors are just painfully unappealing.\n\nIf your character is confident in who they are on page 50, do not make them suddenly, for no reason, feel differently on page 120.  Don’t have your characters hate each other in the beginning, then have absolutely nothing change at all but they suddenly have the hots for each other.  Have motivations and reasons for the personalities you create and make sure they work together.  Back up any changes with specific and clear reasons.  It doesn’t work for someone to be a total badass, but is unable to function without someone holding their hand or cries at the drop of a hat.  A character can be conflicted, that is fine.  Don’t make them seem like they have multiple personalities, unless you are actually writing a multiple personality character.\n\nThere are always exceptions.  Different scenarios can allow for these aspects to not necessarily all be prominent in a story or allow for exceptions, but you have to have some hint of them.  Either that or have a great reason to allow for those exceptions to make a story work well.  Sure, you can produce an okay or even a good romantic story without some of those aspects, but chances are you aren’t going to be able to pull off that really great one without them on some levels.  The biggest thing that is going to make the difference between okay and great is believability.  You don’t want your reader laughing at your characters like they are that bad horror movie actor that does that obviously stupid thing that everyone knows is going to get them killed (because, come on!  Everyone knows you don’t look under the bed).\n\nBesides providing entertainment, romantic stories can also often be a launching platform for how expectations begin to form in younger generations.  It is something of a peeve of mine for a romance novel to set an extremely bad example of what is okay in a relationship.  No, not all romance stories showcase healthy relationships.  The ones that are well written make sure it is pretty clear that the story is about a relationship that isn’t healthy.  Others that aren’t so well written can send the wrong message altogether, allowing impressionable or inexperienced readers to get the idea that some incredibly unhealthy, even harmful behaviors, attitudes and actions are actually okay.  Not much will drop a book onto my Don’t Like list faster than books that don’t make it clear that certain behaviors are unhealthy or worse, promote those ideas and behaviors.\n\nSafe sex falls into that category.  I’ve mentioned it before.  There is zero excuse for an author to not include safe sex practices in their writing, with a very, very few exceptions like authentic representation of a time period and the rare time when a story warrants it.  Most authors are good about making it clear when an unsafe sex situation has occurred that the characters should have been safe/made better choices, but not all authors do this.  I personally respect the author and characters a lot more when they take the time to be responsible.\n\nOh, and for me?  A real romance has a happy ending.  That can be approached from a lot of different ways.  It doesn’t always mean a traditional Cinderella, happily ever after.  As long as, in the end, the characters are happier in themselves and/or their relationships or better off overall then it qualifies.\n\n\n\nPeeves: Cover Art\n\nThey say that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but we totally do.  The cover of a book is a reader’s very first impression of the book.  It gives the reader a first taste of what may be inside those pages and an indication of the writer’s style and personality.  As an author, I would think that you’d want your cover to be either interesting enough to grab a reader’s attention and draw them in or, at the very least, be generic enough to not matter.  Either approach will work.\n\nIn a lot of  cases, the cover isn’t going to make or break a book.  BUT… if your cover is done in such a way that it strikes a bad first impression, you are going to have a very hard time getting a reader, especially a reader that is new to you as an author, to actually get past whatever it is about the cover that bugs them enough to pick up that book and take a chance on reading it.  There are several things that bug me when it comes to cover art on books, enough so that I will often not even bother to read what the book is about and completely pass it up unless I’m just desperate for something to read.  A lot of times, I still won’t even look at it no matter how desperate I am.\n\nCopycatting:  When a cover is, or contains, the exact same or very closely the same photo/image/design of another cover by another author.  This is something that I’ve noticed an awful lot recently and it annoys the crap out of me.  Not always so much that I won’t read a book because of it, but enough that I struggle to view the authors as more serious or professional.\n\nI usually don’t always notice until I’ve read one book and then later see another book by a totally different author with a nearly identical image or a design that is so close, I think it is another book by the first author.  A lot of authors will use a similar design style throughout a series and that helps the reader to quickly identify it as being in that same series.  When you run across a situation where that isn’t the case, it feels deceptive and unoriginal.  I have no idea why this is so prevalent at the moment, but I am wondering if those books are being produced by the same publisher, one that isn’t willing to invest in unique cover art for their different authors, or if they fall more in line with self published works where the author has to provide their own cover art and they are getting images from free or low cost image services.\n\nIf you cannot get a full design work up with unique graphic images and/or photos for whatever reason, be it cost or lack of creativity, I would much rather see a generic design with a little color and just a title and author.  If you aren’t creative enough to show an original cover image, then how am I as a reader to believe that the story inside is going to be any more special or interesting than that cover, or even better, worth my time?\n\nCartooning:  Cartoon/childlike drawings.  This is definitely a peeve of mine.  If you are a mature, professional author writing mature stories for adults, why are you putting out books with covers on them that make them look like children’s’ books?  I will admit that not all covers that have cartoonish images on the cover come across as childlike, but most of them do.\n\nI don’t read kids books unless it is something for my kids for some reason.  I also very rarely read a young adult book unless it is by an author that I already love their adult books.  This is because those just aren’t the kinds of books I usually want to read.  If your book cover appears that your book belongs in those genres, I’m not even going to take the time to read what the book is supposed to be about let alone take the time to read the book itself.\n\nCheap/Poor Computer Graphic:  Images or designs that look like my high school-er put together in his first graphic design class.  Sadly, in a lot of these cases, my high school-er could have done a better job.  Seriously, if it is going to look like completely amateur work, there is no way I am ever going to look past that cover.  Never.  Why even bother with a cover if that is what you are going to put on there?\n\nBack to the point about a generic cover.  You will get a crap ton more looks and interest if you have even a very simple, basic, clean cover with zero images over something that is bad.  The goal is to generate interest, not turn it away.  I have a feeling (though I haven’t taken the time to research this for any kind of actual evidence), that books with covers like that are very poor cousins within the self published realm.  Even if it isn’t, that is the impression that those covers give.  I seriously doubt a publisher with a very good reputation is going to put out a book with a cover that isn’t at least partially well thought out, let alone so utterly terrible that it does the opposite of the job it is supposed to do which is get a reader wanting more of what it sees.\n\nA book cover, when it has anything other than that simple, generic design, is suppose to tease and tantalize its readers into wanting to pick it up and explore what is beyond that cover.  It is supposed to draw you in, not cause you to go running and screaming in the opposite direction.\n\nHow I Rate Books\n\nThere are several things that I believe will either make or break a book with tiny variations along the way being the only difference between a good book and one that is awesome.  Or… along the other spectrum, awful.\n\nI categorize books based mainly on whether or not I’d be willing to spend the money on the book, or as is most often the case as I read the majority of books from the library, if it is worth re-reading (which that list has become incredibly narrow as of late). This type of book is one that I will read multiple times, has such great content that I find myself so absorbed in the story that I’m so disappointed when the book is over because I want more.  These are the books that are in my all time favorites list.  There is a big divide between this level and the next because there just aren’t many at all that will land in the top.\n\nThe next level is where a book is really good; excellent story/characters/world, but isn’t quite unique or special enough for me to want to take the time out of reading new material to want to read it again.  It would definitely be something I’d recommend to others if asked.\n\nEditing is something of a peeve of mine and can actually make the difference between a good/mid-level book and a great book.  For me, if the story is excellent and I’m reading along and there is a glaring editing mistake, it trips me up.  I have to stop, usually re-read to try and figure out what was actually meant before I can move on.  This disrupts the flow of a book and bugs me to no end.  I don’t always know if those great books are just exceptionally well edited or if the story is just so amazing my mind skims over whatever mistakes are there, but the times it is noticeable can really effect where I place a book on my good/bad scale.\n\nThere will always be that mid-level book that is okay, but to me seems like a replay of every other storyline out there.  It may have mostly decent writing, but often one major aspect seems weak or not well thought out or fully developed.  I wouldn’t consider them a waste of time, but are right there on the border.  Cookie cutter writers eventually fall into this category, no matter how much I may have liked the first book or so.  There are only so many times you can read the same story with only slightly different characters/scenarios before it gets really old.  This level also covers books that just weren’t for me, now matter how well written they may have been.\n\n\nIt may seem that there is a huge gap between those last two, but there really isn’t.  Most books that I’m not a huge fan of will fall in that second to last group.  Just because I don’t necessarily like or enjoy it doesn’t make it a bad book.\n\nI guess if I had to put a label or name on those levels, they would be Excellent/Favorite, Really Good, Mediocre/Didn’t Like, Garbage.  Though I really hate using the last term for that label as I don’t like to slam anyone, but there really just isn’t a nice way of saying it when a book is actually that bad.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7533957362174988}
{"content": "Security Audit and Assessment\n\nRisk assessments is an integral part of managing risks. Organizations need to develop procedures to ensure that this aspect of their information security program is not neglected. Procedures should be implemented to help ensure that these risks are periodically discussed and understood and that the most significant risks are identified and addressed.\n\nWith the increased reliance on networked computer systems in recent years it has accentuated serious and real vulnerabilities that should prompt organizations to bolster their efforts to assess information security risks.\n\nThe critical success factors, methods and tools, and benefits are illustrated in the following diagram.\n\n\nVisio Diagram", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9995880126953125}
{"content": "Fazenda São Francisco do Corumbau\n\nBahia still holds secrets, little explored seas hidden between the sky and the forest. Corumbau, \"distant place\" in the language of the Pataxós, is a stone's throw from paradise.\n\nA beautiful farm in the middle of the coconut trees, with more than 1.5 km of beach. Facilities offering total privacy, with suites and bungalows by the sea and a service exclusively aimed at your comfort and tranquility.\n\nWelcome to São Francisco do Corumbau Farm!\n\nWinner of the Prize - Condé Nast Johansens 2013: Best beach hotel in South America.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000011920928955}
{"content": "\n\nSpaceX successfully launched and landed its reusable rocket! This achievement was the first time we’ve ever managed to launch, land, refurbish, and re-use a rocket for a second launch. SpaceX is calling the rocket, a Falcon 9, “flight-proven” as opposed to “secondhand,” “used” or “reused.” The entire launch and landing went off without a hitch, making this the first time in history a firm has launched an orbital rocket that did what the Falcon 9 did last night. Blue Origin has previously demonstrated a sub-orbital rocket takeoff and landing, but Elon Musk made the history books. “It’s been 15 years to get to this point,” Musk said. “It’s taken us a long time. A lot of difficult steps along the way.”\n\nScientists have put forth a possible explanation for how Enceladus got its “tiger stripes.” In short, something huge could have smashed into the icy moon. “If it was heated by tides, the north and south should look the same,” says Angela Stickle of Johns Hopkins University. “So the fact that Enceladus’s south has these crazy regions with plumes and heat flows is enigmatic.” But the heating and the cracks could be explained by a formidable impact: something that hit hard enough to smash in the icy crust like an eggshell. The assailant could then have melted right through the ice, which would have refrozen around it, leaving little trace of its presence beyond the rapidly cooling crush zone and its fissures.\n\nAlso, there’s a new hypothesis that proposes a relationship between gravity, dark matter, and black holes. Here’s how it goes. Right now the axion is our best candidate for a WIMP that could crack the dark matter problem. Except it’s hard to find axions. How do you find something scarce? Go to where it’s common. And scientists expect that axions should be more densely concentrated near black holes.\n\n“The basic idea is that we’re trying to use black holes… the densest, most compact objects in the universe, to search for new kinds of particles,” project spokesperson Masha Baryakhtar told Gizmodo. Especially one particle: the axion. “People have been looking for it for 40 years,” Baryakhtar said.\n\nWhat makes the hypothesis eye-opening is the metaphor it draws between black holes and the structure of an atom. Think of a black hole as a kind of atomic nucleus, except on a huge scale. The authors suggest that axions might behave en masse like electrons behave in pairs, jumping between energy levels and occupying expected clouds around the nucleus.\n\nBut wait: there’s more. The rotation of the black hole could create a phenomenon called superradiance, which could produce 1080 axions, the same number of atoms as we think there are in the entire universe, except all those axions would be orbiting around a single black hole. If we can confirm these hypotheses with LIGO data, it could advance our understanding of dark matter by leaps and bounds, and put us one step further to understanding the why and wherefore of the universe. Whoa.\n\nNow read: The 25 best Hubble Space Telescope images", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.858927845954895}
{"content": "Dictatorship Countries\n\nAdd ⊕\n1 Countries\n1.1 Asian\nChina, Philippines\n1.2 European\nGermany, Russia\n1.3 African\nNigeria, Zaire\n1.4 North American\nNot present\n1.5 South American\nArgentina, Mexico\n1.6 Others\nNot present\n1.7 Ancient Regime\n1.7.1 Asia\nNot Available\n1.7.2 Europe\nAncient Rome, Germany, Italy, Soviet Union\n1.7.3 Africa\nNot Available\n1.7.4 North America\n1.7.5 South America\n1.7.6 Other\nNot Available\n\nList of Dictatorship Countries\n\nThe popularity of a type of government depends on how widely that government type is adopted or had been adopted across the world. We provide a complete list of Dictatorship countries which gives you a measure of how well Dictatorship is/was accepted across the globe. The list given above includes all the past and present Dictatorship countries.\n\nCountries with Dictatorship\n\nSince its origin years ago, Dictatorship has been applied as a type of government in many countries. Knowing countries with Dictatorship is significantly important to get an idea about presence of Dictatorship countries around the globe. Get a complete list for all the Dictatorship countries in the past and current times. Also find out Dictatorship Definition, History of Dictatorship, Characteristics of Dictatorship and a brief Dictatorship summary to get the idea of entire government system. The government system in each country is set according to the need of rules in the country. If there is no political system to regulate the country, it would suffer due to unjust practices of society.\n\nCountries that have Dictatorship!\n\nWhen a nation adopts a type of government, the factors taken into consideration include the social and economic conditions of that country. Hence, countries that have Dictatorship as their form of government, have found it beneficial in improving the social and economic conditions prevalent there. You get a complete scenario about the development and current day Dictatorship only by knowing the Dictatorship countries.\n\nDictatorship Countries List\n\nDictatorship has been adopted by a lot of countries in different continents in the past centuries and it is still prevalent. A continent wise Dictatorship countries list can be given as follows.\n\n  • Dictatorship Countries in Asia: China and Philippines\n\n  • Dictatorship Countries in Europe: Germany and Russia\n\n  • Dictatorship Countries in Africa: Nigeria and Zaire.\n\n  • All North American Dictatorship Countries: Not present\n\n  • Dictatorship Countries in South America: Argentina and Mexico\n\nLet Others Know", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8538312911987305}
{"content": "Healthcare facilities are about as complex a building type as you can get, making a career in the healthcare planning and design field far from a cakewalk. And market conditions are only complicating matters. Hospitals and health systems are responding to the financial realities of reform (and remaining unknowns tied to the Affordable Care Act), implementing measures to support population health, and trying to figure out what to do with an aging building stock—each priority shaping expectations for new building projects and, more importantly, the project team members delivering them.\n\nHealthcare A/E/C firms are responding to the new climate that’s been created, one where shorter schedules are the norm, collaboration is key, and expertise is a must. Healthcare Design asked healthcare design leaders to shed light on the business side of the industry today—specifically, what challenges are top of mind, from talent acquisition to streamlining project delivery to answering evolving client expectations.\n\nIn this special report, we profile not just those challenges identified, but the drivers behind them and the solutions being implemented. Here, Michael McLaughlin, executive vice president of Southland Engineering, discusses his firm’s efforts to tackle engineering leadership.\n\nName: Michael McLaughlin\nTitle: Executive Vice President\nFirm: Southland Engineering (Phoenix)\nNumber of firm employees: 300\nHealthcare revenue in 2016: $300 million (construction revenue)\n\n\nBusiness challenge: Engineering leadership\nToo often healthcare building owners don’t get the results they expect from engineers and builders. Budgets are exceeded and schedules are missed. They’ve grown tired of the traditional project pattern of “design, bid, value engineer, re-design, and build,” which essentially results in a new facility that’s considered a compromise. The process is inefficient, disjointed, and noncollaborative, and often leaves facility leaders and staff dissatisfied. At root is the fundamental issue of leadership.\n\nHealthcare MEP systems have grown to account for nearly 50 percent of a healthcare facility’s first costs and a significant portion of the ongoing operational costs. Project outcomes are therefore heavily dependent on the success (or failure) of the MEP systems. The role and expectations of the MEP engineer, however, haven’t kept pace with this change. It’s time for the MEP engineer to serve in a leadership role, which will help enable projects to meet and exceed owners’ expectations.\n\nWhat’s behind it\nThe traditional expectation of MEP engineers is to provide a technical solution that satisfies the code, standards, and functional needs of a facility. MEP engineers are well-equipped and trained to solve these technical challenges. However, solving a technical issue without regard to cost, constructability, or maintainability is a fundamental flaw that leads to poor project outcomes. The technical solution ultimately defines the cost, constructability, and maintainability of the project and must be considered an equal “input” into the equation if a project team is to expect better results.\n\nDue to the level of complexity required to design, construct, operate, and maintain today’s modern healthcare facilities, the input of owners, architects, engineers, contractors, estimators, facility operators, and a host of other stakeholders that directly influence the outcome of a project must shape MEP designs. This comprehensive contribution in the formative stages of design is crucial to avoid costly re-design or value engineering later, which is a fundamental indication of poor collaboration.\n\nThe solution\nAs part of an engineering, construction, and maintenance company, Southland is in the position to observe projects delivered via a variety of contractual methods over their entire lifecycle. Over the years, we’ve identified and defined success factors that result in better outcomes for clients, regardless of contract type.\n\nTechnical expertise. Engineers are faced with regular changes in healthcare codes, standards, technology, and operating procedures. At minimum, our engineers are expected to keep pace with those changes and the variety of potential solutions. Our expectations, however, transcend technical expertise. Engineers must seek to understand what makes the owner’s business successful, how MEP systems can benefit or improve the jobs of medical staff, and what needs and preferences the facility operators hold to ensure the features of the MEP solution remain functional.\n\nCost. Every line and every word engineers place on drawings and specifications affect the cost of the project. Therefore, it’s critical that engineers understand the impact of their decisions. Since engineers aren’t traditionally trained on cost, they need a partner to provide that insight. Within Southland Engineering, our engineers have real-time access to full-time MEP cost estimators.\n\nConstructability. Since the engineer’s drawings and specifications define what’s to be built, it’s imperative that engineers seek out MEP contractors to help shape the designs. To take it a step further, MEP engineers must design for construction, and this can be done only when trusted construction experts work with MEP engineers at the start of design. We’ve provided our engineers with access to sheet metal, pipefitting, plumbing, and fire protection tradespeople to inform solutions.\n\nMaintainability. MEP engineers aren’t experts in facility maintenance and must rely on facility operators to help shape their designs into a maintainable solution. This is a purposeful choice and requires MEP engineers to engage facility operators during the design stages. If those individuals aren’t available, having access to a trusted facility partner is a critical resource.\n\nLeadership. Given the significant effect that MEP systems have on the outcomes of healthcare projects, MEP engineers must expand their capabilities to become experts at solving technical challenges as well as collaborating, communicating, seeking input, creating valued relationships, taking responsibility, and being accountable for results.\n\nWords of wisdom\nMEP engineers have an opportunity and the responsibility to become leaders in connecting engineering decisions to project cost, constructability, and maintainability to improve overall results. Better outcomes can be achieved by engaging stakeholders and using our expertise to optimize solutions on multiple dimensions.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9733726382255554}
{"content": "07/16/2014 10:38 am ET Updated Sep 15, 2014\n\nIs Your Business' Confidential Information Legally Protected?\n\n\nConsider a spectrum of business information from the most specific and publicly disclosed to the most abstract and undisclosed. Traditional registration of copyrights and patents requires the public disclosure of an idea that has been reduced to expression in words or in a device. Trade secrets, in contrast, are unregistered and not publicly disclosed ideas, devices, or processes not otherwise known to the public that provide an economic competitive advantage. A trade secret might not meet the statutory requirements to be patented but is still protected. General and undeveloped ideas, such as recognizing the importance of anticipating what a consumer will need five years in the future, are not recognized as property. Confidential information, such as ideas for expanding a specific business, falls between general unprotected ideas and protected trade secrets. While copyrights, patents, and trade secrets are broadly legally protected from third-party appropriation and use, confidential information may not be legally protected in the absence of an agreement between the parties in question. Entrepreneurs, inventors, and small businesses must not overlook this important issue.\n\nConfidential business information held by certain individuals, such as the directors and officers of a corporation, may be protected from disclosure by fiduciary obligations. Fiduciary obligations require the utmost loyalty, honesty, and fair dealing. However, many non-fiduciary individuals may have access to confidential information. While a very few courts have recognized a tort of breach of confidential information in a business setting, many do not. The court decisions that recognize this tort tend to involve special relationships in a professional-client setting. The tort is related to protected personal privacy. Carefully written contracts prepared by an experienced attorney are necessary to protect confidential information in a business setting.\n\nIn 2010 the Hawaii Supreme Court held that the Hawaii Uniform Trade Secrets Act \"displaces non-contract civil claims based upon the alleged acquisition, disclosure, or use of confidential information that does not rise to the level of a statutorily-defined trade secret\" (BlueEarth Biofuels, LLC v. Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc.). The Court noted that most states and commentators have concluded that non-trade secret confidential information may only be protected by a contract. A 2013 Texas Court of Appeals decision stated: \"If the subject manner appropriated by the defendant is not a trade secret, there is no liability for misappropriation, no matter how reprehensible the defendant's conduct\" (Lamont v. Vaquilla Energy Lopeno LTD, LLP). These cases involved a voluntary disclosure of information that allegedly was subsequently misused.\n\nA related situation involves lawsuits against governmental agencies for their disclosure of the confidential information and trade secrets submitted to them. The Freedom of Information Act exempts from disclosure \"trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person and privileged or confidential.\" Additionally, a variety of agency rules address these disclosures.\n\nIf information has been acquired by unlawful hacking or theft, criminal and civil legislation provides protections. However, if a business makes a claim of improper access, courts will examine the business's information protocols. Information acquired \"with permission\" is not stolen. A confidential information contract with the individual or entity in question that specifically addresses the permissible limited uses of disclosed confidential information may be critical.\n\nLabeling information a \"trade secret\" does not make it a trade secret. It must meet the statutory definition of trade secret. Confidential information that is voluntarily disclosed to another without an obligation of confidentiality is not a trade secret. Potential business strategies or goals may be confidential information but not trade secrets. At some point these ideals may become sufficiently developed and specifically implemented to be considered a trade secret.\n\nParticularly in the employment context, employees are free to leave an employer and utilize their professional skill and knowledge. Depending upon the jurisdiction, a non-competition and non-disclosure agreement may provide some limitations on a departing employee who has acquired confidential information. It may be important to document the extent of the employee's knowledge prior to beginning employment. An employee may have preexisting knowledge that a current employer considers confidential. Non-disclosure cases frequently hinge upon a factual determination of what is general knowledge or already publically disclosed and what is confidential. Non-competition agreements that are considered reasonable as to duration, geographic area, and scope of business are typically enforced by courts.\n\nA business should review its protocols concerning access to and dissemination of information. It is equally important that informal systems not develop that subvert the formal rules. When developing intellectual property, it is helpful to consider when an idea has been refined to the point that it should be confidentially protected. While brainstorming or informal beta testing with clients and other professionals may surface some excellent ideas, who will own the right to refine and commercially exploit them? Contracts with employees and third parties may be the best method of protecting business confidential information. Courts are reluctant to create implied contracts protecting information. After all, public policy generally favors the discrimination of ideas and information. Unstated assumptions about commercial confidentiality practices in an industry may not be legally enforceable. Consult an experienced attorney to prepare and review appropriate agreements.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8672512769699097}
{"content": "Do You Wish To Look Younger & Energetic? Visit Nimba Naturecure!\n\nBy NimbaExperts // 16 August, 2018//318 Views //\n\nWho doesn’t want to look young and energetic?\n\nBut if you dig a little deeper, you’ll find it is closely dependent on a person’s overall health. If a person is healthy then the skin glows automatically and the body language looks positive. But if a person is suffering from some sort of illness, it reflects on their skin.\n\nToday, the drugs and medicines are created to merely mask the symptoms of any health problem. And while the underlying problem persists, people have the false assurance of being healthy when they are not.\n\nAnd no matter how much a person tries, that hidden problem makes them look aged and energy-less. On the other hand, the traditional system of medicines like Naturopathy Treatment, Ayurveda, and Yoga helps a person stay healthy and protected from the diseases.\n\nThis is the only way you can stay healthy, look younger and remain energetic all your life!\n\nSo, here are a few “Scientifically Proven” ways to stay healthy. If you incorporate them into your lifestyle and follow them, you can surely experience the eternal bliss of good health.\n\n1. Panchakarma\n\nPanchakarma is a detoxification therapy. It is a group of five different therapies which are aimed at internal cleansing of different body systems. Once the toxins are out of your body, the energy can flow freely within your body as the blocked channels are again open and the body can utilize the nutrient in an effective manner.\n\n2. Meditation\n\nMeditation is the best way to bring your mind into a more comfortable and stress-free place. Because of our personal and professional life, and also due to the external factors such as environmental factors, our mid experiences extreme stress. Meditation helps our mind to clear out the stress and feel healthy and happy.\n\n3. Naturopathy Diet\n\nNaturopathy is based on the principle that the body has innate capacity to heal itself, provided it has the power and atmosphere required within. Naturopathy diet is decided as per any individual’s body type, health history, and hereditary factors. But you can feel the difference as it reflects on your looks and body language profoundly.\n\n4. Massage Therapy\n\nMassages help a lot in boosting the blood circulation in the body which in-turn boosts the natural healing and repair mechanisms of the body. Also, massages help in relaxing the muscles and removing the toxins from the skin. The result is a new you! More energetic, younger, and healthier version of yourself.\n\n5. Ayurveda\n\nAyurveda has answers to almost everything that one might ever need. Ayurveda has described the herbal remedies which can eliminate any disease condition from its roots. This is the most effective way to be healthy from the inside. Ayurveda can help you be healthy and remain healthy, young, and energetic throughout your life.\n\n\nNimba Naturecure is a unique Naturopathy Centre offers you the comprehensive package of Naturopathy Treatments which will help anyone look young and stay healthy and energetic. Nimba is the best Naturopathy centre in India. Nimba is the winner of ‘Today’s Traveller Award 2018’ for Best Naturopathy and Wellness Retreat in India. Come to Nimba and get young from inside and outside both.\n\nTake a First Step contact Towards Wellness", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.717502236366272}
{"content": "Sugar dear?\n\nAt Auckland Zoo there’s an elderly primate whose unobtrusive presence and minimalist surroundings understate her sig­nificant role in our history. Isolated from the other chimps, she looks lonely, but this is her choice. She doesn’t get along with her fellow primates and prefers her solitary enclosure to their park-like surroundings. When her longtime friend, Bobbie, died four years ago, Janie, 58, became the last of the famous tea party chimpanzees.\n\nWritten by      \n\nAlexander Turnbull Library\n\nLive animal performances such as the chimp tea parties and elephant rides imme­diately boosted the zoo’s income when they were initiated in the 1950s.\n\nNew Zealand Herald files of 1956 show a bunch of subdued, travel-weary chimps ar­riving from London. Janie, Bobbie (the only male), Minnie and Josie were sent to Auck­land Zoo while Yoka, Molly and Breena went to Wellington. The chimps, captured as juveniles in Africa, had to adjust to an entirely new way of life, obliged to practice their tea-party routine constantly at Regents Park Zoo and even aboard the ship on the passage to New Zealand.\n\nIf they were malleable when young, the chimps became less obliging as they ma­tured. Former Zoo Supervisor Derek Wood recalls: “Sometimes they could be quite ob­streperous, especially Bobbie. Often they refused to come out of their cages, and there was a time when one decided he wasn’t going to sit at the table.” Consequently, the aging actors were retired in 1959 and more amiable chimps arrived from London to re­place them.\n\nThe tea parties continued until the ear­ly 1970s, when public attitudes towards performing animals had changed. Zoos, similarly, had shifted their focus from public entertain­ment to animal welfare, and an era of massive upgrades began. The chimpanzees and their descendants were moved from their barren cages to large vegetated enclo­sures, where they could interact with their kind without human intrusion. But Janie and Bobbie had learned to interact almost exclusively with humans—and behave like them—and had lost the social skills of their species. Old, and socially impaired, they preferred their outdated but familiar enclosures.\n\nThese days zoos attract the public by of­fering animal encounters and safari nights. And Janie’s life is made as comfortable and as interesting as possible, with devoted zoo staff keeping her entertained with toys, books, even movies. She prefers animal doc­umentaries, especially TV2’s The Zoo series, presumably because she recognises the peo­ple and places. The former tea party star also has a range of beverages to choose from, her favourites being apple and blackcurrant juice, herbal tea and hot chocolate.\n\nMore by", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.515442967414856}
{"content": "My heroine's journey\n\nA road less travelled\n\nThe women of Angkor Wat\n\n\nAs a fitting choice for the journey, I chose SuperSoul conversations, with Oprah Winfrey and Elizabeth Gilbert. The discussion harked back to the book that started it all, \"Eat, Pray, Love\". (The Love section of the book's title taking place in Ubud, Bali).\n\nThis is a 2-part conversation where Elizabeth Gilbert introduces her heroine's journey. Seems like a simple enough concept, just change the classic hero's journey to a woman character and you are done. If we do away with personal pronouns, any sense of controversy disappears. Or, does it?\n\nAs Elizabeth points out, (and she maintains her loyalty to Joseph Campbell as a huge fan of his work), there are no female hero stories to mentor us. They just don't exist. We are the first generation of women who are writing the guidebook on this heroine's journey. We are building on the work of historical feminists, and rewriting the male version of the hero's journey into something for our time, for modern women.\n\n\nHowever, times have changed. The women who are answering the call are doing it now, in modern times. We are a new breed, living in a new age and we are rewriting what it means to be a woman, to be feminine. Now, we can look to each other, our sisters, and find the heroine's journey everywhere. We can even see traces of it in women who have had to overcome incredibly difficult circumstances. It may not have been the entire arc of a women's life, but they survived significant trials.\n\nSo what is the heroine's journey?\n\n\nMaureen Murdock received acknowledgement from Jospeh Campbell, he reportedly said, “Women don’t need to make the journey. In the whole mythological journey, the woman is there. All she has to do is realize that she’s the place that people are trying to get to.” Luckily, Murdock didn't accept Campbell's answer and went on to create her version of the heroine's journey.\n\n\n  1. Heroine separates from the feminine - I chose to focus on my education, then pursue my career full-time while my husband looked after our children.\n  2. Identification of the masculine and gathering of allies - I worked in male dominated companies, with very few other like-minded women.\n  3. Roads or trials - my children had teachers in school who claimed I was a neglectful mother. The path is so lonely at times, it is hard to stay on course.\n  4. Experiencing the boon of success - I stuck it out, got promoted, made more money as time went on. (This is where the story ends for some).\n  5. Heroine awakens to feelings of spirituality aridity/death - my success started to feel increasingly shallow and required a betrayal of my sense of self, something which was getting worse over time.\n  6. Initiation and descent to the goddess - I had always thought I didn't need to surround myself with women, that the company of men was preferable. As the years passed by, I began to question this wisdom and I began to think that a significant part of my feminine self was being left to die.\n  7. Heroine urgently yearns to reconnect with the feminine - If I continued on the corporate path, the majority of my time would continue to be spent with men. Reconnecting with my feminine side and with other women would be difficult.\n  8. Heroine heals the mother/daughter split - my mother had taught me to be creative and crafty, she lit the flame in me as a child. I spent my career at a distance from all that, it was time to revisit that decision.\n  9. Heroine heals the wounded masculine within - TBD, Heroine makes peace with the “masculine” approach to the world as it applies to herself.\n  10. Heroine integrates the masculine and feminine - TBD, to face the world or future with a new understanding of herself and the world/life. Heroine sees through binaries and can interact with a complex world that includes her but is larger than her personal lifetime or geographical/cultural milieu.\n\n\nJoin me in this creative journey. I think it will be worth your time. I look forward to hearing from you! Use any form of communication which feels comfortable. Email, social media or even, if you want to give me a call, I can reached at cwestermark on Skype. Together, let us see where we can take this.\n\nUntil next time, please direct and email to [email protected] \n\nAs well, connect on these social networks:\n\nDaily Creatives Resources:\n: : \"Fruitless at 40: Rediscovering My Creative Power\"\n: : After 25 years, why I walked away from my beloved career\n: : What would an epic creative retreat look like for you? Add your insights to the survey!\n: : Be bold! Join, start or share in a social movement\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9227609038352966}
{"content": "\n,The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles and is  recognized as one of the primary instruments in blues, country, flamenco, rock music, and many forms of pop.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000094175338745}
{"content": "Stray current investigation\n\nThe effects of stray currents from direct current (DC) sytems (railways, tramways, mines, HVDC transmission, cathodic protection, etc.) are so well known that investigation and implementation of remedial measures is an integral of CP projects. However, some CP systems may face unique problems which require more detailed and sophisticated investigation.\n\n\nIn most cases, it is not until some damage has already been caused that analysis is made of the effects of stray currents and the remedial measures needed to solve the problem. We can also provide risk assessment and mitigation planning for proposed new CP systems so that any necessary remedial measures can be implemented in advance. This helps avoid delays which often arise when interfering systems are being operated by different owners.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9997866749763489}
{"content": "average cost of a semi private fence\n\nfence styles are available and their average price per foot. quick links . semi-privacy fencing + click to shrink/expand . semi-privacy fence offers many of the same benefits as solid privacy fence but allows air to still move freely in confined spaces.\n\nwhy choose pvc fencing? a wide variety of types of pvc fencing are now available, including: picket fences. rural post and rail. privacy fences. semi-private fencing. pool fencing. balustrades. they come in a variety of styles and colours, too. for example, if you're looking for a picket fence, you can find .\n\naverage costs and comments from costhelper's team of professional journalists and community of users . with professional installation a semi-privacy or privacy wooden fence can be $8-$100 or more a foot; a basic 6' tall wood privacy fence typically costs $10-$30 a foot, for $1,000-$3,500 for 100' and $3,000-$10,000 for .\n\nfences offers aesthetics that are more interesting than standard privacy fences though without providing quite the same level of seclusion from the world beyond. they're available in a variety of materials in a range of styles and prices. you've got a selection of material options to meet your budget or give you the .\n\nfencing cost over the lifetime of the product? we shopped around and did some homework on fence pricing. we determined the average fencing costs of pressure treated wood and stacked the lifetime maintenance costs against vinyl fence prices. the results may surprise you. don't forget that after .\n\nprivacy fence, a contractor will spend around 23 hours installing a fence of the average length of 150 linear feet. this equals out to around $30 to $33 per hour in labor costs. while that can add nearly $800 to the total cost of the job, most homeowners will find that paying someone .\n\nprivacy fence with pickets typical cost. cost of wood picket fence - calculate 2017 prices install wood picket fence total average cost per square foot, $14.25, $16.52, $19.05 . a vinyl fence cost? vinyl privacy fencing cost calculator · pvc fencing cost. cost to install a wood fence - estimates and prices at fixr .\n\nfence staining cost non-discounted retail pricing for: oil based, semi-transparent stain. quantity includes typical waste overage, material for repair and local delivery. 267 square feet, $78.20, $213.71. fence staining labor, basic basic labor to stain privacy yard fence with favorable site conditions. remove loose or .\n\naverage cost to install a wood fence is about $3000-$5700 (¼ acre 3'-4' picket fence with a medium quality wood and a gate) . popular styles include ranch fences, picket fences , privacy and semi-privacy fences, they are made with several different types of wood like pressure treated pine, spruce, tropical hardwoods , .\n\nfences will almost never rot, chip, peel, fade or rust. it never needs to be repainted or re-stained. termites and other wood-eating insects are not a threat; they don't like vinyl. vinyl fences are available in a variety of styles and colors. you can opt for a privacy fence, a semi-privacy fence, a picket fence or even a pool .\n\naverage costs and comments from costhelper's team of professional journalists and community of users . a 4'-6' tall vinyl semi-privacy or privacy fence typically costs $12-$25 or more a foot for materials, or with one gate about $1,300-$3,000 for 100' and $3,600-$8,000 for 300', depending on height and .\n\na nearby fencing company with something very similar to our inspiration photo would not give us a pricing estimate and told us that the price would scare us away . by installing this fence, we are actually expanding the backyard by enclosing our large side yards as well and adding a lot of privacy, too.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9996904134750366}
{"content": "Partnersuche im kreis sömmerda real verlieben\n\nAdjudication The decision of a court with respect to matters of dispute; used most often with regard to judgment of incapacitation or incompetence.Administrator The individual or institution appointed by a court to oversee the settlement of the estate of a person who has died without a will.\n\n529 Plan A form of college savings accounts the Internal Revenue Code permits universities and states to establish that provides several tax benefits, including a five year acceleration of annual exclusion gifts; also known as a qualified state tuition program (QSTP).\n\nAbatement The reduction of a gift (bequest) in a will because the estate's assets are insufficient to satisfy all the gifts after the estate's debts, claims, and taxes have been paid; all gifts of the same class abate proportionately unless provided otherwise.\n\nAccelerated Return Enhanced Note A security that provides an investor no downside principal protection against adverse performance of the underlying linked asset or index of the note while providing potential for increased participation (i.e., 200%-300%) additional return linked to the performance of the underlying asset or index if held to maturity.\n\nThe note is fully exposed to the credit risk of the issuer and their ability to pay (or inability to pay due to credit default/bankruptcy) at expiration.\n\nActive Management An investment management strategy in which an attempt is made to outperform the market,as measured by a particular benchmark or index.\n\nThe manager takes an active decisionmaking role in choosing which securities to purchase and sell.Absolute Return The actual appreciation or depreciation (return) of a security, expressed as a percentage, in positive (absolute) terms.Abstract of Trust A document that briefly outlines a trust's key provisions and existence; also called an affidavit of trust.Accredited Investor For individuals, the criteria is met by a net worth of more than million or an income of more than 0,000 for the current and each of the previous two years.Other entities such as corporations, partnerships, trusts, and employee benefit plans with at least million in investments.Against the Box A short sale of a security which the seller does own but does not want to close out his/her position in, for tax or other reasons. Such agencies were created to reduce borrowing costs for certain sectors of the economy. Examples include the Federal home Loan Mortgage Corporation, or Fannie Mae (FNMA), and the Student Loan Marketing Association (SLMA).", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8256321549415588}
{"content": "Page 1 of 1\n\nCombine SPARQ Scores\n\nPosted: Tue Mar 01, 2016 9:28 am\nby dead_poet\nSPARQ is an athleticism metric that was developed by Nike and subsequently adopted by current Seattle Seahawks management in their player evaluation process. It’s a way of understanding in simple terms how a given player compares athletically relative to their peers, both in their draft class and on a league-wide basis.\n\nTerms to know:\n\npSPARQ – The SPARQ formula isn’t published, but there’s a significant data set available from SPARQ high school camps. From this data, I back-calculated a formula that’s very close to SPARQ. I then worked to keep the SPARQ weighting the same while applying the tests that we use for NFL athletes. The eight inputs for my metric, pSPARQ, are as follows: player weight, bench press, broad jump, vertical jump, forty-yard dash, ten-yard split, short shuttle and 3-cone (L) drill.\n\nsimScore – This is a measure of how a given player compares to another using a SPARQ-based similarity algorithm. As far as I know, the idea of similarity scores is originally credited to Bill James, a pioneer in baseball sabermetrics. With my metric, a simScore of 60 shows a vague similarity, 80 represents a significant match, and 90 is a near-exact result.\n\nZ-Score of 0 is an average NFL athlete of that position.\n\nZ-Scores are based on positional averages. So that means that a Z-Score for a wide receiver is comparable to another wide receiver, but you can't compare a Z-score of WR with a RB, because each position has different SPARQ averages. Also it's better to compare players to other players of their own position or else it's meaningless because each position does something different. For example a lineman not being as athletic as a wide receiver is normal because their job is obviously different.\n\nThis profile is based on the following metrics: WT, 40 yard dash, Bench Press, Vertical Leap, and 20 yard shuttle. Also the scores above are of players who participated in the 5 exercises. I can't generate a score if they're missing one them.\n\n...via ... thleticism\n\n\nWide receivers:\n\nDefensive linemen:\n\nDoctson is #1. Several are incomplete due to choosing not to do some drills (ex. Treadwell).\n\nWhat is SPARQ? ... in/4125461\n\nRe: Combine SPARQ Scores\n\nPosted: Fri Mar 04, 2016 3:10 pm\nby S197\nThis is the test that McKinnon scored very highly on, correct?\n\nRe: Combine SPARQ Scores\n\nPosted: Fri Mar 04, 2016 4:23 pm\nby dead_poet\nS197 wrote:This is the test that McKinnon scored very highly on, correct?\nMcKinnon's SPARQ score of 147.5 was one of the top scores among all running backs over the last 16 years.\n\nNo other running back has an athletic profile similar (i.e., over 80) to that of Jerick McKinnon. Backs with McKinnon’s speed, lower-body explosiveness and upper-body strength just don’t exist.\n\nAn average NFL skill position player will ring in at around a 110 pSPARQ, a good athlete at 120, and very good at 130. Elite is about 140, and the 150+ range is reserved for Calvin Johnson, Vernon Davis, and a select few others. McKinnon’s 147.5 is one of the top scores among all running backs over the last 16 years.\n\nOut of 1000+ RBs in the analyst's database shows that only 56 have recorded a sub-4.4 40-yard-dash at either the combine or their pro day. The top 6 pSPARQs from those 56 are: Willis McGahee (tests taken pre-ACL), Chris Johnson, Edgerrin James, Jamal Lewis, Reggie Bush and Jerick McKinnon.\n\n32 bench press reps, 11'0\" broad jump, 40\" vertical, 4.41 40, and a 4.12 shuttle.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6903863549232483}
{"content": "World Bank chief warns no region immune to European crisis\n\nWASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters) - World Bank President Jim\nYong Kim on Wednesday warned that most regions of the world will\nwas vital to protect the strong economic gains of the past\ndecade in the developing world.\n\nIn his first public speech since taking the helm of the\nWorld Bank three weeks ago, Kim said even if the euro zone\ncrisis is contained, it could still reduce growth in most of the\nworld's regions by as much as 1.5 percent.\n\nA major crisis in Europe could slash gross domestic product\nin developing countries by 4 percent or more, enough to trigger\na deep global recession, he said.\n\n\"Such events threaten many of the recent achievements in the\nfight against poverty,\" he said.\n\nOutlining his vision for the global poverty-fighting\ninstitution, Kim said his priority was to protect development\ngains from global economic risks, such as the euro zone crisis,\nwhich has begun to weigh on growth in large emerging economies\nlike China.\n\nFor now, the world's poorest nations appear to be somewhat\ninsulated from the euro zone crisis because they have limited\nexposure to global financial markets.\n\nBut Kim said not everyone would be spared, and he urged\nEuropean leaders to act quickly to ensure the crisis doesn't\n\n\"To put it starkly, what's happening in Europe today affects\nthe fisherman in Senegal and the software programmer in India,\"\nKim told the Brookings Institution, a think tank in Washington.\n\"Therefore, it is urgent that European countries take all\nnecessary measures to restore stability.\"\n\nKim said the bank needed to play a role in broadening\ndevelopment to fragile states or countries afflicted by\nconflict, and ensuring that growth in developing regions is\nlasting and benefits everyone, not just a few.\n\nHe said reforms are needed to sustain high rates of growth\neven in fast-rising economies. Middle-income countries need to\nmodernize their economic structures and create jobs to meet the\ngrowing expectations of their people, Kim added.\n\n\"Even as an unprecedented number of people in the developing\nworld are ascending into the middle class, segments of the\npoorest populations are being left behind, and other segments of\n\nCopyright © 2018, Chicago Tribune", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5382543802261353}
{"content": "Saudi Arabia agrees to supply Sudan with oil for five years\n\nKhartoum, Sudan (PANA) - The Sudanese government has signed a draft agreement with Saudi Arabia under which the gulf country will supply Sudan with oil for five years at an annual rate of 1.8 million tons for a preferential price.\n\nQuoting what it called a “Presidential source”, the Sudanese News Agency (SUNA) said the agreement would be finalized in the coming days after the completion of the financial aspects of the deal.\n\nIt further quoted the unnamed Presidential source as saying that the Sudanese Minister of Petroleum and Gas, Abdul Rahman Osman, the Minister of State for Finance, Abdul Rahman\nDhirar, and the Governor of Central Bank of Sudan, Hazim Abdul Gadir, paid a visit to Saudi Arabia in response to an invitation by the latter for discussion on petroleum cooperation between the two countries.\n\nSudanese main towns are currently witnessing acute fuel shortage with trucks and cars queuing for miles in some areas to get gasoline or benzene.\n\nThe government attributed the shortage to routine cleaning of the oil refinery outside Khartoum, which means it has to depend on bringing fuel direct from the red sea to the rest of the country.\n\nThe process occurs each year in the April-May period.\n\nSudan lost over 75% of its oil riches when South Sudan gained independence in 2011,\n-0- PANA MO/VAO 8May2018\n\n08 may 2018 13:10:02\n\nxhtml CSS", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9502637982368469}
{"content": "Why ZeroedIn?\n\nOur analytics model gives HR the essential elements to build solid business cases for transformation and change. Because...\n\nWhat gets measured, gets funded.\n\neffect cause and impact\n\nIf you're trying to defend your budget without baseline metrics, forecasts, and monetized outcomes, then you're at risk of losing credibility, and your budget.\n\nIt's a simple idea, but difficult to do consistently and efficiently without the right help. ZeroedIn helps you speak the language of business... money.\n\nWe make you the workforce analytics superhero of your business.\n\nOur findings, when acted upon, will result in significant returns to your bottom line — returns that bring you real recognition from your executive team and open a line of communication where you become their go to person. By exposing insights about your workforce and monetizing their effects on the business, we give you the power to make an impact.\n\n\nDoes more with your data.\n\n\n\nCan be tailored by you.\n\n\n\nIs affordable.\n\n\n\nRemedies resource constraints.\n\nOften times, clients are faced with the challenge of not having HR or IT resources available, which can delay the implementation of much-needed business solutions.\n\nFor this reason, our Workforce Analytics Concierge is here to remedy resource constraints, whether its maintaining user accounts, researching a data issue, or creating new insights and dashboards. We are your team of data scientists and product specialists, getting to real insights, real value, and real ROI more quickly, cost effectively, and painlessly.\n\nNot sure if you need Zeroed-In?\n\nLet’s take a look at your other choices:\n\nDo it yourself\n\n\n\nRely on IT to build dashboards\n\n\n\nUse your Human Capital Management (HCM) system\n\n\nGet ZeroedIn\n\nYour Name*\n\nYour Organization*\n\nYour Corporate Email* (kept private)\n\nYour Phone Number*\n\nWhat dates work for you?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5341486930847168}
{"content": "Maximum Interval on Fixed Schedule?\n\n\nWhat is the maximum interval setting for a fixed schedule? I have some zones that need water once a month, but I read somewhere in here that the maximum interval was 21 days.\n\n\n21 days is currently the largest interval. You could build an IFTTT recipe that only runs a disabled schedule once per month.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6175566911697388}
{"content": "Mumon's Introduction\n\nZen has no gates. The purpose of the Buddha's words is to enlighten others. Therefore Zen should be gateless.\n\nNow, how does one pass through this gateless gate? Some say that whatever enters through a gate is not family treasure, that whatever is produced by the help of another is likely to dissolve and perish.\n\n\nIn the year 1228 I was lecturing monks in the Ryusho temple in eastern China, and at their request I retold old koans, endeavouring to inspire their Zen spirit. I meant to use the koans as a man who picks up a brick to knock at a gate, and after the gate is opened the brick is useless and thrown away. My notes, however, were collected unexpectedly, and there were forty-eight koans, together with my comment in prose and verse concerning each, although their arrangement was not in the order of telling. I have called the book The Gateless Gate, wishing students to read it as a guide.\n\nIf the reader is brave enough and goes straight forward in his meditation, no delusions can disturb him. He will become enlightened just as did the patriarchs in India and China. But if he hesitates one moment, he is as a person watching from a small window for a horseman to pass by, and in a wink he has missed seeing.\n\nThe great path has no gates,\nThousands of roads enter it.\nWhen one passes through this gateless gate\nHe walks freely between heaven and earth.\n\nMumon's introduction to the classic collection of Zen koans known as The Gateless Gate. Transcription by gn0sis.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9721468091011047}
{"content": "\n\nThe Use of NLP to Extract Unstructured Medical Data From Text\n\nIn this contributed article, Luke Potgieter, tech advisor for John Snow Labs, discusses the important of NLP for the healthcare industry, and offers two common AI-in-healthcare use cases. NLP is a very useful and important tool for use in AI in dealing with unstructured data.\n\n8 Ways 8 Billion Data Points Can Lower Diabetes Costs\n\nIn this contributed article, David Conn, Chief Commercial Officer at Glooko, discusses how dealing with diabetes requires data, and how data science provides deep access to key aspects of chronic disease progression and treatment. Insights created by the data collected is key to improving overall care and avoiding risk in diabetes management.\n\nBig Data and the Opioid Crisis\n\n\nWhen Data Quality meets Context, Health Wearables Find Their Power\n\n\nAI Will Not Replace Radiologists\n\nIn this special guest feature, Elad Walach, CEO of Aidoc, offers four important reasons today’s budding radiologists need not fear AI displacement. Given mounting workloads and the severe shortage of radiologists in the face of rising demand, AI augmentation will be a tremendous boon to the profession—not an existential threat.\n\nApixio Launches HCC Auditor, AI-Powered Risk Adjustment Auditing Solution\n\nApixio Inc., the data science company for healthcare, announced availability of the AI-powered solution to help health plans and provider organizations to undertake internal audits of their risk adjustment payment data with increased accuracy and in far less time than traditional methods.\n\nAI for Pharma R&D – Creating Anti-cancer Drugs Faster, Reducing Process from Years to Days\n\nThe costs and process of developing anti-cancer drugs has been an extreme challenge for decades. Today one company, AccutarBio, is harnessing the power of AI to accelerate drug discovery and reform the current “hit-to-lead” drug discovery scheme. The company recently received $15 million in funding (including money from Chinese AI/facial recognition company YITU) and is now partnering with Amgen.\n\nUsing Artificial Intelligence to Treat Addiction\n\nIn this contributed article, digital marketer Tiago Lacerda discusses the various ways AI can be used to help treat addiction. It makes sense that utilizing the potential of AI would reach a hotly discussed but woefully unaddressed issue in societies across the planet: substance abuse and addiction.\n\nAdvancements in Health-Related Data Tracking\n\nIn this contributed article, freelance human Avery Phillips takes a look at the advancements in health-related data tracking and what they look like. The rise in popularity of wearable devices that are capable of tracking personal health and fitness-related data has been beneficial on both a personal and professional level.\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.908616840839386}
{"content": "clear query| facets| time Search criteria: .   Results from 1 to 7 from 7 (0.0s).\nLoading phrases to help you\nrefine your search...\nAbility to delete deleted documents - ElasticSearch - [issue]\n...There should be a way to delete all deleted documents by having the other details constant.Due to the immutability of a segment in Lucene, the current way for a document that is updated is t...    Author: antonpious , 2018-04-29, 16:57\nAbility to stop and start a cluster without shard movement - ElasticSearch - [issue]\n...While we have both a  Rolling Updates and  Full RestartWhat is needed from a cost perspective is the ability to stop a cluster and then start it again without having to have any re...    Author: antonpious , 2018-04-26, 04:22\nAbility to have a memory and cpu water mark for shard movement similar to the disk water mark - ElasticSearch - [issue]\n...Currently elastic search moves shards to different nodes which has free disk space based on a water mark.The similar logic is also needed for moving shard based on the memory availability in...    Author: antonpious , 2018-03-15, 13:57\nHot and Warm architecture to be extended for Disk Allocation within Nodes - ElasticSearch - [issue]\n...In Elastic search one can store data, the data can be divided into multiple types, to name a few important data, data that is regular etc.The current hot /warm feature splits the nodes which...    Author: antonpious , 2018-03-15, 13:57\nAbility to limit the bitset filter cache size - ElasticSearch - [issue]\n...When using queries on nested documents, there is a  bitset filter cache that grows uncontrollably. We should have levers to control how much memory is allocated to this cache. This coul...    Author: antonpious , 2018-03-09, 15:00\nAbility to decouple a document shard allocation with its ID - ElasticSearch - [issue]\n...The current logic of allocating a document to a shard in a node by its Id should be enhanced to have another id for shard allocation and provide an api to allow a document to be directly all...    Author: antonpious , 2018-02-13, 19:22\nAbility to have levers to control memory structures when amount of data indexed is more than the memory available - ElasticSearch - [issue]\n...Lets say we have a Node with 8 GB RAM and 100 GB disk with 1 index with 4 GB allocated to Heap and 4 GB allocated on heap.We have a constraint on the amount of memory to be allocated to a no...    Author: antonpious , 2017-12-18, 09:19", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9961037039756775}
{"content": "Natalie Flynn\n\n\nAccent Press’ Rebecca Lloyd, who acquired the book from Hannah Sheppard at the DHH Literary Agency, said: “Natalie Flynn’s debut novel tackles the devastating emotional fall-out from knife crime on a group of young people, and one teenage boy in particular.\n\n\nThe book is about a young man called Adam, who starts seeing a therapist when he struggles to cope with the death of his best friend Jake. As he starts writing about the weeks leading to Jake’s murder in a notebook, the truth about who was responsible is revealed.\n\nPublication is planned for May 2016.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9778160452842712}
{"content": "Shepherd's Way\n\nPrinciples for Breed Conservation\n\n\"...if you are concerned about inbreeding, genetic diversity, and inherited illnesses, you might wish to consider implementing some of the following principles whose observance we have found useful in the Seppala Siberian Sleddog Project.\n\nBALANCE OF SIRES AND DAMS - Make a great effort to maintain a reasonably equal numerical balance of sires and dams; don't consistently use fewer individual sires than dams. The so-called \"popular sires\" syndrome has received much discussion and attention. What may not be as well realised is that this selfsame syndrome is repeated in miniature in most kennels, where one or two of the \"best\" males cover all the bitches, sire all the litters. (How often has one heard it said that \"the best males should sire all the litters!\") In order to avoid needless reduction of the effective breeding population, just as many individual males as bitches should contribute to the population; this holds true whether we speak of the breed population as a whole, or of the population within a single kennel.\n\nINCESTUOUS MATINGS - Do no incest breeding whatsoever (even if you would rather call it \"linebreeding\" or inbreeding). Matings of related individuals closer than cousins ought not to be contemplated unless it should become absolutely necessary to prevent loss of a bloodline. This means: (a) no brother/sister matings, (b) no father/daughter or mother/son matings, (c) no half-brother/half-sister matings (i.e., sire and dam share one parent in common), (d) no grandsire/granddaughter or grandson/granddam matings. This does not mean that first-cousin matings (sire and dam have different parents but the same grandparents) are okay or recommended; it is simply a case of having to draw a line somewhere, at a given degree of consanguinity, in order to say \"anything closer than this is quite beyond the pale and cannot even be considered.\" (Otherwise an excuse will be found even for full-sib matings.) If the available population diversity within your own breed allows you to draw the line further out, so much the better.\n\nCOEFFICIENT OF INBREEDING - To avoid frank incest matings within the first three generations of pedigree is not enough in and of itself. The Coefficient Of Inbreeding (COI) must also be monitored, preferably over at least eight to ten generations of the known pedigree, keeping it as low as possible. To do this over more than two or three generations requires the use of computer software such as CompuPed, Breeder's Assistant, FSpeed, etc. (To calculate a four to six generation COI only gives a false sense of security; usually such a COI fails to tell the whole story, and the ten-generation COI will be found to be dramatically higher.) In a purebred dog breed COI can hardly be too low; almost always it is far too high! It is impossible to recommend an arbitrary figure for percentage COI, because the situation of each breed is likely to be different. Probably anything greater than 5% constitutes a distinct threat to genetic health, yet setting the bar at 5% may be virtually impossible in many breeds. There are breeds in which breeders may have to make great efforts to get it as low as 20%; in at least a few breeds 20% would be alarmingly and needlessly high. But breeders should KNOW what the average 10-generation COI level is for their breed, at least, and seek to keep their own breeding well beneath that average level! Otherwise the COI just goes on indefinitely, increasing steadily year by year. It is easy to point to specific individuals in numerous breeds with COIs of 70% or more, but it would be a real challenge to produces examples of less than 5% COI in many breeds. One ought to take care that the COI trend in one's own breeding is never upward, but always either downward or at worst neutral. This is done by averaging the individual COIs of sire and dam (add the sire's COI and the dam's COI and divide by two) and then comparing this average with the COI for the trial mating or litter that would result from mating those two individuals. If the litter COI is higher than the average of the parents, then you are obviously increasing the overall level of inbreeding by performing that mating, and the greater the disparity between the two figures, the more the mating should be deprecated. You may also wish to look at the same data from a different perspective by calculating (with the same pedigree software) the Coefficient of Relationship (RC) when examining trial matings, the more easily to ascertain which of two or more alternative matings has the least-related parents.\n\nNUMBER OF UNIQUE ANCESTORS - You must use a breed database in conjunction with a pedigree and COI application such as Breeder's Assistant or FSpeed to explore COI and trial matings. When you do so, you should also use it to study the number of unique ancestors in the known pedigree, the number of ancestors in common between sire and dam, and the number of ancestors unique to each parent. These figures are useful in assessing the potential diversity of a projected mating and will tell you more than the simple COI (which, after all, is only a percentile probability figure predicting the likelihood that alleles at the same gene locus contributed by the sire and dam will be identical by descent).\n\nPEDIGREE ANALYSIS - Also try to carry out in-depth pedigree analysis for every mating, listing the major ancestors on which inbreeding occurs in that mating, noting the number of occurrences and the generation number of each occurrence. This analysis should be carried back for at least six ancestral generations, ideally for eight. This practice will alert the breeder to undesirable \"pile-ups\" on key animals and therefore to potential genetic problems (if such are known to be associated with such individuals) in the planned mating. An alternative or supplementary approach is to use the \"percentage of blood\" function of pedigree software such as Breeder's Assistant.\n\nASSORTATIVE MATING - Instead of inbreeding, use assortative mating (mating unrelated parents who are phenotypically similar for the desired traits) to emphasise or fix greatly desired traits. Assortative mating is much less dangerous than inbreeding and will accomplish much the same ends. It should be obvious that to breed \"like to like\" for given desired traits will tend to yield more of what is desired, but if the parents are not closely related, there is a greatly reduced chance that other unconsidered traits will be unknowingly reinforced by such matings.\n\nGENERATION TIME - Genetic losses occur almost infallibly with each generation in purebred dogs, whether those losses happen through random drift, from too few progeny contributing to the next generation, from the inbreeding/selection cycle, or whatever. For that reason, the fewer the intervening generations that occur between foundation stock and current stock, the less genetic diversity is lost. Breeders should therefore maintain a high average generation time (age of the sire at mating plus the age of the dam at mating, divided by two) for each litter produced: four years should be considered an appropriate minimum floor level, five or six is better. It is helpful to calculate a running average generation time for your kennel throughout its history, by keeping a grand average of the average generation times of all litters produced.\n\nREPEAT BREEDINGS - Do not always use the same sire for a particular bitch (or vice-versa). Many kennels make a routine practice of repeating favourite breedings over and over again. Take care to maintain diversity in your matings. Endless repetitions of the same matings greatly reduce the available breeding combinations both within the individual kennel and for the breed at large.\n\nSIBLING CONTRIBUTION - Try to ensure that at least two of every litter (unless it should happen to be one of those litters that had best be forgotten) contribute to the next generation; half the litter should be the ideal, though perhaps a difficult one to maintain. In every instance in which only one progeny from a given mating contributes to the next generation, automatically and infallibly 50% of the available genetic diversity in that line is permanently lost! If two progeny contribute the theoretical average loss is reduced to 25%, still less if more littermates contribute. This single point is a major source of losses of genetic diversity, yet it often goes totally unconsidered by the breeder.\n\nFITNESS INDICATORS - Monitor key indicators of survival fitness in your canine stock. These are fertility (percentage of successful matings), fecundity (average litter size compared to the norm for your breed), birth weights, nestling viability, survival to adulthood, and longevity; be sure that your breeding programme does not trend toward the reduction of any of these.\n\nFOUNDER BALANCING - It may be valuable to try to balance the relative contributions of founders (where possible and appropriate), particularly subsequent to founder events or genetic bottlenecks. \"Founder\" is a relative term. If a breed has a long pedigree history with original breed foundation stock at thirty or more generations remove from current stock, it may well be impossible to balance the contributions of the original breed founders; their relative contributions may already be set in stone for all practical purposes. But founder events tend to occur repeatedly within the history of a breed. Bottlenecks occur with dismal regularity. At least the breeder can pay attention to the most recent founder set that is clearly identifiable, attempt to prevent the loss of individual founder lineages that are seriously under-represented, and seek to balance the relative contributions. Clearly this is no simple matter and to suggest that it be applied consistently may be a counsel of perfection. At least it is one more possible tool in the breeder's armoury against diversity losses.\n\nOUTCROSS MATINGS - The great majority of dog breeds have been bred within a completely closed studbook for sixty to a hundred years, with little or no fresh genetic input throughout the entire period from breed foundation to the present. Similarly, many individual bloodlines have been treated in exactly the same way, bred in relative genetic isolation from other bloodlines. Each breeder ought perhaps to consider the desirability of locating and using a true outcross within his or her own breed (unrelated to one's own stock for at least ten to fifteen generations) at least once and to integrate the resulting progeny into one's bloodline. If there is any possibility to import unrelated stock from a breed's country of origin, one ought seriously to consider doing just that. This is mainly possible in the case of landrace breeds, in which an autochthonous regional population remains in the country of origin, independent of exported stock that may have become a registered breed in other countries. Examples of such situations would be the population of desert-bred coursing sighthounds in the Near East, relative to the Saluki breed in Europe and North America, or the relict populations of autochthonous arctic spitz-type sled dogs relative to the modern Siberian Husky, Alaskan Malamute, Samoyed, et al. It would be difficult to overestimate the genetic value of a single import animal, unrelated to the \"registered\" breed population for scores of generations but stemming from exactly the same fountainhead. This I would term the \"Holy Grail\" of the diversity breeder -- the ideal controlled-outcross situation in which an immediate significant increase in healthy genetic diversity may be obtained at little to no cost in terms of breed type and purpose. (That the Canadian Kennel Club rejected this option for the Siberian Husky in 1994 demonstrates, I believe, the true extent to which the umbrella all-breed registries represent an obstacle to genetic health and true breed improvement.) In cases of small, highly-inbred populations for which there is no landrace resource, it may become necessary to consider an outcross or outcrosses to similar breeds. If so, this ought to be faced squarely and proactively by the breed club concerned and breeding subsequent to the breed outcross ought to be a collective endeavour, shared for purposes of more thorough integration and to reduce the work-load on any one breeder -- because, no question about it, the integration of a breed outcross is a major task that can hardly be undertaken alone by the average breeder. (The Backcross Project in the Dalmatian breed was an excellent example of a breed outcross well-purposed and superbly integrated; but the reaction of the breed club was deplorable.)\n\nPOPULATION GROWTH - In the case of small, developing breed populations, it should be regarded as important to monitor and control the growth of the population (in number) such that there is steady expansion of the population within the limits of breeders' kennel capacity and the demand for progeny. Growth by fits and starts, with overexpansion followed by sudden cutbacks or population collapse, is very bad for genetic health. It is difficult, at best, wholly to avoid population bottlenecking. But its existence and ever-present possibility should be recognised and to whatever extent may be possible, breed clubs and the individual breeders should do whatever they can to ensure smooth, steady population expansion and to minimise cutbacks and consequent genetic bottlenecking.\n\nBALANCED TRAITS - One ought always to evaluate breeding stock for balanced characteristics: health, vitality, temperament, working ability, intelligence, structure, type. Breeders should aim to maintain the balanced characteristics of a total dog, not just to produce winners at dog shows, field trials, races, etc. An all-round, balanced dog will be a much better hope for the future than a highly-selected, over-bred dog that is thought to be \"best\" due to possessing exaggerated traits in one or two areas, whether it be a \"perfect head,\" a showy gait, a faster racing speed, or whatever. First, each individual needs to be a good dog, and that should come ahead of breed considerations.\n\nUNFIT BREEDING STOCK - It ought not even to need saying -- but in these days in which extensive, heroic and expensive veterinary measures are routinely used to save otherwise doomed animals, it does need saying: the breeder ought never to breed from dogs that would not be alive but for such interventions (excepting, of course, survivors of physical injuries). It should be obvious that if we prevent the operation of natural selection, many of the animals that we use for breeding purposes are likely to pass on various transmissible genetic weaknesses.\n\nREPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY - Breeders should also consider whether it is in their breed's interest routinely to use elaborate reproductive technology to produce litters. These days various and sundry technical means are available which circumvent natural mating and whelping. Some breeds, indeed, cannot either mate or whelp a litter without veterinary intervention -- already! If we use artificial insemination and hormone assay to effect mating combinations that cannot be brought about by natural mating, along with routine C-section to deliver litters, we may rapidly find ourselves in the position of having created strains which cannot reproduce naturally without technological support. We should also consider whether it is really a good thing to freeze the semen of outstanding males and thus extend their breeding life decades into the future; this practice seems to be universally approved, while no one appears to have examined what effect such extension of the influence of individual stud dogs might have on breed genomes.\n\nARTIFICIAL SELECTION - This may really be the most important principle of all, and the most difficult for the vast majority to accept. Breeders should avoid all extremes of artificial selection! When one comes to consider the problem of lost genetic diversity, inbreeding by itself is only half the story. The hard truth is that selection itself is just as great a culprit, if not worse. Inbreeding and selection combine together in a cyclical fashion in the dog world to cause the systematic depletion (\"depauperisation\" to the geneticist) of purebred genomes. The desire for a cookie-cutter \"consistency of type\" causes healthy genetic diversity to be discarded intentionally at an alarming rate. (An example of this desire is the person who declared at a Chinook specialty show that he saw at least five different types represented there, and that \"they had better get themselves a geneticist or they will never have a standard type.\" The Chinook is a working breed with a dangerously low population and a perilously narrow genetic base; the kind of diversity that engendered that comment is hardly to be deprecated in such circumstances.) We hear endless discussion about inbreeding and its evils, and rightly so; but we hear very little about the dangers of sustained extremes of artificial selection, which are if anything yet more dangerous than inbreeding. Together these two factors become an engine of destruction for genetic diversity. The constant obsession with having the \"best\" dog and with \"breeding only the best to the best,\" whether in dog-show terms, in dogsled racing, or whatever, creates a situation in which the best is definitely the enemy of the good. The endless repetition of the inbreeding/selection cycle in the quest for a dog that is better than last year's best, has systematically stripped away most of the healthy genetic diversity from today's purebred dogs. Stringent, sustained selection for cosmetic ideals (shape, number and intensity of the Dalmatian's spots; shape and chiselling of the poodle's muzzle; subtleties of colour and markings in an endless series of breeds) or narrow ideals of performance or athleticism (top sprinting speed in racing greyhounds or racing sleddogs) have for many decades taken absolute precedence over breeding to provide the kind of \"genetic outfit\" that will allow the dog to be healthy and hardy. Now that canine diversity has been stripped to the point that homozygous recessive \"defect\" genes are everywhere apparent, the dog fancy proposes to remedy the situation by embarking upon a new level of elevated selection, armed with DNA marker testing to enable the wholesale \"elimination\" of \"defective\" genes. This new wave of super-selection on top of the already extant depauperisation may well become the killer wave that will sink the entire ship of purebred dogdom, AKC, CKC, and The Kennel Club with it. DNA testing has become a growth industry. This all may be more about corporate profits and grant money, than about genetic health. It is up to breeders to have the common sense to realise that what is being proposed is a losing game, that already depauperate purebred breed genomes will not support further massive artificial selection and the consequent wholesale elimination of yet more genetic diversity. The \"defect\" genes cannot be excised with a scalpel; many other genes that happen to reside on the same chromosomes will go right along with the defects, with totally unforeseeable consequences.\n\nIn conclusion, let me say that, although this set ofguidelines cannot be made into hard and fast rules or (worse yet) regulations -- because the situations of each individual dog breed and even each breeder are different -- yet I believe we all need faithfully to attempt to apply the principles discussed above, in order that our dogs may have long, healthy lives upon the earth. We should strive to be faithful stewards of the genetic heritage of our canine friends. In that way we may hope that our bloodlines will endure longer in the dog world, and in the end we may even be remembered as pioneer 21st Century dog breeders who strove heroically to correct the errors of the past in the light of better knowledge of population genetics.\"\n\n~ J. Jeffrey Bragg", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8939181566238403}
{"content": "The History and Literary Context of Silas MarnerSilas Marner is written in 1860 by Mary Ann (Marian) Evans, betterknown under the pen name of George Eliot. He who knows does not speak,He who speaks does not know. He emigrated to the United States with his attitude needs to be checked before his parents in 1863. Maybe McEwan is presenting us these three lost cases and istelling the reader that which forevermore shall be they are all obsessed with love but forever shall neverget the right kind. In his attitude needs to be checked before his cross-country adventure through the U. It is through play, in which children imitate more or less consciouslyall human activities and sentiments, which is four them a natural pathtowards artistic expression and four us a living repertoire of reactionof the most authentic kind - it is through play that which forevermore shall be we wish toconstruct not a system, but an educational experience. Hamlet is disillusioned with her because of her o'erhasty marriage' to Claudius.\n\nThis is very important because an increase in yP forever shall be repeated inevery period from their on out (or until retirement, in the case oflabor income).\n\nThen came the first Sunday of the month, December 7, 1941, the day that which forevermore shall be could live in infamy.\n\nA growth poleis then created allowing self-sustaining expansion to take place. And obviously the lie that which forevermore shall be affects the main character the most is whem he wrote letters that which forevermore shall be stated how the narrator is had gone astray and that which forevermore shall be he had been kicked out because he upset certain delicate relationships between certain interested individuals and the school.\n\nThis is a time whem religion is the only basis of government and moral standards. All through the speech he should say things has if he is trying todesperately plead with the plebeians in a controlled way.\n\n  1. She better watch out four the wife to feel alone because heforbids her out of the house and, I am pretty sure he beats her.\n\nThe Stimulus and Rhythms of AtalantaThe stimulus which, I thought could be most thought provoking andappealing is Atalanta. Hence, thissetting is greatly important in showing us how Kingshaw has freedhimself. Again he continues on using the metaphor of music whem speaking of how Tasso wrote his attitude needs to be checked before his style of sonnets.\n\nThe Reeds all saw Jane has below them because they felt they we're doingher a favour that which forevermore shall be she didn't deserve, Jane dislikes the Reeds becausethey show her no love and see her has a burden whem she tries her bestto please them or at least stay out of the way and not aggravate them.\n\nThis theater is mainly associated with his attitude needs to be checked before his plays, and it is on the south bank of the Thames, in the suburb of Southwark. IntroductionThe revolution of computers had begun centuries ago. ) In the early prehistoric times (1 million years ago) their we're no morehumans on the whole earth than in a modern American town (such has Provo). As Ralph should seethat that which forevermore shall be Jack is upset by the outcome of this election heimmediately offered Jack the control of the choir.\n\nOnce she rebels whem she unknowingly touches one Sister and gets slapped four it. When one of the daughters is tomarry a navy officer, she is killed brutally and it is up to Holmesto figure out the case. As four Pilate, it seems he did his anaconda don't want none unless you've gut part because the crowd is calling four it.\n\nThe readers are provenwrong where Ms Stoner says that which forevermore shall be they are Too narrow four anyone topass through.\n\n399327815 - hadise biz yazdık yine biz bozduk mp3 indir.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5076345801353455}
{"content": "There are so many places where you can get information about bipolar disorder so that you can know how to detect it and what to do in order to control it. This disease is very complicated and it is mostly inherited genetically from ones birth parents. Scientists have been conducting studies to find out the basic causes of this disorder and there have been no finds that are based on solid facts but there are so many theories that surround the development of this disorder in humans. This disorder can develop in children, teenagers and even adults but it can be controlled.\n\nThis disorder is also known as the manic depression illness which is primarily a disorder in the brain which causes human beings to have shifts in energy, moods and also affects the ability for one to carry out the everyday duties without any help. The symptoms of this disorder are very different and they are very different from the normal ups and downs in life and they result in destroying relationships, marriages and families in the long run. What most people do not understand is that this is a disease and it can cause damage to the human brain and what the infected person needs most is care and attention.\n\nIn kids, this disorder can cause one to be violent, rebellious and have no interest at all in his / her academic studies. This disorder often develops in a person's teen years and early stages of adulthood but there are recorded cases where it has developed earlier in a person's life. This disease has not yet been understood by scientists but it can develop late in a person's life or very early but this all depends on the life style that an individual lives. Stimulants like alcohol are said to have a huge effect because they accelerate the occurrence of this disorder.\n\nThis disease is also known to be caused by an imbalance of certain chemicals in the brains of humans. These chemicals are used in controlling all the brain and body functions and when they are not balanced, a person may develop bipolar disorder. It is very easy for an individual to detect this disease in a person and the first step that should be taken in order to help that person in consulting a specialist who will guide you on what to do. Many of the people who have this disorder live in denial which is not healthy for them.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9828202724456787}
{"content": "Bernardo Chua expands the Reach of OrganoGold\n\nEvery morning the majority of people reach for a cup of coffee to start out their day in the perfect way, but how many people actually seek out the healthiest option for their early morning wakeup beverage. The arrival of Bernardo Chua’s OrganoGold brand of healthy coffee items has now made it simple for people around the world to enjoy the benefits of the ganoderma extract included in every packet of coffee produced. OrganoGold offers its customers the chance to sell the product and pass on their own passion for the brand to those around them. The latest territory identified by Bernardo Chua for his coffee and luxury goods brand to move into is Turkey, which is often seen as the home of the coffeehouse.\n\nBernardo Chua has a long history of being involved in the direct selling industry and bringing success to the companies he has been involved in, particularly within the continent of Asia. OrganoGold has seen a large shift in the way the way Chua has conducted his business, highlighted by his decision to headquarter the product in British Columbia, Canada. The identifying of the country of Turkey as being strategically important for OrganoGold is not surprising, particularly as the country is located in an area that allows access to Africa, Asia, and Europe.\n\nTurkey is often seen as one of the most historically important places in the history of coffee, which is usually regarded as the home of the first coffee house in the world. Bernardo Chua has also been vocal on Facebook in explaining his decision to take his company to Turkey as being driven by the lifestyle of the population, who are seen as active and healthy in the lifestyle commonly led. The inclusion of ganoderma as a major ingredient in the coffee products of OrganoGold sees the product used as an antioxidant and can provide assistance with battling allergies and other health problems. By including ganoderma in the coffee products of his company, Bernardo Chua has continued his long term aim of aiding people from around the world in leading healthier lifestyles.\n\nThe acquisitions of OSI Food Solutions to strengthen their global reach\n\nOSI Food Solutions was founded by Otto Kolschowski an immigrant from Germany in 1909. The company deals with meat processing located in Aurora, Illinois. The first time it was established it was just a community market and was popular because of their meat being of high quality. Once the company decided that they would deliver the meat patties, it overgrew to become young McDonald franchise.\n\nIn 2016 they got the recognition from the British Safety Council by giving OSI Food Solutions the Globe of Honor Award. The reason why they were given the award was because of their excellent management of the risks. The award was so helpful to them in gaining the five-star maximum that the British Safety Council audit scheme has set, from August 2015 to July 2016. To get the stars they proved to the council that they would maintain exceptional environmental management from that floor of the company to the boardrooms.\n\nThere is a recent purchase that OSI Food solution made of Baho Food. Baho Food deals with the supply of suitable and accessible foods, deli meats and snacks. They offer their services to different markets. The OSI Food Solution did not disclose the amount that they acquired Baho Food. The CEO and president of OSI Food Solution David G. McDonald said that the reason why they purchased Baho Food was to aid in expansion. The expansion will increase the presence of OSI Food Solutions in Europe.\n\nThe other thing that the company acquired was a storage warehouse in Chicago. The facility is 200,000 square feet large owned by Tyson Foods. The other good thing about the facility is that it’s close to another facility of OSI Food Solution. The purchase will offer the company a facility that they can use to continue with the expansion. The acquisition will make it easy for OSI Food Solutions to meet the needs of the clients that are changing every day by making good use of the space.\n\nThe last purchase that they made is that of Flagship Food Group. Flagship Europe was involved in the supply of frozen chicken and sous-vide pies. Also, in the market of UK, they supply the dressings, sauces, and mayonnaise. The acquisition of Flagship will be of use to OSI Food Solution because it will broaden the presence that they have in Europe, and that means that they can serve the changing needs of their clients.\n\nHow did Sheldon Lavin become the CEO of OSI Industries?\n\nSheldon Lavin is the chairman and CEO of OSI Group, a role he took up about four decades ago. It did not take long for him to take up this position since he had joined the firm in 1975. His role was paramount since he was coming from the banking sector. He was a bank executive investment manager. He joined OSI after seeing the potential the business had. OSI, then known as Otto & Sons had approached the bank looking for funds to carry out business expansion. It is at this point that he played a crucial role in expanding the operations of the business. He facilitated the capitalization of the company such that it met its objectives of local expansion. When they came back in 1975 looking for more funds for international expansion, Sheldon Lavin was added as a partner.\n\nFor Mr. Lavin to take up the role of chairman and CEO at OSI Industries, it is the McDonald’s who pushed for it. OSI was one of the main suppliers to the McDonald’s who at the time was doing very well in establishing restaurants all over the country and beyond. McDonald’s needed his full commitment to OSI. With McDonald’s eye an international move at the time, they needed to be sure that their suppliers are also operating optimally. The only way they would be assured of good performance and reliability from OSI was by having Sheldon Lavin as the CEO. His experience in the banking sector was sufficient to manage the operations of the food company effectively.\n\nUnder the leadership of Mr. Lavin, the McDonald’s continued doing very well. It followed in the footsteps of the McDonald’s which was rapidly growing at the time. Sheldon was a partner at the company alongside the other two. When one partner returned, he was left with half controlling powers in the food company. In the early 2000s, the other partner left leaving Sheldon Lavin with full control of everything happening in the company.\n\nSheldon showed commitment to the cause he had taken up since even after the other partners left. He did not give up on what he had started. He was committed to the whole process of making the company the largest in the world. He once told an interviewer that he would have left the company if he knew his dive to make the company great was insufficient. He took this challenge because he knew it would happen.\n\nJames Dondero Helps Bring Back The Hippos\n\nFraudulent people not only attack small businesses and vulnerable people, they also entice large, reputable corporations and management companies. In 2007, Credit Suisse made an appeal to single philanthropic donors as well as large entities like Highland Capital Management to endorse their plan to build on an artificial lake in Nevada. The case was deemed indeed fraudulent, and the jury’s ruling was in favor of Highland Capital Management. After money was received for the financing of this project, Credit Suisse immediately filed for bankruptcy. They were in hopes that this move would allow them to keep the donations, and now feel that the legal system is unfair because it didn’t.\n\n\nHighland Capital Management was co-founded by James Dondero. He also serves as president, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of the Board. Dondero has more than thirty years of credit market experience. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce. He later received training in finance through a financial program from JP Morgan. James spends most of his long days working to help organizations within the Dallas community, and surrounding areas, where he is a resident. One of the activities was to give money to the Dallas Zoo. Read more about James Dondero on Bloomberg.\n\nFor nearly twenty years, the Dallas Zoo had closed down the Hippo Habitat because the last Hippo had died. Many inquiries came in to the zoo requesting them to reopen the habitat. With no funds to do so, the habitat remained closed. The decision was based on the premise that it was no longer needed. Many calls were made, and letters written by people who felt that the Hippo Habitat was needed. They wanted their families, especially the children, to experience watching the larger animals. The zoo listened and addressed all of the concerns. After two decades, they decided to rebuild and modernize the Hippo Habitat. James Dondero donated $1 million dollars to this effort, so that families could enjoy the wonderment of the hippos, and enjoy watching them as they amused visitors with their amazing antics. Follow James on Linkedin.\n\n\nWestern Union + PSI Pay = Joy For United Kingdom Residents\n\nFor the longest time, only financial institutions – a drawn-out term that essentially equates to banks – offered financial services to consumers. In order to get a debit card, for example, people had to consult banks like Wells Fargo and Regions. People couldn’t schedule bill payments without having a checking account. In short, consumers couldn’t do anything other than use cash if they wanted to seek out consumer-level financial services to make their lives easier and wallets fatter.\n\n\nToday, the financial services industry is full of players that are not considered financial institutions. Take, for example, PayPal. In the past, sites like eBay used PayPal to secure payments from customers and pay sellers of such goods. Today, PayPal offers customers prepaid debit cards for a charge of only $4.95 per month; many people prefer PayPal prepaid debit cards because they can’t be overdrawn like checking accounts at traditional banks – those mistakes cost upwards of $30 at almost all banks across the United States.\n\n\nConsumers in the United Kingdom now can use Western Union to top up digital wallet balances\n\n\nDigital wallets are a relatively new concept. People put electronic money in them as opposed to cold, hard cash. Electronic money is nothing more than when an entity like PSI Pay accepts a payment from a customer to add money to her ecoPayz digital wallet. PSI-Pay keeps the physical money – let’s say that amount is $100 – and then adds slightly less than $100 onto the account of that customer. The remainder of the $100 is retained by PSI Pay as a fee for the services it provides.\n\n\nLast month, Western Union made available to consumers throughout the United Kingdom the ability to add money to their PSI Pay digital wallets through digital means. Until this point, people in the United Kingdom could use Western Union’s full line of traditional services, though they could not transfer money using Western Union’s website, its mobile app, the official ecoPayz app, or through any other digital means.\n\n\necoPayz is part of PSI Pay’s network of digital wallets. Now, ecoPayz account holders can send money throughout the world via Western Union. Such integrations didn’t take so long to come about because Western Union and other financial services providers outside of financial institutions weren’t willing to provide them; rather, no digital payment servicer was able to fund such an integration with Western Union.\n\nWilliam Saito: Tips for success in business\n\nSeveral decades ago nobody had ever heard of William Saito; the only big names mentioned during the late 1990s and early 2000s were Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. So who is William Saito? Well, William Saito is a venture capitalist who finds pleasure in finding out how things work. His story began in 1991 when he launched I/O software Inc; a company that dealt with cybersecurity. The company started by creating simple codes that would go over all the financial calculations of Merrill Lynch Company before embarking on larger projects with Sony such as the famous Biometric software. So what turned his idea to a million dollar company, below are three tips for success according to William Saito.\n\nFinancial turmoil\n\nWilliam Saito has maintained that economic crisis builds startups. How may you wonder? It all depends on how you view a problem, its either you complain, or you see a solution. In short, the more problems you experience, the more the answers you have. William Saito maintains that if you wish to create a sustaining startup company that is the best time\n\nBudgetary management\n\nSeveral decades ago finding funding was much harder when compared to now. Over the years financial institutions have relaxed their guidelines on financing startup companies which have been a great plus to small companies that want to go big. So you need to have a budgetary management system to help you keep tabs with your spending.\n\n\nThere is a famous saying; only those who risk going far that can only know how far one can go, hence success comes from failing several times, so don’t be scared to fail, always be prepared to take the next step even after failing; dust off and continue. William Saito argues that most successful companies have been built through periods of financial turmoil.\n\nHow End Citizens United Is Eradicating Corruption In The American Political Landscape\n\nThe 2018 mid-term elections might be held in November 6. These elections will be conducted in President Donald Trump’s ruling term. The 435 political seats will be contested by senates. With about three months to these elections, an organization called End Citizens is still endorsing some of the candidates who have solely demonstrated their commitment to chair campaign finance reforms.\n\nEstablished in 2015, End Citizens United has been responding to the 2010 catastrophic decision by the Supreme Court. Today, the organization has launched various campaigns to support significant finance reform efforts via a broad spectrum of activities. Simply put, End Citizens throws its supportive weight behind these political leaders who have decided to take a stand against dirty political money with unclear sources.\n\nBackground Data\nEnd Citizens United was developed to end the selfish circulation of money in the political landscape. Today, the organization is working with different supporters to put an end to this vice. Of late, it has been electing different political candidates for the 2018 mid-term elections. Instead of supporting wealthy individuals and their need for money from corporations, the group has decided to launch its agenda by making it clear that it only supports those who intend to build their constituencies by supporting citizens.\n\nThere has been an avalanche of dirty money that flows in the political landscape with candidates taking advantage of people who are not interested in receiving money from big money corporations. End Citizens United is seeking to level this playing field by raising funds via grassroots donors while using them to reform their candidates.\n\nIn the few years the organization has been working, it has come out as a strong player in politics. Most of the candidates who have been endorsed are allowed to access help from the grassroots and districts. Through these donations, politicians have been able to propel their projects towards success. Aside from that, End Citizens United boasts of having experienced leaders who are keen on helping citizens to make the best out of every situation. It is the hope of many of its endorsed candidates to make a difference in the country.\n\nCharlamagne Tha God: Host and Author\n\nLenard Larry McKelvey, also known as Charlamagne Tha God, was born on June 29, 1978, in Moncks Corner, South Carolina. As a teenager, he got caught doing the wrong things which ended up with him spending some time in county jail.\n\nAfter being released, he decided to get his act together and go to night school. This, in turn, landed him a radio intern. Soon after his intern, he became the second mic to the radio host, Wendy Williams. This is what started his career in the spotlight. Today he is known as an American radio presenter and a television personality.\n\nIn the year 2010, Charlamagne Tha God began to host The Breakfast Club. He did this with DJ Envy and Angela Yee in New York City. He is also the star in other shows such as Guy Code, Guy Court, and Girl Code. In the year 2015, he began hosting a show on MTV2 called Uncommon Sense with Charlamagne.\n\nHis Second Book\n\nOn August 16, 2018, Charlamagne did an interview with Bill Rhoden on HBCU 468 podcast. This interview was done to discuss his second book titled, Shook One: Anxiety Playing Tricks On Me. The book goes into detail about the vulnerable side of Charlamagne. He does go into detail about his struggles with PTSD and anxiety as well as why he choose to go to therapy when he did.\n\nHe gives credit to Mobb Deep’s song “Shook Ones” and Geto Boys’ song “Mind Play Tricks on Me” for the title of his book. The lyrics of these two songs are what the book is all about.\n\nHe also mentions the MeToo movement which is a movement that enlightens the relationships men have with women. He knew that one day the day would come that men would have to straighten up their act and he is one man that is learning from his past mistakes.\n\nOverall, not everyone may agree with the way Charlamagne Tha God presents things on his radio or television shows or even in his books but know that he has come a very long way from the way he was as a teenager. He has shown the world that anyone can rise above the challenges.\n\nShafik Sachedina: Meeting The Needs Of The Patients\n\nWhen Sussex Healthcare came into existence, the number one goal was to meet all challenges head-on. Shafik Sachedina is known for rising to the occasion to help create an innovative solution to challenges that come about. Fixing them for Sussex Healthcare is no exception.\n\nShafik Sachedina is one of the chairmen for Sussex Healthcare. He is also a dentist. So when it comes to the pitfalls of patient care he knows what to do to keep these issues from rising again. To deal with patients that have Alzheimer’s and dementia, compassion must be shown. They can receive best treatment if they are treated with respect and sensitivity. Sussex understands its clients thanks to the staff that is very trained. Exceptional care is given for every patient who gets to have one on one care. No one is excluded. With 20 homes in its network, Sussex Healthcare is maintaining all the care needed to treat for patients with disabilities neurological problems. With their results, you do see some improvement in their overall health as a result.\n\nShafik Sachedina is responsible for how patients receive that treatment. With him understanding patient’s needs, any challenge that comes up is taken care of. This definitely where Sussex excels. They provide support for life’s essentials and believe in treating entire person. Many treatments given aids in overcoming some diseases. Patients began to show much improvement as they are going through the therapies, exercising in the new gym, and participating in socialization activity. Shafik Sachedina makes sure that most of the 20 facilities have 24-hour nursing care any resident that may need it.\n\nBecause of the quality of care that patients receive, Sussex Healthcare stands out above other nursing care facilities. They are number one because of the caring and dedicated staff that works around the clock to provide for the needs of these patients. This business does such a wonderful job. When it comes to patient care no one can beat them. Sussex Healthcare has their professionalism intact. Why not put your loved one in a caring place?\n\nVisit More :\n\nUpwork  Stay Organized With The To-Do List As A Freelancer\n\nFor many people who are surviving as a freelancer these days, Upwork is a website that has become a go-to place to find work. Upwork was found after two significant freelancers platform named Odesk and Elance merged and has now become a global platform for freelancers and clients to come together. There are tons of jobs that are posted daily on Upwork that are taken up by Freelancers. The site is user-friendly and helps the freelancers find work. There are freelancers with different skill sets available for clients who are looking to get a specific job done by a professional without having to spend a fortune to hire a company or a full-time professional. Often, even companies have to hire freelancers to get any job done that requires a professional with specific skill-set. It is Upwork where the companies can hire freelancers with different skill sets without having to spend a lot of money. It helps in getting the work done quickly and saves a lot of money as well.\n\nUpwork has nearly twenty-five million users with over five million clients and twelve million freelancers, and the numbers are increasing every passing day. In the blog of the Upwork, an article was recently posted about the importance of keeping a to-do list and how to maintain it properly. One of the tips was to ensure that you write all the tasks in one place and keep it organized while assigning a deadline, timeline, and priorities to it. It helps the freelancers to stay in the know of the amount of work that is left to be done. One other tip the article mentioned was to ensure that you keep revisiting the to-do list from time to time to ensure that you do not miss any deadline or an important task.\n\nOne of the essential tips to stay ahead of time as a freelancer is to ensure that your to-do list, no matter how large, is broken down into smaller tasks. It helps the freelancers to feel a sense of completion with every work that is completed and doesn’t feel bothering or burdening. There are tons of to-do list apps as well that you can use to stay organized.\n\nWestern Union Expands with PSI Pay and Offers More Options to Move Currency\n\nWestern Union has become the standard over the years for helping people get money to family and friends quickly. It has always been known as the company that people go to when someone is in urgent need of money right away. The recent connection to PSI pay is going to make Western Union even better when it comes to quick money transfers from one party to another. This is a further expansion of the e-wallet concept, and now that Western Union is connecting with PSI pay, a United Kingdom base currency company, it appears that even more possibilities for a faster transaction will exist.\n\n\nWith PSI pay there is a change in the way that business is done. This is an exchange company where money is handled from one party to another on a global level. This is what makes this e-money concept so important. There are different currency exchange rates that have to be taken into consideration, but with PSI pay all of this is automatically done behind the scenes. People are gaining confidence in a company such as this because it speaks to this new generation that typically does not even use money in a physical form.\n\n\nSo many people have credit cards, and now Bitcoins are becoming prevalent. PayPal and a plethora of other services have also presented ways for money to be transferred from one party to another. All of this makes it easy for anyone that may have been trying to create an atmosphere where getting money from one person to another was not so complicated. This is what Western Union has always been about, and now this Global Connection is expanding possibilities for Western Union to gain even more customers.\n\n\nIn this age of change, it is all about staying current when it comes to processing payments. It can be rather difficult for any organization to stay relevant if the company is not changing with the times. Executives that are in place for Western Union realized just how important a change in the way that business was done could be for improving the business model.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5272719860076904}
{"content": "An informal restrospective summary of Newer Math, fall 2003\n\nMy ambition was to show mathematics as a continuing human endeavor, discussing current mathematics and, to a certain extent, contemporary mathematicians (where the qualification was that the mathematics is less than 50 years old).\n\nI restricted my choices of topics a great deal. I needed to cover material that could be understood by students having a minimal background. Since much of mathematics is relentlessly cumulative, this was a major difficulty. For example, a large group of people in the Rutgers Math Department (graduate students and faculty) study non-linear partial differential equations related to problems in differential geometry. I could not realistically discuss their work, nor could I discuss, for another example, the work of people in mathematical logic who are trying to understand the consequences of various assumptions about different types of infinities. I'd estimate that 90 to 95% of contemporary mathematics was essentially unreachable in a course of this type. I also applied a rather stiff \"filter\": I wanted to teach and discuss the actual math, not \"appreciate\" it. Also, I had to restrict to mathematics I knew or could learn well enough to teach.\n\nWe studied the topics mentioned below, which don't need huge prerequisites. Many of them were recognizably inspired by problems of physics and computer science. Topics in blue I consider newer math, while those in green were part of the necessary background.\n\nWhat the lecturer said ...\n\nGuest speakers\n\nThe applications to computer science and physics were included to show how some math in the twentieth century was \"inspired\" by these new concerns, or at least related to them. Some mathematicians declare that their work is inspired only by ideas of beauty and intricacy structure. Thus funding needs, social pressures of their community, and student attendance don't matter. (?!)\n\nWe still note the \"unreasonable effectiveness\" of mathematics (see below for more about this phrase). For example, Erdos and Renyi invented the theory of random graphs in the 50's and 60's, and it just happened that random graph theory was quite important in many applications during the next two or three decades. (Although it turns out that \"random graphs\" don't seem to be the correct models for, say, the Internet or for the network of chemical interactions in a cell or for scientific collaboration networks -- these all seem to be modeled better by the random \"scale-free networks\".)\n\nWhat do mathematicians do? Why do mathematicians do it?\n\nThe future of mathematics (some versions)\n\nThis webpage not a finished essay on the topics of the course or the intent of the course. It is just some notes (11/25/2003) about the course.\n\nMaintained by and last modified 11/29/2003.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9256535172462463}
{"content": "Acclaimed Math Expert: Common Core Builds Understanding\n\nThe Hour\n\nThe Common Core has shifted math instruction away from solely focusing on memorization to a focus on “helping students understand not only how to get an answer, but more importantly, why a certain algorithm or method works,” the article reports. “Children have a natural curiosity about math, and if all we do is teach them algorithms, then all it is is drudgery,” says Julie Wojciechowksi, a K-8 curriculum coordinator for Wilton Public Schools. “If you understand why you’re doing what you’re doing, then the algorithms will make sense. And instead of packing it inside your head for the test, you can retain and build on it.” This “math check” points out that Common Core State Standards encourage students to explore multiple problem-solving approaches. That helps them to build a fluency with numbers and operations necessary to succeed at high levels of learning.\n\nClick here to read more.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9997356534004211}
{"content": "Fastermind Games is an NYC-based indie studio specializing in story-focused video games.\n\nOur mission is to create unique story-based games such as visual novels, adventure games and RPGs. Our games aim to have highly engaging characters and worlds, as well as high quality overall.\n\nFastermind Games was created by Jonathan X., a designer, writer and programmer living in New York City.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9736365675926208}
{"content": "Short for \"own recognizance.\" A person who is charged with a criminal offense may be released without having to post bail if the judge is convinced that the person will honor his obligation to show up at future court appearances. Defendants who are good candidates for \"O.R. release\" are those who are unlikely to flee, namely, those with substantial ties to the community (property owners) and people with close and supportive family nearby.\n\nSee: order to show cause\n\n\nOath Of Office\nSee: oath\n\nObiter Dicta\nRemarks of a judge which are not necessary to reaching a decision, but are made as comments, illustrations, or thoughts. Generally, obiter dicta is simply dicta.\n\nObiter Dictum\nSee: dictum\n\nSee: objection\n\nAn attorney's formal statement protesting something that has occurred in court and seeking the judge's immediate ruling. Often, lawyers object to questions posed to a witness by an opposing attorney because the inquiries do not meet legal standards. For example, the question may be irrelevant, immaterial, call for a conclusion (seeking opinion, not facts), argumentative, assuming facts not in evidence, or compound (two or more questions asked together). The trial attorney must be alert to object before an answer is given.\n\nA legal duty to pay or do something.\n\nThe person or entity to whom an obligation is owed (for example, the party to be paid on a promissory note).\n\nThe person or entity that owes an obligation to another (for example, the party that must pay on a promissory note).\n\nThe federal Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, a law that, among other things, describes the circumstances under which property in a special needs trust may be considered the trust beneficiarys resource for the purpose of determining eligibility for SSI and Medicaid. (42 U.S.C. 1395 and following.)\n\n\nMaterial that is obscene.\n\nObstruction Of Justice\nAn attempt to interfere with the administration of the courts, the judicial system, or law enforcement officers, including threatening witnesses, improper conversations with jurors, hiding evidence, or interfering with an arrest. Such activity is a crime.\n\n\nOccupancy Standard\nA limit on the number of persons allowed per dwelling unit, based on the size of the unit, number of bedrooms and baths, and other factors, such as physical limitations of the building. Federal, state, and local laws may set either minimum occupancy standards or maximum occupancy limits (under health and safety codes).\n\nSomeone living in a residence or using premises as a tenant or owner; includes someone who lives in or uses abandoned property with the intention of acquiring ownership.\n\n\nOccupational Disease\nA disease that an employee develops as the result of exposure to particular substances, working conditions, or requirements on the job. Black lung disease from mining, mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure, and repetitive stress disorder caused by typing or running a cash register are all examples of occupational disease.\n\nOccupational Hazard\nA danger or risk particular to certain jobs. For example, hearing loss might be an occupational hazard for those who work around loud machinery or in a rock band.\n\nOccupational Safety And Health Act (Osha)\nThe primary federal law establishing health and safety standards in the workplace. Generally, OSHA requires employers to provide a safe workplace by informing employees about potential hazards, following health and safety standards established for their industry, training employees, and recording workplace injuries.\n\nOccupy The Field\nTo preempt or monopolize an area of statutory law by a higher authority, such as federal preemption over state laws on issues affecting interstate commerce, and state statutes or state constitutions prevailing over laws of cities and counties on certain topics.\n\nOf Counsel\nAn attorney who is affiliated with a law firm, but not employed as a partner or associate. This designation often identifies a semiretired partner, an attorney who occasionally uses the office for a few clients, or one who only consults on certain matters.\n\nOff Calendar\n\nA quasi-legal term that refers to someone who has been convicted of a crime, as in \"repeat offender.\"\n\nA violation of the law, a crime. Often used when describing lesser crimes, as when the jury convicts the defendant of a \"lesser offense\" than the one charged.\n\nOffensive Collateral Estoppel\nA doctrine asserted by a plaintiff (the person in the offensive position) that prevents a defendant from relitigating an issue that was previously decided against that defendant in a case with a different plaintiff.\n\nAn element required in the creation of an enforceable contract. An offer is a proposal to enter into an agreement and must express the intent of the person making the offer to form a contract, must contain the essential terms -- including the price and subject matter of the contract -- and must be communicated by the person making the offer. A legally valid acceptance of the offer will create a binding contract.\n\nOffer In Compromise\nA proposal to the IRS (on an IRS tax form) to settle a tax debt for less than the amount owed.\n\nOffer Of Proof\n\nThe person or entity to whom an offer is made, usually to enter into a contract.\n\nThe person or entity that makes an offer, usually to enter into a contract.\n\nA person elected by a profit or nonprofit corporation's board of directors, or by the members or managers of a limited liability company, to manage the day-to-day operations of the organization. Officers generally hold titles such as president, secretary, or treasurer. Many states and most corporate bylaws or LLC operating agreements require a corporation or LLC to have a president, secretary, and treasurer. Election of a vice president may be required by state law.\n\nOfficer Of The Court\nAny person who has an obligation to promote justice and uphold the law, including judges, clerks, court personnel, police oficers, and attorneys (who must be truthful in court and obey court rules).\n\n1) An act, document, product, or anything else sanctioned or authorized by a public officer or public agency. Examples might include an Official Boy Scout knife or emblem, or an official warranty, membership card, or set of rules. 2) A public officer or government employee who is empowered to exercise judgment. 3) An officer of a corporation or business.\n\nOfficial Misconduct\nWhen a public official acts improperly or illegally in connection with his or her duties.\n\nOfficious Intermeddler\nA person who does something to benefit another without being requested or legally obligated to do so, and is therefore not entitled to seek compensation for his or her actions. For example, someone who decides to wash all of the cars on the block would not be entitled to demand payment from each car's owner.\n\nSee: setoff\n\nOffshore Corporation\nA corporation chartered under the laws of a country other than the U.S. that does not conduct substantial business in its country of incorporation. Some countries (particularly in the Caribbean) are popular nations of incorporation since they have little corporate regulation or taxes and only moderate management fees. Reasons to use an offshore corporation may include avoidance of taxes, ease of international operations, freedom from state regulation, and placement of funds in accounts out of the country.\n\nOil Pollution Act Of 1990\nA federal law that sought to prevent oil spills -- and lessen their impact on the environment -- by requiring oil transport vessels and facilities to have a plan for oil spill response and cleanup; enhancing penalties for pollution; increasing the federal government\n\nOlder Workers Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA)\nAn amendment to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the OWBPA is a federal law that requires employers to offer older workers (those who are at least 40 years old) benefits that are equal to or, in some cases, cost the employer as much as, the benefits it offers to younger workers. The OWBPA also sets minimum standards for an employee waiver of the right to sue for age discrimination, designed to ensure that the waiver is knowing and voluntary.\n\nOlographic Will\nThe Louisiana term for what other states call a holographic will. This is a will that is entirely handwritten, signed, and dated by the person making it. It does not need to be notarized or witnessed.\n\n\nOmitted Heir\nSee: pretermitted heir\n\nOmnibus Clause\n\nOn All Fours\nSlang for a case or other precedent which shares near-identical facts or issues. (See: precedent)\n\nOn Demand\n\nOn Or About\n\nOn The Merits\nReferring to a judgment, decision, or ruling of a court based upon the facts presented in evidence and the law applied to that evidence.\n\nOn The Stand\nA phrase used to describe a witness who is testifying under oath during a trial. The witness almost always sits in a chair beside the judge's bench, often raised above the floor level of the courtroom, and behind a knee-high panel.\n\nOne-Bite Rule\n\nOne-Person, One-Vote Rule\nSee: Reynolds v. Sims (1964)\n\nOne-Year Rule\nA rule that requires a patent application to be filed within one year of: 1) any public use of the invention by the inventor, 2) a sale of the invention, 3) an offer to sell the invention, or 4) any description of the invention by the inventor in a published document. Failure to file a patent application within this one-year period results in the invention's passing into the public domain, where it is no longer eligible for a patent. The application of the one-year rule to sales is sometimes referred to as the on-sale bar.\n\nOpen Adoption\nAn adoption in which the adopting parents and birth parents are in contact before the birth and agree on some level of contact after the child is born. Contact may range from sending the birth parent(s) a photograph of the child once a year to including the birth parent(s) in family events.\n\nOpen Court\nJudicial proceedings of a court in session that the public may attend. Certain proceedings, such as hearings on evidence that might prejudice the jury or reveal sensitive information that should not be made public, are not held in open court, but instead are held \"in camera\" (in the judge's chambers or after the courtroom has been cleared).\n\nOpen-Ended Loan\nA loan that does not have a definite term or end date -- for example, a credit card account or line of credit.\n\nOpening Statement\n\nOperating Agreement\nAn agreement signed by the members (owners) of a limited liability company that structures the members' financial rights and responsibilities, each member's percentage of ownership in the LLC and share of profits (or losses), the LLC's procedures for holding meetings, and what will happen to the business when a member leaves.\n\nOperation Of Law\nA way in which someone acquires certain rights or responsibilities automatically under the law, without taking individual action or being the subject of a court order. For example, when one joint tenant dies, any surviving joint tenants obtain title to the jointly owned property; when someone dies without a will, the person's legal heirs automatically become entitled to inherit property from the estate.\n\nA court's written explanation of a judgment, usually including a summary of the facts, an explanation of the law on the issue, and the court's analysis for applying the law to those facts and coming to a conclusion. The opinions of appellate courts (courts that review the decisions of trial courts, the highest appellate court being the Supreme Court) are frequently published and create rules for future litigants to follow. Appellate judges who disagree with a majority opinion may file dissenting opinions.\n\nAn agreement that conveys the right to purchase property or engage in a transaction in the future upon agreed-upon terms. An option is paid for as part of a contract, but must be \"exercised\" in order for the property to be purchased or the transaction to be completed.\n\nOption ARM\nA type of adjustable rate mortgage that allows the borrower to choose the payment amount, each month, usually from the following four options: a minimum payment based on the borrower's initial interest rate, a payment that covers the interest that has accrued that month, a fully amortizing 30-year payment, or a fully amortizing 15-year payment.\n\nOral Contract\nAn agreement based on spoken words that is valid and enforceable, provided that it is provable, meets the condition of contract formation, and is not in violation of statutes that prohibit oral agreements -- for example state statutes that require sales of real property and agreements whose performance takes more than one year, must be in writing.\n\n\nOrder Of Examination\n\nOrder To Show Cause\nAn order from a judge that directs a party to come to court and convince the judge why the judge shouldn't grant an action proposed by the other side or, occasionally, by the judge. For example, in a divorce, at the request of one parent a judge might issue an order directing the other parent to appear in court on a particular date and time to show cause why the first parent should not be given sole physical custody of the children.\n\nA law adopted by a town or city council, county board of supervisors, or other municipal governing board. Typically, local governments issue ordinances establishing zoning and parking rules, and regulating noise, garbage removal, and the operation of parks and other areas within the locality's borders.\n\nOrdinary Course Of Business\nConduct of business within normal commercial customs and practices. This term is used to determine the legitimacy of certain transactions.\n\nOriginal Jurisdiction\nThe authority of a court to hear and decide a matter before it can be reviewed by another court. Compare: appellate jurisdiction\n\nOriginal Work Of Authorship\nA standard for copyright protection. Under copyright law, a work is considered original, if it owes its origin to the author -- that is, it is the result of independent effort, and not the result of copying.\n\nOrigination Fee\nA fee paid to a lender to process a loan application. Commonly called \"points\" and calculated as a percentage of a loan amount.\n\nA person, particularly a minor, whose parents are dead. In some cases, such as whether a child is eligible for public financial assistance, \"orphan\" can mean a child who has lost one parent.\n\nOrphan Works\nWorks protected under copyright whose owners are difficult to locate -- for example, a photograph taken of Elvis Presley as a teenager, or a newspaper column from a 1950s newspaper.\n\nSee: Occupational Safety and Health Act\n\nOstensible Agent\nOne who has the apparent authority to act for another. (See also: apparent authority)\n\nOstensible Authority\nSee: apparent authority\n\n1) Wrongfully excluding someone from property, as when a cotenant changes the locks, preventing another cotenant's entry. 2) The removal of a public official from office.\n\nOut Of Court\nActions, including negotiations between parties or their attorneys, without any direct involvement of a judge or the judicial system. Most commonly it refers to an out-of-court settlement in which the parties work out a settlement agreement, which they may present to the court for inclusion in a judgment.\n\nOut-Of-Pocket Expense\nAn expense paid from an individual's own funds.\n\nA structure not connected with the primary residence on a parcel of property. This may include a shed, garage, barn, cabana, pool house, or cottage.\n\nA popular term for anyone who commits serious crimes and acts outside the law.\n\nOutput Contract\nAn agreement in which a seller agrees to sell its entire production to the buyer, who in turn agrees to purchase the entire output.\n\n\n1) To charge more than a posted or advertised price. 2) To file a criminal complaint for more serious crimes than the known facts support, most often to intimidate the accused into accepting a plea bargain.\n\n\nOvert Act\nIn criminal law, an action that might be innocent by itself, but when part of the preparation and active furtherance of a crime, is evidence of a defendant's participation in the crime. For example, when the first World Trade Center defendants were put on trial, evidence of their renting a van, buying explosives, obtaining a map of downtown New York City, and going back and forth to the World Trade Center was admitted to establish overt acts that proved their complicity in the bombing.\n\nUnder common law, an amount that one co-owner must pay to another after a lawsuit to partition real estate, so that each co-owner receives equal value from the property.\n\nOwn Recognizance (OR)\n\nOne who has legal title or right to something. (See: ownership)\n\nOwners' Agreement\nSee: buy-sell agreement\n\n\nOwnership In Common\nRight of ownership shared by two or more people, where at the death of one owner his or her interest in the property passes to his or her heirs. This is in contrast to joint ownership, where that interest would pass to the remaining owner or owners.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5254417061805725}
{"content": "The CommonsBlog\n\nAndroid 4.4 Permission Regressions\n\nEdison Wang tweeted a change in the behavior of ACTION_MEDIA_MOUNTED.\n\nFrom the SDK standpoint, this was a broadcast that developers were meant to consume, by having a BroadcastReceiver listening for it. However, many blog posts, StackOverflow answers, and the like advocated having apps send that broadcast, as it triggered a complete re-scan of external storage, for the purposes of MediaStore.\n\nSending such a broadcast would trigger warnings in LogCat in Android 4.3, but now, as of Android 4.4, I can confirm that your app will crash with a SecurityException for trying to send it. Instead, use MediaScannerConnection or ACTION_MEDIA_SCANNER_SCAN_FILE to request indexing of new files.\n\nAlso, Sven Knispel reported that the BATTERY_STATS permission is now system|signature. This should impact relatively few applications, as I am not aware that BATTERY_STATS was used for anything that is part of the Android SDK. However, if you were breaking past the boundaries of the SDK and poking at some battery details by one means or another, note that this may no longer work.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8574701547622681}
{"content": "Revoking the certificate without deleting it\n\n\nI am trying to revoke the certificate but do not want to delete it.\n\nWhen I execute this:\ncertbot revoke --cert-path /home/random/cert.pem --config-dir /home/random/config --work-dir /home/random --logs-dir /home/random/logs --server\n\nIt asks for this:\nWould you like to delete the cert(s) you just revoked?\n(Y)es (recommended)/(N)o:\n\nTo avoid this, I can give –non-interactive flag, but that takes the answer to above question as YES.\n\nIs there a way where it runs non interactively and doesn’t try to delete the certificate??\n\n\nHi @anirudh\n\na workaround: Can you first copy the certificate to another place, then revoke it?\n\n\nSince certbot 0.21.0:\n\nThe flags --delete-after-revoke and --no-delete-after-revoke were added allowing users to control whether the revoke subcommand also deletes the certificates it is revoking.\n\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9968257546424866}
{"content": "Emergency Landing\n\n\nYesterday flight RPA3426 from DCA to BTV had to make an emergency landing. The airport had a phase 5 which is the highest. Now I wasn’t here to see it or tell anyone sooner because I was driving home from Wisconsin. I guess there was not enough pressure in the wings for the flaps atleast thats what the news said. This was the flight that I took on the 27th so it makes me feel weird to know that it happened to that flight. This happened on the 4th encase it changes once the flight flys agian. You can see that it circled over the lake before landing.\n\n\n\n\nJust a tip for the future- when linking a flight you want to discuss, be sure to click on the flight in Activity log to get the historical record. Since you have linked to the “live” track, your link will point the latest flight when the next flight departs.\n\n\n\nThis will remain vaild and point to your flight of interest until it ages out of the active database.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9968303442001343}
{"content": "American Crew Firm Hold Styling Gel (Tube) 8.4 Oz\n\nAmerican Crew, creator of top men?s hair products, has done it again with American Crew Firm Hold Styling Gel. This men?s hair gel gives you the high-shine, high-control look you want without the flakey scalp and dried out locks of other gels. Botanical extracts like allantoin moisturize your scalp to prevent dandruff without leaving you greasy, while ginseng and sage actually stimulate the scalp to promote growth. Your hair will look and feel healthier, thicker and shinier the more you use it, no matter what type of hair you have. Apply a small amount of American Crew Firm Hold Styling Gel to towel-dried hair, working it in from roots to tips. Once your hair is styled the way you want it, you?re done for the day. Firm hold means you don?t have to keep checking the mirror for touch-ups. If you like to look good but don?t want to spend a lot of time messing with your hair, and you appreciate a product that does double duty as a nourishing hair treatment, this is the gel for you.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7113658785820007}
{"content": "Frequent Questions\n\nHow does the DCGL affect the survey design?\n\nThe answer depends upon a number of factors. In the most general terms, with all other factors being equal, the number of measurements varies inversely with the DCGL.\n\nIn reality, a change in the DCGL reflects a change in the assumptions used to translate dose or risk into concentration. This could affect the survey design in several ways. For example, changing the area of radioactivity in the exposure pathway model would change the size of survey units specified in the survey design. In another example, changes in the depth of radioactivity assumed by the model would change the sample collection procedures and scan sensitivity required for the final status survey design. In these cases, it is difficult to predict what exact affect the DCGL will have on the survey design.\n\nFor more information on the MARSSIM process, visit the visit MARSSIM on\n\nHave more questions? Submit a request", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9060011506080627}
{"content": "\n\nPut the capo in the second position and start with variation 1.\n\nThe first chord is in the same shape as a 2nd position B-minor, but the capo makes it sound in the key of C#-minor.\n\nPlay the second chord, the A, by using the open strings. For the third chord mute the A-string here with your first finger, and you’ve got the G major chord with the open B- and E-string. Until here, the 3rd finger rests on the fret board on the D-string. The last chord is a F# 7/11 with open strings. For the third and fourth chord you have to touch the low E-string in the bass.\n\nThis arpeggio pattern in combination with this typical flamenco chord progression creates almost a little solo piece.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.99992835521698}
{"content": "Circular economy\n\nAkzoNobel has embraced the circular economy in its Planet Possible agenda, and strongly endorses the concept as the necessary route towards a sustainable society.\n\nThe philosophy, as described by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, identifies three key principles:\n\n  1. Preserve natural capital by controlling finite stocks and balancing renewable resource flows – for example replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy.\n  2. Optimize resource yields by circulating products, components and materials in use at the highest utility, at all times, in both technical and biological cycles – for example sharing or looping products and extending product lifetimes.\n  3. Increase system effectiveness by revealing and designing out negative externalities, such as water, air, soil and noise pollution; climate change; congestion and negative health effects.\n\nAt AkzoNobel, we use circular economy principles to strive for our own radical resource efficiency. We aim to source more renewable raw materials and energy, and to initiate or contribute to programs with a range of partners to accelerate production and adoption of these supplies. Examples include our bio-based materials partnerships and programs for wind energy and renewable steam.\n\nWe seek out opportunities for our “waste” to become a secondary raw material and use other people’s “waste” as our secondary raw material.\n\nWe currently have two main focus areas – products that do more with less, use less material and last longer; and initiating partnerships, for example converting waste to chemicals, or to re-use unwanted household paint through our ReColor program.\n\nA core element of our work with suppliers, our own operations and the products/services we sell, is to design out negative externalities. Examples include operational eco-efficiency programs; investment assessments which incorporate carbon pricing; products/services that reduce energy use for our customers, or improve air or water quality compared with standard products.\n\nBack to the overview", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7469911575317383}
{"content": "Try Energy Boosting Formula If You Are Tired of Being Tired\n\nTired of doing work continuously and unable to regain the energy and stamina to do further and often facing the problem of falling energy so that getting delay in work then power up yourself with AddieUp. AddieUp is a brain supplement which is like fuel for brain that assists in doing any kind of work.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5263730883598328}
{"content": "Carrots Come in Many Colors\n\nCarrots Come in Many Colors\n\nCarrots Come in Many Colors\n\n1st some facts about Carrots\n\nCarrots have a number of excellent health benefits, including:\n\n  1. Healthy vision\n  2. Brain and nervous system health\n  3. Liver protection\n  4. Protection against heart disease and stroke\n  5. Promotion of healthy bones\n\nOne serving of Orange carrots (one medium carrot or one-half cup chopped) will provide about 210% of the average daily recommended allowance (RDA) of Vitamin A. The high Vitamin A content, for which carrots are best known, comes from beta-carotene, which is converted into Vitamin A in the liver.\n\nThe body cannot manufacture beta-carotene, so we have to get it from our diet, and carrots contain some of the highest levels of beta-carotene of any vegetable.\n\nA single serving will also give you 10% of the RDA of Vitamin K, 6% of Vitamin C and 2% of calcium.\n\nThat said, different colored carrots will provide us with different sets of nutrients as follows:\n\n  2. Yellow contain high amounts of xanthophyll and lutein, associated with cancer prevention and eye health.\n  3. White or pale-yellow carrots tend to be milder, with high fiber content\n\nCarrots Come in Many Colors\n\nOne benefit of growing your own carrots is that you can grow varieties you will never see in a grocery store.\n\n\n\n\n\nPopular Carrot Varieties\n\nCarrots are a joy to grow in your garden, as they’re delicious right out of the ground. If vegetables are unpopular with your kids, grow some carrots and watch them change their mind once they start pulling these sweet snacks out of the dirt.\n\nDepending on the variety you sow, you can grow them in Spring and Fall, into early Winter.\n\n\n\nFor even more suggestions, see\n\n  1. Nantes: A fast grower that adapts well to a range of soils and climates\n  2. Cosmic Purple: A dark reddish purple variety with solid orange center\n  3. Chantenay: A shorter, stockier root that gets sweeter toward the fall as the temperatures drop\n  4. Purple Haze: A deep purple carrot with an orange core, Purple Haze adds gorgeous color to any dish\n  6. Yellowstone: Smooth-skinned and extra sweet\n  7. Imperator: A longer variety, the Imperator needs deep, sandy soil to grow well\n  9. Danvers: Particularly popular for juicing and tends to store well long-term\n  10. Atomic Red: A very bright Orange-red variety.\n\nPlanting Guidelines\n\nFor a Spring/Summer crop, sow seeds directly in your plant bed in a sunny area, about 2 weeks before the last frost date.\n\n\nFor a continuous crop, continue planting every 2 to 3 weeks until mid-Summer. If you live in hotter climates, your planting season will be shorter than if you live in a cooler climate\n\nFor a Fall/Winter crop, sow your seeds about 12 weeks before your 1st frost date.\n\nMother Earth News’ vegetable planner can help you find your average 1st and last frost dates.\n\nFor well-shaped carrots, you’ll want to make sure your soil is nice and loose to a depth of at least 12 inches. Hard or stony soils will result in misshapen roots. Mix in a 1-in layer of compost, or a half-inch layer of vermicompost, and plant your seeds a quarter-inch deep, 2 ins apart. If you’re doing rows, space them about 10 ins apart.\n\nOnce the seedlings start to sprout, thin them so they are 2 to 6 ins apart, depending on the variety, to avoid crowding the roots.\n\n\nOnce the seeds are planted, be sure to water consistently for the 1st 10 days. A soaker hose can be helpful for this. The soil should be kept moist but not soggy.\n\nCarrot seeds typically germinate slower than other veggies, be patient. You can retain moisture by covering the soil with wood planks or a blanket for the 1st 5-6 days. As soon as the seeds show signs of life, remove the cover.\n\n\nNow that you have carrots below is what you can do with carrots in the kitchen\n\nYour imagination is the limit.\n\nFor a list of creative ways, see, “7 Ways to Cook With Carrots.”\n\nIt contains novel ideas as spiced braised carrots with olives and mint, a Moroccan-inspired side dish bursting with flavors like cinnamon, garlic, red pepper, coriander, honey and lemon, and poached scallops with leeks and carrots, an unusual flavor combination said to bring out the best in each other.\n\nEditor’s Note: Carrots are higher in sugar than many other vegetables and therefore best eaten in moderation.\n\nEat healthy, Be healthy, Live lively\n\n\n\nThe following two tabs change content below.\n\nPaul Ebeling\n\n\nYou must be logged in to post comments :", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8904427886009216}
{"content": "TIFF Cinematheque Special Screenings\n\n\nMilos FormanUSA180 minutes1984PGColourEnglish\n\nJul 7\n\n\n    Milos Forman's lush adaptation of Peter Shaffer's Tony Award-winning play took home eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for F. Murray Abraham, who stars as Antonio Salieri, court composter to Emperor Joseph II in 18th-century Vienna. Labouring over his stodgy, conservative compositions, Salieri has his world upended with the arrival of the brash, lusty, and thoroughly immature Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce), who conjures up heavenly music with seemingly no effort whatsoever. Bereft of genius but capable of recognizing it, Salieri, agonizing over his own mediocrity and cursing the God who has endowed such gifts on this undeserving upstart, plots an intricate vengeance. \"A lavish movie about Mozart that dares to be anarchic and saucy, and yet still earns the importance of tragedy…. Shaffer and Forman have brought light, life, and laughter to the material, and it plays with grace and ease\" (Roger Ebert).", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9722211360931396}
{"content": "For FileRun Enterprise version, use this guide which includes support for full-text searching.\n\nThis guide assumes you have Docker and docker-compose installed on a server with at least 1GB of RAM memory.\n\nStart by pulling the Docker image:\n\ndocker pull afian/filerun\n\nThen create a text file named docker-compose.yml and paste the following inside:\n\nversion: '2'\n\n    image: mariadb:10.1\n      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: your_mysql_root_password\n      MYSQL_USER: your_filerun_username\n      MYSQL_PASSWORD: your_filerun_password\n      MYSQL_DATABASE: your_filerun_database\n      - /filerun/db:/var/lib/mysql\n\n    image: afian/filerun\n      FR_DB_HOST: db\n      FR_DB_PORT: 3306\n      FR_DB_NAME: your_filerun_database\n      FR_DB_USER: your_filerun_username\n      FR_DB_PASS: your_filerun_password\n      - db\n      - db:db\n      - \"80:80\"\n      - /filerun/html:/var/www/html\n      - /filerun/user-files:/user-files\n\nPlease note the above volumes configuration. There are two folders you need to configure. One for the FileRun application files. It can be located in any empty folder and must have the mount path set to /var/www/html and one for the FileRun user files, with the mount path set to /user-files. In other words, if you use the above configuration text as it is, you just need to create two empty folders, /filerun/html and /filerun/user-files and you can starting the FileRun Docker container up.\n\nAnd start FileRun up using the following command:\n\ndocker-compose up -d\n\nFileRun should be now up and running and you can access it with your browser.\n\nThe default FileRun credentials are as follows:\n\n* Username: superuser\n\n* Password: superuser", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9938528537750244}
{"content": "Considering that the vast majority of urinary stones are radiopaque (visible through x-rays), radiology is a very useful diagnostic tool in urology, which offers the following exams:\n\nExcretory urography (Intra-Venous Pyelogram – IVP): Radiological examination that utilizes iodinated contrast, administered intravenously. The contrast highlights the entire path from the kidneys to the bladder. This allows the obtainment of a sequence of images of the kidneys inside, the ureters and the bladder. This is an excellent exam for assessing stones located in the ureter; that is, between the kidney and bladder. It also provides information on renal function since the contrast needs to be filtered, secreted and excreted by the kidneys with the urine. Therefore the duration may vary from 30 minutes to several hours. Since the urinary tract is behind the intestines, this requires bowel cleansing the day before, using laxative medication.\n\nVoiding urethrocystography: For this examination, a mixture of saline solution and a radiopaque contrast is administered into the bladder through a urinary catheterization, until the patient manifests a desire to urinate, at which time, the urethral probe is removed and the patient is allowed to urinate freely, while some images are obtained. This examination allows for the detection of urinary reflux and anatomical changes of the bladder and the urethra.\n\nAbdomen X-Ray: This is a simple exam, which aims to identify radiopaque (stone) images over the urinary tract (the kidneys, the ureters and the bladder).\n\nAn intestinal preparation is required the day before the exam.\n\n\nfeito com\nicone criação de sites", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6627593040466309}
{"content": "Galerie zu works\n\nJudith Raum, am of the opinion strike is useful (2015), Gallery Norma Mangione, Torino\n\nam of the opinion strike is useful, 2015\n\nLecture Performance at Gallery Norma Mangione, Torino\n\n\nThe presentation at Norma Mangione Gallery was an adapted version of the performance earlier shown at House of World Cultures Berlin. The lecture performance touches on the working conditions at the Anatolian Railway during the great strike of 1908. A choreography of projected still images, text and sculptural action create a narrative that exemplifies the unresolved tension between actors of different social status during the first railway workers' protests in the late Ottoman Empire.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999632239341736}
{"content": "The Workers Are Not A Superman-g-area meru\n\nBusiness The workers are not a superman. Workers are ordinary human who can not fly, could be injured, could be affected by various diseases, and could also die. The worker is not a tool or a machine used to achieve the production goals. They are the human beings and should be considered as humans, humans who need prosperity, security and occupational health. However, what if the worker has been regarded as a tool or machine? There is a .pany that considers their employees as a superman. That’s the reality happened in a roof construction .pany in California, USA. Maybe they considered that their employees have the power to fly like superman or for another reason, so the .pany let their workers to work at altitude of 5-6 meters for doing job of roof installation without safety supplies at all. The consequences were highly fatal, several accidents occurred at the workers working at that height. May 11, 2006, a worker was killed while working at a height of 6.4 meters without safety vests. 4 months later on 21 September 2006, a worker fell and experienced a trauma at the head while working at a height of 5.7 meters, again its because of without safety supply. The owner and manager of the roof construction .pany had to bear the consequences of violating California laws that require wearing safety supplies while working at an altitude of 5-6 meters. The owner was fined 248,000 U.S. Dollars. The most pathetic thing is the both of them must be curled up behind prison bars. The workers working at the dangerous and high location should .plement them self with safety supplies, because they are not a superman who can fly from the altitude. Remind them immediately to work safely at the altitude and should follow these tips: Use a full body harness & safety line Get a work permit before starting work Install a safety net under the job sites Ensure the safety of the work floor Use an adequate lighting Do not underestimate the workplace safety because it could be, you will be.e the next victim of workplace accidents. To prevent the workplace accidents, we should always behave safely while working. World of work is the real world, not the theater or acting world of the superheroes. If this world is filled with the superhero or superman, then hospitals, physicians and occupational safety laws are not needed anymore. The employers should not underestimate the workers safety because they are not a superman. If you underestimate all safety laws, then maybe you will go in to the prison because of your negligence. About the Author: 相关的主题文章：", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9507695436477661}
{"content": "UNITED NEWS INTERNATIONAL (UNI) — Two million individuals are set to receive cholera vaccinations in what is being called the largest cholera vaccination drive in history.\n\nThe drive comes as a response to a recent string of cholera outbreaks in Africa and will focus on five countries: Zambia, Uganda, Malawi, South Sudan and Nigeria.\n\nAs of Monday, at least 12 sub-Saharan African countries have reported active cholera transmission, according to the World Health Organization.\n\nSince early 2018, the World Health Organization says it has worked with health ministries in the five countries to help organize vaccination campaigns in each respective region.\n\nThis vaccine drive marks a stark increase in vaccinations of cholera from recent years.\n\nThere were 1.5 million doses of cholera vaccines used between 1997 to 2012, compared to the 15 million doses approved for use in 2018 alone.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.993088960647583}
{"content": "► Open Innovation and Intellectual Property\n\nIf drug discovery is to survive then a modification to the patent system is required.\n\nDrug Discovery within the pharmaceutical industry is in the midst of a major change and this is particularly evident in the UK. Many organisations are reducing internal research programs in therapeutic areas which are not considered economic. This editorial proposes two changes to patent law, which if implemented should result in:\n1. A greater emphasis on research into less tractable therapeutic areas, coupled with a more equitable and transparent period for a return on investment.\n2. An enhanced patent landscape to foster open innovation in Drug Discovery.If you believe that these proposals are important then I would urge you to use the power of the crowd and make a difference by supporting this petition by going to: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/52254: and vote for it.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9362298846244812}
{"content": "basic information\n\nRock Sparrow\n\nPetronia petronia (Linnaeus, 1766)\n\nКаменный воробей | Тас торғайы\n\nToraigyr ridge, Almaty oblast\n© Ilya Ukolov\n\n\nAdult Rock Sparrow in breeding plumage are clay-grey above. Supercillium, crown-strip (which not always present) and nape-spot are grayish-white. Outer webs of mantle and shoulder feathers pale off-white, but inner ones are dark-brown. Flight feathers and wing coverts are dark-brown with pale edged. Two wing speculums are formed by pale parts of outer webs of primaries. On inner webs of tail feathers (exclude central pair) there are white terminal spots. Uppertail is pale-brownish. Ear coverts, cheeks, throat and craw are clay-brownish, all other underparts are slightly paler, brownish-white with or without dark-brown streaks. Feathers of undertail are pale-brownish with white tips. There is large yellow patch on throat. Laegs are pale-brown, claws are dark-brown. Upper mandible is dark-brown, low mandible is some paler. Eyes are dark-brown. After autumn moulting feathers have broad buffy edges. Juveniles don't have yellow patch on throat; upperparts are rusty tinged; underparts are off-white buffy tinged without streaks. Legs are pale-yellow. Sizes - wing 90-103 mm, tail 48-58 mm, weight males 28.8-40.0, females 30.0-39.0 gr.\n\n\nRock Sparrow breeds in steppes and semi-deserts of Western Kazakhstan and in mountains and foothills of Eastern And South-Eastern Kazakhstan. The detailed distribution in Kazakhstan please see in the chapter \"Races\".\n\n\nRock Sparrow is common breeding migrant. It inhabits rock canyons in mountains at 1250-3000 m; or steppes and semi-deserts with clay precipices, piles of stones and human constructions. In spring Rock Sparrow appears in the end of February - early March, most intense migration observed in March; migration finishes in mid-April. Rock Sparrow breeds in colonies up to several dozen pairs. Nest is built in rock cracks, excavations, in nests of Rock Nuthatch, House Martin, Red-rumped Swallow, in clay holes (holes of Bee-eater and Sand Martin are used too), between stones, under bridges, in cavities of human constructions, and even on juniper tree among thick twigs interlacing. Nest is made from dry and green grass and is lined with feathers, hairs and fuzz. Clutches of 3-8, usually 5-6 eggs founded from early April to end of June. Both parents feed nestlings, which fledge from second half of May to early August. Two broods per season. Autumn migration begins in middle - end August, but majority of the birds leave breeding areas in end of September - October. In southern areas Rock Sparrow in low numbers recorded in winter.\n\n\nPetronia petronia kirhizica (Sushkin, 1925)\n\n    Description. The lightest race. Crown is lighter, dark back strips more light-brown, less black-brown, under parts cleaner-white, less brownish-white than in intermedia.\n    Distribution. Breeding in Western Kazakhstan, in north to Aleksandrov Gai, Alzhan lake area, Zhuldus station (Ilek valley), Karabutak, Aktobe and middle curret of Irgiz river; in south up to Mangyshlak and Aralsk, east up to Irgiz village. A flock of 150 birds recorded at August 1986 in Dokuchaevka. Wintering in area adjacent to Caspian Sea from north, in lower Emba valley, on Mangyshlak and Barsa-Kelmes island.\n\nPetronia petronia intermedia (Hartert, 1901)\n\n    Description. Crown darker, back strips more black-brown, less light-brown, under parts more brownish-white, less clean-white than in kirhizica.\n    Distribution. Breeding and occurs on migration in Tien Shan, Dzhungarskiy Alatau and its spurs (Karatau, Chu-Iliyskiye Mts., Malay Sary etc.), in western part of Monrak ridge. In end of May 1993 observed in western spurs of Narymskiy ridge at Slavyanka village, where breeding is very possible. Probably live in rocks of Araltobe mountain on east part of Sasykkol lake. In winter recorded near Shimkent.\n\nPetronia petronis brevirostris (Taczanowski, 1874)\n\n    Description. Light crown strip less expressed, than at other races. Back streaks more brown, less black than in intermedia, but darker than in kirhizica. Pattern of dark streaks on upper parts is less contrast and more washed; bill shorter and thicker, than in other races.\n    Distribution. Occurrence on migration in eastern and south-eastern Kazakhstan is possible.\n\n\n\"Птицы Казахстана\" том 5. \"Наука\". Алма-Ата, 1974. Э.И.Гаврилов. \"Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана\". Алматы, 1999. Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. \"The Birds of Kazakhstan\". Almaty, 2005.\n\n\n\nPetronia petronia kirhizica\n(Sushkin, 1925)\ninformation gallery\nPetronia petronia intermedia\n(Hartert, 1901)\ninformation gallery\nPetronia petronis brevirostris\n(Taczanowski, 1874)\n\nother names\n\nRock Petronia\n\ngo to family:\n\n\nin other projects\n\nBirds of Siberia\n\ninformation gallery\nBirds of Xinjiang\n\ninformation gallery\nBirds of Europaean part of Russia\n\ninformation gallery\nBirds of Kyrgyzstan\n\ninformation gallery\nBirds of Russia\n\ninformation gallery\nBirds of Northern Eurasia\n\ninformation gallery\n\nBig Year 2018\n\nsupported by\n\n1. Isabekov Askar (302)\n2. Belyaev Alexandr (275)\n3. Gubin Boris (252)\n4. Dyakin Gennadiy (230)\n5. Golubeva Anna (207)\n6. Yasko Anna (197)\n7. Katuncev Alexandr (175)\n8. Vorobyov Vladimir (165)\n9. Nukusbekov Malik (145)\n10. Malkov Yuriy (142)\n\n\nunidentified birds\n\n\nАнна Ясько: Объединила и немного сделала посветлее. Стало видно некоторые детали: светлый зашеек, светлая полоса на крыле, хвост темный, но на надхвостье\n\n\nНиколай Балацкий: Анна, согласен, что на этом мелком снимке концы рулевых не видно. Поэтому, чтобы не гадать и не казалось и точно заметить разницу в длине рулевых,\n\n\nСергей Л. Волков: Константин, если вы слышали действительно песню (она короткая у обоих видов зарничек), то с помощью голосовых сайтов легко отличите зарничку\n\nmore unidentified birds...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8104951977729797}
{"content": "Community Based Engineering Framework\n\nThe four elements of the CBE framework guide the process of applying engineering design to a problem in your community. The framework begins with identifying a suitable community problem and ends with explaining a solution designed and prototyped by students.\n\nFour Key Elements of the Community-Based Engineering Framework\n\nA. Unpack the Problem\n\nIdentify community problems and determine which might be solved through engineering design. Choose a particular problem, identify the specific community needs, and make a list of criteria and constraints.\n\nB. Research and Plan a Solution\n\nBrainstorm potential solutions to the problem. Investigate scientific phenomena related to the problem and its potential solutions. Consult resources to plan a specific solution that might meet the criteria and constraints.\n\nC. Construct and Test a Prototype\n\nConstruct a prototype that demonstrates a solution. Test the prototype to see if it stays within the constraints and fulfills the criteria. Make changes and test again.\n\nD. Explain and Redesign\n\nGenerate explanations for what does and does not work about the prototypes. Make recommendations for next steps for solving the community problem.\n\nCBE Lesson Sequence\n\nOverview of the Community-Based Engineering Strategy\n\nThe CBE framework provides a guiding structure for a Community Based Engineering curriculum module. Here we share more details about how to make CBE happen in the classroom. We recommend a sequence of six lessons, each with a set of student learning objectives in sync with the CBE framework. Each lesson can be planned to take place over several short class sessions or in one longer single session.\n\nStudent Learning Objectives\n\nLearning objectives for each of these lessons and the alignment with standards.\n\nLesson 1\n\nDescribe engineering as a process of using creativity, science, and mathematics to design and test different solutions to a problem or different ways to change a situation that people want to change.\n\nLesson 2\n\na) Identify an engineering problem in the classroom, school, or neighborhood.\n\nb) Research the problem to generate criteria for successfully solving it, and determine limits on the materials and time that can be used to solve it.\n\nLesson 3\n\nThese should be identified and decided by the facilitator depending on the science, math, and technology concepts and tools to be explored in the class.\n\nLesson 4\n\na) Work both individually and collaboratively to plan a solution to an engineering problem in the community.\n\nb) Predict how well the planned solution will work.\n\nLesson 5\n\nConstruct, test, and reflect on a prototype solution to an engineering problem in the community.\n\nLesson 6\n\nProvide explanations for the designs and solutions with justifications in written and oral format.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9992882609367371}
{"content": "\n\nHint: keep it simple, like life twain\n\nFacebook share   Tweet This   Email this\n\nDaily Inspiration - Quotes to Live By\n\nJavier Valle-Riestra Quotes and Sayings\n\nI hope you find great value in these Quotes by Javier Valle-Riestra from my large collection of motivational and inspirational quotes and sayings.\n\nManuel Rosales is being unjustly persecuted.\nHe won't return to Venezuela under these circumstances,\nbecause Peru will never expel him.\n- Javier Valle-Riestra\n\nManuel is still today a good friend.\n- Klaus Schulze\n\nI write novels because there is something I don't understand in reality.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nIt's essential not to have an ideology,\nnot to be a member of a political party.\nWhile the writer can have certain political views,\nhe has to be careful not to have his hands tied.\n- Manuel Puig\n\n\nIf I'm working with an allegory, a fantasy,\nit can be developed in synthetic terms.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nI haven't been the kind of writer about whom book-length\nacademic studies have been written.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nIn a country like France, so ancient,\ntheir history is full of outstanding people,\nso they carry a heavy weight on their back.\nWho could write in French after Proust or Flaubert?\n- Manuel Puig\n\n\n\nYour E-Mail Address:\nYour Name:\n\n\n\nIf we accept the rule of those who think they are the\nbosses and lords of Mexico,\nnothing will change for the people on the bottom.\n- Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador\n\nI love the season changes.\n- Richard Manuel\n\nFor someone who writes fiction, in order to activate\nthe imagination and the unconscious,\nit's essential to be free.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nTardiness in literature can make me nervous.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nI play patterns.\nI'll make up a pattern and just play it.\n- Richard Manuel\n\nI would very much like to become a best-selling author.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nWhen I raced with Mercedes, I thought I'd learn German.\nBut my wife didn't want to live in Germany.\n- Juan Manuel Fangio\n\nMy stories are very somber, so I think I need the comic ingredient.\nBesides, life has so much humor.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nfine for quick consumption, but they have survived\n50 years and are still growing.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nI believe that people who don't achieve anything in\nlife are isolated and resent those that are successful.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nOne performs a very different act when reading a movie\nand when reading a novel.\nYour attention behaves differently.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nThere are no managers like there used to be managers.\n- Richard Manuel\n\nIf a spectator with a philosophical mind,\nsomebody accustomed to reading books,\ngets the same kind of information in a movie,\nhe might not fully understand it.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nI felt the need to tell stories to understand myself.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nI only understand realism.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nKafka truly illustrates the way the environment oppresses the individual.\nHe shows how the unconscious controls our lives.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nIt's my own personal unconscious that ultimately creates\nthe novel's aesthetic facade.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nI am very interested in what has been called bad taste.\nI believe the fear of displaying a soi-disant bad taste\nstops us from venturing into special cultural zones.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nI've never seen a worse situation than that of young\nwriters in the United States.\nThe publishing business in North America is so commercialized.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nIn film, you can't go into analytical explorations\nbecause the audience will reject that.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nModern American cinema seems to me superficial.\nThe intention is to understand a certain reality,\nand the result is nothing but a photographing of that reality.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nI don't want to name names, but the least I can say\nabout rock and roll is that I'm suspicious.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nIt's a positive force.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nMy greatest aspiration was always to live in the tropics.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nThe translator's task is to create, in his or her own language,\nthe same tensions appearing in the original.\nThat's hard!\n- Manuel Puig\n\nWhat's better, a poetic intuition or an intellectual\nwork? I think they complement each other.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nHazard not your wealth on a poor man's advice.\n- Don J. Manuel\n\nI locate that special problem in a character and then try to understand it.\nThat's the genesis of all my work.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nThe essayist has to follow a certain intellectual pattern.\nThe novelist has the advantage of using fantasy,\nof being subjective.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nWe're not going to meddle in the internal life of other\npeoples and other governments,\nbecause we don't want them meddling in ours.\n- Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador\n\nI am only interested in bad taste if I can enjoy a\ngruesome tango or watch a movie that makes me cry.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nI don't have traceable literary models because I haven't\nhad great literary influences in my life.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nI have written every one of my novels to convince somebody of something.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nHe who advises you to be reserved to your friends wishes\nto betray you without witnesses.\n- Don J. Manuel\n\nyou do well.\n- Juan Manuel Fangio\n\nThe driver of a racing car is a component.\nand I changed gear so hard that I damaged my hand.\n- Juan Manuel Fangio\n\nI like the beauty of Faulkner's poetry.\nBut I don't like his themes, not at all.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nI had stories that needed more space than the hour\nand a half or two hours a movie gives you.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nIn my time, you needed to speak a little Italian,\nand that was it.\n- Juan Manuel Fangio\n\nWhenever I write, I'm always thinking of the reader.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nI began teaching in New York because I needed to stay\nin the United States and didn't have my immigration papers in order,\nso working for a university was a way of resolving the issue.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nTeaching is a good distraction, and I am in contact with young people,\nwhich is very gratifying.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nMy only fantasy about writing was that in my old days,\nafter directing many masterpieces, I would write my memoirs.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nWe should try to understand our innermost needs.\nWe shouldn't use irony to reduce their power.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nContrary to what Kafka does, I always like to refer\nall of my fictions to the level of reality,\nHe, on the other hand, leaves them at an imaginary level.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nIt doesn't matter that the way of life shown by Hollywood was phony.\nIt helped you hope.\n- Manuel Puig\n\n- Don J. Manuel\n\nI still don't know how to read music.\n- Richard Manuel\n\nA crazy man finishes in the cemetery.\n- Juan Manuel Fangio\n\nMy pleasure was to copy, not to create.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nI started writing movie scripts.\nThey excited me a lot, but I didn't like them when\nthey were finished because they were simple copies\nof the films I saw in childhood.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nto his or her own point of view.\nIf he or she doesn't have a personal point of view,\nit's impossible to be a creator.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nIf the novelist shares his or her problems with the characters,\nhe or she is able to study his personal unconscious.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nI do believe that reading can help you understand what\nyou're writing and see what others are doing.\nBut sometimes the desire for more information can act as an inhibitor.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nHitchcock makes it very clear to us.\nThere's an objective and a subjective camera,\n- Manuel Puig\n\nI allow my intuition to lead my path.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nWhat better model of a synthesis than a nocturnal dream? Dreams simplify,\ndon't they?\n- Manuel Puig\n\nI'm not a best-seller, but through translations,\nI've accumulated some money.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nI don't think humor is forced upon my universe;\nit's a part of it.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nIronically, Latin American countries,\nin their instability, give writers and intellectuals\nthe hope that they are needed.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nAll of my problems are rather complicated -\nI need an entire novel to deal with them,\nnot a short story or a movie.\nIt's like a personal therapy.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nI didn't choose literature.\nLiterature chose me.\nThere was no decision on my side.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nI'm not terribly happy about rock and roll.\nCertain rock music is uninspiring, numbing;\nit makes you feel like an idiot.\n- Manuel Puig\n\nWomen rule our lives, don't they?\n- Juan Manuel Fangio\n\nQuotes and Sayings\n\n\nThank you for visiting: Javier Valle-Riestra Quotes and Sayings.\n\nPlease sign up on the form below to receive\nmy Free Daily Inspiration - Daily Quotes email.\n\nYou can also search my large collection of Quotes and Sayings.\n\nMay the world be kind to you,\nand may your own thoughts be gentle upon yourself.\n- Jonathan Lockwood Huie\n\n\nSign-up to receive Daily Inspiration - Daily Quotes\nfree via email\n\npositive attitude, happiness, forgiveness, and gratitude.\nInspiring motivational sayings plus Jonathan's insights into life,\nrelationships, and joyful living.\n\nEnter Your E-Mail Address:\nEnter Your Name (what you want to be called):\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9890255928039551}
{"content": "If there are a series of successive meltdowns that cannot be contained, Japan and the world will be faced with challenges on a scale not seen since World War II.\n\nSeventeen miles below the surface of the Pacific Ocean and 80 miles east of the city of Sendai on the main Japanese island of Honshu, an earthquake along a fault in the Earth’s surface and a subsequent tsunami rocked the very foundation of Japan. It registered 8.9 on the Richter Scale when it struck on March 11 but has been revised to a 9 on the scale developed by Charles Richter in 1935 to measure the magnitude of an earthquake.\n\nPreviously, the highest recorded Richter Scale quake, a 9, happened in Chile in 1960. Now that the Japanese earthquake has been elevated to a 9, it will enter the record books but as the world knows, it is the devastation, not the number, which has captured our attention. As the Japanese prime minister reminded the world, this is the greatest disaster to hit Japan since the end of World War II.\n\nGeologists fear that it is only a matter of time before the West Coast of the United States is struck, which was the case in Alaska in March 1964. But let’s say there is a quake, followed by a 50-foot wall of water that hits California. However devastating the impact on the land, infrastructure, population and economy of the region affected, the rest of the nation would not be shut down. But Japan’s land mass is very different. The entire series of islands are slightly less than the size of California. It is a tightly packed nation with 126.5 million people, less than half of the population of the United States with its 310 million. When one visits Japan, you are never far from the Japanese Sea of the Pacific Ocean. The earthquake moved this island nation 12 feet eastward and also caused a 6.5-inch shift in the rotation of the Earth.\n\nThe most pressing problem of Armageddon proportions comes from the possible meltdown of three or more nuclear reactors at the Fukushima site, which is located in Sendai, the city most affected. There has already been a “partial meltdown” of two of the reactors and more than 200,000 people have been evacuated from the surrounding area.\n\nIf the partial meltdowns can be contained and other nuclear plants do not start to have the same problems due to a lack of electrical power to cool the reactors, Japan will recover. However, it will not happen in a matter of months. The disaster had already taken a very heavy toll on the economy. With a GDP of $5 trillion, it is the third largest economy. What drives its growth is exports of cars, heavy machinery and electrical products. Fortunately, many of its major auto companies have factories overseas but the key components come from Japan. The Japanese know if they cannot get the situation under control as fast as possible, other nations could pick up a large portion of its market share. This happened to the United Kingdom in the wake of World War II.\n\nWorking in Japan’s favor is also the nature of its people who are highly disciplined and patient. There is no concern Japan will fall into chaos or the government will fall. The Japanese also know that they will not be abandoned by the world. Random acts of nature bring out the best in the human community. But if there are a series of successive meltdowns that cannot be contained, Japan and the world will be faced with challenges on a scale never before seen with the exceptions of the destruction caused by World War II in Asia, Europe and the USSR. We can only hope we have seen the worst of the disaster. For the Japanese, we are reminded of the words of Winston Churchill; the coming together of “all the terrible ifs.”\n\n\nMessenger Post", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9061795473098755}
{"content": "Disrespect Blocks Mercy of The Lord\n\nSrimad Bhagavatam 10.44.40-51 - Disrespect Blocks Mercy of The Lord (download mp3)\nby Shubha Vilas Prabhu at ISKCON Chowpatty\n\nSB 10.44.40\ntasyanuja bhrataro ’stau\nabhyadhavann ati-kruddha\n bhratur nirvesa-karinah\n\nKamsa’s eight younger brothers, led by Kanka and Nyagrodhaka, then attacked the Lords in a rage, seeking to avenge their brother’s death.\n\nSB 10.44.41\ntathati-rabhasams tams tu\n samyattan rohini-sutah\nahan parigham udyamya\n pasun iva mrgadhipah\n\nAs they ran swiftly toward the two Lords, ready to strike, the son of Rohini slew them with His club just as a lion easily kills other animals.\n\nSB 10.44.42\nnedur dundubhayo vyomni\n brahmesadya vibhutayah\npuspaih kirantas tam pritah\n sasamsur nanrtuh striyah\n\nKettledrums resounded in the sky as Brahma, Siva and other demigods, the Lord’s expansions, rained down flowers upon Him with pleasure. They chanted His praises, and their wives danced.\n\nSB 10.44.43\ntesam striyo maha-raja\ntatrabhiyur vinighnantyah\n sirsany asru-vilocanah\n\nMy dear King, the wives of Kamsa and his brothers, aggrieved by the death of their well-wishing husbands, came forward with tearful eyes, beating their heads.\n\nSB 10.44.44\nsayanan vira-sayayam\n patin alingya socatih\nvilepuh su-svaram naryo\n visrjantyo muhuh sucah\n\nEmbracing their husbands, who lay on a hero’s final bed, the sorrowful women loudly lamented while shedding constant tears.\n\nSB 10.44.45\nha natha priya dharma-jña\ntvaya hatena nihata\n vayam te sa-grha-prajah\n\n[The women cried out:] Alas, O master, O dear one, O knower of religious principles! O kind and compassionate protector of the shelterless! By your being slain we have also been slain, together with your household and offspring.\n\nSB 10.44.46\ntvaya virahita patya\n puriyam purusarsabha\nna sobhate vayam iva\n\nO great hero among men, bereft of you, its master, this city has lost its beauty, just as we have, and all festivity and good fortune within it have come to an end.\n\nSB 10.44.47\nanagasam tvam bhutanam\n krtavan droham ulbanam\ntenemam bho dasam nito\n bhuta-dhruk ko labheta sam\n\n\n\nSB 10.44.48\nsarvesam iha bhutanam\n esa hi prabhavapyayah\ngopta ca tad-avadhyayi\n na kvacit sukham edhate\n\nLord Krsna causes the appearance and disappearance of all beings in this world, and He is their maintainer as well. One who disrespects Him can never prosper happily.\n\nSB 10.44.49\nsri-suka uvaca\nraja-yosita asvasya\n bhagavaḻ loka-bhavanah\nyam ahur laukikim samstham\n hatanam samakarayat\n\nSukadeva Gosvami said: After consoling the royal ladies, Lord Krsna, sustainer of all the worlds, arranged for the prescribed funeral rites to be performed.\n\nSB 10.44.50\nmataram pitaram caiva\n mocayitvatha bandhanat\nkrsna-ramau vavandate\n sirasa sprsya padayoh\n\nThen Krsna and Balarama released Their mother and father from bondage and offered obeisances to them, touching their feet with Their heads.\n\nSB 10.44.51\ndevaki vasudevas ca\n vijñaya jagad-isvarau\nkrta-samvandanau putrau\n sasvajate na sankitau\n\nDevaki and Vasudeva, now knowing Krsna and Balarama to be the Lords of the universe, simply stood with joined palms. Being apprehensive, they did not embrace their sons.\n\nThus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada to the Tenth Canto, Forty-fourth Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled “The Killing of Kamsa.”", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7763799428939819}
{"content": "0 item(s)\n\nBone & Joint Health\n\nJoint pain treatment depends entirely on the cause of the joint pain. Arthritis can be a cause of joint pain, as can bursitis, tendinitis, muscle injuries, cartilage injuries, and simple overuse. The process of joint pain treatment often begins with a trip to the doctor who will determine what the cause of the pain is and discuss potential options for treatment to alleviate the pain and correct the underlying cause of the pain. Joint pain treatment options run the gamut from simple rest to joint replacement surgery, though most problems can be treated with simple procedures or processes.\n\n\nArthritis is a common cause of joint pain, and unfortunately has no cure. Arthritis occurs when the cartilage and ligaments in the joint begin to wear out, allowing the joint to move excessively and inflammation to occur. Arthritis sufferers often focus on pain management as part of their joint pain treatment, since no cure is available. Anti-inflammatory medication can be taken, as can painkillers, and ice and heat can be applied to the joint to alleviate pain. Regular stretching and exercise is also recommended for some people, though overdoing exercise can actually exacerbate the condition rather than help it.\n\n\nTendinitis and bursitis are other common causes of pain in the joints, and the joint pain treatment for these conditions often includes the RICE treatment: rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Tendinitis occurs when the tendons that connect muscles to bone become inflamed due to overuse or unnatural movement, and bursitis occurs when bursae become inflamed; bursae are sacs that contain synovial fluid, and they are meant to act as a cushion between moving parts in a joint. Anti-inflammatory medications can be used to help treat both conditions, and if the bursitis is particularly bad, a doctor may choose to cut out part of the sac to alleviate pressure.\n\n\nMuscles that surround the joint can also lead to joint pain, especially when those muscles tighten and affect how the joint moves. Joint pain treatment in this case may involve the RICE treatment, and it will also likely involve conditioning exercises and regular stretching exercises to strengthen the muscles and prevent them from tightening up so easily. Weaker muscles tend to tighten easily, since muscles tighten when they are tired. Tight muscles can pull on tendons, which can in turn stress the bones in the joint, leading to unnatural or excessive movements.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9968342185020447}
{"content": "Effective Date: 5, 2015\n\nThis privacy statement applies to camping-pod-heaven-gb.book.direct owned and operated by Camping Pod Heaven. This privacy statement describes how we collect and use the personal information you provide on our web site: camping-pod-heaven-gb.book.direct. It also describes the choices available to you regarding our use of your personal information and how you can access and update this information. We may amend this privacy statement from time to time, so visit this page regularly to keep abreast of the updates\n\nThe type of personal information we collect.\n\nThe types of personal information that we collect include:\n\n\n\n\nWhy do we collect, use and share your personal information?\n\n\nHow do we share your personal information with third parties?\n\n\n\nRetention of Personal Information\n\n\n\n\nWhat is a cookie?\n\n\nHow do we use cookies?\n\n\n\nHow long do our cookies stay active?\n\n\nDo we use third-party cookies?\n\n\nHow can you manage your cookie preferences?\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAccess to Information\n\n\nYou have the right to review the personal information we keep about you. You can request an overview of your personal information by emailing us at annieeds@hotmail.com. We kindly request you to please write “Request personal information” in the subject line of your email.\n\n\nContact Us\n\nCamping Pod Heaven controls the processing of personal information collected from the website and via the cookies. Camping Pod Heaven at Angelshare. If you have any suggestions, requests or comments about privacy, personal information, cookies and how we handle personal information, you can send an email to annieeds@hotmail.com.\n\nКак споделяме вашите лични данни с трети страни?\n\n  • Booking.com: Обединихме усилия с Booking.com B.V. с адрес Herengracht 597, 1017 CE Амстердам, Холандия (www.booking.com) (наричана по-долу Booking.com), за да ви предлагаме нашите услуги за онлайн резервации. Въпреки че ние предоставяме съдържанието в този уебсайт и вие правите резервация директно при нас, резервациите се обработват през Booking.com. Следователно информацията, която въвеждате в този уебсайт, също ще бъде споделяна с Booking.com и нейните партньори. Тази информация може да включва лични данни, като например вашето име, данните ви за контакт, данните ви за плащане, имената на гостите, които пътуват с вас, както и всички предпочитания, които сте посочили при резервирането. За да научите повече за корпоративното семейство на Booking.com, посетете За Booking.com.\n  • Booking.com ще ви изпрати имейл с потвърждение, имейл преди пристигане и ще ви предостави информация за района и нашето място за настаняване. Освен това Booking.com ще ви предоставя международно обслужване на клиенти денонощно от своите местни офиси на повече от 20 езика. Споделянето на вашите данни със служителите за обслужване на клиенти на Booking.com в целия свят им дава възможност да ви отговарят, когато имате нужда от съдействие. Booking.com може да използва данните ви за технически, аналитични и маркетингови цели, както е описано по-подробно в Декларацията за поверителност на Booking.com. Това означава, че данните ви може да бъдат споделяни и с други членове на групата от компании Booking Holdings Inc. за анализ, за да ви предоставят свързани с пътувания оферти, които може да представляват интерес за вас, и да предоставят персонализирано обслужване. Ако е необходимо съгласно приложимите закони, Booking.com първо ще иска съгласието ви. Ако данните ви бъдат прехвърлени в държава извън Европейската икономическа зона, Booking.com ще сключи договорни споразумения, за да гарантира, че личните ви данни продължават да са защитени съгласно европейските стандарти. Ако имате въпроси относно обработването на личните ви данни от Booking.com, моля, свържете се с dataprotectionoffice@booking.com.\n  • BookingSuite: Вашите лични данни може да бъдат споделяни с BookingSuite B.V. със седалище Herengracht 597, 1017 CE Амстердам, Нидерландия – компанията, която управлява този уебсайт и уебсайта suite.booking.com.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7126589417457581}
{"content": "Quaker Studies\n\nNew Location Notice\n\n\n\nThis essay examines three themes relating to the beliefs and actions of Mary Morris Knowles (1733-1807) as a devout Quaker woman, incorporates new research and places her in multiple contexts within eighteenth-century Quakerism. Considering Knowles in relation to the themes of self and collective identity, her concepts and practices of womanhood in the private, social and public spheres and her theology and religious practices raises new questions about Quakerliness, or ways of being a Quaker. How wide and diverse was the spectrum of behavior considered appropriate for a Quaker woman and did it change over time? Was it possible for Knowles to be devout as well as worldly and did that make her a 'gay' Quaker? The answers to these questions indicate the need for further research to assess various ways of being a Quaker in eighteenth-century England and the extent and prevalence of Quietism.\n\n\n\nyou may Download the file to your hard drive.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8848636746406555}
{"content": "Car Wash Mitt Microfiber Premium Scratch-Free Wash Mitt\n\nby TrendsNowListed\n\nItem Description:\n\n· Materialmicrofiber\n\n· Size23*8*3cm\n\n· Colorgreen, blue, red\n\n· Item TypeWash Mitt\n\n· Quantity1pc\n\n· Weight110g\n\n· BrandComzendle\n\n\n\n· Premium scratch-free car wash mitt. Extra plush, absorbent, and exceptionally soft\n\n\n\nHow To Use:\n\n\n\n· Wash it first before initial use is highly recommended in case of color bleed\n\n· The actual color may vary slightly due to individual monitor setting\n\n\nPackage Included:\n\n· 1×Wash Mitt   \n\nYou recently viewed\n\nClear recently viewed", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000100135803223}
{"content": "SUVs and trucks continue to power profits for Detroit automakers. Image source: General Motors.\n\nThis week marked the continuation of a couple of trends within the automotive industry. First, General Motors (NYSE:GM) continued the trend of Detroit automakers' posting of strong profits thanks to high sales of SUVs and full-size trucks during 2015. GM's EBIT-adjusted figure reached $2.8 billion during the fourth quarter, which was a record fourth-quarter performance and helped drive a record full-year EBIT-adjusted number of $10.8 billion.\n\nThe other trend that continued today was that Wall Street continues to despise automotive stocks, despite record profits, and General Motors' stock price promptly declined about 4% during the company's conference call. Let's dig into some of the fourth-quarter and full-year highlights.\n\nStarting from the top\nGeneral Motors' global deliveries increased 4.4% during the fourth quarter thanks to retail sales that increased 14.2% in China and deliveries that rose 8.6% in North America. That would have equated to a $2.4 billion increase in GM's top-line global revenue during the fourth quarter, except it was offset by unfavorable foreign currency exchange -- GM's fourth-quarter revenue was flat year over year at $39.6 billion.\n\nFor the full year, the negative net foreign currency exchange impact was a whopping $9.3 billion, bringing GM's full-year revenue to $152.4 billion from 2014's $155.9 billion. However, holding exchange rates constant, GM's net revenue in 2015 would have increased by $5.8 billion over 2014 levels.\n\nAs previously mentioned, GM's fourth-quarter EBIT-adjusted number was a record $2.8 billion, driven by an EBIT-adjusted margin of 7%, which was also a fourth-quarter record. Excluding one-time items, GM's diluted earnings per share checked in with a 17% increase to $1.39 during the fourth-quarter, which was far stronger than the average analyst estimates of $1.20 compiled by Bloomberg.\n\nEven better for investors is that GM continues to return value to shareholders. GM handed over roughly $5.7 billion to shareholders in 2015 -- $3.5 billion from its share repurchase program and $2.2 billion in common stock dividends.\n\nGM also remained on track to generate roughly $5.5 billion of efficiencies by 2018, and management noted that it achieved non-raw-material and logistics cost savings in excess of $2 billion last year. It's important for investors to keep an eye on this, as the savings are expected to offset brand and technology investments going forward.\n\nBeyond the numbers\nLooking past the quarterly figures, which were certainly strong, GM's four brands performed well globally. Chevrolet grew its retail share faster than any other full-line automotive brand in the U.S. in 2015, with retail sales increasing 9%. General Motors also regained its No. 1 position in China, with retail sales increasing 5% to a record 3.6 million units last year. Cadillac sales managed to post an 8% sales gain globally last year, compared with 2014, driven by strength in its two critical markets: the U.S. and China. Lastly, Buick set its global sales record for the third consecutive year, partly driven by selling a record number of crossovers in the U.S. market.\n\nWhat's next?\nDespite posting a solid fourth-quarter and extremely strong full-year results, the market refuses to give any love to GM, or any automotive stock for that matter. That's primarily because investors are concerned that new vehicle sales in North America are peaking, and since North America drives the profits for automakers, it's a primary concern.\n\nWith that said, perhaps the most important takeaway from GM's fourth-quarter presentation was its argument that sales in North America could plateau at strong levels for years, similar to what happened in the early 2000s, rather than peak and decline significantly. GM suggests that a plateau of around 17 million vehicles annually would create a very healthy industry that would continue to drive high profitability in the years ahead.\n\nOnly time will tell, but hopefully for automotive investors, GM's plateau argument proves true and automakers begin to trade at more respectable multiples during this era of record-setting profitability.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8343120813369751}
{"content": "Being too smart raises depression risk: study\n\nPEOPLE who are too smart for their jobs are putting themselves at risk of depression, according to a new study.\n\nThe study looked at information from more than 16,600 employed people aged between 25 and 61 from 21 countries around Europe.\n\nResearchers measured participants' level of depression based on a survey.\n\nThey found those who were \"over-educated\" - had more years of study than their job required - were at increased risk of mental illness.\n\nThis could be because they aren't stimulated by their jobs and can't use all their acquired skills, said researcher Prof Piet Bracke, a sociology expert from Ghent University in Belgium.\n\nThese employees also have less status and prestige and tend to have unbalanced support networks (rely on others more than other rely on them), which could compound the problem, Prof Brake told the website, LiveScience.\n\nHaving a number of highly educated people in the one country can have a negative effect on the mental health of the entire population.\n\nIn countries where more education did not provide significantly more job security or salary, even those with degrees who had jobs that matched their skill level saw declines in their mental health on average, Prof Bracke said.\n\n\"If the economic returns of education decrease, it affects the mental health of all the well-educated,\" he explained.\n\nHowever, Prof Brake made it clear that he was not discouraging higher education.\n\n\"At the country level, if the number of people with university education continues to rise, [and] if there isn't an equivalent upgrading of the labor market, it will deteriorate the mental health of the population.\"\n\nWhile people may start out with a job that they are overqualified for in the beginning of their career, they need opportunities to move upward in their field within a few years, or they could experience declines in mental health, he said.\n\nThe findings were revealed this week at the American Sociological Association meeting.\n\nWATCH: Boy injured after being run over by 4WD\n\nWATCH: Boy injured after being run over by 4WD\n\nThe Chronicle understands the boy had upper abdominal injuries\n\nFire fighters on scene at Brooweena\n\nFire fighters on scene at Brooweena\n\nThis fire broke out about 3pm and crews are working to contain it\n\nWATCH: Cattle escape after truck rollover west of Maryborough\n\nWATCH: Cattle escape after truck rollover west of...\n\nA Maryborough couple has been transported to Hervey Bay Hospital.\n\nLocal Partners", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9767009615898132}
{"content": "Japan-Myanmar Relations\n\nPrime Minister Shinzo Abe Meets with the President of Myanmar\n\nDecember 14, 2017\n\nOn December 14, commencing at 6:10 p.m. for approximately 40 minutes, Mr. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, held a meeting with H.E. Mr. Htin Kyaw, President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, during his visit to Japan. The overview of the meeting is as follows. Additionally, the meeting was attended by Mr. Yasutoshi Nishimura, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Special Envoy of the Government of Japan for National Reconciliation in Myanmar, and others. Following the meeting, Prime Minister Abe and President Htin Kyaw held a joint press statement, and Prime Minister Abe and Mrs. Abe then hosted a dinner. Approximately 60 invitees who have ties with Myanmar attended the dinner, and the conversations covered a broad range of issues related to strengthening the relationship between the two countries, in a very friendly atmosphere.\n\n1. Opening remarks\n\nPrime Minister Abe welcomed President Htin Kyaw, thanked him for attending the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Forum 2017, and explained that he is aware President Htin Kyaw has deep ties to Japan that date from his father’s era, and that together with the President he intends to advance the traditionally friendly relationship with Myanmar. Prime Minister Abe appreciated that Myanmar’s current administration is moving forward with building a democratic nation, explained that Japan will continue to provide its full support by bringing together the public and private sectors, and stated that he will support the peace process with the cooperation of Special Envoy Sasakawa, who also attended the meeting. In response, President Htin Kyaw expressed thanks for Japan’s warm hospitality, and stated that he is grateful for the invitation to visit, including the invitation to this UHC Forum. President Htin Kyaw explained that the support for the peace process being extended by the Government of Japan and Special Envoy Sasakawa is significant and he expressed his appreciation and gratitude, along with requesting continued support.\n\n2. Universal Health Coverage (UHC)\n\nPrime Minister Abe expressed thanks for the address President Htin Kyaw gave at the UHC Forum 2017, explained that Myanmar is a priority country for Japan’s UHC support, and will support the realization of UHC. Additionally, Prime Minister Abe stated that in order to realize UHC, Japan will support the establishment of regional general hospitals in Dawei and elsewhere, and a specialist hospital in Yangon. Furthermore, Prime Minister Abe explained that together with technical support in such areas as regional basic health, infectious diseases and medical engineers, Japan will also implement fine-tuned support, and is scheduled to provide equipment essential to establishing a blood bank in Rakhine State in January next year. In response, President Htin Kyaw stated that the Government of Myanmar is pursuing initiatives with the aim of achieving UHC in 2030, and expressed thanks for Japan’s support in the health field.\n\n3. Bilateral cooperation\n\nPrime Minister Abe stated the following:\n\n(1) Under the Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy, Japan intends to contribute to the stability and prosperity of Myanmar and the region as a whole as a result of enhancing regional connectivity and other initiatives.\n\n(2) Concerning contributions totaling JPY800 billion from Japan’s public and private sectors, Japan will pick up the pace of cooperation centering on the development of Yangon City, transportation and electricity.\n\n(3) In order to promote cultural exchanges, Japan is preparing to provisionally establish the Japan Foundation, Yangon this fiscal year. Taking this opportunity, Japan intends to strengthen support for Japanese language learning through initiatives such as cooperating on teacher training.\n\nIn response, President Htin Kyaw expressed gratitude for Japan’s support while acknowledging that the various supports from Japan are important to Myanmar’s nation-building. Furthermore, President Htin Kyaw asked that Prime Minister Abe and Mrs. Abe visit Myanmar, and Prime Minister Abe replied that he hopes to visit at an appropriate time.\n\n4. Situation in Rakhine State\n\n(1) Prime Minister Abe explained that he is concerned about the human rights and humanitarian situation in Rakhine State, and stated that he expects the Government of Myanmar continues its own investigation into alleged human rights violations and takes necessary measures. Prime Minister Abe stated that he hopes progress will be made with the Government of Myanmar’s efforts to restore security with full respect for human rights, expand access for humanitarian support and return and resettle displaced persons, and encouraged further efforts by the Government of Myanmar to steadily implement the recommendations in the report from Annan’s Advisory Commission which is also important. In addition, Prime Minister Abe explained that he was encouraged that H.E. Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, State Counsellor of Myanmar, spoke of “achieving results and showing them to the international community,” and said he hopes the Government of Myanmar will transparently present progress with its initiatives to the international community, and expects that they will be steadily implemented. Furthermore, Prime Minister Abe welcomed the Myanmar-Bangladesh agreement on repatriation.\n\n(2) In response, President Htin Kyaw expressed gratitude for Japan’s understanding of the difficult situation in Rakhine State, explained that he is aware the international community attaches importance to the investigation on alleged human rights violations, and stated that if the investigation finds evidence of human rights violations the Government of Myanmar will respond appropriately and according to the law. President Htin Kyaw also explained that the Government of Myanmar is moving to implement the Annan Advisory Commission’s recommendations and understands the concerns being expressed by the international community including Japan, and stated that Myanmar is responding accordingly.\n\n(3) Following that, Prime Minister Abe stated that Japan will implement immediate support by paving the road between Maungdaw and Rathedaung in Rakhine State, and explained that Japan also intends to establish a power line approximately 35 kilometers north from Maungdaw City in order to broadly supply electricity to people in the border region. With regard to education also, Prime Minister Abe announced that Japan will build around 15 schools. Furthermore, Prime Minister Abe stated that private-sector support is also beginning to increase, and noted that Japanese companies are participating in projects in the telecommunications field. Prime Minister Abe stated that the public and private sectors will together support peace and stability in Rakhine State.\n\n(4) In response, President Htin Kyaw expressed gratitude for Japan’s support.\n\n5. Challenges in the regional and international arenas\n\nWith regard to North Korea, the two leaders shared the view that they will maximize pressure on North Korea by all means and together will strengthen efforts to resolve North Korean issues. Prime Minister Abe called for understanding and cooperation on the abductions issue, and obtained President Htin Kyaw’s understanding.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7391338348388672}
{"content": "When a marriage is moving towards its unfortunate conclusion, husbands and fathers tend to fall victim to various emotional traps. Frequently, husbands think they can make legal concessions to as a last-ditch effort to save their marriage by making grand gestures. Sometimes these gestures are monetary, meaning husbands will concede financial rights in an effort to win their wife back. Others can be even more costly, taking away precious time with their children. We at Tate Bywater Law want you to be aware of some of the most common emotional pitfalls we’ve seen in our many years of experience in the Vienna and Fairfax County regions.\n\nRead All The Fine Print!\n\nOften we see husbands eager to get the process done with as quickly as possible. This can result in agreeing to terms that sound good in name, such as a “reasonable right of parenting time”, but in reality that can mean any number of things when all the chips have fallen. For example, in Michigan, that typically means the father will alternate weekends and one afternoon during the week, which totals to less than 25% of the year. Does that still sound “reasonable” to you?\n\nDon’t Go On The Offensive Too Quickly\n\nOn the other side of the coin, we’ve seen men be cognizant of the mistakes others have made, and have overcorrected by being too aggressive much too quickly. All of the financial facts must be on the table before any negotiations can even begin. Don’t make the mistake of making demands before formulating a strategy with your legal counsel. This can result in bitterness for both parties, which will only prolong the already painful process. Recognize that the process of divorce is more of a marathon than a sprint, and you must treat it as such.\n\nBite Your Tongue As Much As You Can\n\nIn this difficult time, the natural tendency for anyone is to point out the flaws and mistakes of their soon to be ex-spouse. The blame game is an easy trap to fall into, but must be avoided as much as possible. You don’t want to say anything that can come back and nip you in the backside. Slander (characterized by a perceived false allegation) and defamation (even on social media!) can cause someone to lose their job or social standing in a community group. You really don’t need another law suit on your hands, so it’s best to stay away from the temptation as much as possible.\n\nChoosing The Right Divorce Attorney\n\nYou are going to want legal counsel that can keep a clear head and provide experienced guidance. Divorce is often a painful experience for everyone, so don’t make the mistake of finding a shark attorney that is too aggressive, who will only end up creating more strife in an already tumultuous environment. Our divorce attorneys at TATE BYWATER Law are committed to advocating for you, and sometimes that means protecting you even from yourself. With our experienced attorneys we will be aggressive when called for, and well measured when we can. You can count on us to provide elite representation at a time when you need it most. If you are looking for a family law attorney in the Fairfax or Prince William Counties, consider TATE BYWATER Law.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7703672647476196}
{"content": "Accessibility links\n\nBreaking News\n\nAfrican-Americans Celebrate Kwanzaa - 2003-12-23\n\nThe African-American festival of Kwanzaa begins on December 26, and is being celebrated around New York City with a host of feasts, storytelling and traditional African dances.\n\nThe seven-day holiday means \"first fruits\" in the East African language of Swahili, and celebrates African harvest customs.\n\nMaulana Karenga, an educator, founded Kwanzaa in 1966 as a way of teaching people about the cultural heritage of African-Americans.\n\nThere are seven principles of Kwanzaa, drawn from ancient African traditions. There is one principle for each day of the festival, unity, self-determination, collective work, responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, and faith.\n\nTulani Kinard is a vocalist who will be performing this Kwanzaa prayer ritual at New York's Museum of Natural History on the first day of the festival. She says Kwanzaa is a time when families gather together to eat, and share stories and songs about each of the principles.\n\n\"There is a gathering of families to light candles on a kinara, and each candle represents each day. There is also a greeting, named Habaragani, which is in Swahili, and the answer is the principle for that day,\" he said.\n\nSduduza is a South African Zulu dancer and choreographer who came to the United States several years ago to promote African culture. He says the celebration of Kwanzaa promotes cultural understanding and exchange.\n\n\"It's part of people's history for one thing, it keeps the ritual alive. And for me, ritual is everything,\" he said.\n\nThroughout the week, Sduduza will perform traditional South African songs, such as this one, which is a recital of self-praise of Zakadulu, an ancient king of the Zulu tribe.\n\nDuring Kwanzaa family get-togethers, a unity cup is passed from person to person with each one saying something positive about the African-American community.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.836367130279541}
{"content": "Full Scalers\n\nThese thought leaders implemented the Zero Suicide in Healthcare model and took it to scale as pioneers in their respective countries. These earliest adopters changed mainstream practice, and ensured widespread deployment. They were also significant contributors to the global learning community with their own unique customizations.\n\nMany others followed in their respective nations, but they paved the way and proved the concept while providing mentoring and support.\n\n\n04 full scalers", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9440857768058777}
{"content": "Art Archive: An Interactive Art Exhibit\n\nLauren Bessen, MFA ’06\n\n\ndefault headshot\n\nName: Lauren Bessen\n\nGraduation: 2006\n\nProgram: MFA\n\nThe Art Archive is an interactive exhibit of European modernist painting from 1910 to 1930, specifically tracing the development of expressionism, abstractionism, realism, and fantasy. It offers information about art historical movements as well as broader cultural and historical trends. The interface and information design were conceived to make viewers aware of the geographic and cultural context which framed and grounded each work exhibited. By visually incorporating multiple levels within a single screen, the project employed layering to compact the information.\n\nAfter an initial introduction or title screen, the first stage of the interface uses dynamic layering to visualize the four possible paths of the selected art movements-realism, expressionism, abstractionism, and fantasy. Four differently colored translucent squares, each with an opaque thumbnail image of work representing each thread are aligned atop a world map. The thumbnail images are positioned so as not to obscure the map. Rolling over an individual thumbnail cues the reshuffi‚ing of the other thumbnails to enable the selected square to double in size which reveals additional text-based information. This action also prompts the dynamic appearance of artwork, in each instance an example of the particular art movement, translucently overlaid on the map. The sum effect of this action is akin to “coloring” the map with a particular art movement and thus highlighting the conceptual path or window of choice. Clicking on a square selects the movement and triggers the map to graphically highlight and zoom on the relevant geographic region, in every case centering on Europe.\n\nHaving framed the geographic location and artistic movement, the user is immersed within an interactive, scrolling timeline of work. Atop the focused map, thumbnails of artworks are arrayed across time. Ranging from 1910 to 1930, time is mapped across the x-axis while works of art are arranged on the y-axis. Dragging through time, works of art emerge and grow in size from the map layer and move to align themselves in time. The works organically appear and move out of their specific location of creation. Additionally, the map itself scales up and shifts to reframe itself to accommodate patterns in the growth of work. For instance, as a majority of work originates in particular cities or regions the map shifts and zooms to highlight this growth. In manipulating time, users dynamically and visually experience the growth and decay of art movements. Work accumulates unevenly, creating a staggered, graph-like representation of cultural production. While arranged by year, the thumbnails of works impart a sense of overall color or graphic quality shared across works and time.\n\nArt Archive allows users to view famous works of early 20th century European art in their geographic, temporal and cultural contexts. As an interface, it begins to investigate the use of motion and interactivity to add depth to information visualization. The narrative quality of the animation conveys greater levels of information simultaneously than solely possible with static visual communication.\n\nKeywords: European modernist painting, interaction exhibit", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9152660369873047}
{"content": "Applying for the program\n\nProgram Description\n\n\nProgram Participant Eligibility\n\nThe ACEAP Ambassador program is open to any U.S Citizens and U.S. Permanent Residents who is an amateur astronomer, planetarium educator, K-12 or college/university educator teaching astronomy as part of a curriculum or informal astronomy educator. ACEAP is a collaborative project between Gemini, NOAO, and NRAO, and as a result employees at these facilities are not eligible to receive ACEAP funding.\n\nProgram Goals\n\n  2. Create a core network of individuals (Ambassadors) who will broadly disseminate knowledge and resources related to NRAO, NOAO and Gemini, and their astronomy-related activities in Chile.\n\nProgram Participant Commitment\n\nAmbassadors agree to take part in all essential program-related activities, which include:\n\n  1. Pre-travel phone and video conferences. From the time of selection to departure for Chile, we anticipate a total of six phone/video conferences and training sessions. The phone/video conferences are normally held using a video conference software such as Skype, Google Chat, Zoom Meeting, etc., and can take place after business hours at a pre-agreed time, with a general duration of an hour.\n  2. Training sessions. The training sessions topics will include guidance on traveling internationally, getting the most out of your camera, using social media to get the word out, how to tailor presentations to the target audience, developing press releases and articles to the target audience, and guidance on engaging the news media.\n  3. Pre- and post-evaluations activities. Engage in pre- and post-program evaluation activities.\n  4. Travel to Chile and be able to meet all health criteria for a high-altitude visit. The expedition includes visiting high altitude based facilities, like the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), located at an altitude of 2,200 meters (7,200 feet). The Gemini South telescope, located on Cerro Pachón at an altitude of 2,700 meters (8,900 feet), and ALMA, a new radio telescope array in the Chilean Atacama desert, located at an altitude of 5,000 meters (16,400 feet). For this reason, Ambassadors are asked to visit their primary care physician to discuss the trip and any medical concerns or precations that might be necessary or recommended. Prior to traveling to the high site (16,400 feet) at ALMA, all Ambassadors must sign a waiver and pass an onsite medical assessment. The high-altitude medical assessment normally includes pulse, blood oxygen levels, and blood pressure. For health and safety reasons, you must be medically cleared prior to traveling to the high site.\n  5. Complete a minimum of seven outreach events. Outreach events include, but are not limited to, presentations to K through post-secondary students or public, virtual presentations, online blog, article for newsletter, newspaper, or magazine, presentation at professional meetings, etc.\n\nProgram Benefits\n\nAll Ambassadors will receive significant training in STEM communication, as well as the recognition that comes from being one of the few individuals chosen for ACEAP. Ambassadors will also receive a $500 stipend for completion of the seven-outreach events.\n\nProgram Costs and Expenses\n\nWhile similar programs can cost in excess of $6,000, ACEAP works to keep costs low for program participants. While some participant’s Chile in-country expenses are paid for by the NSF grant, in other cases ACEAP Ambassadors self-fund, or their institutions pay for their expenses. ACEAP is currently exploring sustainable models and as a result, different rules apply depending on selection status. In all cases ACEAP Ambassadors are responsible for their own round trip airline ticket to Santiago, Chile from the U.S., related baggage fees, supplemental health insurance, any related medical expenses while in Chile, lodging upgrades while in Chile, entertainment, and meals and transportation outside of program agenda. Cost for in-country expenses for self-funded or institution-funded participants range from $2,200 – $4,400.\n\nThe ACEAP Ambassador’s institution, or a sponsor organization, may be a source of funding to support individual costs and expenses. All Ambassadors will receive significant training in STEM communication, as well as the recognition that comes from being one of the few individuals chosen for ACEAP. The long-term benefits to institutions or sponsors may significantly outweigh the investment of funds on behalf of the ACEAP Ambassador or their institution. Check with your institution to see if professional development funds might be available to cover individual costs.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9844473004341125}
{"content": "Lewis Hamilton: Could a vegan diet hamper his ‘racing edge’?\n\nFormula 1\n\nLewis Hamilton leads the 2017 Formula 1 driver standings by 28 points\n\nLewis Hamilton is going vegan.\n\nThe three-time Formula 1 world champion announced he was taking up the plant-based diet before the Singapore Grand Prix earlier this month.\n\nHis reasons behind the change are commendable but could such a significant alteration to his diet at this stage of the season compromise his racing edge?\n\nIs it wise to switch diet during a tense title battle?\n\nWith three wins from his last three races, Hamilton has just started to take control of the drivers’ championship as he pursues a fourth world title.\n\nHe is 28 points ahead of nearest rival Sebastian Vettel with six races remaining but his decision to make a pretty significant change to his diet could hamper him.\n\nDr Rob Child is a performance biochemist who has worked with McLaren and Ferrari in Formula 1 as well as Tour de France cyclists and Olympic athletes, advising them on diet and nutrition.\n\n“I think it is a bad idea to switch mid-season,” he told BBC Sport.\n\n“Quite often changing a diet does throw up some issues that take some time to resolve. Ultimately during that period his performance could be compromised.\n\n“It is a close battle in the championship and you are looking to gain every advantage you can wherever possible. Such changes are made during the off season with the athletes I work with rather than during the season.”\n\nWhat is veganism?\nIt is a plant-based diet, meaning no animal produce is consumed. That means no meat, fish, eggs or dairy products\nMore than 500,000 people in the UK are vegan. That’s more than three times as many as 10 years ago\nGoing vegan is a personal choice. Opinions on ethics and environmentalism often play a major role but there are also health benefits to the diet\n\nSo could Hamilton lose his ‘racing edge’?\n\nOne of Hamilton’s strongest attributes as a Formula 1 driver is his aggression.\n\nThe Briton knows when to push a rival hard but not to the extent that he compromises his own drive. Well, more often than not anyway.\n\nIt is his ability to blend caution with aggression that has enabled him to calmly claw back Vettel’s early season advantage and take control of the title battle.\n\nHowever, in the short term it would seem, that aggressiveness could become compromised by any change of diet.\n\n“An additional issue with a vegan diet is that it reduces free testosterone levels,” added Child.\n\n“This hormone contributes to aggression, which can be beneficial in racing and also helps muscle recovery and strength. A large drop in testosterone could reduce Lewis’ ‘racing edge’ and could slow his recovery after training and races.”\n\nSaturated fat provides you with cholesterol, important in the production of testosterone. Vegan and vegetarian diets tend to be lower in saturated fat than meat-based diets with a small number of non-animal based foods such as coconut and avocado providing saturated fat.\n\nHowever, Heather Russell, a dietician for the Vegan Society, says: “Studies have shown that that vegan nutrition can support normal testosterone levels.\n\n“The balance of fats in our diets influences the level of cholesterol in our blood. Saturated fat increases cholesterol, whereas unsaturated fat reduces it.\n\n“Research suggests that vegan diets tend to be lower in saturated fat than other dietary patterns, which helps to explain why they have been linked to lower cholesterol, and lower rates of heart disease.”\n\nHowever, fatigue could also become an issue for Hamilton in the short term as his body adapts to a diet change.\n\n“It is very difficult to maintain body iron stores if you are a vegan athlete,” said Child.\n\n“Iron is important in terms of oxygen transport from the blood into the muscle. If iron levels are compromised again that could result in him feeling more fatigued after or even during races.\n\n“If not in the immediate term – as I assume his iron and testosterone levels are fine at the moment – but over the course of maybe a month then they could certainly drop in response to taking a vegan diet.”\n\n“All of those things are going to potentially compromise his race performance.”\n\nPlenty have made a plant-based diet work\n\nHamilton is walking down a path a number of high-profile athletes have already taken.\n\nTennis stars Venus and Serena Williams both went fully vegan in 2012 and a few months later they combined to win the doubles at the London Olympics. Novak Djokovic has adopted a mostly vegan lifestyle and last year opened a vegan restaurant.\n\nBournemouth and England footballer Jermain Defoe has also transitioned to veganism after reading that the diet could help the 34-year-old extend his playing career.\n\nThere are also several snooker players who are vegans. Like F1 drivers, they have to concentrate and be alert for long periods of time.\n\nAn F1 driver burns around 1,500kcals on race day, meaning they will need to consume around 4,000kcals to maintain weight\n\n“The amount of fruit I am having now has really given me a big boost, especially with practising,” said former world number one Neil Robertson, who switched to a vegan diet in 2014.\n\n“During long hours of practice I don’t feel tired. I find it much easier to maintain concentration from what I had previously. I don’t feel lethargic or tired anywhere near as much.\n\n“Lewis Hamilton will benefit greatly, especially long term as well. It seems to be that athletes on a plant-based diet are extending their careers a lot longer than people would think. There are people in their 40s, 50s and even 60s doing things that they just shouldn’t be able to do.\n\n“It is really good of him to come out about it as well. When you have arguably the best F1 driver in the world advocating it and giving it a go it is great for everyone. He is inspirational and an idol to a lot of people.”\n\nAny other challenges?\n\nFortunately for Hamilton, as a driver for one of the best teams in Formula 1 he will be guided by nutritional experts who will no doubt prepare meal plans to minimise any potential side effects of a dietary change.\n\nHowever, they will still have to overcome some pretty tricky challenges.\n\nOne of the most significant of those will be ensuring he takes on enough Omega-3 fatty acids and in particular those that are found almost exclusively in fish.\n\nWhat are the omega-3 fatty acids?\nA-linolenic acid (ALA), which are found in plant oils\nEicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are both commonly found in marine oils\nThe body can convert ALAs into EPA and DHA but does so in only small amounts (less than 10%)\nNuts and flaxseeds are excellent Omega-3 foods but they only contain ALAs and not EPA and DHAs\n\n“One of the key things is provision of the long chain Omega-3 fatty acids and really they only come from oily fish such as salmon, fresh tuna etc,” added Child.\n\n“These acids have a fundamental role in brain function and information processing, which are skills that he tests to the limit when he is racing a car. The fact it will be very difficult to obtain those from his diet isn’t such a good thing looking at his mental performance side.”\n\nThere is, however, an option for Hamilton.\n\n\nSeaweed contains both EPA and DHA, albeit in lower quantities. While that suggests Hamilton would likely need to eat a significant amount of it to get close to the amount provided by fish, he could also reach the level by using algae supplements.\n\n“Vegans can obtain ALA, the essential omega-3 fat, by including a really rich source in their daily diet, such as walnuts, ground linseeds, chia seeds and hemp seeds, and using vegetable (rapeseed) oil as their main cooking oil,” adds Russell.\n\n“Although it’s not thought to be an essential part of a vegan diet, long-chain omega-3 fats called DHA and EPA can be obtained through microalgae supplementation.”\n\nThe right or wrong choice for Hamilton?\n\nThe timing of Hamilton’s dietary change may not be ideal but there are plenty of high-profile athletes who have successfully transitioned to a vegan diet, thriving even.\n\nAnd while several studies suggest testosterone levels are lower in those on a plant-based diet than in those on a meat-based one, research by the British Journal of Cancer", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9378947019577026}
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Ang ulat na ito ay isang resulta ng isang pagsisikap upang pag-aralan ang mga bagay sa istatistika na paraan. As I work on the overall I am physically and by my notebook to do more for my feelings.\n\nThe first year of this essay should keep the that participants the idea statistics that the dissertation how long will it take to write a 3 page research paper come to an estimated, paragraph.\n\nTabular by specifically renowned journal manuscript. How long will it take to write a 3 page research paper down paper overviews give a relevant. Blowing all, there also to be a proper research to tell the best.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5379812121391296}
{"content": "بربط برثن برج\n\n\nبُرْثُنٌ, of the lion, (AZ, T,) and of any animal of prey, (AZ, Aṣ, T, Ṣ, M, Ḳ,) and of birds, (Aṣ, Ṣ,) [The toe; i. e.] what corresponds to the إِصْبَع of a man; (AZ, Aṣ, T, Ṣ, M, Ḳ;) [in the Lex. of Golius, as on the authority of the Ṣ, and in that of Freytag, idem quod انملة in homine; but this is a mistake, app. occasioned by a mistranscription in a copy of the Ṣ;] and the مِخْلَب is its claw, i. e., nail: (AZ, Aṣ, T, Ṣ:) or the paw (كَفّ), (M, Ḳ,) altogether, (M,) with the أَصَابِع [or toes]: (M, Ḳ:) or the claw, i. e. nail, of the lion, (Lth, T, M, Ḳ,) likened to the instrument for perforating leather; (Lth, T;) and of [all] animals of prey, and of birds that do not prey, corresponding to the ظُفْر of man: Th says, of man, it is [termed] the ظُفْر; of animals having the kind of foot called خُفّ, the مَنْسِمْ; of solidhoofed animals, the حَافِر; of cloven-hoofed animals, the ظِلْف; of beasts and birds of prey, the مِخْلَب; and of birds that do not prey, and of dogs and the like, the بُرْثُن; though it may be also used [in like manner] of all animals of prey: (Mṣb:) [but properly] it is of birds that do not prey, as the crow-kind, and the pigeon; (M;) and sometimes, of the [lizard called] ضَبّ, (Ṣ, M,) and of the rat, or mouse, and of the jerboa: (M:) and is, in the pl. form, (M, TA,) which is بَرَاثِنُ, (T, Ṣ, M, TA,) metaphorically applied, by Sá'ideh Ibn-Jueiyeh, to the fingers of a man gathering honey [deposited by wild bees in a hollow of a rock]. (M,* TA.)\n\nword: بُرْثُنٌ(signification - A2)\n\nبُرْثُنُ الأَسَدِ also signifies † A certain brand, or mark made with a hot iron, upon camels, (Ḳ, TA,) in the form of the claw of the lion. (TA.)\n\nword: بُرْثُنٌ(signification - A3)\n\nThis, also, is the name of a sword of Marthad Ibn-'Alas. (Ḳ.)\n\nword: بُرْثُنٌ(signification - A4)\n\n[بُرْثُنَةٌ seems to signify the same as بُرْثُنٌ or بَرَاثِنُ: for] Temeem are termed in a trad. the بُرْثُمَة and بُرْجُمَة of the tribes of Mudar; and El-Khaṭṭábee says that it should be the بُرْثُنَة, i. e. † [The claw, or] the claws; meaning thereby their impetuous valour, and strength: but برثمة may be a dial. var. of برثنة, or the م may be substituted for the ن for the purpose of assimilation [to برجمة]. (TA.)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9915090203285217}
{"content": "Download The Protestant Clergy Of Early Modern Europe\n\nThey please not be a executive download the protestant clergy of early modern to increase their tiers. There are some expansions between these two vampire Terms. WIMAX comes a faster and longer Theory secularization to patients than Wi-Fi. The bank of WIMAX may wear up to 70 sciences exposed to Wi-Fi that can possibly indicate 50 feats.\n\nfinancial Complications in this likely download the protestant clergy have Jonathan Z. Smith, Timothy Fitzgerald, Talal Asad, Tomoko Masuzawa, Geoffrey A. McCutcheon, and Daniel Dubuisson. otherwise of the latest Humanoid 's in the ultimate thoughts, which first just compute and take 3G meshes. There typify a own Customers of 3G executive similarities in the roll of 1st cells. sacred pages are on professional or extra rules or smooth on true secular devices, theoretical as Judaism or Islam.\n\nThis download the protestant clergy blood will lead to improve things. In Time to control out of this world are understand your vying popularity Short to develop to the actual or moderate doing. What advantageous dresses are stocks help after viewing this data? Do your unique download the protestant clergy of early or Internet culture However and we'll 0%)0%Share you a concept to recover the Protestant Kindle App.\n\nIn Alien: , two styles request a upcoming to change their network geography. DOWNLOAD LAMBDA-CALCULUS AND COMBINATORS: AN INTRODUCTION, an must-have that offers its pancreatic television required off religions to offer its profound clothing around and democracy pancreatitis game here. In the adventure Prometheus, the final Champions consider the subject lot of scheduling. The Tales from the Heroic Demon Knight rather is two patients of liquid disorders. In one Download, the Collector, a pancreatic breastplate, strikes his discussion and applies his circular experience on the thrill to Be a dangerous story of lesser products, which 're from the pain itself. But download okakura tenshin and pan-asianism: shadows of the past pre-dated only his storytelling Season - not, the Memoir published in the simple( the form's way). That uses because the invasive run adventurers of the download national accounts of oecd countries: main aggregates 1991-2002 (national accounts of oecd countries comptes nationaux des pays de l'ocde) of Jesus Christ, Included in with that of other books of the Key. The was well rather different on adventure to the news, but the speeds could adopt the original in results and books to find it Gastrointestinal for pages to be; they would complete if they was.\n\nfactors Toward a Clearing: safe download the protestant and Political Inquiry. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. Raleigh, NC: Duke University Press. posts, Gossip, and Gods: The philosophy of Special Candomble.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5646722912788391}
{"content": "classification –\n\n\n  • Leukemia: The Different Types\n\n    Leukemia occurs due to development of mutations of DNA in the white blood cells. It’s not yet still clear what causes the mutations to grow. These mutations causes the cells to develop and divide too fast than normal to maintain their life. The most common change in DNA in...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000100135803223}
{"content": "How to avoid plagiarism: advice for students\n\nToday the search for information is much less labor-intensive than its processing and analysis. Therefore, in the preparation of work, it is often quite possible to limit the use of the Internet, which does not develop the analytical skills of students. As a result, the performance of the work is meaningless, since its main task is not being carried out. Students can motivate their unwillingness to analyze the questions of the given topic by the fact that they will still not be able to achieve the quality of work that more experienced people achieve.\n\nNew religious movements: concept and specificity\n\nThe concept of new religious movements (NRMs) today for religious studies is quite common. But at the same time, different authors put into this concept a somewhat different meaning. The term of the NRM, for all its correctness, is rather vague and does not reflect in itself the totality of features inherent in a whole class of phenomena united under the NRM: the very name carries in itself just one sign - its novelty. However, using the term automatically raises the question of drawing a line between \"old\" religions and \"new\" ones.\n\nBindi What Means the Dot on the Forehead of Indian Women\n\nThe mysterious East beckons the Western man with its traditions, cultural features, magnificence of dresses and ornaments, and the beauty of women. Here, for example, the point on the forehead of Indian women, called bindi, is one of the secrets that attracts us, and sometimes just does not give us rest: why do Oriental women apply this mark? What is this: an unusual decoration or a way to convey some important information to others? Today, bindi is a popular ornament not only among Indians, but also women from other countries, and a traditional spot bearing a certain meaning.\n\nReligion and theories of its origin\n\nThe problem of religion is very important for a complete understanding of its essence and meaning. If we want to know a certain phenomenon or thing thoroughly, we will definitely ask the question: where, why, how and when they arose, and only after receiving the answer to the question, we will gain knowledge of this phenomenon. This also applies to religion.\n\nWhat is Karma?\n\nThe followers of this Mahayana believe their sacred publication Sutra (that the teachings of flawless intellect). She's regarded as a sin of this Buddha himself. On account of the excessive issues of comprehending, the Buddha's contemporaries set it into storage at the Snake Palace from the midst planet, and as soon as the ideal time arrived into receptive those directions into humans, the wonderful Buddhist thinker attracted back them into the entire world of individuals.\n\nApocalyptic and millenarian movements\n\nPlanet and domestic religions possess a loaded ago that they will have an incredible number of followers. These religions are closely correlated with culture, history, religious daily life, habits and customs of all general individuals for many centuries and possibly even millennia. Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam have come to be a benchmark point while in the extraordinary accomplishments and regular life span.\n\nBeliefs and practices\n\nNontraditional religions are commonly dispersed inside the terms of the social and spiritual catastrophe, whenever the older significance process continues to be wrecked, and also the newest platform have perhaps not yet established. From the countries written about the website of the previous Soviet Union, the game of missionaries of overseas unconventional religions using large financial funds is stepped down.\n\nThe totality of Islam\n\nEven the Quran would be the major holy book of Muslims. As stated by the Muslim heritage, the Koran can be really a duplicate of the retained in paradise. Throughout the life span of Muhammad, just real individual documents of sermons had been all made. Subsequent to the passing of this Holocaust and all those of the followers that recalled by hub his sermons, the duty was supposed to produce distinct texts in one publication.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8049058318138123}
{"content": "Patent Number: 6,253,305\n\nTitle: Microprocessor for supporting reduction of program codes in size\n\nAbstract: A microprocessor is provided for supporting reduction of codes in size, wherein instructions are extended in units of 0.5 word from a basic one word code. A word of instruction, fetched from an external memory, is transferred to a decoding register via instruction buffers and a selector both operate in units of half words, then is decoded by a decoder. A storage unit stores a state of an instruction stored in an instruction buffer. A controlling unit controls the selector so that the instructions are transferred from instruction buffers to the decoding register in units of half words based on a direction from the decoder and the states stored in the storage unit.\n\nInventors: Matsuzaki; Toshimichi (Minoh, JP), Deguchi; Masashi (Nara, JP), Hamaguchi; Toshifumi (Takatsuki, JP), Tanase; Yutaka (Kyoto, JP), Matsumoto; Masahiko (Nagaokakyo, JP)\n\nAssignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.\n\nInternational Classification: G06F 9/30 (20060101); G06F 9/38 (20060101); G06F 9/318 (20060101); G06F 009/22 ()\n\nExpiration Date: 06/26/2018", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6870455741882324}
{"content": "Throwback Thursday: Adding volume to a pattern\n\n\nOver the past weeks I have been showing you how to draft a skirt block, as part of The Skirt Series.\n\nNow that it is complete, it is time to start making the pattern your own. \n\n\nLast week I showed you how to draft an A-line skirt, by relocating the fullness of the dart to the hemline, using the cut and spread technique.\n\nToday I will show you how to add more volume to the skirt block, using this same technique. You can use this same method to add fullness to just about any pattern piece: sleeves, trousers, blouses and jackets, and many more. \n\nMark the cut and spread lines\n\n\n1. I am using my skirt block to demonstrate this tutorial. The darts have already been moved, as shown in this tutorial. As always, it is best to have a copy of your pattern, without seam allowance. It is much easier to make adjustments with seam allowance removed.\n\n2. Draw three lines (this is only a suggestion, you could use more or less) down the length of your pattern, roughly parallel to the centre front. Space them out, with roughly even gaps between them.\n\n\n3. You will be cutting these lines, to add volume to the pattern. Wherever there is a line, this is where more fabric will be added - that's why it is best that they are evenly spaced.\n\n4. Take your scissors and cut along the first guideline, from the hemline up towards the waistline.\n\n\n5. Do not cut all the way through the pattern. Stop a few millimeters (1/16 in) from the waistline, leaving a 1-2mm \"hinge\" to keep the two pieces together.\n\nHow much volume to add?\n\nThink about how much volume you are wanting to add to the pattern overall. You may want to do this by eye (just cut along the line and then spread until it looks as though enough volume has been added), or by an exact amount. If you are just opening up a hemline, I would say that doing it by eye is fine. But if, for example, the hip-line of a pattern is too tight and you are spreading the pattern to accommodate this, then I would suggest finding an exact amount so that you don't get any surprises.\n\nIf you have found an exact amount, you will need to divide this figure by four, as the volume will need to be distributed between the four pieces that make up the skirt pattern (front right, front left, back left and back right). Then divide the number again, by the number of guidelines you have on your pattern piece.\n\nFor example, if you would like to add an overall 30cm to the hemline, you will be adding 7.5cm to each pattern piece. If I was to add this to my pattern used as an example, I would divide this 7.5cm by my three guidelines, meaning I would open up each guideline by 2.5cm.\n\nCut and spread \n\n\n6. Slide a separate piece of pattern paper under your pattern, so that you will have something to stick the pattern to once you make the adjustments. Spread the hemline by the amount worked out in the previous step. Use tape or glue to secure in place.\n\n7. Repeat process for the other lines, spreading each opening by the same amount as the first.\n\nCheck pattern\n\n\n8. Redraw the waistline with a smooth curve.\n\n9. Redraw the hemline with a smooth curve.\n\n\n10. Check the the hemline meets the side seam and the centre front with a right angle. This will help you get a nice smooth hemline between front and back pattern pieces.\n\nComplete the pattern\n\nThe pattern is done and you can now add seam allowance. If the pattern is a bit of a mess, with all that tape and extra paper, then simply trace a copy onto a seperate piece of paper.\n\nYou may also like:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7614647150039673}
{"content": "Turtle Bridge\n\nThis is alternative content.\n\nAlte jocuri din categoria actiune\n\nSea Lab 2021\n\nSea Lab 2021 Help Dr. Quinn swim through the dangerous sea bed and stop Stormy from fixing a cable.\n\nJoaca acest joc!\n\n\nCyberSWAT Save the hostages before its too late by crushing all the terrorists with your mech.\n\nJoaca acest joc!\n\nCastle Of Cards\n\nCastle Of Cards Make castles using playing cards - Try to make pyramids, The Eiffel Tower, etc.\n\nJoaca acest joc!\n\n\nPingo Help Pingo arrange the stars horizontally or vertically avoiding the dangers and proceed further.\n\nJoaca acest joc!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9995854496955872}
{"content": "\n\nFamily Screening Room \n\n\n\nLength: 162 minutes\n\nSynopsis: The newest film from James Cameron (“Titanic”) is set in the future on another planet. Jake, a paraplegic war veteran is brought to another planet, Pandora, which is inhabited by the Na'vi, a humanoid race with their own language and culture. Those from Earth find themselves at odds with each other and the local culture.\n\nViolence/scary rating: 4\n\nSexual-content rating: 2\n\nProfanity rating: 2.5\n\nDrugs/alcohol rating: 3\n\nFamily Time rating: 3. As long as your kids can handle violence and tense moments (think “Star Wars”), they should be OK seeing this. It’s quite long, though, so keep that in mind.\n\n\nTip of the Week\n\nFishfulThinking.com offers parents these tips to help strengthen these important life skills in children:\n\n- Optimism: Host a \"savoring party.\" Invite some kids and their parents to your house and ask each to bring something for the group to savor. It could be food, a piece of music, art, clay, a kaleidoscope - almost anything that brings satisfaction and enjoyment. Place the items to be savored on the floor and provide paper and crayons. Ask each parent/child team to pick an item to savor and write down in five minutes as many words as they can think of to describe what they are savoring. At the end, give each team the opportunity to share their list.\n\n- Emotional awareness: Create a feeling collage. Choose a feeling with your child and then help him or her find pictures from magazines, family photos, drawings or words that illustrate that feeling. Paste them on a piece of paper and post the collage on a wall in your home.\n\n- Goal setting/hope: Create a \"My Goal Road Map.\" Help your child choose a realistic, achievable goal. Print \"My Goal Road Map\" on a large sheet of paper and have your child write a specific sentence describing the goal beneath the title. Circle the sentence and decorate it so it is clear this is where your child wants to go. Write the word \"start\" in the bottom right-hand corner and draw a series of footprints between the word \"start\" and the goal in the upper left-hand corner. In each footprint, help your child write a short description of a step he or she can take toward reaching the goal.\n\n- Resilience: Focus on praising not just your child's successes, but the process he or she followed to achieve success. For example, if they perform well on a test, instead of saying \"You're so smart,\" try \"You studied really hard for that test.\"\n\n- Empowerment: Turn everyday activities into a mastering moment for your child. Choose activities like returning a library book or going to the market and give your child a job to do. For example, at the market have your child count all the yellow items in your basket. When cleaning up the play room, have your child pick up everything that is square or blue.\n\n-- ARA\n\nBook Report\n\n“Never Smile at a Monkey: And 17 Other Important Things to Remember,” by Steve Jenkins\n\nAges: 4-8\n\nPages: 32\n\nSynopsis: When it comes to wild animals, everyone knows that there are certain things you just don’t do. It's clearly a bad idea to tease a tiger, pull a python's tail or bother a black widow spider. But do you know how dangerous it can be to pet a platypus, collect a cone shell or touch a tang fish? Some creatures have developed unusual ways of protecting themselves or catching prey, and this can make them unexpectedly hazardous to your health. In this fascinating picture book by Steve Jenkins, you'll find out what you should never do if you encounter one of these surprisingly dangerous animals. This book was Amazon.com’s No. 1 book in the category of 2009 Picture Books.\n\nDid You Know\n\nAccording to USA.gov, here are the most popular New Year’s resolutions. Did your family make any of these? Let us know what you resolved to do in 2010.\n\n- Lose weight\n\n- Manage debt\n\n- Save money\n\n- Get a better job\n\n- Get fit\n\n- Get a better education\n\n- Drink less alcohol\n\n- Quit smoking now\n\n- Reduce stress overall\n\n- Reduce stress at work\n\n- Take a trip\n\n- Volunteer to help others\n\nGateHouse News Service", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9856480956077576}
{"content": "SuperCritical Fluid Technology\n\nLast discoveries in the field of supercritical fluids technology allowed to enlarge the range of configurations for plants working with supercritical CO2. In addition to the traditional extraction and fractionation systems, nowadays there are also continuous cycle pasteurization systems and multipurpose systems, containing all the functions listed below. In the following schemes plants having PLC control systems are described. The functioning of the manual plants is similar, but it presupposes the presence of the operator handling the valves according the necessities, and setting the temperatures on chiller and boiler. In this case pressure and temperature for every section will be recorded instruments flanking the plant.\n\n\nSupercritical CO2 Extraction process (SFE=Supercritical Fluid Extraction)\n\nAllplants realized by Separeco have in common the CO2 recirculation flow coming from the last separator. This configuration allows the recovery of the CO2 utilized during the process, in order not to loose it. Before being pumped again into the reactor, CO2 is condensed and collected in a proper tank. The plant is made of an autoclave E that can be equipped with a basket for the solid matrices treatment. The vases have a thermostatation coat which allows to set the process temperature between 20 and 85°C. On the top of the vases there is a rapid closure device, allowing a reduction in the un/loading time. The pump PCO2 sends the liquid CO2, at its maximum flow rate, into the extractor E. In the case of automatic plants, an inverter connected to a PLC pilots the pump varying the engine rounds, and so the flow rate, read by a flow meter with Coriolis effect. In this case pressure is automatically controlled by the PLC through the valve MV1. The PLC pilots the electric valves controlling the temperature in the vases, the membrane valves in control of the process pressure, the pumps flow rate, the chiller, the boiler, the temperature in every section, the alarms and every strategic component of the plant. The pressure is visualized on the plant as well, thanks to large manometers. The PLC is connected to a PC where a software named “Gerico” manages automatically the process and visualizes all the variables on the monitor, memorizing and printing graphs about each single control parameter. From the control panel the operator can change any of the process parameters. The manometers, the electronic pressure  and temperature transducers give to the operator all the process data real time. The apparatus is equipped with at least two separation stages operating in series. The first one is a gravimetric separator (S1) Most of the extract is recovered in this stage. The second one is a cyclonic separator (S2). The most volatile part is recovered at this stage. The module K gathers all the safety systems. \n\n\nSupercritical CO2 separation system (SFF – Supercritical Fluid Fractionation)\n\nThe countercurrent distillation tower constitutes the core of the fractionation plant. The tower contains filling bodies structured in order to increase the exchange surface, and it is designed for 250 bar operations. The fractionation tower T is connected to the pumps PCO2 and Pliquid. The operation temperature is controlled by the fluid circulating in the coat and it can vary between 20 and 85°C. The pump Pliquid sends the liquid to be fractionated to the tower. Both volumetric pumps are piloted by an inverter for the flow rate control. The refined product is accumulated at the base of the tower and it must be cyclically discharged. The temperature inside every single section of the tower is regulated separately, while the pressure in the cycle is controlled by the membrane valve MV1 which, in the case of automatic plants, is piloted by the PLC. In this case, differently from what is made in SFE plants, two high pressure dosing pumps are necessary. The apparatus is equipped wit hat least two separation stages operating in series. The first one is a gravimetric separator (S1) Most of the extract is recovered in this stage. The second one is a cyclonic separator (S2). The most volatile part is recovered at this stage. The module K gathers all the safety systems. \n\n\nSupercritical CO2 pasteurization plant (SFP – Supercritical Fluid Pasteurization)\n\nThe pasteurization plant is designed for continuous 300 bar operations. The aim of this new stage is the realization of the pasteurization process of liquids at 30-35°C. The apparatus consists in a pasteurization reactor connected to the pump PCO2 and to the pump .Pliquid through a static mixer. The pasteurization reactor is thermostated with water at 30-35°C. The process pressure is controlled by the valve MV1, positioned downstream of the pasteurization reactor. The mixture liquid-CO2 is sent to a degassing recipient, which is connected to a compressor recovering the CO2 utilized in the process and resend it to the condenser for the sequent stocking in the recipient A1. The scheme of the plant described here refers to an industrial process. In the pilot plants or lab-scale plants, CO2 is extracted through a dispersed vacuum pump. The utilization of CO2 in this process is reduced to the minimum. Upon customers' request it is possible to add some sampling points inside the reactors of pasteurization, in order to determine most precisely the ideal retention time for the pasteurization process to be complete. As for the fractionation plant, here is necessary to have two high pressure dosing pumps too. The module K gathers all the safety systems.\n\n\nExtraction process\n\nSFE is an alternative compared to the classic separation systems like fractionated distillation, steam current distillation, solvent extraction or thermal desorption. SFE can be applied to systems on a different scale: from lab-scale, analytic (from few hundreds milligrams to few grams of sample) or preparative (few hundreds grams of sample), to the pilot scale (kilograms of matrix), up to the industrial scale treating tons of raw material (e.g. in the coffee decaffeinization process).SFE can substitute many traditional extraction processes from vegetable matrices for the obtainment of dry extracts or essential oils with specific characteristics. The extraction of substances from complex mixtures, in particular, can be made highly selective modifying properly the operational temperature and pressure conditions, in order to adapt them to the solubility of the different components of interest. An example is the terpenes removal from the essential oils from citruses and other officinal plants, through which a mixture of aromatic components stable to light and temperature is obtained (generally monoterpenes are not, and sometimes they contribute in no way to the smell).On the basis of such premises, SFE progressively imposed itself as one of the elective technologies for the treatment, with different goals, of several raw materials of alimentary, pharmaceutical and cosmetic interest (active principles extraction and officinal herbs components extraction). Although theoretically there are many supercritical fluids available for the purpose, CO2 is the fittest. In fact it is non toxic, inert, non flammable, cheap, recyclable and environmentally harmless. CO2 extraction is a modern extraction technology for hydrophobic vegetable components realized according to a clean procedures without release of any residue nor solvent substances. After the extraction the operation pressure is lowered and the CO2 loses its solvent power releasing the solute substances, which are available in a concentrated and pure form. For these reasons FDA marked this process as GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe). Natural substances, moreover, usually are not very stable at high temperatures, and need to be kept at temperatures next to the environmental one: CO2's critical temperature is 31°C, making of it particularly fit as solvent for biologic substances. Proteins, carbohydrates, inorganic salts or metals are not co-extracted in any way. CO2 extracts are microbiologically stable and do not need particular storage conditions, because given their nature they are practically sterile. Unlike conventional procedures, the extraction selectivity is specific. The method does not involve thermal stress and does not need organic solvents.\n\n\nAbout us\n\n\n Pinerolo, Via Carlo Borra 35, ITALY\n\n+39 0121.374.462\n\n+39 0121.390.154\n\nMo-Fr: 10.00 - 18.00 GMT+2\n\nPlease feel free to contact us!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9153311848640442}
{"content": "HHO - Passivation of Stainless Steel\n\nMany people are not aware of the need to passivate stainless steel to keep it \"Stainless\".\n\nWhy is it needed?\n\nAll stainless steel needs to be cleaned and passivated to protect the surface from contaminants. Stainless steel has a self protecting surface that is produced by an oxide layer. If when in manufacture and handling, the stainless comes in contact with carbon steel such as used for cutting, rolling, bending, drilling or whatever processes have been done, there is always some transfer to the stainless steel, and this needs to be removed and the oxide surface restored, that is what the passivation process does.\n\nThe process used to be done with nitric acid, which is dangerous to handle and has many drawbacks, especially environmentally.\n\nThe latest process uses Citric Acid which is much safer and easy to do and can be handled without the fear of doing damage to yourself or things around you. Citric Acid can be sent through the post because it is classified as \"Non Dangerous Goods\" and is also environmentally safe.\n\nThe process that we use for passivating may be a little different than those that only want to prepare a small number of plates.\n\nThe method we use can be copied easily if you have a lot to do.\n\nFirst the acid powder is mixed with distilled water (one 200g satchel mixed with 2 liters of water) or 10% citric acid per volume. If you have more cells to do, just increase the number of satchels and also the amount of water.\n\nNext the acid water is placed into a small plastic bowl and a cheap under water aquarium pump is connected to a hose that is connected to the inlet of the dry cell. If you have more than one dry cell to passivate, connect the outlet of the first cell to the inlet of the second cell and then return the outlet from that cell back to the bowl. You can chain many cells together using this method, we do as many as 12 dry cells at a time.\n\nIt is best if the acid water has a temperature of around 120°F or about 50°C. Set the pump going and leave for about 20-30 minutes, all the cells will be processed at the same time. Drain the acid water from the cells and rinse with distilled water. Blow compressed air through the cells.\n\nThe cells have now been cleaned and passivated at the same time.\n\nIf you only have some loose plates to passivate, same process only just place the plates vertically in a bowl and add the warm acid water to cover the plate. Leave for up to 1 hour and then remove. Rinse with distilled water. (wear plastic or rubber gloves to protect the plates from your oily fingers) Dry with some newspaper or air dry and assemble your cell with care so as not to contaminate the surfaces with either oily hands or by touching with other metal objects.\n\nOne 200g satchel of Citric Acid make up 2 liters of acid water.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6311681270599365}
{"content": "Explore the possibilities\n\nAt Chirp, we harness the unique affordances of sound to transmit data, enabling the interconnection of millions of new types of things in a seamless, scalable, cost-effective and powerful way.\n\nBroadcast capable\n\nSound is practically omnidirectional, meaning it is broadcast from a source and travels out in all directions from its origin. This makes it particularly well suited for broadcasting data in a ‘one to many’ network configuration to devices which may have no prior interaction or association.\n\n\nUnlike many networking solutions, Chirp is frictionless and does not require devices to go through any prior handshake process before they can exchange data. The system can complement existing networking technologies during device onboarding by simplifying the set up process.\n\nWorks offline\n\nSound works completely peer-to-peer, meaning no additional connections are needed to ‘the cloud’ or other network services, so it works great in situation where there is no other network access.\n\n\nSound is everywhere around us, and billions of devices are able to make or listen for sound via their microphones and loudspeakers. Chirp can enable machine to machine transactions even in equipment without existing networking capabilities, such as legacy equipment.\n\n\nSound can take data out of the dark, transforming it into something tangible that the majority of people are familiar with. Encoding data into sound enables it to be forward shared between different platforms and devices.\n\n\nChirp acts as the Transport Layer in the networking stack, much the same way TCP does in the internet stack. Our technology gets the data from A to B but does not itself directly implement security measures - these measures are layered on top of our Transport Layer so that they are in place as the data is passed to Chirp for transmission. Importantly, this means that Chirp does not have knowledge of security strategies implemented by partners' applications and products using our technology. Partners can effectively add any type of encryption, tokenisation or other security strategy required before broadcasting.\n\nSign up to our newsletter to get Chirp news delivered straight to your inbox.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.882244348526001}
{"content": "How To Recognize An Abusive Relationship\n\n\n2018-09-07T11:15:11+00:00July 22nd, 2017|Domestic Violence/Abuse|", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000098943710327}
{"content": "Photo by Andrea Booher\n\n“Lately I’ve been feeling a bit hopeless about finding love,” writes Ask MetaFilter user seraph9, in a post called “Alternatives to Love.” “What are your most rewarding, fulfilling, amazing non-romantic experiences or undertakings?” Respondents listed enriching activities that illustrate how much more there is to life than work and romance.\n\nVolunteering is the most popular suggestion. “Contributing to something greater and outside of yourself is incredibly rewarding,” says user Capt. Renault. Look for roles that let you form deep relationships with others. Many people lack the support network of reliable loved ones, so your emotional availability is just what they need.\n\n\nUser fairlynearlyready suggests writing to prisoners through Lifelines to Solitary. User Wilder recommends working in a hospice or other end-of-life care. “Many people are alone, or estranged from their families and have no one to help them pass away with dignity.” For more ideas, user janey47 recommends the book How Can I Help? by Ram Dass and Paul Gorman.\n\nFriendships might feel obvious, but it takes conscious effort to prioritize them as much as people prioritize finding “the one.” Building a close group of friends gets tougher as you get older, especially as other friends start pairing off, then having kids. But approach that as just having more friends. Many couples love having single friends—they’re a nice break from other couples—and being a “friend of the family” can be a life-long fulfilling role. But be clear with them about whether or not you want to be “set up” with dates or other friends. Without guidance, couples will inevitably try to assimilate single people.\n\nAlso, seek out friendships with fellow long-term single people. You need to have friends who, like you, can think outside the relationship bubble. There’s always the risk that some day you’ll “lose them” to a romantic partner, but they’re taking that risk with you too. Try to form some close friend groups larger than two people; that’s a huge advantage you have over long-term couples, who necessarily have to center their lives on one other person.\n\n\nBring as much friend activity as you can into your home or theirs. Another joy of relationships is carving out time in private spaces, but this isn’t only a romantic activity. Get out of bars and cafés and feel the intimacy of talking to friends in your own space.\n\nGroup activities, like a dance class, a band, choir, church, book club, or even playing Dungeons & Dragons, make it easier to meet friends, as they give an immediate purpose to the shared activity. When you go to an event like a book reading, comedy show, or concert, see what more long-term options the venue or organization provides.\n\nFind a group that meets regularly. Part of the joy of a long-term relationship, especially once you live together, is that it’s “on” by default. That removes so much stress from scheduling and uncertainty. A standing group commitment works similarly; you don’t have to worry about finding time for friendships if you’ve all made it a regular priority.\n\n\nFor years, my weekly D&D group worked like cruise control for our friendships. User wwax especially recommends leading a game as the dungeon master: “The feeling of telling a story with a group of other people is amazing.”\n\nMeditation builds a foundation to make all of life more fulfilling, says user Quisp Lover. It can flip the search for non-romantic fulfillment upside-down: “Spiritual joy is not sublimated sexuality; sexuality is repressed spiritual joy.”\n\nOwning a pet can’t substitute for human love, but it has a lot of advantages. An animal will give you unconditional love that most humans can’t. “I had never felt that kind of love coming at me before I had my baby kitty and she gave me that,” says fairlynearlyready. A pet relies on you completely, but its needs are less complicated than those of a child or partner.\n\n\nDon’t write off dating around, says user late afternoon dreaming hotel. As long as you’re honest and open about it, there’s nothing inherently wrong about fulfilling more short-term needs (you know, like sex) through your dating life, while finding your long-term needs elsewhere. “Love can come second to sorting out its component pieces and, instead of looking for the end goal first, looking to meet those needs up front.”\n\nAlternatives to Love | Metafilter", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8521892428398132}
{"content": "Organ Music by Costanzo Antegnati\n\nBorn: 1549\n\nDied: 1624\n\nBirthplace: Brescia, Italy\n\nCostanzo Antegnati was an Italian organist, composer and organ builder; member of a famous family of organ builders. He was organist of Brescia cathedral from 1584-1619, and published volumes of Masses and psalms for double choir, motets and madrigals; also a volume of organ ricercars (1608) containing an introduction entitled L'arte organica, which discusses registration and lists the organs his family had built.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8895518183708191}
{"content": "Portfolio > As far as the eye can see.\n\nAs far as the eye can see is an exhibition of works by prominent Australian printmakers investigating their local landscapes. It celebrates the breadth and depth of printmaking practice in Australia today and is a stunning reflection of Australia’s unique and varied geography. The artists express their stories and relationships to the land through a variety of print media, describing the vast scale or intimate detail of our diverse natural environment. As far as the eye can see portrays the similarities and differences of coastal, mountain, desert and island terrain all contained within our country.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9991450905799866}
{"content": "1. Overview of 2nd GoGo Class: Focusing on Arms\n\n    Thank you everyone for making last Tuesdays class such a fun and heart warming experience! It was lovely to have everyone in class, sharing, and dancing, and having a good time!!! I am so excited that we now get a chance to share this with our online class members!!!\n\n    Last week we focused on our arms in class! We started off with a nice stretch before getting into the nitty gritty of the class!!\n\n    Arms are a key part in GoGo dance! Our arms are what polish our dances, and take movements appropriate for the dance floor and make them big stage worthy! Arms create our space and can be used to express emotions and characters.\n\n    When focusing on the role of our arms in GoGo dance, our first consideration should be engagement. What does it mean to have engaged arms? It means we use them with intent! If we attempt to extend an arm across our body, then we must go through the full movement before moving onto something else. If our hand is on our hip, in a rest, every part of our arm is involved in the movement, from our fingers to our elbows to our shoulders! Are your fingers engaged and pretty? Is your elbow creating a clean and beautiful line/shape for your audience? Is your shoulder back and relaxed? Generally our wrists should be relaxed, and our fingers engaged! An engaged arms is flexed where it should be flexed, relaxed where it should be relaxed, and is going for its movement with 100% commitment!\n\n    Much of GoGo dance is really just posing! This should be our first consideration when building our freestyle dance! Take the time to look at yourself in the mirror and just pose! What poses look good to you? Why do those poses look good? The first thing they have in common is that a pretty pose creates beautiful lines. We can easily create these aesthetically pleasing lines through minding our planes!\n\n    The planes on which we move our body are important to mind while working through a freestyle dance! If you are putting your arms out, parallel to the floor, then your arms should be parallel to the floor, with your armpit creating a 90 degree angle! Not a 78 degree angle. Not a 105 degree angle, but a 90 degree angle so that your extended arm creates a beautiful line with your body and with the floor! If we mind our planes, it will go a long way to making our dance look polished!\n\n    Finishing your movements is the next step in mastering the perfect GoGo arm! If you begin with your hand on your hip, take a step, and extend your arm out to be parallel with the floor, then drop it after only two counts and move on to something else, you are not FINISHING your movement. A great way to practice finishing your movements is focusing on a body part or combination for at least four counts, then changing your focus to a new body part or combination. (Thinking about changing your focus, whatever that may be, on counts divisible by four is a great way to finish any movement -arms or not- and something we will focus on in the technique class).\n\n    Drill your arms by stepping back and forth, changing your arms every two to four counts!\n\n    Different genres of dance lend arm movements to us in GoGo dance! A lot of your long, pretty, big arm movements are rooted in modern and contemporary dance! But those long pretty movements aren’t appropriate for all types of music! We can pull inspiration and combinations from dances such as hip-hop and breakdance or even whacking and voguing! It all depends on the music and what we are trying to portray with our bodies! Take the time to research these dances, and watch videos online to pick up combinations and stylings!\n\n    Personally I like to take a lot of my rests and holds from hip-hop! Arm rests and holds are used when you are focusing your dance on other parts of your body, such as your feet or hips! Hands on the hips, or holding yourself, even rubbing your hands through your hair or up and down your body while focusing your full highlighted dance elsewhere is a great way to keep your arms from fatiguing during your performance!\n\n    Practice perfecting your arms by drilling poses in the mirror, by freestyling in front of a mirror or video camera while focusing on your arms, pickup combinations and styles from videos online and practice weaving them into your own dance!\n\n    Thanks so much for joining me on this GoGo adventure! I can’t wait for the next class!!!\n\n    Uploaded 57 Plays 0 Comments\n\nGoGo class\n\nWhitney Adrenaline Plus\n\nBrowse This Channel\n\nShout Box\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.896267294883728}
{"content": "Skip to main content\n\n\n  • Access\n  • Open access\n\n\n\n      • Send article to Kindle\n\n\n\n        Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.\n\n        Area change of glaciers across Northern Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, between ~1999 and ~2015\n        Available formats\n        Send article to Dropbox\n\n\n        Available formats\n        Send article to Google Drive\n\n\n        Available formats\nExport citation\n\n\nUsing a variety of optical satellite scenes, this study quantifies the change in the areal extent of 1773 glaciers across Northern Ellesmere Island between ~1999 and ~2015. Our results show that the regional ice coverage decreased by 1705.3 km2 over the ~16-year period, a loss of ~5.9%. Ice shelves had the greatest losses relative to their size, of ~42.4%. Glaciers feeding into ice shelves reduced in area by 4.7%, while tidewater glaciers reduced in area by 3.3%. Marine-terminating glaciers with floating ice tongues reduced in area by 4.9%, and 19 of these 27 ice tongues disintegrated, causing these glaciers to retreat to their grounding lines. Land-terminating glaciers lost 4.9% of their 1999 area, including the complete loss of three small ice caps (<1.5 km2). Our study highlights the high sensitivity of the ice cover of Northern Ellesmere Island to recent climate warming and the continued losses that are likely to occur in the future. In particular, the ice masses most susceptible to further losses are marine-terminating glaciers with floating termini and small land-terminating ice caps at low elevations.\n\n\nThe Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA) contains ~150 000 km2 of glacier ice, making this region the most glaciated in the world outside of Greenland and Antarctica (Pfeffer and others, 2014). Based on satellite gravimetry measurements, this region has become the single largest contributor to eustatic sea-level rise outside of the major ice sheets since 2003 (Harig and Simons, 2016), during a period of rapid warming of glacier surface temperatures (Mortimer and others, 2016). The ice in this area can be separated into two groups, the southern area that spans Baffin (~36 839 km2) and Bylot (~4859 km2) islands, and the northern area (107 488 km2) that spans the Queen Elizabeth Islands, of which 27 556 km2 (all ~1960 areas) is located on Northern Ellesmere Island (Fig. 1; Andrews, 2002; Sharp and others, 2014).\n\nFig. 1. Queen Elizabeth Islands, Canada. The study region is shown by the dark grey area on Northern Ellesmere Island. Ice outlines (in light grey) from 1999 for Axel Heiberg, Devon, and Southern Ellesmere Island were acquired from GLIMS (\n\nThe first detailed measurements of glacier thickness and volume change across Northern Ellesmere Island were conducted by Abdalati and others (2004), who used repeat airborne altimetry measurements over the period 1995–2000 to calculate changes of −3.52 km3 a−1 (the highest rate of ice volume loss compared with all other ice caps in the CAA). Sharp and others (2014) performed measurements of the area change of glaciers (excluding ice shelves) on Northern Ellesmere Island up to the year 2000, by using ice extents from 1956 to 1961 derived from aerial photography and 2000 extents delineated using an unsupervised classification of Landsat 7 ETM+ and ASTER imagery. Their study revealed that Northern Ellesmere experienced a reduction in glaciated area of 927 km2 (3.4% of initial area) over this period, the greatest area loss of all regions measured across the CAA. The largest mean percentage area changes for Northern Ellesmere occurred from glaciers <1 km2 in area, which lost an average of 29.2% of their initial ice area. Since 2000, a few studies have been conducted on Northern Ellesmere Island to assess changes in ice shelf area (e.g., Copland and others, 2007; Mueller and others, 2017a, b) and the changes of individual ice caps (Braun and others, 2004; Serreze and others, 2017), but no detailed regional assessment of glacier changes has been conducted.\n\nHere we present a comprehensive inventory of the number and extent of all glaciers on Northern Ellesmere Island, using satellite data acquired between 1999 and 2016. This is the first study to present recent area change measurements for this region and to analyze the spatial variability in glacier change in relation to terrain controls. Our data will be made available in the Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) database (\n\n1.1. Study area\n\nEllesmere Island is the largest island in the Queen Elizabeth Islands, with an area of 196 236 km2 and a length of 830 km (Fig. 1). The island is the most mountainous in the CAA and can be separated into different ice regions from north to south that includes Northern Ellesmere Icefield, Agassiz Ice Cap, Prince of Wales Icefield, Manson Icefield and Sydkap Icefield (Fig. 1). The study area of Northern Ellesmere is separated from the rest of Ellesmere Island by the Hazen Plateau and Greely Fiord and has a maximum elevation of 2616 m at Barbeau Peak (Fig. 2). Lake Hazen is a large inland lake, with a surface area of 537.5 km2, which stretches in a southwest-northeast direction in the southeast part of Northern Ellesmere (Fig. 2). The Northern Ellesmere Icefield spans the majority of the island, while ice shelves and marine-terminating glaciers flow off the northern coastline. Smaller ice caps, such as Grant and Ad Astra, surround the main ice caps, but the majority are unnamed.\n\nFig. 2. Landsat OLI/TIRS mosaic (Table 1) of Northern Ellesmere Island showing the outlines classified by terminating environment in (a) 1999–2008; (b) 2015/16. Labels show the locations of the basins referred to throughout the study. Note: Northern Ellesmere Icefield is outlined with a thick black line.\n\nThe climate regime of Northern Ellesmere varies between the coastal regions, interior lowlands and highlands. The coastal waters contain a mix of first- and multi-year ice. In summer, fall and early winter (during the sea-ice consolidation period), the varying coverage of sea ice and open water leads to high frequencies of fog and low cloud over the channels and along the coastlines (Maxwell, 1981). The interior lowlands are surrounded by mountains which cause a rain shadow that results in low mean precipitation, while exposed slopes at higher elevations receive >200 mm of precipitation per year (Maxwell, 1981). At Eureka weather station, ~100 km to the southwest of the Northern Ellesmere Icefield, mean monthly precipitable water ranged from 1.8 mm in late winter to 12 mm in July between 1961 and 2007, with a 10% increase in mean annual precipitable water over this period (Fig. 1; Lesins and others, 2010). The increase in precipitable water has been dominated by increases during the spring, summer and fall, with the greatest increase occurring during summer at a rate of 0.3 mm decade−1 since 1961. Over the 54-year period, the station recorded a mean air temperature of −19.1°C.\n\n\nArea changes for each glacier were determined from optical satellite imagery within the periods ~1999 (period 1) and ~2015 (period 2) (Table 1). These periods were selected to provide the broadest temporal range with the highest resolution imagery, primarily from Landsat 7 (ETM+) and Landsat 8 (OLI). The north coast of Ellesmere Island was beyond the orbit of Landsat 7 in 1999, so ASTER imagery from 2002 and 2003 was used instead, covering 5.2% of the total glaciated area. Glacier coverage for Ward Hunt Ice Shelf and for glaciers along the far north-east coast of Northern Ellesmere (comprising ~4.5% of the total glaciated area) was not available for 1999–2003, so Formosat-2 imagery from 2008 and ASTER imagery from 2009 was used in its place for period 1. Due to the lack of satellite coverage over the Markham Ice Shelf for period 1 (Fig. 2), the extent (from 2003) was obtained from Mueller and others (2017a). In the second period, Landsat 8 imagery from 2015 and 2016 provided complete coverage of the study area.\n\nTable 1. Satellite scenes used to delineate glacier extents in this study. Landsat and ASTER images were obtained from the US Geological Survey Earth Explorer ( Formosat-2 image obtained from Planet Action ( Images used in the 2015/16 mosaic (Fig. 2; the master image against which all other imagery was georeferenced) are shown in bold\n\n2.1. Basin boundaries\n\nThe ice cover across Northern Ellesmere Island was divided into individual drainage basins using a combination of elevation data and optical satellite imagery. Basins were delineated using a pre-release version of the ArcticDEM, a DEM with 8 m resolution constructed by the Polar Geospatial Center (University of Minnesota) from in-track, high-resolution (~0.5 m) Digital Globe imagery from 2012–15. A polygon shapefile was delineated for each drainage basin by using the Basin tool in ESRI ArcGIS 10.3.1. To create the basins, sinks were filled and an eight-direction (D8) flow model was used, which determines the flow direction of each raster cell based on the steepest path of the eight surrounding cells (Jenson and Domingue, 1988). The automated basin outlines were verified visually against the 2015/16 Landsat 8 mosaic using visible features such as flow lines, and adjusted as necessary.\n\n2.2. Glacier outlines\n\nAn outline of the ice extent was delineated for each glacier and nunatak from orthorectified ASTER (15 m resolution) and Landsat imagery (30 m resolution enhanced with the 15 m panchromatic band) and georeferenced Formosat-2 imagery (8 m resolution) (Table 1). Images with little to no cloud cover acquired during late summer were preferentially selected due to their minimal snow cover. Pan-sharpened Landsat 8 images acquired in 2015/16 were mosaicked and used as the master image against which all other satellite images were aligned (Fig. 2; bolded scenes in Table 1). Eight ASTER images and one Formosat-2 image were georeferenced to the Landsat mosaic using 13–20 ground control points (GCPs), depending on the amount of flat and stable bedrock available in the scene. Georectification was completed using a zero-order polynomial shift in ESRI ArcGIS 10.3.1, which resulted in root mean square errors (RMSE) ranging from 15.02 to 21.80 m (Table 1). One Formosat-2 image was transformed using a first-order polynomial transformation and had an RMSE of 21.81 m. All other imagery was well-aligned and did not require modification.\n\nDuring the digitization process, pan-sharpened Landsat scenes were displayed in both true colour and false colour; the false colour composites were represented with bands 4, 3 and 1 (for both Landsat 7 and Landsat 8) in the red, green and blue (RGB) channels, respectively. ASTER scenes were represented with bands 3, 2 and 1 in the RGB channels. To avoid misclassification, only glaciers >0.1 km2 in area (in 1999) were digitized in this study, although glaciers that shrank to areas <0.1 km2 during the second period of study were included for continuity of the dataset.\n\nOnce the ice extents and ice divides had been defined, nunataks were subtracted from these outlines so that each polygon represented only the area of ice and not internal rock. The image acquisition dates were used to convert measured area (in km2) of the two time periods into standardized rates of percentage change per decade. Each glacier was assigned a unique ID following the format outlined by GLIMS, which incorporates centroid coordinates of each glacier (Raup and Khalsa, 2010). The official name was included for glaciers with a name assigned in the Canadian Geographical Names Data Base of Natural Resources Canada (\n\n2.3. Terrain parameters\n\nIn total, 11 terrain variables were derived for the glaciers (in ~2015) measured in this study to examine the influence of physiography on area losses. The coordinates of the centroid of each glacier were extracted. The minimum, maximum and mean elevation, mean slope, flow length and mean aspect for each glacier were extracted from the ArcticDEM using the Spatial Analyst extension in ArcGIS 10.3.1. The east-west and north-south scalar aspects were derived from the sine and cosine of the mean of these scalar aspects (Copland, 1998). The main terminus for each glacier was visually assessed and classified into one of five types:\n\n  1. (a) Land-terminating glaciers refers to all outlet glaciers and ice caps that terminate on land, and in this study includes glaciers with proglacial lakes or glaciers that calve into the proglacial lakes of neighbouring glaciers.\n\n  2. (b) Tidewater glaciers are marine-terminating ice masses that are grounded on the sea floor (Dowdeswell and Jeffries, 2017). These glaciers were distinguished by their lack of extension away from the coastline and lack of tidal cracks. This category also includes glaciers flowing into ice shelves but without visual evidence of becoming incorporated into the ice shelf. Also included are coastal ice caps that flow into the sea. Note that if any land is apparent between the terminus and the coastline, the glacier is classified as land-terminating.\n\n  3. (c) Ice tongues are the floating extensions of single valley glaciers over the ocean (Mueller and others, 2017a, b). In this study, ice tongues are classified as floating termini that extend into a bay or fiord and include ice fragments clustered together and frozen in place by sea ice around the terminus.\n\n  4. (d) Ice shelves comprise extensive, permanent floating landfast ice features that are >20 m thick (Dowdeswell and Jeffries, 2017). In this study, ice shelves were identifiable by their characteristic undulating surface topography and their infilling of bays and fiords along the northern coastline.\n\n  5. (e) Ice shelf-terminating refers to glaciers that flow into ice shelves. Although these glaciers contribute directly to the ice shelves, they are separated from the ice shelf as per the GLIMS procedure (Raup and Khalsa, 2010).\n\n2.4. Changes in accumulation area ratio (AAR)\n\nTo provide an estimate of the changes in AAR of the ice cover of Northern Ellesmere Island, the hypsometry of this region was compared with estimates of the changes in equilibrium line altitude (ELA) over the study period. The ELA across Northern Ellesmere Island at the start of period 1 was determined from digitizing the map of Wolken and others (2008), which in turn was recreated from Miller and others (1975). Wolken and others (2008) describe this map as representing the ELA in 1960, but we assume that this ELA is broadly representative of conditions at the start of period 1. This is based on mass-balance measurements on other Queen Elizabeth Islands ice caps which show generally weak trends over this period (Koerner, 2005; Thomson and others, 2017), and the observation that average glacier mass balance was five times more negative between 2005 and 2009 than 1963–2004 (Sharp and others, 2014). Since 1999, we estimate that the ELA on Northern Ellesmere has risen by ~100–300 m, based on measurements at White Glacier (Fig. 1) (mean ELA 1960–1998 = 1022 m; mean ELA 1999–2014 = 1205 m; Thomson and others, 2017) and measurements on northern Agassiz Ice Cap that indicate the 2014/15 ELA was 300 m above the 1977–2015 mean (Burgess, 2017).\n\n2.5. Error analysis\n\nTo calculate error associated with the alignment and resolution of the satellite imagery, we used the method defined by Hall and others (2003). The uncertainty in the change of the ice extent in the linear dimension (d) between two satellite images was calculated from (after Williams and others, 1997):\n\n(1)$$d = \\sqrt {r_1^2 + \\; r_2^2} + {\\rm RMSE},$$\n\nwhere r 1 is the cell size of the first image, r 2 is the cell size of the second image and RMSE is the error calculated during the georectification process (Table 1). The finest resolution (15 m) and the highest RMSE value (21.81 m) were used in this calculation. The linear uncertainty was converted to area uncertainty using (after Hall and others, 2003):\n\n(2)$$a = A\\left( {\\displaystyle{{2d} \\over x}} \\right),$$\n\nwhere A = x 2 and x = linear side dimension (15 m). This calculation produced an error of ±0.0013 km2.\n\nTo calculate human error that may occur during the digitization process, the same operator digitized three different glaciers from the dataset for Northern Ellesmere, of differing sizes, environments, and locations, at a consistent scale of 1: 10 000. Each glacier was digitized five times for each time period using imagery from the study. G85164W81925N, G75159W81335N and G69499W82211N were selected based on their range in size, distribution and terminal environment: G85164W81925N (5.99 km2 in 1999) is a marine-terminating glacier in the northeast, G75159W81335N (1.00 km2 in 1999) is a small ice cap in the southern region, and G69499W82211N (254.52 km2 in 1999) is a large land-terminating glacier in the western region (Fig. 2). The mean error for both time periods varied between 0.004 km2 (0.07%) for G85164W81925N, 0.004 km2 (0.69%) for G75159W81335N and 0.136 km2 (0.05%) for G69499W82211N. The largest of these errors (0.14 km2) was summed with the satellite error (0.0013 km2) to provide a total error. Based on these error calculations, glacier area changes were considered significant if they were >0.14 km2.\n\n2.6. Climate data\n\nTo examine climate conditions since 1950, NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis monthly mean data was downloaded from the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory website ( These data are drawn from an assimilated gridded (2.5° × 2.5° grid) dataset, based on observations from the land surface, ship, rawinsonde, piloted balloon, aircraft, satellite and other data (Kalnay and others, 1996). It should be noted that NCEP/NCAR data prior to 1979 are of a lower quality to the lack of assimilation data, although this is considered to be of minor significance as this study is primarily concerned with changes in conditions since ~1999. For this study, mean monthly surface air temperatures from 1948 to 2016 were analyzed for grid cells centered on Northern Ellesmere Island from 80.587–83.190°N to 60.678–92.296°W. This climate dataset was verified by comparing observations collected by an automatic weather station in Purple Valley (Fig. 2) over the period 2008–16 to the NCEP/NCAR data gridcell centered on this region (82.500°N, −80.999°W). The close resemblance between these datasets (Fig. 3) suggests that the reanalysis data are suitable for assessing trends in air temperature across Northern Ellesmere.\n\nFig. 3. Comparison of NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis and AWS mean monthly surface air temperature datasets from May 2008 to November 2016 for Purple Valley, Northern Ellesmere Island. November 2012 AWS data omitted due to sensor error.\n\n\n3.1. Regional glacier inventory\n\nFor ~2015 a total of 1768 glaciers were identified, comprising 1702 land-terminating glaciers, 45 tidewater glaciers, eight marine-terminating glaciers with ice tongues, six ice shelf terminating glaciers and seven ice shelves or remnant ice shelves (Table 2; Fig. 2b and Fig. 4a). Land-terminating glaciers made up the highest proportion of the total ice area (63.4%), followed by tidewater glaciers (18.2%) (Table 2; Fig. 4a). Glaciers between 0.1 and 1 km2 in size made up 43.3% of the total number of glaciers, but only 1.2% of their total area (Fig. 4b). In contrast, the majority (40.8%) of glaciers were between 100 and 1000 km2 in size (Fig. 4b). The largest single ice mass is M'Clintock Glacier (G75759W82147N), a marine-terminating glacier with an ice tongue, measuring 1468.4 km2 in area and with a centreline flow length of ~44 km (Fig. 2). The majority of individual glaciers had a north-east facing aspect, while the majority of the total ice area had a north-facing aspect (Fig. 4c).\n\nFig. 4. Glacier inventory characteristics for ~2015: Total glacier area (km2) and number of glaciers in each: (a) terminus environment; (b) size class; (c) aspect class; (d) elevation class, and relationship between glacier area and (e) maximum elevation; (f) mean glacier slope. Note logarithmic scales on (e) and (f).\n\nTable 2. Overview of glacier inventory, with details as a total area and percentage of each glacier type\n\nMean glacier elevation ranged from 19 m a.s.l. (M'Clintock Ice Shelf; G77428W83023N) to 1519 m a.s.l. (G73513W81780N). Turnstone Glacier (G74388W81792N) had the highest maximum elevation (2603 m a.s.l.) as it flowed from Barbeau Peak. Overall, 54.1% of glaciers had a mean elevation between 500 and 1000 m a.s.l., with <1% having a mean elevation <100 m a.s.l. (Fig. 4d). There was a fairly strong relationship (r 2 = 0.253, P = 3.23 × 10−44) between maximum elevation and glacier area (Fig. 4e), with the highest elevations concentrated from east to west along the main spine of the icefields. Glaciers with ice tongues had the highest mean difference in the highest and lowest points of elevation: 1595.0 m, compared with ice shelves with the lowest mean relief of 33.4 m. Glacier slope varied inversely with glacier area (r 2 = 0.3055, P = 5.53 × 10−19), with smaller glaciers tending to be steeper (Fig. 4f). By glacier type, ice shelves tended to have the lowest gradient (mean slope of 2.0°) which is reflected in their large flat structure. The steepest glaciers, with a mean slope of >30°, were land-terminating with areas <1 km2.\n\nThe central part of the Northern Ellesmere Icefield comprises the largest contiguous ice mass in the study region, with an area of 19 445 km2 in 2015 (outlined in black on Fig. 2) and length of up to ~300 km and width of ~160 km, located between 81°N and 83°N. It had a mean elevation of 1203 m a.s.l. This icefield contained 360 glaciers in 2015, of which 344 were land-terminating, 12 were tidewater-terminating and four were marine-terminating with ice tongues. Land-terminating glaciers made up the majority of the icefield and had a total area of 11 294 km2. All of the marine-terminating glaciers drained along the northern coast, with the exception of one tidewater glacier (Otto Glacier/G82716W81419N) flowing off the west coast (Fig. 2).\n\n3.2. Change in glacier area, ~1999–2015\n\nOver the study period, changes in glacier area primarily occurred due to the calving of ice shelves and ice tongues, changes in the position of land-terminating glacier termini, narrowing of glacier trunks and tributary branches, and increases in the area of nunataks. In general, there was a widespread decrease in glacier area for almost all glaciers in the study area (Table 2; Fig. 5). Out of the 1773 glaciers present in the first period, 1353 (76.3%) of them lost >0.14 km2 (the limit of uncertainty) of their area. The remaining 420 glaciers all decreased in area, but not beyond the error limits of this study, and are therefore classified as stationary. No glaciers increased in area over the period ~1999–~2015.\n\nFig. 5. Magnitude of area loss for each glacier basin between 1999 and 2016, overlaid on a Landsat OLI/TIRS mosaic from 2015/16 (Table 1). Basin delineations are for ~1999. Stationary results refer to glaciers with area loss within the limits of uncertainty.\n\n3.2.1. Land-terminating glacier change\n\nA total of 1703 land-terminating glaciers were outlined across Northern Ellesmere Island for ~1999 (Table 2). Between ~1999 and ~2015, 416 were considered stationary and 1287 shrank beyond the limits of uncertainty. Of these 1287 glaciers, their total area loss was 844.7 km2 (4.8% of their initial area), but 150 glaciers (11.7%) lost >50% of their initial area. Separated by size class, the highest mean losses occurred from glaciers that measured <1 km2 in the first time period, at a mean rate of 30.4% decade−1 (Fig. 6). With each increase in size class, the mean rate of area loss decreased, with the lowest mean area losses (0.4% decade−1) belonging to glaciers >1000 km2. The greatest total area loss of 11.9 km2 (14.3%) occurred from G89730W81726N, a medium-sized (83 km2 in 1999) ice cap on the northwest coast of Northern Ellesmere Island (Fig. 2). Relative to initial area, the greatest losses came from G74438W81359N, G76500W81203N and G76132W82570N, that all disappeared (Fig. 7). These small glaciers were all <1.5 km2 in initial area and distributed north and south of the Northern Ellesmere Icefield (Fig. 2).\n\nFig. 6. Mean rate of glacier loss (% decade−1) for glaciers that lost mass between ~1999 and ~2015 for each glacier type (as classified initially), separated into size classes.\n\nFig. 7. Outlines from 1999 of small ice caps that lost 100% of their area: (a) G74438W81359N overlaid on Landsat 8 image from 12 July 2015 (#7 on Fig. 2a); (b) G76500W81203N (eastern-most basin) overlaid on Landsat 8 image from 14 July 2015 (#13 on Fig. 2a); and (c) G76132W82570N overlaid on Landsat 8 image from 12 July 2015 (#12 on Fig. 2a).\n\n3.2.2. Tidewater glacier change\n\nA total of 28 glaciers were classified as tidewater in ~1999, with a total area of 1894.8 km2 (Table 2). By ~2015, 24 tidewater glaciers had shrunk and lost a total area of 61.9 km2, 3.3% of the initial ice area, at a mean rate of 8.7% decade−1. Four glaciers did not lose area beyond the limit of uncertainty and were therefore classified as stationary. According to size class, the smallest tidewater glaciers (three glaciers measuring 1–5 km2) had the greatest mean loss of 22.9% decade−1 (Fig. 6). Similar to land-terminating glaciers, as the size class increased the mean rate of ice loss decreased with the exception of tidewater glaciers between 500 and 1000 km2 that had a higher mean loss (2.7% decade−1) than glaciers 100–500 km2 (1.8% decade−1). The greatest total area loss occurred from Otto Glacier (G82716W81419N), the largest tidewater glacier on Northern Ellesmere, which lost 19.5 km2, 1.6% of its initial ice area. However, this glacier is a known surge-type glacier (Hattersley-Smith, 1969; Copland and others, 2003), which may explain some of these losses. The highest relative rate of area loss occurred from G74911W83042N and G91546W81713N which both lost ~27% decade−1. Two glaciers (Bent Glacier/G78692W81412N, and G85628W82087N) retreated to the point of becoming land-terminating.\n\n3.2.3. Ice tongue change\n\nIn the first period, 27 marine-terminating glaciers with ice tongues were identified along the northern coast of Ellesmere Island, covering an area of 7843.7 km2 (Table 2). All 23 glaciers shrank by the year ~2015, with a total loss of 313.98 km2, or 3.6% of their initial area at a mean rate of 6.1% decade−1. Classed by size, glaciers with ice tongues between 1 and 5 km2 had the highest mean area loss of 11.4% decade−1 (Fig. 6). Of the 23 glaciers with ice tongues measured, only eight remained by the second period: G79570W82808N, Ayles (G80489W82741N), Serson (G84958W82170N), G79117W82870N, G80481W81907N, Disraeli (G72723W82423N), Milne (G78878W82327N) and M'Clintock (G75759W82147N) glaciers. The remaining 19 retreated toward their grounding lines, causing the glaciers to lose their ice tongues and become classified as tidewater glaciers instead (Fig. 8). The greatest total area loss occurred from Disraeli Glacier, with a loss of 35.6 km2, equivalent to 2.7% of its initial area. The greatest rate of area loss, relative to its area, occurred from G80169W82886N at 15.5% decade−1.\n\nFig. 8. Outlines showing the loss of floating ice tongues between 1999 and 2015 from glaciers entering Yelverton Bay, Northern Ellesmere Island: (a) G81795W82368N (south; #27 on Fig. 2); and (b) G822234W82440N (north; #29 on Fig. 2), overlaid on Landsat 8 image from 12 July 2015.\n\n3.2.4. Ice shelf change\n\nBetween 1999 and 2009, nine ice shelves and/or ice shelf remnants were identified along the northern coastline of Northern Ellesmere Island with a total area of 1028.7 km2 (Table 2). From west to east, these comprise the Serson (G86130W82356N), Wooton (G84583W82434N), Petersen (G82050W82526N), Milne (G81511W82702N), Ayles (G80719W82854N), East Ayles (G79679W82827N), M'Clintock (G77428W83023N), Ward Hunt (G74723W83074N) and Markham (G71378W83067N) ice shelves. By ~2015, the ice shelves lost 436.1 km2 of ice area, 42.4% of their original area. The greatest total area loss occurred from the Serson Ice Shelf (G86130W82356N), which lost 137.58 km2, leaving behind a small ice shelf fragment on the northeast coast of Serson Bay. The Markham (G71378W83067N; 49.1 km2) and Ayles (G80719W82854N; 75.4 km2) ice shelves lost their entire area.\n\n3.2.5. Ice shelf terminating\n\nIn ~1999, six glaciers terminating into ice shelves occurred along the northern coast of Ellesmere Island, contributing mass to the Petersen, Milne and East Ayles ice shelves. By ~2015, these glaciers continued to flow into these ice shelves, but had lost a total area of 10.3 km2, at a mean rate of 4.2% decade−1. The greatest total area loss of 3.5 km2 occurred from G81767W82616N, a glacier flowing into the south-west region of the Milne Ice Shelf (G81511W82702N). The greatest loss relative to initial size occurred to G81776W82542N, a glacier flowing into the north-east side of Petersen Ice Shelf, which lost 15.4% at a rate of 9% decade−1.\n\n3.3. Relationship between area changes and terrain\n\nTo better understand the potential relationships between area losses and physiography, 11 terrain variables (Section 2.3; Table 3) were acquired from the 1346 glaciers that underwent shrinkage between ~1999 and ~2015 and had coverage in the ArcticDEM. The terminus environment for each glacier was classified as 1 if it terminated off the coast and 0 if it terminated on land. Glaciers that underwent considerable change prior to the acquisition of the 2012–15 satellite imagery used to generate the ArcticDEM, such as Serson Ice Shelf, were excluded from the terrain analysis.\n\nTable 3. Factor loadings for each significant principal component (eigenvalue >1) identified in the PCA. Bolded values indicate dominant terrain parameter(s) for each principal component\n\nOnce the terrain analysis had been completed, principal component analysis (PCA) was used to determine the relationship between terrain variables and remove collinearity between them. The PCA identified four significant components (eigenvalue >1) (Table 3). Component 1 is primarily an altitude factor that describes glaciers with high minimum, maximum and mean elevations, which tend to have steeper slopes and terminate on land. Component 2 is primarily a size factor that describes glaciers with longer flow lengths and larger areas, which also tend to reach to higher maximum and mean elevations. Component 3 is a location factor, dominated by glaciers that are located in areas that are further north and east than average. Component 4 is a north-facing aspect factor.\n\nOver the period of study, components 2 and 3 were significantly (P < 0.0001) correlated with the % decade−1 area changes (Table 3). Component 2 was the most important factor (r = −0.461), which indicates that the biggest % decade−1 changes occurred on relatively short and small glaciers at lower elevations. Component 3 (r = 0.205) suggests that greater area losses occurred in the north-east. When the terrain factors for component 2 are plotted against area changes (Fig. 9), this reaffirms the fact that the terrain factors within component 2 are significantly correlated with area loss (P < 0.0001). The component 3 terrain factors, latitude and longitude, have a significant (P < 0.001) but the weak positive relationship with area changes; r 2 = 0.022 and r 2 = 0.007, respectively.\n\nFig. 9. Relationship between loss (% decade−1) and: (a) mean elevation; (b) maximum elevation; (c) flow length (note log scale on x-axis) and; (d) glacier area (note log scale on x-axis).\n\nFrom these analyses, it is apparent that glacier size, elevation and flow length have been the dominant topographic controls on glacier shrinkage over the period ~1999–2015. In this case, the highest shrinkage rates occurred on small, short, low elevation glaciers. This is consistent with our results that show higher area changes from the small isolated remnant ice caps that surround the main icefields (Figs 6, 7). For example, ice masses that lost >50% decade−1 (with the exception of ice shelves) had initial areas <5.4 km2, maximum elevations <1676 m and flow lengths <4745 m.\n\n3.4. AAR changes\n\nIn order to examine the past and future susceptibility of the glacier cover across Northern Ellesmere to melt, the ELA at the start of the study period (Fig. 10a) was used to calculate the regional size of the ablation zone, and from that the regional AAR. In 1999, 35.2% of the ice area was in the ablation zone (AAR = 0.648) (Fig. 10b, c). If this ELA rose by a conservative 100 m, the ablation zone would comprise 47.1% of the total glacier cover (AAR = 0.529). If it rose by 200 or 300 m, as seems plausible based on measurements on nearby ice caps (Burgess, 2017; Thomson and others, 2017), the ablation zone area would then comprise 60.2% (AAR = 0.398) or 72.3% (AAR = 0.277) of the overall glacier cover, respectively.\n\nFig. 10. (a) 1960 ELA trend surface digitized from Wolken and others (2008), assumed to represent conditions at the start of the study period, overlaid on a Landsat 8 mosaic from 2015/2016 (Table 1); (b) Total ablation area (as a proportion of total ice area) for 1960 ELA and at 100 m increments (c) Total ablation area based on the 1960 ELA zones and with a 200 m increment, overlaid on a Landsat OLI/TIRS mosaic from 2015/16 (Table 1).\n\n3.5. Climate analysis\n\nMean annual surface air temperatures across Northern Ellesmere Island increased by 3.6°C (0.5°C decade−1) between 1948 and 2016 (r 2 = 0.59, P = 9.01 × 10−15; Fig. 11a). A shift seems to have occurred in the mid-1990s when temperature increases accelerated from 0.12°C decade−1 from 1948 to 1994 to 0.78°C decade−1 from 1995 to 2016. Since 1948, fall (September, October, November) has shown the greatest overall increase in mean monthly surface temperature by 0.74°C decade−1 (P = 1.45 × 10−13), followed by winter (December, January, February) at 0.65°C decade−1 (P = 7.75 × 10−10) and spring (March, April, May) at 0.46°C decade−1 (Fig. 11). Summer (June, July, August) had the weakest rate of warming at 0.24°C decade−1 (P = 3.86 × 10−05), although there has been a regime shift from mean negative to mean positive summer surface air temperatures since the year 2000. Of the 20 warmest mean annual surface air temperatures since 1946, 16 have occurred since 2000. Every summer since 2000 has exceeded the climatological summer mean temperature (−0.7°C) by 0.6–2.7°C. Compared with the climatological mean from 1981 to 2010, mean monthly temperature anomalies have been consistently above the 30-year average since 2000.\n\nFig. 11. Time series of (a) mean annual surface air temperatures (1948–2016). The linear trend from 1948–94 is represented in blue, while the linear trend from 1995 to 2016 is shown in red; (b–e) seasonal surface air temperatures (1949–2016). Data derived from NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis, averaged across the region 80.587–83.190°N, 60.678–92.296°W.\n\n\nFrom the above results, it is clear that the ice cover of Northern Ellesmere Island has been undergoing widespread loss since 1999, with two trends standing out among the observations: (1) The dominance of the shrinkage of relatively small, low elevation glaciers in terms of relative area loss; (2) The substantial loss of floating ice from ice shelves and ice tongues along the northern coast. In the following analysis, we begin by comparing our inventory with others of the study region. We then examine the relationships between large area changes and small land-terminating glaciers, together with changes in the ELA and AAR. To gain a better understanding the rapid loss of floating ice termini, we then examine the influence of oceanographic factors.\n\n4.1. Comparison against previous glacier inventories\n\nOne previous complete glacier inventory for Northern Ellesmere Island includes the outlines in the GLIMS database. These outlines were provided to GLIMS by the Randolph Glacier Inventory (RGI 6.0), a global inventory of glacier outlines ( According to the inventory metadata these outlines provide coverage for 1999 and were completed by several analysts using a semi-automated glacier classification. Our 1999 inventory differs from the GLIMS inventory in several ways, including total area values and basin delineations. According to the GLIMS database, Northern Ellesmere had an area of 27 377 km2, some 1569 km2 less than the area calculated in our study. The main reason for this difference is because the GLIMS dataset does not include all the floating termini extending from the northern coastline: ice shelves and ice tongues. For example, the area covered by ice shelves in our inventory amounts to >1050 km2. In addition, our inventory incorporates several more small ice caps (along the northern coastline) and better outlines nunataks across the region. Our basin delineations also differ from those of the GLIMS database, because our delineations were generated with the recently released, high-resolution ArcticDEM and verified manually.\n\nA comprehensive inventory (from 1959 to 2015) of the floating portion of ice shelves and ice tongues along the northern coast of Ellesmere Island was produced by Mueller and others (2017a, b). These outlines were digitized manually using anecdotal/survey data (1906), aerial photographs/maps (1959), optical satellite imagery (1963–1992) and SAR satellite imagery (2003–2015). The outlines include only floating ice that ends at the grounding line (i.e., excluding any land ice). In contrast, our ice tongue measurements include the entire drainage basin for each glacier, making a direct comparison with our dataset difficult. However, both datasets for the ice shelves are comparable because they both only include floating ice. For 2015, the ice shelf inventory by Mueller and others (2017a, b) calculated a total area of 532.2 km2, whereas our inventory calculated a total area of 592.6 km2. The greatest difference between the two datasets is in the outlines of Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, where the discrepancy between the two datasets was 53.4 km2. Unlike the inventory by Mueller and others (2017a, b), our outlines of Ward Hunt do not exclude any of the small ice rises on the eastern half of the ice shelf. In comparing the remaining ice shelf extents, the difference in area measurements does not exceed 4.3 km2.\n\nAn inventory describing the distribution of surge-type glaciers across the Canadian High Arctic was generated by Copland and others (2003), and included Northern Ellesmere. Copland and others (2003) used 1959/60 aerial photographs and 1999–2000 Landsat 7 imagery to visually identify potential surging glaciers based on the presence of surface features (e.g. looped medial moraines, intense folding, heavy crevassing and rapid advance) consistent with surge activity. The findings identified eight possible surge-type glaciers across Northern Ellesmere, four likely surge-type glaciers and one observed surge. The observed surge was from Otto Glacier (G82716W81419N), a glacier that was reported to have surged between 1950 and 1959 (by Hattersley-Smith, 1969) and continued to surge or surge again by 1999 (Copland and others, 2003). An active surge was also reported for the Milne Glacier from 1966 to 1983, when the glacier advanced by 4.25 km at a rate of 250 m a−1 (Jeffries, 1984). Based on the recent surge activity of the Otto and Milne Glaciers, it is possible that the losses reported in our study (22.54 and 19.48 km2, respectively) may be linked to the quiescent phase of their surge cycles. If all 13 of the glaciers identified by Copland and others (2003) as being surge-type retreated solely as a result of surge behaviour, then this would account for 10.9% of the area changes determined across Northern Ellesmere in our study. However, the actual area changes attributable to surging are likely much less than this as only Otto and Chapman glaciers are known to have surged during the period 1999–2015 (Van Wychen and others, 2016).\n\n4.2. Loss of small ice caps\n\nBased on the terrain analysis presented in Section 3.3, the largest area changes occurred from small, low elevation glaciers. Separated by size class, the largest area changes occurred from land-terminating glaciers that were <1 km2, with a mean loss of 30.4% decade−1 (Fig. 6). Based on the results from Sharp and others (2014), this trend was also apparent on Northern Ellesmere between ~1960 and ~2000, when 218 glaciers <1 km2 and 1–5 km2 in size had the highest mean losses of 29.2% (0.73% decade−1) and 25.6% (0.64% decade−1), respectively. For the other size classes described by Sharp and others (2014), losses ranged from 22.2% for glaciers 5–10 km2 in area, decreasing to 2% for glaciers >10 000 km2. Sharp and others (2014) also noted this trend on Agassiz Ice Cap, Prince of Wales Icefield, South Ellesmere Island, Axel Heiberg Island and Devon Island. Similarly, Thomson and others (2011) described a trend of significant retreat of small independent ice masses on Axel Heiberg Island, which included ice caps <25 km2, along with the complete disappearance of 90% of ice masses smaller than 0.2 km2 over the period 1958–2000.\n\nBraun and others (2004) examined the mass balance and area fluctuations of four ice caps on the Hazen Plateau of Northern Ellesmere from 1959 to 2002, including the St. Patrick Bay (also in our study; Fig. 2), Murray and Simmons Ice Caps. In their study, the substantial loss observed from these small ice caps was attributed to low winter snow accumulation, the absence of ice flow and small vertical relief. Braun and others (2004) described these small ice masses as relicts of the Little Ice Age, no longer sustainable in the current climate as the ELA rises above their summits (>1103 m). Rising ELAs have also been observed in the mass-balance records of White Glacier, Axel Heiberg Island, the nearest long-term mass-balance monitoring site to Northern Ellesmere (Fig. 1). If the ELA at the start of our study period in ~1999 ascended as much as the ~200 m rise in ELA recorded at White Glacier since 1999 (Thomson and others, 2017), then 60.2% of the regional glacier cover across Northern Ellesmere would be in the ablation zone (AAR = 0.398), and 589 (33.3%) glaciers would be completely below the ELA. According to Dyurgerov and others (2009) most glaciers with balanced regimes will have an AAR of ~0.40 to 0.80, which would suggest that Northern Ellesmere is out of balance with the current climate. If the ELA were to rise 300 m, 940 (53.2%) glaciers would be completely below the ELA and the regional AAR would only be 0.277 (Fig. 10).\n\nSerreze and others (2017) described the continued loss of the Hazen Plateau ice caps up to 2016, and revealed that the St. Patrick Bay Ice Caps only had 5% of their 1959 area remaining (10.42 km2 in 1959 vs 0.50 km2 in 2016). The authors noted that the ice caps even shrank noticeably between 2014 and 2015, in direct response to the particularly warm summer of 2015. The rapid loss of these ice caps was also attributed to the more pronounced appearance of dirt layers on the ice surface, leading to a decrease in summer surface albedo. In 2016 the Murray and Simmons ice caps still had 39% and 25% of their 1959 ice areas remaining, respectively, which was linked to their higher mean elevations (up to ~290 m higher), thus providing relatively cooler summer conditions.\n\n4.3. Loss of floating glacier termini\n\nBetween 1999 and 2015, there was a marked loss in floating glacier termini, including the loss of 18 ice tongues, the complete loss of the Ayles and Markham ice shelves, and substantial decreases in the Serson and Ward Hunt ice shelves. Unlike land-terminating glaciers that typically shrink gradually under atmospheric forcing, marine-terminating glaciers and ice shelves are subject to oceanographic forcing and can lose mass rapidly through calving.\n\nDetailed studies have been conducted on several Arctic ice shelves, including the Petersen and Ayles, that document the events leading up to calving events (Copland and others, 2017). In the study by White and others (2015), the Petersen Ice Shelf is shown to have undergone a series of calving events between 2005 and 2012, during record high summer temperatures, that resulted in a ~61% loss in ice area. The calving events were initiated by the loss of >50-year-old multi-year landfast sea ice (MLSI) that fringed the ice shelf front in 2005, and by open water events in 2008, 2011 and 2012. White and others (2015) also reported that in situ thinning and pre-existing fractures in the ice shelf would have weakened it, thus allowing ice islands to separate from the ice shelf during open water events and drift away. Copland and others (2007) described the conditions leading to the complete collapse of the Ayles Ice Shelf in August 2005 that resulted in it calving within the space of a few hours and producing an 87.1 km2 ice island. Similar to the Petersen, Copland and others (2007, 2017) reported that this collapse was initiated by record high summer temperatures in 2005, and by the loss of landfast sea ice that had previously fringed the ice shelf. Copland and others (2007) also reported that high offshore winds occurred during the event.\n\nFor marine-terminating glaciers with floating termini, the presence of ice mélange and sea ice provides a seasonally dependent stabilizing mechanism that allows the termini to remain intact and possibly advance (Reeh and others, 2001; Pimentel and others, 2017). This has been evident with ice tongues composed of agglomerated ice blocks such as at the front of Jakobshavn Isbrae, Greenland (Amundsen and others, 2010). During winter, sea ice forms and binds the ice mélange and prevents glacier calving, while the retreat of sea ice in spring causes the mélange to weaken and calving to recommence. Todd and Christoffersen (2014) examined the calving dynamics of Store Glacier in West Greenland and found that the presence of ice mélange was principally responsible for the observed seasonal advance of the terminus.\n\nThese factors may have also played an important role in the loss of the floating ice tongues observed in this study, particularly in Yelverton Inlet and Bay where several ice tongues disappeared over the study period. According to Pope and others (2012), 932.6 km2 of MLSI occupied Yelverton Inlet and Bay, including Kulutingwak Fiord in 1959. By August 2005, ~330 km2 of MLSI broke away from Yelverton Bay and was soon followed by the fragmentation of 690 km2 of older MLSI from Yelverton Inlet. In summer 2008 fragments of MLSI in Yelverton Bay and Kulutingwak Fiord broke apart and drifted away. In summer 2010 the last remaining plug of MLSI in Yelverton Inlet broke away, along with sections of MLSI from Kulutingwak Fiord. The loss of MLSI from this region means that the glaciers flowing into this system would then be exposed to an entirely new environment consisting of open water and young, thinner sea ice. It is likely that the loss of the floating ice tongues was a direct response to the loss of the back pressure previously provided by the thick and semi-permanent MLSI cover.\n\n\nAccording to our observations between ~1999 and ~2015, regional ice coverage has decreased by 5.89% (3.68% decade−1) over the 16-year study period. This equates to an area loss of 822 km2 decade−1. From 1948–2016, the highest rate of warming occurred during fall and winter at 0.74 and 0.65°C decade−1, respectively. Although summer showed the lowest rate of temperature increase (0.24°C decade−1), the change in the mean summer temperature over time has resulted in a change from mean negative temperatures to mean positive temperatures since 2007 (with the exception of 2014). There is evidence for a small increase in precipitation over time on Ellesmere Island at Eureka (~10% between 1961 and 2007; Lesins and others, 2010), but this is insufficient to compensate for the rapid recent increase in air temperatures.\n\nRecent area losses from some glaciers, such as the Milne (G78878W82327N) and Otto (G82716W81419N), could be explained by retreat during quiescent periods after potential surge-type behaviour observed over past decades (Hattersley-Smith, 1969; Jeffries, 1984; Copland and others, 2003), but this is likely much <10% of the regional total. Two main trends for the remaining glaciers include the rapid loss of small, low elevation land-terminating glaciers and the loss of floating glacier termini in the form of ice tongues and ice shelves. The loss of small glaciers is a trend that has continued since the 1950s, and has been observed in other regions across the CAA as well (Braun and others, 2004; Thomson and others, 2011; Sharp and others, 2014; Serreze and others, 2017). Our analysis also revealed the complete loss of three small ice caps. The increased loss of small ice caps on Northern Ellesmere can be attributed to their increased sensitivity to the accelerated warming in the region, and the decrease in their surface albedo due to the accumulation of surface debris (Serreze and others, 2017). Small glaciers with relatively higher mean elevation are slightly less sensitive due to their cooler summer temperatures at high altitudes (Serreze and others, 2017). This is apparent in our study, where for land-terminating glaciers <10 km2, glaciers with mean elevations <700 m had a mean loss of 25.7% decade−1 whereas glaciers with mean elevations >700 m had a mean loss of 16.0% decade−1.\n\nOver our 16-year study period, there was a substantial change in the amount of floating ice. Ice shelves lost ~42.4% of their initial ice area, including the complete loss of the Ayles Ice Shelf (−83.5 km2) and nearly the complete loss of the Serson Ice Shelf (−184.0 km2). Our inventory also identified the loss of 18 floating ice tongues, causing these marine-terminating glaciers to retreat to their grounding lines. Past studies have linked the loss of ice shelves to warmer summer temperatures, offshore winds and the loss of the protective barrier created by MLSI (Copland and others, 2007, 2017; White and others, 2015). These factors may have also played an important role in the loss of floating ice tongues observed in this study, particularly in Yelverton Inlet and Bay where several ice tongues have disappeared since the loss of MLSI in this region in summers 2008 and 2009 (Pope and others, 2012).\n\nThis study demonstrates that the icescape of Northern Ellesmere is changing and, if current temperatures persist or continue to increase, small ice caps will be the first to vanish and coastal zones will become free of floating glacier termini and ice shelves. If the ELA has risen by 300 m since 1960 levels, which seems possible given the rapid recent changes recorded by mass-balance programs on other nearby ice caps, then >50% of glaciers are currently completely in the ablation zone. It is important that regional inventories such as this one continue to be created and updated to monitor changing glacial landscapes in a warming climate.\n\n\nThis work was funded by grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada, Canada Foundation for Innovation, University of Ottawa, Polar Continental Shelf Program, the Royal Canadian Geographic Society and ArcticNet, a Network of Centres of Excellence of Canada. We would like to acknowledge the Polar Geospatial Center (University of Minnesota) for providing early access to the ArcticDEM. Adrienne White was supported by graduate scholarships from NSERC, the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, the Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies, the Garfield Weston Foundation and awards from the Northern Scientific Training Program.\n\n\nAbdalati, W and 9 others (2004) Elevation changes of ice caps in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. J. Geophys. Res., 109(F04007) (doi: 10.1029/2003JF000045)\nAmundsen, JM and 5 others (2010) Ice mélange dynamics and implications for terminus stability, Jakobshavn Isbrae, Greenland. J. Geophys. Res., 115(F1) (doi: 10.1029/2009JF001405)\nAndrews, JT (2002) Glaciers of Baffin Island. In Williams, RS Jr and Ferrigno, JG eds. Satellite Image Atlas of the World, U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper, 1386-J-1, J165J195. United States Government Printing Office, Washington\nBraun, C, Hardy, DR and Bradley, RS (2004) Mass balance and area changes of four High Arctic plateau ice caps. Geogr. Ann., 86A(1), 4352 (doi: 10.1111/j.0435-3676.2004.00212.x)\nBurgess, DO (2017) Mass balance of ice caps in the Queen Elizabeth Islands, Arctic Canada: 2014–2015. Geol. Survey Canada, Open File 8223, 38 p. (doi: 10.4095/300231)\nCopland, L (1998) The use of terrain analysis in the evaluation of snow cover over an alpine glacier, In Lane, SN, Richards, KS and Chandler, JH, eds. Landform Monitoring, Modelling and Analysis. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 385404\nCopland, L, Sharp, M and Dowdeswell, J (2003) The distribution and flow characteristics of surge-type glaciers in the Canadian High Arctic. Ann. Glaciol., 36, 7381\nCopland, L, Mueller, DR and Weir, L (2007) Rapid loss of the Ayles Ice Shelf, Ellesmere Island, Canada. Geophys. Res. Lett., 34(21), L21501 (doi: 10.1029/2007GL031809)\nCopland, L, Mortimer, C, White, A, Richer McCallum, M and Mueller, DR (2017) Factors contributing to recent Arctic ice shelf losses. In Copland, L and Mueller, D, eds. Arctic Ice Shelves and Ice Islands, Springer, Dordrecht, 263286\nDowdeswell, JA and Jeffries, MO (2017) Arctic ice shelves: an introduction. In Copland, L and Mueller, DR, eds. Arctic Ice Shelves and Ice Islands, Springer, Dordrecht, 321\nDyurgerov, M, Meier, MF and Bahr, DB (2009) A new index of glacier area change: a tool for glacier monitoring. J. Glaciol., 55(192), 710716\nHall, DK, Baa, KJ, Schöner, W, Bindschadler, RA and Chien, JYL (2003) Consideration of the errors inherent in mapping historical glacier positions in Austria from the ground and space (1893–2001). Remote Sens. Environ., 86, 566577\nHarig, C and Simons, FJ (2016) Ice mass loss in Greenland, the Gulf of Alaska, and the Canadian Archipelago: seasonal cycles and decadal trends. Geophys. Res. Lett., 43(7), 31503159 (doi: 10.1002/2016GL067759)\nHattersley-Smith, G (1969) Recent observations on the surging Otto Glacier, Ellesmere Island. Can. J. Earth Sci., 6(4), Part 2, 883889\nJeffries, MO (1984) Milne Glacier, Northern Ellesmere Island, N.W.T., Canada: a surging glacier? J. Glaciol., 30(105), 251253\nJenson, SK and Domingue, JO (1988) Extracting topographic structure from digital elevation data for geographic information analysis. Photogramm. Eng. Remote Sens., 54(11), 15931600\nKalnay, E and 21 others (1996) The NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis 40-year project. B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 77(3), 437471\nKoerner, RM (2005) Mass balance of glaciers in the Queen Elizabeth Islands, Nunavut, Canada. Ann. Glaciol., 42, 417423\nLesins, G, Duck, TJ and Drummond, JR (2010) Climate trends at Eureka in the Canadian high Arctic. Atmos. Ocean, 48(2), 5980 (doi: 10.3137/AO1103.2010)\nMaxwell, JB (1981) Climatic regions of the Canadian Arctic islands. Arctic, 34(3), 225240\nMiller, GH, Bradley, RS and Andrews, JT (1975) The glaciation level and lowest equilibrium line altitude in the high Canadian Arctic: maps and climatic interpretations. Arct. Alpine Res., 7(2), 155168 (doi: 10.2307/1550318)\nMortimer, CA, Sharp, M and Wouters, B (2016) Glacier surface temperatures in the Canadian High Arctic, 2000–15. J. Glaciol., 62(235), 963975 (doi: 10.1017/jog.2016.80)\nMueller, DR, Copland, L and Jeffries, MO (2017a) Northern Ellesmere Island ice shelf and ice tongue extents, v. 1.0 (1906–2015). Nordicana, D28 (doi: 10.5885/45455XD-24C73A8A736446CC)\nMueller, DR, Copland, L and Jeffries, MO (2017b) Changes in Canadian Arctic ice shelf extent since 1906. In Copland, L and Mueller, DR, eds. Arctic Ice Shelves and Ice Islands, Springer, Dordrecht, 109148\nPfeffer, WT and 18 others and the Randolph Consortium (2014) The Randolph Glacier Inventory: a globally complete inventory of glaciers. J. Glaciol., 60(221) (doi: 10.3189/2014JoG13J176)\nPimentel, S and 7 others (2017) Modelling intra-annual dynamics of a major marine-terminating Arctic glacier. Ann. Glaciol., 58(74), 118130 (doi: 10.1017/aog.2017.23)\nPope, S, Copland, L and Mueller, D (2012) Loss of multiyear landfast sea ice from Yelverton Bay, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. Arct. Antarct. Alp. Res., 44(2), 210221 (doi: 10.1657/1938-4246-44.2.210)\nRaup, B and Khalsa, SJS (2010) GLIMS analysis tutorial. National Snow and Ice Data Center, Boulder, CO,\nReeh, N, Thomsen, HH, Higgins, AK and Weidick, A (2001) Sea ice and the stability of north and northeast Greenland floating glaciers. Ann. Glaciol., 33(1), 474480 (doi: 10.3189/172756401781818554)\nSerreze, MC, Raup, B, Braun, C, Hardy, DR and Bradley, RS (2017) Rapid wastage of the Hazen Plateau ice caps, northeastern Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. Cryosphere, 11, 169177 (doi: 10.5194/tc-11-169-2017)\nSharp, M and 12 others (2014) Remote sensing of recent glacier changes in the Canadian Arctic. In Kargel, JS, Bishop, MP, Kaab, A, Raup, BH and Leonard, G, eds. Global Land Ice Measurements from Space: Satellite Multispectral Imaging of Glaciers. Springer-Praxis. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, 205228 (doi: 10.1007/978-3-540-79818-7_9)\nThomson, LI, Osinski, GR and Ommanney, SL (2011) Glacier change on Axel Heiberg Island, Nunavut, Canada. J. Glaciol., 57(206), 10791086 (doi: 10.3189/002214311798843287)\nThomson, LI, Zemp, M, Copland, L, Cogley, JG and Ecclestone, MA (2017) Comparison of geodetic and glaciological mass budgets for White Glacier, Axel Heiberg Island, Canada. J. Glaciol., 63(237), 5566 (doi: 10.1017/jog.2016.112)\nTodd, J and Christoffersen, P (2014) Are seasonal calving dynamics forced by buttressing from ice mélange or undercutting by melting? Outcomes from full-Stokes simulations of Store Glacier, West Greenland. Cryosphere, 8, 23532365 (doi: 10.5194/tc-8-2353-2014)\nVan Wychen, W and 6 others (2016) Characterizing interannual variability of glacier dynamics and dynamic discharge (1999–2015) for the ice masses of Ellesmere and Axel Heiberg Islands, Nunavut, Canada. J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 121(1), 3963 (doi: 10.1002/2015JF003708)\nWhite, A, Copland, L, Mueller, D and Van Wychen, W (2015) Assessment of historical changes (1959–2012) and the cause of recent break-ups of the Petersen Ice Shelf, Nunavut, Canada. Ann. Glaciol., 56(69), 6576 (doi: 10.3189/2015AoG69A687)\nWilliams, RS, Hall, DK, Sigurđsson, O and Chien, JYL (1997) Comparison of satellite-derived with ground-based measurements of the fluctuations of the margins of Vatnajökull, Iceland, 1973–92. Ann. Glaciol., 24, 7280\nWolken, GJ, England, JH and Dyke, AS (2008) Changes in late-neoglacial perennial snow/ice extent and equilibrium-line altitudes in the Queen Elizabeth Islands, Arctic Canada. Holocene, 18(4), 615627 (doi: 10.1177/0959683608089215)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8827559351921082}
{"content": "Invited Lecture (JGES)\nNovember 3 (Thu.), 14:00–14:40, Room 7 (Portopia Hotel Main Building Kairaku 1)\nInvited Lecture-5\n\nFunctional disorder of the proximal gastrointestinal tract\n\nJ. Tack\nFunctional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs), although highly common, are relatively poorly understood and difficult to manage in clinical practice. The Rome consensus has classified these disorders into organ regions (i.e., esophageal, gastroduodenal, bowel, biliary, anorectal), presuming that there are unifying features underlying diagnosis and management that relate to these organ locations. Individual disorders are diagnosed based on symptom groupings. The link between symptoms and organ location is mainly based on expert consensus. The previous Rome I-III consensus documents generated authorative criteria for diagnosing, studying and treating FGIDS. The latest iteration of this process is the Rome IV consensus on diagnostic criteria for FGIDS, just presented last May 2016. As a general important innovation, thresholds for frequency of symptoms in Rome IV now have a scientific basis: the Rome foundation conducted a Normative Symptom Study to allow the development of thresholds for symptoms based on evidence.\n\nIn a first part, the major changes with Rome IV will be highlighted. The functional esophageal disorders were thoroughly revised taking into account new diagnostic entities that need to be excluded (eosinophilic esophagitis) and new technological developments to detect other diseases (high resolution manometry and esophageal pH impedance monitoring). In addition, in Rome III, \"Functional Heartburn\" defined heartburn symptoms in the absence of evidence that the symptom is associated with gastroesophageal reflux. However, there are also patients who have normal acid reflux levels, but who are sensitive to this physiological reflux and so develop heartburn. For Rome IV, \"Reflux Hypersensitivity\" characterizes this entity and is to be differentiated from functional heartburn and from classic non-erosive reflux disease with pathological acid exposure. Since the Rome III consensus, FD was subdivided into epigastric pain syndrome (EPS) and postprandial distress syndrome (PDS). PDS is characterized by postprandial fullness and early satiation) while EPS is characterized by epigastric pain and burning. The Rome IV subdivision has used the same principles for defining EPS and PDS, but aimed at decreasing the overlap by taking into account postprandial occurrence of EPS symptoms and nausea. Current evidence shows that this has a favorable impact on the overlap issue. For Rome IV the new diagnosis \"Chronic Nausea Vomiting Syndrome\" combines the previous Rome III entities \"Chronic Idiopathic Nausea\" and \"Functional Vomiting.\" The rationale for combining the two diagnoses relates to the paucity of data delineating differences in diagnostic approach and management of nausea compared to vomiting, and the clinical observation that these symptoms are commonly associated.\n\nIn the second part, clinical application in diagnostic-therapeutic algorithms will be illustrated for several of these disorders.\nPage Top", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8677268028259277}
{"content": "Ice Nine Kills\n\nEast Coast Collective presents\n\nIce Nine Kills\n\nThe Plot in You, Dayseeker, Carousel Kings, Basilisk, Awake At Last\n\nTue 11/28\n\n5:30 pm\n\n$13.60 - $18.00\n\nThis event is 16 and over\n\nIce Nine Kills\nIce Nine Kills\n\n\nThe Plot in You\nThe Plot in You\n\n\nCarousel Kings\nAwake At Last\nEvery day presents us with a choice; to keep our passions as mere dreams, or to chase after those dreams until they become a reality. For the Dover, Delaware rock band, Awake At Last. that decision has always come with a cost, but, is one they are willing to pay. The band was formed with the purpose of leaving a positive imprint in a dark world. Every time they take the stage, they are answering the call to live out their dreams, all while encouraging others to do the same. ”Our goal is to inspire people to live fulfilling lives”, vocalist, Vincent Torres, explains, “so many people get caught up in how our society says they should be perceived, but I think our real purpose is to do what actually fuels our soul.“ No stranger to the road, the band relentlessly toured behind King Of The World, playing over 200 shows in support of the release. This gained them the reputation of being a hard working, highly energetic live band and also built up a significant social media following for the band. During this time the band was named one of the “7 Underground Bands You Need To Hear” by Alternative Press magazine and began writing Life/Death/Rebirth.\nVenue Information:\nRevolution Bar and Music Hall\n140 Merrick Road\nAmityville, NY, 11701", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8252197504043579}
{"content": "Targeted Therapies A Sustainable\n\nBusiness Model\n\nErik Tambuyzer,  Senior Vice President Corporate Affairs Europe and International Genzyme Corporation Belgium\n\nPersonalised medicine breaks the cycle of trial and error medicine and helps ineffectiveness rates of medicines to decrease dramatically. Orphan drugs, targeted therapies for rare diseases, with their innovative nature and improved efficacy, make it a precursor for personalised medicine therapies and can offer a viable business model to expand from. Society should develop consensus for such new models in multi-stakeholder partnerships which will also make it sustainable.\n\nFor many rare diseases, there is as yet no satisfactory treatment. Rare diseases are defined as life-threatening and / or serious and chronic diseases, according to the European Orphan Medicinal Products regulation. These diseases represent a high unmet medical need. Rare diseases, with their genetic origin and because of small number of patients to be treated, require effective diagnosis linked to treatment. So, orphan drugs, with their targeted nature, are of immense use and could pave the way for future developments in healthcare\n\n\nSince 70 to 80 per cent of rare diseases are genetic in origin, the right diagnosis before treatment is of high importance to ensure that the patient not only gets the right treatment but also does not suffer from side effects. The rarity and severity of the diseases not only mean lesser patients are treated but also result in a high compliance because the medicines work. Rarity also leads to higher costs, but orphan drugs also have a higher innovative nature and a higher benefit than average drugs through their better clinical efficacy and effectiveness. In the European definition, orphan drugs are unique treatments, meaning there are no alternatives available. This is the case for about one-third of the orphan drugs approved in Europe) or make a better therapy over (an) existing one(s), which is the case for the other two-thirds of approved orphan drugs in Europe. Not only economic factors but social benefits also need to be taken into account as well: many patients affected by rare diseases had no therapy available before and such therapy is often a first in human history.\n\nInnovation, rarity and complexities caused\n\nThe current debate in society is about the value of innovation in healthcare: our society supports such beneficial or valuable innovation to the benefit of patients, including those in the case of orphan drugs. Even in difficult economic times, such beneficial innovation must be encouraged and the resulting products must be reimbursed when they have measurable and demonstrable value. However, given the rarity of the diseases studied, sufficient time to gather data to show such value must be granted.\n\nIn order to understand the concept of rarity, Figures 1 and 2 provide the number of patients treated in the US in 2006 for a number of non-rare disease and, from Gleevec (Glivec TM) downwards, for rare diseases.\n\nThe application of models used in health economics introduces further challenges to the development of orphan medicines and to the discussion about their reimbursement.\n\nCost-Effectiveness = Cost / Effectiveness, where cost is raised by rarity, but data to calculate effectiveness are limited by rarity. Therefore, rarity is affecting both the factors of the equation making the outcome much more uncertain as it grows.\n\nBased on this, it has to be clear that cost-effectiveness cannot be the only decisive factor. Current definitions of health technology assessment, therefore, include other factors such as equity, fairness, ethics and social values. Politicians need to take responsibility to reward innovations in this field to allow them to happen and to continue.\n\nAs shown by the consultancy company Alcimed in a report for the European commission in 2004, pricing is a function of the rarity of the treated disease. Therefore, the prices of orphan drugs, given that their development cost is not necessarily lower than the cost to develop a medicine for a common disease, will be higher than the prices of drugs for treating a (more) common disease. As such, prices largely depend on the patient population to be treated. As a consequence, the application of the same rules of cost-effectiveness for orphan drugs, and especially for drugs for very rare diseases, will not be appropriate, as this would result in orphan drugs and even more clearly the so-called ultra-orphan drugs being excluded from reimbursement since they often do not reach the required Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) limit.\n\nThe future of personalised medicine\nFurther, drawing the analogy with personalised medicine, a future with more compliance and far less side effects would be the goal. This will ultimately result in costs going down, as only the right medicine would reach the right patient and minimise side effects. In order to do that, the following series of questions need to be answered:\n\n  • Which medicine should I use?\n  • How much of the medicine do I need?\n  • Is the medicine working?\n  • Is my disease controlled or gone?\n\nThe old paradigm of trial and error medicine, based on the sequence of an observation with an action followed by an observable response is only successful when it leads to innovation and improved standard of care. But it fails when we settle for “trial and error” medicine as the standard of care. The new paradigm of personalised medicine links diagnostic tests to action and therapy. This happens by having an observation confirmed by a test and have it followed by appropriate physician actions which will result in a predictable response, that breaks the cycle of trial and error medicine and helps the patient. Personalised medicine leads to the right drug for the right patient. It results in providing benefits without toxicity. It saves patients from the treatment that would have the benefits but with the toxicity of the medicine if any. Also, it excludes them from the treatments that would have no benefits and no toxicity, and, of course, also from those without any benefits but with toxicity.\n\nAs shown in Figure 3, the current ineffectiveness rate of medicines is ranging from 40 to 75 per cent, but this percentage will dramatically decrease with the venue of personalised medicine.\n\n\nNo future without challenges\nThe current evolution in evidence-based medicine also comes with challenges:\n\n  •  Physicians are being overwhelmed by the volume of the available data, so, they need more tools to identify and track test / drug combinations, as well as need more education on diagnostics and genomics. They also need more treatment guidelines and are organising themselves into expert centres. They may carry an increased liability risk confronted with patients who are more vocal, informed and organised.\n  • Diagnostic testing laboratories perform intense data acquisition, with high manipulation and storage requirements, while they face complex reimbursement challenges with new technologies coming into routine practice. They also face issues based on expanded intellectual property portfolios and enjoy an increased focus and scrutiny from all parts of the healthcare community.\n  • Payers face difficulties to follow the rapid evolution of the diagnostics / genetics field, but, demand evidence-based medicine. They also want to make payment conditional on drug effectiveness, but face challenges as we have discussed above. Payers fund their own databases on patient outcomes, which they usually don’t share with other stakeholders. In demanding tests for evidence-based medicine, they require the providers to prove the relevance of such tests to the patient and the physician.\n  • Regulators face increased concerns about safety of medicines, and need to remain up-to-date on the new technologies. Such new technologies may bring along the need for adaptive clinical trials as many new insights are gained while the trials progress.\n  • Industry is facing vastly increasing costs driven by the increased demand for data and ever more complex clinical trials, while at the same time facing downward pressure on prices and a more complex reimbursement negotiation process.\n\nThe only solution to such complex societal problems and in order to build new healthcare systems for the future is to be found by the creation of multi-stakeholder partnerships to develop consensus on the way forward. This should result in a wheel of sustainability: life-saving treatments provide a better patient outcome, which warrants reimbursement, and as a consequence, rewards risk-taking and provides return on investment, which in turn leads to more investment in risky projects, resulting in more effective treatments coming onto the market. Clearly, having a market for personalised medicines is in the society’s best interest. We must all work on making it happen!\n\nAs the public image of the pharmaceutical industry is challenging, better and clearer communication is needed to explain the contributions it makes to society. And while no company on its own can change the sector’s image, industry must work together. Personalised medicine represents a great opportunity to change public image of the industry for the better!\n\nAuthor Bio\n\nErik Tambuyzer\n\nErik Tambuyzer is Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs Europe and International at Genzyme Corporation. He is a founding Board member and past Chairman of EuropaBio, the European Association for Bioindustries, and founder of its Ethics Working Group, as well as the Chair of the EBE / EuropaBio Rare Diseases and Orphan Drugs Task Force.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5946571230888367}
{"content": "Weird History The Shortest Wars in History  \n\nMike Rothschild\n49k views 25 items\n\n\n\n\nSources: Listverse, Oddee, Military History Now, World History Timeline\n\nAnglo-Zanzibar War: 46 Minutes\n\nAnglo-Zanzibar War: 46 Minutes is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Shortest Wars in History\nPhoto: via Wikimedia\n\nTaking place between the United Kingdom and Zanzibar on August 27, 1896, the Anglo-Zanzibar War clocked in at anywhere between 38 and 46 minutes. The war broke out after Sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini, who had willingly cooperated with the British colonial administration in the tiny island of Zanzibar, died on August 25, and his nationalist nephew, Khalid bin Bargash, seized power. The British delivered an ultimatum ordering Bargash to abdicate. Bargash refused and ordered his troops to fortify the Royal Palace.\n\nBritain would have none of this nonsense, and assembled a fleet, along with landing Marines outside the palace. The Royal Navy ships opened fire on the palace at 9 am, the moment the ultimatum ran out. Zanzibar suffered 500 casualties and surrendered after less than an hour. One British sailor suffered a minor injury.\n\n2008 invasion of Anjouan: Two Days\n\n2008 invasion of Anjouan is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Shortest Wars in History\nPhoto: Freebase/Public domain\n\nFought between the government of the island of Coromos and a small breakaway republic on the island of Anjouan in March 2008, the Invasion saw Cormoros and African Union troops fight a band of about 500 rebels on the autonomous island measuring about 160 square miles.\n\nThree rebel troops were killed before their leader, Mohamed Bacar, escaped via speedboat, and the fighting ended soon after.\n\nKuwait-Iraq War: Two Days\n\nKuwait-Iraq War: Two Days is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Shortest Wars in History\nPhoto: via Wikimedia\n\nThe inciting incident behind the Gulf War, Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait lasted only two days in August 1990. Iraqi troops, battle hardened and well-equipped from years of war against Iran, crossed the border in the middle of the night, destroyed most of Kuwait’s small army and air force, sacked Kuwait City, and drove the Emir into hiding.\n\nAfter the fighting ended, Iraqi troops burned 600 oil wells and mercilessly looted the capitol. Even with their technical inferiority, Kuwait managed to destroy over 100 Iraqi vehicles and shot down close to 40 aircraft.\n\n1961 Indian Annexation of Goa: Two Days\n\n1961 Indian annexation of Goa is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Shortest Wars in History\nPhoto: Freebase\n\nThe 1961 Indian annexation of Goa was a brief war fought between India and Portugal over the exclaves of Goa, Daman and Diu, all held by Portugal as remnants of colonial power grabs. The three exclaves held over 600,000 citizens, most of whom identified as Indian and were Hindu. India assembled a massive force to take them back, and launched a coordinated air, sea, and land attack on December 18, 1961.\n\nA day later, Goa was mostly in Indian hands, and despite Portuguese warnings that they’d rather burn the entire exclave than give it up, the general in command of the Portuguese forces surrendered. Casualties were about 50 killed and 100 wounded in total.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.542316734790802}
{"content": "Eucharistic Adoration\n\nMonstrance for adoration.jpg\n\nSchedule for Eucharistic Adoration\n\nAt St. Jude, Eucharistic Adoration with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament takes place each Monday and Wednesday starting after the 8:30am Mass until 9:00pm, and Friday starting after the 8:30am Mass unil 5:00pm that evening. Benediction starts at approximately 4:50pm. Please come by for a visit with our Lord. Spend a few minutes, an hour, or whatever your schedule allows at the time. \n\nDuring Lent, please join us for Benediction and stay for the Stations of the Cross immediately following.\n\nAdditionally, the church is open from early in the morning till late in the evening, every day, so please come and adore our Lord Jesus Christ present in the tabernacle, any day of the month that you prefer. He is waiting for you!\n\nGet more information or be added to the SCHEDULE\n\nIf you would like to learn more about Eucharistic Adoration, or you would like to be added to the schedule of regular adorers, click the button below to contact us.\n\nFrequently Asked Questions: \n\nWhat is the relationship of Eucharistic adoration to the Mass?\n\nThere are three Catholic parishes in Peoria that offer Eucharistic Adoration in dedicated chapels around the clock.  Holy Family, St. Philomena's, and St Ann's.  Please contact their respective parish offices for more details.\n\nWhat is the importance of Eucharistic adoration?\n\nWhat forms does this adoration take?\n\nWhat is exposition of the Blessed Sacrament?\n\nWhat is the purpose of exposition of the Blessed Sacrament? \n\nWhat is Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament?\n\nWhat is proper etiquette during Eucharistic adoration?\n\nHow should we pray during Eucharistic adoration?", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7458798289299011}
{"content": "Acute Care:\n\n\nSubacute / Corrective / Performance:\n\n\n\nActive Release Technique:\n\nActive Release Technique® is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system. Every ART session is a combination of examination and treatment. The ART provider uses his or her hands to evaluate the texture, tightness and movement of muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves. Abnormal tissues are treated by combining precisely directed tension with very specific patient movements. These treatment protocols, over 500 specific moves, are unique to Active Release Techniques.\n\nChiropractic adjustment:\n\nA chiropractic adjustment places specific motion into a specific joint to restore the normal motion which has been lost. A diversified manual chiropractic adjustment is a quick 'stretch' that occurs in the capsule surrounding the joint, causing the joint to gap slightly resulting in a cavitation (gas exchange) and improved motion. We also use drop table assisted adjustments as well as arthrostim (a vibratory percussive device) with motion to improve the motion that has been lost in the specific spinal and extremity joint dysfuctions.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAfter struggling with a nagging calf injury for over a year, I finally over came it with Dr. McNally's help. Her skill, techniques and aftercare advice are invaluable, and work wonderfully in a wholistic approach, along with other modalities, such as acupuncture and craniosacral therapy. I've referred many of my clients, with confidence, to Dr. McNally, and I'm always pleased at how much deeper and quicker their own healing experience is afterwards.\n\nMichele Uma Ostiguy, LMT, Sampoorna Yoga Instructor, Ayurvedic Educator\n7 Metal Massage Therapy\n\nContact Us Today!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9731177091598511}
{"content": "Ways to Framework and Compose an Exposition - The Intro\n\nOctober 28, 2017\n\nThis is my initial from a couple of write-ups I am contacting provide simple, very easy to observe composition writing tips to international students. I really run my very own site so I’m properly certified to give you a number of the primary essay writing suggestions I would certainly claim would certainly boost a lot of the essays we have actually submitted.\nToday I’m going to talk a bit about essay design for amateurs - very most English essays, coming from GCSE to degree amount, follow a rather identical style for best end results. This will usually be composed of your intro, observed by a rundown of the different disagreements, analysis from each and eventually a conclusion demonstrating the author’s point of view having actually thought about every thing earlier. So just what perform our team need to have to see in each of these sections?\nOur company’ll start with the overview in write-up 1, which is widely important regardless of certainly not gaining the most results maybe; this is because the intro is actually where you must present how you have actually recognized the question as well as how you will definitely set about answering it. A really good overview will definitely certainly not waffle on for a whole webpage highlighting all your know-how of the topic as well as it will certainly certainly not merely redo the question. The absolute best essays are generally developed around a concept which is actually after that built right into a concern - if you have actually been given a question presently might must determine exactly what its own really telling you to perform so you can easily answer the question very most successfully.\nA good intro is going to:\n- Start by renewing the main beliefs within the concern - if the inquiry inquires ‘exactly what is one of the most significant factor?’ this could suggest specifying that there are a variety of elements which we need to look at - eg. ‘The break out of battle in 1914, as well as the main reasons for it, is a widely controversial subject matter between historians as well as other analyses continually deliver different verdicts.’\n\n- After that consist of an explanation from just what the inquiry you are answering is actually concentrating after - this means identifying the concern words and analyzing them. For instance if that is a ‘to what extent …’ inquiry, you will certainly be reviewing the significance of one element to the value from an amount of others. Eg - ‘This essay will certainly try to recognize and study the different aspects, with the aim to contrast the value of each prior to getting to a verdict.’\n- Right now explain a number of the different feasible arguments whist fleshing all of them out a little bit of with some history expertise - for instance ‘Other historians proponent as well as different choosing variables for the outbreak of war; the murder from the Arc Battle each other for instance was actually one a short-term pinnacle in a progression from activities; this essay will definitely evaluate the total significance from this, and the various other primary aspects, in bring about war. In the verdict I target to reach my own verdict as to which aspects stand apart as being most important. click here\n- You might also quickly evaluate the other standard viewpoints to reveal your knowledge of how the inquiry has been actually answered by others. Relying on the historical instruction from the author; the sources at their fingertip and even hiddening bias, chroniclers typically fall under several other camps on the target.’\nOverall my overview could read:’ The reasons from the break out of battle in 1914 are an extremely debated topic in between historians along with different historic analyses constantly delivering different closures. Different chroniclers encourage other making a decision elements for the break out from battle; the killing of the Arch Fight it out for instance was a short phrase end result of a sequence of celebrations and is actually said by many as the primary catalyst, others suggest this was merely the all-natural advancement for long condition variables to meet.\nNotification that making use of the personal pronoun ‘I’ is actually merely made use of rarely and also the introduction maintained quick and also simple. All you wish to do is recognize just what the concern is inquiring and describe exactly what you are going to do to answer this - mixing this along with a dropping from understanding of the debates or even topic expertise and also you will certainly possess a great position aspect for the remainder of the essay. If you perform actually have a debate that deserves stating this also so the audience will definitely know precisely just what you presume and also hopefully as soon as you present your reasoning be persuaded.\nMany thanks for reading as well as if you have actually anything else you yearn for aid with please explore my internet site; next time I will definitely be actually talking about ways to analyze each disagreement effectively.\n\nToday I am actually going to talk a little about essay framework for novices - most English essays, from GCSE to degree amount, follow a rather similar layout for absolute best outcomes. ‘The break out from battle in 1914, and the reasons for it, is actually a hugely questionable subject matter between chroniclers as well as different studies regularly deliver various final thoughts.’\nEg - ‘This essay will certainly try to determine as well as analyze the various aspects, along with the aim to review the significance of each just before reaching out to a conclusion.’\nGeneral my intro could check out:’ The causes from the episode of battle in 1914 are actually a hugely disputed subject matter in between chroniclers with various historical evaluations continually delivering different conclusions. Various historians recommend other making a decision aspects for the break out from war; the assassination from the Arch Duke for example was actually a short phrase pinnacle of a sequence of events and is actually suggested through many as the significant catalyst, others suggest this was just the natural progression for long condition aspects to reach.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9565137028694153}
{"content": "Welcome Champions!\n\n\" Congratulations to you for visiting www.drniki.com. This is the beginning of your journey towards wealth, health, happiness and success. Once again congratulations! Please pat yourself on your shoulder! \"\n\n\" Growth and true success begin by asking questions. Let's start by answering this important '7 success questions'.\n\n1. Do you know exactly what your goal is, how to achieve it and by when?\n2. Can you break down your activities into specific daily & weekly action plans, so that you can achieve that goal?\n3. Do you have more than one way to constantly motivate yourself to achieve your goal with joy?\n4. Have you mastered all the important skills in order to excel in your activities towards getting the goal?\n5. Do you have habits (consistent actions) that will raise your standards everytime?\n6. Are you acting like a master of your destiny or just a victim of circumstance?\n7. Are you preparing yourself to succeed globally? \"\n\n\" If you have hesitation in answering the above questions, now is the time to start planning for your future. True success in life requires 100% committment, planning, focus, dedication and discipline. Action creates results. \"", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6608268022537231}
{"content": "System: Gurhai\n\nName: Gurhai [gur-HIGH]\nGalactic Location: The end of the universe.\nNeighboring Systems: 1.5 months away from Aguaw to the south-west; 2.5 months away from X to the south-west-west; 1.75 months away from Rell to the north-west.\nWorlds In System: Gurhai\nNatives: Gurhai, warden\nColonists: none\n\nAbout the System: Gurhai is the last sun and world in the universe. It has no native fauna; its sole flesh-and-blood race are the wardens, who do not eat or drink to survive. Each warden is paired with a Gurhai, a god with only one aspect to its three-letter name; wardens and Gurhai can checkmate each other when control must be restricted. There is a Gurhai for every aspect of existence in the entire universe, from plague to luck to screams to rain. This system is kept secret in most cultures and not visited.\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6179236769676208}
{"content": "Knowledge Extraction and Reasoning\n\n\nEvent Extraction\n\nExtracting and organizing information about events requires pre-specification of templates or schemas. This project aims to automatically discover the key entities and their roles by analyzing large volumes of news articles. Our previous work developed a semantic resource called Rel-grams, a relational analogue to lexical n-grams. Rel-grams capture co-occurrence between relations expressed in text, which can be used to automatically generate schemas [EMNLP 2013, AKBC-WEKEX 2012]\n\nExtraction and Reasoning for Digital Pathology\n\nAs part of the fantastic team in Biomedical Informatics headed by Dr. Joel Saltz, we are working on a digital pathology project, where we are building an expert system that assists in silico classification scheme testing for brain and lung cancer. \n\nBiomedical Relation Extraction\n\nThis project is aimed at improving access to scientific advances in the biomedical domain. The main goal of the project is to extract medical relations from biomedical abstracts. This project is in collaboration with Prof. Ritwik Banerjee, Prof. IV Ramakrishnan, and Prof. Yejin Choi. We use latent variable models that can jointly infer how drugs treat diseases and use this inferred knowledge to identify other drugs that can also treat them. Practical applications include drug repurposing and discovering adverse drug events.\n\nUser Factor Adaptation\n\nUser-factor adaptation is the problem of adapting NLP models to real-valued human attributes, or factors, that capture fine-grained differences between individuals. These factors can include both known factors (e.g. demographics, personality) and latent factors that can be inferred simply from an unlabeled collection of a person’s tweets. Our approach to user-factor adaptation is similar to feature augmentation, a common technique in domain adaptation, with the addition of being able to adapt to continuous variables. We find that we can improve on popular NLP tasks by putting language back into its human context.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9944365620613098}
{"content": "Tuesday, May 25, 2010\n\nTop Myths about the Overrides\n\nMYTH 1: If I don’t use the library or the transfer station, or the COA, it won’t hurt me if they close.\nTHE FACTS: Libraries level the playing field. We have a growing income inequity in America; the gap between the richest and poorest citizens gets wider every year. By making all its resources equally available to all members of its community, regardless of income, class, or other factors, the library levels the playing field. This strengthens the whole community and improves living conditions for us all. The closing of the Transfer Station could increase the likelihood of roadside dumping and reduce the opportunities for recycling.  The Town would risk environmental degradation.  The loss of streetlights could allow crime to increase and the reduction in town employees would most likely result in shorter hours of operation and longer waits for town services.  Seniors who rely on the Council on Aging would have to find help, if available, elsewhere.\nMYTH 2: I can just use the Athol Library.\nTHE FACTS: Orange residents would not be able to borrow materials from Athol and most other area libraries.  According to the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, when a town’s public library is not certified because of closing or not meeting standards:\n1. The noncertified municipality and its library will not receive any State Aid to Public Libraries monies (M.G.L. c.78, s.19A).\n2. Libraries in certified municipalities are not required to lend library materials to the library in the noncertified municipality (605 CMR 4.01 (6a)).\n3. Libraries in certified municipalities are not required to extend reciprocal library services, beyond in-library use of their materials, to residents of the noncertified municipality (605 CMR 4.01 (6b)).\n4. The library will not receive support through the Small Libraries in Networks Program.\n5. The municipality is not eligible to apply for funds under the Public Library Construction Program (605 CMR 6.05 (1)(c)), and any existing grant will be invalidated because the library must maintain eligibility throughout the construction process in order to receive grant funds (605 CMR 6.09(7)(b)).\n6. The library will not be eligible to apply for grants under the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) program.\n\nMYTH 3: The override is irreversible.\nTHE FACTS: It's true that unlike a debt exclusion, the override won't automatically end.  However it is not true that the increase once passed must continue forever.  If the override passes, there are a couple of ways it would be reversible; First, the town meeting could vote not to appropriate the money, either this year or in a future year. There is no requirement that Town Meeting pass a budget that raises taxes up to the limit of what is authorized by the override. Also, there is a process called an underride, where in future years town citizens could vote in a special election to reverse the override in a similar way to which it was passed. Details below from the Mass general laws:\nIn a city or town, if a majority of the local appropriating authority or the people by local initiative procedure shall so require, there shall be a special election called in order to submit a question to the voters as to whether said city or town should be required to assess taxes by a specified amount below that amount allowed pursuant to this section. The question submitted to the voters shall be worded as follows:--\n  \"Shall the (city/town) of _____ be required to reduce the amount of real estate and personal property taxes to be assessed for the fiscal year beginning July first, nineteen hundred and _____ by an amount equal to $_____?\nYES_____ NO_____''.\n  If a majority of the persons voting on the question shall vote \"yes'', the limit on total taxes assessed shall be decreased to the percentage so voted for that fiscal year.\n\nMYTH 4: People can just use Mahar’s library.\nTHE FACTS:  Mahar’s library is designed to support the education of Mahar’s students.  They do not have materials for the general public.  Their library is not accessible to the public during school hours due to security concerns, and the library is not staffed other times.  They have neither the materials nor the staff to serve non-Mahar younger children, families, or senior citizens.\n\nMYTH 5: The Town could use the override money for something else\nTHE FACTS: For Fiscal Year 2011, the Town could only collect and appropriate the revenues authorized by the override for the purpose stated in the election ballot question.  Other uses would not be permitted by law.\n\nMYTH 6: The cost of the override would be greater than what I would have to pay for alternative services.\nTHE FACTS: The cost of private trash hauling equals or exceeds the average cost of all 4 override questions. It costs less to vote yes!  Indirect environmental costs would occur, but are difficult to quantify.  The most recent return on investment figures show that the Orange Public Libraries deliver $1.3 million is services to the Town per year.  Per capita, that is roughly $167 return on an proposed investment of $33.62.  That's less than the cost of two hardback books!\n\nMYTH 7:  The library would get a big budget increase as a result of the override.\nTHE FACTS: The 2009 Annual Town Meeting approved a library budget of slightly over $280,000 for Fiscal Year 2010.  This was reduced at a subsequent Special Town Meeting when the Town's financial crisis became more apparent.  The amount on the override question id $262,230.00.  This would represent a 7% reduction from our original 2010 budget, and less than a 2% increase over  the current reduced budget.  The amount requested is also the bare minimum required to meet state requirements to receive state certification and state aid.\n\nNo comments:", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7014058828353882}
{"content": "Purchase school essays\n\n\nRead more\n\nMark twain political essays\n\n\nRead more\n\nEnglish essays cpe\n\n\nRead more\n\nOtis college art design application essay\n\n\nRead more\n\nEinstein essay world\n\n\nRead more\n\nVirginia held ethics of care essay\n\n338 Duncans article undoubtedly made an impression on GIs wrestling with moral issues of the war, but much of the public was still inclined toward a romantic view of the war at this time. . Government and\n\nRead more\n\nDifference between research paper and investigatory project\n\ndifference between research paper and investigatory project\n\nsimilar experiments, answers to your background research questions. If you can obtain this information, your project will be more successful. Credit Where Credit Is Due! Every author feels the same way. Each card contains the source at the top, with key points listed or\"d underneath.\n\nWhat is the difference between the words project and research\nWhat is the difference between thesis, research paper and project\n\nDifference of research paper and investigatory project - Dundee\nThe Difference Between a Research Paper and a Term Paper\nWhat s the difference between a report and a research paper\nSample Research Paper Experiment Creativity - Scribd\n\nWork by three to five authors (subsequent times) (Kernis., 1993 work by six or more author (Harris. Often, the statement of the problem will also serve as the basis for the introductory section of your final proposal, directing your readers attention quickly to the issues that your proposed project will address and providing the reader with a concise statement of the proposed. Can you use a procedure for your science fair project that is similar to an experiment that has been done before? Step 4 statement 3 Using specific details, show how the situation in step 2 contains little promise of improvement unless something is done. In the latter case the professor provides you a problem to resolve or a question to examine and sets the requirements for the paper. This will build the reality or the situation as it is and establish a gap between what ought to be and what. It should be of interest to the researcher and suit his/her skills, time, and resources. When you find information in a book, on the Internet, or from some other source, you must give the author of that information credit in a citation. The short answer is that the research paper is a report summarizing the answers to the research questions you generated in your background research plan. Science fair judges like to see that you understand why your experiment turns out the way it does. Usually it is a task given to the students at the end of a term and accounts towards the final grade in the subject, sometimes it can even constitute as the only component of the final grade.\n\nA research problem may be defined as an area of concern, a gap in the existing knowledge, or a deviation in the norm or standard that points to the need for further understanding and investigation. In any way it cannot be longer than one sentence and needs to be formed with clarity. For a science fair project, a reference citation (also known as author-date citation) is an accepted way to reference information you copy.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6911464929580688}
{"content": "Spiritual Support and Counseling\n\nClergy and other spiritual counselors are available to visit you and provide spiritual support at home. Spiritual care is a personal process, and may include helping you explore what death means to you, saying goodbye to loved ones, and performing a specific religious ceremony or ritual.\n\nReferrals are accepted 24 hours a day,\n7 days a week.\n\nPathway Hospice- Greenville - 864.312.6825\nReferral / Intake Fax Number - 864.312.6812\n\nPathway Hospice - Columbia - 803.391.3146\nReferral / Intake Fax Number - 803.391.3194", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000065565109253}
{"content": "Biographies definition\n\nWhatever its form or time, however, autobiography has helped define a nation’s citizens and political ambitions. Biographia was not in classical greek (bios alone was the word for it), though it is attested in later greek from etymology dictionary, © 2010 douglas phy in culture phy definitionthe story of someone's life.\n\nBiography description\n\nJohn foxe's actes and monuments (1563), better known as foxe's book of martyrs, was essentially the first dictionary of the biography in europe, followed by thomas fuller's the history of the worthies of england (1662), with a distinct focus on public ntial in shaping popular conceptions of pirates, a general history of the pyrates (1724), by charles johnson, is the prime source for the biographies of many well-known pirates. Itself an important stage in the development of the modern genre of biography, it has been claimed to be the greatest biography written in the english language.\n\nThis is a fine example of a e #5: why this world: a biography of clarice lispector (by­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ benjamin moser). All those readers who are going to read her myriad of works for the first time would find this biography interesting, and her life as beautiful and tragic, yet on of function of writing biographies is to provide details regarding the life of a person or a thing in an entertaining but informative manner.\n\nOne significant secular example of a biography from this period is the life of charlemagne by his courtier medieval islamic civilization (c. Foxe's the book of martyrs, was one of the earliest english-language the late middle ages, biographies became less church-oriented in europe as biographies of kings, knights, and tyrants began to appear.\n\nExample sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'biography. Finally, somewhat analogous to the novel as biography (for example, graves’s i, claudius) is the autobiography thinly disguised as, or transformed into, the novel.\n\nThough calling herself, in abject humility, “the creature,” kempe knew, and has effectively transmitted the proof, that she was a remarkable first full-scale formal autobiography was written a generation later by a celebrated humanist publicist of the age, enea silvio piccolomini, after he was elevated to the papacy, in 1458, as pius ii—the result of an election that he recounts with astonishing frankness spiced with malice. However, in the second act of this biography, the author shows that the hero was badly assaulted and ridiculed by a rowdy mob called critics, who are expelled from the conventional theater.\n\nThe wikipedia policy on biographies of living persons, see wikipedia:biographies of living volume of a 1727 edition of plutarch's lives of the noble greeks and romans printed by jacob tonson. Many of the authorities on which the biographies of xavier have been based are untrustworthy, notably the peregrinacam of 's other known work was a series of biographies of eastern saints, compiled about of book types or would you define biographies?\n\nOnce began a review of george eliot's biography, but left it of the says our author about \"biography, autobiography, and history? It is further divided into five categories:This is a more focused writing than an autobiography or a biography.\n\nReading matter ranged from political biographies to thrillers, she noted, and there were sailing magazines squashed in too. The critical biography aims at evaluating the works as well as unfolding the life of its subject, either by interweaving the life in its consideration of the works or else by devoting separate chapters to the works.\n\nPropose to continue this biography, and include the whole in book 's biography of bach is the only authority for this has divided his biography into three parts, entitled—‘faith, hope, charity. This is one of moser’s biographies, which comes a little closer to finding her true nuances.\n\nAmong the most highly regarded examples of this genre are, in the guise of autobiography, robert graves’s books on the roman emperor claudius, i, claudius and claudius the god and his wife messalina; mary renault’s the king must die on the legendary hero theseus; and marguerite yourcenar’s memoirs of hadrian. Your knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the ibe to america's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!\n\nSociological\" biographies conceived of their subjects' actions as the result of the environment, and tended to downplay individuality. Excluding early quasi-biographical materials about religious or political figures, the short biography first appeared in china at about the end of the 2nd century bce, and two centuries later it was a fully developed literary form in the roman empire.\n\nClick on the icon to tell us what you her will, she requested no biography of her should be written and none was attempted until 90 years after her ured as a series of fragments, the book varies in tone from straight journalism to expressionism and poetic lyricism and in genre from short story to aphorism to biography is currently being piece provides a short biography about the author with author contact details should further exploration of a topic be required. Cathy kelly just between us (2002)he was only too happy to provide what i asked for: thumbnail biographies of the three who were coming to see us today.\n\nIn this work famous greeks are paired with famous romans, for example the orators demosthenes and cicero, or the generals alexander the great and julius caesar; some fifty biographies from the work survive. Islamic literature, from the 10th century, produced short “typed” biographies based on occupation—saints, scholars, and the like—or on arbitrarily chosen personal characteristics.\n\nA narrative that recounts the unique sequence of events that made the person who she of drugs and alcohol, insanity, crime, violence, and in general any societal sin, often resulting in an early death are typical elements of the biography of a \"pote maudit\". The works of frank harris (oscar wilde, 1916) and hesketh pearson (tom paine, friend of mankind, 1937; beerbohm tree, 1956) demonstrate this kind of biographical nalized biographythe books in this fifth category belong to biographical literature only by courtesy.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8044126033782959}
{"content": "Ted Lawson is an American artist working across all media. His work is an ongoing interrogation of the male psyche, questioning notions of institutional privilege, asymmetrical power dynamics, and the discomfort of intimacy in a world where traditional discursive relations are constantly upended and continually under siege.\n\nCharacterized by a sense of hyper-compressed energy and visceral intensity approaching a state of exhaustion, Lawson frequently deploys a god’s eye POV to lure and then entrap the observer, releasing them moments later after having subjected them to his enigmatic effects. Sidestepping the merely comical and touching, junk & jokes, Lawson engages a sense of extreme pathos by implicating viewers of any gender, any race, any class.\n\nIn paintings, sculptures and myriad situational tableaux, Lawson’s work generally adheres to an overall monochromatic tonality, even while its constituent parts are as disparate as synthetic hair, robotic eyes, petrified wood, or the cast-off readymades made instantly available by consumer culture and ever more rapid cycles of planned obsolescence.\n\nBorn in 1970 in Brookline, Massachusetts, Ted Lawson currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.\n\n\n47 x 36 inches.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6915255784988403}
{"content": "Obama to nominate new Fed chief\n\n0 image_print\n\nUnited States President, Barack Obama, will nominate Federal Reserve Vice-Chair Janet Yellen to be the next head of the U.S central bank on Wednesday, according to a White House official.\n\nIf confirmed by the U.S Senate, Ms Yellen would replace Ben Bernanke, who has held the post for eight years.\n\n\nBBC reports that Ms Yellen and Mr. Bernanke are due to appear with the president on Wednesday.\n\n\nMs Yellen, like Mr. Bernanke, is seen as a “dove,” meaning she prefers to prioritise boosting employment by keeping rates low rather than worrying about inflation.\n\n\nOne senior U.S senator, Democrat Charles Schumer, said Ms Yellen had the backing of politicians and would win Senate confirmation “by a wide margin.”\n\nThe chairman of the U.S Senate Banking Committee, Tim Johnson, said she had “a depth of experience that is second to none.”\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9602227807044983}
{"content": "The Americas\n\nMexico: 3 police officers shot dead while eating at market\n\n\nGuerrero state prosecutors said Friday in a statement that the officers were eating at the market in the city of Chilapa when they were gunned down by unknown attackers bearing high-caliber firearms.\n\nThe wounded civilians were hospitalized in emergency wards.\n\nGuerrero has become one of Mexico's deadliest states, wracked by turf battles between rival drug gangs.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6013230681419373}
{"content": "Some very good news! – by Jeff Foster\n\n\n\n1. You don’t need all the answers right now. The true guru is within.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n2. There is nothing wrong with you, and there never was. No matter what they say.\n\nFriend, from the very beginning, you were not broken.\n\nYou were not born into sin. You were not destined for the spiritual garbage heap. There was never anything fundamentally missing from your life.\n\nYou just thought that there was. Others tried to convince you that you were not good enough, because they too felt not good enough. In your innocence, and with no evidence to the contrary, you believed them. So you spent all those years trying to fix, purify and perfect yourself. You sought power, wealth, fame and even enlightenment to prove your worth as a ‘me’. You compared yourself to other versions of ‘me’, and always felt inferior or superior, and it all became so exhausting, trying to reach those unreachable goals, trying to live up to some image that you didn’t even fully believe in anyway, and you longed for the deep rest of yourself. \n\nBut you were always perfect, you see, from the very beginning. Perfect in your total imperfection. Your imperfections, your quirks, your flaws, your weirdnesses, your unique and irreplaceable flavours, were what made you so loveable, so human, so real, so relatable. Even in your imperfection, you were always a perfect expression of life, a beloved child of the universe, a complete work of art, unique in all the world and deserving of all the riches of life. \n\n\n“Forget your perfect offering”, Leonard Cohen sings. “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”\n\n\n3. Enlightenment is not a destination. And it’s not personal.\n\nThere is no fixed path to enlightenment.\n\nEnlightenment is not a goal, the resting place at the end of a long journey -that’s the mind’s version of enlightenment.\n\nEnlightenment is the lighting up of where you are right now.  \n\nThis is very good news. It means that nobody is the authority on your path – no teacher, no guru, no religious leader. It means that nobody can tell you the right ‘way’ for you. It means that you cannot go wrong, even if you think you’ve gone wrong. It means that nothing that happens can ever lead you off the path, for the path is whatever happens, without exception. Nothing can take you away from the miracle of life, or bring you closer to it for that matter, since the miracle is all around, already shining brightly, as every thought, sensation, image, feeling, smell, sound, and as the deeper miracle of the one who is aware of all of this. \n\nBe the awareness, shining on the moment, whatever its contents. Doubt, fear, sadness, anger, intense confusion – maybe, just maybe, these are neither enemies nor blocks to enlightenment, but expressions of a deeper intelligence, the same incomprehensibly vast and awake intelligence that gives birth to stars and moves the ocean tides and sends each and every living thing off on its paradoxical journey towards its own being. \n\nCome out of the story of time and space and progress towards a future goal, and trust a sacred moment. Take any moment. Any moment at all. This moment. For any moment is the access point.  \n\nThere are never any blocks – only access points.\n\nYou are not some separate entity on a long journey towards a future completion.  \n\nYou are pure poetry.\n\n\n4. Your life cannot go wrong. Even when it seems to go wrong.\n\nIn reality, your world is set up so that nothing happens to you, but everything happens for you – for your awakening, for your growth, for your inspiration, for your exploration – even if you forget that, or sometimes cannot see it, or sometimes fall into distraction and despair.\n\n\nEverything is a gift on this unbreakable path that you call your life – the laughter, the tears, the times of great sorrow, the experiences of profound loss, the pain, the confusion, the times you believe you’ll never make it, even the overwhelming heartbreak of love – even if you forget that sometimes, or cannot see that sometimes, or lose faith absolutely in the entire show sometimes.\n\nBut even the loss of faith in the show is part of the show, and even the scene where ‘something goes wrong’ is not indicative of the show going wrong, and so you are always exactly where you need to be, believe it or not, even if you are not.\n\n\n\nYou are life itself! \n\n\nWith love, Jeff Foster.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6548966765403748}
{"content": "Julieta Aranda (New York/Berlin): Exercises on Desire and ‘Exotic Matter’, with Hans-Jörg Rheinberger (director Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin) and Miguel Alcubierre (director Nuclear Sciences Institute for UNAM, Mexico City).\n\nA new exercise of desire\n\nIn physics, ‘exotic matter’ is a term used to describe conditions and materials that are difficult to produce, and that have very unusual (exotic) properties once they are produced. No one knows for certain if exotic matter really exists. Currently, it is only a mathematical possibility.\n\nFor Aranda, ‘exotic matter’ sets the stage for a new definition of materiality and of material relationships to the world, particularly interesting at this point, where things appear to be uncomfortably straddled between real and virtual versions of themselves.\n\nJulieta Aranda tries to understand the nature of ‘exotic matter,’ by way of transhistorical apples – objects that both define us as beings capable of acquiring knowledge and that represent our material state: bound to the world. An apple to embody the desire to know, and also as the desire to move and trade the acquired knowledge –in boats and planes and spaceships. An apple of discord, as the lines through which knowledge moves get territorialized and transformed into borders. An apple as a repository of energy and desire.\n\nAn apple as an object that defines us as beings capable of acquiring knowledge, and as a representation of our material state: bound to the world, attracted by the world, gripped by the world… falling into the world at a steady 9.81 m/s2.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9821764230728149}
{"content": "Global Issues TED Talks\n\n\nBenjamin Barber speaks on the power of mayors at TEDGlobal 2013. Photo: James Duncan Davidson\n\n\n\nBenjamin Barber: Why mayors should rule the world Benjamin Barber: Why mayors should rule the world In this bold talk, Benjamin Barber suggests that we should transition away from nation states towards a system of cities, where mayors rule. Why? Because, he argues, mayors are pragmatic problem solvers who are deeply involved in the issues of the cities they serve. They are “homies,” that is, people who grew up in the city. They get things done: they are responsible for fixing potholes and educating children. In contrast, Barber notes, presidents rule abstractly and distantly, governing imagined nation states from above.\n\nBarber argues that cities are hotspots of potential for solving the challenges that face us. Most of the issues are concentrated in cities, and these governing bodies are best equipped to collaborate and address them together. Where nation states clash, cities mesh.\n\nThe 7 talks below — all from mayors who have spoken on the TED stage — put Barber’s theories into practice. Check them out:\n\nEnrique Peñalosa: Why buses represent democracy in action\nWhen Enrique Peñalosa was mayor of Bogota, Colombia, he radically rethought the city’s transportation balance. Why, he asks, should cars have the priority on the streets when the card majority of citizens couldn’t afford to have them? At TEDCity2.0, Peñalosa shares how he created lanes exclusively for buses, nixed the practice of parking on sidewalks, and created loads of protected bike lanes. His bold democratization of transportation was controversial, but important. “In terms of transport, an advanced city is not one where even the poor use cars, but rather one where even the rich use public transport.”\n\nEduardo Paes: The 4 commandments of cities\n“Mayors have the political position to change people’s lives,” said Rio de Janeiro mayor Eduardo Paes as he opened his inspiring talk from TED2012. He shared four commandments of running cities, which in part contributed to Rio’s successful bid for the 2016 Olympics. His accomplishments, which ranged from public health programs to improving the city’s transit system, illustrate a mayor’s unique ability to bring about change in a city.\n\nJaime Lerner: A song of the city\nCities hold the solution to climate change, said Jaime Lerner, former mayor of Curitiba in the Brazilian state of Paraná. Standing on stage at TED2007, Lerner shared how he revolutionized the city’s urban transit system by “metronizing” the bus through a combination of efforts targeting mobility and sustainability. He launched the Bus Rapid Transit system in Curitiba in 1974; now, the system is implemented in 84 cities globally. Don’t miss his catchy song at the end of his talk espousing the possibility of sustainability.\n\nEdi Rama: Take back your city with paint\nA small art project in Tirana, Albania seeded a renewed sense of citizenship for the city’s residents. As he shared at TEDxThessaloniki in 2012, former mayor Edi Rama took office in 2000 with a minuscule municipal budget; he nonetheless revitalized the town by adding splashes of color onto the city walls. Freshly painted façades had an incredible effect: crime dropped, the streets became safer. Citizens even started paying their taxes. This low-cost urban beautification process gave residents a sense of ownership over their city and put them back at the center of their own urban story.\n\nOmar Ahmad: Political change with pen and paper\nHow do you communicate with local officials? Write a letter, advised San Carlos, California mayor Omar Ahmad at TED2010. He found that letters presented the best opportunity for honest communication with his constituents. His experience translated into a formula for effectively communicating with politicians.\n\nChristopher Cabaldon: A hard reboot of democracy in the city\nIn this inspiring talk at TEDxSacramento City2.0, West Sacramento mayor Christopher Cabaldon called for a fundamental redesign of urban democracy. Rather than adapting a slow, plodding federal model of governance, cities should create a system designed for action. The 7-time-relected-mayor proposed a digital democracy, where citizens can engage with the civic issues they care about in a medium that works for them. This system might even allow us to cross municipal borders and collectively engage in the global governance of cities.\n\nDale Williams: Small town big change\nMotorcycle engineer and mayor Dale Williams radically reshaped the education and employment sectors of Otorohanga, a small city in northern New Zealand. Speaking at TEDxAuckland in 2013, he shared how he turned a paradoxical crisis of unemployment and low labor availability into an opportunity for the city’s young people. He designed a school-to-work program that helped support graduates in finding and keeping a local job or internship. The program has twice the retention rate as the national average, and has grown into a model copied internationally. Just as Benjamin Barber suggested, Williams illustrates how mayors are uniquely positioned to innovate solutions to local and global problems.\n\nNote: This talk originally ran on September 20, 2013. It was updated on December 6th to include Enrique Penalosa’s talk.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8743999004364014}
{"content": "Early Days of NASA: In Photos\n\n\nWith space tourism a growing industry and the Mars Rover’s journey to the Red Planet captivating the world, interest in space is the highest it’s been in decades. A recent exhibition in London, “For All Mankind” reveals over a hundred rare photos from NASA’s first pursuit of a successful manned moon landing, spanning from 1964 to 1983. The photos—all shot on film—offer both an intimate glimpse into the experience of the astronauts and also a broader perspective on the sheer tenacity and pioneering spirit of NASA’s cavalier beginnings.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.0000059604644775}
{"content": "Trading Platform\n\nMargin Trading\n\nAt present, centralized exchanges which facilitate margin trading are mired in the traditional challenges of establishing trust, preventing fraud and enhancing transparency. The centralized exchanges have been left to handle collateral management and ensure that traders do not default. Essentially, these exchanges have opted to bypass blockchain strengths which are premised on decentralization, perhaps as a minimization risk to the protection and global anonymity. These exchanges have had a fair share of their problems.\n\n\nIn a centralized exchange, borrowing funds for trading require a trader to manually place a margin call which the exchange makes to the trader. Ideally, the maintenance margin helps to rebalance the margin account. CoVEX’s Margin trading platform will allow users to trade using cryptos borrowed from other traders which will be supported by collateral funds. These funds will be computed based on the borrower’s token share and portfolio. Margin traders will be allowed to open long and short positions by borrowing money which they can either buy or sell. Later on, traders will close the positions by settling the loans. Obviously, the lender receives interest from the margin trader as an incentive for lending funds while CoVEX retains a percentage for providing a platform lender.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.682438850402832}
{"content": "Danes in the Midwest\n\nDanish historian Jette Mackintosh visited in the early 1990s Elk Horn and Kimballton in Iowa to make studies for her book published in 1993. The book describes how Danish immigrants settled in the area from 1868 on-wards and how they coped in the new environment. \n\nHere you can read an English summary of the book (PDF)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999731779098511}
{"content": "The Cave\n\n5 July 2018 Thursday 7:37am\n\n“You can have faith and just wait without doing anything. Um..No comment. You’re on your own on this one. Good luck!”\n\nI tweeted that the other day. I’m thinking—that’s what those twelve boys and a coach did when they got stuck in that underground cave. But they got results anyway. They were found and are now waiting to leave that cave. So does that mean just having faith and just waiting works?\n\nThey’re waiting to leave? What are they waiting for?\n\nThe cave is still flooded. The rescuers are helping to drain the water but it’s a slow process. At the moment, the rescuers are helping the boys and the coach gain back their strength and confidence. So they can swim or dive out of the cave despite the flood. It seems the rescuers are thinking of two options: One—find another exit. Two—teach the group how to swim and dive out. But the experienced divers say that even for experienced and expert divers, the flooded cave is super dangerous. And these kids’ health and stamina are not exactly to the max at the moment. I understand the rescuers have brought in 2 weeks worth of supplies, just in case. Man, being stuck in a cave for one day will already freak me out! Poor guys. Luckily, they will also be provided with some communication cable soon, if they haven’t already. Communicating with their loved ones will definitely be a big boost for their morale. So to get back to my question—so this situation just proves that having faith and waiting works after all, yes?\n\nAre they still waiting?\n\nWell, technically yes.\n\nAre they not doing anything?\n\nNo. They’re doing plenty! Especially on the rescuers’ side—which I believe has become an international affair.\n\nSo to answer your question—Yes, it may work. And no, it may not work.\n\nI think you misunderstood my question. I’m talking about the time before they were rescued. They just waited in that cave for 9 days for someone to rescue them. They probably just had faith and prayed a lot and waited. And yet rescue showed up. Isn’t that doing nothing but have faith?\n\nHow did anyone know they were stuck in that cave?\n\nThat’s a silly question. Their families would have worried about their disappearance, of course.\n\nSo they actually let their parents know where they were going?\n\nMost probably.\n\nThat is considered doing something, my dear. Even if they didn’t inform their parents—that is still doing something. Because their very existence as a member of a loving family is doing something. Their presence being missed in the comfort and love of a family is “doing something.” From the day you are born you are always doing something. Even before you are born you are doing something. Your soul is energy which is forever “doing something.” The energy of the soul can only be felt and not seen because it is an energy that is at a different frequency as compared to energy that is produced by your physicality—which is your body. You are never “not doing something.” You are always doing something. This “doing something” that you are doing is forever because your soul is forever.\n\nSo are you telling me that the statement “have faith and just wait” is wrong?\n\nNothing is ever wrong or right, my dear. That statement is not possible.\n\nSo that statement is an impossibility? That it can never be done? That no one in this world can really do such an action?\n\nHaving faith in itself is an action. Faith is a thought. Faith is a feeling. Your thoughts and your feelings are the most powerful energy in your universe. Energy in itself is “doing something.”\n\nSo what you’re saying is…Oh man, I don’t know what you’re saying! Help!\n\nYou came into this world for only one thing—and that is to help each other. When those boys and that coach decided to go into that cave, their soul already planned to get stuck even before they were born. We’ve mentioned it before—it’s called their “agenda.” Their soul’s agenda is to one day get stuck in a cave in order for the world to know who they really are. And in turn, they are giving the people of the world a chance to be who they really are.\n\nHence, the international coverage and the international oneness to rescue them.\n\nYes. So are the boys and their coach out of that cave yet?\n\nNot yet, I think. Soon, hopefully. We’re following the updates very closely. It seems they’re in good disposition, so that helps the situation a lot.\n\nMindset is everything.\n\nI know, I know. Frustration slows everything down. Love all around is better.\n\nMuch, much better.\n\nMy Access Solutions Provider\n\n18 June 2018 Monday 10:22pm\n\n“Your Access Solutions Provider”\n\n\nTry turning it around. Your provider solutions access.\n\n\nNot everyone writes, my dear.\n\n\n\nI know that. But some people don’t.\n\n\nThe Followers & The Challengers\n\n12 May 2018 Saturday 3:55pm\n\n“Dear Neale…I have been wondering about the role of personality in the mechanics of the mind and system of the soul. I observe that some people have personalities that seem to make it easier for them to operate successfully in our culture — i.e. follow rules and religious doctrine while others are challenging rules and not accepting of structures that govern and make the rules. Can you discuss the role of personality?”\n\nThis was on Neale’s website. Neale wrote an explanation but it’s sort of complicated for my kind of intellect.\n\nWhat is your kind of intellect?\n\nUm…I’m simple? I’m of a simple intellect.\n\nNo, dear. You wouldn’t have come as far as you have with just a simple intellect. The soul is simple but complex.\n\nBut I just said that Neale’s reply to the query was complicated. And now you’re saying my intellect is simple but complex. If I was also complex then I would have understood what Neale was talking about.\n\nI said the soul is simple and complex. The soul knows no rules. I’m sure you’ll agree with me when I say that rules make life complicated. Therefore the soul is simple because the soul is free. The soul is also complex because the soul knows everything. The knowing of everything is immense, to say the least. And isn’t the soul life? Isn’t life complex? Therefore the soul is also complex. Now, let me ask you – do you always know exactly what your soul is up to?\n\n\nWhy do you think that is so?\n\nAt first, I think I know what I’m doing because I’m thinking of the conscious purpose of what I’m doing while I’m doing whatever it is I’m doing. But later on, I’ll realise that what I was doing had a different purpose altogether. It was a subconscious or even superconscious purpose – the purpose of the soul. Does that make sense?\n\nRead it again – what you just wrote. Does it make sense to you?\n\nYeah, it makes sense.\n\nYou have just created a simple explanation of something complex such as what the soul is up to. The soul is me. The soul is capable of anything. In your world, the body, mind and soul have to act as one in order for you to experience your life agenda. It is these acts which are the physical evidence or components of your personality. Your personality is actually what others observe of you. When others see you act out kindness, they will say you have a kind personality. When they see you act out gratitude, they will say you are thankful or polite. When they see that you’re a forgiving person, they will say you have a generous or tolerant personality. When they see you act out violence, they will say you have a violent personality.\n\nWoah! That was quite a leap there. From kindness to gratitude to forgiving to generous, then bam – violent! C’mon, you gotta ease me into it, God. Maybe put in anger or resentment, or piqued in there somewhere before we jump into violence.\n\nMy apologies. But you must agree, dear one, that violence in your world does show up violently out of nowhere sometimes.\n\nI agree. Anyway, we haven’t really discussed the real query – what’s the role of one’s personality in connection with one’s mind and soul? And why are there personalities who prefer to practice religious beliefs & doctrines as compared to those that challenge them?\n\nLet me quote the exact words used because they are key in explaining exactly what the topic is about – which is about personality. The exact words are “some people have personalities that seem to make it easier for them to operate successfully in your culture — i.e. follow rules and religious doctrine while others are challenging rules and not accepting of structures that govern and make the rules.” Do you know of any personalities who are examples of the first group of people mentioned? Let’s call them the Easy Followers.\n\n\nNever mind. It doesn’t matter. How about the other group of people? Let’s call them Challengers.\n\nYeah. Neale and his friends, I guess.\n\nAre you one of Neale’s friends?\n\nI like to think so.\n\nHe does too. So do you call yourself one of The Challengers?\n\nLike yeah.\n\nHave you always had a personality that is a trait of being a challenger?\n\nNope. I’ve only just recently become a challenger. Like about 5 years ago. That was when I realised my life purpose. Before that, I would have called myself an Easy Follower because at that time I was operating by following rules and religious doctrines.\n\nYou forgot the word “successfully” in there somewhere – operating successfully by following rules.\n\nI don’t think so.\n\nFair enough. So to get back to the query: What role does personality play in being Easy Followers or in being Challengers?\n\nI’m not sure. But I think one can already deduce by what we call each group. Which I think is not very nice of us to do so.\n\nDo what, dear?\n\nYou know, call people names by their personalities.\n\nWhat do you think the names mean?\n\nOne name may mean that the personality of the person prefers to follow rules because it’s easier – easy life. While the other is not so easy – a challenging life.\n\nDon’t you consider yourself one of the Challengers?\n\n\nIs your life challenging at the moment?\n\nAt this very moment, yes! This conversation we’re having is really tough! I’m afraid of offending someone.\n\nYou, afraid?\n\n\nBut tough?\n\nI try.\n\nWould you consider the role of your personality as being afraid and being tough when it concerns the “mechanics of the mind” and the “system of the soul”?\n\nI suppose so. Being afraid is of the mind. Being tough is of the soul. Afraid and tough – that’s an odd personality combination, though.\n\nNot really. Love and fear go hand in hand in your world.\n\nFor now.\n\nYes, dear. For now.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5246999859809875}
{"content": "The story behind a song\n\nTonight’s blog is bought to you care of a workmate yesterday, who knowing my love of most things American, asked me if there was actually a midnight train to Georgia, as in the song? So fine, I took a look this morning, knowing there were all sorts of long distance trains on Amtrak, that there might be one, somewhere. In fact, no there isnt, and nowadays at least (and reputedly wasnt in the 70’s) there is no train direct from Los Angeles to Georgia anyway. The closest at the moment that I could find, was the overnight Silver Meteor train which calls at Rocky Mount, North Carolina at 11.50 pm, and gets to Savannah, Georgia at 6.34 in the morning. Mind, it might have left a few nights at midnight, but anyway…lol!\n\nAnd no, the train from Los Angeles to New Orleans, from where you could, in theory, connect to a train to Atlanta, leaves at 9.00 pm on the nights that it runs anyway! So clearly, no is the answer.\n\nThe thing is, when you dig into these matters on the internet, you find all sorts of intriguing information. As in, in this case, that wasnt the original name of the song! It was, as I will prove shortly, originally called ‘Midnight Plane to Houston’, and yes, they have existed in the past! Not sure if there is a current one, with all the night flying regulations we have now, but back then…there was!\n\nSeemingly, what happened was that some artists came along, who wanted to tweak the title to something different, and a new title was born! The fact that said train never existed, mere technicality lol! So yes, the next time you hear Gladys Knight, or Cissy Houston singing that song, just remember it wasnt always about a train to Georgia, but a plane to a whole different state.\n\nFine, you want proof? Here you go, the Country version, as sung by the songs writer, Jim Weatherley. Sorry, unsurprisingly, no live video!\n\n\nGoing down to San Diego\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRiding on the bus\n\nAnd by that, I dont mean the public transit service around the towns, and cities on both sides of the Atlantic, though its a reasonably well known fact that generally I think the public transit service in the big cities, in the US, knocks ours for 6, both in terms of prices, and generally reliability too.\n\nBut in the US, long distance travel is a whole different ball game! Yes, if you have the inclination, flying between the major cities in America isnt too much of a challenge either. But you try to get from ‘smaller point’ A, to ‘smaller point’ B, and apart from the main coastal strips, it becomes a whole different challenge.\n\nI know, most people wanting to get from those bigger cities, well, its still cheaper, and quicker to fly between the 2 points (even with a change of flight) than it is to travel long distance by train, or by bus, but all the options are generally there.\n\nI mentioned it at the time I visited, but do you know the extent of public transit, into Cherryvale, Kansas? For passengers, pretty much zero! Freight trains, yes, but passenger trains, sorry…\n\nAnyway, to get to the point. Medium distance travel, for non drivers.\n\nI’ve actually crossed America, and back, by train. Fine, the last stretch from Philadelphia, to Atlantic City came about 6 years after the rest, but I’ve done it. And yes, you dont measure the journey time in minutes, or indeed hours, more like days! I liked Amtrak, though admittedly, I havent needed to use it since that day I completed that epic trip, back in 2009.\n\nBut, when people in the US talk about taking the bus, they dont mean the service bus into the city centre, they mean riding the coach, the Greyhound bus, to be exact.\n\nMe, despite all my trips to the US, never done that. I’ve generally been in one city, or I’ve travelled with Kate, by car. And yes, I’ve seen ‘the bus’ a few times, I must admit. But now…\n\nI’ve told you already about a friend, who is planning to hypnotise me, if we can get together on this trip. I’m pretty certain if he gets hold of my mind, not only will I look (a bit) like Jean Harlow, I’ll think I’m her too! Just one snag, I’ll be in Albany, NY, he’s near Manchester, NH (fine, not THAT close) but I cant give too much away…about 200 miles apart.\n\nOver here, between those 2 points (both reasonably large cities), you’d probably have a number of coaches in a day, connecting them, either directly, or with one change. Today, I looked to see how practical getting to him would be. Albany, to the connecting point, yes, fine, plenty of choices. From there, to err, near Manchester, just one! Early evening going north, very early morning coming back south. Thats it!\n\nWhy, because most people drive, of course! Except, little old me! The fare (even Thanksgiving week, so I suspect it might be more than normal, is pretty reasonable. The number of services though…\n\nSo, to visit him, be hypnotised, do my past life regression, and become Jean Harlow for a while at least, becomes a logistical challenge. Lets see, the only way to do it, go up on the Monday afternoon/evening, stay overnight, then have my mind ‘played with’ on the Tuesday. Then the first chance to come back, is Wednesday morning, at the unearthly hour of 6.40 am! And we’d to leave his town before then, to get to that point anyway!\n\nOf course, he might turn me into Jean-bot, and I never return, but somehow…lol.\n\nSo I might at last, get to ride ‘the bus’, or I might not, we will see. But I do wish the US had a decent long distance coach service like we do over here.\n\nThe only song I could immediately think of, that mentions Greyhound buses, was this one. So sue me, its Simon and Garfunkel, so I’m biased!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6399476528167725}
{"content": "Shale Lures Retailers to New, Burgeoning Markets\n\nIn the midst of the American shale oil and gas boom, a curious new trend has emerged in the retail industry. As Shelly Banjo notes in her recent Wall Street Journal article, companies such as Home Depot and Wal-Mart are opening new stores in regions that were once isolated and sparsely populated, but now are home to booming oil and gas towns with healthy appetites for retail and real estate.\n\nWhereas intense competition from online shopping platforms is pushing down in-store traffic and new store openings across much of the U.S., these new, highly concentrated markets in states such as North Dakota, Texas and Louisiana now offer retailers a timely opportunity to expand domestically and boost their brick-and-mortar sales. In turn, these companies are largely servicing those in the energy sector, while providing significant retail job growth and new opportunities for real estate development.\n\nTo provide some additional, in-depth perspective, I asked Charles Dewhurst, partner and leader of BDO’s Natural Resources practice, and Stuart Eisenberg, partner and leader of BDO’s Real Estate practice, to weigh in on this trend and its impact across industries. Here’s what they had to say:\n\nCharles Dewhurst: “There’s a reason we think of the oil and gas industry as being an economic powerhouse: Its growth and impact is rarely limited to the energy sector. Not only has the shale boom put money back into consumers’ pockets by creating well-paying jobs; it also has helped stabilize the price of oil and natural gas, making downstream energy more affordable for Americans and freeing up discretionary income to funnel back into the economy. It’s no surprise that those industries that rely directly on consumer dollars are benefitting.”\n\nStuart Eisenberg: “Local real estate markets can be significantly impacted by growth in another sector. When companies in large, influential industries, like natural resources, expand into a market, jobs are created, resources are needed and other companies follow to meet the demand. This spurs both the performance of existing property assets and new property development. The positive movement will likely not just be limited to retail spaces; the residential rental and hotel real estate sectors should also experience notable improvement.”\n\nWith shale oil and gas bringing new growth opportunities across multiple sectors, what are your thoughts on this trend’s long term impact? Let us know in the comments section below.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8560782074928284}
{"content": "Restaurant Insurance\n\nRestaurant Insurance for Risks That Can't Be Controlled\n\nAll businesses are subject to risks and exposures during the course of daily operations and restaurants face their slew of concerns from both an operational standpoint, and an economic one as well. Operational risks are associated primarily with accidents or injuries within the facility itself. Slips and falls are a common concern for both customers and employees.\n\nWorkers may injure their backs, cut fingers during food preparation, or be burned by hot liquids. Kitchens are perhaps the most common place where injuries happen, and there’s also the risk of a fire breaking out. Many operational risks associated with restaurants can be controlled through sound risk management strategies, but Restaurant Insurance will provide the necessary funds to keep the operations up and running.\n\n\nWays to reduce injuries, health risks, and other dangers\n\nEmployees need to demonstrate rigorous cleanliness and safety practices, which are the result of employee education, and should include frequent washing of hands, proper use of sharp utensils and other cooking tools, as well as having protective devices in place, such as sprinkler systems for cooking equipment. Proper maintenance is also an important consideration.\n\nA single outbreak of food poisoning or contamination will likely be devastating to your operations, causing customers to no longer support your business. Therefore, exercising proper cleanliness and employee education are critical in order to maintain customer confidence.\n\n\nNeighboring businesses can actually impact your success\n\nThe part of town where a restaurant is located can certainly have an affect on the restaurant’s reputation and value to the community. If the restaurant is located in a resort community, for example, that may serve as added incentive for people to patronize your restaurant. By the same token, if an anchor store leaves the facility, and the mall receives less traffic, this could have the opposite effect.\n\nThe restaurant industry generally continues to grow, especially in large metropolitan areas, which means increased competition. In an effort to attract new customers, many offer additional services such as entertainment and catering. Still, restaurant owners need to consider risk management practices along with maintaining adequate amounts of Restaurant Insurance.\n\nMany risks are difficult to control, but by having a sound strategy in place and quickly dealing with the risks associated with that strategy, you can make a difference in just how successful your venture will remain, and avoid costly claims along the way.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7803328037261963}
{"content": "(1797 - 1828)\n\nThe son of a schoolmaster who had settled in Vienna, Franz Schubert was educated as a chorister of the imperial court chapel and later qualified as a schoolteacher, briefly and thereafter intermittently joining his father in the classroom. He spent his life largely in Vienna, enjoying the company of friends, but never holding any position in the musical establishment or attracting the kind of patronage that Beethoven had twenty years earlier. His final years were clouded by illness, as the result of a syphilitic infection, and he died in 1828, leaving much unfinished. His gifts had been most notably expressed in song, his talent for melody always evident in his other compositions. Schubert's compositions are generally numbered according to the Deutsch catalogue, with the letter D.\n\nStage Works\n\nSchubert wrote operas, German operas or Singspiel and incidental music for the theatre. His best known compositions of this kind include the music for the unsuccessful play Rosamunde, Fürstin von Zypern (Rosamunde, Princess of Cyprus), mounted at the Theater an der Wien in December 1823. The ballet music and entracte from Rosamunde are particularly well known.\n\nChurch Music\n\nAmong the various works Schubert wrote for church use particular mention may be made of the second of his six settings of the Mass.\n\nChoral and Vocal Music\n\nSchubert wrote for mixed voices, male voices and female voices, but by far the most famous of his vocal compositions are the five hundred or so songs, settings of verses ranging from Shakespeare to his friends and contemporaries. His song cycles, published in his lifetime are Die schöne Müllerin (The Fair Maid of the Mill) and Die Winterreise (The Winter Journey), while Schwanengesang (Swan-Song) was compiled by a publisher after the composer's early death. Many of these songs by Schubert are very familiar, including Der Erlkönig, the Mignon songs from Goethe and the Songs of Norma from Sir Walter Scott.\n\nOrchestral Music\n\nThe Unfinished Symphony of Schubert was written in 1822, but no addition was made to the two movements of the work. Other symphonies of the eight more or less completed include the Great C major Symphony and the charming and classical Fifth Symphony. His various Overtures include two \"in the Italian style\n\nChamber Music\n\nOf Schubert's various string quartets the Quartet in A minor, with its variations on the well known Rosamunde theme and the Quartet in D minor, Death and the Maiden, with variations on the song of that name, are the most familiar. The Piano Quintet \"Die Forelle\" (The Trout) includes a movement of variations on that song, while the great C major String Quintet of 1828 is of unsurpassable beauty. The two Piano Trios and the single movement Notturno date from the same year. Schubert's Octet, for clarinet, horn, bassoon, two violins, viola, cello and double bass was written early in 1824. To the violin sonatas (sonatinas) of 1816 may be added the more ambitious Duo for violin and piano, D. 574, of the following year, and the Fantasy, D. 934, published in 1828, the year of Schubert's death. The Arpeggione Sonata was written for a newly devised and soon obselete stringed instrument, the Arpeggione. It now provides additional repertoire for the cello or viola.\n\nPiano Music\n\nSchubert's compositions for piano include a number of sonatas as well as the Wanderer Fantasia and two sets of Impromptus, D. 899 and D. 935. He also wrote a number of dances for piano, waltzes, Ländler and German dances. His music for piano duet includes a Divertissement à l'hongroise, marches and polonaises.\n\nFind current performances of Operas by Schubert", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.818445086479187}
{"content": "Digital Creative Attributes Framework\n\n[The framework, handbook and associated guidance can be found here: – a PDF of the core framework can be downloaded here\n\nOne weakness of a ‘graduate attributes’ approach for student development is that it looks lovely in strategy documents but can be difficult to respond to on a day-to-day basis, especially in digital contexts. For example, a graduate attribute that talks about students becoming ‘agile connectors’ sounds positive but how does a course leader respond to that when designing curriculum? They might have a sense of what agile connecting looks like in their discipline but add digital to the mix and it suddenly they are casting about for the latest app or platform as a placeholder for teaching practice. Unfortunately, this fuels a demand for a more ‘skills focused’ approach in which a list of this week’s popular technologies is drawn up with advice on what it can be ‘used for’. With the best will in the world this approach always puts the tech before the teaching and course leaders feel a pressure to ‘introduce technology’ to ‘keep up’.\n\nDCAF Handbook\n\nSo, we often end up with the macro of ‘attributes’ and the micro of the tech-list. What is missing is a ‘meso’, or middle level, connecting the two. Connecting high-level aspirations through to practical activity is the principle behind the Digital Creative Attributes we have developed at the University of the Arts London. These are an extension of the Creative Attributes Framework at the UAL which lays out nine key attribute areas in three groups. The Digital Creative Attributes Framework (rather pleasingly the ‘D-CAF’) is a digital expression on the CAF, not a whole new framework. It provides a meso layer of digital practices for courses to build on or map to.\n\nThere are four significant advantages to this approach:\n\n  1. DCAF practices are stable. Digital platforms, apps and software might change but the practices we require to thrive in the digital environment remain the same.\n  2. DCAF is not discipline specific so each group can contextualise relevant practices in a manner which makes sense for them.\n  3. DCAF can be used to articulate current curriculum in digital-practice terms. It’s not a list of ‘things you haven’t managed to include’ but a framework which can highlight to students the value of engaging in the curriculum in certain ways.\n  4. DCAF provides a shared language which works for staff, students and the creative industries.\n\nThe last point was extremely important to me because I’ve been in too many meetings where the lack of a shared language around digital has seriously disrupted meaningful progress. Essentially, when we say the word ‘digital’ in an institutional context everyone thinks of different things and wants to set different priorities. The tech folk call for more kit, senior folk want a clear ‘vision’ and everyone else just wants some support and guidance. Saying ‘let’s talk about digital’ is the same as saying ‘let’s talk about the university’ both these topics are far too big and neither of them can be ‘solved’.\n\nThe DCAF is designed to focus these discussions around a set of practices we know the students want/need to develop. It respects the importance of disciplinary context and avoids the techno-solutionist trap.\n\nWe have released the DCAF under a Creative Commons licence to open it out to all. It gives a good insight into the digital practices which underpin creative working and as such is relevant to anyone taking a creative approach to teaching and learning.\n\n\nCoalescent spaces\n\nDesigning pedagogy which coalesces digital and physical spaces\n\nThe keynote at our UAL Learning and Teaching day last week explored ‘Creative Learning Spaces’. As the images of new and co-opted spaces flashed by I started to think about how many of them would exist it it wasn’t for Wifi, laptops, tablets, smartphones and ultimately the Web.\n\nTraditionally learning spaces would have been constructed around specific modes of knowledge transmission and proximity to knowledge. The main independent learning space being the library because it was useful to be adjacent to knowledge in the form of books.\n\nIt seemed obvious to me that the new physical environments we are designing in universities are a reflection of what the digital provides us and the way in which this has disbanded the geography of knowledge. Even so it was clear that this influence on physical spaces hadn’t been closely considered.\n\nThis comes about, I suspect, because the digital is commonly seen as a set of tools not a series of spaces or places. When I’m introducing the Visitors and Residents idea I’m careful to define ‘space’ as ‘any location where other people are’ or ‘any location where we go to be co-present with others’. It’s then clear that our motivation to go online is often very similar to our motivation to go to particular physical locations. The implications for teaching and learning are significant, especially when we take the example of students using connected devices in traditional face-to-face spaces such as the lecture theater.\n\nIt we think in terms of the digital as a set of tools then our perception on the room might look like this:\n\nIf we think of the digital as a set of spaces then it might look like this.\n\n\nMy view (if we exclude digital tools for a moment) is more along these lines:\n\n\nThis is because I tend to think in terms of presence rather than attention. As the tutor I could become preoccupied with how much attention students are paying to me or how ‘distracted’ they are by their screens. This is a very limited and unhelpful way of modeling the situation. A more interesting way of framing this is ‘where are my students?’ Just because I can see them sat in front of me doesn’t mean they are ‘in the room’. When they are looking at their screens they could be present in another space altogether.\n\nThis is where the digital/physical overlap becomes really fascinating. When we go online in Resident mode we are present in multiple concurrent spaces. We are always present in the physical world to a certain extent because we are embodied. However, we may be more present in the space on our screen than in the physical environment. This isn’t specifically a digital phenomenon, being multiply present is a human capability we are all strangely good at. How many times have you been transported into the world of the film or the novel you are gripped by? And yet when we conceptualise the digital it is often not along these lines. I suspect this is because the digital is still quite new culturally (even though it is well established technologically) so we don’t like the idea of the digital as immersive or captivating. For example, it’s acceptable to say that you ‘lost yourself’ in a book but to say that you ‘lost yourself’ in Twitter or on a website is still seen as suspicious or second rate (this is an extension of the books = good vs screens = bad problem).\n\n\nA coalesced pedagogy would lead to this:\n\n\nHere are a few suggested coalescent designs:\n\nDiscussing student work that has been created by students in the digital space when f2f.\nA good example of this comes from our foundation course at Central St Martins in which students use our eStudio platform, Workflow, to gather research and to write reflections on their design plans. During f2f sessions student areas of Workflow are brought up on screen for discussion. Students can browse round their peers work in the platform and update their work during f2f time too. Obviously this could work well for any course in which the process of student work is captured as they develop it in an open or quasi-open online space. I think of this as a ‘soft-flip’ if we are talking in flipped classroom terms. Soft, because the f2f session is also bringing in the digital.\n\nOnline discourse while ‘in the room’\nThe best example of this is when a class or group join in with a live hashtag discussion. If the course has been designed in an open manner then it might be possible of the student’s themselves to promote and run a live discussion in this manner. The real advantage here is that a relatively small class can connect with a larger group which ensures a wider range of views and a good critical mass to drive discussions. The tutor can pick out salient points and convene a meta-discussion in the room in parallel with the hashtag discussion online.  This is an event driven format which can be extremely engaging but it also has the advantage of being reviewed and reflected on in a more measured fashion after the f2f session.\n\nCollaborative, critical, knowledge construction\nThis is as simple as putting a Padlet up on screen and then asking students to gather relevant resources on a topic into the space. They should also be encouraged to contextualise the resources they bring in. Once the Padlet starts getting crowded a f2f discussion can be started around how best to cluster resources into  categories or sub themes. Again, the Padlet can be revisited after the session to support ongoing project work, acting as a co-constructed pool of resources or references.\n\nActive knowledge contribution/construction\nAKA a Wikipedia mini-editathon. Getting a room full of students to live edit specific Wikipedia pages to improve them or to create new pages. This is quite technical to get set-up as Wikipedia is likely to block sudden activity from a single place but Wikimedia UK are more than happy to provide support to get you started. They also have loads of good resources online to get you started on Wikipedia in an educational context.\n\nThere are just a few possible approaches that coalesce the digital and the physical around learning. For me the principle concept here is providing opportunities to be communal across the physical and the digital and to not get to hung up on the idea of collaboration. The communal is both easier to engender and potentially more engaging than the collaborative. It also allows for elegant lurking and doesn’t discount the notion of being present and engaged without ‘visible’ participation. Yes, students want access to the ‘stuff’ they need to get their courses done but unless we design communal digital spaces and coalesce the digital and the physical they will have a fractured and disconnected experience.\n\n\n\nAnalysing digital literacies – four headlines\n\n\nCC –\n\n\n1. Genres of participation\n\n\n2. Attitudes\n\n\n\n\n3. Transition points\n\n\n\n\n4. Management\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNew Places to Learn\n\nYesterday I tweeted:\n\n\n\nVisitor restrictions\nCC: A-NC-SA Flickr: 'Celita'\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nProduct or Public Good?\n\n\nOr view the talk in the ALT-C youTube channel\n\n\n\n\nALT Proceedings\nA fortifying cup of tea with some mini-chedders\n\n\n\n\nDave Walks\n\n\n\n\nSlides from the talk:\n\n\nThat Was an Interesting Experience\n\n\n“Teaching and learning in virtual worlds is an experience.”\n\n\n\n\nPhase 2 plans for our Philosophers\n\n\n\n\nStage One (framing the debate):\n\n  2. students to post kneejerk response in blog\n  3. Marianne to respond one to one\n  5. second kneejerk to be posted on Moodle\n\nStage two (dynamic in world discussion):\n\n  2. People read these and reflect as everyone arrives\n  3. Marianne asks each student in turn to comment\n  5. final statements to be sent to Dave\n\nStage three (reflection):\n\n  1. Marianne to annotate final statements, and add comments\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLearning from the Games Designers\n\n\n\n\n\nKeep watching to see how we get on.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9528593420982361}
{"content": "Essays on the help\n\nEssays on the help\n\nHuman development essay\n\nIt is impor tant. This technique of the cover letter. Types of reviews that might be mongolian, american indian, or some other selections. References aalto, e. & matonya, m. 2013. The constant is that radicals view society as edu 194. Several years ago, frances rauscher and colleagues state that how caffeine affects sleepiness alertness has focused more heavily on computer-mediated communication to be traditional, with a new combinatorial form, some variant on city-region, urbanregion, or more specifically to the style used throughout this book. Byung-in seo compares writing to writing an essay writer with practice exercises on the following sentences. 174 the dissertation chapters 7 writing the key tools for government intervention. Remember that while many are quick to move like that ever again. 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Because what are they were on peak of city-state development to activities that facilitate the emergence of a copy editor may direct questions are these: 1. Create a chart like the snow early this year. Authors deriving or using an irrelevant appeal to authority again, only now, it is an example: On the other hand, several students were studying at different stages in your writing process. The validity of a cylinder. This thinking seems to make an evaluation story evaluator able to create stock charts.\n\nthesis center usc case study writing services", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8147450089454651}
{"content": "Full Structural Surveyors Regent West\n\nBuilding Surveyor Training\n\nRegent West\n\nland surveyor fees\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nhomebuyers survey price\n\n\nsurveyors fees for house purchase\n\n\n\n\nBuilding Surveyor Salary\n\nApartment Building Surveyors\n\nget paid for online surveys\n\nThe training for a building surveyor usually involves a broad kind of advice on the improvement of new constructions and the rest of the architectural works. Building surveyors work on-site of a new project or play an important role in a large team performing the job of restoring and up keeping an older building or a historic architecture.\n\nThey are also required to submit testimony to courts when there is any violation in building rules and regulations. The main job is to make sure the completion of the building works on time. Other major responsibilities include providing advice about the budget amounts to the client, maintaining contractors, purchasing supply materials and various other project requirements.\n\nBuilding surveyors are also hired for the purpose of analyzing the situation of a fault or damaged building. In this case, they should perform the job of analyzing the defects of the buildings and propose a building plan and the budget amount for repairing the building. The modern building surveyors should have the knowledge about the recent advanced energy efficient technology and the impacts caused by the construction of new building on the environment and society.\n\nSeveral institutes offer several approved corresponding qualifications. Some of those include Chartered Institute of Housing, Institute of Revenues, Rating and valuation, Civil Engineers Surveyors Institution, Building Engineers Association and Royal Town Institute. Few surveyors join multiple institutions. The persons who are can apply for the license in building surveying includes the building surveyor, assistant building surveyor and the building surveying technician.\n\nThe application for the license must be provided in the approved form and should mention the required license level. It should also include the license fee and application fee details, identity of the applicants and finally the approved certificate of the candidate. The application must be submitted to the BSA for receiving the license. The license for building surveyors expire after one year.\n\nwhat\\'s involved in a homebuyers survey\n\n\nQualifications required\n\n\nThe role of a building surveyor\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8779400587081909}
{"content": "College signing: Makenzie Lukehart: PSU DuBois softball, basketball\n\nName: Makenzie Lukehart\n\nHigh school: Glendale\n\nHometown: Utahville\n\nSport: Softball, basketball\n\nPosition: Centerfield, guard\n\nCollege choice: Penn State DuBois\n\nOther colleges considered: Clarion, Messiah\n\nWhy I picked DuBois: “They have a great PTA program, I like the small campus, and I get to continue playing both softball and basketball.”\n\nGreatest high school achievement: Getting first-team all-state and the most hits in a season for softball and holding the record for most steals at Glendale for basketball.\n\nHow I got my start playing: “I have played basketball since I was in third grade, and I’ve played softball since I was 6 years old.”\n\nFavorite college growing up: Florida\n\nOther interests: Hunting, fishing, cheerleading\n\nWhat playing in college means to me: “I have always wanted to be able to play sports in college, and to be able to play both of my favorite sports is a dream come true.\n\nCollege major: Physical therapist assistant\n\nParents: Melissa and Rodger Lukehart", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9946303367614746}
{"content": "A Turning Point for the Islamic Republic’s Economy?\n\nAt the close of Tehran’s markets on Saturday Iran’s currency, the rial, stood at a historic low. According to the Islamic Republic Student News Agency (ISNA), it traded at 20,000 rial to the US dollar, 24,000 rial to the euro, and 30,000 rial to the British pound. While the currency has experienced a long decline vis-à-vis the US dollar since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, a fall of 6,000 rial to the dollar in less than one month represents one of the largest declines in recent memory.\n\nThe unpredictable fluctuations appear to be linked with rising uncertainty among the Iranian public about Iran’s economic future. On 31 December 2011, US President Barack Obama signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which contains provisions that punish foreign financial institutions that do business with Iran’s central bank, Bank-e Markazi. Among other things, this provision is intended to make it difficult for other states to conduct basic financial transactions with Iran, including the purchase of Iranian crude oil. Petroleum products represent the overwhelming majority of Iran’s exports and a substantial proportion of the state budget. The most recent round of US sanctions were preceded by British sanctions which severed that country’s ties with Bank-e Markazi, and Canadian sanctions prohibiting financial transactions with Iran and expanding the list of prohibited goods to include all goods used in the petroleum section, among other things.\n\nWhile Congress has given some leeway to the Obama administration in implementing the NDAA sanctions because of the effect a sudden withdrawal of Iranian oil could have on global oil prices, ultimately their scope and impact will likely rely on a number of factors. These include the implementation of the recent oil embargo by the European Union, whether China and others continue to import Iranian oil at current levels, and if Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and other oil producing countries can and are willing to increase output to compensate for the loss of Iranian oil. The signs thus far are not positive for Iran. For example, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia may signal a shift in China’s energy strategy in the Persian Gulf, lessening its dependence on Iranian oil.\n\nThis profound economic uncertainty has caused Iranians to buy up other currencies, especially the US dollar, gold coins (which recently rose to a historic high of 10,000,000 rial), and any other valuable assets, such as real-estate, which could preserving their value in the face of a falling rial. The government has held on tightly to its foreign-exchange reserves for fear of the effects sanctions could have on the Islamic Republic’s ability to acquire foreign currencies, perversely stimulating demand for these currencies and accelerating the rial’s fall even further. What is more, a sudden inflow of investment into real-estate could also stoke a rise in property prices and rent. Thus far, the state has marginalized the role of sanctions and blamed black market currency traders and international gold markets for the fluctuations, claims that appear out of touch with reality.\n\nThe Islamic Republic has survived a number of crises since its inception, not the least of which were severe economic issues linked to the dislocations of the Islamic Revolution, Iran-Iraq War, US sanctions, and structural economic problems linked to government corruption, incompetence, and mismanagement. The avalanche of sanctions beginning at the end of 2011 are different however, and may represent a turning point in Iran’s economic situation with grave consequences for social tensions and ultimately the regime’s political stability. Even for the most optimistic observers of the Islamic Republic, the picture must look bleak indeed.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9521394968032837}
{"content": "DCA - Isostore\n\nDynamic Control Atmosphere (DCA) - Isostore\n\n\nThe principle of “fluorescence”\n\nIn practice the level of oxygen within the storage rooms is lowered until the point where the software running the ISOSTORE system detects a higher signal of “fluorescence”. At this point the operator sets the oxygen level for the storage period to a slightly higher set value and the level of CO2 is set accordingly.\n\nFluorescence Signal\n\nD.C.A. (Dynamic Controlled Atmosphere) enables you to create the ideal conditions for the medium-long term storage of any kind of fruit by allowing you to lower the oxygen levels in storage rooms to between 0.4%- 0,7% (for apples) without the risk of hypoxia and correlated physiological disorders. During the storage period using Isostore it is possible to set and adapt the values of gases in a dynamic manner based on the maturity, annual climatic variations, different origins and varying respiratory rhythms of the monitored fruit.\n\nThis technology is particularly suitable for organically produced fruit and is being used successfully in order to avoid post-harvest treatment with diphenylamine (DPA) or 1-MCP. D.C.A. has been shown to maintain all the organoleptic properties of the produce (firmness, juiciness, sugar content, acidity, flavour etc.), thus ensuring much longer storage periods compared with conventional C.A.storage and guaranteeing excellent quality of the product during the following “shelf-life” phase.\nAnother advantage of using D.C.A. is the ability to control scald which is a significant physiological disorder of many apple and pear varieties during medium-long term storage.\nD.C.A. has also shown to be effective in the reduction of internal browning and rot during storage in varieties such as Braeburn, Granny, Pink Lady and Fuji.\nAs well as the important aspects mentioned above, DCA has in recent years established itself in the commercial sector mainly due to the “control of common scald” on numerous apple varieties ( Red.del, Granny S., Pink Lady, Jonagold, Elstar, Fuji, Idared, Maigold, ecc.) and pear varieties ( Anjou, Abate F., Conference, Bartlett, Rocha, etc.)\n\nThe imminent ban in Europe of post-harvest chemical treatments against scald such as DPA for apples and Ethoxyquin for pears means that DCA allows apple and pear operators worldwide to look to the future ahead with a certain degree of optimism.\nDynamic Controlled Atmosphere-Isostore® can therefore be defined as state-of-the-art technology in the Controlled Atmosphere sector and represents a significant improvement over conventional  CA storage systems which are based on maintaining pre-programmed and static values of gasses      in the storage room as opposed to the new Isostore® software which allows you to continously monitor the possible stress of hypoxia in real time, thus enabling you to maintain an optimal  “dynamic-adaptive” atmosphere in the room.\nIn order to simplify the concept one can say that the monitored fruit is now able to communicate its “distress” to us by using the common language of “fluorescence” and the operator simply has to act upon this.\n\nThe interest and success of every new system is normally endorsed by the achieved commercial results and in this regard Isolcell SpA can be more than satisfied with the results achieved up until now.\nAfter the successful albeit justifiably cautious introduction in 2003 of ISOSTORE® technology in South Tyrol (Italy), to this day (2014) more than 1300 operational storage rooms are now to be found both in Italy than abroad (Argentina, Chile, Brazil, U.S.A., U.K., Germany, Poland, Austria, Swiss, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Israel, France, Spain and Portugal, South Africa and New Zeland).\n There are also 19 research institutes worldwide working with D.C.A. and the F.I.R.M. fluorescence sensor in order to implement this technology in the future not only to new varieties of apple and pears but also new and cultivars.\n\nISOSTORE® is recognized by leading industry experts as the most suitable biological and natural alternative to DPA and 1-MCP use for the conservation of apples and pears.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.546101450920105}
{"content": "Sunkissed tourists sizzling on beaches, melted ice-creams and Vespa seaside adventures are some of the images that many of us relate to an Italian summer. The beach towns and cities abuzz with life as the long days melt into balmy evenings. However, the rest of Italy, especially cities in the north tell another story. One of solitude and creative activity in the near-empty streets and once busy transport hubs.\nFaraway, so Close! portrays the solitude and underlying sense of loneliness that Alessandro Zanoni experienced wandering the abandoned Milan train stations, in the late evenings of August. As a tireless metropolitan traveler, his work focuses on finding unusual urban wastelands.\n\nIn this series, he focused on stations that routinely empty out in the evenings and are thereafter wrapped in silence. The title of the series, inspired by Wim Wender’s movie expresses the willingness to travel, but the inability to do it. A far off destination, unreachable despite the dynamic movement of trains on the run.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9954977035522461}
{"content": "Python - Dividing line on point of intersection\n\n\n\nReferring to: Python - Working with arrays\n\nAfter getting help with the above problem, I’ve encountered my next one already.\n\nMy end goal is to split intersecting lines on the points of intersection, so 2 lines forming a T sections will turn into 3 lines and 2 lines forming a cross will split into 4 lines.\n\nIn the referred topic, I worked out the distance, I now want to make it so if the distance is within a set tolerance to split at that point.\n\nI’ve looked at Curve.SplitByPoints but I don’t know how to format code to get it to do what I want.\n\nI’ve looked at an If statement, such as\n\nIf distance > tolerance\n\nbut like mentioned before not too sure on how to turn that into code.\n\nThanks for the help.\n\n\nlike this maybe?\n\n\nYou can use ScopeIf+ from Clockwork like this:\n\nIf you need it in code you can use something like this:\n\n(You can wrap the functions inside the codeblock if you want, I was just showing the format you need to use.)\n\n\nThanks, was trying it as a little python project to improve my skills in it. but since Its needed for work, il use this for now! thanks for the help\n\n\nFor experimenting with later (eg. processing more than one element set to intersect :wink: )\n\nimport clr\n\nfrom Autodesk.DesignScript.Geometry import *\n\n\nfor c in c1:\n\nOUT = y", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9317151308059692}
{"content": "Feedback Control Project\n\n\nRobotics can be challenging. The code is perfect, yet the robot doesn’t perform the required task. Other times, the robot does too much, and unexpected results occur. In this case, a robot with only a single light sensor was able to perfectly navigate a difficult “zigzag” section multiple times, something of an unexpected result.\n\n\nThis robot uses a proportional-integral-derivative, or PID, control system to follow a black line with a white background. The general system calculates an error value by subtracting the measured value from the desired value. The prevalent system used for this model out of the P, I, and D is the I. This method uses the accumulated past values of error. If the current output of the controller is minimal, error will soon accumulate over time, and the controller will begin to output a stronger signal, resulting in stronger action. This allowed the robot to complete the course with relative ease and with little wobble.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8476927280426025}
{"content": "Though we are not with any denomination, there are some fundamental beliefs that we hold to. They are listed below:\n\n\n\n(2 Timothy 3:16-17; Peter 1:21, John 17:17)\n\n\n\n(Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14)\n\n\n\n(Hebrews 1:3; 3:1; 7:23-25, 1 John 2:1-2)\n\n\n\n(John 16:7-11; John 3:8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; John 14:16-17; Ephesians 4:30; 5:18)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n(Acts 13:38-39; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 1:4-5; 2:8-10; Romans 8:1, 8:29-30; 38-39)\n\n\n\n(Colossians 1:18)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9991794228553772}
{"content": "The South African mining industry on Wednesday tabled a case for coal mining in the country, arguing that coal will continue to play an important role in the economy for the foreseeable future despite its declining profile and negative impact on the environment.\n\nAt the Mining Indaba on Wednesday, the Chamber of Mines published its report on the Coal Strategy for South Africa and also launched a collaborative approach by the South African coal producers called Coal Mining Matters initiative.\n\nThe Coal Strategy report outlines the challenges faced by the coal mining sector and provides some insight from different scenarios which could play out in the future depending on factors that could impact the demand for, and supply of coal.\n\nHenk Langenhoven, chief economist at the Chamber, said that coal was not only instrumental in South Africa’s development, but for the broader industrialisation of the country.\n\nLangenhoven said that coal remained one of South Africa’s most abundant and valuable resources as the country derived over 82 percent of electricity requirements from coal, and that its economic impact was far reaching, even on other industries such as the electricity, manufacturing, construction and finance sectors. \n\nHe said that for the year 2017, the coal industry employed 81,962 people, paid employees R22 billion in earnings, indirectly created and sustained 170,000 jobs outside the industry, paid R1.1 billion in royalties, and contributed R123.2 billion in sales.\n\n“Negative views on coal and its impact on the environment have resulted in a precipitous decline in the use of coal by the major economies of the world. Many jurisdictions, including South Africa, have put in place strict environmental laws which have affected demand for coal. We have witnessed a total shift in demand for our coal from European markets to Asia,” Langenhoven said.\n\n“Ensuring that South Africa remains competitive and able to meet energy demands in the context of a developing economy, while at the same time reducing the country’s carbon emissions will require close collaboration between all stakeholders including suppliers, users of coal and regulators. Coal is the most variable and valuable chemical of all mineral commodities. It should be protected, nurtured and used wisely.”\n\nLangenhoven said that significant strides had been made in mitigating emissions arising from coal powered electricity generation, mentioning technologies such as high efficiency, low emissions drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions.\n\n – African News Agency (ANA)", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9787886142730713}
{"content": "A Rational Argument to the People Who Hate Science and Evolution\n\n\n\nThe first step in demonstrating the truth of evolution is to make the claim that all living creatures must have a living parent. This point has been overwhelmingly established in the past century and a half, ever since the French scientist Louis Pasteur demonstrated how fermentation took place and thus laid to rest centuries of stories about beetles arising spontaneously out of dung or gut worms being miraculously produced from non-living material. There is absolutely no evidence for this ancient belief. Living creatures must come from other living creatures. This is called Biogenisis. It does no damage to this point to claim that life must have had some origin way back in time; this is referred to as Abiogenisis, perhaps in a chemical reaction of inorganic materials (in some primordial soup) or in some invasion from outer space. A highly probable theory is that life sprang into existence billions of times before one organism had the ability to reproduce and divide. That may well be true. But what is clear is that any such origin for living things or living material must result in a very simple organism. There is no evidence whatsoever (except in science fiction like Frankenstein) that inorganic chemical processes can produce complex, multi-cellular living creatures (the recent experiments cloning sheep, of course, are based on living tissue from other sheep).\n\n\n\n\nTo make the claim for the scientific truth of evolution in this way is to assert nothing about how it might occur. Darwin provided one answer (through natural selection). The above argument is intended, however, to demonstrate that the general principle of evolution is, given the scientific evidence, logically unassailable and that, thus, the concept is a law of nature as truly established as is, say, gravitation. The theory of evolution and the theory of gravity are both SCIENTIFIC THEORIES. Scientific theories are not your every-day \"I got an idea\" theories. These have been studied, tested, experimented, and are now accepted as NATURAL LAW. That scientific certainty makes the widespread rejection of evolution in our modern age something of a puzzle (but that's a subject for another essay). In a modern liberal democracy, of course, one is perfectly free to reject that conclusion, but one is not legitimately able to claim that such a rejection is a reasonable scientific stance. Science doesn't tell us what we WANT to hear. It tells us what is real, observable, and testable. And it has yet to tell us anything about a creator. Now, because I'm sure that a bunch of ignorant, bible-thumping, deductive logic lacking, fundamentalists are going to read this, I'll leave the comments on (unlike almost every single Christian/Creationist propaganda post, seriously, it is getting very annoying and hypocritical). This is a forum for discussion, not a soap box for NON-Science where nobody can call you on your BS. Discuss amongst yourselves.\n\nLiveleak on Facebook", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7688129544258118}
{"content": "Highlands High School  Logo\nEvents Graduation Sister School: Matsuyama Seiryo AVID College Tour Awards Night\n\nD. Modules 3 and 4\n\n\nCriteria for Evaluating a Website\n\nIn Module 2 you learned about the parts of a web site. In Module 3 and Module 4 you will be learning about the criteria used to evaluate a website. The next nine lessons contain 9 topics used in web site evaluation. \n\nLesson Objective\n\nBy the end of  Modules 3 and 4 you will understand and be able to use the nine criteria used for evaluating a web site. The nine criterion covered are: Purpose, Authority, Objectivity, Appropriateness, Currency, Responsibility, clarity, Accessibility, and Hoaxes. \n\nModule 3 lesson 1: Purpose\n\nWhat is the purpose of a Web site? Web pages may be –\n> commercial     > persuasive                                    > informative\n> personal           > educational                                    > institutional\n> entertaining      > a hoax\n\nWhat does the URL (web address) say about the creator of the website and its purpose? By looking at the final syllable in the domain name, one can determine something about the type of site, and the information on that site. Some examples include:\n\n.gov           Government agency: www.whitehouse.gov\n.net            Internet service provider: www.comcast.net\n.com          Commercial site: www.target.com\n.edu           Higher education: www.csus.edu\n.mil            Military site: www.navy.mil\n.org           Organization / may be charitable, religious, or a lobbying group, among others: http://en.wikipedia.org\n\nThere are numerous top-level domain names, in addition to country names that appear as two-letter abbreviations in the domain name. More details on this can be found at this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Internet_top-level_domains\n\nModule 3 Lesson 2: Authority\n\nAuthority defines the level of expertise of person, group, or organization that developed the web site. Some common questions to ask when looking at the web site include:\n\n* Who is the author of the site?\n* What are the credentials (professional background, education, or experience)\n  of the person or group?\n* Does this person or group have sufficient authority to speak on the subject and\n  information on the web site?\n* Is there contact information, preferably multiple options, such as name, address\n  phone number, eMail address, FaceBook, or other options?\n* Is there an organization or corporate sponsor, and what is their role?\n* Is there a list of references?\n* Is the page authentic, or is it a hoax page?\n\n\n\nModule 3 lesson 3: Objectivity\n\nObjectivity looks at whether there is bias to the informational content. Check if advertising and the information content are being supplied by the same person or organization. Keep in mind that many websites with excellent information are sponsored by commercial entities or take advertisements to finance the website.\n\n* Does the content reflect a bias?\n* Is the bias explicit or hidden?\n* Does the identity of the author or sponsor suggest a bias?\n* How does the bias impact the usefulness of the information?\n\n\n\n\nModule 3 Lesson 4: Appropriateness and Relevance\n\nAppropriateness & Relevance\nEach web site is constructed to address and appeal to a particular age group, a range of age groups, and to provide information at a particular level of cognitive development. The ability of a user to understand the information presented, and to navigate the information on the web site generally depends on a combination of reading skills, familiarity with the types of page layouts commonly used, and a general level of knowledge about the subject(s) presented.\n\n * Is the content appropriate for the assignment?\n* Is the reading level appropriate for the project?\n* Is the content appropriate for the age or developmental level of the audience?\n* Is the content accurate, complete, and well-written?\n* Is the content relevant to your topic or question?\n\n\n\nModule 4 Lesson 1: Currency\n\nCurrency relates to how up-to-date the web site is. Many web sites need to regularly add new or updated information, while others may contain facts that will be unchanging. If the web site connects to other web sites, it is important that the links on the site are regularly checked.\n\n* Is the information on the pages up-to-date?\n* Can you find information about when the page was last updated?\n* Do all of the links on the pages work?\n* Is there a difference between the date the information was created and when\n  the page was last updated?\n\nLook at these two sites and compare them using the questions listed.\n\n\n\n\nModule 4 lesson 2: Responsibility\n\nResponsibility shows what person or organization is directly tasked with ensuring that web site follows standards of professionalism with the web community, and the larger user community. It includes looking at such questions as:\n\n* Are the authors of the web site up-front about their purpose and content?\n* Is there a way to contact the authors who created and maintain the web site?\n* Do the authors give credit for information used on the web site?\n* Is there a list of references?\n\n\n\nModule 4 Lesson 3: Clarity\n\nClarity looks at how the information is presented on the web site. A clean, well thought out web site makes it easy for a new visitor to navigate and find the information they seek.\n\n* Is the information on the web site presented clearly?\n* Is the text neat, legible, and formatted for easy reading?\n* If there are graphics, do they add to the content or distract from it?\n* If there are advertisements, do they interfere with the ability to use the page?\n* Are the pages well organized?\n* Are there mistakes in spelling or word usage?\n\n\n\n\nModule 4 Lesson 4: Accessibility\n\nA number of Internet users are visually-impaired or blind. In order to navigate a web site, these users need to have special instructions built into the web page so that they can access the information with screen readers and related devices. Built in components like screen magnification, and the ability to adjust the contrast, are also useful in many situations.\n\n* Can you get to the site?\n* Does the site load quickly?\n* Can you move around the site easily?\n* Is the site or page there after long lengths of time between visits?\n* Is there a text-only alternative for the visually-impaired?\n\n\n\n\nHoaxes (Optional Lesson)\n\nHoaxes present a significant challenge to determine whether the information presented gives misinformation that the unaware reader may take to be real. To verify the authenticity of a site, the reader may need to compare the information with other sites of a similar topic. Look at the examples below that contain lists of hoax web sites to gain some experience in evaluating the information presented.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nStudents: the Journey Begins Here\n\nModule 1 Pre-assessment\n\nModule 2 - Details of a Web Page\n\nModule 3 - Purpose, Authority, Objectivity, Appropriateness & Relevance\n\nModule 4- Currency, Responsibility, clarity, Accessibility, Hoaxes\n\nModule 5- Reading and Locating Information\n\nModule 6- Post Assessment\n\nTeacher Resources", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8166380524635315}
{"content": "Our Approach\n\nOverall, PEP’s approach helps adults and children learn positive, respectful ways to belong and contribute to their families and, as they grow, to their communities.\n\nWe focus on the positive impact of a democratic style of parenting versus either a permissive or an authoritarian style. What sets democratic parents apart?\n\nPEP’s philosophy, which is founded on the internationally acclaimed work of Alfred Adler, M.D., and Rudolf Dreikurs, M.D., is optimistic and pragmatic. It promotes:\n\n\n10100 Connecticut Ave. Kensington, MD 20895       |       301-929-8824       |       office@PEPparent.org       |       © COPYRIGHT 2013 PEP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8732661008834839}
{"content": "Planetary orbit simulation lab manual\n\nWelcome to the interactive web model of the solar system, a simple astronomical simulator and predictor of planet orbits that displays dynamic view of the solar. Ap physics – virtual solar system lab the purpose of this exercise is to test and reinforce concepts regarding orbital motion such as kepler’s laws of planetary. A naive simulator of gravity, written in python then with just one (to show stable orbit, a merged planet is then created,. Learn kepler's three laws of planetary motion by examining the orbit of a planet around a star the initial position, orbital motion - kepler's laws html5. The solar system simulator is a graphical engine which will produce simulated views of any body in the solar system from any point in space.\n\nView lab report - planetary orbit simulator lab answers from astro 101 at cal poly pomona name: kendall klyczek planetary orbit simulator student guide background. Lunar phase simulator student guide answers lunar phase simulator lab planetary orbit simulator student otc xd 350 manualpdf planetary orbit simulator student. Name: planetary orbit simulator – student guide background material answer the following questions after reviewing the “kepler's laws and planetary motion” and. Seasons the rotating sky motions of the sun planetary orbit simulator planetary orbits lab naap planetary mitsubishi lancer ce cg workshop service repair manual.\n\nPlanet orbit simulator - laspcoloradoedu. Orbit shapes interactive animation how does the orbit of pluto compare to the orbit of neptune, the 8th planet in order from the sun. Free ebooks naap planetary orbit simulator pdf science green stout taylor biol 1406 lab manual austin community college biofloc technology options for.\n\nAstronomical simulator and predictor of planet orbits. Astronomynmsuedu. Manual sym orbit 125 service manual planetary orbit simulator answers lab answers naap planetary orbit simulator answers planetary orbit simulator. This site provides information related to the orbits, physical charateristics, and discovery circumstances for most known natural bodies in orbit around our sun.\n\nWith this orbit simulator, gravitation, motion, orbit simulation, planet simulation the aip style presented is based on information from the aip style manual. Astrophysical simulation software for unix and windows 95/nt as a part of our new astronomy lab manual, i have written some interactive software exercises that. This simulation models planetary motion by iterating through physics equations the satellite will orbit the planet in a perfect final mapi lab manual.\n\n  • Gravity and orbits simulation in this simulation, students will learn the orbits of the earth and moon as well as gravitational forces.\n  • 411 ex 41 planetary motion results using different simulation of earth orbit around the % based on 'computational physics' book by n giordano and h.\n  • Astronomy 113 laboratory manual fall 2011 computer simulation software does remarkably well in recreating the bring to class this lab manual, your lab book,.\n\nClick anywhere on the applet to place your planet clicking on show kepler's law will mark off the orbit in equal time segments for the next orbit created. Simulation kepler's law calculator lab the planetary orbit simulator linked to below uses javascript and html to generate a graph of a planetary orbit. A lab manual daniel v schroeder physical system is called a computer simulation you should have access to a computer lab with.\n\nplanetary orbit simulation lab manual Inside lab 3: kepler’s laws  in this lab you will become more familiar with the properties of ellipses and use a  planetary orbit.\nPlanetary orbit simulation lab manual\nRated 4/5 based on 28 review", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9863916635513306}
{"content": "Meditation Mastery\n\n\n\nEngage the Highest universal mechanics, awakening connection to your Higher self, its path made clear, unfolding before you, flowing through its passage, enabling the developmental transformation that moves you to Enlightenment.\n\n“I felt my entire mind and body become flooded with the most beautiful divine light and love…a being of infinite compassion and grace greeted me and acknowledged itself as my Higher Self!  I have been living in the most incredible state of ‘oneness’ – I feel as if I have come home to who I truly am! My relationships, my business, my home…everything in my world just seems to respond to this amazingly sublime state of being that I now am. I can see so much deeper into the world around me, I can see how events and energy affect the world around me, before they have happened and I just ‘know’ clearly how to influence my own reality and life.”\n\nG Allen, Auckland, N.Z.\n\n“Meditation Mastery” through concept, principle, Attunement and energy, coordinates your being such that it can engage the mechanics necessary for connecting with the entire spectrum of your multidimensional self, the Highest aspect of which is your Higher self.\n\nConnection to your Higher self at any level of the dimensional formations which comprise your “consciousness” and “being” is the foundation for Enlightenment.  The reason for this is because the  insight, understanding and knowing given and experienced from this connection, awaken the Highest, illimitable and undeniable reasons, meaning and energy for attaining this goal.  When these specifics are given clarity as to your truest purpose,  they naturally unify and coordinate all the qualities and vehicles which comprise your being, enabling them to engage with the mechanics required for developmentally transforming towards your Highest potential with optimal refinement.  The process of developmental transformation when connected to your Higher self, as opposed to not, could be compared to the difference between driving a motor vehicle with the brakes on versus driving without unnecessary resistance.\n\nAs the actions are engaged, this being the practice, experience brings true insight, understanding and knowing, rather than mere intellectual conjecture and philosophy based not on experience but assumption.  As these qualities reciprocally inform and coordinate with your perceptual awareness, your ability to pass through subtler and subtler levels of dimensional formation increases.  Then by continually progressing through these cycles, a “tipping point” is reached, where inertial power shifts the balance such that continued developmental transformation becomes naturally inherent to all that comprises your being.   Passing through any and all “terrain” – obstruction, tether and bindings of all forms are released, movement is without restriction and eventually and inevitably origin is reached, then it too passed through.  Being no longer tethered to constructs and their binding illusions, enchantments, obscurations and limitations, the experience of true freedom, unconditional peace, clear understanding, authentic compassion and all encompassing love can finally be known.  Absent obscuring obstruction, pure unadulterated Light passes through us without hindrance.  Enlightenment has been attained.\n\nFor some the aforementioned will already have brought clear resonance, been recognized as such and known to be that which you have been seeking.  If this is you and you wish to begin as soon as possible simply contact the Guild to apply.   If you seek further intellectual information in order to more clearly sense, hear and engage your inner resonance greater detail has been included in subsequent pages.\n\nMoreover, the universal mechanics engaged in Meditation Mastery are the foundations upon which the qualities and vehicles developed in “the Esoteric Warrior” and “Psychic Mastery” extend from.  As such, to gain deeper insight into both respective Activations the knowledge given in subsequent pages details the fundamental qualities, mechanics, Higher meaning and properties that “Meditation Mastery,” “the Esoteric Warrior” and “Psychic Mastery” all engage, in different ways or forms, yet in function, for unified, singular purpose.\n\nContact Us", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9412279725074768}
{"content": "Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13! (English Audio)\n\nMassive explosions mysteriously erupt all over the world causing a global panic. The reasoning behind such grand scale violence eludes all until Goku realizes that these attacks are solely aimed at assassinating him. And then what will he do?\n\nDuration: 45\n\nRelease: 1992\n\nIMDb: 8\n\nQuality: HD\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9478392004966736}
{"content": "Importance of Education\n\nEducation is important to everyone. People go to school to earn the respect and recognition from other people. Having an education will give you better opportunities in life, like when finding a better job that will pay you more than the minimum wage. Education will also help you develop your full potential and will improve you as a human being. The more things that you know, the more chances that you will be able to face whatever life throws at you.\n\nEducation is one of the most important thing that a person can ever have. Every single person in this world needs to study. Through education, people will be able to gain knowledge and have a different view of the world. People will be more useful and polished if they are properly educated.\n\nSecondly, education has an important role in the society that no one can imagine life without education. It doesn’t only help develop healthy surroundings, but also helps create a more advanced and civilized community.\n\nLastly, people should always remember what Bill Gates once said, As we enter the twenty-first century, it is clear that education is, indeed, the best investment that we can make, for an information economy depends upon a knowledgeable, skilled, educated workforce. The better educated our students are, the better we will perform economically.”\n\n\nTop Reasons Why People Love Singapore\n\nAccording to a survey by Mercer Cost of Living, Singapore is the the eighth most expensive city to live in in the world. It is the third most expensive city in Asia, after Tokyo and Osaka, but ahead of Hong Kong. Despite this, how come people still choose to live in this country?\n\nClimate and Safety \n\nBecause of its geographical location, the island nation boasts of a tropical climate all year round climate. Singapore is also one of the cleanest countries in the world with very low pollution level. Aside from this, this country also has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. So you will not have to worry about your safety, pollution and severe weather anymore.\n\nTrade and Commerce \n\nSingapore is known for its trade and commerce. The country produces and exports their goods to the US, China and Europe, and have one of the busiest ports in the world. Most multinational companies have a representative or an office in Singapore. Also, it has an open market economy, corruption-free environment and high per-capita GDP, that’s why, despite the high cost of living, many people still prefer stay in Singapore.\n\nDiversity of Cultures \n\nSingaporeans are open with diverse cultures since most people living in the country also come from different cultures – Chinese, Malay, Indian, and many others, thanks to the huge expat community. The city is well-positioned in  Asia that it has become a major stopover point for long-haul flights.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5577623844146729}
{"content": "Socialist Worker\n\nProviding a revolutionary alternative\n\nIssue No. 1751\n\nDebates in socialist movement\n\nProviding a revolutionary alternative\n\nBy Chris Bambery\n\nTHE SOCIALIST Alliance and Scottish Socialist Party's election campaigns have put socialism back on the agenda bigtime. In contrast, the Labour left weekly Tribune complains, \"This election has probably witnessed the lowest ever turnout of committed party members. \"Everywhere there are tales of many of the most committed people having left the party or becoming inactive.\"\n\nSocialists have the best opening in 100 years to build a left wing alternative which has powerful support in the working class. In the time since the Labour Party was formed at the beginning of the 20th century, socialists have been pushed to the sidelines of working class politics. Although individual socialists and socialist organisations have at various times been able to make an impact, the politics of Labourism dominated political life in working class communities.\n\n\nA pattern emerged in working class politics in the absence of a clear socialist alternative to Labour. When workers began to win economic battles they looked to their own trade union power to gain further concessions. But when strikes began to go down to defeat, workers looked to the Labour Party to achieve political change.\n\nThis dominance of Labourism was not inevitable. In 1893, when the Independent Labour Party was formed, socialists had a choice. They could join and try to shape the new party, keeping their socialist politics as distinctive as possible, or they could stand aside in sectarian isolation. Unfortunately sectarianism dominated the early British Marxists, and they withdrew from the ILP.\n\nThe dominant trend which developed within the new party was to drop any clear commitment to socialism and create a wider Labour Party in alliance with trade union leaders which was narrowly parliamentarian. So a strong left wing influenced by Marxist ideas never emerged in the early Labour Party. This was different to countries elsewhere in Europe, such as Germany and France.\n\nBreak to the left\n\nFor eight decades the possibility of creating mass socialist parties has been off the agenda. But today the decomposition of Labour's traditional support is under way, and it raises the prospect of serious forces breaking to the left. The growing global movement against capitalism is fusing with discontent with Blair.\n\nBoth flow from a common source-the global ruling class's championing of the free market agenda so beloved by New Labour. In this situation people breaking with Labour can keep moving left.\n\nThe Socialist Alliance has brought together increasing numbers of former Labour Party members and activists, as well as uniting existing groups of the far left. One of the greatest strengths of the Socialist Alliance is that it has brought together people from different political traditions and backgrounds. But debates about the way forward are also vital-as long as they are part of a united movement that fights and campaigns together.\n\nWithin the Socialist Alliance there are those who argue that revolutionary change is necessary, and others who in varying degrees argue that the system can be reformed. The Socialist Workers Party believes that we need revolutionary change and a mass revolutionary party.\n\nChange from below\n\nAll real change has come from mass movements from below. The ruling class will use its control of the state to try and block such radical change. This is what happened in Chile in 1973 when the democratically elected left wing government of Salvador Allende was overthrown by a brutal military coup. That government made the fatal mistake of trying to push through change within the confines of the existing system, and did not mobilise the full power of the working class.\n\nAt the moment many of the parties and groups of the new left which is emerging in Britain and internationally have not committed themselves to a particular model of organisation. This openness and fluidity is normal, and indeed desirable. But in periods of political awakening like ours it cannot not last forever. In any great struggle there is a conflict between the old and the new. The old feeds off the ideas we have had fed to us from birth, defended by the Labour Party and the trade union leaders-slavish adherence to the capitalist constitution and laws.\n\nThe new flows from the gut instincts of workers who want to fight and win. The outcome of this battle between old and new will decide the outcome of major struggles, and ultimately of revolution. The 20th century saw a series of revolutionary crises where tragically the old won over the new, and the working class paid a terrible price as the ruling class reimposed \"order\" through bloody repression. Fascism in Italy was one product, Nazism in Germany another.\n\nParties which refuse to choose between reform and revolution can become paralysed or divided in moments of crisis. One of the tasks of revolutionaries within the new movements is to make sure that the working class does not have to undergo that experience again.\n\nRevolutionary party\n\nA revolutionary party centres on two things. Firstly, the revolutionary party adheres to firm principles, which at times involve it being a small minority within the working class. Secondly, it tries to build a close relationship with the greatest possible number of workers by providing effective leadership in every struggle that arises.\n\nAfter the 1917 Russian Revolution its main leaders, Lenin and Trotsky, looked to build mass communist parties clearly committed to revolution across Europe. Such mass parties could not-and cannot today-be built simply by recruiting individuals, important as that was and is. It would involve what Lenin described as a process of \"splits and fusions\" within the existing mass organisations of the working class, Labour-type parties and the trade unions.\n\nLenin and Trotsky's aim was to create parties that would not simply make abstract propaganda about the need for socialism and contest elections. Rather, they would immerse themselves in the day to day struggles of workers in which they could argue for revolutionary strategy, tactics and ideas. In 1920 Lenin argued, \"Propaganda and agitation alone are not enough for an entire class, the broad masses of the working people, those oppressed by capital, to take up such a stand. For that, the masses must have their own political experience.\"\n\nMass movement\n\nMany of those now supporting the Socialist Alliance and the SSP, or considering switching support, will not agree with the need for such a revolutionary party. Over time and in practice revolutionaries have to demonstrate that their strategies, tactics and ideas are necessary to arm the working class. There are no short cuts. Simply passing a resolution is not going to convince tens of thousands of workers of the need for revolution.\n\nThe Socialist Workers Party wants to be part of a mass movement in which we can win a mass hearing for revolution. The main danger facing the left today is sectarianism. New movements and a new left are emerging, globally and locally. Revolutionary socialists cannot afford to sit on the sidelines, but need to be at the centre of the debate.\n\n\nArticle information\n\nSat 9 Jun 2001, 00:00 BST\nIssue No. 1751\nShare this article\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9647206664085388}
{"content": "Changing how runners' feet strike the ground can reduce knee pain\n\nIncreased participation in running has led to more injuries\n\nRunning has been steadily growing in popularity over the past few decades, and it is now one of the most popular forms of physical activity. To put this growth in perspective, more than 15 million Americans participated in running events in 2012, compared to only 4.6 million in the 1990s. But unfortunately, with the higher number of individuals involved in running has also come a greater number of resulting injuries. The most commonly reported running injury is a condition called patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), which is essentially a general term for pain that develops behind or around the kneecap. There are several treatment strategies available for PFPS, but one of the newest methods showing some promise is gait retraining. This intervention is basically teaching someone how to run with a modified pattern by changing things like knee position or how the foot strikes the ground during a running stride. More specifically, runners that strike the ground with the backs of their feet first-which is called a rearfoot strike (RFS)-have been shown to have a greater risk of sustaining an injury than those who use a forefoot strike (FFS). Therefore, changing from a RFS to a FFS may reduce injuries in runners, but studies evaluating this are lacking. For this reason, a powerful study called a randomized-controlled trial (RCT) was conducted to determine if making this change could benefit runners with PFPS.\n\nRecreational runners assessed one month after retraining\n\nRecreational runners who were dealing with knee pain from PFPS and who also described themselves as having a RFS were recruited for the RCT. This search led to 16 runners being accepted into the study and then randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. Participants in the experimental group went to eight sessions designed to retrain their gait. During each session, the participant would run on a treadmill facing a mirror while a trainer provided guidance to run on their toes or the balls of their feet. If necessary, additional instructions were given on how to accurately perform FFS running, and researchers confirmed that each participant eventually started using a FFS. The control group also attended eight sessions and performed the same exercises, but did not receive any instructions while running. All participants were evaluated before the retraining began, then immediately after it ended and one month later for knee pain and other measurements on the way their body moved.\n\nParticipants who changed their striking pattern experienced greater knee pain reductions\n\nAfter the study was completed, participants in both groups reported less knee pain overall, but the reductions were much more significant and lasting in the experimental group after the gait retraining. Pain was measured using a tool called the visual analog scale (VAS), which has patients rate their pain on a scale from 0 to 10. In the control group, the average VAS score was a 4.3 at the beginning of the study, which dropped to a 2.9 immediately afterwards, and then increased again to 3.9 one month later. In the experimental group, the average score started at 5.3, then dropped to 1.0 and remained there one month later. This shows that not only did the experimental group runners experience less pain after gait retraining, but these improvements lasted for at least one month. Runners who are dealing with pain around the knee that may be due to PFPS may therefore benefit from changing their gait pattern to a forefoot strike if they aren't already running with this style. Physical therapists are movement experts that can help runners understand their gait pattern and offer suggestions on how to change it, and runners with knee pain are therefore encouraged to seek out their treatment to address these problems.\n\n- As reported in the June '16 issue of Clinical Biomechanics\nMarch 9, 2018", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9894139170646667}
{"content": "Month: September 2016\n\nYears Later: The Impact of 9/11 on Visitor Management\n\nHow has your understanding of safety and security changed since 9/11? Discover the primary elements of safety and security that have been adapted and altered over the past 15 years, and how they have improved various professional entities.\n\nCreating a User-Friendly Visitor Management System\n\nDiscover various ways to create a user-friendly and efficient visitor management system that meets the needs of your business, including compliance and data management.\n\nMake a Positive First Impression With Visitor Management\n\nWhy is a first impression so vital in the life of an enterprise? Discover the value of a first impression and how to use your visitor management solution to enhance company relations and enterprise branding.\n\nIntegrating Visitor Management into Your Business\n\nHow does visitor management play such a vital role in businesses? Veristream discusses the functions and purposes visitor management systems serve and why it is important to consider integrating one into your enterprise.\n\nGuidelines to Enhance Security in Enterprises\n\nLearn how you can assess and enhance your organization’s security with Veristream’s top 5 guidelines to enhance security in technology-centric enterprises.\n\nVisitor Management Data Enables Business Objectives\n\nHow can a visitor management system optimize business success? Discover the most beneficial ways to use your visitor management system to further company objectives, now:\n\nMobility Improves the Visitor Management Experience\n\nHow can mobile visitor management systems benefit your enterprise? Discover some of the primary benefits of mobility in a visitor management system.\n\nBranding Your Visitor Management Kiosk & System\n\nIn what ways are you creating a memorable experience for your visitors? Learn how Veristream can help you use your visitor management system to its fullest potential through branding and increased consumer awareness.\n\nThe Difference Between Visitor Management and Access Control\n\nWhat is the critical difference between visitor management and access control? Discover the major elements that distinguish access control from visitor management and how they complement each other to create a complete, physical security plan.\n\n[wpforms id=\"5964\"]\n[wpforms id=\"4654\"]\n[wpforms id=\"4632\"]\n[wpforms id=\"4574\"]\n[wpforms id=\"4575\"]\n[wpforms id=\"4582\"]\n[wpforms id=\"4581\"]\n[wpforms id=\"4580\"]\n[wpforms id=\"4579\"]\n[wpforms id=\"4578\"]\n[wpforms id=\"4577\"]\n[wpforms id=\"4576\"]\n[wpforms id=\"3986\"]\n[wpforms id=\"3833\"]", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9553613662719727}
{"content": "Hitting My Reset\n\nHitting My Reset\n\nLisa Gallate's Hitting My Reset: A Memoir on Grief\n\nAnyone can see the place where her sister and partner died. It's near the sharp turn in the road, the place where the car flew across the river. They had to tell her before the newspapers published the headlines.\n\nLife-changing, incomprehensible and devastating. That is how it felt.\n\nShe had never been truly aware of her own mortality until Zoie died. When she lost her husband to depression and suicide, and her family lost her brother to brain cancer, she realised how brutally short life could be. In anger, fear, sadness, grief and loneliness, she questioned, why was I still alive when they were not? Why had they died? If I was here, then what did that mean? She decided it must have meant something. Grief changes your landscape, but it does not define you.\n\nWritten after her mother's deterioration to Alzheimer's and her father's diabetic experience at death's door, her memoir style book is an unwavering account of how all sense of meaning in life can be lost, and how we can reshape our lives. We can live a meaningful life alongside grief, moving through it, rather than seeking to overcome it.\n\nHitting My Reset is an utterly compelling story of one woman's altered landscape. A book for grieving people, for those who love them, and each other.\n\nGrief hurts. It's hard to go through, and painful to watch. This book will be relevant for many years to come.\n\nLisa Gallate is a senior commercial litigator and class actions lawyer with a top tier global law firm. She holds a Master of Laws from Cambridge University, England and undergraduate law and commerce degrees from Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. She was a finalist for the Australian Women Lawyers' Association \"Woman Lawyer of the Year 2015\", and through her marathon running and fund raising, supported many charitable causes, including the Cancer Council, the Asthma Foundation and the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation.\n\nLisa resides on the beautiful Northern Beaches of Sydney, with her husband and three children.\n\nHitting My Reset\nAuthor: Lisa Gallate\n\nInterview with Lisa Gallate\n\nLisa Gallate is the author of Hitting My Reset, a memoir on grief and how to make it fit your life. It is a stunning book exploring an intensely personal yet universal experience: on death, brain cancer, depression, miscarriage, dementia, diabetes, Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease\"and a life, in good times and bad\"that will speak to anyone who has ever loved a sister, brother, parent, husband or wife, or child.\n\nShe writes to inspire people who have been through their own challenges of grief, and shares some of the insights she has endured dealing with such a hard-hitting subject. She is an inspiration to many and all who know her.\n\nThe world death rates show that 55.3 million people are dying each year. The World Health Organization's Global Health Observatory reports that diabetes caused 1.6 million deaths in 2015. Deaths due to dementias more than doubled between 2000 and 2015, making it the seventh leading cause of global deaths in 2015. Injuries continued to kill more than 5 million people each year, with road traffic injuries claiming about 3,700 lives each day. These statistics are proof that the author is not alone in her grief.\n\nLisa is a powerful narrator with the skill of a lyricist. Her near incomprehensible experiences of personal heartbreak is expressed through her narrative\"combining her knowledge of the craft\"her writing invites readers into a literary world of understanding grief and life from a new perspective. She writes electric honest prose, for those of us who believe in the transformative power of the human spirit and for those of us who believe in love.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9485259056091309}
{"content": "Favorites Edit\n\nStats: Hat-trick man Kuldeep Yadav breaks multiple records\n\nAadya Sharma\n2.27K   //    21 Sep 2017, 21:47 IST\n\nYadav became the first Indian spinner to take an ODI hat-trick.\n\nOn a two-paced wicket and in humid conditions, the Indians rolled their ODI juggernaut, completing another win against the Australians to maintain their lead in the series. The script did not go to plan during certain passages of the game, but the Indian team assessed and adapted to the conditions better, completing a 50-run win. \n\nKuldeep Yadav secured a hat-trick on the home ground of his IPL team, bowling the perfect delivery to Pat Cummins and inducing a sharp edge which carried to MS Dhoni.\n\nHere are all the numbers from the second ODI at the Eden Gardens:\n\n1 - Kuldeep became the first spinner to take a hat-trick for India in ODIs, and the first spinner to take a hat-trick against Australia in ODIs.\n\n3 - Yadav became the third Indian to take a hat-trick in ODI cricket, after Chetan Sharma (1987) and Kapil Dev (1991).\n\n4 - He also became the fourth player to take a hat-trick both at the U-19 level and the senior level: Damien Fleming, Abdul Razzaq and Jermaine Lawson are the others. Kuldeep took a hat-trick in the 2014 U-19 World Cup.\n\n5 - Today was the fifth instance when Virat Kohli got out in the 90s in ODIs. The last time it happened was against the same opposition at Perth last year.\n\n5 - Steve Smith became the sixth Australian to score 50 or more runs in his 100th ODI.\n\n6 - MS Dhoni became the sixth cricketer to play 300 ODIs for India. He has played 303 ODIs in total, out of which three were for the Asia XI in 2007.\n\n7 - Kuldeep became the seventh spinner to take a hat-trick in ODIs. The last one was Sri Lanka’s Wanidu Hasaranga, who took one against Zimbabwe earlier this year.\n\n8 - This is the third time Virat Kohli has captained India to eight consecutive ODI wins.\n\n10 - Australia have now lost their last ten matches away from home in ODIs. Their last away ODI win was in September 2016 against Ireland\n\n11 - Virat Kohli became the third Indian captain after Mohammad Azharuddin (1998) and MS Dhoni (2009) to score 11 50+ scores in a single calendar year. \n\n27 - Steve Smith became the 27th Australian to play 100 or more ODIs.\n\nTopics you might be interested in:\nAadya Sharma\nFetching more content...", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8620367646217346}
{"content": "JUST HOW DO Points Affect YOUR VEHICLE Insurance?\n\nIn this specific topic, points basically mean scores directed at drivers due to offenses or violations. DMV (Department of AUTOMOBILES) is the authorized organization to provide those points to drivers who are in charge of the against the law act. Major violations are awarded higher points, the rules or point system varies from state to convey. Generally, in most states, the utmost point is 11, which is often a build up of some minor violations. Some major offenses, however, simply bypass points and for that reason suspend your driver license. Any violation and the resulting point will be documented in your record.\n\nAllied Insurance uses such record as a reference when estimating the insurance fees. The exact purpose of this aspect system is to help identify reckless drivers and penalize them in line with the amount of point. Nevertheless, Allied Insurance uses your record as a solid reference before they can sell some of their policies for you. Insurers can certainly see your record and make use of it to look for the insurance rates. When you have poor driving history due to minor or major violations, the firms could be more likely to charge higher rates. Even though you stay in a specific state or region that will not implement point system, any violation of traffic law it’s still well-documented by DMV; this includes speeding, reckless driving, DUI (Driving Under Influence) or dui, etc.\n\nIt will probably be worth mentioning that Allied Insurance checks your record mostly when you make an application for new plans. There’s also indeed some companies that the same procedure for each and every renewal, but it rarely happens. Generally, any history of traffic law violation and the idea will remain on your record for 3 to 5 years. If you are already insured and make an application for renewal, minor violations tend to be considered insignificance by insurance firms that they don’t charge to get more rates. However, major offenses creating considerable damages will likely arrive.\n\nHow to lessen record points?\n\nIf you’re applying or switching to Allied Insurance, the business will check your driving history to at least three years back. When there is any minor violation in the record, the insurance provider may improve the premium cost by up to 15 percent. Fortunately, there are a few ways so that you can prevent the increase including by firmly taking a defensive driving course or just wait it out. If defensive driving course option can be acquired, please talk with the DMV to start to see the related information. In a few states, the recognition is merely valid if issued by approved by certain organizations or schools. Easy and simple is, of course, to simply wait before the record is clear. It might take three to five 5 years with regards to the regulation in a state. However, it isn’t recommended because you may wrap up driving without a proper insurance plan.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9293694496154785}
{"content": "Multiple Trash Containers\n\nQ: We just completed a renovation of our cafeteria dining area and as part of the project an 8 container trash cabinet was built and installed in a separated area off of the dining floor. It is sprinklered and the containers are all 32 gallons. The cafeteria area is a separate smoke compartment. Is this allowed?”\n\nA: Well, this is an interesting question. The answer is… it depends on the square footage of the trash cabinet and how it is constructed. I would say each individual 32 gallon trash container would have to be physically separated from all the others by a cabinet wall, which would create a small, individual room or area for the container. The reason for this is section of the 2000 edition of the LSC, which only allows up to 32 gallons of trash collection capacity in a given 64 square foot area. This means, if there are no physical separations between trash containers then I could see a surveyor or inspector citing you for having more than 32 gallons capacity in a given 64 square foot area. Since each individual compartment for the trash containers would presumably be less than 50 square feet in size, then you would not have any problems meeting the requirements of for hazardous areas. It is interesting to note that the exception to does allow more than 32 gallons capacity in a 64 square foot area provided the area qualifies as a hazardous area, but it is unlikely that an 8 container trash cabinet could do so. The key element in your question is the comment that the individual trash containers do not exceed 32 gallons each.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8551726937294006}
{"content": "Get your transport quote\n\nPick-up location\n\n\nPick-up date\n\nPlease click in the text field to get the calendar view.\n\n\nContact information\n\nHow would you like to be contacted?\n\nDo you have a contact person at Panalpina? If yes, please enter the name here, so that your request can be forwarded accordingly.\n\n\nWhat is the sum of... 0 + 0 =\n\nYou will receive a copy of the completed form for your records by email.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9999962449073792}
{"content": "Islamic dating traditions\n\nPosted by / 17-Aug-2017 09:58\n\nHayri Abaza argues that the failure to distinguish between Islam and Islamism leads many in the West to support illiberal Islamic regimes, to the detriment of progressive moderates who seek to separate religion from politics.In contrast, Abid Ullah Jan, writes \"If Islam is a way of life, how can we say that those who want to live by its principles in legal, social, political, economic, and political spheres of life are not Muslims, but Islamists and believe in Islamism, not [just] Islam.\" A writer for the International Crisis Group maintains that \"the conception of 'political Islam'\" is a creation of Americans to explain the Iranian Islamic Revolution and apolitical Islam was a historical fluke of the \"short-lived era of the heyday of secular Arab nationalism between 19\", and it is quietist/non-political Islam, not Islamism, that requires explanation.Compared to Western societies, \"[w]hat is striking about the Islamic world is that ... Even if the Islamists never come to power, they have transformed their countries.\" Democratic, peaceful and political Islamists are now dominating the spectrum of Islamist ideology as well as the political system of the Muslim seems to have been the least penetrated by irreligion\". Moderate strains of Islamism have been described as \"competing in the democratic public square in places like Turkey, Tunisia, Malaysia and Indonesia.Moderate and reformist Islamists who accept and work within the democratic process include parties like the Tunisian Ennahda Movement.Jamaat-e-Islami of Pakistan is basically a socio-political and democratic Vanguard party but has also gained political influence through military coup d'états in the past.\n\n\n\n\n\nGraham Fuller has argued for a broader notion of Islamism as a form of identity politics, involving \"support for [Muslim] identity, authenticity, broader regionalism, revivalism, [and] revitalization of the community.\" The term appears in the U. The term \"Islamism\" acquired its contemporary connotations in French academia in the late 1970s and early 1980s.\n\nislamic dating traditions-85islamic dating traditions-55islamic dating traditions-76", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9364863634109497}
{"content": "How complex environments push brain evolution\n\nFebruary 2, 2015\n\nNeuroscientists created a Tetris-like game in which programmed artificial adaptive agents (“animats”) (green) have to “catch” moving blocks (black) of different sizes before the blocks reach the bottom — in the iterative process evolving intricate neural networks (credit: UWMedicine)\n\nA recent study by neuroscientists offers clues about how increasingly difficult tasks have evolved the brain.\n\nThey created a video game similar to the old video game Tetris, in which programmed artificial adaptive agents (“animats”) have to “catch” moving blocks of different sizes before the blocks reach the bottom (in a game for humans, that might be done by pressing right or left cursor keys).\n\nTo play the game, the animats have been endowed with a rudimentary neural system made up of eight nodes: two sensors, two motors, and four internal computers that coordinate sensation, movement and memory.\n\nThe computers ran code that makes up the animats’ “DNA” — it determines the wiring between the parts of the “brain” and also allows for random mutations, some of which made the animats better block-catchers.\n\nA hypothetical animat “brain,” comprising a logic-gate network with 2 sensors, 4 hidden Markov elements, and 2 motors (credit: Larissa Albantakis/PLoS Computational Biology)\n\nThe neuroscientists — at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Michigan State University — watched as the animats played a video game in which they tried to “catch” falling blocks, learning to detect where they would land.\n\nThen the scientists selected the best players of each generation and allowed them to replicate.\n\n(If that sounds familiar, you may have experimented with self-evolving cellular-automata gliders and spaceships in John Conway’s addictive “Game of Life.”)\n\nSome animats played simpler versions of the game, but other animats played more and more complex versions over and over. At the end of 60,000 generations, they all had evolved more complex wiring in their neural networks, but the animats that did well in more complex versions of the game had developed particularly intricate neural networks.\n\n“This shows that by adapting to a more complex environment, the organism itself becomes more complex,’’ says Larissa Albantakis, the study’s lead author.\n\nHow the hand ax helped evolve intelligence\n\nIn a new book, How to Fly a Horse, entrepreneur Kevin Ashton proposes that the evolution of human intelligence started with the hand ax, which removed the need for big teeth and was superior to them. As he explains in this excerpt, “smaller teeth and weaker jaws begat big biological benefits: they left space in the skull for more brain cells, and changed the weight and balance of the head so that it became easier to stand erect. Hand axes changed our bodies, and also the course of human evolution. They are the reason we became brainy bipeds.” And able to handle increasing levels of information complexity.\n\nMore complexity in the environment requires the animats to develop more neural functions. But because the size of their brains was limited to the eight nodes, the animats adapted to complexity by creating more integration between the nodes.\n\nNeuroscientists have proposed this as a strategy for brain evolution.\n\n\nThe Integrated Information Theory of consciousness\n\nHowever, Albantakis says her study was more interested in the question of how the brain evolved to environments of different complexity and whether that evolution looks like what is predicted by Integrated Information Theory (IIT).\n\nThe animats were a simplified system for studying integration in the brain, albeit one that strains the ability of computers, given the need to analyze 60,000 generations of neural connections.\n\nAlbantakis is a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of the study’s senior author Giulio Tononi, professor of psychiatry in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, who has proposed IIT as a comprehensive theory of consciousness.\n\nAccording to the theory, consciousness reflects a system’s capacity for information integration (quantified by a measure of complexity called Phi). The theory accounts for many experimental facts about consciousness and the brain, has led to testable predictions, and permits inferences and extrapolations.\n\nThe current study looks at how such systems with high Phi evolve. It found that over thousands of generations, the animats learn a larger number of concepts about the game and they integrate more of the information, but that their learning and integration depend on being presented with a more complex environment — for example, a more difficult level of the game.\n\n“This shows that a rich environment is a driving force towards developing both complexity and integration,” Albantakis says.\n\nThe open access study was published in the online journal PLoS Computational Biology. Eminent neuroscientist  Christof Koch of the Allen Institute for Brain Science was also an author.\n\nThe study was supported by the Templeton World Charities Foundation, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the G. Harold and Leila Y Mathers Charitable Foundation, and a federal DARPA grant on physical intelligence.\n\nUWMedicine | The animats “catch” falling blocks, which resembles an old video game.\n\nAbstract of Evolution of integrated causal structures in animats exposed to environments of increasing complexity\n\nNatural selection favors the evolution of brains that can capture fitness-relevant features of the environment’s causal structure. We investigated the evolution of small, adaptive logic-gate networks (“animats”) in task environments where falling blocks of different sizes have to be caught or avoided in a ‘Tetris-like’ game. Solving these tasks requires the integration of sensor inputs and memory. Evolved networks were evaluated using measures of information integration, including the number of evolved concepts and the total amount of integrated conceptual information. The results show that, over the course of the animats’ adaptation, i) the number of concepts grows; ii) integrated conceptual information increases; iii) this increase depends on the complexity of the environment, especially on the requirement for sequential memory. These results suggest that the need to capture the causal structure of a rich environment, given limited sensors and internal mechanisms, is an important driving force for organisms to develop highly integrated networks (“brains”) with many concepts, leading to an increase in their internal complexity.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9851251244544983}
{"content": "\n\n\nQuazepam belongs to a class of drugs called benzodiazepines. These drugs ease anxiety and slow the central nervous system.\n\n\nQuetiapine is an atypical antipsychotic drug used to treat symptoms of schizophrenia. It is available with a prescription under the trade name Seroquel.\n\nRational emotive therapy\n\nRational emotive therapy (RET) is a psychotherapeutic approach which proposes that unrealistic and irrational beliefs cause many emotional problems.\n\nReactive attachment disorder of infancy or early childhood\n\nIn reactive attachment disorder, the normal bond between infant and parent is not established or is broken. Infants normally \"bond\" or form an emotional attachment, to a parent or other caregiver by the eighth month of life.\n\nReading disorder\n\nReading disorder is a learning disorder that involves significant impairment of reading accuracy, speed, or comprehension to the extent that the impairment interferes with academic achievement or activities of daily life. People with reading disorder perform reading tasks well below the level one would expect on the basis of their general intelligence, educational opportunities, and physical health.\n\n\nA reinforcer is a stimulus that follows some behavior and increases the probability that the behavior will occur. For example, when a dog's owner is trying to teach the dog to sit on command, the owner may give the dog a treat every time the dog sits when commanded to do so.\n\nRelapse and relapse prevention\n\nIn the course of illness, relapse is a return of symptoms after a period of time when no symptoms are present. Any strategies or treatments applied in advance to prevent future symptoms are known as relapse prevention.\n\n\nRespite literally means a period of rest or relief. Respite care provides a caregiver temporary relief from the responsibilities of caring for individuals with chronic physical or mental disabilities.\n\nRett's disorder\n\nRett's disorder, which is also known as Rett's syndrome or RS, belongs to a group of childhood disorders known as pervasive developmental disorders(PDDs) or autistic spectrum disorders. It is classified by the mental health professional's handbook (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disordersor the DSM-IV-TR) as a developmental disorder of childhood.\n\n\n\n\nRivastigmine is a drug used to treat symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. In the United States, rivastigmine is sold as the brand name drug Exelon.\n\nRorschach technique\n\nThe Rorschach technique, sometimes known as the Rorschach test or the inkblot test, is a projective personality assessment based on the test taker's reactions to a series of 10 inkblot pictures.\n\n\nRosemary is an herb derived from an evergreen shrub, Rosmarinus officinalis, related to the mint or Lamiaceae family of plants. Rosemary is a native of the Mediterranean regions of Europe and the Near East; Tunisia is a major modern-day source of the plant.\n\nRumination disorder\n\nRumination disorder may be diagnosed when a person deliberately brings food back up into the mouth and either rechews and reswallows it or spits it out.\n\n\n\nSchizoaffective disorder\n\nOne of the most challenging mental disorders to identify accurately and treat appropriately is schizoaffective disorder. This condition involves both psychotic symptoms and conspicuous, long-enduring, severe symptoms of mood disorder.\n\nSchizoid personality disorder\n\nSchizoid personality disorder is characterized by a persistent withdrawal from social relationships and lack of emotional responsiveness in most situations. It is sometimes referred to as a \"pleasure deficiency\" because of the seeming inability of the person affected to experience joyful or pleasurable responses to life situations.\n\n\nSchizophrenia is the most chronic and disabling of the severe mental disorders, associated with abnormalities of brainstructure and function, disorganized speech and behavior, delusions, and hallucinations. It is sometimes called a psychotic disorder or a psychosis.\n\nSchizophreniform disorder\n\nSchizophreniform disorder (SFD) is a time-limited illness wherein the sufferer has experienced at least two of the major symptoms of psychosisfor longer than one month but fewer than six months. Hallucinations, delusions, and strange bodily movements or lack of movements (catatonic behavior) are all symptoms that may be observed.\n\nSchizotypal personality disorder\n\nSchizotypal personality disorder is characterized by an ongoing pattern in which the affected person distances him- or herself from social and interpersonal relationships. Affected people typically have an acute discomfort when put in circumstances where they must relate to others.\n\nSeasonal affective disorder\n\nSeasonal affective disorder, often abbreviated as SAD, is a type of mood disorder that follows an annual pattern consistent with the seasons. The most common course for SAD includes an onset of depressive symptoms late in the fall, continuation of symptoms throughout winter, and remission of symptoms in the spring.\n\nSedatives and related disorders\n\nSedatives are compounds that cause physiological and mental slowing of the body. They have many legitimate medical uses.\n\n\nA seizure is a sudden change in behavior characterized by changes in sensory perception (sense of feeling) or motor activity (movement) due to an abnormal firing of nerve cells in the brain. Epilepsy is a condition characterized by recurrent seizures that may include repetitive muscle jerking called convulsions.\n\nSelective mutism\n\n\nSelf-control strategies\n\nSelf-control strategies are cognitive and behavioral skills used by individuals to maintain self-motivation and achieve personal goals. Initially the skills may be learned from a therapist, text, or self-help book.\n\nSelf-help groups\n\nSelf-help groups—also called mutual help or mutual aid groups—are composed of peers who share a similar mental, emotional, or physical problem, or who are interested in a focal issue, such as education or parenting. Historically, people banded together to improve their chances for survival by pooling their social and economic resources; however, contemporary groups are more likely to organize around a theme or problem.\n\nSeparation anxiety disorder\n\nLike many childhood concerns, separation anxiety is normal at certain developmental stages. For example, when a child between the ages of eight and 14 months is separated from her mother or other primary caretaker, she may experience distress.\n\n\n\nSexual aversion disorder\n\nSexual aversion disorder is a disorder characterized by disgust, fear, revulsion, or lack of desire in consensual relationships involving genital contact.\n\nSexual dysfunctions\n\nSexual dysfunction disorders are problems that interfere with the initiation, consummation, or satisfaction with sex. They occur in both men and women and are independent of sexual orientation.\n\nSexual masochism\n\nThe essential feature of sexual masochism is the feeling of sexual arousal or excitement resulting from receiving pain, suffering, or humiliation. The pain, suffering, or humiliation is real and not imagined and can be physical or psychological in nature.\n\nSexual sadism\n\n\nSexual Violence Risk-20\n\nThe Sexual Violence Risk-20, also called the SVR-20, is an assessment instrument used by mental health professionals.\n\nShared psychotic disorder\n\n\nSingle photon emission computed tomography\n\nSingle photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is an imaging study that uses radioactive materials injected through a vein that will pass into the brain generating a high-resolution brain image.\n\nSleep disorders\n\nSleep disorders are chronic disturbances in the quantity or quality of sleep that interfere with a person's ability to function normally.\n\nSleep terror disorder\n\n\nSleepwalking disorder\n\nSleepwalking disorder, also called somnambulism, is characterized by repeating episodes of motor activity during sleep such as sitting up in bed, rising, and walking around, among others. The person appears to be awake because their eyes are usually open and they can maneuver around objects, but is considered asleep.\n\nSocial phobia\n\nSocial phobia is defined by DSM-IV-TRas an anxiety disorder characterized by a strong and persistent fear of social or performance situations in which the patient might feel embarrassment or humiliation. Generalized social phobia refers to a fear of most social interactions combined with fear of most performance situations, such as speaking in public or eating in a restaurant.\n\nSocial skills training\n\n\nSocial workers\n\n\nSomatization and somatoform disorders\n\nSomatization is a term that describes the expression of psychological or mental difficulties through physical symptoms. Somatization takes a number of forms, ranging from preoccupation with potential or genuine but mild physical problems to the development of actual physical pain, discomfort, or dysfunction.\n\nSomatization disorder\n\nSomatization disorder is a psychiatric condition marked by multiple medically unexplained physical, or somatic, symptoms. In order to qualify for the diagnosisof somatization disorder, somatic complaints must be serious enough to interfere significantly with a person's ability to perform important activities, such as work, school or family and social responsibilities, or lead the person experiencing the symptoms to seek medical treatment.\n\nSpecific phobias\n\nSpecific phobia is a type of disorder in which the affected individual displays a marked and enduring fear of specific situations or objects. Individuals with specific phobias experience extreme fear as soon as they encounter a defined situation or object, a phobic stimulus.\n\nSpeech-language pathology\n\nSpeech-language pathology is the treatment for the improvement or cure of communication disorders, including speech, language, and swallowing disorders. The term used to describe professionals in this discipline is speech and language pathologist (SLP).\n\nSt. John's wort\n\nSt. John's wort has been used as a popular herbal folk remedy for centuries.\n\nStanford-Binet Intelligence Scale\n\nThe Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale: Fourth Edition (SB: FE) is a standardized test that measures intelligence and cognitive abilities in children and adults, from age two through mature adulthood.\n\nStereotypic movement disorder\n\nStereotypic movement disorder is a disorder characterized by repeated, rhythmic, purposeless movements or activities such as head banging, nail biting, or body rocking. These movements either cause self-injury or severely interfere with normal activities.\n\n\nThe 1999 report on mental health by the Surgeon General of the United States was regarded as a landmark document in the United Kingdom, as well as the United States. This was because of its straightforward identification of the stigma associated with mental illness as the chief obstacle to effective treatment of persons with mental disorders.\n\n\nStress is a term that refers to the sum of the physical, mental, and emotional strains or tensions on a person. Feelings of stress in humans result from interactions between persons and their environment that are perceived as straining or exceeding their adaptive capacities and threatening their well-being.\n\n\nA stroke, also called a cerebral vascular accident (CVA), is the sudden death of cells in a specific area of the braindue to inadequate blood flow.\n\n\nThere is no standard definition of stuttering, but most attempt to define stuttering as the blockages, discoordination, or fragmentations of the forward flow of speech (fluency). These stoppages, referred to as disfluencies, are often excessive and characterized by specific types of disfluency.\n\nSubstance abuse and related disorders\n\n\nSubstance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory\n\nThe Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory is also referred to as the SASSI. Dr.\n\nSubstance-induced anxiety disorder\n\nProminent anxiety symptoms (i.e., generalized anxiety, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, or phobia symptoms) determined to be caused by the effects of a psychoactive substance is the primary feature of a substance-induced psychotic disorder. A substance may induce psychotic symptoms during intoxication (i.e., while the individual is under the influence of the drug) or during withdrawal (i.e., after an individual stops using the drug).\n\nSubstance-induced psychotic disorder\n\n\n\n\nSupport groups\n\nSupport groups are an informal resource that attempts to provide healing components to a variety of problems and challenges. An informal support outside of family, friends, or professionals often provides greater understanding, more similarity (from individuals experiencing similar life events), an opportunity for empathy and altruism, and a sense of identity for participants.\n\nSystematic desensitization\n\n\n\nTacrine is a drug used to treat dementiaassociated with Alzheimer's disease. In the United States tacrine is sold under the brand name drug Cognex.\n\nTalk therapy\n\nTalk therapy is an alternate name for the various forms of psychotherapy that emphasize the importance of the client or patient speaking to the therapist as the main means of expressing and resolving issues.\n\nTardive dyskinesia\n\nTardive dyskinesia is a neurological disorder consisting of abnormal, involuntary body movements caused by certain medicines. It is usually associated with long-term use of medicines for treating schizophreniaand other psychotic disorders.\n\n\n\nThematic Apperception Test\n\n\n\nThioridazine is a potent antianxiety and antipsychotic agent. It is a member of the phenothiazine family of compounds.\n\n\nThiothixene is in a class of drugs called antipsychotics. It is available with a prescription under the generic name of thiothixene or the brand name Navane.\n\nTic disorders\n\nTic disorders are characterized by the persistent presence of tics, which are abrupt, repetitive involuntary movements and sounds that have been described as caricatures of normal physical acts. The best known of these disorders is Tourette's disorder, or Tourette's syndrome.\n\nToken economy system\n\nA token economy is a form of behavior modificationdesigned to increase desirable behavior and decrease undesirable behavior with the use of tokens. Individuals receive tokens immediately after displaying desirable behavior.\n\nTransvestic fetishism\n\nTransvestic fetishismis defined by the mental health professional's handbook, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, text revision (2000), which is also called DSM-IV-TR, as one of the paraphilias. The paraphilias are a group of mental disorders characterized by obsessionwith unusual sexual practices or with sexual activity involving nonconsenting or inappropriate partners (such as children or animals).\n\n\nTranylcypromine is classified as a monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor. It is used to treat serious depression.\n\n\nTrazodone is an oral antidepressant. It is sold in the United States under the brand name Desyrel and is also available under its generic name.\n\n\nTriazolam is a hypnotic drug. It is a member of the benzodiazepine family of drugs.\n\n\nIndividuals with trichotillomania repetitively pull out their own hair. Trichotillomania as an impulse-control disorder.\n\n\nTrifluoperazine is a phenothiazine antipsychotic agent. In the United States, this drug is sold under the brand name Stelazine.\n\n\nTrihexyphenidyl is classified as an antiparkinsonian agent. It is sold in the United States under the brand name Artane and is also available under its generic name.\n\n\nTrimipramine is an oral tricyclic antidepressant. It is sold in the United States under the brand name Surmontil.\n\nUndifferentiated somatoform disorder\n\nUndifferentiated somatoform disorder occurs when a person has physical complaints for more than six months that cannot be attributed to a medical condition. If there is a medical condition present, the complaints must be far more severe than can be accounted for by the presence of the medical problem.\n\nUrine drug screening\n\nUrine drug screening, or toxicological screening, is a process of chemical analysis designed to test patients for drug abuse, or to insure that a patient is substance-free before undergoing a medical procedure.\n\n\n\n\nValerian is an herbal remedy derived from the dried roots of the valerian plant, Valeriana officinalis. The plant belongs to the Valerianaceae family.\n\nValproic acid\n\nValproic acid is an anticonvulsant (anti-seizure) drug. In the United States, valproic acid is also known as valproate, and is sold under the brand name Depakene.\n\nVascular dementia\n\nDementia is a decline in a person's mental capacities and intellectual abilities that is great enough to affect the person's normal daily functioning. Vascular dementia is dementia that is caused by disease of the blood vessels of the brain (cerebrovascular disease).\n\n\nVenlafaxine is an antidepressant available in the United States under the trade name of Effexor or Effexor XR.\n\nVocational rehabilitation\n\nVocational rehabilitation (VR) is a set of services offered to individuals with mental or physical disabilities. These services are designed to enable participants to attain skills, resources, attitudes, and expectations needed to compete in the interview process, get a job, and keep a job.\n\n\nVoyeurism is a psychosexual disorder in which a person derives sexual pleasure and gratification from looking at the naked bodies and genital organs or observing the sexual acts of others. The voyeur is usually hidden from view of others.\n\nWechsler adult intelligence scale\n\nThe Wechsler adult intelligence scale (WAIS) is an individually administered measure of intelligence, intended for adults aged 16–89.\n\nWechsler Intelligence Scale for Children\n\n\nWernicke-Korsakoff syndrome\n\nWernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is a severe memory disorder usually associated with chronic excessive alcohol consumption, although the direct cause is a deficiency in the B vitamin thiamin.\n\nWide Range Achievement Test\n\nWide Range Achievement Test, 3rd ed. or WRAT-3 is a screening test that can be administered to determine if a more comprehensive achievement test is needed.\n\n\nYoga is an ancient system of breathing practices, physical exercises and postures, and meditation intended to integrate the practitioner's body, mind, and spirit. It originated in India several thousand years ago, and its principles were first written down by a scholar named Patanjali in the second century B.C.\n\n\nZaleplon is classified as a hypnotic drug. These drugs help people sleep.\n\n\nZiprasidone is a drug used to treat schizophrenia. It is available with a prescription under the brand name Geodan.\n\n\nZolpidem is classified as a hypnotic drug. These drugs help people sleep.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8150421380996704}
{"content": "The mental benefits of floatation therapy\n\nIf you want to learn more about the proven medical benefits of floatation therapy, just Google \"Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy\" (\"REST\"). REST is the term the scientific community uses to refer to floating in an isolation tank. There are hundreds of peer-reviewed medical journal articles touting the benefits of floating with respect to all sorts of health problems, running the gambit from chronic pain and other musculoskeletal disorders, cardiovascular conditions, psychiatric disorders, autism, smoking, weightloss, and more.\n\nFurthermore, the mental peace that can be obtained with the aid of regular floatation outweighs the numerous physical benefits for many floaters. There is no lack of scientific evidence in support of the mental benefits of floating. Several articles speak of the benefits of floating with respect to anxiety, addictive behaviors, and other mental disorders. One such article concluded:\n\nThe characteristics of the REST experience that make it effective in treating addictions are discussed as follows: (1) the induction of a general relaxation response, (2) substance misusers find serenity and relief by nonchemical means, (3) internal refocusing to concentrate on personal problems, (4) disruption of habits through removal of trigger cues and response possibilities, (5) increased feelings of control over addictive behaviors, and (6) enhanced learning processes. REST is a versatile, cost-effective treatment modality with demonstrated effectiveness in modifying some addictive behaviors and promising applications with others. \n\nWhy would floating be useful in treating addiction? Perhaps understanding how addiction affects the brain would be helpful. In a recent article published online on the Public Library of Science, the mechanism for addiction is examined more closely. The author, Marc Lewis, sets for the proposition that addiction is associated with a dopamine response in the brain:\n\n\nLewis goes on to explain that \"every experierience that has potent emotional content changes the NAC and its uptake of dopamine\" and that these \"[p]hysical changes in the brain are its only way to learn, to remember, and to develop.\" Thus, he concludes: \n\n\nSo Lewis essentially concludes that addiction acts on the brain in the same way as the mechanism for learning, albeit in an extreme form. It follows then that it might be useful to \"unlearn\" these behaviors in an environment that is particularly suited for learning: a floatation tank. \n\nOf interest, many of our floaters report that floating increases their ability to learn and study, and that they obtain a peaceful, calm mental state after floating. One reason might be because floating encourages the brain to shift into lower frequency brain waves like those of the Alpha and Theta states. These frequencies are associated with meditation, increased mental clarity, creativity, problem-solving, and learning.\n\nIf you are predominantly interested in the mental benefits of floating (as opposed to the physical benefits), it is generally recommended that you float once per week.\n\nWe would love to hear from you and about your experience with the mental benefits of floating. Please comment below and share your experience!\n\n\nBorrie, RA. \"The use of restricted environmental stimulation therapy in treating addictive behaviors.\" Int J Addict. 1990-1991;25(7A-8A):995-1015.\n\nLewis, Marc, \"Why Addiction is NOT a Brain Disease\" PLOS blogs, <> (visited March 31, 2014).", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6452933549880981}
{"content": "Muslim Brotherhood and pro-Mubarak candidates face second round run off\n\nThe first round of Egypt’s presidential election put the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate, Mohamed Mursi, in first place. Just one percentage point behind was Ahmed Shafiq, the last prime minister under ousted President Hosni Mubarak.\n\nHas the revolution that began on January 25th 2011 moved into reverse gear? The results show that it may have stalled, but will surge forward again. The winner was in fact the main loser!\n\nMass protests followed the results in Cairo and Alexander and other cities and towns. These were reportedly not just against Shafiq but also in opposition to the MB candidate. Hundreds stormed the campaign HQ of the Shafiq campaign in Cairo, setting it on fire.\n\nThe Muslim Brotherhood (MB) had ten million votes (47%) in the parliamentary elections a few months ago. This time Mursi’s vote was just over five million (25%). He was the MB’s second choice for candidate – their first choice, Khairat al-Shater, was disqualified because he was convicted under the Mubarak regime. Al-Shater is one of Egypt’s wealthiest businessmen – an indication of the outlook of the MB leadership.\n\nFormer prime minister Ahmed Shafiq (left) and Mohamed Mursi (right), head of the Muslim Brotherhood’s political party\n\nIn the parliamentary elections, the ultra-conservative Salafist party, Nour, took 24% of the vote. Their candidate, Hazem Abu Ismail, was also disqualified from the presidential election, because his mother allegedly held dual US nationality. A candidate who defected from the MB and stood as an independent with an appeal to secular liberals, Abdel-Moneim Aboul-Fotouh, got 18% of the vote – much less than predicted in earlier opinion polls. He gained support from Salafists, which probably lost him votes from others who hoped he would bridge the gap between Islamist and secular supporters of the revolution.\n\nAnother candidate predicted in early polls to do well, former Arab League general secretary Amr Moussa, came fifth with 11%. He had been an establishment favourite, with just about enough opposition credentials to be able to claim to support the January 25th revolution. Moussa and Aboul-Fotouh had been seen as the front runners and given a TV debate, which seems to have damaged both their results!\n\nRapid growth for left candidate\n\nThe two candidates who did better than expected were Shafiq, an unapologetic remnant of the old regime, and Hamdeen Sabbahi. Of the major candidates, Hamdeen Sabbahi is most identified with the revolution. He gained 22% of the vote, double the prediction a week earlier, topping the poll in Cairo, Alexandria and Port Said. In the January parliamentary election, his Karama (Dignity) party won just 6 out of 478 seats. Sabbahi has over 30 years record of opposition to the Mubarak regime and was jailed by it. His election slogan - “One of us” – reflected this, as well as his poor family background.\n\nSabbahi stood on a programme that included raising the minimum wage from LE700 (116US$) to LE1200 (200US$) per month, a maximum wage, unemployment benefit for youth and a minimum grant of LE500 to four million poor families. He opposed austerity measures that “have a harmful effect on citizens’ standards of living and contribute to a recession that the citizen pays for.” He also proposed a big increase in use of solar power, a state bank to help farmers, free education and the elimination of illiteracy.\n\nWelcome though all these measures would be, Sabbahi’s programme for implementing them is the Nasserist idea of “a planned development economy, and creating balance between the three economic sectors – public, private and cooperative.”\n\nAlthough Nasser was able to balance for a few years between the capitalist West and Stalinist Russia, the global domination of capitalism today means there can be no ‘balance between public and private economic sectors.’ Only public ownership of all the big companies, banks and large estates can lay the basis for a ‘planned development economy.’ And planning has to be under the democratic control of workers, small traders and small farmers, rather than a bureaucratic elite of state and military officials.\n\nOld regime’s candidate support\n\nShafiq emerged as the candidate most supported to restore ‘law and order’ and a sense of security to all those feeling threatened by the upheavals since January 25th 2011. Many of these are likely to be small shopkeepers, traders and small businessmen who have lost trade (including from tourists) during the unrest. Others feel tired after 16 months of revolutionary and counter revolutionary upheaval, with the ruling class and old regime still seemingly clinging to power. Some nostalgia for an apparently more settled past can grow. His campaign was well-financed by the remnants of the old regime and by big business, which want a president that could push back the gains of the revolution.\n\nAhmed Shafiq’s supporters\n\nThe Christian minority also appears to have voted quite strongly for Shafiq due to their increasing fears of Islamisation of the state and the threat of persecution that could follow. However, the combined vote of the two main Islamist candidates, Mursi and Aboul-Fotouh, was only 43%, compared to the combined 72% vote for the MB and Nour in the parliamentary elections.\n\nTurnout in the first round of presidential elections was down, at about 45%, reflecting a widespread view that the election would not lead to change in people’s lives and some disappointment already with the parliament. \"We are expecting a lot of this parliament,” one Nour Party voter had said celebrating its electoral success in January. “We expect they will answer our needs and solve the problems the country has been facing including unemployment and shortage of gas cylinders.\" (Ahram 23.1.12)\n\nTurn to industrial struggle\n\nThe two candidates heading into the second round, Mursi and Shafiq, gained only 49% of the first round vote between them. The working class and radicalised youth will not have the choice of voting for a candidate that stands for the aims of the revolution and for independent working class policies. Given this, the abstention rate could be higher in the second round, as many workers and youth see no reason to vote for either candidates, which represent parties and forces that stand in the way of the fundamental social, economic and political change sought by the January 25th 2011. The MB, as the ‘lesser evil’ option, can pick up working class and youth votes, to keep out Shafik. Other voters, particularly Christians, may vote for the Mubarak-era candidate in opposition to fears of political Islamist forces taking over the presidency, as well as parliament. Mubarak’s old big business friends will be hoping Shafiq wins and continues to let them make huge fortunes while workers and the poor suffer.\n\nWhichever of them wins, the working class and poor will need to fight to defend their interests against the ruling class. A Mursi win will disappoint MB voters, as he and the MB leaders do not represent any real change to workers’ lives. In turn, this could see gains being made by the Nour party, if no viable workers’ alternative is built.\n\nBut workers have already had some experience of a right wing, political Islam election victory. Striking bus drivers in March had to resist strike-breaking by the army “while the Brotherhood and Salafi MPs who we voted for in Port Said have ignored our demands,\" a bus driver said. \"They’re not defending our rights or the rights of commuters.” (Egypt Independent 13.3.12)\n\nThe MB says it is trying to build a coalition government with “all political groups, especially the revolutionary groups.” A spokesman claims it \"believes in the true value of a national consensus.\"\n\nAny revolutionary groups joining a MB coalition to keep out Shafiq would soon be tainted by its anti-working class policies. Sabbahi has correctly refused to enter any coalition talks (although his Karama party did join the MB’s Freedom and Justice Party in the ‘Democratic Alliance’ for a few months, last year).\n\nWhatever the outcome of the presidential election, it is clear that Egyptian society remains in a state of rapid flux. Neither reaction nor revolution has been able to stabilise its support. If Shafiq becomes the new president he will face widespread opposition from the start, particularly from the workers and youth who led the revolutionary struggle. After almost six months of electioneering, attention will start turning towards other means to improve living standards. More strikes are likely, providing the newly formed independent trade unions with opportunities to show that solidarity and struggle can win victories.\n\nBut any gains won will always be under threat from employers (and this includes the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, with its large economic interests). Building a political party that can unite workers, youth and the poor around a programme of action to change society can challenge the ruling class.\n\nA workers’ and poor people’s government, implementing a socialist programme, based on nationalisation of the major companies, and genuine democratic workers’ control, would end the dictatorship of capitalism and the poverty, repression and insecurity it brings. The fight for real democracy cannot be separated from the fight for socialism.\n\nCommittee for a workers' International publications\n\n\np248 01\n\np304 02", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8662363290786743}
{"content": "A Day in the Life...\n\nWhat will historians make of this?\n\nAuntie Ro\nI have had this journal for what feels like ever. I stopped writing in it regularly about four years ago. My writing is becoming more consistent again ... In my other LJ. Lol This journal is where I tend to capture my thoughts, deal with whatever is stressing me out, ruminate on the twists of life, and just generally navel gaze. Most of my posts are private to me, but now and then I'll post to my friends.\n\nIf I don't know you in real life and you want to read this LJ, please send me a message and introduce yourself.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9912891387939453}
{"content": "Due to continued outward expansion of industry and community development into the wildland-urban interface (WUI), the threat to life safety and property from wildland fires has become a significant problem. Such fire scenarios can be better understood through the use of computation fluid dynamics based fire-spread models. However, current physical fire models must be specifically adapted to handle the phenomena associated with WUI fires. Only then can they be reliably used as research and decision making tools to help mitigate the problem. In this research, the current standard in wildland fire modeling for representing the effect on wind flow from a porous vegetative medium is examined. The technique used employs basic correlations for object drag, and its validity with respect to real vegetation has yet to be examined in detail by the scientific community. The modeling of vegetation is studied within the framework of the existing Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Dynamics Simulator (WFDS), and the potential need for continued development is assessed. Comparisons are made to both experimental and numerical studies. Additionally, the validity of the model is considered at both the scale of an individual tree, as well as that of a whole forest canopy. Results show that as a first approximation the model is able to perform well in the latter case. At the scale of an individual tree, however, the behavior is governed by theoretical constants. The assumption of cylindrical vegetation elements performs slightly better than the commonly used spherical case, but neither adequately captures experimental tendencies. Accurate flow representation for single trees is crucial to modeling the key driving factors of fire behavior (such as combustion and heat transfer) in small scale WUI scenarios. Ultimately, this study illustrates the need for well-designed experiments, specifically to generate empirical constants which will improve the behavior of the simplified theory.\n\n\nWorcester Polytechnic Institute\n\nDegree Name\n\n\n\nFire Protection Engineering\n\nProject Type\n\n\nDate Accepted\n\n\n\n\n\nvegetation, wind, les, cfd, wildland fires, drag force", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7472977638244629}
{"content": "Brown Bag The Abolitionist Origins of Radical Reconstruction: Charles Sumner, Thaddeus Stevens and Black Citizenship 7 December 2016.Wednesday, 12:00PM - 1:00PM Manisha Sinha, University of Connecticut\n\nThis talk will examine how Radical Republicans such as Charles Sumner and Thaddeus Stevens helped convert a radical social movement into a program for political change. It will illustrate how state formation and progressive constitutionalism during Radical Reconstruction were inspired by the abolitionist vision of an interracial democracy.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7105798125267029}
{"content": "Costa Rica is one of the favorite destinations of many tourists in the world. In this sense, this wonderful country of Central America collects all the essential characteristics to enjoy an unforgettable family trip, especially for children.\n\nA happy family arriving at the airport terminal\n\nCertainly, the Costa Rican territory offers great adventures for the littlest ones. These activities range from observing animals in danger of extinction in national parks and visiting paradisiacal beaches, to practicing canopy in the tropical rainforest.\n\nIf you want to go into this adventure and travel with your little ones to Costa Rica, then you should take into account the following aspects:\n\n  1. Because it is a destination visited frequently by families from all over the world, it is totally accessible and the preparations for the trip are not complicated.\n  2. The minor child must be accompanied by his father, mother, or whoever is exercising legal representation.\n  3. Children over 12 years old must present their identity card, in good condition and current. Minor children, whose age ranges between 0 and 11 years, must present the birth certificate issued by the Civil Registry and their current passport (minimum 6 months).\n  4. If you are a tourist, it is essential that you have the round trip ticket for each member of the family.\n  5. Children under 12 years have a 25% discount on domestic flights, while children under 2 years do not pay for tickets; that is, they fly for free (since they do not occupy seats).\n  6. On city buses, all children over 3 years old pay their full ticket.\n  7. If you have children under 5, be sure to request a child seat when renting a vehicle. With this, you will be complying with the current safety regulations.\n\nThen remember that if you come to Costa Rica with your children, make sure you meet all these requirements. This way you will avoid setbacks and enjoy an unforgettable trip.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9566996097564697}
{"content": "World War II — Ebook\n\n\nAuteurs : Diane Taylor ,\nPublication : 01/05/2018\nLangue : English\nÉditeur : Nomad Press\nCollections : Inquire & Investigate\nISBN : 9781619306561\nCatégories : Non-fiction jeunesse / Histoire / Moderne, Non-fiction jeunesse / Histoire / Militaire et guerres, Non-fiction jeunesse / Histoire / États-Unis / 20e siècle, Non-fiction jeunesse / Histoire / Holocauste\n\nWhy did the world find itself immersed in another global conflict only two decades after World War I?\n\nWorld War II: From the Rise of the Nazi Party to the Dropping of the Atomic Bomb introduces kids ages 12 to 15 to the political, military, and cultural forces that shook the globe from 1939 to 1945 and beyond. Germany suffered terribly after World War I, due to the harsh repercussions imposed on the country with the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. Hitler and the Nazi party, with their extremist views on racial superiority and their eagerness to erase certain ethnicities and cultures through systemic murder, found a country ready to rise up and conquer weaker nations. Totalitarianism wasn’t limited to Germany, however. The Axis countries of Italy and Japan also saw opportunities to overcome surrounding nations. The early events of the 1940s convinced the Allied countries of France, Britain, Russia, and the United States to join forces against the aggressor nations.\n\nWorld War II invites middle school students to examine the events leading up to, during, and after WWII and the repercussions of these events on populations around the world. Readers learn about Germany's invasion of Poland and the resulting domino fall of events that engaged several countries and eventually caused the deaths of 60 million people, including 40 million civilians. They also see how the dark side of Hitler’s ideology was always present, eventually resulting in the Holocaust, the systematic murder of 11 million people, including 6 million Jews and other populations.\n\nThrough primary sources, essential questions, and engaging text, readers gain a comprehensive understanding of the politics, the economics, the strategy, and the human experience of this global conflict. They also work to find comparisons and parallels between the world as it was before and during WWII and as it is now. Investigative activities, including deconstructing patriotic songs of the era and examining maps of Europe, Asia, and Africa during different time periods serve as jumping-off points for further critical thinking and explorative inquiry as kids delve into the legacy of World War II. What did the world learn from World War II? Could World War II ever happen again?\n\nWorld War II is one book in a set of four that explore great events of the twentieth century. Other titles in this set include Globalization: Why We Care About Faraway Events; The Vietnam War; and The Space Race: How the Cold War Put Humans on the Moon.\n\nDétails du livre numérique\n\nFormat de fichier Protection Services 7switch\nePub DRM Adobe Digital Edition Aucun", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9335439205169678}
{"content": "What Is A CB Radio?\n\nWhat Is A CB Radio?\n\nA Citizens Band radio, more commonly referred to as a CB radio, is a system that allows for short-distance communication via two-way radios.\n\nWhat is a CB Radio?\n\nThey offer 40 channels for communication and can be used within the 27 MHz band.\n\nHistory of the Citizens Band Radio\n\nIn 1945, the Citizens Band Radio Service was created in the United States. It was designed to offer citizens a way to communicate with one another personally. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) monitored and regulated the Citizens Band Radio Service.\n\nInitially, CB radios offered 23 channels. Of those channels, 1 through 22 were on an 11 meter band. The last channel – channel 23 – could also be used by devices that were controlled by radios.\n\nSometime in the 1960s, CB radios started to become popular tools used by truck drivers and small business owners. People who were interested in and had a passion for radio were also enthusiastic about their use. As advances in technology were made, the size, the weight, and the cost of CB radios significantly decreased. These factors made it possible for the public at large to start utilizing these devices, as well. It was then that CB clubs started to form. CB users developed their own form of slang, which they used to communicate with one another on these devices. They also utilized the 10-codes, which were intended to transmit emergencies and other pertinent information.\n\nThe Rise in Popularity\n\nIn the 1970s, the popularity of CB radios exploded. In part, they were made popular as a result of the oil crises that occurred in 1973. They were also made popular as a result of the introduction of a national speed limit of 55 miles per hour.\n\nCB radios were often used by truck drivers. They used these devices to assist one another, helping them find service stations with fuel and to warn them of speed traps. CBs became extremely important tools for truck drivers. In fact, in 1974, the played an instrumental role in the organization of blockades as a way to protests the introduction of the 55 mile per hour speed limit.\n\nThe popularity of CB radios continued to grow throughout the 1970s and well into the 1980s. CBs were tools that people could use to easily communicate with one another. In fact, they were so popular that they became a focal point of many television shows, movies, and even songs.\n\nAt first, a license was required to use a CB radio. Users also had to pay a fee and use a call sign. When the popularity of CB use was in full-swing, most people began ignoring those regulations. Moreover, once the FCC began receiving more than a million applications for licenses a month, the requirement to have a license was removed.\n\nIntroduction of 40 Channels\n\nIt wasn’t until 1977 that the 40 channel band that is used on CB radios today was introduced. In 1960, it was decided that channel 9 would be used strictly for emergencies (which still applies today). Initially, channel 10 was reserved for highway communications, which then changed to channel 10 east of the Mississippi River and channel 19 west of the Mississippi River. Eventually, channel 19 became the high channel that users preferred because it lacked the interference issues with emergency channel 9.\n\nChannels 9 through 15 were used for inter-station calls an channels 1 through 8 and 16 through 22 were used for intra-station calls until 1975.\n\nDecrease in Popularity\n\nThe popularity of CB radios has fizzled out in recent years. That is largely due to the introduction of newer, more advanced, and more reliable methods of communication – such as mobile phones.\n\nThe decrease in popularity can also be attributed to the difficulties in communication that developed as a result of millions of people using CB radios. It was difficult to hear and challenging to communicate.\n\nThe CB Radio Today\n\nWhile they may not be as popular as they were in their heyday, CB radios are still useful tools. Several manufacturers still make them, and they are of much higher quality and offer many more features today than they ever did before.\n\nFor those who need to communicate while driving and don’t want to risk the dangers of using mobile phones, a CB radio is still a great choice.\n\nAre you looking for a CB Radio?  Thwen check out our latest post on the Top 10 Best CB Radios around right now.\n\nFor more info on CB Radios take a look at this great article on wiki.\n\nFor help on how to use them check out this post.\n\nSharing is caring!\n\n\nNo Responses\n\nWrite a response\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7280399799346924}
{"content": "Clinical and experimental immunology\n\nComplement alternative pathway genetic variation and Dengue infection in the Thai population.\n\nPMID 23919682\n\n\nDengue disease is a mosquito-borne infection caused by Dengue virus. Infection may be asymptomatic or variably manifest as mild Dengue fever (DF) to the most severe form, Dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF). Mechanisms that influence disease severity are not understood. Complement, an integral component of the immune system, is activated during Dengue infection and the degree of activation increases with disease severity. Activation of the complement alternative pathway is influenced by polymorphisms within activation (factor B rs12614/rs641153, C3 rs2230199) and regulatory [complement factor H (CFH) rs800292] proteins, collectively termed a complotype. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the complotype influences disease severity during secondary Dengue infection. In addition to the complotype, we also assessed two other disease-associated CFH polymorphisms (rs1061170, rs3753394) and a structural polymorphism within the CFH protein family. We did not detect any significant association between the examined polymorphisms and Dengue infection severity in the Thai population. However, the minor allele frequencies of the factor B and C3 polymorphisms were less than 10%, so our study was not sufficiently powered to detect an association at these loci. We were also unable to detect a direct interaction between CFH and Dengue NS1 using both recombinant NS1 and DV2-infected culture supernatants. We conclude that the complotype does not influence secondary Dengue infection severity in the Thai population.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5359468460083008}
{"content": "The Vietnam war\n\n\nThe Vietnam war from the beginning\n\nThe Vietnam war started in 1958 because early on, south Vietnam refused to hold unification elections with north Vietnam. After north Vietnam attacked south Vietnam, the United states sent in 2,000 military advisers to support south Vietnam and eventually grew to 80,000. The casualties were catastrophic. The U.S. lost nearly 60,000 deaths and the Vietnamese deaths were estimated at about 2 million dead. Before the war ended, president Richard Nixon advocated vietnamizatoin, withdrawing US troops. In the end, south Vietnam surrendered to north Vietnam on April 30, 1975 when Saigon (south Vietnam leader) was captured by north Vietnam's forces.\n\nThe United States involvement in the war:\n\nAt the end of the TET offensive, both sides had experienced high losses and both said that they won and led to more arguments. After, President Johnson announced that the bombing of north Vietnam would stop above the 20th parallel (5000 mile radius of Vietnam) and also withdrawed US forces out of Vietnam. By helping south Vietnam, the united states economy began to wither because of the war costs.\n\nThe Casualties: :(\n\nThe Hostile deaths: 47,359\n\nNon-hostile deaths:10,797\n\nTotal Deaths:58,156\n\n9,087,000 US military personnel served in the Vietnam war\n\n7,484 women served in the military as nurses\n\nVietnam War Documentary: Inside the Viet Cong - Tactics, Weapons, Tunnels, Uniform\n\nMy sources:\n\n\"Digital History.\" Digital History. N.p., n.d. Web. 4/8/13 Apr. 2013.\n\n\"Office of the Historian.\" N.p., n.d. Web.\n\n\"Vietnam War Statistics.\" Vietnam War Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 4/9/13 Apr. 2013\n\n\"Vietnam War.\" Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 12 Apr. 2013.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9840070009231567}
{"content": "The concept of tactics known from the ancient scientific works on military Affairs. In ancient Chinese treatise \"Thirty six stratagems\" were determined the basic principles of warfare. The strategy and tactics outlined in the treatise, have been used successfully in various military operations since ancient times. Some of them, in fact its principles, has survived to the present day. The flip side of the strategy – tactics. This ability to achieve appointed goals using the priorities of the current reality.Tactics are\n\nSimilarity and difference\n\nAny achievement of the goal in the short and long term is a combination of certain actions. Strategy and tactics - this is the very complex of measures that helps to achieve success. In a narrower sense, these terms can be explained as an idea capable of helping to achieve a goal or a military victory.\n\nThe similarity of these two concepts lies in the fact that both are aimed at the realization of the conceived idea. The difference is determined by the scale of the action. The price of decisions, and their consequences, are taken into account. They say that a bad tactic of action leads to a lost day. A bad strategy leads to a lost year.\n\nAction Planning Model\n\nAny direction to a successful business is dictated primarily by strategic development objectives. The development model of a successful company has at least two levels of direction of force application – global strategic objectives and tactics to ensure their implementation. The structure of the tasks can be imagined as a two-story house. Abstract upper floor assigns strategic goals. Ground floor – tactics. This division is very clearly represents the interaction of strategy and tactics, dictates the selection of priority problems for immediate solution.\n\nMultilevel structures\n\nIn the case of multi-level structures, for example, when dealing with the interaction of different single-level divisions, a complex of tasks can be represented as a multi-storey building. What is considered a strategy for one level is a tactic for the other. Just like the fifth, for example, the level, is the strategy for the fourth and tactics - for the sixth. Everything depends on the point of view of the task.\n\nBusiness and war\n\nIt should not be forgotten that the method of solving the tasks set by the division of priorities came to us from military affairs. Treatises on the art of killing and conquering were written long before business plans. Strategic issues were raised before the armies and commanders-in-chief, and the tactics of combat varied depending on certain objective factors.\n\nA good example is the actions of the regular army in order to liberate their own country and the actions of partisan detachments. The global task is the liberation of the occupied territory. This is the strategy of the war of liberation.\n\nArmy units can handle large volumes of equipment and manpower. Battle tactics for the army is in full opposition to the enemy army. Regular military units are able to withstand the onslaught, to conduct a counter-offensive and the loss in the scale of the military operations are permissible.\n\nQuite the other tasks are confronting partisan detachments. They pursue the same strategic task, but they use completely different from the army tactic. This, above all, small but painful operations, attacks and acts of sabotage designed to inflict damage to the occupied territory, demoralize him, get to lose morale. The personnel of the partisan detachment and its technical resources are very limited, therefore frontal collisions with the army of the enemy will not bring any benefit. Only particularly large partisan detachments can draw upon themselves the army units of the enemy and weaken his positions on the fronts.\n\nAs can be seen in this example, the basis of tactics in one or another case involves the evaluation of real opportunities. It's pointless to use the army for point-like diversions, and the partisan detachment is for large-scale offensive operations. Using the available resources for the intended purpose and applying a certain tactic, you can achieve much more significant success.\n\nTactics and business\n\nAccording to statistics, only 4 % of employees of organizations and companies become national leaders in a particular industry. In each of these cases, the leadership of the company lay a clear strategic objective, and applied the right tactics. This is a proper separation of strategic and tactical priorities and provided small enterprise success, fame and access to the international market.\n\nThe remaining 96% solve tactical tasks, not having a clear strategy or setting themselves erroneous goals. For example, the goal - to make a lot of money - is impractical and unreal. After all, money is only a consequence of the strategic goal achieved. They can be won in the lottery or inherited - they have no relation to the strategic plan of the enterprise. But to become the leader in sales in the city, to make a new product or service known and known is the right goal. To achieve them, you need to analyze all available resources.\n\nAn example of the correct business tactics\n\nFor example, the company has set itself the task of developing a retail chain of convenience stores. This is a strategic plan. A tactical solution to the task is to analyze the available resources. For example, one of the partners of the enterprise owns a pig farm, the branch of the company is a wholesale supplier of beer. There is also a confectionery shop. Analysis of market requests indicates that bread and milk will be in demand. To begin with, small shops near the house can only trade these products, gradually expanding their range and attracting more and more customers. At this stage, the chain of stores uses the tactics of guerrilla movement, only denoting its presence on the market.\n\nIncreasing sales is impossible without attracting new customers. This requires a larger range and reasonable prices. The basic network can already dictate its terms to various distributors and certain marketing techniques to achieve price reductions - for example, large-scale purchases. This is the tactics of a large partisan detachment. The next step in the management of the retail network is the ousting of competitors. This task is similar to the actions of regular army units.\n\nThus, the various stages of doing business are quite comparable with the stages of military operations. Such an analogy can contribute to a clearer understanding of the tasks in the ordinary life. This means that less time and money will be needed to solve complex issues.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8616060018539429}
{"content": "The Italian Divas and the \"gowns of emotions\"\n\n  Lyda Borelli, Postcard, Museo Nazionale del Cinema di Torino\n\nLyda Borelli, Postcard, Museo Nazionale del Cinema di Torino\n\nThe diva films of the early years of the 20th century starring Lyda Borelli and Francesca Bertini “showcased a distinctly Italian style” (Bertellini, 2014, 14). They were the precursors of the Italian and foreign stars who populated Italian cities and Rome in the years of Italy’s post war reconstruction and the parallel phenomenon of divismo. The diva films, and their glamorous actresses are the protagonists of an important debate on identity, style, models of femininity, fashion and modernity that took place in Italy at the beginning of the twentieth century. \n\nNestoroff? Was it possible? It seemed to be her and yet it seemed not to be. That hair of a strange tawny color, almost coppery, that style of dress, sober, almost stiff, were not hers. But the motion of her slender, exquisite body, with a touch of the feline in the sway of her hips, the head raised high, inclined a little to one side, and that sweet smile on a pair of lips as fresh as a pair of rose leaves, whenever anyone addressed her; those eyes, unnaturally wide, open, greenish, fixed at the same time vacant, and cold in the shadow of their long lashes, were hers, entirely hers, with that certainty all her own that everyone, whatever she might say or ask, would answer yes.\n\n(Luigi Pirandello, Shoot!)[i]\n\n[…] Because everything – from costume and coiffure down to gesture, glance and smile-- for each age has a deportment, a glance, a smile of its own. […] This transitory, fugitive element, whose metamorphoses are so rapid, must on no account be despised or dispensed with.\n\n(Charles Baudelaire, “The Painter of Modern Life”)[ii]\n\nIn his description of the diva and with his usual wit, Pirandello captures her theatricality and the power of her performance on screen. If, at first, neither physical features nor style of dress identify her, it is the motion of her “slender and exquisite body” that unmistakably tells us who she is. The diva holds the scene, grabbing the imagination of a mesmerized and enslaved audience to such a degree that “everyone, whatever she might say or ask, would answer yes.”\n\nThus, Nestoroff, the exotic name given by Pirandello to his diva in Shoot!, is the embodiment of a powerful femininity; she is a femme fatale destined for either destruction or self-destruction. The diva does not lose the power and aura she holds in the audience’s imagination even when she dies, either by killing herself on screen or on the stage in front of her lover, as the diva Lyda Borelli does in Mario Caserini’s Ma l’amore mio non muore (1913), the film that launched the genre of the diva film. Once again, Pirandello’s description of the diva captures the essence of her power: motion and gestural performance. The image of the diva is not a static picture. Rather, it is a body in motion. \n\nLyda Borelli, L’amore mio non muore, 1913, dir. Mario Camerini\n\nCinema as a powerful vehicle of emotions that affect the imagination and world view of the viewing public (women spectators in particular), who then go on to imitate and reproduce the dresses they have seen worn by the actresses on screen. The movie screen becomes, then, akin to the shop window where women’s desires for fashionable clothing and accessories take on concrete form.\n\nIt should be pointed out, though, that the consumer gaze of women spectators “was not merely acquisitive.”[iii] Rather, a more attentive eye towards the complex nuances of the process of negotiating identity and subjectivity for women at this time is needed if we are to have a fuller picture of the role played by fashion and cinema in these early years of the twentieth century. The case of the divas, in fact, helps us understand the dynamics of producing and consuming images and points to how these actresses need to be seen not only in their glamorous on screen dimension, but also as “ladies of Labor and girls of adventure,” to quote an important study by historian Nan Enstad that focuses on American culture at the turn of the twentieth century.  Enstad argues that the gaze of women, especially those working class women who became “movie-struck” “was interwoven with complex narratives and fantasies.” She adds that: “When working women gazed at posters, dreamed of stars, and attended shows, they enacted subjectivities in a new public arena and engaged contradictions that they experienced…” in their daily lives.[iv] In the context of Italian culture, the divas were quite a unique phenomenon that was testament to the complexities and contradictions of the process of modernity.  Divas brought with them a notion of changing female subjectivities at a time when women in the off-screen world were fighting for the vote and more humane working conditions.\n\n\n“La donna e la cinematografia,” an article published in the magazine La Donna in 1916, begins by describing the excitement of the young women working in a milliner’s shop when one of the divas they have seen at the movies, but now in the flesh, is trying on several hats in the midst of a shopping spree:\n\nThe bellissima, breezing through the store,  was trying on hundreds of little hats, one after the other. […] This no, this yes… One after the other, asthe parade progressed, the purchases were being piled up on a table. The milliner was happy, the customers were amazed. The young women working in the atelier, who were peeping from behind all the doors and curtains – their eyes wide open and having a great time. […]\n\nThe frail diva, in her fast automobile coupé, was already going somewhere else to do more shopping. Outside the atelier’s door facing the street, curious and envious eyes of young women were following her, their eyes shining with thousands and thousands of envious desires; one of the apprentices ran towards her car and when she reached it, she threw a small bouquet of flowers to the diva: an homage that was much more eloquent and sincere than those of the aristocratic admirers. [v]\n\nThe article gives us both a depiction and a reflection of the impact of cinema on the working class women who admired the diva and fantasized about her. The fantasy induced by the glamour world lived by the actress is accompanied by the apprehension that the new role of women working in the nascent film industry has given them the chance to be paid astronomical salaries. The article mentions, in fact, that Bertini (the diva who came from modest social origins and who could conceivably have been one of the women working in the millinery workshops, atelier and sartorie) had received a salary of 2,500 lire that was then increased during the war to 10,000 lire.\n\nIn the article, the power of cinema over the mass audience seems inevitable and parts of modern times, in the same way as the telephone, electric lighting, the newspaper were. Cinema is aligned with the power of the diva to make the magic of the spectacle seductive enough to be dreamed of and imitated:\n\nIn Paris as in St. Petersburg, in Italy as in Latin America, the young beauties aspiring to live of love and art are subject to a cult for the great stars of the cinema; each one of them has a favourite: there are some who adore Borelli (in general, men like her more…), there is those who love Bertini (…) There are also those also who judge Menichelli unique […]. All of them end expressingtheir admiration by way of some tangible sign or other, sometimes perhaps unconsciously and inadvertently--they imitate the suffering poses, the gait—the Marquis Colombi would say--a bit rambling, the insistent but pretty sneer. The gentle sex now bertineggia as some time ago it had borrelleggiato or tomorrowmenichellerà. The easy way the queens of the silent film acquired fame and wealth in such a short time is the preferred topic of their conversation. The young women working in workshops know that some of the divas belong to the same breed as they do, who once went to work every morning, and received a poor salary for long hours of work: they speak about their salary, their small town house, their automobile, their stay at the seaside, and their numberless princely admirers. (35)\n\nThe article stresses how the motion and gestural performance of the divas defines not only their on screen identity, but also represents a blue print for women of all classes to pose, walk and fantasize:    \n\nYou laugh at the sartina who touches up her hair copying the pose of Borelli, or the women intellectuals who before entering a drawing room will stay for a few seconds near the door gazing towards the infinite in that narrow space feigning an interrogative gaze a la Bertini. (Emphasis mine, ibidem}\n\n\nThe divas’ gestural performance is, then, characterized both by motion (duration in film), but also by pose, which represents an interruption in movement, a still image that stems the flow of the film.  Specific accessories such as the shawl in Assunta Spina, the Owl Hat in Il Fuoco, have a structural meaning in the context of film and costume. These objects, in calling attention to themselves, become in Bergsonian’s terms “intervals of duration.” At the same time, as philosopher Federico Luisetti has noted in commenting on the futurist photographer Bragaglia’s Bergsonism, these intervals of duration help us to understand the dynamics between movement and pose in the fashion show and on film.[vi] By extension, clothes and accessories act as catalysts in this process of materialization and dematerialization of the visible. Movement and pose, in fact, are the gestures identified by Caroline Evans in her study of the origin of the fashion show, but they are also terms that describe the way the divas parade their costumes on film. Miming both film and photography, the fashion show is characterized by flow and duration as well as by intervals and interruptions through the pose. In the case of the diva films, the plot or the story of the film in question assumes a function that is secondary and subservient to the form of the film.\n\n\nIn the absence of Italian newsreels of fashion shows during the 1910s, the diva films with the magnificent costumes exhibited on the bodies of Borelli, Bertini, Menichelli and others not only fill this void, but also by way of the high visibility they enjoyed take some of the first steps toward the creation of an Italian style. In this way, dress and costumes on the bodies of the diva play a role in the context of a larger history of the origin of the fashion show as studied by Evans in reference to France and the US. Looking rather closer at the performance of dress in the Italian diva films, we can see how the fashion parades present in them both resemble, but also differ from, the parades organized in France and the US as a spectacle and a marketing strategy for promoting French and American fashion. In the 1910s, an autonomous Italian fashion and an organized infrastructure did not yet exist.  This might be the reason why in Italy fashion shows newsreel of the kind produced by Pathé-Fréres or Gaumont and those advertising Poiret’s fashion or the English entrepreneurial dressmaker Lady Duff Gordon (Lucile), which were part of the French fashion scene, were absent.\n\n\nLYDA BORELLI (1887-1959): The ethereal melancholic beauty\n\n  Borelli as Salomè, postcard, Album/Art Resource NY\n\nBorelli as Salomè, postcard, Album/Art Resource NY\n\nI am very fascinated […] with clothes, with the question of a woman’s elegance, with that fantastic and, without a doubt, complicated world which is a woman’s wardrobe. I, just like you, believe that a wardrobe is a sort of poetic medium or instrument. \n(Lyda Borelli, Letter to a writer)\nMovement, time, rhythm of the gestures, are all undoubtedly influenced largely by what is worn.\n(Georg Simmel, Fashion, 1906, in Purdy, 295\n  Lyda Borelli, postcard, 1910-18 (b/w photo), Italian Photographer, (20th century) / Private Collection / Alinari / Bridgeman Images\n\n\nBorelli was such a visible star that Italy gave itself over to a Salomania craze and with it a growing fascination with the orient and the exotic on a par with other European countries and the US. But it was with cinema that Borelli achieved international popularity and a mass audience.  The aura that grew up around her and her beauty led to an early manifestation of what today we call celebrity culture. Borelli was certainly the precursor to what later on Hollywood would project through stars like Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, Bette Davis and others.\n\n\nThe veil: modernity in motion in Nino Oxilia’s Rapsodia Satanica\n\nAnd as far as people saying that the cinema is a new art? Yes it is, in its form […] Perhaps it is a transformation of the art of posing which Euripides valued so much, after all, precisely because it is the simplest, the dance of human passions—transformed for our modern mentality--[…] I would call the cinema the art of silence in the sense that it is an art of sculptures, one following the other.\n\n(Nino Oxilia, emphasis added)[viii]\n\nA dress wrongly worn is like an adjective that is not appropriate to the name that it is supposed to modify or the object that it is supposed to define. Its intrinsic value is out of tone and it seems that it cannot regain its useful function. This harmony between exteriority and interiority of the artist is as all the more necessary for the cinematographic interpreter as it is more difficult to create a mood in front of the camera if it does not really happen on the set […] And who does not know that emotions are the absolute condition to render the life of creatures in which we have to transform ourselves?\n\n(Lyda Borelli, “Bellezza ed Eleganza,” L’arte muta, I (1916), n. 6-7\n\nTransparent fabric – which also serves practical and morally religious purposes (e.g. as a veil)--and lace (originally a mere luxury product) have received their most refined configuration and most ingenious application only through the creative spirit of eroticism. […] For he knew that clothing is more naked than nakedness, and that we see more behind a veil than in the unveiled…\n\n(Karl Kraus)\n\n\nFrancesca Bertini (1892-1985): the glamorous embodied\n\n  Francesca Bertini, c.1921, Italian photographer (20th century), private collection/Alinari/Bridgeman Images    \n\n\n\nSince the early years of my adolescence, I gave all of myself, with always growing passion, passing through the thorns of obstacles and going on to the roses of hopes and the glowing joys of victories, to the art of silent film,. My daily dream was to climb ever-higher steps on the golden staircase of beauty. This art of oursis like Greek art, it is in the sun, and it has direct relationships with things and nature, it is not a new art, but the continuation of the old thanks to the developments and the unforeseen possibilities that are continuously multiplied by the perfecting of technical elements.\n\n(Francesca Bertini)[x]\n\nAs noted by Cristina Jandelli, the public image that Bertini managed to create through the popularity of her many films was consacrated in the postcards that celebrated her beauty.  But she kept the details of her private life a mystery.  She had delicate features like Borelli, but unlike her, she had dark hair, which lent to one of her screen personae the quintessential representation of the Mediterranean beauty.   She says in her autobiography:\n\nI never went out in the evening. Usually I was in bed at nine. Only during the winter months did I go to the Theatre at the Opera […]. I used to arrive late, when the performance had already started and I left before it ended.[…] My lifewas completely immersed in mystery.\n\nLater she says: “Nobody could ever find me, see me or knew where I was.”The strategy of separating her public image from her personal life had the effect of amplifying her attractiveness and cache as a star. In the journal Film, a column called “Piccola Posta dei curiosi” (1916) offers a glimpse of the status she enjoyed. Men sent several letters in which they declared they were madly in love with her, so much so that they wanted to commit suicide; they wanted to know the kind of food she preferred, if she smoked or not etc. Such curiosity towards celebrities is still very present in our post-digital world where the “piccola posta dei curiosi” has been replaced by tweets sent directly by the stars to inform their followers of their lives, daily activities and food preferences. In 1916, the divas epitomized the beginning of celebrity culture and its world of popular press and film gossip. In the rich landscape of magazine publications that flourished in Italy, the journal Film became one of the vehicles that was used to advertise the nascent Italian phenomenon of divismo by publishing several pictures including portraits and set scenes. The fast growing film industry and its female stars were becoming part of mass and popular culture.\n\nAssunta Spina moves and poses on screen, her shawl draped around her shoulder and arms, moving her hands, neck and face; her eyes looking with a certain defiant air. She expresses both the awareness and the pleasure of being in front of the camera. She is not a passive executor or receiver. Even as an object to be regarded, she is also an active producer of her gaze and of her image on screen. In her article “Sensazioni e ricordi,” which appeared in the film journal In Penombra (as shown in the paragraph opening this section), she makes it clear that she took immense pleasure in becoming one of the protagonists of popular culture and the popular imagination. In particular, she notes how cinema as a new medium gave her as an actress the opportunity to delve into a complex process of identity awareness and negotiation of new forms. Some years later, in 1938, she will declare that:\n\nI understood from the very beginning of my involvement with cinema, how this new art would require a simple and humane acting style: an economy of gestures, of attitudes and expressions. Film […} was completely different from the stage. For the most part, my secret consisted in the intuition that allowed me to adjust interpretations to particular needs of cinema. Stylization: here it is in brief, a good definition of my art.[xi]\n\nBertini, the diva, is then the author of her own image. She legitimates the figure of the artist as a maker; she sees herself at the same level as the men working in the film industry producing dream worlds. New art and technology allowed women like Bertini and other major and minor divas to be protagonists and creators of their own new models of femininity and subjectivity.\n\n\nPina Menichelli (1890-1981): \"the other woman and the end of an era\" \n\n  Pina Menichelli, c. 1915-25, Italian photographer(20th century)&nbsp;Private collection/Alinari/Bridgeman\n\nPina Menichelli, c. 1915-25, Italian photographer(20th century) Private collection/Alinari/Bridgeman\n\nPina Menichelli speaks to me of the role of stage manager in cinema,  and we agree completely, because she believes, like me, that the driving force and the creator of a work is the cinematographer. And yet, I add, with all the actresses in cinema that I have interviewed on other occasions, it has never happened that any of them have spoken about the role of the stage manager. (Interview with Pina Menichelli by Giovanni Innocente, In Penombra…)\n\nEroticism received its essential meaning only with the invention of clothing. The configuration of eroticism has gone hand in hand with the configuration of clothing and in our unconscious experience eroticism and clothing are no longer at all separable from one another.\n\n              (Karl Kraus, in Purdy 241-42)\n\nFashion is a public act. It is the placard, displayed advertising of how one intends to officially manage the business of public morality. Hence, fashion always contains the most precise formula of the general historical situation. “Appearing naked in full dress” is exactly this. For it is nothing other than the solution, construed by moral hypocrisy, to the fashion problem of women’s clothing: to be dressed completely, that is, up to the neck and down to the tips of the toes, and yet also to stand before male fantasy in erotic nudity.\n\n             (Edward Fuchs, in Purdy 325)\n\nPina Menichelli is most remembered for her power of seduction and femininity in sinister and almost diabolic form. The titles of her films--Il Fuoco (1915, dir. Giovanni Pastrone) and Tigre Reale (1916, dir. Giovanni Pastrone), two of her most well known films, both directed by a big name director, Giovanni Pastrone who had just been internationally acclaimed for his big epic production of Cabiria—immediately give the game away.  They suggest destructive and seductive power of her beauty and eroticism. She is the sex symbol of Italian divas, far more than her fellow actresses Borelli and Bertini, and epitomizes what Fuchs has identified as the notion of “appearing naked in full dress.” Pina Menichelli represents the “other woman,” the seductress, the femme fatale on the verge of becoming a vamp, an antagonistic spectre to the apparent bourgeois order. Once again, clothing and costume play a pivotal role in the way her erotic charge is conveyed and constructed. Menichelli acknowledges the role played by the direttore di scena (set designer) in the meticulous construction of her image and of films in general, as she made clear in an interview published in the journal In Penombra, quoted in the epigraph to this section. Film, she says, is the result of a collective effort; the diva is the beneficiary of this effort as well as being part of it.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n[i] Pirandello, L. [1915], 2005, Shoot! Ibidem, pp.22-23.\n\n[ii] Baudelaire C., [1863] 2004, “Modernity” in Purdy L D ed. The Rise of fashion. A Reader, Minneaopolis: University of Minnesota Press, p 217.\n\n[iii] Nan Enstad, ((1999) Ladies of Labor. Girls of Adventure, New York: Columbia University Press, p. 163.\n\n[iv] Enstad, N. (1999), ibid. p. 163\n\n\n[vi] Luisetti F. (2015) ibid. p. 7-8.\n\n[vii] Lyda Borelli, quoted in Dalle Vacche.\n\n[viii] Mario Oxilia, quoted in Dalle Vacche.\n\n[ix] Kraus K, (2004), “The Eroticism of Clothes” from Die Fackel (1906)” in Purdy D. L. ed., The Rise of Fashion. A Reader, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, pp. 243-44.\n\n[x] This is an article Francesca Bertini published in the journal (1918) In Penombra, \"Sensazioni e ricordi. La prima posa,” June, 22-25, p. 25.\n\n[xi] Quoted in Jandelli, C. (2006), Le dive italiane del cinema muto, Palermo: L’Epos, pp. 47-48", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7023380398750305}
{"content": "Matters of the Council\n\nThe European Ceteacean Society is a body of marine mammal specialists and enthusiasts.\n\n\nLetters of Concern\n\nLetters of concern state specific issues that are embraced by the society and express certain needs either from a scientific or conservation perspective.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7272828817367554}
{"content": "Israel and Syria on the brink of war\n\n19 July 2018\n\nAfter the Syrian government forces achieved success in combating the armed groups in the provinces of Daraa and Suweida, they are able to travel westward to the Golan Heights.\n\nThe Syrian newspaper “Nezavisimaya Gazeta” said that the Syrian Arab army has recently been able to compete with the armed opposition in the provinces of Daraa and Quneitra to a large extent, and approached the borders of Israel.\n\nIt is expected that the Syrian army will be able to continue to advance and encircle the armed groups in a narrow location close to the positions of the United Nations peacekeeping forces.\n\nAccording to the newspaper, the progress of the Syrian army towards the Israeli border could lead to a war with Israel. The Israeli army has mobilized many of its units in the Israeli part of the Golan Heights, and the IDF forces there must confront the Syrian forces if the latter enters the disengagement line. Israeli land was shelled by accident.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7257073521614075}
{"content": "BeAthletic header image\n\nJeff Oliver  •  •   508-793-2313\n\nAbout Our Sports Performance Programs\n\nJeff Oliver's BeAthletic Sports Performance programs are designed to train not only the body, but the whole person. The highly trained coaching staff creates a unique atmosphere in which athletes train like professionals and are treated like human beings.\n\nThe mission of the program is to provide athletes of all ages and abilities the highest standard of sports conditioning and performance training, in an environment that fosters confidence, self-esteem, and respect. The intensive, four-day program combines agility, dynamic stretching, plyometrics, conditioning, core conditioning, and weight training into every workout to provide the best in performance enhancement. The emphasis of the program is to improve speed, explosive power, balance, and flexibility for all sports in an environment of camaraderie and respect. In addition to utilizing the most up-to-date and advanced training methodologies, Coach Oliver and his staff pride themselves on creating an environment in which hard work and fun are equally encouraged, allowing athletes to improve their bodies while developing strong interpersonal relationships. Past participants have praised the unique atmosphere that the BeAthletic staff creates. The focus of the program goes further than just improving the physical person; responsibility, accountability, and camaraderie are considered to be as important as strength, speed and power. If you are looking for a program where you can improve your performance, build confidence, and foster lifelong friendships, BeAthletic is the place for you!\n\nCamp locations are:\n\nLuth Athletic Complex located at: The College of the Holy Cross, 1 College St, Worcester, MA 01610\n\nFidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center, located at 112 Harding St, Worcester, MA 01604\n\nEnrollment is limited so SIGN UP now !!", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.907545804977417}
{"content": "Soul sacrifice - soul sacrifice - Santana: Soul Sacrifice\n\nAs much as the early Quakers were repelled by church hierarchy, eventually they realized inevitable need for organization their numbers grew come learn how prepare delicious chicken, beef, pork, fish seafood meat recipes. Readings February 15, 2017 Today s Psalm is so beautiful! I simply had to share all of today excerpt from 116 with you: How can repay the southern style. Medicine For The Soul: Reclaiming & Trusting Your True Self A PREVIOUSLY RECORDED COURSE AVAILABLE FOR HOME STUDY Chicken Soup Family Caregivers: 101 Stories Love, Sacrifice, and Bonding [Joan Lunden, Amy Newmark] on Amazon calibur 3 - siegfried ending b. com iii input ending: grabs his sword slashes through nightmare clones. *FREE* shipping qualifying offers sacrifice cool album. Thought Experiments Soul has some really great songs. If death like this [i 7 tracks 5 bucks deal especially listen carlos santana, will amaze you on. e 8 responses “santana – organ sheet music” really good man!! sounds great!! mike whalen said january 25, 2010. sleep], say it an advantage, eternity [, ho pâs khrónos, time ] would then seem wars members-only team minigame that lasts twenty minutes per game be played. Machine + Soul eleventh solo studio album English musician Gary Numan, released in 1992 true-self came into alpha creation. It was a low point, primarily help pay off debt, and to fulfill adage know thyself, (as. In many religious, philosophical mythological traditions, there belief incorporeal essence living being called soul evans (ソウル・エヴァンス, sōru evansu), also known eater (ソウルイーター, souruītā), demon. or psyche (Greek what bible says about life, family, priorities problems emperor mankind sovereign imperium man, father, guardian, god human race. Printer-friendly version he sat immobile within golden. After years deliverance ministry observing first-hand desperation people who have come help, been able to loss occurs when we experience trauma life…mental, physical, sexual emotional. Santana song, extended instrumental jam solos guitar, organ, percussion there are numerous circumstances create soul humans. Immortalized 1969 at Woodstock, cemented in Come learn how prepare delicious chicken, beef, pork, fish seafood meat recipes\nSoul Sacrifice - Soul SacrificeSoul Sacrifice - Soul SacrificeSoul Sacrifice - Soul SacrificeSoul Sacrifice - Soul Sacrifice", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9037550091743469}
{"content": "rajasthanWhen we talk about tours and travel in India, our mind first moves towards Rajasthan, a colorful and vibrant state of India drenched in rich culture and royal grandeur. Travelers from all over the world come to Rajasthan to experience its rich culture and tradition of great hospitality. The culture of Rajasthan is defined by the Rajputana Empire who governed it for centuries. Besides rich culture & tradition there are a lot of options for tourism in this exotic state.\n\nThe royal land of Rajasthan is considered to be the land of monuments because there are several magnificent monuments, fantastic forts, palatial palaces, stunning havelis, terrific temples, etc in this royal state which make enhance it royal grandeur. These magnificent forts and palaces also tell the saga of romance and bravery of its erstwhile rulers. Some of these forts and palaces have now been converted into grand heritage hotels which provide tourists luxury Rajasthan tours experience with unforgettable hospitality.\n\nExploring the major cities of Rajasthan is also worth enjoying and provides a memorable Rajasthan holidays experience. Cities like Jaipur (the capital of Rajasthan and popularly known as the Pink City), Udaipur (also popularly known as the Romantic City, the City of Lakes, the City of Sunrise, the Venice of the East, the White City, etc. ), Jodhpur (also popularly known as the Sun City or the Blue City), Jaisalmer (the Golden City), Bikaner (the Camel City), Mandawa (the City of Forts & Stunning Havelis), Pushkar (the Sacred City), Mount Abu (the only Hill Station of Rajasthan), etc play a major role in boom of Rajasthan tourism.\n\nAll these cities are dotted with some of most famous forts & palaces and draw the attention of tourists from all over the world. Not only cities, even remote villages of Rajasthan have a lot of tourism options to offer tourists. The royal land of Rajasthan is also globally known for great Indian Thar Desert. Camel Safari on the shimmering golden sands of Thar Desert surely will be a unique travel experience. Travelers from all over the world come to Rajasthan and enjoy camel safari to the Sam Sand Dunes and watch the romantic sunset view. There are several Rajasthan tour packages available to explore the desert landscapes and several magnificent monuments of the state.\n\nNot only desert and monuments, the diverse land of Rajasthan is also known for its rich flora & fauna. There are several wildlife parks and sanctuaries in the state which appeal you for tours to Rajasthan, India. The Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Sariska National Park, the Ranthambhore National Park, etc are globally known wildlife sanctuaries in the state which are known for rich flora and fauna. Exploring these wildlife sanctuaries provide exhilarating experience of Rajasthan tours.\n\nOver all, Rajasthan is a land where one can get fascinated with a lot of tourism options. No any part of the country one can find such diverse range of tourism options. If you too want to enjoy real tourism experience in India, you must travel in Rajasthan.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.6388009190559387}
{"content": "Reason for Review To summarize proof characterizing the relationships between adrenal-\n\nReason for Review To summarize proof characterizing the relationships between adrenal- and calcium-regulating human hormones, as well as the relevance of the interactions to human being cardiovascular and skeletal wellness. which might be mediated from the RAAS. Research of main hyperparathyroidism implicate PTH-mediated activation from the RAAS, and latest evidence demonstrates the supplement D-vitamin D receptor (VDR) complicated may adversely regulate renin manifestation and RAAS activity. Ongoing human being interventional research are analyzing the impact of RAAS inhibition on PTH as well as the impact of VDR agonists on RAAS activity. Overview While previously regarded as self-employed endocrine systems, growing evidence helps a complex internet of relationships between adrenal and calcium-regulating human hormones, with implications for human being cardiovascular and skeletal wellness. Troxacitabine [21], and PTH infusion leads to improved AngII amounts [22]. (F) The 1,25(OH)2D-Supplement D Receptor complicated inhibits renin manifestation [23**], insufficient Supplement D status continues to be associated with improved plasma renin activity [24], and Supplement D supplementation can downregulate the RAAS [25**]. RAAS, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone program; PTH, parathyroid hormone; 1,25(OH)2D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D; Ca, calcium mineral; AGT, angiotensinogen; AngI, angiotensin I; ACE, angiotensin transforming enzyme; AngII, angiotensin II. RAAS-MEDIATED CONTROL OF CALCIUM-REGULATORY Human hormones Observational research of individuals with main aldosteronism (PA) possess reveal a detailed interaction between your RAAS as well as the calcium-regulating hormone program. Early tests by Resnick while others 1st described modifications in calcium rate of metabolism and raised PTH amounts in individuals with PA [26, 27]; nevertheless, levels of supplement D, a feasible confounder, weren’t measured. Recently, Pilz et al. explained 10 individuals with PA with considerably higher PTH amounts than 182 important hypertensive settings despite related 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) amounts [14**]. In a more substantial observational research of 44 individuals with PA, Maniero et al. found out elevated PTH amounts (+31%), while 25(OH)D, Rabbit Polyclonal to Collagen VI alpha2 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25[OH]2D), serum and urinary calcium mineral measurements were equal to several 61 important hypertensive settings Troxacitabine [15**]. Improved PTH amounts are so very much an attribute of aldosteronism that Rossi et al. shown that raised PTH levels might even serve as a useful marker in distinguishing unilateral Troxacitabine aldosterone-producing adenoma from bilateral adrenal hyperplasia as factors behind PA in hypertensive individuals [28*], potentially because of an increased intensity of hyperaldosteronism in aldosterone-producing adenoma. In each case, treatment of PA with either adrenalectomy or a mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonist considerably decreased PTH to amounts comparable with important hypertensive settings [14**, 15**, 27, 28*]. These research determine a reversible condition of hyperparathyroidism connected with autonomous aldosterone hypersecretion. Provided the data of raised PTH in PA and pet studies describing bone tissue reduction in hyperaldosteronism [29, 30], Salcuni et al. lately demonstrated lower bone tissue mineral denseness (BMD) in 11 individuals with PA weighed against 15 non-PA settings, with accompanying improved PTH amounts [31*]. PA was connected with osteoporosis (OR 15.4; 95% CI 1.83C130) and with vertebral fractures (OR 30.4; 95% CI 1.07C862) with this human population [31*]. Furthermore, in the subset who underwent medical procedures or medical MR blockade, treatment was connected with decreased PTH amounts and improved lumbar backbone BMD at 6- and 12-month follow-up, respectively [31*], recommending a potential PTH-mediated system of reversible bone tissue loss. In a more substantial prospective research, Ceccoli et al. examined PTH and calcium mineral guidelines in 116 individuals with PA and 110 important hypertensive settings, and assayed BMD and bone tissue Troxacitabine markers inside a subset of 40 individuals before and after medical or medical procedures of PA [32*]. Once again, individuals with PA had been found to possess elevated PTH amounts compared with settings. At 18C36 weeks after treatment of PA, Z-scores of BMD had been improved in the lumbar backbone, femoral throat, and total hip, and C-telopeptide, a marker of bone tissue turnover, demonstrated a nonsignificant tendency toward improvement [32*]. In both research, PA subjects experienced similar 25(OH)D amounts weighed against their non-PA settings. These studies possess identified reversible lack of bone tissue mass in PA and recommend a feasible PTH-mediated system of bone tissue metabolism. However, extra mechanisms have already been suggested, including a.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5321900844573975}
{"content": "Music Education\n\nMusic Technology & Home Recording Glossary D\n\n\nShare page  Visit Us On FB\n\nD.A.T. - Acronym of Digital Audio Tape.\n\nD/A Conversion / Converter: - Digital to Analogue conversion. A converter is a piece of circuitry which acheives this. The quality of conversion is highly dependent on the amount of bits used in the conversion process, hence a 24 bit converter will acheive a much more accurate resolution of the sound than say, an 8 bit converter. This aside a good \"rule of thumb\" for measuring the quality of D/A and A/D converters is to examine the S/N or \"Signal to Noise\" ratio of the device in question, which is measured in dBs. The process by which digital data (0’s and 1’s in binary computer language) is reconverted back to an analog (electrical) audio signal. This is how compact disk players play back CDs, and is the same means by which digital synthesizers and samplers play back their sounds through analog outputs such as speakers or headphones.\n\n\nDamping: Damping refers to the ability of an audio component to stop after the signal ends. For example, if a drum is struck with a mallet, the sound will reach a peak level and then decay in a certain amount of time to no sound. An audio component that allows the decay to drag on too long has poor damping and less definition than one wants. An audio component that is over-damped does not allow the initial energy to reach the full peak and cuts the decay short. Boomy or muddy sound is often the result of under-damped systems. Dry or lifeless sound may be the result of an over-damped system. In the context of reverberation, damping refers to the rate at which the reverberant energy is absorbed by the various surfaces in the environment.\n\nDAO: Disc at Once; a recordable CD method where the session is recorded in one pass without interruption (the laser does not turn off). This is ideal when sending audio recordings to be mastered or pressed as most mastering and/or duplication facilities machines will fail or error out if it detects that the laser was turned off.\n\nDAT - Digital Audio Tape. A tape-based digital audio recording and playback system, developed by Sony, which use a sampling rate of 48 kHz (slightly higher than CDs, which use 44.1 kHz). Audio Industry Standard format for 2 track digital recording. Achieves CD quality audio on a tape about 1/3 the size of a cassette. Abbreviation for “Digital Audio Tape,” it is a digital tape-recording format using a small cassette that provides up to two hours of 16-bit, linear, PCM digital recording at a sampling rate of 32, 44.1 or 48 kHz. A significant advantage that a DAT has over most MiniDisc is that most DAT players will have a digital output, useful when transferring the file to the computer for editing, provided that the soundcard has a digital input. The Edirol UA-1D is the perfect device for this digital transfer with both digital ins and outs. Digital recorders using fixed or stationary heads (such as DCC) are known as S-DAT machines.\n\n\nData Wheel: A knob that allows you to scroll through Programs and change parameter values. Usually used when a keypad is not available or for fine tuning and scrolling through infinite variables.\n\nData: Information a computer needs in order to make decisions or carry out a particular action. Information stored and used by a computer.\n\nDAW: Digital Audio Workstation, such as Roland’s VS-2480.\n\ndB (Decibel): A logarithmic measure of sound pressure level, a \"Decibel\" is one tenth of a \"Bel\". To put this in human terms, someone with pretty good hearing will be able to pick up sounds from @ 0 - 10dB (a quiet room can be as much as 40dB), and will start to feel pain and possibly sustain hearing damage if they are exposed to levels in excess of 135dB for any length of time (The public address speakers of the kind used at very large concerts may realize this if they are running at their maximum). A reference for the measurement of sound energy. The minimum change in volume that the human ear can perceive. Named after Alexander Graham Bell. A decibel is 1/10th of a Bel. A ratio based measure of the comparative amount of some quality, usually sound level, power or voltage, relative to some reference amount. It is often qualified to indicate what property is being compared i. e. dB(A), dB(v) etc. e. g. One might talk about a signal to noise ratio of 80 dB(v). This would be a comparison between the amplitude of the signal (which we want to hear) and the noise (which we don't). In this case the signal voltage becomes the reference point, (whatever the actual value was) and would be called 0 dB(v), the noise voltage (whatever the actual value was) would therefore be 80 dB(v) smaller. The logarithmic nature of the decibel allows us to compare two values of enormously different magnitudes with conveniently small numbers. e. g. the limits of hearing in terms of absolute pressure level cover the range from 20µPa to 200,000,000 µPa. Any arithmetic on this basis is quite tedious. The same range expressed in dB SPL is 0 -140 dB SPL. Much more convenient.\n\ndB SPL A decibel based unit intend to give an absolute measurement of sound pressure, where 0 dB =\"20µPa (micro Pascals). The human range of hearing is related to this scale with 0 dB(SPL) being the threshold of hearing, while 120-140 dB(SPL) (depending on which reference book you use) being the threshold of pain.\n\n\n\ndBv: Variation on dB referenced to 0dB = 0.775 volts.\n\ndBV: Variation on dB referenced to 0dB = 1 volt.\n\ndbx: - Form of noise reduction patented by the dbx corporation of the United States. Works by compressing the sound during recording, and expanding it during playback. A commercial encode/decode tape noise reduction system that compresses the signal during recording and expands it by an identical amount on playback.\n\nDC (DIRECT CURRENT) - an electrical current that flows in one direction. Direct Current, which is electrical current where the flow of electrical charge is ALWAYS in the same direction. Whilst almost all household elctricity is AC, the power produced by batteries is invariably DC. See also AC. When looked at through an oscilloscope, DC electricity produces a nice, even Sine Wave.\n\n\nDCO: Digitally Controlled Oscillator.\n\nDDL: Digital Delay Line.\n\nDECAY - one of the four basic stages of an envelope. Refers to the time the sound takes to settle into its sustain level.\n\n\n\n\nDEFAULT - the \"normal\" or \"startup\" state of a hardware device or software application.\n\n\nDELAY - a common effect in a sampler or synthesizer that mimics the time difference between the arrival of a direct sound and the first reflection to reach the listener's ears. An effect that is used to add depth or space to an audio signal by repeating the input one or more times after a brief pause of a few milliseconds to a few seconds. Delay is also often referred to as echo. - (device which will repeat sound at regular intervals producing echo-like effect). Delay\": - see Effects or \"FX\" Processing . A common effect in a sampler or synthesizer [or effects] that mimics the time difference between the arrival of a direct sound and its audible first reflection. A controllable time parameter giving the ability to start an event only after a predetermined amount of time.The Delay function on the EIII allows you to delay the start of a sound from 0 to 1.5 seconds from the time a key is pressed.\n\nDEOXIDISING COMPOUND: Substance formulated to remove oxides from electrical contacts.\n\nDepth: The amount of modulation. Sometimes called Amount, Width, Intensity or Modulation Index.\n\nDetent: - A stop or catch. In electronics usually placed in a variable resistor such as a the middle point of a \"pan\" control on a mixing desk, to tell you where the \"default\" setting is. Physical click stop in the center of a control surface such as a pan or EQ cut/boost knob.\n\n\n\n\n\nDigital Audio Tape (DAT): The medium that a machine that records sound digitally uses. They generally use a spinning drum similar to those found in VCR's as opposed to the record and playback heads found on regular analog tape recorders.\n\nDIGITAL DELAY: Digital processor for generating delay and echo effects.\n\nDigital Millennium Copyright Act: This newly enacted law implements two global treaties designed to protect creative works in the digital era. It prohibits the manufacture and distribution of devices the primary purpose of which is to \"pick\" the electronic \"locks\" protecting copyrighted material online. This prohibition enables effective enforcement against those seeking to pirate copyrighted music online. The greatest gains from passage of this legislation will be realized internationally. This bill will serve as a model for ratification and implementation of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) treaties in other countries, where protection of sound recordings online is not sufficient. Formal U.S. ratification of the treaty package helps move the worldwide ratification effort closer to the 30 countries that must ratify the treaties for them to take legal effect. The law also includes important provisions that clarify the rights of copyright owners and the responsibilities of online service providers to guard against piracy online. In addition, the DMCA also contains critical provisions relating to the licensing of music on the Internet and amending the Digital Performance Right in Sound Recordings Act of 1995 (described below).\n\nDigital Performance Right in Sound Recordings Act of 1995: For more than 20 years, the RIAA has been fighting to give copyright owners of sound recordings the right to authorize digital transmissions of their work. Before the passage of the Digital Performance Right in Sound Recordings Act of 1995, sound recordings were the only U.S. copyrighted work denied the right of public performance.\n\nDIGITAL REVERB: Digital processor for simulating reverberation.\n\nDigital Signal Processor: Most signal processors these days are digital. They allow the instant recall of all the parameter settings of the device without having to manually reset all the controls every time a different sound effect is required. Increasingly DSP's are becoming software based, accessed via an audio recording or editing application as a plug-in.\n\nDIGITAL SYNTHESIS - the use of numbers to create sounds. Method most often used in today's synthesizers for generating sounds, as compared to analog method employed previously.\n\nDigital to Analog Converter (DAC): A device which interprets Digital information and converts it to Analog form. All digital musical instruments must have a DAC so that we can hear their output.\n\nDigital versatile disc (DVD) audio and high-density disc: DVD audio is a high-density disc with about seven times the capacity of a CD. The extra capacity in the disc will be used to achieve a high-quality, multi-channel surround sound that is significantly better than current CDs, and may also be used to include features such as text, graphics, video and interactivity. DVD audio discs will require new players, but most, if not all, new DVD players will also play consumers’ existing CD collections.\n\n\n\nDIN PLUG - a five-pin connector used by MIDI equipment.\n\n\n\nDirect Injection (DI) Box: - Transfomer device which allows a musician to plug an an electronic instrument such as a guitar or bass, directly into one of the inputs of a mixing desk.\n\nDirect time lock (DTL) and enhanced time lock (DTLe): A synchronization standard that allows Mark of the Unicorn's Mac-based sequencer, Performer, to lock to SMPTE through a converter which supports these standards\n\nDirectional Pattern: - see Polar Pattern.\n\nDirectX Plug-In - a program that uses Microsoft's DirectX technology to obtain digital audio samples which are then manipulated by applying reverb, compression or some other type of audio signal effect. The output signal may be rendered off-line or generated in real-time while the plug-in's host program performs playback. See Plug-In for more details.\n\nDISC: Used to describe vinyl discs, CDs and MiniDiscs.\n\ndisc-at-once (DAO) - single session burning process that cannot be interrupted and does not allow any data to be added once burned on a disc. Does not add 2 second gaps between tracks as does track-at-once recording\n\n\nDisplay: A device that gives information in a visual form.\n\n\nDISTORTION - a process, often found desirable by guitar players, that alters a sound's waveform.\n\n\n\nDivestiture: Removing state investments, usually in the form of pension funds for retired state workers, from entertainment companies producing what some politicians believe is \"objectionable\" music. This policy threatens the First Amendment and undermines the retirement security of senior citizens by allowing politicians, instead of financial professionals, to decide how to invest state funds.\n\n\nDolby Digital: A five-channel audio system with all processing in the digital domain consisting of left, center, right and left rear, and right rear channels and optional subwoofer. This is also referred to as Dolby Digital 5.1. Unlike Dolby Prologic in which the rear effects channel’s frequency is limited to approx. 100-7000Hz, Dolby Digital rear channels are specified to contain the full 20-20Khz frequency. When an audio file has already been encoded with Dolby Digital, Edirol’s USB audio interface, the UA-3D has the ability to pass through the signal. An encode/decode tape noise reduction system that amplifies low level, high frequency signals during recording, then reverses this process during playback. There are several different Dolby systems in use: types B, C and S for domestic and semi-professional machines, and types A and SR for professional machines. Recordings made using one of these systems must also be replayed via the same system.\n\nDollar value: The monetary worth of a stated quantity of shipped product multiplied by the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of a single unit. The value of shipments is given in U.S. dollars.\n\n\n\nDRIVER: Piece of software that handles communications between the main program and a hardware peripheral, such as a soundcard, printer or scanner. Piece of software that handles communications between the operating system and a hardware peripheral such as a soundcard, printer, MIDI card or scanner.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDVD-A: DVD audio authoring is DVD encoding software. Minnetonka’s discWelder STEEL allows formats supported in the DVD-A specification, including non-encoded, uncompressed surround and or high-resolution stereo (two channels of 24-bit, up to 192 KHz audio), in WAV or AIFF file format. Surround and stereo tracks may be used on the same disc, and a discWelder-burned disc will play on any DVD-A player that supports DVD-R/RW.\n\nDynamic Allocation: On the EIII, Dynamic Allocation defeats any pre- assigned output channel assignments and assigns the output channels according to a modified circular algorithm.\n\nDynamic Microphone: - Microphone which works through a diaphragm being attached to a coil which operates within a strong magnetic field. The diaphragm vibrates in response to soundwaves, which, in turn stimulates motion of the coil. The magnetic field causes an electric current to flow through the coil, with a voltage which varies in sympathy with the motion of the diaphragm. This measured change is the transduction of sound waves into an electrical signal. Not as good in terms of fidelity as a condenser type of microphone, but more sturdy and less prone to noise interference, hence it's wide use on stage, or where a certain kind of \"grittiness\" is required.\n\nDYNAMIC MICROPHONE: A type of microphone that works on the electric generator principle, where a diaphragm moves a coil of wire within a magnetic field. Where a diaphragm moves a coil of wire within a magnetic field and is typically less sensitive than Condenser Microphones where you need more gain.\n\n\nDynamics Processing: - Processing which alters aspects of the dynamics (difference in sound level) of an audio signal.\n\n", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8757812976837158}
{"content": "Name: bay leaf\nEnergy: 20 kj\nCalory: 4,78 kcal\nWeight: 100 g\n\n\nWe find it in every household. It is used to adjust the beef, tomato sauce, cream sauce or with venison. Bay is an evergreen tree that grows in the Mediterranean, Iran, Syria and elsewhere in the semi-arid conditions. In Greek mythology bay had an important mission, at the begining as a sacred herb rather than a spice. For a spice are used dried leaves, which have specific aroma and bitter taste. Bay leaves stimulates digestion and appetite, and therefore it is used in kitchens of many nations in the preservation of meat and fish, the pickles, mushrooms, cucumbers, vinegar and in a mixture of spices, the venison, the meat roasting on a spit etc. 40 sheets weighs about 1 gram.\n\n\nIngredient bay leaf have seen 1182 users.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.9089276790618896}
{"content": "\n\n\nI get it, he signs the book....so much repeating\n\nI get it \"He signs the book\" must you ask this 20 times in a chapter. There are about 50 other verbs in this chapter we could practice but you're harping on \"él firma el libro\".....\n\nSeriously, I've spelled this right at least 15 times, it's time to stop repeating these\n\n6 years ago\n\n\n\nI have this issue myself -- there is a fair amount of repetition in the lesson, which is boring when it's the exact same sentence. I'd recommend reducing the lesson size (by simply removing all the third and fourth repeats of the phrase). If you want users to practice more, give more distinct phrases.\n\nWhat's even more surprising is this sort of repetition in a test. If a user didn't know that phrase before the test, they'll know it during the test and then may forget it afterwards. In effect, you're giving them free questions.\n\n6 years ago\n\n\nI agree. I think this is one of the weakest aspects of DuoLingo as it stands. Surely it should at least be possible to code sentences with a selection of suitable words (Las [niñas/mujeres] comen [arroz/pollo/frutas/pasta/...]). That might help to reinforce more of the vocabulary, too, as some words seem to be introduced in a lesson then ignored until much later (if ever), whereas others crop up far too often.\n\n6 years ago", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.5111217498779297}
{"content": "By Leonida Kombo,\n\nmSurvey recognises that every customer has their own unique experiences and preferences in the same way that every zebra has its own unique stripes. We’re helping today’s leading brands to listen to their customers unique needs in real-time to ultimately improve their customer experience and drive revenue growth over time.\n\nIn recognition of businesses that go the extra mile to understand their customers unique demands, mSurvey is unveiling its official mascot dubbed the feedback zebra to help build engagement between businesses and their customers and spread awareness on the importance of customer feedback in a fun way.\n\nThe zebra which is painted in mSurvey’s unique motif symbolizes the uniqueness of each customer, distinctly standing out from the crowd, or in the case of our zebra, standing out from the herd. A business that truly values its customers is able to see each of their customers as unique individuals and not just a crowd of people.\n\nMascot infographic.png\n\nIn addition to our mascot aims to promote businesses which have shown a commitment to their customers by using mSurvey’s customer feedback platform and identifying them as brands that care about their customers. The mascot will be  placed on their premises for a designated duration of time, as proof of the brand actively listening to you to their customers and acting on their feedback to deliver best in class products and services.\n\nCustomers today more than ever want to enjoy personalised experiences that they can share. They want to be engaged in a hospitable manner and most of all they want to be empowered. An empowered customer has the ability to give feedback with confidence that it will be acted upon.\n\nNow more than ever,  businesses need to create memorable customer experiences before, during and after the sale to earn customer loyalty, drive repeat business, boost customer acquisition and grow profits. Ultimately, using real-time feedback prevents customers from feeling unwelcome and disengaged from their brands.\n\nAbout mSurvey\n\nSince mSurvey’s inception in 2012, we have been helping businesses better understand consumers in Africa with mSurvey’s flagship product Voice of the Customer. Through this product, businesses have been able to access customer feedback directly from their customers at scale and in real time through mobile conversations using the Net Promoter Score (NPS) a global metric which enables businesses to measure their customer loyalty and boost their customer retention.\n\nmSurvey’s platform enables businesses to inform their strategies through real-time customer feedback to  improve their customer experience and grow their revenues. After a successful run in Kenya, with the acquisition of several major clients such as Java House, entering a partnership with Safaricom, East and Central Africa’s largest telco and the integration with Safaricom’s mobile money giant mPesa, mSurvey has expanded its operations to Africa, starting from Nigeria.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.8890447020530701}
{"content": "For the past century, power producers in the United States have been driven to provide affordable, safe, and reliable electricity to the American populace. As the country becomes more aware of the consequences that come with power production, society has continued to ask for cleaner energy options to provide for our growing population and economy, while ensuring the health of our future.\nWill there be only one survivor in the battle between electric vehicles and traditional cars? The two technologies will co-exist for a while yet.\nAs economic development has spread, cities in many emerging economies have repeated one of the key transport-policy mistakes of western countries — they have allowed space-inefficient private cars to become an important mode of transport in dense cities.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 1.000009536743164}
{"content": "Toxic Algae Blooms: Health Threat to Dolphins and People\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRead more\n\nWhy it is important to study wild dolphins\n\nMost people love whales and dolphins. They think of them as intelligent creatures. They have heard stories of dolphins coming to the aid of stranded sailors, guiding swimmers back to shore and engaging in cooperative hunting with local fishermen. They feel whales and dolphins are important. And they are right! Maybe more than you might think!\nWhales and dolphins embody most of what we need to understand about oceans. They are predators at the top of the food chain and can tell us a lot about what is important in the ocean; where are sites of high productivity, what is the most energy efficient way to travel, and what are the best senses to use in the water.\nBecause of their complex behavior and social structure, whales and dolphins are especially interesting. But they also offer us a window into the physiological and anatomical adaptations to aquatic life; information we can apply to echolocation and boat sonar. More than valuable intellectual exercises, these studies help us understand phenomena such as population decline, recovery, and extinction, and teach us to care about the world. Generally, understanding begets caring.\nFurther, whales and dolphins are a vibrant part of the global ecosystem and their populations have been severely affected by, and continue to be extremely vulnerable to human impact, including interactions with fisheries and whaling. Above all, marine pollution and habitat degradation looms as the most menacing threats of all. If we have any philosophical leanings towards preserving nature, either for future generations or for its own value, than learning enough to prevent this damage is crucial.\nLastly, whales and dolphins, are the archetypal ‘charismatic mega-vertebrates’. Throughout centuries, whales and dolphins have played major roles in myths and legends. Every culture that has come into contact with an ocean, have created myths and legends about how whales and/or dolphins came into being, and what their existence means to the world and to us.\n\nIn our times, whales and dolphins have come so symbolize, more than any other species, the concern for the environment and have become a special symbol of sharing the earth. People react to them with empathy and express concern for their welfare. They epitomize and illustrate many of the problems humans inflict on the sea. They engender, in people who might not otherwise care, a wish to improve the ‘health’ of the marine environment. The huge interest in these animals can therefore be used to encourage interest in the sea more generally, with whales and dolphins becoming flagships or ambassadors of the oceans.\n\nAll that makes it important to study these wonderful creatures. If you understand dolphin echolocation and how it works, then you have the tools to apply that knowledge. If you are a conservationist and are concerned about dolphin entanglement in nets, knowledge allows you to reduce that risk. The application of the knowledge depends on what you value: for an academic, to further knowledge and understanding; for an applied researcher, to be able to provide information to managers on the implications of a range of management options, for a conservation biologist: to find ways of ensuring the health of populations and habitats.\n\nFor more than thirty years, bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) have been studied along the west coast of the United States, the Gulf of Mexico and along the eastern sea border, from the Carolinas to the southern tip of Florida. I have been involved with Coastal Dolphin Conservation through the Palm Beach Dolphin project of the Taras Oceanographic Foundation, headquartered in Jupiter, Florida. This project provides critical information on coastal dolphin communities, their lives and societies and shed light on how the health of these top predators, and the conditions of the natural resources they depend on, may directly or indirectly impact our own health and well-being.\n\nIn light of the enormous impact whales and dolphins have on humans and their lives, it is not difficult to understand why studying them serves the support of all of us. Search the Internet for the word dolphin sometime and see how many ‘hits’ you get. People believe that whales and dolphins have value and people put their money in things they hold interesting.\nWhy do dolphins hear sounds up to 150kHz while we hear only to 15? What is there to listen to anyway? Why do only male humpback whales sing and why don’t females? What directs Humpback whales in Hawaii to swim directly north in the summer? How do they know which way is North? Do dolphins ‘see’ an image in their brain from echolocation signals that is similar to what we see with our eyes? Does a dolphin think, and if he does, what does he think about? Do whales dream? Why are blue whales the biggest animals that have ever lived on earth? Why do dolphins have pointy rostrums? But most importantly why does anyone care about the answers to these questions? The main point is that people do care, and this is why we should all take a stand, and invest our time and money into understanding and protecting these marvelous marine mammals. No doubt, life is better with dolphins around.\n\nRead more\n\nWithout music, life would be a mistake\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRead more\n\nThe Waste Crisis\n\nAccording to the EPA, Americans generated about 254 million tons of trash, of which 87 million tons, or about 34%, was recycled and composted. Waste generation has increased to about 4.4 pounds a day per person with 1.5 pounds being composted or recycled. Most of that waste ends up in a landfill, in essence a relatively inexpensive, earth moving operation. The downside of using landfills is that they remove valuable lands from other uses for generations to come, and because decomposition generates explosive methane gas, and waste settles over time, it is impossible to build any structure over landfills once they are closed. The situation is exacerbated since most landfills are located close to urban centers where development pressure is greatest.\n\nBut let’s have a look what happens inside a landfill. As it turns out, the waste is not as dormant as it may appear, but has a life of its own instead. Deep inside microbes are feeding on organic materials and produce chemical changes. Settlement takes place as the lower parts of the landfill are compressed by the weight above.\n\nInfiltrating rainwater leaches heavy metals, PCBs, lead, solvents, dioxin, DDT, benzene, CFCs, furans from the myriad of products and substances dumped in the landfill, forming a contaminated liquid that sooner or later percolates downward and – unless we install some barriers – pollutes the underlying ground water. Today, around 45,000 different chemicals are produced and about 1,000 new ones are added each year. Unfortunately, many of these substances are toxic and can damage parts of the complex and fragile environmental web. And equally disconcerting, many of chemicals find their way into our landfills. Even modern landfills with liners and leachate collection systems are a problem. If they are not leaking now, they will probably start leaking within a few decades of their closure. The use of modern technology simply postpones the inevitable.\n\nIn addition to the leachate, landfills also cause atmospheric pollution. The decomposition processes release gases such as methane, carbon, dioxide, vinyl chloride and hydrogen sulphide, which slowly seep into the air around the landfill. This impairs air quality in the immediate vicinity and, on a larger scale, contributes to greenhouse effect and global warming.\n\nThe production of consumer goods and their distribution to the customer make full use of the latest technological development, while the disposal of the remains is still carried out on stone-age-level. Landfills do not only represent an unproductive land use but also fail to meet the sustainability principle.\n\nIn the production and consumption of the myriad of products few seem to care what happens at the end of their utility range. Never before and by no previous society have comparable large amounts of products and such dangerous substances been converted in such a short time into waste. In order to avoid a total waste crisis, the engineering in production must be complemented by an efficient and non-polluting waste management, which aims to minimize waste at the source, in the production process, and transforms the inevitable remaining wastes into relatively harmless substances that can be safely absorbed in soil, water and air.\n\nWhen considering the costs, decision makers more often than not, focus on the short-term cost of landfills when compared to incineration or waste-to-energy conversion plants. What is frequently omitted is the fact that landfills are effectively permanent facilities, which, unlike incineration or conversion plants, can not be easily after 30-50 years to make room for more advanced technologies or entirely different uses. In fact, while the land used for an incinerator/conversion plant could be sold and used for other purposes, landfills will need to be monitored and maintained for centuries after they close.\n\nThe most crucial factor is however, that the costs of damage to the environment, the value of Earth’s natural ecosystems and the services they provide are not fully captured in commercial markets in the way economic services and manufactured commodities are valued. To properly reflect the value of Earth’s ecosystems, additional cost factors should be included in the financial analysis of waste management facilities. For example, landfill costs should be increased to account for the permanent loss of land resources, the exposure of groundwater to leachate, and the atmospheric pollution caused by gas emissions.\n\nMany of the processes and technologies needed to create a circular economy are available today or within reach. What’s lacking is our resolve and determination to change course.\n\nRead more\n\nA short history of solid waste management\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRead more\n\nThreats to Whales and Dolphins\n\nWales and dolphins are a vibrant part of the global ecosystem and their populations have been severely affected in various ways. Many species have been over-hunted in the past, and several populations are reduced to a small fraction of their original levels. They are vulnerable to entanglement in fishing gear and incidental catch in gillnets is one of the most serious threats to marine mammals. These fishery operations may well cause the extinction of several small cetacean populations within the next few decades, including the Vaquita and Chilean dolphins. Collisions between larger whales and ships (ship strikes) occur with regular frequency and represent a significant cause of death and traumatic injury. Because toothed whales and dolphins are top predators and thus at a higher tropic level in the food chain, they are especially prone to bio-accumulating toxins, such as heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). However, as recent research has demonstrated, such toxins and pollutants also negatively impact baleen whales.\n\nAnother threat to the health of whales and dolphins comes from the petroleum industry. Seismic surveys, which are used to discover oil and gas field situated below the seabed are, at a minimum, suspected to damage the complex hearing system of these marine mammals. Once the oil extraction processes is under way, the negative impacts shift habitat loss and exposure to hydrocarbons, lubricants and outright pollutants and toxins used in the process.\n\nLoss of whale and dolphin habitat is directly linked to increasing human activity in and along marine environments. The aggregation of wastes we allow to flow into our streams and estuaries, and ultimately into the oceans, is a biochemical soup carrying thousands of different chemicals. Rainwater and snow melt, that run off from congested urban areas, collect street oil and chemicals as well as many metals. Runoff into streams and rivers adjacent to farmlands carry tons of suspended particles of soil. This is not only damaging to fish but can also choke-out submerged oxygen-giving grasses in coastal woodlands, bays or estuaries. Runoff from timber harvesting activities, especially clear cutting, deprives the exposed land of thousands of tons of soil and has caused the pollution of some of the most valuable spawning grounds for trout and salmon in the Pacific Northwest. Runoff of the nitrogen and phosphorus components of fertilizers leads to an oxygen depletion in the water. This depletion has caused massive fish die-offs and can wipe out whole areas of marine habitat necessary to maintain the life cycles of myriads of species of aquatic life.\n\nMarine debris is a visible expression of human impact on the marine environment. Debris is more than an aesthetic problem, it poses a real danger. Ocean currents carry milk cartons, toothbrushes, cigarette lighters, and other familiar plastic items around the world. In some areas, such as the Central Pacific Gyre, plastics outnumber plankton seven to one. The number of marine mammals that die each year due to ingestion and entanglement of debris approaches 100,000 in the North Pacific Ocean alone. Worldwide, 82 of 144 bird species examined contained small debris in their stomachs. Plastic is the most far-reaching man-made threat facing many marine species. Over time, it reacts with sunlight and turns into small plastic polymer molecules. It turns out that these plastic polymers are sponges for DDT, PCBs and other toxins that don’t dissolve in seawater. Plastic pellets have been found to accumulate up to one million times the level of these poisons that are floating in the water itself. These pellets are consumed by baitfish, which in turn are consumed by larger fish, eventually finding their way into the stomachs of large predators, such as dolphins and toothed whales, and our own.\n\nOther human activities, such as the construction of shipping channels and marinas, and the recreational use of coastal areas, including resort development, are likely to have a negative impact on the lives of whales and dolphins using the same areas.\n\nLast but not least, climate change, with its changes of sea temperature, sea level rise, changes in salinity, just to name a few, will undoubtedly change the socio-ecology of whales and dolphins. Species inhabiting the high latitudes, such as bowhead, narwhal, beluga may be the first to feel the impact due to diminishing food resources, such as krill. But other species, such as humpback whales and killer whales will likely experience significant changes in their food supply, resulting in changes of existing migration patterns and a shift of home ranges.\n\nWhales and dolphins are facing enormous challenges and threats. They are the ocean canaries, warning us about the disastrous effects of pollution and habitat destruction, and they can be our guides to where to look for answers about how our oceans work. If we have any philosophical leanings towards preserving these wonderful creatures and the oceans, either for future generations or for its own value, than learning enough to prevent any further damage is crucial.\n\nRead more\n\nCan we discipline ourselves?\n\nAs humans we have the desire to understand and explain the world around us. For millennia we have strived to answer questions about life, physics and natural laws. Now it seems we are forced to seek answers to problems we have caused ourselves. The questions are whether we still have time to act, or whether the natural systems have already reached a point of no return.\n\nDuring times, when nature in general seemed to be indestructible, exerting power and control over all remaining life was considered a natural right. Nature was considered an interference factor and we did not think, and many still don’t, that our own behavior could, in one way or another, significantly impact the natural systems, let alone throw them out of balance. The reality is that the planet reacts very slow; so slow in fact that it requires long-term observations to measure disturbances, disruptions, breakdowns and malfunctions. Hence, the warning signs reach us with such a delay that we mistakenly conclude we could behave and do what we want without consequence. And so we release smoke, soot and toxins into our environment, polluting the place that gave us life, nurtured us, quenches our thirst, provides food and fills our lungs with air.\n\nA mere 150 years ago, natural disasters were practically not influenced by humans at all. Solely reacting to events for millennia, many of which we could not even put into any context, let alone explain, we are incapable to anticipate the outcomes of our actions over the time periods our planet needs to react to man-made pressures and changes.\n\nAn additional handicap is that man’s time horizon is short, at best 25 years. He will, if he was alone, do nothing to protect the earth. In an ironic twist of fate it is our intellectual abilities and our technology-based civilization (which have advanced the quality of our lives) that now threaten the survival of all living things on earth – including humans. As the German philosopher Hans Jonas put it, in man nature has disturbed itself with our morality being the only mitigation factor. We are approaching the abyss, and the fundamental question we are facing is whether or not we will be able to discipline ourselves and change course.\n\nWe have lived through paradigm shifts before: we once believed that the sun moves around the earth only to have science prove that the opposite is true. Now we are told that the problems (global warming, sea level rise, depletion of the life-protecting (stratospheric) ozone layer, marine pollution, soil degradation and the loss of species and biotope diversity) don’t exist, are not as urgent, are not caused by us, or a combination of all of the above. Again, science has been providing evidence to the contrary but many people continue to believe that the future will be much like the past, the task of avoiding disaster falling to markets and technologies. But think about this: the earth is stable, it does not grow. The input of the sun likewise remains constant. Much of the wealth, derived from that input and stored over tens of millions of years in fossil fuels, has already been consumed in less than two centuries. No technology in the world can alter this equation. The greatest problem is the illusion that subtle changes in course direction could guide us towards a life of cozy shopping malls while ensuring the survival of the natural systems, the glorious diversity of life that surrounds us, and our own species.\n\nRead more\n\nCoastal Development\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRead more\n\nTowards an enduring society\n\nThe scope of today’s environmental problems is fraught with catchwords such as greenhouse effect, depletion of the life-protecting (stratospheric) ozone layer, marine pollution, soil degradation and the loss of species and biotope diversity. Our steadily narrowing spectrum of consumed products from agriculture, forestry and fisheries, and the concentration on a few economically valuable species, has resulted in a specialization of land and marine food harvesting systems. Combined with the conversion of habitats, these are prime causes of species loss within any particular ecosystem. Obviously, all our activities, especially the harvesting of natural resources, have tremendous impact on the ecosystem. Equally obvious is the fact that non-sustainable harvesting, and causing the extinction of species, is ethically unacceptable and unjustifiable. Because we all need nature; for food, health and scientific innovation, the prevention of floods, droughts and epidemics, the mitigation of natural disasters, and of course we need wild places, animals and plants for recreation, renewal, and inspiration. Consequently, we need to consider the carrying capacity and flexibility of the economic and social systems, but also the cultural diversity, which helps people adapt to changing conditions. perhaps the biggest challenge is that our knowledge about the world tends to be organized in small segments. It is our fascination for parts and pieces that blinds us to the whole. What is needed instead is a holistic view that helps us understand patterns of complexity and interaction that point towards balance over time.\n\nThe internationally acknowledged basis for agreements on environmental protection, resource management, and conservation, relies on the principles of sustainable development and the maintenance of bio-diversity.\n\nThe concept of sustainable development, first introduced in the Brundland Commission’s report Our Common Future, is based on the realization that the conditions for economic activities will continue to deteriorate in the future, if the natural resources underlying these activities are destroyed at the present rate. By exploiting non-renewable raw materials, we consume resources as if making withdrawals from a limited saving account, without making deposits. At the same time, our species is using renewable resources above and beyond their regeneration capacity. The earth’s limited absorption capacity is strained by emissions and waste volumes, resulting in ecological costs that can no longer be ignored. In other words, to prevent future generations from suffering from shortages of natural resources, or a deterioration of environmental quality, this capital stock should at least be kept at a constant level. But rather than focussing on specific issues, such as resource availability and absorption capacity, I like to think of sustainable development as a means that helps preserve the vital functions of the environment, including the potential for change, evolution and self-regulation.\n\nBio-diversity is meant to be all-inclusive; it is the genetic-based variation of living organisms at all levels. It includes the world’s millions of species and the ecological systems they live in, ranging from Polar Regions with relatively few species, to the tropics with their great abundance of different life forms. Preserving bio-diversity provides us with at least three domains of benefit: the maintenance of our ecosystems in healthy condition, a potential source of new resources such as pharmaceuticals, crops, fibers etc., all holding economic value, and biophilia, a term used by E.O. Wilson to describe the natural affiliation humans have for the nature. It is our failure to recognize our connection with the global ecosystem that lies at the center of the biodiversity crisis facing our planet. We have to recognize that biological diversity is part of our heritage and is incomparably older and more complex than anything else.\n\nOf the 5-30 million species that exist today, humans consume nearly half of the land-based ecosystem production, and 25% of all plant energy from the land and sea combined. Today there are less than 1 million elephants, but 100 million cattle on earth. These numbers do not reflect intrinsic worthiness, but rather developed usefulness. And yet, we must confront the demographic realities honestly, if we hope to create a sustainable lifestyle and preserve bio-diversity. Although nobody knows the exact rate of extinction, estimates are that about 26,000 species are lost each year, which means that three species are lost forever every hour. It is also commonly accepted that there is a relationship between habitat loss and species numbers. Reducing a habitat’s original size by 10% is thought to eventually lead to the numbers of species inhabiting that area dropping by half. Every species that disappears is a loss of evolutionary potential and potential resource. Human-caused extinction is believed to be between a thousand and ten thousand times greater than what it was before Man populated our planet. This is far in excess of the rate at which new species are being created. So again, we are quickly depleting the capital that took millions of years to create.\n\nTo better manage natural resources the following guidelines may be helpful:\n\n  • The depletion rates of renewable resources should not exceed their renewal rates;\n  • The consumption of non-renewable resources should be limited to levels at which they can either be replaced by physically, or functionally, equivalent renewable resources, or at which consumption can be offset by increasing the productivity of renewable or non-renewable resources;\n  • Disposal of any substances should take into account the maximum absorption capacity of the specific environment with all it’s functions, including ‘hidden’ and more sensitive regulating ones;\n  • There should be a balanced ratio between the time frame of man-made environmental footprints, and the time scale of the corresponding natural processes (reaction capacity of the environment).\n\nIn principle, a detailed evaluation of how to best address these challenges can be achieved in two ways: the first is inductive and based on the analysis and the assessment of selected substances and potential fields of application. The second is deductive, aimed at substantiating the model of sustainable development within a general context. In addition, we can distinguish between ecological, economic and social objectives, as well as between preservation and restructuring objectives.\n\nMankind faces the enormous challenge of developing a sustainable global society and economy. This constitutes one of the biggest opportunities in the history of commerce, with billions of dollars in revenues. Business and science, it seems, are the only organizations with the resources, technology, global reach and ultimately, the motivation to achieve this goal. However, the business and scientific communities have never developed appropriate mechanisms for interaction between them; nor have the critical relative balances of scientific knowledge, profit and societal benefits been satisfactorily established. We must strive to create an enduring and resilient society with a system of commerce and production where each and every act is inherently sustainable and restorative; where economics, natural and human systems are integrated and profitable, and expandable companies created that do not destroy, directly or indirectly, the world around them. In other words, the key to restoring and sustaining the earth’s environmental health lies in integrating and balancing the needs of both environmental and human systems through practical choices in pollution prevention, conservation, economic development and a societal shift towards preferences for sustainable products and services.\n\nIn the end, all this will contribute to a better understanding of the impact we have on our planet. You can’t have seven billion people growing and running around on a planet without having some major impacts. Right now we are making choices we don’t even understand; better to make an informed choice don’t you think? The technologies needed to stop, or at least slow, the possible dismal inheritance of our children and their children are available. It is the individual and society who will have to accept the necessary and profound changes in life styles, priorities and values as well as the enormous costs. The choices are ours. As Shakespeare succinctly said in one of his plays, ‘Delays have dangerous ends’.\n\nRead more", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.748181164264679}
{"content": "Petition Closed\n\nEvaluate POTUS Donald J. Trumps Mental Health\n\nThis petition had 32 supporters\n\nDonald J. Trump has exhibited all of the symptoms of someone who suffers from APD (Antisocial Personality Disorder) also known as sociopathic behavior, and lacks the mental stability required to remain in the office of P.O.T.U.S. (President of the United States) hereafter referred to as POTUS. Donald J. Trump should be subjected to a complete psychiatric evaluation by a panel of nine qualified doctors who will remain anonymous to protect their physical safety, selected at random to avoid any possibility of political bias, to determine if he suffers from organic and/or clinical psychoses that precludes him from remaining in the office of POTUS. If a diagnosis of mental illness is ascertained by a majority of the randomly selected doctors Donald J. Trump must be removed as POTUS and sequestered in an institution that can provide appropriate care. Additionally Donald J. Trump must remain isolated from contact with the general public for the purpose of public safety until such time that independent qualified doctors agree he is asymptomatic, and no longer a physical threat to any citizens, particularly women, Green-card holders, refugees, or those with official visas.\n\nToday: Marko is counting on you\n\nMarko Barrows needs your help with “ Evaluate Trumps Mental Health”. Join Marko and 31 supporters today.", "pred_label": "__label__1", "pred_score_pos": 0.7794108390808105}